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 []
22.08.2017 LISTEN

By Desmond Davies, London Bureau, London

London, Aug. 22, GNA - Sudan has become the 39th Province of the Anglican Communion, with an inauguration at the All Saints Cathedral in the capital, Khartoum.

The inauguration was crowned with a visit by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who said, the decision to let Sudan become the newest autonomous member of the Anglican family, was turning a 'new beginning' for Christians in that country.

The members of the Sudanese Church said the move would allow them to become more visible and deal directly with the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Before the creation of the latest province, Sudanese Anglicans were under the jurisdiction of the Church in South Sudan where the majority of the four-and-half-million members of the Episcopal Church are based.

After the country became independent from Sudan in 2011, the Anglican Church of Sudan became the Anglican Church of South Sudan and Sudan.

The decision to have a separate communion in the North was taken last year after it became clear that the Primate of South Sudan, the Most Reverend Daniel Deng, was finding it difficult to administer to the needs of members in the North, because of the strained relationship between Sudan and South Sudan since the latter's independence six year ago. 'After the independence of South Sudan, it was problematic for him to come to Khartoum to undertake his role as Primate,' said Bishop Anthony Poggo, who was appointed last October as the Archbishop of Canterbury's Adviser for Anglican Communion Affairs.

'It is easier and better for everything to be run by the new Primate of Sudan  which is one of the reasons the new Province has been set up,' he said.

'There will be challenges, but it will be more easily solved by the Sudanese people rather than a Primate who is based in Juba.'

The new Archbishop of Sudan, Ezekiel Kondo, will administer to about one million Anglicans in his province.

The Archbishop of Canterbury's visit was not limited to meeting members of the Anglican Communion in Sudan, as he also met President Omar al-Bashir and government officials to discuss issues relating to religious co-existence and humanitarian assistance for refugees in the region.

The Governor of Khartoum, Abdel Rahim Hussein, said that Sudan had no incidents of conflict between Muslims and Christians, adding that the Archbishop's visit 'comes within the framework of supporting the well-established ties between Muslims and Christians' in the country.

The Archbishop welcomed the religious co-existence among Sudanese, noting that the government had clear plans to make that work.

'My prayer for Sudan is that there will be freedom continually so that Christians may live confidently, blessing their country,' he said.

'The more they are free, the more they will be a blessing to Sudan.'

He also praised the Sudanese government for welcoming refugees from the conflict in South Sudan, saying Khartoum had set an example for the world by hosting refugees and sharing its little resources with them.

The Archbishop said, he supported the lifting in full of US sanctions against Sudan and later visited camps in Northern Uganda where over 900,000 South Sudanese refugees are living.

GNA
Tatale (N/R), Aug. 22, GNA - Obore Gariba Yankosor II, the Paramount Chief of Tatale Traditional Area in the Northern Region, has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to consider making Yendi one of the six new regions to be created.

The Region could be named North East Region with Yendi as the regional capital, he said.

Obore Yankosor made the appeal during a meeting with the chiefs and people at his Palace at Tatale in the Tatale/Sanguli District.

He indicated that Zabzugu, Tatale/Sanguli, Saboba, Chereponi, Mion, Gusheigu, Karaga, Nanumba North and South, and Kpandai districts could fall under Yendi Municipal to make Yendi the Regional Capital.

Obore Yankosor said all the districts mentioned were under the Yendi Local Council in the 1960s until they were created as new districts adding that they would enhance the development of the area if Yendi was made a regional capital.

He said the people in the districts and Yendi Municipality were predominantly farmers who produced large quantities of food and cash crops including yam, cashew and sheanuts.

He said there were also large quantities of iron-ore deposits at Sheini in the Tatale/Sanguli District, which spread to Zabzugu District, generating revenue for the country.

The Paramount Chief indicated that Yendi Municipality had a Referral Hospital, Divisional Police Station, Circuit Court, Military Detachment, Ghana Fire Service Station, Ghana Prison Service, Ghana Water Company Limited, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and its Customs Division, and Ghana Immigration Service.

He said apart from having all the decentralised departments, it also had an Air-Strip among other things.

The 2010 Population and Housing Census gave the population of Yendi Municipality as 223,252, Chereponi District 53,394, Gusheigu 111,259, Saboba 65,706, Mion 81,812, Tatale/Sanguli 60,039, Zabzugu 63,815, Nanumba North 141,554, Nanumba South 94,464, and Kpandai 108,816, the Chief said, adding that the large population could contribute to making Yendi a regional capital.

He commended President Akufo-Addo for accepting to create the six new regions, with one to come from Northern Region.

GNA
22.08.2017 LISTEN

The President of the College of Community and Organisation Development, (CCOD), Dr. Gabriel Gbiel Bernakuu, has observed that two out of five institutions in Ghana collapse before they reach five years of existence due to the lack of managerial skills.

He therefore called on managers of organizations to constantly interact with their staff of any changes they want to adopt.

Dr. Bernakuu disclosed this in a Pre-Press conference ahead of the National Organizational Development Conference to be held in Sunyani.

The Premier Organization Development Technical University in Africa, College for Community and Organizational Development (CCOD) is to hold its maiden National Organization Development Conference under the theme Change and Transition Management: OD Approach and Opportunities.

He said since management is answerable to an organizations development, therefore when they device appropriate method of change policies in a win-win approach, it will help them avoid employee resistance.

Dr Bernakuu challenged the government to apply suitable measures of change in institutions to ensure collective responsibility to realize proper implementation by the entire staff.

He was hopeful when management is able to connect with their employees well, it would yield immense benefits in the interest of their business.

Dr. Bernakuu revealed that gaining organizational development skills gives opportunities to individuals to implement and behave well in their organization and improve their contributions and output.

He called on individuals willing to establish their own organizations to seek proper organization skills and empowerment to help them achieve excellence in institutions.

He moreover, called on leaders in organizations to acquire pre knowledge of organizations management and ensure that staffs are able to hold on to the modern trend of effective institutional management.

The organisation development conference is organized in collaboration with Yebsons Ventures, and partners including Abibrem Communications, Africa Moringa Hub, Mihoso International, Life mineral water

Media partners are Space FM, GBC, Classic FM among others.
The Media Foundation for West Africa and its Partners have launched a Comprehensive Strategic Framework for a long-term Media Sector Reform and Development in The Gambia. This followed a validation of the Framework by stakeholders at a forum held in Banjul.

The forum which, had the President of The Gambia, H.E. Adama Barrow, as the Special Guest brought together local and international stakeholders including the ECOWAS, the UN Office for West Africa, UNESCO, the Diplomatic Community, journalists, editors, civil society groups, other media development organisations.

The Media Reform Strategic Framework is the result of a joint and collaborative process involving the government of The Gambia represented by the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure (MoICI) and Gambia Press Union (GPU); the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), International Media Support (IMS) and Gambia Media Support (GAMES).

As an initial step in the process, a 12-member group of local and international media experts that included media managers, editors, regulators, academics, lawyers and policymakers was constituted. Through a series of workshops and consultations, the expert group came up with the Comprehensive Strategic Framework.

The purpose of the Framework is to guide the entire media sector reform process in the Gambia and also ensure that the urgent development of the media sector is comprehensive, sustainable and with a long-term perspective. The key focus areas of the Framework are:

Media Law and Policy Reforms

Media Capacity Development

National Communication Policy

Media Professional Standards

Transformation of State-owned Broadcaster into a Public service Broadcaster

Institutional development for journalism institutions

Media infrastructure development

The Framework is also expected to guide interventions by actors and partners who seek to contribute to the strengthening of the media sector at various levels and in various ways.

Following the launch, the MFWA and its Partners will continue to engage and ensure the implementation of the Framework to promote freedom of expression and media development in The Gambia.
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has expressed hope that the 2017 national annual delegates conference which will take place in Cape Coast in the Central Region turns success.

The national conference which will start from Friday, August 25 to Sunday, August 27, 2017 is the theme NPP, delivering on our promises, our roots, our strength, our future.

According to the party, the necessary arrangements have been put in place.

The party, having put in place, all the necessary arrangements, is very confident that the 2017 national annual delegates conference and the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the NPP shall be a remarkable success, the party said.

A statement addressed by the Acting General Secretary of NPP John Boadu, explained that the Friday will be Muslim Prayers (Jummah) as well as some social events in the evening.

It added that there would be a mammoth rally on Saturday at the Victoria Park to be addressed by the leadership of the party, the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Vice Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Ministers of State and other key government appointees.

Day 2 (Saturday, 26th August) is for the main conference to be held at the medical school auditorium of the University.

The conference, per Article 9(4) shall deliberate and make appropriate resolutions on National Chairmans report, National Treasurers Statement of Accounts, General Secretarys report, deliberate on resolutions from all the 10 regions and also consider proposals for amendments to the partys constitution which have been received and circulated to all stakeholders.

The main conference will end at 4pm. There would then be a mammoth rally at the Victoria Park in Cape Coast to be addressed by the leadership of the party, His Excellency the President and Vice, Ministers of State and other key government appointees.

 Day 3 (Sunday, 27th August) shall be for Church/Thanksgiving Service to be observed at the Calvary Methodist Church, Cape Coast, it explained.

Read details of the statement:

August 22, 2017 PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE 2017 NATIONAL ANNUAL DELEGATES CONFERENCE OF THE NPP AND RELATED MATTERS ADDRESSED BY JOHN BOADU, GENERAL SECRETARY (AG) Introduction/Background

The NPP, as you all know, shall be holding its 2017 National Annual Delegates Conference from Friday, 25th of August to Sunday, August 27 in Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital as agreed by the National Council at its meeting on May 10, 2017.

This conference is being held in pursuance to Article 9(1) of the party constitution which states that, There shall be a National Annual Delegates Conference which shall be the supreme governing body of the party.

Prior to the national delegates conference, the party, per the provisions of Article 6 and 7, is supposed to hold Constituency and Regional Delegates Conferences in the various Constituencies and Regions respectively in order to pave way for the national delegates conference. I am happy to report that as we speak, the party has indeed been able to successfully hold delegates conferences in all the 275 constituencies and 10 regions of the country.

Therefore, all is now set for the national conference, which is the climax of all the annual delegates conferences. The partys national council, which is the second highest decision making body of the party, met again, last Friday, 18th August, to among other things, spell out modalities and agree on the activities to be observed at this gathering as well as the rules of engagement with recourse to the conference planning committee chaired by F.F. Antoh.

The relevant resolutions from this meeting include:  The conference would be held at the Medical School Auditorium of the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region.

Delegates to the conference, per the provision of Article 9(2)(ii) include, members of the national council, members of the national executive committee, all members of the regional executive committee, all members of the constituency executive committee, 15 members from the national council of elders, 12 delegates from every external branch as defined under section 8(2) of the party constitution, 1 tescon representative from each recognized tertiary institution in the country, 15 patrons elected from among themselves, founding members across the country who are signatories to the registration documents of the party at the electoral commission, all members of parliament and all party members who are ministers, deputy ministers and MMDCEs.

Theme for the Conference and Justification

This years conference, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the NPP and 70th Anniversary of the founding of the UGCC, is anchored on the theme, NPP, DELIVERING ON OUR PROMISES; OUR ROOTS, OUR STRENGTH, OUR FUTURE.

Clearly, the choice of this theme is to afford us an opportunity to reflect on the very core values underpinning the formation of the NPP and assess the extent to which the party has remained focused on these founding principles with the view to learning any relevant lessons to serve as a guide for the future.

Twenty-five (25) of the existence of an organization and for that matter a political party is certainly, not a small feat; particularly when the party has chalked tremendous achievements to the envy of all. Almost everybody agrees that the NPPs immense contribution to the social, political and economic development of this country over the past two to three decades cannot be exaggerated.

We are credited with the introduction of almost all the monumental social interventions in the country including the NHIS, capitation grant, metro mass transport, school feeding programme, livelihood empowerment against poverty (LEAP). The list in endless.

Again, the NPP has been at the forefront of almost every progressive development across all sectors and in the delivery of prosperity to the Ghanaian people. We have also led the way in areas of good governance and the consolidation of the countrys democracy with our unrivalled democratic credentials.

The NPP way, has thus, always been the way for Ghana and the rest of Africa.

It is therefore not surprising that anytime the NPP is in power, Ghanaians heave great sigh of relief and have their hopes restored. At 25, the party has a lot to celebrate; especially now that we are in government and have shown enough commitment to delivering on our mandate to the Ghanaian people.

As we speak, the Nana Addo-led NPP government has made the strongest commitment yet to fulfilling all our manifesto promises even in our first year including the almighty free SHS, One-district-one-factory, one-village-one-dam, planting for food and jobs, 1 million dollar per constituency fund, restoration of teacher and nursing trainee allowance among several others.

You can imagine what the narrative would be, by the time we finish our first 4 years in office. You can only find this in the NPP.

Programme line-up for the conference

Day 1 of the conference (Friday, 25th August) shall be for Muslim Prayers (Jummah) during the day and then some social events in the evening.

 Day 2 (Saturday, 26th August) is for the main conference to be held at the medical school auditorium of the University.

The conference, per Article 9(4) shall deliberate and make appropriate resolutions on National Chairmans report, National Treasurers Statement of Accounts, General Secretarys report, deliberate on resolutions from all the 10 regions and also consider proposals for amendments to the partys constitution which have been received and circulated to all stakeholders.

The main conference will end at 4pm. There would then be a mammoth rally at the Victoria Park in Cape Coast to be addressed by the leadership of the party, His Excellency the President and Vice, Ministers of State and other key government appointees.

 Day 3 (Sunday, 27th August) shall be for Church/Thanksgiving Service to be observed at the Calvary Methodist Church, Cape Coast.

Caution to Prospective Candidates

The party, and in particular, national council, has noticed with concern, the rate at which prospective candidates for various executive positions in the party wantonly displayed their campaign posters and banners at the just ended constituency and regional delegates conferences as if we were holding internal elections.

The council wishes to remind them that the party has not lifted the ban for campaign; neither has it opened nominations.

In view of the foregoing, the party is appealing to all prospective candidates to DESIST from repeating this undemocratic and untidy enterprise at the national delegates conference. The party reserves the right to reprimand or sanction anyone who flouts this directive.

Conclusion

The party, having put in place, all the necessary arrangements, is very confident that the 2017 national annual delegates conference and the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the NPP shall be a remarkable success.

We commend the F.F. Antoh-led planning committee, members of the national council and the partys council of elders ably chaired by C.K. Tedem, executive officers of the party, government appointees, members of parliament as well as ordinary party members and delegates who are contributing in diverse ways to support the party in the organization of this conference.

Thank you.
The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) 2016 Presidential candidate, Ivor Kobina Green Street has lauded government's commitment to implement the much touted Free SHS program in September but wants it extended to cover university education.

According to him, prudent use of the nation's natural resources is the surest way to fund free university education.

University education would guarantee the nation Quality citizenship and workforce, a responsible and knowledgeable populace and accountable and sensitive governments.

In the knowledge based world in which we now exist, education is so important and is directly linked to the economic development and the stability and progress of a nation. We cannot have a nation of a few literates and vast numbers of illiterates and we must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to explore their talents to the fullest.

Lawyer Ivor Green Street made the proposal at the 17th Annual delegates' conference of the University Students Association of Ghana, at the University for Development Studies (UDS) Tamale City campus, Dungu.

Economic independence

He tasked government to re-renegotiate all incentives to international companies and also end tax breaks to multinationals.

This in Ivor Green Street's anticipation could lead to the nation's attainment of the much awaited economic independence.

I call on President Akufo-Addo to renegotiate all agreements with companies that offer incentives that do not inure to the benefit of the people of Ghana and end or significantly reduce tax holidays and tax breaks we give mining, oil, free zone and other multinational companies.

Attracting investment policies of the NPP and NDC which had been exactly the same for year after year had been to offer tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment. No real gains have been achieved from this policy. Instead our trade taxes have declined.

Studies have shown that Ghana loses more than $ 1.5 billion annually as a result of tax incentives. That is over half the entire Government of Ghana budget for education, he lamented.

Below is the full statement:

EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE AVENUES TO FUND UNIVERSITY EDUCATION: THE ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS

It is a great pleasure to be here today at the University of Development Studies to be part of the Annual Delegates Conference for USAG to offer some thoughts on the important matter of funding University education. Of course, different factors, including your environment and acquired ideas can end up determining your basic views on important matters like education.

As the son of not one but two University Professors of the University of Ghana at Legon, Accra I could be described as a campus baby having been born there and spent my childhood years surrounded by all things to do with education.

Education in general therefore, has a special place in my heart and especially University Education in particular. As you can imagine, we as children grew up with academics arguing with each other incessantly and never agreeing. In the same way, the arguments about the ways to fund education in general and university education in particular never seem to end.

If you didn't know I was a campus boy with a special affinity for education matters I know that all of you are intellectuals and also have highly developed political antennae and may therefore have noticed that last year 2016, the election year, I had the great privilege and honor to represent the Convention People's Party, the Party of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah whom I know you all know and also accept to be the founder of Ghana.

He also had a special place for education in the formulation of a larger vision for the people of Ghana. That is why there is so much evidence that as we took our first steps into nationhood there was a total commitment from the seat of Government to the design of an African-centered National Education Policy as part of the creation of a modern, socialist, pan African state.

The topic before me today though, is what are the alternative avenues to funding University education. Firstly, let me state some very brief but important historical facts:

As far back as the middle to the late 1950s the CPP Government under its 5-year development plan started an ambitious educational program through massive investment in educational infrastructure and assistance to private and missionary owned and ran schools. It also made tuition in all schools free and books were also free. The cost of education was only the cost of boarding and lodging and this was made free for all students in Northern Ghana. Sixth form was made free for all students who gained admission after O'levels. So let's ask ourselves this question: who introduced fees payment since 1966 to date when now University which was free is so expensive that most people cannot afford it? The history of fees payments can be directly traced to both the NPP and the NDC.

So it is clear, we believe and have always believed that Education should be free from the Kindergarten level to the basic level, to the secondary level and up to the tertiary level.

Yes, we believe, University education should be free and today I shall explain why we believe education including University education should be free and one of the avenues which could be used to pay for it.

That avenue which I will speak about today is for Government to simply have the political will to re-negotiate and end or significantly reduce tax holidays and tax breaks we give mining, oil, free zone and other multinational companies thereby freeing up resources to ensure free access to education and greater investment in the sector as well as making resources available for other critical social sectors.

It is that simple. It is the tax methods of some multinational companies and the failure of NDC and NPP over all these years to ever face them squarely. That is one of the contributory factors to the alarming and ever increasing gap between the rich and the poor. Successive NDC and NPP governments have continued to give incentives to companies who also repatriate their profits out of the country without paying taxes. Meanwhile, we the ordinary Ghanaians are forced to pay indirect taxes which pay for the roads, communication and other public infrastructure that these same multinationals use for free and which same multinationals also dodge tax in addition.

So, why should education be free? The answer is obvious and simple. It is one of the critical policies that would guarantee us; Quality citizenship and workforce; A responsible and knowledgeable populace; And accountable and sensitive governments.

Delivering it is also simple. It merely requires the will to do so. In this knowledge based world in which we now exist, education is so so important and is directly linked to the economic development and the stability and progress of a nation. We cannot have a nation of a few literates and vast numbers of illiterates and we must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to explore their talents to the fullest.

We must do all we can to produce a creative and innovative people that believe in scientific enquiry as much as they imbibe human values that assures progress and happiness. Without holistic education right from the bottom to the top we will not produce the universally educated Ghanaian that we must seek to achieve.

That is why education in general and University education in particular must be free otherwise the vast majority of our people will continue to be denied access to participate and contribute to this country's glorious future. To this extent, we in the CPP believe that University students should also even have the opportunity for subsidized travel abroad to experience other cultures and systems of existence.

People think that what we are offering is free because it costs nothing. On the contrary what we are proposing is not free, it is very very expensive but we see it as a critical social investment that is unavoidable if we in Ghana are determined about being seriously part of the 21st century.

There are many avenues but today I shall show you one particular avenue where significant additional resources can be obtained that can care for the cost of free University education. It is just a matter of political will and the desire to re-allocate resources for social need.

The investment policy of the NPP and NDC which is exactly the same for year after year has been to offer tax incentives to attract foreign direct investment. No real gains have been achieved from this policy. Instead our trade taxes have declined. Studies have shown that Ghana loses more than $ 1.5 billion annually as a result of tax incentives. That is over half the entire Government of Ghana budget for education.

Tax breaks given to attract companies causes money to leave this country to tax havens and prevents us raising revenue leading to an inability to invest in education and other key social sectors. How can you claim you don't have the money when every year you are giving millions away through tax breaks? Especially, when it has been proved that it is Not tax breaks that attract foreign investment but rather a skilled workforce, good infrastructure, an attractive fiscal environment and law and order to mention a few. They attract investment far more effectively than tax breaks.

For your information, the Internal Revenue Act 2000 (ACT592 ) as amended; the Internal Revenue Regulation 2001 (LI 1675); the Value Added Tax Act 1998 (ACT 546) as amended; the Value Added Regulations 1998 (LI 1648); the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (Management) Law 2003 Act (PNDC L330 ) as amended; the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (Promotion of Tourism) Instrument, 2005 L.I. 1817; the GIPC law, Act 856 of 2013; the Ghana Free Zones Act 1995 (504) as amended; the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703); the Minerals (Royalties) Regulations 1987 (LI 1349); the Petroleum Income Tax Law 1987 (PNDCL 188) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Model Agreement are all laws which in some shape or form have provisions that deal with extensive tax exemptions and incentives.

There are a whole series of incentives, from special corporate income tax rates, tax holidays, location incentives, capital allowance, reduced royalties and others.

Under the Free Zone Act, 1995 (Act 504) for instance, the imports of a free zone company are exempt from the payment of all indirect taxes and duties, free zone companies enjoy a tax holiday of 10 ten years from the payment of income tax on profits, after the expiry of the 10 years, a free zone company pays corporate tax on profits at the reduced rate of only 8%, while shareholders are exempt from the payment of withholding taxes on dividends arising out of free zone investment.

In a free zone, companies are only required to produce 70% of the output for export, while the rest of the products can be sold in Ghana if they pay the relevant taxes. But the fact that Free zone companies carry out their activities in Ghana means there is a high risk of goods produced in the Free Zones enclave being smuggled onto our domestic market without paying taxes. Meanwhile Government will say there's no money for free University Education.

If the Free Zones are doing so well and we are exporting so much why do we have such continued trade deficits? It means that goods produced in the Free Zones are secretly getting onto the local market without the country earning money and with the companies paying less taxes.

In July 2011 in the oil sector when the EO Group sold its 3.5% stake in Kosmos to Tullow Oil, worth some $300 million, it never paid the 10% tax amounting to a loss of $30 million. When Sabre oil sold its 4% share in Tullow Oil to PetroSA it never paid its 10% tax on a $365-million-dollar deal and we lost another $36 million dollars. All these were due to the interpretation of the relevant laws dealing with tax exemptions on capital gains tax, which at that time were not clear on their application to petroleum operations.

In the mining sector, so called stability agreements have clauses which have frozen the tax laws of Ghana for periods between 10 and 15 years. These revenue losses have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. These have been especially the case for Newmont and AngloGold Ashanti and more recently Goldfields Ghana. The incentives are supposedly to help those companies recoup their investment. We believe the balance is not right and too much favor is given to capital over social investment and we should dismantle such incentives to generate greater resources for education and other areas.

Our resources are critical for national development because that is where we can gain great revenue. That is why the 1992 Constitution vests all minerals in the territory of Ghana and offshore in the President of Ghana in trust for the people of Ghana. The very poorly negotiated Newmont agreement of 2003 was later altered with an improved agreement ratified by Parliament in 2015. However, not learning from the past, another very poorly negotiated agreement with Goldfields was ratified in 2016 with the connivance of both NDC and NPP.

The agreement was tabled in Parliament on 16th March 2016, referred to the Select Committee on Mines and Energy the same day, they incredibly reported back the following day 17th March, Parliament waived the Standing Order Requirement for a 48-hour wait, the motion for approval was put immediately at 9.30 pm and the Goldfield agreements were ratified 10 minutes later at 9.40 pm. A 10-minute discussion one day after a complex agreement had been tabled. All to allow for a reduction in taxes and royalties for a multinational mining company and you are wondering why your University education is not free? And this was after experts had objected to the terms.

Between 2011 and 2012 Ghana lost another $100 million dollars due to another stability agreement. The multinational SINOPEC which constructed the Gas infrastructure project didn't pay corporate income tax didn't pay import duties and didn't pay VAT. The list goes on and on and on. It is endless.

I could also take you on a journey down numerous other alternative avenues for ensuring we have sufficient resources to provide free University education and other critical social investments but time today will not permit that. The important point to note is that the money is there and we must come together and fight for it to be used to benefit the ordinary Ghanaian not for the benefit of some shareholders on the international stock market.

I hope it is clear to you now that quite simply there are numerous avenues available to find the money to serve the people of this country and offer them true hope and opportunity. It is about leadership and the desire of that leadership to take bold decisions that will ensure the people benefit. I promise you the money is there.

We are concerned about poverty and the lack of opportunity in Ghana which is such a wealthy country. We are concerned and are opposed to successive governments of the NDC and NPP who continue to give tax revenues away in the form of tax incentives and because of this we are losing revenue that could solve our problems which is what the tax regime is supposed to do.

The President H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa has stated in one of his speeches and I quote:

I am confident that we can achieve the dreams of our forebears and be worthy inheritors of this land. Let us therefore mobilize for the happy and prosperous Ghana of tomorrow, in which all of us, including our youth, our women and the vulnerable in our society, will have equal opportunities to realize our potential, and build lives of dignity. Then, our independence will be meaningful

I would urge the President that let our discussions be as he said; about making our Independence meaningful. Discussions about our Political Independence are for PhD thesis. The Independence we have to seek now to achieve those lofty and worthy ideals to which he referred is greater economic independence. This greater economic independence can be achieved and we therefore urge him to do so, by renegotiating all agreements with companies that offer incentives that do not inure to the benefit of the people of Ghana and end or significantly reduce tax holidays and tax breaks we give mining, oil, free zone and other multinational companies.

Because, for too long our people have been cheated by their leaders and the people are suffering and it is time for Ghanaians to access a greater share of the wealth of this nation.

We believe that education and University education CAN be provided free and MUST be provided free and WOULD be provided free under a government of the Convention People's Party (CPP) that truly and honestly believes in social investment that cares for the people.

Thank you



By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Lagos (AFP) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will work from home after rodents damaged his official office during a more than 100-day overseas medical absence, a presidential spokesman told AFP Tuesday.

The animals damaged furniture and air conditioning fittings in the president's official Abuja office while he was in London receiving treatment, his media adviser Garba Shehu confirmed.

"These are also general works and it is not uncommon for Nigerian presidents to also work from the presidential villa. He has used the residential office for many years," said Shehu.

"What is important is that the job gets done. Whether he does it from his bedroom or his sitting room or his anteroom -- it does not matter. Let the job be done. And the job will be done," Shehu told the Arise News broadcaster.

Shehu was unable to confirm what type of rodent was responsible for the damage, which occurred during the president's prolonged absence for an undisclosed medical condition.

"I do not have that level of detail," he said, adding that it was unclear how long the refurbishment would last.

During his time away, tensions surfaced back home, where calls grew for him to either return or resign.

The Nigerian leader met with his security chiefs at his official residence on Tuesday, ordering them to deal with threats to the unity of the country.

In the weeks before Buhari left for London on May 7, he also worked from the presidential residence -- missing cabinet meetings and having official documents transported to him.

Rumours about his health have dogged Buhari even before he came to power in May 2015. He rejected claims during the election that he was critically ill from prostate cancer.

Buhari did not address his absence or medical situation when he addressed the nation on television on Monday, instead talking about separatism, crime, terrorism and the economy in his first speech since returning.

In an official letter to parliament on Monday relieving Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of his duties as acting head of state, Buhari described his trip as a "medical follow-up".

Clashes between protesters calling on Buhari to return from his recent lengthy absence and the presidents' defenders erupted in Abuja last week.

He first travelled to London in June last year for what aides said was a persistent inner ear infection, returning in January for check-ups, according to his office.

The health of Nigeria's president is a sensitive issue. President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua died in office in 2010 from a long-standing, but previously undisclosed, kidney complaint.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Peter Amewu, has confirmed that his Ministry granted Exton Cubic Group Limited an entry permit into the Nyinahin bauxite concession in the Tano Offin Forest reserve to prospect for Bauxite.

The Ministers clarification follows some confusion that led to the seizure of mining equipment belonging to Ibrahim Mahama's Engineers and Planners (E&P), which was to do some preparatory work in the forest for Exton Cubic.

Reports surfaced that Exton Cubic and E&P were operating illegally in the forest but the mining company refuted the claims noting that it had legally acquired the Nyinahini Bauxite concession as far back as August 14, 2013.

Exton Cubic Group accused the Ashanti Regional Minister of unlawfully ordering the impounding of E&Ps vehicles and detaining its officers.

The companys assertion that it was operating legally was corroborated by Mr. Amewu who confirmed that it had been given the go ahead in 2013.

This project commenced somewhere in 2013. They began the due diligence processes through which they were granted the prospective lease around 2015. They have the entry permit from the Forestry Commission and the necessary EPA was done during the exploration period.

He noted that Exton Cubic was still within the exploration framework which is to end in December 2017, but the mining lease has been granted in December.

What that mining lease does is for him to go back and start the whole processes again; going through the application for forest entry permit, the EPA processes and a lot of things that will need to be done.

As it stands now, he has the mining lease, he has the entry permit to enter the forest but the EPA and other things that are very important have not yet been granted and he has also not been granted an operating permit which will finally mandate him to do the production.



By: Kojo Agyemang/Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Lagos (AFP) - A Nigerian court confiscated four large housing complexes worth $7 million from a former oil minister accused of corruption on Tuesday as fraud investigators continue to claw back her fortune.

Lagos high court judge Abdulaziz Anka ordered former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke to hand over the developments located across Nigeria that were found to have been purchased with suspect cash.

Nigeria's anti-graft Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) argued in court that Alison-Madueke, along with her cousin Donald Chidi Amamgbo, had made the purchases through front companies.

During a search of Amamgbo's property, investigators also found documents indicating that he owned some 18 companies and property in Britain and the USA -- as well as Nigeria.

He told officers that he had registered the corporations in order to hold property on Alison-Madueke's behalf, the court heard.

Amamgbo also revealed that Alison-Madueke had made mortgage payments worth more than $3.3 million (2.8 million euros) in cash.

Since leaving office in 2015, Alison-Madueke has been implicated in bribery, fraud, misuse of public funds, and money laundering cases in Nigeria, Britain, Italy and the United States.

The first female president of the global oil cartel OPEC -- who was one of Africa's most prominent female politicians -- has always denied the allegations, which involve billions of dollars syphoned from oil deals and state accounts.

The ruling followed an application by the EFCC which earlier this month successfully confiscated a $37-million luxury apartment complex from the former official.

Alison-Madueke was appointed the country's first female oil minister by former president Goodluck Jonathan in 2010.

She is currently on police bail in London after being arrested in connection with a British probe into international corruption and money laundering.

Alison-Madueke has 14 days to appeal Tuesday's ruling.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah is waiting on official documentation from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources before releasing vehicles and equipment belonging to Ibrahim Mahama's Engineers and Planners (E&P).

These vehicles were confiscated from a Nyinahin bauxite concession being explored by Exton Cubic Group Limited and some of the companys officers were also detained.

Exton Cubic Group accused Mr. Osei Mensah and the District Chief Executive of the Atwima Mponua District of unlawfully impounding of E&Ps vehicles and detaining its officers.

Speaking to Citi News, the Ashanti Regional Minister, confirmed that he had indeed given the directive after the DCE informed him of activity on the concession.

They asked whether I knew anything about it and I told them I had no knowledge about it and that they should impound the vehicles until we get authorization from the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and then I called the police to impound the vehicles.

So we are waiting for written instructions from the minister, which should be accompanied by the various permits which should have been the normal route and then we put it on our file then we can ask the people to go, the Minister said.

According to him, he was told by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Peter Amewu, that only three mining companies were operating in the Ashanti Region; AngloGold Ashanti in Obuasi, Asanko Gold and Oware Mines limited at Konongo so if there are any amendments, it should be communicated to us.

Exton considering legal options

Exton Cubic Group Limited is considering taking legal actions against the police and some authorities in the Ashanti Region for what it called the unlawful seizure of vehicles and mining equipment.

According to the company, it has acquired all the necessary documentation and permits to operate at Nyinahini.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Board of Trustees of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SNNIT) has begun investigations into how the former management acquired a BOS software System for sixty-six million dollars.

The system was installed to network all branches of SSNIT nationwide for purposes of enhancing efficiency.

However the current administration at a media interaction on Tuesday, expressed misgivings about the move.

The Board has since engaged the services of audit firm, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) to audit the transaction.

The Director General, Finance, Administration and MIS at SSNIT, Mr. Michael Addo explained that investigations would throw more light into the purchase of the software.

SSNIT acquired a new operating system called BOS; it is designed to improve SSNIT's operating processes, to make if fast so that we can all network before then we had a hot spot of different systems that we were using. We did spend quite a little bit of money on that to acquire the software and the hardware, he said.

He added, As we are speaking, there are a few areas that we are tightening up. It's not one hundred percent; there are a few areas that we are working on improving, with respect to the cost of it on whether it is working or not, it is best to wait for the outcome of the PWC report.

The final outcome will be determined on whatever PWC comes out with, I think it is a bit premature to make judgments now.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Kwame Addo Kuffour says further investigations will be carried out by EOCO and the appropriate punishment meted out to those found culpable.

I saw EOCO with their reports yesterday and you know EOCO is a secretive thing, they are not to open but from my conversations with them, I gather about five people are being investigated and about fifteen have been called as witnesses but five are currently under investigation.



By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Nollywood Ghanaian based actor, Hank Anuku, is not in support of those fighting President Muhammady Buhari, as he is of a different school of thought.

The actor unlike many, decided to wish the President quick recovery knowing that the Nigerian crisis is too enormous.

Hank was angry recently while watching the news and hearing how much damage the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Alison-Madueke, had done to the country.

With the case still in court and more findings being brought up, Nigerians are still speechless on how she solely stole so much just to enrich herself.

According to the actor, Greed and Corruption in the Nigerian system by a woman who obviously doesn't care about the common poor indigenes or citizenry. President Mohammed Buhari, may God heal and bless you for fighting corruption in Nigeria.
US stocks didnt do much overnight, meaning our market looks like having a lacklustre day.

While it might be smooth on the surface, watch out for treacherous eddies though!

Yesterday, Bluescope Steel [ASX:BSL] fell 21%! In one day, nearly three months worth of gains were wiped out. As the old saying goes, stocks rise by the escalator and go down via the elevator.

After a long run of profit upgrades, which saw the share price rise from just below $3 in 2015 to around $14.50 a few months ago, it looks like the party is over for Bluecsope shareholders. Its been a good time, though.

Whether this marks a turning point for economic growth, Im not too sure. Steel is one of the building blocks of economic expansion. While Bluescope did say profits will fall in 2018, its not due to a slowdown in any particular sector.

Still, this is not a dip that I would buy.

What about gold, though?

As I type, the price is trading around US$1,290 an ounce. The day before it breached the US$1,300 mark, if only briefly.

Lets have a look at the chart



Source: Optuma

[Click to enlarge]

As you can see, the gold price has traded in a broad range for most of 2017. Just this week, it popped out of that range, but couldnt hold the gains. It ended the day back below US$1,300 an ounce.

Whats pushing gold higher?

For one thing  probably the main thing  the bloke in the White House is freaking everyone out. Its making big money managers nervous. As the Financial Times reports:

The worlds biggest hedge fund manager is turning more defensive on concerns the political drama in Washington will impair the US governments ability to function and weigh on already-wobbly financial markets. The move by Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater, which manages about $150bn, comes in a month that has seen the benchmark S&P 500 dipping 1.7 per cent amid Donald Trumps nuclear brinkmanship with North Korea and White House infighting over the presidents response to neo-Nazi demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Not to mention that one of Trumps (now former) advisers recently advocated for a trade war with China.

When stocks are already priced for everything to go right, erratic behaviour from the White House is enough to see money managers want to take profits off the table and move some capital into the safely, of, say, gold.

But as Ive mentioned before, you really want to see gold break above US$1,300 and hold above that level. Otherwise, there is a risk youll see another sell-off as the yellow metal continues to trade within the range.

Moment of Truth

The moment of truth for gold will come soon enough. This weekend sees the annual meeting of central bankers at Jackson Hole in Wyoming. Depending on the comments from, in particular, Fed boss Janet Yellen and ECB chief Mario Draghi, gold could rally strongly or sell-off sharply.

I can confidently say I have no idea which way it will go. While central banks have tried to talk a tough game this year, it is evident that they will only take very, very tentative steps to tighten monetary policy.

If you see more of the same on the weekend, gold could jump.

What about golds old mate, oil?

Gold and oil have always had a symbiotic relationship. Real energy, real moneythat sort of thing.

So its good to check out the gold-oil ratio from time to time. It tells you whether one is cheap or expensive in relation to the other.

Have a look at the chart below. It shows you a 30 year history of this ratio. The grey shaded areas represent US recessions.

As you can see, each recession occurred during or after a downward spike in the ratio. The lower the ratio, the more expensive oil is relative to the gold price. Economies dont usually handle high oil prices too well.



Source: Marcotrends.net

[Click to enlarge]

For example, in the 1990s recession, the gold-oil ratio dropped to 10. In other words, one ounce of gold bought just 10 barrels of oil. Real money wasnt getting much energy bang for its ounce.

The ratio was even lower in 2008, when oil shot to record highs and no doubt contributed to the pressures on the economy.

Since then though, the ratio has moved the other way. That is, gold has been getting more expensive relative to oil. In January 2016, when oil prices hit bottom at around US$27 a barrel, the ratio was at its highest in more than 30 years.

Even with the slight recovery in oil prices since the bottom, the chart suggests that oil is still historically cheap relative to gold.

Thats why Ive been doing a lot of work on the sector for the past few months. As a contrarian investment idea, oil is intriguing right now. Its off the radar of most investors, yet its more in demand than ever before.

Ill have more on the demand story tomorrow. But for now, Money Morning subscribers should keep an eye out for my special report on oil today.

It should hit your inbox this afternoon.

Regards,

Greg Canavan,

Editor, Crisis & Opportunity
Shares of Seven Group Holdings Limited [ASX:SVW] are up 6.95% today at time of writing. Shares increased from $11.80 to $12.62.

Why did they rise 7%?

Seven has announced the sale of WesTrac China to Lei Shing Hong Machinery Limited (LSHM) for $540 million, subject to regulatory approval.

WesTrac China started operations in 2001 in the territories of Shanxi, Hebei, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjang, Jilin, Beijing, and Tianjin. The company provides customers with machinery and construction equipment.

The sale will lift profits after Seven also announced that a 77% fall in net profit after tax for the year dragged down by the media sector of the group. The group reported an underlying EBIT of $297 million, up 9% year-on-year.

Future for Seven Group..

Ryan Stokes, Managing Director and CEO of Seven Group, said: The sale of WesTrac China will allow us to reallocate capital into other opportunities in Australia, including investment in our WesTrac Australia business.

The company expects publishing trends to continue, which means Seven Group will have to keep relying on the strength of its mining and energy businesses.

The company has announced a final fully franked dividend distribution of 21 cents per share to be paid on 6 October.

Regards,

Selva Freigedo

Analyst

PS: Check out Money Morning editor Sam Volkerings report, The Four Best ASX Stocks for 2017, to discover the four top potential ASX stocks this year.

In the last two years alone, Sams scored his readers gains like 575%, 368%, 463%

Dont miss out on potential gains like that any longer. Get your free copy right now right here.
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To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
'The big truck is still on ...
Microphone and US Flag View Photos

During the Democratic Weekly Address, Virginia Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine criticized President Trumps response to the violence in Charlottesville.

Warner and Kaine were Tuesdays KVML Newsmakers of the Day. Here are their words:

WARNER: We were horrified by the events that unfolded in Charlottesville last weekend. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of Heather Heyer, and Virginia State Troopers Berke Bates and Jay Cullen. We also pray for healing for those who were injured.

KAINE: I spent time in Charlottesville this week in the wake of the violence and I was inspired by the spirit and strength that I saw from the community as it tries to heal. Charlottesville is a vibrant and loving community, and people who seek to try and shatter that are going to find that theyre not going to be able to.

WARNER: Senator Kaine and I both have had the privilege of serving as Virginias Governor. And weve both learned that an essential element of leadership is an ability to help those we serve to summon their higher angels in times of challenge and tragedy. And thats what is so distressing about the Presidents comments this week. A leaders role is to bring people together  not tear them apart. The President failed to unify our country.

KAINE: There was a complete lack of moral leadership from the President this week, as he was unwilling to unequivocally call out bigotry for what it is. Lets be clear: the violence in Charlottesville was fueled by one side: white supremacists spreading their intolerant message of racism, anti-Semitism and intimidation. Those are the facts. The ideologies of white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, the KKK, and hate groups have no place in our Commonwealth or country. Our nations leaders need to call out racist and hateful speech, promote diversity, and work on ways to combat hate-based crimes.

WARNER: It was flat-out wrong for the President of the United States  not once, but twice  to suggest a moral equivalency between the actions of white supremacists from outside of Virginia and mostly local residents who mounted a counter protest to support human and civil rights. Saying both sides were equally to blame is not leadership. Thats not what mayors, governors and presidents do in times of crisis. The President has emboldened the few on the fringes. And his words have offended those of us who want nothing to do with racism and hate, in any of its forms.

KAINE: We call ourselves a Commonwealth because the word signifies community. Its who we are. Virginia is a state with a lot of scar tissue. Weve experienced hatred. Weve experienced division. Weve experienced racism. We have grown out of racial hatred and are now a more diverse and open society. We wont let anyone take us back to the days of hatred and bigotry. We will not go back.

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA): The violence that occurred in Charlottesville has no place in the United States of America in 2017. We appreciate the outpouring of support and solidarity weve seen around the world for the people of Charlottesville and Virginia. Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior said, Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

KAINE: So we urge you to continue to step-up and stand-up for the things that do matter: for human and civil rights, for justice, and for equal opportunity for all. Thanks so much.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6;45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Vonna Hughes, AC Police Photo View Photos

Angels Camp, CA  After apparently not showing up for her court date earlier today to address felony animal cruelty and other related charges, Vonna Hughes was picked up and booked into the Calaveras County Jail this afternoon.

According to Angels Camp Police Chief Todd Fordahl after the Pet Bath House co-owner failed to appear in court for arraignment a felony bench warrant was issued for her arrest. At approximately 3:30 this afternoon an officer from his department arrested her on the felony warrant.

As reported here, the incident is the latest relating to a bizarre case involving alleged mistreatment and sudden disappearance of three dogs who were under her care at her Angels Camp facility for only a few days before they went missing.

According to police, she informed their owner they were put down after endangering other animals and her while at the facility. However a previous kennel that had housed the animals for several months reported doing so without incident. Recently, two of the dogs were discovered and returned to the owner while the remains of the third, after being located, were examined by experts who could not determine an exact cause of death.
Tree Mortality In Sierra Nevada View Photos

Sonora, CA  While various counties in the Mother Lode are already taking down bark beetle-killed trees as part of their own tree mortality plans Caltrans, preparing to tackle hazard trees under its jurisdiction, is actively seeking local landowners cooperation.

As crews are busily marking these trees with orange paint Caltrans officials say they will shortly be seeking permission from the affected private property owners to remove them. Although the service comes at no cost to the owner because dead and dying trees near highways are potentially hazardous to the public, it requires signed permission-to-enter forms.

Caltrans officials say the agency will be conducting outreach by mailing out letters to the property owners that contain the required forms and that owners should anticipate them to arrive one to six months after the trees around them are marked. Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa and Amador counties are among the most affected, along with the Tahoe Basin area, where trees have already been marked and removals are slated to begin after Labor Day.

In October 2015, Governor Brown declared a State of Emergency and established the Tree Mortality Task Force at the state level, where Caltrans has been working in tandem with PG&E, county public works, CAL Fire and the US Forest Service to coordinate tree removals. Since then Caltrans officials shares their agency has removed 107,000 hazardous trees near California highways and is expecting to remove 54,000 more by summer of 2018.

If you live near a Caltrans-maintained roadway and are interested in proactively filling out a permission-to-enter form and getting more details, click here.
- According to Sahara Reporters, President Muhammadu Buhari is in no better shape now than when he left, despite the manipulative efforts of the cabal

- They allege that he cannot stay composed and alert for more than 10 minutes before lapsing into some serious crisis and coughing badly

- According to sources within the presidency, the narrative put forth that the president will work from home because his office is being renovated is false

Despite the spin efforts of the presidential cabal over the return of Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidents health has still not really improved, Sahara Reporters reports.

According to the report by the popular online media organization, after being overjoyed at the prospect of welcoming back a much healthier president, Aso Rock insiders were quickly disillusioned by the image of the president whom they saw.

READ ALSO: Fayose denies vowing to kill self over Buharis return to Nigeria

The report further alleges that despite the manipulative moves made by the cabal within 24 hours of Buharis arrival, several sources within the presidency stated that the President is in no better shape than when he left.

They allege that he cannot stay composed and alert for more than 10 minutes before lapsing into some serious crisis and coughing badly.

The report further alleges that Buhari had been persuaded by the cabal to return in order to appease his base, despite being told by his doctors to stay back for another one month.

The cabals strategy to keep up appearances was to prevent the president from making off-hand statements that could reveal the true state of his health.

In order to achieve this, they would release short clips of him cracking jokes or laughing when they started allowing him receive visitors in London.

This was only after he had achieved some semblance of normalcy after intensive treatment.

Even the live 7am broadcast on his first day at work which was supposed to douse tension over the presidents health and make him look good was reportedly condemned by many Nigerians who stated that the speech did not go far enough and that Buhari still did not disclose the true state of his health.

Instead of that, Buhari chose to lash out at the division caused by Biafra agitators while vaguely condemning the quit notice issued to Igbos by Arewa youths.

He also touched on the insecurity caused by Boko Haram.

Despite the fact that photos were released later in the day showing the President meeting with the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, sources allege that there was nothing really to show for the meeting as Buhari was only present for a few minutes.

Despite the entire charade however, the presidents special assistant on media stated that Buhari could return back to UK for further treatment.

This seems to be in contrast to the picture of good health that the cabal has been painting.

Another point of concern was when it was disclosed that the president was working from home because his office was being renovated. Sources revealed that this was false.

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Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari arrived Nigeria after 105 days away from work.

He spent 103 days in the UK receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.

He was welcomed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport by staff, aides, and some APC Governor's including Rochas Okorocha.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of drivers in Abuja celebrating Buhari's return:

Source: Legit.ng
- A lot of criticism has trailed President Buhari's Monday, August 21 broadcast

- Opposition party, PDP, says the broadcast was a missed opportunity to address some of the major issues in the country

- The party said Nigerians deserved better than the 6-minutes speech from the president

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the Monday, August 21 broadcast of President Muhammadu Buhari who recently returned to Nigeria after over 100 days on medical vacation.

The party referred to the president's speech as a 'missed opportunity' to address the important issues affecting the Nigerian people.

In a press release signed by the party's head of publicity, Chinwe Nnorom, the party said Nigeria deserved a richer statement for the president considering he has been away for over hundred days.

The statement reads:"The President and his handlers missed a golden opportunity to reconnect with the people through addressing issues that have direct bearing to their well-being and those of their children and dependants. Indeed, the Presidents speech did not contain anything new; just a rehash of statements that already had been made by both government and various leaders of thought across the Country.

READ ALSO: Fulani herdsmen threaten to drag Fayose to court

"The PDP had cause to commend the then Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo for going round the Country to engage with relevant stakeholders, which certainly was a better approach.

"PDP believes that rather than rehashing the worn out cliches about Nigerias unity not being negotiable, Nigerians would have loved to hear their President come out definitively to tell them what realistic measures his government intended to take to uproot the Causes of the Perennial Agitations and counter agitations that are now becoming a recurring decimal in our national discourse.

"The party believes that instead of always mouthing the indivisibility of this Country, the Government should be seen walking the Talk by instilling confidence in all the people across board that it belongs to all.

"The casual mention of elements of Boko Haram'...kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes etc, were also somewhat on the Perfunctory side and do not imbue confidence."

The party also faulted the president refusal to say anything about the ongoing natonwide university strike.

"President Buhari returned to the Country in a week that saw the Closure of all our Public Universities as a result of the Strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

"Yet, not even a whimper from our President. Has the future of the future leaders of our Country sunk so low in the Estimation of our current leaders that the Issue was considered not important enough to command a mention in the Presidents address?

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

"To this end, the PDP once again welcomes the President back home and continues to pray for his total recovery as well as Gods guidance. But we believe Nigerians deserve a richer statement from a President that was away from them for more than a hundred days during which a lot happened that should have elicited more than a mention in that speech."

Meanwhile, the convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group and former education minister, Oby Ezekwesili has criticized President Buhari over his speech to Nigerians after over 100 days in London for an undisclosed ailment.

Ezekwesili said the president missed the opportunity to soothe and assure Nigerians over his presidency and different agitations rocking the country.

Watch Legit.ng video of how the supporters of President Buhari celebrated his return:

Source: Legit.ng
Legit.ng gathered that a woman was arrested for stabbing her husband to death after he 'dared' to receive a phone call from a woman suspected to be his lover.

The woman identified as Folashade Idoko, was said to have killed her husband of four years, Lawrence, at their home in Ayetoro, Oto-Awori, Lagos, on August 21.

The couple who are parents to two kids, were said to have repeatedly engaged in serious fights throughout the duration of their marriage.

Late Lawrence, an Engineer, met his death at the hands of his wife after she accused him of cheating on her because he had been away on official duties for one whole week. They had been arguing when she reportedly stabbed him in the leg with a kitchen knife, causing him to bleed to death despite being rushed to the hospital shortly after.

READ ALSO: Woman stabs her husband-to-be with kitchen knife to death

Mrs Idoko reportedly murdered her husband for daring to pick a phone call from a suspected lover. Photo: The Nation online

According to reports, due to their incessant fights, their landlord, Chief Gani Akanni, had served them quit notice back in December 2016, after he couldn't stop them.

READ ALSO: US-based Nigerian lady allegedly kills husband to get his insurance money (photos)

Speaking on the issue, a neighbour who wanted to remain anonymous said:

I heard her calling for help late Sunday night. Their son was also crying. When I got there, I saw the man in a pool of blood. My husband and I took the man to a hospital. While he was there, I went back to their house to check what really happened. Their apartment was filled with blood. I later saw a bloodstained knife, which I suppose she used in stabbing him.

They usually fight and settle and that is why people dont interfere in their disagreements. Their fights always bothered on infidelity. The fight of yesterday (Sunday) was caused by the issue of girlfriend. She said the man was calling his girlfriend.

She collected the phone from him and started abusing the person on the phone without even checking who she was talking to. They started abusing each other and went physical.

READ ALSO: Kill your husband if he asks for DNA test - Nigerian lady

Another neighbour who identified herself as Blessing Olokpobri, said Folashade was known to be a violent person. She said:

There was hardly a day they didnt fight if the husband was at home. On January 1 this year when everybody was celebrating the New Year, they fought. There was a time she went to meet him at a beer parlour. She dragged and stripped him. There was even a time she sliced his ear lobes with a broken bottle and it had to be stitched.

Na wa o! RIP to the dead!

Meanwhile, watch this video to see when it's okay to walk out of an abusive relationship:

Source: Legit.ng
- Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reacted to the presidential broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari

- Ndigbo accused All Progressive Congress (APC) over the hate speech in Nigeria

- It, however, noted that Buhari's administration has less than two years to prove itself

Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reacted to the speech delivered by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, August 21.

Reports have it that Ndigbo through Achi Okpaga, national publicity secretary in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital said the All Progressive Congress (APC), was responsible for such hate speech.

Legit.ng gathered that Okpaga however said that the APC members has to purge themselves first before accusing others.

READ ALSO: Fulani herdsmen threaten to drag Fayose to court

He said:''I join other well-meaning Nigerians in thanking God for the presidents miraculous recovery.

''It is however pertinent for the government to get on with business and start implementing the budget to the fullest.

''This administration has less than two years to prove its mettle, in all ramifications, to Nigerians''.

Meanwhile, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has said it is ''hypocritical of President Muhammadu Buhari to believe in one Nigeria''.

MASSOB leader, Uchenna Madu said this while disagreeing with the Presidents remark on the unity of Nigeria.

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Buhari in his address to the nation, following his return from London, where he spent over 100-days had harped on the unity of Nigeria.

However, Madu, in a statement said: ''We the people of Biafra can never be deceived by a man fully blooded with religious, ethnic sentimental and hatred against the people of Biafra.

''Buhari in his inner sense of reasoning believes that with his kinsmen occupying the military positions of service chiefs, including all the most senior military offices/positions, he will easily crush Biafra.

''Maybe with his intimidating tendencies over Igbo governors, National Assembly members, religious/opinion/ political leaders, he still thinks he can crush Biafra''.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Honorable Abdulmumin Jibrin, the suspended member of Nigerias lower legislative chambers, also reacted to the speech delivered by President Buhari, today, August 21.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of drivers in Abuja celebrating Buhari's return:

Source: Legit.ng
- President Muhammadu Buhari held a closed-door meeting with service chiefs

- The purpose of the meeting is connected with the presidents charge to the security agencies to deal with security issues

Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the Service Chiefs to tackle the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)s secret army, Boko Haram and various security threats plaguing the country.

According to Vanguard, the Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin, revealed that was the issue discussed at the closed-door meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Service Chiefs.

President Buhari earlier today held a meeting with service chiefs in his office at his official residence, Channels TV reports.

Legit.ng gathered that those in attendance include the Chief of Defence, Maj. Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibot-Ete Ibas.

As at the time of filing this report the purpose of the meeting is not yet known.

However sources say it may be connected with the presidents charge to the security agencies not to relent in their fight against insurgency.

President Buhari presides over security meeting with Service Chiefs in State House Photo credit: Facebook, Femi Adesina

President Buhari in a meeting with service chiefs on Tuesday, August 22 photo credit: Twitter, Nigerian Presidency

Buhari with Chief of Defense Staff General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen. T.Y. Buratai, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar Photo credit: Facebook, Femi Adesina

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In a previous report by Legit.ng President Muhammadu Buhari on August 21, addressed Nigerians for the first time in over 100 days.

Buhari who spoke for just six minutes said his government would renew fight against Boko Haram, kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes.

He also said Nigerias unity is settled and not negotiable thereby squashing any hope of the country breaking up.

Watch Legit.ng video of Governor Aminu Bello Masari and Katsina activists celebrating Buhari's return:

Source: Legit.ng
- These are not good times for Nigeria's former minister of petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke

- A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have insisted on the repatriation of the former minister

- Alison-Madueke is facing allegations of corrupt practices while she held sway at the ministry of petroleum

A coalition of CSOs under the auspices of the Say No Campaign Nigeria has called on the federal government to put in place mechanism for the repatriation and subsequent prosecution of the former minister of petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke for her alleged corruption charges.

The Nigerian media has been awash with stories of the illegal acquisition of property by the former minister.

The group in a press briefing held in Abuja today, Tuesday, August 22 called for a speedy trial of the ex-minister, emphasising the need to urgently prosecute suspects and promote the culture of accountability among public office holders, if the fight against corruption must be successful.

Nwagwu and his colleagues called for the repatriation and prosecution of ex-petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke. Photo credit: YIAGA

Speaking at the briefing, the director of of the group, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, stated that the former minister has had a trail of overwhelmingly frightening and shocking records of corruption allegations and damning reports of abuse of office against her by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), of which she is yet to be questioned or indicted.

He expressed his disappointment over the inability of the anti-graft agency to arraign the ex-minister despite the outrageous charges levelled against her by the EFCC.

His words: Unfortunately, two whole years into the administration that is reputed to have zero tolerance for corruption, it has only reported to have confiscated Diezanis $115million and $37.5million property including the proceeds from rent with no effort to indict her.

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He further called on the support of the United States of America and the United Kingdom to accede to Nigerias request for Diezani Alison Madueke to face corruption charges in Nigeria.

He continued: Besides the allegations of $20billion fraud within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under her watch, Diezani Alison Madueke is widely reported to allegedly embezzled $90billion from the NNPC coffers, acquired $153million worth of assets and misappropriated $73million of NNPC funds to support Goodluck Jonathans rerun in 2015.

She was also accused of conspiring with Mohammed Belgore (SAN), and a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman to launder about $115million.

In a chat with Legit.ng, Nwagwu decried the fact that despite all the accusations against the ex-minister, there has been no systemic attempt aimed at ensuring that she is brought to trial in Nigeria.

We are campaigning that she should be subjected to trial. We think that the EFCC has established corruption cases against Diezani Alison-Madueke.

We think that with what the Americans are doing also points to the fact that she is corrupt. We cannot have her sit in the comfort of her home abroad and continue to argue that she is innocent. She should come home and face justice, he said.

When Legit.ng reminded him of the fact that the ex-minister argued that she is being subjected to a media trial, Nwagwu dismissed the claims.

His words: There is no such word as media trial. It is a narrative of the elite. Agencies of government have a responsibility to assume that you're guilty, it is your responsibility to come and defend yourself.

Below are the key demands of the group:

1. Demand that the federal government must, as a matter of exigency, ensure the repatriation of Diezani Alison Madueke

2. Set up mechanisms for her speedy trial, if convicted, ensure all parties involved take full responsibility for their crimes in the light of legal punitive provisions

3. We call on the Government of United States America and Britain to accede to Nigerias request for Diezani Alison Madueke to face corruption charges in Nigeria. In the burning interest of accountability, justice and good governance.

Mr Nwagwu therefore called on well-meaning Nigerians to support the fight against corruption and join the movement that advocates for transparency, accountability and good governance.

READ ALSO: Court orders interim forfeiture of Diezani Alison-Madueke's $16.44m assets

Last week, the former minister dared the EFCC to without further delay, publish details of the NNPCs accounts from where the said $153.3 million tied to her was taken.

She also said that the report that Italian prosecutors indicted her for sharing in the loot of the $1.3 billion OPL 245 oil block deal, which involved Malabu and the Joint Venture Multinational partners, ENI (AGIP) and Royal Dutch was false.

I do not know the basis on which the EFCC has chosen to say that I am the owner of these funds as no evidence was provided to me before the order was obtained, and they have not, in fact, served me with the order or any evidence since they obtained it.

Let me re-state categorically as I have always maintained, for the record, I have not and will never steal money from or defraud the Federal Government of Nigeria. I am willing to respond to charges brought against me that follow duly laid down procedures, the former minister said n a statement distributed to journalists in Abuja.

Watch the EFCC stage an anti-corruption walk on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng
- A video showing Nnamdi Kanu inspecting a group of men called the Biafra Secret Services has gone viral on the internet

- A Twitter user has asked the Nigerian army what it is doing about the development

The Nigerian Army has said it is addressing the issue of a Biafra force reportedly being mobilized by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.

READ ALSO: Fulani herdsmen threaten to drag Fayose to court

Legit.ng recalls that a video showing the IPOB leader inspecting a group of men called the Biafra Secret Service (BSS) had gone viral on the internet.

The footage showed some of the purported BSS officers dressed in black attire and red beret.

Kanu could be seen walking around and in between them, inspecting what can be described as a guard of honour.

Reacting to the development, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General SK Usman said the issue was being addressed by the military.

The army spokesperson made the statement on Tuesday, August 22, in a tweet after a Twitter user demanded to know what the army was doing about the issue.

See a screen grab of the statement by SK Usman below:

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Meanwhile, the leader of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, John Duku, has told Igbo people not to trust Nnamdi Kanu to help them achieve Biafra.

Duku said this while re-emphasising the October 1 quit notice his group issued to Hausa and Yoruba people in the Niger Delta in an interview with Punch.

Duku, who claimed the Igbos were not affected by the quit notice from the Niger Delta, said Kanu was just deceiving a lot of people from the south-east with his agitation.

He also said his group was not issuing an ordinary threat.

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians what they think about the inauguration of the Biafra Security Service (BSS) by Nnamdi Kanu.

Source: Legit.ng
- These are troubled times for Senator Ben Murray-Bruce

- His constituents in Bayelsa East Senatorial District of Bayelsa state have threatened to recall him

- They described the show-biz entrepreneur turned politician as an Abuja-based politician

A report by Sahara Reporters indicates that the some constituents of Senator Ben Murray-Bruce have threatened to recall him from the Nigerian Senate.

According to the report, the constituents, comprising mainly students, accused the senator of neglecting them as well as having no plans for his constituency.

Murray-Bruces constituency comprises Nembe, Brass and Ogbia local government areas of the state.

Leaders of student bodies for the three local governments in the district dropped their recall threat in a statement on Tuesday, August 22.

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They accused the senator of not establishing and sustaining a good relationship with his people, adding that he has been shying away from his constitutional responsibilities.

They decried the fact that the senator was donating relief materials to people in other states whereas his own constituents were wallowing in abject poverty.

They also claimed that since Senator Murray-Bruce was elected as their representative in the National Assembly, he had yet to visit his people.

Since Murray-Bruce became a senator, he has failed to look into the basic needs and challenges currently bedeviling the Bayelsa East Senatorial District, such as issues of education, as most of our students cannot access good quality education.

He has failed to attract a single project to the district in terms of infrastructures, roads, and others. He has continuously and deliberately ignored efforts by the people to create a working relationship that will bring out purposeful leadership for our people.

He has yet to fulfill any of his campaign promises; painfully, he is an Abuja-based senator. He refuses to visit his constituents, except only once when he visited his hometown and couldnt even stay for up to four hours.

Sincerely, we are tired, other places are enjoying the benefits that come from having a national representative. Our case has been a curse rather than a blessing. We are just like a district without a senator. This why we have decided to change that narrative, the students said.

Accordingly, they gave Senator Murray-Bruce a 10-day ultimatum, to change his ways or face consistent protest and the recall process.

They asked the senator to organize a town hall meeting with his constituents and take out time to tour his constituency in order to know their basic challenges.

We will mobilize all the students, our mothers, and our fathers. We will initiate his recall process. Our people deserve a better treatment from him. We request to have a town hall meeting, they threatened.

Reacting to the students threat, the personal assistant to the senator, Mr. William Bruce, said the allegation was untrue.

He said the senator had been offering assistance to many people including his constituents as much as he could.

His words: We do for people as much as we can all the times. They (those complaining) have not come to approach us for any help or anything. We try as much as possible to help everybody in everywhere in whichever way we can.

We have been offering assistance to people who call us for help every day. If they want to have a meeting with the senator, they can have a meeting.

That (allegation) is far from it. However, we would like to see them. They will have a meeting with the senator. The senator loves people generally. What we will like to do is to meet the people who have complained and take it from there.

READ ALSO: Ekiti residents dare Fayose, roll out drums to celebrate President Buhari's return (photos)

Meanwhile, the Senate joint committee on Customs excise, tariff and marine transport, said it has recovered N120 billion from companies involved in a N30trillion revenue scam.

The committee stated this on Friday, August 18, even as it directed 13 more companies to appear before it.

Watch residents of Kogi West Senatorial District attempting to recall Senator Dino Melaye from the Nigerian Senate on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng
- JAMB released new cut-off marks for tertiary institutions

- The institutions are however at liberty to raise theirs above JAMB's requirement

- The cut-off mark for universities was put at 120 while that of polytechnics was pegged at 100

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the cut-off marks for Nigerian tertiary institutions while also lifting the ban for post UTME examination.

Premium Times reports that these decisions were taken at the 2017 Combined Policy Meetings on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria which ended on Tuesday, August 22.

Minimum cut-off marks for tertiary institutions are:

READ ALSO: Federal Government lifts ban on Post-UTME exams

- Universities were pegged at 120

- Polytechnics and colleges of education were pegged at 100

- Innovative enterprising institutes was pegged at 110

Institutions were however allowed to raise their cut-off marks above JAMBs stipulation.

It was also agreed that admissions into public degree awarding institutions for the 2017 UTME examination will end on January 15, 2018 while private institutions will end theirs on January 31, 2018.

It was also revealed that decisions on first choice candidates by universities will be expected to be complete by October 15 and second choice candidates will end on December 15.

The rest of the students seeking admission will be available for other institutions till the January closing dates.

Ishaq Oloyede who is the registrar of JAMB said a Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) will be used to streamline admission processes among institutions based on challenges associated with the former approach.

He said: All over the world, there is agitation for dynamic educational policy, he said. JAMB only admits for National Diploma, not Higher National Diploma; so why should we use the same requirement for ND and BSC, that is unreasonable parity.

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We should not be sentimental in fixing our cut off mark; we need not over-dramatise issue of cut off mark.

He noted that the number of those seeking admission to study agriculture had dropped while those for medicine and health science rose.

He also spoke about illegal admissions saying the new process allows the registrar to approve all candidates.

About 17,160 students were admitted without JAMB across institutions in Nigeria, he added.

Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (post-UTME) conducted for candidates seeking admission into higher institution was scrapped by the Federal Government.

The Federal Government explained that all tertiary institutions were at liberty to conduct screening for candidates seeking admission into any school.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video below of Nigerians complaining about the hassle of JAMB registration:

Source: Legit.ng
Press Release

AIC is proud to announce their latest partnership with Matrix Fine Sciences Pvt. Ltd, India (MFS) which is a leading producer of Nutraceuticals, specializing in the manufacturing of non-GMO Natural Tocopherols, Plant Sterols and their derivatives. As an NACD & ISO Registered sales & marketing company, AIC is looking forward to expanding Matrixs presence in the North American market.

MFS and AIC have partnered to provide quality specialty ingredients in the North American market. Mark Robertson, Executive VP of Marketing at AIC, Inc. said "In partnering with Matrix Fine Sciences Pvt. Ltd, we recognize them as a well-respected and responsible manufacturer of natural ingredients, which have excellent synergy with AIC's existing product portfolio. MFS provides the quality and technical expertise our customers and the market demand".

Kunal Sikchi, Managing Director of MFS said, "A collaborative partnership with AIC will help us facilitate assets and professional skills for optimizing customer requirements. This alliance supports the idea of capitalizing on Products (Vitamin E and its derivatives) manufactured by MFS and AICs access to the market. At the same time, this strategic partnership with AIC will help us enhance our goal of providing the MFS range of products to our customers at their doorstep."
A new study has found that the complex mixture of sugars, proteins and fats in mothers milk possesses certain properties that can protect babies against bacterial infections like Streptococci too. Researchers from Vanderbilt University looked at the antibacterial properties of breast milk and found that the sugars in it have antibacterial properties and also work to enhance the antibacterial properties of the proteins in breast milk.

The results of this study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington DC on 20th of August by a doctoral student Dorothy Ackerman. The paper was also published in the ACS Infectious Diseases journal in the latest issue entitled Human Milk Oligosaccharides Exhibit Antimicrobial and Anti-Biofilm Properties Against Group B. Streptococcus".

The close-up image on the left illustrates how Strep bacteria normally clump together to form a protective biofilm. The image of the right shows that the biofilm breaks down when a Strep culture is dosed with human milk sugars, exposing more of the bacteria to attack by antibacterial agents. (Steven Townsend / Vanderbilt)

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Steven Townsend, who directed the study said that this was the first example of a study that looked at the antibacterial properties of human milk. He also explained that one of the best things about these antibiotics in human milk is that they are non-toxic  something that traditional antibiotics are not. Townsend added that the team was testing which bacterial group best responded to the antimicrobial properties of breast milk. Group B Strep was chosen for the purpose. It is one of the commonest causes of infections among newborns globally. The hot of these infections are the pregnant mothers. It could be because of that the mothers body produces milk that can weaken or kill the streptococci bacteria , Townsend speculated.

The team did not look at the proteins in the milk fro antibacterial properties. Instead they looked at the sugars or the carbohydrate portions. This was much more difficult that protein isolation and study. Further proteins have been studied for decades now for their antibacterial properties in milk. Townsend said sugars were an afterthought in most of these earlier studies. The functions of the sugars and the glycoproteins (sugars combined with proteins) have been unexplored before this he explained.

For the study the team collected samples of human milk and isolated the carbohydrate parts of it called oligosaccharides termed human milk oligosaccharides or HMOs. The milk samples came from different donors. These oligosaccharides were then profiled with a mass spectrometry technique to help identify a large number of big biomolecules all at once. Once isolated, these compounds were then added to cultures of Streptococci. The effect of these sugars on the bacteria was studied under the microscope. Results showed that some of these oligosaccharides kill the bacteria directly. They also break down the biofilms or protective coats that the bacteria form around them.

As an initial test part of the study, only five samples were used. One of the samples contained sugars that almost killed the complete Strep culture. Another sample also showed moderate activity while three samples showed a lower level of activity. The team then went on to gather and test over 24 samples. Results revealed that of these, two broke the bacterial biofilms and killed them, four broke the biofilms but did not kill the bacteria and two killed the bacteria but did not break the biofilms. Townsend explained that the sugars they studied first sensitize the target bacteria and then move for the final kill. This is called synthetic lethality and antimicrobials with this property are being developed.

The study further showed that these sugars could also enhance the effectiveness of the other antimicrobial agents present in breast milk. There is a spectrum of six bacteria called the ESKAPE pathogens. These are Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonar aeruginosa and Enterobacter species. These are the leading causes of infections worldwide. Breast milk sugars could successfully handle tow of these pathogens as well as numerous other bacterial infections found some of the follow up studies.

References
Gut microbes have been in the news a lot lately. Recent studies show they can influence human health, behavior, and certain neurological disorders, such as autism. But just how do they communicate with the brain? Results from a new University of Illinois study suggest a pathway of communication between certain gut bacteria and brain metabolites, by way of a compound in the blood known as cortisol. And unexpectedly, the finding provides a potential mechanism to explain the characteristics of autism.

"Changes in neurometabolites during infancy can have profound effects on brain development, and it is possible that the microbiome -- or collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses inhabiting our gut -- plays a role in this process," says Austin Mudd, a doctoral student in the Neuroscience Program at U of I. "However, it is unclear which specific gut bacteria are most influential during brain development and what factors, if any, might influence the relationship between the gut and the brain."

The researchers studied 1-month-old piglets, which are remarkably similar to human infants in terms of their gut and brain development. They first identified the relative abundances of bacteria in the feces and ascending colon contents of the piglets, then quantified concentrations of certain compounds in the blood and in the brain.

"Using the piglet as a translatable animal model for human infants provides a unique opportunity for studying aspects of development which are sometimes more difficult or ethically challenging to collect data on in human infants," Mudd says. "For example, in this study we wanted to see if we could find bacteria in the feces of pigletsthat might predict concentrations of compounds in the blood and brain, both of which are more difficult to characterize in infants."

The researchers took a stepwise approach, first identifying predictive relationships between fecal bacteria and brain metabolites. They found that the bacterial genera Bacteroides and Clostridium predicted higher concentrations of myo-inositol, Butyricimonas positively predicted n-acetylaspartate (NAA), and Bacteroides also predicted higher levels of total creatine in the brain. However, when bacteria in the genus Ruminococcus were more abundant in the feces of the piglets, NAA concentrations in the brain were lower.

"These brain metabolites have been found in altered states in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet no previous studies have identified specific links between bacterial genera and these particular metabolites," Mudd notes.

The next step was to determine if these four bacterial genera could predict compounds in the blood. "Blood biomarkers are something we can actually collect from an infant, so it's a clinically relevant sample. It would be nice to study an infant's brain directly, but imaging infants is logistically and ethically difficult. We can, however, obtain feces and blood from infants," says Ryan Dilger, associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, Division of Nutritional Sciences, and Neuroscience Program at U of I.

Neuroscience eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

The researchers found predictive relationships between the fecal microbiota and serotonin and cortisol, two compounds in the blood known to be influenced by gut microbiota. Specifically, Bacteroides was associated with higher serotonin levels, while Ruminococcus predicted lower concentrations of both serotonin and cortisol. Clostridium and Butyricimonas were not associated strongly with either compound.

Again, Mudd says, the results supported previous findings related to ASD. "Alterations in serum serotonin and cortisol, as well as fecal Bacteroides and Ruminococcus levels, have been described in ASD individuals."

Based on their initial analyses, the researchers wanted to know if there was a three-way relationship between Ruminococcus, cortisol, and NAA. To investigate this further, they used a statistical approach known as "mediation analysis," and found that serum cortisol mediated the relationship between fecal Ruminococcus abundance and brain NAA concentration. In other words, it appears that Ruminococcus communicates with and makes changes to the brain indirectly through cortisol. "This mediation finding is interesting, in that it gives us insight into one way that the gut microbiota may be communicating with the brain. It can be used as a framework for developing future intervention studies which further support this proposed mechanism," Dilger adds.

"Initially, we set out to characterize relationships between the gut microbiota, blood biomarkers, and brain metabolites. But once we looked at the relationships identified in our study, they kept leading us to independently reported findings in the autism literature. We remain cautious and do not want to overstate our findings without support from clinical intervention trials, but we hypothesize that this could be a contributing factor to autism's heterogenous symptoms," Mudd says. Interestingly, in the time since the researchers wrote the paper, other publications have also reported relationships between Ruminococcus and measures of brain development, supporting that this might be a promising area for future research.

Dilger adds, "We admit this approach is limited by only using predictive models. Therefore, the next step is to generate empirical evidence in a clinical setting. So it's important to state that we've only generated a hypothesis here, but it's exciting to consider the progress that may be made in the future based on our evidence in the pre-clinical pig model."
Regarded as the largest gathering of respiratory professionals worldwide, this year the European Respiratory Society (ERS) will be congregating in Milan between 9-13th September.

Medical device manufacturer, Bedfont, who launched their NObreath FeNO monitor, for improving asthma management, at ERS 2007 are returning 10 years later to celebrate the 10th birthday of the NObreath at the 2017 ERS Congress, by hosting a competition where one lucky winner can win their very own monitor.

Entrants simply have to take a NObreath FeNO test and have their photo taken with their FeNO reading to be included in the prize draw. All participants will also receive a free gift and additional entries can be gained by liking and sharing their picture on social media using the hashtag #knowyourFeNO.

Using FeNO measurements to evaluate airway inflammation in asthma represents a significant advance in respiratory medicine1, but until now it has been an expensive test to deliver in everyday practice. Recommended by NICE2 and conformed to ERS/ATS guidelines3, the NObreath FeNO monitor is the essential tool for asthma.

It can be used with patients who have respiratory symptoms, particularly with an unexplained cough and we are looking for the possible cause. The FeNO breath test is used for an assessment of airway inflammation, for the assessment of the effectiveness of a treatment, for example, a bronchodilator and for the management of a disease, for example, asthma. Lois Penhaligan, Specialist Respiratory Physiologist, the Lung Function Laboratory, Llandough

Jason Smith, General Manager at Bedfont Scientific Ltd, explains, Nitric Oxide is naturally produced by the lungs to combat airway inflammation, therefore FeNO levels are higher in people with asthma and, by measuring these levels during diagnosis and management of the disease, it can improve basic asthma care. By using the NObreath FeNO monitor in basic asthma care, the GP will be able to not only determine the type of asthma (allergic or non-allergic) allowing the correct medication to be prescribed but also differentiate between asthma and other respiratory conditions.

Furthermore, the NObreath shows patient adherence to medicine allowing GPs to adjust and prescribe the level of medication as necessary. We are proud to have spent the past 10 years perfecting FeNO monitoring to be able to provide not only an affordable technology but also a quick, easy and non-invasive procedure for both the GP and the patient, to improve asthma management.
Nothing seemed to help the patient  and hospice staff didn't know why.

They sent home more painkillers for weeks. But the elderly woman, who had severe dementia and incurable breast cancer, kept calling out in pain.

The answer came when the woman's daughter, who was taking care of her at home, showed up in the emergency room with a life-threatening overdose of morphine and oxycodone. It turned out she was high on her mother's medications, stolen from the hospice-issued stash.

Dr. Leslie Blackhall handled that case and two others at the University of Virginias palliative care clinic, and uncovered a wider problem: As more people die at home on hospice, some of the powerful, addictive drugs they are prescribed are ending up in the wrong hands.

Hospices have largely been exempt from the national crackdown on opioid prescriptions because dying people may need high doses of opioids. But as the nations opioid epidemic continues, some experts say hospices aren't doing enough to identify families and staff who might be stealing pills. And now, amid urgent cries for action over rising overdose deaths, several states have passed laws giving hospice staff the power to destroy leftover pills after patients die.

Blackhall first sounded the alarm about drug diversion in 2013, when she found that most Virginia hospices she surveyed didnt have mandatory training and policies on the misuse and theft of drugs. Her study spurred the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care to create new guidelines, and prompted national discussion.

Most hospice patients receive care in the place they call home. These settings can be hard to monitor, but a Kaiser Health News review of government inspection records sheds light on what can go wrong. According to these reports:

In Mobile, Ala., a hospice nurse found a man at home in tears, holding his abdomen, complaining of pain at the top of a 10-point scale. The patient was dying of cancer, and his neighbors were stealing his opioid painkillers, day after day.

In Monroe, Mich., parents kept "losing" medications for a child dying at home of brain cancer, including a bottle of the painkiller methadone.

In Clinton, Mo., a woman at home on hospice began vomiting from anxiety from a tense family conflict: Her son had to physically fight off her daughter, who was stealing her medications. Her son implored the hospice to move his mom to a nursing home to escape the situation.

In other cases, paid caregivers or hospice workers, who work largely unsupervised in the home, steal patients' pills. In June, a former hospice nurse in Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty to diverting oxycodone pills first by recommending prescriptions for hospice patients who didn't need them and then intercepting the packages with the intention of selling the drugs herself.

Hospice, available to patients who are expected to die within six months, is seeing a dramatic rise in enrollment as more patients choose to focus on comfort, instead of a cure, at the end of life.

The fast-growing industry serves more than 1.6 million people a year. Most of hospice care is covered by Medicare, which pays for hospices to send nurses, aides, social workers and chaplains, as well as hospital beds, oxygen machines and medications to the home.

Theres no national data on how frequently these medications go missing. But problems related to abuse of, diversion of or addiction to prescription medications are very common in the hospice population, as they are in other populations, said Dr. Joe Rotella, chief medical officer of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, a professional association for hospice workers.

"It's an everyday problem that hospice teams address, Rotella said. In many cases, opioid painkillers or other controlled substances are the best treatment for these patients, he said. Hospice patients, about half of whom sign up within two weeks of death, often face significant pain, shortness of breath, broken bones, or aching joints from lying in bed, he said. These are the sickest of the sick.

Earlier this year in Missouri, government investigators installed a hidden camera in a 95-year-old hospice patients kitchen to investigate suspected theft. A personal care aide was charged with stealing the patients hydrocodone pills, opiate painkillers, and replacing them with acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Hospice nurses in Louisiana and Massachusetts also have been charged in recent years with stealing medication from patients homes.

But many suspected thefts dont get caught on hidden cameras, or even reported.

In Oxnard, Calif., in 2015, a person claiming to be a hospice employee entered the homes of five patients and tried to steal their morphine, succeeding twice. The state cited the hospice for failing to report the incidents.

In Norwich, Vt., in 2013, a family looked for morphine to ease a dying patient's shortness of breath. But the bottle was missing from the hospice-issued comfort care kit. The family suspected that an aide, who no longer worked in the home, had stolen the drug, but they had no proof. State inspectors cited the hospice, Bayada Home Health Care, for failing to investigate.

David Totaro, spokesman for Bayada Home Health Care, told KHN that situations like that are very rare at the hospice, which takes precautions, such as limiting medication supply, to prevent misuse.

There is no publicly available national data on the volume of opioids hospices prescribe. But OnePoint Patient Care, a national hospice-focused pharmacy, estimates that 25 to 30 percent of the medications it delivers to hospice patients are controlled substances, according to Erik Jung, a vice president of pharmacy operations.

Jung said company drivers deliver medications in unmarked cars to prevent attempted robberies, which have happened on occasion.

Two recent studies suggest hospice doctors and social workers across the country are not prepared to screen patients and families for drug misuse, nor to address the theft of pain medication.

For family members struggling with addiction, bottles of pills lying around the house can be hard to resist. Sarah B., a 43-year-old construction worker in Vancouver, Wash., said when her father entered hospice care at his home in Oregon, she was addicted to opioids, stemming from a hydrocodone prescription for sciatica.

After he died, hundreds of pills were left on his bedside table. She took them all, enough Norco, oxycodone and morphine to last a month.

I have some shame about it, said Sarah, who declined to give her full last name because of the nature of her actions.

Sarah, who was one of her fathers primary caretakers, said the hospice didnt talk about addiction or ask if any one of us were addicts or any of that.

No one gave us instructions on how to dispose of all the medications that were left, she added.

Medicare requires hospices to establish a safe way to administer drugs to each patient  by identifying a reliable caregiver, staff member or volunteer to manage the drugs or, if need be, relocating the patient. And it requires hospices to set policies, and talk to families, about how to safely manage and dispose of medications.

But there's little oversight: Unlike nursing homes, hospices may go years without inspection, and even when they are cited for noncompliance, they rarely face any consequence except coming up with a plan to improve.

And in most states, hospices have little control over the pills after a patient dies. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration encourages hospice staff to help families destroy leftover medications, but forbids staff from destroying the meds themselves unless allowed by state law. Leftover pills belong to the family, which has no legal obligation to destroy them or give them up.

However, some states are taking action. In the past three years, Ohio, Delaware, New Jersey and South Carolina have passed laws giving hospice staff authority to destroy unused drugs after patients die. Similar bills moved forward in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Georgia this year.

In Massachusetts, one of the states hit hardest by drug overdose deaths, VNA Care Hospice and Palliative Care advises families to empty leftover pills into kitty litter or coffee grounds before disposal  a common practice to prevent reuse, since flushing them down the toilet is now considered environmentally hazardous.

But families don't have to comply, said VNA Care medical director Dr. Joel Bauman. Our experience is maybe only half do. We don't know what happens to these medications. And we have no right, really, to further inquire.

Hospices across the country told KHN they take precautions, including counting pills when nurses visit the homes, limiting the volume of each drug delivery, giving families locked boxes for medication and giving patients random urine tests. They also said they prescribe medications that are harder to misuse, such as methadone.

Some, like VNA Care, have also started screening families of patients for history of drug addiction, and writing up agreements with families outlining the consequences if drugs go missing.

But there's so much moral distress about punishing dying patients for family members actions, said Bauman. He said he tries to avoid doing that: Why should we fire a patient for having inappropriate pill counts, when it may not be their fault in the first place?

Though Blackhall helped spark a national discussion about hospice drug diversion, she said she's also worried about restricting access to painkillers. Hospices must strike a balance, she said.

Its important to treat the horrible suffering that people have from cancer," said Blackhall. But substance abuse is another form of suffering which is "horrible for anyone in the family or community that might end up getting those medications.

KHN's coverage of end-of-life and serious illness issues is supported by The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
A new international research group has been established to investigate the underlying genetic causes of cerebral palsy, spurred on by the discoveries of University of Adelaide researchers.

The news comes as the Adelaide team behind the new collaboration has been awarded a $1 million grant to continue its groundbreaking work, from The Tenix and Cerebral Palsy Foundations.

The newly established International Cerebral Palsy Genomics Consortium includes members from universities in China, Canada, USA, Sweden, Turkey, and Australia.

The new consortium has grown from the research leadership of Emeritus Professor Alastair MacLennan, AO, and Professor Jozef Gecz, based in the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute. Professors MacLennan and Gecz and their Australian Cerebral Palsy Research Group have led the field internationally in showing that cerebral palsy is often linked to a genetic susceptibility.

"For decades, it has been the belief that cerebral palsy occurs when a child experiences a lack of oxygen during pregnancy or at birth. However, the evidence shows that at least one in four cerebral palsy cases is associated with genetic mutations," Emeritus Professor MacLennan says.

The group has built up a large DNA biobank from cerebral palsy families linked to de-identified pregnancy details and cerebral palsy type. Using next-generation DNA sequencing technologies, the research group has detected many new genetic variants likely to be causing cerebral palsy.

"Our research is laying to rest the myth that cerebral palsy often is due to asphyxia or trauma at birth and is preventable by earlier delivery," Professor MacLennan says.

As several other genomics or neurodevelopmental disorder centers around the world have begun to conduct similar research, the Adelaide researchers have taken the initiative to promote collaboration rather than competition between these research groups.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

To that effect, researchers representing the key, active cerebral palsy genomics groups from around the world, as well as representatives from around Australia, have agreed to form an International Cerebral Palsy Genomics Consortium, to foster collaborative research and to set up the world's first genomics database of cerebral palsy genetic mutations linked to clinical details.

This large genetic and clinical database will be housed at the University of Adelaide.

"Such a register of genetic mutations is a must for our work," says Professor Gecz, who is Head of Neurogenetics with the University's Robinson Research Institute, and member of the Healthy Mothers, Babies and Children theme at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

"Cerebral palsy is associated with a diverse and large group of either inherited or spontaneous genetic mutations, that may sometimes interact with environmental triggers during pregnancy. This aberrant genetic diversity is also seen in autism and intellectual disability.

"By pooling international data sets of genetically and clinically characterized cerebral palsy cases, this will enable our group to identify common neurodevelopmental pathways and probable environmental triggers.

"Eventually, we hope this will lead to clinical trials for better management and treatment of cerebral palsy," Professor Gecz says.

The Adelaide group is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), The Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation and The Tenix Foundation.

"We are incredibly grateful for the support of The Tenix Foundation and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation in what we believe is a critical area of research. Cerebral palsy impacts on the lives of many families the world over, and we want to do everything we can to help prevent, manage and treat this condition," Professor MacLennan says.
After the Zika epidemic, which began in 2015, and the outbreak of yellow fever early in 2017, Brazil runs a serious risk of being afflicted by Oropouche, another virus that is widely distributed throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean.

Oropouche has adapted to urban environments and is moving ever closer to Brazil's major cities. An arbovirus transmitted by a mosquito (like Zika and yellow fever), Oropouche causes acute fever and may lead to meningitis and meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and meninges).

"Oropouche is a virus that could potentially emerge at any moment and cause a serious public health problem in Brazil," said Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo's Ribeirao Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP). Figueiredo is a researcher for a Thematic Project supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) focusing on emerging zoonotic viroses.

According to him, about 500,000 cases of Oropouche fever have been reported in Brazil in recent decades but that the number of cases will grow because the virus, transmitted by the midge Culicoides paraensis, is no longer found only in Amazonian villages and is spreading to the big cities.

"C. paraensis is distributed throughout the Americas, and Oropouche virus, therefore, has considerable emergence potential," he said. "The virus may well spread from the Amazon region and central plateau to the most densely populated regions of the country."

The incidence of Oropouche fever is also rising in urban areas of Peru and Caribbean countries. In Brazil, the virus has been isolated from birds in Rio Grande do Sul state and from a marmoset in Minas Gerais state. The presence of neutralizing antibodies (which bind to the virus, tell the immune system to destroy it, and prevent it from infecting the organism) has been detected in primates in the city of Goiania.

"We recently diagnosed a patient from Ilheus [city in the northeastern state of Bahia] with Oropouche fever, in partnership with Eurico Arruda [a professor in FMRP-USP's Department of Cellular Biology]. This shows the virus is circulating around Brazil," Figueiredo said.

In 2002, researchers at FMRP-USP diagnosed 128 people infected by Oropouche virus in Manaus, Amazonas state's capital city. They presented with typical symptoms of the infection, such as acute fever, joint pain, headache and pain behind the eyes. Three also developed a central nervous system infection. "The virus was found in these patients' cerebrospinal fluid," Figueiredo said.

The researchers were intrigued to find that one of these three patients had neurocysticercosis, an infection of the central nervous system caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium, and another had AIDS.

"This shows that some immunodepressive diseases can facilitate penetration of the central nervous system by the virus. Hardly anyone thinks of this when treating an arbovirus infection, but the possibility must be considered," Figueiredo said.

The 128 patients with Oropouche in Manaus had been clinically diagnosed with dengue fever. The Oropouche and dengue viruses produce similar symptoms.

For this reason, researchers at FMRP-USP and other institutions such as Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz have begun to warn that many suspected cases of dengue in Brazil may be cases of infection by Oropouche.
GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us.
Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1 takes Marvel's secret history to a whole new level with a real world historical figure

If you know who Gavrilo Princip is, prepare to be shocked
While the Nokia 8 is an interesting flagship that would surely gain quite a few fans in China and the US, HMD Global has revealed that this handset will not arrive in these two markets.

4 Reviews

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835-powered Nokia 8 is the first flagship released by this iconic brand since HMD Global took over. Sadly, now we know for sure that two key markets for most smartphone makers, namely the US and China, are not supposed to get it via the official channels.

Florian Seiche, acting chief executive of HMD Global, told CNBC that "The U.S. requires a separate strategy, even a separate portfolio and tech investment so we are not in a rush today around that because we are seeing such strong demand across the globe." In China, the mid-range Nokia 6 has been available via JD.com for a while and Seiche said the handset was not received as well as the company expected.
You are clearly a super-user of NUVO.net. Thats a good thing. It means you depend on independent and local news sources to keep you informed. You are a smart person.



Coincidentally, independent and local news sources depend on you too. Youve read 25 articles this month and now, wed like you to be join our mission and become a NUVO Supporter. For as little as $4 a month, you can keep us alive and fighting -- and can have unlimited access to the independent news that cant be found anywhere else.
Here are the stories making headlines today.

Police kill suspected driver in Barcelona attack Abouyaaqoub was killed during an operation in Subirats, west of Barcelona. Police earlier said they had shot a man wearing an explosive belt but did not immediately identify him as Abouyaaqoub. A robot was sent to remove the explosives belt from the body before officers were cleared to approach it and make a positive identification, authorities said.

US destroyer collides with merchant ship near Singapore The USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while the destroyer was making its way to a port visit in Singapore, the Navy said. Search and rescue efforts are under way, the statement said.

Angela Merkel: Germany could ban gas and diesel cars Chancellor Angela Merkel hinted that its only a matter of time before Germany followed France, Britain, India and other countries in banning new sales of cars fitted only with gas or diesel engines.

Report: Secret Service cant pay agents for Trump and his family Secret Service Director Randolph Tex Alles told USA Today more than 1,000 agents have already hit the federally mandated caps for salary and overtime allowances  which were meant to last the entire year. The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law, Alles told USA Today.

Gazan children visit Jerusalem for first time The group of about 100 children were too busy snapping their own pictures around the holy site, scarcely able to believe they were really in Jerusalem. When we saw Al-Aqsa mosque, we felt so happy, said 13-year-old Hind Slameh Abu Hilu, who couldnt stop smiling following afternoon prayers.

Sierra Leone survivors remember day the mountain moved Early last Monday morning Manga, 25, was preparing to head to work as a carpenter in the Regent area of Freetown, Sierra Leone, when he realized something was badly wrong The land was trembling and the whole area was trembling with me, he tells CNN, his eyes still red-rimmed with emotion.

Elon Musk backs call for global ban on killer robots Tesla boss Elon Musk is among a group of 116 founders of robotics and artificial intelligence companies who are calling on the United Nations to ban autonomous weapons. Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare.

Nigerian President silent on mystery illness In a brief, televised address, the president called for unity and pledged to tackle terrorism and security threats. I am pleased to be back on home soil among my brothers and sisters, said Buhari. But I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in the social media have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation.

Eclipse spectacle set to grip US public  BBC News Skywatchers in the United States are preparing for a spectacular eclipse that is without precedent in their countrys 241-year history. A total solar eclipse will sweep across the nation on Monday, from Oregon on the west coast to South Carolina on the eastern seaboard.

Grace Mugabe: South Africa immunity decision condemned  BBC News South Africas main opposition party has condemned the governments decision to grant Zimbabwes first lady diplomatic immunity despite an assault claim. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for a parliamentary inquiry, accusing the government of protecting its dodgy friends. Mrs Mugabe, 52, is accused of assaulting model Gabriella Engels at a hotel in Johannesburg.

How Innsbruck sold bells to the world Every late Friday afternoon, in a dimly lit workshop at the intersection of Leopoldstrasse and Olympiastrasse in Innsbruck, Austria, a small group of artisans gather to conduct a rather peculiar ceremony. Bowed solemnly in prayer and lead by a plainclothes vicar, they murmur the Lords Prayer in hushed tones.

James Bonds best and worst cars of all time As Daniel Craig confirms hell return as 007, here are the car hits and misses

Ethiopias miraculous underground churches I have always questioned Gods existence, but in the northern Ethiopian town of Lalibela, I was presented with fairly substantial evidence. Officially Christian since 330AD, Ethiopia claims to be the oldest Christian country in the world. And despite being ravaged by poverty, faith has remained strong over the centuries; Lalibelas medieval rock-hewn churches are clear proof of that.

A space nerds guide to the Great American Eclipse On August 21, the skies above a large swath of the contiguous United States will darken to an eerie twilight as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, casting a dark shadow on the face of our planet. And were here for it  in a big way.

Game of Thrones ventured Beyond the Wall and the critics are not thrilled Do you think the zombie ice dragon version of Viserion will breathe frosty death instead of the usual dragonfire? Theres one episode remaining in Game of Thrones seventh season, and its shaping up to be a big one.

Game of Thrones left the internet speechless with tonights dragon drama Spoilers are below. About Game of Thrones. That show you watch. Spoilers for that are below. Tonights episode, Beyond the Wall gave some real sh*t to Game of Thrones dragons. The final scenes, in which Dany literally swoops in on Drogon, flanked by her other dragon Viserion, rescues the GAG-nificent seven as they are backed into a corner by the white walker horde.

The Secret Service spent $60,000 on golf carts alone protecting Trump President Donald Trump is bankrupting the Secret Service. In an exclusive interview with USA Today , Secret Service Director Randolph Tex Alles said that more than 1,000 agents have already hit the federally mandated caps for salary and overtime allowances that were meant to last the entire year.
Great marketing doesnt have to cost more than bad marketing!

You can grow your business by following a simple system.

In the past two weeks, I have had several people approach me about how to make marketing work effectively.

I was reminded how frustrating marketing can be for those who have not had the experience of seeing what good marketing does to the bottom line versus marketing that doesnt increase revenues.

For 16 years, I taught companies the Monopolize Your Marketplace system of marketing, and increased the bottom line of all 196 companies for whom I consulted by an average of 32 in the first year just by changing their marketing to follow the system.

This philosophy has carried over into my Network Marketing business, and Im finding people who think they have to be a sales person with closing skills to sell more  They simply dont understand how marketing really works.

Marketings job is to:

1. Interrupt the consumer with hot buttons that are relevant to a need or desire she or he has.

2. Make a promise that if she or he reads, listens or watches further she or he will get enough information to make the best decision possible.

3. To EDUCATE the consumer and give all the pros and cons for buying what you sell so she or he CAN make the best decision possible.

4. Provide an Offer  a call to action to give the consumer a way to take the next step.

If you set up a campaign that gives pieces of the education information over time, and drip it on John or Jane Smith prospect, he will feel like an absolute fool to buy from anyone but you  regardless of price  when he is ready to buy.

So in marketing, our job is NOT to sell.

It is to EDUCATE and provide offers that invite John or Jane Smith to take the next logical step in the education process until he is ready to buy.

In my marketing consulting days, I offered an 11-hour audio course on all the things I teach  Narrated by Richard Harshaw, one of the founders of the Monopolize Your Marketplace system. I paid thousands to license this system and feel the investment was well worth every penny.

This and other systems are available online.

One may help you and your business.
For the past three years, local company Forno Piombo, makers of wood-fired pizza ovens, has been heating up.

But now with a new showroom opening in downtown Napa, the father-and-son team is ready to crank up the heat, all the way to 1,000 degrees.

Yes, their ovens can get that hot.

Now open at 728 First St. near the Oxbow Public Market, locals and tourists alike can see for themselves why Forno Piombo considers its ovens superior to other wood-fired ovens on the market. For one, they do a lot more than bake pizzas.

We have a tall dome in our oven, which gives it a lot of versatility. Traditional ovens have a lower dome and burn your food, said Tony Piombo, who co-founded the company with his father Guy in 2014. You can place larger-sized meats inside without burning them. Our ovens allow for even cooking and all kinds of food.

They also build their domes with fire brick, not the traditional refractory concrete. This enables them to offer a lifetime warranty against interior cracking, and the oven to better retain heat for slow cooking capabilities. A special venting system that only works in the brick dome heats the oven up faster too, they said.

We always wanted a brick-and-mortar shop to be able to show people exactly what our ovens are, so they can see them, touch them, use them, said Tony Piombo.

Its been a goal since the beginning, back when they were building the ovens in his front yard.

When we first started in my front yard, we had some really good real estate on Atlas Peak Road. Cars would drive in constantly because they would see our ovens out front. They were very interested, and we realized that being able to showcase these is great  people get to come, learn from the people who build them and see how they work, said Piombo.

But with their rapid growth, they were forced to move their business into a warehouse space in American Canyon. The one drawback: the warehouse doesnt get the same kind of customers.

We always wanted a true showroom. We always wanted to get back to that, a place where people can see us, he said.

Piombo says the new digs were just what they were looking for, with extensive outdoor space for Forno Piombo to show off their ovens in their natural habitat, and even fire them up.

The building department restricts them from actually being able to sell bulk items on site (the ovens weigh more than a ton), so Piombo compares the showroom to the Restoration Hardware format, where the location mimics a gallery space. Visitors can simply hang out to their content, and the ovens, which are handcrafted and fully customizable, are the art.

Interested buyers can contact the company separately to make a purchase.

It will be open six days a week, and the Piombos plan to do something special each week, like bring in a chef to teach a cooking class as a way of demonstrating the ovens versatility.

Over the past three years, theyve developed relationships with many of the local chefs, like Tyler Rodde of Oenotri, Nate Smith of Kitchen Collective and Blossom Catering, and Todd Thompson from Sonomas The Red Grape, to name a few.

With our chefs, we want to showcase this oven isnt just for pizza, Piombo said. You can roast, smoke, grill, bake and even slow cook up to 1,000 degrees.

Inside of the showroom, customers can shop for wood- fired cooking accessories, many of which have been designed by Guy Piombo specifically for Forno Piombo ovens. For example, hes created an adjustable grill that fits inside the oven for grilling oysters, steaks and vegetables.

Its a really interesting design, and nothing has ever been built like it because there are no ovens like ours that let you do all of this kind of cooking, Piombo claimed.

Their pride and joy, however; is a smart oven capability, which allows owners to perfect their cooking. They can receive real-time text notifications when their oven is heated to the optimal temperature for the food theyre cooking, and download reports that Forno Piombo can evaluate for them, offering up tips on how to improve for next time.

While still in BETA, these smart ovens are available now and on display in the showroom.

The Piombos also plan to leverage their new home to help expand the rental side of their business. Currently, they have two trailers with pizza ovens that they rent out for events.

But for the father-son duo, this isnt simply a venue through which to sell more ovens. Its more so an additional avenue to connect with their customers and continue the relationship they initially formed while building their ovens.

We have a tight-knit community of owners. We send them pictures while we build their oven, we send recipes and tips for using their oven, and now we can offer them cooking classes and a place to visit when theyre in Napa. Our relationships with our customers lasts for a long time, and this property is a way to bring our customers together, said Piombo.

For details, visit fornopiombo.com or call 707-287-6931.
The next Napa Countywide Cannabis roundtable is scheduled for 1-3 p.m., Friday in the board meeting chambers on the third floor of the Administration Building, 1195 Third St., in Napa.

The discussion will include reports from a recent trip to Oakland to tour manufacturing, cultivation, and dispensary facilities.

There will be presentations from the Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner and Rural County Representatives of California about land use and environmental impacts, and legislative updates.

Representatives from Napa County, the cities of American Canyon, Calistoga, St. Helena, and Napa, and the Town of Yountville will participate.

The groups purpose is to discuss the issues surrounding the passage of Proposition 64 and the regulation of medical and nonmedical cannabis in Napa County. The goal is to share information and identify where consistencies in each jurisdictions ordinances might be achieved when possible.
Tourism remains strong in Napa County, with lodging revenue hitting an all-time high of $408 million -- an increase of 7.8 percent -- for the 12 months ending June 30, according to Visit Napa Valley.

At the same time, the average daily room rate went up 5.4 percent, from $300 to $316, with occupancy virtually unchanged at 73.3 percent.

We had a very good fiscal year, said Clay Gregory, the CEO of Visit Napa Valley.

We projected a revenue increase of 4.5 percent and it was 7.8 percent -- well above what we projected -- which we are very happy with and the lodging community is very happy with, said Gregory.

David Shipman, a hotel consultant who is also on the Visit Napa Valley board of directors, said marketing efforts by Visit Napa Valley and lodging properties are paying off.

There has been a dedicated effort to make tourism and hospitality something special here and its worked, he said.

In related news, the number of visitors to the Napa Valley rose 6.3 percent from 2014 to 2016, from 3.3 million to 3.5 million, the agency reported.

During the same time, the total amount of tax revenue that Napa County received from transient occupancy tax and other visitor related taxes rose 25 percent.

We are managing tourism in a strategic manner, Gregory said. We are not overrunning the place with massive increases of numbers of people.

Instead, wineries are being smarter about the experiences they are offering. People are spending more time and money in the Napa Valley.

There are more restaurants, more activities, more things to do, said Gregory. The government and the community is benefiting from that.

While some may wonder why occupancy isnt rising along with room rates, Gregory explained that Napa County hoteliers lean toward driving average daily room rates versus occupancy.

Its a quality versus quantity philosophy that is appropriate for the kind of destination that we are.

Given the quality of service and the investments that our lodging community has made, creating a high level visitor experience, it makes more sense to focus on having an appropriate (average daily room rates) versus trying to drive occupancy, said Gregory.

Such growth is extremely healthy, Shipman said. Its a testament to the owners and operators of the lodging community and their commitment to quality and providing an exceptional product and service.

In this regard, there are few other areas like Napa Valley, said Gregory. Aspen, Colorado could be one comparable.

Aspen and the Napa Valley have similar approaches to rate vs. occupancy management, said Gregory. Aspen also has a relatively similar rates overall, though, of course, their peak season is the opposite of ours.

A recent example is that lodging in Aspen was at 81.3 percent occupancy in January of this year and the average daily rate was nearly $600.

Lodging managers could have certainly lowered rates and achieved a higher level of occupancy if that was their priority, which it obviously is not, he said.

Another piece of data from Visit Napa Valley provided insight on where lodging employees live.

According to a newly released survey with data from 2015, 77.4 percent of lodging industry employees live in Napa County. That may surprise some people, said Gregory.

However, Its a good surprise in that it means that not as many people are driving in and out of the valley as was thought.

The data also included information on Napa County average lodging wages.

Administrative workers in the lodging industry make an average of $17.69 per hour, housekeeping $15.45, grounds and maintenance $15.20 and front of house $14.83. The California minimum wage is $10.50.

Providing the quality service that Napa Valley visitors expect means hiring quality employees who therefore demand higher wages, said Gregory.

I dont see wages going down, for sure, he said.

And the cost of living in Napa is not inexpensive. "I think that is a driver of higher wages as well, said Shipman.

Gregory said Visit Napa Valley is forecasting a 4.5 percent growth in lodging revenue for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

Some people would say thats conservative and its true, especially with Los Alcobas (in St. Helena) and the Archer opening, but there has also been concern about some reduction in international travel into the U.S. based on policies put in place by the current administration in Washington, D.C., said Gregory.

Over the past few years, the Visit Napa Valley welcome center on Main Street has seen a slight drop in the number of visitors. For the most current fiscal year, which ended June 30, a total of 133,168 visitors came to the center. The previous fiscal year the number totaled 139,367 and before that 142,297.

Gregory said there are two related reasons why.

VisitNapaValley.com is now a "responsive" site, meaning that it adapts itself to most hardware, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones, said Gregory.

This allows travelers to use the website both for planning their trip to the Valley, he said.

According to the agency, VisitNapaValley.com is the number one tool used by people planning their trip to the Valley, and the website traffic continues to increase.

Some of our guests are now bypassing the Welcome Center and setting up their itinerary before they come or on the fly while they are here, said Gregory.

The age of valley visitors continues to drop - in 2012, the average age was 46.05 years and in 2016 it was 42.7 years, said Gregory.

Again, this leads to more guests using their mobile devices to plan their trip and book experiences themselves rather than use the Welcome Center.

Even with the decline, we do not reduce the number of volunteers, but we do reduce their hours in the winter (and we have done this for the last two years), said Gregory. Otherwise, our approach to operations is not changing.
Dozens of Republican lawmakers, as well as business and community leaders, have distanced themselves from President Trump since his comments on the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, after which he blamed many sides for an outbreak of violence.

Republican Senators Republican Representatives Current and Former Republican Governors Business Leaders Evangelical Leader Cultural Leaders

Many Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, released statements denouncing the racism and violence on display in Charlottesville, but did not address Mr. Trump directly. Mr. Ryan later said at a town hall on Monday that he believed Mr. Trump messed up in his remarks and that it was equivocating and that was wrong.

Others went further in criticizing the president:

Republican Senators

Bob Corker Tennessee Our president needs to take stock of the role he plays in the nation, and move beyond himself.  John Cornyn Texas No place for the bigotry & hate-filled violence in #Charlottesville. These actions should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.  Jeff Flake Arizona We cannot accept excuses for white supremacy and acts of domestic terrorism. We must condemn them. Period.  Cory Gardner Colorado Mr. President - we must call evil by its name. These were white supremacists and this was domestic terrorism.  Lindsey Graham South Carolina You are now receiving praise from some of the most racist and hate-filled individuals and groups in our country.  John McCain Arizona Theres no moral equivalency between racists & Americans standing up to defy hate& bigotry. The President of the United States should say so.  Jerry Moran Kansas White supremacy, bigotry & racism have absolutely no place in our society & no one - especially POTUS - should ever tolerate it.  Marco Rubio Florida Mr. President, you cant allow #WhiteSupremacists to share only part of blame.They support idea which cost nation & world so much pain.  Tim Scott South Carolina There is absolutely NO gray area when it comes to condemning groups who breed on racism, hate and division. 

Republican Representatives

Justin Amash Michigan's 3rd District @POTUS, Americas children are watching. Denounce white nationalists & their evil ideology. They are enemies of liberty & our Constitution.  Barbara Comstock Virginias 10th District Mr. President, there were not very fine people on the NeoNazi, white supremacist side; only haters. Grateful DOJ understands this.  Carlos Curbelo Florida's 26th District For @POTUS to morally equate that hate to those opposing it... and to accommodate those who promote it is unacceptable.  Charlie Dent Pennsylvanias 15th District @POTUS must stop the moral equivalency! AGAIN, white supremacists were to blame for the violence in #Charlottesville.  Mike Gallagher Wisconsin's 8th District The President needs to be crystal clear that hatred has no place in our society, but he is currently failing at it.  Will Hurd Texas' 23rd District Racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism of any form is unacceptable, and the leader of the free world should be unambiguous about that.  Leonard Lance New Jersey's 7th District Mr. President, there is only one side: AGAINST white supremacists, neo-Nazis, anti-Semites & the KKK. They have no place in America or GOP.  Paul Mitchell Michigan's 10th District You cant be a very fine person and be a white supremacist @POTUS.  Tom Rooney Floridas 17th District To the people in my generation, its just something thats so obvious: This is repugnant.  Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Florida's 27th District Blaming both sides for #Charlottesville?! No. Back to relativism when dealing with KKK, Nazi sympathizers, white supremacists? Just no.  Peter Roskam Illinois's 6th District President must not allow Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists or Klansman any refuge in his statements.  Ed Royce California's 39th District The President needs to clearly and categorically reject white supremacists. No excuses. No ambiguity.  Scott Taylor Virginia's 2nd District I do believe the President was wrong, that was not equal by any means.  Pat Tiberi Ohio's 12th District POTUS deflected from the fact that a young woman was killed & others were injured by a bigoted follower of the white supremacist movement. 

Current and former Republican governors

Charlie Baker Massachusetts governor I am deeply disappointed in the presidents words today.  Jeb Bush Former governor of Florida I urge President Trump to unite the country, not parse the assignment of blame for the events in Charlottesville.  Larry Hogan Maryland governor He made a terrible mistake.  John Kasich Ohio governor The President has to condemn hate groups. This isnt about politics.  Bruce Rauner Illinois governor I vehemently disagree with the presidents comments about the tragedy in Charlottesville.  Mitt Romney Former governor of Massachusetts He should address the American people, acknowledge that he was wrong, apologize. State forcefully and unequivocally that racists are 100% to blame for the murder and violence in Charlottesville.  Phil Scott Vermont governor A presidents response must douse the flame, not fan it.  Chris Sununu New Hampshire governor The presidents comments yesterday were deeply disappointing. 

Business leaders

Some of the countrys most influential corporate leaders served on White House business advisory councils until the groups were disbanded last week after Mr. Trumps controversial remarks. Some of the business leaders resigned from the councils before they fell apart, and others released strong statements distancing themselves from the president.

Jamie Dimon JPMorgan I strongly disagree with President Trumps reaction to the events that took place in Charlottesville over the past several days.  Larry Fink Blackrock The events that occurred in Charlottesville, as I said on Monday, are nothing short of domestic terrorism. Such racism and bigotry must not just be condemned, but must be condemned unequivocally.  Rich Lesser BCG The lack of leadership from the President on this has been unacceptable.  Doug McMillon Walmart As we watched the events and the response from President Trump over the weekend, we too felt that he missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists.  Mark Weinberger EY Hatred, bigotry and violence have no place in our society; leaders need to unite not divide.  Kenneth Frazier Merck Americas leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy.  Alex Gorsky Johnson & Johnson But the presidents remarks yesterdayequating those who are motivated by race-based hate with those who stand up against hatredwere unacceptable.  Greg Hayes United Technologies We need to collectively stand together and denounce the politics of hate, intolerance and racism ... Accordingly, I have tendered my resignation from the Council effective today.  Jeff Immelt G.E. The Presidents statements yesterday were deeply troubling.  Brian Krzanich Intel I resigned to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues.  Thea Lee A.F.L.-C.I.O. We cannot sit on a council for a President who tolerates bigotry and domestic terrorism.  Andrew Liveris Dow There cannot be moral ambiguity around the driving forces of the events in Charlottesville.  Denise Morrison Campbell Soup Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville. I believe the President should have been  and still needs to be  unambiguous on that point.  Scott Paul Alliance for American Manufacturing Im resigning from the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative because its the right thing for me to do.  Kevin Plank Under Armour Under Armour engages in innovation and sports, not politics. I am appreciative of the opportunity to have served, but have decided to step down from the council.  Inge Thulin 3M I believe the initiative is no longer an effective vehicle for 3M to advance these goals. As a result, today I am resigning from the Manufacturing Advisory Council.  Richard Trumka A.F.L.-C.I.O. We cannot sit on a council for a President who tolerates bigotry and domestic terrorism.  Wendell Weeks Corning The events of the last few days have transformed the councils laudable mission of job creation into a perception of political support for the Administration and its statements. This runs counter to my original intention and is inconsistent with Cornings Values. 

Evangelical leaders

Just one member of the presidents evangelical advisory board has stepped down after his remarks.

A.R. Bernard Megachurch pastor in New York City It became obvious that there was a deepening conflict in values between myself and the administration. 

Cultural leaders

All 16 members of the Presidents Committee on the Arts and the Humanities resigned on Friday. Reproach and censure in the strongest possible terms are necessary following your support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans in Charlottesville, they wrote in a letter to Mr. Trump.
Source: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

North Korea is speeding toward a goal it has sought for decades: the ability to hit a major American city with a nuclear weapon.

Actually striking the United States would be suicide. But the capability could help the North deter an invasion and wield increased global influence. American intelligence agencies estimate that the North could reach the milestone by next year, and some experts think it already has.

But reliably sending a nuclear warhead halfway around the globe is extremely difficult, and challenges may remain. Here are some of the systems the North needs to advance or master.

Reach the U.S. mainland

Its probably already possible.

Heres what the Norths intercontinental ballistic missile looks like, at least as experts can best determine.

Main engine Fuel Oxidizer Fuel and oxidizer Guidance Bomb Steering engines Engines STAGE 1 STAGE 2 WARHEAD HWASONG-14 Main engine Oxidizer Bomb Fuel Fuel and oxidizer Steering engines Engines Guidance STAGE 1 STAGE 2 WARHEAD HWASONG-14 Main engine Fuel Oxidizer Fuel and oxidizer Bomb Steering engines Engines Guidance STAGE 1 STAGE 2 WARHEAD HWASONG-14 HWASONG-14 WARHEAD Bomb Guidance Fuel and oxidizer STAGE 2 Engines Oxidizer STAGE 1 Fuel Main engine Steering engines

Its the first ICBM to have flown successfully after many years of empty claims and abandoned models. North Korea tested it twice in July. The second test appeared capable of reaching the West Coast, with Chicago and Denver also potentially in range.

The Norths ICBM program was long known for modest strides and spectacular failures until it made a rush of advances this year. Analysts say a powerful new main engine lies behind the feats, calling it stronger and more reliable than past models.

Range of North Koreas missile tests July 2017 United States May 2017 1990 1984 North Korea Guam Range of North Koreas missile tests July 2017 United States May 2017 1990 1984 North Korea Guam Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies

A vehicle that can survive re-entry

A crude version by next year, if not already.

Its relatively easy to get a vehicle into space but very difficult to bring it down.

The main problem for North Korea is developing a missile warhead that can withstand the fiery heat and great violence of atmospheric reentry.

Stage 2 RE-ENTRY INTO THE ATMOSPHERE RUSSIA CANADA Stage 1 UNITED STATES Launch PACIFIC OCEAN Target JAPAN CHINA NORTH KOREA Stage 2 RE-ENTRY INTO THE ATMOSPHERE RUSSIA CANADA Stage 1 UNITED STATES Launch JAPAN Target NORTH KOREA PACIFIC OCEAN CHINA RE-ENTRY INTO THE ATMOSPHERE Stage 2 RUSSIA CANADA Stage 1 Launch Target UNITED STATES PACIFIC OCEAN NORTH KOREA RE-ENTRY INTO THE ATMOSPHERE Stage 2 CANADA RUSSIA Stage 1 Target Launch PACIFIC OCEAN UNITED STATES NORTH KOREA

The forces at work are enormous. A warhead fired into the void of outer space by an intercontinental ballistic missile falls back to Earth at speeds of roughly four miles a second. Intense friction with the planets thick blanket of air produces waves of blistering heat. A badly engineered warhead will burn up long before hitting its target.

DIRECTION OF TRAVEL Schematic diagram of the re-entry vehicle Bomb Atmospheric forces and intense heat affect the re-entry vehicle DIRECTION OF TRAVEL Schematic diagram of the re-entry vehicle Bomb Atmospheric forces and intense heat affect the re-entry vehicle DIRECTION OF TRAVEL Schematic diagram of the re-entry vehicle Bomb Atmospheric forces and intense heat affect the re-entry vehicle DIRECTION OF TRAVEL Schematic diagram of the re-entry vehicle Bomb Atmospheric forces and intense heat affect the re-entry vehicle DIRECTION OF TRAVEL Schematic diagram of the re-entry vehicle Bomb Atmospheric forces and intense heat affect the re-entry vehicle

One trick of designers is to coat the reentry vehicle with thick materials that burn off evenly, making an ablative shield that sends dangerous heat into the wake. But manufacturing errors can produce uneven burns that throw a warhead off course.

Last month, a camera in Japan caught a glimpse of a North Korean mock warhead as it reentered the atmosphere at night. At first it looked like a shooting star, but then it seemed to shed a trail of bright sparks and shimmers before dimming and disappearing. Some experts see this video as evidence that the reentry vehicle broke into pieces.

Source: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

Others are not so sure. Joshua H. Pollack, the editor of The Nonproliferation Review, says that the quality of the video is too poor to determine what happened. Even if it did break up, it may not mean anything, he said. Its a solvable problem.

Whats clear is that the North is trying hard and making progress. Military and intelligence experts tend to assume the worst  arguably a prudent approach with weapons of mass destruction. If the North keeps up its rate of missile tests, it will likely have perfected a crude re-entry vehicle by next year, if it doesnt possess one already, private analysts say.

Make a bomb that can fit in a missile

Probably already completed.

Much of the technical debate over the North Korean threat has turned on whether it has miniaturized its nuclear arms so they can fit inside the cramped space of the missile nose cone.

The first atom bomb  dubbed the Gadget  was five feet wide. Last year, the North released a photo of its leader, Kim Jong-un, inspecting a shiny ball described as a miniaturized bomb meant to fit into a missile warhead. It was about two feet wide, small enough to do the trick.

New Mexico, 1945. | Photo by the United States Department of Energy. North Korea, 2016 | Photo by the Korean Central News Agency, via European Pressphoto Agency

Its impossible to know whether the photo shows a working weapon or a mock-up. But nuclear experts, including American intelligence agencies, judge that the North has indeed succeeded in making its nuclear arms small enough to fit atop an ICBM.

Any country that has conducted five nuclear tests can probably do it, Mr. Pollack said. I give them the benefit of the doubt.

The smaller and lighter the bomb, the farther it can go. The chart below estimates how the range of North Koreas Hwasong-14 missile increases dramatically as the weight of the warhead decreases.

Estimated North Korean payload 7,000 miles New York 6,000 San Diego San Francisco Seattle 5,000 Pearl Harbor More distance 4,000 Anchorage 3,000 1,000 kg 900 800 700 600 500 400 Lighter payload Estimated North Korean payload 7,000 miles New York 6,000 San Diego San Francisco Seattle 5,000 Pearl Harbor 4,000 Anchorage More distance 3,000 1,000 kg 800 600 400 Lighter payload Source: John Schilling, 38 North | Estimates for a missile with a four-engine upper stage.

Hit the right place

Not perfect, but close enough.

North Koreas aim is famously poor, and accurately directing a long-range missile that throws warheads halfway around the world is extraordinarily challenging.

Highly advanced states that have worked on the problem for decades can launch ICBMs whose warheads will hit target areas roughly 200 meters wide  an astonishing technical achievement, says Donald MacKenzie, author of Inventing Accuracy.

One estimate for North Korea, based on the accuracy of other first-generation ICBMs, ranges between three and five kilometers, or about two to three miles. The true accuracy is impossible to determine because the Norths warheads usually fall into the sea, and outside experts know little about its intended targets.

Even so, thats good enough if youre aiming at a city, said Ian Williams, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But it would probably be insufficient to reliably take out a hardened target like a military installation, he said.

Analysts say North Korea appears to be working toward leaner, more accurate designs for its missile warheads. It currently appears to use a blunt re-entry vehicle that is relatively easy to make but slower and less accurate than the pointy models of advanced states.

Blunt Triconic Conical Blunt Triconic Conical

Make a more powerful bomb

Made an advance on Sunday.

North Korea can sidestep the accuracy question and do more damage with a more powerful bomb. But thats difficult given the cramped spaces in a nose cone and the need to keep the weapon as light as possible.

In what could be a major advance, North Korea on Sunday carried out an underground nuclear test that was its first to clearly surpass the destructive power of the bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. Early analysis indicated the blast was roughly four times stronger than the bombs dropped in Japan.

The standard way of raising the destructive power of a bomb, while keeping it relatively small and lightweight, is to add thermonuclear fuel. The steps are technically daunting but can produce weapons with up to 1,000 times the destructive power of the Hiroshima bomb. Generically, they are known as hydrogen bombs.

North Korea said that Sundays test was of a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on an ICBM, and it released photographs of what it said was the new weapon. But it was unclear whether the test was actually of a hydrogen bomb, or if it was a somewhat more modest advance achieved by using a smaller amount of thermonuclear fuel to boost a less powerful atomic bomb.

Heres a rough map of the difference in destruction if a Hiroshima-sized bomb and one 600 times stronger, the size of one of the largest ICBM warheads ever deployed, hit the center of Los Angeles.

Hiroshima-strength bomb, 15 kilotons 1.6 mile radius 3rd degree burns Pasadena LOS ANGELES Downtown L.A. Santa Monica 0.7 mile radius Widespread fatalities PACIFIC OCEAN Long Beach Hiroshima-strength bomb, 15 kilotons 1.6 mile radius 3rd degree burns Pasadena LOS ANGELES Santa Monica 0.7 mile radius Widespread fatalities PACIFIC OCEAN Long Beach Two-stage thermonuclear bomb, 9 megatons 17 mile radius 3rd degree burns Pasadena LOS ANGELES 6 mile radius Widespread fatalities Santa Monica Downtown L.A. PACIFIC OCEAN Long Beach Two-stage thermonuclear bomb, 9 megatons 17 mile radius 3rd degree burns Pasadena LOS ANGELES 6 mile radius Widespread fatalities Santa Monica PACIFIC OCEAN Long Beach

Source: Alex Wellerstein, NUKEMAP | Estimates are for surface explosions.

The North Koreans have shown great interest in making hydrogen bombs, but experts have no clear sense of how far they have traveled down the thermonuclear road. The clearest indication would be a very large underground nuclear blast. So far, the North has detonated nothing that comes even close.

Get past United States defenses

Nobody knows for sure.

Cant the Americans just shoot down an incoming nuclear warhead with an antiballistic missile? Maybe. But that kind of protection has never been used against an ICBM in war, only in highly choreographed tests. Even then, the costly antimissile systems have often failed to hit the speeding mock targets.

U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency

Its a numbers game that can play to the offense. If the North fires three nuclear warheads and the United States manages to shoot down two, the North would still accomplish much of its objective with just one citys destruction.

The North is clearly exploring ways to improve its penetration of antimissile defenses, and is likely to investigate others. In March, it simultaneously fired four missiles in a salvo that would make it harder for American defenses to shoot down all the incoming warheads.

Warheads that zig and zag could foil antimissile systems. North Korea recently displayed a missile warhead that boasted fins, implying an interest in such evasions.

A final step would be clouds of inexpensive decoys. Advanced ICBMs carry large sets of such fakes alongside real warheads. The false targets provide protective cover and vastly increase the complexity of the antimissile effort.

How will we know when the North Koreans have truly attained the ability to threaten the United States? A friend recently asked Mr. Williams. I kind of just shrugged my shoulders and said, well, youre going to see a bright light, he said.
A Marin County deputy district attorney has been accused in a lawsuit of conning a dying man into signing over the deed to the mountain cabin where he lived all his life.

The defendant, Robert Ashley, 30, who has worked in the Marin DA's office since May, and previously practiced in Napa, said "the allegations are entirely false, and I think that will be very successful in the courts."

The suit against Ashley and his mother, Marilyn, is being brought by Nate Accomazzo, a San Anselmo electrician who is the nephew of Stacey Accomazzo, who owned the cabin free and clear before he died of cancer in May at age 69. The Ashleys were his next door neighbors in a rustic part of Plumas County 90 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe.

According to Nate Accomazzo's suit, his uncle -- who had inherited the cabin from his father -- wanted it placed in a revocable trust so that he and his brothers would inherit it after his death. Ashley volunteered to handle the legalities of that for free as a neighborly gesture.

Instead, the suit alleges, he and his mother visited him while he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit and was on a morphine drip after surgery. Without speaking to a doctor or anyone at the hospital about whether Accomazzo was competent, Ashley had him sign over the deed to the cabin to him as a gift and had a notary certify it.

"Stacey Accomazzo had no recollection of this when he got home from the hospital," said Bill Ford, a San Rafael lawyer representing Nate Accomazzo. "He was extremely distressed. He didn't know how any of this happened."

According to Ashley's lawyer, Albert Cordova, Stacy Accomazzo's longtime personal lawyer was present in the intensive care unit and spoke to him before he signed the deed.

"If he was out of his mind at the time, someone (his lawyer) who had known him for years would see that," Cordova said.

Asked why Accomazzo would give his property to a neighbor instead of his own family, Cordova said "they had a longstanding personal relationship. They spent a lot of time together. Their families were close. And he told his lawyer that's what he wanted to do."

Nate Accomazzo doesn't buy that.

"He (Ashley) tried to play me like he was over there all the time," he said. "He made it sound like he was my uncle's second son, his best friend, and that he wanted him to have the house."

Accomazzo said Ashley allowed him and his father, Steve, to go into the cabin to retrieve a gun collection and other personal property that had belonged to his uncle.

"I felt like we were ransacking our own house," he said.

His suit, which asks for the return of the property as well as punitive and compensatory damages, is still in its early stages. A lawyer familiar with the case said it could drag on in the courts for two years before it's resolved. In addition, it's being investigated by the state bar.

"To be totally honest, I'm still in shock," Accomazzo said. "This is the place where my dad had planned on retiring himself. This whole thing has brought on so much anxiety."
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Qatar and Turkey on one hand, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain on the other, two fronts of the recent Middle East crisis. Both are Sunni Muslims. The current crisis actually proved that the apparent Sunni-Shia conflict is no longer extant, a conflict which did not exist at all. Today's wars loomed over political interest, wars of profits and ambitions. As the Syrian and Iraqi wars, just like the current Gulf crisis broke out upon the interests.

The article aims to walks you through various cause and reasons which resulted in tension between some Middle Eastern countries-mostly Qatar and Saudi Arabia after boycotting Qatar:

- Through selling oil and petroleum products, the two above mentioned fronts are financially enriched and wealthy. Their financial incentives make them to spend money on buying weapons from American companies.

- Both fronts consider themselves as believers to the Wahhabism doctrine. Saudi Arabia is much more adherent to this doctrine, while Qatar sees itself just as connected to the generation of Mohammed Abdul Wahhab and has not such a fanatical belief in his principles.

- If we take a look back to the recent wars and terrorist attacks and the perpetrators, we will find out that about 90 percent of terrorist groups were either related to Wahhabism or somehow the believers of brotherhood thinking.

- The leaders of two fronts --whether Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and UAE or Qatar and Turkey are not fanatical Muslims in their personal lives; they are unbelievers in Islam and at their leisure time, they step beyond the boundaries of Islam principals. These two fractions both are Arabs and, actually there is no longer any trace of Arab versus non-Arab war, or the war between Sunni and Shia. The Qatar crisis can be considered as a family conflict which broke out among some Arab nations for seeking power and retaining domination.

- From the other perspective, the two fronts claim to sovereignty of Islamic and Arab world; and they inclined to introduce themselves as the leader of Islamic Arab world, while both, at the same time are closely interacting with United States, European Union and United Kingdom to have them pave the way for them to claim sovereignty.

It can be claimed that the current Middle East crisis, and Qatar -- Saudi Arabia tensions specifically has no religious origins.

The above statement can be proved by this claim that the both fronts are attributed to Wahhabism belief -though one more and the other less, as the Syrian war did not indeed break out over religious believes.

The Saudis wanted Bashar al-Assad to surrender to their power and be their obedient, but Bashar resisted and found himself in the state of war. The claim is also true for Iraq. If the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had resisted, the war won't have been started in the country. So, Riyadh had nothing to do with Bashar or Heidar al-Abadi's religious belief. Therefore, the struggle took place over gaining power and authority while the players put religion or religious belief as an excuse for running such wars.

The current crisis in Qatar can be analyzed at two levels of international and the regional level. Countries such as United States, Russia, Britain, and France at the international level each trying to maximize their own benefits in the crisis (in form of binding arm sales contracts and boosting bilateral ties).

At the regional level, Saudi Arabia seeks to stabilize its sovereignty over the Gulf Cooperation council, while United Arab Emirates, on the other hand seeks to eliminate Qatar from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

This should not be forgotten that the regional players each are handy monkeys trained by international players. Indeed, the regional players have no independent role in the crisis and their authority in making decision in regional macro policies is too limited. The Qatar crisis cannot possibly upset the strategic arrangements of the area but it will certainly stir up all player's interests.
From WSWS

Co-written by Joseph Kishore

It is often the case that the outcome of events reveals the essential issues underlying political developments. This is true of the conflicts that erupted within the ruling class over the Nazi rampage in Charlottesville, which culminated in the dismissal Friday of Trump's chief strategist Stephen Bannon.

The corporate-controlled media has sought to portray the sequence of events entirely in racial terms, with Bannon and other advocates of "white nationalism" now purged, leaving political control of the White House and the Trump administration in steadier and more "moderate" political hands: a group of generals and ex-generals, headed by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, together with Wall Street financiers such as Gary Cohn, Trump's chief economic adviser, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The New York Times has led the way, with an editorial Sunday declaring that "Americans accustomed constitutionally and politically to civilian leadership now find themselves relying on three current and former generals -- John Kelly, the new White House chief of staff; H. R. McMaster, the national security adviser; and Jim Mattis, the secretary of defense -- to stop Mr. Trump from going completely off the rails. Experienced and educated, well-versed in the terrible costs of global confrontation and driven by an impulse toward public service that Mr. Trump doesn't possess, these three, it is hoped, can counter his worst instincts."

In the same edition of the Times, a news analysis celebrates what its headline calls "The Moral Voice of Corporate America." In this account, "a chorus of business leaders rose up this past week to condemn hate groups and espouse tolerance and inclusion."

Among those named as part of this "chorus" of "moral" leaders are such corporate criminals as Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, one of those responsible for the 2008 financial collapse; Mary Barra of General Motors, who oversaw the cover-up of an ignition-switch defect that killed hundreds of people; and WalMart CEO Doug McMillon, whose company is a synonym for low-wage exploitation.

The ruling elite saw Trump's incautious remarks defending the neo-Nazis who rioted in Charlottesville as a serious threat to the interests of American imperialism abroad as well as the maintenance of social and political stability at home. Powerful corporate interests feared the implications for Trump's agenda of corporate tax cuts, the removal of business regulations, a profit windfall in the guise of infrastructure reform and the gutting of Medicaid and other social programs.

Trump's self-exposure of his efforts to build an extra-parliamentary fascistic base increased the nervousness in financial circles over the danger of a collapse of the speculative bubble that has been built up since the 2008 Wall Street crash.

The response, laid out most clearly by the Times, has been to increase the grip of the military and corporate America over the government to an extent unprecedented in US history. It is 56 years since President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his 1961 farewell address, warned of the dangers to democracy posed by the rise of the "military-industrial complex." He could have no conception of the size, power and degree of dominance exercised by the vast military/intelligence/corporate complex of today.

The first result of this consolidation was the announcement that Trump will deliver a nationwide address tonight, unveiling plans for an expansion of the war in Afghanistan.

What the ruling elite fears above all is the growth of working-class opposition to the Trump administration and the entire political system. Thus, excised from the official narrative promoted by the media is any reference to the reality of social life in America -- a country in which 20 individuals control as much wealth as the poorest half of the population -- as well as the reactionary agenda of the Trump administration itself. Nor is there any discussion of war and the crimes carried out by "responsible" leaders such as Mattis, who won his appellation "Mad Dog" for his role in destroying the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

This is replaced with a series of diversionary issues, centered on a grossly distorted presentation of the United States as a country seething with racial intolerance and an exaggerated picture of the strength and influence of neo-Nazi and racist forces. Hence, one has the apparently contradictory but in fact compatible phenomena, ubiquitous in the Democratic Party-aligned media, of the promotion of identity politics alongside respectful and even admiring portrayals of the white supremacist thugs who demonstrated in Charlottesville.

Typical was a newsletter released Sunday by the New Yorker under the headline, "White Supremacy in America." In an introduction, David Remnick, author of the hagiographic biography of Obama, The Bridge, proclaims, "Make no mistake: neo-Nazis and white supremacists are now at the forefront of American politics."

Among the featured articles is one by author Toni Morrison titled "Making America White Again," which insists that "Unlike any nation in Europe, the United States holds whiteness as the unifying force." In line with the Democratic Party and its various appendages among the pseudo-left organizations of the privileged middle class, Morrison explains the election of Trump as the product of the racism of "white America":

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Let Donald Trump be Trump.

(Image by Michael Vadon) Details DMCA



But I don't believe all this talk of impeachment has been thought through. While I detest Trump and hate what he's done, in terms of appointing people set on destroying ecological, educational, worker and social justice protections, policies and laws, I think we need to hold off on impeachment.

First, talk all you want about it. It's become clear that the Republican controlled House of Representatives, where the first stage of impeachment would take place, is not even able to censure Trump's offensive actions, statements and tweets, let alone reach a majority vote on impeachment.

But as a left of liberal progressive, I think it's best to let Trump have all the leash he needs to hang himself and the Republican party. Every time Trump says or does something shameful and the vast majority of Republicans let him slide, their brand is damage more. That's why it's crazy to try to get his Twitter account closed. It is an outlet for his childish, nasty impulsivity. Trump is the best weapon against Republicans, right wingers and their brand and reputation that the world has seen in a century.

I oppose impeachment so much that I would, if I had a Democratic representative for my district, call his office to tell him not to impeach... yet. If it happened soon, Mike Pence would become president and he might settle enough ruffled feathers to diminish the damage to the Republican brand before the 2018 elections.

I do have some fears, that Trump could hit the nuclear trigger or start a war. But Pence could be just as warlike and probably diabolically smarter in terms of implementing right wing agenda change.

Another 17 months of Republican control of the House, Senate and White House, with the same level of failure, incompetence and disgusting, outrageous tolerance for bad behavior will do wonders for the future of progressive visions. Of course, the Democratic Party might very well blow it, with their idiot Hillbot spokespeople attacking progressives as "alt-left."

I'm enjoying seeing Trump self-implode. I am still holding on to an infinitesimally small hope that Trump might find his Trumpiness and throw off all the politicians who have cocooned him. as I described in my article, the other day, Dear Donald; Here's How to Get the Love and Respect You Want.

Come January 2019, things will be different. Maybe then, it will be time to impeach. Even then, though, there's a decent chance that the Democrats will take back the house and senate, hopefully with some decent new progressives included. That could lead to investigations that put enough heat on Trump's billionaire appointees so they quit, at which point Trump will no longer have a GOP rubber stamp to get replacement appointees approved.

Oh, and if you are still hanging on to the hope that Trump will stand up to the deep state and follow through on his election promises-- good luck. I believe he's shown he is neither able nor willing to do it, and probably never was .

On the other hand, if Trump does something really dangerously inappropriate, it might be necessary to exercise the 25th amendment, which I've written about here: Use the 25th to Stop Trump's Trigger Finger.
From The Guardian

Let us finally rip off the veneer that Trump's affinity for white supremacy is distinct from the Republican agenda. It isn't

It takes approximately 30 seconds to send a tweet. A half hour to draft and release a statement. And the shelf life of both is only marginally longer. We should not commend Republican party elected officials who claim outrage on social media at Trump's remarks, often without daring to mention his name. The phony claimed outrage becomes dangerous if it convinces anyone that there is a distinction between Trump's abhorrent comments and the Republican Party agenda.

There is a direct link between Trump's comments this week and those policies, so where is the outrage about the latter? Where are the Republican leaders denouncing voter suppression as racist, un-American and dangerous? Where are the Republican leaders who are willing to call out the wink (and the direct endorsement) from President Trump to the white supremacists and acknowledge their own party's record and stance on issues important to people of color as the real problem for our country?

Words mean nothing if the Republican agenda doesn't change. Governors and state legislatures were so quick to embrace people of color in order to avoid the impression, they too share Trump's supreme affinity for the white race. But if they don't stand up for them they are not indirectly, but directly enabling the agenda of those same racists that Republican members were so quick to condemn via Twitter.

Gerrymandering, strict voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement are all aimed at one outcome: a voting class that is predominantly white, and in turn majority Republican.

It is a sad day when more CEOs take action by leaving and shutting down Trump's Strategy and Policy Forum, and Manufacturing Council, than elected officials take action leaving Trump's "election integrity" commission.

The white supremacist chant of, "you will not replace us," could easily and accurately be the slogan for these Republican politicians. Their policies will achieve the same racial outcome as Jim Crow -- the disenfranchisement and marginalization of people of color.

Businessman are acting more responsive to their customers than politicians are to their voters. At the end of the day, which presidential council is more dangerous? Which most embodies the exact ideology that Trump spewed on Monday? A group of businessmen coming together to talk jobs or a group of elected officials coming together to disenfranchise voters of color?

Anyone still sitting on the voter suppression commission is enabling Trump's agenda and that of the white Nazi militia that stormed Charlottesville to celebrate a time when the law enforced white supremacy.

If Republican lawmakers want to distinguish themselves from Trump's comments, they need to do more than type out 144 characters on their phones. They need to take a hard look at their party's agenda.

A good start would be with voting rights. Let's see lawmakers like John Kasich in Ohio immediately stop the state's intended purging of voting records. Let's see Wisconsin lawmakers throw out their gerrymandered district map and form a non-partisan redistricting commission.

Let's see strict voter ID laws criticized with the same vitriol that Republicans used in responding to the events in Charlottesville. Let's see Republicans call out their own agenda, and openly recognize the connection between the agenda of the racist alt-right and that of the Republican party.
Are these words familiar to you?

"He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither."

Throughout recorded time, individuals have been left unconsidered next to the functions of institutions. It took centuries of individually instigated progression to enable individual rights among the mechanics of elite institutions. The U.S.A. wasn't the first nation to sanction the right of individuals to question and to steer their country. The original patriots were not original in their attempts at liberty, only original at attaining it.

FACT: Thomas Hobbes was a political philosopher born in England, 1588. Thomas penned "Leviathan" among other works. The book was about the basic rights of people relative to formations of people, institutions and authority, which he named leviathans. His political theories angered royalists of the time, though many people supported his revolutionary ideas of basic rights.

The Magna Carta is a collection of documents written in 1215--1225. Parts were copied from the Charter of Liberties, written in 1100, England. These documents provided people with Habeas Corpus, protection from being jailed for nothing, but it mainly addressed royalty, nobility and clergy privilege. It was written as a legislation to prevent the King of England from taking advantage of church officials and other nobility. Those at the base of the pyramid were mostly unconsidered.

The Charter limited the power of kings over the bishops and barons. These documents were mostly concerned with the privileges of the haves, relative to the despotism of the king, the have-all. The Magna Carta inspired the original patriots, but the documents were limited in scope and mostly recognized the institutionalized rather than all individuals.

The 1689 English Bill of Rights set forth certain rights for certain individuals as well; many concepts were shared by the Colonies. Yet the rights were prescribed only for certain individuals. The Colonists believed they were included in the English Bill of Rights, but soon it became apparent they were not.

The original patriots used ideas from England, but they also had other influences. The Haudenosaunee as they called themselves for generations, now known by the name they became associated with by outsiders, The Iroquois, directly influenced the original patriots. The exact etymology of the word Iroquois is unknown, but in all likelihood, the word was once derogatory. The Iroquois Nation of Haudenosaunee is a generations old democracy that was long established when Europeans first arrived. The Iroquois Nation influenced and assisted the European newcomers to North America, formerly known as Turtle Island.

The newcomers, as illustrated by Thomas Jefferson, essentially advocated the genocide of American indigenous peoples, while at the same time looked to many of them as exemplary of tribes forming one common league. The Colonists not only adopted native knowledge, but also, at the same time legalized the theft of their land and institutionalized their expulsion and murder. This must have required a certain amount of doublethink.

The trinity of liberty was influenced by native ideas as well as European concepts. These ideas formed the foundation of the U.S.A., and were themselves a paradigm. Meant to insure the liberty of colonies among empires, they have since changed the world. Individuals have set on a course for increased liberty ever since, for the documents allow progression. The Declaration of Independence was meant to inspire the Colonies to shun the blood right of kings, and has gone on to inspire generations to seek liberty. The Haudenosaunee influence cannot be overlooked.

Through the trinity of liberty, inspired by indigenous democracy, individuals countered the framework of generational, global, oligarchical collectivist exploits. The original patriots questioned and rejected the status quo. Throughout recorded time, nearly everywhere, were fiefdoms, kingdoms and oligarchical empires. Any place and people that weren't designed in such a way, or were weaker, were rolled on and capitalized on. Empires set sail on the Seven Seas to colonize and institutionalize the world over time after time.

The Declaration of Independence was an open letter to the royal and noble oligarchical collectivism of King George III and his underlings. It stated that the people had enough and would no longer support their oligarchical collectivism pattern. They demanded liberty, not a slanted pyramid system. They could taste liberty, being far from the dominant European institutions and they could see liberty exemplified by the autonomous indigenous, and they announced their discontinuance of institutionalization.

The Declaration of Independence was a direct insult to George III and the well cultivated oligarchic and monopolistic institutions. It is a declaration of discontinuance. The Colonists, people without an actual nation to call home, began flattening the slant of the empirical exploiters with an open declaration. The Declaration of Independence boldly questioned the King's actions and announced that the royal exploitations were detested and that they desisted.

The Bill of Rights protects the basic rights of individuals in a complex institutionalized world. They are elementary rights preventing exploitation of one, under another. No institution or individual can supersede the Bill of Rights. It exists to protect individuals from religious, corporate and government institutions. People around the world aspire for the universal rights the trinity of liberty assures. The Bill of Rights was arguably written with the hindsight of The Revolutionary War, with the knowledge of what rights needed to be secure and counters institutional exploitation by providing individual rights.

The Constitution provides framework to a government of the people, for the people and by the people, an institution with checks and balances to guarantee that all actions are questioned and all powers limited. The Constitution did not set up the most effective government, but attempted to set up the most impartial and fair government. The Constitution is adjustable, it develops along with people; its laws are changeable so the government acts without interfering with the individuals and on their behalf.

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Debbie Lusignan

(Image by Debbie Lusignan) Details DMCA



Our country has been taken over. This happened just recently, reaching its long-evident culmination in the last few days, with absolute certainty, as near as I can tell [Yes, I'd love to be proved wrong!]. Donald Trump has turned the reins of the country over to the military. I find this horrifying, yet see no way out. However, when you are walking towards a cliff and note that you are about to head over it, the logical option is to step back a few paces, study and evaluate situation as carefully as possible before moving in another direction. [PLEASE NOTE: The actual video I'm trying to post with this article is directly below. dg]

We are fighting at least eight wars and pushing for more, for absolutely no reason other than global geopolitical control and whatever resources we want from anyone for any reason, while at the same time keeping the military-industrial banking complex running and its wheels well greased. This is happening in real time before our eyes.

Donald Trump claimed throughout his campaign not to want more war. He may have hinted at a few things to the contrary, but overall it seems clear that he was not eager to reignite the Cold War, or start a Hot War. That seemed like at least his one good idea. And now we have both parties pushing hard on him, along with the media, pundits left and right newspapers and magazines etc., doing their best to push the "war is necessary" narrative.

We have people running around now claiming to "hate the haters." This is adding gasoline to the fires rapidly leading us toward nuclear conflagration. Many now refer to the Republicans as Nazis, including many so-called progressives. What purpose does this serve? Dialogue and understanding between and amongst Americans is critical for people to start waking up as we contemplate possible actions and try to find common ground with each other.

We've been exploited by Democrats and Republicans, who may speak different languages, but in the end perform the same actions that continue our warfare economy and Empire. One of the most powerful things we can do right now is to NOT become the very people whose actions we oppose. Doing so is how the psychopaths in Congress maintain the grand old tradition of divide and conquer.

We are in a twilight zone such as we have never seen before. We must operate from peace in our own hearts and taking what actions we personally can make. Splintering the population into many different groups is the action we are inadvertently assisting. We see cheers, for example, for Bannon being fired, ultimately because he refused to support the war economy, war being the ultimate form of human insanity and hate. No fan of Bannon's here, but it is he who failed to push the goals of war as the puppet masters desired.

Examples from recent articles come that reinforce what is being said here; I of course encourage you to do your own homework and dig deeper yourself.

While President Donald Trump's primetime speech Monday night offered few concrete details on his long-awaited "strategy" for America's 16-year war in Afghanistan, analysts were quick to point out that the address made several things "absolutely clear ": the war--already the longest in American history--will continue indefinitely, many more civilians will die, and what little oversight currently exists will be greatly curtailed.

"Trump has already expanded U.S. bombing campaigns throughout the Middle East, authorizing drone strikes at a rate five times that of his predecessor" Trump appears to have landed on the side of the generals who, as the Washington Postnotes, "now dominate his inner circle."

As Andrew Bacevich, retired Army colonel and professor of history at Boston University, noted in his response to the announcement: "The principal effect of the ongoing war on terrorism has been to exacerbate the problem that it purports to solve. The entire enterprise has been what Trump once understood it to be: a terrible mistake, a total disaster and a complete waste. Now, in effect, he has recanted." From Common Dreams click here

The Pentagon has yet to decide how many more U.S. troops to send to Afghanistan as it is still drawing up a plan, Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump committed the United States to an open-ended war there" The Afghan government welcomed Trump's speech but the Taliban said it would make the country a "graveyard for the American empire."

[Mad Dog] Mattis [who has openly proclaimed to enjoy killing humans] said he was waiting for a plan from the U.S. military's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, before deciding how many more troops to send to Afghanistan, where the United States is fighting its longest war.

"When he brings that to me, I will determine how many more we need to send in," Mattis told reporters during a visit to Baghdad. "It may or may not be the number that is bandied about." Common Dreams click here

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On July 12, a number of prominent companies joined in the "Internet-wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality." Among them were GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google, and CloudFlare. All four companies issued pious statements about the dangerous possibility of Internet Service Providers cutting off access to perfectly legal content.

A little more than a month later, all four companies (and others) are themselves doing exactly what they warned us ISPs might do unless a "Net Neutrality" law forbade it: They're cutting off access to perfectly legal content (yes, neo-nazi speech is legal in America).

Specifically, GoDaddy, Namecheap and Google have canceled (and in Google's case, stolen) legitimately purchased domain names for, and Cloudflare has cut off DNS forwarding and DDOS protection services for, The Daily Stormer, a site connected with the "alt-right" and "white nationalist" groups of Charlottesville infamy.

This sudden turn of tech sector players has a Nazi analog, too: The Night of the Long Knives, a three-day purge in 1934, intended to eliminate threats to Hitler's power from within his own party. The victims here are the companies' customers.

What gives, guys? A month ago, you were promoting the message that stuff like this would end the "free and open Internet." Why is Net Neutrality sauce good for the geese (ISPs), but not for you ganders (other providers of Internet services)?

I personally oppose Net Neutrality laws because I prefer to let the market handle things and expect other service providers to fulfill the market demand these companies are refusing services to. I likewise support the companies' right to decide with whom they will or will not do business, although in my opinion Google went a bridge too far by actually stealing a customer's domain name.

But wow, the hypocrisy. "Net Neutrality for thee, but not for me."

And where does this stuff stop? Rumor has it that Cloudflare has now cut off another customer, Ghostrunner.net. That site is a seller of perfectly legal gun parts and machine tools. I've been unable to confirm that it's an ideological ban rather than, say a billing matter. But if it's the former, then Cloudflare's war on a "free and open Internet" is already escalating.

First they came for The Daily Stormer. Is it possible that by 2020 the Internet will routinely "protect" us from "fake news" and only show us industry-approved "mainstream" political candidates?

As they like to say in the news biz, developing ...
Give light and the people will find their own way.  longtime slogan of the now-defunct Scripps Howard Newspapers group.

The essence of that motto, written early in the last century, was a strong belief that if Americans know enough about an issue or politician or political choice, they will act in their own self-interest.

Sadly, this conviction has not been tested much in recent years. The advent of social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram provides Americans and others with more information than ever, but much of it is bogus, what President Trump likes to call fake news.

Especially since outfits like Scripps Howard and the Knight publishing company disappeared from the landscape, along with many family owned newspapers, theres less of the reliable, hard news that reporters can gather only by expending shoe leather and persistence.

And since the 2010 Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, its been difficult for anyone to know the true funders of the frequent messages, commercials and other ads conveyed via television, radio, social media and those newspapers that still try to inform the public.

Thats why for much of this decade, the most important proposal before the California Legislature has been a bill known as the Disclose Act, most actively pushed by an organization called the Clean Money Campaign.

As first conceived, this proposed law would require disclosure of the leading funders of all political advertising and ballot initiative petitions in large letters, one version of the idea demanding those names be listed in lettering that matches the largest type used anywhere else in the same advertisement.

This plan has now been broken apart a bit. One part, covering only initiative petitions, passed both the state Senate and a key Assembly committee before the Legislatures annual midsummer break. This one would force all initiative petitions to carry the names of their three top funders in large letters in a prominent location. It would also not allow big-money interests to hide behind vague committee names like Californians Against New Taxes or the like.

But once an initiative makes the ballot, becoming an actual proposition, there would be no more such information. So-called dark money contributors could go back into hiding.

But not if another part of the proposal should pass. This bill, carried by former Democratic Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez of East Los Angeles until his summertime election to Congress, would require large-letter donor disclosures in all ads for both candidates and propositions.

While there appear to be few obstacles to eventual passage of the bill covering initiative petitions, the outlook may not be as rosy for its wider-ranging companion.

When Gomez left for Congress, there was temporarily no legislative sponsor for this measure. Only at the last moment did the Senate Rules Committee, led by Democratic Senate President Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles, OK a bid by San Mateos Democratic Assemblyman Kevin Mullin to be the necessary sponsor.

The fact this non-dispute went on awhile cost the bill precious time, reducing chances passage this summer. Its true theres some potential for it to pass this fall or next year, but next year is an election year and labor unions that fund many Democratic campaigns oppose this plan.

So its safe to say the real meat of the Disclose Act  prominent disclosure of the largest contributors in all political ads  is not exactly a high priority for de Leon and other legislative leaders, even though he and others nominally support the idea.

Fully 12,000 persons petitioned the Rules Committee to allow Mullin to become the latest Disclose Act sponsor, with 1,500 persons telephoning the committee, too. It will likely take much more support than that to push this idealistic measure through a Legislature still patting itself on the back for extending cap-and-trade environmental tactics to cut greenhouse gases.

Which very likely means yet another election season will go by without a thorough test of that old Scripps Howard motto.
Democracy and freedom of expression are under attack. There is blood in the streets. How did it get that way? Where did it come from, what are its sources and what continues to drive it? This four-part series will look at the origin of those sources and unlock connections that when understood should open doors of perception that have been locked shut for far too long.

"Tensions between Russia and the U.S. are again on the rise and the risk of a trans-Atlantic trade war is greater than ever, which would have devastating consequences for the global economy. The West as an entity, it would seem, is disintegrating."

Der Spiegel Magazine -- June 30, 2017

On the eve of the 2017 G-20 summit in Hamburg the view of the United States from Germany is grim. Europe is overrun with refugees from NATO's wars in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa while President Trump makes impossible demands and offers nothing in return. In a scene reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s, angry masses riot in the streets of Hamburg protesting austerity and economic inequality. Like 18th-century French Royals, the European Union's detached and disaffected ruling elites struggle to deal with events beyond their control. The lessons of the past go unlearned, the classic mistakes of the ages repeated. The EU, a post-World War II project of the CIA, is broken. America's role as a unipower has ended in bitterness and without ceremony. The post-war world order held together for better or worse by the perception of American omnipotence and the ideology of casino capitalism is disintegrating fast and with it "The West as an entity."

Decline of the West

The end did not come suddenly. As disappointing as it may be to the fulminating anti-Trump political sphere, the "culture" of Western civilization has been in a state of confusion over its decline for some time. It is only befitting a cosmic joke that an American hotel/casino owner should bring down the curtain on it.

One hundred years ago in the run-up to World War I, the visionary historian/philosopher Oswald Spengler produced a radical analysis of civilization and culture entitled The Decline of the West, Form and Actuality. Written before the war, but published in 1918 in the aftermath of German defeat, the book became an immediate success and has for nearly one hundred years been challenging successive generations of geopoliticians to come to terms with it.

In Decline of the West, Spengler defines "cultures" as an organic whole that evolves through a life cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter and then fades away. The final and death phase of this cultural evolution Spengler defines as "civilization" itself or the rule of the rational where only "the brain rules because the soul has abdicated." As demonstrated throughout history, civilizations come and go and by World War I, Europe had achieved the high point in this cyclical experience and had no place to go but down.

As an inspiration to the young James Burnham, Spengler divided the existence of all things into a duality of the formal and the real, between the thinkers and the doers, the "sword side" and the "spindle side" which at the end of its endless cycle returns to formlessness. To Spengler and to Burnham the final phase of civilization comes as democracy gives way to what Burnham called the Oligarchy but Spengler referred to as Caesarism. It is a place in which the once-vibrant institutions of civilization have become spiritually dead, money has become valueless, and all the wars are cruel private wars waged by tyrants for the private possession of the world.

Between the Hamburg crowd's protest under the banner of Welcome to Hell, and Donald Trump's challenge to the Europeans whether the West had the "will to survive" the time has come for Americans to ask themselves some important questions; what then is this entity called the West that is disintegrating? Could this miserable ending have been avoided? And who and what exactly are responsible for bringing us to these gates of hell?

To Spengler, Western civilization was always a Faustian bargain. "In the poetry of the West, Faustian Man figures, first as Parzeval or Tristan, then (modified always into harmony with the epoch) as Hamlet, Don Quixote, Don Juan and eventually Faust or Werther." Having already sold his soul to the devil, Western Man has been freed to decide his own fate. From Spengler to James Burnham to Patrick Buchanan the school of 20th-century conservative and neoconservative/fascist thought has blamed the West's decline on the betrayal of this contract by "soft" liberal values. The Third Reich promised to turn the clock back by crushing the communist heresy and returning Germany to its martial glories of the past. Hitler's invasion of Russia was named Operation Barbarossa after Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's 12th-century crusade. But instead of a German renewal, Hitler's scheme to thwart the end only brought it nearer.

The post-Vietnam rise of Ronald Reagan and the new right promised an ideological revival as well, a return to core conservative values and a new morning in America. In practice Reagan's anti-government policies, his massive and unnecessary defense buildup and reckless trickle-down economics hastened its decline by decades and in the end destroyed the fabric of American society.

As it was in the past and remains now, the right's use of Machiavellian tactics to turn the tide in its favor almost always works and in the end invariably winds up bringing down the house. The bitter philosophical conflict between idealism (form) and reality and what constitutes a just society goes back to the origin of Western thought and has produced profound political contradictions throughout the centuries. The arch-neoconservative Jeanne Kirkpatrick argued back in 1979 in an essay regarding the emerging new class in American politics, "The goal of the new-class reformer--whether of Left or Right--is to bring the real into conformity with the ideal (that is, with an idea of reality), [which] manifests a broader belief that social institutions can and should conform to and serve abstract principles. The most serious problems with this rationalist approach were recognized by Aristotle, who criticized Plato's blueprint for the ideal state... Aristotle also argued that experience and law were better guides than reason alone to the good society and that Plato's proposal would sacrifice real goods to illusory ideals."

Kirkpatrick's essay on the dangers of idealism should stand as a textbook study for James Burnham's Machiavellians. Kirkpatrick would soon become the Reagan administration's spokeswoman at the UN for the new neoconservative class with its emphasis on "illusory ideals" of a worldwide democratic revolution and service to abstract principles over experience and the law. But, as laid out by James Burnham in his Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom, the new Machiavellians must delude the masses with lies and outright fraud if necessary to maintain control.

Kirkpatrick's "idea of reality" was shaped by a hybrid neoconservative/fascist ideology whose roots lay in the social chaos of the early 20th century; World War I, the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Trotskyist schism within Marxist/Leninism. Supported by the Pentagon's top brass from World War II forward and then brewed together by the CIA with Europe's leftover fascist elites, Lenin's followers metastasized from Trotskyist intellectuals into Defense Intellectuals. From the 1970s onward they would become a self-perpetuating force for war inside both Democratic and Republican parties and a fifth column for undermining any thought of normal diplomatic relations with Russia. The Reagan administration provided a platform for this new class of former Trotskyists who were willing to sacrifice anything real or imagined for their illusory ideals. But the ultimate success of their rise to power relied on more than just a Marxist dialectic of infiltration and subversion.

The neoconservative political takeover of the 1970s was made possible by a network of old right-wing European and American interests dedicated to overthrowing Western democracies and replacing them with a new class of fascist transnational elites. These elites, currently referred to as globalists but prior to World War II as Synarchists, have long plotted the overthrow of the nation state and rule by a one-world government. But none of it could have happened without the covert assistance of rogue right-wing factions of the West's intelligence services and a brutal but sophisticated propaganda campaign backed by the CIA, to control the West's perceptions of what that world would look like.

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Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall has been the center of a vast, decentralized conversation for years, letting us hear in interviewees' own words the power of connection in every realm. His new book brings it all together, showing us that the old order is broken and fast being replaced from the bottom up. The old power elite may not know it yet, but millions of us -- organizers, artists, thinkers and doers -- have gotten the message. So should you, by reading Bottom-Up."



Arlene Goldbard, author of The Culture of Possibility: Art, Artists & The Future
From Smirking Chimp

As we mourn the death of Heather Heyer, murdered by a white supremacist at the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally on Saturday, and hope for the recovery of the dozens of other anti-racist counter-demonstrators injured that day, Donald Trump continues to fan the flames of hatred and bigotry he has nourished throughout his brief presidency.

The president's reprehensible behavior in this moment creates a new sense of urgency. We cannot postpone consideration of impeachment until Special Counsel Robert Mueller finishes his criminal investigation. It is time to pressure the House of Representatives to bring articles of impeachment against Trump for his abuse of power. We must stop this president before he launches a new civil war and/or nuclear war.

Commentator Robert Tracinski, writing on the conservative website, The Federalist, concurs. "We're done with the 'Well, maybe it won't be so bad and we should take what we can get' phase of this administration," he wrote, apparently referring to Republicans who are holding their noses while hoping for tax cuts and more right-wing Supreme Court justices.

"It's time for the 'He's a disaster and needs to go' phase," Tracinski continued. "For everybody's good, Donald Trump needs to not be president, and he needs to not be president yesterday."

Tracinski noted, "In a country where 99 percent of the population is opposed to Nazis, it should be the easiest thing in the world for an American president to unite the country by appealing to our shared values."

But that is not what Trump did after the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville resulted in the death of Heyer and wounding of 34 people. The rally drew together neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and self-described members of the "alt-right" -- a racist, radical right-wing movement that seeks to rebrand white supremacy, anti-Semitism, anti-immigrant, anti-feminist politics, homophobia and transphobia under a more polished, middle-class veneer.

In a classic example of false moral equivalency, Trump ultimately responded on Tuesday to the racist, anti-Semitic attacks by saying there were "very fine people on both sides" and "many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists."

Outrage at Trump's Remarks

A Washington Post editorial stated, "Tuesday was a great day for David Duke and racists everywhere. The president of the United States all but declared that he has their backs." It continued, "We've all seen the videotape: One side was composed of Nazis, Klansmen and other avowed racists chanting, 'Jews will not replace us.' The other side was objecting to their racism."

As Tracinski pointed out, "this was a Nazi march from the beginning, planned by Nazis, for Nazis." The day before the deadly rally, the neo-Nazis and white supremacists marched through Charlottesville with Ku Klux Klan-like tiki torches, also chanting the Nazi slogan, "Blood and Soil."

Five members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and National Guard, condemned the neo-Nazis, stating that their beliefs contradicted the military's core values.

A dozen CEOs of powerful corporations, outraged at Trump's remarks, agreed to disband the Strategic and Policy Forum, an elite group chosen to advise the president on economic issues.

After Trump's comments conflating the neo-Nazis and white supremacists with anti-racist protestors, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), tweeted, "We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity."

Ryan is no anti-racist hero; if his policy proposals were enacted, they would devastate communities of color. But Trump went too far, even for Ryan.

So, will Ryan exercise moral leadership and shepherd the House through impeachment of the president?

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In his speech to the nation about Afghanistan on August 21, 2017, Tweeter-in-Chief Trump, reading from a teleprompter, said (and did not say) a number of remarkable things. I am remarking on a number of them here. One might also note that it was remarkable that a speech of such import was given, not from the Oval Office, but in front of a large number of troops (some of whom will surely be dying in the coming months and years, in Afghanistan).

1. The U.S. will be there until victory is achieved, going against a campaign promise.

2. He did not define "victory."

3. He did say that there will be "no blank check," which implies that the U.S. will not be there indefinitely, whether or not the non-defined "victory" is achieved, reversing the reversal of his campaign promise.



Free photo Trump Caricature Usa Donald Choice - Max Pixel720 -- 720 - 74k - jpg

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4. So I guess for certain self-described members of the U.S. left who supported Trump in the 2016 election (and still do) because in their view he was the "peace candidate," this might come as a disappointment. Of course, whether that support will continue depends upon whether his true position is "1" or "3," above. Some of these folks are actually mourning the departure of the fascist Steve Bannon from the White House because he did not support this particular intervention. (But don't worry, you folk. When Trump resigns just before the Mueller heat reaches him, pardoning all, including himself, and then proceeds to set up his own proto-fascist political party, Bannon will be right back at his side, regardless of the Breitbart war-of-words already going on.)

5. The timing was notable. The speech got on his schedule so quickly that the Dominionist V-P Mike Pence had to be recalled from a long-planned trip to Latin America (that was presumably made to strengthen the pro-US imperialist forces now active in a number of Latin American countries).

6. Thus could we have been seeing another use of the President's favorite, a Weapon of Mass Distraction, say from the "reaction-to-Charlottesville" mess?

7. And what was that pean to "national unity" and against "hate" all about, when the latter is what the President and his party are all about?

8. He spent lots of time on ISIS (which is not in Afghanistan), while totally ignoring the fact that contemporary terrorism can be, and is organized in many countries around the world, including the U.S. (see Dylan Roof and the murder of an anti-racist/Nazi protester in Charlottesville).

10. On the other hand, he did not use the term "radical Islamic terrorism," which I though was supposed to distinguish Republicans from Democrats, especially President Obama, in dealing with such organizations as ISIS.

11. Did you notice the hair? Totally different comb-over and color. Designed to be not-so-threatening?

12. Seemed to confuse ISIS with the Taliban, which, unlike ISIS, is an indigenous far-right-Islamic nationalist organization.

13. Speaking of the Taliban, its religious ideology/doctrine should be very familiar to the U.S. Christian Right, for it is similar in many ways to theirs, especially the Dominionists like Mike Pence.

14. He said that he will get more money to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan from the U.S. European allies (and any European leader who agreed to such a thing would be toast at their next election).

15. He threatened the U.S.'s staunchest ally in South Asia, Pakistan (which, like North Korea, happens to have nuclear weapons, which he just happened not to mention.

16. Obviously being totally ignorant (so what else is new?) about South Asian history, he said that he would get India to aid Pakistan in the fight against "terrorism." While doing so he also threatened India, with unspecified trade sanctions, if they didn't.

17. Then he said the U.S. will not engage in nation-building (which has to mean that the U.S. will eventually leave), but of course what is "victory" if not building a different nation, other than the opium-economy-dependent one that now exists. (The Taliban gets much of its funding from that trade, which would amount to much less were heroin to be legalized, like the major addictive drugs are, that is nicotine to tobacco products and ethyl alcohol.)

18. The "victory" he expects to achieve is something, however defined, that no foreign power, from Alexander the Great through the British Empire to the Soviet Union has ever achieved in Afghanistan. (And of course, if the anti-Soviet ideologue Zbig Brzezinski had not talked Pres. Carter into intervening in Afghanistan, there never would have been a Taliban, and few U.S. would even know where Afghanistan is. It happens that the great U.S. military "expert" the negative ace John McCain, once allowed how Afghanistan bordered in Ira.)

19. He completely ignored the role that Iran is increasingly playing in Western Afghanistan, and without bring them into the equation no peaceful solution can ever be achieved. He also did not mention China, which has a common border with Afghanistan, or any of the Central Asian "Stans" either.

20. Trump also ignored the increasing Russian presence in Afghanistan, in cooperation with the Taliban.

21. Trump ignored the fact that the Taliban have been interested in entering into negotiations for years, and have done so off and on.

22. Trump really wants a peaceful settlement, you say? Well, the office at the State Department which would ordinarily deal with the diplomatic side of any initiatives with Afghanistan was shut down by the Trumpites in June) presumably with Tillerson's agreement --- or maybe not?)

23. This "new" policy (actually old, and very similar to that of Obama --- leaving but not really --- despite Trump's railing against the latter) was apparently concocted with "the Generals," but without input from Tillerson. One has to wonder for just how long the Secretary of State is going to stick around, especially since the make-up-with-Russia policy so that the-sanctions-can-be-dropped and Exxon-Mobil can get on with the huge Arctic-drilling operation it had negotiated with the Russians, is now, by Congressional fiat, history.

24. Oh yes. This move is supposed to be part of the "campaign against terrorism aimed at the U.S." Don't these guys know that a) there has not been a [foreign] terrosit strike against the U.S. since (supposedly) 2001? and b) ISIS and al-Qaeda, etc., now operate out of many countries?

25. Finally, won't it have been fun to have seen (after this column was written) if the "Presidential" Trump carried on with both "peace and love" and "yes, we are going to continue to intervene overseas after all" in front of his base in Arizona on the evening of August 22, 2017, breaking with both the style and the content of his campaign and most his "Presidential" remarks/comments, campaign speeches, and, of course, tweets.


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I did not support Abdullah Ocalan's ideas as Maoists because I do not believe dictatorship system. Abdullah Ocalan started as politics and evolved into philosopher in prison. Most of the educated people believe that politicians are liars. I think Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan is changed into philosopher in prison; he wrote many books to serve humanity, and he is one of the great thinkers in our life time. He is no longer should be called politicians.

My perception of Abdullah Ocalan as Maoists immediately guide me not to support his ideas, because I thought of him as another dictator. After few years of research, I wrote my first book of the "Return of the Medes'. I did receive an email from one of the Kurdish journalists from occupied part of Kurdistan in Syria. He informed me that my thinking is similar to Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan thinking. I replied with one different; I am not the dictator.

The time passed, and Abdullah Ocalan ends up in the Turkish prison. He wrote many books in prison explaining his ideas and his conviction about his struggle to bring humanity peace and freedom.

I forced myself finally to read his book and hear him out as Kurd. He wrote to other Kurd and me or another human in the world that he is not free and without enough resources to do his research in prison. He asked that he wants to know why Hebrew Jews do not like Kurds. What is the conflict between Kurds and Hebrew Jewish people? He asked those of us outside of prison to do his or her research and find out the reason for Jewish leaders hatred toward Kurds. And he told me and others that he does not believe political ideologies of the past. He comes up with new ideas to serve humanity, which is similar to doctrines of Prophet Mahabad (Mahabharat) and Prophet Zoroaster as the forefather of Aryan Kurdish people.

In this modern day, the people are very busy to make a living. They do not have much time to read. I am introducing this book in series, which is the history of the conflict between two major religions. The dispute between these two major religions started more than 12,000 years ago, and those religions are known as the Mithraism and Dew (Deva) religions.

The conflict started on the Caucasian people's land, which was the region from today Russia to India and from Egypt to Mongolia. Here I want to list only important point, and these points will be explained in four books.

1- The conflict between those who believe God HU (members of Mithraism religion led by Prophet Mahabad) and opponent of God HU known as Arimanus (member of Trimurti or Deva religion conducted by God Mahadeva also know as God Shiva or Lord Shiva) or Dew (Deva), which in time become known as Satan or devil.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's writings on the "bottom-up" revolution have real potential to show people that they can hold power accountable and improve justice. A book on this subject could help to repair the economic, legal, social, and political fabric of the United States."



Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, former editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Scripps Howard News Service.
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Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing.



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From Mike Malloy Website



Donald Trump - Caricature

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The American Eclipse, another major naval disaster, the Spanish terrorist attack, and Trump's latest shiny object -- a new Plan for Afghanistan.

Anything to distract from his disintegrating presidency. We elected a Nazi sympathizer to the White House, likely with collusion from the Russian government. Man, where do you go from there? How to divert attention away from this nightmarish realization?

Maybe with a Big Prime Time Presidential War Speech? Maybe send more American soldiers into the meat grinder? Worth a shot, anyway. Forget the fact that no foreign invader has ever subdued Afghanistan, going back to the 8th century BCE.

But hey, we're talking about Trump Almighty, surely he will succeed where lessor leaders like Alexander the Great and Ghengis Kahn failed.

US taxpayer have forked over more than $700 billion over the last 16 years on this futile effort, and for what? Obama got Osama, the Taliban has moved to Pakistan, and there is no "winning" a war against terrorism. Killing people always results in pissing off their friends and family, creating more "terrorists," or freedom fighters, depending on your perspective.

So why not pick up our toys and go home, as the Greeks, Russians, Japanese, and Brits eventually did? Why this costly, deadly never-ending devastation? Could it be the estimated $3 trillion in unmixed natural resources waiting underground? CNBC offers this:

"As President Donald Trump recently declared the U.S. is 'getting very close' to a strategy aimed at turning the tide of Afghanistan's prolonged and bloody conflict, there's more at stake than just military victory. "The Trump administration is under increasing pressure to sway the course of the war, which has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 U.S. soldiers and left at least 20,000 wounded. 'We must face facts; we are losing in Afghanistan, and time is of the essence if we intend to turn the tide,' Sen. John McCain said this month, after announcing he would introduce a new Afghan strategy. "Since 2001, the U.S. has spent an estimated $714 billion in war and reconstruction in Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) July report. That comes to about $3.9 billion a month to run the Afghan war. "Trump is seeking a military win in Afghanistan, but American efforts there may yet reap financial gains. Afghanistan possesses rare minerals crucial for industrial manufacturing, including copper, gold, uranium and fossil fuels -- making the country ripe for development that can boost the economy and fund its reconstruction. In a partial survey conducted by the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, the country's mineral wealth is estimated at $3 trillion, more than enough to compensate for the war's cost. "The U.S. president has previously expressed interest in Afghanistan's vast mineral deposits as a tool for stabilizing the country. The White House is considering sending an envoy to Afghanistan to explore mining possibilities, the opening salvo in what is likely to be a long-term effort to harness the country's natural resources. "'Since the Afghanistan mission is predominantly seen from a military point-of-view in the U.S., I am assuming that it was meant to draw attention to other opportunities and facts that offer strategic and win-win prospects,' Afghan government spokesperson Javid Faisal told CNBC in an email. "As President Donald Trump recently declared the U.S. is 'getting very close' to a strategy aimed at turning the tide of Afghanistan's prolonged and bloody conflict, there's more at stake than just military victory. "Stephen Feinberg, the billionaire financier who owns the military contractor DynCorp International, is informally advising Trump on Afghanistan, according to a report in The New York Times, which said the company may potentially play a role in safeguarding American mining operations.

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Defending a Professor's Freedom of Speech?

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[Editor's note: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." --- Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana.]

The deadline is still a month and a half away to enter an online teaching video competition sponsored by Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR). Our organization is calling for educators who support academic freedom to create and upload online videos teaching the content of a recently-published article about the pedagogically useful features of the psychology-abetting-torture scandal. The scandal the article references is an inadequately-covered national imbroglio that you can read up on here. The article itself is "A Teachable Ethics Scandal," by Mitchell Handelsman, and appears in the flagship journal of Division 2 of the American Psychological Association, Teaching of Psychology.

Gerald Koocher, a psychologist mentioned frequently in the 2015 report of an independent investigator into this scandal, has made an attempt to persuade various parties to retract Handelsman's article. Though original plans to retract in response to this persuasion have, for the moment, been walked back, it is not clear what institutional protections the author and editor have from the publisher (SAGE) or from the APA. These institutional protections would be important in the event that refusing to retract provokes, say, a frivolous lawsuit.

The retraction of such a politically and historically relevant article to ward off a potentially expensive-to-defend lawsuit would threaten academic freedom and the integrity of historical memory on this issue. The purpose of the PsySR competition is to spread the story--and the teaching points about psychology--that Koocher's persuasive efforts might otherwise suppress.

Please note that the author of the article, Mitchell Handelsman, has not endorsed this competition, and I, as president of PsySR, have not consulted him or directly corresponded with him at all. The competition is a matter of an organization without a direct connection to Handelsman taking up the cause of academic freedom to protect our own interests and the interests of other academics who might write on the same issues Handelsman did--or any other controversy for that matter.

The cognitive and social psychology of the psychology profession colluding with torture

Given the fierce opposition Handelsman's article has inspired from those tainted by the scandal he references, it is ironic how implicitly non-judgmental Handelsman's tone is. He notably declines to condemn those APA leaders who colluded with U.S. government agencies to wittingly or unwittingly to create a key role for psychologists in the state apparatus of U.S. torture. He instead does something that the APA leaders in question might find even more galling. He draws on research and theory in social and cognitive psychology to offer a more forgiving perspective on their moral failures. And no one likes to be forgiven for things they refuse to admit were apocalyptically wrong. From Handelsman's article:

When reading the Hoffman report, it might be tempting to see the major players as evil people. This, however, would be an example of the fundamental attribution error. A more complete exploration includes situational factors: Some of the players might be more like participants in Milgram's (1974) obedience studies than evil villains. Other important concepts with direct applicability to the scandal are groupthink (Griffen, 2014; Janis, 1982) and terror management theory (Burke, Martens, & Faucher, 2010; Pyszczynski, Solomon, & Greenberg, 2003).



Dachau Concentration Camp

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Indeed, the sometimes yawn-inclined students of psychology should appreciate Handelsman's approach too. So many pedagogical introductions of psychological concepts usually begin with a reference to some historical event in the 1940s through the 1970s. This was the historical period that inspired some of the most seminal research in cognitive and social psychology. Though it is useful to review history going back generations, it is also helpful to hear about how the psychological science you are studying is relevant to present day events.



Adolf Eichmann (Illustration by Peter Z. Malkin superimposed on a map of Argentina)

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The more recent and relevant you make your illustrative historical references, however, the more likely it is you will rub someone powerful the wrong way. Social psychology studies on obedience arose as an attempt to explain the "banality of evil" exhibited by Nazis like Adolf Eichmann, who made a persuasive pose of opposition to the Holocaust but dutifully planned the logistics of its execution anyway. Social psychology studies on groupthink arose as an attempt to explain the sometimes disastrous decisions of groups, like the decision that John F. Kennedy's advisers successfully encouraged him to make with regard to the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Social psychology studies on the psychological barriers to helping behavior arose from an attempt to explain why so many witnesses to the murder of Kitty Genovese refused to help or even call 911 as it was taking place.

Which contemporary avatar of power and privilege wants to be this generation's Adolf Eichmann, adviser to Kennedy's disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, or bystander to the Kitty Genovese murder?

It is particularly provocative to reference the dark recent history of the psychology profession when trying to explain the features of human character that this same profession prides itself on discovering, and having intellectual mastery over. Why are we even bothering to teach the grave follies that our untutored psychological proclivities put us at risk for if our whole profession can so easily become a revolting exemplar of that folly as if we knew nothing[1] ?

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From Smirking Chimp

Unlike many of my colleagues, I knew Trump would probably win. Based on the president's congenital laziness and short attention span that I documented in my biography, I also predicted that his administration would be characterized by a lack of focus or follow-through. I did pretty well by my readers.

But there's one thing I never saw coming.

I didn't know he was a far-right extremist.

Who would have ever thought that a president would defend Nazis and Klansmen -- repeatedly, even after catching hell for doing so? That, to appease "very fine" Nazis and Klansmen, a president wouldn't bother to phone the family of a high-profile political murder victim? (Trump waited four days to call -- and first did so during her funeral.) That a president of the United States would elevate the leaders of the defeated, treasonous Confederacy to the level of America's Founding Fathers?

As CNN's Anderson Cooper observed after Trump's now-infamous news conference, "A few hours ago, the President of the United States revealed to us so clearly who he really is."

Who is he? At best, an enabler and apologist for fascists.

At worst, a fascist himself. Though, to be fair, comparing Trump to fascists is unfair to fascists. Fascists got things done. Infrastructure, for example.

There were plenty of signs of Trump's fascist tendencies. He promised to bring back torture; on August 17th he approvingly recounted an incredibly (i.e., literally untrue) racist story that U.S. occupation troops executed Muslim Filipino patriots with bullets dipped in pig's blood. He repeatedly encouraged violence against peaceful liberal protesters at his rallies; he was still at it last month, when he "joked" that cops ought to bash suspects' heads into the side of their squad cars. He wants to refill the infamous concentration camp at Guantanamo.

During the campaign there were also indications that Trump might be a reasonable man. Gay Republicans assured us his White House would respect pro-LGBTQA rights. During the campaign, Trump said Caitlyn Jenner should feel free to use the Trump Tower bathroom of her choice. Strange to think about now, but this is the same guy who endorsed single-payer healthcare, called for a tax increase on the wealthy, promised to lay off Planned Parenthood, and came out for amnesty for illegal immigrants (albeit after deporting them, then letting them back in...to help out the airlines, maybe?).

Candidate Trump was satisfyingly all over the place.

President Trump has been terrifyingly consistent.

Nixon, Reagan and George W. Bush hired Democrats to top posts. Not Trump. His cabinet and top staff is staffed by rabid right-wing lily white ideologues; it features more generals than an old-school junta. Trump's first major policy initiatives -- repealing Obamacare with no replacement and tax cuts for the rich -- have tilted so far right that he can't even secure the support of the usual sellout Vichy Democrats, or right-wing Republicans.

Even by the standards of a country whose citizens -- even the "liberal" ones -- believe they have the right to invade and bomb any country they feel like without justification, Trump's presser and ensuing tweets were truly special.

"Mainstream" Republicans like Mitch McConnell may have the soul of a Nazi. But actual Nazism -- the uniforms, the flags, the crazy rune shields -- Americans don't do that stuff. Actual Nazism is for a few thousand pasty tatt-covered muscleheads with little pig eyes. They are freaks. They are few.

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Although I acknowledge the challenges Napa City Councilors have to deal with, and respect their personal efforts to fulfill their role in office, I think their vote to approve the Villa Lane and Sierra Avenue extension on Aug. 15 was shockingly regressive.

Surely, if people of the immediate neighborhood appear to be unanimously opposed to a project that is meant to serve them, a further study or re-think is in order. It would seem that nothing could persuade the council to re-visit a master plan that was written a generation ago, when the population was much smaller and traffic density was negligible.

Regrettably, no justification was articulated for the road link, except that a Public Works staffer said it would facilitate evacuation in an emergency, which is not persuasive because a first responder could easily remove a padlocked post to let traffic through the current Garfield Park pathway. Perhaps this logic should convince New York to build connectors across Central Park?

The trouble with the connector is that it does not serve the local residents; it only serves outside commuting traffic, which will cut through from Trancas via Villa Lane, Garfield Park, and Sierra to Highway 29, and vice versa.

When this master plan was drawn up in the 1980s, San Francisco was tearing down double-decker freeways to preserve and protect residential neighborhoods, and Berkeley was erecting landscaped barriers (with openings for emergency vehicles) for the same reason.

How sad, then, that our council is so unenlightened, and willing to sacrifice a quiet residential neighborhood for the benefit of commuter traffic. This vote also, of course, sacrifices the small, bucolic Garfield Park, which will never be the same with a 60-foot-wide urban street cutting across it.

Brian Hunt

Napa
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"Trump pardoning Arpaio would be an official presidential endorsement of racism," says the ACLU.

By Andrea Germanos, staff writer



'[Sheriff Joe] Arpaio is a criminal,' the ACLU wrote of the former sheriff, seen here in 2011.

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The people of Phoenix, Arizona are mobilizing ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the city on Tuesday -- a week after he defended white supremacists -- amid speculation over whether he will announce at the rally a presidential pardon for Joe Arpaio, the notorious former sheriff of Maricopa County.

Thousands are expected to show up to protest the president's visit, with a number of events planned, including the Puente-organized "White Supremacy Will Not Be Pardoned" evening rally. The local human rights group said on its Facebook page: "we want to send a very clear message that we will not pardon white supremacy the way [Trump] has done so with #Charlottesville and now with Joe #Arpaio."

Trump told Fox News last week that he is "seriously considering a pardon" for 85-year-old Arpaio, who was convicted last month by a federal judge of criminal contempt for violating a 2011 court order requiring him to stop racially profiling Latinos with traffic stops and detentions.

Among the other acts of his reign as sheriff that garnered widespread criticism from civil rights advocates was establishing the Tent City jail, where, as the Washington Post explained,

"'America's toughest sheriff' forced his inmates to wear pink underwear, shower with pink towels, and sleep on pink sheets. Their meals were meatless and their jumpsuits striped in wide black and white. The only barrier between their bodies and the scorching summer sun was the weathered green canvas of surplus Korean War military tents."

Trump, however, declared Sunday that Arpaio is "a great American patriot" who "has done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration."

But according to the ACLU, if Trump pardons Arpaio it would be "an official presidential endorsement of racism."

In a petition that describes Arpaio "a criminal," the ACLU is urging supporters to call on the White House reject the possibility of a pardon.

"As Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, Arpaio and his deputies systematically terrorized communities of color with unlawful detentions," the petition reads. It continues:

"Federal prosecutors secured a criminal contempt conviction against Arpaio after it was proven his office profiled and illegally detained Latinos, violating their constitutional rights. "A pardon by Trump would absolve Arpaio's flagrant violation of federal court orders and his racism and bigotry."

A group of Arizona Democrats -- Reps. Ruben Gallego, Raul Grijalva, and Tom O'Hallera -- wrote to Trump to warn that a pardon would send a "clear message that your allies are immune from prosecution."

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NOTE: What follows is satire. It is, as the title suggests, the literal embodiment of Fake News.

Folks, weve got something very special and incredible: The Complete Trump Afghanistan Sessions.

Some quick background

Yesterday evening President Trump outlined his new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. He failed, however, to offer key details, such as:

how many more troops hed be sending;

how long wed be there;

the components of diplomatic strategy

how the hell wed incentivize both India and Pakistan to help us out at the same time

under what conditions wed consider withdrawing; or

what victory would look like.

The address itself wasnt bad, in Trump terms, meaning he didnt offend or threaten any major demographic, but he clearly sounded run-down, and it seemed he was learning as he was reading.

Which, given a Failing New York Times report published an hour or so before the speech, seems not unlikely. The article all but says, Trump didnt begin to think about the war in Afghanistan until July 19. Heres how it starts:

WASHINGTON  President Trumps skepticism about Americas involvement in Afghanistan was no secret to his staff. But his top national security officials were still taken aback at a meeting in the Situation Room on July 19, when an angry Mr. Trump began ripping apart their latest proposal to send thousands of additional American troops to the country.

Were losing, the president declared, according to a person who was in the room. The plan, he complained, was vague and open-ended, with no definition of victory. What does success look like? he asked.

The day before that meeting, Mr. Trump had invited four soldiers who had served in Afghanistan to the White House for lunch. His exchanges with these enlisted men, an official said, left him sober about the prospects for turning around a war that has dragged on for nearly 16 years. He showed up the next day determined to ask hard questions.

Its in this context that we present you a Paste Magazine world exclusive: Weve acquired tapes of President Donald Trumps top-secret strategy sessions for crafting this brand new Afghanistan strategy, obtained from an erstwhile senior White House adviser who only identified himself as Loose Cannon and as extremely, very extremely close to that motherfucker for a few months. Ive still got him, you know. I can call him any time. Any fucking time. You name it, jack-o. Hell do whatever I tell him to do. People still dont get that. The world is cucked. They think Im gone. Inshallah.

Heres how those meetings went, and, at the end, a transcript of the speech that came of them.

TRUMP: Fellas! Hey, hey. Hey, fella. Fellas. Hey. Hi. Fellas, hey. Good to see you, fellas. Hello.

ADVISER 1: Mr. President.

TRUMP: Great to see you, George. Always good. Always great, in fact. Hows the boat?

ADV 2: George couldnt make it, Mr. President.

TRUMP: No, of course not. Of course not. He couldnt be here.

ADV 1: But thats a very lifelike photograph of him.

TRUMP: Yes. It truly is one of the greats.

ADV 1: Shall we get down to brass tacks, Mr. President? Weve put this off for eight months now. Theres much to process.

TRUMP: Im determined to ask hard questions. Whaddya got?

ADV 2: Yes, sir. Given the recent spread of insurgency, including a recent aggressive metastasis of attacks into heretofore secure urban and diplomatic areas, weve prepared a few custom briefs from COIN ops, as well as a three-year -

TRUMP: COIN?

ADV 1: Counter-insurgency. CO. IN. Counter-insurgency operations. COIN ops.

TRUMP: Where is Afghanistan?

ADV 2: Sir?

TRUMP: I dont want to get ahead of myself. The Presidency is very different once youre behind this sacred, ancient desk. Abraham Lincolns best friend built this desk. I dont suppose either of you have had that perspective? No? War is important, gentlemen, and, at times can be very, very deadly. Very deadly. We need a good manager, a dealmaker, and thats why I won despite what you -

ADV 1: Prudence. Yes, sir. Geography is often overlooked but, along with a deep understanding of cultural dynamics, one of the critical pillars on which to build an understanding of the toughest problems in Afghanistan, one of the most complicated countries in the world. Heres a national atlas.

TRUMP: Do you have a globe?

ADV 2: A globe. Do we have a  ? Call [NAME REDACTED], maybe?

TRUMP: Ill wait.

Garbled crosstalk  clatter  silence

ADV 1: Sir, Im afraid it will be a while before we can get a globe.

TRUMP: Fellas, I shouldnt have to tell you this. This is absolutely critical to our nations success. Theres nothing more important. Ill wait for the globe, no problemo.

ADV 2: Yes, sir. In the meantime -

TRUMP: Remember what I said about prudence.

ADV 2: To be honest, sir, I dont think we can get a globe over here within the hour. Our time will be up.

TRUMP: We cant afford to waste this time. My time, Ive heard, is my most precious commodity as President of the United States.

ADV 1: Right.

TRUMP: Adjourned until tomorrow.

TRUMP: China?

ADV 1: Yes, sir.

TRUMP: Hey, [REDACTED]. Afghanistan borders frickin China.

ADV 3: Yes, sir. Its a small border, less than 50 miles. All but sealed for years. Strategically, though -

TRUMP: A border with China?! Why are we still there? Did Obama know this?

ADV 2: He did.

TRUMP: And youre telling me that in 16 years no ones tried tweeting China on this?

ADV 1: I dont know how to answer that, sir.

TRUMP: Well, this is clearly their problem, isnt it? Just like North Korea. And just like [NAME REDACTED]. Why wont they help me?

ADV 1: Afghanistan is of no strategic concern to the Chinese, sir. In fact, theyd prefer it to be a problem for us.

TRUMP: Well Im going to tweet the goddamn hell out of those welching bastards. And what the hell is that? Is that IRAN?

ADV 1: Yes, sir.

TRUMP: Let me get this straight. Afghanistan somehow borders China, India, Pakistan, and fucking goddamn Iran?

ADV 2: Yes, sir. And Russia, sir.

TRUMP: Thank god.

ADV 2: The Indian border presents some trouble, Mr. President. Its a war zone.

TRUMP: Good! We could use the help.

ADV 1: No. India is fighting Pakistan there. Its a disputed zone called Kashmir.

TRUMP: What the goddamn shit.

ADV 2: Yes, its quite complicated. Do you know about Kashmir?

TRUMP: Yes, I know a lot about it.

ADV 2: Well, the conflict in Kashmir traces, simplistically, to an enduring conflict between Hindi and Muslim populations. After Indias independence it turned into a border dispute that has lasted several decades. We estimate the two nations are at any given point three to seven days from a possible nuclear escalation. We can arrange a brief for you on that problem, too.

TRUMP: That wont be necessary, [REDACTED]. So they have nukes, huh.

ADV 2: Yes, sir.

TRUMP: Im a very, very smart man. Uncommon, my brain is. Absolutely uncommon. Ive got an idea.

ADV 1: Go right ahead, sir.

TRUMP: Only one thing unites enemies: An enemy. Ive decided to have India and Pakistan join hands in helping the great, world-class United States of America finally beat Afghanistan.

ADV 3: If I may be so bold, sir, thats all but impossible. India and Pakistan are, I repeat, at any given time days if not hours away from all-out war on the border with Afghanistan. Neither trusts the other, and we dont trust either, and neither fully trusts us. Its a mess.

TRUMP: Look at sniveling Rosie ODonnell. Look where she is.

ADV 2: Respectfully, sir, were also not trying to beat Afghanistan.

TRUMP: Well get China, India, and Pakistan to do the legwork. What are these countries?

ADV 2: You mean your globe?

TRUMP: Never mind. Well tackle first thing tomorrow. Great stuff, fellas. The best. Take a load off, okay?

ADV 1: And youll see right on your globe there that to the north Afghanistan shares borders with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

TRUMP: I dont see those countries.

ADV 1: Really? Let me have a look, sir. Ah, christ. This things like 30 years old.

TRUMP: Goddamn Barron. Im gonna kill him.

ADV 2: Well just pull up a map on the big-screen. There. To the north, the Stans: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Silence  sound of a clock ticking; a pop, perhaps bubble-gum

ADV 1: Those nations are all former Soviet -

TRUMP: Get me [NAME REDACTED]!!

ADV 1: Im sorry, sir, [NAME REDACTED] cant be here today, remember?

TRUMP: This is above my pay grade.

ADV 3: Sir, if I may interrupt. We are the United States military. We must develop a comprehensive strategy. It is imperative. It is existential, sir. I cannot make this more emphatic without risking a breach in protocol. The generals are waiting. The troops are waiting. The fates of nations, sir, are waiting.

TRUMP: The great, great generals.

ADV 1: We can learn a lot from these former Soviet states, sir. They fought a war in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

TRUMP: Well, howd they win?

ADV 1: They lost.

TRUMP: To Afghanistan? Does Putin know about this?

ADV 1: Not to Afghanistan, exactly. They lost to the Taliban. We armed the Taliban so they could drive Russia out of Afghanistan. But then when the Russians were gone, the Taliban established control. Terrorist groups flourished in the lawless nation. Osama Bin Laden found asylum among the terrorists we once armed, and from there he plotted 9/11. Its rumored some of our own guns have been used against us. The metaphor is dare I say perfect.

TRUMP: Ive changed my mind about that pen and paper.

ADV 2: Coming right up, sir.

TRUMP: Has anyone beaten Afghanistan?

ADV 1: Yes, sir. Genghis Khan.

TRUMP: Ah ha! I told you! China it is.

ADV 1: Sir -

TRUMP: Scratch that order on pen and paper. Get me my tweeter.

TRUMP: Ive called you all in here because Ive finally, after many, many hours and weeks of great, sacred thought, Ive finally made my decision.

ADV 2: Glad to hear it sir.

TRUMP: And Im pleased to announce Ill be telling you about that decision in a very special announcement that will be happening very, very soon.

garbled large metallic object dropped>

UNFAMILIAR VOICE: How about a nice cool drink of water, [TERM OF ENDEARMENT REDACTED]. There. There you go. Nuke who, now?

TRUMP: Its all goats and rugs and Muslim terrorists. The Western world should know the sounds of their footfalls no longer.

UNFAMILIAR VOICE: Its been an extra-long weekend for us all, [TERM OF ENDEARMENT REDACTED]. Were all very, very tired, and have been treated very, very unfairly. Just like you. Finish your water for me, okay?

TRUMP: Tell everyone Im going to do the most phenomenal goddamned press conference theyve ever seen in all their lives.

TRUMP: Fellas. Hello, hey. Hi, fellas. George, hello. Monica and Julienne Ritenour, hello. Thank you for joining me for this special announcement: War in Afghanistan Edition.

ADV 3: Mr. President.

TRUMP: Ive decided to do whats best for the nation and bring the troops home! All of them will come back home to their families, to their moms and dads and their beautiful spouses and their beautiful children. Effective immediately. We need them here at home more than Afghanistan needs them there, risking their lives for mountain caves filled with goats and rugs and drug addicts. Worse than Chicago.

ADV 2: The government will fall. Pakistans security environment will further deteriorate, spurring an already-simmering popular uprising, and they have nuclear weapons. In Afghanistan, well, the Taliban will take over almost immediately, sir. Theyd go back to the middle ages.

ADV 1: ISIL, as well, sir.

TRUMP: Iss.

ADV 1: ISIS. What civic bonds exist in that nation would snap, and it will become a breeding ground for any number of groups. Kabul has absorbed several aggressive and worrisome attacks this year. The outlook for Ghanis coalition is not good. These groups would connect with and support other radical wilaya and cells in the region. Iran might wreak total havoc and appropriate natural resources, and possibly face a refugee crisis.

TRUMP: Quiet. Give me a second. Okay, new plan. Fantastic plan, in fact. Very American. I call it Operation Overwhelming Force! Like the sound of that, right? Its good, right? I will bring to bear the full and mighty weight of the United States Armed Forces and end this endless war once and for all. Tough, but fair.

ADV 2: That would cost many thousands of lives, who knows how much money, and in the long run make Afghanistan virtually a colony. Wed have to help rebuild, or sacrifice the country and whatever power we have left in South Asia. Wed be there forever.

TRUMP: God fucking dammit, George. Okay, whats left?

ADV 3: Its what weve wanted all along, coincidentally: Steady mission creep imperceptible to American public.

TRUMP: I like it. How many troops?

ADV 3: Unclear.

TRUMP: Nice. How long would this last?

ADV 2: Hard to say, really.

TRUMP: When would we pull out?

ADV 3: Depends on conditions on the ground.

TRUMP: What would success look like?

ADV 2: Depends what you think success looks like after seeing how effective the strategy has the potential to be.

TRUMP: And the mini-skirts?

ADV 2: Sure.

TRUMP: This is all crystal clear to me. Can it sound cool?

ADV 1: Youll read an old Obama speech.

TRUMP: I cant read.

ADV 2: What?

TRUMP: Here, make a speech out of these tweets. All of them. These all went over great.

ADV 2: Sir -

TRUMP: Those are classics. Timeless.

ADV 3: Sir, thats the exact opposite of what were doing.

TRUMP: Do you really think anyone cares?

ADV 1: Thats actually a very good question, sir.

Four days later, President Trump stood in front of a crowd at Fort Myer, Virginia, and spent about half an hour reading words that made sense but that also somehow didnt contain any real meaning. In other words, an Obama speech. You can watch it here, read a full transcript here, or trust us that this is Mr. Trumps speech, verbatim, in its entirety:

Hi, fellas. Americans. Hello. Tremendous. Wow. Hello. Im the President. Ok. America, Im sending an unspecified number of troops to Afghanistan. Right now, or in a little bit from now. It wont be a lot, but thats only because I need to get you used to the idea that, despite everything Ive said to you up until this point, were going to be getting a lot more involved over there, okay? Were gonna be there forever, folks. I dunno, maybe well leave. No one knows. This job sucks.

India and Pakistan are going to be great war partners, that I can promise you. Ive spoken to both of them several times. Several times today, in fact. Just before I got onstage. One is actually on the phone with me right now, and they say this strategy is maybe the best theyve ever seen, that anyones ever seen, but you cant hear them. Theyre both very friendly nations and very committed to our success.

Dont worry, though: A month or two from now Ill tire of the military experts around me and seek outside counsel from unqualified crazy people, like Erik Prince, whose private security company got tried for war crimes, and also his sister, Betsy de Vos. I mean, if theres one thing you can count on, folks, its Donald Trump getting bored and peeved if I dont see some immediate results. This means Im particularly ill-fit to lead when it comes to Afghanistan, and am quite vulnerable to any opportunists cagey enough to exploit that fact.

In closing, I hope Ive convinced you this is a much better strategy than Obamas, but it also wont change a single thing our fantastic soldiers are doing.

Now wheres that exit? There? No? Okay. Oh, there? Great. No? It was a tremendous eclipse, yes. A very special metaphor, as you can see. Ah, here we go. No?
A youth activist of the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has urged Ghanaians and Government to support hardworking local businessmen in the country.



According to him the only way Ghana could bridge the unemployment gap is for the Government and people to support genuine local businessmen.



One person who is doing well as well is Ibrahim Mahama with his Dzata cement. It is bigger than that of Dangote. What I expect from this government and Minister Alan is to rise above excessive partisanship and support this initiative. Others like Roland Agambire of RLG, Joseph Siaw Agyapong of Zoomlion should also be supported by government and the people to succeed so they could employ the many unemployed Ghanaians, he said.



He argued that the reason why Nigeria has most of Africas richest people is that the government does support local businessmen.



If you look at Nigeria, they have the richest businessmen across Africa because Obasanjos government supported them. Aliko Dangote the richest man in Africa became the richest because the Government of Nigeria supporting them. Mike Adenugu 3rd richest had it because he was supported. When he wanted to do telecommunication, he couldnt raise the $400m needed but Government supported and now he is employing lots of people across Africa. Our Governments should emulate that, he opined.



Speaking on Asempa Fms Ekosii Sen on Friday, Sammy Gyamfi expressed worry about how excessive politicization and the smearing of local businessmen are affecting their businesses therefore calling for an immediate stop to that.



All the time what we do is to politicize and smear the work of these businessmen. If we continue doing that the country may collapse. Already the government is saying that it cannot create jobs on its own but private sector so if we dont see them as our own and support them, we will collapse ourselves and the country. What we must know is that they are Ghanaians first of all and are creating jobs for people regardless of their party affiliations, he stressed.



The Former PRO of the KMA bemoaned how the Ghanaian business space is encroached by foreigners which he believes should be halted immediately because it adversely affects the local economy.



He commended Businessman Ibrahim Mahama for taking the bold step to go Into the bauxite mining industry which has largely been controlled by the Chinese and other foreign companies.



When you look at the mining industry, it is being controlled by Foreigners so I commend Exton cubic (local company) for joining the Bauxite industry. I hear it is yet to finalize all the legal documentation including parliamentary ratification. I urge the minister and Parliament to help fasten the process for it in that regard.



He urged the Akufo Addo Government to emulate that of Mills/Mahama in supporting local businesses without partisan considerations.



Former Presidents Mills and John Mahama helped Zoomlion in spite of the perception that it was an NPP business. Others were supported under these administrations so I urge Prez Akuffo Addo to emulate and improve on that in order to create jobs for our people. Businessmen like Ibrahim Mahama, Jospong, Despite, Kessben deserve commendation and support so as to create more jobs for the youth.



He condemned the Akufo Addo Government of not creating the enabling environment for local businesses to succeed adding that some are being smeared by activists of the Government.



It is very bad that Akufo Addo is failing to create the needed enabling environment for businesses. He should have Tax cuts, incentives, stimulus packages for the local businesses. If they are able to work effectively and successfully, not only will it benefit the economy with revenue but also open up employment avenues for our teaming unemployed youth.

Source: adomonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Immigration Service has accused embattled Indian businessman, Ashok Kumar Sivaram of attempting to enter Ghana illegally after he was deported from the country.



On the 3rd of August, 2017, Mr. Ashok Sivaram attempted to enter the country illegally without an entry visa and this is in breach of section 4 of the Immigration Act, 2000, Act 573 which provides for the condition of entry into Ghana, a statement from the Service stated.



Mr. Ashok head earlier petitioned President Akufo-Addo to call the Minister of Interior and the Comptroller of the Ghana Immigration Service to order over what he termed as harassment from the aforementioned personalities.



In the petition, he accused the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, Director/Comptroller of the Immigration Service, Kwame Takyi and Deputy Comptroller General in-charge of Operations, Laud Afrifa illegally deporting him in order to give his business partner an easy way to take over his company, Jai Mai Communications Limited.



Mr. President, the action of the respondents is a deliberate ploy to render my status in the country without a valid permit in order to easily facilitate my removal from the jurisdiction. This action by the respondents is also a clear attempt to undermine the order for valuation of the company the by high court dated 5th May, 2017. Mr. President, I implore you as the father of the nation to graciously step in to resolve the matters raised in my petition. I shall forever be grateful to you for your prompt action on this matter, he added in the petition.



But the statement signed by Michael Amoako-Atta, Head of Public Affairs at the Immigration Service rejected the allegations and adding that they have no interest in the feud between Ashok and his business partner.



It is instructive to note that prior to Mr. Ashoks deportation for security reasons, neither Honourable Minister for the Interior, Mr. Ambrose Dery nor the GIS had any knowledge of the suit between Sachin Nambeer and Ashok Kumar Sivaram (the Indian national) regarding the business matters which is of subject litigation in Court. The Immigration Service and the Minister of the Interior have no interests in the ongoing feud between Mr Ashok Kumar and his business associates. There is no ill-motive in the handling of the legality of Mr Kumars stay in the country. Mr. Ashok Kumar Sivaram is subject to the provisions of the Immigration Act 2000, Act 573, the statement added.



Ashok files suit for working visa



Meanwhile, Mr. Ashok has filed a fresh lawsuit at an Accra High Court seeking an order to be given a temporary working visa in Ghana.



According to the lawsuit filed by his lawyer, Gary Nimako, the temporary working visa will enable Ashok live and work legally in the country while fighting his illegal deportation case in court.

Source: citifmonline.com









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THE FUNCTIONAL Executive Committee of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reportedly held a closed-door crunch meeting with the Council of Elders to deal with the internal wrangling that has beset the party.



The move, DAILY GUIDE, understands, became necessary to save the party  which woefully lost the 2016 elections to the New Patriotic Party (NPP)  from tearing apart, as its members, seemingly divided into two factions, continue to attack one another like wild dogs.



It was also used to brief the Council of Elders, chaired by former president and NDC founder, Jerry John Rawlings, about the Kwesi Botchwey report. The latter was at the meeting himself as well as other party stalwarts.



Mr Rawlings has been under attacks by some members of his own party for openly criticising the leadership over alleged thievery of state and party funds..



He sat away from Ato Ahwoi, a senior member of the party, who once served as power minister in his (Rawlings) government, only to be seen later as enemies.



The meeting followed the recent vituperations by former Deputy Chief of Staff under the erstwhile President John Mahama administration, Valerie Sawyerr, against ex-President Rawlings and the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Martin Amidu.



It would be recalled that Ms. Sawyerr, in what appeared to be an open letter, strongly condemned the former president and Mr. Amidu for constantly labeling the NDCs hierarchy as corrupt.



They say he booms, I say he buzzes like an agitated mosquito looking for his next victim. Is he trying to say that his reign was unblemished or that his twin brothers (President Akufo-Addos) reign is unsullied? Really? Valerie quizzed in the letter.



She expressed dissatisfaction with the seeming silence of Mr. Rawlings regarding what she termed the wrongs being committed by President Akufo-Addos administration.



She wondered why Mr Rawlings had remained silent on a number of issues, including the controversial $2.25 billion government bond and the 5 million litres of contaminated fuel.



Her comments had generated heated debate in the opposition party, seemingly creating Mahama and Rawlings camps.



Ms. Sawyerr received support from some persons believed to be in the Mahama camp, while a pressure group affiliated to the NDC and sympathetic to Mr. Rawlings, has joined the fray to call for her (Valeries) immediate dismissal from the political grouping.



Mr. Amidu had also fired back at Ms. Sawyerr, describing the write-up in which she attacked him and Mr. Rawlings as incoherent, disjointed and drunken-like diatribes.



He said the sudden attacks on his person and that of former President Jerry John Rawlings were coming from people in the Mahama faction.

Source: Daily Guide









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Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Friday said the United States and Japan will accelerate their agreement to realign U.S. forces in Japan, which includes moving about 5,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, in light of heightened tensions over North Korea.

Mattis made the statement during whats called a "two-plus-two" meeting in Washington, D.C. The heads of defense and state departments from both countries sit at this meeting.

North Korea must stop its dangerous actions as we work to maintain security and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, Mattis said, according to a transcript from the State Department. In light of the serious situation we face, we are accelerating implementation of the 2015 Guidelines for the U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation and continuing to realign U.S. forces in Japan and Guam.

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Our militaries are also cooperating in new ways ... this includes our emerging cooperation in such areas as space and counterspace  cyberspace as well as ballistic missile defense and maritime security.

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said in a joint press briefing with Mattis, We have the pressing issue of North Korea.

North Korea has plans to launch ballistic missiles to the waters close to Guam and it is also advancing on their efforts to launch (intercontinental)-class ballistic missiles, miniaturizing nuclear weapons to warheads, Onodera said, according to a transcript of the press briefing.

Mattis later said in the press conference, In the event of a missile launch toward the territory of Japan, Guam, United States (and South) Korea, we would take immediate, specific actions to take it down.

A member of the press asked the U.S. officials to comment about President Donald Trumps strategist, Steve Bannon, who has been quoted as having said there was no military solution to stop North Korea from launching an attack.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responded, Well, I dont really have a comment on what Mr. Bannons remarks were in that particular interview.

Tillerson said he and Mattis are clear that the posture toward North Korea is to use economic and diplomatic pressure on the North Korea regime.
Last month the Fanohge Coalition sent a simple survey to all candidates seeking to represent Guam in I Liheslaturan Guahan, as its attorney ge Read more19 candidates take stand on CHamoru self-determination, future status, Marine buildup
Blood Clot Retrieval Devices Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 08:18:07

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616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage,NYunited stateAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

A stroke is a sudden loss of blood circulation in an area of the brain which may result in loss of neurological functioning. Strokes are generally of three types Ischemic Stroke (caused due to blood clots), Hemorrhagic stroke (caused when there is a rupture in arteries) and lastly transient ischemic attack (caused when blood flow to the brain is blocked for a short time).In early 1980s the blood clot retrieval devices used for endovascular revascularization were based on intra-arterial and selective thrombolytic agents. Another methodology proposed was the use of a combination of intra-arterial thrombolytic and use of ultrasound to disrupt the clot. The clot retrieval process is performed within eight hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, the whole process of blood clot retrieval takes about two hours.Blood Clot retrieval devices were first developed to extract errant coils and foreign bodies which became immobilized in the cerebral circulation during endovascular procedures. Over a period these devices were used remove thromboembolic clots using guide catheters. The first treatment for clot retrieval was done using local micro-catheters as blood clot retrieval devices. These processes were mostly intravenous thrombolysis or endovascular revascularization. Blood clot retrieval devices of the first generation mainly targeted cerebral ischemia.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2269 The first generation blood clot retrieval devices comprised of Mechanical Embolus Removal in Cerebral Ischemia (MERCI), MERCI blood clot retrieval devices was used in individuals who had moderate to severe stroke. The second blood clot retrieval device used for clot retrieval was Penumbra clot aspiration system. The Penumbra blood clot retrieval device uses a large lumen catheter attached to a vacuum pump. The second generation of blood clot retrieval devices uses of non-detachable neurovascular stents for removal of the clot. The primary objective of these blood clot retrieval devices was to assist the coiling during revascularization in individuals. Stent-based blood clot retrieval devices operate by firstly, by deploying the stent into the clot which immediately restores the blood flow and the mesh embedded on the stent retriever remove the clot. Over the past few years with the help of technological advancements in the development of blood clot retrieval devices tremendous progress has been made in the endovascular management of acute ischemic stroke.Blood Clot Retrieval Devices Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global market for blood clot retrieval devices is expected to be driven by the advancement in technology and increased the prevalence of stroke. Moreover, increased use of blood clot retrieval devices in elderly patients, improved patient selection using imaging and clinical results, use of an advance instrument for guiding catheter placement are some factors anticipated to fuel the growth of global portable ultrasound scanners market within the forecast period of 2016-2026.The restraining factor for the blood clot retrieval devices market is a lack of trained professionals, futile recanalization procedures which occur due to unfavorable result and device malfunctioning during blood clot retrieval.Blood Clot Retrieval Devices Market: SegmentationThe global blood clot retrieval market is classified on the basis of stroke type, device type, end user and geography.Based on stroke type, the global blood clot retrieval devices market is segmented into the following:Ischemic Stroke (blood clot)Hemorrhagic Stroke(rupturing of arteries)Transient Ischemic AttackBased on device type, the global blood clot retrieval devices market is segmented into the following:Mechanical EmbolusRemoval DevicesPenumbra Blood Clot Retrieval DevicesStent RetrieversUltrasound Assisted DevicesBased on end user, the global blood clot retrieval device market is segmented into the following:HospitalsDiagnostic centersClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersBlood Clot Retrieval Devices Market: OverviewCost-affectivity of blood clot retrieval devices and ongoing researches on improving the quality of care for continence would create an attractive growth opportunities for the Blood Clot Retrieval Devices market. The hospitals end user segment is expected to hold the highest market share in the global market for blood clot retrieval devices. Deaths occurring because of stroke is third highest in countries like United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan.According to American Heart Association, there are about 800,000 new strokes reported each year, out of which 80% are ischemic strokes rest are hemorrhagic strokes.Blood Clot Retrieval Devices Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the global Blood Clot Retrieval Devices market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America dominated the global market for blood clot retrieval devices because of better reimbursement policies for diagnostic procedures. Increasing number of local players providing blood clot retrieval devices at lower cost in countries such as China is expected to boost the market growth in APEJ region.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2269 Blood Clot Retrieval Devices Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global Blood Clot Retrieval Devices market include Bayer HealthCare LLC, Boston Scientific Corp., Argon Medical Devices Inc., Medtronic plc. Teleflex Incorporated, Penumbra Inc., AngioDynamics, Inc., Terumo Corporation, Johnson and Johnson, Inc., ECKOS Corporation and others. Most of the providers of blood clot retrieval devices are adopting the strategy of providing these products through e-commerce, so that buyers can browse the products according to their needs.
Code18 Interactive, a boutique digital agency based in New York City, is pleased to announce the recent launch of two new blogs created for agency clients GoGo squeeZ and C.O. Bigelow.

Counter Culture - The C.O. Bigelow Blog

PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 22:17:29

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# 388 Words

175 Varick Street, 8th FloorNew York, NY 10014USAFounder / Creative Director404-585-2725Steve Pilon4045852725

Goodness On The Go ( http://www.goodnessonthego.com) is a recipe and healthy lifestyle blog from GoGo squeeZ, Americas leading brand of squeezable applesauce. Offering an array of healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and fun activities, Goodness On The Go is a blog that helps on-the-go families be a little happier and healthier every day. Recent posts have included recipes for Banana YogurtZ Bread (made with GoGo squeeZ YogurtZ, the companys innovative shelf-stable squeezable yogurt that requires no refrigeration), smoothies, gingerbread cookies, and more. Additional blog posts focus on topics such as healthy living, crafts and activities, GoGo squeeZ partnerships, and and other topics.Counter Culture ( http://www.bigelowblog.com) is a health and beauty blog offering helpful tips from the pharmacists and beauty experts on staff at New York Citys famous C.O. Bigelow, the oldest apothecary in America. Every day customers visit C.O. Bigelows store seeking advice, and Counter Culture seeks to provide authoritative answers to many of the most frequently asked questions. Recent Ask A Pharmacist posts have provided important information about alcohol and antibiotics, sunscreen, and how to get rid of scars. Meanwhile, the sites Ask A Beauty Expert section discusses beauty-related products and other topics ranging from how to choose a hair dryer or hair brush, to when you should start using eye cream.These new blogs provide each of these clients with an owned media platform that they can use to educate and communicate with their respective communities, says Steve Pilon, founder and creative director at Code18 Interactive. The evergreen nature of the content they are publishing, along with the easy-to-use WordPress content management system, means that the sites will continue to grow more useful and valuable over time. And the thoughtful, detailed designs created by the Code18 team really embody and enhance the unique personality of each brand. Code18 Interactive is a New York WordPress development agency that caters exclusively to national consumer and media brands. Clients of the agency include GoGo squeeZ and C.O. Bigelow, as well as Boursin Cheese, Grove Atlantic Publishing, Manhattan Wardrobe Supply, and others. Additional services include Magento 2 design and development, digital advertising, social media management, SEO, and more. The company was originally founded in Atlanta, and relocated to NYC in 2012.For more information, please visit http://www.code18.com
Grgich Hills Estate held its 40th annual blessing of the harvest Friday at the Rutherford winery before a large audience of visitors and workers. The celebration included live music and a blessing from Father Gordon Kalil from the St. Helena Catholic Church.

Miljenko Mike Grgich, winemaker, proprietor, president and CEO of the famous winery was unable to attend the celebration, but  the audience was told  he was witnessing the event via a cellphone held in the crowd.

His daughter, Violet Grgich, who is vice president of operations and sales, acted as the hostess of the event, with remarks recalling her fathers fabled journey from Croatia to the United States in 1958, arriving with a single small suitcase in the Napa Valley.

According to Violet, her father believed that all he needed to do was have the opportunity that the United States offered to build a winery for his wine. And  after the 1976 Judgement of Paris blind tasting in which a chardonnay he crafted for Chateau Montelena beat the very best wines in France  he joined forces with Austin Hills with sister Mary Lee in a partnership in 1977 to create Grgich Hills Estate.

Austin Hills was present at this event, along with Grgich nephew Ivo Jeramaz, vice president of vineyards and production. Jeramaz spoke at length of the challenges of the 2017 harvest. He recalled that the previous years of drought had been relieved this year by the plentiful spring rains with just three heat spikes which, according to Jeramaz, toughened the skins of the grapes.

The grapes on the crush pad, according to Jeramaz, would be perfect for sparkling wine and he said that the coming weeks with the cooler temperatures would bring a bountiful harvest with the perfect balance of acidity and sugars for their wines.

Father Gordon Kalil spoke of his fondness of the ceremony which included, first, blessing the water in two glass bowls that would be used for consecrating the grapes. He reminded the attendees that the tradition of blessing the first fruits of the harvest can be traced back to Old Testament times and that this ceremony represented a four decades-long tradition at Grgich Hills Estate. The winery, according to Kalil, has held a blessing of the grapes every year starting when it was founded 40 years ago in 1977.

Then, asking the attendees to assist, Kalil led the visitors to raise their right hands in a communal blessing of the grapes. Violet Grgich, Hills, and Jeramaz then joined Kalil in using olive branches to sprinkle the holy water over the bins of grapes.

Afterward, attendees were invited to a glass of Grgich Hills wine paired with cheese during this age-old celebration of the start of the harvest. Then the Grgich Hills team hosted a reception on the patio and the winerys daily Grape Stomp officially began.
Digital Radiography Sensor Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 08:12:52

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616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage,NYunited stateAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Digital radiography in literature and in practice are subcategorized on type of sensors into Computerized Radiography and Digital radiography. Digital radiography based on image conversion are two different types namely- Direct digital radiograph and Indirect digital radiograph. Out of many traditional systems available for projecting radiographs, digital radiograph sensors are being used globally. Thus, digital radiography sensor market has taken over other traditional radiograph market since 1990s and the trend is still being followed. In US out of all radiological examinations carried out, radiographical examination accounts 70% in both children and adults, thus digital radiograph sensors market holds a large market size and share.Digital Radiography Sensor Market: Drivers and RestraintsExposure to harmful radiations in patients and radiologists is a major concern in imaging systems. It has been found that use of digital radiography sensors have reduced radiation exposure to about 20 to 80%. This has found to be a major driver in growth of the digital radiography sensor market. More factors influencing digital radiography sensors market such as real time results in case of emergencies, user friendly, low cost of test, less exposure time to radiation, shorter scanning time and readily available portable systems. digital radiography sensor market is governed by high productivity, elimination of costly films, examination of more patients in less time and superior image quality with less background noise helps provide more accurate results. Digital radiography sensors are popular amongst radiologists and thus indeed driving digital radiography sensor market.The only restraint in digital radiography sensor market is high cost of digital radiography sensors hindering digital radiography sensor market growth in lower income or developing countries. Hence an affordable and readily available sensors are expected to completely out rule traditional radiography market by digital radiography sensor market.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2276 Digital Radiography Sensor Market: SegmentationThe digital radiography sensor market is classified on the basis of product type, taxonomy, technology, end user, modality and geography.Based on type, the digital radiography sensor market is segmented into the following:Computerized Radiography (CT).Direct Digital Radiography (DDR).Based on taxonomy, the digital radiography sensor market is segmented into the following:Direct image conversion.Photoconductor- a:SeIndirect image conversion.Scintillator- Csl.Storage Phosphor- BaFBr:Eu2+Based on technology, the digital radiography sensor market is segmented into the following:Phosphors based image plates - 1980.Amorphous-selenium based image plates - 1987.Slot-scan direct radiography (DR) using Charge-coupled device (CCD)  1990.Selenium drum DR - 1994.Flat-panel amorphous siliconcesium iodide scintillator detector  1995.Flat panel Selenium-based detector  1995.Gadolinium-based scintillator detector  1997.Flat-panel Gadolinium-based scintillator, portable detector  2001.Flat-panel Dynamic detector fluoroscopy in digital subtraction angiography  2001.Digital tomosynthesis  2006.Flat-panel Wireless DR detector -Based on end user, the digital radiography sensor market is segmented into the following:Specialized dental clinics.Diagnostic imaging centre.Research and development centres and companies.Medical centres and universities.Based modality, the digital radiography sensor market is segmented into the following:PortableNon-portable.Digital Radiography Sensor Market: OverviewPresent and future of radiography is digital radiography sensor market. Benefits of digital radiography sensor over other imaging systems available have been studied by many radiologists and published by researchers in scientific papers showing tremendous potential for digital radiography sensor market. Since 3 decades traditional computerized radiography market has been extensively replaced with digital radiography sensor market all over the world. This was due to invention of direct digital radiography using charged-couple device in 1990s and many technological advances over the time, hence leading to alarming growth rate of digital radiography sensor market. Initially the sensors were found to be too expensive to be completely replaced but research in technology has been helping hand for digital radiography sensor market. While portable digital radiography has thought to completely replace the CR systems in near future and make immense impact on digital radiography sensor market.Digital Radiography Sensor Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the digital radiography sensor market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America dominates digital radiography sensor market globally followed by Europe. Digital radiography sensor market in both America and Europe is driven by the fact of being developed countries, having strong infrastructure for healthcare facilities, awareness and initiative taken by government in use of imaging systems with minimum exposure to harmful radiations and tremendous growth in medical industries, hospitals and research institutes.. In last decade there has been fastest growth of digital radiography sensor market in India, China and rest of the world due to various advancement in technology owing to fast growth in digital radiography sensor market, increase in medical tourism, improvement in healthcare facilities and medical research provided by government. Dental intraoral sensors in digital radiography is expected to be leading hand in digital radiography sensor market growth worldwide, near future.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2276 Digital Radiography Sensor Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in digital radiography sensor market are Hologic, Inc., Carestream Health Inc., Canon Inc., Siemens Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, GE Healthcare, Hitachi Medical Corporation, Fujifilm Medical Systems. Shimadzu Corporation and Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 19:15:12

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Geopulse Exploration Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Los Angeles, Calif (FSCWire) - Geopulse Exploration Inc. (OTC Pink:GPLS). has issued a press release with the following headline:Geopulse Exploration Acquires Growth Circle, Inc.To view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Geopulse Exploration Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Geopulse Exploration Inc.Source: Geopulse Exploration Inc. (OTC Pink: GPLS, ISIN: US37251J1060, WKN: A0YG5M)Date: August 22, 2017Time: 1:15 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Geopulse Exploration Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Therapeutics Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 08:09:53

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Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is an autoimmune disorder clinically diagnosed as acquired bleeding disorder in which platelets (blood cells) are destroyed by immune system, who play an important role in primary and secondary haemostasis. Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is characterised by tendency to bleed continuously mostly from extremities such as nose and gums, purpuric rash and petechiae. Individuals with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura have platelet count below normal (less than 150,000 cells/mm3) causing thrombocytopenia. Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura can be acute for chronic with platelet count less than 150,000 cells/mm3 and 50,000 cells/mm3 respectively. In fatal or sever idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage, lower gastrointestinal bleeding or other internal bleeding may occur.In idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura activation of lymphocytes leads to anti-platelet antibodies against the fibrinogen receptor i.e platelet glycoproteins IIb/IIIa. Incidence of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in children and adult population is approximately 50 and 66 cases per 1,000,000 per year respectively.Commonly utilised tests for diagnosis of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura include blood typing, blood count, direct Coombs testing, evaluation of peripheral smear, bone marrow evaluation, immunoglobulin quantitation and evaluation for platelet antibodies. More advanced tests may be performed such as platelet binding assay, genetic mutational analysis and bone marrow cultures for megakaryocyte growth and differentiation. Testing of H. pylori infection is considered as a standard diagnostic test for individuals suspected of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, in countries with higher incidence of H. pylori infection. Treatment for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura mainly aims for normal platelet count to prevent excessive bleeding. First line therapy generally used in of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is oral corticosteroids, such as prednisone, rituximab, azathioprine, eltrombopag, methylprednisolone etc. Second line treatment generally used is spleenectomy while new treatment measures include intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), anti-D immunoglobulin and thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RA).Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2279 Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Therapeutics Market: Drivers and RestraintIn most cases of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura treatment generally involves use of corticosteroids that maintain normal platelet count. Easy availability and accessibility of corticosteroid has been one of the major factor in driving idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market. New advances in proper diagnosis, government initiatives in awareness and treatment of disease and association of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura with pregnancy, infections or immunosuppressive diseases (H. pylori) has been a reason for market growth of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market.The most important drivers for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is use of effective combination therapy, introduction of new drugs such as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RA) in treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market . There have been published report where use of dexamethasone alone and alongwith infusions of rituximab was tested. It was found that dexamethasone with rituximab had rendered safe platelet count for about 6 months in 63% of individuals in study. Also another published study stated that use of TPO mimetic drugs sustained normal platelet count in 85% of indivivduals thus boosting market for for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics.Major restraint for for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is side effects of corticosteroids or drugs used. But use of combination therapy and new drugs has seen to avoid side effects and proved life saving. Another restraint for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is lack of awareness of disease amongst people, no facilities for diagnostic test in rural areas and high cost of treatment in low income countries. Non-adherence of patients to combination treatment has also been a major part in restraining for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market.Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Therapeutics Market: SegmentationThe global idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is classified on the basis of treatment, distribution channel and geography.Based on treatment, the global idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is segmented into the following:Corticosteroids.Intravenous immunoglobulins.Anti-D immunoglobulin.Thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RA).Based on mode of administration, the global idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is segmented into the following:Based on distribution channels, the global idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is segmented into the following:Retail pharmacies.Drug store.Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Therapeutics Market: OverviewThe global idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is governed by drugs that suppress uimmune system, injections that increase blood count and drugs that boost platelet production. Association of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura with other infections such as H. pylori infection and others related to immunosuppression favours market for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics. Inspite of low global incidence of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, its fatal and serious complications has led advancement in its treatment leading to rise in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market. Use of efficient combination therapy has driven idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market.Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Therapeutics Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is the largest market for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics due to demand for combination therapy, advancement in healthcare facilities and mainly due to Orphan drug act in U.S. Owing to drugs such as romiplostim have driven Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura market in Japan and Europe too. India is seen to have stable rise in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura therapeutics market.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2279 Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Therapeutics Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura market include GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen. Inc, Grifols S.A, CSL Behring, Baxter, Sandoz, Contract Pharmacal, Roxane and others.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 22:05:13

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Kapuskasing Gold Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Kapuskasing Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:KAP). has issued a press release with the following headline:Kapuskasing Finalizes Agreement to Acquire Sterling Copper Deposit in Newfoundland LabradorTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Kapuskasing Gold Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Kapuskasing Gold Corp.Source: Kapuskasing Gold Corp. (TSX Venture: KAP)Date: August 22, 2017Time: 4:05 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Kapuskasing Gold Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Klondike Gold Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Klondike Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:KG). has issued a press release with the following headline:Klondike Gold Mobilizes Second Drill; 40 Holes Planned in 30 DaysTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Klondike Gold Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Klondike Gold Corp.Source: Klondike Gold Corp. (TSX Venture: KG, ISIN: CA4989033010, WKN: A119BJ)Date: August 22, 2017Time: 1:37 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Klondike Gold Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-23 01:01:14

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Redstar Gold Corporation--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver BC (FSCWire) - Redstar Gold Corporation (TSX Venture:RGC). has issued a press release with the following headline:Redstar Gold Announces 2017 Exploration Program Drill Results from the Unga Gold Project, AlaskaTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Redstar Gold Corporation, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Redstar Gold CorporationSource: Redstar Gold Corporation (TSX Venture: RGC, OTCQB: RGCTF, WKN: A0BKK4, ISIN: CA75773Q2080)Date: August 22, 2017Time: 7:01 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Redstar Gold Corporation and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Rockcliff Copper Corporation--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - Rockcliff Copper Corporation (TSX Venture:RCU). has issued a press release with the following headline:Rockcliff Announces Over-Subscription of Non-Brokered Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Rockcliff Copper Corporation, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Rockcliff Copper CorporationSource: Rockcliff Copper Corporation (TSX Venture: RCU, WKN: A142TR, ISIN: CA77288Q1057)Date: August 22, 2017Time: 3:32 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Rockcliff Copper Corporation and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for SynStream Energy Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Calgary, Alberta (FSCWire) - SynStream Energy Corp. (TSX Venture:SHM). has issued a press release with the following headline:Synstream Energy Corp. Announces Changes to Management; Intention to Review Business Development OptionsTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on SynStream Energy Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/SynStream Energy Corp.Source: SynStream Energy Corp. (TSX Venture: SHM)Date: August 21, 2017Time: 10:22 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of SynStream Energy Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Theralase Technologies Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Toronto, Ontario (FSCWire) - Theralase Technologies Inc. (TSX Venture:TLT). has issued a press release with the following headline:Theralase Anti-Cancer Drugs Independently Verified and ValidatedTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Theralase Technologies Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Theralase Technologies Inc.Source: Theralase Technologies Inc. (TSX Venture: TLT, ISIN: CA88337V1004, WKN: A0DLB7, OTCQX: TLTFF)Date: August 22, 2017Time: 7:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Theralase Technologies Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Meadowood Napa Valley is planning to launch a full renovation of its pool and fitness facilities. The project is scheduled to begin later this fall, pending county approval. According to its press release, the project is scheduled to be completed and open by Memorial Day, 2018.

General manager Patrick Nayrolles said, The renovation of our pools, surrounding dining areas and fitness centers are part of a continuing investment by Meadowood owners.

Facility renovations will include a complete remodel of the fitness center with spaces dedicated to daily fitness classes, weight training and cardio workouts as well as a new upper pool to replace the existing adjacent lap pool.

New adult-only whirlpool and cabanas will complete the area, according to the press release. A new pool cafe also will be located between the upper pool and the lap pool.
Utrasound Doppler Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 08:23:25

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616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Abhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

The term ultrasound treatment is a known one, while some of us may even have undergone some kind of check-up with its assistance. As the name suggests, a Doppler Ultrasound test uses higher frequency sound waves to measure blood flow in the arteries and veins and is usually done on the arms and legs. It is a completely risk and pain free procedure as it only involves using high intensity sound waves. It is recommended by doctors to check for signs of deep vein thrombosis, superficial thrombophlebitis, arteriosclerosis or even if tumours are suspected in any of the limbs. The ultrasound Doppler market can broadly be classified into two main types based on portability- handheld and trolley based ones. The trolley based ones account for the majority sold at present but the handheld ones are expected to show larger growth because of ease of use, cheaper initial expenditure and also lower long term cost of running due to less electricity consumed as compared to trolleys.Utrasound Doppler Market DriversThere are several drivers responsible for the growth of the ultrasound Doppler market. In the developed world, an aging population at a greater risk of chronic and lifestyle-related problems, technological advancements making the devices (relatively) more affordable, increasing healthcare investment both in the public and private sectors and also a growing preference for therapeutic and non-invasive kind of treatments. In the developing world, the high birth rate, in-vitro fertilization treatment and required gynaecological care for young mothers are fuelling the demand for ultrasound devices. It can also be used for detecting breast cancer and the American Cancer Society and Radiological Society of North America recommends periodic mammographic screening to women above the age of 40 years. An increasing awareness from the public and government support and encouragement ensure the continued demand for ultrasound Doppler market products.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2253 Utrasound Doppler Market RestraintsThe picture is not all rosy for the ultrasound Doppler market as there are several impediments to its growth. As is the case with almost all other specialized equipment, there can be a dearth of qualified and trained technicians to use the equipment in the developing world. Sale of refurbished devices at lower prices also makes them more attractive, making first time sales difficult in places where the disposable income is less. There are also cultural and social issues involved in Asian countries like China and India. Preference for the male child and sex-selective abortions have made governments pass laws like the Prenatal Diagnostic Test Act (PNDT). This requires registration of all counselling centres, laboratories, and clinics like solography centres, mobile solography vans and those having advanced ultrasound machines. Strict compliance with the law can also hamper adoption of such equipment to an extent.Utrasound Doppler Market Key RegionAn aging population in the western world while continue to ensure that both North America and Europe remain among the largest ultrasound Doppler markets. They benefit from world-class infrastructure, many healthcare benefits provided by the governments and also increasing adoption of home and remote patient monitoring to cater to their privacy concerns. They will drive the demand for compact, handheld devices in the medium to long term. Asia Pacific on the other hand, is expected to demand for greater trolley based ultrasound devices due to a proliferation of hospitals in underdiagnosed rural areas of these populous and fast growing countries. There have also been an increasing number of lifestyle-related health issues, especially in the polluted metropolis cities of China and India. Greater public awareness of benefits offered by the ultrasound treatments along with a special focus of global players on this highly dynamic region ensures thriving demand for the ultrasound Doppler market here as well.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2253 Utrasound Doppler Market Key Market PlayersGeneral Electric Company (U.S.), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Siemens AG (Germany), Hitachi Ltd. (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea), FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (Japan), Esaote S.p.A. (Italy), Mindray Medical International Ltd. (China), and Analogic Corporation (U.S.) are some of the Utrasound Doppler Market key market players in 2016.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 07:33:02

's-Hertogenbosch, 22 August 2017

In the period from 15 August 2017 until 21 August 2017 Van Lanschot Kempen has repurchased 18,780 of its own shares. The shares were repurchased at an average price of 26.59 per share for a total amount of 499,451.

These repurchases are part of the share buy-back programme for at most 150,000 of own shares, which was announced on 7 June 2017. The total number of shares repurchased to date is 84,130.

More information, including a detailed overview of the repurchase transactions under this programme, is available on www.vanlanschotkempen.com/sharebuyback.

Media Relations: +31 20 354 45 85; mediarelations@vanlanschotkempen.com

Investor Relations: +31 20 354 45 90; investorrelations@vanlanschotkempen.com

About Van Lanschot Kempen

Van Lanschot Kempen, a wealth manager operating under the Van Lanschot, Evi and Kempen brand names, is active in Private Banking, Asset Management and Merchant Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth for its clients. Van Lanschot Kempen, listed at Euronext Amsterdam, is the Netherlands' oldest independent financial services company with a history dating back to 1737.

vanlanschotkempen.com

Disclaimer

This document does not constitute an offer or solicitation for the sale, purchase or acquisition in any other way of or subscription to any financial instrument and is not an opinion or a recommendation to perform or refrain from performing any action.

This document is a translation of the Dutch original and is provided as a courtesy only. In the event of any disparities, the Dutch version will prevail.

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: Van Lanschot Kempen via Globenewswire


Ventricle Assist Device Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-22 08:15:28

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# 998 Words

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018, Valley Cottage,NYunited stateAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Heart failure is one of the most common cause of deaths worldwide, it is a condition when the heart cannot pump blood properly throughout the body. In most of the cases the left ventricle gets affected but sometimes the right ventricle gets affected and the heart cannot pump oxygen rich blood to the lungs. Ventricle assist devices are mechanical pumps which support the functioning of the heart in individuals who have weak heart. There are two types of heart failure one is diastolic heart failure and the other systolic heart failure. The major symptoms of heart failure are fatigue, irregular heart rhythm, blood pressure, heart valve functioning is affected, shortness of breath and fluid retention. Most of the above symptoms can be stabilized by the use of medication but in some cases ventricle assist devices have to be used depending upon the condition of the patient.A ventricle assist device comprises of a small tubes transferring blood out of heart and into the pump, the heart pump is connected to a control unit, which monitors the functioning of the ventricle assist device. Recent research has shown that continuous flow ventricle assist devices are more effective as they reduce the hospitalization and improve survival rate of patients suffering from heart failure. The different types of ventricle assist devices available in the market, left ventricle support, right ventricle support and bi-ventricle support.Request Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2273 The ventricle assist devices are used for short-term period for individuals recovering from myocardial infraction or individuals recovering from cardiac surgery, and for long term use in individuals suffering from total heart failure. Ventricle devices are generally used as bridge to transplant, bridge to decision and bridge to recovery for an individual who is suffering from Class III & Class IV heart failure. Ventricle assist devices are generally implantable and transcutaneous depending on the individual heart condition.Transcutaneous ventricle assist devices have the control unit installed outside the body and the pump placed inside the body whereas implantable ventricle assist devices are generally used for people waiting for heart transplant. Ventricle assist devices are generally categorized as Pulsatile and Non Pulsatile devices. Pulsatile devices were the first generation devices, whereas non pulsatile devices have a continuous flow as they allow the blood to move forward in a systemic circulation. In a non-pulsatile ventricle assist device all the parameters are displayed on the console or the control unit. Some of the common ventricle assist devices in the market are Thoratec VAD, Heart Mate and Jarvik 2000.Ventricle assist devices although have great benefits but some time they may give rise to certain complication like bleeding, infection, thrombosis, device malfunctioning and hemolysis.When both the ventricle stop functioning or the entire heart fails, bi-ventricle assist devices are used and Total Artificial Heart is implanted. The rapid advancement in ventricle assist device technology has limited the TAH (Total Artificial Heart) development as majority of the heart failure can be controlled by using ventricle assist devices. At present the only TAH approved by the FDA is the Cardio West TAH by Syncardia System, which is a pneumatically powered dual chamber device.Ventricle Assist Device Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global market for ventricle assist devices is expected to be driven by the advancement in technology and increasing prevalence of Class III & Class IV heart failure, increase in geriatric population, better reimbursement reforms are some factors anticipated to fuel growth of global ventricle assist devices market within the forecast period of 2016-2026. However the high cost certain complication which may arise after or during the implant and development of the total artificial heart can be the restraint for the growth of this market.Ventricle Assist Device Market: SegmentationThe global Ventricle assist device market is classified on the basis of product type, modality, indication, end user and geography.Based on modality, the global Ventricle assist device market is segmented into the following:Transcutaneous Ventricle Assist DevicesImplantable Ventricle Assist DevicesBased on product type, the global Ventricle Assist device market is segmented into the following:LVAD (Left Ventricle Assist Devices)RVAD (Right Ventricle Assist Devices)Bi-VAD (Bi-Ventricle Assist Devices)TAH (Total Artificial Heart)Based on indication, the global ventricle assist device market is segmented into the following:Bridge to RecoveryBridge to TransplantBridge to TherapyBased on end user, the global ventricle assist device market is segmented into the following:HospitalsSpecialized Cardiac ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersVentricle Assist Device Market: OverviewCost-effectiveness of ventricle assist devices and ongoing researches on improving quality of care for continence would create an attractive growth opportunities for the ventricle assist device market. The hospitals end user segment is expected to hold the highest market share in global market for ventricle assist devices.A new generation of ventricle assist devices have been approved by the FDA which are more efficient in increasing the survival rate of individuals suffering from heart failure. These devices are much small smaller in size and much more efficient in restoring the functioning of the heart. These are centrifugal continuous flow pumps suspended through magnetic or hydrodynamic levitation in blood flow path, this levitation mechanism theoretically increases the device durability and reliability as there is no friction and heat generation component contact. The third generation left ventricle assist devices are more used in Europe.Ventricle Assist Device Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the global ventricle assist device market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America dominated the global market for ventricle assist devices because of better reimbursement policies for diagnostic procedures. Europe dominates the market for the third generation ventricle assist devices.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2273 Ventricle Assist Device Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global ventricle assist device market are SynCardia System Inc., St. Jude Medical, Berlin Heart, Heart Ware International, Jarvik Heart Inc. Abiomed, CardiacAssist Inc., and Reliant Heart Inc.
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.




By a vote of 3-1  Vice Chair Lester Hardy was absent  the St. Helena Planning Commission approved a pedestrian bridge linking Las Alcobas Hotel with neighboring Beringer Winery during its Aug. 15 meeting.

The prefab, steel truss bridge, to be 65 feet long and 10 feet wide, will span York Creek, a stream that runs between the new 68-room luxury hotel and one of Napa Valleys oldest wineries. The project is slated to include habitat restoration, and requires approval by the states Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The primary reason for the bridge, according to hotel and winery officials, is safety. Currently, hotel guests who want to stroll next door to the winery must walk along a narrow sidewalk on the shoulder of Hwy. 29 with little separation from fast-moving vehicles.

Commissioners raised a number of concerns  lighting, long-term maintenance and trash removal among them. Other issues discussed included zoning, environmental impact and habitat, and flood control.

During public comment, two citizens who live nearby, voiced their ongoing displeasure with the hotel.

You are opening a door to have uncontrollable events between the hotel and Beringer, said Mike Griffin. He said parking and truck traffic caused by the hotel were neighborhood problems, while acknowledging that the area was hazardous for pedestrians. Griffin wanted the bridge to be put on hold until neighbors other concerns were addressed, but Chair Grace Kistner reminded the commissioners they were required by law to address only the issue, the bridges design, before them.

Although the stated intent is for the bridge to be closed and gated at night, lighting was a concern for several commissioners, including John Ponte. He said low-lighting at dusk could be a problem and he, along with Kistner and Commissioner Bobbi Monnette wanted assurance that the area would meet ADA standards. Monnette also requested that lighting not interfere with fish or animal habitat, and that it be turned off when the bridge is not open for use. Monnette also wanted assurances scrupulous trash collection would take place in and around the stream.

Although the proposal included a maintenance trust fund to for future upkeep and removal should it be necessary, Ponte wanted assurances that the bridges structural integrity would be maintained.

He pointed to the balcony collapse in Berkeley several years ago that resulted in multiple fatalities as a cautionary example. Although it occurred on private property, the City of Berkeley came under fire.

The city took the brunt of the lawsuit, Ponte said.

To make certain the bridge remained sound, Ponte requested regular assessments by a structural engineer.

Beringer representative Jennifer Locke objected when Monnette described the project as a partnership between Las Alcobas and Beringer.

This is in no way a partnership, said Locke. Staff confirmed that the project completely belonged to Las Alcobas.

Locke said Beringer was trying to be a good neighbor. To that end, she said, the winery had previously helped out with parking and other issues. The city bears some responsibility for the situation, Locke said. After all, the city approved the visitor lodging next door to the winery.

Theyre a hotel. Their guests want to come to our property. The last thing we need is a fatality, Locke said.

The design was approved with stipulated conditions on lighting, structural integrity and maintenance.
America's Financial Choice will contribute to Back 2 School Illinois by donating back to school kits containing school supplies for needy children.

By: Americas Financial Choice

1 2 America's Financial Choice America's Financial Choice Donates to Back 2 School Illinois

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-- America's Financial Choice provides financial assistance through installment loans, including payday loans and auto title loans, and they have twenty locations that service various communities throughout the state of Illinois. Every year in the late summer and early fall, America's Financial Choice helps needy schoolchildren in the communities that they serve by donating school supply kits purchased from Back 2 School Illinois. Back 2 School Illinois is a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes school supplies for needy children and families at the start of each school year. America's Financial Choice contributes to Back 2 School Illinois every year and they are proud to contribute again for 2017.Each of America's Financial Choice's twenty stores throughout Illinois, from Chicago to Du Quoin, IL, will donate fifty school supply kits to local charities. These back to school kits will contain the main school supplies that children need to successfully complete a year of school. The customers of America's Financial Choice can help as well by donating money at any of their locations. In 2016, Back 2 School Illinois helped 29,714 underprivileged children in Illinois get the school supplies they need.America's Financial Choice is a licensed Illinois lender that offers payday installment loans and auto title loans to those who need financial assistance. They have twenty loan servicing locations in Illinois to serve those who need extra cash in these cities and the surrounding areas. America's Financial Choice has a fast approval process to help people secure loans, and they also offer starter payday loans for those who have little to no credit or lending history. You can learn more by calling America's Financial Choice at (888) 298-2732.Back 2 School Illinois is a nonprofit organization that distributes school supplies for needy children and families throughout Illinois. They have developed many partnerships with community organizations and government agencies to help put together and distribute as many school supply kits as possible to give children the tools they need to succeed in school. Back 2 School Illinois also runs a college scholarship program, as well as POWER UP! Boot Camp which teaches children about proper nutrition and exercise. You can learn more by visiting b2si.org
At Vision-Strike-Wear.Com sometimes it's a name, or a unit, possibly a ship or command that is requesting a design whereby a military challenge coin is created then sent out the door.

By: Vision-Strike-Wear.Com

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-- In the case of the Psalm 23:4 Though I Walk Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death Coin it was discussed with VSW and its customers throughout its social media presence and the one unquestionable response back when the initial design was laid down was this was something they wanted and that needed to be crafted into a coin. There is without question a connection with faith and the US military. Against all odds, hugely disadvantaged militarily at the founding of our country, the US military has gone to the well on the subject of faith and belief and has come out the victor.For over 9 years the United States military and Veterans have turned to VSW to have cutting edge, razor sharp military graphics developed for their needs. Whether in support of a special program, a 5K run, CrossFit challenge or simple something for wear when working in support of some fundraising effort they have pulled their incredible experience together with the design talents of VSW to produce some of the best military coins in the industry.At Vision-Strike-Wear.Com we know that amazing military artwork is the key to printing and having a great t-shirt made for the men and women of the United States military. It's about morale. It's about professionalism and ultimately it is about creativity blended with a military spin that produces uncompromising military art on a military coin. At VSW it is their mission to support these men and women whose sacrifice to ensure the US Veterans get the very best and aims to do so.For over 9 years the men and women of Vision-Strike-Wear.Com have been producing custom military shirts for their brothers and sisters in every branch of the US military. Their designs have been seen on aircraft carriers, destroyers, in hangars for squadrons, on deployment shirts in Afghanistan and Iraq, travelled from Djibouti, Africa to Subic Bay Philippines and more places than you can shake a stick out. Their art has been sought after because they do not compromise. They also don't Vision Strike Coins Opens Its Doors to the Newest Military Challenge Coins & Quality in the Industry. Their art is original and it is built with a collaboration between artists and the point of contact for the unit or the command.They are busy as artists go but that is because they spare nothing when it comes to the detail that others will not do but VSW will on a daily basis. Another reason why so many of their designs are copied and fail to pass inspection.So when US Veterans wanted a cool coin that they recognize was to be staple in their military challenge coin collection they asked for the Psalm 23:4 Though I Walk Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death Coin to be made and they got it and they did so with the flair and gusto only achieved at VSW. They asked for the moon with their custom design and VSW was happy as hell to deliver it. It was so successful they reordered almost immediately. Check it out here - http://www.vision- strike-wear.com/ Psalm-23-4-Though- I-Walk-Through- The-Valley-Of- The-Shadow-Of- Death-Coin.html When you and your unit are in the market for military shirts custom designed and printed then you have to go to Vision-Strike-Wear.ComThe mission is to produce the most detailed, cost efficient, USA Made products in the industry. With offices located throughout the United States from Oregon to California, Texas to Florida each of our offices brings a dedication to serving America with design and printing found on everything from apparel items like shirts and hoodies, to drinkware including steins, coffee mugs and more. Their design expertise with their combined knowledge and background as US Veterans and a fervent desire to provide the very best military designs and products is at the heart of everything they do.Originality. The artists and their diverse car backgrounds of our artists stand at the center of what makes VSW different. They are an OEM. That means they make many of the products they offer at http://www.vision- strike-wear.com The USA Made Difference means that VSW always looks for and supports American Made products. They support American small business and whenever a product can be sourced then it goes to the head of the line.VSW has hired both active duty and US Veterans in its many positions throughout the company. As we continue to grow we look forward to increasing the ranks of these amazing men and women. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a dynamic, creative and inspiring group of professionals.
Onwards and upwards! The Bokeh South Africa International Fashion Film Festival 2018 is prepped and ready to take you on a magic rollercoaster ride into the world of fashion film and glamour like never before!

By: Bokeh SA International Film Festival

Bokeh Hostesses

Contact

Luxury Brands

***@luxurybrands.co.za Luxury Brands

End

-- The prestigious festival, now in its fifth successful year, is charged and ready to get pulses racing with a host of new activities and international sponsors, culminating in the two prestigious Oscar-style red-carpet gala events to be held consecutively in both Johannesburg and Cape Town for the first time next year."The Festival has grown each year in size and scope and we can confidently say that our local South African production is now the premier global Fashion Film Festival, attracting a host of new best-of-breed partners and entrants from around the world. We are proud to announce that Pernod Ricard has recently aligned with us through Jameson Irish Whisky, as have the iconic Napa Valley winery, Sterling Vineyards, who have been the exclusive wine partner at the Oscarsfor more than 10 years, as well as US media powerhouse FNL Network, who broadcast to over 60-million viewers," enthused Adrian Lazarus, Founder and Managing Director of the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh South Africa International Fashion Film Festival.The evolution of the Festival now incorporates a series of structured monthly showcase events across SA, leading up to the gala events in April 2018. During these events, SA's top local fashion film-making talent will be presented alongside international filmmakers in collaboration with the Bokeh partners. These 'mini-festivals' will deliver high level interaction between industry insiders, invited guests, VIPs, film makers, fashion designers, media and invited Bokeh fans for the full multi-sensory 'Bokeh experience'. The annual calendar of events will create an innovative activation platform showcasing the aligned brand partners' new products and, of course, the latest fashion film submissions from around the world. The events will also feature as an opportunity to create desirable marketing content which will be shared across all platforms and drive the Bokeh Fashion Film message to its fast-growing global audience.Selvin Govender, Marketing Director of Mercedes-Benz Cars, comments: "Mercedes-Benz has proudly been aligned to the Bokeh South Africa International Fashion Film Festival since inception, as the official vehicle sponsor, and we share the same values of precision, performance, and innovation, and the Festival offers us a sensory rich engagement platform to present these core values to a desirable and growing audience."The 10 planned hub events are all part of the lead-up to the ultimate grand finale in 2018, where two spectacular gala events will be hosted in Cape Town and Joburg, one week apart. These two spotlight events will comprise of an invited industry meet-and-greet on the Thursday evening, followed by a director's daytime viewing experience on the Friday. In addition to viewing the chosen fashion films, guests will experience festival master classes, makeup expos as well as industry talks and presentations from top international guest speakers and leading industry professionals. The lead-up events all culminate with the glamorous Oscar-style red-carpet awards shows on 6 and 7 April 2018 in Cape Town, and 13 and 14 April 2018 in Johannesburg."Jameson Irish Whiskey is proud to partner with the Bokeh Fashion Film Festival as part of our continued support within the film community. We felt an alignment to the fearless nature and innovative execution presented by these highly talented filmmakers who express their individuality and reflect their craft without boundaries,"says Daryl Dixon, Jameson Whiskey Marketing Manager.Social media is the all-powerful global communication tool that never sleeps, so keep your eyes peeled as this year features an always-on daily social media feed across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@bokehfff). These channels will publish news, upcoming events, times, new products, featured fans (bloggers, lifestyle media and personalities)and their interaction with our partners' products and brands, competitions, new film fashion and trends, as well as pics and news from upcoming and past social events on the Bokeh calendar.The name Carrol Boyes immediately brings to mind cutting-edge design in pure homeware. Aptly termed Functional Art, it is these iconic sculptures that will be the beautiful awards for the category winners at the 2018 Bokeh Fashion Film Festival. "The creative collaboration between Fashion Film and Functional Art is revolutionary and we are delighted and honored to once again be a part of such an internationally acclaimed festival," comments Taniya Miller, Account Executive at Carrol Boyes.The festival's aim of acknowledging and rewarding upcoming fashion and film talent is set to have more impact and reach than ever, having recently concluded a media deal with FNL media group in the USA, adding $30-million in broadcast value to the existing R60-million coverage generated by the partnership with Luxury Brands for the aligned brands during 2017. The FNL Network is broadcast in the USA to more than 60-million viewers, including those now deployed by cable operators such as Comcast, Charter and DirecTV, Film On TV and shortly, they will also be launching on Amazon Prime.In addition to the stated sponsors, the festival is proud to be aligned with prestigious brands and companies including, Fuji Films, Treasury Wines, M.A.C, Label M, Havaianas, La Vie Water, Segafredo Coffee and Art Lab.For more information or to book tickets go to www.bokehfestival.co.za Facebook: @bokehfff ( https://www.facebook.com/ bokehfff/ Twitter: @bokehfff (https://twitter.com/bokehfff?lang=en)Instagram: @bokehfff (https://www.instagram.com/bokehfff/?hl=en)Hashtags: #bokehfff #bokehfff2018
In Uganda, Siemens' primary goal is to assist the government to increase national power generating capacities and to connect the local population to the power grids.

By: Future Energy Uganda

The opportunity for industrialization in Africa is now

Media Contact

Future Energy Uganda

annemarie.roodbol@ spintelligent.com

+27217003500 Future Energy Uganda+27217003500

End

-- "In Uganda, Siemens' primary goal is to assist the government to increase national power generating capacities and to connect the local population to the power grids. A reliable and extensive power supply system is the fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development, economic growth and job creation." This is according to Sabine Dall'Omo, CEO, Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa, who is a featured panellist at the opening session of the upcomingfrom 13-14 September in Kampala.Siemens is also the diamond sponsor for the meeting platform for project developers, finance houses and multilateral investors, construction and planning companies as well as technology providers from Uganda, the region and from the rest of the world.will demonstrate the proactive nature of Uganda to develop the sector efficiently and effectively.During the World Economic Forum in May this year, Siemens signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Uganda to cooperate in the areas of power supply, industry, transportation and healthcare and to focus on infrastructure investments and partnerships between public and private sectors. More recently, the parties attended a follow-up Lab of Tomorrow workshop in Munich in June to discuss taking the agreement forward.Says Sabine Dall'Omo: "Uganda is a stable country, well integrated into the East African Community. Their economic development is promising and government is carrying out policies to attract business and to create an environment that is conducive to more investment."Siemens is in the process of establishing a permanent office in Uganda to serve as a base for long term collaboration with Ugandan public and private entities. In a further initiative Siemens is joining the Make IT Alliance of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development to promote start-ups and technology companies across the African continent."Siemens is a company that invests for the long term, and we are interested in the long-term fundamentals of these markets and the diversification of their economies," says the Siemens CEO. "The opportunity for industrialization in Africa is now. It is estimated that Africa imports one third of the food, beverages and other similar processed goods it consumers. The potential exists for Africa-based companies to meet this domestic demand and in so doing create sustainable revenue streams and opportunities for job creation."Siemens has been active in Africa for more than 157 years. Today, with more than 3,600 employees based in a total of 15 African countries, the company contributes decisively to the continent's economic development.is officially supported by the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.The event is organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, real estate, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, Future Energy East Africa (formerly EAPIC), Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy Central Africa (formerly iPAD Cameroon), Agritech Expo Zambia, Kenya Mining Forum, Nigeria Mining Week, DRC Mining Week and EduWeek. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.Strategic conference: 13-14 September 2017Venue: Serena Hotel, KampalaWebsites: http://www.future- energy-uganda.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ FutureEnergyHub Linkedin: FutureEnergyAfricaSenior communications manager: Annemarie RoodbolTelephone: +27 21 700 3558Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.com
Managers and Technicians With Precision Door Service of Central Florida Earn National Certification

By: Precision Door Service of Central Florida

Contact

Suzanne Odisho

***@precisiondoor.net Suzanne Odisho

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-- Precision Door Service of Central Florida is now an Accredited Door Dealer and twenty one members of the team have successfully completed the IDEA Residential Door Systems Certification from the Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA). The IDEA's mission is to serve the general public by promoting door dealer professionalism through education, accreditation and certification.IDEA Residential Installer Certification is available to individuals who can document training and demonstrate a high degree of knowledge and expertise in the installation and service of residential garage door systems. Residential Installer Certification was created by IDEA in 2002 to promote safety and home security among technicians employed by door and access systems dealers. Candidates must pass a comprehensive written examination covering all aspects of garage door installation, including safety features required in all new garage door installations residential applications.*Ryan Homan, Operations Manager*Charlie Merino, Installation ManagerAndrew Hecker, Lead TechnicianEric Heinz, Lead Technician*Dylan May, Lead TechnicianKurt Beckwith, Service TechnicianAustin Brubaker, InstallerSteven Coots, Service TechnicianRobert Fagan, Service TechnicianBlake Furukawa, Service TechnicianJamyz Gill, InstallerEvan Herkert, Lead InstallerPhillip Hough, InstallerScott Mayhew, Service TechnicianNicklaus McAdory, Service TechnicianJacob Meldrum, Service TechnicianMatthew Normand, InstallerGary Padula, InstallerChris Salcido, Door EstimatorThomas Scott, Service TechnicianAlex Wheeler, Installer* team members that are IDEA Certified Train-The-TrainersBryan Hanna, Precision Door Service corporate's Director of New Business Development states, "It's awesome to see the team effort that included the management, installers, and technicians. Central Florida joins a growing list of Precision Door Service locations that have their team certified."Precision Door Service of Central Florida proudly services customers in the following counties: Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia, and Sumter.Visit the website for more information, coupons and special discount offers.Make the right decision. Call Precision. (407) 473-6080The Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA) is a non-profit educational foundation established to serve the needs of the general public through effective professional development within the automated access systems industry, also known as the door and access systems industry. IDEA offers a variety of professional credentialing programs, including Dealer Accreditation, Certified Door Dealer Consultant (for manufacturers), Residential Installer Certification, Commercial Sectional Door Systems Technician Certification, Commercial Rolling Door Systems Technician Certification, Rolling Steel Fire Door Technician Certification and Automated Gate Operator Installer Certification. IDEA also is the education and training arm of the industry, having produced hundreds of professional development seminars since 1997, and developed training videos for residential installers and commercial operator technicians.With 89 locations servicing more than 1000 doors per day, Precision Door Service is the nation's leading garage door repair company. Precision Door Service provides consumers the highest levels of customer service and value for all garage door needs, specializing in garage door repair, new garage door installment, and repair and replacement of garage door openers. The Precision Door Service mission is to provide outstanding garage door repair service and complete customer satisfaction.
Contact

Tiffany Ivins, Redfish Builders

***@redfishbuilders.com Tiffany Ivins, Redfish Builders

End

-- This past weekend the USGBC held its annual Green Homes Tour in Salt Lake City and the Living Zenith at Liberty Park community was flooded with tour goers looking to see the best and brightest when it comes to green home development."We were thrilled with the turnout at this year's Tour, especially with the audience that visited our Liberty Park community," said Mitchell Spence co-owner of Redfish Builders, the exclusive builder of homes under the Living Zenith brand.Five Living Zenith Homes were on display at the tour, including the first occupied home in what is Utah's only community currently in existence explicitly built to passive house and net-zero standards, which means it has the capacity to produce as much energy as it consumes in a year. Four homes remain under construction to be completed this fall.The larger than expected stream of visitors started at 11 am on Saturday and demonstrates how demand is growing rapidly for homes that adhere to a green and sustainable build approach. In fact, all of the four remaining Living Zenith homes have already been presold and Redfish Builders says they cannot keep up with demand as the interest in their future communities is only growing. The next planned Living Zenith community near the hip 9th and 9th neighborhood in Salt Lake City is already getting almost daily inquiries and has not even begun to list individual units yet.The tour included several other developers who displayed housing methods that ranged from high-end efficiency to energy generation, sustainable materials practices and low toxin finishes. All of which support the mission of the US Green Building Council, the organizer of the event.The Redfish Builders team ( http://redfishbuilders.com ) hopes that their efforts in home building can show that a more sustainable, responsible and health oriented approach to building are ready to be adopted by the vast majority of Utahns.For those who were unable to make the Green Homes Tour, there is still a chance to engage with the major players in Utah's green building movement. This Thursday, August 24th from 6pm to 8pm the USGBC is hosting a Green Drinks event where those interested in green building can network and share ideas. Visit the Living Zenith website to get details.About: Living Zenith is a movement focused on "Greener Building for Better Living." Redfish Builders focuses on innovation in the areas of home efficiency, energy generation, indoor air quality and modern design. Founded in 2016, the brand has won multiple innovation and design awards and has plans for three more communities in the Salt Lake area and other communities across the state of Utah. Visit http://livingzenith.com to learn more.
The Slovak investment volume reached only 154 million in H1 2017. A number of transactions, across all sectors currently in various stages of the transaction process are estimated to be worth ca. 350 million and should fall into H2 2017. The total investment volume in 2017 is expected to be

[]
Born in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, these six authorsYu Hua, Mai Jia, Liu Zhenyun, Xu Zechen, Sheng Keyi, and Chen Ranare facing the implications and long aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, considering the pressures of global capitalism, and exploring the tension between tradition and change in their novels. Some of them are already well known in the United States, with multiple books translated and published by trade, university, and independent presses, as well as write-ups, reviews, and profiles in major news outlets and literary publications. Others will be new to most American readers.

Lin Liying, vice president of China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation, spoke to PW about these authors. Yu Hua, Liu Zhenyun, Mai Jia, Xu Zechen, Sheng Keyi, and Chen Ran are highly representative authors of contemporary Chinese literature, Liying says. Their writing styles are quite different but all are very readable, exhibiting the international standards of Chinese literature. There are literary salons featuring Chinese authors at the Beijing International Book Fair each year.

Here is a brief look at these six leading Chinese authors. We will also preview an important book by each of them.

Yu Hua

Yu Hua is one of Chinas most famous contemporary writers. Born in 1960, Yu Hua is the child of doctors and initially began a career in dentistry before turning to fiction. His major books include Chronicle of a Blood Merchant, considered one of the most influential Chinese novels of the 1990s; To Live, of which there are more than six million copies in print and which was made into a film by director Zhang Yimou; Brothers; and The Seventh Day.

Hua is part of a generation of writers who, beginning in the 1980s, reimagined Chinese literature. His novels, which began appearing slightly later, in the 1990s, are spare, carefully crafted, and often deal with the implications of the Cultural Revolution. More recent books by Yu Hua have boldly addressed contemporary Chinese society, including issues surrounding capitalism and materialism.

Yu Huas novels have been translated into many languages and have received international awards and honors, including the Italian Premio Grinzane Cavour and Giuseppe Acerbi prizes and the French Prix Courrier International. In 2004 he was made a chevalier de lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. Hua is also a prolific essayist and has contributed op-ed pieces to the New York Times.

Mai Jia

Mai Jia is the pen name of Jiang Benhu, who was born in 1964. Jiang Benhu is a hugely popular thriller writer in China. For 17 years he worked in an intelligence unit of the Peoples Liberation Army, and this experience deeply informs his books, which frequently deal with spycraft and the interactions between China and the West.

In addition to his intelligence work, Jiang Benhu worked as an editor in television and currently holds executive posts with two Chinese literary organizations. His novels include Decoded and In the Dark, which have both been translated into English, as well as Plot, which won the Mao Dun Prize in 2008. Many of his books have been adapted for television and film.

Chen Ran

Born in 1962 in Beijing, Chen Ran is known for daring portrayals of female experience in China in short stories, novels, and works of nonfiction. Her work addresses a wide range of topics, from lesbian sexuality to the challenges of the mother-daughter relationship, employing dreams, visions, and emotional traumas as allegorical vehicles with which to convey pointed social critique.

Her first full-length novel, Private Life, was published in 1996 and is the story of a young womans emotional and sexual awakening in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. It was a divisive work that nevertheless propelled the author to literary stardom. Among her other works are the four-volume Collected Works of Chen Ran and Bits and Pieces, a collection of essays.

Xu Zechen

Born in 1978, Xu Zechen is the author of several novels about the underbelly of contemporary urban life in Chinas largest cities. He is considered one of the rising stars in the Chinese literary scene and has also held residencies and taught in the United States, at Creighton University in Nebraska in 2009 and at the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in 2010.

His books include Midnights Door and Heaven on Earth, as well as Running Through Beijing, which is available in English. His most recent book is Jerusalem. His books have been translated into German, Korean, Dutch, Japanese, and Mongolian.

Sheng Keyi

Sheng Keyi is part of a new generation of Beijing literati born in the 1970s and challenging official versions of historical events through allegorical fiction. Her best-known book is Death Fugue, a political allegory that recalls Aldous Huxleys Brave New World, according to the New York Times.

Her novel Northern Girls, which looks at the life of a migrant worker, is based on some of the authors own experiences, as well as those of others. It was translated into English and published by Penguin in 2012, when it was shortlisted for the Man Asia Literary Prize.

Since Northern Girls was translated, Keyi has garnered significant attention in the U.S., with a write-up and review in the New York Times and an essay-length consideration of her work and the larger Chinese fiction scene in the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Liu Zhenyun

Liu Zhenyun, an award-winning short fiction writer and novelist, was born in 1958. In his work, he explores the clash between tradition and contemporary Chinese culture. His first novel, Tapu Township, was published in 1982 and deals with the struggles of young people due to the Cultural Revolution.

Liu Zhenyun became increasingly well-known after his novels Chicken Feathers Everywhere and Working Unit were adapted as a popular TV drama series in 1994. Several of his other books were also adapted for TV and film, including Cell Phone, which became a blockbuster. His novel One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences was awarded the 2011 Mao Dun Literature Prize and sold more than 1.5 million copies.

Check next week's issue for previews of books by contemporary Chinese authors.
(Natural News) Supposedly, 13 million Americans (or around five percent of our population) had undergone a near-death experience (NDE) by 1992, with around 200,000 people reporting such a phenomenon annually. Coming back from the dead, as it were, is a popular topic in media and has intrigued scientists for quite some time. Even extending beyond science, the thought of something other than what we perceive in this dimension is fascinating. It calls into question the concept of an afterlife, or at least makes us take a look at the fundamental laws of physics a little bit closer. No matter how you spin it, these NDEs are imbibed with spiritual or religious undertones. Many survivors of these experiences talk about what they saw and how these visions (for lack of a better word) changed their perceptions of life. (Related: Life after death is real, concludes scientific study of 2,000 patients.)

Quite interestingly, a paper entitled, The Mystical Impact of Near-Death Experiences, which recorded the encounters of residents in both the United States and India, found no direct relationship between religiousness and deathbed visions; although they did find that an individuals belief system influenced the interpretation of the experience, the paper concluded.

Reading through a thread on Reddit may provide a unique insight on what happens when we die (or are pronounced clinically dead). These reports range from peaceful to the more horrific. User juninkun writes that he actually visited Hell and the experience left him believing in the afterlife. He recalls, about twenty years ago, I purposefully ODd on a lot of meds [sic]. Im not sure if I died during my sleep or what, but I remember being in hell. The devil was a giant fire ant walking on lavawhich is strange because I was never really afraid of ants except for a time when I was like 5 years ago and fell in a fire ant bed and was in the ER for shock. Ive only shared that memory with three or four people in my life. I think it would scare most people to think I know I am going to hell because I know there is an afterlife. [sic]

Scary though this vision was, several other Reddit users downplayed his conclusion of an afterlife. User mom0nga attempted to soothe frantic people by telling juninkun, I dont know what, if any, religious beliefs you subscribe to, but maybe that dream/experience was merely a warning to avoid hell, or maybe it was just a dream. Either way, I wouldnt assume that youre going to hell just because of that vision.

Other reports are less hair-raising. For the most part, survivors talk about seeing nothing but feeling incredibly peaceful. Some are given a choice to stay or go back, as with user JimmiDog. I realized I was being given a choice between staying in that place forever or going back to my parents. I wanted to stay in this beautiful peaceful place but I chose to go back, he wrote.

A similarity among all these stories, however, remains that all of them report believing in an afterlife after their NDE. This complete change in thinking (for some) prompted drastic changes in lifestyle and personal habits. This is not so surprising, says author of the previously mentioned paper. NDErs describe themselves as more religious than they were before[and while] NDErs did not report any change in their religiosity as a result of their close encounter with deaththere is a heightened inward religious feelingwhich does not seem to require a conventional religious format for it to be manifested.

According to Raymond Moody, the psychiatrist who coined the term in the 1970s, there are 15 elements that are usually present in a typical NDE: hearing oneself pronounced dead, ineffability, hearing unusual noises, a feeling of peace, seeing a dark tunnel, meeting spiritual beings, encountering a bright light, being out of the body, a panoramic life review, cities of lights, a realm of knowing everything, seeing bewildered spirits, witnessing a border between dimensions, a supernatural rescue, and coming back into the body.

The two stages of dead

Almost all NDEs occur when a person is pronounced clinically dead. This is the first step in the process known as death. Clinical death lasts for around four to six minutes and starts when the person stops breathing and the heart stops pumping blood. Organs such as the kidneys are still alive during this stage.

Biological death is the second stage and begins when the body begins to degenerate. The brain begins to shut down as it runs out of oxygen.

Read more stories like this on MindBodyScience.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Reddit.com

LiveScience.com

TheEpochTimes.com

NewDualism.org
New bookstore opens in Memphis; store planned for Maine; The Strand's secrets; the Cairo bookstore that delivers; and more.

New Store Opens in Tennessee: Novel Bookstore has opened in Memphis in the former location as The Booksellers at Laurelwood, which closed earlier this year.

Maine to Get a New Bookstore: Quill Books and Beverage, a new independent bookstore and bar, will open in Westbrook, outside Portland, later this year.

The Secrets of the Strand: The New York City bookseller celebrates its 90th anniversary this year and the website Untapped Cities lists 21 "secrets" from its past.

Egyptian Bookstore Offers Home Delivery: The Azbakeya Bookstore in Cairo, which offers books in both English and Arabic, now offers delivery.

Gaiman Secretly Signs Books at JFK Airport: Earlier this week, a Facebook post, author Neil Gaiman revealed that he signed all copies in all Hudson News outlets in Terminal 4, Concourse B.
The recent news about North Koreaan accelerating nuclear program, overheated rhetoric, threats of warreflects one of the most dangerous international crises in decades. The great tragedy is that, 25 years ago, the U.S. brokered an agreement to constrain the North's program. But hard-liners in the U.S., unhappy with its terms, abandoned the deal with a vague intention of coercing North Korea into something better. They never did, and now the U.S. is left with a runaway North Korean program and the very real danger of conflict.

All of this carries important lessons for another urgent foreign policy challenge: The U.S. experience with North Korea offers a powerful reason to preserve the Iranian nuclear deal.

That accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has been the subject of fierce criticism from the president and a range of national security hawks. Some in the Trump administration are reportedly determined to blow up the Iran nonproliferation deal. One report even suggested the president had authorized some aides to write a case, independent of interagency channels, for ditching the JCPOA. The idea, apparently, would be to back out and coerce Iran into a better deal.

But we've been here before. And the North Korean case shows just how dangerous it is to scuttle an imperfect but useful restraint on a nuclear program.

When the U.S. confronted a burgeoning North Korean nuclear program in the 1990s, it entered into negotiations that produced the October 1994 Agreed Framework. North Korea ceased operation of one nuclear reactor, stopped building two bigger ones, surrendered stocks of nuclear materials, and allowed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitoring of its facilities. In exchange it was promised more proliferation-resistant light-water reactors, supplies of oil, U.S. non-aggression assurances, and the prospect of full diplomatic relations with the U.S.

Without the limits imposed by the deal, estimates are that a full-speed North Korean program could have produced hundreds more kilograms of plutonium, and thus dozens more bombs. IAEA inspections provided new information on the North's program. And it laid the foundation for a less confrontational situation in which expanded outside contacts could chip away at the regime's control over North Korean society.

But that never happened, in part because the George W. Bush administration arrived in office skeptical of North Korea and determined to sink the Agreed Framework. It did so in 2002, but had no plan to put in its placejust a nebulous and belligerent notion of confronting North Korea. Pyongyang responded immediately and decisively, firing up its main reactor, expelling IAEA inspectors, sending 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods for reprocessing, and withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Its nuclear program has been in overdrive ever since, leading directly to today's crisis.

Don't throw away a flawed but workable nuclear deal if you are not prepared for the consequences.

In 1994, North Korea was thought to have one or two bombs' worth of plutonium. Today, the estimates ( PDF ) range from 13 to 30 weaponsor even as many as 60, if some recent reports are to be believed. The lesson is clear: Don't throw away a flawed but workable nuclear deal if you are not prepared for the consequences.

Something similar likely awaits the U.S. if it tosses aside the basically effective JCPOA with Iran. It could unilaterally refuse to certify Iran's compliance, effectively scuttling the agreement, or try to provoke Iran into backing out. As with North Korea, this is likely to be accompanied by accusations of cheating, demands for a renegotiated deal with tougher provisions, and calls for changes in Iranian behavior across the board.

Iran could categorically reject such demands and pronounce itself unconstrained by the terms of the JCPOAor publicly take the high road, perhaps working with Europe to preserve the outlines of the deal. Either way, though, it is very likely that Iranian hard-liners, already upset about concessions made in the JCPOA, would redouble their demand to speed up nuclear work. Whatever its public stance, Iran would probably hasten work on secret facilities.

If the deal did completely fall apart, IAEA monitoring systems would be ripped out and the agency's inspections would end. Awareness of Iran's nuclear work would plummet. The Iranian program could surge ahead, built around hard-to-detect secret centrifuge facilities. Iran could make trouble on other fronts as well, such as slowing cooperation on ISIS or causing new problems in Iraq.

The U.S. could try to lever sanctions back into place, but would find itself diplomatically isolated, with China, Russia, and even Europe furious that tough but effective multilateral coordination had been abandoned so cavalierly. The result would be the worst of both worlds: No inspections and no coercive sanctions to get them back.

And within a few years, the U.S. could find itself in a lesser version of today's North Korea crisis: an Iran with a few bombs' worth of nuclear material and a well-established missile force; Washington trying desperately to figure out where its real red lines are; Israel on the verge of a military strike; a fragmented international consensus. The risk of war with Iran and a global diplomatic calamity would be very real.

One goal of effective diplomacy is to avoid situations where the only options are capitulation or war. Sometimes an imperfect compromise is the best way out of such dilemmas. The Bush administration ignored that fact in its North Korea policy, and the world is living with the consequences. In a global context even more dangerous and fractious than in 2002, this is no time to make the same mistake again.

Michael J. Mazarr is a senior political scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.

This commentary originally appeared on Fortune on August 21, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
President Trump addressed the nation on Afghanistan in terms that were distinctly his own, but with a core message very much in the mainstream of American national security policy, one Hillary Clinton might well have issued had last year's election gone differently.

The president opened with a characteristic bit of hyperbole, asserting that the courage of American military heroes is unmatched in human history. Other presidents might have been content to assert that American courage was unsurpassed, rather than unmatched, but the sentiment is otherwise standard fare.

The president talked about winning and offered a plan for victory. But victory was defined as not losing, that is to say, not allowing the Taliban to win.

The president insisted that his administration would not engage in nation-building, but also promised that the United States would continue to provide military and economic aid to the Afghan government. Obama also rejected nation-building in name but not in practice.

The president said, We will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live or how to govern their own complex society. But he also insisted that the American people expect to see real reforms and implicitly conditioned continued American aid on such reforms.

President Trump's Afghan strategy did differ from that of his predecessor in several key respects.

President Trump's Afghan strategy did differ from that of his predecessor in several key respects.

First, he said that the American commitment in Afghanistan would be condition-based, rather than time-based. This is pretty much the same place Obama ended up, but only after years of repeated although sometimes extended withdrawal deadlines. Trump did define his conditions as obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda and preventing a Taliban victory.

The last point was more than Obama was willing to sign on for. In fact, back in 2014, he declared American combat operations over and excluded the Taliban from future targeting.

Trump also took a much harsher line than his predecessors on Pakistan and made a more explicit threat to draw India more heavily into Afghanistan to counterbalance malign Pakistani influence. Whether this will lead Pakistan to draw back or double down on its support for the Taliban remains to be seen, but the president's tougher line is reflective of the long mounting frustration with Pakistani behavior throughout the American national security establishment.

The president promised less micro-management of the war from Washington. This too is a departure from Obama's practice and one on which Trump seems likely to deliver.

In sum, the president has embraced a national security establishment strategy for Afghanistan with a veneer of Trumpian flourishes that do not alter its essence. The result is likely to disappoint some of his core supporters and to be criticized by his Democratic opponents, but it will also secure a measure of bipartisan support. On this issue and in this address at least, President Trump seems to be governing from the center.

James Dobbins, a senior fellow at the RAND Corporation, was President George W. Bush's first special envoy for Afghanistan as well as special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan under President Obama.

This commentary originally appeared on The Hill on August 22, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
MGM Worldwide Television Distribution is headed to this years MIPCOM with three new films and one new television series, all being sold for the first time.





The offerings include The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, a ten-part event series starring Patrick Dempsey and based on the worldwide best-selling novel of the same, name about a literary icon who suddenly finds himself indicted for the murder of a young girl; Nasty Women, based on the original 1988 comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson; Overboard, a remake of the 1980s screwball comedy re-imagined with a reversal of the leading roles starring Anna Faris and Mexican comedy star Eugenio Derbez; and the action-packed Tomb Raider, starring Academy Award-winner Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft.MGM is also selling three additional TV series, including: Get Shorty, a reimagining of Elmore Leonards 1990 New York Times best-selling novel of the same name starring Ray Romano and Chris ODowd; the star-studded drama series Condor, inspired by Paramounts Sydney Pollack 1975 political thriller Three Days of the Condor; and the hilarious format Steve Harveys FUNDERDOME, which was recently acquired by TF1 for a French version.With our top-notch library of scripted and unscripted television series, and strong slate of feature films, MGM continues to be an industry leader offering creative content and bold narratives. We look forward to meeting with our international broadcasters from around the world at this years MIPCOM to share our slate, said Chris Ottinger, MGM president, Worldwide Television Distribution and Acquisitions.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for not setting a timeline in his new strategic plan for Afghanistan. Speaking in Kandahar on August 22, just hours after Trump presented the outline of the strategy in a televised speech, Abdullah said: "America will stand with the Afghan people, to the end." Trump promised a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban insurgents, but he stopped short of talking about troop levels in Afghanistan. He also said he would not tolerate Pakistan giving "safe havens" to extremist groups such as the Afghan Taliban. Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah welcomed Trump's policy and asked for cooperation from neighbors in the region. (RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan)
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has welcomed the United States' "enduring commitment" in Afghanistan after U.S. President Donald Trump outlined a strategy for the war-wracked country.

In an August 22 statement, Ghani thanked Trump and the American people for supporting "our joint struggle to rid the region [of] the threat of terrorism."

"The U.S.-Afghan partnership is stronger than ever," he added.

During his first formal address to the nation on August 21, Trump backtracked from his campaign pledge to end the United States' longest war as he appeared to commit the country to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan.

However, he sidestepped an announcement on U.S. troops levels in Afghanistan, saying he would not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on August 22 that he was waiting for a plan from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before he makes a decision on how many additional troops to send to Afghanistan.

"When he brings that to me, I will determine how many more we need to send in, he said during a visit to Baghdad. It may or may not be the number that is bandied about."

The Pentagon has recommended sending nearly 4,000 new troops.

Since peaking at about 100,000 troops in 2010-11, the U.S. force in Afghanistan has diminished. The United States currently maintains 8,400 troops there -- a cap set last year by then-President Barack Obama.

About 5,000 non-U.S. NATO forces are also still in the country, but Britain and other European allies have pledged additional contributions to the alliances Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan in recent weeks.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Trumps new, conditions-based approach to Afghanistan and the region.

"Our aim remains to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who would attack our own countries," he said in a statement.

"The U.S. commitment is very welcome," British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement, adding that it is "in all our interests that Afghanistan become more prosperous and safer."

The German government said it was welcoming "the United States' readiness to continue its long-term commitment in Afghanistan."

A statement also pressed for Kabul to step up its reform and anticorruption efforts and to "seek dialogue with the parts of the Taliban that are prepared for a peaceful reconciliation."

In his speech, Trump warned that Washington will no longer tolerate Pakistan offering "safe havens" to extremist groups such as the Afghan Taliban, a claim Islamabad denies.

At a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan on August 22, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif "reiterated Pakistan's...desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan" and pledged to "work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism," the Foreign Ministry said.

But some Pakistani lawmakers sharply criticized Trump's address.

The people of Pakistan have suffered the most due to war and terrorism, Senator Sirajul Haq, leader of the Jamat-e-Islami party, told RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal. Instead of sympathizing with our people, [the Americans] are taunting us and scratching our wounds.

"We do not think this policy will render any good to regional peace or the people," Haq said.

Asked about Trump's speech, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying defended Beijing's ally Pakistan, saying it had made "great sacrifices" and "important contributions" in the fight against terrorism.

The U.S. president also said he wanted to "further develop its strategic partnership with Pakistan's archrival, India, and get New Delhi to "help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development."

India, one of Kabul's closest allies, had spent billions on aid and infrastructure projects in Afghanistan.

The Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it welcomed Trump's "determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges faced by Afghanistan and in confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists" -- without naming Pakistan.

It also reaffirmed New Delhis policy of supporting the government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country."

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid dismissed Trump's strategy as "nothing new" and told the United States to think of an exit strategy "instead of continuing the war."

The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 after invoking NATO's Article 5 clause on collective self-defense following the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

The U.S.-led campaign overthrew the Islamist Taliban government, which was hosting Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his group's training camps.

But U.S. forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Obama, and now Trump.

A U.S. report found earlier this year that the Taliban controls or contests control of about 40 percent of the country.

U.S. military and intelligence officials are concerned that a withdrawal or reduced presence of U.S. forces would give the Taliban the upper hand in the current standoff and allow Al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants to use Afghanistan as a base for plotting attacks on the United States and its allies.

The strategy in Afghanistan was complicated by internal differences over whether the United States should take a harder line toward Pakistan for failing to shut down alleged Afghan Taliban sanctuaries and arrest Afghan extremist leaders.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, Reuters, AP, and AFP
(Natural News) A murder-suicide is being implicated in the ongoing and growing opioid addiction crisis besmirching Indiana. Michael Jarvis shot Dr. Todd Graham after the latter refused to prescribe opioids to the formers wife to help alleviate her chronic pain. Jarvis later committed suicide. The police are still investigating if drug addiction played a role in the killing and caution the public not to jump to conclusions.

In a press conference, St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter said that Jarvis and his wife had visit Dr. Graham last July 26. Jarvis wife had been complaining of severe pain and asked Dr. Graham to prescribe her a few opioids for relief. Dr. Graham refused. The couple left soon afterwards. Allegedly, Jarvis drove back a few hours later; this time, armed with a gun. The two argued in the parking lot. Two witnesses saw the argument and were ordered by Jarvis to leave.

Police say that Jarvis then shot Dr. Graham and drove to a friends home, where he gave indication that he was no longer going to be around. The friend became concerned and notified the police. However, Jarvis had already shot himself in his home before the police arrived.

Jarvis wife is not being seen as a suspect in the crime. Investigators believe she had no knowledge of her husbands intentions to murder the doctor or take his own life.

Law enforcement officers are pursuing the avenue that Jarvis may have wanted the drugs for himself. Cotter addressed the media by saying, theres some indication that Jarvis may have also had his own issues. Were still investigating that.were talking about a man who made a choice to kill another person. Were not talking about the opioid problemwas that a contributing factor in his decision? We dont know that yet.

Dr. Graham was a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at the South Bend Orthopaedics. He was 56 and is survived by his wife and three children.

A growing crisis

The Midwestern state has seen a nearly 60 percent increase in opioid overdose E.R. visits in only five years. The Indiana State Department of Health estimate that the states emergency room sees around 400 overdose visits a week; a number, they say, that is only expected to rise as access to illegal drugs and opioids becomes easier. (Related: The United States has crossed the pandemic threshold in the opioid epidemicand Big Pharma keeps cashing in.)

Gov. Eric Holcomb recently added five addiction centers to help treat opioid addicts, including the use of controversial drug methadone as a treatment. If I could only accomplish but one thing in my time, it would be to bend that trajectory [of increased overdose deaths], to bend that arc down on the course that were currently on, he told IndyStar.

Critics of this controversial decision say that addicts are just trading one addiction for another. Nevertheless, Indiana officials say that medication-assisted methadone-use can help addicts wean from their drug habit after federally-approved drugs Suboxone and Vivitrol. One interesting fact to consider is that methadone is also the cheapest option among the three drugs. Dr. Jennifer Walthall, secretary of the Family and Social Administration, insists on the treatment, saying, we have said over and over that we wanted all the tools in the toolbox. She says that addicts should have all treatment options available to them.

There are patients who have used methadone to help treat their opioid addiction and say that the drug has helped give their lives back.

The future of healthcare in the state is still unclear.

Read more stories like this on DangerousMedicine.com.

Sources include:

TheDailySheeple.com

WashingtonPost.com

IndyStar.com 1

IndyStar.com 2
Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetian has said that his government remains very determined to sign an agreement on deepening Armenias links with the European Union.

We are going to sign," Karapetian told journalists on August 21 when visiting a pro-government youth camp in the central spa town of Tsaghkadzor.

The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was finalized by Armenian and EU officials in Yerevan in March. It is due to be signed during an EU summit in Brussels in November.

The CEPA is a less ambitious alternative to an Association Agreement negotiated by Armenian and EU officials in 2013. President Serzh Sarkisian unexpectedly scuttled that deal in September 2013 after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Yerevan.

In January 2015, Armenia joined the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).

Asked whether Yerevan might abandon the CEPA as well at the last minute, Karapetian said: Can there be developments that will prevent the signing? I dont see them at the moment.

In June, the chairwoman of an Armenian parliament committee on European integration, Naira Zohrabian, said that the key CEPA provisions have been discussed by Yerevan and Moscow and Russia did not object to them.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry has invited observers from several countries to the Zapad 2017 joint Belarusian-Russian military exercise that takes place September 14-20 in Belarus, but NATO has said such efforts "fall short."

"Observers from seven countries -- Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, and Norway -- have been invited to this event," the Belarusian Defense Ministry said in an August 22 statement.

Russia and Belarus say that Zapad 2017 is expected to involve some 12,700 soldiers.

The Belarusian statement said on August 22 that the invitation came as part of the 2011 Vienna Document, which sets thresholds for the number of troops allowed to take part in exercises before the opposing side is allowed to demand a mandatory inspection.

Exercises involving 13,000 or more troops are subject to mandatory inspections. In the case of exercises involving 9,000 or more soldiers, the other side must be notified.

Meanwhile, a NATO official told RFE/RL on August 22 that Belarus has invited military liaison missions to attend "distinguished visitors days" -- when foreign officials such as attaches can come and visit -- during the Zapad 2017 exercise, and that NATO will send two experts to attend.



However, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because NATO officials are not allowed to speak on the record unless instructed to do so, said that the participation of NATO experts "is not the same as observation as set out in the Vienna Document."

"We regret that neither Russia nor Belarus have applied the Vienna Document transparency measures to Zapad, in line with the rules agreed by all OSCE states," the official said.



"The Vienna Document transparency measures are important because they prevent misperceptions and miscalculations.

"A Vienna Document observation has required elements to it -- briefings on the scenario and progress, opportunities to talk to individual soldiers about the exercise, and overflights of the exercise.

"Russia and Belarus are instead choosing a selective approach that falls short. Such avoidance of mandatory transparency raises questions," the official said.

Lithuania's Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis warned in June that Moscow might use the maneuvers as cover for an aggressive troop buildup on NATO's eastern flank. Karoblis said his government estimated that 100,000 Russian troops would be involved in the exercises, rather than the official 12,700.

Formerly Soviet-ruled Baltic states worry that, after Ukraine, they may be next to face pressure from the Kremlin, which is why they are casting a wary eye on Zapad 2017 drills in Belarus, which borders Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

With reporting by Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels, AFP, BELTA, Interfax, and TASS
They're arguing about milk. They're quarreling about customs. And they're squabbling about ports.

For two countries that are supposed to be close allies, who are part of a "union state," and who are about to hold massive joint military exercises, Russia and Belarus sure do seem to be bickering a lot.

As Russian troops arrived in Belarus for next month's Zapad-2017 war games, Russia banned some Belarusian dairy products.

Vladimir Putin also publicly pressured Belarus to export its refined petroleum products via Russian ports, rather than those in the Baltic states, as Minsk prefers.

And Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka used a recent interview on the Kremlin-controlled Rossia-24 state television channel to lash out at Moscow over the behavior of Russian customs officials and border guards.

Meanwhile, rather than showcasing unity between Moscow and Minsk, the upcoming Zapad-2017 war games seem to be highlighting their differences.

Belarus appears to be bending over backwards to make the exercises as transparent as possible and to reassure Minsk's Western neighbors that they won't be used as a platform for mischief.

Russia appears intent on using the war games as a psyop.

The ongoing discord between Minsk and Moscow is a stark barometer of the widening gap between Russia and its neighbors.

Because, let's face it, Belarus ain't Ukraine and it ain't Georgia.

It's a Russian client and it's pretty safe to say that it won't be seeking NATO or EU membership anytime soon.

In fact, it's often said that Russia wants to turn Ukraine and Georgia into Belarus.

Well, Belarus already is Belarus. And the fact that its relations with Moscow are so persistently rocky speaks volumes.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
A fake article attributing explosive claims about Russia to the former chief of British intelligence was quickly debunked last week after it appeared on a site that looked nearly identical to that of the British newspaper The Guardian.

But that didnt stop one of Russias most famous television personalities from citing the fake article, which included fabricated quotes -- often in clunky English -- attributed to former MI6 head John Scarlett about an alleged secret plan aimed at collapsing Russia.

Vladimir Solovyov, the host of one of Russias most popular political talk shows, opened a discussion by citing the claims in the hoax article during the August 20 broadcast of Sunday Evening, his weekly program.

The show aired at least five days after a Guardian spokesman confirmed it was "a fake story...on a fake site purporting to be The Guardian" and two days after a Guardian article quoted experts saying they suspected "Kremlin supporters" were to blame.

An interview was published -- some say its true, some say its not -- that says a rather noted former English spy says that their plans after the [2008] war in Georgia were the following: seize the Caucasus, use the Caucasus to break apart Russia, and use radical Islam as a weapon, Solovyov said.

WATCH: Solovyovs comments can be seen around the 12:30 mark.

It was quite a stretch for the TV and radio host, who has been granted high-profile interviews with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to suggest there was some debate about the veracity of the quotes attributed to Scarlett.

The fake article in question appeared on August 12 on a website faithfully mimicking the actual Guardian site and using a URL that, on first glance, could be mistaken for the real one used by the newspaper. (The hoax site used a Turkish character in place of the 'i' in the publications actual URL, theguardian.com.)

The fabricated quotes attributed to Scarlett lay out an alleged British-U.S. conspiracy to use the rise of Mikheil Saakashvili, the pro-Western former president of Georgia, in 2003 and a fictitious quarrel between Ukraine and Russia as part of a strategy for Russias re-disintegration.

Days after it was published under the headline Former MI6 Chief Admits Defeat To Putin On The Russia Fragmentation Strategic Plan, the hoax was debunked by The Guardian.

Then word of the deception appeared in Russian on the Kremlin-loyal national broadcaster Ren-TV's website on August 15, just hours after it published a report suggesting Scarlett had given the interview to the actual Guardian.

The only outright defense of the fake article publicly proffered by any of the parties involved came from an individual who claimed to have translated the hoax into Russian.

"Seems like the Guardian has two websites --, a real one and a fake one -- and they did it themselves," BuzzFeed quoted the individual as saying in its investigation into the hoax.

The BuzzFeed investigation found that the fake article was linked to other fabricated articles -- also translated into Russian -- that were made to appear as if they were published by prominent foreign media outlets.

Solovyov was quickly called out for lending credence to the fake Guardian article after his August 20 program aired, including in an article in the popular Russian daily newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets headlined: Solovyov Passed Off Fake Interview As Real Plan To Break Up Russia.

Aleksei Kovalyov, the proprietor of Noodle Remover, a project that debunks fallacious Russian media reports, regularly tracks anti-Western articles of dubious veracity and origin that are translated and picked up by prominent Russian news outlets.

Kovalyov, who is also critical of what he sees as overzealous attempts to blame the Kremlin for political discord in the West, wrote in an August 21 blog post that the fake Guardian article was thrown out there specifically so that people like Solovyov can lie about it on television.

Solovyov, for his part, took to Twitter to defend himself from critics who pilloried him for citing the hoax article.

These days its difficult to verify practically any facts, he wrote in an August 21 tweet. Referencing it, I expressed doubt. This gave viewers a chance to check it out for themselves and decide.
President Donald Trump laid out a plan on August 21 for waging what has become the longest war in U.S. history in an eagerly awaited address on U.S. "strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia."

The U.S. leader vowed to "win" the 16-year-old Afghan conflict, but he imposed no timeline on the commitment, saying "a core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions."

"From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating [militant Islamist group Islamic State, or] ISIS, crushing Al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge," Trump said.

He did not offer "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities." He also chided Pakistan for allegedly providing "safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," pledging to "change the approach and how to deal with" Islamabad.

Here are five key takeaways from Trump's speech at the Fort Myer military base near Washington:

1. From Rapid Withdrawal To Uncertain Time Frame

In outlining his new strategy, Trump recommitted the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, saying U.S. forces must "fight to win" the war.

During the presidential campaign, candidate Trump repeatedly called for a rapid U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. He said the war was a huge waste of U.S. "blood and treasure," even declaring on Twitter, "Let's get out!"

INFOGRAPHIC: Surge, Drawdown, Increase? U.S. Troops In Afghanistan (click to view)

Trump acknowledged during his address that his "original instinct was to pull out," but he said he reconsidered because a U.S. exit would create a vacuum that Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) militants would "instantly fill."

Ahmad K. Majidyar, a Middle East and South Asia analyst at the Middle East Institute in Washington, describes the shift to "an enduring commitment without arbitrary withdrawal timelines" as a move that "will convey the right message to both friends and enemies in Afghanistan and the broader region."

2. Tougher Stance On Islamabad

Trump saved his strongest words for Pakistan, which U.S. officials accuse of sheltering the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, considered the most lethal Afghan extremist group. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens," Trump said. "[Pakistan] has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists."

Before Trumps decision, proposals made by U.S. officials were reported to include the United States launching a review of whether to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism. Such a designation would have triggered harsh U.S. sanctions, including a ban on arms sales and an end to U.S. economic assistance for Pakistan.

"What stood out from Trumps speech was the straight talk about Pakistan's role in the Afghan war, Americas explicit expectations from Pakistan, and a warning after almost 15 years of dithering and ambiguity," says Omar Samad, an analyst and former Afghan ambassador who has advised senior Afghan officials.

3. Sending A Message To The Taliban

Trump described himself as a "problem solver" in his typical bravado style and vowed to "win" the 16-year war. He said he was dealt a "bad and very complex hand" but "these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win."

He used the word "victory" four times in his 25-minute speech; the word "win" on six other occasions.

Analysts think he may be sending a message.

"Former President Barack Obama's 2009 speech at West Point, which outlined his Afghanistan strategy, didn't mention the word 'victory' even once," says Mohammad Taqi, a Pakistani analyst.

"President Trump -- by reiterating the words victory and win -- has sent a clear message to the Taliban and their backers that the U.S. won't settle for a stalemate," he adds.

4. No More Deadlines

When tuning in to Trump's speech, many expected to hear an announcement on U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan.

Trump, who has criticized his predecessors for setting deadlines for drawing down troops in Iraq and Afghanistan but also hinted at an eagerness to extricate the United States from the Afghan conflict, declined to put a time line on expanded U.S. military operations in Afghanistan.

Trump has previously said deadlines simply give the enemy an opportunity to bide their time.

"Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out," the U.S. president said. "I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will."

"Everyone expected an announcement on numbers," says Samad, "but to keep that factor ambiguous is a smart tactic, as is the case with end-of-mission dates."

5. Opening For India?

In a surprise overture that could cause shudders in Islamabad, Trump said he wanted India to "help us more with Afghanistan." He said he wanted to "further develop its strategic partnership with India" get New Delhi to send more economic assistance and development to Afghanistan.

New Delhi has poured billions of dollars into the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, trained hundreds of Afghan officers, and sent Kabul nonlethal weapons and planes.

But any expanded Indian role in Afghanistan could set off alarm bells in rival Pakistan, along with India a nuclear power that is always suspicious of New Delhis activities in the region.

Pakistan fears being sandwiched between to hostile neighbors and has attempted to establish pro-Pakistani governments in Afghanistan like the Taliban.
TBILISI -- Georgia is getting help from neighboring countries to fight a wildfire that doubled in size in a day.

Prime Minister Girogi Kvirikashvili said on August 22 that two helicopters from Turkey and one from Azerbaijan joined two Georgian helicopters battling the blaze in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park.

Kvirikashvili also said a specially equipped firefighting plane was expected to arrive from Turkey and crews of firefighters were on their way from Armenia.

Kvirikashvili added that Russia also offered its help but Tbilisi refused to accept it as "there is no need for that at the moment."

Relations between Georgia and Russia, which fought a five-day war in 2008 over separatist regions in Georgia that are supported by Moscow, remain tense.

The wildfire that broke out on August 20 has expanded to at least 12 hectares, National Forestry Agency chief Tornike Gvazava said. It had been burning on more than five hectares on August 21.

Georgian officials said earlier that high winds and heavy smoke were hampering efforts to contain the blaze.

The steep, rugged landscape of the park in south-central Georgia impedes access for machinery and makes it harder to fight fires.

Wildfires have broken out across the South Caucasus country this summer, including in the capital, amid unusually high temperatures, and neighboring Armenia has also been affected.


Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Iran has for the first time admitted that it sent "a small number" of drones to Russia, but it said they were supplied months before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February. Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of using Iranian-made combat drones to destroy civilian infrastructure in Ukraine in recent weeks.

Following Iran's admission, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Tehran was lying about the number of drones it had supplied Russia. He said Ukrainian air defenses shoot down at least 10 Iranian-made drones every day. The U.S. envoy to Iran, Rob Malley, said Iran had transferred dozens of drones to Russia in recent months and deployed military personnel to help Russia use the drones.

Why It Matters: Iran's decision to supply combat drones -- and potentially ballistic missiles -- to Russia is a sign of the deepening ties between Tehran and Moscow. Both countries, which have pledged to work together against the West, have been hit by international sanctions and isolation.

The move also reflects Tehran's policy of looking to the East -- turning to allies Russia and China -- after then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions in 2018.

Ali Vaez, the director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, told me Tehran has concluded that Russia's potential defeat in Ukraine would "weaken Iran." Raz Zimmt, a research associate at Tel Aviv University, said Tehran is looking to exploit Russia's "weakness in Ukraine in order to make their relations with Moscow more equal and beneficial toward Iran."

He added that Tehran can also "now show that it has the ability of using its military asymmetric capabilities even outside the Middle East."

What's Next: Britain and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Iran for supplying Iranian-made drones to Russia that are being used in attacks on Ukraine. Tehran could face further punitive measures from the West, but it is unlikely to change course.

Henry Rome, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told me that "Iran probably calculates that the strategic and security benefits outweigh greater opprobrium from the West." Rome also said Iran's decision to send drones to Russia allows Tehran to deepen its relationship with Moscow, "a country that the leadership likely considers essential to Iran's geopolitical and security interests, especially in a world in which the [nuclear deal] is not revived."

Stories You Might Have Missed

A new investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, found that the Iranian combat drones Russia is deploying in its war against Ukraine use Western components, raising questions about how Tehran obtains this technology despite sanctions. Iran's Mohajer-6 drones contain components produced by companies from the United States and the European Union, both of which have sanctions restricting the export of such technology to Iran.

A resident of Iran's Kurdistan region, Yahya Rahimi, was allegedly shot dead by security forces for honking his car horn in support of the ongoing anti-government protests. His father, Ahmad Rahimi, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the authorities had pressured him to declare his son was a member of the Basij paramilitary forces, a branch of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), in an apparent attempt to blame his death on protesters.

What We're Watching

Iranian lawmakers urged the judiciary on November 6 to "deal decisively" with anti-government protesters as the authorities struggle to suppress the biggest show of dissent in years. A majority of 227 lawmakers from Iran's 290-seat, hard-line parliament made the request. The lawmakers called for the judiciary to enforce the Islamic "eye for an eye" retribution law. Separately, a judicial spokesman said sentences against "rioters" should create "regrets" and teach them a lesson.

Why It Matters: At least 300 people have been killed and several thousand arrested in the state's violent crackdown on nationwide protests since mid-September. Yet, the protests have continued. The call by lawmakers for harsher sentences appears to be an attempt by the establishment to stoke fear and pressure protesters to end the rallies.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,



Golnaz Esfandiari



If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.
Iraqi troops on August 22 recaptured from the Islamic State extremist group the first three districts of the city of Tal Afar, as U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Baghdad in a show of support.

The United Nations said thousands of civilians had fled Tal Afar in the two days since the start of the broad offensive backed by the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS.

After meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in Baghdad, Mattis said IS militants were "on the run."

"Cities have been liberated, people freed from ISIS, from Daesh," Mattis said, using alternative names for IS.

The militants had not been able "to stand up to our team in combat, and they have not retaken one inch of ground that they lost," he said.

Iraqi troops backed by a U.S.-led international coalition dislodged IS from Mosul last month after a nine-month fight for Iraq's second city.

They launched an offensive August 20 to recapture Tal Afar, once a key IS supply hub between Mosul -- around 70 kilometers further east -- and the Syrian border to the west.

IS fighters inside Tal Afar are estimated to number around 1,000.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has accepted Prime Minister Sooronbai Jeenbekov's resignation and dismissed the government.

Atambaev appointed Deputy Prime Minister Mukhammetkalyi Abulgaziev as interim prime minister on August 22 and asked the outgoing government members to continue carrying out their duties until a new cabinet is formed.

Jeenbekov announced his resignation on August 21, saying that he was stepping down to run for president even though he was not required by law to do so. He registered as a candidate in the October 15 election earlier that day.

A former governor of the Osh region in southern Kyrgyzstan, Jeenbekov had been prime minister since April 2016.

He was nominated for the presidency by the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan and was the third hopeful to be officially registered as a candidate.

The other two are Temir Sariev, leader of the Ak Shumkar (White Falcon) party, and Omurbek Babanov, leader of the Respublika -- Ata Jurt (Republic -- Homeland) parliamentary faction.

The final list of registered candidates is to be made public on September 10.

Atambaev, who has been in office since December 2011, is constitutionally barred from running for a second term in the Central Asian country of 5.7 million.

Controversy has been cast over the election by the August 16 conviction of opposition politician Omurbek Tekebaev on bribery charges his party says were aimed to keep him off the ballot.

Tekebaev was sentenced to eight years in prison in a ruling that bars him from running in the October election and the next presidential vote, due to be held in 2023.
(Natural News) Utilizing solar power can save homes around 600 British Pounds ($775) in electricity bills every year. This was the conclusion made by a team of researchers from the Swansea University who found that installing solar storage technologies in buildings could cut energy consumption by more than 60 percent. The concept has already been proven in the U.K.s first energy-positive classroom, which they called the Active Classroom. This structure combined solar roof and battery storage to collect heat from their south-facing walls. In only six months, Active Classroom has generated more energy than it has consumed.

U.K. engineers are looking to apply the same technology in homes. If the transition is successful, it could have a dramatic impact not only to how we build structures but how we can preserve the environment.

The social housing development, named Active Homes Neath, will be developed by Pobl Group, the largest housing association in Wales. The project has already been granted planning permission and is set to be the first major housing development that optimizes solar technology at such a massive scale. Its designs are mostly based on Active Classrooms current technology. Active Homes will feature several solar roofs, shared battery storage, and even the potential for electric car charging. Solar heat will be collected from walls that are strategically built facing the south. Waste heat will also be captured and recycled within the building. While the initial building cost could be considered massive (1.3 billion British Pounds or around $1.6 billion), the subsequent energy savings would make the project a sound investment. Residents are scheduled to move in during Spring of 2019.

Active Homes is meant to be the starting point at which the British government will move towards using alternative sources of energy. In the official press release by Swansea University, the main goal of their endeavor is to have at least one million homes in the country built in this manner. There are several implications to this, least of which is the potential reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Analysts calculate that if these homes operated at peak generating capacity of three gigawatts, around 80 million tons of CO2 emissions would be avoided over 40 years. The advancements in technology could also place the U.K. into a unique position as a forerunner in solar technology.

Energy engineers in the country find the development to be timely. Only recently, the British government announced measures to phase out diesel engine cars in favor of greener alternatives by 2040.

Solar power in America

We shouldnt wait meekly on the sidelines either. Solar power can be utilized here as well. Admittedly, its a little bit more complicated here. Many of us may be wondering if it actually makes sense to install solar panels on our homes. The long and short of it is, yes, as long as you do your homework and research very well.

An average American household consumes around 1 kW per hour (kWh). Since there are roughly 730 hours in each month (excluding February), and the average price of a kWh is $0.10, the average monthly bill is around $73 for 730 kWhs worth of electricity.

Take note that we are talking averages here. Electricity costs vary per state. For example, residents in West Virginia are only charged $0.07/kWh whereas this becomes $0.24/kWh in Hawaii. We are also not taking into consideration the use of non-standard items like hot-tubs and air-conditioning, which use a lot of electricity.

In any case, a solar panels generating capacity is around 10 watts/sq. ft. A typical panel has an efficiency of around 12 percent. This means that for every kW you use, you would need around 100 sq. ft. of solar panels.

There is also the cost of the standard solar system. Depending on what would best suit your house, a 5 kW system would cost around $25,000 to $35, 000. It would take roughly 30 years to receive a return on investment here.

However, this is also using technology available today. The British project, along with the projected growth of solar technology, could cut down costs in the future. (Related: Solar power could get even more affordable as scientists discover way to replace platinum components with 3D graphene.)

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

SPECIFIC.EU.com

SolarPowerPortal.co.uk

SolarPowerAuthority.com
BISHKEK -- A court in Kyrgyzstan has ordered the closure of the private TV channel Sentyabr (September) after ruling that it broadcast extremist content.

The Birinchi Mai District Court in Bishkek ruled on August 22 that the digital television channel, which is known for its criticism of President Almazbek Atambaev, must stop operations both online and on air.

Representatives of Sentyabr said they had not been told about the case until they were informed of the August 22 hearing shortly before it began.

The Prosecutor-General's Office accused the channel of airing an interview with the former chief of police in the southern Osh region, Abdylda Kaparov, that insulted then-Prime Minister Sooronbai Jeenbekov and his brother, lawmaker Asylbek Jeenbekov.

Kaparov alleged in the 2016 interview that the Jeenbekov brothers might have used $3 million in state funds to instigate deadly ethnic clashes in Osh between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in 2010.

Jeenbekov resigned on August 21 to focus on his campaign for the October 15 presidential election in the Central Asian country.

Atambaev is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection.
The last Russian activist imprisoned following clashes at a protest on the eve of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration to his current term has been placed in solitary confinement days before his scheduled release, a lawyer says.

Irina Biryukova of legal-aid NGO Obshchestvenny Verdikt (Public Verdict) wrote on Facebook on August 22 that Ivan Nepomnyashchikh was to be released from a prison in the Yaroslavl region northeast of Moscow on August 24 after serving a 30-month sentence.

Nepomnyashchikh has been placed in solitary confinement repeatedly after he and two other inmates said in April that they had been beaten by guards.

In July, the prison administration successfully petitioned a local court to place Nepomnyashchikh on parole for three years after his release.

Nepomnyashchikh is the last activist to be convicted to date in connection with a May 6, 2012 rally on Moscow's Bolotnaya Square, where police detained more than 400 people after clashes that police and demonstrators blame on one another.

The rally was one of a series of large opposition protests sparked mainly by anger over electoral fraud and dismay at Putin's decision to return to the presidency after a four-year stint as prime minister.

More than 30 people were prosecuted in connection with the clashes, and more than 20 were sentenced to prison or served time in pretrial custody.

Amnesty International has said that the police action at the rally "was not the quelling of a riot but the crushing of a protest," and that all those prosecuted were "victims of a politically motivated show trial."

One Bolotnaya protester, Maksim Panfilov, has been committed to a psychiatric hospital in the southern city of Astrakhan.

Dmitry Buchenkov, who is currently on trial in Moscow on charges of assaulting police during the Bolotnaya protest, says that he was not even there.

With reporting by OVD-Info
A top Russian commander has said that Moscow and Syrian government forces have made swift progress in the last month driving Islamic State (IS) militants from central Syria and a last major stronghold in the east.

Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi, speaking to reporters in Moscow on August 21, said Russian jets had killed an estimated 800 militants this month alone and were now making 60 to 70 flights a day to target militants heading from other areas to join the fight in the eastern stronghold of Deir el-Zour.

He said Syrian troops were advancing from three directions to encircle Deir el-Zour and break the militant siege there, and the government now controls around half the city and a nearby air base.

"The main aim is to destroy the last stronghold of the terrorists in the Deir el-Zour region," he said.

Rudskoi also said that the central part of Syria had seen a "dramatic shift," with the Syrian Army taking complete control of the province of Aleppo from IS fighters in 50 population centers.

Rudskoi said militants fleeing U.S.-backed offensives in the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa had poured into Deir el-Zour in recent months to stage a final stand.

This month alone, Ruskoi said Russian warplanes had flown 990 missions, destroying 40 armored vehicles, more than 100 trucks, and killing about 800 militants.

Those casualties include more than 200 militants killed in a recent raid on an IS convoy heading toward Deir el-Zour, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Rudskoi said the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria under a plan worked out with Turkey and Iran has helped the Russian military to focus on battling IS.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, TASS, and Interfax
The Moscow-based human rights group Memorial has recognized an activist who is charged with attacking a police officer during an antigovernment protest in March as a political prisoner.

Memorial said in an August 21 statement that Dmitry Borisov, who has been in pretrial detention since June 9, was a political prisoner.

Anticorruption rallies held in Moscow and about 100 other Russian cities on March 26 were among the largest protests since a wave of demonstrations in 2011-12. Many were held without government permission.

Police detained more than 1,000 people in Moscow alone, including Aleksei Navalny, the Putin foe and anticorruption crusader who called for the protests.

Seven people, including Borisov, were arrested on suspicion of attacking police officers at the Moscow rally. Four of them have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight months to four years.

Some of them were sent to serve their terms in so-called colony settlements, penitentiaries in which convicts live close to an industrial facility or a farm where they work.

Borisov is the fifth March 26 protester to be recognized by Memorial as a political prisoner.
Kirill Serebrennikov, a prominent Moscow theater figure who has protested against the government, has been indicted on embezzlement charges.

The Investigative Committee said on August 22 that Serebrennikov, the artistic director of the Gogol Center theater and founder of a dramatic collective called Seventh Studio, is suspected of organizing the embezzlement of 68 million rubles ($1.1 million) allocated between 2011-14 for a project.



Serebrennikov maintains that he is innocent. A Moscow court will decide on August 23 whether he will be held in custody or released pending trial.



The funding was provided as a grant by the government "for the development and popularization of the arts."



Serebrennikov, 47, could face up to 10 years in prison.



Serebrennikov's lawyer, Dmitry Kharitonov, told the RIA Novosti state news agency on August 22 that Serebrennikov was detained in St. Petersburg, where he was working on a film, and brought to Moscow by law enforcement personnel earlier in the day.



Opposition political leader and anticorruption activist Aleksei Navalny posted on his website that the case against Serebrennikov was intended by the government to send a signal to Russia's cultural elites ahead of the presidential election scheduled for March 2018. Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to seek and win a fourth term in that election.

"The main reason for the high-profile detention of Serebrennikov is to ensure that the remaining 'masters of culture' do not play hard to get but instead run quickly to sign up to represent Putin," Navalny wrote. "The election is just around the corner."

He added that the government wants cultural figures, at the very least, to refuse to support the opposition and to adopt a position "above politics."

That, he said, "is a euphemism in Russia for 'I am a coward who depends on money from the state."

Former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin, a relative liberal who is reportedly on close terms with Putin, posted on Twitter on August 22 that Serebrennikov should be released pending trial.



"A stage director's arrest is certainly an excessive measure pending trial, especially after the president's words regarding the excessiveness of businesspeople's arrests," Kudrin wrote.

Investigators searched the Gogol Center theater and Serebrennikov's apartment in May, and he was questioned at the time as a witness in the case.

Former Seventh Studio Director Yury Itin and bookkeeper Nina Maslyayeva were later taken into custody in connection with the investigation, and former Gogol Center Director Aleksei Malobrodsky was detained in June.

Investigators say the money was allocated for a production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream that they say was never produced. The play, however, has been staged more than 15 times in Moscow and in Paris and at the Baltic House festival in St. Petersburg. In June, Serebrennikov appealed to theatergoers who had seen the production to post photographs and recollections on social media.

The trial of Maslyayeva and Itin began earlier this month. According to transcripts of Maslyayeva's interrogations that were entered into evidence, the bookkeeper accused Itin, Serebrennikov, and Malobrodsky of trying to embezzle the funds. She also purportedly confessed to her own role in the alleged plot.

Political Protests

In July, the Bolshoi Theater indefinitely canceled the premiere of the Serebrennikov production Nureyev, a ballet about legendary Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who defected to the West in 1961.

According to media reports at the time, the production was postponed because Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky feared it might violate a 2013 law that bans disseminating "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" to minors. Medinsky denied interfering in the Bolshoi's "repertory politics."

Serebrennikov has participated in antigovernment protests and voiced concern about the increasing influence of the Russian Orthodox Church in cultural matters.

He participated in the Strategy-31 protests, in which demonstrations were periodically held against restrictions on the right to protest, which is protected by Article 31 of the Russian Constitution. He also demonstrated against Russia's actions during the 2008 war with neighboring Georgia. He signed statements in defense of the performance-art collective Pussy Riot, members of which were arrested in 2012 for performing in a church.

Serebrennikov has spoken out against a Russian ban on the adoption of Russian orphans by U.S. citizens and against the treatment of Russia's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

Prominent artists in Russia and elsewhere have expressed concern over the probe and have called for a transparent investigation. Ballet great Mikhail Baryshnikov suggested in May that political motives were behind what he called the "repression" of an outspoken advocate of freedom.

Journalist Vladimir Varfolomeyev posted on Twitter that "soon even those who used to speak out in defense of the detainees will go and sign up to represent the person who gave the orders for the arrests."

Culture critic Lev Rubinstein told RFE/RL that many private theaters that have accepted government grants could find themselves in a similar situation.

"Independent theaters, if they are connected with government funds, are always obligated and you can always pressure them, indubitably," he said. "I know many people in the theater and they all say that such a story could happen to any of them."

Playwright and director Yury Muravitsky told RFE/RL that the Serebrennikov case could lead to "the discrediting of theater as an institution."

"The most well-known people in the country are politicians and artists, in the broadest sense of the word," Muravitsky said. "And now the politicians are intentionally shifting the attention, saying, 'Now we see who is really corrupt.'"
MOSCOW -- Activists in Russia are warning that the country faces a dramatic rise in the number of deaths from AIDS because of the government's failure to fund the battle to stop the spread of HIV, the virus that causes the deadly disease.

With more than 900,000 people in Russia on the official register of HIV infections, the government has budgeted only 17.5 billion rubles ($297 million) for treatment.

Experts with the Federal AIDS Center say at least five times that amount is needed.

"The [current] budget only allows 300,000 people to undergo treatment," center Director Vadim Pokrovsky told RFE/RL. "So we are only taking those who have the most serious immune-system deficiencies -- those who are in immediate danger of developing full-blown AIDS."

According to the UNAIDS program, about 50 percent of HIV-infected people worldwide are receiving antiretroviral therapy, while in Russia, that figure is just one-third.

At the same time, the rate of new infections in Russia is running at about 100,000 per year, according to UNAIDS. Pokrovsky said this aggravates the "imbalance" between the number of people requiring treatment and the amount of medicine available.

In 2016, 17,500 people died of AIDS in Russia, according to official figures. This year, Pokrovsky predicted, that figure will likely top 20,000 as part of an ongoing upward trend.

"And that is according to [the state statistics agency] Rosstat," Pokrovsky said. "According to our data, many more could die."



By comparison, according to UNAIDS, there were 22,000 AIDS-related deaths in Western and Central Europe and North America combined in 2015.

"There is no planned increase in funding for HIV treatment before 2019," Pokrovsky added. "I think this is a big shortcoming. The government and the State Duma must significantly increase this budget if they don't want to see tens of thousands more people dying."

This year Russia's Health Ministry adopted a federal registry of patients with immune deficiencies or tuberculosis that was intended to enable patients to get treatment no matter where they officially reside. So far, the system generally seems to be working and new patients in regions across the country are able to register when they relocate.

Except for Moscow.



Yelena is 48 and has been HIV-positive for 10 years. She asked not to be identified by her last name because only her close family knows about her HIV status. She lives with her daughter in Moscow, but once a month she takes the six-hour trip to her hometown to get her medicine. Since the hospital is closed on weekends, she has to ask for time off from work for each trip.



"My doctor called me from the regional AIDS center and said that she received a very strange response from Moscow about my case and that she doesn't even know how to respond," Yelena said. "It said that I could be registered at a Moscow center if my native AIDS center sent me with a one-year supply of medicine. Needless to say, my doctors are in shock."

Moscow is the only region that is not following the law and is violating the rights of patients by simply refusing to register them."

Aleksandr Yezdakov, who is HIV-positive, is from Perm. He estimates he knows of a dozen cases of patients who are living in Moscow but who have been refused registration at AIDS centers in the capital.



"Moscow is the only region that is not following the law and is violating the rights of patients by simply refusing to register them," Yezdakov said. "I consider this an outrageous situation. Health officials who should be guarding our health and standing on the side of patients are acting against patients.



"It is one thing for patients who can go once a month to their hometown," he added. "But what about people who used to live in the Far East or in Siberia? You can't just go there every time you need your medicine. Moreover, quite often people simply can't [travel] to get their medicine because of their poor health."



Around the country, regional AIDS centers are strained because the medications they have been allotted are insufficient for their current patients, to say nothing of the new HIV infections that are reported daily.

According to UNAIDS statistics, more than 50 percent of new infections are the result of transmission via heterosexual intercourse.

According to UNAIDS, Russia is in third place [worldwide] in terms of the rate of new infections after South Africa and Nigeria."

Pereboi.ru, the website of the nongovernmental support group Patient Control, features hundreds of notes from HIV patients complaining about problems with their treatment.

Valeria from Moscow writes: "Today they did not give me one of the medications that I normally get, telling me they have run out." Olesya from Kaliningrad writes: "For the third straight month, they gave me different medicines. The one they gave me this time wasn't even an analog. I know that you can't change up your meds so often, but the doctors just tell me, 'Take what we've got.'"

Yulia from Rostov-on-Don writes that after a long search, she was able to find her medication through a local support group, "although it is expired."

Pokrovsky of the Federal AIDS Center emphasizes that it will take much more than just additional funding for treatment to forestall the crisis that looms increasingly large in Russia's future.



"According to UNAIDS, Russia is in third place [worldwide] in terms of the rate of new infections after South Africa and Nigeria," he said. "We need to greatly increase the resources allocated for prophylactic work and to adopt the methods that have already proven effective in Europe and developing countries. We need special programs for sex workers, for men who have sex with men, and for drug users."



Meanwhile, HIV-positive Yelena is still trying to figure out how to cope with Moscow's demand that her regional AIDS center provide her with a year's supply of her medications.



"If they stop giving me my medicine, I will be dead in six months," she said. "For those of us who are HIV-positive, antiretroviral therapy is like insulin for diabetics. We cannot live without it."

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson on the basis of reporting by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Yelizaveta Mayetnaya
MOSCOW -- Yekaterina Barabash might be precisely the kind of Russian that Sergei Lavrov had in mind this week when Moscow's top diplomat accused the United States of trying to stoke a "color revolution" by dramatically curbing Russians' access to U.S. visas.

A culture critic in the capital, Barabash bought airline tickets to the United States in May, hoping to spend Christmas with close friends. She now thinks she wont get her U.S. visa in time -- even with well over three months to go.

Barabash and thousands of fellow Russians have had their travel plans thrown into doubt as the U.S. diplomatic mission announced it was temporarily suspending nonimmigrant visa services in Moscow for a week from August 23 and eliminating them at consulates across Russia. It blamed Moscow's recent order that Washington cut its staffing at diplomatic facilities in Russia.

Its really sad, Barabash said, before quickly looking at the bigger picture. "The important thing here isn't that I'm not going or that someone else isnt, it's the very fact of this situation: that Russia is increasingly isolated from the rest of the world. This is bad. Are we returning to the Iron Curtain we had under the Soviet Union? This is whats bad.

After the initial weeklong suspension, U.S. visa operations will resume on a greatly reduced scale, the United States said, and mandatory visa interviews will only be held in Moscow -- a blow to Russians living thousands of kilometers away, for instance, in the Far Easts Vladivostok, where Washington operates a consulate.

The U.S. Congress passed fresh Russia sanctions that President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month, including wording that makes it harder for the president to ease or lift punitive measures already in place against Russia.

Commenting on the U.S. announcement on August 21 of the consular scale-back, Lavrov accused the United States of trying to stoke a "color revolution" and stirring resentment toward the Kremlin.

Reaction from Russians interviewed by RFE/RL spanned from the emotional, to the defiant, to the philosophical.

It is absolutely clear to me that this [has happened] as a result of the policy of the Russian authorities -- this ridiculous reduction of personnel at the consul by [755] people."

Vladimir Snegovoy, the father of a Russian student finishing her doctorate at Columbia University in New York this autumn, had wanted to attend graduation. But now, he said, he fears he won't make it.

Of course, this makes things considerably more difficult; its really not pleasant, he said in comments to Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. I dont consider myself a victim, but I do consider myself to have suffered.

Snegovoy said he paid for a visa consultation in July and had been scheduled for his interview on September 7 in St. Petersburg, where the U.S. consulate has conducted visa interviews in addition to its other activities.

Snegovoy blamed the Kremlin.

It is absolutely clear to me that this [has happened] as a result of the policy of the Russian authorities -- this ridiculous reduction of personnel at the consul by [755] people, he said.

He added: We have to understand that the number of Russian citizens wishing to get American visas is several times larger than the number of Americans wishing to travel to Russia. Correspondingly, the consulate staff should be bigger by several times.

Last year, U.S. consulates issued around 190,000 visas to Russians, the lions share of them for business or pleasure. That was a larger total than in 2015 but much lower than the record 270,000 nonimmigrant visas in 2013, the year before Russia's invasion and annexation of Ukrainian territory sent relations spiraling to post-Cold War lows.

INFOGRAPHIC: Nonimmigrant U.S. Visas Issued To Russians (click to view)

Kirill Khripunov, CEO of a firm that organizes educational trips for Russian teens to schools abroad, said he suspected earlier this summer that visa problems were looming following the personnel cut ordered for U.S. diplomatic sites.

It was already fairly clear from the beginning of August that there would be some problems with visas, because suddenly queues started getting much longer. If the wait used to be, say, 1 1/2 months or in peak season up to two months, then from the beginning of August the registration [for an interview] would be three months. Last week, we registered for the middle of November, Khripunov said.

As for on whom and how it will have an impact -- I think first and foremost it is normal people who will suffer, people who are making private trips," Khripunov told Current Time. As for business, I think it will have less of an impact. Yes, it will be awkward -- perhaps some people will have their business trips scrapped -- but I dont expect anything large-scale.

Other Russians remained philosophical.

Muscovite Liliya Ziangirova had been planning to take a luxury cruise around the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico at the end of November. But she now believes shell have to cancel. But that is hardly a tragedy, she said, and she prefers to regard the new visa regulations as a new reality of traveling.

All this discussion by individuals in any case will change little. Its a waste of time and breath. We just have to draw a lesson for the future -- get your documents ready earlier.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the United States could consider punishing Pakistan or cutting off its status as a major non-NATO ally if Islamabad doesn't crack down on the Taliban and other extremist groups.

"There's been an erosion in trust because we have witnessed terrorist organizations being given safe haven inside of Pakistan to plan and carry out attacks against U.S. servicemen, U.S. officials, disrupting peace efforts inside of Afghanistan," Tillerson told reporters at the State Department in Washington on August 22.

Tillerson's words reinforced U.S. President Donald Trump's warning issued to Pakistan on August 21 over its alleged support to extremist groups in the region.

Trump also pledged to commit U.S. troops to Afghanistan to fight against the resurgent Taliban without announcing a precise number.

"Pakistan must adopt a different approach, and we are ready to work with them to help them protect themselves against these terrorist organizations.... We are going to be conditioning our support for Pakistan and our relationship with them on them delivering results in this area.

"We have some leverage in terms of aid, their status as a non-NATO alliance partner -- all of that can be put on the table," Tillerson said.

Pakistan is one of 16 countries to currently enjoy "major non-NATO ally" status, which allows close military cooperation.

Relations between the United States and Pakistan have been rocky in recent years amid U.S. counterterrorism operations along the Afghan-Pakistani border and the secret U.S. raid that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil in 2011.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and BBC
U.S. President Donald Trump outlined his new security strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan on August 21. Speaking at the Fort Myer military base near Washington, Trump warned Pakistan over giving "safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror." Regarding the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, Trump declined to state expected troop numbers or timelines, saying his strategy will be based on conditions on the ground. (AP)
(Natural News) During his combative press conference with the disgustingly dishonest establishment media at Trump Tower on Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump doubled down on his earlier statements that demonstrations on the Left and Right were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend.

At one point in recognizing that there were good people on both sides  those who showed up to support keeping a monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Emancipation Park and those who showed up to support removing it  the president wondered aloud where efforts to rewrite and memory-hole U.S. history by the Left would end.

This week its Robert E. Lee. I notice that Stonewall Jacksons [statue is] coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week, and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You really do have to ask yourself, when does it stop? Trump said.

And within 24 hours, guess what? Calls to remove George Washington and other founding fathers began.

As reported by CBS Chicago, a local pastor who is black, has drafted a letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel demanding he remove a statue of our first president and another from two parks on the citys South Side:

A Chicago pastor has asked the Emanuel administration to remove the names of two presidents who owned slaves from parks on the South Side, saying the city should not honor slave owners in black communities.

A bronze statue of George Washington on horseback stands at the corner of 51st and King Drive, at the northwest entrance to Washington Park.

Bishop James Dukes, a man of God who is pastor of Liberation Christian Center, said he wants the statue to be taken down and Washingtons name scrubbed from the park. He also wants the park rededicated to an African-American figure. (Related: Theres a purge of ALL Confederate monuments coming as Alt-Left seeks to erase, rewrite history.)

When I see that, I see a person who fought for the liberties, and I see people that fought for the justice and freedom of white America, because at that moment, we were still chattel slavery, and was three-fifths of humans, he said. Some people out here ask me, say Well, you know, he taught his slaves to read. Thats almost sad; the equivalent of someone who kidnaps you, that you gave them something to eat.

He went on to say that even though Washington led the country in a successful revolution against a tyrannical British monarch and set the stage for the creation of the greatest experiment in self-government the world has ever seen before and since hes no hero to black people.

Theres no way plausible that we would even think that they would erect a Malcolm X statue in Mount Greenwood, Lincoln Park, or any of that. Not that say Malcolm X was a bad guy; they just would not go for it, he said. Native Americans would not even think about putting up a Custer statue, because of the atrocities that he plagued upon Native Americans. And for them to say to us just accept it is actually insulting.

Dukes also wants the city to remove Andrew Jacksons name from nearby Jackson Park, again because he was a slave owner. He says Washington Park should be renamed after former black Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, and to rename Jackson Park after the legendary race-baiter and race hustler Jesse Jackson.

I think we should be able to identify and decide who we declare heroes in our communities because we have to tell the stories to our children of who these persons are, he said. In an African-American community, its a slap in the face and its a disgrace for them to honor someone who was a slave owner.

Well, maybe it is to a race-baiter and someone ignorant of history playing on the peoples emotions.

For the record, Washingtons will mandated the freeing of his slaves after his wife Marthas death, the only slave-owning founder to do so.

As for Jackson, he demanded his slaves be treated humanely and believed that Providence, in time, would eventually eradicate the evil. And it did, through the Civil War  and the constitutional amendment process which, of course, was devised and ratified by our founders.

None of this matters, however, to people like Dukes, but there is a certain irony here as well. Jackson lashed out at abolitionists during his presidency, but not because he thought it should forever endure. Rather, he generally perceived the growing slavery controversy as artificial and political, with both abolitionists and southern extremists seeking to divide the Union to serve their separate ends.

Doesnt that sound familiar?

What people like Dukes dont get is that as times and culture has changed and as our nation has diversified ethnically, so have American attitudes regarding who we consider heroes. Today we honor Americans of many different races, backgrounds, histories, and achievements, from the time when our country began to the present. Some of those figures are every bit as controversial to a faction of our population as the founders are to others, but you dont see people clamoring for those memorials and icons to be taken down and memory-holed.

Why, then, should only memorials to white men be dismantled?

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

CBSChicago.com

MountVernon.org

PresidentialProfiles.com

NaturalNews.com
Ukraines National Security and Defense Council has rejected reports that Kyiv supplied missile technology to North Korea, saying that such claims amounted to Russian disinformation.

The council on August 22 published the results of its investigation into the alleged sale of missile technology, including the RD-250 rocket engine, from Ukrainian state-owned plant Pivdenmash to North Korea.

Oleksandr Turchynov, the council's chief, reported the results of the investigation to President Petro Poroshenko on August 22, the council said in a post on its website.

The council concluded that Ukraine did not supply any missile technology to Pyongyang, Turchynov said in his report. The council has "unanimously come to the conclusion that Ukraine was not involved in the development of North Korea's ballistic-missiles program," Turchynov said.

It said Ukraine had stopped producing RD-250 rocket engines in 1991 and completely discontinued the production of this engine type in 1994.

The last batch of RD-250 rocket engines was exported to Russia before 2008, Turchynov said.

The council established a team of interagency investigators to look into claims made in a New York Times article earlier this month that Ukraine had helped North Korea with its missile program by providing advanced rocket engines.

The council concluded that the American newspaper had been the victim of Russian disinformation.

The August 14 article, titled North Koreas Missile Success Is Linked to Ukrainian Plant, Investigators Say, said Kyiv had aided North Korea in developing its nuclear weapons delivery system.

The allegations were based on a study by missile expert Michael Elleman published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

Ellemans study, as well as unnamed sources in U.S. intelligence, said that the rocket engines -- identified as RD-250s -- likely came to North Korea from Ukraine's Yuzhny machine-building plant known as Pivdenmash in Ukrainian or Yuzhmash in Russian.

Turchynov said that an existing state export control system excludes any possibility of the transfer of military and dual-use goods" to countries under UN Security Council sanctions, such as North Korea.



Thirty RD-250 rocket engines and 10 RD-262s (a modified version of the RD-250), manufactured in 1991, were exported to Russia between 1992 and 2008, Turchynov said in his report.



Reports of the detention and conviction of North Korean spies for an attempt to steal missile technology papers from Ukraine in 2012 were not confirmed.

"Documentation for the production of missile technology and components is reliably stored at specially equipped premises, which is confirmed by the relevant authorities of Ukraine," Turchynov said.



The interagency investigation concluded that Russian is running a disinformation campaign intended to deflect suspicions about Moscow's potential participation in Pyongyang's military program and discredit Ukraine.

"The Working Group considers the article in The New York Times of 14 August 2017 to be a tactic of obfuscation and distraction of the international community's attention from the possible participation of the Russian Federation in North Korea's rocket program," Turchynov said in his report.

Poroshenko, commenting on the report, said he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to put together a group of experts and take the issue to the UN Security Council.

With reporting by kyivpost.com
A Kremlin aide has made upbeat remarks after talking with the new U.S. special envoy for efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, saying they discussed "fresh ideas" in a "constructive" meeting.

U.S. envoy Kurt Volker met with Vladislav Surkov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's point man for the conflict in eastern Ukraine, behind closed doors in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on August 21.

"The meeting was useful and constructive," Surkov told Russian reporters afterward. "The two sides proposed fresh ideas and novel approaches" for implementing the February 2015 Minsk agreement.

The deal set out steps to end the war and resolve the status of the portion of the Donbas region held by Russia-backed separatists, but progress toward implementation has been very slow.

"We agreed that the peace process on the political track, as well as in the sphere of security, can and should go faster" and that the current situation in Ukraine is unacceptable, Surkov said.

Volker did not comment after the meeting.

Volker's talks with Surkov kicked off three days of U.S. diplomacy on the war between Russia-backed separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014.

From Minsk, Volker heads to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to meet with senior government officials on August 22 to discuss "the way forward in Ukraine," the State Department said.

On August 23, Volker will join U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in meetings with senior Ukrainian government officials to discuss "the next steps in diplomatic negotiations to restore Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the department said.

After Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed from power in February 2014 by massive pro-European protests, Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region and fomented separatism in eastern and southern Ukraine.

The Russia-backed separatists seized parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which border Russia, and the war has persisted despite the Minsk agreement and several cease-fire deals.

Sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, and other countries have not prompted Russia to abandon its support for the separatists or fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson named Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, as the U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations in early July.

In an interview with Current Time TV later in July, Volker said that ending the fighting will require agreement by all sides on two major principles -- the "territorial integrity of Ukraine, security of all the people" -- and a change in Russia's approach. Current Time TV is the Russian-language network, run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.

He said that the United States is considering sending Kyiv weapons to help government forces defend themselves against Russia-backed separatists. To date, the United States has provided only nonlethal military aid.

Relations between Moscow and Washington have been driven to a post-Cold War low by disagreements over issues including Russia's aggression in Ukraine, its role in the war in Syria, and its alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

With reporting by Reuters and Interfax
Russia says it will retaliate after the United States imposed new economic sanctions on 16 mostly Chinese and Russian companies and individuals, accusing them of aiding the North Korean government and its missile and nuclear programs.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced the new measures on August 22, saying the penalties were intended to further isolate Pyongyang.

The list includes six Chinese companies, a Russian company, and four Russian individuals, as well as a construction company based in Africa and two Singapore-based companies that allegedly sell oil to North Korea.

Hours after the sanctions were announced, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the ministry was "starting to work on retaliatory measures, which are unavoidable in this situation."

In view of the new sanctions, he said, "U.S. statements about a desire to stabilize bilateral ties sound particularly unconvincing." But he voiced hope that the United States will eventually realize that such sanctions won't work.

The sanctions list includes the Russian company Gefest-M LLC and its general director, Ruben Kirakosyan.

Kirakosyan claimed in an interview with TASS on August 22 that he never made any deals with North Korea, although he talked with Pyongyang at least five years ago about supplying Armenian wine and cigarettes.

In addition to helping North Koreas weapons programs, the Treasury Department said the companies on the list helped "facilitate its exportation of workers, and enabled sanctioned North Korean entities to access the U.S. and international financial systems."

The Treasury statement gave no further details.

However, North Korean workers have long been utilized by Russian companies doing timber harvesting and other natural-resource extraction in Siberias vast wilderness, as often as not with the awareness of local authorities.

The sanctions aim to block any financial assets the companies and individuals might have, for example, with U.S. banks, and forbid Americans from conducting transactions with them.

Like previous U.S. administrations, President Donald Trump has struggled to respond to North Koreas increasingly sophisticated weapons programs and its persistent belligerence.

Trump himself recently threatened "fire and fury" against Pyongyang, rhetoric that alarmed many observers in East Asia.

With reporting by AP and TASS
At least four of them suffered serious injuries. The conductor was sent too at hospital. There was blood everywhere, a passenger related. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said the crash happened around 12:15 a.m. I was waiting at Gulph Mills, the train came by and blew past us about two or three train lengths stopped, backed up and picked us up, a man said.

Outside the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby

The cause of the accident remained under investigation. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) says all the injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening. Another accident was earlier this year four people were injured when multiple SEPTA cars collided at the 69th Street Terminal. SEPTA operates various forms of public transit services  bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail and electric trolleybus  that serve 3.9 million people in five counties in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and others United States. SEPTA has the 6th-largest U.S. rapid transit system by ridership and the 5th largest overall transit system. It controls 290 active stations, over 450 miles (720 km) of track, 2,295 revenue vehicles and 196 routes.
SAIC is the largest car maker in China. They are now entering India, via their UK subsidiary MG Motor. The first car they will launch here is the MG Hector. SAIC is not the only Chinese car brand which has plans to enter India. Headquartered in Baoding, Hebei, China, Great Wall Motors has been planning an entry into the Indian auto industry for some time now.

Earlier reports suggest that Great Wall will debut in India at the 2020 Auto Expo, where it will showcase their entire line-up. Launch of their first car is planned for 2021-22.

Primarily a truck manufacturer, Great Wall started its journey in 1984. In 2006 the company started export to Europe. They also have an assembly plant in Bulgaria. By 2009, their Haval branded SUVs were a hit in China as they became the 2nd best selling SUV in the country. Today, they are the largest SUV and pick-up truck maker in China.

One of their newest and most popular SUV is the Haval H6 coupe, which has been spied undisguised by Gagan Choudhary. Based on the Haval Coupe C concept, which was showcased at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show, it was finally launched as the Haval H6 Coupe in production format at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show. The coupe SUV was more recently given a facelift, and it is the facelifted latest version of Haval H6 Coupe that has been spied in India.

Priced from about 130k yuan (Rs 13 lakhs), Haval H6 Coupe is powered by a new 2.0 liter turbo petrol engine which delivers 197 hp and 315 Nm. Transmission is taken care by a 6 speed dual clutch automatic gearbox. It is also sold with 2.0 liter turbo diesel engine, which delivers 150 hp.

Speaking Great Wall Motors India connection, in the last quarter of last year, the Chinese company reportedly hired Kaushik Ganguly from Maruti Suzuki India. Mr Ganguly was one of the key members in the Maruti Indias product planning department. He has been hired by Great Wall to lay down the blueprint for the Chinese companys path in India. With the SUV being spotted, it is more or less clear what path they are on. Just like MG Motor, Great Wall is most likely going to launch SUV as their first car in India.
Addis Ababa - Dire Dawa - Djibouti train service...

A brand new Chinese-built standard gauge line formally opened between Addis Ababa in October 2016, replacing the old colonial metre-gauge line which ran until 2010. Passenger services started on the new line in January 2018, with daytime trains. Here is the timetable believed to be running on 2022, an overnight train running every second day. If you have any feedback please get in touch.

Timetable Addis - Dire Dawa - Djibouti

Timetable Djibouti - Dire Dawa - Addis

Fares

How to buy tickets

What's the journey like?

Useful country information

See detailed railway route map

Timetable eastbound from 11 September 2022

Addis Ababa  Dire Dawa  Djibouti Distance (Km) Train number: Train 101 Days of running: Runs every 2nd day on the 1, 3, 5, etc. of each month, but not the 31st (or 29 Feb). 0 Addis Ababa Furi-Lebu depart 07:40 98 Adama arrive 10:00 depart 10:05 446 Dire Dawa arrive 18:00 Train number: Train K1 Days of running: Runs every 2nd day on the 1, 3, 5, etc. of each month, but not the 31st (or 29 Feb)* 446 Dire Dawa depart 08:30 ? Dawanle arrive 12:10 depart 12:50 664 Ali Sabieh arrive 13:10 depart 13:15 728 Djibouti = Negad station arrive 14:30

Addis Ababa to Djibouti via the new line is 728 km, see detailed route map. Useful country information: Visas, currency, dialling code...

You can try checking these times at edr.gov.et.

* Important: It is possible that K1 runs on even dates (2, 4, 6...) and K2 on odd dates (1, 3, 5...) as the information from Ethiopia contains an error and is unclear. This would make more sense, as only 1 night would then be required in Dire Dawa. Feedback appreciated!

Timetable westbound from 11 September 2022

Djibouti  Dire Dawa  Addis Ababa Train number: K2 Days of running Runs every 2nd day on the 2, 4, 6, etc. of each month* Djibouti Negad station depart 09:30 Ali Sabieh arrive 10:50 depart 10:55 Dawanle arrive 11:15 depart 11:55 Dire Dawa arrive 15:30 Train number: 102 Days of running Runs every 2nd day on the 2, 4, 6, etc. of each month. Dire Dawa depart 07:30 Adama arrive 15:35 depart 15:40 Addis Ababa Furi-Lebu arrive 18:00

Finding the station...

In Addis, the station is new and may not be shown on Google Maps, and taxi drivers & guesthouses are still often unaware of the location of the new station. Map showing Addis Ababa Furi-Lebu station & road access. A taxi from central Addis to the new Furi-Lebu station takes roughly 45 minutes.

In Dire Dawa the station is just outside the town, see Dire Dawa station location map.

In Djibouti it's a similar story. Map showing Djibouti Nagad station. A taxi from central Djibouti to Djibouti Negad station takes around 15 minutes and costs around 1500 FDJ.

How much does it cost?

Addis Ababa (Lebu) to Djibouti (Nagad) or vice versa. Hard seat $45. Hard sleeper $60 upper, $75 middle, $90 lower. Soft sleeper $104 upper berth, $119 lower berth. Prices in USD. These are prices for foreigners, higher than the fares for locals.

Addis Ababa (Lebu) to Dire Dawa or vice versa. Hard seat $28. Hard sleeper $37 upper, $46 middle, $55 lower. Soft sleeper $64 upper berth, $73 lower berth. Prices in USD. These are prices for foreigners, higher than the fares for locals.

Djibouti (Nagad) to Dire Dawa or vice versa. Hard seat $18. Hard sleeper $23 upper, $29 middle, $35 lower. Soft sleeper $41 upper berth, $46 lower berth. Prices in USD. These are prices for foreigners, higher than the fares for locals.

Addis Abbaba city centre ticket kiosk office near Leghar metro station under the bridge on the Churchill Avenue side, open 09:30-11:30 Mondays to Saturdays. Courtesy of Allison Swinbank

In Addis Ababa... Buy tickets at the station or at the city centre office. There is currently no online booking. Addis Ababa Fur-Lebu station ticket office is open every day, 06:00-16:00 on odd-dated days; 08:00-16:00 on even-dated days. International tickets between Addis Ababa and Djibouti must be bought at least the day before. There are usually places available. Domestic tickets within Ethiopia can be bought the same day, although booking the day before is advisable in case there's a power cut at the ticket office or tickets sell out. You can also buy tickets in the city centre, at least one day before the trip. The ticket office is near the old railway station, next to Leghar metro station, under the bridge on the Churchill Avenue side, open 09:30-11:30 Mondays to Saturdays. You get a voucher that needs to be exchanged for a proper ticket at Addis Abeba Lebu station an hour before departure. A passport is required to buy a voucher. You can buy your return ticket at the same time. Update: Some reports in early 2019 say staff at this office are unwilling to sell tickets, but the signage still says they sell tickets. However, latest reports in October 2019 say you CAN buy from this city centre office. It may just depend on who is on duty! Feedback appreciated.

In Dire Dawa... Tickets are sold at the new Dire Dawa station, and also in the city centre at the EDR (Ethio-Djibouti Railway) office, conveniently located in the old railway station in the Kezira area, open 09:30-15:00.

In Djibouti... Buy tickets at the station or at the city centre office. There is currently no online booking. Djibouti Negad station ticket office is open 08:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:00 every day. It's reported that tickets can be bought in the city centre, in a building located in Salines Ouest, about 10 minutes walk from the central 27 Juin Square. Salines Ouest is the road leading off from the traffic light at the intersection of Sheikh Osman Avenue [Rue de Geneve?] & Roosevelt Avenue, heading southwest. When you reach the French Culture Institute, keep walking for around 50 meters until the Al Rayan cafe. Cross the road and enter the courtyard of the Maison Medical building. The ticket office is at the first floor, open: 08:00-12:00 & 14:00-16:00. Tickets must be bought at least 17 hours before the train departure, but they are not sold more than 2 days in advance. The office issues a voucher which must be exchanged for the proper tickets at the station ticket office at least an hour before departure. Feedback appreciated if you use this office.

Back to top

What's the journey like?

Photos in this section are courtesy of Clement and Andreas Marggraf. If you get any further photos of the scenery, please get in touch.

Arriving by taxi at Addis Ababa Furi-Lebu station...

Addis Ababa Furi-Lebu station... Inside Lebu station...

The train to Djibouti about to leave Addis Ababa Furi-Lebu station...

Hard seats.... Restaurant car...

Road kill - rather, rail kill - seems to be an issue. Hard seats...

Soft sleeper... 4-berth compartments. It's not known what terminology is used in Ethiopia, possibly VIP berths. Hard sleeper. 6-bunk open compartments. Not known what terminology is used locally, possibly regular berths.

The daily train on its way from Addis Abeba to Djibouti...

Dire Dawa station...

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Travellers' reports...

Traveller David Redford reports on visas (2019):

"E-visas for Djibouti are not accepted at the land border, and this means for most people getting the visa in Addis. This was fairly straightforward; the visa section only opened at 0900 (not 0830 as it says on the website). I filled in the simple form, and handed over photocopies of passport, Yellow Fever certificate, hotel reservation, flight out of Djibouti, letter of invitation (emailed from the company I had booked a tour to Lac Assal with, Rushing Waters), 2 photos and $90. I was asked for my ticket to enter Djibouti, but my explanation that I had yet to buy it was accepted."

"I then went to buy the train ticket. It is still possible to get it in the city centre, at the small building (orange) that sells tickets for the citys light railway at Lagare station (close to the original terminus of the metre gauge railway, which is shortly to be converted into a retail/office /residential development by an Abu Dhabi company). This small office has two windows, but the one for the Addis-Djibouti service was not open when I arrived at about 10:00. After having a coffee nearby, the second window opened at about 10:30. I was asked for my passport in order to buy an international ticket (which was of course at the embassy) but a photocopy was accepted. I think it would be essential to have this, as the passport number is on the voucher which you buy and is used to match your voucher with the ticket you pick up at the station immediately before travelling."

Traveller Jacek Brzezinski went from Addis to Djibouti & back in April 2018:

"The tickets need to be bought at least day before, but now its possible to buy them in the city centre, below Leghar metro station. I got a voucher that needed to be exchanged for the ticket on Lebu station the next day at 7am.

Lebu station (sometimes spelled Labu or called Furi-Labu) is outside the city, about 30-40 min by taxi, theres not even an asphalt road leading to the station yet. Before embarking the train I had to exchange vouchers for tickets, go through visa check (they stamped me out of Ethiopia) and luggage check. There are three 'international' cars in the train: one hard seats car (perfectly comfortable), one 6-berth couchette car - which doesn't make much sense as the train runs during the day, it ran empty - and one 4-bed private compartments with some business travellers in it. There is also a dining car, but you can only get water, Fanta and chips. The cars are clean and in every car there is an attendant responsible for cleaning them on the way.

There are car numbers and seat numbers on the ticket, but they are not respected by passengers and the staff. So basically you can grab any free seat in the only car available for international travellers, regardless of whats on the ticket. The hard seats car was mostly empty until Dire Dawa. In Dire Dawa lots of people embark the train and the car becomes overcrowded.

The trip is fun, the landscape changing is fabulous, you can see the villages, herds of goats and sheep, camels and monkeys. The only stressful moment was the border, when some Djiboutian customs and immigration officers embark. Its already after dark, theres crowd and they dont have any uniforms, just some unreadable small IDs. They dont speak English, they collect all the passports and then the train starts moving. It takes 40-60 minutes to give you back your passport. in the meantime train stops at Ali Sabeh. Generally if you know whats going on its ok, if not (because there is no one to ask who speaks English), its strange.

The train runs on time. It stops frequently for various reasons (usually people or animals on the track), but it arrives at most stations well ahead of schedule (sometimes even 30 minutes) and then departs on time. After arrival in Djibouti there are two (?) more passport controls and one more luggage inspection and then youre free to go.

Nagad station is outside the city, but not far outside. There were many taxi drivers waiting for the train. The train route is very similar to old French-built meter-gauge railway which you can usually see on one side of the train or another, but the rails are deconstructed in many places. The only difference is that French railway went through the city centres, and Chinese railway runs outside the cities - not only terminal stations are outside the relevant cities, but also stations like Dire Dawa.

The trip back from Djibouti to Addis Ababa is very similar. Its worth getting tp Nagad station earlier (around 07:30), as there are many travellers to Dire Dawa. The taxi ride from Djibouti City to Nagad station takes around 15 minutes. On the border theres again passport/visa and customs inspection, and also yellow fever vaccination certificate is required (yellow book). Most passengers get out at Dire Dawa. At Lebu station there are no more inspections. Outside the station many taxi drivers and minibuses wait for passengers. The trip itself is great experience, definitely recommended."

Traveller Graham travelled Addis to Djibouti in January 2018...

"I took the Addis Ababa to Djibouti train yesterday (Jan 29th). Departures are from the new Lebu station outside Addis. A newly posted sign at the station indicates that the train runs on odd numbered days from Addis to Djibouti. Departures are at 8:00am, but I'd recommend being there by 7:20 or so to allow for baggage checks and immigration processing. And, as I learned, you ought to buy your ticket ahead of time. When I got to the ticket office yesterday, I was greeted with "No, no, you can't buy a Djibouti ticket for today. Djibouti tickets must be bought 24 hours in advance!" Woops. This was repeated by several officials. But after some pleading from me and a rather ambiguous visit to some Ethiopian Immigration officers, it was eventually decided to let me buy a ticket anyway. I believe the issue is that they are supposed to send a complete passenger list well ahead of time to Djibouti Immigration.

There was an exceptionally slow and thorough baggage check on entry to the main station. All my gear was carefully examined and I had to power on all my electrical items (laptop, GPS, camera, shaver) to show they were legit. I had a small kitchen knife confiscated, but they allowed my Swiss army knife through. Next up was Ethiopian Immigration. They checked I had a Djibouti Visa and then stamped me out of Ethiopia. (There is no support for Visa on Arrival into Djibouti, so if you don't have a visa you can't board).

We left at 8:00am. We had stops at Adama (9:20 to 9:51) and Dire Dawa (15:01-15:15). There were a couple of brief pauses along the way and at one point a 15 minutes stop apparently due to power problems, but no major delays. As far as I could tell, no goats or camels were harmed. It was a pleasant ride, watching the landscape slowly change from greenish highlands to scrubby desert. The car designated for Djibouti passengers was less than 20% full. There was a restaurant car, but it only sold soft drinks and biscuits. The style and layout of the cars follow normal Chinese train patterns and, despite the name, the "hard seat" cars have perfectly comfortable soft seats! We reached the Djibouti border at 17:35. The Djibouti officers came onto the train, collected up our passports and processed us all in. This took about 40 minutes. And, finally, we got into Djibouti's Nagad station at 19:20. Except not quite finally, as it turned out there was another short immigration check and then a customs inspection before leaving the station. At the final immigration check the officer had a printed passenger list. My name wasn't on it, presumably because I bought my ticket late, but he didn't seem to mind and simply wrote it in at the end.

Nagad is some distance from central Djibouti City. Fortunately, there were a couple of taxis waiting. They each collected up as many passengers as they could find for the journey into the city."

Traveller Briony Lipscombe reports from January 2018...

"For the adventure and experience its 5 stars. But taxi drivers and guesthouse owners still do not have any information [on the train service or even the location of the station] so persistence is key. As you enter the station on day of departure be prepared for a very serious search. Staff will fully unpack all luggage and bags. In our experience this included looking through dirty clothes bag, all pockets, books and even testing makeup items! The inwards train from Dire Dawa was about an hour late to arrive and boarding took some time. The train is new, comfortable and clean. Toilets are of the squat variety and also have a feet cleaner! Although you will get a seat number on your ticket, this was not guaranteed in our experience with everyone sitting wherever and some people initially without seats and the 6 bed sleepers being sitting only for large groups or families. There is a dining car on the train but it doesnt seem to be fully functional, selling only water and coke. Travellers should pack lunch and lots of snacks. The vendors in the station had a small selection of biscuits and soft drinks but sell out quick. At Dire Dawa and Addis stations on train days there are minibuses and taxis waiting so just up to you to negotiate on price."

Traveller Clement reports from the first public run in January 2018: "A contact told me the train left at 8am. I arrived at the train station of Furi-Lebu at 7am. The ticket counters are on the right of the station. They were surprised I was going to Djibouti as all the other passengers would stop at Dire Dawa. If you go to Djibouti, make sure you already have a visa even if you are entitled to get a visa at the border, otherwise they'll most probably deny selling you a ticket to Djibouti. Even though it is in the same building, you have to go outside in order to get in the waiting hall. The federal police does a thorough search of your bags when entering the hall. They stop letting you in 5 minutes before departure. The train starts as soon as all passengers are on. Since we were only 20ish passengers, it departed at 7:55. There is a counter for the Ethiopian customs to check border crossing passengers, but it was closed and I was told we'd do the immigration stuff at the border. The Chinese management company told the two governments to install Djiboutian immigration counters in Ethiopian stations and vice versa to speed up the process at the border but the governments haven't yet agreed on the formalities. Hopefully, it should change as they get more international passengers. The train is managed by a Chinese company though the hostess and a few other staff are Ethiopians . The Chinese manager told me we would arrive at 8pm rather than the scheduled 6pm because usually there are power cuts and stops for various reasons.

The train has 1 car with VIP 4-berth compartments, 1 car of 6-berth open compartments with seats and power outlets in the hallway, 1 dining-car selling very basic food (a basic "sandwich", some cookies, chips and water - though it was their inaugural journey) and 8 hard-seats cars with 118 seats. Dining and hard seat cars only have power outlets for the attendants. The train currently stops in Adama and Dire Dawa only as the other stations are not ready and not yet staffed. We stopped twice between Lebu and Adama, including once for 5 minutes because we hit a goat at a road crossing (the management company then sends some of its local staff to pay compensations). We arrived in Adama at 9:15 and stopped for about 40 min for an unknown reason. The train then passes through less populated areas at between 90 and 100 km/h; you're in the very basalt-y plain of the rift valley, surrounded by soon-to-be woken small volcanoes. After riding 2h15 from Adama, the train stopped in the bush not far from Metehara. I saw a goat on the side that couldn't seem to use its back legs. I thought it was giving birth ("cuuuute") until I realized there were more inanimate goats a few meters further. The train had gone full speed through a herd, killing 30. Locals came and there were soon 30ish people around the train. The four federal police guys who are always aboard the train went to discuss with them as usual. However the shepherd didn't want to let the train go until he gets compensated (for 70 goats, since some were pregnant and some cubs need their dead mother...). More federal and local police came, about 20 in total. The train left after 7 (!) hours of negotiations which, according the Chinese boss in the train, included some calls to the Ethiopian minister of transport and the head of the federal police in Addis, at dusk (I suspect the shepherd let it go because they had to go home for diner, otherwise they would have stayed!). The boss told me "they do it on purpose to get money. They ask an unreasonable price. The other day we killed 12 camels and they asked for a million birr".

We then went straight to Dire Dawa. The train was so late than we stopped in Dire Dawa for the night. It was supposed to leave Dire Dawa for Djibouti at 2:52 pm; we arrived at 9:30pm. The train managers were very sorry and stressed that it is the very beginning of the operations and it will improve with time. They were pretty efficient in managing the situation, booked a hotel in Dire Dawa and took us there by 4x4 even though I told them I wouldn't mind sleeping in the train. Next day, the train was supposed to leave to Djibouti after midday, as the train from Djibouti was due to arrive at 11:30ish, and there is only one track on most of the journey. I got a phone call at 9:40am saying a car is waiting for us at the hotel to take us to the station. Once at the station (about 20 min from the centre on a soon-to-be-paved road), the federal police didn't want to let me in until the Ethiopian immigration guy checks my passport. Re-thorough bag check, then a guy used the immigration counter to register my departure from Ethiopia. Having lived here for 2 years, I expected a wide range of possible problems (no internet connection, fingerprint machine or camera not working...). However it went pretty smoothly, albeit a bit slow, about 10 min. The train waited for me since I represented 50% of the 2 passengers.

We left at 10:40. After 1h40 of normal ride the train got stuck for 30min in the desert because there was no electricity. Then we were running at 110 km/h according to the GPS. We stopped again because of power failure at 13:15 and power came back 1h later. Apparently they once got stuck for 10h... We stopped at Ayesha station 40 km from the Djibouti border for 30 min to meet the train from Djibouti and leave half the crew to join it. The other train has about 30 Djiboutian passengers. Then another 2-min stop as we killed a young camel. Ouch! No-one was around so we continued. We arrived at the border at 3:35pm. We were waiting for the Ethiopian immigration guys to come from the border for the 2 Ethiopian ladies of the dining car as the other passenger and I already got the exit stamps in Dire Dawa. Finally, only the Djiboutian immigration police arrives, just as the train was about to leave to meet them at the road border checkpoint, a couple of km ahead. Everyone gathers in the dining car because there is no water or electricity in the immigration building. Then after 20 min the Ethiopians arrive. Everything is set in 30 minutes but the train only leaves at 5:10 pm. Stop at the Ali Sabieh train station 20 min later. We arrived in Djibouti Negab station at 6:20 pm. The station is to be inaugurated next morning by the president.

Travellers' reports from the old metre-gauge line, now closed...

Traveller Richard Gennis reports (2009): "If you are thinking of travelling in on this train you should check at the station the day before, because when I was there the Dire Dawa departure on Saturday was cancelled and it ran on Sunday departing at 10.30am! I was also told that theres about one derailment every week! You will notice that its a lot more expensive to travel from Djibouti to Dire Dawa! 3rd class means travelling in a goods wagon, but the only real difference between 1st and 2nd Class is the small padding to the seats. The trains are busy so expect to stay in your seat for many hours or loose it!

Security wise, there are armed guards on the train as it departs Dire Dawa but these are mainly to stop young children jumping on the train and trying to escape to Djibouti. I saw many young children mainly boys jump on, and then the train would stop while the armed guards beat them until they got off. Sometimes the guards would chase some of the lads on the ground to make sure they got there quite brutal beating before the train would continue! The normal things would apply if travelling on the train in this part of the world as thieves would be around and valuables should be well out of site as you do attract a lot of attention.

There are two border points, one departing Ethiopia and the other one at Guelile 600 metres further down the line to enter Djibouti. You can expect to be at these two stops for around three hours in total as everyone has to get off the train at both stops and move across to a small building and wait in the compound where you will wait until called by the border police, and then re-board the train. You can get food and drink at the Ethiopian border check point although pretty basic, hot coffee, tea, cold drinks, biscuits and of course the local food Injera.

Most of the guide books have the info on the train completely wrong, most of them still saying the train departs Addis Ababa but this has not happened for over two years. They also say the train does not operate at night because of the chances of attacks, but this is also wrong as the train I caught on Sunday 20-12-2009 departed at 10.30am (over a day late) and arrived Djibouti at 05.30am the next. I spent over 18 hours in the cab!!!!

Train travel in Ethiopia & Djibouti... Photos courtesy of Richard Gennis

Djibouti station. Photo courtesy of Richard Gennis Dire Dawa station. Photo courtesy of Richard Gennis

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Train operator : Chemin de fer Djibouti Ethiopien (CFDE), edr.gov.et. Time zone: GMT+3 all year. Dialling code: Ethiopia dialling code +251, Djibouti +253. Currency: 1 = 32 Ethiopian Birr, 262 Djibouti Francs. $1 = 19 Birr, 160 DJF. Currency converter Tourist information: www.tourismethiopia.gov.et Visas: You need a visa to enter Ethiopia, see www.ethioembassy.org.uk/consular_services/visa.htm. To enter Djibouti you must pick up a visa at the Djibouti embassy in Addis, as visas cannot be issued at the frontier or at Dire Daoua. At present, proper visas are required, e-visas for Djibouti are not accepted for overland travel. Page last updated: 6 November 2022.

Hotels in Ethiopia & Djibouti

My favourite hotel search site: www.booking.com www.booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally prefer booking my hotels all in one place here. You can usually book with free cancellation - this allows you to confirm your accommodation at no risk before train booking opens. It also means you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary, and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when putting a trip together. I never book hotels non-refundably. I have also come to trust their review scores - you won't be disappointed with anything over 8.0. Tip: It can pay to compare prices across multiple hotel sites: HotelsCombined.com is a price comparison site which compares hotel prices on Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Accor, Agoda and many others. Though if there's not much in it, I prefer keeping all my bookings together in one place at www.booking.com.

Travel insurance & VPN...

Always take out travel insurance...

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least 1m or preferably 5m medical cover. It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy myself. Here are some suggested insurers. Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

In the UK, reliable insurers include Columbus Direct.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com.

You can use Confused.com to compare prices & policies from many different insurers.

If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

A Curve card saves on foreign transaction fees...

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then charge you a currency conversion fee. A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, 500 per month at time of writing. The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works: 1. Download the app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose. You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself - I get some commission if you sign up to Curve, but I'm recommending it here because it's great. See details, download the app and get a Curve card - they'll give you 5 cashback through that link, too.

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure. A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi. In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions. And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN. VPNs & why you need one explained. ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use it myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription, and I get a small commission to help support this site.

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What is railjet?

Railjets are Austrian Railways (OBB's) premier high-speed trains, capable of 230 km/h (143 mph) where the route allows.

Where do railjets run?

What are railjet trains like?

Travel tips

How to buy tickets

What's the Munich-Salzburg-Vienna-Budapest journey like?

Munich Hbf - Salzburg - Linz - Vienna Hbf - Budapest Keleti

Zurich HB - Innsbruck - Salzburg - Linz - Vienna Hbf - Budapest Keleti (see the Arlberg Railway page)

Zurich HB - Vienna Hbf - Bratislava Hlavna (1 per day)

Vienna Hbf - Klagenfurt - Udine - Venice Santa Lucia 2 per day (see the Vienna to Venice page).

Prague Hlavni - Vienna Hbf - Graz (some trains on this route are blue Czech Railways railjets)

Berlin Hbf - Vienna Hbf (1 per day, via Prague)

Railjets have 3 classes, economy, first & business (in that order!), all with free WiFi. Business class is a premium first class, called Premium class until 2012. The trains are all non-smoking. Wheelchair-accessible toilets and several wheelchair spaces are available in each train.

A railjet at Vienna Hbf. Railjets are push-pull, with a locomotive at one end & a driving cab (shown here) at the other.

Economy (2nd class)...

Economy (2nd) class has open-plan seating arranged 2+2 across the car width, most unidirectional but with some tables for 4. All seats have power sockets and a fixed or drop-down table. Large luggage racks are located at various points within the seating area, see the photo of the luggage rack in 1st class below, it's the same in all classes (in fact there's a luggage rack in the photo below left, behind the table for 4). See the seat numbering plan here. Click the photos for larger images.

First class...

First class has reclining leather seats arranged 2+1 across the car width, with tables for 2, tables for 4 people and some unidirectional seats. There are power sockets & tables at all seats. Food & drink orders are taken from the restaurant menu & served at your seat, although meals aren't included in the fare. See panorama photo. See the seat numbering plan here. Click the photos for larger images.

1st class on a railjet... 1st class - note the large luggage rack.

You pay an extra 15 on top of any 1st class fare to get a business class seat, which automatically includes a reserved seat.

The first batch of railjets (used Munich-Vienna-Budapest & Zurich-Innsbruck-Vienna-Budapest) have 16 business class seats in half a car at one end of the train: A carpeted corridor runs down one side of the car, off which open several spacious 3 or 4 seat semi-compartments, semi because the compartments have no door and partitions are not ceiling-high. Each semi-compartment has very comfortable reclining leather armchairs with adjustable footrests & fold-out armrest table.

Later railjets (used on the Vienna-Graz-Venice & Vienna-Berlin routes) have just 6 business class seats, arranged open-plan 1+1 across the car width at one end of the train at one end of a first class car.

If you don't mind the extra cost, business class is highly recommended. There are power sockets & reading lights at all seats. A complimentary welcome drink of wine or fruit juice is included. Food & drink orders are taken from the restaurant menu and served at your seat, although meals aren't included in the fare. Note that only certain booking sites can book business class (for example www.thetrainline.com & www.oebb.at where you select a 1st class fare then choose a business class reservation), but if you have a first class ticket you can find any empty seat and ask to pay the 15 supplement on board.

See panorama photo. See the seat layout & numbering plan here. Click the photos for larger images.

Business class in the original railjet trains: Side corridor with 14 seats in two 3-seat & two 4-seat semi-compartments, plus two solo seats at one end. See seat layout & numbering plan.

Business class in later railjet trains: Just 6 seats, open plan at the end of the train.

Restaurant car...

Anyone in any class can buy food & drink at the counter to take back to their seat or you can sit down in any free seat in the 14-seat restaurant area which has table service. However, in 1st & Business classes there's no need to go to the restaurant car, a steward will take your order and serve you from the restaurant menu at your seat - or you can order food & drink on your smartphone, see the travel tips section below. Food is served on proper china with metal cutlery - no airline plastic here. The Austrian wines are excellent, as is the beer. You can find the current menu at www.oebb.at/en/.../im-zug/bordservice - please let me know if that link stops working.

Restaurant & bar counter. Larger photo. Food orders are taken & served at seat in 1st & business.

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Fares, tickets & seat reservations... Seat reservations are optional on railjets, there's a small extra charge if you want one, otherwise you can just sit in any empty unreserved seat. That means you can always buy a full-price ticket and get on the next train, railjet trains can never sell out. However, a seat reservation is a good idea for a long journey and you will find much cheaper fares if you are willing to commit to a specific train with a limited-refund, limited-changes ticket booked in advance as shown below. Booking now opens up to 6 months before departure depending which website you use to book, but significantly less than that when the mid-December timetable change is involved. Which website you use to book depends on where your journey starts, see the how to buy tickets section below.

Economy, first or business class? Economy class is absolutely fine for most travellers. However, first class has wider seats and more legroom if you don't mind paying the extra, and as fares are dynamic it might not cost that much more. Look at the photos above, what you see is what you get, but for me first class has two key benefits: First, you don't need to leave your seat and luggage to go to the restaurant car, in first and business class stewards take your order and serve you at your seat. Second, if travelling alone there are 'solo' seats on one side of the aisle in first class for privacy if you'd rather not sit next to someone else. Business class is a real treat, if you can afford the first class fare plus 15, go for it...

Boarding : As with most European trains, there's no check-in, you just walk into the station, look at the departure screens to find your train and get on, any time before it leaves. At major stations there's also a screen or poster showing the train formation and where each car will stop along the platform, this saves you running up and down looking for your car when the train comes in.

Luggage: You take your bags with you and put them on any suitable luggage rack near your seat. If you can carry it you can take it, as within reason there are no baggage limits. Anything up to backpack size fits on the overhead rack directly above your seat, larger items fit on the luggage stacks inside the seating areas, see the photo below...

Bikes & dogs: Bikes are carried on railjet trains, there are 5 spaces per train, see the bikes by train page. You can take a dog or pet on a railjet, see the dogs by train page.

For a railjet seat numbering plan , see the train seat plan page.

Power sockets for laptops & mobiles : Railjets have sockets at all seats or pairs of seats in all classes.

Free WiFi : Railjets have free WiFi in all classes. It works in Austria and in neighbouring countries too.

Quiet zone ( Ruhezone ): Some seating in economy and first class is designated Ruhezone - quiet zone. No mobile phones, no noisy kids. The areas are marked on the car sides, and by distinctive green headrests marked Ruhezone, Quiet zone .

Family zone ( Familienzone ): The end car at the economy end of the train is specially designated for parents with young children. In this car there's a small area where kids can watch a screen with cartoons, and there are game boards marked on the tables. Seats in the family area have blue headrests marked Familienzone .

Station first class lounges : If you have a first class international ticket you can use the OBB first class lounge at Vienna Hbf or Vienna Meidling, the OBB first class lounges at Salzburg & Innsbruck, and the MAV first class lounge at Budapest Keleti. Note that you can use the German DB Lounges with a 1st class Flexpreis fare, but not with a 1st class railpass or Sparpreis or Supersparpreis fare.

Order food & drink & check the train's progress on your smartphone! In first & business class the restaurant car steward takes your orders for food & drink and serves them at your seat. But you can short-circuit this process by logging onto the railjet's free WiFi, the OBB portal opens up (https://railnet.oebb.at ) with an option to order food for delivery to your seat. You order from the online menu, enter your car & seat number, and hey presto, the steward shows up shortly afterwards with your order. You pay him when he arrives. Works well, unless he is rushed off his feet and misses the online order! You can find the current restaurant menu at www.oebb.at/en/.../im-zug/bordservice - please let me know if that link stops working. The intranet also allows you to keep track of the train's speed and whereabouts on your smartphone, and check arrival times.

Infopoint - the train manager's office. Large luggage racks in first & economy, within the seating area.

Wheelchair spaces. Children's cinema, family zone in the end car.

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Book in advance for the cheapest fares. If you book ahead, you can find cheap fares on these railjet trains from as little as 29 from Munich or Zurich to Vienna or Budapest, 14 from Vienna to Budapest or 14 Vienna to Prague.

For journeys starting in Germany , buy tickets online at German Railways www.bahn.de. Alternatively, for journeys to Austria you can also book at www.thetrainline.com which can sometimes be cheaper as it links to the Austrian Railways system as well as the German. Booking now opens up to 6 months ahead on both these sites.

For journeys starting in Austria , buy tickets online at either www.thetrainline.com (easiest to use) or Austrian Railways' own site www.oebb.at (same prices, a bit more fiddly). For journeys to Germany, you can also use German Railways www.bahn.de. All these sites now try to open bookings 6 months ahead. For journeys to Prague you can also use www.cd.cz, booking opens 3 months ahead.

For journeys starting in Switzerland , you can buy tickets at either www.thetrainline.com (easiest to use) or Austrian Railways' own site www.oebb.at (same prices, a bit more fiddly). However, to book a journey to Budapest see the advice here as you'll need to split the booking.

For journeys starting in Budapest , use the MAV (Hungarian railways) website www.mav-start.hu with booking opening 90 days ahead. You collect tickets from the yellow self-service machine at Budapest Keleti. Alternatively, you can book Budapest to Germany tickets at www.bahn.de and Budapest to Austria tickets at www.thetrainline.com which can be easier, booking on these sites opens up to 6 months ahead. To buy a ticket from Budapest to Switzerland you need to split the booking, see the advice here.

For journeys starting in Prague you can book at either www.cd.cz up to 3 months ahead or www.thetrainline.com up to 6 months ahead.

If you want to book business class, book at www.thetrainline.com or www.oebb.at. On the Vienna-Prague route, www.cd.cz can now also book business class seats.

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What's the Munich - Salzburg - Vienna - Budapest journey like?

The train soon leaves the Munich suburbs behind and snakes through pretty Bavarian countryside, past tiny villages nestling in green valleys, picturesque chalets and Bavarian churches with tall, slender spires. Approaching Salzburg the Alps come into view, making a great backdrop to your train ride, often with snow on the highest peaks even in June. Just before arriving at Salzburg the train crosses the Salzach river - look to the right for great views of Salzburg's citadel & castle (see the photo below). Soon after Salzburg the train leaves the Alps behind and snakes through hilly Austrian scenery, past Austrian churches with their bulbous spires, so different from those in Bavaria. The train calls at Linz before reaching its maximum 200 km/h (125mph) speed on the fastest part of the journey, then it slows down again through more green hilly countryside into Vienna's new main station. From Vienna to Budapest the landscape is flat, wide open farmland, now sporting more wind turbines that you've ever seen before, allegedly over 200. Just before arriving in Budapest the train crosses the Danube, although a modern road bridge obscures the view along the river. The train normally keeps good time, so expect an on-time arrival into Budapest's historic Keleti station, built 1881-1884.

Bavarian scenery between Munich & Salzburg...

Salzburg... This is the view of Salzburg as the railjet crosses the Salzach river approaching Salzburg station... TV screens show the arrival times at the next station stops, the train's current speed, and maps show your current location...

Pleasant farmland scenery in Austria...

Between Vienna & Budapest it's largely flat. This photo pretty much sums up that whole route!

A railjet driving trailer end... A meal served at one's seat...

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(Natural News) Illegal marijuana farms in California have left acres of land so contaminated with toxic chemicals and fertilizers that a quarter-teaspoon could kill a bear. Already five law enforcement officers have been sent to the hospital for severe skin rashes and respiratory problems. This, after just touching a polluted area. Government officials say that the situation is worse than they feared and are worried that should nothing be done to rectify this crisis, a biological catastrophe similar to the Elk River disaster in 2014 is imminent. The West Virginia emergency left more than 300,000 residents without access to potable water because of chemicals that were spilled in the tributary.

Local officials have said that California accounts for more than 90 percent of the illegal marijuana farming in the country, despite the state being one of the first to legalize the medicinal herbs use. Yet Californias land is vast and deep, with regions that are hard to get to or monitor. Unintentionally, the state became a pot growers haven.

Members of the U.S. Forest Service told Reuters that illegal growers use long-restricted liquid fertilizers like zinc phosphide. Their indiscriminate use of the chemical has damaged the surrounding environment, creating wastelands of entirely unlivable areas. Expert ecologist Mourad Gabriel has calculated that within federal lands in California, there remains 731,000 pounds of solid fertilizer, 491,000 ounces of concentrated liquid fertilizer, and 200,000 ounces of toxic pesticides. This translates to Californias forests holding 41 times more solid fertilizers and 80 times more liquid pesticides than what investigators noted in 2013. Even among sites that were supposedly cleaned up completely, preservationists say that around 30 to 50 percent of trace chemicals remained.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar, who heads a Fresno office that deals with the environmental damage caused by illegal marijuana farming, described these areas as superfund sites. Superfund sites are zones targeted by the U.S. government for hazardous waste that could harm humans or the environment. In California, it is estimated that there are approximately 639 illegal superfund sites/marijuana farms. Each farm spans around 50 acres.

Local officials say that it would take around $100,000 to clear away each of the most toxic zones in the state. This could add up to a total bill of more than $100 million.

Gabriel projects an even bigger amount. He states that thousands of illegal growers stay on a specific farm (either on private or tribal land) for only a year or two before abandoning these sites. The only traces are found in the soil and in the degradation of plant and animal life. Authorities would have to conduct extensive searches to pinpoint all of these contaminated areas. (Related: Marijuana growers are decimating Californias ecosystem, killing fish, destroying forests and draining streams.)

The Californian government is taking steps to regulate the use of these toxic fertilizers. Nevertheless, they admit that these rules can only be enforced among those who cultivate marijuana legally.

Supervisor of Trinity County Keith Groves says that are roughly 4,000 illegal growers in the region. Ill be happy if we can get 500 of them to become licensed, he said.

As to why this number is so large, Washington Fish and Wildlife Deputy Chief Mike Cenci says that there are a lot of incentives for continuing to grow illegally. Cenci referred to the states strict taxes and red tape policies which could have discouraged marijuana growers to follow the law.

Read more stories like this on CBDs.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Reuters.com
A Lagrange point is a location in space where the combined gravitational forces of two large bodies, such as Earth and the sun or Earth and the moon, equal the centrifugal force felt by a much smaller third body. The interaction of the forces creates a point of equilibrium where a spacecraft may be "parked" to make observations.

These points are named after Joseph-Louis Lagrange, an 18th-century mathematician who wrote about them in a 1772 paper concerning what he called the "three-body problem." They are also called Lagrangian points and libration points.

Structure of Lagrange points

There are five Lagrange points around major bodies such as a planet or a star. Three of them lie along the line connecting the two large bodies. In the Earth-sun system, for example, the first point, L1, lies between Earth and the sun at about 1 million miles from Earth. L1 gets an uninterrupted view of the sun, and is currently occupied by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Deep Space Climate Observatory.

L2 also lies a million miles from Earth, but in the opposite direction of the sun. At this point, with the Earth, moon and sun behind it, a spacecraft can get a clear view of deep space. NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) is currently at this spot measuring the cosmic background radiation left over from the Big Bang. The James Webb Space Telescope will move into this region in 2018.

The third Lagrange point, L3, lies behind the sun, opposite Earth's orbit. For now, science has not found a use for this spot, although science fiction has.

NASA is unlikely to find any use for the L3 point since it remains hidden behind the sun at all times, NASA wrote on a web page about Lagrange points. The idea of a hidden 'Planet-X' at the L3 point has been a popular topic in science fiction writing. The instability of Planet X's orbit (on a time scale of 150 years) didn't stop Hollywood from turning out classics like 'The Man from Planet X.'

L1, L2 and L3 are all unstable points with precarious equilibrium. If a spacecraft at L3 drifted toward or away from Earth, it would fall irreversibly toward the sun or Earth, "like a barely balanced cart atop a steep hill," according to astronomer Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Spacecraft must make slight adjustments to maintain their orbits.

Points L4 and L5, however, are stable, "like a ball in a large bowl," according to the European Space Agency. These points lie along Earth's orbit at 60 degrees ahead of and behind Earth, forming the apex of two equilateral triangles that have the large masses (Earth and the sun, for example) as their vertices.

Because of the stability of these points, dust and asteroids tend to accumulate in these regions. Asteroids that surround the L4 and L5 points are called Trojans in honor of the asteroids Agamemnon, Achilles and Hector (all characters in the story of the siege of Troy) that are between Jupiter and the Sun. NASA states that there have been thousands of these types of asteroids found in our solar system, including Earths only known Trojan asteroid, 2010 TK7.

L4 and L5 are also possible points for a space colony due to their relative proximity to Earth, at least according to the writings of Gerard O'Neill and related thinkers. In the 1970s and 1980s, a group called the L5 Society promoted this idea among its members. In the late 1980s, it merged into a group that is now known as the National Space Society, an advocacy organization that promotes the idea of forming civilizations beyond Earth.

Benefits of Lagrange points

If a spacecraft uses a Lagrange point close to Earth, there are many benefits to the location, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Amy Mainzer told Space.com.

Mainzer is principal investigator of NEOWISE, a mission that searches for near-Earth asteroids using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft that orbits close to our planet. While WISE is doing well with its current three-year mission that concludes in 2016, Mainzer said, a spacecraft placed at a Lagrange point would be able to do more.

Far from the interfering heat and light of the sun, an asteroid-hunting spacecraft at a Lagrange point would be more sensitive to the tiny infrared signals from asteroids. It could point over a wide range of directions, except very close to the sun. And it wouldn't need coolant to stay cool, as WISE required for the first phase of its mission between 2009 and 2011  the location itself would allow for natural cooling. The James Webb Space Telescope will take advantage of the thermal environment at the sun-Earth L2 point to help keep cool.

L1 and L2 also allow you to have enormous bandwidth because over conventional Ka-band radio, the communication speeds are very high, Mainzer said. Otherwise, the data rates just become very slow, she said, since a spacecraft in orbit around the sun (known as heliocentric orbit) would eventually drift far from Earth.

Lagrange point science

Multiple astronomical and Earth observatories are located at Lagrange points, providing a vantage point of our planet and space that you can't get from close-up. Scientists also perform periodic studies of small bodies naturally occurring at Lagrange points. Here are some recent science results:

In 2016, NASA released a video of the Earth spinning through an entire year. The time-lapse was based on 3,000 pictures taken every two hours by the EPIC camera on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite, which was at L1. Besides showing pretty views, EPIC provides scientists with metrics on climate such as cloud height, ultraviolet reflectivity, or ozone and aerosol levels.

In February 2017, the OSIRIS-REX mission  then on its way to asteroid Bennu  spent about 10 days looking for additional Trojan asteroids in Lagrange points near Earth. "That would be the most fascinating thing we could discover," mission lead scientist Dante Lauretta, a planetary scientist with the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, told a NASA science advisory group in January. The search revealed no new Trojans, but perhaps other spacecraft will look again in the future.

A 2017 study suggests that Trojan asteroids near Mars are from the planet, and not captured asteroids from other regions in space. The smoking gun is that at least three of Mars' nine Trojan asteroids are high in olivine. This mineral is rare in asteroids, but common on larger bodies (including Mars, which has it in impact basins). While Earth and Venus have olivine as well, lead author David Polishook, a researcher at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, told Space.com that it's much easier for Mars to capture asteroids from its own surface.

Reference Editor Tim Sharp contributed to this article.

Additional resources
Imagine an interstellar probe where the spacecraft can pick its own orbit, take its own pictures, and send probes down to the surface of a far-away planet without human help. Or imagine a mission that hitchhikes on a comet, scanning the sky and picking out the most interesting targets among millions of locations without guidance from engineers back on Earth sitting in a control room.

These are two examples of how NASA hopes to use artificial intelligence. As far-fetched as the concept sounds, the agency is already using AI in missions on both Earth and Mars. And there are other missions in the works that could see AI exploring icy moons in search of life.

This bot-friendly future stands counter to some of the fuss in the press this past week, after Facebook shut down an experiment because two artificially intelligent bots began communicating in a shorthand language instead of English. Many in the media portrayed the bots as coming up with their own language.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Steve Chien says that the reality is more subtle: The bots were not rewarded for using English, so they just sought out the most efficient route possible to communicate with one another. NASA, he added, takes robot safety very seriously. Space station astronauts occasionally work alongside Robonaut 2, a simple machine that can flip switches and do other menial tasks. In the future, he said, NASA astronauts could work with more intelligent robots on Mars, with the robots scouting sites and telling humans the most interesting locations to survey.

"NASA is very risk-averse [about crewed missions]," said Chien, who is technical group supervisor of the artificial intelligence group at JPL. "It's a high-profile mission, and with a crewed program there's even more of an obsession with safety than with robotic ones  as there should be."

Opportunity rover (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

When thinking of autonomous robots working in space, a person might recall scary examples from movies  HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, for instance. But AI robots are already working in space, and these are all helpful bots  more like GERTY in the 2009 film Moon, which works alongside astronaut Sam Bell on a lunar colony.

NASA's Mars rovers are already equipped with artificial intelligence, which makes some decisions independently  a useful feature since communication between a rover and Earth might take 20 minutes because of the vast distance. The most famous example is the Curiosity rover, which has an automatic targeting system that helps direct its cameras  and its laser  at rocks and other objects that the system considers worthy of inspection. A more primitive version was installed on the older Opportunity and Spirit rovers  and Opportunity is still running 13 years after landing on Mars.

RELATED: Here's What It's Like to Be the Planetary Protection Officer at NASA

Closer to home, NASA used artificial intelligence on its Earth Observing-1 satellite, which completed its mission earlier this year after operating since 2003. The instrument was called the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) and helped scientists look for interesting events on Earth's surface like volcanoes, which meant they could send out alerts to the public faster than humans working on the surface.

There are also two ongoing experiments that scan for interesting events such as supernovas and select the "best of the best" data for scientists to evaluate. The first is V-FASTR (an acronym that refers to radio transients or events, such as pulsar pulses) and the second is the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF), which looks for supernovas or other neat things in optical wavelengths. Work from iPTF helped establish the existence of gravitational waves, as there were no supernovas in the sky that affected the results first seen by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2016, Chien said.

The sky is a big place, and you might see thousands of things at any given moment peering into the night. Before these experiments were available, Chien said, scientists arbitrarily picked 50 things to look at. Now, they can look at the 50 objects that AI instruments determined to be the most interesting.

This artist's rendering shows NASA's Europa mission spacecraft, which is being developed for a launch sometime in the 2020s. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Here's the exciting thing: These existing artificial intelligence bots are the technology of yesterday  particularly in the case of the teenaged Opportunity mission on Mars. As powerful as that technology was back in the early 2000s, researchers today can do so much more with computing.

The Mars 2020 rover is expected to depart for the Red Planet in three years. Multiple instruments on the rover will have autonomous imaging capability, Chien said, and the targeting will be a lot smarter. Not only will the rover be clever enough to choose an interesting target, but also to pick the best approach for scanning it and obtaining information relevant to researchers. Mars 2020 could even change its schedule of tasks on the fly if it finishes something ahead of time, allowing scientists to squeeze the most they can out of the mission.

NASA's planned Europa Clipper mission is scheduled to perform multiple flybys of an icy moon of Jupiter, one that has been observed spouting what appears to be water geysers  at least in the eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope. Clipper will operate in an extremely harsh radiation environment that is expected to reset or crash its computer several times in a single flyby. It takes hours to send instructions to and from Jupiter, so the Clipper will be equipped with a computer system that can diagnose problems and fix them before engineers back on Earth even knew a problem occurred.

RELATED: All Eyes on the Sun's Mysteriously Superhot Corona During Great American Eclipse

Other projects remain in the proposal stage, but no less exciting when considering the possibilities for artificial intelligence. NASA hopes to one day land a device on Europa, or perhaps Enceladus  another water geyser-spouting moon orbiting Saturn. (The agency is quite interested in these "ocean worlds," as NASA calls them, since the moons could harbor microbial life.) Early studies suggest that space agencies could put a submarine in an ocean on one of these moons. But it would be a solo voyage because, Chien said, we can only communicate with the little submarine for perhaps a month.

Artificial intelligence on board a submarine would be tasked with figuring out where to go safely. But other considerations might include: How to avoid obstacles? Which targets have the most potential for observation? Or at what temperature is it safe to travel? Chien pointed out that on Earth, if we take a typical robotic submersible from temperate waters to the Arctic, recalibrations are always needed to adjust for the change in temperature.

The Comet Hitchhiker project  funded by NASA's Advanced Innovative Concepts program that gives early-stage funding to far-off mission concepts  could develop a spacecraft capable of catching a ride with a comet on its way to the outer solar system. With the craft operating so far from Earth, it would take hours for it to communicate back and forth with engineers. So an AI bot would be more efficient in picking targets by itself and sending data back to Earth. Self-selecting AI would also be useful for another mission concept that would send 100 small CubeSats to nearby asteroids; it would help the little spacecraft decide how to orbit the asteroids and what to image on the surface.

Breakthrough Starshot is a $100 million research and development program, aiming to establish proof of concept for a 'nanocraft'  a fully functional space probe at gram-scale weight  driven by a light beam.

Last year, the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, which includes billionaire Yuri Milner and physicist Stephen Hawking, proposed to send a tiny nanocraft to our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, around the year 2038. The nanocraft would travel at an incredible 15- 20 percent the speed of light, allowing it to get to the star in only a couple of decades.

Chien pointed out that an interstellar mission would be a perfect use of AI. It could figure out by itself what type of planets are in a system, how to navigate the craft into orbit, what types of data to collect, and where to deploy probes, if the world looked habitable. But science observations of this kind would not work with Breakthrough Starshot's current design because the mission is not supposed to slow down. However, some proposals from other groups suggest slowing it down would be possible. But regardless of the mission architecture, an interstellar probe would be best served using AI because humans cannot anticipate everything, Chien said.

"When an interstellar probe gets there, it will have lots of information, he said. "Let's assume the planet has oceans and we have probes that we can drop from orbit to sample those oceans and take measurements." The question then, he said, is where to deploy the probe, and AI could make that decision quickly.

RELATED: Detecting Alien Life Will Likely Be a Protracted Process, Not a Eureka Moment

The JPL scientist encouraged a healthy respect and concern in the public when thinking about using AI in future missions, but added that fear of AI is irrational as long as we make sure that people familiar with the technology are involved in its development and are consulting with the public.

"There was a time when to make a phone call, a human had to be involved. When you rode the elevator, a human had to be involved," Chien said. "Now we would say that's insane. These are the wheels of progress. It's going to happen, we need to get used to it, and we need to do it in a reasonable and rational fashion."

Originally published on Seeker.
Eclipse viewers from all over the world gathered in Casper, Wyoming, to find their special spot to soak in the sun.

CASPER, Wyo.  To paraphrase the legendary fighter who at the time was known as Cassius Clay, it was a celestial punch that was a true knockout. Yesterday (Aug. 21), a total eclipse of the sun wowed skywatchers from one coast of the U.S. to the other.

"It's all about what the eclipse means to you, what it means to you and to you only," and how personally it affects you, said John Goss, president of the Astronomical League, the sponsor of Astrocon 2017 here in Casper, which was in part a celebration of the total eclipse of the sun. [The Most Amazing 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Photos]

Unidentified "box boy" is ready for eclipse action at one of the total solar eclipse viewing sites in Casper, Wyoming. This observer donned a cardboard box with eye-protective plastic to view the partial eclipse before totality. (Image credit: Barbara David)

Lost in the moment

Skywatcher Craig Bobchin from Corona, California, was armed with major telescope and camera gear. "It was my first total eclipse. I was prepared for this, but I wasn't prepared, if that makes sense," he said.

Bobchin snagged images of the sun's corona and other aspects of the eclipse.

"I shot raw images. I'm taking them home and going to make a time lapse of the event," he told Space.com.

"It happened faster than I thought," Bobchin said. "I was lost in the moment. It was amazing. I've never seen anything like that. For this first occasion, I am really happy with what I got."

In 2024, Bobchin said he's headed for Texas for the next U.S. total eclipse. "That's a guarantee."

During total eclipse, participants use their hands to observe crescent shapes on the ground. (Image credit: Leonard David)

Totality virgins

Also on hand here for the sky show was Fred Espenak, known popularly as "Mr. Eclipse." A retired astrophysicist from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, he explained that the overwhelming majority of 2017 eclipse observers are "totality virgins"  meaning they've never experienced a total eclipse before.

But within those few precious minutes, Espenak said, "people have joined an exclusive club of the most spectacular thing you can see with a human eye. There are few events in life that leave a permanent, indelible impression," he said, and "a total eclipse of the sun is just such an event."

Totality absorbs the attention of solar eclipse watchers in Casper, Wyoming. (Image credit: Leonard David)

Citizen science in action

Espenak said he drove from Arizona to view the total eclipse in Casper.

"I don't speak much on eclipse day, just growl!" he said.

First captivated by a total eclipse in 1970, Espenak has taken part in 27 eclipse expeditions and traveled to every continent to do so, including jaunts to Antarctica.

During his first total eclipse, amateur astronomer Craig Bobchin from Corona, California, snagged a set of memorable images of the event. (Image credit: Leonard David)

Espenak is creator of the NASA Eclipse Web Site, where he has posted maps (generated using computer models) showing the time and location of every solar and lunar eclipse from 2000 B.C. to the year 3000. He's published more than a dozen NASA reference publications, each one focusing on a specific, upcoming eclipse.

But the Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017 is distinctive.

Fred Espenak, known popularly as "Mr. Eclipse," took part in numerous Casper, Wyoming, eclipse activities. (Image credit: Barbara David)

"First of all, it's in the United States," Espenak told Space.com. It also marks an epoch in the use of technology. For one, "it's citizen science in action," he said, referencing the various apps from NASA and other groups that have asked eclipse observers to collect and submit data on their mobile phones, "and that's one of the really unique aspects."

Leonard David is author of "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet," published by National Geographic. The book is a companion to the National Geographic Channel series "Mars." A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Mars may experience snowstorms at night, a new study finds, suggesting that the Martian atmosphere is far more active than previously thought.

Mars is dry compared to Earth: Its cold nature makes it unlikely that any of the ice on the Red Planet's surface would melt, and its extremely thin atmosphere would cause any liquid water on the surface to vaporize nearly immediately. Still, Mars' atmosphere does possess clouds of frozen water.

Previous research suggested that if snow did fall from those clouds, it would waft down very slowly. "We thought that snow on Mars fell very gently, taking hours or days to fall 1 or 2 kilometers [0.6 to 1.2 miles]," said study lead author Aymeric Spiga, a planetary scientist at the University of Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris. [Photos: Most Powerful Storms of the Solar System]

Now, Spiga and his colleagues have found that snow can rapidly descend on Mars in storms. "Snow could take something like just 5 or 10 minutes to fall 1 to 2 km [0.6 to 1.2 miles]," Spiga told Space.com.

The researchers were analyzing data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft when they noticed a strong mixing of heat in the Martian atmosphere at night "about 5 km [3 miles] from the surface," Spiga said. "This was never seen before.

"You expect heat to get mixed in the Martian atmosphere close to the surface during the daytime, since the surface gets heated by the sun," Spiga explained. "But my colleague David Hinson at Stanford University and the SETI Institute saw it higher up in the atmosphere and at night. This was very surprising."

To explain these findings, the researchers developed an atmospheric model to simulate the weather on Mars. "It took something like three to four years to come up with a model sophisticated enough to reproduce Mars' clouds," Spiga said.

The scientists discovered that the cooling of water-ice cloud particles during the cold Martian night could generate unstable turbulence within the clouds.

"This can lead to strong winds, vertical plumes going upward and downward within and below the clouds at about 10 meters [33 feet] per second," or about 22 mph (36 km/h), Spiga said. "Those are the kinds of winds that are in moderate thunderstorms on Earth."

Snow can get caught inside these winds and rapidly fall downward. The researchers said that such Martian snowfall is analogous to small, localized storms on Earth called microbursts, in which cold, dense air carrying snow or rain gets rapidly transported downward from a cloud.

Any snow landing on Mars would not last long. Once the sun rises, any water ice on the surface would turn to vapor, "unless it was in a very cloudy region or high latitudes," Spiga said.

If the clouds the snow falls from are more than about 1.2 miles (2 km) from the Martian surface, the snow might turn to vapor before it even hits the surface, Spiga added. "This is something observed on Earth sometimes, with something called virga  streaks of rain falling from the clouds can vaporize before reaching the surface," he said.

Martian snowstorms could explain previously unexplained signs of snow detected in 2008 by the laser scanner aboard NASA's Phoenix lander.

"We are able to explain two different mysterious and surprising observations with a single meteorological phenomenon  these snowstorms," Spiga said.

These findings suggest that the Martian atmosphere is more dynamic than previously thought. "Since you have these powerful winds, these are able to vigorously mix anything, such as heat, water, methane, ozone, dust," Spiga said. "We can now use this data to see what impact these winds have on, say, how water moved from one region to another on Mars in the present and past."

Future research will aim to get more glimpses of these Martian snowstorms, Spiga said. "We want to look all over Mars and see when they happen at night, and what seasons they occur and the effect they have on a global scale," he said.

The scientists detailed their findingsonline yesterday (Aug. 21) in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.
M ining giant BHP Billiton today caved in to pressure from activist investor Elliott Advisors to sell its US shale gas business.

Elliott, which owns 5% of the Anglo-Australian mining giant, has been agitating since April for the worlds largest miner to change its strategy and return money to shareholders.

BHP Billiton went into US shale at the peak of the fracking boom in 2011.

The business has since been hit by the slump in global oil prices and was forced to take a $7.2 billion (5.6 billion) writedown last year.

BHPs outgoing chairman Jac Nasser, who retires this year, recently conceded that BHPs $20 billion investment in shale was a mistake.

But BHP resisted Elliotts other demand to commission an independent review of its oil business.

Analysts welcomed news of the sale, although the business is likely to sell for about half what the miner put into it.

BHP has clawed its way back to financial health after it took huge charges over the Samarco dam disaster in Brazil, in November 2015, which killed 19 people, left 700 homeless and sparked global protests against the firm.

The final date for negotiation of a settlement over Samarco, which was 50% owned by BHP Billiton and 50% owned by Brazilian miner Vale, has been pushed back to October.

BHPs pre-tax profits for the year to June 30 swung from an $8 billion loss to a profit of $10.3 billion, as the miner benefited from stronger commodity prices. It is raising its dividend by 10 cents a share. Shares rose 41.62 ,or 3%, to 1407.5p.
C hinese property giant Dalian Wanda was on Tuesday labelled the first casualty of mounting pressure from Beijing to cut back on big overseas investments, after it ditched plans to spend 470 million in Nine Elms.

The decision to exit the purchase of a 10-acre Nine Elms Square site, where there is scope for 1800 homes, comes as Chinese companies face increasing scrutiny from the Communist Party on capital outflows to protect the yuan from weakening further.

Mike Prew, an analyst at Jefferies, told the Evening Standard: Last Friday the authorities in Beijing announced a shutdown of Chinese investment pipeline into overseas assets including property. The first casualty seems to be Wanda Group, scrapping plans to buy the New Covent Garden Market site for 470 million as the Chinese governments scrutiny of overseas investments intensifies.

There was confusion in the London property market as the news emerged just a day after the Nine Elms Square seller  a joint venture featuring St Modwen Properties  said it had completed a sale after it was announced on June 21 that contracts had been exchanged with Wanda Commercial Properties (Hong Kong).

It is now understood that the purchaser is a newly formed UK company, with some reports saying it is a division of Hong Kong-listed R&F Properties, which is not linked to Wanda.

Fergus Keane, international partner at property agent Cushman & Wakefield, said the Chinese situation was only a reconfirmation of existing regulations ahead of party elections.
T he catastrophic share price collapse of Provident Financial meant another bearish write-up on Pearson, itself still in the Citys bad books after its own profit warning, flew under the radar.

Berenberg, among a number of brokers tipping the textbooks and exams group for another heavy share price fall after its 29% profit warning-induced crash in January, today repeated its Sell stance and 490p target price after first-half results earlier this month.

Analyst Sarah Simon questioned whether the companys efforts to strengthen the balance sheet would be enough amid a tough US college textbooks market.

Pearson faces substantial structural pressure on its core US higher education unit, and has limited visibility on how these trends will play out, Simon wrote in a note to clients.

Cost cutting helps in terms of shoring up profits but could affect the groups ability to hire talent, she added.

Simon also warned: 2018 will see a resumption of the decline in the top line, we think. She slashed her pre-tax profit forecasts by almost 30% for 2019.

The shares shrugged off the bearish comments, edging up 3.5p to 622.5p in line with a stronger FTSE 100, which advanced 45.02 points to 7363.90.

Away from the main talking point, Provident Financials huge 1074.01p, or 61%, dive to 680.5p, investors stocked up on Tesco, which rose 5.43p to 182.38p after Kantar industry data showed its sales grew 3% over the summer.

The reaction to a 2% sales rise for Sainsburys was not so positive. Its shares fell 4.7p to 232.9p.

Whitbread improved 64.44p, or 1.7%, to 3857.44p after an upgrade from Goldman Sachs. The investment bank removed the Costa Coffee and Premier Inns owner from its Sell list, arguing that the recent share slump has been driven by concerns about the consumer environment.

The copper price hit its highest level since November 2014, spurred on by more unrest at Freeport McMoRans Grasberg mine in Indonesia, the worlds second-largest copper mine. It boosted producers such as Kaz Minerals, the FTSE 250 Kazakh copper group spawned from the controversial Kazakhmys. It surged 33p, or 4.5%, to 764.5p.

Providents plunge was not the only Neil Woodford-backed stock to suffer.

Among the minnows, Sphere Medical, whose technology analyses gas levels in the blood, crashed 4.7p, more than 80%, to 1.05p after it revealed Woodford and the Welsh governments Wales Life Sciences Investment Fund are to inject 8 million of funding, take control of the business and delist it from AIM.
T here are many things unique about the Trump presidency, but doing a U-turn on his promise not to commit American troops to Afghanistan isnt one of them.

All recent US presidents have campaigned for office promising to end overseas entanglements and ended up getting drawn into them. As Governor of Texas, George W Bush said: Im not sure the role of the United States is to go around the world and say this is the way its got to be; as President Bush, he did exactly that in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Barack Obama began his presidency saying he was elected to end Americas foreign wars, then surged troops into Afghanistan and eventually recommitted US soldiers to the area of Iraq he had withdrawn them from.

Neither Bush nor Obama were prepared to admit they changed their mind; it was just the circumstances that had changed.

At least Donald Trump has the chutzpah to admit he is doing a U-turn. My original instinct was to pull out of Afghanistan, he told the American people last night, but decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.

Hes right. Everyone else in the world can speculate what the most powerful nation in the world, and the guardian of Western values, should do  but only its commander-in-chief can make the decision.

Not getting involved is the easier course, in the short term. If Bill Clinton had gone more aggressively after Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in the 1990s, or Obama had got more involved in Syria in 2011, both would have been criticised for sacrificing blood and treasure for causes not obviously in Americas national interest.

But after 9/11, the slaughter in the likes of Aleppo and the assertion of Russian influence in Syria, was the West right not to get involved? The cost of failing to intervene is often higher for America, and the world, in the long term.

Nato committed its reputation to restoring order to Afghanistan and preventing it becoming a terrorist base. British soldiers lost their lives.

It was  and remains  a just cause. Now that America is sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan, Britain is bound to be asked to commit more of our forces than the few dozen already pledged. That is what being a member of Nato involves.

The jihadists returning from the civil wars in Syria and Libya to cause death on the streets of Europe remind us that if we leave ungoverned spaces, then it is our citizens whose lives we are putting at risk.

Its not an argument many people want to hear after years of foreign conflict; but that doesnt make it any less true. If you turn your back on the problems of the world it doesnt mean the problems of the world turn their backs on you.

Grenfell victims homes

The decision by Kensington and Chelsea council to spend tens of millions of pounds buying property close to Grenfell Tower so that it be used to rehouse victims of the fire is a welcome step forward.

The most immediate benefit is that the new purchases, which include flats ranging up to 1.5 million in value, will at last give those made homeless by the tragedy the prospect of permanent new homes and hasten the end of the current deeply unsatisfactory situation that has left them living in unsuitable temporary accommodation for far too long.

The proximity of the homes to Grenfell will help former residents by allowing them to rebuild their lives in an area with which they are familiar and avoid children moving school, while social mix will be maintained by giving them the ability to live on streets otherwise out of their price range.

After the allegations of social division and its role in the lead up to the fire, this is a policy in keeping with Londons tradition of mixed communities. That is encouraging. The council has been rightly criticised. But today, at least, its actions can be praised.
O n February 18 I heard the Foreign Secretary repeatedly tell the Munich Security Conference that leaving the EU would mean liberation. A man of his intelligence surely knew that in Munich the word means escape from Nazi rule.

Not a new theme for him: on May 16 2016 he had told Sunday Telegraph readers that the European Commissions aims were similar to those of Hitlers Third Reich. And he had since compared President Juncker to a prisoner-of-war camp guard. But in Munich, where the EU is seen as a guarantee against past horrors returning, the shock was palpable: turning to me, a former German diplomat said: He really doesnt want to make it easy for Mrs Merkel to help Mrs May, does he?

Good question. And Im still not sure of the answer. One hears tales of similar failures to win friends elsewhere. Does he think that if Brexit goes badly the ball might still come free at the back of the scrum, and he might touch down in No 10? Is he still playing to the Mail/Telegraph audience and isnt too bothered about foreigners? He knows that David Davis cant move the Brussels negotiation on from the financial details of the divorce settlement to parallel discussion of our future relations with the EU 27 if we plan to renege on legal commitments. So why does he tell the Commons that the 27 can whistle for any UK payment?

And why doesnt he do the one thing that really would help? The divorce negotiation is intrinsically difficult, because its a zero-sum game. The less the EU gets from us, the more the other dozen net contributors have to pay, or the harder hit are the net recipients, the poorer countries of Southern and Eastern Europe. So all 27 seek to maximise their claims, and we are right to scrutinise them rigorously.

Brexit Secretary: UK wants temporary EU customs deal

But negotiating on a future relationship is different, because theres a mutual interest in getting one that works. And the more promising it looks, the greater the incentive for the 27 to agree a sensible compromise on the money. Which is why the drafters of Article 50 insisted that the divorce terms must take account of the framework for the future relationship.

So where, among the new UK papers, is our draft framework? It matters, because we will presumably still want, post-Brexit, to maximise European support for UK interests on wider world issues. We will presumably still aim to win the 27s backing before key Security Council votes.

In the fight against terrorism we will presumably still want to share intelligence and have access to the European Arrest Warrant and the Schengen Information System. We will presumably still see an interest in co-ordinating and so optimising development aid, action against global warming, support for democracy, human rights, and a rules-based international system. While no longer at the EU Council table, wont we still want to influence its decisions? So why hasnt the Foreign Secretary said so?

Its his business. Daviss remit is divorce; Liam Foxs is trade; Johnsons is UK foreign policy, including its European dimension. So why, though so damagingly voluble on others business, is he so silent about his own?

As the guns of August threaten to thunder, with President Trump talking fire and fury against North Korea, what is his view on the nuclear threat? We know Merkels, but our friends in Seoul might like to know ours: they believe we could still have some restraining influence in Washington. Are we exercising it? We have an embassy in Pyongyang: they, and the US and most EU countries, dont. Are we drawing on this asset to give informed advice to our friends?

Johnson has been holidaying in Turkey. What is his plan to shore up Natos eastern flank, as President Erdogans increasingly autocratic regime denounces the US and turns to Moscow? Has he nothing to say about war in Donbas, leaving that too to Merkel, although the Major government signed the Budapest Memorandum on the territorial integrity of Ukraine?

Why are we silent while President Trump refuses to rule out military action against Venezuela? Or threatens trade measures against China? Or rages against the nuclear agreement with Iran which we helped to negotiate? Where do we stand on the Saudi/Qatari crisis? Are we still relaxed about the Saudis bombing cholera-struck Yemen?

Keeping our heads down isnt always wrong. But a policy of always doing so risks seeming ignominious

Keeping our heads down isnt always wrong. But a policy of always doing so risks seeming ignominious. And it devalues the prospect of continued foreign policy co-operation which should be a card in our Brexit hand. I dont believe the Foreign Office has lost all the necessary expertise. I do wonder if the Foreign Secretary has a taste for the necessary application.

But there is an alternative, and more alarming, explanation. The Trump wild card features in all these current crises. And Johnson has from the start been a Trump apologist: when EU foreign ministers met to compare notes on the Trump election victory he ostentatiously stayed away, dismissing their discussion in advance as a whingerama. When last heard from he was still maintaining there was no cause for alarm. Was he behind the unprecedentedly early state visit invitation? Is he Trumps poodle? If so, why?

Could it be that he really believes, with Fox, that provided we keep on sucking up a sweetheart transatlantic free trade deal may bail us out? Despite that America First inaugural address that promised America protection against other countries making our products, stealing our companies, destroying our jobs?

Trade negotiation is always mercantilist arm-twisting, and the US always fights hard: the sharpest US/UK row I witnessed was when Thatcher stood up to Reagan about US sanctions on European firms, including Rolls-Royce. Harsh words were exchanged, but he respected her the more for it. A free trade deal with a president who denounces free trade is a mirage, and not standing up to him risks forfeiting respect all round.

Callaghan, Carrington, Howe, Hurd... Foreign Secretaries used to cut ice abroad, particularly in Europe and America. But maybe thats not Boriss game.
A Thai pork dish has been voted Londonerss favourite food.

The Mayor of London launched the #MyLondonDish competition earlier this year, calling on food lovers to vote for the dish they think makes the capital the worlds leading culinary hotspot.

The "Moo Ping" dish from independent street food vendors KraPow! LDN in Druid Street Market in Bermondsey, south east London, has today been revealed as the winner. The dish consists of sweet, marinated pork chunks served on brown Thai jasmine rice with mint and cucumber salad and a spicy, sour Nam Jim Jaew dipping sauce.

Paul Ambrose, co-founder of KraPow LDN, said of the dish: Street food is one of the great things about living in or visiting Thailand, and Moo Ping is delicious and ever-present in Chiang Mai. Any time of day or night you can find someone with a mobile charcoal BBQ cooking little sweet slivers of pork on bamboo skewers. Now, Londoners are enjoying the dish each week and discovering new flavours.

The #MyLondonDish competition originally asked people from across the capital to Instagram their favourite dish with the hashtag #MyLondonDish. Top dishes were shortlisted and then voted for on the Visit London website.

The winning dish was originally posted on Instagram by food blogger @LondonFoodBoy. He said: With so much variety available, we are spoiled with the London food scene. There is so much to explore, and I encourage all to do so."

30 must-try dishes in London restaurants 1 /41 30 must-try dishes in London restaurants Bone marrow on toast with parsley salad at St John Not only has this dish kicked off countless wonderful meals over the course of St Johns 25 years, but it also gets credit for putting British cooking back on the global culinary map. Roasted bone marrow, coaxed out onto toast, cut perfectly with salad of parsley, shallots and capers. A nose-to-tail revolution, and utterly divine. Whole turbot at Brat Tomos Parrys talents with a turbot first came to feverish acclaim at Mayfair restaurant Kitty Fishers, but they are now the star attraction at his Michelin-starred solo spot. This whole fish  grilled Basque-style, over hot coals and in a specially designed cage  softens as if it has melted, and is basted at the table in an emulsion made with its own juices. Benjamin McMahon Marinara at 50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo Superlatives should be used in moderation  but heck it, this might just be Londons best pizza. This under-the-radar London iteration of a Naples pizzeria serves an unrivalled marinara: just tomato sauce, oil, garlic and oregano. No need for any more  with a sauce this good and a base so fine and perfectly charred, you can stop mourning your cancelled Italian holiday at first bite. Luciano Furia Clay pot baked pork and crab glass noodles at Kiln When we say Kiln is one of the hottest spots in town, we mean it  hang over the counter at the Thai barbecue and youre not far out of range for the odd flame. Baking in the heart of the swirling heat is this must order: shimmering glass noodles, coated with a silky sauce enriched with fatty slicks of Tamworth pork belly and improbably unctuous crab meat. Lamb chops, Melabes Perhaps because its quietly tucked in among its unassuming neighbours down on the wrong end of High Street Kensington, Melabes is often overlooked by Londons food lovers. An unwarranted shame, as this partly Middle Eastern, partly Mediterranean set-up is really very good; it is somewhere to pick and choose from bits and pieces, and put a meal together yourself. The lamb chops, which come all smokey and burnished from the grill, are perfect; pink as a Vegas sign inside, but the fat all soft and dripping and delicious. A must, whatever the order. Steak tartare imperial at Bob Bob Ricard Theres Press For Champagne buttons, lobster in your mac and cheese and anything that stays still long enough gets gilded  there is no point in going small at Bob Bob Ricard. Steak tartare is a luxurious pick at the best of times, but the Imperial upgrade here comes with a dollop of caviar  even without the finishing touch, the tartare itself is one of the best in the capital. Bacon naan at Dishoom Londoners spent decades believing bacon in a bap with some ketchup (or brown sauce, but lets not have that argument now) couldnt be beaten  and then Dishoom came along. This breakfast sandwich fills a fresh naan with bacon, a slathering of cream cheese, a luxurious tomato and chilli chutney, coriander and an oozing fried egg if you feel so inclined. Hangover be gone. Cacio e pepe at Padella Five years ago, you would have thought anyone queuing for pasta in London to have lost their minds  this dish changed that. The starlet of Padellas much coveted is this plate of pici  hand-rolled fat worms of eggless pasta  with a mirror-shine sauce of parmesan cheese and pasta. Simple but unrivalled  and itll set you back just 6. Jamon croquetas at Barrafina A dish like this should be elusive  it is far too easy to eat seven portions of croquetas in a single sitting, which is why we presume Barrafina makes you queue. Very sensible. As the crunchy coating gives way to the oozing centre, enriched with the flavour of Spanish jamon (the best ham in the business), were already planning our next visit. Biang biang noodles at Xi'an Biang Biang Noodles There are oodles of noodles in the capital, but Guirong Weis triumphant take is one of the finest. First finding followers at her north London restaurant Xian Impression (soon to reopen for dine-in, but not yet), the dish of has inspired a whole spin-off restaurant in Spitalfields. Thick, hand-pulled, chewy noodles soak up all the spice and zing of the special sauce they swim in  very special indeed. Souffle Suissesse, Le Gavroche Le Gavroche  the street urchin  is perhaps not for everyone. It is a Mayfair time machine, a reminder of how things were done once upon a time. Fortunately, it happens that how things were once done was very well indeed, and lunch or supper here is a masterclass in traditional French luxury (and often, happily, includes very large glasses of wine). Staff make the place, anyone who has been gently teased by the twins pretending to be each other will know. A tendency towards the old ways does mean the cooking offers little in the way of evolution or revolution, but new, after all, isnt always better. Michel Roux Jrs cheese souffle, baked on double cream, stuns, so overwhelmingly tasty, utter decadence that clings to the taste buds. Buttermilk Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Around the Cluck / 12:51 James Cochran found his signature dish early on, but its good it should stay with him for the rest of his career. While he has chops, and can do more beyond, theres something special in the way he works with his chicken; hotly spiced, gorgeously crispy, beautifully soft on the inside. A long-standing favourite and, though 12:51 cant operate as it did before, there are tables at his new project Around the Cluck, which is operating out of the same site. Breakfast at Hawksmoor Guildhall Your Full English is not full in comparison to the Hawksmoor breakfast at the steak connoisseurs Guildhall restaurant. The mind-boggling two-person spread swaps bacon rashers for an entire smoked chop, serves its bubble and squeak with short rib, puts trotter meat into its baked beans, and adds grilled bone marrow to all the usual trimmings. Cauliflower shawarma at Berber & Q Its not often that the main event at a barbecue restaurant is the veg, but Berber & Q have achieved just that. The cauliflower shawarma here is cooked on their flaming grill until softened and charred, before being doused liberally in tahini, pomegranate molasses, coriander, pomegranate seeds and a scattering of dried rose petals. BBQ Butter Chicken Wings at Brigadiers Brigadiers is a bold, boisterous sort of place: a labyrinthine City dining room, packed to the rafters with beer and Indian food that is indisputably gutsy. But arguably its finest moment comes in one of its smallest packages  these chicken wings may be diminutive, but are mightily spiced, deftly charred and dripping with ghee-fuelled succulence. Beef brisket bun at Smokestak David Carters Shoreditch restaurant occupies itself by giving the entirety of Kansas City a run for its money on a daily basis. The star turn at this lauded barbecue restaurant is its beef brisket bun  the meat is soft and juicy, riddled with its fats in the centre, while charred and treacle-like on the outside, paired perfectly with pickled chillies. To remember it is to salivate, we assure you. Snails, LEscargot LEscargot is one of Sohos old aristocrats and in its grand, beret red dining room there is always a mischievous sense of fun  perhaps because it is still such a smart, suited, chandeliered place, and people are often drinking themselves rather silly. The clue to good eating is in the name; the snails come still clinging to their shells and submerged in their butter and parsley sauce. Dive in; you will emerge stinking gloriously of garlic. It wont matter a jot; roll on the red wine and settle in for a long, comforting night. Confit potatoes at Quality Chop House Yes, there are some high quality chops on offer at this 150-year-old Clerkenwell restaurant but blimey, leave room for the chips. Fine slices of potato are stacked into architecturally sound wedges, and confited until shatteringly crispy on the outside and devastatingly soft in the centre. They have been much imitated in recent years, but never bettered. Smoked eel sandwich at Quo Vadis Jeremy Lee cooks many things to a legendary level at Quo Vadis  his pies could so easily have also made this list  but he gets the nod here for his unrivalled take on the fancy sandwich. Smoked eel, horseradish cream and Dijon mustard, served with red onion pickle  a combination so popular Lee says he nearly ran out of eel on post-lockdown reopening. Classic bao at Bao London has buns in abundance, but we still bow down to the fluffy superiority of Bao. The Taiwanese restaurant has become a cross-town favourite, thanks to its pleasingly pert rice buns (they are genuinely very pert, no crassness intended) and carefully considered fillings. The classic order comes filled with braised pork, fermented veg, coriander and a dusting of peanut powder. Carol Sachs Potato and roe, Core by Clare Smyth Clare Smyth has a knack that must infuriate other chefs; she is able to take the simplest of ingredients  say, a single carrot and a smattering of lamb mince  do something devilish with it and charge rather a lot for it; so good are the results, though, that few mind. Smyths sorcery is perhaps best witnessed with her signature, the potato and roe. It is simply a potato on a plate in a little sauce, but then it is also perhaps the best potato dish in the world; it has this wonderful salty richness, a certain seaside intenseness. It is glorious; so too is the smoked chicken that tends to come as an amuse bouche. Youll be treated here. Omelette Arnold Bennett Dont worry, no Arnolds were harmed in the making of this dish. Alongside impeccable service and an arguably perfect dining room, you could add another highlight to your breakfast at The Wolseley by ordering this creamy, haddock-filled dish, named for the writer who inspired its creation while staying at the Savoy. Fish pie, J Sheekey Long an actors favourite, J Sheekeys glamour has never lost its lustre. Its kept its regulars and charmed newcomers with a menu that plays the greatest hits of fine dining favourites. Seafood is Sheekeys thing; simply done sole is beautiful here, crab comes three ways, brill brushed in butter has a meatiness thats beyond satisfying. The fish pie is famous though, and rightly so; beneath the flaking pastry is a sea of cream, mustard and white wine, in it bobbing cod, haddock and salmon. It is simple but never fails; it does on its own for lunch, but is a failsafe at supper, too. John Carey The Ari Gold at Patty & Bun Theres a cheeseburger on every high street in the capital  but not all of them are created equal. Patty & Bun has got the classic combination down to a tee with its curiously named Ari Gold burger: a fat, 35-day aged patty is served medium rare, and topped with gooey American cheese, smokey house mayo and tangy pickled red onions. Xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung Few dishes in the capital have been known to cause queues of four hours. Thats exactly what the world-famous xiao long bao dumplings did when top Taiwanese restaurant group Din Tai Fung first opened in Covent Garden. An intricately folded out layer (made by chefs trained for at least 18 months) gives way to succulent meat and a broth you could take on by the bowlful. Pig's trotter, the French House Upstairs in the Soho local, Neil Borthwick is quietly running one of the areas best kitchens. He orders in particularly good oysters, does brilliant things with brill and with his pigs trotter, has a dish that is rich and fatty, but with a beautiful salty cut that makes it madly moreish. The menu tends to change often upstairs in the French, but have this if its on. That little dining room is somewhere to go in early for lunch and stay until late, eventually spilling down into the pub below, to drink pints  they do pints now, not just halfs  all while merrily reliving the joys upstairs. Peter Clark Dover sole with crab butter at Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill There are so many delights at Bentleys, its tricky to pick a single one. This could so easily have been a plate of rigorously sourced oysters, the fish pie, the decadent Royal seafood platter (pictured). It is however, the Dover sole that wins. A sublime piece of fish always, expertly cooked without fail  choose it either filleted with beautiful crab butter, or grilled and whole for a simple pleasure. Over in the City, Corrigan does similarly brilliant things with lobster at Daffodil Mulligan. Ragu, Lina Stores Sohos Lina Stores  the pasta bar, not the longstanding Italian deli it comes from  is the sort of restaurant one longs for; small, fun, friendly, not too pricey. They do small plates of near perfect pasta; their ragu, whether lamb or veal, is a gem. A good ragu is hard to find  too often theres too little meat, or meat not cooked for long enough  but here, they spend the time over it, cooking slowly, carefully. No restaurant can compare with a Nonna, but Lina gets gratifyingly close. Porterhouse steak, the Guinea Grill London is not short of steakhouses, but the Guinea does not number among them. A pub  a proper one  it is tucked down a Mayfair sidestreet, away from everything and yet still perpetually busy. Besides the small bar is a dining room that looks much as it must have done when the likes of Sinatra was in (or Bette Midler, or Kylie, or Regan, or, or, or), where theyve served prime Aberdeen Angus cooked on a smoking hot grill. The Guinea is all about having a good time  pints, red wine, brandies, the lot  but they cook beautifully, and their handling of a good piece of beef is second to none. Puree de pommes de terre, Le Comptoir Robuchon The late Joel Robuchon may have been the most decorated chef of his and perhaps any other era, but his signature stayed humble  mashed potato. Until youve had it, it is hard to believe it could be quite so good; mash, after all, is mash. No matter the scepticism, it will always surprise; it is almost silly that so little could taste of so much. A side, it will match almost everything on the menu; of which, the lamb with aubergine on the menu of classics is extraordinarily good.

Other top dishes included chicken tikka masala, which was homemade and posted by food site Proper Tasty, rainbow croissants by Hotel Cafe Royal and Shoyu Tonkotsu - a Japanese dish at Monohon Ramen in Old Street.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: London is the culinary capital of the world, with flavours and inspiration from across the globe. As well as having some of the most esteemed and pioneering restaurants, our great city is home to a variety of wonderful food markets, independent traders, pop-ups and local eateries  all of which contribute to Londons amazing melting pot of cuisine. Huge congratulations to KraPow LDN for scooping the title of my #MyLondonDish."
I n the home, its the man-cave. On the Tube, its those three inches of your seat that the man-spreader splays his legs into. In London society, its clubs like The Garrick and Whites that bar women from membership. And in Southwark Crown Court it was the robing room until now.

Male territory sometimes declared, sometimes merely commandeered  is slowly being chipped away at. The latest victory is judge Deborah Taylors decree that what was once a men-only space beside the courtroom is now unisex. Female barristers, she says, had been missing out on lawyerly locker room talk.

Southwark hosts most of the capitals biggest financial crimes trials, including the recent prosecution of the bankers accused of rigging Libor, the interbank lending rate. In court, the robing rooms or advocates rooms are where, as one barrister puts it, we do work between hearings or hide from our clients. They are used most by criminal practitioners, who are in court more than civil law barristers, and who are more often required to don their wigs and gowns (the convention is you dont robe up before going into the court building). Solicitors arent usually invited in, so it can also be the backdrop for horse-trading, where barristers on opposite sides may reach a settlement.

Alamy Stock Photo

Most courts, such as Snaresbrook and Blackfriars, have communal robing rooms, but Southwark, the Old Bailey and Inner London (in Elephant and Castle) separate the sexes. At Southwark, women had two small rooms at opposite ends of a corridor, while the men had a much bigger space, so if a male silk was defending alongside a female junior barrister, she might miss out on the bartering.

Taylor explains that she had three reasons for her decision, which was made in May but has only just come to light. Firstly, the male robing room had better facilities including tables and chairs for working. It was unfair to the female barristers to be in cramped rooms. Secondly, there are now far more female barristers involved in fraud cases. Not being in the same robing room meant that they were sometimes excluded from conversations prior to Court which took place between the male barristers. Some said that as a result agreements were made before they were consulted. Thirdly, [it] reinforces that gender should play no part in the role or status of a barrister. Taylor added that female colleagues had contacted her applauding the change, and no man had yet complained.

To many, the idea there are still single-sex rooms will merely cement their view of the Bar as antediluvian. The four Inns  Lincolns, Grays, Inner Temple and Middle Temple, to one of which every barrister in England and Wales must belong  can appear even fustier than Oxbridge Colleges. Women only won the right to wear trousers to court in 1995.

And the Bar still has a gender chasm. Every female barrister I spoke to could reel off tales of sexism. One, who specialises in criminal law, describes being a woman at the Bar as doing everything backwards and in high heels for the same recognition, and all anyone says is: Whats she complaining about? Shes dancing with Fred Astaire.

Men dominate the top of the profession. A lack of diversity at the Bar translates into a lack of diversity on the bench: figures published in April showed that only 28 per cent of court judges were women. Last month, Brenda Hale was named the first female Supreme Court president; she has said it is a priority to achieve better representation of half the human race on the bench.

When it comes to decisions about how chambers are run, theres another male-dominated sphere where women are often excluded: the pub. The infamous Bar drinking culture  one lawyer describes his colleagues as mostly alcoholics and recreational drug-takers  means young barristers end up in the drinking dens around Temples cobbled streets trying to meet solicitors to build their practices, but some of the old hands dont give up the habit when they become QCs.

Once youre a certain age as a woman, youre less likely to be in the pub  maybe you have children or you just want to be in the gym, another female barrister tells me. But lots of decisions about how Chambers gets run are made over a pint  or five. These are things like recruitment: so-and-so is looking for a move, and the first the rest of us hear about it is when its announced that were taking someone on. That hurts diversity because its human nature to replicate yourself in your group of peers.

Its never enough, she adds, to go for just a drink. Theres a time where the work gets done  the quote makes are doing some heavy lifting there  and if youre not there then, you might as well not have been at all. You cant know when that will be, so its always a major piss-up that takes you to 3am. And having an orange juice is basically worse than not going at all.

The effects of pan-industry problems, like the burden of childcare still falling disproportionately on women, are exacerbated by the fact barristers are largely self-employed. According to Dexter Dias, a QC who used to chair the Bars equality and diversity training committee, theres a particular attrition point from seven to 10 years after qualifying: I just spoke with a young mother at the Bar who told me she had received virtually no support. The profession must prioritise not only the recruitment but the retention of [women]. Whats at stake? The representativeness and hence legitimacy of our legal system. It is not political correctness  its a question of the rule of law.

Industry insiders fear this will become even worse with a new government initiative to extend court hours, that some barristers with children have warned will force them to leave the profession entirely: Its a much bigger issue than where you get changed into your quasi sub-fusc.

An exasperated female barrister adds: Frankly, it always feels that the entire Bar is viewed as a mans space by most senior male members. In my years at the Bar, its been abundantly clear that its easier for men to get ahead, that there is too much secrecy around who gets paid what for the same kind of work, and that there remains a culture of entitlement and arrogance that encourages senior men at the Bar to believe they can get away with anything. That includes inappropriate sexual comments and behaviour. Ive experienced both, as have many of the junior women I know.

Men-only spaces are not unique to the Bar, of course, though they are everywhere in decline - both in numbers and in stature. At university, bastions of male privilege are in particular retreat. In the US, Harvard is trying to ban final clubs (frat house-members club hybrids with names like The Porcellian), while in Oxford, The Bullingdon Club has only two members left.

Among supposedly adult institutions, The Garrick  described by one former member as a shabby tribute to a world that never really existed; its bar is like a locker room filled with drunks  continues to exclude women, as do Whites in St Jamess and The Beefsteak, whose members include the Tory MP Rory Stewart. Though not actively excluded, women may also find less to enjoy in the other kind of gentlemans clubs (in both instances, a misnomer). Strip clubs, naff as they may be, are where some City lawyers and traders still end up with clients, building bridges among the bosoms.

Its easy to assume time spent in such clubs is time frittered away. But the problem lies in the fact that this minority of men (already at peak privilege) can get a further leg-up by networking: through the whisper of a job going, through the unquantifiable benefits that arise from dining with the great and the good.

Even in less highfalutin company, after-work drinks can be dominated by men  hence Jeremy Corbyns call last year for businesses to end after-hours socialising because it discriminates against mothers (the bigger problem there being that childcare is often deemed to be womens work). Additionally, men simply have more mechanisms for spending time with each other than women do, even if female networks and clubs are now trying to close this gap.

Sometimes, though, its an internal barrier that stops women being fully involved in the conversation. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebooks chief operating officer, once hosted a meeting of top tech execs for the then-Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. In her book Lean In, she recalls that when she asked attendees to take a seat, most of the men sat at the conference table; Geithners team, all women, sat in chairs off to the side. They seemed, she noted, like spectators rather than participants... It was a moment when I realized that in addition to facing institutional obstacles, women face a battle from within.

Occasionally too, we women may assume were not welcome even when we are. In my first job in journalism, I was the only woman in my reporting team. When the men traipsed off to the pub at lunch (the glory days!), I worried I would be intruding. Eventually, I spoke to a male colleague, who laughed: Of course we want you there  you stop us looking like a bunch of sad old men.
A schizophrenic attacker who launched a frenzied knife attack on a man on a London Overground train while shouting "I want to kill all Muslims" has been detained indefinitely in hospital.

Adrian Brown, 38, attacked Muhammed Ali on the London Overground on December 12 last year, knifing him six times in the head and torso.

The victim suffered severe blood loss and also a punctured lung, with Brown suffering a severe psychotic episode when he launched the brutal attack.

Fellow passengers, including an off-duty police officer and doctor managed to save Mr Ali's life by giving him emergency first aid.

Southwark Crown Court heard Brown believed that by stabbing the victim he would "save humanity" and exorcise a Muslim demon haunting him.

Brown had pleaded not guilty to attempted murder on the grounds of insanity.

When on board the train he was heard saying: "Where are all the Muslims? I am going to kill all the Muslims", before holding a knife to the throat of another woman, who was unhurt.

The victim had been travelling back from a trip to the mosque and the shops with his wife when the assault took place between Honor Oak Park and Forest Hill, south London.

On Tuesday, a jury found Brown not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity following a two-day trial of issue.

He was also found not guilty by reason of insanity of possession of an offensive weapon and of assault by beating of the support worker.

The court heard when off-duty police officer David Pearson faced Brown down and told him to put down the knife, the defendant told him: "No, you are OK, you are a Christian."

The officer helped Mr Ali to safety and gave a detailed description of the attacker to police over the phone before trying to persuade Brown to put down his weapon.

Mr Ali said in a statement read to the court that the attack had left him too frightened to leave his house.

He said: "I have not left the house since this happened. I struggle to sleep all the time because every time I shut my eyes I have flashbacks to the whole thing.

He went on: I am so shocked and scared about what took place and I am nervous about leaving the house and travelling on the train again."

Detaining Brown indefinitely under section 37 of the Mental Health Act, Judge Deborah Taylor QC said: "You have a long history of psychotic illness and on that day you were suffering and you continue to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia."

Judge Taylor also imposed an order under section 41 of the Mental Health Act meaning Brown can only ever be released from hospital on the order of a judge or Secretary of State.

Brown, of Brockley Rise, south-east London, appeared via video link from Broadmoor hospital during the hearing, wearing a brown tracksuit.

In a statement, Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson, of British Transport Police, said: This was a serious assault on a man in broad daylight.

A secure hospital is the correct place for Brown to receive the treatment that he requires.

Thankfully his actions did not prove to be life threatening or fatal for the victim  mainly thanks to the quick actions of fellow passengers in saving his life - and he has made a full recovery.
A teenager is fighting for life and another in hospital after they were stabbed during a mass street brawl in west London.

Officers were called to Hobart Lane, in Hayes, just before 6pm on Tuesday following reports of a large fight.

They found two men suffering from stab injuries, while another man had been hit by a car in the brawl, police said.

Witnesses reported on social media seeing as many as 10 people fighting in the street, as well as someone running people over.

All three of the men were taken to separate London hospitals.

One of the teenagers who was stabbed is in a critical condition and the other is stable, the Met Police added.

No arrests have been made.

A Met spokesman said: "Officers attended and found two males aged in their late teens suffering from stab injuries.

"A third male suffered minor injuries following a collision with car. All three males have been taken to separate London hospitals for treatment.

"The first male stabbed is in a serious but stable condition. The second male stabbed remains in a critical condition. We await a full update on their condition."

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A London MP will launch a parliamentary group on knife crime next month to try to find ways to reduce the number of young deaths.

Sarah Jones, MP for Croydon Central, said her aim was to find a cross-party consensus on new measures to combat the resurgence in knife crime and the accompanying rise in fatal stabbings in the capital.

The all-party parliamentary group on knife crime will hold its first meeting next month when MPs and peers return to Westminster. Ms Jones said it would seek to provide policy recommendations to the Government.

A particular focus will be on identifying the underlying causes of blade offences and the reasons why some young people decide to carry a knife, despite warnings that they are putting themselves more at risk by doing so.

Ms Jones said families and individuals in her constituency who have been affected by knife crime would be among those consulted, as well as organisations tackling youth violence.

The Labour MP added: Knife crime is devastating lives every day. Across England and Wales last year there were over 34,000 offences, up 20 per cent in one year.

"Three tragic teenage deaths in under 24 hours this month, one in Croydon, shows how urgently we need cross-party action in Parliament.

"Im hoping this group can bring forward some new ideas and push this issue higher up the agenda in Westminster.

Other group members include London Labour MPs Dawn Butler, Kate Osamor and Catherine West, and Will Quince, the Conservative MP for Colchester.

Ms Jones said they would be looking at the complex reality of the knife crime epidemic and would have a particular focus on prevention and early intervention rather than judicial and policing measures.

A total of 15 London teenagers have died in knife attacks this year. The most recent victim was 15-year-old Jermaine Goupall, who was fatally stabbed in Thornton Heath earlier this month.

His death followed the killing of Daniel Namanga, 19, in a mob attack outside the Afrikiko bar in Old Kent Road, Peckham.


P olice have arrested more than 300 people in a crackdown on drug dealers and gang members ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival.

More than 30 people were held today in dawn raids in Kensington, Notting Hill, Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster, Wandsworth and Lewisham and drugs and weapons were seized in a bid to target troublemakers ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend event.

Since August 11, officers have made more than 290 other arrests for a variety of offences and have recovered 190 knives and 18 firearms.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the carnival amid police fears that it could be blighted by rising levels of violence and knife crime.

Raid: A woman is led away by a police officer / Jeremy Selwyn

Five people were arrested at a maisonette near Portobello Road, Notting Hill, and two underage girls who had been reported missing were found in a bedroom.

A man aged 60 was arrested at a flat in Bevington Road, Notting Hill, on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of drugs, while in south-east London three men and two women were held after 60,000 of uncut crack cocaine was found.

The crackdown against knife crime, drugs and child exploitation was carried out by more than 100 officers from the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police and the British Transport Police.

Suspect: police take away a man in a raid in North Kensington today / Jeremy Selwyn

Police said that if some of those arrested were bailed, they would seek conditions forbidding them from attending the carnival. Officers known as super recognisers will be in the area and monitoring CCTV.

Chief Superintendent Robyn Williams, the Mets spokesman for Notting Hill Carnival, said: We are committed to ensuring that Carnival remains a safe, vibrant and enjoyable event  troublemakers are not welcome.
P olice made more than 300 arrests in a proactive operation ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's biggest street festival.

Scotland Yard said officers had made 316 arrests for a range of offences and recovered 190 knives and 18 firearms in the last 12 days.

Two million people from around the world are expected to attend the festival which takes places over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Police raids were carried out across the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Lewisham, Westminster and Hammersmith and Fulham in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Officers executed 29 warrants and arrested 26 people during the intelligence-led operations that began at about 4am.

In Lewisham, police seized Class A and Class B drugs.

Notting Hill Carnival 2016 - In pictures 1 /24 Notting Hill Carnival 2016 - In pictures Street festival: Thousands of people headed to Notting Hill for the second day of the carnival Getty Snap: Performers in identical blue outfits pose for the cameras Getty Big turnout: Hundreds lined the streets for the procession Getty Caribbean culture: A woman dances her way down the street in the final day of the carnival Getty Festival of colour: A performer dances in front of the crowds during the Grande Finale on Monday PA Drummers filled the streets as Monday's event got into full swing PA Police presence is high following complaints about security last year PA Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade after a paint fight party EPA Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade after a paint fight party EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers enjoy the Notting Hill Carnival after joining a paint fight party in the early morning Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Performers dressed in flamboyant costumes for the Children's Day parade EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Police Officers during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers enjoy a paint fight party Isabel Infantes/PA Wire

The majority of offences involved gang crime, drug supply and weapons, Scotland Yard said.

The operations were led by Met Police, including the Territorial Support Group and dogs unit, and with the assistance of City of London and British Transport Police.

Scotland Yard said some of those arrested would have bail conditions that prevent them from attending Carnival.

The force also revealed on Tuesday that highly-skilled officers known as super recognisers would be on duty at Carnival and in the CCTV control room over the weekend.

About two million people flock to the area in west London for the three day event every year / Getty Images

The squad of police officers are skilled at picking out faces from crowds and will help to spot anyone banned from the Bank Holiday festival.

There were more than 450 arrests at last years carnival, the highest number since 2010. The policing operation cost 8 million.

The 2016 carnival was policed by 6,000 Met officers on Saturday and Sunday and 7,000 officers on the August Bank Holiday Monday.

Previously Commander Dave Musker, the head of policing the carnival, said last year's event had come close to a disaster along the scale of the Hillsborough tragedy on at least two occasions.

Notting Hill Carnival 'a real risk to public safety', official report warns

Four people were stabbed so seriously at the festival in 2016 that they almost died.

A report by the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee published earlier this year warned London Mayor Sadiq Khan that an urgent rethink of the festival was needed to keep people safe.

It said overcrowding and a rise in violent crime were the two main issues.

The Mayor has also faced several calls to move the festival, including from Tory Minister for London Greg Hands who asked for it to be moved in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze.

Sadiq Khan refuses to move Notting Hill Carnival

About two million people, including performers and spectators flock to the area for the annual carnival in west London each year, which is the worlds second biggest after Rio de Janeiro.

Chief Superintendent Robyn Williams, the Met's spokesperson for Notting Hill Carnival, said: "Our officers have been proactive and focused on tackling serious violence and knife crime across London. Today's operation is aimed at ensuring that those who intend to cause trouble at Carnival are prohibited from doing so. We are committed to ensuring that Carnival remains a safe, vibrant and enjoyable event; troublemakers are not welcome.

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden, said: "Notting Hill Carnival is world-renowned as a fantastic celebration of the capital's community, diversity and vibrant history. It is vital we ensure it is as safe as possible for the many thousands who will attend this weekend. That is why we are sending a clear message to the small minority who may be planning to commit violence or other crimes that this will not be tolerated.

Scotland Yard said officers will continue to carry out weapons sweeps and stop and search in the run up to the weekend.

Police asked those who are aware of anyone who is planning to use Notting Hill Carnival to commit crime to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
R elatives have paid tribute to a selfless and loving mother as she was identified as one of the people killed in the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Sakina Afrasehabi, 65, has been named as one of the 80 people who died when a huge blaze broke out at the tower on June 14.

The Met Police confirmed she was a victim on Tuesday, with her family releasing a statement praising her as completely selfless.

It said: Sakina was a loving mother of five, who is much missed by all of us.

"She was completely selfless in all she did and always put other people first.

Grenfell Tower aftermath - In pictures 1 /14 Grenfell Tower aftermath - In pictures The top section of the death trap Grenfell Tower Jeremy Selwyn The tower today, after the flames were extinguished Jeremy Selwyn A close up of the tower's damaged windows PA Fire service personnel survey the damage PA The tower today, after it emerged at least 17 were killed Jeremy Selwyn Rows of blackened windows after the fire Jeremy Selwyn Police sent in sniffer dogs today to search for bodies Jeremy Selwyn PA The Grenfell Tower at dawn today Jeremy Selwyn Donations have flooded in for victims Jeremy Selwyn Water is sprayed on Grenfell Tower PA Rows and rows of blackened windows. It is feared over one hundred people may have perished Jeremy Selwyn Part of the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP Fire crews examine the wreckage PA

Mrs Afrasehabi is the 50th victim to be named by the police or at the opening of their inquests in the more than two months since the tragedy, according to records by the Press Assocaition.

She was believed to have last been seen with her younger sister Fatima on the 18th floor of the building.

The Iranian family of the pair, who are presumed to have died, told The Guardian at the time that Mrs Afrasehabi was disabled and only able to move with a walking stick.

She said: "She was forced to live there because she had no other option.

"On a good day she couldn't come down 18 floors - but in the fire and smoke?"

The final death toll for the blaze is still not known, though investigators believe 80 people were killed.

Inquests have begun for some of the victims and the terms of an inquiry established to examine the causes of the fire have also been revealed by the Government.

It will examine the actions of authorities before the blaze, including Kensington and Chelsea Council, and how the aftermath was handled.

The Standard revealed on Tuesday that council chiefs will spend tens of millions of pounds on buying homes around Grenfell Tower to rehouse survivors of the tragedy.

Hundreds march silently to mark two months since Grenfell Tower fire

A meeting of Kensington and Chelsea council on Thursday will propose spending 20 million from reserves on properties costing between 500,000 and 1.5 million in W10 and W11 and giving them to Grenfell survivors to live in as conventional council houses.

The council hopes to complete the first purchase and move in tenants within six weeks.

Officials across the UK have been carrying out safety tests on tower blocks across the county, with inadequate cladding believed to be the main cause of the fire spreading.

Cladding samples from 22 tower blocks have failed the latest fire safety tests launched in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, bringing the total number of failed buildings to more than 200.
A man has died after plunging from the seventh floor of an office block at a business park in west London.

Police and ambulance crews were called to Chiswick Business Park after the man fell from the Building Seven office block.

Scotland Yard said he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 11.15am on Tuesday.

His death is not being treated as suspicious.

Londons Air Ambulance was pictured landing at the scene on Turnham Green.

Police officers on Turnham Green in Chiswick after a man fell from a building and died / @JaneWriting1

The 12-storey building at the site near to Chiswick High Road is home to companies including Walt Disney and food company Danone.

Paramount Pictures, PespiCo and Singapore Airlines also have premises at the business park.

A Met Police spokesman said: Officers were called to a business premises in Chiswick High Road, W4 at approximately 11.15am on Tuesday, August 22 to reports of a man fallen from a height.

London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance are in attendance. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Enquiries are on-going to establish the man's identity.

At this early stage, the incident is not being treated as suspicious. Enquiries continue.
S oundsystems at Notting Hill Carnival will shut off their music as a mark of respect as floats move past Grenfell Tower, it emerged today.

A quiet zone will be established near the site of the disaster with all bands and carnival floats stopping their music, and those in sight of the tower encouraged to pass respectfully in quiet contemplation.

The carnival takes place this weekend, ten weeks after the blaze which killed 80 people.

The Lancaster West Estate, which Grenfell Tower forms a part of, will also be closed to the general public to ensure the complete protection of the site and sensitive spaces.

Support: Mourners hug each other in the shadow of the burnt-out tower block / Getty Images

The move to silence part of the world-famous street festival has been arranged by survivors of the fire and a number of community groups.

Thousands of revellers are expected to pause near the tower, which is towards the end of the carnival route.

They will observe a minutes silence at around 3pm on Sunday and Monday to mark the tragedy.

Campaigners are also asking for everyone to wear green as a sign of support for the survivors and the friends and families of those who died.

Tower residents group Grenfell United, which has led the plans, said the actions will allow people from across London and the world to take part in a mass movement of solidarity that will send a message of love and togetherness globally.

Notting Hill Carnival 2016 - In pictures 1 /24 Notting Hill Carnival 2016 - In pictures Street festival: Thousands of people headed to Notting Hill for the second day of the carnival Getty Snap: Performers in identical blue outfits pose for the cameras Getty Big turnout: Hundreds lined the streets for the procession Getty Caribbean culture: A woman dances her way down the street in the final day of the carnival Getty Festival of colour: A performer dances in front of the crowds during the Grande Finale on Monday PA Drummers filled the streets as Monday's event got into full swing PA Police presence is high following complaints about security last year PA Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade after a paint fight party EPA Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade after a paint fight party EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers enjoy the Notting Hill Carnival after joining a paint fight party in the early morning Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Performers dressed in flamboyant costumes for the Children's Day parade EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Police Officers during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers enjoy a paint fight party Isabel Infantes/PA Wire

They said it was only right that the that communitys biggest-ever tragedy was properly reflected over the Carnival weekend.

A spokesman said: Notting Hill Carnival is a defining part of our local culture and heritage. We hope people will follow these requests from us and our friends and family in the wider community.

They will enable people to pay their respects; be conscious of our vulnerability; and show solidarity for our ongoing demands for housing and full justice, in the creative spirit of Carnival.

The Met Police said work on the tower will pause over the bank holiday weekend, and that extra police officers were being deployed to ensure the security of the Grenfell Tower site is maintained and to protect the many items and memorials that have been placed near to Grenfell Tower.

In July London Mayor Sadiq Khan rejected a proposal by Minister for London Greg Hands to re-route the carnival away from Grenfell Tower.

For more information visit www.grenfellsupport.org.
B ritain appealed to Brussels today to show more political will on Brexit amid fears that talks over a trade deal could be delayed.

Justice Secretary David Lidington said he was confident Brexit would happen in two years despite suggestions negotiations will not start in full until Christmas. Negotiators on both sides have criticised each other over the slow progress in the divorce settlement including on a multi-billion pound bill the UK is expected to have to pay.

As Britain publishes a string of position papers to inject momentum, Mr Lidington stressed that the EU can move fast when it wants to.

When theres the political will [the EU] can act very swiftly when there is a determination to reach an agreed outcome, he told Sky News. Its possible for us to get a constructive deal in place in the timeframe.

The Governments position paper today explored ways to settle cross border legal disputes and suggests civil courts in the EU will be needed. Mr Lidington said: If you are a German wife divorcing a British husband, or a British parent whose kids have been taken to Greece, you want it sorted swiftly without bureaucracy.

Mr Lidington, who campaigned for Remain, did little to reject suggestions that this proposal, and those on customs union arrangements, try to almost replicate the current systems.

However, legal experts warned that Brexit could lead to cross-border legal disputes being more complex.

Britain starts its third round of EU talks next week. Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar has said: There are so many difficult topics that one cannot expect them to be solved according to the schedule made in the first place.
A robotics expert has backed calls for the United Nations to ban the development of killer robots."

More than 115 scientists, including billionaire Elon Musk, sent a letter to the UN warning that the creation of AI-controlled robots with the ability to use weapons would spark a third revolution in warfare.

The letter claimed that the devices will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever and said these can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways."

London-based expert and journalist Chris Middleton told the Standard that he very much agreed with the scientists views.

He said: They are right to see this as a serious issue.

Tech experts have called for the creation of 'killer robots' to be banned / Shutterstock

The question here is is it ever right to have a human life taken at the hands of a machine? and the answer is no.

This is a question of human rights but it becomes difficult when you break down the different approaches to human rights, locally.

In many places homosexuality is banned, renouncing your religion is a punishable offence  if you introduce robots with guns who have been introduced to these ideas it becomes a very serious issue.

Speaking out: Elon Musk backed calls for the bots to be banned / AFP/Getty Images

Mr Middleton spoke of the introduction of robocops in Dubai, America and China.

In all three countries bots designed to pick up on offences have been trained by local police forces.

Dubais unarmed robot police officers were introduced in a bid to fight crime in busy areas in 2015.

If the trial is successful Dubai Police says it wants robots to make up 25 per cent of its police force by 2030.

The future of robots

In China, Anbot riot-control bots are trained to issue electric shocks to humans while in Washington K5 bots have been introduced as security guards in shopping centres.

He said: There is no basis for assuming that future AI police officers or applications will implement a form of blank, globalised machine intelligence without bias or favour.

It is far more likely that they will reflect the cultures in which they operate and enforce the legal systems of their host countries, just as human police do.

Now factor in robot police or AI applications enforcing local laws that some other cultures find abhorrent. The potential is clearly there for technology to be programmed to act against globally stated human rights.

A UN group set to discuss autonomous weaponry was scheduled to meet on Monday but the meeting has been postponed until November, according to the group's website.

A potential ban on the development of "killer robot" technology has previously been discussed by UN committees.

In 2015, more than 1,000 tech experts, scientists and researchers wrote a letter warning about the dangers of autonomous weaponry.

Scientist Stephen Hawking, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Mr Musk were among those who backed the claims.
A teenage babysitter has been arrested and charged after allegedly sexually abusing a four-year-old boy.

Esmeralda Medellin, 18, was babysitting the young child at a house in San Antonio, Texas when she allegedly forced the child to perform sex acts on her.

The child alerted his mother to the alleged assault while Ms Medellin was still in their home on March 28, My San Antonio reported.

The horrified mother immediately called police, and both the boy and Ms Medellin were taken to the hospital for an examination.

Male DNA samples found on her genitals were not found to be sufficient for a match.

But court documents revealed the samples collected from her breast backed up the little boy's claim.

Police arrested Ms Medellin on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault of a child at Bexar County Magistrate's Office after the test results and is being held on a $75,000 bond.
A man accused of being involved in the terror attacks on Barcelona and Cambrils has admitted in court a much bigger atrocity was planned.

Mohamed Houli Chemlal said the terror cell responsible had planned to use explosives against monuments including the famous Sagrada Familia church.

The first of four suspects to testify, the 21-year-old was the only survivor of a blast that destroyed a house in Alcanar, south of Barcelona, where police believe explosives were being prepared.

Officers found 120 gas cannisters after the house blew up last Wednesday, the night before the Las Ramblas van attack.

Driss Oukabir, one of four arrested in relation to the terrorist attacks in Catalonia / EPA

Two men were killed, one of whom is believed to be the suspected ringleader of the 12-strong cell, imam Abdelbaki Es Satty.

Police believe the group wanted to fill three rental vans with explosives to carry out another atrocity on Spanish streets.

Salh el Karib was taken to the National Court in Madrid today / EPA

They suggested that the accidental blast prompted the plotters to change the nature of the attack.

All the attack suspects who were part of the terror cell have either been killed or captured, police say.

Mohamed Aallaa, 27, is among the four facing terrorism, murder and weapons charges / EPA

Three other suspects, Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Aalla and Salh el Karib, were arrested on Thursday in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll.

Driss Oukabir was the second suspect to be questioned in court, claiming he had rented the van used in the Las Ramblas attack, but believed it was going to used for a house move.

Spanish police release footage of terror suspect raids

Mohamed Houli Chemlal and Driss Oukabir have both been charged with membership of a terrorist organisation and murder.

Salah al-Karib has been detained pending further investigations, while Mohammed Aallaa was released on bail.

The four  the only ones left alive from the group of suspects  were brought to the National Court in Madrid a day after the alleged driver of the van was shot dead by police.

Barcelona and Cambrils terror attacks 1 /24 Barcelona and Cambrils terror attacks Spanish policemen patrol the streets after five terrorists were shot dead in the seaside resort of Cambrils EPA Forensic police officers at the scene in Cambrils where suspects were shot dead AFP Police officers stand next to the van involved on an attack in La Ramblas in Barcelona AP A woman displays a candle next to first flowers and a message to the victims on August 18, 2017 on the spot where yesterday a van ploughed into the crowd, killing 13 persons and injuring over 100 on the Rambla boulevard in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images A woman lights a candle next to first flowers and a message to the victims on August 18, 2017 on the spot where yesterday a van ploughed into the crowd, killing 13 persons and injuring over 100 on the Rambla boulevard in Barcelona. AFP/Getty Images Police officers check the area after towing away the van which ploughed into the crowd, killing at least 13 people and injuring around 100 others on the Rambla in Barcelona, on August 18, 2017 AFP/Getty Images Armed police stand in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017 AFP/Getty Images Armed police officers patrol a deserted street in Las Ramblas, in Barcelona, on Friday morning. AP The terrorists car, which flipped after crashing at the scene in Cambrils, before the occupants were shot dead EPA Injured people after a van crashed into pedestrians in a terror attack in Las Ramblas, Barcelona EPA Terror attack: Paramedics treat the injured in Barcelona AP An injured person is carried in Barcelona, Spain, AP Police direct crowds on Las Ramblas AP Paramedics treat victims injured when a van ploughed into pedestrians in Barcelona EPA Onlookers flee the scene of the terror rampage in Barcelona EPA Police officers cordon off a street in Barcelona, Spain after a van mowed down pedestrians in a terror attack AP Police officers cordon off a street in Barcelona, Spain after a van mowed down pedestrians in a terror attack AP A person is stretched out of a mall by medical staff members in a cordoned off area near Las Ramblas AFP/Getty Images

They have been charged with terrorism, murder and weapons possession after 15 people were killed in the attacks on Thursday and the north-eastern resort town of Cambrils early on Friday.

Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, was shot dead in a vineyard outside Subirats, west of Barcelona.

Police identified him as the driver of the white Renault van that careered along packed Las Ramblas, leaving 13 dead and 120 injured from 34 countries.

He was wearing a fake suicide vest and carrying a bag of knives when he was spotted hiding among vines at 5pm yesterday.

When confronted, he is said to have stood and opened his vest to reveal the suicide belt, and shouted Allahu Akbar as officers opened fire.

A total of 15 people were killed in the attacks, with the victims coming from 34 countries around the world, including British-born seven-year-old Julian Cadman. Coffins of some of the victims of the Barcelona massacre were seen arriving in Rome.
S tatues of Confederate generals in Charlottesville will be covered in black fabric to mourn the death of a Heather Heyer, who was killed when a car was driven at crowds protesting a white nationalist rally.

The local council unanimously voted on Monday to cover the controversial statues of Robert E Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson as a symbol of mourning for the 32-year-old.

Ms Heyer was killed when a car rammed into a group of people protesting a white nationalist rally in the city on Saturday, August 12.

It comes amid a growing row about removing statues of Confederate soldiers in the United States.

The first council meeting since the tragedy was marred by protests / AP

President Donald Trump condemned the removal of the beautiful statues, despite their connotations with the wretched history of slavery and racism in the US.

On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence told NBC that state and local authorities should make decisions about Confederate statues, calling himself "someone who believes in more monuments, not less."

The rally during which Ms Heyer was killed was sparked by Charlottesvilles decision to remove a statue of Confederate commander Robert Lee.

The Daily Progress reported anger boiled over at the first city council meeting since the rally, with some residents screaming and cursing at councillors.

Heather Heyer was killed at a white nationalist rally

Members of the Charlottesville city council unanimously voted to cover the statues.

A police spokesman said three people were arrested and released on summons for disorderly conduct.

Authorities in cities such as Baltimore and Austin, in Texas, have already acted to remove statues of Confederate generals and soldiers.

Mr Trump has come under fire for his response to the death of Ms Heyer, having failied to explicitly condemn the role of white supremacists for violence at the rally.

Speaking in New York days later, he sparked fresh outrage as he blamed both anti-racism supporters and white supremacists for the violence in Virginia, claiming the alt left charged at protesters.
D onald Trump has called on Nato allies such as Britain to increase their commitment to providing troops and funds for war in Afghanistan.

In a major address to the US from Fort Myer, near Washington DC, President Trump said a sudden withdrawal from the country would have "predictable and unacceptable" results.

He also said that a sudden withdrawal from the country would leave a vacuum for terrorists to fill. Instead of pulling out the US military, he plans to stay and "fight to win".

The Taliban responded by saying that Afghanistan would become "another graveyard" for the US if it did not withdraw its troops.

His announcement appeared to support a Pentagon plan to shore up the Afghanistan government and end a stalemate with the Taliban by sending more forces.

In a speech evoking the 9/11 attack in 2001 which drew the US into the war, as well as the recent terror in Barcelona, Mr Trump said he believed allies would back increases.

Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, and first lady Melania Trump at the event / AP

"From now on victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating Isis, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge," he said.

"We will ask our Nato allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own - we are confident they will."

US defence secretary Jim Mattis said in a statement that he would consult with Nato and other allies, adding that "several" had already committed to increasing troop numbers.

Trump delivers his speech to troops, calling for more military intervention in Afghanistan

Before his election, Mr Trump made repeated calls for the US to withdraw, saying lives and money were being "wasted".

But Monday's announcement came after discussions with top Pentagon advisers and the intelligence community as well as vice president Mike Pence and Mr Mattis.

Mr Trump said he would not put a timescale on the end of the war but would instead wait for certain conditions to be met on the ground.

Trump announced his US defence strategy, saying he wants more boots on the ground in the middle east / Getty

He declined to discuss further details on troop numbers, saying: "America's enemies must never know our plans."

He also addressed his reversal in opinion which he said comes after studying Afghanistan from "every conceivable angle".

"My original instinct was to pull out and historically I like following my instincts, but all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office," Mr Trump said.

He also issued a warning to Pakistan, urging it to stop providing "safe havens" for terrorist groups.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan, it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists," he said.

Then-president George W Bush sent troops into Afghanistan after the 9/11 attack and while his successor, Barack Obama, increased the military presence to over 100,000 and failed to bring it to a close as he had planned.

Currently there are around 8,400 US troops in the country and Pentagon officials had proposed sending in a further 4,000 to train Afghan forces and fight the Taliban and an affiliate of terror group Islamic State.

There are also about 500 British troops there and around a further 85 had been promised in non-combat roles.
T housands of tablets of party drug ecstasy moulded in the shape of Donald Trumps head have been seized by German police.

The huge haul, which authorities estimate has a street value of 36,000, was discovered after officers checked an Austrian-registered car on the A30 highway in Osnabruck, northern Germany on Saturday.

A 51-year-old man and his 17-year-old son, reportedly told officers they had been in the Netherlands to buy a vehicle but hadn't succeeded so were returning home.

In total, 5,000 of the orange, Trump shaped tablets were recovered alongside an unspecified amount of cash.

Police discovered the pills in a car travelling in northern Germany / AP

A spokesman for the Osnabruck police said on Facebook: The Autobahn polizei Osnabruck had the right nose again on Saturday.

She checked on Saturday at 9pm on the A30 the height of a passenger car with an Austrian registration, which was headed towards Hanover.

He went on: In the control of the car, the officials found 5000 Ecstasy Tablets, with the portrait of the American President Donald Trump.

In addition, a large amount of cash has also been secured.

The pair were ordered by a judge to remain in custody and the car was seized and towed away.
I ndias top court has called on the government to ban the Islamic practice of instant divorce in a landmark ruling for womens rights.

The country is one of a handful where a Muslim man can divorce his wife by saying the word talaq, which means divorce, three times.

Indias top judges ruled the act un-Islamic and "unconstitutional" by a 3-2 majority verdict on Monday.

The ruling came in response to legal cases launched by five women who had fallen victim to the custom which sparked petitions calling for it to be outlawed.

During the court hearing one of the judges Justice Kurien Joseph, said the practice was not an essential part of Islam.

The ruling means parliament will be pressured to discuss the introduction of new legislation on the issue.

What is instant divorce? The practice allows Muslim men in a handful of countries, including India, to divorce their wife by saying talaq (divorce) three times. Men can issue the so-called triple talaq by letter, telephone and in more recent years, by text, Whatsapp and Skype. The custom is not mentioned in the Koran or in Sharia law. Activists say most Islamic countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned triple talaq.

More than 20 Muslim countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned the custom.

But in India, the practice has continued with the protection of laws that allow Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities to follow religious law in matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption.

The current government supports an end to instant divorce and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in many public addresses that the practice oppresses Muslim women and needs to be ended.

The court also heard that the custom is not mentioned in the Koran or in Sharia law.

However, Chief Justice JS Khehar, claimed that personal law could not be touched by a constitutional court of law.

Zakia Soman, an activist from Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, one of the groups which contested the practice, told the BBC: Muslim women in India have suffered for the last 70 years. It's a historic day for us, but it doesn't end here.
C rowds helping to clear rubble in the wake of Italys latest earthquake cheered as rescuers freed the third of three brothers who were trapped in debris.

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck the Italian holiday island of Ischia on Monday night, leaving two people dead, 39 injured and thousands left homeless.

A rare ray of light during the quakes aftermath was the moment a seven-month-old baby, covered in dust, was pulled alive from the debris.

Hours later the babys two older brothers, aged eight and 11, were also rescued.

Eleven-year-old Ciro is taken away by rescuers after being saved in the ruins of his house that collapsed at Casamicciola, Ischia. / EPA

Onlookers cheered with joy as Ciro, 11, the last of the brothers to be saved, was carried from the collapsed building in a stretcher as firefighters tweeted: Even Ciro is saved!

The children's father told RAI state television the boys were in a bedroom when the quake struck, while he and his wife were elsewhere in the house.

Ciro being evacuated by search and rescue workers. / AFP/Getty Images

The mother, who Italian media said is heavily pregnant, escaped through a window while rescuers helped the father.

Firefighters kept talking to the boys throughout the night, giving them bottles of water and a torch, before making a hole in the collapsed ceiling.

Rescue workers bring Ciro, the last of his three brothers to be rescued, to safety. / EPA

The Gulf of Naples Ischia, along with its nearby island of Capri, is a popular tourist spot for European holidaymakers and is known for its thermal waters.

Among those who were killed in the disaster was an elderly woman who was in a church which crumbled in the quake, and a second person who has been located in the rubble but not yet pulled out.

ischiaearthquakeitaly.jpg, by admin / EPA

Video released by firefighters showed rescuers passing a seven-month-old baby out of the collapsed structure in hardest-hit Casamicciola.

Photos from the quake zone show many buildings collapsed into rubble and cars overturned.

Moment infant is rescued from rubble after Italy earthquake

Former Naples prosecutor Aldo De Chiara told Corriere della Sera that most of the recently constructed buildings on Ischia were built without necessary permits, and many with poor quality cement.

"We warned about the risk of collapses," he said. "Unfortunately, what we had denounced happened last night."

The head of Italy's Civil Protection Agency, Angelo Borrelli, told reporters that 2,000 people had been left homeless in Casamicciola and 600 in Lacco Ameno.

He said authorities were checking the stability of hotels to see if they could be used as temporary housing.
F our men accused of being part of an Islamist terror cell behind the van attack that killed 13 people in Barcelona appeared in court today amid heavy security.

The four  the only ones left alive from a 12-strong group of suspects  were brought to the National Court in Madrid a day after the alleged driver of the van was shot dead by police.

Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Aalla, Salh el Karib and Mohamed Houli Chemal were charged with terrorism, murder and weapons possession at the closed-door hearing.

Three men were arrested in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll. One was detained after being injured in an explosion in Alcanar, south of Barcelona, where a house that was accidentally blown apart on Wednesday night turned out to be a bomb factory.

Driss Oukabir, one of four arrested in relation to the terrorist attacks in Catalonia / EPA

Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, was shot dead in a vineyard outside Subirats, west of Barcelona. Police identified him as the driver of the white Renault van that careered along packed Las Ramblas last Thursday, leaving 13 dead and 120 injured from 34 countries.

He was wearing a fake suicide vest and carrying a bag of knives when he was spotted hiding among vines at 5pm yesterday.

When confronted, he is said to have stood and opened his vest to reveal the suicide belt, and shouted Allahu Akbar as officers opened fire. Today further details emerged of his escape. Abouyaaqoub fled on foot, stabbing to death a man who was parking his car and fleeing in the vehicle.

Salh el Karib was taken to the National Court in Madrid today / EPA

One report said he then walked 25 miles from a town on the outskirts of Barcelona, where he ditched the hijacked car, to Subirats, where he was shot dead.

He changed his T-shirt and walked by night, hiding during the day, with no phone, money or belongings on him, according to a Spanish newspaper.

Mohamed Aallaa, 27, is among the four facing terrorism, murder and weapons charges / EPA

A total of 15 people were killed in the attacks, with the victims coming from 34 countries around the world, including British-born seven-year-old Julian Cadman. Coffins of some of the victims of the Barcelona massacre were seen arriving in Rome.

After the attack in Las Ramblas an Audi A3 rammed into passers-by in the seaside town of Cambrils and five men leaped out and tried to stab people.

The five were shot dead by police, while a Spanish woman was killed in the assault. The suspected ringleader of the terror cell, imam Abdelbaki Es Satty is believed to have died in the blast in Alcanar.

Today it emerged that he was ordered to leave Spain in 2014 after finishing a prison sentence for drugs offences. The 42-year-old Moroccan won his fight to stay in the country after appealing to a judge.

He then sought asylum which enabled him to move freely among the 26 EU countries that form part of the Schengen area.
B oys at a school in California have donned off the shoulder tops in protest after female students were sent home for wearing the same garment.

About 50 female students were sent home from San Benito High School on the first day of term for wearing tops that revealed their shoulders.

But male pupils wearing vest tops that showed their shoulders were not disciplined.

In solidarity with the girls, they began to turn up to school with their shoulders proudly bared.

The dress code policy hasnt been an issue the past two years I have been here, a 16-year-old female student told Yahoo Style.

She described walking into the administration office on the first day of term and seeing 50 girls and two boys in there for dress code violations  including wearing off-the-shoulder shirts.

The student added: Administration says that it is for our own safety, but I dont understand what they are keeping us safe from.

I really dont think that there is someone dumb enough to pull down a shirt first of all  they have no right to touch me or anyone else at all.

The protests started when female students who turned up for yearbook photos the week before were told they could not have their picture taken wearing off the shoulder styles.

Students pointed out that yearbook photos from previous years showed many girls wearing the allegedly banned style.

San Benito High School principal Adrian Ramirez told Yahoo Style: "We would never blame a female student for another student being distracted by something they wore."

He added that the events had offered some major teachable moments.
B ritain today appealed to the international community to step up its support for Somalia as the country remains on the brink of famine.

More than 1.4 million children in the east African nation are malnourished and half the country does not have enough food after droughts devastated livestock and crops.

After visiting, Rory Stewart, joint minister for the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development, described the situation as utterly desperate and said the UKs lead on averting the famine must be followed by the rest of the world.

He said: Britain has played a leading role in providing urgent support to avert a catastrophic famine ... however, as Somalia continues to face a devastating drought, the UK cannot act alone.

"We must take collective action to stop more people dying and the international community must step up efforts to build long-term resilience and stability, in order to break the cycle of humanitarian catastrophes.

The United Nations described the number of people starving across east Africa as the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the organisation in 1945. Britain has so far spent 170 million in emergency relief to try to prevent famine in the country.

The situation in Somalia is utterly desperate and harrowing, said Mr Stewart, adding that he was proud of the life-saving work being done by British people, diplomats and aid workers.
U S-led coalition airstrikes have killed dozens of civilians in Raqqa, according to opposition activists and Syrian state media.

Some 42 people, including 19 children and 12 women, were killed in the strikes on the city on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

Activist-run group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said 32 people were killed in airstrikes on one neighbourhood alone.

All three sources blamed the US-led coalition for the strikes, it has been reported.

Raqqa: Activists and Syrian state media say US-led coalition airstrikes have killed dozens of civilians / REUTERS

SOHR reported that the attacks on the area took place in the space of 24 hours.

Its director Rami Abdul Rahman told news agency AFP: "The tolls are high because the air strikes are hitting neighbourhoods in the city centre that are densely packed with civilians."

He added: "There are buildings full of civilians that are trying to get away from the front lines."

US-backed Syrian opposition fighters have been trying to capture Raqqa, the de facto capital of Islamic State, since June 6.

The strikes came after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance launched a ground assault on the city.

More than half of the city is reportedly now held by the Kurdish-led group.

The number of civilians killed in coalition strikes since August 14 has now risen to 167, according to the BBC.

The coalition said in June that its 22,983 air strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014 had unintentionally killed at least 624 civilians.

The coalition, which is supporting Kurdish-led fighters seeking to capture the city, did not immediately comment.
A n Australian zoo has welcomed the birth of a rare white koala joey.

Australia Zoo, the famed wildlife park on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, has been in the midst of joey season for the past few months, and has welcomed an extremely rare and pale youngster.

The pale colouration is said to be down to a recessive gene rather than albinism, where colour is absent from all physical characteristics like skin, fur and eyes.

Dr Rosie Booth, Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital director said: In veterinary science it is often referred to as the silvering gene where animals are born with white or very pale fur and, just like baby teeth, they eventually shed their baby fur and the regular adult colouration comes through.

Koalas are known to vary in colouration depending on their environment, with southern koalas being much darker and larger than those found in Queensland and New South Wales.

In the wild animal kingdom, its actually quite unfortunate to have unusually light colouration as it makes animals stand out from their camouflage risking being spotted by potential predators.

Koalas have predators such as eagles and owls and experts say it would be difficult for such a koala to survive if it lived in the wild.

Central Queensland University econologist Dr Alistair Melzer told the BBC he had not seen a white koala in more than 20 years of observing the animals in the wild.

He said: It is something that would be selected against in the wild.

The main issue would be a white animal like that would not have a lot of camouflage.

The Joey is yet to be named and Queensland Zoo and Tourism Australia are calling for suggestions in a Facebook post which has been shared thousands of times.

Suggestions so far include Snow White, Stevie, Cola and Marshmallow.
D onald Trump today put America on a new war-footing in Afghanistan by ditching his pre-election calls for the withdrawal of US forces.

Thousands more American soldiers are now expected to be sent to the war-torn country to strengthen the battle against the Taliban, Islamic State-linked groups and al-Qaeda.

The presidents dramatic U-turn was backed by the Government which stressed the need to stay the course in Afghanistan to fight terrorists plotting murderous attacks on the West.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon hailed as very welcome Mr Trumps decision, which came despite previous demands for US soldiers to be brought home immediately.

Trump announced his US defence strategy, saying he wants more boots on the ground in the middle east / Getty

Sir Michael spoke to US Defence Secretary James Mattis ahead of Mr Trumps announcement.

We agreed that despite the challenges, we have to stay the course in Afghanistan to help build up its fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist threat to the West, said Sir Michael.

Its in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer.

Trump delivers his speech to troops, calling for more military intervention in Afghanistan

The UK already has 500 military personnel in Afghanistan on Natos Resolute Support training, advising and assisting mission.

A further 85 are being deployed later this year.

Defence sources played down the prospect of even more British soldiers going to Afghanistan, though the UK could offer more support in terms of aircraft or logistical capabilities.

Ivanka Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump, and first lady Melania Trump at the event / AP

Mr Trump ran for the presidency calling for a swift US withdrawal from Afghanistan and he acknowledged yesterday that he was going against his own instincts in approving the new campaign plan sought by his military advisers.

In a prime-time televised address from the Fort Myer military base outside Washington, he gave few details about Americas new plans but promised a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground in recent months against US-backed Afghan government forces.

Donald Trump gives his speech to troops at Fort Myer, Virginia, U.S / Reuters

The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable, he stressed.

A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS (Islamic State) and al-Qaeda, would instantly fill.

We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

The Taliban swiftly condemned Mr Trumps decision to keep American troops in Afghanistan without a withdrawal timetable.

If the US does not pull all its forces out of Afghanistan, we will make this country the 21st century graveyard for the American empire, said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

Donald Trump ditched his pre-election calls for the withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan / Getty

The Kabul government controls only around two thirds of the country and president Ashraf Ghani welcomed Mr Trumps new strategy.

I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support ... for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism, he said.

Mr Trump also singled out Pakistan, accusing it of harbouring militants in safe havens on its soil.

US officials said the president had signed off on General Mattis plans to send about 4,000 more troops to add to the roughly 8,400 already in Afghanistan training and supporting the Afghan national army.

However, the numbers are dwarfed by the troop surge under Barack Obama which saw more than 100,000 US forces in the country but which was still unable to bring the conflict to an end before he left office.

Mr Trump insisted through the speech that the Afghan government, Pakistan, India, and NATO allies step up their own commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict in which about 2,400 US and more than 450 British military personnel have died.

Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists, he said.

Senior US officials warned he could reduce security assistance for Pakistan unless nuclear-armed Islamabad cooperates more.

However, Pakistani army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said Pakistan had taken action against all Islamist militants.

There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan, he added.

Mr Obama sent Navy SEALs into Pakistan in 2011 to kill al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks that triggered the war in Afghanistan.

The Taliban government was overthrown by US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001 but American forces have been bogged down there ever since with US military chiefs warning recently of a stalemate with the Taliban.

The unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue and in the interim the Taliban has made dangerous inroads, said senior Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Senator Jack Reed, the senior Democrat on the committee, criticised what he called a speech short on details.

While, Breitbart News, the hard-right news site to which recently ousted White House strategic adviser Steve Bannon has returned as executive chairman, said on its home page that Trump reverses course and defends flip-flop in somber speech.
B ritain's Got Talent finalist Beau Dermott says she will do everything it takes to help raise money for cancer charities after her father was diagnosed with the condition.

The 13-year-old, who is signed to Decca records and recently released her debut music video for single Sparkles, filmed in Kew Gardens, is organising a concert for Cancer Research.

Her father Ian was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland hours before his daughters live final in 2016. He kept the news from Beau and the producers because he didnt want to upset her and or have it become all about my illness.

Beau, from Widnes in Cheshire, said: We are a strong family. We need to do what we can to help to raise money and save lives. I really want to support the cause as it is a personal thing.

It is so important that people do not deal with cancer alone. I am hoping my music can help. It has been difficult [but] I have to be strong for my daddy.

Mr Dermott said he was doing well, having had chemotherapy and several operations in the past year.

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The father of three added: Until it happens to you, you dont realise how much money and work is needed.

"Research is key. But we are in a fortunate position that Beau can do something and we can help as a family. We are all mucking in.

The concert will take place at the Liverpool Philharmonic on October 12


J ay-Z has shut down accusations of anti-Semitism after fans took aim at a lyric from a song on his new album 4:44.

The US rapper, 47, was accused of playing into Jewish stereotypes on his track, The Story of O.J in which he raps: You wanna know whats 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.

The lyric sparked a debate online with some fans saying they had been left disappointed and depressed.

The 99 Problems rapper has addressed the accusations saying he deliberately exaggerated his representation of Jewish people in the same way that the song exaggerated every black image in the world.

Performer: Jay-Z on stage / Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Speaking to Rap Radar hosts Elliott Wilson and Brian B.Dot Miller he said: Its hard for me to take that serious because Ive exaggerated every black image in the world.

Beyonce - In pictures 1 /105 Beyonce - In pictures Beyonce / Instagram Beyonce and Jay-Z, together for the first time in an ad campaign for Tiffany & Co., its fair to say there is a third star in the spots: a never-before-seen painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat in the jewelers signature robin egg blu Beyonce/Instagram Beyonce accepts the Best R&B Performance award for 'Black Parade' onstage during the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards CBS Singer Beyonce during The 59th GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California Christopher Polk/Getty Images Recording artists Beyonce, Jay Z and daughter Blue Ivy Carter attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. Getty Images for NARAS Destiny's Child performs live at 'Women Rock!: Girls & Guitars' at the Wiltern Theater, Los Angele Kevin Winter/Getty Images Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Getty Images for Coachella Beyonce and Megan Thee Stallion accept the Best Rap Performance award for "Savage" onstage during the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards CBS Broadcasting, Inc./AFP via Getty Images Beyonce reacts after winning the entertainer of the year award at the 50th NAACP Image Awards. Reuters Beyonce and Blue Ivy Carter attend the NBA All-Star Game 2018 at Staples Center Getty Images Singer Beyonce during The 59th GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images for NARAS Beyonce and the twins on instagram Beyonce Instagram Crazy in Love Beyonce's 'Crazy in Love' 2017 Beyonce poses in the press room during the 59th annual Grammy Awards ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, USA, 12 February 2017. Beyonce won the Best Urban Contemporary Album, 'Lemonade' and Best Music Video, 'Formation. Mike Nelson/EPA 2017 Hip Hop Artist Jay-Z and singer Beyonce during The 59th GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California Getty Images 2017 Beyonce shares images from an exclusive Grammy's after party held by her sister Solange Beyonce 2017 Beyonce shares images from an exclusive Grammy's after party held by her sister Solange Beyonce 2017 Beyonce shares images from an exclusive Grammy's after party held by her sister Solange Beyonce 2017 Beyonce shares images from an exclusive Grammy's after party held by her sister Solange Beyonce 2017 Beyonce 'I have 3 Hearts' posted images to her Vault Beyonce 2017 Twins: Beyonce and Jay Z will have two new additions to the family. @beyonce 2017 Beyonce 'I have 3 Hearts' posted images to her Vault Beyonce 2017 Beyonce 'I have 3 Hearts' posted images to her Vault Beyonce 2017 Beyonce 'I have 3 Hearts' posted images to her Vault Beyonce 2016 Singers Beyonce and Bruno Mars perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images 2016 Singer Beyonce performs onstage during TIDAL X: 1015 in New York Theo Wargo/Getty Image 2016 US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (C) shares the stage with Beyonce (L) and Jay Z (R) during the 'Get Out The Vote' concert at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio David Maxwell/EPA 2016 Beyonce and Blue Ivy attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden Larry Busacca/Getty Images 2016 Beyonce dress up as Barbie and Ken for Holloween @beyonce 2016 Beyonce Knowles in her Lemonde music video 2016 The 50th Annual CMA Awards Disney ABC Television Group 2016 Beyonce attends the 'Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology' Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images 2016 Beyonce in concert on the 'Formation: World Tour' at Marlins Park, Miami, America Rex 2016 Beyonce and Jay Z attend Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena Getty Images 2016 Beyonce Knowles performs during the Formation World Tour at Croke Park Stadium, Dublin Andrew White/Invision for Parkwood Entertainment/AP Images 2016 Beyonce performs onstage during TIDAL X: 1015 Theo Wargo/Getty Images 2016 Beyonce Knowles and Chris Martin of Coldplay perform during the half-time show at the NFL's Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos in Santa Clara, California Reuters 2015 Singers Beyonce Knowles and Ed Sheeran perform a medley during the taping of "Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life - An All-Star GRAMMY Salute" concert at Nokia theatre in Los Angeles Mario Anzuoni/Reuters 2015 Beyonce Knowles and her rapper husband Jay-Z attend the welterweight unification championship bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada Al Bello/Getty Images 2015 Jay Z (L) and Beyonce attend the "China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Getty Images 2015 Beyonce in see-through Givenchy gown, attends the "China: Through The Looking Glass" Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Larry Busacca/Getty Images 2015 Nicki Minaj and Beyonce perform onstage during TIDAL X: 1020 Amplified by HTC at Barclays Center of Brooklyn in New York Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images 2015 Beyonce arrives at TIDAL X: 1020 concert at the Barclays Center in New York Brendan McDermid/Reuters 2015 Beyonce Knowles in her Ivy Park fashion range Ivy Park 2015 Beyonce Knowles in her Ivy Park fashion range Ivy Park @beyonce 2014 Blue Ivy Carter, Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles onstage during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, California Mark Davis/Getty Images 2014 Beyonce performs at The BRIT Awards 2014 at 02 Arena, London Ian Gavan/Getty Images 2014 Beyonce poses in the press room during the 56th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles Frazer Harrison/Getty Images 2013 Beyonce Knowles performs on stage during a concert in the Rock in Rio Festival, Brazil Buda Mendes/Getty Images 2013 Beyonce Knowles performing on the Virgin Media Stage during day one of the V Festival at Hylands Park in Chelmsford Yui Mok/PA 2013 Beyonce Knowles attends the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images 2013 Singers Adele and Beyonce attends the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles Christopher Polk/Getty Images 2013 Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana Ezra Shaw/Getty Images 2013 Beyonce Knowles, winner Best Traditional R&B Performance, poses in the press room at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles Jason Merritt/Getty Images 2013 Singers Kelly Rowland, Beyonce and Michelle Williams perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana Ezra Shaw/Getty Images 2013 Singer Beyonce performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the Mercedes-Benz Superdom Chris Graythen/Getty Images 2011 Beyonce performs on the main Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm, Pilton Matt Cardy/Getty Images 2010 Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Kevin Winter/Getty Images 2009 Beyonce performs at the Staples Center Kevin Winter/Getty Images 2009 Beyonce arrives at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Frazer Harrison/Getty Images 2009 Beyonce Knowles performs during the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards held at the O2 Arena in Berlin Dave Benett 2009 Justin Timberlake shows off his cheeky side in a pair of high-heels and a black leotard in Beyonce's spin-off SNL music video SNL 2009 US President Barack Obama dances with his wife and First Lady Michelle Obama as Beyonce sings "At Last" during the first Inaugural Ball in Washington Win McNamee/Getty Images 2008 Singers Beyonce Knowles (L) and Tina Turner perform onstage during the 50th annual Grammy awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California Kevin Winter/Getty Images 2007 Beyonce Knowles arrives at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California Frazer Harrison/Getty Images 2007 Beyonce Knowles performs onstage during the 2007 BET Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los AngeleS Getty Images 2006 Destiny's Child (from L to R) Kelly Rowland, Beyonce Knowles, and Michelle Williams, sing national anthem at the 55th NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas John Gres/Reuters 2006 Rapper Jay-Z and singer Beyonce Knowles perform onstage at the 2006 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California Getty Images 2006 As the rain pours down, members of Destiny's Child, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams pose under a tent in front of their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Ric Francis/AP 2005 Members of Destiny's Child sing during their Live8 performance in Philadelphia Tim Shaffer/Reuters 2005 Destiny's Child singer Beyonce Knowles performs onstage at the 2005 World Music Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California Kevin Winter/Getty Images 2004 Singers Prince and Beyonce perform during the 46th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Gary Hershorn/Reuters 2004 Beyonce Knowles poses backstage after winning 5 Grammys in the Pressroom at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images 2003 Beyonce Knowles performs on stage at the MTV Europe music awards in Edinburgh, Scotland Alastair Grant)/AP 2002 Mike Myers as Austin Powers with Beyonce Knowles as Foxxy Cleopatra in a scene from 'Goldmember' New Line Cinema 2002 Destiny's Child members Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, show off their awards backstage for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocal for the song "Survivor" at the 44th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Reed Saxon/AP 2001 Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams of the group Destiny's Child accept their award for "Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Group or Duo" at the 28th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles Vince Bucci/AFP 2000 Destiny's Child at 'The Source Hip Hop Music Awards 2000' at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles Kevin WinterGetty Images

If even you, as the Jewish community, if you dont have a problem with the exaggerations of the guy eating watermelon and all the things that was happening If you dont have a problem with that, and thats the only line you pick out, then you are being a hypocrite. I cant address that in a real way. I got to leave that where it is.

He finished: It was exaggeration. Of course I know Jewish people dont own all the property in the world. I mean, I own things! [laughs] It was an exaggeration, much like that racist cartoon.

The Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish organisation who work to fight anti-Semitism, also condemned Jay-Zs use of the lyric, which they claimed plays into deep-seated anti-Semitic stereotypes about Jews and money.
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Thailand is buying four U.S. Harpoon (RGM-84L Block II) anti-ship missiles, along with one training missile, maintenance equipment and technical services all for $25 million. These will be used on the first of two DW3000 frigates Thailand is building in South Korea and Thailand. The DW 3000 is based on South Korea KDX 1 frigates which were the first high-seas warships designed and built in South Korea and entered service between 1996 and 2000. The DW 3000 for Thailand is optimized for ASW (anti-submarine warfare) and is a 3,700 ton warship with a top speed of 52 kilometers an hour, a crew of 136 and with a hull and superstructure with stealthy features. Weapons include a 76mm cannon, six torpedo tubes, eight ESSM anti-aircraft missiles, ASROC torpedoes, two Phalanx anti-missile systems, two remotely controlled 30mm autocannon, eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles and a helicopter (including a hanger)

The 663 kg (1,460 pound) ship launched Harpoon has a 222 kg (487 pound) warhead and a range of 220 kilometers. It approaches the target low, at about 860 kilometers an hour. GPS gets the missile to the general vicinity of the target, then onboard radar takes over to identify and hit the target. The Harpoon has successful combat experience going back two decades. Block II Harpoons have an INS backup guidance system along with several improvements to the software that make it useful against land targets as well as in coastal areas where there are a lot of islands and other geographical clutter.

China is offering the current military government in Thailand cheaper warships and weapons but despite criticism from the U.S. (for overthrowing an elected government) Thailand still prefers Western style weapons, which South Korea is an increasingly active builder and exporter of. The DW 3000 deal was made in 2014, after the military took control of the Thai government.
A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, approaches a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Voyager for refuel during Exercise Mobility Guardian, near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Aug. 10, 2017. More than 3,000 Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and international partners converged on the state of Washington in support of Exercise Mobility Guardian. The exercise is intended to test the abilities of the Mobility Air Forces to execute rapid global mobility missions in dynamic, contested environments. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Larry E. Reid Jr.)

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The Chinese government is hearing from Chinese individuals and firms doing business in North Korea that the North Koreans have become even more unreliable when it comes to handling foreign investments from China. In the past China could impose some degree of discipline on North Korean abuse of Chinese investors and investments. The North Koreans are increasingly ignoring this sort of pressure and as a result Chinese investors are backing away from current and planned investments. North Korea used to be a dependable place, at least for Chinese with the right connections in the Chinese government. While corruption in China has declined in the past few years it appears to have gotten worse in North Korea, to the point where long-term deals are avoided and transactions are made carefully, usually with payment before delivery. The smugglers and various other criminal gangs in China that do business with their North Korean counterparts have been forced to operate this way as well and for the same reasons. South Korea and Japan have already learned how unreliable North Korea can be when it comes to business deals and Russia has already adopted the wary approach to economic deals with North Korea.

Sanctions Gone Wild

China has visibly increased enforcement of economic sanctions on North Korea but this has not made North Korea any more willing to negotiate. The growing number of police and secret police night patrols in areas where North Korean smugglers long operated is hard to miss, as is the fact that when North Korean smugglers are encountered they get arrested and taken away. Even higher bribes (over $3,000 to make an arrest not happen) no longer work because the Chinese cops will still demand that amount of cash before they will turn the smugglers over to North Korean officials. China never came down so hard on North Korean smuggling before.

China is also cracking down on North Korean drug production and smuggling. This is a matter of self-defense for China and is effective because North Korea make the highest profits from methamphetamine (meth). But this drug requires a key ingredient (phenylacetic acid, in the form of white crystals) to be smuggled in from China. Now the Chinese are cracking down on that as well as the meth coming into China.

China, and Russia, are also cracking down on North Korean workers they long employed legally but are outlawed by the latest round of sanctions. North Korea has responded by ordering overseas workers to stay where they are and work illegally (in deals arranged by their government minders). Yet in many instances the export ban on slave labor is being enforced. A growing number of Chinese factories that depend on North Korean labor have notified North Korea that they can accept no more of these workers. Since North Korean workers are employed on three year contracts and usually go home at the end of that contract and are replaced by another North Korean. The new sanctions allow North Korean workers to complete their contracts but no new contracts or workers are allowed. Most of what North Korean workers overseas are paid is taken by an unofficial agent of the North Korean government and then the cash is transported back to North Korea. These legal North Korean migrant workers are part of what amounts to a slave labor program that has become a major (up to $2 billion a year) source of foreign exchange for North Korea. The North Korean workers work harder for less and are popular in areas (mainly China, Russia and the Persian Gulf) that allow them. The export of North Korean workers has gone from 60,000 men and women in 2014 to over 100,000 in 2017. The number of workers outside the country is nearly triple what it was before Kim Jong Un took over in 2011. The government holds the workers families hostage in case the worker does not return home when ordered. If someone does not come back, their families are sent to prison camps.

The new sanctions are apparently working because the North Korean workers are disappearing from many places where they were long legally employed. Moreover smuggled North Korean seafood delicacies are disappearing from Chinese markets as well. Chinese gangsters that specialize in smuggling good to North Korea complain that Chinese police are making it more difficult (but not impossible) for them to do business. This is disappointing for the gangsters because there is much more demand from North Korea for common items, like petroleum products and consumer goods.

North Korean and Chinese police still work together, especially when it comes to the lucrative (for the Chinese involved) business of finding, arresting and returning to North Korea what North Korea calls defectors (illegal migrants from North Korea to China.)

Sanctions Gone Mild

Recent North Korean refugees reaching South Korea report that China has indeed been cutting off fuel supplies and in 2017 China began reducing shipments more than ever. But the fuel cuts are mainly about visible shipments for the civilian economy. This was confirmed by what happened during April when the market price (in North Korea) of oil (paid in Chinese currency) tripled. That rapid price increase has since halted, but the market price of petroleum products in North Korea is still very high. Since March anyone who is able to has been hoarding oil and other petroleum products in the expectation that because North Korea is extremely vulnerable to China halting all oil exports, China will take measures to reduce the supply still further. China is the only reliable source of petroleum for North Korea and China is reluctant to halt all shipments.

UN sanctions investigators report that so far this year two illegal North Korean shipments to a Syrian (Assad) government agency involved with chemical weapons research. Details of the shipments, including exactly what it was , how it was being moved and which UN member country did the interception, were not made public. Both the North Korean shipper and the Syrian recipient are banned by current sanctions on North Korea and Syria. These smuggling efforts are more frequently detected and intercepted and the nations involved (usually North Korea, Syria and, even with many sanctions lifted, Iran) simply deny involvement and accuse someone else (America, Israel, the UN in general) of faking the incident. The UN is already investigating North Korean efforts to continue supplying Syria with SCUD missile components and technology.

China has cracked down in some obvious ways that will be noted by foreign media. For example China has restricted the amount of fuel trucks and other vehicles headed for North Korea can carry. North Korean truck drivers can no longer fill nearly empty fuel tanks before crossing back into North Korea. Chinese border guards have been particularly attentive to attempts to smuggle fuel into North Korea. While on the North Korean side of the border the inspectors are demanding larger bribes from people caught smuggling petroleum products in. With the huge disparity between what oil products sell for in China and North Korea there is money to be made for those willing and able to smuggle the stuff into North Korea. These days the North Korean government quietly encourages this sort of smuggling. Meanwhile more discreet smuggling of refined petroleum products from Russia is largely out of sight.

Senior North Korean officials who got to South Korea recently confirmed that there is a secret supply of Chinese oil for the North Korean military. This comes in via a pipeline and some of it is stored in above-ground storage tanks. This continued and secretive Chinese oil deliveries may have something to do with the mutual defense treaty China and North Korea have long maintained, but never disclosed all the details. The current treaty was agreed to in 1961 and lasts for 20 years, at which point both parties may review, or cancel, their participation. The treaty comes up for renewal in 2021.

This treaty oil explains the continued (if often minimal) of activity by North Korean military aircraft, ships and vehicles. This also explains the continued prolific use of petroleum products in all those ballistic missile and nuclear weapons facilities.

North Korea has found ways to cope with loss of oil for many civilian needs. For example, North Korea has, for over a decade, been converting thousands of trucks to run on coal gas. This sort of thing was popular in Japan and Germany during World War II because of oil shortages but largely disappeared after 1945. In North Korea these coal powered trucks are an increasingly common sight. But coal gas is half as efficient as petroleum fuels, and vehicles using it are slower, have less range and require more maintenance. Thus coal gas is not suitable for most police and military vehicles or combat operations.

Something North And South Have in Common

For over a decade now both Koreas have been confronted with a lower birthrate and the inability to reverse the problem. While South Korea can allow immigration to help with labor shortages North Korea is a place people flee from not flock to in search of work. Part of the reason is because there is growing unemployment in North Korea caused by the decades of socialist economic policies. While the legal market economy in North Korea is growing it is creating more jobs but not enough to reduce the popular attitude that North Korea is a place the young and ambitious need to leave, any way they can. That means plunging birthrate that matches (for different reasons) what is going on throughout East Asia.

This has been building for a while. By 2010 South Korea had the lowest birth rate (1.15 children per woman, on average) in the world and held that dubious achievement for two years in a row. This is because of growing affluence over the last half century. South Korea is now one of the wealthiest nations on the planet. At the current birth rate, the South Korean population is expected to stop growing in the next decade, after reaching about 52 million (about twice the population of the north). If the birth rate stays under 2.1, the population will then begin to shrink. In North Korea, the birth rate is 1.9, and is also declining, because of increasing poverty and famine. For example, life expectancy in the north has declined from 72.7 years in the early 1990s, to 69.3 now. That's ten years less than in South Korea. Northerners are not only living shorter lives, they are also shorter. A study of teenagers in the north and south revealed that the northerners are 8 percent shorter, and weigh nearly 20 percent less. It's not as bad with adults, because they were not born during the famine (which began after Cold War subsidies ended in the early 1990s).

By 2012 there was a very visible shortage of recruits for the North Korean armed forces. A lower birth rate in the 1990s, because of the famine (that killed five percent of the population back then) has reduced the number of 18 year old recruits for the army and security forces. So fewer exemptions are being allowed, and more 17 years olds are being taken. North Korean men serve at least six years (and up to ten) in the military, keeping them out of trouble for that time in their lives (18-24), when they are most likely to act out revolutionary fantasies. The military is really a large prison system. While the troops are trained to use weapons, they get little ammunition for training, and the weapons are locked up most of the time. Young North Koreans increasingly know how poor they are, and in greater and greater detail. The soldiers born during the great famine of the 1990s are well-aware that they are physically much smaller than their South Korean counterparts. They also know that the average South Korean lives ten years longer and lives a much more pleasant life. All the more reason to limit the time North Korean troops can handle their weapons, especially when they have ammunition (which is actually very infrequently.)

Another problem both Koreas share is willingness of conscript troops to risk punishment in order to use cell phones on duty. This has been a more visible problem in South Korea but in the north military personnel are not allowed to use (in nearly all cases) or even own (for most troops) cell phones. But in the north the more enterprising troops go into business (also forbidden) and this usually requires a cell phone. Bribes all around make this work, at least in the north. In the south popular pressure from voters got the rules changed.

Illegal Migration

In North Korea the government has regularly increased its efforts to block people from illegally leaving the country. But at the same time there is little effort to curb the illegal movement of farmers to the urban areas. Communist states, including North Korea, deal with this by imposing a form of feudalism. This usually takes the form of requiring everyone to carry an internal passport at all times. For most North Korean you need that passport and a permit to travel outside your home town. Since 2012 those travelling to areas near the Chinese border required additional permissions and documentation. Passport checks have become less stringent away from the Chinese border, especially as the government realized it was best to look the other way as more desperate rural folk (especially employees of the state run farms) paid small bribes (or none at all) to get past passport checks and move into the urban areas where the growing market economy was largely legal and willing to hire anyone without checking documents. Like most matters involving the market economy the government ignores illegal but necessary side effects until such time as it appears safe to make it legal. Since most North Koreans are technically farmers (occupation is also mandated by the state) and the growing demand for workers in the market economy enterprises is getting worse, the government is allowing the problem to solve itself. Meanwhile on the Chinese border document checks remain rigorous and more frequent. The bribes to get past them grow ever more expensive.

Great News Goes Sour In The North

In the wake of the two successful ICBM tests in July the North Korean government boasted to its own people about this great and glorious achievement. By August the secret police reported that most North Koreans privately criticized these two tests and the missile and nuclear weapons programs in general. North Koreans can do the math and realize that all the money spent on missiles and nukes is the main reason for all the shortages (of electricity, roads, food, medical care) that they encounter daily. No one can mention this openly but the nationwide informant network reports on what people really think and this news is not good for the North Korean leadership.

Cell Phones Want to be Free

The government finds that designing new cell phones, banning certain SIM cards and installing more jammers along the Chinese border are no match for young North Koreans who want unrestricted access to the Internet. If the security forces catch someone near the border using a Chinese phone (to call to a Chinese cell tower across the border) the size of the bribe depends on where the call is to. If it is to China you pay about $300 to walk away. But if the call is to South Korea or elsewhere in the West the price more than doubles. There is the risk that North Korea has regular access to data about who is calling from cell towers within range of North Korean border areas and that a specific phone and call (to the West) was made. That could get the attention of the few bribe-proof secret police still around. Or at least thats how secret policemen doing cell phone patrol along the border tell their customers. Sometimes the reason is I have to make my (arrest) quota and there are not enough poor people (who cannot afford the bribe) to haul in. Whatever the case older secret police commanders note the morale of subordinates assigned to cell phone patrol has improved and that the reason probably has to do with money, not effective pro-government propaganda. North Koreans note the growing timidity of the secret police and security services in general. There less enthusiasm among those who are supposed to keep the population in line and the people notice it. What is most worrying is that the one thing most bribe takers are saving money for is enough cash to get themselves and their families out of the country. That takes a lot of money to do right (relatively safely and to reach South Korea).

August 21, 2017: South Korea and the United States began ten days of joint training exercises despite North Korean threats of violence if the exercises went forward. North Korea has long been protesting these joint training programs. These large and expensive exercises are held regularly by professional and well-funded military organizations. But the U.S. and South Korea have long done this sort of thing. That bothers North Korea a lot because since the 1990s North Korea has been too poor to keep up in the training department. These days most of the nearly one million North Korean troops spend most of their time growing food and working for civilian enterprises to earn money to pay for fuel and other supplies the government can no longer afford to provide.

These protests have been a favorite North Korean diplomatic ploy for over half a century. It goes like this, North Korea concentrates on building up their military forces, but keep details secret and insists they are all for peace. But at the same time, democracies, which have a free media, are criticized for the size and disposition of their armed forces, and for holding training exercises. If the U.S. or South Korea point this out to the north then North Korea denies everything and insists what goes on in North Korea is none of your business. As absurd as this sounds, it's what's been going on for decades. This drill has become part of the media landscape and isn't really noticed by the locals any more. But occasionally it gets violent. In the 1950s and 60s, North Korea would attack American intelligence ships and aircraft outside their air space or coastal waters (as recognized by international law) for "spying." It's the old "what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable" ploy taken to a deadly extreme.

August 19, 2017: Even before North Korea backed down on its IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile) threat to Guam Internet security firms agreed that North Korean hacker groups that normally specialize in making money for the North Korean government were now spending more time trying to penetrate American defense system networks using relatively expensive (and very effective) spear fishing tactics. North Korea cannot afford to divert their Cyber War forces to projects that dont bring in cash (or bitcoin) because major legal sources of foreign currency (slave labor and mineral exports) have been sharply reduced by new sanctions. Then again North Korea may have offered a bounty (along with useful data and malware to assist) to freelance hacking groups to get this less lucrative campaign going.

August 18, 2017: American and Japanese military leaders met in Japan and the U.S. agreed to provide whatever Japan wanted to improve its missile defenses. This would include the land-based (Aegis Ashore) version of the Aegis anti-missile system already installed on some Japanese warships. The U.S. pledged to work closely with Japan as it develops new anti-missile technologies.

August 17, 2017: Ukraine denied that it had ever provided North Korea ICBM rocket engines or the plans to build them. This comes after technical experts noted that the new North Korean ICBM was using engines very similar to those built at the Ukrainian Yuzhmash factory. During the Cold War Yuzhmash produced RD-250 engines for the Soviet 1970s era R-36M (SS-18 or "Satan" in the West) ICBM. The RS-18 was developed as a "light" ICBM, in effect, a competitor for the U.S. Minuteman series. The R-36M was designed in 1969, first tested in 1972 and entered service in 1975. It's the largest ICBM the Russians ever built, with a liftoff weight of 210 tons and a warhead weighing eight tons. While it's a liquid fuel rocket, storable liquid fuel is used. This avoids lengthily fueling procedures common with earlier Russian ICBMs. Modifications and upgrades for the missile produced six separate models, the last one entering service in 1990. After 2000 Russia wanted to refurbish a hundred of the most recently built (in the 1980s, for the most part) R-36Ms. Shortages of cash and resources reduced the number refurbished and as of 2016 only about fifty were operational. By 2018 only about 30 will be working and by 2020 none will. Work on SS-18 components in the Yuzhmash plant ceased after Ukraine split from the Soviet Union in 1991 and Yuzhmash converted to building satellite launchers, which it still does. Russia was a customer but since 2014 Yuzhmash has put more emphasis on non-Russian customers. Russia claims that Yuzhmash technical personnel went to North Korea several times, the most recent visit being three months in 2016. Ukraine and Yuzhmash deny this.

Yuzhmash executives point out that the RD-250 engines showed up in North Korea quite recently and Yuzhmash has had nothing to do with the RD-250 for over two decades while Russia still had RD-250s and maintains some ICBMs that use them. That means Russia has the people still familiar with the RD-250 and up-to-date plans on how the RD-250 is built. If anyone has spare RD-250s (to keep existing SS-18s operational) it is Russia. Ukrainians point out that Russia has more often been a source of illegally obtained military tech than Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine were sources of stolen military technology after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and it was easier to get Russian stuff to North Korea because the two share a common border. Meanwhile Ukraine sold a lot of Soviet era military tech to China, often legally (although the Russians didnt always agree with the legal angle). Ukraine blames these RD-250 accusations on Russian Information War efforts against Ukraine to try and distract media attention from the continued Russian determination to seize and hold Ukrainian territory.

Speaking of corruption (which Ukraine suffers from a bit more than Russia) there has been more publicity about prosecutions of Russian managers in space program related industries. These investigations were known long before North Korea made its sudden advances in ICBM tech over the last year. The corruption in the Russian space program has been widespread and became a public matter (the government prefers to deal with corruption problems quietly) when it became obvious more than a decade ago that Russia was having problems building new ICBMs or satellite launchers. Recently the state controlled Russian media has had several stories of prosecutions for embezzlement and other misbehavior explain a lot of the financial and quality control issues in firms that design and build ICBMs and satellite launchers.

August 16, 2017: China has halted the legal export of North Korea seafood to China. Dozens of North Korean trucks were stopped at the border and some of the drivers got out and loudly protested the fact that their refrigerated cargoes were going to be lost either from spoilage or because the seafood would have to sold for much less in North Korea.

August 15, 2017: North Korea backed down on its threat to fire four ballistic missiles at Guam. The threat was described as a demonstration as four IRBMs would be fired at Guam but aimed to fall at least 30 kilometers from the island. This would be a demonstration of North Korean capabilities and the threat was supposed to persuade the U.S. to back off on planned joint military exercises with South Korea. In addition North Korea wants the U.S. to take action to lift sanctions on North Korea. In the past, as least since the 1990s, such threats have persuaded the U.S. to provide enormous amounts of economic aid in return for disarmament pledges the North Korea did not make good on. The U.S. would not withdraw its remaining forces from South Korea nor cancel the treaties it has with South Korea to defend it against North Korean attack. North Korea has always insisted that it is the victim and that the U.S. is out to destroy North Korea. Since the 1960s that was never the case but China and Russia always supported the North Korean propaganda until, after the Cold War ended in 1991, such support weakened. China in particular was tired of North Korean behavior and in 2017 told the North Koreans that Chinese support would not be provided if North Korea attacked the U.S. or South Korea. Meanwhile the U.S. refused to back down to the North Korea threat and made it clear there would be a violent and immediate response if North Korea even appeared ready to fire missiles towards Guam. This put North Korea in a bad position because the IRBMs aimed at Guam require a day or more of preparations that can be seen by satellite surveillance. So North Korea announced today it would pause its preparations to see what the United States would do.

The most likely missile North Korea would use against Guam would be the Musudan IRBM, which first appeared in 2011 and is believed to have a range of up to 4,000 kilometers. That would put American bases in Guam (3,200 kilometers from North Korea) within range. There is a more recent missile that could eventually be used. On May 14th the Hwasong-12 (KN-17) IRBM had its first successful test. This missile apparently used a rocket engine similar to the RD-250-like one used in Hwasong-14 ICBM. The previous Hwasong-12 test, at the end of April, failed. Hwasong-12 is a single stage SCUD type (liquid fuel) ballistic missile that has long been in development. It is used on a tracked mobile launcher and is rumored to have a warhead with a guidance system capable of hitting a large, moving ship (like an aircraft carrier) at sea. There is no proof of that at all, but makes for great headlines. In theory the Hwasong-12 could have a max range of over 4,000 kilometers but this test only took the missile out to about 780 kilometers. If another test takes a missile out to 900 kilometers its worth another lucrative headline. Guam is American territory and site of the largest concentration of U.S. bases in the West Pacific.

August 7, 2017: In response to yet another embarrassing incident the South Korean defense minister pledged to improve the living conditions of conscript soldiers and prevent a repeat of a recent incident in which it was revealed that Park Chan Ju (an army general and his family) used soldiers as household servants for years and often mistreated the troops.

August 3, 2017: In North Korea Kim Kwang Won, the head of the fisheries department was released from custody after being arrested in China sometime in mid-June and charged with smuggling antiques. The Chinese were surprised to find a senior North Korea official personally engaged in smuggling but it turned out that Kim Kwang Won was no ordinary government official or smuggler. His real occupation was leader of a large smuggling operation which had bribed so many North Korea officials that it had gained control of a small port town near the coast on the Yalu River. From here he ran a smuggling operation that survived by making sure that the North Korean government was paid well. Given the growing demand for foreign currency by the government Kim Kwang Won was tolerated. But the master smuggler got caught up in the growing Chinese anti-corruption drive as well as stricter Chinese enforcement of sanctions on North Korea. Kim Kwang Won misjudged the danger and while in a Chinese port to help organize a new smuggling operation (dealing in North Korean antiques) he was arrested along with two associates. Undaunted Kim Kwang Won pulled strings and paid whatever it took (in bribes and gifts) to get quietly expelled back North Korea and then, after explaining himself and paying more fines was quietly released to go back to his lucrative (for the government) work. At the same time Kim Kwang Won has to discreetly discover if he has enemies among his friends in the secret police. The number of secret police operatives getting rich from bribes has created tensions within the Secret Police. Disagreements over who gets what often escalate to one of the dissatisfied Secret Police agents quietly reporting some major source of bribes (like Kim Kwang Won) to senior officials who can be relied on to arrest someone. Kim Kwang Won knows of this because such bad behavior is increasingly common. But he had bribed his way into a senior government position and was supplying the government with lots of foreign currency. Nevertheless in his line of work you cant be too careful. One mistake can cost you your life.

August 1, 2017: South Korea received the second of four LST II class amphibious assault ships from a local ship builder. The new LST will require 3-4 months of crew training and sea trials before it is ready for service. The LST IIs are 7,100 ton vessels that can carry 300 hundred troops as well as 10-20 vehicles. There is a landing pad that can hold two helicopters. Two smaller landing craft that can run up on a beach are also carried. The first ship entered service in 2015 and are part of an expansion of South Korea amphibious forces. The South Korean Marine Corps is being expanded from 25,000 men to 32,000 by the end of the decade. Meanwhile South Korea is becoming a major builder of modern warships. Not just in the region but worldwide.

July 30, 2017: The U.S. Army carried out another interception test of its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile system. This is the second such test this month (the other was on the 11th) and both were successful as were the other six such tests since 2010. There have been 28 test firings of THAAD since 1995 and 22 were successful. Many of the tests before 2005 did not involve attempting to actually intercept an incoming missile warhead. Many of the tests since 2008 were to verify that new features (like the ability to hit targets closer to the surface, and to share data with Patriot anti-missile systems) as well as verifying that the overall system worked. THAAD entered service in 2008 when the first THAAD anti-ballistic missile (ABM) battery was deployed. This followed a 2006 firing test that used regular army personnel and not developer technicians. In 2009 the second battery was formed. By 2012 there were five batteries with more on order by a growing list of export customers.

The most prominent foreign user of THAAD is South Korea, which recently received a THAAD battery. While THAAD cannot intercept an ICBM warhead near its target, THAAD can intercept the ballistic missiles North Korea had been testing recently that could, in theory, be used as ICBMs. The two most recent North Korean tests of their Hwasong 14 missile landed less than a thousand kilometers distant and that flight profile is one THAAD could handle.

July 28, 2017: Russia is trying to improve its relationship with North Korea but most of what the Russians do is more publicity stunt than economic boost. The latest example is the failed ferry. In June 2017 Russia and North Korea opened a new weekly ferry service between North Korea and Vladivostok, the major Russian port on the Pacific coast. A 1,500 ton North Korean ship was used, a vessel that carries 193 passengers plus cargo. Because Russia is checking cargo (for sanctioned items) and IDs the ferry is not getting much business. Russia continues to observe European rules on who and what can legally go to North Korea. This is done so as not to threaten trade Russia still has with European nations. Russia has also increased its exports to North Korea in 2017 but that does not amount to much as Russian trade always accounted for only a few percent of North Korean foreign trade.
BioShock, one of the most well-regarded first-person shooter franchises ever made, is celebrating its 10th anniversary today, and publisher 2K Games isn't wasting the opportunity to pull long-time franchise fans back in. Today, the publisher has announced the official BioShock 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition, which is slated to release on November 14th this year for PS4 and Xbox One owners (but been no word on PC availability yet).

The 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition will include an 11" Big Daddy & Little Sister statue - complete with lights, sounds and a motorized drill. From the pictures 2K has provided us with so far, it looks like the Big Daddy's mask and the Little Sister's eyes will be the light-up portions of the statue.

Although the statue is undoubtedly going to be the highlight of the Collector's Edition for most, there's a couple other goodies included as well - specifically, a "numbered certificate of authenticity" and BioShock: The Collection, a game pack containing all three BioShock titles and their accompanying DLC, fully remastered for current-gen consoles (originally released back in September last year).

In terms of pricing, BioShock's 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition will run you about $200 at the moment. While $200 isn't out of the ordinary for video game collector's editions, in this case the contents are a bit limited for the the price tag.

Since BioShock: The Collection can be purchased separately for $40, you're essentially paying $160 for a statue, a certificate of authenticity, and a fancy box. Considering the fact that many other game collector's editions include things like art books, soundtracks, steelbooks and maps, BioShock's collector's edition feels a bit underwhelming by comparison.

Still, if you're a die-hard BioShock fan, there are far worse ways to spend your money - and to show your support for the franchise and the company that's made it all possible. If that money is already burning a hole in your pocket, you can pre-order the pack for yourself via GameStop's website or 2K's own online store.
Sony has once again blocked the possibility for cross-platform play on another popular MMO. ARK: Survival Evolved is the latest game to get the cross-platform ax on PlayStation. You might remember the stink raised at E3 2017 when it was announced that anyone on any platform would soon be able to play together in Rocket League or Minecraft, except for PS4 owners.

The execs at SCEA put up a "but what about the children" defense for their denial, but claimed that they would be open to having a conversation with any developers interested in implementing cross-platforming on the PS4. Now it appears that discussions on the subject only amount to Sony saying, "no."

When asked on Twitter if ARK players on Xbox and PlayStation would ever be able to play together, lead designer Jeremy Stieglitz stated, "We have it working internally, but currently Sony won't allow it."

We have it working internally, but currently Sony won't allow it :( --- Jeremy Stieglitz (@arkjeremy) August 18, 2017

So the functionality is there, and it works, but Sony is banning it from being implemented. The same thing was happening over at Psyonix, makers of Rocket League. Developers there said they could have cross-platform functionality up and running on the PS4 in under an hour if Sony would let them.

In an attempt to explain the reasoning, Jim Ryan, head of marketing for PlayStation said, "Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it's something we have to think about very carefully."

While it is good PR for Sony to say that it is concerned for the younger players, specifically referring to the Minecraft demographic in that case, it is not likely to be the real reason behind the decision. It is probably more a strategic financial move than anything else.

According to Business Insider, PlayStation 4s are selling almost twice as fast as Xbox Ones. Allowing cross play can only help Microsoft, but holds minimal financial benefit for Sony. Plus as Engadget puts it, "When you're this far ahead in sales, you can afford to look like the bad guy."

Despite having said they will entertain discussions on the topic, it is clear that Sony has not budged at all on considering cross-platform play. It looks like an outright ban on the PlayStation 4 might be the only thing that will get the company's attention, but it is unlikely we will see PS4 owners burning their consoles in the street in protest.
Protesters toppled a Confederate statue in Durham, North Carolina. Photo: Virginia Bridges/AP

A number of Confederate monuments have been taken down across the country after white nationalists clashed with counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, ostensibly over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. And as calls to remove the statues increase, the group that helped to erect many of them is taking it personally.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy, a national organization made up of women whose ancestors served in the Confederate army, is reeling, Susan McCrobie  the Kentucky chapters former division president and current historian  told The Wall Street Journal. Recalling the removal of the Confederate monument from the Hollywood Forever cemetery, another UDC head said she feel[s] very hurt, like this is not my America. Hmm.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are about 700 monuments and statues commemorating the Confederacy in the U.S., and McCrobie says the UDC was the key organizer and fundraiser for most of them. The groups efforts were partially responsible for spreading the myth that the Civil War was not, in fact, fought over slavery, a Sam Houston University professor told WSJ. Along with erecting monuments that one historian said were placed prominently in public areas and sought to pay tribute to the Confederate cause and convey white dominance, the UDC established textbook commissions to make sure children were learning a fair and impartial history of the war.

Nowadays, the organization has mostly moved on to funding scholarships and honoring veterans, but its members are alarmed at the fallout from Charlottesville  including the passion Richard Spencers ilk has shown for defending the statues. The UDC has nothing to do whatsoever with white supremacy, McCrobie said. Nothing at all.
Two anti-Ivanka stories appeared on Breitbart directly after Steve Bannons return. Photo: Zach Gibson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Many of President Trumps ousted staffers have left the White House chagrined  Reince Priebuss firing was followed by reports that the president regularly bullied him, and even Anthony Scaramucci looked cowed when a TMZ reporter caught up with him the day after he was let go. But Steve Bannon, who left his job last Friday, seemed invigorated; I feel jacked up, he told the Weekly Standard. Now Im free. Ive got my hands back on my weapons.

Its pretty clear that by weapons Bannon means Breitbart News, the right-wing website where he was executive chairman before joining Trumps campaign. He returned to the site and led its editorial meeting mere hours after his firing was announced, and two days later Breitbart published a round of negative stories on president Trumps daughter Ivanka  someone Bannon has feuded with since day one.

The first story aggregated a Daily Mail report that Ivanka helped oust Bannon, citing a source close to Ivanka Trump who said it was done to save the presidency. The second ran with the headline Six Times President Trump Upset Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump  and the Media Found Out and listed instances in which well-timed leaks positioned Ivanka and Jared against some of the presidents more controversial decisions. And the third charges Ivanka with tweeting in support of counterprotesters in Boston  who it says carried anti-Trump signs and assault[ed] police.

To an outsider, the first two stories dont seem particularly damning. (In fact, its likely that Ivanka and Jareds well-oiled PR machine was responsible for the leak to the Daily Mail.) But viewed through the lens of Breitbarts audience, both depict Ivanka as a globalist (one of Bannons favorite insults) whose views run counter to the presidents nationalist agenda. And the third, published Monday, positions her as anti-police. Of course, Breitbart has covered Ivanka in the past, but these three consecutive stories suggest a new level of determination to call out the First Daughter.

Bannon has made it pretty clear that he dislikes Ivanka and her husband  a New York Times report put them high on his list of enemies on whom he plans to go nuclear now hes not bound by White House constraints:

Mr. Bannon openly complained to White House colleagues that he resented how Ms. Trump would try to undo some of the major policy initiatives that he and Mr. Trump agreed were important to the presidents economic nationalist agenda, like withdrawing from the Paris climate accords. In this sense, he was relieved when Mr. Kelly took over and put in place a structure that kept other aides from freelancing.

Those days are over when Ivanka can run in and lay her head on the desk and cry, he told multiple people.

Back at Breitbart, its unlikely hes had a change of heart  and it seems like his weapon is acting accordingly.
Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, has made both her Instagram and Twitter accounts private after she was criticized for sharing a picture of her and her husband de-boarding a government plane in Kentucky, and bragging about the luxury fashion brands she was wearing.

Great #daytrip to #Kentucky! #nicest #people #countryside, Linton wrote, according to a screenshot of the now-private post, before tagging the labels she was wearing #rolandmouret pants, #tomford sunnies, #hermesscarf #valentinorockstudheels #valentino #usa.

Some were turned off by such an ostentatious display of wealth on a government trip, including one Instagram user who wrote: Glad we could pay for your little getaway #deplorable.

Linton quickly fired back with a lengthy, angry post in which she wrote:

Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? Im pretty sure we paid more sacrifices toward our day trip than you did.

After calling the woman adorably out of touch, and creepily referencing her children, Linton assured her they were both nice people, and encouraged her to watch this weeks Game of Thrones. Its fab! Linton concluded.

Louise Linton, wife of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, just turned her Instagram private after posting this (h/t @skenigsberg) pic.twitter.com/beakVnAhhu  Margarita Noriega (@margarita) August 22, 2017

Linton and Mnuchin were married two months ago, in a ceremony officiated by vice-president and wedding-cake-topper figurine Mike Pence. On Monday, Linton was accompanying Mnuchin on his trip to Kentucky, where he went to urge members of Congress to overhaul the tax code, according to the Washington Post.

Although Treasury secretaries usually travel on domestic carriers when flying within the U.S., a spokesperson for the Treasury Department told the Post that Mnuchins use of a government plane had been approved, and that the couple had covered the cost of Lintons travel. They also said that Linton had not received any financial compensation from the brands she tagged in her post. No word, however, on her Game of Thrones endorsement.

Updated (09/22/17, 9:35 a.m. EST):

Instagram user jennimiller29, the woman whose comment prompted Lintons angry response, replied to The Cuts request for a comment with the following:

Honestly, I was disgusted when I saw her original post with all of the designers listed. She was on a government trip in a government plane paid for by all of us. She was visiting one of our poorest states, and had the audacity to advertise for elite, foreign designers who probably give her things she could afford anyway. I was shocked that she replied at all and even more shocked at how rude and condescending she is. I didnt know who she was other than Mnuchins trophy wife so I Googled her.

After reading a little bit about her and seeing her nearly pornographic photos all over the internet, I was even more disgusted with her.

Updated (09/22/17, 5:11 p.m. EST):

On Tuesday afternoon, Louise Linton issued a statement of apology through her publicist. Via CNN:
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Big City Maps panel at the AJC Decatur Book Festival Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. Marriott Conference Center, Downtown Decatur Panel and demo with virtual reality headsets

Comic book fans can enter into the virtual-reality streets of Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline, an African-American superhero comic book, at an AJC Decatur Book Festival session featuring a digital project team from the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship (ECDS).

The Big City Maps panel is scheduled Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, at 12:30 p.m. at the Marriott Conference Center in Decatur, Georgia. Brotherman artist Dawud Anyabwile and members of the ECDS staff will discuss how they transformed the comic-book streets of fictional Big City into a digital map with 360-degree panoramic views.

A demo with virtual reality headsets will follow, in which two or three volunteers will engage in an immersive experience with the map of Big City. Screens will show the audience what the volunteers are seeing.

The ECDS team working on the Brotherman Big City Maps Project includes outreach coordinator Clint Fluker, visual information/3-D specialist Arya Basu, geospatial librarian Megan Slemons, geographer Michael Page, and the Brotherman creative team of Anyabwile and Sims and their colorist, Brian McGee. Anyabwile, Fluker, Basu and Slemons will sit on the panel, moderated by Grace Gipson, visiting professor of African American Studies at Georgia State University.

Created by brothers Anyabwile and writer Guy A. Sims, Brotherman details the adventures of the main character, a public prosecutor by day who wanders the street at night seeking justice in Big City. Brotherman is known not only for its African American superhero, but also for Anyabwiles detailed cityscapes, which he expanded on in 360-degree detail as the ECDS team worked to translate the series locations into digital maps that take readers inside the stories.

Once the project is finished, users will be able to visualize over 85 unique locations across Big City online at http://www.bigcitymap.com.

Each spot on the map marks a location in the story  usually a crime scene. And when the reader clicks on it, the address, a brief description of what happened there, and the image from the comic book pop up.

You can also zoom in on the map and get a panoramic view of a location in Big City  we wanted it to function like Google Maps in that way, Fluker says. We got the artist to mimic the way a panoramic camera distorts space and light, and he drew it in 360. Its amazing.

Flukers inspiration for the project came from his dissertation research focus on examining literary movements in black speculative fiction. He says authors often map out locations while writing their novels, which helps bring cities and towns in their stories to life so clearly, such as William Faulkners Yoknapatawpha County, the setting for many of the authors stories and the subject of a digital mapping project.

Fluker helped Pellom McDaniels III, curator of African American collections at Emorys Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, start a black comix collection, which includes signed copies of the three Brotherman trade paperbacks, original single issues, the recent graphic novel prequel, and the spin-off novel series, The Cold Hard Cases of Duke Denim.
BHP Billiton the largest miner in the world posted a surge in its underlying profits for the full year on Tuesday. It also announced that it was exiting its underperforming shale gas and oil business in the U.S., which pleased upset shareholders who were calling for them to sell.

The Anglo-Australian mining behemoth, which has come under heavy pressure for Elliott Management a U.S. based hedge fund to rethink its oil investment and increase returns for shareholders, was helped by the recovery of industrial commodities.

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More cash was generated by BHP than in some of the mining boon years, helping it to slash net debt by close to $10 billion and triple its most recent dividend to 43 cents per share.

It underlying profits reached $6.7 billion but was less that the $7.4 billion expected by Wall Street. However, the market was focused on the lowering of its debt and the determination of the company to exits shale in the U.S., which helped push shares up by 1.2%.

One analyst on Wall Street said that net debt looked impressive, so it looks as if the extra cash was applied to deleveraging rather than higher dividends.

BHP joined with other miners who have increased payout during the most recent earnings season to reward its shareholders amidst an increase in commodities prices.

Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals, a miner of iron ore both paid dividends that were record highs for each, while Anglo-American reinstated dividends.

Facing pressure by some shareholders to dispose of its shale business acquired at the peak of oil boom, BHP announced it was pursuing its options to leave the sector.

CEO Andrew Mackenzie announced that the preference is a few trade sales, but did not give any timetable for leaving the business.

MacKenzie said that several parties were interested in looking at a possible acquisition and the determination was to exit means we have other forms to exit that are not necessarily dependent upon a set of competitive willing buyers.

Elliot Management and Tribeca, two fund managers, along with others have been pushing for the divestment of its shale business, along with higher returns for shareholders and eliminating the dual structured stock listings for London and Australia.

Tribeca welcomed the comments by BHP that shale no longer was the core of the business.

An analyst with Tribeca said that it was their approach as well as it (shale) did not strategically fit in BHP.
The Presidents Commission on Equity and Inclusion will host its first in a series of Civil Dialogues Tuesday, Sept. 5, in the Pollak Librarys Rotary Club of Fullerton, Room 130. The 1-2 p.m. talk is themed Immigration.

Commission member Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, assistant professor of human communication studies will introduce the topic. Attendees will be invited to take one of five chairs to embody their position ranging from agree strongly to disagree strongly and participate by discussing varying points of view on the topic, to build bridges across diverse viewpoints, she said. Lee Thach, a graduate student in human communication studies, will assist Suwinyattichaiporn.

There are 100 seats in the room and registration is required.

Suwinyattichaiporn is one of five faculty members who make up the inaugural class of fellows who are creating workshops, revising classes and instituting programs to increase awareness of and support of all campus members. Additional talks are set for Oct. 10 and Nov. 7, but the topics have not been determined.
Jean Prince was 50 when she started working for a U.K. tech company near Cambridge as a technical author, writing software documentation. I felt extremely lucky, she said.

But she wasnt happy.

The workplace has become more impersonal and tougher, she said. Everyone is performance-managed to death. She felt underappreciated and unloved.

Older workers tend to be more unhappy in their jobs than their younger colleagues, according to a survey of more than 2,000 U.K. employees by human-resource firm Robert Half U.K. One in six British workers over age 35 said they were unhappy  more than double the number for those under 35. Nearly a third of people over 55 said they didnt feel appreciated, while 16 per cent said they didnt have friends at work.

Read more:

Canadians quite happy with their jobs, report says

Getting Unstuck At Work

Employees who feel trapped in jobs more likely to suffer burnout

Theres the stress of being in a high-ranking position  or the disappointment of not making it far enough up the career ladder. True, salaries are higher, but life starts to get more expensive. Work-life balance starts to mean taking care of children, rather than just personal stress management.

There comes a time when either you havent achieved success, work has burned you out, or lived experience tells you family is more important, said professor Cary Cooper, a workplace researcher at Manchester Business School. You ask yourself: What am I doing this for? 

Johanna Bodnyk worked as a culture and communications co-ordinator at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University for six years. At a certain point, her friends were nearly all married and starting families, and she realized her current relationship wasnt going to last. That prompted her to re-evaluate a lot of things in life  including her job.

Two years ago, at age 34, she switched careers and learned how to code. Your 30s are both personally and professionally a time when people take stock and make a change, she said.

A fifth of older British workers believe their employers dont value staff of all ages equally, according to a poll by the City & Guilds Group, a skill-development organization. And a third of workers over 55 feel sidelined for younger staff, according to Capita Resourcing.

Its also possible younger people have lower expectations, higher hopes and theyre not yet burned out.

Bodnyk was thrilled just to have a job when she first started her career. Once you get a little more stable and settled in, you then look around and ask whether you actually enjoy it, she said.

We know more older people are working. The U.S. government estimates that one in four people in the labour market in 2024 will be 55 or older.

Theres a way to combat the ennui, Cooper said, but it takes effort. Making work buddies can improve the situation, even if it can be hard to find time for happy-hour drinks. Refocus on a personal project at work and make that your passion, he said.

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If you book flights with frequent flyer points, you can lose the points later if you change your plans. You can also lose the taxes and fees paid out of pocket.

Three Air Miles collectors came close to saying goodbye to their points after they ran into problems. Luckily, the Toronto Star was able to get the points restored.

Bad weather leads to flight delay

Celine Leung was booked to fly to Newark, N.J. on Porter Airlines at 6:30 p.m. on June 30. Because of rain storms, she was still waiting to board at 10:15 p.m.

Passengers were advised to seek other transportation arrangements. The airport in Newark was still grounded and no flights were allowed to take off after 11 p.m. at Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto.

Leung decided to take an overnight bus to New York City, but all the buses were sold out. Later, she learned her flight had taken off at 10:30 p.m.

I did not make it to New York and my vacation was spoiled. It was the most unpleasant flying experience I have ever had, she said.

Porter told her to call Air Miles to get back her points. After two weeks of trying to get through and spending more than an hour on hold, she wrote to me.

Kahina Haffad, manager of community relations for the Air Miles reward program, pointed to extensive air traffic control delays on June 30. As departure times changed during the day, airport passengers were given verbal updates.

Porter could not provide a detailed summary of what passengers were told on June 30, she said. A likely scenario is that Porter didnt initially have clearance to operate this flight before the 11 p.m. curfew at Billy Bishop Airport.

Porter would have told passengers it couldnt guarantee the flight would depart that evening. It did receive a relatively late clearance and was able to fly out of Toronto that night.

Passengers who elected to wait were able to board, Haffad said. Unfortunately, the timing appears to have been poor for Celina. She had left the airport and was formally listed as a no-show for the flight.

Considering the difficulties Leung faced, Air Miles and Porter decided to issue a full refund of the flight booking to her account.

Same day booked for departure and return

Faye McDonald booked flights for two passengers to Boston on Porter last fall, trying to use her points before they expired. Air Miles later cancelled plans for a five-year expiry date.

She intended to leave Toronto on Sept. 24 and arrive back on Sept. 28. But after confirming the flights and printing the tickets, she noticed the departure date was on Sept. 28, the same day as the return.

I would never book a flight the same day, she said. When I contacted Air Miles, they said it was going to cost over $547 to change both tickets because that was what Porter charged. Its outrageous, she said.

Air Miles told McDonald she would lose her taxes, plus all the points she had collected for years, if she cancelled the flights.

Flight bookings made at AirMiles.ca do not allow cancellations or refunds, Haffad told me. However, changes to flights may be permitted, subject to airline fees.

Our terms and conditions may be more restrictive and may supersede the airline fare rules. We do offer and highly recommend travel insurance to our collectors for reservations, she said.

Together with Porter, we have reviewed this request and decided to issue a full refund of this flight booking to Mrs. McDonald. We want to reinforce that this is an exception weve made, considering the error with the date.

Flight cancelled after wildfires in B.C.

Lynne Muia booked two flights last November from Hamilton to Vancouver on WestJet, departing July 13. The cost was 5,880 loyalty points, plus $158.48 in taxes and fees.

In May, worried about flooding in Kelowna, B.C. (where her hotel was booked), she called WestJet to cancel the flights. Air Miles said she could not get a refund.

Muia bought two new WestJet flights to Calgary at her expense ($526.86) to spend time at a hotel in Banff, also booked last year.

On her return, she asked Air Miles for an extension because of the wildfires burning in B.C. She was given 10 days to use her points for a new booking with a travel date of Dec. 31, but the $158.48 paid in taxes and fees was gone.

We just spent two hours on the Air Miles website trying to find something to do, but came up with nothing, she said. All I want is a refund of the 5,880 points into my account to use as I please.

Muia received a better deal after contacting me. Shes getting a refund of her 5,880 points, along with $158.48, as long as she books with Air Miles before August 2018 for flights to be taken on WestJet by July 2019.

My advice: Travel booked with loyalty points may have tougher rules than travel booked directly with the provider. Read the terms and conditions about refunds and change fees.

Buy travel insurance each time you make a booking with loyalty points. A good insurance policy should provide a refund when personal problems derail your trip.

Finally, look for any mistakes in dates or times when you book your travel plans. Once you receive your confirmation email, it may be too late to correct them.

When booking flights with Air Miles, contact the rewards plan first when you want to change or cancel the flights.

We encourage collectors to reach out to us with their inquiries, as we manage these bookings ourselves. If additional info is needed, we will work with the airline directly, Haffad said.

Ellen Roseman appears in Smart Money every Tuesday. Her email is eroseman@thestar.ca .

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BEIJINGFord Motor Co. and a Chinese automaker said Tuesday they are looking into setting up a joint venture to develop and manufacture electric cars in China.

Fords potential venture with Anhui Zotye Automobile Co. adds to the global auto industrys rising activity in electric vehicles for China, which passed the United States last year as the biggest market for them.

Chinese planners who see electrics as a promising industry and a way to clean up smog-choked cities are pushing automakers to speed up development.

Ford previously said it plans to offer electric versions of 70 per cent of its models in China by 2025.

Privately owned Zotye Auto, headquartered in the eastern city of Huangshan, produces its own electric vehicles and said sales in the first seven months of this year rose 56 per cent over the same period of 2016 to 16,000.

This presents us with an exciting opportunity to leverage each others strengths, Zotye chairman Jin Zheyong said in a joint statement.

Sales of pure-electric and gasoline-electric hybrids in China rose 50 per cent last year over 2015 to 336,000 vehicles, or 40 per cent of global demand. U.S. sales totalled 159,620.

Read more:

Electric cars on the road have gone from zero to 2 million in five years

Why electric vehicles are closer than they appear: Olive

Beijing has supported sales with subsidies and a planned quota system that would require automakers to produce electric cars or buy credits from companies that do.

Ford said it expects Chinas market for all-electrics and hybrids to grow to annual sales of 6 million by 2025.

Volvo Cars announced plans this year to make electric cars in China for global sale starting in 2019. General Motors Co., Volkswagen AG, Nissan Motor Co. and others also have announced plans to make electric vehicles in China.

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One sunny summer morning this month, a group of 20 teenage girls gathered in a conference room in the sleek offices of a tech company in New York. It was their fifth week of coding camp, and they were huddled around laptops, brainstorming designs for their final projects.

One group was building a computer game that simulates the experience of going through life with depression and anxiety, while others were drafting plans for websites that track diversity at companies and help connect newly arrived immigrants with local community groups.

They were working intently when Reshma Saujani, the founder and chief executive of the non-profit organization Girls Who Code, dropped in to offer some encouragement.

How many of you take computer science class at your schools? she asked. Hands shot up. Are you the only girls in your class? she asked. Most of the girls nodded.

During the past five years, some 40,000 girls have learned to code through the organizations summer camps and afterschool programs. But Saujani wanted to expand the groups reach, and was looking for new ways to recruit girls into the tech industry.

For a tech evangelist, her solution was surprisingly retro and analog: books. Girls Who Code is creating a publishing franchise, and plans to release 13 books over the next two years through a multibook deal with Penguin. The titles range from board books and picture books for babies and elementary schoolchildren, to nonfiction coding manuals, activity books and journals, and a series of novels featuring girl coders.

This week, the organization is releasing its first two books  an illustrated nonfiction coding manual by Saujani, and a novel, The Friendship Code, which features a group of girls who become friends in an after-school coding club.

I wanted to create a series of books that girls could see themselves in, where you could sneak in the algorithms and you sneak in the coding, Saujani said.

Lately, the niche has gotten considerably more crowded. A growing number of childrens books authors are using fiction to teach the fundamentals of coding, a trend that has coincided with a push by Silicon Valley to fund and expand technology training in schools.

The organization Code.org provides free online coding lessons, and has crafted coding curriculums for elementary, middle and high school students. Last year, Apple released a free app to teach the programming language Swift. Scratch Jr, a coding program designed for 4- to 7-year-olds, now has some 5 million users.

The Girls Who Code books are also arriving at a moment of heightened awareness and outrage over the scarcity and treatment of women in the tech industry. The issue has come into sharp focus in recent weeks, following the controversy over a Google engineers memo, in which he argued that women are under-represented in computer science because of physiological differences. The memo, which led to the engineers firing, was widely seen as further proof of pervasive sexism in the industry.

Read more:

Girls in STEM culture failing both girls and STEM

Google isnt the only tech company grappling with white male discontent

Saujanis effort to counter the industrys gender imbalance, with coding clubs and now books, seems to have won over some major tech industry figures. Her new coding book features glowing endorsements from philanthropist Melinda Gates; Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and chief executive of Twitter; and Facebooks chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg.

The daughter of two engineers who came to the United States as political refugees from Uganda, Saujani is in some ways an unlikely advocate for computer literacy. Her academic and professional background is in law, history and politics, not technology. Before founding her coding organization, she worked as a lawyer for a hedge fund and ran for Congress in 2010. She lost, spectacularly, and decided to start a non-profit to teach computer literacy to girls.

Since its founding in 2012, the organizations coding clubs have rapidly spread across the country and now meet in 50 states. But demand has outstripped growth: 7,000 girls applied for 1,600 seats at the groups 80 summer camps.

So in early 2015, in an effort to extend the groups reach, Saujani, who published a book for adults about women and leadership in 2013, went to her literary agent and proposed a series of childrens books about coding. At the time, it seemed like an untapped market. Saujani met with several publishers, and was excited by Penguins strategy of flooding every corner of the childrens market, with board books like Baby Code! for 3- to 7-year-olds and novels for preteenage girls.

Some tech experts say books could prove an effective way to recruit future coders, particularly girls, if the stories make programming seem creative and appealing. But others caution that books are not a substitute for hand-on instruction.

Josh Funk, a software engineer and the author of the picture book How to Code a Sandcastle, which will be published next year as part of the Girls Who Code line, sees books as a way to get kids interested in the subject, not as a stand-in for coding classes. You cant learn how to code by reading a picture book, he concedes.

Other authors are weaving coding concepts into the narratives of novels. In September, Disney Hyperion will publish Tamara Ireland Stones middle grade novel, Clickd, about a girl named Alice who builds an app that goes viral at her CodeGirls summer camp, then realizes a glitch could expose users private data. (At the end of the book, Stone includes exercises that explain how binary code and algorithms work.)

Gene Luen Yangs best-selling graphic novel series Secret Coders follows a group of kids who discover that their schools janitor has a secret underground coding school, like Hogwarts, but for programming instead of magic. The series, which is illustrated by Mike Holmes, has become a surprise best-seller: The first three books have more than 200,000 in print. As the characters learn to program robots, readers are exposed to basic coding skills such as how to read binary numbers and sequence code.

I wanted to play with the similarities between magic and coding, said Yang, who taught computer programming at a high school in Oakland, Calif., for 17 years.

Stacia Deutsch, who wrote The Friendship Code series, had no background in coding when Penguin hired her to co-write the books in consultation with Saujani. So she went to after-school coding workshops at schools around Orange County, Calif., where she lives, and studied the organizations teaching manual. Using their curriculum, she focused on a handful of programming concepts and integrated them into the plot.

The novel centres on a girl named Lucy, who joins an after-school coding club and starts getting mysterious notes on her locker. To understand the messages, she has to master coding concepts like input/output, loops and variables.

Deutsch struggled at times to get those ideas across. In moments of panic, she called a friend who is a coder for guidance. But in other ways, her status as a novice was an asset. Her characters did not know much about coding at the beginning of the novel, and neither, she presumes, will many of her readers.

I wanted someone who didnt know anything about coding to get excited about the possibilities, she said.

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Joso Spralja, a renowned folk musician who went on to found Yorkville seafood restaurant Josos, died at age 88.

He died in his sleep at his home in Zadar, Croatia, on Aug. 8, his son Leo confirmed.

The painter-sculptor-photographer-vocalist-guitarist-restaurateur was a success starting in the 1960s, when he ran a coffee house/art gallery at 71 Yorkville Ave. during the neighbourhoods hippie heyday.

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Where strength meets whimsy

Spralja then moved Josos to a converted Victorian semi at 202 Davenport Rd., where, for 40 years, it has remained a favourite of well-heeled locals and visiting celebrities.

Toronto lost a giant in the hospitality industry. He will never be forgotten, said longtime friend and interior designer Sasha Josipovicz.

Josos was one of the first in the city to grill whole fish with just olive oil and lemon juice.

Such simplicity at a time of stodgy cream sauces was a wake-up call for Toronto diners. At Josos, they also found risotto stained black by cuttlefish ink, not to mention fried calamari, which Spralja claimed to have introduced to the city.

Canadians thought they were onion rings, but once they tried it, they liked it, Spralja told the Star in 2000.

Josos also became known for its nude art: Sculpted and painted breasts everywhere. Spralja created most of the work, inspired by his views on motherhood.

He was breastfed until he was almost 5, daughter-in-law Shirley Spralja told the Star in 2005.

The titillating decor includes a voluptuous torso in the main window with big hooters that seems like the second-best Toronto landmark after the CN Tower, said award-winning food blog First We Feast after Drake name-checked Josos in his 2013 song 5AM in Toronto.

Also on the walls are photographs of celebrity diners such as Italian film star Marcello Mastroianni.

Joso  for all of his charisma and charm  had the rare, innate ability to take care of others, which he did tirelessly and genuinely, Bobby Sniderman of The Senator restaurant told the Star in an email.

That was the true gift of not just his success as a restaurateur but as a person, said Sniderman, who met Spralja in the 60s folk scene.

When Barbra Streisand came for dinner in 1988, Spralja asked Josipoviczto sit nearby to block curious stares.

I was petrified, but Joso had confidence in me. I did spill tomato sauce all over me as my nerves eventually took over. (A) few days later Joso called: Robert De Niro is coming over for dinner.  Josipovicz told the Star in an email.

Spralja was born in Croatia in 1929. He came to Toronto in 1961 to visit relatives and liked it enough to immigrate. Wife Angiolina and children Leo and Elena joined him in 1964.

As part of 60s folk duo Malka and Joso, Spralja and partner Malka Himel made three albums, hosted a CBC-TV music show and performed four times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

He continued to paint, sculpt and photograph, using the top floor of his namesake restaurant as a studio. After retiring from running Josos in 1997, Spralja moved back to Zadar and built a home incorporatinga 12th-century castle.

Leo and daughter-in-law Shirley now run the restaurant.

There was metaphorically always room at his table . . . and room in his heart, said Sniderman.

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OTTAWAAs the surge of migrants pouring into Quebec hit 4,500 people  mostly Haitians  in the first three weeks of August, the federal government scrambled Monday to stem the tide with a sterner message to would-be asylum seekers and to accommodate hundreds more in the nearby Ontario border town of Cornwall.

The office of Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale acknowledged the RCMP had intercepted and arrested 4,500 irregular border crossers in Quebec so far this month  on top of 3,000 that crossed in July. They are mostly Haitian and found eligible to file a refugee claim.

On Monday evening, Cornwall city councillors held a special meeting to demand answers of federal, provincial and municipal officials, saying citizens are worried about the impact of all the new arrivals, while many others want to help.

At the Nav Centre conference and hotel facility now hosting 300 people  all Haitian families  is full, and manager Kim Coe-Turner said that with upcoming conferences it cannot accommodate more immediately.

So the Canadian Forces are setting up a tent city on the Nav Centre grounds that will be an interim lodging site for up to 500 Haitians asylum seekers who will be directed there by border services authorities at Lacolle, Que., because Montreals shelters and services are overwhelmed, said Cornwalls emergency management coordinator Bradley Nuttley.

Nuttley assured councillors that the families can be well accommodated in tents with plywood flooring, electricity and heating, while nearby residents concerns will be met by low-noise electrical generators, and privacy fences up to 12 feet high to be erected on three sides. In part, he said, thats to protect children  over 40 per cent of the refugee claimants now there are children under 7  from noxious weeds on nearby land.

Mayor Leslie OShaughnessy complained there is no lead federal agency to answer councils or the publics enquiries and that information was changing by the hour. He pressed federal officials to hold a public information meeting because it is a federal project.

Whoever the lead is, hopefully theyll get the bills, said Councillor Andre Rivette said. He asked if Ottawa planned to set up a field hospital so that local residents wouldnt find themselves waiting for health services.

Stressing that no declaration of emergency had been issued because there are enough resources to meet the needs, Nuttley said almost all newcomers were quite healthy. Thered even been one birth of a new Canadian citizen, and a few more pregnant women are at the centre, he said, though officials see no need for anything more than a temporary clinic on the Nav Centre grounds.

Ive not been requested to provide any services in this emergency  er this event, sorry, a little Freudian slip there, said Nuttley.

Still, Louis Dumas, a senior federal immigration official, acknowledged the current situation is a difficult one, we are seeing a spike at Lacolle, Que. Refugee claimants are entitled to due process and the federal governments goal is to process people quickly, he said.

The hope is refugee claimants will within a week complete their applications and submit them for an assessment at a joint federal-provincial processing centre also set up at Cornwalls Nav Centre before their claims are sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board for adjudication.

But once their claims are submitted, the migrants are free to leave and most are expected to head back to Montreal where a large Haitian diaspora lives. Dumas said about 10 per cent will likely head elsewhere in Canada, mostly in Ontario.

Haitians are flooding across the border because the United States administration under President Donald Trump has indicated it will revoke a temporary protected status for Haitians, issued after the 2010 earthquake, starting in January.

Dumas said Haitians should not expect Canada will automatically allow permanent entry. He noted that last year, the independent IRB turned down 50 per cent of asylum claims by Haitians, who were then ordered deported back to Haiti.

Earlier Monday Immigration Minister Ahmad Hussen and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale went before cameras at Lacolle earlier to say there is no fast track to refugee status for those who cross illegally and to warn against border-hopping.

Trying to cross the border in an irregular fashion is not a free ticket to Canada, Goodale said, sounding a frustrated note. We have been making this point over and over and over again since last January and February when the, the circumstances began.

That line is to be echoed by Haitian-Canadian MP Emmanuel Dubourg who Canadian Press reports is being dispatched to Florida to do Creole-language interviews and meet community leaders among Miami's Haitian diaspora and to speak to a slew of influential media outlets.

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Canadas governor general designate, Julie Payette, has dropped her opposition to a group of major media outlets seeking access to recently sealed divorce records in a Maryland court.

The media group, including the Toronto Star and CTV, went to court last month in the hope that the divorce records would shed light on Payettes 2011 arrest on charges of assault against her then husband, Billie Flynn. The charges were withdrawn and those records, including a police report, were destroyed by court order, according to court officials.

A Maryland judge recently ruled that the divorce records Payette had sealed in July when reporters started asking questions should be public. Payette appealed, pending a mid-November hearing. She takes up her post as governor general in early October.

Read more:

Future Governor General Julie Payette involved in fatal collision months before assault charge in Maryland

Julie Payette controversy a lesson on power of digital memory: Delacourt

Trust the public with full story on Julie Payette: Editorial

On Monday afternoon, Payette issued a statement saying that she had decided to drop her appeal, paving the way for the court records to be released in the coming days.

Not wishing my family to revisit the difficult moments we have been through, it was my hope that our privacy would be preserved, Payette wrote. That is why I initially sought to keep our divorce proceedings under seal.

Read the full text of Julie Payettes statement below

Payette, in her statement, said it was out of concern for her sons privacy that she initially wanted the records sealed.

In the past I have been blessed with opportunities few dream of, said Payette, a former astronaut. But of all the blessings I am grateful for, the most important blessing in my life is my son.

From the outset, the media group made it clear it was not interested in matters relating to the couples child.

The Star is seeking access to the court documents to determine if there is something in them of public interest in regards to Canadas next governor general, said Star editor Michael Cooke. The Star has no interest in publishing private details of a child in this case. That was made very clear by the medias lawyer in the hearing.

Payette said Monday that for reasons of transparency and to leave no doubt, she said she has agreed to drop her appeal.

Other media outlets involved in the challenge include the Globe and Mail, CBC, iPolitics and the National Post.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in early July that Payette, a former Canadian astronaut, would be Canadas next governor general, starting in October.

The legal saga that has played out quietly in a Maryland courthouse for the past month began when political website iPolitics uncovered existence of Payettes expunged assault charge by doing a routine search using an online record check service. Though official documents and transcripts were ordered destroyed by the court at Payettes request in 2011, an electronic ghost of the charge remained. That sent the Star to Maryland looking for information that would shed light on the matter.

The St. Marys County courthouse in Leonardtown, a small county seat, is an hours drive from where Payette and Flynn lived together for several years on the shore of a sprawling river. Chesapeake Bay is nearby. Flynn still lives there occasionally.

Something happened on Nov. 24, 2011, that brought sheriffs deputies to the house the couple purchased the previous year.

Who called police and why has never been made public. Only Payette was charged. The sheriffs department and states attorney say they are not allowed to discuss the case, since a court expunged the records at the request of Payette two weeks later, on Dec. 8, 2011.

Her lawyer at the time, Dan Slade, told the Star that the charges had absolutely no merit but he would not provide details. The states attorney who agreed to the expungement order also would not discuss the matter.

With Payette and Flynn not talking, the media group turned to the Maryland courts to see if divorce files contained any references to the expunged case.

Payette went to court to have the divorce records sealed on an emergency basis on July 18, the day iPolitics broke the story.

The media outlets joined together and hired a U.S. lawyer, arguing that given the importance of the role of governor general, the public should have access to records related to her past activities.

In their challenge, the media groups lawyer, Seth Berlin of Washington-based firm Levine Sullivan, said that in the United States under the First Amendment, and in Maryland under the Declaration of Rights, the press and the public have a constitutional right to observe court proceedings and to access judicial records and documents.

When Payette filed for the sealing order, she stated in an affidavit that she wanted to protect the couples son, and herself. She stated that she has reason to believe that (the media) may be trying to expose facts of this case to people in Canada in an attempt to publicly ridicule me and I believe these actions will cause irrevocable harm to not only myself but my son.

Justin Trudeau was questioned Wednesday about a dismissed second-degree assault charge against his choice for governor general. The prime minister says Julie Payette represents the ?very best of Canadian values.? (The Canadian Press)

Judge David Densford of the Circuit Court for St. Marys County agreed with the media group, ruling that in Maryland court files are presumed to be open to the public for inspection. He ordered the files opened, pending appeal, except for specific sections that dealt with the couples son.

A spokesperson for the Governor Generals Office told the Star that Payette was personally paying for the legal challenge.

Payettes former husband, Flynn, is a test pilot for Lockheed Martin and the F-35 jet. Previously, as a lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he flew 25 combat missions over Kosovo and the former Republic of Yugoslavia. At the time of the 2011 incident, Payette had left the astronaut program and was in Washington at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The couple both travelled extensively. When they purchased the Maryland house in 2010, Flynn was out of town and he gave his power of attorney to Payette to effect the purchase, paying $616,000 (U.S.) for the remote, 4,000-square-foot house and property, records show.

The Star earlier reported that a couple of months before the 2011 assault charge, Payette struck and killed a pedestrian while returning home from a trip. Police records show that after an extensive investigation, it was determined to be an accident, something the victims sister has told the Star she agrees with.

Flynn and Payettes marriage broke down over the next year and Flynn filed for separation in 2013. Payette followed up by filing for divorce and the case wound its way through court over the next two years. During this time, the case was public, including all testimony and documents. Ultimately, it was resolved, just before Payette was appointed governor general.

Full text of Julie Payettes statement to the media group:

In the past, I have been blessed with opportunities few dream of. I have had the good fortune to work on exceptional science projects, to fly in international spaceships and to see our magnificent blue planet from orbit.

But of all the blessings I am grateful for, the most important blessing in my life is my son.

Given recent media interest regarding my private life, I wish to share the following thoughts.

While I understand and appreciate the role of media in reporting on past events in the lives of Canadians in the public eye, as a mother, I need to be mindful of the impact on my family.

Very few families are immune from difficult moments in life  mine included.

Divorces are about fractured relationships and often, a sad parting of ways. This is particularly difficult when children are involved, thus the importance of protecting the ones we love and care about.

Like many parents in the same situation, I have worked hard to put these difficult events behind me and move on with the best interest of my son in mind.

Not wishing my family to revisit the difficult moments we have been through, it was my hope that our privacy would be preserved. That is why I initially sought to keep our divorce proceedings under seal in the US, consistent with the legal principles in the province of Quebec and in Canada that govern matrimonial and family matters.

Though a Maryland court was currently considering an appeal to maintain our familys privacy, for reasons of transparency and to leave no doubt, I have decided to voluntarily drop this appeal and release the divorce files. I trust Canadians and media will distinguish between matters of public interest and private life.

As I move forward, it is my son I think of first. His relationship with both his parents is paramount and this is what I will continue to safeguard.

I am deeply honoured to have been given the privilege of serving my country again and I look forward to contributing with all my energy and dedication to the advancement of a knowledge-based society that is open, tolerant, pragmatic and generous.

Kevin Donovan can be reached at kdonovan@thestar.ca or 416-312-3503.

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Sign of the times:

Journalists get a heads up that the premier will address her MPPs at a normally closed caucus meeting the next day. Immediately, reflexively, every editor in town assumes its a resignation story, sending reporters into a feeding frenzy.

Proof, as ever, that people dont pay attention to Queens Park.

Despite endless speculation from the opposition Progressive Conservatives that Kathleen Wynne would soon quit as premier  forced out by dismal ratings  it turns out that rumours of her death spiral are political spin. She is rising from the political dead at the very time that Ontarios Tories are losing altitude.

Any death watch has a magical effect on the media, who love a moribund politician when they see one. A phalanx of cameras tracked Wynne on her supposed death march from the premiers office to the government caucus room (112 steps according to my fitness tracker, though I counted it out for good measure) where Liberal loyalists awaited word on their collective future.

Now, with a provincial election campaign less than nine months away, time for an update: Wynne isnt abandoning ship because, suddenly, its not necessarily sinking.

As photographers rushed into position to record her exit strategy, she offered a recovery strategy. Instead of a departure speech, a pep talk.

Not the end of the road but the beginning of the campaign trail as she tries out the beginnings of a stump speech. Leaving journalists without a news story  nothing to see here.

But we may all be missing the story.

Conventional wisdom long ago anointed the little-known Patrick Brown as premier-in-waiting. He came from out of nowhere  years of backbench obscurity in Stephen Harpers Conservative government  to capture the provincial leadership in 2015.

Today he remains a political unknown, because voters have no idea what his ideas are. With Brown vacillating on public policy, he is oscillating in public opinion polls.

Its not that Wynne is invincible, hes just invisible.

Groggily and angrily, voters are awakening and focusing  slowly. By all accounts this will be a change election, but the electorate has already shown a remarkable propensity to change its mind.

What did Wynne have on her mind as she walked in, wired with a clip-on mic, speaking without notes for a heart-to-heart with a nervous caucus? If it is to be a change election, then the premier will reposition herself as a change agent.

Changing economic times and financial uncertainty? Change is coming, and the government will grapple with it, she argued:

A $15 minimum wage. Free pharmacare up to age 25. Free tuition for many college kids. Smoothing out hydro rates. All of which are proving remarkably popular in recent polls.

Behind the pep talk was policy talk, and a promise to drive yet more change: We cant pretend that either were there, or when we finish implementing this plan well be there. There is more to do.

By contrast, the Tories are just politicians clinging to the past, who think that if we could just go back, if we could just go back to the way it was...

Its an attempt to get out in front of the change train without being run over by it. And a recognition that her unprecedented unpopularity need not be politically fatal if the campaign can be framed as a contest of policies, not personalities.

Monthly polling by Campaign Research shows that two thirds of Ontarians believe the government should be changed. Even voters who think the government has done a good job are yearning for a change in power.

But in politics, as in life, the only certainty is uncertainty. Earlier polling by Campaign Research showed Browns Tories with a commanding 50 per cent share of the vote last January, with the Liberals languishing at 28 per cent and the NDP at 15 per cent.

By May, Wynnes Liberals had recovered the lead with 37 per cent, as the Tories tumbled to 34 per cent and the NDP recovered to 22. A summer sounding in July found the PCs at 38 per cent and the Liberals at 30, with the NDP parked at 24.

Given the 3 to 4 per cent margin of error in their polling, that suggests a statistical tie between Liberals and Tories for the moment. All of which tells the tale of why there was no resignation story this month.

Wynne personal ratings are irredeemable yet irrelevant. It matters little that NDP Leader Andrea Horwath enjoys the highest personal support, given that her party attracts the least votes. As for Brown, he can no longer depend on anonymity for popularity.

Which is why, when journalists watched Wynne walk into that caucus meeting the other day, they didnt get a resignation story. Instead of walking away from the next election, the premier isnt going anywhere just yet.

Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn

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OTTAWAA Liberal MP says its time that Canada looked at joining the United States on ballistic missile defence against North Koreas threat to launch inter-continental weapons.

MP Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands) said that, with the evolving threat from North Korea, which launched tests of inter-continental missiles with greater range and boasted of new nuclear capabilities, it may be time to break from what has been Liberal, and Canadian government, policy since 2005.

Thats when then-Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, helming a minority government, bowed to opposition in his own caucus and among Canadians, and decided Canada would not participate in the American missile-shield program.

It angered the then-U.S. Administration of George W. Bush.

The Conservatives used it in repeated campaigns as a political wedge to criticize the Liberals.

But Martins Conservative successor Stephen Harper, never reversed the decision.

What I can tell you is, personally, I do think we need to start to look at what Canadas role will be in that, said Gerretsen.

Gerretsen said he had no way of knowing how widespread support is within the Liberal caucus for his position, a key factor in whether the government would move in that direction. If support within Liberal ranks has grown, it could make it easier for the government of Justin Trudeau to shift Canadas position.

Gerretsen is a member of the Commons defence committee, which decided Tuesday to summon government and defence experts within a month for a deeper hearing on Canadas operational readiness to deal with the evolving North Korean threat. He stressed he was not speaking on behalf of the government: Im here being a member of parliament on this committee.

Gerretsen says the committee, itself, believes its time to, at least, look at these questions.

But Gerretsens view was not shared by another Liberal, MP Stephen Fuhr, who chaired the committee Tuesday.

Fuhr told Canadian Press that Canada has only limited resources for the military and that North Korea doesnt pose a threat to this country.

Trudeaus Liberal government has nevertheless already signaled it is ready to reopen those discussions after it tabled its defence policy review in June.

A spokesperson for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, in an emailed reply to the Star, said the Liberal government has not formally changed Canadas longstanding position on missile defence.

But its clear the matter is on the table.

While Canadas new defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged does not change our position on BMD (ballistic missile defence), it does commit us to continue ongoing collaboration with our U.S. counterparts on ways in which we can evolve our approach to North American defence, said Sajjans press secretary Jordan Owens.

The new policy commits the government of Canada to examining, through NORAD modernization, territorial defence against all perils, including threats from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and other future technologies to provide Canadians with greater security at home.

Gerretsen, speaking to reporters after the committee held a rare summer meeting, said, In 2005, we chose not to be part of it. Given whats going on in the world now, maybe its time to start to have discussions about whether Canada should be part of that. Thats my own personal opinion on it.

Given the threats that are continuing to emerge in the world and the fact that, over the last number of years, Canada has not been a participant when the United States are pretty much running the show with respect to ballistic missile defence, we should be having an ongoing discussion about what our role should be in that. And I think 10-years-plus after the fact is a timely opportunity to have that discussion.

Conservative Opposition defence critic James Bezan would not go that far.

Bezan said, Tuesday, the Conservative caucus is waiting to hear from government experts on the state of Canadas military readiness before developing its view on how best to deal with any threat from North Korea.

Bezan said its up to the government and Trudeau to suggest the appropriate response before the caucus develops its position.

Hopefully, well see a diplomatic solution that will take away any necessity to have this type of war-gaming and planning going on behind the scenes because of the development of ballistic missiles.

Bezan suggested that after Canadas decision in 2005 things didnt change until this summer.

And, from this point forward I think everyone is looking at how we can best work with the United States, how we can work through NORAD in dealing with this new threat. He added Canada needs to worry not just about North Koreas missile capabilities but also about non-conventional weapons and the proliferation of submarines that have ability to come within Canadian waters.

The NDP hopes the Liberals do not embrace missile defence. New Democrat foreign affairs critic Helene Laverdiere said that missile defence systems give false comfort, because they are subject to failure and cannot keep up with the evolution of weapons technology.

That kind of defensive system only leads countries like, not only North Korea, but China and Russia, who may feel concerned to upgrade their systems and it just leads to escalation.

Instead, she said the answer is diplomacy, and the pursuit of nuclear-disarmament talks with greater energy, including communicating with our allies, notably the United States, to try to suggest or force or convince of the need of de-escalation.

In the diplomatic tool box, there is a lot of tools, and I want to know what tools this government is using.

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OTTAWAIn Canadas its not just about building it so they will come, it appears making it free also plays a role.

More than 14 million people streamed through the gates of national parks and historic sites between January 1 and July 31, up 12 per cent over the year before.

In absolute numbers, its an increase of more than 1.5 million visitors and at least one province is hoping the federal government will extend the free admission program another year.

Heath MacDonald, Prince Edward Islands minister of economic development and tourism, says there is no question the free parks program is driving more tourism in his province and hed like to see if another year of free passes would continue the effect.

Almost 374,000 people visited Prince Edward Island National Park before the end of July this year, up 37 per cent over the year before.

The biggest increase in visitors to a national park was seen at Point Pelee in southwestern Ontario, where the number of tourists visiting the park in July almost doubled over the previous year and total visitation since the beginning of the year is up 66 per cent.

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Cheryl Hookimaw didnt want to file a complaint. But after experiencing what she alleges was harassment and abusive behaviour from a veteran Ontario Provincial Police sergeant working in her isolated James Bay community, she decided shed had enough.

In 2014, Hookimaw turned to the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), Ontarios police watchdog, filing a formal complaint against an officer she knew shed still see all over Moosonee, her largely Cree community policed by the OPP.

I thought it was the right thing to do, Hookimaw told the Star in an email. I thought my family would be protected.

The resulting investigation by the OPPs professional standards bureau alleges Sgt. Randy Cota engaged in numerous inappropriate behaviours involving Hookimaw and her husband, each of which constituted misconduct, according to the police investigative report into Hookimaws complaint.

That included allegations the officer threatened Hookimaw, made disparaging comments about her of a sexual nature, obtained her personal information in a police database, and was less than forthright with investigators probing the complaint, among other allegations contained in Cotas notice of hearing, a police document outlining his alleged misconduct.

In January 2015, Cota was charged with one count of corrupt practice under Ontarios Police Services Act, a charge laid when an officer is accused of improperly using his character or influence as a police officer for private advantage. The allegations have not been tested at a tribunal.

Indeed, three years after filing the complaint, Cotas misconduct hearing has been repeatedly delayed with little explanation, according to Hookimaw and her lawyer, Cara Valiquette.

Staff Sgt. Carolle Dionne, a spokesperson for the OPP, confirmed to the Star that Cotas next hearing date is in November. Asked why the hearing has been delayed, Dionne said Cota has been on an approved paid absence and the hearing cannot proceed as a result.

The hearing will take place if Sgt. Cota returns from his approved absence. If not, it may be deferred to a later date, she said in an email.

Dionne could not say why Cota is on approved absence.

Meanwhile Hookimaw and her husband Xavier Hookimaw see Cota all the time in the community and claim his behaviour has continued while the misconduct case moves at a sluggish pace.

Alleging ongoing harassment, intimidation and abusive conduct, late last year the Hookimaws filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the OPP and Cota. Among the lawsuits claims is that Cota had been driving slowly past their residence and workplace and staring at them and that, in late 2015, a close friend of Cotas went to the Hookimaws home and asked them to drop the OIPRD complaint.

Valiquette says her clients feel their formal complaint has only caused more damages in terms of increased stress and pain.

Both Cota and the Crown  which is responsible for the conduct of OPP officers, and is being sued by the Hookimaws alongside Cota  have filed separate statements of defence denying the allegations.

In emails to the Star, Norman Groot, Cotas lawyer, said his client has both a substantive and procedural defence, including that too much time has passed since some of the alleged conduct for it to be heard in court.

I understand that the officer is a native Canadian himself, has served the OPP and the citizens of Ontario well for many years, has worked in undercover capacity for a while, which also caused stress to his personal life, Groot said in an email, adding he did not know why the disciplinary process has not progressed quicker than it has.

Cotas detailed statement of defence, filed in court in July, specifically denied inflicting emotional suffering, misconduct and harassment, including the allegations hed been driving slowly past the Hookimaws residence and staring.

In fact, there were incidents in which Mr. Hookimaw behaved in a threatening and harassing way towards Cota, it reads.

The legal battle comes months after Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Michael Tulloch highlighted the problems with the public complaint process specific to Indigenous communities in his review of police oversight in the province.

In a chapter dedicated to Indigenous communities and police oversight, Tulloch summarized his findings from public consultations, saying many Indigenous people felt targeted by law enforcement and subjected to negative stereotypes.

Few Indigenous peoples knew they could file a complaint with the OIPRD, Tulloch said  and those who did told him they feared retribution if they took that step.

This concern was particularly acute for First Nations communities served by the OPP, Tulloch wrote. Members of these communities told me that if they raised their concerns about the OPP, then their communities may suffer.

Rosemary Parker, spokesperson for the OIPRD, said in an email that in the Hookimaw case, the complaint process was expedient, the investigation completed by the OPPs professional standards bureau well within the target of 120 days, despite legislation allowing for six months.

Parker noted that the OIPRD is not responsible for disciplinary hearings. Under Ontarios Police Act, hearings are the purview of the police chief or the OPP commissioner.

Parker added the OIPRD recognizes that complainants may fear retribution from police for making a complaint and that special provisions under the watchdogs legislation make it punishable, by fine or jail time, to harass, coerce or intimidate someone in connection to a complaint.

According to Cheryl Hookimaws lawsuit, the dispute stems from Cotas failed attempts to initiate a romantic relationship after they first met at a childrens Halloween party in 2012, while Cheryl was an employee of Child and Family Services. After their meeting, Cota began contacting her by phone and email, telling her he had found her information by searching her name in his police system, according to her statement of claim.

Cotas notice of hearing alleges the officer conducted a query unrelated to his duties on November 1, 2012. Cotas response to the lawsuit, however, claims he did not do the search to obtain personal information but to make inquiries into a complaint shed made about a previous interaction with another OPP officer.

The Hookimaws lawsuit alleges that after their meeting, Cota spent the next year trying to have a relationship and gave Cheryl Hookimaw numerous gifts, including $2,000 cash. In 2014, when she began dating Xavier, Cota  who was then on an extended absence from the OPP  told her he disapproved and would go after Xavier when he was back on duty, according to the Hookimaws claim.

Tensions peaked in July, 2014 when Cota became involved in an assault investigation stemming from a party attended by Cheryl and Xavier Hookimaw. According to the Hookimaws lawsuit, neither Cheryl nor Xavier were involved in the assault, but the incident set off a series of alarming actions by Cota, including intimidating and threatening witnesses in an attempt to pressure them into incriminating Xavier Hookimaw in the assault.

The Hookimaw lawsuit also alleges Cota came to their residence and, shouting and swearing, demanded Cheryl Hookimaw give back the gifts hed provided to her or he would remove Xavier Hookimaw from their house. He also demanded to know details of an alleged sexual interaction she had with a witness at the house party, according to the lawsuit.

The OPPs notice of hearing alleges a series of misconduct in connection to the fallout from the assault, including: failing to declare a conflict of interest when working on the investigation; unnecessarily taking over the investigation from a colleague; misleading a senior officer about the nature of the investigation; threatening to charge a witness if he did not provide information that Xavier Hookimaw had committed a criminal offence; and making inaccurate and/or misleading notes about an interaction with Xavier Hookimaw.

In his statement of defence, Cota denies the Hookimaws allegations of misconduct in connection to the assault investigation. Specifically, he denies conducting the investigation in an attempt to target Mr. Hookimaw as a suspect, or that he used the threat of charging Mr. Hookimaw in an attempt to extort property from Mrs. Hookimaw.

The statement of defence also says Cota and Cheryl Hookimaw had developed a friendship, which included frequent emails from Cheryl to his work address, and that the gifts she alleges he gave her were in fact loans. That included the $2,000, which he says was to help her pay for a lawyer in a legal matter before the Courts, according to his statement of defence.

The officer also denies the allegations of ongoing harassment since he has been charged with misconduct. Instead, he alleges he was over at a friends house when Xavier Hookimaw aggressively drove his truck toward him, skidded to a stop, then yelled obscenities at him, and demanding that Cota stop looking at him all over town.

Cotas statement of defence also alleges a second incident of harassment by Xavier Hookimaw, saying that while he was standing on the street corner in conversation with another man, Xavier Hookimaw drove up to him and began yelling insults.

Mr. Hookimaw demanded that Cota leave them alone, and that he stop looking at them, reads the statement of defence.

Tullochs wide ranging report on police oversight makes 129 recommendations, some of which are geared toward improving police oversight in Indigenous communities. Among them are recommendations that Ontarios police oversight bodies develop and deliver, in partnership with Indigenous communities, mandatory Indigenous cultural competency training for staff.

Following the release of Tullochs report, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi committed to working with police oversight bodies to increase cultural competency through staff training and targeted recruitment, including Indigenous cultural competence.

In a news conference at Queens Park last week, Caitlyn Kasper, lawyer with Aboriginal Legal Services, urged the Ontario government and its police watchdogs to form meaningful and equitable partnerships with Indigenous people, communities and organizations.

Then the development of social and cultural competency training can occur, she said.

Tullochs report also states that for the police complaint system to be effective and accountable, the process complaints must be resolved in a transparent, timely, and fair manner.

Had the complaint process in this case been expedient and transparent, the Hookimaws may not have sued, said Valiquette, their lawyer. Instead, the system failed the clients and the tax paying public.

Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca

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In a display of its tougher stance on misconduct involving patient-doctor relationships, the discipline committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has revoked the licence of a psychiatrist who entered into a romantic relationship with a patient he intends to marry.

Whereas similar conduct in previous cases was typically met with suspensions, the decision to strip Toronto doctor Nagi Ghabbours licence is likely a response to criticism that the committee was being too lenient in the past, critics say.

Ghabbour is only the second Ontario physician to lose his licence for beginning a relationship with a patient too soon after the end of the doctor-patient relationship.

The very nature of the relationship, the profound vulnerability of this specific patient and Dr. Ghabbours lack of insight into the egregiousness of the misconduct led the committee to decide that revocation is the only suitable penalty to fully protect the public in the circumstances of this case, a five-member panel of the discipline committee wrote in a decision released Tuesday.

Sexual relationships with prior psychotherapeutic patients are likely never advisable, nor likely ever in the best interest of the patient. Public trust and protection must be the guiding principle for the profession to do no harm.

Ghabbour, 55, will be eligible to reapply for his licence in one year, but will have to prove that he has learned from his misconduct, the panel said. His lawyer did not return the Stars request for comment.

Ghabbour admitted at his discipline hearing in February to professional misconduct in that he began a relationship with Patient A, whose name is covered by a publication ban, about a month after he stopped being her psychiatrist.

The panel heard in February that the pair are living together  Patient A even attended the discipline hearing  and that they intend to marry.

The college had argued that Ghabbours licence should be revoked, but the doctors lawyer pushed for a nine- to 12-month suspension with a condition that Ghabbour receive therapy.

While admitting during the penalty phase of the hearing that dating a patient so soon after the end of their professional relationship was a serious boundary violation and a huge lapse in judgment, Ghabbour also testified: I love her, I adore her, and I respect her.

Ghabbours penalty hearing took place while the provincial government was looking to strengthen the law around sexual abuse and physician-patient relationships in the wake of a Star investigation into doctors still at work after being found guilty of sexually abusing their patients.

The governments Bill 87 became law in May. It stipulates that a person is still considered a patient for one year after they stop seeing the physician. Therefore, any sexual activity within that year would lead to the mandatory revocation of a doctors licence. Colleges would also be permitted to extend the period beyond one year.

The bill was not yet law when Ghabbours conduct and hearing took place, but the colleges lawyer drew the panels attention to it while arguing for revocation. Its an indication of where our society is moving in Ontario with regards to this type of conduct, Elisabeth Widner told the panel.

The discipline panel acknowledged a shift in societal values in its decision to revoke.

The public expects and deserves professionalism and integrity from Ontario doctors and that the college will regulate the profession in the public interest, the panel wrote. The committee is very aware of the shift in societal values that is highlighted by the Ontario governments amendments to the Regulated Health Professions Act (Bill 87).

Medical malpractice lawyer Paul Harte, who was not involved with the case, said the panels decision sends a message that the type of conduct Ghabbour engaged in will not be tolerated, but that it is a message that should have been transmitted long ago.

They seem to be responding both to the concerns expressed in the media and also concerns expressed by the Minister of Health, he said.

Patient A had been experiencing stress at work as well as marital difficulties, and was seeing Ghabbour for anxiety and depression, the panel heard in February. Ghabbour provided prescriptions for antidepressants. He also documented suicidal ideation.

She eventually began displaying romantic feelings for him in sessions, which he testified he resisted. Ghabbour maintained he didnt want to refer her to someone else because he felt she was lacking support in other areas of her life and he wanted to help her.

After one session, she hugged him, and at one point he noted in his charts that the patient was idealizing him and is seeking a real/physical bond with him, according to an agreed statement of facts filed at the hearing. He said he made attempts to make clear to her that he was her psychiatrist.

In one of their last sessions, Patient A kissed him on the mouth, Ghabbour testified. Within weeks of Patient A deciding she no longer wanted Ghabbour as her psychiatrist because of her personal feelings toward him, the two began to see each other socially, and the relationship soon became sexual, the panel heard.

Dr. Ghabbour testified that he was concerned about abandoning Patient A if he referred her for appropriate therapy once the transference was evident, the panel wrote, referring to when Ghabbour became aware of Patient As feelings for him.

It is atrocious that he chose to terminate treatment and made no attempt to transfer her to another psychiatrist, despite his conclusion that she was suffering from serious psychiatric conditions that included suicidal ideation. His misconduct in pursuit of his own needs has led, in the result, to many patients being abandoned.

The first doctor to lose their licence for starting a personal relationship too soon after the end of the professional one was Mehdi Horri, whose licence was yanked in March, as a different panel of the discipline committee was still deliberating Ghabbours punishment.

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Its full steam ahead with labour reforms that will increase the minimum wage to $14 an hour in January and $15 the year after that.

A legislative committee studying the bill concluded its clause-by-clause work this week, setting the stage for its passage in the fall session of the legislature, which begins Sept. 11.

Labour Minister Kevin Flynn said Tuesday the legislation is stronger and fairer, having been subjected to summer hearings held in 10 cities across the province.

Our amendments will address some of the concerns of small businesses, while maintaining protections for workers, said Flynn.

By adding a new separate leave for victims of domestic and sexual violence, were giving victims and their families the time and support they need while they deal with tremendously difficult circumstances, he said.

Flynn noted the Liberals backed NDP amendments to increase transparency and clarification to the collective bargaining process for unionized workers.

The bill, which, unusually, was studied by a legislative committee after first reading, must now pass second reading and possibly another round of standing-committee scrutiny before third reading and enactment.

To offset the impact on businesses when it takes effect next year, Premier Kathleen Wynne has promised relief measures that will be unveiled in the months ahead.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the legislation still falls short of what workers need.

Horwath castigated the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives for not supporting the New Democrats bid to have five days of paid emergency leave days for all workers, up from the Grits proposed two, and an additional five unpaid days.

The Liberal plan allows for two paid days, after which workers can take up to eight days off without pay for an emergency.

As well, the NDP wanted three weeks of paid vacation after one year of employment, instead of the Liberals pledge of that much time after five years at the same job. Workers are currently entitled to two weeks off.

Tory MPP John Yakabuski (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke) said his party had hoped for an economic impact analysis before moving forward with raising the hourly minimum wage from $11.40 now to $14 next year and $15 in 2019.

You have to do one that is pertinent to Ontario. I want their homework to be done, so that we can understand what the economic impact of this is going to be: positive and negative, Yakabuski said in an interview.

Some people are going to be affected positively; other people are going to be affected negatively. We need to know that. Its the old carpenters rule: measure twice, cut once.

With the next provincial election set for June 7, 2018, Flynn indicated the Liberals plan to use the labour changes to campaign against the Tories, accusing PC leader Patrick Brown of having a lack of commitment to Ontario workers.

The fact his caucus stayed out of most of the discussion and debate shows (both) his partys disinterest in these much-needed reforms and Browns indifference when it comes to the rights of workers in this province.

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WASHINGTONDeclaring the U.S. will win in the end, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed Monday night to keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan despite his earlier inclination to withdraw. But he insisted the U.S. would not offer a blank check after 16 years of war, and he pointedly declined to say whether or when more troops might be sent.

In a prime-time address billed as the unveiling of his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said the U.S. would shift away from a time-based approach, instead linking its assistance to results and to co-operation from the beleaguered Afghan government, Pakistan and others.

Still, he offered few details about how that approach would differ substantively from what the U.S. has already tried unsuccessfully under the past two presidents.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities, Trump said. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on.

Ahead of his speech, U.S. officials said they expected the president to go along with a Pentagon recommendation to send nearly 4,000 new troops, boosting the total of 8,400 in Afghanistan now. At its peak, the U.S. had roughly 100,000 there, under the Obama administration in 2010-2011.

Trump said his original instinct was to pull out, alluding to his long-expressed view before becoming president that Afghanistan was an unsolvable quagmire requiring a fast U.S. withdrawal. Since taking office, Trump said, hed determined that approach could create a vacuum that terrorists including Al Qaeda and Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, could instantly fill.

Trump said the American people are weary of war without victory.

I share the America peoples frustration, Trump said at the Armys Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from the White House. Still, he insisted that in the end, we will win.

Trumps speech concluded a months-long internal debate within his administration over whether to pull back from the Afghanistan conflict, as he and a few advisers were inclined to do, or to embroil the U.S. further in a war that has eluded American solutions for the past 16 years. Several times, officials predicted he was nearing a decision to adopt his commanders recommendations, only to see the final judgment delayed.

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The Pentagon has argued the U.S. must stay engaged to ensure terrorists cant again use the territory to threaten America. Afghan military commanders have agreed, making clear they want and expect continued U.S. military help. But elected officials in the U.S. have been mixed, with many advocating against sending more troops.

As a candidate, Trump criticized the war and said the U.S. should quickly pull out, but he also campaigned on a vow to start winning wars. Exiting now, with the Taliban resurgent, would be impossible to sell as victory.

I think theres a relative certainty that the Afghan government would eventually fall, said Mark Jacobson, an Army veteran and NATOs former deputy representative in Kabul.

And while Trump has pledged to put America First, keeping U.S. interests above any others, his national security advisers have warned that the Afghan forces are still far too weak to succeed without help. That is especially important as the Taliban advance and a squeezed Islamic State group looks for new havens beyond Syria and Iraq. Even now, Afghans government controls just half the country.

As officers advocated for the troop increase, the Pentagon did not claim it would end the conflict. But military officials maintained it could help stabilize the Afghan government and break a stalemate with the Taliban.

The setting for Monday nights speech, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, sits alongside Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for many Americans who have died in the war.

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MADRIDA judge ordered two of the four surviving suspects in the extremist attacks in Spain held without bail, another detained for 72 more hours and one freed with restrictions Tuesday after the men appeared in court to answer questions about the events that killed 15 people.

National Court Judge Fernando Andreu issued his orders after quizzing the four about the vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, as well as about the fatal explosion at a bomb-making workshop that police said scuttled the group's plot to carry out a more deadly attack at unspecified Barcelona monuments.

The judge said there was enough evidence to hold Mohamed Houli Chemlal, 21, and Driss Oukabir, 28, on preliminary charges of causing homicides and injuries of a terrorist nature and of belonging to a terrorism organization. Houli Chemlal also has an additional charge of dealing with explosives.

However, the judge ruled the evidence was "not solid enough" to keep holding suspect Mohamed Aalla, who was freed on the conditions he appear in court weekly, relinquish his passport and not leave Spain.

The owner of a cybercafe in Ripoll, the Pyrenees hometown to most of 12 men originally identified as being members of the extremist cell behind the attacks, will remain in custody for at least 72 more hours while police inquiries continue, the judge said.

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The questioning the four men underwent during their initial court appearances provided new details about the scope of the cell's activities and the events leading up to the attacks in and around Barcelona Thursday and early Friday.

Two of the suspects identified a Ripoll imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, as the ideological leader of the group, according to a judicial official who heard Tuesday's interrogations. One said the bombs were being made to target a Barcelona monument where the imam planned to blow himself up as well, the court official said.

Instead, Es Satty and another man accidentally blew themselves up while preparing explosives in the home workshop in Alcanar, a coastal town south of Barcelona, police have said. The court official was not authorized to speak about ongoing cases and requested anonymity.

Five others were shot dead by police during the vehicle and knife attack in Cambrils. One, the suspected driver of the van that mowed down pedestrians in Barcelona's Las Ramblas promenade, was shot and killed in a vineyard not far from the city on Monday.

Houli Chemlal, the only survivor of the Alcanar blast, told the court he was alive because he was on the ground floor of the house washing dishes after dinner. He testified from a wheelchair without lifting his eyes up from the ground, according to the court official.

Oukabir testified that he rented the vans used in the attacks but thought they were going to be used for a house move. His brother was one of the five men shot dead Friday by police in Cambrils.

According to another person who attended Tuesday's hearings, Oukabir said he initially lied out of fear and told police his brother had stolen his ID to rent the vehicles. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the hearing.

Aalla, who said an Audi A3 used in the attack in Cambrils was registered under his name but used by a sibling, had one brother killed in Cambrils and another who is believed to be a second casualty of the Alcanar house blast.

Ripoll cybercafe owner Sahl El Karib told the judge he was only trying to make a profit when he bought at least two airplane tickets for two alleged members of the cell. Police raided the cybercafe on Tuesday, as well as a farmhouse in another town, searching for more evidence.

The lone fugitive from the cell  22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub  was shot to death Monday west of Barcelona after a massive, daylong manhunt. Police say he flashed what turned out to be a fake suicide belt at two officers who confronted him in a vineyard.

The judge's document said Abouyaaqoub drove the van that barrelled through the Las Ramblas promenade, zigzagging to hit as many people as possible.

Abouyaaqoub's brother and friends made up the rest of the 12-man extremist cell. Police said with Abouyaaqoub's death, the group's members were all dead or in custody.

Chemlal was born in Melilla, one of Spain's two North African coastal enclaves that have borders with Morocco. Spanish media say the other 11 suspects are all reportedly Moroccans who lived in Spain.

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NEW DELHIIndias Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the Muslim practice that allows men to instantly divorce their wives as unconstitutional.

The bench, comprising five senior judges of different faiths, deliberated for three months before issuing its order in response to petitions from seven Muslim women who had been divorced through the practice known as triple talaq.

Indian law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on NDTV that since the court deemed the practice unconstitutional there is no need for any further legislative action by the government.

The decision was widely lauded by womens rights activists as a step toward granting Muslim women greater equality and justice.

Its a very happy day for us. Its a historic day, said Zakia Soman, the co-founder of the Indian Muslim Womens Movement, which was part of the legal battle to end triple talaq.

We, the Muslim women, are entitled to justice from the courts as well as the legislature, she said.

More than 20 Muslim countries, including neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned the practice. But in India, triple talaq has continued with the protection of laws that allow Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities to follow religious law in matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption. While most Hindu personal laws have been overhauled and codified over the years, Muslim laws have been left to religious authorities and left largely untouched.

Most of the 170 million Muslims in India are Sunnis governed by Muslim Personal Law for family matters and disputes. Those laws include allowing men to divorce their wives by simply uttering the Arabic word talaq, or divorce, three times  and not necessarily consecutively, but at any time, and by any medium, including telephone, text message or social media post.

Indias Muslim Law Board had told the court that while they considered the practice wrong, they opposed any court intervention and asked that the matter be left to the community to tackle. But several progressive Muslim activists decried the law boards position.

This is the demand of ordinary Muslim women for over 70 years and its time for this country to hear their voices, activist Feroze Mithiborwala told NDTV.

The government supports an end to the practice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in many public addresses that the practice oppresses Muslim women and needs to be ended.

On Tuesday, Modi took to Twitter to praise the judgment as historic.

It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment, he said.

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MADISON, WIS.U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said he will not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments following a white supremacist rally in Virginia, but said Trump messed up by saying both sides were to blame for violence and that there were very fine people among those marching to protect Confederate statues.

Ryan made the comments during a town hall Monday night organized by CNN in his Wisconsin congressional district, after being asked whether he would back the resolution that comes following Trumps comments about the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The question came from Rabbi Dena Feingold, the sister of former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who grew up in the same city as Ryan.

Ryan said censuring Trump would be counterproductive.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-fest, into some bickering against each other and demean it down into some political food fight, what good does that do to unify this country? Ryan said, adding that it would be the worst thing we could do.

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President Trump said Tuesday the groups protesting against white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, were "also very violent." He called those protesters the "alt-left," and says there is "blame on both sides" after the deadly violence. (The Associated Pre0

In the end, we will win: Trump vows to prolong war in Afghanistan in TV address

While Ryan said he wouldnt support censuring Trump, he gave his sharpest criticism to date of the presidents comments in the wake of the rally where a woman protesting against the white supremacists was killed by a man identified as a neo-Nazi supporter. Ryan had previously spoken out against the violence, both on Twitter and in a statement earlier Monday, but he hadnt previously addressed Trumps comments directly.

I do believe that he messed up in his comments on Tuesday when it sounded like a moral equivocation or at the very least moral ambiguity when we need extreme moral clarity, Ryan said of Trump. Youre not a good person if youre there, its so very clear.

The Ryan town hall began 30 minutes later than originally planned to accommodate Trumps nationwide address where he outlined a new strategy for troops in Afghanistan. Trump vowed to keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan, despite his earlier inclination to withdraw.

Ryan said he was pleased with what he heard from Trump and that it represented a more comprehensive strategy than what had been in place under former president Barack Obama. Ryan said he was also glad that Trump is moving away from having a timetable for withdrawing from Afghanistan and wants to prevent creating a safe haven for terrorists.

We cant afford to allow that to happen again, Ryan said.

CNN extended invitations to people from Ryans district and selected the questions that were asked. That led to criticism from Democrats who say Ryan, a Republican, has been hiding from Wisconsin voters, given he hasnt held a town hall open to everyone since October 2015.

Ryan has held numerous events in Wisconsin, but hes only taken questions from the public in controlled environments such as private businesses.

Hopefully the media event that occurred tonight will convince Paul Ryan that talking to his constituents is a good idea, said U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat representing a south-central Wisconsin congressional district next to Ryans.

In the remaining weeks when Paul is home, he might want to schedule a real town hall or two and explain his health care bill that drops tens of millions of peoples coverage, as well as discuss his tax preferences that would give the top 1 per cent more tax breaks while working Americans continue to struggle, Pocan said.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the town hall, including Ryans Democratic opponent Randy Bryce, who said he sought a ticket to attend but was denied.

The Ryan town hall event was in Racine, near where global electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group has said it plans to build a factory that could employ thousands. Ryan helped in negotiations with the Taiwanese company. He has joined with Trump and others in touting the news as transformational for Wisconsins economy.

Ryan defended the $3 billion tax incentive package working its way through the Wisconsin Legislature for Foxconn, citing the potential jobs and $10 billion in economic investment by the company, calling it an exceptional deal.

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WASHINGTONIt was a glam shot that got ugly.

The wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin dove headlong into a social media skirmish this week, blasting a critic of her Instagram post highlighting her high fashion choices. Calling the commenter adorably out of touch, Louise Linton suggested she and Mnuchin contributed more to the U.S. economy and paid more in taxes than did her critic.

After a day of mounting criticism, the Scottish actress issued an apology Tuesday. But she had already assumed a starring role in the continuing story of the Trump administrations enormous wealth.

I think spouses of political appointees are usually not fair game for critics, but with Trump, tensions are heightened, said Republican political consultant Alex Conant.

The drama began Monday when Linton posted a photo of herself getting off a government plane in Kentucky with Mnuchin. In her post, Linton mentioned several designer labels for her white ensemble, including Tom Ford and Valentino.

Read the latest news about U.S. President Donald Trump

Commenter Jenni Miller responded from Oregon: Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable.

Linton shot back, defending herself and Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive and hedge fund investor.

Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than youd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours, Linton wrote. She went on to call Millers response passive aggressive and nasty before ending her retort with a suggestion that Miller go chill out and watch the new game of thrones.

Miller told CNN she found Lintons original post incredibly offensive, saying Linton went to a state with high poverty and chose to brag about her outlandishly expensive clothes. Its more than tone-deaf, its deplorable.

In her apology, Linton said: I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive.

Norm Eisen, president Barack Obamas chief ethics attorney, called Linton a Marie Antoinette for our age. In an email, he added that in the Bush or Obama administrations, a spouse of an official who replied that way and the official would have been counselled.

The White House referred questions about Linton to the Treasury Department, which said Mnuchin and Linton are reimbursing the government for Lintons travel and that Linton received no compensation from the fashion labels mentioned in her post.

Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff for former first lady Laura Bush, said people in high-level government jobs and their spouses must be careful about their public statements.

Fairly or unfairly, you are held to a higher standard on how to respond and what kind of dialogue you should engage in, she said. Dont take the bait.

In a Cabinet with plenty of wealth, Mnuchin is among the richest members. He worked for Goldman Sachs for nearly two decades and later founding a successful hedge fund. He also ran a company that invested in Hollywood movies including such blockbuster hits as Avatar. He married Linton, who has had small roles in television shows and movies, in a lavish Washington wedding in June. Trump attended the wedding and Vice-President Mike Pence officiated.

Before the wedding, Linton gave an interview to Town and Country magazine to talk about her jewelry, a lavish collection of diamonds and pearls.

Like the businessman president, Trumps team is packed with high rollers, including Education Secretary Betsy Devos, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, as well as daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both senior advisers.

This isnt the first time their wealth has drawn attention. The president has chosen his lavish Florida vacation home as a place to host foreign dignitaries. During the transition, Ivanka Trump displayed a high-end bracelet on 60 Minutes. The Washington hangout of choice for staffers and hangers-on is the opulent Trump International Hotel.

Still, Trump has always promoted his image as a wealthy mogul, unlike politicians who have tried to downplay their riches. Said Conant: It has always been part of Trumps brand and its extended to his cabinet.

Mnuchin was visiting Kentucky on Monday for an appearance with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a tour of Fort Knox. Treasury secretaries typically travel on commercial flights for domestic trips. The department did not answer questions about why the couple was using a government plane.

Its not the first time Linton has raised eyebrows. Last year she apologized after being criticized for a self-published memoir of a year she spent in Africa as a teen, and withdrew the book. Critics deemed the book inaccurate in its depiction of life on the continent. An excerpt was published online by The Telegraph, but taken down by the British newspaper in light of the concerns raised by readers.

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U.S. President Donald Trump is blaming the media for the widespread condemnation of his response to a Charlottesville, Va., protest organized by white supremacists that led to the killing of a counterprotester.

Trump opened his political rally in Phoenix with a call for unity, saying, What happened in Charlottesville strikes at the core of America and tonight, this entire arena stands united in forceful condemnation of the thugs that perpetrated hatred and violence.

But he quickly trained his ire on the media, shouting that he openly called for healing unity and love in the immediate aftermath of Charlottesville and claiming the media had misrepresented him. He read from his three responses to the violence  getting more animated with each one.

Democrats and fellow Republicans had denounced Trump for placing blame for the Charlottesville violence on both sides.

Trump spoke after Vice-President Mike Pence and others called repeatedly for unity.

Housing Secretary Ben Carson and Dr. Alveda King, the niece of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., were among the openers. Franklin Graham, son of the evangelist Billy Graham, led the rally-goers in prayer, saying, Were divided racially, and were adrift morally.

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Stop saying Mexico is not going to pay for the wall, Trump urges Mexican president in leaked transcript

Trumps plan to win in Afghanistan involves sending 3,900 more troops, officials say

Donald Trump again echoes white supremacists over removal of our beautiful Confederate statues

Outside the Phoenix convention centre, shouting matches and minor scuffles erupted between Trump supporters and protesters gathered near the site of his latest campaign rally. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton had asked Trump to delay his political event to allow for more time of national healing after Charlottesville.

Trump teased a pardon for former sheriff Joe Arpaio, asking the crowd what they thought of him. Loud cheers erupted. The former Maricopa County sheriff is awaiting sentencing after his conviction in federal court for disobeying court orders to stop his immigration patrols.

So was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job? Trump asked. Ill make a prediction: I think hes going to be just fine.

Earlier, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump wouldnt discuss or take action on a pardon at any point today, even though the president had told Fox News he was considering it.

Trump said at the rally that the only reason he wouldnt make a move from the stage was to avoid controversy for the moment.In the comfort of his most fervent fans, Trump often resurrects his freewheeling 2016 campaign style, pinging insults at perceived enemies such as the media and meandering from topic to topic without a clear theme.

Neither of Arizonas two Republican senators appeared with Trump.

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a conservative, has been a frequent target of Trumps wrath.

The president tweeted last week: Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. Hes toxic! Flake has been on tour promoting his book that says the Republican Partys embrace of Trump has left conservatism withering.

Ward planned to attend Trumps rally, sparking talk that the president could take the politically extraordinary step of endorsing her from the stage over an incumbent Republican senator.

In a modest but telling swipe at Ward and, by extension, at Trump, the Senate Leadership Fund, a political committee closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, is spending $10,000 on digital ads that say of her, Not conservative, just crazy ideas.

Arizonas other senator, John McCain, is undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer. Trump has been critical of McCain for voting against a Republican health care bill.

Tuesdays events put Trump in more comfortable political territory than in recent days.

He began his Arizona visit with a brief trip to the southern edge of the country.

While touring a Marine Corps base in Yuma that is a hub of operations for the U.S. Border Patrol, Trump inspected a drone and other border equipment on display in a hangar.

Trump shook his head as he was shown a series of everyday objects, such as a fire extinguisher, that had been refashioned to secretly transport drugs across the border. Afterward, he spent about 20 minutes greeting service members in the gruelling, 106-degree heat, signing caps with his Make America Great Again campaign slogan and posing for selfies on the tarmac just steps from Air Force One.

Upending a campaign vow to end the countrys longest war, Trump on Monday announced in a national address a plan to maintain to a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. Senior U.S. officials said Trumps strategy may involve sending up to 3,900 more troops, with some deployments beginning almost immediately.

Some of Trumps core voters had already been unhappy about the recent ouster of conservative Steve Bannon as White House chief strategist.

Bannon had made it his mission to remind Trump of what his most fervent supporters want from his presidency. Some conservative strategists have openly worried that without Bannon around, Trump will be too influenced by establishment Republicans on issues such as Afghanistan policy.

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WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trumps plan to end the stalemate in Americas longest war and eliminate Afghanistans rising extremist threat involves sending up to 3,900 additional U.S. forces, senior officials said Tuesday. The first deployments could take place within days.

In a national address Monday night, Trump reversed his past calls for a speedy exit and recommitted the United States to the 16-year conflict, saying U.S. troops must fight to win. He warned against the mistakes made in Iraq, where an American military withdrawal led to a vacuum that Daesh, also known as ISIS, quickly filled.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

Trump would not confirm how many more service members he plans to send to Afghanistan, which may be the publics most pressing question about his strategy. In interviews with television networks Tuesday, Vice-President Mike Pence similarly wouldnt give any clear answer. Instead, he cited Pentagon plans from June calling for 3,900 more troops.

The troop levels are significant, and well listen to our military commanders about that, Pence said. And the president will make that decision in the days ahead.

U.S. officials said there was no fixed number. But they said the Pentagon has told Trump it needs that many fresh forces in addition to the roughly 8,400 Americans in the country to accomplish Trumps objectives of obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

The 3,900 figure includes a combination of trainers, security forces and other support troops, according to the officials, who werent authorized to publicly discuss details about the military planning and spoke on condition of anonymity. The exact number of arriving forces can vary as conditions change.

Read more: A look at 16 years of U.S. warfare in Afghanistan

In the end, we will win: Trump vows to prolong war in Afghanistan in TV address

Donald Trumps flawed recipe for endless, unwinnable Afghan War: Walkom

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis also declined to confirm an exact number Tuesday, saying he was waiting for more input from Gen. Joseph Dunford, Americas top military official. Mattis said he will reorganize some U.S. troops in Afghanistan to reflect the new strategy.

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East said he expects the first reinforcements to arrive pretty quickly, within days or weeks.

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Whats most important for us now is to get some capabilities in to have an impact on the current fighting season, Gen. Joseph Votel, who spent last weekend in Afghanistan, told reporters travelling with him to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Before he was a presidential candidate, Trump ardently argued for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan and called the war a massive waste of U.S. blood and treasure. On Monday, he suggested an open-ended commitment rather than a time-based approach.

Conditions on the ground  not arbitrary timetables  will guide our strategy from now on, Trump said.

At its peak involvement in 2010-2011, the U.S. had roughly 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama then started bringing them home, drawing criticism for the advance timetables he provided for his planned drawdown and ultimate withdrawal of forces.

Trump was among those who argued that Obama was aiding the enemy by telegraphing U.S. intentions. On Monday, Trump said he wouldnt discuss troop numbers, military tactics or timetables. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out, he said.

While such reticence may have a military rationale, the American public may insist that it has a right to know how many of its citizens are waging a war overseas in its name.

The administration invariably will have to provide updates to Congress, which pays the militarys bills, and to key U.S. allies, whose troop contributions it seeks, on the changing level of American manpower in Afghanistan.

Obama reversed himself on withdrawing from Afghanistan as security worsened. Taliban militants have made gains across the country, and the fractious Afghan government currently controls about half the country.

Afghanistans U.S.-backed government welcomed Trumps strategy, with President Ashraf Ghani saying it will help stabilize the region.

Allies responded positively, too.

Germany, which contributes 950 troops in northern Afghanistan, approved the U.S. readiness for a long-term commitment and agreed the militarys continued deployment should be linked to the conditions on the ground.

The last Canadian troops left Afghanistan in 2014 and earlier this year Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he has no intentions of rejoining the mission.

There are absolutely no plans to send any troops back to Afghanistan, Trudeau said on June 29.

Trump offered few specifics of how his strategy would be implemented. He didnt say how the U.S. would get Pakistan to crack down on militant sanctuaries on its soil  long a point of contention that has led Washington to restrict aid to the country.

Insisting that the U.S. was intent on killing terrorists rather than nation building, Trump gave little indication of how the U.S. would use other instruments of American power to end the conflict.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that after an effective military effort, a political settlement including some Taliban might be possible, echoing language of the Obama years. He said the U.S. would support peace talks with the Taliban without preconditions.

On Pakistan, Tillerson said Tuesday that the U.S. could consider sanctions or cutting off Pakistans status as a major non-NATO ally if it doesnt crack down on the Taliban and other extremist groups.

U.S. lawmakers reflected the division among Americans about whether to press on with the conflict or pull back.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman whod criticized Trump for delays in presenting a plan, said Trump was now moving us well beyond the prior administrations failed strategy of merely postponing defeat.

Marylands Ben Cardin, the Senate Foreign Relations Committees top Democrat, said he failed to see how another surge of forces in Afghanistan would turn the tide on the insurgency. He expressed concern that Trump was ceding significant responsibility to his defence secretary.

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ISLAMABADU.S. President Donald Trumps warning to Pakistan to put an immediate end to harbouring militants operating in Afghanistan didnt spell out the consequences of defiance or suggest a new strategy to get it to yield to long-standing U.S. demands, analysts said Tuesday.

They also said that isolating Pakistan could unsettle the U.S. relationship with Islamabad and push it closer to Russia, China and Iran, further complicating efforts to stabilize the region.

The idea of U.S. leverage in Pakistan is deeply exaggerated, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the U.S.-based Wilson Centers Asia Program, said in an email to The Associated Press a day after Trumps speech. No matter the punishment, policy, or inducement, theres little reason to believe that Pakistan will change its ways.

Pakistan has an unshakable strategic interest in maintaining ties to militant groups like the Taliban because they help keep Pakistans Indian enemy at bay in Afghanistan, he added.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump END

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday the U.S. could consider sanctions on Pakistan or cut off its status as a major non-NATO ally if Islamabad does not crack down on the Taliban and other extremist groups. He didnt say what sanctions might be considered.

In outlining his plan for the 16-year war in Afghanistan, Trump on Monday night warned of the threat to U.S. security from militant groups operating there and in neighbouring Pakistan.

Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan  the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world, he said. For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror.

The threat is compounded by the fact that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers, he said, and their hostile relationship could spiral out of control.

And that could happen, Trump said.

Some in Pakistan were baffled by his later statement demanding that India get more involved in Afghanistan, a scenario dreaded by Islamabad and the reason cited most often for Pakistans support of the Taliban as a bulwark against Indias influence in Afghanistan.

Upgrading the Indian role in Afghanistan basically means perpetuating the hostilities, said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.

Pakistans Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Tuesday saying it is committed to fighting terrorism, and it called allegations it provided safe havens to militants a false narrative. It added that a military solution is not possible, saying only an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned politically negotiated solution can lead to a sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that his country has rendered unmatched sacrifices in the war on terror. Our war against terrorism is not because of the United States; we will continue this war.

U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale met Tuesday with Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, according to a government statement, which also announced a meeting with Tillerson in the next few days in Washington. The U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and South Asia will feature prominently in their meeting, it said.

While Trumps speech was widely criticized in Pakistan by politicians of all parties, it was welcomed by Afghanistans shared leadership of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

Abdullah told a news conference the U.S. strategy marks a unique opportunity to ultimately achieve peaceful objectives in the region.

The regional aspect of this strategy is very clear. It shows that the problem was very well identified, he said, referring to Trumps singling out of Pakistan.

But security analyst Amir Rana, director of the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, warned that isolating Pakistan as the sole culprit could stymie efforts to stabilize the region or bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. It also could increase the influence of Russia, China and even Iran, he said.

All regional actors have to decide how to collaborate in Afghanistan, Rana said. You cant single out one nation. There is not only one nation destabilizing Afghanistan.

The U.S. and Afghanistan have routinely accused Pakistan  and particularly its powerful intelligence agency, the ISI  of harbouring insurgents and of waging a selective war. They say Pakistan attacks those insurgents it considers its enemy and allows those it has been known to use as proxies, either against India or Afghanistan, to flourish.

Not all Afghans welcomed Trumps speech, with some angry that he wasnt interested in nation-building, only in killing terrorists.

Aziz Rahman, who works at a bank in Kabul, said Trumps speech will make little difference to ordinary Afghans. After 16 years of conflict and tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO troops in his homeland, Rahman said the situation has only deteriorated, with thousands of people fleeing.

Trumps speech is good for Americans, not for the poor people of Afghanistan, Rahman said.

Read more:

Trumps plan to win in Afghanistan involves sending 3,900 more troops, officials say

In the end, we will win: Trump vows to prolong war in Afghanistan in TV address

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/08/20/trumps-afghanistan-speech-kicks-off-post-bannon-white-house-era.htmlTrumps Afghanistan speech kicks off post-Bannon White House eraEND

Waheed Muzhda, a political analyst in Kabul, expressed fear that Trumps emphasis on a military victory seemed guaranteed to prolong the war and increase casualties.

In the future, we will witness a worsening of the war, more killing and more problems for the Afghan nation, Muzhda said. Mr. Trump only emphasized winning the war militarily, but if a military solution to the war could have been possible, this should have been achieved with presence of 150,000 troops.

In a statement emailed to the media, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Trumps strategy to remain in Afghanistan will mean more deaths of U.S. troops. The insurgents are willing to fight until all NATO and U.S. troops have left, he said.

The Wilson Centers Kugelman said he didnt believe the Taliban will exactly be shaking in their boots after this speech.

They know that they survived, with flying colours, a U.S. troop surge that at its height exceeded 100,000 troops, he said. So for them, the idea of a modest troop increase, coupled with tough talk about the U.S. winning, wont really faze them at all.

Tillerson, meanwhile, said the U.S. would not indefinitely conceal how many troops it will be sending to Afghanistan. Gen. Joseph Votel, the top U.S commander for the Middle East, said the first deployments of new U.S. forces will arrive in Afghanistan pretty quickly.

Votel estimated the deployment could take days or a few weeks

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BAGHDADU.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday he is confident that U.S.-backed Iraqi forces will finish off the Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, militants clinging to strongholds that are shrinking in size and number.

ISIS (Daesh) is on the run, Mattis told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other Iraqi government leaders. They have been shown to be unable to stand up to our team in combat.

Mattis spoke alongside Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who is due to finish his tour of duty here in early September.

The fighting is tough, Townsend said, but the momentum is with our partners.

Earlier, Mattis described the extremists as being trapped in a military vise that will squeeze them on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border.

Mattis had arrived in the Iraqi capital hours after U.S. President Donald Trump outlined a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Afghanistan. Trump also has pledged to take a more aggressive, effective approach against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, but he has yet to announce a strategy for that conflict that differs greatly from his predecessors.

The Pentagon chief told reporters before he left neighbouring Jordan that the Middle Euphrates River Valley  roughly from the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim to the eastern Syrian city of Der el-Zour  will be liberated in time, as Daesh takes hit from both ends of the valley that bisects Iraq and Syria.

You see, ISIS (Daesh) is now caught in-between converging forces, he said, using an alternative acronym for the militant group that burst into western and northern Iraq in 2014 from Syria and held sway for more than two years. So ISISs (Daesh) days are certainly numbered, but its not over yet and its not going to be over any time soon.

Read more:

In the end, we will win: Trump vows to prolong war in Afghanistan in TV address

Iraqi forces, U.S.-led coalition launch assault to reclaim Daesh-held Tal Afar

U.S.-backed Syrian fighters advancing on Daesh from east, west linkup in Raqqa

Mattis referred to this area as ISISs (Daesh) last stand.

Unlike the war in Afghanistan, Iraq offers a more positive narrative for the White House, at least for now.

Having enabled Iraqi government forces to reclaim Daeshs prized possession of Mosul in July, the U.S. military effort is showing tangible progress and the Pentagon can credibly assert that momentum is on Iraqs side.

The ranking U.S. Air Force officer in Iraq, Brig. Gen. Andrew Croft, said that over the past few months, Daesh has lost much of its ability to command and control its forces.

Its less co-ordinated than it was before, he said. It appears more fractured  flimsy is the word I would use.

It seems likely that in coming months Trump may be in position to declare a victory of sorts in Iraq as Daesh fighters are marginalized and they lose their claim to be running a caliphate inside Iraqs borders. Syria, on the other hand, is a murkier problem, even as Daesh loses ground there against U.S.-supported local fighters and Russian-backed Syrian government forces.

The U.S. role in Iraq parallels Afghanistan in some ways, starting with the basic tenet of enabling local government forces to fight rather than having U.S. troops do the fighting for them. That is unlikely to change in either country.

Although the Taliban is the main opposition force in Afghanistan, an Daesh affiliate has emerged there, too. In both countries, U.S. air power is playing an important role in support of local forces, and the Pentagon is trying to facilitate the development of potent local air forces.

In Iraq, the political outlook is clouded by the same sectarian and ethnic divisions among Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions that have repeatedly undercut, and sometimes reversed, security gains following the toppling of Saddam Husseins government in 2003.

An immediate worry is a Kurdish independence referendum to be held Sept. 25. If thats successful, it could upset a delicate political balance in Iraq and enflame tensions with Turkey, whose own Kurdish population has fought an insurgency against the central government for decades. McGurk reiterated U.S. opposition to holding the Iraqi Kurdish referendum.

With Iraqi troops on Tuesday reaching the first urban areas of the Daesh-held northern town of Tal Afar on the third day of an operation, Mattis has refused to predict victory. He said generals and senior officials should just go silent when troops are entering battle.

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As he committed America and its allies to years more of war in Afghanistan, Donald Trump made a stark confession Monday.

My original instinct was to pull out, the U.S. president said in a televised speech. And I historically like following my instincts.

This time, however, he didnt. Too bad. The war in Afghanistan has gone on for 16 years. It could easily go on for 16 more. To all intents and purposes, it is unwinnable.

His occasional bursts of bravado notwithstanding, Trump seemed to recognize that Monday.

We will fight to win, he said at one point. But at another, he defined winning in the very broadest of terms. Victory, he said, did not necessarily entail defeating the Taliban insurgents outright. Rather, it meant preventing them from taking power unilaterally.

Indeed, he dangled the prospect of a political settlement in Afghanistan that could eventually include elements of the Taliban.

Trump insists that his strategy for war in Afghanistan is brand new. With a few exceptions, it is not.

Like former U.S. president Barack Obama, Trump hopes to leave the bulk of the fighting to Afghan government forces, with American troops focusing on training and anti-terrorist operations.

Like Obama, he hopes that military pressure will drive the Taliban to the bargaining table.

Military power alone will not bring peace, Trump said. But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace.

Its a nice theory. But it didnt work for Obama and theres no reason to think it will work for Trump.

Non-stop war in Afghanistan has not created the conditions for a lasting peace. Rather it has created the conditions for more war.

Like Obama, Trump is justly critical of the double-game played by Pakistan, a nominal U.S. ally that at the same time gives sanctuary to Taliban fighters.

Obama authorized drone strikes against targets in Pakistan. We shall see what Trump does.

One element of the Trump strategy that is different is his call on Pakistans archrival India to involve itself more in Afghanistans affairs. Other than infuriating Pakistan and unsettling China, it is not clear what this is intended to accomplish.

Another novel element is Trumps decision to keep secret the number of U.S. troops operating in Afghanistan. He says his aim is to deny useful intelligence to the enemy. But hiding the numbers also offers political cover to Trump if he decides to gradually escalate the war.

Trump is also dropping any pretense that America is concerned with democracy and civil right in Afghanistan. Previous administrations may have highlighted, say, the number of girls attending school since the Taliban was ousted. Trump doesnt care.

As he said Monday, his aim is not to encourage Afghanistan to become like the U.S. Rather it is to co-operate in shared security interests.

It is a realpolitik view of the world that hasnt been so baldly articulated since Richard Nixon was president.

Like Nixon with Vietnam, Trump inherited a war going badly. Nixon kept the Vietnam War alive in a futile effort to achieve what he called peace with honour. Trump is extending the Afghan war in the hope of achieving an honourable and enduring outcome.

Its a strategy that didnt work for Nixon and almost certainly wont work for Trump.

Finally, Trump would have NATO play a bigger military role in Afghanistan. With the exception of Canada and France, all NATO countries already have a military presence in Afghanistan, usually involving training. The alliance has said it is willing to expand the 13,500-person force by an unspecified number, with at least 15 countries upping their commitment.

So far, Canada isnt one of them. There are absolutely no plans to send any troops back to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in late June.

With luck, Trumps new-found commitment to the Afghan war wont change that calculation.

Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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On Monday night, President Donald Trump addressed the nation, presenting his policy regarding the involvement of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and South Asia. If the content of his speech reflects a real change in military doctrine, civilians in the region have a reason to be afraid.

Trumps arguments were based on the logic that Afghanistan and South Asia are harbouring terrorist, who pose a direct threat to the United States and could potentially gain access to nuclear weapons. This claim allegedly gives a just cause for the U.S. to engage in belligerent activities against terrorist organizations, as, according to Trump, they are a real and immanent threat, not only to the U.S., but to other countries as well.

He also stressed that the U.S. should act, and has authority to act, to ensure victory over these terrorists, while the responsibility for running Afghanistan properly in the aftermath of this war on terror lies fully on the Afghan people.

As Trump framed it: We are not nation building; we are killing terrorists. The subtext of this sentence is that if in the process of killing terrorists we demolish your country, then we have no obligation to help you rebuild it.

Trumps final point was that the victory of the U.S. forces over terrorist organizations is going to be total, using all means necessary. Trump said he ordered U.S. forces be provided with the essential tools for waging battle, while changing the rules of engagement that prevented achieving total and swift victory. This aspect of Trumps speech should give pause, as the U.S. is notorious for its use of drones and airstrikes.

For example, on March 17, the United States Air Force dropped a 500-pound bomb on a building in Mosul, Iraq to take out two Daesh snipers. But instead of only collapsing the roof and killing the snipers, the entire building was demolished and a nearby building was damaged as well. The reason for this unexpected consequence: explosive materials the snipers placed in the building. The result was one of the worst civilian casualty events in decades, with at least 105 Iraqi civilians killed.

Relaxing the rules of engagement and providing U.S. forces with tools for swift and total victory might suggest we will see an increase in targeted killings by drones. As drones are unmanned, using them to combat terrorist reduces the risk U.S. forces are exposed to. However, it increases the risks to the civilian population. As the incident in Mosul demonstrates, intelligence is sometimes partial and inaccuracies could lead to large-scale catastrophes.

A mechanism called roof-knocking has been used by U.S. forces to minimize the risks involved in such strikes by allowing civilians to escape conflict zones. When terrorist are hiding in civilian buildings, a small bomb that does not cause any severe structural damage is dropped on the roof. This roof-knocking informs individuals near the building that it is about to be attacked, giving them time to evacuate.

Another mechanism used is dispersing flyers or sending text messages to all individuals who might be in harms way, so they have time to flee. Both these methods help civilians leave conflict zones before combat takes place.

However, from Trumps speech it seems the use of these methods will decrease. Trump said, It is counterproductive to announce when we are going to attack  I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

The element of surprise is in the interest of U.S. forces. Without having prior knowledge regarding where and when they will strike, enemy forces cannot prepare a defence or a preventative strike of their own. Yet, civilians are going to be less able to flee conflict zones, as they will have no knowledge that they are about to be in one.

So if Trump is going to follow his speech, we are likely to see a war that aims to achieve total annihilation of terrorist organizations, done with less restrictions on use of force, and with little consideration of the state of the nation after a U.S. attack.

He is putting America first, and by doing so setting a dangerous precedent about how wars could be fought; one that other countries might be tempted to follow, leaving civilians in conflict areas even less protected than they are today.

Haim Abraham is a Vanier Scholar and a Winkler International Human Rights Fellow in the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Haims research examines states moral and legal obligations to compensate civilians who suffered wrongful losses during the conduct of war. @HaimAbraham

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It is your job to do things and a columnists job to point out that youre doing them wrong. Heres my latest Stop Doing That, since you have not stopped doing wrong things since my last menacing column.

1. Stop saying nuanced. Or problematic. These are weasel words used by people desperate not to be caught saying something that might not be universally approved. Why? Because they want a peaceful life, thats why. But humanity isnt advanced by blowing bubbles, pretty iridescent suds that vanish after a floating moment.

2. Stop saying Trump has reached a turning point and has become presidential. Its like calling him problematic. American journalists who should know better said this after Trump read a scripted speech Monday night prolonging the 16-year war in Afghanistan he used to deplore. Such admiration is wish fulfilment. Trump changed his mind after being showed flash cards, of young mini-skirted Afghan women in 1972. His motives are nuanced, Ill say that for him.

3. Stop the stealth police cars. My understanding is that a surveillance car should be grey and filled with undercover cops ducking their heads while wearing androgynous daywear. Actual police cars should be bright, white and labelled, so that criminals spot them and run away, while their victims rejoice that help has arrived.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders ill-chosen dark grey stealth cars have been rebooted since citizens loudly objected. How will a lost child, a stunned victim, even notice these cars? So Saunders hired, I guess College Pro Painters, and now the doors are white. As Americans would put it, big whoop. I have some Cloud White left over from the porch paint, if that helps.

4. Still on cars, stop shooting them. Its an improvement on shooting people, but beyond that, it could not be less productive. Florida has seen a flurry of gun attacks on vehicles, with more repair trucks being shot by angry homeowners who felt disrespected by parking (a big concept in the world of toxic masculinity). The creme de la creme came in 2015 when Toronto Const. Tash Baiat shot a stationary car 23 times. Perhaps it was looking at him funny. It took two years for the police to dock him a weeks pay. Bullets can ricochet, he has been sternly informed by senior officers. I pass on that helpful message.

5. Stop dressing like neo-Nazis. This is a tough one, and may not apply to Canadians. But well see what vile matter gathers with tiki torches in Quebec as migrants fleeing possible Trump deportations continue to cross into Canada. Best to retire white polo shirts, chinos and New Balance sneakers, the normalizing of the white supremacist and the weaponizing of Normcore.

As Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan wrote, White nationalists are moving through communities cloaked in the most mundane, banal kind of fashion. Clothes that make them look like they belong. And the fashion industry has yet to tell them that they do not.

Next year, men may have to turn peacock in order not to look like casual neo-Nazis on the prowl. Suits will require ties again, possibly even cravats. Skin care will be huge (think Steve Bannons face, which needs rubbing alcohol plus Clindoxyl). Makeup will advance further. Eyeliner is your friend.

6. Stop riding motorcycles. These hobbyists are called donors for a reason. This has been a bad summer  another three died in the Kawarthas on Sunday  but a very good one for people needing livers, corneas, lungs and whatnot. So Im not going to harangue you on this. You foolish people might save the lives of dying children, a far, far better thing than I will ever do.

7. Daily Mail Fear Alert: Kinky outdoor sex in dungeons (OK, tents) at the Flamefest sex party in Royal Tunbridge Wells can kill you (and it did, the Mail reports triumphantly), also get locals upset about damage to bucolic area. What about hikes, badger-watching, pond dipping or birdspotting, one neighbour suggested.

More DM Fear: ticks can cause heart attacks. Gum disease can cause dementia.

The wonderful Dr. Christian Jessen  host of a binge-watchable British show called Embarrassing Bodies, now on Netflix  says STDs can be airborne, i.e., you can get chlamidya in your eyeball if a certain something lands in it. Doctors cauterizing tracheal warts can inhale the smoke that contains the virus. Also, wash your armpits. Did you know they can rot and detach?

Mind how you go. I will be back to berate you as soon as it becomes necessary.

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Public statues are a weird source of controversy. Theyre so static. Maybe in eras when there were few images  no internet or TV, no ads, statues could dominate.

Or if you have a personal connection, like people in Charlottesville, who say they hate walking every day under the gaze of the master of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson, who owned slaves.

But mostly they get noticed if someone wants to take down, say, Robert E. Lee. He actually opposed building statues post-Civil war because theyd make trouble. That insight almost makes him worth of having a statue.

Heroes on horseback just look silly.

Ones that work now are non-heroic. Like statues hanging out where others can join them: Glenn Gould on a bench outside the CBC.

Northrop Frye where he taught.

Al Waxman greeting people in Kensington Market.

I used to hate the statue of King Edward in Queens Park in Toronto.

It was originally in India. When they won independence they were going to melt it down but Toronto said, Oh, well take it.

I found it embarrassing but really, no one pays attention.

Hes like a retired guy in the park.

In fact thats what to do with those statues. Retire them.

In Fallen Monuments park in Moscow, post-communism, they didnt destroy or hide statues of Lenin and Stalin. They gathered them in a nice place where people can wander around and think about that whole strange era. That way youre saying, they dont control you any more, you control them.

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Its been a tough 10 days for Ezra Levant and his crew of provocateurs and so-called journalists who fuel the political propaganda machine otherwise known as The Rebel.

In the wake of the horrific and deadly display of American Nazism in Charlottesville, Levant and his belligerent crew were suddenly on the defensive. It took a Rebel reporter openly sympathizing with the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville to finally wake them up.

Conservative politicians have also hurriedly backed away from Levant and The Rebel but only after they were publicly shamed into it.

Why did it take so long?

Its been well known for years that Levant has been using his so-called news media platform to insult and demean Muslims much the same way Jews were blamed and dehumanized by Nazi propaganda in Germany.

It was 10 years ago that he wrote a column in The Calgary Sun berating the news media for not pointing out that the school bus driver who accidentally crashed her bus leaving a child dead was wearing a hijab that might have impaired her peripheral vision.

Levant simply couldnt resist pointing out that the driver was Muslim and her garb might have led to the death of a child, a fact that was never entered as evidence during the womans subsequent trial.

Three years ago Levant lost a defamation suit after he called Saskatchewan lawyer Khurrum Awan a serial liar in blog posts. The judge found that Levant had demonstrated malice and reckless disregard for the truth.

Four years ago he broadcast a vicious tirade against the Roma via his Sun News television program.

As the Commander of The Rebel, his latest propaganda effort, Levant has gained an international audience by denouncing Muslim refugees and immigrants worldwide. According to Levant Sweden is now the rape capital of the world because it has welcomed so many Muslim refugees and immigrants. Again, not true.

How could any decent politician or journalist appear on, agree to be interviewed by, or place ads on Levants platform knowing what he has been doing for years? Why would they encourage this sort of dreck?

Its not about right or left, its about right and wrong.

And yet Conservative leadership hopefuls Brad Trost, Kellie Leitch, and Chris Alexander have appeared at political rallies organized by The Rebel. Andrew Scheer, the recently elected Conservative leader, was interviewed three times by Rebel Media, including once by Levant. Conservative leadership hopeful Kevin OLeary had no problem agreeing to a half-hour interview.

Jason Kenney, former Harper cabinet minister, who spearheaded the Unite the Right (unfortunate name given the recent events in Charlottesville) movement in Alberta heartily congratulated Levant on his success with The Rebel at the onset of a half-hour interview during the Conservative convention last year.

Brian Jean, leader of Albertas former Wildrose party and many of his MLAs have, until recently, been big boosters of The Rebel.

Like Donald Trump, Levant loves insulting people, no matter the harm, because it attracts an audience. Levant then ennobles his vitriol by claiming that hes defending free speech, a basic tenet of liberal democracy.

For those he defames its like being hit over the head with a stone tablet inscribed with The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

No harm intended, hes just asserting his rights.

Levant now lives in Toronto but he is a born and bred Calgarian.

I first encountered him 30 years ago when he was in the same Calgary high school class as my daughter.

Students, teachers and parents had gathered for an awards ceremony and at some point the young Levant got up to give a speech and instead started ranting. I cant remember what he was ranting about because it was obviously the opportunity to rant in front of an audience that mattered most.

His views have become more extreme over the years but overall that high school student hasnt changed much.

Getting attention, no matter who provides it or how many people are put in harms way, still seems to be his key motivation.

Did the conservative politicians not see that? Or did they simply not care?

Clarification  August 22, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that said Andrew Scheer was interviewed several times by Ezra Levant. The article should have made clear that Scheer was interviewed three times by Rebel Media, including once by Levant.

Gillian Steward is a Calgary writer and former managing editor of the Calgary Herald. Her column appears every other week. gsteward@telus.net

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Noxious hot air being kind of their thing, members of the far-right group La Meute may have felt at home in the sweltering Quebec City parking garage where they waited on Sunday for the chaos outside to die down. Sadly, when they finally emerged, rather than skulking away, as one might have hoped, they declared victory  and they werent entirely wrong. A few violent counter-protesters had made this deplorable group seem almost like victims.

La Meute had organized a rally in protest of the influx of border-crossers coming from the United States into Quebec, and of the efforts of every level of government to accommodate the refugees. Theirs was among a number of protests organized over the weekend by racist groups emboldened by the tragedy in Charlottesville and its aftermath. Like the others, it ought to have been a failure.

In Boston, Berlin and Vancouver, counter-protests managed to peacefully drown out messages of hate and put far-right extremists in their rightfully diminished place. But in Quebec City, a few fringe elements among the anti-fascists initiated violence, throwing bricks and unleashing chemical irritants on the assembled crowd. Police eventually declared the counter-protest illegal and allowed members of La Meute to emerge from their hiding place and engage in a silent march near the National Assembly.

This did the anti-fascist cause a double-disservice. By initiating violence, this small minority of counter-protesters paved the way for La Meute to position itself, horribly and absurdly, as the more reasonable of the parties. It must be remembered that it was La Meute that worked to block the creation of a Muslim cemetery after the Quebec City mosque shooting. Its mission is not reasonable, but reprehensible; anything that makes it seem otherwise is counter-productive.

Moreover, the chaos and violence may actually lead some to believe the groups claim that the the scourge of illegal immigration has become a crisis in the province. This is utter nonsense.

Roughly 8,000 people have crossed into Quebec so far this year in search of asylum, a notable increase over last year, but hardly unprecedented. In 2008, an even larger group, around 12,000 people, walked into the province over the same period. In the larger scheme of things, the current uptick barely begins to strain our capacity. Canada plans to take in some 300,000 immigrants this year, including 40,000 refugees.

Most of the border-crossers are Haitians running from a change of policy in the U.S. that will rescind temporary protections put in place after an earthquake devastated their homeland in 2010. This will affect some 40,000 people. Of those, many wont come here and of those who do, many will not be granted asylum. (Canada withdrew the same protection in 2014.) As the mayor of Montreal, the premier of Quebec and the prime minister have all noted again and again, we can manage these numbers fairly and with compassion.

Indeed, as the Star has argued before, we can accommodate a great many more immigrants and refugees than we currently do. In fact, doing so may be not only the moral thing amid the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War, but also in our economic interests, as our population ages and our birth rate declines.

There are of course legitimate debates to be had about the best use of our immigration and refugee system to achieve our economic and humanitarian goals. But just as the Charlottesville neo-Nazis stated interest in free speech or the preservation of history was mere pretext for their vile views, La Meutes hate and misinformation have nothing to add to our immigration debate.

In the wake of Charlottesville, it is heartening and important that so many are now standing up to bigotry. Silence and equivocation are not options. But the violence in Quebec City teaches us that hate wins when we amplify its voice.

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The CEO of his family's private-security company, Enrique "Rick" Hernandez Jr. was already rich when he joined the board of directors of Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) - Get Free Report in 2003.

But once there, Hernandez's Inter-Con Security Systems Inc. would find an additional source of wealth, regulatory filings show -- by winning a contract in 2005 to provide security to the San Francisco-based bank's branches in Southern California, all while he was getting paid to oversee management on shareholders' behalf. Based on an analysis of Wells Fargo's filings, Inter-Con has received at least $24.4 million in payments from the bank over the past decade, and that doesn't include Hernandez's board-member compensation, which totaled $421,002 last year.

The extra business for Inter-Con, which has at least 25,000 employees on four continents, providing guards to companies, federal courts and U.S. embassies, didn't stop with Wells Fargo. The security firm also got at least $13.2 million from 2005 through 2016 for guarding the headquarters of McDonald's Corp. (MCD) - Get Free Report , where Hernandez serves as the board's independent chairman, according to the fast-food chain's filings.

Since 2011, filings show Inter-Con subsidiaries in Ghana and Liberia have received an undisclosed amount of payments from Chevron Corp. (CVX) - Get Free Report , where Hernandez serves as an independent director and head of the board committee that sets CEO John Watson's compensation. And Inter-Con received at least $15.8 million since 2008 for providing security to the non-profit Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where Hernandez and his wife, Megan, have been trustees, nonprofit filings show.

All told, it works out to at least $53 million of payments to Inter-Con from entities where Hernandez served as a board members.

The payments to Inter-Con were disclosed, and they aren't illegal. Furthermore, under most public companies' bylaws, a director can win business from the firm and still be deemed independent -- as long as the arrangements are approved by the rest of the board, as they were for Hernandez.

But corporate-governance experts say such contracts put a board member in the nearly impossible position of providing tough oversight of a CEO on behalf of shareholders -- while simultaneously trying to avoid upsetting a valuable customer.

"I'm stunned to hear about this," Nell Minow, vice chair of consultant ValueEdge Advisors, which counsels big investors on corporate governance, said in a telephone interview. "That's the kind of thing that used to go on all the time, but it's generally frowned on now as invalidating the independence of the director."

The situation illustrates how corporate boards still enjoy considerable leeway in ruling on actual or potential conflicts of interest involving directors, more than a decade after the dot-com crash of the early 2000s prompted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and New York Stock Exchange to publish specific rules on the issue.

Under the NYSE's rules, boards of publicly traded companies are supposed to have a majority of independent directors, which mainly means that they haven't served as executives at the company for at least three years.

The idea is that these directors are paid to represent shareholders' interests, and their independence from the company gives them greater leeway to second-guess CEOs on management decisions and spot troubles that the front-line executives might want to minimize.

But the rules also stipulate that board members shouldn't be considered independent if their employers get more than 2% of their revenue or $1 million annually from the publicly-traded company, whichever is greater.

So when a director works for a large concern like Inter-Con, the payments can exceed $1 million a year but still be less than 2% of revenue -- meeting the strict test of the rules but nonetheless presenting awkward optics.

John McOsker, Inter-Con's general counsel, said in an interview that closely-held Inter-Con is one of the world's largest private-security companies both in the U.S. and internationally. He declined to discuss contracts with specific customers or disclose the company's annual revenue.

"We have a wide and varied spectrum of customers," McOsker said by telephone. "It doesn't surprise me at all that you've identified some top companies that have hired Inter-Con to provide security." Hernandez didn't respond to requests for an interview.

Hernandez, 61, has come under fire this year amid criticisms of the Wells Fargo board, which failed to stop a series of scandals that unfolded under former CEO John Stumpf, including the creation of 2 million unauthorized accounts and erroneously charging some 490,000 car-loan customers for insurance they didn't need.

One of 14 directors deemed to be independent, Hernandez is head of the board's risk committee -- with responsibility for ethics, oversight and integrity -- as well as the finance committee, which reviews the bank's financial strength and makes recommendations on the appropriate size of stock dividends.

At Wells Fargo's annual meeting in April, he received just 53% of shareholder votes, the lowest among the 15 board nominees. Such a result was seen as a harsh rebuke, since the directors run unopposed; it's rare in such corporate elections to receive approval ratings below 90%.

Last week, Wells Fargo announced that Hernandez will be replaced next month as head of the risk committee amid a broader board shakeup that also entails replacing Chairman Stephen Sanger with former Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth "Betsy" Duke.

Two directors who joined the board in the 1990s will step down at the end of the year. Hernandez will remain on the board, and he continues to lead the finance committee, a Wells Fargo spokesman confirmed. The departures at the end of the year would leave Hernandez as Wells Fargo's longest-serving director, according to BoardEx, a relationship-mapping service of TheStreet.

Aside from the payments to Inter-Con, Hernandez has received compensation as a Wells Fargo director totaling roughly $4 million in cash, stock and options from 2003 through 2016, based on an analysis of annual disclosures. Until last year, when Wells Fargo's account scandals exploded, the part-time job consisted mainly of attending nine board meetings a year.

"You have to wonder," Jennifer Taub, a former associate general counsel at Fidelity Investments who now teaches finance and corporate governance as a professor at Vermont Law School, said of the Wells Fargo board during a telephone interview. "Are they proud of the job that they've done?"

Wells Fargo declined to make Sanger or Duke available for an interview on the Inter-Con arrangement. The payments represent less than 1% of Inter-Con's consolidated gross revenue, according to the bank.

The security services are provided "in the ordinary course of business," a spokesman, Mark Folk, wrote in an e-mailed statement. "This relationship does not impair Mr. Hernandez's independence as a director."

Hernandez's father, Enrique "Hank" Hernandez Sr., founded Inter-Con in the 1970s, according to an obituary in the Los Angeles Times; one of the company's first contracts was to provide security for NASA at nearby Edwards Air Force Base, the site of the first space shuttle landings, the paper reported.

The younger Hernandez got undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University, and after a brief career at a law firm, he went to work in the family company, becoming CEO in 1986.

In addition to his service on the Wells Fargo, Chevron and McDonald's boards, Enrique Hernandez has served stints as chairman of Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) - Get Free Report and as a director of Tribune Co. and the now-defunct banks Washington Mutual Co. and Great Western Financial Corp.

In 2005, Inter-Con won a contract to provide guard services to Wells Fargo branches in the Los Angeles area and neighboring Orange County, filings show. There was a competitive bid process, and two firms won the business, with Inter-Con getting $323,801 in payments that year from Wells Fargo.

The board, then led by Chairman Richard Kovacevich, determined that the arrangement would not violate the independence standards under the bank's guidelines, according to the filing. The following year, Inter-Con received $2.3 million from the lender. The payments have continued since.

From a corporate-governance perspective, Wells Fargo should have just used another private-security company -- to preserve the appearance that Hernandez was working for shareholders, not for his own company, said James Post, a Boston University management professor who specializes in business ethics.

"They've got to keep pretty clear separation between director compensation and private consulting advice or advisory services, or these security services," Post said in a telephone interview. "They're two different pots of money."

A similar thing happened at McDonald's. Hernandez joined the burger chain's board in 1996. For a decade, the Oak Grove, Illinois-based company's annual proxy filings made no mention of any contracts with Inter-Con.

Then in 2006, the fast-food company revealed that Inter-Con had won a contract the year before from then-CEO James Skinner to provide physical security. Over the past decade, the payments to Inter-Con, which guarded the company's corporate headquarters, ranged from $1 million to $1.4 million a year, filings show.

In May 2016, Hernandez was promoted to chairman of the McDonald's board.

The payments represented less than 1% of Inter-Con's total revenue, with the services provided "on terms at least as favorable as would have been available from other parties," according to McDonald's.

"Our corporate-governance principles require that all non-management directors be independent under applicable law and the board's own standards for independence," Terri Hickey, a McDonald's spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement.

At the end of last year, the Inter-Con contract expired and wasn't renewed, a recent filing shows. Hickey declined to say whether the termination was for commercial reasons or due to corporate-governance concerns.

There's also Chevron. In 2008, Hernandez joined the board of the San Ramon, California-based oil company. Three years later, it purchased services from Inter-Con Security Systems of Liberia "in the ordinary course of business" for an undisclosed sum, according to a filing.

The purchases continued through 2014. Then, during the following two years, Chevron bought services from Inter-Con Security Systems of Ghana, filings show.

Chevron's board, led by Chairman and CEO John Watson, put Hernandez on its compensation committee in 2015, and the following year he was promoted to head the panel, filings show.

Kent Robertson, a Chevron spokesman, wrote in an e-mail that the payments represented less than 1% of Inter-Con's revenue, and that the board adheres to the NYSE's corporate-governance standards.

"The board concluded that these transactions would not impair Mr. Hernandez's independence," he wrote. He declined to make Watson available for an interview.

"They can check the boxes to show that he was technically independent and that this was not self-dealing," said Taub, the law professor. "That doesn't change the fact that the standards are way too low. And there's not a long history of people biting the hand that feeds them."

Inter-Con also got security business from Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the non-profit organization where he served as a trustee from 1990 to 2009, including seven years as vice chairman. His wife, Megan, has served on the board since 2010.

Inter-Con began providing security to the hospital in the mid-1990s, after the board "underwent a decision-making process guided by applicable law and voted to approve this transaction," a spokesman, Lorenzo Benet, wrote in an e-mailed statement.

Based on TheStreet's analysis of the non-profit's tax filings going back to 2006, Inter-Con has received at least $15.8 million of payments from the hospital. The couple's family trust is a member of the hospital's First Families Legacy, and the couple themselves are members of the Children's Fund 100, according to Benet. Both designations recognize donor pledges of at least $100,000.

To Hernandez's credit, there's some evidence that he played a key role in pushing Wells Fargo executives to address their fake-account scandal once it was discovered.

A 113-page report this year by a special board committee, with assistance from the law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP, showed that directors were mostly oblivious of the bank's overly aggressive sales practices until the Los Angeles Times published a series of articles on the topic in 2013.

When the board began addressing the issues two years later, Hernandez was one of the most aggressive in challenging executives over the matter, according to the report, which Hernandez helped prepare.

"To the extent that he had the information, he really was right there," said Mary Jo White, a former SEC chair and federal prosecutor who assisted Wells Fargo this year in an annual "self-assessment" of the board, which is based on directors' evaluations of themselves and their peers.

White, now a partner at the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York, said in a telephone interview that Hernandez "is perceived to be a very strong director, and that was my impression in interviewing him."

As with a lot of gray areas in corporate governance, perception is key.

"It certainly raises questions about the ability of a director who has that kind of relationship to say no to the CEO when you're depending on that kind of income," Minow said. "It just doesn't seem right."

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Editors' pick: Originally published Aug. 23.
Salesforce.com, Inc. (CRM) - Get Free Report was one of the bull market's best-performing stocks. However, in 2016, CRM stock fell more than 12%, causing many to question whether the company's run was over. 2017 has been a different year, though, with the stock up 33%. Investors are hoping that momentum continues when Salesforce reports earnings Tuesday after the close. Now, some are wondering whether it can bust through $92, near its all-time high.

Alibaba's Cloud Business = Mind-Blowing

How Microsoft and Other Software Giants Are Growing in a Cloud-Focused World

"I think Salesforce can be great," TheStreet's founder Jim Cramer, who also manages the Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust portfolio, said from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday. The move onto the cloud appears to be endless, something that directly benefits CRM.

In fact, that migration is much more widespread than many investors appear to realize. It's not just technology companies and financial firms making the move, all sorts of industries are going to the cloud, Cramer reasoned. Don't forget about Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) - Get Free Report and Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) - Get Free Report either, which are both battling for top spot in the cloud industry.

Cramer said he expects CEO Marc Benioff to "tell a great story" when the company releases its results and hosts its conference call. Analysts expect Salesforce to earn 32 cents per share on $2.51 billion in revenue for the most recent quarter.

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had no position in any companies mentioned.
In a purge fairly unprecedented in American newspapers, Tronc Inc. undefined has replaced the senior leadership of the Los Angeles Times. With a single announcement on Monday, Aug. 21, the company announced both new leadership for the Times' business side and for its newsroom.

In a move surprising in its grand sweep, Davan Maharaj, the Times' editor and publisher for the past year and a 28-year veteran of the newsroom, sees himself replaced, with the Times returning to the traditional split jobs -- and roles -- of publisher and editor.

Accompanying Maharaj out the door: managing editor Marc Duvoisin, deputy managing editor for digital Megan Garvey and assistant managing editor of investigations Matt Doig.

In the newsroom, Jim Kirk -- who had just rejoined the company he left (when it was Tribune Publishing Co., in 2009) after resigning as editor of the just-sold Chicago Sun-Times -- becomes interim executive editor.

Perhaps most significantly, Ross Levinsohn revives a title once prestigious in the industry: publisher of the L.A. Times, while also becoming its CEO.

Tronc shares jumped 4% on Monday, closing at $13.38.

Levinsohn last loomed large in the media eye as an interim CEO of Yahoo! Inc., pre-Marissa Mayer. Many were surprised he hadn't been given the permanent job by the Yahoo board back then. A veteran of the digital media trade -- with a long stint at Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (FOXA) - Get Free Report and others at AltaVista, CBS Sportsline and Time Warner Inc.'s (TWX) HBO -- Levinsohn did what new big-city publishers should do: exulted in the opportunity.

In his first public words, he laid out both the opportunity and the quite difficult challenges embedded within in:

"My priority is to help ensure the Los Angeles Times continues to flourish and becomes an even more aggressive, competitive and sustainable organization. I am confident that together we will accelerate the Los Angeles Times' evolution and the digital transformation of Tronc and produce its next stage of growth -- always keeping our sights trained on our mission of producing groundbreaking and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism. ... I've been lucky to have worked with some amazing companies, legendary storytellers, world-class journalists, incredible co-workers and media titans who have helped shape our industry. I have benefited from their wisdom, and I have every expectation that this experience will be no different."

While the Times' top newsroom purge draws headlines, and deservedly so, it is Tronc's next effort at reinvention that defines the wider business changes now underway at the country's third-largest newspaper company.

In addition to the Times' personnel moves, Tronc has bid goodbye to three high-ranking corporate executives, Tim Ryan, president of publishing at Tronc; chief marketing officer Joseph Schiltz; and senior vice president of sales Ken DePaola. Further, Terry Jimenez, executive vice president and CFO, now adds to his responsibilities, taking over manufacturing and distribution operations.

In the shake-up, Tim Knight, who had worked for Tronc chairman Michael Ferro as publisher of the Sun-Times, assumes much greater responsibilities. After Knight left the Sun-Times, he had a brief stint in Cleveland and then assumed digital executive responsibilities at Tronc in February.

He now takes the reins of eight of Tronc's local newspaper properties. Those include the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel and Hartford Courant. He replaces Ryan in that role; new Times publisher Levinsohn will report to CEO Justin Dearborn.

Consider the suite of moves another company reset.

Coming off poor second-quarter financials -- down 8.6% in overall revenue and 15% in advertising -- Tronc managed to turn in numbers that compared unfavorably even with some of its ever-struggling peers. Its digital revenue results hurt the most for a company renamed last spring on a promised digital transformation: "Total revenues for troncX [the company's digital division] for the second quarter of 2017 were $58.2 million, down 5% from prior-year quarter. Advertising revenues for troncX declined by 9%." The one encouraging ray: Digital-only subscriptions increased nicely, as Tronc's game of catch-up showed it most results there.

The poor performance even forced Dearborn to acknowledge that the company was still playing catch-up. With these moves, then, the company aims to do two things: 1) jump-start the lagging digital business; 2) further streamline management and cut costs.

One big question ahead for Tronc: How much will it emphasize the L.A. Times in its new strategy? The Times' newsroom still ranks as the fourth largest in the country. More important to Tronc's success is the Times' place in the company. The Times generates both about half the company's digital traffic and, together with the San Diego Union-Tribune (now its more tightly integrated sister newspaper) about half Tronc's revenue.

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Further, the Times' name and stature was once spoken in near the same breath as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Over the years, its own resources have been dramatically reduced while the Times and Post have seen both greater steadiness, and in the Post's case, substantial reinvestment.

Yet the Tronc hope of a revived national/global position for the Times is clear. "We have global ambitions for this brand, and I believe the Los Angeles Times has the potential to further expand and deepen its societal and cultural impact regionally, nationally and around the world," Levinsohn said.

Just a year ago, Tronc had made a similar declaration. In the year since, though, it has failed to make the major strategic investment such a move would require. In fact, as a single-class public company, it has little cash to spare. For the second quarter, Tronc reported $6.8 million in net income.

What would it take to seriously aim to become the nation's fourth serious news player -- along with the Times, Post, and The Wall Street Journal? Jeff Bezos' re-elevation of The Washington Post provides the playbook: tens of millions of dollars in targeted newsroom investment, accompanied by a highly disciplined, state-of-the-art technology-based audience development strategy. That, and time -- figure three to five years.

Interestingly, Tronc's technology strategy is now intertwined with the Post's; the company licensed the Post's Arc platform earlier this year and is first putting it in place at the L.A. Times.

Then there's the squishier question of the company's culture.

As a longtime survivor of Tribune/Tronc intrigue -- stretching before the days of bottom trader Sam Zell to Jack Griffin to Austin Beutner to Michael Ferro, all major players in the fortunes of the L.A. Times -- Maharaj stands out. It may have been inevitable that the company's unending chaos would end his tenure.

His own legacy is mixed. Well-regarded in his field nationally, Maharaj acted as a savvy protector of a top newsroom from overzealous corporate bosses, minimizing as much as he could the toll of expense cutting. At the same time, his political nature much irritated his own newsroom and left him a less than popular figure.

While some in the newsroom -- led by a Metro department that stirred the anti-Maharaj pot -- will undoubtedly cheer his departure, many are wondering, in this long-standing drama: What's next?

It's little surprise that managing editor Duvoisin, Maharaj's key ally, would join in the departure.

With digital leader Garvey -- who had opposed some of Tronc's widgeted content strategy -- also gone, many wonder whether Ferro may take a stronger hand in running the company. Garvey had resisted corporate insistence on intrusive ads and other less-than-reader-friendly tactics. Will Levinsohn now be allowed to honor, and build upon, the L.A. Times' once and current standing as a journalistic leader, or will techniques such as mass-produced videos overtake the digital experience?

Most immediately, all eyes will then be on Maharaj's successor. Levinsohn pointed to Jim Kirk being more interim than permanent: "Jim Kirk ... will work closely with me as we begin our search for a new editor in chief."

If Tronc's aim is to really move the Times up in stature and esteem, expect it to go after a top Times or Post news executive, one with both news and digital high credibility. That's just one of the many moves Times, and Tronc, watchers will focus on in the months ahead.

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Hedge funds make, hold and spend an enormous amount of money. According to Barron's, the largest 50 funds in America manage more in assets than the combined value of the entire British and German economies. As is increasingly common, this $6.1 trillion in assets is heavily weighted even within the top 50, with the largest funds holding vastly more assets than their smaller peers.

This sheer size is no mere academic curiosity. According to research by the RAND Corporation, hedge funds have a significant impact on the overall U.S. economy depending on investment strategy and appetite for risk. Hedge funds can create enormous wealth for the right investors, a critical issue in a nation that relies so heavily on personal investment to secure retirement.

They can also do a lot of damage.

"They can pose systemic risk to the financial system," researchers found, "that is, they can cause the initial failure of one or more firms or a segment of the financial system, disrupting a core function of the financial system."

Some of the most notable risk factors include poor information management, funds not keeping appropriate margins, aggressive short selling and trading with insufficient liquidity. Some or any of these could contribute to future financial crises.

So what the biggest firms buy and sells actually matters quite a lot to the economy at large, and according to WalletHub, these are the ten stocks that America's biggest hedge funds are unloading right now.

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10. Pfizer, Inc. (PFE) - Get Free Report

Selling off stocks doesn't necessarily mean that an investor thinks the underlying company is weak. There are a lot of reasons to sell, including when an investor simply believes that the stock has reached the end of its role in his portfolio.

Hedge fund managers invest differently than most people do. While many investors will buy and hold stocks, often for decades as a part of their retirement portfolios, fund managers use their money differently. Their goal is to move stocks, sometimes quite quickly, in order to turn a profit.

As a result, often stocks (such as Pfizer) can find themselves caught in a selloff as traders unload month- or even day-long positions despite relatively steady performance in the long haul.

9. PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) - Get Free Report

Another reason a fund might sell is if the managers feel that a stock has peaked, even temporarily.

Now, without taking any position on whether PepsiCo has actually peaked, it makes a good example. Over the course of this past summer the company's stock price has fluctuated between approximately $114 per share and approximately $119 per share. This is a rough plateau after a long climb since the beginning of the year, when PepsiCo was valued at $105 per share.

After months of growth, it's possible that many firms feel like this stock has gotten as valuable as it's going to for the time being.

8. Medtronic PLC (MDT) - Get Free Report

Medtronic is a medical device company with nearly 100,000 employees worldwide.

Now, despite the company's size many of America's biggest hedge funds are choosing to get out of that investment. It would be easy to assume that this has to do with the uncertainty around medical device tax and regulations, given the ongoing questions about Affordable Care Act repeal. There's no specific reason to believe this however.

In fact, it's important to remember that for a hedge fund to sell off Medtronic PLC means that it originally bought the stock in the first place. Someone who sells Medtronic thought it also had enough value to buy.

7. Alphabet, Inc. (GOOGL) - Get Free Report

Welcome to the former Google. Of course, Google the search engine still exists as the portal to the Internet, but in 2015 the company changed its name to Alphabet to reflect the diversity of its business ventures.

Which is a major element when fund decides whether to sell or buy a given asset.

These days most big companies operate a range of enterprises. Some companies, like Haliburton, do business across many different industries, leading investors to judge how those (often vastly different) fields will lead to upstream performance. Others, like Alphabet, stay focused. A tech company at its core, the former Google is a focused investment, just one which does a lot of different things.

6. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) - Get Free Report

Our third medical company and our second pharmaceutical company on this list.

Merck may well be a good example of short term trend lines driving market timing. Although the stock remains overall strong, with only a fairly small decline between its current value and this time last year, over the past three months it has trended sharply down, leading to a loss of more than two points on its overall position.

For hedge fund managers this may well be enough to drive them out of the stock, even if they remain confident about Merck's fortunes overall.

5. JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) - Get Free Report

There's something almost meta about hedge fund investors using financial institutions to make money, especially given how tightly success on Wall Street is interwoven.

And they have. Despite some fluctuations within the last month, investors who got into JP Morgan Chase over the past year have done very well, watching the stock climb from below $70 per share to over $90. This has been sustained growth, albeit growth which has stalled since early July. It may be no surprise that hedge funds are selling. After making more than 20% profits, now is a good a time to get out as any.

4. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - Get Free Report

Johnson & Johnson has lost a few nine-figure court cases lately.

Now, this seems not to have affected the company's stock price, and so we have no reason to believe that it is driving hedge fund behavior besides coincidence of timing; however, this is an opportunity to discuss another reason why investors will sell off: when they smell blood in the water.

When a company is under attack, whether it's from major lawsuits, government regulators, takeover pressures or other direct threats to corporate solvency, it's common to see investors start to jump ship. As Johnson & Johnson's stock, at time of printing, remains solid there's no immediate indication that's happening here, however it's an important issue to look for when examining large-scale selloffs.

3. Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) - Get Free Report

As we referenced earlier, one of the key issues with any sell-off is to explore more in depth why hedge funds have begun to sell certain companies or industries overall. Often there's nothing more involved than market timing: for whatever combination of reasons, the firms believe that selling an investment will profit them right now.

However, large movement in certain industries can also indicate flagging confidence or at least growing uncertainty around that particular sector. It's instructional, for example, to examine the pharmaceutical industry. Although firms such as Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer retain strong stock histories, the pharmaceutical industry overall faces a number of structural challenges over the next five, 10 and 20 years. Many of these involveboth legal and scientific issues which may have few, if any answers.

Does that mean that hedge funds think drugs are a bad long term investment? Not by a long shot. But it does mean that now is a good time to consider the future of an industry that seems to keep coming up.

2. Apple, Inc. (AAPL) - Get Free Report

As an investment, Apple is in a very weird position.

The tech giant has surged back from its flirtation with bankruptcy in the mid-1990s. Today it holds over $250 billion in cash reserves, has reinvented the telephone, created the tablet market almost singlehandedly and (whether its rivals like or not) remains the status symbol for cool in most major segments of technology.

But for some reason, traders have begun talking about it as a squishy investment. Analysts and investors talk about the company's "disappointing" performance despite trading at over $150 per share, and a company that has grown its stock value by nearly 50 percent in the past year is criticized for not innovating quickly enough.

This may be a smart stock to get out of. Its value may have plateaued. Just don't tell all the customers at your local Apple Store.

1. Kellogg Co. (K) - Get Free Report

Michigan has quite a few things going for it other than the Big Three car companies (one of which is now no technically an overseas subsidiary). It has Dow Chemicals, headquartered out of Midland. It has Whirlpool Corporation, located in the improbably sleepy Benton Harbor. It has Jim Harbaugh, operating out of Ann Arbor.

And it has the Kellogg Company, a Battle Creek corporation whose products have probably graced the shelves of almost every single person reading this article.

Unfortunately, as we noted earlier in this piece, sometimes the decision to sell a stock is complicated and sometimes it makes pretty quick sense. To say that Kellogg is in decline would be to miss the forest for the trees. Over the past five years the company has actually done quite well, and today its stock price is approximately 20 points up from this time in 2012.

Over the past one year, however, the stock has fared less well. When you drop 13 points in a long, steady decline well, you can expect some investors to start getting out.
Tronc Inc. undefined , the newspaper owner formerly known as Tribune Publishing Co., is taking another page from its recent history.

In a move that would seem surprising were it made by any other publisher, Tronc has agreed to acquire the New York Daily News, adding New York to its holdings in Los Angeles and Chicago. Tribune's so-called three-legged chair strategy of owning newspapers in the country's three largest cities was at the strategic center of its acquisition of Time Mirror Co. in 2000. Similarly, the Daily News deal is also about cutting costs and selling national advertising, as my colleague Ken Doctor explains, though the real estate component of this deal adds a new wrinkle.

Just two weeks ago, Tronc rekindled memories of its recent past when it replaced the editor and publisher of the Los Angeles Times along with his top deputies on Aug. 21. Just as the Times newsroom was recalling the turbulent days following the Times Mirror acquisition, newspaper folks at Daily News are likely having their own. Tribune owned the Daily News from its birth in 1919 until it tried to break its labor union by forcing a strike in the early 1990s that nearly shutdown the New York City tabloid. Tribune sold the weakened newspaper to British media baron Robert Maxwell, who later fell off his yacht in an apparent suicide. Afterward, it was revealed that Maxwell had been stealing from the newspaper's pension fund.

Boston billionaire real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman purchased the newspaper in 1993.

Back in 2000, Tribune was eager to regain its presence in New York, prompting CEO Charles Madigan to engineer an $8 billion cash-and-stock takeover of Times Mirror Co. in one of the largest newspaper takeovers in U.S. corporate history. The acquisition came at a time when Tribune was among the country's most prominent media corporations, combining a broad portfolio of newspaper and television holdings, led by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago's WGN.

Madigan confidently predicted that by combining his company's TV stations and newspapers with the Times Mirror's Los Angeles Times, New York's Newsday and other publications, the merged company would leverage shared costs as it sold advertising to national marketers looking for a presence in the country's three largest cities along with a handful of midsize metro areas. This was the era before the ascent of Alphabet Inc.'s Google (GOOGL) - Get Free Report , Facebook Inc. (FB) - Get Free Report and the turbo-charged Apple Inc. (AAPL) - Get Free Report , a time when newspaper publishers like Tribune were media heavyweights. Cash flow was strong, and classified advertising had yet to be cut down to size by Craigslist.

But the deal struggled from the outset. The bursting dot-com bubble coupled with the 9/11 terrorist attacks strained revenue. Madigan's predictions of financial synergies also failed to materialize, overwhelmed by illusions of grandeur and the newfound company's intractable culture clash. The efficient and conservative managers in Chicago were an uncomfortable fit with the ambitious, Left Coast newsroom in Los Angeles.

I worked at the Chicago Tribune from 2003 to 2006, and the resentment from the L.A. Times' newsroom toward their penny-pinching owners in the Midwest was a long-running, always-simmering source of friction. To be sure, the Chicago Tribune newsroom wasn't particularly pleased with the relationship either, often chafing at the pretensions of Los Angeles. As Jim O'Shea, the genial, even-keeled managing editor of the Tribune wrote in his appropriately titled book "The Deal From Hell," the newsroom in Chicago never felt it got "the recognition it deserved from its snooty rivals on the coasts."

O'Shea was thrown into that fiery pit in 2006 when L.A. Times editor Dean Baquet, now executive editor of The New York Times (NYT) - Get Free Report , refused Tribune CEO Dennis FitzSimons' demands to make yet another round of newsroom layoffs. Baquet's refusal forced his ouster just 16 months after Tribune had fired his mentor, revered Times editor John Carroll, who regularly clashed with his Midwest bosses over newsroom cuts and requests to run more stories from the company's other newspapers, including the Baltimore Sun, the Sun Sentinel of South Florida and Connecticut's Hartford Courant.

These were unusually trying days for newspaper publishers, an industry that had sat pretty for decades, banking a reliable flow of local advertising dollars and print subscriptions while comfortably compensating its top executives. Tribune's operating profit dropped 15% between 2003 and 2005.

Illustrating the peppery nature of the Tribune-L.A. Times relationship, Carroll actually approached Los Angeles billionaire Eli Broad to try to buy Tribune Co. in hopes of breaking up the star-crossed marriage. The boys in Chicago weren't happy about that. These were messy days.

And they got worse. The long and troublesome marriage between the Chicago suits and the L.A. Times newsroom deteriorated in new and different ways in 2007 when real estate mogul Sam Zell took Tribune Co. private in a deal that arguably was even worse for the company than the Times Mirror transaction. As the struggles of newsroom publishers intensified, Zell orchestrated an $8.2 billion leveraged buyout that saddled Tribune with $13 billion in debt.

Even business reporters without advanced business degrees surmised that Zell's buyout would end badly. Just 20 months later, Tribune was forced to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy, leading to more newsroom cuts, lost pensions and lowered -- very lowered -- morale. A news company that had once staffed bureaus around the country and throughout the world had no option but to retrench.

Tribune's long slog back to respectability -- its Chapter 11 case alone took four years and saw the $845 million sale of the Chicago Cubs to the family of TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. founder Joe Ricketts -- culminated in splitting its newspapers from its TV stations in 2013, a path also taken by its longtime rivals, Gannett Co. (GCI) - Get Free Report and E.W. Scripps Co. (SSP) - Get Free Report . A year ago, Tribune Publishing was renamed Tronc, and while the rebranding prompted much snickering, it has so far done little to improve the fortunes of the company's newspapers. (The former Tribune's television holdings were split into Tribune Media Co. (TRCO) - Get Free Report , which is set to be acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. (SBGI) - Get Free Report in a $6.6 billion deal.)

Tronc chairman Michael Ferro has a lot on his plate. In addition to a sweeping makeover of the Los Angeles Times, he now must try to figure out how to make the Daily News profitable. How this ends, no one knows. The L.A. Times clearly has aspirations to become the nation's fourth national newspaper along with The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, a unit of News Corp. (NWSA) - Get Free Report .

Whether Ferro is willing or able to make the same investment in the L.A. Times or the Daily News that Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) - Get Free Report Jeff Bezos made in The Post is uncertain. The Daily News, like the L.A. Times, is a perplexing puzzle. Besides losing money, the Daily News has struggled to gain an online presence to match its tabloid rival, News Corp.'s New York Post.

Just as the L.A. Times newsroom is hoping that its Chicago owners will give it room and resources to grow, a newsroom in New York is eager for the same.

Alphabet, Facebook and Apple are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer and the AAP team buy or sell GOOGL, FB and AAPL? Learn more now.

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:
Oil prices were slightly in the greent Tuesday, Aug. 22, ahead of the release of the American Petroleum Institute's weekly oil inventory data, which is expected after markets close. The official release from the U.S. Energy Information Administration is scheduled for Wednesday morning, and a consensus of analysts expect a draw of 3.7 million barrels.

West Texas Intermediate contracts for September delivery, which expired Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., were trading around $47.50 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent crude futures were trading just below $52 a barrel.

Over the past month, WTI crude has struggled to return to $50 a barrel, and U.S. exploration and production companies have suffered as a result. Moreover, a number of operational struggles have cut into U.S. producers' ability to generate cash, according to a recent blog post by Jeff Quigley, director of energy markets at consulting and analytics firm Stratas Advisors.

"Rising sand costs (though relief could be coming) combined with higher than expected gas output from liquids wells in the most productive parts of the Permian are hurting the stock prices of the most effective regional operators like Pioneer (down almost 20 % Since August 1st)," Quigley wrote last week.

Indeed, at the end of trading Monday, Aug. 21, Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (PXD) - Get Free Report , one of the largest operators in the Permian Basin of west Texas, had fallen nearly 22% since beginning of the month. Pioneer announced earnings to begin the month and said its shale assets had higher-than-expected natural gas content.

Permian names on a whole have since traded down, even as these producers push output to record numbers.

According to Stratas' Quigley, the recent news could be a key signal to the Organization of the Petroleum Countries that a deal extension past March 2018 is the right course of action, but it will require a slowdown in activity by U.S. producers. OPEC, which met Monday in Vienna, reportedly punted the extension decision down the road to its November meeting.

"Rising completion costs in the shale patch have been a persistent concern since OPEC agreed to cut production in November, and these costs continue to call into question the ability of operators to break even at current prices," he wrote.

Stratas' logic for increasing chances of an OPEC extension rests on demand expectations ramping, which will reduce concerns that the market will be unable to absorb some incremental supply; domestic inventory levels continuing to fall; and operators further struggling to break even at current prices.

"Ultimately, these early signs of operational weakness will need to manifest themselves in the form of falling production and even bankruptcies before OPEC is convinced that an extension will prevent further market share erosion to shale," Quigley wrote. "However, if production levels remain buoyed by capital infusion and greater cost cutting measures, OPEC will struggle to justify an extension of the existing deal."

In the interim, traders are grappling with how to trade the commodity, which Stratas expects to outperform E&Ps in the near-term. As Seaport Global Securities analysts noted this week, Commitments of Traders data from Aug. 18 indicated that hedge funds decreased their WTI net long position by 2%, though short positions also dropped by 2.6%.

Meanwhile, Intercontinental Exchange data from Monday indicated that money managers increased their bullish net-long positions in Brent crude to most bullish since mid-April. SGS also noted the spread between WTI and Brent continues to hang around $4 per barrel as shale output suppresses WTI below $50 and demand for North Sea oil continues to pick up, evidenced by Total SA's (TOT) - Get Free Report $4.75 billion acquisiton of AP Moller - Maersk A/S' oil and gas unit.

Don't miss these top stories on TheStreet:
Bahrains medical insurance led the sector growth at 19 per cent in 2016 reaching BD62.11 million ($163 million) from BD52.20 million in 2015, representing almost 23 per cent of the total premiums during the year, the Central Bank said.



The kingdoms insurance sector showed positive results in the year 2016, with general insurance business (including medical insurance business) contributing 81 per cent to the gross premiums, the report said.



Long-term insurance comprise of almost 19 per cent of the total gross premiums and holds tremendous growth potential, it added.



Total gross premiums in motor insurance has increased from BD76.16 million in 2015 to BD78.88 million in 2016, showing an increase of around 4 per cent. Motor insurance is the largest in terms of gross premiums which represented around 29 per cent of the total premiums/contributions written in 2016.



Total gross contributions of Takaful firms registered BD60.43 million in 2016. Gross contributions of Takaful Firms represent around 22 per cent of the total Bahrain gross premiums/contributions in 2016.



By end of 2016, Bahrain's domestic insurance market comprised of 25 locally incorporated firms and 11 overseas insurance firms (branches of foreign companies) carrying out Insurance, reinsurance, takaful, retakaful and captives business in Bahrain.



The locally incorporated firms consisted of 14 conventional insurance firms, 6 takaful firms, 2 reinsurance firms, 2 retakaful firms and 1 captive, while overseas insurance firms consists of 8 conventional insurance firms and 3 reinsurance firms. In addition, there are a substantial number of firms restricted to carry out business outside Bahrain and insurance ancillary services.



The insurance sector in Bahrain holds tremendous promise for growth, as demonstrated by the industrys strong performance not only during 2016 but also during the past five years, said Abdul Rahman Al Baker, executive director, Financial Institutions Supervision, at the CBB.



Bahrain is fast becoming a hub for major regional and international reinsurance and retakaful firms, he added.



By end of 2016, there were five conventional reinsurance firms and two retakaful firms in Bahrain. The gross premiums/contributions of reinsurance and retakaful firms reached BD378.97 million in 2016.



We expect the insurance sector to continue its growth in the coming years, mainly due to the increase in the public awareness on the importance of the insurance products in general, as well as due to the soundness of regulatory and supervisory framework of the insurance sector in Bahrain added Mr. Al Baker.



Gross premiums/contributions generated in the domestic market amounted to BD272.04 million ($721.60 million) in 2016 compared to BD272.81 million ($723.63 million) in 2015.



Long-term (life and savings products) insurance generated gross premiums/contributions amounted to BD51.62 million ($136.92 million) in 2016. The long-term insurance premiums/contributions represented 19 per cent of the total premiums/contributions written by insurance market in Bahrain in 2016.



Motor insurance constituted the single largest class of business, generating gross premiums/contributions amounted to BD78.88 million ($209.23 million) in 2016 compared to BD76.16 million ($202.02 million) in 2015, an increase of around 4 per cent. Motor insurance accounted for 29 per cent of the total premiums/contributions written by insurance market in Bahrain in 2016.



Fire, property & liability insurance premiums/contributions represented 15 per cent of the total premiums/contributions written by insurance market in Bahrain in 2016. Fire, property & liability insurance premiums/contributions totalled BD40.31 million ($106.92 million) in 2016 compared to BD47.32 million ($125.52 million) in 2015.



Due to the well established regulatory regime, a number of leading international insurance companies established their insurance and reinsurance operations in Bahrain both in Conventional and Takaful, which has further consolidated Bahrains profile as a financial centre. The increase of insurance ancillary services in Bahrain provides an important source of synergy to these international companies said Fouad A Wahid Abdulla - director, Insurance Supervision Directorate, at the CBB.



The CBB continues to further enhance its regulatory framework to be in line with the best international financial standards and boost the confidence of the insurance licensees and general public, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has entered into a QR350-million ($96.1 million) contract with Voltamp Oman for the supply of 4,900 transformers for the electric distribution grid in Qatar, said a report.



Kahramaa recently signed two agreements in this regard with the Omani firm, added the Gulf Times report.



The agreements were signed by Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari, president of Kahramaa, and Qais bin Mohamed Al Yousef, chairman of Voltamp Oman, in the presence of a large number of officials from Oman Chamber of Commerce and Voltamp Oman as well as other senior officials from Kahramaa.



Al Kuwari explained that Voltamp Oman will supply about 4,900 transformers to Kahramaa over the next two years.



The transformers will be used for the power distribution network of Kahramaa, in order to supply electricity to infrastructure projects, industrial projects as well as for residential units across the country.



Al Kuwari said that the Omani firm was picked through an earlier tender floated to four companies and at the end, the two contracts were awarded to the company which offered the best technical specifications of contracts, added the report.
The African Union Commission is organizing the third Meeting of the Continental Free Trade Area Technical Working Groups (CFTA-TWGs) from 21 August to 1 September 2017 in Durban.

The objective of the Meeting is to continue the work that has already been undertaken since the beginning of the CFTA process by providing inputs to the relevant annexes and appendices of the CFTA Agreement for consideration by the CFTA Negotiating Forum.

The meeting is being attended by Delegates from each African Union Member States together with the relevant Experts from the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Representatives from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The Meeting takes into account the first aspiration of the 10-year plan of Agenda 2063 whose objective is to see A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development. With this in mind, the Meeting focused on fast-tracking the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) by 2017.

In his introductory remarks, Mr. Prudence Sebahizi, Head of the CFTA Unit, on behalf of the Director for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission, expressed his appreciation to the South African Authorities for having offered to host the Meetings of CFTA Technical Working Groups. Mr. Sebahizi updated the Meeting on recent developments in the CFTA negotiations since the last CFTA Technical Working Groups Meeting in Nairobi.

He underscored the fact that the AU Ministers of Trade agreed on both modalities for trade in services negotiations and tariff liberalization with a level of ambition of 90%. He reminded the Meeting that AU Ministers of Trade also revised the schedule of meetings to enable Members States conclude the negotiations by December this year in line with the Assembly directive.

The Chief Technical Advisor on the CFTA also shared with participants the decisions made during the 29th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government after a Progress Report presented by H.E. Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Republic of Niger and Champion of the CFTA Process. According to him, among those Decisions, Heads of State and Government called upon AU Member States to undertake nationwide stakeholder sensitization activities so that all citizens of African countries are fully aware and own the process of establishing the Continental Free Trade Area.

Mr. Sebahizi emphasized that the journey before the Meeting is to create one Africa with One Market and One Strong Voice, in line with the vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in global arena. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to create an integrated market that expands opportunity for our socio-economic progress, he insisted.

While addressing the Meeting, Mr. Chiedu Osakwe, CFTA Chief Negotiator of the Ministry of Trade and Investment of Nigeria and Chair of the Meeting, pointed out that the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area will attract investments from both Africa and the world at large and create employment opportunities for our young people all around the Continent.

The Chairperson recalled the work that has already been undertaken so far by the Technical Work Groups, the Negotiating Forum and the African Union Ministers of Trade and Commended Technical Experts for the advanced stage of the draft Agreement Establishing the Continental Free Trade Area. He urged the Meeting to think strategically and come up with proposals and suggestions that will move forward the CFTA process.

Before he declared the Meeting open, Mr. Wamkele Mene, CFTA Chief Negotiator of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of South Africa, expressed his gratitude to the President of Niger for the role that he has been playing so far with regards to the CFTA Process. He acknowledged the leadership role of the Champion of the CFTA process and thanked him for hosting in Niamey, Niger in June 2017, the third Meeting of the African Union Ministers of Trade. He urged all participants to keep up the Niamey Spirit over the next few days as there is still an outstanding technical work to achieve in order to set up the path that symbolizes significant progress of the CFTA process.

The breakaway Sessions of the CFTA Technical Working Groups on Legal and Institutional Affairs (LIA), Non-Tariffs Barriers and Technical Barriers to Trade (NTBs & TBT), Rules of Origin (RoO) and Trade in Services (TS) will be held from 21st  25th August 2017. And from 28 August  1st September 2017. the Sessions of the CFTA Technical Working Groups will be dedicated to Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation (CP&TF), Trade Remedies (TR) and a Dedicated Session of CFTA Chief Negotiators to consider Annex A: Agreement on Trade in Goods.
Africa cannot afford to leave its development agenda to the whims of unpredictable factors that are beyond its control, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe, said Saturday at the 37th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit in Pretoria.

Speaking on leveraging the private sector to create regional and global value chains, Ms Songwe said, SADC is a continental leader on many fronts, however recent macro-economic challenges indicate the need for more focus on key priorities such as regional integration, infrastructure and domestic resources mobilization in order to provide a more prosperous environment for its citizens and especially the youth.

She encouraged SADC leaders to build on their comparative advantages and move rapidly to begin implementation of the SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap (2015-2063) supported by the ECA.

Ms. Songwe said with world growth prospects remaining modest at 3.5 percent for this year, and trade and investment opportunities contracting both in the developed and developing countries, Africa must continually look for homegrown and creative solutions to its problems.

Global growth is projected to rise to 2.9 percent in 2018 into 2019 as the overall outlook remains uncertain, especially as growth fundamentals remain weak and commodity prices are expected to continue being sluggish. Growth in Africa has slowed down to 3.2 percent this year; and is expected to rise only slightly to 3.8 percent in 2018 with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) also on the decline.

We have had sustained 6 percent growth in the past and the SADC region led the way and I believe you can do it again. The question is are you ready to confront the important structural issues needed to get you back on track? Ms Songwe asked.

Overall growth in the region declined to 1.4% in 2016, compared to 2.3% in 2015. During this period, low revenues from commodity exports and depreciating currencies inflated fiscal deficits and public debts.

Without exception, the entire region has in recent years suffered budget shortfalls as many countries strived to meet their commitments on social and capital spending. This is particularly true for Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe where we have seen the worsening of dwindling budget surpluses as a percentage of the GDP, while ratios of government external debt to GDP also climbed, Ms. Songwe said.

SADCs overall government debt has risen from 42 percent of GDP in 2014 to 46.8 percent of GDP in 2015.

Adding on to the challenging economic terrain the extractive sector has seen huge lay-offs of employees and job losses. The latest data further show that total investment, by both public and private sectors, has slowed significantly as governments resource envelop shrinks and business confidence dwindles in some SADC member States, said the ECA Chief.

She congratulated the SADC leaders for their firm commitment and the strides made towards regional integration. SADC is also home to some of the most liberal African economies, some of which have already achieved up to 100% in the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) negotiations, she said.

The region is well ahead of the pack, she indicated, adding the SADC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is fully functional with levels of ambition exceeding that of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) itself in areas such as value addition, agro-processing and pharmaceuticals amongst others.

The SADC market, boasts of a population size of about 327 million and total GDP of USD 600 billion (2016). We should learn from the NAFTA negotiations on the continent and ensure that agreements in the area of trade in services and ICT are well addressed in the CFTA negotiations, and the SADC region with South Africa must take the lead on this. She urged.

The goal of finalizing the CFTA discussions by 2018 as set by the African Union is doable if we commit to it. There will be challenges no doubt including with the international community but we look to South Africa in the context of the global debates and the G20 to represent the uniquely Africa view on the subject.

SADCs experience illustrates that many challenges to regional integration can be overcome, and that the region is well positioned to take the leadership on the CFTA process. As ECA, we look forward to working with you on this signature issue, said Ms. Songwe.

But if we are to unleash the full potential of this well-endowed region to emerge as a true power bloc capable of driving Africas overall integration agenda, there is still much work ahead of us. SADC can do it for everyone else in the region.

While infrastructure remains a bottle neck for growth in the region, she noted that the experience of the region in attracting and leveraging private sector financing is an opportunity to build on.

In the area of energy for instance,South Africa, Mozmbique, and Zambia and many other countries have had successful Public Private Partnerships and urged the member states to build on these experiences to accelerate infrastructure development.

With 190 million people in the SADC region without electricity, accelerated growth and regional integration will remain constrained, she argued, stressing that a full implementation of SADCs infrastructure vision as captured by the Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP), would go a long way to solving infrastructure bottlenecks. Further, the services sector and the blue economy were also emerging as key sectors for anchoring development in the region.

Ms. Songwe urged the region to put in place measures that will attract the private sector into the broadband supply and value creation chain (operators, infrastructure service providers, communications service providers, etransactions suppliers and consumers) as direct inputs to economic growth.

Regional integration may become easier as countries achieve similar levels of broadband penetration, making regional trade, information exchange and services cheaper and more accessible and also mobility of people, she said and noted that this would need to backed by efforts to mobilize domestic resources across the SADC region.

Robust policies that enhance domestic revenue mobilization; include diaspora remittances; private equity as well as Institutional investments, such as pension funds, life insurance and mutual funds. Furthermore, SADC countries can increase the efficiency of public spending, and boost growth and economic diversification.

Public-private-partnerships, she said, must be scaled up to reduce the dependency on external financing such as dwindling FDI. Policies put in place must also encourage intra-regional investments and the creation of platforms for the implementation of regional investments.

In this regard, I note happily that progress is well underway to operationalize the SADC Development Fund. ECA is ready to help structure and mobilize it. This is especially important as the financing gap for development and transformation remains large. In the same vein, it is important to clamp down on Illicit Financial Flows bleeding the continent of an estimated US $80 billion per annum, said Ms. Songwe.

In line with the AU reform agenda, she added, We need a stronger and more self-financed AU to help accelerate our continental integration agenda. SADC can help with this.

On the question of gender, she commended SADC for closely monitoring this agenda and scoring progress in womens representation in parliament, cabinet, ambassadorial positions as well as the judiciary. Progress made, particularly in the area of the judiciary is significant and important for the economic empowerment of women, particularly as the region looks to agro-processing and pharmaceuticals as key areas of focus, she said.

Overcoming the remaining bottlenecks, some of which I have attempted to identify in my remarks, will go a long way in consolidating the gains already achieved, and to unleash the full potential of the SADC region as a firm economic cooperation platform more than capable of making its contribution in driving Africas overall integration and economic agenda, said the ECA Chief.

ECA offers to deepen its collaboration with SADC and stands ready to provide technical and advisory support to help the region tackle the challenges face by the region, she said.

Clearly, our ability to push forward the noble objectives of promoting industrialization and development of regional value-chains for economic transformation in the SADC region and Africa as a whole is not an insurmountable task. It is achievable if undertaken with much more enhanced private sector involvement, whose capacity we must fully leverage.

Quoting the late South African President Nelson, Mandela, Ms. Songwe, who started by consoling the victims of Sierra Leones deadly floods, said no single person can liberate a country.

You can only liberate a country if you act as a collective. The same is true for the continent. We can only liberate the Union if we act as a collective and SADC can and must lead.

Ms Songwe was accompanied by Mzwanele Mfunwa from the ECAs Southern African Office.
Underway, in Durban: Third meeting of the CFTA Technical Working Groups

The objective of the meeting is to continue the work that has already been undertaken since the beginning of the CFTA process by providing inputs to the relevant annexes and appendices of the CFTA Agreement for consideration by the CFTA Negotiating Forum. The breakaway sessions of the CFTA Technical Working Groups on Legal and Institutional Affairs, Non-Tariffs Barriers and Technical Barriers to Trade, Rules of Origins and Trade in Services will be held from 2125 August. And from 28 August  1 September, the Sessions of the CFTA Technical Working Groups will be dedicated to Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation, Trade Remedies and a Dedicated Session of CFTA Chief Negotiators to consider Annex A: Agreement on Trade in Goods.

ECAs Vera Songwe: remarks at SADC summit (UNECA)

Ms Songwe congratulated the SADC leaders for their firm commitment and the strides made towards regional integration. SADC is also home to some of the most liberal African economies, some of which have already achieved up to 100% in the Tripartite Free Trade Area negotiations,  she said. The region is well ahead of the pack, adding the SADC Free Trade Agreement is fully functional with levels of ambition exceeding that of the CFTA itself in areas such as value addition, agro-processing and pharmaceuticals amongst others. We should learn from the NAFTA negotiations on the continent and ensure that agreements in the area of trade in services and ICT are well addressed in the CFTA negotiations, and the SADC region with South Africa must take the lead on this. The goal of finalizing the CFTA discussions by 2018, as set by the African Union, is doable if we commit to it. There will be challenges no doubt, including with the international community, but we look to South Africa in the context of the global debates and the G20 to represent the uniquely Africa view on the subject. SADCs experience illustrates that many challenges to regional integration can be overcome, and that the region is well positioned to take the leadership on the CFTA process. As ECA, we look forward to working with you on this signature issue, said Ms Songwe.

African officials call for urgent regional integration, infrastructure development (Xinhua)

At the Infrastructure Africa 2017 in Johannesburg, Zambian Minister of Finance Felix Mutati encouraged Africans to speedily address infrastructural deficit. We have to inject some sense of urgency in ourselves. If we remain captured by business as usual, we are headed for disaster, said Mutati at the opening ceremony of the two-day event. We need, as government, to define our roles, the things that government can do and those things that we cant do. Government must not monopolize investment in infrastructure. We need to develop further clarity on the question of the participation of the private sector and nature of partnerships that we need to develop with the private sector, he added. SAs Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies said infrastructure development is required to speed up regional integration for increased inter-regional trade and for industrialization in Africa. He said Africa is losing 40% of its competitiveness due to infrastructure deficit. Free trade areas, infrastructure development and cooperation are essential in promoting industrial development across the continent. [Infrastructure critical for Africas growth and development  Minister Davies]

Nigeria: FG to review trade, investment agreements 57 years after (BusinessDay)

The review described as root and branch by Chiedu Osakwe, who heads the Nigeria Office for Trade Negotiations, is geared towards updating and modernising such agreements and MoU to benefit the ailing economy, and create jobs. The review focuses on all our trade and investment agreements from 1960 till date, Osakwe told BusinessDay. It also dwells on reviews of all the memoranda of understanding that we have had on trade and investments; so that we can update, modernise them. It would also enable us to be sure that they carry net benefits for the Nigerian economy, in terms of improved dynamics, and also in terms of job creation. Nigeria is said to have entered into well over 550 trade agreements over the years and signed more than 100 trade policies just in the last decade.

Rwanda Economic Update: Sustaining growth by building on emerging export opportunities (World Bank)

From a very low base, Rwandas exports have increased four-fold in the last decade from just $400m in 2007 to $1.6bn in 2016. Traditional agricultural exports - tea, coffee, and minerals - are still important export earners but overall performance has been mixed in recent years. Non-traditional merchandise exports have emerged in Rwanda, offsetting mixed performance of traditional sectors. Other minerals, agriculture, and manufacturing, that generated only $4m in 2004 reached $155m in 2016. Services exports are concentrated in traditional sectors of tourism and transport but exports in high-productivity ICT and financial services have started. Firm-level analysis of exporters in Rwanda reveals that the number of exporters has increased but the size of exporting firms is smaller than those in regional peer countries. The challenges of small exporting firms are survival and growth in the export markets. This update also highlights several policy considerations that are important for ensuring sustained export growth:

Rwandas 2016/17 coffee exports: update (New Times)

Rwandas coffee export revenues and volumes recorded during the last financial year fell below projections by the National Agricultural Export Board, the bodys annual report indicates. The country realised $58.5m (Rwf49.7bn) from coffee exports during the last financial year (July 2016 to June 2017), below $60.7m (Rwf51.6bn) registered during the previous fiscal year, indicating a 3.61% drop in earnings, the report shows. This was also lower than $67.8m (Rwf57.6bn) the agro-exports body had projected to earn from the beans during the reporting period. The drop was despite a relatively better price on the global market, averaging $3.16 per kilogramme compared to $3.10 per kilogramme the year before. NAEB attributed drop in coffee export receipts to the low coffee volumes sold in the period under review. [How Rwanda plans to be a global potato exporter]

Overview of the used clothing market in East Africa: analysis of determinants and implications (EA Trade and Investment Hub)

Among the data findings (pdf): (i) The used clothing industry creates an estimated 355,000 jobs in the EAC, which conservatively generates incomes of $230m that supports an estimated 1.4 million people. In addition to jobs, the import duties and value-added tax paid to EAC governments by importers of used clothing result in over $140m in estimated annual revenues. (ii) The United States supplies approximately 19.5% of total direct exports of used clothing to the EAC. However, when considering indirect exports from United Arab Emirates, China, Pakistan and India, the US share is significantly higher. (iii) Chinese exports of ready-made clothes to the EAC reached $1.2bn in 2016, dwarfing the value of used clothing imports by a factor of four. Although taxed at a higher ad valorem rate than used clothing, the vast majority of what enters EAC markets is undocumented and untaxed. Chinese imports, particularly the undocumented goods that flood the market, pose a much greater danger to EAC domestic industries.

Should EAC Partner States lose AGOA-eligibility, it would mean the loss of an important opportunity to grow the EACs competitive capabilities. In 2016, the EAC exported $435m in goods to the United States under AGOA, with the majority (88%) being apparel. In addition to loss of revenues, the EAC has the potential to lose 219,000 full-time jobs derived from the trade preference program, leaving 500,000 people in the region without income. [Related: US trade with sub-Saharan Africa, January-December 2016 (pdf), USAID opens new Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub in Botswana]

Mauritius-China FTA: update (GoM)

Mauritius and China will explore new avenues of cooperation in technical training, traditional Chinese medicine, civil aviation and pharmaceutical production. This in turn will help to further strengthen the existing relationship that Mauritius and China share. This possibility was evoked during a working session between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo and the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China, Mr Sun Gongyi, held last week in Port-Louis. Ambassador Gongyi underscored that the finalisation of a forthcoming free trade agreement between the two countries should open up new avenues of trade and investment. This will enable Mauritius to position itself as a business platform in the China-Africa corridor, he added.

Ghana: Trade minister woos Indian investors (Graphic)

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyeremanten capitalised on the India, West Africa Forum, which was held in Accra to market the countrys industrialisation plan to Indian investors who were present. Taking them through the plans of the government to shift the economy from commodity based to industrialisation, Mr Kyeremanten called on the Indian investors to partner the government in some of the projects. The India-West Africa Exhibition and Business Forum (Namaskar Africa 2017, 16-17 August) was a regional flagship programme organised by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The forum brought together about 63 companies from India who came to explore investment opportunities in the areas of infrastructure and construction, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, as well as agriculture in Ghana and Africa.

South Africa: Agricultural trade balance remains positive (Agbiz)

Despite the worst drought in more than a decade, South Africas agricultural sector recorded a positive trade balance of $2.3bn in 2016. This was boosted by growth in exports of edible fruits, beverages, spirits and vegetables, with the total agricultural export value amounting to $8.6bn, up 6% from 2015. These products are mainly grown in the Western Cape province, which was not as severely affected by the 2016 drought as the rest of the country. Meanwhile, imports also increased by 26% y/y reaching $6.3bn - driven by a notable uptick in grain imports on the back of the drought. Africa remained South Africas largest market, accounting for 44% of agricultural exports  which is 9% below the 5-year average share. The EU accounted for 26% of South Africas agricultural exports in 2016, with Asia taking up 22%. Americas and the rest of the world accounted for 5% and 3%, respectively. After falling by 18% y/y in 2015, South Africas agricultural exports to Africa recovered by 4% in 2016  reaching $3.8bn (see Chart 2). This uptick was driven by sugar and sugar confectionery, milling products, as well as exports of edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers.

Nigerian investor sets up $135m commodities exchange (Bloomberg)

The exchange, Integrated Produce City Ltd., will be located near the southern city of Benin, about 300kms east of Lagos, Nigerias commercial hub, a site accessible to nearby growers of cocoa, palm oil, rubber and cassava, Chief Executive Officer Pat Utomi said in an interview. The company has put up 20% of the required $135m and is in talks with lenders and investors from South Africa, China and Australia for additional capital, Utomi said, declining to name them. Integrated Produce City signed an agreement with KPMG LLPs Nigerian unit on Monday to help it raise more capital, Vitus Akudinobi, a spokesman for the new exchange, said

Food price collection in Africa: approaching real-time data and use of crowdsourcing, 2013-2016 (pdf, AfDB/EC)

Large agricultural commodity price swings observed in recent years have made the importance of accessible, timely, accurate and frequently updated price data more obvious. This study investigates the potential of innovative web and mobile phone technologies and alternative data collection methods such as crowdsourcing in order to collect food price data in Africa. The report summarises these experiences through the lessons learned and provides a detailed overview and assessment of different aspects of the collected data that can be of help for the success of future food price collection exercises.

Informal entrepreneurship and cross-border trade between Zimbabwe and South Africa (pdf, SAMP)

This report, part of SAMPs Growing Informal Cities series, sought to provide a current picture of ICBT in Zimbabwe by interviewing a sample of 514 Harare-based informal entrepreneurs involved in cross-border trading with South Africa. ICBT in Zimbabwe remains a female-dominated activity, and women made up 68% of this sample. Furthermore, traders exhibit a relatively youthful profile, with a mean age of 33 years in this sample. On average, the ICBT traders are highly mobile, spending only 1.8 days in South Africa on average per visit, although some stay for several weeks (particularly if they are taking goods to sell). The traders travel relatively frequently to South Africa, with 67% making at least one trip a month and 82% travelling more than four times a year. The traders make important contributions to both the Zimbabwean and South African economies. [The authors: Abel Chikanda, Godfrey Tawodzera]

Global Commission on the Future of Work: ILO launches panel to address rapid transformations in the world of work

It is fundamentally important that we confront these challenges from the conviction that the future of work is not decided for us in advance, said Guy Ryder, Director-General of the ILO at the launch of the Global Commission on the Future of Work. According to ILO, the global body is expected to undertake an in-depth examination of the future of work that can provide the analytical basis for the delivery of social justice in the 21st century. Co-chairs Ameenah Gurib-Fakim (President of Mauritius) and Stefan Lofven (Prime Minister of Sweden) announced the 20 members of the Commission, as the ILO chief underscored that the membership reflects a balance of geographical regions, of different disciplines. There is gender balance and there is representation of workers and employers. [A commentary by the co-chairs: The future of work is ours to create]
It's easy to forget that our internet use has a footprint, but all of that data has to be stored somewhere. Large data centers filled with servers are what make our modern lives possible and those servers consume a lot of energy not just for data processing, but even more to keep them cool and running efficiently.

Thankfully, the world's tech giants have realized that there are ways to reduce the environmental impact of data centers like building them in colder climates and taking advantage of passive cooling techniques and using renewable energy sources for power.

A new data center from being built by American-Norwegian company Kolos is planned to be the world's largest and it will also be fully powered by renewable energy. The facility will be located in Norway in a fjord above the Arctic circle, which will make it unnecessary to utilize any additional cooling methods beyond open air cooling and the use of the nearby cold water.

 HDR Inc.

The design of the data center will have it looking as though it were part of the fabric of the fjord, mimicking the shapes that naturally occur there.

The data center will also take advantage of nearby wind and hydroelectric power for its energy needs, which, along with the passive cooling, Kolos says will allow the data center to reduce its energy costs by 60 percent compared to a typical data center of that size.

Most of the large tech companies have been experimenting with new ways to cut energy demands at their data centers. Microsoft has built a small, entirely off-grid data center and Google has looked to seawater for cooling, but this new data center is certainly ambitious in both size and scope of sustainability.
Maybe, but we need balconies done right.

Apartment balconies can be wonderful things; having a cafe au lait on the one designed by Le Corbusier at the Unite d'habitation de Marseille was an experience I will treasure. On CityLab, Linda Poon writes A Lesson from Social Distancing: Build Better Balconies and makes the case for them, speaking with Brent Toderian:

There are a lot of benefits to balconies from the perspective of livability, lovability, mental health, and the enjoyment of living in urban settings  even before the pandemic, says Vancouver-based city-planning consultant Brent Toderian. For one thing, they connect homes in higher-density cities to the streets and to the outdoors.



Lisbon Juliet balcony/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0

Poon says, "Balconies symbolize new kinds of freedom  to embrace social isolation without feeling trapped, and to enjoy fresh air without worrying about breathing in the virus." But really, much depends on the balcony and the building. Toderian talks about the different kinds of balconies, such as the "Juliet" balconies that are really just windows with a rail around them; in Lisbon, they are great for drying clothes. The usual North American balcony is about six feet deep, which Toderian thinks is enough to "comfortably fit tables and chairs, and maybe even a grill." In fact, I always thought that was too shallow, and that it was picked because it was economical with reinforcing steel.

Make them outdoor rooms.

20 Niagara Street/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0

In my short career as a real estate developer doing a small building overlooking a park, I made all the balconies eight feet deep, which I thought was the minimum one needed to properly furnish it. I also put water for plants and a gas line for barbecues on every one, another reason I lost a fortune on this building. So all the owners had a big quiet balcony overlooking a park, and all they have to listen to are the million dogs.

Who would sit on that balcony? /Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0

But just a couple of blocks away, you have shallow balconies hanging over an elevated expressway; go out on it and you have noise and pollution, and on the higher floors, the wind, and even on the one day per year that there are bikes instead of cars and there is something interesting to watch, not a person on them. Are these balconies useful, even in a pandemic? I am not so sure, especially given the cost. Because the pandemic isn't the only crisis on the table.

Gimme a thermal break.

 Linas Dapkus via IRtalk

Perhaps the most famous balconies in North America are on the Aqua Tower in Chicago, which John Lorinc described as "a cascading sequence of asymmetrical fins that project from the facade." On the other hand, Professor Ted Kesik described them as "architectural pornography: Take your clothes off, attach a series of highly conductive fins, like the kind they put on motorcycle engines, to the skeleton of your body, and go stand outside in January." That is what these balconies are, radiator fins, heating up Chicago and every other city that permits them. They also make the interior of the apartment uncomfortable, with a really cold floor for the first three or four feet, cold enough to promote condensation and mold.

Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0

There is a solution; it's called a thermal break. You can see the cold (refrigerated) outside balcony with the ice cream in the foreground and the warm interior in the background. But it is not required by law in North America and it is expensive. As a representative from the manufacturer Schock told me a few years ago,

The customer wants hardwood flooring and a granite kitchen counter and for that they pay. No one is interested in the R-value for windows or the balcony. As long as the energy prices are so low in North America and the clients buy what the market provides, it is doubtful that there will be a change in thinking about energy efficiency.



Learn from Vienna

Courtyard in Seestadt Aspern/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0

In Vienna, every balcony has a thermal break, and every apartment has a balcony; it is a requirement for fire safety on buildings under eight stories, where they only have one stair in the center of the building. The exterior walls are fire-rated so if there is a fire, you go out on the balcony and get picked off by the fire department. But they are deep and comfortable; here you see they are even supported by their own columns instead of being cantilevers. That makes it much easier and cheaper to do the thermal break  it is almost free-standing. They are not hanging over a busy street or highway like they usually do in North America, where single-family zoning means apartments aren't allowed in the nice parts of town.

Balconies done right.

My daughters balcony, 8' wide, big enough for dinner and dog/ Design Workshop Architecture, photo Emma Alter/CC BY 2.0

So, to circle around to the original question, should every apartment or flat have a balcony? Brent Toderian concludes by asking "how to do them well now that we've had this learned experience from being forced to stay home? He's known for his phrase Density done right; I am going to paraphrase him and say we need Balconies done right. Yes, apartments should have balconies, but they should be built right, deep enough to use, and with a thermal break. The buildings should be the right height (not so high that you can't be heard singing or banging the pots for the health care workers) and in the right place, not on noisy main streets or hanging over highways.

Unite d'habitation de Marseille/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0

Learn from the master.
Cyclone damage, combined with growing demand for natural extract, has squeezed Madagascar's market.

Your favorite vanilla ice cream could soon become prohibitively expensive, if it hasnt already. Ice cream makers are running out of pure vanilla flavoring after Cyclone Enawo hit Madagascar earlier this year, destroying one-third of the islands crops. Some vanilla from the previous years harvest was stored and kept safe throughout the storm, but now the prices have climbed from $100 per kilogram in 2015 to an astronomical $600/kg.

This is unaffordable for the average small-scale confectionary company, and the Financial Times reports that some high-end ice cream companies have had to pull vanilla off the menu. Oddono in London is one such company, telling customers that vanilla would be back after the 2017 vanilla harvest became available. Californias Mother Moo Creamery is another, about to run out of organic vanilla for the time being. Other companies are getting by, such as JP Licks in Boston, which was given a heads up and able to buy 200 gallons of Madagascar vanilla in advance.

Only one percent of vanilla flavoring in foods and cosmetics comes from real vanilla, but there is growing pressure on big food companies to switch from artificial vanilla, made with petroleum, coal tar, and wood, as well as rice bran and clove oil, to pure extract. This is a good thing, but when companies like Hershey and Nestle start buying natural vanilla extract in large quantities, it squeezes the supply chain and raises prices for everyone.

Madagascar has profited greatly from the vanilla trade in recent years, with the Financial Times saying that many families are now able to build their homes with concrete, instead of traditional palm leaves, and send their children to school beyond second grade. However, unless the vanilla being purchased is certified fair-trade, its impossible to know whether or not the farmers are truly earning fair pay for their product.

NPRs The Salt explains that real vanilla is one of the most labor-intensive foods on Earth. Vanilla beans are the seeds of the orchid and every single one must be fertilized by hand.

After you harvest the seed pods, you soak each one in hot water, and then you wrap it in woolen blankets for about 48 hours, and then you put it in a wooden box to sweat. Later, the pods are laid out to dry in the sun, but for only one hour each day. The whole process takes months. It's so time-consuming and labor-intensive that during the decade that preceded the recent run-up of prices, some farmers simply gave up. Prices for vanilla were so low, it just wasn't worth the effort.



So, while ice cream makers are lamenting the sky-high prices and limited supply of vanilla, there are some important questions to ask, including how the farmers are surviving during this shortage. How are international buyers ensuring that poor farmers in Madagascar receive assistance in the wake of the cyclone and support to ensure renewed production in the future? This is what we should be asking our favorite ice cream companies, instead of complaining about how expensive the flavor has become.

In the meantime, the vanilla shortage is a valuable reminder of the fragility of international markets, particularly in the face of climate change. We'd better get used to it.
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An Algerian patient suffering from facial paralysis is being treated by Chinese doctors with acupuncture in Algerian hospital. (Xinhua Photo)

ALGIERS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- For Abdelatif Benmeradi, a 35-year-old Algerian suffering from herniated disc problem, acupuncture treatment is a better alternative to taking drugs.

Though his country is far away from China, the home of acupuncture, Benmeradi has been able to receive acupuncture treatment at a local hospital where visiting Chinese doctors treat patients with traditional Chinese methods.

"I feel pain relieve since I started treatment of acupuncture. This method is much better than drugs that I used to take without effect," Benmeradi told Xinhua.

Benmeradi's experience illustrates the increasing popularity of traditional Chinese methods of medical treatment, especially acupuncture, in Algeria.

This is largely thanks to the hard work by the Chinese doctors who have been using Chinese medical methods to treat and cure a range of health problems for Algerians.

An Algerian patient spoke to Xinhua about the effectiveness of traditional Chinese acupuncture treatment. (Xinhua Photo)

In fact, it has been a long history since Chinese doctors started providing medical service to patients in Algeria.

Algeria sought the help from China to fill the vacuum in medical service left by the massive departure of French doctors, two years after Algeria's independence from France in 1962.

China has since been dispatching medical teams to the northern African country, especially its remote areas, to help the Algerian government provide medical care for its citizens in need.

With years going by, traditional Chinese medical methods, especially acupuncture, have gained popularity among Algerians who can get the treatment in the state-run hospitals in Algiers, the capital.

Acupuncture, which originated in ancient China and has evolved over thousands of years, is a treatment for pain or illness.

During the treatment, thin needles are positioned into the skin at special points in the body to stimulate the nerves to relieve pain and sore muscles. Sometimes the needles may be equipped with electrical stimulation.

Chinese doctors use acupuncture to treat a range of health problems for Algerian patients. (Xinhua Photo)

A Chinese medical team, led by Zeng Qingli who has been working in Algiers for a year and a half, is treating both Algerian and Chinese patients in two main state-run hospitals in downtown Algiers.

There are currently eight Chinese medical teams working in different areas of Algeria, but the acupuncture-specialized teams are working only in the capital, Zeng told Xinhua.

Zeng said his team treats between 100 and 120 patients a day in its office inside Boukhroufa Abdelkader Hospital on the suburb of Ben Akenoune in upper Algiers.

"I have noticed that Algerian patients seeking treatment here suffer from two main problems, namely pain and neurological diseases, including facial paralysis," Zeng noted.

He attributed the increasing popularity of traditional Chinese medical treatment led by acupuncture to its high effectiveness in treating pain and neurological diseases.

Algerian patients attribute the increasing popularity of Chinese traditional medical treatment led by acupuncture to its high effectiveness in treating pain and neurological diseases. (Xinhua Photo)

While softly positioning needles into the skin, Zeng exchanged smiles with his patients to keep them calm.

For Maamar Abaas, a 70-year-old man suffering from a stroke that caused facial paralysis, the acupuncture treatment has shown "noticeable improvement."

"For example, my left eye used to be widely open, but now it is regaining its natural form," Maamar said, while blinking her left eye.

Ahmed Temmar, a 65-year-old patient, echoed Abbas in praising the magical effect of the acupuncture treatment of his facial paralysis.

"I suffered facial paralysis, but since receiving acupuncture treatment, my left eye has regained its natural form, and I can now move my left hand," he said.

For Temmar, this was a pleasant surprise. "I admit that there has been a major improvement. I did not expect to make this progress," he said.

Acupuncture is used in combination with another method named "moxibustion," in which the doctor burns a herb stick above the skin to apply heat to the acupuncture points.

The heat released by the burning herb can relieve pain and stimulate damaged muscles.

Ye Xiuying, a middle-aged female Chinese doctor, provides diagnosis and treatment to patients in Mustaph Pach Hospital in downtown Algiers.

In addition the Algerians, the Chinese medical teams also provide treatment to Chinese nationals living and working in Algeria, she said.

"We offer here in this hospital free treatment for Chinese nationals living and working in Algiers and around," she said, adding that this service has been provided in this hospital since 1997.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 00:56:11|Editor: Mengjie

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (4th L, Front) visits the construction site of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) near the city of Obrenovac, Serbia, on Aug. 21, 2017. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday that Chinese companies have made great progress on numerous infrastructural projects in Serbia and more are expected to come based on the good relations between the two countries. (Xinhua/Nemanja Cabric)

OBRENOVAC, Serbia, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday that Chinese companies have made great progress on numerous infrastructural projects in Serbia and more are expected to come based on the good relations between the two countries.

He made this statement during his visit to the construction site of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) near the city of Obrenovac.

Vucic toured the construction works of E763 on a bridge across Sava and Kolubara rivers together with Chinese ambassador to Serbia Li Manchang, and other officials.

They also watched the presentation of some Sino-Serbian infrastructural projects and were briefed on the progress of these projects.

The bridge is a part of a 17.6-kilometre long highway segment Surcin-Obrenovac that CCCC began building this March.

Vucic praised the importance of CCCC's project for the whole new E763 highway and announced once the segment is completed the vast area around it will become the most attractive industrial land.

"In two years, it is going to be the most exclusive industrial land here and this is of utmost importance both for Obrenovac, municipality of Surcin and for the whole of Belgrade," he predicted. He also invited Chinese investors and companies to start their business here.

Vucic said that besides great political relations, economic connections between China and Serbia are also getting stronger daily, illustrating the fact that in the first seven months of this year the trade balance between the two countries increased by 9 percent.

He continued that Chinese companies working on infrastructural projects in Serbia so far hired Serbian companies as contractors with a share from 46 to 49 percent.

He mentioned that a Chinese company is also going to complete 34 kilometers of railway from Belgrade to Stara Pazova, and 108 kilometers from Novi Sad to Subotica.

He praised the progress of works on the construction of additional block at the Kostolac thermal power plant, as well as the increased production at the Smederevo steel mill in the hands of the Chinese HBIS (Hebei Iron and Steel Group).

Serbian Minister of transport, construction and infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic said that the Surcin-Obrenovac construction project can serve as an example due to the steady progress of construction works and the fact that everything is in line with the standards of the European Union.

"This is an important segment for this region and the whole of Serbia and we would not make a mistake if we claimed Serbia represents one of the most important partners of China, especially when it comes to infrastructure," she said, estimating the value of completed, on-going and planned projects at around 6 billion U.S. dollars.

For his part, the Chinese ambassor said that the business cooperation between the two countries will increase together with the development of friendly relations between them.

"It is a great honor to be here, and this also obliges Chinese companies to achieve high quality in their work and at the same time to adhere to the Serbian laws and the agreements that we have," Li said.

Serbia's President of the National Council for cooperation with China and Russia Tomislav Nikolic said that the institution he represents will in future continue to contribute to the positive development of projects within the comprehensive strategic partnership between Serbia and China.

"The most important for us is that China, within its strategic vision of Europe - puts Serbia in the first place," he said.
- Hassan Joho and Amason Kingi have announced they will vie for president in 2022

- The two will rival Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi who have also declared interest

- This means the NASA coalition could split

- Raila Odinga, a close ally of Joho and Kingi, has indicated he will retire

The National Super Alliance (NASA) may not be in existence come 2022 if the latest declarations by Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi and his Mombasa counterpart Hassan Joho are anything to go by.

The two have indicated that their names will be on the ballot come 2022 as they seek to become president of Kenya.

Speaking on Monday, August 21 at Karissa Maitha grounds during the swearing in ceremony of Kingi, the two said come 2022 the coast region has to produce a presidential candidate.

Hassan Joho (right) and Amason Kingi Photo: Star

READ ALSO: Raila's Supreme Court petition suffers first blow

"In 2022 either Hassan Joho's name or my name shall be on the presidential ballot," Kingi said amid cheers from residents.

Joho added that between 2017 and 2022 they will embark on campaigns that will popularise their bid.

The two were re-elected on Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and are close allies of the party leader Raila Odinga who has indicated he will retire from active politics.

KIngi and Joho will vie for president in 2022 Photo: Star

READ ALSO: NASA 'issues ultimatum' to Supreme Court ahead of crucial ruling

Their declaration means they will rival Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi who have indicated they will be vying for the same seat.

Kalonzo has an agreement with Raila to take over from him in 2022 as he seeks to challenge Deputy President William Ruto who has declared interest.

Joho and Kingi's decision is a threat to the existence of the NASA coalition and only time will tell if it will hold together.

I got rid of two men but made peace with God

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 01:06:15|Editor: Xiang Bo

Photo taken on Aug. 21, 2017 shows the Big Ben in central London, Britain. London's famous Big Ben chimed for the last time on Monday when the famous Great Bell fell silent until 2021. (Xinhua/Stephen Chung)

by Larry Neild, Zhang Dailei

LONDON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Britain's most famous bell, Big Ben, fell silent at noon on Monday as hundreds of people gathered in London's Parliament Square to hear the bongs one last time.

The bells in the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament will not be heard again for four years, apart from rare special occasions, unless there is a change of heart.

Before the last chimes sounded, local media, residents and tourists held video recorders or smart phones, waiting for the moment.

"It's like a memorial day," one visitor from Bristol, Maria Droulias, told Xinhua, "It's really sad to know that it's not going to chime for four years. Big Ben is such a monumental part of Britain, no matter where you go, you can usually see it or hear it in London. And now all of a sudden that will be stopped and it's sort of really weird feeling."

The bell mechanism was switched off to enable essential repair and restoration work to take place to the clock tower, seen as one of the great symbols of Britain.

Steve Jaggs, keeper of the Great Clock, said: "This essential program of works will safeguard the clock on a long-term basis, as well as protecting and preserving its home, the Elizabeth Tower."

The Great Bell weighs 13.7 tonnes, is 2.2 meters high and 2.7 meters in diameter. The hammer that strikes the bell each hour weights 200 kg.

Officials at the Houses of Parliament say the bell mechanism has to be dismantled for health and safety reasons because of the risks of damage to hearing if workers are exposed to constant chiming of the bells which ring every 15 minutes. The ear piercing gongs measure 118-decibels.

Richard Thomas, a professional clock maker living in London, came here specifically to hear Big Ben strike noon for the last time possibly for several years.

"It's very symbolic to everyone in Great Britain, but it's especially symbolic for people like me. I'm a member of the British Horological Institute. It's a very important organization for training clock makers and looking after them. My colleagues will be in the tower today, looking after the clock and stopping it to strike. So it's very symbolic for me," he told Xinhua.

"It is reasonable to shut down the strikes and the chimes for the safety of the people working in the tower, but perhaps not for four years," he added.

For many Britons, the four-year silence of the symbolic bell seems unacceptable. The Great Bell of Big Ben has chimed across London since July 11, 1859, and, though it has occasionally been halted for repair or maintenance, this will be the longest period of silence in the bell's history.

The initial announcement of Big Ben's four-year shutdown provoked angry headline news in national newspapers and an outcry from a number of politicians.

Even Prime Minister Theresa May intervened to question why the bells needed to be silenced until 2021, while Brexit Secretary David Davis joined the backlash saying stopping the chimes was "mad".

Heritage minister John Glen warned that silencing the clock could deter visitors and it should continue to bong for tourists at least once a week.

One media columnist has even called for the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, to be fired over the controversy surrounding the silencing of the bells. Bercow chairs a powerful committee that has sanctioned the work program.

It forced managers at the Houses of Parliament to issue an updated statement a few days later saying: "When Parliament returns (after the summer recess), in light of concerns expressed by a number of MPs, the House of Commons Commission will consider the length of time that the bells will fall silent. Of course, any discussion will focus on undertaking the work efficiently, protecting the health and safety of those involved, and seeking to ensure resumption of normal service as soon as is practicable."

A spokesman at the parliament said: "Big Ben's bongs are an integral part of parliamentary life and we will ensure that they can resume their role as the nation's timekeeper as soon as possible."

The spokesman also explained why starting and stopping Big Ben was a complex and lengthy process: "The striking hammer is locked and the bells can then be disconnected from the clock mechanism. The weights are lowered within the weight shaft to the base of the tower and secured in a safe position. The whole process takes around half a day to complete."

During the building work, at least one clock face will continue to operate, but will be driven by an electric motor. The original mechanical clock mechanism is to be completely dismantled, refurbished and put back together in a separate operation taking around two years.
- The Kenyattas celebrated the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta's life on Tuesday, August 22

- To the founding father, Uhuru remembered his late father as a man who would have been proud of the strides Kenya has taken since he laid the foundations

- To his father, Uhuru remembered him as a great man

The Kenyatta family led the nation in celebrating the 39th anniversary of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta on Tuesday, August 22.

The memorial service was held at the St Stephens Cathedral on Jogoo road in Nairobi. In attendance, among many others, were Deputy President William Ruto and Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.

The memorial service for the late Jomo Kenyatta. Photo: Facebook, Uhuru Kenyatta.

7 SUPER hot photos of Uhuru's 85-year-old mum that prove age is just a number

In remembering his father, President Uhuru Kenyatta paid tribute to the founding father of Kenya, saying he laid a strong foundation for the nation during his 17 years as president.

Mzee believed in all of us speaking with one voice, in working together as a Kenyan people. We are celebrating the life of a man who dedicated his life towards attainment of independence. 39 years down the road and I believe our forefathers would be proud of our achievements, said Uhuru.

Uhuru gifted the church with this cross as a way of saying thank you for them standing with his family during this time. Photo: Facebook, Uhuru Kenyatta.

Cute photos of Uhuru Kenyatta as a baby

In remembering the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, his father, Uhuru thanked the St Stephens choir for comforting his family by giving them a cross as a way of saying thank you.

He also remembered his dad died when he was 18 years and he appreciated the choir of St. Stephens for comforting the family during that period, he even went ahead and gifted the choir and church a cross as a way of saying thank you.

Uhuru and Margaret Kenyatta lay a wreath at Jomo Kenyatta's mausoleum. Photo: Facebook, Uhuru Kenyatta.

Never seen photos of President Uhuru Kenyatta

After the service, the Kenyattas laid a wreath at Jomo Kenyattas mausoleum at Parliament grounds.

Mzee Jomo Kenyatta died in February 1990 at 4 am in 1978 at State House Mombasa.

Uhuru reveals how he was beaten badly and his father laughed it off

Have something to add to this article? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Newly-elected Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala has caused drama at the swearing in ceremony of Governor Wycliff Oparanya

- Malala had failed to get a seat at the dais during the inauguration of Oparanya at Bukhungu stadium on Monday, August 21

- An angry Malala demanded to be given a seat at the front or second row alongside Oparanya

Cleophas Malala Kakamega senator-elect caused drama at Bukhungu stadium during the inauguration of Governor Wycliffe Oparanya on Monday, August 21.

READ ALSO: Waiguru receives DP Ruto in Kirinyaga ahead of her swearing in ceremony (photos)

Malala addressing supporters at a past event. Photo: Nation

READ ALSO: Larry Madowo gets hard tackled online after sharing a peaceful message

Malala got to the dias but couldn't find his reserved seat. He decided to complain about it in a dramatic manner.

Right after everyone was settled ready for the inauguration ceremony, he insisted that since he was 'VIP' his seat should have been at the front or second row alongside the Governors'.

READ ALSO: I'm not a young boy, Ruto and Sonko are young- Uhuru's cheeky message at his dad's memorial

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya in a past photo. Photo: Standard Media

Kakamega County Commissioner Kangethe Thuku decided to save the day and give up his seat to Malala for the ceremony to commence.

Malala formerly an MCA succeeded Boni Khalwale who was Kakamega senator for five years.

READ ALSO: IEBC top official set to resign 'soon'

Watch the standoff which lased at-least a good ten minutes below;

Have something to add to this article or suggestions? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Anne Waiguru has fired shots at the Kenyan media while making her acceptance speech in Kirinyaga County

- Anne Waiguru floored her opponents including Martha Karua to win the Kirinyaga gubernatorial seat

- While on her campaign trail, Waiguru had claimed that she does not watch Kenyan TV or read papers because the news are skewed and biased

- She was addressing her scandals of back in the day where she had been accused of being part of the NYS scandal in which KSh 791 million went missing

Speaking in Kirinyaga county during her inauguration as the Kirinyaga governor, former Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru threw shade at the Kenyan media.

Anne Waiguru addressing the press at a past conference. Photo: Nation

READ ALSO: Moha Jicho Pevu pulls a surprising move at Johos inauguration after their bitter fall out

The governor-elect said that if God was to make his judgement based on news carried by the Kenyan media, she would not have been voted as governor.

"If God was to listen to the Kenyan media, Waiguru would not have been voted as your governor, thankfully, God listens to the prayers of individuals," Waiguru stated.

READ ALSO: Newly elected senator causes drama over seat at governor's swearing in ceremony

Waiguru who triumphed over two of her opponents including the Iron Lady Martha Karua was subject to scrutiny after KSh 791 disappeared from the NYS coffers.

She was accused of standing guard as her docket looted the public coffers in one of the worst scandals of the Jubilee government.

Her win was contested by Martha Karua who claimed that there were a number of irregularities that showed that the process was neither credible nor fair.

Anne Waiguru during one of her recent campaign trail before the August 2017 polls. Photo: The Standard

READ ALSO: Newly elected Tharaka-Nithi governor sends 1000 staff packing on his first day in office

As previously reported by TUKO.co.ke during an interview on her campaign trail, Waiguru sensationally claimed that she does not watch Kenyan TV or even read the papers.

Explaining this, she claimed that the news presentation in Kenya is skewed and biased to target certain people.

READ ALSO: MCA aspirant's bitter message after getting only 8 votes in elections

She gave an example of how she had to step down as the Cabinet Secretary of Devolution and Planning following severe bashing from the Kenyan media.

Supreme court battle looms, NASA supporters speak:

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The Airports Authority has successfully carried out a simulation of a crash landing at Piarco.
Ukrainians living abroad join the international community in condemning a terrorist attack that was committed in the Finnish city of Turku on August 18.

This was stated by President of the Ukrainian World Congress Eugene Czolij, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The Ukrainian World Congress is appalled by this act of terrorism and expresses solidarity with the Finnish people in the wake of this tragedy," Czolij said.

On behalf of the 20-million strong Ukrainian diaspora, he expressed sincere condolences to the families of the victims and promised to pray for all of the victims of this act of terrorism.

On August 18, a man stabbed several people in the center of the Finnish city of Turku. Two people were killed and eight injured in the attack. Police said later that an 18-year-old Moroccan suspect deliberately targeted women.

The man was arrested. He confessed to committing the crime, but denied that he was guided by terrorist motives.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 01:36:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BUCHAREST, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Romanian border police on Monday found 42 asylum-seekers inside a freight truck who tried to leave the country for western European countries via Hungary.

According to the border police, they stopped a truck driven by a Turkish citizen in Nadlac, a western town near the border with Hungary, and found 25 men, 11 women and six minors in the vehicle.

Following the checks, it was established that the people concerned are citizens of Iraq, Syria and the Comoros, aged between 7 and 57 years, most of whom are asylum-seekers in Romania.

They admitted that they resorted to the method to reach the Schengen area.

The Turkish driver, who was transporting textile materials from Turkey to Germany, told the police that he was unaware of how the people in question hid in the truck while he was stationed in several car parks.

Romania has become one of the transit countries for immigrants from Syria and Iraq to Western Europe.

Official data of the Romanian Border Police showed that in the first half of this year, about 2,500 foreigners tried to cross the Romanian border illegally, a five-fold increase compared with the same period of 2016.

Some 1,437 of these migrants were caught at entry while trying to leave the country for western European countries, mainly via Hungary.
The US delegation headed by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis will arrive in Ukraine on August 23 to take part in celebrations dedicated to the 26th anniversary of Ukraines Independence.

Defense Ministry's Spokesperson, Colonel Maksym Prauta stated this at a press briefing on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The US delegation headed by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis will arrive in Ukraine to take part in solemn events on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of Ukraines Independence. Ukraines Minister of Defense, Army General Stepan Poltorak called this visit an extremely powerful signal from the United States to continue consistent support of Ukraine, Prauta said.

The Ukrainian defense ministrys spokesperson also noted that the United States is the main strategic partner for Ukraine in political, military and economic spheres, and comprehensive assistance from this country is a decisive factor for the restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in internationally recognized borders.

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About 3,500 servicepersons will take part in the Ukrainian-American Rapid Trident-2017 joint military exercise in Lviv region in early September.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson, Colonel Maksym Prauta stated this at a press briefing on Tuesday, August 22, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

In September, the International Peacekeeping Security Center in Lviv region will host the Ukrainian-American Rapid Trident-2017 exercises involving about 3,500 servicepersons. In particular, up to 1,500 will be from Ukraines Armed Forces and up to 1,000 - from the US Armed Forces," Prauta said.

He also added about 1,000 soldiers from other NATO member states and countries participating in the Partnership for Peace program will participate in the military exercise.

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Many surprises related to the history and traditions of the Ukrainian army during the period of the Ukrainian People's Republic expect Ukrainians at an Independence Day parade in Kyiv on August 24.

Ukrinform has prepared information graphics with the main data about the parade.

About 4,500 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the State Border Service, and employees of the National Police of Ukraine will take part in celebrations marking the 26th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. A march will be attended by about 3,100 people and 500 members of military bands.

A group of flag bearers in new ceremonial dress will appear for the first time with the flag of the First Ukrainian Cossack Regiment named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky, who participated in a parade on Khreshchatyk Street in 1917. The military flag of the Third Iron Rifle Division of the Ukrainian People's Army will also be carried during the parade.

The military parade will be attended by about ten units from different countries (Britain, Georgia, Canada, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, the United States, Latvia, Romania, and Estonia), nine of which are members of the North Atlantic Alliance. Foreign partners, representatives of defense agencies and 11 delegations from the defense ministries of the partner countries (Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Montenegro, Estonia, the United States, and Britain) have been invited to the festivities.

The combined brass band will perform a Zaporizhian March for solemn military events, written by composer Mykola Lysenko and used by the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

During the military parade, servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will show upgraded samples of uniforms for an Honor Guard company.
Ukraine and Israel in the coming months plan to agree all the issues on FTA, in particular, regarding all tariff lines.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said this at a briefing on the results of the 10th meeting of the joint Ukrainian-Israeli Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We very much hope that in the coming months we will resolve all the issues on FTA agreement, in particular, regarding all tariff lines," Klimkin said.

He adds that when the issue on exchange of goods is agreed upon, Ukraine and Israel will coordinate "very important and ambitious" provisions in the field of services and investments.

The foreign minister also said that during today's meeting, the parties agreed to start work towards concluding a special agreement in the field of removing barriers from roaming.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Minister for Romanians Abroad Andreea Pastarnac have discussed a number of issues related to ensuring the rights of the Romanian national minority in Ukraine and Ukrainians in Romania, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported.

The sides agreed that both communities should remain a key element of cooperation between the two countries.

Pastarnac noted that the Romanian side was interested in preserving the identity of ethnic Romanians living in Ukraine.

"At the same time, we call on them to be loyal citizens of their state, and we support the need for proper knowledge of Ukrainian language by all Ukrainian citizens," she said.

The parties also agreed on the proper preparation of bilateral high-level events, first and foremost, an official visit by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to Ukraine.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said that Ukraine could not have been involved in aiding North Korea's missile program and called for an international investigation to find those responsible.

He stated this in comments to The New York Times after it published an article "Tracing Success of North Korea to Ukraine Plant."

"I was alarmed by suggestions in your article that Ukraine may have supplied rocket technology to North Korea.," Klimkin said.

According to him, the article suggests that North Korea has been using an engine called the RD-250, then confirmed that the RD-250 was developed in Russia, and then made the leap that the technology leakage came from Ukraine, but no evidence has been provided to support the claims.

"As Ukraine's foreign minister and a trained aerophysicist, I want to say that my country could not have been involved in aiding North Korea's missile program," Klimkin said.

He also added that the production lines for building these types of rockets in Ukraine were decommissioned in 1992.

"The expertise cannot be carried in the heads of rogue scientists. The instructions are included in complex manuals locked in top-security facilities guarded by our security forces. Not only would it be virtually impossible for criminals to access these manuals, but also any effort could not go unnoticed by our government," Klimkin said.

The minister believes that North Korea could not succeed in its missile programs without outside assistance and called for an international investigation to find those responsible.

"I am doubtful that North Korea could achieve what it has done without outside help. The global community must now come together to conduct an international inquiry to find out who was responsible," he said.

Earlier, The New York Times, citing Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and referring to classified assessments by American intelligence agencies, wrote that North Korea's success in testing an intercontinental ballistic missile that appears able to reach the United States was made possible by black-market purchases of powerful rocket engines probably from a Ukrainian factory with historical ties to Russia's missile program.

In this regard, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said that this information did not have any grounds, was provocative and, most likely, "provoked by the Russian special services to cover up their own crimes."

Ukraine's state-run machine building plant Yuzhmash also said that it did not supply to Russia any missiles, their parts and assembly units, including rocket engines, and it does not have any connection with North Korea's missile programs.

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Ukraine is considering the possibility of cooperation with Israel to create a national educational online platform, which will store educational materials for schoolchildren, teachers and parents.

Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Liliya Hrynevych said this during a meeting with Chairman of the joint Ukrainian-Israeli Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, Environmental Protection Minister of Israel Zeev Elkin, the press service of the Education and Science Ministry reported.

"We need an electronic platform for fully support of the education reform. It is very important for us to support teachers and provide them with interactive online materials that will help them use qualitatively the teaching methods. This platform should also play an important role in increasing the access of children from rural areas to quality education," Hrynevych noted.

According to the minister, such platform has been developed in Israel for a long time. At the moment, Ukraine is looking for opportunities to implement the project, within which the Israeli side will help to transfer ready-made solutions from its platform to the Ukrainian one.

The minister also added that the state budget for the next year included about UAH 54 million for the purchase of equipment for the platform and its support.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 01:41:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GAZA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The power crisis in the Gaza Strip, which has worsened since mid-April, creates additional difficulties for 46-year-old Gaza teacher and housewife Amal Nasrallah, to manage her family's daily needs.

The severe power shortage, that usually lasts for hours during day and night, makes it impossible for Nasrallah to store any freshly made food and meals that she prepares in advance for her family of six.

Nasrallah has to do extra housework to shop for materials for meal preparation on a daily basis, to prevent the food from quickly spoiling.

"The worsening power crisis has negatively affected all aspects of our lives and our daily schedule, especially the habits of purchasing and preparing food," she complained in an interview with Xinhua.

She said that the various food items stored in the refrigerator had gone bad in the past few days as the electric appliance only works for a limited number of hours.

Raneen al-Rifi, housewife of a five-member family, used to go to the market almost once a week to buy vegetable, fruits and meat, and store them to be ready for daily use.

The power crisis has forced her to change her shopping habit, especially at the hottest days of summer when food went damaged without electricity.

Rifi noted that she now had to purchase materials for only one meal per day and the minimum amount of fruit, and her family have to consume the food quickly before it spoiled soon without proper storage.

The Gaza Strip has been under a severe electricity shortage since mid-April due to a sharp decline in the work of its only power station and Israel's reduction of about a third of the electricity supply to the coastal enclave.

According to the Palestinian Hamas-run Energy Corporation in Gaza, the quantity of electricity available to the enclave "does not exceed 100 megawatts out of the more than 500 megawatts needed on a daily basis." The corporation officials said this situation makes electricity crisis at its worst in several years.

As a result of the deficit, the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) relies on an emergency schedule of less than three hours of electricity per day.

Gaza traders and merchants said the worsening power has already caused deterioration in the trade in Gaza local markets.

Saad Bedair, who runs a food store in central Gaza City, told Xinhua that the reduction of household purchases of goods causes them more losses.

Goods such as frozen products, milk and cheese are usually bought enough for about a week in the past, but because of the electricity crisis, families had reduced their purchases to the minimum possible quantity and had stopped buying some items, he added.

The power cutoff for long hours has also led to deterioration of local economic development, which depends on the mechanism of electricity production.

A number of factories have stopped operation, as the crisis caused an increase in the production costs as well as a decline in production capacity, especially for industries that demand continuous electricity supply.

Ghazi Mushtaha, an ice cream factory owner told Xinhua that their production fell this summer by more than 95 percent due to the power shortage.

He explained that electricity has been available for less than three hours every 24 hours in the past several months, which does not help either to produce or store his products.

"This year is the worst for our work because of the lack of electricity in production and storage," said Mushtaha, who founded his factory 40 years ago, "Even if they provide electricity for production, we cannot sell the ice cream to shops that do not have permanent electricity for storage."

He pointed out that the declined revenues affected more than 70 workers and more than 40 distributors of his factory, along with hundreds of retailers, which increases the unemployment rate and poverty level already aggravated in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 02:42:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BUJUMBURA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Burundi has urged former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, the facilitator of the Burundi dialogue, to visit refugee camps to identify "real" refugees, the Burundian justice minister said Monday.

In an interview with Xinhua on Monday, Aimee Laurentine Kanyana urged Mkapa, the facilitator for the East African Community (EAC)-led Inter-Burundi Dialogue, to check whether those refugees had fled Burundi fearing for their personal security.

Mkapa and other facilitation delegates visited Burundi from August 14 to 19. The main objective of the visit to Burundi was aimed at requesting Burundian authorities to promote "inclusiveness" in the Inter-Burundi Dialogue, which aims to find a solution to the political crisis in Burundi.

"Burundi is now enjoying peace and security. We don't understand why Burundian refugees don't return home. That's why we requested the delegates from the facilitator to visit refugee camps hosting Burundian people to check reasons that push them to remain in refugee camps," said the minister during the interview.

"Some people flee problems in their families, others flee because they have robbed banks or because they are taken big bank loans that they are unable to pay back; others flee because they have committed big offences and others flee because they will be transferred to Europe or to America," Kanyana said.

According to her, the facilitation in the dialogue should visit those refugees and talk to the UN Refugee Agency in order to "review" the profile of refugees.

"At the internal level of the dialogue, there was no discrimination. Even at the external level of the dialogue held under the auspices of the East African Community (EAC) facilitation team, there is no discrimination either," Kanyana said.

She added that the Burundian government will "never accept" to sit on the same table with people who attempted to overthrow the east African country's democratic institutions on May 13, 2015, and people who "organized the insurgency" in April 2015.

"We have called for the repatriation of the external dialogue because there is no reason of holding talks out of Burundi," Kanyana said.

Launched in December 2015, the Inter-Burundi Dialogue talks at the external level under the East African Community (EAC) auspices, with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as the mediator, have made no concrete progress.

In January 2016, the Burundian government boycotted talks in Arusha, Tanzania, arguing that it could not sit on the same table with what it called "non-peaceful" stakeholders.

In March that year, the EAC heads of state summit appointed the former Tanzanian president as the facilitator of the dialogue.

Mkapa organized separate consultations with stakeholders in the dialogue, but real negotiations have not yet taken place.

Burundi plunged into a crisis since April 2015 when Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run his controversial third term bid.

His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup on May 13, 2015.

Over 410,000 people have fled to other countries mostly Tanzania, Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda since the outbreak of the crisis.
ABUJA/GENEVA/DAKAR/NEW YORK, 22 August 2017  UNICEF is extremely concerned about an appalling increase in the cruel and calculated use of children, especially girls, as human bombs in northeast Nigeria. Children have been used repeatedly in this way over the last few years and so far this year, the number of children used is already four times higher than it was for all of last year.

Since 1 January 2017, 83 children have been used as human bombs; 55 were girls, most often under 15 years old; 27 were boys, and one was a baby strapped to a girl.

The use of children in this way is an atrocity.

Children used as human bombs are, above all, victims, not perpetrators.

The armed group commonly known as Boko Haram has sometimes, but not always, claimed responsibility for these attacks, which target the civilian population.

The use of children in such attacks has had a further impact of creating suspicion and fear of children who have been released, rescued or escaped from Boko Haram. As a result, many children who have managed to get away from captivity face rejection when they try to reintegrate into their communities, compounding their suffering.

All of this is taking place in the context of a massive displacement and malnutrition crisis  a combination that is also deadly for children. There are 1.7 million people displaced by the insurgency in the northeast, 85 per cent of them in Borno State, where most of these attacks take place.

Northeast Nigeria is one of four countries and regions facing the spectre of famine, with up to 450,000 children at risk of severe acute malnutrition this year.

UNICEF is providing psychosocial support for children who have been held by Boko Haram and is also working with families and communities to foster the acceptance of children when they return. This includes providing social and economic reintegration support to the children and their families.

UNICEF also supports reconciliation activities in northeast Nigeria, led by respected community and religious leaders, including influential women, to help promote tolerance, acceptance and reintegration.

###

Notes for editors:

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org/nigeriaregionalcrisis



For more information, please contact:

Harriet Dwyer, UNICEF Maiduguri, +234 906 222 2215; hdwyer@unicef.org

Doune Porter, UNICEF Nigeria, +234 803 525 0273 dporter@unicef.org

Thierry Delvigne-Jean, UNICEF Dakar, +221 77 819-2300, tdelvignejean@unicef.org

Christophe Boulierac, UNICEF Genenva, Tel: +41 79 963 9244; cboulierac@unicef.org

Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Geneva, Mobile: 41 79 559 7172 mmercado@unicef.org
MANILA, 22 August 2017  UNICEF Philippines is deeply concerned about the impact of the war on drugs on Filipino children.

The death of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos during the drug raid in Caloocan City and the circumstances of his untimely death in relation to the States war on drugs are deeply disturbing.

UNICEF offers its condolences to Kians family. We share their grief and the grief of all the families of children who have been killed, as well as of children who have lost parents, caregivers and relatives, during anti-drug operations.

A fair and transparent investigation into Kians death should be undertaken as a matter of urgency. This investigation must be undertaken in a manner that seeks to guarantee the best interests of children and promote respect for their rights. Those who are responsible for killings and deliberate violence against children must be held accountable.

The best interests of children must be the guiding principle in every action by Government officials. Actions, no matter the motivation, that increase the risks children face or violate their rights are not in accordance with the responsibilities of signatories to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Philippines, as a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, has a legal and moral obligation to promote, protect and fulfil the human rights of every child. Every childs right to life, to develop to her or his full potential, to be heard, and to be protected from all forms of violence are universal and inalienable. There are no exceptions. These rights apply without qualification.

UNICEF Philippines joins the many organizations and individuals coming together to demand action to prevent any further loss of childrens lives. There is no higher value for a society than to protect its own children and youth.

###

For further information please contact:

Zafrin Chowdhury, Chief of Communication, UNICEF Philippines, +632 901 01 77, +63 917 867 8366, zchowdhury@unicef.org

Marge Francia, Communication Officer, UNICEF Philippines, +632 901 01 73, +63 917 858 9447, mfrancia@unicef.org

Joe English, UNICEF New York, +1 917 893 0692 jenglish@unicef.org
We are proud to be the host city for this year's Federal Duck Stamp Contest! Since its inception in 1934, the Federal Duck Stamp program has secured 6.5 million acres of habitat, creating or expanding more than 300 of our national refuges for the benefit of waterfowl and other wildlife through the sale of duck stamps to hunters, collectors, birders and art lovers. Click here to see how Wisconsin has benefitted specifically from these funds. See below for more information on when and where the contest will take place and don't miss the other exciting activities going on around the community!

Media information here

Parking is available in any of the metered parking lots ( click here for a campus map ) and St. Stanislaus Kostka Church has graciously agreed to allow parking in their lot located on the corner of Fremont and Reserve Street. Handicap spaces are available in all of the lots. There is also parking on many of the streets around campus.Parking is available in any of the metered and non-metered parking. There is also street parking available on many of the streets surrounding campus. (
About 20 years ago, villagers in Samrong commune in Svay Rieng provinces Chantrea district near the border with Vietnam had to travel from village to village before dawn to transport water to the area.

But in recent years the situation has improved after villagers took it upon themselves to dig reservoirs and wells near their homes.

The makeshift reservoir has become the villagers main source of water as the dry land does not lend itself to wells. To dig a working well, they would need to spend from $1,000 to $2,000.

Nhim Ly, 38, a Chek village resident, owns a 600-square-meter reservoir behind his house, which provides all the water his family needs. A food vendor, Ly said he could not afford the cost of digging a professional well.

I dont have money, thats why I dug the lake as a temporary fix, he said.

Like many of the villagers, Ly is concerned about the health impacts of using the stagnant water. Its not hygienic. It can cause diarrhea, but we dont know what to do since we dont have money to dig a well, he said.

Lys house abuts the dusty main road that snakes its way through the village, constantly busy with large trucks carrying construction materials back and forth.

Another villager, Oum Khemra, 27, said potentially dangerous minerals had leaked into his water supply. I cant cook using this water, its only good for washing clothes, he said.

It affects our health, but I dont know what to do. There is no clean water. But if we filter it, it is better. Its difficult but we are used to it since weve used it since we were young.

Sok Saro, Samrong commune chief, said access to clean water is the issue of most concern to villagers.

Our area lacks water and when there is a drought, it is very difficult. Theres no river water here, he said.

Hand dug wells are widely used throughout Cambodia, but increasingly drilled wells and hand pumps are becoming more available.

According to the Ministry of Rural Development, more than 630,000 wells have been drilled across the country, with more than half of Cambodias rural population now having access to clean water.

The government has committed to bringing clean water to all households by 2025.

Chan Darong, a rural development spokesman, says the government is paying particular attention to Chantrea district, which is one of the more difficult areas to provide for.

In Chantrea district, some areas have lakes, but some dont. So the ministry has plans to dig very deep wells. We also have plans to dig more lakes for people, too, he said.

He added that education about safely using water was also a top priority.

However, the extra cost of tapping water directly into villagers homes was prohibitive, he said.

Bunly Meas, a Unicef spokesman, said the lack of access to clean water was a major challenge affecting particularly infants and their caregivers, while almost 40 percent of Cambodias rural population does not have access to clean drinking water.

Without safe water and adequate sanitation and hygiene, children ... are especially vulnerable to water-borne diseases, he said.
Aid agencies are warning that thousands of Iraqi civilians trapped in the Islamic State-controlled city of Tal Afar face great danger as they try to flee amid the government's battle to retake the city.

No one knows how many civilians remain in Tal Afar. Humanitarian agencies have been unable to enter it since IS militants captured it in 2014. However, the agencies estimate the city's pre-conflict population was 200,000.

The United Nations reports more than 30,000 people have fled Tal Afar district since April, with thousands more remaining behind. U.N. refugee spokesman Andrej Mahecic says conditions within the city reportedly are very difficult, with food, water and electricity in short supply.

He says many people are desperate to leave and those who do are putting their lives at risk.

"Many talk of seeing dead bodies along the way, and there are reports that some were killed by extremist groups," Mahecic said Tuesday. "Others appear to have died due to dehydration or illnesses.

"People leaving Tal Afar are walking long distances to reach safety, without food or water, at times up to 20 hours and in scorching heat. The temperatures, may I remind you, are about 50 degrees Celsius [122 Fahrenheit] in that part of Iraq at this time of the year."

Human shields

Mahecic warns that Iraqi civilians inside Tal Afar are likely to be held as human shields by IS militants and those who attempt to flee could be shot. He says his agency has received reports that displaced Iraqi families who have escaped are being denied shelter in safe locations.

He says other reports indicate displaced people from Tal Afar are being harassed and subjected to revenge attacks. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees is calling on the Iraqi government to prevent this abuse from occurring and to take measures to protect these individuals.

The government Sunday launched its military operation to retake Tal Afar, one of the last Iraqi areas held by IS, following the July liberation of Mosul about 80 kilometers to the east.
Sixteen years of U.S. warfare in Afghanistan have left the insurgents as strong as ever and the nations future precarious. Facing a quagmire, President Donald Trump on Monday outlined his strategy for victory in a country that has historically snared great powers and defied easy solutions.

Americas longest-running war began well as U.S.-led forces quickly toppled the Taliban government and disrupted al-Qaida leaders who plotted the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks from Afghan soil. But the fighting never ended.

In recent years, security has gradually worsened as Taliban insurgents, enjoying sanctuary in Pakistan, have gained a foothold across the country. Afghanistans rampant heroin trade, official corruption and infighting among the nations elite have only compounded problems.

Trump is the third U.S. president to grapple with the Afghan challenge. A look at the phases of the U.S. involvement to date:

Regime change

Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, a massive U.S. air campaign targets al-Qaida fighters and Taliban troops, training camps and air defenses. Anti-Taliban forces of the Northern Alliance enter Kabul as the Taliban flee.

By December 2001, Afghan groups agree on a deal in Bonn, Germany, for an interim government.

With Afghanistan liberated from Taliban control, the U.S. military force grows to 2,500 as troops scour the mountainous Tora Bora region looking for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. He eludes capture. Although President George W. Bush remains leery of supporting nation-building efforts in Afghanistan, the U.S. expands its counterterrorism operations. By the end of 2002, there are 9,700 U.S. troops in the country.

Democracy and distraction

In November 2004, Hamid Karzai, who had served two years as interim leader, is the clear winner in Afghanistans first direct election for president. The Bush administration hails the vote as a key step in the nations transformation. Millions of girls return to school after being barred under the Taliban. As the country opens up, Western aid helps the economy grow, at least in urban areas.

But the Taliban, enjoying sanctuary in Pakistan, show signs of re-emergence, launching sporadic attacks on government forces in eastern Afghanistan. Although Karzai is an ethnic Pashtun, as were the bulk of Taliban recruits, his government alienates what is Afghanistans main ethnic group. Karzais administration is dominated by former commanders of the Northern Alliance.

U.S. troop numbers swell to 20,000, but Washingtons attention increasingly turns to Iraq. The U.S. invades in March 2003, toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. It struggles with the aftermath. Soon Iraq is gripped by an explosion of sectarian violence that preoccupies Bush until he leaves office.

More Western troops, more violence

In 2006, NATO assumes responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan, pumping troops into Taliban heartlands in the south of the country.

The U.S. ups its forces in the country to 30,000. Britain, Canada and others boost their contributions. But the violence and lawlessness worsen.

Production of opium, the raw material of heroin, soars to a record, funding the insurgency and fueling official corruption. Tensions grow between Afghanistan and Pakistan over cross-border Taliban attacks.

In the fall of 2008, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen concedes, Im not sure were winning.

Surge

President Barack Obama, vowing to refocus U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, enters office in 2009 endorsing shifts to a counterinsurgency strategy designed to protect Afghan civilians rather than hunt down Taliban.

He quickly sends in 21,000 more forces. After a prolonged policy review, Obama orders an additional surge, bringing troop levels to a high of 100,000 by August 2010. He says the U.S. will begin withdrawing forces by 2011. Critics say the drawdown date diminishes the incentive for the Taliban to negotiate for peace.

Bin Laden is killed in a U.S. special operations raid in Pakistan in March 2011.

Obama then presses ahead with plans to hand over security responsibilities to Afghanistan by 2014. By the end of that year, NATO ends its combat mission in the country. U.S. relations with Karzai, however, deteriorate. A contested election to replace Karzai introduces a more pro-U.S. leader in Ashraf Ghani, but his government is bitterly divided.

No withdrawal

With violence reaching post-2001 highs and Afghan security forces taking heavy casualties, Obama backtracks on plans to withdraw all U.S. forces by the end of 2016.

He leaves office with 8,400 troops still in the country.

The U.S. kills new Taliban leader Mullah Mansour in a drone attack in Pakistan in May 2016, derailing peace talks. But on the battlefield, the Taliban are gaining and threaten provincial capitals in both the north and south. The Islamic State group gains a foothold in eastern Afghanistan.

Enter Trump

Trump says little about Afghanistan during his first seven months in office, while the military grows antsy.

The Pentagon proposes sending in nearly 4,000 more U.S. troops to increase training of Afghan forces and counterterrorism operations, but the administration is divided on strategy. Nearly everyone considers the fight a stalemate, and some in Trumps administration propose withdrawing or handing over the entire American effort to private security contractors.

Among Afghans, anti-Western sentiment grows over deteriorating security, even in the capital, Kabul. The economy also suffers, partly as a result of a drawdown in foreign forces. As Trump is poised to announce his plan, Afghanistans government controls only about half of the country.

After months of debate, Trump finally unveils his strategy in a prime-time television address.

He says the U.S. will win in the end, defeating al-Qaida and IS fighters, and ensuring the government doesnt fall to the Taliban. He refuses to provide troop increase numbers or timelines, saying military assistance would be determined by results and the cooperation of Afghanistans beleaguered government.


Excitement and suspicion are swirling around Angola's capital as the nation readies itself for a historic vote Wednesday, in the first election many citizens will have seen without the longtime president on the ballot.

Jose Eduardo dos Santos is stepping down after 38 years in power. Five parties are challenging his powerful People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, or MPLA, which has ruled since independence in 1975 and is widely expected to win again.

Already, the two main opposition parties, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, or UNITA, and Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola Electoral Coalition, or CASA-CE, have said they see irregularities in the election preparations.

The parties accused the MPLA of using government vehicles and resources for campaigning, and they alleged the state broadcaster has given preferential treatment to dos Santos' party. The MPLA has denied irregularities.

Separate counts

The youth-oriented CASA-CE this week cast further doubt over the integrity of the election by announcing it would make an independent vote tally in Wednesday's poll.

CASA-CE candidate and spokesman Lindo Bernardo Tito said his party fears the MPLA will rig this vote to ensure that MPLA maintains power and dos Santos' chosen successor, Defense Minister Joao Lourenco, takes office.

"The ruling party installed in this country does not guarantee fair, free and transparent elections," he told VOA.

The electoral commission has dismissed allegations and maintained the vote will be free and fair.

Still, analysts and voters say this is an important opportunity for the oil-rich nation. It could, said professor Riuk Andove of the Independent University of Angola, signal a new era in postwar politics. Angola weathered a civil war that ended only in 2002.

"It's important because it's the first time that Angolans are going to an election with the main actors from the civil war era outside of the electoral game," he said.

Making their mark

Some voters were undeterred by the controversy and said they were eager to participate in this poll.

"I'm going to vote for the first time," said ruling party supporter Daniel Cailane, 21. "I'm excited to give this contribution to my country."

Domingos Nicolau, 80, spoke of the hope he had when Angola gained independence from Portugal, and how he was disappointed that the nation's immense oil wealth hasn't trickled down to him or his 12 grandchildren  or, for that matter, the majority of citizens. That's why, after previously supporting the ruling party, he's changing sides.

"We want to make a free and a fair change," he told VOA.

That is a common refrain on the hectic streets of this seaside capital, where luxury cars and banged-up buses weave through potholed streets, where oil rigs twinkle off the coast at night, lending the only light to coastal neighborhoods that have never had electricity.

It's also where one man watches from his pink palace atop Luanda's highest hill, and prepares, after so many years, to step down.
For two-thirds of Angola's population, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is the only leader they have ever known. And the vast majority of eligible voters have never seen a ballot without his name on it. Now, as he steps down after 38 years, Anita Powell reports from Luanda on the Angolans, of all ages, who are heading to the polls for Wednesday's election.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 02:47:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LONDON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Britain said on Monday that the investment from his country to Britain is mutually beneficial and win-win for both sides, rebuffing the investment threat allegation.

Liu Xiaoming, in a signed article on the Evening Standard, said that the recent British media reports on the so-called threats of Chinese investment to British national security is a confusing mixture of paranoia and exaggerations about China's appetite to buy out Britain.

"All these are both groundless and harmful," he said.

So far, 18 billion pounds (23.2 billion U.S. dollars) of Chinese non-financial investment has come into a wide range of sectors in Britain.

Liu stressed that the Chinese investment is creating new jobs, generating green, low carbon growth and bringing economic prosperity and stability.

"The Hinkley Point project partly financed by the Chinese company, for example, is expected to create 26,000 jobs and, upon completion, reduce nine million tons of carbon emission every year," said the senior diplomat, referring to the construction of the massive nuclear power station in Somerset.

Liu said Britain's unchanged commitment to staying open is key to boosting the confidence of foreign investors.

"As the Brexit negotiations continue and the ensuing uncertainties and negative impacts unfold, for Britain and for foreign investors, confidence is more valuable than gold," he added.

After the Brexit referendum last year, the British government has been reiterating its commitment to free trade and its opposition to protectionism.

Liu believed that being open and inclusive has been one of the keys to Britain's continued success.

He reiterated that investment from China will not and can not pose a threat to Britain's national security.

"Britain should make the right decision and maintain its confidence rather than being swayed by protectionism or looking at Chinese investment through Cold War-tinted spectacles," Liu said.

Chinese investors came here for cooperation and win-win results, and they look for a business friendly and welcoming environment, he added.
Police in the southwestern U.S. city of Phoenix, Arizona, used tear gas late Tuesday to disperse groups of protesters from outside the site where President Donald Trump had just given a campaign-style rally.

Ahead of the address, police worked to keep Trump protesters and supporters separated, but there were minor scuffles and shouting matches as hundreds of people lined up outside the citys convention center to enter the rally  the presidents first major political event since violent clashes earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The thousands of protesters included left-wing groups angered by Trumps public comments about Charlottesville. Although the president shifted his stance on the right-wing demonstration that precipitated the clashes, many were angered by his most recent remarks, which blamed both sides for the violence.



Native Americans and groups that oppose Trumps immigration and environmental policies also mounted protests Tuesday.

Thousands of Facebook members posted notes that they would attend the Phoenix protests. Some gathered at the convention center where Trump was to speak; others took part in marches organized by the citys churches.

As opposing groups converged in central Phoenix, police tried to keep them separated. Trump supporters shouted, Build that wall! Build that wall!  a reference to the border wall Trump hopes to build between the U.S. and Mexico.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams told reporters the city has played host to large, heated political rallies in the past, and has opened lines of communication with several groups, both supporters and opponents of the president.

The police chief said her officers would try to ensure that everyone would be able to exercise their First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly.

Weve done this before, she told reporters. This is not new for us.



Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery warned that police would not tolerate any violence and said prosecutors will be ready to use all applicable laws to hold people accountable for their actions.

It does not matter which group or creed you affiliate with, Montgomery said. If you engage in violence you will be subject to arrest and prosecution.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, greeted Trumps arrival in Phoenix late Tuesday, but he was not attending the rally.

Neither of Arizonas two Republican senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, attended the Trump rally. Trump has engaged in public spats with both men in recent weeks.

In Photos: Trump Brings His Build-a-Wall Message to Arizona
1 Shiveluch, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is seen poking through above a solid cloud deck, with an ash plume streaming to the west. Located on the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia, it is one of many active volcanoes on the Peninsula.
A court in Changsha of Hunan province Tuesday put prominent rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong on trial, in which he pleaded guilty to charges of inciting subversion of state power and denied that he had been tortured by police.

But Jiangs wife and rights groups denounced it as another show trial, saying that they find it hard to believe that Jiang has confessed under his own will.

Videos clips of what the court called an open hearing were posted on the courts official Weibo account for public viewing.

Guilty plea

In his closing remarks, Jiang was seen to have made a public confession to his alleged crimes.

I fully realize that Ive incited subversion of state power to try to topple the socialist regime  a violation of the Criminal Law and a criminal act. I plead guilty with all my hearts. And I deeply regret for what Ive done, Jiang read from a pre-written statement to the court.

While asking for a lenient sentence from the judge, Jiang added he hopes other rights activists can learn from his lessons.

Critical of government

During the hearing, prosecutors accused Jiang of having had issued more than 33,000 Twitter posts before 2009, in 214 of which he was said to have attacked the government with a language that incites subversion of state power.

He was also accused of having accepted interviews by foreign media, including VOA, to smear both the judiciary and government while having supported other rights defenders including Zhang Kai, Xie Yang and Liu Xing to fight for their causes.

Both Jiang and his defense lawyer raised no objection to all accounts of accusations, in one of which, he was named the one who had instigated Xies wife to falsify Xies torture allegations while in police custody.

The court announced it will hand down a verdict on a later date.

A testimony to Jiangs innocence

Insisting on in Jiangs innocence, his wife, Jin Bianling, argued Tuesdays open trial was instead a testimony to her husbands push for justice.

Anyone with a sense of rationality will see that, behind all the accusations, Jiang has done nothing wrong but to support socially-disadvantaged groups in his pursuit of social causes, Jin, who has lived in the U.S. since 2013 to avoid Chinese government harassment, told VOA over a telephone interview.

Prior to his arrest in November, 46-year-old Jiang had taken on numerous high-profile cases, including those of Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan protesters and victims of the 2008 contaminated milk powder scandal before being disbarred from his activism in 2009.

He had criticized an ongoing government crackdown on dissents, which has seen hundreds of rights lawyers and activists detained or sentenced since July of 2015.

Another 'shame trial'

Though disheartened, Jin said she remains convinced that Jiang had been medicated and tortured after being held incommunicado for months without access to his family or lawyers of the familys own choosing.

She added she was, in particular, saddened to learn of her father-in-laws forced presence in court, who she said has to witness his sons shame trial in his 70s after himself having been through the Cultural Revolution.

Jin said she expects Jiang and his parents to be forced into disappearance in the future after the court sets him free on bail, similar to what has happened to lawyer Xie.

But she vowed to petition to the U.S. government for Jiangs unlawful treatment and immediate release.

Deepening crackdown on dissidents

Maya Wang, China researcher of Human Rights Watch, said that Jiangs trial resembled to those of many other rights activists, some of whom were forced to confess in exchange for release on bail while others like lawyer Zhou Shifeng still received a heavy 7-year sentence after having pleaded guilty.

Its very difficult to believe that he had confessed of his own free will. I think whats shown really is the authorities increasing use of the judiciary [to criminalize rights activists.] Of course, the Chinese judiciary is long known for being controlled by the party, Wang told VOA.

The Hong Kong-based researcher further argued that even the more pro forma aspects of these political trials, such as some access to family and open trials, are done as signs of the authorities deepening crackdown on human rights defenders.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Monday offered asylum to Venezuela's ousted chief prosecutor, who fled to the country last week.



Luisa Ortega arrived in Colombia on Friday with her husband German Ferrer after Venezuelan authorities ordered his arrest for allegedly running an extortion ring out of the prosecutor's office.



Santos said Ortega is being protected by Colombian authorities and if she chooses to request asylum, he will grant it.



Ortega has not spoken since her arrival to Colombia's capital. But before leaving Venezuela, she said the accusations against her husband were payback for her decision to break with President Nicolas Maduro's increasingly authoritarian government and denounce corruption by members of his inner circle.



Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza responded via Twitter, calling Santos' decision "cynical'' and saying Bogota has become the center of "conspiracy against democracy and peace in Venezuela.''



Ortega's removal by the pro-government constitutional assembly has been denounced by dozens of foreign governments.
Heat from deep within the earth is an underused source of renewable energy. The United States is the world's largest producer of geothermal energy, but it makes up less than 1 percent of the nation's power generation. By contrast, geothermal plants in the Philippines and Iceland contribute around 30 percent of their electricity production. Now, geothermal power is heating up in Australia. Faith Lapidus reports.
President Donald Trump arrives in Phoenix, Arizona, Tuesday evening for a rally  his first such event since he drew widespread condemnation for his comments in the wake of violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month. Thousands of people are expected to be on hand for his visit, some to support the president and others to protest. Security in the city is on high alert, as Celia Mendoza of VOA's Spanish service reports from Phoenix.
Thirty-two men. One woman.

That's how large the gender gap is among U.S. President Donald Trump's recently announced candidates to head U.S. attorney's offices around the country.

There are 93 U.S. attorneys in the nation, politically appointed prosecutors charged with enforcing federal laws while carrying out the president's law enforcement agenda. They serve a term of four years.

Among Trump's 33 nominees, all but three are white men. Jessie Liu, tapped to head the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the nation's largest, is the only woman on the list, which also includes one Chinese-American and one African-American.

That could change as Trump continues what has become a near-weekly wave of nominations for U.S. attorneys. Still, the glaring gender imbalance has drawn criticism and renewed focus on a lack of diversity among Trump's political appointments.

"I'd hate to second guess the individual nominees and think that they're good people and good choices, but it's discouraging across the board as a group to see the fact that there is no diversity," said Joyce White Vance, a former U.S. attorney from Alabama.

Ripley Rand, a former U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, said that with one exception, Trump's nominees hail from small- to medium-sized federal districts with relatively small pools of qualified lawyers to draw from.

"I think we may see a shift in diversity once we start going to the larger districts and other places," Rand said.

But Vance, a University of Alabama law professor and career prosecutor who headed the U.S. attorney's office in northern Alabama during both terms of former President Barack Obama, said a lack of qualified female candidates is not a valid explanation.

"In the Bush administration, all three of the U.S. attorneys in Alabama were women," Vance said. "There are talented women in law enforcement and experienced lawyers throughout the southeast, so I don't see that as an explanation."

The White House did not respond to a question about the lack of diversity among Trump's U.S. attorney nominees.

The Department of Justice declined to comment.

Nomination process

While tasked with enforcing the nation's laws, U.S. attorneys are selected through a political process that starts in each state and ends with a U.S. Senate vote.

While the White House makes final selections, the initial list of candidates is drawn up by screening committees set up in each state by the party that controls the White House.

In Vance's case, she said she was first interviewed by a committee composed of law professors, judges and former U.S. attorneys in Alabama and later by another panel made up of the state's top Democratic Party leadership.

The panel then sends its list of candidates  typically, a couple of names  to the White House, which makes a final selection. But before a nomination is announced and sent to the Senate, he or she is interviewed by the attorney general and deputy attorney general.

Home State senators exercise a great deal of power over nominations. Under a century-old Senate custom known as the "blue slip" rule, both home state senators must consent to a nomination for their state before the Senate takes it up for consideration.

The Senate has so far confirmed three nominees.

Past presidents

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Obama were criticized for not appointing enough women to senior positions during their first terms in office, but by their second terms they added more women to their staff, according to Lilly Goren, a professor of political science at Carroll University.

Obama's U.S. attorneys were a diverse group. There were 24 female U.S. attorneys when Obama left the White House in January.

Four of the U.S. Attorney's offices that were led by women under Obama, including the northern district of Alabama, have gone to men under Trump.

Trump came in for some early criticism over his appointments. According to a Bloomberg study conducted in March, women made up 27 percent of the appointed roles filled by Trump. However, he's appointed women to senior positions.

Female leadership

His cabinet includes four women, including two department chiefs: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Inside the White House, women hold key advisory positions, including press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell, and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway.

And at the Justice Department, Rachel Brand is the No. 3 official, while Beth Williams was recently confirmed as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy.

The lack of diversity aside, Trump's U.S. attorney nominees have deep prosecutorial experience, either at the state or federal level.

Rand, now a partner at the Womble Carlyle law firm, said the candidates' state prosecution experience is noteworthy given that a large number of violent crime cases are prosecuted at the state level.

"President Trump has continued to focus on prosecution experience, state prosecution experience and experience as a former law enforcement officer, which is consistent with his executive order" for the Department of Justice to focus on violent crime, Rand said.
An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 hit the tourist-packed Italian island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, on Monday night, killing at least one person and injuring some 25 others as buildings collapsed, officials said.

Residents and tourists on the island ran out onto the streets from homes and hotels.

Television images showed that about six buildings in the town of Casamicciola as well as a church collapsed in the quake, which hit at 8:57 p.m. (1857 GMT).

Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) put the magnitude at 4.0, but both the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the European quake agency, EMSC, estimated the magnitude at 4.3.

Local Civil Protection Department official Giovanni Vittozzi said one woman was killed when she was hit by falling masonry from a church, and officials were checking reports of another victim.

Helicopters and a ferry boat were bringing in more rescue workers from the mainland.

Roberto Allocca, a doctor from a local hospital, told Sky TG24 television that about 25 people had been treated for minor injuries. Most of the hospital had been evacuated and the injured were treated outside.

Some civil protection squads were already on the island because of brushfires.

The television reports said the buildings that collapsed appeared to have been inhabited and about 10 people were still unaccounted for.

The quake hit a few days before the first anniversary of a major quake that killed nearly 300 people in central Italy, most of them in the town of Amatrice.
Hundreds of students in East Timor clashed on Monday with police who fired tear gas to disperse the crowds protesting against alleged government corruption.

Members of parliament were forced to suspend a planned auction of government cars after protesters took to the streets and threw rocks at police officers and public vehicles, alleging the cars were being deliberately marked down and would cause state losses.

"We are doing this because we are not satisfied that members of parliament are taking such decisions to their own benefit," said Duarte Antonio Nunes from a student organization.

He added that more demonstrations could take place if the auctions were not called off.

Several police officers were injured in scuffles and several protesters detained, officials said, and loud speakers and other equipment were confiscated from the students.

But Aderito Hugo, president of the national parliament, said after the demonstrations that the auction had been "temporarily suspended."

"I ask for the public's patience on this...so we can review procedures on the use of the cars," Hugo told a local radio station.

East Timor is the poorest nation in Southeast Asia despite being rich in natural resources, and tensions have simmered in the young democracy over income inequality and high unemployment.

Legislative and presidential elections this year were peaceful and were the first since a United Nations peacekeeping force left at the end of 2012 following bouts of violence since independence from Indonesia in 2002.

The polls were dominated by concerns over government's perceived failure to capitalize on those resources, and create jobs and wealth.

The leading parties, Fretilin and CNRT, secured a combined 58 percent of votes in last month's election and are expected to form a government in the coming weeks.
Al Azhar University, Egypt's venerable seat of Islamic law, has been working to project a more modern image of Islam to counter the violent versions being espoused by Islamic State, al-Qaida and other militant groups.

Efforts by Al Azhar religious authorities to control the tenor of Islamic religious edicts or fatwas are part of the strategy that moderate forces are using to battle clerics espousing death and violence.

Egypt has been plagued by the efforts of militant Islamic terrorists and their spiritual guides to sow turmoil in the country in recent years, leaving a bloody trail of death and destruction. They have killed government officials, blown up government buildings, attacked top tourist sites, and randomly attacked police, military officers, and the country's Coptic Christian minority.

Attacks on Coptic churches, including suicide bombings at the main Coptic cathedral in Cairo last December, and more recent bombings at churches in Alexandria and Tanta on Palm Sunday, have left scores of victims and taken a toll on Egypt's fragile collective psyche. The loss of innocent lives from the deadly litany of terrorist attacks has led the government to denounce extremist Islamic clerics espousing bloodshed and violence.

Hijacking core beliefs

Hard-line clerics, like Qatar-based Egyptian Sheikh Youssef al Qaradawi, have been accused of issuing edicts, or fatwas, to justify the killings of police, army officers and Christians. Qaradawi claims innocence, but video of him calling for attacks on both Egyptian and Syrian government security forces are widely circulated on the internet.

Islamic extremists in the Sinai, along the border with Libya, and in a number of cities across the country have stepped up attacks against government targets in the months and years since Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military in July 2013. Morsi's followers call his ouster a coup, while supporters of the present government insist that popular protests against his rule were a new revolution.

Many of Morsi's supporters were jailed in the aftermath of his ouster and some were put on trial for acts of violence. His Muslim Brotherhood group was officially outlawed and many people fled the country or went underground. A series of trials have resulted in the convictions of large numbers of people.

In the wake of political and religious upheaval that has shaken Egypt's Islamic establishment, Sheikh Ahmed Tayeb of Al Azhar University, has gone on record to condemn Islamic clerics who preach violence. He insists they should not be allowed to define Islam.

Islam, he argues, must not be considered a terrorist religion just because a few of its followers have hijacked some of its writings and misinterpret them to kill and shed the blood of innocent people.

Religion and modern life

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi has also called repeatedly for reforming or renewing Islam, most recently during a visit by Pope Francis to Cairo in April. He insists that Islam should project a less violent image to the world. His pleas have met with resistance from Islamic religious scholars in some corners, however.

Efforts to give Islam a more modern image, though, continue on various fronts. One new way clerics with ties to Al Azhar have been trying to discourage extremism is by offering religious advice to the general public at a fatwa booth in the Cairo metro.

Sheikh Mohamed Zaki, the head preacher at Al Azhar, tells VOA that while the core beliefs of Islam are immutable, its image or modern applications of it should fit the daily lives of people.

Each new generation, he says, should benefit from the teachings of Islam, which remain unalterable as God presented them, but as flexible as the new shoots of a tree branch.

Another more prominent way Al Azhar has clamped down on extremist clerics in recent years, has been by preventing them from preaching at mosques it controls. Al Azhar has also sought to make preachers stick to specific sermon subjects each week, without going off-topic.

But, as Sheikh Zaki noted, various hardline Islamic media outlets continue to allow firebrand clerics to broadcast their message of hate. Media which allow such clerics to preach hate, he says, should be sanctioned.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 03:32:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Ndumiso Mlilo

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- African officials on Monday called for urgent infrastructural development and regional integration to boost the continent's economy.

At the Infrastructure Africa 2017 in Johannesburg, Zambian Minister of Finance Felix Mutati encouraged Africans to speedily address infrastructural deficit.

"We have to inject some sense of urgency in ourselves. If we remain captured by business as usual, we are headed for disaster," said Mutati at the opening ceremony of the two-day event.

"Competitiveness in Africa is being constrained by infrastructure deficit. We need about 93 billion U.S. dollars every year to address the infrastructure gap in the continent. We need to urgently implement projects," he said.

Mutati said Africa has to narrow focus to innovative financing and design, better use of existing infrastructure and the deployment of adequate and appropriate technology.

"We need, as government, to define our roles, the things that government can do and those things that we can not do. Government must not monopolize investment in infrastructure. We need to develop further clarity on the question of the participation of the private sector and nature of partnerships that we need to develop with the private sector," he added.

South African Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies said infrastructure development is required to speed up regional integration for increased inter-regional trade and for industrialization in Africa.

He said Africa is losing 40 percent of its competitiveness due to infrastructure deficit. Free trade areas, infrastructure development and cooperation are essential in promoting industrial development across the continent.

"As the government of South Africa we categorically stated that the development of infrastructure is an essential and absolutely fundamental catalyst for regional integration for increased inter-regional trade and for industrialization in Africa. Therefore, infrastructure develop lies in the very heart of our efforts to promote high levels inclusive growth and development throughout the continent," said Davies.

The East African Community deputy secretary general Christophe Bazivamo said there is an improved political, economic and people-to-people integration in their region.

"Integration should have happened yesterday for us to survive in this world. We need to travel together to go far in a sustainable manner. We should also harmonize region policies as countries by coming up with laws in line with our blocs' aspirations," he said.
People in the western part of Iraq's devastated city of Mosul have received their first major delivery of aid since Islamic State militants captured the city in 2014, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Monday.

The agency began distributing food and other essential items last week and aims to reach more than 64,000 people in West Mosul, which was recaptured by Iraqi forces on July 10.

Much of West Mosul has been destroyed by fighting. Homes, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, electricity plants and water systems are in ruins, ICRC said.

Many people are living in their ruined houses, said Layal Neaimeh, deputy head of ICRC's sub-delegation in Mosul.

They include the few who stayed throughout the military offensive, families who returned home and those displaced from other neighborhoods.

"They are in quite a desperate situation. ... They don't have any resources to purchase the already-limited goods available on the market," she said.

"Families have no stocks of food whatsoever. They don't even have half a kilo of rice," she said, adding that many were living off tea and bread.

People are also being wounded by unexploded ordnance hidden under the rubble of their homes, ICRC said.

Nearly 1 million civilians fled Mosul in the last three years, according to the United Nations.

Islamic State turned the city into the stronghold of a "caliphate" they said would take over the world.

A 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias launched an offensive to recapture the northern city from the militants in October, with key air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition.

They cleared East Mosul of militants in January.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reports more than 700 people have died and more than 24 million people in Nepal, Bangladesh and India have been affected by the worst flooding to hit South Asia in decades.

The International Red Cross Federation reports nearly one-third of Nepal and Bangladesh are flooded, as is one half of the state of Bihar in India. It says millions of people are now homeless.

While the flooding was triggered by a monsoon, the Red Cross under-secretary general for programs and operations, Jagan Chapagain, attributes much of this disaster to the lack of proper water management among the three seriously affected countries.

You have seen the major damage in infrastructures in Nepal. Many bridges have been washed away," he said. "The houses have been damaged, the electricity has been cut off in many parts of Nepal and India. Now in Bangladesh, it continues. One of other major worries we have is the damage on the crops.

Chapagain says one-third of the rice crop in southern Nepal has been wiped out and serious damage has been done to the rice planted in Bangladesh and Bihar. He says the real effect of this disaster will be felt in the coming months.

Chapagain warns urgent action is needed to prevent deadly diseases from spreading and hunger from taking root in South Asia. He says the floodwaters are a breeding ground for diseases, such as diarrhea and malaria and that dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis also are on the rise.

He says providing shelter, clean water, sanitation and improved hygiene are critical to stopping the spread of these deadly diseases.
Women and girls as young as 12 from Kenya's countryside are being forced into sex work to support families affected by prolonged drought. They have little or no education and travel at least 50 kilometers (30 miles) to reach urban areas, working in unsafe conditions far from their homes.

Since I was raped, I entered into prostitution, because I saw that is something that my family depends on, a 24-year-old mother told the International Rescue Committee (IRC). It is not something good, but the need to care for these children is what forces me, because I don't have anywhere else to run to, the woman said.

The IRC has been working in Turkana, a region in northwestern Kenya with over 276,000 people in need of food assistance. Turkana, which borders both Uganda and South Sudan, also suffers from Kenya's second-highest HIV infection rate, according to Mercy Lwambi, the women's protection and empowerment manager for IRC.

The impact of drought on rural communities such as those in Turkana's countryside can be particularly harsh. In addition to soaring food prices, rural families face decimated livestock and diminished crops. With grim prospects for survival and a dire need for money, young girls find themselves in early marriages, child labor and forced prostitution.

Rampant abuse

As crippling drought lingers, survival sex, in particular, has proliferated. Child sex workers in Turkana make, on average, about 50 shillings, or less than 50 cents, per client. But it's not uncommon for no payment to be made or for money to be stolen from the girls.

Most of the time, their clients steal the little money they give them. So, their clients pay them for the work, then beat them up or take the money, or their clients intoxicate them with alcohol and have sex without pay, Lwambi said.

Without a support system, girls trapped in sex work face the constant risk of beatings, psychological abuse and sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV.

In addition to prostitution, the IRC has also documented an uptick in gender-based violence and the rape of children, underscoring how humanitarian crises disproportionately affect girls.

Helping with support, information, protection

Until root causes are addressed, IRC acknowledges that eradicating survival sex isn't realistic. So, they focus on providing support, information and protection. Outreach activities include a mix of clinical care and psychological assistance.

Education on safe sex practices is central to IRC's work, and helping girls look out for one another is another important strategy.

So telling them to work in groups if they have work, to work in groups so that, if they are two or three, the chances of them being taken advantage of by a client...is reduced, Lwambi said.

Slow government response

The government of Kenya needs to do more to protect young girls ensnared in sex work, according to Lwambi.

Subsidies could go a long way toward protecting Kenya's most vulnerable populations, Lwambi said.

For sex workers, the girls engaged in sex work, we are looking for the government to provide for these families for food or safety net programming so that they're able to have resources to be able to take care of their daily needs, she said.

The government has money to spend, but funds arent necessarily diverted into social programs. Kenya just held its most expensive election, and the public and private spending [were] both at an all-time high, according to Quartz, a digital news source.

An old problem

Child prostitution fueled by poverty is not a new problem in Kenya.

In 2008, the United Nations Children's Fund estimated that 30 percent of girls in coastal Kenya were forced into prostitution. More recently, in 2014, Reuters reported that "in Nairobi's overcrowded slums, hungry children often trade their bodies for a few coins or food."

The facilitation of child prostitution and child sex tourism in Kenya were not criminalized until 2006, according to the U.S. State Department's 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report. The report went on to state that "girls and boys are exploited in commercial sex throughout Kenya, including in sex tourism in Nairobi, Kisumu, and on the coast, particularly in informal settlements; at times, their exploitation is facilitated by family members."

Drought conditions ease

Drought conditions show some signs of easing. The most recent Early Warning Bulletin for Turkana county by Kenya's National Drought Management Authority found that recent rainfall will raise water levels, improve vegetation and benefit the condition of livestock, improving the overall food security picture.

The U.S.-funded Famine Early Warnings Systems Network forecasts that conditions in Kenya will shift toward minimal and stressed levels of food insecurity, the lowest levels on their scale, from October to January. However, much of Turkana will continue to experience crisis levels of food insecurity.

Meanwhile, funding shortfalls have hindered humanitarian organizations in every country affected by prolonged drought and severe food insecurity. For the IRC, that's meant cutting back on their support programs and laying off staff.

Donors should reinstate funding now, supporting girls to get out of commercial sex work and have better and safer opportunities to feed themselves and their families, said Conor Phillips, Kenya country director at the International Rescue Committee.
Violence surged in rural central Kenya earlier this year as armed northern herders brought thousands of cattle, sheep and goats onto private property, prompting clashes that took the lives of humans and wildlife.



As drought raged on, it did not help that some politicians encouraged constituents to graze their livestock wherever they could find grass and water.



Peter Hetz, executive director of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum, says that although the recent elections and change in government were peaceful, there are still unresolved issues.



People are feeling optimistic and empowered by the power of the vote and the ability to vote out some of the people who were implied in the early politicization of this county and the maneuverings of armed people, and livestock. And I think people are generally feeling good, said Hetz. The fact remains that there are still people who have guns and there are still livestock that dont belong here, roaming the territory and the government must still resolve to do something about that.

According to Kenyas Ministry of Interior spokesman, Mwenda Njoka, security operations in the central parts of the country are still ongoing.



I could give assurance to both the locals and the foreigners who are in that area that at least security has returned to normal, has significantly normalized, said Njoka.



Josh Perrett, manager of Laikipias Mugie Ranch, agrees that things have improved since earlier this year: the grass has returned, the wildlife look better, and poaching has dropped "significantly."

Illegal grazing remains

But Perrett says the illegal grazing continues, citing several occasions since the end of July when his team has caught herds of roughly 400 cattle at a time on the property.

Every day we have issues with cows coming in from somewhere. Its just not to the scale or to the aggression that it was in January, said Perrett.



The relative gains experienced in central Kenya have not reached the northern semi-arid rangelands, home of many of the pastoralists, according to Frank Pope, CEO of Save the Elephants.



He says that after many decades of sustained overgrazing and rising human populations, the top soil has now disappeared from many of the areas. And as a result, there is nowhere for the large numbers of goats and cattle to graze.

And everyone is chasing the last grass. Theres been no good rain in the north. There have been some patches of rain, but really, theres no let up for the situation in the north. And well wait to see what the new government decides to do and whether they decide they can grasp this nettle of how to control grazing amongst the pastoralists. But if they dont, I think the north will continue its march towards full desert conditions, said Pope.



Experts have encouraged the government to implement long-term rangeland management practices in the north, and to explore options of tagging livestock, in order to keep track of who owns which animals.
For Nel Jayaraman, the realization that hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides were making farmers more vulnerable to extreme weather came slowly.

In fields near the town of Thiruthuraipoondi in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Jayaraman saw yields falling and farmers' debt rising as their reliance on modern seeds and pesticides grew, even as the rains became increasingly fickle.

Fifteen years ago, Jayaraman gave up both, returning to traditional varieties and organic farming methods that had become nearly extinct in the Cauvery river delta region where his family had lived for generations.

Since then, he has revived about 150 indigenous varieties of rice, and become an evangelist for traditional seeds and organic farming, which he sees as key to combating the impact of climate change and protecting harvests and farmers' incomes.

"Hybrid varieties need more water, fertilizers and pesticides. They are just not sustainable in this region," he argued in his small office as a steady stream of farmers walked in and out to talk to him or buy seeds. "We should go back to traditional varieties that are suited to this soil, that can withstand these conditions. It is the only way farmers can make a decent living."

That is particularly crucial as Tamil Nadu faces its worst drought in more than a century, after the monsoon rains failed last year, he said.

Green Revolution

As India's population expanded quickly after its independence from colonial rule in 1947, the government backed a program to increase food production to meet rising demand.

The Green Revolution, launched in the 1960s, increased harvests with improved technology, including high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice developed by scientists, and greater use of chemical fertilizers.

While productivity rose, there has been criticism that the benefits were overstated, that the cultivation methods damaged the land and drained groundwater, and that the gene pool for staple crops narrowed, leaving farmers fewer options when faced with disease and drought.

Several organizations in southern India have since launched efforts to revive traditional cultivation and rice varieties.

The Center for Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS), for example, has revived dozens of traditional rice varieties that are resistant to pests and disease, capable of dealing with floods and drought, and that have valuable medicinal properties.

"Particularly for coastal regions such as this, you need varieties that can handle the higher salinity of the soil and groundwater, and are resistant to drought," said Subhashini Sridhar at CIKS in neighboring Nagapattinam district.

"You need a large and diverse genetic pool to preserve these qualities," she said, citing the example of the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which hit Nagapattinam hard.

Afterward, only some traditional varieties could be successfully grown because salinity in the soil and groundwater was higher than normal.

Less damage

About 60 percent of India's population depends on land to make a living.

But while agriculture made up more than two-thirds of a farm family's income in the 1980s, its share is less than a third today as commodity prices have fallen but the costs of seed, fertilizer and pesticides have risen.

Rising debt  in part from harvests slashed by drought and uneven rainfall  has triggered tens of thousands of farmer suicides, including in Tamil Nadu.

Jayaraman and Sridhar see traditional seeds as a solution.

Farmers do not need to buy seed every year as they have to with hybrids  instead they simply save part of their harvest to replant  and the older varieties often need less water and do not need chemical fertilizers and pesticides, Jayaraman said.

A move to more healthful eating in India's cities has also sparked demand for traditional grains and organic fruits and vegetables, for which consumers are willing to pay more, he said.

About 37,000 farmers in the delta region are now cultivating traditional rice varieties, said Jayaraman.

Irregular rainfall and extreme weather, including drought in the Cauvery delta over the past decade, have convinced more farmers of their merits, he said.

"But it can be hard to switch, as the government subsidizes fertilizers and pesticides and gives cheap loans to farmers, leading them deeper into debt when crops fail or prices fall," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"Instead, they should subsidize organic farming and promote it better," he said.

100,000 varieties

India was once home to about 100,000 varieties of indigenous rice, but the Green Revolution wiped out most of them, and consumers began to prefer eating the fine-grained, polished white hybrid varieties that were promoted by the government.

Government support for reviving traditional grains and for organic farming has been uneven.

The northeastern state of Sikkim became the first organic state in January 2016. Nine other states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, have an organic farming policy.

Separately, organic farming is also drawing an unlikely enthusiast: city-dwelling professionals.

They include Senthil Kumar, a former software engineer who quit his job a year ago to focus on his seven-acre (three-hectare) organic farm, a two-hour drive from the southern city of Chennai where he lives.

"When I realized the impact of chemicals and pesticides on my health and the environment, I started looking at the organic alternative," said Kumar, who then set up a nonprofit to train farmers and urban enthusiasts with some help from Jayaraman.

"We have such a wealth of traditional grains, pulses and native cattle that benefited farmers for centuries. They are too valuable to lose," he said.
Indonesia will buy 11 Sukhoi fighter jets worth $1.14 billion from Russia in exchange for cash and Indonesian commodities, two Cabinet ministers said Tuesday.

The Southeast Asian country has pledged to ship up to $570 million worth of commodities in addition to cash to pay for the Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets, which are expected to be delivered in stages starting in two years.

Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu that details of the type and volume of commodities were still being negotiated. Previously he had said the exports could include palm oil, tea and coffee.

The deal is expected to be finalized soon between Indonesian state trading company PT Perusahaan Perdangangan Indonesia and Russian state conglomerate Rostec.

Russia is currently facing a new round of U.S.-imposed trade sanctions.

Meanwhile, Southeast Asias largest economy is trying to promote its palm oil products amid threats of a cut in consumption by European Union countries. Indonesia is also trying to modernize its aging air force after a string of military aviation accidents.

Indonesia, which had a $411 million trade surplus with Russia in 2016, wants to expand bilateral cooperation in tourism, education, energy, technology and aviation among others.
Iraqi troops on Tuesday reached the first urban areas of the Islamic State-held northern town of Tal Afar on the third day of a multi-pronged operation, said a military commander.



U.S.-trained elite forces, known as the Counter Terrorism Service, entered the al-Kifah neighborhood on the southwest edge of town, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, who commands the operation, said in a statement. He didn't give more details.



Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil, of the Iraqi special forces, told The Associated Press that the advancing troops didn't face tough resistance from IS fighters, though they did fire rockets, sent suicide car bombers and used roadside bombs.



Fadhil expected the fighting to get even heavier as they push into the town's center which is about 4.5 kilometers (about 3 miles) away. Civilians were not seen fleeing the area, he added.



The U.S.-backed operation was launched Sunday, a month after Iraq declared victory over IS in Mosul, the country's second largest city. Tal Afar, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the Syrian border, is in one of the last pockets of IS-held territory in Iraq.



Along with the special forces, Iraq's regular army, militarized Federal Police and Shiite-dominated paramilitary forces are taking part in the assault. Iraq's state-run TV aired live footage showing pillars of smoke rising in the distance as military vehicles traveled through wide, arid areas.



Iraqi forces have driven IS from most of the major towns and cities seized by the militants in the summer of 2014, including Mosul, which was retaken after a grueling nine-month campaign.



But along with Tal Afar, the militants are still fully in control of the northern town of Hawija as well as Qaim, Rawa and Ana, in western Iraq near the Syrian border.
When President Donald Trump announced his long-awaited policy on Afghanistan, his remarks Monday hinted the plan was a compromise between his instinct, to pull out, and advice he received that a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including IS and al-Qaida, would instantly fill.



The broad strokes of the policy appeared to be the same as the Obama administration - beat back the Taliban, increase pressure on Pakistan and demand reform from the Afghan government.



Shamila Chaudhary, the team director for Afghanistan and Pakistan for President Barack Obamas National Security Council from 2010-2011, pointed out her team also had the goal of going after al-Qaida and other terrorist networks using, as Trump said, all instruments of American power - diplomatic, economic and military.



Trumps policy, however, includes changes at the operational level.

The Pentagon, for example, is shifting "from a time-based approach to one based on conditions as well as an expansion in authority for ground commanders to carry out battlefield decisions without micromanagement from Washington.



No longer will timelines of troop withdrawals, or troop levels, be divulged in advance. Critics of Obamas strategy said announcing withdrawal dates ahead of time gave the Taliban an incentive to wait it out.

Pakistan criticism



Trump was harsher in his criticism of Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, he said.



While recognizing Pakistan has been a partner and has suffered from terrorism, he added, We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting.



He said that had to change immediately.

When asked about Trump's speech, Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told VOA his country has "neither any tolerance nor an safe haven for any terrorist."

"Pakistan has paid the highest price for [fighting] terrorism," Iqbal said Tuesday. "So, we are fighting terrorism not for any country's sake but for our own future and for our country's sake."



For years, the United States has demanded Pakistan do more against the Afghan Taliban taking shelter on its territory, particularly the Haqqani network. Pakistan has said it is doing all it can, including conducting military operations against all terrorists. Behind the scenes, however, Islamabad has said if it cracks down too harshly on the Afghan Taliban, they would join anti-Pakistan militant groups and turn their guns on Pakistan.



The U.S. could not exclude Pakistan and it could not accept this Pakistani explanation, said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst based in Lahore. He added the United States understands a solution to Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistan.

Tools for change

During his speech late Monday, President Trump offered Pakistan a carrot and a stick approach, saying, Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.



Trump also indicated he would increase Indias role in Afghanistan.



Ahmad Majidyar, a senior fellow with the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said Trump mentioned India for two reasons - first, as part of his belief other countries should shoulder more of the burden of international crises and, second, to pressure Pakistan, which has always been wary of Indian influence in Afghanistan.

Islamabad does not want its rival to become so influential in Afghanistan that it confronts Pakistan from the west. Pakistan has often accused the Afghan intelligence agency of working with India to support insurgents in its restive Balochistan province.



But Awais Laghari, a leading member of Pakistans ruling party and Cabinet member, says, If you want to extract something positive (from Pakistan) you cant do the stick policy. It has not worked so far. We have our own limitations, he added.



Kamran Bokhari, a senior fellow with the Center for Global Policy and a senior analyst with Geopolitical Future, said the Trump administration could also make it difficult for Pakistan to find money, from international lending institutions like the IMF or the World Bank.

Other policy options could include increased use of drone strikes or Special Forces operations to take out targets on Pakistani soil; but, such past actions have led to a rise in anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. Some analysts say it provides propaganda tools for militant recruiting.



Afghan responsibility



Trump also put Afghanistan on notice, saying it is time for the country to take ownership of its future, remarks former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was in power for nearly a decade until 2014, took issue with in a series of tweets.

"I very strongly oppose the new U.S. strategy towards Afghanistan as it is against peace and the national interest of #Afghanistan," Karzai tweeted Tuesday. "The strategy excludes bringing peace and prosperity to Afghanistan and is focused on more war and rivalry in the region. U.S. must seek peace and stability in Afghanistan rather than extending conflict and bloodshed in #Afghanistan and the region."



A statement by U.S. embassy Kabul Special Charge dAffaires Ambassador Hugo Llorens clarified U.S. expectations.



The Afghan government must redouble its reform efforts and deliver on vital promises such as holding parliamentary elections next year and presidential elections in 2019, rooting out corruption, and enacting the tough reforms necessary for meaningful private sector-led economic growth. To maintain stability in the face of insurgent threats, Afghanistans leaders must also increase outreach to all ethnic groups and seek greater diversity and inclusivity in the government.



Infighting between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullahs camps since the 2014 elections has delayed meaningful electoral reforms. Meanwhile, rampant corruption has made efforts to govern, control the narco-trade, or even fight the Taliban insurgency harder.



Jawaid Faisal, the deputy spokesman for Abdullah, acknowledged Afghans need to deliver on reform, adding Afghanistan is committed to becoming a self-reliant state.



Ghani deputy spokesman Najibullah Azad says the country has undertaken reform. "We have successfully drafted a four-year security plan; top Afghan officials who were accused of corruption have been sentenced."

Trump said the days of America trying to create a society in its image are over, adding, We will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society.



Majidyar said this gave rise to fears the administration might withdraw support for civil society and reduce emphasis on womens rights, promotion of democracy, and development of political institutions. Most Afghans want peace, but not at the cost of all the gains made in 16 years, he said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on an unannounced visit to Iraq Tuesday that significant progress has been made in ousting Islamic State from the country.

"Cities have been liberated, people freed from ISIS," Mattis told reporters in Baghdad referring to the militant group. "They (IS militants) have been shown to be unable to stand up to our team in combat and they have not retaken one inch of ground that they've lost."

Before flying to Baghdad, where Mattis discussed security cooperation with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Mattis predicted IS' "days are numbered," while cautioning that the defeat of the militant group is not imminent. The Pentagon chief also cautioned that stabilizing Iraq is "not going to happen overnight."



U.S. support

U.S. State Department presidential envoy Brett McGurk, who accompanied Mattis to Iraq, reiterated that IS has "not reclaimed any ground," allowing 2

million Iraqi's to return to their homes in "liberated areas."

McGurk said U.N. humanitarian efforts and coalition political operations helped create "post-conflict phase" conditions in some areas.

"Our coalition operations and other operations have freed 5 million people now from the clutches of ISIS," he said.

U.S. forces have been leading a coalition of countries conducting airstrikes and other military operations in support of Iraq's military since August 2014, a few months after Islamic State fighters swept through large areas of northern and western Iraq. The Iraqi troops scored a major victory in July by recapturing control of Mosul, the nation's second largest city.

On Sunday, Iraq's military launched an offensive to take back Tal Afar, an area about 60 kilometers west of Mosul.

The U.S. coalition is also supporting efforts to expel Islamic State from areas it controls in neighboring Syria, including its de facto capital in the city of Raqqa.

Mattis said Tuesday a focus of the Syrian campaign will be in the middle Euphrates valley, an area of Islamic State control extending along the Euphrates River south of Raqqa from Der el-Zour down to the Iraqi border.

One challenge for Iraq's future will be avoiding the fragmentation between the country's Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish factions.

Mattis' meetings also include planned talks with Massoud Barzani, leader of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region where next month there is a referendum scheduled on independence from the government in Baghdad.

Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the coalition, said this is not the time to undertake the vote.

"A referendum at this time would be potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign," he said.
Following an announcement by President Donald Trump declaring the United States' commitment to Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Tuesday he has not yet made a decision on how many troops to send to the South Asian country.

Speaking from Baghdad, Mattis said he is consulting with Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and will make the decision based on his plan.

In an evening address from a military base outside Washington Monday, Trump said that he would not talk about numbers of troops or plans for further military activities, unveiling a "condition-based approach" to defeating terrorism in Afghanistan, without going into detail.

Troop levels



The president has approved up to 4,000 more U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to sources, speaking on condition they not be named.

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Most are advising Afghan forces, though some are tasked with carrying out counterterrorism operations against groups such as the Taliban or the Islamic States Afghan affiliate.



That number is down significantly from the height of former President Barack Obamas troop surge, which saw nearly 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in August 2010.

After years of deriding the U.S. war in Afghanistan as a "complete waste," President Donald Trump on Monday explained why he now believes it is in the United States' interest to remain committed to the South Asian country.

His goal, he said, is to stop the re-emergence of safe havens for terrorists to threaten America and make sure they do not get their hands on nuclear weapons.



"Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will," Trump told about 2,000 service members at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.



Immediately following the presidents speech, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released a statement saying: "We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions. We look to the international community, particularly Afghanistans neighbors, to join us in supporting an Afghan peace process."

Trump, in his address, however, very publicly and directly put Pakistan on notice.



"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists they are fighting. But that will have to change and that will change immediately," Trump vowed.



WATCH: Highlights of Trump speech



The presidents address received mixed initial reviews.



"The president failed to define the goals or objectives that would direct the actions of the whole of government approach. The only thing he demonstrated was that his original belief that you can rip troops out of a combat zone without considering the fallout of that action was, in fact, wrong," said Moira Whelan, a partner of BlueDot Strategies and former senior State Department official.

"Trump repealed his original Afghanistan position, but he failed to replace it with something that will make America safer," Whelan told VOA.



Longest US war

The conflict in Afghanistan  with a factionalized unity government riddled with systemic corruption -- has dragged on for 16 years, becoming the longest U.S. war ever, since the Sept. 11, 2001 al-Qaida attacks on the United States.



Expressing frustration, Trump informed Afghanistan that the commitment by the United States is not unlimited and Americas support not a blank check.



The American people, he warned, expect "to see real reforms and real results."



U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, at Trump's request, spoke to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday ahead of the address.

Tillerson had spoken over the phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, according to the State Department, about how the United States would like to work with each country to stabilize South Asia through a new, integrated regional strategy.



U.S. generals advised Trump to send several thousand more troops to break the stalemate and retake territory from the Taliban, which controls nearly half the country. But Trump, who campaigned on an "America First" foreign policy, has been reluctant to commit more resources to the country.



Reaction

Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani expressed appreciation for Trump's decision Tuesday.

"Today is a special day because a few hours ago the United States' president delivered his speech," Ghani said. "His message was that after this, there is no limited time or conditions on their support for Afghanistan. America will stand with Afghanistan until the end."

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg expressed support for Trump's strategy, saying the alliance aims to ensure Afghanistan cannot be a terrorist sanctuary.

Ahmad Shah Katawazai, a defense liaison at the Afghan embassy in Washington, told VOA he welcomes the renewed U.S. commitment to Afghanistan.



"We think this will ultimately take us to what we want in the end -- allowing no safe haven for terrorists, helping the Afghan government stand on its own feet and putting more pressure on Pakistan," he said.

A spokesperson for India's Ministry for External Affairs also welcomed Trump's pledge to confront "issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists."

There was no immediate public reaction from Pakistan's government, but Pakistan's Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told VOA that the government would be issuing a statement, without specifying when.

"There is neither any tolerance nor any safe haven for any terrorist in Pakistan. Pakistan has paid the highest price for (fighting) terrorism. So, we are fighting terrorism not for any country's stake but for our own future and for our country's sake," Iqbal said.

Retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis said he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, "when there were 140,000 U.S. and NATO troops." He said he saw "firsthand that the insurgent and terrorist fighters cannot be militarily defeated."

"Short of a return of major deployments of tens of thousands of U.S. combat troops, this is not a winnable war," Davis told VOA. "No matter what the president said, this war flatly cannot be won militarily. To set a strategy dependent on militarily defeating the enemy is going to fail, just as surely as all other attempts have over the past 16 years."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 04:42:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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PRAGUE, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Czech government has approved on Monday to buy out a pig farm located on the site of a former Nazi protectorate concentration camp for the Romani in Lety, Pisek, a town 100 km south of Prague.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said he is very glad that the government has made the decision, adding that the victims of Nazi persecution and the Holocaust "deserve our respect".

He said the decision is important from a symbolic point of view as the cabinet has finally removed the embarrassment that used to be a burden for the country for decades since the pig farm was built in 1972.

Czech Minister of Culture Daniel Herman told reporters that pig breeding is due to end in late spring next year. A decent memorial is expected to be established in the near future.

The sale contract between the state and AGPI company, the owner of the pig farm, will be signed next month.

AGPI Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Jan Cech confirmed Monday that as soon as AGPI has signed the contract for the sale of the state premises, its shareholders have to give their consent at the general meeting as well. The contract will become effective after the New Year.

The price so far is not announced, but will be disclosed once all papers are signed. Previously Czech President Milos Zeman said that he had refused to shut down the farm as a prime minister because it would cost taxpayers around 400 million crowns (about 18 million U.S. dollars).

The Roma activist communities perceive the purchase as a relief and hope for its soon demolition.

The Czech Republic has been largely criticized by local organizations and international institutions. The European Parliament also called for the removal of the farm.

The camp in Lety was opened in August 1940 as a working camp under the protectorate of Nazi Germany during the WWII. Since May 1943, over 1,300 Romani had passed the camp, and 327 of them died.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says there is "zero chance'' Congress will allow the country to default on its debts by voting to not increase the borrowing limit.



McConnell's comments came Monday during a joint appearance in his home state of Kentucky with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. It was one of McConnell's first public appearances since President Donald Trump publicly criticized him for failing to pass a repeal and replacement of former President Barack Obama's health care law.



McConnell did not mention Trump in his remarks, and he did not take questions from reporters after the event. But in response to a question about where he gets his news, McConnell said he reads a variety of sources, including The New York Times.



"My view is most news is not fake,'' McConnell said, which appeared to be a subtle rebuke of one of Trump's favorite phrases. "I try not to fall in love with any particular source.''



The government has enough money to pay its bills until Sept. 29. After that, Congress would have to give permission for the government to borrow more money to meet its obligations, including Social Security and interest payments.

McConnell sought to calm a crowd of nervous business leaders by interjecting at the end of Mnuchin's answer to a question about what would happen if lawmakers did not increase the borrowing limit.



"Let me just add, there is zero chance, no chance, we won't raise the debt ceiling,'' McConnell said. "America is not going to default.''



Addressing the country's borrowing limit will be the most pressing issue when lawmakers return to Washington following their August recess. After that, Republicans will likely turn their attention to overhauling the nation's tax code.



McConnell said Congress is unlikely to repeal a pair of Obama-era laws most hated by conservatives. While negotiations about health care are ongoing, McConnell said the path forward is "somewhat murky.'' And he said it would be "challenging'' to lift the restrictions placed on banks following the 2008 financial crisis, known as "Dodd-Frank.''



On tax reform, McConnell said the only thing lawmakers won't consider eliminating are deductions on mortgage interest and charitable deductions.
Morgan Freeman, the versatile actor known for playing gods, presidents and pimps, will be honored with the 2017 lifetime achievement award by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) at its annual ceremony in January.

Freeman, 80, whose prolific career spans 50 years and more than 100 movies, will join the likes of past recipients Lily Tomlin, Debbie Reynolds and Dick Van Dyke when he gets the honor at a Los Angeles ceremony on Jan. 21. SAG announced the award on Tuesday.

"Some actors spend their entire careers waiting for the perfect role. Morgan showed us that true perfection is what a performer brings to the part," SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement.

"He is innovative, fearless and completely unbound by expectations," she added.

The award is given annually to the actor who fosters the finest ideals of the acting profession.

Freeman's calm demeanor and authoritative voice has seen him cast as God, or the voice of God, in movies including "Bruce Almighty," and he played the role of president in "Invictus" and "Deep Impact." In 2005 he won an Oscar for playing a former boxer in "Million Dollar Baby."
North Korea on Tuesday described President Donald Trump as a leader who frequently tweets weird articles of his ego-driven thoughts and spouts rubbish to give his assistants a hard time.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency made the comments in response to tough talk in Washington and Seoul over threats posed by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.



In the same commentary, KCNA also criticized South Korea's ``puppy-like'' Defense Minister Song Young-moo, who it said was running wild while relying on the master of the White House. Song recently ordered the South's military to be prepared to immediately and sternly punish any kind of provocation by North Korea, which has caused hostility with two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month and a threat to lob missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam.



Trump spouted rubbish that if a war breaks out, it would be on the Korean Peninsula, and if thousands of people die, they would be only Koreans and Americans may sleep a sound sleep,'' KCNA wrote, ridiculing Song for "pinning hope on that mad guy.''



The agency's comments came hours after North Korea's military issued its standard fiery threats over ongoing joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korean militaries, vowing merciless retaliation for exercises Pyongyang claims are an invasion rehearsal. The allies describe the annual war games as defensive in nature.



North Korea has unleashed personal attacks on past Washington and Seoul leaders, calling former president Barack Obama a monkey and ex-South Korean president Park Geun-hye a prostitute. Trump was previously described in North Korean state media as going senile and a war maniac bereft of reason.



Trump has used Twitter to launch his own insults at North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un. On August 11, Trump tweeted that military solutions were fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely amid the standoff between Washington and Pyongyang over the Guam missile threat. But he complimented Kim five days later for making a very wise and well reasoned decision after Pyongyang walked away from the threat.
In U.S. President Donald Trump's long-awaited strategy announcement on Afghanistan, he put forth a case for staying the course and not allowing the country to become a haven for terrorists who would once again pose a threat to U.S. national security.

I share the American peoples frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, President Trump said, promising to end nation-building and only focus on U.S. national security interests.

Trump warned against a hasty exit from Afghanistan in the face of a growing Taliban insurgency and Islamic States emerging threat.

He said the U.S. will stay in Afghanistan for as long as it takes to win the war in the country.

Trump, however, said the U.S commitment to Afghanistan is not "unlimited" and support is not a blank check, urging the latter to bring forth necessary reforms and fight rampant corruption.



Regional reaction

Reaction to Trump's new South Asia strategy is mixed.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the strategy and pledged his government will be a reliable partner.

I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism, Ghani said in a statement.

Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistans interior minister, pushed back against the charge that his country harbors terrorists.



"There is neither any tolerance nor any safe haven for any terrorist in Pakistan. Pakistan has paid the highest price for [fighting] terrorism. So, we are fighting terrorism not for any country's sake, but for our own future and for our country's sake, Iqbal told VOA.

Pakistan's rival, India, welcomed the new strategy.

India welcomes Trumps determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges faced by Afghanistan and in confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

China praised Pakistans efforts in the ongoing war on terror in the region.

We believe that the international community should fully recognize Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts, Hua Chunying, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a press briefing.

Challenges of the new strategy

Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S ambassador to Afghanistan, said he thinks putting pressure on Pakistan is the right approach.

Confronting the challenge posed by Pakistan directly. This is the most important change. Pakistan has been helping directly the Taliban and Haqqani network to cause frustration in the U.S. and cause the U.S. to abandon Afghanistan and take Afghanistan back to conditions prior to 9/11, Khalilzad said.

With respect to India, the president nested this inside a large strategic goal of convincing Pakistan to abandon its support for terror, Rebecca Zimmerman, a policy analyst with RAND Corporation, told VOA.

She warned that advocating a closer relationship between India and Pakistan is more likely to cause Pakistan to dig in its support for those groups, as it feels more isolated and threatened.

Zimmerman added that restarted U.S.-India and India-Afghanistan relationships would need to take into account the growing relationship between China and Pakistan, and should avoid bringing those two countries yet closer.

Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Pakistan-based security analyst, believes the U.S. cannot lose Pakistan in the process.

The United States and Pakistan are not in a position to discard each other; its not possible for both the countries, although they hold grudges against each other, Rizvi said. America accuses Pakistan of harboring terrorism and Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of allowing terrorists to use its land to carry out terror activates in Pakistan and criticizes America for not taking any notice or action about it.

Incomplete regional strategy

Some experts say the strategy leaves out key players, namely Iran, Russia and China. The first two are actively engaged in supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The speech also failed to address at all the more aggressive interlopers that have been approaching Afghanistan, such as China, Russia, And Iran, Thomas Johnson, who specializes in Afghanistan and national security issues at the Naval Postgraduate School, told VOA.

While remote but not entirely out of the question is the probability of Afghanistan becoming the venue for a proxy war between some of these countries if not properly managed, Johnson added.

James Dobbins, a former U.S special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, serving under both former President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush in Afghanistan, sided with President Trump on the issue of creating a realistic environment for peace talks in Afghanistan.

President Trump indicated that at some time, peace talks may become a realistic option and he wasnt opposed to that. But he recognized, I think properly, that the Taliban werent going to make peace as long as they think to be winning, he told VOA.

Waheed Muzhda, a Kabul-based Taliban expert, believes the strategy will increase fighting and divide the Afghan Taliban when it comes to peace talks.

The strategy will strengthen the position of the Taliban members who were opposed to a political solution and the proponents of a political solution will be weakened, Muzhda said.

Timelines to conditions

Ambassador Khalilzad welcomed the presidents decision to shift from a timeline-based approach to a condition-based one.

Timelines in the past have encouraged terrorists and extremists, and Pakistan to wait us out, he said.

On the issue of conditions, Dobbins believes it has yet to be seen whether Trump will stick to what he said.
U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Scott Swift said Tuesday that divers have recovered human remains from the USS John McCain, the second U.S. guided-missile destroyer to collide with a commercial vessel in as many months.

"The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today," Scott said at a news conference in Singapore.

Swift also said the U.S. Navy is trying to identify a body that was recovered by the Malaysian navy and determine whether it was one of the 10 U.S. sailors who went missing in the collision. The search for other missing sailors continues.

The U.S. Navy is promising to take "a much more aggressive stance" as it tries to determine what led to the collision with a tanker near the Strait of Malacca, resulting in the USS John S. McCain sustaining "significant damage."

Photos released by the U.S. Navy show a gaping hole, below the waterline, on the John S. McCains port side. A statement from the U.S. 7th Fleet said some sleeping areas and communications rooms flooded as a result.

Operational pause



In response to the incident, the Navy ordered an immediate operational pause across the U.S. fleet.

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said the pause, lasting one to two days, will give commanders a chance to evaluate everything from how officers conduct themselves on the bridge to shipwide working conditions.

"Theres something out there that were not getting at," Richardson told Pentagon reporters late Monday while discussing the latest mishap, adding there is no indication so far that anyone intentionally caused the collision.

Richardson has also ordered a broader investigation that will look at potential root causes for what he described as a series of mishaps at sea  from training and operational tempo to equipment and maintenance. He said that effort would bring in experts from outside the Navy to make sure nothing is overlooked.

"We need to get at this, get this done," he said. "Just heartbroken at having to deal with this again."



The collision between USS John S. McCain and the Liberian-flagged tanker ship Alnic MC early Monday is the second involving a ship from the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet in the Pacific in two months. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship hit each other in waters off Japan.

In the case of the USS Fitzgerald, the Navy relieved the captain of his command and other sailors are to be punished after an inquiry found poor seamanship and flaws in keeping watch contributed to the collision.

Two other U.S. Navy ships have also been involved in mishaps this year, one bumping into a fishing boat and the other running aground.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters while traveling in Jordan he "fully supports" the Navys broader probe that "will look into all related accidents at sea."

"Once we have those facts, we'll share them with you," Mattis said.

Despite the damage, the USS McCain was able to pull into Singapore's Changi Naval Base under its own power.

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority said the Alnic MC also sustained damage, but that there were no injuries among its crew.

Rescue operation



The Singapore military evacuated four of the injured sailors by helicopter to a hospital in Singapore, where they are being treated for injuries that were not life threatening. The fifth sailor did not require medical attention.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed support on Twitter, writing that his "thoughts and prayers" are with the sailors aboard the McCain.



The USS McCain is named for the father and grandfather of U.S. Senator John McCain, who each served as U.S. Navy admirals.

In a statement Monday, Senator McCain agreed with the Navys efforts to identify the root problems quickly.

"More forceful action is urgently needed to identify and correct the causes of the recent ship collisions," he said. "Our sailors who risk their lives every day, in combat and in training, deserve no less."
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has welcomed North Korea's decision to reduce its belligerent rhetoric in response to new sanctions by the United Nations Security Council.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday at the State Department, Tillerson said: "I am pleased to see that the regime in Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that we have not seen in the past."

The United States hopes this means North Korea is planning to restrain its "provocative acts" in the future, Tillerson said, adding: "Perhaps we are seeing our pathway to, sometime in the near future, having some dialogue."

Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Chinese and Russian companies and individuals involved in business deals with North Korea that are believed to have aided its nuclear weapons program.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the 10 companies and six individuals helped North Korea generate revenue that could be used to pay for weapons programs. The businesses and their executives do business with previously sanctioned companies and people who work with the Roth Korean energy sector.

The U.S. Justice Department has filed lawsuits seeking $11 million from companies based in China and Singapore that are accused of conspiring to help North Korea evade sanctions.

A Chinese diplomat called the new sanctions a "mistake," according to news reports from Beijing.

The latest round of increased tensions surrounding North Korea followed Pyongyang's two test launches last month of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which precipitated the U.N. Security Council's decision to impose new and tighter sanctions.

"I think it is worth noting that we have had no missile launches or provocative acts on the part of North Korea since the unanimous adoption of the U.N. Security Council Resolution," Tillerson said Tuesday in a rare briefing for reporters. "And I want to take note of that. I want to acknowledge it."

The top U.S. diplomat said "we need to see more" from North Korea to demonstrate restraint, "but I want to acknowledge the steps they have taken thus far. I think it's important to take note of that."

North Korea warning

Despite Tillerson's conciliatory words, North Korea warned Tuesday that it will "retaliate" for joint U.S.-South Korean military drills under way on the Korean peninsula. A North Korean statement promised "merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment" in response to the drills.

The exercises began Monday and are expected to last 10 days.

North Korea normally uses provocative rhetoric or conducts military weapons tests during the annual exercises, but Pyongyang's rhetoric this year has been more heated than usual, depicting U.S.-South Korean drills as "an aggressive war scenario" designed to execute "pre-emptive strikes" against the North.

Relations between North and South Korea are usually strained, but tensions escalated after Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exchanged threats for weeks following the two missile tests last month, which Pyongyang said were designed to show that its military is capable of striking as far away as the United States, in addition to American allies South Korea and Japan.
Senegal has reinstated its ambassador to Qatar in a bid to encourage the resolution of a dispute between Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies and Doha, the Foreign Ministry said.

Senegal recalled its ambassador three months ago along with other African countries such as Chad and Niger who followed suit and also expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, whose charities funnel millions of dollars in aid money to the region.

"With this act, Senegal strongly encourages efforts to peacefully resolve the crisis between Qatar and neighboring countries," said Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye in a statement in French sent to journalists late on Monday.

The majority Sunni country and Western ally has in the past shown support for Saudi Arabia by offering to send troops in 2015 to back a Saudi-led coalition fighting a Houthi rebellion.

More recently, President Macky Sall attended a high-profile visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Riyadh in May.
The Somali Islamic extremist group al-Shabab is confirming that one of its top commanders was killed by a U.S. airstrike in July.

The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist groups, says al-Shabab issued a statement Monday confirming the killing of Ali Muhammad Hussein, also known as Ali Jabal.

A statement from the U.S. Africa Command in early August said the strike on July 30 killed Jabal. It said Jabal was "responsible for leading al-Shabab forces operating in the Mogadishu and Banadiir regions in planning and executing attacks against the capital of Mogadishu."

The strike reportedly hit an al-Shabab stronghold in the Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia.

Al-Shabab often carries out deadly attacks on high-profile targets in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the Horn of Africa country.
Four suspects arrested in connection with last weeks deadly van attack in Barcelona are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, a day after police shot and killed the man they say was the vans driver.

Authorities say a 12-man terror cell was behind the attack, and that eight of the suspects have either been killed by police or died in an accidental explosion at their bomb-making facility the day before the attack.

The massive manhunt for the last outstanding suspect, Younes Abouyaaqoub, ended Monday in a rural area known for its vineyards about 45 kilometers west of Barcelona. Authorities say they shot the fugitive after he held up what appeared to be a bomb belt, which they later discovered was fake.

We confirm that the man shot dead in #subirats is Younes Abouyaaqoub, author of the terrorist attack in #barcelona, police tweeted Monday.

Catalan Interior Minister Joaquim Forn told Catalunya radio that everything indicates Younes Abouyaaqoub was behind the wheel of the van during Thursdays Barcelona attack that killed 15 people.

Police say a bomb disposal robot was dispatched to approach the mans body after the shooting to check the apparent suicide belt.

They said officers were alerted to the fugitive by a caller who reported a suspicious person near the local train station and then by another witness who said she was sure she saw Abouyaaqoub in the small town of Subirats fleeing through the vineyards. Authorities later found the man hiding in the vineyards and asked for his identification, leading to the shootout.

Islamic connections

Many of the suspects had connections to the northeastern town of Ripoll, one of the places where police have focused their investigation.

Authorities say Abouyaaqoub, who was born in Morocco and has Spanish residency, also is suspected of carjacking a man and stabbing him to death as he made his getaway from the Barcelona attack.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack along with another vehicle attack Friday in which a car crashed into people in the resort town of Cambrils, Spain, and the attackers then got out and tried to stab people. One person was killed and several people were wounded. Authorities believe both attacks were carried out by the same terrorist cell.

Authorities believe an imam named Abdelbaki Es Satty may have radicalized some of those who carried out the attack in Barcelona and the later attack in Cambrils. The imam was among those killed in the explosion at the bomb-making facility.

Arrests may have prevented more attacks

Deakin University professor of global Islamic politics Greg Barton told VOA Spains previous arrests of terrorism suspects could explain why it has not dealt with the same number of attacks as other countries in Europe, such as France and Belgium in recent years.

Spain is not immune from these problems, particularly Catalonia, where there are links with northern Morocco, Barton said. But Spain up until now has been able to keep on top of the problem, whereas France and Belgium have been struggling.

Barton also said there does not seem to be any particular link between the influx of migrants to Europe and these attacks.

The individuals being recruited have largely grown up in the countries where theyre recruited and they launch attacks in neighborhoods familiar to them, he said.
For 100-year-old Tamam Shaheen, the day Islamic State militants took over her village was not particularly memorable.



One night Free Syrian Army rebels were occupying our village and the next day it just changed, she said, sitting on the concrete floor of a one-room house with an unlit cigarette in her hand. All those bearded people were here.



During their rule over her village, Sarran, IS militants ruined the local economy and forced villagers to adhere to dress codes. They tried, unsuccessfully, to enforce a strict no-smoking policy, but none of this impacted Shaheens life greatly.



But even the most benign corners of formerly IS-held territory were not spared personal tragedies. Shaheens grandson is now imprisoned amid the post-IS chaos, accused of fighting with the militant group.



Militants ordered me to wear a veil on my face, she said. But I rebuked them. I told them It is not your job to tell me what to wear!



Authorities holding 22-year-old Abdulrahman now, she said, are not so easy to rebuke.



The arrest



In other parts of IS-controlled Syria and Iraq, IS beat husbands and fathers of women who refused to cover their faces. Locals have been imprisoned or even killed for smoking cigarettes.

Militants are now fighting to the death in the nearest large city, Raqqa, 60 kilometers away, but eight months ago in Sarran, IS just left.



Around the same time, Abudulrahman was returning to the village when he was arrested, according to his mother, Wahda Mustafa. The family and neighbors say he is disabled from a car accident and may have accidentally agreed he was guilty of crimes he didnt commit.



My son was coming home from Raqqa but the roads were blocked, said Wahda Mustafa. They picked him up at a checkpoint, but I dont know why.



Stigma after Raqqa flight



During the course of Shaheens 100 years, Sarrans population grew from about four families to roughly 700 people. As IS is slowly being defeated in the region, the village is growing again.



Across a brown field of dust, displaced families from Raqqa crowd into a schoolhouse. Refugee camps in the area are notoriously short of food, clean water and medicine, baking in the desert in the hot summer sun.

But families say they pay a high price for the small comforts of settling in a village rather than a camp after fleeing IS. The displaced Raqqa residents are noticeably more conservative than the villagers, with the women remaining secluded inside, while local women in colorful dresses cook and smoke cigarettes in public.



Raqqa families are shunned and often presumed to be IS supporters, despite multiple investigations concluding they are innocent, according to Khalid Abdullah, 40, a former oil worker from Raqqa and a father of 11.



I saw beheadings and hands cut off in the city, he said under an awning near the school. It was raining mortars when we ran away. But still, they call my son IS when he goes out.



IS Corruption



The more lasting tragedies touching the lives of the people of Sarran come not from IS extremism, but from ordinary corruption. Before the war, the Syrian government had mandated that wealthy landowners in the area dole out portions of their fields to local farmers.



The farmers survived by working the land and reaping the profits. Under IS, bribes were paid and profits from the land reverted back to the rich, according to Ayman Kalaf, 19, one of Shaheens many grandsons.



Surrounded by other farmers, who nodded in agreement as he spoke, Kalaf described how under IS, his poor village became even poorer and families are still struggling to recover.



Long ago this area was under a feudal system, with all of the valuable farms owned by the rich, he said. But modern governments required owners to divide some of their lands among local farmers. When IS came in, they gave the land back to the rich.



And while their suffering may not be as dramatic or even traumatic as the suffering of families living under siege or hunted and sometimes slaughtered by IS, villagers say they already lived on the edge of survival in the best of times, and they barely made it through their time under IS.



I have to take care of my house and children, and I work as a farmer, said Umm Mohammad, a local womens activist. We build our own houses with bricks we make from the earth. Life here is hard.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 04:42:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MADRID, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The four terror suspects detained in relation with the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils that claimed 15 lives will appear in the Spanish High Court on Tuesday, the Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed Monday.

Driss Oukabir, Mohamed Aallaa, Salar El Karib and Mohamed Houli Chemlal, will appear before judge Fernando Andreu, who is leading the investigation.

The four were taken to the town of Tres Cantos, just outside of Madrid on Monday night and on Tuesday will be sent to prison awaiting trial for their role in the terror attacks.

The four are the only survivors of the 12-man terrorist cell behind the attacks, which also injured over 120 people in the Catalan region of Spain.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has ordered a halt to research on the potential health hazards of people who live near mountaintop coal mining operations.

The U.S. Interior Department ordered the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to end a study of surface coal mining sites in the Appalachian Mountains, pending a review of projects that cost more than $100,000.

Last year the Interior Department, under then President Barack Obama, commissioned research into possible health risks among those who live near current or former mining sites in Appalachia.

The agency allocated $1 million in 2015 for a two-year study at the request of officials from West Virginia, located in the heart of Appalachia.

But the Interior Department ordered an immediate halt to the research, defending it as necessary to ensure the responsible expenditure of taxpayer money.

Trump proposed a $1.6 billion cut to Interior's budget in 2018, including 4,000 jobs.

The decision, which took effect Monday, comes as the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers collaborate to eliminate policies they believe restrict the mining and use of coal.

Trump promised during his presidential campaign to create jobs by reviving the coal industry, and signed an executive order in March that lifted a ban on leases for mining coal on federal land.

Environmentalists maintain the removal of coal from mountaintops releases pollutants into water and air, causing numerous health problems such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and birth defects.

Indiana University health science professor Michael Hendryx told House lawmakers in 2015 that his studies have connected mountaintop removal to higher rates of lung cancer, heart and kidney disease and other illnesses.

The Sierra Club's Appalachia organizer, Bill Price, described the decision as "infuriating." "Trump has once again shown the people of Appalachia that we mean nothing to him," he said in a statement.
After years of deriding the U.S. war in Afghanistan as a complete waste, President Donald Trump on Monday explained why he now believes it is in the United States interest to remain committed to the South Asian country.



In an evening address from a military base outside Washington, Trump unveiled, without going into detail, a condition-based approach to defeating terrorism in the country and said the United States will no longer use its military to construct democracies or rebuild other countries in its own image.

His goal, he said, is to stop the re-emergence of havens for terrorists to threaten America and make sure they do not get their hands on nuclear weapons.

We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities, Trump told about 2,000 service members at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

US Troop Levels

The president has approved up to 4,000 more U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to sources here speaking on condition they not be named.

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Most are advising Afghan forces, though some are carrying out counterterrorism operations against groups such as the Taliban or the Islamic States Afghan affiliate.

That number is down significantly from the height of former President Barack Obamas troop surge, which saw nearly 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in August 2010.



Immediately following the presidents speech, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released a statement saying: We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions. We look to the international community, particularly Afghanistans neighbors, to join us in supporting an Afghan peace process.

Trump, in his address, however, very publicly and directly put Pakistan on notice.



We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists they are fighting. But that will have to change and that will change immediately, Trump vowed.

The presidents address received mixed initial reviews.



The president failed to define the goals or objectives that would direct the actions of the whole of government approach. The only thing he demonstrated was that his original belief that you can rip troops out of a combat zone without considering the fallout of that action was, in fact, wrong, said Moira Whelan, a partner of BlueDot Strategies and former senior State Department official.

Trump repealed his original Afghanistan position, but he failed to replace it with something that will make America safer, Whelan told VOA.

Trump: Continued US Presence in Afghanistan, Increased Pressure on Pakistan

Longest US War

The conflict in Afghanistan, with a factionalized unity government riddled with systemic corruption, has dragged on for 16 years  becoming the longest U.S. war ever  since the Sept. 11, 2001 al-Qaida attacks on the United States.



Expressing frustration, Trump informed Afghanistan that the commitment by the United States is not unlimited and Americas support not a blank check.

The American people, he warned, expect to see real reforms and real results.

Trumps policy announcement follows a months-long review.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, at Trumps request, spoke to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani Monday ahead of the address.

Tillerson had spoken over the phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, according to the State Department, about how the United States would like to work with each country to stabilize South Asia through a new, integrated regional strategy.

U.S. generals advised Trump to send several thousand more troops to break the stalemate and retake territory from the Taliban, which controls nearly half the country. But Trump, who campaigned on an America First foreign policy, has been reluctant to commit more resources to the country.

Following the presidents Monday night speech, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said Trumps strategic guidance came after a rigorous interagency review.

I have directed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make preparations to carry out the presidents strategy, Mattis said in a statement. I will be in consultation with the secretary-general of NATO and our allies -- several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers. Together, we will assist the Afghan security forces to destroy the terrorist hub.

Reaction

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg expressed support for Trumps strategy in a statement Tuesday, saying the alliance aims to ensure Afghanistan cannot be a terrorist sanctuary.

We encourage all Afghans to work towards a negotiated political settlement and a sustainable peace, Stoltenberg said.At the same time, we urge all countries in the region to do their utmost to shut down sanctuaries for extremist groups, support peace and reconciliation, and contribute to a stable and secure Afghanistan.

Ahmad Shah Katawazai, a defense liaison at the Afghan embassy in Washington, told VOA he welcomes the renewed U.S. commitment to Afghanistan.

We think this will ultimately take us to what we want in the end -- allowing no safe haven for terrorists, helping the Afghan government stand on its own feet and putting more pressure on Pakistan, he said.

Katawazai also praised Trumps decision to not announce withdrawal deadlines.

Deadlines were problematic for Afghanistan, because whenever there were deadlines given, the enemies, the Taliban, and of course their supporters in rival countries, they increased their activities and thought the U.S. would probably withdraw and there would be a gap created, he said.

A spokesperson for Indias Ministry for External Affairs also welcomed Trumps pledge to confront issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists.

There was no immediate public reaction from Pakistans government.

Pakistani Opposition leader Imran Khan criticized what he said was another instance of the United States blaming Pakistan for a decade of deeply flawed and failed U.S. policy on Afghanistan. Khan wrote in a series of Twitter posts that Pakistan has paid heavy human and economic costs and should reject being made scapegoats for the policy failures of the U.S. and India.

Retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis said he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, when there were 140,000 U.S. and NATO troops. He said he saw firsthand that the insurgent and terrorist fighters cannot be militarily defeated.

Short of a return of major deployments of tens of thousands of U.S. combat troops, this is not a winnable war, Davis told VOA. No matter what the president said, this war flatly cannot be won militarily. To set a strategy dependent on militarily defeating the enemy is going to fail, just as surely as all other attempts have over the past 16 years.

In Washington, Victor Beattie, Bill Gallo and Chris Hannas contributed to this report
U.S. President Donald Trump said he is willing to risk a budget crisis in order to honor a campaign pledge to build what he called an absolutely necessary wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

If we have to close down the government, we are building that wall, Trump said Tuesday night during a campaign-style rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. He added that in electing him last November, the American people voted for immigration control.

Funding for the wall will need to be approved by the U.S. Congress, which has not yet completed work on a budget for the U.S. government for fiscal 2018, which begins Oct. 1. Congressional Democrats oppose the idea of the wall, prompting Trump on Tuesday night to label them as obstructionist.

The president also used his rally speech to go on an extended tirade against the media, equating reporters with traitors calling them bad people who dont like our country.

Trump recited previous statements he made criticizing neo-Nazis, white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan following the fatal August 12 clash in Charlottesville, Virginia. But he omitted the most controversial words he used to blame the violence "on both sides."

Trump also accused the media of not reporting his comments.

Did they report I said racism is evil?

No! the crowd loudly replied.

Im a person who wants to tell the truth, Trump declared. Im an honest person.

GOP senators under fire

Arizonas two Republican U.S. senators, who have both clashed with the president, skipped the event. Trump criticized both John McCain and Jeff Flake without mentioning their names.

Trumps presence in the Western state, where he beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by 3.5 percentage points in last years presidential election, drew tens of thousands of his supporters and protesters to downtown Phoenix, and intense precautions by security forces hoping to prevent violence.

Watch: Themes From President Trump's Phoenix Rally

Protesters taunted those waiting in line to enter the rally with chants of Shame, shame, shame, No hate in our state, and No Trump, No KKK, No fascist USA.

Minutes after Trump finished his campaign-style rally, police fired teargas and percussive (stun) grenades on protesters outside the venue.

People in the crowd have begun throwing rocks and bottles at police. They also dispersed some gas in the area, the Phoenix Police Department said in a statement.

Along the US border

Before the political event in the Arizona capital, the president headed to a Marine Corps base in Yuma, on the border with Mexico and a center of U.S. Border Patrol operations in the area.

The interim director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Tom Homan, told reporters aboard Air Force One as the presidential jet headed to Arizona: The presidents message is that we need a strong border and we need stronger ... enforcement.

Trumps visit to the Border Patrol base included a scheduled inspection of enforcement aircraft, including a drone and a helicopter, and meetings to evaluate the Border Patrols operational results, policies and morale in the lead-up to fiscal year 2018, another administration official told reporters.

What U.S. teams guarding the border have done since Trump took office seven months ago has worked, Homan said. We need funding to make it permanent. We need to build a wall. A border wall [will be] successful.

Pardon for Arpaio?

Ahead of Trumps arrival, there was speculation he might announce a pardon for Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, and renowned hardliner on immigration policies. But that was not to be.

There will be no discussion of that today at any point, and no action will be taken on that front at any point today, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sander told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump did however give the strongest indication he may, at some time, pardon the 85-year-old Arpaio, who was recently convicted of contempt of court for ignoring a judicial order to halt his immigration patrols.

Do the people in this room like Sheriff Joe Arpaio? So was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job? He should have had a jury, but you know what, Ill make a prediction, I think hell be just fine, OK? But I wont do it tonight, because I dont want to cause any controversy, is that OK? But Sheriff Joe can feel good.

Mayors request rejected

The president rejected Phoenix Mayor Greg Stantons request to postpone or cancel Tuesdays rally. The Democratic official had expressed concern about Trumps recent comments about violent demonstrations in Virginia.

The mayor said Trumps statements doused racial tension with gasoline, and he expressed concern that the president may be looking to light a match in Arizona.

Supporters of the president began lining up outside the convention center 18 hours before Trumps address, some coming from other states.

Watch: In Phoenix, Trump Protesters and Supporters Turn Out

Medics stand by

Outdoor temperatures peaked above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) Tuesday. Volunteer medics treated several suffering from heat exhaustion or dehydration, and stood by to render first aid in case violence erupted.

Members of a motorcyclists group known as Bikers for Trump planned to ride to the convention center to protect the presidents supporters from harassment.

Several local protest groups formed by members of Phoenixs Hispanic, Jewish and Native American communities were joined by some out-of-town protesters.

Other demonstrators wore purple to honor Heather Heyer, the young woman who was killed in Charlottesville, Virginia, 10 days ago, when a man affiliated with white-supremacist groups drove his car into a crowd on the day after a protest march by torch-bearing demonstrators resulted in clashes with other protesters.

Tuesdays event in Arizona was Trumps eighth rally in eight months for his 2020 re-election campaign.

The states largest circulation newspaper, even before the president had finished his speech, tweeted that in its view: If he came to deliver a message of unity, he failed.

News anchor Don Lemon on CNN, which Trump repeatedly attacked during his remarks called the speech a total eclipse of the facts.


After months of deliberation by the administration, President Donald Trump Monday evening unveiled his strategy for Afghanistan. VOA White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman reports Trump described a "condition-based approach" to defeating terrorism in the country and said the United States will no longer use its military to construct democracies or rebuild other countries in its own image.
President Donald Trump visited border patrol facilities near the frontier with Mexico in the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona.



The trip Tuesday to Yuma came as Trump has struggled to obtain congressional approval to fund his long-promised additions to the border wall, which already exists in some parts of the U.S. Southwest.



While in Yuma, he toured a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility to see equipment used for surveillance and detection of border crossings, and held a closed-door briefing with local staff.



Early Tuesday, officials from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees border protection and immigration enforcement, highlighted Yumas success in reducing the number of crossings in recent years.

But fencing and walls are not enough, one DHS official said hours before Trumps planned visit.

Like DHS colleagues who have testified before Congress, he pointed to the need for improved technology, intelligence and infrastructure, such as roads to access parts of the border, as well as additional agents, to bolster border security.

The president and his administration have, since January, pushed for aggressive changes to the countrys immigration and deportation system, some more successful than others.



The proposed border wall, aimed at preventing illegal immigration to the United States, was one of Trump's major 2016 campaign promises. His vow that Mexico would pay for the wall, which the Mexican government has insisted it will not do, has strained relations between the two neighbors.

Trump has since said he will find a way for Mexico to repay the United States for construction of the wall, but Congress would need to fund it first.



The government remains in the prototype stage for additional sections of the border wall, a process that began after Trump issued two executive orders related to immigration and enforcement in January.

Trump was joined in Yuma by immigration officials from his administration, including White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who until recently was DHS secretary, as well as by Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke, Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan, and Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan.
One hundred fifty baskets of pink petunias hang from the light posts all over this city, watered regularly by residents trying to make their community feel alive again. A local artist spends his afternoons high in a bucket truck, painting a block-long mural of a little girl blowing bubbles, each circle the scene of an imagined, hopeful future.

But in the present, vacant buildings dominate blocks. A van, stuffed so full of blankets and boxes they are spilling from the windows, pulls to the curb outside Stacie Blodgett's antiques shop.

"Look inside of it," she said. "I bet you he's living in it."

Around the corner, a crowded tent city of the desperate and addicted has taken over the riverbank, makeshift memorials jutting up intermittently from the mud.

America, when viewed through the bars on Blodgett's windows, looks a lot less great than it used to be. So she answered Donald Trump's call to the country's forgotten corners. Thousands of her neighbors did, too, and her county, once among the most reliably Democratic in the nation, swung Republican in a presidential election for the first time in 90 years.

"People were like, 'This guy's going to be it. He's going to change everything, make it better again,' " she said.

Blodgett stood at the computer on her counter and scrolled through the headlines. Every day it's something new: details in the Russia campaign investigation, shake-ups at the White House, turmoil over Trump's response to race-fueled riots. His administration's failed plans to remake the health care system may or may not cost millions their coverage, and there's a lack of clarity over how he intends to eradicate a spiraling drug crisis that now kills 142 Americans each day  a growing number of them here, in Grays Harbor County.

"Has he done anything good yet?" she asked. "Has he?"

Blodgett was born and raised in this county, where the logging economy collapsed decades ago, replaced by a simmering sense of injustice that outsiders took the lumber, built cities around the world and then left this place to decay when there was nothing more to take. The community sank into despair. Suicides increased, addiction took root. Blodgett is 59, and the rate at which people here die from drugs and alcohol has quadrupled in her lifetime.

She thought opening an antiques store and pawnshop with her boyfriend on a downtown street bordered by petunias would be fun. Instead, she's confronted every day with her neighbors' suffering. They come to pawn their jewelry to pay for medication. They come looking for things stolen from them. They come to trade in odds and ends and tell her food stamps won't cover the dog food.

She keeps a bag of kibble behind the register.

Now they come to discuss Trump, and their differing degrees of faith that he will make good on his promise to fix the rotting blue-collar economy that brought this despair to their doorstep.

Many here agree that the thrashing and churning in Washington looks trivial when viewed from this place 3,000 miles away that so many residents have been trying so hard to save. Some maintain confidence that Trump will rise above the chaos to deliver on his pledge to resurrect the American dream. Others fear new depths of hopelessness if he fails.

Blodgett just prays Trump understand the stakes  because in places like this, there is little room left for error from Washington, D.C.

There, he is tweeting insults about senators and CNN.

Here, her neighbors have been reduced to living in cars.

Trump territory

Across the country, Trump disproportionately claimed these communities where lifetimes contracted as the working class crumbled.

Pennsylvania State University sociologist Shannon Monnat spent last fall plotting places on a map experiencing a rise in "deaths of despair"  from drugs, alcohol and suicide wrought by the decimation of jobs that used to bring dignity. On Election Day, she glanced up at the television. The map of Trump's victory looked eerily similar to hers documenting death, from New England through the Rust Belt all the way here, to the rural coast of Washington, a county of 71,000 so out of the way that some say it feels like the end of the Earth.

Aberdeen was built as a boomtown at the dawn of the 20th century. Its spectacular landscape  the Chehalis River carves through tree-topped hills to the harbor  offered ships easy access to the Pacific Ocean. Millionaire lumber barons built mansions on the hills. There were restaurants and theaters and traffic that backed up as the drawbridge into town seesawed up and down for ship after ship packed with timber. Now that drawbridge pretty much stays put.

The economy started to slip in the 1960s, slowly at first, as jobs were lost to globalization and automation. Then the federal government in 1990 limited the level of logging in an attempt to save an endangered owl.

Today, the riverbank hosts a homeless encampment where residents pull driftwood from the water to construct memorials to the dead. An 8-foot cross honors their latest loss: a 42-year-old man who had heart and lung ailments made worse by infrequent medical care and addiction. A generation ago, people like him worked in the mills, lived in tidy houses and could afford to see a doctor, said the Reverend Sarah Monroe, a street minister here.

"But instead his life ended living in a tent on the riverbank."

The county's population is stagnating and aging, as many young and able move away. Just 15 percent of those left behind have college degrees. A quarter of children grow up poor. There is a critical shortage of doctors. All that gathered into what Karolyn Holden, director of the public health department, called "a perfect storm" that put Grays Harbor near the top of the lists no place wants to be on: drugs, alcohol, early death, runaway rates of welfare.

"Things went from extremely good to not good to bad to worse, and we've got generations now where they don't know anything else," she said. "We have a lot of people without a lot of hope for themselves."

Forrest Wood grew up here; his parents even picked his name in tribute to the local timber history. He watched drugs take hold of his relatives, and he swore to himself that he would get out, maybe become a park ranger. But he started taking opioid painkillers as a teenager, and before he knew it he was shooting heroin  a familiar first chapter in the story of American addiction.

He sat under a bridge next to a park named after Kurt Cobain, the city's most famous son, the Nirvana frontman and a heroin addict, who shot himself in the head at age 27 in 1994. Wood is 24. He plunged a syringe full of brown liquid into a vein, knowing how this might end.

"My uncle died right over there in his truck," he said, pointing to a cluster of battered houses and blinking back tears. "He was messing with drugs. He did too much."

Wood's mother got treatment at the county's methadone clinic and has stayed clean for years, paid for by her coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Holden was so happy on the day President Barack Obama signed the legislation, she cried. It's an imperfect program with premiums and deductibles rising for some, she said. But thousands here received coverage; the uninsured dropped from 18 percent in 2012 to 9 in 2014  one of the greatest gains in the state.

She reads about all the proposals Republicans have offered to topple it  repeal and replace, just repeal, do nothing and let it buckle on its own  and believes the consequences of an unstable system will be most painful in counties like hers, where residents die on average three years younger than those in the rest of the state. For two terrifying weeks this summer, no insurer filed to provide coverage for the county through the exchange next year, threatening to leave thousands without an option. Other initiatives seem to be on the administration's chopping block, too, like family planning programs to combat the high rate of teen pregnancy.

The health department last year collected 750,000 needles at its syringe exchange designed to stem the tide of drug-related disease  an incredible number for a small community, but still down from more than 900,000 the year before. Holden attributed that improvement to the methadone clinic that helps Wood's mother and nearly 500 more stay off drugs.

Molly Carney, executive director of Evergreen Treatment Services, said each client costs $14.75 per day for a combination of counseling and medication that prevents the sickness that strangles so many addicts' attempts to get clean. More than 95 percent of her patients are covered by Medicaid. If the nation's health care system collapses and patients are left uninsured, Carney said, her clinic and others won't survive, and even more people will end up homeless, in jail or dead.

Tarryn Vick and Anjelic Baker line up before dawn every morning outside the clinic. They both beat crushing addictions by drinking their daily cup of pink liquid, and without it they believe they would tumble back into that deadly spiral.

On this morning, they worried together over the possibility that Obamacare would be undone. Baker began to cry.

"Are we going to lose our coverage?" she asked Vick. "Are we going to die?"

Vick shrugged, shook her head and said she didn't know.

"Every day," she told her friend, "I wonder more."

Sadly common

Robert LaCount flipped open his Alcoholics Anonymous book, the binding frayed from a decade of reading, and pulled out a funeral program he keeps tucked among its pages. The photo on the front shows a woman with long hair and sad eyes, 32 years old, a mother of three.

He walked her down the aisle at her wedding. Eight months later, he carried the casket at her funeral. She had been addicted to heroin, recovered, relapsed and hanged herself.

"It's too sad," said LaCount, himself a recovering addict. "But it happens all the time."

For years, LaCount cycled in and out of jail, and it did nothing to stop the addiction. He endangered his own children, spent Christmases in missions, didn't care whether he lived. Then one day it occurred to him that his life was so empty no one would care enough to claim his body from the morgue when he died. He got clean nine years ago and now runs a sober housing program; but daily, he fields 10 calls for help that he has to say no to because there's so much need and so few resources.

LaCount is a Trump supporter looking eagerly to Washington for action on the addiction crisis. The president this month declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency, potentially unlocking federal funding for deterrence and treatment. However, other moves by the administration have LaCount concerned.

He was stunned when Trump's attorney general announced a return to the tough-on-crime sentencing policies of the War on Drugs, and he's unnerved by Trump's calls to undo the health insurance system that he and many addicts have relied on to get clean.

LaCount recently finished a $90,000 treatment that rid his body of the hepatitis C he contracted using injection drugs. Those trapped in addiction have little chance to get out of it without health coverage, he said.

But it's hard to tell sometimes what news is real and what's blown out of proportion, he said, frustrated by what he sees as mass obstruction to the president's every proposal. People in big cities, rooting for Trump's failure, don't have nearly as much on the line as they do here, LaCount said.

"We're banking on him."

He traded his motorcycle for $30,000 worth of woodworking tools to teach people the skills they'll need for the jobs Trump promised to create. He sees opportunity all around him: a port, railroads, a lot of open real estate and a beautiful wildness, where deer sometimes meander along city streets. So he's scraping paint from a run-down church with dreams of building a community center to help other people see it, too.

He considers his old building a metaphor for his community  good bones, a good soul, a working organ that plays beautiful music. It just needs help.

"It's been sitting empty and it's tired," he said. "It needs to get back to life."

Many others trying to pull their neighbors from despair are similarly optimistic about a future under Trump. People like Chad Mittleider, a paramedic, who applauds Trump's efforts to renegotiate trade deals and roll back welfare programs and regulations like those that helped drag down his community.

He has brought former classmates back to life from overdoses and responded to their suicide attempts, treating the same people over and over.

"It's taken us decades to get to where we're at," he said, "so it's not going to be fixed in four or eight years."

Monroe, the minister, can't afford to be patient. Already, she has held seven funerals this year. She tallies the initials of the dead on a tattoo that winds around her bicep: AB, dead at 23; ZV, at 24.

Now she has a new one to add: Shawn Vann Schreck, dead at 42.

Most in her flock are too consumed by the daily chaos of addiction and poverty to be engaged in what's happening in Washington. But their lives might depend more than most on Trump's plans for health care, drug policy and the safety net, she said.

Schreck's girlfriend, Misty Micheau Bushnell, said his death shook her so much she's ready to move away, and hopes her methamphetamine addiction won't follow her.

But Monroe has seen this again and again. They claw their way out and get clean  then there's another friend to bury, the despair returns and the cycle starts anew.

"I don't think our politicians know how high the stakes are here, and after so many years have gone by with our situation still as devastated as it is, I don't know if they care," she said.

"I'm not sure how much worse it can get, and at the same time I'm afraid to see how much worse it can get."

Worry turns to anger

When Blodgett, the pawnshop owner, was young, people could walk out of high school, get a job in the woods and make enough money to ascend to the middle class and shop downtown. They didn't have locks on their doors. But the addiction and despair plaguing the people of Grays Harbor have fostered other problems now.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Blodgett and her elderly mother got home to find a swarm of police cars clogging their street in the next-door town of Hoquiam. A 95-year-old man who lived in a little house six doors down for 20 years had been found bludgeoned and stabbed to death.

Blodgett adored him. She looked forward to seeing him driving around, his Pomeranian on his lap. He still met friends for coffee twice a day, once in the morning and again in the afternoon, and climbed a ladder to clean out his own gutters.

She held his daughter as she wept, then read the details of his death in the local paper, The Daily World: He'd hired a young woman to mow his lawn. That woman, believed to have a drug addiction, allegedly stole his checks. There was a confrontation, and police said she later confessed that she returned to his home, beat him with a flashlight and stabbed him with a knife.

"It makes me sick to my stomach," Blodgett said. "I'm sick, just sick."

And so she checks to make sure her backyard is empty before she goes to sleep every night. As she drives to the antiques shop every morning, she passes block after block of abandoned buildings  homeless people in the doorways, syringes in the streets. She has three grown kids and five grandkids, and she worries about their futures here.

"Kids are being raised around this," she said. "No wonder when they graduate they get out of it if they can."

Her worry has turned into anger, directed at the president she once saw as a savior. She sees Trump tweeting about talk-show hosts, foreign allies, the nuclear arsenal, his own attorney general  a seemingly endless series of squabbles that will do her and her neighbors no good. Blodgett found Trump's bluster refreshing when he was a candidate. It seems reckless with the fate of the nation in his hands.

"What he needs to do is quit talking, and do what he said he's going to do."

Her brother had a stroke and is in a nursing home, paid for by Medicaid. She has pre-existing conditions, and she's terrified about what could happen to them both.

She voted for Trump because he said he'd look after the underdogs, and her community is full of them. But "as soon as he gets in there," she said, "it's like, 'To hell with you people.' "

Each new headline ignites more regret. So when the computer on her counter beeped to mark the arrival of a news alert, she stiffened.

"Oh, my God," she groaned. "What has he done now?"
Ukrainian cyber security firm ISSP said on Tuesday it may have detected a new computer virus distribution campaign, after security services said Ukraine could face cyber-attacks similar to those which knocked out global systems in June.

The June 27 attack, dubbed NotPetya, took down many Ukrainian government agencies and businesses, before spreading rapidly through corporate networks of multinationals with operations or suppliers in eastern Europe.

ISPP said that, as with NotPetya, the new malware seemed to originate in accounting software and could be intended to take down networks when Ukraine celebrates its Independence Day on Aug. 24.

"This could be an indicator of a massive cyber-attack preparation before National Holidays in Ukraine," it said in a statement.

In a statement, the state cyber police said they also had detected new malicious software.

The incident is "in no way connected with global cyber-attacks like those that took place on June 27 of this year and is now fully under control," it said.

The state cyber police and the Security and Defense Council have said Ukraine could be targeted with a NotPetya-style attack aimed at destabilizing the country as it marks its 1991 independence from the Soviet Union.

Last Friday, the central bank said it had warned state-owned and private lenders of the appearance of new malware, spread by opening email attachments of word documents.

Ukraine - regarded by some, despite Kremlin denials, as a guinea pig for Russian state-sponsored hacks - is fighting an uphill battle in turning pockets of protection into a national strategy to keep state institutions and systemic companies safe.
Deep in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, on the front lines against Taliban and Islamic State fighters, U.S. military commanders say they need more forces to better train Afghan soldiers to combat the escalating threat. They're hoping President Donald Trump heeds their calls when he outlines his new war strategy.

At Tactical Base Gamberi, the Americans helping Afghan army units try to quell the insurgent stronghold of Nangarhar province want to put more advisory teams into the field. They believe expanding the training can make the Afghans more capable of taking on the enemy alone.

"We need guardian angels," said Lt. Col. John Sandor, deputy senior adviser for the Afghan Army's 201st Corps, referring to security forces that would protect U.S. training teams so they can work alongside Afghan brigades.

Senior military officials have been discussing such deficiencies for months. In February, the top U.S. commander in the country told Congress he needs "a few thousand" more troops. The Pentagon has asked for Trump's approval of a nearly 4,000 troop increase as part of the broader new strategy.

Trump has given his military leaders greater authority to manage America's military efforts. But a new Afghan strategy has been held up for months amid a contentious review process that has included the president publicly voicing his dissatisfaction with the options. He'll finally outline his plan in a primetime television address Monday.

Current limitations

Thousands of miles away, in a sparse, wood-paneled room at the Gamberi training base, Sandor and others outlined the training restrictions they currently face. In two nearby provinces, for example, Afghan units were conducting training without American advisers to oversee the instruction and make sure they are learning the best combat tactics.

But in other cases, the lack of American support means Afghan units are reluctant to go out on their own.

Sometimes, said Maj. Richard Anderson, operations adviser for 201st Corps, the Afghan answer is: "Let the Americans do it."

In early spring, when U.S. forces asked the Afghan army to step up its pursuit of IS militants in Nangarhar province, they encountered resistance.

Demoralized by an IS attack that killed 16 Afghan soldiers in April, Afghan commanders wanted the American and Afghan special operations forces to carry the fight. But ground units are needed to hold territory, so U.S. advisers were forced to spend weeks cajoling the Afghan Army to join the battle.

Ultimately, they did. But U.S. military officials say such episodes underscore the need for more advisers, and as a result, more troops to protect them as they move into places like Nangarhar, an IS stronghold and notoriously difficult fighting arena. The province is home to Tora Bora, a network of caves where Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida militants eluded capture and survived a massive American bombing campaign early in the war.

Without the enhanced training that additional forces would make possible, Sandor said, "it's hard to turn the corner and make them better."

Military progress

The advisers, however, also point to progress.

In January, Afghan forces trying to resupply troops to the north would only go out with U.S. aircraft and escorts. A month later, with training and encouragement, the Afghans were using their own gunships and artillery support on the supply runs, with no U.S. assistance.

"We took them from `we can help, but if we do it, you'll never figure it out,"' said Maj. Richard Anderson, operations adviser for 201st corps. "At times it seems like a drag is there, but once you get them to the point ... they can do it."

The top Afghan commander at Gamberi credits the advisers with increasing his corps' readiness.

"I want to have enough equipment and advisers to keep my troops equipped, and help against the enemy," said Lt. Gen. Mohammad Zaman Waziri, 201st Corps commander. More advisers, he added, could help the corps get light and heavy weapons and the training needed to use them, "because the enemy has a lot of capability and has not weakened as much as we would want them to."

Like many Afghan commanders, Waziri would like even more. He recalls the time before the Obama administration scaled back operations, when U.S. troops fought with Afghans and provided far more air support. He'd like such support again.

Waziri said his troops were thrilled when the U.S. dropped the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, on IS insurgents in Nangarhar province in April. It was the first time the largest non-nuclear bomb was ever dropped in combat, and Afghans estimated nearly 100 killed.

"If there is any bigger bomb than MOAB, they should drop that, too," he said.
The United States is suspending the processing of nonimmigrant visas at its consulates in Russia after authorities there ordered its staff slashed by more than half in retaliation for U.S. sanctions against Russian in its election hacking. Russia's foreign minister said Moscow would consider how best to respond to the decision, the latest tit-for-tat move in spiraling diplomatic relations. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports from Washington.
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Chinese and Russian individuals and companies Tuesday, accusing them of conducting business with North Korea in ways that helped Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Reuters reports China's embassy called the action a "mistake" that should be immediately corrected.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the 10 companies and six individuals helped North Korea generate revenue that could be used to pay for weapons programs. The firms and their executives do business with previously sanctioned companies and people who work with the North Korean energy sector. They are accused of helping place North Korean workers abroad and helping Pyongyang evade international financial restrictions.

The U.S. Justice Department filed lawsuits seeking $11 million from companies based in China and Singapore that are accused of conspiring to help North Korea evade sanctions.

Tuesday's moves follow angry verbal exchanges between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's missile tests, which have demonstrated a growing military capability by the reclusive state.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 04:47:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian state and federal police carried out a joint operation with the army across Rio de Janeiro, in which they arrested at least 18 people, including an active soldier.

According to the Eastern Military Command, the soldier was arrested for leaking information to criminal gangs.

The joint operation is part of a federal plan to reduce violence in Rio de Janeiro, which has seen rising homicides this year, including tourists being shot.

The action sought to break up the drugs and weapons trade in seven communities of northern Rio de Janeiro.

This is the third such joint operation between the police and army since late July, when the government dispatched 10,000 troops to the city to reinforce security.

Rio de Janeiro saw 3,457 homicides in the first half of 2017, a 15 percent rise from 2016 and the highest level since 2009, according to the Institute of Public Security.
The U.S. Secret Service will not be able to pay an estimated 1,100 employees for required overtime work after September due to government-imposed pay caps, the agency's chief said on Monday.

In a statement, Secret Service Director Randolph Tex Alles attributed the funding shortfall to the cost of protecting President Donald Trump and his family, and an overall increase in operational tempo.

The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In an interview with USA Today, which first reported the story, Alles noted that the Secret Service's mission was set by law and that he did not have authority to curtail it.

The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law, Alles told the newspaper. I can't change that. I have no flexibility.

The agency must protect a record 42 people, including 18 Trump family members, up from a total of 31 during the administration of former President Barack Obama, he told USA Today.

The problem did not start with the current president's tenure, but rather has been an ongoing issue for nearly a decade, Alles said in the statement.

Alles has asked lawmakers to raise the combined salary and overtime cap for agents from $160,000 a year to $187,000 for at least the period of Trump's first term, USA Today reported.

But even if such a proposal was approved, about 130 veteran agents would not be fully compensated for hundreds of hours already amassed, the newspaper said, citing the agency.

The White House said in a statement that the Trump administration would work with Congress on the issue.

The president is committed to ensuring the Secret Service and all of those protecting our country have all the resources they need, it said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is set to visit Ankara, Turkey in the coming days as part of a tour of the region. Mattis' visit comes as bilateral relations between the two NATO allies are strained over Washingtons support of Syrian Kurds, whom Ankara considers terrorists.

Turkish relations are as bad as they can get, said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served in Iraq and Washington. But the fact Turkeys position on the world map is extremely important, one can look on the map and see without Turkey it will be difficult for the U.S., if not impossible, getting rid of ISIL from Iraq and Syria, said Selcen, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Analysts suggest Mattis' first task is in seeking to prevent a further deterioration in relations; but, video this month of convoys of U.S. arms being delivered to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia enraged Ankara.

The YPG is engaged in fighting as part of a coalition known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which seeks to oust Islamic State militants, Raqqa, Syria, IS' self-declared capital. Ankara accuses the YPG of being terrorists linked to the PKK, which is fighting the Turkish state.

The PKK is a Marxist-Leninist organization supported by the United States. Look at this irony and they are trained in American camps, said Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin. The U.S. considers the PKK a terrorist organization.

The [Turkish] regime will never accept the explanations of Washington regarding the military support to the YPG, said political scientist Cengiz Aktar; but, experts suggest that there is a realization in Ankara that Washington will not reverse its policy given its success, with around half of Raqqa already captured by the YPG.

What happens after Raqqas fall is predicted to be a key part of Mattis' talks in Ankara.

One of [Ankara's] priorities will be to stop the arms going to the YPG ending up in the hands of the PKK, said Unal Cevikoz, former Turkish ambassador and now head of the Ankara Policy Center. The second issue with end game approaching in Raqqa, when IS is eradicated from Raqqa, Turkey will probably ask for the post-Raqqa administration be given to the Sunni Arabs rather than YPG.

Ankara accuses the forces engaged in capturing Raqqa as predominantly Kurdish and unrepresentative of the local population.

The Turkish regime wants to destroy the de facto federated government of the Syrian Kurdish in the north of Syria. This is a long-term strategy of Ankara, said political scientist Aktar.

Turkish military forces are already massed around the Syrian enclave of Afrin, which is under YPG control. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly warned of an imminent operation against Afrin.

The U.S. does not want Turkey to intervene because it fears it will interfere with the operation in Raqqa, said former ambassador Cevikoz. "The issue will likely be discussed during Mattis' visit, but I think there will be no agreement with both sides agreeing to disagree. But Turkey is trying to coordinate the possibility of an operation in and around Afrin and also Idlib, with Iranian and Russians, so it's not just a U.S.-Turkish issue."

Ankara is already coordinating with Tehran and Moscow as part of the Astana agreement process to resolve the Syrian civil war. Idlib is one of the last remaining regions under Syrian rebel control.

The future of Idlib is also a potentially contentious issue during Mattis' visit.

The American concerns are very serious that Idlib is hosting a lot of jihadists. What is much more important is there are some 10,000 al-Qaida members in Idlib, but I think Russia and Turkey will ask the Americans to leave Idlib to their control," said Cevikoz.

Ankara's growing cooperation with Moscow and Tehran at a time of strained relations with its Western allies has led to growing questions over where its loyalties ultimately lie; but, an independence referendum next month by Iraqi Kurds will offer Mattis some common ground with Washington and Ankara, both having voiced opposition to the vote.
North Koreas military Tuesday greeted the start of annual U.S.-South Korean military drills with its standard fiery threats, vowing merciless retaliation for exercises Pyongyang claims are an invasion rehearsal.

North Korea routinely issues such warlike rhetoric or conducts weapons tests to respond to the U.S.-South Korean exercises. Tuesdays threat came as top U.S. generals, including Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, visited South Korea. Ties between the Koreas are almost always fraught, but anxiety is higher than normal following weeks of tit-for-tat threats between U.S. President Donald Trump and Pyongyang in the wake of the Norths two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

The U.S. generals were to travel to the site of a contentious U.S. missile-defense system in South Korea later Tuesday.

11 days of military exercises

The Norths military statement said it will launch an unspecified merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment on the United States over the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills that began Monday for an 11-day run.

Despite the threat, an unprompted direct attack is extremely unlikely because the United States vastly outguns Pyongyang, which values the continuation of its dictatorship above all else. Impoverished North Korea hates the drills in part because they force it to respond with expensive military measures of its own.

The North Korean statement accused the United States of deploying unspecified lethal weapons for the drills that it says involve a beheading operation training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong Un.

No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch in the Korean peninsula, the statement said. Moreover, high-ranking bosses of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces flew into South Korea to hold a war confab. Such huddle is increasing the gravity of the situation.

Exercises mostly on computer

The drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer and have drawn furious responses from North Korea. This years exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers, according to the U.S. military command in South Korea and Seouls Defense Ministry.

No field training like live-fire exercises or tank maneuvering is involved in the Ulchi drills, in which alliance officers sit at computers to practice how they would engage in battles and hone their decision-making capabilities. The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.

Last month North Korea test-launched two ICBMs at highly lofted angles, and outside experts say those missiles can reach Alaska, Los Angeles or Chicago if fired at normal, flattened trajectories. Analysts say it will be only a matter of time for the North to achieve its long-stated goal of acquiring a nuclear missile that can strike anywhere in the United States.

Earlier this month, Trump pledged to answer North Korean aggression with fire and fury. North Korea, for its part, threatened to launch missiles toward the American territory of Guam before Kim Jong Un said he would first watch how Washington acts before going ahead with the missile launch plan.


Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, a fierce critic of President Nicolas Maduro, said on Monday that the government-backed Venezuela National Youth Orchestra's tour of the United States has been canceled, calling the move heartbreaking.

Dudamel, 36, one of Venezuela's best-known celebrities, did not give a reason, but the cancellation follows escalating criticism by the conductor of government tactics in quelling protests.

"Heart-breaking cancellation of our 4-city NYOV US tour. My dream to play with these wonderful young musicians cannot come true this time," Dudamel tweeted.

"We will continue to play and to fight for a better Venezuela and a better world," he added.

Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional reported over the weekend that the order to cancel came from the office of the Venezuelan presidency. There was no official confirmation of that report.

Dudamel is the artistic director of the youth orchestra, whose 180 members had been due to play four dates in the United States in September, including the Hollywood Bowl. The fiery young conductor is also the artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Dudamel has spoken out strongly in recent months in support of anti-government protests that have rocked Venezuela for four months, leaving more than 120 people dead, including an 18-year-old musician from the youth orchestra.

In an op-ed in the New York Times in July, he said Venezuelans were "desperate for the recognition of their equal and inalienable rights and to have their basic needs met."
When diving in the Gulf of Maine a few years back, Jennifer Dijkstra expected to be swimming through a flowing kelp forest that had long served as a nursery and food for juvenile fish and lobster.

But Dijkstra, a University of New Hampshire marine biologist, saw only a patchy seafloor before her. The sugar kelp had declined dramatically and been replaced by invasive, shrub-like seaweed that looked like a giant shag rug.

I remember going to some dive sites and honestly being shocked at how few kelp blades we saw, she said.

Warming oceans probable culprit

The Gulf of Maine, stretching from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, is the latest in a growing list of global hotspots losing their kelp, including hundreds of miles in the Mediterranean Sea, off southern Japan and Australia, and parts of the California coast.



Among the world's most diverse marine ecosystems, kelp forests are found on all continental coastlines except for Antarctica and provide critical food and shelter to myriad fish and other creatures. Kelp also is critical to coastal economies, providing billions of dollars in tourism and fishing.

The likely culprit, according to several scientific studies, is warming oceans from climate change, coupled with the arrival of invasive species. In Maine, the invaders are other seaweeds. In Australia, the Mediterranean and Japan, tropical fish are feasting on the kelp.



Most kelp are replaced by small, tightly packed, bushy seaweeds that collect sediment and prevent kelp from growing back, said the University of Western Australia's Thomas Wernberg.

Collectively these changes are part of a recent and increasing global trend of flattening of the world's kelp forests, said Wernberg, co-author of a 2016 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which found that 38 percent of kelp forest declined over the past 50 years in regions that had data.

Great Southern Reef threatened

Kelp losses on Australia's Great Southern Reef threaten tourism and fishing industries worth $10 billion. Die-offs contributed to a 60 percent drop in species richness in the Mediterranean and were blamed for the collapse of the abalone fishery in Japan.

You are losing habitat. You are losing food. You are losing shoreline protection, said University of Massachusetts Boston's Jarrett Byrnes, who leads a working group on kelp and climate change. They provide real value to humans.

The Pacific Coast from northern California to the Oregon border is one place that suffered dramatic kelp loss, according to Cynthia Catton, a research associate at the Bodega Marine Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. Since 2014, aerial surveys have shown that bull kelp declined by over 90 percent, something Catton blamed on a marine heat wave along with a rapid increase in kelp-eating sea urchins.

Without the kelp to eat, Northern California's abalone fishery has been harmed.

It's pretty devastating to the ecosystem as a whole, Catton said. It's like a redwood forest that has been completely clear-cut. If you lose the trees, you don't have a forest.

Kelp hasn't recovered



Kelp is incredibly resilient and has been known to bounce back from storms and heat waves.



But in Maine, it has struggled to recover following an explosion of voracious sea urchins in the 1980s that wiped out many kelp beds. Now, it must survive in waters that are warming faster than the vast majority of the world's oceans  most likely forcing kelp to migrate northward or into deeper waters.



What the future holds is more complicated, Byrnes said. If the Gulf of Maine warms sufficiently, we know kelp will have a hard time holding on.

On their dives around Maine's Appledore Island, a craggy island off New Hampshire that's home to nesting seagulls, Dijkstra and colleague Larry Harris have witnessed dramatic changes.

30-year-old drive logs

Their study, published by the Journal of Ecology in April, examined photos of seaweed populations and dive logs going back 30 years in the Gulf of Maine. They found introduced species from as far away as Asia, such as the filamentous red seaweed, had increased by as much 90 percent and were covering 50 to 90 percent of the gulf's seafloor.

They are seeing far fewer ocean pout, wolf eel and pollock that once were commonplace in these kelp beds. But they also are finding that the half-dozen invasive seaweeds replacing kelp are harboring up to three times more tiny shrimp, snails and other invertebrates.

We're not really sure how this new seascape will affect higher species in the food web, especially commercially important ones like fish, crabs and lobster, said Dijkstra, following a dive in which bags of invasive seaweed were collected and the invertebrates painstakingly counted. What we do think is that fish are using these seascapes differently.
Global reaction to President Donald Trump's speech on the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan:



Afghanistan



Afghanistan's chief executive is welcoming President Trump's strategy for Afghanistan, calling it a unique opportunity to fight terrorists in the region and insisting that it renews the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan and its people.



Abdullah Abdullah, the country's second most powerful official behind the president, said during a news conference Tuesday that the U.S. strategy marks a unique opportunity to achieve peaceful objectives in the region.



"The regional aspect of this strategy is very clear. It shows that the problem was very well identified," he said.



Abdullah noted that the strategy seeks clear measures against safe havens for extremist fighters.



He thanked President Trump for the strategy and said the Afghan National Unity government is committed to reforms, fighting corruption and strengthening its security forces.

China



China is defending its close ally Pakistan following comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that the country was not doing enough to shut down safe havens for terror groups operating out of its territory.



Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Tuesday said Pakistan lies on the front line of the anti-terrorism struggle and has made "great sacrifices" in battling insurgents who pose a threat to the region and the world.



In his speech Monday, Trump said the U.S. "can no longer be silent" about terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and that the country gives sanctuary to "agents of chaos, violence and terror."



China and Pakistan have close economic, political and security ties dating back decades, based partly on their shared distrust of India, with which both have disputed borders.



NATO



NATO's chief is welcoming Trump's new strategy on Afghanistan and says the U.S.-led military alliance remains committed to the conflict-torn country.



NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Trump's

"conditions-based approach," as the president moves to a troop presence based on needs rather than timelines.



More than 12,000 troops from NATO and partner countries have been helping to "train, advise and assist" Afghan security forces since January 2015, after the alliance wound down combat operations there.



While Washington is expected to seek more troops from its allies, Stoltenberg said that "NATO allies and partners have already committed to increasing our presence in Afghanistan."



He said "our aim remains to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who would attack our own countries."



India



India has welcomed Trump's demand that Pakistan stop offering safe havens to terror groups operating out of its territory, a long-standing complaint that New Delhi has held against Islamabad.



India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that it welcomed Trump's "determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges faced by Afghanistan and in confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists."



Without naming rival Pakistan, the ministry said, "India shares these concerns and objectives."



India, the largest regional provider of reconstruction aid to Afghanistan, totaling more than $2 billion, also reaffirmed its policy of extending assistance to the country.



"We are committed to supporting the Government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country," said the statement, issued hours after Trump's speech.



Australia



An Australian military analyst says Trump's speech set a "fairly low bar" in terms of success.



Military strategist David Kilcullen told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that Trump isn't seeking to promote democracy or counter corruption, but simply noted military outcomes he is trying to achieve. Kilcullen said: "I think this is carefully shrouded in triumphalist rhetoric but it is actually quite a modest set of strategic goals."



Kilcullen said Trump's speech sounded as if it had been written by military officers working in the White House. Trump offered few specifics, such as whether more troops would be sent to Afghanistan. The president said the U.S. would shift away from a "time-based" approach, instead linking its assistance to results on the ground.



Kilcullen said Trump's speech focused on fighting terrorism, rather than fighting an insurgency, and that will require more use of lethal force and a restrained approach to nation-building and economic development.



Taliban



A Taliban spokesman dismissed Trump's remarks on Afghanistan.



Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press, "The whole speech was old." He said the Taliban will come out with a more detailed response, but he is initially calling Trump's policy outline "unclear."



Last week the Taliban issued a 1,600-word open letter to Trump warning against a troop surge, saying it would prolong what is already the United States' longest war. Trump steered clear of discussing troop numbers, but said U.S. forces are in Afghanistan to win.



The Taliban have also said they aren't ready for any peace talks, at least not until the U.S. and NATO give a time frame for withdrawal - something Trump says isn't going to happen.
Yemen's foreign minister blamed Iran and its support for Houthi Shiite rebels on Monday for causing the country's civil war and said it can't be part of the solution.



Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi said at a press conference that Iranian weapons are still being smuggled into Yemen.



Saudi Arabia's U.N. ambassador, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, whose country supports Yemen's internationally recognized government, said Iran isn't a neighbor or part of the Arabian Peninsula and he had a more direct message: "Iran should get the hell out of the area, period.''



The Saudi and Yemeni officials spoke to reporters after a presentation to U.N. diplomats on the path to peace and humanitarian aid to Yemen.



Yemen, which is on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been engulfed in civil war since September 2014, when the Houthis swept into the capital of Sanaa and overthrew President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognized government.



In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition began a campaign in support of Hadi's Saleh. Since then, the Iranian-backed Houthis have been dislodged from most of the south, but remain in control of Sanaa and much of the north.

The war in Yemen has killed over 10,000 civilians and displaced 3 million people. U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said Friday that 17 million Yemenis don't know where their next meal is coming from, nearly 7 million are facing the threat of famine and almost 16 million lack access to clean water and sanitation. The World Health Organization said last week that 2,000 people have been killed and an estimated 500,000 infected in a cholera outbreak.



Al-Mekhlafi said that "the Yemeni government ... will not be an obstruction to peace.'' But he said the Houthis and Saleh "cannot monopolize power.''



The two diplomats reiterated Yemeni and Saudi support for a proposal by U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to reopen Sanaa airport for commercial flights and to hand over the port of Hodeida to a committee of "respected Yemeni security and economic figures'' that would use the port revenues to pay civil servants.



The Houthis have not accepted the proposal, but Cheikh Ahmed said Friday he hopes their leaders will accept his invitation to meet in a third country to discuss the proposals.

The Saudi ambassador warned diplomats to beware of three "fallacies'' about Yemen.



First, Al-Mouallimi said, supporting a cessation of hostilities "actually means the de facto partition of Yemen and the consolidation of a reactionary movement that is tied with Iran in the north part of Yemen and a weak Yemeni state in the southern part of Yemen.''



"This is no recipe for sustainable peace,'' he said, stressing that any cease-fire has to be linked to implementation of a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution demanding that the Houthis withdraw from all areas they captured, hand over arms seized from military and security institutions, and stop all actions falling within the authority of the legitimate government.



Al-Mouallimi said the second fallacy "is that we must all sit around the table and talk.'' He said there have been talks "everywhere,'' including Geneva, Kuwait, Moscow and Saudi Arabia. Yemen's recognized government has shown willingness to move forward with a political settlement, Al-Mouallimi said, while the Houthis have rejected Cheikh Ahmed's proposal and refused to meet him.



The third fallacy, he said, is that people often seem to think that "a disastrous humanitarian situation, a catastrophic spread of cholera'' afflict all of Yemen. But "all of that is concentrated in one part of Yemen which is controlled by the Houthis,'' he said. Al-Mouallimi said the entire world, especially Saudi Arabia, is ready to provide aid but he said the Houthis are unable or "sometimes maybe unwilling'' to manage and distribute aid.



Looking ahead, Yemen's foreign minister predicted that "in the end,'' the parties will get to the place where they started  when the end of a national dialogue in January 2014 all political parties agreed on a road map for a political transition.



But unfortunately, to get there Yemenis will have "paid a high price for peace,'' Al-Mekhlafi said.
Americans gazed in wonder through telescopes, cameras and protective glasses Monday as the moon began blotting out the midday sun in the first full-blown solar eclipse to sweep the U.S. from coast to coast in nearly a century.

The show has just begun, people! What a gorgeous day! Isnt this great people? Jim Todd, a director at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, told a crowd of thousands at an amphitheater in Salem, Oregon, as the moon seemed to take an ever-bigger bite out of the sun.

The celestial show was expected to be the most observed and photographed eclipse in history, with millions staking out prime viewing spots and settling into lawn chairs to watch, especially along the path of totality  the projected line of shadow created when the sun is completely obscured. The path was 60 to 70 miles (96 to 113 kilometers) wide, running from Oregon to South Carolina.

With 200 million people within a days drive from the path of totality, towns and parks braced for monumental crowds. Clear skies beckoned along most of the route, to the relief of those who feared cloud cover would spoil this once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Astronomers were giddy with excitement. A solar eclipse is considered one of the grandest of cosmic spectacles.

The Earth, moon and sun line up perfectly every one to three years, briefly turning day into night for a sliver of the planet. But these sights normally are in no mans land, like the vast Pacific or Earths poles. This is the first eclipse of the social media era to pass through such a heavily populated area.

The moon hasnt thrown this much shade at the U.S. since 1918. That was the countrys last coast-to-coast total eclipse. In fact, the U.S. mainland hasnt seen a total solar eclipse since 1979  and even then, only five states in the Northwest experienced total darkness.

Scientists said Mondays total eclipse would cast a shadow that would race 2,600 miles (4,200 kilometers) through 14 states, entering near Lincoln City, Oregon, at 1:16 p.m. EDT, moving diagonally across the heartland over Casper, Wyoming, Carbondale, Illinois, and Nashville, Tennessee, and then exiting near Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:47 p.m. EDT.

Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois was in line to see the longest stretch of darkness: 2 minutes and 44 seconds.

All of North America was on track to get at least a partial eclipse, along with Central America and the top of South America.

In the southern Illinois village of Makanda, population 560 and home of the Eclipse Kitchen, lawn chairs were out and excitement was building.

More and more people are coming in all the time, said Debbie Dunn, designated car parker for the day.

Joe Roth, an amateur photographer, traveled south from the Chicago area to Alto Pass, Illinois, to catch his first total solar eclipse  on his 62nd birthday, no less. He said the stars aligned for him  a Kodak moment for me to cherish and experience.

Kim Kniseley drove overnight from Roanoke, Virginia, arriving in Madisonville, Tennessee, before dawn to get a parking spot at Kefauver Park, where by sunrise dozens of folks had claimed benches and set up tents.

He said he could have stayed home in Roanoke and seen a partial eclipse of 90 percent, but that would have been like going to a rock concert and youre standing in the parking lot.

NASA and other scientists were in position to watch and analyze from telescopes on the ground and in orbit, the International Space Station, airplanes and scores of high-altitude balloons beaming back live video.

From aboard the space station, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer tweeted out a photo showing about a dozen cameras ready for action.

All hands (cameras) on deck for #SolarEclipse2017 today, he wrote, adding: Dont forget to protect your eyeballs!

Hundreds of amateur astronomers converged on Casper, Wyoming. Among them was Mike OLeary, whose camera was outfitted with a homemade eclipse filter, its focus and aperture settings locked in with blue painters tape. He was there to log his ninth eclipse.

Its like nothing else you will ever see or ever do, OLeary said. It can be religious. It makes you feel insignificant, like youre just a speck in the whole scheme of things.

Citizen scientists also planned to monitor animal and plant behavior as daylight turned into twilight and the temperature dropped. Thousands of people streamed into the Nashville Zoo just to watch the animals reaction.

Scientists warned people not to look into the sun without protection, except when the sun is 100 percent covered. Otherwise, to avoid eye damage, keep the solar specs on or use pinhole projectors that can cast an image of the eclipse into a box.

The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be in 2024. The next coast-to-coast one will not be until 2045.
Sylvia Plaths poem Lady Lazarus ends with these punching lines: Out of the ash/ I rise with my red hair/ And I eat men like air. Resurrection and cannibalism aside, you get the point, one pushed throughout literature and art: Red-haired women are a fiery lot, passion-fed.

The eponymous red-haired woman of Turkish Nobel Prize-winner Orhan Pamuks new novel is no different. An actress in an itinerant theater troupe, she throws lightning through this story and through the young man singing it.

The Red-Haired Woman is recognizably Pamukian terrain: theater, fable and Turkeys trembling perch between the ancient and the modern. Its plot is simple: A well-digger, Master Mahmut, hires 16-year-old Cem to become his apprentice and search for water on the arid outskirts of Istanbul, where myth vies with dirt for purchase on the day. They rest and gather supplies in the nearby town of Ongoren, and there Cem becomes transfixed by the red-haired actress. He can think of nothing else  infatuation is a cousin to madness  and he does what impetuous youth normally do: He seeks her out.

Whats not normal here is her reaction to him. Though double his age, she welcomes his inner rumblings, the adolescent vaulting of his heart. But she has reason to welcome this, and by novels end, you learn that reason. Distracted by his desire for her, Cem drops a bucket on Mahmut while he digs at the base of the well. He then flees, believing Mahmut dead, and returns to Istanbul to resume his life, resolving to behave as if nothing had happened, which is one of the many bogus machinations of this novel. Thirty years on, after becoming a wealthy engineer, Cem returns to Ongoren to face his past and learn the identity of the red-haired woman and the repercussions of their tryst.

[A Strangeness in My Mind review: Orhan Pamuks love letter to Turkey]

Why had I spent almost thirty years believing that I might have accidentally killed Master Mahmut? Cem asks. It was probably because Id read Oedipus the King and relied on its truths.

Or probably not.

Youll have to endure Pamuks clangorous hammering about the enigma of fathers and sons. Cems father, a leftist agitator frequently jailed, deserted Cem and his mother, and so Cems daddy issues stick out all over the place, which makes his abandonment of the paternal Mahmut downright baffling. The events of the novel, Pamuk writes, are all owing to a story, a myth  life follows myth!  and you wish hed stop pointing that out.

Author Orhan Pamuk (Elena Seibert)

Pamuks chief handicap as a novelist has always been his eager didacticism, his spotlighting of all the allusions and symbols. Here there are symbolic stars, symbolic books, symbolic women, intercut with loads of uselessly deep musings about the firmament. To be insistently metaphorical is one thing; to be insistently metaphorical while repeatedly explaining those metaphors is something else. Pamuk is forever afraid his reader isnt paying attention. The marshaling of myth can make for dynamic storytelling, but Pamuk is too frequently a stranger to the potency of nuance, to the furtive unfoldings of character and plot.

The real trouble here is the translators prose. Ekin Oklaps incessant reliance on dead language does great injury to Pamuks already damaged tale. Oklap can barely get through a paragraph without enlisting the most dancing cliches: from lost in thought to a lost cause, from the crack of dawn to the evening chill. Some lines consist entirely of stock phrasing: Hed languished in prison, but unlike some others, he hadnt changed his tune. Here are some truly inept English sentences: A vision of the Red-Haired Woman would dawn in my mind out of nowhere like a sultry sun; A parched tenderness lay dormant inside me, ready to bloom at the first sign of moisture. Add to that the stuttering alliteration  beaming bucktoothed, busty wife  and you have the worst translation Pamuk has ever suffered in English.

[One of Orhan Pamuks former translators discusses her work]

The novelist himself is not blameless. When he writes that the Red-Haired Womans body was better than anything I had imagined, he rather unhelpfully leaves us to imagine what he means.

This is a desert of demons and jinn, of ancient umbras in the gloaming, but the most vivid and consequential force is the red-haired enchantress in town, very much human. Mahmuts search for water and Cems search for the woman are aligned in that each is really a search for life, and Pamuk is at his best when detailing the arduous dig, the tactile impositions and fleeting loveliness of that land. In the final chapter, as in My Name Is Red, Pamuk upsets the understanding with which youve been reading, shifts the narrative ground so that you must reconfigure the tale youve just been told. What youll have to decide is whether Pamuk has penned the Sophoclean tragedy he aimed for or just another Turkish melodrama.

William Giraldi is the author, most recently, of The Heros Body: A Memoir.

On Sept. 28 at 7 p.m., Orhan Pamuk will be in conversation with Azar Nafisi at St. Pauls, 4900 Connecticut Ave. NW. For tickets, call Politics and Prose Bookstore at 202-364-1919.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 04:52:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that its warplanes have launched 2,518 airstrikes in Syria in August, killing about 800 terrorists there.

The bombings against terrorist command outposts, positions, warehouses, supply bases and camps have destroyed 40 armored vehicles and 106 vehicles equipped with large-caliber machine guns this month, said Sergei Rudskoy, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff at a press conference.

The Russian air force has increased the intensity of its combat missions in Syria and conducted 819 airstrikes over the past five days, said Rudskoy.

With the support of Russian warplanes, the Syrian government troops are carrying out an offensive from three directions against the eastern province of Deir al-Zour still held by Islamic State (IS) terrorists, he added.

Russia has been participating in operations against the IS and other terrorist groups in Syria since September 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
correction An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect name for an organization that tests polyurethane foam for off-gassing. It is CertiPUR-US, not Certipur. This version has been corrected.

The only thing more exhausting than sleeping on a bad mattress is shopping for a new one. First, you have to withstand mattress salespeople  almost as much pressure as shopping for a car. Then, you cant really compare choices among stores because manufacturers make proprietary mattress models for each. And finally, there are the frustrating warranties, which dont cover most of the things that go wrong with mattresses.

Mattress shopping is never going to be dreamy, but you can make it easier. As a reporter, when I struggle to write a story, I go back to the five Ws and an H taught in journalism school: who, what, where, when, why and how. Turns out, those same guideposts can help me write this mattress-shopping article  and help you choose a mattress.

[Tech has taken the work out of couponing. Heres how to save big with little effort.]

Who: You, if you wake up stiff or achy. Thats a good indication that you need a new mattress. If you find that you always sleep better and feel more refreshed after a night in a hotel, thats another sign.

When: Experts say mattresses wear out about every 10 years. Of course, that can vary based on the quality of your mattress. It can also vary based on the quality of your body! Some experts suggest that people over age 40 replace their mattresses every five to seven years, because we need better support and are more susceptible to pressure on our joints.

Where: Many people default to a chain mattress store or a department store, which tend to carry the most mainstream mattress brands  most of which seem to begin with an S. But these days there are other options, including online mattress stores and makers, high-end sleep shops, and local mattress stores. The mattress advice website the Mattress Underground suggests buying from local mattress manufacturers, another valid option.

I recommend shopping around with three types of sellers to educate yourself  perhaps one chain or department store, one online store, and one other. Consumer Reports then suggests that you lie on each mattress for at least 15 minutes because its testers found that the same mattress they liked after 15 minutes was the one that they liked after a month.

Once youve shopped around, buy from a store with a generous return policy. That way, if after following all of the steps here, youre still not happy, you have an out. Many mattress chains, department stores and warehouse stores allow mattress returns now. And most online mattress sellers do, because they realize that you have no way of testing their mattresses before you buy them. Make a note of any stores required time frame and also ask about restocking fees and who is responsible for the effort and cost of getting the mattress back to the store.

Why: Youre probably going to spend a third of the next decade on this mattress. Even though this all may seem-time-consuming, its worth the effort.

[Want to ditch your commute? Finding a work-from-home job is easier than ever.]

What: There are four main types of mattress, and which you choose is purely preference: innerspring, memory foam, latex or adjustable air. That said, some types tend to work well for people with certain body types or sleep styles. Here are the Good Housekeeping Institutes recommendations for who might like what.

Innerspring: This is the classic mattress, with metal coils inside and ticking near the surface. Innersprings can be very affordable. The metal coils are usually available from 12 to 18 gauge. The higher the number, the thinner and bouncier the spring. Heavier people have been known to prefer a lower number/thicker gauge. To cut down on movement by a bed partner, choose an innerspring with pocketed, individual coils. They are covered in fabric to reduce movement from one side of the bed to the other. Many innerspring mattresses have pillow tops, but experts caution that if this layer is thicker than an inch, it will soon sag and develop annoying body indentations.

Best for: those who like an affordable, bouncy-feeling mattress.

Memory foam: These mattresses are made of viscoelastic polyurethane foam built over a polyfoam core. Memory foam mattresses are known for reducing pressure on your body. They provide a very still feel. Sleepers tend to sink into the foam a bit and be cradled in one position. That cradling and the type of foam can cause some people to heat up as they sleep. The Good Housekeeping Institute says the memory foam layer usually varies from two to six inches thick and that the deeper it is, the more youll sink. Ask about the thickness and also the density. Density is measured in pounds per cubic foot  with three pounds being lower quality and five pounds higher, according to the Good Housekeeping Institute. If you are concerned about the fact that this type of mattress is made from a chemical process, then look for one with materials that have passed CertiPUR-US or Oeko-Tex testing, which means it does not off-gas excessive chemicals.

Best for: side sleepers and other people who want to reduce pressure, particularly on the shoulders and hips.

 Latex: Latex is a naturally derived material from rubber trees. Latex mattresses are unique in that they can feel very soft and yet also springy and uplifting. There are two manufacturing methods: Dunlop, which is denser and firmer, and Talalay, which is softer and springier. Sometimes the two are layered together. You should know that some manufacturers blend or layer latex on top of man-made foam but still label the mattress as latex. All-natural latex mattresses are more expensive than some other types. Latex mattresses are common in Europe and growing in popularity in the United States, especially online and in high-end sleep shops.

Best for: people seeking natural materials and strong support.

 Adjustable air: Air beds use air as their support core and then more traditional materials such as foam or ticking as the comfort layer, closer to your body. The air pressure is adjustable, so you can choose a firmer or softer feel at any time and maintain a different mattress firmness from your sleeping partner. Contrary to what you may think based on advertising, there are several companies that make and sell adjustable air beds. Certain air beds have performed very well in Consumer Reports mattress testing, but be aware that consumers have had problems with mold, noise and mechanical failure with some makes and models.

Best for: couples with very different tastes in mattresses.

How: When you shop for a mattress, you should haggle. Yes, its similar to shopping for a car in more ways than one. In fact, many of my car-negotiating tips from an earlier column apply. Negotiating at chain mattress stores is routine, and there you should be able to get 20 to 50 percent off. But even at high-end stores and online stores, you can often cut a deal by requesting a recent sale price or asking them to throw in extras. At the very least, go for free delivery and pickup of your old mattress. And, finally, write a no substitutions clause into your contract so that after doing all this work, you can rest easy knowing you got the mattress you actually wanted.
Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: Im getting married in a year to a wonderful man. In the past few weeks weve found ourselves in an odd position. My father is an attorney and my in-laws recently approached us with information about professional sanctions my father was given about eight years ago. He wasnt disbarred or even suspended; he just had to pay a fine and attend a class.

My in-laws clearly Googled my parents, which is a little odd but ultimately not a huge deal.

Whats difficult is that my in-laws seem to think my father is a white-collar criminal. This situation isnt even close to that. But my in-laws keep saying stuff like, When theres smoke, theres fire. My in-laws told my fiance that he needed to be informed of this before we get married.

My fiance doesnt really care about this issue, much to his parents surprise. This has only ramped up their discussion of it.

(Nick Galifianakis/For The Washington Post)

How can I explain to them this is no longer up for discussion?

 Smoke

Smoke: Whether an issue is up for discussion is not something you explain. You simply discuss it or you dont.

So, next time it comes up, you spell out whatever last point you want to make about your father. For example: Your son is not marrying my father. My father also happens to be a good man and remains a licensed attorney, and I will not stand for your speaking of him this way. Then you change the subject. If they go back to it, then you say, This is no longer up for discussion, and leave the conversation/room. If you cant leave (moving vehicle, say), then you go silent until theres a new topic. Thats it. Its a matter of enforcement, not phrasing.

Presumably they use another cliche here as well to justify their persistence: that when you get married, you also marry the family. I actually hope they do, because then you or your fiance will have the perfect opportunity to point out that it cuts both ways.

And since it does: Make sure your fiance is not just willing to stand up to his parents, but also an expert at it. Their behavior does not bode well for living boundaried ever after.

Dear Carolyn: After talking myself out of it for many years, I recently met with a therapist a few times. Unfortunately, I picked someone who spent our sessions talking about her own life. When we occasionally got back to me, she picked the topics rather than making any effort to find out what I wanted to focus on.

I know I need to find a different professional. As someone who struggles to speak up when Im uncomfortable, though, Im dreading the process. Would it be weird to interview future therapists before making an appointment?

 I Know More About My Therapist Than She Knows About Me

I Know More . . . : Yes, interview the therapists first, or request the first appointment as an interview. If you have a job that offers an employee assistance program, you can use the free initial appointments as a tryout.

Awkward as it sounds, you can also ask this therapist to recommend another. This isnt a good fit, is all the explanation you need  email or voice mail will do.
THE DISTRICT

Motorcyclist killed in crash near Howard U.

A motorcyclist died in Northwest Washington in a crash late Sunday, authorities said.

The incident happened about 10:07 p.m. in the 2400 block of Fifth Street NW, near Howard University, D.C. police said.

The rider was identified as Demetrius B. Mitchell, 23, of Northwest.

Police said that a man on a Honda CBR600RR motorcycle accelerated through a red light at McMillan Drive NW at a high speed before crashing into a guardrail. The man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

 Luz Lazo

Man is accused of stabbing his girlfriend

A man has been charged with stabbing his girlfriend Saturday night in his Logan Circle apartment after the two had argued and struck each other, D.C. police said.

Marvin Iraheta-Grande, 24, of Northwest Washington was charged with assault with intent to kill. Police did not learn about the stabbing until Sunday, after authorities said the boyfriend took the victim to a hospital.

The stabbing occurred about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of R Street NW. The victim told police she and the suspect had been arguing for two days and that he slapped and punched her and she hit him in the head with a phone, court documents said.

MARYLAND

Columbus monument damaged in Baltimore

A 225-year-old monument to Christopher Columbus was damaged by a vandal who took a sledgehammer to the obelisk in Baltimore.

Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith said at a news conference that the crime apparently occurred early Monday. A video of the vandalizing was posted on YouTube. It included narration by a man who pummeled the base of the 44-foot-tall monument, shattering part of it.

Smith said police had not identified suspects in the crime.

According to the Maryland Historical Societys website, the monuments cornerstone was laid in 1792 at the north Baltimore country home of one of the first French consuls in the colonies. It was moved in 1964.

Last week, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh ordered four Confederate statues removed.

 Associated Press

MARYLAND

Two men charged with murder in Pr. Georges

Two men were charged with first-degree murder following the fatal shooting of another man in Prince Georges County in June, police said.

About 8:40 p.m. on June 6, officers responded to the 5200 block of Leverett Street in Oxon Hill for the report of a shooting, Prince Georges County police said in a statement. They found 26-year-old Shahim Body of Oxon Hill suffering from gunshot wounds. He died hours later in a hospital, the statement said.

[Man fatally shot in Oxon Hill, Md.]

On Monday, police said they arrested Jarrett Jackson, 25, of Fort Washington and Jarrell Jackson, 28, of Oxon Hill in connection with the killing, which was related to an ongoing dispute. They were charged with first-degree murder and related charges, according to police.

 Justin Wm. Moyer
Two Maryland men were charged with first-degree murder following the fatal shooting of another man in Prince Georges County in June, police said.

At around 8:40 p.m. on June 6, officers responded to the 5200 block of Leverett Street in Oxon Hill for the report of a shooting, Prince Georges County police said in a statement. They found 26-year-old Shahim Body of Oxon Hill suffering from gunshot wounds, and he died hours later in a hospital, the statement said.

[Man fatally shot in Oxon Hill, Md.]

On Monday, police said they arrested 25-year-old Jarrett Jackson of Fort Washington and 28-year-old Jarrell Jackson of Oxon Hill in connection with the killing, which was related to an ongoing dispute between the suspects and the group the victim was with. They were charged with first-degree murder and related charges, according to police.

This story has been updated to reflect new information released by police regarding the motive in this homicide.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) had very productive conversations with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to secure funding for the Purple Line. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Marylands Purple Line will receive a $900 million federal full funding agreement from the Trump administration, officials said Monday, a critical step forward for the oft-delayed project.

The breakthrough came after very productive, high-level conversations on Friday and Monday between Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said.

A Department of Transportation spokesman confirmed the deal, and said it is expected to be signed next week.

Construction of the 16-mile light-rail line linking Montgomery and Prince Georges counties will begin within weeks after the deal is formalized.

The 16-mile light-rail line will link Montgomery and Prince Georges counties. (The Washington Post)

The announcement put to rest worries in Maryland that the Purple Line might fall victim to desires in the Trump administration and the Republican Party to trim federal transit spending.

The deal drew praise from Maryland Democrats, some of whom applauded Hogan for ultimately backing the Purple Line despite having criticized it as too costly during his 2014 gubernatorial campaign.

The White House budget released in the spring proposed eliminating new federal grants for transit construction, and the GOP party platform urged phasing out all federal transit spending.

[Trump advisers call for privatizing some public assets to build new infrastructure]

The Purple Line was spared partly because the project was so far advanced. In addition, the Trump administration is eager to promote it as a model for financing and operating major infrastructure projects by using public-private partnerships, in which governments team up with for-profit companies.

[Maryland board approves $5.6 billion Purple Line contract]

Maryland awarded the concession for designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the Purple Line to a consortium of private companies, called Purple Line Transit Partners.

In his talks with Chao, Hogan emphasized the virtues of using such partnerships as a big thing, Mayer said. That approach evidently paid off.

The Maryland Purple Line project is an excellent example of leveraging a transit project through a public-private partnership, a Department of Transportation spokesman said. Going forward, it demonstrates the effectiveness of P3s, and we hope it will expand to other infrastructure projects across the country.

[From the archives: Purple Line Public-private transit partnership would be one of the broadest in U.S.]

Hogan also told Chao that the project was important for Maryland and the region, partly because it would help bring new riders to the Metro system. Although the Purple Line will not be part of Metro, it will link four Metro lines  two spokes of the Red Line, plus the Green and Orange lines.

Hogan also reiterated to Chao that Maryland had already put a ton of money into it, and were committed to it, Mayer said.

The deal also appeared to show that the Trump administration will not withhold funds for the project to punish Hogan for declining to support Trump in the election and for criticizing him on occasion since then. On Thursday, for example, Hogan said Trump did a really bad job in responding to the deadly violence in Charlottesville.

Mayer declined to comment on what the agreement might signal about the administrations view of Hogan.

The funding agreement will free up $325 million in federal funds that have already been appropriated for the Purple Line, and clear the path for a total federal investment of $900 million over the life of the agreement. Without the federal investment, the state could not possibly afford the more than $2 billion needed for construction.

Maryland officials were several days away from clinching a federal funding agreement in 2016, under the Obama administration. However, a court ruling in a federal lawsuit opposing the light-rail line made it ineligible for the federal money.

A recent appellate court decision in the lawsuit made the project once again eligible for federal grants, but a commitment was still required from the Trump administration.

The Maryland Purple Line project has met all the statutory and readiness requirements, and the [Federal Transit Administration] does intend to sign the $900 million federal full funding grant agreement, the DOT spokesman said.

The lawsuit has not been settled, but construction can now go forward while the case works it way through the courts. Purple Line opponents allege that the state must delay the project until it recalculates its ridership projections to reflect Metros declining ridership.

Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Benjamin L. Cardin, both Democrats from Maryland, praised the Trump administration for its decision to fully fund the light-rail line, calling the Purple Line a critical transportation project.

We are pleased that this project is now moving forward and appreciate Department of Transportation Secretary Chaos efforts to secure the funding, they said in a statement.

The lines eventual construction, they said, would bring significant quality-of-life benefits for state residents.

The senators assigned credit for the deal not just to Hogan and Chao, but also to other Maryland officials, almost all of whom are Democrats.

From day one, they said, Marylands congressional delegation and local and state officials have been fighting to bring the Purple Line to Maryland, because we know it will strengthen our economy, help combat congestion and air pollution, and improve the lives of families in our state.

Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) was enthusiastic about Mondays news. After years of unnecessary delays, this is welcome news for a project that will create greater access to public transportation, relieve congestion and stimulate job growth and investment, Scott Peterson, Bakers spokesman, said.

Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) was elated. Ive never felt this good about the projects prospects, Berliner said. This is the high-water mark.

Berliner applauded the Hogan administration for its continued support of the Purple Line and the Trump administration for honoring the federal commitment.

Governor Hogan has stood by this project when it wasnt clear that this was necessarily a high priority for him, Berliner said. I believe the Trump administration has honored its commitment. I think were in a strange world where we have to be grateful for people doing their job.

Berliner said with the funding agreement, the state could soon turn its focus toward building the rail line.

Now we can start diggin dirt, he said.

This story has been updated.
THE DISTRICT

White House lockdown

is lifted, deemed safe

A lockdown of the White House was lifted after about an hour Tuesday afternoon after police determined that an unattended package found near the North Lawn was not hazardous, the U.S. Secret Service said.

Police said the item had been discovered about 1:15 p.m. in an area along Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Square, just outside the security perimeter. Pedestrians were cleared from the area between 15th and 17th streets.

A spokesman for the Secret Service said the package was determined to be harmless about 2:15 p.m. The owner has not been located.

The incident came a few minutes after police found a different suspicious package at 1:10 p.m. on the Rotunda steps of the U.S. Capitol.

A U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman said no hazardous items were found, but a man was arrested and charged with unlawful entry. The steps are off-limits to the public.

 Peter Hermann

Bei Bei turns 2,

celebrates with cake

Bei Bei, a giant panda at the National Zoo, turned 2 years old Tuesday. Zoo officials said he had a cake with frozen diluted juice in it to celebrate.

Plenty of online well-wishers tossed out birthday greetings to the panda.

 Dana Hedgpeth

VIRGINIA

Woman films man

who exposed himself

A woman was robbed of her cellphone after filming a man who had just exposed himself to her in Falls Church, Fairfax County police said.

Donnell Rojas, 25, of the District walked out of the woods and exposed himself to the woman as she waited at a bus stop near Lee Highway and Graham Road about 8 a.m. Friday, police said.

The woman then took the mans photo to report him to authorities, police said. Rojas attacked the woman and took her phone before leaving the scene, police said.

Witnesses directed police to Rojas and the location of the womans phone, police said. Rojas was arrested and charged with robbery and indecent exposure.

Since his arrest, Rojas has also been charged with stalking and sexual battery in connection with a similar case reported in the same area of Falls Church in July, police said.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that Rojas is responsible for other incidents in Maryland and the District. They are asking for anyone with information to contact them at 703-691-2131 or anonymously through the countys Crime Solvers program.

 Justin Jouvenal
Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming receives an exclusive interview with Xinhua in London, Britain, May 12, 2017. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Britain said on Monday that the investment from his country to Britain is mutually beneficial and win-win for both sides, rebuffing the investment threat allegation.

Liu Xiaoming, in a signed article on the Evening Standard, said that the recent British media reports on the so-called threats of Chinese investment to British national security is a confusing mixture of paranoia and exaggerations about China's appetite to buy out Britain.

"All these are both groundless and harmful," he said.

So far, 18 billion pounds (23.2 billion U.S. dollars) of Chinese non-financial investment has come into a wide range of sectors in Britain.

Liu stressed that the Chinese investment is creating new jobs, generating green, low carbon growth and bringing economic prosperity and stability.

"The Hinkley Point project partly financed by the Chinese company, for example, is expected to create 26,000 jobs and, upon completion, reduce nine million tons of carbon emission every year," said the senior diplomat, referring to the construction of the massive nuclear power station in Somerset.

Liu said Britain's unchanged commitment to staying open is key to boosting the confidence of foreign investors.

"As the Brexit negotiations continue and the ensuing uncertainties and negative impacts unfold, for Britain and for foreign investors, confidence is more valuable than gold," he added.

After the Brexit referendum last year, the British government has been reiterating its commitment to free trade and its opposition to protectionism.

Liu believed that being open and inclusive has been one of the keys to Britain's continued success.

He reiterated that investment from China will not and can not pose a threat to Britain's national security.

"Britain should make the right decision and maintain its confidence rather than being swayed by protectionism or looking at Chinese investment through Cold War-tinted spectacles," Liu said.

Chinese investors came here for cooperation and win-win results, and they look for a business friendly and welcoming environment, he added.
American environmentalist Tom Steyer speaks at the Netroots Nation annual conference for political progressives in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. August 12, 2017. (REUTERS/Christopher Aluka Berry)

Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyers organization plans to spend at least $2 million to elect Democrat Ralph Northam as Virginias next governor, with a focus on turning out millenial voters.

The former California hedge-fund manager turned climate activist told The Washington Post that Virginia, which is holding the nations marquee gubernatorial contest this year, is the most important campaign priority for his group, NextGen America.

This is the race of the year, Steyer said. It seems like there is a struggle for the hearts and minds of Americans right now, and its taking place as much in Virginia as anyplace else in the United States of America.

Steyer has crusaded to put climate change at the forefront of public policy, spending more than $100 million on elections as well as other efforts to combat it.

His groups support for Northam comes despite the fact that the Democrat has been largely neutral about two proposed natural gas pipelines that would snake through Virginia.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, left, and G OP gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie. ( Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Many environmentalists in the state, along with some landowners, are opposed to the pipelines and say they are angry with Northam, who has maintained that the projects fate is up to federal regulators and the state has little say. His Republican rival, Ed Gillespie, supports the pipelines.

A sponsor of one of the pipelines is Dominion Energy, Virginias largest corporate political donor. Northam owns shares in the company, and has also accepted campaign contributions from Dominion.

[Dominion letter shows how remaining neutral on pipelines helps Northam]

Steyer opposes the construction of new infrastructure for fossil fuels, including pipelines.

He sighed when asked about how the gas pipelines affected his support for Northam, who opposes offshore drilling.

He has said, and we have talked to him about this and its something that we continue to work on and be aware of, that the pipeline will be subject to the toughest possible environmental review, which we obviously think is good, said Steyer. We think he is much much better than Mr. Gillespie on environmental policies in general.

A spokesman for Northam said his conversations with Steyer have no bearing on his stance on the pipelines.

Dr. Northams policy positions, in private and public, do not waiver. He only makes decisions based on whats best for Virginia, said David Turner, the spokesman. As he has stated repeatedly, he believes the pipeline needs to follow a rigorous and scientific permitting process and respect the property rights of Virginians.

[They would work hearts out for Northam if he opposed pipelines]

Steyers organization spent the second largest amount in Virginias 2013 gubernatorial contest, giving $8 million on advertising, field operations and other efforts to help elect Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and other Democrats. Steyer hasnt ruled out funding television commercials independent from the candidate this year, as he did last time.

But his current focus is mobilizing young voters who typically stay home for non-presidential elections, he said.

[Inside Steyers slow conversion from fossil fuels investor to climate hawk]

NextGen Americas $2 million commitment is expected to cover 70 paid staffers on 25 Virginia college campuses, who will register and try to turn out millenial voters in November. It will also pay for a digital campaign to reach millenials who arent in college.

A spokeswoman for NextGen said its organizers registered more than 1,000 voters at the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville as students moved onto campus over the past weekend.

Separately, a political action committee formed by NextGen and labor unions plans to spend at least $1.2 million to mobilize progressive voters in Virginia who are less likely to vote in midterm races.

Our overwhelming interest in the process is that its grassroots, is that were enabling people in their home state to have the ability to talk to each other and have these conversations, said Steyer.

Republicans criticized Northams dependence on national organizations, which also includes a $3 million Planned Parenthood operation.

Out-of-state donors are rushing to spend millions to prop up No Show Northams sinking campaign, said Garren Shipley, Virginia spokesman for the Republican National Committee. The fact is, Virginia voters know Northams policies are wrong for the Commonwealth.

NextGens focus on young voters extends beyond Virginia. Steyer previously announced he would spend $7.5 million this year to register young voters in swing states, and would ramp up efforts in 2018. His super PAC spent $25 million on similar efforts in 2016.

Steyer pushed to make climate a key issue in the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial contest, attacking Republican nominee Ken Cuccinelli II as a climate change denier.

[Groups flush with cash turn to Virginia governors race in 2013]

His organization has since rebranded to focus on more than just the environment  changing its name from NextGen Climate to NextGen America. In Virginia, Steyer said NextGen would discuss climate as part of a broader vision for improving the economy and protecting fundamental rights.

Gillespie has come under fire from environmentalists for supporting President Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris climate pact and not mentioning climate change in his plan to address sea level rise that threatens to flood coastal communities. A spokesman for Gillespie says he believes theres ample evidence of climate change, and that human activity contributes to it.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe stands next to President Trump during a commissioning ceremony on board the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in Norfolk last month. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

On the day that white nationalists and counterprotesters clashed violently over a Confederate statue in his state, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe spoke the words that President Trump would not.

I have a message to all the white supremacists and the Nazis who came into Charlottesville today. Our message is plain and simple: Go home. . . . There is no place for you here, there is no place for you in America, a stricken-looking McAuliffe said on national television.

As images of mayhem from Charlottesville were beamed continuously around the world, President Trump gave his now much-criticized condemnation of hatred violence and bigotry on many sides, on many sides  an equivocation he repeated days later, to the dismay of Republicans and Democrats alike.

The bigotry and bloodshed that consumed Charlottesville was McAuliffes first national crisis, one that unfolded as he is getting ready to leave office. It tested McAuliffes ability to keep order while it threatened his work to rebrand the one-time capital of the Confederacy as an inclusive, multicultural state.

Charlottesville also vaulted McAuliffe into the national spotlight like nothing else in his nearly four years in the governors mansion, coming just as the term-limited, 60-year-old Democrat is considering life after January  including whether to make a 2020 bid to challenge Trump for the presidency.

In the days since Charlottesville, the governors initially conciliatory tone toward Trump has dissolved into sharp criticism, projected now from a national platform.

McAuliffe has faulted Trump for failing to show real leadership in the aftermath of the violence and for lacking the ability to heal the nation as presidents are expected to do. He has subtly suggested that the presidents political rhetoric has fed social unrest. This week, McAuliffe opened up a new front, lambasting Trumps proposed budget as damaging to the Virginia economy.

Through it all, McAuliffe has talked about the need to understand the causes of white nationalism and to help Americans find a stronger sense of unity.

That was not real leadership what I saw, McAuliffe said, referring to Trump during an interview with CBS This Morning. I went out and did it myself.

Calling it the most difficult task hes ever faced, McAuliffe went on live television hours after cascading tragedies on Aug. 12: the melee in the streets of Charlottesville, a car that rammed into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer, and a helicopter crash that killed two state troopers who had been responding to the unrest.

The vitriol spewed on the streets of Charlottesville shocked McAuliffe. I just couldnt believe what I heard these people say to other human beings, he said.

As he was about to speak, McAuliffe was reeling from the news of the dead troopers, both of whom he knew well. But he kept that part to himself because he didnt want their families first learning about it on TV.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) on Aug. 13 said Charlottesville is stronger a day after violence erupted in the city. The organizer of a white nationalist rally said clashes occurred because police declined to do their job. (Whitney Leaming,Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

It was hard, I had just been told minutes before that two of my friends had been killed  but I knew I was speaking to Virginia, I knew I was speaking to the nation, and I felt I was speaking to the world, he told The Washington Post.

He had harsh words on the air for the white supremacists but then pivoted.

And if I could give you a piece of advice: Use your time and energy to help people, said McAuliffe, who spoke without notes. Come with me to a homeless shelter. Come with me to help a veteran find a job or place to live. Thats what we need help on. To bring people together.

The next day, McAuliffe turned down invitations to appear on the Sunday talk shows, and instead went to church services in Charlottesville. I knew that if Id gone on a bunch of TV that people could say  which I didnt want  Hes making it political. Because it isnt about politics.

A new poll released Tuesday by MassINC shows just 30 percent of Virginia voters approved of Trumps handling of the Charlottesville events, while 56 percent disapproved. By contrast, 41 percent approved of McAuliffes approach while 27 percent disapproved.

McAuliffe, who once believed Confederate monuments should be left alone but now says they ought to be removed from public spaces, said the nation is facing a challenge that goes beyond bronze figures.

Its not just about monuments, McAuliffe told CBS. This was a big issue that happened to this country on Saturday. These people who came to Charlottesville, the neo-Nazis, the alt-right. They werent here about a statue. . . . There was hatred, there was bigotry that has been unleashed in this country, and we need to understand how its happened and, most importantly, what we can do to move forward as a nation.

On Monday, during a budget address with Republican leaders of the state legislature, McAuliffe interrupted his remarks about finances to launch an extended attack on the Trump administration.

The presidents recent budget proposal will cause irreparable harm to Virginians and the new Virginia economy weve worked so hard to build, said McAuliffe, who had opened his address with a moment of silence for the woman and two state troopers killed during the Charlottesville protests. And while most of the country and national media are engrossed in the sideshow of ritual firings and late-night tweets, we are facing real impacts down the line that will hurt families from Abingdon to Arlington.

Republicans sat stone-faced.

Lets face it, the governors looking to higher national office, said House Speaker-designee Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) said later. Its interesting that you would spend the first 10 minutes bashing the president.

Some say the man America knows mostly as a back-slapping pal of Bill and Hillary Clinton  someone who makes fun of himself as an unlikely successor to Virginia governors Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson  emerged from Charlottesville with new gravitas.

Governor McAuliffes response just clearly cut through all the murky lines and just cut right to the point . . . particularly coming on the heels of what we got from the leader of the free world, said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACPs Washington Bureau.

Even some Republicans said McAuliffes handling of Charlottesville could boost his stature, although most were wary of going on the record with any compliments, even the back-handed variety.

Terry McAuliffe on national TV at a black church the day after a Nazi rally is a much different look than Terry McAuliffe on late-night TV in a Hawaiian shirt with a bottle of Jose Cuervo, said one GOP insider, referring to one of his more colorful appearances, after the 2008 Puerto Rico presidential primary.

Still, there has been a lot of second-guessing of tactics by the Charlottesville police  and the state police and National Guard who provided backup  especially since a rally in Boston on Saturday was largely peaceful.

Some law enforcement experts have said authorities in Virginia waited too long to wade into the conflict in Charlottesville, and should have done a better job of keeping opposing sides apart.

McAuliffe has defended the police response, saying that while many of the white supremacists were armed, the only death directly related to the protest occurred when a Dodge Challenger rammed into a crowd, killing Heyer.

He has also placed some responsibility on the American Civil Liberties Union, for helping rally organizers defeat the citys effort to move the protest to a larger park where authorities would have had greater crowd control.

The executive director of the Virginia ACLU turned the blame back on authorities, saying she warned state officials that police were not doing enough to physically separate the white supremacists from counterprotesters and should never have allowed sticks, poles and other tools that were turned into weapons.

Few Republicans have wanted to criticize the police response to Charlottesville, particularly after two state troopers who were recording the unrest from the air died when their helicopter crashed hours after Heyer was mowed down.

But Jim Gilmore, a Republican who was governor during the 9/11 Pentagon attack, called the response to Charlottesville inadequate and faulted McAuliffe. Gilmore called for an independent review instead of the in-house audit McAuliffe ordered.

When youre the chief executive either of the country or the state, then you have to be prepared to meet a crisis or a challenge as it develops, he said. There seems to be an effort to shift the blame.

Its too soon to know if Charlottesville will have a lasting impact on McAuliffes legacy or political prospects. That will become more clear after the shock subsides and the official response gets scrutinized, political analyst Stuart Rothenberg said.

Politicians almost always get the initial reaction correctly because its so obvious, he said. You decry violence. You identify the people who are wrong. You express sympathy for the people who are hurt or, in this case, killed. You talk about bringing the country together. All that is easy. Then the second guessing starts.

Stephen Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political scientist, said Charlottesville gave McAuliffe a national exposure that he would not have obtained if it had not been the focus of the country for a week. . . . Governor McAuliffe clearly looked more like a leader than President Trump did in the wake of this incident.

Trumps inconsistent messaging and equivocal response to hate represented really poor political instincts, Farnsworth said.

I think that one of the positive messages the governor put forward was this idea that peoples energies are better spent building better communities than dividing them, Farnsworth said. It may very well be a message that voters are ready to hear in 2018 and 2020. Further, its a powerful contrast to the consistently divisive approach that President Trump employed. . . . It was in a moment when there was an awful lot of negative commentary being discussed. The governor offered a positive suggestion, one that may not have been taken by the participants but one that speaks to a better America.
Protesters and counter-protesters clash during a Unite the Right rally on Aug. 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Calla Kessler/The Washington Post)

A slim majority of Virginia voters think that Confederate monuments should stay on public property, according to a new survey, and those polled are split on who is to blame for the violence during the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.

After a deadly protest Aug. 12 by white supremacists opposed to Charlottesvilles plan to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee from a downtown park, residents and political leaders across the state and country have been debating the place of Confederate statues on public property.

Virginia has more than 200 Confederate statues, thought to be the most of any state.

In the days following the violence, which left one counterprotester and two state troopers who were monitoring the rally dead and more than a dozen injured, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam and other Virginia Democrats have called for Confederate monuments to be relocated to museums. Republican Ed Gillespie wants to keep the statues but add historical context.

A slim majority of Virginia voters  51 percent  want the statues to remain on public property while 28 percent would like them removed, according to a poll released Tuesday by MassInc.

President Trump stands with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) in July 2017. A poll found voters preferred McAuliffes response to the Charlottesville violence. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

A majority  52 percent  of voters polled also consider the monuments part of Southern heritage while just 25 percent believe the statues are symbols of racism.

Republicans overwhelmingly favored preserving the statues, and a majority of independents agreed with them. Only a slim majority of Democrats wanted them gone.

Nonwhite voters were split on whether the monuments represent heritage or racism but favored taking them down by a 15-point margin.

Voters were split on who was most responsible for the violence in Charlottesville, with 40 percent blaming the white nationalist marchers and 41 percent blaming the white nationalists and the counterprotesters equally.

[Read the full poll results]

The results showed a partisan split: About two-thirds of Republicans blamed both sides, while a similar proportion of Democrats blamed the white nationalists. Independents leaned toward blaming both sides, with 42 percent holding that view and 36 percent blaming the white nationalists.

However, the poll suggests that President Trumps scattershot response to the violence  initially criticizing violence on many sides without explicitly condemning the hate groups involved, denouncing those groups and then again blaming both sides  turned off voters who otherwise may have agreed with him.

More than half of Virginia voters disapproved  nearly all of them strongly  of the way Trump handled the events in Charlottesville, including a fifth of Republicans. Thirty percent of voters approved of his response.

The survey results were nearly identical to a Washington Post-ABC News poll that found twice as many Americans disapproved as approved of the presidents response to Charlottesville.

About 41 percent of Virginia voters approved of McAuliffes handling of Charlottesville, the biggest crisis of his nearly four years in office, while 27 percent disapproved.

[Recounting a day of hate, violence and death in Charlottesville]

MassInc. surveyed 508 Virginia voters between Aug. 15 and Aug. 19. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Child psychiatrist Dan Nelson last week at the clinic where he treats addiction patients in Cincinnati. (Luke Sharrett for The Washington Post)

Just before Christmas 2015, child psychiatrist Daniel Nelson noticed an unusual number of suicidal kids in the hospital emergency room.

A 14-year-old girl with a parent addicted to opioids tried to choke herself with a seat belt. A 12-year-old transgender child hurt himself after being bullied. And a steady stream of kids arrived from the citys west side, telling him they knew other kids  at school, in their neighborhoods  who had also tried to die.

I think theres an increase in suicidal kids in Cincinnati, Nelson told a colleague. We need to start mapping this out.

So Nelson and his colleagues collected the addresses of 300 children admitted to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital with suicidal behavior over three months in early 2016, looking for patterns. Almost instantly, a disturbing one emerged: Price Hill, a poor community with a high rate of opioid overdoses, was home to a startling number of suicidal kids.

This is who is dying from opiates  people in their 20s and 30s. Think about what that population is, Nelson said. Its parents.

Nelson says there may be a connection between the opioid epidemic and the increased risk of suicide in teenagers and children. (Luke Sharrett for The Washington Post)

Now Nelson is working with county coroners across the nation to try to corroborate his theory, that trauma from the nations opioid epidemic could help explain an extraordinary increase in suicide among American children. Since 2007, the rate of suicide has doubled among children 10 to 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death between the ages of 10 and 24. The suicide rate among older teenage girls hit a 40-year high in 2015, according to newly released data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Cincinnati has been particularly hard hit. In 2015, five children died from suicide in Hamilton County, where Cincinnati is located. Last year, 13 children under 18 were lost to suicide  a rate nearly three times the national average. This year, nine kids have died by suicide, a majority of them under 15. The youngest, a resident of Price Hill, was 8 years old.

Nelson, who has been practicing for two decades, says many of his patients come from families with addiction problems. In a program he runs for preschoolers who have been severely abused, over 60 percent have an opioid-addicted parent.

At any given time, at least 25 percent of my hospitalized kids have a parent actively struggling with addiction, Nelson said. Early childhood trauma has been proven to set the stage for a lot of mental and physical illness. Its a pretty simple scale.

The epiphany about Price Hill came unexpectedly, when he saw a map of overdoses in Hamilton County. The overdoses clustered in the same places as his suicidal kids. They laid over each other almost exactly, he said.

We do worry that a neighborhood with a high rate of opioid overdoses is also seeing this suicide cluster, said Marilyn Crumpton, Cincinnatis interim health commissioner. In particular, she is concerned about the increasing number of children being orphaned by the opioid epidemic and the despair it is causing in communities. Its very easy to see the relationship.

You feel like youre failing

Price Hill overlooks the basin of downtown Cincinnati. Once a buzzing, wealthy suburb with its own cable railway, it is now pockmarked with shuttered businesses and boarded-up homes.

The Washington Post's Moriah Balingit explains why some educators and psychologists are saying the show about teen suicide should not be watched by young people. (Whitney Shefte/The Washington Post)

Nelson drove a reporter to Carson Elementary School, and its playground was desolate during summer break.

Im thinking if I live in a community where my friends parents are dying, if Im in a class of 25 with 15 families challenged by addiction, even if my family isnt directly challenged, I suddenly become affected, he said. Kids are coming in with all these traumatic experiences. Resources are stretched. Teachers arent able to teach the same. It could be a contagion effect in a community.

In January, 8-year-old Gabriel Taye, a third-grader at Carson, died by suicide at his home in Price Hill. He had been bullied by kids at the school.

The coroner initially asked police to investigate the death as a murder because she didnt think an 8-year-old could hang himself. Now, she was trying to figure out from Gabriels iPad where he learned how to do it.

They called me in when Gabriel died, Nelson said. Its the youngest kid who completed suicide that I can remember in a long while.

Nelson drove a few blocks to Western Hills High, a 1,200-student school that had two suicides last year: a 16-year-old sophomore boy and a girl who had just finished school. In March, the school lost another teen. About a dozen of the suicidal kids on Nelsons map went to this school, which shares grounds and a medical clinic with Dater High, which had another student die of suicide recently.

Theyve had four kids that died of suicide in the last two years between the schools, Nelson said. Across the street from here, there is a junior high called Midway, where a 12-year-old died last year.

Inside Western Hills, a group of students were painting the long wall by the school gym gold. Rihanna blared from a boombox.

Nelson walked into a classroom where a strike team addressing the schools suicide problem was seated at a long table.

Susan Shelton, a founder of MindPeace, a youth mental-health organization that has brought professional mental-health services to nearly 100 Cincinnati schools over the past 15 years, was helping train school staffers to spot childhood trauma  a strong predictor of future depression and suicide risk.

Others around the table represented Lighthouse, a youth and family service agency whose psychologists and counselors work with students out of a room just down this corridor.

Nelson had met with the group this spring, when they raised the alarm about students reporting suicidal thoughts. Hed shown his suicide and opioid overdose maps on a large-screen television. They got it immediately, he said.

Weeks after that meeting, Western Hills lost another teenager to suicide.

The worst thing a principal can face on any given day is to come into their school building and find out one of the students has committed suicide, said Kenneth Jump, the schools former principal.

Nelson said: When a child dies, everybody is affected. No matter how hard you try, you feel like youre failing.

Suicide contagion

One of Nelsons patients, Samantha Potter, came to his clinic at age 12, after the first of two suicide attempts and two years after her father killed himself.

We were celebrating my 10th birthday at Grandmas house when my dad passed away from suicide, Samantha said over tea in a bookshop cafe just across the river from Cincinnati in Florence, Ky.

When they told us, we were sitting together on the love seat, her sister Emma said. I remember we held hands because we were scared.

Suicide  especially among children  can be contagious. Research suggests that about 5 percent of youth suicides are influenced by contagion from suicidal peers or cultural depictions of suicide. Thats one thing that worried Nelson about his patients in Price Hill and across the region.

After she attempted suicide, Samantha said, that night I slept with my mom and had horrible nightmares. I didnt know what to say to the nurses and doctors. I was terrified. Because when youre trying to commit suicide, some people forget this, but theres still a part of you that doesnt want to. Not only are you scared of dying, but youre scared of yourself. Youre scared of whats possible at that moment in time.

After Sam was diagnosed and treated for post-traumatic stress disorder in her early teens and became more comfortable speaking out about suicide, she turned into a magnet for others in crisis.

Suicide notes, calls for help started falling out of my locker, she said. Some said, I have pains in my chest from anxiety. Others would tell me they were cutting themselves. Some would just say, So-and-so needs a friend. 

Now 19 and just starting college, Sam has an armory of coping skills, and she started Robs Kids, named after her dad, to help other children deal with their trauma.

Like Nelson, shed been puzzling over the cause of this tidal wave of depression and suicide among her peers. Multiple classmates of mine at school had tried, she said. Emma, who is 17, nodded in agreement.

Have you seen that show 13 Reasons Why? Sam asked. She was incensed about the series. The Netflix TV show about a high school teenager dying by suicide has become the focus of alarm for school superintendents and doctors.

Their fear is that it will stoke the problem of youth suicide through contagion, particularly among kids already struggling with depression. A study published in July found a 19 percent increase in Internet searches about suicide, including how to commit suicide, after the series debuted.

24 funerals and two weddings

In addition to his pediatric practice at the childrens hospital, Nelson runs an addiction clinic that serves poor families. The waiting room is crammed.

One patient, a father addicted to opioids, had walked for more than two hours from Kentucky to be there. An anxious couple were waiting to get a prescription and ask advice on what to do about their child, who had been taken away by protective services.

A young mother in recovery chastised her toddlers, who were happily exploring the office on all fours. Can I give them a C-R-A-C-K-E-R today? Nelson asked with a smile.

Then he walked out to greet the next family.

I encourage them to bring and talk about their children, he said, during a short breather between patients. Treating the addiction helps reduce psychosocial stress for the kids.

One of Nelsons patients, Scott Emmon, was born and raised in Price Hill, where he now works in security. Hes been clean for about a year.

Last year, his brother died of a heroin overdose. He left behind two daughters, a 19-year-old who attended Western Hills and a 4-year-old who is now in foster care.

Ive been to 24 funerals and only two weddings, said Emmon, 37. Its so sad to say, but its the truth. I see people die all the time. Its like a normal thing now.

Price Hill locals have seen the epidemic of overdoses in their neighborhood, and many worry about how it is affecting their children.

Jeremy Bauer, parish operations manager at Holy Family Church in East Price Hill, witnessed three overdoses within the span of three weeks  a woman slumped across the street from the church; a second woman curled up in a McDonalds parking lot when he was with his two children; and a man in an alleyway behind the church.

In June, Bauer decided to hand out kits of Narcan  an antidote to acute opioid overdose  to families at a church community event, in an effort to combat the heroin epidemic in the area.

Bauer says kids are certainly aware of what they are seeing. They see the overdoses. They hear about it  on the news, on Facebook. They see the squads, he said. I can be out in my front yard with my kids working on my flower beds, I see people walk up and down and I can see theyre high.

He continued: Imagine being a young person in this community who looks around and sees this devastation, people in the throes of addiction, people slumped over or high on the street. Thats got to sap their energy and passion. If theyre living in this community, where walking down the street they see so many people trapped in a lifestyle, how can they have an ambition to be something bigger?

How can we expect them to process it when we cant even process it as adults?


The petroglyphs of Procession Panel, thought to represent a ceremonial gathering or migration, are seen as the sun sets in June at Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Sweeping wilderness vistas. Archaeological relics dating back thousands of years. Undersea worlds of corals, anemones and rare marine species.

Their fate could become clear this week when Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke concludes his review of 27 national monuments from the South Pacific Ocean to off the coast of New England, as directed by an executive order that President Trump signed this spring. The order targeted designations of at least 100,000 acres that were made by former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama under the 1906 Antiquities Act. Zinke later made an exception, also adding a smaller monument in northern Maine.

Trump is no fan of the act, declaring that it does not give the federal government unlimited power to lock up millions of acres of land and water, and its time that we ended this abusive practice. But Interiors review has come up against vehement pushback. The department received nearly 3 million public comments  with an overwhelming majority supporting the current designations, according to an analysis by the Center for Western Priorities.

Zinke recently announced, albeit with little explanation, that he would recommend no changes for six of the monuments on the list. Of the remaining sites, 15 are considered the most vulnerable to revision, reduction or even reversal. The secretarys final guidance to the president could trigger both political and legal battles.

Basin and Range



An outcropping of volcanic rock at the Basin and Range National Monument includes ancient petroglyphs as well as a massive modern work of art, Michael Heizers City. (Juliet Eilperin/The Washington Post)

Basin and Range National Monument, which encompasses more than 703,000 acres in southeastern Nevada, was designated by Obama in July 2015. The desert expanse serves as a migration corridor for mule deer and pronghorn, as well as habitat for imperiled species, such as the sage grouse, hoary bat and flowering White River catseye. It is an iconic American landscape, according to the Bureau of Land Management, one that preserves the legacies of 13,000 years of culture.

Thats not how 17 members of the Congressional Western Caucus see it, however. In a letter to Zinke this summer, they wrote that the designation was a personal favor to then-Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and should be cut to 2,500 acres  a decrease of more than 99 percent.

Bears Ears



Cave Towers is the best preserved Pueblo ruin in the Bears Ears National Monument. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

The Monarch Cave archaeological site is tucked into a towering alcove of sandstone at Bears Ears. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

No national monument has been more in the political crosshairs since Trump took office than the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. Designated by Obama last December, it holds thousands of archaeological sites and areas of spiritual significance for Native Americans. They are living, breathing things that deserve timely and lasting protection, Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation explained at the time.

Zinke already has recommended that Trump revise the monuments boundaries, a move supported by the governor and the states entire congressional delegation. But its backers have struck back. Patagonia launched its first-ever TV ad this summer, with founder Yvon Chouinard urging Westerners to lobby the secretary to protect Bears Ears and every other national monument.

Zinke has said he believes in public lands, Chouinard said. Lets hold him to it.

The 1.35-million-acre site was designated a national monument by former president Barack Obama in the last weeks of his term. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

Carrizo Plain



Hillside daisies cover the Carrizo Plain National Monument during a wildflower super bloom in April. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

A profusion of yellow, orange and purple wildflowers paints the rolling hills of Southern Californias Carrizo Plain every spring. Ive come, Ive seen and Ive succumbed to the spell of the valley, Bruce Babbitt, then interior secretary, said after a visit in 1999.

Two years later, in one of his last acts in office, Clinton identified 204,100 acres as the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Traversed by the San Andreas Fault and framed by mountain ranges on the east and west, it includes the aptly named Soda Lake, a natural alkali wetland that turns white in the dry season.

Many local businesses and officials support the monument designation. Carrizo Plain is a unique habitat and economic engine for tourism on the Central Coast, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) stressed in a statement last week. In a letter to Zinke, he noted that the monument remains vulnerable to potential energy development. Billions of gallons of oil and gas are believed to lie under those flowers and grassland.

Cascade-Siskiyou



The ridgelines seem endless in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, home to several richly diverse ecosystems. (Bureau of Land Management)

The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon was established by Clinton in June 2000 and expanded by Obama just before he left office in January. The Klamath, Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges intersect within the monuments 100,000 acres, as do several distinct ecosystems. Towering rock peaks covered in alpine forests rise above mixed woodlands, open glades, dense chaparral, meadows filled with stunning wildflowers, and swiftly-flowing streams, Obama described when making his announcement.

Local ranchers and logging companies opposed both the original designation and the expansion, arguing that the protections made it more difficult to conduct commercial activities. The 2000 proclamation authorized the Bureau of Land Management to study the effects of livestock grazing on the areas native species and natural features; eight years later, the agency concluded that this activity was having a negative impact.

Conservationists have spent more than $1 million buying out the ranchers federal permits, but the dispute remains unresolved.

Gold Butte



Petroglyphs at the Gold Butte National Monument depict the life stories of Native Americans who lived there hundreds and even thousands of years ago. (Christian K. Lee/AP)

The 297,000-acre Gold Butte National Monument, which Obama designated in southeastern Nevada last December, lies at the center of a controversy over rancher Cliven Bundy. Bundy and his family have long defied the federal governments authority and refused to pay more than $1 million in fees and fines for grazing their cattle on public land. They engaged in an armed standoff in 2014 with Bureau of Land Management officials here; he and four sons are still in jail and facing charges.

Gold Butte features not only fossilized sand dunes and panels of petroglyphs but critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise. Several other species thrive here, too, including desert bighorn sheep.

Zinke visited in late July but cut the visit short to attend a Cabinet meeting in Washington. Speaking to reporters outside Bundys home in Bunkerville, the secretary emphasized that monuments should be limited in scope. They cant be large tracts of public land or private land or state land, he said.

Grand Staircase-Escalante



Shear sandstone and tributary canyons define the Upper Gulch section of the Escalante Canyons within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. (AP)

Clinton created this 1.9 million-acre monument in 1996, surprising many Utahns and sparking resentments that have persisted for two decades. The designation, which was supported by not only liberal staffers in the administration but also the presidents conservative political consultant at the time, Dick Morris, marked the start of Clintons more ambitious strategy to invoke his authority under the Antiquities Act.

Bushs first interior secretary, Gale Norton, conducted a review of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and others his predecessor had created, but she opted to make no changes. That decision still has significant local support: Many in the area, including the local Chamber of Commerce, back the monument because it has generated tourism.

Yet many ranchers relinquished their permits after the designation, complaining that federal officials management of the land made it difficult for them to operate. And there were other economic consequences, critics say. Clintons action blocked a coal mine proposed for the resource-rich area.

Katahdin Woods and Waters



An overlook in the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument offers a clear view of Katahdin, the highest peak in Maine. (Patrick Whittle/AP)

A gift of more than 87,500 acres from entrepreneur and conservationist Roxanne Quimby  a co-founder of Burts Bees  led to Obamas designation last August of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in northern Maine. Quimbys donation came with a $20 million endowment, plus a pledge to raise $20 million more.

Her philanthropy was not embraced by some local residents, state lawmakers or Gov. Paul LePage (R). LePage said the designation demonstrates that rich, out-of-state liberals can force their unpopular agenda on the Maine people against their will.

Still, the designation has already sparked more visits to the area. The monument lies along the pristine east branch of the Penobscot River and is home to lynx, bears, brook trout and moose. Lucas St. Clair, Quimbys son, said Monday that thousands of cars have driven the monuments loop road this summer, a tenfold increase. People are showing up, he said. Its really working.

Mojave Trails



Mojave Trails National Monument is a mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava flows and pristine sand dunes. (Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management California)

The 1.6-million-acre Mojave Trails National Monument was created in February 2016, one of three in California that Obama designated in a single day. Featuring lava flows, mountain ranges and sand dunes, it serves as a ecological bridge between Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve and contains the longest stretch of Route 66 that is still not developed.

Rep. Paul Cook (R-Calif.) represents the district where the monument is located east of Los Angeles. He outlined his plan for shrinking Mojave Trails in a June 8 letter to Zinke. He wants to allow mining claims there and to eliminate the southern portion, which includes private landholdings by firms such as Cadiz Inc. The company is hoping to build a 43-mile pipeline that would transport water from an aquifer underneath its property to Southern California.

Cadiz is represented by the lobbying firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where Interior Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt served as a lawyer and shareholder until taking up his current post.

Northeast Canyons and Seamounts



The deep-sea coral iridogorgia creates spirals as it grows in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Certain species of coral discovered in the monument, which is located off the New England coast, are found nowhere else in the world. (NOAA/AP)

When Obama created the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in September 2016, it became the first fully protected area off the East Coast. But the monument, which spans 4,913 square miles in the Atlantic Ocean, has come under a sustained assault from local fishing operators and industry.

Deep-diving marine mammals, such as beaked whales and sperm whales, live in its waters. It boasts undersea canyons and seamounts that are higher than any mountains east of the Rockies, rising as much as 7,700 feet from the ocean floor.

Lobstermen, fishermen and industry groups filed a lawsuit arguing that Obama exceeded his authority in designating the monument: The Pacific Legal Foundations Jonathan Wood, who represents the coalition, said it threatens economic distress for individuals and families who make their living through fishing, and for New England communities that rely on a vibrant fishing industry.

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks



The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument rises to an elevation of 9,000 feet. (Lisa Mandelkern/AP)

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that southern New Mexicos Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, designated by Obama in May 2014, is an area of historic, cultural and environmental significance. There are petroglyphs from three American Indian societies in its canyons, plus desert grasslands and a petrified forest.

Rep. Stevan Pearce (R-N.M.), who represents the 496,000-acre area, had sought to protect part of it through legislation but opposed any wilderness label. By contrast, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) had introduced a bill that called for a monument nearly 10 times bigger and featured wilderness protections.

Outdoors and recreation enthusiasts, including many veterans, rank among the monuments frequent visitors. But the Northern New Mexico Stockmens Association, which includes Hispanic ranchers whose families have operated in the region for years, argue they have seen limits on their access to the Rio Grande since the monument was established.

Pacific Marine National Monuments



Pink coral is seen on the Palmyra Atoll, part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services/AP)

Bush first designated the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the central Pacific in 2009. In 2014, Obama announced he would expand it from almost 87,000 square miles to nearly 782,000 square miles  all of it adjacent to seven islands and atolls controlled by the United States. At the time, it marked the worlds largest protected marine reserve, and tuna fleet operators questioned whether it would affect their ability to catch fish.

Were talking about an area of ocean thats nearly twice the size of Texas, then-Secretary of State John F. Kerry said, and that will be protected in perpetuity from commercial fishing and other resource-extraction activities, like deepwater mining.

Two other Bush-era designations  Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, which spans 10,156 square miles, and Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, at 95,216 square miles  are also under review.

Papahanaumokuakea



The green turtle is among the several threatened or endangered species found in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. (Lee Gillenwater/The Pew Charitable Trusts)

In August 2016, Obama more than quadrupled the size of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (pronounced Papa-ha-now-moh-koo-ah-kay-ah) to more than 582,578 square miles of land and sea in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Bush had officially created the monument in 2006, though a total of seven presidents  both Republican and Democrat, starting with Theodore Roosevelt a century earlier  had taken actions to protect the archipelago.

The area ranks as the planets largest seabird gathering place, with more than 14 million birds from 22 species, and is home to nearly all Laysan albatrosses and the remaining endangered Hawaiian monk seals. It is a mixed World Heritage Site  natural and cultural  as deemed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Fishermens associations have questioned the Obama expansion, though Congress appropriated funds to retire the fishing claims of less than a dozen operators after the original 2006 designation.

San Gabriel Mountains



A driver rides the Angeles Crest Highway in the Angeles National Forest in 2013. A year later, the area became part of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. (David McNew/Getty Images)

Obama hailed his action an issue of social justice when he designated more than 346,000 acres east of Los Angeles to be the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

The area, which includes parts of the Angeles and San Bernardino national forests, accounts for 70 percent of Los Angeles Countys open space and provides more than one-third of its drinking water. Fifteen million people live within a 90-minute drive, making it one of the nations most accessible national monuments.

For a lot of urban families, this is their only big outdoor space, Obama said at the October 2014 designation ceremony, the mountains serving as his backdrop.

At the time, two San Bernardino County supervisors raised concerns about the monument. They argued that local officeholders had not been consulted as closely as those from other jurisdictions. While some opponents have come to embrace the designation since then, collaborating on shaping its management plan, others remain unconvinced.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 05:13:04|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MAPUTO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Mozambican Ministry of Land, Environment and Rural Development (MITADER) announced here on Monday that 20 Tanzanian citizens will be deported for their involvement in poaching in northern Mozambique.

According to the MITADER's note, these Tanzanian illegal hunters were sentenced to three or four years in prison and fines of one million meticais (about 1,6393 U.S. dollars) for killing endangered animals, mostly elephants and rhinos, in northern province of Niassa, which is bordered by Tanzania.

The decision to deport the citizens involved in the illegal hunting was motivated by the need to alleviate the overcrowed jail where there are too many transgressors who serve in their sentences.

"In order to implement the expulsion measure, the Niassa National Reserve in collaboration with the Border Guard Police and the Migration Services are creating the necessary logistical conditions for the monitoring of those sentenced on their way back to Tanzania," reads the note.

Mozambique and Tanzania have been joining efforts to fight gun trafficking used by poachers and also the activity itself which this year killed around 295 rhinos. In the same trial in which the 20 Tanzanians were tried, a Mozambican was also sentenced to four years in prison.

Mozambican natural reserves and parks are targeted by poachers, who slaughter rhinos and elephants for the extraction of ivory and horns mainly destined be sold in Asian markets.
Fighters of the Hashed Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization units) advance toward Tal Afar on Monday after the Iraqi government announced the start of an operation to retake the northern from the Islamic State. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

FRANCE

Brawls erupt among migrants near Calais

As many as 200 migrants clashed near the northern French port city of Calais, using sticks and iron bars in five mass brawls that mainly pitted Afghans against Eritreans, authorities said Tuesday.

Twenty-one migrants and six riot police officers were injured, none seriously, during the clashes, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said.

Up to 150 migrants were involved in the last fight, which started on a road leading out of the Calais city center and moved to a highway, the prefecture said.

Four other fights began late Monday and continued until dawn as police dispersed the groups with tear gas.

Police detained seven migrants for questioning and put 20 others in administrative detention, meaning they risk expulsion from France, according to the prefecture.

Authorities cleared about 7,000 migrants from a makeshift camp in Calais last fall, but people hoping to enter Britain by crossing the English Channel in trains or ferries are steadily returning. Authorities estimate that about 400 migrants are in the Calais area.

 Associated Press

IRAQ

Advancing troops enter Islamic State-held town

Iraqi troops on Tuesday reached the first urban areas of Tal Afar on the third day of a multipronged operation to retake the northern town from the Islamic State, a military commander said.

U.S.-trained special forces entered the Kifah neighborhood on the southwest edge of town, said Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah, who commands the operation.

Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil of the Iraqi special forces said the troops faced little resistance from Islamic State fighters, although they did mine the approaches, fire rockets and dispatch suicide car bombers.

Fadhil said he expected the fighting to get heavier as the troops push into the towns center, which is about three miles away.

The U.S.-backed operation was launched Sunday, a month after Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State in the northern city of Mosul. Tal Afar, about 90 miles east of the Syrian border, is one of the last pockets of territory held by the militant group in Iraq.

 Associated Press

U.S. expands Mexico travel advisory: The State Department expanded its travel advisories to warn of dangers in parts of Mexico, such as the Caribbean coast, that previously had not been covered by such alerts. The new advisory does not mention the Caribbean resorts of Cancun or Playa del Carmen by name. But it says that turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Warnings also have been extended to the gulf coast state of Veracruz and the southern state of Chiapas.

McDonalds to close 169 outlets in India: McDonalds India has said it will close nearly 170 outlets in northern and eastern India after the U.S. fast food giant decided to terminate a franchise agreement with its Indian partner. McDonalds said Connaught Plaza Restaurants violated the terms of the agreement. Connaught Plaza runs 169 McDonalds outlets in northern and eastern India.

Cambodia rescinds expulsion of U.S. aid workers: Cambodias leader has rescinded his decision to expel an American-led Christian group that seeks to rescue and rehabilitate women working in the sex trade, accepting its apology and explanation that it did not intend to demean Cambodians. Prime Minister Hun Sen three weeks ago had ordered Agape International Missions expelled after group members appeared in a CNN report about child prostitution in Cambodia. Hun Sen took offense that the report said Cambodian mothers sold their daughters into prostitution. He said the report should have noted that the women profiled were ethnic Vietnamese.

Prosecutors charge ex-Petrobras CEO in probe: Prosecutors in Brazil have filed corruption and money laundering charges against a former chief executive of the state oil company Petrobras over allegations that he received bribes from a construction conglomerate. Aldemir Bendine allegedly received more than $950,000 in bribes from Odebrecht, which is at the center of a massive kickback scheme that prosecutors say inflated contracts at Petrobras and other state companies.

Dengue kills 5 in Pakistan: A health official in Pakistan said an outbreak of dengue fever in the countrys northwest has killed five people in 10 days. The health minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said more than 1,000 dengue cases have been recorded at hospitals in that time.

 From news services
The swift exodus of chief executives that collapsed the White House business councils last week reveals a strange and disquieting fact about American society: Our politics works better in the private sector than it does in the public one.

President Trump's two major CEO councils disbanded Aug. 16 after Trump was slow to condemn white supremacy groups. (Taylor Turner/The Washington Post)

With the exception of Kenneth Frazier of Merck, who cited personal conscience for his quick decision to step down after President Trumps response to the neo-Nazi protests and violence in Charlottesville, these resignations did not follow moral conviction. The CEOs were reacting to pressure from constituents  their customers.

These men and women live in a separate universe from most Americans. They fly in private planes, live in gated communities and travel the world to tend global markets. It has been years, maybe decades, since any of them has had to spare a thought for the family budget  other than where to invest the annual surplus. They dont worry about the mortgage or medical care or retirement.

Yet as distant as they are from how most Americans live, the leaders of even the largest enterprises tremble in the face of public opinion. Once a trend has taken hold, they know they have to act  quickly.

In stark contrast, the elected representatives whose job it is to reflect their constituents thoughts and experiences, to know the price of a carton of milk and how to get a college loan, spent days in stunning silence. With a handful of exceptions, Republican condemnations of Trumps response Charlottesville were tweeted in the distant third person or the impersonal declarative (House Speaker Paul D. Ryan: We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive.). Trumps name was not mentioned. Nor was a response offered.

By last Thursday, the congressional party was dug into a deep communal foxhole. CNN announced that it had invited all 52 Republican senators to appear on its morning show in a failed effort to find one who would do so. In this case, it is Republicans who are frozen, but if the facts were reversed, there is little doubt that Democrats would be doing the same.

The firms that raced to distance themselves from the president included Campbell Soup and Walmart, which are obviously vulnerable to brand damage or even a consumer boycott. But even hedge funds that cater to the uber-rich and companies that sell mostly to other businesses felt a greater need to respond to the public revulsion than did members of Congress. Because elected representatives face the ultimate public test of reelection, this seems paradoxical.

But election to Congress is now tantamount to a lifetime appointment. Last year, 97 percent of incumbent representatives and 93 percent of senators were reelected. These numbers (slightly above recent averages) include losses to primary challengers.

At some level, Americans seem to have absorbed this. A group of New York-based advocacy groups collected 400,000 signatures asking the heads of JPMorgan Chase and Blackstone to resign from one of Trumps councils. This political effort was presumably directed where the organizers felt it would have an impact: not to their congressman but to a corporate executive. Why?

There is some evidence that people have given up on the federal government. A poll has asked the same question every few years since 1958: Do you trust the government in Washington to do what is right, all or most of the time? Until the mid-1960s, 75 percent of Americans said yes, but the trust percentage fell below half in about 1972. So, although Americans have voted for drastic changes in leadership and ideology over the ensuing decades, anyone younger than 45 has lived their entire life in a country where the majority does not expect their government to do what they think is right.

Before you despair, note it wasnt that long ago that Washington did function. In four years of Lyndon Johnsons presidency, Congress passed nearly 200 major laws, including three revolutionary civil rights laws that transformed the nation  the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act  plus Medicare and Medicaid. Two Cabinet agencies,food stamps, Head Start and 35 national parks and protected areas were created. The essential Freedom of Information Act was passed and a great deal more from urban mass transit to international monetary reform.

Much has changed since then, some of which we cannot control  especially globalization and job-destroying technological advances. But most of what has produced glaring inequality, an underperforming, overly costly health-care system, crumbling infrastructure and rising deficits is the result of conscious policy choices, and to practices, from gerrymandering to campaign finance rules, that have produced an immovable, unresponsive and unproductive Congress.

Threats from abroad quickly capture national attention. But for most people, such as myself, who are professionally concerned with national security, the greater anxiety these days is the long-term threat from domestic gridlock and the consequent loss of self-confidence that underlies a successful foreign policy. Quite apart from Trumpian chaos, this is a system in need of basic repair.
With President Trump flailing and even Republicans panning the GOP-controlled Congress, Democrats have begun a long-overdue debate about the partys platform and strategy. Citizen movements and progressive political leaders such as Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are driving this debate. United in opposition to Trumps reactionary agenda, they are calling on Democrats to embrace a bolder agenda for change. While many Beltway pundits warn against Democratic division, the partys congressional leaders  Nancy Pelosi and Charles E. Schumer  understand that this has been a long time coming.

The Better Deal platform put forth by Senate Minority Leader Schumer (N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Pelosi (Calif.) received justified gibes on its framing and language. But its premise was exactly right. As Schumer put it in the New York Times, In the last two elections, Democrats, including in the Senate, failed to articulate a strong, bold economic program [and] failed to communicate our values to show that we were on the side of working people, not the special interests. We will not repeat the same mistake.

The Better Deal essentially endorses the big debate about a reform agenda that has already begun inside and outside the Democratic Party. Democratic failure isnt about Vladimir Putin or James B. Comey or Hillary Clintons emails. Since Barack Obama was elected in 2008, Democrats have lost the White House, both houses of Congress and about 1,000 state legislative seats. Republicans now have total control in a record 26 states. Clearly, a major debate about the partys agenda, strategy and leadership is sorely needed.

Pelosi and Schumer are trying to corral this debate. Progressives such as Sanders (I-Vt.) and Warren (D-Mass.) and the Congressional Progressive Caucus are trying to expand it. But citizen movements are the ones truly driving it.

The first priority of these groups has been to stiffen the spines of Democrats and enforce unity in opposition to the right-wing agenda of Trump and the Republican Congress. The mobilization against the Republican health-care plan, which would have stripped millions of health care to pay for tax cuts for the few, included virtually the entire activist base of the party  unions, senior groups, womens and civil rights groups, online activists such as MoveOn.org, grass-roots groups such as Peoples Action, and more. They enforced Democratic unity while challenging Republicans in their offices and town-hall meetings.

The second priority has been to push Democrats and their agenda. Fight for $15 has pushed the plight of low-wage workers onto the national agenda. Black Lives Matter demonstrations forced Democrats to address police brutality and sentencing reform. Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice have led opposition to Republican efforts to roll back womens right to control their bodies. The Rev. William Barbers Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina provides a model of an interracial coalition fighting for political and economic reform. National Nurses United and former Sanders campaign activists have driven Medicare-for-all onto the national agenda.

The challenge hasnt been limited to single-issue groups. The insurgent Sanders campaign has unleashed activist energy across the country. Sandernistas are running for party offices, challenging sitting legislators and pushing to rewrite state platforms. Warren, Sanders, Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio) in the Senate and Keith Ellison (Minn.), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Raul M. Grijalva (Ariz.) and Congressional Progressive Caucus members in the House have challenged the limits of the Democratic agenda on everything from antitrust policy to money in politics to breaking up Wall Street.

Now a broad collection of groups, the Millions of Jobs Coalition, has begun pushing Democrats to unite on a set of principles, detailed in House Concurrent Resolution 63 on how to rebuild America the right way. They demand public investment, not corporate giveaways, prioritize 21st-century clean-energy programs and jobs, want guarantees for racial and gender equity, would put the needs of disadvantaged rural and urban communities first, and call for enforcing buy-American and basic labor agreements to ensure that good American jobs are created.

Of course, Trump and Republicans still set the national agenda, with tax cuts and infrastructure being two possibilities. A broad coalition of more than 400 groups called Americans for Tax Fairness champions progressive tax reform that helps make the rich and corporations pay their fair share  a stance that enjoys overwhelming public approval. Similarly, activists will challenge Trumps infrastructure plan, which appears to feature the worst forms of crony capitalism: public private partnerships that privatize highways and bridges and impose tolls on users; tax giveaways to companies stowing profits abroad.

Pelosi and Schumer have already embraced the $15 minimum wage, a $1 trillion public infrastructure agenda, an aggressive antitrust agenda and a balanced trade agenda that begins to unpack the corporate trade policies championed by Presidents Bill Clinton and Obama. But these battles on economic issues  as well as the continuing debate over social issues such as choice and money and politics  will continue to roil Democrats. Activists will fight to put Medicare for all, progressive tax reform and public infrastructure investment on that agenda. The debate about strategy, about money in politics, about the Wall Street wing of the party will grow ever more fierce.

Already Beltway voices are fretting about division, about Democrats shooting at one another, about the need for unity in order to win in 2018. But a fierce debate is unavoidable. The party establishment wont change on its own, despite its remarkable record of consistent failure. The money wing of the party wont cede its hold without a fight. Democratic leaders wont see the light unless they feel the heat.

Establishment Democrats count on Trumps grotesqueries to unify and mobilize Democrats. But if Hillary Clintons campaign taught us anything, it is that simple opposition or resistance to Trump is not enough. Democrats cant even mobilize their own base to vote  particularly in off-year elections  unless they champion a bold program that offers a credible promise of change to the vast majority of Americans. Pelosi and Schumer have recognized that. The resulting debate is not only long-overdue, it is also utterly necessary if Democrats are to begin winning elections again.

Global Opinions editor Karen Attiah deconstructs the Democratic Partys Better Deal platform, which she says will get it knocked out of future elections by ignoring minorities and marginalized groups. (Gillian Brockell,Kate Woodsome,Karen Attiah/The Washington Post)

Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter.
FOR A state-of-the-art U.S. Navy destroyer to collide with a slow-moving tanker ship, there must be multiple failures of operations and personnel, from the enlisted seamen manning lookout posts to the captain of the ship. That it has happened twice in two months to the Asia-based 7th Fleet, with the tragic loss of up to 17 lives, suggests broader and deeper maladies in the fleet and perhaps in the Navy more generally.

About the only good thing that can be said following Mondays crash of the USS John S. McCain with an oil tanker near Singapore, which left 10 sailors missing, is that senior commanders appear to recognize the severity of their problem. Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, quickly ordered an operational pause and a fleetwide study of operational tempo, performance, maintenance, equipment and personnel. That review must be unsparing  and Congress should study its results when it considers defense spending plans.

An initial review by the Navy of the collision of the destroyer USS Fitzgerald off the coast of Japan in June suggested multiple personnel failures. To its credit, the service moved quickly to discipline a dozen sailors, including the two top officers and the top enlisted sailor, even while the investigation of the incident continues. Among other things, the Fitzgeralds commander was not on the bridge when the crash occurred, though protocol requires the captains presence when other ships are passing nearby.

Like the Fitzgerald, the McCain was traveling in a heavily trafficked sea lane in darkness when the collision occurred, making human error more likely. But there is also reason to question whether the 7th Fleet has systemic problems. It has now recorded four major accidents this year, including the grounding of the cruiser USS Antietam on Jan. 31 in Tokyo Bay and the May 9 collision of the San Diego-based cruiser USS Lake Champlain with a fishing boat off the Korean Peninsula.

The fleet, like the Navy at large, is stretched thin. It is charged with challenging Chinese expansion in the South China Sea with freedom of navigation patrols and must be prepared for possible confrontation with North Korea. By the Navys reckoning, there are simply not enough ships to manage the growing threats in the Pacific, as well as from Russia, Iran and other potential antagonists. The service now commands 277 vessels  less than half the number it had at the end of the Cold War  and concluded last December that it needs 355.

In a statement addressing the collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker near Singapore, Navy Adm. John Richardson ordered an "operational pause" and fleet wide investigation. (U.S. Navy)

However, the Navy could find it difficult to obtain the $25 billion annually it would cost to expand the fleet, according to a study by the Congressional Budget Office. That would amount to 60 percent more than the average amount budgeted for ship construction over the past 30 years. If construction funding remains constant, the Navy will have to settle for 74 fewer new ships than the 254 it wants to buy in the coming 30 years, the CBO found.

As it is, the Navy will be more hard-pressed than ever in the Pacific in the coming months with two of the 7th Fleets destroyers out of action. That makes it vital that commanders act quickly to identify and remedy the problems in personnel and operations that have enabled these tragic accidents.
A look at the second half of the presidents first year in the White House.

A look at the second half, so far, of the presidents first year in the White House.

A look at the second half, so far, of the presidents first year in the White House.

How unstable and divorced from reality is President Trump? Weve reached the point where the nation has the right and the need to know.

Were not accustomed to asking such questions about our presidents. We dont know how to even begin inquiring into a presidents mental health, so we rationalize aberrant behavior as being part of some subtle strategy. We say that Trump is cleverly playing to his base, or employing the madman theory of foreign relations, or simply being unpredictable to gain an advantage by keeping everyone off balance.

But if Trump were really playing three-dimensional chess, presumably hed be getting things done. His approval ratings would be rising rather than falling. Allies in Congress would be expressing admiration rather than increasing dismay.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) hit a nerve Thursday when he said that Trump has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence needed in a president. That indictment was significant because Corker, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, is a respected Capitol Hill veteran who chooses his words carefully  and who thus far has been willing to give Trump a chance. Corker said he feared that our nation is going to go through great peril and called for radical change at the White House.

Democrats have been slightly more plain-spoken. Rep. Adam B. Schiff told CNN on Sunday that I certainly think that theres an issue with the presidents capability. And fellow California Rep. Jackie Speier tweeted last week that Trump is showing signs of erratic behavior and mental instability that place the country in grave danger.

After President Trump's most recent rhetoric about Charlottesville inflamed even more criticism, a handful of GOP lawmakers, including Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), are criticizing Trump directly, while others stay silent. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Speier went so far as to call for action under the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and the Cabinet to relieve the president of his powers and duties if he is unable to discharge them.

Trumps performance last week following the Charlottesville incident was indeed alarming, the problem being not just what he said but how he said it. After initially blaming the violence  which led to the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer  on many sides, Trump reversed course and specifically condemned neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan  but looked like the reluctant star of a hostage video. Then the next day, Trump went back to blaming both sides in what can only be called an angry, red-faced rant.

We should assume that the ugliness we heard from Trump about Charlottesville reflects his true feelings. And we can conclude that he failed to grasp how jarring those sentiments would sound to most Americans ears.

Anyone can have a bad day. But according to many published reports, Trump often erupts into rage  especially when he sees something he doesnt like on the cable news shows he is said to watch compulsively.

In his Twitter postings, he increasingly lashes out in ways that are counterproductive. I can see some method behind his incessant ranting about fake news, which may actually help him with his political base. But why attack Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) whose help the president needs if he is to get legislation passed or nominees approved? Why campaign against Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who has been a frequent critic but ended up supporting Trump on health care? Is Trump unable to imagine how other GOP senators  whose votes he needs if he is to get anything done  are going to react?

I have spoken with people who have known Trump for decades and who say he has changed. He exhibits less self-awareness, these longtime acquaintances say, and less capacity for sustained focus. Indeed, it is instructive to compare television interviews of Trump recorded years ago with those conducted now. To this laymans eyes and ears, there seems to have been deterioration.

I am not professionally qualified to assess the presidents mental health; psychiatrists and psychologists who have the proper credentials and experience to do so are silenced by ethical rules. The stakes are so high, however, that the officials who work alongside Trump and observe him closely bear a tremendous responsibility. There is a huge difference between sounding as unhinged as North Koreas Kim Jong Un and actually being that unstable.

President Donald Trumps reluctance to condemn bigotry suggests he does not want to heal the wounds of racism and white supremacy. Fred Hiatt, head of The Washington Post editorial board, says Americans still have reason to hope. (Adriana Usero,Kate Woodsome/The Washington Post)

It is of some comfort that Trump is surrounded by levelheaded military men  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Chief of Staff John Kelly  who are unlikely to do anything rash. But no one elected them.

It is uncomfortable to talk about the presidents mental health. But at this point it is irresponsible not to.

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 06:33:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A survey showed that half of Arizonans do not agree with U.S. President Donald Trump on pardoning former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who broke the law in defying a judge while carrying out traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

President Trump told Fox News he was considering a pardon for Arpaio, who was a strong supporter of Trump in last year's presidential elections.

Arpaio's issue became a focus of Trump's trip to Arizona, which is his first stop to the stronghold of the Republics in the West since he won the presidential election last November. Trump said he could announce a pardon to Arpaio on the campaign-style rally scheduled to be held in Phoenix Tuesday.

However, many local residents, including Mayor of Phoenix Greg Stanton, warned the president no to do that. A statement issued by Stanton said: "If President Trump is coming to Phoenix to announce a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then it will be clear that his true intent is to enflame emotions and further divide our nation."

According to the survey released Monday, Phoenix-based OH Predictive Insights conducted the poll with 1,065 adults from Aug. 18 to 20, finding only 21 percent support Trump announcing a pardon, while 50 percent oppose it and 29 percent are undecided.

The support numbers fall even further for those under the age of 54 with just 15 percent backing Trump's intention to pardon the sheriff, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 5 and could spend up to six months in jail.

"Only getting 6 months for illegally incarcerating thousands of people is a light sentence," Louis A. Cardona IV, a Puerto Rican immigrant who used to live in Phoenix told Xinhua. "He should be locked up a lot longer."

"A pardon from Trump would be an official endorsement of blatant racism by the White House," Steve Farley, a Democratic state senator, who is running for Arizona governor in 2018, told local KTAR 92.3 FM.

Local residents also worried that the Trump's rally could triggered an uproar in the city as Arizona law allows citizens to carry handguns in their pockets if they have a permit.

In an email to Xinhua by Team Trump-Pence Monday, the organizers of the rally gave a list of prohibited items that will not be allowed in the rally for the president in the Phoenix Convention Center Tuesday, including "weapons of any kind, ammunition, explosives, firearms, selfie sticks, toy guns and any other items determined to be potential safety hazard."
A look at the second half, so far, of the presidents first year in the White House.

A look at the second half, so far, of the presidents first year in the White House.

The useful idiots are falling by the wayside. First came a few corporate big shots, and then some more, and then many, many more. Princes of Wall Street, richer and more important than any chief executive, also left, and then Julius Krein, a conservative intellectual and digital pamphleteer, retracted his support of President Trump in a New York Times op-ed and inevitably was hailed as a political Rip Van Winkle who had just woken up. He and the others slept too long.

They have done their damage. Trump is in the White House, fulminating on Twitter, messing up foreign policy, mistaking critics for enemies, refusing to immediately and unequivocally condemn neo-Nazis, racists and other assorted goons  and, in general, failing to provide the nation with a scintilla of moral leadership. This will last until it cant any longer. There is only so much chaos a nation can stand.

Meanwhile, the parts of the American corporate and political leadership who slummed with Trump and think that the quick shower of a repudiation statement will wipe them clean ought to think again. They are obliged to consider how they ever supported a person whose racism was apparent in his rabid conviction that Barack Obama had not been born in the United States and whose posse always contained so-called white nationalists. The surprise of Charlottesville is not that it happened, but that it took so long. Our president is neo-racist.

It was also apparent that Trump lies with almost every breath. And yet some of the powerful people who knew the dark truth about Trump  who would not do business with him, who would not lend him money and who, most importantly, would not raise a child to be like him  supported him for president. Some, such as Carl Icahn and Wilbur Ross (who is now commerce secretary), got in early, while others hung back until Trump won the GOP nomination. Having panicked at the prospect of Hillary Clinton winning the presidency, they embraced Trump.

Anti-Hillaryism diseased their minds. It enabled them to hold her responsible for the deaths of Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and to obsess over her missing emails. She was a lousy candidate, sure, but her most serious criminal act was to frequently flash an insincere smile.

President Donald Trumps reluctance to condemn bigotry suggests he does not want to heal the wounds of racism and white supremacy. Fred Hiatt, head of The Washington Post editorial board, says Americans still have reason to hope. (Adriana Usero,Kate Woodsome/The Washington Post)

Trump critics such as myself have been accused of living in a bubble. On the contrary, it is Trumps supporters in the 1 percent who breathed their own fumes. They believed in the Gordian knot fantasy: the myth that a bold person could solve an intractable problem, as Alexander the Great did by not even attempting to untie the Gordian knot but rather severing it with his sword. Trumps supporters felt that all that was needed was common sense or, better yet, something called business sense. If Trump could run a business, he could, therefore, run the country.

This myth was so strongly held that it overcame both logic and experience. It was an extension and a mockery of Ronald Reagans simplistic belief that Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem and that all that was needed in a president was the zeal and cool nerves of a short-seller.

Trumps complete lack of character was brushed aside. So, too, was his utter lack of compassion. His high-powered supporters said nothing as he attacked the Khans, the Gold Star parents of an Army captain who was killed in Iraq. They were similarly mute when he denigrated John McCains suffering as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and mocked a disabled reporter. They never asked him to prove he had donated a cent to charity.

Trump railed against Mexicans and Muslims, bullied his fellow candidates, winked at his supporters in the odious alt-right, was caught boasting of an adolescent sexism, exhibited an astounding ignorance of just about everything he needed to know  history and government  and persisted in a pernicious campaign to delegitimize the mainstream media. The latter may be his only success.

Trumps presidency will fail. Just dont ask me how and when. It will collapse because at its center is a hollow man, lacking ballast, whose chaos cannot be contained. In the meantime, those who supported him then but have now recanted need to consider what steered them so wrong. What compelled them to support a man whose ignorance, selfishness, egomania and abysmal character were so clear? Was it their lust for deregulation, lower taxes and a Wagnerian end to the Obama era? They slept  but it was our nightmare.

Read more from Richard Cohens archive.
Lindsey Burke directs the Heritage Foundations Center for Education Policy. Neal McCluskey directs the Cato Institutes Center for Educational Freedom. Vicki Alger is a research fellow at the Independent Institute, a senior fellow at the Independent Womens Forum and the author of Failure: The Federal Misedukation of Americas Children.

School choice has many benefits. It frees people to select the type of education that will best serve their families. It makes educators accountable to the people they are supposed to work for. And study after study proves it typically leads to improved academic outcomes. But despite these advantages, that does not mean the federal government should push choice in a nationwide program. The dangers may be too great.

The Trump administration has made clear that it wants to support school choice. In his February address to Congress, the president called education the civil rights issue of our time, and he has pledged to direct $20 billion to advance choice. He also picked school choice stalwart Betsy DeVos as his education secretary.

Trump deserves credit for seeing the need to weaken a government monopoly, let parents choose the best education for their unique children and leave educators free to teach as they see fit. But there is great risk in federalizing choice: He who pays the piper calls the tune, and federal control could ultimately impose the same regulations on once-independent schools that have stifled public institutions.

We can glimpse what that might look like in higher education, where federal student aid makes schools and students dependent on Washington and drives the federal governments regulatory tentacles deep into the education system.

In the 1970-1971 academic year, total federal aid for higher education was just $16 billion. Today it is around $158 billion. In 1992-1993, 45 percent of full-time, full-year undergraduates used some form of federal aid. By 2011-2012, that share had jumped to nearly 73 percent.

Attached to all that aid are volumes of regulations that have increased in scope and intrusiveness for years. There are rules eroding core legal protections for students accused of sexual misconduct and blunt measures of school quality that fail to account for even basic variables such as the composition of a schools student body or big state subsidies. And colleges deal with a student body of adults  imagine the rules that could be instituted for children, who are not assumed to be capable of caring for themselves.

Of course, lots of college aid comes in the form of grants and loans, while the K-12 proposal getting the most attention is a tax credit for donating to organizations that provide scholarships. Its appealing because it could fulfill Trumps $20 billion promise without technically increasing the debt-ridden federal budget.

But that setup would not be protected from regulation. College tax credits can be claimed only for expenditures on accredited institutions, and the federal government regulates the accreditors. It is likely that a federal K-12 tax credit would start with a similar thicket of requirements for accreditation or eventually end up there. If something were to go wrong at even one or two schools accepting scholarship students, choice opponents and accountability hawks would likely head right to the regulatory presses.

Of course, such regulation can happen at the state level. But that is where federalism  states and Washington controlling different matters  can help. States are laboratories of democracy. They can try different policies, and do so without exposing everyone to possible failure. States also compete for residents and businesses, creating a much greater incentive to care about efficient and effective policy than Washington has.

If the federal government delivered choice through a new nationwide model, it would likely swamp these democratic labs and snuff out competition among differing choice policies, including vouchers, education savings accounts and other ideas of which no one has yet dreamt.

That does not mean the Trump administration can do nothing helpful. It can put the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program on a permanent and expanding footing. During nearly every budget cycle over the past eight years, the Obama administration attempted to zero out funding for choice in the District, a place where the feds actually do have constitutional authority to govern education. Thousands of low-income children could finally feel assured of their places in safe, effective, chosen schools.

The administration could also propose expanding choice to military families and children attending Bureau of Indian Education schools  the latter deemed the worst-performing schools in the United States.

Those offer major opportunities to create choices where few or none exist. Along with use of the bully pulpit to promote state-level choice, they would go far to advance the cause of educational freedom and opportunity.
Police keep demonstrators and counterdemonstrators apart during an America first rally . (David Mcnew/Getty Images)

Hide your wife, hide your husband, hide your child! The immigrant hordes are already here!

Or so lots of Americans believe  making it easier for politicians and fringe alt-right white-supremacist groups to seize on these fears and exploit them for political gain.

The share of people in the United States who were born abroad has been rising over the past several decades, reaching 13.4 percent in 2015. (The highest share recorded was in 1890, at 14.8 percent.) Perceived levels of immigration, however, are several multiples of that number and have been so for a while.

The 2013 Transatlantic Trends survey conducted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, for example, asked people across 13 countries to estimate the percentage of their national population that was born abroad.

In every country for which reliable population numbers were available, survey respondents vastly overestimated the number of foreign-born people walking among them. This was especially true in the United States.

Perhaps reflecting our nickname as a nation of immigrants, Americans mistakenly thought that 42 percent of people in this country had been born abroad. For those keeping score at home, thats three times the actual immigrant population share.

Those numbers are a few years old. The imagined scourge of scary not-like-me multitudes remains.

In 2015, Ipsos MORIs Perils of Perception survey asked a similar question in 32 countries and found similar results: Nearly everywhere, people overestimated the share of immigrants . U.S. citizens guesstimate for the immigrant share was lower in this survey, though, at only 33 percent.

Then this past fall, Ipsos MORI polled people across 39 countries about their estimates of the Muslim population.

In all but two countries, people overstated the share of their Muslim population.

In the United States, respondents said they thought about 17 percent of the country was Muslim, whereas only about 1 percent actually is.

The fact that Americans thought a sixth of the country practices Islam is especially striking when you consider that about half of Americans say they do not personally know a Muslim, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center.

Its not just immigrants or Muslims whose numbers are vastly inflated in the minds of fearful Americans, according to John Sides, George Washington University political science professor and co-founder of the Monkey Cage, a blog hosted by The Post. Political science literature over the past 20 years has found that survey respondents tend to overestimate the size of almost any minority group, including blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans, Jews and gays.

The question is, why are these perceptions so out of whack with reality?

One possibility is that some members of these groups might be highly visible or memorable, particularly if they dress and talk differently than others in the local population. Media coverage may amplify these differences and make them more salient to the general public.

Recent research by Daniel J. Hopkins, Sides and Jack Citrin also suggests that hostility toward immigrants may drive misperceptions of their population size, rather than the other way around.

People in general tend to believe that things that they dont like or are anxious about are more extensive than they actually are, says Rogers Smith, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. They think the crime rate is higher than it actually is, that we give more to foreign aid than we really do by a large margin.

As easy as it is to blame President Trump and nativist politicians across Europe for creating these hostilities, the data suggest that outsized fears of an immigrant cultural takeover long pre date these particular political leaders.

As Sides put it in a phone interview, there was already a reservoir of negative feelings about immigration out there. Trump just figured out how to tap into those feelings to power a successful White House bid. Before Trump came along, politicians may have been reluctant to fully exploit this negativity  maybe for moral reasons and maybe for more practical ones, such as the fact that the business community generally supports more immigration.

Of course, Trumps inflammatory rhetoric is likely heightening those extant negative feelings too, particularly among the young.

The good news is that while a very vocal group of nativist Trumpkins is clamoring for a wall (and even an ethnostate), attitudes toward immigration among the general populace are, on average, actually improving. Americans view immigrants more positively today than they did 20 or even five years ago, according to Pew Research Center data.

With any luck, a talented politician will soon figure out how to exploit that positivity, too.
EVEN AS President Trump urges the nation to heal, he is publicly considering a step whose effect would be the exact opposite: a pardon for former sheriff Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona lawman who made his name as a paragon of racial profiling.

Pardoning Mr. Arpaio now would throw a bone to the presidents partisans on the racist alt-right just days after Mr. Trump fed them a juicy steak by explicitly equating the neo-Nazis, anti-Semites and Ku Klux Klansmen in Charlottesville with those who marched against them. If Mr. Trump wants to further inflame and divide America, there would be few more effective ways to do it than by granting clemency to a man whose political career was based on contempt for Latinos generally and Hispanic undocumented immigrants specifically.

A pardon for Mr. Arpaio, convicted of criminal contempt of court just three weeks ago, would circumvent the Justice Departments long-established procedure for review. The former sheriff, whose sentencing is scheduled for October, hasnt even applied for a pardon, the processing and consideration for which would ordinarily take several years. Thousands of applications have yet to be reviewed.

Yet Mr. Trump has said he is considering such a move. After all, the president and the former sheriff, an early and enthusiastic backer of Mr. Trumps candidacy, are two peas in a nativist pod. Both were ardent birthers who questioned whether Barack Obama was born in the United States, a touchstone of actual fake news; both maligned Hispanic judges, attacking their legitimacy on grounds of ethnicity; both are unapologetic champions of racial profiling. (Well, we have no choice, said Mr. Trump, defending the practice.)

Mr. Arpaio was found guilty of having ignored a federal court order directing him to halt a campaign of illegal arrests and detentions based on suspects appearance  in other words, explicit racial profiling. Thumbing his nose at the order, he continued the prohibited patrols for an additional 17 months and bragged about it to voters in Arizonas Maricopa County.

Former Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff Joe Arpaio ignored a judges order to stop detaining people because he merely suspected them of being undocumented immigrants. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)

Generally, presidential pardons are granted after a decent interval to individuals who have expressed contrition for their offense. By contrast, Mr. Arpaio has dismissed his prosecution as politically motivated and sneered at the charge on which he was convicted as a petty crime of which he is 100 percent not guilty.

Even as Mr. Trump was busy last week condoning the goons and thugs who invaded Charlottesville  there were very fine people among them, the president said  he was praising Mr. Arpaio for his crackdown on illegal immigration and saying he was seriously considering a pardon for him. Hes a great American patriot, and I hate to see what has happened to him, Mr. Trump said.

To say such a thing is to twist the meaning of patriotism. Mr. Arpaio, who used ethnicity as a wedge issue and delighted in humiliating the immigrants he arrested and incarcerating them in inhumane conditions, is no more a patriot than the thugs in Charlottesville are. Pardoning him would be a travesty of justice that would further discredit a presidency already stained by Mr. Trumps words and conduct.
On Monday night, President Trump once again had to look at a teleprompter and say words he had never expected to say. Even though he had said for years that the United States should pull out of Afghanistan, Trump announced that he would send more troops to the countrys longest war.

My original instinct was to pull out  and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all of my life, Ive heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office, Trump said in a rare moment acknowledging a change of mind.

In a speech before hundreds of military members that lasted nearly 30 minutes, Trump couldnt bring himself to provide an exact number of troops or the exact cost of his decision. And while he briefly complained about having inherited a bad and very complex hand, he laid out a military strategy that was remarkably similar to that of his predecessor.

Then he offered a promise that could be difficult to keep: One way or another, these problems will be solved. Im a problem-solver. And in the end, we will win.

For years, Trump criticized the war in Afghanistan. In October 2011, after exploring a run for president focused on attacking then-president Barack Obama, he tweeted: When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan? We must rebuild our country first. In the months that followed, Trump tweeted that it is time to get out of Afghanistan and Afghanistan is a total disaster and Time to come home!

President Trump speaks at Fort Myer in Arlington on Monday night about strategy in Afghanistan. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

It was an easy stance to take for a non-politician about a deeply unpopular war. And it was one that Trump continued on the campaign trail once he decided to run for the White House, saying in October 2015 that invading Afghanistan was a terrible mistake  while also saying that its a mess and that U.S. troops would likely have to stay because that thing will collapse in about two seconds after they leave. (Later that month, Trump clarified and said that it wasnt a mistake to invade Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks.)

[How a president obsessed with winning settled on simply trying not to lose]

At campaign rallies, Trump sometimes daydreamed aloud about everything the United States could afford to do if it just stopped spending so many hundreds billions of dollars on war  a message that seemed at odds with his pledge to bomb the hell out of the Islamic State and seize oil fields that they control.

Trump said Monday night that once he became president, he studied the situation in Afghanistan and reached a decision late last week. To make his reluctant announcement, he stayed inside the Beltway and ventured across the Potomac River to Arlington.

Standing in front of a line of military flags, Trump carefully read from the teleprompters and resisted any urge to go off script or crack jokes. He used the same serious tone that has accompanied many of his major speeches during his first seven months in office, including his inaugural address and his remarks to a joint-session of Congress  moments that some suggested showed a fresh change in demeanor for the president, who then quickly proved them wrong.

Obama  Trumps designated foil  gave a similarly reluctant speech in December 2009 when he announced that he would send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in hopes that he could end this war successfully. For that speech, Obama traveled to West Point in New York and spoke directly to a stoic crowd of cadets for more than 30 minutes, laying out the full history of the war for nearly 9-1/2 minutes before delivering his announcement  spending the remaining time explaining and defending the decision. The mood in the room was heavy, and Obama prompted applause just a handful of times. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top officials were dressed in black.

In a lecturing tone, Obama repeatedly said that this decision was not an easy one for him to make and he ran through the arguments against it, including that this could be a repeat of the Vietnam War and that the surge would likely cost even more American lives, along with an additional $30 billion. Although he rattled off successes that the country had under his leadership, he didnt stray from that focus  and he reflected on how the war had divided the country.

[Trumps plan for Afghanistan includes an increase in troops]

Trump  speaking six days after a press conference in which he said both sides were to blame for violence at a white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Va.  also acknowledged that the country is divided and called for unity without mentioning any of the highly charged issues that currently separate Americans. The solution that he presented sounded as simple as withdrawing from Afghanistan.

When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate, Trump said. The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.

Nearly eight years ago, when Obama announced a surge, he acknowledged that his decision could lead to even more deaths of American troops. He told the audience of cadets, who had not yet seen battle, that he had signed a letter of condolence to the family of each troop killed at war.

I have read the letters from the parents and spouses of those who deployed. I visited our courageous wounded warriors at Walter Reed. Ive traveled to Dover to meet the flag-draped caskets of 18 Americans returning home to their final resting place, he said. I see firsthand the terrible wages of war.

On Monday night, Trump opened his remarks by focusing on the bravery of those who choose to serve in the military and spoke gloriously of those who are killed in battle.

Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history. American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom, Trump said. Through their lives, and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) says the Republican president in the White House is not displaying the conservatism his party should be embracing. In his new book, "Conscience of a Conservative," Flake says populism and protectionism are as threatening to the GOP now as the New Deal was in 1960. (Dalton Bennett,Kate Woodsome/The Washington Post)

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) says the Republican president in the White House is not displaying the conservatism his party should be embracing. In his new book, "Conscience of a Conservative," Flake says populism and protectionism are as threatening to the GOP now as the New Deal was in 1960. (Dalton Bennett,Kate Woodsome/The Washington Post)

Long-shot Senate candidate Kelli Ward was sound asleep just after 4 a.m. in Arizona last week when President Trump praised her on Twitter. She and many other Republicans were caught by surprise  and her phone started buzzing immediately.

It hasnt stopped since, Ward said.

Neither has the controversy that erupted within the Republican Party after Trump inserted himself into the primary contest between the little-known former state legislator and one of the presidents most vocal GOP critics: Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.).

As Trump prepares for a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday, some expect him to expand on his support for Ward and searing criticism of Flake  and perhaps even make a formal endorsement.

That possibility has unnerved Republicans inside and outside the White House. Some worry about straining the presidents already tenuous relations with congressional Republicans at a time when they face several key challenges this fall: raising the debt ceiling, passing a spending bill and tackling their top policy objective of new tax legislation. Others looking ahead to next years midterm elections think Trump may even be putting the Senate GOP majority at risk.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. walks to his seat as he attends a luncheon with other GOP Senators and President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on July 19. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Allies of Flake, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), are vexed by Trumps posture. At a minimum, they think he is needlessly creating a costly primary that will suck resources away from other targets on a map ripe for gains.

There are 10 Senate Democrats up for reelection in states the President won in 2016, and thats where his political focus and energy ought to be over the next 14 months, instead of harmful intraparty warfare, said Brian Walsh, a former communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Indeed, just last week the Cook Political Report downgraded the chances for four incumbent Democrats from states Trump won last year, giving the president a clear road map, according to many Republicans, to help protect and even expand the GOP majority. Instead, he is targeting an incumbent in his own party who has not been shy about criticizing him  and seemingly bolstering a challenger who lost resoundingly last year to Sen. John McCain (R) and whose bona fides have raised concerns even inside the White House.

Last Thursday, Trump tweeted that it was Great to see Ward running against Flake, whom he disparaged as WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate.

Yet in the lead-up to the tweet, White House aides explored the possibility of trying to draw others into the race who might pose a stronger challenge to the senator  and pursued opposition research on Ward, said Republicans familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid.

[Is President Trump trying to beat Republican Jeff Flake next year? Flake doesnt care.]

The White House press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ward, meanwhile, is eager to tether herself to Trump.

This is definitely a nationalized race, she said in an interview. I know that people in Arizona can only vote for me, but there are people all across the country who know that when I get into the Senate, Ill be voting for Trump.

An official Trump endorsement would be a serious breach of GOP decorum that calls for Republicans to stand by fellow incumbents. Some Republicans said privately that they would be surprised if the two made a joint appearance during Trumps trip to Phoenix. But several, including McConnell, have defended Flake publicly since Trumps tweet.

Arizonans are well-served by the principled leadership of @JeffFlake, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (Tex.) tweeted Monday. He always fights for whats best for #AZ & we need him in the #Senate.

Ward would say only: Im at the mercy of the powers that be. Well see.

Flake is not planning to attend Trumps rally. An aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be frank, said a Trump endorsement of Ward would be a massive turning point in the race without a doubt.

Flake brushed off the coming challenge in an interview earlier this month. He faced a competitive 2012 primary and general-election campaign, he said, and he expects the same next year. We knew from the beginning that wed have a tough primary, wed have a tough general, he said.

[Deepening GOP split, Trump attacks Republican senators Graham, Flake as publicity-seeking, toxic]

Most of Flakes thoughts about the political climate are conveyed in his recent book, Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle, a national bestseller that he wrote without informing his closest advisers and allies until just before its publication. The book details Flakes specific concerns about Trumps tone and temperament, as well as his approach to U.S. foreign policy, immigration, taxes and trade.

On Monday, Wards campaign released a digital ad that targets voters in the Phoenix area and questions Flakes GOP credentials. Senator Flake, why are you still attacking the president? an announcer asks. Just to sell copies of your new book?

Some of Flakes detractors in Arizona consider the book part of his exit strategy. I think theres a part of him that almost assumes hes going to lose and hes going to go out in a blaze of glory. Otherwise, this book doesnt make much sense, said Constantin Querard, a conservative Republican campaign consultant based in Phoenix who doesnt support the senator.

But Ryan ODaniel, another Phoenix-based GOP operative, said the book is Jeff being Jeff. He added: I dont think there are very many Republicans that disagree with the principles that Flake is espousing and talking about.

Ward, 48, is an osteopath and a former state senator who unsuccessfully tried to use McCains age against him. She earned just under 40 percent of the vote  and announced her campaign against Flake in November.

Ward has a history of making controversial statements. In an interview with The Washington Post earlier this month, she suggested that Flake doesnt have a brain or a backbone. And she mailed potential donors an envelope this month with an image of comedian Kathy Griffin holding what appeared to be the severed head of Trump. Its important to see what were up against, she said in an enclosed letter.

For Trump, there is a personal risk in supporting a candidate as unpredictable as Ward. If she loses, it would send a message to the rest of the party that he is unable deliver on his threats of retribution.

For others, his support for Ward could complicate efforts to retain and even build the GOP Senate majority  a top priority to make it easier to pass the big-ticket items they have struggled to spearhead this year, including the failed overhaul of the nations health-care system.

In private, some have contemplated a devastating scenario in which they dont pick up any Democratic seats and lose their majority. In that outcome, their most vulnerable incumbent, Sen. Dean Heller (Nev.), would lose, Democrats would win Flakes seat, and McCain, 80, who has brain cancer, would leave his seat and trigger a special election that Democrats would win.

In Arizona, Ward has grown her campaign considerably in the past few weeks, hiring Eric Beach, a founder and director of the Great America PAC, which spent about $30 million backing Trumps campaign in 2016, and other aides.

Flake has national allies gearing up to bolster him through what could be a bruising primary. The NRSC, the GOPs Senate campaign arm, and the Senate Leadership Fund, a group headed by former aides to McConnell, are in Flakes corner, keeping with the groups tradition of supporting incumbents.

The Club for Growth, a conservative advocacy group that supported Flake when he first ran for the Senate in 2012 and which has clashed with Trump, is also defending him, even though it has not officially endorsed him.

Flakes backers have signaled that they intend to cast Ward as a fringe challenger. McCain branded her Chemtrail Kelli during her run against him, as part of an effort to tether her to a conspiracy theory about airplanes spreading chemicals. Ward has discussed the theory and used her perch as a state lawmaker to investigate it, but she has said she does not believe it.

The GOP primary is still more than a year away. Flake has not started actively campaigning for reelection. On Monday, he appeared at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast in Gilbert, Ariz., before holding a Facebook Live event on veterans and small-business issues.

In addition to starting earlier, Ward is once again helped by the independent Kelli PAC, which supported her 2016 bid. The PAC received a $300,000 donation this month from Robert Mercer, a billionaire Trump supporter who has bankrolled other conservative efforts. Mercer made a similar donation in 2016.

Democratic groups are also watching the contest and weighing whether to spend money quietly boosting Ward through the primary to produce a weaker general-election opponent. Several Democrats are considering running, including Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a centrist who said she is seriously considering the race. Sinema has voted against House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for speaker and who is the first openly bisexual person to be elected to Congress.

Were interested in winning. And we do what we need to in order to win, said J.B. Poersch, president of the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC, in an interview with The Post and McClatchy News that aired over the weekend on C-SPANs Newsmakers.

Although many see a complex web of variables that could leave marks on the political landscape well beyond Arizona, the choice to go after Flake was simple for Trump. As he said on Twitter last week, Hes toxic!

Read more at PowerPost
President Trump unveiled a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Aug. 21. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

President Trump unveiled a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Aug. 21. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

President Trump was frustrated and fuming. Again and again, in the windowless Situation Room at the White House, he lashed out at his national security team over the Afghanistan war, and the paucity of appealing options gnawed at him.

Last month, as Trump mulled over a new strategy in a 16-year conflict that bedeviled his predecessors, he groused that sending additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan could have a negligible impact. He threatened to fire the current commander there. He flirted with privatizing the military effort. He even considered pulling out. Declaring victory seemed all but impossible.

Five weeks later, at a Camp David summit, the commander in chief arrived at his decision. A president obsessed with winning has now settled on simply trying not to lose.

Trump decided to escalate troop levels, but only after protracted deliberations that deeply divided the administration. Lobbied by rival advisers, the president pinballed between his militaristic and anti-interventionist impulses. Impatient during classified briefings, Trump longed to reimagine U.S. policy in South Asia under his America first banner.

Ultimately, however, Trump took a more conventional route. He tilted toward the generals who now dominate his inner circle and had urged a large-scale troop expansion, although he did not opt for the tens of thousands of troops they advocated initially.

President Trump addressed U.S. troops and the nation from Fort Myer in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 21 to announce his plan going forward in Afghanistan. (The Washington Post)

Trumps private deliberations  detailed in interviews with more than a dozen senior administration officials and outside allies  revealed a president unattached to any particular foreign-policy doctrine, but willing to be persuaded as long as he could be seen as a strong and decisive leader.

This has been many months in the making, said Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president. The hallmark of leadership is a deliberative process, not an impulsive reaction, and that is precisely the protocol he followed here.

Part of that listening included hearing out the military about sharing the burden in the region and getting Pakistan more involved in managing the war.

When Secretary [Jim] Mattis said this would be a South Asia strategy, that tells you a lot, said John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, referring to recent remarks by the defense secretary. The big issue wasnt land-war tactics. The big issue is Pakistan. He called Trumps Monday speech the defining moment of the Trump policy seven months into the administration.

Years before running for president, Trump had a clear message on Afghanistan: It was time to get out. In 2012, he said the war was wasting our money. In 2012, he called it a total disaster. In 2013, he said, We should leave Afghanistan immediately. Trump continued his criticism of the war during the year and a half he campaigned for the White House.

But since becoming president, he has faced a different set of opinions. Defense Secretary Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, both generals with extensive battlefield experience in Afghanistan, warned Trump about the consequences of withdrawal and cautioned that any move in Afghanistan would have ripple effects throughout the region.

One of the ways McMaster tried to persuade Trump to recommit to the effort was by convincing him that Afghanistan was not a hopeless place. He presented Trump with a black-and-white snapshot from 1972 of Afghan women in miniskirts walking through Kabul, to show him that Western norms had existed there before and could return.

President Trump addressed U.S. troops and the nation from Fort Myer in Arlington, Va. On Aug. 21 to announce his plan going forward in Afghanistan. (The Washington Post)

[National security adviser attempts to reconcile Trumps competing impulses on Afghanistan]

Another key voice in Trumps deliberations  especially in guiding the president to make a decision in recent weeks  was John F. Kelly, the newly installed White House chief of staff. A retired four-star Marine general, Kelly had a deeply personal understanding of the stakes: His son, 2nd Lt. Robert M. Kelly, 29, was killed there in 2010 when he stepped on a land mine while leading a platoon of Marines.

Talking to generals, he realized, you pull out completely and this is what happens: You endanger lives, you endanger American interests, allies, troops, Afghanis who are our friends, and its not a stable government, said a senior administration official.

Trump has nurtured a lifelong infatuation with military culture, going back to his youth at a military academy. One of his favorite movies is Patton, the 1970 Hollywood biopic of Gen. George S. Pattons exploits during World War II.

Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a longtime Trump friend and chairman of his presidential inauguration, said Trump views generals with a special respect and admiration that allows him to defer to and consider their judgment and expertise in a different light than with his business or political peers who may be Cabinet members or other trusted advisers.

By summer, the policy review process Trump initiated soon after taking office had grown sclerotic. Hovering over everything was the legacy of former president Barack Obama and his management of the war  a series of decisions that Trump found objectionable. Trump voiced frustration to his advisers about having to clean up somebody elses mess.

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich described the administrations view of Afghanistan as one of patience about the time it will take to stabilize the region.

If we can keep American casualties down, we can have patience. The fact is, if you slow down the casualty rate and youre not losing young Americans, the American people will support gradually growing allies for a long time, he said, referring to decades of U.S. troop presences in Korea, Germany and Japan.

Trumps decisions were put off in part because of infighting in his ranks, chiefly between McMaster and chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who departed the White House last week. Tensions between the two erupted in July as they talked through Afghanistan options with colleagues and the president.

When McMaster floated possibly sending tens of thousands of additional troops, Bannon shot back that such a commitment would be a folly in a country where intervention had crippled foreign powers through the centuries, officials said.

McMaster expressed alarm and irritation to confidants that Bannon was tempting the president to drift away from the military leadership with ideas that were not feasible. He was especially bothered by a proposal to hand over much of the military responsibility to private contractor Erik Prince, the founder of the controversial security company formerly known as Blackwater USA.

Mattis heard out Bannons pitch during a weekend meeting at the Pentagon in early July but quickly sided with McMaster. He and other military leaders were deeply suspicious of handing over any responsibility to private companies due to the controversies that dogged Blackwater and others in Iraq.

Bannon was undaunted, hoping that even if Trump did not adopt his ideas, he would back away from McMasters expansive plan. Meanwhile, Bannons allies at Breitbart News and elsewhere in conservative media attacked McMaster as a globalist who did not have Trumps interests in mind.

[Trump to announce modest increase in troops to Afghanistan]

The anti-McMaster campaign, which Bannon denied orchestrating, infuriated some West Wing colleagues, including Kelly. Instead of marginalizing McMaster, the campaign made him a sympathetic figure to military and administration officials who cringed at the wave of negative stories. Trump signaled which side he was on Aug. 10 when he was asked by a reporter whether he had confidence in McMaster.

Absolutely, Trump said. Hes our friend. Hes my friend. And hes a very talented man. I like him and I respect him.

Bannons vocal opposition had a cost. He was attending fewer meetings. One of his few allies, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, was pushed out just as Bannon was working to wrangle the Afghanistan decision in his direction. And by mid-August, Kelly, McMaster, Mattis and others planned the Camp David retreat without him.

As Trump began to align with the military establishment, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other advisers reminded the president of the expectations of his die-hard supporters, who thought they had elected a president who would get the United States out of endless wars.

Breitbart  which Bannon returned to last week as executive chairman  ran several skeptical headlines in recent days and played up an interview with Prince in which the Blackwater founder said that putting more troops and more money in Afghanistan would be a mistake.

But some Trump allies predicted the base would respond favorably.

They trust him on this stuff, said Ed Brookover, a former Trump campaign adviser. They know hes gathered information and talked to a series of experts and reached a conclusion. On security issues, theyre with him and know that hes certainly not jumping to fight wars everywhere.

Pollster Patrick H. Caddell, who has done surveys for Breitbart, said, The whole country is tired of the war thats been going on 16 years and in general believes weve wasted a lot of time and money. But if he sells it as part of the war on terror, hell be fine.

While Priebus was considered a passive voice on Afghanistan, Kelly all but forced a decision from the president with newfound urgency. One adviser called him the accelerator.

Kelly summoned the national security team to the Camp David meeting Friday with Trump and Vice President Pence, where the president was presented with his options.

Trumps decision was foreshadowed by a grimacing pose he and his team struck in a portrait that the president put on his Twitter page. In a wood-paneled room, Trump sat at a table scowling as 13 advisers stood behind him, each of them stone-faced and staring into the camera. The flags of the five military branches filled the background. To Trump, this was the image of strength.

Some of Trumps critics were relieved that the military prevailed in shaping Trumps strategy.

The president doesnt know anything about war or anything about Afghanistan, said Eliot A. Cohen, a foreign policy adviser in the George W. Bush administration. He has a lot of angry instincts, but nothing more than that. So he is to some extent corralled by McMaster, Kelly and Mattis. . . . He is going along with what the generals want.

Kori Schake, another Bush administration veteran who, like Cohen, opposed Trumps candidacy, said she was heartened by the presidents decision.

I dont think its a bad thing that the president took his time, asked first-order questions, and widened the aperture to include outside perspectives and unconventional approaches, said Schake, a fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution. Its a hard problem, and weve been at it a long time.

Read more:

Here are six costly failures from Americas longest war. No. 1: Cashmere goats.

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Trumps muscular but vague Afghanistan speech, annotated
When President Trump finds himself under attack or slipping in popularity, he often holds a rally in a place like this: a diverse blue city thats home to liberal protesters but surrounded by red suburbs and rural towns filled with Trump supporters who will turn out in droves.

It happened in the first weeks of his presidential campaign, when he was dismissed as a sideshow and criticized for his comments on undocumented immigrants  only to be greeted by thousands of fans, along with protesters, at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. Then in March 2016, when Trump grew frustrated that he still hadnt become the presumptive Republican nominee, he planned a massive rally in inner-city Chicago that attracted thousands of supporters but was canceled at the last minute because of the high number of protesters. This March, when his presidency seemed constantly under attack, Trump held a rally in Nashville that attracted at least 2,500 protesters.

Unlike rallies in states that are solidly Republican, these events allow Trump to highlight the deep division in the country  and force voters to pick a side.

In Phoenix, campaign organizers expected more than 10,000 supporters to show up at the convention center on Tuesday night, and numerous counterprotests were planned for outside the rally, which was organized by Trumps campaign organization and not the White House. Local activists say they hope to outnumber the rallygoers, sending a clear message to the president after the Charlottesville rally this month that attracted neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

By coming here in a time of national crisis and a national question of where people stand, he is doubling down on his bigotry, continuing to race-bait and speak to his base, said Carlos Garcia, executive director of Puente Arizona, which advocates for migrants.

President Trump waves as he walks across the South Lawn to board Marine One at the White House on Tuesday. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Phoenix is home to some of the most organized progressive activists in the country, and they have provided a much-studied example of how to fight at a grass-roots level to challenge lawmakers and change policies that target undocumented immigrants. The Phoenix area gave liberals one of their few victories on election night last November: The ouster of longtime Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was accused of encouraging his deputies to employ racial profiling and enforce federal immigration laws in the Phoenix suburbs.

In July, Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt in Arizona for ignoring a judges order to stop detaining people because he merely suspected them of being undocumented immigrants. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 5, and he faces up to six months in prison.

Last week, Trump told Fox News he is seriously considering issuing a pardon, possibly within a few days, because Arpaio was a great American patriot who had done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration. Arpaio told CNN that he has not been invited to attend the Tuesday night rally.

A pardon would be likely to ignite the anger of hundreds of activists who spent more than a decade peacefully pushing for change through traditional channels, along with the voters who chose to vote Arpaio out of office.

A pardon for Joe Arpaio is a pardon for white supremacy, Jess OConnell, chief executive of the Democratic National Committee, said at a news conference here Monday.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday told reporters traveling with the president that Trump does not plan to announce a pardon for Arpaio at the rally.

There will be no discussion of that today at any point, and no action will be taken on that front at any point today, she said.

President Trump arrived in Arizona on Aug. 22, for a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border and a campaign-style rally. (The Washington Post)

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton (D) and other Democratic leaders in Arizona have urged Trump to not rally in their city this week, saying that it is too tense of a time and that hes setting the stage for yet another violent clash. Police and local authorities are planning for tens of thousands of rallygoers and protesters to descend on downtown Phoenix. Early Tuesday morning, they closed streets near the convention center and installed barricades along the sidewalks aimed at keeping protesters separated from rallygoers. Many businesses and government buildings downtown plan to close early. Meanwhile, its August in the desert, and the temperature in Phoenix could reach 106 degrees on Tuesday afternoon.

There are worries that people might bring weapons to the rally  although they will not be allowed through security  or that armed citizen militias could show up, as they did in Charlottesville.

Protest organizers said one challenge will be managing the hundreds of people not affiliated with their groups who show up and want to make a statement. There is also the issue of simply keeping everyone hydrated. Organizers and local lawmakers are urging a peaceful demonstration.

It remains to be seen how Trump campaign officials will respond if rallygoers show up with Confederate flags or Nazi paraphernalia. Since the event is being paid for by the campaign and is not a White House event, organizers can kick out anyone they want and determine what signs, flags or clothing can be displayed. During the presidential campaign, unaffiliated vendors would often sell Confederate flags outside Trumps rallies, and a few supporters would wear hats, shirts or patches featuring the flag. At an August 2016 rally in Kissimmee, Fla., a 27-year-old Trump supporter draped a Confederate flag, with Trump 2016 printed on it, over a railing near the stage. It was quickly taken down by a campaign staff member and the local police.

While Democrats and immigration rights activists have been holding news conferences and speaking out against the president this week, Republicans have been quiet. No one answered the phone at the Arizona GOP offices on Monday or Tuesday.

Arizonas two Republican senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, have been critics of the president. Trump has tweeted praise of Kelli Ward, a former state lawmaker with far-right views and a long-shot Senate candidate who is challenging Flake.

Trump left Washington around lunchtime Tuesday. He was to first meet with Marines at a Yuma, Ariz., Border Patrol station, inspect a Predator drone and promote his administrations push to tighten immigration enforcement. The rally was set to begin at 7 p.m. local time, 10 p.m. Eastern.

This will be Trumps ninth rally in the state  and his fourth at the Phoenix Convention Center.

His first event at the convention center was on July 11, 2015, a few weeks after he announced he was running for president and gave a rambling speech that cast undocumented immigrants as criminals and rapists. Although those remarks prompted criticism and led several corporations to cut their business ties with him, the support for his campaign was evident in Phoenix, where he had to upgrade to a larger venue and then still had to turn away many supporters  a turnout that shocked many Arizonans. At the time, McCain accused Trump of having fired up the crazies. Protesters who attended the rally and were violently confronted by Trump supporters said they were stunned by this new level of animosity, which has now become the standard.

During a March 19, 2016, rally in the Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills, where Arpaio lives, dozens of protesters used pickup trucks and their bodies to block the highway leading to the rally site to delay Trumps motorcade. They carried signs that said Stand Against Racism and Combat White Supremacy.

At an Oct. 29 rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, a Trump supporter confronted reporters at the rally with shouts of Jew-S-A! and flashed a three-fingered hand gesture that resembled hate symbols flagged by the Anti-Defamation League.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 07:43:38|Editor: An

People gather to watch the livestreams of the solar eclipse at the Lawrence Hall of Science near San Francisco, the United States, on Aug. 21, 2017. A once-in-a-century total solar eclipse is spanning the continental United States on Monday, creating a 70-mile-wide (112 kilometers) path of totality stretching from Oregon in the Pacific Northwest to South Carolina on the Southeast Coast. (Xinhua/Ma Dan)

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- For the 300 people gathering Monday morning at Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California, the enthusiasm was high to know more about the total solar eclipse.

Berkeley, a city northeast of San Francisco, was outside the path of totality 70 miles, or 112 kilometers, across on the ground in 12 states in the United States, stretching from Oregon in the Pacific Northwest to South Carolina on the East Coast.

In addition, the cloud was low most of the time on Monday morning over the Hall of Science, a public science center located in the University of California, Berkeley.

Nevertheless, some of the people paid 12 U.S. dollars for a ticket to be there, and stayed indoor to watch live streaming from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In another campus 560 miles, or 900 kilometers, up north, at Oregon State University (OSU), Corvallis, thousands of people did see the sight of the moon completely covering the sun, as the city in central western Oregon was in the path of totality.

For about 2 minutes, before 10:17 Pacific Daylight Time, the day turned to evening and the Sun's corona blazed in the sky.

Sean Nealon, a spokesman of the university, which claimed to be the first university in the country in the path of totality, noted in a telephone interview that an estimated 5,000 attended the viewing party and hundreds more watched at other locations throughout campus.

Actually, as most students were yet to return to school, the university hosted nearly 2,000 overnight guests from 23 states, mostly from the West Coast, but also from Hawaii, Florida and Texas; and a few from Australia, Canada, Columbia, Germany and Ireland, in about 900 residential hall rooms and suites on campus.

Hours before spectators began to gather at Student Legacy Park, six atmospheric balloons were launched from Peavy Field on the campus, as part of a NASA endeavor, known as the Eclipse Ballooning Project, to about 100,000 feet, or 30,500 meters, above the Earth and capture images of the eclipse.

Images from balloons of the kind, launched by a total of 55 teams on the ground along the path of totality and expected to be operational for three hours, were transmitted using radio signals and upload for a live stream at http://eclipse.stream.live/.

With Oregon in a front row seat to observe the event, the first total solar eclipse visible in the United States since 1776, millions across the country took the change to record what they believe to a once-in-a-life-time experience.

The Eclipse Megamovie project, a collaboration between the UC Berkeley and Google, a technology company headquartered in California, released an application, or app, weeks ago for U.S. scientists with smart phones to photograph the eclipse and upload the images.

In addition, the project deployed some 1,500 trained volunteers across the United States to photograph the event along its path using digital single lens reflex and mirrorless cameras with telephoto lenses, so as to provide a lasting photo archive for scientists studying the sun's corona. The images would be stitched together into a short, time-lapse movie of the eclipse later in the day.
President Trump unveiled a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Aug. 21. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

President Trump unveiled a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Aug. 21. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

President Trumps decision to announce expanded U.S. military operations in Afghanistan but disclose few details is set to spark fresh congressional debate about the future of the United States longest war and whether it is time for lawmakers to approve a new use-of-force law.

Senior Republicans voiced support for Trumps decision to endorse a Pentagon plan to boost troop levels and said it will be reviewed during public congressional hearings when lawmakers reconvene next month. But Democrats and some Republicans blasted Trump for not disclosing more information and said they will redouble attempts to pass the first use-of-force resolution since the 2001 act that authorized military action against terrorist groups in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The majority of us werent in Congress in 2001, said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee who is leading a bipartisan push to approve a new Authorization for Use of Military Force, which some members of both parties think is needed before Trump can deploy more troops. Kaine called on the Senate to stop dodging its responsibility and finally pass an updated AUMF.

[Its a hard problem: Inside Trumps decision to send more troops to Afghanistan]

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a longtime critic of expanded military operations, said it is a terrible idea to send any more troops into Afghanistan. The 2016 presidential candidate said in a statement that he will keep pushing his plan to repeal the 2001 use-of-force agreement, along with a 2002 resolution that allowed military operations in Iraq, as part of this years must-pass defense policy bill.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), center, with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), right, on Aug. 3 at the Capitol. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Trumps decision to adopt a conditions-based approach to the war without a specific timetable angered Democrats, who suggested the new plan could leave U.S. troops in Afghanistan indefinitely. He is declaring an open-ended commitment of American lives with no accountability to the American people, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Monday night.

[Trump announces new strategy for Afghanistan that calls for troop increase]

Although Trump did not specify in his speech how many more troops will be sent to Afghanistan, congressional officials said senior administration officials told them Monday it will be about 4,000, adding to the 8,500 U.S. service members now in the region.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that Trumps speech was short on the details our troops and the American people deserve.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), a vocal Trump critic, said the president was lacking in details, lacking in substance and lacking in a vision of what success in Afghanistan looks like.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who flew Army helicopter missions during the Iraq War, said the presidential address was filled with bluster but devoid of details and raises far more questions than it answered.

And Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted, The only new strategy announced tonight was that strategy will no longer be announced.

Administration officials including, from right, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Attorney General Jeff Sessions watch Trumps speech Monday from the front row at Fort Myer in Virginia. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

As a presidential candidate, Trump called it counterproductive for the United States to announce troop withdrawal dates. Moving forward, we will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities, Trump said Monday night. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) credited Trump with embracing a new doctrine of principled realism, saying on CNN during a nationally televised town hall event that President Barack Obama committed a strategic mistake by setting a timetable for troop withdrawals. We shouldnt telegraph our timetable when were leaving, so that we can actually make it conditions-based, which is, what is the purpose of being there? Ryan said. The purpose of being there is to make sure that we dont have another 9/11, that the Taliban doesnt give al-Qaeda safe haven to plan and get money and come and have a terrorist attack against us.

[National security adviser attempts to reconcile Trumps competing impulses on Afghanistan]

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that Trumps new war plan will face congressional scrutiny when lawmakers return to Washington and that this strategy is long overdue. But McCain added in a statement that Trump is now moving us well beyond the prior administrations failed strategy of merely postponing defeat.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) defended Trumps new conditions-based approach, saying it should lead to better diplomatic outcomes, and ensures engagement with regional partners, especially Pakistan and India, giving us a better opportunity for success.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) said Trumps new plan is a reasonable way ahead that begins with being honest about the requirements needed to win, and the challenges in the region. In his statement, he called on Congress to provide timely and adequate funding for this vital mission.

But how and when lawmakers will debate the new Afghanistan strategy, and how to pay for it, are still not known.

In July, the House passed a $790 billion spending bill that would increase military funding. But it has virtually no chance of becoming law, because it is unlikely to survive in the more closely divided Senate. The bill would blow past a defense spending cap enacted under the 2011 Budget Control Act by $72 billion.

Early versions of the spending bill included a repeal of the 2001 authorization for military action against terrorist groups.

The repeal had earned bipartisan support from House appropriators, but GOP leaders later used procedural moves to strip out the repeal before final approval.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who wrote the repeal plan, said Monday night that Congress needs to pass a new military force law before we commit to another surge that will keep our troops in Afghanistan for years to come and cost billions more in spending.

The Senate, meanwhile, has yet to schedule debate on a spending plan or the National Defense Authorization Act, the bill that sets military policy and was approved by the House in July. Senators had expected to debate and pass the $696 billion measure before the August recess, allowing McCain to lead floor debate on the measure before returning to Arizona to begin treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer. But Paul objected to beginning debate on the bill, because he had not yet received assurances that his plan to repeal the AUMFs would earn an up-or-down vote.

Congress faces a daunting to-do list when it returns after Labor Day, including a need to raise the federal debt limit and pass a spending plan to keep the federal government open beyond the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, plus the reauthorization of a host of federal entities, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Flood Insurance Program.

That means Senate debate on the defense bill probably will be pushed to October at the earliest.

Elise Viebeck contributed to this report.

Read more at PowerPost


At the five-unit condo at 3525 14th St. NW, a new development by Congressional Properties, units are priced from $599,900 to $649,900. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Home buyers always hope to purchase at the right moment in the housing market and in the right location, preferably one where new development will add value. Condominiums have been rising for years on streets near the Columbia Heights Metro station and the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro station, yet developers always seem to find new locations to squeeze in more.

The five-unit condo at 3525 14th St. NW, a new development by Congressional Properties, was a small retail business on the ground floor with an apartment above, says Brian Athey, founder and president of Congressional Properties in Washington.

We like that location a lot because you can walk to Metro very easily and get to restaurants and shops, but the immediate area along 14th Street is still changing pretty quickly, Athey says. We feel its one of the few areas where millennial buyers in particular can still buy at a good price and get value because of the changes in the area.

[Haymarket Crossing townhouses feature open concept designs, high ceilings and gourmet kitchens]

Athey says the building was gutted so that all the systems are new. He also dug down below the building and added a rear addition to create more space for five units.

One unit, a one-bedroom on the ground floor, has been sold. The remaining four units have two bedrooms each and are priced from $599,900 to $649,900. The condos range from 877 to 1,036 square feet.

We try to provide as much storage as we can in each unit, but we also have to make sure we have sufficiently large bedroom sizes, Athey says.

1 of 15 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Buying New | 3525 14th St. in Northwest Washington View Photos The condos are priced from $599,900 to $649,900. Caption The condos are priced from $599,900 to $649,900. The five-unit condo building at 3525 14th St. NW, a new development by Congressional Properties, was a small retail business on the ground floor with an apartment above, says Brian Athey, founder and president of Congressional Properties in Washington. Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Varied floor plans: The 877-square-foot Unit 2, priced at $599,900, has an open floor plan with a large balcony off the living area overlooking 14th Street. This unit has a coat closet, a closet with a washer and dryer, and an additional closet near the kitchen. The larger of the two bedrooms has a Juliet balcony, and both bedrooms have a private full bath. One bathroom has a glass-enclosed shower, and the other has a combination tub and shower.

Unit 3, priced at $599,900, has 934 square feet. This is the only unit without a private outdoor space, but the unit has a lot of natural light and a large alcove off the living and dining area. The master bedroom has a Juliet balcony and a walk-in closet, while the second bedroom has a double-door closet. This unit has two coat closets and a closet with a washer and dryer.

[Chapel Creek Village townhomes offer two-car garages, flex space and a butterfly garden]

Unit 4, priced at $649,900, has 962 square feet. This two-level condo has an open floor plan on the first level and a powder room but no coat closet. Upstairs are two bedrooms that each have access to a balcony. Each bedroom has a private full bathroom. This level also has a closet with a washer and dryer.

Unit 5, priced at $649,900, has 1,036 square feet. This three-level unit on the upper floors has a private roof deck. The first level has an open floor plan with a Juliet balcony off the living area, a powder room and a coat closet. The second level has two bedrooms that share the units only full bathroom, which has a glass-enclosed shower. The third level has a storage closet adjacent to the entrance to the roof deck, which has views across the city of Washington National Cathedral.



The kitchen has a marble island and stainless steel appliances. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)

Outdoor space, walkability: We try to provide outdoor space with every unit we build in every condo, Athey says. People really like to have their own outdoor space even if its small.

The main amenity, Athey says, is the walkability of the location.

Residents have the best of both worlds when they can have a little private outdoor space and yet also be able to walk to a vibrant area, Athey says.

Residents are allowed to have pets in the building. The only building amenities are a closet on the ground floor for bike storage and a single parking space, available for $40,000.

Whats nearby: Mezcalero Cocina Mexicana, a new restaurant from the owners of El Sol, is among numerous restaurants and bars within walking distance. Others include: Pho Viet, La Cabana for Salvadoran food, the Red Derby bar, La Molienda for Salvadoran and Mexican food, Taqueria Distrito Federal, and Thip Khao.

More restaurants and bars can be found near the Columbia Heights Metro station a half-mile south and on 11th Street. They include the Coupe gastropub, Meridian Pint and the Wonderland Ballroom.

Shops and grocery stores are also within walking distance, including the DC USA shopping center, which has a Target, Modells, Best Buy and more.

Schools: Raymond Education Campus for elementary and middle and Roosevelt High.

Transit: Residents can walk approximately a half-mile to the Columbia Heights Metro station and to the Georgia Avenue-Petworth station for Green and Yellow line service. The area is also served by several Metrobus routes and the D.C. Circulator bus.



The roofdeck on the penthouse unit offers panoramic views. All but one of the units has private outdoor living space. (Benjamin C Tankersley/For The Washington Post)
Some in Afghanistan and India praised President Trump's Aug. 21 speech, but his rhetoric set off alarm bells in Pakistan. (The Washington Post)

Some in Afghanistan and India praised President Trump's Aug. 21 speech, but his rhetoric set off alarm bells in Pakistan. (The Washington Post)

Relieved Afghan officials on Tuesday welcomed President Trumps strategy announcement on the war effort here, citing his assurance of broad U.S. military, economic and political support despite a lack of specific pledges, and praising his tough stance on Pakistan, which he denounced for offering safe haven to terrorists.

Soon after the speech, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was grateful to Trump for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance. Kabuls ambassador to Washington, Hamdullah Mohib, hailed it as the first time a focus has been put on what Afghanistan must have to succeed.

But as more Afghans digested Trumps message, delivered at 5:30 a.m. here, that welcome became muddied with concern over whether the new U.S. policy was too militarized, why it does not lay out a path to peace with the Taliban, and whether the U.S. presidents insistence on no more nation-building means he will no longer help strengthen Afghanistans struggling democratic system.

The Afghan conflict has been fought for 16 years by Afghan and foreign troops against Taliban insurgents and other groups, making it the United States longest war. Since most foreign forces withdrew in 2014, Taliban fighters have fought aggressively and now control districts in almost every province. American military officials have called the war a stalemate.

Among the most vociferous critics of the announcement was former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who denounced Trumps strategy as a clear message of killing, killing, killing.

A woman in Kabul reads a local newspaper displaying a photo of President Trump on Aug. 22, 2017. (Rahmat Gul/AP)

For us it means more war, destruction and loss of life, he said in an interview Tuesday. There was not a single word about the peace effort. It was all talk of war, and we have had enough of that.

Other commentators thanked Trump for not abandoning the war but stressed that no U.S. military strategy can bring stability unless the Afghan government, weakened by divisions and political unrest, can perform better and institute reforms  precisely the kind of nation-building the U.S. government has pursued.

Some observers said Trumps focus on attacking global terrorism rather than reaching a settlement with the Taliban seemed to be aimed mostly at an American audience that has grown tired of the war. Trump declared that he would not allow the Taliban to occupy Afghanistan, but he described a domestic peace settlement only as a vague possibility.

Afghans want an end to this conflict. We dont want to be in a war of U.S. and regional interests, Karzai said in the interview. What we need is for the United States to help us find peace, rebuild our country and institutionalize the Afghan state.

[Trump announces new Afghanistan strategy calling for troop increase]

The Taliban responded to Trump with swift defiance. It looks like America does not want to put an end to its longest war . . . and it still is arrogant in its might, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement. As long as one American soldier remains on our soil, we will continue our jihad. . . . Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower.

In Pakistan, commentators called Trumps description of their country as a terrorist haven a worrisome change from past U.S. policies, especially since he also urged Pakistans archrival India to increase its economic role in Afghanistan. Pakistan has repeatedly denied providing sanctuary to the Taliban or terrorist groups.

President Trump unveiled a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Aug. 21. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

Elaborating on Trumps earlier comments, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday that future U.S. aid would be dependent on whether Pakistan adopts a different approach to terrorism and stops sheltering extremists.

Theres been an erosion in trust because we have witnessed terrorist organizations being given safe haven inside of Pakistan to plan and carry out attacks against U.S. servicemen, U.S. officials, disrupting peace efforts inside of Afghanistan, Tillerson said.

Economic aid, military aid and Pakistans status as a non-NATO ally are all on the table, he said.

Sherry Rehman, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington, said it was disturbing and disappointing to hear a repeat of Pakistan being pressured to do more to stabilize Afghanistan. She said her country has given unparalleled sacrifices to fight terrorism. Attempting to isolate and unjustly treat Pakistan will only compound the problem.

Many Afghans praised Trump for his tough talk on Pakistan, which they see as a major source of instability and violence. But some wondered why he had singled out India as an important regional partner without mentioning Russia, China and Iran, all of which are seeking influence in the Afghan conflict.

[The countries undermining Afghanistan progress that Trump didnt call out]

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry officials sprang to Pakistans defense, saying that the country is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and that they hoped Pakistan and the U.S. government will cooperate in that fight on the basis of mutual respect.

There was general agreement among Afghans that Trump was right to set no deadlines on U.S. troop withdrawals. President Barack Obamas policy to set deadlines was viewed here as a strategic error. There was also little debate here over how many U.S. troops Trump planned to send; he did not announce a number but is expected to approve military requests for 3,000 to 4,000 more troops.

In contrast, the broader implications of Trumps emphasis on an open-ended military policy seemed to worry a cross-section of Afghans, especially given his statements that ongoing support will be based on unnamed conditions.

On social media and in interviews, people pointed out that the Afghan government has been struggling with internal dissent, political unrest and an ailing economy as well as a relentless military conflict. While Afghan officials hope their current reform efforts will help meet Trumps new conditions, others see corruption and poor governance as a major cause of the insurgents success.

Ghulam Farooq, 23, a university student, said he hoped Trumps new strategy will help defeat the Taliban and Islamic State insurgents. But he said it is also important for the United States to stand firm on its commitment to support democracy after decades of conflict.

The people of our country have become hostages in the hands of both terrorists and corrupt officials, Farooq said. All their promises for a better life, security, fighting corruption and creating jobs are just cheap talk. If the U.S. does not put pressure on this, it can bring down all our institutions.

Sharif Walid and Sayed Salahuddin in Kabul, Shaiq Hussain in Islamabad, Simon Denyer in Beijing and Carol Morello in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more

Trumps muscular but vague Afghanistan speech, annotated

In escalating Americas longest war, Trump acts against his original instinct

Video: Trump open to political settlement with elements of the Taliban

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
 The remains of some of the 10 sailors missing since a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore have been found in compartments on the damaged ship, the commander of the Pacific Fleet said Tuesday.

The search for other missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain was ongoing.

Were always hopeful that there are survivors, Adm. Scott Swift said at a news conference in Singapore. Until we have exhausted any potential of recovering survivors or bodies, the search-and-rescue efforts will continue.

Swift also said he had ordered a special review of naval operations at the Navys main bases in Japan, at Yokosuka and Sasebo, after four incidents this year off Japan and South Korea  two involving Yokosuka-based ships.

Ten sailors have been missing since the McCain and a Liberian-flagged oil tanker  more than three times the destroyers size  collided at the entrance to the Strait of Malacca before dawn Monday.

Search and rescue efforts are underway after the USS John S. McCain guided-missile destroyer and an oil tanker collided near Singapore on Aug. 21. The Navy reports 10 sailors are missing and five are injured. (Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)

Singaporean and Malaysian navy ships and helicopters had joined U.S. aircraft searching for the sailors at sea. But earlier Tuesday, Navy and Marine Corps divers were sent into compartments in the damaged part of the destroyer that had been sealed to stop the ship from being flooded. The ship is moored at Changi naval base in Singapore.

The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today, Swift said. It was premature to say how many bodies had been found, he added.

Additionally, the Malaysian navy has reported that they have located potential remains, Swift said. It was not clear whether those belonged to one of the missing sailors. The remains were found at sea and were being transferred to the U.S. Navy for identification.

Swift said that the ship suffered significant damage and that investigators were seeking to piece together what happened and how it happened.

There was no indication of a cyberattack, he said, responding to speculation about the cause of two collisions in just over two months, but he added that every scenario will be reviewed.

[ Top Navy admiral orders fleetwide investigation following latest collision at sea ]

Tuesdays statement will come as a heavy blow to the Navy and particularly to the Yokosuka-based 7th Fleet.

The damaged USS John McCain is docked next to the USS America at Changi naval base in Singapore on Tuesday. (Stringer/Reuters)

Yokosuka is the home port for the McCain and the USS Fitzgerald, which was involved in a similar collision in June, leaving seven sailors dead.

The Fitzgerald collided with a container ship south of Japan, leading to significant damage to its hull and a frantic effort to seal off the damage and stop the rest of the ship from flooding. Seven sailors were trapped in their berthing compartment in the process, and all drowned.

The McCain collision was the Navys fourth major accident at sea in Asia this year. On May 9, a collision occurred between the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and a South Korean fishing vessel. On Jan. 31, the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay near Yokosuka.

The Navys top admiral on Monday ordered a fleetwide review of seamanship and training in the Pacific.

The series of accidents in the Pacific demands more forceful action, Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, told reporters Monday, adding that there is great cause for concern that there is something we are not getting at.

He ordered Navy fleets across the world to take a day or two to review procedures and training to ensure they are operating safely.

[ Top officers of the USS Fitzgerald to be disciplined following deadly collision ]

Swift said Tuesday that he welcomed the review, intended to determine whether there was a common cause.

One tragedy like this is one too many, and while each of these four events is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation, he said, adding that the operational review will be completed by Monday .

In addition, I have ordered a second phase that will be focused on all surface ships deployed in the Pacific, including those forward-deployed naval forces in Yokosuka and Sasebo, Swift said. This second phase will be a deliberate reset for our ships focused on a number of areas, such as navigation, ships mechanical systems and bridge resource management.

In South Korea, the chief of U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Harry Harris, asserted that U.S. military readiness in Asia would not be compromised by pauses in operations of some vessels.

The force writ large will maintain its primary responsibility of defending our homeland, he told reporters.

The McCain  named after the father and grandfather of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and nicknamed Big Bad John  is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that had been on its way to a routine port visit in Singapore after patrolling in the South China Sea.

The collision occurred just east of the Strait of Malacca, a 550-mile-long stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes.

The collision caused significant damage to the hull and flooded nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery and communications rooms, the 7th Fleet said in a statement.

Read more:

The USS John S. McCain was struck in some of the worlds busiest waters

USS Fitzgerald sailors made tough call to seal flooding ship areas

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Candles and flowers are placed on the ground after a terror attack in Barcelona. (Santi Palacios/AP)

The terrorist cell in Spain that unleashed a pair of deadly vehicular attacks was planning a much more lethal, more dramatic act. Its members were going to explode huge bombs at monuments in the center of the city, according to a court official.

Mohamed Houli Chemlal, 21, who police say is one of the surviving members of the cell, told a court in Madrid that the members were assembling bombs in a safe house under the guidance of their imam, who told them he planned to blow himself up during the attack.

Spanish media reported that Houli Chemlal said one of the possible targets was Antoni Gaudis iconic and unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Sagrada Familia.

The imam appears to have recruited the teens and young men in the terrorist cell from the Moroccan immigrant community in the mountain town of Ripoll, a two-hour drive north of Barcelona.

Houli Chemlals initial testimony to Judge Fernando Andreu in a closed Madrid courtroom on Tuesday was reported widely by Spanish media and sourced to a court official. The judicial source spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to brief reporters on the proceedings before a special anti-terrorism tribunal, where the judge is to decide on charges and whether the defendants can be freed on bail.

Spanish police shot and killed Younes Abouyaaquob, 22, in the small town of Subirats. Officials found a fake suicide bomb vest on the man after deploying a robot. (Raul Gallego Abellan for The Washington Post)

At least two of the defendants, through their families and friends in Ripoll, have said they were unwitting participants  that they simply rented vans one thought were for moving or sold airline tickets and transferred money.

The judge charged two of the defendants with terrorism offenses. He ordered the release of one suspect, a brother of a member of the cell who was killed by police. A fourth suspect, who ran an Internet cafe and cellphone business, was ordered held for questioning.

[Driver in deadly Barcelona attack is fatally shot, police say]

Houli Chemlal was shown being escorted into the court by police, shackled, with one arm bandaged, and wearing hospital pajamas. He is the lone survivor of an explosion last Wednesday that destroyed a house in Alcanar, south of Barcelona.

Police say the house contained 120 tanks for propane gas, alongside residue of a bomb-making material known as TATP and remote-controlled detonators. On Wednesday, investigators said they also recovered a belt with explosives at the house.

In an earlier briefing with reporters, Josep Lluis Trapero, chief of the Catalan national police, said that his investigators assumed the explosion in Alcanar was an accident, which killed the imam and triggered the cell to launch the vehicular attacks Thursday.

In the first, police say, Younes Abouyaaquob, 22, drove a white rental van down La Rambla avenue and killed 13 in a boulevard crowded with international tourists and locals. An hour later, police said, Abouyaaquob stabbed a motorist to death and used his car as a getaway vehicle. Later, five members of the cell drove into a crowd near a police checkpoint and killed a female bystander.

Mohamed Aallaa (center), 27, is one of four who have been arrested in connection to the terrorist attacks in Spain. (J.J.Guillen/EPA)

Catalan officials said their investigation was swift and successful, and Trapero said it was dirty politics to place blame on police instead of the terrorists.

Still, there appeared to have been missed opportunities.

The Moroccan imam alleged to be at the heart of the conspiracy, Abdelbaki Essati, was sent to prison for four years, from 2010 to 2014, for smuggling hashish into Spain.

A counterterrorism officer in Spain, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share background information on an open investigation, said Essati had a pending deportation order.

The director of the mosque where Essati preached and taught children Arabic and the Koran said they passed his name to local police as part of Spains program to monitor the mosques.

[How a dozen young men from a small town secretly plotted the deadliest terrorist attack in Spain in more than a decade]

A Spanish police adviser noted that Essatis name appeared, but just once, on Page 70 of a Justice Ministry report on the arrest of five men in a town south of Barcelona, on charges of recruiting local youths to fight in Iraq.

The president of the Catalan region, Carles Puigdemont, brushed aside criticism of the local forces, saying now was not the time to air grievances between Catalonia and the national government in Madrid.

But Puigdemont told The Washington Post that information about a suspicious imam was not in the hands of the Catalan police.

The regional president added that forces here have been denied membership in Europol, which coordinates Europes response to transnational terrorism, as well as Spains anti-terrorism center.

Information reaches us now through the Spanish police, but we do not yet have our own intelligence agency; we dont have it, he said.

Puigdemont said there are 200,000 Moroccan immigrants living in Catalonia. If 200,000 people were radicalized, wed have a very serious problem, but they arent all radical. They are our neighbors and therefore, the Catalan society, which is very diverse, is working well.

Counterterrorism officials last year issued an alert warning that Spain was consistently mentioned in propaganda material produced by the Islamic State, which has claimed its soldiers were behind the recent attack. In 2004, bombings on the Madrid rail system killed 191 people and injured more than 1,800. Spanish officials blamed an al-Qaeda cell.

After the explosion in Alcanar, police and firefighters did not suspect that a terrorist cell was making bombs. Instead, they thought that thieves were dealing in stolen propane tanks  or that perhaps drug dealers were manufacturing methamphetamine.

As it turned out, two bodies were recovered from the site. Police think one is that of the imam and are awaiting final DNA confirmation.

Telling, too, is the fact that Houli Chemlal was found wounded there but was not interviewed as a serious suspect in the terrorism case until the van attack in Barcelona.

Raul Gallego Abellan in Subirats and Angel Garcia in Barcelona contributed to this report.

Read more

In Barcelona, five minutes of pure panic and absolute terror

We have drawn a different lesson from history: How the world is reacting to violence in Charlottesville

Just a few more bongs for Big Ben before London bell is silenced for four years

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 07:53:41|Editor: Xiang Bo

Photo taken on Aug. 21, 2017 shows that the moon eclipses the sun during the process of a partial solar eclipse over New York, the United States. A once-in-a-century total solar eclipse is spanning the continental United States on Monday, creating a 70-mile-wide (112 kilometers) path of totality stretching from Oregon in the Pacific Northwest to South Carolina on the Southeast Coast. Observers outside the path of totality will see only a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

NEW YORK, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A once-in-a-century total solar eclipse spanned the continental United States on Monday, creating a 70-mile-wide (112-kilometer-wide) path of totality stretching from Oregon in the Pacific Northwest to South Carolina on the East Coast.

The U.S. mainland hasn't seen a total solar eclipse since 1979, when it swept a handful of northwestern states. The country's last total solar eclipse stretching from coast to coast took place in 1918.

It was the most-observed eclipse in American history, with millions of people staking out viewing spots to watch, especially along the path of totality across the country.

Sean Nealon, a spokesman of the Oregon State University, which was the first university in the country in the path of totality, said an estimated 5,000 people attended the viewing party in the university and hundreds more watched at other locations throughout campus.

Hours before spectators began to gather at Student Legacy Park, six atmospheric balloons were launched from Peavy Field on the campus, as part of a NASA endeavor, known as the Eclipse Ballooning Project, to about 100,000 feet, or 30,500 meters, above the Earth and capture images of the eclipse.

Star-gazers in Southern California turned their eyes to the sky, with hopes of experiencing the total solar eclipse, even though the state was treated only to a partial blocking of the sun by the moon and saw only about 62 percent of the sun obscured.

Crowds gathered at viewing parties across the state, most notably at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, but also at the city parks and science facilities.

"I am really interested in seeing this. It's pretty cool. But I thought it would be darker," sky-gazer Jennifer Fernandes told Xinhua.

At the White House, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump looked at the solar eclipse from the office balcony.

Though New York City is not in the path of the total solar eclipse, tens of thousands of the Big Apple's residents flocked to parks, squares, rooftop bars etc., to witness a nearly 72 percent eclipse of the Sun.

The action began at 1:23 p.m. in the city when the moon start to pass in front of the sun. The cloudy skies darkened slightly as the partial eclipse appeared around 2:44 p.m..

The blazing sun turned into a crescent shape as the darkened moon passed before it. By 4 p.m., the moon moved on and the skies returned to normal.

In Time Square, thousands of sky-gazers burst into cheers as the once-in-a-lifetime eclipse appeared.

American Museum of Natural History, one of city's most popular museums, hosted a special viewing party for the visitors to experience the eclipse.

The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be in 2024. The next coast-to-coast one will be in 2045.
India's Supreme Court ruled, Aug. 22, that the practice of Muslim men receiving a divorce by repeating "talaq" three times is unconstitutional. (Vidhi Doshi,Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

India's Supreme Court ruled, Aug. 22, that the practice of Muslim men receiving a divorce by repeating "talaq" three times is unconstitutional. (Vidhi Doshi,Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

For hundreds of years, Muslim men in India could divorce their wives by repeating the word talaq, Arabic for divorce, three times. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declared the practice unconstitutional.

India is one of a handful of countries where triple talaq still happens. The practice is considered part of Islamic law by only some scholars and has been outlawed in many Muslim countries.

India is home to 172 million Muslims, 14 percent of the population, making it one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.

Family matters for the vast nations many communities are governed by their religious traditions, making the Supreme Courts ruling in the eyes of some Muslims an intrusion in their affairs.

Muslim women visit the Jama Masjid mosque in New Delhi on Tuesday. A Supreme Court justice, striking down Islamic instant divorce, said that triple talaq is against the basis of sharia. (Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images)

Triple talaq gave Muslim women in India almost no say in matters of divorce. Husbands have divorced their wives by phone, text message and mail, or sometimes in the heat of trivial marital arguments. By contrast, women almost always must obtain the mans consent for a divorce.

Justice Kurian Joseph, one of three judges on the bench who ruled against the practice, said in court, Triple talaq is against the basis of sharia [Islamic law] . . . what is said to be bad in the holy Koran cannot be good in sharia.

Petitioners in the case, including womens rights activists and multiple women who had been divorced by triple talaq, argued that the practice did not treat men and women equally. Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu-nationalist government supported them.

Todays judgment on one level is very historic, said Hasina Khan, from the Bebaak Collective, an organization that campaigns against the practice. It is not a victory that has been achieved after one or two years  Muslim women have been coming to courts and filing petitions and laying the groundwork for this for years.

The bench delivered its verdict to a courtroom packed with journalists, lawyers and womens rights activists who strained to hear the final ruling.

Outside, a senior lawyer jumped in the air with glee after hearing the decision. This is what we wanted, she said, hugging women around her.

The issue of banning triple talaq has been at the center of national debate in recent weeks. Supporters of the practice argue that it is an integral part of Islam and that banning it could affect Muslims fundamental right to practice their religion in India.

Kamal Faruqui, a member of the executive committee of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which advocates for Muslim law, said: We dont see this as a favorable verdict. Triple talaq is a part of our religion and of sharia.

In recent months, leading members of the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have voiced support for women fighting against instant divorces.

Modi has been one of the most vocal detractors of the practice. In a tweet after the verdict, he wrote: Judgment of the Honble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.

But critics argue that Modis party has a weak record on womens rights and is just using the issue to restrict the rights of Muslims in India. It looks like a political strategy, Faruqui said.

Speaking to news cameras on a lawn outside the court, Zeenat Ali Siddiqui, who was divorced by her husband through triple talaq in 2015, wailed with joy.

Thousands, millions of women are crying at home, she said.

Her husband divorced her without giving a reason, leaving her to parent their two children alone.

Narendra Modi has ended the practice of men throwing their women out from trivial reasons like making the lentils too sour, she said. When this happens to women, they are looked at with an evil eye. I know how it feels because it has happened to me.

Read more:

Meet the woman who campaigned to end triple talaq

What Indias liberals get wrong about women and sharia law

A woman in India just won a divorce because her husband failed to provide a toilet

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
President Trump unveiled a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Aug. 21. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

President Trump unveiled a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Aug. 21. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

President Trumps decision to continue military operations in Afghanistan, with a probably modest increase in U.S. troops, is an incremental shift in strategy that may help hold the line against a resurgent Taliban but isnt likely to change the course of the United States longest war.

In a televised address to the nation Monday, Trump said that his original instinct was to pull out but that the consequences of a rapid exit are predictable and unacceptable.

He said he would not talk about numbers of troops he would sanction but promised that in the end, we will win. Senior military leaders have asked for several thousand more troops to advise Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban and intensify the waves of U.S. airstrikes aimed at the militant group. Trump also said the new strategy would involve pressuring Pakistan, long accused of harboring terrorists, to support U.S. goals.

Trumps decision is a middle path that does not hew to either of the main foreign policy themes he articulated as a candidate: to stay out of expensive overseas quagmires, and to decisively win any conflict worth entering.

It followed months of deliberations within the new administration, which swung from a bold stroke to yank U.S. forces after nearly 16 years of war to options that would sprinkle more U.S. trainers and Special Operations troops around the vast country in hopes of forcing the Taliban to the table and preventing the formation of another terrorist haven.

President Trump speaks at Fort Myer in Arlington, Va., on Monday night about his strategy for the war in Afghanistan. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press)

By tweaking a course set by President Barack Obama, Trump suggests that he, like Obama and President George W. Bush before him, is facing the bleak reality of Afghanistan: There is no fast or politically palatable way to win, but losing quickly isnt an acceptable option, either.

I think mush is what we have, and unfortunately I fear its where were headed, said Vikram Singh, a former senior adviser on South Asia at the Pentagon and the State Department who is now a vice president at the liberal Center for American Progress.

[In bid to beat back the Taliban, Afghanistan starts expanding its commando units]

Military strategists, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, have long argued that there is no military solution in Afghanistan and that the goal should be to convince the Taliban that they have more to gain from talking than fighting.

No military or diplomatic strategy has shown the homegrown insurgency that such a tipping point was at hand.

Trump set no time limit on how long the United States will remain.

Ive said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations, the president said.

Task Force Southwest is the first Marine deployment to Helmand since 2014. The unit doesnt have a combat mission, but its moving toward a more hands-on approach in training and advising Afghan troops. (Thomas Gibbons-Neff/The Washington Post)

In 2014, the military shifted from its combat mission in Afghanistan to two primary supporting roles: advising the Afghan security forces and going after terrorist groups in the country  al-Qaeda and later, the Islamic State.

The Obama White House had wanted to end its time in office with a minimal number of forces in Afghanistan, mostly relegated to Kabul. Yet as U.S. troops left and the Taliban began regaining territory, Obama decided against a total drawdown, and in June 2016 bolstered the advisory role and approved more aggressive airstrikes against the Taliban.

Trump will stick to that hedge, neither agreeing to pull out entirely nor attempting a major surge, as was seen in Iraq in 2007 and in Afghanistan in 2009.

What are just a few thousand more troops going to do that hundreds of thousands couldnt do before? asked Doug Ollivant, a senior national security studies fellow at the New America Foundation and a former Army officer. Its the same forever war.

[Big U.S. troop increase in Afghanistan unpopular with most Americans]

Afghan government forces and the militants remain locked in a stalemate, and the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction recently assessed that the Taliban again control nearly half the country.

We see this as a long-term campaign, said one U.S. military official in Kabul, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be frank. By sending more troops and investing in the war, he said, the United States and its NATO allies will be able to chart a way forward well into the 2020s when, the Pentagon hopes, the Afghan Air Force will be nearly self sufficient and Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis four-year road map toward government and military reform will be complete.

As a private citizen, Trump seemed to favor a more radical approach.

We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. Their government has zero appreciation. Lets get out! he tweeted in November 2013.

Once in office, Trump put off any announcement of a strategy reboot, apparently frustrated that his advisers were not presenting him with options that could win the war.

The Pentagon has been pushing for more troops for months to add to the 8,500 U.S. forces there alongside 5,000 soldiers from NATO countries. At the Pentagon, officials think the United States and NATO reduced its troops in Afghanistan too far and too fast after the end of combat operations in 2014.

In June, Trump gave Mattis the authority to add the troops he needed after a request for more forces by Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. But Mattis held off, instead pushing Trump to own a long-term plan for the war.

Trumps announcement also zeroed in on Pakistan, long understood to harbor and support some of the militant groups, such as the Haqqani network and the Pakistani Taliban, that have trickled over the border and sown widespread violence in Afghanistans provinces.

Pakistan has frequently denied harboring militants and has accused Afghanistan of harboring anti-Pakistani militants, even going so far as to propose a fence along its porous border. Last month, Mattis said that the United States would withhold $50 million in defense funding from the country for not cracking down on Haqqani militants.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, Trump said. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists.

For U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the years of bloody battling  periods that included large combat operations and daily firefights  are in the past. U.S. casualties are a fraction of what they were at the height of Obamas war  11 this year compared with nearly 500 in 2010.

What were seeing right now is the war were fighting, said Marine Capt. Brian Hubert, an officer who helps run a Marine command center in Helmand province, one of Afghanistans most volatile regions.

U.S. Special Operations forces run counterterrorism missions, and other American and NATO troops try to help the Afghans hold territory through training effective troops, intelligence and planning for offensive operations, and calling in airstrikes.

Longtime diplomat Jim Dobbins, a special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan under Obama, called Trumps decision prudent.

The choices come down to losing and not losing, he said.

It would be nice to have an option that allows you to win in a War is Over way, but thats been tried and found to be too expensive, was not sustainable and in the current circumstances, its not politically feasible.
President Trump speaks to the press with U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Aug 11 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

The Trump administration is not looking for a pretext to junk the international nuclear deal with Iran, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday, despite the presidents sharp criticism of the agreement and reports that he has been reluctant to certify that Tehran is meeting its obligations.

We have no decision made. The president doesnt have a decision made, Haley said in an interview. What we are doing is trying to find out as much information as we can.

Haley will be in Vienna on Wednesday for meetings with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog overseeing the 2015 agreement, that she said are meant to answer U.S. questions about the scope and effectiveness of inspections and monitoring.

That does not mean the United States has prejudged whether Iran is complying with the terms of the landmark nuclear deal, Haley said.

What I think is very important to this administration is facts, Haley said, adding that her trip will help the administration assess its choices in dealing with a country she said is in repeated violation of other U.N. directives on terrorism, human rights and more.

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at U.N. headquarters following Security Council consultations on an Iranian missile test on Jan. 31, 2017. (Albin Lohr-Jones/Sipa USA/Associated Press)

This is not a country that can be trusted. This is not a country that has given us a reason to trust them. So I think the president has every reason to be leery of the actions by Iran.

At issue is an upcoming White House decision on whether to certify that Iran is meeting its end of the bargain. Congress mandated such checkups every 90 days, and the next deadline is in October.

President Trump has twice signed off on such certifications, but did so grudgingly in July. He then told the Wall Street Journal that he would be surprised if they were in compliance.

[Trump put off a confrontation over the Iran deal in July]

Haleys trip comes amid escalating insults and threats lobbed by both the United States and Iran over which nation is undermining the nuclear agreement.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last week that Iran could walk away within hours if the United States slaps more sanctions on his country.

A day later, Haley responded with a warning of her own.

Iran cannot be allowed to use the nuclear deal to hold the world hostage, she said in a statement. The nuclear deal must not become too big to fail. 

That brought a rebuke from Haleys U.N. counterpart, Iranian Ambassador Gholamali Khoshrou, who said her remarks were devoid of any shred of truth and part of a U.S. campaign bent on demonizing Iran and undermining the JCPOA inconsistent with the U.S. commitments.

JCPOA stands for the agreements formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

[Watch: David Ignatius interviews Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Iran and other subjects]

Irans foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, complained to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano that Haleys visit was intended to sow doubt about the agreement.

Even before the visit takes place, the way it is planned and publicized and the signal that it sends have notable detrimental consequences for the successful implementation of the JCPOA, Zarif wrote in a letter to Amano.

Haley dismissed Irans implication that she is searching for ammunition.

I find it interesting that Iran is so worried about me going to Vienna, she said. If they dont have anything to hide, they shouldnt be concerned about me asking questions of the IAEA.

Iran warned Tuesday that it needs only five days to ramp up uranium enrichment to a level at which the material could be used for a nuclear weapon, the Associated Press reported.

If there is a plan for a reaction and a challenge, we will definitely surprise them, said Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi. If we make the determination, we are able to resume 20 percent-enrichment in at most five days.

[Short tempers and long days: Scenes from the 2015 Iran talks]

As a candidate, Trump called the agreement brokered with Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany the dumbest deal perhaps Ive ever seen in the history of deal-making.

He threatened to tear it up but was vague about whether he planned to renegotiate it.
Jared Kushner, President Trumps son-in-law and adviser, was in Cairo Wednesday to meet with senior officials as Egypt expressed disapproval of a decision to withhold and withdraw millions of dollars in U.S. aid to the country over human rights concerns.

Kushner is on a trip to the Middle East to determine whether there is a way to get Israelis and Palestinians to return to peace negotiations. There have been no formal talks since a previous measure brokered by former Secretary of State John F. Kerry collapsed in 2014.

As Kushner was arriving in Cairo, the foreign ministry issued a sharp statement of its displeasure over a decision to cut or delay more than $290 million in expected U.S. aid. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson notified Egypt Tuesday that the United States is pulling back $95.7 million in military and economic aid, and would only release $195 million in additional military aid after Egypt makes progress in its human rights record.

Egypt sees this measure as reflecting poor judgment of the strategic relationship that ties the two countries over long decades and as adopting a view that lacks an accurate understanding of the importance of supporting Egypts stability, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement also warned of potential negative implications on efforts to work together on common goals and interests.

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Presidency on Aug. 23 shows President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, with senior White House adviser Jared Kushner at the presidential palace in Cairo. (Handout/AFP/Getty Images)

Initial reports from Cairo were that a scheduled meeting between Kushner and Foreign Ministry Sameh Shoukry was cancelled in a show of Egypts displeasure. But State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the reports were wrong, and Kushner and Shoukry met together with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Kushners visit comes one day after Tillerson spoke by phone with Shoukry to tell him of the aid decision.

The delayed $195 million aid package is slated to help Egypt fight domestic security threats and terrorism. That unspent money would be returned to Congress at the end of the fiscal year next month. Instead, Tillerson authorized it to be put in a separate account and held in reserve until Egypt shows progress on key priorities such as human rights abuses and the new law that many nongovernmental organizations say makes their charity work illegal. Egypt should get the money eventually, the officials said.

In separate action authorized by Tillerson, the administration decided to take away from Egypt another $65.7 million in military aid and $30 million in economic aid, and give it to other countries instead. The new recipients have not been determined.

We wanted to send the message were not happy at the lack of progress in human rights and the NGO law, a State Department official said. We want to see improvements.

U.S. officials, whenever they have met with their Egyptian counterparts, have for a long time made a point of mentioning their concerns about human rights abuses in Egypt. They were particularly worried about the impact of the NGO law passed by parliament late last year and ratified in late May by Sissi.

The new law gives the government the power to decide who can establish an NGO and what kind of work they do. It also requires that donations of more than about $550 be preapproved. Failure to inform the government in a timely fashion potentially carries penalties of up to five years in jail and $55,000.

Many rights groups say the law in effect prohibits them from doing their job, because it bans them from engaging in anything deemed harmful to national security, public order or morals  a vague definition that they say is intended to stifle dissent.

The government has accused human rights groups of trying to undermine the social order, and some are being investigated over the source of their funds.

A State Department official said the United States thought Egypt had in effect made a promise this year that the law would never take effect. When Sissi signed it, diplomats thought they had been misled.

Egypt has been the second-largest recipient of U.S. aid since it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. It has received $80 billion in military and economic aid over the past 30 years. In 2013, President Barack Obama froze the supply of military equipment after the Egyptian army overthrew President Mohamed Morsi. When aid was resumed, Congress required that the secretary of state certify that Egypt was making progress in governing democratically.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 08:29:40|Editor: Zhou Xin

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WELLINGTON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's annual net migration reached a record 72,400 in the July 2017 year, the countrys statistics department Stats NZ said on Monday.

Migrant arrivals numbered 132,100, a new annual record, and migrant departures numbered 59,700 in the year ended July 2017, said a Stats NZ release.

Compared with the year ended July 2016, net migration increased by 3,400, it said.

Most migrants currently arrive in New Zealand on short-term work and student visas, said population statistics senior manager Peter Dolan, adding that it is those migrants who are here for a year or more that are included in estimates and projections of the resident population, and these are the basis for long-term planning.

In the year ended July, the high net migration was mostly driven by non-New Zealand citizens, who provided New Zealand with a net gain of 73,500 new migrants, compared with 72,100 in the July 2016 year, Stats NZ said, adding that migration of New Zealand citizens saw a net loss of 1,100 migrants, compared with the net loss of 3,100 in the July 2016 year.

Of the 33,500 departures of New Zealand citizens in the July 2017 year, 62 percent were to Australia, it said.

The biggest increases in net migration for the July 2017 year were from Britain, which was up 2,400, and South Africa, which was up 1,600, the department said, adding that the largest decrease in net migration in the July 2017 year was from India, which was down 3,900 to 7,400, due to a decrease in student migrant arrivals.

New Zealand's current gain from net migration equates to 15 people per 1,000 population, statistics show.
U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris Jr., front, answers questions during a news conference Tuesday in front of PAC-3 launching station at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. (Lee Jin-Man/AP)

Two top U.S. commanders said Tuesday that diplomacy and economic actions are the first tools to be deployed against North Korea, with military force used only when the other measures dont work.

As joint exercises between the American and South Korean militaries take place this week, some analysts expect that North Korea may launch another missile or take some other provocative action to register its disapproval.

On the second day of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills, which mainly involve computer simulations, North Koreas state media issued another sharp warning to the United States. The U.S. will be wholly held accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by such reckless aggressive war maneuvers, it said.

But top military brass arriving in South Korea for the exercises tried to take the heat out of some of the recent rhetoric that has been flying back and forth between Pyongyang and Washington.

The most important starting point is the diplomatic starting point, Adm. Harry Harris, chief of the Hawaii-based Pacific Command, said at a news conference at Osan Air Force base, south of Seoul.

[ No American strike on North Korea without my consent, says Souths president ]

With Patriot missile batteries lined up behind him, Harris said: We hope and we work for a diplomatic solution to the challenge presented by [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un. A strong diplomatic effort backed by a strong military effort is key. Critical combat power should be supporting diplomacy and not the other way around.

Harris is in South Korea for the start of the annual exercises, along with Gen. John Hyten, head of U.S. Strategic Command, and Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, director of the Missile Defense Agency.

Together they have been underscoring the U.S. militarys readiness to act, but at the same time have been echoing the measured words of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was in Seoul last week.

The tempered talk contrasts sharply with President Trumps warning to North Korea that the U.S. military was locked and loaded to respond if provoked.

Still, the military exercises were very important, Gen. Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. forces in Korea, said. We have the responsibility of providing military options to our national leaders, and exercises are a way of making sure that this option is a ready option, it's a capable option, Brooks said, adding that this helps deter North Korea from acting.

[ The Pentagon prepares for a war game on the Korean Peninsula ]

The Fact Checker explains what happened to the once not that distant goal of a nuclear deal with North Korea. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

Still, the August exercises are smaller than usual this year, with 17,500 American troops participating, down from 25,000 last year. Mattis has said the decrease in troops was due to operational reasons, rather than to tamp down tensions on the Korean Peninsula. .

In addition to a recent slew of angry statements from Kims regime, North Korea put out a video with a calendar marking the days the exercises will take place and suggesting that another missile launch might be coming.

But Brooks noted there had been no missile launches this month, although North Korea launched its first and second intercontinental ballistic missiles last month.

That means there may be some success in the diplomatic efforts, Brooks said.

U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that North Korea has successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, crossing a key threshold on the path to becoming a full-fledged nuclear power.

Read more:

North Koreas Kim Jong Un appears to ease rhetoric in standoff over nuclear weapons

Who is Kim Jong Un and what will he decide to do?

Chinas president urges Trump to use restraint over North Korea

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Manitoba posted the second biggest month-over-month decline in wholesale sales in the country in June, new Statistics Canada data shows.

The agency said Monday the provinces wholesalers shipped $1.6 billion worth of goods during the month. That was a decline of 5.9 per cent from Mays total of $1.7 billion, although it was still an 8.3 per cent improvement from a year earlier, when less than $1.5 billion worth of goods were sold.

Manitoba was one of six provinces to see their wholesale sales decline from May to June. Nova Scotia was the only one that saw a bigger drop than Manitoba, at 6.4 per cent.

Canada saw its sales decline by 0.5 per cent to $61.4 billion from $61.7 billion in May. However, its June total was also up 8.8 per cent from a year earlier.

Canadas month-over-month decline followed eight consecutive monthly increases, Statistics Canada added.

 Staff
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 08:44:47|Editor: Xiang Bo

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TOKYO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and two others have yet to be accounted for following a blaze which tore through a building in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan in the early hours of Tuesday morning, local firefighters and police said.

The fire broke out in an apartment building housing 25 residents in the city of Yokote at around 1 a.m. local time, they said.

Firefighters contacted 20 people following the blaze starting, of which 10 of the residents aged in their 40s and 60s were injured, they said.

Local firefighters and police found the bodies of two people at the site of the blaze and a man was pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital, local authorities said.

Such was the intensity of the blaze that the entire apartment building was gutted and essentially burnt to the ground and three nearby buildings were also burned down as a result of the fire.

The fires were brought under control by firefighters after about five hours after the apartment building, located about one km southeast of JR Yokote Station, went up in flames, firefighters said.
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Manitoba has no plans to try to legislate upgraded training in sexual-assault law for its provincial court judges, even as other jurisdictions bring in new rules governing judges education.

The provincial government wont follow its counterparts in Ontario, who introduced legislation that requires new judges to follow an updated education plan including additional training in sexual assault law, nor will it adapt a federal private members bill passed through the House of Commons that mandates sexual-assault law training for all federally appointed judges.

In response to a Free Press inquiry, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Heather Stefanson said in a statement the justice department is not contemplating any such legislation changes, noting it respects judges independence.

JUSTIN SAMANSKI-LANGILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said in the justice department is not contemplating legislating upgraded traning in sexual assault laws for judges.

Our government is committed to building safe communities and ensuring timely justice for all Manitobans. We are very concerned for the victims of sexual assault and believe their cases should be heard with timeliness and sensitivity. Our government is currently observing how this supplementary education is implemented in Ontario to determine best practices. We respect the independence of our judiciary in directing additional education requirements and we will continue to work closely with the chief judge to ensure that all victims are treated fairly and respectfully in our courts, the statement reads.

If it gets Senate approval and comes into effect as law, the federal bill  proposed by then-interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose  would mean changes to training for federally appointed judges. But there are concerns government interference in what judges learn is dangerous to Canadas long-held principle of judicial independence.

Justice Adele Kent, executive director of the National Judicial Institute (NJI)  which runs education programs for federally-appointed judges  says the idea of legislating what judges learn is a new phenomenon. Shes flagged parts of the federal legislation, including a provision to involve those who work with victims of sexual violence in developing training programs.

There is a worry there, and Ill just characterize it as a worry, that that is impacting judicial independence, she said. Judicial education needs to be led by the judges and the judges have to determine what the content of that education is.

The institute works to give judges the most impartial information possible, she said, and there is a risk if it is done by outside institutions that there may be a certain bias or a certain point of view in the education, that means it is not unbiased and fair.

Judges do receive training in how to spot and curb rape myths or stereotypes. They learn about sexual-assault trials in the NJIs new judge school and will often take in seminars on sexual-assault law, Kent said, noting the complex nature of sexual-assault trials.

There is a variety of times when judges get education on sexual-assault trials. Do they need more? I always like to say that its good for judges to have as much education as they can, recognizing they need education on a variety of topics, she said, noting any education for judges has to be approved by their respective chief justices.

None of Manitobas three chief judges were available for comment.

Provincial court judges in Manitoba receive at least 10 days of judicial education per year, and their education and training is planned by a Manitoba Provincial Court education committee.

The Provincial Court of Manitoba constantly reviews the need for judicial education on particular topics as part of a long-term approach to judicial education. Judicial education has many sources including formal and informal education and self directed learning. The provincial court holds two in-house education sessions per year on various topics. The next in-house education session will focus specifically on sexual-assault issues, including social context. The judges of the provincial court will hear from and discuss presentations from Judges, lawyers and community representatives, a court spokeswoman said in a statement.

In the wake of former CBC broadcaster Jian Ghomeshis high-profile sexual-assault trial and recent public outcry after a now-resigned Alberta judge asked a sexual-assault complainant why she couldnt keep her knees together, theres increasing transparency around judicial education, Kent said.

As she sees it, the NJI and the chief justices in Canada have two main responsibilities when it comes to judicial education.

One to the judges to make sure they get good education, that its in a safe place so they can explore all of these ideas. But we also have an obligation to the public to be as transparent as we can about the education judges do get, Kent says. Because at the end of the day, its the Canadians that judges are serving.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
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For two weeks during Folklorama, they collected more than 5,200 signatures from Canadians supporting the LGBTQ* asylum-seekers petition.

The eight men outside the pavilions who donned pink T-shirts that said Ghana Pavilion on the front and LGBTQ rights now! on the back were embraced by thousands of fans of multiculturalism but, closer to home, they raised some hackles.

Some members of the Ghanaian community involved in Folkloramas African pavilion told the refugee claimants from Ghana that using the annual Winnipeg event to circulate their petition was unfortunate.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS From left, Fuseini Umar, Saalu Usman, Ziyawu Mohammed, Sulemana Abdulai, and Baba Issaka are LGBTQ* refugee claimants from Ghana with signatures they collected outside Folklorama pavilions calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ghana.

Since most of you came to Winnipeg, we as a community have done the best we can to support you, a member of the executive of the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba said in a message to Ghana Pavilion organizer Sulemana Abdulai, who passed it along to the Free Press.

It is unfortunate that some of you decided to embark on this campaign without telling us and making us aware of your plans. I did not expect that you would undertake a campaign that will affect an event that we are organizing, the message said. There is nothing wrong with the campaign The Africa pavilion and for that matter Folklorama in general is not a political event. It is an event for us to showcase our culture, food, and drinks. There has been so many events happening in the city this summer and Im not sure why you picked Folklorama.

No one from the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba was available to comment Monday.

They dont feel what I am feeling, said Abdulai.

Expressing disappointment in the LGBTQ* petition is part of the there is nothing wrong in Ghana mentality from back home, he said. (It) is the reason our rights are held back and our voices silenced in Ghana and by certain members of the Ghanaian-Canadian community here in Manitoba.

The media attention the group received in Canada has amplified their voices back in Ghana  the country they say they fled because of persecution for their sexual orientation.

News of their petition urging Ghana to decriminalize homosexuality spread to online news sites in Ghana such as Yen.com.gh, where it has been viewed nearly 29,000 times. Virtually all of the 579 comments posted as of Monday afternoon were negative. Commenters said the gay and bisexual Ghanaian men in Canada are animals who should be ashamed, shut up, burn in hell or die. Some posted outright death threats.

I dont care, said Saalu Osman, who wants the world to know the discrimination he faced in Ghana. He is one of eight LGBTQ* refugee claimants in Winnipeg who walked across the border into Canada from the United States earlier this year.

Osman said he fled Ghana after he was stabbed leaving a nightclub with his boyfriend.

I have relatives whove called telling what theyre seeing on the internet and looking at it is so scary, Osman said. Now my face is known all over. But I do this intentionally for me and others like me who are facing torture and everything back home.

Abdulai said theyre preparing to send copies of the petition next week to the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, Winnipeg MP Robert Falcon-Ouellette and Ghanas high commissioner to Canada, Sulley Gariba, in Ottawa. The petition asks Canada to use its diplomatic clout in urging Ghana to respect the rights of its LGBTQ* people.

The men in pink took a calculated risk in going public, knowing they could be identified back in Ghana, Abdulai said.

If one of their refugee claims in Canada is rejected and theyre removed to Ghana, theyre doomed, he said. You are dead.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
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A 37-year-old Winnipeg woman serving a mandatory minimum sentence for drug smuggling will argue her prison term amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, as the federal government seeks public input on sentencing reforms.

Sandra Dignard, a single mother of four, has filed notice in the Manitoba Court of Appeal that she plans to appeal her two-year prison sentence as unconstitutional.

Dignard began serving her sentence July 26 at the Womens Correctional Centre in Headingley after Court of Queens Bench Justice Sheldon Lanchbery reluctantly imposed the two-year mandatory minimum prison term, even though, he said, In this particular case, justice is not being done.

The judge had previously agreed to delay Dignards sentencing by about two months to allow her to make child-care arrangements  two of her children have special needs  before she was taken into custody.

Now represented by defence lawyer Zilla Jones, Dignard plans to appeal on at least three grounds, according to the notice filed Aug. 18. She argues the two-year mandatory minimum prison sentence violates her Charter right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and notes the ineffective assistance of counsel.

She also argues the appeal court should allow her to raise a new ground of argument to prevent an injustice.

At Dignards sentencing hearing in May, Lanchbery, along with Crown and defence lawyers, agreed Dignard may have been spared jail time if not for federal laws that set mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes. She was convicted in November 2016 of drug trafficking within an institution for smuggling 100 morphine pills into Stony Mountain prison in December 2012, at the direction of her Hells Angels-prospect boyfriend, who was an inmate there.

Dignard had been on bail since then with no violations, and the Crown said she would have been a good candidate to serve her sentence on house arrest if the law allowed. She had no prior criminal record.

Lanchbery criticized mandatory minimum sentences, saying at Dignards sentencing hearing hes not a fan of them.

Theres no doubt in my mind that this is one (case) that no right-thinking person could imagine that what Im going to have to do today is fit and proper, and I dont see any way I can work around them, he said at the time.

As part of its promised criminal-justice reforms for the 72 crimes in Canada that carry mandatory minimum sentences, the federal government is asking Canadians for their feedback.

In an online survey that closes Thursday, Department of Justice Canada asks those who complete the survey their thoughts on a range of criminal sentencing processes, including whether Canada should give judges sentencing guidelines that include a range of accepted penalties for each offence, and whether independent sentencing commissions should be formed to make recommendations to court.

The feedback from the National Justice Survey, as its called, will be used as part of Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Rayboulds plan to make changes that are based on evidence, show compassion to victims of crime and will help to protect the public, according to the survey.

One of the questions included in the survey appears similar to Dignards case. It asks whether a 36-year-old mother named Sarah, who was caught selling prescription opioids, should have been given a mandatory jail sentence even though she faced putting her two children in foster care because she was the sole provider for the family.

Survey participants are asked to comment on the appropriateness of a mandatory jail sentence in that example and are asked whether they think the case should have been diverted out of the criminal court system.

Dignards four children are being looked after by relatives while shes serving her sentence, her sister previously told the Free Press. Dignards history of emotional, physical and sexual abuse may have made her more prone to being manipulated by intimate partners, a probation officer wrote in a report prepared for Dignards sentencing.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
President Donald Trump announced a major escalation of the US war in Afghanistan in a nationally televised speech Monday night, although he gave no details either about the number of additional troops that will be sent or the extent or duration of the military commitment. Trump also made menacing threats against Pakistan in remarks clearly crafted in close coordination with the top military generals who dominate his administration.

While Trump pleaded military necessity as the reason for not disclosing how many troops will be added to the 8,400 already deployed in Afghanistan, or how long they will remain there, his goal was not to keep these facts secret from the Talibanwho will know soon enough, since they have sympathizers throughout the Afghan government and in every district of the country.

Trump is mainly concerned about keeping the extent of the escalation secret from the American people, who, he admitted, 16 years after the 9/11 attacks and the US invasion of Afghanistan, were weary of war.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis, a former general in the Marine Corps, has been authorized since June to send up to 4,000 additional US troops to Afghanistan, but the action has been postponed while top officials conducted what was described as a comprehensive review of American strategy in South Asia.

The troops are expected to move quickly into position now, so that they can participate in an ongoing series of bloody battles across Afghanistan, seeking to blunt the traditional summer offensive by Taliban insurgents.

In the past month, five district capitals have fallen to the insurgents, who now control 48 of the 407 districts. The government-controlled districts number barely 100, less than one quarter of the total, while the remainder are contested, in some cases government-run by day and Taliban-run by night.

Aside from a brief reference to the 9/11 attacks, which were the pretext for the initial US invasion and overthrow of the Taliban regime in Kabul, Trump made no attempt to provide an explanation, let alone a justification, for the longest war in US history.

In fact, the sheer length of the war and the thousands of casualties suffered by US forces were one of Trumps arguments for continuing and expanding the conflict. The first conclusion of the administrations review of the war was the necessity of an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. Death justifies more death.

The number of dead and maimed among the Afghan population is many hundreds of thousands, together with millions of refugees. This colossal toll will rise rapidly as the scale and ferocity of US military operations increase.

The war in Afghanistan will take on an even bloodier character under the new policies announced by Trump. Micromanagement from Washington, DC does not win battles, he declared, announcing that he is lifting all restraints on military operations, giving on-the-ground commanders the green light to use force as they see fit. This means rescinding restrictions established under the Bush and Obama administrations after well-documented atrocities, such as the bombing of Afghan wedding parties and helicopter gunship attacks that wiped out hospitals and entire villages.

Even more reckless and inflammatory is the US shift in policy towards Pakistan, which Trump denounced for continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists. He complained, We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars, at the same time they are housing the same terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change. And that will change immediately.

Trump is not speaking merely about the continuation of the illegal US drone missile strikes against Taliban and other Afghan militias hiding out in Pashtun tribal areas of western Pakistan. He is threatening an openly hostile stance by the United States toward to a nuclear-armed country with a population of 190 million people, beginning with a possible cutoff of US financial and military aid.

The US president menaced Pakistan with the specter of Washington further developing its strategic partnership with India, which he called a key security and economic partner of the United States. Washington has cultivated military-diplomatic ties with India over the past two decades, seeking to transform India into a front-line state in the US strategy of surrounding and isolating China. Trumps speech was a warning to Pakistan that the US is prepared to openly side with India against Pakistan in the longstanding conflict between the two nuclear powers in South Asia.

Trump also touched briefly on the material interests that underlie the US intervention in Afghanistan, saying, As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.

Behind this vague language is naked imperialist plundering. Trump has recently cited studies showing that Afghanistan possesses at least $3 trillion in natural resources, more than four times the estimated $714 billion in US military spending and reconstruction in the country since 2001. As CNBC reported Saturday, Trump is seeking a military win in Afghanistan, but American efforts there may yet reap financial gains. Afghanistan possesses rare minerals crucial for industrial manufacturing, including copper, gold, uranium and fossil fuels 

Trumps announcement of a more aggressive stance in Afghanistan is the first major policy decision by the White House since Trump began a reshuffle of senior White House staff, replacing Chief of Staff Reince Priebus with former Marine General John Kelly, and sacking his chief political strategist Stephen Bannon.

In discussions within the administration going back at least to the spring, Bannon had opposed sending more troops to Afghanistan, clashing with both Defense Secretary Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, a serving Army general. He has opposed most US military actions in the Middle East as a diversion from the US-China conflict, declaring in an interview last week, the economic war with China is everything.

The top generals in the Trump administration were also furious over Bannons statement last week that there were no viable military options for the US in North Korea. Following Bannons departure, the New York Times carried a front-page article Monday reporting that discussions over preemptive war against North Korea are rising in the White House. The newspaper reported that General McMaster and other administration officials have challenged the long-held view that there is no real military solution to the North Korean problem, and that the administration is seriously considering a first-strike on North Korea, an action that would lead to the deaths of tens of millions of people.

Trumps speech Monday night, announced only 24 hours in advance, was clearly an effort to cement his relations with the Pentagon brass in the wake of the Bannon firing and the political crisis that erupted after Trumps declaration of sympathy for the neo-Nazis who rioted August 11 in Charlottesville, Virginia, leading to death of one anti-Nazi protester.

The speech began with a lengthy declaration by Trump that there was no place for bigotry or racism within the military. The language was taken straight from the declarations of members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who all issued statements after Charlottesville deploring racists and white supremacists and presenting the military as a model of unity across race and gender lines.

Trumps speechwriter combined the disavowal of racial hatred with a paean to the armed services as the model for American society as a whole, using language that would not be out of place in a military dictatorship. In the men and women of the military, Trump said, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage and resolve is unmatched in human history.

Throughout the Trump administration, and in the aftermath of the events in Charlottesville, the Democrats have attempted to subordinate and redirect all opposition to Trump behind the military and intelligence agencies, hailing figures like Kelly and Mattis for providing stability to the administration. The announcement of a new stage in the bloody war in Afghanistan is the fruit of their efforts.
The tragic suicides of young doctors have highlighted the reality facing health professionals and other hospital workers. They are suffering from acute levels of physiological and psychological stress due to the dangerous conditions and excessive workloads produced by decades of cost-cutting measures by Australian state and federal governments.

In the state of New South Wales (NSW), three young physicians took their lives in the early months of this year. The most publicised case was 29-year-old podiatrist Chloe Abbott, a fourth-year doctor-in-training at St Vincents Hospital in Sydney, who took her life in January. Speaking at a state government-sponsored conference on junior doctors mental health in June, Micaela Abbott said her sister was eaten alive by the medical profession.

Its absolutely devastating that this conversation was only generated after the loss of my sister, but we need to get these important changes in place, Abbott said. Chloes death cant be a waste, she said, referring to calls by her family to address the excessive hours junior doctors are forced to work, among other things.

Earlier, four junior doctors committed suicide in the state of Victoria at the beginning of 2015. A general medical intern working at Geelong Hospital died a week into his internship, while three psychiatric trainees working at St Vincents, the Austin and Frankston hospitals, died within weeks of each other.

In NSW, Health Minister Brad Hazzard admitted in March that coronial reports indicated that at least 20 doctors committed suicide in his state from 2007 to 2016, including two senior doctors and a medical student within the previous 20 months.

This terrible toll extends beyond doctors. In a study released last September, researchers from Deakin and Melbourne universities reported that women working in health professions have a rate of suicide more than twice that of women in other occupations. Suicide among female midwives and nurses was almost quadruple the average rate. Male nurses and midwives were almost twice as likely to commit suicide than men in other occupations.

In another report, published in 2015, the Victorian Coroners Prevention Unit found that suicide among paramedics was 35.6 per 100,000 peoplealmost four times higher than the average for all other jobs in Victoria.

Ostensible concern of governments for the well-being of health professionals is belied by funding cuts that have stretched public hospitals to breaking point. Waiting and treatment times in public hospital emergency departments have reached dangerous levels, due to federal health cuts under both Labor and Liberal-National governments since 2007.

As well as meeting the demands of the corporate elite for ever-deeper social spending cuts, the public hospital cutbacks are intended to coerce more people into paying for their own care, via private health insurance, driving up the profits of private hospital and health care companies.

The National Health Reform Agreement implemented by the former Labor government removed block funding for public hospitals and imposed casemix funding, based on each activity performed and nationally-set efficiency prices.

Casemix seeks to continually drive down the funding for each medical procedure. In effect, it financially penalises public hospitals, especially those treating working class, aged and psychiatric patients with complex problems and places pressure on health workers to push patients through hospitals in less time.

Same-day hospitalisations as a proportion of total hospitalisations almost doubled from 34 percent in 1994 to 59 percent in 2014, accompanied by a substantial drop in acute public bed- to-population ratios. Major public hospitals are often at overcapacity, resulting in bed blocking by emergency departments that can strand patients in ambulances.

The end result is that in 2017 more than half the registrars, interns and consultants in the public hospital system are working 78 hours a week, according to an Australian Medical Association (AMA) audit. The average number of hours a physician works in a shift is 18; intensive care physicians and surgeons have been recorded working unbroken shifts of between 53 and 76 hours.

Dr Tessa Kennedy from the AMA NSW Doctors in Training Committee told the junior doctors mental health conference in June: Personally, Ive worked back-to-back 16 hour shifts, 90-hour weeks and then gone home to study. Ive felt unable to call in sick because there is no one to cover me.

Ive regularly stayed hours late to complete all tasks required for my patients, only to be told I cant claim any overtime. Ive caught myself falling asleep driving home from night shift at a rotation 90 kilometres from home  As the doctors in the room will tell you, theres nothing remarkable about these stories.

Such conditions help explain why one in five medical students and one in ten doctors have suicidal thoughts. And why four in ten medical students and one in four doctors suffer some form of depression or anxiety. These figures are drawn from a survey conducted on 14,000 doctors and medical students in 2013 by the beyondblue mental health advocacy group.

Doctors in training reported high rates of burnout measured across three domains covering emotional exhaustion (47.5 percent), low professional efficacy (17.6 percent) and high cynicism (45.8 percent). These were caused by excessive workloads (25.0 percent), responsibility at work (20.8 percent) and long work hours (19.5 percent).

This is an international trend. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) last December published similar results from a meta-analysis of approximately 180 studies conducted in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, South Korea, Sweden, the UK, the US and 33 other countries over the past three decades.

The study found the prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms among the 129,000 medical students surveyed averaged 27.7 percent. One in 10 reported suicidal thoughts. The study also drew on other research that found a high prevalence of depression (28.8 percent) among resident physicians, indicating that physicians at all levels of medical training were affected.

Health academics and the media generally seek to blame a damaging culture in the medical profession. Ute Vollmer-Conna, Associate Professor in Psychiatry at the University of NSW wrote in the Conversation last December: Medical training continues to reinforce the idea that the profession is demanding and that doctors should be invincible and immune from the effects of stress.

Programs, such as the Basic Physician Trainee OK pilot program at Sydneys Royal Prince Alfred, have been initiated to destigmatise the notion of seeking help among medical professionals and introduce collective debriefing techniques to learn how to manage trauma and recognise signs of stress and burnout. These programs, however, do not alter the fundamental problem.

The toxic environment has not emerged out of the character traits of highly-trained health workers or a supposedly intrinsic culture of medicine. The culture often consists of unhealthy coping mechanisms by doctors and other health workers trying to deal with depleted staff and strained resources.
Amid deepening political crises in Venezuela and Washington, US Vice President Michael Pence traveled to South America last week to make clear that the Trump administration is not ruling out the use of military force in the region. His public statements were directed at a reassertion of the Monroe Doctrine in defense of US hegemony in the hemisphere and worldwide against social opposition and the growing influence of extra-continental powers, chiefly China and Russia.

He made his first stop in Colombia on August 13, just two days after Trump threatened to resort to a military option against the Maduro government in neighboring Venezuela. In response to the nearly unanimous opposition to a military intervention among Latin American leaders, Pence mentioned that a peaceable solution is preferred. Im here to build an unprecedented alliance to isolate Venezuela, he stated but insisted that all options are on the table.

The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) government has responded to US threats and sanctions by concentrating powers in its new constituent assembly. Last Friday, this PSUV-controlled body officially sidelined the US-backed opposition by granting itself full legislative powers.

Even more than a US intervention, the PSUVs top concern is the prospect of social upheavals and an independent movement of the working class. In response, the constituent assembly has formed a truth commission to investigate and prosecute all opposition under the vague target of expressions of hate and intolerance.

Pences declarations in South America constitute a grave warning. Just as US threats of nuclear annihilation against the North Korean people have demonstrated that Washington will not be constrained by previous norms in pursuit of its interests, it will not be dissuaded by opposition among Latin American governments to a military option if it sees no other way to install a regime fully submissive to the US and hostile to Chinese and Russian capital.

Last Thursday, Pence visited Panama, which broke diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of China earlier this year. Pence compared Trumps vision, energy, and can-do spirit to those of Theodore Roosevelt, pledging to rekindle the vision of our forebears across the hemisphere.

Pences message is that the US ruling class aims include not only challenging the growing trade and investments of its major rivals in Latin America, but also tightening Washingtons stranglehold and intensifying the US exploitation of the regions workforce and resources.

During the dawn of the 20th century and of US imperialism, Roosevelt insisted that to secure its place as a global power, the US had to actively reaffirm the Monroe Doctrine by sweeping away any European control over Latin America and quelling all political and social opposition to the semi-colonial exploitation of the region by US capital. From 1901 to 1909, the Roosevelt administration oversaw Marine interventions in Panama, around the building of the Canal, as well as in Cuba, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, inaugurating a century of bloody US imperialist repression.

In announcing his trip to South America at the Wilson Center on June 22, Pence placed it within the framework of US efforts to tighten its military and economic grip over Latin America as part of an expansion of the Obama-era Alliance for Prosperity of the Northern Triangle. As we see widening asymmetrical threats developing around the world, we would do well to see to Central and South America, he stated.

Pence outlined the deliberate steps the US will pursue as part of this pivot to Latin America. Speaking in Panama, he said the Trump administration hopes to unleash the true potential of US-Latin America economic relations, indicating that already, countries across this hemisphere are enacting bold reforms to unshackle their economies.

This theme was expressed more fully during the US vice presidents visit to Argentina on Tuesday. Pence applauded right-wing president Mauricio Macris bold reform agenda of cutting social spending, violently attacking jobs, and feeding the most rapacious financial parasitism with high-interest bonds as an inspiration across the wider world.

Macris next big step is to push through a labor reform like that of Brazil, which attacks basic rights like collective agreements and even the 8-hour day. The influential US think tank Stratfor approvingly reported in an article last week that, the Brazilian law, in the short term, will force Mercosur members [Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay] to try to implement similar proposals

In return for enforcing this race-to-the-bottom against workers social conditions across the region, Pence promised that America first does not mean America alone. Using this phrase selectivelyso far, only when visiting US allies in Eastern Europe last month and in Latin Americahe is calling on its partners to join the US campaign against its economic and military rivals.

On Wednesday in Chile, a day after Donald Trump expressed his support for the fine people among the white supremacist and Nazi demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, Pence was asked whether he agreed with Trumps comments. After a few uncomfortable seconds in silence and some insincere remarks about the tragedy, he stated: I stand with the President, and I stand by those words.

During its seven months in office, the Trump administration has greatly escalated the offensive against the democratic and social rights of workers across the continent and internationally, and has been facing growing social opposition everywhere. Pences unapologetic support for Trump in Chile and the lack of any criticism from regional leaders to Trumps efforts to cultivate a fascist movement in the US demonstrate that plans are already underway to violently suppress workers who stand up for their social interests across the Americas.

Behind this protracted offensive, the US financial and corporate aristocracy demands further attacks against wages and jobs, social cuts to health care and education, mass roundups of immigrants and the militarization of borders and cities all over the region. Moreover, the foreign policy and military establishment as a whole are encouraging a more assertive turn to Latin America.

The director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Moises Rendon, applauded Pences trip to South America in an article Thursday. He suggested that, in order to militarily intervene in Venezuela, Washington should employ the same pretext used for the murderous regime-change operations in Iraq, Syria and Libya: the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, referring to Venezuelas supposed willingness to engage in arms trade and nuclear cooperation with countries that do not align with US interests.

As in the Middle East, such a war in Venezuela would exponentially deepen the social devastation and immigration crisis within the country and across the entire region. Nonetheless, the CSIS insists that Pence and the administration keep their eyes on the prize: [T]he broader strategic threat to US interests from an anti-American Venezuela with the worlds largest proven oil reserves (25 percent of global reserves) cannot be ignored.

Trumps appointment as his chief of staff of former Marine general John Kelly, Obamas head of the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees military operations in Central and South America, demonstrates that the White House agenda of domestic social reaction and militarization will be closely integrated with similar policies throughout the hemisphere.

Trumps former director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Craig Deare, who was fired reportedly due to conflicts with Stephen Bannon, argues in his recent book Charting a Course that hemispheric policy should aim towards this integration. He quotes former SOUTHCOM and NATO commander, Admiral James Stavridis, to explain what this means: merge SOUTHCOM and NORTHCOM into a single Americas Command. The artificial division of Mexico from SOUTHCOM hurts our unified purpose throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 09:05:33|Editor: Xiang Bo

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TOKYO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three people were rescued but three remain missing after a barge sank in the early hours of Tuesday morning off Hirado in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture, local media quoted the Japan Coast Guard as saying.

According to the coast guard, the boat, which weighed 100 tons and was carrying a crew of six, sank at around 3:40 a.m. local time after sending a distress signal.

The coast guard said the three rescued crew members are all fully conscious, and the search for the three missing crew members is continuing.
The US Embassy in Moscow announced Monday that it will curtail the issuance of nonimmigrant visas in response to the Russian governments decision to expel hundreds of US diplomats and contractors late last month. The Russian move came after the US Congress, by an overwhelming majority, passed a new sanctions bill targeting the country.

A statement published on the embassy website of the US Mission to Russia announced that the curtailment of staff will result in the suspension of nonimmigrant visa operations from August 23 until September 1.

Nonimmigrant visa interviews are set to resume in September at the US Embassy in Moscow. However, these services will be suspended indefinitely at US consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok.

Thousands of Russian citizens are expected to be impacted by the curtailment of the visa approval process. The US Embassy and its consulates issued 190,000 visas in 2016. Tourists, students and other travelers from outside Moscow who wish to visit the US will have to make the long trip to the capital for their visa interview.

The changes will also impact those applying for immigration visas, potentially delaying long scheduled interviews, extending the amount of time between the application and approval or denial by US authorities.

You now have an entire nations work coming through one office with far fewer staff, Matthew Morely, an American immigration attorney in Moscow, told Reuters. This scenario would be like all of America suddenly only having one office in Los Angeles to process (visa applications from) New York, Chicago, DC, Boston and Miami.

At a press conference in Moscow Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denounced the visa restrictions as an effort to foment opposition in order to overthrow the government of President Vladimir Putin.

The American authors of these decisions have come up with another attempt to stir up discontent among Russian citizens about the actions of the Russian authorities, Lavrov said. Their logic is well knownthe logic of those who organize color revolutionsand it is the inertia of the Obama administration, pure and simple, he concluded.

The latest diplomatic maneuver by the US sets the stage for a response from the Russian government that can be framed as unjustifiably aggressive and used as justification for a further escalation of tensions between the worlds two largest nuclear-armed powers.

Russian Senator Igor Morozov, a member of the Federation Councils International Affairs Committee, had warned at the end of July that a move by the US to limit visa approvals would be met by reciprocal measures impacting US citizens seeking approval to travel to Russia.

However, on Monday Lavrov seemed to rule out the possibility of a response that would involve limiting the visa process. As for our countermeasures, as Ive said, we should take a closer look at the decisions that the Americans have announced today, he told reporters. Well see. I can only say one thing: We wont take it out on American citizens.

US President Donald Trump begrudgingly signed the sanctions legislation, which also targets Iran and North Korea, into law earlier this month. Trump objected in two signing statements to the fact that the bill limited the administrations ability to negotiate any changes to the sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration in December 2016 over Moscows alleged interference in the US election.

While Moscow repeatedly denied any intervention in the election, Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the United States and closed two diplomatic compounds. This has been connected to the anti-Russia campaign that has been used to pressure Trump and ensure that tensions between the two countries remain high.

The anti-Russia campaign has been the all-consuming focus of the Democratic Party as it has sought to maintain the aggressive footing the Obama administration maintained towards Russia. Trump had made clear in his campaign and as president that he hoped to develop better relations with Putin, in order to focus attention on preparing for war with China.

To the sections of the American ruling class with which the Democrats are aligned, Russia is seen as the main barrier to US hegemony over the Eurasian land mass and the Middle East, particularly Syria, where Russian military intervention has frustrated American efforts to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad.

Significantly, the sanctions that Trump signed into law impact not only Russia, but also the European Union, straining diplomatic ties between the US and its ostensible allies. French, British, Dutch, Austrian and German firms all could face financial penalties for their involvement in the Nordstream2 pipeline, which transmits Russian natural gas to Germany. EU officials have warned that they are preparing countermeasures if the sanctions impact their economies.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula remain high, as U.S. and South Korea began its latest series of war games on Monday, but right now the outbreak of war is looking less likely. Kim Jong Uns regime in North Korea announced that it has opted for a wait-and-see approach with Guam, after U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned that any missile attack directed toward a U.S. territory could escalate into war very quickly. Thats 21st century diplomacy in action. Heres a quick look at some of the ways the current U.S.-North Korea detente can go sideways:

1. The wild card in the White House

For the last 60+ years, the unpredictable element in the U.S.-North Korea standoff has always hailed from Pyongyang. But Donald Trump is a different kind of president. He has at times demonstrated an astonishing thin skinand given that the only thing impoverished North Korea has in spades is bellicose rhetoric, thats a problem.

More worryingly though is the fact that if ever there was a seeming slam dunk foreign policy win for Trump, its North Korea. 62 percent of Americans believe Kim Jong-un poses a serious threat to the U.S. (up from 48 percent in March); 50 percent favor military action against North Korea if they continue testing missiles that can reach the U.S. For a man who remains conspicuously short of signature victories more than 200 days into his administration (and has a penchant for lurching from one PR disaster to another), taking a strong stand against North Korea might become more appealing day by day. And we havent even gotten to the Mueller investigation yet, which will most probably have Trump desperate to change the narrative any way he can.

2. North Koreas got something to prove

Conventional analysis of Kim Jong-un often begins and ends with the premise that hes crazy. That may very well be, but hes shown himself to be a pragmatist when it comes to foreign policy. Kim saw what happened to Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi, strongmen who bluffed a big nuclear game. He has no intention of following suit.

Story continues

Menacing Guam was never going to give Kim the appearance of strength he desperately needs to stay in power though. Guam is heavily fortified; 6,000 U.S. troops are stationed there, as are THAAD missile defense systems and Aegis destroyers. Its possible those defense systems are capable of shooting down missiles directed towards Guaminstantly transforming Kims threat from bold gambit to laughable miscalculation.

Then theres the fact that China, North Koreas longtime benefactor and main lifeline to the outside world, seems particularly unnerved by North Koreas recent actions and fears it could destabilize the global status quo. It joined the UN Security Councils latest round of sanctions against Pyongyang, and early reports suggest its actually following through this time. As a reminder, China accounts for more than 90 percent of North Koreas trade volume in addition to providing the bulk of its food and energy. North Korea feeling threatened by the U.S. is one thing; North Korea feeling threatened by China is a completely new ball game, and one that makes Kim more likely to lash out.

3. China under pressure

Not that China had much choice but to turn the screws on North Korea. Trump has been floating the possibility of a trade war with China for months now, but it was only this week that Trump took any concrete steps by announcing the launch of a broad investigation into Chinas alleged theft of American intellectual property. Had China not signed on to those Security Council sanctions, Trump would have probably taken an even harder line.

Ideally, China would like a stable world to continue its ascent to world power status. Given that, China has no good options when it comes to dealing with North Korea. It doesnt want to get into a showdown with the U.S., so doing nothing is not a viable long-term option from here on in. But it cant just cut North Korea offtheres no telling what trouble Pyongyang will cause if it suddenly finds itself unmoored. In all likelihood, Beijings dream of a stable global environment while it focuses on building up economic initiatives like its ambitious One Belt One Road project suddenly vanish. At the same time, it cant push the Kim regime too far lest it collapse, flooding China with desperate North Korean refugees and producing two of Chinas worst nightmares: loose nukes and a US military using North Koreas collapse as a pretext for ramping up its activity in Asia.

So China remains faced with a number of bad options. But it wont stay that way forever. Chinas leadership has shown itself adept to dealing with geopolitical challenges as they come; there will come a time when one North Korea option will clearly show itself to be worse than the others, and Beijing will act. Its just not clear who that will benefit.

4. South Korea trapped in the middle

Pyongyang already poses an existential threat to South Korea. North Korea has anywhere between 2,500 and 5,000 tons of chemical weapons at its disposal already, and a barrage of artillery (as many as 21,000 pieces) continuously pointed at Seoul; some analysts estimate that amount of firepower could decimate Seoul (population: 10 million) in as little as two hours.

What is new for South Korea is its president, Moon Jae-in. Moon was elected in a special election this past May after his predecessor, the conservative Park Geun-hye, was impeached. During the last two conservative presidential administrations (Park and Lee Myung-bak), South Korea had followed Americas lead and taken a hardline against Pyongyang, believing that isolating North Korea could weaken it. Having seen the wonders that plan has worked, Moon has opted to revive South Koreas sunshine policy from the late 1990s/early 2000s of constructive engagement with North Korea, which includes reestablishing lines of communication with Pyongyang (a proposal 77 percent of South Koreans support) and floating the possibility of economic cooperation with the Hermit Kingdom.

But improving relations with North Korea is far from simple. South Korea also has to balance its relationships with China and the U.S. China is a critical economic partner for South Korea; China accounts for almost a quarter of all South Koreas trade, and it is the single largest importer of South Korean exports. At the same time, South Korea has relied on American military protection since the 1950s, and given the part of the world its situated in, its smart to have the worlds foremost military power in your corner. In fact, under U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park, the two countries agreed that the U.S. would install its THAAD anti-missile system in the countrya move China hates for fear that undercuts its own military leverage in Asia and that the technology could possibly be used to spy on their own military maneuvering. China has already responded with sanctions against select South Korean firms doing business in China and threatened more if THAADs deployment continueswhich Moon has said it will. And all this without South Korea doing much of anything beyond remaining North Koreas easiest target.

5. A problem that defies solutions

To recap: the U.S. demands North Korea stop developing nuclear weapons and missiles Pyongyang keeps threatening to use on the U.S. North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons and missiles to ensure its survival against an enemy its so terrified of it keeps threatening to nuke it. China would like things to remain relatively calm and unchanged, and South Korea just want to be left alone (Japan too). If that wasnt bad enough, consider the principal actors involved: Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un, Chinese president Xi Jinping (whos heading into a political transition this fall, and though hes widely expected to continue on as president, the majority of Chinas other decisionmakers are expected to be swapped out under Communist Party rules), and a South Korean president who hasnt been in the job for even six months yet.

North Korea may be the single most difficult geopolitical challenge the world faces. Plenty of big time powers want opposing things, and all of them fear taking decisive action will leave them worse-off in the long run. Yet the longer no one does anything, the longer the problem festers, and at a certain point someone desperate will act, forcing everybodys hand. Theres always a chance that cooler heads prevail and traditional diplomacy will work, but the world just hasnt had that type of luck lately.
Top three finalist Dalton Rapattoni stood out on the final season of American Idol  or what was supposed to be the final season of American Idol, at the time  not only for his passionate performances and quirky, theatrical style, but for his outspokenness about living with bipolar disorder since age 9. He was a rare positive example of bipolar disorder in the media  and Rapattoni, now 21, says negative stereotyping of mental illness in the media, in general, needs to change.

Its nice to have people talk about it, because theres not a lot of media figures that have bipolar disorder that are really good influences, he tells Yahoo. Any time people see someone with bipolar disorder on television, its always on Law and Order where a person with bipolar disorder murdered 14 people  and it just makes people afraid of people with any sort of mental illness. And thats real bad. Dont do that anymore, please. But its good to talk about it, just because its nice to not only give people with some sort of mental illness someone to look at, but also to show people who dont have mental illness that were not all psycho murderers. Which is cool.

Rapattoni continues, I 100 percent blame television [for creating this stigma]. Theres a lot of people in TV that are trying their best to make mental illness a more commonly accepted thing, but for years the only people who had mental illness are plot points. This person has dissociative identity disorder  like, Split was horrible. Things like that just use mental illness as an excuse to make a serial killer. And that is so horrible for public perception, because when someone who has seen Split or another horror film that uses that as a plot point, and then they meet someone with dissociative identity disorder, of course theyre going to be afraid. Thats their only frame of reference. So, yeah, with the public stigma being around, I blame television, because its so easy as a plot point to use. Like, How do we make this guy crazy? Oh, give him a mental illness, its fine. We dont have to write an interesting backstory. Just say that hes nuts.

Story continues

Rapattoni is about to release his solo album Nobodys Home (the deliberately grammatically vague title was inspired by an Emily Dickinson poem), on which he worked with Blue Octobers Justin Furstenfeld and Matt Noveskey; Rapattoni cites Furstenfeld, who has always been candid about his own mental health struggles, as a key influence. (Proudly wearing a cheeky Pink Freud T-shirt during his Yahoo visit, Rapattoni also expresses admiration for Pink Floyds troubled Syd Barrett.) He does note that many mainstream artists  like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Kesha, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Mary Lambert, and Sia, with whom he shared a poignant moment on Idol  have come forward recently to talk about their own mental health battles, and says hes glad progress is finally being made.

Its kind of always been something thats pushed by the wayside, because its a problem that is not visible to anyone who doesnt experience it; therefore its kind of out of sight, out of mind, Rapattoni says. Its nice that artists are getting loud about it, because its not like with Chester Bennington.  Its something that cant be ignored.

Reflecting on his bonding experience with Sia, he says, I didnt know that Sia had bipolar until the day we met, and then a lot of stuff kind of started to make sense. I always say that theres ups and downs [with bipolar], but then theres mountains and valleys, and you occasionally hit one of those really hard ones  and those are when it makes it easier to write songs. Thats when you find a moment of manic clarity. And you can kind of see that in her songs.

Meeting her was really cool, because its nice to see that this wont end you. You dont have to sit at home on your couch for the rest of your life, feeling sorry for yourself. You can be not only a productive member of society, but you can be a genuinely great human being that contributes a lot. Thats really nice to see.

Rapattoni admits he initially didnt think he would go far on Idol because of his condition, but decided it was best not to hide who he truly is. I was really nervous to talk about it at first, because I had assumed that like, crap, people are going to find out that Im bipolar, and then theyre going to be like, Oh, this kids weird. We dont want to vote for him anymore. But then I started to get messages from families and moms and dads with kids with bipolar disorder, and I read them and they were very nice. They said that it helped a lot. I remember thinking  I was sitting in my hotel room and I was like, Even if I dont win, even if this is the thing that sinks me and sends me home, its probably worth it.

Nobodys Home comes out Sept. 22. Check out two acoustic performances from the album above.

Follow Lyndsey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Amazon, Tumblr, Spotify
WASHINGTON  On Tuesday, a group connected to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took out ads against a Senate candidate running with the backing of President Trump. The ads called the candidate, Arizona State Senator Kelli Ward, crazy.

Thats a big deal.

It is the closest the Republican establishment has come to implying that the movement inspired by Trump is out of touch with reality, going much farther than disagreeing with Trump over a policy issue or disavowing a specific comment by the president.

The web ad, created by McConnells super-PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, attacks Ward for her dalliances with conspiracy theories and for insensitive remarks regarding Sen. John McCains cancer diagnosis.

Ward is mounting a primary campaign against incumbent Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who has been one of Trumps most outspoken critics within the party and recently published a book denouncing the president as not a true conservative.

The McConnell web ad makes the same charge against Ward, that shes not conservative  but also accuses her of harboring crazy ideas.

It calls her Chemtrail Kelli, a reference to a town hall meeting she held in 2015 to discuss the conspiracy theory that the trails of white condensation that form behind airplane engines are actually dangerous chemicals being dispersed by the government. This is an idea that has been promoted by some on the far-right fringe, including radio host Alex Jones, a Trump ally. Ward later said she did not believe in the theory but wanted to give her constituents a forum in which to discuss it.

A screen capture from Senate Leadership Funds attack ad ChemtrailKelli AZ. (Source: YouTube)

Trump himself has regularly promoted conspiracy theories. He heavily promoted the notion that former President Obama was born in Africa, he has expressed support for the possibility that vaccinations cause autism and has routinely asserted things as a candidate and as president that are rooted in conspiratorial thinking.

Crazy is also a word that many Republicans use in private to describe the president himself.

Story continues

The McConnell web ad also highlighted Wards comments in July after McCain, an Arizona Republican, was diagnosed with brain cancer. She said that McCain should retire from the Senate as quickly as possible and expressed hope that Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey would appoint her to his seat.

Tim Miller, a former spokesman for Jeb Bushs presidential campaign, said Ward is running a campaign devoid of basic human decency, in addition to promulgating some wild conspiracy theories. So it is incumbent on conservative Republicans to hold her to account for that even if a lot of those criticisms apply to the president as well.

And it was no accident that McConnells super-PAC released the ad the day that Trump traveled to Arizona for a campaign-style rally Tuesday evening, where it was expected that he would attack Flake again. It was a shot across the bow of the president that any attacks on Flake would not go unanswered.

Another screen capture from Senate Leadership Funds attack ad ChemtrailKelli AZ. (Source: YouTube)

Trump last week said on Twitter that it was great to see that Ward was running against Flake, whom the president bashed as weak on borders, crime and a nonfactor in the Senate.

McConnell responded soon after Trumps comment with a tweet of his own, calling Flake an excellent senator and a tireless advocate for Arizona and our nation and affirming that Flake had his full support. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., the head of the Senate Republican campaign arm, also came to Flakes defense.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that McConnell and Trump have not spoken in weeks and that the president berated the Senate majority leader in a profane and heated phone call after the collapse of the Senates attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare.

McConnell publicly placed some of the blame for the failed effort on Trump.

Part of the reason, I think, that the story line is that we havent done much is because, in part, the president and others have set these early timelines about things need to be done by a certain point, McConnell said. Our new president, of course, has not been in this line of work before. And I think he had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Three drag queens are being praised for fighting off a group of homophobic men who are accused of attacking a man in Sydney, Australia, earlier this month.

An Australian man is crediting a trio of drag queen angels for rescuing him from a homophobic assault that he said ended when his high-heel-wearing heroines rushed in like Destinys Child with arms swinging.

Ivan Flinn, 34, had just left friends for the night on along Oxford Street in Sydney earlier this month when a group of men hurling homophobic slurs violently turned on him, leaving him with a dislocated jaw, he told HuffPost.

Flinn said the blows came after he spoke out against the mens language, which was being used in an area of Sydney thats touted as the heart of gay and lesbian culture.

I am a bit religious and I really thought I was going to die,Flinn recalled to news.com.au of being struck. I was praying for a hero and I got three angels.

Those angels, he said, were drag queens named Coco Jumbo, Ivy Leaguee and Vybe, who said they jumped in after seeing Flinn get hit.

A post shared by Ivy_leaguee (@ivy_leaguee)on Jan 24, 2016 at 11:56pm PST

Those boys sh*t themselves, Luke Karakia, who performs as Ivy Leaguee, told News.com.au of the dramatic scene. They werent ready for some drag queens on top of them.

Flinn said he was initially left stunned after receiving the painful blow to his face. Once he came around, he saw his rescuers fiercely duking it out with his attackers in the middle of the street.

Like Destinys Child they strutted in and saved me. Punches were flying. Hair was flicking. Nails were breaking,Flinn wrote on a GoFundMe pagehe created for his heroines. I was stunned on footpath, thankful drag queens exist.

A post shared by COCO JUMBO!! (@_cocojumbo)on May 24, 2017 at 8:44pm PDT

Luke Waqa, who performs as Coco Jumbo, also recalled the melee to news.com.au.

A guy pushed Ivy so I picked him up and threw him into the gutter, Waqa said. I dont think they knew what they were getting themselves into. I used to play rugby league. Plus I have an older brother.

There comes a time when you fight back and you dont care if youll get hurt or what happens to your wig, added Karakia.

Story continues

Policeconfirmed to Daily Mail Australiathat they were investigating a related incident and said they take homophobic attacks very seriously.

Flinn said he felt so indebted to his modern gay heroes that he created an online fundraiser to raise money to replace their damaged clothes, hair and nails. As of Monday, his fundraiser has collected more than $6,800.

I hope to replace my heros hair, ruined because of her good heart. To replace her nails, broken because of her courage. To get her new heels because she stood up for what is right, his page reads. She risked herself for me. I couldve been [anyone.] Its the only thing I can think of to properly thank her.

Flinn, reached by HuffPost on Sunday, said that as far as his own injuries, physically, I am fine now.

I couldnt really eat for five days and was on painkillers, he said by email. Mentally and emotionally, Im still on the mend but very happy to know I am blessed with such a supportive and protective community.

Ivy Leagueereached out to thank Flinnfor his generosity on his Facebook wall, writing: Im just happy youre ok (apart from your jaw) and that you will dance the night away yet again in the safety of one of our fabulous gay venues!

Flinn told HuffPost that police have not pressed any charges but that the case remains under investigation.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Sydney (AFP) - One of Australia's top Catholics has warned the church's thousands of employees it will only tolerate traditional views on marriage, as the country prepares for a vote on whether gay couples can wed.

After years of fierce political debate, Australia will hold a non-binding, nation-wide postal vote on marriage equality next month, with the issue proving politically strenuous for the Malcolm Turnbull government.

The 'Yes' campaign has received support from both sides of politics and polls indicate it is favoured by most Australians.

But right-wing factions of government and senior members of the church have been outspoken in their opposition.

Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart warned Saturday that employees of the Catholic Church in Australia would be putting their jobs at risk if they diverted from the definition of marriage between a man and women.

"I would be very emphatic that our schools, our parishes exist to teach a Catholic view of marriage," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"Any words or actions which work contrary to that would be viewed very seriously."

His remarks have been widely interpreted as a threat to sack church employees who marry same-sex partners.

The church has more than 180,000 employees in Australia, including teachers, doctors and nurses, and community service providers, according to the Australian Catholic Council of Employment Relations.

"Our teachers, our parish employees are expected totally to uphold the Catholic faith and what we believe about marriage," Hart added.

"People have to see in words and in example that our teaching of marriage is underlined."

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who openly supports marriage equality, is battling with opposed factions in his own Liberal Party, and has refrained from outwardly joining the 'Yes' campaign.

Former conservative prime minister Tony Abbott, who leads those Liberals who are against same-sex marriages, has come under criticism from his own party for broadening the debate as an attack on "religious freedom".

Story continues

The opposition Labor party, who support gay marriage and wanted a free parliamentary vote, accuse the government of sparking division and hate speech with a postal vote but have nonetheless rallied behind the 'Yes' campaign.

"We should have just had a vote in parliament but if we have got to have this vote don't muddy the waters, don't cloud the issues by trying to throw every issue in including the kitchen sink," Labor leader Bill Shorten told reporters Monday when asked about religious freedom.

"It is not fair and I think it demeans the argument."

Same-sex marriage advocates have launched legal action in Australia's highest court to prevent the postal vote from going ahead, alleging the government has abused its executive powers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 11:17:00|Editor: Xiang Bo

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SUVA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The number of sexual offences against under-age girls has been growing in Fiji in recent years, reported Fijivillage news website on Tuesday.

At least two rape cases have recently emerged where the girls got pregnant. Three men allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl in Labasa Fiji's Northern Division earlier this year and she is now pregnant.

Also in July, a report was received from health authorities about a 14-year-old falling pregnant after she was raped.

According to Fijian police statistics, there is one rape case happening in the country every day. Statistics from May 2016 to April 2017 reveal that every month there are about 40 serious sexual offences.

In the first five months of 2017, there were 97 victims of rape, 57 were minors and 98 people have been charged for 217 serious sexual offences.

Figures in 2017 show the youngest victims were one-year old and a 23-month-old.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Christopher Pryde, said at a forum earlier in 2017 that a lot of these cases happened in rural or village communities.

According to Fiji's Crimes Act 2009, a man convicted of rape of an adult can be sentenced to anywhere between seven to 15 years.

Newly elected president of the Methodist Church in Fiji Reverend Dr Epineri Vakadewavosa said Tuesday he was already looking at ways to address the issue with members of the church.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Three Bahraini human rights groups accused the Gulf Arab monarchy's National Security Agency on Tuesday of systematic use of torture, and a security official said it would investigate their allegations. The NSA has for decades been central to the Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdom's efforts to overcome protests and occasional violence by members of the country's Shi'ite Muslim majority. The Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights and Salam for Democracy and Human Rights accused the NSA of employing excessive force from its predecessor agency's founding in 1966 to the present. Giving examples, the report by the three groups entitled "Chambers of Death" alleged that female rights activist Ebtisam Alsaegh was subjected to torture and sexual assault during an interrogation by the NSA in May this year. It accused the NSA of having arrested an opposition party official Adel Marzooq in the same month, "stripping him of clothes, pouring cold water several times on him, threatening him with rape, forcing him to repeat the slogans 'I am a traitor to the homeland' and forcing him to quit his legal activism". The rights organizations recommended that the NSA be relegated to gathering intelligence and be stripped of a role in arrests and law enforcement. A Bahraini security adviser said the government took allegations of wrongdoing seriously and would investigate any violations. "The NSA is committed to protecting and preserving Bahrains national security whilst upholding domestic and international law. We therefore take very seriously any allegations of wrongdoing by NSA staff," said the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. "We will be examining the report in detail and will provide a full response when we have looked into these allegations." In 2011, Bahrain put down an uprising by pro-democracy activists, many of them Shi'ites. The monarchy believes the opposition seeks to overthrow it by force and accuses Iran of aiding in deadly militant attacks on security forces. Home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Bahrain denies opposition claims that it marginalizes Shi'ites economically and in government representation. But U.S. President Donald Trump's administration reiterated concerns about Bahrain this month. "In Bahrain, the government continued to question, detain, and arrest Shi'ite clerics, community members, and opposition politicians," U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said with respect to an annual report on global religious freedom. Bahrain said Tillerson's remarks were "inappropriate" and showed "a deep misunderstanding of the facts". (Reporting By Noah Browning)
Affordable admission

National park entrance fees range from $3 to $30, which make the parks an economical vacation that's open to pretty much anyone. But the cost is even more affordable or even free on certain days of the year or for specific groups of people. Here are some of the lowest-cost ways to visit national parks.

Free parks

The majority of National Park Service sites don't charge an entrance fee. Only 118 of 417 National Park Service sites charge admission to enter the area. Check out the free national monuments and recreation sites in your area.

Free days

National Parks that normally charge entrance fees have several free days each year. In 2017, National Park Service sites provide free admission to everyone on 10 days including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, the weekends of National Park Week, the National Park Service Birthday, National Public Lands Day and Veterans Day weekend.

Bring your fourth-grader.

U.S. fourth-graders are eligible for free admission to sites that charge entrance and standard amenity fees beginning in September of the year they enter fourth grade and continuing through August of the summer after fourth grade. The Every Kid in a Park program provides free entry for the fourth-grader and up to three accompanying adults, and no admission will be charged to children age 15 and under. Alternatively, all the passengers riding in a noncommercial vehicle with a fourth-grade pass holder may enter the park without charge.

Active duty military

An annual military pass grants current U.S. military members, the dependents of deployed military in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard and most members of the U.S. Reserves and National Guard free access to National Parks for themselves and up to three additional adults or the other people riding in their private vehicle. Proper military ID is required to obtain the pass, such as a CAC Card or DoD Form 1173.

Citizens with a permanent disability

The access pass provides free lifetime admission to National Parks to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have been medically determined to have a permanent disability. A permanent disability is a physical, mental or sensory impairment that substantially limits the ability to complete major life activities, such as working, caring for yourself or performing manual tasks. You may be required to produce documentation of your disability, such as a statement from a licensed physician or a document from a federal or state agency, perhaps including the Veteran's Administration, Social Security Disability Income, Supplemental Security Income or a vocational rehabilitation agency.

Story continues

Volunteer

Volunteers who accrue at least 250 hours of service are eligible for a free volunteer pass that is valid for 12 months. Those who volunteer at federal recreation sites managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could qualify for a volunteer pass. The hours do not need to be accrued in a single year. Once a pass is issued the volunteer hours are reset to zero.

Senior citizen pass

A senior pass provides retirees with lifetime access to National Parks in exchange for a one-time fee. But watch out for the price hike. The cost of a senior pass increases from $10 to $80 beginning on August 28, 2017. U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 and older are also eligible for an annual senior pass for $20. A senior citizen who pays for four annual senior passes can exchange them for a lifetime senior pass.

Annual pass

If you plan to visit a lot of National Parks and federal recreation lands in a single year, the America the Beautiful pass can be purchased for $80. This annual pass provides admission to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas. The proceeds from the pass are used to improve visitor recreation services. Each pass admits the passengers in a noncommercial vehicle or up to three adults in addition to the pass holder.
Steve Bannon heads to the White House Rose Garden to listen to remarks by President Trump on June 1. (Photo: AP/Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON  Steve Bannons return to Breitbart News is being greeted by many Republican insiders with a shrug.

In fact, on the same day that the moon covered the sun, the consensus across a number of GOP operatives and congressional aides is that Bannon himself has been eclipsed by President Trump.

The ousted senior White House adviser may be back guiding Breitbarts right-wing reactionary bomb-throwing, but hes likely to find himself in the same position that left-wing sites like Daily Kos and Huffington Post occupied when Barack Obama became president in 2009, several Republicans told Yahoo News.

These kinds of oppositional websites are much more potent when the movement they represent is not in the White House, said one Republican close to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc. Kos became irrelevant and HuffPo basically transformed itself into a mainstream news site. The reality was that Obama had a bigger megaphone than those sites. And Trump as president has a bigger megaphone and a more loyal following than Breitbart.

I havent heard any congressional Republican leaders express concern about Bannon going back to Breitbart. Hes a guy with a website. How much of a problem can a guy with a website actually be? He was much more of a problem when he had daily, hourly, access to the Oval Office, the Ryan ally said.

Bannon did not respond to an email seeking comment. He was pushed out of the White House late last week and was already back leading an editorial meeting at Breitbart News Friday evening. Im leaving the White House and going to war for Trump against his opponents: on Capitol Hill, in the media, and in corporate America, Bannon said last Friday.

Alex Conant, who worked for Florida Sen. Marco Rubios 2016 Republican presidential campaign, said that Breitbart has targeted [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell and Ryan for years, with very limited impact. Theyre both still their caucus leaders, and their support has never been stronger.

Story continues

I dont know what changes, except Bannon has less power today than he did a week ago, said Conant.

One McConnell ally concurred, calling Bannons influence overblown.

If Conant were still working in the Senate as an adviser to Rubio, Conant said, hed rather work with Breitbart than against it, but its not decisive.

Id think of them the same as any other ideological media: worth monitoring and engaging, but really not worth losing sleep over, Conant said.

Steve Bannon arrives for a news conference with President Trump at the White House on Feb. 16. (Photo: AP/Andrew Harnik)

Some Republicans believe that Trump himself is a bigger threat to the party than Bannon because his presidency so far has been chaotic, unproductive and harmful to the partys identity.

But former Breitbart News spokesman and Bannon colleague Kurt Bardella said that the site would rally [its] audience to promote positions that are all but impossible for Republicans in Congress to maintain.

Bannon is likely to go after congressional Republicans over funding for a border wall and on tax reform, Bardella said.

On tax reform, Bardella pointed out that Bannon has called for a 44 percent rate on top earners. He said that Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs executive who is now a top economic adviser to Trump, is going to be the one caught in the crossfire here as Bannon will seize the

narrative that the GOP tax reform effort  will reward the very people who brought upon us the financial crisis in 2008 at the expense of the working middle class.

Conservative leaders like Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the head of the House Freedom Caucus, might have reason to find common cause with Breitbart, Bardella said.

The Freedom Caucus  see the Breitbart weapon as the only tool they really have to be able to influence the Republican leadership, Bardella added.

Bannons departure from the White House was long anticipated. He had survived several months of tenuous job security.

Trump reportedly resented the popular perception that Bannon was something of a puppeteer, the real brains and power inside the White House. And Bannon had a falling-out with the presidents son-in-law, Jared Kushner, early in the Trump presidency.

Before joining the Trump campaign in August 2016 as a senior strategist, Bannon had turned Breitbart News into a headache for Republican congressional leaders. In particular, the site has frequently targeted Paul Ryan, in part because of Ryans frequent criticism of Trump during the presidential campaign.

In December 2015, Breitbart published an article that said their investigation had revealed that Ryan seems to support border fences for himself, even as he denies the American people those same protections.

The Breitbart article included a photo of a small fence that had been constructed around Ryans private home in Wisconsin, where his wife and three children live year round. The missive was written by a young Breitbart employee named Julia Hahn, who later followed Bannon into the White House.

Hahns job in the Trump administration is now reportedly at risk, and she did not respond to an email requesting a comment for this story.

Read more from Yahoo News:
The wife of President Trump's treasury secretary hit back at some social media users who chastised her expensive taste in fashion.

Read: President Trump Stares at Eclipse Without Glasses, Aide Yells 'Don't Look!'

It all started when actress Louise Linton, the wife of Steve Mnuchin, posted a photo of herself stepping off a government airplane with her husband.

She tagged her high-end wardrobe, which included a $10,000 Hermes Birkin handbag, Hermes scarf, Roland Mouret pants, Tom Ford sunglasses, and Valentino shoes.

The comments section erupted with criticism, but one appeared to really set her off.

After a mom of three from Oregon wrote, Glad we could pay for your little getaway #deplorable, Linton fired back with a lengthy reply.

Lololol. You're adorably out of touch, she wrote. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It's fab!

Read: Biracial Model Who Used to Date Trump 'Horrified' by His Charlottesville Remarks

Moments later, she deleted the post and made her Instagram page private.

The Treasury Department says Mnuchin reimbursed the government for his wife's trip to Kentucky.

Watch: Crasher in Chief! President Trump Surprises Wedding Party During Bedminster Trip

Related Articles:
Father William Aitcheson stepped down from his role in the church after revealing his past as a member of the KKK: Courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald

A Catholic priest has stepped down after revealing that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan before joining the church.

William Aitcheson, a priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, announced his leave of absence in an editorial for the Arlington Catholic Herald.

When I think back on burning crosses, a threatening letter, and so on, I feel as though I am speaking of somebody else, he wrote. "Its hard to believe that was me.

The 62-year-old said he had joined the Klan as an impressionable young man who was in no way practising my faith.

According to the Washington Post, Mr Aitcheson was a leader of the Robert E Lee Lodge of the Maryland Knights of the KKK in the 1970s.

The group, which boasted about a dozen members, was allegedly planning to bomb the homes of black people and the offices of the NAACP in Prince George's, Maryland.

Police officers who searched Mr Aitchesons home at the time found nine pounds of black powder, weapons and bomb parts.

While 40 years have passed, I must say this: Im sorry, Mr Aitcheson wrote. To anyone who has been subjected to racism or bigotry, I am sorry. I have no excuse, but I hope you will forgive me.

Mr Aitcheson credited his change of heart to a lot of soul searching" and a return to Catholicism. He was ordained in 1988 and served at churches in Nevada, Maryland, and Virginia, according to church officials. He most recently worked as an assistant to the pastor at St Leo the Great in Fairfax City.

We must condemn, at every opportunity, the hatred and vile beliefs of the KKK and other white supremacist organisations, he wrote on Monday. What they believe directly contradicts what we believe as Americans and what we, as Catholics, hold dear.

The priests admission comes on the heels of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where members of the KKK and other hate groups rallied to protest the removal of a Confederate statue. Three people were killed and dozens were injured in connection with the event.

Story continues

Mr Aitcheson said the rally reminded him of his time in the KKK  a time he would have preferred to forget. But he warned readers against erasing past mistakes from their memories.

[W]hile I firmly believe God forgave me  as he forgives anyone who repents and asks for forgiveness  forgetting what I did would be a mistake, he wrote. Those mistakes have emboldened me in my journey to follow the God who yearns to give us his grace and redemption.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.
(Photo: ACLU)

Former Army intelligence analyst and transgender activist Chelsea Manning responded in the best way Monday night to a violent message she received on Twitter.

The whistleblower, who posed in her bathing suit for a profile in the September issue of Vogue, has been considered a highly polarizing figure ever since she released thousands of sensitive government documents related to Americas Iraq and Afghanistan wars in 2013.

As a result, Manning still receives messages like the one she received on Monday night from a Twitter user who told her You should have been shot for treason.

Her response was priceless.

(Photo: Twitter)

Since Mannings release from prison earlier this year after her sentence was commuted by then-President Obama, the activist has used her platform to draw attention to the injustices trans and gender-nonconforming people face in America. Most recently she slammed Trumps ban on transgender people in the military, calling the move cowardice.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Beijing (AFP) - China on Monday renewed its call for the United States and South Korea to suspend joint military drills as the two nations began annual war games that have infuriated nuclear-armed Pyongyang.

"The current situation on the Korean peninsula is highly sensitive and fragile, which requires the directly concerned parties including South Korea and US to make joint efforts to ease the tensions," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

Beijing has pleaded for a resumption of long-dormant six-nation talks to peacefully resolve the nuclear crisis.

But its proposal for North Korea to suspend its arms programmes in return for the United States to halt military drills in the region has been ignored.

"We don't think the joint exercise will be conducive to easing the current tensions. And we urge relevant parties to (seriously consider) the suspension-for-suspension proposal," Hua told a regular press briefing.

Tens of thousands of South Korean and US troops are taking part in the "Ulchi Freedom Guardian" joint military drills, a largely computer-simulated exercise that runs for two weeks in the South.

Around 17,500 US troops will participate in the drills -- a cutback from last year.

When asked to comment on the troop cutback, Hua only said that China has "noted the reduction of the US forces", but reiterated that military exercises would not help to reduce tensions.

The annual drills are viewed by Pyongyang as a highly provocative rehearsal for invasion, and it always meets them with threats of strong military counteraction.

Only weeks ago it said it was considering firing a salvo of missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.

Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) last month that appeared to bring much of the US within range.

That sparked a grim warning by President Donald Trump that Washington could rain "fire and fury" on the North.

Leader Kim Jong-Un last week delayed the Guam strike plan, but warned it could go ahead depending on Washington's next move.
(Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday that it had suspended its search off Hawaii for five Army aviators missing since their Black Hawk helicopter crashed last week.

"Suspension of a search and rescue case without resolution is a very, very difficult decision and it weighs heavily, particularly on the hearts of the Coast Guard," Rear Admiral Vince Atkins, commander of the Coast Guard 14th District, said at a news conference.

The helicopter went down last Tuesday in the Pacific Ocean during a training mission 2 miles (3 km) offshore from Ka'ena Point on the island of Oahu. Wheeler Army Airfield lost contact at that time with the crew of the UH-60 Black Hawk, the Coast Guard said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles)
Zagreb (AFP) - Croatian firefighters and armed forces were fighting dozens of wildfires on Monday along the Adriatic coastline and on the popular tourist islands of Hvar and Brac, officials said.

The situation was most severe in the mountains around the mainland city of Zadar, where 32 fires have broken out since late Sunday, according to Slavko Tucakovic, chief commander of Croatia's firefighters.

The authorities closed part of the highway linking the capital Zagreb with the second largest Croatian city of Split. Local media reported that some drivers, fearing the fire, turned their cars around and drove in the opposite direction.

A dozen jets and helicopters were trying to bring the fires under control, with some 100 soldiers along with firefighters from other regions sent to help. Strong winds were making the job more difficult, Tucakovic said.

"We have to... group our forces and move them from one settlement to another to defend houses as fire breaks out," Tucakovic told local media.

One fire threatened a suburban army barracks but was kept under control, he added.

Other blazes broke out near the coastal city Sibenik, where several people were reported to have been evacuated from a hamlet overnight Sunday.

The forest fire on Hvar could be seen from Split, local media reported, but there were no reports of towns or villages being in danger on the islands.

According to Tucakovic, the causes of the fires were a long drought and strong winds, but also the "irresponsibility of people who, intentionally or not, caused a number of fires".

Soaring temperatures and tinder-dry forest floors across southern Europe have led to a rash of devastating wild fires, notably in Portugal, where 64 people died in a massive inferno in June.

This summer's fires in Croatia are among the country's worst in several years, with 83,000 hectares (205,000) of forests damaged -- double the area burnt in 2012, Tucakovic said.

In neighbouring Bosnia, firefighters were on Monday struggling to defend three villages near the southern town of Mostar that were endangered by one of several active wildfires in the area. Army helicopters were unable to help owing to the strong winds.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 12:22:35|Editor: Xiang Bo

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by Will Koulouris

SYDNEY, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- With the global economic outlook improving by leaps and bounds in recent times, driven by extraordinary growth in Asia, ongoing collaboration and partnerships with the broader worldwide economy will continue to be crucial to ensuring positive outcomes of prosperity around the globe.

China has a critical role to play in this positive growth and is currently on track to exceed the 6.5 percent GDP growth target set for this year, prominent former Australian federal minister Andrew Robb said.

Meanwhile importantly, China will serve as the "centre of gravity" for global political, and economic life, Robb told Xinhua in an interview recently.

While the stellar growth that China has been able to achieve has had a remarkable impact around the world, the domestic impact of the economic success in recent times has also shaped the entire nation for the better, in particular, the emergence of the burgeoning middle class.

"The maintenance of very strong growth rates has led to the continued introduction of millions and millions of more people into the middle class," Robb said.

"These previously impoverished people are now, in many cases, starting to experience the quality of life that many other people in the developed world experience."

This growth in China has a measurable impact around the world, with a recent IMF report in April outlining that China's absorption of trade since the year 2000 has been "increasingly important in accounting for growth in other emerging market and developing economies."

But Robb said that the focus should not lie solely on China's trade benefits, but rather the ongoing willingness to collaborate with nations around the world.

Collaboration with other nations can take many forms, but none are as resoundingly evident as the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build a Silk Road Economic Belt, and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in co-operation with countries around the globe.

According to former Attorney General of Australia Philip Ruddock, the Belt and Road Initiative demonstrates the willingness of China to develop mutually beneficial relationships with nations around the world.

"There is a focus, particularly on economic growth, and China is playing a part. Particularly through the Belt and Road Initiative, creating opportunities for growth in other parts of the world. That's a good thing," Ruddock told Xinhua recently.

"I think it is very desirable that China thinking about ways in which it can engage more with the countries around it, through economic development, and through growth of opportunities, through building important infrastructure, all of that is possible."

The development of collaborative relationships has not been limited to the Belt and Road Initiative, so with the increasing shift within China towards the fields of science and innovation, and the participation in global technological efforts as a direct result, Robb said, adding he believes this could usher in a new era of global prosperity.

"Technology will be a big part of overcoming the world's problems, research and development will be very important - 80 of all of the scientists who have ever lived are alive today - the critical mass of highly educated, and highly skilled workforces and professions is such, that we can see a mass acceleration in dealing with so many of the world's challenges," Robb said.

"If there is a lot of collaboration, multidisciplinary collaboration, inter-country collaboration, we can deal with these challenges because for the first time in history we've got such a concentration in the globe of educated, and talented scientists, engineers, and everything else."

To achieve these ends, the focus must also be turned to enhancing the interpersonal and cultural relationships between Chinese people, and people from around the globe, and Robb said that all developed nations around the world must make continued efforts to facilitate the ongoing cooperative, and peaceful relations, with the result of these positive interactions providing tremendous benefit to all mankind.

"A lot of it is communication, a lot of it is developing mutual respect with one another, and that puts the onus on countries, especially the leading powers to ensure that the interests, strengths, and livelihoods of people in smaller economies are respected - and that we do have an integrated region - one which exhibits stability, security, peace, and prosperity at the same time," Robb said.

"So the opportunities are really quite spectacular over the next 30 to 40 years, but we all have to work very hard in building that sense of understanding, and tolerance," he added.

"A lot of it is just mutual respect. Getting to know one another, building the linkages, building the relationships - and if we do that successfully, then I think the world is in for a very special time."
Peter Madsen is a Danish inventor who is currently being held on charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Swedish journalist Kim Wall. The journalist mysteriously disappeared after boarding Madsens homemade submarine while working on a story.

At first, Madsen said that he had dropped Wall back off on land. Madsen then changed his account and said Wall died on his vessel and he buried her at sea, according to the New York Times Monday.

[There was] an accident happened on board the submarine  he consequently buried her at sea at a non-defined location in the Bay of Kge, said Danish police in a statement Monday.

Madsen, 46, is an amateur submarine and space rocket builder known by the nickname Rocket Madsen. The inventor built a small submarine over the course of three years called the UC3 Nautilus and launched it in 2008.

Earlier this month Madsen set off on a journey in the 26-foot submarine but had to be rescued when the submarine sunk. Wall, 30, a freelance journalist from Sweden, was not with Madsen when he was rescued. Now authorities are looking for her body.

The submarine was recovered shortly after it sank 22 feet below sea level. Madsen had initially given the new account of burying the journalist at sea on August 12 behind closed doors in court, but authorities are just releasing it now, according to the Times.

It took about 30 seconds for Nautilus to sink, and I couldn't close any hatches or anything, Madsen said in an interview with Danish television station TV2. But I guess that was pretty good because I otherwise still would have been down there.

Madsen was also a rocket builder who had hoped to man the first amateur rocket into space. Madsen had a falling out with the community that he had initially built the submarine with.

A curse lies over Nautilus. That curse is me. There will not be calm around Nautilus as long as I exist, said Madsen after the falling out, according to Danish tabloid BT earlier this month.

Story continues

The article also alleged Madsen was a difficult person to get along with.

He argues with every Tom, Dick and Harry. Ive argued with him as well. But thats what its like with people driven by deep passion, Thomas Djursing, Madsens biographer, told BT.

Related Articles
Stockholm (AFP) - A Danish inventor accused of killing a Swedish journalist on board his homemade submarine claims she died in an accident before he dumped her body in the sea, Danish police said Monday.

Peter Madsen initially claimed that he last saw Kim Wall when he dropped her off on the tip of an island in Copenhagen late on August 10 after she had interviewed him aboard the do-it-yourself craft.

But Madsen, who has been accused of negligent manslaughter, "told police and the court that there was an accident on board the sub that led to the death of Kim Wall, and that he subsequently buried her at sea in an undefined location of the Koge Bay" south of Copenhagen, police said in a statement.

Copenhagen police later on Monday said they found a woman's torso near Koge Bay where they carried out an intense search for Wall, a 30-year-old reporter who had been writing a feature story about Madsen, after she failed to return from an interview with him aboard the 60-foot (18-metre) Nautilus on August 10.

"When I say torso, it's a body without head, arms and legs," Copenhagen police chief Jens Moller Jensen told a news conference, adding it was "too early" to say if it belonged to Wall.

Madsen's appearance before a judge on August 12 was held behind closed doors and the investigation has been classified, so it is not known exactly when he made his statement.

But his lawyer Betina Hald Engmark told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Monday that Madsen "had always wanted" the information on the preliminary hearing to be disclosed.

- 'Invincible' and 'ambitious' -

Wall was a freelance journalist who had reported for The Guardian and The New York Times. A graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, she was based between New York and China.

Her friends have described her as "invincible", "ambitious" and "always seeing something good in everyone", according to Swedish media reports.

Story continues

Madsen and Wall were seen onboard the vessel by several people in waters off Copenhagen the evening of August 10.

Photos of the two emerged online standing next to each other in the sub's tower. Wearing an orange fleece and with her long auburn hair tied in a topknot, she appeared to be smiling.

When Wall failed to return home, the sub was also reported missing. Rescue crews located it around a day later in Koge Bay, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of the Danish capital.

Just after it was found, Madsen was rescued, alone, and the submarine suddenly sank.

Police have since said they believe Madsen "deliberately" sank the sub. It was brought to the surface and searched, but found to be empty.

TV2 showed images of Madsen being questioned by police after his rescue.

When a journalist asked him what contact information he had for the missing journalist, he responded: "Only that her name is Kim."

"I don't check the background when a journalist calls and asks 'Can I interview you?'" Madsen said indifferently as he entered a police car.

- 'A curse lies on Nautilus' -

The Nautilus was the biggest private sub ever made when Madsen built it in 2008 with help from a group of volunteers, described on a website about the vessel as "submarine enthusiasts".

The volunteers were engaged in a dispute over the Nautilus between 2014 and 2015 before members of the board decided to transfer the vessel's ownership to Madsen, according to the website.

Madsen had sent a text message to two members of the board in 2015, saying "there is a curse on Nautilus".

"That curse is me. There will never be peace on Nautilus as long as I exist," Madsen wrote in his text message, according to a post written by the volunteers in Danish on the website.

"You will never have a good feeling inside the submarine... do not throw more lifeblood into that boat."

Madsen, who was described in a 2014 book as "Denmark's Do-It-Yourself Astronaut", had wanted to launch himself into the space race before building the crowd-funded Nautilus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday addressed the notion of fake news  a phrase often appropriated and used incorrectly by President Donald Trump  distancing himself from Trumps frequent use of the term.

My view is that most news is not fake, but I do try to look at a variety of sources McConnell said during a joint appearance with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

Trump often dismisses wide swaths of the mainstream media as fake news, when the term in fact refers to fabricated news stories.

McConnell and Mnuchin appeared at a Chamber of Commerce event in Louisville, Kentucky, to discuss tax reform and other Republican priorities. It came after Trump thanked Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. for statements he made during an appearance Monday on Fox and Friends. Falwell said Trump does not have a racist bone in his body.

Jerry Falwell of Liberty University was fantastic on @foxandfriends. The Fake News should listen to what he had to say. Thanks Jerry!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2017

McConnell and other Republicans have been critical of Trumps response to a white nationalist march earlier this month, which left one woman dead and more than a dozen other people wounded.
Donald Trump vowed to inflict 'fire and fury the like of which the world has never seen' on North Korea if it continues testing long-range missiles: AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump is ready to use the full range of US capabilities in response to North Korea, according to a US envoy.

Robert Wood, the countrys disarmament ambassador, said responding to missile tests by Kim Jong-un's regime was Mr Trumps top priority.

It comes amid mounting tensions between the two states after the secretive communist state carried out several intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) tests, prompting fears that parts of the US could now be within range of a nuclear strike.

In response, Mr Trump warned North Korea it would face fire and fury the like of which the world has never seen if the tests continued.

Mr Kims government then announced it was putting together a plan to fire four missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.

While the war of words has eased somewhat in recent days, Mr Wood told a United Nations conference on disarmament that the US is considering all options for dealing with the growing threat posed by North Korea.

"North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes pose grave threats to the entire world," he told the meeting in Geneva. "Its recent ICBM tests are another example of the dangerous, reckless behaviour of the North that is destabilising the region and beyond.

"My President's top priority remains protecting the homeland, US territories and our allies against North Korean aggression. We remain prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against the growing threat from North Korea."

North Korean representative Ju Yong Chol was present at the time but did not immediately respond.

The Pentagon has previously confirmed it is developing military options as a possible response to North Korea.

Last month, Marine General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was not unimaginable that there would be a war between the two countries.

"Many people have talked about military options with words like 'unimaginable,'" he said. "I would probably shift that slightly and say it would be horrific, and it would be a loss of life unlike any we have experienced in our lifetimes, and I mean anyone who's been alive since the Second World War has never seen the loss of life that could occur if there's a conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

"But as I've told my counterparts, both friend and foe, it is not unimaginable to have military options to respond to North Korean nuclear capability. What's unimaginable to me is allowing a capability that would allow a nuclear weapon to land in Denver, Colorado. That's unimaginable to me. So my job will be to develop military options to make sure that doesn't happen."
President admits his original instinct was to pull out but says he changed his mind, and claims he will take tougher line with Pakistan

US reinforcements could start arriving in Afghanistan within days, a US commander in the region said in the wake of Donald Trumps decision to raise the US stakes once more in the 16-year war.

In a televised address to troops at Fort Myer in Virginia on Monday night, Trump did not say how many more soldiers he was willing to send to Afghanistan, but he made it clear he was going to increase the US military presence there.

The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory, Trump said. They deserve the tools they need, and the trust they have earned, to fight and to win.

US defence officials have pointed to a pending order for 3,900 soldiers, agreed by Trump in June to bolster the 8,400-strong US force that is already there, training and supporting Afghan troops and conducting counter-terror operations. The extra deployment had been delayed by the Pentagon pending agreement on an Afghan strategy.

After Trumps speech, in which he said the new strategy would focus more on counter-terrorism and increase pressure on Pakistan to deny safe haven to terrorist and militant groups, the deployment is under way.

Gen Joseph Votel, the head of US Central Command, told reporters that the first reinforcements would arrive pretty quickly, indicating that could mean days or a few weeks at most.

According to Stars and Stripes, Votel said: Whats most important for us now is to get some capabilities in to have an impact on the current fighting season.

In outlining his policy on Afghanistan and south Asia, Trump did not say how long the new troops would stay, or what their ultimate objective was.

Before standing for the presidency and privately since entering the Oval Office, Trump had argued for a military withdrawal, but in his speech he made a rare admission that he had changed his mind.

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In his own statement issued after Trumps speech, the defence secretary, James Mattis, said he had ordered US military chiefs to make preparations to carry out the presidents strategy and that he would be talking to Nato allies, several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers.

Together, we will assist the Afghan security forces to destroy the terrorist hub, Mattis said.

In his speech, Trump declared there would be more onus on the Afghan government to perform better, in civilian and military terms, and on the Pakistani government to cut support for militants who find a haven along the Afghan border. Trump warned that Islamabad would have much to lose if it did not comply.



Trump repeatedly presented his ideas for south Asia as a radical departure from Obama administration policies, with a tighter focus on counter-terrorism, describing his approach as principled realism.

We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists, he said. But the Fort Myer speech suggested that the tasks facing US soldiers and diplomats in the region would remain the same: attacking terrorist groups while trying to support the Afghan governments own forces and attempting to put pressure on Kabul and Islamabad to help more.

In his address, Trump made a virtue of avoiding details, saying he would not repeat what he presented as the Obama administrations mistake of signalling plans to US enemies. Instead, key decisions would be taken by military commanders and determined by conditions on the ground and not arbitrary timetables.

US Marines from India company march as they prepare to depart the American military compound at Kandahar airport, Afghanistan. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Sir Michael Fallon, the British defence secretary, welcomed the US commitment.



In my call with Secretary Mattis yesterday, we agreed that despite the challenges, we have to stay the course in Afghanistan to help build up its fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist threat to the west, he said on Tuesday.

The UK was involved in the Afghan conflict for 13 years, from 2001 to 2014. The last UK combat troops left Afghanistan in October 2014, but there are 500 British troops still based in the country, providing security in Kabul and training at the Afghan Officer Academy.

The UK has already offered to deploy another 85 troops by November at the request of Nato, which altogether has 13,000 troops in Afghanistan.

Its in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer: thats why we announced our own troop increase back in June, Fallon said.

Trump admitted that escalating the US war in Afghanistan had not been his initial instinct when he came to office. He scarcely mentioned Afghanistan during last years election campaign, but prior to entering the presidential race, he had vociferously argued for withdrawal. So had his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, who was fired on Friday after a fierce struggle in a divided White House.

Bannon had pushed for US troops to be replaced by private contractors but was outvoted by the serving and retired generals in the administration. He has returned to running the rightwing news outlet Breitbart, which filled its homepage on Tuesday with critical reports of Trumps flip-flop on Afghanistan.

In an account of the White House wrangling, the Washington Post reported that one of the ways the national security adviser, HR McMaster, sought to persuade the president that Afghanistan could change was to show him a black-and-white photograph of Kabul in 1972, showing a westernised city with women walking around in miniskirts.

Trump admitted he had changed his mind on Afghanistan in his Monday night speech. My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts, but all of my life I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office, the president said.

Much of the US effort will be dedicated to continuing to build up the Afghan security forces until they are able to fight the Taliban alone. The Obama administration had the same goal, and it remains a distant one.

Trump described a tougher line against the Pakistani government. Groups like the Haqqani network, which is both terrorist and criminal, have long been based in tribal lands in western Pakistan. Persuading the Pakistani security services to cut them off was an objective of both the Bush and the Obama administrations that was never achieved. Trump claimed he would succeed by being tougher on Islamabad.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, Trump said. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists.

The US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said punitive measures against Islamabad if it did not cooperate could include curbing US aid and military assistance, and dropping Pakistans status as a non-Nato US ally. Asked about the possibility of expanded drone strikes in Pakistan, Tillerson said: We are going to attack terrorists wherever they live. If you are providing safe havens to terrorists, be forewarned.

Tillerson acknowledged that the US and its allies might not be able to win the war in Afghanistan, but neither could the Taliban, and he called on the group to take part in peace talks with Kabul.

In a response to Trumps speech, a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said: It seems America is not yet ready to end the longest war in its history. Instead of trying to understand ground realities, they still arrogantly believe in their force and might.

Trumps speech was welcomed by the Afghan government. However, under Trumps plan, Kabul will also come under more pressure to reform its military and its corruption-rife bureaucracy.

Our support is not a blank cheque, Trump said. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open.

Efforts by previous administrations to pressure Kabul and Islamabad foundered on Washingtons need for both governments to survive and to continue to cooperate in the fight against terrorist groups. That limited US leverage. It was not immediately clear from Trumps speech how he proposed to resolve that longstanding quandary.

As part of a regional approach, Trump said he would encourage India to play more of a role. However, he did not mention another, increasingly important player in Afghanistan  China.
New York (AFP) - In the wake of deadly violence following a white supremacist rally, George and Amal Clooney have donated $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights advocacy organization that monitors hate groups.

The pair, which made the donation via their Clooney Foundation for Justice, join a number of others giving funds in recent weeks to anti-discrimination organizations, which have seen a surge in donations since clashes between white supremacists and anti-racism protestors amid a demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia left one dead.

"What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate," the Clooneys said in a statement announcing the grant.

"We are proud to support the Southern Poverty Law Center in its efforts to prevent violent extremism in the United States."

The unrest in Charlottesville at the rally called by neo-Nazi and other far-right extremists saw one woman killed after an avowed white supremacist plowed a car into a group of counter-protestors.

US President Donald Trump faced fierce criticism following his comments that "both sides" were to blame for the violence that highlighted racial tensions in a nation on edge.

"Like George and Amal Clooney, we were shocked by the size, ugliness, and ferocity of the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville," said SPLC President Richard Cohen.

"It was a reflection of just how much Trump's incendiary campaign and presidency has energized the radical right."

Since the violence in Charlottesville the Anti-Defamation League -- one of the oldest anti-discrimination organizations fighting anti-Semitism in the United States -- has seen its donations spike sharply.

James Murdoch, the chief executive of 21st Century Fox, recently announced he was giving $1 million to that group.

Donations like that one, as well as those from corporations like Apple, Uber and MGM Resorts yielded a rise of "1,000%" last week, according to ADL spokeswoman Betsaida Alcantara, compared to the weekly average donations since the beginning of the year.

J.P. Morgan also joined the ranks of the donors, announcing a million-dollar gift to be shared by the ADL and the SPLC, according to US media.

Another organization combatting racism and anti-Semitism, the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, has also recorded major donations since then. One came from actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Istanbul (AFP) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday warned a top Turkish general who played a key role in defeating last year's failed coup and led a cross-border operation in Syria that he must accept a surprise demotion without rancour.

In a rare show of tension between the military and Erdogan, Turkish media reported that Lieutenant General Zekai Aksakalli had wanted to resign from the armed forces after he was moved from special forces chief to a less significant position.

"There can be no such concept of disappointment in the military. Whatever task is assigned, a soldier goes and fulfils their duty there," Erdogan said after Aksakalli was assigned as commander of the army's 2nd Corps, based on the Gallipoli peninsula in northwestern Turkey.

Up to 10 generals including the former special forces chief were ready to resign, Hurriyet daily reported on Monday. No reason has been given for the demotion.

Hurriyet speculated there may have been "discomfort" within the military over the general's public profile in running the Syria operation and the desire to replace him with a younger figure.

Aksakalli led the Turkish military's cross-border "Euphrates Shield" operation launched in August last year aimed at clearing the border zone in northern Syria of both Kurdish militia fighters and the Islamic State extremist group.

"Right now, Zekai Aksakalli has completed his duty in the special forces," Erdogan said, adding that the proposal came during a meeting of the nation's top armed forces body on August 2.

"He will continue his work there (at the 2nd Corps)," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before flying to Jordan.

It is hugely unusual for the Turkish president to comment on military appointments in public.

Aksakalli was promoted to lieutenant general in a meeting of the first Supreme Military Council after the July 15 2016 attempted putsch, where his actions made him a figure of national prominence.

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He was praised for ordering Sergeant Omer Halisdemir to kill one of the suspected ringleaders, Brigadier General Semih Terzi, on the night of July 15.

By shooting Terzi dead outside special forces headquarters in Ankara, Halisdemir broke the putschists' chain of command although he was subsequently killed by the plotters.

Eighteen suspects went on trial in February accused of deliberately killing Halisdemir, who has since become a national hero with public places including parks named after him.

The demotion came after a shake-up of the armed forces as Turkey replaced its land, air and naval commanders of the military during the August 2 meeting.
Fukushima's operator on Tuesday started freezing the last section of a $320 million ice wall designed to combat widespread water contamination at the site of the worst nuclear accident in a generation.

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) began pumping coolant into the remaining seven metres (23 feet) of its 1.5-kilometre underground wall which encircles the four reactors along Japan's northeast coast.

Underground pipes circulate the coolant and freeze soil around the buildings.

The 30-metre deep wall is designed to block underground water from nearby mountains from flowing into the shattered complex and then seeping into the Pacific.

It is reportedly expected to take more than two months until the wall is completely frozen.

The huge utility has been building the barrier since March 2016 with the government picking up its 34.5 billion yen ($320 million) price tag.

Even now, with the ice wall almost complete, about 140 tonnes of underground water flows into the plant daily, forcing the company to pump it out and store it in on-site tanks.

"When the ice wall is completed, we estimate that the amount of underground water flowing into the complex will be less than 100 tonnes," a company spokesman said.

But some experts have cast doubt on the ice wall, and the country's Nuclear Regulation Authority said it has not yet done an independent analysis.

"We doubt the ice wall is going to be as effective as TEPCO claims it will be," said an NRA official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"We're going to monitor its progress after it is finished to check the impact."

In June, the NRA's acting chief Toyoshi Fuketa publicly accused TEPCO of lying about the wall's effectiveness.

The same month, three former company executives went on trial, facing the only criminal charges laid in the accident.

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 undersea earthquake off Japan's northeastern coast sparked a massive tsunami that destroyed entire towns and villages along the Pacific shore, leaving nearly 18,500 people dead or missing.

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The huge flow of water overwhelmed cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, about 220 kilometres (135 miles) northeast of Tokyo, causing meltdowns in three reactors in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

Workers had to keep pouring water onto the reactors to prevent the temperature of the nuclear fuel from rising uncontrollably.

Storing and treating that radioactive water continues to be a daily struggle with the cleanup expected to take decades.

Fukushima's operator is working on a plan to extract highly radioactive fuel -- believed to have broken through pressure vessels to collect at the very bottom of the reactors -- in a major step towards decommissioning the plant.

Radiation spread over a wide area and forced tens of thousands of area residents to evacuate. Some may never be able to go home.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 12:52:45|Editor: Xiang Bo

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ROME, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck Italy's southern Ischia Island on Monday evening, leaving at least two people killed, 10 missing and some 25 others injured, local media reported.

The quake hit the island at 8:57 p.m. local time (1957 GMT). The Italian National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology first put it at 3.6, then revised it upward to 4.0 magnitude.

An old woman was killed by falling debris in the collapse of a church in the municipality of Casamicciola Terme, Ansa news agency reported, citing local police.

Another person remained trapped under rubble and was believed to have died, Col. Giovanni Salerno with Naples' Provincial Fire Department told Italian news TV channel Sky TG24.

As many as 10 people, including three children, were still missing early Tuesday, among whom seven were detected alive under rubble by rescuers, Salerno said.

Two of the wounded are in critical condition, according to the police.

The quake destroyed several buildings and temporarily cut the power lines. Personnel from the Civil Protection Department were already on the island to put out fires and were able to intervene in a very short time.

Other relief teams were dispatched from the city of Naples, the Fire Department said on Twitter. The local hospital was evacuated, and people were assisted in a makeshift camp outside, local media said.

Ischia is a major tourist resort in southern Italy. It lies in the Gulf of Naples and is some 29 km from Naples.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany and the rest of Europe should back the "democratically minded" majority of Turks who do not support President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Germany's foreign minister said in remarks likely to hurt Berlin's relations with Ankara further. The comments by Sigmar Gabriel at a campaign event on Monday evening for his Social Democratic Party (SPD) represented a hardening of Berlin's position towards its NATO ally and came after Erdogan urged German Turks to boycott Germany's main parties in a vote on Sept. 24. "More than half the country is democratically minded. They didn't support him," Gabriel said at the meeting in the western Saarland region. "I believe that many in Turkey are counting on Europe and Germany supporting Turkish democracy and not looking on helplessly." The remarks, coming after Erdogan told Gabriel to "know his place" and describing Germany's main parties as "enemies of Turkey", are likely to anger Turkey. Erdogan accuses Germany of harboring plotters behind last year's bloody coup attempt against Erdogan. Turkey has arrested 50,000 in a crackdown, including European-Turkish citizens. Western politicians say the dragnet is a pretext for Erdogan to rid himself of his opponents. SANCTIONS CALL Lawmakers from Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party and the Left party at the other end of the political spectrum urged the government to consider freezing the foreign assets of Erdogan and his inner circle. "We need immediate and direct sanctions against Erdogan and his associates," said Sevim Dagdelen, foreign affairs spokesman for the Left party. Home to some 3 million people of Turkish descent, Germany has traditionally had good relations with Turkey, which is also a major trade partner and tourist destination for German sun-seekers. But, with parliamentary elections due next month, the tensions have badly dented Turkey's image in Europe's largest economy. In his remarks on Monday evening, Gabriel was cautious on sanctions, saying Germany did not want inadvertently to hit "the small restaurant owners and waiters on the west coast." Writing in Der Spiegel magazine, Gabriel said Germany should also identify Turkish groups in Germany which oppose Erdogan and provide them with financial assistance to counter what he called Turkish government influence over three million Turks through satellite channels and mosques funded by Ankara. "Erdogan's provocations promote a fundamental conflict of values," he wrote in joint column with Justice Minister Heiko Maas, also a Social Democrat. "He wants to push our Turkish friends in Germany toward a culture war." The latest escalation in Ankara's war of words with Berlin was triggered by Turkey's use of an Interpol red notice to have Turkish-German writer Dogan Akhanli arrested in Spain. Accused of terrorism, Akhanli has been released but must remain in Spain while authorities assess Turkey's extradition request. "I always thought I was safe in European countries and that the long hand of arbitrary arrogance couldn't reach me here," said the activist, who spent long periods in jail for left-wing activism before fleeing Turkey in 1991. (Reporting By Thomas Escritt; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
President Trump told military leaders that there is no room for prejudice, bigotry or hate in the United States  roughly a month after banning transgender servicemen and -women from the Armed Forces.

Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD, told Yahoo News Tuesday that Trumps appeal to tolerance in his speech the night before was laughable in light of the policies of his administration.

Its downright laughable for President Trump to call for a love of all people when his administration has repeatedly tried to move policies that discriminate and to promote prejudice against LGBTQ Americans and other marginalized communities, she said. From trying to ban transgender troops who just want to serve this country to filling his administration with known anti-LGBTQ activists, Trumps words are disingenuous and embody fake news.

The commander in chiefs comments came toward the beginning of a speech outlining his strategy for military operations in Afghanistan and South Asia. He took a few moments to praise the men and women of the military for transcending every line of race, ethnicity, creed and color to serve together.

Sarah Kate Ellis speaks at the Womens March in Los Angeles on Jan. 21, 2017. (Photo: Faye Sadou/MediaPunch/IPX/AP)

The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget: that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together, Trump said at the Fort Myer Army base, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery.

Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry and no tolerance for hate.

Just weeks earlier, Trump announced that the U.S. government would not accept transgender people to serve in any capacity in the military. He said the Armed Forces could not bother with the tremendous medical costs and disruption of transgender people while focusing on military victory.

Story continues

The announcement elicited immediate backlash, including from transgender Navy SEAL veteran Kristin Beck, and left unresolved procedural questions, such as how this would affect transgender servicemen and -women currently deployed.

President Trump speaks at Fort Myer in Arlington Va., Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, outlining the strategy he believes will best position the U.S. to eventually declare victory in Afghanistan. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Lt. Col. Paul Haverstick, a defense spokesman at the Pentagon, told Yahoo News that the Department of Defense is still awaiting guidance from the White House, and there is no change in the policy at this time. He referred to a statement made last month by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

I know there are questions about yesterdays announcement on the transgender policy by the president. There will be no modifications to the current policy until the presidents direction has been received by the secretary of defense and the secretary has issued implementation guidance. In the meantime, we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect, Dunford said. As importantly, given the current fight and the challenges we face, we will all remain focused on accomplishing our assigned missions.

According to the Palm Center, a public policy think tank at the University of California, Santa Barbara, discharging transgender troops would actually wind up costing the military an estimated $960 million. The researchers arrived at this figure by multiplying the number of current transgender service members (12,800) by the average per-person cost of recruiting and training replacements ($75,000).

Read more from Yahoo News:
Mr Blankfein, who has been CEO of Goldman Sachs since 2006, was one of the first Wall Street executives to speak out against Mr Trumps travel ban earlier this year: Getty

The chief executive of Goldman Sachs used Mondays solar eclipse to bemoan the state of the US, in a tweet that many perceived to be a thinly veiled dig at President Donald Trump.

Lloyd Blankfein took to the social media platform with the words: Wish the moon wasn't the only thing casting a shadow across the country. He added: We got through one, we'll get through the other.

Although the financier appears to have joined Twitter back in June 2011, he only sent what seemed to be his first ever tweet in June this year. Goldman Sachs and its top executives have traditionally been cautious when commenting on political matters, but Mr Blankfein used that tweet to slate Mr Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change.

Hes since sent just under a dozen tweets, including one on 26 June  purportedly from London  in which he expressed his admiration for people in the city showing resilience and continuing their lives as normal despite the threat of terrorism.

Mr Blankfein, who has been CEO of Goldman Sachs since 2006, was one of the first Wall Street executives to speak out against Mr Trumps travel ban earlier this year.

In a voice message sent to employees back in January, he said the firm could not support the policy.

He quoted from the bank's business principles: For us to be successful, our men and women must reflect the diversity of the communities and cultures in which we operate. That means we must attract, retain and motivate people from many backgrounds and perspectives. Being diverse is not optional; it is what we must be.

Several alumni of the bank are working in the Presidents administration, including Gary Cohn, former chief operating officer, who is Mr Trumps chief economic advisor, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin who was chief information officer at Goldman.
The story of a gruesome Chicago slaying has taken an even darker turn after prosecutors alleged the two suspects killed as part of a murder-suicide sex fantasy.

The assertion came from Cook County prosecutors at a bond hearing Sunday for Northwestern University professor Wyndham Lathem and Oxford University employee Andrew Warren.

Read: Northwestern University Professor, Oxford Employee Both Wanted for Man's Murder: Cops

The men stand accused of brutally killing Lathem's younger lover in his luxury condo as part of an alleged plan to carry out "their sexual fantasies of killing others and then themselves."

Trenton James Cornell-Duranleau, 26, was stabbed 70 times to the point where he was left nearly decapitated, according to police.

Prosecutors say the suspects communicated for months about the plan, which an assistant Cook County state's attorney Natosha Toller said included additional victims, though they stand accused of carrying out only one murder.

Lathem is believed by prosecutors to have paid for Warren to travel to the United States before picking him up at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport days before the killing.

Then, on July 26, a day before the killing, Lathem booked a room for Warren near his condo, prosecutors said. Toller said the men struck while Cornell-Duranleau slept.

Toller said Warren watched as Lathem stabbed his own boyfriend with a 6-inch drywall saw knife to the chest and neck.

Cornell-Duranleau is believed to have woken up and fought back. In an effort to stifle his screams, prosecutors say Warren struck Cornell-Duranleau in the head with a lamp before allegedly fetching a knife and joining Lathem in the stabbing.

Instead of killing themselves after the slaying, as prosecutors believe they initially intended, the man fled town. They surrendered to California authorities on Aug. 4 after an eight-day manhunt.

Watch: In the Footsteps of a Serial Killer: Revisiting the 'Son of Sam' 40 Years Later

Back in Illinois on Sunday, the men were denied bond by a Cook County judge.

Story continues

Warren's public defender has declined to comment. Lathem's lawyer urged people to not "engage in a rush to judgment" because his client has lived "a life of unblemished... citizenship."

Watch: Escaped Prisoners Take Selfies, Video During Nationwide Manhunt

Related Articles:
Beirut (AFP) - Lebanese militant movement Hezbollah has used weaponised drones against the Islamic State group across the border in war-ravaged Syria, its media arm said on Monday.

A source on the ground told AFP it was the first time that Hezbollah had deployed weaponised drones against IS in Syria, where the Shiite movement is fighting to bolster President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

"The armed drones of the Resistance (Hezbollah) targeted Daesh positions and fortifications in western Qalamun," Hezbollah's War Media channel said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had launched an operation against IS in a hilly region known as western Qalamun, near Syria's border with Lebanon.

Lebanon's army announced a simultaneous offensive on the Lebanese side of the frontier, and has already recaptured two-thirds of the area.

A source on the ground told AFP on Monday that "this is the first time Hezbollah has used weaponised drones in a clash with IS".

The group had deployed such drones in previous clashes with other jihadists and rebels, "but now we are unleashing a barrage of bombs", the source said.

Security along Lebanon's unmarked eastern border with Syria has long been a concern.

Last month, Hezbollah waged a six-day assault against Al-Qaeda's former affiliate in the border region, which ended in the evacuation of the jihadists and thousands of civilians.

The current offensive targets remaining territory further north along the frontier where IS militants have entrenched themselves.

The Lebanese army has denied any coordination with Hezbollah or the Syrian army on the ongoing assault.

IS itself has used weaponised drones to defend territory it holds in Iraq and Syria from US-backed offensives.

The group claimed twin attacks in Spain on Friday that left 15 people dead.
New Delhi (AFP) - India's top court on Tuesday banned a controversial Islamic practice that allows men to divorce their wives instantly, ending a long tradition that many Muslim women had fiercely opposed.

The Supreme Court ruled that the practice of "triple talaq", whereby Muslim men can divorce their wives by reciting the word talaq (divorce) three times, was both unconstitutional and un-Islamic.

Victims including Shayara Bano, whose husband used triple talaq to divorce her in 2015, had approached India's highest court to ask for a ruling.

A panel of five male judges from India's major faiths -- Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism -- said triple talaq was "not integral to religious practice and violates constitutional morality".

They said it was "manifestly arbitrary" to allow a man to "break down (a) marriage whimsically and capriciously".

"What is sinful under religion cannot be valid under law," said the judges.

Bano, who suffered a nervous breakdown after her divorce, said it was a "historic occasion" for Muslim women.

"I appeal to the people to not politicise this issue and accept Supreme Court's verdict on triple talaq," she told reporters outside the court.

"I have felt the pain when family breaks. I hope no one has to go through this situation in future."

- Divorced by WhatsApp -

India was one of the few nations that permitted triple talaq, which does not constitute legal divorce in neighbouring Pakistan or Bangladesh.

Muslim women say they have been divorced by their husbands via Skype and even WhatsApp messages.

India is officially secular and its constitution allows its 1.25 billion citizens to be governed by their own religious laws when it comes to marriage, divorce and property inheritance.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government wants to bring in a common civil code for all religious groups, a move it says will strengthen national unity.

Story continues

Modi hailed the Supreme Court ruling as "historic", saying in a tweet, "it grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment".

But the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), which claims to represent India's 180 million Muslims, said the court case had been used to malign them.

The board had argued that the practice was "reprehensible" but should not be a matter for the courts or the government.

"This was made into a media campaign to malign the image of Muslims. We knew the court was in no mood to allow triple talaq," its general secretary Moulana Mohammad Wali Rehmani told AFP

"All laws including modern laws have flaws and are misused. We were working on remedies and have suggested measures."

Rehmani said the board would continue to work with the community for reform and may challenge the ruling.

The board had earlier accused Modi of triggering an "internal war" in India with plans to introduce a common civil code for all religions.

The judges deliberated for three months on the case before reaching their verdict, which was agreed by three of the five on the panel.

Chief Justice J.S. Khehar, who is due to retire later this month, was a dissenting voice.

He argued that while triple talaq was unconstitutional, it was for the government to decide whether it should be banned.

There is no mention of instant divorce in the Koran, which instead details a different process based on mediation.

"Until yesterday, a Muslim woman could be thrown out of her house on a very arbitrary basis and no reason would have been given to her," Bano's lawyer Balaji Srinivasan told AFP.

"From today onwards, any Muslim man wanting to divorce will have to follow the Koranic injunctions. So thats a very important thing."
Tehran (AFP) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday denied claims by Turkey that the two countries were planning joint military operations against Kurdish rebels in Iraq.

"We have not planned any operations outside Iran's borders," said a statement from the Guards' regional ground forces headquarters published by the ISNA news agency.

"But as always we will strongly confront any group, team or person who wants to penetrate into Iran's territory for anti-security or terrorist operations," it added.

The statement came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a joint Turkish-Iranian operation against Kurdish militants was "always on the agenda".

A leading Turkish newspaper also claimed Iran made a "surprise proposal" to Ankara to jointly attack Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq during a rare visit by armed forces chief of staff General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri earlier this month.

Turkey has battled the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for decades, while the Iranian security forces have also fought its affiliate, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). Both groups have rear bases in neighbouring Iraq.

Despite denying that specific operations were planned, the Revolutionary Guards did threaten the possibility of cross-border attacks in the future.

"Although Iran has no plan to take widespread operational actions outside its borders, if any terrorist group... aims to take the slightest measure to create insecurity on our borders, they will be faced with our intensive and fierce response, and their remnants will be targeted wherever they are," the statement said.

Erdogan said on Monday that the two countries' military chiefs had discussed how to work against Kurdish militants.

"The work will continue because you know that the PKK terror organisation has a foot in Iran," he said.

"We believe that if the two countries cooperate, we can reach a conclusion in a much shorter period of time."

Story continues

Tensions between Turkey and Iran -- both of which see themselves as historically powerful regional leaders -- have often been tense, and they currently back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Bagheri's visit -- hailed as the first by an army chief of staff since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution -- was therefore seen as a key sign of warming ties.

"The actions of Turkey and Iran complement themselves. We reached good agreements to prevent terrorists passing from one side of the border to the other," Bagheri said during the visit.
The Daily Beast

NBCOn the first Saturday Night Live episode after each of the past two presidential elections, Dave Chappelle served as host and used the opportunity to share his thoughts about the state of American politics. The comedian returned for a third time this week after the midterms, but this time something was different.It was Chappelles first time hosting SNL since he came under fire for a slew of transphobic jokes in his latest Netflix special The Closer. And before he even took the stage at Studi
Barron Trump, with parents Melania and Donald Trump, was seen wearing a J.Crew t-shirt. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Trump family may not have much in common with the Obamas, but fashion is a great equalizer.

On Sunday, Barron Trump, 11, was spotted boarding Air Force One with his parents, rocking an Obama-era style throwback: A $24.50 bright red J.Crew T-shirt that read, On your mark Tiger shark.

Barron has been photographed wearing J-Crew before. In June, on the day he and his mother moved from New York City into the White House, Barron wore a $29.50 gray, J.Crew blue-trimmed T-shirt that read, The Expert. The tee promptly sold out in one day, sparking conspiracy theories about its meaning.

Barron, Melania, and President Trump. (Photo: Getty Images)

Barron had a lavish upbringing (Melania has described him as a Mini Donald who is not a sweatpants child and who favored suits and ties), but hes clearly honing his own style in the political eye. So far, thats consisted of cotton T-shirts, shorts, on occasion Gucci loafers, and a preference for J.Crew attire  a style mainstay of the Obama era.

In 2008, Michelle Obama, then campaigning alongside her husband, the Democratic nominee for president, wore an entirely J.Crew ensemble to appear as a guest on The Tonight Show.

When Jay Leno asked Michelle the cost of her on-air outfit  a gold silk blouse, matching skirt and cardigan  in the wake of reports that then-Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin spent $150,000 in one month on clothes and accessories, Michelle answered, J.Crew. Ladies, we know J. Crew. You can get some good stuff online!

Michelle Obama wore a lot of J.Crew during the Obama White House years. (Photo: Getty Images)

Although Michelle had her share of designer clothing  Jason Wu, Carolina Herrera, Gucci, Alexander McQueen  she chose to express her down-to-earth personality and her husbands values through the accessibility of a brand like J.Crew.

Even former president Obama couldnt resist, attending his inaugural ball wearing a white silk, custom-made bow tie designed by J.Crew, which then-CEO Jenna Lyons called a validation for the company in an interview with the New York Times.

Former president Barack Obama wore a JCrew-designed bow tie. (Photo: Getty Images)

Michelle continued to embrace the brand throughout her two terms in the White House, influencing both daughters Sasha and Malia, who wore brightly-colored coats to their fathers inauguration. Malia wore a cobalt blue coat, while Malias was in pale pink with an orange sash.

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Malia and Sasha in brightly-colored J.Crew coats. (Photo: Getty Images)

When former president Obama got reelected in 2013, Malia once again opted for J.Crew in a vibrant magenta coat, while Michelle wore a pair of the brands purple gloves and a rhinestone sash. The family had become so associated with J.Crew that, in 2013, Lyons decided to retire the sash and purple shade of Malias coat. The lady day coat that Malia was wearing has been in our line for years, and well continue that, but well retire the color, Lyons told Today. We wont do the color again, just out of respect for the First Family.

In 2013, Malia wore J.Crews magenta coat while Sasha chose a Kate Spade purple coat. (Photo: Getty Images)

While the Obamas were regularly praised for wearing J. Crew, Barron caught flak for choosing the casualwear company.

In a piece titled Its High Time Barron Trump Starts Dressing Like Hes In the White House, published on The Daily Caller, author Ford Springer said, His dad is always looking dapper and his mom has become a worldwide fashion icon since becoming first lady. The youngest Trump doesnt have any responsibilities as the presidents son, but the least he could do is dress the part when he steps out in public.

Chelsea Clinton then took to Twitter to defend the tween.

It's high time the media & everyone leave Barron Trump alone & let him have the private childhood he deserves https://t.co/Wxq51TvgDX  Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) August 21, 2017

Fashion really does bring adversaries together

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 13:02:50|Editor: Mengjie

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BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The "Made in China" label has long stood for cheap, inferior and low-end products. But today, such a perception no longer holds water.

In recent years, product quality in China is quietly edging up as the country is seeking to shift its growth equation away from exports and investment toward consumption.

A large number of respectable Chinese brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi are emerging rapidly, providing durable, top-notch and fashionable goods from appliances to smartphones to high-speed railcars.

Some high quality Chinese products not only compete with their foreign competitors when entering overseas markets, but have even begun to surpass them.

CHINA'S "GOLDEN BUSINESS CARD"

Regular delays and overcrowding have become synonomous with riding the subway in Boston, a city home to an extensive but also one of the oldest underground networks in the United States.

But in about two years, Boston riders could soon enjoy more comfortable on state-of-the-art subway cars, which will have larger seats, LCD monitors, CCTV-operated display screens and automatic passenger counting systems.

The subway cars will be designed and built by China's largest high-speed railcar maker CRRC, which is the largest train maker in the world and has been rapidly expanding its presence stateside by winning contracts in major jurisdictions.

"No more sleepless nights with 40-year-old subway cars rattling under the streets of Boston," said Zhou Chuanhe, chairman and president of the CRRC Massachusetts. "Boston is a center for great transportation and should be able to point with pride to its subway cars."

On April 3, the metro train model for Boston made its debut at City Hall Plaza.

From gear and screw assemblies, cold-resistant and heat-resistant technologies to breakthroughs in the integrated control systems, the shiny new railcars are an embodiment of the company's numerous innovative achievements.

"We are confident that CRRC will be able to deliver the vehicles that we need to move the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) into the 21st century," said Stephanie Pollack, secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Transportation Department.

The CRRC, also known as China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, was formed in 2015 through the merger of China's top two train makers. The Boston contract the company won before the merger was China's first major rail contract in North America, and CRRC built a rail car manufacturing plant in Springfield to fulfill the contract.

Since its accession to the U.S. market in 2014, CRRC has so far won 1,359 subway car and commuter train car orders in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

The past half year alone witnessed 184 subway car orders in Boston and Los Angeles, as well as 45 commuter train car deals in Philadelphia.

"We've ventured out into the foreign markets, successfully innovated our business model, and gained a foothold in the U.S. market, where CRRC has become China's 'golden business card,'" said CRRC President Liu Hualong.

The Chinese company will not only bring comfort and convenience to U.S. commuters but also will greatly help boost local economic growth and employment.

"From supporting the local economy in Springfield and creating new manufacturing jobs to improving public transportation for Massachusetts commuters and visitors, this project brings with it extensive benefits across the Commonwealth," said Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker.

"Since the company entered the United States, we brought benefits such as employment - we provided almost 400 jobs," Liu said in an interview with U.S. media in May.

With superior quality and numerous technological innovations, the "Made-in-China" high-speed trains are now witnessing growing popularity in the global market.

CRRC also supplied subway trains to Saudi Arabia to meet the country's transport needs between Riyadh and Mecca, and CRRC-made trains were used in Rio de Janeiro's key Olympic transport metro line.

In April, CRRC agreed a sale of 22 meter-gauge trains to Malaysia and it has also been awarded a contract for a fleet of 11 eight-car trains to operate on Indonesia's Jakarta-Bandung high-speed line.

"MADE IN CHINA" BECOMES COOL

The rapid development of China's high-speed train industry offers only a glimpse into the rapid transformation and upgrading of "Made in China" products in recent years.

On the back of technological prowess and good value, an increasing number of Chinese companies, including Huawei, Lenovo, Gree, Xiaomi and drone maker DJI-Innovation, have gained footholds in the international market, paving the way for a wave of global Chinese brands.

Take the cell phone industry for example. Chinese smartphone brands, such as Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, have seen dramatic increase in shipments over the past years and ate into the market share of their foreign rivals such as Apple and Samsung.

Advancing rapidly into new markets worldwide, Huawei is now the world's third largest smartphone manufacturer, with a close to 10 percent market share in the first quarter this year. Its products are particularly welcomed in Europe, where the company is growing at an unprecedented pace with better products and a new brand image.

In India, Chinese brands have together accounted for 51 percent share in smartphone segment as of late 2016.

In August 2016, Chinese smartphone vendor ZTE took 9.4 percent of the Russian smartphone market in terms of quantity shares, coming in the second place and exceeding the share of Apple's iPhone for the first time.

Transsion, a Shenzhen-based company whose products are sold under the Tecno, itel and Infinix brand names, has grabbed 40 percent of the African market.

By developing handsets with dual SIM-cared slots and optimizing its cameras to better highlight the feature of people with dark skin tones, the smartphone manufacturer, which few Chinese have heard of, has become the top player in Africa's fast growing smartphone market.

The success of Chinese brands can be attributed to their better user experience, faster adoption of 4G technology and greater emphasis on cameras, according to an article on India's Livemint website.

"Chinese smartphones are beautiful, bold and dirt cheap, according to an article on CNN's website. "They typically cost just a couple hundred bucks without a contract, and they offer some unique features American phones don't have."

The title of the article sums it up: "Your next smartphone could be from China."
Ilia Calderon recently came face to face with an imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Afro-Colombian journalist interviewed Christopher Barker, the leader of the Loyal White Knights, as part of Univisions Sunday show Aqui y Ahora. During the news program, producer Maria Martinez explained she had told Barker a Hispanic woman of color would be conducting the interview and he accepted.

Calderon stayed behind in the car while her crew set up for an interview somewhere on Barkers property in Yanceyville, North Carolina. Martinez said the KKK leader was shocked when he first saw the Afro-Latina journalist and said that he expected a lighter-skinned Latina.

Id never felt so much hate, so much contempt in my life, Calderon said of the encounter. I volunteered to do the interview because what I represent is everything they hate.

During the interview, Barker told Calderon that she was the first black person to ever set foot on his property.

Im upset that Ive seen you, Barker told her. I mean, I see you every day  all your type. Ive been here over 20 years, and weve never had a black person or whatever you wanna call yourself, youre a mongrel to me.

When Calderon defiantly asked if he was going to chase her off the property, he responded by saying: No, were gonna burn you out.

Barker called Calderon a racial slur, which she calmly told him she found offensive. At one point he also told her: Look at your eyes and look at my eyes. Im way more superior than youll ever be.

Calderon asked both Barker and his wife, Amanda, if they were part of a hate group  both rejected the idea and described themselves as a Christian organization. Barker also said he wasnt a racist and that he thinks everyone has a right to live.

Amanda, however, warned that KKK members would turn to violence if they felt white peoples history was threatened.

We want our history preserved and left alone, she said. But they keep taking our stuff away. If you keep taking our stuff away, white people are gonna just  going to result in violence because theyre gonna see no other option.

Story continues

Watch the full news program, in Spanish, via Facebook here.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
The Lebanese army gained ground and captured new areas from Islamic State (IS) around its northeastern border with Syria on August 21.

The army said that its forces captured a large amounts of weapons, ammunition, explosives and military equipment during the advance.

Local reports said the Lebanese army was preparing for the final push against Islamic State in the area.

This video was shared by the Lebanese Army and is described as showing advances against Islamic State in Ras Baalbek and Qaa, two of the last remaining IS strongholds in the country. Credit: Lebanese Army via Storyful
In a display of solidarity after Thursday's Barcelona attack, Lebanese soldiers raised a Spanish flag alongside their own on a Syrian-Lebanese border hill seized from the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).

Lebanese military launched its operation in the Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa region early on Saturday on the countrys eastern border with Syria, AFP reported.

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They seized around 11 square miles of territory, around a third of the area formerly controlled by the militant group, a military spokesman told the agency.

Pictures released by the Lebanese military show soldiers raising a Spanish flag alongside a Lebanese flag, in solidarity with Spain, after ISIS claimed responsibility for attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils in which 14 people were killed.

The Lebanese military said that 20 ISIS militants were killed in the military operation, and 10 of their own soldiers were wounded.

Lebanese media reported that the military operation was continuing Sunday, with artillery bombarding ISIS positions in Jurud Ras Baalbek.

Earlier on Saturday, Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah launched its own campaign against ISIS positions south of the area. The group has fought alongside the military forces of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad against ISIS and rebel groups in Syria.

In recent month ISIS has lost significant amounts of territory in Iraq and Syria, including its Iraqi base of operations Mosul following a U.S. backed operation by Iraqi government forces.

Lebanese forces have sought to bolster security along their eastern border following the ISIS attack on the town on Arsal in 2014, in which five soldiers and police were killed or executed and 30 kidnapped.

Sixteen were released in a prisoner swap deal in 2015, with an estimated nine thought to remain in captivity.

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MADRID  Until last week, when, a few minutes before 5 p.m. on Thursday, a white van began careering along the pedestrianized section of Barcelonas iconic La Rambla avenue, Spain had been spared the recent spate of crude jihadi terrorist attacks inflicted on Western Europe. While countries like Britain, France, and Germany endured multiple attacks claimed by the Islamic State, Spain went overlooked  or so it appeared.

But Thursdays attacks on Barcelona and the coastal town of Cambrils didnt mark a sudden elevation of the country as a target for jihadi groups. Spain has had a special claim on the imagination of Islamist extremists for more than a decade.

The Spanish have long been acquainted with terrorism, but for most of the 20th century the violence was primarily perpetrated by ETA, an organization fighting for an independent Basque homeland that killed more than 800 people in bombings and assassinations. By the late 1990s, however  partly as a result of this focus on ETA, which sucked up the states counterterrorism resources, and partly as a result of Spains geographical position as a hub between North Africa and Europe and from there onward to the United States  the country had become one of the primary bases for al Qaeda in Western Europe.

Initially, the group viewed Spain primarily as a logistical base: a relatively easy place in which to harbor jihadis and to make plans. Abu Dahdah, one of the founders of al Qaeda in Spain, reportedly saw off his fighters headed to theaters like Bosnia and Chechnya at the airport and sent those wounded in battle to treatment at Spanish hospitals, operating with what Spanish daily El Pais in June called total immunity. It was just a few miles along the Tarragona coast from Cambrils, the location for the secondary attack last week, where the chief 9/11 suicide pilot Mohamed Atta and Hamburg-based al Qaeda coordinator Ramzi bin al-Shibh met in 2001 to finalize their plan eight weeks before the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Eventually 18 multinational members of an al Qaeda cell in Spain would be convicted for helping organize 9/11, among other acts of logistical support for the international terrorist network.

But Spain would eventually transition from an operating base to a target. The history of Spain  under Arab control for the best part of eight centuries up to 1492  has long held a certain allure for Islamist groups; then, in 2003, the countrys government took Spain to war in Iraq, against the majority view of the population.

If the 9/11 connections had not been sufficient warning, the bombing of Madrid commuter trains on March 11, 2004, in which 192 people were killed, finally opened Spanish authorities eyes to the alarming freedom with which jihadis with al Qaeda connections had been able to travel into the country and form cells. The attacks were carried out by an international group of jihadis from Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, with help from Spain-based Muslim immigrants and petty criminals who obtained stolen dynamite from a mine in the northern region of Asturias.

In the years since, Spains security forces have been obsessed with preventing further attacks. Before March 11, the number of security agents assigned to investigate Islamist extremism was lower than the number of victims on that bleak day. Now it stands at 3,000 and rising. More than 700 jihadi suspects have been arrested since then; of those, some 200 were detained since Spain last raised its terrorism threat level  to four out of five  in June 2015. Catalonia, in particular, has been identified as a hot spot for radical Islam in Spain, with a quarter of those arrests accounted for by the province of Barcelona alone.

Spanish officials have taken the approach  unusual in Europe  of intervening as early as possible when they get word of potential terrorist plots, disrupting cells almost before they form. Sometimes, the choice to dismantle cells quickly produces unsatisfactory judicial results, with scant evidence on which to level major criminal charges. In 2008, French authorities were reportedly miffed when Spanish police used testimony from one of their agents to break up a cell mainly comprising Pakistanis in Barcelona, although no explosives were ever found. Eleven men were eventually convicted of plotting to bomb the citys subway system, but the French moles cover was blown for good. But, for the most part, Spains approach has worked: For 13 years, Spain successfully avoided any loss of life on its soil from jihadi terrorist attacks.

But the Islamic State views as a key battleground the territory it calls al-Andalus  the name given to a region of present-day southern Spain while it was under Moorish rule until 1492. A 2016 Spanish Interior Ministry report noted that the numbers of messages on jihadi propaganda networks calling on volunteers to launch attacks on Spain and to liberate cities such as Toledo, Cordoba, and Seville had doubled compared with previous years, also noting that the Islamic State had begun to translate its media material into Spanish. It has recruited in the country, aided by the fluid links between Morocco  from where more than a thousand volunteers are estimated to have traveled to the battle zones in Iraq and Syria  and Spain, via the two Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, small colonial vestiges on the southern side of the Strait of Gibraltar and Alboran Sea. According to Spains Interior Ministry, more than 200 jihadi volunteers have traveled from Spanish territory to Syria and Iraq; around 20 are believed to have returned. But none of the named members of the cell responsible for the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils was on a watchlist. Some were Moroccan nationals, others the children of Moroccan immigrants born in Spain, and most were under 25 years old; two were minors, and none is reported to have had a criminal record of any kind.

The only exception is Abdelbaki Es Satty, a traveling imam reportedly from northern Morocco who served a prison sentence in Spain for hashish trafficking and had some reported contacts with jihadi recruiters in Catalonia arrested in 2006. Early reports suggest that, in a matter of months, as imam in the Pyrenean town of Ripoll, Satty radicalized a close-knit group of around a dozen men and boys, several of whose families hailed from the same town of Mrirt in central Morocco. Over the weekend, Spanish police were investigating whether the remains of Satty, who had spent the early part of 2016 in Vilvoorde, outside Brussels, were among those found in the rubble of the groups bomb-making hideout, a beachside house in Tarragona province destroyed by an accidental explosion the night before the vehicle rampages were carried out. More than 100 butane gas canisters had been hoarded along with acetone peroxide as a detonator  the unstable Mother of Satan explosive that has become the weapon of choice for Islamic State bombers in the West everywhere from Manchester to Brussels. It seems certain that the explosion forced the group to make a last-minute decision to switch from bombs to vehicle rampages, possibly with the additional plan of a mass knife attack in the case of Cambrils.

Ultimately, perhaps the Spanish security forces record of success in snuffing out threats rapidly, long before operational capacity could usually be reached, may have succeeded in averting worse atrocities in Barcelona. The extreme haste to launch its operation may have led to the group failing in its ultimate objective of launching spectacular bomb attacks against tourism hot spots in Barcelona.

But the attack underlines the fact that security efforts can never guarantee absolute success. Spains Moroccan community mainly comprises first-generation adults. Their children are beginning to emerge into a society that, while generally tolerant, offers few Muslim role models in public life. Not one member of the countrys 19 regional and national legislatures comes from that community. Much depends on geopolitical developments outside Spain, of course. But the best security policy should include a focus on equality and respect for all Spaniards.

Photo credit: PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Getty Images
Louise Linton, the 36-year-old Scottish actress newly wedded to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, apologized Tuesday after she sparked a national kerfuffle when she got into a spat with one of her Instagram followers.

I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response, Linton told CNN. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive.

The social media incident began Monday, when Linton posted a photo of herself and Mnuchin stepping out of a government plane in Kentucky, describing the travel in the caption as a day trip and touting her wardrobe while name-checking designers Roland Mouret, Tom Ford, Hermes and Valentino.

When a commenter, identified by the New York Times as Jenni Miller, wrote, Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable, Linton unleashed.

Lintons aggressive response, sprinkled with emoji, mocked Millers wealth in comparison with her own. Mnuchin, whom Linton married in June, is an independently wealthy Goldman Sachs banker.

Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? Im pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day trip than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than youd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours.

She wasnt done there. She added another jab that suggested she had reviewed her critics photos: Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute. I know youre mad but deep down youre really nice and so am I. Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isnt going to make life feel better.

If she hadnt made her account private, I would have written back with a very snide Marie Antoinette joke, Miller told the Times.

National media outlets widely covered Lintons response, which social media also skewered.

Louise Linton, wife of foreclosure bankster @stevenmnuchin1 tagged brands on her Instagram. We tagged how she bought them. pic.twitter.com/57PTHkzc7k  WorkingFamiliesParty (@WorkingFamilies) August 22, 2017

When the Jacobins set up their guillotines in Lafayette Square, Im going to blame Louise Linton https://t.co/WRYo052Gof  David Frum (@davidfrum) August 22, 2017

Here's a picture of Louise Linton sacrificing for our country by attending the red carpet premiere of Jupiter Ascending pic.twitter.com/BhzNfzll9Q  joe mande (@JoeMande) August 22, 2017

If you ever wanted to explain the definition of "vulgarian," this would be a good place to start. https://t.co/oHzlkAlLuG  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 22, 2017

What? Louise Linton in trouble again? After her controversial portrayal of Zambia in a vanity book, who'd have thought? #SheIsATireFire https://t.co/fKusTwciUr  Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 22, 2017

The incident wasnt the first time that Lintons writing has launched her into the national spotlight. In 2016, she self-published In Congos Shadow, billed as an account of her time in Zambia during her gap year between graduating from high school and entering college. The Telegraph published an excerpt from the book, but was later forced to retract it, citing a number of complaints from Telegraph readers that the article mistakenly implied that the conflicts in Congo and Rwanda had spilled over into Zambia, that Zambia was a war-torn country in 1999 and that armed rebels had crossed Lake Tanganyika to Zambia that year. Other claims of inaccuracy were also made.

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The retraction also noted that Linton halted the books sales and donated the profits to charity. Aside from the inaccuracies, critics also slammed the book as an example of white savior complex. Before being shelved, the book was promoted as the inspiring memoir of an intrepid teenager who abandoned her privileged life in Scotland to travel to Zambia as a gap year student where she found herself inadvertently caught up in the fringe of the Congolese War. In one passage, she describes herself as a skinny white muzungu with long angel hair.

Wendy Holden, Lintons co-author, has removed any mention of the book from her website and did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News.

Linton has appeared in a handful of films, acting alongside Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and Tom Cruise in 2007s Lions for Lambs. Linton is credited with the role of a skin care consultant.

Linton and Mnuchin married in June in Washington. It was the second marriage for the bride and the third for the groom. Vice President Pence officiated the lavish affair, which was also attended by the president and first lady, in addition to a number of other administration officials. In lieu of posting on Instagram, Lintons wedding day jewels were previewed in a Town & Country spread.

_____



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BOSTON (Reuters) - A Massachusetts man was arrested for trying to punch a police horse in the face at a street festival, according to Worcester police.

The incident occurred on Saturday when police were responding to a disturbance at a beer tent at the street festival in the city, located about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. The man, 59-year-old Donald Pagan, tried to walk between a column of police horses when officers asked him to stop.

"Pagan stepped to the side of the horse and got into an aggressive posture by quickly raising his fist in an attempt to punch the horse in the face," police said in a statement late Monday. "The horse instinctively jumped back and away from the male which caused a hazard to Mr. Pagan, the officer and to the horse."

Pagan was charged with assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and interfering with a police horse.

Pagan could not be reached for immediate comment.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
We were starting to get worried!

After nearly a month out of the spotlight, Melania Trump emerged at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey boarding a plane back to D.C. on Sunday night. The first lady's last public sighting was over three weeks ago in late July at an Ohio rally, where she captivated the audience in what may be her "boldest look yet."

In true Melania fashion, she dazzled in a cheery yellow and white Delpozo sundress that she paired with her go-to taupe stilettos and tortoiseshell sunnies (clearly she was preparing for the eclipse). The frocks's bold, tulip-like shape is certainly an unexpected departure from the cleaner lines she usually opts for.

The Slovenia-born beauty was photographed alongside her husband, President Trump, who rocked his usual suit and tie, and son, Barron, who made a statement of his own in a red graphic tee with a photo of a shark emblazoned on the front.

Unsurprisingly, Melania's $2,300 frock is already sold-out, so you better hope that it gets restocked. The first lady, who has an affinity for European designers, has previously donned another dazzling look from Delpozo -- a bright graphic print frock while meeting with the Polish president's wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

Check out the slideshow above for more on Melania's cheery airport look.
Melania Trump always knows how to dress for the occasion -- and her outfit to watch the solar eclipse proved just that.

The first lady observed the solar eclipse from the White House balcony on Monday wear a black form-fitting sheath dress with pleated detailing on the bottom. The stylish LBD also featured criss-cross striped detailing on the bodice. While the dress didn't pair well with her eye-protecting eclipse glasses, Melania looked stunning nonetheless.

In later photographs, it looks like Melania traded in her eclipse glasses for the stylish pair of tortoiseshell sunnies she was wearing the day before.

Meanwhile, first daughter Ivanka opted for a bright red dress that hit just above her knees. The work-appropriate ensemble featured black accents throughout that matched perfectly with her pointy black pumps. She styled her blonde tresses in a fancy ponytail and kept her makeup to a minimum for a fuss-free look.

The first daughter documented her family's eclipse-watching experience on Instagram, and it looks like they had a total blast! At one point, President Trump worried onlookers as he looked straight into the sun without his eclipse glasses on.

Melania has remained out of the spotlight for nearly a month, worrying fans about her whereabouts. She emerged from hiding on Sunday night after last being seen at an Ohio rally in late July. Of course, she dazzled in yellow and white sundress from Spanish brand Delpozo.

Check out the slideshow above for photos of the first family watching the eclipse!
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 13:07:52|Editor: Yamei

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U.S. President Donald Trump (Xinhua file photo/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan was "unacceptable" and his new Afghanistan strategy will shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground.

Trump made the announcement in a prime-time address at 9 p.m. local time (0100 GMT, Tuesday) from Fort Myer in Virginia. He did not talk about the widely anticipated increase of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

In the over-30-minute speech, Trump ruled out a quick withdrawal of the U.S. troops, saying that it would have unacceptable consequences and "create a vacuum" that the Islamic State and al-Qaida would fill.

The president's national address came after a lengthy meeting with his national security team at Camp David on Friday.

He also made it clear that he would not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops and another 5,000 troops of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Afghanistan to train and assist Afghan forces against the Taliban, and conduct counter-terrorism missions.

Ahead of Trump's speech, U.S. media expected the president to authorize the deployment of up to 4,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

Instead of being specific on troop numbers, Trump outlined the pillars of his strategy for Afghanistan and the South Asian region, saying that the United States was focused on "killing terrorists," not nation building.

He said that the new strategy would be based on conditions on the ground, not timing.

While reassuring the Afghan government about the U.S. commitment of cooperation, Trump also warned that the U.S. support was "not a blank check."

"The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political and economic burden," said Trump.

The new Afghanistan strategy came at a time when senior U.S. officials warned of a dire security situation in Afghanistan.

In a congressional hearing in June, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the United States was still "not winning" the war in Afghanistan, the longest in U.S. history.

Trump, a long-time critic of how the United States is fighting the war in Afghanistan, announced a review of the U.S. strategy on Afghanistan soon after taking office in January.

Then U.S. President George W. Bush ordered a dispatch of U.S. troops to fight the war in Afghanistan in October 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Since then, about 2,400 U.S. forces reportedly have died in Afghanistan.
By Chris Kenning CHICAGO (Reuters) - Missouri Governor Eric Greitens halted the execution of a man scheduled to be put to death on Tuesday for killing a woman during a burglary after his attorneys argued that recent DNA evidence showed he is innocent. Greitens issued the stay of execution for Marcellus Williams, 48, just over four hours before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection in a Bonne Terre state prison for the stabbing death of former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle during an August 1998 robbery at her home. Greitens said in a statement he would appoint a Board of Inquiry to examine the new DNA evidence and recommend whether he should commute Williams' death sentence. The stay came as opposition to the execution mounted. More than 200,000 people had signed an online petition asking Greitens to intervene, and a rally protesting the execution was planned in St. Louis later on Tuesday, featuring speakers such as the head of the Missouri NAACP. "The DNA evidence says he's innocent," Kent Gipson, Williams' attorney, said earlier on Tuesday. Williams was sentenced to death in 2001 after prosecutors said he stabbed Gayle 43 times when she surprised him as he was burglarizing her home. Gipson had also petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, arguing that recent DNA analyses using newer methods found that DNA on the knife was from an unknown male, not Williams. Hairs found on Gayle's body also exclude Williams, said forensic DNA expert Greg Hampikian, who was hired by Williams' attorneys and has examined the DNA evidence. Missouri's Supreme Court delayed Williams' execution in 2015 to allow for the new testing, but denied a petition to halt it with no explanation after the results were made available, Hampikian said. Robert McCulloch, the prosecuting attorney in St. Louis County, where Williams was convicted, reaffirmed his belief that Williams is guilty. "I am confident that any board and the governor, after a full review of all evidence and information, will reach the same conclusion reached by the jury and the various courts," he said in a statement. The state previously argued that Williams took property from the house, and that two witnesses said he confessed to the crime. Defense attorneys argued that the witnesses, including a former cellmate, were motivated by a reward. "Despite the violent and bloody nature of the crime scene, police failed to uncover any forensic evidence connecting petitioner to the murder," Williams' Supreme Court appeal said. (Reporting by Chris Kenning; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie Adler)
Twenty-six very thirsty puppies were recently found inside a stifling van parked outside a New Jersey Walmart, authorities said.

The French and English bulldogs were stuffed into two crates on a hot and humid day over the weekend.

Read: Foster Puppies Steal the Spotlight in Newborn Photo Shoot

They were literally on top of each other, Bergen County Director of Animal Services Deborah Yankow told WCBS-TV.

It was a 90-degree day; they were all overheated, she said. Theyre all short-nosed puppies, which have a very serious reaction to heat normally, let alone in the back of a car.

The drivers of the van had reportedly left the dogs for about 45 minutes and returned as animal control officers were rescuing the puppies.

The dogs were placed in the officers van, where they literally jumped into the water bottles, Yankow said.

Documentation found with the puppies showed they may have been imported from Colombia, she said.

It wasnt clear where they were headed.

The dogs would sell for between $1,000 and $3,000 each, Yankow said.

Read: Very Pregnant Pit Bull Enjoys a Baby Shower on the Beach

The puppies were transported to an animal shelter in Teterboro, where they will be held in quarantine for three weeks, Yankow said.

Animal authorities havent said whether anyone will be charged in connection with the dogs.

Yankow said her office has been deluged with calls from people wanting to adopt the puppies.

But the animals must first pass quarantine before they can be put up for adoption, she said.

Watch: Why This Bridal Party Used Orphaned Puppies Instead of Bouquets

Related Articles:
On So You Think You Can Dance, dance partners Dassy and Fikshun were turning up the sex appeal on their choreography from last week's Bollywood to this week's jazz routine. And during rehearsal they were enjoying it a bit more than expected. Fikshun said, "I don't know if I'm getting hot and bothered from the dance or from Dassy. She was getting kind of close and I was like, Oh!" Dassy seemed up for the new choreography challenge but she was also a bit out her element. "I am nervous because last week was happy and sexy. This is just more sexy," she said. But Fikshun wanted to make sure that this dance wasn't just sexy, but also fresh saying to her, "We have some close moments in this dance and we almost kissed like five times. My breath didn't stink now did it? I brushed my teeth this morning." And when Dassy and Fikshun finally put those super fresh sexy moves into action the judges could feel the heat. Vanessa Hudgens said to the choreographer, "There is no doubt that you made Dassy sexy. No doubt about that." Nigel Lythgoe replied, "It wasn't just sexy, it was slightly naughty. I won't sleep tonight i really won't."
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday what he calls Iran's "aggression" and attempts to expand its military presence in neighbouring Syria.

Iran is Israel's arch-enemy, and Netanyahu along with Israeli security officials have repeatedly expressed concern over what they see as the country moving to expand its presence in the Middle East.

Netanyahu will meet Putin at the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Wednesday. Both Russia and Iran back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the war.

"I will raise the problem of Iran trying to establish a military presence in Syria," Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday.

"This proves that Iran's aggression has not diminished since the nuclear agreement, which has become a problem not only for Israel, but for all the countries of the Middle East and the entire world."

The head of Israeli spy agency Mossad, Yossi Cohen, and Netanyahu's newly named head of his national security council, Meir Ben-Shabbat, will join him on the trip.

Netanyahu opposes a southwest Syria ceasefire recently agreed by Russia and the United States because he believes it would enable Iran to solidify its presence in the country, an Israeli official has said.

An Israeli intelligence official said in April his country fears an "Iranian crescent" may be forming in the Middle East because of Tehran's influence in Syria and its connections with regional Shiite groups.

Beyond concerns over Iran, Netanyahu's talks with Putin are also likely to involve coordination in Syria.

Russia and Israel have established a "hotline" to avoid accidental clashes in the country.

Israel has sought to avoid being dragged into the six-year Syrian conflict, but has acknowledged carrying out strikes to stop advanced weapons deliveries to Hezbollah, the Lebanese group with which it fought a devastating war in 2006.

Hezbollah also backs Assad's regime in the Syrian war.
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, says she made her thoughts on President Trumps widely criticized response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va., known to him directly.

I had a personal conversation with the president about Charlottesville, and I will leave it at that, Haley said in an interview on CNNs New Day on Tuesday. But I will tell you that there is no room for hate in this country. I know the pain that hate can cause, and we need to isolate haters and we need to make sure that they know there is no place for them, because our country is founded on so much more than that. And I think that theyre a minimal crowd thats very loud that we have to stomp out every chance we get.

Trump first asserted that many sides were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville, where white nationalists and neo-Nazis clashed with counterprotesters during a rally protesting the removal of a Confederate statue. Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old legal assistant, was killed and others were injured when a man drove his car into a crowd of people opposing the rally. Former high school teachers have said that James Alex Fields Jr., 20, was fascinated by Nazi Germany and had a fondness for Adolf Hitler.

Under pressure from Republicans and several advisers, the president made a second statement condemning the hate groups by name at the White House early last week. But a day later, a defiant Trump defended his initial statement blaming both neo-Nazis and counterprotesters for the violence.

You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent, Trump told reporters at Trump Tower. And nobody wants to say that, but Ill say it right now.

I think theres blame on both sides, the president continued. If you look at both sides  I think theres blame on both sides. And I have no doubt about it, and you dont have any doubt about it either.

Several prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., quickly denounced Trumps comments.

Story continues

We must be clear, Ryan tweeted, without mentioning the president by name. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.

We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.  Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) August 15, 2017

At a CNN town hall on Monday night, Ryan said Trump messed up.

It sounded like a moral equivocation, or at the very least moral ambiguity, when we need extreme moral clarity, Ryan said.

The House speaker said he spoke to Trump about the need for moral clarity before the presidents second statement on the violence.

He agreed with that, Ryan said. And he did that.

But Trumps comments at Trump Tower were much more morally ambiguous, much more confusing, Ryan said. I think he needed to do better.

However, Ryan also said Monday he would not support a resolution to censure the president.

If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-fest, into some bickering against each other and demean it down into some political food fight, what good does that do to unify this country? Ryan said, adding, It should not be about the president. This is not about Republicans or Democrats. This shouldnt be about some voting Congress or some partisan issue. This is so much more important than that.

Read more from Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON  To the wall that Mexico is not going to pay for and the Iran nuclear deal that hasnt been torn up, to China still not being labeled a currency manipulator and an embassy in Israel still not being moved to Jerusalem, President Donald Trump can now add the Afghanistan war still not ending.

Seven months into his presidency, not only is he not withdrawing from what he had called a terrible mistake during his campaign, he is reportedly approving thousands of more troops, along with an open-ended commitment to remain.

The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable, Trump said in a prime-time speech Monday night from an Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery.

The decision, which Trumps military advisers had pushed for, worried his supporters who fear that the firing of top aide Steve Bannon will allow the establishment and moderates to assert themselves in the White House.

Now its the generals turn, said a prominent Republican National Committee member and Bannon-backer who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Bannon had opposed a troop increase and instead had favored outsourcing the war to contractors.

I see an emerging [Arnold] Schwarzenegger metamorphosis, the RNC member added, referring to the actor-turned-governor in California who ran as a Republican but then pushed a number of moderate, even liberal policies in office.

Another top RNC member, also speaking on condition of anonymity, had a simple explanation for Trumps many reversals since taking office: Overtaken by reality.

Trump himself said Monday night that my original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts. But all my life, I have heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office. In other words, when you are president of the United States.

His decision to escalate rather than abandon what is now the nations longest-running war mirrors the actions of his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama. Obama campaigned in 2008 on ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which began in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

Story continues

But in his first term, Obama approved a massive surge in Afghanistan to roll back Taliban gains and strengthen the U.S.-backed government before rapidly withdrawing almost all U.S. forces during his second term.

Trump in those years supported Obamas decision: I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan. We should have a speedy withdrawal. Why should we keep wasting our money  rebuild the U.S.! he wrote in early 2013.

I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan. We should have a speedy withdrawal. Why should we keep wasting our money -- rebuild the U.S.!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2013

During his presidential campaign, Trump argued that U.S. involvement in wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan were stupid.

We made a terrible mistake getting involved there in the first place, we had real brilliant thinkers that didnt know what the hell they were doing, and its a mess, he told CNN in October 2015.

The next spring, he said he favored withdrawing from the Middle East entirely. When its not ISIS, it will be somebody else. We have been over there for so many years. We have spent up to $5 trillion, he told Fox News in May 2016. At some point we have to get the hell out. You know with ISIS, you knock them out, there will be someone else. It will continue to form. Its a mess.

Trumps decision to increase the military presence in Afghanistan adds to the already long list of campaign promises he made that he has either been unable to keep or on which he has changed his position.

From the earliest days of his campaign, Trump not only promised a massive wall on the southern border but that Mexico would pay for it. In a phone call a week into his tenure, however, Trump conceded to Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto that that would not actually happen. But he asked Pena Nieto not say so publicly.

Trump promised to label China a currency manipulator. He did not. Trump promised to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He has not done that, either. Nor has he pulled out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, voided the deal lifting sanctions on Iran in return for an end to its nuclear program or replaced the Affordable Care Act.

And no infrastructure deal, said John Weaver, a top aide to Ohio Gov. John Kasichs Republican presidential bid last year, about Trumps promise to spend $1 trillion to rebuild the nations highways, railroads and airports.

Weaver said Trump now has the challenge of presenting a plan supported by his military commanders after having squandered his credibility with falsehoods about everything from the size of his inaugural crowds to a made-up phone call from the leader of the Boy Scouts of America.

How is he going to sell this to the country? Weaver said. Here he is with disapproval ratings that are tremendous and nobody believes him.

Trumps defenders conceded that he has not delivered on his campaign promises but argued that he is still only in his first year.

I mean, hes got three years, said Randy Evans, a Republican National Committee member from Georgia. Some things he may be able to deliver on, some things he may not be able to deliver on. ... On each promise, theres a serious effort to fulfill those promises.

Also on HuffPost

A man holds up a sign during a protest against racism gathered in front of the White House, on August 14, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower.

Hundreds of protesters gather outside of Trump Tower.

A woman raises her fist at the front of a march down Washington Avenue to protest racism and the violence over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

Supporters of anti-Trump protestors hold up signs inside Trump Tower ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

Pedestrians walk past a 15-foot tall inflatable rat in the likeness of U.S. President Donald Trump at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street up the road from Trump Tower, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

A President Donald Trump supporter (left) argues with anti-Trump protesters as they gather outside of Trump Tower.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower.

Hundreds of protesters gather outside of Trump Tower.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue.

A man holds up a sign during a protest against racism in front of the White House.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
The eminent intellectual, who is described as the father of modern linguistics, argues the movement is self-destructive: BBC Newsnight

Noam Chomsky has launched into an attack on the anti-fascist movement and argued its actions are wrong in principle and it is a major gift to the right.

The eminent intellectual, who is described as the father of modern linguistics, argued the movement was self-destructive and constituted a tiny faction on the periphery of the left.

Antifa, shorthand for anti-fascist organisations, refers to a loose coalition of militant, decentralised, grassroots groups which are opposed to the far-right.

The movement, which was founded in Europe in the 1920s, has dominated headlines in the wake of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville earlier this month. Neo-Nazis, KKK members and alt-right supporters clashed with anti-fascists and a woman was left dead after a car ploughed into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters.

In the wake of the deadly violence, President Donald Trump has prompted anger for drawing a moral parity between white supremacists and anti-fascists, saying counter-protesters were as violent as the far-right and the "alt-right" groups included some "very fine" people.

Chomsky, a leading voice on the left who is famed for his critique of US foreign policy, neoliberalism and the mainstream media, has now criticised Antifa.

"As for Antifa, it's a minuscule fringe of the Left, just as its predecessors were," the linguist and political philosopher told the Washington Examiner. "It's a major gift to the right, including the militant right, who are exuberant."

"What they do is often wrong in principle  like blocking talks  and [the movement] is generally self-destructive, the 88-year-old told the conservative paper.

He added: "When confrontation shifts to the arena of violence, it's the toughest and most brutal who win  and we know who that is. That's quite apart from the opportunity costs  the loss of the opportunity for education, organising, and serious and constructive activism."

Story continues

While many only associate the anti-fascist movement with militant direct action, it is worth noting it adopts a wide variety of tactics. This includes union organisation, migrant solidarity, public education programmes, ousting white supremacists and neo-Nazis to their neighbours and employers, and urging venues to cancel far-right events.

Chomsky, who recently left his post as Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to become a laureate professor at the University of Arizona, has prompted criticism for his assessment of Antifa.

Eleanor Penny, who has written extensively on fascism and the far-right, told The Independent: "Chomsky treats the battle against fascism as a battle for moral purity than can be won when the left remain respectful, polite, and deferent."

She added: "But fascists have no interest in winning that battle. They don't care about respecting free speech or the right to a fair trial; they've openly declared their murderous intent towards people of colour (and other undesirables) and they'll pursue that goal by any means necessary. In this context, physical resistance is a duty, an act of self-defence, not an unsightly outpost of leftist moral decline."

"What's more - it works. From the Battle of Cable Street in 1936 to similar confrontations in Lewisham and Wood Green in London in 1977, physical resistance has time and again protected local populations from racist violence, and prevented a gathering caucus of fascists from making further inroads into mainstream politics."

Critics on social media argued Chomsky, who is one of the most cited scholars in history, had become less left wing in his old age and the remarks meant he had become irrelevant.

Asa Winstanley, a US journalist, said: Sad: Chomsky comes close to Trump blaming 'both sides'; says Antifa is 'a major gift to the Right'".

Can u believe we live in a world where Mitt Romney is left of Noam Chomsky on Antifa, said another user.

The anti-fascist movement, which is in favour of popular grassroots opposition to fascism rather than reliance on the police or the state, is not a homogenous centralised organisation. It has a long and varied history which dates back to fighting Benito Mussolinis Blackshirts in the 1920s and then Adolf Hitlers Brownshirts in the taverns of Munich.

In the UK, anti-fascists mobilised against Blackshirts led by Oswald Moseley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists, in Cable Street in East London in the 1930s and in many other instances.

A representative for Chomsky did not immediately respond to request for comment.
North Korea has unveiled a propaganda video of its threat to fire missiles near the US territory of Guam as it threatened the US with merciless revenge for ignoring Pyongyangs warnings over annual military drills with South Korea.

Displaying images of Donald Trump staring at a cemetery filled with crosses and Vice-President Mike Pence enveloped by flames, the nearly 4 minute video showed the island of Guam being targeted by intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

"Americans should live with their eyes and ears wide open. They will be tormented day and night by the Hwasong-12 rockets without knowing when they will be launched," the caption reads, according to Yonhap. "They will be in jitters."

An image of Mike Pence in the propaganda video from North Korea Credit: YouTube/uriminzokkiri

"(We) just wish US policymakers should seriously think twice ahead of an obvious outcome (of a war)," another caption says, showing a photo of US Defence Secretary James Mattis. "Time is not on the US side."

With the exercises continuing on Tuesday, North Korea upped its rhetoric, saying it would be a misjudgment for the US to think that Pyongyang would sit comfortably without doing anything, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, citing an unidentified military spokesman.

The ongoing drills and visits of US military officials to South Korea create the circumstances for a mock war on the Korean peninsula, KCNA said.

The comments represent a more belligerent tone after a war of words between the US and North Korea appeared to have subsided.

Map: Guam in relation to North Korea

Mr Trump praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week for waiting to launch missiles over Japan into waters near Guam, after previously warning of fire and fury if he continued to threaten the American homeland.

Tensions increased in July after North Korea conducted two intercontinental ballistic missile tests. Mr Trump has said military force is an option to prevent Mr Kim from gaining an ICBM that could deliver a nuclear weapon to the US.

Story continues

On Monday, South Korea President Moon Jae-in said North Korea shouldnt use the latest round of drills as an excuse for any further provocations. The exercises are not aimed at raising military tensions on the Korean peninsula at all, Mr Moon told Cabinet members.

Mr Kim made a visit in early August to a guard post about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the border with the South, Yonhap News reported, citing unidentified South Korean government officials. The South Korean military considers the visit an unusual act and is preparing to prevent a possible military provocation, Yonhap said.

The Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military drills routinely spark condemnation from North Korea. During last years drills, North Korea launched a ballistic missile from a submarine and put its military on the highest alert.

The exercise is a computerised command-and-control simulation, said a spokeswoman for US Forces in Korea. It will be of similar size to last years event with no field training, she said.

A member of Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) rappels down during an anti-terror drill as a part of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise in Goyang Credit: Reuters

About 17,500 US service members are taking part, down from 25,000 last year. Mr Mattis said the reduction in numbers simply reflects a need for fewer personnel, and hasnt been scaled back in response to tensions with North Korea.

The US should never forget that North Korea is watching its moves closely with fingers on triggers, ready to pour a fire shower of penalties at any time, according to KCNA.
The Northwestern professor and University of Oxford employee accused of killing a young man in Chicago last month were carrying out a violent sexual fantasy, prosecutors said Sunday. Wyndham Lathem and Andrew Warren both admitted to the gruesome killing of 26-year-old Trenton Cornell-Duranleau.

Lathem, a 43-year-old former associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Northwestern University in Chicago, and Warren, a 56-year-old senior treasury assistant for payroll and pensions at a branch of the University of Oxford in England, first entangled themselves in the sinister fantasy through online chat rooms.

The two men exchanged their fantasies online about killing other people before taking their own lives, Assistant State's Attorney Natosha Toller said in court Sunday. The pair hatched a plan in which they would lure Cornell-Duranleau, Lathem's boyfriend, to his apartment and kill him. They also planned to kill a victim of Warren's choosing before simultaneously killing each other. Lathem paid for Warren's travel to the United States so they could carry out their scheme.

"What I can tell you, it was not domestic in nature, like a husband/wife or boyfriend/boyfriend or love triangle, that was not the motive," Chicago police Detective Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan said at a press conference Sunday. "It was a little more dark and disturbing."

On July 26, they put their plan into action. After Cornell-Duranleau fell asleep in Lathem's apartment, Lathem repeatedly stabbed him while instructing Warren to record the murder. When Cornell-Duranleau started to fight back, Warren hit him in the head with a metal lamp, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday. Police said Cornell-Duranleau was nearly decapitated and had been stabbed so severely 70 times, the blade snapped off the knife.

"Defendant Warren told the police that the victim had no idea what was coming," Toller said Sunday, according to the Chicago-Tribune.

Story continues

The pair also planned to kill another person of Warren's choosing, though it remained unclear whether the second would-be victim ever showed up at the apartment.

After Cornell-Duranleau's murder, Lathem and Warren quickly showered and tried to clean up the scene before fleeing. As they headed west to California, Lathem recorded a video he sent to friends and family in which he referred to "the biggest mistake of his life." The pair also made two donations to charity in Cornell-Duranleau's name: one for $5,610 to an LGBT health center and another for $1,000 to a public library. It was Lathem who tipped police off that something sinister had occurred inside his home: the ex-professor called the apartment building and left an anonymous tip about a crime having been committed inside his unit.

Both men surrendered in California nine days after the slaying. Lathem was arrested outside a federal building in Oakland, while Warren gave himself up inside a police station in San Francisco.

The two men were charged with first-degree murder Sunday. Lathem and Warren were being held without bail after Warren's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Courtney Smallwood asked the judge to set bond for both men. Judge Adam D. Bourgeois Jr. denied Smallwood's request for bond. Lathem's attorney, Barry Sheppard, also gave the judge documents from friends and family attesting to his client's character and accomplishments, which the judge appeared to frown upon.

"The court has read his professional and academic achievements," Bourgeois said Sunday. "Some of the finest in the world, right? It has nothing to do with this, though. The heinous facts speak for themselves."

Related Articles
Will President Donald Trump jump before he can be pushed? That was the view put forward by Trumps former ghostwriter last week, after one of the presidents worst weeks on the job. Those looking to make some money off the White House turbulence increasingly agree. The odds of Trump resigning from presidency are shorter than ever.

Related: Impeaching Trump May Not Be Necessary To Remove Him From The White House

According to Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, large sums have begun to be placed on Trump calling it quits, taking the odds into evens, the equivalent of 50 percent. While still not as strong as the odds on Trump being impeached, which currently stand at 4/6, or 60 percent, it still represents a significant shift. A similar move was also witnessed at leading British bookmaker Ladbrokes, which took its odds in from 11/10 to evens.

Republicans control both houses of Congress, meaning there is almost no real threat of immediate impeachment. However, in the wake of Trump's Charlottesville, Virginia, remarks, leading Republicans have begun to speak of the president in more critical terms than at any point since he entered the White House.

The move in the odds occurred after a week of controversy for Trump, beginning with his much-criticized comments about violence in Charlottesville, in which he equated the actions of white nationalists and neo-Nazis to those protesting them. One of the counterprotesters, Heather Heyer, was killed when a car, allegedly driven by one of the marchers at the rally, drove into a crowd.

As the week progressed, multiple business advisory panels had to be shut down after corporate leaders decided they no longer wanted to be associated with a president accused of defending neo-Nazis. The week ended with Trumps chief strategist, Steve Bannon, losing his job.

Amid the controversies, former Vice President Al Gore called on Trump to resign. Meanwhile, Tony Schwartz, who helped Trump write the 1987 book The Art of the Deal, said he would be amazed if [Trump] survives till end of the year.

Story continues

He added: Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and Congress leave him no choice.

Donald Trump

Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is currently leading an investigation into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Paddy Power says Schwartzs insight, coupled with Trumps various controversies of late, including escalating rhetoric over a potential nuclear war with North Korea, have encouraged people to put their money on Trump walking out on the White House.

Tony Schwartz spent 18 months with Trump when helping ghost-write his memoir, and while that must have been totally unbearable, it also means he knows The Donald pretty well, Paddy Power said in a statement Friday. After an awful week for the president that has seen other issues like North Korea pushed into the shadows, its no surprise punters are latching onto the fact Trump might call it a day.

Related Articles
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 14:03:19|Editor: Xiang Bo

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SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the United States on Tuesday launched the first special session of the Joint Committee under the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS).

South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer opened the session via a video conference earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The trade representatives made speeches to tell each side what they want from each other in the free trade accord, which came into force in 2012.

It was followed by negotiations between trade officials from the two countries, which were under way at a hotel in central Seoul.

The South Korean trade minister will hold a press conference at 5:30 p.m. local time (0830 GMT) to explain the first negotiations on the bilateral FTA.

The special session was requested by the United States on July 12 to address what Washington called a significant trade imbalance through possible "amendments" and "modifications."

Before the request, U.S. President Donald Trump described the KORUS FTA as a "horrible deal," vowing to put things right by "renegotiating" the deal.

Marking 100 days in office last week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told a press conference that the KORUS FTA has benefited both countries and his administration had no reason to hold back in talks with Washington over amendments to the deal.

"The negotiations will be a long process, and we also need ratification and approval from the National Assembly. It is not desirable to fuss over the U.S. demand for revision negotiations," said Moon.
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said there could have been abuses in his government's war on drugs and ordered the police to take custody of officers who were involved in the killing of a high school student last week. In a hastily called news conference at the presidential palace, Duterte said he would not condone abuses and the police officers would have to face the consequences of their actions if that is the recommendation of a formal investigation. "There is a possibility that in some of police incidents there could be abuses. I admit that," Duterte said. Duterte unleashed a crackdown the day he took office on June 30 last year after a convincing win in an election in which he campaigned heavily on a promise to use deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs. The firebrand leader, however, stepped back from defending the police as public anger mounts over the killing of Kian Loyd Delos Santos. Civil society groups and left-wing activists marched in the streets to protest killing. There was also condemnation from Catholic bishops, senators and allies from education and other sectors. The police defended their actions, saying the boy was a drug courier. Duterte said he called up the national police chief after seeing footage from a CCTV camera showing plain clothes police dragging the boy, who was later found dead after what official reports described as gunfight in a sting operation. He said he would abide by the results of an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). "If the NBI says we file charges of murder, sorry to the policemen concerned," he said. "You have to face the justice system. They have to go to jail if convicted," he said. He said there are some rogue elements in the police that were destroying the image of the government. "These abusive police officers are destroying the credibility of the government," he added. "Who will follow the government if the credibility is destroyed." (Reporting by Manuel Mogato and Karen Lema; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Then-Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Fountain Hills, Ariz., March 19, 2016. (Photo: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

President Trump is in Phoenix for a campaign-type rally that is expected to draw some of his most fervent fans and bring thousands of anti-Trump protesters into the streets. His decision to go to Phoenix prompted Mayor Greg Stanton to urge Trump to stay away lest the president inflame racial tensions in the wake of white nationalist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va. Even though Trumps rally was planned before the racial violence in Charlottesville, the unpopular president is entering a surprisingly supportive space  one that defies our contemporary notions of a blue America confined to cities and a red America entrenched in rural counties.

After all, Phoenix remains the place where Sheriff Joe Arpaio used his badge to harass, intimidate and round up Latinos. Phoenix is the city where during the campaign Trump called for mass deportations. Still, Phoenix has grown much more racially and ethnically diverse in the past two decades; approximately 40 percent of the city is now Latino, and, from his seat in City Hall, Mayor Stanton has offered a strong counterpoint to Trumpism, challenging the presidents attitudes and policies on his signature issues of trade and the border, and underscoring the evolving character of the citys politics.

In Stantons April 2016 State of the City address, he took a not-so-veiled jab at Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric. Defending a pro-trade, pro-immigrant vision rooted in social tolerance, Stanton boasted of how his city began working to repair our relationship with Mexico  and create new jobs on both sides of the border. He went on to note that in partnership with the city of Tucson, we began the push for the Arizona Trade Office in Mexico City. Weve teamed up with Phoenix and Arizona chambers of commerce and the consul general to conduct more than a dozen trade missions over the last four years. Late last year, six Arizona mayors traveled south to sign an agreement with Mexico City to promote two-way trade and student exchanges.

But theres a reason Trump finds a reliable base of support here. Phoenix provides him with a home to hard-right racial, anti-immigrant and conspiratorial politics, past and present, making his decision to hold a rally in this post-Charlottesville moment likely to inflame both his base and worsen already raw racial divisions and ethnic tensions roiling the United States.

Phoenixs most famous son, Barry Goldwater, was the GOPs 1964 presidential nominee, and in the early 60s countless conservatives hailed Goldwaters anti-big-government and unapologetic pro-business politics and policies. One of Arizonas current Republican senators, Jeff Flake, in fact recently wrote an anti-Trump polemic that took its title from Goldwaters 1960 call to arms, The Conscience of a Conservative.

Sen. Barry Goldwater during the 1964 campaign. (Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

But whats even more salient to Trumpism than Phoenixs Goldwater traditions  the historical air that helped make Trumpism politically viable  is Phoenixs far-right politics. In the post-World War II era, the city became an unlikely beacon to some of the forces that have brought us the Trump presidency. In Phoenix, newspaper kingpin Eugene Pulliam built his media empire, which included dozens of newspapers such as the Indianapolis Star and the Phoenix Gazette along with a handful of radio stations, and used the Arizona Republic to editorialize, for example, in defense of right-to-work laws curbing the power of unions. Pulliams distinct voice on behalf of Americanism provided one of numerous antecedents to staunchly pro-Trump media outlets such as Fox News and Breitbart.

Other activists, ideas, and controversies inflamed the citys extremist politics. Phoenixs American Legion campaigned in the 1950s to expose communist sympathizers whom some Phoenicians believed were infiltrating the citys high schools. The legion went to so far as to identify six teachers and accused them of having communist ties, and Pulliams Arizona Republic endorsed a like-minded campaign to ban textbooks that it deemed pro-socialist.

The John Birch Society, whose founder, Robert Welch, promoted a batch of conspiracy theories about communist infiltration at the highest levels of American government, was active in Phoenix. In November 1961, another president  John F. Kennedy  went to Phoenix and was greeted by hard-line anticommunists picketing his presence at a dinner in honor of Arizona Sen. Carl Hayden at the citys Westward Ho Hotel. Demonstrators hoisted signs that proclaimed, Communism thrives on U.S. foreign aid.

But even more significant for the current moment, Phoenix after World War II was a booming city in a state where racial segregation was deeply entrenched, a state (and city) where segregation was so pervasive that Arizona was sometimes referred to as the Mississippi of the West. Three scholars once titled an article about environmental racism afflicting South Phoenix as The Geography of Despair. They described South Phoenix as a place of Sunbelt Apartheid where white supremacy was maintained by patterns of racial segregation and systematic economic deprivation and environmental degradation.

Quarters for African-American cotton pickers on Cortaro Farms, south of Phoenix in Pinal County, Ariz. in 1940. (Photo: Dorothea Lange/ U.S. National Archives and Records Administration)

Which brings us back to Trumps rally. His appearance in Phoenix is more than just another in a string of presidential mind-melds with his fervent followers. The rally in Phoenix is an indication both of how Trump was able to run such an anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim campaign and still win the White House and, as the anti-Trump protests suggest, a reflection of the still-considerable strength of Trumps opponents. While some journalists, politicians and scholars have predicted that demographic trends in cities such as Phoenix will ultimately turn them blue and erode the strength of the forces that brought us Trumpism, the presidents inflammatory decision to go to Phoenix, and the support he enjoys there, signifies that this development is still in the future.

_____

Matthew Dallek, associate professor at George Washingtons Graduate School of Political Management, is author of Defenseless Under the Night: The Roosevelt Years and the Origins of Homeland Security

Read more from Yahoo News:
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Moscow court has rejected a request by Siemens to seize its gas turbines, which have turned up in Crimea contrary to EU sanctions, and to ban their installation ahead of preliminary hearings next month, the court's ruling showed on Sunday.

The ruling by Moscow's Arbitration Court responded to a lawsuit filed by the German engineering firm Siemens against a Russian state firm in July after four turbines which it had sold for use in Russia turned up in the Moscow-annexed region.

The court's report showed it had rejected Siemens' request to take possession of the turbines in an injunction ahead of preliminary court hearings into the dispute set for September 18.

Reuters was the first to report this year that Russian firms had shipped the Siemens turbines to Crimea, which has been subject to EU sanctions on energy technology since Russia unilaterally annexed the region from Ukraine early in 2014.

Moscow needs the turbines for two Crimean power plants the Kremlin wants to get running to fulfill a promise, made by President Vladimir Putin, to ensure a stable power supply for the region's residents.

Crimea used to rely on the Ukrainian power grid but is now dependent on Russia for electricity.

Sergei Aksyonov, head of the Kremlin-backed local government in Crimea, told Reuters on Sunday that the electrification of the peninsula was going ahead as planned. He did not elaborate.

When asked if foreign experts were still needed to launch electric power plants, Aksyonov said that Crimea did not need them "100 percent".

The violation of sanctions has prompted the EU to expand penalties against Russia. The new sanctions include Deputy Energy Minister Andrei Cherezov and three Russian companies.

Moscow has said the EU decision to expand sanctions is politically motivated and illegal.

Related:

(Reporting by Anastasia Lyrchikova; Additional reporting by Olesya Astakhova; Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
They may resemble 3-D glasses, but your total solar eclipse glasses arent good for anything but protecting your eyes from sun damage.

Astronomers Without Borders (AWB), however, has asked that you dont waste, donate your eclipse glasses. The organizations corporate partners will help collect and process eclipse glasses to be sent to South American and Asian schools, where the next solar eclipse will take place on July 2, 2019. If eclipse glasses are compliant with NASAs safety standards, and not damaged, then they can be reused indefinitely, according to the space organization.

In 2013, the organization hosted a similar drop-off program for west and central African schools for that years solar eclipse, Smithsonian reported. AWB hopes that these programs build on peoples eclipse interest and inspires them to learn pursue fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Give your #eclipseglasses 2nd chance! We will b collecting glasses 2 S.Amer & Asia schools 4 eclipse'19. Info coming.Don't waste. Donate! pic.twitter.com/wNlH6Eyc4D  Astro w/o Borders (@awb_org) August 19, 2017

If not the AWB, Amateur Astronomers Association of New York board member Irene Pease told Earth911 that local school officials and recreation programs may be interested in using eclipse glasses for upcoming astronomy activities and experiments.

Eclipse glasses holders do also have the option to save their pair for the next eclipse in the U.S., which will stretch from Texas to northeastern states on April 8, 2024. But if their glasses are not compliant with NASAs standards, it may be too late: Some lenses expire after three years, so be sure to check expiration dates.
This screengrab taken on August 21, 2017 from an undated YouTube video released by Uriminzokkiri shows Ted Dresnok and his brother James - AFP

The only US soldier known to still be living in North Korea after defecting more than five decades ago died last year pledging his loyalty to the "great leader Kim Jong-Un", his sons said.

James Joseph Dresnok was among just a handful of American servicemen to desert following the Korean War, crossing the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone in 1962.

He went on to appear in North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last US defector in the country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave.

In a video interview posted on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, Ted and James Dresnok, his two adult sons, confirmed that their father suffered a fatal stroke in November last year.

"Our father was in the arms of the republic and received only the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74," said Ted Dresnok, the elder of the two.

This handout from VeryMuchSo Productions/Koryo Tours taken in May 2005 and released on August 21, 2017 shows James Joseph Dresnok in an unknown locationCredit: AFP

Brown-haired and hazel-eyed, he wore a Korean People's Army uniform in the video like his brother, adorned with a badge depicting the North's founder Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il.

Both men were born in North Korea, and spoke Korean with a heavy Northern accent.

"Our father asked us to render devoted service to our great leader Kim Jong-Un," said Ted Dresnok, who also goes by the Korean name Hong Soon-Chol.

Their comments were similar to those of ordinary North Koreans, who normally only ever express officially approved sentiments when speaking for a foreign audience.

It was the brothers' second appearance on the programme, after they praised the country in a May 2016 interview.

Addressing the recent spike in tensions between Pyongyang and Washington, Ted Dresnok warned that the "US imperialists" were raising "war hysteria madness" with little knowledge about the North's military and its people.

This handout from VeryMuchSo Productions/Koryo Tours taken in June 2004 and released on August 21, 2017 shows US defectors to North Korea Charles Jenkins (L) and James Joseph Dresnok in an unknown locationCredit: AFP

If war breaks out, he said, "We will not miss the opportunity and wipe the land of the US from the earth forever."

Story continues

Tensions have been mounting in the region since Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) last month that appeared to bring much of the US within range.

That sparked a volley of threats between Pyongyang and Washington, with President Donald Trump warning of "fire and fury" on the North while Pyongyang threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam.

"We have our dear supreme commander Kim Jong-Un. If he is by our side, our victory is certain," said James Dresnok, who also goes by his Korean name Hong Chol, in the video posted Friday.

The late James Dresnok, known as Joe, crossed a minefield at age 21 to reach North Korea, after his wife divorced him and he was reportedly about to be court-martialed.

He was the subject of a British documentary in 2006, Crossing the Line, and expressed satisfaction with his life in Pyongyang, whose citizens enjoy better standards of living than those elsewhere in the isolated country.

He also told a CBS interview that he would not leave even if "you put a billion damn dollars of gold on the table".

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.
Actress Louise Linton, who married Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in June, posted and then deleted a photo of herself and her husband as they walked off an Air Force jet Monday that was akin to a fashion shoot tagging the designers she was wearing.

After facing criticism from an Instagram user, Linton, who is married to the man who is fifth in the presidential line of succession, responded to the user with a long comment filled with classist attacks. Linton has now taken her Instagram account private, not allowing Instagram users who dont already follow her to see her account.

In the now-deleted post, Linton and Mnuchin are photographed deplaning the military jet (according to Lintons Instagram post, they were landing in Kentucky), which Mnuchin is required to use for official government travel. The caption on her Instagram post read: Great #daytrip to #Kentucky! #nicest #people #beautiful #countryside #rolandmouret pants #tomford sunnies, #hermesscarf #valentinorockstudheels #valentino #usa

(Photo: Louise Linton/Instagram)

Linton has tagged designers she appears to be wearing in previous Instagram posts, but its unusual, if not unprecedented, for the spouse of a Cabinet secretary to promote the designers she is wearing in any social media post, much less one that includes a photograph of herself with her husband while on government travel.

An Instagram user, called Jenni M, responded to Lintons post and said, Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable

Lintons response to Jenni M came after she appeared to examine Jenni Ms Instagram feed, making note of Jenni Ms family and children.

@Jennimiller29 cute!....Aw!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? Im pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day trip than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than youd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours. Youre adorably out of touch. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute. I know youre mad but deep down youre really nice and so am I. Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isnt going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message, one filled with wisdom and hunanity [SIC] would get more traction. Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. Its fab!

Story continues

Linton on Tuesday released a statement apologizing for her inappropriate and highly insensitive Instagram post and her response to Jenni M, according to CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond.

Just in: Louise Linton apologizes for Instagram post & response to commenter in statement --> pic.twitter.com/Ww22HFQuni  Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) August 22, 2017

Lintons Instagram post comes at a time when her husband is under attack by some of President Donald Trumps loyalists for his lack of populist credentials. Lintons out-of-touch post isnt likely to help Mnuchin, the former Goldman Sachs executive who served as the finance chair of Trumps presidential campaign.

A spokesman for Mnuchin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Instagram user that Linton attacked also did not respond to a message asking for comment.

This is not Lintons first encounter with controversy. In 2016, Linton came under fire for her self-published memoir, In Congos Shadow, which detailed her time as a student in Zambia. In July of 2016, Zambians, and their advocates, criticized Lintons portrayal of Zambia as a war-torn, poverty-stricken nation with wild animals running through the streets. Linton was also criticized for portraying herself as a white savior. Under pressure, Linton withdrew the book from sale and pledged to give any proceeds to charity. The actress actually dressed as Marie Antoinette in a 2007 episode of CSI: NY.

Mnuchin and Linton were in Kentucky on Monday to tour Fort Knox, which holds the federal governments $200 billion gold reserves.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Yes it's true, Louise Linton once played Marie Antoinette. https://t.co/MuOMX12VLm pic.twitter.com/rUhVZLUp7N  Yashar Ali (@yashar) August 22, 2017

This article has been updated to include Lintons apology.

Follow Yashar  or send him a tip  on Twitter: @yashar

The wedding of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and actress Louise Linton in June was attended by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence. (Photo: Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become "a graveyard" for the United States Tuesday after President Donald Trump cleared the way for thousands more American troops to be sent to the war-torn country.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

He added that America should think of an exit strategy "instead of continuing the war".

"As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale will continue our jihad," Mujahid said.

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief late Monday, though he did not offer specifics.

He said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable", leaving a vacuum that terrorists "would instantly fill".

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Earlier Mujahid had dismissed the strategy as vague and "nothing new".

"For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear," he told AFP.

A senior Taliban commander told AFP that Trump was just perpetuating the "arrogant behaviour" of previous presidents such as George W. Bush.

"He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

"For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath," he told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He added that the statement proved the current Afghan government "is a US puppet".

Story continues

The insurgents signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the US embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack late Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the city's diplomatic quarter, with no casualties reported.

Trump also lambasted US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment, told AFP that Trump "has proved it's a Crusade".

"His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community)," he said.

Prior to Trump's announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 14:03:22|Editor: Zhou Xin

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BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The visit of Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli to Kuwait will mark the deepening of ties between the two nations, Kuwaiti Ambassador to China Sameeh Johar Hayat said.

The visit, starting Monday, will involve the signing of a number of agreements, the ambassador told Xinhua.

Zhang is the highest-level Chinese official to visit Kuwait in nearly a decade, and his visit is of great significance as to both regional and international situations, according to Hayat.

He revealed that during the visit, Zhang will meet with Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, as well as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

The two sides will discuss political and economic cooperation and bring trade and investment cooperation to a higher level, he said.

Noting that Kuwait is one of the countries investing the most in China in the Arab world, the ambassador expressed hopes that the visit will expand cooperation between the two countries.

The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1971. Kuwait was among the first Arab countries to sign a cooperation agreement with China under the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as one of the founding members of the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Trade between China and Kuwait reached 5.47 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, up 28.6 year on year. In 2016, bilateral trade was 9.37 billion dollars.

Kuwait is Zhang's first stop of a four-nation tour from Aug. 21 to 29, which will also take him to Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Namibia.
U.S. soldiers attend to a wounded soldier at the site of a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan in June of 2015: REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Donald Trump has agreed to send as many as 4,000 additional US troops to Afghanistan to tackle a steadily deteriorating security situation in the beleaguered country, according to senior officials quoted in American media.

The report comes ahead of a pre-planned speech by the President on Monday evening to spell out his policy for Afghanistan. Mr Trump and his advisors had signaled for days that a decision on the president's Afghanistan strategy was forthcoming.

In agreeing to boost troop levels in Afghanistan, Mr Trump has cemented America's continuing involvement in a conflict that has now stretched across three presidential administrations and nearly two decades.

His decision to do so marked a stark reversal from Mr Trump's position during the Obama administration, when Mr Trump repeatedly urged America to pull its forces from a conflict he characterized as intractable and costly.

Afghanistan scarcely figured in the 2016 presidential campaign. Without specifically articulating a vision for Americas role in the war-convulsed country, Mr Trumps foreign policy emphasized scaling back involvement in conflicts abroad and curbing the spread of Islamic extremism. His first major speech on the subject rejected nation-building, and in accepting the Republican nomination he warned that the situation [in the Middle East] is worse than it has ever been before despite years of costly American intervention.

We don't want to have a depleted military, because we're all over the place fighting in areas that just we shouldn't be fighting in, Mr Trump said in a December speech after winning the election. We have spent, at last count, $6 trillion in the Middle East, and our roads have potholes all over. Our highways are falling apart. Our bridges are falling.

But Mr Trump and his advisors have said in recent weeks that the turbulent situation in Afghanistan requires a response. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis flatly told Congress in June we are not winning in Afghanistan, echoing the concerns of military officials who had told lawmakers they needed more troops, and Mr Trump told reporters earlier this month that I took over a mess and were going to make it a lot less messy.

Story continues

In the years leading up to his presidential run, Mr Trump frequently assailed Americas presence in Afghanistan for squandering lives and money. He repeatedly said on Twitter that America should get out of Afghanistan, writing in early 2013 that the departure should happen immediately.

We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives. If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick. Rebuild the US first.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2013

Why are we continuing to train these Afghanis who then shoot our soldiers in the back? Afghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come home!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2012

Lets get out of Afghanistan. Our troops are being killed by the Afghanis we train and we waste billions there. Nonsense! Rebuild the USA.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2013

Once he became a contender for the 2016 nomination, Mr Trump moderated that stance. While he called the decision to invade Afghanistan a terrible mistake in 2015 - a criticism he disavowed late that month - he supported keeping troops in Afghanistan to prevent a collapse.

I think it's important, number one, that we keep a presence there and ideally a presence of pretty much what they're talking about - 5,000 soldiers, Mr Trump said at the time.

Multiple presidents have struggled with Americas entanglement in Afghanistan, now the countrys longest war. After first pouring additional service members into the country and then pledging to slim Americas commitment there to 5,500 troops by the end of his term, Barack Obama announced last summer that he would leave 8,400 service members there as a bulwark against terrorism.
Arizona governor Doug Ducey, once an outspoken champion of Trump, does not plan to attend the rally, the presidents first in the west

Trump has held seven campaign rallies since becoming president. Tens of thousands are expected in downtown Phoenix. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Donald Trump has been snubbed by the Republican governor of Arizona as he heads to the state for a campaign rally on Tuesday, amid fears that the event will attract neo-Nazis determined to wreak havoc.

Doug Ducey, once an outspoken champion of Trump, had no plans to attend the rally in Phoenix, his spokesman told the Arizona Republic newspaper. Democrats said they understood the governor would be over the border in Mexico.

Trump has held seven campaign rallies since becoming president but this will be his first in the west. Officials expect tens of thousands of people in downtown Phoenix, which is braced for a huge police operation to keep supporters and protesters separate and avoid a repeat of the deadly violence that scarred Charlottesville, Virginia, after which the president sought to blame both sides.

By 3.30pm, as Trump supporters filed into the venue, a few dozen protesters gathered on the adjacent road outside a Hyatt hotel. The rival groups were separated by about 15ft, steel barriers, a line of police and security guards and some reporters.

The small gap did not prevent some angry exchanges, trading of insults, mutual

jeering and rival chants of USA! USA! A Trump supporter with a microphone told the demonstrators: We know who you are. Youre a bunch of communists. You hate America.

The man, wearing a red Make America great again baseball hat, claimed that Barack Obamas ancestors had owned slaves and said: Take down every statue of Obama because his ancestors owned slaves.

Anti-Trump protesters chanted: Impeach! Impeach! and Putins bitch! Putins bitch! They held signs including Fight hatred, fight fascism, Black Lives Matter, Nazis will not replace US, Denounce white supremacy, Save our country: impeach Trump and Todays tasks: do laundry; clean litter boxes; oppose Nazis.



Story continues

Pro-Trump supporters outside the rally in Phoenix, Arizona. Photograph: Sandy Huffaker/Reuters



One placard depicted Trump with a Hitler-style moustache and said: Stop hate. But despite the heated exchanges and soaring temperature, there was no violence in the vicinity of the Phoenix convention center.

Duceys absence highlights the cracks in the states fiercely loyal Republican party. Senators John McCain  whose vote derailed Trumps healthcare reform  and Jeff Flake have been two of the most prominent voices to criticise the president over Charlottesville and other issues.

The governor could have also sought to avoid embarrassment if Trump decided to use the rally to pardon Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, over his recent conviction for breaking the law with his signature immigration patrols.

Although Trumps unpredictable nature must be taken into account, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on board Air Force One: I can tell you that there will be no discussion of that today at any point, and no action will be taken on that front at any point today.

I think a pardon for Joe Arpaio is a pardon for white supremacy, said Jess OConnell, chief executive of the Democratic National Committee, who is from Arizona.

Donald Trump has decided to come to Arizona not to help heal our nation but to stoke fears and further divide us. Republicans like Jeff Flake and Doug Ducey have refused to stand up to him and tell him to stay home. It is not enough to make vague comments on hate or, worse, stay silent.

History will not forget who stood by while Trump defended white supremacists who sow hate and violence Jess O'Connell, DNC chief executive

Republicans must disavow Trump, his presidency and his actions that have empowered white supremacists across the country.

She added: History will not forget who stood by while Trump defended white supremacists who sow hate and violence throughout the country.

The crowd of protesters swelled as the afternoon wore on, with cries of Shame! Shame! as they watched Trump supporters file into the Phoenix convention center. There was a colorful array of hats, face masks and costumes, but most eye-catching were two giant inflatables depicting Trump and Arpaio.

Trump visited a US Marine Corps base in the Yuma sector of the US-Mexico border before travelling to Phoenix, marking a return to themes of illegal immigration and building a border wall that he hammered in Arizona during the election campaign.

In a briefing with reporters early on Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security officials said 126,472 individuals had been apprehended while trying to cross the border illegally in the Yuma sector between January and July this year, a 46% drop compared with the same period last year.

Asked if that drop would warrant a freeze or decrease in the number of Border Patrol agents, officials pointed to an increase in the number of migrants apprehended and deported from within the US.

We can always use more resources, said one.

Donald Trump greets Marines in Yuma, Arizona. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Republicans across the country have been torn between a desire to speak out against Trump and the fear of a backlash from his vociferous base. Last month a poll found that Flake had an approval rating of just 37% among registered voters; Trump has reportedly said he will spend $10m in the Republican primary to oust him.

The Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego, who appeared alongside OConnell at a press conference on Monday, accused Ducey of trying to play it both ways.

Its not a coincidence at all that instead of showing leadership, Governor Ducey is running away and running away as fast as possible, he said on Monday. We know that in spirit and policy, Governor Ducey and Donald Trump are aligned.

Gallego welcomed Flakes criticisms of Trump but noted that he voted with the president 95% of the time. I appreciate your words, Senator Flake, but your actions matter more. If you want to stop this president, then actually do your constitutional duty and be a check on the executive instead of just writing a book and saying how bad you feel about it.

Arpaio, notorious for his roundup of undocumented immigrants, was found guilty of criminal contempt when he defied a courts order in a case involving racial profiling. He is awaiting sentencing in October, when he will face up to six months in prison. Arpaio was a partisan supporter of Trumps election campaign and last week the president said he was seriously considering a pardon.

Gallego said: It would be a disgrace to the office of the presidency, which I guess at this point we should be used to.



I would not be surprised that, if the president actually does this, it has nothing to do with Arpaio but actually has to do with him setting the standard of pardons so he can eventually start pardoning his family and all the other people within his campaign that helped to collaborate with the Russians.

Gallego, a marine veteran, predicted that white supremacists would attempt to cause trouble at or around the rally, on a day where the temperature is expected to be well over 100F (37.7C).

Im very fearful theres going to be violence, he told the Guardian. I do believe theyll turn up, I do believe theyll turn up armed, because theyre cowards and thats what they have to do to make themselves feel bigger men.

But city officials, who have criticised Trumps decision to hold a political rally so soon after events in Charlottesville, expressed confidence that they could avoid a repeat of that violence.

The Phoenix police chief, Jeri Williams, told reporters: We plan on creating the situation where people are allowed to exercise their first amendment rights while still providing access and options for public safety to get in and to people if the need arises.

Some businesses plan to close but no major road closures are planned. On Monday, there seemed little anxiety about the oncoming storm. Randy Morris, 44, a manager and bartender at Seamus McCaffreys pub, which will remain open, said: Im optimistic about the event. I dont think anything bads going to happen. Im going to have a big smile on my face.

Asked about the potential threat of neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, Morris replied: We dont have that kind of crowd here.
By Idrees Ali and Raya Jalabi BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Government forces breached the city limits of Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq on Tuesday on the third day of a U.S.-backed offensive to seize it back from Islamic State militants. Tal Afar, a longtime Islamic State stronghold, is the latest objective in the war following the recapture of Mosul after a nine-month campaign that left much of that city in ruins. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, speaking just before arriving in Iraq on Tuesday, said the fight against IS was far from over despite recent successes by the Western-backed government. The Sunni Muslim jihadists remain in control of territory in western Iraq and eastern Syria. On Tuesday, however, army and counter-terrorism units broke into Tal Afar from the eastern and southern sides, the Iraqi joint operations command said. About three quarters of the city remain under militant control, including the Ottoman-era citadel in its center, according to an operational map published by the Iraqi military. The main forces involved are the Iraqi army, air force, Federal Police, the U.S.-trained Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), as well as units from the Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), who began encircling the city on Sunday. Located 80 km (50 miles) west of Mosul, Tal Afar is strategic as it lies along the supply route between Mosul and Syria. It has produced some of IS's most senior commanders and was cut off from the rest of IS-held territory in June. Up to 2,000 battle-hardened militants remain in Tal Afar, according to U.S. and Iraqi military commanders. "ISIS' days are certainly numbered, but it is not over yet and it is not going to be over anytime soon," Mattis told reporters in Amman. CIVILIANS PLIGHT As was the case with the battle for Mosul, aid organizations groups are concerned about the plight of civilians in Tal Afar. U.S. Brigadier General Andrew Croft, chief of coalition air operations over Iraq, said between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians remained in Tal Afar. Up to 20,000 are thought to remain in the surrounding areas, but aid agencies say these are just estimates as they have been without access to Tal Afar since 2014. Waves of civilians have fled the city and villages under cover of darkness over the past few weeks. Those remaining are threatened with death by the militants, who have held a tight grip there since 2014. About 30,000 have fled Tal Afar since April, according to the United Nations. In Geneva, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said those fleeing this week were suffering from dehydration and exhaustion, having lived off unclean water and bread for the past three to four months. "Many talk of seeing dead bodies along the way, and there are reports that some were killed by extremist groups," UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said. "Others appear to have died due to dehydration or illnesses." People were also arriving at camps with wounds from sniper fire and exploding mines, he said. Several thousand civilians are believed to have been killed in the battle for Mosul, where Islamic State tried to keep them in areas it controlled to act as human shields against air strikes and artillery bombardments. Defense Secretary Mattis met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Arfan al-Hayali in Baghdad to discuss the role of U.S. forces in Iraq after the recapture of the remaining cities under Islamic State. ''There are plans under consideration... that will look at residual presence in the future," Lt. General Steve Townsend, the U.S.-led coalition's commanding general, told reporters in a joint press briefing with Mattis. Croft said that over the past two or three months, he had seen a fracturing in the Islamic State leadership. "It just seems less coordinated. It appears more fractured, less robust, and sort of flimsy, is the word I would use... it is sporadic," Croft told reporters. Islamic State leaders fled Mosul during the fighting there and the whereabouts of its chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, are unknown. Unconfirmed reports in the past few months have said he is dead. U.S. officials said that while big cities like Mosul have largely been cleared of Islamic State militants, there were concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to hold territory. Pockets of resistance remained in west Mosul, including sleeper cells, Mattis said. Islamic State is also on the back foot in Syria, where Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the U.S.-led coalition have captured swathes of its territory in the north and are assaulting its main Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. McGurk said about 2,000 Islamic State fighters remained in Raqqa and as much as 60 percent of the city had been retaken. The jihadist group is now falling back deeper into the Euphrates valley region of eastern Syria. Mattis said the next step for forces fighting Islamic State in Syria would be a move against the middle Euphrates valley, a reference to the militants' stronghold in Deir al-Zor province southeast of Raqqa. KURDISH REFERENDUM A U.S. official also said Mattis would press Massoud Barzani, president of the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, to call off a planned referendum on independence. Iraq's Kurds have said they will hold the referendum on Sept. 25 despite concerns from Iraq's neighbors who have Kurdish minorities within their borders and a U.S. request to postpone it. However, a senior Kurdish official said the Kurds may consider the possibility of a delay in return for financial and political concessions from the central government in Baghdad. The United States and other Western nations fear the vote could ignite a new conflict with Baghdad and possibly neighboring countries, diverting attention from the ongoing war against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. For a graphic on the map of Iraq conflict, click: http://apac1.proxy.cp.extranet.thomsonreuters.biz/fingfx/gfx/rngs/1/1696/2934/MIDEAST-CRISIS-IRAQ-BLAST.jpg (Additional reporting by Maher Chmaytelli in Erbil, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Seoul and Washington began annual war games on Monday, with South Korean President Moon Jae-In warning the nuclear-armed North not to use them as an excuse to perpetuate the "vicious cycle" of tensions.

Tens of thousands of South Korean and US troops are taking part in the "Ulchi Freedom Guardian" joint military drills, a largely computer-simulated exercise that runs for two weeks in the South.

The annual drills are viewed by nuclear-armed Pyongyang as a highly provocative rehearsal for invasion, and it always meets them with threats of strong military counteraction.

Only weeks ago it said it was considering firing a salvo of missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.

Moon described the exercises as "purely defensive in nature" and warned Pyongyang it "must not use it as an excuse to launch provocations that will worsen the situation".

"North Korea must understand its repeated provocations are what is forcing South Korea and the US to conduct the joint defensive drills, which in turn, keeps the vicious cycle going," Moon told a Cabinet meeting.

Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) last month that appeared to bring much of the US within range.

That sparked a grim warning by President Donald Trump that Washington could rain "fire and fury" on the North.

Leader Kim Jong-Un last week delayed the Guam strike plan, but warned it could go ahead depending on Washington's next move.

While the allies are pushing ahead with the exercises that date back to 1976, around 17,500 US troops will participate in the drills -- a cutback from last year.

South Korean media reports have said the US was considering scrapping a plan to bring in two aircraft carriers to the peninsula.

But US Defense Secretary James Mattis said Sunday the smaller troop numbers were "by design to achieve the exercise objectives", denying suggestions Washington had cut them back to try to ease tensions with Pyongyang.

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"This right now is an exercise to make certain that we're ready to defend South Korea and our allies over there," Mattis told reporters aboard an aircraft flying to Amman, Jordan.

US Pacific Command chief Admiral Harry Harris arrived in the South on Sunday to inspect the exercises and discuss growing North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

On the eve of the UFG drills, North Korea said the US was "pouring gasoline on fire".

In a commentary carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the North warned of an "uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war" on the peninsula, which would entangle the US mainland.

"If the United States is lost in a fantasy that war on the peninsula is at somebody else's doorstep far away from them across the Pacific, it is far more mistaken than ever."
Washington (AFP) - The wife of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin apologized on Tuesday after she posted an Instagram photo and comments that were slammed as tone deaf and elitist.

Louise Linton, 36, who is also a Scottish actress, posted a photo to the social network on Monday night that showed her descending with Mnuchin from an official US government plane. She tagged her designer clothing and accessories, including Tom Ford sunglasses, an Hermes scarf and Valentino heels.

The husband and wife had just returned from a trip to Kentucky, where Mnuchin addressed the Louisville Chamber of Commerce and visited the US Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.

The Commerce Department estimates that about 18.5 percent of Kentuckians live in poverty.

A user, jennimiller29, left a comment accusing Linton of freeloading on the taxpayer's dime: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton was apparently unable to resist a lengthy rebuttal: "Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable!" she wrote. "Do you think the the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol."

Linton also said that by virtue of their wealth, she and Mnuchin contributed more to society than jennimiller29.

"Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country?" Linton wrote. "Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours."

"You're adorably out of touch."

By Tuesday morning, Linton's post had reportedly been removed from her Instagram account, which was no longer publicly accessible.

She also issued an apology through her publicist later in the day.

"I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive," Linton said in the statement given to AFP.

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A Treasury Department spokesperson told AFP the couple were reimbursing the federal government for Linton's travel.

"She receives no compensation for the products she mentions," the spokesperson added.

A former Goldman Sachs executive, Hollywood producer and banker, Mnuchin is a prominently wealthy member of the Trump administration, one of the richest in recent memory.

Fortune magazine estimates Mnuchin's net worth is as high as $500 million.

During Senate confirmation, he faced awkward questions about previously undisclosed offshore investment firms and real estate holdings of about $100 million.

Linton posed earlier this year for the magazine Town and Country, exhibiting the lavish diamond and pearl jewelry she wore at her June wedding to Mnuchin.

The other Instagram user, identified by The New York Times as Jenni Miller, a 45-year-old mother of three from Oregon, told the paper Linton had gone on a "rant" to make herself appear "smarter, better, richer -- all those things."

"If she hadn't made her account private, I would have written back with a very snide Marie Antoinette joke," Miller said.
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called Tuesday for Pope Francis's support against a "military threat" from the United States, as international pressure mounts over the deadly political crisis Caracas is facing.

"May the pope help us prevent Trump from sending troops to invade Venezuela," Maduro told a news conference. "I ask for the pope's help against the military threat from the United States."

Maduro has faced months of deadly mass protests by opponents who blame him for an economic crisis and are demanding elections to replace him.

International pressure has also grown, with US President Donald Trump even saying this month that the United States reserved the option of military intervention in the Venezuela crisis.

Maduro pointedly highlighted his alliance with Russia, which had rejected Trump's recent threat as "unacceptable."

The Venezuelan leader said he wanted to "keep strengthening the military cooperation agreement" between the two countries "for the sovereign defense of Venezuela."

Russia recently sold fighter jets and ground to air missiles to Venezuela.

"Venezuela has the full and absolute support of Russia," he said, adding that he would soon go to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Maduro has called for military drills next weekend as a show of strength after Trump's threat.

The United States has applied economic sanctions directly targeting Maduro.

He says the economic collapse that has dragged his country into crisis is a US-backed conspiracy.

The opposition blames his economic management for the crisis.

Since Maduro was elected in 2013, Venezuela has descended into chaos that has raised fears for regional stability.

The fall in world prices for its oil exports has left it short of dollars for imports of food and medicine.

Venezuela is the third-biggest seller of oil to the United States, which is the destination for 42 percent of the South American country's crude exports.
On Monday, August 21, the United States will be treated to the first total solar eclipse to travel across the continental United States since 1979. Its a historical event not to be missed, but if you cant get outside for some reason  maybe youre stuck at work, maybe youre sick  there are still a lot of ways to witness it from indoors.

Like, a lot of ways. Television, YouTube, Periscope, even virtual reality, current technology has made it easy to live-stream the eclipse, and broadcasters are utilizing methods theyve never had the chance to try before. Here are a few of the craziest ways you can witness the eclipse from the great indoors.

NASA Live Coverage

Kind of an obvious choice, but NASA will be doing a huge live broadcast during the eclipse. Eclipse Across America: Through the Eyes of NASA will be a four-hour show starting with a preview at 12 p.m. Eastern, before the solar eclipse commences after 1 p.m. Featuring live reports from across the country as darkness travels from Oregon to South Carolina, NASAs coverage looks to be top-notch. The event will include views from research aircraft, high-altitude balloons, satellites, and specially modified telescopes.

In New York City, where the eclipse wont reach totality, NASA will be broadcasting their program, its happening, so now you know. If you go, download the NASA app so you can listen to the coverage while you watch the eclipse.

NASAs live coverage will also be available in the following plethora of ways:

On your phone, via the NASA app.

On your Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV, via the NASA app.

The Weather Channel, of course.

The Weather Channel is planning an entire day of programming around the solar eclipse, with meteorologists broadcasting live across the country from seven different locations following the path of totality. Coverage kicks off at 6 a.m. Eastern Time. Check your TV listings. There could be a hurricane during the eclipse, too.

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CNNs VR Eclipse of the Century

CNN will be doing live, 360 coverage online and via the CNN app starting at 1 p.m. Eastern. Although this will look cool on your laptop or phone no matter what, VR is still the best way to go when it comes to 360 coverage. If you have a headset to make it happen, you can scope CNNVR on the Samsung VR app, the Oculus Video app on Rift, or on the CNNVR app on Google Daydream.

Slooh

As a community hub with access to a global network of telescopes, Slooh is the coolest place on the internet to kill time looking at the stars. They are offering online eclipse viewing with a live broadcast from Stanley, Idaho. The coverage will feature a Slooh team of astronomical experts as well as cultural correspondents who will talk about history and spirituality of eclipses. One thing, though, youll have to be registered as a Slooh user to partake. Register here for free.

The Eclipse Ballooning Project

Okay, this is technically part of NASAs coverage, but it deserves a category of its own. On eclipse day, 55 teams of students at high schools and universities, as well as ballooning groups will fly about 100 atmospheric balloons across the country. Some balloons will be equipped with payloads that can capture live video, which will be streamed online. Rising to about 100,000 feet above Earth, the video footage will be pretty incredible, as the balloons will be able to show the curvature of the Earth and the blackness of space. This is the first time a project like this will attempt a live broadcast.

Apps!

There are several apps available to live stream the eclipse from your Android or iPhone. A few of the good ones include the Smithsonian Eclipse 2017 app, which will give you a live stream of NASA coverage. The app can also calculate your own view from where you are and provide you with a virtual eclipse simulator. It also gives you access to additional eclipse info via the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

Another good choice is Solar Eclipse by Redshift, which gives you four different eclipse simulations: a view from your current location, the best location, from orbit, and from the Sun. It also comes loaded with illustrated facts about the eclipse and informative videos.

Television

The are plenty of options for channel surfing too. On top of their 360 coverage, CNN will be broadcasting the eclipse live on TV, with reporting from Oregon, Missouri, Tennessee and South Carolina. Coverage starts at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Science Channel will also broadcast live eclipse footage, followed by a one-hour special on the phenomenon at 9 p.m.

World News Tonights David Muir will host ABCs The Great American Eclipse, which will broadcast live coverage from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

NBC will start its coverage on Today (which airs from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.) with Al Roker in Charleston, South Carolina. Then from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Lester Holt will host an NBC News Special Report in New York with meteorologist Dylan Dreyer.

Photos via The Simpsons

Written by Grace Lisa Scott

More articles by Grace Lisa  Follow Grace Lisa on Twitter

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WASHINGTON  Following President Donald Trumps primetime address on Monday, which provided little substance on U.S. strategy in a nearly 16-year war in Afghanistan, White House officials went on TV to give full-throated endorsements of Trump briefly staying on message and reading from a teleprompter.

What the American people saw last night was a commander in chief addressing the nation, addressing our troops, and really, addressing the world, with American resolve, a beaming Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday on Fox and Friends, a Trump-friendly program that the president himself frequently watches.

Pence was asked about his favorite moments from Trumps speech and repeatedly expressed pride in the presidents confidence and the way he went about this decision, and the way he squared his shoulders.

"We are in Afghanistan to win, and we know that American troops can accomplish that." -@VP pic.twitter.com/oTF9ZJmzru  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) August 22, 2017

I couldnt be more proud to have seen the way this president went about this decision. He asked all the hard questions. He demanded answers, Pence said. Couldnt make me more proud.

Pence echoed the vague platitudes that the president made in his speech, insisting that the U.S. is in Afghanistan to win  although, like his boss, Pence did not elaborate on what victory would entail.

Im just very proud of the leadership of President Donald Trump as commander in chief, Pence said.

On CNN, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley praised Trumps strong speech and ability to change his mind.

Host Chris Cuomo pointed out that Trumps announcement of a troop increase in Afghanistan marked a departure from his previous view that the U.S. should seek a military withdrawal.

My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts, but all of my life I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office, Trump said during his address on Monday night.

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That really shows the signs of a president, Haley said, after noting that Trump had listened to his generals and asked all the right questions.

Some journalists and pundits also lauded Trumps speech as presidential and representing a new President Trump.

Tonight is a new President Trump: Acknowledging a flip-flop and talking about gravity of office, history & substance.  Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) August 22, 2017

OPINION | Trump's Presidential Afghanistan speech sticks to the script, makes powerful argument https://t.co/OEEuD5Eu22 pic.twitter.com/OFZF1ToHr9  New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 22, 2017

But that may change when Trump takes the stage at a campaign rally in Phoenix on Tuesday night. Speaking to his base on immigration, one of his signature campaign issues, will likely bring out Trump in his default state: free-wheeling and off-the-rails, not scripted and following a teleprompter.

Also on HuffPost

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President Donald Trump seems to like the view from a firetruck made by Wisconsin-based Pierce Manufacturing as Vice President Mike Pence stands by during "Made in America" week.

Trump gives the thumbs-up from the firetruck cab.

Trump admires a wheel loader made by Caterpillar.

Trump grips a Marucci baseball bat.

Trump models a Stetson cowboy hat.

Trump checks out a boat made by Hinckley Yachts.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Ekhlas was held captive by Isis (BBC)

A Yazidi girl who escaped from the Islamic State (Isis) has told of how she was raped every day for six months by her captor.

Ekhlas, who was 14 when she imprisoned, tried to escape jihadis in northern Iraq by climbing Mount Sinjar but was caught and held as a sex slave.

In 2014, Isis began to target the Yazidis, an ethnic Kurdish group, which Isis believes are devil worshippers.

At the time it was reported that as many as 40,000 people had taken refuge on the mountain, as Isis fighters killed men and captured women and children in the region.

Everyday for six months he raped me. I tried to kill myself, Ekhlas told the BBC. He picked me out of 150 girls by drawing lots.

He was so ugly, like a beast, with his long hair. He smelt so bad. I was so frightened I couldnt look at him, she said.

Ekhlas told of how managed to escape while her captor was out fighting.

From there she was taken to a refugee camp, but now lives in a psychiatric hospital in Germany, where she is receiving therapy and education. She said that she hopes to train as a lawyer.

In the clip, Ekhlas says she can no longer cry about the abuse she suffered, as she ran out of tears.

MORE: Hero London Bridge Pc tells how he took on THREE Jihadis despite being stabbed in the eye

MORE: Man who took images of shot London terrorists describes the moment police shot them dead

In August 2014, Isis carried out the Sinjar massacre in the region, in which almost 5,000 people were killed and 50,000 were displaced.

Horrific stories of brutality, part of a genocide against the group, have since emerged.

Vian Dakhil, a prominent Yazidi politician in Iraq, who has shone a light on the atrocities, recently spoke of the torture, child rape and cannibalism suffered by members of the religious minority.

The stories as comes after it was revealed that a 16-year-old German girl who ran away from home to join Islamic State (Isis) has said she wants to come home.

Linda Wenzel, who disappeared from Pulsnitz near Dresden on July 1 last year, was detained in Iraq, along with other female supporters of the group, after the Battle of Mosul, which saw Isis fighters forced out of the ancient city.

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She was found along with 20 female Isis supporters from Russia, Turkey, Canada, Libya and Syria, who are believed to have barricaded themselves with guns and explosives in a tunnel underneath the ruins of Mosuls old city.

Speaking to German media, she said: I just want to get away from here. I want to get away from the war, from the many weapons, from the noise. I just want to go home to my family.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 14:18:28|Editor: Xiang Bo

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HAVANA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Researchers said Monday that the population with senile dementia is expected to double or even triple by 2040 in Cuba, which has one of the longest life expectancy rates in Latin America.

More than 160,000 people are suffering senile dementia in Cuba, which could increase to as many as 300,000, or 2.7 percent of the total population, in more than two decades, according to a study by the University of Medical Sciences in Havana and the Department of Studies on Alzheimer.

Cuba's annual rate of senile dementia is 21 per 1,000 people, similar to that of Europe and North America.

"However, the prevalence (of senile dementia) in Cuba is one of the highest in Latin America due to longer life expectancy in our country," said Rodolfo Bosch, one of the researchers.

"Senile dementia is one of the biggest health problems facing all countries, and carries huge social and economic costs," he added.

Senile dementia may be influenced by risk factors in middle age, including obesity, alcoholism and high cholesterol, as well as a low educational level.

However, aging is the leading cause of senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

"The prevalence of senile dementia grows together with the population aging, but this increase occurs exponentially," Bosch said.

For example, he said, the estimated global population with senile dementia in 2015 was 44.6 million, but that would double every two decades to reach 65.7 million people by 2030 and 115.4 million by 2050.

Education has proven to be a factor, with those who finished high school appearing to have a 30 percent lower chance of suffering from dementia, while those who went on to university have a 40 percent lower chance.

Currently, 19.4 percent of Cubans are aged 60 or older, or more than two million out of a total 11 million population, according to the National Statistics Bureau.

By 2030, the number of people over 60 will reach 25 percent of the population, presenting a major challenge for the island's healthcare system.
A program designed to bring undergraduate and Masters students into State Department and other federal government positions following graduation is the latest victim of the Trump administrations eight-month long hiring freeze.

Participants in the Pathways program were offered jobs in March with the possibility of full-time positions. However, at the end of a three-month period, they found that they would not, in fact, be getting a full-time job.

The Pathways internship program is currently suspended for converting Pathways interns, an official involved in the program, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Foreign Policy. They need to resolve this ASAP. Its causing a lot of hiccups right now.

The suspension of the internship program will hit the State Department especially hard after two other similar programs were put on hold. Last month, both the Diplomacy Fellows program and the Presidential Management Fellows program were suspended, Foreign Policy reported previously.

Current and former diplomats say the recent decisions will hamper the departments ability to recruit and hire promising young talent. Combined with a flurry of retirements by senior foreign service officers and budget pressures, the State Department face a potential personnel shortage.

The Trump administration initiated a hiring freeze on Jan. 23, though it originally exempted military personnel and fellowship programs like Pathways. Yet over the last eight months, a number of fellowships have been put on hold.

The Pathways programs suspension has caught many off guard. A masters student in business administration, who requested anonymity for fear of professional repercussions, had a verbal offer for a financial management analyst position at the State Department through the Pathways program  an offer he took over other financial jobs in the private sector. He said he received the offer in March but around graduation in mid-May, he still had not been assigned to a full-time position.

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The Human Resources department assured him that his application would be moving forward soon, but by July, officials there became less responsive. On July 18, he finally received an email officially stating that he would not be offered a job due to budgetary and hiring constraints.

In the past four weeks, each and every one of the people I know from the Pathways program  and had received an offer months ago, contacted me to let me know that their new bureau was now informing them that they would not be able to proceed with their conversion, said the masters student.

According to a program coordinator, the suspension is coming from upper management, which explains the freeze as necessary for the redesign and downsizing of the State Department. Pathways is continuing to send intern applications to State Department offices, but nothing is moving forward. Im still gathering documents, the program coordinator said. Were still sending them but they are just holding them.

In an address to interns last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that all state fellowship and internship programs would remain in place.

The suspensions are only a temporary measure so that we could take a thorough accounting of the State Department in consideration of how to best strengthen it and to position ourselves to improve our diversity, Tillerson said. Our current fellowships and internshipsare necessary to achieving our diversity objective.

While the programs may eventually go forward, interns counting on jobs have been left hanging.

They need to just let them know what they are doing and that they are working on resolving it, the official involved in the Pathways program said. They need to provide them with a date and they arent doing that, she said. So were all in limbo.

A State Department spokesperson told FP that it would convert Pathways interns to one year part-time work as part of an interim solution. The part-time Pathways employees will receive the same benefits as full time employees, the spokesperson said.

The State Department highly values the work and contributions of Pathway Interns, the spokesperson said.

Update, Aug. 22, 2017, 10:58 am ET: This post was updated to include comment from the State Department, and to clarify that the interns will not be getting full-time jobs.
A teenager who attends Beaumont High School in Southern California discovered that her choice of undergarments was actually subject to her teachers approval.

Photo: rxmybxtch/Twitter

BHS is so out of line, Remy Altuna wrote on Twitter last Wednesday. Now they want to dress code you for not wearing a bra. My underwear is none of there (sic) business.

BHS is so out of line. Now they want to dress code you for not wearing a bra. My underwear is none of there business. pic.twitter.com/HgocMryaGB  emy (@rxmybxtch) August 17, 2017

Altuna had gone most of the day in her black bodysuit and baggy jeans without comment from teachers or the security guards who typically watch for dress code violations, she tells Yahoo Style. But when she went to the school office to get a paper signed, an assistant vice principal pulled her aside and told her to put on a jacket.

She said that my shirt was low cut; then she asked if I was wearing a bra, Altuna says. She went on to say that because I wasnt wearing a bra, she didnt want people to think anything bad of me or talk inappropriately or have anything bad to say.

The Beaumont High School dress code does not specify anything about bras, but says this about shirts: Tops must cover all parts of undergarments and shall not be low cut or revealing. Altuna said she didnt feel she needed a bra with her top, and if shed worn one, she would have been dress-coded because it would have shown. While she does not think her outfit was inappropriate, she said what happened to her is part of a pattern.

This year it just seems like theyre really out for blood, looking for anything, Altuna says. It would be one thing if they were dress coding boys and girls equally, but she notes that girls have been the biggest targets, while the boys violations, such as ripped jeans, are overlooked.

Story continues

Another student at Altunas school also took to Twitter to complain that girls were being disciplined for their outfits while boys who made sexual comments about them were not.

so today security heard a guy comment something sexual bc of my leggings & then tried to dress code me for it instead of talking to the him?  Larissa M (@larissaamedina) August 16, 2017

So today security heard a guy comment something sexual bc of my leggings & then tried to dress code me for it instead of talking to the him? Larissa M wrote. My leggings werent sheer whatsoever. If our security cant stand up to sexual harassment, they dont need to work at BHS.

Altuna said the vice principal told her: I dont want people to see you and assume bad things about you. Im trying to protect you.

A friend responded on Twitter, What bad things would someone assume? Like oh damn look at that girl being comfy and s***.

What "bad things" would someone assume? Like oh damn look at that girl being comfy and shit https://t.co/iI9lY2aM5S  JoJo (@jojoohohoo) August 17, 2017

If my vice principal was so concerned about bullying and people saying bad things about me  then she should focus on the students who are behaving inappropriately, Altuna told Yahoo. We as women shouldnt be put down because of our bodies.

Christina Pierce, the principal of Beaumont High School, told Yahoo that shes aware of the students concern.

In a school with 2,800 students, we acknowledge that enforcing the dress code is not a perfect process; administrators diligently work to ensure all students are following the dress code, Pierce said in an email. Our goal is to establish a school culture that supports a productive academic atmosphere and safe environment. We provide ongoing training for administrators and staff, who educate students in identifying sexual harassment, and hold regular discussions with students about respectful behavior at school and in the classroom.

The notion that wearing a bra or covering up the body is necessary for a girls protection is a faulty one, setting society up to blame the victims of sexual assault, according to experts.

At a global scale the rate of violence against women is that one in three girls have experienced violence, whether that be domestic violence or sexual assault, Laura Palumbo, communications director for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, told Yahoo Style in an interview last week. That is something that is clearly happening at a scale across cultures and countries and suggests that it is much more of a complex issue than how a woman dresses and is actually rooted in the very ideas of traditional masculinity and subjugation of women.

Last year, when a school in Montana tried to force girls to wear bras, the students began a school-wide No Bra, No Problem protest. Elsewhere in California, boys at San Benito High School in Hollister have taken to wearing off-the-shoulder tops to stand up to their schools restrictions. Altuna seems willing to do the same.

Im ready to actually do something to push back against this, because this is ridiculous, she tweeted on Wednesday. She told Yahoo that shes writing a speech to argue her position on the dress code.

Its really hot in California right now, and were not going to be wearing burlap sacks to school every day, she said. Today, Im wearing a Nasty Woman shirt to school, and well see if they have anything to say about that.

Read more from Yahoo Beauty + Style:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.




Mary Kate Ashley Olsen bridesmaids friends wedding

It takes two or in this case, 18. Dynamic duo Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen once again served as bridesmaids on Saturday, July 22, this time celebrating a fellow fashion industry friends nuptials in New Yorks Hudson Valley region.

The Elizabeth and James designers, 31, managed to infuse their cool sense of style into a bridal party of 18 ladies. The maids all wore derivatives of floral prints and posed for group snapshots on the steps of a home that included perfectly manicured hedges and bright floral displays.

Ashley looked festive in a printed and sleeved black dress while her sibling sported her signature look in an oversize dress. Mary-Kate accessorized her outfit with a flower crown and silk green flats.

We did it ! #mrandmrsflames A post shared by Sarah Staudinger (@staud) on Jul 22, 2017 at 3:50pm PDT

When the bride says wear floral, you wear floral.  #mrandmrsflames A post shared by kylemilleryoga (@kylemilleryoga) on Jul 22, 2017 at 4:29pm PDT

Flower girls  we love you #mrandmrsflames A post shared by JORDAN KLEIN (@jordanmollyklein) on Jul 23, 2017 at 10:40am PDT

When your wedding vision is George Harrison finding God in India  #mrandmrsflames A post shared by @lilywaronker on Jul 23, 2017 at 8:25am PDT

The bride, Gomelsky creative director Cassie Coane, married Jim Koenig at Fox Fodder Farm operated by Southwood Property in the Hudson Valley. Another note-worthy bridesmaid included DJ Harley Viera-Newton.

MARRIED  #mrandmrsflames A post shared by Harley Viera-Newton (@harleyvnewton) on Jul 23, 2017 at 12:30pm PDT

So in  with #mrandmrsflames A post shared by Fox Fodder Farm (@foxfodderfarm) on Jul 23, 2017 at 6:07am PDT

@cassiecoane in Danielle Frankel at her epic wedding #mrandmrsflames  A post shared by Danielle Frankel (@daniellefrankelstudio) on Jul 24, 2017 at 8:17am PDT

 A post shared by Harley Viera-Newton (@harleyvnewton) on Jul 24, 2017 at 8:12am PDT

This is the second known time the Olsen twins have served as bridesmaids in 2017. Back in March, the two stepped out as bridesmaids in a friends tropical wedding in New Zealand.

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The name of Googles latest operating system could easily be the worst kept secret in recent history, but the tech giant confirmed Monday that Android O is officially Android 8.0 Oreo. The new version was unveiled in a press event coinciding with the Solar Eclipse that traversed the U.S. Monday afternoon.

A new Oreo themed statue was unveiled at Googles headquarters in Mountain View, California.

Android 8.0 Oreo is now available for select Google-branded devices, including the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C and Nexus Player. Users interested in installing the new software can do so by signing in to the Android Beta Program page and enrolling their device for the update. Users can also download system images to install Android 8.0 Oreo manually

Read: Android O Beta Release Date: 9 Features Announced At Google I/O 2017

Here are some highlighted features on Android Oreo:

Picture-in-picture: Allows users to access two applications at once.



Notification dots: Alerts users of updates to apps by adding a dot to the app icon



Autofill: Remembers logins credentials for applications



Android Instant Apps: Allows users to open apps without full installation



New Emojis: Over 60 new emojis have been added to the system

In addition to Google-branded devices, Android partners including Essential, General Mobile, HMD Global Home of Nokia Phones, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony will also soon begin updating devices to Android Oreo.

Read: Android O Preview Features And Beta Announced At I/O 2017 Keynote

Google announced at its I/O conference in May that its Project Treble initiative will help manufacturers push updates to devices much faster by separating the actual Android update from the customized interface updated partners add to their devices.

Similar to what Google did with Nestle for Android 4.4 KitKat in 2013, Android 8.0 Oreo is a branding deal between the tech giant and Nabisco.

Related Articles
The eclipse as viewed from Bald Mountain, Idaho, photographed by Kevin Lisota. The purple coloring on the underside is an eclipse phenomenon known as Bailys Beads, in which the craters on the moons surface allow partial sunlight to shine through. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

MADRAS, Ore.  The spectacle that skywatchers made years worth of plans to see finally happened, darkening the sky during a total solar eclipse.

The moon began covering up the sun over Oregon just after 9 a.m. PT, with thousands of cameras equipped with solar filters trained on the sight.

The shadow of the moon streaked eastward from Oregon to the coast of South Carolina, delivering the first all-American total solar eclipse in 99 years.

The temperature in summery Madras, where thousands of eclipse-watchers gathered, cooled from 73 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit as the eclipse neared its climax.

Just before totality, sunlight waned as if someone was turning down a dimmer switch. A wave of darkness swept in from the west. Day turned into night, to the cheers of the Oregon Solarfest assembly at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Madras.

The total phase lasted for two minutes starting at 10:20 a.m. PT in Madras, beginning and ending with a brilliant diamond ring effect. During full totality, observers wielding binoculars could see red prominences licking up from the sun as well as the stars faintly glowing outer atmosphere, known as the corona.

Al Smith, a retired geophysicist from California, said the spectacle exceeded his expectations, especially considering the smoky haze that hung high overhead.

I was surprised, he told GeekWire. We cleared out enough that the corona just blasted through. I think everybody was happy. They had an orgasmic experience.

By late morning, the temperature in Madras was back in the mid-70s.

Although a partial solar eclipse could be seen anywhere in North America where the skies were clear, totality could be experienced only within a 70-mile-wide path where the moons shadow was deepest.

Patty Holbert of Santa Cruz, Calif., shows off a pinhole projector with images of the crescent sun at Madras, Ore. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)

Authorities in Oregon made plans for more than a million travelers to swoop into the state for totality, in part because central Oregon had the best chance of clear skies based on historical data. And in fact, the only thing dimming the skies over Oregon was the smoke from wildfires.

Story continues

Traffic tie-ups in the state werent as bad as some had feared, although more serious problems were reported in other parts of the country.

Seattleites saw up to 92 percent of the suns disk covered, dimming the skies to about the level of sunset at the 10:20 a.m. peak.

A NASA research plane and a specially chartered Alaska Airlines jet flew out from Seattle this morning to get the first guaranteed cloud-free glimpses of the eclipse from aerial vantage points off the coast of Oregon.

Follow our Eclipse Journal and see the links below for more coverage.

More from GeekWire:
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Schlage Sweepstakes: Enter beginning 12:01 A.M. (ET) on August 22, 2017, through 11:59 P.M. (ET) on October 22, 2017 (the "Entry Period"). Go to womansday.com/giveaways on a computer or wireless device and complete and submit the entry form pursuant to the onscreen instructions. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR ENTRY WILL NOT BE COMPLETED UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM AND ENTERED YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION. Prizes & Approximate Retail Value: Three (3) winners will receive a Schlage Connect Touchscreen Deadbolt with Alarm with Century Trim (ARV: $199). Total ARV of all prizes awarded: $597. Any difference between the stated ARV and the actual value of the prize will not be awarded in any form.

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Amid reports that the destroyer USS John S. McCain lost steering just before collision with an oil tanker, experts have speculated the possibility of hacking as the cause of the incident.

The US Navy ordered an investigation into its entire 7th Fleet, based in Japan, after the incident in the Strait of Malacca early Monday morning. Navy Admiral John Richardson clarified on Twitter the review would include the possibility of cyber intrusion or sabotage.

But review will consider all possibilities, he said.

The USS McCain was the fourth vessel of the 7th Fleet based in Japan to have been involved in an incident this year. The search for the ten missing sailors of the destroyer is still ongoing.

On June 17, the USS Fitzgerald was badly damaged in a collision off the coast of Japan and seven sailors drowned. Aside from the USS McCain and the USS Fitzgerald incidents, the Navy cruiser USS Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay in February. In May, another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain, hit a South Korean fishing vessel.

The spate of incidents has given rise to speculations that there might be more than human error involved.

Theres something more than just human error going on because there would have been a lot of humans to be checks and balances, Jeff Stutzman, an ex-information warfare specialist in the Navy, who now works at a cyber threat intelligence company, told McClatchyDC.

"When you are going through the Strait of Malacca, you can't tell me that a Navy destroyer doesn't have a full navigation team going with full lookouts on every wing and extra people on radar," he said.

Itay Glick, the founder of cyber security firm Votiro, told news.com.au that the possibility of cyber interference was the first thing that came to his mind when he heard about the incident.

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I dont believe in coincidence, Glick told the website.

Both USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald were part of the 7th Fleet, there is a relationship between these two events and there may be a connection, he added.

Glick, who worked in the cyber-warfare unit of the Israeli intelligence agency for seven years, said he believed countries like Russia and China might have the capability to launch cyber attacks on warships.

China has capabilities, maybe they are trying things, it is possible, he said.

He said there are two main ways that a warship can be interfered with: attacking its GPS and thereby impacting its navigation or a malware attack on its computer network.

There is already a lot of interest in cyber protection of cars and autonomous vehicles, we can deduce from that, there might be a way to control ships and airplanes, Glick said.

Whenever control of the vessel is done by computer, or navigation is done by computer, there is a big risk for a cyber attack on that computer, he added.

Meanwhile, an unsigned editorial in the Global Times said that McCains collision was met with applause from Chinese netizens.

It claimed the Chinese reaction "reflects the sentiment of Chinese society toward the activities of the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea."

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 14:28:31|Editor: Zhou Xin

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HONG KONG, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Sotheby's Hong Kong will present a rare Ru guanyao brush washer from Northern Song Dynasty during the Chinese Works of Art Autumn Sales in October, it said here on Tuesday.

The brush washer came from the Le Cong Tang collection, and is one of only four known heirloom Ru wares in private hands, Sotheby's Hong Kong said, adding it is estimated to fetch in excess of 100 million HK dollars (about 13 million U.S. dollars).

Nicolas Chow, Deputy Chairman of Sotheby's Asia and International Head and Chairman of Chinese Works of Art said there will be a unique opportunity to acquire a near perfect and ravishing small brush washer from the Northern Song dynasty Ru kilns, the most celebrated and forged ceramic type throughout Chinese history.

The brush washer is the finest example extant among all four heirloom pieces in private hands, Chow said.

To be held on Oct. 3, 2017, the auction will offer more than 230 lots estimated in excess of 600 million HK dollars, according to Sotheby's Hong Kong.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 14:48:40|Editor: Xiang Bo

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan was "unacceptable" and his new Afghanistan strategy will shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground.

Trump made the announcement in a prime-time address at 9 p.m. local time (0100 GMT, Tuesday) from Fort Myer in Virginia. He did not talk about the widely anticipated increase of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

In the over-30-minute speech, Trump ruled out a quick withdrawal of the U.S. troops, saying that it would have unacceptable consequences and "create a vacuum" that the Islamic State and al-Qaida would fill.

The president's national address came after a lengthy meeting with his national security team at Camp David on Friday.

He also made it clear that he would not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops and another 5,000 troops of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Afghanistan to train and assist Afghan forces against the Taliban, and conduct counter-terrorism missions.

Ahead of Trump's speech, U.S. media expected the president to authorize the deployment of up to 4,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

Instead of being specific on troop numbers, Trump outlined the pillars of his strategy for Afghanistan and the South Asian region, saying that the United States was focused on "killing terrorists," not nation building.

He said that the new strategy would be based on conditions on the ground, not timing.

While reassuring the Afghan government about the U.S. commitment of cooperation, Trump also warned that the U.S. support was "not a blank check."

"The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political and economic burden," said Trump.

Hailing Trump's speech, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that the president's strategy came after "a rigorous interagency review."

"I will be in consultation with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies - several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers," said Mattis in a statement released by the Defense Department later in the day.

The new Afghanistan strategy came at a time when senior U.S. officials warned of a dire security situation in Afghanistan.

In a congressional hearing in June, Mattis said the United States was still "not winning" the war in Afghanistan, the longest in U.S. history.

Trump, a long-time critic of how the United States is fighting the war in Afghanistan, announced a review of the U.S. strategy on Afghanistan soon after taking office in January.

Then U.S. President George W. Bush ordered a dispatch of U.S. troops to fight the war in Afghanistan in October 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Since then, about 2,400 U.S. forces reportedly have died in Afghanistan.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 14:53:42|Editor: Xiang Bo

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CANBERRA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday that the federal government would "consider" any request from the United States to contribute further troops to Afghanistan.

In a statement following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he would "ask NATO allies and global partners" for further support in the region, Payne said that while Australian contribution is already "significant", the government would consider any formal request.

"We will examine the president's statement, consider any expectations of counterpart nations and engage in discussion with the U.S. on those matters," Payne said.

"Australia is making a significant contribution to operations including in Iraq and Syria, in Afghanistan and in our own region. In May we agreed to increase the ADF train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan by 30 personnel, which will take our total troop numbers to around 300."

Meanwhile Peter Jennings from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) told News Corp that Australia would definitely be one of the nations from which Trump would seek support.

"We would certainly be among the allies they would expect to take a request like that seriously," Jennings told News Corp on Tuesday.

But he added that while the United States might be concerned with the situation in the Middle East and, in particular, Afghanistan, Australia should perhaps look at working against Islamic State (IS) in the Philippines - much closer to home.

"It might be smart to actually look at doing a bit more to assist with the Philippines because really we just can't let IS establish a hold in the South and that's probably for us where the most immediate problem is," Jennings said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 14:53:43|Editor: Xiang Bo

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Arizona Governor Doug Ducey will not show in U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign-style rally scheduled to be held Tuesday in Phoenix, capital of the Grand Canyon state, local media reported Monday.

The rally is Trump's first trip to Arizona after winning the White House and the first trip to the West under mounting criticism for his ambiguous attitude to the white supremacy violence which resulted in the death of one women in Charlottesville, Virginia on Aug. 12.

According to local news website AZ Central. Com, Daniel Scarpinato, spokesman of the Republican governor, wrote a statement to the Republic Party of the state, saying that Ducey would skip the rally and work with law enforcement "toward a safe event in downtown Phoenix for all those involved and in the area."

The statement was not released on the Governor Office's website or his official social media pages. But ABC 15 news channel also said Docey would only meet the president when the latter arrives at Phoenix Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

Richard Herrera, an associate professor of political science at Arizona State University, was quoted by the AZ Central. Com as saying that the governor's move is trying to strike a balance between Republican voters who ardently support Trump and those who vehemently oppose him, in order to prepares for his 2018 reelection bid.

A handshake at the airport is the "least public way possible" for Ducey to show his respect while keeping his distance, Herrera said.

Even though Arizona is a stronghold of Republicans, it's also home to two of Trump's most vocal Republican critics -- Senator John McCain and Senator Jeff Flake. Flake was slammed by the president as "toxic" on his typical early morning Twitter last Thursday.

As thousands of Trump supporters and protesters are expected to flood downtown Phoenix, local residents have showed their worries to an uproar triggered by the president.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams has repeatedly promised that "maximum staffing" will be deployed at the event and noted Phoenix's partnerships with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center.

In an email to Xinhua on Monday by Team Trump-Pence, organizers gave a list of prohibited items that will not be allowed in the rally Tuesday, including "weapons of any kind, ammunition, explosives, firearms, selfie sticks, toy guns and any other items determined to be potential safety hazard."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 14:58:47|Editor: Xiang Bo

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CARACAS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's opposition leader and governor of the western state of Miranda, Henrique Capriles, denied on Monday any links with illicit payments from the Brazilian construction company, Odebrecht.

"I repeat: I have never signed anything or had any relation with Odebrecht. Those who can speak of this are in the government. They do this so they will not be held accountable," Capriles said via Periscope, a live video streaming app.

Odebrecht's former director in Caracas, Euzenando Azevedo, recently told investigators that he provided illicit funding for Capriles' 2013 presidential campaign.

Capriles, who insisted that the allegations sought to ruin his reputation, said:" No party told me what to do or say."

Some media outlets in Venezuela recently published information which was already released in May in Brazil, stating that Capriles received bribes from Odebrecht.

Odebrecht, Latin America's largest construction conglomerate, has been found to have paid out millions of dollars in bribes to politicians across the region in exchange for public contracts.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 15:39:03|Editor: ying

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government proposed on Monday the privatization of the country's largest power company, Eletrobra, as the government has been struggling to tackle budget deficit.

Eletrobras, with more than 24,000 employees, is the largest power company in Latin America and is among the largest clean energy firms in the world.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy announced that it will formally request reduction of the government's participation in the company.

The Brazilian government currently holds a 51 percent voting stake in Eletrobras. According to the ministry, there will be a share capital increase in the company, which will make the government's stake fall to 47 percent.

With the measure, the government aims to raise 20 billion reals (6.3 billion U.S. dollars).

The government said that the privatization will enable Eletrobras to generate profit instead of making losses, without giving further detail.

"The government will remain a shareholder, receiving dividends over time. The company will generate profit instead of making losses, which will benefit state and local governments with the increase in tax collection," the ministry said.

Eletrobras' market value is estimated at 19.5 billion reals (6.1 billion dollars). The company currently registered a net debt of 38.4 billion reals (12.1 billion dollars) in the second quarter of 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 15:39:05|Editor: ying

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PYONGYANG, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The official media of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday that Japan is responsible for undermining the region's security due to its re-militarization and active participation in U.S.-led military maneuvers against Pyongyang.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a commentary that in its 2017 defense white paper published on Aug. 8, Japan Defense Ministry described the DPRK's nuclear and missile development as a "serious threat to Japan."

"The reckless action of Japan as a shock brigade of the U.S. pushing the situation of the Korean Peninsula to the worst crisis clearly reveals its sinister militarist scheme," it said, citing recent joint drills between Japan and the United States in waters off the Korean Peninsula.

It said that after Japan's half century of conquest in the Asia-Pacific region, it is now seeking "to stage a comeback to Korea and repeat its bloody past history."

"Threats to security comes from nowhere but Japan, which is sharpening the sword of re-invasion, dreaming an old dream of realizing the 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere,'" the KCNA added, refering to an imperial term created by Japan to advance its colonialist ambitions in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 15:54:20|Editor: ZD

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BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's national weather observatory Tuesday issued an orange alert for the 13th typhoon this year, Hato.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the eye of Hato was above the South China Sea some 620 km to the southeast of Zhuhai, Guangdong, packing winds of up to 25 meters per second, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said in a statement.

The NMC forecast it will move northwestward to make landfall in Guangdong on Wednesday and then move west while losing strength.

Affected by Hato, Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Taiwan will see torrential rain and gales in the coming days.

The NMC suggested local governments take precautions against possible geological disasters, and ships in affected areas should return to port.

In Guangdong's neighboring Fujian Province, more than 4,000 fish farmers and their families, retreated to the land on Monday, and all fishing boats returned to harbor, Tuesday.

The typhoon is expected to bring rain and gales with a maximum speed of around 40 meters per second to the sea off Fujian.

Around 90 bullet trains between Shenzhen and cities in Fujian and Jiangxi provinces have been canceled on Wednesday.

China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 16:09:29|Editor: ying

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BAGHDAD, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived here Tuesday on an unannounced visit to meet with Iraqi leaders over the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group in the Tal Afar area, the Iraqi official television reported.

Mattis is expected to meet with top Iraqi officials and military commanders to discuss bilateral relations and the offensive against the IS group in the town of Tal Afar, the state-run Iraqiya channel said without giving further details.

Hundreds of U.S. troops are already in Iraq, serving as trainers and advisers, in an attempt to help the country win the battle against IS militants in the country's northern province of Nineveh, where Tal Afar is located.

The U.S.-led international coalition has also been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria.

Mattis' visit came as the Iraqi security forces backed by the anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from their last stronghold in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 16:14:35|Editor: An

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BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The State Council, China's cabinet, announced the appointment and removal of several senior officials Tuesday.

Wei Shanzhong was appointed vice minister of water resources; Ye Zhenqin replaced Chen Xiaohua as vice minister of agriculture.

Wang Xiaodong was appointed vice president of Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralymic Winter Games, replacing Xu Ning.

Wu Daohuai will no longer serve as vice minister of human resources and social security; Yang Huanning was removed as head of the State Administration of Work Safety.

Li Gang will no longer be deputy director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and Fang Jianmeng will no longer hold the post of deputy head of State Oceanic Administration.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 16:24:42|Editor: ying

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by Liu Mei

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Californian residents are still sparing no efforts to rescue their monuments from elimination list as the Donald Trump administration is expected this week to release results of assessment for 27 national monuments on its "review list."

A national monument in the United States is a protected area which is similar to a national park, but can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government. The first national monument, Devils Tower in state of Wyoming, was declared by then President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908.

In history, there was no president who ever tried to reduce the number of national monuments. However, Trump signed an executive order in April, listing a total of 27 national monuments, which are potentially to be revoked or shrunk from the size.

He claimed that previous administrations "abused" their right to designate federally protected monuments, putting millions of acres of land off limits to drilling, mining, logging and other activity.

As soon as the order was signed, local nature and wildlife protection organizations started to launch campaigns against the list.

Michael Reinemer, the deputy director of The Wilderness Society, a leading conservation organization, told Xinhua on Monday that "The Wilderness Society views the Trump administration review of these national public lands as an assault on America's natural wonders."

"Many of the nation's most iconic wild places, such as the Grand Canyon, were first protected as national monuments under the Antiquities Act in 1906. We will fight to preserve, intact, all these places under the review. None of these places warranted a 'review' in the first place," he said.

There are six national monuments located in California on the list, including Berryessa Snow Mountain, Carrizo Plain, Giant Sequoia, Mojave Trails, San Gabriel Mountains and Sand to Snow. The last one has been dropped from the government's plan to eliminate national monuments.

Sand to Snow is a national monument located in the east of Los Angeles, covering an area of 154,000 acres (623 square kilometers). It was just created last year by then President Barack Obama and has become popular among hiking lovers.

Many local people sighed a relief and cheered on Twitter and Facebook for the result.

"I would say that would be a big loss for California and the United States if it was eliminated or changed by the president. I want to go hiking in the Snow to Sand monument area, the landscape there is amazing. That absolutely is the paradise for hiking lovers and I am so glad now it has been saved," Lindsay Scott, an outdoor enthusiast, told Xinhua on Monday.

But California' s Attorney General Xavier Becerra warned there are more works to do. He wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in June, urging him to continue protecting the California national monuments, then released a statement last week, presented his determined opposition to the executive order.

"As the attorney general, I'm prepared to take any and all action necessary, including filing a lawsuit, to protect our national monuments," he said in a statement.

Becerra pointed out that the Trump administration is considering to change to status of some current national monuments and open up more treasured public lands to leasing for oil and gas exploration.

"Californians have made it clear that they do not want new drilling off the shores of California's coast. As their attorney general, I will do everything possible to protect our state's pristine natural resources," he said.

"The Trump Administration should focus on developing clean energy alternatives so that this nation remains energy independent into the foreseeable future," Becerra noted.

His words were echoed by local businessmen, who said, California, the third largest state in the United State with so many distinct natural landscapes, attracts dozens of millions of tourists from all over the world every year and creates lots of jobs.

"The natural resources are very valuable to California. Every year customers from Asia ask me about California's featured landscapes. I usually would recommend them the National Parks and Monuments. The feedbacks from them are always 'awesome' and 'fantastic'," Bessie Wong, a tourism agency owner, told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 16:24:47|Editor: ying

Afghanistan Presidential Palace spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi speaks during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2017. Shah Hussain Murtazawi said that Afghanistan as a strategic partner of the United States welcomes the new strategy and supports regional cooperation in the war on terror. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)

KABUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua)-- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Gahni on Tuesday welcomed the new U.S. strategy announced by President Donald Trump on Monday, the President Palace said in a statement.

"I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism," Afghan president was quoted in the statement as saying.

"The decision by President Donald Trump, shows an enduring commitment by Afghanistan's foundational partner in this global conflict," said the Afghan president in the statement.

On Monday evening, revealing his new Afghan strategy, Trump noted that a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan was "unacceptable" and his new Afghanistan strategy will shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground.

"The U.S.-Afghan partnership is stronger than ever in overcoming the threat of terrorism that threatens us all. The strength of our security forces should show the Taliban and others that they cannot win a military victory. The objective of peace is paramount. Peace remains our priority," Ghani noted in the statement.

The Afghan government welcomes renewed U.S. emphasis on seeing security in Afghanistan as part of a wider regional package, the statement read, adding that the strategy complements Afghan initiatives, including the Kabul Process, that seek to engage the region in sharing common security burdens.

Earlier in the day, Presidential Palace spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi said that Afghanistan as a strategic partner of the United States welcomes the new strategy and supports regional cooperation in the war on terror.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 16:29:50|Editor: ying

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan strategy Monday night in a national address, calling a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan "unacceptable" and pledging a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions.

QUICK EXIT UNACCEPTABLE

Trump delivered a prime-time nationally televised address at 9 p.m. local time on Monday (0100 GMT, Tuesday) from Fort Myer in Virginia.

In this over 30-minute speech, Trump ruled out a quick exit of the U.S. troops, saying that a "nasty withdrawal" would have unacceptable consequences and "create a vacuum" that terrorists including the Islamic State and al-Qaida would instantly fill.

He said that the Untied States have been facing "immense" security threats in Afghanistan and the broader region, which made him stop following his "original instinct" to "pull out" the troops.

As a long-time critic of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan under the Obama administration, Trump ordered a review of the strategy soon after taking office in January.

During his speech, Trump also made it clear that he would not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

Ahead of Trump's speech, U.S. media expected the U.S. president to authorize the deployment of up to 4,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

U.S. government officials have reportedly said that Trump had agreed on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' plans to send about 4,000 more troops in Afghanistan.

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops and another 5,000 forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the ground in Afghanistan to train and assist the Afghan forces against the Taliban, and conduct counter-terrorism missions against groups such as the Islamic State.

In the speech, Trump said it was counter-productive for the United States to "announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options."

However, the new strategy would shift from "a time-based" approach to one based on conditions on the ground, he said.

Trump outlined the pillars of his strategy, saying that the United States was not about nation-building but focusing on "killing terrorists."

U.S. SUPPORT NO "BLANK CHECK"

While reassuring the Afghan government about the U.S. commitment of cooperative work, Trump also warned that the support of the United States was "not a blank check," and its patience was "not unlimited."

"The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of military, political and economic burden," said Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump expressed his open attitude toward the Taliban, voicing a possibility to "have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban" someday after an effective military effort.

In his address, Trump also pledged to further develop the U.S. strategic partnership with India, which was a critical part of the South Asia strategy for the United States.

Hailing Trump's speech, Mattis said the president's strategy came after "a rigorous interagency review."

"I will be in consultation with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies -- several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers," said Mattis in a statement released by the Defense Department later in the day.

The new Afghanistan strategy comes at a time when senior U.S. officials warned of a dire security situation in Afghanistan.

In a congressional hearing in June, Mattis said that the United States was still "not winning" the longest war in U.S. history in Afghanistan.

Trump delivered the national address after a lengthy meeting with his national security team at Camp David on Friday.

Former U.S. President George W. Bush ordered to dispatch U.S. troops to fight the war in Afghanistan in October 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

It has been reported that about 2,400 U.S. soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 16:29:54|Editor: ying

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SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Top commanding generals of the United States on Tuesday held a rare press conference in South Korea to reaffirm U.S. commitment to the defense of its ally, South Korea, against nuclear and missile threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Adm. Harry Harris, chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, held the press conference at the Osan Air Base outside Seoul along with visiting commander of U.S. Strategic Command Gen. John Hyten and Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

The top-level U.S. military leaders arrived in South Korea ahead of the annual South Korea-U.S. joint military drills, codenamed Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), that kicked off Monday. The computerized command post exercise will last until next Thursday.

It was very unusual for top U.S. military generals to gather in South Korea for public statements on the DPRK issue.

Harris, who oversees the U.S. armed forces covering the Asia-Pacific region, said the United States is always ready to defend the region, reaffirming U.S. commitment to its allies including South Korea and Japan.

He said it would be important to work for "diplomatic solutions to the challenge presented by (top DPRK leader) Kim Jong Un," according to local media reports.

The commander said a strong diplomatic effort should be backed by a strong military effort, adding that combat power should be used to support diplomacy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 16:44:57|Editor: An

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DAMASCUS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China has been playing a "balanced" role in seeking a political solution to Syria's civil war, which has helped prevent Syria's division, Syrian experts told Xinhua in recent interviews.

During the six-year Syrian civil war, China has vetoed five UN Security Council draft resolutions designed to undermine the unity of Syria, Osama Danura, a Syrian political expert and a former member of the Syrian government delegation to the Syrian talks in Geneva, told Xinhua in an interview.

"Through using these vetoes, China has prevented the division of Syria as well as possible military aggressions," Danura said.

Throughout the crisis, China's role has been "balanced" as it has been calling for preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, while rejecting all forms of foreign aggression, he said.

Danura also pointed out that China has exerted extra political efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, as demonstrated by its appointing a special envoy on the Syrian issue.

Since his appointment in 2016, Chinese Special Envoy on the Syrian Issue Xie Xiaoyan has always urged all parties in Syria to find a political solution to the civil war.

As a result, the Syrian government is paying close attention to China's positions, Danura said, adding Damascus is looking forward to developing its ties with China in all fields, mainly on the political, economic and military levels.

He noted that the Syria government intends to adopt a "go east" policy, including increasing its engagement with China, the rising economic powerhouse.

Danura believed that China's political and economic weight has made it "an important player in resolving world crisis."

"The huge economic rise of China has made it an important power, attracting the attention of the countries desiring to achieve technical and economic developments," he said.

For his part, Abdul-Latif Omran, editor-in-chief of the Al-Baath newspaper of the al-Baath ruling party in Syria, told Xinhua that China's position on Syria has been welcomed by both the Syrian government and people.

Even the opposition parties, Omran added, have shown respect to the China's balanced role and its diplomatic efforts to seek a political solution to Syria's war.

Omran said China has been backing all political initiatives under the umbrella of the international community, from the Geneva meetings, Vienna talks to the recent Astana talks on Syria.

He hoped to see more cooperation between China and Syria on the economic level to accelerate the reconstruction process in Syria, including attracting more Chinese companies to invest in the war-torn country.

On the humanitarian level, Omran, former chairman of the Syrian-Chinese Friendship Committee, appreciated the aid shipments provided by China, including medical equipment to Syrian hospitals that are over burdened by the protracted civil war.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 16:55:00|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Political and military analyst Gen. (Rtd) Atiqullah Amarkhil receives an interview with Xinhua in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2017. Atiqullah Amarkhil said the new strategy which stresses for fighting terrorists including Islamic State and al-Qaida in Afghanistan, in fact boosts the morale of Afghans particularly the security forces that the United States of America will continue to support in the war on terror. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)

by Abdul Haleem

KABUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump finally revealed his much-awaited strategy on Afghanistan on Monday evening for the solution of Afghan crisis and winning the 16-year lengthy war inherited from his predecessors Gorge W. Bush and Barrack Obama.

The United States, supported by Britain, began its attack on Afghanistan in October 2001, launching bombs and cruise missiles against Taliban military and communications facilities and suspected terrorists training camps.

The U.S. attack dethroned the Taliban regime which was alleged to shelter Osama Bin Laden, the then leader of al-Qaida network, within weeks.

Both the Taliban hardliner regime and al-Qaeda hierarchy were dismantled 16 years ago, but the al-Qaeda-backed Taliban insurgency has been continuing elsewhere in the conflict-ridden country which claims lives almost every day.

In addition to the Taliban outfit and al-Qaida network, several more terrorist groups including the Islamic State (IS) have emerged in Afghanistan since the collapse of the Taliban regime to challenge the Afghan government which is dependent on foreign aid.

In his speech, President Trump said "Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win" in Afghanistan.

Refusing to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, president Trump, according to local media reports categorically, said that "a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including IS and al-Qaida" in Afghanistan, promising his administration's support to the Afghan government and its people.

Trump, however, noted that there would be no "blank check" for the American engagement in Afghanistan.

While welcoming the new strategy, Afghan observers, however, believe that the new approach announced by President Trump won't lead to bringing about viable solution to the Afghan crisis in the near future.

"The new strategy which stresses for fighting terrorists including Islamic State and al-Qaida in Afghanistan, in fact boosts the morale of Afghans particularly the morale of security forces that the United States of America will continue to support them in the war on terror," political and military analyst Gen. (Rtd) Atiqullah Amarkhil told Xinhua.

"However, the war in Afghanistan is a lingering war and won't finish in the near future. This endemic war won't end unless and until the sanctuaries of Taliban and other terrorist groups are targeted and shut down outside Afghanistan," the well-respected analyst noted.

In his speech, the U.S. president didn't hint at sending more troops to Afghanistan.

Currently, more than 13,000-strong NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) forces in Afghanistan, with some 8,400 of them Americans, are supporting Afghan forces to win the war on Taliban and like-minded groups.

Amarkhil said that sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan could have backlash from neighboring states, besides facilitating Taliban and like-minded groups to label United States and allied forces as "occupying troops."

"The war in Afghanistan is an imposed war and no end at sign in the near future," another analyst Yusuf Amin told local media.

The Taliban outfit, in a sharp reaction, described President Trump's strategy on Afghanistan as an "old policy of Washington" and vowed to continue jihad or holy war until the "withdrawal of the U.S.-led coalition forces from Afghanistan."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 17:20:12|Editor: Yurou

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SYDNEY, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A lecturer at the University of Sydney in Australia has sparked outrage among the student body's Chinese community after he displayed a wrong map on China's territory.

In response to the incorrect map, the University of Sydney's Chinese student group took to the social media platform WeChat to voice their concerns.

Some students said they should quit the Professional Practice in Information Technology class by the lecturer in protest, while others described the use of the map as "absolutely intolerable."

The man at the centre of the controversy, Dr Khimji Vaghjiani, said the incident was a mistake and has apologised for the oversight.

"Over 18 months ago, I used an out-of-date map, downloaded from the internet, when discussing characteristics of IT entrepreneurs around the world, however I was unaware that the map was inaccurate and out-of-date," Vaghjiani explained in a statement that was forwarded by the University to Xinhua.

"This was a genuine mistake and I regret any offence this may have caused."

He also went on to say that the current learning materials for the course have now been updated to include an accurate representation of Chinese territory.

Peixuan Wang from Sydney University's Chinese Student Association told Xinhua that she was satisfied with the response.

"Personally I am happy, at least he replied to the concerns," Wang said.

A similar episode in May also caused uproar, when a Monash University lecturer in Melbourne was suspended after it was revealed he mocked Chinese officials in a classroom quiz.

The university then underwent a review of the entire academic course in response.

Although these incidents have been a sour note, it has helped highlight the importance of having a strong voice on campus for Chinese students.

Often shy and somewhat apprehensive, the Chinese student body is now emerging with a bolder voice at Aussie Universities to the benefit of pupils and the institutions.

With almost one third of all international students coming from China, it remains highly important for the Chinese student body, as well as the Australian education sector that the largest demographic of foreign students are being represented and heard on Aussie campuses.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 17:20:15|Editor: Yurou

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DOHA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Qatar strongly criticized Saudi Arabia for imposing restrictions on flights transporting Qatari hajj pilgrims to the kingdom, Qatar's news agency (QNA) reported Tuesday.

"Limiting the transfer of Qatari pilgrims to Saudi Arabian Airlines only is unprecedented, illogical, surprising and contravenes the teachings of Islam," QNA quoted Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Rumaihi, the ministry's information office director, as saying in a statement.

The strong worded statement came as Saudi Arabia said Qatari pilgrims can travel to the kingdom to perform hajj only by taking Saudi Arabian airlines.

"It is usual and customary for pilgrims from any country to be transported by the national air, land and sea travel organizations in that country, in addition to other foreign means of transportation, with the latter taking place as part of the national Hajj mission," Al-Rumaihi noted.

The Qatari official highlighted the need to separate hajj from political differences and to avoid hindering hajj performance by imposing conditions that affect the sovereignty of states or the rights and dignity of their citizens.

Earlier, Doha denied a claim by Saudi Arabian Airlines that Qatari authorities refused to allow one of its flights to land inside the country.

Saudi Arabia, together with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a full blockade on it in early June, citing Doha's support for terrorism and interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbors.

But Saudi reopened its land border with Qatar last week to allow access to the kingdom by Qatari hajj pilgrims, despite the blockade.

Saudi has also allocated seven flights of the Saudi national carrier to bring pilgrims from Qatar, whose national carrier Qatar Airways is barred from flying to the kingdom due to the blockade.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 17:50:45|Editor: Yurou

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DOHA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Senegal has decided to reappoint its ambassador to Qatar recalled in June amid the Gulf crisis, amid a thaw in their ties, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported Tuesday.

Senegal made the decision after a telephone conversation held Monday between Senegal's President Macky Sall and Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the QNA said.

The two leaders discussed the biliteral relations and the latest developments in the region, especially the Gulf crisis, it added.

The crisis was caused by the Saudi Arabia-led quartet's moves on June 5 to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the rich tiny Gulf nation.

The quartet accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, interfering in their internal affairs and seeking closer ties with Iran, a rival to most Gulf nations.

But Qatar has strongly denied the charges, while rejecting a list of demands put forward by the quartet for restoring diplomatic ties, citing the need to protect its sovereignty.

Senegal's Foreign Ministry announced on June 7 to recall its ambassador to Qatar after the Saudi-led quartet's decision to cut ties with Qatar.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 18:10:57|Editor: ZD

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Spanish policemen patrol in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona, Spain, Aug. 19, 2017. The Spanish government decided to maintain its anti-terrorism alert level at 4 but pledged to reinforce security measures at the same time, the Interior Ministry said Saturday in a statement. A total of 14 fatalities occurred in two terrorist attacks in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Cambrils that also hurt about 126 people of 34 different nationalities. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

BARCELONA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Spanish police on Monday confirmed that the 12-member terrorist cell behind the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils which left 15 people dead has been dismantled with four terrorists arrested and eight killed.

Catalonia police made the announcement at a press conference Monday evening after they shot and killed Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected driver of Thursday's deadly Barcelona van.

Abouyaaqoub was shot dead at around 5 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) Monday in the town of Subirats, around 50 km to the southwest of Barcelona.

"We confirm that the man shot down in #Subirats is Younes Abouyaaqoub, author of the terrorist attack in Barcelona," Catalan police tweeted.

"So far there are 4 detainees and 8 suspected dead terrorists regarding the attacks of #Barcelona and #Cambrils," the police tweeted.

"The 12 initial targets regarding the attacks are dead or detained but that does not mean that the investigation is over. We keep working," they said.

The police operation against Younes Abouyaaqoub began at 4 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) Monday after Catalan police had "received information of a suspicious person in Subirats."

A woman living in Subirats called the police to inform that she had seen a man with features similar to that of a wanted terrorist, Spanish media reported.

Earlier in the day, Catalan Interior Minister Joaquin Forn confirmed on Catalan local radio that Abouyaaqoub was "the driver of the van" which ploughed into crowds of people on the pedestrian boulevard of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, killing 13 and injuring over 120 others.

It had been thought the 22-year-old could have left Spain, but finally he was discovered and shot not far from where he committed his crime.

Valentin Anadon, spokesman for the Federation of Catalan Public Security Professionals, thanked the civil society for its cooperation and assistance.

Two members of the terrorist group died on Wednesday night in an explosion in the house in Alcanar, where they were preparing a major attack using two vans and over 50 butane gas cylinders.

In the early hours of Friday morning, five terrorists were shot by police as they carried out the attack in Cambrils. The other four were arrested and are in police custody.

The four terror suspects detained in relation with twin attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils will appear in the Spanish High Court on Tuesday, the Spanish Interior Ministry said Monday.

Driss Oukabir, Mohamed Aallaa, Salar El Karib and Mohamed Houli Chemlal, will appear before judge Fernando Andreu, who is leading the investigation.

The four were taken to the town of Tres Cantos, just outside of Madrid Monday night and will be sent to prison on Tuesday awaiting trial for their role in the terror attacks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 18:20:59|Editor: ZD

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying (Photo: fmprc.gov.cn)

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday urged Japan to walk the talk and take concrete actions to improve bilateral ties, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

It is reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is scheduled to visit Africa from Wednesday to attend a ministerial meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), where he will call for "navigation freedom" in the South China Sea.

"I have noticed the related reports," spokesperson Hua Chunying said, noting that TICAD should aim to support Africa's peace and development.

At present, the South China Sea situation is stabilized and improving thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, Hua said.

Hua urged Japan to respect the efforts regional countries had made to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

"We also hope Japan will play a constructive role in the South China Sea issue," Hua added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 18:31:07|Editor: ying

Photo taken on Aug. 22, 2017 shows that Abderrahman Mechkah, the main suspect in the stabbing incident, is seen on a screen via videolink during a hearing in Turku, Finland. Local court in Turku, southwestern Finland, on Tuesday authorized continued incarceration of Abderrahman Mechkah, the main suspect in the stabbings that took place in Turku last Friday leaving two dead and eight injured. Machkah appeared via videolink from a Turku hospital. He was seen on a large screen in the courtroom but hiding his face with a sheet. (Xinhua/Matti Matikainen)

HELSINKI, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Local court in Turku, southwestern Finland, on Tuesday authorized continued incarceration of Abderrahman Mechkah, the main suspect in the stabbings that took place in Turku last Friday leaving two dead and eight injured.

Machkah appeared via videolink from a Turku hospital. He was seen on a large screen in the courtroom but hiding his face with a sheet.

The actual hearing was arranged behind closed doors, but police representatives told the media Mechkah admitted the "acts that led to deaths", but denied having committed murders.

The case of Mechkah was the first in the five requests from the police in order to keep all the five Moroccan citizens in detention.

The four others have earlier denied involvement in the acts.

The court session was arranged in an underground security facility of the court house.

The actual trial is likely to be months away. Local media reported that Mechkah would be transferred to a prison hospital from the Turku University Clinic where he has been treated for wounds incurred while the police stopped him with a gunshot to his legs.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 18:36:14|Editor: ying

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SKOPJE, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia and Serbia are facing with a new diplomatic spat following Serbia's Sunday decision to abruptly withdraw the entire diplomatic staff from its embassy in Macedonia's capital, Skopje.

The Macedonian Foreign Ministry reported that it had received a diplomatic note from the embassy of Serbia, in which it stated that the embassy's personnel had been summoned for consultations in Belgrade.

Such a decision has created a tense situation as it was an unexpected move, analysts said.

It is taking place at a moment when Macedonia's new government is seeking to establish good relations with all neighboring countries and push ahead with its European Union and NATO agendas.

The Macedonian government voiced its commitment to promoting friendly relations with all neighboring countries. It also said in a press statement that it was set to take vigorous steps towards settling problems and developing a good-neighborly relationship with Serbia.

Serbian ambassador to Skopje, Dusanka Divjak-Tomic, told media that she had demanded more security measures around the embassy, under the Vienna Convention for diplomatic relations.

Soon after the statement, the Macedonian Interior Ministry said that it had boosted security around the Serbian embassy.

The Macedonian Foreign Ministry said it "has not been informed about the motives of this decision, but communication has been established with the Serb Foreign Ministry to learn the reasons for this action."

"On the other hand, under the Vienna Convention for diplomatic relations, the institutions of the country have taken adequate measures to guarantee the security of the Serbian embassy," the Macedonian Foreign Ministry said.

Macedonia and Serbia have generally had good relations but they have had their ups and downs over the years since 1996 when the two countries established diplomatic relations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 18:46:21|Editor: An

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DHAKA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Wigs can be an amazing way for people to alter their appearance and look more stylish if they choose.

The everyday look of women in particular can become spectacular and varied if she has a stunning collection of wigs.

A Chinese company in Bangladesh has been making such wigs for years, especially for women in Europe, America, Canada and Australia.

The MGL Company BD Ltd., operated by Chinese business man Liu Cheng, has also created employment opportunities for nearly 2,000 Bangladeshi people, mostly female, who work in their factory in western Bangladesh.

Founded in 2013, the MGL factory is located in Bangladesh's Ishwardi Export Processing Zone in the Pabna district, about 216 km west of the capital city of Dhaka.

The factory makes different sorts of stylish hair extensions composed of both human and artificial hair.

Also in the factory, wigs are glued to the heads of plastic dolls before being exported to developed markets in Europe, America and elsewhere in the world.

The factory's workers process hair into a variety of styles, including curly extensions and full wigs.

Ziaur Rahman, assistant general manager of MGL Company Bangladesh Ltd., said their dolls featuring real human hair are very famous.

Such dolls are used in barber shops for basic training of novice hair dressers and beauticians, he said.

They practice cutting hair and putting the hair into stylish designs on these dolls, he added.

"It's very popular all over the Europe, the U.S., Canada, Japan and Australia as we are really focused on improving the products' quality and production."

Rahman said they collect raw materials for making wigs from China.

Company insiders say MGL has seen robust production growth over the years as the company ensures an excellent work atmosphere by offering competitive wages to its hundreds of workers and staff who are mostly Bangladeshis.

Nasima, one of the MGL workers, said it was the Chinese company that helped her to secure employment.

"Thanks to this Chinese company building their factory in Bangladesh, I was hired to work in the hair section. It's great for us because we have reliable employment here," she said.

Another factory worker Zahura said that apart from her decent salary, she is also given performance bonuses.

"I can now buy many things for my daughter and I, as well as contribute money to my family to keep it running well. So, I love this job," she said, adding that her Chinese bosses are kind and gentle.

The general supervisor of the factory Rafiqul Islam said MGL has developed a lot over the years.

"Our production levels have nearly doubled compared with the past. The quality of our products is good and the living standards of our workers has also improved a lot," he said.

He added that the factory's neat and clean appearance and timely payment of salaries and other financial benefits, including overtime pay, made it one of the best Chinese factories in Bangladesh.

MGL really has earned a good name in Bangladesh for China and its manufacturers, Rafiqul said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 19:06:36|Editor: An



Photo taken on Aug. 22, 2017 shows the opening ceremony of an agricultural workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Three Chinese senior experts on Tuesday provided a training course to some 50 Cambodian agriculture officials on construction and management of laboratory and technology of agriculture mechanization and horticulture development. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese senior experts on Tuesday provided a training course to some 50 Cambodian agriculture officials on construction and management of laboratory and technology of agriculture mechanization and horticulture development.

Cambodian Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry Secretary of State Ty Sokun expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for actively supporting agriculture in Cambodia, saying that the 3-day workshop was essential to build capacity for Cambodian agriculture experts.

"This workshop will help Cambodian experts to better manage and develop agricultural laboratory, machinery, and horticulture," he said during the opening ceremony held at the General Directorate of Agriculture in Phnom Penh.

"I believe that through the workshop, our agriculture experts will have learned good knowledge and experience for carrying out at their respective departments," he said.

Li An, economic and commercial councilor of the Chinese Embassy to Cambodia, said China was very pleased to see fruitful cooperation between China and Cambodia in all fields, including agriculture.

"I hope that all trainees will take this opportunity to learn and interact well with the Chinese experts," he said.

Last week, Chinese experts, in cooperation with Cambodia's Fisheries Administration, also launched a month-long training course on mariculture technology and development for 30 Cambodian fisheries officers, agriculture students, and farmers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 19:26:47|Editor: An

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NANNING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- On China's rural and urban roads, one vehicle can be seen almost everywhere: the Wuling minibus.

Manufactured by SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. (SGMW), the budget minibuses can take both passengers and a large amount of goods, making them a popular choice among commercial Chinese drivers.

Assured of its popularity in China, SGMW is expanding overseas. A factory in the town of Cikarang, Indonesia, opened last month, producing a new model, the Confero S, specially designed with the Indonesian market, currently dominated by Japanese brands.

"Chinese car-makers must build local factories if they want to expand overseas," said SGMW vice general manager Shen Yunxiao.

In 2002, when the joint venture was established, production was barely 100,000 cars a year. In 2004, SGMW began exporting via shareholder GM Chevrolet's channels and broke into markets in South America, the Middle East and Africa. It then started exporting technology to GM factories in Egypt and India.

From 2011 to 2016, SGMW exported close to 138,000 vehicles to more than 40 countries, making it the biggest minibus exporter in China.

Construction of the company's Indonesian works began in 2015 at a cost of 700 million U.S. dollars. The project covers 60-hectares and is expected to produce 120,000 cars each year. The factory has also attracted many auto-part companies to Indonesia, generating about 3,000 jobs.

SGMW has teamed up with a vocational school in Liuzhou, an industrial city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and home to the company's HQ, to train more than 300 Indonesian workers over the next three years.

Fernando Habel Alexza Inkiriwang has been studying automechanics in Liuzhou City Vocational College (LCVC) for ten months. Most of his classes are in Chinese. Each student studies at LCVC for about two years before going back to Indonesia for a year's apprenticeship before beginning work.

According to LCVC, graduates earn more than 2,000 yuan (300 U.S. dollars) per month during their apprenticeship, the standard for basic automobile workers there, but they earn much more after they become qualified.

"With skills, and knowledge of Chinese, graduates will manage other workers. They will also act as a channel between Indonesian and Chinese staff," said Tang Chunjie, in charge of the program at the LCVC.

In 2015, the program enrolled 63 students; in 2016, the number rose to more than 120.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 19:31:50|Editor: ying

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TEHRAN, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran warned Tuesday it needs only five days to enrich its uranium to 20 percent, a level at which the material could be used for a nuclear weapon, the state television reported.

The comments by Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi on Iranian state television come as the U.S. threatened to renegotiate or walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently warned that Iran would accelerate its nuclear activities to an advanced level "within hours," if the United States returned to a policy of sanctions.

The warning was not "empty," Salehi stressed.

Iran's warning to quickly resume 20-percent enrichment "carries many messages in technical and professional terms, and the opposite side understands that message," he added.

Iran gave up the majority of its stockpile of 20-percent enriched uranium as part of the nuclear deal it struck with world powers.

The accord, which lifted sanctions on Iran, currently caps the Islamic republic's uranium enrichment at 5 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 19:31:52|Editor: ying

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HANOI, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is deeply concerned about and strongly condemns continuous terror attacks in Europe with the most recent being a knife attack against civilians in Finland, a Vietnamese spokesperson said here on Tuesday.

"We offer our condolences to the government and people of Finland and the bereaved, and believe that the terrorists will be properly punished," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.

The knife attack in the Finnish city of Turku on Aug. 18 killed two people and injured eight others. No Vietnamese citizens were victims of the deadly attack, the spokeswoman cited the Vietnamese Embassy in Finland as saying.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered the embassy to continue monitoring the situation in Finland and be ready to support any Vietnamese people who face difficulty.
China's envoy to Syria Xie Xiaoyan talks with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad on June 17 to push for political solution to the Syrian crisis. (Xinhua Photo)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China has been playing a "balanced" role in seeking a political solution to Syria's civil war, which has helped prevent Syria's division, Syrian experts told Xinhua in recent interviews.

During the six-year Syrian civil war, China has vetoed five UN Security Council draft resolutions designed to undermine the unity of Syria, Osama Danura, a Syrian political expert and a former member of the Syrian government delegation to the Syrian talks in Geneva, told Xinhua in an interview.

"Through using these vetoes, China has prevented the division of Syria as well as possible military aggressions," Danura said.

Throughout the crisis, China's role has been "balanced" as it has been calling for preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, while rejecting all forms of foreign aggression, he said.

Danura also pointed out that China has exerted extra political efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, as demonstrated by its appointing a special envoy on the Syrian issue.

Syrian political expert Osama Danura told Xinhua in an interview that China has exerted extra political efforts to resolve the Syrian crises and prevented division of Syria. (Xinhua Photo)

Since his appointment in 2016, Chinese Special Envoy on the Syrian Issue Xie Xiaoyan has always urged all parties in Syria to find a political solution to the civil war.

As a result, the Syrian government is paying close attention to China's positions, Danura said, adding Damascus is looking forward to developing its ties with China in all fields, mainly on the political, economic and military levels.

He noted that the Syria government intends to adopt a "go east" policy, including increasing its engagement with China, the rising economic powerhouse.

Danura believed that China's political and economic weight has made it "an important player in resolving world crisis."

"The huge economic rise of China has made it an important power, attracting the attention of the countries desiring to achieve technical and economic developments," he said.

For his part, Abdul-Latif Omran, editor-in-chief of the Al-Baath newspaper of the al-Baath ruling party in Syria, told Xinhua that China's position on Syria has been welcomed by both the Syrian government and people.

Abdul-Latif Omran, editor-in-chief of the Al-Baath newspaper of the al-Baath ruling party in Syria, told Xinhua that China's position on Syria has been welcomed by both the Syrian government and people. (Xinhua Photo)

Even the opposition parties, Omran added, have shown respect to the China's balanced role and its diplomatic efforts to seek a political solution to Syria's war.

Omran said China has been backing all political initiatives under the umbrella of the international community, from the Geneva meetings, Vienna talks to the recent Astana talks on Syria.

He hoped to see more cooperation between China and Syria on the economic level to accelerate the reconstruction process in Syria, including attracting more Chinese companies to invest in the war-torn country.

On the humanitarian level, Omran, former chairman of the Syrian-Chinese Friendship Committee, appreciated the aid shipments provided by China, including medical equipment to Syrian hospitals that are over burdened by the protracted civil war.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:02:17|Editor: ying

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BERLIN, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has told reporters on Tuesday that his wife has received threats from supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, marking a new low point in already strained diplomatic relations between Berlin and Ankara.

Erdogan's personal attacks on Gabriel had obviously "emboldened some to threaten and harass my wife," the politician from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) said on the news channel NTV.

He described the situation as a "terrible outcome" without giving any further details of the nature of the threats.

Addressing the historically close but now crisis-stricken ties between the NATO partners Germany and Turkey, Gabriel signalized that he wanted to work together with the Erdogan's Turkish opposition.

"More than half of the country is democratically minded; they did not support him," the foreign minister said.

He added that many people in Turkey hoped that Europe and Germany continued to support Turkish democracy rather than "looking on without acting."

It was "very bitter that Erdogan threatened the great historical friendship between Germany and Turkey" in order to promote the cause of Turkish nationalism, Gabriel lamented.

In a sign of growing diplomatic tensions, Germany has warned tourists and investors to avoid Turkey and has raised the specter of European Union economic sanctions against Ankara. Berlin has already partially frozen state credit facilities for German firms doing business in Turkey.

The hardening of Berlin's stance against Ankara prompted the Turkish president to launch an aggressive personal attack against Gabriel.

"Who do you think you are, to address the Turkish president? Know your limits. How old are you? How long have you been in politics?" Erdogan scolded the German foreign minister in a televised speech before supporters.

Erdogan recently further provoked the ire of German politicians by having the German Turkish-descended author Dogan Akhanli temporarily arrested in Spain by Interpol and urging Germans with Turkish ancestry to boycott certain parties in September's national elections.

People of Turkish origin in the country should not vote for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democrats Party (SPD) or Green party (Gruene) all of which were "enemies of Turkey," according to Erdogan.

Addressing Berlin's tougher line on Turkey, Gabriel has been quoted as saying that the government would have to "pursue this path for a while" and could not believe that the situation would improve "within a few weeks."

Germany is home to 3 million ethnic Turks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:07:22|Editor: ying

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OSLO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Norway's sovereign wealth fund posted a return of 2.6 percent, or 202 billion kroner (25.6 billion U.S. dollars), in the second quarter of 2017, the fund said on Tuesday.

Equity, fixed-income and unlisted real estate investments returned 3.4 percent, 1.1 percent and 2.1 percent respectively in the quarter, according to a statement of the fund, formally known as the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) and ranked as the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund.

In the second quarter, 16 billion kroner was withdrawn from the fund by the government. The krone appreciated against the main currencies during the quarter, which decreased the value of the fund by 32 billion kroner.

The fund had a market value of 8,020 billion kroner as at June 30, 2017, of which 65.1 percent was invested in equities, 32.4 percent in fixed income and 2.5 percent in unlisted real estate. (1 U.S. dollar = 7.90 kroner)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:17:26|Editor: An

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Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with Singapore's Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore Tuesday agreed to improve legislature cooperation.

The agreement came out of a meeting between Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Singapore's Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.

"Legislature cooperation is an important guarantee for stable development of China-Singapore ties in the long run," said Meng, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

He called on the two sides to establish mechanisms on recognition and enforcement of judgements in civil and commercial matters, legislature cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and China-ASEAN legislative exchanges.

Menon said Singapore stood ready to carry out close legislature cooperation with China based on friendship and mutual trust.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:17:28|Editor: ying

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PARIS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two gruesome terrorist attacks that hit Spain last week confirm the transnational nature of the jihadist threat facing Europe, and highlight the need for more intensive and more structural collaboration among European Union (EU) member states to combat terrorism effectively.

The double attacks in Catalonia last Thursday and Friday, which claimed 15 lives and injured over 120 others, and the knife attack in Turku, Finland, were the latest to rub salt into the EU's wound, as France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and the United Kingdom still struggle to recover from a number of bloody attacks since 2015.

To fight against this scourge that transcends borders, politicians and analysts have made repeated calls for more cooperation within the EU.

"This terrorism is long-term, so we need vigilance, prevention, deterrence and cooperation in Europe, which are the decisive elements in achieving a definitive fight against terrorism...It is a battle that we must fight jointly," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said last Friday in Barcelona.

Considerable efforts have been made in recent years in the area of such cooperation, particularly with regard to counter-terrorism measures.

This is the case, for example, with the Passenger Name Record (PNR) directive, adopted by the European Parliament in April 2016.

The PNR is a collection of data acquired by airlines when a passenger books a flight, accessible to EU member states for the purpose of "prevention, detection of serious criminal acts or acts of terrorism."

It contains a wide range of information, such as dates of travel, travel itinerary, ticket information, contact details, travel agent, means of payment, seat number and baggage information.

The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) is another EU-level action that highlights such cooperation.

Since April 2012, the ECRIS has been connecting databases containing criminal records in order to "facilitate, standardize and speed up" the exchange of information on convictions between EU countries.

Moreover, the Schengen Information System also allows the border control services and judicial authorities of a Schengen state to have data on reported persons or vehicles.

These actions are coordinated by EU agencies such as Europo and Eurojust, which facilitate the exchange of information among national police on terrorism, drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

However, in spite of all these efforts, obstacles still exist, in particular regarding the exchange of information at European level.

In her paper "The battle against terrorism in Europe: cooperation in all its states," Chantal Lavallee, associate researcher at French thinktank Osintpol, underlines the reluctance of member states to enable more competences in areas related to their national security and sovereignty.

In terms of intelligence, "it remains difficult to conceive an exchange at European level, whereas even within countries there are still many problems of coordination between collection and analysis, internal and external dimension, civil and military, judicial and strategic information," explains Lavallee.

In this respect, Europol and Eurojust have a key role to play, but member states must also proceed with information exchange, the importance of which they acknowledged in February 2015, according to the researcher.

"Of course, cooperation between member states is growing, but it remains limited and fragmentary," she commented.

The case of Salah Abdeslam and Abdelhamid Abaaoud, two of the key suspects of the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, 2015, illustrates the difficult coordination between countries, in which the effectiveness of information sharing became questionable.

Abdeslam was not known to the French intelligence service while he was under the supervision of the Belgian police who never informed France.

As for Abaaoud, it is still unclear how he was able to travel from Syria to Seine-Saint-Denis in north Paris without any country informing France, even though his name was already on an international arrest warrant.

Adding to the difficulty of coordination, the perception of terrorist threats varies among member states.

For France, the fight against terrorism, specifically against the Islamic State (IS), must continue outside the European borders, according to the French foreign minister, who paid a visit to the French citizens wounded in the Barcelona attack.

"Outside, it means continuing until IS is eradicated where it is. It's on the right track, but not yet over," said Le Drian.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:22:30|Editor: Zhou Xin

Rescue workers search among the ruins after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, in Naples, Italy, on Aug. 22, 2017. Emergency teams raced against time on Tuesday to rescue victims of a 4.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the Italian southern island of Ischia on Monday evening. The temblor killed at least two women, and wounded 39 people, according to latest reports. (Xinhua)

ROME, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Emergency teams raced against time on Tuesday to rescue victims of a 4.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the Italian southern island of Ischia on Monday evening.

The temblor killed at least two women, and wounded 39 people, according to latest reports.

Rescuers kept working all throughout the night to save three young brothers from under the rubble of a collapsed house. The children were reportedly aged at 6, 4 and 7 months old.

The youngest child was pulled out alive at about 4 a.m. local time, the Civil Protection agency said.

The second child was rescued around mid-morning on Tuesday. Their parents have both been saved, the Fire Department wrote on Twitter.

The third brother was also reportedly pulled out alive as of press times.

The quake struck at 8:57 p.m. local time at a depth of about 5 km off Ischia, which lies in the Gulf of Naples, the Italian National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (INGV) said. The INGV had earlier put the magnitude at 3.6, then revised it up to 4.0.

Of the two victims so far, an old woman was killed by falling debris in the collapse of a church in the municipality of Casamicciola Terme, the authorities confirmed.

The second one remained trapped under the rubble of a collapse building, and her body was yet to be recovered.

The quake destroyed at least six buildings, and temporarily cut power lines on Sunday night, Ansa news agency reported.

Personnel from the Civil Protection department had been in operation on the island to put out fires and were able to intervene in a very short time, while other teams were dispatched from the city of Naples.

Ischia's hospital was evacuated to allow firefighters to check possible damages on the building, and people had been assisted in a makeshift camp outside throughout the night, local media said citing doctors.

Ischia is a tourist resort very popular among Italians and foreigners. It counts 20,000 residents, but its average population is estimated about 50,000.

Many tourists reportedly rushed to leave the island after the quake, and some of them slept at the port, waiting for ferries from Naples to arrive.

Shortly after the quake, extra boats were organized to both take people away, and bring relief teams on the island.

At least 1,051 people were brought to the town of Pozzuoli during the night, and assisted by the Italian Red Cross, the Civil Protection said.

Some 2,000 people were already evacuated from Casamicciola and 600 people from Lacco Ameno, which were the hardest-hit municipalities on the island.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:27:33|Editor: ying

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by Christine Lagat

NAIROBI, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will scale up investments in water harvesting and irrigation infrastructure in a bid to accelerate a shift from rain-fed agriculture that has undermined attainment of food security in the country, an official said on Tuesday.

Principal Secretary for Planning and Statistics Irungu Nyakera said in a commentary published by the Daily Nation that national and county governments will enact sweeping policies to boost rain water harvesting and irrigation as a means to address endemic hunger and malnutrition.

"A monumental shift from rain fed agriculture will offer solution to food insecurity that has been detrimental to development of this nation," said Nyakera, adding that erratic rainfall patterns have worsened poverty and inter-communal tensions in arid regions.

Kenya's devolution and planning ministry has fast-tracked implementation of the third medium term plan (MTP3) which roots for investments in projects that promotes sustainable development at the grassroots level.

Nyakera said the State has earmarked adequate funds to construct new dams and irrigation schemes in arid and semi arid regions that have been experiencing food scarcity.

"The MTP3 prioritizes food security and boosting agricultural production. A critical component of food security is ensuring that sufficient water is available annually for agriculture," said Nyakera.

He added that access to innovative water harvesting and storage technologies will enhance food production at the smallholder level.

Kenya has expanded land under irrigation in the last four years in line with its vision 2030 goal to achieve food security and boost rural incomes.

Nyakera revealed that land under irrigation expanded from 354,775 acres in 2013 to 483,670 acres in 2017 thanks to massive capital injection from the state and private investors.

He said the government has started various large scale irrigation projects and the most notable one is the Galana-Kulalu irrigation scheme that produced 39 bags of maize per acre.

"We will initiate new projects under public private collaboration to raise commercial agricultural production to at least 1.2 million acres," Nyakera added.

He disclosed that additional investments are being explored to boost water management and agronomic practices among smallholder farmers who produce over 80 percent of staple food in Kenya.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:37:41|Editor: Zhou Xin

A helicopter tries to put out the wildfire in Borjomi in central Georgia on Aug. 22, 2017. A wildfire that has been raging in central Georgia has re-intensified and spread rapidly, ruining hopes of extinguishment, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs said Tuesday. The massive forest fire which broke out on Sunday in the Borjomi Gorge has been raging in central Georgia for three days. (Xinhua/Kulumbegashvili Tamuna)

TBILISI, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A wildfire that has been raging in central Georgia has re-intensified and spread rapidly, ruining hopes of extinguishment, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs said Tuesday.

The massive forest fire which broke out on Sunday in the Borjomi Gorge has been raging in central Georgia for three days.

The latest estimations said that dozens of hectares of local forestland were on fire Monday night.

On Monday, Georgian Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Mghebrishvili told media that the fire had been contained and hopefully it would be fully extinguished on Monday night.

However, due to the unexpected strong wind, the contained fire began to re-erupt and spread quickly during the night.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who arrived in Borjomi last night, said Tuesday morning that the situation is "better than last night," but there still exists a threat of the blaze spreading because it is still windy in Borjomi.

He had ordered to set up a special headquarters to unite all relevant state agencies to tackle the fire.

Currently, three helicopters have been dispatched to extinguish the fire, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

Apart from helicopters, up to 500 firefighters, rescuers and rangers have been fighting the fire since last night.

There are also reports that the Georgian side is negotiating with neighboring countries for more help to fight the fire.

Head of Georgian National Security Service Vakhtang Gomelauri, who also has been in Borjomi since last night, said that the army will join the firefighters if needed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:42:46|Editor: ying

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JERUSALEM, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is travelling to Russia on Wednesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, amid recent increased tensions between the two countries.

Although the two leaders have met several times in the past two years, there still seems to be issues for them to iron out, as Israel is concerned with its northern border with Syria, where Russia has been heavily involved since it stepped in with direct military presence in September 2015.

Previous meetings were about coordination on how the two countries interact along the border.

This time, however, a minor diplomatic crisis surrounding the construction of a holocaust memorial site in Poland has the potential of overshadowing the meeting.

Russia accuses Israel of pushing it aside from the project even though former Soviet forces were part of liberating the concentration camp on Polish soil.

But this is not the main issue on the agenda, with developments in Syria being the main focal point.

Gideon Remez, a fellow of the Truman Institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, characterizes the Israeli-Russian relationship as "problematic to begin with."

"Although in Israel, no leader will ever say that the relationship with Vladimir Putin's administration is anything less than idyllic," said Remez.

Israel and Syria are enemy states. Although they have not fought a war since Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, relations have never been normalized.

Syria's internal strife has concerned Israel since it began. None of Syrian president Bashar Assad's opponents and possible heirs are favorable toward the Jewish state.

Israel's main concern is Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war, as Iranian leaders have repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the map.

Having Iranian forces in such close proximity to Israel is not something Israeli leadership will be able to tolerate for long.

Iranian presence on Israel's northern border would eliminate the distance that currently makes a war between the two quite a challenge.

Recently, Iranian involvement in Syria has intensified as part of a mutual Russian-Iranian interest to fortify Assad's regime.

While Israel is ambiguous as to whom it wants to see at Syria's helm, Iranian participation is clearly contradictory to Israeli desire.

"Although the Russians are certainly not actively seeking a confrontation with Israel, if it comes to the crunch, I doubt very much that Russia is going to go out of it's way to support the Israeli cause against it's more important ally," Remez explained.

In recent years, there have been several reports that the Israeli air force has struck in Syria at militant groups transporting weapons to be used in future attacks on Israel.

With both air forces flying in Syrian airspace, a certain degree of cooperation is needed between Israel and Russia in order to avoid unwanted incidents.

According to a statement released before the upcoming meeting, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said the frequent meetings were aimed at preventing "friction between the Israeli and Russian air forces in Syria, so far successfully."

Netanyahu was referring to a recent cease-fire agreement sponsored by the United States, Russia and Jordan. He fears it paves the way for Iran to consolidate its presence in southern Syria near Israel's strategic border.

In an op-ed for the New York Times, Shmuel Rosner, political editor for the Jewish Journal, said the agreement is a "loss" for the Jewish state, adding that "Israel finds it hard to believe that the Russians can be swayed to contain the advance of Iran."

Moreover, Iran has been instrumental in the armament of Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Israel "strongly objects the Iranian military build-up, especially through Hezbollah in Syria," Netanyahu said in a speech days before the meeting.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody war in 2006. Since then, it is believed that the militant group has significantly upgraded its capabilities with the help of Iran, making a future war more lethal than the previous one.

Russia is not expected to meddle in the Iranian-Syrian-Hezbollah triangle and Remez doubts that Russia will do much to push Iran back, despite Israeli concerns.

Iran and Russia share far more mutual interests than Israel with Russia, making it quite evident that Putin will be reluctant to make a big effort to curb Iranian activity in Syria, when Netanyahu asks him to do so.

"Israel and Russia are not on equal terms here," Remez said.

Netanyahu may arrive at the meeting with a series of requirements, but chances are the relationship will continue as it is, with Russia making no concessions toward Israel but continuing military coordination on Syrian airspace.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:42:49|Editor: ying

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ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia needs 487 million US dollars for drought relief from July 2017 to December 2017.

The figure was given by Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission on Tuesday which said the money will be utilized for nutritional services, provision of animal feed and construction of health facilities.

The Ethiopian government has already committed 22 million US dollars of the 487 million US dollars needed for the six months drought relief.

It has also already provided 120 thousand metric tons of emergency wheat supplies in July and 46 thousand metric tons of emergency wheat supplies in August.

The aid appeal coincides with Ethiopian government announcement early this month that Ethiopians in need of food aid will increase from the current 7.8 million to 8.5 million people.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:59:05|Editor: An

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A staff member demonstrates a robot during the media preview of 2017 World Robot Conference at Beijing Yichuang International Conference and Exhibition Center, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 22, 2017. The conference will be held from Aug. 23 to Aug. 27, consisting of forum, exposition and robot competition. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:47:55|Editor: An

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BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade is likely to swing back to full-year growth in 2017 on back of strong first-half momentum and strengthened cooperation with trade partners.

Analysts believe a recovery in global demand and the upcoming BRICS summit will inject a boost to trade growth for the rest of the year.

China's foreign trade in the first seven months totaled 15.46 trillion yuan, up 18.5 percent year on year. The economy saw a 7 percent dip in foreign trade volume in 2015 and a 0.9 percent decline in 2016, due to sluggish overseas demand.

In the first seven months, exports increased 14.4 percent year on year, while imports rose 24 percent, resulting in a 14.5 percent decline in the trade surplus.

"As most of the world's major economies started to recover this year, clearly trade demand is improving," said Lian Ping, chief economist with the Bank of Communications.

In its flagship Global Economic Prospects report in June, the World Bank said it expected a recovery in global trade growth to 4 percent in 2017 after a post-crisis low of 2.5 percent last year.

Trade activities with its BRICS partners have particularly supported China's trade growth this year, as cooperation between the five developing countries are expanding at a strong pace.

Leaders of the five economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which contributed more than half of global growth in 2016, will meet in China early next month for the 9th BRICS Summit.

Bai Guangyu, an expert with the Ministry of Commerce on foreign trade, said China's ongoing economic structural improvement had provided room for further trade and investment cooperation between BRICS members.

From January to July this year, China's trade volume with Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa jumped more than 20 percent year on year.

In Fujian, the southeastern Chinese province that will host the upcoming BRICS summit in a few weeks, trade with BRICS countries soared 67.7 percent to 49.42 billion yuan (about 7.42 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half.

At a meeting in Shanghai earlier this month, BRICS trade ministers reached agreement on a number of issues, including e-commerce cooperation, service trade plans, the need for policy transparency and improved efficiency.

South African Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies said he was impressed by the decision to enhance e-commerce cooperation and hoped that Chinese consumers could enjoy more special products from his country, such as grapefruit and red wine.

Thanks to ever-growing e-commerce cooperation and imports expansion, products from BRICS countries, such as Brazilian pine nuts, Russian candy and Indian handcrafts, are now only one click away for Chinese consumers.

BRICS trade officials also expressed interest in the China International Import Expo, an event that will start 2018 and increase foreign imports to China.

Looking ahead, despite uncertainties such as the growing protectionism that could pare trade growth for the rest of this year, economists are confident in the full-year picture.

With extensive trade cooperation with BRICS members and stable global economic growth, the recovering trend in China's foreign trade is likely to continue into the second half, and performance for the entire-year will be in much better condition than the previous two years, according to Bai.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:53:00|Editor: An

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Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress(NPC), meets with Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang met with Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution on Tuesday.

Wiranto and Nasution attended the sixth meeting of the vice-premier-level dialogue and the third meeting of the high-level economic dialogue, respectively, in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday.

China will work with Indonesia to implement the consensus of the two heads of state, strengthen high-level exchanges, synergize development strategies and deepen practical cooperation, Zhang said.

The National People's Congress of China wants to increase exchanges and cooperation with legislative institutions in Indonesia to create a sound law and policy environment for bilateral practical cooperation, he said.

Wiranto and Nasution said Indonesia attaches great importance to relations with China as well as China's influence in international and regional affairs.

Indonesia hopes to deepen political, security and economic partnership with China, the two ministers said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:53:04|Editor: ying

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KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Navy said Tuesday that an unidentified body was found in search for the missing crew of U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, which collided with a tanker near the Straits of Malacca a day earlier.

Malaysian Navy said its vessel found a body 8 nautical miles northwest of the location of the collision in Tuesday afternoon.

"We cannot confirm the identification of the body," Malaysian Navy said in a statement. "The transferring of the body to the U.S. Navy will be done tomorrow."

U.S. Pacific fleet commander Scott Swift told a press conference in Singapore that Navy is in the process of identifying a body reported by Malaysia.

Zulkifili bin Abu Bakar, director general of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said search and rescue operation would continue after nightfall. More than 10 ships, boats and planes from MMEA, Malaysian Navy and other agencies are involved in the operations covering 352 square nautical miles in the sea and 488 square nautical miles from the air.

U.S. navy said 10 sailors are missing and five injured when the collision happened early Monday while the destroyer was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:58:06|Editor: ZD

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USS John S. McCain (L) is seen at sea off Singapore's Changi Naval Base, on Aug. 21, 2017. Ten sailors were missing and five others injured after the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant vessel in waters east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore early on Monday, the U.S. navy said in a statement. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. destroyer's collision with a merchant vessel east of Singapore on Monday, the fourth accident involving a U.S. warship this year, reveals problems of U.S. Navy training and calls into question the U.S. so-called "freedom of navigation operation" ("FONOPs").

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with Greek tanker vessel Alnic MC in waters east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, leaving 10 sailors missing and five others injured.

OPERATIONAL PAUSE

The U.S. Navy announced Monday an operational pause of its fleets globally and a comprehensive review of the U.S. Pacific-based 7th Fleet after the collision, which caused significant damage to the destroyer's hull, resulting in flooding to crew berthing, machinery, communications rooms and other nearby compartments.

The review should seek the root causes of the incidents, said U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson, in a video published on the U.S. Navy's official Twitter account.

The investigation will examine the process by which the U.S. Navy trains and certifies its forces that were forward deployed in Japan, said Richardson, adding that the investigation team should be a "broad and diverse" one, with people inside and outside the Navy.

The USS McCain is the fourth U.S. Navy ship involved in an accident this year.

In January, the USS Antietam ran aground, dumping 1,100 gallons of hydraulic fluid into Tokyo Bay.

On May 9, the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain was struck by a South Korean fishing vessel off the Korean Peninsula.

In mid-June, the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with the Philippine container vessel ACX Crystal, claiming the lives of seven Fitzgerald sailors, injuring three more and damaging both ships.

"NAVY IS NOT LOOKING GOOD"

The Straits of Malacca is a busy shipping lane with about 8,000 ships passing by daily. However, CNN military analyst Rick Francona believed that the McCain, with faster speed and better equipment, could have avoided the collision.

"How does a state-of-the-art Navy destroyer -- equipped with multiple radar systems and communications gear with a full bridge watch -- not see, detect and evade a 30,000-ton slow-moving behemoth?" Francona asked.

"I can almost guarantee you that there will be a tumultuous shake-up in the senior leadership of at least the 7th Fleet and maybe the Navy in general," Francona said.

On Aug. 17, the U.S. 7th Fleet issued a statement, announcing the commanding officer, executive officer and command master chief of the Fitzgerald were relieved of their duties.

They were believed to demonstrate "flawed watch stander teamwork and inadequate leadership," which contributed to the collision.

"The Navy is not looking good about now," Francona said.

"It's not the same level of training you used to get," American Fox News quoted an anonymous official as saying.

INFLAMING REGIONAL TENSION

On Aug. 10, the McCain illegally sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Meiji Reef of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea and conducted a so-called "FONOP" without permission of the Chinese government.

It was the third "freedom of navigation operation" during Donald Trump's presidency, as reported by Reuters.

On July 2, the missile destroyer USS Stethem trespassed into China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands. On May 25, the USS Dewey illegally sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Meiji Reef.

As a country outside the South China Sea region, its navy sailed across the Pacific with aims to inflame regional tension and destroy regional peace and stability to profit from the disorder, Ling Xiaoyun, a critic of the Asia Pacific Daily, wrote in the paper.

The United States will reap the bitter fruits of its disguised "freedom of navigation" in the South China Sea, where over 100,000 ships of various countries pass freely, as its naval maneuvers benefit none and might cause more collisions with merchant vessels, Ling said in his article.

The Straits of Malacca, the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, is a more sensitive area than the South China Sea, he said.

More collisions may occur if the U.S. Navy continues to conduct more "freedom of navigation" in this area, which may lead to a restriction of the freedom of merchant vessels, he said.

The U.S. so-called "FONOPs" aim to uphold U.S. global maritime supremacy, and challenge other countries' sovereignty and international public interests, said Ling.

Related:

Remains found in collided U.S. destroyer
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 20:58:07|Editor: An

ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A new China-Europe freight train service began Monday, linking Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, with Munich, Germany.

A train loaded with electrical equipment left Zhengzhou Monday night and will arrive at Munich 15 to 16 days later.

The train will start its return trip on Sept. 5.

Zhengzhou opened its first China-Europe freight train route to Hamburg in July 2013. The number of cargo trains has increased dramatically under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The new route to Munich will help lower transportation costs to southern and central European countries, said Huo Xiaohua, a customs manager with Zhengzhou International Hub Development and Construction Co., Ltd.

Munich is renowned for its auto industry. The new freight route will also boost the import of brand name automobiles in the future, Huo said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:08:18|Editor: ying

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BERLIN, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Income inequality is at a historical high in Germany, local newspapers Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Sueddeutsche Zeitung Monday quoted a report by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as saying.

"This circumstance is not fair and poses a threat to Germany's social cohesion," Matthias Machnig, state secretary at the ministry, told Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Germany has a "wage problem," the report said. Low- and middle-income earners were not benefiting enough from economic growth.

The report said real gross wages of the lower 40 percent of income earners in 2015 were much lower than in 1995 because their income had less purchasing power.

The report said the upper 60 percent of wage earners, in contrast, have recorded strong rises in their income, noting that the wage gap has thus widened significantly.

Machnig said a large share of the German population "was not able to advance," adding that "the children are suddenly worse off than their parents."

"The tax burden on lower incomes has to be reduced. The principle of equal pay for equal work must finally be achieved for women," he told Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Wage is a hot topic in the lead-up to a federal parliament election in September, not least because household consumption accounted for 1.1 percent out of Germany's 1.9 percent gross domestic product growth in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:18:26|Editor: ZD

U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Scott Swift attends a press conference on the collision of USS John S. McCain with a merchant oil tanker at Singapore's Changi Naval Base on Aug 22, 2017. Scott Swift said here Tuesday evening that some remains of the sailors had been found in the U.S. destroyer which collided with a merchant ship off the waters of Singapore a day ago. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)

SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Scott Swift said here Tuesday evening that remains have been found in the U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, which collided with a tanker near the Straits of Malacca a day earlier.

The destroyer collided with an oil tanker Alnic MC in waters off the eastern side of Singapore Monday morning, leaving 10 sailors missing and five injured.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Changi Naval Base, Swift said divers have found remains within the damaged part of the destroyer, adding that the Malaysian authorities have also found remains. However, he declined to comment whether the remains refer to bodies, saying these are to be identified.

Swift also ruled out the possibility of cyber attack for the cause of the incident.

Of the injured, four have been sent by helicopters to hospital, while the other one with minor injury stayed with the damaged destroyer which managed to sail back to the Singapore's Changi Naval Base Monday noon.

Swift visited the injured at the Singapore General Hospital earlier Tuesday.

The U.S. side did not reveal the details of the missing and injured on grounds of privacy.

Search for the missing sailors were still underway. Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia joined the United States in the operation.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Navy said Tuesday that an unidentified body was found 8 nautical miles northwest of the location of the collision on Tuesday afternoon.

"We cannot confirm the identification of the body," Malaysian Navy said in a statement. "The transferring of the body to the U.S. Navy will be done tomorrow."

Zulkifili bin Abu Bakar, director general of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said search and rescue operation would continue after nightfall. More than 10 ships, boats and planes from MMEA, Malaysian Navy and other agencies are involved in the operations covering 352 square nautical miles in the sea and 488 square nautical miles from the air.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:23:29|Editor: ying

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DAMASCUS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led coalition has killed 78 civilians in Syria's de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) in Raqqa city on Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported.

The airstrikes targeted residential areas in Raqqa, the latest in a string of intensified air raids the U.S.-led coalition has been carrying out against IS-held areas in Raqqa.

Tens of civilians are being killed on daily basis as a result of the attacks, with the Syrian state media reporting civilian casualties daily.

The U.S. has been heavily backing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their push to capture Raqqa from IS.

The heavy support enabled the SDF to capture 55 percent of Raqqa city following a two-month battle.

But the falling of civilians on daily basis pushed the Syrian government to condemn the U.S.-led coalition and its "crimes" in Raqqa, urging the UN to dissolve the coalition.

While the SDF is advancing inside Raqqa, the Syrian army and tribal forces are advancing against the extremists in the countryside of Raqqa, becoming close to the last IS-held city in eastern Raqqa countryside.

The army forces and allied troops have already clawed back the western and southern countryside of Raqqa.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:28:42|Editor: ying

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STOCKHOLM, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- An item without owner at Malmo airport, South Sweden, is being investigated by the police.

An area around the terminal is blocked and bomb technicians are in place for technical examination. Air traffic continues as usual, Swedish Television (SVT)reported on Tuesday.

The alarm reached to the police at 2 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon and according to the police's management center, the suspicious item was a plastic bag without a known owner.

"We always check luggage and other things that do not seem to belong to anyone. It is part of the safety routines that exist, "Maya Forstenius at the police's management center told SVT.

The plastic bag was left at the airport terminal. Malmo Airport's press service confirmed that an area of one hundred meters was blocked.

"Bomb technician is in place and an investigation is under way. Air traffic is common but passengers are channeled through another entrance, "said Josabeth Sahlenius, Press Officer at Swedavia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:33:50|Editor: An

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BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The 15th Asia Arts Festival will be held in Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province from September 23 to October 23, the Ministry of Culture announced Tuesday.

The festival, jointly hosted by the ministry and the provincial government, will include a Lancang-Mekong cultural forum, in which culture ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China will gather to discuss exchanges and cooperation.

A tour will also depart from Zhejiang visiting important cities along the Maritime Silk Road, including the capitals of Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, bringing diverse cultural activities to local people.

The Asia Arts Festival was first held in 1998 in Beijing, and the last festival was held in Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province in 2015.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:38:55|Editor: ying

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TALLINN, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Estonian and Egypt on Tuesday pledged to boost bilateral ties and enhance cooperation in potential areas of digital field and international organizations.

During the first visit to Estonia by a high-level official from Egypt, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser.

Kaljulaid and Shoukry discussed Estonian-Egyptian relations, the situation in northen Africa and the Middle East, as well as potential areas of further bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting, Mikser said stability in the southern neighbourhood and more broadly in the Middle East was very important.

"The situation to the east and south of the EU has strategic importance for us, as it is directly tied to security in Europe," Mikser was quoted as saying in a press release.

The two ministers noted that the EU and Egypt had to find a solution to the problems of illegal migration as well as of extremism and terrorism, stressing on more effective cooperation and exchange of information, said Mikser, who termed Egypt as one of the EU's key partners on the issues.

"Estonia continues to be prepared to share its experiences with digital public services, and contributing to digital topics at the Africa-EU Summit," Mikser added.

On Sunday, Shoukry started a European tour that took him to Russia for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow Monday on boosting bilateral relations and coordination on a host of regional and international issues, topped by countering terrorism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:43:58|Editor: An

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BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities activated a national disaster alert and response mechanism for Typhoon Hato Tuesday afternoon, to help local civil affairs departments prepare for relief work.

Civil affairs departments in several southern provinces should remain on duty around the clock, according to an urgent notice issued by China National Commission for Disaster Reduction, in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.` The notice asked local authorities publicize forecasts regarding Hato and its predicted routes to enable residents to move to safe places and ships to return to harbor.

The departments should inform residents in typhoon-affected areas to stockpile enough daily necessities for one to three days, said the notice, adding that relief materials and funds should also be prepared to guarantee the basic requirements of disaster-hit residents.

Hato is the 13th typhoon to hit China this year. It is forecast to make landfall in Guangdong Province Wednesday and then move west while losing strength.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:44:03|Editor: ying

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GENEVA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Of all the 12 million population in South Sudan, one in three residents has been displaced, while one in two is severely hungry and in need of food assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday.

"You just carried your child and run without any property. We don't even have beds in the camp. We just sleep on the ground," Sebit Akuar, a 31-year-old father of four now living in a makeshift home, was cited as saying by ICRC in s media statement issued Tuesday.

Belila Sabino, a mother of five children, told ICRC that she fled her home quickly when the conflict escalated. While was pregnant at the time, she walked for 10 days on foot with her children to reach a camp in Deim Zubeir in the northwest South Sudan.

"When the attacks happened my husband was away," she said. "I fled with my children. I do not know where my husband is and he does not know where we are. It is a daily struggle to get food. I have no one to help me."

In an effort to assist residents harmed by warfare, the ICRC recently distributed an emergency food supply to 1,000 families, or about 6,000 people, in the village of Deim Zubeir.

About 54,000 people, including around 18,000 internally displaced people (IDP), live in Deim Zubeir.

According to ICRC, a majority of the IDPs in Deim Zubeir arrived with close to nothing. The host community is sharing the little they have.

South Sudan has been embroiled in more than three years of conflict that has have taken a devastating toll on the people.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 between the rival leaders under UN pressure led to the establishment of a transitional unity government in April, but was shattered by renewed fighting in July 2016.

The UN estimates that 1.5 million people have been forced into neighboring countries and another 7.5 million people across the country are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 21:49:05|Editor: ying

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WINDHOEK, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's tourism sector in the near future can be one of the strong pillars of economic growth in the country after the mining and fishing sectors, according to Chinese Ambassador to Namibia, Zhang Yiming.

Zhang highlighted this on Tuesday during his first media engagement in the country, since he presented his Letter of Credence earlier in August.

Zhang said the tourism sector has big potential in the country and to achieve its full growth, the Namibian government needs to strengthen their facilities to accommodate tourists.

According to Zhang, around 10,000 Chinese tourists visit Namibia annually but the figures could improve, if Namibia can make provisions for large number of tourists in the country.

He said that many things can be done in terms of infrastructure to be able to accommodate larger influx of tourists.

He added he is more than willing to work together with Namibia, to seek constructive solutions in the creation of a win-win partnership.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 22:04:16|Editor: ying

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MADRIID, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido on Tuesday met representatives of Spain's police and Civil Guard and Jose Antonio Nieto, the Secretary of State for Security, to evaluate extra security measures in the country in the wake of Thursday's terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils.

Although the government Anti-Terrorism Committee on Saturday decided against raising the level of threat for another terrorist attack from the current level 4 to the maximum level 5, the Committee did decide to implant extra short and medium term security measures.

One of the keys in Tuesday's meeting was to analyze extra security measures at places or events attracting large numbers of people "with special reference to tourist zones."

Zoido highlighted "the capacity for prevention and reaction" as well as the need to update data over terrorist organizations.

Tuesday also saw the four surviving terrorists from the 12-man cell which killed 15 people in Barcelona and Cambrils appear in the Spanish National High Court.

Mohamed Houli Chemal, Dris Oukbar, Mohammed Alla and Salh Karib arrived at the court in the heart of Madrid at 8 a.m. local time to be questioned by the Judge, Fernando Andreu, who among other issues will be investigating if the cell had help from abroad after it was revealed some members of the cell made a "rapid" visit to Paris on 1Aug. 11 and 12, while Abdelbaki Es Satti, the imam who is thought to have radicalized the terrorists, is known to have spent considerable time in Belgium.

Es Satti was killed in the explosion in Alcanar, which killed another cell member and injured Houli Chemal.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 22:04:19|Editor: ying

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DHAKA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's cellular service provider Banglalink Tuesday announced its decision to invest half a billion U.S. dollars in the development of digital infrastructure for a powerful 4G network in the country.

Banglalink, a subsidiary of Netherlands-based company VEON Ltd., is one of the leading digital communications service providers in Bangladesh with over 31.572 million subscribers.

The company said in a statement that it is working relentlessly and upgrading its network to offer a data-heavy and seamless connectivity for its customers.

Pierre Boutros Obeid, chief technology officer of Banglalink, said they are committed to offer the best in 4G to ensure digital inclusion of everyone and a digital life for all.

Banglalink, which has been operating in Bangladesh for 12 years, in April this year announced that it has signed an agreement with China's ZTE to build the world's largest virtual Subscriber Data Management (vSDM) platform.

VEON's CEO Jean-Yves Charlier had earlier in a press conference expressed his willingness to invest 1 billion U.S. dollars in Bangladesh over the next three years, more than half of which is exclusively for network upgrade.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 22:24:32|Editor: ying

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MOSCOW, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- If the U.S. Navy causes a more serious accident in narrow places of the Strait of Malacca, navigation in the important cargo passage will be disrupted, a Russian expert commented Tuesday on a recent U.S. destroyer collision.

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant vessel on Monday morning near the Strait of Malacca, leaving 10 sailors missing and five others injured.

"The collision was precisely caused by the overstrain of the U.S. Navy," Vasily Kashin, a research fellow at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua.

He said U.S. warships spend too much time on combat service and the crew are overworked. There is not enough time to perform necessary exercises and training programs.

"The U.S. Navy keeps almost all of its vessels -- almost everything that can float -- on the high seas, and uses a maximum percentage of technically-sound ships," Kashin said.

Maritime accidents are frequent in the Asia Pacific as there is no other place with an equal concentration of U.S. warships, a comparable scale of commercial navigation and other types of maritime activities, Kashin said.

The McCain is the fourth U.S. Navy ship involved in such an accident in 2017.

In January, the USS Antietam ran aground, dumping 1,100 gallons of hydraulic fluid into Tokyo Bay.

In May, the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel off the Korean Peninsula.

In June, the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship in waters off Japan, leaving seven sailors dead.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 22:34:43|Editor: Zhou Xin

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DHAKA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A High Court Division Bench in Bangladesh has upheld death sentence for 15 in a sensational murder case of seven people.

The High Court division bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam on Tuesday delivered the verdict commuting the death penalty of 11 others to life imprisonment.

In January this year a court in Bangladesh's central Narayangan district about 20 km from the capital Dhaka imposed death sentence on all the 26 accused in the sensational murder case.

Convicts' lawyers said their clients will file appeals with the Supreme Court against the death sentence.

According to case details, Narayanganj City Corporation's ex-Councillor Nur Hossain, believed to be the mastermind of the murder of seven people, and three former senior officer of Bangladesh's elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are among the 15 given the death penalty.

Twenty-three of the 26 accused including prime suspect Nur Hossain are now behind the bars.

The abduction and gruesome killings, which apparently shocked Bangladesh, sparked massive waves of protests in the country.

Nazrul Islam, a fellow councillor of Hossain, with three associates and his driver went missing on April 27, 2014.

Nazrul's lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker who was following the car of Nazrul Islam, also went missing on the same day with his driver from the same place.

About a week later bodies of all the seven persons were seen floating to the Shitalakshya River on which the Narayanganj stands.

Nazrul's father-in-law Shahidul Islam alleged that RAB personnel abducted and killed Nazrul and his associates, who had a long-standing political business rivalry with Nur Hossain, who fled to India after the murders took place.

Nur Hossain was arrested in Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state West Bengal in June, 2015, and subsequently brought back to Bangladesh.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 22:39:48|Editor: Zhou Xin

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BANGKOK, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Thai cabinet on Tuesday approved the draft design contract of the Thailand-China railway project to pave the way for the signing early next month.

"Thailand will use this contract to hire China's state enterprise to do the detailed design for the railway project, including elevated tracks, tunnels, bridges and stations," Kobsak Pootrakool, vice minister at the Prime Minister's Office told media after the cabinet meeting.

Kobsak said the planning phase will take 10 months and the design work will cost Thailand some 1.7 billion baht (51 million U.S. dollars).

According to Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, China and Thailand plan to sign the design contract and the supervision contract early September in order to finally start the construction in October.

The first phase, a 253 km high speed railway running from Bangkok to the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, is approved by Thai cabinet in July.

The first phase is scheduled to be operational by 2021.

A planned second phase will run from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai on Thai-Lao border to be connected with the the China-Laos railway to form the artery railway from Bangkok to Kunming in southern China.

Sections of the planned cross-border railway outside Thailand are already under construction.

Thai government reiterated that the second phase will be built in the near future while the Chinese embassy said on Saturday that "the preparation work for the second phase of the project will start soon."
File photo: A bottle of Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder is seen in a photo illustration taken in New York, in this image taken February 24, 2016. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A California jury panel on Monday ordered the world's largest health-care company, Johnson&Johnson, to award 417 million U.S. dollars to a 62-year-old woman with ovarian cancer.

The ruling by the jury panel of Los Angeles County Superior Court came after it found the company was liable for failing to warn the woman about the cancer risks of using talcum products.

In the first such case going to state-court jury in California, Eva Echeverria, testified in a video showed during the trial that she used the Johnson's Baby Powder from age 11 until 2016, when she saw a news story about a woman with ovarian cancer who had also used the product.

Echeverria, diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, is too weak to show in the court after a surgeon removing a softball-sized tumor. She claimed that if the Johnson put a warning label on the product showing a linkage between talc and cancer, she would not use it for so many years.

Moreover, her attorneys stressed that the Johnson had known long ago about cancer risks of using its talcum products but still marketed the unsafe products without any warning label as some experts advised.

The company argued that the plaintiff's allegations aren't supported by scientific evidence and studies conducted by federal agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

After two days of closing arguments by lawyers, the jury at last decided to award Echeverria with 68 million U.S. dollars in compensatory damages and 340 million U.S. dollars in punitive damages.

In May, a Missouri jury awarded a Virginia woman 110.5 million U.S. dollars for a similar allegation, by then, three other Missouri juries had awarded a total of 197 million U.S. dollars to plaintiffs who made similar claims.

There are more than 300 similar cases pending in California and about 4,800 claims in U.S. courts.

The company immediately announced it would seek to overturn Monday's verdict, saying science supports the safety of the Johnson's Baby Powder.

Talcum powder is made from talc, a mineral made up mainly of the elements magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. As a powder, it absorbs moisture well so that is widely used in cosmetic products such as baby powder and adult facial powders for keeping skin dry and helping to prevent rashes.

According to American Cancer Society, even though many studies have looked at the possible link between talcum powder and ovary cancer, researches on this field are continuing since findings have been mixed.

Some studies reported a slightly increased risk and some reported no increase, the nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer explained on its official website that, emphasizing that many case-control studies have found a small increase in risk, but these types of studies can be biased because they often rely on a person's memory of talc use many years earlier.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 22:45:00|Editor: Zhou Xin

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ISLAMABAD, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif will visit the United States in a few days for talks with his U.S. counterpart on bilateral and regional issues, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced strategy for South Asia that focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The U.S. Ambassador David Hale met the foreign minister Tuesday afternoon and briefed him about Trump's latest statement on the U.S. policy review on South Asia and Afghanistan, said the foreign ministry in a statement.

"Ambassador Hale conveyed that the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson looked forward to meeting the foreign minister in the next few days to have an in-depth discussion on the state of play in the bilateral relationship as well as the new U.S. policy on South Asia," said the statement.

Asif had accepted the invitation when the secretary of state called him on Aug. 14 and said he looked forward to his early interactions in Washington, it said, adding that the foreign minister reiterated Pakistan's perspective and desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-22 23:00:05|Editor: Zhou Xin

Muslim women are seen on street near Jama Masjid, New Delhi, India, Aug. 22, 2017. India's Supreme Court on Tuesday banned the practice of Islamic instant divorce locally called Triple Talaq, after describing it as unconstitutional and "un-Islamic." (Xinhua/Stringer)

NEW DELHI, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- India's top court on Tuesday banned the practice of Islamic instant divorce locally called Triple Talaq, after describing it as unconstitutional and "un-Islamic."

Triple Talaq, forms a practice where a Muslim man was authorized to divorce his wife by uttering the word "Talaq" (divorce) thrice.

The landmark court decision came in response to petitions filled by five Muslim women who had been divorced in this way. Two rights groups had also petitioned in the apex court seeking an end of the custom.

The verdict was delivered by a constitutional bench comprising of five top judges from different major faiths -- Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

The bench delivered a spilt verdict of 3-2 invalidating the practice as part of the Muslim Personal Law.

"Three of the five judges hearing the case said it is unconstitutional, while as the other two wanted it banned for six months till the government introduces new legislation," a lawyer present in the court said. The majority opinion held that Triple Talaq "is not integral to religious practice and violates constitutional morality."

Women's rights activists and victims have hailed the court's decision as a historic win.

There have been cases in which Muslim men in India have divorced their wives by issuing the Triple Talaq by letter, telephone and SMS (text message on mobile phones), WhatsApp and Skype.

"They say a marriage is solemnized with the agreement of both the parties husband and wife but how come husband can divorce the wife arbitrarily without even consulting wife," said Atiya Sabri, whose husband has divorced her by sending a letter to her on the office address of his brother.

"I don't consider it divorce the way my husband abandoned me," Sabri said.

The top court began to hear the petitions challenging Triple Talaq in May after clubbing seven petitions challenging the practice.

Muslims religious groups in India oppose the court's decision and view it as the interference in their religion.

The Muslim community leaders said these practices have religious basis and were not justiciable.

"The practice is an issue of faith and personal law, and the courts of law have no role in reviewing it," said Mufti Israr Ahmad, a Muslim scholar. "If there is a need to bring an amendment in it, let the Muslim scholars sit and decide."

Women activists have long been opposing the practice describing it "discriminatory" and "injustice."

Over 20 Muslim countries including neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh have abolished Triple Talaq.

Muslim women in India for long have been demanding a ban on the practice of Triple Talaq.

"Hundreds of women especially from poor backgrounds have fallen prey to this illogical practice and are abandoned by their husbands," Shazia Hassan, a women activist said. "By uttering the word Talaq thrice, many women have been rendered destitute as their husbands feel their responsibility to take care of them ceases after that."

Muslims in India with a population of about 155 million are the largest minority community. Their marriages, customs and the issues related to it are exclusively governed by the Muslim Personal law, commonly referred to as Islamic law or Sharia.
China's Special Envoy on Syrian Issue, Xie Xiaoyan, talks with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad on June 17 to push for political solution to the Syrian crisis. (Xinhua Photo)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China has been playing a "balanced" role in seeking a political solution to Syria's civil war, which has helped prevent Syria's division, Syrian experts told Xinhua in recent interviews.

During the six-year Syrian civil war, China has vetoed five UN Security Council draft resolutions designed to undermine the unity of Syria, Osama Danura, a Syrian political expert and a former member of the Syrian government delegation to the Syrian talks in Geneva, told Xinhua in an interview.

"Through using these vetoes, China has prevented the division of Syria as well as possible military aggressions," Danura said.

Throughout the crisis, China's role has been "balanced" as it has been calling for preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, while rejecting all forms of foreign aggression, he said.

Danura also pointed out that China has exerted extra political efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, as demonstrated by its appointing a special envoy on the Syrian issue.

Syrian political expert Osama Danura told Xinhua in an interview that China has exerted extra political efforts to resolve the Syrian crises and prevented division of Syria. (Xinhua Photo)

Since his appointment in 2016, Chinese Special Envoy on the Syrian Issue Xie Xiaoyan has always urged all parties in Syria to find a political solution to the civil war.

As a result, the Syrian government is paying close attention to China's positions, Danura said, adding Damascus is looking forward to developing its ties with China in all fields, mainly on the political, economic and military levels.

He noted that the Syria government intends to adopt a "go east" policy, including increasing its engagement with China, the rising economic powerhouse.

Danura believed that China's political and economic weight has made it "an important player in resolving world crisis."

"The huge economic rise of China has made it an important power, attracting the attention of the countries desiring to achieve technical and economic developments," he said.

For his part, Abdul-Latif Omran, editor-in-chief of the Al-Baath newspaper of the al-Baath ruling party in Syria, told Xinhua that China's position on Syria has been welcomed by both the Syrian government and people.

Abdul-Latif Omran, editor-in-chief of the Al-Baath newspaper of the al-Baath ruling party in Syria, told Xinhua that China's position on Syria has been welcomed by both the Syrian government and people. (Xinhua Photo)

Even the opposition parties, Omran added, have shown respect to the China's balanced role and its diplomatic efforts to seek a political solution to Syria's war.

Omran said China has been backing all political initiatives under the umbrella of the international community, from the Geneva meetings, Vienna talks to the recent Astana talks on Syria.

He hoped to see more cooperation between China and Syria on the economic level to accelerate the reconstruction process in Syria, including attracting more Chinese companies to invest in the war-torn country.

On the humanitarian level, Omran, former chairman of the Syrian-Chinese Friendship Committee, appreciated the aid shipments provided by China, including medical equipment to Syrian hospitals that are over burdened by the protracted civil war.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 00:15:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LUANDA, Aug. 22 (XINHUA) -- Angolans will go to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new president after some 40 years under the presidency of Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

Dos Santos, leader of the country's majority and ruling party, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), has decided not to run for 2017 election, thus giving the chance for a new head of state to be elected, the third since the national independence in 1975.

Six political parties are competing in the election. According to the Angolan constitution, the candidate of the winning party in the election will automatically becomes the president.

Defense Minister Joao Lourenco, 63-year-old veteran of the Angolan army, has been appointed as the candidate of MPLA.

His competitors will include Isaias Samakuva, Abel Chivukuvuku, Benedito Daniel, Lucas Benghy Ngonda and Quintino Antonio Moreira.

Isaias Samakuva, 71, leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the second largest political force in the country, has held various positions in his party, among them UNITA's representative in Britain, South Africa and in the European Union.

Abel Chivukuvuku, 59, created the Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola - Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE) in 2012 after leaving UNITA where he held prominent positions for more than 30 years. His party obtained 6 percent of the votes and eight MPs in the previous election in 2012.

Benedito Daniel, 56, was elected on May 30 as president of the Social Renewal Party (PRS) during its fourth congress. He has been one of the three MPs from 2012 election.

Quintino Antonio Moreira, 49, who founded the National Patriotic Alliance (APN) in 2015, is running for the first time in the election.

Lucas Benghy Ngonda, 77, is a prominent figure in the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA). His party has been losing ground in the Angolan political arena due to constant leadership changes since the death of its founder, Alvaro Holden Roberto, in 2007.

The Angolan constitution allows the president to serve for a five-year term.
Police special forces work near Plaza Catalonia following a terrorist attack in central Barcelona, Spain, on Aug. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Lino De Vallier)

PARIS, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Two gruesome terrorist attacks that hit Spain last week confirm the transnational nature of the jihadist threat facing Europe, and highlight the need for more intensive and more structural collaboration among European Union (EU) member states to combat terrorism effectively.

The double attacks in Catalonia last Thursday and Friday, which claimed 15 lives and injured over 120 others, and the knife attack in Turku, Finland, were the latest to rub salt into the EU's wound, as France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and the United Kingdom still struggle to recover from a number of bloody attacks since 2015.

To fight against this scourge that transcends borders, politicians and analysts have made repeated calls for more cooperation within the EU.

"This terrorism is long-term, so we need vigilance, prevention, deterrence and cooperation in Europe, which are the decisive elements in achieving a definitive fight against terrorism...It is a battle that we must fight jointly," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said last Friday in Barcelona.

Considerable efforts have been made in recent years in the area of such cooperation, particularly with regard to counter-terrorism measures.

This is the case, for example, with the Passenger Name Record (PNR) directive, adopted by the European Parliament in April 2016.

The PNR is a collection of data acquired by airlines when a passenger books a flight, accessible to EU member states for the purpose of "prevention, detection of serious criminal acts or acts of terrorism."

It contains a wide range of information, such as dates of travel, travel itinerary, ticket information, contact details, travel agent, means of payment, seat number and baggage information.

The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) is another EU-level action that highlights such cooperation.

Since April 2012, the ECRIS has been connecting databases containing criminal records in order to "facilitate, standardize and speed up" the exchange of information on convictions between EU countries.

Moreover, the Schengen Information System also allows the border control services and judicial authorities of a Schengen state to have data on reported persons or vehicles.

These actions are coordinated by EU agencies such as Europo and Eurojust, which facilitate the exchange of information among national police on terrorism, drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

However, in spite of all these efforts, obstacles still exist, in particular regarding the exchange of information at European level.

In her paper "The battle against terrorism in Europe: cooperation in all its states," Chantal Lavallee, associate researcher at French thinktank Osintpol, underlines the reluctance of member states to enable more competences in areas related to their national security and sovereignty.

In terms of intelligence, "it remains difficult to conceive an exchange at European level, whereas even within countries there are still many problems of coordination between collection and analysis, internal and external dimension, civil and military, judicial and strategic information," explains Lavallee.

In this respect, Europol and Eurojust have a key role to play, but member states must also proceed with information exchange, the importance of which they acknowledged in February 2015, according to the researcher.

"Of course, cooperation between member states is growing, but it remains limited and fragmentary," she commented.

The case of Salah Abdeslam and Abdelhamid Abaaoud, two of the key suspects of the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, 2015, illustrates the difficult coordination between countries, in which the effectiveness of information sharing became questionable.

Abdeslam was not known to the French intelligence service while he was under the supervision of the Belgian police who never informed France.

As for Abaaoud, it is still unclear how he was able to travel from Syria to Seine-Saint-Denis in north Paris without any country informing France, even though his name was already on an international arrest warrant.

Adding to the difficulty of coordination, the perception of terrorist threats varies among member states.

For France, the fight against terrorism, specifically against the Islamic State (IS), must continue outside the European borders, according to the French foreign minister, who paid a visit to the French citizens wounded in the Barcelona attack.

"Outside, it means continuing until IS is eradicated where it is. It's on the right track, but not yet over," said Le Drian.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 01:01:20|Editor: Zhou Xin

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WINDHOEK, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese ambassador to Namibia Zhang Yiming said the two governments are working to launch a joint law enforcement action to eliminate transnational crimes related to poaching.

He was speaking at a media briefing at the Chinese Embassy in Windhoek on Tuesday.

The joint law enforcement action will be between the Namibian Police and China's Ministry of Public Security.

Zhang said that the Chinese government is strongly against any illegal poaching, thus the reports of Chinese individuals involved in poaching are tarnishing the country's image.

"We do not defend these people. We will assist and cooperate with law enforcement agencies to punish the individuals who are involved in such heinous crimes," he said.

He added that he will make it one of his important goals during his term as ambassador in the country to strengthen relations between China and Namibia.

Previously, the Chinese local community has up a Wildlife Protection Fund in Namibia to sponsor wildlife projects.

China announced late last year a phased schedule to stop part of ivory processing and sales by March 31, 2017, and to eventually stop all ivory processing and sales by the end of 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 01:41:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's energy regulator said Tuesday plans were afoot to connect 42 companies to gas to ensure adequate supply of energy in a country with erratic power supply.

Kapuulya Musomba, the Acting Managing Director of the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), said priority will be given to companies situated in industrial parks.

"We have enough gas to connect to as many companies as possible but we have decided to start with 42 at the moment due to financial constraints and poor infrastructure,"Musomba told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

"Connecting gas to companies needs heavy investments," he said, adding that currently there were about 81 new companies that needed to be connected to gas for energy.

"We currently use only 10 percent of the gas we produce countrywide and the industries which need gas are many," said Musomba.

Musomba said a major drawback facing the connection of gas to industries was poor planning of cities.

"In order to reach some companies we have to demolish some of the residential and commercial houses," he said.

Medard Kalemani, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Minerals, said the government was in the process of establishing a gas master plan aimed at creating provisions for both domestic and industrial gas use.

Kalemani said the master plan will also help investors to understand how to access gas for powering their industries.

Early this month, the minister of state in the vice-president's office responsible for environment, January Makamba, directed public institutions, including the army, schools, hospitals and high learning institutions to switch to using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to reduce deforestation through the use of charcoal.

Makamba said the move will help reduce the effects of environmental degradations caused by unscrupulous felling of trees for charcoal.

"We reached this decision after we had realized that the government was the major consumer of forest products leading to deforestation," said Makamba.

The east African nation's total estimated recoverable natural gas reserves are more than 57 trillion cubic feet.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 01:51:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Alex Osei-Boateng

ACCRA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday reiterated his full commitment to Africa's political and economic integration.

The Ghanaian leader, who is in Equatorial Guinea for a three-day visit, has called for strengthening the African Union (AU).

"I believe it is extremely important for the welfare of the 1.2 billion people of the continent that we, the leaders, demonstrate strong political will to make the AU an economic and political success, and to make the project of integration real," the presidency quoted him as saying in a release.

He said with Africa's population set to reach some 2 billion people in 20 years' time, an African common market presents immense opportunities.

"The time for African integration is now," he said, adding that Ghana and Equatorial Guinea should be in the forefront of the process that would convert the AU into a true continental market.

Akufo-Addo said his visit to Equatorial Guinea was to strengthen ties between the two countries, as well as explore further areas of co-operation.

He was hopeful that his visit would kick-start the re-commencement of formal sessions of the Ghana-Equatorial Guinea Permanent Joint Commission of Cooperation, revive the Air Services Agreement between the two countries, and re-establish direct flights between Accra and Malabo.
File photo shows Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari attends the third summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 23, 2015. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)

ABUJA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The office of Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari was infested with rodents while he was on a long medical vacation in London, according to the presidency.

Buhari, who resumed duties on Monday, is working from the office inside his official residence pending the completion of renovation work in the regular presidential office, his media team said Tuesday.

"Following the three months period of disuse, rodents have caused a lot of damage to the furniture and the air conditioning units," Garba Shehu, a senior communication assistant to the president, told local newspaper ThisDay.

Shehu said the maintenance firm was speeding up its pace of work to allow Buhari to operate from his regular office.

This announcement was greeted by mixed reactions, with many members of the public saying the renovation ought to be completed before his arrival from the 104-day medical trip overseas.

Buhari's home office is a replica of his regular office, within the same complex.

Femi Adesina, the president's main spokesman, confirmed the 74-year-old leader had met with his vice-president on Monday when the latter briefed his principal on the major developments while he was away.

Buhari also met with the nation's security chiefs inside his home office on Tuesday, Adesina said, adding the decision was not intended for the president to luxuriate at home.

The Nigerian leader flew out of the West African country on May 7, on medical vacation, and got a rousing welcome upon his arrival in Abuja last Saturday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 02:52:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday asked the parties concerned to keep the Iran nuclear deal, which risks falling apart amid mounting hostility between Washington and Tehran.

"For the secretary-general, the Iran nuclear deal is one of the most important diplomatic achievements in our search for peace and stability," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing at UN Headquarters on Tuesday. "Everyone involved needs to do its utmost to support that agreement."

The UN response came at a critical time when the agreement between Iran and the five world powers of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States faces a serious threat of collapse.

Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi warned earlier Tuesday that his country could resume production of highly enriched uranium within five days if the 2015 deal is revoked.

"If we decide, we can reach 20 percent (uranium) enrichment within five days," he was quoted by state media as saying. But he added that Iran's priority was to preserve the nuclear deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who during his election campaign had called the Iran nuclear deal a "disaster" and "the worst deal ever negotiated," approved new sanctions on Tehran this month for its missile program. Iran accused Washington of breaching the 2015 agreement. But Washington argued that the sanctions were not related to the nuclear deal.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned that his country could pull out of the deal should Washington impose any new sanctions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 02:52:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LUSAKA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Zambia will this week host the inaugural International Conference on Girls' Education in Africa, with three African first ladies to be among 500 delegates, its education ministry said on Tuesday.

The three-day conference from August 23 to 25 is organized by the Forum for African Women Educationalists in partnership with the Ministry of Education, according to a statement released by the ministry.

Minister of Education Dennis Wanchinga said in the statement that the first ladies from Malawi, Mali and Uganda will be among delegates at the conference to be held under the theme "Towards Gender Equality in Education in Africa".

The conference seeks to identify strategies and opportunities for promoting youth leadership and engagement in regional, continental and international education dialogue on gender equality, with a focus on the African Union's (AU) continental education strategy for Africa and Agenda 2063.

"The conference will provide a platform to share replicable solutions to current systematic and community-based factors that continue to hinder girls and women from accessing and benefiting equitably from available education opportunities and resources," he said.

The first ladies will use the conference to dialogue on out-of-school youths, and explore strategies on increasing access to girls' education, he added.

According to him, the conference was a great opportunity to reflect on the work done to place girls' education issues on national, continental and regional levels and to domesticate agreed-upon education policies.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 03:02:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KIEV, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin Tuesday welcomed the results of the talks between U.S. envoy Kurt Volker and his Russian counterpart Vladislav Surkov, aiming to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"First of all, I think they are positive. Secondly, I really like Volker's approach to this process and his comprehensive vision on how we could move on together," Klimkin told reporters during a media briefing here.

Particularly, Ukraine appreciates the U.S. position on the issues regarding security and prisoner exchange, he said.

Volker, who is the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, and Surkov, who is Russian presidential aide, held a closed-door meeting on Monday in Minsk, Belarus.

Although the agenda of the talks has not been made public, analysts believe the two officials met to exchange their views on Ukraine crisis and search for a compromise on the implementation of the Minsk deal.

The conflicting parties in eastern Ukraine have different views on the timetable for implementing the deal, creating obstacles for the peace process.

The government insists that security provisions are the priority points to be implemented, while pro-independence insurgents demand Kiev firstly perform political steps prescribed in the deal.

On Aug. 23, Volker will arrive at Kiev to hold talks with the Ukrainian authorities on the ways out of the violence, which has been underway in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 03:37:47|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three children, including a seven-month-old infant, were pulled alive from rubble in Italy's Ischia Island on Tuesday after an earthquake hit on Monday, killing 2 people and wounding 42.

Rescuers worked around the clock to reach the three brothers, and were able to save the youngest one during the night. The baby boy was unharmed, and reportedly in good health conditions.

The second child, seven-year-old, was rescued some 16 hours after the quake. Finally, firefighters pulled out the third brother, eleven, on Tuesday afternoon local time.

The three children were among a family of seven, who had remained trapped under a collapsed building. All of them were saved, including the children's parents.

The temblor struck at 8:57 p.m. local time on Monday at a depth of about 5 km off Ischia, which lies in the Gulf of Naples, the Italian National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (INGV) stated.

Two people lost their life.

A 59-year-old woman was killed by falling debris in the collapse of a church in the municipality of Casamicciola Terme, the Civil Protection agency confirmed. She was a resident of the island, and mother of six, according to Italy's Ansa news agency.

The second victim was a woman of 65 from northern Italy who was spending holiday in Ischia. Her body was spotted under the rubble of a collapsed house, spokesperson for the Fire Dept. Luca Cari confirmed to Italian TV news channel Sky TG24.

Overall, some 42 people were injured in the quake, the local health service in Naples said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sixteen of them needed hospitalization, and one was admitted to Naples' Cardarelli hospital since Monday night due to critical conditions.

Some 2,000 people were evacuated from Casamicciola and 600 people from Lacco Ameno, which were the hardest-hit municipalities on the island, Civil Protection chief Angelo Borrelli told a press conference.

At least 1,051 tourists were brought to the town of Pozzuoli early on Tuesday night, and assisted by the Italian Red Cross.

Extra ferries from Naples had in fact been organized since after the seismic event to allow frightened tourists to leave Ischia as soon as possible, and to bring in relief teams.

Some fire crews were already on the island to put out blazes when the quake struck, and intervened immediately, while further rescuers were dispatched from Naples, the nearest large city, and from Tuscany and Lazio regions, according to Fire Dept. chief Bruno Frattasi.

"Firefighter crews are to carry out specific checks on the (local) hotel facilities, to assess their stability and see if it is possible to host those displaced there, starting from tonight," Borrelli told reporters in a briefing early on Tuesday.

The official added the authorities "hoped" tent cities would not be necessary to provide an accommodation to the evacuated people.

Ischia is a very popular touristic destination among Italians and foreigners. The island counts 20,000 residents, but its average population is estimated in about 50,000 people.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 03:47:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KIGALI, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Judicial experts meeting in Rwanda's capital city Kigali on Tuesday called for blending formal and traditional justice systems to ease access to justice in Africa.

"We acknowledge the importance of justice institutions in promoting access to justice but also realize the limitations of this formal system," said Abdulai Hamid Charm, the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone.

"Legal professionals need to collaborate with community-based justice institutions to attend to those in most need of the services we provide," he said.

Charm was speaking at the opening of a three-day continental conference on collaboration between the judiciary and community justice institutions in Kigali.

The meeting drew participants from more than 15 countries across the continent to discuss ways to strengthen collaboration between the judiciary and community justice institutions.

Participants argued that majority of Africans live in rural areas with limited means to access justice.

Judicial officials from different African countries are calling for ways to harmonize formal justice with community justice systems in order to ease access to justice.

Citing Rwanda's gacaca courts and mediation committees locally known as Abunzi, experts said this could reduce court backlogs as well as help maintain harmony in the community through amicable resolution of disputes.

Rwanda has won much praise for blending local conflict-resolution traditions with a modern punitive legal system to deliver justice for the country's 1994 genocide.

By the time of their closure in 2012, gacaca courts tried up to 1.9 million cases in ten years. Scholars say this traditional system was successful in swiftly delivering justice.

According to Mogoeng Mogoeng, the South African Chief Justice, access to justice is still a problem particularly in Africa.

He stressed the need to make justice more accessible through capacity building to have well-equipped paralegals who can interpret customary laws.

Rwanda's Chief Justice Sam Rugege is hopeful that Africa's traditional justice can be improved and made more efficient to make a difference.

He said there are many barriers to access to mainstream justice such as poverty that leads to inability to afford legal assistance and representation, ignorance of rights, issues of culture and language problems in some countries.

He said community-based justice systems would help overcome many of the barriers to justice since they are inexpensive, geographically more accessible, informal, and culturally familiar.

Though some cases can not be handled by community-based justice, the majority of problems faced by Africans can be resolved by community-based justice means, according to experts.
Iraqi government forces advance towards the city of Tal Afar, the main remaining stronghold of the Islamic State group, after the government announced the beginning of an operation to retake it from the jihadists. (AFP photo)

BAGHDAD, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces battling Islamic State (IS) militants on Tuesday pushed into the first urban areas in the third day of an offensive to drive out IS militants from the city of Tal Afar in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the Iraqi military said.

In the morning, the commandos of the Counter Terrorism Service forces initiated a new push into the neighborhood of Kifah in southwestern Tal Afar, as heavy clashes against the extremist militants continued during the day, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command said in a brief statement.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi army's 9th Armored Division teamed up with paramilitary members of Hashd Shaabi units and broke into the eastern side of the city under fierce clashes with IS militants, Yarallah said in a separate statement.

The troops, covered by Iraqi and international aircraft, continued clearing areas surrounding Tal Afar and recaptured six villages, along with seizing al-Kasak oil refinery east of the city, Yarallah noted.

The Hashd Shaabi intelligence said in a report that the IS group resistance is weak and its militants are fleeing to the center of the city instead of confronting the security forces, though they sent suicide bombers to hamper the advance of the security forces.

The International Organization of Migration (IOM) said that it has received some 3,200 people since Aug. 18 in its emergency refugee camps in Haj Ali and Qayyara, both located some 60 km south of Mosul.

"Thousands more are expected to flee in the coming days," IOM, the UN migration agency, said in a statement.

It said that most of the displaced people from Tal Afar "had to walk for hours in arduous conditions before reaching safe areas. Many arrived exhausted and in poor health, often with critical levels of malnutrition among children, some unable to move."

On Aug. 20, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, declared the start of an operation to retake control of the northern city Tal Afar and nearby areas from IS militants.

"We announce the launch of an operation to liberate Tal Afar. I say to Daesh (IS militants) -- either you surrender or die," Abadi said.

The targeted area of Tal Afar is about 3,206 square km, which consists of the city of Tal Afar itself and two districts of Ayadhiyah and Mahalabiyah, in addition to about 47 villages scattered in the area, according to information obtained from the official Iraqiya television.

Tal Afar, some 70 km west of Mosul, is the last IS redoubt in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh. Up to 350,000 to 400,000 people used to live in the city and surrounding areas, including 250,000 people in Tal Afar. But most of them left their homes either due to the sectarian strife during the years after 2003, or after the city fell to the IS in 2014.

The majority population of Tal Afar area are Sunni and Shiite Turkomans, in addition to the minority of Kurds and other minorities.

IOM estimates that some 10,000 to 40,000 people are still living in the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas.

Earlier, the army's Major General Najim al-Jubouri, commander of Nineveh's Operations Command, told reporters that he estimated there were between 1,500 and 2,000 IS militants left in Tal Afar.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 03:58:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) denied on Tuesday that Iran has joint any operation with Turkey against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants outside the Iranian borders, state TV reported.

"We have not devised any operation plan outside the borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran" against the Kurdish group, the IRGC Ground Force's Hamzeh Seyed al-Shohada Base said in a statement on Tuesday.

"But like in the past, we will strongly counter any group, team or individual seeking to infiltrate into the Iranian territory to carry out terrorist or anti-security measures," the statement added.

The statement further said some terrorist groups based in camps in northern Iraq have been seeking to cause insecurity in Iran in recent years with the logistical support of the enemies of the Islamic Republic. However, they have repeatedly failed to conduct any move and sustained heavy damage.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday Turkey and Iran have been considering a joint military action against Kurdish militant groups.

"PKK and its Iranian affiliate PJAK (the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan) have been constantly causing damages to both countries," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before departing for Jordan for an official visit.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, resumed its armed campaign against the Turkish government in July 2015 to seek autonomy in the southeastern part of Turkey.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 04:08:08|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BUJUMBURA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,819 Burundian troops of the 44th and 45th battalions have started to replace the 38th and 39th battalions serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Burundian army spokesman said Tuesday.

"Some troops have already departed to Somalia, but a big number of them flew today morning to Somalia," said Burundian Army Spokesman Colonel Gaspard Baratuza.

Baratuza said the work of Burundian troops serving in the AMISOM is "commendable," while their "successful" mission faces several challenges.

Burundi is a main contributor of troops in the AMISOM.

The failure to pay Burundian peacekeepers' salaries for 12 months had previously forced the Burundian government to threaten to withdraw its troops from Somalia.

The salary arrears issue was only solved following the visit, earlier this year, of Commissioner for Peace and Security for the African Union (AU) Smail Chergui.

Since December 2007, the east African nation has deployed six rotating battalions comprising about 5,500 troops in Somalia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 04:08:11|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BUDAPEST, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Hungary foreign affairs and trade minister Peter Szijjarto said Tuesday that, based on events this summer, it's fair to say that the security situation in Europe has never been as bad, and the threat of terrorism never as serious as now.

"The responsibility of European leaders is to guarantee the security of the continent and those who are unable to do so have no place among European leaders," Szijjarto said at a press conference.

He deplored the reaction of European leaders to last week's terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Finland. After each such event, European leaders declare their condolences and give statements such as "we will not let ourselves be intimidated", he said.

These leaders "misunderstand reality", he said, warning that if that was the most they can do, it was no exaggeration to say that Europe is in great danger.

The Hungarian minister emphasized that security had become an important aspect of European travels as well. "The European security issue is largely unresolved because many are those who fail to discuss it objectively," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 04:38:22|Editor: Zhou Xin

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Toys, flowers and candles are placed on the avenue to mourn for victims in the terrorist attacks in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona, Spain, Aug. 19, 2017. The Spanish government decided to maintain its anti-terrorism alert level at 4 but pledged to reinforce security measures at the same time, the Interior Ministry said Saturday in a statement. A total of 14 fatalities occurred in two terrorist attacks in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Cambrils that also hurt about 126 people of 34 different nationalities. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

MADRID, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Spanish judge Fernando Andreu Tuesday decided to send to prison two of the 4 surviving terror suspects in connection to last week's twin attacks.

According to a Sky News report, Andreu made these rulings after the hearing.

The two suspects -- Chemlal and Driss Oukabir -- have been charged with murder, membership of a terror organization and the possession of explosives. They are being held in prison without bail.

A third suspect, Salah el Karib, will be detained for another 72 hours while he is investigated further. The fourth, Mohammed Aalla, has been freed because the evidence against him is weak.

The quartet of the 12-man terrorist cell responsible for last week's attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils appeared at the Spanish National High Court here on Tuesday.

The four suspects arrived at the court at around 8:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) Tuesday after spending Monday night in the cells of the Civil Guard Headquarters in the town of Tres Cantos just north of Madrid.

Houli Chemlala, who was the first to speak before the judge, is reported to have testified that the terrorist cell had planned to destroy "important monuments in Barcelona" before a gas explosion in the house where they were preparing the attacks left him injured and two members of the cell dead.

Those replies matched what he told the Catalan regional police in the five days he had been maintained incommunicado under their custody.

Chemlal was accompanied to the court in Madrid by Mohamed Houli Chemal, Dris Oukbar, Mohammed Alla and Salh Karib, all of whom were detained in the town of Ripoll, in Girona province, to the north of Barcelona.

Dris is the older brother of one of the terrorists who was shot by police during the attack on Cambrils in the early hours of Friday morning.

He handed himself into police on Thursday, saying his brother had stolen his driving license, which was used to rent the van that killed 13 people on Barcelona's Las Ramblas street on Thursday afternoon.

El Karib, who is the owner of a call center in the town of Ripoll, where three of the terrorists were arrested, told the court he had only helped members of the cell buy air tickets in order to earn a commission on the sale.

Aallaa, whose brother also died in Cambrils, told the judge that the although the Audi A3 used in the attack in which 5 terrorists, including his brother, were shot dead, was in his name, it was only for "insurance issues".
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 04:38:24|Editor: Zhou Xin

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WINDHOEK, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli's visit to Namibia will further promote traditional friendship and cooperation, the Chinese Ambassador to Namibia said Tuesday.

Ambassador Zhang Yiming said at a media briefing in Windhoek that during the visit from Aug. 26 to 29, the two countries will exchange views on cooperation concerning politics, economy, technology and culture.

"Besides meeting with Namibia's President Hage Geingob, the vice premier will visit landmark cooperation projects such as the Husab Uranium Mine, the container terminal of Walvis Bay and the Space Tracking, Telemetry and Command Station," he said.

The ambassador said a series of cooperation agreements, including Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation of Grant for the New Airport Road Project, Memorandum of Understanding on Human Resource Development Cooperation and Exchanged Letters on the Feasibility Study of the 4 Rural Schools Project, are expected to be signed during the visit.

"We believe the visit will strongly boost cooperation and promote our all-weather cooperation partnership to a new high," he said.
Missile force of Korean People's Army attends a military parade in central Pyongyang, April 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Cheng Dayu)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday welcomed "some level of restraint" showed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with its nuclear program, seeing a possible pathway to a future talk between Washington and Pyongyang.

"We have had no missile launches or provocative acts from the part of North Korea (DPRK) since the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution," said Tillerson in a press briefing in the State Department.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution imposing new sanctions on DPRK for its continued intercontinental ballistic missile testing on Aug. 5.

Tillerson said he was pleased to see Pyongyang "has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that we have not seen in the past."

"We hope that it is the beginning of the signal that we are looking for -- that they are ready to restrain their level of tensions, they're ready to restrain their provocative acts," said the U.S. top diplomat.

"Perhaps we are seeing our pathway to some time in the near future having some dialogue," but "need to see more on their part," Tillerson added.

Tillerson's remarks came amid an ongoing joint military drill held by the United States and South Korea.

The two-week-long war games mobilized about 17,500 U.S. soldiers and some 50,000 South Korean troops.

Pyongyang said on Monday the U.S.-South Korean joint military drill had plunged the Korean Peninsula into a critical phase.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 04:58:39|Editor: Zhou Xin

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ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China is dedicated to enhancing its cooperation with Africa in human resource development through knowledge and technology transfer, a Chinese diplomat said Tuesday.

Liu Tao, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, made the remarks at the Chinese Government Training Program Fellowship Reception in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

He said China, since the year 2000, has sent over 2,000 agricultural experts and over 7,000 medical personnel to Africa, and has trained more than 80,000 Africans from more than 50 countries.

China has pledged that it would, in three years, train 200,000 technicians and provide 40,000 training opportunities in China, and will offer 30,000 government scholarships, he said.

Stating that 1,100 Ethiopian candidates are invited this year to attend short-term training programs, Liu said Ethiopia is the biggest beneficiary.

This year, 395 candidates from the East African country will pursue their higher education up to doctor's degrees, and the figure doubles that of last year, according to the diplomat.

"The training programs cover more than 20 areas, all are highly compatible with Ethiopia's economic and social development needs and would be conducive to the capacity building and national development of Ethiopia," he said.

Those who have been trained in China have made great contribution not only to the social-economic development of Ethiopia but also to building bridges between our two countries, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Tilaye Gete, Ethiopian Minister of Education, said that Ethiopia attaches great importance to human resources development.

In terms of human resource development, the minister said that the country has carried out various activities on its own and in collaboration with its development partners like China.

"Today's event is one of the practical testimonies of the international cooperation we have. The cooperation with the Chinese government in this regard started since the last almost three decades, as a result over 5,000 professionals were able to be trained in various fields of studies under China Aid framework," he said.

He also expressed hope that the cooperation in the area would be strengthened further, and that China would further increase the number of scholarships for post-graduate students, especially PhD students from Ethiopia.

Representing the 2017 Ethiopian scholarship awardees, Dilamo Otore, Head of the Addis Ababa Trade Bureau who is also a PhD candidate, made a speech, whereby he thanked the Chinese government for its support in human resource development of Ethiopia.

He told Xinhua that he would pursue his education in China and come back home to serve his country and contribute share to the sustainable development of the nation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 05:53:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CHICAGO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- LG Electronics Inc. plans to open a factory in Hazel Park, the suburbs of Detroit, to produce EV components.

The 250,000-square-foot facility is expected to start production in 2018, local media reported.

This facility will bring the state of Michigan at least 292 new jobs, including factory workers in Hazel Park and engineers at the expanded LG R&D Center in Troy, Michigan.

Besides an investment of 25 million dollars from LG, the Michigan Business Development Program will grant 2.9 million dollars to the project in the next four years. LG will also receive hiring and training assistance from the U.S. state.

"When leading global companies like LG invest in Michigan and create hundreds of good, high-paying jobs here, it speaks volumes about the strong business and mobility climate in the state today," state of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said in a statement released Tuesday. "LG's great technological advancements and our outstanding workforce will help pave the way for the vehicles of the future right here in Michigan."

"Vehicle components represent the fastest-growing business of global technology leader LG Electronics," local media quoted LG officials as saying. LG's 2017 first-half global revenues for vehicle components reached more than 1.5 billion dollars, a 43 percent increase from the same period last year, thanks in large part to the successful collaboration with General Motors on the popular Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 06:34:09|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MINSK, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday it had invited observers from seven countries to the West-2017 Belarusian-Russian joint military exercise.

Military observers from Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden and Norway had been invited to monitor the exercise, said the statement.

Representatives of international organizations, such as the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the International Committee of the Red Cross, have also been invited to monitor the drills, it added.

The joint military exercise will be held on September 14-20 and such exercises are held biennially. The drills will involve up to 12,700 troops, of which about 3,000 from the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 06:39:11|Editor: Zhou Xin

File photo taken on Aug. 31, 2016 shows Brazilian senator and former president Fernando Collor de Mello (Front) speaking during the Senate final impeachment session of Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia, capital of Brazil. Brazil's Supreme Court on Aug. 22, 2017 accepted a case against Fernando Collor de Mello for corruption, money laundering and illicit association. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

BRASILIA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Supreme Court accepted on Tuesday a case against former president, Fernando Collor de Mello, for corruption, money laundering and illicit association.

Collor de Mello, now a senator, is under investigation within the sweeping Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash).

Brazil's prosecutor-general has accused Collor de Mello of receiving 29 million reais (around 9 million U.S. dollars) in bribes for using his political influence with BR Distribuidora, a subsidiary of national oil company, Petrobras.

According to the charges, the senator bought luxury automobiles with the money. These include a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, a Bentley and two Land Rovers, seized by police during a raid in his home in Brasilia in July 2015.

The charges also allege that this corruption scheme involved his wife, Caroline Collor de Mello, and another six people who acted as "private operators."

The former president's lawyer has argued that there is no evidence Collor de Mello received illicit funding.

However, there is past weight as Collor de Mello stepped down as president in 1992 to answer severe accusations of corruption and to avoid impeachment. His resignation did not stop Congress from continuing the process and formally removing him from office.

At the time, an investigation proved the existence of an illegal funding ring run by Paulo Cesar Farias, treasurer of Collor de Mello's presidential campaign, who was assassinated a few years later under mysterious circumstances.
 

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SOMETHING CROOKED HAPPENED

He said the Port Authority is now working overtime to acquire the services of another passenger ferry before the TT Express goes on dry dock. Expressing confidence that more vessels would be available during the upcoming winter period, Rowley said the Authority will broaden its search to all parts of the spectrum to find an appropriate passenger vessel for the seabridge.

He reminded reporters that Cabinet has already agreed to put out a tender for a new cargo vessel built to Governments specifications.

Rowley said this arrangement could result in a two to three year contract being signed for that vessels usage. He said once the Spirit and the Express have undergone their long overdue maintenance, they should be able to service the seabridge for at least another two years.

Rowley disclosed stakeholders agreed to a proposal to appoint two more Tobagonians to the Port Authoritys board of directors to ensure there is no repeat of the problems now facing the seabridge. He also announced that a committee comprising representatives from Government, the Tobago House of Assembly and the private sector will be established to deal with operational issues on the seabridge.

He rejected claims by some that yesterdays meeting was a waste of time. Rowley said contrary to those claims, the discussions were fruitful.

Asked if he felt something was crooked in the procurement of the Ocean Flower II, Rowley replied, Yes. My yes means a lot to me. On whether the Port Authority ignored reports which suggested something went wrong in the vessels procurement, Rowley said, I dont have that information and I dont think I can come to that conclusion. However he added, I am sure that the appropriate investigation or investigations can clarify those for us. Last Thursday, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said the Authority is not conducting any probe into the Ocean Flower IIs procurement.

Rowley welcomed a JSC probing this matter because, It will involve persons providing answers in full public view and explaining themselves at the level of the Parliament. He promised Government will, cooperate with it (JSC) fully. Rowley also expected the Port and all other interested parties to fully cooperate with the JSC. The JSC is scheduled to hold its hearing at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre on September 4 at 1 pm. Rowley welcomed the Commissions probe for whatever purpose and benefit it could have.

Saying he awaited Mouttets report, Rowley slammed attempts by the Opposition and other people to demonise Mouttet.

He countered all this would achieve is that if a citizen is asked in the future to either serve on the board of any State agency or conduct any investigation on the States behalf, they will think twice before they serve. Rowley added, That is what some people want to achieve. He said whatever Mouttets findings are in no way influences or affects what others can do in their investigations. Saying it is the business community that has complained the loudest about problems on the seabridge, Rowley said Mouttet is a highly respected member of that community.

Rowley said he had no problem, asking a member of the business community to look at the States operations to see what is going on there. He said a three-member committee appointed recently by Cabinet is looking at operational issues at the port. He said even with a separate company running the ferry service, there were numerous operational problems, including the scheduled drydocking of vessels. Rowley also said Government was aware of problems facing the airbridge and these will be addressed. He said Government is still looking at pursuing legal action against the owners of the Super Fast Galicia for breach of contract.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar was unconvinced by Rowleys statements. In a release hours after the news conference, she reiterated her call for the dismissals of Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan and the Port Authoritys board.

She condemned Rowleys pronouncements as, an unabashed attempt to divert attention from the allegations of corruption the procurement of the Ocean Flower II. She said the public deserves transparency and accountability on this issue. There should be no contamination nor compromising of evidence in the interim, Persad-Bissessar said.

See Page 8A
Daughter pleads: Please find my father

Kernesha Baird, who resides in Brampton, Canada made an emotional appeal last evening as the search ended for a second consecutive day.

Please find my father, she cried. I want to sincerely thank all of you who are risking life and limb and I want you to know that my family deeply appreciates all your efforts.

But please dont give up. We are counting on you to bring him home. She said prayers are being offered up every day for her father.

Admitting she feels helpless being so far away, she said she feels in her heart her father is alive but requires urgent medical attention and may have fallen in his attempt to return to the trail.

Kernesha described her father, a computer technician at Petrotrin in Pointe-a-Pierre, as a strong-willed person who in the face of an ordeal will try to fight to be reunited with his family. Baird, 56, of Rousillac was returning from the hike with 59 others. He is believed to have fallen and injured himself.

According to reports, at about 5.45 am, Baird and the others left Mt Poui Road, Aripo to trek five miles into the forest to spend the day at the picturesque waterfall.

The hikers were organised into nine groups and Baird, an experienced hiker was placed in the last group to journey from the waterfall back to Mt Poui Road. It was not until about 5.30 pm that the hikers realised Baird was not with them. The search is expected to continue this morning.
Ocean Flower II heading to POS?

The ship was tracked to Curacao yesterday having left Colon, Panama on Sunday and mooring on the Dutch island yesterday.

I can only assume it is en route to Port of Spain, Cadiz said.

Other than that there is not reason for it to be heading east. Cadiz said he assumed that she went into Curacao to refuel because she does not have that amount of fuel capacity to make these long runs. Otherwise, the ship, he said, could have stayed in Panama until the owners decide what they will do with it.

The ship, he said, travelled from Panama at about 14 knots an hour even though it has a capacity to travel at 35 knots an hour.

He said the charter party agreement protects the charterer and the owners of the boat and provides for a late clause and a non-delivery clause.
Bodies of two drowning victims recovered

In the first incident, the victim Kimmel Robertson, 27, of Edinburgh 500 is said to have been staying at a guest house at La Fillette with a female relative when he asked her to take him to an area close to where they were staying.

It is alleged he alighted from the car at about 4 pm on Friday and ran into a forested area where he stripped himself naked.

The woman followed him inside the forest but when he continued to run further, she became afraid and returned to the car. She made a report to the Maracas Bay police and a search party carried out checks for Robertson but he was not found.

On Saturday, he was allegedly seen by Blanchisseuse villagers running nude in all directions inside the forest.

The following day, at about 6 pm, his body was found floating in a river at La Fillette by a villager.

The body was viewed by a district medical officer and ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre, St James.

Robertsons relatives said he began displaying psychotic behaviour and the weekend was arranged for him to have some rest and relaxation to help him with his problems.

They said they never expected he would die in such a bizarre manner.

In the second incident, a 20-year-old Cunupia man who went to the rescue of his 18-year-old brother drowned on Sunday afternoon.

Vedanti Lalla was bathing with his brother Dangelo and other friends in a river named Three Pools at Blanchisseuse when Dangelo experienced difficulties at about 3 pm. Vedanti rushed to his brothers assistance and pulled him to safety but he drowned. The body was found floating shortly after and members of the Blanchisseuse Police Station went to the scene.
Regional Corporation brings relief to distressed residents

Ramadharsingh said yesterday the department contacted him and volunteered to assist affected families in times of disasters.

The decision to assist came in light of Thursdays storm in Aripero and Rousillac where strong winds damaged the homes of 26 families leaving 110 people displaced.

Ramadharsingh congratulated members of the university for giving back to society and said, I am grateful that the university, on which we spent so much money, can come back to these communities and give to the low-income areas. Yesterday, Ramadharsingh, his mother Chanardaye Ramadharsingh, who is the councillor for the area, and representatives from the Disaster Management Unit distributed hampers to the affected families. They were accompanied by interns from Trinidad Generation Unlimited (TGU) of Vessigny Village, La Brea.

On Thursday the galvanised roofing on many houses were ripped away leaving residents distraught and seeking immediate assistance. Ramadharsingh said 75 per cent of the people were from Aripero.

He thanked TGU for providing hampers to those affected. TGU provided three to four hampers per family which consisted of pharmaceuticals and food items. He called on the authorities to make decisions with the small man in mind to prevent double jeopardy when disaster befalls them. He said such decisions should be made with integrity, accountability, and transparency so as to avoid questions being raised.

Single mother, Alana Mayers, 31, and her three-month-old baby, Annesha Francis, were severely affected. Their roof was blown off.

Mayers expressed thanks for the assistance provided by the corporation and businesses who helped in providing relief to affected residents .

Right now, I am lost for words and I dont know what would have happened if they did not assist us, Mayers said.

She thanked members of the Unemployment Relief Programme for their rapid response at the time of the incident. She said within 20 minutes, officials from the corporation were on the scene making arrangements for accommodation and within 30 minutes of being notified, representatives from the Disaster Management Unit responded.
Pensioner asks for help with schizophrenic son

Lynly was diagnosed with the mental illness more than 20 years ago after the tragic death of his girlfriend and Patrong, who is a pensioner, has had the responsibility of caring for her son all by herself. Lynly has been an outpatient of the St Anns Medical Hospital for many years.

Patrong previously had her son in a home because she believed he would be able to receive the proper care and attention that he required.

After some time, the owner and caregiver of the home told the woman she would no longer be able care for Lynly because the disability cheques she was collecting from Government for him were not enough and Patrong had to take her son home and care for him.

Lynly was a patient at the hospital up two weeks but, according to his mother, one morning she returned home from an errand and found her son liming on the corner of their street with some men known to him.

She said Lynly told her a hospitals van dropped him off with discharge papers stating the need for the prescribed medication dogmatil. She later went to the hospital and asked a medical officer if she would be able to get the prescription so she would be able to get it at a clinic.

The doctor told her he could not give her one but instead gave her a days worth of tablets. Patrong said that without his medication, her son is very difficult to deal with.

Patrong is now asking for help in any way possible but, most importantly, she would like to be able to access his medication.
Sungazers turn up in the hundreds for eclipse

The Trinidad and Tobago Astro Club hosted the public to its solar eclipse viewing session at the Hill from 2 pm to 5 pm yesterday.

President of the club, Khyle Ramnath said, We had a huge turnout, there was much more people than we expected, a lot of Astro events are held up North so, we decided to bring this event to south Trinidad, this eclipse is a spectacular event to witness. Park officials estimated the crowd to be over 1,200 strong and many were unable to find parking and had to walk up the hill through the scorching sun just to be a part of this event.

According to NASAs (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) website, sometimes when the moon orbits Earth, it moves between the sun and Earth. When this happens, the moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth and this causes an eclipse of the sun, or solar eclipse. During a solar eclipse the actually moon casts two shadows on Earth. The first shadow is called the umbra. This shadow gets smaller as it reaches Earth. It is the dark centre of the moons shadow.

The second shadow is called the penumbra. The penumbra gets larger as it reaches Earth. People standing in the penumbra will see a partial eclipse. People standing in the umbra will see a total eclipse.

Trinidad and Tobago is located in the penumbra so only 62 per cent coverage of the moon was seen.

On the Hill, spectators gave their take on what the eclipse meant to them. Allison Shepard, lecturer at University of West Indies (UWI) said, I am fascinated with astronomy, I did an astronomy course at UWI so I could not miss this. Dennis Karamath a physics teacher said, I came for the experience.

The last time I saw a solar eclipse was in the 90s when I was marking CXC papers. Cherry Ann Felix, a medical doctor said, It is a shared experience across the globe, we can all come together and take part in this. Gerry Barrow, founder of the Trinidad and Tobago Astro club said This is a relatively rare event that stirred some sort of interest. I am totally overwhelmed . He also said, there is alot of nonsense about omens and darkness concerning an eclipse and this foolishness has to stop. Popular psychic, Yesenia Gonzalez on her Facebook page stated the eclipse was an ominous sign, the diamond ring effect, a negative effect is a bad sign, bad time , there is a big warning something big will happen after the solar eclipse. Meanwhile, the Caribbean Institute of Astronomys (CARINA) viewing event hosted yesterday at the Queens Park Savannah to observe the partial solar eclipse was marked with disappointing cloud coverage.

The event gave the public the opportunity to witness the solar eclipse, a phenomenon that owing to the small path of eclipses, will not be viewed from Trinidad and Tobago until 2045. However, clouds blocked the eclipse from view for long periods at a time and onlookers could only manage brief glimpses through protective glasses provided free of charge by CARINA.

The public, however, came out in their numbers, with many expressing their eagerness to see the eclipse.

President of CARINA, Graham Rostant said the turnout was more than they anticipated and because of this there were not enough filtered glasses for everyone. This did not stop people from viewing the eclipse though as many resorted to taking turns sharing pairs and some even used their creativity to fashion pinhole cameras out of cardboard and cereal boxes in an attempt to see the solar eclipse.
Muslims offer prayer during eclipse

At the San Fernando ASJA mosque, Imam Mushtaq Sulaimani led the pray which he said is known as salaatul kusuu (prayer during the solar eclipse), and which was attended by about 55 men and women.

At the Nur Islam mosque in San Juan, a similar prayer session was held at 4 pm and at mosques in Caroni, Bamboo Village and Arima, similar congregations were held for the salaatul kusuf prayer. Sulamani told worshippers it was a practice of Prophet Muhammad to offer a congregational prayer to seek Gods guidance and help for his mercies during a solar eclipse.

Sulaimani said during such acts of natural phenomenon, people should offer prayers, preferably in the mosque.

A solar eclipse, the Imam said, was not a time for liming.

According to the imam, There is always a reason for people in this country to justify why they should assemble in pubs, but a solar eclipise in which the moon passes between the sun and the earth and blocks the suns rays, must never be one such occasion.

Man must not seem to understand each and everything about how the universe operates...

God has given us limited knowledge about the heavens and we penetrate not, except by his permission, Sulaimani said. The salaatul kusuu prayer was also observed at the Highway masjid, Charlieville; Masjid Ahad in Princes Town, the Nazir Mohammed Seemab Memorial mosque and the Munroe Road mosque.
A first batch of 20 Syrian refugees will be admitted to graduate schools in Japan this autumn under a Japanese government initiative announced last year.

In May 2016, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to invite a total of 150 Syrian refugees in five years to study in Japan, in response to the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe. The Japan International Cooperation Agency will handle 100 of the total.

Eleven universities have offered to accept such refugees under the first-year program, including the offering of education in English.

The 11 are Kwansei Gakuin University, Keio University, International University of Japan, Soka University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Hiroshima University, University of Miyazaki, Ritsumeikan University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and University of the Ryukyus.
The city of Marrakech will host next Jan.29-30 an international conference on promoting higher economic growth, job creation, and inclusiveness in the Arab World.

Building on the 2014 Amman conference Building the Future, which highlighted the need for growth to generate jobs and for its benefits to be shared more widely, the 2018 Marrakech conference aims to move the dial on discussions on inclusive growth in the Arab World from endorsement to implementation.

Key topics to be discussed at the gathering include: how to scale-up opportunities for women and youth by promoting entrepreneurship and innovation; embracing transparency and technology to unlock the regions potential; and designing government policies that act as enablers of higher and more inclusive growth.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, Director General & Chairman of the Board of the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development Abdlatif Y. Al-Hamad, and Director General Chairman of the Board the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development (AFESD)Abdulrahman Al Hamidy will be among the conference speakers.

The proceedings will be streamed live, and portions will be broadcast by regional and local broadcasters. As part of the conference, young people from around the region will be invited to participate in a youth contest on innovation in September 2017.
Moroccos integration into the Economic Community of West African States is a win-win deal, says CEO of the German-African Business Association, Christoph Kannengieber.

ECOWAS will not be weakened by an economically strong country such as Morocco, and as an ECOWAS member, Morocco would be better able to fulfill its desired role as a bridge between Africa and Europe, adds Kannengieber in a statement to German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW).

As the economy of Moroccos most important trading partner, the European Union (EU), is faltering, the North African country looks for new allies and new markets for its products and with a combined population of 350 million, ECOWAS could turn out to be the perfect partner, notes chief of the German-African Business Association.

The Moroccans are pursuing a double-edged political strategy, says Kannengieber. On the one hand, the country is seeking a privileged relationship with Europe. On the other hand, it is also trying to strengthen its integration with other countries on the African continent.

The Moroccans know that the African continent, especially West Africa, is an important region of growth, not only from an economic perspective, but in terms of political influence as well, he adds.

Heads of States of ECOWAS have in principle approved the membership application of Morocco during their latest summit convened in Liberia. Morocco, 2nd African investors in the continent, had submitted its application to join the West African regional bloc after retaking its seat at African Union (AU) in January.

King Mohammed VI said Sunday that Moroccos rejoining AU is the start of a new era of joint action with all African countries in order to build a genuine, solidarity-based partnership, ensure  together  our continents development and meet the needs of African citizens.

We are currently in the process of building an Africa that believes in itself, is committed to solidarity and rallies behind concrete projects while being open to its surroundings, added the Monarch, in a speech he delivered Sunday on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and People. He explained that it is this comprehensive vision that led the Kingdom to bid for membership of the Economic Commission of West African States.

ECOWAS is a natural extension of the AU. By joining both institutions, Morocco will contribute to economic prosperity and human development on the continent, explained the Moroccan Sovereign describing the move as a historic political decision and a milestone in the endeavors made towards African integration, which can only be achieved through regional blocs, for the latter have become crucial players in international affairs.

Within ECOWAS, Morocco will seek to lay down the foundations for genuine African integration that serves the continent and fulfils its peoples aspirations for development and for a dignified life, in an environment characterized by unity, security and stability, stressed the Monarch.

ECOWAS was set up in 1975. Its gathers Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo.

The group weighs $630 billion dollars, representing the worlds 21st GDP and by integrating Morocco, the 15-member bloc would become the 16th largest world economy with an additional $115 billion dollars and a GDP approaching $745 billion, ahead of Turkey and right after Indonesia.

With its strategic geographic and economic position, Morocco would be a vital platform for ECOWAS countries to secure European, American & Arab markets.
Moroccan officer of the merchant navy, Ahmed Janane, who had been Kidnapped last July 31 by Nigerian pirates in the Gulf of Guinea after an attack of the ship OYA 1, flying Panamanian flag, has been freed last Sunday.

According to members of Ahmeds family who revealed his release, he is expected back home in a few days, reported daily Assabah on Tuesday.

Ahmed Janane, another Moroccan merchant navy officer, Abdelkader Benhala, and three other people, all crewmembers of the ship OYA 1, belonging to the Congolese shipping company Ocean Express, were kidnapped by Nigerian pirates, the daily recalled.

The family of Ahmed Janane confirmed that he has been released by his kidnappers on Sunday (August 20) and announced his imminent return to Morocco, according to Assabah, which said that no details on the other Moroccan kidnapped sailor were available.

The Gulf of Guinea, which borders some 17 countries of West and Central Africa, is known as the most dangerous area in Africa after the Somali coast, particularly in Nigerian waters.

Armed pirates, traveling on board ultra-fast zodiacs, carry out 50 attacks each year against the ships transiting in the area. They steal the cargos and take some sailors as hostages to demand payment of ransoms for their release.

But sometimes, the kidnappings have a sad ending when the hostages are killed. In recent days, Nigerian pirates have killed 31 people of different nationalities in five abduction incidents reported to the countrys authorities, Moroccan news portal le360 had reported early August.
A SEPTA train in downtown Philadelphia. Photo: Gregory Adams#86937/Moment Editorial/Getty Images

A high-speed train crashed into another train parked in a station in suburban Philadelphia early on Tuesday morning, leaving 42 people injured, including the conductor. None of the injuries are life-threatening, but four people are in critical condition, according to a spokesperson for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

An inbound Norristown High Speed Line train crashed into an unoccupied train parked at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, which is about 30 minutes west of Philadelphia, around 12:10 a.m. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

One passenger who identified himself as Ronnie told NBC10. I was waiting at Gulph Mills. The train came by, it blew past us about three or four train lengths, stopped, backed up, picked us up, he said. The same thing happened at Bryn Mawr.

Ronnie said he was getting ready to exit the train when the trains collided. My face hit the wall, put a big hole in the wall and I went straight down and I blacked out, he said. There was blood everywhere. The driver is all banged up and there was this one girl bleeding out of her face pretty bad.

"There was blood everywhere. The driver was all banged up & there was this 1 girl bleeding out of her face." Man describes #@SEPTA  crash pic.twitter.com/nbhzk1AxDR  Trang Do (@TrangDoCBS3) August 22, 2017
This story is a collaboration between New York and ProPublica, an independent nonprofit newsroom.

In mid-May, Steve Preston, who served as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the final two years of the George W. Bush administration, organized a dinner at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, D.C., for the new chief of that department, Ben Carson, and five other former secretaries whose joint tenure stretched all the way back to Gerald Ford. It was an event with no recent precedent within the department, and it had the distinct feel of an intervention. HUD has long been something of an overlooked stepchild within the federal government. Founded in 1965 in a burst of Great Society resolve to confront the urban crisis, it has seen its manpower slide by more than half since the Reagan Revolution. (The HUD headquarters is now so eerily underpopulated that it cant even support a cafeteria; it sits vacant on the first floor.) But HUD still serves a function that millions of low-income Americans depend on  it funds 3,300 public-housing authorities with 1.2 million units and also the Section 8 rental-voucher program, which serves more than 2 million families; it has subsidized tens of millions of mortgages via the Federal Housing Administration; and, through various block grants, it funds an array of community-uplift initiatives. It is the Urgovernment agency, quietly seeking to address social problems in struggling areas that the private sector cant or wont solve, a mission that has become especially pressing amid a growing housing-affordability crisis in many major cities.

Despite its Democratic roots, Republican administrations have historically assumed stewardship over HUD with varying degrees of enthusiasm  among the departments more notable secretaries were Republicans George Romney and Jack Kemp, the idiosyncratic champion of supply-side economics and inner-city renewal.

Now, however, HUD faced an existential crisis. The new presidents thenchief strategist, Steve Bannon, had called in February for the deconstruction of the administrative state. It was not hard to guess that, for a White House that swept to power on a wave of racially tinged rural resentment and anti-welfare sentiment, high on the demolition list might be a department with urban in its name. The administrations preliminary budget outline had already signaled deep cuts for HUD. And Donald Trump had chosen to lead the department someone with zero experience in government or social policy  the nominee whose unsuitability most mirrored Trumps lack of preparation to run the country.

This prospect was causing alarm even among HUDs former Republican leaders. At the Metropolitan Club, George W. Bushs second secretary, Alphonso Jackson, warned Carson against cutting further into HUDs manpower. (Many regional offices have shuttered in recent years.) Carla Hills, who ran the department under President Ford, put in a plug for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, noting that Ford had created it in 1974 precisely in order to give local governments more leeway over how to spend federal assistance.

The tone was collegial, built on the hopeful assumption that Carson wanted to do right by the department. We were trying to be supportive, Henry Cisneros, from the Clinton administration, told me. But it was hard for the ex-secretaries to get a read on Carsons plans, not least because the whisper-voiced retired pediatric neurosurgeon was being overshadowed by an eighth person at the table: his wife, Candy. An energetic former real-estate agent who is an accomplished violinist and has co-authored four books with her husband, she had been spending far more time inside the departments headquarters at LEnfant Plaza than anyone could recall a secretarys spouse doing in the past, only one of many oddities that HUD employees were encountering in the Trump era. Shed even taken the mic before Carson made his introductory speech to the department. Were really excited about working with   She broke off, as if detecting the puzzlement of the audience. Well, hes really.

The story of the Trump administration has been dominated by the Russia investigations, the Obamacare-repeal morass, and cataclysmic internecine warfare. But there is a whole other side to Trumps takeover of Washington: What happens to the government itself, and all it is tasked with doing, when it is placed under the command of the Chaos President? HUD has emerged as the perfect distillation of the rights antipathy to governing. If the great radical-conservative dream was, in Grover Norquists famous words, to drown government in a bathtub, then this was what the final gasps of one department might look like.

HUDs headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo: Mark Peterson

November 9 brought open weeping in the halls of HUD headquarters, a Brutalist arc at LEnfant Plaza that resembles a giant concrete honeycomb. Washington was Hillary country, but HUD employees had particular cause for agita. For years, the department had suffered low morale, and there was the perception, not entirely unjustified, that it was prone to episodes of self-dealing and corruption  most recently under Jackson, who was scrutinized for awarding HUD projects to companies run by his friends. But the department had experienced a rejuvenation in the Obama era, with morale rebounding under the leadership of his first secretary, Shaun Donovan, an ambitious, politically savvy housing administrator from New York. While it faced postrecession budget austerity  with its ranks dropping well below 8,000, from more than 16,000 decades earlier  the department made homelessness reduction a priority. Under Donovans successor, Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, HUD embarked on a major initiative to address residential segregation by requiring cities and suburbs to do more to live up to the edicts of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Before the election, Hillary Clintons campaign sent over a large team of policy experts to study up on HUD and prepare to take the baton on these efforts. The Trump campaign sent one person. And everyone was joking, Well, hell be gone on November 9,  one staffer told me.

So the stricken employees were slightly relieved when Trumps operation announced a five-person landing team for HUD that included Jimmy Kemp, son of Jack. There may be hope for us after all, a veteran staffer in one local HUD office told his colleagues. The semblance of normalcy was short-lived. In late November, word got out that Trumps choice to run HUD was Carson. To Twitter wags, the selection was comical in its stereotyping: Of course Trump would assign the only African-American in his Cabinet to the urban department. But to many HUD employees, the selection of so ill-qualified a leader felt like an insult. People feel disrespected. They see Carson and think, Ive been in housing policy for 20 or 30 years, and if I walked away, I would never expect to get hired as a nurse, said one staffer at a branch office, who, like most employees I spoke with, requested anonymity to guard against retribution.

Carson himself had some qualms about running HUD. His close friend Armstrong Williams, a conservative commentator who was exposed for receiving payments from George W. Bushs administration to tout Bushs education policies on air, told The Hill in November that Carson had reservations about such a job. Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience; hes never run a federal agency, Williams said. The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency. Williams later said his remark had been misconstrued, but Shermichael Singleton, a young political operative who worked for Williams and became a top aide on Carsons campaign, told me that Carsons ambivalence was real. Trumps offer, Singleton said, had provoked deep questions for Carson about his lifes purpose. It was, Should I do this? What does it all mean? 

In the end, Singleton said, Carson accepted out of a sense of duty that came from having risen to success from humble origins: raised by a single mother, a housekeeper, in Detroit. Hes someone born in an environment where the odds were clearly stacked against him, and he believes by personal experience that he could do a lot of good for others. Kemp agreed. Carson accepted, he said, because he wanted to do something about poverty. If anything, Kemp said, Carson felt more suited to the HUD job than he would to a health-policy one.Being surgeon general or secretary of [Health and Human Services], I dont think he was fully equipped to do that, having been a neurosurgeon, Kemp said. In other words, Carson knew how little he knew about health policy, an awareness he lacked when it came to social policy. He thought with HUD, Its so clear that our approach to poverty has not been completely successful and we can do better, and I think I have some ideas that can be applied,  Kemp said.

Underlying this rationale were two related convictions. One was the standard conservative bias against expertise and bureaucracy, according to which experts lacked the common sense that an outsider from the private sector could provide  a conviction shared, of course, by the man who nominated Carson for the job. The other was a more particular conviction that he, Carson, possessed extra doses of such common sense by virtue of his biography.

First, though, Carson had to survive his confirmation hearing. The prepping was intense. His top handler was Scott Keller, a longtime lobbyist who had served as chief of staff under Jackson and, in that role, become embroiled in the contracting scandals. Kellers pupil was attentive, and his performance at the January hearing before the Senate Banking Committee was judged a relative success by the press, punctuated by Carsons disarming remark that the panels top Democrat, Sherrod Brown, reminded him of Columbo. Carsons family and closest aides took him to the Monocle, the lobbyist hangout on the Hill, to celebrate.

As Carson awaited confirmation, though, a leadership cadre was already entrenching itself in the administrative offices on the tenth floor of HUD. The five-person landing team had given way in January to a larger beachhead team. This was a more eyebrow-raising group. Its few alums from past GOP administrations were outnumbered by Trump loyalists such as Barbara Gruson, a Manhattan real-estate broker whod worked for the campaign; Victoria Barton, the campaigns student and millennial outreach coordinator; and Lynne Patton, who had worked for the Trumps as an event planner.

The most influential of the new bunch, it would quickly emerge, was Maren Kasper. Little-known in housing-policy circles, and in her mid-30s, Kasper arrived from the Bay Area start-up Roofstock, which linked investors with rental properties available for purchase. It partnered with lenders including Colony American Finance, a company founded by Tom Barrack, the close Trump associate. This link to Trump, combined with Kaspers background in one sliver of the housing realm, was enough to win her a place as one of the minders appointed by the White House to keep an eye on each government department, a powerful role without precedent in prior administrations.

Kasper, the holder of an M.B.A. from NYUs Stern School of Business, took her new management role seriously, asserting herself as the final arbiter in the absence of a confirmed secretary. This led to friction both with career housing-policy experts and with Carson loyalists, notably Singleton, who had also been hired on. At meetings, Singleton said, Kasper was often misrepresenting herself as standing in for Carson. I made it clear, You dont speak for Dr. Carson. She said, Well, the White House   To which Singleton said he responded, I get what the White House has selected, and I respect that, but hes the secretary and you need to make sure you understand that.

That friction lasted only so long. In mid-February, an administration background check on beachhead-team hires turned up an op-ed critical of Trump that Singleton had written for The Hill before the election. Security personnel came to notify him that it was time to go.

Ben Carson Jr., right, and an entrepreneur pitching a guns-for-bail venture to HUD, in East Baltimore, at an appearance by Carsons father. Photo: Mark Peterson/mark peterson/redux pictures 2017

On March 6, Carson arrived for his first day of work at headquarters. In introductory remarks to assembled employees, after hed gotten the mic back from his wife, he surprised many by asking them to raise their hands and take the niceness pledge.

He also went on a riff about immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, capped by this: Thats what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity. There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder, for less. But they, too, had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.

The assembled employees stifled their reaction to this jarringly upbeat characterization of chattel slavery. But in HUDs Baltimore satellite, where many in the heavily African-American office were watching the speech on an online feed at their desks, the gasps were audible.

Carsons arrival brought with it a reckoning for career employees: Yes, this person was really in charge. They responded in strikingly different ways. The most progressive-minded were thrown into a sense of crisis: whether to hightail it to avoid whatever radical shifts or indignities were in the offing, or to stay put for the sake of the departments programs and the millions of people they served.

Then there were the opportunists, those who saw in the vacuum in the upper ranks, where it was taking unusually long to appoint political deputies, the chance to claim higher stations than career employees would typically be able to attain. There were a couple people in some meetings who were bending over to ingratiate themselves with the transition team, said Harriet Tregoning, a top Obama appointee in HUDs Community Planning and Development division, who left in January. For some, it might be their political leaning. For some, it might be an attempt to gain influence. I saw it happening even while the Obama people were still in the building.

Finally, there were the clock-punching lifers, the Weebies (We be here before you got here, and we be here after youre gone), who recognized a chance to start mailing it in. Its I can now meet people for a drink at five,  said Tregoning. Or, as a supervisor in one branch office put it: As a bureaucrat, HUDs an easier place to work if Republicans are in charge. They dont think its an important department, they dont have ideas, they dont put in changes. Left unsaid: that such complacency was an unwitting affirmation of the conservative critique of time-serving bureaucrats.

To the extent that the new leadership was providing any guidance at all, it was often actively discouraging initiative on the part of employees. Shortly after the inauguration, a directive came down requiring employees to get tenth-floor approval for any contacts outside the building  professional conferences, or even just meetings with other departments. Ann Marie Oliva, a highly regarded HUD veteran whod been hired during the George W. Bush administration and was in charge of homeless and HIV programs, was barred from attending a big annual conference on housing and homelessness in Ohio because, she inferred, some of the other speakers there leaned left.

The department leadership was also actively slowing down new initiatives simply by taking a very long time to give the necessary supervisory approvals for the development of surveys or program guidance. In some cases, this appeared to be the result of mere negligence and delay. In other cases, it appeared more willful. For one thing, there was the leaderships strong hang-up about all matters transgender-related. The tenth floor ordered the removal of online training materials meant, in part, to help homeless shelters make sure they were providing equal access to transgender people. It also pulled back a survey regarding projects in Cincinnati and Houston to reduce LGBT homelessness. And it forced its Policy Development and Research division to dissociate itself from a major study it had funded on housing discrimination against gay, lesbian, and transgender people  the study ended up being released in late June under the aegis of the Urban Institute instead.

More upsetting for many ambitious civil servants than the scattered nays coming from the tenth floor, though, was the lack of direction, period. Virtually all the top political jobs below Carson remained vacant. Carson himself was barely to be seen  he never made the walk-through of the building customary of past new secretaries. It was just nothing, said one career employee. Ive never been so bored in my life. No agenda, nothing to move forward or push back against.

Just nothing.

On May 2, I went to the Watergate to see Carson address an assemblage of the American Land Title Association, title attorneys in town for a regular lobbying visit to buttress the crucial support that HUD and others in Washington provide to the American home-buying machine. I was hoping the speech would give me a better sense of what Carson had in mind for the department, which had been hard to elucidate in his few public appearances. Up to that point, hed made only a few headlines  for getting caught in a broken elevator at a housing project in Miami; for declaring, on a later visit to Ohio, that public housing should not be too luxurious, a concern that the elevator snafu had apparently not allayed. This comment had drawn mockery but genuinely reflected his long-standing outlook on the safety net: grudging acceptance of its necessity only for those at their most desperate moments, a phase of dependency that must be as brief as absolutely possible. This philosophy was frequently intertwined with allusions to the Creator  so frequently that supervisors at one HUD division sent down word to employees that, yes, their new boss was going to talk a lot about God and theyd probably better just get used to it.

But Carsons address to the lawyers offered little further clarity on his agenda. He opened with a neurosurgery joke. He touched on his vague proposal for vision centers where inner-city kids could come to learn about careers. He repeated one of his favorite mantras, that the government needs to make sure people dont get unduly reliant on federal assistance, because everybody is either going to be part of the engine or part of the load. And then, in the heart of the speech, where a Cabinet secretary would normally get down to programmatic brass tacks, came this meandering riff:

You know, governments that look out for property rights also tend to look out for other rights. You know, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of all the things that make America America. So it is absolutely foundational to our success  On Sunday, I was talking to a large group of children about whats happening with rights in our country. These are kids who had all won a Carson Scholar [an award of $1,000 that Carson has sponsored since 1994], which you have to have at least a 3.75 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and show that you care about other people, and I said youre going to be the leaders of our nation and will help to determine which pathway we go down, a pathway where we actually care about those around us and we use our intellect to improve the quality of life for everyone, or the pathway where we say, I dont want to hear you if you dont believe what I believe, I want to shut you down, you dont have any rights. This is a serious business right now where we are, that juncture in our country that will determine what happens to all of us as time goes on. But the whole housing concern is something that concerns us all.

A few weeks later, it became clear that the housing concern perhaps did not concern everyone when the White House released its budget proposal for HUD. After word emerged in early March that the White House was considering cutting as much as $6 billion from the department, Carson had sent a rare email to HUD employees assuring them that this was just a preliminary figure. But as it turned out, Carson, as a relative political outsider lacking strong connections to the administration, was out of the loop: The final proposal crafted by Trump budget director Mick Mulvaney called for cutting closer to $7 billion, 15 percent of its total budget. Participants in the Section 8 voucher program would need to pay at least 17 percent more of their income toward rent, and thered likely be a couple hundred thousand fewer vouchers nationwide (and 13,000 fewer in New York City). Capital funding for public housing would be slashed by a whopping 68 percent  this, after years of cuts that, in New York alone, had left public-housing projects with rampant mold, broken elevators, and faulty boilers.

By the time I left, almost 90 percent of our budget was to help people stay in their homes, Shaun Donovan told me. So when you have a 15 percent cut to that budget, by definition youre going to be throwing people out of their homes. Youre literally taking vouchers away from families, youre literally shutting down public housing, because it cant be maintained anymore.

Carson on a tour of Baltimore in June. Photo: Mark Peterson

The Trump cuts would mean that several programs would be eliminated entirely, including the HOME program, which offers seed money for affordable-housing initiatives, and the $3 billion Community Development Block Grant program that Carla Hills, Fords HUD secretary, had praised to Carson at the dinner. In New York, CDBG helped pay for, among many things, housing-code enforcement, the 311 system, and homeless shelters for veterans. But the grants were also relied on in struggling small towns, where they paid for sidewalks, sewer upgrades, and community centers. In Glouster, Ohio, a tiny coal town that went for Trump by a single vote after going for Obama two to one in 2012, officials were counting on the grants to replace a bridge so weak that the school bus couldnt cross it, forcing kids from one part of town to cluster along a busy road for pickup. Without those funds, it would just cripple this area, said Nathan Simons, who administers the grants for the surrounding region. HUD, for all its shrinking stature and insecurity complex, has over time worked its way into the fabric of ailing communities throughout the country, a role that has grown only larger as so much of Middle America has suffered decline, and as the capacity of so many state and local governments has withered amid dwindling tax bases and civic disengagement. On my travels through the Midwest Ive seen how many federally subsidized housing complexes there are on the edges of small towns and cities, places very far from the Bronx or the South Side of Chicago. People living in these places rely on a functioning, minimally competent HUD no less than do the Section 8 voucher recipients in Jared Kushners low-income complexes in Baltimore. In an age of ever-widening income inequality, the Great Society department actually plays an even more vital role than when it was conceived.

But if Carson was troubled by the disembowelment of his department, he showed no sign of it. Even before the final numbers were out, he had assured housing advocates that cuts would be made up for by money dedicated to housing in the big infrastructure bill Trump was promising  a notion that his fellow Republican Kemp, among others, found far-fetched. Im not sure he understood how that would work, Kemp told me. He was probably repeating what had been told to him. Then, a day after the budget was released, Carson downplayed the importance of programs for the poor in a radio interview with Armstrong Williams, saying that poverty was largely a state of mind. This, more than anything, seemed to be a crystallization of the Carson philosophy of HUD: that privation would be solved by the power of positive thinking, that his own extraordinary rise was scalable and could be replicated millions of times over.

Two weeks later, Carson went to Capitol Hill to testify on the budget proposal before Congressional panels that would have the final say on the numbers. With Kasper perched over his shoulder, he told both the Senate and House committees that they shouldnt get overly hung up on the cuts. We must look for human solutions, not just policies and programs, he said. Our programs must reach out and so must our hearts. The budget, he added, would help more eligible Americans achieve freedom from regulations and bureaucracy and the ability to govern themselves.

Members of both parties on the panels seemed dubious. Even conservative Republicans challenged the elimination of CDBG and dismissed Carsons repeated claim that those and other cuts would be made up for with public-private partnerships, noting that such partnerships depended on exactly the public seed money that the budget was jettisoning.

Carson remained unruffled. The cuts were made necessary by the atmosphere of constraint created by a new paradigm thats been forced on us, he said, presumably referring to the desire for tax cuts for the wealthy and an even larger military. The problem that faces us now as a nation will only be exacerbated if we dont deal with them in what appears to be a harsh manner, he told the Senate panel. We have to stop the bleeding to get the healing.

As I watched the hearings, it occurred to me that Carson was the perfect HUD secretary for Donald Trump, the real-estate-developer president who appears to care little for public housing. He offered a gently smiling refutation to accusations from any corner that the departments evisceration would have grave consequences. After all, Ben Carson had made it from Detroit to Johns Hopkins without housing assistance, a point of pride in his family. Not to mention that Carsons very identity  theoretically  helped inoculate the administration against charges of prejudice. (Just last week, Carson said, in the wake of racially tinged violence in Charlottesville, that the controversy over Trumps support of white supremacists there was blown out of proportion and echoed the presidents both sides language when referring to hatred and bigotry.)

Even better, Carson could be trusted not to resist Mick Mulvaneys budget designs. At one moment in the Senate hearing, Carson noted that Congresss recent spending package for the current year had given the department more than it had been expecting. Im always happy to take money, he said, smiling.

Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the committees top Democrat, was unamused. You have to ask for it first, he said.

Over at headquarters, the department remained rudderless. By June, there was still no one nominated to run the major parts of HUD, including the Federal Housing Administration and core divisions such as Housing, Policy Development and Research, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, and Public and Indian Housing, not to mention a swath of jobs just below that level. (Across the administration, Trump had by the end of June sent barely more than 100 names to the Senate for confirmation, fewer than half as many as Obama had by that point in 2009.) Even the stern hand of Kasper was gone  she had been moved to a perch at Ginnie Mae, the arm of HUD that provides liquidity to federal home-ownership programs.

The rank and file (whose department book-club reading for the summer was The Employees Survival Guide to Change) took comfort that the two senior nominations that had been announced, for deputy secretary and the head of the Community Planning and Development division, were conventionally qualified. But appointments further down the ranks were alarming.

There was the administrator for the Southwest region: the mayor of Irving, Texas, Beth Van Duyne, who had gained notoriety by warning against the gathering threat of Sharia. She had asked the Texas Homeland Security Forum to help investigate the legality of an Islamic tribunal in North Texas and had taken to Glenn Becks talk show to defend the arrest of the Muslim boy whod brought a homemade clock to school. There was the conservative commentator John Gibbs, who was hired as a special assistant in Community Planning and Development. Sample headlines from his columns in The Federalist: Voter Fraud Is Real. Heres the Proof; If He Really Wants to Help Blacks, Colin Kaepernick Needs to Put Up or Shut Up.

Then there was Christopher Bourne, the retired Marine Corps colonel whod served as the policy director of Carsons presidential campaign. He suddenly showed up as a senior policy adviser in Policy Development and Research. We dont know what his job is, and as far as I know, he doesnt know what his job is, said one of his new colleagues.

In the context of such hires, it did not stun many HUD employees as much as it did the broader public when news broke of the selection of Lynne Patton, the Trumps event planner (whom tabloids gleefully referred to as a wedding planner, for her unofficial advisory role on Eric Trumps nuptials), as regional administrator for New York and New Jersey. It had been plain to see that Patton had been striving to prove that she was no mere hanger-on. She had been visiting senior career staff for a crash course on housing policy. She had helped organize Carsons listening-tour trips, for which her event-planning background had prepared her well. And she eagerly tweeted out defenses of himLets be clear: You can make life too comfortable for anyone  rich or poor  when you do, its a disservice, she declared after his comments on cushy public housing.

Yes, she would now be the chief liaison from HUD headquarters to a region with the largest concentration of subsidized housing in the country  including the huge Starrett City complex in Brooklyn co-owned by Trump  a job once held by Bill de Blasio. (Normally, these positions go to people who know what theyre doing, said one longtime staffer at headquarters.) And yes, she would, just a few weeks later, respond to liberal criticism of the departments decision to approve Westchester Countys long-litigated desegregation plan with a tweet that ended with the words P.S. Im black.

But there were many other things for career employees to worry about that werent getting as much attention. Such as what Carson had in mind with the vague incentivized family formation push (which falls under the community-building part of HUDs antipoverty mission) that his team had included in a briefing for Hill staffers.

Also worrisome was what the new leadership might do with major Obama-era initiatives, like its desegregation initiative, which, in a 2015 rule called Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, required local jurisdictions to come up with ways to reduce segregation or risk losing HUD funding. Carson had written an op-ed against this during the campaign, calling it a mandated social engineering scheme and comparing it to a failed socialist experiment, and Republicans in Congress were dying to kill it, but so far, the department was still going through the motions with it.

Then there was the mystery of why Carsons family was taking such a visible role in the department. There was the omnipresent Mrs. Carson. Even more striking, however, had been the active role of the secretarys second-oldest son. Ben Carson Jr., who goes by B.J. and co-founded an investment firm in Columbia, Maryland, that specializes in infrastructure, health care, and workforce development, was showing up on email chains within the department and appearing often at headquarters. One day, he was seen leaving the tenth-floor office of David Eagles, the new COO, who was crafting a HUD reorganization to accompany the cuts.

And finally, there was the beginning of what appeared likely to be a stream of committed career employees quitting. Ann Marie Oliva, the anti-homelessness director, had met with mistrust from the tenth floor, and she was startled when she wasnt asked to offer input for a speech Carson was giving on homeless veterans. She gave notice in late May, prompting calls from both parties on the Hill saying how sorry they were to see her go. It is sad, she told me, because its not partisan and it couldve been different from the beginning.

In early July, Ben Carson went on the next leg of his listening tour: Baltimore. I was expecting the department to make a big deal of his return to his longtime home city. But instead, after the poor press coverage from the previous rounds of community outreach, the itinerary for the first day was kept private.

I managed to get my hands on the schedule and tagged along with a photographer. This did not please Carsons entourage, which included, among others, a high-strung advance man in a bow tie, several security officers, Candy Carson, Ben Jr., and even his wife. When we arrived at the cafe where Carson and his family were having lunch with the mayor of Baltimore, Bow Tie arranged to have the Carsons rush out through the kitchen area to a back alley to avoid us. When, at the next stop, I was accidentally allowed into a meeting that Carson was holding at the citys housing authority, Bow Tie leaped across the room to eject me. By the next stop, at a tour of the redevelopment near Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the federal agents guarding Carson took my picture as I stood on the sidewalk chatting with a neighbor. By the last stop, dinner with Maryland governor Larry Hogan at a deluxe waterfront restaurant opened by Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, I was unsurprised when a Carson aide went to the maitre d to report my presence at the bar. This was Trumpian anti-press spirit taken to a new level: protectiveness of a government executive to the point of seeking invisibility.

The day had had its awkward moments. In his visit to the Baltimore HUD office, Carson caused friction with his suggestion that staff needed to work harder, comparing the federal work ethic unfavorably with the long hours he put in as a surgeon. Employees were also struck by how he kept seeming to look to his wife for cues as he spoke. At a later meeting with public-health officials and researchers, which his wife, son, and daughter-in-law also attended, he kicked things off 15 minutes early and referred to those who arrived on time as being late. He demurred when asked by the citys former health commissioner Joshua Sharfstein if hed commit the department to an ambitious reduction in child lead poisoning, saying something to the effect that he needed to be careful about setting big goals because he worked for a guy who, if you dont meet your goals, hell so skewer you.

The next morning, Carson held photo-ops at two homes that had undergone HUD-funded lead abatement. At the first home, he looked confused when workers explained that one of their first steps had been to make sure the homes doors closed properly in the door jambs. What does that have to do with lead? asked the nations secretary of Housing. The workers explained that a key to reducing lead-paint flaking was to reduce the friction involved in opening and closing windows and doors. A moment later, a deputy housing commissioner noted that the work had been made possible in part by Community Development Block Grants, which Trumps HUD budget eliminated.

Ben Carson Jr. resurfaced at the second days other open event, a visit to a health fair in East Baltimore. I watched with some amazement as the younger Carson, clad in tinted aviator shades, circulated among those seeking his fathers attention. At one point, Carson Jr. was approached by two entrepreneurs he knew who were hoping to pitch HUD on a proposal to use public housing as the site to pilot their for-profit venture replacing cash bail with the relinquishing of guns. Carson Jr. heard them out and then said, Have you talked to Dad? He then led them over to a clutch of Carsons HUD aides to make introductions.

A moment later, I asked Carson Jr. why he was taking such an active role on the Baltimore trip. With anything where we can be helpful, if Dad asks us to come along and help out, well always do that. Were here to offer support, whatever we can do, he said. I asked about all the time he was spending at HUD headquarters. If youre a concerned citizen and youre not spending time in D.C. trying to actually make sure the right things are happening, then you probably could do more, he said. You should have access to your public officials, and if thats not allowed, then theres a big problem with how the representatives are handling their relationship with citizens. (Never mind that in this case, the public official was his own father.)

Later, I asked Ben Carson for a comment on his sons role. Ben Carson Jr. has visited me, but he has no role at the department, he said through a spokesman. It was hard to know what to make of it all. On the one hand, it bore obvious similarities to the proliferation of Trumps and Kushners inside the White House, with all their attendant business conflicts.

But it was also possible that Ben Jr., and his mom, were so often at his fathers side for just the reason Ben Jr. claimed, to provide support. Because it was not hard to see why Carson would feel insecurity. He had been chosen for a job he had few qualifications for by a man who had few obvious qualifications for his own job, and he was now being left to his own devices to defend the dismantling of the department he was supposed to run, with an underpopulated corps of deputies at his side. (Even by mid-August, the Office of Public and Indian Housing, which spends tens of billions per year, did not have any senior political leadership whatsoever.) It was as if the White House were ensuring that whatever mere starvation failed to accomplish at HUD, indifference and mismanagement would finish.

The day before, as I waited outside the school building where Carson was meeting with the public-health experts, a young mother, Danielle Jackson, had come along with her three young daughters. She asked me what was going on inside, and I told her. She said she herself had been on the waiting list for a Section 8 voucher for three years, and she seemed to take the fact that the famous Baltimore doctor was now running HUD as an omen. I hope something good happens, she said brightly.

Her optimism was shared by Carson himself. When I asked him at a brief press conference behind one of the lead-abated homes the next morning how things were going so far for him at HUD, running a big federal department with no prior experience in government, he shrugged. Its actually a challenge to inject common sense and logic into bureaucracy, theres no question about that, he said. But its coming along quite nicely.

*This article appears in the August 21, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
Every day is a little bit worse, a career employee at the Department of Homeland Security said when we talked in July. And this was before the president was equating white-supremacist demonstrators with those protesting against them and threatening volatile dictators with the possibility of military action. But I cant just say Fuck off and leave, the federal worker added. I have a mortgage. That reality is but one dilemma for the nonpolitical civil servant seven months into this divisive administration. Before Trumps inauguration, there were estimates that a quarter or even a third of the career workers in federal agencies were likely to quit in protest. But so far, theres been no mass defection. In part, its because most federal workers, at least the ones who arent political appointees, expect to work for presidents of both parties. At the same time, this administration has forced even those who see their work as a calling to contemplate what would make their jobs untenable. In other words, whats their redline? What if youre doing good work in your department but are appalled by actions in other areas? Are you still complicit? What if instead of being engaged in some dramatic, obvious wrongdoing, your department is simply deprived of oxygen? Over the past few months, I sought out a number of these disgruntled workers to pose those questions. Their answers, all given under the strict condition of anonymity, add up to a far-ranging examination of what it means to be a public servant.

If you remove peoples purpose, theyre not going to be able to function.

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY | Over 5 Years

By the right, I feel like were being made out to be this monolith of incompetence, and on the left were seen as this potential bastion of resistance. And, you know, most of the people I work with are just, day to day, trying to make the best decisions on behalf of the American people. Thats not always a clear thing, and were not always going to get it right. But were trying.

Im a dedicated civil servant. This is what I wanted to do. I marched in the Womens March, and I didnt vote for Trump. But I can work with people I dont agree with if theyre people of principle. But theres no principle here. I dont know what the fuck theyre employing, but its not principle. We talk about anger in the resistance, but the sentiment that most of my colleagues and I are feeling isnt anger. Its not a hot emotion. Its sorrow. Its like this low-grade depression. If you remove peoples purpose, theyre not going to be able to function.

In the previous administration, and Im not saying they were perfect at this, but there was generally a sense that you have to bring stakeholders with you when youre making drastic changes. This administration  its like they dont follow things through to their logical conclusion. When the travel ban happened the first time [in January], people in the media were saying, This was Bannons master plan. He wanted to create chaos. Thats giving these people entirely too much credit. They didnt think it through. They might as well have just taken construction paper and a crayon and written I HATE MUSLIMS, STAY OUT  DONALD J. TRUMP. The way its written is so stupid. I guess thats their saving grace, to a certain extent: Theyre just too dumb to be efficient. Or they just dont understand enough. So God help us when they start to figure things out.

The point is, they dont ask the people who have been in these roles to help. They dont trust anyone. Theres infighting between the former Bush appointees, the sort of normal Republicans, and the Trump-campaign folks who have been appointed. Luckily, in our department, the Establishment Republicans are winning out. But conversations that Ive overheard make me suspect that most of these people are waiting for Trump to totally explode, and theyre really excited about a Pence presidency.

I work on cybersecurity issues. A lot of the people who are career staffers stayed in their roles in cybersecurity. In terms of people doing the work, day to day, I think were in good shape. Now with Kelly leaving to become chief of staff, theyre going to name someone else as DHS secretary. So were in a holding pattern. And in cybersecurity you cant afford to waste time. The threat is constantly changing and evolving. You add to that a White House that doesnt understand, or that wants to actively stymie [us], and were going to lose more and more time. Thats my concern. I also worry that if they are denying what Russia did, if we cant even be honest about what happened, how can we fix it?

The biggest loss here is the opportunity to educate regular Americans about whats at stake with cybersecurity. We do all these cyberhygiene campaigns, like Protect your passwords! But what we dont talk about, because it scares the crap out of people, is that cybersecurity enables our critical infrastructure. That could be the elections, or it could be the electricity grid, or it could be water safety. Im not just talking about Grandmas credit card getting stolen. Im talking about somebody opening the floodgates at your local reservoir.

I stayed on for a variety of reasons. One is that I have student loans, and hopefully theyre going to be forgiven after ten years of public service. But also because both of my parents are public servants, and I feel called to be one too  to protect people. I didnt go into the military, so this is how I do it.

My redline probably wouldnt be anything in my actual portfolio area. It would be if I were asked to do something that would hurt a group based on race, religion, gender, or sexual identity. The stuff during the banthat was really hard. I considered quitting during that time, but it got shut down so quickly, so I felt like, Okay, I dont need to leave. But this Countering Violent Extremism task force: If it starts turning into anti-Muslim bullshit, or Im asked to basically align against Muslim organizations just because theyre Muslim  it would be something like that.

I dont necessarily like the language of resistance. Im not the kind of person who says, Not my president. He is my president. In a democracy, sometimes the problem is that the other guy wins. Im hoping that as we move along, the Trumpian faction will get more marginalized and well move into what is just a conservative regime, but not a batshit-crazy one.

Theres open crying sometimes.

Environmental Protection Agency, Regional Office | 9 years

I started near the end of the Bush administration. At first I was doing Clean Air Act enforcement, and there was definitely a feeling of freedom when Obama took over. You could actually use the words climate change.

Before, and again now, we have to kind of disguise it. You have to just refer to actual contaminants, like methane or something. Were also disguising it under terms like resiliency.

I was just in a meeting about a research study on wastewater and greenhouse-gas emissions from landfills. Now they have to take out the greenhouse-gas portion in order for it to get approved. The local managers dont want to bring negative attention to their programs. Theres definitely a feeling that this administration is vindictive, and if something comes to their attention, they will pursue it.

I was going to give a talk on climate change and health effects around Earth Day to a community college. I had agreed to it before the administration change. After the change, they said, You cant do any public-facing events on climate change. Or they have to be vetted through headquarters. So I changed the name of my talk, but I still did it. It was risky in terms of the administration finding out, yes, but more so because the audience tried to really dig into me. We pay your salary! How can you be here and talk about climate change while theyre doing this other stuff? I had to defend myself.

Now Im really cautious. What my legal department told me is that if there happens to be a reporter there and Im speaking openly about climate change and it goes against what the new administration is saying, that could affect my job. I dont know whether I can get fired just for talking about science, but I guess its possible.

We were terrified when Scott Pruitt was nominated. He seemed to be somebody who understood the legal underpinnings of our work and the ways to legally unbind it. Hes competent in the wrong ways. The only thing that was really a blow to my work was a ruling on a pesticide that affects brain development in children. Pruitt came out and said that they would not ban it completely. Its devastating to me.

Theres open crying sometimes. The day of the signing of the executive order to look at rolling back climate-change regulations  the one they did at the EPA with the coal miners onstage  there were actual tears in the office. We all watched that together. Anytime theres a big visit from a president or anyone like that to the EPA offices, its broadcast to the big conference rooms. There were people silently giving the finger, but nobody was shouting obscenities. Maybe whispering them.

Some days I feel like its my duty to stay. I talk to friends who say, Youre someone who cares. You have to stay. If you leave, they win. But when I have to do something like defend the agencys position on this pesticide decision, it eats me up inside. Its only going to get worse, I think, as they appoint more political appointees. Some people say, Oh, none of its really going to happen; the budget cuts arent going to be that bad; hell get impeached. But I dont think so. I think were in for at least four years of this. Plus, Im in the prime of my career, and to waste four years of it is not something Im interested in doing. I really love my job, and I thought I would just stay. But now that Ive started interviewing for stuff, it just feels like if I dont really sell myself and get out sooner rather than later, I might be stuck.

If we started building a wall with Mexico, is that worth quitting over?

State Department, Human Rights | Over 5 Years

When I explain our agenda to people at the White House, the first question is always Why is this important for America? Thats an America First question. The second question is How does this impact our national security? And then the third question is How does this affect our economic interests? Those are the three main frames through which were all being asked to justify the issues we work on  which is fine. Its workable. When everyone says were a hotbed of resistance, I dont see it like that. We are bending over backward to explain and justify the value of the work we do.

On our side, theres no trust in the secretary of State, because we dont have any idea what hes thinking. It feels like we have been left to stagnate. For a while, there was a debate about whether this was due to ineptness or to malevolence. The debate still rages, but honestly, I lean toward thinking this must be a deliberate, slow asphyxiation of the State Department. My theory is, Rex Tillerson does not want to fill any of the senior positions because there will be much less bureaucratic resistance to a massive reorganization if there are fewer empowered principals in place to fight for their own bureaucratic turf.

In terms of some big bright redline that would inspire me to leave, I put a lot of thought into it right after the election and joined this salon with some other federal employees. A couple different ethical quandaries came up. One is, what if the administration does something that you personally view as a complete ethical travesty, but its not an issue that you have any sway over? For me, that would be something like if we started building a wall with Mexico; is that worth quitting over? Or is it better to say, Im still able to do good work on these different sets of issues? Its an impossible question to answer.

As for international-justice issues, I think a redline would be if we really decided to ignore bad guys being bad, if we had just come out and said, You know what? Assad is a mass murderer to the degree of Hitler and Stalin, but, eh, were okay with that, and in the interests of a certain policy well just try and forget about it completely. That wouldve just been unconscionable to me.

David Luban wrote some very good articles about this moral quandary, and one of them that stuck with a lot of us was the example of the bureaucrat lawyer for the Nazis who thought that he could do more good by staying and trying to soften their racial laws than by quitting and leaving. It was provided as an example of the moral slippery slope and the pernicious logic that would face bureaucrats.

But I found that less useful in practice than I thought I would. You have all these vivid analogies of what happens when the worst comes down, but the day-to-day drudgery of federal life is much more mundane than that.

Maybe its a creeping sense of dread, and before you know it, youve become fully infected with some virus and youre an agent of some disease. But I think for most of us, its just this sense that we dont even have a chance to explain why things would be better for America if they did them a certain way. Theres such distrust and deliberate alienation of the expertise from the politicos. Thats how theyre going to kill us. You cant make a dramatic decision or exit in that situation; you just stay and slowly die, or you leave by walking away from the wreckage of a deliberately sunken ship.

Morale is pretty good.

Department of Defense | 8 Months

I work on how we fight wars. Counterterrorism, basically. After the election, I started to get together with a lot of people who were also in the government and talk through What are the things that I really need to look out for? The quote of the day was Stay until the day you cant.

Im a huge proponent for the liberal global order that we helped create after World War II. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations, alliances like NATO. I look down 10, 20, 50 years from now and see the harm that Trumps rhetoric and policies are causing  those things make me question, Oh, God, am I part of that? Am I an accomplice to this terrible thing thats happening?

And yet, working within the Pentagon, things are pretty much going as normal. And thats where the line is for me. I think if I were part of the EPA, I would have quit already. If I were a part of a particular policy at the State Department, I would have had to quit. At the Pentagon  I didnt necessarily agree with all of Obamas policies on how we were going to fight wars and where his priorities were. So its sort of a little bit of the same. If I were to set redlines, Id say that if we were going to violate international law, Id be out of there.

Morale is pretty good, because the military is getting more money. My sense is that a lot of the military felt very constrained under President Obama, and now theyre the apple of Trumps eye. They also have really good leadership. Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, Mattis and Dunford are two remarkable leaders who are very much in the center, who really do not engage in politics. Everyone feels like theyve got two dads looking out for them. I mean, Im a progressive, and I very much respect both of them.

The thing is, I also served in the Clinton administration, back when it was Bill; you dont always agree with what the president says or with his policies. Its just that this is so not normal. Its not dithering around about a Burundi policy or how much should NATO pay into the system. This is large-scale change. Even just the speech in Poland played exactly into ISISs hands. Its the West against the rest. So were going to go fight this big war against ISIS, but hes undermining it by making their own narrative stronger.

Were missing leadership on the civilian policy side, and thats critical, because theyre the ones that oversee the military operations and make sure that when we fight, we fight like America and not like Russia. Meanwhile, the military is fully staffed up, and so we look like a very militant nation around the world. Theres all this rhetoric about how there are no military solutions, but all the world sees is our military.

What do you do if the president tells you to do something unconstitutional?

Department of the Interior, National Park Service | 11 years

Im in a very fortunate position within DOI. The National Park Service is beloved. Were not nearly as subject to direct attack as people working in, say, the Fish and Wildlife Service, which has the responsibility of administering the Endangered Species Act, or the folks at the Bureau of Land Management, who are being directed to open lands to drilling and oil and mineral extraction. So in that sense I feel very fortunate. But thats sick! The fact that Im like, Oh, well, we arent the targets of this political vitriol. What a thing to be grateful for!

There is nothing that will make me leave this agency voluntarily. There are things that, if asked to do  or, more accurately, not to do  I will continue doing, even if it means getting fired. If I am asked to lie about scientific knowledge, about climate change, or other immediate threats to national parks, I will not obey that gag order. I havent seen any of that yet. Right around the inauguration, the National Park Service was very much in the attention of the media, and especially the Twitterverse, because of social-media-related controversies. The agency was briefly put on a social-media time-out. So that got everybody thinking, What do we do if were told that we cant talk about climate change? What if were told we cant talk about outside industrial impacts on public lands? Things like pollution, light pollution, noise impact. I believe in the office of the presidency. When you become a government employee, you take an oath of service. You swear that you will uphold the Constitution. What do you do if the president tells you to do something unconstitutional? Ive never had to think about that before! Now I think about it. And it stresses me out.

The things Trump is doing will have lasting effects, but it has also been apparent, over the last several months, how long it really takes to change the course of government. Ive had so many career frustrations with that in the past. There are things that I see us not doing well, and I would like to see a quick fix. But this has made me appreciate the benefit of a vast ship of bureaucracy. When a president signs an executive order, it can take years to figure out how to implement it. During that time, theres hope that checks and balances will kick in, that the Judicial branch will do its job of identifying the things that are blatantly unconstitutional and stop them from happening.

Im just trying to help my people.

Veterans Affairs | 10 years

Im an army veteran, so Ive used the services, too. Ive been on both sides. I joined VA because I did not like the way VA was talking to veterans. There are people crying out  people who have some seriously fucked-up issues. In my little role, Ive been able to help people. Every now and then, Ive reached somebody in a way thats literally changed their life. The mission is to care for him who has borne the battle  and his widow and his orphan. I am the population. Im just trying to help my people.

This wouldnt exactly be my redline, but a few months ago, there was a budget proposal where VA was considering getting rid of individual unemployability benefits for Social Securityage veterans. It would reduce their payments from over $3,000 a month to as little as a few hundred. It would directly hurt a lot of people who wouldnt be able to make up that income. They would lose their homes. A bunch of the veterans service organizations pitched a fit and were successful at getting the department to walk it back. Those cuts are no longer being considered. But you can see where Im going with this: Its something my employer was considering doing, and it would directly harm veterans. Vets would come to me and I would have to not necessarily defend it but to explain it. I dont know that I could do that.

When a bomb goes off, do we create a Muslim registry?

Department of Homeland Security | Over 5 Years

Over the last few months, Ive seen a tremendous change in tone from DHS leadership. One instance is ice is running amok. Theyre essentially like a paramilitary force, and they dont appear to be really controlled very much by headquarters. ice terrifies me. Theyre stopping buses; theyre holding foreign nationals without telling them where they are, without papers. Its potentially illegal what theyre doing. We got emails from John Kelly, when he was the DHS secretary, and the tone was essentially, You never apologize for the job youre doing, because youre protecting American citizens. And Kelly and Mattis were supposed to be the good ones!

We have a very noble mission, I think, to protect the homeland. We do that through lots of means. But DHS now just treats everyone like colonels. Everyone says that if you work for a DHS agency, your budget doesnt get cut, but thats factually incorrect. Theyre proposing that the Coast Guard budget get cut by 13 percent. All the money is going toward the line item Border Wall. Theyre also ramping up the hiring for Border Patrol agents while taking state-preparedness grants away.

The low point for me came when I heard they were nominating Sheriff David Clarke. They offered it to him, and he turned it down. So were going to hire, for the Department of Homeland Security for law-enforcement liaison, a cop with multiple lawsuits against him for essentially killing people in his prison?

What separates this country from the ones that fall apart when theres an election you dont like is a strong, apolitical civil service. Someone cant turn the government on a dime. The bureaucracy is there for a reason. Something thats certainly picked up in the last six months is this stigma that civil servants are lazy and theyre takers. I could make more in the private sector tomorrow. Most people I work with have masters degrees, if not Ph.D.s. Were very highly educated and very highly motivated. The reason Im sticking with it right now is  who takes it over when I leave?

One redline for me would be if DHS starts registering or detaining Muslims. Somethings going to happen in this country; its just a matter of time. What happens when the bomb goes off? Do we create a Muslim registry? Do we set up Muslim internment camps? Thats not all that far-fetched. Another one Id probably get fired for is if the president were to not accept disaster declarations for sanctuary cities. Theyre saying theyll withhold all federal funds, so 

But its hard, because I have a mortgage. You dont get into government work to get rich  its a comfortable lifestyle  but I cant just say Fuck off and leave.

The people who are really passionate will end up leaving.

State Department | over 5 years

I thought a lot, before January 20, about whether I was going to stay. And I boiled it down, essentially, to three questions. First, can I do my job and can I do good? Question No. 2: Can I do more good on the inside or on the outside? And the third thing is: What is your redline? What is the moment where you no longer feel that you can do your job, because you do feel complicit? And its a really hard thing to define when the person who is in the Oval Office got there after tapes surfaced of him saying, I moved on her like a bitch. I mean, our redline has to be so red, and so bright, and so thick if thats not the starting point. There are no words to describe how I feel about that statement  as a woman, as a mom, as someone who feels that everybody deserves respect. But I reasoned that you dont serve a particular administration. You serve America.

But then there were two specific things he did, that I had to be a part of, that  that broke my heart. To talk about them specifically would pretty much identify me. So Im leaving and going to an organization that works on those very things in a proactive way.

The New York Times characterized the State Department as a hotbed of resistance, and its just simply not true. The people who are in the news, such as David Rank and Tom Countryman, these are people who are leaving. These are not the people who are here. I think what youll end up seeing is that the people who are really passionate, or who want to push back on some of these administration policies, will end up leaving. And then youre sort of left with folks who are not the hotbed of resistance.

On the other hand, the job market in D.C. is brutal, and people cant just walk out and not have a way to pay their mortgage. Other than the three questions I raised, there are very basic human questions: How do I take care of my family before I walk out?

I hope to return in three and a half years. I know it sounds hokey, but there is truly no bigger honor than walking into a bilateral meeting with another country or into the United Nations, and saying, This is what the United States cares about. We care about human rights. We care about LGBT rights. We care that people not be brutalized. We care about journalist safety. And were going to walk the walk and talk the talk. Theres truly no greater privilege. Ive lived in other places in the world, and when we are acting with our values, we are truly a remarkable nation. Sorry, Im getting a little choked up. I hope to work for a president who cares about those values again.

*This article appears in the August 21, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
Theres a cabal in the administration that believes extending Obamas DACA program is the bargaining chip that will get it immigration restrictions and border-wall money. Photo: Erik McGregor/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

President Trump is headed to Phoenix for a rally tonight. Its the same city and state where nearly a year ago he delivered his definitive campaign speech on immigration policy, wherein he doubled down on a tough policy of deporting or threatening to deport anyone who had entered the country illegally.

Last year in Phoenix, Trump did not specifically address the issue of Dreamers  about 800,000 young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children who had fulfilled a list of good behavior requirements for protection from prosecution, as provided by an Obama executive order in 2012 (known as DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). But he did say this:

There will be no amnesty, Trump said. Our message to the world will be this: You cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country.

This and similar remarks ruling out exceptions to a leave the country and get in line posture on undocumented immigrants have reinforced the impression that Dreamers may not be the first to be deported by a Trump administration, but cant count on further protection, either. But some ambiguity has remained, particularly after the administration rescinded an Obama executive order, known as DAPA, protecting the parents of Dreamers (which had already been frozen by a federal judge) but chose not to mess with DACA, for the time being, at least. And now rumors are intensifying that Team Trump may want to use the status of Dreamers as bait to get a bipartisan deal in Congress tightening immigration generally and funding the famous border wall. Heres the latest report from McClatchy:

White House officials want Trump to strike an ambitious deal with Congress that offers Dreamers protection in exchange for legislation that pays for a border wall and more detention facilities, curbs legal immigration and implements E-verify, an online system that allows businesses to check immigration status, according to a half-dozen people familiar with situation, most involved with the negotiations.

The group includes former and current White House chiefs of staff, Reince Priebus and John Kelly, the presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who both serve as presidential advisers, they said. Others who have not been as vocal publicly about their stance but are thought to agree include Vice President Mike Pence, who as a congressman worked on a failed immigration deal that called for citizenship, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Gary Cohn, a Democrat who serves as director of the National Economic Council.

We are told that the usual hard-liners, including Attorney General Sessions and his protege, White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, are opposing the deal. And while the McClatchy piece doesnt mention recently departed White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, one could quickly imagine his Breitbart News thundering at the globalists in the administration talking Trump into breaking a campaign promise dear to the hearts of Trump supporters.

But the wild card in the deck is that the administrations hand is being forced on DACA by a group of governors and attorneys general representing ten Republican-controlled states alleging that its unconstitutional just like DAPA  and who may soon maneuver the issue onto the docket of the same Texas federal judge who effectively killed DAPA, Andrew Hanen. Theyve given the administration until September 5 to agree to phase out DACA or submit the program to the tender mercies of Judge Hanen.

So the time for a deal involving DACA that would solidify its legal status is right now. And the timing is also ideal because it may be the only way for the administration to secure border-wall funding without threatening or executing a government shutdown when current appropriations run out at the end of September.

For all the talk of internal divisions in the administration over using the extension of DACA as a bargaining chip for a larger immigration deal, its not entirely clear congressional Democrats would go along in numbers sufficient to offset Republican immigration hard-liners. If the deal aimed at comprehensive immigration reform the buzzword for legislation that would create a path to citizenship for most or all undocumented immigrants now in the country  that might be tempting to many Democrats given the low odds of that happening during a Trump presidency. But that really would set off the Breitbartians into a frenzy of betrayal charges. So any immigration deal-makers at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue could have a tough row to hoe, even if Donald Trump doesnt backtrack into nativist rhetoric in Phoenix tonight.
The GOP leader in the California Assembly, Chad Mayes, is fighting off a conservative purge campaign. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

These are tough times to be a Republican in California. Last year Donald Trump won the lowest percentage of the presidential vote any Republican has registered since 1912, when GOP nominee William Howard Taft was denied a ballot spot (Progressive candidate Theodore Roosevelt narrowly defeated Democrat Woodrow Wilson). Thats right: Famous Republican losers like Alf Landon and Barry Goldwater won a higher percentage of the vote than Trump did.

Democrats enjoy supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, and a 3914 margin in U.S. House seats. All statewide constitutional officers are Democrats. One U.S. Senate seat was last held by Republicans in 1992, and the other in 1968. In the most recent top two primary that promotes candidates to the general election regardless of party (an innovation, by the way, sponsored by the last GOP governor and lieutenant governor of the state), no Republican made the cut for the open U.S. Senate seat. The GOP percentage of registered voters has now sunk to a dismal 25.9 percent, nearly 20 percent below the Democratic share.

Youd think, given this environment, that California Republicans would be retooling their message in order to appeal to their state, and that, indeed, is what California Assembly GOP Leader Chad Mayes has been doing. Heres how he most recently described his partys challenge:

Republicans have a choice: We can remain in a state of denial and continue to lose elections, influence and relevance, or we can move forward boldly to articulate and apply our principles in a way that resonates with a changing California. To me, the choice is clear.

As Assembly Republican leader, I have built genuine relationships with groups that we have ignored for decades, championed policies that reach out to nontraditional Republican groups, and communicated more broadly than any Republican leader in the last generation.

But one of Mayess outreach efforts has spawned a conservative revolt, and demonstrated once again that Republicans in this and many other states would rather be right ideologically than take political risks. Taking the advice of most California business leaders  not to mention big majorities in the polls  Mayes led a small group of Assembly Republicans in July into a deal to support extension of the states landmark cap-and-trade system for addressing greenhouse-gas emissions.

Almost exactly a month later, the board of the state Republican Party took the unusual step of calling for Mayes to step down as Assembly leader.

Harmeet Dhillon, one of two of the states representatives to the Republican National Committee, said Mayes had failed to protect the integrity of the partys position on taxation and overregulation in California.

Thirteen members of the party board, including Chairman Jim Brulte, voted in favor of the motion calling on the Yucca Valley Republican to resign as caucus leader. Seven voted against, and there was one abstention.

Only the GOP Assembly Caucus has the power to remove Mayes as leader, and late yesterday he survived a no-confidence motion, which failed by three votes. But challenges to him will continue.

Why are California conservatives engaging in a purge effort when their party is so weak? Well, thats what ideologues do, of course; left or right (though especially the latter), they believe fidelity to the Cause is always the key to electoral success, and more valuable than electoral success in the final analysis. And there is, of course, a legacy of hard-core conservatism in the state that dates back at least to Barry Goldwaters nomination-clinching win over Nelson Rockefeller in the 1964 California primary. One of the key figures in that Goldwater campaign, Ronald Reagan, went on to serve two terms as governor and then to embody the culmination of the conservative movements long drive to power by becoming president. His many compromises with principle and with the hated Democratic opposition in both Sacramento and Washington have long been forgotten or ignored by those who burn candles to his memory.

More immediately, many California Republicans, like their counterparts in other states, fear the wrath of the base voters who have become fiercely loyal to the culture warrior and media basher in the White House. The leading GOP candidates for governor in 2018  who will be struggling to achieve a general-election spot in a field dominated by well-funded Democrats like Gavin Newsom, John Chiang, and Antonio Villaraigosa  are lining up to pledge allegiance to Donald Trump, the least popular GOP presidential candidate in more than a century. Its not like Trump is getting some sort of strange second wind of popularity in the Golden State: According to Gallup, his most recent job-approval rating in California was at 30 percent, a bit below his 2016 electoral share.

Its a sad state of affairs for the party that won nine of ten presidential elections in California from 1952 through 1988. Obviously the states demographics have changed massively since those days, and the California GOPs reputation as a white and anti-immigrant party has been especially damaging in a state that now has (according to the 2016 exit polls) a nonwhite majority of voters. Rallying around Donald Trump seems an unlikely first step toward a GOP revival.

California Republicans arent alone in experiencing internecine warfare, however. The ClintonSanders primary fight was especially savage in the Golden State, and has spilled over into an endless battle over the state party chairmanship. The candidate of the Berniecrats, Kimberly Ellis, seems to have narrowly lost to a more conventional pol Clinton supporter, Eric Bauman. But having exhausted internal challenges based on allegations of a rigged process, Ellis is now threatening litigation. And there is a parallel fight among California Democrats over single-payer health-care legislation.

The 2018 midterms in California could be even wilder than usual. But make no mistake: The GOP is in the greatest peril of disaster.
Mitch, please. Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Mitch McConnell said Monday that there is zero chance that Congress will fail to increase Americas debt limit next month. But the Senate Majority Leader offered zero details on what, precisely, this inevitable debt-ceiling bill would look like  or how the GOP leadership planned to go about passing it.

There is zero chance  no chance  we will not raise the debt ceiling, McConnell said, appearing at an event in Kentucky with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. America is not going to default, and well get the job done in conjunction with the secretary of the Treasury.

Mnuchin, for his part, reiterated the White Houses preference for a clean debt-ceiling hike  which is to say, a bill that does nothing beyond increase the limit on how much money the U.S. government can borrow. Right now, the Treasury Department expects to hit the current debt limit by September 29.

In a saner political universe, such a clean bill would be a no-brainer. After all, the legislation is going to have to be bipartisan, as Republicans lack the 60 Senate votes necessary for evading a filibuster on a debt-ceiling increase. Given how hard it is for Democrats and Republicans to reach consensus on fiscal issues, it makes sense to defer all other conflicts while working to secure the mutual goal of preventing the United States from defaulting on its debt  and, thus, triggering a stock-market crash, recession, and/or long-term increase in Americas cost of borrowing.

Of course, the most sensible option would be the abolition of the debt ceiling altogether. If Congress wishes to limit the growth of the national debt, it can do so by raising taxes or appropriating less funds; the debt limit merely gives irresponsible deficit demagogues a chance to hold the nations credit rating hostage to their unpopular policy demands.

Alas, the House GOP is filled with such hawks. The far-right Republicans of the Freedom Caucus believe that voting to allow the Treasury to borrow more money  so as to finance the spending that Congress already voted for  is a crime against Americas grandchildren. (They also believe that the GOP should pass a tax plan that increases the deficit, and that the federal government must do everything in its power to ignore climate change.) Thus, they see voting to not trigger a recession as a major ideological concession to the left  one that should earn them some kind of reward.

Earlier this month, the caucuss chairman Mark Meadows informed the GOP leadership that to support a debt-ceiling hike, he and his fellow reactionaries would need the bill to include at least $250 billion in mandatory spending cuts, or else drastic rollbacks to federal regulations.

During the Obama years, there was a political logic to this sort of brinkmanship: Since voters tend to blame the presidents party for anything bad that happens on his watch, Democrats had more to lose from default than Republicans did. Threatening to sabotage the economy unless your political rivals agree to advance your widely reviled ideological goals was always a morally odious gambit; but in 2013, it was, at least, a logically coherent one.

Now, though, no one has more to lose from a Congress-induced recession than congressional Republicans. And Paul Ryan can almost certainly pass a clean debt-ceiling hike with Democratic and moderate Republican votes, should he let such a bill come to the floor. So, the Freedom Caucuss only leverage in this fight is a tacit threat to end Ryans speakership, should he opt for working with Democrats over the Houses only true conservatives. But given how much money Ryan is raking into the congressional GOPs campaign coffers, its hard to believe a mutiny is in the cards.

Meanwhile, congressional Democrats  who, as members of the opposition party, enjoy relative immunity from the consequences of default  are mulling their own debt-ceiling demands.

The GOP leadership has reportedly considered folding the debt ceiling into some piece of minor legislation with bipartisan buy-in, or else into a bipartisan spending agreement. But if the Freedom Caucuss word can be trusted, every option will require Ryan to buck his party and govern with Democratic votes. While such a move is unlikely to cost the speaker his gavel, it would (almost certainly) make it even more difficult for the House leadership to placate its right flank in the upcoming battles over the 2018 budget and tax reform.

All of which is to say: For McConnell and Ryan, September may prove the cruelest month.
Marcellus Williams. Photo: Missouri Department of Corrections

Missouri governor Eric Greitens issued a stay of execution for Marcellus Williams just three hours before the death-row inmate was scheduled to be killed by lethal injection. Greitens announced that he would appoint a board of inquiry to investigate the controversial case.

A sentence of death is the ultimate, permanent punishment, Greitens said. To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt. In light of new information, I am appointing a Board of Inquiry in this case.

Williams, 48, was convicted in 2001 for killing Lisha Gayle, a former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who was brutally stabbed to death in her home in 1998. But no DNA evidence has ever tied Williams to the crime. Instead, the prosecution relied heavily on two jailhouse informants  whose credibility has been called into question  who said Williams had confessed to killing Gayle. Some items from Gayles home were also found in Williamss car.

Missouris State Supreme Court had previously stayed Williamss execution, originally scheduled for 2015, so that he could obtain new DNA evidence. The tests showed that Williams was not a match for the murder weapon, but that another mans DNA was found. Nevertheless, a spokesman for Missouri attorney general Josh Hawley told the Washington Post that based on the other, non-DNA, evidence in this case, our office is confident in Marcellus Williams guilt.

Williamss execution would have been the 17th in the United States this year, slightly above the pace set last year, when 20 people were put to death  the lowest number since 1991. According to Pew Research Center, public support for the death penalty is at its lowest in more than 40 years.

This story has been updated.
The damage to the U.S.S. John S. McCain. Photo: U.S. Navy/Getty Images

All United States Navy ships will take a one- or two-day operational pause this week to review safety procedures and other fundamentals after the U.S.S. John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore on Monday. Defense Secretary James Mattis said the aim is to determine any of the causal factors, to determine whats going on  both immediate contributors to this incident but also any related factors.

The chief of naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, said that in addition to the brief review this week, hes ordered a months-long review of the Navys Seventh Fleet. There have been four accidents involving Navy vessels in the Pacific this year, including the U.S.S. Fitzgeralds collision with a container ship, which left seven sailors dead.

The cause of Mondays accident is still unknown, but a navy official told CNN there are signs that the destroyer lost steering just before the collision.

U.S. military divers have found some remains belonging to the ten missing sailors in the flooded areas of the destroyers, the New York Times reports. Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, declined to say how many bodies have been recovered. Swift added that the Malaysian navy had also discovered a body in the sea, but its not clear whether its tied to the McCain collision. Planes are still searching the surrounding waters, but the new area of focus was a discouraging sign for the missing sailors loved ones.

Megan Partlow of Ohio, whose fiance is missing, told the AP shes losing hope of seeing him again. My last text to him was be safe, which is the same way we end every conversation. Im just ready for answers, she said.
Paul Ryan wants to show that Americans will not tolerate bigotry, unless it involves him doing something uncomfortable. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

When President Trump initially responded to the fatal violence at a white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, by condemning the egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides, Paul Ryan tweeted, white supremacy is a scourge, and called the killing of Heather Heyer an act of terrorism.

Like most Republicans, the House speaker did not explicitly criticize Trumps response. Two days later, Trump finally condemned white supremacists in a brief statement at the White House, and almost immediately began undermining his revised remarks. The next day he flipped back to his original position, angrily telling reporters that there is blame on both sides, attacking the alt-left and defending the very fine people who stuck around as fellow protesters chanted, Sieg heil.

Ryan responded with another subtweet:

We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.  Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) August 15, 2017

During a CNN town hall immediately after Trumps Afghanistan speech on Monday night, viewers got to watch in real time as Ryan tried to signal that hes strongly opposed to bigotry, yet only somewhat opposed to the president who still has the support of the GOP base.

When asked why he hadnt condemned Trumps remarks as strongly as some fellow Republicans, Ryan said he thinks Trump messed up in his combative press conference on Tuesday, but praised him for only bungling two out of five opportunities to forcefully denounce hate groups:

First of all, the president and I spoke on Monday morning about the need for moral clarity, about the need at this very difficult time in our country to have a morally clear message, to absolutely and singularly condemn this repulsive bigotry. He agreed with that. And he did that later that day on Monday. And I thought his speech on Monday was pitch perfect. Then, the next day, I think it was in New York on an infrastructure press conference, in answer to a question, I think he made comments that were much more morally ambiguous, much more confusing. And I do think he could have done better. I think he needed to do better.

I actually think what he did two days ago in commending the peaceful protests against the hate in Boston was a good start. And I think just what I heard, I dont know, 25 minutes ago, was exactly what a president needs to say and what we needed to hear. So I do believe that he messed up in his comments on Tuesday, when it  it  it sounded like a moral equivocation, or at the very least moral ambiguity, when we need extreme moral clarity.

Moderator Jake Tapper corrected Ryan, saying Trumps suggestion that very fine people were participating in a march with neo-Nazis was actually morally wrong, not morally ambiguous. Ryan agreed with him:

Youre not a good person if youre there. Thats just so very clear. So I totally agree with that. And thats why I think, yeah, its  it was  it was not only morally ambiguous, it was  it was equivocating. And that was wrong. Thats why I think it was very, very important that he  that he  he has since then cleared that up. And I think it was important that he did that tonight.

When asked if he thinks Trumps done enough to atone, Ryan replied: I dont think any of us have done enough. Then in the very next question he explained why he will not be doing anything to hold Trump accountable.

Rabbi Dena Feingold, a family friend of Ryans, asked him whether he would support the resolution before Congress to formally censure Trump for his Charlottesville remarks.

I will not support that, Ryan said. I think that would be  that would be so counterproductive. If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-fest, into some bickering against each other, and demean it down to some political food fight, what good does that do to unify this country?

Ryan said now is the time to stand together against bigotry, and censuring the president for failing to do so would be demeaning to the issue. He continued:

It is very, very important that we not make this a partisan food fight. It is very important that we unify in condemning this kind of violence, in condemning this kind of hatred. And to make this us against them, Republicans against Democrats, pro-Trump, anti-Trump, that is a big mistake for our country, and that will demean the value of this important issue.

Censuring Trump doesnt need to be a partisan fight, but Ryan seems to assume that when forced to choose between defending Trump and making a strong symbolic stand against bigotry, Republican lawmakers will go with Trump.

When asked if he agrees with his former running mate Mitt Romney, who called on Trump to apologize, Ryan said, I just think he needs to do better. And I think he just did today.

Its lucky for Ryan that Trump got it right on his fifth try. Ryan is extremely passionate about coming together to denounce white supremacy, unless it involves doing anything that could further strain his relationship with President Trump.
Trump First. Photo: Justin Merriman/Getty Images

In late November, congressional Republicans learned that Donald Trumps election had forever changed their partys ideology. GOP lawmakers were holding a closed-door whip meeting when Stephen Moore delivered the news.

A founder of the Club for Growth, and chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, Moore had a claim to conservative purity stronger than most. And yet, the high priest of supply-side voodoo economics had also served as an adviser to the Trump campaign  and came to believe that its triumph marked the end of the GOP as hed known it.

Just as Reagan converted the GOP into a conservative party, Trump has converted the GOP into a populist working-class party, Moore told The Hill, summarizing his remarks to the congressional Republicans. In some ways this will be good for conservatives and in other ways possibly frustrating.

The president-elects chief strategist, Steve Bannon, echoed this assessment. Like [Andrew] Jacksons populism, were going to build an entirely new political movement. Its everything related to jobs, Bannon informed The Hollywood Reporter. The conservatives are going to go crazy.

These pronouncements sounded improbable, but not implausible (few things did in the aftermath of November 8). After all, Trump had won the GOP nomination, and then the presidency, as a different kind of Republican  one who backed radical restrictions to immigration, trade protectionism, infrastructure stimulus, universal health care, a Jacksonian foreign policy that spurned both nation-building and international law, and maintaining Social Security and Medicare at their current benefit levels. In his shambolic, improvisatory way, Trump had articulated a new vision for the American right, one that combined rabid nativism with welfare chauvinism, economic nationalism, and neo-isolationism.

Last night, President Trump declared his support for prolonging Americas war in Afghanistan indefinitely. Last week, his administrations lone proponent of a break with conservative economics was exiled from the White House. Over the last seven months, Trump has proven himself a loyal servant of the GOP Establishments agenda, as hes pushed for draconian cuts to entitlement programs that hed promised to protect; avoided trade wars, while dutifully prosecuting actual ones; let corporate interests dictate regulatory policy; and touted tax cuts for the rich as a panacea for all that ails the American economy.

Given how committed the Republican Partys donors and institutions are to trickle-down economics and interventionist foreign policy, it would have been a Herculean task for any president to convert the congressional GOP to paleo-conservative populism in one fell swoop; a president who pays more attention to Fox & Friends than the details of his domestic agenda never had a prayer.

And yet, just because Trump hasnt turned Paul Ryan into a populist, doesnt mean that he hasnt popularized a new ideology with the GOP base.

Trump may be too intellectually incompetent and ideologically indifferent to displace the conservative movements governing agenda. But that is no testament to that agendas popularity or vitality. During the fight over Obamacare repeal, Republican voters evinced the same level of enthusiasm for Paul Ryans priorities as they did during the 2016 primary  which is to say, almost none.

The president may have abandoned most of his heterodox policy views, but hes yet to back away from the true core of his political philosophy, a creed that can be summarized in two words: Trump first. And given the choice between the House GOPs movement conservatism and the presidents maniacal narcissism, a lot of Republican voters are picking the latter. As Politico reports:

Taxes, spending and even health care have taken a back seat to the most potent new litmus test in Republican primaries: allegiance to President Donald Trump.

 Loyalty to Trump has quickly become the most potent issue for the Republican base, according to a dozen candidates and strategists immersed in 2018 races. It has already put Sens. Jeff Flake and Dean Heller under pressure in their states, sparked bickering between GOP candidates in two of Republicans top 2018 targets, Indiana and West Virginia, and sunk one candidate running for Alabamas open Senate seat.

 One Republican strategist said polling shows staunch support of Trump is the top attribute primary voters are seeking in candidates right now. At least one-third of GOP primary voters identify themselves as Trump Republicans (as opposed to tea party Republicans or mainstream Republicans) in state after state, according to internal polling conducted by a Republican group, with that number reaching 40 percent in some states.

One could argue that most Trump Republicans root their political identity in an ideological stance  specifically, support for nativism. Immigration has always been the moguls signature issue, and one that genuinely divides the GOPs elites from its grassroots.

But in Republican primaries this year, debates over loyalty to Trump have often been divorced from all policy questions, with candidates touting fealty to the presidents cult of personality as a defining value, in itself. Alabama congressman Mo Brooks is no ones squish on immigration. But he dared to criticize Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign, and that was enough to torpedo his Senate bid earlier this month.

In West Virginia, both Republican candidates for Senate endorsed Donald Trump in 2016  but congressman Evan Jenkins has lambasted Attorney General Patrick Morrisey for waiting too long to do so.

I supported only one candidate in the 2016 election: Donald Trump, Jenkins told Politico. The story is clear: Donald Trump was not Patrick Morriseys choice for president.

Remarkably, some in the Republican Establishment remain certain that what GOP voters really care about is financing tax cuts for the rich by dismantling the welfare state. Heres Politico again:

Andy Roth, vice president at the Club for Growth, an anti-tax group that promotes conservative candidates in Republican primaries, insists that policies are still driving Republican voters decisions more than blind support for the president.

Voters are supporting Trump because they support his conservative agenda: They want to repeal and replace Obamacare and they want real tax reform, he said. I think voters, at the end of the day, still care about the defining issues.

Club spokeswoman Rachael Slobodien noted that [Arizona senator Jeff] Flake has supported some of Trumps most significant policy and confirmation battles, including every vote to repeal Obamacare and every single Trump nominee.

Slobodien is right: Flake has been exceptionally loyal to Donald Trumps policy priorities. But he has also been exceptionally disloyal to the president, personally, writing a book-length indictment of Trumps affronts to civility.

Flakes combination of support for the Trump agenda  and contempt for the presidents vulgarity  has earned him one of the lowest approval ratings of any senator, and multiple, well-funded primary challengers.

President Trump is weak, isolated, and deeply unpopular. But so are the evangelists of small-government conservatism. The intellectual bankruptcy of the latters ideology prevented Establishment Republicans from ending Trumps candidacy  and may well make it impossible for them to end his presidency, no matter what madness lies ahead.
Nearly a year ago, Donald Trump delivered his big, nasty immigration speech in Phoenix. Tomorrow nights rally in the same city could get crazy. Photo: Ralph Freso/Getty Images

Last nights televised presidential speech on Afghanistan is naturally getting a lot of attention as a major news event in its own right, and also as a way for Donald Trump to turn the page from his ugly and divisive press conference last week. Since the president didnt depart from his script to rant again about the fine people marching with neo-Nazis, sticking to offering a justification for a new and relatively small troop deployment, its a pretty cut-and-dried story.

But for a less predictable presidential moment, we need wait only for this evening, when Trump is scheduled to hold one of his campaign-style rallies in Phoenix, Arizona (despite pleas from the mayor of Phoenix that he delay the rally until the country has time to heal from the wounds inflicted by the white-supremacist riot in Charlottesville).

As the Washington Posts Greg Sargent notes, were near the anniversary of Trumps big and nasty immigration speech in Phoenix during the stretch run of the 2016 campaign. So it would not be surprising if he decides to reignite the fiery support of nativists tomorrow night with any number of dramatic gestures available to him. These could include a possible pardon for former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio, recently convicted of criminal contempt of court for continuing racial profiling after being told to cut it out by a federal judge. He could also announce some sort of decision on DACA, the Obama executive order that offered protection against deportation for DREAMers. And its also possible hell throw down the gauntlet to Congress to fund his border wall or risk a government shutdown or even a debt default at the end of September.

In the incendiary atmosphere of a rally of true believers, Trump could also, if he really wants to live on the edge, return to the topic of Charlottesville, though he may be saving that one for his next rally in a former Confederate state.

Finally, Trump could use the Arizona venue to reassert his control over the Republican Party. It just so happens that the state is the home of one senator who derailed Trumpcare, and another who just published a book attacking Trumps ideological orthodoxy. Perhaps Trump will steer clear of blasting John McCain given the senators health condition. But it would be surprising if he didnt go after Jeff Flake with a vengeance, since Trump has already called him toxic and all but endorsed a 2018 primary challenger.

All in all, the timing and location of the Phoenix speech could tempt Trump to bust out of the restraints of a tightly confined national security address and be his uninhibited self. Thats an alarming prospect for everyone else.
Sorry, Robert. Photo: Anthony Behar/Bloomberg via Getty Images

When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in January that then-President-elect Trump had asked him to chair a committee on vaccines, health-care professionals and other people who dont enjoy watching their children contract measles went nuts. The frenzied reaction was certainly justifiable: Kennedy is a full-on conspiracy theorist who, like the president, has long believed that vaccines are linked to autism and other disorders, despite all evidence to the contrary. The prospect of Kennedy chairing a committee devoted to dangerous, tinfoil-hat medical theories was another sign that the Obama administrations judicious approach was about to give way to a new age of ignorant darkness.

But on Monday, the health website Stat News reported that, more than seven months later, the promised committee has not materialized. Ive had no discussions specifically about the vaccine safety commission, probably since February, Kennedy told the site. Youd have to ask the White House. It may be that its evolved. Kennedy, the story reports, has met with various pro-vaccine health officials in the last few months, but only in a listening tour capacity. (The fact that Trumps picks for head of the Centers for Disease Control and surgeon general believe in vaccines counts as surprising but welcome news in this administration.)

The RFK Jr. story illustrates at least two important truths.

The second truth is that the Executive branch of the federal government is so inept that its best to give it the opposite of the benefit of the doubt on any policy objectives.

Malevolence tempered by incompetence, Benjamin Wittess now-famous explication of the Trump administrations modus operandi, is still as applicable as it was during the earliest days of the administration. Examples of aborted, curtailed, or mangled executive policy abound: the disastrously executed travel ban, which inspired Wittess phrasing, the promised yet thus-far-nonexistent trade war with China, the still-in-place Iran deal  for now, anyway  and a host of other broken promises. (Its true that Trump officials never confirmed that the president had asked Kennedy Jr. to chair the vaccine commission, but its hard not to believe a conversation took place.)

Trumps euphemistically named Commission on Electoral Integrity may yet do serious damage, and it has already inspired some people to stop casting ballots. But it has also been plagued by the almost comical level of chaos that has been a hallmark of the West Wing since January 20.

The most tangible damage to the country isnt being committed at the White House, but at the agency level, where Trump managed to nominate some brutally efficient ideologues along with amateurish characters like Ben Carson. Scott Pruitt, head of the EPA, is rolling back environmental regulations at a brisk pace, and mostly in secret. Tom Price, the secretary of Health and Human Services, is an anti-Obamacare propaganda machine whose refusal to carry out the law effectively has led to costly uncertainty. John Kelly, before becoming chief of staff, led a depressingly effective immigration crackdown at the Department of Homeland Security. And, as Alec MacGillis reports, Carsons Department of Housing and Urban Development is turning into a case study of neglect.

Just on Monday, the Interior Department canceled a study on the health risks of mountaintop coal-mining, an example of the little-noticed but consequential actions that federal agencies carry out while most people are focused on the presidential outrage of the day.

With Obamacare repeal seemingly dead in Congress and other major legislation looking increasingly unlikely to pass this year, its the agencies, not the Executive branch, that can be counted on to most successfully execute the Trump agenda. An ineffective White House riven by upheaval doesnt quite count as good news, but its a reminder that, if a disciplined version of Trump existed, things could be much worse.
Trump indicates the direction hes taking foreign policy. Photo: Mark Wilson

Before he decided to run for president, thenArmchair General Donald Trump was a harsh critic of the war in Afghanistan, tweeting periodic potshots at the Obama administrations Afghanistan strategy between 2011 and 2015. He called the war a total disaster, a waste of money and American lives, and a losing war we should get out of immediately. Candidate Trump was no less critical of the war, pushing for the U.S. to pull out of intractable foreign conflicts and spend its money rebuilding the domestic economy rather than the faraway countries we destroyed.

But instead of speedily withdrawing the U.S. from the Afghan disaster, on Monday night President Donald Trump announced that he was extending it. Trump admitted that his original instinct was to pull out, but as in so many other policy areas he knew nothing about before January, the reality of making decisions as president proved much more complicated than he had expected. Displaying his characteristic talent for blaming everything on Barack Obama, he cited our hasty withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 as proof that quick withdrawals from wars, such as the one Donald Trump spent the past six years advocating in Afghanistan, were a categorical mistake.

So after almost 16 years of war and stalemate, Trump is giving the Pentagon yet another chance to get it right and defeat the Taliban (and now ISIS as well). Our soldiers, he said, deserve a plan for victory. Victory was a key theme of the evening, which the president loosely defined as attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al-Qaeda, [and] preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan.

Trump painted the broad strokes of his strategy back in June, when he revealed that he intended to give Defense Secretary James Mattis and his generals broad discretion to decide on troop levels and their degree of engagement in the conflict, without civilian micromanagement. In other words, whatever the generals said they needed, they would get.

Prior to the speech, Fox News and other outlets had reported that Trump was approving the deployment of 4,000 more troops to supplement the 8,500 already on the ground in Afghanistan, but Trump presented no figures in his speech. Indeed, he stressed that as the first core pillar of his new strategy, We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for military activities. Trump appears to have internalized the neoconservative critique of Obamas approach to Afghanistan that by announcing in advance the date of the U.S. withdrawal (which was determined in a treaty with the Afghan government), his predecessor had let the enemy know exactly how long they would have to wait us out. Accordingly, Trump said there would now be a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions.

That sounds an awful lot like an open-ended commitment to stay in Afghanistan as long as necessary, yet Trump also stressed that our commitment is not unlimited and our support is not a blank check, and that he expected the Afghan government to bear its share of the burden. He did not go into detail, however, as to what he would do if the Afghans failed to live up to their end of the bargain while the nebulous conditions for American withdrawal remained unmet.

The second core pillar of Trumps Afghanistan and South Asia strategy, he continued, was a dramatic shift to our approach to Pakistan: We would no longer tolerate that countrys habit of providing safe havens to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations. We have been paying Pakistan billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the terrorists we are fighting, he shouted. That will change immediately. He also said we would strengthen our strategic partnership with India and ask it to chip in more toward the rebuilding of Afghanistan.

In other words, Trumps dramatic shift is a direct continuation of what the Obama administration and Congress had been doing over the past several years: cutting aid to Islamabad while strengthening military and security cooperation with New Delhi. It is unclear how Trump intends to do a better job than the last two administrations at forcing Pakistan to get its act together, particularly with a deliberately understaffed State Department. If the U.S. were to cut ties with Pakistan entirely, that could rapidly destabilize South Asia and exacerbate many of the regional problems Trumps strategy is meant to solve.

The third and most troubling pillar of Trumps Afghanistan policy entails a significant loosening of the rules governing how our armed forces prosecute the war there. Noting that he had already lifted some restrictions imposed by the Obama administration, he said he would expand authority for American forces to target terrorist and criminal networks in Afghanistan, letting military leaders make decisions on the ground without micromanagement from Washington. These restrictions, many of them the product of treaties with the Afghan government, limited the ability of U.S. forces to engage in direct combat with the Taliban, which military officers found frustrating.

Trumps decision to confront terror groups in Afghanistan with swift, decisive, and overwhelming force could perhaps pave the way for the victory he so desperately seeks, but it could also put us at greater risk of violating our treaties and international law, or alienating the Afghan government and people. Civilian oversight of military operations prevents them from becoming overzealous, and the withdrawal of this oversight can lead to disaster. Trump noted that the ultimate objective in Afghanistan was a political solution that could potentially include some elements of the Taliban, but unleashing the military probably wont create conditions amenable to that solution.

At least Trump didnt take up his recently canned adviser Steve Bannons proposal  first floated by Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater (and Education Secretary Betsy DeVoss brother)  to replace the U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan with mercenaries. Considering how well that worked out in Iraq during the Bush administration, Trump can take credit for not choosing the very worst of his many bad options. Americas corrupt war profiteers need not fret over lost billions in profits, though; the president has expressed interest in handing them lucrative contracts to exploit Afghanistans mineral wealth before China swoops in and takes it first. Trump may have been referring cryptically to this on Monday when he said we would participate in economic development in order to defray the cost of this war to us.

To the extent that Trumps Afghanistan strategy is a strategy at all, the irony is that the president who ran on an anti-Establishment, anti-globalist, effectively anti-imperial platform is pursuing a policy not all that different from what his predecessor pursued or from what his opponent would have had she won. To be honest, Derek Chollet, an assistant secretary of Defense in the Obama administration, told the Washington Post, Its probably pretty close to what a Hillary Clinton would do.

Indeed, for a strategy billed as a dramatic departure from the Obama doctrine, the only major differences Trump revealed on Monday are that he intends to leave the American public almost entirely in the dark about long-term plans, troop numbers, and timelines; and give the Pentagon a potentially dangerous amount of authority to do whatever its leaders deem militarily necessary to secure a victory that may just not be in the cards. But the objective remains the same. We are not asking others to change their way of life, Trump said, stressing that the goal of U.S. policy in Afghanistan was not nation-building, but rather, defeating terrorism. In other words, a carbon copy of Obamas goal.
Trump delivers an address on Afghanistan from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, on August 21, 2017. Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images

Over the years, Donald Trump repeatedly called for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but during a prime-time address to troops at Virginias Fort Myer on Monday night, he explained that his view has changed now that he has the opportunity to make that happen.

My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts, Trump said. But all my life, Ive heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office  in other words, when youre president of the United States.

Trump said that after studying the situation in Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle, hes concluded that it would be a mistake for the U.S. to quickly pull out of the country.

The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable, Trump said. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda, where they would instantly fill just as happened before Sept. 11.

What exactly President Trump intends to do in Afghanistan remains unclear  and he says thats intentional. Prior to the speech, administration officials leaked that an additional 4,000 troops will join the 8,400 American service members already stationed in Afghanistan. But in his address, Trump gave no specifics about the number of troops or the timetable for deployment, saying he believes such announcements are counterproductive.

We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities, he said. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

Trump suggested his strategy would be far different from that of the Obama administration, but the vague plan he did discuss  using military force and putting diplomatic pressure on Pakistan  sounded similar to his predecessors.

Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win, Trump said. From now on, victory will have a clear definition  attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

There has been a heated debate within the Trump administration about what strategy to pursue in Afghanistan, with chief strategist Steve Bannon pushing to replace U.S. troops with private security contractors, and Defense Secretary Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster arguing against withdrawing U.S. forces. Trump eventually sided with the generals, and the conflict over the issue was reportedly one of the factors behind Bannons exit last week.

Though ultimately Trump did not announce any drastic shift in Afghanistan, the event gave him the opportunity to reset and project his authority as commander-in-chief after two weeks in which his reckless remarks on North Korea and Charlottesville sparked fear and outrage. With no acknowledgement that his own words added fuel to the controversy, Trump suggested that America needs to move past the divisive debate on white supremacy for the good of the troops:

And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together. Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry and no tolerance for hate. The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.

As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas, and we will always win, let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name, that when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.

Trumps tone was far more subdued on Monday night, and he stuck to his prepared remarks. Presumably his more presidential tone wont last for long, as he hes holding a rally in Arizona on Tuesday thats expected to be even more boisterous than usual.

This post has been updated throughout.
North Koreas Hwasong-14 missile. Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images

The United States is sanctioning ten companies and six individuals in China and Russia for their ties to North Koreas weapons program, the latest move to put pressure on Pyongyang to abandon its weapons program.

According to the Washington Post, these sanctions target Chinese entities that have traded energy or mineral resources, provided banking services to North Korea, or that have hired North Korean foreign laborers, whose incomes the U.S. alleges help finance Pyongyangs missile tests. At least one Russian company and four Russian nationals were also targeted in the crackdown.

It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday in a statement.

Mnuchin added that these actions were consistent with U.N. sanctions, referring to harsh sanctions against North Korea approved by the United Nations Security Council last month. China and Russia crucially joined the Security Council in unanimously voting for those measures, which United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley called the most stringent set of sanctions on any country in a generation. The backing of Beijing and Moscow  both with Security Council veto powers  appeared to be a substantial international victory and maybe a step toward getting all sides to the negotiating table, though North Korea responded by retaliating against the United States, and by promising to never give up its weapons.

The U.S. also previously slapped sanctions on a Chinese bank, one other company, and two people in late June  shortly after the death of North Korean prisoner and UVA student Otto Warmbier  also for those institutions and individuals links to Pyongyangs accelerating nuclear-weapons program. China is North Koreas main trading partner, and the Trump administration has criticized Beijing for not using this economic leverage to pressure Kim Jong-un. China, on the other hand, sees Washingtons saber rattling as the real problem, leaving the two powers at cross-purposes.
Gen Kale Kayihura

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kale Kayihura has ordered the Police Professional Standards Unit (PSU) to investigate senior officers at the police headquarters in Naguru.

Kahiyura issued the directive to the PSU commandant, Joel Aguma while addressing 210 Kampala metropolitan police officers following the completion of a three-week refresher course.



He wants the PSU to investigate corruption cases and institute disciplinary measures against the police bosses.



"You [PSU] are doing a good job but you have started very far. I want you to begin with the headquarters immediately. Investigate everyone there," Kayihura told Aguma.



The investigations will focus on the human resource development and management department, which is in charge of promotions and deployment of police officers as well as the directorate of logistics and engineering.



The logistics and engineering directorate is in charge of bids, fuel, transportation, food, uniforms and all other accessories in the day to day functioning of the Police Force.



According to Kayihura, the two directorates are the most corrupt units in police despite being critical to the force.



"Like those people in human resource development and management, they are doing a lot of nothing. They only wait for people to bring them bribes," Kayihura said.



During the recently concluded police baraza in Kampala, police officers accused their bosses in the human resource directorate for unfair promotion and deployments.

The complaints led to the immediate suspension of the deputy director human resource, Timothy Halangi to pave way for investigations.



The officers also complained about logistics and engineering especially the uniform department. A source that attended the baraza told URN that officers complained that they are made to buy uniforms contrary to the Police Act.



This will be the first time police investigates its own top leadership. Most of the police investigations have been in the operation units, the criminal investigations directorate and traffic.
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The public is invited to a preview screening of "The Vietnam War," a new documentary from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. at Pebble Hill.

Burns and Novicks 10-part, 18-hour documentary series, "The Vietnam War," tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive and controversial events in American history as it has never before been told on film. Visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sidesAmericans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as combatants and civilians from North and South Vietnam.

Ten years in the making, the series includes rarely seen and digitally remastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies and secret audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations. The documentary in its entirety is set to air on Alabama Public Television beginning Sept. 17.

Following the screening, Blake Busbin will moderate a panel discussion with local Vietnam War veterans. Busbin, who teaches social studies at Auburn High School, began the Auburn High School Veterans Project in 2014 through which students record oral history interviews with local veterans.

The event is free and open to the public. The film contains mature content, strong language and graphic violence that may not be suitable for all audiences. The Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities at Pebble Hill is located at 101 S. Debardeleben St. in Auburn.

For more information on the program, call 334-844-4903 or visit www.auburn.edu/cah.
Edited at 2017-08-22 03:28 pm (UTC)

Well generally countries that want to deal with other countries observe the Vienna conventions on diplomatic relations, one part of which is country A granting diplomatic immunity to those recognised as having diplomatic status by country B. This means that they can't be thrown in jail because they do something country A doesn't like or agree with or because they are calling them out publicly or the leaders of country B are calling them out.For example: you are en employee of the US State dept / U.K. foreign office/ whatever appropriate section. You are posted to Iran/ Iraq/ Pakistan/ Australia/ whatever for work. You go there in your official capacity as a diplomat which gives you certain privileges and immunities under the convention to protect you in doing your job.It also covers safe carriage of mail under certain conditions. It means they can't open your specifically marked Diplomatic mail. EVER. EVER EVER EVER unless they want really big trouble with everyone. There are also rules about diplomatic mail and what makes it that and the stuff you have to carry with it to make it diplomatic mail.Same reason diplomatic immunity is held as inviolable.Now, most countries will send you out as a diplomat but if you fuck up/ kill someone/ do something majorly wrong they will likely recall you to your home country. Some will then 'strip' you of your diplomatic status and immunities, and depending on the country that you committed the crime in, may send you back as a private citizen.But that's rarely the case.MOST countries know that it's in their best interests to play nice with others diplomats and while they are in someone else's patch because if they don't it causes HUGE issues.Sorry for the essay :)Edited to add:And
Dick Gregory, the comedian and civil rights crusader, died Saturday. He was 84.Gregory gained attention as a comedian in the early 1960s, and was the first black comedian to widely win plaudits from white audiences.-He was noted for his political and social activism, beginning in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. He attended the historic 1963 March on Washington.-He ran for mayor of Chicago in 1967 and ran for president in 1968 under the Freedom and Peace Party. He was on the ballot in eight states and got 47,133 votes, as Ken Rudin wrote for NPR.-Hunger strikes were a frequent activist tool for Gregory. He told Juan Williams on Talk of the Nation that he went without solid food for two and a half years to protest the war in Vietnam.-At one point, he said he weighed 365 pounds. But he lost a lot of weight fasting to protest the war. "I went on a fast, 40 days of water. Forty days of fruit juice. Forty days of fruit. And then 40 days of water again," Gregory told NPR.-In 2000, Gregory went on a hunger strike to protest police brutality, long before the current wave of activism.-Was influential to pretty much everyone, and everything.
In the future, we may be hearing about the Caribbean a whole lot more when talking about oil and gas. Previously, the area was virtually off the map for the fossil fuels industry, despite its proximity to the vast oil reserves of Venezuela. Now, the Caribbean has suddenly become a point of interest since ExxonMobil discovered major reservoirs in nearby Guyana in 2015.

After their initial huge discovery of the Liza oil field 2 years ago, Exxonmobil also announced last month that theyve discovered more oil in the Payara reservoir off the coast of Guyana, increasing the total discovery to approximately 500 million barrels. This is huge news for both Exxonmobil and for Guyana, which ranks among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

ExxonMobil (partnered with Hess Corp. and Statoil) has also recently purchased a new deepwater block for exploration off the coast of neighboring Suriname, another potentially oil-filled nation. Some in the industry are already referring to the Guyana-Suriname Basin as the next big oil region.

Now, those good fortunes could be spreading to the Caribbean as well. Trinidad and Tobago has long been the Caribbeans largest oil and gas producer. The nation has depended economically on their petroleum reserves since the 1990s, with the energy sector currently comprising 34.9 percent of the countrys GDP. However, more recently the small island-nations production has been in decline as production from mature fields has waned and exploration for new fields has been slow in starting. Now, Trinidad and Tobago is hoping that the discoveries in nearby Guyana will bring more interest and investment to the Caribbean.

Its looking like Trinidad and Tobago will get their wish. Just this month BP Trinidad and Tobago announced two major discoveries totaling approximately two trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, which the companys president called the start of a rejuvenated exploration program on the Trinidad shelf. Related: Despite Sanctions, Qatar Outpaces Saudi Arabia In Economic Growth

Similarly encouraged by the massive discoveries in Guyana over the last few years and the foreign interest it has garnered, several other Caribbean nations are beginning to assert themselves as potentially oil-rich countries and attempting to woo foreign companies to start investing in exploration around their islands. One of the biggest examples of this is Jamaica, who have recently caught the attention of UK-based Tullow Oil.

Last week Tullow announced plans to return to offshore locations off the southern coast of Jamaica to explore a field of live oil that was brought to their attention by local fisherman earlier this year. The firm will ramp up their 3D seismic surveys this year in hopes that the floating oil will lead them to vast oil fields the likes of their neighbors to the south and the nearby Gulf of Mexico.

The Bahamas has also recently publicized their plans to invite international companies to drill in deep waters off the coast, pointing not only to Guyana and the Gulf, but also to neighboring Cubas oil reserves as an indication of what treasures may be laying under the surface of the sparkling Caribbean Sea.

Exploration of oil reserves in the Caribbean may also soon be ramped up and revolutionized by major technological advancements from Ursa Space Systems. The high-tech company has announced a planned expansion to take a global oil inventory, with the Caribbean as one of its first major surveyed regions. Ursa will use satellite imagery to provide reliable and independent weekly inventories of oil stocks down to the tank level for easy calculations and better insight on oil supply and demand, especially in areas of the world where there has previously not been readily-available data.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Oil prices are stagnant, however a strong inventory draw suggests that the OPEC cut may be having an impact on oil markets.

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Chart of the Week

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 The EIA included the Anadarko Region in its Drilling Productivity Report for the first time, a sign that the Oklahoma area is gaining importance for oil and gas exploration.

 The regions most important areas are the STACK and SCOOP plays, which have seen a surge in investment and drilling in the past few years.

 The Anadarko is expected to produce over 6 bcf/d of natural gas and over 450,000 bpd of oil in September.

Market Movers

 Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) is reportedly in talks to purchase natural gas from Israels Leviathan field, combine it with gas from the Aphrodite field off the coast of Cyprus, and use it in order to service an LNG terminal in Egypt. The gas fields are turning the Eastern Mediterranean into a major source of gas production.

 Lithuania reported the arrival of the first LNG shipment from the U.S., which came from Cheniere Energys (NYSE: LNG) Sabine Pass facility in the Gulf of Mexico. The shipment highlights the changing nature of the gas trade in Europe, providing the Baltics with an alternative to pipeline gas from Russia.

 Total (NYSE: TOT) is set to purchase Maersk (OTCPK: AMKAF) for almost $5 billion plus $2.5 billion in debt. The deal expands Totals portfolio, making it one of the largest oil producers in the world. The acquisition means that Total is expected to be able to produce 3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2019.

Tuesday August 22, 2017

Oil prices dove on Monday after a rally at the end of last week, a dip that analysts attributed to profit-taking. Investors have pulled back recently after building up large bullish bets on crude futures, a sign that the optimistic outlook has tempered. On Tuesday, oil was flat in early trading.

OPEC production falling in August. According to PetroLogistics, OPEC production is on track to decline by 419,000 bpd in August, compared to July. The sharp decline comes after a recent monitoring meeting where OPEC officials browbeat laggards within the group, imploring them to step up compliance with the deal. Compliance weakened in June and July, pushing the cartels collective output up to a year-to-date high. But fresh data suggests that they are improving the situation, with output dropping so far this month.

OPEC to discuss extending cuts or letting them expire. At the next official OPEC meeting in November, OPEC will reportedly discuss whether or not the group will extend the cuts beyond the March 2018 expiration date. "At our next meeting at the end of November...the most important items will concern the fate of the agreement to extend or terminate the production cut," Kuwaits oil minister Essam al-Marzouq told Kuwait TV in an interview.

Kuwait: inventories are falling because OPEC deal is working. Kuwaits oil minister Essam al-Marzouq told CNBC on Monday that U.S. crude oil inventories are declining faster than expected, a sign that the OPEC deal is working as planned. We are now seeing the impact of those cuts (in the first half of the year) as U.S. oil inventories fall by more than expected, he said. Week after week we are seeing a much bigger-than-expected fall in inventories. Related: Despite Sanctions, Qatar Outpaces Saudi Arabia In Economic Growth

Lithuania receives first U.S. LNG cargo. In what could be a watershed moment, the first U.S. LNG cargo landed in Lithuania, providing the Baltic States with an alternative source of natural gas. The Baltics have been wholly dependent on Russian natural gas, and the landing of a U.S. LNG cargo has already forced Gazprom to lower its prices. Meanwhile, Russia is trying to protect market share in its backyard, lowering prices, seeking an expansion of the Nord Stream pipeline system, and also developing its own LNG. The competition between U.S. LNG and Russian gas in Europe will play out in the years ahead  U.S. LNG supply is set to climb sharply next year and again towards the end of the decade.

Teslas bonds drop in value on financial concerns. Tesla (NYSE: TSLA) issued corporate bonds almost two weeks ago, which have since declined in value by more than 2 percent, the WSJ reports. The bond issuance of $1.8 billion were aimed at paying for the mass production of the Model 3, the mass market electric vehicle. The annual yield is as high as 5.3 percent, but because the bond price has dropped over the past week, the yield has jumped even higher. The price decline shows that bond investors are concerned that Tesla, which has not turned an annual profit, is becoming more risky as it accelerates spending.

BHP Billiton to exit U.S. shale. Determining that shale exploration is not part of its core business, mining giant BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) said that it would sell off its shale assets after a lengthy review. BHP has more than 838,000 acres in the Permian, Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Fayetteville shale regions. BHP also announced a threefold increase in its final dividend.

Saudi budget to see $21 billion increase in non-oil revenues. In a sign that the economic diversification efforts are starting to bear fruit, Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates that Saudi Arabia will take in an additional $21 billion in in non-oil revenue next year. The revenue boost will come from the implementation of a series of new taxes, which were an outgrowth of the ballooning budget deficit over the past few years.

Canadian oil sands performing well, but could be short-lived. Canadian oil sands companies have beat expectations as of late, but the strong performance might not last. The Western Canada Select benchmark has narrowed its discount to WTI to its smallest gap in years, the result of declining heavy oil production in Latin America, plus the OPEC reductions. But if the OPEC deal expires, the pressure on Canadas benchmark will increase. Meanwhile, Canadian oil sands operators are set to add an additional 200,000 bpd of new supply before the end of the year, which will also weigh on prices. Related: The Latest Red Flag For U.S. Shale

JP Morgan: EVs to take off. JP Morgan warned that there will be a lot of losers as the electric vehicle revolution takes off. The investment bank estimates that EVs will capture 35 percent of the auto market by 2025 and 48 percent by 2030. Car dealers will lose out because maintenance is much lower for an EV. The volume of vehicle sales will also decline because EVs are thought to last longer than a traditional vehicle. As such, the auto financing industry will also take a hit. And of course, oil prices will be a major loser  oil demand could shrink by 15 percent by 2035. And interestingly, JP Morgan says that could set off a death spiral for oil prices as oil producers try to monetize their assets, producing as much as possible as the market shrinks.

Brent-WTI spread widens. The spread between the Brent and WTI benchmarks has widened recently, a symptom of ongoing production increases in the U.S. coupled with production cuts elsewhere in the world. Meanwhile, rising global demand is also putting upward pressure on Brent, particularly from China.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Just as the Permian Basin is showing some wear and tear, there is growing interest in a separate shale play to the Permians north.

The Anadarko shale region, located mostly in Oklahoma, has seen a sharp increase in investment and drilling activity in recent years. The expanding presence of shale players in the Anadarko has resulted in the EIA including the region in its monthly Drilling Productivity Report alongside more well-known places such as the Permian, Eagle Ford and the Bakken.

(Click to enlarge)

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The Anadarko produces more than 450,000 barrels of oil per day, but the region is increasingly becoming known for its surging natural gas production, which is set to top 6 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in September, according to the EIA.

The EIA noted in its DPR that the Anadarko is second only to the Permian Basin in the number of active rigs  the Anadarko had 129 as of July, while the Permian had 373. The Anadarko region is well-established, the EIA says, but improved drilling and completion technology has led to a resurgence in interest for the region. The shale layers in the Anadarko tend to be rather deep, but also thicker than in the Bakken, for example.

The region is comprised largely of the STACK (Sooner Trend Anadarko Canadian and Kingfisher) and the SCOOP (South Central Oklahoma Oil Province) plays, two areas that have seen a surge of investment from shale E&Ps in the past few years. Related: Oil Prices Boosted By String Of Bullish News

Rising interest in the Anadarko comes as the market for oil in the Permian is starting to look a little frothy, with high land prices, a shortage of oilfield services, and some production hiccups.

Another important takeaway from the inclusion of the Anadarko in the EIAs monthly roundup is that natural gas production continues to rise in places that are home to interest from oil producers. Shale producers tend to extract natural gas as a byproduct when targeting oil, and almost half of the U.S. natural gas production is now coming from oil plays, according to Bloomberg.

This is again telling us why we are in a perpetual bear market in natty gas, Stephen Schork, president of Schork Group Inc., a consulting group in Villanova, Pennsylvania, told Bloomberg in an interview. We are finding more and more gas. Its giving the bears more ammo. Gas production is rising quickly, and not just in the Anadarko. Output in September is expected to jump across all major shale basins, including the Marcellus, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Permian and Niobrara. That will keep a lid on natural gas prices.

In addition, the Anadarko offers shale companies another option for oil and gas exploration if they find the Permian a little too crowded. The Wall Street Journal recently profiled Jim Hackett, the former CEO of Anadarko Petroleum, who has set up a new company that will target the STACK play. The SCOOP and STACK have the best well economics out of any other shale basin after the Permian, according to RBN Energy.

Hacketts company, Silver Run Acquisition Corp. II, is taking over two other STACK-based companies, and the combined outfit will be called Alta Mesa Resources Inc., with a market cap of $3.8 billion. The efforts of Hackett mark a major investment  and a large bet  on the STACK play. There are one or two careers worth of opportunities just in the Stack, Hackett told the WSJ in mid-August. Intriguingly, Hackett says the STACK is attractive because the Permian Basin has been picked over pretty well. Related: Oil Prices Climb As Oil Rig Count Drops

Alta Mesa will ramp up drilling in the STACK over the next year and a half while also investing in pipelines, storage facilities and gas processing plants, according to the WSJ. Hackett says the companys wells will have a breakeven price of around $25 per barrel.

If true, that is a remarkable figure given the fact that so many shale companies are still burning through cash with oil prices at $50 per barrel. While some companies are doing well, the shale industry in the aggregate is still struggling to turn a profit. The news that Oklahomas Anadarko region is suddenly a hot item comes just as companies are starting to spurn the Permian, which has suffered from sky-high land prices and a crowded playing field.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
It has been two months since Prince Mohammed Bin Salmans ascendance to the role of heir to the Saudi Arabian throne, and the preliminary effects of his aggressive economic diversification and anti-Iran platforms are beginning to show.

The influence of Bin Salman (widely known as MBS) on foreign policy can most readily be seen in Iraq, where Iranian support for the war against the Islamic State has carved out a special niche for Tehran. While Riyadh had been preoccupied with battling Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iranian government strengthened their commitment to a unified Iraq, free from ISIS and free from the threat of an independent Kurdistan.

But now the tides are changing. Emirati and Saudi politicians are making their rounds in Baghdad, rekindling old Gulf ties that have suffered since dictator Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait in the 90s. Riyadh announced the inauguration of a new embassy in Najaf and sponsored Iraqi Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadrs visits to the Arabian Peninsula, leading Iranian news sites to condemn the tours as a betrayal to the Yemeni people.

Sadr, who leads a Shiite movement that receives a majority of its support from the lowest rungs of Iraqs socioeconomic ladder, also recently visited Egypt - a country allied with the KSA in its ongoing row against Qatar. Doha has been ostracized by its Gulf allies due to its close ties to Tehran in light of the gargantuan South Pars gas field, which it shares with Iran thanks to an unfortunate coincidence of geography. Related: Is Boone Pickens Wrong On Natural Gas?

But at home, its all about money, and all about oil revenues.

Domestically, revenues from non-oil services and goods dropped in the second quarter of 2017, but the policy trend overall favors its growth.

Oil revenues for Riyadh grew in the same period due to a new wave of crude production in the KSA. The monarchist regime turns measuredly more protectionist as U.S. shale production and exports continue to rise.

Non-oil revenues are somewhat lower year-on-year in the first half of 2017 but should increase materially starting from 2018 onwards as fiscal reforms kick in, said economist Jean-Michel Saliba in a Merrill Lynch note.

Non-oil revenue for the KSA is due to jump by $21.3 billion by 2018 because of the enforcement of a value-added tax (VAT) on luxury products and new fees on immigrant laborers who have brought their family members along from their home countries. Already, a lower tax on soft drinks and tobacco products has caused Riyadhs revenues to lurk upwards in hot summer months.

By 2020, Bin Salman expects non-oil revenues to rise by $100 billion - a sizeable jump, considering Riyadh forecasted a total of $128 billion in oil profits for the government over the course of 2017.

MBS Vision 2030 plans depend on an extra couple hundred billion dollars from the Saudi Aramco initial public offering (IPO) in 2018. The IPO, the largest of its kind in financial history, would make just a five percent portion of the oil giant accessible to private investors. Still, the volume of the companys assets guarantee MBS the capital he needs to retrain the Saudi work force, develop a services sector and tone down the influence of the fossil fuel interests. Related: Blockchain Tech Could Disrupt The Oil Industry

Oil prices have fluctuated in recent months and MBS has so far not been able to leverage his political savvy to use OPEC to stabilize world oil markets. This is not to say that fixing barrel rates is his responsibility per se, but the future monarch does pretty much dominate the cartel, which controls 40 percent of the worlds total oil production.

Overall, the crown princes control of the Saudi image in the Middle East has become clear over the past 60 days of his official title change.

The KSA also seems to be on track to meet its non-oil revenues benchmark for 2020, meaning MBS has a lot to be proud of already. But the future of his hallmark Vision 2030 plan rests in the success of the Aramco IPO. The final determinant of its success depends on market conditions the moment the company goes public.

So far, Brent rates hovering around $50 do Riyadh no good.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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The U.S. shale industry has had a rough few weeks, with a growing number of reports suggesting that the industry is facing much more financial trouble than many analysts had expected. Now, a new report adds further evidence to the notion that shale is losing its luster in a $50 per barrel market, with producers forgoing shale in favor of older wells.

U.S. shale was thought to be the most competitive source of oil out there, and indeed the industry appears to be ramping up production at todays prices. Shale had adapted to a $50 per barrel market, producers had streamlined operations to make them almost resemble an assembly line, and in a volatile and unpredictable market, the short-cycle nature of shale drilling made it one of the least risky options for drillers.

But in just a few weeks time, investors are starting to ask major questions about the viability of shale drilling at such a large scale.

A couple of notable things have occurred in the past month or so. Pioneer Natural Resources, a top Permian producer, raised concerns when it told investors that its Permian shale wells were coming up with a higher natural gas-to-oil ratio than expected, a potentially worrying sign. The company also reported that it had trouble with some of its wells, forcing it to delay some completions.

Separately, Goldman Sachs reported that top investors are souring on U.S. shale E&Ps, with poor performances leading investors to search for ways to reallocate capital elsewhere in the energy space. That is big red flag for the shale industry, which is still struggling to consistently post profits despite the highly-touted cost reductions over the past few years.

Related: Are Investors Bailing On U.S. Shale?

But the newest sign of trouble comes from the Wall Street Journal, which just reported that more oil producers are shunning shale drilling and using their scarce dollars to reinvest in older conventional wells. As crude prices languish under $50 a barrel, and with increasing costs for land, labor and infrastructure, some shale fracking operations are starting to look expensive, the WSJ reported.

The WSJ says that although Wall Street has showered the shale industry with billions of dollars in capital, and although that has led to a surge in oil production, shale producers by and large are still not profitable. At todays prices, the WSJ says, most producers are losing money on every barrel they pump.

As a result, some oil companies are returning to conventional wells  long thought to be much less attractive today than new shale drilling  and trying to tap them again to squeeze out more oil. The cost to drill a conventional well is a fraction of that for a shale well  $1 million per well versus upwards of $8 million. But those types of wells, in many cases, were taken offline decades ago during periods of low oil prices and declining production.

However, technology has advanced quite a bit since some of these older wells were last online. A couple of companies profiled by the WSJ are tapping old wells outside of Los Angeles, Fresno, and in Oklahoma, Louisiana and parts of Texas. These wells produced a handful of barrels per day, but tapping them again with new drilling techniques allow drillers to squeeze out something like 100 barrels per day, a profitable play considering the low investment required.

One company told the WSJ that the old well essentially breaks even at $15 per barrel.

Part of the problem for U.S. shale is that it is showing some bubble-like symptoms. Land prices have soared in the Permian as so many top shale producers shifted their resources to West Texas in the past few years. Even the oil majors started to scale down their billion-dollar investments in places like Canadas oil sands, or major LNG export terminals, or offshore drilling, instead reallocating capital to the Permian.

While land prices are inflated, the supply of oilfield services has also tightened significantly. A shortage of fracking crews and other equipment and services has also contributed to higher production costs as well as delays.

Related: Canadas Oil Industry Doomed If Prices Fall Lower

The result is rising costs for shale at a time when production problems are also starting to crop up. All the while a long list of companies are still not profitable, despite succeeding in boosting production.

The contrarian strategy, then, seems to be returning to old conventional wells, even small ones, and trying to eke out a few more barrels.

With all of that said, retapping old wells probably wont lead to a rush of new supply since we are stilling talking about relatively small numbers. But its a striking development that some ancient wells are getting a second look by companies falling out of love with U.S. shale.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

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The gap between the two most important oil benchmarks has widened recently, a symptom of the shifting oil supply/demand dynamics between the U.S. and the rest of the world.

For the past few years, Brent and WTI have traded very closely together, as both benchmarks reflect the crushing weight of oversupply. Prior to the market downturn in 2014, the spread between the two benchmarks was dictated much more by geopolitical whims. Brent, which reflects market conditions in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia  in essence a more internationally-oriented marker  rose and fell more sharply on geopolitical events. WTI, on the other hand, closely tracked U.S. conditions.

The dynamics were most visible during the Arab Spring back in 2011, when oil prices around the world spiked. The oil market was already tight, and fears of supply outages  and not just fears, but real outages, especially in Libya  pushed prices over $100 per barrel. But Brent was particularly affected, while WTI increased more modestly. The result was a blowout in the spread  Brent temporarily traded at a premium of nearly $30 per barrel over WTI.

But another reason was that the U.S. had a crude oil export ban in place at that time, right up through the end of 2015. Surging shale production was trapped within the U.S., which put downward pressure on WTI. Meanwhile, if global supply conditions tightened, Brent would feel the pinch much more than WTI.

After the oil price crash in 2014, the differences narrowed. The removal of the crude export ban in the U.S. at the end of 2015 also erased some of the differences in market conditions. The two benchmarks have closely tracked one another since then. Related: The Latest Red Flag For U.S. Shale

More recently, however, the difference has opened up again, although to be sure, not like pre-2014 levels. Brent is now trading at a more than $4 per barrel premium to WTI, which, save for some exceptions, is the highest gap in two years.

There are a couple of reasons for the wider spread. First, and arguably the most important, is the cuts from OPEC, which has reduced supply in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Second, U.S. shale is coming back, which is putting downward pressure on WTI.

But there are a few more reasons why the difference has become more pronounced recently. The stockpile of crude in the North Sea is abating. Also, hedge funds have stepped up bullish bets on Brent relative to WTI, which could be exacerbating the spread.

At the same time, the IEA has estimated that global oil demand is set to grow by about 1.5 million barrels per day this year, but demand is coming almost entirely from developing countries, which would influence the Brent marker much more than WTI.

Another reason is that OPEC is cutting production this month  the cartel is on track to lower output by more than 400,000 bpd in August compared to July, according to PetroLogistics. Saudi Arabia said a few months ago that August would be the month when it started to cut exports.

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge) Related: The Next Oil Price Spike May Cripple The Industry

Ultimately, however, we are unlikely to ever return to the extremely wide differential between the two markers that was seen several years ago. Crude exports from the U.S. continue to rise, topping 1 million barrels per day at times earlier this summer. If the spread between Brent and WTI grows large enough, oil will flow out of the U.S. to take advantage of that arbitrage. That would push up WTI and drag down Brent, essentially forcing the two markers to converge on each other. In that sense, the differential cant get too big, and wont stay open for too long. The lifting of the crude export ban in the U.S. ensures this is the case.

But for now, the larger-than-usual spread as of late is a sign that supply is rising in the U.S. while market conditions are tightening elsewhere.

By Nick Cunningham, Oilprice.com

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Oil giant Chevron will announce the retirement of its CEO John Watson in September, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

New Vice Chairman Michael Wirth, 56, will likely replace Watson after his seven-year tenure atop the American company. Wirth also carries the title of executive vice president of midstream and development.

Chevron is the United States second-largest oil company, after Exxon Mobil, another fossil fuel giant that saw a CEO change this year. President Donald Trump named former Exxon head Rex Tillerson to the secretary of state role, prompting Darren Woods ascendance to the role.

"We cannot confirm the Journal's reporting. As a practice, we do not comment on rumor or speculation," a Chevron spokesperson told CNBC. Chevrons board is yet to confirm Wirth as Watsons successor.

Chevrons stock price did not change significantly after the news broke. At the time of this articles writing, the companys shares (CVX) traded up $0.64, or 0.62 percent, at $106.41.

The shift comes as Chevron expands its presence in Mexico, according to an announcement by the company last Thursday.

The company will open its first Chevron-branded station in Mexico in the coming weeks, and will work with local partners in the importation, distribution, and commercialization of refined products in Mexico, a statement said.

We look forward to growing our presence further in the country, Brant Fish, Chevrons vice president of Americas Products, said.

Related: Forget Oil Prices, Oil Majors Are A Buy

Chevron plans for more stations to open in the Sonora, Sinaloa, Baja California, and Baja California Sur states.

Chevron Corporation returned to a net profit in the second quarter of this year, driven by lower expenses and higher production, but earnings per share $0.77 fell short of the analyst consensus estimate of $0.86. Chevron raised sales and other operating revenues in Q2 2017 to US$33 billion, up from US$28 billion in same period last year.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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Steady oil supplies from China to North Korea are propping up Pyongyang and allowing it to avert an energy meltdown, according to new reports emerging from the area.

Beijings newest round of sanctions against Pyongyang apply only to oil and gas exports, not military supplies. Cheap North Korean workers still work in dimly-lit factories to continue progress in weapons factories and related projects.

Still, the Chinese military has plans to defend North Korea from any ideas of regime change from the United States.

If China believes [it is] very much necessary to send troops inside to best serve its interests, I dont see why China wouldnt do so, said Zhao Tong from the Carnegie Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy, based in Beijing.

Fresh sanctions against North Korea cover seafood, coal and iron ore coming from the country into China, which costs Kim Jong-uns regime $1 billion a year. The new measures are sure to cut deep into the impoverished country of 25.1 million people, 70 percent of whom are food insecure.

North Koreas dependency on Chinese fuel is Chinas choke hold on Pyongyang, Dennis Wilder, former senior director for Asia at the National Security Council during the George W. Bush Administration, told Bloomberg. If this goes, the North Korean air force cant fly jets and their electricity system cant function, Wilder noted.

Limited official statistics from China restrict the information available to the public regarding the extent of the energy trade between Pyongyang and Beijing. But recent comments by senior-level North Korean defector Ri Jong Ho said that North Korea was likely still buying diesel from Russian oil companies via trading companies in Singapore.

Related: BHP Makes Safe Bet On Copper As Prices Hit 2-Year High

According to Ri, China supplies North Korea with around 500,000 tons of crude oil by pipeline, all toward the military, and all free of charge.

On Monday, the U.S. and South Korea launched their annual joint military exercises, prompting Pyongyang to warn that this reckless behavior could move the situation into the uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war, according to the official government newspaper.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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Chinas natural gas imports rose last year and are expected to continue to increase in coming years as Beijing is increasingly using natural gas to replace dirtier coal in an effort to tackle air pollution from industrial and urbanization growth.

According to a report by several Chinese state administrations and research centers, as carried by the Caixin Global outlet, Chinese natural gas imports rose by 6.6 percent last year, while domestic production increased a mere 1.7 percent.

In 2016, natural gas imports represented a record 35 percent of total natural gas consumption, according to the report issued on Saturday.

Chinese natural gas consumption in 2016 accounted for 6.4 percent of its total energy consumption, while the global natural gas energy consumption represented 24.1 percent of all energy consumption.

According to estimates by a think tank under China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), Chinese natural gas consumption is seen rising by an annual 8.1 percent until 2030, compared to an expected 2.1-percent increase in global natural gas demand.

China is setting the stage for a spike in its natural gas imports as it proceeds with its agenda to replace dirtier fossil fuels like coal with cleaner-burning natural gas. The International Energy Agency said in July that China would account for 40 percent of the global annual growth in natural gas demand over the next five years. Imports of the bridge fuel in China are running at record rates as Beijing pushes on with its cleaner energy agenda that should see the country satisfy 10 percent of its energy needs with gas in 2020, from 5.9 percent in 2015.

Chinas LNG imports are surging, with imports this past May soaring 104 percent on the year.

According to a recent report by Research and Markets, Chinas LNG imports will continue to rise in 2017 through 2021, due to the limited growth potential of the domestic natural gas output.

Related: Has Gulf Of Mexico Production Peaked?

Currently, Australian and Qatari LNG have large advantages over U.S. LNGon which the U.S. and China agreed in May to allow firms to negotiate deliveries.

In the long term, the Qatari LNG market share in China could be gradually replaced by American LNG, Research and Markets said in June.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The Dutch unit of ExxonMobil said on Monday that a fire broke out at its Rotterdam refinery, just as Shell is working to bring back online its Pernis refinery in the NetherlandsEuropes biggestwhich has been closed for weeks following a fire at the end of July.

Unexpected refinery outages strain Europes product supply and the continent needs more diesel imports, so Asian and American traders have been diverting diesel cargoes to Europe.

No injuries were reported after the fire at Exxons 190,000-bpd refinery yesterday, and most of the facility remained operational, Reuters quoted Exxon as saying.

Mondays incident was the latest in a series of refinery problems that various European refineries have been facing since the spring.

The major one was at Shells Pernis refinery in Rotterdam, which was shut down on July 31, after a short circuit caused a major fire.

Expectations were that the 404,000-bpd refinery would be closed for at least two weeks and resume operations at the earliest in the second half of August.

Reports had suggested that Shell would try to restart one of the two crude distillation units earlier, but according to Shells latest update on the restart, safety checks are still being held and a so-called statement of fitness needs to be issued before the resumption of operations. Shell aims to restart most units by the end of August.

Earlier this year, a fire at Totals Leuna oil refinery near Leipzig in eastern Germany disrupted diesel and gasoline supplies to gas stations in the region, and some retail stations were running out of fuel. In Greece, Hellenic Petroleum declared force majeure on its 100,000-bpd Elefsina refinery in July, suspending diesel exports.

The unplanned refinery outages have prompted traders to ship more oil products to Europe.

According to trading and shipping sources who spoke to Reuters last week, Europe is set to import more than 2 million tons of diesel from the U.S. in August, a record high. Last year, the highest monthly level of European imports of U.S. diesel was 1.74 million tons.



Related: The Latest Red Flag For U.S. Shale

Record refinery runs in the United States have led to more U.S. diesel exports in recent months. Before the European refinery troubles, most of the U.S. diesel was headed to Latin America, where Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil also have refinery problems.

European imports of U.S. diesel in June were low, at around 1 million tons in the end, Robert Campbell, head of oil products analysis at Energy Aspects, told Reuters. But with the refinery issues in Europe, August imports are set to break records.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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As tensions rise over North Korea, the U.S. Treasury this morning said it was slapping new sanctions on Chinese and Russian entities conducting oil, coal and banking business with Pyongyang, and propping up the countrys weapons program.

The sanctions target 16 Chinese and Russian individuals and companies, with the bulk targeting Chinese entities which have been buying and selling oil and coal with North Korea, or offering related banking services to facilitate these transactions.

The Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system, said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.

It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region, he said.

According to Politico, the sanctions target three Chinese companies believed to have imported some $500 million in North Korean coal and Russians who have been supplying Pyongyang with oil, among others.

The United Nations Security Council earlier in August voted to sanction North Korea, with Russia and Chinas support.

Yesterday, Oilprice.com reported that steady oil supplies from China to North Korea continued to prop up Pyongyang.



Related: Despite Sanctions, Qatar Outpaces Saudi Arabia In Economic Growth

Beijings newest round of sanctions against Pyongyang apply only to oil and gas exports, not military supplies. Cheap North Korean workers still struggle in dimly-lit facilities to continue progress in weapons factories and related projects.

On Saturday, a Japanese news agency reported that North Korea had established coal exports to Southeast Asia in violation of UNSC sanctions. In February, North Korean coal imports by China were suspended. Pyongyang, however, has reportedly found a way around sanctions by marketing its coal in Malaysia and Vietnam and generating an alleged $270 million in revenues since February.

By Damir Kaletovic for Oilprice.com

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Unveiled at the Developer Preview of Android O in March 2017, Google has finally introduced the next version of its Android operating system - Android O.

The company has been naming the major Android releases on sweet treats and the O stands for Oreo. Calling it as the 'smarter, faster, more powerful and sweeter than ever', Android 8.0 brings in features such as picture-in-picture, autofill, integrated Instant Apps, Google Play Protect, faster boot time, and much more.

Google has focused on creating a fluid experience in Android 8.0 Oreo, making Android more powerful and easy to use. Andorid 8.0 Oreo has also focused on optimizing battery life, graphics rendering, and stability, while giving developers better visibility over the health of their apps. Here are the key highlights of Android Oreo.

Notification Dots: The Notification dots is a simple way to access notifications as dots appears on the app icons. One can dive into apps with fewer taps by pressing the notification dots to quickly see what's new, and easily clear them by swiping away. There is also Android Instant Apps where one can teleport directly into new apps right from your browser, without installing the apps.

Picture-in-picture: allows users to manage two tasks simultaneously on any size screen. For instance, one can launch a calendar and have a voice call simultaneously.

Autofill Framework: The much needed Autofill which remembers all login credentials to login to various apps. It simplifies how users set up a new device and synchronize their passwords. Apps using form data can optimize their apps for Autofill, and password manager apps can use the new APIs to make their services available to users in their favorite apps. Autofill will roll out fully over the next few weeks as part of an update to Google Play Services.

System optimizations: worked across the system to help apps run faster and smoother.

Background limits: added new limits on background location and wi-fi scans and changes in the way apps run in the background. These boundaries prevent unintentional overuse of battery and memory and apply to all apps -- make sure you understand and account for these in your apps.

Google Play Protect: Keeps device and data safe from misbehaving apps by scanning over 50 billion apps per day, even the ones not installed yet.

Wi-Fi Assistant: Auto-connects to high quality open WiFi and secures user connection with a VPN back to Google.

Redesigned Emoji: With Android 8.0 Oreo, users will get access to fully redesigned emoji set, including over 60 new emoji.

Google is pushing the sources to Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for everyone to access today. Pixel and Nexus 5X/6P builds have entered carrier testing and the update will start rolling out in phases over the next several weeks, alongside Pixel C and Nexus Player. Android Beta users will receive the update to the final version today.

According to Dave Burke, VP of Engineering, post, "We've been working closely with our partners over the last many months, and by the end of this year, hardware makers like Essential, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, Motorola, HMD Global Home of Nokia Phones, Samsung, Sharp and Sony are scheduled to be launching or upgrading new devices to Android 8.0 Oreo."

The adoption of the new Android OS is slow as compared to Apple's iOS. According to the Android Developer Dashboard, Nougat devices account 13.5 percent. On the other hand, 87 per cent of devices run Apple's iOS 10, which was released in September last year.

The number of Android smartphones running on Nougat is still very low with the primary reasons being manufacturers as they take time to release the update and in some cases, they even don't. On the other hand, Apple releases the software update for all iOS users.
Welcome to 'OZ' - The 'Other' Side of the Rainbow!! Posting is at 10AM, Noon and 2PM CST daily. Up to 12 days of posts on the main page. The archives have more. You can forward posts by clicking on the envelope at the bottom of the post. Enjoy your stay! *** If you need to contact me, or have a copyright issue, please use the "Contact The Wizard" form on the left side of 'OZ'. Original source and author is cited and credited in each post where possible. ***
Dress of common men The dress of the Phoenician men, especially of those belonging to the lower orders, consisted, for the most part, of a single close-fitting tunic, which reached from the waist to a little above the knee.1 The material was probably either linen or cotton, and the simple garment was perfectly plain and unornamented, like the common shenti of the Egyptians. On the head was generally worn a cap of one kind or another, sometimes round, more often conical, occasionally shaped like a helmet. The conical head-dresses seem to have often ended in a sort of top-knot or button, which recalls the head-dress of a Chinese Mandarin. Dress of men of the upper classes Where the men were of higher rank, the shenti was ornamented. It was patterned, and parted towards the two sides, while a richly adorned lappet, terminating in uri, fell down in front.2 The girdle, from which it depended, was also patterned, and the shenti thus arranged was sometimes a not inelegant garment. In addition to the shenti, it was common among the upper classes to wear over the bust and shoulders a close-fitting tunic with short sleeves,3 like a modern "jersey;" and sometimes two garments were worn, an inner robe descending to the feet, and an outer blouse or shirt, with sleeves reaching to the elbow.4 Occasionally, instead of this outer blouse, the man of rank has a mantle thrown over the left shoulder, which falls about him in folds that are sufficiently graceful.5 The conical cap with a top- knot is, with persons of this class, the almost universal head-dress. Treatment of the hair and beard Great attention seems to have been paid to the hair and beard. Where no cap is worn, the hair clings closely to the head in a wavy compact mass, escaping however from below the wreath or diadem, which supplies the place of a cap, in one or two rows of crisp, rounded curls.6 The beard has mostly a strong resemblance to that affected by the Assyrians, and familiar to us from their sculptures. It is arranged in three, four, or five rows of small tight curls,7 and extends from ear to ear around the cheeks and chin. Sometimes, however, in lieu of the many rows, we find one row only, the beard falling in tresses, which are curled at the extremity.8 There is no indication of the Phoenicians having cultivated mustachios. Male ornaments For ornaments the male Phoenicians wore collars, which were sometimes very elaborate, armlets, bracelets, and probably finger-rings. The collars resembled those of the Egyptians, being arranged in three rows, and falling far over the breast.9 The armlets seem to have been plain, consisting of a mere twist of metal, once, twice, or thrice around the limb.10 The royal armlets of Etyander, king of Paphos, are single twists of gold, the ends of which only just overlap: they are plain, except for the inscription, which reads /Eteadoro to Papo basileos/, or "The property of Etyander, king of Paphos."11 Men's bracelets were similar in character. The finger- rings were either of gold or silver, and generally set with a stone, which bore a device, and which the wearer used as a seal.12 Supposed priestly costume The most elaborate male costume which has come down to us is that of a figure found at Golgi, and believed to represent a high priest of Ashtoreth. The conical head-dress is divided into partitions by narrow stripes, which, beginning at its lower edge, converge to a point at top. This point is crowned by the representation of a calf's or bull's head. The main garment is a long robe reaching from the neck to the feet, "worn in much the same manner as the peplos on early Greek female figures." Round the neck of the robe are two rows of stars painted in red, probably meant to represent embroidery. A little below the knee is another band of embroidery, from which the robe falls in folds or pleats, which gather closely around the legs. Above the long robe is worn a mantle, which covers the right arm and shoulder, and thence hangs down below the right knee, passing also in many folds from the shoulder across the breast, and thence, after a twist around the left arm, falling down below the left knee. The treatment of the hair is remarkable. Below the rim of the cap is the usual row of crisp curls; but besides these, there depend from behind the ears on either side of the neck three long tresses. The feet of the figure are naked. The right hand holds a cup by its foot between the middle and fore- fingers, while the left holds a dove with wings outspread.13 Ordinary dress of women Women were, for the most part, draped very carefully from head to foot. The nude figures which are found abundantly in the Phoenician remains14 are figures of goddesses, especially of Astarte, who were considered not to need the ornament, or the concealment of dress. Human female figures are in almost every case covered from the neck to the feet, generally in garments with many folds, which, however, are arranged very variously. Sometimes a single robe of the amplest dimensions seems to envelop the whole form, which it completely conceals with heavy folds of drapery.15 The long petticoat is sleeved, and gathered into a sinus below the breasts, about which it hangs loosely. Sometimes, on the contrary, the petticoat is perfectly plain, and has no folds.16 Occasionally a second garment is worn over the gown or robe, which covers the left shoulder and the lap, descending to the knees, or somewhat lower.17 The waist is generally confined by a girdle, which is knotted in front.18 There are a few instances in which the feet are enclosed in sandals.19 Arrangement of their hair The hair of women is sometimes concealed under a cap, but generally it escapes from such confinement, and shows itself below the cap in great rolls, or in wavy masses, which flow off right and left from a parting over the middle of the forehead.20 Tresses are worn occasionally: these depend behind either ear in long loose curls, which fall upon the shoulders.21 Female heads are mostly covered with a loose hood, or cap; but sometimes the hair is merely encircled by a band or bands, above and below which it ripples freely.22 Female ornaments Phoenician women were greatly devoted to the use of personal ornaments. It was probably from them that the Hebrew women of Isaiah's time derived the "tinkling ornaments of the feet, the cauls, the round tires like the moon, the chains, the bracelets, and the mufflers, the bonnets and the ornaments of the legs, and the head-bands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings, the rings and nose-jewels, the changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, the glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails,"23 which the prophet denounces so fiercely. The excavations made on Phoenician sites have yielded in abundance necklaces, armlets, bracelets, pendants to be worn as lockets, ear-rings, finger-rings, ornaments for the hair, buckles or brooches, seals, buttons, and various articles of the toilet such as women delight in. Necklaces Women wore, it appears, three or four necklaces at the same time, one above the other.24 A string of small beads or pearls would closely encircle the neck just under the chin. Below, where the chest begins, would lie a second string of larger beads, perhaps of gold, perhaps only of glass, while further down, as the chest expands, would be rows of still larger ornaments, pendants in glass, or crystal, or gold, or agate modelled into the shape of acorns, or pomegranates, or lotus flowers, or cones, or vases, and lying side by side to the number of fifty or sixty. Several of the necklaces worn by the Cypriote ladies have come down to us. One is composed of a row of one hundred and three gold beads, alternately round and oval, to the oval ones of which are attached pendants, also in gold, representing alternately the blossom and bud of the lotus plant, except in one instance. The central bead of all has as its pendant a human head and bust, modelled in the Egyptian style, with the hair falling in lappets on either side of the face, and with a broad collar upon the shoulders and the breast.25 Another consists of sixty-four gold beads, twenty-two of which are of superior size to the rest, and of eighteen pendants, shaped like the bud of a flower, and delicately chased.26 There are others where gold beads are intermixed with small carnelian and onyx bugles, while the pendants are of gold, like the beads; or where gold and rock-crystal beads alternate, and a single crystal vase hangs as pendant in the middle; or where alternate carnelian and gold beads have as pendant a carnelian cone, a symbol of Astarte.27 Occasionally the sole material used is glass. Necklaces have been found composed entirely of long oval beads of blue or greenish-blue glass; others where the colour of the beads is a dark olive;28 others again, where all the component parts are of glass, but the colours and forms are greatly varied. In a glass necklace found at Tharros in Sardinia, besides beads of various sizes and hues, there are two long rough cylinders, four heads of animals, and a human head as central ornament. "Taken separately, the various elements of which this necklace is composed have little value; neither the heads of the animals, nor the bearded human face, perhaps representing Bacchus, are in good style; the cylinders and rounded beads which fill up the intermediate spaces between the principal objects are of very poor execution; but the mixture of whites, and greys, and yellows, and greens, and blues produces a whole which is harmonious and gay."29 Perhaps the most elegant and tasteful necklace of all that have been discovered is the one made of a thick solid gold cord, very soft and elastic, which is figured on the page opposite.30 At either extremity is a cylinder of very fine granulated work, terminating in one case in a lion's head of good execution, in the other surmounted by a simple cap. The lion's mouth holds a ring, while the cap supports a long hook, which seems to issue from a somewhat complicated knot, entangled wherein is a single light rosette. "In this arrangement, in the curves of the thin wire, which folds back upon itself again and again, there is an air of ease, an apparent negligence, which is the very perfection of technical skill."31 Bracelets The bracelets worn by the Phoenician ladies were of many kinds, and frequently of great beauty. Some were bands of plain solid gold, without ornament of any kind, very heavy, weighing from 200 to 300 grammes each.32 Others were open, and terminated at either extremity in the head of an animal. One, found by General Di Cesnola at Curium in Cyprus,33 exhibited at the two ends heads of lions, which seemed to threaten each other. The execution of the heads left nothing to be desired. Some others, found in Phoenicia Proper, in a state of extraordinary preservation, were of similar design, but, in the place of lions' heads, exhibited the heads of bull, with very short horns.34 A third type aimed at greater variety, and showed the head of a wild goat at one end, and that of a ram at the other.35 In a few instances, the animal representation appears at one extremity of the bracelet only, as in a specimen from Camirus, whereof the workmanship is unmistakably Phoenician, which has a lion's head at one end, and at the other tapers off, like the tail of a serpent.36 A pair of bracelets in the British Museum, said to have come from Tharros, consist of plain thin circlets of gold, with a ball of gold in the middle. The ball is ornamented with spirals and projecting knobs, which must have been uncomfortable to the wearer, but are said not to be wanting in elegance.37 There are other Phoenician bracelets of an entirely different character. These consist of broad flat bands, which fitted closely to the wrist, and were fastened round it by means of a clasp. Two, now in the Museum of New York, are bands of gold about an inch in width, ornamented externally with rosettes, flowers, and other designs in high relief, on which are visible in places the remains of a blue enamel.38 Another is composed of fifty-four large-ribbed gold beads, soldered together by threes, and having for centre a gold medallion, with a large onyx set in it, and with four gold pendants.39 A third bracelet of the kind, said to have been found at Tharros, consists of six plates, united by hinges, and very delicately engraved with patterns of a thoroughly Phoenician character, representing palms, volutes, and flowers.40 But it is in their earrings that the Phoenician ladies were most curious and most fanciful. They present to us, as MM. Perrot and Chipiez note, "an astonishing variety."41 Some, which must have been very expensive, are composed of many distinct parts, connected with each other by chains of an elegant pattern. One of the most beautiful specimens was found by General Di Cesnola in Cyprus.42 There is a hook at top, by which it was suspended. Then follows a medallion, where the workmanship is of singular delicacy. A rosette occupies the centre; around it are a set of spirals, negligently arranged, and enclosed within a chain-like band, outside of which is a double beading. From the medallion depend by finely wrought chains five objects. The central chain supports a human head, to which is attached a conical vase, covered at top: on either side are two short chains, terminating in rings, from which hang small nondescript pendants: beyond are two longer chains, with small vases or bottles attached. Another, found in Sardinia, is scarcely less complicated. The ring which pierced the ear forms the handle of a kind of basket, which is covered with lines of bead-work: below, attached by means of two rings, is the model of a hawk with wings folded; below the hawk, again attached by a couple of rings, is a vase of elegant shape, decorated with small bosses, lozenges, and chevrons.43 Other ear-rings have been found similar in type to this, but simplified by the omission of the bird, or of the basket.44 Ear-rings An entirely different type is that furnished by an ear-ring in the Museum of New York brought from Cyprus, where the loop of the ornament rises from a sort of horse-shoe, patterned with bosses and spirals, and surrounded by a rough edging of knobs, standing at a little distance one from another.45 Other forms found also in Cyprus are the ear-ring with the long pendant, which has been called "an elongated pear,"46 ornamented towards the lower end with small blossoms of flowers, and terminating in a minute ball, which recalls the "drops" that are still used by the jewellers of our day; the loop which supports a /crux ansata/;47 that which has attached to it a small square box, or measure containing a heap of grain, thought to represent wheat;48 and those which support fruit of various kinds.49 An ear-ring of much delicacy consists of a twisted ring,curved into a hook at one extremity, and at the other ending in the head of a goat, with a ring attached to it, through which the hook passes.50 Another, rather curious than elegant, consists of a double twist, ornamented with lozenges, and terminating in triangular points finely granulated.51 Ornaments more or less resembling this last type of ear-ring, but larger and coarser, have given rise to some controversy, having been regarded by some as ear-rings, by others as fastenings for the dress, and by a third set of critics as ornaments for the hair. They consist of a double twist, sometimes ornamented at one end only, sometimes at both. A lion's or a griffin's head crowns usually the principal end; round the neck is a double or triple collar, and below this a rosette, very carefully elaborated. In one instance two griffins show themselves side by side, exhibiting their heads, their chests, their wings, and their fore-paws or hands; between them is an ornament like that which commonly surmounts Phoenician /stel/; and below this a most beautiful rosette.52 The fashioning shows that the back of the ornament was not intended to be seen, and favours the view that it was to be placed where a mass of hair would afford the necessary concealment. Ornaments for the hair The Phoenician ladies seem also to have understood the use of hair- pins, which were from two to three inches long, and had large heads, ribbed longitudinally, and crowned with two smaller balls, one above the other.53 The material used was either gold or silver. Toilet pins and buckles To fasten their dresses, the Phoenician ladies used fibul or buckles of a simple character. Brooches set with stones have not at present been found on Phoenician sites; but in certain cases the fibul show a moderate amount of ornament. Some have glass beads strung on the pin that is inserted into the catch; others have the rounded portion surmounted by the figure of a horse or of a bird.54 Most fibul are in bronze; but one, found in the treasury of Curium, and now in the Museum of New York, was of gold.55 This, however, was most probably a votive offering. A Phoenician lady's toilet table It is impossible at present to reproduce the toilet table of a Phoenician lady. We may be tolerably sure, however, that certain indispensable articles would not be lacking. Circular mirrors, either of polished metal, or of glass backed by a plate of tin or silver, would undoubtedly have found their place on them, together with various vessels for holding perfumes and ointments. A vase in rock crystal, discovered at Curium, with a funnel and cover in gold, the latter attached by a fine gold chain to one of its handles,56 was doubtless a fine lady's favourite smelling bottle. Various other vessels in silver, of a small size,57 as basins and bowls beautifully chased, tiny jugs, alabasti, ladles, &c., had also the appearance of belonging rather to the toilet table than to the plate- basket. Some of the alabasti would contain kohl or stibium, some salves and ointments, others perhaps perfumed washes for the complexion. Among the bronze objects found,58 some may have been merely ornaments, others stands for rings, bracelets, and the like. One terra-cotta vase from Dali seems made for holding pigments,59 and raises the suspicion that Phoenician, or at any rate Cyprian, beauties were not above heightening their charms by the application of paint. Freedom enjoyed by Phoenician women Women in Phoenicia seem to have enjoyed considerable freedom. They are represented as banqueting in the company of men, sometimes sitting with them on the same couch, sometimes reclining with them at the same table.60 Occasionally they delight their male companion by playing upon the lyre or the double pipe,61 while in certain instances they are associated in bands of three, who perform on the lyre, the double pipe, and the tambourine.62 They take part in religious processions, and present offerings to the deities.63 The positions occupied in history by Jezebel and Elissar (Dido) fall in with these indications, and imply a greater approach to equality between the sexes in Phoenicia than in Oriental communities generally. Active habits of the men The men were, for Orientals, unusually hardy and active. In only one instance is there any appearance of the use of the parasol by a Phoenician.64 Sandals are infrequently worn; neck, chest, arms, and legs are commonly naked. The rough life of seamen hardened the greater number; others hunted the wild ox and the wild boar65 in the marshy plains of the coast tract, and in the umbrageous dells of Lebanon. Even the lion may have been affronted in the great mountain, and if we are unable to describe the method of its chase in Phoenicia, the reason is that the Phoenician artists have, in their representations of lion hunts, adopted almost exclusively Assyrian models.66 The Phoenician gift of facile imitation was a questionable advantage, since it led the native artists continually to substitute for sketches at first hand of scenes with which they were familiar, conventional renderings of similar scenes as depicted by foreigners. Curious agate ornament An ornament found in Cyprus, the intention of which is uncertain, finds its proper place in the present chapter, though we cannot attach it to any particular class of objects. It consists of a massive knob of solid agate, with a cylinder of the same both above and below, through which a rod, or bar, must have been intended to pass. Some archologists see in it the top of a sceptre;67 others, the head of a mace;68 but there is nothing really to prove its use. We might imagine it the adornment of a throne or chair of state, or the end of a chariot pole, or a portion of the stem of a candelabrum. Antiquity has furnished nothing similar with which to compare it; and we only say of it, that, whatever was its purpose, so large and so beautiful a mass of agate has scarcely been met with elsewhere.69 The cutting is such as to show very exquisitely the veining of the material. Use in furniture of bronze and ivory Bronze objects in almost infinite variety have been found on Phoenician sites,70 but only a few of them can have been personal ornaments. They comprise lamps, bowls, vases, jugs, cups, armlets, anklets, daggers, dishes, a horse's bit, heads and feet of animals, statuettes, mirrors, fibul, buttons, &c. Furniture would seem to have been largely composed of bronze, which sometimes formed its entire fabric, though generally confined to the ornamentation. Ivory was likewise employed in considerable quantities in the manufacture of furniture,71 to which it was applied as an outer covering, or veneer, either plain, or more generally carved with a pattern or with figures. The "ivory house" of Ahab72 was perhaps so called, not so much from the application of the precious material to the doors and walls, as from its employment in the furniture. There is every probability that it was the construction of Phoenician artists. -- Rawlinson, George. History of Phoenicia, 1889, Canon of Canterbury and Camden Professor of Ancient History at the University of Oxford
Phoenician textile fabrics, embroidered or dyed Phoenicia was celebrated from a remote antiquity for the manufacture of textile fabrics. The materials which she employed for them were wool, linen yarn, perhaps cotton, and, in the later period of her commercial prosperity, silk. "White wool" was supplied to her in abundance by the merchants of Damascus,[1] and wool of lambs, rams, and goats seems also to have been furnished by the more distant parts of Arabia.[2] Linen yarn may have been imported from Egypt, where it was largely manufactured, and was of excellent quality;[3] while raw silk is said to have been "brought to Tyre and Berytus by the Persian merchants, and there both dyed and woven into cloaks."[4] The price of silk was very high, and it was customary in Phoenicia to intermix the precious material either with linen or with cotton;[5] as is still done to a certain extent in modern times. It is perhaps doubtful whether, so far as the mere fabric of stuffs was concerned, the products of the Phoenician looms were at all superior to those which Egypt and Babylonia furnished, much less to those which came from India, and passed under the name of /Sindones/. Two things gave to the Phoenician stuffs that high reputation which caused them to be more sought for than any others; and these were, first, the brilliancy and beauty of their colours, and, secondly, the delicacy with which they were in many instances embroidered. We have not much trace of Phoenician embroidery on the representations of dresses that have come down to us; but the testimony of the ancients is unimpeachable,[6] and we may regard it as certain that the art of embroidery, known at a very early date to the Hebrews,[7] was cultivated with great success by their Phoenician neighbours, and under their auspices reached a high point of perfection. The character of the decoration is to be gathered from the extant statues and bas-reliefs, from the representations on pater, on cups, dishes, and gems. There was a tendency to divide the surface to be ornamented into parallel stripes or bands, and to repeat along the line a single object, or two alternately. Rosettes, monsters of various kinds, winged globes with uri, scarabs, sacred trees, and garlands or blossoms of the lotus were the ordinary "motives."[8] Occasionally human figures might be introduced, and animal forms even more frequently; but a stiff conventionalism prevailed, the same figures were constantly repeated, and the figures themselves had in few cases much beauty. Account of the chief Phoenician dye The brilliancy and beauty of the Phoenician coloured stuffs resulted from the excellency of their dyes. Here we touch a second branch of their industrial skill, for the principal dyes used were originally invented and continuously fabricated by the Phoenicians themselves, not imported from any foreign country. Nature had placed along the Phoenician coast, or at any rate along a great portion of it, an inexhaustible supply of certain shell-fish, or molluscs, which contained as a part of their internal economy a colouring fluid possessing remarkable, and indeed unique, qualities. Some account has been already given of the species which are thought to have been anciently most esteemed. They belong, mainly, to the two allied families of the /Murex/ and the /Buccinum/ or /Purpura/. Eight species of the former, and six of the latter, having their habitat in the Mediterranean, have been distinguished by some naturalists;[9] but two of the former only, and one of the latter, appear to have attracted the attention of the Phoenicians. The /Murex brandaris/ is now thought to have borne away the palm from all the others; it is extremely common upon the coast; and enormous heaps of the shells are found, especially in the vicinity of Tyre, crushed and broken--the debris, as it would seem, cast away by the manufacturers of old.[10] The /Murex trunculus/, according to some, is just as abundant, in a crushed state, in the vicinity of Sidon, great banks of it existing, which are a hundred yards long and several yards thick.[11] It is a more spinous shell than the /M. brandaris/, having numerous projecting points, and a generally rough and rugged appearance. The /Purpura/ employed seems to have been the /P. lapillus/, a mollusc not confined to the Mediterranean, but one which frequents also our own shores, and was once turned to some account in Ireland.[12] The varieties of the /P. lapillus/ differ considerably. Some are nearly white, some greyish, others buff striped with brown. Some, again, are smooth, others nearly as rough as the /Murex trunculus/. The /Helix ianthina/, which is included by certain writers among the molluscs employed for dyeing purposes by the Phoenicians,[13] is a shell of a completely different character, smooth and delicate, much resembling that of an ordinary land snail, and small compared to the others. It is not certain, however, that the /helix/, though abounding in the Eastern Mediterranean,[14] ever attracted the notice of the Phoenicians. Mollusks from which the purple was obtained The molluscs needed by the Phoenician dyers were not obtained without some difficulty. As the Mediterranean has no tides, it does not uncover its shores at low water like the ocean, or invite man to rifle them. The coveted shell-fish, in most instances, preferred tolerably deep water; and to procure them in any quantity it was necessary that they should be fished up from a depth of some fathoms. The mode in which they were captured was the following. A long rope was let down into the sea, with baskets of reeds or rushes attached to it at intervals, constructed like our lobster-traps or eel-baskets, with an opening that yielded easily to pressure from the outside, but resisted pressure from the inside, and made escape, when once the trap was entered, impossible. The baskets were baited with mussels or frogs, both of which had great attractions for the /Purpur/, and were seized and devoured with avidity. At the upper end of the rope was attached to a large piece of cork, which, even when the baskets were full, could not be drawn under water. It was usual to set the traps in the evening, and after waiting a night, or sometimes a night and a day, to draw them up to the surface, when they were generally found to be full of the coveted shell-fish.[15] Mode of obtaining them There were two ways in which the dye was obtained from the molluscs. Sometimes a hole was broken in the side of the shell, and the fish taken out entire.[16] The /sac/ containing the colouring matter, which is a sort of vein, beginning at the head of the animal, and following the tortuous line of the body as it twists through the spiral shell,[17] was then carefully extracted, either while the mollusc was still alive, or as soon as possible after death, as otherwise the quality of the dye was impaired. This plan was pursued more especially with the larger species of /Purpur/, where the /sac/ attained a certain size; while with a smaller kinds a different method was followed. In their case no attempt was made to extract the /sac/, but the entire fish was crushed, together with its shell, and after salt had been added in the proportion of twenty ounces to a hundred pounds of the pulp, three days were allowed for maceration; heat was then applied, and when, by repeated skimming, the coarse particles had been removed, the dye was left in a liquid state at the bottom. It was necessary that the vessel in which this final process took place should be of lead, and not of bronze or iron, since those metals gave the dye a disagreeable tinge.[18] Mode of procuring the dye from them The colouring matter contained in the /sac/ of the /Purpur/ is a liquid of a creamy consistency, and of a yellowish-white hue. On extraction, it is at first decidedly yellow; then after a little time it becomes green; and, finally, it settles into some shade of violet or purple. Chemical analysis has shown that in the case of the /Murex trunculus/ the liquid is composed of two elementary substances, one being cyanic acid, which is of a blue or azure colour, and the other being purpuric oxide, which is a bright red.[19] In the case of the /Murex brandaris/ one element only has been found: it is an oxide, which has received the name of /oxyde tyrien/.[20] No naturalist has as yet discovered what purpose the liquid serves in the economy, or in the preservation, of the animal; it is certainly not exuded, as sepia is by the cuttle-fish, to cloud the water in the neighbourhood, and enable the creature to conceal itself. Process of dyeing Concerning the Phoenician process of dyeing, the accounts which have come down to us are at once confused and incomplete. Nothing is said with respect to their employment of mordants, either acid or alkali, and yet it is almost certain that they must have used one or the other, or both, to fix the colours, and render them permanent. The /gamins/ of Tyre employ to this day mordants of each sort;[21] and an alkali derived from seaweed is mentioned by Pliny as made use of for fixing some dyes,[22] though he does not distinctly tell us that it was known to the Phoenicians or employed in fixing the purple. What we chiefly learn from this writer as to the dyeing process is[23]--first, that sometimes the liquid derived from the /murex/ only, sometimes that of the /purpura/ or /buccinum/ only, was applied to the material which it was wished to colour, while the most approved hue was produced by an application of both dyes separately. Secondly, we are told that the material, whatever it might be, was steeped in the dye for a certain number of hours, then withdrawn for a while, and afterwards returned to the vat and steeped a second time. The best Tyrian cloths were called /Dibapha/, i.e. "twice dipped;" and for the production of the true "Tyrian purple" it was necessary that the dye obtained from the /Buccinum/ should be used after that from the /Murex/ had been applied. The /Murex/ alone gave a dye that was firm, and reckoned moderately good; but the /Buccinum/ alone was weak, and easily washed out. Variety of the tints The actual tints produced from the shell-fish appear to have ranged from blue, through violet and purple, to crimson and rose.[24] Scarlet could not be obtained, but was yielded by the cochineal insect. Even for the brighter sorts of crimson some admixture of the cochineal dye was necessary.[25] The violet tint was not generally greatly prized, though there was a period in the reign of Augustus when it was the fashion;[26] redder hues were commonly preferred; and the choicest of all is described as "a rich, dark purple, the colour of coagulated blood."[27] A deep crimson was also in request, and seems frequently to be intended when the term purple ({porphureos}, /purpureus/) is used. Manufacture of glass A third industry greatly affected by the Phoenicians was the manufacture of glass. According to Pliny,[28] the first discovery of the substance was made upon the Phoenician coast by a body of sailors whom he no doubt regarded as Phoenicians. These persons had brought a cargo of natrum, which is the subcarbonate of soda, to the Eastern Mediterranean in the vicinity of Acre, and had gone ashore at the mouth of the river Belus to cook their dinner. Having lighted a fire upon the sand, they looked about for some stones to prop up their cooking utensils, but finding none, or none convenient for the purpose, they bethought themselves of utilising for the occasion some of the blocks of natrum with which their ship was laden. These were placed close to the fire, and the heat was sufficient to melt a portion of one of them, which, mixing with the siliceous sand at its base, produced a stream of glass. There is nothing impossible or even very improbable in this story. Story of its invention There can be no doubt that the manufacture was one on which the Phoenicians eagerly seized, and which they carried out on a large scale and very successfully. Sidon, according to the ancients,[32] was the chief seat of the industry; but the best sand is found near Tyre, and both Tyre and Sarepta also seem to have been among the places where glassworks were early established. At Sarepta extensive banks of /debris/ have been found, consisting of broken glass of many colours, the waste beyond all doubt of a great glass manufactory;[33] at Tyre, the traces of the industry are less extensive,[34] but on the other hand we have historical evidence that it continued to be practised there into the middle ages.[35] Three kinds of Phoenician glass 1. Transparent colourless glass The glass produced by the Phoenicians was of three kinds: first, transparent colourless glass, which the eye could see through; secondly, translucent coloured glass, through which light could pass, though the eye could not penetrate it so as to distinguish objects; and, thirdly, opaque glass, scarcely distinguishable from porcelain. Transparent glass was employed for mirrors, round plates being cast, which made very tolerable looking-glasses,[36] when covered at the back by thin sheets of metal, and also for common objects, such as vases, urns, bottles, and jugs, which have been yielded in abundance by tombs of a somewhat late date in Cyprus.[37] No great store, however, seems to have been set upon transparency, in which the Oriental eye saw no beauty; and the objects which modern research has recovered under this head at Tyre, in Cyprus, and elsewhere, seem the work of comparatively rude artists, and have little sthetic merit. The shapes, however, are not inelegant. 2. Semi-transparent coloured glass The most beautiful of the objects in glass produced by the Phoenicians are the translucent or semi-transparent vessels of different kinds, most of them variously coloured, which have been found in Cyprus, at Camirus in Rhodes, and on the Phoenician coast, near Beyrout and elsewhere.[38] These comprise small flasks or bottles, from three to six inches long, probably intended to contain perfumes; small jugs (nocho) from three inches in height to five inches; vases of about the same size; amphor pointed at the lower extremity; and other varieties. They are coloured, generally, either in longitudinal or in horizontal stripes and bands; but the bands often deviate from the straight line into zig-zags, which are always more or less irregular, like the zig-zags of the Norman builders, while sometimes they are deflected into crescents, or other curves, as particularly one resembling a willow-leaf. The colours are not very vivid, but are pleasing and well-contrasted; they are chiefly five--white, blue, yellow, green, and a purplish brown. Red scarcely appears, except in a very pale, pinkish form; and even in this form it is uncommon. Blue, on the other hand, is greatly affected, being sometimes used in the patterns, often taken for the ground, and occasionally, in two tints, forming both groundwork and ornamentation.[39] It is not often that more than three hues are found on the same vessel, and sometimes the hues employed are only two. There are instances, however, and very admirable instances, of the employment, on a single vessel, of four hues.[40] 3. Opaque glass, much like porcelain The colours were obtained, commonly, at any rate, from metallic oxides. The ordinary blue employed is cobalt, though it is suspected that there was an occasional use of copper. Copper certainly furnished the greens, while manganese gave the brown, which shades off into purple and into black. The beautiful milky white which forms the ground tint of some vases is believed to have been derived from the oxide of tin, or else from phosphate of chalk. It is said that the colouring matter of the patterns does not extend through the entire thickness of the glass, but lies only on the outer surface, being a later addition to the vessels as first made. Description of objects in glass Translucent coloured glass was also largely produced by the Phoenicians for beads and other ornaments, and also for the imitation of gems. The huge emerald of which Herodotus speaks,[41] as "shining with great brilliancy at night" in the temple of Melkarth at Tyre, was probably a glass cylinder, into which a lamb was introduced by the priests. In Phoenician times the pretended stone is quite as often a glass paste as a real gem, and the case is the same with the scarabs so largely used as seals. In Phoenician necklaces, glass beads alternate frequently with real agates, onyxes, and crystals; while sometimes glass in various shapes is the only material employed. A necklace found at Tharros in Sardinia, and now in the collection of the Louvre, which is believed to be of Phoenician manufacture, is composed of above forty beads, two cylinders, four pendants representing heads of bulls, and one representing the face of a man, all of glass.[42] Another, found by M. Renan in Phoenicia itself, is made up of glass beads imitating pearls, intermixed with beads of cornaline and agate.[43] Another class of glass ornaments consists of small flat /plaques/ or plates, pierced with a number of fine holes, which appear to have been sewn upon garments. These are usually patterned, sometimes with spirals, sometimes with rosettes, occasionally, though rarely, with figures. Messrs. Perrot and Chipiez represent one in their great work upon ancient art,[44] where almost the entire field is occupied by a winged griffin, standing upright on its two hind legs, and crowned with a striped cap, or turban. Phoenician opaque glass is comparatively rare, and possesses but little beauty. It was rendered opaque in various ways. Messrs. Perrot and Chipiez found that in a statue of Serapis, which they analysed, the glass was mixed with bronze in the proportions of ten to three. An opaque material of a handsome red colour was thus produced, which was heavy and exceedingly hard.[45] Methods pursued in the manufacture The methods pursued by the Phoenician glass-manufacturers were probably much the same as those which are still employed for the production of similar objects, and involved the use of similar implements, as the blowpipe, the lathe, and the graver. The materials having been procured, they were fused together in a crucible or melting-pot by the heat of a powerful furnace. A blowpipe was then introduced into the viscous mass, a portion of which readily attached itself to the implement, and so much glass was withdrawn as was deemed sufficient for the object which it was designed to manufacture. The blower then set to work, and blew hard into the pipe until the glass at its lower extremity began to expand and gradually took a pear-shaped form, the material partially coolling and hardening, but still retaining a good deal of softness and pliability. While in this condition, it was detached from the pipe, and modelled with pincers or with the hand into the shape required, after which it was polished, and perhaps sometimes cut by means of the turning-lathe. Sand and emery were the chief polishers, and by their help a surface was produced, with which little fault could be found, being smooth, uniform, and brilliant. Thus the vessel was formed, and if no further ornament was required, the manufacture was complete--a jug, vase, alabastron, amphora, was produced, either transparent or of a single uniform tint, which might be white, blue, brown, green, &c., according to the particular oxide which had been thrown, with the silica and alkali, into the crucible. Generally, however, the manufacturer was not content with so simple a product: he aimed not merely at utility, but at beauty, and proceeded to adorn the work of his hands--whatever it was--with patterns which were for the most part in good taste and highly pleasing. These patterns he first scratched on the outer surface of the vessel with a graving tool; then, when he had made his depressions deep enough, he took threads of coloured glass, and having filled up with the threads the depressions which he had made, he subjected the vessel once more to such a heat that the threads were fused, and attached themselves to the ground on which they had been laid. In melting they would generally more than fill the cavities, overflowing them, and protruding from them, whence it was for the most part necessary to repeat the polishing process, and to bring by means of abrasion the entire surface once more into uniformity. There are cases where this has been incompletely done and where the patterns project; there are others where the threads have never thoroughly melted into the ground, and where in the course of time they have partially detached themselves from it; but in general the fusion and subsequent polishing have been all that could be wished, and the patterns are perfectly level with the ground and seem one with it.[46] The running of liquid glass into moulds, so common nowadays, does not seem to have been practised by the Phoenicians, perhaps because their furnaces were not sufficiently hot to produce complete liquefaction. But--if this was so--the pressure of the viscous material into moulds cannot have been unknown, since we have evidence of the existence of moulds,[47] and there are cases where several specimens of an object have evidently issued from a single matrix.[48] Beads, cylinders, pendants, scarabs, amulets, were probably, all of them, made in this way, sometimes in translucent, sometimes in semi-opaque glass, as perhaps were also the /plaques/ which have been already described. Phoenician ceramic art The ceramic art of the Phoenicians is not very remarkable. Phoenicia Proper is deficient in clay of a superior character, and it was probably a very ordinary and coarse kind of pottery that the Phoenician merchants of early times exported regularly in their trading voyages, both inside and outside the Mediterranean. We hear of their carrying this cheap earthenware northwards to the Cassiterides or Scilly Islands,[49] and southwards to the isle of Cerne, which is probably Arguin, on the West African coast;[50] nor can we doubt that they supplied it also to the uncivilised races of the Mediterranean--the Illyrians, Ligurians, Sicels, Sards, Corsicans, Spaniards, Libyans. But the fragile nature of the material, and its slight value, have caused its entire disappearance in the course of centuries, unless in the shape of small fragments; nor are these fragments readily distinguishable from those whose origin is different. Phoenicia Proper has furnished no earthen vessels, either whole or in pieces, that can be assigned to a time earlier than the Greco-Roman period,[51] nor have any such vessels been found hitherto on Phoenician sites either in Sardinia, or in Corsica, or in Spain, or Africa, or Sicily, or Malta, or Gozzo. The only places that have hitherto furnished earthen vases or other vessels presumably Phoenician are Jerusalem, Camirus in Rhodes, and Cyprus; and it is from the specimens found at these sites that we must form our estimate of the Phoenician pottery. Earliest specimens The earliest specimens are of a moderately good clay, unglazed. They are regular in shape, being made by the help of a wheel, and for the most part not inelegant, though they cannot be said to possess any remarkable beauty. Many are without ornament of any kind, being apparently mere jars, used for the storing away of oil or wine; they have sometimes painted or scratched upon them, in Phoenician characters, the name of the maker or owner. A few rise somewhat above the ordinary level, having handles of some elegance, and being painted with designs and patterns, generally of a geometrical character. A vase about six inches high, found at Jerusalem, has, between horizontal bands, a series of geometric patterns, squares, octagons, lozenges, triangles, pleasingly arranged, and painted in brown upon a ground which is of a dull grey. At the top are two rude handles, between which runs a line of zig-zag, while at the bottom is a sort of stand or base. The shape is heavy and inelegant.[52] Another vase of a similar character to this, but superior in many respects, was found by General Di Cesnola at Dali (Idalium), and is figured in his "Cyprus."[53] This vase has the shape of an urn, and is ornamented with horizontal bands, except towards the middle, where it has its greatest diameter, and exhibits a series of geometric designs. In the centre is a lozenge, divided into four smaller lozenges by a St. Andrew's cross; other compartments are triangular, and are filled with a chequer of black and white, resembling the squares of a chessboard. Beyond, on either side, are vertical bands, diversified with a lozenge ornament. Two hands succeed, of a shape that is thought to have "a certain elegance."[54] There is a rim, which might receive a cover, at top, and at bottom a short pedestal. The height of the vase is about thirteen inches. Vases with geometrical designs and incised patterning In many of the Cyprian vases having a geometric decoration, the figures are not painted on the surface but impressed or incised. Messrs. Perrot and Chipiez regard this form of ornamentation as the earliest; but the beauty and finish of several vases on which it occurs is against the supposition. There is scarcely to be found, even in the range of Greek art, a more elegant form than that of the jug in black clay brought by General Di Cesnola from Alambra and figured both in his "Cyprus"[55] and in the "Histoire de l'Art."[56] Yet its ornamentation is incised. If, then, incised patterning preceded painted in Phoenicia, at any rate it held its ground after painting was introduced, and continued in vogue even to the time when Greek taste had largely influenced Phoenician art of every description. Later efforts and use of enamel The finest Phoenician efforts in ceramic art resemble either the best Egyptian or the best Greek. As the art advanced, the advantage of a rich glaze was appreciated, and specimens which seem to be Phoenician have all the delicacy and beauty of the best Egyptian faience. A cup found at Idalium, plain on the outside, is covered internally with a green enamel, on which are patterns and designs in black.[57] In a medallion at the bottom of the cup is the representation of a marshy tract overgrown with the papyrus plant, whereof we see both the leaves and blossoms, while among them, rushing at full speed, is the form of a wild boar. The rest of the ornamentation consists chiefly of concentric circles; but between two of the circles is left a tolerably broad ring, which has a pattern consisting of a series of broadish leaves pointing towards the cup's centre. Nothing can be more delicate, or in better taste, than the entire design. Great amphora of Curium The most splendid of all the Cyprian vases was found at Curium, and has been already represented in this volume. It is an amphora of large dimensions, ornamented in part with geometrical designs, in part with compartments, in which are represented horses and birds. The form, the designs, and the general physiognomy of the amphora are considered to be in close accordance with Athenian vases of the most antique school. The resemblance is so great that some have supposed the vase to have been an importation from Attica into Cyprus;[58] but such conjectures are always hazardous; and the principal motives of the design are so frequent on the Cyprian vases, that the native origin of the vessel is at least possible, and the judgment of some of the best critics seems to incline in this direction. Phoenician ceramic art disappointing Still, on the whole, the Cyprian ceramic art is somewhat disappointing. What is original in it is either grotesque, as the vases in the shape of animals,[59] or those crowned by human heads,[60] or those again which have for spout a female figure pouring liquid out of a jug.[61] What is superior has the appearance of having been borrowed. Egyptian, Assyrian, and Greek art, each in turn, furnished shapes, designs, and patterns to the Phoenician potters, who readily adopted from any and every quarter the forms and decorations which hit their fancy. Their fancy was, predominantly, for the /bizarre/ and the extravagant. Vases in the shape of helmets, in the shape of barrels, in the shape of human heads,[62] have little fitness, and in the Cyprian specimens have little beauty; the mixture of Assyrian with Egyptian forms is incongruous; the birds and beasts represented are drawn with studied quaintness, a quaintness recalling the art of China and Japan. If there is elegance in some of the forms, it is seldom a very pronounced elegance; and, where the taste is best, the suspicion continually arises that a foreign model has been imitated. Moreover, from first to last the art makes little progress. There seems to have been an arrest of development.[63] The early steps are taken, but at a certain point stagnation sets in; there is no further attempt to improve or advance; the artists are content to repeat themselves, and reproduce the patterns of the past. Perhaps there was no demand for ceramic art of a higher order. At any rate, progress ceases, and while Greece was rising to her grandest efforts, Cyprus, and Phoenicia generally, were content to remain stationary. Ordinary metallurgy-- Implements Besides their ornamental metallurgy, which has been treated of in a former chapter, the Phoenicians largely employed several metals, especially bronze and copper, in the fabrication of vessels for ordinary use, of implements, arms, toilet articles, furniture, &c. The vessels include pater, bowls, jugs, amphor, and cups;[64] the implements, hatchets, adzes, knives, and sickles;[65] the arms, spearheads, arrowheads, daggers, battle-axes, helmets, and shields;[66] the toilet articles, mirrors, hand-bells, buckles, candlesticks, &c.;[67] the furniture, tall candelabra, tripods, and thrones.[68] The bronze is of an excellent quality, having generally about nine parts of copper to one of tin; and there is reason to believe that by the skilful tempering of the Phoenician metallurgists, it attained a hardness which was not often given it by others. The Cyprian shields were remarkable. They were of a round shape, slightly convex, and instead of the ordinary boss, had a long projecting cone in the centre. An actual shield, with the cone perfect, was found by General Di Cesnola at Amathus,[69] and a projection of the same kind is seen in several of the Sardinian bronze and terra-cotta statuettes.[70] Shields were sometimes elaborately embossed, in part with patterning, in part with animal and vegetable forms.[71] Helmets were also embossed with care, and sometimes inscribed with the name of the maker or the owner.[72] Weapons Some remains of swords, probably Phoenician, have been found in Sardinia. They vary from two feet seven inches to four feet two inches in length.[73] The blade is commonly straight, and very thick in the centre, but tapers off on both sides to a sharp edge. The point is blunt, so that the intention cannot have been to use the weapon both for cutting and thrusting, but only for the former. It would scarcely make such a clean cut as a modern broadsword, but would no doubt be equally effectual for killing or disabling. Another weapon, found in Sardinia, and sometimes called a sword, is more properly a knife or dagger. In length it does not exceed seven or eight inches, and of this length more than a third is occupied by the handle.[74] Below the handle the blade broadens for about an inch or an inch and a half; after this it contracts, and tapers gently to a sharp point. Such a weapon appears sometimes in the hand of a statuette.[75] Toilet articles The bronze articles of the toilet recovered by recent researches in Cyprus and elsewhere are remarkable. The handle of a mirror found in Cyprus, and now in the Museum of New York, possesses considerable merit. It consists mainly of a female figure, naked, and standing upon a frog.[76] In her hands she holds a pair of cymbals, which she is in the act of striking together. A ribbon, passed over her left shoulder, is carried through a ring, from which hangs a seal. On her arms and shoulders appear to have stood two lions, which formed side supports to the mirror that was attached to the figure's head. If the face of the cymbal-player cannot boast of much beauty, and her figure is thought to "lack distinction," still it is granted that the /tout ensemble/ of the work was not without originality, and may have possessed a certain amount of elegance.[77] The frog is particularly well modelled. Lamp-stands and tripods Some candlesticks found in the Treasury of Curium,[78] and a tripod from the same place, seem to deserve a short notice. The candlesticks stand upon a sort of short pillar as a base, above which is the blossom of a flower inverted, a favourite Phoenician ornament.[79] From this rises the lamp-stand, composed of three leaves, which curl outwards, and support between them a ring into which the bottom of the lamp fitted. The tripod[80] is more elaborate. The legs, which are fluted, bulge considerably at the top, after which they bend inwards, and form a curve like one half of a Cupid's bow. To retain them in place, they are joined together by a sort of cross-bar, about half-way in their length; while, to keep them steady, they are made to rest on large flat feet. The circular hoop which they support is of some width, and is ornamented along its entire course with a zig-zag. From the hoop depend, half-way in the spaces between the legs, three rings, from each of which there hangs a curious pendant. Works in iron and lead Besides copper and bronze, the Phoenicians seem to have worked in lead and iron, but only to a small extent. Iron ore might have been obtained in some parts of their own country, but appears to have been principally derived from abroad, especially from Spain.[81] It was worked up chiefly, so far as we know, into arms offensive and defensive. The sword of Alexander, which he received as a gift from the king of Citium,[82] was doubtless in this metal, which is the material of a sword found at Amathus, and of numerous arrowheads.[83] We are also told that Cyprus furnished the iron breast-plates worn by Demetrius Poliorcetes;[84] and in pre-Homeric times it was a Phoenician--Cinyras--who gave to Agamemnon his breast-plate of steel, gold, and tin.[85] That more remains of iron arms and implements have not been found on Phoenician sites is probably owing to the rapid oxydisation of the metal, which consequently decays and disappears. The Hiram who was sent to assist Solomon in building and furnishing the Temple of Jerusalem was, we must remember, "skilful to work," not only "in gold, and silver, and bronze," but also "in iron."[86] Lead was largely furnished to the Phoenicians by the Scilly Islands,[87] and by Spain.[88] It has not been found in any great quantity on Phoenician sites, but still appears occasionally. Sometimes it is a solder uniting stone with bronze;[89] sometimes it exists in thin sheets, which may have been worn as ornaments.[90] In Phoenicia Proper it has been chiefly met with in the shape of coffins,[91] which are apparently of a somewhat late date. They are formed of several sheets placed one over the other and then soldered together. There is generally on the lid and sides of the coffin an external ornamentation in a low relief, wherein the myth of Psyche is said commonly to play a part; but the execution is mediocre, and the designs themselves have little merit. Sources: [1] Ezek. xxvii. 18.

[2] Ibid. xxvii. 21.

[3] See Herod. ii. 182, and compare the note of Sir G. Wilkinson on that passage in Rawlinson's /Herodotus/, ii. 272.

[4] Kenrick, /Phunicia/, p. 246.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Hom. /Il./ vi. 289; /Od./ xv. 417; sch. /Suppl./ ll. 279-284; Lucan, /Phars./ x. 142, &c.

[7] Ex. xxvi. 36, xxviii. 39.

[8] Perrot et Chipiez, /Histoire de l'Art/, iii. 877.

[9] Smyth, /Mediterranean Sea/, pp. 205-207.

[10] Tristram, /Land of Israel/, p. 51.

[11] Lortet, /La Syrie d'aujourd'hui/, p. 103.

[12] See /Phil. Transactions/, xv. 1,280.

[13] Wilksinson, in Rawlinson's /Herodotus/, ii. 347.

[14] Kenrick, /Phunicia/, p. 258.

[15] See Jul. Pollux, /Onomasticon/, i. 4,  45.

[16] This is the case with almost all the refuse shells found in the "kitchen middens" (as they have been called) on the Syrian coast. See Lortet, /La Syrie d'aujourd'hui/, p. 103).

[17] See REaumur, quoted by Kenrick, /Phunicia/, p. 256.

[18] Plin. /H. N./ ix. 38.

[19] See Grimaud de Caux's paper in the /Revue de Zoologie/ for 1856, p. 34; and compare Lortet, /La Syrie d'aujourd'hui/, p. 102.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Lortet, /La Syrie d'aujourd'hui/, p. 127.

[22] Plin. /H. N./ xxxii. 22.

[23] Ibid. ix. 37-39.

[24] For the tints producible, see a paper by M. Lacaze-Duthiers, in the /Annales des Sciences Naturelles/ for 1859, Zoologie, 4me. sErie, xii. 1-84.

[25] Plin. /H. N./ ix. 41.

[26] Ibid. ix. 39:--"Cornelius Nepos, qui divi Augusti principatu obiit. Me, inquit, juvene violacea purpura vigebat, cujus libra denariis centum venibat."

[27] Kenrick, /Phunicia/, p. 242. Compare Pliny, /H. N./ ix. 38:-- "Laus summa in colore sanguinis concreti."

[28] /Hist. Nat./ xxxvi. 65.

[29] Wilkinson, in Rawlinson's /Herodotus/, ii. 82. Similar representations occur in tombs near the Pyramids.

[30] Wilksinson, /Manners and Customs/, iii. 88.

[31] Herod. ii. 86-88.

[32] Plin. /H. N./ v 19; xxxvi. 26, &c.

[33] Lortet, /La Syrie d'aujourd'hui/, p. 113.

[34] Ibid. p. 127.

[35] Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 735, note 2.

[36] Plin. /H. N./ xxxvi. 26.

[37] Perrot et Chipiez, iii. 739.

[38] See Perrot et Chipiez, /Histoire de l'Art/, iii. 734-744.

[39] Perrot et Chipiez, /Histore de l'Art/, iii. pl. viii. No. 2 (opp. p. 740).

[40] Ibid. pl. vii. No. 1 (opp. p. 734).

[41] Herod. ii. 44.

[42] Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 745, and pl. x.

[43] Ibid.

[44] Perrot et Chipiez, iii. 746, No. 534.

[45] Ibid. pp. 739, 740.

[46] See Perrot et Chipiez, /Histoire de l'Art/, iii. 740, 741.

[47] The British Museum has a mould which was found at Camirus, intended to give shape to glass earrings. It is of a hard greenish stone, apparently a sort of breccia.

[48] Perrot et Chipiez, iii. 745.

[49] Strabo, iii. 5,  11.

[50] Scylax, /Periplus/,  112.

[51] Perrot et Chipiez, /Histoire de l'Art/, iii. 669. (Compare Renan Mission de PhEnicie/, pl. xxi.)

[52] Perrot et Chipiez, iii. 670. The vase is figured on p. 670, No. 478.

[53] Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, p. 68. Compare Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 671, No. 479.

[54] Perrot et Chipiez, l.s.c.

[55] Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, appendix, p. 408.

[56] Perrot et Chipiez, iii. 685, No. 485.

[57] Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, p. 102. Compare Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 675, No. 483.

[58] So Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, p. 332, and Mr. Murray, of the British Museum, ibid., appendix, pp. 401, 402.

[59] Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 693-695.

[60] Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, pp. 394, 402, and pl. xlii. fig. 4.

[61] Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 698.

[62] Ibid. p. 676, No. 484; p. 691, No. 496; and p. 697, No. 505.

[63] Ibid. p. 730.

[64] Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, p. 282, and pl. xxx.

[65] Ibid.

[66] Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 866-868. Compare Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, pl. x.

[67] Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, pp. 335, 336, and pls. iv. and xxx.; Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 831, 862, 863, &c.

[68] Di Cesnola, l.s.c.; Perrot et Chipiez, iii. 864.

[69] Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, pl. xx.

[70] Perrot et Chipiez, iv. 15, 66-68, 70; Cesnola, /Cyprus/, p. 203.

[71] Perrot et Chipiez, iii. 870, 871.

[72] Ibid. p. 867, No. 633.

[73] Ibid. iv. 94.

[74] Perrot et Chipiez, iv. 94, No. 91.

[75] Ibid. p. 67, No. 53.

[76] Ibid. iii. 862, No. 629.

[77] Perrot et Chipiez, iii. p. 863.

[78] De Cesnola, /Cyprus/, p. 336.

[79] See Perrot et Chipiez, iii. 133, Nos. 80, 81.

[80] Di Cesnola, p. 335.

[81] See Ezek. xxvii. 12; Strab. iii. 2,  8.

[82] Plutarch, /Vit. Alex. Magni/,  32.

[83] Ceccaldi, /Monumens Antiques de Cyprus/, p. 138; Di Cesnola, /Cyprus/, p. 282; Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 874.

[84] Plutarch, /Vit. Demetrii/,  21.

[85] Hom. /Il./ xi. 19-28.

[86] 2 Chron. ii. 14. Iron, in the shape of nails and rings, has been found in several graves in Phunicia Proper, where the coffin seems to have been of wood (Renan, /Mission de PhEnicie/, p. 866).

[87] Strab. iii. 5,  11.

[88] Ezek. xxvii. 12.

[89] See Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iv. 80.

[90] Ibid. iii. 815, No. 568.

[91] Renan, /Mission de PhEnicie/, p. 427, and pl. lx. fig. 1; Perrot et Chipiez, /Hist. de l'Art/, iii. 177, No. 123.
LAKE GEORGE  Lake George Village Mayor Robert Blais will have a special fundraising book-signing on Wednesday at the Farmers Market.

Blais will sign copies of his book A View from the Top for a discounted price, with all proceeds going to the Lake George Arts Project. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The book, published in 2015, has sold over 1,500 copies and is a collection of memories, history and people that have contributed to the mayors tenure and Lake Georges development.
Halfway between Corinth and Lake Luzerne on East River Drive is a patch of old headstones  some teetering, others toppled  that date all the way back to the early 1800s.

I pulled into Leavens Cemetery early Tuesday morning looking for the man who Abraham Lincoln had saved.

My son introduced me to Alanson Orton earlier this summer when we toured the museum at the Gettysburg battlefield.

One of the final exhibits was a handwritten note from President Abraham Lincoln to Major General George Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac, instructing him to stop the execution of Orton until further orders.

Alanson Orton was from Warren County. I found an 1875 census from the town of Luzerne that shows he lived there after the war, and other records show he was buried in the local cemetery.

It was difficult to find much information on Orton beyond what I saw in Gettysburg. Records show he served in the 12th U.S. Infantry, a regular Army unit that was formed at Fort Hamilton, New York, after Fort Sumter was attacked by the Confederacy to start the Civil War.

Orton was just 23 when the Civil War started. It is not clear if he joined the Army or was drafted later. It is also not known when he joined.

But the 12th Infantry participated in some of the fiercest fighting during the Civil War, including battles at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.

At the battle of Gaines Mill in June 1862, the 12th Infantry sustained 50 percent casualties. If Orton had fought in any of these engagements, he might have had good reason to walk away.

Desertion was a problem for both sides during the Civil War, and those who were caught were dealt with harshly.

Orton was found guilty of desertion on March 4, 1864, and sentenced to be executed on March 25. The circumstances around his desertion are not known.

What is known is that after word of the execution order reached Abraham Lincoln, he penned the short note now on display in Gettysburg just two days before Orton was to be shot.

Lincoln reviewed over 1,600 military justice cases during the war and prevented many executions.

To avoid the appearance he was interfering in military justice, Lincoln often used the wording until further orders  as he did in Ortons case  when stopping an execution.

After stopping Ortons execution, Lincoln agreed the following day to General Meades alternative punishment to send Orton to prison in the Dry Tortugas off the southern tip of Florida.

The Gettysburg exhibit says Orton survived imprisonment and returned to his home in Warren County, New York.

Warren County records show one other reference to Orton, a criminal indictment on Feb. 27, 1867. It did not reveal the crime.

Orton died on May 18, 1907  at the age of 69  and records show he was buried in Leavens Cemetery next to his wife, Martha M. Blackwood.

Walking through the weed-strewn graveyard Tuesday, I could not find Alanson Ortons final resting place.

I really tried.

I started with those headstones showing an American flag, indicating a veteran was buried there. Along the way, I found other Orton family members, but not Alanson.

I circled the cemetery once, then a second time, and I wasnt sure why it was so important to meet him.

Maybe I needed to know if he had been on the front lines in those horrific battles, and if he had good reason for walking away.

Or maybe I just wanted to know if the man Lincoln saved lived a good and productive life.

Thats how I want this story to end.
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An estimated 80 seventh and 12th grade students in the Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and North Scott school districts are, by law, supposed to be barred from class Wednesday because they haven't gotten a newly required vaccination for meningitis.

Classes for the fall semester begin Wednesday in the Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and North Scott community school districts, while Davenport begins Thursday.

In January, the Iowa Department of Public Health issued a rule stating that seventh graders born after Sept. 15, 2004, must have received one dose of the vaccine and 12th graders born after Sept. 15, 2004, must have received two doses before they can enroll in classes for the fall semester. Securing a medical or religious exemption is permitted.

Exactly how many area students are in jeopardy of being sent home from school isn't known. Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and North Scott have estimates on how many still need vaccinations, but Davenport  the largest district  does not.

Dawn Saul, representative of the Davenport district, said Tuesday she has "no way of knowing because we're still in the throes of registration. We register up until the last minute and beyond."

Joe Stutting, superintendent of the North Scott School District, estimated that fewer than 10 students in his district still need the vaccine.

Roxanne Schmertmann, director of the nurse staff for Bettendorf schools, estimated the number of students still needing the vaccine at about 50  30 seventh graders and 20 12th graders.

"We've been going at this for a while," she said. "Our numbers are getting pretty close."

Beth Marsoun, representative for Pleasant Valley schools, said the district is "at the point where we're just making phone calls." She estimated the number to be fewer than 20.

Although there were some reports on Tuesday that the Iowa Department of Public Health had given school districts the option of offering a 60-day exemption, Polly Carver-Kimm, communications director for the department, said that was not true.

"We haven't announced anything," she said.

In issuing the rule in January, the state health department explained that meningitis is a very serious disease in which about 10 to 15 percent of patients die even with appropriate treatment. Of those who recover, up to 20 percent suffer from serious after-effects, such as permanent hearing loss, limb loss or brain damage.

Meningitis is caused by bacteria that can infect the blood, brain and spinal cord. It is spread through upper respiratory droplets, such as saliva and can be transmitted through kissing or simply living in close quarters, according to a fact sheet from the state health department.
In six months, the Bettendorf Fire Department's State Street station will have a brand new look.

The Bettendorf City Council awarded a $1.6 million contract Monday to Dubuque-based Tricon General Construction Inc. to build an addition and remodel the existing station attached to City Hall.

The improvements include adding 4,250 square feet and 1,280 square feet to the first and second floors, respectively, in addition to remodeling 4,100 square feet of other city department spaces at City Hall.

The first floor of the addition will add three bays for fire apparatus, new offices for the fire chief and administration in addition to a workshop and space for storage.

City Administrator Decker Ploehn said the City Council called a special meeting Monday to approve the contract after the city mistakenly did not hold a public hearing.

The contract approved Monday defines substantial completion for construction of the new addition as on or around Feb. 27, 2018. Phase II is expected to be completed on or around April 27, 2018.

As part of the project, the city also will vacate nearby 16th Street and replace it with nine parking spaces and new sidewalks, and entrances at the rear of the building will be reconstructed.

City Engineer Brent Morlok said Tricon General Construction's low bid beat out seven other competitors, whose bids initially ranged from $1.72 million to $1.99 million and came in more than 10 percent over the architect's estimate of $1.55 million.

Working with the architect and contractor, Morlok said the city was able to engineer the project to $1.59 million.

The awarded contract includes contingencies for any unforeseen changes that may arise during construction.

Morlok said the city would likely enter into a shared agreement with Newbury Living, owner of the development at the former Twin Bridges Motor Inn property, for parking to the west of the fire station's new entrance.
The city of Bettendorf's loss in the Stafford Creek stream stabilization case put a stop to work on its erosion control projects until it could develop a new policy.

Ten months after the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled against the city, Bettendorf will take the first step toward developing a solution that it hopes to have in place next year.

The Bettendorf City Council held a special work session Monday night in which city staff revealed ideas for how the city can deal with stormwater problems that have been and are expected to be a challenge in the years to come.

City Administrator Decker Ploehn has suggested the city administer a program similar to its pavement management program, in which it creates an inventory to assess its problems and priorities and start attacking the problem, beginning with detention ponds.

"It's systematic, based on evidence, and gives us an ability to then put problems in categories," Ploehn said. "Maybe it is not a problem at all or is totally on private property and there's nothing for us to do."

Bettendorf's problems came to a head last year after the state Court of Appeals upheld Scott County District Court Judge J. Hobart Darbyshire's ruling that the city did not have the right to work in the Stafford Creek waterway under its existing easements.

"As we know from litigation with Stafford Creek, we're very limited in how we now move in to help those folks because of the requirements of those easements and what the easements are really for," Ploehn said.

With the Stafford Creek litigation shaping its direction, Ploehn suggested that the city seek more detention in areas it could be effective and said the first step would be to create an inventory of detention ponds.

"That may be in four backyards and that may mean we'll have to go acquire property to make that happen," Ploehn said. "We think that is the right solution and may affect things downstream so that they don't have the effect they are having today."

While Bettendorf now has a starting place, Ploehn said the city still needs to develop a solution that doesn't have a one-size fits all feel because each stormwater problem is unique.

The biggest topic of debate during Monday's meeting was over what the city's obligation was after Mayor Bob Gallagher queried liability issues.

Gallagher questioned how the city would try to balance its obligations because the law puts maintenance of stormwater systems on land that is privately owned at the feet of the property owner.

Public Works Director Brian Schmidt said sanitary sewer and storm sewer infrastructure that runs parallel to the creeks was being compromised and those liabilities fall to the city.

Aldermen Jerry Secher, 1st Ward, and Scott Webster, 5th Ward, said the city should share some obligation because maintaining creeks would serve a public purpose.

Drawing from his first experiences as an alderman eight years ago, 2nd Ward Alderman Scott Naumann said he empathized with property owners as he told a story about visiting the backyard of a lifelong Bettendorf resident.

Naumann said the resident once had a small waterway in the backyard, but because of water from an intersection, it grew to where it could no longer be jumped over.

"That change was not a choice, and it happened to them because of the magnitude of rains and the channeling of the stormwater system," Naumann said.

With Bettendorf expected to take several work sessions to come up with a new policy, Ploehn said another work session would be scheduled in the upcoming weeks after the city has an opportunity to start an inventory of detention ponds.
As she promised when she won the special election for Davenport's 3rd Ward City Council seat last month, Marion Meginnis has announced her bid to return to the Davenport City Council next year.

Meginnis defeated Carlton Wills to fill the 3rd Ward's vacant seat and serve out the remaining term, which expires at the end of the year.

Before Meginnis retired as the president and general manager of WQAD-TV, she and her husband, Jack Haberman, helped form the Gateway Development Group, which saves abandoned buildings in the Hamburg Historic District.

It was the attention to preserving and improving neighborhoods that prompted Meginnis to seek public office.

The 3rd Ward stretches far across the city, from College to Pine Street," Meginnis said. It encompasses many urban core neighborhoods whose residents share the same issues of disinvestment but who, at the same time, maintain fierce loyalty to the places they call home. I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the city focuses more of its efforts on both enforcement and reinvestment in our area.
Quad-City Times reporters spread out across the area Monday to record the excitement of the solar eclipse.

Rooftop bar hosts spontaneous party

While on a weekend trip in the Quad-Cities for a Moline High School class reunion, Lana Jacobs of Chicago kept hearing about how spectacular Mondays solar eclipse would be.

She wasnt buying it.

I didnt know get why everyone was talking about it, Jacobs said.

That changed around noon on Monday when she put on eclipse glasses and tilted her head to the sky. Watching with a crew of family members, who mostly live in East Moline, at The Current Iowas skybar, called Up, Jacobs couldnt stop looking  and pointing.

You have to see this, Jacobs said, while handing over a pair of glasses. Theres only two more minutes.

On the rooftop bar, atop the newly opened nine-story hotel, she wasnt the only one passing around eclipse glasses during the lunch hour.

Sharing is caring, her cousin and former Illinois state Sen. Mike Jacobs said, after ripping his eclipse glasses in half, offering one lens to an Up employee. This is too cool to miss.

Thankfully, his sister Patti Ramirez ordered a bundle of eclipse glasses, $9 per pair, in advance on Amazon.com.

I knew there wasnt going to be another one in our lifetime, Ramirez said. I thought, Were not going to see it again, so lets go see it.

Ramirez took a personal day off from work to watch the eclipse with family, which included her father, former Illinois state Sen. Denny Jacobs.

Its a fun thing to do together, Ramirez said. I was just going to watch it from my window at work, but this is better."

The skybar is typically closed 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays, but staff members adjusted the hours for eclipse viewing.

We got all these phone calls asking if we were going to be open, Tony McGee, bar manager, said. We decided it was probably a big deal.

Over the weekend, he and his staff put together a solar eclipse-themed menu, which included the Eclipse Burger as well as two cocktails, Blue Moon Sangria and the Chromosphere.

Sitting at a table on Up's outdoor patio, Dawn Benaitis was just happy to be able to borrow a pair of eclipse glasses.

"We didn't have any, so we joked about making them out a cereal box," she said. "There's really no way to see it without them."

After giving a keynote address to educators at the Diocese of Davenport, Benaitis, director of professional development with Discovery Communications, which operates the Discovery Channel, and her colleague Alissa McLean, rushed to the skybar so they wouldn't miss the eclipse's peak, which happened around 1:14 p.m.

The Chicago residents pushed their flights back a few hours to stay in Davenport for a less congested view of the eclipse.

Its a moment in history, so we wanted to be able to actually see it, McLean said. Youre always going to remember where you were when the solar eclipse happened.

Lana Jacobs also will remember where she was. Monday marked her 73rd birthday.

Looking up at the sky, when for a moment it seemed to turn darker, Jacobs said, "I can see why everyone's making it a big deal. It's awesome."

 Amanda Hancock

Modern Woodmen celebrates eclipse, employees

Modern Woodmen of America not only expected its employees to be interested in the solar eclipse Monday, it encouraged the viewing with free glasses and food.

All part of a "Thank-You Day," the viewing event and food truck lunch spread over three lunch shifts at the Rock Island fraternal financial services organization.

"It's really exciting, it's been really awesome," Stephanie Warren of the human resources department said of the event.

Standing on the Rock Island riverfront right outside Modern Woodmen's home office, dozens of employees watched as the clouds opened just in time for the eclipse. Heads tipped back, they watched the various stages as the moon passed in front of the sun. The group made a quiet, but audible "ahhh" sound as the full eclipse came in sight.

"It's nice they're allowing us (to see it),'' said Kimberly Case, a senior underwriter. "We thought we'd have to take a day of vacation to be able to see it."

Modern Woodmen's National Secretary Jerry Lyphout said the event was a way to allow the employees to participate in a global event. "It's a way to say thank you for all you do throughout the year, and it gives them an opportunity to be outside for the day."

"It's a neat opportunity," the 34-year employee added. "There's been so much publicity about it. This is an easy way to get the employees involved."

Leah Eigenbrod, internal communications coordinator, who helped organize the one-time event, said it will be among three or four Thank-You Day events this year at Modern Woodmen.

Launched in 2016, Thank-You Days was the brainchild of W. Kenny Massey, Modern Woodmen's president and CEO.

To date, employees have enjoyed other events such as a March Madness, Halloween pumpkin decorating contest and an Easter Egg Scramble.

This time, plans were in place for a food truck day when the universe delivered another idea, Eigenbrod said.

 Jennifer DeWitt

Augie students watch first eclipse on first day

Monday's solar eclipse made for a memorable first day of classes for first-year students at Augustana College in Rock Island.

One student who watched the moon cover about 92 percent of the sun around 1:14 p.m. said he may turn the memory into a bedtime story for his children and grandchildren someday.

"This is so important to me," said David Langum, a freshman from Springfield, Illinois. "I'm going to have to tell my kids about this."

And that is exactly the type of response fifth-year physics and astronomy professor Bill Peterson, who organized a viewing party in the middle of campus, hoped he would get from students, faculty and staff.

The native of Marshalltown, Iowa, set up two telescopes, both of which had solar filters, and passed out pairs of eclipse glasses and homemade pinhole projectors to the large crowd.

Although they did not experience a total solar eclipse  when the moon covers the entire sun  onlookers still oohed and aahed as the effects became noticeable.

"See how it's dusk now?" Peterson asked one group of students. "The shadow covers everything, and that is the sun's energy being blocked from reaching us."

This marked the first total solar eclipse to cross over the U.S. in 99 years. Scientists expect it to happen again in 2024.

First-year student Andrew Gonzalez made his way to the gathering following his post-Colonial literature class.

"Let me get a peep, dude," he said to his friend, Jaidyn Harris, a fellow freshman from Moline. "I heard it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I wanted to experience it."

As the sky grew darker, they shared the glasses with others around them.

"It's happening," Hailey Mendell, a freshman from Kankakee, Illinois, shouted as she watched the moon pass in front of the sun. "I can see it move."

While his friends passed the glasses back and forth, Harris calmly took in the scene around him.

"It's awesome," he said. "You know something's happening even if you can't look at the sun."

During the peak of the eclipse, Peterson tried to help as many people as possible safely observe the "unusual" spectacle, which he called the oldest human-observed astronomical event.

"This is a test of our ability to observe the world and predict things about it," he said, "so it's proof that science works."

 Jack Cullen

Niabi animals grow quiet, awaken

Animals at the Niabi Zoo, Coal Valley, grew quiet about 1:12 p.m. Monday, nearing the "totality" point of the eclipse of the sun.

"This is eerily quiet," said Joel Vanderbush, the zoo's curator of conservation and education. "Normally, there's a general noise level, but that's not happening now."

Suddenly, a sleeping porcupine awoke and looked around as the sky darkened. The nocturnal animal seemed to realize, something was up, Vanderbush said.

There were about 12 onlookers at the porcupine and red wolves exhibit. Both animals are nocturnal, part of the zoo collection that awakens, moves around and eats at night.

The zoo had invited visitors for a solar eclipse viewing and nocturnal animals watch on Monday. Visitors came from near and far, including the John and Stefanie Van Heukelom family, Coralville, Iowa. The Van Heukelom's children are Sydney and Asher.

Sydney was in second grade last year at Van Allen Elementary School, Coralville, when her teacher talked about the eclipse and handed out safety glasses.

She wanted to visit the zoo, and her parents thought the open spaces would allow good sight lines for the eclipse.

They weren't disappointed. The sun shone brightly before and after eclipse totality, although clouds did enter the scene at times.

"I was nice to see the eclipse safely and up close," Sydney said, holding the glasses she had kept over the summer. She will start third grade at Van Allen on Wednesday.

The animals that woke up or stirred during the eclipse included the red wolves, the porcupine and also the lions. The lions are crepuscular, not nocturnal, meaning they are active at dawn and dusk.

That's typical for carnivores, said Ali Knollenberg, who is on staff at the zoo. Knollenberg was in the bird exhibit during the eclipse and said the parakeets, which are pretty loud all day long "were noticeably quieter."

 Deirdre Cox Baker

Expectant mom shares in excitement

Lindsey Dirck might want to include her NASA-approved eclipse glasses in her son's baby book.

The expectant mother was among a few hundred employees at Modern Woodmen of America's Rock Island home office to enjoy the celestial experience of a solar eclipse.

"It's really cool, it's hard not to look (without glasses)," said Dirck, who is eight months pregnant with a boy  to join her 3-year-old daughter.

Although he is not here yet, she said in a way, "he got to see the eclipse."

Dirck, the administrative assistant to the executive officers of Modern Woodmen Bank, was part of an employee committee that planned the eclipse watch party. It was part of a "Thank-You Day" celebration at the fraternal financial services company.

"I didn't realize how big of an event this was," she said. From national media reports, she had learned "schools are cancelled. They're not letting kids out for recess. It's all kind of crazy."

The Modern Woodmen committee had NASA-approved glasses on hand for the 500-employee staff as well as free lunch from food truck vendors brought in to the organization's Rock Island home office.

 Jennifer DeWitt
Against a backdrop of white supremacist literature being distributed in Bettendorf, the group One Human Family QCA is organizing a "Welcoming Quad-Cities" rally for 4 p.m. Sunday in Rock Island's Schwiebert Riverfront Park.

A week ago, several hundred people turned out for a "No Hate" rally in Davenport's Vander Veer Botanical Park in response to the distribution of white supremacist literature in Davenport. It had been scheduled several days before violence broke out in Virginia during rallies first organized by white nationalists.

The organizing for Sunday's rally was prompted by several factors, including a desire by One Human Family to involve the Illinois side of the Mississippi River to eliminate the impression "this is just an Iowa thing" and to present a more positive theme, Rabbi Henry Karp, one of the organizers, said.

But while planning already was under way, another motivator cropped up. On Friday afternoon, flyers resembling large business cards promoting white supremacy were placed under the windshields of several cars in the parking lot of the Bettendorf Public Library, Police Chief Phil Redington confirmed.

The cards bore the name and stated beliefs of the National Alliance, a group founded in 1970 and at one time considered the most organized and dangerous of American hate groups, Karp said.

And at 9:44 p.m. Monday, a call came in to Bettendorf police about a large swastika drawn in a bed of mulch at Meier Park, 6th and Holmes streets, Redington said. An officer was dispatched, but he did not find anything. It is possible the caller erased the symbol, the chief said.

"It's disturbing," Redignton said of the reports. He urges residents who see supremacist literature or symbols to contact the police department by calling 911 "so we know where these incidents are taking place."

In addition, another National Alliance flyer was reported found this week under a windshield of a car parked northwest of Davenport's 53rd and Pine streets, Karp said.

It bears a photo of what appears to be a four-member white family and says, in part: "They hate our heritage. They hate our flag. They hate our freedom to bear arms. They hate our monuments. They hate our traditions. They hate our very existence. And they are doing everything possible to wipe us out  and erase White people, and our posterity, from the face of the Earth."

Will Williams, chairman of the National Alliance, said in an email to the Quad-City Times that the flyers are being distributed because long-suffering White Quad-Citians need what the Alliance offers, just as Whites everywhere else do, to counter all the PC anti-White pabulum they're fed by controlled media.

The perceptive few can actually understand that what they read is perfectly reasonable, not 'hate,' not 'supremacy,' or any of those other buzz words used to smear White loyalists, Williams wrote.

The National Alliance lists its address as Laurel Bloomery, an unincorporated community in Tennessee.

Sunday's rally at Schwiebert, 17th Street and the Mississippi River, will include speakers and presentations.

"As we have seen in the news across the nation, and the president's reluctance to definitively denounce the hate groups, the need for such public expressions ... remains a vital necessity," Karp said in a news release. "We still have serious work to do!"

One Human Family QCA is a group formed earlier this year in response to the November presidential election with a goal of welcoming and protecting the life, dignity and human rights of all people in the community.
Jon Alexander Editorial Page Editor Editorial Page Editor, Quad-City Times Follow Jon Alexander Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

The great sky wolves devoured the sun Monday.

You won't see that headline in any American newspaper. Nor should you.

But that was the Viking explanation for a solar eclipse. In fact, the concept of a mythical beast or god consuming the sun was a pretty standard interpretation for much of antiquity. To the ancient Chinese, it was a veracious dragon. In Vietnam, a celestial toad swallowed either the sun or moon during a solar or lunar eclipse.

These were agricultural cultures, mind you, completely dominated by anecdote and the rhythm of the growing seasons. Those shadows of polytheism still exists today, remnants permitted by later, more powerful monotheistic traditions as a means to more easily sway recent converts.

Easter, for instance, is probably a fusion of Catholic doctrine and more ancient pagan spring festivals, built around the planting calendar and an associated concept of rebirth. The egg has long been a tangible, powerful symbol of new life. And that pre-Christian tradition sticks around today.

Point is, myths come and go. They're the necessary result of a curious species that spends an unprecedented amount of time pondering the world around it. And there tends to be substantial upheaval and pushback whenever a seminal moment throws shade at the established intellectual tradition. Entire political power structures are built around belief systems. Entire institutions derive their power from the myth itself. Overturning an established myth is, often, a direct assault on a civilization's cultural and political framework.

It's no surprise then that Galileo was put on trial in 1633 for suggesting earth revolved around the sun and offering conclusive evidence to prove it. The Vatican convicted the Italian naturalist of heresy, tantamount to a 17th century blacklisting, and forced him to recant his findings. It wasn't until 1992 that Pope John Paul II admitted the church's error after a 13-year investigation.

For more than 350 years, the story of Galileo's trial has stood as a symbol of the inherent tension between religion and rationalism.

On Monday, millions of Americans turned their gazes skyward to watch the moon blot out the sun. This time, it was widely understood that the entire event is just a chance occurrence of orbiting bodies passing by one another. With incredible accuracy, scientists predicted precise moments when the sun would be fully eclipsed by the moon. And Americans of all political and religious stripes took those predictions for granted.

It's a notable level of confidence in the predictive abilities of scientific observation and mathematics in a moment when similar endeavors are scrubbed from government websites and blasted as hoaxes of the most politically motivated kind. Such charges, mind you, would not be foreign to Galileo. They were the same accusations made against him.

Attempts to objectively measure the universe put us on the moon. It split the atom. It created a network that transmits information at light speed. It nearly doubled average life expectancy and eradicated polio.

And yet, scientists still fight for legitimacy, even though they are the one's whose only real agenda is understanding. That's because those in power weaponize irrational fear. Baseless conspiracy theories are wrongly cast as legitimate doubt. One can't pose legitimate questions about that which they don't understand.

But new information threatens those whose entire access to power is rooted in old systems. With that understanding, no one should be surprised that we're still arguing about evolution 158 years after Darwin published his widely confirmed mechanism for speciation. Nor should anyone be shocked that billions have been spent on delegitimizing climate science.

Almost 400 years ago, merely predicting Monday's eclipse could have been a capital offense. But rationalism soldiered on. It reshaped how the universe is understood. It built political systems, including the United States. And, on Monday, people accepted the calculus that accurately predicted the event.

On Monday, millions looked skyward and understood they weren't seeing the wrath of an angry god or hungry serpent. And that's only because those honestly seeking truth refused to back down.
They came by bus, by RV, by car. They began arriving over the weekend, and by Monday morning sites across western Nebraska were filled with travelers with one thing in mind  the solar eclipse.

With several sites in the northwestern Panhandle situated in the path of totality  the 70-mile strip in which the sun completely disappeared  thousands of visitors were drawn to the area.

We love this part of the world. This is the part of Nebraska most people never get to see, said Ross McIntyre, who now lives in New Hampshire but who grew up in Omaha. He planned a family reunion around the path of totality, and his group ended up in Harrison after discovering Fort Robinson was full last December.

Regardless of where they came from, they left awed by the sight of the moon cutting across the suns path, turning daylight into twilight into full dark.

Just ahead of totality at Agate Fossil Beds, a slim crescent of the sun remained visible through special filters and a definite chill swept across the plains as the temperature plummeted. Venus appeared in the sky and from out of the darkness a countdown could be heard 6,5,4,3,2,1.

A chorus of Wow! and Its beautiful echoed through the air as daylight blinked out, and in the distance Kelly Looking Horse, the Native American artist in residence at the monument, softly beat on a drum. Looking Horse had explained to some of the crowd as the partial eclipse began that in his culture, the total eclipse is an opportunity to ask God to take hold of the future.

Were going to leave all our bad thoughts behind, he instructed the audience.

Taiga Koshimizu, a foreign exchange student from Japan, has been in the U.S. only a few days.

After roughly two minutes of totality, Koshimizu held up his arm to point out that his hair was standing on end. He called it amazing, Cheri Maitland said, but is certain if his English skills were more developed he would have had more words to describe it. Cheri and her husband, Jim, are sponsoring him and Hannah Werblow of Germany this year, and brought the pair along with them on their trip to Nebraska with their two children, Gerald and Jamison.

We just got them picked up Thursday and Friday, Jim said. The group jumped in a camper and left Michigan, with the intention of watching the eclipse in Lincoln. Possible cloudy weather changed their plans and they kept heading west for Agate Fossil Beds. The family has been to the park before and knew it would be a perfect spot for viewing.

It was so beautiful. Im so glad my children got to see it, Cheri said.

A group of 25 people from Denmark experienced the Great Plains for the first time, many of them members of the Danish Astronomical Society, said Vagn Handlos. Poul Kattler selected Agate as their viewing spot, hoping it would be weather-proof and unusual. They took a train from Seattle to North Dakota and then traveled to Nebraska by bus. While waiting for the eclipse, Kattler provided live broadcasting via Skype for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.

A group of 40 individuals from Holland sat not far away, some of whom have seen six or seven eclipses, and Jim OConnor of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association set up to provide outreach to visitors. OConnor is part of a larger group that wanted to have personnel at all of the national parks in the path of totality.

I enjoy introducing (people) to their home universe, he said.

He was in Aruba for an eclipse in 1998 and at the Grand Canyon in 2012 for an annular eclipse.

Pictures just dont do it. Its alive, he said of an eclipse. Its hard to put into words the feelings you get.

Eclipse tourism is Kamran Sahamis business. He works for Sirius Travel in Colorado, a company dedicated to providing tours centered around solar eclipses. For two years prior to Mondays event, his group planned to be at Carhenge, but late weather forecasts prompted them to re-route to Agate Fossil Beds. The 26 in the group came from all over the U.S., Switzerland, Spain, the U.K. and the Czech Republic.

Chelle Fulk and Andy Culhane joined the trip from their home in Washington, D.C. Neither had seen a total eclipse before Monday, though Culhane has experienced a partial eclipse.

I speak two languages and there are no words for what I expect in either of them, he said.

Sirius Travel also had a group of 25 in northern Wyoming Monday and rented a private ranch near Douglas, Wyo., for a day trip for another 850 people.

In 2024, Alice and Chip Gentry of Austin, Texas, will be able to stay home and watch a total eclipse pass over their house, but Monday they were at Agate after having abandoned their plans to view the event in Grand Island due to potentially bad weather.

Chip, who has a degree in astronomy, has already missed two eclipses  one in Florida and another in Hawaii  because of clouds and wasnt willing to risk it again.

We left Grand Island and midnight and headed west.

After totality concluded, Alice said she just wanted to hit the replay button, and admitted they may not be waiting for 2024. The eclipse in Chile in 2019 had already been under consideration and Mondays experience may have tipped the scale.

Agate Fossil Beds was also one of 68 sites for the Citizen CATE (Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse) project. Chuck Cynamon of Maryland said his group, which included wife Dawn and son Samuel, have been training for five months to take part in Citizen CATE. The end result of the project will be a 90-minute movie showing the eclipse as it moved from coast-to-coast. Its the first time that 90 contiguous minutes of the suns corona have been available to study, and that data will be compiled with satellite data to determine whats happening in the corona and on the suns surface.

Among those who have experience with eclipses and astronomy were plenty of ordinary individuals with an interest in the skies.

Jennifer Mapes of Colorado Springs, Colo., has been waiting to see an eclipse ever since she missed the one that passed over Lincoln when she was in fifth grade. Phil Osterlund of St. Paul, Minn., and his wife turned the event into a chance to visit their daughter in Hot Springs, S.D., and camped in Harrison after ruling out Alliance as a destination due to traffic.

David and Tina Frankenbery of Custer, S.D., and Ken Frankenbery of Pennsylvania left Custer at 2 a.m. Monday morning, bound for Agate Fossil Beds. Ken is already planning on hosting them in return in 2024 when a solar eclipse crosses more closely to his home.

Laurie Reed and her family traveled from Clearwater, Fla., to Custer State Park, which had 97 percent coverage of the sun, where they planned to stay. But after listening to a program at the park Sunday night about all the things that occur only in the path of totality, they headed south.

Ninety-seven percent just wasnt good enough, Reed said.

As the moon moved off and light and heat returned to Earth, Teri Nolting and Diana Weis, who volunteered for the day at Agate Fossil Beds, couldnt get over the view of sunset all around them at noon, and said they were glad they had nearly two full minutes in totality to enjoy the experience.

You just want to take it all in, Nolting said.
With 7 million people expected to travel to the path of totality of Mondays solar eclipse, and up to 400,000 predicted to head to Nebraska, no one was entirely sure of what to expect.

Initial reports indicate plenty of visitors but very few incidents.

Agate Fossil Beds reported playing host to roughly 11,000 people for the event. A child was reported missing briefly early in the day, but he was quickly re-connected with his parents without harm.

In Harrison, visitors filled the RV sites and pitched tents in the yards of several residents who offered their property up to accommodate the masses after the hotels were full.

Fort Robinson State Park was full, and Superintendent Mike Morava said the crowd was a little heavier than normal due to the solar eclipse, but didnt have official estimates.

The regions National Forest and Grasslands campsites were also put to good use over the weekend. Pine Ridge Ranger District Ranger Tim Buskirk reported that Toadstool Geologic Park was at capacity by Friday evening, while the Soldier Creek campgrounds reached that point by Sunday. There were also several dispersed camping sites throughout the grasslands.

It was definitely increased use, Buskirk said. But even with the spike in traffic, there were no apparent issues, he added.

Chadron was impacted mainly with high traffic volumes before and after the eclipse, making it necessary for the Chadron Police Department to direct traffic at the junction of Highways 20 and 385 for a time. Local businesses, especially on the west end of town near the intersection, were also busy thanks to the increased traffic through the city. Dawes County Tourism Director Kristina Harter said the citys restaurants and gas stations saw an uptick in business throughout the weekend, though no numbers are available.

Crawford Mayor Dave Nixon could not be reached by press time, but Harter said she knows the city sold out of all of its Eclipse t-shirts.

Overall I think it was just a really positive experience and a unique one, she said.
Training involves new mindset about violent attacks on public places

HOT SPRINGS  Some 100 people  including teachers, school secretaries, county personnel, Hot Springs Police Department, Fall River County Sheriffs Deputies and people from Fall River Hospital  assembled in Tays Auditorium at Hot Springs High School to receive their ALICE training on Thursday morning, Aug. 17.

In a nutshell, ALICE training is a new way of looking at how to handle violent intruders  including gun-wielding active shooters  in public places, such as school, hospitals, businesses and other venues. Rather than passive, lockdown-and-hide behavior, ALICE training encourages those in such a predicament to be pro-active and find ways to survive and escape from violent intruders.

Those who attended the training had previously received about an hours worth of on-line training and were completing the remainder of the course in person.

Andrea Nester, a National ALICE Instructor, led the training exercise with a discussion of active shooter cases, including Columbine High School, where 12 students and one teacher were gunned down by two students; Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, where 20 students and six staff members were killed; and Virginia Tech, where 32 students were murdered.

Analyzing these and other incidents, Nester pointed out to the audience, showed some revealing information, and justifications for changing the strategies that have been used in the past to deal with violent intruders:

Of 160 active shooting incidents since 2000, 39 were in educational settings: 27 at K-12 schools and 12 at colleges. Of these, 14 involved high schools; six, middle schools; four, elementary schools.

The shooters involved in school shootings were typically 15  19 years old. Business place shootings usually involve 35-44 year olds. Most are men, women get involved when their husbands go on a rampage and they join in.

 Most shooters have little familiarity with the firearms they are using, and tend to acquire the firearm shortly before the incident takes place. Still, they manage to hit their targets with 70 percent of their shots and have a 50 percent kill ratio; compared to police accuracy statistics which say cops hit about 20  30 percent of the time they shoot. Shooters also tend to zone out, and see and hear little but their targets.

 Most active shooter cases last just five to seven minutes, with a person being killed every 5 -15 seconds.

 Timing is critical: It typically takes 3  5 minutes before someone calls 9-1-1, and using the 15 second per death rule,12 people could die during this time. Another minute, perhaps more time if a cell phone is used (dispatchers can locate land line callers immediately, but cell phones locate within about a mile) is burned up before dispatch can send a police officer, four more dead. It takes another five to seven minutes before the police actually arrive, 20 deaths; another minute for the officers to get ready, four more dead; another minute for the police to scan and find the gunman (four more dead). It was 15 minutes between the first 911 call at Sandy Hook before police entered the building, Nester said. Altogether, in 11 minutes 44 people could be killed.

Students, teachers and others, Nester told the audience need to adjust their strategies to deal with violent intruders.

Negotiations dont work, she said, showing a film of a Florida school board meeting where the husband of a woman who had been fired by the school district came to the meeting to shoot the school board. School board members tried to negotiate their way out of the circumstance, but failed. Only when a school security officer maneuvered himself into a position where his shots would not hit board members and took down the intruders  the shooter fired first  was the situation resolved.

Lockdown and hide efforts dont work. For example, the students at Columbine had about four minutes to evacuate the building before the shooting began and most could have done so, but they were trained to lockdown and freeze. Nester said she has witnessed evacuation drills at 1,500-student high schools where everyone is out of the building in just 43 seconds.

Also, at Virginia Tech, the students in the dorms who actively barricaded their rooms suffered few injuries. Those who were passive, who didnt jump out second story windows  as suggested by Prof. Liviu Librescu, one of the heroes of the shooting because he saved many lives, Nester said  or barricade suffered horrible casualties.

ALICE training is a way to rethink all this, to learn what you dont know you dont know, Nester said.

The ALICE acronym stands for the five techniques for surviving an active shooter situation, according to the ALICE Training Institute (ATI), the purveyors of the training: Alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate.

 Alert  Focuses on becoming aware of a threat  the sooner danger can be spotted, the sooner it can be thwarted. A speedy response is critical. This is also about overcoming denial, recognizing the signs of danger and receiving notifications about the danger from others.

 Lockdown  If evacuation is not a safe choice, this is an option. It involves barricading entry points into the room to create a semi-secure starting point, and preparing to evacuate or counter a threat if needed.

 Inform  Communicating a violent intruders location and direction in real time is critical the next step. Armed intruder situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Clear, direct, plain language real time information is key to making effective survival decisions. If a shooter is in an isolated area of a building, ATI says, people can be safely evacuated while those in direct danger can perform enhanced lockdown and prepare to counter.

 Counter  This, a strategy of last resort, according to ATI, involves creating noise, movement, distance and distraction to reduce a shooters ability to accurately shoot. Its not fighting  ATI doesnt believe actively confronting a violent intruder is the best method to ensure the safety of those involved. However, creating a dynamic environment where the shooters chance of hitting a target is reduced can provide the precious seconds needed to evacuate.

 Evacuate  This is removing everyone from a danger zone when it is safe to do this. ATI provides techniques for safer and more strategic evacuations. Evacuating to a safe area takes people out of harms way and hopefully prevents civilians from having to come into any contact with the shooter. ATI teaches strategies for evacuating through windows, from higher floors and under extreme duress.

Nester told the group about a number of active things people can do in an active shooter circumstance, all designed to thwart a shooter (using electrical cords to hold a door shut and prevent entry into a room), distract the shooter (shout at him, throw something, etc.), disorient him (move or have a number of people swarm a shooter), create time to run away from him, or simply evacuate the building.

Then she led several smaller contingents in a series of four hands-on scenarios in high school classrooms designed to simulate the emotional and physical sense of an active shooter coming into a school. Everyone wore protective headgear  much like a fencers mask  for safety.

In the first scenario, to demonstrate how ineffective lockdown and hide tactics are, she had the teachers and others experience this first hand.

A teacher volunteer played the active shooter role, armed with an Airsoft pistol, which can shoot a plastic pellet at about 225 feet per second, about half the speed of a regular BB gun. The students  the teachers and others  were simply to hide anywhere they could. Most chose the classroom closet.

In this scenario, 27 students, were killed by the shooter, who fired 36 rounds in just 55 seconds. A single student remained unharmed.

Analyzing the experience afterwards, the shooter said the experience was scary and didnt feel very good. No one of the group of students felt at all safe, either.

A second scenario involved the students simply evacuating the room as fast as they could to escape the shooter, Hot Springs Police Captain William Wainman. In this case, three students were killed in a 25-second incident.

A third scenario was full on ALICE where the students could use any means they had learned  distraction, evacuation, swarming the shooter and other techniques to thwart the intruder. Hot Springs Police Chief Mike Close was the shooter, and he was pummeled by rubber balls and taken down by a group of swarming students in just five seconds. He managed to kill just one student, his first tackler.

A fourth scenario suggested what could happen with an armed teacher  something many advocate. ALICE training also came into play, but the teacher with the handgun had to shoot over students to hit the intruder and couldnt get to his firearm very quickly. As a result, five students were shot. Nester said she was no fan of armed teachers because analysis of the shootings simply dont support this offering more safety than basic ALICE training.

After the scenarios, she asked those who participated if they felt better about how to handle violent intruders. Their answer was yes.

Capping the training off, Nester urged those involved not to focus on the mentally ill people who did the shootings  sick, she called them  but to talk about the people who survived, the heroes of these shootings: Prof. Librescu, an Auschwitz survivor, who helped 14 people escape the Virginia Tech shooter; Jake Reicher, who tackled a shooter in a school lunchroom and despite being shot and severely wounded (he died on the operating table three times) saved 17 lives; or six-year old Jessie Lewis, a Sandy Hook student, who because his father had firearms and he knew that reloading takes time, encouraged other kids to run away from the shooter. Lewis didnt survive, but he is still a hero, she said.

Elementary principle John Fitzgerald said he had 100 licenses for the ALICE training, and that these people, now ALICE trained, would train others, such as bus drivers, custodians, cooks and other district personnel who couldnt make the initial training.

The $8,800 ALICE training was made possible by a $2,000 grant from First Interstate Bank Fall River Area Foundation; $1,000 from the school district; $500 from the Hot Springs Police Department; $500 from Fall River County; and a $4,800 donation by Bob and Dr. Heather Preuss.

 For more information on ALICE training, as well as analysis of shootings, visit the ATI website at https://www.alicetraining.com/our-program/alice-training/
STURGIS - A free preview screening of highlights from "The Vietnam War," the new 10-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, is coming to Sturgis.

The screening will take place at the kick-off celebration of the Sturgis Big Read, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, at Rally Point at Main and Harley-Davidson Way in Sturgis. The programs and discussions continue through Nov. 11.The film will premiere Sept. 17, on SDPB-TV and on PBS stations nationwide. The screening is free and open to the public.

Prior to the 6:15 p.m. showing, there will be a color guard ceremony followed by music by Kate Fjelstad while books and brochures are being distributed.

At 6 p.m., Mistress of Ceremonies Denise LaRue will introduce Mayor Mark Carstenson and announce the sponsors and partners of the Sturgis Big Read. More information about the NEA Big Read in Sturgis go online to www.sturgisbigread .com

In an immersive narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. "The Vietnam War" features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both sides.

The Vietnam War was a decade of agony that took the lives of more than 58,000 Americans, Burns said. Not since the Civil War have we as a country been so torn apart. There wasnt an American alive then who wasnt affected in some way  from those who fought and sacrificed in the war, to families of service members and POWs, to those who protested the war in open conflict with their government and fellow citizens. More than 40 years after it ended, we cant forget Vietnam, and we are still arguing about why it went wrong, who was to blame and whether it was all worth it.

We are all searching for some meaning in this terrible tragedy. Ken and I have tried to shed new light on the war by looking at it from the bottom up, the top down and from all sides, Novick said. In addition to dozens of Americans who shared their stories, we interviewed many Vietnamese on both the winning and losing sides, and were surprised to learn that the war remains as painful and unresolved for them as it is for us. Within this almost incomprehensibly destructive event, we discovered profound, universal human truths, as well as uncanny resonances with recent events.

Julie Peterson, Director of the Sturgis Public Library and Co-chair of the NEA Big Read Committee in Sturgis, says she looks forward to seeing the documentary unfold during the Sturgis Big Read programs and discussions centering on the novel, "The Things They Carried," by Tim OBrien.

She said the committee hopes to facilitate a conversation within the community of Sturgis surrounding the unique cultural and social moment, which was the Vietnam War. Further, and perhaps more importantly, it aims to acknowledge the effects of the war on the veterans, their families, the nation and the Sturgis Community.

Ten years in the making, the series brings the war and the chaotic epoch it encompassed viscerally to life. Written by Geoffrey C. Ward, produced by Sarah Botstein, Novick and Burns, it includes rarely seen, digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and revelatory audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations.

"The Vietnam War" features more than 120 popular songs that define the era, including tracks from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Simon & Garfunkel, Janis Joplin, Ben E. King, Phil Ochs, Donovan, Johnny Cash, Barry McGuire, Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, Otis Redding, Santana, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, The Temptations, Booker T. and the M.G.s, Pete Seeger and more.
A few passing clouds Monday morning didn't obscure the view of the solar eclipse for Sturgis residents.

A group, including Jordan Burge, gathered on Harley-Davidson Way in Sturgis just outside of the Knuckle Brewing Company. Burge said she was amazed at the spectacle of nature.

Even though Sturgis was just outside the path of totality the moon slowly encroaching across the face of the sun was still an incredible sight.

Up on Belair Circle in Sturgis neighbors gathered with a variety of versions of a pin-hole projectors to view the eclipse.

Ruth Mechling, one of the viewers, said they had tried to secure some solar safe glasses, but none were left to be had in town. So, they set about building the make-shift projectors from everything from milk cartons to cake mix boxes.

Just as the eclipse was reaching its climax, a neighbor happened along with glasses the crew used to view the spectacle.

"This is so much better," said Shawn Mechling. "Wow! That's amazing."

The next total eclipse for North America will come on April 8, 2024. It will start out in Texas and move across the country until it exits on the east coast in the New England states.
The Rapid City Council appears to agree that more funding is needed for city infrastructure improvements. Now, the question is how much and from where those funds will come.

In a 9-1 vote Monday evening in city hall, the council directed city staff to begin crafting an ordinance that would alter the current allocation of the citys sales tax collections. Alderman Chad Lewis cast the lone nay vote.

Currently, of the 2 percent sales tax that Rapid City collects, 46 percent is allocated to the general fund, 23 percent to the capital improvement plan fund, 23 percent to the vision fund and 8 percent to the utility support fund.

That may soon change, though, after the council discussed a new allocation plan that would send 50 percent of collections to the general fund, 29 percent to the capital improvement plan and 21 percent to the vision fund. The utility support fund would be eliminated.

During discussion, some council members said theyd like to see even more money allocated to the CIP fund, which is used for city infrastructure projects including the rehabilitation and repair of city streets and water mains.

Weve got to do better than that, Alderman Steve Laurenti said of the proposed CIP fund increase, which would equate to an increase of $3.38 million in funding in 2018. Were getting nowhere near where were needed to be.

Laurenti noted a March report drafted by city engineers that estimated a $25 million annual shortfall in city funding for streets and bridges.

I would like to see more come from the vision fund, Alderman John Roberts said after calling the proposed change a good start.

We need more money, but nobody wants to touch the only pot of money we have without going out and increasing taxes.

Roberts then made a motion to allocate 50 percent to the general fund, 31 percent to the CIP and 19 percent to the vision fund. The motion ultimately failed, 3-7, with Laurenti, Roberts and Alderwoman Becky Drury voting in support.

Under the mayors proposed change, the vision fund would see a reduction of about $1.1 million in 2018 compared with 2017. Roberts' proposal would double that amount to $2.2 million.

In 2016, the vision fund received $12.4 million, city Finance Department Director Pauline Sumption said before estimating that it would take three years of sales tax collection growth to recoup that loss.

Other council members, including Alderwoman Darla Drew and Aldermen Chad Lewis and Ritchie Nordstrom, expressed apprehension at cutting the vision fund.

I think its not really as high as that, Lewis said of the $25 million shortfall figure, citing the reports high standard for road conditions as its baseline for estimating funding. We live here for reasons  other than perfect streets.

Drew agreed, saying that because of the citys climate, the streets are never going to be perfect before opining that people decide to live somewhere based on the cultural and recreational opportunities  which the vision fund often supports  more than on the condition of the streets.

Lewis and Nordstrom both tried to defend the vision fund, with Lewis saying Rapid Citians have made it clear they want the fund protected. Nordstrom, the chair of the CIP committee that reviews proposed expenditures for capital improvements, added that he was very torn between addressing infrastructure issues and taking from the vision fund.

Toward the end of discussion, Alderwoman Amanda Scott made clear that any decision was preliminary and that the real discussion of any allocation changes would occur when city staff came forward with an ordinance detailing the proposed changes.

I think we can hash that out later, Scott said.

When it does appear, Scott added, she will argue for attaching stipulations to the CIP funding that prioritizes the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure within city limits over the expansion of city infrastructure to accommodate for expected growth.

The councils next budget hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday in city hall.

In other action, council members:

 Acknowledged the June sales tax collection report, which came in at $2,412,989, a 6 percent increase from June 2016 collections. For the first six months of 2017, sales tax collections have risen nearly 2 percent compared with 2017, to $12,081,519.

 Denied a request by the Rapid City area school district to waive the requirements to build a sidewalk along Enchanted Pines Drive at the corner of Fifth Street. The request comes as the school district looks to transfer an eight-acre lot northwest of the intersection to the city. Before the transfer, though, the district must have the lot formally platted. Improvements such as the construction of a sidewalk are required before that can occur, leading to the request. The lot is a drainage lot with a detention pond and no other prospects for future development, Public Works Director Dale tech said at an Aug. 15 meeting.

 Authorized the city to enter into an agreement that will allow the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn and its managers, Lester Hospitality Management, to extend its lease potentially up to 2114. The extension comes as the hotel seeks to obtain financing for construction work and upgrades to its exterior, including a possible connecting walkway from the civic center to the hotel. Currently, the area is leased through Dec. 31, 2029. Last year, the hotel completed $4.9 million worth of improvements to its interior, guest rooms, lobby and elevator.

 Approved three separate construction fee resolutions that will require future property owners along Country Road and 143rd Avenue northeast of Rushmore Mall to cover some of the cost of a recent city water main extension project. In total, $1.7 million must be paid by future property owners to reimburse the citys utility support and water enterprise funds for the project before they can hook into the citys water system. Future property owners along 143rd Avenue between Seger Drive and Country Road and on Country Road between 143rd Avenue and Marino Drive will be required to pay a fee based on the amount of frontage along the water main and/or the amount of property acreage. The fees will be $54.58 per foot for frontage along the main and/or $409.59 per acre.

 Approved an agreement with the South Dakota Department of Transportation that may result in the city receiving about $170,000 in funds after construction to Anamosa Street between East North and Lacrosse streets came in under budget. If the agreement and application for repurposing the funds meets the federal guidelines and deadline of Sept. 5, the money will be deposited in the CIP. The funds can then be used for street or bridge construction or repairs within city limits.
You know youve been around a long time when youre involved in newspaper stories about two solar eclipses, 38 years apart.

The first, a partial eclipse as seen from western South Dakota, happened on Feb. 26, 1979. I was a freelance photographer at the time and had joined several other people trying to photograph it from Mount Rushmore Road in south Rapid City.

Cloud cover that day frustrated attempts to photograph or even see the eclipse, but eventual breaks in the overcast offered some views of the darkening sun, as then-Journal reporter Ron Bender approached to ask what we thought of the celestial event.

Whens the next one going to be? I guess Ill be about 62 then. I dont think Ill worry about that one yet, I quipped.

Hard to believe that quote made the paper, especially since I was off on my own age projection by almost two years.

But here it is, almost four decades later and another eclipse.

Bender and then-Journal colleague Hugh O'Gara probably didn't sweat their story on that '79 eclipse, but I was indeed worried about coverage of Mondays eclipse.

Months of media buzz had created dire predictions of gridlock coming to the sparsely populated high plains, including reports of motel rooms and camping spaces inside the path of totality being snapped up two years ago.

A million people converging on Alliance, Neb.? Thats what we were hearing.

On Monday, from Oregon to South Carolina, roads were jammed with motorists attempting to find any vantage point within the path of totality.

That Rapid City would still experience a 95 percent eclipse wasnt good enough. The hassle of braving potential bumper-to-bumper traffic en route to Lusk, Wyo., was well worth it to experience the moment when deepening twilight suddenly turns into darkness.

You had to be there. Words just dont do it justice.

The moment of totality can be compared to almost instantly going from 20 minutes before sunset to 20 minutes after sunset.

Most striking is 360-degree sunset and stars and planets being visible in the noon sky.

Total eclipses occur about every 18 months worldwide. The majority are over oceans or sparsely inhabited areas. Mondays eclipse is thought to have been viewed by millions of Americans and watched online by millions more across the globe.

So whens the next one going to be? Well, if youre talking about an eclipse only visible in America, thats in August of 2045.

Ill be 89 years old then. I did the math this time.

Im not going to worry about it, but hopefully Ill be here to enjoy that one too.
Moscow court revokes decision to stop proceedings over Tatnefts claim against Ukraine

MOSCOW, August 22 (RAPSI)  The Moscow District Commercial Court has overruled a lower courts decision to cancel enforcement of the ruling issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague awarding the company $112 million in the dispute with Ukraine, RAPSI learnt from the court on Tuesday.

The case was sent for another review by the Moscow Commercial Court.

Earlier, the Moscow Commercial Court stated that the company has a right to file a petition with a Russian commercial court seeking enforcement of a foreign courts ruling only if the commercial court in question has effective jurisdiction granting it right to actualize the ruling. According to the court, Tatneft did not provide evidence proving existence of other partys property on the Russian territory that can be recovered.

Tatneft, based in Russias Republic of Tatarstan, claimed forcible takeover of Ukrtatnafta and seizure of its shares. In May 2008, the company took its case to a tribunal administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

In the summer of 2014, the tribunal ruled that Ukraine had broken the bilateral investment treaty with Russia and awarded compensation of $112 million plus interest over the Ukraine's Kremenchug oil refinery (Ukrtatnafta).

Ukraines authorities have challenged the ruling, but the Court of Appeal of Paris dismissed the appeal in November 2016.

In March 2017, the Russian company filed a motion with the U.S. court seeking to confirm arbitral award and enter the judgment in its favor. According to Tatneft, the amount of debt plus interest reached $144 million.

Later, Tatneft filed similar motions with the High Court in London and the Moscow Commercial Court.

This July, Ukraine filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia asking to dismiss the enforcement petition of Tatneft.
Despite smoky skies, Bitterroot College drew 800 people for its NASA-sanctioned eclipse viewing party Monday.

The smoke didn't interfere with either the fun or the view of the moon crossing in front of the sun, seen through telescopes and special eclipse glasses.

We are so happy, said Jennifer Johnson, the event's safety officer. "The scopes are working and everyone is really enjoying themselves. We have a lot of people that are  interested in space and science today.

With 550 registered curious viewers and more than 200 people dropping by the event, it was an organized and calm celebration.

Retired school teacher Joy Yoakum brought her grandchildren, Meryn Leonardi, 9, and Robert Leonardi, 7. They made marshmallow-toothpick constellations and decorated sugar cookies to look like the sun.

Alyce Leonardi, their mother, said she made a point to attend the event.

"Its like a once- in-a-lifetime thing, for this area anyway, she said.

Seth Basnaw helped Dawson Berglund and other youngsters make star charts of the night sky.

VISTA volunteer Betsy Schur, on her last day serving with Bitterroot College, assisted Della Wood in looking though the viewing telescope and taking a photo with her camera.

And Jimmy Pinjuv talked with his daughters, Tallulah, 8, and Matilda, 12, about older beliefs.

We know tribes used to believe that when the sun got covered it had something to do with gods, he said. Some of them would shoot flaming arrows into the air to try to relight the sun. They thought they were successful since the sun always came back.

Carson Joseph and Annie Ray, in their early 20s, said the eclipse was extraordinary.

I like science so Im super into it, Joseph said.

Corvallis educators Krista Votaw and Suzy Pliley volunteered at a table to help the youngest children turn their solar eclipse glasses into a bigger shield blocking more of the sun. Plileys son, Jackson, 8, said he was glad there was a lot to do.

The eclipse is really nice, beautiful and cool looking, he said. I looked through my glasses, got my face painted and ate a cookie. This is a fun event.

Alexis Vai, 16, was journaling and processing the event. She would look at the sun in eclipse and draw the image in her journal.

I want to remember the shift, she said. Im scientific reporting in five-minute increments.

Vai said the glasses made "it seem almost like the sun is the moon. It gives off the same kind of light in the glasses.

"I feel the shift in the air temperature and the shift in the way the shadows are laying. Im really curious to know what happens to our shadows when we are at full eclipse. Will they vanish? Will they look like they do at noon? (Neither happened.)

Eclipse event team member Jaime Middleton was the organizer of the educational projects.

For me it is great to see so many community volunteers come out in force and be available for kids and teach them about the science,'' she said. "It is extraordinary.

Middleton said more volunteers came than she had scheduled and many brought ideas of their own.

We had awesome volunteers from Corvallis, Victor and the whole valley, she said.

Attendees hailed from states throughout the West and Northwest.

I think it is amazing, said Deana Wise, whose uncle came from California. It is providing good energy for everyone around us and is promoting the school. It is awesome and gives (attention) to Bitterroot College.''

With Star Wars music blasting, Johnson counted down the apex of the eclipse.

If you want to kiss your neighbor thats fine, she said.

The crowd cheered.

Youre looking at your star in one of its rarest forms, Johnson said. This is a wonderful event that youll talk about for the rest of your life. Woohoo!

Retired Corvallis elementary educators Bonnie DeMott and Barb Engler said they remember the last eclipse.

This was different compared to last time, Engler said. In February of 1979 we had the kids go into the lunch room to protect their eyes. Then some of us watched it outside with pinhole cameras.

Engler and DeMott both said they were disappointed that, unlike the full eclipse, this one did not turn the skies dark.

Im disappointed because I thought it would get dark, she said. We could feel it getting cooler. The kids are learning a lot. It was worth the effort to register and come down to the college.

DeMott said he was driving on the interstate for the 1979 eclipse.

I was on my way to Colorado and everything got dark, he said. I just slowed down and kept going. I turned on my parking lights.

Hamilton resident Steve Fullerton said what he remembers most about the 1979 eclipse were the shadows it created.

"When I looked away from the sun I could see the shadow moving along the Bitterroots, he said. It was a solid band just moving down the Bitterroot Mountains.

Bitterroot College Director Victoria Clark thanked the sun and moon for a spectacular show.

We had a good time, Clark said. Thomas Engelmann is our physics aficionado who wanted us to do this. Jennifer Johnson picked up the ball and ran with it. We are one lucky community to have two people like that who are dedicated to making science fun and real.

Clark also thanked Middleton for organizing the activities and the community for coming to the Bitterroot Colleges Great Eclipse Caper.

Our star was the star of the show, Clark said.
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Felt Films (Circle) have released six pieces of banner art for the standalone episodes of their upcoming anthology series, Dark/Web. Eight episodes in all, the series combines a serialized mystery with anthology segments written and directed by various filmmakers.

As you can see from the new artwork, each episode of Dark/Web will feature a unique style, from the De Palma inspired "Viral" to the darkly glamorous "Eat. Prey. Love." You can find more on the filmmakers involved in each episode in previous posts.

About the show:

Each episode of Dark/Web explores themes related to the internet and the dangers present in the murky, unexplained layers of the web. Paranoia, isolation, vanity, loss of identity, the viral nature of ideas and social media pressures are just a few of the subjects the show tackles. Socially, the Internet is as unifying and divisive as it's ever been; only now, when the entire world is connected, it's never been harder to unplug.

All the quads were designed by artist and Felt co-founder Tim Nardelli.

[Full disclosure: I wrote the Dark/Web episode, "Hacked".]
Damn, now this latest addition to this year's Mayhem Film Festival in Nottingham, UK, sounds very cool.

We at Screen Anarchy are always looking for events at film festivals that help round out our visits and still nothing compares to live events. Script readings, for example, when done well, are a lot of fun. A recently unearthed thought-lost script outline from the Hammer Scripts Archive, titled Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls, will be performed live during the festival this October.

Other than this terrific announcement two more titles have been added to the lineup. Joe Lynch's Mayhem and Simeon Halligans Habit have been added to the film lineup. Stay tuned for more announcements as the festival nears.
Kim Jong-kwan assembles some of the finest actresses working in Korea today for his delightful new drama The Table. In some ways the Korean indie cousin of Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes, this elegant, delicate and humorous collection of four extended conversations works beautifully as a feature film, unlike the vast majority of omnibuses that are so popular in local cinema.

A barista readies her small cafe for the day's business in a quiet Seoul neighborhood. Around the same table, from morning until evening, different woman engage in conversations as they navigate old, new and uncertain relationships.

In the first story, Jung Yu-mi (Train to Busan) plays a top star who meets a former flame from her youth, now a salary worker. They haven't met in a long time and all he seems to care about is her status as a celebrity. Jung Eun-chae (Nobody's Daughter Haewon) plays the shy girl of the second conversation who meets a young man who has just returned from a long trip abroad. Prior to his abrupt departure, they had only met briefly.

Next is Han Ye-ri (A Quiet Dream) as a woman arranging for someone to pretend to be her mother for her forthcoming sham marriage. In the final story, Lim Soo-jung (All About My Wife) meets her ex-boyfriend before her wedding and suggests they have a fling until she ties the knot. The four tales explore slightly different themes, but at the very least, each is tinged with shared feelings of doubt and insecurity as each character struggles in some way or another with the need to maintain appearances in a rigid, conformist society.

Using the same location and delicate style, The Table treats its disparate stories as elements of the same narrative, which come together as a cohesive whole thanks to Kim's effortless touch. His careful attention to detail adds subtle changes to the lighting of different segments as the day wears on, and his artistic eye (Kim is also a well-known photographer) locks on to gorgeous close-up images that frame the conversations, such as tea infusing in a pot or a rain drops collecting on a window pane.

However, Kim's greatest achievements are the at times fresh, disarming and perceptive performances he draws out of his leads. The quartet of actresses he has built the film around are all superb, particularly Jung Yu-mi, whose grace and masked distress paint a rich and realistic character in a short time, largely through her exceptionally expressive eyes.

Then there's Jung Eun-chae, who brings her character to life through diffident mannerisms, despite being shot from above and mostly staring down at the ground. Han Ye-ri has no trouble conveying the sadness hidden underneath her character's headstrong exterior. Finally, as the wannabe adulteress, Lim Soo-jung is probably the least well matched to her character, but in a rare chance to demonstrate her talent, she does so with aplomb.

Last year was a big one for Kim, who has made several shorts and omnibuses in the past, as The Table premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and he debuted his equally well-regarded drama Worst Woman at Jeonju earlier in the year, which also featured Han Ye-ri. One can sense that Kim is building to something more significant and he clearly has no trouble attracting top talent, so it'll be very interesting to see where he goes from here.

Thinking back to the soft and exquisite works that marked the early careers of Hur Jin-ho (Christmas in August) and Lee Yoon-ki (This Charming Girl) Korean cinema hasn't had a quality drama to its name in many a moon, and could use a talented and sensitive soul such as Kim to fill that void.
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 Looking at US prison history while charting "How to End Mass Incarceration" | Main | Missouri Gov halts scheduled execution and appoints Board of Inquiry to investigate innocence claim 

August 22, 2017

Considering clemency echoes of a possible Arpaio pardon as Prez Trump's first

This new Daily Beast piece, headlined "Donald Trump May Circumvent the Usual Process to Pardon Sheriff Joe Arpaio," provides some notable quotes from notable federal clemency excerpts in reaction to Prez Trump's indication that he is considering a pardon for a high-profile law enforcement official. Here are excerpts:

President Donald Trump has learned about his power to issue pardons. And in the last week, White House aides have suggested that he use his first one on a controversial choice: Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the schismatic Arizona lawman convicted of contempt of court. In recent days, speculation has mounted that Trump will follow through on this suggestion at a campaign rally in Phoenix on Tuesday. Should he do so, it will be a unique moment in modern presidential politics. Trump will have given the first pardon of his presidency to someone for what appears to be purely political reasons and he will have done so without going through the normal review process. The possibility has left some clemency advocates feeling a little queasy. There are literally hundreds of no-name people weve never heard of, who will never been in the newspaper, who are not cause celebres, who have had applications waiting and waiting and waiting, said P.S. Ruckman, political science professor at Northern Illinois University. Theyre sick to their stomach right now reading about Arpaio getting a potential pardon, thats breaking their heart. Like George W. Bush and Barack Obama before him, Trump has proven stingy with the pardon power granted to the president. And thats probably a generous way to put it. Two hundred days into his presidency, he has yet to pardon anyone. This isnt unprecedented. It took Obama more than 600 days to issue a pardon. He nearly broke the record for fewest pardons, though he granted more clemencies than any other president by shortening the sentences of more than a thousand people.... Ruckman said that most American presidents started pardoning people in their first month in office, and kept pardoning at a regular clip through their administrations. The drop-off in pardons is a relatively new change. And while high-profile grants of clemency to political allies get the most press  think Bushs commutation of Scooter Libbys sentence or Bill Clintons pardon of Democratic mega-donor Marc Rich  the vast majority of people who get pardoned never become household names.... Were Trump to give his first pardon to Arpaio, who endorsed him during the Republican presidential primary, Ruckman argues that it would undercut the populist message from the campaign. It would give people the sense that only famous people, cause celebres, and connected people are going to get pardons from Trump, Ruckman said. Sam Morison, an attorney who worked in the Justice Departments pardon office for more than a decade, predicted Trump will pardon Arpaio when he goes to Arizona, though he added that it would send a terrible message. He hasnt even been sentenced yet, hes just been convicted, Morison said. And hes not contrite, he doesnt accept responsibility  quite the opposite. So in that sense, its very unusual. And the only reason hes getting any traction at all is that hes a well-known political figure. So it is special pleading of the worst kind.

Prior related post:

UPDATE : This local report on a speech Tuesday night by Prez Trump provides the latest news on this front via its headline: "Trump didn't pardon Joe Arpaio in Phoenix  but hints that he will."

August 22, 2017 at 08:49 AM | Permalink

Comments

Did the sheriff appeal the

contempt conviction 

Posted by: Docile/Kind Soul in OR | Aug 22, 2017 12:03:27 PM

In federal court, one cannot appeal until after he has been sentenced. He has not been sentenced yet.

Posted by: Def. Atty. | Aug 22, 2017 4:03:13 PM

Criminal Contempt is a misdemeanor. It carries a six month sentence.

Was a jury trial allowed?

Does attorney-client privilege mean anything, or can prosecutors force lawyers to testify against their client, using secret information from that privilege?

Is a Hispanic lawyer, appointed by Obama, by the name of Victor Salgado, an impartial prosecutor, as required by the rules?

Can a judge, a feminist judge, a left wing, partisan political hack, appointed by Bill Clinton, filled with hatred for men, for Trump, for our immigration laws, for the defendant, for our nation, for our very way of life, serve as an impartial umpire in trial, when she has been the subject of the alleged contempt?

I do not know. You decide.

Posted by: David Behar | Aug 22, 2017 9:28:56 PM

Post a comment
This Friday, city leaders will rally concerned citizens and host an afternoon event on the steps of City Hall to condemn hate and the presumed racist overtones of a planned rally in Crissy Field this Saturday. The rally, which still needs a final permit from the National Park Service, has been the source of extensive hand-wringing and much bluster on social media in the Bay Area, despite denials from its organizer that it will have any neo-Nazi or white supremacist elements like those who showed up in Charlottesville.

The counter-protest and rally will take place at noon on Friday on the steps of City Hall.

Having observed several earlier dustups in Berkeley in which the word "patriot" was put in the title and to which many armed individuals showed up on both the far right and far left ends of the spectrum to do battle, SF Mayor Ed Lee has urged the NPS not to issue a final permit for the rally out of concern for public safety.

Supervisor London Breed tells the Examiner, "Many members of the public have reached out to me and other officials to express their outrage. They have also expressed a strong desire for a peaceful anti-protest." She added, "As a city, we believed it was important to provide that alternative, on our own day on our own terms, to hopefully change the narrative from violence and racism to love and unity."

Meanwhile on Saturday, multiple other protest and rally events are planned in different parts of the city in order to give protesters outlets to express their anger and displeasure over the Patriot Prayer event and racist rhetoric in general on the alt-right, all without having to confront any attendees directly in Crissy Field  something that may lead to physical altercations.

SF drag queen Juanita More!, along with multiple local organizations, is hosting a Saturday afternoon event in the Castro called "Come Together," with the tagline "Celebrate love and say no to hate." Longtime activist Cleve Jones has already given the event his ringing endorsement, and over 1200 people have expressed interest in attending on Facebook.

"Our city is coming together this weekend to resist hate and bigotry," Juanita tells SFist. "There are protests, non-profit events, dance parties and marches being planned from one end to the other. All of them to express our collective disgust with white supremacy, facism, and nazism. I am in support of all of the events and stand with the community and will not let the alt-right take us back in time."

She continues, "In my heart the best place for me to bring my San Francisco family together is at Harvey Milk Plaza where I will be joined by leaders from the Transgender Law Center, SF NAACP, SF LGBT Center, The National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Immigration Law Center , API Wellness Center, The Women's March, The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Bay Resistance, Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice and more."

The Castro event is planned to go from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, and will likely be followed by a march to Civic Center culminating in another planned rally there that will include music performances, comedy, and more.

There is also a candlelight vigil being organized Friday night by the San Francisco Interfaith Council, a mobile dance party starting in Dolores Park that will converge on Civic Center Saturday, and the previously announced counter-protest involving a whole lot of dog poop in Crissy Field.

Several other gatherings that are not advocating violence are nonetheless planning to confront the Crissy Field gathering head-on, including this one that will gather on Fort Mason Green, this one involving a call for clowns to mock to the alt-right rally attendees, and this larger one that is advocating for "fighting back," however a much larger planned event called "Unafraid" that was likely to draw hundreds if not thousands of counter-protesters to Crissy Field has now been canceled and its Facebook link redirects to the peaceful Civic Center rally instead.

You can read my thoughts, if you haven't already, about why I think giving the Crissy Field event any direct attention is a terrible idea.

Previously: Dog Owners To Dump Poop On Crissy Field Ahead Of Rally; Organizer Tells Fox He's Not A White Supremacist
A routine Friday morning medical call turned into a raid on what authorities suspect was a sham senior care facility in Cole Valley. The Examiner reports that seven senior citizens have been removed from an unlicensed senior care facility at 1208 Stanyan Street, and the SFPD is questioning the owner and manager of the unauthorized operation. The fire department responded to a Friday 9:30 a.m. medical call from the senior care facility. They found a few seniors, but no actual care being given in a filthy and ramshackle facility.

The Chronicle dug through some public records to find that a business called Moanas Independent Living was doing business at that particular address. But neither that business nor that address has a license to operate an assisted-living facility or an adult care home. And according to residents, the only kind of independent living they foster is among those who are mobile enough to avoid the squalid conditions of their care home for as much of the day as possible.

KRON 4 got one of the elderly victims to speak on camera about the conditions inside. Raw food dropped on the floor, resident of three weeks Robert Brown told the station. The same rag used to prepare food also being used to wipe off the floor. Then, back to food handling. Washing dishes and general bacterial contamination. Mattresses on the floor. There is no food available for them. No medication available. They all need assistance, diaper changing. There was feces all over the floor this morning. Its been a rather nightmarish place.

The menu for the seniors appears to have varied between poison and nothing whatsoever. In the first two weeks I was here, six days out of those, I was sick with intestinal food poisoning, Brown told KRON 4. At the moment, there is no food in the refrigerator. Theres no milk. Theres a few stalks of celery. Ostensibly, food has been on-schedule for the delivery for the past four days but weve received nothing.

The seven seniors have been removed and hospitalized. Police are questioning individuals suspected of operating the business, but no arrests have been made.

Related: State Senate Approves Bill To Protect LGBT Seniors


Prosecutors in Chicago revealed details for the first time Sunday in the gruesome homicide there on July 27 that ended with two suspects being arrested and briefly held here in the Bay Area. The allegations against the pair, who had never met in person before last month and were both employed by prestigious academic institutions, reveal a bizarre murder-suicide plot that apparently involved killing two individuals, and then killing each other simultaneously.

The Chicago Tribune reports that recently fired Northwestern University professor Wyndham Lathem, 42, allegedly met 56-year-old Oxford University employee Andrew Warren in an online chat room, and in late July paid for his plane ticket to Chicago so that the two could enact a sexual fantasy of murdering people and then killing each other. They apparently stopped short of fulfilling the entire plan, leaving Chicago together and hitting the road, headed to the Bay Area, with Lathem expressing his regrets about the killing in a video that was sent to friends and family. In the video, according to prosecutors, Lathem "elaborated that he is not the person people thought he was," and said that he'd made "the biggest mistake of my life."

In court on Sunday for a bail hearing, prosecutors said that Lathem paid to put Warren up in a hotel near his Chicago apartment, and then "lured" their first victim, 26-year-old Trenton Cornell-Duranleau, to the apartment on the night of July 26. He then texted Warren to come over at 4:30 the next morning after Cornell-Duranleau, and alledly instructed Warren to take a cellphone video of him stabbing and killing Cornell-Duranleau.

Cornell-Duranleau was apparently stabbed 70 times, as the Associated Press reports.

Per the Tribune's gruesome details, picked up by Chicagoist, via Assistant State's Attorney Natosha Toller:



As Warren stood in the doorway to the bedroom, cellphone in hand, Lathem stabbed the sleeping Cornell-Duranleau "over and over in the neck and chest area," Toller said. Cornell-Duranleau woke up and began to scream and fight back, prosecutors said. Lathem cried to Warren for help, Toller said, so Warren walked in and put his hands on the victim's mouth, then hit him in the head with a heavy metal lamp. Warren left to get two kitchen knives, prosecutors said, and both men then leaned over Cornell-Duranleau and stabbed him again and again, prosecutors said. Warren was stabbing with such force that he broke the blade of one of the knives he used, prosecutors said.

The attack apparently left Cornell-Duranleau nearly decapitated, and prosecutors also reported the detail that when he woke up to find his boyfriend stabbing him, his last words were "Wyndham, what are you doing?"

Warren has also apparently told authorities that the two had planned on killing a second victim of Lathem's choosing.

In addition to stopping to make a $1,000 donation in Cornell-Duranleau to a public library in Wisconsin, which was previously reported, the pair apparently also made a $5,610 donation to the Howard Brown Health Center, an LGBT health and social services provider.

They took off sometime on July 27, driving thousands of miles to the Bay Area and setting off a nationwide manhunt after Lathem apparently called his own apartment building front desk from the library to tell them where the body was.

Both men surrendered peacefully to authorities in Oakland and San Francisco on August 4 after over a week on the lam.

Lathem's attorney Barry Sheppard has already submitted letters of support for Lathem written by colleagues, which the judge in the case has already dismissed as irrelevant.

Both Warren and Lathem continue to be held without bail after being extradited to Chicago.

Per the Tribune, Sheppard told reporters Sunday that his client "has led a life of outstanding, unblemished citizenship," and "We simply ask the public to patiently allow the legal system to work."

Previously: Two Men Suspected In Strange Chicago Murder Come To Bay Area, Turn Themselves In


As parents with kids likely already know, Legoland California Resort has a section of the theme park called Miniland USA which can be cruised through on a boat or toured on foot. Miniature Lego versions of New York City, Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Southern California are all included (per the site, at Halloween, "the New Orleans cemetery 'comes alive' with dozens of zombies and skeletons crawling out of the graves."). But they also devote a section to San Francisco, with a Lego-built Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Lombard Street, the TransAmerican Pyramid, the Painted Ladies, Chinatown, Pier 39, and more. There's even a working Vaillancourt Fountain (which wasn't working in real life until last week, and is now temporarily on with some blue chemical running through it like a chemical toilet).

Of course the city depicted is a condensed, Vegas version, geographically (and as you can see in photos taken here from a cruise boat by Gothamist co-founder Jake Dobkin, the New York City skyline can be seen right behind it). They haven't yet added Salesforce Tower or or any of the other new additions to the skyline, but that project is perhaps in the pipeline.

Geographically sort of correct is the California Street cable car headed to Nob Hill, though it looks like Nob Hill is missing, and 555 California is totally in the wrong place. Also, they put the Hyde Street cable car turnaround in the right place, between Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square  and they've used real sounds recorded at Pier 39, including barking sea lions, to accompany the display.

Below, you can see some YouTube video shot of the SF display, which has been part of Legoland California Resort opened in 1999 in Carlsbad  the first such park to open outside of Europe. All the SF buildings were constructed in Billund, Denmark and brought here for the park.

In 2010, the resort added a water park, and in 2013, they added a hotel that features themed rooms for kids.
Raoul Peck directs this documentary which explores the history of race relations in the United States through the eyes of renowned African American writer and social critic James Baldwin. Based on the unfinished manuscript of Baldwin's book 'Remember This House', the film features archive footage and interviews with the writer as he discusses the issue of racism in America and reminisces about the work of influential civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
SIOUX CITY | Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City President and CEO Jim FitzPatrick has resigned, ending a three-year tenure as head of the regional health care system, Mercy's board of directors announced Tuesday.

"We are grateful to Jim for his years of service to Mercy Sioux City and our patients. We appreciate all that Jim has done during his time in our community," Mercy Sioux City Board of Directors chair Milton Avery said in a news release.

Regional chief financial officer Rod Schlader has been named interim CEO. FitzPatrick will remain with the hospital through the fall to help with the transition, according to the news release.

Mercy Sioux City, the only Level II trauma center between Sioux Falls and Omaha, is part of Trinity Health of Livonia, Michigan, and Mercy Health Network, a system of hospitals in Iowa. Mercy Health Network, Trinity Health leadership team and the Mercy Sioux City board will begin a national search for a permanent CEO immediately, according to the news release.

FitzPatrick assumed the president and CEO role at Mercy in Sioux City in 2014, after serving as senior vice president for network development for Mercy Health Network and 10 years as president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center -- North Iowa in Mason City. He succeeded Bob Peebles in Sioux City after he retired as CEO and president.

"Jim's accomplishments at Mercy are numerous, including his pioneering work to bring improvements to many Catholic hospitals in Iowa and leading work to improve safety and supporting rural hospitals in Iowa," Mercy Health Network president and CEO Bob Ritz said in a news release.

Under FitzPatrick's tenure with Mercy in Sioux City, the downtown hospital completed a $14 million modernization of its Intensive Care Unit. The project, completed in 2015, included the renovation of the existing 21,000 square feet of ICU space on the fifth floor and an 8,000-square-foot addition above radiology services on the fourth floor. Patient rooms were redesigned and enlarged, creating more flexible space for doctors, nurses and other support staff, and a more comfortable experience for patients and their families.

In FitzPatrick's first year at Sioux City, Mercy aligned with Texas-based United Surgical Partners International to jointly acquire majority ownership of the Siouxland Surgery Center in Dakota Dunes, which has since been renamed Dunes Surgical Hospital. Mercy, a non-profit hospital, was one of the initial investors in the for-profit outpatient and overnight surgical hospital in 1994.

Early this year, Mercy moved the Dr. Joseph Washburn Oncology/Palliative Care Center from the seventh to the eighth floor of its Sioux City hospital, resulting in oncology patients being placed on the same floor as general surgery and urology patients. More recently, three family physicians at Mercy's clinic in Akron, Iowa, resigned, upsetting many local residents who circulated a petition asking Mercy to terminate the clinic building's lease to allow the popular doctors to remain practicing in the community. That effort was unsuccessful.

Schlader, Mercy's new interim president and CEO, has more than 30 years of health care administration, serving in executive roles in Catholic health care in Iowa. He was appointed regional chief financial officer to the Iowa Region of Trinity Health in 2013 and previously served as interim president and chief executive officer at Mercy Medical Center -- North Iowa.

Mercy Sioux City, which has 238 beds and provides care to residents in a 33-county area in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, employs more than 1,300 people. The health care system also owns hospitals in Primghar, Iowa, and Oakland, Nebraska, and managers hospitals in Hawarden, Iowa, and Pender, Nebraska.
SIOUX CITY | The upper levels of a home on Nebraska Street sustained damage late Monday, according to fire officials.

Sioux City Fire Rescue responded to reports of a structure fire at 1916 Nebraska St. shortly after 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Firefighters on scene said no one was injured in the fire, and everyone inside was able to get out after they smelled the smoke.

Firefighters worked for more than an hour fighting the fire in the attic area of the home. The second floor of the structure also sustained water damage.

As of 9 p.m. Monday, crews were still on scene inspecting the fire and monitoring hot spots. No cause had been determined.
SIOUX CITY | Two men charged in connection with a series of burglaries in Sioux City's Leeds neighborhood have pleaded not guilty.

Jeremy Mahaney, 19, of Sioux City, entered his written plea Monday in Woodbury County District Court to two counts of second-degree burglary and single counts of first-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, second-degree theft and operating a vehicle without the owner's consent.

Joseph Tapia, 18, of Sioux City, pleaded not guilty Aug. 10 to single counts of first-, second- and third-degree burglary, second-degree theft and attempted second-degree burglary.

Both are charged in connection with an Aug. 3 burglary at a home in the 4500 block of Perry Way. The homeowner confronted two intruders and fought with one of them before the suspects fled the house. A vehicle used in the burglary was located a short distance away, and stolen items were found in the grass next to it.

According to court documents, Mahaney took the keys to the vehicle from his mother, whose employer owned the vehicle.

During the investigation, police linked Mahaney, Tapia and Henry Deleon to other burglaries in the Leeds neighborhood.

Deleon, 17, of Sioux City, has yet to be arraigned on burglary and theft charges.
ORANGE CITY, Iowa | The Sioux County Sheriff's Office is seeking any information about thefts of hogs from two separate farms.

Sheriff Dan Altena's office was called Monday to investigate a theft from a hog building seven miles northwest of Rock Valley, Iowa. According to a news release, deputies discovered that someone had entered the property and stolen 35 White Large Landrace pigs, each weighing about 250-280 pounds. The theft is believed to have taken place sometime from May to August.

Last week, Sioux County deputies investigated the theft of 30 hogs, all weighing 250-280 pounds, from a building four miles southwest of Inwood, Iowa. That theft is believed to have taken place sometime from Aug. 3 to Aug. 17.

Anyone who has information about either theft is asked to call the Sioux County Sheriff's Office at (712) 737-2280.
DES MOINES | A Hospers, Iowa, social worker faces a November hearing before a state licensing board that charged her with having an improper relationship with a former client.

The Iowa Board of Social Work has accused Briana Van Der Zwaag of beginning a romantic relationship with a former client shortly after ending their therapeutic relationship. The board last week filed a charge of engaging in sexual activities or sexual contact with a former client within five years following termination of the client relationship.
Shyanne Delgado, 25, entered her plea last week in Dickinson County District Court. According to court documents, Delgado has agreed to a five-year suspended prison sentence and will serve five years on probation. She also must enroll at a residential treatment facility in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Delgado was arrested July 26 after the Iowa Department of Human Services had removed her children, age 3 and 5, from her Spirit Lake home after she had tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana during a visit to a hospital emergency room for a possible drug overdose in June, court documents said. The DHS collected hair samples of the children for testing, and both samples came back positive for methamphetamine.
SPENCER, Iowa | A Sioux Falls man is facing a pair of charges after Clay County, Iowa, authorities say he took firearms valued at more than $10,000 from a Spencer business in July 2014.

Jermaine Scott Hill, 33, of Sioux Falls, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree theft and third-degree burglary.

Court documents state that on or around July 22, 2014, Hill unlawfully entered Southern Archery in Spencer and was later in possession of more than $10,000 worth of stolen firearms from the establishment.
SIOUX CITY | Jury selection is scheduled to begin Wednesday for the trial of a man accused of exchanging gunfire with a sheriff's deputy.

Melvin Spencer, 25, of Sioux City, has pleaded not guilty in Woodbury County District Court to attempted murder for the Feb. 26 incident involving Woodbury County Sheriff's deputy Mike Lenz.

If found guilty as charged, Spencer would face a 25-year prison sentence.

Spencer is accused of leading Lenz on a vehicle pursuit that ended as Spencer turned off of 225th Street south of Sioux City and got stuck in a ditch at a dead end on Allison Avenue. Spencer then leaned out the driver's side window and exchanged gunfire with Lenz, authorities said.

Lenz was not injured, but at least five rounds struck his patrol vehicle.

Spencer fled on foot and was arrested three hours later.

A male passenger in Spencer's vehicle was struck by the gunfire and received non-life-threatening injuries.

Brittney Hood, 27, of Sioux City, pleaded guilty in April to misdemeanor charges of eluding and interference with official acts and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and fined $250. She was initially driving the car involved in the pursuit, which began when she sped away from a traffic stop. Hood later stopped the car and fled on foot before she was apprehended in a field.

Spencer then drove off in the car.
SIOUX CITY | Drivers wanting to use a downtown parking ramp for an hour or less will soon be able to hold on to their change.

Within the next few weeks, the city plans to institute a six-month trial of a new "First Hour Free" parking program, an effort to attract motorists planning to park downtown for an hour or longer away from street parking and into the city's underutilized parking garages.

The Sioux City Council passed the second and final readings of the proposed change to its parking ordinance by 4-1 votes Monday. The passage is the result of an ongoing discussion this year on ways to enhance downtown parking.

Councilwoman Rhonda Capron cast the sole dissenting vote Monday, saying she believes offering discounted parking is "putting the cart before the horse," since studies have shown Sioux City's downtown has an overabundance of parking for the amount of traffic it sees.

"In order to get people down there into those ramps, you've got to have business going on," she said. "A free hour is not going to do any good if you don't have people down there in the first place."

Mayor Bob Scott, who had previously expressed a similar sentiment and voted no when the council passed the first reading 4-1 two weeks ago, switched his vote to a yes Monday.

He told the Journal after the meeting he was more favorable to this plan than an alternate proposal -- to allow parking for free after 5 p.m. -- that had been floated in previous weeks.

"I don't want to be the guy that Downtown Partners and the downtown businesses say, 'You held back progress,'" he said. "We'll see how it goes in six months, and if it's working it'll be good. If it isn't working, we'll readjust and do something else."

Scott said he also agreed with Capron, saying he overall wants to see more activity in the downtown area.

Under the new parking proposal, motorists using Sioux City's ramps will receive the first hour of parking free and discounted subsequent hours. For example, parking in a ramp for two hours would only cost 75 cents, the current cost for one hour; parking in a ramp for three hours would cost $1.50, the current cost for two hours; and so on.

Residents currently pay 75 cents for the first 60 minutes in a parking ramp and more for each subsequent hour. Weekend parking is free. Ramps charge until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 7 p.m. on Friday.

Last week, the council had listened to a competing proposal that would make all parking free after 5 p.m. The council deferred a decision and sent both proposals back to the city's Parking and Skywalk Board of Trustees, which advises the council on parking issues, for its input.

The board backed the "First Hour Free" proposal, saying it helps clients of businesses during regular hours.

If downtown does not see an increase in parkers, the city faces a projected loss of $19,432 in annual revenue through the First Hour Free program, according to city documents. Cost will be one of the criteria for evaluating the success of the program after the six months are up.

When the new program will go into effect has yet to be determined, as the city has to make a few adjustments to the ramps to adapt to the change in fee structure. City council members expressed a desire to have it begin sometime in September.

Mueller appointed chief

In other action Monday, the council voted 5-0 to appoint Capt. Rex Mueller as the new chief of the Sioux City Police Department, effective Sept. 1.

Mueller will succeed retiring Sioux City Police Chief Doug Young, who will step down at the end of the month.

Mueller, 45, has been with the force since 1996 and currently oversees the department's Uniformed Services Bureau. He was named as Young's successor during a press conference last week.

Mueller's starting annual salary will be $121,000.
SIOUX CITY | U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst discussed two top national Republican Party leaders Monday, saying President Donald Trump worked hard during the health care reform overhaul that failed to get passage in the Senate earlier this summer.

Ernst also said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, needs to step up his leadership game but does not need to resign his post.

Ernst noted three attempts by Republicans, who control the presidency and both federal legislative chambers, failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act set in 2010 by Democrats. Republican had campaigned on the necessity of repeal since 2012, but couldn't cobble together the 50 votes needed to pass a health care package.

Ernst said that means it is time to scale back the attempt to pass one big health bill and instead go with smaller bills to address health costs and insurance access, as she spoke to 35 people at the Sioux City Rotary Club.

She said Trump was extensively involved in early workings of the health care bill machinations, including getting lawmakers informed about the measure. Ernst said the failure of the most recent bill is not the fault of the president.

"He was extremely involved, but we need more of that," said Ernst, who was elected in 2014 after serving as a state senator.

"Policy-wise, he is doing well," Ernst said of Trump, who has low approval ratings eight months into his presidential term.

She cited how Trump led the quest to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court with Neil Gorsuch, to fill the position that had been open since early 2016 with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Ernst was asked by a Rotarian what more could be done to help McConnell lead the Senate. She recounted the definition of what constitutes a leader, and added, "if you aren't inspiring people to lead you, you are not a leader."

Ernst also said people "are not seeing" leadership from McConnell right now, but added that does not mean he should resign as majority leader.

Ernst said 2017 can still be a good year in D.C., pointing to hopes to enact tax reform that Trump wants. She said the tax plan only has rough parameters now and she anticipates a good bill eventually being written. She said it must include commercial tax reform to boost the business climate and have changes to benefit the middle class.

Ernst said she expects lawmakers will dig into a plan by Trump to improve the nation's infrastructure in a $1 trillion initiative. She added that plan is likely too ambitious, so a first piece of $500 billion is more defensible to pass.

"Folks, where are we going to find $1 trillion?" Ernst asked.

Ernst said infrastructure work such as locks and dams on the Mississippi River could benefit Iowa.

Ernst was able to exit the hour-long Rotary meeting by 1 p.m., just in time to join dozens of people outside the Sioux City Convention Center to view the total solar eclipse. An aide had her special viewing glasses set to go for Ernst.

The event was the first total solar eclipse since 1918 with a path that crosses the Pacific and Atlantic coasts in the U.S.
SERGEANT BLUFF | A 125-acre industrial park in Sergeant Bluff that recently won state certification has already started attracting interest from prospective tenants, Mayor Jon Winkel said Tuesday.

Winkel said, hypothetically, a new or expanding business could break ground within two weeks of signing papers.

The mayor's comments came at a ceremony at City Hall Tuesday morning to announce the industrial park has been bestowed as an Iowa Certified Site designation.

The state certification program, started by the Iowa Economic Development Authority in May 2012 as a way to address the lack of project-ready industrial sites in the state, declares sites are more than shovel-ready as verified through an independent, third-party certification program. Shovel-ready sites have roads and utility infrastructure already in place. The certification was completed by the nationally recognized site selection firm of McCallum Sweeney Consulting.

So far, there are 17 certified sites across the Hawkeye state. The Sergeant Bluff is the first in western Iowa. Sioux City also sought the designation for the Bridgeport West Business Park but the space filled up before the process was complete.

It typically takes three years for a community to earn the designation, but Sergeant Bluff was able to accomplish it in two years. Winkel noted that being a smaller community  with a population of about 4,500  streamlines a lot of things and working with fewer people to try and make things happen a little quicker than most.

As a small community, we have to compete with bigger communities and so we have to find ways to be more efficient and do things as good as we can, he said.

Although she was originally scheduled to appear, Iowa Economic Development Director Debi Durham, who was instrumental in the certification process, was not able to attend Tuesday's news conference.

However, in a release, she applauded Sergeant Bluff and noted the value of the designation.

Certified sites are a must-have to compete these days, Durham said. I congratulate Sergeant Bluff for their foresight in investing in their community this way. Now, the hard work begins as we market the park and look for a project that is the right fit.

Winkel said the city has lots ranging from two acres to 100 acres available and wants to attract companies that plan to bring high-quality jobs to the community.

Located between Port Neal Road and Old Highway 75 and connected by the new Dogwood Trail, Winkel said the industrial park is situated in an ideal spot in the southern part of the city. He noted the park has close access to Siouxland Gateway Airport, Interstate 29 and Sioux Citys Southbridge industrial area and is zoned for light industrial or light manufacturing businesses.

Sam Wagner, director of business retention of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, thinks Sergeant Bluffs industrial park will maintain the regions competitive edge in trying to attract manufacturers. He also said it should help the area continue to bode well in Site Selection magazine's annual rankings of the country's best places for economic development.

"Having a certified site is a tremendous arrow in our quiver, Wagner said.

Six times in the last decade, the Atlanta-based national trade publication has ranked the Sioux City metro No. 1 on its list of small metro areas with the most new or expanded business projects.

"A site like this adds to our inventory, it adds to our arsenal of offerings of companies," Wagner said. "We see that this is going to be a tremendous help to keep us in the running for those rankings rather were ranked No. 1 or in the top three like we often do."
SIOUX CITY | The first of two bridge deck pours on the Interstate 29 bridge at Hamilton Boulevard in Sioux City will require closing northbound I-29 to traffic from 9 p.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Friday.

The Iowa Department of Transportations Sioux City construction office reports that during this closure, northbound I-29 traffic will be detoured onto the off-ramp at Hamilton Boulevard and then onto the northbound Hamilton Boulevard on-ramp. Traffic on Hamilton Boulevard will be detoured to Wesley Parkway.
Todays top picks from our online calendar. Find more events at siouxcityjournal.com/calendar.

Le Mars Community Theatre Auditions

Auditions for "Veronica's Room," a chilling mystery thriller by the author of "Rosemarys Baby" that explores the thin line between fantasy and reality, madness and murder. Parts available are for a man, woman, young girl and young man. Performance dates October 12-22. Auditions 7 to 9 p.m. today and Wednesday at The Postal Playhouse, 105-1st Street NE, Le Mars, Iowa. Contact the director at 917-755-0013 or visit www.lemarscommtheatre.org for more information.

Hike the Wild

Meet at the Dickinson County Nature Center, 2279 170th St., Okoboji, Iowa, at 9:30 a.m. and caravan to the hiking site. A full schedule of locations is available at www.dickinsoncountynaturecenter.com. Call 712-336-6352 for more information.

Tangled Yarns

Join us for Tangled Yarns at the South Sioux City Public Library, 2121 Dakota Ave., on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Work on string or thread crafts, chat and learn with others doing the same! Crochet, knitting, embroidery, cross-stitch, etc. are welcome to join in our group.
SIOUX CITY  Every dollar counts in the United Way of Siouxlands quest to raise at least $3.4 million to support a bevy of local charitable causes.

Officials with the Sioux City-based nonprofit, affiliated with the national organization, hammered that point home during its 2017-18 annual fundraiser kick-off Tuesday morning at Perry Creek Elementary School.

This years theme revolved around being a game changer and featured decorations made with components of several classic board and card games such as Monopoly, Operation, Trivial Pursuit and Uno.

Kevin McManamy and Kristie VerMulm McManamy of United Real Estate Solutions Inc. are serving as co-chairs of this years fundraiser campaign. Both emphasized the importance of supporting the United Way while addressing the crowd of donors and supporters.

VerMulm McManamy, a former anchor at KTIV, recalls being asked to pledge a portion of her paycheck to the United Way when she started at the station 22 years ago. Fresh out of school and surviving on Ramen noodles and a $13,000 annual salary, she initially scoffed at the notion.

When youre starting as a reporter, I was eligible for low-income housing and government cheese, truthfully, she said.

However, the same week she was asked, she did two reports on partner agencies that were supported through the United Way, which showed her that others had it worse than she did. Afterwards, she agreed to pledge $1 dollar from every paycheck to support the organization.

Thats all I could afford at that time, but at that same time, I knew that dollar was making a difference, VerMulm McManamy said. As we start to encourage people to get out there and help us with this program, remember, every dollar counts. It starts somewhere.

Corporate partners cover the United Ways administrative costs, so all donated funds are funneled to partner agencies that support the nonprofits goal of providing education, health and financial stability to every person in Siouxland.

The $3.4 million raised last year by the United Way wound up supporting 83 agencies and providing more than 53,000 services to Siouxlanders.

The work they do is life-changing for so many people  all ages, all backgrounds, VerMulm McManamy said.
DES MOINES | Not in Iowa, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Ross Wilburn said Tuesday about the images of hatred and anger from clashes earlier this month between white nationalists and counter-demonstrators in Charlottesville, Va.

Imagine having to apply for a job from one of those people, Wilburn said in formally launching his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor in Des Moines. How about applying for a home loan from such a person, or realizing that one of those hate-filled faces belongs to a co-worker?

The events in Charlottesville make clear the importance of standing up to hate as well as the importance of having a governor who will speak up to protect us from discriminatory behavior, the Iowa State University diversity officer from Ames said.

Wilburn, 52, a former mayor and City Council member in Iowa City for 12 years, heard people ask why there was a need to continue diversity and inclusion training.

The images and rhetoric of Charlottesville run counter to the prevailing sentiments in Iowa, he said. Following the violence there, I have heard Iowans say, Not in our Iowa. I couldnt agree more.

If elected governor in 2018, one of Wilburns principles would be forming Inclusive Iowa to bridge the gaps that threaten to divide the state and create an Iowa that is fair and open. Hes the only candidate in either the Democratic or Republican Party with a professional background of diversity and inclusion training leadership.

Others wonder why we continue to talk about difference, saying we should be over that by now, Wilburn said. But hate groups and harmful behaviors dont spring out of nowhere and events like Charlottesville that embolden hate groups demonstrate why we must emphasize education and learn more about cultures different from our own.

Iowans are welcoming people, Wilburn said, recalling how Southeast Asia refugees were embraced through the efforts of former Republican Gov. Robert Ray.

This is the Iowa we know. This is the kind of love and care our citizens show, he said. This is the kind of leadership I would hold up and build as Iowas governor.

As part of his Lets Be Iowa vision, Wilburn pledged to:

l Create a statewide Inclusive Iowa Task Force focused on enhancing diversity and inclusion and making recommendations for improvements.

l Aggressively use state resources to enforce state and federal anti-discrimination laws, including workplace issues, economic advancement, freedom of speech and the right to vote.

l Regularly meet with Iowans to discuss and highlight examples of how diversity and inclusion make the state stronger.

Wilburn, who grew up in Davenport and is an Iowa Army National Guard veteran, worked for six years as equity director in Iowa City schools, eight years as executive director of the Crisis Center of Johnson County, nine years as program coordinator for United Action for Youth in Johnson County and taught at the University of Iowa, where he also earned his bachelors and masters degrees in social work.

Since 2014, he has been the diversity officer and associate program director of Community and Economic Development for ISU Extension and Outreach.

Wilburn joins former U.S. Department of Agriculture official and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member John Norris, state Sen. Nate Boulton, former Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire, former Des Moines school board President Jon Neiderbach, Coralville nurse and union President Cathy Glasson and Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell in the race for the nomination.

Republicans Gov. Kim Reynolds, Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett and Boone City Council member Steven Ray are seeking the Republican nomination.
WASHINGTON -- Is President Trump a populist or a corporatist?

Is he appealing to white supremacists as a form of political opportunism -- or because, deep down, he sympathizes with their views? Is he the hard-core "fire and fury" hawk of his North Korea statements? Or is he actually a non-interventionist who disdains foreign engagement?

The answer to all these questions is: Who knows? There is absolutely no way of establishing what Trump believes. He says whatever he feels he has to say at any given moment to get attention, strike back at foes or advance his personal (especially economic) interests.

But Trump's decision to let go of his right-wing-populist-in-chief Steve Bannon sends a clear signal that the president's "populism" has always been a ruse. And Bannon committed the cardinal sins of dishing to a liberal journalist and dissing his own base within the Republican Party.

One reason Bannon has always inspired fascination is that he has a set of beliefs that, while not always coherent, are strongly held. Faced with a president whose ideology verges on nihilism, here was someone in the Trump orbit who cared about certain things passionately. Bannon was allowed to fill in the blanks left by an empty man.

This explains Bannon's seemingly fatal decision to call my friend Robert Kuttner, a left-of-center economic populist who disagrees with Trump on all manner of issues but does share Bannon's skepticism about China's role in the global economic system. Bannon seemed to think that he could strengthen his position by seeking allies on the left. This, we have learned conclusively, is not how this fundamentally right-wing White House works.

Kuttner's account of the conversation, published in The American Prospect, was striking because (1) Bannon declared, against Trump's bellicose public bloviating, that "there's no military solution" to the North Korea problem; (2) Bannon sees the U.S. facing an "economic war with China" that we have to be "maniacally focused on"; (3) he's been in "a fight ... every day" on these matters with the Treasury Department and Trump's chief economic adviser Gary Cohn; and (4) he called the ethno-nationalists with whom he is often associated "a collection of clowns."

Yet Bannon also seemed to welcome the public battles that Trump's moral equivalency toward neo-Nazis and their foes in Charlottesville has unleashed. "The Democrats," Bannon told Kuttner, "the longer they talk about identity politics, I got 'em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."

Well. Bannon's last point, despite his departure, could be a Rosetta Stone for Trump's shameful handling of Charlottesville: The president may figure that dividing Americans along racial lines while fueling a fight on the left over identity vs. class politics will leave him a winner.

But Bannon made all of this way too explicit. He also overlooked the large national consensus against neo-Nazis, Klansmen and white supremacists. Trump can't admit that he's playing politics with race, and ethno-nationalism is, fortunately, being challenged more forcefully than ever.

Bannon got into trouble for other reasons as well, notably by directly contradicting Trump's posture on North Korea. His dismissal is a triumph for Cohn, White House chief of staff John Kelly and national security adviser H.R. McMaster. Friends of a steadier foreign policy will cheer Bannon's fall -- although who knew that doves had a secret ally in the former head of Breitbart News?

Bannon's ouster will no doubt be described as a victory for "moderation." But it also underscores that for all of Trump's talk about workers and jobs, his administration's substantive actions have mainly benefited corporate interests. This is especially true of its rolling back of rules around the environment, Wall Street and various worker and consumer protections.

As political scientists Matt Grossmann and David Hopkins observed earlier this month on The Washington Post's "Monkey Cage" blog, Trump's actual behavior, including his "regulatory retrenchment," suggests he is likely to "compile the most conservative policy record of any recent administration."

Trump carried the crucial states of the Midwest because he was not a conventional conservative. Bannon, for all his disturbing inclinations, understood this. Does Trump?

The president's defenders will cheer this decision as an effort to create a more orderly and predictable administration. Just as likely, we are witnessing yet another erratic move from a leader who doesn't know what he believes and was uneasy with an aide who dared imagine that there was a point to his presidency.
Heather Davis, 35, of Huntingtown John Denlinger, Jr., 27, of Prince Frederick Previous Next

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(, 2017)The Calvert County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.WEEKLY SUMMARY: During the week of August 1420, deputies responded to 1,203 calls for service throughout the community.SHOPLIFTING: On August 15, a call was dispatched for a theft of a BB Gun at Walmart, Prince Frederick. Deputy R. Spalding was in the area and began to look for the suspect. Deputy V. O'Donnell located a subject matching the description behind the Green Turtle in Prince Frederick. Officers identified the suspect as. After speaking with Denlinger, he was placed under arrest by Deputy Spalding for Theft less than $1,000.CDS POSSESSION: On August 19, Deputy Yates responded to the area of Fox Run Blvd. in Prince Frederick for a reported possible impaired driver. Deputy Yates located the vehicle and after observation he initiated a traffic stop. Deputy Yates identified the driver as. After a K9 alerted to the presence of CDS in the vehicle, Deputy Yates located CDS and Davis was placed under arrest and charged with 2 counts of CDS possession not marijuana (Clonazepam & Oxymorphone Hydrochloride).DAMAGE PROPERTY 17-43483: On August 14, Deputy First Class Beisel responded to Cambridge Pl. in Prince Frederick for a report of damaged property. The complainant stated that their vehicle windshield was broken and the vehicle had damage to the hood. The complainant stated this occurred between August 13th at 10 p.m. and August 14th at 2:00 p.m. The estimated damage is $1,000.DAMAGE PROPERTY 17-44586: On August 20, Deputy Callison responded to Abington Manor Dr. in Huntingtown for report of damaged property to a couple of vehicles. The victims stated their windshields had been broken. An unknown object was used to break both vehicle windshields. The estimated damage for both windshields is approximately $1,000.THEFT 17-43642: On August 15, Deputy Boerum responded to Buckler Rd. in Huntingtown for a theft report. The victim stated their registration sticker that was attached to their license plate had been stolen. The theft occurred between August 14th 8:00 p.m. and August 15th 8:00 a.m. The value is $50.THEFT 17-43783: On August 16, Deputy Williamson responded to Sam Owings Place in Owings for a theft report. The victim advised someone stole a black 50 AMP Stick Welder . The theft occurred between August 14th 8:00 a.m. and August 15th 6:30 p.m. The value is $100.
(EDGE) "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 9 winner Sasha Velour and 30 iconic drag queens and kings will be on hand to perform for an evening benefiting the homeless LGBTQ youth of the Ali Forney Center.

The evening, which will take place at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on Thursday evening Sept. 7, hopes to raise $50,000 to support the Ali Forney Center's (AFC) housing and supportive services for homeless LGBTQ youth. AFC, which sees over 1,400 homeless youth each year, is the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated serving this population.

This one-night-only benefit performance serves as the official launch of "DRAGS," a coffee table book featuring full-length black-and-white portraits of NYC drag legends photographed by veteran photographer and director Gregory Kramer. Kramer, who is the mastermind behind the book and event, has committed 100% of the proceeds of the book sales to benefit the young people who come to AFC for help.

"I am humbled by the love and care Gregory and every person involved with this very special project has offered us" said Carl Siciliano, AFC's Executive Director. "The young people we see at our shelters and Drop-in Center have experienced hate and rejection from the people who are supposed to love them unconditionally, it means so much to us that so many are lending their time, resources, and talent to do something to show them they are valued and loved."

"'DRAGS' celebrates a community of incredibly talented artists who express their individuality and personal identity through performance and style," said Gregory Kramer, "DRAGS" producer and photographer. "The project was conceived as an opportunity to benefit an LGBTQ organization, and everyone involved signed on without hesitation to support the Ali Forney Center. Our participants felt strongly about using their creativity on behalf of AFC's important work with homeless LGBTQ youth who are rejected by their families because of their identity. We stand together as a community to find creative ways to support each other."

Click here for tickets.
As national Republicans speak out on President Donald Trumps statements about the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, which occurred the weekend of Aug. 12, local Republicans are also weighing in.

Trump, who condemned hatred on both sides has been criticized for painting a false equivocation between Nazis, the KKK, and other racist groups, and the counter protesters who showed up in Charlottesville to oppose them.

On the day of the attacks, Aug. 12, which included one man driving a car into anti-white supremacist protesters, Trump condemned the violence and hatred on many sides but did not mention any white supremacist group by name. Two days later, Trump did condemn racism and call out the groups by name. The next day, Aug. 15, Trump reverted back to saying there was blame on both sides.

On Aug. 12, former Republican Congressman Mark Foley, a now-openly gay man, wrote on his Facebook page that the president needs to reject the hatred expressed by racist groups.

In an email to SFGN, Foley, who now lives in Palm Beach County, said Trumps subsequent response was better, but late, but that he made things worse.

We cannot condone nor tolerate any hate groups. And we cannot justify any groups actions by trying to balance the blame. The old saying in politics is when youre in a hole quit digging. He brought in a backhoe and caused further consternation and angst. These people hate his son-in-law and daughter and grandchildren because they are Jews. That alone should have been enough to clearly condemn these thugs."

Vincent Foster, president of the Miami-Dade Log Cabin Club, who has defended Trump in the past, also criticized him on Charlottesville.

Foster said Barack Obama was criticized by the GOP for not using the words Islamic terrorism and Trump deserves the same criticism for not using the words white nationalist terrorism.

He needs to use those words. He needs to call it a terrorist attack.

But Foster also turned around and criticized the LGBT community. This was an example, he said, of how LGBT people always defend minority communities but minority communities dont defend the LGBT community enough.

As a black man who is gay, I have a huge issue with the wider gay community taking such an issue with Charlottesville. Where are our minority allies? . . . Im more afraid of minorities as a gay man than I am of white people as a black man. We need to acknowledge the fact that the Christian black community is more anti-gay than the white Christian community . . . It was a Muslim man from a mosque who shot up the Pulse Night Club. Homophobia isnt a disease that only affects white people.

He added that hes also more afraid of being gay in a black neighborhood than being gay in a white neighborhood. Is someone going to beat my ass [in a black neighborhood] because of that?

Andy Eddy, a founding member of the Broward Log Cabin Republican Club in Wilton Manors, said he wasnt happy with how Trump gave his response. He sometimes doesnt touch the heart and soul of the subject because hes so quick to respond in a New York minute. Eddy also criticized police in Charlottesville for not exercising better control in keeping the two sides further apart. In contrast, he commended the work police did in Boston at the rally held in that city.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




The station crew will have three chances to see the solar eclipse from space. The third pass will offer the most coverage with the sun 84% obscured by the moon. Credit: NASA. NASA

The Expedition 52 crew wrapped up a busy week on Friday with more science work, cargo unloading and cleanup after a Russian spacewalk on Thursday. They are also busy preparing for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse on Monday with the chance at several unique views of the event.

The crew participated in several studies including Vascular Echo Ultrasound, a Canadian Space Agency investigation that examines changes in blood vessels and the heart while the crew members are in space. They also completed weekly questionnaires for the ESA Space Headaches investigation which collects information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crewmembers in space.

Russian cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Sergey Ryazanskiy performed cleanup tasks following their Thursday spacewalk which lasted seven hours and 34 minutes. The duo completed a number of tasks including the manual deployment of five nanosatellites from a ladder outside the airlock.

Station crew members will have their cameras outfitted with special filters on Monday for three chances to photograph the solar eclipse from windows aboard the orbiting laboratory. For more information on their opportunities and what they expect to see, visit NASAs Solar Eclipse website.

On-Orbit Status Report

Rodent Research 9 (RR-9): The crew activated the water lixits and installed food bars in two Animal Habitats for the RR-9 investigation today. They then transferred 20 mice from the Transporter to the habitats after checking the health of the mice. The RR-9 experiment studies how microgravity affects the immune systems, muscles and bones of rodents during extended stays aboard the ISS. After approximately 30 days aboard the ISS, the mice will be returned to Earth where scientists on the ground will study how their time in space has affected various tissues, including brain, muscle, heart, joint, the eyes and the immune system.

ISS Non-invasive Sample Investigation and results Transmission to ground with the Utmost easiness (In Situ): The crew collected a saliva sample and processed it in the bioanalyzer for the In Situ investigation. Crew members on the ISS are continually monitored for health changes, and as part of these measurements, they take saliva samples that are stored and returned to Earth. The In Situ bioanalysis uses a portable device that can check crew members saliva on board the ISS, enabling direct real-time analysis. The devices first uses are to monitor stress levels and appetites among crew members. Humans living in space experience dramatic changes to their health, from weakened bone and muscle to reduced appetites and increased stress levels. The device uses disposable cartridges that check for the presence of the stress hormone cortisol. A miniature analytical device that can detect certain biomarkers using non-invasively collected samples would benefit health care workers on Earth, from emergency medical technicians on call, to small rural clinics in developing countries.

Vascular Echo Ultrasound: A crewmember performed a Vascular Echo resting ultrasound of the neck, thigh and heart and collected blood pressure measurements. This Canadian Space Agency investigation examines changes in blood vessels and the heart while crew members are in space, and then upon their return to Earth. The results could provide insight into potential countermeasures to help maintain crew member health.

Space Technology and Advanced Research Systems (STaARS) Intraterrestrial Fungus (iFUNGUS): The crew stowed a mesh bag containing iFUNGUS cryotubes at ambient air in Node 1. STaARS-iFUNGUS cultures a rare type of fungus in the microgravity environment of space in order to search for new antibiotics. The fungus, Penicillium chrysogenum, comes from deep in the Earths subsurface and shows potential as a source for new antibacterial compounds. The iFUNGUS experiment transports frozen samples of fungal spores to the ISS, grows the fungus in different nutrient mixtures over different intervals, refreezes the samples and then returns them to Earth, where scientists examine how they grew and what chemicals they produced. STaARS-iFUNGUS demonstrates how the microgravity environment of space can serve as a laboratory and production facility for new life science discoveries. Discoveries generated by this research can foster further research and production efforts that utilize low gravity conditions to create novel compounds or other products.

Tangolab-1 and -2: During the initial card installation activity yesterday a Payload Card would not seat properly in Tangolab-2. Using procedures developed overnight by ground teams, the crew was able today to successfully install that Payload Card in TangoLab-1. The Payload Developer confirmed good data flow for the Card. This card contains one experiment to study genetic mutations in fruit flies and one to study Carbon Dioxide scrubbing in cactus.

Space Headaches: The 51 Soyuz (51S) USOS crewmembers completed weekly questionnaires for the ESA Space Headaches investigation. The investigation collects information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crewmembers in space. Headaches during space flight can negatively affect mental and physical capacities of crewmembers that can influence performance during a space mission.

Dose Tracker: A crewmember completed a weekly medication tracking entry today in the Dose Tracker application that runs on an iPad. Dose Tracker documents the medication usage of crewmembers before and during their missions by capturing data regarding medication use during spaceflight, including side effect qualities, frequencies and severities. The investigation is expected to provide anecdotal evidence of medication effectiveness during flight and any unusual side effects experienced. It is also expected that specific, near-real-time questioning about symptom relief and side effects will provide the data required to establish whether spaceflight-associated alterations in pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics is occurring during missions.

Dragon On-Board Training (OBT): The crew reviewed SpX-12 Dragon training materials to include emergency response review and emergency hatch closure.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

KUBIK Functional check

Actiwatch Spectrum HRF1 Configuration Alternate 2

Combustion Integrated Rack Alignment Guide Removal

Crew Departure Preparations for Return to Earth

CSA Generic Frozen Blood Collection  Operator

CSA Generic Frozen Blood Collection 25 Minutes  Subject

CSA Generic Frozen Blood Collection Conclude And Stow

CSA Generic Sample MELFI Insertion

CSA Generic Refrigerated Centrifuge Configure

CSA Generic Refrigerated Centrifuge Spin Conclude

Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject

Exploration script recording

Synthetic biology script recording

Glove Box Cleaning

Health Maintenance System (HMS)  ESA Nutritional Assessment

In-Flight Maintenance (IFM) Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) Pre-treat Tank R&R Video

IFUNGUS sample removal from temp stow location and stow at specified location

IN SITU Camera Setup

IN SITU Saliva Collect Finish

IN SITU Saliva Collect Operations

INSITU MELFI Sample Retrieve

iPad Air 2 Comm Swing

ISS HAM Radio Power Up

Long Duration Sorbent Testbed Status Check

Lighting Effects Sleep Log Entry  Subject

Preparing For Upcoming MagVector Science Run

Onboard Training (OBT) Dragon Debrief Conference

On-Board Training (OBT) Dragon Emergency Review

Rodent Research Habitat Stow

Rodent Research Node 2 Camcorder Video Setup

Rodent Research Transfer Review

Rodent Research Transporter 2 Stow

Rodent Research 9 Transfer

Transfer of US EVA Tools to the USOS after RS EVA 43

Tool Stowage post RS EVA [In work]

Space Headaches  Weekly Questionnaire

Surface Tension Containment MWA Assist

Surface Tension Containment MWA Operations

Surface Tension Containment MWA Preparation

TangoLab-1 Card Cube Replace

Ultrasound 2 HRF Rack 1 Power On

Vascular Echo Resting Ultrasound Scan 135 Minutes  Subject

Vascular Echo CDL Holter Arterial BP Measurement  Subject

XF305 Camcorder Setup

Post-EVA Medical Kits Restow

Removal of Portable Repress Tank (???) No. 17 (00056724R) in SM [??] and stowage in Soyuz 735

Removal of US TV cameras, Lights, and REBA power unit from Orlan-MKS No.4 and Orlan-MK No.6

Post-EVA Orlan-MKS No.4 and Orlan-MK No.6 debrief with specialists

Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos web site and social media

Filling (separation) of ??? (???) for Elektron or ???-??

Collecting dosimeter readings, Replacement of PILLE flash card

Completed Task List Activities

Return Node 2 Camcorder to nominal location

Stow iPad Air 2 (S/N 1007, 1008; B/C POC23858J, POC23859J) per Stowage Note

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Nominal system commanding

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Saturday, 08/19: RR-9 access unit cleaning, TangoLab 2 installation/checkout, ADSEP cell transfer, Lung Media fixation, NanoRacks Module 9 ops, ADSEP cell transfer, POLAR desiccant pack swap

Sunday, 08/20: Crew off duty, ice brick/double cold bag stow

Monday, 08/21: Crew off duty, Fine Motor Skills, Mouse habitat cage maintenance, HRF ops

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  Off

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  Off

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Idle

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Process

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Full up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Off
Despite starting from the outside, suffering interference and being forced to rally from last  Rockin Finish stormed home in :28 to take home top prize in Mondays $11,000 Preferred 2 Handicap for horse and gelding pacers at Grand River Raceway.

Rockin Finish was bothered by stablemate Musselsfrmbrussels following his break going into the first turn. Travis Henry got Rockin Finish settled away in good order, but the pair watched as Thoughtyoudlikeit rolled along up front through fractions of :27.2, :57.1 and 1:25.1. Paparazzi Hanover came first-over on the way to the half, and Rockin Finish quickly grabbed cover behind that foe.

The battle continued all the way to the three-quarter pole and then into the stretch. Thoughtyoudlikeit eventually put away Paparazzi Hanover, but he couldnt fend off the hard-driving Rockin Finish. The Richard Moreau trainee stormed home to win by a half-length margin over Thoughtyoudlikeit in 1:53.4. Taking home third prize was Paparazzi Hanover.

Sent off at odds of 10-1, the eight-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover-Please Me Please improved his 2017 record to 4-0-1 from 15 trips to the track this season for the 40-time winner. Gerrie Tucker of Montreal, QC owns the career winner of $552,178.

Bank Shot Hanover went to the top and couldnt be caught in the $7,500 Preferred 3 for horse and gelding pacers. The four-year-old son of The Panderosa-Braggin Yankee stepped through splits of :27, :55 and 1:24.3 before coasting home in :30 to win by 1-1/2 lengths over Lets Wait And See. Taking home third prize was race favourite Rise Up Now.

Keith Cassell, Dr. John Tobin and Limco Inc share ownership on the gelding who hangs his harness bag in the barn of trainer Victor Puddy. It was the fifth win of the campaign for the career winner of close to $134,000.

To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results  Grand River Raceway.
JOHNSTON RIDGE  The view of Mount St. Helens crater rim, forged by lava, ice and the explosive force of molten rock, usually is the most impressive sight from this iconic Southwest Washington vantage point.

But that wasnt the case on Monday morning as more than 200 skygazers gathered here to witness the solar eclipse of 2017.

Toting special glasses and eclipse viewers fashioned out of paper plates, tin foil and cereal boxes, they arrived early and swarmed the ridge directly north of the volcano, which was framed by a bright blue sky.

Although the observatory doesnt normally open until 10 a.m., interpretive ranger Brittany Fagin said the Forest Service opened the doors 90 minutes early to accommodate the surge of people.

We didnt have anything special planned, so we figured it was the least we could do, she said.

Fagin said that 96.72 percent of the eclipses totality was visible from Johnston Ridge, according to NASAs GPS calculations.

Bob Wartella, who has climbed Mount St. Helens three times, drove south from Tumwater, Wash. to see the eclipse with his daughter.

Its a really special experience that we wanted to share together, he said.

Brian Phillips and Mark Milstead of Centralia also made the journey south down Interstate 5 and up to the end of Spirit Lake Memorial Highway to Johnston Ridge, to take in the view from 4,200 feet above sea level.

We wanted to be able to see the shadows change across the mountain, Phillips said. Its also nice to be able to chat with other people hiking along the ridge, he said from his seat in a folding camp chair.

Robert and Adena Mooers, both in their 80s, drove all the way down from Bellingham, Wash. for the event. They had planned to stay at Seaquest State Park in Cowlitz County and drive down to Salem to catch a glimpse of the full totality, then drive back north.

Once we saw how bad traffic was we chickened out, Adena Mooers said.

Glancing up at the sky as the moon began to pass across the sun, Robert Moers winked at his wife.

If Im Adam and youre Eve, that looks like a bite out of an apple to me, he joked.

At our age, this will probably be the last one we see, she said with a wry smile.

As the moon moved farther across the sun, the temperature cooled significantly.

Park Ranger David Ranseen used a handheld digital thermometer to record a nearly 10-degree drop in air temperature, from a high of 75 degrees at 9:25 a.m. to 66 degrees at 10:30 a.m.

Ranseen also noted rapid changes in wind direction, which started kicking up dust off the top of the mountain.

As the eclipse progressed, flowers and shrubs lost their hue  almost as if someone had pulled a photo filter down over the entire landscape.

Ranseen likened the light conditions to being under a column of smoke from a forest fire.

The airs kind of got that same hazy quality, he observed.

On the ridge above the visitor center, amateur photographers attempted to capture the phenomenon by placing eclipse glasses in front of their camera lenses. More seasoned shooters adjusted their shutter speeds to compensate for changes in light.

At one point, the sound of Bonnie Tylers Total Eclipse of the Heart emanated from someones iPhone.

At 10:30 a.m.  just after the eclipse maximum  a pair of fighter jets from the Air National Guard flew over the mountains. Children and adults alike who had started making their way back to the parking lot stared up at the sky in wonder once more.

Asked whether the five-hour drive down south was worth it, Mrs. Mooers answered: Well, youve got two wonderful views  one of Mount St. Helens and one of an eclipse.

It was perfect, she said.
Editors note: Todays editorials originally appeared in The Columbian and Walla Walla Union Bulletin. Editorial content from other publications is provided to give readers a sampling of regional and national opinion and does not necessarily reflect positions endorsed by the Editorial Board of The Daily News.

We assume that, eventually, the state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council will finalize a report regarding a proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver. Then again, assumptions are fraught with peril, and at this point there is reason to question whether the process ever will be completed.

Last week, EFSEC granted a request by Vancouver Energy to extend the deadline on the application to Nov. 30. That marks the seventh extension to a process that was launched in 2013 when Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos.  now acting in conjunction as Vancouver Energy  reached an agreement with port officials to build the terminal. In addition, council chair Bill Lynch announced plans to resign this fall, a move that might or might not lead to further delays.

As the high-profile proposal continues to meander through the permitting process, one thing has become clear: Once a decision is reached  or maybe if one is reached  it will be time for Washington to reconsider how it goes about approving such projects. The Tesoro-Savage proposal has lingered far too long and has been far too burdensome for the stakeholders and for citizens of Clark County.

Due deliberation and thoughtful consideration of large projects are, indeed, necessary. Public complaints about government often revolve around two themes: Officials acted hastily, and there was not enough public input. That is not the case with the Tesoro-Savage proposal, which has been lengthy and has included numerous public comment sessions.

And there is, indeed, some logic behind the system, which was created in 1970 by the Legislature. As the EFSEC website explains, the agency was formed to provide one stop siting and permitting for large energy projects. By establishing the council, the state Legislature centralized the evaluation and oversight of large energy facilities within one state agency. The Legislature cited the necessity of balancing the need for new energy facilities with the broad interests of the public. The council was designed to reduce bureaucracy, but EFSEC members have spent four years compiling a recommendation that will go to the governor for approval or rejection of the project.

The Columbian editorially opposes the project, which would transport an average of 15 million gallons of crude oil a day to the Port of Vancouver. The oil would be brought from the Bakken region of North Dakota by rail, traveling through the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to be transferred at the port to marine vessels. The presence of such a facility would mark Vancouver as an oil town and would run counter to an appropriate vision for a vibrant city. The risks to residents and to the environment from a vast increase in oil-train traffic outweigh the benefits trumpeted by supporters of the project.

While we hope that a thorough and fair evaluation by EFSEC and the governor results in rejection of the proposal, we also call for a resolution to the contentious issue. The frequent delays have poorly served the public, port officials, and the companies involved in the project.

State law dictates that evaluation of an energy project be completed within one year. While it is reasonable to expect delays in some instances, the councils lack of progress on the Tesoro-Savage project has extended well beyond the bounds of acceptability. The Legislature should take whatever steps are necessary to tighten up the process and keep other communities from suffering through interminable delays.

Sales tax equity remains unsolved

President Donald Trump has a point that Amazon and other online retailers should be collecting sales taxes from all of its customers just like stores do on Main Streets across America.

Although, as is too often the case with the president, this issue of tax fairness has become a bit clouded. Trumps zeal to force Amazon to collect taxes seems more rooted in his disdain for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, than a crusade for tax equity.

Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt  many jobs being lost! Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.

Although, as The New York Times reported, Trumps assertion that Amazon does not pay taxes is false. The company, in its latest annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission, said it paid $177 million in income taxes in 2014, $273 million in 2015 and $412 million last year.

Nevertheless, putting personal vendettas aside, the playing field in regard to income taxes is still not level.

More needs to be done to bring equity in tax collections for merchants in Washington state and other states where sales tax is collected. If not, many internet merchants continue to have an 8.9 percent advantage  the sales tax rate in Walla Walla  over brick-and-mortar merchants.

The law now says internet retailers must collect sales tax only in states where they have a physical presence. That has led to a collection of far more sales tax than five years ago, but a great many online sellers find ways around the tax collections.

To be fair, Amazon voluntarily started collecting sales taxes this year on purchases in the last four states  Hawaii, Idaho, Maine and New Mexico  where it had not.

Ultimately, the law is only as good as its enforcement.

A lot of Amazon purchases will still go untaxed. For example, cyber shoppers are not required to pay sales tax when they buy from one of Amazons third-party vendors. Amazon says nearly half of the items it sells are from third-party vendors.

Whatever a state is getting in sales tax from Amazon, it should probably be getting about twice that much, said Max Behlke, director of budget and tax policy for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Thats where Congress needs to take action, but it must be done in a way that is reasonable for the mom-and-pop businesses selling online. The presidents feud with Bezos is irrelevant.

The goal needs to be an equitable tax system across the country.
WASHINGTON  What better way to usher in the hissingly hot dog days of summer, otherwise known as August, than with a high-wire verbal duel between CNN senior White House correspondent (and well-known cosmopolitan) Jim Acosta and White House sniper (and senior adviser) Stephen Miller.

The sniping began during a news conference Wednesday, the same day President Trump endorsed Senate Republicans plan to reform legal immigration from family-based to skill-based standards.

Reactions were swift, predictable and hysterical:

Oh-my-god, whos going to harvest the crops? This is so un-American! Trump is a bigot!

More or less.

Acosta contributed to the latter lament by citing what he called Trumps three issues: Muslims, Mexicans and media, all of which the president presumably dislikes  except when hes in Saudi Arabia, Mexico or appearing on Fox News.

Passions intensified when Acosta further suggested that Trump only wants immigrants from English-speaking regions, prompting Miller to accuse him of having a cosmopolitan bias, which seems like something one would like to have  or drink. Cosmopolitan means worldly, after all, and whats wrong with that? Perhaps some interpret worldliness as globalist or elitist, but then Miller, a Duke University graduate from California, probably isnt carving duck calls in his spare time.

As for Acosta, what could explain his apparent extrapolation that prioritizing English proficiency is tantamount to restricting immigration to certain races or ethnicities? Or that reforming immigration to emphasize skilled workers would exclude people from countries where English is not the first language? One may infer that Trump is a bigot in certain instances, but not necessarily in this one. Are there no other reasons besides bigotry to prefer skilled to unskilled workers?

Acostas accosting of Miller is why so many Americans see the media as biased. Lets be honest: If Donald Trump discovered a cure for narcissism, no one would object if he used it first on himself, but most in the media would insist that the cure was simply further evidence that Trump is a narcissist.

To Acosta, the presidents bias in favor of English-speaking people is obvious and runs counter to the nations purpose as described in the poem on the Statue of Liberty welcoming the worlds tired, poor and huddled masses. Acosta, his inner soliloquist liberated at last, engaged in a recitation, whereupon Miller gleefully retorted that said poem, written in 1883 by one Emma Lazarus, was tacked onto the statue years after it was erected.

In 2017, we cant welcome skilled workers, too?

Todays wretched excess, if you will, is the direct consequence of the well-intentioned Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which gave preference to extended family members of people already here. Long lines ensued and increased quotas followed, as did the flow of immigrants too impatient for the legal process. Legal immigration has increased from 296,697 annually in 1965 to more than 1 million today. Of those, 39 percent are from Asia. About one-third emigrate from Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. Before the law, 70 percent of legal immigrants were from Europe and Canada, compared with just 10 percent today.

Perhaps these statistics account for Acostas sense that Republicans want to keep Americans hablando ingles. But might there also be other reasons to prefer skilled workers, who would find jobs waiting to be filled, pay taxes and contribute to the rising tide that lifts all boats?

If such preferences are tantamount to bigotry, then others have been equally guilty, including Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy, as well as civil rights leader Barbara Jordan, who in 1972 became the first African-American woman from the South to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. As head of an immigration special task force, Jordan worried that opening the floodgates to unskilled workers would rob American citizens of jobs and strain social services. She, too, suggested focusing more on skilled immigrants.

Kennedy, who in 1965 downplayed such concerns and supported the immigration bill, later changed his mind and in 2007 joined Sen. John McCain in a push for skills-based reforms. But then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and then-Sen. Hillary Clinton opposed the idea because, hold your air horns, they couldnt bear the thought that families (aka future Democratic voters) might be torn asunder.

Oh, the ironies. The GOP has finally defined exactly which families they value, while Democrats have clarified their need for the needy. It would seem we have a draw. Yet somewhere in all the squabbling is space for the brain power Jordan urged Americans to call upon for a rational conversation about immigration reform that best serves the national interest.

Meanwhile, thanks for the show, and enjoy ye dog days while ye may.
`Japan to continue support for Bangladesh's uplift`

Japanese Envoy to Bangladesh Masato Watanabe paid a farewell call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter\'s office on Tuesday. BSS photo

Japan assured that the country would continue its assistance for Bangladesh's development.

"We would continue to render assistance for the development of Bangladesh," Japanese Ambassador in Dhaka Masato Watanabe said when he paid a farewell call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office here on Tuesday morning.

After the meeting, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters.

The envoy said Japan is providing loans of 600 billion yen to different mega projects of Bangladesh. He said the Japanese investors have close eyes on Bangladeshi companies and they are keen to invest in building manufacturing industries here.

Masato Watanabe put emphasis on more "active economic relations" between the two countries side by side with further advancement of the existing bilateral ties.

The outgoing Japanese ambassador thanked the prime minister for extending her government's sincere cooperation to discharging his duty during his

tenure.

He said though his stay in Dhaka is brief, but it's fruitful.

In this connection, the ambassador mentioned that his biggest success during his stay here is the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Japan.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh always considers Japan as its great friend.

"We always consider Japan as our great friend as it has always been supporting Bangladesh for development," she said.

Sheikh Hasina recalled that Japan has made enormous contributions to Bangladesh's development since its independence.

In this connection, the premier said the feasibility study on the Bangabandhu Bridge was conducted after the visit of Bangabandhu to Japan.

While talking about the ongoing flood in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said the people of the country are living with natural disasters. "We have learnt how to face the natural calamities," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the administration, defence forces and her party men are working to mitigate sufferings of the people.

On the trade and investment relations with Japan, the prime minister said the government has allocated 1000 acres land for the Japanese investors in the special economic zone in Araihazar, Narayanganj.

In this regard, she said her government would provide all sorts of security for the Japanese projects in Bangladesh.

Pointing out the Holey Artisan Cafe attack in Gulshan last year, the premier described the incident as regretful. "We have tackled the situation with an iron hand," she said.

She said the government is now building up public opinion against terrorism and militancy by involving the cross section of people. "We're getting a positive response from the people in this regard," she said.

PM's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury was present on the occasion.




Bus service on Ctg-Rangamati route resumes after 2 months

Raozan Correspondent :



Heavy vehicles can now operate on the Bailey bridge on the Rangamati-Chittagong road in southeastern Bangladesh. This resumes the direct bus services between the two districts which remained halted for the last 69 days since landslides,

Heavy rains triggered landslides in the region in June leaving five districts in tatters, with Rangamati bearing most of the brunt On Jun 13, road links connecting Rangamati to the port city of Chittagong snapped following landslides that hit 54 areas. As many as 120 people died in Rangamati alone.

Parts of the Rangamati-Chittagong road caved in, near Shapchhari Union's Shal Bagan. Army personnel and workers of the Roads and Highways Department or RHD started repairs and opened the road for light vehicles on Jun 21. They started repairing the Bailey bridge in the third week of June and opened it for traffic on Monday, said Md Emdad Hossain, executive engineer of Rangamati RHD.

It cost around Tk 23.7 million to repair the bridge located in Deppochhari neighbourhood, he told bdnews24.com. For the last two months, Rangamati residents were using taxi and other light vehicles to reach Ghagra first and then take a bus from there to reach Chittagong. Chittagong residents were using the same route to come to Rangamati.

However, log-laden trucks would not be allowed to use the bridge, Hossain said. "We will first handle the traffic rush during Eid and then allow trucks to use the bridge to transport logs." Residents of Rangamati were notified about the restoration of bus services on Sunday night through loudspeakers.




India's top court bans Islamic instant divorce

Farha Faiz, a lawyer, speaks with the media after a verdict for the controversial Muslim quick divorce law outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India on Tuesday.

Reuters, New Delhi :

India's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled a controversial Muslim instant divorce law unconstitutional, a landmark victory for Muslim women who had long argued that it violated their right to equality.

The law allows Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word "talaq" three times. Muslim women say they have been left destitute by husbands divorcing them through "triple talaq", including by Skype and WhatsApp.

Under the ruling, the government will need to frame new divorce legislation, which would replace the abolished practice of triple talaq.

"Finally, I feel free today," Shayara Bano, who was divorced through triple talaq and was among the women who brought the case, told Reuters after the ruling.

"I have the order that will liberate many Muslim women."

The ruling was delivered by a panel of five male judges from different faiths - Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

Three of the five ruled that the practice was unconstitutional, overruling the senior-most judge in India, the chief justice.

He announced a suspension of the practice, and told the government to come up with a new law within six months.

Many Muslim countries have banned the practice of triple talaq, including neighbouring Pakistan and conservative Saudi Arabia.

Opposition to the law helped forge an unlikely coalition of Muslim women and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Hindu nationalist party, which wanted the law quashed, and pitted it against Muslim groups that say the state has no right to interfere in religious matters.

Some fear that the Hindu majority is trying to limit Islamic influence in society. Muslims make up about 14 percent of India's 1.3 billion people.

Two of the judges said triple talaq was "arbitrary" and violated fundamental rights. Justice Kurian Joseph said the practice was not "integral" to the Muslim faith.

Opponents of the law have toiled to abolish it for decades and were given a boost last year when Modi threw his support behind Bano, calling the law derogatory and discriminatory against women.

Modi hailed the judgment as "historic."

"It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment," he said in a tweet.

Tuesday's ruling could spur Modi's party to push again for its long-held desire for a uniform civil code, which would end the application of religious laws to civil issues.

"The Supreme Court has a right to interfere in the personal space and they have done so," said Maneka Gandhi, minister for women and child development.

Some Muslim institutions have said that while triple talaq is wrong, the law should be reviewed by the community itself.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board said it would contest the court's decision.

"The fact that only three of the five judges have deemed the practice illegal shows that there was no clear decision," member Maqsood Hasani Nadvi said.

India allows religious institutions to govern matters of personal law - marriage, divorce and property inheritance - through civil codes designed to protect the independence of religious communities.




After Trump`s warning, China jumps to defense of Pakistan

China has defended Pakistan after US President Donald Trump warned it of supporting terrorism.

PTI, New Delhi :

China today jumped to the defence of its all-weather ally Pakistan in the wake of US President Donald Trump's stern warning to it over providing safe havens to terrorists, claiming that Islamabad is at the frontline of combating terrorism.

Donald Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, while reacting to President Trump's comments on Pakistan, said, "Hope the relevant policy decision by US side will be conducive to promoting security, stability of the relevant region."

"(On) President Trump's remarks on Pakistan, I should say that Pakistan is at the frontline of fighting terrorism, has made sacrifices in fighting terrorism, making an important contribution to upholding peace and stability," Ms Hua said, strongly defending Beijing's all-weather friend Pakistan.

Donald Trump, in his address, said a pillar of his new strategy was a change in America's approach to Pakistan.

He slammed Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," President Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in a warning to Pakistan.

Ms Hua, in response to Donald Trump's scathing criticism of Pakistan's support to terror groups, said, "I think the international community should truly affirm" the efforts made by Pakistan in combating terrorism. "We are pleased to see US and Pakistan to conduct cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts on the basis of mutual respect and contribute to the global peace and stability," she said.

In his speech, Donald Trump slammed Islamabad for harbouring terrorists who target US service members. "But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace," President Trump said.

President Donald Trump cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan Monday, backtracking from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war, while pillorying ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos."

In his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump discarded his previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from "behind the desk in the Oval Office."

"My instinct was to pull out," Trump said as he spoke of his frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars.

But following months of deliberation, Trump said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable" leaving a "vacuum" that terrorists "would instantly fill."

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorized his defense secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

He warned that the approach would now be more pragmatic than idealistic. Security assistance to Afghanistan was "not a blank check" he said, warning he would not send the military to "construct democracies in faraway lands or create democracies in our own image."

"We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists."

The US has grown increasingly weary of the conflict that began in October 2001 as a hunt for the 9/11 attackers has turned into a vexed effort to keep Afghanistan's divided and corruption-hindered democracy alive amid a brutal Taliban insurgency.

The Islamist group later vowed it would make the country "a graveyard" for the United States and would continue its "jihad" as long as American troops remained in the country.




Thailand Paolo Hospital to serve in Bangladesh

Paolo Hospital, an international hospital based in Bangkok, Thailand has signed a MoU with Surecell Bangladesh recently with a view to offering high quality medical services to patients.

Since its inception in 1972, Paolo Hospital (www.paolohospital.com) offers a wide range of state-of-the art services including consultation, diagnosis, and treatment filled with hearty hospitality and cordial cooperation. It serves the patients ensuring finest clinical integration along side respecting the needs of the human spirit.

The hospital has patients coming from over 50 countries of the world who have been being served with our ultra modern medical facilities for the last 45 years. This privately owned internationally renowned hospital has modern medical equipments, internationally recognized doctors, nurses and medical workers with a view to ensuring better service to the patients. The patients are treated here not as patients rather as the esteemed guests for why they have profound trust on the hearty and quality service of specialized team. In Bangkok, Paolo Hospital has Women Center, Bone and Joint Center, Spine Center, Heart Center, GI and Liver Center, Pediatrics Center and other centers of modern treatment.

The hospital has two information offices in Bangladesh, one in Dhaka and another one in Chittagong. Moreover, the hospital arranges arrange regular health seminars both in Dhaka and Chittagong with a view to growing awareness for the enjoyment of a healthy life. It also provides free medical consultation to the patients here occasionally by the leading doctors and surgeons of Paolo Hospital as a part of the humanitarian service of the hospital.


Strong, well-cared labour force must for economic growth: Minister



State Minister for Labour and Employment M Mujibul Haque on Tuesday said the government fully recognises that a strong, healthy and well-cared labour force is essential for the continued economic growth and success of the country.

He said investments made in improving the lives of working class families through medical care, paid maternity leave as well as time and privacy for breastfeeding can encourage women to return to work and also give their babies the best start in life.

"Breastfeeding, as my colleagues in the Health and Family Welfare Ministry refer, is best for all babies, not only for their physical growth but also for their mental development," he said.

He was addressing a function marking the launch of a national initiative titled "[email protected]" on Tuesday. The Unicef in joint collaboration with the government of Bangladesh launched the programme.

The State Minister said, "If our workers have to continue to compete in the global market, we as business leaders must invest in our current workers as well as in the new generation. This programme that is implemented in partnership with the MoHFW is very well placed to do that and has my full support."

The programme aims at supporting maternity rights and promoting breastfeeding at workplaces for the growing number of female workers in the industrial sector, especially in the country's readymade garments (RMG) sector, which has the largest concentration of female workers.

The first of its kind in Bangladesh, [email protected] initiative is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Labour and Employment, as well as with private and civil society stakeholders to ensure maternity protection at workplace.

In addition, this initiative will preserve the health of mothers and newborn and at the same time provide employment security for working women and their families.

Unicef Bangladesh Representative Edouard Beigbeder said most of these working women in the readymade garment sector are of reproductive age and many of them are mothers who are responsible for nurturing the next generation of Bangladesh citizens.

"But for the fear of losing their sole source of income, many mothers return to work too early, before they have physically recovered and stop breastfeeding their infants."

A joint work-plan between UNICEF and ILO's BetterWork programme to support the initiative's implementation in the sector has already been established with BetterWork Bangladesh who currently work in over 120 factories in the sector.

"Breastfeeding should not be seen as an obstacle to productivity. Women who breastfeed are more likely to stay in their job for the long term which is a good way of retaining the skilled workers that the RMG industry depends upon," said Srinivas Reddy, ILO Country Director for Bangladesh.

Initially piloted in two RMG companies, DBL and Vision Apparels, efforts need to be bolstered to ensure that this programme reaches all working mothers and their children in over 5,000 RMG units scattered across Bangladesh so that the wellbeing of mothers can be protected and their children can have the early nutrition they deserve, said the ILO. Developed through national consultations with all relevant stakeholders the [email protected] programme comprises of seven minimum standards which are addressing the challenges faced by young mothers. The standards include paid maternity leave, provision of breastfeeding accommodations, provision of breastfeeding breaks and flexible working arrangements, and provision of day care.


Change in South Asian monsoon pattern led to floods

Farid Ahmed :

Aid agencies warn of a serious unfolding humanitarian crisis as floodwaters continue to inundate new areas of three South Asian countries, forcing millions of people to flee their homes for shelters.

The death toll from drowning, snakebite, house collapse and landslide triggered by monsoon rains and floods rose to over 600 people, officials said on Aug. 19.

In Bangladesh, farmers are bearing the brunt of the ongoing flooding as the country's agriculture department estimated rice and other crops cultivated in half a million hectares of land in 34 districts were washed away.

More than 16 million have been affected by monsoon floods in Nepal, Bangladesh and India, with many of them either displaced or marooned without food or electricity. In many areas, although the floodwater has started receding, rivers are still swelling. A large number of displaced have taken refuge in squalid makeshift camps and are staying in extremely unhygienic conditions, according to aid agencies.

Road and rail communications in the affected areas have been also severely disrupted. Thousands of educational institutions have been forced to close, while submerged hospitals are unable to assist flood victims even as water-borne diseases are spreading.

"This is fast becoming one of the most serious humanitarian crises this region has seen in many years and urgent action is needed to meet the growing needs of millions of people affected by these devastating floods," said Martin Faller, Deputy Regional Director for Asia Pacific, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). "Millions of people across Nepal, Bangladesh and India face severe food shortages and disease caused by polluted flood waters," Faller said in a statement. The aid agency Oxfam said there was urgent need for supplies like drinking water, food, shelter, blankets, hygiene kits and solar lights.

Bangladesh authorities said more than a third of the country was submerged, and water levels in major rivers were still rising, inundating new areas every day. In Bangladesh, flooding by major rivers has surpassed the levels set in 1988, the deadliest floods the country had seen to date. According to the disaster management department control room of the Bangladesh government, at least 98 people died in August. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief estimated that more than half a million people in Bangladesh were affected by flooding.

In Bangladesh, farmers are bearing the brunt of the ongoing flooding as the country's agriculture department estimated rice and other crops cultivated in half a million hectares of land in 34 districts were washed away.

Abdul Hamid, a farmer in Rangpur district, said he had cultivated rice in 10 bighas of land, but it was completely ruined by floods. "I don't know how to recover the loss," he said, adding that his house was also destroyed.

In India, over 11 million people have been affected by floods in four states across the north of the country. India's meteorological department is forecasting more heavy rain for the region in the coming days.

The flood situation in parts of India's northern West Bengal remained grim until August 18, with many rivers still flowing well above the extreme danger level despite improvement in the overall situation in the region, Rajib Banerjee, West Bengal's minister for irrigation and waterways, told IPS on Aug. 19.

"The situation in Malda still looks grim and remains as a matter of concern as the water of the River Mahananda continues to rise," he said.

The situation in villages in the Indian state of Assam is very serious, as embankments of rivers in many areas have been breached, forcing hundreds of families to flee their houses. Poor people, mostly farmers, were the chief victims and many took refuge on roadsides and embankments.

Thousands of people in northern Uttar Pradesh in India, where the authorities sought military help, were also badly affected and many of them still remained marooned. Bihar, the worst-hit district in India, also estimated over 150 dead and half a million displaced in the past couple of weeks.

"In Nepal, government recorded 134 dead and 30 missing in flood-affected areas," a senior journalist and director of news and current affairs of Nepal's ABC News TV, Dr. Suresh Achaya, told IPS. Some 14 districts out of 75, mostly located along the border with India, were badly affected, Acharya said.

In Nepal, many areas remain cut off after the most recent destructive floods and landslides on Aug. 11 and 12. Villagers and communities are stranded without food, water and electricity though the government said it had been providing the victims with foods and other support. In the flood-hit areas, thousands of people had taken shelter in schools, temples and sides of roads and embankments.

The Nepalese ministry of agricultural development estimated that floodwaters had washed away rice and other crops worth Rs. 8.11 billion (77 million dollars) and feared the crop damage could cast a long shadow on the economy.

The Nepalese government, at a meeting with chief secretary Rajendra Kishore in the chair on Aug. 18, decided to accept foreign support and aid to meet the need. Scientists attribute the deadly floods in South Asia to a changing climate, which they believe increased the magnitude of the current flooding many-fold.

"The untimely floods being experienced in Nepal, India and Bangladesh can definitely be attributed to climate change-induced changes in the South Asian monsoon system," Dr Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), told IPS.

The countries in the region have already been taking the brunt of changing climate that caused extreme weather patterns increasing the daily rainfall amount, droughts, untimely flooding and frequent tropical storms.

- IPS
Razzak: Demise of a superstar

LEGENDARY actor Abdur Razzak, who in Bangladesh popularly known as 'Nayak Raj Razzak', breathed his last at United Hospital on last Monday. Entire film industry of our country is at grief on his death and decided to call off three days of film shooting to honour his decease. He suddenly had a heart attack on Monday afternoon and was taken to the United Hospital at 5:20 pm. There he breathed his last at 6:13 pm. For last couple of years Razzak was under the surveillance of the Hospital's Chief Cardiologist Dr Momenuzzaman. Apart from heart disease, he was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. He left his wife Khairun Nesa Laxmi, three sons Bapparaj, Bappi, Samrat and a daughter Moyna. He had another daughter Shampa who died already.



Razzak was born in Naktala, South Kolkata. His parents Akbar Hossain and Nisarunnesa died at early ages. During his adolescence, he participated in theatre productions in Kolkata. While studying at a college in Kolkata, he made his first film appearance in "Ratan Lal Bangali". Hoping to become a film star, Razzak went to study film in Filmalaya in Mumbai, India in 1961. Returning from Mumbai, he performed in two movies in Kolkata, "Pankotilak" and "Shilalipi". However, the Hindu-Muslim riot which broke out in 1964 forced Razzak and his family to migrate to Dhaka.

After migrating to Dhaka Razzak found the path to stardom was not easy. Initially, he acted in TV plays. He became a favourite of the viewers of the then Pakistani Television, acting in the series 'Ghoroa'.



However, he remained focused on his dream of becoming a 'film star'. A pioneering filmmaker in Bangladesh, Abdul Jabbar Khan, helped Razzak to join Iqbal Films Limited. Razzak was the Assistant to the Director Kamal Ahmed in the movie 'Ujala'.



Razzak's major breakthrough in movies was his performance in Salahuddin's 'Tero Nombor Feku Ostagar Lane'. He acted in other movies like Neel Akasher Nichey, Moynamoti, Moner Moto Bou, Swaralipi, Osru Diye Likha, Jibon Theke Neya, and Obujh Mon.



Razzak's first big break in cinema came with his role in Zahir Raihan's Behula (1966). He has acted in leading roles with many prominent actors, including Anwar Hossain, Bulbul Ahmed, Sohel Rana, Ilias Kanchan, Shuchanda, Shabana, Bobita, Kabori, Sujata, Shabnam and others. He appeared in a number of films opposite actress Shabana. He went on to make more than 300 appearances in Bengali and Urdu movies. He also directed around sixteen movies. Razzak was also a UNFPA goodwill ambassador.



We as many other people of Bangladesh pray for his departed soul. May Allah grant him Jannat.
Accused killed in 'gunfight'

An accused in a case filed over the gun attack on a senior police officer was killed in a reported gunfight between detectives and criminals in Jurain graveyard area of the city early Tuesday.

The detectives recovered two pistols, two magazines and a bullet from the spot after the gun battle that also left three members of Detective Branch of police injured.

The deceased, aged around 30, could not be identified yet. Senior Assistant Commissioner (AC) (DB, West Zonal Team) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Md Shahadat Hossain said his team arrested Delwar Hossain Shanta, an accused in the case filed with Shyampur Police Station over the gun attack on DB AC Rahul Patwari, from Jatrabari area on Monday night.

According to his statement, the DB team conducted a drive near Gate-2of Jurain graveyard around 1:40am today to arrest his cohorts, he said.

Sensing the presence of the detectives, the criminals, numbering four, opened fire on them which forced the law enforcers to retaliate, Shahadat said.

During the exchange of fire, one of the criminals sustained bullet injuries while others fled the scene, he said, adding that three DB men were also injured in the incident.

Later, the bullet-hit criminal was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead around 4am, said Mahbubul Haque, sub-inspector of Shyampur Police Station.

Senior AC Rahul sustained bullet injuries as criminals fired gunshots when he along with his team members was conducting an operation against illegal firearms in Shyampur area on August 12.


JS awaits debate on SC verdict as it goes into session Sept 10

The 17th session of the 10th parliament will begin on September 10, which is likely to witness a lively debate over the Supreme Court observation on the 16th amendment verdict.

President Abdul Hamid called the session of the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) on Tuesday exercising the power bestowed upon him as per Article 72 (1) of the Constitution, said a Parliament Secretariat handout. The session will begin at 5pm.

On Monday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while talking about the much-talked-about 16th amendment to the Constitution, said she has doubt whether other judges of the Appellate Division had the scope of freely giving their opinions.

She also said, the Chief Justice might have not given them that scope and many things can be understood after reading the verdict.

Mentioning that there were many 'contradictions' in the judgment, Hasina said adding she was reading it and taking notes.


Tears for Nayakraj Burial at Banani today

Staff Reporter :

People from all walks of life who gathered on the Central Shaheed Minar premises on Tuesday paid last respect to legendary actor Razzak, popularly known as Nayakraj.

Thousands of people including commoners, young and old were in a long queue stretching from the Central Shaheed Minar to Dhaka Medical College to bid farewell to their beloved actor.

His first Namaj-e-Janaza was held on the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (FDC)premises.

When the vehicle carrying the body reached the FDC around 11:15am, the well-wishers of Razzak, co-workers, artistes, politicians were all there to pay homage to the iconic actor. The country's film fraternity has also collectively decided to suspend all shooting for the next three days to mourn Nayakraj. Around 12noon, the body was taken to Central Shaheed Minar from the FDC.

Bangladesh Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader led a team of his political party to pay respect to the actor. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor and a team led by Nazrul Islam Khan representing Bangladesh Nationalist Party also paid respect to Razzak.

Cultural and film organisations and personalities also flocked to the place to place floral wreaths to Razzak's corpse and to pay their respect. Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesh National Museum, Bangladesh Film Directors' Association, Udichi Shilpigoshthi, Bangladesh Ganasangeet Parishad and many others were among the organisations.

'Razzak's contribution to the country's film industry is immeasurable. Since the late 1960s, Razzak became the face of our industry making it at par with Indian or Pakistani film industries', said Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor.

Meanwhile, his second Namaj-e-Janaza was held at Gulshan Azad Mosque after Asr prayers, where Nayakraj used to say prayers. He will be buried at Banani Graveyard in Dhaka today (Wednesday) after arrival of Razzak's second son from abroad, family sources said. Decision on his burial has been changed as his second son Raoshan Hossain Bappy is yet to arrive from Canada, said actor Alamgir on behalf of Razzak's family. The undisputed emperor of Bangladeshi filmdom, who reigned for decades, passed away at the capital's United Hospital at 6:15pm on Monday following a heart attack.
Gowher Rizvi meets Sinha, talks 16th Amendment verdict

Pro-AL lawyers demand CJ's resignation by Thursday

Special Correspondent :

In a major breakthrough, Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi met Chief Justice Surendra Humar Sinhar at the latter's office in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Sources close to the SC told The New Nation that the meeting continued for about one hour from 3:00pm to 4:00pm where both of them discussed the recent verdict delivered by the SC annulling the 16th Amendment to the Constitution.

Confirming the matter, Additional Register of the High Court Division of the SC (admin) Sabbir Fayez said last night, "The meeting was held between the duo and main agenda was 16th Amendment verdict."

The meeting between the CJ and the PM's adviser is now getting high importance in the country's political and other circles concerned when the ruling Awami League has taken tough stance against the CJ for delivering verdict and observation on the 16th Amendment.

Meanwhile, the pro-ruling party lawyers' forum Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad (BAAP) on Tuesday demanded resignation of Chief Justice SK Sinha by tomorrow (Thursday) along with canceling the verdict and observation on the 16th Amendment.

If the CJ does not step down responding to their demand, the BAAP would start a one-point movement against the head of the judiciary.

The ultimatum came just a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina blasted the CJ over the same issue alleging that 'threat and political statements are being issued by the apex court'.

In line with the ruling Awami League's strategy to gain public support against the verdict, the BAAP organized a meeting like other days in front of the Supreme Court Bar which was presided over by organization's convenor advocate Yusuf Hossain Humayun.

The pro-Awami League lawyers raised allegations that the CJ has violated his oath by comparing the local incident with Pakistan. Not only that, the CJ has also made objectionable remarks against the women lawmakers.

Echoing the same, BAAP's Member-Secretary Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapos yesterday blamed SK Sinha for threatening the PM. "The CJ has threatened PM Hasina by citing reference to a Pakistan court order that disqualified Nawaz Sharif as their Premier. So, the CJ will have to resign from the office, as he has violated his oath by citing reference to the Pakistan Supreme Court," Tapos said.

Earlier on Monday, PM said CJ SK Sinha should have quit before making such comparison (to Pakistan) and defaming parliament. "I will tell one word that everything could be tolerated, but comparing Bangladesh with Pakistan cannot be acceptable," the PM warned.

On the other hand, the pro-BNP lawyers' platform Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum has demanded resignation of PM Sheikh Hasina for taking hostile attitude against the judiciary.

"PM Sheikh Hasina has taken stand against the judiciary by talking about CJ's resignation." Supreme Court Bar Association chief and the forum's President Advocate Zainul Abedin said at a meeting organised at the North Hall of Supreme Court Bar Association.


Bangabandhu himself would not claim to be so: Mainul

Staff Reporter :

Bangabandhu himself would not have claimed that he alone built the nation or the country. Chief Justice in his judgement only said no nation or a country was made by one man meaning collective efforts necessary, said Barrister Mainul Hosein at a talk-show called Tritio Matra in Channel-i on Tuesday while explaining the controversy over the judgement given by seven judges of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court declaring 16th Amendment to the Constitution unconstitutional. Bangabandhu would not have denied the contributions of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Manik Mia or the freedom fighters. Mr Hosein was highly critical of those who were abusive about the judges of the highest court.

Other discussants were Advocate Muhammad Yousuf Hossain Humayun, former President, Supreme Court Bar Association and Dr. Zillur Rahman Khan, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin, USA. The talk-show was moderated by Senior Journalist Mr Zillur Rahman.

Explaining himself Barrister Hosein added to say that this sentence was in a different context. Bangabandhu's name was mentioned with due respect for his contribution in creation of Bangladesh. 'I find nothing in the sentence showing even indirectly any disrespect to Bangabandhu.'

Barrister Hosein said the country's acute flood situation has displaced more than 30 lakhs of people. The proper thing should have been to worry about the sufferings of the people and mismanagement in providing help to their inhuman miseries. The country is facing the problems all over like corruption, abuse of power and non-functioning of many government institutions. The government should be busy with helping the suffering people.

Barrister Hosein tried to make it clear that empowering the Parliament to try the judges of the Supreme Court will have the effect of not only depriving the independence of the judiciary, but also deny the supremacy of the Constitution. There will be no judiciary to protect the Constitution. He analysed to show that the people behind the change meant to establish one party rule like BKSAL. They are terribly upset and the Awami League should be careful.

He also clarified that the consequence of members of Parliament trying the judges of the Supreme Court will lead to ugly partisan fighting in the Parliament.

Mentioning the example in India and citing from the present judgement Barrister Hosein said the judges of the Supreme Court represent the conscience of the nation and in India also it is a committee of two judges and a jurist which decides if the judge has committed the offence. Only thereafter both the houses of the Parliament consider whether the judge deserves to be removed.

Barrister Mainul Hosein further elaborated the argument in respect of political observations to say that the Constitution also deals with the issues of good governance and the Supreme Court as protector of the Constitution can justifiably point out wrongs in the governance. His emphasis on proper functioning of the Parliament or the need of free and fair election were within the sphere of good governance.

Barrister Hosein advised that without crushing the Constitution if the government has any idea in line with the example in India or any other country, it can suggest that. The problem remains as ours is a one-house Parliament.

He was critical about fuming and shouting indecent words against the judges of the highest court.

Mr Yusuf Hossain Humayun remained steadfast to his argument that though not directly but indirectly belittled Bangabandhu. He was especially irritated for politicising the judgement by BNP and Jamaat. Professor Zillur Rahman Khan described fondly his relationship with Bangabandhu but strongly reminded the importance of the judiciary for democracy.


3 RAB officials, Nur among 15 to die

Families of victims of N\'ganj 7-murder showing V-signs as they were satisfied after the High Court upheld the penalty of accused on Tuesday.

Staff Reporter :

The High Court yesterday (Tuesday) upheld death penalty for 15 convicts including Nur Hossain and three RAB officials while commuting the penalty of 11 others - all of whom were sentenced to death by lower court in the sensational Narayanganj seven-murder cases.

However, the court upheld the jail sentence of the other accused.

Former Awami League man Nur Hossain, the then commanding officer of Rab-11 in Narayanganj Lt Col Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, the then company commanders of Rab-11 Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander Masud Rana are among the convicts who were awarded the capital punishment.

HC bench of Justice Bhabani Prasad Singha and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam announced the verdict on the death references and appeals in the sensational seven-murder cases.

If a lower court sentences an accused to death, the judgment is examined by the HC for confirming the sentence.

On January 16 this year a local court found 35 people, including 25 former Rab officials and Nur Hossain, guilty of the charges. Of them 26 were sentenced to death while nine others were jailed in various terms - from seven to 17 years.

Seven people, including the then Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker, were abducted from Dhaka-Narayanganj link road on April 27, 2014. Later, their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river. The nation stood aghast at the extent of the brutality. The family members and relatives of the victims mobilised public support and waged a movement demanding justice.

Following a petition, the High Court ordered arrest of the three officials and probe without Rab involvement.

After appearing before a Narayanganj court in a criminal case on April 27, 2014, Nazrul along with Moniruzzaman Swapan, Tajul Islam, Liton and his driver Jahangir Alam was returning to Dhaka in a microbus.

When they reached Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium at Fatullah, another microbus waylaid them. The five were abducted.

Chandan and his driver Ibrahim were also abducted and killed apparently because they witnessed the abduction of Nazrul and others.

The murderers cut open the victims' bellies and tied the bodies to sacks full of bricks before throwing them into the river. They were blindfolded, and their hands and legs were tied.

According to a charge sheet, Nur Hossain had previous enmity with Nazrul Islam over issues related to the city corporation. He paid the Rab officials to abduct and kill Nazrul.

Being the commander of the force, Tareque ordered his subordinates to abduct and kill the persons and hide the bodies with the intention of getting financial benefits by breaching the discipline of the force.

Arif and Masud directly took part in the crime, and the other members of the force, whose names were mentioned in the charge sheet, participated in the offence at different stages.

Charge sheets in the two cases were submitted in April 2015.

Following the charge framing on February 8 last year, the court recorded testimonies of 106 witnesses and heard arguments from both the prosecution and the defence before fixing January 16 for delivering the verdict.

Both the cases were tried simultaneously as they were filed over one incident.

The court awarded death penalty to 26 accused as the "charges of abduction, killing and hiding bodies" were proved against them beyond reasonable doubt.
RMG workers` unrest feared

800 units found vulnerable, BGMEA in close watch

The countrys apex trade body for apparel sector now keeps a close watch on 800 garment factories fearing workers unrest ahead of Eid centring non-payment of arrear salaries and festival bonuses.



These factories are in financial constraints over the last few years.



The crisis management cell of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is closely monitoring the situation to avert any untoward situation ahead of Eid, Faruque Hassan, Senior Vice-President of BGMEA, told The New Nation yesterday.



These factories are vulnerable to workers' unrest, as the owners are not paying their workers on a regular basis.



We have asked the garment factory owners to immediately pay arrear wages, salaries and Eid bonuses before Eid holiday begins. The BGMEA will mediate with the leaders and workers if any impasse is created in this process, Faruque added.



When asked, he said the majority of the factories are small and medium in size and many of them are engaged in subcontracting. They are passing through financial hardship resulted from inadequacy or lack of work orders in the wake of stringent safety and compliance rules enforced by global buyers.





Owners of these factories are dilly-dallying to clear workers arrear salaries, wages and Eid bonus. They are showing various excuses so that they can avoid workers payment before Eid. Non-payment of their workers can lead to disorder in the countrys key garment industrial belts, Amirul Haque Amin, IndustriALL Bangladesh Council Chairman, told The New Nation on Tuesday.



He claimed these factories have not yet paid 2-3 months arrear salaries.



Workers of three Ashulia factories have already staged demonstration at their workplaces demanding arrear salaries. Even non-paid workers of many factories are also staging demonstration in front of the BGMEA office regularly.



The labour leader urged the authorities concerned and BGMEA to clear workers arrear salaries before Eid to maintain peace in the garment industries. BGMEA should create a contingency fund to help any factory facing financial crisis to pay its workers.



Meanwhile, the law-enforcing agencies, including industrial police, have been put on alert to tackle any untoward incident in the readymade garment sector ahead of Eid.



The Industrial Police have already prepared a list of 385 vulnerable industrial units. Of them, some 300 are readymade garment (RMG) factories.



It sent the list to the ministries concerned and BGMEA expressing the apprehension that labour unrests might take place at these industrial units over payment of monthly wages, arrears and festival allowances.



The agencies concerned were asked to closely monitor the activities of some non-government organisations and labour organisations that were allegedly involved in workers unrest at garment factories in the recent past.




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CARTERVILLE  As the first diamond ring of the eclipse appeared, Ozzy Osbourne walked on stage at Walkers Bluff and began to sing Bark at the Moon as the shadow of the moon swept across the crowd.

The crowd welcomed the cooler temperature and breeze that accompanied totality.

I dont think Ive ever been in this part of the world before, Osbourne told his fans. I love you all. Thank you for coming to see me.

Osbourne sang through the end of the eclipse, with only a few short breaks because of the heat. In addition to Bark at the Moon, he played a nice mix of hits from across the decades of his career, from his days with rock group Black Sabbath through his solo work.

The crowd was delighted. At some times with songs such as War Pigs and No More Tears, Osbourne sang one line, the crowd sang the next.

It was awesome. It was dark and Ozzy was like Bark at the Moon. It was so worth it, David McDaniel of Jacksonville, Florida, said.

Phil Kappes of Pompano Beach, Florida, has been an Osbourne fan since his dad took him to see to see Osbourne in 1983. He was 11 at the time. He is such a fan that he has a picture of Osbourne tattooed on his right shoulder.

Since 1983, Ive seen Ozzy at least once a year, Kappes said.

Kappes went to college in Missouri and Illinois, but had never been as far south in the state as Carterville.

This is really cool. You are on two-lane roads and small towns, and all the sudden, youre at this big vineyard, Kappes said.

Fans were also excited to see guitarist Zakk Wylde. After Moonstock tickets went on sale, Osbourne announced Wylde would join him for his 2017 shows. Wylde has a 30-year history with Osbourne, playing with him three different periods from 1987 to 2009.

"A lot of people have seen Ozzy, but how many have seen Ozzy during a total solar eclipse?" Kappes asked.

Kappes said he bought his ticket early, before the announcement that Wylde would join him. He said that was a bonus.

John Bunch, whose dad and stepmom own Walkers Bluff, had some free time between his official duties to visit with a friend and grab a bite to eat in The Tasting Room.

This is the biggest event weve had out here, Bunch said.

Erica Garcia of Mission, Texas, flew to Chicago and spent a few days at the citys breweries. She then took a five-hour train trip to Carbondale and an Uber ride from the train station to Walkers Bluff to meet friends from Texas who drove to Southern Illinois.

Ive been to a lot of metal concerts and Ozzys the biggest, Garcia said.

She said everyone she has met has been nice. The Uber driver even loaded her beer into his truck and unloaded, so she would not have to lift it. She also became an instant fan of Big Muddy beer.

Organizers expected nearly 12,000 people to see the eclipse and Osbourne at Walker's Bluff. Final numbers will not be in until later this week, but they seemed to be within a couple thousand of that number.

Cynde Bunch, owner of Walkers Bluff, said one-fourth of the tickets sales were from outside the U.S.

In the campground, we have 30 campers from different states and 12 camp sites rented by people from outside the country, Bunch said.

The heat provided a few challenges for both organizers and fans attending the concert. A few people required treatment by emergency medical personnel. The response was quick and efficient.

Bunch said they worked with State of Illinois Auxiliary Police, meeting every week just before the event.

Theyve done their job and done it well, Bunch said.

"Wow. This is absolutely awesome," State Sen. Dale Fowler said.

Fowler added that the event had an incredible turnout. Moonstock shows why it is important to continue to lobby for a resort at Walker's Bluff, he said.
MAKANDA  On a hilltop west of Illinois 51, a special gathering of eclipse enthusiasts came together to celebrate Mondays event.

Some came to banish negative aspects of their lives  leaving them with the temporary darkness of the eclipse, while others came to be surrounded by like-minded friends, and perhaps find their own spiritual awakening in the shadow of the sun.

The party, hosted by Dancing Willow Farm and the Southern Illinois Pagan Alliance, had visitors from across the country. As the moon began crossing in front of the sun, children ran in the grass and were occasionally scolded by parents.

Get your glasses on, one parent exclaimed at his child, who was looking into the sun unprotected. Do you want me to keep you inside until it happens?

Dancing Willow Farm is the home of Curt Wilson and his family. Wilson said he wanted to have a place for people to come celebrate the major astronomical event in their own way.

We wanted to provide a space for all of our good-hearted friends and their friends, he said.

Persons of various faiths  Pagans, Buddhists, Unitarians and spiritual people who don't subscribe to a particular faith  came for different reasons, but many used one word to describe the significance of the eclipse  transformation.

Georgia De la Garza, a Cherokee from Carbondale, said that is exactly what it was for her. De la Garza said in her own life, she is transitioning into new roles as her children have recently moved out of the house.

Im transforming into a single person again, she said, adding that she was also a widow.

As the sun went dark and silver light touched everything in sight, people cheered, some kissed, some cried. Many in attendance wrote on black pieces of paper negative things they want banished from their lives and placed them into a black cauldron filled with water.

Tara Nelson, president of SIPA, said during totality, she tried to walk a fine line of experiencing and guiding.

I was trying really hard to balance experiencing something myself and to lead people, Nelson said.

Nelson said she was also surprised at how many people wanted to participate in the Pagan banishing ritual.

People were realizing, Hey, I want to be part of this thing, Nelson said.

Nelson said in the build-up to totality she did not know what to expect.

I was almost ready to be completely disappointed, she said.

She wasnt, though.

Then all of the sudden, bam, Nelson said of totality. She said she was in awe. She said she made a special effort to not just look up, but to look around. She saw the corona of the sun, but also the 360-degree sunset effect from her spot on the hill. Blushes of pink and purple touched the horizon and clouds glowed in the dusky sky.

Ty Barker, of Summerville, Georgia, said the eclipse was exactly what he was hoping for.

It was incredible. Ive wanted to see one my whole life, he said.

The event also provided Barker a way to get off on the right foot with friend-turned-girlfriend Miriam Hughes of Chicago. The two only recently became official and said meeting in Makanda was almost exactly halfway between Summerville and Chicago, a perfect way to meet up, providing them with a proper start to their relationship.

Barker said it was a truifying, optimistic experience.

Seeing his friends and their friends come together to celebrate was a powerful experience for Wilson. He said all of the faiths represented at the gathering provide something important to each practitioner.

These traditions can help bring personal, emotional and psychological balance, Wilson said.

More than anything, though, he was just in awe of the community that came together in and around his house. People singing together, sharing food, talking to strangers, making new friends.
CARBONDALE  As a strange darkness blanketed Saluki Stadium just after 1 p.m. Aug. 21, the thousands of people who filled the bleachers grew quiet and still. Then, as the moment of totality began, all at once, the crowd erupted  in applause, screams of joy, stomping of feet, pointing, hugging, impromptu laughter and even some tears.

Saluki Stadium has hosted several large crowds and even witnessed a few emotion-packed nights over close wins or losses over the years.

But this was something else; it was celestial. The thunderous reaction emerged from a crowd subdued by a mix of the odd light, sweltering August heat and hours of anticipation  and came on fast and furious. The response was raw and electrifying at the same time, and seemed to rise from the basal instincts of humankind.

Maria Tome said it was as if time had been suspended during totality  which lasted about two minutes and 40 seconds. Everything stops she said, describing a scene she found so overwhelmingly marvelous that it brought tears to her eyes.

The immensity of the universe, the strength of nature  its magic, she said.

Tome traveled from Bordeaux, France, to Carbondale to watch the eclipse with her husband, Stephane Blanc, and her son, Matteo Maillet. It was the second one shed seen  the first was in 1999  and this total eclipse, just as the one she saw 18 years prior, did not disappoint, she said. I thought it was amazing.

Blanc said it was his first total solar eclipse, so he did not entirely know what to expect. He said that as the light grew dim, it seemed as if the mood in the arena changed, too. Its a strange light, he said, Like after a thunderstorm or something.

Then, when it reached totality, he said, pausing, and drawing a breath  its fantastic.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale officials spent several years planning to host this eclipse event. The entire campus was open for viewing and many watched from the grounds. SIU hosted 14,000 people inside the sold-out Saluki Stadium for the guided experience.

The days events ranged from astronomy lessons on the serious end to audience members showing off their moonwalking skills, to some Michael Jackson hits on the lighter side.

Unfortunately, there was some cloud cover at the time of totality  despite the thousands of people who joined together in a chant encouraging the clouds to go away. But in the final few seconds, the clouds did give way for a partial diamond to appear, so the chanting must have worked.

At this sight, there was again an eruption of sounds from the crowd indicating astonishment and joy.

I was bummed that we only got like 15 seconds of the corona, said Mike Billitteri, of Minneapolis, who traveled to Carbondale to photograph the eclipse. But it shined through the clouds so it was still amazing.

Mat Kaplan, the host and producer of syndicated radio program Planetary Radio, who served as emcee of the event, said over the loud speaker at the conclusion of totality, Congratulations, you have just been part of one of the greatest natural phenomenon in U.S. history.

And that moment marked a wrap on a busy but overall successful few days that included moving in new students for classes that begin Tuesday, on top of SIU officials pulling off one of the largest and most complicated events in the schools history.

According to SIU, the undertaking was made possible by the assistance of about 800 volunteers. The university provided more than 70,000 eclipse glasses to schools and organizations. In addition to members of the general public, the eclipse event at SIU drew amateur astronomers, scientists, more than 40 K-12 school groups and college students from 10 counties, 40 states and the District of Columbia.

Among the guests were hundreds of teens from Marian Catholic High School in Chicago. The students said they boarded a bus headed for Carbondale at 4 a.m.

Just before totality, as the sky darkened, Jalen Sledge marveled at the dimming light in the middle of the afternoon. It looks like its 7 oclock at night, he said.

Its beautiful. Its gorgeous. It looks amazing, said Amber Wilson, a classmate.

NASA streamed the coast-to-coast eclipse live from Carbondale. About 300 journalists from 80 news outlets requested press credentials, according to the university.
MAKANDA  As the sun crested over the hills outside Makanda on Monday morning, travelers from far-flung locales stretched their legs in the parking areas at Blue Sky Vineyard, the Tuscan-inspired winery that laid claim to the point of greatest duration for the 2017 total solar eclipse.

Years ago, Blue Sky staff began fielding calls about the astronomical phenomenon, which was projected to reach its greatest duration  two minutes and 40.2 seconds  just outside the winerys grounds.

By mid-morning Monday, at least a thousand people from all over the world had already staked out spots on the lawn, eclipse glasses at the ready.

Rahul Jain flew in from India to visit his sister, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in Champaign. He said it was his fifth time seeing a total solar eclipse; he saw his first in India in 1995.

I was a little tiny kid. My parents took me driving to see the eclipse, and I think I got hooked, Jain said.

David Ruff, a retired English professor from Altamont, arrived by bus with a group of over 40 friends and family members. Ruff said that although 97 percent totality was visible at home, the group opted to travel down for the full eclipse and to view it from Blue Sky for those few extra seconds.

Everybody that you read that knows anything about this says that the full Monty is the only way to go, Ruff said.

An astronomical group from outside Barcelona, Spain, bused in about 50 people early Monday morning. Piedad Diez, a member of the group, viewed her first eclipse last year in Indonesia.

Probably what we want this time is to enjoy the totality, not to take pictures or anything.  Its only two minutes and 40 seconds, so the point is to enjoy it, Diez said.

Charles Fulco, eclipse educator for NASA and the American Astronomical Society, let attendees peek through his massive telescopes outfitted with solar filters.

Theres a beautiful sun spot group that emerged on the sun a couple of days ago  absolutely gorgeous, because it gives a 3-D feel to the sun, so it doesnt actually just look like a flat sphere, it actually looks like its got some depth to it, Fulco said.

Brad Babayco, of Huntsville, Alabama, gazed at those sun spots through a pair of binoculars with homemade, removable solar filters attached. An amateur astronomer, he was staying at the winery with his wife and 7-year-old granddaughter, determined to see his first total solar eclipse. Theyd taken a scouting trip along the path of totality the year before and settled on Blue Sky as their destination of choice.

This was on our bucket list. The last one that we planned to attend was in Arizona in the late '90s, and we missed out on that one for various reasons  its usually either kids are sick or parents, something happens. This time, its for us, he said.

As the day wore on, people fretted over the cumulous clouds tumbling in from the west. But when darkness fell, totality was unobscured. The crowd erupted in cheers as the sun disappeared behind the moon, throwing the landscape into rosy twilight in all directions.

Fiona MacDonald was part of a group that had traveled from outside London to view the eclipse. Asked whether the experience was worth the travel, she didnt hesitate.

Definitely. That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And I think this was an amazing place to see it, too. There was just about the right amount of people here to see it. It was stunning, MacDonald said.

Karen Hand, winemaker at Blue Sky, said the day went better than we ever expected.

We werent sure what to expect, but we were able to handle it. We got some good positive feedback and our staff are very exhausted, she said.
Terrance Hezekiah, 34, of 174 Buckhead Drive, Elloree, recently pleaded guilty to failure to stop for blue light, second or subsequent offense, and escape while in custody of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Circuit Judge Ed Dickson sentenced him to 54 months in prison. Hezekiah was given credit for having already served 351 days in jail.

In other pleas:

 Thomas Mixon Burns Jr., 42, of 7704 Freedom Road, Branchville, pleaded guilty recently to hit and run causing property damage.

Circuit Judge Ed Dickson sentenced him to six months at the Orangeburg County Detention Center or a $100 fine.

 Larry Jermaine Dennis, 41, of 758 Pigeon Bay Road, Cross, pleaded guilty to failure to stop for blue light and possession of a stolen pistol.

Dickson sentenced him to 18 months of probation and $100 in restitution.

 Jamisha Bernick Jenkins, 28, of 243 Westside Lane, Walterboro, pleaded guilty to failure to stop for blue light.

Dickson sentenced her to 18 months of probation.

 Blake Alexander Stokes, 20, of 280 Jumpers Avenue, Varnville, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a handgun.

Dickson sentenced him to probation for one year.

 Patrick Zimmerman Jr., 24, of 938 Graham Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a handgun.

Dickson sentenced him to one year of probation.

Zimmermans probation will end upon earning a degree from South Carolina State University.

 Ciara Nicole Vennings, 20, of 15 Argonne Street, Charleston, pleaded guilty to grand larceny.

Dickson sentenced her under the Youthful Offender Act not to exceed five years and probation for 30 months.

 Tyrell James, 29, of 113 Woodrow Drive, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to possession of ecstasy.

Dickson sentenced him to 18 months of probation.

 Tuania Michele Holbrook, 41, of 109 Taylors Way, Moncks Corner, pleaded guilty to possession of less than one gram of methamphetamine/cocaine base, driving under the influence and driving under suspension.

Dickson sentenced her to three years of probation.

Her probation will end 18 months after she completes rehabilitation at Faith House.

 Shawnsteven Myers, 26, of 558 Landfill Road, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, concentration of .08, and open container.

Dickson sentenced him to time served.

 Jimmeka Shafonyaann Hill, 27, of 1374 Maedrine Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and second-degree assault and battery.

Dickson sentenced her to three years of probation and noted that she is not required to register as a sex offender.

 Jamall Lamar Brunson, 26, of 220 Zoo Lane, Eutawville, pleaded guilty to possession of less than one gram of methamphetamine or cocaine base.

Dickson sentenced him to 90 days in jail. He was given credit for having already served 19 days.

Brunson is allowed to serve time on weekends.

 David Myers, 42, of 2893 Landsdowne Road, Bowman, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine.

Dickson sentenced him to two years of probation.

 Thomas Washington, 56, of 216 Hope Lane, Bowman, pleaded guilty to chop shop and four counts of receiving stolen goods.

Dickson sentenced him to three years of probation.

At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors dismissed two additional charges of operating a chop shop and 24 counts of receiving stolen goods.

 Katelynn Ann Thigpen, 19, of 3860 Artesian Drive, Sumter, pleaded guilty to giving false information to law enforcement.

Dickson sentenced her to time served.

 Freddie Culler, 53, of 2825 Jones Wire Road, North, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, second offense.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for one year and a fine of $2,100, provided that upon the service of five days and payment of $1,100, the balance of the sentence will be suspended to one year of probation.

Culler is allowed to serve time on weekends.

His probation will end upon the payment of all fines, fees and court costs at a rate of $251 monthly so as long as Culler is compliant.

 Monalisa Renee Wright-Lee, 41, of 655 Torrington Drive, Eutawville, pleaded guilty to fraudulent acquisition of food stamps valued more than $1,000 but less than $5,000.

Dickson sentenced her to five years of probation and paying $2,009 in restitution.

According to a 2015 indictment, Wright-Lee obtained food stamps by failing to report her employment with Family Diagnostic Associates and Trident Regional Medical Center between Oct. 3, 2007 and July 31, 2009.

 Lamont Dewayne Lambright, 34, of 278 Hummingbird Lane, Cordova, pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen vehicle.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for 29 months or a fine of $400, provided that upon the payment of the fine, the balance of the sentence will be suspended to 18 months of probation.

 Theodore McRate Evans Jr., 27, of 113 Margaret Way, Cordova, pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy, forgery less than $10,000 and breach of trust with fraudulent intent valued at $10,000 or more.

Dickson sentenced him to four years of probation.

According to his indictment, Evans forged a shipping order from Husqvarna Corporation.

 Terry Jamal Katrell Kennerly, 23, of 115 Perry Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to use of vehicle without permission with intent to deprive the owner and resisting arrest.

Dickson sentenced him to probation for three years.

He stipulated that his probation will end before three years if he completes his GED.

 Travon Leontrae Glover, 20, of 118 Lou Drive, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to breaking into a motor vehicle.

Dickson sentenced him to six months in prison.

 Adrian L. Jackson, 32, of Hunters Chapel Road, Bamberg, pleaded guilty to failure to stop for blue light and habitual traffic offender while driving under suspension.

Dickson sentenced him to five years in prison, provided that upon the service of 90 days, the balance of the sentence will be suspended to probation for five years.

If Jackson does not have any offenses for two years, he may petition the court for early termination of probation.

 Edward Franklin Lane, 45, of 19549 104th Place, Live Oak, Florida, pleaded guilty to use of vehicle without permission with the intent to deprive the owner.

Dickson sentenced him to time served.

 Amanda Curls, 26, of 6911 Kips Lane, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to unlawful carrying of a handgun.

Dickson sentenced her to time served.

 Latreses Kutina Broxton, 32, of 6450 Char-Augusta Highway, Bamberg, pleaded guilty to forgery less than $10,000.

Dickson sentenced her to time served.

 Samuel David Loftin, 29, of 1273 Ashley Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, second offense.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for one year and a fine of $5,100, provided that upon the service of five days and payment of a $1,100 fine, the balance will be suspended to probation for one year.

Dickson credited him for having already served 57 days in jail.

Loftins probation will end once he pays his $1,100 fine. He has until Dec. 15 to pay all court fines and fees.

 Jahmel McQueen Williams, 34, of 150 McCord Street, Santee, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence and driving under the influence, second offense.

Dickson sentenced him to prison for three years. Upon the service of 60 days, the balance of the sentence will be suspended to two years of probation.

Dickson credited him for having served 47 days in jail.

He also ordered Williams to successfully complete a batterers treatment program.
Orangeburg

County

Sheriffs Office

A deputy was injured and two suspects got away after an extended chase and crash on Monday night.

According to an incident report, a 2012 black Ford Fusion disregarded a stop light and almost struck another vehicle at 8:38 p.m.

A deputy tried to stop the vehicle, but it sped up rather than pulling over as it turned onto Stilton Road.

The vehicle continued to flee on Goff Avenue to Kings Road, then Belleville Road to Till Road to Gramling Road, Cameron Road to Armstrong Terrace, back to Cameron Road to Till Road and then Langley Road.

The vehicle continued on Belleville Road to Landfill Road and back to Belleville Road, where it crashed.

Two men carrying book bags fled by foot from the vehicle.

As the deputy attempted to run to catch up with them, he injured his left foot. He then ended the foot pursuit.

A local towing company towed the vehicle to the sheriffs office impound lot.

The S.C. Highway Patrol responded to the accident scene.

In other reports:

A Bamberg man called deputies on the afternoon of Aug. 14 to report that someone stole his white 2012 Kia Forte from the side of Redmond Mill Road in North.

The vehicle is valued at $8,000.

The owner of a 1995 black Nissan Maxima reported Monday night that it was stolen from a Kings Road residence. It had been parked there for about two months.

It is valued at $4,000.

Orangeburg

Department

of Public Safety

A Maxcy Street woman reported on Monday morning that someone stole her 2006 tan/gold Chrysler 300 from the parking lot in front of her residence.

She said the theft took place around 2:30 a.m.

The womans husband told officers that he left the key to the vehicle in the center console and that the drivers side door was unlocked.

The vehicle is valued at $12,000.

In other reports:

A Middleton Street family returned to their residence at 4 p.m. Monday to discover an uninvited guest entered while they were away.

The following items were missing: a Lenovo laptop, a Sony PlayStation4, a pair of red and white Jordan sneakers and two acoustic guitars.

The items are valued at $2,260.

In addition, a family member located a pair of shoes that didnt belong to any member of the family.

A Brewton Street homeowner reported on Monday afternoon that someone forced their way into his sunroom while he was out of the country.

The following items were stolen from his home: $700 in cash, a Casio camera, a G-Shock watch and an Omega watch.

The items are valued at $5,450.
DENMARK  A crowd of more than 200 wearing strange glasses mingled at Denmark Technical College on Monday afternoon to observe the phenomenon that swept across the U.S.

Denmark Technical College hosted a viewing event called A Minute of Midnight: Celebrating the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. The event was sponsored by the Community Rural Arts Work League of Bamberg County, CRAWL.

All visitors were encouraged to bring their personal solar eclipse glasses, but CRAWL had a limited amount of glasses available at the event courtesy of Phoenix Specialty Manufacturing Co., Faith Action Ministries, and several private donors. About 700 solar eclipse glasses were given out throughout the campus.

Senior citizens were hosted in the Technology Center of the Carroll-Lebby Library. They were able to use individual computers to watch the eclipse as it traveled, communicate with NASA and visit other eclipse websites. They also had eclipse puzzles, word games and an eclipse bingo competition.

Denmark residents Harold Ness and Ella Guess gathered in a room near the campus library where the NASA live broadcast of the eclipse was being shown via digital projection. Ness will be 95 years old Tuesday, the day after the solar eclipse.

Ness said, Its a once-in-a-lifetime event for me. Its very exciting to know you witnessed it.

The Rev. Terry Roof, pastor at Bethel Park United Methodist Church, said You read a lot in the newspapers about what the scientists think about the eclipse, why it happens, how it happens. No one is talking about who made it happen. Roof referenced God in his statement.

DTC English instructor Teresa Jenkins, said, I am absolutely excited because I know I wont be here for the next one.

DTC students and citizens gathered just outside the gymnasium on the campus for the eclipse, while middle and high school students had slam-dunk and double-dutch competitions.

DTC student Deshannon James said, Its the first time in my life seeing a solar eclipse. I cant wait for it to get dark. I cannot wait to experience it. I cant wait to see how the animals react to it.

Dominique Turnipseed, another student, said shes happy that she was within the viewing area of the solar eclipse.

Dr. Christopher Hall, interim president of the college, said they had visitors from as far away as Florida.

I think that we (had) a chance to show what DTC is all about  Denmark Truly Cares, he said.

Scheduled activities were storytelling, kinder-ready games and puzzles, and NASA uploads for the youngest visitors. Crafting was available to all and was especially geared to the institutions young, future scholars.
By Azernews





By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijans pavilion is among the five most popular international pavilions at EXPO 2017 in Astana, Sputnik Kazakhstan reported.

EXPO 2017 Astana kicked off on June 10 and will last until September 10 under the theme Future Energy. This, along with the three subthemes  Reducing CO2 Emissions, Living Energy Efficiency, and Energy for All  allow the Expo to present the state of energy today and to showcase sustainable solutions and innovative technologies.

More than 19 million people visited the pavilions of the participating countries, according to the report.

As of August 20, the list of top 10 most visited pavilions at EXPO 2017 included the Plaza of Africa, Egypt, Turkey, Thailand, Azerbaijan, India, Russia, Uzbekistan, Japan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Azerbaijans national pavilion covered some 403.3 square meters. Operating under the motto of The Land of Fire: energy, from past to future it reflects such values as the history of Azerbaijan, culture, art, science, human capital, tradition of tolerance, modern economy, the Caspian Sea, the ancient Silk Road, Gobustan and etc.

National Day was arranged in Azerbaijani pavilion at the EXPO 2017 Astana International Exhibition on July 9.

About 120 countries and 18 international organizations, major international corporations took part in the exhibition.

Baku is candidate for hosting the 2025 World EXPO.
By Azernews





By Ali Mustafayev

Ankara has signaled possibilities of Turkey-Iran joint operation against the PKK terror group, and its branch the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), amid the rising tension close to their borders.

Turkey and Iran are planning to conduct a joint military operation against the PKK in the north of Iraq in stages, Trend reported citing Turkish media on August 22.

Reportedly, firstly the Turkish Air Force will bomb 19 positions of the PKK in the areas of Zap, Berwari, Batuf, Chemch and Avashin.

The military operation will be carried on the territory of Iraq, 19 km from the Turkish border. The first stage of the operation is expected to last 8-10 days.

During the second stage of the operation, the Iranian Armed Forces will begin ground operations in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq.

Roughly 42.000 Iranian soldiers will take part in the land operations, while the land troops will be supported by the Turkish military aircrafts.

Turkish media reports that Ankara and Tehran also intend to establish a joint military base in the north of Iraq.

Previously, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said that "a joint operation with Iran against terror groups that are posing threat is always on the agenda."

"We have discussed the details on what kind of work we can carry out amongst us. There are damages that the PKK and its branch in Iran causes. We will carry out these discussions with the understanding that the threats can be defeated with the cooperation of both countries in a short time," Erdo?an said.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU, resumed its nearly 40-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

The PJAK, which is associated with the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), the umbrella organization for the armed terrorist organizations the PKK, is the Iranian branch of the terror group. In Syria, the group goes by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing the People's Protection Units (YPG).

Although the PKK was headquartered in Syria until 1998, currently, the terrorist organization is controlled from its headquarters in northern Iraq's Qandil Mountains, according to Daily Sabah.
UAE-based Al Fardan Exchange and Paykii, a cross border bill payment hub, have signed an agreement to provide utility bill payments in India, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines with more countries to come soon.



This partnership between the two organizations is meant to ease the payment of water, electricity and other utility bills for expats who are not residing in those countries.



The agreement signing ceremony was held at Al Fardan Exchange HO in presence of senior executives from Al Fardan Exchange and Paykii.



Osama Al Rahma, CEO of Al Fardan Exchange, said: It is our pleasure to be associated with an international company like Paykii and we are sure that this tie up will be mutually beneficial for both entities as well as for the customers. We always look for ways to add value to our services and offer additional facilities to our customers.



Fabian Saide, CEO of PayKii said: This collaboration between Al Fardan and PayKii will introduce for the first time the ability for individuals living in the UAE to easily and quickly pay bills for their loved ones back home. PayKiis simple and secure cross border bill pay platform will enable Al Fardan customers to pay utility expenses in India, Pakistan and Indonesia in less than a minute. Now Al Fardan customers will have better visibility into how funds are spent, the ability to direct where funds should be spent and the peace of mind that comes with knowing your family bills are being paid.



PayKii will continue to expand its international footprint by opening additional markets in 2017 in support of Al Fardans customers, Saiide added.  TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources will hold a Saudi-Chinese investment forum titled "Belt and Road Initiative and Vision 2030, a Joint Vision for Cooperation and Prosperity" in Jeddah on Thursday.



The forum, which coincides with the meeting of Saudi-Chinese High Level Committee, will discuss the promotion of joint investment opportunities, identify opportunities for establishing economic ties and working relations, said a Saudi Press Agency report.



It will also explore partnership and investment opportunities being stimulated by the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and Vision 2030.



Senior executives from major Saudi and Chinese companies representing industries of common interest for both countries will take part in the forum.
Iv Behri joins Centro Sharjah by Rotana as the new human resources manager.



Behri, an Albanian national, is a graduate of the Swiss Hotel Management School in Leysin, Switzerland.



In his new role, Behri will be responsible for the overall manning, maintaining a fully functional department that provides the hotel employees with efficient and timely services and developing HR strategies.



Behri said: I am delighted to continue my career in Rotana at Centro Sharjah and look forward to ensuring that our colleagues development and welfare is managed to its best as they are very important stakeholders in this industry.



Having joined Rotana in 2013 as a Tarot (The Accelerated Refinement of Talent) participant, a Rotana 18-month fast track development programme, Behri has grown in the company over the years and held various positions. Following his completion of the programme, he was appointed as the HR officer in Salalah Rotana, Oman and later promoted to assistant director of Human Resources. He held this position in several properties including his previous, the Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana in Abu Dhabi. - TradeArabia News Service
Three soldiers sweated under wool hats and uniforms as the late-morning sun blazed at Fort Caspar last Thursday. With rifles resting over shoulders and packs on their backs, they strolled along the path at Fort Caspar.

Their first sergeant Daniel Mattern ordered the other two members of his company to stack their arms. The three rested their rifles in a tripod shape to demonstrate the practice of keeping arms within easy reach while at rest. Along the path, they greeted and posed for photos with a couple visiting the museum.

Theyre what people called galvanized Yankees, historical reenactor Daniel Mattern told the pair. That's the derogatory term their fellow servicemen from the North called them. The soldiers traded their gray Confederate coats for Union blue during the Civil War after they were captured by Northern troops and were given the option to either stay in prison camps or serve in the U.S. Army on the remote Western frontier. The name referred to the galvanizing process of zinc-coating metals, which changes the color of its surface.

Mattern described their choice succinctly: Either you can rot and die in prison or you can take off the Confederate grays and put on the federal blue uniform."

Some that chose to go to the West joined the 3rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry Company I stationed at what would become Casper, Mattern told the couple.

Mattern started the Company I reenactment group last spring to portray this lesser-known facet of local history. He's been reenacting history for nearly 30 years and enjoys demonstrating the everyday lives that were part of local history. Many of those at the fort were galvanized Yankees, he said.

Company Is first performances begin this weekend with living history portrayals and a candlelight evening tour at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. The group also is recruiting new company members and anyone interested in Civil War-era reenactment.

The reason I want to bring Company I back is to have folks  relive how they lived and how they breathed and how they ate and what they did, Mattern said. And wed like to keep the local history alive out here as well.

Changes

Many locals know about the cavalry regiments at the Platte Bridge Station, later renamed Fort Caspar after the young Second Lt. Caspar Collins. He was killed in 1865 while leading a small detachment into overwhelming Native American forces in a battle known as the Battle of Platte Bridge. He became the namesake of Casper as well.

Cavalrymen first arrived at the fort in 1862 to protect the telegraph and emigrant trails. Lesser known are the Company I troops comprised of former Confederate soldiers. They joined the cavalry troops at Platte Bridge Station and were the first infantrymen at the fort, Mattern said. Most of them were killed along with Collins in the Battle of Platte Bridge, Mattern said.

Some of the prisons were better than others, Mattern said, but they tended to be overcrowded with little food and supplies. Many had tainted water and poor sanitary conditions, he said.

"It was absolutely miserable," Mattern said.

Life on the frontier, however, also brought a lot of changes for the Southern soldiers. The galvanized Yankees also had to adjust to serving alongside and in the uniforms of the Union they'd fought against, Mattern said. Tensions ran high and soldier fights often broke out, he added. Then there were Wyoming's harsh winters. Many of them wanted to go back home, but desertion could result in being shot or hanged, Mattern said.

Fighting Native Americans also was much different than the Civil War battles. They didn't stand in lines for battle, and they had different weapons including arrows and tomahawks, Mattern said.

The Battle of Platte bridge was part of a retaliation across the central plains for the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado Territory, in which hundreds of Colorado troops attacked a peaceful Southern Cheyenne village. The troops killed about 135 people, most of them women and children, according to the Wyoming State Historical Society. The increasing intense warfare on the plains was what drove the U.S. government to send the captured Confederate soldiers out west, Mattern said.

Company I was first sent to Julesberg, Colorado, then marched to Fort Laramie and on to Platte Bridge Station.

Once we got out here, were going to start protecting the emigrants that are traveling on the trails, Mattern said. Were going to be doing a lot of fatigue duty. Were going to be marching a lot, making sure the telegraph lines are operating functionally and so forth.

Recruiting

Mattern has been reenacting history since childhood with his parents and has been to events around the country, including Gettysburg. He and his parents were part of an original Company I reenacting group in town in the 1990s, but the group eventually disbanded.

Thanks to a more relaxed schedule, Mattern is reviving the company and looking for recruits. He already found several people interested in the group, but is always looking for more.

The group's upcoming events include Candlelight Christmas at Fort Caspar and an instruction camp in May at Fort Fetterman.

It's easy to become involved in the company and reenacting, said Ken Christianson, a member of the new group. He joined because he likes history and thought reenactment events at local museums looked like fun, he said.

"Im learning ... all the time from these guys who know a lot of stuff," Christianson said. "You dont have to be some history expert to enjoy this kind of stuff and want to learn more about it."
City manager speaks to Reveille

Caspers Reveille Rotary Club will hear about the City of Casper from City Manager, J. Carter Napier, at the 7 a.m meeting at Central Wyoming Senior Services Center, 1831 E. 4th St. Napier will share information about his career path, city operations, challenges, and future plans.

Reveille Rotary meetings are held every Wednesday beginning at 7 a.m. Meetings are open to the public. Anyone wishing to attend to hear a featured speaker or to learn more about Reveille Rotary is invited to attend.

Wednesday support meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous: 6:30 a.m., 917 N. Beech; 8:30 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 10 a.m., 328 E. A; noon, 500 S. Wolcott; 2 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 5:30 p.m., 1124 Elma, Imitate the Image Church; 5:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 7 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, closed; 7 p.m., 520 CY; 8 p.m., 328-1/2 E. A; 8 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m., 917 N. Beech. Douglas: 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.

Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 7 p.m., 15th and Melrose, at the church. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.

TOPS #162, weight loss support, 8:30 a.m., 1868 S. Poplar.

Summer readers earn party

Kids who spend time in the pages of a book over the summer will likely be rewarded with a successful start to the school year. Boys & Girls Club members will receive an additional reward in the form of an end of the summer party hosted by McDonalds. Children who have read at least eight hours while at the club this summer will be treated to the party in Washington Park at 11:30 a.m.

The summer reading program, sponsored in part by Casper area McDonalds, has seen a marked increase in participation. Members at all Casper and Glenrock club sites were encouraged to read at least 20 minutes a day and received incentives each time they reached a two-hour milestone. At the end of July, the number of prizes distributed were nearly double the total number of prizes handed out all summer the year prior. So far, 702 members have read 137,400 minutes.

According to the Wyoming Department of Education, when students read during the summer, even as few as four or five books, they tend not to experience summer slide. Summer vacation can break the routine of regular instruction which can lead children to forget and require catch up and review once school starts again.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming operates summer programming at four sites in Natrona County and one in Glenrock.

Quilts of Valor every Wednesday

The Central Wyoming Chapter of Quilts of Valor meets from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays to sew at the Central Wyoming Senior Services Center, 1831 E. Fourth St. Quilts of Valor are made by volunteers. Donated fabrics, supplies or monetary donations are appreciated. The chapter awards quilts to veterans who reside in the Central Wyoming region. Dues are $5 per year, and new members are always welcome. If you have any questions, please contact Yung Hui Torske at 258-5578, Sandy Elliott at 307-554-0331 or any chapter member.

Fried chicken at the Elks

Wednesday Night Special at the Casper Elks Lodge is fried chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and corn. All you can eat for $7, children 5 to 12 are $3, serving from 6 to 7 p.m. or until gone. Members, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information, call 234-4839. All proceeds go to Elks Charities.

Twenty-one days of prayer

Each night through Aug. 26, gather at First Baptist Church, 514 S. Beech, for 21 Days of Prayer. We will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturdays. There will also be special prayer activities for the children each evening. Questions? Call the church office at 234-6946.

Gold prospectors meet

The Casper Chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America will have its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Building, 2211 King Blvd. Enter through the east door. Members and guests are welcome. The club will have its general business meeting and the Yukon trip participants will talk about their experience. For more information about the GPAA or the Casper chapter, or about prospecting in general, call Eric Weaner at 513-259-7902 or visit the clubs webpage at caspergpaa.org or email the club at caspergpaa@gmail.com.

Sand Bar walking tour

Casper Theater Company will host the Sand Bar Murder Mystery walking tour at 8 p.m. The tour will find you back in history in the 1920s, wanting to find the killer of Shorty through interviews with people willing to chat, and engage in a conversation with you on the Sand Bar. The tour encompasses six blocks, is easy walking with stops along the way and is about an hour plus. Please call or email for a reservation, 267-7243, caspertheatercompany@gmail.com, to find out the starting point and for ticket purchase. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring your camera.
High expectations can sometimes lead to disappointment, but Casper Mayor Kenyne Humphrey said Tuesday that the Wyoming Eclipse Festival lived up to its hype.

It was perfect, said Humphrey. I dont think it could have gone any better.

The festival featured dozens of vendors, street performers, musicians and food trucks situated in the heart of Caspers revitalized downtown. It began Thursday and culminated Monday with a free concert at the new David Street Station by Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band.

The successful event may have a few long-lasting effects on the city, according to the mayor.

Casper police decided Saturday to temporarily relax the citys open-container restrictions, and allowed festival attendees to carry alcoholic beverages along most of Second Street.

Humphrey initially feared the looser rules would encourage some to act recklessly, but the mayor said residents and tourists alike remained responsible, which might prompt the city to make permanent policy changes.

We might reevaluate how we handle alcohol [during events] in a small section of downtown, she said.

Given that shes only heard positive feedback from visitors, Humphrey said she wouldnt be surprised if the festival also led to a permanent boost in tourism.

We want them to come back, she said. The whole goal [of the festival was] to really showcase the city and what we can do and what we have here.

The mayor added that city officials are definitely interested in hosting more festivals, and are open to suggestions from the community.

Officials prepared for up to 35,000 visitors in Casper. They dont know yet how many people actually showed up or their economic impact, but three downtown businesses confirmed Tuesday that the festival was profitable for their shops.

Claire Marlow, the owner of Goedickes Custom Framing & Art Supply, said hundreds of customers stopped by her store this weekend. Her shop sits along Second Street, which served as the major thoroughfare for the Wyoming Eclipse Festival.

The shop usually has about 15 customers on a typical Saturday, Marlow said.

Vicki Burger, the co-owner of Wind City Books, said the bookstore was very busy, and added that she enjoyed meeting customers from all over the world.

Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters also saw a boost in business, according to owner Louis Taubert.

I didnt count them, but there were a lot [of customers] he said. I think the city of Casper and downtown did a wonderful job.
At Mike Sedar Park, they called out the temperature as it dropped from 82 degrees to a chilly 66. They counted down the minutes, then the seconds, to the moment that so many had traveled long miles to see.

Giggles and shouts burst from the crowd of a few hundred on Monday as darkness fell. The amateur astronomers scrambled to look for shadow bands on white blankets spread on the grass in the minute before totality.

And then the sun was gone, covered completely by the moon. Glasses came off and a chorus of cheers broke from the crowd. A deep swell of clarity and calm swept over the park as people peered upward. The ribbon of sky nearest the horizon turned a sunset orange. The colors of the landscape deepened. A few stars peeked out.

For a brief moment after the initial cheers, it was quiet. All was well.

***

Many had spent years planning to visit. Eclipse fanatics from Michigan. Iranian brothers from Canada. A mother and her daughters from the United Kingdom.

Tens of thousands of people from across the globe descended on Casper to view Mondays total solar eclipse, the first in nearly a century to cut through the entire United States. They varied in language, culture and custom. But on Monday morning in central Wyoming, they all shared a love of the sky.

Traffic snarled the interstates and highways in and out of town. Cars and trucks stacked in highway pullouts. Tents filled residential lawns and the Walmart parking lot. Millions of dollars worth of telescopes faced east.

It was one of the most anticipated days in recent memory for many in the state because of the economic benefit of tens of thousands of visitors. Vendors capitalized on the opportunity to sell everything from eclipse T-shirts to glasses to welded picture frames.

The newly minted David Street Station was the nucleus during the Wyoming Eclipse Festival, and those who chose to observe the total eclipse of the sun at the public plaza were not disappointed.

Revelers were finally able to use their eclipse glasses, a ubiquitous accessory of the festival, as the moon began to cross the suns path at 10:22 a.m.

For the next 80 minutes, parents reminded their children to keep their glasses on, then reminded them again. The suns crescent grew thinner and thinner. Is that Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man? someone dad-joked.

A premature round of applause erupted in response to a television camera. Then, it was Caspers time not to shine. At 11:42 a.m., cheers and hoots welcomed the eclipse. Fireworks popped in the distance. By chance or confusion, a flock of birds flew overhead.

***

While many in Casper watched the eclipse simply because they live here, others, like Canadian eclipse enthusiast Arash Ahmadi, have been thinking about this day for years.

Eighteen years ago, almost to the day, Ahmadi stood in a park in a small town in central Iran and watched the moon pass in front of the sun.

There was no Google maps then. Planning a spot on the line of totality was a little more complicated. But the sight  the shadow traveling over the land, the midday dusk, the ring of ephemeral light surrounding the moon, the idea of standing in the shadow of a celestial body  stuck with him.

I made a promise I would watch the 2017 eclipse, he said Monday, standing in a park in a small town on the other side of the Earth from his first eclipse. Both events are part of the same Saros cycle, which means that Earth was the same distance from the sun and at the same tilt Monday as it was during Ahmadis 1999 experience. Like twins.

Ahmadi, now 36, and his brother, Arman, drove to Casper from New Brunswick, Canada, just across the border from Maine. It took them five days to travel the more than 2,400 miles.

They arrived in the Kansas City area Sunday evening, but after reading the local weather forecasts decided to drive through the night to Casper for a better chance of clear skies. Just after 6 a.m., the brothers set up chairs and cameras in Mike Sedar Park and waited. Despite the long drive, they were wide awake.

You wait for 18 years  youre not going to be sleepy, Ahmadi said, just a few moments after the moon started its trek across the suns light.

When the moment came, tears ran down Arashs face. Goosebumps ran up Ahmadis arms. The park was plunged into shadow.

Worth every second of the drive, said Ahmadi.

***

The visual element of Mondays total solar eclipse in Casper was obvious. At David Street Station, Mike Kellerman took care of the sound.

Kellerman, who drove to Casper from San Diego, blew a large Israeli shofar throughout the eclipse.

If anyones familiar with ancient writings, its known that in ancient times that the solar eclipse was a sign of warning from the gentile nations of either war or ominous times coming, Kellerman said. ... So the reason Im blowing it today is just that. Sign of warning, knowing the times that were in. Just trying to wake people up.

Kellerman has had the large, spiraling trumpet, which is made from the horn of a Yemenite ram, for 11 years. He plays it during every Rosh Hashanah.

For me, personally, the trumpet is a sign of rapture, he said. Im hoping soon. But no, right now its just warning. When it gets to be (the) total eclipse, Im going to blow it 100 times throughout the eclipse. Hopefully people that walk by and listen just kind of keep that in their mind.

... I believe America is a divided nation right now, and it saddens me, but I see the war on the horizon in all things, whether its missiles or whether its internal with people. Its not the same America it used to be. Its getting ugly.

***

There may be darkness in the world  nuclear threats from North Korea, terrorist attacks in Spain and England, Neo-Nazis in Virginia  but Blair Mohler thought the eclipse brought hope.

The beautiful phenomenon was a much-appreciated distraction, she said. It was the first eclipse to appear only in the U.S. since before the countrys birth. A unifier of sorts.

Its an escape. Its a day of sunshine and good darkness.

Mohler, who came up from Colorado, joined hundreds of others to watch the eclipse at the Casper Events Center.

Tailgaters relaxed in the parking lot, cooking on portable grills and playing card games. Others tinkered with their telescopes and binoculars.

Gina Dobbs, of the United Kingdom, spread out on a blanket with her two teen daughters, both of whom were scribbling in their journals.

Traveling to Casper wasnt cheap, but Dobbs didnt want her family to miss out.

At 10:22 a.m., activities halted as everyone looked up.

This is it, yall, shouted Will Young, who was traveling with the Astronomical Society of Southeast Texas.

Young, who married his wife, Courtney, on Aug. 21, 2010, told her they would be spend their seventh anniversary in Casper for this celestial event.

As the sunlight grew dimmer over the next hour, group members swapped binoculars, took turns at the telescope and updated their social media pages  all while shouting back and forth.

Its getting ready to really bite in, someone said.

I feel the temperature dropping, responded another.

Its getting darker.

***

For months, Casper resident Mark Kalarich wondered where he would go to view the total solar eclipse. He decided to watch from the bike path on top of the hill between Casper College and Mike Sedar Park.

He updated those around him: One minute to totality in Jackson.

The astronomers in the park below cheered.

Howling at the moon, he chuckled.

He had never seen a total eclipse before, and for the duration of totality he soaked it in. His glance occasionally drifted from the sun and moon down to the astronomers in a park below.

They included William Finn and Tim Campbell, who traveled from the Detroit area to Casper just for the eclipse. Twenty-five hours of driving, plus countless hours of preparation all for their favorite hobby: astronomy.

Just before the eclipse began, Campbell projected an image of the eclipse on the side of a tent. Onlookers took pictures of themselves next to the projection.

During the duration of totality they both stared while their surrounding equipment clicked and shuttered.

It was totally worth it, Campbell said.

***

In the crowd, moments after the moon obscured the sun and all went still, a man shouted Who turned out the lights?

People laughed, the impromptu magic broke and chatter began again, in English and Spanish and Japanese. People grinned unabashedly at each other through the noon twilight. They hugged. Fireworks cracked in the distance.

As fast as it left, the moon slid away and light crept back into the park, as if someone were slowly turning the lights back on. The crowd returned to its festivities, though more euphoric than before. Strangers from different states and countries shared food and drinks. They showed each other the photos they had snagged.

They tried to talk about what they had just seen, often finding that the correct words were hard to come by.

A mother tried her best to explain to her daughter what they had witnessed.

When it finished, Emma Meyer, 6, looked at her mom and said: I was so excited I felt like my brain was cracked open.

And then the sun came back. Cars began to move again.

All seemed to return to normal, and the 6-year-old asked if she could go to the park.
A Wyoming man who was trying to heat some coffee Monday morning accidentally set his truck ablaze, according to the Natrona County Sheriff's Office.

The man was trying to heat coffee with a camp stove in the bed of his 2016 Chevrolet Silverado on Bighorn Mountain Road north of Arminto when he was stymied by wind. He moved the jet-flame stove to the cab of the truck and left the door open in his pursuit of caffeine.

Someone fired a gun in the area, which surprised his dog, who knocked the stove over, according to the Sheriff's Department.

The man's truck caught fire and was totally destroyed by the fire. No one was injured in the blaze, a Natrona County Fire District spokesman said.
Darkness fell along Highway 319 north of Glendo, and with it came quiet. Ken Biles spread his arms wide and leaned back as if embracing the sky.

Biless Pagan ritual was short. It was timed to harness the energy of the solar eclipse and direct it towards some purpose, in this case, better communication across the world.

After 30 seconds, he dropped his hands. He pulled out his camera. Like hundreds of people up and down the rural stretch of Wyoming highway, Biles tried to capture the brilliant white corona that rimmed the outline of the moon.

The 53-year-old from Westminster, Colorado, doesnt look like a storybook witch. Hes average height, affable. Monday morning he wore a T-shirt and cargo shorts as he cast his spell.

Biles, also known as Greyhart, had invited a number of witches from the Denver area to come to Glendo, one of the most central spots to see the moon cross in front of the sun. But they didnt show. He came to Wyoming with his brother, who does not practice magic. The two men, one a witch, one an engineer, parked just off the side of the state highway and chatted about the town they grew up in, the schools they went to, the eclipse they watched as teenagers using the eyepiece of their grandfathers welding helmet.

The moons shadow gradually crossed in front of the sun overhead, but the day was warm and bright. The locusts were screeching.

The Biles brothers had expected more traffic, but there are few people in Wyoming, few enough that the thousands pouring in for the morning to view the eclipse barely clogged the roads in the hours before totality.

Exits, however, were packed with folks speaking French, Russian and Spanish. License plates read Colorado, California and Virginia. People had pulled off the highway at the Sinclair gas station a few miles north of Glendo, and set up right in the parking lot. The bathroom line was 40-people deep, snaking through the store and around the outside of the building. People sat in canvas camp chairs aside the gas pumps in the pockmarked lot, staring impatiently at the sky through cardboard glasses, helmets or goggles.

Bernard St. Amant and his friend, Barb Karpyza, had a better idea. They had trekked 14 hours from Winnipeg, Canada, for the eclipse and paid an absurd price for a rundown hotel room in Gillette the night before. But Monday they had found a perfect spot to sit with their two dogs, in the shade of a cottonwood tree off Highway 319.

Karpyza had hesitated before taking the trip, but the feeling that this was a unique experience hit her right before Amant left.

The last night I said, I cant miss that.

Others, too, had traveled from afar to find that lonely stretch of road.

Randy Baranczyk, an IT professional from Minnesota, had made quick friends with a French woman, Denise Rastello. They bantered in a mixture of English and French to pass the time. She showed him pictures of her trip to Hawaii. He pointed out three sun spots, visible through special equipment for viewing the sun.

As the two minutes of totality drew near, people got out of their cars or climbed on top of them. The light turned clear and sharp as the landscape darkened. Night bugs began to chirp. And a strange hush fell.

Biles stood up. He leaned back with his arms stretched and silently cast his spell.

Out of the blue dark, his brother cried out.

That is stunning.
Leftists had a corporate autonomous sensory meridian response (brain orgasm) when one of the most racially divisive presidents in American history, Barack Obama, tweeted: No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion.

Obamas tweet was in response to the bedlam in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12, when two hate groups collided.

While Obamas tweet was nice, he is like most leftists, who call out their enemy with ease but conveniently turn a blind eye to the evil perpetrated on their own side, to serve their own purpose.

New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg was on the ground in Charlottesville and live-tweeted: The hard left seemed as hate-filled as alt-right. I saw club-wielding antifa beating white nationalists being led out of the park. Interestingly, the Southern Poverty Law Center reports the organizer of the white supremacist rally, Jason Kessler, is a former Barack Obama supporter and Occupy movement activist.

We havent heard much about that, have we?

If Democrats had even a semblance of honesty, rather than reassigning their guilt to Republicans, they would acknowledge Democrats birthed the Ku Klux Klan and created Jim Crow laws. They would also admit that pro-slavery Democrats launched the Civil War.

No wonder they support tearing down statues to erase history.

Instead, weve heard a deafening cacophony of cockeyed reporting by agenda-driven journalists.

This is not OK.

Whats worse, those experiencing brain tingles over Obamas tweet self-righteously justify their sides fascistic behavior in the name of anti-fascism. Rather than seeing what happened for what it really was, the blind now lead the blind.

Theres a chance weve reached the bottom of the barrel.

The hypocrisy of this lopsided illogic is as prevalent today as it was in July 2016 when the not-so-mysterious motives of Micah Xavier Johnson were selectively unseen by Obama and blind-as-a-bat leftists.

Johnson was a rabid, anti-white bigot who shot 12 Dallas cops, assassinating five, during a Black Lives Matter event. It was reported Johnson told a hostage negotiator he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers. He also had social media associations with factions the Southern Poverty Law Center designated as hate groups.

Even so, Obama responded to the massacre with a grandiloquent: I think its very hard to untangle the motives of this shooter.

Motives are always hard to untangle with selective vision. Truth is distorted if one chooses to view the world through the lens of color, gender and race like leftists do and Obama did during the memorial service for the slain Dallas officers.

Rather than jumping on the perfect opportunity to sow unity, the former Divider-in-Chief coldheartedly lectured mourners about racial bias. Speaking about the Black Lives Matter movement, Obama said Americans cannot simply turn away and dismiss those in peaceful protest as troublemakers or paranoid.We cant simply dismiss it as a symptom of political correctness or reverse racism...centuries of racial discrimination, of slavery and subjugation and Jim Crow, they didnt simply vanish with the end of lawful segregation, he said.

In that moment, Obama told us what he really thinks when he turned a blind eye to an obvious racism-inspired massacre while simultaneously offering a wink-and-a-nod at those weaponizing hate.

Even back in 2008 Obama said, Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African-American and white Americans.

Nevertheless, that Obamas Charlottesville tweet is one of the most liked in Twitter history speaks to the spiritual blindness and downright ignorance which has befallen this nation.
MOSCOW  A career Russian diplomat, who gained the reputation of a hawk during his earlier tenure at the Defense Ministry, was named the new ambassador to the United States on Monday.

The 62-year old Anatoly Antonov was appointed to the job by President Vladimir Putins order, according to the Kremlin.

Antonov takes the job at a time when U.S.-Russia relations are badly strained following the approval of a new wave of U.S. sanctions against Moscow and the Kremlins decision to sharply cut the U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia.

He succeeds Sergei Kislyak, who found himself in the center of controversy amid claims of Russias interference in the U.S. presidential vote. Kislyaks contacts with members of Trumps team have been part of congressional and FBI investigations into possible collusion between Trump campaign and Russia. Russia has denied any interference in the U.S. election.

Antonov joined the Foreign Ministry in 1978 and gradually rose through the ranks to take the job of the chief of the ministrys security and disarmament department in 2004. As part of his job, he led negotiations on various international agreements, including the 2010 New START nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by the United States and Russia.

In 2011, Antonov left the Foreign Ministry to become a deputy defense minister in charge of international ties.

The job raised Antonovs profile as he regularly delivered the Russian militarys statement to international media and foreign military attaches.

When Russia-West relations sank to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis and the war in Syria, Antonovs visibility earned him a hawkish reputation.

Like other senior Russian officials, Antonov minced no words amid the tensions over Moscows annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine.

Antonov accused the West of engineering the ouster of Ukraines former Russia-leaning president in February 2014 as part of efforts to contain Russia and waging what he described as an information war against it.

He also claimed that the West has fueled the Ukrainian crisis in order to justify NATOs existence and bolster military budgets.

The European Union and Canada have put Antonov on their lists of Russian officials sanctioned for their role in the Ukrainian crisis.

Antonov also served as the Russian militarys public face on Syria, where Moscow has waged an air campaign in support of President Bashar Assads army.

Antonovs stint at the Defense Ministry ended in 2016 and he returned to the Foreign Ministry, taking the post of a deputy minister. He has largely stayed out of the public eye since then.
A Chinese startup company developing self-driving technology for commercial trucking has opened a facility in Tucson for research and testing  including a planned Tucson-Phoenix run with an autonomous truck.

Beijing-based TuSimple plans to spend millions of dollars and hire as many as 100 employees in the next five years, with the aim of perfecting intelligent driving systems and eventually running fleets of autonomous trucks.

TuSimple has leased 6,865 square feet of warehouse and office space at 2551 N. Dragoon Street, near West Grant Road and Interstate 10, to engineer and test its technology.

The company, which planned a ribbon-cutting on Monday, Aug. 21 with local officials, also has research facilities in Beijing and San Diego, California.

Xiaodi Hou, TuSimples co-founder and chief technology officer, said the combination of Tucsons standing as a center of logistics and its friendly state policies toward autonomous vehicle technology lured the company to Tucson.

Arizona is super open-minded about autonomous driving, which I believe will make the entire state a pioneer of autonomous driving and youll see the effect in the next 10 years, Hou said.

Arizona is one of a handful of states that has adopted legislation or policies supporting the testing and development for the autonomous vehicle industry.

Arizona created the Self-Driving Vehicle Oversight Committee through an executive order by Gov. Doug Ducey in 2015, and its members meet with the Arizona Department of Transportation to support autonomous vehicle research and development efforts.

TuSimples technology employs multiple cameras and radar sensors with the companys proprietary software and GPS and other data to allow trucks to see the road in real time like the human eye. The system uses artificial intelligence to make decisions to avoid obstacles and navigate safely.

Hou said the company made a successful 200-mile test run from San Diego to Yuma in July and plans to continue testing in Arizona to perfect the system, with a Tucson-Phoenix trip planned for the first quarter of 2018.

In the U.S., Tucson will be our first station and I think will be the primary site for road testing in the next few years, Hou said.

TuSimple isnt alone in its quest to perfect a self-driving truck.

Diesel truckmaker Freightliner has tested an autonomous truck wth a safety driver and Uber delivered a truckload of beer in 2016 on a 120-mile route in Colorado, using technology from a startup partner it later acquired.

Backers say autonomous trucking systems could make fleets more efficient and save lives by avoiding human error and safety issues like drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

Hou said the company has talked with truck manufacturers and has had initial talks with one leading truck maker, but the company eventually wants to develop and operate autonomous trucking fleets.

Were not trying develop one black box that can perform Level 4 (driverless) autonomous driving, but were thinking about building an autonomous fleet of trucks, he said. You can think of us more as an operations company, instead of a software company.

TuSimple recently raised $20 million in capital investments from a group led by Chinese telecom giant Sina Corp. and including Silicon Valley-based computer graphics Nvidia, which provided powerful graphical processing units for TuSimple's prototype systems.

The local effort to recruit TuSimple was led by Sun Corridor Inc., the areas economic-development agency, who worked with local and state officials provided TuSimple executives with workforce, real-estate, incentive and demographic information to show the regions ability to support the companys expansion.

TuSimple is expected to invest $15 million in capital expenditures, with the expected new jobs bringing its potential economic impact to $81.7 million over five years, Sun Corridor said.

Joe Snell, president and CEO of Sun Corridor, said local officials were tenacious in its pursuit of TuSimple.

Our proximity to their research facility in California, our top notch workforce and strong infrastructure for autonomous technology all contributed to push Tucson to the top, Snell said in prepared remarks.
A Chinese startup company developing self-driving technology for commercial trucking has opened a facility in Tucson for research and testing  including a planned Tucson-Phoenix run with an autonomous truck.

Beijing-based TuSimple LLC plans to spend millions of dollars and hire as many as 100 employees in the next five years, with the aim of perfecting intelligent driving systems and eventually running fleets of autonomous trucks.

TuSimple has leased 6,865 square feet of warehouse and office space at 2551 N. Dragoon St., near West Grant Road and Interstate 10, to engineer and test its technology.

The effort to land TuSimple was led by Sun Corridor Inc., the Tucson areas main economic development agency, and a team including the city of Tucson and Pima County, local businessman Bruce Dusenberry, the Arizona Commerce Authority, the University of Arizona, Tucson Electric Power, Alpha Commercial Real Estate Service and CBRE.

The company, whose arrival was marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local officials on Monday, also has research facilities in China and San Diego.

Xiaodi Hou, TuSimples co-founder and chief technology officer, said the combination of Tucsons standing as a center of logistics and its friendly state policies toward autonomous vehicle technology helped lure the company to Tucson.

Arizona is super open-minded about autonomous driving, which I believe will make the entire state a pioneer of autonomous driving, and youll see the effect in the next 10 years, said Hou.

Arizona is one of a handful of states that has adopted legislation or policies supporting the testing and development for the autonomous vehicle industry.

Arizona created the Self-Driving Vehicle Oversight Committee through an executive order by Gov. Doug Ducey in 2015, and its members meet with the Arizona Department of Transportation to support autonomous vehicle research and development efforts.

TuSimples technology employs cameras and radar sensors with the companys proprietary software and other data to allow trucks to see the road in real time, like the human eye.

The system uses deep learning artificial intelligence to make decisions to avoid obstacles and navigate safely.

The technology also can allow operators to form platoons of autonomous trucks that can draft on each other like race cars for optimum fuel economy.

In July, TuSimple made a successful 200-mile test run from San Diego to Yuma.

Hou said the companys goal by the end of this year is to pilot its technology by sending a platoon of five fully loaded trucks from Tucson to Phoenix.

In five years, Hou said, TuSimple hopes to have a fleet of 25 trucks with a Level 5 system  requiring no human intervention  in commercial operation.

In the U.S., Tucson will be our first station and I think will be the primary site for road testing for the next few years, said Hou, who earned a doctorate in computation and neural systems from the California Institute of Technology in 2014.

TuSimple isnt alone in its quest to perfect a self-driving truck.

Diesel truckmaker Freightliner has tested an autonomous truck with a safety driver, and rideshare giant Uber delivered a truckload of beer in 2016 on a 120-mile route in Colorado, using technology from a startup partner it later acquired.

Backers say autonomous trucking systems could make fleets more efficient and save lives by avoiding human error and safety issues.

Hou said the company has talked with truck manufacturers and has had initial talks with one leading truck maker, but the company eventually wants to develop and operate autonomous trucking fleets.

Were not trying to develop one black box that can perform Level 4 (driverless) autonomous driving, but were thinking about building an autonomous fleet of trucks, he said.

You can think of us more as an operations company, instead of a software company.

TuSimple recently raised $20 million in capital investments from a group led by Chinese telecom giant Sina Corp. and including Silicon Valley-based computer graphics Nvidia, which provided powerful graphical processing units for TuSimples prototype systems.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Sun Corridor Inc. worked with local and state officials to provide TuSimple executives with workforce, real-estate, incentive and demographic information to show the regions ability to support the companys expansion.

TuSimple is expected to invest $15 million in capital expenditures, with the expected new jobs bringing its potential economic impact to $81.7 million over five years, Sun Corridor said.

Joe Snell, president and CEO of Sun Corridor, said local officials were tenacious in their pursuit of TuSimple, comparing it to Mondays solar eclipse when the sun, moon and Earth came into alignment.

Snell said TuSimple was lured to Tucson by its high-tech workforce, friendly regulation and infrastructure.

We get the opportunity to be on the ground floor of a new and future industry, Snell said. Tomorrows world will include everything autonomous, from aircraft to cars and in this case, commercial delivery.

In the very near future, as we position ourselves as a distribution center, we can see goods being offloaded in Nogales, coming up from the port of Guaymas, and those products being delivered to Tucson and beyond by delivery trucks without a driver.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild noted that TuSimple decided on Tucson without any upfront financial incentives, since the company moved into an existing building that is not in any special economic zone.

Rothschild said the Tucson areas high-tech workforce and the UA and its potential pipeline of engineers helped convince the company to move here, noting that company executives already have met with leaders of the UAs Transportation Research Institute.

The institute is a successor to the Advanced Traffic and Logistics Algorithms and Systems Center, an engineering-focused research center UA launched in 1998 to advance transportation.

Larry Head, a UA professor of systems and industrial engineering who is involved in research at the UAs Transportation Research Institute, said hes excited to have the startup company in town to show students the cutting edge of the science and give them new career paths.

I already asked them to come over and talk about what theyre doing. There are going to be a lot of opportunities, Head said, adding that Pima Community College also could help fulfill TuSimples future need for technicians.

Hou said the company searches for engineering talent worldwide, but he welcomes partnerships with the UA and expects to attract local engineering grads in the future.
Auto-repair technicians will soon take over the space occupied by a wine shop in midtown.

Locally owned Bronco Auto Repair, at 3061 N. Alvernon Way, bought the CataVinos Wine Shop next door, at 3063 N. Alvernon Way, for $200,000 to add office space.

The sale price did not include the wine.

Albert Samaniego, Broncos service manager, said they hope to move in next month after they remodel the wine shop.

The full-service auto shop has been in business for two years and has seven employees with plans to hire more people, Samaniego said.

CataVinos will close Aug. 29, after nearly 10 years in business.

The owner is liquidating the shops furniture. Call 323-3063 for details.

Gordon Wagner, with NAI Horizon, handled the sale.

Other recent commercial transactions include:
Thomas Lauderdale doesnt mince emotions when he talks about Tucsons Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School.

He loves them.

So it was a no brainer whom he and his Pink Martini little orchestra would invite to open for them at Centennial Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

They are my favorites of any of our collaborations with young people, Lauderdale said last week in a phone interview from home in Portland, Oregon. They are authentic and earnest. They are fantastic.

Pink Martini was first introduced to Mariachi Aztlan when the ensemble joined them on stage at Centennial Hall in January 2016 on the recommendation of Curtis McCrary, general manager of the Rialto Theatre. The Rialto presented the 2016 show and is presenting Tuesdays concert.

They loved us, said Mariachi Aztlan music director John Contreras, a sentiment backed up by Lauderdale who last week said the group totally blew us away.

Within several days of that 2016 Tucson show, Pink Martini whisked the students off to Palm Beach, California, for a back-to-back pair of sold-out concerts. Months later, the group was back in Los Angeles joining Pink Martini for the groups New Years Eve concert at Disney Hall.

Contreras, who has led Mariachi Aztlan for 16 years, said the group joined guest vocalist Rita Moreno on America from West Side Story.

They are the most amazing band, Lauderdale said.

Tuesdays concert is Pink Martinis first here since that one with the Pueblo mariachi. The group, which Lauderdale formed in 1994 to play mostly close to home shows in Portland, has made Tucson a regular stop since the early 2000s. In addition to Centennial Hall, the group has performed at Fox Tucson Theatre, the Rialto and with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall.

I love Tucson, Lauderdale said, naming University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music piano prof John Milbauer among his handful of Tucson friends. I really like Tucson. I didnt really realize that I would like Arizona so much and particularly Tucson.

Lauderdales 10-piece band comes here after a whirlwind summer that saw it zigzag across the globe, starting at Red Rocks in Colorado, shooting through Canada and up to Marthas Vineyard in New England, then off to Beirut, Lebanon, as well as Hungary and Spain and over to a couple outdoor festivals in France and Switzerland before circling back and ending up in Idaho.

I never even imagined I would tour with the band outside of Portland, Lauderdale said, reflecting on his busy summer. It seemed from the beginning to be sort of unwieldy. It wasnt even on the radar as a possibility.

In addition to its diverse catalogue, Pink Martinis appeal lies largely in its ability to transcend cultural and language barriers through its music. With rotating lead vocals from founding member China Forbes and Storm Large, they sing in 25 languages  we can expect to hear at least 10 of them on Tuesday night  and borrow from jazz, blues, classical and pop.

Lauderdale said the set list on Tuesday will pull from the bands dozen albums including its 2016 record Je Dis Oui! which includes six songs co-written by Lauderdale. The album also includes covers of Cole Porters Love For Sale alongside traditional folk tunes sung in English, French, Farsi, Armenian, Portuguese, Arabic and Turkish, and a turn at Franz Schuberts Serenade.

On Tuesday, the group and Mariachi Aztlan will perform Donde Estas Yolanda? a Pink Martini tune from 1997s Sympathique.

Mariachi Aztlans Contreras said his group of student musicians are honored and tickled that Pink Martini sought them out. Its a chance for the young musicians to share a stage and experience up close Pink Martinis high level of musicianship.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Aug. 22 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.
Reporter

Joe has been with the Star for six years. He covers politics as well as the city of Tucson and other municipalities in Southern Arizona. He graduated from the UA and previously worked for the Arizona Daily Sun.
PHOENIX  A federal judge has given the go-ahead for a broad-based challenge to Arizona laws that allow police and prosecutors to profit from items they seize.

In an extensive ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa said there was enough evidence in the lawsuit, filed in 2015, to give attorney Jean-Jaques Cabou and the American Civil Liberties Union a chance to prove the laws are unconstitutional. They claim the laws provide an improper financial motivation for law enforcement to take money, homes, cars and other property.

The case itself surrounds the complaint of San Tan Valley resident Rhonda Cox.

She said her rights were violated when Pinal County sheriffs deputies took her truck and the County Attorneys Office sold it based on the activities of her son. And Cox charged that Arizona law erected barriers to her challenging the seizure, including requiring her to pay a filing fee just to get into court.

But Humetewa said the evidence presented so far show this is not a local issue.

Many state agency departments are entirely funded through forfeiture money, the judge wrote in her 20-page order.

For instance, the Arizona Department of Public Safetys bomb squad, SWAT team, and hazardous materials unit rely entirely on forfeiture money, Humetewa said. Other agencies use their forfeiture money to pay overtime, retirement contributions of employees, and department vehicles to name a few.

What that means is if Cox wins her case and Humetewa voids the civil forfeiture statutes, the impacts will be felt statewide.

Cabou said the changes in forfeiture laws adopted by legislators earlier this year did resolve some of the complaint.

For example, it is no longer necessary for those whose property is seized to have to pay a filing fee to challenge the action. And property owners who lose in court no longer face the threat of having to pay not only their own legal fees but those of the government, both provisions that provided a clear disincentive for people to try to get their property back.

But Cabou said that still leaves the questions of whether Arizonas forfeiture statutes are fair. The core of the case was always the policing for profit incentive, he said.

The center of the lawsuit was always about the fact that police in Arizona and prosecutors in Arizona have a direct financial incentive to seize as much property as they can without regards to due process, Cabou said.

The Attorney Generals Office, which tried to have her case thrown out, declined to comment.

The case stems from the fact that Coxs son, Chris, had been arrested in 2013 after deputies determined that the hood and a cover on the back of her pickup truck, which he was driving, had been stolen. Based on that, deputies seized the truck.

Cabou said Cox was unaware of the stolen items and therefore, under the terms of the law, entitled to have the truck returned. That did not happen and the truck and its contents were sold.

Under Arizona law, neither police nor prosecutors need charge anyone with a crime, much less gain a conviction, in order to seize property.

Instead, the law at the time required only that prosecutors show by a preponderance of the evidence that the property was linked to a crime. That essentially is a 51-49 standard, with a judge needing to believe the allegations are more likely true than not.
Credit: Gary GershoffCongratulations to REO Speedwagon! Their 1980 album, Hi Infidelity, recently was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 10 million in the U.S.

The band's current lineup -- Kevin Cronin, Neal Doughty, Bruce Hall, Dave Amato and Bryan Hitt -- was presented with a special plaque in celebration of the honor last Thursday during a rooftop ceremony at Sony Music's New York City headquarters. The event also was attended by the group's manager, Tom Consolo, Hi Infidelity co-producer Kevin Beamish, former MTV VJ Mark Goodman, and executives from the RIAA and Sony's Legacy Recordings.

Released in November 1980, Hi Infidelity went on to spend 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200. The album yielded four hit singles: the chart-topping "Keep On Loving You"; "Take It on the Run," which peaked at #5; "In Your Letter," which reached #20; and "Don't Let Him Go," which ascended to the #24 spot.

In a post on REO Speewagon's official Facebook page, Cronin wrote that he and his band mates wished that founding guitarist Gary Richrath, who died in 2015, could have been at the ceremony, adding that "he was surely there in spirit" and that "[n]one of this would have been possible without Gary."

REO Speedwagon wraps up their United We Rock tour with Styx and ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder with a show on Tuesday, August 22, in Holmdel, New Jersey. The band has more than a dozen other upcoming tour dates scheduled through a January 28 performance in Detroit.

Here are all of REO Speedwagon's upcoming U.S. gigs:

8/22 -- Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center*

8/24 -- Asheville, NC, Biltmore Estate

9/14 -- Cedar Falls, IA, University of Northern Iowa

9/15 -- Peoria, IL, Peoria Civic Center

9/16 -- Quapaw, OK, Downstream Casino Resort

9/29 -- Cabazon, CA, Morongo Casino Resort & Spa

9/30 -- Las Vegas, NV, Orleans Showroom

10/1 -- Las Vegas, NV, Orleans Showroom

10/3 -- Enid, OK, Central National Bank Center

10/5 -- Huntsville, AL, Von Braun Center Concert Hall

10/7 -- Fayetteville, NC, Crown Complex

11/16 -- Effingham, IL, Effingham Performance Center

11/17 -- Red Wing, MN, Treasure Island Resort & Casino

11/18 -- Waukegan, IL, Genesee Theater

1/28/18 -- Detroit, MI, MotorCity Casino Hotel

* = with Styx and Don Felder.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
In 1967, with a $19,000 grant through the Tucson Committee for Economic Opportunity, a bus nicknamed La Tortuga and a vision to improve the quality of rural life, John David Arnold founded Portable Practical Educational Preparation Inc.

Fast forward 50 years: Though La Tortuga  The Tortoise  has been retired to the Smithsonian-sanctioned Farmworker Hall of Fame, Arnold has remained behind the wheel as PPEP has grown into a global institution.

I enjoy driving the bus. Since 1967, everybody who has participated in every program and every client have all been riding this big bus together, figuratively speaking, said Arnold, 74. Some of the passengers come for job training and some come for our behavioral health programs or for our group homes for those with developmental disabilities. ... It has been a 50-year journey and we have had more than 10 million passengers on the bus, so to speak.

The journey began when Arnold, a young pastor who had lived in Mexico as a child, felt a calling to teach English, basic education and job skills to migrant farmworkers who came to Southern Arizona to pick cotton and seasonal produce. La Tortuga was his portable classroom.

These migrant workers built a lot of the farming and infrastructure in the southern United States. There were American and Native American farm workers, but the bulk of the people who originally did much of the work were Braceros who crossed the border to work. Poverty knows no boundaries and we need to realize that poverty migrates, said Arnold.

Since its inception, PPEP, which is a nonpolitical and nonsectarian organization, has been committed to empowering migrants, seasonal farm workers and disadvantaged rural residents not only with education and job training but also through human and social services. The organization boasts more than 500 employees with more than 35 field offices statewide and several abroad.

It has expanded programs over the years to include intellectual development-disability services that offer clinical, therapeutic and direct care through 18 group homes, adult day programs and training, employment service support and independent living support.

PPEP Behavioral Health Services address everything from substance abuse and DUI education and training to domestic violence, parenting and healthy relationships. Additionally, the PPEP Microbusiness and Housing Development Corp. has provided $25 million in loans to start or expand small businesses in Southern Arizona, Mexico and West Africa. The program also offers free small-business consulting, technical assistance and resources.

In another endeavor, PPEP has worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in a multi-state effort to provide more than 600 self-help housing units in which families work together to build homes in rural areas.

The nonprofit PPEP Foundation was established in 2006 with the intent of providing philanthropic support for PPEP projects. The primary focus is three-fold: Scholarships for at-risk students including rural and farm workers, global humanitarian aid and business-development training and technical assistance to micro borrowers.

Communication and collaboration are the cornerstones of all PPEP and PPEP Foundation programs, according to Arnold. Community partners include individuals and businesses, along with government and social service organizations and institutions of higher learning.

PPEP has been built on a roadway of partnerships, collaboration and initiation of programs that didnt exist to meet the demands of the people we serve. The idea was to find out peoples needs and to work with them to help themselves. We work to train and educate people for the sole purpose that they will become self-sufficient. Any assistance programs are geared toward self-sufficiency in order to get people out of poverty, he said.

The educational programming has evolved to include free online charter schools and seven PPEP Tec alternative high schools that serve more than 7,000 Southern Arizona students annually as well as programs such as PPEP YouthBuild, a program that builds affordable community housing, and peer-to-peer substance-abuse prevention efforts for young people.

Wide-ranging international efforts have included clean water and nutrition advocacy, Ebola/malaria preparedness, economic development, and female genital mutilation workshops in Africa as well as prevention of illegal deforestation and poaching in Ghana, and a Zika Safe Project in Costa Rica.

In Mexico, programs have encompassed support for orphanages, micro-business financing, scholarships, health initiatives for diabetes and cancer prevention and programs and services for the elderly, disabled and developmentally disabled.

Arnold views the projects at home and abroad as rural activism made possible by a passionate team of employees overseen by a dedicated board of directors.

When you deal with rural areas, you cant do it from a city. Our cardinal rule is to communicate and go out where people live and work. When you drop a stone in a pond, you see the ripples that extend out. PPEP goes out to the furthest ripple out and works its way back in, Arnold said.

Ultimately, Arnold hopes that PPEPs efforts to improve quality of life will encourage people to retain residency in rural areas. However, he also recognizes the importance of PPEP programs to refugees and those in the inner cities, particularly since many immigrants eventually migrate to urban areas.

We not only believe in teaching people how to fish, but in teaching them how to sell the fish that they catch. The way to become self-sufficient is to empower and educate people. When your car breaks down and the battery is dead, you have to get it changed. You cant just jumpstart a battery and expect it to stay charged. You have to be the mechanic that can change it, he said.
It's disturbing that the Phoenix and Republican-controlled Legislature has prevailed and Tucson must now sell seized guns back into the community rather than destroy them. But perhaps there is a solution. The Tucson Police Department can drive to Phoenix, sell the guns there  where legislators want them back on the streets  and bring the cash back to Tucson.
On Sunday, the editorial board of the Arizona Daily Star published an editorial titled President Trump, stay home. Once again this board employs sophist arguments to encourage an action it considers moral, right and virtuous. After reminding the president of our diverse and historical populations, the editorial immediately devolves to sophist arguments.

It describes SB 1070 as an attempt to federalize local police for immigration purposes specifically targeting Latinos and minorities, which is an opinion of the progressive left in Arizona, not fact. Specifically saying, But the target of the legislation was clear: No one was calling for white people suspected of being undocumented Canadians to go home. Only people with brown skin were automatically suspected of being non-American. This is the first sophist argument stating an opinion as an accomplished fact. Canadians are deported everyday for visa overstays, and in the case of a friend of mine, because he had a previous criminal record for marijuana smuggling. This fact disproves the sophism of the Star on this point.

Neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and all the other minor and major white supremacists organized Unite the Right in Charlottesville. Nazis and fascism are not, and have never been, conservative or right in political philosophy or behavior. Ever. The fact that they are attempting to co-opt the terms unites them with the progressive left and Antifa, not the right. Redefining language, muddling the meaning of words and creating youre with us or against us events are far more prevalent with anarchists, the Occupy movement and socialist/communist organizations and movements. They have absolutely no resemblance to the Buckley/Reagan conservatism that many people identify with today.

I think the Star is trying to create a virtue for an organization like Antifa for speaking out against racism and bigotry. There are far more millions who speak against racism and bigotry than a violent and distinctly atheistic group like Antifa. Their virtue is thousands of years old. They are the millions of Christians that every Sunday, as they kneel in prayer or stand in praise and song, express a philosophy that is practiced by far more people than ever show up to a manipulated, organized, bought-and-paid-for riot. Real honest-to-goodness, imperfect, sinning Christians pray to a loving and just God whose very Gospel compels us to love one another as Christ loves us.

The president did not equate people who condemn Nazis with Nazis. Not once in anything he said did he do that. He was speaking to a specific event in Charlottesville, Virginia, and his focus was on the violent language and actions of people who participated in a riot.

Is our president too quick to tweet? Yes. Does he think out loud a little too much for my and others tastes? Yes. Is he oafish and inarticulate at times? Yes.

None of that is a reason to tell him to Go home, dont come to Arizona. He is our president, he should be traveling the country, and he should come to Arizona.

We have big issues to discuss and hopefully focus our presidents budgetary and international agenda to create healthy economies and economic alliances that are beneficial to both Arizona and Mexico.

What I would like to suggest to the editorial board and anyone else who doesnt like our president, is that you dont have to go to Phoenix to see him. You do not have a moral imperative to be part of what is sure to be hysterically historical. You can stay home, go to work and just look around you right here in Tucson and love a stranger like Christ loves us. That behavior will speak far louder against the forces of evil attempting to divide us than a hundred riots.
Ho Chi Minh Citys first-ever river bus will be piloted in the hope of relieving pressure on the citys crowded streets.

The water bus route No.1, stretching 10.8 kilometers from Bach Dang Port in District 1 to Linh Dong Ward in Thu Duc District, was opened to media and invited guests on Monday morning as part of a one-month pilot program.

Tickets will start being sold to the public in October.

The journey includes 12 stops dotted across District 1, District 2, Binh Thanh District, and Thu Duc District.

Five boats, each with an 80-seat capacity, have been produced for the maiden river bus route; four regular transporters and one reserve.

The water bus will take 30 minutes to complete its journey, about two-thirds of the time it takes over land.

The fare is expected to be VND15,000 (US$0.66) per passenger.

A second river bus route, a 10.3 kilometer connection between Bach Dang Port and Lo Gom Terminal in District 6, is anticipated to be piloted in early 2018.

The total capital investment of both routes is estimated at VND124.5 billion ($5.4 million).

Speaking at the ceremony on Monday morning, Nguyen Kim Toan, director of Thuong Nhat Company, developer of the river bus project, ensured assembled reporters that the operation of the buses met all safety requirements.

The project, Toan added, also suited the urban aesthetics and met regulations on environmental protection.

According to Bui Xuan Cuong, director of the municipal Department of Transport, Ho Chi Minh City has always had the potential for waterway transport thanks to its river and canal systems that snake a total of 1,000 kilometers around the city.

The new form of public transportation is hoped to meet the increasing demand of local residents and help alleviate traffic congestion on the citys streets, Cuong continued.

Current public transport options including buses and taxis could only meet 10 percent of residents' transport demands, the official claimed.

The river bus travels along the Saigon River on August 21, 2017.

The names of each stop are listed inside the river bus.

Each river bus of route No.1 has a total of 80 seats.

The new river bus route is named Saigon Waterbus.

Captain Trinh Cong Son steers the water bus during its pilot phase on August 21, 2017.

Ho Chi Minh City officials, media representatives and local residents are among the first passengers of the river bus.

A water bus docks at a stop during its journey.

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A large amount of copper slag waste in the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa is nowhere to be found after ships carrying the material disappeared on their way to treatment facilities.

Over the past four years, about 309 vessels have transported nearly 400,000 metric tons of copper slag from the factory of Hyundais Vinashin Shipyard Company (HVS) in Khanh Hoa, to cement factories across the country for treatment.

However, many of the ships have gone missing on their way to the facilities, casting doubt over whether or not they were in fact heading toward their stated destinations.

Copper slag, known in Vietnam as nix grains, is a by-product of copper extraction by smelting and is mainly used to clean and shape the surface of metal, stone, concrete and other materials.

HVS has imported a huge amount of this material to clean its vessels since May 1999.

On October 16, 2013, a first ship carried 1,000 metric tons of copper slag to the north-central province of Quang Binh for the first time, where it would be used as auxiliary material for cement production at a local factory.

Many other ships were then directed to multiple cement plants in provinces from northern to southern Vietnam, namely Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, Quang Binh, Binh Dinh, and Kien Giang among others.

A probe by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper revealed that 26 out of 309 vessels had gone to Vung Ro Bay in Phu Yen Province, and Quy Nhon City in Binh Dinh, both in south-central Vietnam.

These ships transported over 29,300 metric tons of copper slag to the two localities where HVS had not signed a contract with any local cement factory.

In early August, Tuoi Tre reporters arrived in Vung Ro and Quy Nhon to seek clarification of the matter.

The records of both local port authorities failed to indicate the arrival of any ship carrying nix grains, contradicting the list provided by the Nha Trang Port Authority, the agency approving the journeys of HVSs copper slag vessels.

During several phone interviews, owners of some of the ships said they had gone to Len Bang Port in Quang Binh and Vissai in Binh Binh instead of Vung Ro and Quy Nhon.

There must have been some mistake by the port authority, one ship owner assumed, while Nha Trang authorities claimed there had been no such error.

After reviewing records at the two ports, the reporters found that all 26 did arrive, and that the copper slag was unloaded and transferred to local cement plants.

10 still missing

In another revelation, Le Duc Cuong, deputy director of the Port Authority of Inland Waterway Area No.2, discovered that 15 ships carrying 27,757 metric tons of copper slag had not arrived in Quang Binh and Ninh Binh as stated in the documents of the Nha Trang Port Authority.

Cuong said the journeys of these ships took place between late 2013 and late 2016.

According to Nguyen Thi Yen, a representative of the Hanoi-based Mascon Company, which signed a deal with HVS to transport its waste to Quang Binh, Mascon signed another deal to task Vinafco, a company in central Vietnam, with the transportation, and was thus not aware of the missing ships.

Meanwhile, Pham Duc Minh, leader of Dong Do Company, responsible for delivering the nix grains to Ninh Binh, said the missing vessels were redirected to Ha Nam Province in northern Vietnam.

Responding to Tuoi Tre, HVS confirmed that Mascon and Dong Do had found the 15 missing vessels by August 11.

However, the information provided by HVS did not correspond to records the journalists had collected from local port authorities.

For example, the Thanh Do ship carried 1,000 metric tons of copper slag to Len Bang Port, Quang Binh on November 15 and again on November 17, 2013.

The ship Xuan Thang 88 carried 862 metric tons of the waste in March 2015 and was said to be heading to Ha Nam, while the provincial port authority had no record of any such vessel in that period.

For further clarification, Cuong, deputy director of the Port Authority of Inland Waterway Area No.2, had directly reviewed all documents.

According to his results, 10 ships are still missing as of August 16.

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A Vietnamese seaman has been rescued by the Philippines government from a local terrorist group.

Do Trung Hieu, a crew member of the Vietnamese ship MV Royal that was ambushed at sea last year, has been brought to safety after being held hostage by Filipino militant group Abu Sayyaf, Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an announcement on Monday.

We have ordered the Embassy of Vietnam in Manila to carry out the necessary procedures for the repatriation of Hieu, the ministry added.

However, the announcement did not state when and how the Vietnamese crewman was saved, or how many Vietnamese are still being held by the terrorists.

Hieu was among the crew members of the Vietnamese-flagged cargo ship MV Royal 16 that was ambushed and held hostage in November 2016, when they were sailing near Sibago Island off the town of Mohammad Ajul in Basilan.

Among the reported six hostages, one was released and then brought back to Vietnam.

The foreign ministry confirmed in July that three Vietnamese crewmen had been killed.

Hoang Trung Thong and Hoang Van Hai were murdered by Abu Sayyaf, while Tran Viet Van was also found dead following a raid on the groups bunker in Tolo by the Filipino army in early April.

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The former director of Vietnamese pharmaceutical firm VN Pharma is facing 10 to 12 years in prison for importing and distributing substandard cancer medicine.

The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Procuracy suggested the punishment as the trial of Nguyen Minh Hung, former chairman of the management board and general director of VN Pharma JSC, continued on Tuesday after opening on Monday.

According to the case file, Hung made a deal with Vo Manh Cuong, director of H&C International Trading Shipping Company, in 2013, in which Cuong would help Hung buy 9,000 boxes of H-Capita 500mg, a type of cancer medicine, from abroad.

Cuong bought the drug at US$0.6 per pill and sold it to Hung at $0.9 a pill. The H&C director pocketed some VND2 billion ($80,000) from the agreement.

Nguyen Minh Hung, former chairman of the management board and general director of VN Pharma JSC

To legalize the distribution of the product, the defendants forged all necessary documents regarding the medicine and submitted them to the Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health.

The fake paperwork stated that the H-Capita 500mg had been manufactured by a company named Helix Canada, while an investigation later revealed that the firm had never been licensed to produce medicine by Canadian authorities.

Meanwhile, other documents relating to the drugs origin, specifications, and quality assurance were fortified by VN Pharma employees and some pharmacists under Hungs direction.

During the trial, representatives of the municipal Peoples Procuracy stated that all individuals involved must be responsible for the smuggling scheme worth nearly VND5 billion ($220,017), which violated economic management order and compromised the well-being of consumers.

Vo Manh Cuong, director of H&C International Trading Shipping Company

Hung and Cuong had similar roles in this crime, the agency assessed, recommending a 10 to 12 year jail term for the two defendants.

Other VN Pharma ex-officials, namely Nguyen Tri Nhat and Ngo Anh Quoc, who were both deputy general directors, Phan Cam Loan, deputy head of the import-export department, and Le Thi Vu Phuong, chief accountant, are facing four to nine years in prison for smuggling.

Pham Anh Kiet, general director of Saigon Pharmaceutical Company (SAPHARCO), Bui Ngoc Duy, former head of VN Pharmas R&D Department, and Hoang Van Thong, a pharmacist, can be locked up for two to three years for forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations.

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Who knew? Veteran TV executive Peter Meakin is the man who helped The Block to see the light of day.

Back in 2003 Meakin was Head of News at Nine as well as Head of Reality.

Julian Cress was a 60 Minutes producer when Meakin introduced him to David Barbour from Changing Rooms.

He said, You guys keep pitching shows at me. Of all the people under me the two of you seem to be the most creative in terms of your own ideas of a show,' Cress tells TV Tonight.

We came up with it on a Thursday, pitched it on a Monday and it was commissioned on a Tuesday.

We printed it on an A1 paper because it was too big to file! We figured that all of the pitches he got were on A4 and went into a filing cabinet in those days everything was on paper. So we printed it on A1 and said Where are you going to file this?

Peter Meakin loved the idea, and he took it directly upstairs to the new Deputy CEO of the Nine Network, David Gyngell. He was looking to make his mark on Nine.

So Meakin said Heres your chance and Gyngell loved it because he was into real estate.

Kerry thought he was crazy and said, It will never work. Madness.

Gyngell took it to Kerry and said, This is my show I want to make it.

Kerry thought he was crazy and said, It will never work. Madness. When the ratings came in he rang David Gyngell and said, Son, I never saw that!

The show was an instant phenomenon, averaging 2.24m viewers, screening once a week. Hosted by Jamie Durie it also featured Reality TVs first primetime gay couple, Gav & Waz. It aired for two seasons before being cleverly revived in 2010 with Scott Cam where, aside from twice-yearly seasons, it has enjoyed strong ratings.

The show has also been sold as a format to countries including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, UK, US, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Belgium and Israel.

The current season, its 13th, in Regent Street Elsternwick, continues to dominate its timeslot.

TEN tried to copy the show . nobody watched

Its been pretty intense. Its probably the most challenging series Ive ever done because we started with nothing: a green fields site, Cress continues.

We would never start the show where the contestants turn up and theres nothing there. Theres no way of engaging with an audience. TEN tried that when they tried to copy the show and came up with a genius idea of starting with a block of land, and nobody watched (Ed: The Hothouse anyone?).

The Block is about saying to the audience Heres a challenge. Heres something interesting to start with. We want the contestants to walk into something, look at it, see it, feel it.

So the idea here was to start with some character: these old houses. The challenge for me was finding them.

We had to threaten someone with literally throwing them off the show

Cress sourced 5 weatherboard homes, all from different owners and histories and relocated them Regent Street.

We had to find 5 houses that fit in a row that had some character, and that we could get here in time.

The lovely thing about this series is that were giving these houses a new lease of life and saving them from demolition.

There were 3 series where weve done houses before, but nothing on this scale. It surprises me even that this is the first in 13 seasons where we have done family homes. Weve never done family-sized houses, he insists.

The sheer size of the rooms has created more drama than weve ever seen before. The square meterage to do in 7 days is ridiculous.

That has tested these contestants to breaking point. Weve had couples literally not able to finish rooms. In one case we had to threaten someone with literally throwing them off the show.

Its that hard a challenge.

The Block airs 7pm Sundays, 7:30pm Monday  Wednesday on Nine.
Nine News yesterday launched a local bulletin on the Sunshine Coast, the last of 7 new Queensland regional bulletins.

Encompassing Caloundra, Gympie, Maroochydore, Noosa, Maleny and neighbouring area it is presented by Samantha Heathwood, with sport from Paul Taylor & Nicole Rowles with weather.

Produced in Brisbane it draws upon local reporters and crews on the Sunshine Coast.

Last night Nine celebrated the launch at The Bluff Bar at Alex Surf Club, Alexandra Headland, with guests included 60 Minutes reporter Allison Langdon, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo Grant Blackley, Nines Director of Regional Mike Dalton and network Head of Publicity Victoria Buchan.

Mike Dalton said: Were excited to be introducing the Nine brand of local news to regional Queensland viewers. The Nine News brand has a proud history that stretches back 60 years. Queensland is the most decentralised state in Australia and our reporters are committed to start telling the stories of local communities.

Grant Blackley, Chief Executive Officer of Southern Cross Austereo, said: We are pleased that this partnership has been able to create jobs within local Queensland communities. Having local reporters who live in the regions means we can bring the best local stories to air, and provide our clients and businesses with new opportunities to reach their customers.

Nine has now launched four bulletins in NSW and four in Victoria.
EXCLUSIVE: There is good news for true believers of The Doctor Blake Mysteries with confirmation the show is not ending.

The hit series begins filming a telemovie this week to wrap up Season 5, but series co-creator / producer George Adams has told TV Tonight, Whilst this is indeed the last season of Blake we will produce for the ABC  this is not the end for Blake  this is only the beginning.

Keep watching  the mystery will be solved soon.

Adams remained tight-lipped on whether it will continue on Free to Air, Pay TV or Streaming -or something else entirely..

The news will be music to the ears of die-hard fans who have been flooding online petitions, with over 15,000 signatures at Change.org.

Its been widely expected that the telemovie will include wedding bells, but if that proves true it isnt clear how a romantic resolution would affect any sixth season.

The Doctor Blake Mysteries returns to ABC on Sunday September 17.
Season 3 of Narcos begins on Netflix in early September.

The story continues after the death of Pablo Escobar and shows the fight of DEA against the Cali Cartel.

This raw, gritty series chronicles the gripping real-life stories of the drug kingpins of the late 1980s and the corroborative efforts of law enforcement to meet them head on in brutal, bloody conflict. It details the many, often-conflicting forces  legal, political, police, military and civilian  that clash in the effort to control cocaine, one of the worlds most valuable commodities.

A DVD of S2 is released on August 30.

Season 3 begins Friday September 1 on Netflix.
Seven has objected to claims that A Current Affair has won the ratings year around the country, after it claimed 21 weeks of 40 won.

The objection comes after Grant Williams, Nines Deputy Director of News and Current Affairs offered his thanks to all our viewers right across the country for making us number one at 7pm.

Sevens objection is in the wording, for implying a win nationally, rather than in the 5 city metro.

Not sure how Nine defines around the country,' a Seven spokesperson said.

However, Home and Away is number 1 around the country  given Australia is more than five metropolitan markets.

Two years ago Seven and Nine went to war over similar claims in breakfast TV, with consensus that Australias #1 did indeed include regional viewers.

For the record Nines press release on ACA claimed a 5 city metro win, but Grant Williams did refer to around the country in his quote:

A Current Affair is the most watched program at 7.00pm, across Australias five mainland capital cities.

At the conclusion of the 25th week of the 40-week ratings year, A Current Affair has won 21 weeks (on weekly average audience), putting it in an unbeatable position.

It marks the third consecutive year that A Current Affair has been the most watched show in its timeslot in Australias five biggest cities.

A Current Affair currently has a year-to-date average audience of 828,000 viewers each weeknight across the 5 City Metro, well ahead of Home and Away (which only airs Monday to Thursday) on 781,000; ABC News on 712,000; and The Project 7pm on 549,000.

When Friday episodes are excluded, making a fairer comparison with Home and Away, the average weeknight audience for A Current Affair rises to 872,000 across the 5 City Metro.

Monday episodes of A Current Affair, the highest rating night of the week, have averaged 944,000 viewers per episode across the 5 City Metro in 2017.

Across regional Australia, A Current Affair has achieved an average weeknight audience of 338,000 giving an average nightly national audience of 1.166 million viewers per episode. Excluding Friday episodes, A Current Affair has secured an average weeknight regional audience of 354,000, giving an average nightly national Monday to Thursday audience of 1.226 million viewers per episode.

Grant Williams, Deputy Director of News and Current Affairs for Nine, said: The entire team at A Current Affair continually strives to provide our audience with a program that is not just informative, but also relevant and helpful in their everyday lives. Our viewers are incredibly loyal and we need to repay that by being just as loyal to them. Thats why were out there every day of the year telling their stories and fighting for a fair go when theyve been hard done by. A huge thank you to all our viewers right across the country for making us number one at 7pm.
The Project is headed back to Sunday nights from this Sunday, with an on-air crew to include Peter Helliar, Dr. Chris Brown, Natarsha Belling and Rachel Corbett.

Screening from 6:30pm it hopes to lift flailing figures against The Block and Sevens upcoming Little Big Shots. If it fires, it will help boost Australian Survivor which is suffering a low lead-in from Modern Family.

Since it first went to air in 2009, The Project has become an integral part of TENs program schedule and the TEN brand.

Influential, popular and always engaging, The Project is unique on Australian television and offers a different take on news and current affairs. Were proud of what it has achieved and continues to achieve, and look forward to bringing more of The Project to viewers.

The new Sunday show will offer an entertaining and engaging look at the news, current affairs and sport of the week that was and the week ahead, she said.

Its busy times for the Projects crew who have also been working on Saturdays every second week on The Wrong Girl, with the Como studio doubling for the shows own Breakfast Bar. Updated: But the new show will be produced in Sydney.

In 2012 TEN tried a half hour Project on Sundays but it was pulled after 10 months.

Hopefully the only way is up.
Help India!

New Delhi, (IANS): Social activist Shabnam Hashmi on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict striking down triple talaq but expressed doubts about it becoming a law, saying the issue can be politicised and used by different parties for their own benefit.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court, in a majority judgement, held triple talaq being practised by the Muslim community as unconstitutional, arbitrary and not part of Islam.

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However, two judges in a minority judgement, said triple talaq is integral to Islamic practices and enjoys constitutional protection.

It urged the parliament to pass a law to deal with the issue.

I welcome the judgement. Thats very good. If the next process is of making the law then that can create a problem. All those different sections of the Muslim fundamentalists and Hindu fundamentalists would again get into it, Hashmi told IANS folowing the judgement.

Its mandatory to make a law but I hope the process of lawmaking is not politicised, she added, saying that she was afraid all kinds of religious groups were going to use it.

She said the Prime Minister is not concerned about womens issues. He wants to use them is a different thing.

(In a) country which says marital rape is fine, a country which sends an adult woman back to her home and declares an NIA enquiry in love jihad I havent heard the Prime Minister say anything about that not a word on his own wife and her abandonment.

She wished that the court had not directed parliament to make a law on triple talaq and the judgement ended with its ban.
Help India!

Kolkata, (IANS): Contending that nationalism cannot be forcefully injected to people, former Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union President Kanhaiya Kumar on Monday said there is a need to challenge BJPs idea of nationalism and Hinduism in the country.

Nationalism is neither a disease nor a medicine that can be injected to peoples body. It is a thought that emerges from the sense of association. The BJP regime is trying to destroy that sense of association among people. Therefore it is necessary to challenge their idea of nationalism, Kanhaiya said at a public meeting organised by AISF and AIYF here.

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Accusing the BJP-run central government of creating a new issue everyday to divert peoples attention from the main issues like illiteracy, unemployment and price rise, he said the government has slashed down the budget for education at various states as it is opposed to intelligence and free thinking.

This government is scared of intelligence. They have slashed down the education budget by 93 per cent. The same thing has been done in other states too, he claimed.

Terming the central governments Skill India initiative as kill India, he said the initiative has failed to deliver on the governments promise of bringing employment.

Describing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad as the biggest enemies of the Hindu community, Kanhaiya Kumar said their idea of attacking people and trying to curb free speech in the name of protecting the Hindu religion did not reflect the Hindu ideology practised in the country.
US President Donald Trump has given a speech to announce that he will be extending the United States Military intervention in Afghanistan. This is a change of pace, since he once called US military intervention in the nation a complete waste of resources. He admitted in the speech that his initial gut feeling was to pull out, but his top advisors have managed to change his mind, so hes going to expand the American military presence in Afghanistan yet again. Its been 16 years since George W. Bush started the conflict, and it looks like itll be many more before someone ends it.

Trump was vague in describing his new strategy, left details out

The speech was televised and delivered to US soldiers at Fort Myer in the state of Virginia. During the speech, Trump pledged a new military strategy in Afghanistan and areas of South Asia. He was very vague about this strategy, however, since he didnt even mention the basic, essential details: how many new troops would be deployed, how long they will stay in Afghanistan, or what the actual goal is. These are things the troops would kind of need to know.

Trump did pledge that he would be placing more duties and responsibilities on the Afghan government to start helping out more, with both the innocent civilians and the military presence, and holding them more accountable.

He also promised to do the same with the Pakistani government, who have been providing militants with support to find safe places to stay along the border of Afghanistan. The US President also warned the not-so-subtly named Islamabad that they would have much to lose if they decided to had any problems with doing what he says.

Hmm.

And remember ex-President (unfortunately) Barack Obamas rhetoric about international conflicts, about handling them as peacefully as possible and helping ailing nations to build up again? Well, not with Donald Trump. Hes taking a very different tactic. His approach is slightly more based on counter-terrorism. Speaking about what his plans for South Asia are, he made that perfectly clear: We are not nation-building again.

We are killing terrorists. Right. At least hes not being vague about that.

Trumps speech suggested that not much would change for the troops

Despite his fierce, We are killing terrorists! soundbite, the way Trump elaborated on these plans in his speech at Fort Myer alluded to the idea that, actually, not very much would change in terms of what the troops have to do over in Afghanistan.

Trump wants them to go after terrorists, but thats what they are doing already. The job theyre doing as things are now is striking terrorist groups wherever they find them, but at the same time, doing everything in their power (this goes for diplomats too, by the way) to help the Afghan government and their military and whatever theyre doing to fix the nations problems.

It seems that Trump wants to put a stop to that second thing, the one that benefits a country other than America. Theres also the objective of pressing Islamabad and Kabul to chip in more.

Throughout the speech, Trump, as always, made it his business to avoid falling into any traps that could require him to reveal details. The reason he provided for this was because when Obama was open about military strategies in his televised speeches, all the enemy has to do to find out what the US military forces are going to do to them is go on YouTube and watch the speech. So, he does have a pretty good reason behind it, to be fair. For once, its not to cover his own backside  its to cover Americas backside. Trump also added that the major military decision will be decided by conditions on the ground and not arbitrary timetables. Not too bad, not too bad...
For years, several conspiracy theorists have speculated that the Red Planet was once home to an ancient Martian civilisation. After keeping out of the controversial discourse for long, nasa has finally addressed the issue, and it begs to differ.

During a hearing of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held on 18 July, Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher asked a panel of planetary scientists if aliens existed on Mars a thousand years ago.

Kenneth Farley, a senior NASA Mars rover scientist and a professor of geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, addressed the surprising query.

So, the evidence is that Mars was different billions of years ago, not thousands of years ago, and there is no evidence Im aware of that  

Before the space boffin could finish the sentence, Rohrabacher butted in and asked whether Farley would rule out the possibility.

I would say that is extremely unlikely, replied Farley.

Apparently, the alien life theory developed in the 1970s

Over the decades, many orbiters, landers, and rovers have scoured the surface of the Red Planet, but none have detected any evidence of intelligent organisms existence so far. But that doesn't necessarily mean the Red Planet has never supported life of any kind, said a Space.com report.

The alien life theory developed in 1976, when NASAs Viking space probe beamed back a strange image which many claimed was an artificially constructed building, much like the Great Sphinx of Giza.

However, subsequent investigation revealed that the structure was just an eroded rock.

But the conspiracy theorists disagreed and claimed that the explanation given by the space agency was merely a cover-up to hide the truth.

After poring through images sent back by the Curiosity Rover (NASAs droid thats remotely exploring Mars), researchers looking for alien Life On Mars stated that they had found images of what appears to be fossilised bones scattered across the planets surface along with growing fungi and lichens on the rocks surface.

The photos began circulating after a YouTube video titled "Fossilized Bones, Petrified Wood, Fungus & Lichen, Growth & Movement, Life on Mars" featured these images.

Such 'discoveries' could be the result of Pareidolia

In April, a website called ufosightingsdaily.com posted a series of images taken by the Curiosity Rover which, according to the website, showed an alien lizard sitting on the robotic rover.

Later, Mick West, admin of Metabunk.org, provided close up images and concluded that it was just a dust removal device at the top of the droid. Wests website focuses on investigating and exposing hoax UFO and alien sightings.

From footprints and a tree stump to cosmic cutlery, alien chasers claim to have discovered it all on the rocky surface of the planet. Whats more, some alien hunters have suggested that Mars was once teeming with aliens and that life was wiped out on the planet following an intergalactic nuclear war.

However, sceptics have dismissed all these claims stating that such findings are nothing but a case of pareidolia.

Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon in which the mind tricks the eyes into seeing familiar objects or hearing something significant where none exists.

Its a type of apophenia, which is a more generalised term for seeing patterns in random data, explained a Live Science article. Most common examples of this phenomenon see a likeness of Jesus on a toast, human-like faces on a hill or an image of a man on the surface of the moon.
A US-led coalition airstrike on the city of Raqqa in Syria resulted in the deaths of 43 civilians, including 19 children, on Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claims that Western air strikes on Raqqa have killed 167 civilians in the last eight days, marking a rapid rise in death toll than previously recorded. "The tolls are high because the airstrikes are hitting neighbourhoods in the city centre that are densely packed with civilians," said the director of SOHR, Rami Abdel Rahman.

"There are buildings full of civilians who are trying to get away from the frontlines."

Surge in death toll

The United States is carrying out the strikes in support of the Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF which in itself is a coalition of Kurdish and Arab militia.

The SDF have captured more than half of the city fighting against the so called Islamic State's militants.

There has been a surge in the civilian death toll in recent months because of US-led airstrikes. Airwars, a group that monitors air strikes in Syria and Iraq, estimates that at least 4,887 to 7,528 civilians have lost their lives as a direct result of Western airstrikes in the region since 2014.

But the US-led coalition, which also includes Britain, Australia and France, has assured that it considers every possible measure to avoid the killings of innocent people.

"We have opened up safe routes for civilians to cross securely towards areas controlled by our forces, who are rescuing civilians almost daily and transferring them to safe places," said Talal Sello, an SDF spokesman.

Civilians used as 'human shields'

It is believed that around 25,000 people are trapped inside Raqqa and the so called Islamic State is using them has 'human shields' to halt the assault from SDF soldiers. "One of the major reasons for the slow progress in the Raqqa fight is the preserving of civilian lives and avoiding massive losses among them," added Sello.

The airstrikes have been concentrated on the neighbourhoods in central Raqqa, and according to the human rights activists and citizen journalist group "Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently" (RBSS), several families have lost multiple members of their household as a result.

The USA's Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis had visited the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Monday and said that the so called Islamic State's "days are certainly numbered....But it's not over yet and it's not going to be over anytime soon," he swiftly added.

The coalition confirmed on Sunday that its jets had targeted an explosives cache, two machine gun units and two drone launching areas.
A Californian man has been sentenced to 8 years in prison and ordered to pay $ $1,557,979 in restitution for operating a scam that targeted trademark owners. Artashes Darbinyan, 37, of Glendale fraudulently received $1.66 million from trademark owners through mail fraud. According to investigators, Artashes was working with a co-conspirator named Tagubyan who was a former manager at wells fargo's Glendale branch.

How Artashes committed the crime

According to the U.S justice department, Artashes had earlier admitted that he ran a mail scam using the names Trademark Compliance Office (TCO) and Trademark Compliance Center (TCC) from September 2013 to September 2015.

He used these names to target small businesses that recently applied for the protection of their trademarks. Through the false names, Artashes promised to register the trademarks of these firms with U.S. Customs and Border Protection which screens goods from other countries for trademark infringements. He also promised to check the applicants trademark for violation marks. He offered his services through the mail for a cost of $385. He admitted in court that he never provided these services after the victims paid him the $385 fee.

To conceal himself from the scam while receiving payment from victims, Artashes used other people's identities to open accounts at virtual office centers. He and others also opened Wells Fargo Bank Accounts using the same false names.

He also used money orders, fake email accounts and regularly changed his phone number to avoid being traced.

Other co-conspirators

According to the U.S justice department, two other co-conspirators were also sentenced after pleading guilty. Orbel Hakobyan, 42, of Glendale received a two-year sentence and ordered to pay restitution worth $1,218,024.

Albert Yagubyan, 37, of Burbank, California received a one and a half year jail sentence and ordered to pay restitution worth $1,048,069.

Hakobyan admitted that he opened bank accounts using false names of people in Eastern Europe to deposit victims checks. Yagubyan as a manager at Wells Fargo influenced his subordinates to open fraudulent bank accounts to receive victims funds.

He then withdrew the funds using checks and through cash withdrawals and purchased gold. He also admitted helping Artashes launder $1.29 million of proceeds from victims. According to court evidence, Darbinyan paid Yagubyan a percentage of the victim's funds once the funds were successfully laundered to entice him to continue facilitating the fraudulent transactions.

A total of 4,446 victims were scammed $1.66 million.

Watch a video below of how the scam is committed.
If you didnt catch the Solar Eclipse this week, you can catch it again in seven years on April 8, 2024, CBS News reports.

The next total solar eclipse will be visible in the U.S., however, the next coast-to-coast event will not occur until 2045. So, go ahead and store those plastic shades in the back of a drawer for the upcoming events.

In 2024, the shadow of the moon will eclipse at the southernmost Texas border and cross over Dallas, then Cleveland, Ohio, over Buffalo, New York and into Canada. It will again pass through Carbondale, Illinois, where it lingered the longest during this years eclipse.

How everyone observed the event

People all over the world came out to view the eclipse from Paris to the Grand Tetons. There is no shortage of videos and photos surrounding it, within the places where gazers were able to view the grand spectacle. The last time the U.S. viewed a total solar eclipse was in 1991, according to NASA.

According to CBS, 4.4 million people tuned into NASAs live TV coverage on Monday. The event was the largest Livestream broadcast in the history of the agency. NASA reports that leading up to the event, people Googled Eclipse 2017 more than 35 million times.

Missed the #SolarEclipse2017? Check out some of the fantastic photos shared from across the country https://t.co/g5SJCpdOXs #NatGeoEclipse  National Geographic (@NatGeo) August 21, 2017

How animals reacted

At the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, some of the animals reacted to the event.

Amanda Schweighart, the elephant manager at the zoo, told WMC Action News 5 that they noticed some changes in the youngest elephant in the herd, Asali. She went into an 'alert' stance, that lasted several seconds, she said. Once she reunited herself with her two herd mates, her behavior returned to normal.

The Memphis Zoo also reported that the penguins became vocal during the event, and visitors noted that the crocodiles swam wildly.

They also tweeted that their ostriches, bongos, and Grant's gazelles could not figure out what was going on, and some even bedded down like they do at night.

One herd that shrugged at the whole incident were the hippos, who the zoo tweeted were not sure when it was, and resumed their normal activities for that time of day.

The history of the eclipse

People have viewed the eclipse as far back as the ancient Babylonians, based on what we know from recorded history. According to NASA, ancient Babylonian clay tablets were inscribed with information about viewing eclipses between 518 and 465 B.C.

In Ancient China, they believed that solar eclipses were the result of an ethereal dragon consuming the sun. They also believed that lunar eclipses were prophecies that predicted the future of the Emperor.

Ancient Greek historians kept records of the otherworldly wonder. Herodotus documented that Thales was able to predict the year of the upcoming solar eclipse in 610 or 585 B.C., although evidence shows that their method only worked one time, according to NASA.

For as long as humans have kept records, we have witnessed sightings of the great solar eclipse. They may have been around since Earth began orbiting the sun. As long as we are here, we will probably always enjoy the celestial wonder.
United States President Donald Trump announced his administration's Afghanistan policy today and stated that the Number Of Troops to the country will be increased. In a rather welcome twist, Trump also went on to criticize United States' ally Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists and also specified that the sole purpose of the entire military exercise will be to eliminate terrorists. The president does not want to build a nation.

A new approach

Over the years, Donald Trump has been quite vocal about his opposition to the presence of U.S.

troops in Afghanistan and had called it a drain on the country's resources. However, he accepted that the facts on the ground are quite different and so it is not a surprise that Trump has devised a new approach to Afghanistan. Trump delivered his address from the military base in Arlington, Virginia and also pointed out that the United States would no longer try to build a nation but instead try to finish off the terrorists as soon as possible.

He said, Our troops will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge. According to a report in the Washington Post, 4000 more troops will be sent to Afghanistan to execute Donald Trump's plans.

However, it needs to be pointed out that the president did not specify the number of troops that will be sent to Afghanistan.

A timely intervention?

Trump's new policy for Afghanistan has been in the works for a long time and according to the Washington Post, the Pentagon had briefed the president about the continuing rise of the terror threat in the region over the recent past.

The Pentagon had specifically called for an increase in troops in Afghanistan following the continued setbacks of the country's security forces in skirmishes against terror groups like al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

One of the key takeaways from the address was Donald Trump's statement about the United States' long term ally and Afghanistan's neighbor Pakistan.

He pointed out that Pakistan must do more so that terrorists no longer find safe haven within its territory. He upped the ante further when he urged Pakistan's arch enemy India to a play a more influential role in the region by boosting Afghanistan's economic development.
Geraldine S. Hines was a long way from her upbringing in the Segregated South when she retired on Friday. Hines, nearing her 70th birthday, had an illustrious career until her last day on the bench as an Associate Justice serving the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC).

Hines served the states highest court as the first African-American woman for the past three years. After she was nominated to the SJC by Massachusetts governor in July 2014, she was unanimously confirmed by the Governors Council a month later. Hines also holds the distinction of being the first African-American woman to have served on the Massachusetts Appeals Court in 2013 until she was 66-years-old and seated on SJC.

Another first in Hines legal career is that she co-founded New Englands first law firm run by women of color. The lesson from my life as a lawyer, she said, you have to have a passion for the work that you do, Voices of the Bar noted. Hines relayed her insight when the Boston Bar Association lauded her with the 2017 Haskell Cohn Award for Distinguished Judicial Service.

Retired justices humble beginnings in Mississippi

Hines grew up in Mississippi  born 1947 in Scott and raised in the Mississippi Delta area. She graduated from Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS, in 1968, and attended and graduated the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1971. She received the Wisconsin Alumni Associations highest honor in 2016.

She was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award.

In 1982, Hines went into private legal practice. She appeared in both state and federal courts respective of administrative, criminal, and labor and family law litigation until 2001. Hines was appointed an Associate Justice of the Superior Court by Governor Paul Cellucci that year.

Nomination to states highest court evoked memories of the past

When former Governor Deval Patrick nominated Hines in 2014 to serve on the SJC, she described feeling a flood of emotions. Reflecting on her humble beginnings as a child of the segregated South and all that Jim Crow represented, the Boston Globe noted, she expressed having an abundance of words for the day she was experiencing with her nomination.

Before serving the SJC on her last day on Friday, Chief Justice Ralph D. Grants gave special recognition to Hines. He addressed the attributes she brought to the states highest court. He cited her wisdom, fairness, passion for the truth, capacity for listening, good sense, grace, humor, and courage.

Justice salutes colleagues on her road to retirement

Hines saluted her colleagues who she described as hardworking, thoughtful, and committed to the rule of law. She said her departure from the SJC is without regret. Hines also stated that there is much to be done to make good on the promise of equal justice for all in our country, as relayed in a press statement from the Massachusetts Court System.

I have been at this for 46 years, and its been so rich because I have come to it with a passion for justice and for seeing things made right, Hines told Voices of the Bar in May. While her retirement is mandated by age for state judges, slowing down is not on the horizon for Hines. She intends to travel with her daughter and see the world. She also plans to devote herself to social justice issues.
The so-called sonic attacks are believed to have started in November last year, having affected more diplomatic personnel than it was previously disclosed, CNN reports. Two senior U.S. government officials, who did not want to be identified, told the network that more than 10 diplomats and their families had to be brought back to the U.S. for medical treatment. Others decided to leave their assignments at the embassy in Havana to prevent further health damages.

One of the victims of the sonic attacks will have to use hearing aid from now on, the two sources told CNN.

Following the departure of the American diplomats for medical treatment, the U.S. State Department demanded two diplomats from the Cuban embassy in Washington to leave until everything is clarified. Canadian diplomats have also been affected by the attacks.

FBI investigation: Third country may be involved

The Cuban government denies any participation in the attacks. It has begun an investigation to sift through the facts. Up to now, though, nothing has been clarified. The countrys authorities have also reinforced security in the zone where the attacks carried out.

In an unprecedented move, the Cuban government authorized the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to conduct their own investigations on the island.

As of now, no sonic device that can have caused the health damages was found at the houses of American and Canadian diplomatic personnel in Cuba.

The ongoing investigations are aiming to determine whether the attacks were carried out by operatives from third-party countries, especially from those with conflicting relationships to the United States, such as Iran, Venezuela, China, Russia and North Korea.

A solution for the Cuba mystery

According to CNN, the attacks occurred when the diplomats and their families were at home. Most of the times, the sonic devices operate outside the range of audible sound, with the attacks handled either inside or outside the buildings. Other times, the devices produce deafening noises, resembling the sound of metal scratching.

In both situations, affected people instantly felt unwell. Nausea, headaches, and hearing loss have been known to occur.

Cuba and the United States have restored diplomatic relations on 20 July 2015, following a long period without ties that begun in 1961. The rapprochement with Cuba was led by former President Barack Obama. Now, the acoustic warfare, which resembles old spy tricks from the cold war, can undermine the yet unstable relations between the two countries.
A recent piece in the American Spectator raised questions about how launch accidents caused by SpaceX is being treated as opposed to those resulting from other contractors. The article notes that SpaceX suffered two accidents that led to a total loss of the launch vehicle, the Falcon 9. However, unlike with a similar accident involving an Antares rocket built by Orbital Sciences, the results of a NASA investigation into the cause of the first accident, which occurred on June 2015, has not been made public.

Why wont NASA release the results of its investigation?

The American Spectator piece notes that promises to the contrary, NASA has decided not to release the results of its investigation into the June 2015 accident. The accident featured an explosion of the Falcon 9 soon after launch and the loss of a Dragon cargo ship with over $110 million of supplies for the International Space Station. An investigation conducted by SpaceX concluded that a defective strut built by an outside contractor attached to a helium tank was the root cause of the accident. However, some evidence suggests that the NASA investigation, conducted by the space agencys Launch Services Program came to different conclusions.

The aerospace blog Parabolic Arc cites sources that suggest that NASA thinks that the cause of the June 2015 accident rests in practices conducted by SpaceX. These include manufacturing damage, improper installation, and materials selection. The subsequent Sept 2016 explosion on the pad that destroyed a Falcon 9, a satellite payload, and much of the launch pad raised further questions about SpaceX practices.

Orbital Antares accident treated differently

NASA treated an accident that destroyed an Orbital Sciences Antares a little different than it did those that destroyed two Spacex Falcon 9. In October 2014 the Antares exploded soon after launch from Wallops Island in Virginia, destroying the launch vehicle, the Cygnes cargo ship, and $51 million in supplies for the ISS.

The cause of the explosion was traced to a turbo pump failure in the AJ26 engine. Orbital has undertaken to replace those engines with a newer model RD-181. Unlike with the 2015 Falcon 9 mishap, NASA released an executive summary of its accident report a year later.

What is going on?

The American Spectator piece suggests that cronyism is going on between NASA and SpaceX. However, even though SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was a political supporter of President Barack Obama, relations between him and President Trump, after an initial alliance, have become been decidedly cooler. At the same time, subsequent to the Sept 2016 accident, SpaceX has achieved a long string of launch successes. Moreover, the company has achieved a degree of reusability of the Falcon 9 first stage in landing a number of them, either near the launch site or a drone barge out to sea.

Nevertheless, NASA is still concealing its accident investigation report. The Senate has included a provision in its NASA budget legislation a demand that the space agency release a copy of its report within 30 days of its passage. NASA, in the meantime, is denying that it is affording SpaceX special treatment.
President Trump is, once again, dominating the news for the stupidest of reasons. With tensions between North Korea and America at an all-time high, not to mention the recent attacks in Charlottesville, it is kind of nice to be able to criticize President Donald for something mundane like his spelling. It takes us back to a much better time when it was still possible to laugh at Mr. Trump's free-spirited approach to the English language. We still remember the day when the internet decided that, for once, it was fine to re-instate the grammar police after the utterance of the phrase 'I have the best words'.

This is no laughing matter

Kidding aside, these small jokes at President D. Trump's expense are far from a laughing matter. They are a symptom of arguably the biggest issue that has plagued his reign, and America, over the last six months - this is not a man capable of earning people's respect. Before jumping on your pitchforks and accusing us of being blind defenders, Donald Trump is the one mostly at fault. An organization is only as strong as its leader, and America's current poster child just confused 'heal' with 'heel'.

Anyone that ever worked with a company run by a joke of a manager knows how it can impact productivity. This is not about friendship or fear, but the belief that the time spent under that person's care might lead to certain benefits in the future.

Nobody likes to waste time, but it is the easiest thing to do when there is no end goal.

America on high alert

From the perspective of an outsider, America is in a constant state of red alert. Over the last few months, the focus has not been on the future but trying to preserve the present. In certain situations, especially after a tragedy, safeguarding one's basic needs is natural and the best option.

This is obviously a huge over simplification of the current landscape; but any entity, no matter how small, can only prosper when not in a state of survival.

President Trump's over-dramatic nature and inability to show even a semblance of subtlety forces mountains out of every single molehill. The media is partly culpable as well as it decides what is newsworthy and dictates the type of reception that story should receive.

Yes, a person is capable of critical thinking, but most do not have the time or energy to investigate too deeply into a given article. A simple headline is enough to influence the perception of an event. This is especially true when in survival mode.
The powerful U.S. Navy has a presence in all the oceans of the world. This position was occupied by the Royal Navy before World War I for nearly 200 years. The end of the first world war saw the U.S. Navy displace the Royal Navy as the most potent force in the world. The American Navy now has a global presence and its warships operate from the Atlantic to the Pacific and even in the Arctic region. But a new phenomenon has emerged, peace time accidents and collisions with terrible loss of life. Operations of aircraft have also led to accidents and all these add up to a sorry state of affairs

17 sailors killed

According to CNN, two collisions hundreds of miles apart have led to 17 sailors being killed.

A collision with a cargo ship in the Sea of Japan has been followed by another US Navy destroyer colliding with an oil tanker in the Strait Of Malacca. If one adds the loss of an Osprey chopper of the coast of Australia, this points to a serious problem. No navy can sustain so many casualties during peace time operations and this calls for a review of all aspects of training and operational alertness of the crew of the warships.

Pentagon worried

The U.S. High Command and the Pentagon are worried about these accidents and after an inquiry, it appears there has been a professional lapse in both the collisions. The inquiry into the collision of the USS Fitzgerald with the cargo ship is out and it blames the captain and many of the officers and crew.

The Navy has acted fast and disciplinary action has been taken. The captain was removed from command and another dozen seamen will face charges.

The collisions

The second collision of the destroyer USS McCain with a tanker in the Strait of Malacca again points to a lack of professionalism on the part of the captain and crew of the destroyer.

To lose 17 able-bodied young men is terrible and cannot be condoned and points to a serious gap in training and navy discipline, so important for a warship on the high seas. Collisions can only happen if the crew is not alert and following laid down SOPs. The fact that the crashes took place in clear weather conditions when visibility was good is cause for alarm.

The future

The US Navy needs to re-examine the motivation, training procedures and competence of officers commanding important warships. The attitude of the sailors needs to be evaluated and the Navy must decide whether fatigue is a cause of these crashes. The Navy must also examine if it is deployed too thinly and the sailors have sufficient time to unwind. The sea is an unforgiving place for a sailor who is unprofessional and prone to taking shortcuts.
After ISIS-backed terrorists attacked in La Rambla in Barcelona and in Cambrils, killing 14 and injuring more than 100 people, with 12 still in a critical condition, police believe they had much more ambitious plans for the area. According to recent reports, they were planning on targeting three popular, tourist-packed sites in Barcelona, including the Sagrada Familia basilica.

Terrorists planned to use explosive-packed vans

The Local quotes Spanish news source El Espanol as saying terrorists were planning to drive explosive-packed vans into three of Barcelonas most popular and crowded areas.

Apparently La Rambla was second on their list, with their prime target being the Temple de la Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudis still unfinished cathedral in the heart of the historic area of the city.

The Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona has been under construction for 130 years and is not set to be complete until 2026. pic.twitter.com/WFqZxMOIwi  The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) August 19, 2017

At any time of year the Sagrada Familia is packed with visitors, with long queues waiting outside. There is always a crowd of hundreds of visitors outside, gazing at the spires of the building and taking photographs.

#Gaudi wanted the #SagradaFamilia to be a temple of harmonious light. Do you think he succeeded? pic.twitter.com/LuYGPRwuu1  Visit Catalonia (@visitcatalonia) August 15, 2017

La Rambla was reportedly second on the list and police believe the Port of Barcelona, where hundreds of people arrive each day on cruise ships and ferries from the Balearic Islands, might have been the next target.

What foiled the terrorists plans?

On Wednesday evening there was an explosion in Alcanar, 124 miles from Barcelona. Originally it was thought to have been caused by a gas leak in a home. However the explosion, which killed two and injured several more people, turned out to be something else entirely. One of the injured was later arrested after the Barcelona attack.

On investigation, police believe the explosion was caused by the mishandling of explosives intended for a multiple  and much larger  terrorist attack on Barcelona.

Head of the Catalonia police, Josep Lluis Trapero, said at a news conference Friday that the explosion in Alcanar had put a halt to their wider plans, as they no longer had the necessary material for their even more brutal plans.

Reportedly the group may have been planning to hire a larger truck, or multiple small vans, which they would pack with explosives and butane gas cylinders to cause the maximum carnage in their attacks.

Barcelonas iconic Sagrada Familia was prime target of terrorists botched bombing plot  report https://t.co/QR2LED7vAG  Voice of Europe (@V_of_Europe) August 20, 2017

Police now believe that due to the unexpected explosion in Alcanar, the terrorists had to resort to more rudimentary vehicle attacks in both Barcelona and Cambrils.

Juan Ignacio Zoido, Spain's Minister of the Interior, has stated the jihadist cell has now been dismantled. Zoido said the group was believed to consist of 12 young men, mostly Moroccan, some of which were teenagers.

However, authorities in Catalonia are taking a more cautious route. Joaquim Forn downplayed those comments by saying the investigation is not over until everyone involved in the terror cell is located and detained. As reported by El Pais in English, police are still searching for Younes Abouyaaquob, 22, who is believed to have been the driver of the van that plowed through pedestrians in the La Rambla boulevard Thursday. Initially it was thought that Moussa Oukabir, 17, was responsible, but he was found to be among the terrorists shot dead in Cambrils early on Friday.
Artificial intelligence startups are mushrooming across China with most of them concentrated on robots, machine vision, intelligent finance and natural language processing, a report reveals.

The report, released by Cyzone Research Center, ranked the top 50 AI innovation startups in China this year, after surveying 290 domestic AI companies.

At the upcoming World Robot Conference in Beijing, some of the top 50 AI startups, such as Slamtec, Roobo and Ubtech, are going to show their latest products and solutions.

Let's take a look at China's top 10 AI innovation startups this year.

No 10 YITU Technology

YITU Technology, founded in 2012, is conducting research into machine vision, natural language understanding, knowledge reasoning and robotics.

It received a C round funding of 380 million yuan from Hillhouse Capital, Banyan Capital, Yunfeng Capital, Sequoia Capital, and ZhenFund this May.

The company won four tests at the Face Recognition Vendor Test organized by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology in June.
OBRENOVAC, Serbia - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday that Chinese companies have made great progress on numerous infrastructural projects in Serbia and more are expected to come based on the good relations between the two countries,

He made this statement during his visit to the construction site of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) near the city of Obrenovac.

Vucic toured the construction works of E763 on a bridge across Sava and Kolubara rivers together with Chinese ambassador to Serbia Li Manchang, and other officials.

They also watched the presentation of some Sino-Serbian infrastructural projects and were briefed on the progress of these projects.

The bridge is a part of a 17.6-kilometre long highway segment Surcin-Obrenovac that CCCC began building this March.

Vucic praised the importance of CCCC's project for the whole new E763 highway and announced once the segment is completed the vast area around it will become the most attractive industrial land.

"In two years, it is going to be the most exclusive industrial land here and this is of utmost importance both for Obrenovac, municipality of Surcin and for the whole of Belgrade," he predicted. He also invited Chinese investors and companies to start their business here.

Vucic said that besides great political relations, economic connections between China and Serbia are also getting stronger daily, illustrating the fact that in the first seven months of this year the trade balance between the two countries increased by 9 percent.

He continued that Chinese companies working on infrastructural projects in Serbia so far hired Serbian companies as contractors with a share from 46 to 49 percent.

He mentioned that a Chinese company is also going to complete 34 kilometers of railway from Belgrade to Stara Pazova, and 108 kilometers from Novi Sad to Subotica.

He praised the progress of works on the construction of additional block at the Kostolac thermal power plant, as well as the increased production at the Smederevo steel mill in the hands of the Chinese HBIS (Hebei Iron and Steel Group).

Serbian Minister of transport, construction and infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic said that the Surcin-Obrenovac construction project can serve as an example due to the steady progress of construction works and the fact that everything is in line with the standards of the European Union.

"This is an important segment for this region and the whole of Serbia and we would not make a mistake if we claimed Serbia represents one of the most important partners of China, especially when it comes to infrastructure," she said, estimating the value of completed, on-going and planned projects at around $6 billion.

For his part, the Chinese ambassador said that the business cooperation between the two countries will increase together with the development of friendly relations between them.

"It is a great honor to be here, and this also obliges Chinese companies to achieve high quality in their work and at the same time to adhere to the Serbian laws and the agreements that we have," Li said.

Serbia's President of the National Council for cooperation with China and Russia Tomislav Nikolic said that the institution he represents will in future continue to contribute to the positive development of projects within the comprehensive strategic partnership between Serbia and China.

"The most important for us is that China, within its strategic vision of Europe - puts Serbia in the first place," he said.
Commuters cross Westminster Bridge in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament in central London, Mar 23, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

LONDON - Chinese Ambassador to Britain said on Monday that the investment from his country to Britain is mutually beneficial and win-win for both sides, rebuffing the investment threat allegation.

Liu Xiaoming, in a signed article on the Evening Standard, said that the recent British media reports on the so-called threats of Chinese investment to British national security is a confusing mixture of paranoia and exaggerations about China's appetite to buy out Britain.

"All these are both groundless and harmful," he said.

So far, 18 billion pounds ($23.2 billion) of Chinese non-financial investment has come into a wide range of sectors in Britain.

Liu stressed that the Chinese investment is creating new jobs, generating green, low carbon growth and bringing economic prosperity and stability.

"The Hinkley Point project partly financed by the Chinese company, for example, is expected to create 26,000 jobs and, upon completion, reduce nine million tons of carbon emission every year," said the senior diplomat, referring to the construction of the massive nuclear power station in Somerset.

Liu said Britain's unchanged commitment to staying open is key to boosting the confidence of foreign investors.

"As the Brexit negotiations continue and the ensuing uncertainties and negative impacts unfold, for Britain and for foreign investors, confidence is more valuable than gold," he added.

After the Brexit referendum last year, the British government has been reiterating its commitment to free trade and its opposition to protectionism.

Liu believed that being open and inclusive has been one of the keys to Britain's continued success.

He reiterated that investment from China will not and can not pose a threat to Britain's national security.

"Britain should make the right decision and maintain its confidence rather than being swayed by protectionism or looking at Chinese investment through Cold War-tinted spectacles," Liu said.

Chinese investors came here for cooperation and win-win results, and they look for a business friendly and welcoming environment, he added.
The first high-speed train running through Inner Mongolia autonomous region tests its service on Aug 2, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

BEIJING - The "Made in China" label has long stood for cheap, inferior and low-end products. But today, such a perception no longer holds water.

In recent years, product quality in China is quietly edging up as the country is seeking to shift its growth equation away from exports and investment toward consumption.

A large number of respectable Chinese brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi are emerging rapidly, providing durable, top-notch and fashionable goods from appliances to smartphones to high-speed railcars.

Some high quality Chinese products not only compete with their foreign competitors when entering overseas markets, but have even begun to surpass them.

China's 'golden business card'

Regular delays and overcrowding have become synonymous with riding the subway in Boston, a city home to an extensive but also one of the oldest underground networks in the United States.

But in about two years, Boston riders could soon enjoy more comfortable on state-of-the-art subway cars, which will have larger seats, LCD monitors, CCTV-operated display screens and automatic passenger counting systems.

The subway cars will be designed and built by China's largest high-speed railcar maker CRRC, which is the largest train maker in the world and has been rapidly expanding its presence stateside by winning contracts in major jurisdictions.

"No more sleepless nights with 40-year-old subway cars rattling under the streets of Boston," said Zhou Chuanhe, chairman and president of the CRRC Massachusetts. "Boston is a center for great transportation and should be able to point with pride to its subway cars."

On April 3, the metro train model for Boston made its debut at City Hall Plaza.

From gear and screw assemblies, cold-resistant and heat-resistant technologies to breakthroughs in the integrated control systems, the shiny new railcars are an embodiment of the company's numerous innovative achievements.

"We are confident that CRRC will be able to deliver the vehicles that we need to move the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) into the 21st century," said Stephanie Pollack, secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Transportation Department.

The CRRC, also known as China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, was formed in 2015 through the merger of China's top two train makers. The Boston contract the company won before the merger was China's first major rail contract in North America, and CRRC built a rail car manufacturing plant in Springfield to fulfill the contract.

Since its accession to the market in 2014, CRRC has so far won 1,359 subway car and commuter train car orders in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

The past half year alone witnessed 184 subway car orders in Boston and Los Angeles, as well as 45 commuter train car deals in Philadelphia.

"We've ventured out into the foreign markets, successfully innovated our business model, and gained a foothold in the market, where CRRC has become China's 'golden business card,'" said CRRC President Liu Hualong.

The Chinese company will not only bring comfort and convenience to commuters but also will greatly help boost local economic growth and employment.

"From supporting the local economy in Springfield and creating new manufacturing jobs to improving public transportation for Massachusetts commuters and visitors, this project brings with it extensive benefits across the Commonwealth," said Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker.

"Since the company entered the United States, we brought benefits such as employment - we provided almost 400 jobs," Liu said in an interview with media in May.

With superior quality and numerous technological innovations, the "Made-in-China" high-speed trains are now witnessing growing popularity in the global market.

CRRC also supplied subway trains to Saudi Arabia to meet the country's transport needs between Riyadh and Mecca, and CRRC-made trains were used in Rio de Janeiro's key Olympic transport metro line.

In April, CRRC agreed a sale of 22 meter-gauge trains to Malaysia and it has also been awarded a contract for a fleet of 11 eight-car trains to operate on Indonesia's Jakarta-Bandung high-speed line.

'Made in China' becomes cool

The rapid development of China's high-speed train industry offers only a glimpse into the rapid transformation and upgrading of "Made in China" products in recent years.

On the back of technological prowess and good value, an increasing number of Chinese companies, including Huawei, Lenovo, Gree, Xiaomi and drone maker DJI-Innovation, have gained footholds in the international market, paving the way for a wave of global Chinese brands.

Take the cell phone industry for example. Chinese smartphone brands, such as Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, have seen dramatic increase in shipments over the past years and ate into the market share of their foreign rivals such as Apple and Samsung.

Advancing rapidly into new markets worldwide, Huawei is now the world's third largest smartphone manufacturer, with a close to 10 percent market share in the first quarter this year. Its products are particularly welcomed in Europe, where the company is growing at an unprecedented pace with better products and a new brand image.

In India, Chinese brands have together accounted for 51 percent share in smartphone segment as of late 2016.

In August 2016, Chinese smartphone vendor ZTE took 9.4 percent of the Russian smartphone market in terms of quantity shares, coming in the second place and exceeding the share of Apple's iPhone for the first time.

Transsion, a Shenzhen-based company whose products are sold under the Tecno, itel and Infinix brand names, has grabbed 40 percent of the African market.

By developing handsets with dual SIM-card slots and optimizing its cameras to better highlight the feature of people with dark skin tones, the smartphone manufacturer, which few Chinese have heard of, has become the top player in Africa's fast growing smartphone market.

The success of Chinese brands can be attributed to their better user experience, faster adoption of 4G technology and greater emphasis on cameras, according to an article on India's Livemint website.

"Chinese smartphones are beautiful, bold and dirt cheap, according to an article on CNN's website. "They typically cost just a couple hundred bucks without a contract, and they offer some unique features American phones don't have."

The title of the article sums it up: "Your next smartphone could be from China."
The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision in Singapore waters on Monday. AHMAD MASOODE / REUTERS

Beijing voiced concerns about "threats or hidden risks" to navigation safety in the South China Sea and related waters following a US destroyer collision on Monday, while a Jane's naval expert questioned whether the tempo of US Navy operations in the region was "too fast".

As a search continues for 10 missing US sailors following the pre-dawn collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker in waters east of the Straits of Malacca, China's Foreign Ministry said it hopes the missing personnel have survived.

"However, we are concerned about the threat and hidden danger posed by the relevant incident to the safety of navigation in the South China Sea and relevant waters," ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday afternoon. "We hope that the relevant issue can be handled properly."

Ridzwan Rahmat, a naval expert at Jane's, said initial indications suggested the US warship may not have been obeying rules designed to separate maritime traffic passing through the Singapore Strait, Agence France-Presse reported on Monday.

With the accident coming soon after the "freedom of navigation operation", it raised questions about "whether there is crew fatigue setting in, whether or not the tempo of operations by the US Navy in this region is getting too fast".

"Are they doing too much within this region with North Korea, and Japan and then now in the South China Sea?" Rahmat said, according to AFP.

Teng Jianqun, director of the Department for American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the collision occurred during a period in which the US Navy has engaged in "belligerent" sailing in the South China Sea.

Given that the US Navy has often navigated the Straits of Malacca, the incident could indicate potential technical problems with the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Teng added.

US President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday: "Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway."

In Washington on Monday, a top US Navy officer ordered an operational pause be taken by US Navy fleets around the world.

"As you know, this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theater," US Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said in a video statement.

In mid-June, the USS Fitzgerald guided-missile destroyer collided with the cargo ship ACX Crystal off Japan, causing the deaths of seven US Navy sailors.

"This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world."

Richardson told reporters he envisioned the actual duration of the pause in operations for the Pacific-based 7th Fleet to be "one to two days".
DC Vice-Mayor Brian Kenner talks to foreign media in Washington. CHEN WEIHUA / CHINA DAILY

The District of Columbia plans to send a trade mission to China this fall to expand the bilateral relationship, according to Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner.

Kenner went on the last Washington DC trade mission to China in November 2015, the first overseas trip since Mayor Muriel Bowser assumed office early that year. The trip took the 40-strong delegation to Beijing and Shanghai.

On the upcoming trip, the delegation plans to go to Beijing, Chengdu, Shenzhen and maybe one other city. Kenner said they want to make sure they are not just going to the two biggest Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai, but also second-tier cities.

Kenner, deputy mayor for planning and economic development, said the delegation will look at other economic engines in China. "We want to make sure that we look at other ways that we might be able to increase investment and increase participation," he said.

DC first opened its China Center in Shanghai in 2012 under then-mayor Vincent Gray, who opened the second DC office in China in Beijing during his 2014 trip. It was a year in which DC and Beijing marked the 30th anniversary of their sister-city relationship.

Kenner emphasized that the DC China centers in Beijing and Shanghai are available not just to the DC government, but also to companies in Washington.

"It also functions as an opportunity for Chinese industries and investment businesses to have an opportunity to come to Washington DC," he told a recent meeting with the foreign media in Washington.

One of the investment opportunities in DC for Chinese is the EB-5 program, created by the US Congress in 1990 to stimulate the US economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. In return, these investors may obtain green cards to become US citizens.

DC has seen a $300 million investment in EB-5 projects, much of it from China. "We have been very happy that kind of flow of capital has been occurring, and we encourage more of that," he said.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
Tina Lam and Michael Cheng bought a neighborhood in auction. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

A Chinese-American couple said they will stand by the city of San Francisco and defend their ownership of a street in one of the city's richest neighborhoods, where the homeowners are seeking to have the purchase negated.

Michael Cheng and Tina Lam, both real estate investors based in San Jose, bought Presidio Terrace, a private oval street, for $90,100 in 2015, when the city put the property up for sale in an online auction as a result of the homeowners association's failure to pay property tax bills for three decades.

After learning of the sale of the street and sidewalks recently, the homeowners have sued the couple and the city. Last month, they petitioned the Board of Supervisors for a hearing to rescind the tax sale. A hearing is schedule for Sept 5.

"The only thing we are going to do is stand by the city because they did everything correctly and we did everything correctly, according to the law," Cheng told China Daily. "He will make a presentation at next month's hearing."

The couple was named in the lawsuit but they were not directly being sued. "It's them (homeowners) against the city," said Cheng, who was born in Taiwan and has lived in the Bay Area for 34 years.

Presidio Terrace, the tony piece of San Francisco that Michael Cheng and Tina Lam bought for $90,000. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

The block-long gated street is lined by 35 multi-million-dollar mansions. Past homeowners have included US Senator Dianne Feinstein and her financier husband, Richard Blum, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and the late Mayor Joseph Alioto.

Homes at the exclusive Presidio Terrace used to be sold to whites only until racial covenants were banned in 1948.

During the past two years, Lam and Cheng have been studying options to make the property sellable.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com
If China's SUV maker Great Wall Motor Co Ltd were to purchase Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Jeep unit, it could face potential financial, managerial and political issues that could be mitigated in part by a minority stake acquisition, analysts said.

Automotive News reported Monday that Great Wall President Wang Fengying wrote in an email to the industry publication that the company intends to buy Jeep and is "connecting with FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles)" to begin negotiations. Later FCA issued a statement stating it "has not been approached by Great Wall."

Robin Zhu, auto industry analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein in Hong Kong, wrote in a research note that "even if Great Wall could find the funds necessary to buy Jeep in a cash deal, and even if FCA would sell, it arguably remains open to question whether Great Wall would have the experience or expertise to operate Jeep, or find a worthy successor to (FCA CEO Sergio) Marchionne."

Great Wall Motor, an independent Chinese automaker, is headquartered in Baoding in Hebei province, and like Jeep in the US, is a major sport utility vehicle (SUV) manufacturer in the Chinese mainland. The company sold 938,000 SUVs in 2016, seizing 10.4 percent of the Chinese SUV market and retaining its No. 1 position for 14 consecutive years.

In the US, Jeep sold about 926,000 SUVs in 2016 and has recorded sales of 475,000 through July of this year. It sold 1.42 million SUVs worldwide last year, while Great Wall delivered 938,000 units.

Fiat Chrysler has been producing Jeep SUVs in China with its partner GAC Group since 2015, including the Cherokee and Compass models. The 50-50 joint venture employs around 6,000 people.

FCA owns the Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep vehicles, as well as the Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands in Europe. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said in a note to analysts last month that Jeep is worth more than Fiat Chrysler as a whole, which is valued at about $19 billion.

Marchionne has hinted in the past that he might be interested in a sale of all or part of FCA.

Zhu said Fiat Chrysler "would look very weak and probably unsellable" without Jeep and also wondered about the current political climate in the US: "Would the US sanction a deal, given the Trump administration just launched its investigation into China's IP (intellectual property) practices?

"For FCA's part, we wonder if these plans are part of a strategy to tease out Detroit - and Washington - support for an America First solution to the FCA problem. The last thing Ford and GM (General Motors) would want is a Chinese-owned Jeep in Detroit. Marchionne will know this - perhaps Washington will now realize this too," Zhu and his team said in the note.

Great Wall or other Chinese auto companies could skirt the political issues by acquiring a minority stake, automotive analyst Michael Dunne told the Detroit Free Press.

"I believe that all parties - Chinese and American - are acutely aware of the political atmosphere right now. I would watch for a nuanced or slightly gradual approach," said Dunne, founder of Dunne Automotive.

Yale Zhang, managing director of Shanghai-based consulting firm Automotive Foresight, said Jeep would benefit Great Wall in terms of products and sales.

"If successfully completed, the takeover will enrich Great Wall's portfolio and it will instantly realize the dream of Wei Jianjun, chairman of Great Wall, to make it the largest SUV maker worldwide."

Patrick Yuan, an equity analyst at Jefferies Hong Kong, said the takeover of Jeep would help to improve the outlook for Great Wall's long-term development.

"The company seems not to be acquiring too much know-how compared with global OEMs who are introducing more SUVs to the China market," he said. "By acquiring FCA (Jeep), technical support is expected, while long-term sustainability is more visible."

Li Fusheng in Beijing contributed to this story.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com
Members of Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) take part in an anti-terror drill as a part of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise in Seoul, South Korea, August 22, 2017. Photo/Agencies

The US Treasury Department announced sanctions on Tuesday on 16 entities and individuals, mostly Chinese and Russian, for alleged business ties with the nuclear and missile program in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The decision came less than two months after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on a bank, a shipping company and two individuals from China for the same so-called secondary sanctions.

The US Treasury claims that its actions complement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2371 enacted on Aug 5. However, in essence, it is a major distraction from the real issue in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a reflection of failed US policies.

China has not only endorsed the UNSC Resolution 2371, but earnestly implemented all the relevant resolutions on DPRK. China, however, has opposed unilateral sanctions imposed by the US outside the UNSC framework. China has also stated that it opposes such "long-arm jurisdiction" by any other country using their domestic laws against Chinese entities or individuals.

China has made it clear that if any Chinese entities or individuals were found violating UNSC resolutions, they will be investigated and punished according to Chinese laws.

The US has long believed that sanctions are a silver bullet. But its past track records have shown that the majority of sanctions not only failed but caused humanitarian disasters in other countries. It is also not hard to tell that its sanctions and heightened sanctions on DPRK have failed to stop the country from pursuing its nuclear and missile program.

There is little doubt that such secondary sanctions will have no, if little, effect on DPRK in changing its course.

However, the Tuesday announcement has greatly undermined the trust and cooperation between the US and China and Russia, the two countries who endorsed the UNSC resolution on Aug 5 and in previous years.

Lack of trust and cooperation between relevant parties, especially between the US and DPRK and between US and China, is a major stumbling block to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

For weeks, the US administration has been sending conflicting messages about DPRK from President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis. Such messages, highlighted by Trump's "fire and fury" and "locked and loaded" rhetoric, not only invited harsh response from DPRK, but caused concern and confusion around the world, including from US allies  South Korea and Germany.

The Tuesday announcement came at a time that the US repeatedly ignored the call from China and Russia for the dual suspension  the US and South Korea halt their large military drills while DPRK halts its missile and nuclear tests.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula rose again on Monday after the US and South Korea began their annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military drills, with DPRK threatening "merciless strike" ahead of the drills.

The US has always blamed DPRK for the failure in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, and never wants to acknowledge that its own behaviors, such as breaking its promise to deliver two light water reactors to DPRK in time under a 1994 agreement, or imposing financial sanctions on DPRK soon after a joint statement from the Six-Party Talks in 2005, have contributed to the current impasse.

This is not to mention that the US has a lot to do in recovering its credibility after removing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 after he gave up his nuclear weapons program.

Secretary Tillerson's words on Tuesday are welcome when he acknowledges that the DPRK has not conducted missile and nuclear test since the UNSC resolution on Aug 5 and he hopes this would lead to dialogue in the future. But the Treasury announcement on Tuesday directly contradicts to such efforts.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
China has opposed secondary sanctions related to the DPRK announced by the US Treasury Department on Tuesday and called on the US government to correct the "mistake".

The US Treasury announced on Tuesday new sanctions on 16 entities and individuals, mostly from China and Russia, for alleged business ties with the missile and nuclear weapons program in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The sanctions of 10 entities and six individuals came less than two months after a June 29 announcement of sanctions by the US Treasury on a bank, a shipping company and two individuals from China.

The US Treasury statement claims that the actions complement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2371 on the DPRK, enacted on Aug 5.

"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

"China opposes unilateral sanctions out of the UN Security Council framework, especially the 'long-arm jurisdiction' over Chinese entities and individuals exercised by any country in accordance with its domestic laws," the Chinese embassy in Washington said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said that China faithfully implements UN Security Council resolutions on the DPRK in their entirety and fully observes its international obligations.

"If there are any Chinese companies or individuals suspected of violating Security Council resolutions, they will be investigated and treated in accordance with China's domestic laws and regulations," it said.

"We strongly urge the US to immediately correct its mistake, so as not to impact bilateral cooperation on relevant issues."

China and Russia also have proposed dual suspension  the US and South Korea halt their military drills while DPRK halts its nuclear and missile tests  as a way to ease the tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The US has rejected such a proposal.

Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an expert on the Korean Peninsula, said that despite the UN Security Council resolutions, China and the US disagree sharply about the sanctions process and on how Beijing and Washington view the available tools to constrain the DPRK's ability to access foreign currencies.

"Unless the two countries can truly reach agreement on rules of the road, then North Korea will take advantage of these differences, and this will be highly detrimental to the vital interests of both the US and China," Pollack told China Daily on Tuesday.

"I see a pressing need for the American and Chinese leaderships to undertake much deeper, private discussions to address these differences. If they do not, North Korea will be the big winner," he said.

The announcement on Tuesday by the US Treasury came a day after the US and South Korea began their annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military drills, with DPRK threatening a "merciless strike" ahead of the drills.

The renewed tension followed a war of words between US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un. Trump shocked the world on Aug 8 by saying that the DPRK best not make any more threats to the US or it "will be met with fire and fury". He then tweeted that the US military is "locked and loaded". The DPRK responded by saying it planned to fire four missiles into the waters off Guam.

That tension was defused after the DPRK said it will assess "the foolish and stupid conduct" of the US before firing missiles toward Guam, and Trump then tweeted last Wednesday that "Kim Jong-un of North Korea made a very wise and well-reasoned decision. The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable."

Just hours after the US Treasury announcement on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he was "pleased" to see the DPRK had "demonstrated some level of restraint that we've not seen in the past," referring to the fact that the DPRK has not conducted any test since the Aug 5 UN Security Council resolution.

"We hope that this is the beginning of this signal that we've been looking for  that they are ready to restrain their level of tensions, they're ready to restrain their provocative acts, and that perhaps we are seeing our pathway to sometime in the near future having some dialogue," he told a daily briefing at the State Department.
I'm a longtime admirer of Ben Yehuda Press. They published Rabbi Jay Michaelson's The Gate of Tears, and Sue Swartz's we who desire, and Rabbi Shefa Gold's Torah Journeys, and they've recently brought out Jews Vs. Zombies. (No, really.) They also published my most recent volume of poetry, Open My Lips -- and will be publishing my next one, Texts to the Holy. And I've had the opportunity to read a couple of the other poetry volumes they'll be bringing out in the coming year, and oh, wow, are they fantastic.

They're doing a Kickstarter to support the publication of six volumes of new Jewish poetry in the year 5778 (that's 2017-2018, for those of you on the Gregorian calendar). Here's some of what they have to say about that:

People need poetry. Jewish people need Jewish poetry. Not only Jewish poetry, God forbid  we would never part with our Robert Frost or Wendell Berry or Mary Oliver or the rest of our shelf  but we also need poetry that expresses our specific culture and language. "Poetry," Frost wrote, "is what gets lost in translation." So too, translated yiddishkeit isn't quite the same. Hence, Jewish poetry. At Ben Yehuda Press, we publish poems (and other genres) whose Jewishness is integral. Our Jewish umbrella casts a very wide shadow. Some of the poets we publish are intoxicated by God. Others look for spirituality in a world without God. Some allude to the Bible, others to Jewish experience. Ben Yehuda Press believes there is no one true Judaism, no one authentic Jewish voice. It is the multiplicity that defines our community, and our Judaism, and, optionally, our God. With this Kickstarter campaign, Ben Yehuda Press is launching its poetry volumes for the Jewish year 5778. Immediately after Rosh Hashanah, we hope to publish three books of poetry. Three more volumes will be published in the spring. These six titles come on the heels of the four we already published, starting with one volume in 2007, then three more in 2015. Now, with our ambitious line-up for 5778, we hope to begin a regular commitment to publishing Jewish poetry. But we need your help, to prove that there is a community of readers open to these new Jewish voices, and to help us grow that community.

I've donated toward this project, because as far as I'm concerned this is holy work that the world needs. (In the words of William Carlos Williams, "It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.")

Take a look at their Kickstarter, and if you can throw a few bucks toward the project, please do. Support the bringing of new Jewish poetry into the world!
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JAKARTA  Vietjet on Tuesday announced the opening of a new international route connecting HCM City with Indonesias capital Jakarta.

The new route will operate daily from December 20. The HCM City-Jakarta flight departs from HCM City at 8.40pm and arrives in Jakarta at 11.40pm (local time). The return flight takes off at 1.40am (local time) and lands in HCM City at 4.40am.

Since its inception, Vietjet has been developing friendly and professional flight services on key international routes, helping connect Viet Nams main business and tourism hubs with foreign destinations, including Jakarta, inh Viet Phuong, Vietjets vice president said at the announcement ceremony in Jakarta.

The route will boost ties between these two economic, cultural and financial hubs, thus boosting regional integration, Phuong said.

Jakarta is famous for its multiculturalism, cuisine and colourful tourism. HCM City will help visitors from Indonesia travel in Viet Nam, which also boasts UNESCO-listed world heritages and incredible beaches, Vietjet said.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has proposed major incentives including prolonged income tax exemptions for businesses and individuals working in special economic zones in three provinces.

The investment incentives are contained in a draft Law on Special Administrative Economic Units that the ministry has prepared for submission to the Government and the National Assembly (NA).

The special economic zones are Phu Quoc in Kien Giang Province, Van on in Quang Ninh Province and North Van Phong in Khanh Hoa Province.

The MPI is suggesting an income tax exemption of five years for individuals living and working in these zones, and a 50 per cent income tax break in the remaining years until 2030.

This applies to managers, scientists and qualified experts, as well as businesses, workers and other economic factors, the draft says.

The draft is slated to be passed by the National Assembly at its meeting in October this year.

The MPI has also asked that Phu Quoc be given its own incentives, such as increasing additional income for civil servants working here from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of their base salary.

It has also suggested that in order to encourage investment, local administrations of the special zones are allowed to grant permanent residency to foreign investors with projects worth US$5 million and above who stay for a minimum of five years in Phu Quoc without breaking any Vietnamese law.

The MPI also considers Phu Quocs infrastructure to be developing with balance and forethought, with many high quality resorts operating successfully. It notes that the Politburo has permitted the island to build a casino where Vietnamese citizens would be allowed to gamble.

To turn Phu Quoc into a commercial, service and shopping hub of world standards, the MPI considers this the only special economic zone to have priority for developing its fisheries and manufacturing sectors.

The island is seen as having numerous advantages, despite its distance from the mainland and having just two major access points via air and sea. It is blessed with great weather, 63.2 per cent of fertile agricultural land, scenic mountains, forests and beaches, and great potential to develop a large, diversified fisheries sector.

The other two zones, Van on and North Van Phong, should also receive similar preferential treatment, the MPI says.

Van on should focus more on developing ecotourism and sea travel and hi-tech agriculture, while North Van Phong should utilise its geographic advantage to develop deep water ports, logistics, medical and convalescence resorts, it says.

The Ministry hopes that the Law on Special Administrative-Economic Units will create frameworks that surpass existing ones so that the zones can compete with other countries in attracting foreign investment, open doors for strategic investors and boost the merger and acquisition market.  VNS
HA NOI  Local enterprises are spending around 28.6 million working days valued at VN14.3 trillion (US$636 million) a year to complete administrative procedures for special inspections on imported and exported goods.

This estimate was revealed by Mai Tien Dung, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office during a working session held in Ha Noi yesterday with 11 related ministries and other agencies.

Dung, who heads a working team appointed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to work on the issue, said special phytosanitary inspections accounted for 0.1 per cent, animal quarantine 14.3 per cent, energy efficiency 25.3 per cent, food hygiene and safety 19.1 per cent and licences for import and export products 41.2 per cent of the total number of special inspections carried out in the country.

The Government has issued Resolution 19/NQ-CP to reduce the rate of special inspections from 30-35 per cent of imported and exported goods to 15 per cent, but this target has not yet been met, Dung said.

There are 100,000 items that are subject to special examinations, he added.

The administrative procedures on goods control have been overlapping, resulting in higher spending for firms. The rate of goods that undergo two to three special inspections accounted for 58 per cent, the meeting heard.

The minister said some ministries are the only agencies authorized to carry out the special inspections, so goods from distant localities have to be taken to these agencies, increasing business costs.

Manual inspections, slow information connections and lack of risk management application have resulted in a high number of special inspections but very low discovery of violations (0.1 per cent), he added.

The country has 5,917 procedures for special inspections of ministries at border gates. The PM has asked that these are reviewed and redundant ones removed.

The PM has asked ministries to clarify which procedures should be maintained and which can be removed, he said.

He called for administrative reforms related to special inspections towards reducing unnecessary costs for businesses. This is important because procedures for special inspections account for half the customs clearance time, he said.

Some cargoes have had to wait for one to three months to complete special inspections even after completing customs clearance procedures; and some have been left at border gates for three to four months, while the regulated time is less than 15 days. Some of this delay has been attributed to changes in special inspection procedures.

The chairman said the Government would review special inspections by all ministries and ask for specific explanations to decide which procedures can be removed.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC) on Monday conducted its first confiscation of an asset mortgaged for a non-performing loan based on a newly-issued resolution.

The mortgaged asset is the Sai Gon M&C high-rise building project at 34 Ton Duc Thang, District 1, HCM City. It belonged to the Sai Gon One Tower Joint Stock Company.

According to a statement released on the State Bank of Viet Nams website, the confiscation was aimed to settle and recover the debt in accordance with the legal regulations stated in Resolution No 42/2017/QH14, which has just taken into effect since August 15 this year and is designed to quickly and definitely settle bad debts and mortgaged assets for bad debts.

Earlier, VAMC signed a debt purchase agreement with several credit institutions for debts of a group of customers, including Sai Gon One Tower Joint Stock Company (formerly Saigon M&C Real Estate Joint Stock Company), Lien Phat Investment Joint Stock Company, Minh Quan Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company, New Superdeck M&C Joint Stock Company. The total outstanding debt, including principal and interest, is more than VN7 trillion (US$307 million).

VAMC repeatedly required the group of customers to fulfil their debt repayment obligations; however, the customers did not pay the debt nor had a feasible repayment plan.

VAMC then asked Sai Gon One Tower Joint Stock Company to hand over the mortgaged asset to fulfil its debt repayment obligations, but until now, the company did not hand over the asset. Therefore, VAMC seized the mortgaged asset to recover the debt. The process of capturing the mortgaged asset took place smoothly and in accordance with the law.

VAMC expected that the seizure of the asset, which is a big debt, would contribute effectively to the implementation of Resolution No 42.

The seizure is also a warning to borrowers of bad debt to repay to VAMC, as well as credit institutions on time.  VNS
HA NOI  Indirect investment from Japan into Viet Nam remain relatively modest compared to the potential of Japan and the ability to absorb investment capital sources of Vietnamese market, finance minister inh Tien Dung said.

Dung made the statement on Monday at a conference in Tokyo co-hosted by the Viet Nams Ministry of Finance and Daiwa Corporation of Japan to promote financial investment in Viet Nam. Around 200 Japanese firms attended the event.

There remains a huge room for bilateral cooperation in the financial market, Dung said, adding that Viet Nams economy has recorded an annual average growth rate of 6 per cent over the past three decades.

The countrys gross domestic product (GDP) has expanded by an estimated 5.73 per cent in the first half of 2017, while its Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), announced by the Nikkei, has peaked in the past 22 months and is now the highest in the ASEAN, the minister said.

Dung told participants that the Vietnamese Government has identified human resources development, improvement of market economy institutions, and infrastructure development as three breakthrough areas, so the countrys demand for capital is huge, especially for investment sources accompanied with expertise and development experience.

Speaking about the equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs), Dung said 44 SOEs have been equitised in 2017, and the figure will touch 64 in 2018. The Vietnamese Government has also made a debut in the derivatives market, with the VN30 Index futures contract set for launch.

Dung expressed hope that financial corporations in Japan will invest indirectly in Viet Nam, become strategic investors, and bring capital and technologies into the country.

In an interview with Vietnam News Agencys (VNA) reporters in Tokyo, Keiko Tashiro, a member of Board of Directors of Daiwa Securities Group, said Daiwa would continue investing in Saigon Securities Incorporation (SSI) and expects more support.

Later in the day, Dung met Japanese finance vice-minister Imaeda Soichiro and lauded Japans role in helping develop infrastructure in Viet Nam through official development assistance (ODA) capital.

The two ministers also discussed measures to enhance mutual support within the APEC and ASEAN+3 financial cooperation frameworks.  VNS
HCM CITY  Ensuring that rules of origin (ROO) are kept simple and more business-friendly will enhance trade among APEC economies, experts said at a workshop held in HCM City on Tuesday.

Private sector representatives, academics and government officials from 21 APEC-member economies took part in a public-private dialogue to discuss challenges and opportunities posed by the ROO.

The chair of the APEC Committee on Trade and Investment, Marie Sherylyn D. Aquia, said the dialogue provided a platform for APEC customs officials and ROO negotiators to better understand potential challenges faced by businesses in conforming to the rules.

We have worked to maximise trade creation and minimise trade distortion, she said.

Rules of Origin are laws and regulations used in international trade to define where a product was made. They are important when implementing trade policy tools such as anti-dumping and countervailing duties, and in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

However, globalisation of the supply chain has made it increasingly difficult to determine where a product originally comes from, since raw materials and parts used to make finished goods are drawn from all over the world.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement on ROO aims to harmonise the rules over the long-term (except for ROO related to the granting of tariff preferences) and ensure that such rules do not create unnecessary trade impediments.

Despite challenges, Aquia said that ROO offered opportunities to advance trade facilitation, including innovative product-specific rules that reflect modern value chains.

While much work has been done by APEC in the past on ROO, in areas such as self-certification, amid the backdrop of changing business realities as well as the rise of modern global supply chains, more needs to be done to keep the pace in advancing work on ROO, according to Aquia.

Participants from Singapore, which proposed the public-private dialogue project, said they hoped the meeting would be the first in a series of workshops and dialogues on implementing ROO as set out in APECs Lima Declaration, which called upon developed economies to eliminate trade barriers for developing economies so the latter could increase exports.

In 2009, APEC senior officials identified ROO as a priority and tasked the Committee of Trade and Investment and its various sub-fora to look into making ROO more business-friendly.

APEC has since started work in several areas, including on self-certification, through a pathfinder project as well as waivers of Certificates of Origin for small-value shipments.

Recently, under the Boracay Action Agenda endorsed in 2015, economies were encouraged to consider a commercially significant threshold value for waiver of Certificates of Origin, as well as adoption of a self-certification system for respective economies Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) or Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nams benchmark VN Index extended its loss for a second straight session on Tuesday as investors remained pessimistic over trading conditions.

The benchmark index on the HCM Stock Exchange dropped nearly 1 per cent to close at 761.26 points. It had inched down 0.02 per cent on Monday.

More than 154 million shares worth about VN2.9 trillion (US$128.5 million) were traded on the southern bourse.

Trading liquidity continued to decline on a daily basis. Trading volume was down 9.2 per cent from the previous session and value fell 13 per cent.

Mondays trading figures were also lower than those of last Friday.

Trading conditions were not good as declining stocks outnumbered gainers by 172 to 94 and 50 other stocks closed unchanged.

Large-cap stocks traded negative. Two-thirds of the 30 largest companies by market capitalisation suffered losses, pushing the VN30 Index down 0.73 per cent.

The worst decliners in the VN30 Index included brewer Sabeco (SAB), Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BID), Vietinbank (CTG), Vietcombank (VCB) and Bao Viet Holdings (BVH).

Shares of brokerage firms also underperformed. The securities sector was driven down by HCM City Securities (HCM), Vietinbank Securities (CTS) and VNDirect Securities (VND).

VNDirect late Monday announced it would offer six of its 10 million shares for sale on August 28. The companys shares plunged 7 per cent, hitting its daily trading losing limit.

Negative trading on the HCM Stock Exchange also spread to the HNX Index, causing the latter to lose steam.

The HNX Index declined by 0.26 per cent to finish Tuesday at 100.87 points, reversing from an intraday growth of 0.4 per cent. It also ended a two-day increase of 0.6 per cent.

Trading liquidity on the northern market also declined, with 43.9 million shares worth VN498 billion being traded

The VN Index finished below the supporting level of 762 points, suggesting that the market would not trade positive in coming sessions, Bao Viet Securities (BVSC) said in its report.

Trading liquidity remained below the average level of the previous 21 sessions, with declining stocks outnumbering gainers and investors trying to sell rather than buy.

BVSC analysts said investor confidence was low, which would increase selling pressure and push the market down further.

Given the current market trading conditions, the VN Index could fall deeper on Wednesday and test the supportive range of 754 and 760 points, Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities (SHS) said.

It struck an optimistic note at the end: If the bottom-picking is strong enough when the VN Index reaches that range, the benchmark will recover and head to the peak of 768 and 771 points.  VNS
HCM CITY  Museums in HCM City will use 3D technology as part of a project launched by the Youth Unions Youth Centre of Science and Technology Development.

Young artists and software designers at the centre have completed an Online Museum that produces 3D images featuring objects, paintings, photos and documents stored by museums.

The images, all of which are accompanied by sound and light effects, use real-time rendering technology to depict objects.

Touchscreens on computers and smartphones can be used to search for information and write feedback during real-time discussions.

The Online Museum not only helps people around the world learn more about Viet Nam but also assists local museums in recording information about their holdings.

The Southern Womens Museum and Historic Relics and the Cu Chi Tunnel Complex will begin using the Online Museum early next year and will also offer free wifi.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the citys Peoples Committee, said the Online Museum had received support from the city government and all museums would use the software in coming years.

Around VN21 billion (US$930,000) will be sent to expand the project, he said.

Few museums in Viet Nam offer online showcases and exhibitions.

In 2013, the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City organised an online showcase of historic objects of Buddhism, attracting thousands of foreign and domestic visitors. But no museum has offered similar online services since that time.

The citys Ho Chi Minh Museum welcomes more than 800 visitors each day, including around 100 foreigners.

Visitors can view many documentaries and images about the late President Ho Chi Minh.

Visitors can learn more about his life and career, particularly about the great contributions he made to the country and people, Nguyen Thi Hoa Xinh, the museums director, said.

Online Museum will help us organise online showcases and exhibitions with different themes to provide visitors more choices, she added.  VNS
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongs official visit to Indonesia from August 22-24 will help consolidate friendship and boost co-operation, deepening the two countries strategic partnership.  VNA/VNS Photo Tri Dung

HA NOI  Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongs official visit to Indonesia from August 22-24 will help consolidate friendship and boost co-operation, deepening the two countries strategic partnership.

Deputy head of the Party Central Committees Commission for External Relations Nguyen Huy Tang said this is a historic visit as it is the first visit made by a Party chief to Indonesia since late President Ho Chi Minhs visit in 1959, and the first visit made by a top Vietnamese leader since the two nations established a strategic partnership in June 2013.

The trip also aims to reaffirm Viet Nams foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, co-operation and development, and attaching importance to relations with neighbours and partners in ASEAN, he added.

Viet Nam and Indonesia established diplomatic ties on December 30, 1955. Viet Nam is the only ASEAN country Indonesia has a strategic partnership with.

They have inked numerous co-operation deals, including memoranda of understanding on co-operation in fisheries and sea-related issues, agriculture and finance. Various co-operative mechanisms have also been established, including the bilateral co-operation committee at the foreign ministerial level, and a joint committee on economic co-operation.

In recent years, two-way trade has grown well. Import-export turnover increased from US$4.6 billion in 2012 to US$5.6 billion in 2016 with average growth of five per cent. The two countries are striving for $10 billion in bilateral trade by 2018.

As of April, Indonesia ranked fifth in ASEAN and 30th among the 105 nations and territories investing in Viet Nam, with 59 projects, mainly in oil and gas exploration and exploitation, coal mining, banking and timber processing. Viet Nam has seven projects involving mining, retailing, repair and communication in Indonesia.

The two countries are also stepping up collaboration in defence and security by maintaining a joint naval working group and establishing a hotline to share information on search and rescue activities.  VNS
National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (R) receives Mozambican Attorney-General Beatriz Buchili yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo Trong uc

HA NOI  National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan underlined the importance of judicial co-operation between Viet Nam and Mozambique, saying they boost overall ties while receiving Mozambican Attorney-General Beatriz Buchili yesterday.

At the meeting in Ha Noi, the two sides hailed the countries relations since they set up diplomatic ties in 1975, adding that they have supported each others national protection and development.

Chairwoman Ngan said aside from political links, connections in economy, trade, investment, education, agriculture and services have been reinforced.

She affirmed that the Vietnamese National Assembly supports the Supreme Peoples Procuracy of Viet Nam and the Mozambican Attorney Generals Office stepping up co-operation and information and experience sharing to serve the reform and completion of each countrys judicial system.

She added the recently signed memorandum of understanding between the two agencies is an important legal foundation for them to boost co-operation.

For her part, Beatriz Buchili said her delegations working visit to Viet Nam aims to bolster judicial connections and learn from the Southeast Asian nations experience in fighting transnational crimes, wildlife poaching and human trafficking.

On the occasion Chairwoman Ngan asked agencies of Mozambique and the Attorney-General to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese people in the country.  VNS
Ha Noi police plan to increase inspections to uncover human trafficking rings, focusing on inter-provincial and transnational criminals.  Photo infonet.vn

HA NOI  Ha Noi police plan to increase inspections to uncover human trafficking rings, focusing on inter-provincial and transnational criminals.

This is among measures to be taken by Ha Noi police as part of a plan on human trafficking prevention during 2017-20.

Police will also accelerate investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases, aiming to increase the number of cases being prosecuted by at least two per cent each year.

Police will work with ministries and agencies to fight human trafficking, with a focus on human trafficking in all forms, including foreigners or overseas Vietnamese pretending to be businessmen or tourists to enter Viet Nam to traffic people.

Human trafficking hot spots include road and railway routes linking Ha Noi to border provinces and international air routes.

Through investigation and prosecution, police will find loopholes in current regulations and propose changes to improve legal documents and policies.

The project also aims to diversify means of communications and education and multiply effective prevention models in the community.

Le Khac Son, deputy director of Ha Noi Polices Department of Criminal Investigation in Social Order said at a recent conference that human trafficking in the capital city has become a complicated issue.

The number of people coming to Ha Noi from other provinces to seek jobs keeps increasing, leading to a boom of establishments doing sensitive business such as bars, restaurants, hotels, massage parlours and karaoke bars. These factors aided the work of traffickers, he said.

The acceleration of transport and trade between Viet Nam and China as well as with other countries in the region also increased the risk of human trafficking, he added.

In 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, authorities nationwide uncovered 430 cases of human trafficking, involving 600 accused and 1,500 victims. Some 85 per cent of the victims were to be sold to other countries, mainly to China.

Most of the victims were uneducated women and children from poor areas, including many from ethnic minority groups in Viet Nams northern highlands.

They were sold to men seeking wives in many countries such as China, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea, or to bear children or work as prostitutes in these countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last year approved a programme to tackle human trafficking in 2016-2020.

The programme will be carried out across Viet Nam as well as bordering countries such as Cambodia, Laos and China in accordance with domestic and international law.

It aims to enhance public awareness of fighting human trafficking, step up the detection, investigation and prosecution of cases, as well as protect and support victims.

The programme also hopes to improve legal documents and policies on human trafficking prevention, while increasing co-operation with other countries in implementing international commitments in the field.  VNS
HCM CITY  Electronic filing of intellectual property applications and its efforts to join the Hague Agreement were the two experiences Viet Nam chose to talk about at the 45th meeting of the Intellectual Property Experts Group (IPEG) which opened in HCM City on Tuesday.

The Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs was adopted in 1925 to govern the international registration of industrial design, and affords protection in multiple countries. Up to date, many APEC members have joined Hague Agreement.

At the two-day meeting, part of the ongoing third SOM 3, 21 APEC member economies discussed their countries respective efforts to protect IP rights.

Most of them focused on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The Philippines spoke about a project on best practices for brand development and intellectual property protection for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Mexico brought delegates abreast of an ongoing project to build SMEscapacity in IP strategies while Russia delivered an update on a project for intellectual property commercialisation for SMEs.

Delegates also discussed other issues like trademark infringement determination in a border-enforcement context, promoting innovation through a mechanism for intellectual property valuation, financing and leveraging intellectual property assets.

We have a number of different areas we exchange information on based on their priority, an official who did not want to be named said.

So small to medium enterprises are ones where we often have very fruitful exchanges of information.

Takashi Koyama, director of the intellectual property affairs division at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Economic Affairs Bureau, told Viet Nam News: APEC comprises of many economies whose development levels are different. If all economies adopt harmonised IP systems, companies from other economies, including the US and Japan, can more easily invest.

We can co-operate with Vietnamese agencies to enhance public awareness of IP rights by adopting several measures upon their request.

Recently, our Government has focused on public awareness of IP rights in education, not just at the university level but also at elementary, junior high and high school levels for children and students to learn about the importance of intellectual property.

In 1996, APECs Committee on Trade and Investment established an intellectual property rights get-together (IPR-GT) with the main aim of ensuring adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights in the region.

TPR-GT was renamed IPEG in 1997.

Viet Nams experience

Speaking to Viet Nam News on the sidelines of the meeting, Le Ngoc Lam, deputy director of the National Office of Intellectual Property of Viet Nam, said his office had begun e-filing this year.

This initiative has been useful as it saves time and cost for both submitter and the intellectual property office.

Every effort would be made to popularise it, he said.

At the meeting, Viet Nam spoke about its efforts to accede to the Hague Agreement.

Viet Nam had spoken about how it reconciled the differences between its laws and the Hague Agreement without having to change the Vietnamese laws.

The Law on Intellectual Property issued 10 years ago falls short of meeting the Hague Agreements provisions, Lam said.

[But] Viet Nam has studied this agreement for many years. It will create advantageous conditions for Vietnamese companies to register their intellectual properties outside Viet Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  Developing sustainable partnership between the State and civil society organisations (CSOs) is an inevitable requirement. Viet Nam has tremendous potential to develop the partnership but has not fully exploited it, experts said at a conference on Tuesday.

At the annual conference of Vietnamese CSOs in Ha Noi, representatives of CSOs discussed the advantages and difficulties, and proposed solutions towards co-operation for sustainable development.

The weakness of Vietnamese science-technology organisations is unstable budget, which results in high attrition and transfers, said Bui Kim Tuyen from Viet Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations, adding that organisations also dont have long-term partners.

CSOs that specialise in science and technology have difficulty accessing the State budget, and lack policies to help non-governmental organisations access capital, equipment for research and use science and technology, she said.

Nguyen Thu Giang, vice-president of the Institute for Community Health Development (LIGHT), said Vietnamese NGOs mostly depend on international sponsorship, but these sources are becoming scarce. She proposed strengthening the capacity of CSOs by developing a CSO network and holding an annual dialogue with the Government to resolve difficulties.

CSOs are a necessity, and nations looking to achieve sustainable development cannot ignore building and developing partnerships with CSOs, said Dr Trinh Tien Dung, former head of the United Nations Development Programmes Governance Unit.

However, capital sources and motivation for Viet Nam growth have dried out dramatically, he said, adding that hard international development sources such as Official Development Assistance and Foreign Direct Investments are on the decline. We need to pay more attention to soft internal sources such as social capital, he said.

If social capital is exploited well, it can become a huge, sustainable source and motivation for national development. Its exploitation depends firstly and mostly on the partnership between the State and CSOs, Dung said.

Dung proposed that the State build a civil society organisations eco-system to promote CSO activity, which is one of the three pillars for social development, besides State and private business.  VNS
QUANG NINH  Thirty-seven new landslide points have been discovered on the Ha Long-Van on Expressway, the northern province of Quang Ninh, local authorities reported.

A leader of Bien Cuong BOT Joint Stock Company, which is the investor of the expressway project, said recent heavy rains in the north seriously affected ongoing construction of the expresway, which was expected to fully come into operation by the year end following the companys commitment with Quang Ninh Province Peoples Committee, according to Nguoi ua tin (The Messenger) online newspaper.

Statistics of the company revealed that after floods began on August 13, the road had developed 37 new landslide points, of which 10 are in severe condition, accompanied by hundreds of cubic metres of rock and soil pouring onto the asphalt road.

To repair damages and ensure the projects progress, the investor has sent workers to the site to clear the soil and rock. However, due to the abundant soil at the site, the task was difficult.

The investor is also building an additional drainage system, carrying out dredging aimed at limiting the impact of the weather on the lives of residents.

Previously, in May 2017, Quang Ninh Provinces leaders visited the construction site to inspect and ask the investor to ensure progress of the expressway project, which must be completed by December 2017.

At a follow-up working session, provincial leaders proposed the investor change contractors who didnt ensure progress.

The Ha Long-Van on Expressway project was invested in the form of BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer), with total investment of nearly VN12 trillion (US$526 million) through a joint-venture under the name of BOT Bien Cuong Joint Stock Company.  VNS
CHARLESTON  Sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America on Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century.

Millions of die-hard eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 113km wide swath cutting through 14 US states, where the Moon briefly blocked out all light from the Sun.

"It was incredibly beautiful. I am moved to tears," said Heather Riser, a 54-year-old librarian from Virginia, sitting on a blanket in Charlestons grassy Waterfront Park where thousands had gathered to watch.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media.

The blackest part of the shadow, known as totality because the Moon blocks all the Suns light from the Earth, began over Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 1716 GMT.

Crowds whooped and cheered at the first sign of darkness. Just inland, more than 100,000 people gathered at Madras, Oregon  typically a town of 7,000  in what experts described as perfect viewing conditions.

"Ive wanted to see one of these my whole life, since Ive been studying astronomy, since I was a kid," said Christine Sapio, a science professor. "I thought I was prepared for it  I totally wasnt."

"I was shaking, I was crying. I was just totally taken aback by just how beautiful it was."

In Los Angeles, "oohs and aahs" emanated from the crowd of thousands gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began.

Many had hiked to avoid massive traffic jams. Some watchers had fashioned their own pinhole projectors out of cardboard and scotch tape. Others watched while wearing special, dark solar eclipse glasses.

Just awesome

In downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the last point in the path of totality, crowds of tourists  some in special eclipse T-shirts and star-printed trousers  staked out prime spots on the bustling citys storied waterfront.

Forecasts of thunderstorms threatened to block the view, but the eclipse managed to peek through the wispy clouds.

Onlookers in Waterfront Park screamed and cheered as the sky went dark in the middle of the afternoon, streetlamps came on, and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.

"It was just awesome," said Dave Lichtenauer, age 63, a retired electrical engineer, describing the event as "partially spiritual".

"The crowd here was very into it," he added, remarking on the diversity and peacefulness of the masses.

"You dont get many chances to experience that."

One bar had installed outdoor speakers blasting Bonnie Tylers mega-hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart"  which she performed live on a cruise ship sailing through the path of totality.

The unofficial anthem for the celestial show soared to the top of the iTunes charts, outdoing even record-smashing pop song Despacito.

Cloudy weather and thunderstorms dashed viewers hopes of seeing the eclipse in some places, including Missouri.

Some of the clearest views were along the West Coast.

Dont look

In the US capital, where 81 per cent totality occurred, Donald Trump watched the partial eclipse from the White House with his wife Melania and son Barron  although the president appeared to have missed the memo on eclipse dos and donts.

At one point, Trump glanced skyward without protective eyewear  a big no-no, according to experts. "Dont look," an aide shouted to him. He later donned glasses.

Eclipse watchers also flocked to Washingtons National Air and Space Museum, where solar telescopes were set up for the occasion.

In Mexico, where there was a partial eclipse, astronomy buffs set up telescopes fitted with special sun filters in parks and squares in various cities.

Eclipse watchers often describe being overcome by emotion as the sky goes black, birds return to their nests and the air chills.

"It is such an incredible, sensory-overload kind of event," eclipse-chaser Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, said of the first total solar eclipse he saw in the United States back in 1970.

Scientists planned to study the eclipse to learn more about the super-hot corona, or outer atmosphere of the Sun.

"It is really exciting to see so many people interested in nature and science and this amazing phenomenon," said Kwayera Davis, an adjunct professor of astronomy at the College of Charleston.

Sharing a cosmic event

After weeks of turmoil triggered by the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, some commentators welcomed the national feel-good moment afforded by the Great American Eclipse.

"The divided United States of America will unite today, sharing a cosmic event predicted by the methods and tools of science," tweeted the US astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson  who earlier advised people to "put down your smartphone and experience this one emotionally, psychologically, physically."

The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, drew a more somber parallel between the days spectacle and the countrys challenges.

"Wish the moon wasnt the only thing casting a shadow across the country. We got through one, well get through the other," he tweeted.  AFP
WASHINGTON  The US Navy announced a fleet-wide global investigation on Monday after the latest in a series of accidents left another 10 sailors missing and five more injured.

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered commanders to set aside time, perhaps "one or two days" within a week, for crews to sit down together after the destroyer USS John McCain collided with a tanker off Singapore.

And this will be carried out in parallel to the start of "comprehensive review" of practices.

"As you know, this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theater," Richardson said.

"This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world."

The admiral did not rule out some kind of outside interference or a cyber attack being behind the collision, but said he did not want to prejudge the inquiry and his broader remarks suggested a focus on "how we do business on the bridge."

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, on a visit to Jordan, said Richardsons "broader enquiry will look at all related accidents, incidents at sea, that sort of thing. He is going to look at all factors, not just the immediate one."

Ten US sailors were still missing after Mondays collision between the McCain and the Alnic MC in the busy shipping lanes of the Singapore Strait, near the Strait of Malacca, which left a large hole in the USS John McCains hull.

It was the second accident involving an American warship since mid-June. A major search involving ships and aircraft from Singapore, Malaysia and the US was launched for the missing sailors.

The badly damaged destroyer limped into port in the southeast Asian city-state of Singapore under escort after the dramatic pre-dawn accident, which sent water flooding into the vessel.

Full transparency

The US Navy said there was "significant damage to the hull" of the John McCain, which led to flooding of crew sleeping areas, machinery and communications rooms.

"Damage control efforts by the crew halted further flooding," they said in a statement.

A helicopter took four of the injured to a Singapore hospital for treatment, while the fifth did not need further medical attention, the navy said.

The 505-foot (154-meter) vessel could still sail under its own power after the collision with the Liberian-flagged tanker, which was slightly bigger at 600 feet. Two other vessels escorted it into port.

The warship had been heading for a routine stop in Singapore after carrying out a "freedom of navigation operation" in the disputed South China Sea earlier in August around a reef in the Spratly Islands, sparking a furious response from Beijing.

The damaged vessel is named after US Senator John McCains father and grandfather, who were both admirals in the US navy.

McCain himself welcomed the review.

"I agree with Admiral Richardson that more forceful action is urgently needed to identify and correct the causes of the recent ship collisions," he said.

"I expect full transparency and accountability from the Navy leaders as they conduct the associated investigations and reviews."

Are they doing too much?

President Donald Trump tweeted: "Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway."

Ridzwan Rahmat, a naval expert at Janes by IHS Markit, said initial indications suggested the US warship may not have been obeying rules designed to separate maritime traffic passing through the Singapore Strait.

With the accident coming soon after the freedom of navigation operation, he told AFP that it raised questions "whether there is crew fatigue setting in, whether or not the tempo of operations by the US Navy in this region is getting too fast."

"Are they doing too much within this region with North Korea, and Japan and then now in the South China Sea?"

The tanker involved in the collision, which was used for transporting oil and chemicals and weighed over 30,000 gross tonnes, sustained some damage but no crew were injured, and Singapore said there was no oil pollution.

In June, seven American sailors died when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship in a busy channel not far from Yokosuka, a gateway to container ports in Tokyo and nearby Yokohama.

The dead sailors, aged 19 to 37, were found by divers in flooded sleeping berths a day after the collision tore a huge gash in the ships side.

A senior admiral announced last week that the commander of the destroyer and several other officers had been relieved of their duties aboard their ship over the incident.

Both the USS John McCain and USS Fitzgerald are part of the US Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka.  AFP
GRUNDY CENTER  At Grundy County Memorial Hospital, employees find a place where they are respected and valued.

Jennifer Havens, CEO and director of nursing, is glad to hear it; the hospitals leaders have worked hard to convey this to staff.

Being selected for (Employers of Choice), is a tremendous honor, said Havens. But its not about that. The recognition demonstrates who we are and what we continue to be. We must do that with or without this. Once someone walks through the door and is our employee, its up to us understand how their work makes a difference  and do a great job of honoring every person who works at the hospital.

Havens strives to maintain that standard because it draws skilled employees  and keeps them.

I joined Grundy County Memorial Hospital due to the reputation they had in the community, said Steve Bantz, information technology manager. Meeting the leadership staff during my interviews led me to believe this is an organization that cares about their employees and their well-being.  Respect is No. 1.

UnityPoint Health establishes what amounts to guidelines for respectful communication and conduct through its mission, vision and core values, said Havens. These principles are communicated in an acronym: FOCUS. F stands for foster unity. O stands for own the moment. C stands for champion excellence. U stands for unity begins with you. S stands for seize opportunities every day.

A lot of organizations have core values that define who they are and what they want to be, said Havens. We take it to the next step by defining those values and holding everyone accountable.

As we say, these are more than words on the wall, she adds. These are words that should be walking down the hall with every employee. Achieving greatness isnt just having core values; its living them.

To that end, there are specific ways GCMH measures how well employees exemplify FOCUS. This is seen in everything from performance evaluations to public recognition from managers and peers.

FOCUS is fun, too. For its 65th anniversary, GCMH hosted a weeklong celebration that included yard games, cookouts and other activities.

One of the things I love most about working at GCMH is the family atmosphere, said Aaron Wedo, human resources manager. Our managers not only know each of us but they also know about our families. They truly understand that family comes first.

To that end, managers will fill shifts to ensure an employee can attend a childs school activity or leave on time for a family trip, Wedo explained.

The amazing thing about the family-like atmosphere is that it quickly spreads to how our caregivers treat patients, he added.

Skilled, engaged employees create great patient experiences, said Havens.

In health care, there are a lot of choices. Employees can go anywhere, said Havens. We are feeling that staffing shortage. When we finally are able to get someone to commit to working here, our job is to make sure that they never want to leave. We need to take that very, very seriously. The role of retention today is important because of the shortage.
SHEFFIELD -- Sukup Manufacturing will be the latest company to start an office in the Iowa State Research Park later this fall.

The office will have two full-time employees and four interns at the outset, said Sukup general counsel Emily Schmitt. She said the company is bringing the full-time staff from current employees.

Sukup will use the office as a base to develop the company's relationships with ISU and other partners in the Ames and Des Moines areas, along with some structural design work in the "precision ag" realm.

She said Sukup has offered internships and capstone projects to engineering students for several years, but intends to get more hands-on with students on campus.

"We just wanted to keep that relationship going," she said. "We'll also get a little bit more involved day to day at the club level, because there's hundreds of clubs at Iowa State."

Sukup Manufacturing, based in Sheffield, is the world's largest family-owned producer of grain bins and dryers.

Multiple members of the Sukup family have graduated or received honorary degrees from ISU over the past four decades. ISU also named Sukup Hall on campus and the Sukup End Zone Club at Jack Trice Stadium after the Sukups in recognition of their monetary gifts.

In a statement, Sukup president Charles Sukup said the move will help the company recruit more employees from ISU and keep it closer to ongoing research.

"Proximity to these exceptional institutions will only allow Sukup Manufacturing to leverage additional talent and realize further growth and success," he said.

Sukup's office in the Research Park opens Sept. 1.
Restored to its early glory, the 1895 Daniel and Margaret Wild elaborate house on West First Street in Cedar Falls is a graceful presence and indelible reminder of the city's earlier history.

The butter yellow two-story home is now designated on the National Register of Historic Places. Homeowner Susan Card also earned a preservation project of merit award from the State Historical Society of Iowa. She received the Judith A. McClure award for outstanding preservation of a residential property.

"I'm living the dream. I'm so lucky," says Card, smiling. "For years, I've been looking for a Victorian-era house, and I knew I'd found it when I walked into this house."

Card grew up in Cedar Falls and returned home from Colorado. She credits former owner Audrey Smith with saving the old house from demolition. One of Cedar Falls' early settlers, Daniel Wild was a first-generation German immigrant who arrived in Cedar Falls in 1853. He became a successful businessman and entrepreneur.

Wild used the finest building materials available, including exotic woods such as circassion walnut and Georgia curly pine and a pink granite foundation. The house features an irregular floor plan characteristic of Queen Anne style with cross gables, a hipped roof and roof top porch turret.

Card began her renovations with the second-floor bathroom before tackling the kitchen. "It was all untouched," she says, including the uneven floors, limited counterspace and low sink. She worked with kitchen designer Sandra Luttchens-Van Allen, who works for Omega.

"It was meticulously planned to maintain the home's character and integrity," Luttchens-Van Allen explains.

The project included removing a non-functioning chimney and adding a 4- by 4-foot window for the river views. Most of the hardware was in working order on original cabinetry and bin pulls were installed on drawers. Douglas fir is underfoot and small white marble subway tiles form the backsplash. Super white marble is used on the center island, providing much needed working and serving space for Card. The soapstone apron sink came from Vermont. Woodwork was re-stained and where necessary, re-purposed, such as wood trims and rosettes, beadboard paneling and trim.

The kitchen design also takes advantage of an already-enclosed four-seasons porch to provide eating space with a banquette. A fireplace also was installed for a hearth-room effect.
What more beautiful setting for a swimming pool in rural Iowa than overlooking a river? Imagine sitting at the top of the slide and taking in the view before splashing down into the pool.

This 20- by 48-foot swimming pool is built on a peninsula. Pool Tech of Cedar Rapids installed the pool, with Rick Whiteaker overseeing the project.

"We first talked about how they wanted to use the pool, how it would fit into the landscape, how they wanted to enjoy the environment. It would be a good distance from the house, so building a pool house with a shaded area to entertain was important. We needed to plan for how it would be used during the day and night. There were also considerations to be made in installing a pool so close to the river," he says.

Architect Greg Sundberg of Sundberg Designs in Cedar Rapids assisted with the planning. They also consulted a geotechnical engineer when they reached the riverbed."

"That's where we stopped digging and started building the pool," Whiteaker says. "We wanted to integrate the pool beautifully with the surrounding landscape."

The slide is a focal point, in addition to a raised sitting area with a tranquil water feature.
Richard E. Aaron/RedfernsIn 2007, Prince played a run of 21 sold-out shows at London's O2 arena. Now, memorabilia from his Paisley Park archives are coming to that same venue as part of a special exhibit.

The U.K. paper The Guardian reports that the exhibit, titled My Name Is Prince, will mark the first time the memorabilia has been displayed outside of Paisley Park since the music icon's death last year.

Fans will be able to see Prince's stage costumes, jewelry, song lyrics and customized guitars, including one he played during his first TV appearance in 1980 on American Bandstand. Fans will also get to check out outfits from the Purple Rain and LoveSexy tours, his gold and diamond ear clips, a diamond-studded cane topped with his symbol, and the "cloud" suit he wore in the "Raspberry Beret" video.

Prince's sister Tyka Nelson said of the exhibit, "Im so excited to be able to meet the fans and share their Prince stories and give them hugs, and have a cry with them if need be."

The event will run for 21 days, starting on October 27. Tickets go on sale August 25 via MyNameIsPrince.co.uk.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
CEDAR FALLS  The City Council is as divided about fireworks as the citizens who spoke on the issue Monday night.

Council members, reversing a vote two weeks ago, voted 4-3 against drafting an ordinance to ban fireworks. The council then voted 6-1 to send the matter back to committee for more discussion.

Council members took the votes after listening to arguments from residents on both sides of the issue.

It wasnt clear when the council might take up the matter again. But council member Frank Darrah, who voted for the ban two weeks ago but against it Monday, said much more study is needed.

Im a little conflicted myself, Darrah said. Id love to ban fireworks. For me, thats the bottom line. But I also heard a lot of really good ideas tonight. ... I also want to be respectful of individuals in our community who are responsible users.

Many complained about weeks of noise and debris from fireworks in June and July, disturbing pets and veterans with post-traumatic stress. Others said a ban is excessive and favored limiting the time fireworks could be discharged. A new state law permitted fireworks sales for the first time in 80 years, but allows cities to regulate their use.

Two Vietnam veterans at the meeting were on opposite sides.

Steve Wikert, a longtime local educator, said he actually dropped to the ground after one loud explosion near his home.

I honest to God felt like I was back in Vietnam, he said. Fireworks are dangerous to our citizens, psychologically hurtful to our veterans and just an incredible annoyance to many others, including pets.

Cedar Falls votes to ban fireworks CEDAR FALLS  The City Council on Monday night voted 4-2 to ban the discharge of fireworks i

However, another Vietnam veteran, local businessman Greg Saul, whose son, Judd, sold fireworks locally in June, said the right to discharge them is one of the freedoms he fought for.

I can jump more from a lighting strike than fireworks, Saul said. I support fireworks, and I think 80 percent of the veterans do. Let freedom ring, and let Cedar Falls celebrate, like most of the rest of the country, the Fourth of July.

Council members Dave Wieland, John Runchey and Mark Miller voted for a ban. Darrah and council member Nick Taiber, absent two weeks ago, joined Tom Blanford and Susan deBuhr in voting against it. The council then voted 6-1 to send the entire matter back to committee, with Miller voting no.
Race to benefit childrens zoo

WATERLOO  The Sunrise Exchange Club Race for the Zoo is set for 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Sunrise Childrens Zoo.

Proceeds from the fifth annual race will to benefit the operation of the free zoo on the National Cattle Congress grounds.

The race begins at the zoo and travels out through Exchange Park to the Waterloo Boathouse and then back. Sign-up the day of the race is allowed, but online registration at Runforthezoo Waterloo is preferred.

Cost of the race is $25, with age group prizes awarded.

Any questions can be directed to raceforthezoo@gmail.com or contact Brad Condon at 239-4162.

Bands to play

at Wilder Park

ALLISON  The Sugar Daddys and Borderline bands will perform Saturday at Wilder Park.

The Sugar Daddys are on from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by Borderline from 7 to 10 p.m., both in conjunction with Wilder Parks 25th anniversary activities.

Popcorn, pie and ice cream will be available.

Church to host gospel brunch

CEDAR FALLS  Cedar Falls United Church of Christ will host a gospel brunch at 10:15 a.m. Sunday.

The church is at 9204 University Ave.

People are welcome to come for the food and music.

West High can drive planned

WATERLOO  The West High School vocal music department will have its monthly redeemable can drive from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Baltimore Street entrance of the West parking lot.

Students will be outside to remove five-cent refundable glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers from vehicles.

Funds raised each month support the West High School vocal music department.

Joint camp set for Monday

CEDAR FALLS  Covenant Clinic Orthopedic Surgery will host its monthly Total Joint Replacement Camp at 6 p.m. Monday in the west dining room at Sartori Memorial Hospital.

The program includes a brief presentation from joint replacement experts who work in areas including nursing, discharge planning and therapy.

The seminar is free. Call 272-7200 for more information.

C.F. blood drive set for Monday

CEDAR FALLS  There will be a Cedar Falls community blood drive from 12:30 to 6 p.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church, 718 Clay St.

Make an appointment at lifeservebloodcenter.org or call (800) 287-4903.
INDEPENDENCE  A judge has granted reality TV star Christopher Soules permission to leave Iowa this week as he awaits trial in a deadly April crash.

Soules is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, and his trial is currently scheduled for January in Buchanan County District Court in Independence.

On Wednesday, defense attorney Gina Messamer asked the court to modify Souless release conditions to allow him to leave the state for a trip to Winnetka, Ill., between Wednesday and Sunday.

Judge Andrea Dryer granted the request.

According to court records, Soules, who is under the supervision of a probation officer and has a GPS tracking device to monitor his whereabouts, has been allowed to travel outside of Iowa in the past.

Soules is accused of crashing into the back of a tractor driven by 66-year-old Kenneth Mosher outside of Aurora. He called 911 and assisted at the scene but allegedly left before law enforcement arrived. Mosher died in the crash.
WATERLOO  A teen suspected in a January shooting that hit a Waterloo home was allegedly found carrying a gun over the weekend while out on bond.

Waterloo police said Dijonis Deontray Brown, 17, was riding a bike on Iowa Street around 5 p.m. Sunday when they noticed a bulge in his front pocket and the butt of a handgun protruding from his waistband, police said.

When officers attempted to stop Brown, he allegedly fled and threw the handgun, police said.

Police recovered the weapon and detained Brown, who allegedly had a bag of marijuana in his pocket, according to court records.

The pistol, a .45-caliber Kimber, had been reported stolen from Sully, Iowa, in March.

Brown was arrested for second-degree theft, carrying weapons, felon in possession of a firearm and interference while armed. He is being charged as an adult.

Several arrested on gun, drug charges in Waterloo sweep WATERLOO  A number of people were detained on drug and firearm charges during a sweep of se

Brown and another person currently awaiting trial on charges of intimidation with a weapon and going armed in connection with a Jan. 18 shooting in the 700 block of Logan. No injuries were reported, but several bullet holes were found in a house. Browns cell phone was discovered near spent shell casings. Brown and Davion Matlock were arrested in July, and Brown was released on $30,000 bond.
CEDAR FALLS  Educators were praised for past accomplishments and encouraged to pursue excellence Monday as staff of the Cedar Valleys largest school districts were welcomed back for the new year.

Employees of the Waterloo and Cedar Falls community schools gathered for district-wide assemblies as they returned to work. Students in both school systems will have their first day Thursday.

Growing enrollment, increasing student achievement and a graduation rate that is one of the highest in the state was a focus of Superintendent Andy Pattees comments to more than 800 staff during the All-School Welcome at the Cedar Falls High School auditorium. But he also encouraged staff to strive for more this year.

Push the positive so that the negative is pushed out, he told teachers, as they interact with students in the classroom. Later, he added, We can accomplish great things and our kids can accomplish great things.

About 425 of the districts staff are teachers, including 41 who are new this year.

Superintendent Jane Lindaman highlighted Waterloo Schools third-highest graduation rate, growth in students early literacy, various programs it offers and increasing parent satisfaction to approximately 1,600 staff during the Opening Day Celebration at West High Schools auditorium in Waterloo. The district currently has 864 teachers, 73 of whom are new this year.

She also announced Central Middle School as winner of the Swartzendruber Award for Academic Excellence, an annual recognition of one school that made the greatest growth in math and reading on spring standardized tests.

Why Waterloo Schools? was the theme for the event, and Lindaman laid out the importance of the staffs role.

We are in a strong position of influence, she noted. Quite frankly, people are watching us.

Lindaman added, We matter to kids. Every child needs us; we dont have easy jobs. I have often said the best job Ive ever had is right here in Waterloo Schools, because Ive never felt so needed.

She emphasized Waterloo Schools offers programs other districts dont or cant.

So often, people want to compare Waterloo, but what we offer cant always be summed up like ingredients on a soup label, she said. Our students, when they leave us, graduate from a district that is more like the real world than most others in Iowa.

Lindaman even turned the question of Why Waterloo Schools? to audience members, with students running microphones to those who raised their hands.

Earlier, the staff heard performances of poetry and spoken word by a group of students called the Waterloo Writers Project. The students, from Waterloo and surrounding communities, recited their writings, which often singled out teachers who had helped them along the way. Audience members were asked to snap their fingers rather than clapping to express appreciation of what they heard.

At the end of that performance, former George Washington Carver Academy student Josh Mitchell, who will attend eighth grade at Holmes Junior High School this fall, offered his own encouragement to the staff.

Everyone has an impact on tweens, teens and adults, he said. Keep dong what youre doing, keep working, keep snapping.
CEDAR FALLS  Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nate Boulton spent an hour at University of Northern Iowa on Monday hearing about the different challenges facing educators now and going forward in a field many say isnt valued like it used to be.

Near the end, he offered a relatively simple solution to some of those concerns.

Its not a complicated formula. Were not at a point where we have a major downturn in Iowas economy, where were having to go through massive, major budget cuts because of an economic crisis in this state. Its a priorities crisis. It really is, Boulton said.

Boulton met with about two dozen people at the UNI campus Monday to talk on education issues; its the first of eight stops hell make this week focused on the issue.

Boulton brings gubernatorial campaign to Waterloo WATERLOO  Des Moines Democrat Nate Boulton, the most recent entrant into the 2018 gubernato

Boulton, a state senator from Des Moines and attorney, took time to hear from students, professors, advisers and a school board member during the roundtable. Concerns ranged from changes to collective bargaining rights to the public employees retirement system, but mostly the talk focused on how teachers seem to be less valued, particularly in Iowa.

Its just that continuous trend of being underfunded, undersupported; programs that are put in place are in danger, so its like, what do we have to look forward to, besides our own passion for the job? said Hunter Flesch, a senior at UNI who is hoping to become a seventh-grade science teacher.

Flesch noted passion only goes so far, when 50 percent of new teachers are leaving the profession within a few years because theyre burnt out.

Another education major, Matthew Stein, said its hard to feel welcome in the state as a teacher after the collective bargaining changes and feels more onus is on him to research whether individual Iowa school districts value their teachers.

Both brought up those concerns at the outset of the discussion.

Then, for the next 30 minutes, they heard professors and advisers talk about their struggles on whether to encourage their students into the profession and whether it will be worth their debt and effort.

Boulton, then, asked the students a follow-up, Are you still going to do it?

Charles City lawmaker suspends candidacy for governor DAVENPORT -- State Rep. Todd Prichard said Tuesday he is suspending his campaign for Iowa governor.

Both Flesch and Stein gave strong head nods and said of course and absolutely.

Yet, Boultons point was still made. The students have passion for the profession now. He said the Democrats job in 2018 and beyond are to lay out an alternative vision for education than whats been seen in the past year, and for seven years of lower than average allowable growth, or supplemental state aid.

None of these problems exist in a vacuum, and that to me is the real harm that were seeing with the vision for our education system in this state right now, Boulton said. Youll get discussion on something specific like STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), without acknowledging the rest of the system.

Boulton is one of seven candidates or likely candidates seeking their partys nomination for governor in the June 2018 primary. The others running or considering it are Ross Wilburn, a former mayor of Iowa; Andy McGuire, former Iowa Democratic Party chair; Fred Hubbell, Des Moines businessman; John Norris, a former aid to Sen. Tom Harkin and Gov. Tom Vilsack; Jon Neiderbach, former Des Moines School Board chair; and Cathy Glasson, president of SEIU Local 199.
WATERLOO  Fireworks usage would be limited to the Fourth of July under a proposal narrowly endorsed by a Waterloo City Council subcommittee.

But the measure endorsed Monday by a 2-1 vote of the public safety committee may not have enough support to win full council approval.

Councilmen Tom Lind and Jerome Amos Jr. passed a motion asking the City Clerks Office to draft an ordinance restricting fireworks usage from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. July 4.

I think we should severely limit it, Lind said. Hefty fines for violations. Nothing on New Years Eve. Thats a terrible time to have fireworks. Were not in China.

Councilman Steve Schmitt, the third public safety committee member, voted against the resolution, suggesting Waterloo should have more conversations with neighboring Cedar Falls and Evansdale to come up with a consistent ordinance.

Cedar Falls is probably going to do the same thing we do, Lind countered. Well take the lead for once.

The Legislature legalized the sale and use of consumer fireworks this year for the first time in 80 years, allowing them to be shot off on private property from June 1 through July 8 and again from Dec. 10 through Jan. 3. But cities can adopt more restrictive usage times.

Waterloo councilmen voted 6-1 in May to only allow fireworks use from June 30 through July 4. Some residents have pushed since for a total ban, calling fireworks a nuisance, while supporters have pushed back with calls to continue them.

The ordinance proposed by the two members of the public safety committee wasnt endorsed by other council members.

Councilman Pat Morrissey said he also wants to have discussions with Cedar Falls and Evansdale before voting in Waterloo. Councilman Tom Powers suggested a two-day window would be better.

Whatever happens, the citizens are going to blow them up when they can get them, Powers said. I dont know how we can control it other than making some reasonable times.

Councilman Ron Welper called any restrictions a waste of time as long as the law allows their sale.

Police Chief Dan Trelka also wants a uniform area ordinance.

I would like to see continuity between Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Evansdale; that would certainly aid in enforcement, he said. If there was a total ban, I think it would be a nightmare for the police department to try to enforce.
WATERLOO  Improvements in City Hall should give residents a clearer picture of their local government and community.

The city of Waterloo upgraded its outdated public access studio this month, buying new cameras, a production switcher and servers to record, produce and eventually broadcast in digital high-definition.

The studio has been in need of technical upgrades for a long time, said Mayor Quentin Hart. This will ensure the citizens can see the meetings and hear the meetings hopefully better, and we can offer a better product to the community.

The Public Access Channel 17/79.4 and Government Access Channel 15/79.2 have utilized standard definition technology since before moving into the City Hall studio in 1998. But technology advanced to high-definition, which provides a much clearer screen image.

The equipment we were using was 20-plus years old, said Chris Youngblut, director of management information systems. We have a lot more capability with this system.

The city uses the studio and equipment to broadcast government meetings, produce its own programs about city and community activities and to provide equipment and a broadcasting mechanism for others in the community to produce their own shows.

Programs produced with the new equipment will be available in high-definition on the citys website and YouTube channel. The HD video must still be sent to Mediacom in standard definition where it is then upgraded for cable broadcasts.

The picture should still be better because its being produced in high-definition, Youngblut said. Theyre still going to get a better picture than what they are now.

The city hopes in the future to work with Mediacom to allow a true HD signal from City Hall to the cable companys head end equipment.

Ed Stoffer, cable television production coordinator, said he expects the new equipment will lead to more city-produced programming.

Weve had the opportunity to take the cameras out in the field for the Park Avenue ribbon cutting and a Chamberlain informational meeting a week ago, Stoffer said. It gives us a lot of new tools to play with and new things to try.

It also may encourage more community producers.

Im hoping that now weve got an upgraded studio more people will think they can do this, Stoffer said.

City Council members voted May 8 to approve a $111,654 contract with Conference Technologies Inc., of Davenport, to upgrade the public access television studio to digital high-definition.
CEDAR FALLS  Authorities have released the name of a Cedar Falls man who died in a single-vehicle Tuesday morning.

According to police, 54-year old Terry Lee Denney was heading south on Highway 58 around 8:20 a.m. Tuesday when his tan 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe left the roadway just before the bridge over Main Street.

The vehicle crashed through a fence, traveled down an embankment and crossed Main Street before slamming into a tree near The Falls Aquatic Center and overturning.

Denney, of 700 West Ridgeway Ave., was dead at the scene, police said.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. An autopsy has been ordered by the medical examiner.

The Cedar Falls Police Department was assisted by personnel from Cedar Falls Fire Rescue, the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office, Iowa State Patrol and paramedics with Covenant Health System.
White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, the self-proclaimed Thomas Cromwell in the court of the Tudors, may be gone from the Trump administration, but his influence isnt.

Bannon has returned to Breitbart, a go-to website for the alt.right that he left to become the Trump campaigns chief executive officer, giving him a soapbox to promote his agenda of economic nationalism.

Bannon shared the presidents wrongheaded fondness for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He helped devise the poorly crafted Executive Order 13769, designed to restrict entry and immigration into the United States by residents of seven predominantly Muslim nations.

Bannon was among those who convinced the president to abandon the Paris Accord on climate change, although that seemed inevitable.

Bannon pushed for the border wall. Yet in the transcript of the presidents call with his Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto, Trump said, Believe it or not, this is the least important thing that we are talking about, but politically this might be the most important.

Bannons curious call to Robert Kuttner, co-editor of the leftist American Prospect, stressed economic issues he believes unite the far right and the left.

But like short-lived Community Director Anthony Scaramucci, whose obscenity-laden call to the New Yorker mocked Bannon and then Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, he also took swipes at internal adversaries  notably in the Departments of Defense, State and Treasury.

Theyre wetting themselves over his plans, Bannon said, claiming hed oust his foes.

Then he contradicted the president on North Korea, injecting a welcome shot of reality.

Theres no military solution (to North Koreas nuclear threats), forget it, Bannon said. Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that ten million people in Seoul dont die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I dont know what youre talking about, theres no military solution here, they got us.

Bannon also separated himself from Trump, by calling the white nationalist protestors in Charlottesville, Va., a collection of clowns.

Ethno-nationalism  its losers. Its a fringe element. I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it, you know, uh, help crush it more, he said, seemingly oblivious to the Breitbarts role in galvanizing the fringe.

The call was prompted by a shared concern with Kuttner about dealing with the Chinese.

To me, the economic war with China is everything, Bannon said. And we have to be maniacally focused on that. If we continue to lose it, were five years away, I think, 10 years at the most, of hitting an inflection point from which well never be able to recover.

He wanted to file complaints against China for U.S. companies to make technology transfers in order to do business there as well as for steel and aluminum dumping.

Weve come to the conclusion that theyre in an economic war and theyre crushing us, Bannon said.

No argument there. But the administration shelved those actions to get Chinas support on U.N. Security Council resolution, imposing the harshest sanctions yet against North Korea.

However, the administration has given China an opening to further assert itself on the Pacific Rim by abandoning the TransPacific Partnership. Chinas Silk Road, a $1 trillion trade initiative, is designed to make greater inroads into Central Asia, Europe and North Africa.

Trump created the chief strategist position for Bannon to pursue his deconstruction of the administrative state  draining the swamp. Yet he continually clashed with Priebus, the former head of the Republican National Committee, while they were supposedly equal partners to transform the federal government.

No administration in history has been so divided among itself about the direction about where it should go, Bannon told the Washington Post.

Even when John Kelly succeeded Priebus, Bannon continued to attack those opposing his ideas, notably in regard to Afghanistan, where the U.S. is locked in a stalemate, according Army Gen. John Nicholson, frustrating Trump.

Prior to the presidents decision Monday night, Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law, proposed outsourcing operations to a private army. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson supported a troop increase.

Coincidentally, Breitbart began waging war against McMaster, which reportedly didnt sit well with Kelly  possibly the final straw for Bannon.

Bannon is gone, but well see soon if any semblance of White House cohesion and leadership emerges on tax reform, infrastructure spending, the debt ceiling, budget and renewal of the health care debate.

The blame starts at the top. The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful, said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.

If he cant, Trump may be reduced to tweeter-in-chief on legislation.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 17, 2017 | 07:34 AM | PADUCAH, KY

Three local petitions on the subject of Paducah's Confederate monuments have garnered more than ten thousand names in less than a week.As of Sunday at 3 pm, the original petition calling for the removal of all Confederate monuments from public property in Paducah, had 1,787 signatures.Meanwhile, two subsequent petitions which urge the city to keep the monuments in place, have gathered a combined total of 9,113 names.All three petitions are posted on the website Change.org. The petitions will eventually be presented to Mayor Brandi Harless and city commissioners.PREVIOUS UPDATE:As three local petitions continue to gather signatures on the subject of Confederate monuments in Paducah, a large majority of people who have signed in want to leave the monuments where they are.One petition, in favor of removing all Confederate monuments from public property in Paducah, has gathered 1658 signatures as of 10 am Friday. That same petition also calls for a giving a new name to Paducah Tilghman High School.The other two petitions, both urging the city to keep the monuments in place, have garnered 2,301 and 5,359 signatures, respectively, for a total of 7,660 signatures, or 82 per cent of all signees.All three petitions are posted on the website Change.org. The petitions will eventually be presented to Mayor Brandi Harless and city commissioners.All three petitions are linked below.ORIGINAL STORY:Emotions are running high on all sides of the Confederate monument issue across the nation, and across western Kentucky.After a local group of citizens created an online petition to remove all Confederate monuments from public land in the city of Paducah, and to rename Paducah Tilghman High School, two additional groups of citizens have created online petitions to keep them.The group, known as 'Paducah Residents', currently has more than 1400 signatures on their Change.org petition for "The removal and replacement of Confederate Monuments in Paducah". The petition says the monuments are "a representation slavery and racial oppression that serve only to remind the citizens of Paducah of a time when such things were not only prevalent in society, but sanctioned by the State."Petitioners are calling for the removal of the statue of General Lloyd Tilghman from Fountain Square, and for the renaming of Paducah Tilghman High School. PTHS is named after General Tilghman's wife, Augusta.Paducah Tilghman High School's latest student statistics available show an approximate enrollment of 800 students. 42% are African-American, 43% are White, 8% are identified as two or more races, 5% are Hispanic, and 2% are Asian.The petition also calls for the "the immediate removal of any dedication to the Confederate cause on publicly funded land".Meanwhile, the other two petitions to keep the monuments known as "We can not and must not remove history, or we will be doomed to repeat it ", and "Paducah Heritage Petition for Non-Removal of Confederate Monuments and Dedications" have a combined total of more than 3300 signatures on their Change.org petitions.Petitioners in this case are calling for the refusal to allow "extreme leftists to destroy or deface our Paducah heritage. Most are unaware of our deep-rooted heritage that goes back to the 1700's. We must not allow those who would deface or destroy our monuments in the name of their own cause under the pretense of "offense". I am not offended by our heritage. It is history. It cannot be changed. Please stand with me and others in this petition to disallow destruction in our community."The petitions will be delivered to Mayor Brandi Harless and Paducah City Commissioners.

On the Net:
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 22, 2017 | 12:06 PM | WINGO, KY

Four people were arrested on drug charges Monday after police searched a home in Wingo.

According to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, deputies went to a home in the 300 block of Wingo Road after receiving a report that drug activity was taking place there. When deputies were let into the home, there was reportedly a marijuana pipe with residue in plain view.

Deputies received consent to search the home, where they found methamphetamine and other items of drug paraphernalia. All four people found inside the home were arrested and lodged in the Graves County Jail.

Thirty-seven-year-old LaTonya Williamson, 27-year-old Matthew Kilborne and 40-year-old James Kendrick Campbell, all of Mayfield, and 18-year-old Heather Wilson of Florida, were each charged with possession of meth, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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CNNC decides against Langer Heinrich buyout

21 August 2017

Share

The Langer Heinrich uranium mine in Namibia will remain under the ownership of Paladin Energy as the company goes through administration after joint venture partner CNNC Overseas Uranium Holdings (COUH) decided not to exercise its option to acquire Paladin's share of the mine. Paladin owes EDF $277 million.

Langer Heinrich has reserves of 46,500 tonnes of uranium, at a cut-off of 0.01% uranium-235. In 2015-16 it produced 2161 tonnes of uranium oxide, which was split in line with the owners' respective shares: 75% for Paladin Energy and 25% for CNNC Overseas Uranium Holding (COUH). The mine's holding company was valued at $583 million in July in a determination which put a price tag of $162 million on Paladin's share. COUH has decided not to exercise its option to buy this, Paladin announced today.

Where now for Paladin? (Image: Paladin)

Paladin has been undergoing a balance sheet restructuring since February and is administered by Matthew Woods, Hayden White and Gayle Dickerson of KPMG. Its shares were delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange in August and will remain in suspension "for at least such a time as it takes to resolce the adminsitration process and potentially longer."

Woods said: "We appreciate COUH's display of support as the joint venture partner. We will work with COUH to preserve the value of the Langer Heinrich mine and to minimise operating risk. COUH's decision allows a solid platform for a restructure of the group in the best interests of all shareholders."

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News



Related topics
Vikrams upcoming film Dhruva Nachathiram is making brisk progress and major part of the shoot is expected to be wrapped up by September 15, as per the latest buzz. Directed by Gautham Menon, the film also stars Aishwarya Rajesh, Ritu Varma in lead roles, apart from Simran and Divya Dharshini.

Currently, an action sequence is being filmed on Vikram and Parthiepan in Istanbul, Turkey. After wrapping up some key scenes in Turkey, the unit will next head to Abu Dhabi to shoot some more action scenes.

Touted as a spy thriller, the film brings together Gautham Menon and Vikram for the first time in their career. More details about the film are awaited.

Articles that might interest you:
Aug 22, 2017 | By David

Heres a round-up of some recent 3D printing stories you might have missed, including Aether receiving funding from the Gates Foundation for a new 3D bio-printing project, RESA Wearables introducing retail kiosks in China for 3D printed custom orthotic insoles, and more besides.

1. Aether to collaborate with University of South Australia on new 3D bio-printing project

Based in San Francisco, Aether is a tech start-up known for creating the Aether 1 Bio-printer, the worlds most advanced 3D bio-printer. The company recently announced that it will be teaming up with researchers from the University of South Australia on a new bio-printing project that is being funded by a grant from the Gates Foundation.

The research will be in the field of contraception. The goal of this ambitious project is to develop a 3D bio-printed in vitro oviduct model that can reproduce the spermatozoa capacitation process for the screening of novel drugs and natural product libraries, to target spermatozoa capacitation in the oviduct as a new contraceptive paradigm. The in vitro oviduct model will be used to identify male-specific contraceptive targets that prevent spermatozoa capacitation. The contraceptive will only affect the male spermatozoa, and will have limited effect on the female physiology or endocrinology.

According to project leader Dr. Anton Blencowe, "The Aether printer will complement our existing facilities and add new, unparalleled capabilities, allowing us to print more complex and intricate 3D cell constructs, enabling us to target more realistic and functional screening platforms. In particular, the Aether printer will contribute to our ongoing DAAD collaboration, and Bill and Melinda Gates Grand Challenges Project to develop 3D bioprinted screening platforms for contraceptive discovery. We are very excited to be working with the Aether Team to develop new applications for their printers, and are grateful for the team's support and the Australian Government's National Innovation and Science Agenda Global Connection fund for supporting this collaborative effort."

2. iBUS launches platform for production of custom 3D printed toys

A unique new online platform has been established that gives consumers a direct role in the design of toys. iBUS was conceived as a way of integrating additive manufacturing into the supply chain for toy manufacturing, and enabling the production of customised toys. iBUSs intuitive interface allows users to combine and modify different parts of a basic toy in a virtual environment. One train toy, for example, offered 256 different variations on its basic design. The direct, cost-effective manufacturing process provided by 3D printing technology allows these designs to be easily realized, and customers can then receive these 3D printed toys, made-to-order.

According to Jon Cobb, executive vice president of corporate affairs at 3D printing company Stratasys, the flexibility offered by 3D printing technology has the potential to revolutionize the toy industry: "I think children have a creative need to try to do something different so I think 3D printing with the capability of scanning or taking input from digital data makes it relatively simple to do customization of the product.

The main challenge faced by the project is making sure it abides by safety regulations. Changing the structure of a toy design can have effects on safety issues, and this is something that should be taken into account in future software modules and iterations of the platform. The iBUS project received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

3. RESA Wearables to introduce retail kiosks for 3D printed custom orthotic insoles

RESA Wearables, founded in 2016, uses 3D printing technology and its employees considerable medical and retail expertise to produce convenient and effective solutions for peoples footcare needs. The company recently announced an exciting new venture in collaboration with Chinese materials provider Shenzhen eSUN Industrial Co., Ltd. The partnership, known as Shenzhen Resun Healthcare Technology, will introduce kiosks into major retail centers in China to provide customers with custom-made orthotic insoles.

3D printed insoles can customize a shoe's footbed shape and pressure factors, effectively adjusting the hardness and stiffness of different parts of the feet, which can help patients suffering from foot pain. The new retail kiosks will feature high-accuracy 3D foot scanning with dynamic capture and mapping of the digital image, artificial intelligence CAD insole design software, and on-site 3D insole printing technology. Customers can have their feet scanned, custom insoles designed to their exact foot shape, and a pair of medical-grade, fully custom insoles 3D printed right in front of them, all within an hour.

"The Chinese market has a rich history of being interested in body alignment and wearable technology products," says RESA Wearables, Inc. Founder and CEO Glen Hinshaw. "This joint venture will enable us to help advance the way that Chinese people understand and address their foot care needs and how they access the products they require for optimal foot health and physical comfort and performance."

4. Polish/Swedish startup Skriware launches educational program for teaching of 3D printing skills

Skriware is a Polish-Swedish startup that has created a fully integrated educational eco-system consisting of an intuitive and easy-to-use 3D printer, an online 3D model library, a virtual 3D playground, and an e-learning platform. The companys goal is to help students develop their interdisciplinary skills through the process of designing, building and programming robots.

A new initiative just launched by Skriware in collaboration with Dartmouth College is intended to further encourage the development of STEAM skills. The program, which is scheduled launch by the end of the year, should allow thousands of participants to gain the qualifications required by the workplaces of the future. The core part of this new program will be an e-learning platform, which will enable users to upload the robotic models they previously designed in the 3D creator, print them with the Skriware 3D printers, and control and program them with a dedicated mobile app.

According to Karol Gornowicz, CEO of Skriware, Every single robot available on the platform is designed to help develop STEAM skills. We want to inspire our users to take creative action and realize unconventional ideas by engaging into designing, building and coding their own, personalized robot. Our goal is to prove that the development of competencies across robotics, programming, and 3D modeling  encompassing both technical and artistic skill set  is an excellent investment in the future and a fun way to realize their potential.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

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Please take and share our pledge to resist white nationalists, gathering in San Francisco on August 26th, peacefully, without violence, and anywhere but Crissy Field.

--

When I moved from my native Texas to San Francisco nearly 15 years ago, I came in search of hippies. Well, if not of real live hippies, at least of the counterculture spiritI sought artists, activists, gays...anyone of any color or persuasion who cared about civil rights, diversity, inclusiveness. Weirdness, even. Of course, times had changed, and tech was the movement du jour.

But in my time here in SF and as an editor at 7x7, I have, on plenty of occasions, gotten the whiff of that old spirit. Long as I live, I'll never forget the way the city came together to achieve marriage equality, to give voice to Black Lives Matter, and to put on the most magnificent display of unity I've ever personally seenanyone who braved the rain for January's Women's March felt the power of this city's innate drive to hit the pavement in the name of what is right. Now again, as white nationalists are expected to bring their hatemongering to Crissy Field this Saturday, my adopted city is once again called upon to show not just its values but its grace and character: It is our task now to remember and revive the San Francisco spirit of nonviolent protest, and during the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, no less.

While there are groups planning to counter-protest onsite at Crissy Field, we at 7x7 wish to urge our readers, and everyone in the Bay Area who stands for peace, to stay away from Crissy. There are groups planning an incredible day of peaceful protest and togetherness elsewhere in SF (and in the greater Bay Area), and 7x7 is proud to be a cohost and media partner of San Francisco Peacefully Unites Against White Nationalists, the group helping to organize and promote these activities.

On Saturday August 26th, you can join Juanita More for her Come Together Rally & March for Equality; be part of a heart-shaped human banner; shake your groove thing in a mobile dance rally; donate to anti-racist nonprofit organizations; and join a family-friendly gathering with music performances and speeches at Civic Center. More events are in the works, and we are working furiously to update our ongoing list of local demonstrations.

However you choose to show your resistance to racism and hatred in SF and across America, we hope you'll do so without stoking the fire that those who oppose our way of life are coming here to light, for the sake of our beautiful city and the safety of its people. We won't stand for another Charlottesville.

Please take and share our pledge to resist white nationalism in San Francisco peacefully, without violence, and anywhere but Crissy Field. (If you are viewing this from a desktop computer, the pledge is located in the top right corner of this article.)
Kienholz does it all to lead Pierre to sixth-straight 11AA title
Pridegem Mining Limited has invested over $4 million in the emerald project in north western province. Emerald and semi-precious stones Mining Association (ESMAZ) president Victor Kalesha said the mining form located in chief Mujimanzovus area had so far created over 400 jobs for the local people. In a statement released yesterday he said the association was therefore grateful with the incoming development in the emerald sector especially the job creation.

The emerald association of Zambia would like to express the gratitude on the upcoming development in the emerald sector its gratifying to see jobs being created for the people, he said.

Mr Kalesha said the association had in the recent past seen Chinese and other investments and other investing in the sector.

Mr Kalesha said the proprietor of the mining firm Mr Abdoulaye Ndiayes initiative was commendable as it has improved the well being of the Zambians.

He said since cautioned the Government against giving licenses to the foreigners would had no capacity to development but had intention of selling.

Mr kalesha said government should therefore encourage and work with companies like Pridegem to develop the emerald sector in Zambia.

The locals now have decent jobs through the mines initiative to help mines build descent houses buy agriculture inputs and have access to clean water,

When the republican President is calling for job creation for the Zambians, thats what we need to see local people benefiting and as an association, we are advocating to meet the President so that we map out the strategy to develop the emerald sector that far seems neglected but seems to having a light at the end of the tunnel, he said.

For more information, visit: www.fiverr.com/lindlopez

Media Contact

Company Name: PRIDEGEMS MINES LIMITED

Contact Person: Frank Tembo

Email: mecdyce.live@gmail.com

Phone: 260960154069

City: Solwezi 10101

Country: Zambia

Website: https://www.fiverr.com/lindlopez


Market Update - Full Year Results

Perth, Aug 22, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cash Converters International Limited ( ASX:CCV ) ( LON:CCVU ) ( CKKIF:OTCMKTS ) ('Cash Converters' or the 'Company') today announces the Company's unaudited financial results for the year ending 30 June 2017 (FY2017).



The 2017 financial year has been one of transition for Cash Converters as it continues the roll-out of its growth strategy and strives to become the most trusted personal finance lender and second hand retail goods provider. While this transition continues, the Company is pleased to report it has delivered an FY2017 NPAT of $20.6 million, which is in line with guidance and a significant improvement following the FY2016 loss of ($5.3) million.



Results Summary:



- Statutory NPAT of $20.6 million in line with guidance (FY2016 $5.3 million loss).



- Revenue of $271.5 million, down 12.4% on previous corresponding period (pcp).



- EBITDA of $45.7 million, down 4.1% on pcp.



- Basic Earnings per Share (EPS) from continuing operations of 4.2c per share.



- New Personal Finance platform and products launched to position the Company for sustainable and profitable loan book growth going forward.



- Medium Amount Credit Contract (MACC) product growing strongly, $13.4 million loan book established.



- More than 10% growth in online sales across all divisions.



- Green Light Auto vehicle finance monthly loan approvals growing by more than 50% in the last 6 months.



- Enhancement of the internal risk management framework.



- Continued improvement in Personal Finance net bad debt expense, down 8.8% as loan book quality continues to improve.



- Strong cash balance of $80.6 million at 30 June 2017



- No dividend declared as capital retained to fund further investment in the business.



Chief Executive Officer, Mark Reid, commented: "It is pleasing to report a solid NPAT result. We are seeing encouraging signs that the strategy we are implementing is having the desired effect of improving the quality of our loan book and building a sustainable platform for long-term profitable growth.



We have continued the development of new products and delivery channels, as evidenced by the MACC product which, since introduction in November 2016 has grown to a loan book size of $13.4 million. In addition, growth in loan volumes through the Green Light Auto vehicle finance business is encouraging and we remain confident that this part of our business will be a key pillar in the future growth of Cash Converters.



Importantly, over FY2017, Cash Converters has built a foundation for sustainable and profitable growth and I am confident that with a continued focus on our customers, investing in our brand and technology and with a revitalised management team, the encouraging progress made to date will continue throughout FY2018 and beyond. I am genuinely excited about the opportunities for growth in our business, to further increase profits year on year and to maximise shareholder returns."



RESULTS OVERVIEW



- Having introduced the new MACC product in November 2016, performance has been solid with the loan book growing to $13.4 million by 30 June 2017. As the MACC product starts to account for a greater proportion of the overall loan book, we expect to see a decrease in bad debt expense as a result of the improvement in overall loan quality.



- The Company is now realising the benefit of investment in the Green Light Auto business, which represents a new and exciting product sector. While this business has reported a small EBITDA loss ($408k) for FY2017, improved from ($4.6m) in FY2016, the business has the potential to provide a strong contribution to Group earnings in the medium term.



- The improvement in online sales continued with Webshop revenue up 16.3% on the prior year and more than 50% of Personal Finance lending now transacted online.



- The liquidity of the Company continues to improve with a Strong cash balance of $80.6 million at 30 June 2017 which underpins the platform for sustainable and profitable growth.



- FY2017 has seen a continued focus on Cash Converters placing customers at the centre of everything the Company does, strengthening risk and compliance systems and expanding new products and channels by introducing larger loans and increasing the auto finance broker and dealer channel.



- Through redefining the Personal Finance offering and focusing on responsible, quality lending, the Company has built a sound platform for sustainable and profitable future growth.



- Reflecting on the Company's continued focus on its customers, Cash Converters has delivered a continued improvement in customer satisfaction levels, with more than 90% of customers surveyed agreeing that Cash Converters is a professional, trusted and credible brand.



- Overall, corporate store operations posted a decrease in EBITDA in line with a reduction in lending volumes from the changing business model. With increases in retail revenue and pawn broking, up 2.9% and 3.3% respectively, the stores contributed $17.5 million to EBITDA.



- EBITDA from franchise operations increased 51.5% year on year, to $10.5m which was broadly attributable to the positive contribution from the UK restructure and New Zealand operations.



- The Board of Cash Converters has resolved to continue to strengthen the liquidity of the Company and not to pay a dividend for the full year as it retains capital to support investment in the Company's strategic growth plans.



FINANCIAL RESULTS SUMMARY



30 June 2017 30 June 2016 Movement (A$'000) (A$'000) (%) Revenue 271,473 309,995 (12.4) Divisional EBITDA Franchise Operations 10,490 6,925 51.5 Store Operations 17,549 23,541 (25.5) Personal Finance 49,472 65,858 (24.9) Vehicle Finance (Green Light Auto) (408) (4,599) 91.1 EBITDA Totals 77,103 91,725 (15.9) Corporate head office Costs (31,378) (44,028) 28.7 Total EBITDA after head office Costs 45,725 47,697 (4.1) Depreciation and Amortisation (8,123) (6,867) (18.3) Finance Costs (9,404) (9,659) 2.6 Profit Before Tax 28,198 31,171 (9.5) Income Tax (7,580) (5,277) (43.6) Net Profit from Continuing Operations 20,618 25,894 (20.4) Loss from discontinued operations - (31,166) - Net Profit After Tax 20,618 (5,272) -

OPERATIONAL COMPLIANCE



The Company continued to focus on, and invest in, improving its compliance and risk management procedures as the Company strives to be a leader in its sector and consistently operates to regulatory standards.



During FY2017 Cash Converters successfully implemented a comprehensive Income and Expenditure (I&E) assessment platform which has considerably enhanced its ability to match the right loan product to customers depending on their circumstances, ultimately improving the overall quality of the Company's loan book.



The strategic decision resulted in a reduction in the overall loan book and a change in the product mix of the loan book. As a result a notable reduction was experienced in the Personal Finance net bad debt expense, which fell to $29.9 million in FY2017 versus $32.8 million in FY2016. The Company expects the bad debt expense to continue to reduce as the overall shift in the product mix of the loan book improves the quality of the loan book.



In order to assess the evolving state of the Company's compliance systems, Deloitte was commissioned to conduct an independent review of processes and procedures over specific periods, with regard to personal loans and finance operations. Pleasingly, Deloitte's assessment in an interim report (dated 6 June 2017) has not identified any key deficiencies of updated systems, processes, policies and training procedures against the relevant legislative and compliance obligations under the 'Enforceable Undertaking' (EU). This review is ongoing.



DIVISIONAL RESULTS



Personal Finance Business



The deliberate transition of the loan book to higher quality, lower risk products such as the Medium Amount Credit Contract (MACC), in FY2017 led to an expected fall in profitability year on year. The second half of FY2017 saw the greatest impact with Small Amount Credit Contract (SACC) lending down 13.8% on the first half, to $62.0 million principal advanced in the second half of FY2017. The anticipated fall in the loan book following this strategic shift, has now stabilised, with strong growth in the MACC product to $13.4 million since implementation in November 2016.



The Company's investment in online marketing and product delivery saw online lending volumes surpass in-store loans for the first time in January 2017, demonstrating the value of committing investment to this fast-growing channel.



In addition, the new MACC product is attracting a new segment of the addressable market, with more than 30% of approved applications from new customers.



Vehicle Financing - Green Light Auto



The Green Light Auto Finance business delivered incremental growth over FY2017, with the loan book continuing on its positive trajectory to reach $20.1 million at year end. This has resulted in an improvement in overall performance, reporting a net EBITDA loss of $0.4 million, which compares favourably to the $4.6 million EBITDA loss reported in 2016.



The small loss was primarily attributable to investing in the operations of the business to provide a scalable operating model for future lending volumes, which will be a key strategic pillar to the growth of the Company going forward.



Corporate Store Network

While overall EBITDA from operations decreased $6 million compared to the previous year, there was strong growth in revenue from online retailing (up 16.3% year on year) coupled with an improved performance in pawn broking revenue (up 3.3%).



The performance of Cash Converters 71 company-owned stores across Australia was impacted in FY2017 by the deliberate transition of our lending portfolio to a higher quality, lower risk model. Whilst reducing income from cash advances and personal loan commissions, this was to some extent offset by the introduction of the new MACC product as the impact of larger loans and increasing applications took effect.



Franchise Operations



Cash Converters' Franchise Operations, which captures performance from the domestic and global network of stores, posted a strong performance with EBITDA of $10.5 million (an increase of 51.5% over FY2016).



This growth was primarily attributable to the successful restructure of the UK business, as outlined in the strategic plan of 2016, allowing a solid performance in FY2017 and delivering a NPAT result of $1.7 million. The restructured UK business, which has seen all corporate store operations discontinued, is a more sustainable, lower risk and profitable business model going forward.



Returns from the Company's 25% equity interest in Cash Converters New Zealand increased by $1.7 million in FY2017. Performance of franchisee stores in Australia was steady, with increases in retail sales of 3.9% across the 83 Australian franchise stores. International franchise fee revenue increased by $265k to $739k.



CORPORATE STRATEGY UPDATE



Cash Converters has undertaken a significant restructure of its leadership team over the last 12 months, ensuring the capabilities of the team are aligned to the needs of the business to achieve the strategic objectives.



In order to transform Cash Converters into the leading and most trusted provider of personal finance and second hand retail goods, the implementation of a strategy focused on a number of key initiatives below is well underway and will continue throughout FY2018:



- Evolving the brand, product range and channels to market



- Growth of Cash Converters' international business

- Transforming the Company's digital capabilities across sales and marketing



- Continued improvement of our risk management processes and procedures and



- Placing our customer at the centre of everything we do



Successful delivery across these key areas will position Cash Converters to deliver sustainable growth in revenue and profit whilst providing a better customer experience, more relevant and appropriate products and services, and ultimately, stronger sustainable returns for shareholders.



FY2018 OUTLOOK AND BEYOND



The Company expects 1H2018 to be in line with 2H2017, assuming current market conditions, before the full impact of the strategic initiatives put in place over the last 12-18 months flow to the bottom line, providing a stronger 2H2018 and confidence in the future growth profile of the Company.



Improvement in overall performance will be delivered through a consistent focus on:



- Growth in the overall loan books, including significant growth in FY2018 expected driven largely by strong growth in the MACC loan book, while retaining a focus on the SACC loan book



- Expanding the vehicle financing loan book as the Green Light Auto business capitalises on the investment in building a strong sales pipeline



- Continued proportionate decline in bad debt expense due to a higher quality and lower risk loan book and



- Continued improvement in operational efficiencies and cost control.



With the excellent progress Cash Converters has made to stabilise and improve its business model, develop and roll out new products and channels, and willingness to invest in its brand and capabilities, the business has established a solid footing to deliver sustainable and profitable growth into the future.



To view the Full Year Results investor presentation, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/DF75EZQ4



About Cash Converters International Ltd





Cash Converters International (ASX:CCV) is a franchised retail network listed on the ASX. It specialises in the sale of second-hand goods. The Cash Converters group employs modern retailing practices, professional management techniques and high ethical standards to the management of its stores throughout the chain which appeal to a wide cross section of the community. As a result, Cash Converters has been able to position its outlets as credible retail merchandise stores, resulting in a profitable market for the group.
SAN JOSE, California, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Silicon Valley-based supply chain advisory firm Bristlecone (part of the $19B Mahindra Group), a premier supply chain management solutions and services firm helping clients increase visibility and reduce operational costs, today announced it has entered into an agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ('MIT') to formalize membership in the institute's revered Industrial Liaison Program ('ILP')-a program devoted to promoting collaboration and technology transfer between industry and academia for customer benefit. Under the agreement, the ILP will provide Bristlecone-facilitated access to MIT and its resources, including technology conferences, training, and potential collaborative research in new technologies.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/491101/Bristlecone_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/547425/Bristlecone_President_and_CEO_at_MIT.jpg )

Bristlecone concurrently announced that the third annual global conference 'Pulse' will be held at the historic MIT campus in Boston from October 25-27, 2017. The event will draw global leaders from Fortune 500 companies, analyst community and academia. The theme of Pulse 2017 is 'Your Roadmap to Antifragility,' with the revered conference providing a platform for ground-breaking discussions around the changing landscape of technology in business, including issues surrounding supply chain, procurement and analytics. The two-day event will also feature solutions that help make supply chains anti-fragile.

"The era of disruption and digitization is not only upon us, but continuing to force evolutionary changes in the business landscape at a rapid pace," said Bristlecone President and CEO, Irfan Khan. "Those companies that are aptly positioned to adapt fast can survive, but forethought and proactive measures must be put in place to best assure that. Change and innovation are actually critical success factors that make supply chains anti-fragile, companies just need to be prepared to respond to marketplace dynamics in-kind."

Khan continued, "To help drive and facilitate this kind of preparation, we are greatly excited to partner with MIT on our Pulse event platform, intended to help industry and academia come together to ideate real-world solutions for our customers. This event duly reinforces our commitment to Mahindra's 'FutuRise' philosophy of accepting no limits and embracing alternative thinking to fundamentally change the paradigm for success."

Attendees of Bristlecone Pulse will have a unique opportunity to interact one-on-one with high-level industry experts, analysts and academic thought leaders, including but not limited to Dr. Federico Casalegno, Director of MIT Mobile Experience Lab; David Simchi-Levi, Engineering Systems Professor; Michael Casey, Senior Advisor, Blockchain Research at MIT Media Lab; Dr. Abel Sanchez, Executive Director of the MIT Geospatial Data Center.

Khan will be among the revered speakers at the conference. Attendees will benefit from his specialized insights curated over his 20 years spearheading the profitable growth, competitiveness, and market leadership of emerging and mature businesses on a global scale. At Pulse 2017, attendees will learn from an industry pundit whose uniquely combined background in business leadership, strategic planning, field execution, people leadership, and customer-facing operations has resulted in Khan repeatedly transforming, growing and optimizing organizations-whether driving turnaround, building new lines of business, or creating foothold in new markets.

Poised for what's sure to be a fruitful event, Ron Spangler, officer of the MIT Industry Liaison program, noted, "We're pleased to welcome Bristlecone to MIT for their next edition of Pulse. There is no better place to convene this impressive mix of academic and industry thought-leaders, and the MIT Industrial Liaison Program exists to support activities just like this one."

Those interested in attending Pulse and securing additional information can visit http://www.bcone.com/BristleconePulse for information on this year's venue, speakers, agenda and more.

About Bristlecone

Bristlecone, a subsidiary of the $19B Mahindra group, is a premier supply chain advisory firm focused on enabling digitally connected and anti-fragile supply chains. It has been rated by leading industry analysts as one of the supply chain management firms consistently over the last decade, with a singular focus on successfully addressing customer's Procurement, Supply Chain and Analytics challenges.

Headquartered in California's Silicon Valley, Bristlecone also has offices located across the United States, Germany, Switzerland, UAE, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. To learn more visit: http://www.bcone.com.



Press Contact:

Rebecca Nerad

Global Marketing, Bristlecone

+1-802-999-7641

rebecca.nerad@bcone.com


The Mumbai University, which had failed to declare results on scheduled time, has defalcated Rs 50000 registration fees of Senate election. The state government has cancelled the election of the Senate after registration by the Mumbai University.

RTI activist Anil Galgali had sought information from the Mumbai University regarding received application under the Graduate voter list and total fee for the selection of the University Senate election in 2015. Mumbai University Vice-Chancellor (Election Department) Ravindra Salve infirmed Galgali that Under Category A 2521 and Category B, 2492 such total 5013 applications were received. Despite the cancellation of the Senate election the fees deposited by the Mumbai University had not been refunded. The application A was for new voters and the fee was 20 rupees while the application B was for the old voters. In this case, the Finance and Accounts Department of Mumbai University informed Galgali that Rs 6,820 in July 2015, Rs. 43,480 in August 2015 and Rs. 120 on September 2015, thus, a total of Rs. 50,420 were received.

According to Galgali, even after the cancellation of the Senate elections, the Mumbai University has not returned the fees to the voters till date, which is like indirectly defalcating the election fee which was deposited for the election. Therefore, Galgali, in a letter sent to the Governor Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Education Minister Vinod Tawde, Minister of State for Education Ravindra Waikar, has demanded that every graduate should be refunded his money with interest.
Mumbai is all set to welcome Lord Ganesh in their pandals as the first images of Lalbaugcha Raja, the citys famed Lord Ganesha idol were out. Lakhs of devotees throng the central Mumbais Lalbaug area every year to get a glimpse of the gigantic idol kept for display to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. This is over hyped Ganesha where most of the celebrities go and seek blessings. But Mumbai the city has many Ganeshas around with its own uniqueness.

The spectacular festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most celebrated festivals in Mumbai and India. It is celebrated all over India in honour of Lord Ganesha  the lovable elephant headed God. Many Hindu families across India and abroad celebrate this festival with much grandeur in their homes. The festival is celebrated on the 4th day of the Bhadrapada month according to the Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September.

Legend has it that a wish is always granted to those who visit the idol. The Lalbaugcha Raja in central Mumbai is the biggest draw. Although the idol in the cramped fish market remains the same each year, crores of devotees flock to this much-hyped pandal to seek boons from the wish-fulfilling deity. Over the years, offerings in gold and silver have increased in direct proportion to high-profile celebrity visits and constant media coverage. Nearby, Ganesh Galli, one of the biggest mandals of Lalbaug that has created some fantastic replicas of temples and palaces in the past, is another crowd-puller.

The celebrations content has changed. It is no longer a platform for gathering people to listen to and participate in discourses on nationalistic, pro-Independence issues which Tilak created. When Lokmanya Tilak was under great distress and worried about our countrys freedom he used to sit at the bank of Girgaum chowpaty and wonder how to gather people. While sitting on the bank of seashore he used to make idols and people used to stop by to see it. Such collective movement was not restricted by British. So from there he got an idea to celebrate sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav. He started the tradition of Sarvajanik Ganesha Utsav by making clay idols. Tilak was the first person to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions and he was the one who established the practice of submerging all the public images on the tenth day of the festival. Ganesh Chaturthi soon started seeing community participation and involvement, in the form of cultural events. It also served as a meeting point for common people of all castes and communities, at a time when social and political gatherings were forbidden by the British Rule.

Later on this became an important festival during the Peshwa rule in Maharashtra. It acquired a more organized form all over India during the Swaraj movement, when Lord Ganesha was chosen as a rallying point for protest against British rule, because of his wide appeal as the God for Everyman. A strongest movement to evoke nationalism, through religious passions, was the organization of Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra, which inspired feelings of Hindu unity in the state. Once India became Independent, it had no such use anymore. But it endured as a tradition but only in its run as an annual event. It has, of course, a political content, but rather the perverse one.

While Mumbaities devotedly celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi, the politicians too, this time, seem to be keen on making most out of this to their political advantage. This year onwards, the developers have backed out from giving donations to the Ganesh pandals as many redevelopment projects have been stuck in the city for over a year. Demonetization is one of the biggest reasons many shop keepers or business groups refrained from supporting Ganesh mandals. The pandals across Mumbai are now dependent solely on the politicians for gathering funds for the festival. According to the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS), an umbrella body of Ganesh mandals in the city, there are a total of 11,400 Ganesh pandals across the city. Each pandal on an average spends around Rs 7 lakh on organizing the 10-day festival and the total turnover estimate of all pandals is over 800 crore in Mumbai during this time. The donations have been reduced by almost 50 percent given the fact that redevelopment projects in the city have been stuck for more than a year and many developers have backed out from giving huge donations. Many businesses and corporate companies got shut down and many small-scale industries suffered so the collection from all these sources has reduced to 50 percent. Also, the political leaders have avoided putting up the banners and posters which have affected the revenue of the pandals. They can now get funds only through the events organized by the pandals and sponsored by a few entities. Moreover, in the recent few years, the festival has been politicized too much. So, all the politicians make sure they use the platform to reach out to the public. The NGOs or other organizations controlled by the politicians are also advertised.

Politicians sponsor events such as dance, rangoli, drawing and cooking competitions to provide funding to the pandals. The commercialization of the festival in last few years is also helping us in getting huge money. The festival is now being used to flaunt money power and muscle power which can be used for politics. The mandals, or at least most of them, have political patronage, visible or invisible. The festivities are actually fund generators for individuals, groups and politicians.

Meanwhile, the road widths are guzzled up, civic bodies and police make it a point to talk of restrictions on such pandals but it often remains mere talk. They are gaudy and loud, gauche, and they are expensive and the focus, fortunately remains on the idol; bigger they are, better they get acknowledged. The self-imposed rule of keeping them less than 15 feet is not being universally followed. Electricity is not always secured in a kosher way. It may even be stolen from the nearest lamppost. It lacks the critical core of piety. The worship is limited to a bow, an arati and the rest is gaiety. Not unsurprisingly, the change is so much that some screen ordinary Bollywood films, some organise fashion shows, some an evening dedicated to film music all under the presumption that public wohi mangta hai. A film star visiting a mandal is a photo-op and sure to catch media attention. But then, once you are hooked onto a tradition, never mind its other features, then you remain hooked.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
By Anne Dachel



Below is a link to an interview by Helen Branswell of StatNews with Robert Kennedy, Jr. This interviewer was argumentative and out to discredit Kennedy. The narrow scope of the questions showed that. A legitimate journalist would have asked questions like this:



Is it true there is a claim from a CDC whistleblower that the government has destroyed research showing a link between vaccines and autism?



You allege that there are extensive conflicts of interests among our health officials that call their vaccine safety claims into question. Would you explain what you mean?



Why do you claim that the mercury in vaccines is dangerous when all the government's research shows it's safe?



Our friends at World Mercury Project told us today that Stat News failed to include important parts of the interview.

This is the FULL and correct transcript

STAT News published the Q & A (a close version) on their site but without the last part that included Kennedy's comments about the Institute of Medicine (IOM) findings:

https://www.statnews.com/2017/08/21/robert-kennedy-vaccines-question-answer/

But then they wrote a second article that editorialized the conversation here:

Here are the World Mercury Project posts on FB and Twitter. Please SHARE!!

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/WorldMercuryProject/

Link to WMP Tweet:

https://twitter.com/WorldMercury/status/899636319491698688



Read the interview, comment and judge for yourself. Was Ms. Branwell interviewing or impugning? A quick glance at who is Stat News rather tips their hand. We wonder if Dan Olmsted would have known editor Rick Berke "back in the day?" In any case, they need some vaccine safety facts... STAT! Thank you to Mr. Kennedy for speaking with them. Couldn't have been pleasant.

STAT delivers fast, deep, and tough-minded journalism. We take you inside science labs and hospitals, biotech boardrooms, and political backrooms. We dissect crucial discoveries. We examine controversies and puncture hype. We hold individuals and institutions accountable. We introduce you to the power brokers and personalities who are driving a revolution in human health. These are the stories that matter to us all.

Whats STAT all about?

STAT is a national publication focused on finding and telling compelling stories about health, medicine, and scientific discovery. We produce daily news, investigative articles, and narrative projects in addition to multimedia features. We tell our stories from the places that matter to our readers  research labs, hospitals, executive suites, and political campaigns.
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Independent Kurdistan Will Be Built on Partnership, Barzani Tells Minorities

An independent Kurdistan state will be for all the people who call this land home, working in partnership together, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani told a gathering of minority groups on Tuesday, adding that they are all free to choose what they want for their future. "What we say is not to create a Kurdish national state at all -- that is impossible. But rather, a state for the people of Kurdistan including Kurds, Turkmen, Arabs, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Armenians, and all the components," said Barzani, addressing minority groups in Erbil's Saad Abdullah Hall. "And you, be sure, we are giving you this certainty that in drafting the constitution, you will participate and whatever guarantees that make you feel confident to live together, is our intention, too," he said. He said the future system of Kurdistan will be federalism, with new provinces created. The Kurdistan Region currently consists of four provinces: Duhok, Erbil, Sulaimani, and Halabja. Many minorities live in Kurdistani, or disputed, areas that are expected to take part in the referendum, including: Shingal, Nineveh Plains, Makhmour, Kirkuk, and Khanaqin. In a meeting on Monday with civil society representatives, Barzani advocated for a decentralized system of governance in Kurdistan, saying, "We also should have a federal system in Kurdistan, where it is up to every province to conduct its own affairs. It should be a very open system. It should not be a central system in any way." Speaking to the gathered minority groups on Tuesday, Barzani highlighted solidarity between Kurds and minorities in Iraq, who have both suffered under Baghdad. By pursuing independence via the September 25 referendum, he said it is their intention to prevent future suffering. Current dissatisfaction with Baghdad should not happen in a future Kurdistan stated, he said, where "we have to be partners and brothers with each other." The Kurdish president said he was open to reviewing the national anthem and flag of Kurdistan in order to ensure the symbols of the nation reflect the reality of the people living there. In his meeting on Monday, he had said, "I do not like the term minority. Even if they were 10 people, they are different, their language is different, their culture is different. But we are together, we are brothers and live in this country together, whether Turkmens, Chaldeans, Assyrians, all of them." Addressing the gathering on Tuesday, he said, "Coexistence is an old culture in this country and we are proud of it." The decision to join with Kurdistan or not is ultimately up to the minority groups, Barzani said. "If you do not like to be with us, you are free. It is up to you -- any decision you make on your fate." Vote or don't vote, you are free, the president stressed.
August 21, 2017

CAIRO  Mohamed Abu Hamed, the deputy chairman of the Egyptian parliament's Social Solidarity Committee, is stirring controversy in human rights circles, having revealed that he is preparing a draft law aimed at dismissing members of the Muslim Brotherhood from their public posts. Many people fear the draft law, which they say violates the Egyptian Constitution, might eventually be expanded to be used against regime opponents.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all consider the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Forces of now-President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled the elected government of Brotherhood leader President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

Egypts Constitution reads as follows: Public posts are a right for citizens on the basis of merit, with no favoritism or mediation. Public posts are an assignment in service of the people. The state ensures the rights and protection of civil servants, and that they shall perform their duties in service of the interests of the people. They may not be dismissed outside of disciplinary action except in those situations set out by law.

In a late-July phone interview aired on Al-Mihwar TV, Abu Hamed announced that he has nearly completed draft legislation to dismiss the Muslim Brotherhood members from their [public] posts, indicating that the draft will be submitted to parliament in the third session, which begins in October.

Abu Hamed told Al-Monitor that he finished preparing 25 articles in the draft law, pointing out that the draft is similar to a 1972 law that included articles stipulating the dismissal of any public official when committing any act threatening the security and safety of the homeland. This draft has been prepared to cope with the challenges facing the country and in line with specific legal and constitutional procedures, he said.

Dismissing a civil servant under the proposal would require several stages. The person would first have to be classified as affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood through legal procedures before the courts. If a court order is issued, then the appropriate administrative body would follow the required steps to dismiss the targeted person.

Abu Hamed described various current and past attempts at reconciliation between Sisi's regime and the Brotherhood as crimes and an affront to the Egyptian state and people. He wants to adopt the approach of former Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmoud Fahmy Nokrashy Pasha, who ordered the groups dissolution in 1948.

In December 2013, under the rule of interim President Adly Mansour, the government labeled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. This step provoked a legal debate at the time, since this decision was issued by the government and not the interim president, who is the competent legislative authority during the transitional period. In February 2014, the Cairo Court of Urgent Matters blacklisted and banned the Muslim Brotherhood, and in April of that year, then-Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb issued the relevant implementing decision.

Abu Hameds draft law is even criticized by opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood. Mohamed Abdel Aziz, the founder of the Tamarod movement against the Brotherhood and a member of the National Council for Human Rights, told Al-Monitor that the proposal is unnecessary and that the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 94 of 2015 includes enough articles to resolve any crisis related to confronting terrorist organizations and their members.

He said exaggerated punitive measures against those who have not committed acts of sabotage lead to a state of polarization that could fragment society. He noted that the 2015 anti-terrorism law provides for sanctions against perpetrators of terrorist crimes and acts of violence.

Abdel Aziz doesn't believe the draft law will get far.

So far the draft law remains mere press statements and is unlikely to see the light, since it violates the constitution, he said.

Human rights lawyer Malek Adly told Al-Monitor, Egypts current parliament issued several unconstitutional laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Law and the draft law amending the Code of Criminal Procedure in violation of clear provisions of the constitution.

He recalled a 2015 speech in which Sisi called on parliament to face challenges while promulgating new laws, since the 2014 constitution was written with good intentions that conferred wide-ranging powers on parliament [] but not enough to build states.

Adly believes the current parliament is facing such challenges. He told Al-Monitor that the parliament is breaching the Egyptian Constitution "by passing unconstitutional but politically desired laws.

He noted, This parliament passed a number of unconstitutional laws. Even the worst parliaments in the history of Egypt did not pass such laws. The right to work is a constitutional right that may not be denied. A [civil] employee or worker may only be dismissed when committing an occupational crime, a crime related to the public money or a criminal offense. Dismissal is often a complementary sanction for such crimes. Otherwise, it is not permissible to dismiss any civil servant.

Adly added, Such a draft law, [if passed], may create ticking terrorist bombs in light of the current security crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members, supporters or even suspected sympathizers. Cutting these civil servants sources of livelihoods will push them to commit acts of violence. Meanwhile, Egypt needs to bring these people closer to it and persuade them to abandon extremism and violent ideologies.

Many US experts on the Brotherhood agree. Though US President Donald Trump is mulling whether to declare the group a terrorist organization, analysts cite the potential dangers of such a move.

As for the possibility of expanding this draft law to use it against the regimes various opponents of different ideological tendencies, Adly said experience has shown that measures taken against the Brotherhood have been expanded to apply to the regimes opponents.

I was arrested against the backdrop of the Tiran and Sanafir crisis in May of 2016 and charged with attempting to overthrow the regime, joining a banned organization, seeking to alter the provisions of the constitution and the law, preventing state institutions and public authorities from carrying out their work, and harming national unity and social peace. If this draft law is passed, it is possible to expand its use against any opposition activist," he added.

Until the start of the third session and the discussion of Abu Hameds draft law, the proposal to dismiss Brotherhood-affiliated civil servants from their positions will remain a sword hanging over the heads of the groups members and supporters, and also the heads of all opponents of the current Egyptian regime. The draft will also keep stirring controversy within human rights circles over its constitutionality.
August 17, 2017

CAIRO  The month of August in Egypt was busy with theatrical performances at state theaters, many of which had been dark for years. A burst of activity by the Theatre House, which oversees stage productions for the Ministry of Culture, signals a renewed effort to restore the local and regional prestige of Egyptian theater.

During the first week in August, a dozen new comedies, tragedies and productions exploring social issues premiered, along with several plays for children. The most sought-after ticket has been for Layla min Alf Layla (A Night Out of 1,000 Nights), starring the television and theater performer Yehia el-Fakharany. The play has been running at the National Theater in Cairo since 2015. Many critics argue that Layla min Alf Layla is the play that got Egyptian audiences back in theater seats after some five or six years of declining attendance.

After a golden era, around 2009-2010 Egyptian theater experienced a dormant period due to a lack of good scripts and the lure of better money in cinema. In the early 2010s, major actors, among them Fakharany, Adel Imam and Mohammad Sobhi, did not appear on stage. "Bodyguard," a play starring Imam, closed in 2010, after a 12-year run. After that, Imam took his talents to television. Even earlier, in 2009, King Lear, in which Fakharany starred, closed. Sobhi retired from the stage in 2004.

Mohammad Fayez Jad, an art critic and journalist for Al-Ahram, told Al-Monitor, Layla min Alf Layla rekindled the old flame under theatergoers, after years of alienation by audiences. The key to attracting an audience is to create interesting content. Layla min Alf Layla allowed its stars, Fakharany and Loutfi Labib, to perform well. The play has Egyptian poetry by Bayram al-Tunisi and songs by two much-loved artists, Hiba Magdi and Mohamed Mohsen.

In December 2016, cinema and television producer Mohammad Ramadan produced and starred in his first play, Ahlan Ramadan (Welcome Ramadan), at Al-Haram Theater in Cairo. It was a hit.

For the art critic Nader Adli, part of the reason for the theater's revival is that actors who had acquired fame in cinema and TV decided to move to the stage. He cited Ramadan as an example.

He capitalized on his television and cinematic fame and tried to transfer it to the theater world, Adli noted. He achieved success in light comedy and was praised for the good performance of all the actors, shows and songs.

Adli added that Layla min Alf Layla and Ahlan Ramadan were successful because they had good scripts and featured well-known stars in Fakharany and Ramadan. Others plays, he said, have succeeded through good marketing, as is the case of Masrah Maser (Theater Misr), a play starring Ashraf Abdul Baqi.

Theater Misr is a weekly comedic theatrical production consisting of two short acts. Initially, in 2013, Baqi hosted the show, then called Teatro Misr, which highlighted several young stars. In 2015, the name was changed to Theater Misr.

The art critic Abdel Ghani Daoud told Al-Monitor that Theater Misr succeeded thanks to marketing. Independent and amateur theater, just like university productions, use social media to attract an audience, especially since followers of social media are most likely to attend [shared] plays if they are put on at reasonable prices.

This reawakening of Egyptian theater will not be a duplication of its heyday. The stars of yesteryear are long gone. Today's theatergoers want good plots, memorable performances and catchy songs. New plays, if marketed well, can run for several seasons. Their success, in turn, will bring fresh breath to Egyptian theater.
August 21, 2017

In his speech on National Womens Day Aug. 13 in Tunisia, President Beji Caid Essebsi called for legal amendments to the inheritance law to ensure equal rights for men and women, and he called for Tunisian women to be able to marry non-Muslims, which he believes is not in direct conflict with Sharia or the Tunisian constitution.

The presidents statements sparked widespread controversy among conservative and liberal forces in the country.

It is necessary to develop personal status laws in such a way to promote equality and to keep pace with modern legislation and changing modern times. This is especially true since law No. 73  which bans Tunisian women from marrying non-Muslim men  has become an obstacle to the freedom of choice of the spouse. This is also necessary for the legal status of many [Tunisian] women married to foreigners. One ought to bring to mind as well Article 6 of the Tunisian constitution, which recognizes the freedom of belief and conscience and holds the state responsible for safeguarding it, Essebsi said in his speech.

In Article 21, the Tunisian constitution stipulates that all citizens, male and female, have equal rights and duties, and are equal before the law without any discrimination. Article 46 states: The state commits to protect womens accrued rights and works to strengthen and develop those rights. The state guarantees the equality of opportunities between women and men to have access to all levels of responsibility in all domains.

Tunisia is also bound by the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), ratified in 2014 by the Tunisian parliament. In contrast, the Tunisian Personal Status Code, which regulates family issues, stipulates that the Sunni Islamic jurisprudence should be applied to inheritance issues, whereby women are entitled to only half of what men receive in inheritance.

Essebsis proposal to amend the personal status code was not unanimously welcomed in the political and civil circles of Tunisia. Al-Mahaba movement, led by al-Hashemi al-Hamidi, a dissident from the Ennahda movement, called for the withdrawal of confidence from the president on Aug. 13. Meanwhile, in a joint statement Aug. 16, several national movements and cultural institutions said that the presidents proposal was in direct conflict with the verses of the Quran and the basis of religion.

"Calling for equality in inheritance today in a society dominated by private ownership and capitalism is nothing more than transforming the social conflict between Muslims and capitalism and feudalism into family sedition, Bashir El Seid, the secretary-general of Al-Mourabitoun movement, told Al-Monitor.

This is a way to distort the conflict, turning the father of a family into the enemy instead of the subordinate and manipulative capitalists. Therefore, we adhere to the Quran and Sharia texts. But we call for equality and fairness in society according to every individuals efforts, diligence and persistence, he added.

Tunisia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Othman Battikh said in a surprising statement Aug. 14, The presidents proposal comes in support of the womens rights and legal status, guaranteeing the principle of equality between men and women, which our religion calls for.

A little over a year ago, in June 2016, Battikh said that equal rights in inheritance are contrary to Sharia, which begs the question about Dar al-Iftas affiliation with the political regime. This is especially true since Battikh issued a fatwa Sept. 26, 2016, against protests against the government.

The Ennahda movement, led by Rachid Ghannouchi, has yet to make an official statement in this regard. Ennahda is the main political force that represents conservatives in the country.

However, some figures affiliated with the movement expressed their opposition to Essebsis controversial statements.

Member of parliament Abdellatif Makki shared a Facebook post Aug. 15 rejecting the presidents call, saying changing a clear religious text is not acceptable.

Ennahda spokesman Imad Al-Khamiri told the Tunisian Al-Ribat radio Aug. 17, It is too early to talk about the presidents proposal as it should be presented to parliament first.

The controversy surrounding Essebsis proposal has spilled over into neighboring countries. Al-Azhars Undersecretary Abbas Shoman in Egypt criticized the Tunisian presidents proposal in a statement Aug. 15, saying, This is in conflict with the provisions of the Islamic law.

The inheritance is provided for in peremptory verses that cannot be challenged or changed, regardless of time and space, Shoman added in the statement Aug. 14 that was published on the official Facebook page of Al-Azhars undersecretary bureau.

The Tunisian Workers Party, part of the Tunisian Popular Front, considered in a statement Aug. 16 that full and effective equality in legislations and on the ground is a legitimate objective, which Tunisian men and women have fought to achieve for many generations. This equality includes inheritance, family management and the abolition of all discriminatory laws, which have become archaic, such as mens guardianship over women and the dowry.

The statement added, however, that Essebsis proposal is not credible as he and his cronies do not favor womens cause.

Essebsis proposal has reignited the conflict between liberal and leftist movements on the one hand and the conservative movement on the other. It also rekindled the rivalry between secularists and Islamists, which was put out since the presidents alliance with Ennahda following his victory in the legislative and presidential elections in 2014. This new development will have a major impact on the upcoming municipalities elections scheduled to take place by the end of the year.
August 22, 2017

Turkey has asked Syrias most muscular Sunni Arab opposition militia, the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), to disband itself, a leading Turkish pro-government daily claimed today.

In its article Turkeys plan to save Syrias Idlib from occupation, the English-language edition of Yeni Safak reported that Turkey had asked the group to dissolve itself, offering, its fighters could join the ranks of other opposition [groups] if they elected to do so. Turkey also wants the militants, who seized virtually full control of Idlib province last month after routing Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham rebels, to relinquish the critical Bab al-Hawa border crossing linking Idlib to Turkeys Hatay province to a group approved by Turkey.

Bab al-Hawa remains the economic and humanitarian lifeline to northwestern Syria. Like other border crossings with Syria that have since been closed, Bab al-Hawa has been a vital source of income for the groups controlling it. But the flow of commercial traffic and weapons has all but halted as Turkey bows to international pressure to exercise stricter control of its borders.

Turkeys recommendations were supposedly accepted by Syrian oppositionists, tribal leaders and assorted local stakeholders during a set of meetings held in central Idlib. Yeni Safak claimed HTS had agreed to all the proposals except that of disbanding itself.

US and other coalition officials have aired worries about the al-Qaeda presence in Idlib, warning the militants could be planning new attacks against Western targets there.

Sources familiar with talking points to be raised by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis when he meets Turkish leaders in Ankara this week told Al-Monitor that Idlib would likely be among them. The sources, who sought anonymity due to the delicate nature of the subject, said the United States was exploring ways to take joint action with Turkey in coordination with Russia to free Idlib of HTS, which all three consider a terror group.

Yeni Safak, however, cast the Turkish scheme as an effort to foil purported plans by the United States, France and Russia to take military action in Idlib, using the HTS presence there as a pretext. Such a move, argued the newspaper, would trigger a large-scale humanitarian crisis with millions of displaced civilians heading to Turkey and to areas inside Syria controlled by the Turkish-led Euphrates Shield force. The paper was in effect rehashing the tired trope that any coalition moves against Idlib would ultimately hurt Turkey to the benefit of the Syrian Kurds.

The newspaper did not quote any Turkish officials, nor did it attribute any of its claims, which it stated as fact. The story ran with no bylines, another indicator that the Turkish government may have been behind it.

Turkey, which is already home to three million Syrian refugees, has legitimate concerns. As Yeni Safak pointed out, military action against HTS in Idlib would unleash a further influx of Syrians. Thus having failed to tame HTS with Ahrar al-Sham, Turkey is now apparently hoping to coax the group into submission through diplomacy.

If so, contend some Syria analysts, it's just more pie in the sky. Sam Heller, a Beirut-based senior fellow at the Century Foundation who has written extensively about HTS, told Al-Monitor, I dont know if Turkey actually proposed this to HTS and the rest of the opposition inside Idlib. If this is real, I dont think it will actually solve anything.

Heller went on, Most of these asks  establishing a nominally civilian government, handing Bab al-Hawa to an administration that is likewise nominally civilian and potentially dissolving HTS into some unified rebel body  actually tracks pretty closely with the steps HTS is already taking inside the northwest.

He concluded, I dont think anyone in the US government would be convinced by some kabuki handover of power to a civil administration controlled in practice by HTS.
August 21, 2017

Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani rarely makes political speeches, but on Aug. 20, the commander of Iran's Quds Force warned that Iran faces two dangers, one internal and the other external.

Soleimani described the external threat as an invasion against the Islamic world, while the internal threat was religious sedition. Given that the speech was in honor of World Mosque Day, Soleimani stressed the importance of mosques in combating both threats.

What made Soleimanis speech unique was his inclusive position and his rejection of titles and labels to divide Iranians, particularly along religious lines. Why do we constantly use labels such as unveiled or poorly veiled or Reformist or Principlist'? Soleimani asked. Who will then remain after that? All children are not the same, but it is the father who can gather them around each other. The Friday prayer leaders must be able to attract the veiled, poorly veiled and the unveiled.

Soleimani has always steered clear of partisan quarrels, so his comments criticizing political labels are not surprising. However, what is noteworthy is his implicit admission that some younger Iranians do not attend Friday prayers. Furthermore, he placed responsibility on the clerical establishment for not being able to attract a wider and more diverse audience due to their obsessive focus on the veil.

Soleimani also discussed criticism of Irans involvement in Syria and Iraq. Some at the highest levels, domestically and outside the country, told us to not enter Syria and Iraq, he said, without mentioning specific names. Some have even said we are defending a dictator, he said. However, Soleimani said that Iran views its relations through its own interests rather than determine if someone is a dictator or not. Presumably, this was in reference to Irans involvement in Syrias civil war.

Soleimani defended Irans involvement in Iraq in its battle against the Islamic State, as well as its support of Palestinian groups. We do not differentiate between our interests and Iraqs interests," he said, "and we were not after their oil wells or Mosul or Kirkuk and did not have territorial demands. On the question of Palestine and whether Iran's support there is sectarian in nature, Soleimani said, If someone [in Palestine] claims to be Shiite we have nothing to do with them because 99.99% of Palestine is Sunni and we defend them.

In other news, President Hassan Rouhani received a vote of confidence for 16 of his 17 Cabinet positions. Some of the notable names returning to the Cabinet are Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, Intelligence Minister Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi and Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli. One of the biggest changes is the new defense minister, Amir Hatami, who received 261 confirmation votes out of 288 total. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed the previous defense minister, Hossein Dehghan, as an adviser to Irans defense industries. The only proposed Cabinet minister to not receive adequate votes for confirmation was Habibollah Bitaraf, for the energy minister position.

In his first Cabinet meeting of his second term, Rouhani said, We do not have a higher priority than production and employment, and economic transformation is not possible without coordination and attracting investment and technology.
August 21, 2017

In an unprecedented move that surprised many observers around the world, Tajikistans state TV on Aug. 8 aired a documentary accusing Iran of involvement in the murder of several Tajik social and political figures as well as 20 Russian military officers in the country during the 1990s Tajik civil war. The documentary further claimed that at the time, Iran had organized a plot to eliminate Tajik scientists and intellectuals. The accusations, emphatically rejected by Iran, were just the latest and the most blatant move by the Tajikistan government against the Islamic Republic.

On June 30, it was announced that Tajik authorities had ordered the closure of Irans economic and cultural centers in the northern city of Khujand. Unofficial news sources indicate that in spite of Russian and Chinese support for Iran to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Tajikistans repeated opposition has been the main hurdle in this regard.

According to the Tajik government's official narrative, the main reason behind the recent tension is Irans support of terrorist organizations targeting the Dushanbe government and Tehran's attempt to promote Islamic radicalism in Tajikistan. In fact, such claims have been the centerpiece of Tajik officials accusations against Iran since December 2015, when Muhiddin Kabiri, a Tajik opposition figure and leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), was invited to Iran to attend the International Islamic Unity Conference. On the sidelines of the conference, Kabiri held a meeting with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The IRPT, for more than two decades the most important opposition party in Tajikistan, had been designated a terrorist organization by the government in mid-2015, so Kabiris visit to Tehran elicited a harsh response in Dushanbe.

If one analyzes the Tehran-Dushanbe relationship within a broader historical perspective, however, it is clear that the Kabiri case merely rests upon the deeper roots of ongoing tensions. To better understand situation, it is necessary to consider Tajikistans economic situation and the role of foreign finance and investment in its economy.

Generally speaking, in economic terms Tajikistan is one of the weakest republics of the former Soviet Union, with a significant negative trade balance and low gross domestic product per capita. It has looked for foreign sources of economic support since the early days of its independence.

The active role Iran played during the Tajik civil war in helping broker a cease-fire in 1995 and taking the first steps toward peace allowed Tehran to take advantage of opportunities in Tajikistans postwar economy. As a result, trade and economic relations between the two countries grew. The most important symbol of Irans economic role in the Central Asian republic is the Sangtuda 2 hydroelectric power plant, in Khatlon province, built and operated by Iranian companies.

Major state-sponsored infrastructure projects aside, Iranian private businesses have also became active in Tajikistan. The economic empire of the infamous Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani  consisting of a private bank, an airline, a taxi firm and a bus station among other entities  is the most prominent example of Iranian private sector activities in Tajikistan.

After Hassan Rouhani assumed Iran's presidency in 2013, two major developments arose to cause problems in bilateral relations. First, Iran began to pressure Tajikistan to fulfill previously agreed to contractual obligations, especially paying down huge debts. Second, Zanjani was accused of fraud in Iran, which led to debate over the fate of his enterprises in Tajikistan becoming another source of contention. The Tajiks denied any links to Zanjani and seized his assets, a move that further widened the gap between the two countries.

With the increasing disagreements with Iran, Tajikistan sought closer ties with a new source of financial support, Saudi Arabia. Indeed, engaging in Tajikistans economy was an offer the Saudis could hardly refuse, as the influence they stood to gain could enable them to counterbalance Irans influence in Central Asia.

In fact, the Saudis were quick to declare their readiness to finance the construction of some of Tajikistans most ambitious infrastructure projects, such as the Rogun hydroelectric power plant. At the same time, the Saudi Development Fund supported social welfare projects, most notably in the field of education. In addition, the Saudi Islamic Development Bank provided the resources to construct a new highway in the eastern part of the country.

As anticipated, Saudi Arabias increasing economic clout in Tajikistan began to spill over into the political sphere. In December 2015, it was announced that Saudi diplomats were trying to persuade Dushanbe to join Riyadh's anti-terrorist alliance, for which containing Iran was believed to be the true aim. The Tajik-Saudi relationship developed to the point that Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud called Tajikistan an important partner in the region.

Meanwhile, Saudi media were actively painting a threatening picture of Iran to the Tajiks, leading them to question Tehrans motives. For instance, in an article in Al-Watan that was republished by other Saudi media outlets, Iran was accused of state terrorism in Tajikistan. Russian international relations expert Alexander Knyazev has even suggested that the Saudis were behind the anti-Iranian documentary aired on Tajik state TV.

All in all, it could be said that ideological factors have played only a marginal role in souring the Tehran-Dushanbe relationship and Riyadh gaining influence in Tajikistan. Indeed, that the majority of Tajiks while Persian speaking are also Sunnis is an advantage for Saudi Arabia, its money, not its ideology, has played the most significant role in the equation. As such, it seems that the only way for Iran to bolster its influence in Tajikistan is to find a way back into the country's economic sphere and to settle ongoing disputes. Otherwise, the current situation could represent the first major advance in a Saudi-led campaign against Iran in Central Asia.
August 21, 2017

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas surprised participants of an Aug. 20 meeting at his Ramallah headquarters with members of the left-wing Israeli Meretz Party when he launched a broadside attack on the Trump administration just days ahead of a planned visit to the region by Trump's top envoys, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt. Abbas said he had met with the American representatives 20 times since Trump took office in January, but he was no closer to understanding what Israeli-Palestinian peace plan they have in mind. Each time they reiterate their commitment to a two-state solution and the stop to settlement building. I urge them to tell [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu that, but they refrain, he said.

The Israelis were not the only ones taken aback by Abbas remarks. Senior Palestinian officials present at the meeting were, too. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has, after all, trod wearily with the Americans until recently in an effort to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of the new administration. Abbas set up a top-level team, including experts on US politics, in a bid to decipher the nature of the new president and the best way to approach him. The group even scored some points: Trump rolled back his election campaign commitment to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and even hosted Abbas last May at the White House less than four months after moving in. But since then, the Palestinians are under the impression that the Trump administration is not interested in getting entangled in the complex task of restarting the moribund Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which have been the undoing of many previous administrations that were far more focused. I don't understand their conduct toward us, as inside his country the administration is in chaos, the Palestinian president was quoted as saying.

Al-Monitor has learned that Abbas remarks to the Meretz delegation were only the prelude to far harsher talking points he has prepared for his Aug. 24 meeting with the Trump envoys. A senior Palestinian source who spoke on condition of anonymity said a decision had been reached after lengthy negotiations at top PA levels, including consultations with its team of Trump experts, to present Kushner and Greenblatt with a clear ultimatum: Unless progress is made within 45 days on launching talks with the Israelis, the Palestinians will consider themselves no longer committed to the US channel and will turn to an alternative plan on which they have been working for the past two years.

The Palestinian source explained that Abbas is running out of the time he has to govern and cannot spend what little time he has left as president on games. The source believes a month and a half is sufficient time for the White House to decide whether to take an active and real part in mediating between the Palestinians and Israel  in other words, whether the administration plans to publicly declare that the United States regards the two-state solution as the only solution and demand that Netanyahu stop creating facts on the ground (that is, building settlements) and settle down to real negotiations. If we dont hear within a month and a half that the American team has stopped talking and started doing, Abbas intends to mobilize anyone and everyone he can for the UN General Assembly session on the establishment of a Palestinian state, regardless of the Israeli and American reactions, said the official from Ramallah.

The Palestinians understand that the current occupant of the Oval Office tends to act impulsively, and such a move could prompt him to take out his anger on Abbas  but we have no choice, said the source. He was referring to the fact that the stalemate in talks with Netanyahus government has put Abbas in a bind. His domestic enemies are growing and getting stronger, the crisis with Hamas is deepening despite reconciliation attempts and at the same time Israel keeps brazenly expanding its West Bank settlements. According to the Israeli Bureau of Statistics, the year 2016 saw 2,630 housing units constructed or partially constructed in West Bank settlements  an increase of 40% compared with the year 2015.

This past month, the PA has renewed its contacts with European states and other states that backed it at previous UN votes. Ties with China have also grown considerably closer. President Xi Jinping told Abbas during a visit to Beijing last month that China plans to initiate a peace plan of its own to advance talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Xi even termed the Palestinian people friends, partners and brothers.

Palestinian Ambassador in Washington Husam Zomlot, a senior member of the Abbas advisory team on US issues, could hardly have been clearer about Palestinian despair over the handling of the peace talks issue by the Trump administration. At a meeting he convened with journalists Aug. 17, Zomlot said the PA could revive its international campaign for recognition as an independent state, and he hinted that the impending Kushner-Greenblatt visit was crucial to the Palestinian decision on its next moves. His comments were intended as an initial trial balloon designed to make clear to the Americans that the Palestinians had lost patience. The remarks were met with American indifference, which resulted in Abbas harsh criticism of the Trump administration in his meeting with the Meretz representatives.

The Palestinian official who spoke with Al-Monitor said that even though this change in attitude could result in serious damage to the PAs relationship with Washington, these were not empty threats and the ultimatum to Kushner and Greenblatt had been carefully thought out. Ramallah wants to know within 45 days which way the Americans are heading on the Palestinian issue so that it can decide in October on the diplomatic path it intends to take.
August 21, 2017

On Aug. 12, an ultranationalist in a far-right-wing rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, killed 32-year-old left-wing American activist Heather Heyer. A short time later, Yair Netanyahu, the son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, posted a comment on his Facebook page. To put things in perspective, wrote Yair. Im a Jew, Im an Israeli [and] the neo-Nazi scums in Virginia hate me and my country. But they belong to the past. Their breed is dying out. However, the thugs of Antifa and BLM [Black Lives Matter] who hate my country (and America too in my view) just as much are getting stronger and stronger and becoming super dominant in American universities and public life.

He took care to publicize the post in Hebrew and English. A public storm broke out in Israel almost immediately. In contrast to his father, Yair does not even try to hide behind a fake mask of political correctness. He made the exact same comparison as did US President Donald Trump a few days earlier when Trump denounced extremists from both sides after the Virginia events.

Yair went beyond Trumps words. According to the doctrine of Yair, considered by his family as the official heir, the damage done by left-wing organizations and organizations fighting for the rights of blacks is greater than the marginal damage inflicted by neo-Nazis and white power supremacists.

Yair, 26, is viewed as the strongest, most dominant figure in the official Jerusalem residence. Gossip about the power of Sara Netanyahu and her ability to manipulate her husbands decisions has been heard in Israel for eons. Now, it seems, it is actually the firstborn son who rules the roost over both of them. Netanyahu has an older daughter from a previous marriage, but his family at the Jerusalem residence does not really count her as important. It is the son who rules both the father and mother; Yair is the "holy spirit."

In the early days after the Virginia events, Netanyahu himself kept mum and did not publicize any kind of statement. For this, he was severely criticized in the Israeli political system, mainly but not only from the left. Even personalities such as Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who usually avoids censuring the prime minister on foreign affairs issues, expressed his strong opinion on the matter.

Only three days after the slaying and 24 hours after Trump corrected his response and publicized a more explicit condemnation of the alt-right activists and neo-Nazis who marched in Virginia did the prime minister also join the admonishers. That is because Netanyahu is trying not to get on the presidents nerves these days. The strong differences of opinion between them regarding the emerging arrangement in Syria, which was revealed in a previous Al-Monitor article, is enough of a headache for the prime minister. But Netanyahus son, in contrast, does not view himself as bound by these rules of behavior.

Many view Yair as the alter ego of his father. Yair says what Netanyahu thinks, a high-level Likud source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. What he hears in the prime ministers residence living room, he expresses on Facebook. He can allow himself to do so because he holds no official state position, and he has no inhibitions or mental blocks.

There are many signs that the reality may be even more extreme than this description. According to many sources who are knowledgeable about what goes on in the prime ministers home, Yair does not merely listen to the dialogue between his parents and translate it in the external world. Instead, they say, Yair is the one to dictate the dialogue. Yair is the engine behind his fathers right-wing radicalization, and he doesnt hesitate to tell off his father when the two disagree. Yair is attentive to the goings-on on social networks, and he is viewed as the figure behind several of the prime ministers more combative responses to newspaper articles over the last two years.

If we return for a minute to the father, we cannot help but note the growing similarities between Netanyahu and Trump with regard to political machinations. Netanyahu and Trump both owe their present positions to the far-right. With Trump, it is the alt-right and white-power supremacists in all their stripes. With Netanyahu, by contrast, it is the settlers, including the extremists among them.

It is important to emphasize that in Israel, most of the settlers are viewed as a law-abiding public with values. However, there is a minority of settlers associated with extremist elements who hold anarchist and racist views. Thus, there is no intent here to create any kind of comparison between neo-Nazis in the United States and the settlers in Israel.

One way or the other, Netanyahu, like Trump, tries not to antagonize this electoral base. In the last few weeks of his electoral campaign for the 2015 elections, he turned to this base, the West Bank settler activists, and roused them to make strong efforts and mobilize. These efforts resulted in his re-election. The prime minister even succeeded in gaining quite a number of votes that usually go to Naftali Bennetts HaBayit HaYehudi. This is the reason that in recent years the prime minister dances to Bennetts tune and tries to pass him on the right in every issue, debate or public discussion. This course of action reached its heights in the affair of Israeli soldier Elor Azaria who shot an incapacitated terrorist in Hebron. In that saga, Netanyahu adopted a stance opposite that of the defense establishment, the Israel Defense Forces top brass and then-Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. Netanyahu knew that the extreme right supported the soldier, and he joined ranks with them.

The situation is similar with Trump, except for one thing: The American president took action last week and dismissed the person who represented the alt-right in the White House, his top strategic adviser, Steve Bannon. While the effect of Bannons dismissal on Trumps policies and stances is still unclear, what is clear is the fact that Trump evidently understood that Bannon had crossed several red lines, and he took action.

It will do us no good to wait for similar action by the prime minister because the person most similar to Bannon in Netanyahus court is Yair, and he cannot be dismissed. Yair has been raising a lot of commotion lately and not just regarding the Virginia affair. He has posted a number of unrestrained, incitement-filled texts against the Israeli left on his Facebook page to the extent that one of the left-wing organizations is suing him for libel.

And Yair leaves the impression that he has no intentions of calming down. His opinions are far more extreme-right than his fathers; they are full of racism, hatred of Arabs and minorities, and contempt for anything smelling of liberalism or moderation. During the era of President Barack Obama, it was Yair who carried the grudge of resentment and contempt in the direction of the American president. His father hardly did a thing to rein in his errant son.

To Netanyahu the father, his son carries out a vital role: He sends signals to the far-right as to where the heart of the Netanyahu family really lies, even though the body itself is not always able to express those same positions.
August 21, 2017

MOSUL, Iraq  Mosul's first tattoo parlor is hidden behind a simple sheet metal wall. Tattoo artist Amar, 29, has a thin mustache and a big smile. He opened his shop four months ago in the neighborhood of Karamah, which, though impoverished, was spared from much of the fighting between the Islamic State (IS) and the Iraqi army. At about 15 square meters (161 square feet), the shop is just big enough to fit in the dozen young Moslawis huddling around Amar, who is busy sketching a design for a tattoo on the shoulder of his friend Zaid.

"I was nine or 10 when I tattooed someone for the first time," Amar told Al-Monitor. "Saddam Hussein was still around!" One after the other, Amar's friends undress to get their tattoos, bursting with laughter as they do so. The group, listening to deafeningly loud music, seems unbridled. "We're getting drunk all the time now," commented a tattooed man, who says he has barely tasted whiskey since 2014, when IS occupied the city. Most of the men sport tattoos of tigers and dragons, busty pinup girls and scorpions, but Zaid opts for a design to symbolize his newfound freedom. On his skin, as the pearls of blood from the needle's prick eventually fade, a butterfly tattoo is revealed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proclaimed a "major victory" in Mosul on July 9, nine months after the start of a bloody urban battle between IS and the Iraqi army. For three years, the city had been the largest stronghold  in terms of both population and territory  of IS. But in the eastern part of the city, which was recaptured by pro-government forces in January, business has resumed for some: Amar has already tattooed nearly 300 customers since he opened for business, charging anywhere from $5 to $200 a piece.

Not even the capture of the city by IS in June 2014 and the gradual establishment of a bloodthirsty regime could stop the artist. But secrecy was key. He closed his salon and only practiced at home. "I only tattooed close friends  those I could trust," he said. "The rule was: If they catch you and want to kill you, you accept and you do not give my name."

During 2 years of IS occupation, Amar tattooed more than 50 people. "People wanted to get tattoos because IS forbade it. It was their way of resisting," noted the father of two, whose wife has a tattoo of a rose. But an IS collaborator ended up reporting him. Amar was sentenced to 10 days in prison and 100 lashes on the back, but he resumed his work soon after his punishment. "I love what's forbidden," Amar said, a smirk on his face.

For some tattoo artists, their resistance to the so-called caliphate was not just symbolic. Hussein, 23, who uses a nickname for security reasons, decided to learn how to tattoo a week after Mosul fell into the hands of the jihadis. He taught himself by watching tutorials on the internet, though a lack of equipment forced him to build his own machine using parts from an electric razor, a USB cable, a pen, some tape and a sewing needle.

Amar and friends pose for a picture in his tattoo parlor in eastern Mosul, Iraq, May 21, 2017. (photo by Charles Thiefaine)

By day, Hussein tattooed bodies of all shapes and sizes. By night, he roamed the streets with his fellow anti-IS rebels to tag houses of IS members with the letter "M," which stands for "muqawama," the Arabic word for resistance.

This small attempt at psychological warfare was enough to put the lives of the graffiti artists at risk. But they didn't stop there. Phones were forbidden, but when Hussein managed to get one, he became an informant for Iraq's counterterrorism services. Hussein speaks with a shy smile on his face, but he freezes as he looks at a photo on his smartphone. It is of a friend who had also joined the network of informants. "He was denounced. Murdered with a bullet in the head," he said.

For Hussein, the threat is threefold: tattoo artist, informant and Shiite. Under the rule of IS, his religious denomination could have meant death. IS even killed his father's cousin. To keep his religious identity a secret, Hussein had to count on his neighbors. "Our neighbors told IS fighters that we were Sunnis. That's why we're still alive," he whispered. In Mosul, as elsewhere, resisters and collaborators often lived on the same street.

On the eve of the battle of Mosul, senior Iraqi commanders were convinced that the resistance would play a key role in the urban warfare to come. "When our troops arrive near Mosul, we expect some kind of uprising," Lt. Gen. Najim al-Jabouri, the commander of the Ninevah operations, told Al-Monitor in August 2016.

Some of the city's residents are accused of welcoming the jihadis in 2014 and precipitating the fall of Mosul. Others, at the time, pledged allegiance to Baghdad. "Every day we hear about attacks carried out by civilians. Some of them were veterans of the Iraqi army. Others work with the intelligence services," the commander explained. But the revolution never came.

The home of Hussein's uncle, which serves as a tattoo parlor for young artists like Hussein, is packed. Every day, more and more relatives, soldiers and strangers arrive to get their first tattoos. "People are no longer afraid," Hussein said. "Freedom is on the move. It changes very slowly, but society is better now than it was before the arrival of IS. Now we have our eyes open."

Meanwhile, in Amar's parlor, many customers are arriving to get their first tattoos. Ahmed, 19, arrives with a special request. Arrested by IS militants and held for several days, Ahmed was terrified at the thought of being executed. On his shoulder, he cut the shape of a heart, in honor of his mother. Now, he wants to turn the scar into a drawing. "The time of IS is gone. Now is the time to get a professional tattoo!" Ahmed yelled.

The jihadis lost the battle for Mosul, but the tattooed rebels say their fight continues. "Even before IS I was not free to drink alcohol and do what I wanted," Amar said. "Before, the people were more strict, but they have suffered so much under IS that our society has become more open."
George and Amal Clooney have given a $1 million grant to Alabama's Southern Poverty Law Center to combat hate groups through their foundation, the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

The grant will help the Montgomery-based SPLC combat hate groups in the U.S.

George and Amal Clooney founded their foundation in 2016 with the mission of advancing justice in courtrooms, classrooms and communities. The Clooneys said in a press release that the violence after the deadly white supremacist rally earlier this month.

"We are proud to support the Southern Poverty Law Center in its efforts to prevent violent extremism in the United States," The Clooneys said in a statement. "What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate."

No further details have yet been announced about the partnership. The SPLC, which has additional offices in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, tracks more than 1,600 extremist groups throughout the country. The nonprofit civil rights organization was founded in 1971, largely rising to prominence through legal victories over the Ku Klux Klan.

"Like George and Amal Clooney, we were shocked by the size, ugliness, and ferocity of the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville," SPLC President Richard Cohen said in a press release. "It was a reflection of just how much Trump's incendiary campaign and presidency has energized the radical right. We are deeply grateful to the Clooney Foundation for standing with us at this critical moment in our country's fight against hate."
Huntsville is one of three Boeing offices that will perform preliminary design work on on the new Minuteman III ICBM intercontinental ballistic missile for the U.S. Air Force.

Boeing announced Monday that the company as well as Northrop Grumman each won a $349 million contract with the Air Force to develop the preliminary design for the missile.

In 2020, the Air Force will choose one of these two companies to develop the missile, representing the land-based element's of the country's "nuclear triad," representing missiles launched from submarines and aircraft.

Boeing offices in Ogden, Utah and Heath, Ohio are the other facilities where the design work will be done.

"Since the first Minuteman launch in 1961, the U.S. Air Force has relied on our technologies for a safe, secure and reliable ICBM force," Frank McCall, Boeing director of Strategic Deterrence Systems and GBSD program manager, said in a press release. "As the Air Force prepares to replace the Minuteman III, we will once again answer the call by drawing on the best of Boeing to deliver the capability, flexibility and affordability the mission requires."

The Air Force estimated last year that it would cost $62.3 billion to replace the Minuteman III fleet. The Pentagon's Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office has estimated that it could exceed $85 billion.

The Air Force solicited bids last summer to begin work on replacing the ground-based Minuteman III missiles and air-launched nuclear cruise missiles, in what amounted to calling for a rebuilding of the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal.

Pentagon officials have said that the Minuteman III might not defeat air defenses that are predicted to exist in 2030 and beyond. But arms-control advocates have said the Air Force could save billions by extending the life of existing missiles instead of building a new system.

Both Boeing and Northrop Grumman have been involved in the ICBM program for decades.

Chicago-based Boeing has built long-range missiles for the Defense Department since Minuteman I in the 1960s. It said its work on the missile-replacement effort will be done in Huntsville, Alabama; Ogden, Utah; Heath, Ohio; and other locations.

Northrop Grumman, which is based in Falls Church, Virginia, has integrated technology in ICBM systems.

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.
While most people were looking toward the sky during the Great American Eclipse, one couple was focused elsewhere: on their brand-new baby girl. Because she was born on the day of the unusual solar event, her parents gave her an unusual name: Eclipse.

Greenville Memorial Hospital in South Carolina posted the news on its Facebook page, along with a photo of Eclipse and her mother, Freedom Eubanks. The baby was wearing a hospital-provided onesie that reads "Total Solar Eclipse," although it looks as if she kept her eyes closed tightly during the event.

The hospital system had onesies prepared in advance and ended up giving them to 11 babies born on Eclipse Day.

The Facebook announcement says, "Meet Eclipse! She was born at 8:04 a.m. at Greenville Memorial Hospital. She's 6 pounds, 3 ounces and 19 inches long. Mom and dad made a last-minute decision to name her Eclipse this morning."

Eclipse, who will be called Clipsey, was born to Michael and Freedom Eubanks, according to WHNS Fox Carolina.
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has denied convicted murderer Cindy Kaye Henderson Reese's direct appeal.

Reese, 42, was convicted by a jury in December 2016 of murdering her husband Michael Reese.

Michael Reese was shot in the couple's Morris home on February 18, 2015. He and his wife went to church earlier in the evening and had just returned home from Milo's when Michael Reese was killed.

According to testimony and court records, Reese pressed a gun to her husband's head and fatally shot him when they arrived home from church that Wednesday night. Reese then went to Piggly Wiggly, bought groceries, staged the house to look like there had been a robbery while she was gone, and called police.

Reese was sentenced to 40 years in prison by Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tommy Nail, who has since retired from the bench.

The Court of Criminal Appeals issued their memorandum affirming the circuit court's judgment on August 11. Specifically, Reese's appeal stated the circuit court should have acquitted her because prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to show she killed Michael Reese. Her appeal also states the court should have given the jury instructions on a manslaughter charge, and that the court failed to give correct jury instructions on complicity.

The appeals court denied each of her claims, and affirmed the circuit court's decision on all of those actions.

On her claim of acquittal, the appeals court stated in its memorandum that "the State presented sufficient evidence from which the jury could conclude that Reese murdered Michael." The appeals court said she was entitled to no relief on that claim.

Secondly, the appeals court stated there was "no evidence to support Reese's requested charge of manslaughter." There was no evidence to show Reese committed the murder in a heat-of-passion situation, records showed.

Lastly, Reese's appeal stated that Nail did not properly charge the jury on intent with regards to complicity-- but the appeals court ruled that Reese's defense counsel, John Robbins, did not "specifically and timely object" before the jury began their deliberations. Records show during the charge conference between himself, prosecutors, and Nail, Robbins said, "Here's my sound legal reasoning and you can put this on the record, the complicity charge in this state sucks." According to the memorandum, Robbins "never raised the issue that the circuit court's complicity charge was erroneous because it did not charge intent."

Robbins indicated he had something to put on the record, but allowed the jury to begin their deliberations before he "took exception to the complicity charge," records state.

Reese's former boyfriend and pastor Jeffrey David Brown pleaded guilty to manslaughter and agreed to testify against Reese. Brown received a 20-year sentence as part of his plea agreement.
Authorities are trying to find family members of a woman found dead in her burned-out home in west Birmingham.

The body of Fannie Ree Jackson Scott, an 80-year-old black female, was discovered on her living room floor at 1:58 p.m. Friday at her home at 1107 Fourth Terrace West after she had not been seen for several days. She was pronounced dead at 2:10 p.m.

She is ready to be released for burial, but authorities have not been able locate her next-of-kin to notify them of her death.

Scott's home was heavily damaged by fire at least six months ago. Shortly after the fire, she went to stay at the First Light shelter in Birmingham, but eventually returned back to her house. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said Scott would still take the bus every day to First Light downtown but would return to her home every night to sleep. The house did not have any working utilities.

Authorities said Scott died from natural causes.

Yates said they believe Scott has multiple sisters in the Birmingham area, and possibly an ex-husband in the Bessemer area. She was originally from Pike County and her mother's maiden name was possibly Mattie Lee. There may also be a sister named Ruby Clark.

Anyone with information on family members is asked to call the Jefferson County Coroner's Office at 205-930-3603.
A former attorney who pleaded guilty last year to domestic violence and animal cruelty for slitting the throat of his family's dog is headed back to court next week.

James Stewart Robinson, 50, is being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond after authorities contend he violated the rules of his probation. Not only does he face two probation revocation hearings - scheduled for Monday and Tuesday - but he also faces a new domestic violence charge in Shelby County involving his new wife, whom he married only eight months ago, court records show.

Robinson's legal troubles have been ongoing since 2012, when he surrendered to police on Nov. 26 of that year, more than a week after he was charged with cruelty to a dog. His arrest capped a five-month probe that included canine exhumation and an investigation at a Florida animal forensics lab.

Jefferson County sheriff's officials at the time said they were called to the 4600 block of Caldwell Mill Road in southern Jefferson County to investigate a report of animal cruelty. The terrier, Rufus, had been killed by having his throat sliced. Rufus, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian, had become a point of contention in an ongoing divorce case. Both parties wanted custody of the dog. Word of the dog's slaying spread quickly through the community, and sheriff's officials launched what would become a lengthy probe. Christian said Robinson, one of the owners, made repeated claims that his estranged wife had killed Rufus to prevent him from gaining custody. Beyond those claims, authorities said, he was unwilling to cooperate in the probe.

Lawmen, with help from the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, exhumed Rufus' remains and sent them to the University of Florida Animal Forensics Laboratory. The results of the forensic analysis along with electronic data recovered from emails, text messages and voicemails led authorities to conclude Robinson had killed the dog.

According to court records in a domestic violence/harassment charge against Robinson, he texted the picture of Rufus with his throat slashed to his estranged wife, and then left a voicemail that said, "Your day is coming girl." Vestavia Hills police filed the domestic violence charge against him, and his estranged wife sought and obtained a protection order.

Deputy Dwight Sloan, the sheriff's animal cruelty investigator, was able to obtain the felony warrant against Robinson. Robinson in 2015 pleaded guilty to domestic violence and animal cruelty and, in January 2016, was sentenced to probation. He received a five-year suspended sentence and three years of supervised probation on the Class C felony cruelty to animal's case a one-year suspended sentence with two-years supervised probation on the misdemeanor domestic violence charge.

Robinson at that time apologized for his actions. He said he had been a recovering drug addict for almost a decade and had even been helping other lawyers dealing with drug addictions when, in 2009, he developed an addiction to Adderall. His wife filed for divorce in 2012 and he said he became angry, went weeks without sleeping and was on Adderall when he ended up killing Rufus on June 17, 2012.

On June 22, 2012, Robinson was suspended on an interim basis from the practice of law. He subsequently filed a petition to transfer to "disability inactive status" and the request was granted on July 10, 2012.

Robinson remarried in December 2016, according to court records, but the couple was separated by mid-March of this year. In March, records show, Hoover police responded to the family's home on a domestic situation. The new wife told officers Robinson had threatened her with a knife and also tried to physically choke her. She was taken to the Safe House in Shelby County, but did not sign a warrant against her husband for fear of retaliation.

In May, the wife reported that her husband told her he didn't need a knife or gun to kill her, that he could kill her with his hands. In June, he pulled her hair in front of a friend while at a Birmingham area hospital where Robinson was being treated for a suicide attempt.

In late July, the wife met with Robinson's probation officials and told them she had filed a warrant with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office against her husband. She was "visibly shaking and scared,'' according their reports. She showed officers hundreds of text messages, emails and voicemails. "Both officers heard a few of the voicemails and the tone of his voice was alarming,'' they wrote.

The new wife and her children were so afraid of Robinson, authorities said, that they were not staying at their own home. Robinson, according to the documents, sent her pictures of tattoos he had gotten on his arms: one of them was of her name, and the other read, "First & Last." She also sought and received a protection from abuse order against him, claiming he had sent more than 22 emails, 63 texts and had called several times.

Several days later, probation officers met with Robinson, who they described as "visibly nervous." He told them he had attempted suicide at least four times since April 28 and reported he would take either Klonopin or a "huge" dose of blood pressure medication and mix it with alcohol to intensify the effect. He denied making any threats to his current wife.

Alabama Probation and Parole officers determined Robinson was not only a threat to himself, but also a threat to others based on "his instability, numerous suicide attempts, his potential threat of violence justified by the criminal convictions for which he is currently on probation."

A Probation Officers Authorization of Arrest was issued against on July 21, at which time Robinson was locked back up in the Jefferson County Jail, where he remains held without bond.

He is set to be in court in Jefferson County Monday and Tuesday for his probation revocation hearings.
The celebration did not need the narrative of a national debate as a backdrop.

But, yes, as the city of Guntersville honored the legacy of an African American school at a time when conversations are taking place across the country about Confederate statues and - inevitably - race, a special weekend became a little more special.

As Confederate statues are being removed in cities across the country, as the state of Alabama has sued its largest city for building a barricade around a Confederate obelisk, a historical marker was unveiled last Friday to commemorate the history of Lakeview School.

According to Greg Hundley, who attended the school for three years in the 1960s and now a member of the Lakeview Community Civic Organization that pushed for the marker, preserving that history is important.

"It was one of the first schools in Marshall County, for African Americans," he said. "Before that, most of them went to school in churches or at home.

"I kind of like that they are recognizing the history of what happened back in those days."

The unveiling was a highlight of a reunion for those who attended the school as well as past teachers and families of those who went to school there.

The school opened in 1940 and closed in 1968. Students began transferring to other schools in the area in 1966 with the end of segregation. The school's final graduating class was 50 years ago.

The school building was destroyed by a fire in 1974.

The monument sits on the edge of Williamson-Harris Park on Williamson Street in Guntersville.

"It's really wonderful monument and memento now that the school is not there any longer," said Brenda Childress, a 1966 graduate of Lakeview. "For me, (the unveiling of the marker) was a pretty emotional thing."

Hundley also credited Guntersville Mayor Leigh Dollar and the city council for their help in getting the historical marker in place.

About 100 people attended the reunion activities.

"A lot of the people, we've got people coming from as far as California and different parts of the country," Hundley said. "It's a good way to get to see each other. Back in those days, the teachers came from Birmingham and Huntsville and they lived with the black families in the community."

Childress was among those returning to Guntersville from California. She graduated from Alabama A&M University after attending Lakeview from first grade through 12th grade. She then moved to the west coast.

"It gave opportunity to so many of us who otherwise would not have had a chance to go to school," she said. "Even beyond my generation, there's that trickle-down effect. This affected our children and that one opportunity had a huge influence on generations to come. That's particularly significant in my view.

"And when I look at the Lakeside Community Civic Organization and the scholarships they give and the encouragement that they give to young people, I think all of it came out of the legacy of Lakeview School. The period of the school was pretty short but it had such an impact and influence on a number of people."
Given the absence of any political leadership, what made the al-Aqsa Mosque protests last month a success?

A month after protests over new Israeli security measures at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound rocked occupied East Jerusalem, the tension between the Old Citys Palestinian residents and Israeli security forces is still simmering due to Israels policy of collective punishment.

According to prisoner rights group Addameer, 425 Palestinians were arrested from East Jerusalem in July alone. The majority of the arrests took place in the second half of the month following the installation of Israeli security measures at the entrances of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The arrests have continued in August, following the success of what analysts described as the largest civil disobedience protests in recent Palestinian memory that eventually forced Israel to dismantle the metal detectors and CCTV cameras it had installed after only two weeks.

They want to take revenge on the entire community, one resident of Bab al-Hutta neighbourhood in the Old City told Al Jazeera as Israeli border police arrested his neighbour one August evening.

READ MORE: The al-Aqsa metal detectors arent a security measure

Battle of the Gates

The Battle of the Gates as some Jerusalemites like to call it, began on July 14 when three Palestinian citizens of Israel from the city of Umm al-Fahm killed two Israeli police officers inside the entrance of Bab Hutta, just outside the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israeli authorities first responded with closing down the entire compound for the first time since 1969, before installing metal detectors two days later.

Aware that the metal detectors represented not so much a normal security measure, but rather an assertion of Israeli control on al-Aqsa, Palestinians in Jerusalem waged an open-ended protest against the newly introduced measures.

The mass protests were characterised by their largely peaceful nature, which involved tens of thousands participating in sit-ins and prayers outside the entrances to the compound. These were often preceded and followed by chants that called for the liberation of Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque, in addition to chants that condemned Israeli occupation and the perceived complicity of Arab governments with the occupation.

Given the absence of any political leadership, the question that begs to be asked is: what had made these protests, with the participation of tens of thousands of Palestinians, a success?

Our sole breathing space

The importance of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and its status among Palestinians stretches beyond being a place of worship into a communal space.

Al-Aqsa is like our own home and our sole breathing space, Zahra Qaws, a nurse and resident of the Afro-Palestinian community inside Jerusalems Old City, told Al Jazeera.

We dont just pray there, Qaws said. We gather there, we rest and relax there, and our kids also play there. Separating us from al-Aqsa is like stripping us of our lungs.

The largest sit-ins protesting the metal detectors were held outside the Lions Gate and al-Majlis Gate, close to where the Afro-Palestinian community lives.





Describing the al-Aqsa compound as the only respite for Palestinian families living in the Old City who are prevented by Israeli forces from renovating or expanding their homes, Qaws said that when the protests started, the residents felt the immediate urge to support the sit-ins with all they had.

People instinctively came out to support the protests and sustaining them by offering food, water, and a warm embrace to the protesters, she explained, mentioning that she had helped cook food for the protesters during the initial stages of the sit-in.

The idea to distribute food to the protesters, whose numbers gradually increased every day, came from a street vendor who belongs to the Afro-Palestinian community. The young man, whose name is withheld for safety reasons, donated the fruits and vegetables he usually sells on his cart to people joining the sit-ins.

Residents of the Old City took the idea one step further and in one communal act, began cooking meals and distributing food and fruits from their own homes to the protesters. This was followed by donations and prepared meals from Palestinian individuals and charities alike, as the numbers of protesters increased and vastly outnumbered the humble capacities of the Old Citys residents.

Self-imposed ban

But what had made these sit-ins popular in the first place, according to East Jerusalem Palestinians, was their refusal to enter the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in its entirety, as long as the new Israeli security measures were still in place.

According to several protesters interviewed by Al Jazeera, the decision was taken up spontaneously by young men, many of whom refused to talk to the media in the wake of the Israeli crackdown on the protest movement.

READ MORE: Behind the headlines in Jerusalem

The unwritten rule became mainstream after Omar al-Kiswani, manager of al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic Endowment (Waqf) employee, was the first high-ranking Waqf official to refuse to enter the mosque through the metal detectors under popular pressure.

Everyone misses praying inside the compound, Kiswani told local media at the time, but we want to be able to enter with dignity and pride.

High spirits

During the sit-in, and under the sweltering July heat, protesters remained in high spirits even after Israeli repression. Praying on the streets or steps, encouraging one another after the prayers, and talking about the importance of steadfastness, protesters remained confident of the success of their movement.

The peaceful nature of the protests made it open to Palestinians from all walks of life and from all ages, including children, families and the elderly.

Jehad, who declined to give his last name, told Al Jazeera that the significance of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to Palestinians was not just religious; it was also the epicentre of their lives.

This is why many of us who are not religious and dont generally pray made sure to come and participate in the sit-ins, he said. Some of those who came dont even know how to pray properly yet insisted on participating.

Israeli forces would hit stun grenades at us when we were praying, Zinat al-Jallad, who has been frequently banned from entering al-Aqsa Mosque compound, told Al Jazeera. But the more the repression increased, the harder they beat us, the more people joined the sit-ins.

No political rule

Sabrina Joudeh, who lives in the Palestinian Wadi Joz neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem, said that one of the reasons why the sit-ins were so successful was due to the protesters refusal for any Palestinian politician to get involved, for fear of riding the wave for their own political gains and breaking up the grassroots movement.

Even when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement in support of the protesters, they immediately started chanting against him, Joudeh said to Al Jazeera.

According to Abdelsattar Qassem, a professor of political science at the An-Najah University in Nablus, Abbas was dismissed by protesters because the PAs interests are deeply intertwined with those of Israels.

Even the ostensible freezing of security coordination [between PA and Israel] was more of a decision for public consumption and an attempt by the PA to save face, Qassem said, labelling the governments support for the protests as a form of rhetoric.

Abbas was not the only Arab leader to be chanted against. For many years, Arab leaders have used the Jerusalem cause to whitewash their oppressive rule and polish their own names, while simultaneously ignoring the plight of Palestinians in Jerusalem and their increasing marginalisation under Israeli occupation for decades. Saudis King Salman, Jordans King Abdullah and Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were not spared from the protesters verbal barbs.





Strong spirit

Regarding the situation now, Joudeh said that Jewish settlers, mainly organised under the umbrella of right-wing ultra-nationalist groups such as the Temple Mount Movement, enter the compound on an almost daily basis under the protection of heavily armed Israeli military, and attempt to perform religious rites.

Their presence is viewed as a provocation by Palestinian worshippers and an attempt to disrupt the status quo, which according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israels occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, prohibits non-Muslim worship within the compound.

Jerusalem is simmering with confrontation, says Joudeh.

In Jerusalem, the [Israeli] repression of Palestinians has increased notably, she said. Random arrests, searches, destroying Palestinian cars for no reason, and arbitrary checkpoints have sprung up everywhere.

Joudeh said that despite these added restrictions and hindrances by Israeli authorities, the spirit of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem has never been stronger.

Despite the unprecedented success of the protest, Palestinians are not resting on their laurels.

Through popular mobilisation, we managed to defeat Israels plan to expand control over Al-Aqsa, said al-Jallad, who is still banned from entering Al-Aqsa despite the lack of an official order against her.

But we also know that the battle has just started. Israeli authorities attempts to Judaise the city will not stop, and we have to take advantage of our victory to escalate the resistance.
Last week, disaster hit Sierra Leone, one of the jewels of Africa. At least 500 people were killed after a mudslide tore through a suburb of the capital Freetown. Hundreds of people are still missing and thousands more are left homeless. This is a moment of pain that will forever be etched in our memories as Africans, but simply remembering this tragedy is not enough. We need to learn from it.





Lets put things in perspective. In Sierra Leone and across Africa, the science is unequivocal: Climate change, alongside other man-made elements like deforestation and encroachment, is a contributing factor in such disasters.

According to the US National Weather Services Climate Prediction Center, Sierra Leone has received three times the normal seasonal rainfall this year and such torrential rains are a direct consequence of climate change. This extreme rainfall, combined with the encroachment of creeks and wetlands that act as a natural drainage system for flood water and construction on flood-prone areas cumulatively precipitated this disaster.

In early 2017, new data from the UK Met Office and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) showed that earths temperature has increased to about 1.1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This is dangerously close, just 0.4C away from, to the 1.5C threshold set by the Paris Climate Change Agreement to prevent worsening climate change effects.

Coastal vulnerability

In this trend, the vulnerability of Africas coastal cities, such as Freetown, is unprecedented. The sea-level-rise caused by climate change is projected to expose millions of Africans, who live in the continents coastal cities, to an increased risk of flooding.

By around 2050, five million people in coastal cities of Mozambique, two million in Tanzania, two million in Cameroon, one million in Egypt, and another million people in Senegal and Morocco are going to be exposed to the risk of flooding if the current climate trend continues.

Such flooding would significantly reverse economic and development gains in the region with the ensuing health impacts and damage to infrastructure. Also, several touristic sites would be lost and the food supply chain disrupted, exposing thousands of people to elevated food prices, loss of livelihoods and strife.

The science on climate change is clear. To avoid witnessing a repeat of last weeks devastating disaster, and the demise of Africas coastal cities, countries across the continent need to take urgent action.

Successful projects

The good news is that practical solutions have already been successfully applied across Africa. In Rwandas Geshwati area, a UN project that mapped and developed a comprehensive plan for land suitability is helping vulnerable communities to relocate from previously encroached high-risk natural environments to safer habitation areas. As agriculture is the main livelihood of these communities, this plan is also helping them learn about Ecosystems Based Adaptation (EBA) techniques, which allow them to safely work the land without degrading the area. Simultaneously, the plan is guiding the restoration of previously degraded catchment areas using EBA techniques such as agro-forestry. These efforts have already eradicated landslides that were a common phenomenon in the area.

OPINION: Africa and climate change  Whats at stake?

A similar two-pronged strategy has also been successfully applied to build resilience in Mozambiques coastal communities. Here, coastal communities have long been encroaching on mangroves to harvest fish and vegetation. They were depending on fish activity for their survival and experiencing months of food shortage every year. These activities were also harming the mangroves  a natural buffer against flooding  and putting the region at an elevated risk of coastal floods. To help save the mangroves and ensure food security, UNEP invested in a community-led fish-farming, crab-farming and mangrove reforestation project. The project proved to be highly successful in increasing local communities resilience to climate change.

Sierra Leone and other at-risk countries can benefit from similar strategies combining restoration of degraded ecosystems to buffer against the compounding climate change effects and allocation of sustainable alternative livelihood activities away from risk prone areas. Such projects will prevent possible future encroachment, thus prevent degradation of natural ecosystems that are our best bet against mounting climate change driven disasters.

But such projects alone will not be enough to provide a long-term solution to the climate change threat Africa is currently facing.

A collective undertaking

Africa has the fastest pace of urban population growth globally. This growth, however, does not reflect positively on economic growth, which is a key enabler to building climate resilience. For example, the World Bank notes that African cities are almost 30 percent more expensive than other countries at similar income levels. Housing is 55 percent more costly and food prices are 35 percent higher than in other low and middle-income countries. Unemployment is also high and, as a result, over 50 percent of urban dwellers are Africa is living in slums.





Sierra Leone is facing an urbanisation rate of 2.9 percent, and 75.6 percent of its urban population is currently living in informal settlements. These urban poor stand out as most vulnerable to climate change and this needs to be urgently addressed.

To address this, we need to diversify and decentralise socioeconomic growth opportunities and eradicate the allure of cities as the only areas where one can access income opportunities. It is vital to decongesting African cities and curtailing the growth of informal settlements that are vulnerability hot spots.

By focusing on EBA-driven, agriculture-led industrialisation projects powered by clean energy we can create an opportunity to diversify income opportunities. Cumulatively, this amalgamation can create an agro-industrial sector worth up to $1 trillion by 2030 while ensuring ecosystems are taken care of. It is such diversification that will open up rural Africa  where 70 percent of the continents agricultural activity takes place  to industrialisation and create economic opportunities that would relieve the pressure off of urban areas.

Actualisation of this paradigm is a collective undertaking. It will take the intervention of both state and non-state actors as called for in section five of the Paris Climate Agreement, forming mutual partnerships to bridge policy and operational gaps.

Through an inclusive pan-African framework and platform, the Ecosystem-based adaptation for Food Security in Assembly (EBAFOSA), country stakeholders are already engaging to bridge critical gaps.

EBAFOSA is currently working towards policy harmonisation in agriculture, industrialisation, energy, roads and trade across the continent to ensure that all actors are contributing to the establishment of clean energy powered agro-industrial zones in rural Africa. EBAFOSA is also bridging financing gaps to spur entrepreneurship in these catalytic sectors in rural areas.

Traveling is learning, says an African proverb. Sierra Leone and other at-risk countries stand a real chance of forestalling similar disasters by domesticating above solutions successfully applied by their counterparts across Africa. EBAFOSA through its modus operandi of Innovative Volunteerism offers an opportunity for country stakeholders to convene their respective capacities for mutual partnerships towards a common end. The solutions are known and we have the means to implement them. Lets arise to act in the best interests of Africas present and future generations.

Richard Munang is the United Nations Environment Africa Regional Climate Change programme coordinator. He is responsible for guiding the optimal actualisation of UN Environments climate resilient development objectives for Africa through coordinating implementation of diverse projects in adaptation and mitigation in key economic sectors especially agriculture, and energy as well as informing strategy and policy development from project lessons. Munang holds a PhD in Environmental Change & Policy from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. He has participated in a wide variety of research projects and has published over 300 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and magazines.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Key developments of a 16-year conflict, from the 2001 US invasion after 9/11 to Trumps latest strategy reveal.

After more than 15 years of US troops presence in Afghanistan, President Donald Trump unveiled on Monday a new strategy for the country and cleared the way to send thousands more US troops there.

Currently, 8,400 American soldiers are taking part in NATOs operation in Afghanistan, which comprises a total of 13,000 troops in all. Most of them are charged with overseeing and training Afghan forces.

Below are developments in the US military presence in the country.

2001:  War on terror 

On October 7, 2001, less than a month after the September 11 attacks, US President George W Bush launches operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, after the Taliban refuses to hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

In a matter of weeks, the US-led forces overthrow the Taliban, in power since 1996.

Apart from air raids, the US backs the Afghan Northern Alliance, which is fighting the Taliban, contributing paramilitary teams from the CIA and special forces.

Some 1,000 American soldiers are deployed on the ground in November, rising to 10,000 the year after.

2003-2008: Taliban regroups, Bush sends more troops

Attention is diverted from Afghanistan as US forces in 2003 mount an invasion of Iraq, which becomes the main US concern.

The Taliban and other armed groups regroup in their strongholds in the south and east of Afghanistan, from where they can easily travel to and from Pakistani tribal areas.

In 2008, the American command on the ground calls for manpower to carry out an effective strategy against the Taliban. Bush agrees to send additional soldiers and by mid-2008 there are 48,500 US troops there.

2009: Number of soldiers peaks under Obama

In 2009, in the first months of the presidency of Barack Obama  elected on campaign promises to end the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan  there is a surge in the number of American soldiers in Afghanistan to around 68,000.

In December, Obama raises the strength of US forces in Afghanistan to around 100,000. The objective, the US says, is to put brakes on the Taliban and to strengthen Afghan institutions.

2011: Bin Laden killed in Pakistan

Al-Qaeda leader Bin Laden, alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks that started the war, is killed on May 2, 2011 during an operation by US special forces in Pakistan, where he is in hiding.

2014: End of combat operations

In September 2014, Afghanistan signs a bilateral security accord with the US and a similar text with NATO: 12,500 foreign soldiers, of which 9,800 are Americans, will remain in the country in 2015, after the end of the NATO combat mission at the end of 2014.

From the beginning of 2015, American troops will be charged with two missions: anti-terrorist operations against al-Qaeda and training Afghan forces.

In late December, the NATO combat mission ends, and is replaced by an assistance mission baptised Resolute Support.

However, the security situation degenerates.

Amid a resurgent Taliban, on July 6, 2016, Obama again slows down the pace of withdrawal, saying that 8,400 US troops will remain in Afghanistan into 2017.

2015: US bombs MSF clinic

On October 3, 2015, at the height of combat between armed groups and the Afghan army, backed by NATO special forces, a US air raid bombs a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) in northern Kunduz province, killing 42, including 24 patients and 14 members of the NGO.

April, 2017: MOAB  Mega bomb against ISIL

On April 13, 2017, the US military drops the largest non-nuclear bomb it has ever used in combat, hitting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group positions in a network of tunnels and caves in the east, killing 96 fighters.

In July, the American army kills the ISILs new leader in Afghanistan, the third such chief slain by Washington and Kabul.

Feb  August, 2017: New strategy

On February 1, 2017, a US government report says that losses of Afghan security forces have climbed by 35 percent in 2016 compared with the previous year.

On February 9, the US general in command of the NATO force, General John Nicholson, warns that he needs thousands more troops, telling Congress: I believe were in a stalemate.

On August 21, Trump cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief.

Following the presidents speech, US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced that America and several allies have committed to boosting their troop numbers in Afghanistan.

Senior White House officials say Trump has already authorised Mattis to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.
Millions of Angolans to cast their votes on Wednesday as 74-year-old, who has ruled for 38-years, leaves office.

Angola goes to the polls on Wednesday in a historic election marking the end of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos 38-year reign, with his party set to retain power despite the countrys economic crisis.

The MPLA (Peoples Movement for the Liberation of Angola), which has ruled the country since its 1975 independence from Portugal, is expected to defeat opposition parties that struggle under a repressive regime.

Dos Santos retirement  reportedly prompted by ill health  has triggered the biggest political transition in decades for Angola, a leading oil exporter in Africa.

However, his chosen successor, Defence Minister Joao Lourenco, is a loyalist who is predicted to avoid immediate change in a government often criticised for corruption and failure to tackle dire poverty.

Dos Santos brought forward his departure to after these elections due to his deteriorating health, Alex Vines, of the Chatham House think-tank, told AFP news agency.

Lourenco is an ideal transitional successor to dos Santos. He is respected by the military and has not lived a flamboyant lifestyle of many others.

READ MORE: Angolas dos Santos confirms plan to step down

At a weekend rally in front of thousands of MPLA party supporters, dos Santos, a frail-looking 74-year-old, made a brief appearance to endorse the likely new president.

We have no doubt about the victory of the MPLA, and our candidate will be the future president, which is why I ask you: August 23, vote MPLA  and Joao Lourenco, he said in a weak voice.

Dos Santos has been dogged by reports of illness, and his regular visits to Spain for private reasons fuelled criticism that his health status was being hidden from ordinary Angolans.

Earlier this year, his daughter Isabel  who has become a billionaire and Africas richest businesswoman under his rule  was forced to deny rumours he had died in Spain.

Dos Santos long rule has seen the end of Angolas bloody civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002, and he has presided over a post-war investment boom as the country exploited its oil reserves.

But the flood of money brought little benefit to Angolas poor, and the crash in oil prices in 2014 triggered a full-scale economic crisis.

Opposition parties, who have a low profile due to restrictions on their activities and lack of finance, have sought to tap into public anger at the government.

You who are suffering, you who are in poverty, without electricity, without jobs or nothing to eat  change is now, Isaias Samakuva, candidate for the main opposition UNITA party told supporters on the campaign trail.

Samakuva, 71, took over UNITA after longtime rebel leader Jonas Savimbi was killed in 2002, a death that marked the beginning of the end of a 27-year civil war.

Lourenco, 63, has focused in his campaign speeches on vowing to fight against corruption, create jobs and make Angola better.
Council votes to cover two statues in black fabric at meeting packed with residents angry over white supremacist rally.

Local authorities in the US city of Charlottesville have voted to drape two Confederate statues in black fabric during a chaotic meeting packed with irate residents who screamed and cursed at councillors over the citys response to a white supremacist rally.

The anger at Monday nights meeting, during which three people were arrested, forced the council to abandon its agenda and focus instead on the death of Heather Heyer, who was killed when a car slammed into a crowd protesting against the August 12 rally.

Covering the statues is intended to signal the citys mourning for Heyer.

OPINION: Charlottesville is America everywhere

The council meeting was the first since the Unite the Right event, which was believed to be the largest gathering of white supremacists in a decade. The demonstrators arrived in Charlottesville partly to protest the city councils vote to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee.

That removal is in the midst of a legal challenge. A state law passed in 1998 forbids local governments from removing, damaging or defacing war monuments, but there is legal ambiguity about whether that applies to statues such as the Lee monument that was erected before the law was passed. A judge has issued an injunction preventing the city from removing the Lee statue while the lawsuit plays out.

Mayor Mike Signer told The Associated Press on Tuesday that city staff had begun working to find a way to cover the large statues with a material that can withstand the elements. The council believes doing so would not violate the state law, he said.

Anger at the mayor

At the meeting, many speakers directed their anger at Signer. They expressed frustration that city leaders had granted a permit for the white supremacist rally and criticised police for allowing the two sides to clash violently before the rally even started.

The fighting went on largely uninterrupted by authorities until the event was declared an unlawful assembly and the crowd was forced to disperse.

Later, a car rammed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heyer and injuring more than a dozen others.

Why did you think that you could walk in here and do business as usual after what happened on the 12th? City Council candidate and community activist Nikuyah Walker said.

#Charlottesville city council mtg tonight. This is Nikuyah Walker speaking truth to power. She is running for city council & is what we need pic.twitter.com/aqRb6Wneso  Ken (@HorneKen) August 22, 2017

The mayor tried to restore order, but as tensions escalated, the meeting was temporarily suspended. Video showed protesters chanting blood on your hands as Signer stood at the front of the room. Others held signs calling for his resignation.

Three people were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct or obstruction, police said.

I think what you saw last night was a traumatised community beginning the process of catharsis, Signer said.

The council also voted to take the procedural first steps towards removing a state of Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson. City leaders had initially planned to leave it in place.

I believe that the removal of the Confederate statues is a necessary part of showing that this community can be truly a community of mutual respect, Councilwoman Kristin Szakos, who proposed covering the statues, said in a statement.

We must do that if we hope to move forward to true justice and equity. We should have done it years ago.
Dubai TV has aired a false report claiming anti-government demonstrations took place in Doha, Qatar, and alleged that troops  including soldiers from Turkey  sprayed tear gas at protesters.

Qatars government press office on Tuesday dismissed the report as fake news in a statement sent to Al Jazeera, a day after the broadcast which has now been circulated online.

Mondays report by the Emirati channel came as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain continue a blockade against their Gulf neighbour, Qatar. The trio alleges that Doha supports terrorism, claims Qatar strongly denies.

This is just the latest example of fake news created by the blockading countries, Saif Al Thani, director of Qatars government press office, told Al Jazeera.

The blockading countries are becoming increasingly desperate in their efforts to isolate Qatar because the international community has not been fooled by the smear campaign. They are now continuing their focus on public opinion; they are spending millions on creating fake news.

     #    .!

.

     !

.

      pic.twitter.com/YeCBs1foe3      (@JnAlMarri) August 21, 2017

Doha-based Twitter user @JnAlMarri tweeted the clip of the false report, saying: What does media in Qatar have to say about this? For Gods sake, who is willing to believe this? His tweet has been shared almost 1,000 times.

In the broadcast, reporter Maryam Al Awadhi says: Turkish troops have been deployed on key street intersections of Doha, Qatar, in response to demonstrations by Qatari citizens.

The Dubai TV presenter claimed to base her reporting on sources within the Qatari opposition.

A curfew was imposed on several parts of Doha after Qatari and Turkish troops fired tear gas at protesters, the report incorrectly claimed.

A Qatari government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media, told Al Jazeera: It is obvious that this report is fiction and is part of a bucket of lies the blockading countries have been spreading against Qatar.

Earlier this week, Qatar filed a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) after a Dubai-based Saudi-owned channel, Al Arabiya TV, aired a video animation showing a Qatar Airways passenger jet being shot down.

That video speculated that in the event of a Qatari civilian jet accidentally travelling through Saudi airspace  which was closed after the blockade was announced in June, the kingdoms air force would be covered by international law to bring down or even shoot down the civilian aircraft.

Follow Ali Younes on Twitter: @ali_reports
The 4.0-magnitude earthquake damaged buildings and caused a blackout on the holiday island off the coast of Naples.

At least two people died and more than 20 were injured following an earthquake on the southern Italian island of Ischia, a popular holiday destination off the coast of Naples.

Italys geological institute INGV said the 4.0-magnitude seismic event took place just before 9pm (19:00 GMT) and had its epicentre at a depth of 5km, a few kilometres north of the island.

Demetrio Martino, deputy government prefect in Naples, told RAI public television that seven people were trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building.

Two were extracted alive, three children were still trapped but rescuers had established contact with them, but we are worried about the other two people, Martino said.

The three children being rescued are aged 17 months, four and six, the ANSA news agency said.

A total of 26 people reported injuries, including two who were seriously hurt but in non-life-threatening conditions, ANSA also said, quoting local police.

READ MORE: Nepal earthquakes open wounds

According to several Italian media reports, one of the victims was an elderly woman killed by plaster falling off a church.

The quake was really strong and really scary, Donatella Migliaccio, a local councillor, told DPA news agency. I heard that [several] people have died, she added.

Ischia, an island with more than 64,000 residents that hosts many more people during the summer, lies about 55km southwest of Naples.

Questions raised over extent of damage

Pictures and footage published by Italian media and on social networks showed people in the streets and seriously damaged buildings. The quake caused an electrical blackout and the evacuation of a hospital.

Initial rescue efforts were constrained by limited resources on the island and authorities sent more aid with a special boat from Naples.

Ferries were also readied to take to the mainland anyone who wished to leave the island.

The INGV had initially classified the earthquake as a 3.6 with a 10km-deep epicentre, raising questions about how such a relatively weak seismic event could wreak so much havoc.

It is not normal [for it] to cause building collapses and hospital evacuations, Egidio Grasso, the head of a regional association of geologists, said in a statement.

He suggested that the destructive effect may have been amplified by local geological factors or by shoddy constructions built without any earthquake-proofing.

Ischia is famous for its thermal baths, and is a regular destination for German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her Easter holidays.

The island was struck by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in 1883 that killed more than 2,300 people.

The latest disaster took place hours after Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni promised more reconstruction efforts following last years earthquakes in central Italy, which killed more than 300

people.

Much of Italys landmass and some of its surrounding waters are prone to seismic activity with the highest risk concentrated along its mountainous central spine.

Italy straddles the Eurasian and African tectonic plates, making it vulnerable to seismic activity when they move.
Rescue team search for survivors after landslide on a rubbish landfill on the outskirts of Conakry kills at least eight.

At least eight people have died and dozens more injured in Guinea when a rubbish dump on the outskirts of the capital, Conakry, collapsed after heavy rain.

Five bodies, including those of two children, were taken to a morgue in Conakry following Tuesdays incident, according to senior police official Boubacar Kasse.

The incident happened in Hamdallai, located in the district of Ratoma, after week-long heavy rains.

An AFP news agency reporter on the scene later saw three other bodies that were recovered from the landslide.

READ MORE: Study says Ebola epidemic fuelled by super-spreaders

Dozens of injured were taken to hospital, police said.

The rubbish fell onto three homes, said Kasse, the police commissioner for Conakry.

There are still many people buried, and we have to do everything possible to save them. We have to get diggers in. Access to the area is very difficult.





Police deployed in the area in large numbers as rescue teams strove to look for survivors, the AFP reporter said. Two people were brought out alive.

The government of the West African country said in a statement that rescue operations were under way.

On this sad occasion, the government addresses its deepest condolences to the victims families, the statement added.

The incident happened eight days after a mudslide and flooding struck the neighbouring country of Sierra Leone, killing nearly 500 people.

According to the Red Cross, at least 600 there are also missing.

The two countries  among the poorest nations in the world  are highly vulnerable to seasonal rains, given the lack of urban drainage and the building of homes, many of them ramshackle, on slopes.

Experts have warned that the threat of deadly landslides in parts of West Africa is growing, as rainfall, deforestation and urban populations rise.
Afghan ambassador to the US welcomes US President Donald Trumps commitment to war in Afghanistan.

In something of a reverse from his campaign pledges, President Donald Trump has committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signalling he would send more troops as he vowed a fight to win.

In a speech on Monday, Trump promised to step up a military campaign against the Taliban and said the US would shift away from a time-based approach.

He also singled out Pakistan for harbouring elements of the Taliban and said he was hoping for eventual peace talks with the armed group.

The speech came after a months-long review of US policy.

READ MORE: Timeline  US intervention in Afghanistan 2001 to 2017

Al Jazeera spoke to Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan ambassador to the US, on the reaction from Kabul.

Al Jazeera: Is this what you expected to hear from President Trump?

Hamdullah Mohib: Yes, we welcome this decision. It was a result of intense deliberations that took into account both of our countries needs and considerations.

Its the first time that such a tremendous amount of focus has been put on Afghanistan to succeed and we are grateful for this outcome.

Al Jazeera: What do you think Trump meant when he focused on needs and conditions instead of timelines? From an Afghan perspective, what are those needs and conditions?

Mohib: For too long, we focused on predetermined numbers and timelines, without taking into account that perhaps the war doesnt go with those kind of plans. There would be times where we needed more support, and there had been other occasions where that support may not be as critical.

But because the numbers were defined, the enemy always knew what they could expect, and for how long they needed to be patient and adjust their policy.





What we wanted was to move away from the discussion about predetermined troop numbers, and predetermined timelines, to move to a circumstance where the situation on the ground dictates what kind of military support is required.

Al Jazeera: Trump called Pakistan a terrorist haven. What do you make of those comments?

Mohib: We welcome the breaking of the silence over Pakistan sheltering and providing sanctuary to terrorists.

For far too long, Afghans have been pointing to the sanctuaries across the Durand Line in Pakistan, and all of the logistical and military support provided to those terrorists who have been targeting both Afghans and our partners, including the United States, in Afghanistan.

I think [it is] a great shift in strategy that will lead to more stability in Afghanistan.

Al Jazeera: Would you say Trump outlined a political strategy in his speech?

Mohib: Its an integrated policy of Americas military, economic and political power to achieve our shared goals. So yes, this was more a political policy than it was a military policy.

It laid out that there will be focus on reforms in Afghanistan. We have been working with our counterparts on what needs to be done, on our part, and what needs to be done on the American part.

What weve seen now is Americas commitment to continued support to the Afghan security forces, but not just that. It also takes into account regional diplomacy and ensures that we invest in Afghanistans economic potential so that we become self-reliant on every front, politically, economically and militarily.
The rule allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word talaq three times.

Indias Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked triple talaq or instant divorce, practised by some in the Muslim community, until the government frames new legislation, a partial victory for Muslim women who had long argued that the rule violated their right to equality.

Three out of the five judges on the constitution bench ruled against the triple talaq, which allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word talaq three times.

The judges said the law violated Article 14 and 21 of the constitution of India, which is related to equality, and protection of life and personal liberty respectively.

This is a sensitive case where sentiments are involved. We are directing the Union of India to consider appropriate legislation in this regard, Justice JS Khehar said while announcing a six-month suspension on the practice of the divorce law.

Its a very happy day for us. Its a historic day, said Zakia Soman the cofounder of the Indian Muslim Womens Movement, which was part of the legal battle to end triple talaq.

We, the Muslim women, are entitled to justice from the courts as well as the legislature, she added.

https://twitter.com/RatnaJungleLore/status/899879991608885248

Muslim women say they have been left destitute by husbands divorcing them through triple talaq, including by Skype and WhatsApp.

Karuna Nundy, a lawyer at the Supreme Court of India, told Al Jazeera that the courts ruling is very significant.

The judgement is progressive because it recognises that this talaq practice is extremely oppressive to women and not essential to religious law, she said.

Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andola, a Muslim organisation, launched a campaign two years ago to ban triple talaq.

Triple talaq was already ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in a number of cases, including in February 2015.

A recent survey released by the BMMA found that 92 percent of the 4,710 Muslim women surveyed wanted a total ban on verbal or unilateral divorce.

Muslims in India, who make up the largest religious minority in the country, are governed by the Muslim Personal Law.

The legislation is not codified, which means it is open to interpretation by local clergy.

As a result, BMMA noted that Muslim women are excluded educationally, economically and socially owing to government neglect and suffer from near absence of any legal framework in matters of family and marriage.

End of a stupidity. #TripleTalaqVerdict   Samosa (@AsNiceAsYou) August 22, 2017

Triple talaq unconstitutional. Finally!!!!!!. These judgements bring back the faith in our judiciary.#TripleTalaqVerdict  Sudhasaba (@sudhasaba) August 22, 2017

Indias Muslim Law Board had told the court that while they considered the practice wrong, they opposed any court intervention and asked that the matter is left to the community to tackle.

But several progressive Muslim activists have decried the law boards position.

This is the demand of ordinary Muslim women for over 70 years, and its time for this country to hear their voices, activist Feroze Mithiborwala told New Delhi television station.

The current government supports an end to the practice and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in many public addresses that the practice oppresses Muslim women and needs to be ended.
As battle for the ISIL-held city of Tal Afar intensifies, Pentagon chief James Mattis makes unannounced visit to Iraq.

US-backed Iraqi forces on Tuesday said they were making gains in their ongoing push to dislodge fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group from the northern city of Tal Afar, as the Pentagon chief made a surprise visit to Iraq in a show of support.

The joint Iraqi forces took control of al-Jazirah area, on the eastern side of Tal Afar, as troops and members of the Shia Popular Mobilisation forces started heading towards the city centre, a security source told the DPA news agency.

ISIL fighters, estimated to number up to 1,000, reportedly responded with artillery fire, as government forces massed outside the city. The city has been under ISIL control since 2014.

MAPPED: The battle against ISIL

Al Jazeeras Osama bin Javaid, reporting from Erbil in northern Iraq, quoted military sources as saying that forces are moving in from the western and northeastern front of the city, adding that they have taken control of an oil refinery and breached the citys walls.

Their movement was swift earlier, but now the real battle begins, he said on Tuesday, the third day since the start of the offensive.

Army, police and units of the Popular Mobilisation forces also took full control of Tal Afars al-Kifah and al-Nur districts, Popular Mobilisation spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

Assadi said Iraqi forces had encircled the city despite intense fighting, adding that the offensive would likely last for weeks.

In his weekly press conference, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi described Tuesdays progress as excellent, calling it an indication of the enemys collapse.

Tal Afar, located some 70km west of the recently recaptured city of Mosul, is a key ISIL hub between Iraqs second largest city and the Syrian border.

In July, Iraqi troops, supported by the forces of a US-led coalition, routed ISIL in Mosul, allowing it to advance into Tal Afar on Sunday. ISIL still controls other areas in the south and west of Mosul.

The latest offensive has forced thousands of people to flee to the countrys Kurdish region, according to the United Nations.

On Tuesday, Al Jazeeras bin Javaid reported that fleeing residents had to travel 10 to 20 hours to escape the fighting.

Its a very desperate picture. Some people werent even fully-clothed  as they tried to reach safety, he said.

Since Friday, more than 3,000 people had arrived at two emergency sites, many with just the clothes on their back, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

These internally displaced persons (IDPs) carried a minimal amount of clothes; some only had what they wore, some were partially clothed, IOM said in a statement, adding that thousands more are expected to flee in the coming days.

Most of the residents had to walk for hours in arduous conditions before reaching safe areas, the statement said. Many arrive exhausted and in poor health, often with critical levels of malnutrition among children, some unable to move.

UNHCR, the UNs refugee agency also said it had received some 9,000 people at the Hamman al-Alil transit centre in the past week, and it was preparing to accommodate nearly 30,000 more.

Food and water are running out, and people lack the basic necessities to survive, said Lise Grande, the UNs humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, adding that families are trekking in extreme heat to reach mustering points. They are arriving exhausted and dehydrated.

Mattis visit

As the fighting continues, US Defence Secretary James Mattis, who made an unannounced visit to Iraq, declared that ISIS is on the run, following his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad.

Today, the security for the Iraqi people has been greatly improved, Mattis said. Cities have been liberated. People are free from ISIS  the economy is recovering.





But Mattis declined to make any predictions on the battle.

ISISs days are certainly numbered, but its not over yet, and its not going to be over anytime soon, he said.

Mattis then left for Erbil, the capital of Iraqs Kurdish semi-autonomous region, where he is scheduled to hold a meeting with President Massoud Barzani.

A key sticking point in the meeting is Iraqi Kurdistans plan for an independence referendum on September 25, strongly opposed by the US and Baghdad.

Barzani, who has so far resisted international pressure to delay the referendum, said the vote would not be postponed for the Kurds own good despite reports that the US administration is critical of the vote, according to Kurdish news website Rudaw.

Waiting for Baghdad to approve the referendum is dangerous, said Barzani. The Kurds have agreed to start a new page with Baghdad, but the Baghdad governments mentality has not changed, he added.

The Iraqi constitution gives us the right to self-determination.

Brett McGurk, the White House envoy to the anti-ISIL coalition, told the Associated Press news agency that a referendum at this time would be potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign.
Ruling marks largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against the company in US court.s

A US jury has ordered drugmaker Johnson & Johnson to pay $417m to a woman who claimed she developed terminal ovarian cancer after using the companys talc-based products.

The case was one of thousands of lawsuits brought nationwide alleging the company failed to warn consumers of the risk of cancer from talc in its products.





The California jury made the award, which included $347m in punitive damages, to Eva Echeverria on Monday after she filed suit in July of last year, a representative of the Los Angeles Superior Court told the AFP news agency.

Echeverria, 63, developed the disease after decades of using Johnson & Johnson talc-based powders for feminine hygiene, according to media accounts.

In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said it would lodge an appeal.

We will appeal todays verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnsons Baby Powder, company spokesperson Carol Goodrich said in a statement.

She cited the editorial board of the National Cancer Institutes Physician Data Query, which wrote in April that the weight of evidence does not support the existence of a link between ovarian cancer and exposure of the genital region to talc.

Mondays verdict marks the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in courts around the United States.

So far, juries in St. Louis, Missouri have also awarded damages against Johnson & Johnson totalling more than $307m in similar talc cases.
Award-winning director is accused of stealing at least $1.15m in state funds earmarked for an art project.

A prominent Russian film and theatre director, who is known for bold productions criticising conservatism in Russia, has been detained over allegations of embezzling state funds.

Kirill Serebrennikov, 47, was arrested in St Petersburg on Tuesday after Russias Investigative Committee said in a statement that it suspected he had misappropriated at least 68m roubles ($1.15m) from 2011 to 2014 in government funds earmarked for an art project.

Serebrennikov, art director at Moscows avant-garde Gogol Centre Theatre, denies any wrongdoing. He faces up to 10 years in jail if found guilty.

OPINION: Is Russia a real threat to the West?

The award-winning director has used his work to criticise the authorities in the past, lamenting what he says is the lack of freedom and growing social conservatism in his country.

Serebrennikov, whose films have been shown at the Cannes and Venice film festivals, has lashed out at a government clampdown on artistic works, warning last year that everything is returning to the most pathetic Soviet practices.

His detention shocked his supporters and the arts world.

The arrest of the director before a trial is a clearly excessive measure, wrote Alexei Kudrin, a liberal economist and former finance minister, on social media.

OPINION: Russias new protest generation

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Serebrennikovs detention was a warning to other arts figures that the Kremlin expected absolute loyalty ahead of next years presidential election, in which President Vladimir Putin is expected to run.

Theyre drawing a new red line. Your creative work must glorify the authorities, and with your friends, you should hold your tongue, he wrote.

Al Jazeeras Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow said: The artistic community feels that authorities are using bureaucratic tactics to go after Serebrennikov and essentially pressing him for their political positions.

Ballet controversy

In May, investigators searched Serebrennikovs home and office and questioned him as a witness in an embezzlement case.





His lawyer could not immediately say if Serebrennikovs detention was linked to the same case or a different one.

Police have already arrested three people in connection with the inquiry, two of whom are in custody and the other under house arrest.

In July, the Bolshoi Theatre pulled the staging of a controversial ballet directed by Serebrennikov, three days before its scheduled premiere, saying it was not ready.

The show was based on the life of the famous Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who defected to the West.

The Bolshoi denied reports that the ballet had been scrapped because of its frank portrayal of the protagonist dancers gay relationships.

His productions have upset many conservative Russians, said Al Jazeeras Challands.

There is definitely a case to made for the fact that space for people like Serebrennikov is diminishing in Russia at the moment.

A court is expected to rule within the next 48 hours whether to keep Serebrennikov in custody or not.
Pyongyang says US included lethal weapons in drills with South Korea and is training troops to behead Kim Jong-un.

North Korea on Tuesday greeted the start of annual US-South Korean military drills with fiery threats, vowing merciless retaliation for exercises Pyongyang claims are an invasion rehearsal.

North Koreas military routinely responds to US-South Korean exercises.

Tuesdays threat came as top US generals, including Harry Harris, the commander of US forces in the Pacific, visited South Korea.

Ties between the Koreas are almost always fraught, but anxiety is higher than normal following weeks of tit-for-tat threats between US President Donald Trump and Pyongyang in the wake of North Koreas two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

READ MORE: North Korea explained in graphics

The US generals were to travel to the site of a contentious US missile defence system in South Korea later on Tuesday.

North Koreas military statement said it would launch an unspecified merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment on the United States over the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills that began Monday for an 11-day run.





The North Korean statement accused the US of deploying unspecified lethal weapons for the drills that it says involve a beheading operation training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong-un.

No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch in the Korean Peninsula, the statement said.

Moreover, high-ranking bosses of the US imperialist aggressor forces flew into South Korea to hold a war confab. Such huddle is increasing the gravity of the situation.

The drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer and have drawn furious responses from North Korea.

This years exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers, according to the US military command in South Korea and Seouls Defence Ministry.

South Koreas President Moon Jae-in said the drills are defensive in nature and are held regularly because of repeated provocations by North Korea.
Women and children among the dead as a barrage of US-led coalition raids hit ISIL-held city.

At least 100 civilians have been killed over the past 48 hours by US-led air attacks targeting fighters in Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in Syria.

Residents told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that at least 100 civilians had been killed since Sunday, with 55 civilians killed in the eastern neighbourhoods of Bedou and al-Sukhani on Monday.

Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) put Mondays death toll at 42, including 19 children and 12 women, and said 27 were killed on Sunday  a two-day total of 69 people.





The deaths came on the second consecutive day of a ferocious bombing campaign in Raqqa, more than half of which has been captured by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battling ISIL.

The tolls are high because the air strikes are hitting neighbourhoods in the city centre that are densely packed with civilians, SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman told the AFP news agency.

There are buildings full of civilians that are trying to get away from the front lines.

Coalition air strikes are targeting any building where any kind of [ISIL] movements are being detected.

READ MORE: The rise and fall of ISIL explained

Earlier this month, the aid group Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym, MSF) reported that food and medicine needed to treat the wounded were in short supply.

In Raqqa city, if you dont die from air strikes, you die by mortar fire; if not by mortars then by sniper shots; if not by snipers, then by an explosive device, MSF said, quoting a 41-year-old who fled Raqqa after losing seven family members in the fighting.

And if you get to live, you are besieged by hunger and thirst, as there is no food, no water, no electricity.

Thousands trapped

The US-led coalition, which operates in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq, says it takes all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties.

In August, it acknowledged the deaths of 624 civilians in its attacks in Syria and Iraq since 2014, but rights groups say the number is much higher.

The United Nations estimates there are up to 25,000 civilians trapped inside the city, with food and fuel supplies short and prohibitively expensive.

The UNs humanitarian point man for Syria, Jan Egeland, has said ISIL-held territory in Raqqa city is now the worst place in the war-torn country.

The Syrian conflict, which began with peaceful protests in March 2011 against President Bashar al-Assad, has spiralled into a multi-sided civil war.

The death toll stands at more than 400,000 people killed, according to UN estimates.
Wider search for 10 sailors missing after US warships collision with tanker to continue, as some remains are found.

Divers looking for 10 missing sailors on a US navy guided-missile destroyer that collided with an oil tanker off Singapore have found human remains, a US admiral said on Tuesday.

The accident on Monday, which left a gaping gash in the destroyers hull, was the second deadly collision in two months involving an American warship.

The US Navy has announced a fleet-wide global investigation after the accident involving the USS John S McCain and the merchant vessel.

Bodies were discovered in the parts of the US ship that were sealed off after the crash. Malaysian navy crews taking part in search efforts also found a body outside the vessel.





The remains are in the process of being identified, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott Swift told reporters in Singapore, where the USS John S McCain was brought to after the collision in the waters east of the city-state.

We owe it to sailors that man the 7th Fleet and their families to answer the questions that flow from the uncertainty of what happened, how could it happen and what could be done to prevent such occurrences in the future, Swift said.

Four of the five injured sailors were airlifted to hospital in Singapore for non-life-threatening injuries, while the fifth required no further medical attention.

The Alnic MC tanker, which transports oil and chemicals, sustained damage but the crew escaped unharmed. A shipping company based in the Greek capital Athens, Stealth Maritime, operates the tanker.

Comprehensive review

It was the second fatal collision in two months  after the USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off Japan in June and left seven sailors dead  and the fourth accident in the Pacific this year involving an American warship.

The incidents have sparked concern that the US Navy could be overstretched in East Asia  both ships were from the Japan-based Seventh Fleet  as they tackle Chinas rising assertiveness and North Koreas nuclear ambitions.





The McCain had been heading for a routine stop in Singapore after carrying out a freedom of navigation operation in the disputed South China Sea earlier in August, sparking a furious response from Beijing.

On Monday, the Chief of US Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered commanders within a week to set aside time, perhaps one or two days, for crews to sit down together for discussions.

A comprehensive review of practices would also begin.

As you know, this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theatre, Richardson said.

This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world.

The damaged vessel is named after US Senator John McCains father and grandfather, who were both admirals in the US navy.
Treasury says it is unacceptable for Chinese and Russian firms and individuals to do business with Pyongyang.

The United States has imposed new sanctions on Chinese and Russian firms and individuals for what it said was their support of North Koreas weapons programme  a move criticised by both Beijing and Moscow.

The US Treasury designated on Tuesday six Chinese-owned entities, one Russian, one North Korean and two based in Singapore.

They included a Namibia-based subsidiary of a Chinese company and a North Korean entity operating in Namibia.

READ MORE: Will Trump strike North Korea?

The sanctions also targeted six individuals  four Russians, one Chinese and one North Korean.

The measures block any assets individuals and entities may have in US jurisdictions and bar Americans from transactions with them.

It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

Banks excluded

The move follows a war of words between Washington and Pyongyang over recent missile tests that show North Korea is capable of reaching the US mainland.

China reacted with irritation, saying Washington should immediately correct its mistake of imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals to avoid damaging bilateral cooperation.





Russia also criticised criticized the US sanctions, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saying that Kremlin was starting to work on retaliatory measures, which are unavoidable in this situation.

The latest US steps stopped short of targeting Chinese financial institutions dealing with North Korea, a step that would have greatly angered Beijing.

The Trump administration is still hoping China will pressure Pyongyang.

The sanctions target a range of North Koreas illicit activities and the focus on Chinese facilitators is another message to Beijing, Anthony Ruggiero, a Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow and former US Treasury official, told the Reuters news agency.

However, there are missing elements. Theres no focus on the efforts of Chinese banks that facilitate these transactions. In addition, these Chinese networks likely have additional front companies operating on behalf of the network and those were not sanctioned.

Richard Nephew of Columbia University said it appeared the US government was exploring what the tolerance is to the use of secondary sanctions.

The fact that theyve not yet moved forward with any big bank effort suggests to me that theyre quite nervous about the risks of blowback and reasonably so, he told Reuters.
Saudi Arabias High Judicial Court has announced that, based on confirmed sightings of the new moon crescent on Tuesday, the first day of Eid al-Adha 1438 will be Friday, September 1.

Malaysia, Jordan, and South Africa had also announced the same.

Confirmed September 1 Malaysia

Indonesia

Jordan

Malaysia

Turkey

Saudi Arabia

Oman

Egypt

South Africa

Morocco

Maldives

Algeria

Nigeria

Pakistan announced Saturday, September 2 would be the first day of Eid.

Bangladesh, Pakistan and India were also sighting the moon on Tuesday, which for them is the 29th day of the Dhu al-Qidah lunar calendar. For Saudi Arabia, August 22 corresponds to the 30th of Dhu al-Qidah.

:                     . pic.twitter.com/aoQngDJ1cL     (@AstronomyCenter) August 22, 2017

The Eid al-Adha is Islams holiest festival celebrated annually around the world and is an official holiday in Muslim-majority countries.

Eid al-Adha in Arabic literally means festival of the sacrifice, and for Muslims, it commemorates the day when prophet Abraham was going to sacrifice his son but was instructed by God to offer an animal instead.

Eid al-Adha is also the third day of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Amid praise for the Supreme Courts decision to suspend instant divorce practice, others push for more womens rights.

In a move hailed by activists as important and progressive, India on Tuesday banned the practice of instant divorce used by some members of its Muslim minority population.

Known as triple talaq, the act was suspended by a panel of five judges who ruled by a majority of 3-2 that it is not integral to religious practice and violates constitutional morality.

Under triple talaq, a husband can divorce his wife by uttering or writing three times the word talaq  which means divorce. This has led to devastating consequences, with women often finding themselves destitute.

There have also been instances where women were divorced in this way by receiving a WhatsApp message or through Skype.

READ MORE: What is triple talaq or instant divorce?

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the women of India who fought against the practice in his Independence Day speech.

I pay respects to those women who had to lead miserable lives due to triple talaq and then started a movement which created an environment in the whole nation against the practice, Modi said.

He tweeted on Tuesday that the ban was a powerful measure for women empowerment.

Some on social media used the opportunity to remind their followers that Islam as a religion granted women rights.

The widely recommended and used mode of divorce in the Muslim world involves a waiting period of a few months after the first talaq word is uttered, which gives time for reconciliation efforts to be made.

The terming of #TripleTalaq as unconstitutional is not only a victory for gender justice but also Islam (which gave women unheard of rights)  Rana Safvi   (@iamrana) August 22, 2017

Others said that the triple talaq divorce rates are far less common than many people would believe.

Fact that less than 1% of Muslim divorces are to be blamed on instant #TripleTalaq is a convenient oversight. Many don't know a single case.  Nadim Asrar (@_sufiyana_) August 22, 2017

There was some disagreement over who to credit for the ruling  the BJP, Modis ruling party, or the female activists who have campaigned for the past two years to abolish the practice.

Muslim ladies should remember that BJP helped them to fight against #TripleTalaq and Congress leaders like Kapil Sibbal fought against them.  The Frustrated Indian (@FrustIndian) August 22, 2017

We know if SC had upheld Triple Talaq the failure would have been Narendra Modi's alone  https://t.co/Wo191XyfT8  Nandini  (@NAN_DINI_) August 22, 2017

Credit goes to the women who fought against triple talaq and went to the Court https://t.co/bseg9Sh0AJ  Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi) August 22, 2017

Others saw the development as the first steps in achieving partial equality while acknowledging other factors and laws that hinder womens rights.

Today the Rights of muslim women restored, from tomorrow let's talk about jobs, opportunities, education for the community.#TripleTalaqOver  Marya Shakil (@maryashakil) August 22, 2017
Armed group warns that the US president is wasting soldiers lives by sending thousands more troops to the country.

The Afghan Taliban has warned Donald Trump is wasting American soldiers lives after the US president approved sending thousands more troops to the war-ravaged country.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Afghanistan would become a graveyard for the US on Tuesday after dismissing Trumps strategy as vague and offering nothing new.

If America doesnt withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century, he said.

In his first formal address to the US as commander-in-chief, Trump backtracked from his election pledge to end the US longest war that has dragged on for nearly 16 years.

Since taking office in January, Trump said he has realised that withdrawing could create a vacuum for groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) to exploit.

Though his speech was billed as an announcement of his updated Afghanistan policy, Trump offered few specific details.

He did not, for example, provide a number of the additional troops that would be sent to the war.

READ MORE: SIGAR questions millions spent in Afghanistan

The US currently has around 8,400 troops in the country, down from a peak of about 100,000 troops in 2010 and 2011, with around 5,000 from NATO allies assisting a much larger Afghan force in the war against the Taliban and other armed groups.

A senior Taliban commander told the AFP news agency that Trump was perpetuating the arrogant behaviour of previous US presidents, such as George Bush.

He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

For generations, we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh, and we will continue this war until our last breath.

Al Jazeeras Jennifer Glasse, reporting from the Afghan capital Kabul, said the Taliban was taking a very hard line to the presidents speech.

The Taliban has made it clear theyre committed to continue fighting the enemy and are in turn giving the US latitude to do so.

Both President Bush and Obama said they would take the fight to the Taliban  but it remains to be seen whether Trumps plan can yield any different results.

The Afghan government has been very bullish on the new strategy, but since we dont know the specifics, we dont know what Trump plans to do differently.

OPINION: Afghanistan  A pawn in major power rivalry?

The war in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001, after the September 11 attacks, has claimed the lives of more than 2,200 US troops and cost more than $800bn.

There is no official figure of the number of Afghan civilians killed, but estimates range between 25,000-30,000. According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), at least 1,662 civilians were killed between January 1 and June 30 this year.

While Trump has refused to offer detailed figures, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his James Mattis, the defence secretary, to deploy up to 3,900 more soldiers.

In his speech, Trump also lambasted ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to agents of chaos.

We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, he said.

It is time for Pakistan to dedicate to civilization and order and peace.

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network told the AFP news agency that Trumps speech was proof of a Crusade.

His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim [community], he said.

Prior to Trumps announcement, the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
In first address as commander-in-chief, US President Trump argues against withdrawal from Afghan war and slams Pakistan.

US President Donald Trump said the United States must continue fighting in Afghanistan to avoid the predictable and unacceptable results of a rapid withdrawal from the country where the US has been at war for 16 years.

In a prime-time address to the nation on Monday evening  his first as commander-in-chief, Trump said his original instinct was to pull out, alluding to his long-expressed view before becoming president that Afghanistan was an unsolvable quagmire requiring US withdrawal.

But since taking office, Trump said, he had determined that withdrawing could create a vacuum that groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) could instantly fill.

TIMELINE: US intervention in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2017

I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense, Trump said.

Trump warned that the approach would now be more pragmatic than idealistic. Security assistance to Afghanistan was not a blank cheque he said, warning he would not send the military to construct democracies in faraway lands or create democracies in our own image.

We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists, he said.

OPINION: ISIL in Afghanistan  A growing threat

Though his speech was billed as an announcement of his updated Afghanistan policy, Trump offered few specific details.

He did not provide the number of additional troops that would be sent to the war, though US officials said before the speech they expect him to go along with a Pentagon recommendation for nearly 4,000 new troops.

We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities, Trump said. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on.





Al Jazeeras Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, DC, said it was unusual that Trump did not disclose the number of extra troops.

There are going to be questions and calls from members of congress and members of the public to say, the American public has a right to know just how many are fighting in their name and how much its going to cost, she said.

There are roughly 8,400 American forces in Afghanistan. At its peak, the US had roughly 100,000 forces there under the Obama administration in 2010-2011.

READ MORE: World reacts to Trumps new strategy on Afghan war

Trump said the American people were weary of war without victory.

I share the American peoples frustration, Trump said at the Armys Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from the White House.

Still, he insisted that in the end, we will win.

Tougher approach to Pakistan

Trump also laid out a tougher approach to US policy towards Pakistan which he accused of giving safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, Trump said, outlining the strategy in South Asia.

Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists.

OPINION: What should the US next move be in Afghanistan?

Trump suggested that military and other aid to Washingtons nuclear-armed ally is at stake.

We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, he said. That will have to change, and that will change immediately.

Trump said the US wanted India to help more with Afghanistan, especially in the areas of economic assistance and development.

Open to Taliban deal

Trump also left the door open to an eventual political deal with the Taliban in his address.

Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said.





But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen, he added, before vowing that America will continue its support for the Afghan government and military as they confront the Taliban in the field.

It was for the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, the president said.

We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists.

Al Jazeeras Jennifer Glasse, reporting from Kabul, said that Trumps message focused on military support.

I think the real question here for Afghans is going to be: Is this really a new strategy, or more of the same?' she said.

As the Taliban has ramped up attacks in recent months, Afghans would have been seeking specific details, Glasse said, but they were missing.

For the United States, it may look like a new strategy. Whether its going to look like that to the Afghans is the real question, said Glasse.
At least 83 children, mostly girls, used by the armed group in suicide attacks this year, says the UN agency.

The number of children, mainly girls, used by the Nigerian armed group Boko Haram as human bombs has quadrupled this year, according to UNICEF.

The UNs children agency said on Tuesday that since January 1, 2017, 83 children have been used by the group to carry out bomb attacks in north-eastern Nigeria  four times higher than it was for the entirety of 2016.

The body said 55 of them were girls, most often under the age of 15. Twenty-seven were boys, and one was a baby strapped to a girl.

UNICEF is extremely concerned about an appalling increase in the cruel and calculated use of children, especially girls, as human bombs in northeast Nigeria, the agency said. The use of children in this way is an atrocity.

READ MORE: Alarming rise in Boko Haram child suicide bombers

UNICEF said that Boko Haram, whose name roughly translates to Western education is forbidden, has sometimes, but not always, claimed responsibility for these attacks.

The UN body did not give an explanation for the rise in numbers.

We feel this is just the way Boko Haram terrorises women and children in the community, Milen Kidane, UNICEFs chief of child protection, told Al Jazeera from Nigerias capital, Abuja.

Hafsat Muhammed, a Nigerian rights activist and journalist, said the actual number of children used by the armed group is even higher.

The conflict has reached to a stage that these insurgents are diverting attention by using children, she told Al Jazeera.

READ MORE: One million forced from school by Boko Haram war

Muhammed said that armed groups like Boko Haram give children a sense of belonging in a society where they do not have the basic necessities.

Children tend to fall into the hands of Boko Haram, who would then reign over them and use them, just because they feel that they belong and they have persuaded them that maybe this is the cause of life, she explained.

Rise up against atrocities

The UN estimates that 20,000 people have been killed and at least 1.7 million displaced since the armed group launched its armed campaign in northeast Nigeria eight years ago.

The violence has also spread to neighbouring countries, leading to the closure of more than 2,000 schools in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, according to a 2015 UNICEF report.





Hundreds of others have been attacked, looted or burned by Boko Haram, while an estimated one million children have been forced out of school as a result of violent attacks in northeastern Nigeria and its neighbouring countries.

In its statement on Tuesday, UNICEF said that the attacks have led to children who escape or are released by Boko Haram being viewed with suspicion and rejected by their communities.

The violence and security situation in the region has also forced thousands of parents not to send their children to schools.

I think the society needs to own up to its irresponsibilities of not catering for its children and rise up against such atrocities, Muhammed said.

UNICEFs Kidane offered optimism that efforts are being made to put an end to the crisis.

We are seeing a lot of collaboration with the military in Nigeria, she said. Work is being done so that the release of these children is done as quickly as possible while maintaining their human dignity.

Additonal reporting by Saba Aziz: @saba_aziz
India, UK and NATO express support for US presidents policy, but Pakistan, China and Russia offer little enthusiasm.

Politicians from across the world have reacted to US President Donald Trumps new strategy for the war in Afghanistan.

Trump on Monday committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan and signalled he would send more troops there.

He insisted that the Afghan government, Pakistan, India and NATO allies step up their commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict.

He hit out at Pakistan, which he said was offering safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror.

Allies of the US have welcomed the strategy, pledging military and financial support to Afghanistan, while others remained sceptical.

Heres a round-up of reactions from leaders around the world.

Afghanistan

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the strategy, saying it would increase the capacity of the training mission for Afghan forces.

Trumps plan could enhance Afghanistans fledgeling air force and double the size of the Afghan special forces, he said.

READ MORE: Timeline  US intervention in Afghanistan 2001 to 2017

Trumps speech showed the US was with us, without any time limit, Ghani told troops on Tuesday in southern Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban.

Urging the Taliban to join talks, Ghani said:  You cannot win this war.

A Taliban spokesman meanwhile warned Trump was only wasting American soldiers lives.

If America doesnt withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century, the Talibans Zabiullah Mujahid said.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai wrote on Twitter that he very strongly opposed the new US strategy, saying it was against peace and the national interest of Afghanistan.

He said: The strategy excludes bringing peace and prosperity to Afghanistan and is focused on more war and rivalry in the region. [The] US must seek peace and stability in Afghanistan rather than extending conflict and bloodshed in Afghanistan and the region.

Pakistan





A Pakistani army spokesman dismissed Trumps remarks, saying Pakistan had taken action against armed groups on its soil.

There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan, spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said.

Pakistans Foreign Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif met US ambassador David Hale and reiterated the countrys desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan, a statement by the foreign ministry said.

He underlined Pakistans continued desire to work with the International Community to eliminate the menace of terrorism, the statement said.

NATO

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Trumps conditions-based approach and said the US-led alliance was committed to increasing its presence in Afghanistan.

He said: Our aim remains to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who would attack our own countries.

More than 12,000 troops from NATO and partner countries have been helping to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces since January 2015, after the alliance wound down combat operations there.

India

India has welcomed Trumps demand that Pakistan stops offering safe havens to armed groups and reaffirmed its policy of extending reconstruction aid to Afghanistan.

Indias Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that it welcomed Trumps determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges faced by Afghanistan and in confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists.

READ MORE: Hamdullah Mohib  Trumps policy will lead to stability

Without naming its rival Pakistan, the ministry said: India shares these concerns and objectives.

India has provided a total of $2bn to Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban.

United Kingdom

The UK welcomed Trumps commitment to step up the military campaign against the Taliban, saying the US and its allies must stay the course in Afghanistan to reduce threats to the West.

The US commitment is very welcome, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement.

Its in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer: thats why we announced our own troop increase back in June, he said.

China

China defended its ally Pakistan after Trumps sharp rebuke, saying the country was on the front line in the struggle against terrorism and had made great sacrifices and important contributions in the fight.

We believe that the international community should fully recognise Pakistans anti-terrorism, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinas foreign ministry, told a daily news briefing.

China hoped the relevant US policies can help promote the security, stability and development of Afghanistan and the region, she said.

Russia

Russia does not believe Trumps new strategy will lead to any significant positive changes in Afghanistan, the Interfax news agency cited an unnamed Russian foreign ministry source as saying on Tuesday.
It was a rougher time at UF.

When Betty Stewart-Fullwood attended UF in the 1970s, she fought for her civil rights through student walkouts and office takeovers.

Stewart-Fullwood, a triple Gator who worked at UF for 35 years before retiring, said during those days, the entire black student population could fit inside the same auditorium where a meeting for black students was held Monday night.

About 300 students gathered in the Reitz Union Rion Ballroom for a discussion hosted by the Black Student Union. The talk let black students share their feelings and fears about the Charlottesville, Virginia, riots and Richard Spencer, a white supremacist who intended to speak at UF.

Dwayne Fletcher, a UF agricultural education and communication senior and the president of BSU, moderated the discussion. He asked the crowd why they thought white supremacists hated them and if anyone would protest if white supremacists came to UFs campus.

Stewart-Fullwood heard the audiences discussion and then shared her experience. She told students to remember that no matter where they were born, theyre all black and should stick together.

This type of event helps students realize theyre not alone, Stewart-Fullwood said.

After sharing their feelings about the recent events, students in the audience questioned Fletcher about where BSU stands on campus. They wanted to know how quickly BSUs president could get in touch with UF President Kent Fuchs and what actions the organization would take to ensure its members felt safe on campus.

Fletcher said if he needed to contact Fuchs, he would first get in touch with Vice President of Student Affairs David Parrott.

Fletcher also told attendees that large student organizations, including the Hispanic Student Association and the Asian American Student Union, are working on initiatives that will unite students on campus and take action.

When an Alligator reporter asked further questions about the projects underway, Fletcher said he couldnt release any details until they become official.

I feel that people are optimistic about the school year now, the 21-year-old said.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now

Kalimah S. Ujaama, a UF African American studies and political science junior, said the questions Fletcher asked at the meeting should have focused on advising people on how to react if someone attacked them.

Ujaama said students should have discussed ideas about how to deal with microaggressions, such as someone making racially-charged comments about skin color.

I thought it was generic, the 21-year-old said about the meeting. It shouldve been better.

Kayla Rodney, a UF graduate student pursuing a doctoral degree in English, said the meeting was productive because it served as a safe space for students to talk about how they feel.

But she said the meetings effectiveness will not be known until later in the semester.

We need to see what happens in the coming months to measure the effectiveness of it, Rodney said. If something does change, then well know.

jtavel@alligator.org

@taveljimena
Will President Donald Trump be impeached? This column previously discussed that for Democrats, Trumps impeachment and removal from office may not be the best political alternative. However, following the controversy surrounding the presidents unwillingness to denounce white supremacists and neo-Nazis with strong enough rhetoric, many Democrats may not care about the political consequences. They may let their hysteria cloud their judgment and put aside their political goals to remove the alleged white supremacist enabler. To them, a lack of strong rhetoric denouncing an infinitesimal part of the U.S. population that has gained unprecedented media attention is more important than achieving health care, tax reform or infrastructure improvement. But is impeachment even possible?

Recently, several Democratic lawmakers have introduced articles of impeachment to the House Judiciary Committee. But in order for Trump to be impeached not only must the majority of the committee, which is composed of seven more Republicans than Democrats, agree with the suspected violations of law or character of the office (a tall order), but a simple majority of the U.S. House of Representatives must also agree. The Republicans currently control the House with 239 seats, compared to the 194 held by Democrats, with two vacancies. In order for impeachment to occur, 218 of these representatives must endorse impeachment, meaning 23 Republicans must change their minds regarding the president (another tall order).

If, by some miracle, 23 of these Republicans (none of which have voiced any desire to impeach Trump) decide that he has obstructed justice in the now forgotten Russian collusion investigation (as cited by Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman) or that he has proven incapable of protecting Americans due to the death of one anti-fascist supporter at the hands of a domestic terrorist (as cited by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen), the president would be impeached. But this only means he is under an investigation, not that he has been formally convicted of anything. It does not mean he will automatically be removed from office or lose any of his governing powers. While it would obviously destroy his already feeble ability to govern, it would not result in Vice President Mike Pence becoming president. In order for Pence to replace Trump, Trump would have to be removed from office by the Senate.

This idea is not so far-fetched, although it is historically unprecedented. Former President Bill Clinton was acquitted by the Senate, despite being impeached by the House on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in the Monica Lewinsky fiasco, even with overwhelming evidence against him. Former President Andrew Johnson, who replaced former President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most disliked presidents in history, was also acquitted by the Senate after being impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act. The fact that both of these men were not removed from office despite clear evidence against them demonstrates just how difficult it is to actually unseat a U.S. president. Former President Richard Nixon would have been impeached and removed from office if it wasnt for his resignation one day prior to the impeachment vote. In order for removal from office to occur, two-thirds of a Republican-dominated Senate would have to support the measure. However, despite the difficulty demonstrated by previous Senate acquittals, 12 Republican senators have already voiced that they may be willing to take such action and, in combination with the 48 Democrats who would continue to blindly follow party lines, the House would only be six flipped Republicans away from removing Trump.

While it is unlikely that impeachment would ever occur, it is not impossible. Should Trump be impeached, a successful vote for removal would not be implausible for the Republican senators who seem to despise him. Until the 2018 midterm elections that will likely change the current political composition of Congress, the current Republican domination of the House and Senate make a Trump impeachment a mere pipe dream for Democrats.

Jack Story is a UF graduate. His column appears on Tuesdays.










REACTION Trumps new Afghanistan policy grossly underestimates USA, AF problem, Islam and India

Alwihda Info | Par Hem Raj Jain - 22 Aout 2017



Bengaluru, India

Dear Editor



Sub:- (i)- Only by resorting to Americanism, Trump can succeed in Afghanistan (ii)- Trump should not forget that UN is on US soil (iii)- Trump should understand problem of Islamic societies (iv)- Without IPP no Muslim country can be brought to normalcy (v)- UN Human rights enforcement mechanism will be needed urgently especially in Asia (vi)- USA & Allies can easily come out of Afghanistan victoriously if AF becomes part of USFSDSAARC (vii)- Trump should not expect merely civilian support from India (viii)- Trump should leave peace in Afghanistan mainly to Indian military and others (part of UNPKF and UNEC) (ix)- USA should support ally India by containing China through UNJC and retrieve of PoK by India (x)- USA should also persuade India to mobilize $ ~ 16 Trillion State capital



---Anybody who knows anything about USA knows that not only USA but rest of the world have been suffering for decades for the simple reason of betrayal of Americanism. Many previous US governments have been punching below their weight and present US President Trump is no exception. Trumps new Afghanistan policy declared on August 21, 2017 is neither here nor there because it grossly underestimates Afghanistan problem, Islam, India and even USA. Trump has conveniently and dangerously forgotten that UN is on US soil and without updating UN, Trump will not succeed in shaping effective foreign policy of USA which ought to make USA genuinely the leader of free world. If Trump really wants to solve Afghanistan problem with honor then USA should do the following:-



(1)- Trump should not expect merely civilian support from India rather USA should leave peace in Afghanistan mainly to Indian military (part of UN Peace Keeping Force the UNPKF). Trump should know that the USA & Allies can easily come out of Afghanistan victoriously if Afghanistan becomes part of United States of Federal Secular Democratic SAARC (USFSDSAARC) with or without Pakistan (initially India and Afghanistan the members of USFSDSAARC). For solving the problem in Afghanistan through India the USA should support ally India:-



(i)- By encouraging India to retrieve PoK. With hundreds of thousands of Indian military and other Indians (as part of UNPKF and UN Election Commission) in Afghanistan the retrieve of PoK will be only a matter of time and which will solve most of the terrorism emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is in context to add that in the backdrop of North Korea nuclear crises Prez Trump reportedly said on August, 10 that he wants to de-nuke the world. Entire mankind (especially human rights friendly) is waiting eagerly for Prez Trump to work for the realization of world free from nuclear WMDs.



(ii)- Because of standoff at Doklam (in Bhutan), India and China are close to war. Hence before retrieving PoK India will have to neutralize military threat from China by handing-over Indo-China border settlement to UN Judicial Commission (UNJC) as this border dispute is a legal dispute and which can easily be settled by UNJC (unlike Indias dispute with Pakistan which is a political dispute over J&K). USA / India can easily make China to accept UNJC because China, as permanent veto wielding UN member, is much more under legal obligation to settle its dispute with neighbors.



(2)- India will gladly accept such vital role in bringing bring peace, prosperity and justice to not only Afghanistan but also to rest of the world under the leadership of USA because it will give India the permanent membership of UN as aright and not by begging to different countries (as presently India is doing).



(3)- Trump should understand the problem of Islamic societies. In Muslim countries in democracy ultimately medieval thinking religious leaders of Islam gain ascendency if politics is left to the people of such countries. Hence without International Political Parties (IPP) no Muslim country can be brought to normalcy. [Even in India (which was partitioned in 1947 on the basis of religion) the forces of Hindu communalism are gaining ground which is reflected in coming to power of PM Modi of Hindutva forces (which are communal grossly / crudely as compared to subtle communalism of Congress led governments). Hence without IPP the USFSDSAARC will also not succeed. Therefore IPPs are sine-quo-non for making human rights friendly secular democracy, a success at-least in Asia].



(4)- Merely IPPs or USFSDSAARC will not do. UN will have to develop elaborate human-rights-enforcement mechanism by replacing Optional-protocol OP-1 by Mandatory-protocol MP-1 of ICCPR at UN and where individual citizens of USFSDSAARC etc can move UN for securing his / her human rights.



(5)- Though expenses for bringing peace in Afghanistan will be borne by resources rich Afghanistan but such a gigantic political reorientation in Asia to be brought about by USA with the active support of India will require huge financial resources at the disposal of not only USA but also of India. Fortunately India can easily mobilize such vast financial resources by recovering Rs ~ 1,000 Trillion ($ ~ 16 Trillion) State-capital from Income Tax as mentioned at http://www.alwihdainfo.com/Now-India-bound-to-get-Rs--1000-Trillion-income-tax-as-Delhi-Police-steps-in_a31456.html and http://www.newsnation.in/article/121125-news-nation-disclosure-on-blackmoney-kharabpati-farmers-take-agriculture-route-t.html



It is hoped that Prez Trump, as mentioned above, will resort to Americanism in order to bring peace, prosperity and justice to not only Afghanistan but also to rest of the world under the leadership of free world to be provided by USA.



Regards



Hem Raj Jain



(Author of Betrayal of Americanism)



Bengaluru, India







Dans la meme rubrique : < > Tchad : mise au point de l'ex-Inspecteur general d'Etat sur les reformes des vehicules administratifs Mahamat Ahmad Alhabo : "je ne suis pas un cancre !" Tchad : Succes Masra reagit a la demission de Moustapha Masri des Transformateurs Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
The U.S. government, working in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Education, answered President Sisis recent call for a greater focus on science and technology education with a graduation ceremony on Sunday, August 20 for students from the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) high schools in Maadi and 6th October City. These students are []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
One of historys most diverting misunderstandings that long stood uncorrected is the alleged remark in 1972 by Chinese Prime Minister Chou Enlai to President Richard Nixon. Asked what he thought about the 1789 French Revolution, Chou is said to have replied its too early to tell. In Washington D.C. today the same lack of clarity exists concerning the alleged collusion or conspiracy between the Donald Trump presidential campaign and the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. Its too early even after exhaustive and seemingly never-ending investigations by the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, the Senate and the House Judiciary Committees, the Senate and the House Oversight Committees, the FBI, and the Special Counsel for the Justice Department of Justice.

Clarity on Russian involvement in the 2016 election may not be available, even after the intense inquiries into the possible conspiracies hatched during the five, ten, and twenty-minute public encounters between Trump associates and Russians in the Mayflower Hotel, D.C. in April 2016, and the Trump Tower, New York on December 1, 2016 and June 9, 2017.

Meanwhile, the imposition of sanctions against Russia increases. They are officially imposed on those who in some way are supporting actions that undermine or threaten the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Ukraine. But they also affect the Russian business environment, and the power and political policies of President Vladimir Putin, and his circle of associates.

Already sanctions by the EU and the U.S. Obama administration in September 2014 targeted Russias state finances, energy, and arms sectors, sectors that are largely controlled by the elite group around President Putin. Among those sectors related to him is the Bank Rossiya, assumed to be the personal bank for top Russian officials, and individuals involved in the Ozero Dacha Cooperative, a housing community on the shore of Lake Komsomolsk, a gated community, and the DMP bank, one of whose owners is a judo associate of Putin.

Sanctions meant targeting the major state oil firms, Rosneft, Transneft, and Gazprom Neft. Sanctions imposed penalties on Russias banking system: state banks cannot raise long-term loans in the EU. Arms deals are banned, and the EU will not export oil industry technology. Russian officials are subject to travel bans, and may be prevented from entering a EU country. Some prominent officials, such as Sergei Chemezov, head of the large state arms corporation Rostec, are also targeted.

A further round of sanctions took place on December 29, 2016, a few days before Obama left office. They were officially said to be reprimanding Russian activity: significant cyber-enabled activities affecting the 2016 presidential election; eroding faith and undermining confidence in U.S. democratic institutions. They were directed against four Russian nationals and five Russian entities for electoral interference. In all, 35 Russian diplomats had to leave the U.S., and two luxury compounds, in Maryland and in New York, were closed.

Putin responded by ordering the closure of the Anglo-American School of Moscow, which served children of the US, Canada, and UK. The Cold War had not resumed, but Russian officials referred to Obamas administration as hapless.

Now, the U.S. Congress has imposed a new round of sanctions on Russia and limited President Trump's ability to suspend new and existing ones without congressional approval. The Senate approved the bill by 98-2; and the House by 419-3, on July 27, 2017. The bill, which also included sanctions against North Korea and Iran, was signed reluctantly by Trump on August 2, 2017. The given reason for the sanctions is that they are a response to real or alleged Russian actions: interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by cyberattacks and fake news; involvement in the Syrian war where Russia has supported President Bashar Assad; invasion and annexation of Crimea.

Trump was reluctant to sign the bill on the argument that it limits the presidents ability to conduct foreign policy and national security matters as it encroached on the executive branchs authority to negotiate, or to make changes in sanctions without congressional approval.

There are two relevant aspects, one concerning economics, the other politics.

The first is clear as the sanctions have hurt the Russian economy. The IMF calculates that Russian GDP will drop by 9%, and the increase in annual GDP will fall from 7% to less than 2%.

Restrictions on credit and other matters for companies engaged in Russian energy projects, on foreign financial institutions that facilitate such projects, and on suppliers of arms to Assad in Syria have been imposed. The sanctions are also supposed to target those involved in human rights abuses, those who commit serious corruption, as well as targeting the energy sector, freezing assets, such as property, revoking U.S. visas, and imposing additional sanctions on mining, shipping, railroads industry.

The political impact is also troublesome. During the election campaign and now in the White House, Donald Trump suggested improving relations with Russia, including the easing of sanctions, as well as denigrating any alleged collusion between his supporters and Russians in the campaign.

Obviously, there is and must be interaction between the two countries. The job of the much-criticized Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, is to attend meetings, discuss current affairs, and reach agreements with American counterparts. It is not surprising, and certainly not ominous, that Sergey Gorkov, head of the state bank Vnesheconombank (Bank of Foreign Economic Activity) which was sanctioned in July 2014 should have met in December 2016 with Jared Kushner.

Differences between the two countries have not prevented agreements, on nuclear weapons stockpiles, arms control, and on plutonium. However, it is essential that sanctions not prevent further collaboration on crucial issues: Syria, terror, Start, cyberspace, environmental protection, illegal immigration, organized crime, and economic development.

If Washington politicians are unwilling to engage in such collaboration, willing substitutes are available. Foremost are three celebrities who have in recent years obtained Russian citizenship: Steven Seagal, Gerard Depardieu, and Roy Jones, Jr.

Steven Seagal, former Hollywood performer, received citizenship on November 3, 2016 directly from President Putin, a fellow martial arts fan; both have black belts, Seagal in aikido and Putin in judo. Seagals qualifications are obvious because he played a Russian diplomat in the 2009 film Driven to Kill. He supported Russian annexation of the Crimea, depicting Ukraine as a country controlled by fascists. He calls Putin one of the great living world leaders. Not surprisingly, Putin has proposed Seagal as an honorary consul in California and Arizona so he could be an intermediary between the two countries.

Gerard Depardieu is seemingly less politically astute or interested, though he did play a lead role of Grigory Rasputin in a 2011 film, but he is interested in keeping his wealth, which he can do better in Russia than in France. His main aim was to avoid the French supertax, a 75% tax increase on top incomes. Russia, with its flat personal income tax rate, was more appealing. He is now a citizen of Russia, a friend of Putin whom he embraced, exclaiming that he loved Putin and called Russia a great democracy. He has been offered a job as culture minister in the area of Moldovia, once the site of a Gulag.

Roy Jones Jr., an American champion boxer in four different divisions, often visited Russia after his retirement from the ring. He asked for dual American-Russian citizenship, and obtained it in September 2015.

Blessed will be these peacemakers for they will punch, or act, above their weight.
The outrage about Trumps comments on Charlottesville has been somewhat surprising for most sane conservatives.

He condemned all violence. Who could object? Two groups of haters attacked each other; it was like the Soviets fighting the Nazis -- sane people wanted both sides to lose. But the voices from the Bubble are telling us that only one side was bad and that condemning all violence, like saying all lives matter, is evil.

The liberal and media response was expected since if Trump were to say that the sky was blue or that the sun rises in the east theyd attack him.

In this case the specific reason that we knew that liberals would object is that they have now gone full fascist and completely embrace the idea that they can use physical violence against those who use what liberals have declared to be hate speech.

According to liberals, speech that they dont like is violence.

The reality of course is that liberals oppose free speech because liberal beliefs are intellectually indefensible. The only way they can win over people is by denying those people the truth and by ensuring that those people go by their feelings not rational thought.

Having a mob of violent blackshirts helps to ensure that people never get any information that liberals dont want them to have.

So the attack on Trump by Democrats and the mainstream media was not unexpected.

But why are so many conservatives attacking him as well?

The secret is that in the Bubble people think that Nazis and White Nationalists -- except for Robert Byrd and Margret Sanger -- are far, far worse than antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM).

While we all agree that Nazis and white nationalists are odious hating fools, the reality is that at the present time there are few of them and theyre not waging a war of terror against the rest of America.

Essentially liberals are virtue signaling against the enemies of the past to obscure liberal support for the currently dangerous successors of the Nazis and the KKK.

Antifa is a direct descendent of the idea that the use of violence to advance ones political belief is fine; an idea that comes from the Communists and Nazis. As such antifa is Nazism 2.0.

Antifa rioted in Berkeley to prevent people they didnt like from speaking. A nationwide protest against Google firing a person because of their thoughts has been delayed because of antifa threats of violence.

At the current time there is no similar threat from American Nazis or white nationalists.

This doesnt mean the Nazis are good just that they are far less of an immediate threat to America than antifa. After all, absolutely no one is calling for Trump to only condemn antifa; all conservatives are very vocal in their condemnation of the Nazis and White Nationalists.

BLM is the Black version of the KKK. BLM strenuously objects when anyone says all lives matter, which shows the racist core of BLM beliefs. While liberals say that oppressed people cant be racist, thats simply a lie. Precisely because all people are equal, there are bound to be Black and White haters; both of which need to be condemned.

BLM calls for a war on the police and at least one BLM follower ambushed and killed police officers. There is no similar recent history of violence by the Nazis or the white nationalists.

But in the Bubble, liberals are fighting the enemies of the past while supporting the enemies of the present.

Thats why conservatives in the Bubble are so upset. They inhale the lies of the Bubble every day and they honestly think that Nazis and white nationalists are more of a threat to America today than antifa and BLM. Or theyre so afraid of being tarred with the pro-Nazi brush even though its a lie that they feel a need to virtue signal. And of course, many of them dont like Trump because hes not a true conservative. Those conservatives didnt realize that as suboptimal as Trump was he was, and is, infinitely better than Hillary.

Given that most of these conservatives have a good knowledge of history, one would think that theyd realize that just because the Soviet Union fought against Nazis that didnt make Communism good so too the fact that antifa fought Nazis doesnt make antifa good.

Sadly, these conservatives have bought into the latest Big Lie used by liberals; that tiny hate groups with no power are more of a threat than groups that have been rioting all over America and killing police officers.

We know that liberals, and antifa, would never condone a conservative group attacking a communist speaker because of his hate speech so we know that all the MSM and Democrat rhetoric is designed to normalize the use of violence against Trump supporters and anyone who doesnt buy into the fascist world view of the modern Left.

There are many recent cases of liberals tolerating or ignoring violence used against conservatives while racing to defend any criminal.

When a left-wing Bernie fan tried to murder multiple Republican congressmen, the same folks who are screaming about Trump saying all violence is bad essentially ignored the incident or worse, said Scalise had it coming.

When a liberal plotted mass murder against the Family Research Council because of true hate speech by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) the same voices that are condemning Trump ignored the whole issue and said not a word against the SPLC.

We are now in a war with fascists who reject the rule of law and the results of elections if they stand in the way of their quest for the power to completely control our lives -- they think they have the right to decide how much soda we drink, for heavens sake.



We need to realize that many historically conservative voices have been corrupted by the Bubble not because theyre evil but because its hard to live in the Bubble and not be misled by the apparent consensus among everyone they know. Those conservatives get their news from MSM propagandists and they look with disdain on the new media conservatives -- they dont know much about BLM, for example. Those conservatives still think we should be playing by the old rules as the left uses violence, coercion and censorship by Google and Facebook to advance their dream of a totalitarian America where those who object to the white elites worldview are beaten in the streets by thugs who know that they will not be arrested.



Now is the time for us to speak up and to pray. If we do nothing then the new fascists will win. We should get our elected representatives to take a stand against all violence and begin dismantling the digital empires of the new robber barons who lobby for cheap foreign labor while using their power to silence the voices of people that they dont agree with.

You can read more of toms rants at his blog, Conversations about the obvious and feel free to follow him on Twitter
As Spanish law enforcement was searching for the Moroccan terrorist who disappeared after ramming a van into pedestrians at Las Ramblas, the progressive pro-Muslim media lost no time in protesting the police checking of Moroccan-looking drivers, and warning against Islamophobia. The driver, a radicalized Muslim who was identified because of his looks, was shot dead by policemen in a vineyard west of Barcelona. But the efforts to stop identifying others like him and the Islamic ideology that motivates them are not going to die down anytime soon

After the Islamists attacked pedestrians strolling along Barcelonas Las Ramblas and the nearby town of Cambrils, and blew up a house in the village of Alcanar, killing 14 and wounding more than 100 others, and after ISIS claimed responsibility for and celebrated the deadly attacks, Catalonias regional governments Foreign Affairs Minister, Raul Romeva, insisted his region is known for its tolerance and coexistence.

This was not the message that Abdelbaki Es Satty, the Moroccan Salafist Imam, preached until last June at the mosque in Ripoll, which was attended by eight of the nine ISIS sympathizers who terrorized Catalonia last week. The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Watch reported that the president of the mosque, Ali Yassine, is a member of the Federation for the Comunidad Islamica Annour De Ripoll, which RANDs 2007 report identified as a federation with close ties to the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. While the region saw more jihadists arrested last year than any other region in Spain, only one of the attackers had a criminal background and therefore was known to the police. The imam disappeared, and one of the nine attackers vanished. But how many ISIS sympathizers and potential jihadists are among those who frequented the Ripoll mosque, and thousands who flock to more than 100 similar Salafi mosques in Spain are under the radar of the Spanish and international security agencies?

Islamic terrorism is not new to Spain. In March 2004, an al Qaeda group bombed four commuter trains, killing some 200 people and wounded more than 1,400 in rush-hour Madrid. In April 2005, a cell of forty-one al-Qaeda operatives in Spain that assisted the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., was tried in Madrid. In January 2008, fourteen Pakistani Taliban terrorist were stopped just before they blew themselves up in Barcelonas subway. Many other Salafi jihadists who planned terror attacks or funded terrorism were arrested in Spain over the years.

None of that, however, alerted the Spanish to take seriously the Islamists calls to reconquer al-Andalus -- a uniting theme for all jihadist groups, even those that often fight each other. Instead, Spain, in which according to a 2016 survey by the Spanish Centre for Sociological Research, 68% of the population is Catholic, has been practicing willful blindness based on political correctness towards the radicalization of its Muslim population. Especially when the jihadists used pro-Palestinian anti-Israel propaganda, which in Spain, like other European nations is widely supported,

Spain has a long history of anti-Semitism. Jews were expelled from Spain on July 30, 1492, but anti-Semitism remained rampant although Jews were allowed to return more than four centuries later. The Jewish presence remained low even after the descendants of Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Spain have in 2014 been offered Spanish citizenship. Only 45,000 Jews live there today. Muslims, who were also driven out or forced to convert in 1492, were allowed to live in Spain in the late 18th century and today the two million Muslims account for 4% of Spains population, which is rapidly growing with illegals who flood the beautiful Spanish shores.

Spain and Catalonia in have been loudly supporting the Palestinian agenda. Catalonia became one of Europes major Salafist jihad hubs, with Hundreds of Saudi-educated and funded imams preaching the radical Salafi/Wahhabi version of Islam together with the Muslim Brotherhoods version of Political Islam (an oxymoron, since Islam is a political movement posturing as a religion). The Muslims growing influence in the region was demonstrated in January 2009, when the provincial government of Catalonia canceled a ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. A Barcelona newspaper quoted a Catalan official saying, Marking the Jewish Holocaust while a Palestinian Holocaust is taking place is not right, alluding to Israels Operation Cast Lead (December 27, 2008 - January 18, 2009) that was launched to stop the constant rockets and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip on its civilian population. This official, like other European political parrots, repeated the propaganda that is widely spread by Hamas, Iran and the Palestinian Authority, who while calling to take over al Aqsa, also swear to reconquer al-Andalus and Rome.

And as elsewhere in the Western world, the larger the Muslim population, the greater the number of Saudi, Gulf States, and Turkey funded Sunni mosques, schools, and Islamic centers, and more recently also Iran and Qatar funded Shiite mosques. All promote Muslim proselytization and push for the rule of sharia by exploiting Western democratic political systems and anti-Israeli and anti-American propaganda. Some, like the mosque in Ripoll, are more action oriented, preaching for jihad now to advance the global rule of sharia, not for coexistence and tolerance.

How many more jihadist terrorist attacks will it take before Spain realizes that its freedoms and democratic political systems, which have been developed over hundreds of years, are in danger before it wakes up to stop the spread of the jihadist agenda? What will it take for Europe, the U.S., and the rest of the world not already submitting to Islamic rule to realize that sharia judges all infidels alike, that gays are murdered in Gaza, Mosul, and Tehran, and women are stoned because they dared to look at men or study, or refused to be raped? That supporting the Saudi and Iranian-led United Nations agenda to delegitimatize Israel and recognize an independent Palestinian State would strengthen jihadism? Unlike most other European nations who willingly subjected themselves to dictates by Muslim minorities, Spain still could reverse the tide. Will it do so?
Back in May of 2015, I wrote a piece for American Thinker titled "The Pistolero Prevailed." It dealt with the terrorist attack on the "Draw Muhammad" art competition in Garland, Texas and how that attack, by two men with rifles and body armor, was foiled by a single cop with a handgun, a traffic officer who was the master of his weapon and its use.

Now comes the story of an event that occurred Monday morning in Steubenville, Ohio that could also be titled "The Pistolero Prevailed."

Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese, Jr. was on his way to work at the county courthouse in Steubenville at about 8 A.M. Monday morning when he was approached by a would-be assassin who had been waiting for him in a car in a nearby parking lot. The gunman fired five shots at almost point-blank range, but the judge, although wounded, wasn't killed and was even able to return fire with his own gun! The criminal was ultimately killed by a probation officer who happened to also be walking toward the courthouse.

Current reports on the 65-year-old judge's condition indicate that he's "doing well" after surgery and is expected to recover. One might say, "Thanks to God, modern medicine, and John Moses Browning!"

It's no surprise that all the vociferous anti-gun types, both in government and in Hollywood, who are usually only too eager to chime in whenever there's a high-profile shooting (I'm thinking of people like Chuck Schumer and Rosie O'Donnell) have thus far been silent on this matter, probably because it plainly puts the lie to their oft stated position that the "proper" response to a gun-wielding attacker is to cower in fear and wait for the police to ride to your rescue.

I'm sure they would have preferred for Judge Bruzzese to have dialed 9-1-1 and waited, bleeding (and waiting, and bleeding, and perhaps dying), rather than taking personal responsibility for his own self-defense and being prepared by having a gun and knowing how to use it. The hoplophobes (a word coined by the late Col. Jeff Cooper, "the father of modern pistolcraft," it denotes those who have an irrational fear and dislike of firearms) probably realize how such predictable anti-gun comments would make them look even more foolish than they already do.

Those who seem to never miss an opportunity to call for "commonsense gun laws" to limit access to guns, as if more laws ever have any effect on criminals (who are, by definition, lawbreakers), are themselves pretty limited in terms of common sense, although they do have sense enough to surround themselves with armed security personnel (and, as in Schumer's case, to have acquired a pistol permit in a jurisdiction where most "mortals" would find it difficult if not impossible to obtain).

They certainly lack the unassailable common sense expressed by, of all people, one of the world's best known champions of nonviolence, and yet a man far more grounded in reality than the rabid anti-gunners. I'm speaking of none other than the Dalai Lama, who said, "If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would make sense to have your own gun and to shoot back."

Stu Tarlowe has been a contributor to American Thinker since 2010, with well over 100 pieces published. His personal pantheon of heroes and role models includes Barry Farber; Jean Shepherd; Long John Nebel; Aristide Bruant; Emmett Grogan; Hunter S. Thompson; Rabbi Meir Kahane; G. Gordon Liddy; and, of course, Col. Jeff Cooper.
Was it the January introduction of Lightnings that perhaps bugged the blustery North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, to rein in his threats of nuclear annihilation for possible targets ranging from Seoul to San Francisco? I refer to the deployment of a squadron of Marine F-35B aircraft from Yuma Marine Corps Air Station in Arizona to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan back in January of this year. North Korea has long been under the watchful eye of two squadrons of Air Force F-16 Wild Weasels out of Misawa Air base in Northern Japan, planes designed to swoop in at the outset of a conflict and destroy the enemy's ground-to-air radars and missile defenses and thus deny the enemy any further ability to defend against succeeding attacking air forces.

Those Weasels were a serious strategic threat prior to the arrival of the F-35s. Now, because of the F-35's incredibly advanced sensor packages that bring their highly enhanced defense and attack capabilities to the fight, as well as their ability to communicate all that targeting data to the Weasels, those F-16s at Misawa represent nothing short of the certain death of North Korea's air defenses, including her Soviet-era air force. From undetectable standoff positions, the Marine F-35s would be able to provide all manner of aerial defense as well as enhanced target selection for those Air Force Weasels as they chew their way through North Korea's air defense assets like a bunch of...well, mad weasels.

It's not as though the Weasels would be the only American air forces streaking in if Kim should go ballistically stupid. Far from it: F-15s, F-16s, F-18s, and other aircraft from bases in South Korea and Japan, as well as from America's carrier strike groups, would all be vectored in on what is actually a fairly small target, equal in size to a slice of coastal California from Marin County to San Diego going inland a little over ninety miles to include Sacramento.* That's not much area when you're able to muster an air armada of that size. And we haven't even mentioned our strategic bomber forces that would be targeting Kim's massed infantry, artillery, and armor, which would quickly become defenseless, with their air defenses seriously degraded and their air cover utterly destroyed on the ground and in the air.

The F-35s, communicating with many of those squadrons of other U.S. aircraft, would enhance the performances of many of those older weapons platforms. And the F-35s are able to strike important targets themselves. With their futuristic target acquisition capabilities, these F-35s can locate and strike any objective in North Korea without Kim and his high-hatted marshals ever knowing that death and destruction are on the way until they're vaporized. North Korea's air force, while large, is essentially an outdated, outmoded force that will require some luck to outlast Saddam Hussein's if we go in after it. The addition of the F-35 Lightning to that battle plan just makes the reality of such swift destruction all the more certain.

I think, perhaps, that young Kim has noticed the flickering Lightnings on his narrowing horizons. If not, he will at some time in his future likely experience the Lightning's strike, blasting, burning, and roiling his country into senseless rubble. Unfortunately, that decision is his. Kim has shown some past ingenuity in killing those who anger him, by anti-aircraft gun or feeding them to starving dogs. Rather than yield his absolute power, he just may decide on a novel method of suicide: by Lightning.

So be it...

*No, it's not possible to get the commander-in-chief to consider that option, no matter how desirable it may be.
Reality hit the Democrats once again. In fact, it was like back-to-back home runs.

First, the Democrats continue to have the money blues, as we see in this report:

The Republican National Committee continued a massive fundraising lead in July as its Democratic counterparts hit another low point. The RNC raised $10.6 million in July, while the Democratic National Committee raised a mere $3.8 million, its lowest July total since 2007, according to the groups' FEC filings. The DNC also added to its debt, which now totals $3.4 million. The RNC carries no debt.

Well, how did that happen? I thought the enthusiasm was on the Democrats' side and they just couldn't wait for 2018 to roll around. To be fair, President Trump's self-inflicted wounds are a problem, but so far, it has not translated into Republicans holding on to their cash.

The second reality check is this campaign to bring down monuments.

Simply put, what happens when you focus the country on the segregated past? The answer is that we are reminded that a generation ago, it was the Democrats with a KKK membership on their resumes.

Charles Hurt makes this point in his latest post:

Remind me, again, who was behind all the "violent bigotry" of the Civil War? Oh, yeah, it was Democrats. And who was behind all the vestiges of it over the last century? Democrats. Mrs. Pelosi knows this, of course, because she worked shoulder-to-shoulder for 23 years beside a retired member of the Ku Klux Klan. That would, of course, be the "great senator" from the "great state" of West Virginia, Robert C. Byrd, a lifelong Democrat. As the "Exalted Cyclops" of the KKK, Mr. Byrd recruited more than 100 people to join his chapter and warned in a letter against America becoming "degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."

Frankly, I'm willing to forgive and forget the late Senator Byrd and his colleagues who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and all other connections between Democrats and segregation. It's history to me, and it does no one any good to attack people who are dead or, even better, who've been dead for over 100 years.

At the same time, it is the Democrats who have chosen to fight this battle. It seems only fair that we should remind them that most of the people they are taking down are dead Democrats.
Last week, in an article titled "There Goes Colonel Sanders," Marc Dion coincidentally wrote about something near and dear to our hearts: food. Mr. Dion is a terrific writer while simultaneously an inferior thinker. His prose is marvelous and convincing, his conclusions thin and seemingly plagiarized from something ugly perched on Long John Silver's left shoulder.

Speaking of the Confederate flag, Dion pronounces, "In the last few years, that flag has changed from a wink to a snarl, and though I like biscuits and gravy, I'm not nostalgic for the slavery I never saw, or segregation, and I believe the right side won the Civil War."

This is a consequential style, indeed. In the long run, he is just saying anyone on the right is a racist white nationalist who is melancholic for an oppression that ended at least ninety years before he was born  but doesn't he have a magic pen when it comes to embellishing the mundane?

Here's the zinger at the end, again to exemplify this blotter of writing talent partnered with just a gnat's heft of ratiocination, "It's time for Colonel Sanders to stand down because, when a thing is gone, it's gone with the wind."

Colonel Sanders owned a gas station and a restaurant. He never owned a slave. Why should he be expunged from the human record?

The left is all in on purging anything that whiffs of the Confederacy. It's another way to thumb their little noses at the country they live in and hate so much. Their aim is to keep discontent flowing like wine at a biblical wedding. Their little hurts, their sore feelings, their offended sensibilities, that's all that matters, because they don't want the country to move forward and offer opportunity  especially not while Donald Trump is president.

Someone should inform progressives that the colonel is long dead, but the chicken is still great. That's what we are talking about when his name or image comes up: chicken.

Full disclosure: I don't work for KFC or any of its affiliates. I never have. I have a cousin married to a man who worked for PepsiCo thirty years ago, but he was riffed out; he didn't drink enough back then.

But that chicken is great. And do you know what? They have a "Five Dollar Fill Up" that comes with a breast, a side of potatoes, a drink, a biscuit, and a...cookie!

The cookie is the linchpin of this ingenious strategy. No one else offers what we really need: a cookie. Shouldn't the gas station round your corner offer you a cookie every time you purchase anything from it? If the local hardware store gave you a cookie, you would feel way better about that 20-dollar braided stainless steel refrigerator icemaker water line you had to purchase so your family wouldn't be poisoned by the local water supply, wouldn't you?

So just as the colonel comes up with a plan that could make all of America smile, Dion and the left want to eradicate, censor, erase, and murder even a trace of Harlan Sanders. This extrapolates into assassinating the cookie, which will consequently ruin America's chance to be happy.

The colonel is chicken! We all know what the left is.
President Trump delivered his version of military strategy after almost 17 years of war in Afghanistan. As he stated previously, his instinct was to limit the war and remove the troops after spending almost $1 trillion and over 2,200 deaths. Trump decided that the quick ending of hostilities would result in a worse future for our nation. As a lesson in this regard, he reminded us of the damage ISIS terrorists and the like have done in the past week in Barcelona, Spain.

After al-Qaeda, which at the time was housed by the Taliban leadership of Afghanistan within that country, committed the 911 attacks in America, we united to defeat this ideology. Today, a weary and divided nation was given an option by the president that includes continued involvement in the region. This, he feels, is preferable to allowing the terrorists to re-establish their stronghold. He offered the opposition a chance for discussions when they are a willing partner for peace. Presently, the terrorists have no interest in peace. He also rejected the option to engage private soldiers as the primary force, favored by former White House strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump agreed to troop number increases, which he did not announce. He has decided that this information helps the enemy. He did not announce decisions based upon timetables and has switched the strategy toward one of outcomes or conditions. He also has clearly indicated that our partners must contribute more money, material, and troops to the battle with the terrorists. To this end, he indicated that Pakistan must contribute more honesty and stop serving as a haven for the terrorists. He wants India to contribute more to the fight. He recognizes that the two nations have nuclear weapons and have often been antagonists.

Trump has most importantly determined that nation-building is not possible in this region. But victory is not a concept that should be discarded. To this end, Trump has removed many of the shackles of Pentagon bureaucratic control to allow field commanders and operational officers to make decisions. Contract employees have performed many tasks in the Middle East, but they were not given the role of managing this war. The obliteration of our enemies is now a goal of the military, not containment.

This past week, another naval accident in Asia provides some questions for our leadership. The Seventh Fleet clearly has some issues to resolve. Could the reductions in military spending from the Sequester have limited preparedness and training? Is it possible that promotions were given to personnel not best equipped to manage our military assets?

During the past eight years, the military was overruled by Obama on many occasions. This led to premature drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result, the terrorists regrouped, and ISIS was born. The Taliban now controls or influences almost 40% of Afghanistan. This cannot be considered a winning approach to limiting the terrorists. But our patience is not limited. The nations of the region must contribute more, or they face the wrath of Trump. These nations must recognize that our president will ensure help but not provide a blank check for government corruption.

Trump started his speech by honoring our soldiers and their sacrifice for our freedoms and decency. In this way, he pointed out that our country assists the military by being united and limiting our internal fights. He had a poor week after the dissension in Charlottesville, Va. This speech shows a broader strategy for our nation. Our military is more successful when our citizens support it and unite against hatred and bigotry. The battle with terrorism is a battle against hatred and bigotry in the end.
Almost no one disagreed with the president when he kicked off his return to the White House with several tweets on the "very dishonest Fake News Media."

The liberal press instead used Trump's "fake news" tweets for headline clickbait and don't seem to argue the premise behind the tweets. For example:

At thehill.com, the "dishonest Fake News reporting" headline tops a short summary of the prior week's events. No discussion of the premise of Trump's tweet there.

At politico.com, the "Fake news media is 'out of control'" headline leads to an account of Jerry Falwell's support for Trump. No discussion on the premise of Trump's tweet there, either.

And cnn.com quoted Trump's tweet that "Fake News needs the competition" in a headline over a column devoted entirely to the "ouster" of Steve Bannon and Bannon's return to Breitbart. CNN would be hard pressed to argue the premise at this point after many so months of Trump calling the network out for "Fake News."

While almost no one at this point argues the premise of Trump's ongoing "Fake News" tweets, there is always the exception, as reported at politico.com:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday undercut one of President Donald Trump's most-repeated claims, telling a group at the Louisville Chamber of Commerce that "most news is not fake."

McConnell goes on to explain that he looks at "a variety of sources" and that "he has no trouble finding reliable sources." But just as controversy surrounded McConnell's "excessive expectations" comment, his statement that most news is not fake news flies in the face of what most people seem to believe.

Sharyl Attkisson at thehill.com reminds us that "[t]wo-thirds of Americans believe the mainstream press publishes fake news," and she adds that media reporters have "only ourselves to blame" for the perception that "the mass media" is full of fake news:

Firewalls that once strictly separated news from opinion have been replaced by hopelessly blurred lines. Once-forbidden practices such as editorializing within straight news reports, and the inclusion of opinions as if fact, are not only tolerated; they're encouraged.

Attkisson notes that rather than reporters getting to the facts at the bottom of a story, "we're willing repositories for all kinds of narratives."

To fix the problem, Attkisson says, "[w]e must correctly identify (and admit) our problem, and then take steps to correct it." She adds that "[w]e have yet, as an industry, to take step one."

Ms. Attkisson's reflection indicates that the media industry doesn't argue the premise of Trump's "Fake News" tweets because its members can't admit the problem.

Wayne Allen Root, writing at townhall.com, says the liberal media's blurring of fact, opinion, and omission amounts to fraud, whether or not the media can admit they have a problem:

The Mainstream media determines the headlines. And since 99.9% of the people who run the media are either liberal Democrats, or crony capitalists in bed with the DC swamp, they purposely choose headlines to confuse you, distract you, or sadly, outright mislead you. That's called fraud.

Mr. Root compares the media coverage of the depressed Obama economy with the lack of coverage of the Trump turnaround in economic growth.

Observing that eight years of the Obama economy produced 1.3% "combined" Gross Domestic product (GDP) growth, exactly the same as combined GDP growth during the 1930s "decade of the Great Depression," Mr. Root says the "Obama Great Depression" was "never reported" to the American people, adding:

Barack Obama destroyed the US economy and killed the entire American middle class with his obsession with social justice, green energy, open borders, big taxes, big regulations, Obamacare and big government.

Yet instead of reporting any of this, "the media used the words 'in recovery' thousands of times during Obama's eight years."

Root contrasts that with the failure to report good economic news during the first months of the Trump economy, most notably that the Atlanta Fed last week predicted that "3rd Quarter GDP growth will be 3.7%," which Root labels "explosive growth," akin to "the Reagan years."

"President Trump has changed everything in only seven months," says Root "just by cutting a bunch of regulations" and creating "hope" in the business community. Root adds:

Donald Trump is a magician. He proved that with the right attitude towards business, you can erase eight years of disaster and failure and misery, in record time.

And Root's punch line:

But has this been a headline in the news? NO. It's nowhere to be found.

As for last week's fake news dust-up over Charlottesville, Root contrasts the "tragic murder" there with the "9 murders and 33 shot on the streets of Chicago" that same weekend.

So why does the former become the "Great Nazi Panic of 2017," as Kurt Schlichter, also at townhall.com, says, while the latter goes drearily underreported week after week, year after year? Or as Mr. Root wonders, "[w]hy is the mainstream media committing fraud?"

While the mainstream media may be "willing repositories for all kinds of narratives" at best, and "committing fraud" at worst, apparently neither Senator McConnell nor the media industry itself can admit there is a problem with "Fake News."
I opened up the dead tree Wall Street Journal dated August 19 and 20 to the editorial page, and I saw one of the most condescending headlines ever: "After the Bannon Presidency."

There is no doubt that it has been the Trump presidency from the start, and it still is.

The subhead is "Trump can't govern with a Breitbart coalition. Does he see that?"

I have never seen that he is trying to govern with a pretend "Breitbart coalition." Trump is working as hard as he can to transfer the power and purse that have been amassed in D.C. back to the people, where they belong. After all, the Constitution starts with "We the People," not "We the Politicians." All the political calculus behind imaginary coalitions matters less than the goal and the commitment.

President Trump is having trouble with McConnell, McCain, Graham, Collins, Sasse, Flake, and more. McConnell said after the election last fall that the Senate would immediately get rid of Obamacare, and then, seven months later, he blamed Trump for not getting it done. I have never seen a group of people who believe that their main job is to take vacations instead of working for the people  which is what they were hired to do. Trump, by contrast, is working extremely hard.

We just went through an eight-year Soros-Jarrett presidency. Why doesn't the WSJ give a list of what Obama passed through Congress with his coalition for eight years? His biggest domestic accomplishment was Obamacare, which is an unmitigated disaster. The Democrats didn't read it before they passed it, and Jonathon Gruber admitted that they had to continually lie to the stupid American people to get it through. What an accomplishment.

Obama and the Democrats rarely passed a budget, as required by law, while Obama was there and ran up $10 trillion in debt. He did not pass immigration reform; instead, he ruled by fiat. Obama's policies were certainly not progressive. There is nothing progressive about transferring freedom to D.C. and making more people dependent on government while punishing generations to come.

His biggest supposed foreign policy achievement, the deal with Iran, already is a disaster. Ben Rhodes said the administration continually lied about the deal to the American people and the compliant media that would just repeat what they were told.

I never saw a headline in the establishment media that implied that Obama did not have the ability to independently think in the same way the "After the Bannon Presidency" article implied.

I look at the Obama presidency, and I see little that indicates that he cared about the people. Much of what I see indicates that his presidency was about remaking America by amassing power in D.C. He greatly harmed future generations, continually abusing presidential power such as by ignoring immigration law. He also targeted political opponents via the IRS and through continual spying.

The presidency remains firmly in the hands of the man constitutionally granted its vast powers through the Electoral College.
Over this past weekend, sixty-three people were shot in the city of Chicago, with, as of Monday morning, nine fatalities. Have you noticed the overwhelming news coverage of this travesty? I've not seen it. Sixty-three shootings, and outside Chicago, it seems nothing more than a footnote on news ("by the way, a lot of people were shot in Chicago this weekend...again"). How many cities actually have an online shooting tracker as does Chicago?

It appears that none of the shootings were committed by white separatists, racists, or members of the KKK, which at present seem to be the primary objects of overwhelming media interest. (To be fair, I can't rule out the possibility that the mass shootings were precipitated by statues memorializing the U.S. Civil War.)

This is the same Chicago where Mayor Emanuel, after the election of President Trump, welcomed those in the country illegally by saying, "You are safe in Chicago, you are secure in Chicago, and you are supported in Chicago. ... Chicago will always be a sanctuary city." How has this sanctuary city decision, one might ask, benefited those living in Chicago? Does anyone in Chicago feel "safe, secure, and supported" other than criminal aliens seeking to avoid capture and deportation? Who else today actually feels safe in Mayor Emanuel's Chicago? Certainly, those trapped in inner-city neighborhoods where police fear to police and crime and gang violence is rampant don't feel safe. They don't feel secure and supported. Chicago is not a sanctuary for them; it is a nightmare.

You might think the mainstream media would have at least as much to say about the weekend carnage in Chicago as they have to say about President Trump's assessment of blame for recent weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia  violence that pales in comparison to an average weekend in the Windy City. However, in spite of the oft heard refrain "Black Lives Matter," such lives don't seem of much concern if the deaths happen to occur in Chicago. Neither do they elicit much response if their ends are brought about at the hands of other blacks in drive-by shootings. Indeed, black lives seem to matter to our politicians and their media acolytes only if deaths can be blamed on the police or other so-called racist bigots.

For those running for public office as Democrats, "Black Lives Matter" makes an effective campaign slogan to gin up the minority vote every two and four years. To our progressive media, it's a persuasive mantra to discredit Republicans and white males who by virtue of skin color are labeled racist. But for minority Americans living in the poorer neighborhoods of Chicago, black lives truly do matter. It is their reality. It is their tragedy. It is they who live in fear. It is their lives at risk daily. It is their lives that should matter to all of us.

Why don't black lives matter enough to our politicians to force the removal of criminals and gangs who, in our country illegally, prey on the helpless? Why don't black lives matter enough to enforce our laws and get the violent criminals out of the neighborhoods and off the streets? If black lives really matter, why are state, local, and federal governments so reluctant to take the steps necessary to put an end to this needless and wanton loss of life? One has to ask just how much liberal politicians and the progressive media really care about black lives.

Do black lives really matter to those in authority having the duty to protect? If so, where is the evidence to demonstrate such concern? It is certainly not to be found in the city of Chicago!
His whole new strategy is supposedly a continuation of the past policies of the Obama and Bush administrations, baby steps, or else a cave-in to what his generals want. There was an excessive focus on 4,000 troops which is an uncertain number Trump hasn't explicitly given. But a reading of the speech itself, tells a different story.

To hear the media call it, President Trump has retreated from his original stance on Afghanistan in his pivotal new policy speech and allowed the swamp to take him down, finally adapting himself to the ways of Washington. Here's a headline from the New York Times :

Trump started with the truth of what the war meant to him on a visceral level - that he was tired of it. He was tired of the contractors, tired of the Afghani girls' education programs, tired of the NGOs and contractors making big bucks, tired of the Afghan migrants, Afghan Talibans among troops and Afghan corruption, and tired of the institutionalization of the war. It came off in a way that resonated with the American people who elected him and rejected the Bush/Obama record.

And we must acknowledge the reality Im here to talk about tonight, that nearly 16 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history, 17 years. I share the American peoples frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money  and most importantly, lives  trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.

It also helped that he laid out an actual goal - not Afghan girls' education as it was when Laura Bush was running things, but victory. And he tied that victory not to a generalized 'we're number one' sentiment, which might have worked, but to the more elemental reality that despite the bad leadership in this war, men and women have sacrificed their lives for it, and those sacrifices should not have been for nothing. Only victory would ensure that - so he called for the real thing: victory.

I arrived at three fundamental conclusion about Americas core interests in Afghanistan. First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory.

and even more directly:

Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition. Attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

It shows that Trump is keenly aware of our recent history of weakness, dating from the Vietnam War actually - that beating our enemies isn't hard for us, but we have a bad tendency to throw away victories, as we did in Vietnam. By demanding victory in the name of the troops who sacrificed, it's clear he means to end that bad pattern.

Trump's focus on Pakistan was probably the meatiest element of the speech - for years we have been hearing about the $2 billion in aid we give to that country and know very well its government officials were the ones harboring Osama bin Laden in full home comfort, complete with multiple wives and porno videos. They also threw the doctor who helped finger the master terrorist into prison, where he still rots. We know they enjoy shipping terrorists over the border to India, and we know they harbor their very own Taliban out on their Afghan border which helps and supplies the Afghan Taliban and perpetuates its power. Sure they offer transport routes for supplies into the country but the reality is, they have elements in their ISI secret services which enjoyed those towers going down on 9/11 and who as petty bureaucrats have fiefdoms to defend. And it is part of the government and it's a part that carries on with impunity. The land of acid attacks, killing girls for trying to read, and big bomb in the marketplace terror attacks is the miserable result. Yes, there are all sorts of geopolitical considerations as the country triangulates with China and Russia to check its enemies, but the war is not going to be won without Pakistan cleaning up its act. That Trump 'Went There' and finally laid it on the line - and in a way that holds out a hand to Pakistan instead of just a stick was just the right medicine, given that American people hold no major ill will toward Pakistan otherwise and just want the terrorism to be over. Trump was very direct about it:

But that will have to change. And that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order and to peace.

Trump's bringing up India and asking it to help out on Afghanistan is another element of The Real Trump, who drew so much warm support from Indian-Americans during the election of 2016. The media charted it up to Trump's business interests, but it's pretty obvious that Trump had more in mind than that - he wants to bring India on stage in a world role - and his partnering with India pretty well sends a message to Pakistan that if it does not play ball, it gets India on two sides of its borders.

Lastly, Trump did address the lawyerization of the Afghanistan war, where Washington swamp things in the legal community cancel out airstrikes against terrorists because the legal 't's and 'i's have not been crossed and dotted. Micromanaging from desk jockeys in the White House and Pentagon, as the Obama administration used to do, often for political correctness reasons or to satisfy some non-government organization, really does stand in the way of victory. Frankly, it too disgusts the American people as it interferes with both troops' lives and it halts victory in the name of perfect paper-pushing.

Trump knows these things. He wants victory, he wants the terrorist problem to be over. All of his other instincts were perfectly aligned as he made his decision to take up his new Afghanistan strategy.
The University of California is cheating its lowest paid workers. Connoisseurs of liberal hypocrisy have few more tempting targets than the upper reaches of the higher education industry, where liberal condescension and two-faced compassion prevail.

Consider the astounding actions of the University of California, a $30-billion-a-year operation (roughly the size of 3M or Time Warner) in telling workers that it cheated out of full pay, "Tough luck!" The editorial board of the UCLA Daily Bruin spotted the hypocrisy.

The University of California has some homework to do when it comes to treating its laborers better. And it can start by not undercutting its employees' paychecks and blaming it on glitches in its payroll system. The UC reached an agreement May with the U.S. Department of Labor to repay $1.3 million to workers after a federal investigation found it underpaid more than 13,700 nonacademic employees during payroll system update from 2014 to 2016. The University agreed to provide compensation to those underpaid by at least $20, coming out to an average of just under $100 per worker, but will not pay back the nearly $100,000 it still owes laborers underpaid by less than $20 [emphasis added].

When you earn six figures, have a comfortable retirement income guaranteed, and work in a comfy skyscraper office (the University of California just signed a lease on 130,000 square feet of class A office space, becoming the anchor tenant of a brand new office tower), twenty bucks is lunch money. But for a laborer, it represents probably an hour or so of unpleasant labor. That's part of your life that you sold to someone, and that you will never get back.

AFSCME, the ultra-political union that is virtually an organic part of the Democratic Party, but which also legally represents the workers, praised the agreement but tried to have it both ways:

AFSCME Local 3299, which represents about 24,000 custodians, cooks, technicians and other laborers, praised the settlement for making workers "whole." But it criticized the university for leaving out of the deal nearly $100,000 in back wages for employees who were owed less than $20.

Statistically speaking, it is likely that the administrators who approved this decision are liberals. They think of themselves as champions of the oppressed, define themselves as the good guys, compared to caricatures of Republicans and conservatives they buy into. But money talks, and BS walks. The little guys aren't worth the trouble it would take to identify them, write the checks, and get them paid.

Beneath all the compassionate rhetoric liberals spew about the victims of society, when it comes to institutions run by them, there is a level of contempt that is startling when it comes into perspective.
(ANSA) - Paris, August 22 - French President Emmanuel Macron phoned Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni Tuesday to discuss migrants and the Libyan situation, topics that will be addressed at a summit with Germany and Spain on August 28, sources close to Macron's office said. They also discussed preparations for a bilateral meeting in Lyon on September 27, as well as the fight against terrorism. Another topic in the phone conversation were prospects for the European Union, sources said.

Macron also voiced condolences for the two women who died in a quake on Ischia Monday night.

Macron recently voiced support for Italy's efforts to cope with migrants while stressing that economic migrants must be separated from refugees. The migrant flow from Libya has waned recently after Italy issued an NGO code of conduct and forged a deal with Libyan authorities under which Tripoli has started stopping migrant boats.


BEIRUT - At least 167 civilians including 59 children were killed in the eight days between August 14 and August 21 by bombing from the US-led coalition in Islamic State-held Raqqa, reports the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).



The airstrikes support an offensive by Kurdish-dominated forces into the Syrian city. SOHR added that 27 people had been killed on Sunday and 42 on Monday.



Russia announced on Monday that it had launched 316 missions in Syria in the five preceding days for 819 attacks on ISIS. ''To eliminate the terrorists withdrawing towards Deir Al-Zor,'' General Sergey Rudskoy from the Russian Chiefs of Staff said, ''the intensity of airstrikes was raised to 60-70 sorties per day.'' ''The Russian military aviation eliminated another large convoy of militants from the Islamic State (a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia), as they were heading to Deir ez-Sor, where international terrorists are trying to re-group and set up their last stronghold in Syria,'' the Russian defense ministry was quoted by TASS as saying. ''Bombers and military aviation from the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed over 20 off-road vehicles equipped with large-caliber weapons and grenade launches, as well as armored vehicles, including tanks, and heavy-load trucks carrying ammunition,'' it added. ''Over 200 militants were also eliminated.''


Barcelona terrorists were aiming for Sagrada Familia Arrested suspect confirms during questioning

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, AUGUST 22 - Mohamed Houli Chemal, who is currently being held in Spain in connection with last week's terrorist attacks in Barcelona, told a judge during questioning that the main objective of the group from the small town of Ripoll was to bomb the city's Sagrada Familia cathedral along with other monuments, according to Spanish daily El Mundo citing judicial sources present during the interrogation.



Houli Chemal, who was seriously injured last Wednesday night in the explosion at the terrorist cell's hideout in Alcanar, was the first of the four suspects in custody to be questioned. According to Spanish media sources, he responded to all of the judge's questions.(ANSAmed).




'Coalition airstrikes kill 167 civilians in Raqqa in 8 days' Backing Kurds, Russia hitting ISIS fleeing to Deir Al-Zor

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, AUGUST 22 - At least 167 civilians including 59 children were killed in the eight days between August 14 and August 21 by bombing from the US-led coalition in Islamic State-held Raqqa, reports the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).



The airstrikes support an offensive by Kurdish-dominated forces into the Syrian city. SOHR added that 27 people had been killed on Sunday and 42 on Monday.



Russia announced on Monday that it had launched 316 missions in Syria in the five preceding days for 819 attacks on ISIS. ''To eliminate the terrorists withdrawing towards Deir Al-Zor,'' General Sergey Rudskoy from the Russian Chiefs of Staff said, ''the intensity of airstrikes was raised to 60-70 sorties per day.'' ''The Russian military aviation eliminated another large convoy of militants from the Islamic State (a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia), as they were heading to Deir ez-Sor, where international terrorists are trying to re-group and set up their last stronghold in Syria,'' the Russian defense ministry was quoted by TASS as saying. ''Bombers and military aviation from the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed over 20 off-road vehicles equipped with large-caliber weapons and grenade launches, as well as armored vehicles, including tanks, and heavy-load trucks carrying ammunition,'' it added. ''Over 200 militants were also eliminated.'' (ANSAmed).




Gaza's Rafah crossing to Egypt headed for reopening In September, after remodeling work by Cairo

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, AUGUST 22 - The Rafah border crossing, the only passage to Egypt in the Gaza Strip, may reopen with regular operation starting in September, following the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, according to local sources.



Egypt has decided to reopen the crossing - which has only been passable up until now on in alternating phases - when remodeling work on the checkpoint that began last March is completed, the sources said.



They said the border remodeling project, which will allow for the passage of goods and will protect the crossing from terrorist attacks, also includes the installation of a computer system that will be directly connected with Cairo.



Israeli media said the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, told journalists last week of the strong possibility that the crossing would reopen after the Muslim holiday.(ANSAmed).




(ANSAmed) - PARIS, AUGUST 22 - One third of the 17,400 people identified in France as suspected radicalized Islamists present "psychiatric problems", French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told broadcaster BFM TV.



Collomb said the attack on Monday in Marseille, in which a man driving a van killed a woman and wounded a girl, wasn't terrorism but "imitation".



The Marseille prosecutor's office said that based on a psychiatric exam the man likely has psychosis.



"Weak people can allow themselves to get carried away and perform emulations," Collomb said.



Regarding security, the interior minister said there is willingness to "redefine" the Sentinelle operation, a security measure that was deployed following the January 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, which currently numbers 7,000 soldiers across the country.(ANSAmed).


ROME - Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidano that Islamic State (ISIS) ''terrorism will end in Europe as well when the occupation of Palestine does''. ''The end of the Israeli occupation of Palestine would be the key to weakening ISIS, Al Qaeda and similar groups. We are working with dozens of countries from around the entire world to defeat terrorism,'' he added. ''Hamas is part of the Palestinian population and we do not consider them terrorists,'' Abbas said. ''However, we ask Hamas to accept our political program and elections.'' With Israel, ''we are trying to achieve peace with international legitimacy, with the Arab initiative and with agreements that have already been signed: the solution is that of two states, Israel and Palestine, near each other in security.'' ''But it is clear,'' he added, ''that the Israeli government under PM (Benyamin) Netanyahu no longer believes in the two-state solution. This is a risk to the peace process because the actual situation on the ground is that of one state, Israel, that applies an apartheid system and we cannot accept this.'' ''Our hope is to achieve a historic agreement with the support and approval of President (Donald) Trump: an independent Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital,'' he said. On former US president Barack Obama, ''he did his best but even with him the US did not do what is necessary to put an end to the occupation and for the two-state solution'', he said.
If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both
Design Company: Wei Yi International Design Associates (www.lw-id.com)

Designers: FANG XinYuan, HONG YuRu

Location: Taiwan

Space Type: Residential

Area: 180

Design Time: 2013.11~2013.12

Construction Time: 2016.11~2017.04

Main Materials: concrete tile imported from ItalyTHK/20MM, steel brushed oak veneer with spray painting finish, THK/9MM iron plate, leather and flaxen cloth, grey stone(Ankara Pearl Marble) with antique finish, gray reinforced glass THK/10MM, engineered flooring, cold spray paint

Photographer: Hey!Cheese

Inspired by landscape of hills outside window, spatial planning of Ridge is centered on the design approach of layering, that is, showcasing the structure layer by layer like hills, which turns out to provide habitant with an initial state of peace and abundance.

Living & dining rooms are connected as one bigger space, maximizing visual perception in limited area. Wooden grid ceiling is parallel to gray matte floor tiles, together extending the whole space horizontally. Cool colors with low chroma are applied in delicate materials. Under the change of light and shade, it reaches multi-oriented spatial level.

In front of floor to ceiling window, old wood covered with traces of years is in sharp contrast with polished surface of brass tea table, adding a bit of fun for the space through materials mixing and matching. Red and blue chair by deceased Dutch architect Rietveld plays the lead role in a quiet dark background, as if coming out from the silent picture to initiate a conversation between modern architectural vocabulary and low design space.

In addition to dwelling, Ridge is bestowed with the function of leisurely social activities among literati. Tea and wine, which are indispensable for family hospitality, become essential elements for spatial arrangement. Old wood regains vitality after re-used as tea table, while wine cellar surrounded by gray glass creates another space with an air of detachment. The implied meaning that Zen is for tea and Transcendence for wine is perfectly illustrated through the details of high-quality life with a balance between external wealth and inner peace.
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A Carlsbad City Council decision will allow a New Mexico oil company to seek mineral rights from landowners and the city itself in order to drill underneath the city.

The city council unanimously voted twice to allow Santo Petroleum to go door-to-door to lease mineral rights from owners, and to begin negotiations with the city for the mineral rights it owns.

The challenge for Santo is several surface-level land owners in Carlsbad do not own the mineral rights of their properties.

Santo Vice President Hanson Yates says the company has ongoing title research efforts to identify areas needed for the project, and who owns the rights.

City officials say they intend to negotiate a lease with Santo once all of the citys rights are officially identified.
New-generation model is far superior to its predecessor in terms of safety, luxury, power and fuel efficiency.

The 5th generation Hyundai Verna has been launched in India. Hyundai is claiming that this new car is better in every way - it is safer, more luxurious, powerful but efficient and sets itself apart from the competition with segment-first features.

Available in 12 variants, the new Hyundai Verna is priced, ex-showroom Delhi, as follows:

Petrol

E MT : Rs 7.99 Lakh

EX MT : Rs 9.07 Lakh

EX AT : Rs 10.23 Lakh

SX MT : Rs 9.50 Lakh

SX (O) MT : Rs 11.09 Lakh

SX (O) AT : Rs 12.24 Lakh

Diesel

E MT : Rs 9.19 Lakh

EX MT : Rs 9.99 Lakh

EX AT : Rs 11.40 Lakh

SX MT : Rs 11.12 Lakh

SX+ AT : Rs 12.62 Lakh

SX (O) MT : Rs 12.40 Lakh

It is easy to see that the new Verna has bigger aspirations - it looks like a scaled down Elantra. This also means that the new Verna is now more understated to look at, the new Fluidic design concept favours a classy look over all-out flashiness.

At the front, the Verna gets the company's signature cascading grille, sweptback headlamps with projector headlights, horizontally placed L-shaped LED DRLs and projector fog lamps. While it may not look like it at first, the new Verna is wider than the older car by 29mm. The overall height of the car remains the same as before at 1475mm.

The Verna's silhouette is similar to the older car, it is more like a coupe than a three-box sedan. The increase in overall dimensions is apparent from this angle - the new Verna is 65mm longer and gets a 30mm longer wheelbase. The top-of-the-line variants feature 16-inch 5-spoke diamond-cut alloy wheels.

At the rear, the Verna now features another Hyundai signature - slim, side-swept taillights with triple-lamp stop lights. The boot lid is upswept to form a spoiler while the bumper gets a dual-tone treatment to reduce the visual mass at the rear.

On the inside, the new Verna follows Hyundai's philosophy of understated elegance. Form follows function here, with very little in terms of design flair. The Verna's cabin also exudes the same sense of good build quality and premiumness that modern Hyundai's are known for. The cabin features a black-and-beige theme with silver inserts.

Highlights include a chunky three-spoke steering wheel with multifunction buttons, simple instrument cluster with two large analogue dials and a very informative digital DIS. The centre console features a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity which is flanked by the two central A/C vents.

The Verna, at least on the top-end variants features leather upholstery. The Verna seems to be designed to pamper the front occupants than the ones at the rear. In spite of the increased overall length and wheelbase, the Verna is not a comfortable car for rear seat passengers. This is based on our initial impressions of the car, you can check out our first look review of the car here.

What makes the front seats feel special is the addition of ventilation. Ventilated front seats are one of the segment-first features which should make the Verna more appealing. Other features include hands-free boot release (you wave your foot under the rear bumper and the bootlid opens automatically), projector fog lamps and Eco Coating (A/C tech which eliminates odour).

Standard features available across the range include dual front airbags, ABS, day-night IRVM, ISOFIX child-seat anchor points, front seatbelts with pretensioner, rear centre armrest with cupholders, tilt-adjustable steering and electrically adjustable ORVMs.

Highlights of the top-of-the-line variant include a 6-speaker surround sound system, Hyundai iBlue app-based remote control, sunroof, keyless entry-and-go, six airbags and rear windshield curtain.

The Hyundai Verna carries over the larger-capacity engines from the previous generation. The 1.4-litre petrol and diesel motors have been ditched with the more powerful 1.6-litre motors carried over.

The 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated petrol motor develops 123PS of maximum power at 6400rpm (as compared to 6,300rpm earlier) and 151Nm of peak torque at 4850rpm (as compared to 155Nm at 4200rpm earlier). The engine can be paired to either a 6-speed manual transmission or an all-new 6-speed automatic transmission. While power and torque figures have not improved, Hyundai claims that the new car is better to drive. The ARAI-certified mileage with MT is 17.70kmpl (+0.7kmpl) and with AT is 15.92kmpl (+0.2kmpl).

The 1.6-litre, turbocharged diesel motor develops 128PS of maximum power at 4000rpm and 260Nm of peak torque at 1500-3000rpm (as compared to 1900-2750rpm). The larger peak torque curve should make the Verna diesel easier to drive in the city and also give it the required boost at higher speeds. ARAI-certified mileage of the new Verna diesel MT is 24.75kmpl (+0.85kmpl) while the AT returns 21.02kmpl (+0.9kmpl).

Hyundai is also offering a connected car service, called the Auto Link, which allows customers to check the car's health, analyse driving habits, contact roadside assistance on their phone. Hyundai is also offering, under its customer care program, 3-year unlimited kilometres warranty, 3-years free roadside assistance package and 3 times map update.

SOurce> ZigWheels.com
Under GST, Hyundai's new models like Elantra, will attract same rate as luxury models from BMW, Mercedes and Audi.

New Delhi: Hyundai Motor India on Tuesday sought clarity from the government on extra cess planned to be levied on on large cars and SUVs, while asking how a luxury car is defined for taxation purpose under the GST.

Under the current GST rates, the company's models such as all new versions of its sedans Verna and Elantra attract the same rate as luxury models from BMW, Mercedes and Audi.

In the pre-GST system these models from Hyundai attracted lower tax rate than other luxury vehicles. "We don't know what's going on. What is luxury?" Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) MD & CEO Y K Koo told reporters here when sought comments on move by the government to hike cess on large cars and SUVs.

The company is seeking clarity on how a luxury car has been defined under the GST with some of the common models even attracting similar rates as the so called luxury vehicles.

"There is a need for more clarity from the GST Council regarding definition of various provisions such as engine size and vehicle length," Koo added.

Under the GST regime, large cars and SUVs with engine capacity greater than 1,500 cc with length more than 4 metres attract cess of 15 per cent in addition to the top tax rate of 28 per cent.

The GST Council has approved a proposal to hike cess on them from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. The decision on when to raise the actual cess leviable on the same will be taken by the council in due course.

On the government's move to hike cess on large cars and SUVs, he said: "We are little confused regarding extra cess that the government is planning to levy."

When asked about possible impact if the cess were to be increased by 10 per cent, Koo said prices would go up but "at the moment we are not sure what would be the quantum of hike. We are waiting for some clarity on the issue".

When asked about Hyundai's plans to introduce electric vehicles in India, Koo said the company is reviewing various options, including SUVs from its global line up.

It has, however, shelved plans to bring in hybrid vehicles to the country as the current government taxation policy does not favour hybrids, he added.

Already companies, including Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and Toyota have said the move to hike cess on large cars and SUVs to 25 per cent was against the spirit of liberal market dynamics and would affect future plans of expansion under 'Make in India' initiative.
Qatar Airways in the past had initiated talks with IndiGo for a marketing tie-up, which later failed to yield any results.

Qatar Airways on Tuesday signed an interline partnership with Vistara, under which customers of the two carriers will have seamless travel to and from India to over 150 destinations.

Mumbai: Persian gulf carrier Qatar Airways on Tuesday entered into an interline partnership with Vistara, under which customers of the two carriers will have seamless travel to and from India to over 150 destinations.

The partnership is effective from Monday, Qatar Airways said.

Qatar Airways currently operates to 13 cities in India from its Doha hub while the Tata-SIA run joint venture airline Vistara operates to 18 domestic destinations.

An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline. When selling an interline ticket, the operating airline's own flight numbers are used.

Interline partnership allows Qatar Airways' passengers to travel seamlessly to and from a wide range of cities within India across Vistara's network, via Qatar Airways' existing 13 Indian gateways and under a single ticket, the Gulf carrier said in a release.

"This exciting new partnership with Vistara will bring enhanced connectivity and increased convenience to our passengers travelling within India on an expanding full-service premium carrier. The Indian market is very important to us. This new partnership expands Qatar Airways' presence in India and reinforces our commitment to this market," Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said.

Qatar Airways in the past had initiated talks with Indian budget carrier IndiGo for a marketing tie-up, which later failed to yield any results. "We are delighted to launch our interline partnership with Qatar Airways, through which we will offer a seamless flying experience and international luggage allowance to our joint customers from various cities in India to and from over 150 destinations across the world on a single ticket," Vistara Chief Executive Officer Phee Teik Yeoh said on the partnership.

Qatar Airways operates services from Doha to New Delhi, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad, Chennai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram in India.
The Prime Minister called these young entrepreneurs a 'part of his team' to fulfil his dream of a 'cashless India 2022'.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called on 200 young CEOs at Niti Aayogs Champions of Change program, to become soldiers of a prosperous India.

Under the 'Champions of Change', young CEOs began deliberations on six themes - New India by 2022, Doubling Farmer's Incomes, Creating Cities of Tomorrow, Taking Forward Make in India, Reforming Financial sector, Building World-Class Infrastructure.

The Prime Minister, who is also the Chairman of the government think-tank, called these young entrepreneurs a part of his team to battle obstacles to fulfill his dream of a cashless India 2022.

He further stressed on the need for this team to prioritise the welfare of the citizens of India. Every citizen must have a feeling that this country is mine and I have to work for the country, I want to add something towards its growth, he said.

Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, Modi explained the need for a unified effort in working towards the welfare of India. Mahatma Gandhi turned the freedom struggle into a mass movement and we saw the results, he said.

He urged the industry leaders to think of the poorest of the poor while innovating new technology or products. However, he added that there is no question of compromising on the quality of the product.

On doubling farmers incomes, he said that one must take into account every aspect of a farmers life to ensure value addition. Citing the example of urea used by farmers, he said Rationalising numerous laws to provide gas smoothly for the manufacture of Urea is a big initiative of the government to ensure farmer welfare.

He also went on to talk about the Government e-Marketplace or GeM that facilitates online procurement of common use goods and services required by various government departments, organisations or PSUs. Even with little reach, procurements of Rs.1000 crore have already been recorded by GeM, he said.

The Prime Minister thanked the lot of 200 CEOs for their contribution to the program and thinking in terms of the country and not just the industry. "If this generation thinks of feasible solutions to our unique problems, markets and jobs will automatically be created," he said.

He also expressed his gratitude towards the outgoing Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya and said his contribution to nation building has been enormous.
New Delhi: Normal banking operations have been hit as public sector bank employees went on a one-day nationwide strike on Tuesday to protest against the government's proposed consolidation move, besides raising other demands. Services like deposits and withdrawal at bank branches, cheque clearance, NEFT and RTGS transactions are affected.

However, operations at private lenders such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were almost normal. The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) had already informed customers that functioning of branches and offices may take a hit if the strike takes off. It had also asked banks to take measures in advance to minimise the impact.

The strike has been called by all unions under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). The UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and the National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

Besides, protest against consolidation move of the government, other demands include no write-off policy for non-performing assets (NPAs) of corporate loans, declaring wilful default of loans as criminal offence and implementation of recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on recovery of NPAs, NOBW vice president Ashwini Rana said.

The government should provide overtime for additional work during demonetisation, he said. The UFBU, which claims membership of nearly 10 lakh across banks, requested the government for cost reimbursement of demonetisation to banks. As many as 21 public sector banks control 75 per cent of the total banking business.
The 47-year-old actor took to Twitter to share that she was on her way to her home country to contribute in the relief work.

Manisha Koirala will be seen in the Sanjay Dutt biopic starring Ranbir Kapoor.

Mumbai: Actor Manisha Koirala has left for Nepal to visit the flood-hit region of Terai.

The 47-year-old actor, who is a Nepal national, took to Twitter to share that she was on her way to her home country to contribute in the relief work.

"First, it was earthquake and now it's floods... My heart sank with devastating news... I'm travelling to Terai with (the) UNFPA team... Hoping, praying to be of some use in this crisis..." Koirala wrote.

first it was earthquake n now its floods..my heart sank with devastating news..i m travelling to tarai with UNFPA... https://t.co/mX6drRpH72  Manisha Koirala (@mkoirala) August 21, 2017

In 2015, Nepal was struck by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake, with its epicentre located at about 80 km north-west of Kathmandu, claiming over 7,000 lives and injuring 14,123 others.

As of August 18, widespread flooding and landslides in Nepal have killed 120 people and nearly 35 people are missing.

Over six million people have been affected by the incessant rains across the country.
Varun says that Salman will always be the 'original Judwaa' after the latter tweeted his support for the second part of the film.

Mumbai: While several films have had sequels or second installments in a franchise, it is perhaps the first time that it has taken 20 long years for it to work out.

Raja and Prem, among the most popular twins in the history of Bollywood, are returning to the big screen after exactly two decades with the second installment of the Judwaa franchise.

While Salman Khan enacted the characters with aplomb in 1997, Varun Dhawan has stepped into his massive shoes in Judwaa 2 that is set to release on September 29.

The trailer of the film was launched on Monday, which displayed most of the same plot line of the first film, from the chaos arising due to mistaken identity, one-liners, and even two songs from the original being remixed for this one.

Celebrities lend support to their colleagues films by tweeting their support by sharing the trailer and complimenting them, something that happened with Judwaa 2 as well.

But the most interesting tweet of the lot was by Salman himself.

He called himself Judwaa 1' and Varun 'Judwaa 2 while sharing the link of the trailer.

Judwaa 1 tweeting for Judwaa 2 . https://t.co/QHYYmFGWOH  Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) August 21, 2017

Varun was his modest self responding that the superstar will always be the original 'Judwaa'.

You will always be the original judwaa bhai https://t.co/L28cIHYVLh  Varun PREM Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) August 21, 2017

Moreover, Salman will also be seen in a cameo appearance in the film and it would be interesting to see how this social media chemistry would look on the big screen as well.

Judwaa 2 brings director David Dhawan and producer Sajid Nadiadwala together again, with Jacqueline Fernandez and Taapsee Pannu the lead actresses.
Priyanka is working on her third film after making her debut with Baywatch, while Deepika is looking for work after xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

It was being speculated that Bollywoods exports to Hollywood, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra were not on the friendliest terms with each other. But then the actresses proved that this wasnt the real story at the moment as Mastani and Kashibai took time off to behave like the new BFFs in town.

They were seen at a party recently where they took time to catch up  or should we read that as patch up. Well, anyway the actresses were seen discussing work not just here in Bollywood, but on the other side of the Pacific, where the actresses are seeking work at the moment. Priyanka is working on her third film after making her debut with Baywatch, while Deepika is looking for work after xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

Both of them were a lot more than just being cordial. They were discussing work and laughing their guts out as they shared some anecdotes from each others experience. It was great to know that they shared a camaraderie like this specially when they are going away from home seeking work on alien shores, says a source from the party.

 Sanskriti Media
The Supreme Court said the bail has been granted subject to certain conditions.

New Delhi: Observing that a balance must be maintained between the personal liberty of an accused and the right of an agency to investigate the case, the Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Lt. Col. Prasad Srikant Purohit, accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case that killed seven people and injured over 100.

Taking into consideration the fact that Lt. Col. Purohit has been in jail for eight years and eight months, and that there were serious contradictions in the charge sheets filed by ATS Mumbai and the NIA, a bench of Justices R.K. Agrawal and A.M. Sapre set aside the judgment of the Bombay high court.

In April this year, the high court, while granting bail to co-accused Sadhvi Pragya, had rejected Lt. Col. Purohits plea saying that the charges against him were of a grave nature.

Three days later, Lt. Col. Purohit moved the Supreme Court, pleading that Sadhvi Pragyas bail and clean chit by NIA had snapped the link between him and her and, hence, he too deserved bail.

The Supreme Court said that grant or denial of bail is regulated, to a large extent, by the facts and circumstances of each case, but at the same time right to bail is not to be denied merely because of the sentiments of a community against an accused.

The bench said that Lt. Col. Purohit, who was at the time of the blasts an intelligence officer of the Indian Army, has refuted the charge of conspiracy on the ground of intelligence inputs he provided to his superior officers and the NIA had last year accused ATS of planting RDX at Lt. Col. Purohits residence.

We are of the considered view that the appellant has made out a prima facie case for release on bail and we deem it appropriate to enlarge the appellant on bail, the bench said.

After two bombs fitted on a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon on September 29, 2008, investigations exposed the role of a hardline Hindutva group, Abhinav Bharat. Among those linked to the group and arrested were Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Lt. Col. Purohit.

The Army officer is accused of floating Abhinav Bharat, collecting funds to procure arms and explosives and organising meetings where the Malegaon attack was planned. He, however, has maintained that he was assigned by military intelligence to infiltrate various terror organisations and that his superiors were in the loop about his actions and associations with Abhinav Bharat.

Investigations into the blast were initially conducted by Maharashtra ATS, led by its chief Hemant Karkare. After Karkare was killed in the terror attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, the probe was handed over to the NIA in 2011.

While the NIA maintains that there was evidence against Lt. Col. Purohit in the form of audio and video recordings, call data records and statements of witnesses which prove his involvement in the case, it recommended prosecuting him for conspiracy under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It dropped charges under the stringent anti-terror law, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act or MCOCA, against Lt. Col. Purohit and nine others.

While rejecting his bail petition, the Bombay high court had referred to the report filed by the NIA, and said, Purohit was the one who prepared a separate Constitution for Hindu Rashtra with a separate saffron colour flag. He also discussed about taking revenge for the (alleged) atrocities committed by the Muslims on Hindus. The court also refused to accept his contention that he had attended the meetings as part of a covert military intelligence operation.

The Congress reacted sharply to news of bail to Lt. Col Purohit. Accusing the BJP government of protecting all the accused connected to the RSS, it also raised questions over National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief Sharad Kumar getting two extensions.

Col Purohit gets bail. It was expected as the present BJP govt is protecting all the accused connected with RSS in all bomb blast cases (sic), Congress leader Digivijaya Singh tweeted.

NIA chief has been given two extensions to ensure their acquittal. He may now be further rewarded for a suitable post retirement position (sic), he said, in another tweet.
Counsel for the association also said that it couldnt have the dialogue when the government of India was not agreeing for it.

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday made it clear in the Supreme Court that talks or dialogue is not possible in Jammu and Kashmir with those who contest the accession of the state with India and assert that all elections held since 1947 had been rigged.

Making this submission before a bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and justice D.Y. Chandrachud, the solicitor general Ranjit Kumar read out the affidavit filed by the petitioner of the Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association and said they are contesting the accession of Jammu and Kashmir with India and saying all elections since 1947 have been rigged. On what basis are we going to sit together for a dialogue?

The bench, which is hearing the petition against the use of pellet guns, had in April asked the Centre and the association to explore the possibility of a dialogue.

The CJI had asked the association to prevail upon the restive youth in the state to shun stone pelting and go back to their studies as part of the dialogue process. During the resumed hearing on Monday the solicitor general made it clear that no talks is possible in the current atmosphere.

Counsel for the association also said that it couldnt have the dialogue when the government of India was not agreeing for it.

He said the association was not willing to act as a mediator with the agitating youth.

The counsel told the court when the government is not ready for talks how can be start the process. He suggested continuous and uninterrupted dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue. The CJI told the counsel violence is continuing. How can you have a dialogue?

The counsel urged the court to examine the new Statement of Purpose for the Army in Kashmir and said, The court has to look at Article 14 of the Constitution, viz peoples right to protest vis a vis the response of the state.

On its part the Centre rejected the plea for a unilateral ceasefire and resumption of talks with separatist leaders like Syed Shah Geelani. It said even the court cannot pass a directive to the government for holding talks with Pakistan or the separatists.

The association sought a direction from the court that the government of India should be asked to hold unilateral, uninterrupted, unconditional talks with all stakeholders in the state.

The association placed in the court photographs purportedly detailing the alleged excess carried out by security personnel including on children as young as five years.

The association said that there was considerable peace in J&K when Atal Behari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and similar efforts were made by the then PM Manmohan Singh. He said during the regime of Vajpayee and Singh, the government of India had talks with various stakeholders including Huriyat leaders, Syed Shah Geelani and other leaders.

But from 2016, there was a change in the present government policy. They are not going for any talks. They just want to use as much force by security forces and killing people, it said. Since efforts of mediation had failed the bench posted the matter for final hearing on October 4.
Following the apex court's order, the Cong accused the BJP of 'protecting' all accused 'connected to the RSS'.

New Delhi: The Congress and the BJP were on Monday engaged in a war of words over the Supreme Court granting bail to 2008 Malegaon serial blasts accused Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, with the former blaming the ruling party of "protecting" all the accused "connected to the RSS".

The BJP, however, demanded an apology from Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi for "politicising terror, conspiring to besmirch the Army's reputation and defaming the Hindu community".

The Congress raised questions over National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief Sharad Kumar getting two extensions and hoped that justice would be done in the Malegaon serial blasts case, "without fear or favour".

"Col Purohit gets Bail. It was expected as the present BJP Govt is protecting all the accused connected with RSS in all Bomb Blast cases (sic)," Congress leader Digvijaya Singh wrote on Twitter.

Read: 2008 Malegaon blast case: SC grants bail to Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit

In another tweet, he said, "NIA chief has been given two extensions to ensure their acquittal. He may now be further rewarded for a suitable post retirement position (sic)."

The BJP criticised the Congress' reaction to Purohit getting bail and said Sonia and Rahul must apologise for "indulging in the politicisation of terror".

BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao also condemned the main Opposition party for its "attempts to defame the Hindu community in particular and Indians in general".

"The conspiracy was also to besmirch the excellent reputation of the Indian Army, a nasty habit that the Congress continues to follow till date," he alleged.

At the Congress briefing, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said grant of bail was neither a proof of innocence nor guilt as bail was essentially the court's prerogative. "An interim bail frankly has no reflection or connection with the merits of the case as we understand that a chargesheet has been filed. The matter is under adjudication and a trial court will determine it," he said.

As far as justice dispensation was concerned, Tewari said the Congress was "not in the business of speculating" as a responsible political party. "We are not trying to draw parallels here, but it is surprising that this government has not been able to find a single competent officer to head the NIA. These repeated extensions have been frowned upon by the Supreme Court and therefore, what the government is doing is a flagrant violation of the law laid down by the apex court and it needs to answer why can't the NIA have a head with a fixed tenure," Tewari said.

Asked whether the Congress endorsed Digvijaya Singh's comments, he said he was not aware of them. All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of communications department Randeep Singh Surjewala said Purohit getting bail was neither a reflection of his guilt nor innocence as he was facing a trial.

"Why is that the (Narendra) Modi government cannot find any competent police officer in India to head the NIA that they have to give two extensions to its current chief? "We sincerely hope that the law will take its own course and justice will be done, free from fear or favour, in this case," he said.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed the Congress' accusations, saying whoever deserved justice would get it. "What is the conspiracy about it? The Congress has the habit of raising this issue. Why should we intervene? This is a process (that was) started a long time back and it is a process of the judiciary. Why should we intervene? Whosoever deserves justice will get it. My saying anything will not change it," he said on the sidelines of an event of the border guarding force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

Rijiju added that he would not like to comment on statements made by Digvijaya Singh on the issue. "He (Singh) has a habit of saying all these things. Why should I respond to that?" the minister said.

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon serial blasts case. A bench of justices R K Agrawal and A M Sapre granted bail to Purohit, setting aside a Bombay High Court order which had denied him bail earlier.
Ties between India and Nepal began very well in the tenure of the Modi Government but were rocked by the Madhesi agitation in the Himalayan country.

New Delhi: Even as the Sino-Indian military standoff in Bhutanese territory continues at Doklam, Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will begin a four-day official visit to India starting Wednesday, his first visit abroad since becoming Prime Minister in June this year. The Doklam issue could figure in talks between the two countries with Nepal  a smaller neighbour of both India and China  watching the situation closely. China has been trying its level best to expand its influence in Nepal for the past several years, a matter of concern to New Delhi. Ties between India and Nepal began very well in the tenure of the Modi Government but were rocked by the Madhesi agitation in the Himalayan country.

Nevertheless, the prompt and massive assistance rendered by India to Nepal during the horrific earthquake there is remembered with gratitude by the Nepalese people despite the turbulence of the Madhesi agitation.

In a statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, The Prime Minister of Nepal, accompanied by his spouse Dr Arzu Deuba, will be on a state visit to India from 23-27 August 2017 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is his first visit abroad after assuming the office of Prime Minister of Nepal in June 2017. A high-level delegation will accompany the Prime Minister of Nepal.

The MEA added, During the visit, the Prime Minister of Nepal will call on the President and vice-president and will hold talks with the Prime Minister of India. The external affairs minister and other ministers will call on the Prime Minister of Nepal. Apart from official engagements in New Delhi, the Prime Minister of Nepal will visit Hyderabad, Tirupati and Bodh Gaya. In recent years, India-Nepal partnership has witnessed significant growth in all areas of cooperation. The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity to both the sides for holding wide-ranging discussions on issues of mutual interest, and advancing age old, special ties of friendship between our two countries.
Landmark verdict delivered by an all-faith, 5-judge bench in a 3:2 majority.

The top court said triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Islam. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court in a landmark verdict Tuesday ruled that divorce among Muslims through the practice of triple talaq was "void, illegal and unconstitutional".

Triple talaq -- the personal law by which Muslim men can instantaneously divorce their wives by uttering talaq thrice -- "is not integral to religious practice and violates constitutional morality," the panel of Supreme Court judges said.

Tuesday's verdict was delivered in a 3:2 majority by a 5-judge bench of all faiths -- Chief Justice of India J S Khehar (Sikh), Justices Kurian Joseph (Christian), Rohinton Nariman (Parsi), Uday Lalit (Hindu) and S A Abdul Nazeer (Muslim).

While Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer wanted to put triple talaq on hold for six months till the government made a law on this, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit ruled the practice was "manifestly arbitrary and violative of the Constitution". It should be struck down, they said.

"In view of the different opinions recorded by a majority of 3:2, the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' or triple talaq is set aside," the five-judge constitution bench said in a 395-page order.

Read: All you need to know about triple talaq case

The Constitution so far has held that the 1400-year-old triple talaq is legal for Muslims, but many aggrieved women, divorced by letter, on SMS, Whatsapp and even Skype challenged the controversial practice.

Victims including Shayara Bano, whose husband used triple talaq to divorce her by letter in 2015, had approached India's highest court to ask for a ruling.

The three judges in favour of banning triple talaq said the practice was against the basic tenets of Islam. The apex court referred to the abolition of triple talaq in Islamic countries and asked why independent India could not get rid of it. More than 20 Muslim countries, including neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned the practice.

These judges called triple talaq called the practice bad in law.

The minority verdict by CJI Khehar and Justice Nazeer said triple talaq may be "sinful", but the court could not interfere in personal laws considered a fundamental right.

Read: Triple talaq: Political parties welcome SC verdict, call it historic win

They instead favoured to keep on hold the practice for six months, asked political parties to set aside differences and help the Centre in coming out with a legislation.

The judges in the minority verdict said if the Centre did not bring a law within six months, then its injunction on triple talaq would continue.

CJI Khehar and Justice Nazeer also expressed hope the Centre's legislation would take into account concerns of Muslim bodies and the Sharia law.

The Centre had earlier told the bench that it would come out with a law to regulate marriage and divorce among Muslims if triple talaq was held invalid and unconstitutional by the apex court.

The government said all three forms of divorce among the Muslim community -- talaq-e-biddat, talaq hasan and talaq ahsan, as "unilateral" and "extra-judicial".

It argued all personal laws must conform to the Constitution and rights of marriage, divorce, property and succession had to be treated in the same class.

The Centre said triple talaq was neither integral to Islam, nor a "majority versus minority" issue but an "intra-community tussle" between Muslim men and deprived women.

The Bench held sittings during summer vacation to decide the validity of triple talaq. It was hearing a batch of petitions filed by Muslim Womens Quest for Equality. The hearing was completed in six days.

The petitioners had questioned the validity of triple talaq and had argued that it infringed with Muslim womens fundamental right to equality.

In opposition to that, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) submitted a draft 'nikhanama' (marriage agreement), which said the bridegroom would not resort to instantaneous triple talaq to seek divorce. The AIMPLB said a resolution to this effect had been passed and sent to all the kazis in the country.

The AIMPLB had asserted that triple talaq may be sinful but it was a practice in existence for close to 1400 years. We dont want the court to enter into a slippery slope. Court should not venture into the area and interpret something, which is not in its domain. Personal law, customs and faith cannot be tested under the garb of fundamental rights, the Muslim board had said.

Through its senior counsel Kapil Sibal, AIMPLB had cautioned the court from deciding this issue as it could lead to a backlash in the Muslim community, which might see its rights being infringed upon and therefore resort to supporting practices like polygamy and oral divorce.
The SC by a majority verdict on Tuesday ruled triple talaq as 'void', 'illegal' and 'unconstitutional'.

The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and the All India Shia Personal Law Board on Tuesday said that the decision has given new hope to Muslim women. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and the All India Shia Personal Law Board on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court judgement on triple talaq, terming it as a victory of Islam and Muslim women in the country.

The decision, they said, has given new hope to Muslim women. "The Supreme Court decision is historic, it is the victory of women in the country. But more than that, it is the victory of Islam," said President of the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board Shaista Amber, who has been fighting for the rights of Muslim women.

"We hope that triple talaq will be banned once and for all in times to come," she said, adding it causes immense hardships to Muslim women even though "there is no provision of triple talaq in Islam".

"This discriminatory arrangement is made by so-called religious leaders and it has harmed the lives of lakhs of women...the decision has given new hope to Muslim women," she said.

The Supreme Court by a majority verdict on Tuesday ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional" and held that it is against the basic tenets of Quran.

Asking the government to enact a new law without harming the Sharia, she hoped that a new legislation will be brought without any pressure to ensure welfare and prosperity of Muslim women.

The All India Shia Personal Law Board spokesperson Maulana Yasoob Abbas too welcomed the decision, saying it will help end harassment of Muslim women in the name of triple talaq. "There was no arrangement of triple talaq in the times of Holy Prophet...We want a strong legislation against triple talaq...A law similar to the one against the practice of Sati," he said.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board General secretary Maulana Wali Rehmani, however, refused to comment on the verdict saying, the board will sit together and decide on future steps in this matter.
US President saying Pak was providing safe haven to terrorists was music to Indias ears.

New Delhi/ Washington/Beijing: In a shock for Islamabad and music to New Delhis ears, the United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday read the riot act out to Pakistan for providing safe havens to agents of chaos, violence and terror that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has much to lose by harbouring terrorists.

While appreciating New Delhi for its role in Afghanistan, Mr Trump again taunted India for making billions of dollars in trade with the US and exhorted it to do more in Afghanistan, even as he appreciated Indias contribution to stability in the strife-torn country. New Delhi chose to remain silent on Mr Trumps barb, though it pointed out India welcomed the US Presidents determination to confront terror safe havens, and that India had been steadfast in its efforts towards the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

In its reaction, China jumped to the rescue of its all-weather friend Pakistan, claiming that Islamabad is at the front-line of combating terrorism.

Pakistans own response was muted, with its foreign minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif highlighting Pakistans immense sacrifices in the enduring fight against terrorism, after the US envoy in Pakistan, David Hale, met him to brief about Mr Trumps statement. Mr Asif may travel to Washington soon to meet US secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

Slamming Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warning it of consequences if it continued to do so, President Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as the commander-in-chief, said, For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen. ... We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists.

But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace, the US President said. He said after a comprehensive review, it was decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia would change dramatically. Mr Trump said a pillar of his new strategy was a change in Americas approach to Pakistan. Mr Trump noted that in the past, the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars but it continued to house the very terrorists that America is fighting against.

The Pakistani people have suffered from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices, he noted, adding, But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people.

Mr Trumps strong criticism of Pakistan comes days after the US had designated Kashmiri terror group Hizbul Mujahideen as a foreign terrorist organisation. Also, it comes about two months after the US declared the groups Pakistan-based chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist.

On India, the US President said, We appreciate Indias important contributions towards stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.

India said, We welcome Mr Trumps determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives.

Besides, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said, India will be an important partner to ensure peace in the region, and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistans political and economic modernisation.
Many Islamic nations have already ushered in reforms and restricted or banned the practice of talaq-e-bidat.

New Delhi: Former Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid has said that the apex court verdict setting aside triple talaq as unconstitutional has uncovered the real Islam and has uprooted all the practices established outside Islam.

He said there is no role of legislature now as it is only the minority, which said the legislature should step in, but the majority has not sought that so now there is no role of legislature. On women who approached the apex court to set aside the order of divorce granted through triple talaq, he said usually constitution bench sets out law and doesnt go into individual cases, which have to be dealt with separately in appropriate courts. Former Chief Justice of Jharkhand high court M. Karpagavinayagam faulted CJI Khehar for his minority verdict asking Parliament to enact legislation. He said referring an issue to Parliament is a time-consuming process. In recommending legislation and passing the buck to Parliament, the CJI had taken a political view, which is incorrect.

He pointed out that the apex court had taken this case initially suo motu (on its own) considering the importance and later petitions were filed for quashing the practice. While this being the position, the CJIs view is wrong.

Justice Karpagavinayagam was of the view that in a democracy women belonging to any religion should not suffer due to discrimination in divorce law as their plight after divorce is unimaginable. He felt that the majority judgment had kept this in mind while rendering justice to the women deprived of their rights.

Advocate Balaji Srinivasan, who filed the first petition on behalf of Shayara Bano for quashing triple talaq said there is no place for gender discrimination in a democracy. He said by upholding triple talaq as a religious practice, the CJI had taken a strange position which is not in the interest of Muslim women. Many Islamic nations have already ushered in reforms and restricted or banned the practice of talaq-e-bidat, so as to ensure that talaq is preceded by an attempt for reconciliation. However, Muslim women in India were being given talaq over Skype, Facebook, and even WhatsApp messages.

He said there was no protection against such arbitrary divorce and Muslim women had their hands tied while the guillotine of divorce dangled, perpetually ready to drop at the whims of their husbands who enjoyed undisputed power. In other words, Muslim women were treated like chattel. Finally, Shayara Bano knocked the doors of the Apex Court and the judgment in Shayara Banos case is a watershed moment for our democracy. The Court has declared the practice of talaq-e-bidat unconstitutional and thereby secured the fundamental right of Muslim women to live a life of dignity.

Advocate V.K. Biju said by considering the overall nature of the judgment it can be seen that all the five judges had taken a view that triple talaq at one time was illegal. The minority has suspended the operation of triple talaq for six months and both judgments have to be welcomed.

Amnesty International in a statement welcome the judgment and said triple talaq is a discriminatory practice that violates womens right to equality, and has devastated the lives of many Muslim women. The Supreme Courts bar on this regressive practice is a step forward for womens rights in India. We urge the government to repeal all religious family laws that violate womens right to equality, without exception, it said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant triple talaq.

The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and the All India Shia Personal Law Board also welcomed the judgment. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: In a landmark judgment to protect the rights of Muslim women, the Supreme Court on Tuesday banned triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat (instantaneous divorce by uttering talaq thrice in one go), a form of divorce followed by Sunni Muslims for centuries.

A five-judge bench comprising judges from different religions  Chief Justice J.S. Khehar (Sikh), Justices Kurian Joseph (Christian), Rohinton Nariman (Parsi), Uday Lalit (Hindu) and S.A. Abdul Nazeer (Muslim)  by a majority of 3:2 held that triple talaq is unconstitutional, manifestly arbitrary and unreasonable to Muslim women.

While the majority on the bench struck down triple talaq as unconstitutional, the minority stayed the practice of triple talaq for six months or till such time Parliament enacts a legislation to regulate marriage and divorce among Muslims.

Justice Nariman, as part of the majority verdict, said that the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, is a legislation regulating triple talaq and, hence, can be tested on the anvil of Article 14 (right to equality). Chief Justice Khehar, as part of the minority decision, disagreed with this view.

Justice Joseph, who wrote one of the two majority verdicts, said, What is held to be bad in the Holy Quran cannot be good in Shariat and, in that sense, what is bad in theology is bad in law as well.

Merely because a practice has continued for long, that by itself cannot make it valid if it has been expressly declared to be impermissible, he said.

By implication, even the minority verdict virtually puts on hold the practice of triple talaq.

Legal experts said that the Centre is not under any obligation to enact a law to divorce among Muslims, as the benchs majority judgment striking down triple talaq prevails over the minority decision.

In a batch of petitions, Muslim women, including 37-year-old Shayara Bano from Uttarakhand, suffering due to instant talaq had challenged the validity of triple talaq on the ground that it violated their fundamental right to equality.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the judgment historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment, Mr Modi tweeted.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant triple talaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice.

The government virtually ruled out the need for a new law on instant triple talaq, which has been rendered as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, indicating that existing laws, including the one dealing with domestic violence, were sufficient.

The Union home ministry is now preparing to send an advisory to all states asking them to ensure compliance of the Supreme Court order declaring triple talaq void.

The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and the All India Shia Personal Law Board also welcomed the judgment.

While the majority judgment of the apex court bench was written by Justice Nariman, for himself and Justice Lalit, Justice Joseph wrote a concurring judgment with Justice Nariman setting aside the practice of triple talaq.





CJI Khehar wrote a judgment for himself and Justice Nazeer to uphold triple talaq.

The CJI wrote that the practice of triple talaq has to be considered integral to the religious denomination in question and is part of Muslim personal law that cannot be tinkered with by the court. Any change in personal law can be done only through legislation by Parliament, said CJI Khehar.

In a packed courtroom, CJI Khehar, being the senior most, read out his judgment first. He was followed by Justice Joseph and Justice Nariman.

Justice Nariman said, Divorce breaks the marital tie which is fundamental to family life in Islam. Not only does it disrupt the marital tie between man and woman, but it has severe psychological and other repercussions on the children from such marriage. Given that triple talaq is instant and irrevocable, it is obvious that any attempt at reconciliation between the husband and wife by two arbiters from their families, which is essential to save the marital tie, cannot ever take place.

...This form of talaq is manifestly arbitrary in the sense that the marital tie can be broken capriciously and whimsically by a Muslim man without any attempt at reconciliation so as to save it, Justice Nariman said.

This form of talaq must, therefore, be held to be violative of the fundamental right contained under Article 14 of the Constitution, said Justice Nariman, adding that the 1937 Shariat Act must be struck down.

Justice Nariman said triple talaq does not fall within the sanction of Holy Quran. Even assuming that it forms part of the Quran, Hadis or Ijmaa, it is not something commanded.

Equally, talaq itself is not a recommended action and, therefore, triple talaq will not fall within the category of sanction ordained by the Quran. Though permissible in Hanafi jurisprudence, yet, that very jurisprudence castigates triple talaq as being sinful, the court said.

In 1985, the apex court in the Shah Bano judgment came to the rescue of Muslim women to grant alimony under Section 125 CrPC though it was argued that CrPC would not apply to Muslims, who are governed by their personal law.

At that time, the Rajiv Gandhi government nullified this judgment through a legislation.

After 32 years, the top court has again interfered with the Muslim personal law in tune with the international convention on human rights to confer equal rights on Muslim women.
Justice Sunil Thomas also directed the accused not to enter the limits of Thiruvananthapuram except for treatment or investigation purposes.

The court also warned that if conditions were violated, the bail will be cancelled. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday granted conditional bail to a self-styled godman whose genitals were chopped off by a 23 year-old woman whom he allegedly attempted to rape.

Granting bail, Justice Sunil Thomas directed Swami Gangeshananda not to enter the limits of Thiruvananthapuram except for treatment and investigation purposes.

The judge said the accused shall not influence witnesses or their relatives. He shall furnish security bond for Rs 60,000 along with two sureties for the like amount, the judge said.

The court also warned that if conditions were violated, the bail will be cancelled.

The 23-year-old woman, who had claimed she had cut the genitals of the 54-year-old Gangeshananda to foil his rape attempt, later retracted her statement.

The alleged incident had occurred at her residence in Thiruvananthapurams Pettah on May 19.
The CBI has charged Shahabuddin under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and murder and provisions of the Arms Act.

Muzaffarpur: Former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin was on Monday chargesheeted by the CBI in a special court in Muzaffarpur for the offences of murder and criminal conspiracy in the killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in May, 2016.

Sunil Singh Rawat, the investigating officer of the case, and public prosecutor Deep Narayan submitted the chargesheet against Shahabuddin, a four-time MP from Siwan, and six others before CBI judge Anupam Kumari.

Defence lawyer Sharad Sinha said that the other accused against whom the agency has filed the chargesheet are Azahruddin Beig alias Laddan Mian, Rishi Kumar Jaiswal, Rohit Kumar Soni, Vijay Kumar Gupta, Ranjeet Kumar and Sonu Kumar Gupta.

This is a supplementary chargesheet by the CBI as the agency had filed its earlier chargesheet against one accused in December, 2016.

Bihar Police had chargesheeted six persons in the case before the probe was taken over by the agency. A total of eight accused have been chargesheeted so far in the case.

The CBI has charged Shahabuddin, currently lodged in the high-security Tihar Jail in Delhi, under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and murder and provisions of the Arms Act, a statement from the agency said in Muzaffarpur.

"The chargesheet has been filed under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with 302 (murder) of the IPC as well as section 27 of the Arms Act," Sinha said over phone.

The chargesheet has not been submitted against two other accused Mohammad Javed and Mohammad Kaif who are out on bail in the case as the investigation is currently underway, Sinha said.

It may be noted that the special CBI court on May 26 had made Shahabuddin an accused in the murder case.

The four-time RJD MP from Siwan is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan, a journalist of a prominent Hindi daily in Siwan.

Shahabuddin is facing trial in more than 45 criminal cases. He was moved to the Tihar Jail in February in 2017 on a Supreme Court order on a plea by Siwan native Chandrakeshwar Prasad whose three sons were killed in two separate incidents.

Rajdeo Ranjan, district bureau chief of the Hindi daily, was gunned down on May 13, 2016 and his wife had accused Shahabuddin of having a role in the killing.
Modi, Amit Shah will review works of the party-run state govts every 3 months in this regard, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh said.

The PM also pitched for digital transactions through use of BHIM App in welfare schemes to eliminate corruption and also called for executing various schemes to double the income of farmers by 2022, Adityanath said. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked chief ministers of BJP-ruled states to work in "mission mode" to realise the vision of a "New India" by 2022 as he pushed for speedy implementation of pro-poor schemes and boosting transparency in government schemes.

Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah will review works of the party-run state governments every three months in this regard, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said after the meeting.

"Modi and Shah guided us to work in a mission mode to realise the vision of a 'New India' by 2022. The means to double farmers' income and implementing pro-poor schemes with the help of digital transactions were also discussed," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.

Read: Fill administrative system with energy of New India: Modi to IAS officers

The meeting was attended by 12 BJP chief ministers and six deputy chief ministers. Modi and Shah referred to the stalling of a bill, which seeks to accord constitutional status on OBC commission, by the Congress in the Rajya Sabha during the recent monsoon session.

"It has exposed the anti-OBC and anti-poor face of the Congress," Adityanath said, adding that the BJP leaders decided to run a campaign against the oppositon parties in the coming months on this.

The Prime Minister also pitched for digital transactions through use of BHIM App in welfare schemes to eliminate corruption and also called for executing various schemes to double the income of farmers by 2022, Adityanath said.

The BJP governments were also asked to sign MoUs with other states, including those run by non-BJP parties, to strengthen cultural exchanges, he added. Such exchanges will lead to 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (One India great India)', Adityanath said.
After Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar raised the issue during an event in Patna on August 8, a probe committee was constituted.

Patna: The RJD on Monday said Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi should resign to allow an impartial probe in to the multi-crore Srijan scam.

The RJD also disrupted proceedings of the state Assembly over the issue. Since the scam happened in their knowledge, they should resign to allow an impartial probe, leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Tejashwi Yadav said. Mahesh Mandal, one of the main accused in the case, died in the hospital late on Sunday evening.

RJD vice-president Shivanand Tiwary told this newspaper, The accused died under mysterious circumstances as a few people sitting at the top were scared that he may spill the beans.

Mr Tiwary added that the Bhagalpur-based Srijan scam was going the Vyapam scam way, where one after another of the accused and witnesses died.

Mahesh Mandal, an accountant in the Bhagalpur district welfare department, was arrested on August 13 from his residence after the scam surfaced.

He was rushed to the hospital in Bhagalpur on Sunday after his health deteriorated. Mandals family members blamed the hospital for negligence and said, His treatment was delayed which led to his death.

Sources from Bhagalpur told this newspaper that Mahesh Mandal was undergoing treatment for multiple ailments, including diseases related to the kidney, diabetes, and cancer, before the SIT arrested him last week.

First death in the Srijan scam case raises questions. A total of 13 persons were arrested for their involvement in the Srijan scam and one accused has died. The accused who died was the father of a rich JD(U) leader from Bhagalpur, RJD chief Lalu Yadav said in a tweet on Monday.

The scam first came to light on August 4 after a cheque of `10 crore issued by the Bhagalpur district magistrate was returned due to insufficient funds. The state government later found out that an NGO had siphoned off government funds which were allocated for various schemes.

Sources said that the NGO used bank and government officials to transfer public funds to their account with the help of forged signatures of the district magistrate.

After Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar raised the issue during an event in Patna on August 8, a probe committee was constituted.

On Thursday, the chief minister also recommended a CBI inquiry into the scam. Ten FIRs have been registered and 13 persons arrested so far in the `700 crore scam.

It is alleged that Mahesh Mandal was a close associate of the founding member of the NGO, Manorama Devi, who died in February.
Sources said though Ms Mayawati is all for Opposition unity so as to pose a tough challenge to the BJP.

Lucknow: Behenji (Mayawati) is a leader and not one among the crowd. She cannot be expected to stand in line with other leaders. She has not said so, but there are indications that she will not attend the Patna rally on August 27 that is being organised by Mr Lalu Yadav. She may or may not send an emissary for the event, said a senior BSP leader, known to be close to Ms Mayawati.

A section of the media has been claiming that Ms Mayawati has declined to attend the Patna rally, especially after someone uploaded her poster on Twitter in which she is seen sharing space with SP president Akhilesh Yadav who has already confirmed his presence at the rally. No she has not categorically said that she will not attend the rally but knowing her nature we know that she will not be a part of the crowd. She may send a representative to keep the options open, the BSP leader said.

Sources said though Ms Mayawati is all for Opposition unity so as to pose a tough challenge to the BJP, she does not wish to be seen as a follower of other leaders after her defeats in 2014 and 2017.
The needle's top part broke and got embedded deep under the skin after the teenager stepped on it.

A needle may not seem like a very harmful object but it can lead to a gruelling ordeal for a person once lodged deep enough to give even doctors a hard time removing it. While the task may seem simple, but utmost care needs to be taken to prevent further damage.

A teenager in California stepped on a sewing needle measuring between one and a half to three inches long and the top part broke and ended up getting embedded deep in his foot. What followed was a 40-minute procedure to dissect the foot as the needle was pulled out in a blood curdling moment.

The doctor who runs a clinic in California described the process in the excruciating footage as a fishing expedition as the needle was stuck deep under his skin.
Born in Kabul and based out of London, Aryana Sayeed is often called Afghanistan's Kim Kardashian.

While Kim Kardashian has been in the limelight for quite sometime making news across the globe, a lookalike of the popular reality TV star is fighting a battle of her own in a very different part of the world. Aryana Sayeed, often referred to as Afghanistans Kim Kardashian is standing up to extremists in a country ravaged by religious fanaticism.

Her revealing clothes and selfies may have brought a lot of popularity for the pop star but it has also earned her the ire of ultra-conservative elements in the country as she also receives death threats from extremists. But that didnt stop Aryana from defying norms in the war torn country as she performed on her countrys independence day in Kabul.

The 32-year-old hit back against extremism in style as she took to the stage in a glamorous green, black and red dress. Hundreds of Afghans turned up to see her at the Intercontinental Hotel under heavy security cover although the show was scheduled at the Ghazi Stadium from where it was moved since safety couldnt be guaranteed.

Born in Kabul and based out of London, Aryana has faced opposition from religious conservative elements for her style of dressing and also because they dont approve of women performing in public.
The moment was caught on camera by a NASA photographer as they also shared a seven frame image to clear doubts.

Photobombing is one of several practices that have taken shape among human beings after clicking picture and sharing them with everyone on social media became a lot simpler in the past few years. But it seems this phenomenon is transcending boundaries and has reached outer space.

While people gathered in the US to witness a total solar eclipse that took place for the first time in 99 years, the International Space Station decided to make an appearance right when NASA photographer captured the historic moment on camera.

It's the moon, sunspots AND the station in front of the sun. @NASA photographer captures station transiting sun during #Eclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/hAVRINz0bv  Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 21, 2017

Although a number of people thought of the space station as a sunspot, NASA cleared doubts by sharing a seven frame image of the epic photobomb moment.
The highlight of the celebration is "paneurhythmy," a ritual also known by Deunov's spiritual name, Beinsa Douno.

RILA MOUNTAINS, Bulgaria: Lilya Ivanova, a 29-year-old Bulgarian psychologist, glows with joy. She has just finished a ritual dance along with some 2,500 white-clad followers of the Universal White Brotherhood society next to a glacial lake, high in Bulgaria's Rila Mountains.

Every year devotees of the society, which combines a form of Christianity with Indian mysticism celebrate, their divine new year, which lasts three days from August 19.

The society was set up by Bulgarian spiritual teacher Peter Deunov in the 1920s. Deunov died in 1944 but followers continue to apply his teaching. The society's name does not refer to ethnicity or race but to light and purity of the soul and the belief that all people can live in harmony, followers say.

The highlight of the celebration is "paneurhythmy," a ritual also known by Deunov's spiritual name, Beinsa Douno. It aims to help devotees link with cosmic energy.

"It is not just the dance, it is the celebration itself, the whole connection with nature, the whole blessing that streams from all of us, the feeling of being one," says Ivanova, who is also an astrologer. "It is so beautiful that more and more people attend, especially to see parents dancing together with their small children. You feel harmony and love."

For about 80 minutes pilgrims move gracefully in concentric circles on a large meadow near Kidney lake 2,280 metres (7,480 feet) above sea level and some 90 km (56 miles) south from Sofia. They are accompanied by violins and choirs. Banished under Communism, the pilgrims are now free to perform dances, prayers, meditations and exercises which they say help create peace and harmony in the world and enhance physical and mental health.

Many come from as far away as France, Canada, Italy, Ukraine and Russia to take part . "I just need to come here because it's like the reset of the eleven other months of the year," said Pascale Husson, a retired Air France manager from France who has attended the celebrations since 2008. There is "no telephone, no internet, nothing but a contact with nature, God and what is here, what you can see here," she said.
However, a Congress leader said that 'power at any cost' is the formula BJP is using all across the country.

The BJP swept the election to Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation on Monday, winning 61 of 95 seats, trouncing its bickering ally Shiv Sena and the Opposition Congress and NCP. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used religion to seek votes in the Mira-Bhayandar civic polls, a Shiv Sena leader on Monday said his party could approach the Election Commission on the issue.

"The BJP had circulated five-minute video clips of a Jain priest which helped the party win over the Jain and Gujarati community. We may approach the Election Commission or the courts against the BJP. Our leaders will decide on this," said Pratap Sarnaik, a Sena MLA from Thane.

The BJP swept the election to Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation on Monday, winning 61 of 95 seats, trouncing its bickering ally Shiv Sena and the Opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Sarnaik said that going alone helped his party.

"While we were in alliance with the BJP, we had 15 seats (last time). Now we won 22. So going solo was a good decision. However, we expected more seats," he said. In an apparent swipe at the Sena, Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar said the electorate rejected "dishonest" people. "People have put faith in our promise of transparent development," he said.

Congress leader Ashok Chavan said, "Power at any cost is the formula the BJP is following. All democratic norms are being tossed aside. It is breaking up parties, using money power. This is happening across the country."

Asked if the result could be a trailer of 2019 general elections, Chavan said the Congress had done well in Malegaon, Parbhani, Bhiwandi and Latur local elections, and will do well in Nanded polls too. Maharashtra NCP chief Sunil Tatkare accused the BJP of using "muscle power". "There cannot be any excuse for our defeat. However, unfair means were used to win," Tatkare said.
The committee had hired an independent structural consultant specially for probing the Ghatkopar collapse.

Mumbai: The Parksite police are still waiting for the Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC) inquiry report on the Ghatkopar building collapse case. Officers investigating the case said they would write to BMC officials, asking for the date of submission. In July, two accused had been arrested in connection with the collapse of the Sai Darshan building, which claimed 17 lives. According to the police, some BMC officials were involved in granting permission to the main accused Sunil Shitap for illegal renovation.

Following orders from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the committee was expected to complete its probe and submit its final report within 15 days, but even 25 days after the incident, BMC officials have failed to do so.

There was no detailed inquiry of the collapse and neither the BMC nor the society had conducted a proper structural audit of the society. The committee had hired an independent structural consultant specially for probing the Ghatkopar collapse. The consultant was supposed to test the material and debris stored at Maniklal Maidan after the collapse.

DCP Sachin Patil said, Our police team yet to get that inquiry report to investigate further in the probe. We will write to BMC officials to give probe report soon for a speedy investigation.

As a part of the probe, the committee had recorded statements of the residents and concerned ward officials. The inquiry was put in force after the residents repeatedly blamed Shitap, the main accused in the collapse tragedy, who had demolished the load bearing pillars of the structure to seek additional space while renovating his two flats. Destruction of these pillars, which were on the ground floor, had caused the collapse. Shitap was arrested soon after the incidents.
The accused has given a fresh list of teachers and close confidantes who will give out statements from his side.

Mumbai: The 57-year-old founder-director of an Andheri-based IB school, who allegedly raped a three-year-old girl on several occasions in November last year, has presented new evidence in his defence to show that he is not guilty.

The accused has given a fresh list of teachers and close confidantes who will give out statements from his side. Police sources said that they are cross-questioning every witness and checking every detail minutely because there is not much evidence in this case.

Speaking to The Asian Age, Navinchandra Reddy, deputy commissioner of police Zone 10, said, Since the crime was allegedly committed last year in November, the police has found no evidence to nail the accused, and no arrest can be made on the basis of an allegation, as there is no CCTV footage or substantial evidence to arrest him. As protocol, the police has to hear out the accused, and without that nothing much can be done.

An officer investigating this case has revealed that the accused, who has faced five rounds of interrogation, has been submitting evidence that which was scrapped by the investigating team, and it now suspects that the accused is simply buying time to kill the case. However, when the police questioned the accused, he constantly refuted all charges.
Would we even know it if we did encounter an alien life form?

Are we alone in the universe? This is a question that humanity has asked itself for millennia, and one that we have only recently begun to try and answer. Given the enormity of space and our technological and conceptual limitations, the search for alien life is unlikely to bear fruit anytime soon but scientists are nevertheless scouring the great beyond with the help of radio telescopes for a hint of the existence of an extraterrestrial species.

At the same time, we are sending information out to the heavens. In 1974, the most powerful message ever beamed into space, the Arecibo message, was transmitted from Puerto Rico, aimed at a star cluster 2,100 light years away and carried with it basic information about humanity and earth. This was one of 11 similar messages.

More physical means have been used, such as the Mars Rover looking for signs of life on Mars and Voyager 1, a space probe loaded with information about Earth along with a Pulsar map aimed at helping any extraterrestrials that may chance upon it to find their way to Earth.

The creator of the pulsar map, Frank Drake, also attempted to determine how many alien civilisations might exist in the Milky Way by means of what is known as the Drake equation. While largely theoretical and limited by gaps in our scientific understanding, the Drake equation nonetheless theorises that several thousand such civilisations exist in our galaxy. That then brings us to the question asked by Enrico Fermi: given that there are billions of stars in billions of galaxies, why have we found no trace of extraterrestrial life?

Known as the Fermi paradox, this question has been pondered over by scientists, some of whom theorise that it is possible that humanity is the only intelligent life in the galaxy, and possibly beyond.

While this may reek of hubris, other theories are more disturbing: that it is the nature of intelligent life to destroy itself, or that advanced civilisations may have damaged their planetary environments to the point of causing their own extinction before they attained the capability of colonising other planets. Instead of looking for life, proponents of this theory believe we should be looking for the ruins of alien civilisations. Given the damage we have caused to our own environment, this is a sobering thought and none other than Stephen Hawkings has warned that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster and that the human race has no future if it doesnt go to space. Elon Musk echoes this concern, saying: if were a single planet species, then eventually there will be some extinction event.

Would we even know it if we did encounter an alien life form? The incredible biodiversity on Earth itself provides a clue: from the tiny and nearly indestructible Tardigrades to bacteria that live on heat alone, the variety of life in our own biosphere tells us how dramatically different alien life could be from our earthbound conceptions.

Earthly technology also provides a clue as to how actual contact with an advanced species may go: given our increasing reliance on drones and automatons, it is likely that contact may well be with alien constructs and not the aliens themselves. But is contact even something we should be looking for? Again, Hawkings has a warning, saying that contact with a highly advanced alien species may end in the extinction of humanity, drawing parallels with the fate of the Native Americans when they encountered a technologically advanced Europe.

Regardless, there are protocols in place for what to do if contact is ever made, and one set of these has been formulated by the SETI projects Post-Detection Taskgroup. It calls for immediately sharing the news with world governments and drafting a collective response, and can be summed up as well have to figure it out as we go along. Ultimately, the most effective resource we will be able to call upon in such a situation will be the science fiction writers and theorists of Earth, who have spent decades pondering over just such a meeting.

But while the political, technological and social implications of contact have been discussed at length, the theological implications will also be significant. Incredibly, Pakistani science fiction actually addressed this issue in the 1989 film Shanee. Here, an alien arrives in Pakistan and falls in love with Babra Sharif. They get married and have a child, but when she discovers his alien origins she becomes understandably hysterical not because this is possibly the most significant event in human history, but because this means she married a non-Muslim. Luckily, Shanee reveals that there are interstellar Muslims as well and all ends well. When the inevitable does eventually happen, lets hope we fare as well.

By arrangement with Dawn
The Taiwanese peripheral manufacturer also announced its overclocked GTX 1050Ti with 4GB VRAM.

With a TDP of just 120W, the PNY GeForce 1060 can work in any system with a single dual-width PCIe x16 graphics slot, a 6-pin PCIe power connector, and with a minimum power requirement of only 400W.

NVIDIAs video cards are the top choice for gamers looking to extract the best of performance available in the market. To add to the latest collection of GTX cards from renowned peripheral manufacturers like ASUS and ZOTAC, Taiwanese peripheral manufacturer PNY has rolled out its iteration of the GeForce GTX 1060 and GTX 1050Ti graphics cards.

The PNY GeForce GTX 1060 comes with PNYs XLR8 Dual Fan technology to keep the card cooler when the user is going through intense sessions of higher frame rates and the highest textures. Theres 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM clocked at 8Gbps with a data transfer rate of 192 GB/s and with a 192-bit wide memory data bus to ensure seamless processing of best visual rendering on the screen.

Apart from a 3 DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, and DL-DVI ports, the PNY GeForce GTX 1060 supports multi-monitor setups, capable of ultra-high display resolutions of up to 7680x4320 at 60fps. With a TDP of just 120W, the PNY GeForce 1060 can work in any system with a single dual-width PCIe x16 graphics slot, a 6-pin PCIe power connector, and with a minimum power requirement of only 400W.

The PNY GeForce GTX 1050Ti also comes with a factory overclocked 1480MHz CPU for getting higher frame rates. The PNY GTX 1060 starts at Rs 69,000 and the GTX 1050Ti will retail for Rs 10,000.

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The North Korean and Syrian missions to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

United Nations: Two North Korean shipments to a Syrian government agency responsible for the country's chemical weapons program were intercepted in the past six months, according to a confidential United Nations report on North Korea sanctions violations.

The report by a panel of independent UN experts, which was submitted to the UN Security Council earlier this month on Monday, gave no details on when or where the interdictions occurred or what the shipments contained.

"The panel is investigating reported prohibited chemical, ballistic missile and conventional arms cooperation between Syria and the DPRK (North Korea)," the experts wrote in the 37-page report.

"Two member states interdicted shipments destined for Syria. Another Member state informed the panel that it had reasons to believe that the goods were part of a KOMID contract with Syria," according to the report.

KOMID is the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation. It was blacklisted by the Security Council in 2009 and described as Pyongyang's key arms dealer and exporter of equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. In March 2016 the council also blacklisted two KOMID representatives in Syria.

"The consignees were Syrian entities designated by the European Union and the United States as front companies for Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC), a Syrian entity identified by the Panel as cooperating with KOMID in previous prohibited item transfers," the UN experts wrote.

SSRC has overseen the country's chemical weapons programme since the 1970s.

The UN experts said activities between Syria and North Korea they were investigating included cooperation on Syrian Scud missile programs and maintenance and repair of Syrian surface-to-air missiles air defence systems.

The North Korean and Syrian missions to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The experts said they were also investigating the use of the VX nerve agent in Malaysia to kill the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in February.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and the Security Council has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear weapons tests and four long-range missile launches.

Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Russia and the United States. However, diplomats and weapons inspectors suspect Syria may have secretly maintained or developed a new chemical weapons capability.

During the country's more than six-year long civil war the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has said the banned nerve agent sarin has been used at least twice, while the use of cholorine as a weapon has been widespread. The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons.
US President Donald Trump also lambasted ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to 'agents of chaos.'

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief (Photo: AP)

Kabul: The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become "a graveyard" for the United States Tuesday after President Donald Trump cleared the way for thousands more American troops to be sent to the war-torn country.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

He added that America should think of an exit strategy "instead of continuing the war".

"As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale will continue our jihad," Mujahid said.

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief late Monday, though he did not offer specifics.

He said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable", leaving a vacuum that terrorists "would instantly fill".

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Earlier Mujahid had dismissed the strategy as vague and "nothing new".

"For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear," he said.

A senior Taliban commander said that Trump was just perpetuating the "arrogant behaviour" of previous presidents such as George W. Bush.

"He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

"For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath," he told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He added that the statement proved the current Afghan government "is a US puppet".

The insurgents signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the US embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack late Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the city's diplomatic quarter, with no casualties reported.

Trump also lambasted US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment, told AFP that Trump "has proved it's a Crusade".

"His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community)," he said.

Prior to Trump's announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said.

Washington: The United States on Monday ruled out a hasty withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan as President Donald Trump warned Pakistan of consequences if it continues to provide safe havens to terror groups and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Mr Trump, in a televised address to the nation, laid out his South Asia policy saying a "critical part" of it was to further develop US' strategic partnership with India.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," the US President said.

Mr Trump said New Delhi can play a big role, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said.

He slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Mr Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he added, in an apparent warning to Pakistan.

After a "comprehensive review", it has been decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically, the US President said.

"A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations," Mr Trump said as he announced his South Asia policy.
US navy in process of establishing whether remains can be identified as sailors from USS John S McCain, which hit tanker off Singapore

The accident off Singapore, which left a gaping gash in the destroyer's hull, was the second deadly collision in two months involving an American warship. (Photo: Representational/ File)

Singapore: Divers searching for 10 missing sailors on a US destroyer that collided with a tanker off Singapore have found human remains, a US admiral said Tuesday.

The accident off Singapore, which left a gaping gash in the destroyer's hull, was the second deadly collision in two months involving an American warship.

The US Navy has announced a fleet-wide global investigation after the accident Monday involving the USS John S. McCain and the merchant vessel.

But Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, praised the surviving crew for saving the ship and saving lives. The accident which also left five sailors injured happened before dawn in busy shipping lanes around the Strait of Singapore, and sent water flooding into the ship.

A massive search involving planes and aircraft was launched and US Navy divers joined the hunt Tuesday, searching the ship's flooded compartments.

Speaking in Singapore, Swift said that "the divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today". He said bodies were found during "the diving on McCain today but it's premature to say how many and what the status of recovery those bodies are".

Swift said Malaysian authorities had also found a body and were sending it to the US Navy for identification. He said the search and rescue effort, involving hundreds of personnel and several countries, would continue, adding: "We're always hopeful that there are survivors."

The admiral added that the McCain's crew were "tough, and they are resilient. It is clear that their damage control efforts saved their ship and saved lives."

It was the second fatal collision in two months after the USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off Japan in June and left seven sailors dead and the fourth accident in the Pacific this year involving an American warship.

The incidents have sparked concern that the US Navy could be overstretched in East Asia both ships were from the Japan-based Seventh Fleet as they tackle China's rising assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The McCain had been heading for a routine stop in Singapore after carrying out a "freedom of navigation operation" in the disputed South China Sea earlier in August, sparking a furious response from Beijing.

On Monday the Chief of US Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered commanders within a week to set aside time, perhaps "one or two days", for crews to sit down together for discussions. A "comprehensive review" of practices would also begin.

"As you know, this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theatre," Richardson said. "This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world."

The admiral did not rule out some kind of outside interference or a cyber-attack being behind the latest collision, but said he did not want to prejudge the inquiry. His broader remarks suggested a focus on "how we do business on the bridge."

The damaged vessel is named after US Senator John McCain's father and grandfather, who were both admirals in the US navy. The tanker involved in the collision, which was used for transporting oil and chemicals and weighed over 30,000 gross tonnes, sustained some damage but no crew were injured, and Singapore said there was no oil pollution.

In the June incident, the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship in a busy channel not far from Yokosuka, a gateway to container ports in Tokyo and nearby Yokohama.

The dead sailors, aged 19 to 37, were found by divers in flooded sleeping berths a day after the collision tore a huge gash in the ship's side.

A senior admiral announced last week that the commander of the destroyer and several other officers had been relieved of their duties aboard their ship over the incident.
In the application filed by PAT, it was said that Kulsoom had concealed her assets and income in the nomination papers.

Lahore: Lahore high courts appellate tribunal on Monday dismissed all appeals challenging the acceptance of PML-N candidate Kulsoom Nawazs nomination papers for the upcoming NA-120 by-elections, Dawn reported on Monday.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) had filed appeals before a tribunal of the high court, challenging the acceptance of Kulsooms nomination papers two days after they were filed at the Election Commission of Pakistans Lahore office.

In the application filed on behalf of PTI leader Andaleeb Abbasi, it was alleged that Kulsooms nomination papers contain a lot of contradictions and were accepted despite her not appearing in person.

In the application filed by PAT, it was said that Kulsoom had concealed her assets and income in the nomination papers.

The PPP also filed objections to the nomination papers on the basis that Kulsoom did not disclose the agreement for a United Arab Emirates iqama (work permit) attached with her nomination papers. They had alleged that while Kulsoom had submitted her work permit as deputy chairman of the FZE Company, she had failed to furnish the salary and employment agreement against which the permit was issued.
The two-time former Prime Minister has said that all the cases against her were politically motivated.

Dhaka: Bangladeshs Supreme Court on Monday rejected embattled former Prime Minister Khaleda Zias plea to stop the trial proceedings against her in a 2007 corruption case that cost the exchequer more than $120 million.

Ms Zia, 72, has been accused of awarding a contract to Global Agro Trade Pvt Company Ltd (Gatco), in violation of government rules, for container management at inland depots in Dhaka and Chittagong during her tenure as the Prime Minister from 2001-2006.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the graft case against Ms Zia, her younger son Arafat Rahman, who died in 2015, and 11 others on September 2, 2007, saying the deal allegedly cost the exchequer over Tk 1,000 crore ($124 million).

Ms Zia was arrested the same day. A year after her arrest, she secured bail from the high court. The two-time former Prime Minister has said that all the cases against her were politically motivated.
North Korea routinely issues such warlike rhetoric or conducts weapons tests to respond to the US-South Korean exercises.

Seoul and Washington are conducting joint military drills, an annual exercise seen by the North as a preparation for invasion (Photo: AFP)

Seoul: North Korea's military on Tuesday greeted the start of annual US-South Korean military drills with its standard fiery threats, vowing "merciless retaliation" for exercises Pyongyang claims are an invasion rehearsal.

North Korea routinely issues such warlike rhetoric or conducts weapons tests to respond to the US-South Korean exercises. Tuesday's threat came as top US generals, including Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of US forces in the Pacific, visited South Korea.

Ties between the Koreas are almost always fraught, but anxiety is higher than normal following weeks of tit-for-tat threats between President Donald Trump and Pyongyang in the wake of the North's two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

The US generals were to travel to the site of a contentious US missile-defense system in South Korea later Tuesday.

The North's military statement said it will launch an unspecified "merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment" on the United States over the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills that began Monday for an 11-day run.

Despite the threat, an unprompted direct attack is extremely unlikely because the United States vastly outguns Pyongyang, which values the continuation of its dictatorship above all else. Impoverished North Korea hates the drills in part because they force it to respond with expensive military measures of its own.

The North Korean statement accused the United States of deploying unspecified "lethal" weapons for the drills that it says involve a "beheading operation" training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong Un.

"No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch in the Korean peninsula," the statement said. "Moreover, high-ranking bosses of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces flew into South Korea to hold a war confab. Such huddle is increasing the gravity of the situation."

The drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer and have drawn furious responses from North Korea. This year's exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers, according to the U.S. military command in South Korea and Seoul's Defense Ministry.

No field training like live-fire exercises or tank maneuvering is involved in the Ulchi drills, in which alliance officers sit at computers to practice how they would engage in battles and hone their decision-making capabilities. The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.

Last month North Korea test-launched two ICBMs at highly lofted angles, and outside experts say those missiles can reach Alaska, Los Angeles or Chicago if fired at normal, flattened trajectories. Analysts say it will be only a matter of time for the North to achieve its long-stated goal of acquiring a nuclear missile that can strike anywhere in the United States.

Earlier this month, Trump pledged to answer North Korean aggression with "fire and fury." North Korea, for its part, threatened to launch missiles toward the American territory of Guam before Kim Jong Un said he would first watch how Washington acts before going ahead with the missile launch plan.
Nineteen children and 12 women were among those killed in the raids, which hit several neighbourhoods in the northern city.

The US-led coalition, which operates in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq, says it takes all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties. (Photo: Representational/File)

Beirut: At least 42 civilians were killed Monday in a barrage of US-led air strikes on Islamic State group territory in the Syrian city of Raqa, a monitor said.

Nineteen children and 12 women were among those killed in the raids, which hit several neighbourhoods in the northern city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP on Tuesday.

The toll marked the second consecutive day of ferocious bombardment on Raqa, more than half of which has been captured by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces battling ISIS.

The latest figures for Monday's raids take to 167 the number of civilians killed in coalition strikes since August 14, after the Observatory said at least 27 were killed on Sunday.

"The tolls are high because the air strikes are hitting neighbourhoods in the city centre that are densely packed with civilians," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

"There are buildings full of civilians that are trying to get away from the front lines. "Coalition air strikes are targeting any building where any kind of Daesh movements are being detected," he told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.

The United Nations estimates there are up to 25,000 civilians trapped inside the city, with food and fuel supplies short and prohibitively expensive.

The UN's humanitarian pointman for Syria, Jan Egeland, has said ISIS-held territory in Raqa city is now "the worst place" in the war-torn country.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which began with anti-government protests in 2011 but has since mushroomed into all-out war drawing in world powers.

The US-led coalition, which operates in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq, says it takes all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties.

In August, it acknowledged the deaths of 624 civilians in its strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014, but rights groups say the number is much higher.
The strategy appears to amount to around 4,000 new troops, largely freed from Obama-era restrictions.

Reversing course from an earlier assertion that he would end US involvement in a conflict that has cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars. (Photo: File)

Kabul: President Donald Trump has opened the door to the deployment to Afghanistan of thousands more US troops, in his first speech outlining American policy after nearly 16 years of grinding war.

Reversing course from an earlier assertion that he would end US involvement in a conflict that has cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars, Trump also hit out at neighbouring Pakistan, which he said was offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

Here are some key questions about the impact Trump's strategy could have in a country known as "the graveyard of empires".

What has Trump announced: He refused to give figures or details. But the strategy appears to amount to around 4,000 new troops, largely freed from Obama-era restrictions and thus able to take on greater frontline combat roles to target "terrorist and criminal networks".

The 8,500 US personnel currently in-country are largely restricted to NATO's mission of training the Afghan Army and offering strategic support on certain missions, though some are already conducting frontline operations.

The other main plank of Trump's outline strategy was to pressure Pakistan, a move which has already been attempted repeatedly attempted by Washington.

Analysts point out that US administrations have for years complained that Islamabad talks a good game about helping to defeat extremists, but in fact offers refuge to the Afghan Taliban in particular, and stokes the insurgency.

Will more boots on the ground make a difference: Not on the face of it. Former President Barack Obama authorised a massive surge that saw troop numbers top out at over 100,000, a move that decreased violence but did not result in a decisive blow.

If the might of the US military could not defeat the militants then, many analysts argue that 12,500 are unlikely to secure a lasting victory.

"Probably the greatest contradiction that emerged from (the speech) is the claim we will learn from history and yet none of the policies have not been tried before," said James Der Derian of the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney.

Others point out however that Afghan forces are now at a point where a smaller number of advisers more strategically deployed could make a difference.

How will the Taliban react: With predictable violence and from a position of relative strength, observers say.

They are likely to seek to send an early message, perhaps with a major urban attack the like of which they proved themselves capable with a massive truck bomb in Kabul's diplomatic quarter in May.

"The Taliban and other belligerents are likely to respond with a new wave of violence across the country," including in urban areas, said Javid Ahmad from West Point's Modern War Institute.

The Taliban has strengthened in recent years, and Afghan forces, beset by spiralling casualties, have struggled to contain them since NATO ended its combat mission in 2014.

A US watchdog says Afghan forces control less than 60 percent of the country, with the rest either in Taliban hands or being violently contested.

Unlike the war-weary United States, the Taliban has an almost endless capacity to absorb loss of life among its ranks. Nor does the group need as Washington does to "win" a grinding conflict that US commanders have described as a "stalemate".

"(The militants) can wait out another 4,000 troops. The Taliban have survived much worse," said Der Derian, echoing a proverb long attributed to the Taliban about the war: "You may have the watches, but we have the time".

Will the pressure on Pakistan work: Trump returned to the theme that has been a near-constant refrain from Washington since shortly after the 9/11 attacks: Pakistan must stop supporting extremists.

With its long, porous border and poorly policed tribal areas, Pakistan makes a near-perfect refuge for Taliban, out of the range of Afghanistan's under-performing army and its American protectors.

Despite being a signed-up ally in the US "War on Terror", Pakistan stands accused of fuelling the insurgency next door, in part as a bulwark against the influence of India a modern-day "Great Game" reminiscent of the imperial rivalry between Britain and Russia in the 19th century.

Years of pressure from Washington have not changed Pakistani policy, and experts say that sharp words from political neophyte Trump are unlikely to make much difference.

"Pakistan's enemy is India and it sees India as an existential threat, and Pakistan believes that the Taliban and the Haqqani network can help keep India at bay in Afghanistan," said Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center in Washington.

"No matter what threat or punishment the US throws at Pakistan, Pakistan is not going to change these ironclad, immutable strategic interests."
Sadr's rare visit to Saudi Arabia came at the invitation of Riyadh, which played up his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, meeting with Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr in Abu Dhabi. (Photo: AP)

Baghdad: Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr's visit to Saudi Arabia at the end of July signalled the Gulf Sunni powerhouse's ambition to distance its Iranian foe from policy-making in Baghdad.

In the wake of former dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbour.

Ties have remained strained even after Saddam's ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, since when successive Shiite-dominated governments in Baghdad have stayed close to Tehran.

But Sadr's rare visit to Saudi Arabia came at the invitation of Riyadh, which played up his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Two weeks later, Sadr followed up by holding talks in Abu Dhabi with its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, strongman of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and close ally of his counterpart in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

"Hosting Sadr in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi shows regional rivals and particularly Iran that KSA/UAE are capable of tapping into and influencing intra-Shia politics in Iraq," said Fanar Haddad, a research fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

For the Gulf monarchies, "Sadr would be a prize catch authentically Shia-Iraqi, distrustful if not disdainful of Iran and with a genuinely organic and loyal grassroots following."

The pro-Western Arab states of the Gulf aim to show that Iran no longer holds a monopoly on influencing policy in Baghdad, according to Iraqi political scientist Hashem al-Hashemi.

Tehran "prided itself on pulling all the strings among the Shiites (of Iraq) but it seems that several strings are now beyond its grasp, like that of the Sadrists", Hashemi said.

In June, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, also a Shiite, held meetings in Saudi Arabia, four months after a visit to Baghdad by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, a first of its kind since 2003.

For Michael Knights, a researcher at the Washington Institute, such interaction with Riyadh could come at a price. "Tehran will view the Saudi Arabian engagement by Abadi and Sadr as another reason that Abadi must be displaced as premier in the 2018 elections," said Knights. "And Iran will work hard behind the scenes with money, media and weapons to make that happen."

But at the same time, Haddad warned that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi should not count too heavily on Sadr to restore their influence in Baghdad at the expense of Tehran. "They should moderate their expectations as to how much he will be willing to deliver," he cautioned.

Tehran has played a major political, economic and military role in Baghdad since the end of Saddam's rule, during which Shiites were barred from powerful posts and Shiite-majority Iraq fought a 1980-1988 war against Shiite but non-Arab Iran.

According to the Carnegie Middle East Center, Iranian exports, not including fuel, tripled between 2008 and 2015 to reach $6.2 billion. Apart from military advisers on the ground in Iraq, Iran also sponsors several armed groups, in particular the paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi units that are playing a key role in fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group.

On his return from Saudi Arabia, Sadr renewed calls for the dismantling of armed groups, a stance which "makes him particularly attractive to KSA/UAE", said Haddad.

But the firebrand cleric, whose own armed supporters fought fierce battles against US and government forces in the wake of the invasion, has steered clear of openly condemning Hashed al-Shaabi, which was set up at the request of the Shiite religious hierarchy in post-Saddam Iraq.

Furthermore, Haddad stressed, a warming in ties between Riyadh and Sadr cannot be compared to close relations between two states. "We're still a long way from Iraqi-Saudi relations coming anywhere near the depth or complexity of Iraqi-Iranian ties," he said.

But in a first decisive step, Riyadh and Baghdad have announced plans to reopen the Arar desert crossing, their main border post and a potential alternative to Iraq's posts with Iran that are used for most of its imports.

The border has been shut for most of the past three decades to all travellers except Iraqi Muslim pilgrims heading to and from Mecca in western Saudi Arabia.

The announcement was made during a joint inspection of the Arar post by Iraqi and Saudi officials as well as Brett McGurk, the senior US envoy to the international coalition fighting ISIS.
Mattis arrived in the Iraqi capital on an unannounced visit just after Trump made a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Afghanistan.

Baghdad: Expelled from their main stronghold in northern Iraq, Islamic State militants are now trapped in a military vise that will squeeze them on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.

Mattis arrived in the Iraqi capital on an unannounced visit Tuesday just hours after President Donald Trump outlined a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Afghanistan.

Trump also has vowed to take a more aggressive, effective approach against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but he has yet to unveil a strategy for that conflict that differs greatly from his predecessor's.

In Baghdad, Mattis was meeting with senior Iraqi government leaders and with US commanders. He also planned to meet in Irbil with Massoud Barzani, leader of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region that has helped fight ISIS.

Mattis told reporters before departing from neighboring Jordan that the so-called Middle Euphrates River Valley roughly from the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim to the eastern Syrian city of Der el-Zour -will be liberated in time, as ISIS gets hit from both ends of the valley that bisects Iraq and Syria.

"You see, ISIS is now caught in-between converging forces," he said, using an alternative acronym for the militant group that burst into western and northern Iraq in 2014 from Syria and held sway for more than two years. "So ISIS's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over any time soon." Mattis referred to this area as "ISIS's last stand."

Unlike the war in Afghanistan, Iraq offers a more positive narrative for the White House, at least for now. Having enabled Iraqi government forces to reclaim the Islamic State's prized possession of Mosul in July, the US military effort is showing tangible progress and the Pentagon can credibly assert that momentum is on Iraq's side.

Brett McGurk, the administration's special envoy to the counter-ISIS coalition, credits the Trump administration for having accelerated gains against the militants. He said Monday that about one-third of all territory regained in Iraq and Syria since 2014 has been retaken in the last six or seven months.

"I think that's quite significant and partially due to the fact we're moving faster, more effectively," as a result of Trump's delegation of battlefield authorities to commanders in the field, McGurk said. He said this "has really made a difference on the ground. I have seen that with my own eyes."

It seems likely that in coming months Trump may be in position to declare a victory of sorts in Iraq as ISIS fighters are marginalized and they lose their claim to be running a "caliphate" inside Iraq's borders. Syria, on the other hand, is a murkier problem, even as ISIS loses ground there against US-supported local fighters and Russian-backed Syrian government forces.

The US role in Iraq parallels Afghanistan in some ways, starting with the basic tenet of enabling local government forces to fight rather than having US troops do the fighting for them. That is unlikely to change in either country. Also, although the Taliban is the main opposition force in Afghanistan, an Islamic State affiliate has emerged there, too.

In both countries, US airpower is playing an important role in support of local forces, and in both countries the Pentagon is trying to facilitate the development of potent local air forces.

In Iraq, the political outlook is clouded by the same sectarian and ethnic division between Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions that have repeatedly undercut, and in some cases reversed, security gains following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

An immediate worry is a Kurdish independence referendum to be held Sept. 25, which, if successful, could upset a delicate political balance in Iraq and enflame tensions with Turkey, whose own Kurdish population has fought an insurgency against the central government for decades. McGurk reiterated US opposition to holding the Iraqi Kurdish referendum.

"We believe these issues should be resolved through dialogue under the constitutional framework, and that a referendum at this time would be really potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign," McGurk told reporters in a joint appearance with Mattis before they flew to Iraq.

With the Iraqi military's campaign to retake the northern city of Tal Afar now under way, Mattis has refused to predict victory. He says generals and senior officials should "just go silent" when troops are entering battle.

"I'd prefer just to let the reality come home. There's nothing to be gained by forecasting something that's fundamentally unpredictable," he told reporters traveling with him over the weekend.
Some in Washington believe Islamabad has not done enough to persuade the Afghan Taliban to renounce violence.

Rawalpindi: Pakistan's military brushed off speculation on Monday that a new US strategy for neighbouring Afghanistan could include taking a stronger line against Islamabad, insisting the country has done all it can to tackle militancy.

US President Donald Trump announced his long-awaited decision on America's way forward in Afghanistan later on Monday, nearly 16 years after the US invasion, and reports claim it could include changes in Washington's policy towards Pakistan.

Some in Washington believe Islamabad has not done enough to persuade the Afghan Taliban to renounce violence, and doubt its willingness to tackle the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, based in the border areas between the two countries and long thought to have ties to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment.

But on Monday a Pakistani military spokesman said no group had been spared in ongoing offensives against militants, telling a press conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi hours before Trump's announcement "there is no organised infrastructure of any terrorist organisation in Pakistan".

"Let it come," army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters, referring to Trump's decision. "Even if it comes... Pakistan shall do whatever is best in the national interest."

Led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also the Taliban's deputy leader, the Haqqani network has carried out numerous operations deep in the heart of Kabul, and have been blamed by Afghanistan for a devastating truck bombing that killed more than 150 people in the capital in May.

Last month, the US Defense Department withheld $50mn in Pakistan military payments after Pentagon chief Jim Mattis determined Islamabad was not doing enough to counter the Haqqanis.

But Ghafoor said the network had not been exempted during recent offensives targeting insurgent strongholds in the country's restive tribal belt along the Afghan border.

"We carried out indiscriminate operation, across the board and did not ask anyone that what kind of terrorist you are," Ghafoor said.

The Pakistani military has "cleared all the areas", he said, adding that the country had gone beyond its capacity to tackle militancy.

Pakistan frequently fires back at US criticism of its tactics, saying the country has yet to receive appropriate credit for the tens of thousands of lives lost and billions spent battling extremists.

Trump will "provide an update on the path forward for America's engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia" in an address to be delivered at 9 pm from the military base at Fort Myer southwest of the capital, the White House said in a statement.

Trump's options ranged from backing away from Afghanistan to stepping up US efforts to defeat the Taliban.
Trump slammed Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Pakistan is at the frontline of fighting terrorism. (Photo: File)

Beijing: China on Tuesday jumped to the defence of its all-weather ally Pakistan in the wake of US President Donald Trumps stern warning to it over providing safe havens to terrorists, saying that Islamabad is at the frontline of combating terrorism.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to agents of chaos that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has much to lose by harbouring terrorists.

Read: Trump seeks greater role for India to achieve stability in Afghanistan

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, while reacting to Trumps comments on Pakistan, said, Hope the relevant policy decision by US side will be conducive to promoting security, stability of the relevant region.

(On) President Trumps remarks on Pakistan, I should say that Pakistan is at the frontline of fighting terrorism, has made sacrifices in fighting terrorism, making an important contribution to upholding peace and stability, Hua said, strongly defending Beijings all-weather friend.

Read: Taliban responds to Trumps threat, says Afghanistan will become 'graveyard' for US

Trump, in his address, said a pillar of his new strategy was a change in Americas approach to Pakistan.

He slammed Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, Trump said.

Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists, he said, in a warning to Pakistan.

Hua, in response to Trumps scathing criticism of Pakistans support to terror groups, said, I think the international community should truly affirm the efforts by Pakistan in combating terrorism.

We are pleased to see US and Pakistan to conduct cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts on the basis of mutual respect and contribute to the global peace and stability, she said.

Read: India welcomes Donald Trump's move to expand US troops in Afghanistan

In his speech, Trump slammed Islamabad for harbouring militants who target US service members.

But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace, Trump said.
by Melani Manel Perera

The Uma Oya complex was approved by the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Construction has dried up the land, and damaged homes. According to unofficial estimates, about 600 tonnes of harvest crops has been lost, and at least 42 villages afflicted by drought.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  The Uma Oya hydropower complex is an irrigation and hydroelectric project that has led to the destruction of some 600 metric tonnes of crops, and deprived entire villages of water, forcing residents to trek tens of kilometres to get water to bathe and drink.

For this reason, some 20,000 people from 42 villages in Badulla District (Uva province) have taken to the streets to protest against a development that has ruined their lives and livelihoods. The protest was organised by the activists of the People's Movement against the Destructive Uma Oya Project.

AsiaNews spoke with several residents of Medaperuwa, a village inhabited by Sinhalese and Muslims some 28 km from Ella-Bandarawela, Badulla, where the project is located.

Everyone slams the extreme living conditions in which they have been forced over the past two years, that is, since the start of the project approved by the previous government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

We led a good life farming, said P.B. Sanjeewa, a farmer. But "For two years now, we havent had any water. Canals, rivers and wells have dried up. We can take only one or two baths a week going far away, he said. Thousands of acres of land have been destroyed.

According to unofficial estimates, in the first months of 2017, farmers lost about 600 tonnes of crops., and construction has caused damages to the land, homes and roads.

Lasantha de Silva, from the Uva community radio service, reports that in the past Bandarawela "was a tourist destination for many foreign and local visitors. The beautiful landscape, cool and mildly windy weather made this place a paradise. But that paradise has not been transformed into hell.

"The beautiful village community, which was nurtured by the blessings of the natural environment, is ironically craving for water today."

Other villages affected are Medaperuwa, Udaperuwa, Egodagama, Palleperuwa, Heel Oya and Weragala.

Ms Musameel, a mother of four school-age children, is upset that the government grants only 500 rupees a week (US$ 3.35) to buy water. "That is not enough, she said. We are forced to go to another village to bathe."

We are suffering a lot, said Niaas Musameel, her 16-year-old son. People must travel or walk on foot at least seven kilometres to take a bath or get drinking water."

With my three-wheeler, I can carry my family to faraway places to take a bath, explained Manatungage Maalasri, a three-wheeler driver. But what about the people who dont have this privilege? What about old people, the sick?
by Paul Wang

The decision to obey China and remove some 300 sensitive articles sparked international criticism and an online petition to boycott the publishing house. " It is disturbing, says one scholar, that China is attempting to export its censorship." For Joseph Cheng, the latter "shows a lack of respect for academic freedom worldwide, and ultimately the huge feeling of insecurity that prevails in the Chinese leadership.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  Cambridge University Press (CPU) has reversed itself a few days after it had announced its decision to remove more 300 articles on its Chinese website in compliance with a Chinese government request.

"We can now confirm that all the articles have been re-posted on CUP's internet portals in China & can be downloaded free of charge," the journal said via its Twitter account on Monday.

Last week, at the request of the Chinese General Administration for Press and Publication, CPU had removed more than 300 articles published by China Quarterly, one of the most prestigious publications on China and Taiwan.

Most of the articles concerned Tiananmen, the Cultural Revolution, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. The material had been published from 1960 onward, until last month.

CPUs about-face follows an outcry among China scholars and academics, both in and outside of China.

Christopher Balding of the Peking University HSBC Business School in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen launched an online petition against CPUs decision to blow to the demands of the Chinese Communist Party.

"As academics, we believe in the free and open exchange of ideas and information on all topics not just those we agree with," Bladings petition said. "It is disturbing to academics and universities worldwide that China is attempting to export its censorship on topics that do not fit its preferred narrative."

Despite the risks associated with his courageous action, Balding went on to say, Theres been a significant crackdown in academic censorship and control over the past couple of years, trying to impose definitely more limitations on Chinese scholars and scholars working in China.

Since January, on Xi Jinpings orders, China has enforced tighter controls over the Internet and has for some time strengthened ideological indoctrination in universities.

"The Chinese government gives the impression of the sense of entitlement that comes from great wealth, to the extent that they don't even have to bother with international norms," said Joseph Cheng, former political science professor at Hong Kong's City University, speaking to Radio Free Asia.

"This shows a lack of respect for academic freedom worldwide, and ultimately the huge feeling of insecurity that prevails in the Chinese leadership."
by Vladimir Rozanskij

A very friendly meeting between Serghei Lavrov and Card. Parolin this morning. Great convergence on many international issues: terrorism, Syria, persecuted Christians. Some "differences" on the Ukrainian question. From the meeting in Havana, a new meeting between Francis and the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill anticipated.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - A meeting was held today between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Vatican Secretary of State Card. Pietro Parolin. In the press conference after the talks, they stressed the great convergence of both parties on the major issues of international politics, opening up many perspectives for future developments. After briefly recalling the history of Russian-Vatican relations from the fifteenth century to today, Lavrov listed the various initiatives that have recently intensified the relations between the Russian Federation and the Vatican, such as the exhibition carried out in Rome on Russian Cultural Heritage from icons to contemporary art, joint initiatives in the field of health and education, programs for children suffering from rare diseases. An agreement was also announced to abolish entry visas for representatives with a diplomatic passport from the Holy See.

The Russian minister has reviewed the numerous international political issues discussed with his Vatican visitor: the Near East, with the situation in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, and the internal conflict in Venezuela. Lavrov thanked the Vatican for supporting Russia's positions in the fight against terrorism and extremism, particularly in the dramatic Syrian situation. Palestine and Israeli relations were also a point of convergence. Gratitude was expressed to the Holy See for supporting the Minsk accords on the end of the conflict in Ukraine. According to Lavrov, this support "was not only moral, but very concrete in humanitarian aid to the population of Donetsk and Lugansk, battered by clashes." Both Russia and the Vatican are "overcoming a conflicting approach in Ukraine, and opposed to the use of religion for political ends," added the Russian Chancellor.

For his part, the Vatican Secretary of State thanked the Russians for their welcome, recalling that he came "to express the concerns of Pope Francis for the current problems of the international scene". He expressed satisfaction with cultural, scientific and healthcare agreements, hoping for further future developments in these areas. Concessions to Vatican diplomats, according to Card. Parolin, should lead to further facilitations for the activities of the Catholic Church in Russia, alleviating the working conditions of its personnel and finding shared solutions to other problems.

On issues of international politics, the cardinal expressed his "appreciation for the right solutions to problems in the Near East, Ukraine and other countries." The Holy See emphasized that its primary aim is to alleviate the living conditions of the suffering population, and hope for a joint search for concrete solutions, without being conditioned by the manipulation of information. Referring to the thorny issue of Crimea's annexation, the prelate urged the Russians to reject decisions contrary to international law, to seek solutions in agreement with neighboring states and with the international community. Here the cardinal highlighted his "divergence" with Russian positions, while recalling the full consonance regarding the defense of the rights of persecuted Christians in many countries around the world.

Responding to a question from journalists on a possibility of a Papal trip to Russia, the Cardinal recalled the importance of the Havana encounter, but also the recent pilgrimage of St. Nicholas remains in Russia, assuring that there will be further developments in this regard. In his words, "the concrete realization of these plans is entrusted to the Holy Spirit. There is a positive dynamic, and the future will show us where this will take us. "

Interviews in the build up to the visit had seen the recurring question of a papal visit addressed several times to Card. Pietro Parolin. The opportunity afforded by the official visit of the Vatican Secretary of State to Moscow, the first after nearly 20 years. In 1999, his predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, made every attempt to open the doors of the Kremlin to John Paul II, but without results. The response still seem negative; but, as is the case in the world of information, the succession of denials increases the conviction that the news may be forthcoming. Cardinal Parolin's response, after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, is deliberately evasive and generous, without giving anything away about an imminent possibility.

Moreover, despite the skepticism, signs of a possible trip by Pope Francis the fog of diplomatic hesitation emerge from the Patriarchate of Moscow, beginning from the historic meeting of Havana with the Russian Patriarch Kirill in February 2016. On that occasion, the Pope was welcomed by the patriarch in neutral territory, but very familiar to the Russians, Havana's Soviet-style airport and the company of a historic communist figure such as Raul Castro. The next day, Kirill went to visit Fidel himself, who was already ailing, to celebrate the historic success of the meeting with him.

From Havana to the next meeting

After the Cuban embrace, the Holy See activated a very significant change in Russia: instead of the Slovenian nuncio, Msgr. Ivan Jurkovic, who was awarded with the UN headquarters in Geneva, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, a diplomat Vatican was plucked from a very authoritative career, parallel to that of the same Card. Parolin, and signaled out for Russia. He became well-known in 2002 when it was sent to the UN headquarters in New York, representing the Vatican at the highest levels. In 2003, he went to Moscow to discuss issues of international politics with the Russians, including the situation in Vietnam, on a mission prepared in tandem with Parolin, then Substitute of the Secretariat of State. His experience was then made available to the new Vatican Ostpolitik, which began under Benedict XVI and has been vigorously strengthened by Pope Francis: Migliore was nuncio to Poland during the phase of retirement of Cracow Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz (former secretary to St. Pope John Paul II), and from May 2016 he has in Moscow to work for the follow-up to the Havana talks.

Before Migliore, in November 2015, it was the turn of Msgr. Claudio Gugerotti, one of the most competent Vatican officials in Eastern European issues, coming from specific studies and serving in the Congregation for Oriental Churches. Very close to Enzo Bianchi, and to the ultra-ecumenical positions of the Bose community which he regularly attended, Gugerotti took the place of Monsignor Thomas Gullikson, an American Archbishop, nuncio to Kiev since 2011, who during the crisis between Ukraine and Moscow was a bit too unbalanced in favor of the Majdan movement, creating a few ill feeling in Russia. Since the arrival of Gugerotti, the Patriarchate of Moscow has not missed the opportunity to thank the Holy See for its neutrality in Ukrainian affairs, as Hilarion stated in the meeting yesterday with Card. Parolin.

The same cardinal carried out an official visit to Ukraine in June 2016, where he obviously failed to pay tribute to Majdan Square and its victor, President Poroshenko, but the most interesting part of the trip was the visit to Zaporizhia, a town in the eastern part of the country, in Donbass partially controlled by Russian "volunteer" militias. By bringing humanitarian aid and comfort to the local population, severely challenged by the conflict, the cardinal assured them that the pope himself had a great desire to visit those areas. A meeting of Francis and Kirill in Ukraine divided by the epochal confrontation between East and West would be a gesture of incomparable historical and symbolic value.

"Cheering" for Francis to come to Russia

In January this year, the Archbishop of Moscow, Msgr. Paolo Pezzi, made very optimistic statements about the Pope's possible trip to Russian soil: "It seems to me that after Cuba, that is, after the reactions that were not easy for the Orthodox Church in Russia, today we can speak about a possible visit by the Pope to Russia. When? I do not know when. But I do think that it is no longer viewed as problematic "said the bishop of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, intervening at the margins of the Catholic Forum in Rome.

According to Msgr. Pezzi, the negative reactions among Russian Orthodox after Cuba's meeting "were not so many, but they were very noisy. It is gone. And this has allowed the Patriarch, but also others, to return to the reasons for that encounter. And they were convincing. You can also continue to discuss whether the meeting was political, cultural, religious but certainly this wave that has had a very strong impact has swept over it all and has left greater tranquility for a possible trip by Francis to Russia. We are cheering for it. " The Pope in this regard - he pointed - "has always been discreet. I never heard him say 'I wish I could come.' He would surely like to meet Patriarch Kirill. And if this happens in Moscow, in Rome, it would be equally ok anywhere. But he is very discreet, and will not force it."

Card. Parolins visit has also provoked negative comments in Russian society especially from the most radical members of "nationalist" orthodoxy: the cardinal is seen as the usual Catholic invader who comes to conquer Russia with the subtle weapons of Jesuit diplomacy. Even local Catholics, by the mouth of the secretary of the Russian bishops Msgr. Igor Kovalevski, believe that a visit by Francis to Moscow would be premature, fearing the reactions of Orthodox clergy, politics and society, which today suffers from a Western phobia, especially because of the "war of sanctions" .

However, Patriarch Kirill has shown that he is able to handle these situations in a brilliant way, without being subjected to his most intransigent collaborators, such as Bishop Tikhon (Sevkunov), "Putins confessor" who, more than anyone cried traitor after the meeting in Havana. As Cardinal Parolin has said, any surprises are entrusted to the work of the Holy Spirit.
Government soldiers have already taken control of some villages in the area. The city rises along the road connecting Mosul to the Syrian border and is strategically important for the passage of men and goods. Inside there would be up to 50,000 people trapped. Pentagon chief on surprise visit to Iraq, meetings with the premier and Kurdish president scheduled.

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The offensive by Iraqi forces against the Islamic State (IS, former Isis) in Tal Afar, the northern part of the country, the last bastion still in the hands of jihadist militants has entered its third day. Government Army soldiers have already taken over control of some villages on the outskirts of the city, which is located along the route leading from Mosul to the Syrian border.

The attack began at dawn on August 20th and comes a few weeks after the recapture of Mosul, for years considered the "capital" of the Islamic caliphate in Iraq. Tal Afar's fall would be a further, fierce blow to the Islamic militia, which until a few months ago controlled much of northern Iraq and the eastern sector of Syria.

The protagonists of the offensive against the Jihadist battalion are the Iraqi army, federal police, anti-terrorist forces, and about 20,000 fighters of Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary militants (Shiite, supported by Iran). The attack is conducted on three different fronts: Western, Southern and Southeastern. The goal is to wrest entire control of the area, in the hands of jihadists since 2014.

Over the past few weeks, the air force has launched a series of air raids to weaken the IS defenses and thus prepare the ground for the military offensive that in the coming days should also target Hawijah a nearby town. The army has dropped leaflets pointing out that "liberating your city is the armed forces next goal."

As with Mosul, fears of the Tal Afar battle concern the fate of thousands of civilians trapped in the city and unable to escape. Coalition estimates say that there are between 10,000 to 50,000 people in the world still blocked. Lisa Grande, UN Special Representative in Iraq for Humanitarian Affairs, reports that "over 30,000 people have already left" the Tal Afar region, where up to 200,000 people lived before the arrival of ISIS, and thousands would be ready to flee in the coming days. "Some families are willing to walk from 10 to 20 hours, in extreme heat - he adds - to reach the collection points. They arrive exhausted and dehydrated. "

Tal Afar's offensive shows, once again, the military weakness of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, where it continues to lose ground and more and more areas once under their control. Analysts and experts point out that the attacks in Europe and other areas of the West, since the last attack on Barcelona in the wars of the past, are a jihadist response to internal defeats. A change in strategy that, while putting the dream of a Caliphate on hold, is about striking at the heart of the EU.

This morning, meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis landed in Baghdad for a surprise visit. The Pentagon chief will meet with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other senior government officials, as well as the president of the Kurdish autonomous region Massoud Barzani in Erbil. "The Islamic state - Mattis said - has counted days, this is certain" even if "it has not disappeared altogether" and its end will not come soon.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Card. Pietro Parolins trip to Moscow is an opportunity to rebuild understanding between Catholics and Orthodox, marked by the wounds of the atheist past and the Ukrainian conflict. Russian Latin rite faithful seem to have a mediatory role. Yesterday there was the meeting between Card. Parolin and Metropolitan Hilarion. Today, the much anticipated meetings with Kirill and Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Vatican Secretary of State, Card. Pietro Parolin is on official visit to Russia from August 21st to 24th. Today he is scheduled to meet the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow Kirill and Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov; Tomorrow, President Vladimir Putin.

Yesterday Parolin met metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (Dree). The theme was primarily the Syrian crisis and the tragic condition of Christians in the Near East. The official press release of the Patriarchate states that "considering the possibilities of solving the Syrian crisis, the two interlocutors agreed that it is first necessary to eliminate terrorism from the territory of Syria, and only after the achievement of peace will the country be in a position to determine its political future. "

The other hot topic is the Ukrainian question and religious freedom in that country. The Ukrainian Parliament is preparing some laws that in fact discriminate against the position of obedience to the Orthodox Church of Moscow. Hilarion quoted "with disappointment the cases of politicized statements and aggressive actions by the representatives of the Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine," but acknowledged the support the Orthodox received from the Holy See. "The parties - the official statement says - have expressed the common conviction that politics should not become involved in ecclesiastical life, and that the Churches in Ukraine are called to play a peaceful role by working to restore civil cohesion in the country." On the Syrian issue and the situation of Christians in the Middle East there is almost total agreement between Russian Orthodox and Catholics. Not so on the uniate issue. Below our correspondent outlines prospects in this area.

While Cardinal Pietro Parolin's visit to Moscow is under way, there is growing concern about the prospects of dialogue and collaboration between Russian Catholics and Orthodox, one of the keys to a better understanding between Russia and the West. The conflict between Russians and Ukrainians begun in 2014, which created the new "Cold War" climate, which is in fact a cultural and confessional issue, long before being a economic, military or political one.

For years after the great opening of the early 1990s, the Moscow Patriarchate denounced the two great obstacles to the relationship with the Catholic Church: the so-called "proselytism" of Catholics in Russian territory, and disputes with the Greek-Catholics Ukrainians. The first problem has long been solved: after the reopening season of churches and parishes, the Russian Catholic community has now accepted, under the leadership of the Vatican, to remain in a well-defined dimension without expansionist ambitions. For a number of years there has been a joint commission between local Catholics and representatives of the Orthodox Patriarchate to evaluate every single initiative of Catholics whether it is opening up a new parish or creating educational or charitable structures. It was the way forward proposed in 1989 by then metropolitan Kirill, now patriarch, as the head of the external relations of the patriarchate. He suggested not appointing Catholic bishops in Russia, and leaving Orthodox protection in situations where a Catholic mission had become necessary.

It is estimated that about one million Catholics live in Russia, out a population of over 140 million. Pope John Paul II then believed that he had to provide effective structures for the pastoral care of his Russian faithful: in 1990 he sent the apostolic nuncio, who in 1991 organized the appointment of certain bishops as apostolic directors. The bishops are now residential, but the idea of orthodox protection is once again a decisive issue in relations between the two Churches in the area. This argument will not be particularly challenging in the talks led by card. Parolin and he will probably limit himself to seeking greater flexibility in registration procedures and pastoral work for priests operating in the area.

In the same year, the nuncio Msgr. Colasuonno also attempted to resolve the Ukrainian question, suggesting Ukrainian-Greek Catholics sit around a table with the Russian counterpart to assess open issues. The same metropolitan Kirill participated in the meeting, while the Ukrainian delegation was led by Archbishop Volodymyr Sternjuk, who administered the vacant seat of the archbishop of Lviv. Sternjuk, who had undergone years of harsh persecution under the Soviet regime, refused to deal with anyone who had bent to compromise with atheist communists, and left the meeting without any conclusion. The overwhelming history of Ukrainian politics has changed the tables on many occasions over time, but the hostility between the two contenders remained like embers under the ashes, exploding in the Majdan revolt of 2013-2014. The Moscow Patriarch accuses them of being the true inspirers of the anti-Russian uprising; Greek-Catholics insist on the responsibility of orthodoxy in the aggression of Russian military forces in Ukrainian territory.

It is no coincidence that the Vatican Secretary of State visited Belarus and Ukraine before coming to Moscow as a referee in a recent, but multi-century and extremely complex rebound: the boundaries between the East And the West in Europe have never been defined and stable, and the same name "Ukraine" means "at the border", to indicate not so much an ethnic but an original condition of the Eastern Slavs, always looking for the limits of a Boundless territory.

Ukraine is now an independent country of over 50 million people, and Greek Catholics reach 10% of the total population. There is also a significant minority of Latin Catholics, of Polish ethnicity. There are three Orthodox jurisdictions in the country: the majority in communion with Moscow, an independent Patriarchate in Kiev, and even a minority subjugated directly to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The Patriarchate of Moscow has shown appreciation for the balance of Vatican diplomacy in Ukraine, as the secretary for inter-Christian relations, Hiermonk Stefan (Igumnov), said in a statement issued by many press organs recently: "No statement by Holy See has allowed itself to be used as a provocation to push the conflict in that country religiously. "

Even the secretary and spokesman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Russia, Msgr. Igor Kovalevski said at a press conference on August 17 that "knowing many representatives of the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church, I can assure them that they are ready for constructive dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church. It is a dialogue that somehow has already begun, and continues at various levels. "

Russian Catholics always seek to mediate between the two contenders. There is even an Exarchate for Greek-Catholics in Russia, which only became operative in the first years after the revolution but there are several Catholic parishes of Eastern Rite in Russia, for Ukrainians there, but also for small groups of Russians Catholics who, feeling in communion with Rome, do not intend to give up their orthodox traditions.

The hope is that it will be possible to repair the many mistakes of the past, and to restore not only mutual tolerance and respect, but above all the ideal that accompanies the Christians of the Russian and Ukrainian territories: that of truly universal Christianity, "Catholic" by fact and not by name, which can unite in one breath the "two lungs" of the Church for the sake of the whole of humanity.
She taught her followers that the Quran does not require Muslims to pray. She also rejected the ahadith (words, actions, and habits attributed to the prophet) as religious guidelines. The court found her guilty of violating Article 156 of the Criminal Code. The prosecutor had demanded three years in prison.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies)  An Indonesian court sentenced Siti Aisyah, a woman who owns an Islamic learning centre (pictured), to two years and six months in prison for spreading "misguided" religious teachings.

The Mataram district court (West Nusa Tenggara province) handed down a lighter sentence than the three years requested by the prosecutor.

Presiding judge Didiek Jatmiko said that Siti was guilty of spreading teachings that contravene Islamic principles.

The judge noted that the accused rejected the charges, reiterating that what she teaches does not go against the principles of Islam.

Siti, who owns the Rumah Mengenal Al-Quran (Home to learn the Quran), said that she taught her followers that the Quran does not require Muslims to pray.

She also reportedly rejected the ahadith (words, actions, and habits attributed to the prophet) as religious guidelines.

In Islamic doctrine, the millions of collected anecdotes about Muhammad's life, his speeches and actions passed on in the oral tradition constitute the Sunnah, the second source for Islamic Law (Sharia) after the Quran itself. However, many scholars have doubts about their authenticity.
Double Exposure: Investigative Film Festival and Symposium(WASHINGTON) -- A key figure behind the so-called dossier featuring uncorroborated and salacious allegations about then-candidate Donald Trumps ties to Russia will be questioned by investigators from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about the funding and sources for the document.



During last years heated Republican primary race, Fusion GPS, a private research firm founded by former Wall Street Journal reporter Glenn Simpson, was initially paid about a million dollars by wealthy Republicans and then later worked for Democrats, all of whom wanted to dig up dirt on Trump and plant negative news stories, according to political operatives.



Simpson, who will appear in a closed session on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, hired the former MI6 agent Christopher Steele to compile the now infamous dossier, which alleged that members of the Trump campaign had colluded with Russian agents to damage Hillary Clinton, Trumps Democratic opponent.



Republicans in Congress are stepping up their efforts to uncover the funders of and sources for that controversial document and its, so far, largely unverified claims as special counsel Robert Muellers high-profile probe of those alleged ties heats up.



Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has made it clear that Simpsons work has landed him in the crosshairs.



We will also pursue details about Mr. Simpsons role in this event and the creation and circulation of the dossier that started this whole controversy, Grassley said in hearing in July.



As a reporter, Simpson specialized in coverage of money laundering and Russian organized crime. In an appearance on a panel at a film festival in 2016, Simpson explained that he started Fusion GPS after leaving journalism because he thought his investigative skills would be valuable to a range of wealthy clients.



What I really like to do is gather documents and put things together in a way that they could be used to expose a crime or right a wrong, Simpson said. I call it journalism for rent.



The 35-page dossier, which included a series of salacious allegations, was completed shortly before the election. Eventually the intelligence Steele had gathered was shared with journalists, the Clinton campaign and the FBI.



When Buzzfeed obtained and published the document in January, little more than a week before of Trumps inauguration, he was outraged.



It's all fake news. It's phony stuff. It didn't happen, Trump said in a press conference. And it was gotten by opponents of ours, as you know, because you reported it and so did many of the other people. It was a group of opponents that got together -- sick people -- and they put that crap together.



Simpson isnt the only person who could face questions about so-called dossiers production. Lawmakers also want to talk to Steele, the former British spy who actually authored the document, and a recent U.S. court ruling in a related case could compel him to do it.



Lawyers for Aleksej Gubarev, a Russian tech mogul who was initially named in the dossier, were recently granted approval by Judge Ursula Ungaro of U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida to seek British approval to question Steele under oath as part of their libel suit against Buzzfeed.



I have to ask myself, what is it that theyre hiding, Valentin Gurvits, Gubarevs attorney, told ABC News. To me it is a very strange situation.



According to people briefed on the developments, Steele has met with the FBI and provided agents with the names of his sources for the allegations in the dossier, but it is unclear how much information lawmakers will be able to obtain from Simpson this week. Attorneys for Fusion GPS have indicated to the committee that its client relationships are confidential.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Best Gifts For Bikers And Motorcycle Lovers

These 10 Gifts Will Rev The Engine Of The Motorcycle Lover In Your Life

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.

It took a few days for the snarls, roars and pops of the motorcycle engines to stop ringing in my ears, and the sand out of my eyes. It'll take me longer to forget about Sturgis, South Dakota, home to one of America's biggest motorcycle rallies.

With its spectacular riding along the Black Hills and the iconic views of Mount Rushmore just a short drive away, Sturgis attracts some 400 thousand to 600 thousand motorcyclists every year. Not bad, considering South Dakota as a state has just 900,000 people.

Joel Balsam photo

As a non-biker (for now), I absorbed Sturgis as a curious observer and learned an important lesson: motorcycles aren't just a hobby, they're a way of life. Whether it's your gray-bearded black leather-wearing Harley guy or a weekend biker, regardless of how often they ride, these guys and gals are obsessed  and that makes them pretty damn hard to buy for.

On the invitation of the South Dakota Department of Tourism, I went to Sturgis to breathe in the fumes and left with some excellent gift suggestions.

925 Sterling Silver Celtic Cross Ring

I met Jeff Fernandez, a 63-year-old from Los Angeles, while grabbing a brew at Sturgis' Iron Horse pub, and he wasn't shy to show off a silver night rider ring which he once got as a gift, and loved. The ring shown here isn't the exact same, but it's pretty damn cool idea.

Fernandez told me he'd always dreamed of riding up to Sturgis, and finally got the chance to make it down with his partner Moira now that they're retired.

We always wanted to do it now that were retired were eating all this stuff up," he said.

$34.99 on Amazon.com

CRKT Special Forces M16-14SF Foldable Knife

Fernandez assured me that every guy at Sturgis is carrying a tactical knife. Fernandez seemed, shall we say, not as hardcore, as some of the other bikers, but he still packs a knife. But no, not for anything you might've read about in Hunter S. Thompson's book, Hell's Angels. Well, unless you think tightening his glasses is something to run from.

This knife is an incredibly crafted aluminum tanto knife, highlighted in our guide to finding the best pocket knife. It'll will surely have the biker in your life flipping it open for all their friends.

$72.24 on Amazon.com

Wiley X Boss Sunglasses

Fernandez might have been a Sturgis newbie, but he's been riding for as long as anyone  since he was 8-years-old. And for all his life, the love for riding hasn't waned.

The feeling of being on two wheels... Thats the closest thing you can get to flying, but still being on the ground, he said.

All that flying means you're going to need a good pair of shades. These Wiley X's will more than do the trick, particularly for long rides. All the way from L.A. to Sturgis, perhaps?

$73.91 on Amazon.com

Kruzer Kaddy 200 Handlebar Cup Holder

Jim Pritchard was perched on his Harley when I met him at the Buffalo Chip grounds, a staple location at the rally for over three decades. Pritchard knows the place well. He's been coming to Sturgis for 20 years from his home in Eastern North Dakota and has seen Ozzy perform four times. Pritchard said biking is the only thing that makes him feel truly free.

When I'm straddling my bike, the law cant touch me, the government cant touch me, and Im free.

Joel Balsam photo

Well, if Pritchard were to ride with the beer I saw him drinking, the government might be able to touch him. A Coke or a coffee, on the other hand, that could fit right into a handlebar cup holder; a great gift for a guy like him.

$39.99 on Amazon.com

Fuel Helmets Handlebar Fork Bag

Plenty of the bikes at Sturgis were covered with bags. Saddlebags, windshield bags, etc. And those can be pretty personal and pricey, so not too great for a budget-friendly gift. The front handlebar fork bag right in front of their nose, however, is affordable and super handy. Too handy perhaps. When I pointed out the pouch on Pritchard's bike, his eyes lit up. He'd just remembered that he left his iPod nano in there.

$18.99 on Amazon.com

FREETOO Tactical Gloves

Finding an iPod nano might be tough these days now that Apple discontinued them. You might want to use that fork bag to actually hold what it's meant for  gloves. These gloves are comfy, lightweight and are a great deal on Amazon. They come in full-finger and fingerless styles as well as in different colors.

$21.68 on Amazon.com

Smartphone Mount

iPod nanos might be on the way out, but smartphones are still as popular as ever and are a great thing to have on your handlebars. Easily check your GPS or Snapchat with the kids. Ok, that's unlikely knowing bikers, but the possibility is there, right?

$18.95 on Amazon.com

Harley Davidson Softail Fatboy Seat

Jerome Ferlitch, another Harley Davidson guy, has been coming to Sturgis for nearly as long as Pritchard, 14 years. He says the thing that brings him back every year is the camaraderie.

It kind of gives you a sense of unity or brotherhood because you have all these people that like motorcycles like you do and you feel united with them, said the 52-year-old from Boise, Idaho.

So besides a ticket and spending money for Sturgis, Ferlitch told me a seat is a great affordable gift. He'd be happy with a Harley seat. But whatever you do, don't go getting a Harley guy an Indian seat or vice versa.

$62.00 on Amazon.com

Leather Lever Covers (Harley Davidson)

A popular style I saw on bikes at Sturgis was fringe leather. It's not everyone's thing  it wasn't for everyone I talked to  but it looks really cool on some bikes. If you think your motorcycle lover would be into some swag on their bike, this is a stylish gift.

$20.99 on Amazon.com

Keychain Carabiner 2-Pack

What's a motorcyclist if they're not prepared? Carrying around a carabiner is always a good idea, especially when it can handle 350 pounds of weight. This set of keychains comes with a lifetime warranty and is as rugged as the motorcyclist in your life.

$9.99 on Amazon.com

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.
PMV US to Oz



Hi Justin yes from what I've found online it looks like it's going to be a long wait. I'm in the US and my fiance is an Aussie in Sydney. We applied for the PMV at the end of June 2017 and it's only been a few months so I'm not really expecting to hear anything anytime soon. One question I did have which may have just been answered in the thread is that if our wedding is scheduled for April of 2018 and the visa hasn't gone through yet will we have to postpone the wedding? I'm thinking at this point that we should at least have a 2nd tentative date in mind. It's tricky because you have 9 months to get married once approved but you can't set the date too far in advance because you'll risk being out of the 9 month timeframe for getting married. I'll keep the forum updated.



Best



Blkrncld
Hi



I have just completed my MBBS (bachelor, 5 years) in china. I would like to apply for a visa in australia and maybe NZ.



But i prefer australia as i have some relatives, cousins.



I have been reading online but the requirements for skills, i.e if i need work experience or can i get a visa as a graduate is not clear.



Can someone please help?
Photo of Fiat Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., courtesy of FCA.

China's Great Wall Motor Co. is moving away from a bid to acquire part or all of Fiat Chrysler a day after expressing interest in the company and its Jeep brand, reports Bloomberg.

A day after expressing interest, the Baoding-based automaker said there are "big uncertainties" about whether it would continue to pursue interest in a public filing.

Automotive News had first reported that Great Wall Motor's president, Wang Fengying, plans to contact FCA to discuss acquiring the Jeep brand. A Great Wall Motor press official then told Reuters the company has "an intention to acquire" FCA.

Great Wall reportedly asked for a meeting with FCA to make an offer, but Bloomberg reports there has been no contact between the boards of the companies.

FCA's CEO Sergio Marchionne has made public statements that FCA would benefit from merging with another automaker such as Ford or General Motors, and has indicated that he wouldn't sell Jeep or the Ram Truck brand as standalone units.

Great Wall is China's largest sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pickup manufacturer.

Editor's note: Story updated on Aug. 22 with new information from the Bloomberg report.
A Bakersfield woman who fell asleep after leaving two young boys in a bathtub  including one who died after being found unresponsive in the w
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Saying a hasty withdrawal would create a vaccuum in Afghanistan, President Trump announced a new strategy regarding that country during an address to the nation at the Joint Base Meyer-Henderson Hall, but would not discuss any increase in troops.

President Trump announces plan for Afghanistan

Shift includes end of timetables, no transparency on plans

No "blank check" for Afghan government

RELATED: President Trump's full remarks  Reaction from U.S. lawmakers 



The president's announcement caps months of debate on a strategy to help turn the tide of control in that country. Right now the Afghan government runs just half the country, and Trump's national security advisers have warned their forces are still far too weak to succeed.

President Trump had in the past supported pulling troops out of Afghanistan, something he said he realized would not work once he got into office.

"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts," Trump said. "But all of my life I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office."

The president broke the new strategy down into pillars.

A shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. He said he would not talk about numbers of troops for plans or further military activities. Integration of all elements of American power, military, economic and diplomatic. America will continue to support the Afghan government, but ultimately it's up to Afghan people to take ownership of their society. "We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists." A change in how to deal with Pakistan. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond." Trump also said he will want India to be more involved in helping with Afghanistan. Allowing commanders in the field to wage battle against the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, DC does not win battles."

Currently there are 8,400 American military personnel in Afghanistan, from roughly 100,000 there from 2010 to 2011 under the Obama administration.

The Pentagon has spent months trying to convince the president to allow some 3,800 to 4,000 additional troops. While the Pentagon doesn't think it will end the conflict with the Taliban, military officials believe it could help stabilize the situation.

The Pentagon and the White House also have to deal with other regional panels in the area, in particular Pakistan, which has long been accused of being too lenient on the Taliban and its allies.

The president reviewed options with his national security team at Camp David last Friday.

After the announcement, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a statement where he said the Taliban cannot win on the battlefield -- but there was a path to peace.

"We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions. We look to the international community, particularly Afghanistan's neighbors, to join us in supporting an Afghan peace process."

Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reaction from U.S. lawmakers

Members of Congress reacted swiftly to the president's statements on Afghanistan:

#AfghanStrategy laid out by @POTUS was put together the right way. Careful review & consideration of multiple views & ideas. Very good.  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) August 22, 2017

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, issued this statement:

In the short run, the Afghan government has been overrun by terrorists and needs to be strengthened temporarily. In the long run, the Afghans must protect their own people and the U.S. troops should exit the country as soon as practical.

Trump's vision of endless war in Afganistan with more troops will not make America great again #sayfie #flapol @orlpolitics @HispanicCaucus  US Rep. Darren Soto (@RepDarrenSoto) August 22, 2017

Welcome speech by POTUS on way forward with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India  JohnCornyn (@JohnCornyn) August 22, 2017

Very pleased to hear him discuss the need for America to strengthen partnership w/ India and hold Pakistan accountable. (2/3)  Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) August 22, 2017

I commend @POTUS's new strategy for #Afghanistan. We must move past last admin's failed policy of postponing defeat. https://t.co/ExDC4JqkHi pic.twitter.com/zZGqrkSD9i  John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) August 22, 2017

You can't announce a strategy that relies on complicated diplomacy with Pakistan/India/Afghanistan when you're firing all the diplomats.  Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) August 22, 2017

President Trump's full remarks

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. Please be seated.

Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan. Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer and every member of the United States military at home and abroad.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search and recovery efforts.

I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the servicemembers here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home.

Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history.

American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their lives -- and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality.

By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under God.

The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared sense of purpose.

They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together -- and sacrifice together -- in absolutely perfect cohesion. That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters. They're all part of the same family; it's called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.

The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together.

Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.

The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.

As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas -- and we will always win -- let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name that, when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.

Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th -- and nobody can ever forget that -- have not been repeated on our shores.

But we must also acknowledge the reality I am here to talk about tonight: that nearly 16 years after September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history -- 17 years.

I share the American peoples frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.

That is why, shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of Defense Mattis and my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia.

My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you're President of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy. I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about Americas core interests in Afghanistan.

First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need, and the trust they have earned, to fight and to win.

Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th.

And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.

Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense. Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world.

For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen.

No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But, one way or another, these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win.

We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now -- the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.

We need look no further than last weeks vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children. You saw it for yourself. Horrible.

As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology.

Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and predators, and -- that's right -- losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, Americas interests are clear: We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter.

But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history. As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways:

A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. Ive said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options. We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.

Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power -- diplomatic, economic, and military -- toward a successful outcome.

Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field.

Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices.

But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.

Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the worlds largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate Indias important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development. We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work quickly.

I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles. They are won in the field drawing upon the judgment and expertise of wartime commanders and frontline soldiers acting in real time, with real authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.

Thats why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and Americans arms. Retribution will be fast and powerful.

As we lift restrictions and expand authorities in the field, we are already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.

Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force.

Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will. Since taking office, I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense, and they have done so.

In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.

Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed.

But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward.

Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country. But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace.

America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open.

In abiding by the oath I took on January 20th, I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists take heed: America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat.

Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military. And this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense.

In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed. We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.

Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of Americas greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.

Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after September 11th, 2001. They volunteered for a simple reason: They loved America, and they were determined to protect her.

Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives. We must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad. We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid.

Our actions, and in the months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation. With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of peace.

We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you.

Thank you. May God bless our military. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)
GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
A former Beaumont prison guard who pleaded guilty to supplying inmates with contraband was sentenced today in a federal court.

Anqunett Vernetta Lewis, of Houston, was given 18 months in prison and a $1,700 fine today, according to information from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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Two Port Arthur elementary schools named for Confederate soldiers will be debated this week, as Rebel names and monuments come under scrutiny across the state.

Port Arthur ISD trustees will consider re-naming Robert E. Lee Elementary and Dick Dowling Elementary at a board meeting Thursday.

Lee Elementary is named for the general who led the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia from 1862 until surrendering in 1865. Lt. Dowling, an Irish immigrant, led Confederate soldiers at the battle of Sabine Pass in 1863.

A group of Port Arthur residents unsuccessfully launched a petition in 2015 to change the schools' names.

"It has come up before," said trustee Kenneth Lofton Sr., who has been on the school board for 10 years.

Lofton said he's "not for or against" a change. "It's whatever the community wants," he said. "We're putting it out there to see if the community wants it."

"My opinion is this is all a part of history, so why would we want to hide from teaching it to our kids?" said board secretary Dianne Brown.

She said the names are a reminder of "where we came from, where we started, and what we had to go through."

Brown said keeping history prominently displayed "helps you go forward."

Trustee Joseph Guillory II called changing the schools' names "an excellent idea," and said it should have been done already because of the "subliminal message" the names send to students.

"This is really a crisis when you start looking at the things going on in our country," he said. "I just wish we could have done something sooner rather than later."

Read more in Tuesday's print edition of The Enterprise
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When is the next total solar eclipse? Sooner than you think

Eclipse a thrilling celestial show  for those who could see it

SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Traffic was still moving relatively well in Oregon on Sunday, a day before the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in the United States since 1918.

The eclipse is expected to draw up to a million people and clog roadways in Oregon  where the moon's shadow will first make landfall. Crowds have begun filling campgrounds and hotels for hundreds of miles.

But the Oregon Department of Transportation said traffic was rolling pretty smoothly early Sunday afternoon. Traffic is expected to get heavier as the day progresses, Tom Fuller of the Transportation Department said.

"We are starting to see an uptick on highways," Fuller said.

Now Playing: Millions of people across the U.S. gear up for the one-time solar event known as the Great American Eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017. Video: San Antonio Express-News

So many people are camping on farm fields and wild lands in rural areas that animals are being pushed onto roadways, Fuller said. That is causing an increase in collisions between animals and vehicles.

"Deer and other wildlife are being pushed into traffic at higher rates," said Paul Woodworth, a manager with Oregon Department of Transportation. There were 11 collisions between vehicles and wildlife Saturday, he said.

On Sunday in Salem, Oregon, eclipse enthusiasts camped in a small field across from the state fairgrounds where the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry will host an eclipse-watching event for 8,500 people.

Hilary O'Hollaren arrived Saturday with her two children, plus a friend and her son, to snag a space for the event.

"My friend and I are always up for an adventure," said O'Hollaren, of Portland, Oregon. "It's one of those 'check the box' kind of things in life."

Jim and Cindy Fairchild, also from Portland, have been camping at the same field since Friday.

Jim Fairchild described himself as an amateur astronomer who is excited by the total eclipse and the chance to spot other planets in the darkened sky.

Meanwhile, Ray Cooper arrived at 5 a.m. on Sunday to set up two powerful telescopes he will use to film the eclipse. The images will be projected on a giant screen on a stage for the spectators watching on the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry site.

Weather forecasts say it should be a near-perfect day in Salem to film the eclipse, but Cooper worried about clouds sneaking in.

"If it stays like this, it'll be perfect," Cooper said. "The clearer it is, the sharper the image."

Traffic in central Oregon started picking up Wednesday as 30,000 people poured in for a large festival near the town of Prineville, creating miles-long backups on U.S. 26. Across the Northwest, planners are bracing for more of the same.

In neighboring Idaho, up to 400,000 people could show up. Major traffic jams also are expected in Washington state as people try to drive south or east to prime viewing locations.

Officials have also been grappling with the possibility that cloudy weather, closed roads or coastal fog could prompt eclipse-watchers to change plans at the last minute, throwing traffic into chaos.

More than two dozen wildfires are burning around Oregon, and nearly a dozen of them are in the path of totality, where the moon will completely black out the sun.

One of the most troublesome blazes is and around the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area, a prime eclipse-viewing spot. Hundreds of people who intended to camp there or hike up Mount Jefferson to catch a stunning view of totality have had to change their plans.

Campfires are banned on all forestland and at coastal beaches because of high fire danger. Officials were also concerned about an unusually high tide overnight Monday that could surprise eclipse enthusiasts who camp out on Oregon's beaches.

The weather is another unknown.

The forecast looks clear for Monday in Salem and central and eastern Oregon. But the coast  where the moon's shadow first makes landfall  may experience morning fog or early clouds.

That could send sky-gazers scrambling for a new viewing spot and further complicate an already difficult traffic mess, said Dave Thompson, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Forty percent of Oregon-bound eclipse watchers are expected to be in place by Monday, but a recent Transportation Department survey reveals cause for concern.

About 11 percent of people headed to the central Oregon town of Madras, considered one of the nation's best viewing spots, were planning to arrive Monday morning. Thompson said it could take six hours or more to travel the roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Portland to Salem on Sunday.

In Idaho, the path of totality will cross from the western town of Weiser to the community of Driggs on the eastern side of the state. Idaho officials there are warning travelers to keep gas tanks full and pack extra food and water in their vehicles. Local government officials have also been stocking up on rattlesnake venom.

Some experts have estimated that Idaho could see as many as 370,000 visitors for the eclipse. Weiser is expecting 20,000-plus visitors, a huge influx for a place that normally has just 5,500 residents.

To help the public, Oregon officials have activated a 211 phone number for updated information on traffic, weather and wildfires.

People hitting the roads can also check the state Transportation Department's TripCheck website for the latest on traffic. Oregon's Office of Emergency Management will be tweeting regular updates at @OregonOEM.

___

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PETROZAVODSK, Russia  The Republic of Karelia in Russia's northwest and Fujian province in East China plan to boost trade during the upcoming BRICS Summit.

"The preparation for the establishment of a friendly and cooperative partnership between the two sides has entered the final stage," said Artur Parfyonchikov, acting head of the Republic of Karelia.

"Hopefully, we will sign the agreement during the BRICS Summit and start to carry out joint projects as soon as possible," he added.

The BRICS Summit in Fujian's resort city of Xiamen will be held early next month. Plans for expanding cooperation between Karelia and Fujian are based on their multiple similarities, Parfyonchikov pointed out.

Economically, both regions boast rich resources in forestry, mining and other fields, and enjoy similar priorities in their respective country's national economic policy.

Joint projects in non-traditional industries, including automation machinery, information technology, culture and education, are also being explored by the two jurisdictions.

In addition, Parfyonchikov underlined why Karelia has a great advantage in attracting foreign investment and tourists.

He highlighted its railway, maritime and other transportation infrastructure, which efficiently connects the region to major cities such as Moscow, St Petersburg and Murmansk, as well as neighboring Finland.

At present, Karelia is in talks with Chinese authorities to develop tourism projects and routes, according to Parfyonchikov.

He also mentioned the 50 megawatt Beloporozhskaya hydropower plants in Karelia launched last year.

They were the first in Russia financed by the BRICS-led New Development Bank, a multilateral development bank headquartered in Shanghai, and set an example for pragmatic cooperation within the BRICS framework.

"Construction of the hydropower plants is of great benefit to the local economy, and helps to boost employment as the workers involved in the construction of the project are mainly from the local community," he said.

Parfyonchikov expressed confidence about the future for BRICS countries, saying the organization was an efficient platform for dialogue and consultation.

"Karelia's hydropower stations project is a manifestation of the outcome of the BRICS Summit," he said.

"I believe the ninth summit will enable us to take a further step ahead and open a new chapter in promoting cooperation among the BRICS countries," he added.
A team of veterinarians and surgeons worked to save longtime Kansas Zoo resident Tiffany the gorilla, 49, who was fighting stage four ovarian cancer, Hays Post reports.

After a long fight and a surgical procedure, Tiffany was euthanized Aug. 20 after surgeons determined the cancer had metastasized to her abdominal wall. There were two large masses in Tiffany's abdomen.

Tiffany's surgical team consisted of the zoo's veterinarian staff, Amy Guernsey-Youngblood of Topeka, Kan.-based University Veterinary Care Center and surgeons from Topeka-based Tallgrass Surgical Center.

Zoo Director Brendan Wiley remembered Tiffany in a release.

"She was a big part of the persona of our zoo, he said. It seemed like everyone knew who Tiffany was.

Tiffany was born in the Kansas City Zoo in 1968. She arrived in Topeka in 1969.
LG, a global electronics manufacturer, said it shut down parts of its network Aug. 14 after it discovered a LG self-service kiosk in South Korea had been infected with ransomware, reports ZDNet.

With the help of the Korea Internet and Security Agency, LG analyzed the malicious code and confirmed the ransomware was WannaCry, an LG spokesperson told ZDNet.

The company immediately blocked access at the service center, which stopped the code from spreading to other parts of the organization. It said no data was lost and no ransom was paid. The infected LG service centers were back up and running with all security updates after two days, the company told ZDNet.

In May, WannaCry infected over 300,000 computer systems worldwide until security researcher Marcus Hutchins found a "kill switch" and prevented its spread. Mr. Hutchins has since been arrested on unrelated cybersecurity charges.

Although Microsoft released an emergency patch to protect older systems from WannaCry, but the ransomware has continued to infect unpatched systems. LG and KISA are still working to determine how WannaCry infected the kiosk.

More articles on cybersecurity:

Report: Top 10 malware families in July

OIG: IT weaknesses found in New Mexico Medicaid eligibility systems

OIG: North Carolina did not meet federal standards for Medicaid claims processing
The Alaska eHealth Network hired Laura Young as its interim executive director.

Here are four points:

1. The state-based health information exchange worked with CedarBridge Group, a consulting firm, to find an interim leader.

2. Ms. Young formerly served as executive director for Behavioral Health Information Network of Arizona.

3. She managed the BHINAZ-Arizona Health e-Connection (now HealthCurrent) merger to form a single statewide health information exchange organization in Arizona.

4. The Alaska eHealth Network is searching for a permanent executive director.
UT Southwestern tapped Marc E. Milstein to serve as vice president of information resources and CIO.

Most recently, Mr. Milstein served as associate vice chancellor and CIO for Austin-based University of Texas System. Prior to that, he was the vice president for information technology and CIO at Yeshiva University/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He also served as CIO at New York City-based Continuum Health Partners, Columbia-based University of Missouri Health Care and Cambridge (Mass.) Health Alliance.

In his new role, Mr. Milstein will oversee UT Southwestern's academic, health system and administrative information resources. He holds an MBA in systems management from Baldwin-Wallace College in Cleveland.
In anticipation of the ACA enrollment period, local organizations dedicated to helping people register for plans on the ACA exchanges are stepping up their outreach efforts amid decreased marketing funding from the White House, according to The Hill.

These "assister" or "navigator" programs, many of which are local nonprofits and some of which are supported by federal grants, are charged with helping people enroll in ACA plans. Because President Donald Trump's administration has decreased ACA marketing funding by $3 million this year, they are stepping up their outreach campaigns.

"Given the fact that we really have received no assurances that we'll have national support with marketing in advance of open enrollment, it's really incumbent upon us to do everything we can to highlight [open enrollment] dates," said Jessie Menkens, Alaska Primary Care Association's navigator program coordinator.

The enrollment period has been shortened from 90 days to 45 days this year, which has led many navigators to begin their outreach earlier than in years past.

"We're not going to have the luxury of that time, so our message from the very beginning is going to be more the urgent message: Now's the time," said Catherine Edwards, the executive director of the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

More Articles on Leadership:

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Tenet board upheaval could lead to activist campaign
The following healthcare organizations shared plans to add jobs after Aug. 7, starting with the most recent.

1. Anna Jaques Hospital seeks clinical, administrative workers

Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Mass., held a two-day job fair as it seeks workers for various positions, including clinical and administrative.

2. 20 hospitals hiring nurses

Here are 20 hospitals and health systems that recently posted job listings for nurses.

3. Cognizant Technology Solutions to build regional office in Texas, hire 1k employees

Teaneck, N.J.-based Cognizant Technology Solutions plans to build a regional office in Irving, Texas. The plans include hiring more than 1,000 employees in the area during the next five years.

4. Arkansas Children's Northwest to hire 250 by January

Arkansas Children's Northwest, a 24-bed hospital under construction in Springdale, will hire 250 employees by the time the facility opens in January.

5. Florida healthcare companies to participate in job fair

A number of Florida healthcare companies, including Fort Myers-based Park Royal Hospital, agreed to participate in a job fair earlier this month. Hope Healthcare, which has multiple Florida locations including Fort Myers, also agreed to participate.
A jury in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County ruled against Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit associating ovarian cancer to talcum powder, reports The New York Times.

Jurors on Monday ordered the New Brunswick, N.J.-based company to pay Eva Echeverria, 63, $417 million in damages related to the lawsuit. Ms. Echeverria, a medical receptionist, has used Johnson's Baby Powder for more than 50 years and developed ovarian cancer in 2007, according to the report. Ms. Echeverria's attorney, Mark Robinson, told NYT his client continued using the powder until hearing news of litigation against Johnson & Johnson linking talc to cancer; she filed suit against the company soon after.

Johnson & Johnson said in an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review the company plans to appeal following the jury's verdict.

"Ovarian cancer is a devastating diagnosis and we deeply sympathize with the women and families impacted by this disease. We will appeal todays verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnsons Baby Powder," company spokesperson Carol Goodrich said. She added, "We are preparing for additional trials in the U.S. and we will continue to defend the safety of Johnsons Baby Powder."



Ms. Goodrich specifically referenced verbatim language from the National Cancer Institutes Physician Data Query Editorial Board on "perenial talc exposure," which states, "The weight of evidence does not support an association between perineal talc exposure and an increased risk of ovarian cancer."

However, the report notes the cancer center was more inconclusive on its website here, saying, "Studies of women who used talcum powder dusted on the perineum ... have not found clear evidence of an increased risk of ovarian cancer."

Ms. Echeverria is not alone, as various other women have sued the consumer goods giant claiming its baby powder caused their cancer. So far, only a handful of suits have gone to trial, but most decisions have been in favor of the plaintiffs, according to the report.
As Minnesota's worst measles outbreak in decades nears a potential end, anti-vaccine advocates have intensified local efforts to discredit vaccine safety, according to a report from The Washington Post.

Here are six things to know.

1. State health officials reported the last confirmed case of the measles linked to the outbreak July 13. If no new infections are identified, health officials could potentially declare the outbreak over Friday, according to the Post.

2. Sixty four of the 79 reported cases have occurred among the Somali Minnesotan community. Immunization rates among this population dropped in recent years due to the spread of misinformation regarding vaccine safety.

3. The outbreak spurred health workers to track down those potentially exposed and improve vaccination adherence among the affected communities. Recently, anti-vaccine activists have also stepped up community outreach efforts.

4. In Facebook groups, Minnesota anti-vaccine advocates have discussed holding "measles parties" to expose unvaccinated children to the illness so they can contract the virus and subsequently develop immunity. Health officials are aware of the Facebook posts, but said there is no evidence of these parties actually occurring. The advocates have also used social media to encourage families skeptical of vaccines to travel to Minneapolis to meet with associates of Andrew Wakefield, the former physician whose debunked and retracted research inspired the modern anti-vaccine movement.

5. Vaccine supporters have expressed concern regarding the recent activity of anti-vaccine advocates.

"I'm shocked by how emboldened they've gotten," Karen Ernst, executive director of Voices for Vaccines, a national pro-vaccine, parent-led advocacy group, told the Post. "I think most people thought the anti-vaccine voices would sit home and lay low. . . . Instead, they became more public, they did more outreach  other states should be on alert, as these Minnesota anti-vaxxers have reach across the country  they have the money to help mobilize and finance their agenda in any other state."

6. The measles is a highly transmissible virus characterized by fever, runny nose, cough and a rash that spreads all over the body. While no deaths have been reported in the Minnesota outbreak, the condition can  in rare cases  result in death. Twenty-two people have been hospitalized as a result of the Minnesota outbreak. Two doses of the mumps, measles, rubella vaccine is 97 percent effective at preventing the measles, according to the CDC.

More articles on infection control:

Salmonella infections linked to backyard poultry hits 961 cases: 5 things to know

IHI partners with South Africa for improved TB care

CDC increases 2017 variant flu case count to 19
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Employers need to take legal advice when looking to make workers who are ill redundant for other reasons

Disabled employees, who suffer from a physical or mental condition which has a long term and substantial effect on their day to day activities, have protection from discrimination.

An Employment Appeal Tribunal considered whether an employer, who dismissed a disabled employee after a long period of sickness, was liable for discrimination arising from disability.

Mr Charlesworth was a branch manager at Dransfields Engineering Services Ltd (DES). The company was not profitable and was looking to make cost savings from 2012 onwards. In the summer of 2014, Mr Charlesworth sadly developed renal cancer and was absent from work from October to December 2014.

During his absence it became clear to management that it could cope without the role of branch manager.

The claimant returned to work on December 15, 2014 but was subsequently made redundant in April 2015.

He brought claims for unfair dismissal, direct disability discrimination and discrimination arising from disability.

He stated that his redundancy situation was a sham, he had been dismissed because of his disability, that there was a link between his absence and the decision to dismiss him and that this was discrimination arising from disability.

An employment tribunal dismissed Mr Charlesworth's claim - whilst the tribunal accepted that there was a link between the claimant's absence through illness and the fact that he was dismissed, he was not dismissed because of his absence but because of what his absence revealed to management regarding the business' ability to cope without anyone fulfilling his role.

Several factors also supported the fact that Mr Charlesworth's role was being made redundant:

Firstly, Mr Charlesworth's branch was one of four and was not highly profitable;

Secondly, DES gave consideration to the possibility of alternative employment within the group but found that there were no suitable vacancies for the claimant;

Thirdly, DES had been looking to make cost-savings as far back as 2012.

Mr Charlesworth appealed, asserting that it was only when off on sickness absence for his cancer that his employer decided to delete his job.

Further, he argued that the 'link' between his absence and the dismissal was therefore enough to say that his absence had caused it to occur and, as such, DES had dismissed him for something arising out of his disability.

The Employment Appeals Tribunal stated that something arising from disability must be an "operative cause" of the discriminatory treatment that works consciously or subconsciously on the mind of the putative discriminator and whilst it was his absence that provided an opportunity for his employer to see how it would cope without him, the operative reason for the dismissal was not in the employee's absence, but instead the cost-cutting measures implemented by DES.

Employers should exercise caution when looking to make employees redundant in a similar circumstances and should always seek professional legal advice.
After 2020 the question of support for farming will need to be addressed

Potential trading barriers following from Brexit are attracting high profile attention although, for the present, with little final agreement on how trade and commerce across the border in Ireland or across the UK-Ireland border should be managed.

If there is a shared will for a frictionless system, it is certainly possible. Technology, or special concessions, or an agreed treaty protocol could all offer easier relations than restoring a formal customs frontier.

While trading relations are high profile questions, carrying continuing regulatory publicity, there are numerous other aspects of Brexit where local consequences should begin to be anticipated and where the end agreement from the negotiations should be anticipated.

In this wider range of topics the absence of a NI Executive means that there is no local focus for debate.

In contrast, in Scotland the Scottish Government is raising its voice to try to secure a debate where, at least, the Scottish Government is assured a place round the table with the UK Government before further devolution decisions for the UK are made.

The Scottish representatives have asked London for participation in the immediate discussions on the future of policy for agriculture and fisheries. The Scottish starting point is that, with agreed budget allocations, farm and fisheries policies should be devolved to the Scottish Government. To date, the talks between the UK and the Scottish Governments have not found a shared agreement.

From a Northern Ireland perspective there has been little public awareness of these critical issues. Of course, farming and fishing are significant parts of the local economy.

Would the NI Executive wish to allow the decisions on policy and funding to be made in London or are there specific gains to be achieved for a degree of local flexibility and, if so, what degree of local flexibility?

After 2020 there is no agreement on what will replace, for farming, the Single Farm Payment formula which has recently served as a major large source of funds to all farms. Will the UK Government agree to maintain the present scale of farm support? Will the structure of farm support change? Two general trend answers seem likely.

First, the UK Government may wish to spend less on farm support. Second, the direction of support is likely to be less generic - evidence of farm development and sustainable environmental improvements are possible criteria to qualify.

Would a NI Executive wish, say, to have a farm support budget determined on principles akin to a Barnett formula in which the allocation to individual farms was set locally and not on a parity based system? The question raises the further prospect that even asking this question may provoke political disagreement. The possible budgetary implications of devolution for farming and then the distributional allocations are not likely to be easily managed. If the Scots win a devolution package, will NI go along with a Scottish precedent?

Fisheries policies pose serious devolution questions. They become even more complex when tested by the question of how relations with the Irish fisheries sector are to be managed.

Is the border, at sea, to be an administrative necessity and will this give rise to enforcement questions off the local coastline. In practical terms, if fisheries policy was devolved, would NI wish to reach a reciprocal fishing agreement with the Irish Government? Even less certain: would the EU allow Ireland to do a local deal in Irish coastal waters and would the UK Government devolve the NI part to the Executive?

The organisation and development of farming and fisheries will play a critical role in a large sector of the NI economy. The easy administrative answers would be to be ready to mirror the policies and funding of the UK Government as applied to GB. However, the case for some scope for devolutionary discretion is strong (as also for Scotland). That calls for a serious preparatory debate locally and then at a UK level.
The huge delay in getting a low rate of corporation tax caused by Northern Irelands political impasse is one of the biggest challenges facing the office market here, a report has warned.

Demand for the top office units has continued to rise in Belfast, with the sectors letting activity on course to exceed the average take-up level over the last 10 years.

It has been driven by public sector and professional services occupiers, together accounting for two thirds of office space lets over the last 12 months, according to Lambert Smith Hamptons Belfast Office Market Report H1 2017.

The report showed the city currently offers around 100,000 sq ft of office space.

Grade A stock dominated deals during the first six months of 2017, accounting for more than four fifths of all activity. Availability has more than doubled in the first half of 2017, rising by 56% to around 982,000 sq ft, boosted by the completion of a wave of speculative development and refurbishment projects.

However, take-up in the first half of 2017 was down 20% on the previous six months and 28% compared to the first half of 2016.

The report noted the impact of a lack of progress over corporation tax, which has failed to come under local control as a result of the collapse of Stormont.

It said: The slippage in the devolution of corporation tax presents a challenge for the office occupier market. However, the market continues to be driven by local indigenous companies and a number of recent announcements from foreign direct investors to include Anomali, Unosquare, Bazaarvoice and Redline Trading Solutions.

However, development in Belfast has continued to gain momentum, with a further 815,000 sq ft of speculative development expected to start over the next 12 months, including One Bankmore Square, Bedford Square, the Paper Exchange and Olympic House.

On top of this, the report highlights a further 1.8 million sq ft of planning approved office space and 641,000 sq ft with planning applications pending.

Stuart Draffin, head of agency at Lambert Smith Hampton in Belfast, said: Despite the climate of uncertainty, the outlook for the Belfast office market is positive. Healthy demand exists among occupiers, and there has been a welcome improvement in quality supply and speculative development.

With an additional 100,000 sq ft of office space agreed and some of the lowest occupational costs in the UK and Ireland, we forecast that 2017 take-up will exceed the 10-year average and total circa 300,000 sq ft.

Meanwhile, the value of commercial property deals this year is set to hit 300m, according to commercial property agents Lisney. But the market here is off to a slow start, with a small number of transactions taking place in the first half of the year. The estimate was revealed as Lisney published the findings of its report into the second quarter of 2017, during which it said the market had sustained a pausing effect due to the UK General Election.

Lisney said that overall, 2017 is expected to provide greater investment volumes than the 215m transacted last year, but that demand could be dampened as consumer spending shows signs of slowing down.

Declan Flynn, managing director of Lisney Northern Ireland, said: Overall transaction levels in the Northern Ireland commercial property market are expected to rise significantly in 2017 compared to last year and we are seeing continued demand particularly for investment stock.
A Belfast financial firm is aiming to grow into a global outsourcing giant employing 1,000 staff - five times its current workforce, it can be revealed.

FinTru founder and chief executive Darragh McCarthy said his company has doubled its workforce each year, since it was formed in 2014.

In an exclusive interview with the Belfast Telegraph, the former Morgan Stanley banker and Cork native said he could "easily see us being a thousand people plus" company.

"We are going to be 1,000 people plus the way we are going. We are running at 100% capacity."

FinTru provides outsourcing for some of the world's biggest investment banks.

In 2014, the company announced it was going to create 80 jobs in three years. But three years later, that number is set to soon crack 200.

The company has been heavily recruiting through its academy scheme, which is run alongside the Department for the Economy.

Its workforce has doubled each year, for the last four years.

Belfast offers a high-skill, low-cost base, with staff here working in outsourcing across a range of areas, from regulation to legal services.

"FinTru's strapline, is that we provide high quality, cost-effective, near-shore outsourcing for financial services," Mr McCarthy said. "Our clients are investment banks. Post the crisis, the investment banking model has been challenged, both on a revenue and a cost front."

Banks either have a choice to hire 'on-shore' consultants, working in the City and on high wages, or outsourcing to locations, such as India and the Philippines.

"The motto is, stack them high and sell them cheap," he said.

"We at FinTru believe there is an opportunity for the quality akin to the on-shore consultant, but at a cost akin to the outsourced entity. We have been met with remarkable success with our clients.

"We are working at 100% capacity and we are continually hiring people. So, right now we have really strong momentum.

"We have six main products: legal, risk, compliance, 'Know your customer' (KYC), operations and consultancy."

Last month it revealed its seventh Assured Skills Academy will offer a further 20 graduates the opportunity to launch a career in the growing financial services industry here.

Earlier this year it announced plans to create 160 jobs.

FinTru set up its Belfast centre in 2014, based on the Dublin Road. Since then it has expanded to offices at the Gasworks, and has employed 117 graduates through the Assured Skills academies.

Applicants will undertake a six-week training programme delivered by Belfast Met and Ulster University.

Mr McCarthy set up FinTru at the end of 2013 and since then has expanded to employ 185 staff here.

"In 2014, I looked at the different locations across the island of Ireland. I came to the conclusion that Northern Ireland was the best location for my company," he said.

"I thought there was an opportunity in the 'Know your customer' (KYC) data utility. I jumped in with two left feet, if I'm honest, and decided I was going to do it.

"You then realise that setting up a company is a lot harder than you think."
The former First Trust branch at High Street in Belfast

First Trust is selling off several of its former Northern Ireland branches after a wave of cuts were announced earlier this year.

The bank revealed it was shutting 15 branches across Northern Ireland back in February. That was around half of the banks branch network here.

That came after the Belfast Telegraph revealed in July 2016 that the bank could shut branches as part of a review of its operations here.

Now First Trust is selling off branches it has already shut and also seeking lettings for other buildings.

That includes High Street in Belfast, on the market for 2m, along with the Ormeau Road, which has a price of 350,000.

The bank is also putting a property on High Street in Antrim on the market for 150,000 and one on Main Street in Strabane for the same price.

Commercial property agents are also now trying to find new tenants for properties in Londonderry, Cookstown and Magherafelt.

Lambert Smith Hampton and Frazer Kidd are both advertising the various bank properties for sale.

A spokeswoman for First Trust confirmed its selling off branches which have closed.

Other branch locations being sold off include Bridge Street in Banbridge, which is on sale for 185,000, and Market Street in Downpatrick at 165,000.

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We are selling the branch properties associated with the closures and these are being advertised via the Press and the internet for sale on the open market from this month, the bank said in a statement.

A total of 15 branches have already shut, with the last to close in Banbridge, Portadown and High Street, Belfast, at the start of this month.

Speaking as around 130 jobs were put on the line earlier this year, head of First Trust, Des Moore, said the bank has seen a 40% decline in branch usage in the last seven years, with mobile banking up 117% in the last two years.

A spokeswoman for the bank said: Earlier this year, following an extensive 18-month strategic review, First Trust Bank announced a reshaping and investment programme to ensure a sustainable future for the bank and its customers, addressing the considerable shift in customer behaviour.

The transformation programme includes a significant 10m investment strategy for personal and business customers, including five new business centres across the province, in addition to Belfast.

The programme also includes the consolidation of the First Trust Bank branch network which has now completed.

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With a new partnership with the Post Office, the banks customers can also now conduct their everyday banking transactions in any of the 500-plus Post Offices across Northern Ireland.

We continue to encourage customers with any concerns to contact us so that we can discuss these and work through the alternatives.

Any of our branch teams or telephone agents are more than happy to help and advise customers.

As a result of our transformation plans and the consolidation of our branch network, we entered into a consultation with the Financial Services Union to agree the terms and the support for staff with our voluntary severance programme.

In its latest published accounts earlier this year, First Trust in Northern Ireland announced pre-tax profits of 54m  up 15%.

They were published at the start of March, just a week after announcing it was shutting half of its branch network here.

The bank, part of AIB, revealed a breakdown for First Trust for the first time in its full company accounts.

It warned that, given Northern Irelands political instability, the uncertainty may have an adverse effect on the group.

If an arrangement cannot be agreed, the current political structures in Northern Ireland may be subject to significant change, it said.

The uncertainty resulting from these developments may have an adverse effect on economic conditions in Northern Ireland, which could in turn have an adverse effect on the group, given its operations there.

AIB announced pre-tax profits of 1.7bn (1.46bn) for the year ending 2016. It proposes a dividend of 250m (214m) to ordinary shareholders.

The overall UK business, which includes First Trust, posted pre-tax profits of 140m for the same period.
The makers of Game of Thrones have been revealing how the epic battle in this week's episode was created - with Belfast's Wolf Hill Quarry at the centre of the action.

The sixth installment of the current series - titled Beyond the Wall - saw Jon Snow lead his band of men, including Jorah, Gendry and The Hound, beyond the wall in their bid to capture a wight from the White Walkers to prove to Cersei Lannister the threat is real.

The result was an epic battle that left fans in awe and the show's producers have been speaking about how the huge scenes were put together.

In a behind the scenes clip, it is revealed that while a lot of shots were filmed on location in Iceland, a majority of the action sequences were filmed at Wolf Hill Quarry.

Production Designer, Deborah Riley, said: "It's one of those things where you film something in another location and then you are responsible for finishing that location off somewhere else.

"You have to really do your homework and try and make sure that you match it as best you can, so then the director will have an entrance for the characters."

Warning: This video contains very strong language

The massive frozen lake which featured in the sequence was specifically created for the battle, meaning a huge team effort from everyone involved.

"When you stand up at the top (of the quarry) and look down, it was like we were building an airport or something - the scale of it is enormous," added Deborah.

Sam Conway, Game of Thrones SFX Supervisor, explained: "We had a tricky time trying to work out what a frozen lake looks like and how we can achieve that. And that went from the compacted quarry floor to putting concrete down for a nice flat finish.

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"Then there had to be hues of colour, we had to work out how the ice would look - all these things were really, really tricky."

The massive project was well worth the effort however, with the epic battle becoming one of the main talking points of the series.

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Actor Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, said: "It's a really cool set, an amazing set. They cemented a whole quarry to make it look like an ice lake" while Rory McCann, who plays the Hound added: "The amount of workmanship is incredible. We've had to run across that ice and it just looks so real, it's fantastic."

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The final episode of Game of Thrones series seven is set to air on Monday.

A promo for the finale reveals some footage from a critical summit sequence involving several of the shows main characters, who come together to potentially call an armistice in their war for the Iron Throne.
Cookstown woman Seanin Hughes daughter has Morquio Syndrome, a rare metabolic disorder which restricts her growth and limits her mobility. She tells Lee Henry how determination and a shared love of books helps them cope.

You may never have heard of Morquio Syndrome and there is very good reason for that. The metabolic disorder, which is caused by a deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine-6 sulfatase, is extremely rare, affecting fewer than 100 people in the whole of the UK at the present time  just 10 adults and one young person in Northern Ireland as a whole.

That young person is Cookstown-based Aoife Hughes. The 10-year-old was born in Craigavon Hospital in June 2007, daughter of Seanin and Oliver, and at first presented no symptoms of the disease.

She was a happy baby, all smiles, and we couldnt have been happier, recalls Seanin (33), originally from Magherafelt, who worked in accounts administration at the time of Aoifes birth.

Over the next two years, however, it became clear to Seanin, Oliver and the doctors at Craigavon Hospital that something was not right with baby Aoife.

She didnt meet regular milestones such as sitting, crawling and walking at the expected time, says Seanin. And by the time Aoife was two, she had a significant spinal curve and it was clear that something complicated was going on. It was at that point that the doctors recognised specific Morquio symptoms.

Aoife was formally diagnosed with Morquio Syndrome in 2010. Understandably, it was the first time that Seanin had heard of the disease and her initial reaction as a mother was one of shock, followed by a lengthy period of denial.

Basically, Morquio Syndrome is a disease wherein the body cant break down certain sugars, Seanin explains. This means individual cells are affected. This results in certain conditions including skeletal deformities, restricted growth and issues with major organs.

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I dont think I started coming to terms with the fact that Aoife had the disease properly for several years, if Im honest. But from the very beginning, the doctors at Craigavon were great. We were surrounded by an exceptional team, including Dr Fiona Stewart, who diagnosed Aoife. We were very lucky in that sense.

Over the next few years, Aoife spent a large part of her young life in hospital undergoing various small-scale procedures and in 2014 she travelled to Manchester Royal Hospital for Sick Children to undergo major surgery on her spine.

The Manchester surgery was unspeakably stressful, admits Seanin. It was absolutely terrifying for all of us. Aoife was in theatre for 10 hours and we couldnt bear it. In the end, however, the surgery was successful. A fantastic success, in fact.

The surgery meant that Aoifes severe spinal curvature was significantly reduced. Her spine was effectively straightened, which reduced pressure on her lungs and respiratory system. I cant thank the Manchester team enough.

The effects of Morquio Syndrome continued to have a huge impact on Aoifes day-to-day life, however, and Seanin therefore made the decision to give up work to become Aoifes full-time carer. Having separated amicably from Oliver shortly after Aoifes birth, she called upon his help, and the support of her parents, Seamus and Patricia, when needed.

There have been some difficult times, yes, but we have such an amazing support network, says Seanin.

Despite separating, Oliver and I have always maintained a strong relationship as parents. All decisions, all difficulties and all successes are experienced and celebrated jointly alongside the rest of our support network. My family has always been exceptional, too. Im very fortunate in that I have never struggled to feel supported, which in turn means that Aoife has everything she needs.

Shortly after Aoifes successful spinal surgery, Seanin began a campaign for access to enzyme replacement therapy for Aoife using a drug called Vimizim, which was not freely available on the health service at the time.

Vimizim is basically a synthetic version of a hormone that helps break down sugars, explains Seanin. It had to be approved following clinical trials, and then it was approved, but there were funding issues. The UK was one of the last countries to agree to reimburse the cost of it, despite being one of the main countries involved in the trials. The campaign was long, exhausting and at times felt impossible, but we got there in the end.

Aoife used to spend large chunks of time in hospital due to respiratory infections. She tired easily, struggled with poor quality sleep due to her narrow airways and frequent respiratory issues, and suffered with a lot of pain in her joints and muscles. All of these things have been significantly reduced with Vimizim.

Today, Aoife is 10 years old and thriving, given the circumstances. Despite all of the successful surgeries, the medical breakthroughs and ongoing therapies, however, her growth will always be restricted. Seanin adds that accessibility will continue to prove troublesome for Aoife in all walks of life.

Accessibility is a constant issue. Things that wouldnt appear to be significant to others are for someone in Aoifes position. For example, at school Aoife cant open doors herself to get to the bathroom, because they are fire doors and they are therefore very heavy. Its difficult. Obviously having all the doors automated in a small school with limited funding isnt an option when its just for one kid.

In 2018, Aoife makes the transition to secondary school. Navigating that adventure with as few knocks and bumps as possible will be our next focus, Seanin smiles. For now, one day a week is committed to her treatment, and we are often at other medical appointments in order to keep a close eye on her overall health. Her life is still dictated by Morquio. Thats the reality, but she finds ways to enjoy things like any other 10-year-old.

One of those things is reading. Aoife is a huge fan of popular childrens authors Roald Dahl and David Walliams, and Seanin describes her as a serious bookworm.

Reading is one of her biggest passions, with writing a close second. She adores Dahl, Walliams and anything else that she can get her hands on. This year, she became involved with a wonderful rare disease magazine called Rare Revolution and has some very exciting projects lined up as one of their columnists. Its all about books, art and music. Provided one or all three are readily available, both of us are happy.

Aoife inherited her passion for literature from her mother, with Seanin having dabbled in poetry all her life. Seanin attended Keele University in Staffordshire to study English and sociology but was forced to return home due to personal problems.

I was so young and very quickly found myself unable to cope with the pressures of leaving home and going so far afield without anyone familiar to lean on, she admits. For a very long time, in fact, I didnt realise that my symptoms went beyond depression and anxiety. It was a gradual realisation that eventually led to seeking psychiatric help and last year I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Seanin argues that BPD remains tainted by stigma, despite the huge strides made in recent years with regards to mental health awareness. And that simply shouldnt be the case. I wouldnt change any of it. My mental health has played a pivotal role in who I am.

Expand Close Book lover: Aoife / Facebook

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Writing provides Seanin with an outlet through which she can make sense of the world, express her emotions and indulge her passion for the arts. She has been published in various literary journals and plans to release her debut collection next year.

I write because Im compelled to, she says. It has been a constant feature of my life and Im incredibly excited to be at a point where I can start to mould it into something concrete, something with future potential. Im in the process of preparing to go back to university to study for my degree in English and creative writing.

Ill hopefully be starting my degree at Queens at the same time as Aoife starts secondary school, so well tackle the newness of it all together.

Seanin is currently in a new relationship, and is thankful that she gets to spend so much quality time with Aoife and her three other children  Naiomh (12), Layne (5) and Aine (1)  before she returns to university. The future looks bright, with lots of positives to focus on, even if Morquio Syndrome will remain a constant consideration in the years ahead.

Morquio is a progressive disease, adds Seanin, meaning that it worsens over time. So beyond knowing that things will intensify, the future isnt ours to predict. I think its difficult to isolate the ways in which Morquio has affected me personally, because it is an integral part of my life.

I cant imagine how things would be without it. On the one hand, I can dwell on the negatives, but on the other I can be mindful and pay close attention to what it teaches me.

I prefer to go with the latter. From here, Id like to make every possible opportunity available to Aoife as she grows up.

The facts about Morquio Syndrome

Morquio Syndrome is an inherited metabolic disorder that belongs to a group of diseases known as mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS).

It is named after the Uruguayan pediatrician Dr Morquio. Sufferers of Morquio Syndrome are unable to break down complex carbohydrates, or long chains of sugar molecules, which the body otherwise constantly replenishes throughout the course of an individuals life.

Thus lacking in the necessary enzymes, sufferers are therefore restricted in growth, ultimately limited in mobility and prone to extreme tiredness. Morquio Syndrome is an exceptionally rare disease, affecting 1 in every 200,000 births, and is currently incurable.

However, various surgeries and medicines, including Vimizim, can treat the disease and limit symptoms. More information on Morquio Syndrome and 24 other MPS diseases can be found on the MPS Society website mpssociety.org.uk, tel: 0345 389 9901.
The 46-year-old, who lives in Keady, Co Armagh, is the assistant producer of the Belfast Tattoo and was a senior drum major for the past four years at the event.

Q: Do you take regular exercise - and if so, what?

A: I don't go to the gym but my work - I have five different part-time jobs - keeps me fit. I work as a healthcare assistant at Craigavon Hospital and can do 20,000 steps when I'm on night duty and oversee the collection boxes at 50 shops for Cancer Research which I do once a month. I also work with Santa Claus as a reindeer handler getting the reindeer ready for Santa, ready for flying and making sure Rudolph's nose is shiny and red.

Q: What is the worst illness you have had?

A: Nothing, I've never been ill which I put down to keeping active through my jobs, getting out in the fresh air... and having five to six holidays a year. I travel a lot.

Q: How healthy is your diet?

A: It's atrocious because I was a chef for 20 years and we are notorious for not eating well. I would stop for a plate of chips in the kitchen then start cooking. This morning I had two slices of toast for breakfast thickly covered with lemon curd. I will have lunch if I've time which isn't very often, then dinner is meat, potatoes and veg. I try not to snack but I'm a chocoholic.

Q: Any bad habits?

A: Skipping meals is something I'm guilty of but I don't drink tea or coffee at all. The last time I had a cup of tea was 20 years ago. Because I miss out on tea and coffee I can get dehydrated - I don't drink much water or juice either.

Q: Do you drink and/or smoke - if so, how much?

A: I don't smoke and am not much of a drinker, I never was. I may have a glass of wine occasionally and it causes quite a stir with my friends who will comment 'oh look, Brian's drinking'.

Q: Do you take any health supplements?

A: I only take turmeric for my old bones, once in the morning and in the evening. A friend of mine gives it to his horses to help lubricate their joints so I thought 'if it's good enough for horses, it's good enough for me.' It is very expensive here so I buy it when I'm in the States as it is much cheaper there.

Expand Close Major event: Brian Wilson at the Belfast Tattoo / Facebook

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Q: How do you take time out??

A: After the Belfast Tattoo I will be involved in the Royal Scottish Bands Appreciation event so I will take time off a few days before and after just to be by myself. My work has taken me to San Francisco, Japan and Dallas this year so I need a few days to recover from jet lag. When I'm away though I'm always a real tourist with a camera around my neck and a camera phone too.

Q: How well do you sleep?

A: You can sleep when you're dead...with an event like the Tattoo ahead of me I do not sleep. There are too many things to do and going around in my head. I go to bed late at about 11.30pm -midnight. This morning I had radio interviews to do and was up early as I also had a Christmas cake to bake.

Q: Do you worry about getting old?

A: There's no point as it's going to happen anyway. Turning 30 felt old but as I have got older I have learned to enjoy it. I see so many people in my job at the hospital who are very, very sick so I know now to make the most of life. For my 40th birthday I volunteered as a marine biologist and went shark diving off the coast of South Africa and I'm planning to go to Machu Picchu in Peru for my 50th.

Q: What is your go-to product/habit that keeps you feeling healthy?

A: Having a good attitude. I was joking around with a patient at 4am once and she said afterwards 'I forgot what I was in for, for 10 minutes.'.
The European Court of Justice could continue to exercise jurisdiction over UK law during the transition to Brexit, under the terms of a new position paper published by the Government.

And any new dispute resolution mechanism created to adjudicate on post-Brexit rows between the UK and EU could be required to take account of, or even be bound by, the rulings of the Luxembourg-based court.

The paper released by David Davis's Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) ruled out any direct ECJ jurisdiction over UK law following Brexit, which ministers branded unnecessary, inappropriate and unprecedented.

It said that legal disputes involving individuals and businesses should in future be decided within the UK judicial system, with the Supreme Court as the final arbiter.

And it said a new dispute resolution mechanism - which could involve a joint committee or arbitration panel - will have to be created to deal with disagreements over the interpretation and application of the Brexit deal. The mechanism could be triggered if either side believes the other is failing to implement the terms of the agreement or has introduced legislation which breaches it.

But the DExEU document did not rule out the ECJ maintaining its authority during the transitional period which is expected to last a number of years after the March 2019 deadline for Brexit, saying only that Britain will "work with the EU" on the design of interim judicial arrangements.

And it set out a range of existing arrangements involving the ECJ which could act as possible models for the new mechanism.

These include the EU's agreement with European Free Trade Association (Efta) states like Norway and Iceland, which demands that "due account" be paid to the court's rulings, and a treaty with Moldova which requires an arbitration panel to be bound by its interpretation of EU law.

The DExEU document makes clear that Britain is not committed to following any of these existing models. But it does not explicitly rule out any scenario other than direct ECJ jurisdiction.

Speaking shortly before the paper's publication, Prime Minister Theresa May insisted that the UK would "take back control" of its laws after Brexit.

"What is absolutely clear, when we leave the European Union we will be leaving the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice," she said during a visit to Guildford in Surrey. "What we will be able to do is to make our own laws.

"Parliament will make our laws. It is British judges who will interpret those laws and it will be the British Supreme Court that will be the arbiter of those laws."

The DExEU document states that Britain's aim is to "maximise certainty" for individuals and businesses and to ensure that they can "effectively enforce their rights in a timely way", while respecting the autonomy of UK and EU legal systems.

At a press conference in Brussels, European Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein declined to comment on the UK proposals, but said that the EU's position was "very clear, very transparent and unchanged".

The remaining 27 EU states have approved negotiating guidelines which envisage the ECJ retaining authority over the interpretation and implementation of the Brexit agreement and oversight of the treatment of European citizens in the UK.

Labour peer Lord Adonis, a leading supporter of the Open Britain campaign against a hard Brexit, said: " This is a climbdown camouflaged in jingoistic rhetoric. Even if we leave the single market, European judges will still have considerable power over decisions made in the UK.

"It would make far more sense for the Government to negotiate continued membership of the customs union and single market. Otherwise, we get the worst of all worlds - a worse deal on trade and jobs than now, yet no extra control over anything for real."

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: "The Government has produced a position paper without a clear position. No-one reading this paper will have a clue what they actually want.

"It's a desperate attempt to hold together a divided Conservative Party and prevent a rebellion amongst Eurosceptic backbenchers.

"Despite Theresa May's tub-thumping rhetoric, it's clear that protecting British trade, security and families will mean accepting a role for the European Court."

The Oxford Economics think tank downgraded its estimate of the likelihood of successful separation and transition agreements from 70% to 60%, arguing that DExEU's position papers risk make the negotiation process even harder.

"The UK has made little attempt to progress separation issues, while its ideas for transition could require yet more negotiation and risk eroding the benefits of transitional arrangements for business," said the group.
The mercury is rising again, thanks to the tail end of Hurricane Gert.

It was billed as a saviour of what is left of summer for some parts of Britain but Hurricane Gert's remains did not quite make the centigrade.

The blast of tropical air expected to warm southern parts of the UK did not manage to hit the forecast temperatures of up to 27C (80.6F) in the south-east on Tuesday, peaking at 25.3C (77.5F) in Bude, Cornwall, the Met Office said.

Hopes of the highest temperatures since mid-July did not materialise as cloud cover across much of the country ensured the mercury only reached its highest since August 17, when it was 25.4C (77.7F) in Cavendish, Suffolk.

Forecaster Rachael Adshead said this was caused by the lack of prolonged sunny spells, even though it was humid and warm.

"For most people, temperatures have not been dramatic

"There's just been a bit more cloud around than we were expecting. Nowhere has seen the sunshine for long enough.

"We needed somewhere to see the sun for a long time and it just did not happen."

Wednesday would see a change to more cooler temperatures as the remnants of the category two hurricane are pushed away by a new weather front, Ms Adshead said.

"We are going to start to lose some of that warm, humid air but we potentially could see highs of 24C or 25C in the far east of England, possibly Kent, Norfolk or Suffolk.

"Elsewhere it will be turning fresher from the outset as the warm air moves to the east."
The UK's Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire, left, with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney

The Irish and British governments are due to meet Stormont's political parties next week in another attempt to restore the Northern Ireland Executive.

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire have said they will be travelling to Belfast to encourage political leaders to restart the stalled talks process.

Mr Brokenshire refused to give a date for the resumption of talks aimed at restoring devolution.

He said he would "come forward with further information in my own way in respect of the next step around the talks process".

He admitted that "differences firmly do remain" between political parties but added that he was going forward with "positive intent".

The Secretary of State was in Dublin to discuss the situation at Stormont and Brexit with Mr Coveney.

Mr Coveney said he intends to visit Belfast next week to meet with politicians.

"Northern Ireland needs a voice through a government of its own.

"We need to see a resumption to those discussions and hopefully a conclusion as soon as possible.

"We don't want talks that are ongoing for a long period of time."

Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland has written to the UK and Irish governments proposing a formal resumption of power-sharing talks.

Michelle O'Neill suggested parties should be given a tight deadline from next Monday to restore the government.

The Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP) Simon Hamilton described her proposal as a "stunt", saying his party had been ready to form an executive for months.

Northern Ireland has been without a functioning devolved government since January.

The coalition led by the two biggest parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein collapsed over a botched green energy scheme.

Formal talks were suspended without agreement in July.
There are concerns over the care of at-risk prisoners in Maghaberry Prison

Concerns have been raised about failings in the care provided to vulnerable inmates at Northern Ireland's top security prison.

Key lessons have still not been learned, despite a series of critical reports into deaths in custody and incidents of self-harming, inspectors said.

A report by Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) calls for greater efforts to improve the needs of at-risk prisoners.

Brendan McGuigan, chief inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, said: "Despite a reduction in the overall number of men self-harming within the prison, inspectors had significant concerns around the management and care of men who had or were at risk of self-harming.

"I am concerned that despite the critical reports into deaths in custody and serious self-harm, some important lessons have not been learned, even though a single over-arching death in custody action plan had been developed by the Northern Ireland Prison Service."

Fourteen deaths have taken place at Maghaberry Prison since 2012.

Last September staff were strongly criticised after failing to intervene as a mentally ill prisoner blinded himself and injured his groin area.

Sean Lynch (23) inflicted "extreme and shocking" self-harm over three days, a previous report concluded.

Today's publication is the latest in a series of inspection reports on Maghaberry.

It found that while management are continuing to work to improve the prison's performance, shortcomings have been found in care and support for the most vulnerable prisoners.

The report follows an unannounced review by a team of experienced inspectors from CJINI, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons in England and Wales, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority and the Education and Training Inspectorate.

It was a continuation of follow-up work after an inspection report in May 2015.

Mr McGuigan added: "I welcome the drive, determination, innovation and creativity shown by the leadership team and staff to stabilise the prison, to improve outcomes for those committed to their care and implement the nine recommendations made two years ago.

"However, this positive work and the desire to deliver a more stable, safe environment for prisoners and staff must ensure the needs of vulnerable prisoners are addressed."

Mr McGuigan said the continued lack of a safer custody strategy at Maghaberry remained an issue for the inspection team.

He added that further work was required by the wider criminal justice and healthcare systems to provide alternatives to custody for highly vulnerable prisoners.

"Maghaberry prison does not provide a therapeutic environment," he said.

"We were therefore concerned to find the prison was being used as a safe place by the courts while mental health assessments took place.

"In our view this is inappropriate and we have recommended the Departments of Justice and Health should develop an agreed pathway to prevent individuals being admitted to prison for an emergency mental health assessment."

Mr McGuigan said the day-to-day regime at Maghaberry was more stable and reliable with fewer restrictions around movement and activity occurring.

Progress was also found in relation to education and healthcare.

Mr McGuigan also voiced his support for the work ongoing to stem the flow of illegal drugs into Maghaberry.

However, the report notes that the misuse of prescription medication and the tendency of some prisoners to experiment with any substance available to get a 'high' remains an issue.

Mr McGuigan added: "It is essential that the leadership team within the prison and senior managers within the Northern Ireland Prison Service continue to maintain a focus on delivering improvement at the facility.

"They must make every effort to address the concerns raised in this inspection and maintain the momentum towards positive change."

Ronnie Armour, the head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, said: "There has been significant progress made at Maghaberry over the past two years achieved as a result of a positive determination by the leadership team and staff to deliver on improvements at the facility."

He added: "This is a timely report by inspectors who acknowledge that the needs of prisoners are complex and vulnerable prisoners especially present a real challenge.

"There is also now a wider recognition in judiciary and inspectorate that the criminal justice system is not equipped to deal with people who suffer mental health difficulties.

"This is not an issue which the Prison Service can resolve alone but we can and will contribute to work as recommended by the inspectors."
A 46-year-old man arrested by detectives investigating the murder of Colin Horner has been released.

He was arrested in the Belfast area on Tuesday morning and released later that evening pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

Mr Horner was shot dead outside a Bangor supermarket in front of his young son on May 28, 2017.
Police at the scene in Ballymena where two men were found dead

Post-mortems will be carried out today on the bodies of two men who died on a Ballymena estate on Sunday morning.

Father-of-four Rodney McDowell (43) and his best friend Mark McPeake (51), who was from Ballykeel, were found unconscious outside the entrance to Mr McDowell's house in Drumtara, Ballee, at around 7.30am on Sunday.

Despite the efforts of police and paramedics, the men could not be revived. Police enquiries are ongoing as results of the post mortem examinations are awaited.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph at the scene on Sunday, a member of the McDowell family said they had received a phone call at 7.30am from a relative who had found the men.

"One was lying at the front of the house in the porch, while another was found on the path outside," they said.

"When I got there it looked as though they were just sleeping, but they were already cold.

"An ambulance had been rung and they were already there with the police, but there was nothing they could do."

Mid and East Antrim Mayor Paul Reid expressed his condolences to the families.

He said: "I was deeply saddened to learn of the untimely deaths of two men in Ballymena.

"This tragedy has sent shock-waves throughout the town and across Mid and East Antrim.

"My heartfelt sympathy and condolences go to these men's families and friends.

"They are in our thoughts and prayers at this awful time. I have been in discussions with senior PSNI officers who are pursuing lines of enquiry.

"I appeal to anybody with any information to contact police."

Chair of Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership, Councillor Brian Collins, added: "I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two men who died suddenly in Ballymena.

"Anybody with any information regarding this tragic incident should contact local police on 101."
Lives are being put at risk and nursing staff stretched to breaking point due to a chronic shortage of hospital beds, it has been claimed.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has hit out at the reliance by health bosses on the use of escalation beds in hospitals across Northern Ireland.

Escalation beds are additional beds put in place when there are not enough beds for the number of patients who need treatment.

Figures provided by the health trusts have revealed these beds have been used thousands of times in our acute hospitals since March 2016.

Escalation beds are permanent features in wards where some of the sickest patients in Northern Ireland receive treatment.

High dependency units, stroke wards and emergency surgical wards are among the wards that are habitually running with more than 100% bed occupancy.

According to the RCN, escalation beds are rarely funded so there are not enough staff to provide adequate and safe care.

They are also frequently located in areas not designed for beds where it is impossible to preserve the dignity and privacy of patients, as well as provide safe and effective treatment.

There have been claims that patients have been warned by nursing staff that they are not safe in an escalation bed.

Examples given include stroke patients being put in beds where there is no oxygen point or call bell to alert staff in an emergency, with patients being instructed to shout for help if required.

Janice Smyth, director of the RCN in Northern Ireland, said: "The use of escalation beds was supposed to be a temporary measure, but they have become widespread and a permanent feature across all the trusts.

"The RCN was always worried about the use of escalation beds, and have actively opposed their use, as they are situated in an environment not specifically designed to provide safe and effective nursing care to patients.

"There are a range of issues related to escalation beds, such as the distances between beds, and the fact that patients are being put in spaces where there is no proper screen for privacy, or patient call bells, or equipment that nurses require.

"Most importantly, when escalation beds are used we don't have adequate nursing staff to care for the patients in them. I have no doubt that patient safety is at risk and it is certainly adding even more stress to an already overstretched nursing workforce."

Ms Smyth said the use of escalation beds has been increasing in recent years and they have now become commonplace in all Northern Ireland hospitals. "They are supposed to be put up and taken down as required but the fact of the matter is they are put up and remain up," she continued. "They become a normal part of the bed complement, as it were. We need an Assembly back at Stormont to deal with this, and other pressing issues facing our health service."

Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said it is unacceptable that health professionals are being expected to work in stressful and pressurised conditions. "The use of escalation beds is another indication that we need to get a health minister into position as soon as possible to get a grip on escalating problems right across the health and social care sector," she said.

A spokeswoman from the Health & Social Care Board said it does not encourage the regular use of escalation beds.

She said: "However, at times of increased pressure, it is an operational matter for trusts to decide if this is a necessary step to take, ensuring beds are safely staffed and patients receive the correct care in the most appropriate setting."
Sinn Feins Michelle ONeill and party colleagues John ODowd (left) and Paul Maskey speak to the press yesterday

Sinn Fein has denied the DUP's claim that its call to start talks next week to restore power-sharing at Stormont is just a stunt.

The republican party's Stormont leader, Michelle O'Neill, insisted that Sinn Fein was sincere in its approach to fresh negotiations and accused the DUP of failing to deal with the issues.

Mrs O'Neill has written to the British and Irish governments and local party leaders asking for the talks to resume on August 28.

But former DUP minister Simon Hamilton dismissed Sinn Fein's move as "a stunt" and accused the party of seeking to avoid blame for the paralysis at Stormont which means that key decisions on health, education and the economy can't be taken.

Mrs O'Neill insisted that her party was genuinely trying to inject "a bit of momentum" into the talks and to "kick start the process".

She said that any new Executive must not repeat the mistakes of the past.

"Sinn Fein remain firmly committed to making the institutions work," she said.

"We believe in the Assembly, we believe in a local government, and local ministers taking decisions.

"But that Assembly and that Executive has to meet on the basis of rights, of respect, and of equality."

Laying blame for the stalemate at the DUP's door, she said: "What we've seen from the DUP to date is a failure to deal with the issues, which Martin McGuinness outlined in his resignation letter.

"Clearly we have to see previous agreements implemented in order to establish the Executive, but this can be done - it can be done very, very quickly if people have the right approach.

"Our resolve is to make the institutions work, to be back around the table, to work with all the other parties, to take on all the issues that we have across the health service and education, that's where we want to be."

Mr Hamilton insisted that issues such as health, education and the economy were more important than the ones on which Sinn Fein was stalling the formation of an Executive.

He suggested that talks on the Irish language and other matters could be held in parallel to a restored Executive. He also rejected the claim that the DUP was failing to implement previous agreements on the matters of dispute.

But Mrs O'Neill said it wasn't tenable to have an Executive when there were outstanding issues on which the DUP had previously failed to deliver.

Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong asked why the talks process could not begin immediately rather than waiting to Monday as Sinn Fein was requesting.

She said that her party had been engaging with others in bilateral discussions over the summer as well as with stakeholders.

"The talks should not have broken up in the first place, so we should not have to be talking about resumption," she said.

"This call from Sinn Fein appears to be a little cynical - if they want the talks up and running again, why wait another week?

"Why not start things this week?"

TUV leader Jim Allister said that calls to "restart the pantomime season at Stormont" were pointless.

"We need government. If, as is obvious, we can't get it from failed Stormont, then, it must be provided from Westminster," he said.

"Turning the key on Stormont may be painful for its payroll hangers-on but, frankly, I'm not sure the public will really notice.

"Has anyone really missed it over the last six months?"

Talks between the parties were postponed for the summer after they failed to reach agreement.

The political impasse between the parties has left the region without a First and Deputy First Minister since January and a functioning executive since March.
Sinn Fein has proposed that statues of historical female republicans are erected at Belfast's City Hall, amid concern that this could complicate efforts for a proposed memorial to almost 1,000 people killed during the 1941 Belfast Blitz.

Appearing on the BBC Radio Ulster's Stephen Nolan Show, Sinn Fein councillor Deirdre Hargey said that the issue had first been raised during a meeting of a group focused on centenary events for the First World War.

The aim of the group was to approach the celebration of historical events "in a way that would broaden the understanding of where we've came from and to look at the complexity of our history", Ms Hargey said.

As part of this, a request was made by the Irish Congress of Trade unions for a statue to be erected at City Hall of Winifred Carney, a women's rights activist and trade unionist who was the only woman present at the Dublin General Post Office during the 1916 Easter Rising occupation.

Later in life Carney married George McBride, a Protestant who fought for the British Army during the Battle of the Somme.

"Our position would be additionality and looking at what else we can add. I mean, the reality is that the building comes from a unionist era, there is no doubt about that. The statues come from one section of our community. And I think that our approach would be around how we can rebalance that," said Ms Hargey.

"As well as looking at nationalist and republican traditions, how do we also look at the rise of the labour movement in the city? How do we look at the role of women? And indeed it was my party last year, actually supported by the DUP, that proposed a window, a stained glass window in the city hall, dedicated to the role of women in our city. And I think all of that is a positive move."

Responding to Ms Hargey, her fellow Belfast City Council colleague the UUP's Jeff Dudgeon acknowledged that Sinn Fein was calling for the memorials in addition to what already existed, but said that his concern was that a memorial to the Belfast Blitz - first proposed in June 2016 - had been "mangled up" with the other memorials.

Mr Dudgeon put the responsibility for delaying the Belfast Blitz memorial on the Alliance Party, who had called for various centenary issues to be dealt with collectively.

Responding to the claim, the Alliance Party's Sian O'Neill denied that her party had blocked a proposed Belfast Blitz memorial from progressing and said,"I dont believe this conversation is so black and white. I believe it is a very nuanced one about how we remember" and that her party was "absolutely 100% in principal" behind the memorial.
French police have ruled out terrorism as a motive after a van rammed into two Marseille bus stops, killing a woman at one of them.

A police official said "the terrorist motive is completely rejected" for the incident yesterday morning.

Police had already said that the driver of the white van that hit the bus stops in two neighbourhoods is being treated for psychological problems.

The 35-year-old suspect was arrested in the Old Port neighbourhood of France's second largest city.

The collisions at the bus stops about five kilometres (three miles) apart came days after back-to-back van attacks in Barcelona and the Spanish resort town of Cambrils killed 15 people.

Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the two attacks in Spain.

It was the second time in a week that a driver in France with mental health problems allegedly killed a person with a vehicle and was thought by authorities to have acted deliberately, but without terrorist intent.

The Marseille driver, who has not been identified by name, is being held for questioning.

BFM-TV said a witness noted the van's licence plate number and was able to give it to police, allowing them to make the arrest.

Nearly an hour passed between when the first bus stop was slammed into and the second, the police official said.

She could not confirm reports that the white van had been stolen.
Police have blamed a loyalist paramilitary gang for a pipe bomb attack in Londonderry on Monday night which they have described as a "reckless act".

Police said it was a "concerning attack" that involved a brick being hurled through a window, followed by a petrol bomb and then a pipe bomb.

The pipe bomb did not explode.

Superintendent Gordon McCalmont said: This was a bomb left in the heart of the local community - a reckless act at the hands of what we believe to be a loyalist paramilitary gang.

This was a concerning attack that took the form of a brick hurled through a window, followed by a petrol bomb and then a pipe bomb. Thankfully, the pipe bomb didnt explode, or we could have been looking at something very different today.

Our investigation is at an early stage and we will be investigating a number of lines of enquiry, including the fact this may well have been a sectarian attack.

This was an act carried out in a residential area by criminals who have absolutely no regard for other peoples safety.

These people have nothing to offer society and no place in a democratic society. They falsely believe their agenda and their after-dark activities are welcome and wanted in a city where the majority of citizens simply want to live in peace. The community does not want to be woken from its beds and told a pipe bomb had been found near their home, a place where they are supposed to feel safe.

Today, I will be meeting with colleagues and our partners, and conducting a review of our operational and investigative activities to counter the threat posed by this very small minority of people who were responsible for this.

I am appealing for the community's support in identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice and I also want to thank the community for their patience and their understanding while we investigate this attack."

Sinn Fein MP Elisha McCallion has called for a united response to the attack and is convening an emergency meeting on Tuesday in response to the spate of gun and bombs attacks.

She said: "The recent attacks are greatly concerning and clearly there are ongoing tensions in the area," she commented.

"I believe an urgent approach involving all the relevant agencies and community representatives is required in order to address this issue before someone is seriously injured or even killed.

"I have called today's meeting in order to ensure all the relevant stakeholders are taking a co-ordinated approach aimed at defusing this situation.

"There can be no place for gun and bomb attacks in our city and I would urge all political and community leaders to use their influence to bring it to an end."

DUP MLA Gary Middleton condemned those responsible and called it "senseless".

He said: "Paramilitary activity has no place in our society today and those who still continue to cling to criminality and violence are to be unequivocally condemned for their actions.

"It is concerning that in our city last night both a petrol bomb and pipe bomb was hurled at a house in the Waterside. Thankfully the pipe did not go off or today we could be dealing with the loss of life.

"Those responsible intended to cause harm and intimidate. It is truly sickening that some people believe this is acceptable behaviour.

"Our communities have suffered too much in the past to have this type of activity present in our towns in 2017. I totally utterly condemn those responsible, they clearly place no worth on the safety of our community. They are not representative of the vast majority of Northern Ireland, who want to move forward and live in peace."

SDLP councillor Martin Reilly called it a "despicable attack" that could have had "devastating consequences".

He said: Its through luck rather than design that we arent dealing with a tragedy this morning.

Police currently believe this to be the work of a loyalist paramilitary grouping. Those behind this depraved attack have no place in our city. Their violence has been rejected by people here in the past and it will continue to be rejected today.

Late at night people were left having to find alternative arrangements and thanks must go to those in Lincoln Courts Community Centre which opened up for them overnight."

Alliance Foyle representative John Doherty said he was thankful no-one was injured in incident.

He said: Those behind this, who wish to cause fear and disruption, are to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. This is the second time in a number of days a property in the Waterside has been attacked. Local people do not want this violence on the streets."

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at Strand Road Criminal Investigation Branch on 101, quoting reference 1488 of 21/08/17. Alternatively, information can also be passed anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Simon Coveney said he does not want the Irish border to be used as a tool to pressurise the EU for broader trade agreements

The Irish government has warned UK authorities it will not be used as a "pawn" in Brexit negotiations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said he does not want the issue of the Irish border to be used by the UK government as a tool to pressurise the EU for broader trade agreements.

Mr Coveney also said that sufficient progress on the future of the Irish border has not been made during Brexit talks.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire in Dublin on Tuesday Mr Coveney said: "We do not want the Irish issue, the border issue, to be used as a pawn to try to pressurise for broader trade agreements."

He added: "Sufficient progress (on the issues facing the island of Ireland post-Brexit) hasn't been made to date."

He warned that in order for Brexit negotiations to move onto the next phase "measurable and real progress" is needed.

Before the meeting Mr Brokenshire insisted there was no possibility of the UK staying within a customs union post Brexit.

He said that to do so would prevent the UK from negotiating international trade deals.

However, following a meeting with the Irish and British Chamber of Commerce he said there would be a period of implementation where the UK would adhere closely to the existing customs union.

"We think it is important there is an implementation period where the UK would adhere closely to the existing customs union," said Mr Brokenshire.

"But ultimately it is about the UK being able to negotiate international trade deals. We want to harness those freedoms. If we were to remain in the customs union that would prevent us from doing so.

"We are leaving EU, customs union and single market. We have set out options as to how we can achieve that friction less trade," he added.

However, Mr Coveney said the Irish Government believes the best way to progress "the complexity of Britain leaving the European Union is for Britain to remain very close to the single market and effectively to remain part of the customs union."

He added: "That would certainly make the issues on the island of Ireland an awful lot easier to manage.

"But of course the British Government's stated position is not in agreement with that but that doesn't mean we won't continue to advocate for that.

"In the absence of that it is up to the British government to come up with flexible and imaginative solutions to actually try to deal with the specific island of Ireland issues."
European leaders will not allow the Brexit negotiations to move onto the next phase unless the Republic is happy with progress made on the future of the border, Leo Varadkar has said.

The Taoiseach has warned the UK his government will stall talks if a satisfactory deal on Northern Ireland is not reached.

His comments, while on an official visit to Canada, are likely to stoke tensions with Britain which wants the negotiators to start discussing the future relationship between the EU and UK.

Mr Varadkar rejected the idea that the Republic could become a pawn in the talks, saying it will have a major say in how Brexit develops.

"We will decide whether the UK has made sufficient progress when it comes to citizens' rights, the financial settlement and issues pertaining to Ireland, and only if we are satisfied that sufficient progress has been made on those three areas will we then give the go-ahead to talk about trade," he said.

"I think that puts us in a strong position so I doubt our European colleagues would come to the view that sufficient progress had been made if we didn't think so."

Mr Varadkar will today embark on a "fact-finding mission" along the US-Canadian border which some Brexit supporters have said is an example of how the EU/UK border on the island of Ireland could operate.

"I have heard them describe it as a soft border, I wonder if that is the case? There are people who have told me its not. There are passport checks and customs checks and when I flew in from the US I had to fill in a customs form.

"If we are going to have those debates and discussion in the months ahead, it's an advantage to have actually seen some of these borders in operation. It's very much a fact-finding mission," the Taoiseach said.

Mr Varadkar also hit out at Brexit supporters who have argued the EU is an impediment to trade, saying they are "wrong-headed".

"There's a view among people in the UK, particularly those who promote Brexit, that the EU is holding them back and making it harder for them to strike deals with Canada, Japan and the rest of the world. Actually that is not true, the EU is a facilitator of global trade," he said.

The Taoiseach was speaking as the UK released two more policy papers on goods and on confidentiality. Britain set out proposals to ensure that goods and services currently approved for sale across the UK and EU can continue to be traded after Brexit.

They urged the EU yesterday not to separate goods from their services in Brexit talks, further outlining its negotiating stance to try to nudge discussions forward to a second phase on future relations. Brexit Minister David Davis said the proposals were designed to smooth the way to "the freest and most frictionless trade possible".

The second paper set out the UK's position on future co-operation with civil courts in the EU, stating that families, businesses and individuals need "certainty" about how their cases will be dealt with following Britain's withdrawal from the EU. Britain is calling for a new reciprocal framework for civil law based on commitments to build on existing co-operation and to continue collaboration across borders.

Meanwhile in a further sign that negotiations will be protracted, Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar said: "I think that the process will definitely take more time than we expected at the start of the negotiations.

"There are so many difficult topics on the table, difficult issues there, that one cannot expect all those issues will be solved according to the schedule made in the first place."

But Downing Street said it remained "confident" of making enough progress on the issues including Ireland for the European Council to give the green light to the second phase of Brexit negotiations when it meets in Brussels in October.
Women-only train carriages should be considered to curb levels of sexual violence on public transport, a Labour frontbencher has said.

Shadow fire minister Chris Williamson said creating separate travelling arrangements for female passengers might offer a safe space for women as sexual offences on trains have more than doubled in the past five years.

It follows a 17-year-old girl being sexually assaulted twice, by two different men, on a train journey between Newquay and Plymouth as she made her way home from the Boardmasters festival on August 12.

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Some 1,448 offences were reported in 2016/17, compared with 650 incidents in 2012/2013, British Transport Police figures show.

The idea was initially suggested by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during his 2015 leadership bid, but the plans were dropped after attracting criticism, including from prominent female Labour MPs such as Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall.

Mr Williamson (Derby North) was drawn into the debate when he retweeted an article by left-wing blog Skwawkbox, which pointed to official figures showing a rise in sex attacks on public transport.

He told PoliticsHome: It would be worth consulting about it. It was pooh-poohed (when Jeremy Corbyn suggested it), but these statistics seem to indicate there is some merit in examining that.

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Complemented with having more guards on trains, it would be a way of combating these attacks, which have seen a very worrying increase in the past few years.

Im not saying it has to happen, but it may create a safe space. It would be a matter of personal choice whether someone wanted to make use of it.

Female-only carriages on trains have been tried in countries such as Japan, Brazil and Mexico.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said it deplores the rising number of attacks, saying trains needed to be properly staffed to keep passengers safe.

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Manuel Cortes, TSSA General Secretary, said: A properly staffed railway at all times is the only way to keep travellers safe. Our railways have more passengers than ever before but since privatisation, station staff across Britain have been culled and we are now seeing companies like Southern trying to get rid of carriage guards.

Our entire network is now woefully understaffed, making travelling more stressful and, sadly, more dangerous for passengers.

Some stations are no longer staffed at all. CCTVs may be in place but they need sufficient trained monitoring staff to keep carriages and stations properly scrutinised. And they need to be backed up by a full complement of British Transport Police (BTP) Community Support Officers and Officers.

But monitoring staff numbers have been cut to the bone and we have long warned of the dire consequences and increase in risk to passengers.

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Labours Stella Creasy took to Twitter to criticised the move, arguing that it would normalise attacks and that women should be safe to sit anywhere.

The Walthamstow MP, who is a vocal campaigner for womens rights, said: Can we make all carriages safe for all passengers rather than restricting where we can go? Its not us, its them honest

She added: Doesnt keep women safe to restrict their movements  it normalises attacks.

We need to be clear they (the attackers) are problem, not womens seating plans.
This picture provided by Polizeiinspektion Osnabrueck police shows an ecstasy pill in the shape of Donald Trump's head

Thousands of ecstasy tablets, which bizarrely appear to be in the shape of US president Donald Trumps head, have been seized by German police.

The drug haul has an estimated street value of 39,000 euro (35,700), and police in Osnabruck, in north-western Germany, said they found the drugs while checking an Austrian-registered car.

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They said the people in the car, a 51-year-old man and his 17-year-old son, told officers they had been in the Netherlands to buy a vehicle but had not succeeded so were returning home.

Officers said they found about 5,000 of the orange, Trump-shaped ecstasy tablets along with a large, but unspecified quantity of cash.

A judge ordered the father and son be kept in custody, and the car was seized and towed away.
More than 30 colleagues and friends of a former Northwestern University professor charged over the stabbing death of a 26-year-old man have written letters of support.

"I feel his contributions will eventually lead to the eradications of these infections, which continue to kill several thousand people every year," one colleague wrote about Wyndham Lathem in a letter that his lawyer submitted to the court in the hope of persuading a judge to allow him to post bond for his release from jail, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Lathem and Oxford University employee Andrew Warren are charged with first-degree murder over the July 27 death of Trenton James Cornell-Duranleau, a Michigan native who had been living in Chicago.

Prosecutors allege that Lathem and Warren had been planning for months since they met online to kill someone as part of a sexual fantasy.

They claim that after Warren flew to Chicago, the pair attacked Mr Cornell-Duranleau as he slept in Lathem's Chicago high-rise apartment.

Friends, relatives and co-workers of criminal defendants often write letters to judges asking for leniency, but they are almost always written in anticipation of sentencing and are rarely sent to judges before trial.

In this case, the judge read them before the defendants appeared before a hearing on Sunday.

Another person in one of the 32 letters Lathem's lawyer filed with the court said that if the judge allowed Lathem to post bond then Lathem could live with the person.

The newspaper did not provide the names of any of the authors of the letters.

The judge said the information in the letters had nothing to do with the case against Lathem.

"The court has read his professional and academic achievements," Cook County Judge Adam D Bourgeois Jr said in court. "Some of the finest in the world, right? It has nothing to do with this, though."

All of the letters were dated within days of the date the two men surrendered to police in northern California after a nationwide manhunt, and before details of the killing were made public, the Sun-Times reported.

AP
A "beautiful" solar eclipse has swept across the US for the first time in nearly a century.

The Canadian Space Agency described the initial glimpses of the first total solar eclipse to cross the US, from Oregon to southern Carolina, in 99 years as "beautiful" as Americans watched in wonder through telescopes, cameras and protective glasses.

Gloomy skies scuppered the chances of most stargazers in Great Britain and Ireland who wanted to see a partial eclipse.

US President Donald Trump watched from the White House alongside First Lady Melania.

His daughter Ivanka and rock star Bruce Springsteen were among the excited big names who had tweeted advice that watchers should remember to wear their glasses when looking at the spectacle.

They saw the moon blot out the sun, cause a drop in temperature and turn daylight into twilight. It is expected to be the most observed and most photographed eclipse in history.

Totality, when the sun is completely obscured by the moon, lasted for around two minutes in each location along the narrow corridor stretching across the US heartland to Charleston, South Carolina.

Nasa Moon, Nasa's official Twitter account about Earth's Moon, said: "HA HA HA I've blocked the Sun! Make way for the Moon. #SolarEclipse2017" while Hopkinsville Police in Kentucky, which saw solar enthusiasts descend on the town, tweeted "Please DO NOT call 911 just because your Wi-Fi service is not working."

Dr Francisco Diego of University College London described each eclipse as "unique", saying that it "steals your soul and it happens in complete silence".

He told BBC News: "You cannot anticipate how spectacular this is.

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"You are going to be in a landscape in a normal day and suddenly in a matter of minutes in the last part of the approach, a matter of seconds, this shadow of the moon is going to cover the entire landscape and you are being plunged into darkness.

"You can see planets like Venus and Mercury and bright stars, there is twilight all around you and that happens so quickly."

People were treated to the extraordinary image of what he described as a cosmic flower in the sky or the solar corona as darkness fell.

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He described the diamond ring which happens at the end of the eclipse as "one of the most spectacular things to see" when the sun begins to reappear.

The movement of the moon between Earth and the sun produced a dramatic event in the US but Britons had hoped to see the moon appear to take a "bite" out of the sun just before sunset.

Unfortunately, cloud meant disappointment for most.

Devon, Cornwall and the south coast of Dorset may have got a glimpse of the partial eclipse as about 5% of the sun was covered, according to Met Office forecaster Luke Miall.

He said: "The only place that had seen the partial eclipse was on the south coast of Weymouth which had a good show, but for the majority of the country it was too cloudy."

Big names shared their excitement about the eclipse on social media. Lady Gaga joked she was enjoying "Total eclipse vibes" in an Instagram photo showing her sitting on a rooftop with "Take me to your planet" written on her palms.

Former US President George HW Bush appeared in a family photo with the message: "Four generations of family taking in the partial eclipse today. Already looking forward to the next one in Texas in 2024!"
Clashes marred Tuesdays reopening of university classes in the ruined southern Philippine city of Marawi as soldiers moved to drive out militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) from the downtown area they hold just two kilometers (1.2 miles) away.

About 8,000 Mindanao State University students braved the fighting and were bused into the area only to be greeted by explosions as a few militants hiding in a mosque fired at troops.

Regional military spokeswoman Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay confirmed the fighting was not enough to force a cancellation of classes even as she acknowledged the security situation has been tense.

We would like to clarify that there is no lockdown at MSU campus or the immediate vicinity, she said.

Military road blocks and check points were set up around the city to ensure that no Abu Sayyaf or Maute group militants could pass through and cause havoc.

She said militants clashed with troops early in the day, near the Marantao district, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Intelligence reports have indicated that the gunmen had been massing for a planned counter offensive, potentially giving the army logistical headaches in protecting the universitys students.

There were no reported casualties on the government side and we are trying to figure out if the harassment was carried out by Maute supporters, Petinglay told BenarNews.

About 8,000 students braved the violence to return to classes at Mindanao State University, Aug. 22, 2017. (Richel V. Umel/BenarNews)

Zia Alonto Adiong, spokesman for the local crisis committee, said no harassment can take away students rights to education.

As of Sunday, the military said 583 militants and 129 soldiers have been killed along with 45 civilians, while dozens of people, including a Catholic priest, are believed to be held hostage.

Petinglay said military officials suspect more than 60 militants were inside the main battle zone, including Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, the self-proclaimed chief of the IS in the Philippines.

The rebel contingent is backed by gunmen from the local Maute group as well as several foreigners from Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana found evidence to retain the names of former Marawi mayor Omar Solitario and his two sons among a list of 200 people wanted in connection with the siege that began May 23. The three had been granted safe conduct passes through military checkpoints, but police and military leaders vehemently objected.

They are now subject to arrest, he said.
The Philippines government on Tuesday denied a lawmakers claim that China was preparing to invade a sandbar near a Manila-claimed island in the disputed Spratly chain in the South China Sea.

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the Philippine government quietly inquired about the claims publicized by opposition Rep. Gary Alejano and was assured the Chinese had no intention of setting anchor near Pag-Asa, the second largest island in the chain.

Let me assure you that there are no problems in that area, Cayetano told reporters. If there had been a problem, it was solved diplomatically. It is not true that there was an attempt to invade.

While not disclosing specific details of what he had discussed with the Chinese, Cayetano blamed Alejano, a former Marine captain, for issuing press statements that had the wrong facts.

So wrong premise, wrong conclusion, Cayetano said, stressing the defense establishment has denied Alejanos allegation.

Alejano has called on President Rodrigo Dutertes government to file a diplomatic protest against China, saying he received intelligence reports about several Chinese ships, including two warships, being spotted near Pag-asa. The Chinese flotilla included a coast guard ship and two large fishing boats escorted by a maritime militia.

His allegation came shortly after China and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed early this month to a framework for talks on a code of conduct in the sea region. Both sides expect to begin negotiations for the code later this year, in time for a leaders annual summit scheduled in November.

The Spratly islands are believed to lie atop vast mineral deposits and overlapping claims in the region has been cited as a potential powder keg for violence. Besides the Philippines and China, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan have territorial claims.

Congressman: Chinese flag spotted

On Tuesday, Alejano said that despite Cayetanos assurances, intelligence data indicated that a Chinese flag mounted on a steel pipe was discovered on a sand cay just about seven nautical miles off Pag-asa.

It was discovered around third week of July 2017. A Chinese vessel allegedly erected the said three-meter (10-foot) high Chinese flag on a sand cay which is known to be within a Philippine-controlled area, he said.

He said this belied Cayetanos claim the Chinese just passed through the area and there was nothing wrong with Beijing exercising its freedom of navigation operations in the sea region, the same rights the United States had invoked in the past.

These recently reported incidents only reveal that Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea have not stopped amid warmer relations between the Philippines and China, he said, using the Philippine name for the South China Sea.

Furthermore, this contradicts Chinas supposed commitment to peace and stability in the area through maintaining the status quo.

Alejano called on the foreign office to be transparent on issues concerning its territorial integrity. Their denial or silence and inaction are not helping while things like these happen on the ground, he said.

Duterte: No risk of war

On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte said there was no need to be alarmed about the recent developments and that he would not risk going to war.

Why should I defend a sandbar and kill the Filipinos because of a sandbar? Duterte asked.

The president said the incident did not count as an invasion and he was assured the Chinese ships were there in the area on friendly terms.

What invasion? It is not true what they are saying, he said. They are just there, but they are not claiming anything.

He stressed that Chinas envoy to Manila, Zhao Jianhua, assured him there were no plans build structures on the cay.

Sandy Cay is strategic because the sandbar had over the years accumulated so much pulverized corals that it could be considered a high tide elevation similar to an island feature.

Acquiring sovereignty over Sandy Cay would allow China to legitimize its claim over a nearby reef called Subi and therefore remove it, theoretically, from the Philippines continental shelf, according to analysts.

Duterte dismissed that as speculation.
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For Immediate Release, August 21, 2017 Contact: Diana Dascalu-Joffe, Center for Biological Diversity, (720) 925-2521, ddascalujoffe@biologicaldiversity.org

Bonnie Rice, Sierra Club, (406) 640-2857 Massive Federal Fracking Plan in Wyoming Threatens Wildlife, Air Quality, Climate PINEDALE, Wyo. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club today lodged formal comments with the federal government opposing a massive gas fracking project that spans 220 square miles of public land in Wyoming south of Yellowstone National Park. The Normally Pressured Lance gas field would destroy wildlife habitat and worsen ozone pollution, a major cause of childhood asthma, in areas already suffering from extreme air pollution. This enormous project will be a disaster for wildlife, people and the planet, said Diana Dascalu-Joffe, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. It will decimate habitat for animals that are already struggling and further foul the air in communities already suffering with pollution from drilling and fracking. And it locks us into decades more fossil fuel dependence, which will only worsen the climate crisis. In their comments to the federal Bureau of Land Management today, the groups said the project would destroy key wildlife habitat for greater sage grouse, pronghorn and mule deer by allowing 3,500 new gas wells, roads and other infrastructure. If approved by BLM, drilling in the 140,000-acre gas field could begin next year. Fracking in sagebrush habitats will reduce already dwindling mule deer populations in the region. Mule deer avoid gas wells and infrastructure, which fragments and shrinks their habitat. Research shows that development of the Pinedale fracking field decimated migration routes and winter habitat, reducing mule deer populations by more than a third. This massive drilling project could well be the final nail in the coffin for Wyomings historic migrations of pronghorn and mule deer, and it puts some of the largest sage grouse concentration areas in the West in serious jeopardy if it moves forward, said Bonnie Rice, senior representative with Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign. Drilling thousands of new wells will not only have devastating impacts on wildlife, but on local communities which already have serious air quality problems from existing oil and gas development. Jonah Energys plan would also drill extensively in winter habitat critical for the survival of greater sage grouse populations. Thats despite substantial evidence that shows drilling within 1.75 miles of winter habitat will cause sage grouse to abandon the area. Drilling would worsen ozone pollution in the upper Green River basin, where winter ozone levels already exceed federal health standards. The project would produce up to 440 million tons of equivalent carbon dioxide pollution. This would account for more than 1 percent of the entire remaining U.S. carbon budget needed to have a 50 percent chance of returning global average temperature rise to 1.5C by 2100.
For Immediate Release, August 21, 2017 Contact: Martin Wagner, Earthjustice, (510) 917-0434, mwagner@earthjustice.org

Peter Galvin, Center for Biological Diversity, (707) 986-2600, pgalvin@biologicaldiversity.org Court Affirms Right to Sue U.S. Military Over New Base's Threats to Endangered Okinawa Dugong Rare Japanese Dugongs One Step Closer to Finally Getting Their Day in Court SAN FRANCISCO The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals today affirmed the right of American and Japanese conservation groups and Okinawan citizens to sue to compel the U.S. military to fully consider the impacts of a new U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. The base would pave over some of the last remaining habitat for endangered Okinawa dugongs, ancient cultural icons for the Okinawan people. The lawsuit is part of a long-running controversy over the expansion of a U.S. Marine air base at Okinawas Henoko Bay. Preliminary construction on the base began earlier this year. After conservation groups and Okinawan community members filed a lawsuit to challenge the U.S. governments inadequate assessment of the proposed new military bases impacts on the dugong  including failure to consult with the relevant stakeholders or adequately consider all possible effects on the dugong as required by law  the government argued that the district court could not consider the case because of its foreign-policy implications. The court of appeals today disagreed, holding that the plaintiffs had standing to sue, and that the fact that the case related to a project in another country did not give the government license to ignore the requirements of U.S. law. The court remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings. The court today affirmed the right to sue to prevent the U.S. government from taking action that might harm an endangered species of special importance to people in another country without giving serious consideration to the possible effects of its actions, said Martin Wagner, managing attorney of Earthjustices International Program. The law is intended to respect the cultural values of the Japanese people, and requires the Defense Department to make every effort to understand and minimize the effects of this project on the dugong. Todays decision affirms the right to ask the courts to ensure that the U.S. government complies with this law. Dugongs are gentle marine mammals related to manatees that have long been revered by native Okinawans, even celebrated as sirens that bring friendly warnings of tsunamis. The dugong is listed as an object of national cultural significance under Japans Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. Under the U.S. National Historic Protection Act and international law, the United States must take into account the effect of its actions and avoid or mitigate any harm to places or things of cultural significance to another country. Our folktales tell us that gods from Niraikanai [afar] come to our islands riding on the backs of dugongs and the dugongs ensure the abundance of food from the sea, said Takuma Higashionna, an Okinawan scuba-diving guide who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Today, leaving their feeding trails in the construction site, I believe, our dugongs are warning us that this sea will no longer provide us with such abundance if the base is constructed. The U.S. government must realize that the Okinawa dugong is a treasure for Okinawa and for the world. "This ruling is a critical lifeline for the highly endangered Okinawa dugong," said Peter Galvin, director of programs at the Center for Biological Diversity. "We are hopeful that an objective review of the project will cause the U.S. Department of Defense to rethink this environmentally and socially disastrous military base expansion plan. In 1997, it was estimated that there may have been as few as 50 Okinawa dugongs left in the world; more recent surveys have only been able to conclude that at least three dugongs remain in Okinawa. The Defense Department has authorized construction of the new base, despite the precariously low dugong population estimates. Paving coral reefs for a military airbase runway does not make us safer, but more vulnerable to planetary extinction. The Okinawa dugong, sea turtles, coral reefs and the ocean environment are the winners today in this 14-year litigation battle with Department of Defense, said Todd Steiner, executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network. For years many locals have protested and opposed the base-expansion plan for Okinawa, where 20 percent of the island is already occupied by U.S. military. This lawsuit was originally filed in 2003 by Earthjustice on behalf of the U.S. organizations Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network; the Japanese organizations Japan Environmental Lawyers Federation and the Save the Dugong Foundation; and three Japanese individuals. MEDIA AVAILABILITY: A delegation from Okinawa  including Hideki Yoshikawa, an Okinawa professor who serves as international director of the Save the Dugong Campaign Center; and Sakurai Kunistoshi, former president of Okinawa University  will be at the Center for Biological Diversitys office in Oakland (1212 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland) tomorrow and available for interviews. They will be conducting an informational luncheon program on the case from noon to 1:30 p.m., which journalists are welcome to attend, and are available for interviews before and after the program. For details, contact Steve Jones at sjones@biologicaldiversity.org or (415) 305-3866.
Starting your day with a cup of mushroom coffee can give a much-needed twist to your daily regimen. Many speak of its benefits, and some even prefer it to regular coffee. But given its unique
Fintech startup InTouch is a Senegalese company taking an unusual step by establishing a footprint across the continent.

Disrupt Africa reported earlier this month InTouch, launched in 2014, had partnered Total and Worldline in an agreement that will see its solutions rolled out across eight African countries, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Morocco.

The startup provides a universal solution  Touch  that allows vendors to accept all forms of payments and offer digital services using a single device with one account.

It aggregates several means of payment, allows for services such as money transfers, bill payment and airtime top-up, and also allows merchants to create and manage loyalty programmes.

Founder Omar Cisse told Disrupt Africa InTouchs international expansion had been inspired by its significant success in in Senegal, where in July it reached 650.000 transactions for a volume of more than EUR17 million (US$20 million).

More than 800 merchants have adopted our solution  all 170 Total gas stations in Senegal, and 700 other independent PoS, mainly in Dakar. We have deployed 1,500 devices, and have more than 160,000 clients enrolled in our loyalty programmes, he said.

No wonder the company has been so keen to try its luck elsewhere, but Cisse is thinking even bigger. A total of eight countries will be deployed in the next 12 months, and he is targeting 38 countries by 2021.

Africas unbanked

The niche InTouch is operating in is a significant one, with 80% of African adults not having a bank account.

This has led to the development of mobile money, which enables unbanked people to make transactions. At the same time, the number of service operators is increasing, each one with its own system and device, Cisse said. Merchants have difficulties to manage all of them.

InTouch helps with this problem, with Cisse building a team of more than 70 employees.

The African market must deal with a very large range of payment means that are often linked to mobile operators or a computer interface. It is very complicated for merchants to accept different means of payment, so they mainly accept cash, said Cisse.

Another market need is service digitalisation. When it comes to paying bills, people may stand in line for hours. This represents a loss of time and money for them and this is also a loss of money for service providers who could sell much more if they were available everywhere.

InTouch has numerous competitors across Africa, from Kenyas Kopo Kopo to PayDunya in Senegal, but Cisse believes key selling points such as ease of use, diversity of solutions and the opportunities for income diversification help it stand out as it looks to expand across the continent. This will be eased by the involvement of Total and Worldline, who will also invest in InTouch.

Cisse said the startup had faced challenges getting to this point, notably in terms of attracting and retaining quality staff and raising money for expansion, but was now seeing significant financial success.

Our business model is very simple; we act like a wholesaler, and take a 1% commission on each transaction, he said. We have made more than EUR2 million (US$2.4 million) since the launch in 2014.
The quote failure is not an option', popularised by the movie Apollo 13, suggests that in order to succeed, one must avoid failure. This is not a good lesson for life or business.

Failing often and an acceptance of failure, as an inevitable part of the process, and then rising stronger, is the premise on which the Engen Pitch & Polish workshop and competition programme is built.

Now in its eighth year, the programme gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to fail but not give up, as they get constructive feedback and the opportunity to give their pitch another go.

Sponsored by Engen Petroleum, in association with Nedbank, Raizcorp and media partners SAfm and Caxton Local Media, Engen Pitch & Polish is in pursuit of South African entrepreneurs brave enough to pitch, fail, take feedback, and stand up again  all in an endeavour to perfect their business pitch, attract funding and grow their venture.

Conceived by Allon Raiz, the CEO of Raizcorp, Engen Pitch & Polish combines the unique elements of workshop and competition  not only do all audience participants learn, they also get to give feedback to the contestants. Accepting the inevitable failures, that accompany the journey towards success, is a prerequisite for growing a business. Being an entrepreneur takes courage; you cant be afraid to fail, explains Raiz. Embrace it, as it could be the springboard to your success.

This years programme kicks off in Rustenburg on 2 September and will be hosted around the country, culminating in the exclusive finale, which will be held in Johannesburg on Thursday 30 November 2017. For more information, visit www.pitchandpolish.com or SMS 43719.
When a household name brand gets back in a TV ad for the first time in 20 years, you've got to sit up and take notice...

Cerebos, the countrys top-selling salt brand, apparently thinks its time that it reminded people about how much a part of their lives it has become - or perhaps they wanted to draw new people into the brand.

Screengrabs from the ad.

Interestingly, the Cerebos ad agency, FCB Durban, decided to go the route of animation because the story line is a sweet fantasy tale.

We see a little girl, Mpho, living in the heart of the Karoo and dreams of seeing snow, playing in snow or making a snow angel in the cold, white stuff. Her whole life is snow  right down to the ice crystal motifs in her bedroom  but there is precious little of the stuff where she lives amid the bare soil, thorns and cacti.

Then, her grandparents decide to step in to help make her dreams come true. Grandad rigs up a contraption outside Mphos bedroom window, and with a little help from a number of containers of Cerebos salt, he re-creates snow falling from the sky.

At the end of the spot, we realise, in the Cerebos slogan  See how it runs  why grandpa was able to do the trick because the salt flows easily. Its a charming little ad and a piece of escapism with a sweet tone, which stands out perhaps because of the current gloom, doom and anger we all deal with on a daily basis.

The animation and graphics  done by Tulip and Chimneys in collaboration with Black Ginger  is simply world-class well up to the best that studios like Pixar can produce, in my opinion.

So, Orchids all around: to Cerebos, to FCB Durban, to Tulips and Chimneys and to Black Ginger.

Its that time of year again when the SA Revenue Service takes to all communication channels to spend a lot of money encouraging people to get their tax returns done. Its the ultimate grudge purchase, and becomes even more unpalatable by the day.

I wonder, as I prepare to e-file my return, how many of my hard-earned rands were round-tripped, from a government (read taxpayer) supported dairy farm in the Free State, to a Gupta front company in Dubai and back again here to pay for that lavish wedding at Sun City.

Many people have talked about a tax boycott in protest of what is happening in the country, but that simply is not going to happen. Just in case you were thinking about not paying, Sars also makes a big fuss about the criminal prosecutions it secures for things like Vat fraud.

So  dont do it. In the past, Sars has produced some good advertising, the sort of thing which (almost) made you want to go and pay your taxes.

These days, it has gone off the boil considerably and nowhere was that more in evidence than in one of its latest radio ads related to e-filing. The ad says, in serious tones, that, if you are filing electronically, then you should ensure that your communication channel is secure. Sensible advice.

But that jarring part is that the ad uses, as background noise, the sound of an acoustic coupler modem  you know the one which made all the funny beeps and squeals back in the old days of digital technology.

Nobody uses those any longer and nobody hears those noises. Hankering after the past can work in some advertising, but when it makes your ad just plain wrong, then its bad marketing.

So, Sars, you get this Onion from me. Not such a happy return

Finally, this Onion goes to an outfit called Supreme Auctioneers which, every month or so, has an auction at the Northcliff Country Club. They place posters illegally all over the area, on street signs, for instance. Not only is it illegal, it is potential highly dangerous: some are placed on stop signs, others near schools.

How would you like it if your child was run over by a motorist going through a stop street without stopping because he or she was reading the Supreme Auctioneers sign?

Its time we started taking our streets back from these illegal operators. Tear down their posters and boycott their events.
Expansion in the forecourt convenience retail industry continues, despite the general downturn of the retail industry as a whole.

In South Africa, this market is led by FreshStop at Caltex, the largest and fastest growing 24-hour convenience store retail brand, which has opened 255 stores nationwide, followed by Pick n Pay in association with BP, and Woolworths Foodstops at Engen.

According to a report by the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA), the outlook for the South African fuel industry is looking strong, with the sector as a whole contributing in excess of 6% to the countrys GDP and supporting employment of more than 100,000 people directly or indirectly.

Growth sector for entrepreneurs

Joe Boyle, director at FreshStop, named International Convenience Retailer of the Year 2013 and a finalist at the 2017 International Convenience Retailer of the Year Award, says, As a growth sector for entrepreneurs, fuel retail continues to pay dividends. Our stores year-on-year growth stands at 8%, compared to the industry norm of 1% and the growth figure jumps to 14% when new stores are included.

We have invested more than R600 million over the last eight years and we have seen this investment lead to the creation of approximately 2,500 direct jobs and reach an annual turnover of almost R2 billion in that period. Our focus has always been on convenience, innovation and quality fresh product and we will continue with this strategy.

A related study by Nielsen showed that when selecting a supermarket, South African consumers are influenced by convenience of location (71%), speed (61%), high-quality fresh produce (71%) and product availability (68%), more so than price (56%) and promotions (56%).

Diversification increases growth

Innovation and diversification of product is one way in which forecourt c-stores are commanding the market. Forecourts are leading the food-to-go trend internationally and customers want a variety of food product offerings to choose from, from crispy chicken to fish and chips, to burgers and grill items; and they want them quickly.

Another key trend is that consumers want to lead healthier lives and health involves eating healthily but also having the opportunity to have a healthy state-of-mind; so taking time out to relax, take a break and treat yourself is important. This juxtaposition can be seen in the rapid growth of our in-store Biltong Bars, as well as the passion customers have for full-service Seattle Coffee Bars with a Barista offering. They want to be good but also be treated, adds Boyle.

Long queues lead to abandoned items

Naturally, in convenience retail, fast consumption is king. As time becomes more precious and commuting takes longer, customers want to be in and out quickly. Research shows that 7 in 10 shoppers globally say that a long queue would make them abandon their purchase in a c-store.

Our business is all about serving the on-the-go shopper and despite the in-house brands and food offerings increasing to meet growing demand for choice, we realise that that preparation and service has to be fast, efficient and friendly  they want to be in and out in less than seven minutes maximum, concludes Boyle.
Representatives of the Treasury and Eskom denied that there were moves to change former CEO Brian Molefe's controversial 50% plus one requirement for suppliers.

Brian Molefe, former CEO of Eskom

This contradicted comments by executives of Exxaro, Eskom's biggest single coal supplier, at a briefing after its interim results presentation that the Treasury's intervention was evident since January in giving greater importance to best price in adjudicating contracts instead. A Treasury representative said the department was not intervening in Eskom contracts.

Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said its primary energy team had confirmed that 50% plus one remained a policy objective. He said there had been no waiver of this requirement.

Exxaro CEO Mxolisi Mgojo said earlier that the Treasury's intervention had "a neutralising effect. There are no special interests at stake." Asked for further details of Treasury's intervention, given its denial, Exxaro declined to add anything.
To do its part in lowering water consumption in Cape Town, The Peninsula All-Suite Hotel's rooftop pumping system which was installed in August 2016, makes it possible to capture water to use for sanitation purposes.

With insufficient rainfall and fast declining dam levels, the hospitality and tourism industries are at the top of the list of water consumers in South Africa, as a result of the hotels system, which has been operational for a year, 1,437,000 litres of water and 13% of their annual water bill has been saved.

The Peninsula All-Suite Hotel group (Courtesy of the City of Cape Town)

At The Peninsula, groundwater is channelled from rainwater and surrounding mountains, into underground streams beneath the hotels parking area. We have taken advantage of this unique positioning by creating borehole pumps that suck the water into a holding tank, which is then pumped to the 1,500-litre tanks on the roof.

Our objective is to always minimise any impact we may have on the environment and even though the initial installation of the groundwater tanks was an expensive undertaking, the saving on the water bill has been a welcomed return on the investment, says Chris Godenir, general manager at The Peninsula All-Suite Hotel.

On 1 July 2017, the City of Cape Town implemented Level 4B water restrictions and emphasised the need to save water while its still possible. The city urged its residents to keep to a maximum of 87 litres of water per person, per day, keeping in mind that the average showerhead expels 15 litres of water per minute, making a six-minute shower equivalent to 90 litres of water.

Theewaterskloof Dam - Annual major dam levels (Courtesy of the City of Cape Town)

Guest and staff awareness

The Peninsula supports the Citys plea and has implemented creative ways to save water, for example fitting taps with aerators and restrictions to reduce the flow to no more than six litres per minute, as per the Citys by-laws. In addition, the hotel has also put the challenge to its staff and guests.

A welcoming letter with water-saving notes and message boards are visible in the elevators, foyer, and in all rooms of the hotel, to encourage guest and staff awareness around the Level 4B water restrictions and inspire guests to do their part. In addition, a water consumption report is published daily where guests who meet water restrictions are acknowledged and congratulated. More water saving protocols are in the pipeline, set to be announced later this year.

We thank all of our excellent water ambassadors out there. We encourage you to think of more creative ways to reduce your usage even further. We will be clamping down on unjustifiably high water use, said the Citys executive mayor, Patricia de Lille.

The Citys water saving tips are included in the hotels daily operations and include:

 Waiting for a full load before running washing machines and dishwashers and using rinse water from some washing machines for the next wash cycle

 The hotel has upgraded to multi-flush toilets and has put water displacement items in the cistern which halves the water used per flush.

 The hotel regularly checks for leaks, which are fixed immediately.

At The Peninsula, we are passionate about caring for the environment and through this initiative, we invite all hospitality partners and guests to take action and do their part in preserving our precious resource, adds Godenir.
The annual Rhino Conservation Awards took place on Monday, 21 August at Montecasino in Joburg. Minister of Environmental Affairs Dr Edna Molewa celebrated the winners, runners-up and nominees who have made a marked impact in the war against rhino poaching.

Founders of the awards Dr Larry Hansen and Miss Xiaoyang Yu expressed their appreciation for every action taken against all forms of poaching, at all levels. Congratulations to all of the participants and winners of the awards. It is a privilege to celebrate your work and your efforts to protect Africas rhino, said Dr Hansen. Know that we will continue to stand at your side, as every effort is recognised and appreciated.

Award winners

In the Field Ranger category, Tyson Maluleke and his K9 Kilalo, and Julius Sibuyi were announced as the winners, whilst Wilson Siwela was rewarded as the runner-up. The winner of the Conservation Practitioner Award was the entire Kruger National Parks Marula South ranger team. The runners-up were the Namibian Conservancy Rhino Ranger Incentive Programme, and SANParks regional ranger Don English and section ranger Craig Williams.

Adam Pires and the EWT Wildlife in Trade Programme scooped the award for the Best Rhino Conservation Supporter. Richard Mabanga, cultural ambassador for the Rhino Art  Let the Voices be Heard campaign, and husband and wife team, Steve and Perry Dell from the Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust and the Rhino Poaching Unit were selected as runners-up.

The winner in the Best Political, Investigative and Judicial Support category was Jabu Qayiso who has more than 20 years experience in environmental crime investigation. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was announced as the first runner-up, and Frik Rossouw was the second runner-up.

For the first time, the awards offered a Special Award for Endangered Species Conservation. African Parks took first prize, Chris Kelly came second and Miguel Xavier from Angola placed third. African Parks takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks across Africa, in partnership with governments and local communities. It is responsible for one of the largest and most significant elephant translocations in history and has restored species across Africa, including rhino to Rwanda and cheetah to Malawi.

For more info, go to www.rhinoconservationawards.org.
Trevino Isaacs (26) opened a music school in Mitchell's Plain to teach children, as young as seven, the appreciation and love for music. Isaacs is one of 19 small business owners in the areas of Khayelitsha, Langa, Mitchell's Plain and Gugulethu selected to take part in the sponsored Small Business Academy (SBA) programme, offered by the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB).

Flanking Trevino Isaacs are music students from left to right, Randall Norman (bass guitar), Bradley Kerspuy (bass guitar), Jesse Warnick (electric guitar) and Garneth Warnick (Piano).

With its main sponsors, Absa and the Distell Foundation, the SBA provides a platform for small business owners to gain business, financial and operational knowledge over nine months to grow and strengthen their businesses. The SBA creates networking opportunities and offers a mentorship programme, whereby each participant is matched with a USB MBA alumnus.

Isaacs taught himself to play piano at nine and became professional at 15. Apart from playing the piano, he also taught himself the drums, guitar, bass-guitar, accordion and banjo.

The demand for music lessons was such that he started offering lessons from his mothers living room. The interest grew to such an extent that when I approached two of my friends who studied music, with the idea of opening a music school, my dream of teaching others became a successful business, now celebrating its fourth year, explains Isaacs.

Music has been and still is the only work I know. There are many students in the Woodlands and Mitchells Plain area cannot afford to study music and our quality affordable training is giving them the chance to master instruments and grow their natural talent.

The Mitchells Plain Music Academy offers a safe environment where children can live a life free of violence, drugs and alcohol. For many it is a way out of poverty and uncertainty by developing their natural talent into something with purpose.

Our drive has always been to offer a service to the community and, without funding or resource support, we are in a position to sponsor students who show the potential but cannot afford the cost.

Our growth has been organic to where we currently teach 40 students. My selection to the SBA programme has had a major impact on how I structure and market the business. The knowledge I am gaining will assist us to grow the business significantly and help us achieve our ultimate goal whereby we are in a financial position to assist more students who have talent but cannot pay fees.

The music school follows the Trinity College London syllabus, which is recognised by all the major universities in South Africa and the UK. The classes are offered at the Woodville Primary School in Mitchells Plain and they teach pre-grade 1 up to grade 8 to learners aged 7 to 45.

I have big dreams for the school and my long term goal is to offer music certificates, diplomas and degrees in addition to offering other subjects such as finance and computer literacy. In a world where knowledge is power, we would like to support the community in enriching themselves and their families, concludes Isaacs.

He will graduate from the SBA programme in November 2017, the same month that he will complete his final year of an advanced certificate in music.
South Africa's top extreme enduro riders are headed for KwaZulu-Natal this month for the second edition of the Alfie Cox Invitational, which is set to take place on Saturday, 26 August from 9am-3pm. The elimination-based contest is set to bring out the best from a talented group of riders who will battle it out on the 11km-long track at Henderson's Farm in Umzumbe.

The star-studded field includes defending champion, KTM Factory Racing Teams Scott Bouverie as well as fellow KZN South Coast local, Red Bull's Wade Young (Paddock). Travis Teasdale (Pietermaritzburg) and Jason Munro (Durban) are also expected to be among the front-runners along with Kirsten Landman (Shongweni) who will be the only female on the start line.

Host, Alfie Cox confirmed that competitors will have to brave three grueling rounds in order to claim the crown.

Ten of the slowest riders will be eliminated after the first two rounds so there is always pressure. In the final, riders must finish within the allotted time of 75 minutes in order to complete the race, Cox explained.

There are a few changes to last years course and Cox says once again riders will have to exhibit technical prowess in order to conquer it.

It consists of river beds, waterfalls, roots, vines and it will have some steep downhills as well as rocky climbs, Cox said.

The routes accessibility means spectators can follow the action and get behind the riders.

This is what the event is about. This is about giving back to the sport, Cox said. It is walking distance to see the climbs. Most of the route is accessible by cars so spectators can soak up everything. There are not many opportunities like this in South Africa. It is an eye-opener, Cox concluded.
NEWSWATCH: Former Huffington Post SA editor-in-chief Verashni Pillay has been successful in her appeal against a hate speech ruling by the press ombudsman.

The Press Council's appeals panel has overturned a hate speech ruling made by press ombudsman, Johan Retief on a blog post published by The Huffington Post SA on 13 April 2017, entitled, Could it be time to deny white men the franchise?. The post argued that white men should be denied to vote in South Africa.

Pillay shared the news herself on social media with the following intro: "Breaking: My appeal against the HuffPost hate speech matter has succeeded. A full panel of the appeals panel set the highly problematic ruling aside. Massive thank you to my lawyer Ben Winks for arguing this pro bono (for free!) given his passion and commitment to justice and freedom of speech."

Breaking: My appeal in the hate speech ruling around the #HuffPost blog matter has succeeded. The appeals committee has set it aside. pic.twitter.com/dC3XTWfKSb  Verashni Pillay (@verashni) August 22, 2017

Judge Bernard Ngoepe, who heads the appeals panel says, "It could well be that the piece irritated or annoyed some people; but to classify it as a hate speech would be too huge a jump."

The Huffington Post removed the blog post in April after coming under fire for publishing it. Pillay resigned shortly thereafter when the press ombudsman found that the blog post published was discriminatory.
Iconic oral care brand Aquafresh has partnered up with one of South Africa's most loved, award-winning music duo, Mafikizolo, to celebrate the release of Aquafresh's Extreme Clean Lasting Fresh toothpaste in South Africa. This partnership celebrates this launch of the range by way of exclusively releasing the video to Mafikizolo's second single off their long-anticipated album due for release in September 2017. For the first three weeks of August, Aquafresh will be streaming the fresh new video toto South Africa and beyond on www.aquafreshmafikizolo.co.za

"This is an exciting venture which has not been done before in the oral care category in South Africa. We are taking toothpaste out of the confines of oral care into the wider territory of peoples lifestyles because concerns like fresh breath are not confined to the few minutes we brush our teeth. We all worry at a number of points in the day about fresh breath or clean teeth. So it made sense to celebrate this new toothpaste that ebbs worry with its promise of up to eight times longer-lasting fresh breath and a deeper clean, said Refilwe Ralefeta, Marketing Campaign Manager at Aquafresh.

Aquafresh officially launched the Extreme Clean Lasting Fresh toothpaste on 20 July 2017, with the range already in shelves at leading retailers countrywide. The toothpaste centres on freshness because it guarantees fresh breath eight times longer than an ordinary toothpaste, thanks to its formulation which includes zinc chloride coupled with special coolants. The zinc chloride deep cleans, destroys bacteria and neutralises bad breath, and with the special coolants, ensures that fresh breath lasts for longer.

"We looked around for personalities and brands that embody freshness, with a lasting legacy of excellence in their craft and Mafikizolo was perfect. It makes sense for us to celebrate fresh with them, theyve kept it fresh for over two decades and are still going. From their first hits like Majika and Lotto, through their illustrious career which has given us the likes of Ndihamba Nawe, Emlanjeni, Happiness, and the recent Kucheza, they have that genius that evolves and reinvents to stay fresh and relevant. That, coupled with the legacy of the brand that does-it-all-in-one is the epitome of a seamless fit, concluded Ralefeta.

Mafikizolos foray into collaborations with legendary artists from South Africa like Hugh Masekela, Uhuru, the late Busi Mhlongo, Zonke and Dorothy Masuku, and fresh talent from the rest of the continent like Jah Prayza from Zimbabwe, Vanessa Mdee from Tanzania, and Davido from Nigeria, speaks to that embodiment of freshness that aligns them with Aquafresh, and particularly, Aquafresh Extreme Clean Lasting Fresh toothpaste.

As artists, we are most critical of our own work, always pushing boundaries to stay fresh and relevant. Off the back of our tours around the African continent, Europe and in North America, we are working on the final touches for our upcoming album. This video we are launching with Aquafresh is part of that body of work and we cannot wait for South Africa to jam to it, said Nhlanhla Nciza and Theo Kgonsinkwe of Mafikizolo.

This year, we celebrate our two decades in the industry, and reinventing and evolving our sound and look has been key to keeping fresh. We have enjoyed and will continue to collaborate with fresh brands in fashion, music both locally and continent-wide, and with iconic brands like Aquafresh that have been around us for as long as we can remember, Nciza and Kgosinkwe concluded.

Aquafresh has been around for decades and at every turn, the brand has not steered away from its heritage of strong teeth, fresh breath and healthy gums. Being the brand that is synonymous with the iconic does-it-all-in-one mum jingle, Aquafresh will continue to lead with with celebrating freshness in oral care and beyond.

*Trademarks owned by or licensed to GSK group of companies.




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The Centre for Human Rights commended the High Court of South Africa's decision to require Jon Qwelane to apologise for hateful speech towards the LGBT community.

The judgement was handed out last week and the court has given Qwelane 30 days within to apologise.
Enjoy the first large-scale museum exhibition dedicated to tramp art since 1975. More than 150 examples of tramp art, concentrating on works from the United States, with additional international examples.

For Immediate Release: October 24, 2016 (Santa Fe, NM) The Museum of International Folk Art presents No Idle Hands: The Myths & Meanings of Tramp Art, the first large-scale museum exhibition dedicated to tramp art since 1975. The exhibition will present more than 150 examples of tramp art, concentrating on works from the United States, with additional examples from France, Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Canada, Mexico and Brazil to demonstrate the far reach this art form has had. Additionally, the show will analyze and dismantle the myths and misperceptions about tramp art, particularly as they relate to assumptions related to class, quality, and the anonymity of the makers.

Tramp art describes a particular type of chip-carved woodwork that was practiced in Europe and the United States between the 1870s and 1940s, making use of discarded cigar boxes or crates that were then notch-carved along the edges and layered. Objects made were primarily boxes and frames, but other household objects such as small private altars, crosses, medicine cabinets, wall pockets, clock cases, plant stands, and even furniture can be found.

"Tramp art's place in art history has been troublesome. It has had detractorspeople who regard it as 'the ugly duckling' of folk artbut also numerous champions," said Laura Addison, Curator of North American & European Folk Art at the Museum of International Folk Art, and the show's curator. "This exhibition will erase any doubts about the quality and craftsmanship of the work and situate tramp art as a practice at the crossroads of cultural transformation at the turn of the 20th century," she said. Addison also pointed out that by juxtaposing historic pieces with those by contemporary artists working in the tramp art style, the exhibition frames this art form as an ongoing tradition that continues to capture the public's imaginationmyths and all.

"The ingenious objects in the Tramp Art exhibition use recycled or repurposed wood, and highlight a moment in time a century ago when artisans, many of them immigrants to the US, created a new variety of folk art," said Khristaan D. Villela, Director of the Museum of International Folk Art. "They are a testament to the ability of untrained artists to produce objects of immense beauty and complexity," he said.

For many years, tramp art was believed to have been made by itinerants and hobos, thus its name. It has been demonstrated, however, that this belief, first put in print by Frances Lichten in a 1959 Pennsylvania Folklife article, is erroneous. Nonetheless, the name "tramp art" has remained the only terminology used for this practice, and the paucity of scholarly studies to dispel the mistaken notions about tramp art have allowed the myths to persist.

Whittling objects such as wood chains and ball-in-cage whimsies was a common pastime, including among railriding "hobos," and some examples of tramp art were likely by the hand of itinerant laborers or artisans. However, this style of carving was more commonly the practice of family men and blue-collar factory workers making functional domestic objects or gifts for the women in their lives. Efforts have been made in recent years to identify makers by name and unearth their biographies; these personal narratives illustrate a very different story of the makers of tramp art. As these makers and their stories come to light, it has become obvious that home and family are central to an understanding of the practice of tramp art.

No Idle Hands will present tramp art objects according to four primary areas: Introduction/historical context, home & nation, frames & boxes and devotional objects. Works in the exhibition will come from the Museum of International Folk Art permanent collection as well as loans from a number of private and museum collections across the country. An exhibition publication will accompany the exhibition, with essays by Laura Addison, Curator of North American & European Folk Art, Museum of International Folk Art; Leslie Umberger, a curator in the area of folk art and self-taught art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; and Eric Zafran, a retired curator of European art, most recently at the Wadsworth Atheneum.

The Museum of International Folk Art Museum Shop is located in the museum at 706 Camino Lejo (Museum Hill just off Old Santa Fe Trail). 505-982-5186.

MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART

The Museum of International Folk Art is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Museum of International Folk Art's mission is "to enrich the human spirit by connecting people with the arts, traditions and cultures of the world." Founded in 1953 by Florence Dibell Bartlett, the museum holds the world's largest international folk art collection of more than 150,000 objects from six continents and over 150 nations.

The museum's collections represent a broad range of global artists whose artistic expressions make Santa Fe an international crossroads of culture. For many visitors, fascination with folk art begins upon seeing the whimsical toys and traditional objects within the Girard Collection. For others, the international textiles, ceramics, carvings and other cultural treasures in the Neutrogena Collection provide the allure. The museum's historic and contemporary Latino and Hispano folk art collections, spanning the Spanish Colonial period to modern-day New Mexico, reflect how artists respond to their time and place in ways both delightful and sobering. In 2010, the museum opened the Mark Naylor and Dale Gunn Gallery of Conscience, where exhibitions encourage visitors to exchange ideas on complex issues of human rights and social justice.

Over 90,000 national and international visitors visit the Museum International Folk Art every year. Through folk art, the museum encourages all to find a common ground upon which to craft better lives for all.

Museum exhibitions and programs are supported by donors to the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and its Director's Leadership Fund, Exhibitions Development Fund, and Fund for Museum Education, as well as by the International Folk Art Foundation, also established by museum founder Florence Dibell Bartlett.
A company soliciting public backing for its rock quarry project received instead a deluge of fury and objections during a consultation held over this past weekend.

The Explosives Consultation and Application Myanmar Company held an initial public meeting with Kayin (Karen) State residents on August 19 to test the waters. About 300 residents attended the discussion with the ECA companys managing director at the Mee Zan Village monastery.

The company wants to build a gravel factory in Mee Zan Village, which will necessitate quarrying on Mee Zan Mountain.

The local residents overwhelmingly objected to the plan, citing previous projects that have gone awry with consequences for the villagers.

We have suffered from [rock quarrying carried out] by another company. We dont trust any company. They said they will do whatever we want, but theres no guarantee [they will follow our preference], said Saw Shar Phaw Htunt, a community elder. If we allow them to work here, we wont be allowed to go around the mountain. We rely on this mountain so we must protect it. We wont allow them [to do the project].

Chinese state-owned Wanbao Mining  a company involved in the controversial Letpadaung copper mines started a rock quarry on Mee Zan Mountain in 2011. The project was suspended in 2013 amid opposition from the public.

U Win Myint, an official from the ECA Myanmar Company, assured the local residents at the August 19 meeting that his company will not proceed without first obtaining public consent. He added that the planned project, if it the residents choose to greenlight it, could bring education, health and job opportunities to the area.

We will write up a contract [to meet] the publics demands. We will start work, with a license, only after we receive public approval. We wont work without an understanding, he said at the meeting.

We wont take over the entire mountain. We will try to fix it after the project ends. We will build parks, he added.

ECA Myanmar Company operates rock quarries in the Belu area of Kayin States Myawady township and runs a gravel production company in Shan States Tachileik township.
The push-back came after at least 500 Rohingya fled their villages in Myanmar's Rakhine state, crossing the border to take shelter in refugee camps and hills in Bangladesh's southeastern Cox's Bazar district.

A coastguard patrol boat found the boat on the Naf river, which acts as a border between Bangladesh and Myanmar, as it tried to enter Cox's Bazar early in the morning.

The refugees included women and children who said they were victims of violence, coast guard spokesman Sheikh Fakhr Uddin said quoting the escapees.

"We found two injured among 18 men, along with nine women and four children. But we had to send them back," Uddin told AFP.

"We have beefed up our patrol on the Naf as (Myanmar) army is gathering in the bordering villages, which may prompt them (Rohingya) to try coming to Bangladesh," Uddin said.

Dhaka estimates that nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees are living in squalid refugee camps and makeshift settlements in Cox's Bazar, which borders Rakhine.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine, who are seen as interlopers from Bangladesh, denied citizenship and access to basic rights.

But they are also increasingly unwelcome in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where police often blame them for crimes such as drug trafficking.

Dhaka has floated the idea of relocating tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees to a remote, flood-prone island off its coast, despite opposition from rights groups.
Tatmadaw soldiers are seen in the Taung Pauk area. (Photo  Facebook)

A Tatmadaw column is still present in territory controlled by the New Mon State Party (NMSP) even after a request that the troops be withdrawn was made last week when both sides attempted to defuse the military tensions, according to an official.

Around 200 troops from the Tatmadaws 283rd and 284th light infantry battalions and 28th and 32nd infantry battalions were reportedly deployed to Taung Pauk, Lai Ka Ni, and Wea Ka Lun villages, near the NMSPs Mawlamyine District area, earlier this month, with villagers reporting the presence of soldiers after Mon Revolution Day on August 7.

According to a member of the NMSP, Tatmadaw columns left Lai Ka Ni and Wae Ka Lun villages three days. The troops remain in place in Taung Pauk Village however.

A military column comprising around 30 troops still remains [in Taung Pauk Village]. There hasnt been any development, said the official from the NMSP.

A community elder from Taung Pauk Village told the Mon News Agency that the Tatmadaw has not visited these villages for two-and-a-half decades.

The area between Zami and Win Yaw rivers was called Taung Pauk 24 Village in the past. Now, there are around 30 Mon villages here. The military hasnt come here for 25 years. No fighting has broken out. But the villagers feel uneasy because they see the soldiers, said the community elder.

Under the ceasefire agreement signed between the military government and the NMSP in 1995, Inn Khwa Village near Taung Pauk Village serves as the headquarters of the Mon National Liberation Army's (MNLA) Battalion No 1. This agreement was reaffirmed in state and Union-level ceasefire agreements signed by former president U Thein Sein in 2012.

A NMSP delegation, led by vice chair Nai Hong Sar, met with the Tatmadaws Bureau of Special Operations 4 in Ye township on August 16 to discuss the military columns, and to request that they be withdrawn.
The junta forces are said to have burned down the homes of local people in a clash with the Peoples Defense Forces in Tanintharyi Regions Palaw...
The UK Government has insisted there is no possibility of remaining within a customs union post-Brexit.

Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire said that to do so would prevent the UK from negotiating international trade deals.

However, he told businesses across the island of Ireland that there would be a period of implementation where the UK would adhere closely to the existing customs union.

Speaking following a meeting with the Irish and British Chamber of Commerce in Dublin today Mr Brokenshire said businesses had voiced their "desire for certainty, not wanting to see cliff edges, sudden shifts."

"We think it is important there is an implementaion period where the UK would adhere closely to the existing customs union," said Mr Brokenshire.

"But ultimately it is about the UK being able to negotiate international trade deals. We want to harness those freedoms. If we were to remain in the customs union that would prevent us from doing so.

"We are leaving the EU, customs union and single market. We have set out options as to how we can achieve that frictionless trade," he added.

Mr Brokenshire said he had also reassured business leaders during the meeting of the UK's intent to ensure there will be no return to a hard border across the island of Ireland.

He has also scheduled meetings in Dublin with the Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.

Minister Flanagan and the Secretary of State took the opportunity to discuss the ongoing security threat on the island of Ireland from paramilitary groups opposed to peace.

Mr Flanagan said: "Paramilitary groups opposed to peace remain the greatest security threat on the island of Ireland. The Gardai and the PSNI continue to work together effectively to tackle these groups and their associated criminality.

"The Fresh Start Agreement has a particular emphasis on tackling paramilitarism and breaking the stranglehold of terrorists and thugs on vulnerable communities.

"As Minister for Justice and Equality I am fully committed to doing everything I can to counter these threats and protect our Peace Process."
Europes largest tech event Web Summit today announced plans to increase its workforce by an additional 40 employees over the next six months.

The company, who have made over 40 hires over the past three months, are looking to hire across a range of roles from engineering to sales over the next six months for their Dublin HQ and new roles in San Francisco and Hong Kong. These roles are in addition to their office in Lisbon.

News of this expansion comes as they announce new political headliners to their roster of speakers for Web Summit 2017. Today the company confirm that Francois Hollande, Al Gore and Margrethe Vestager will all take to the stage in November.

Paddy Cosgrave, CEO of Web Summit, also confirmed today that Web Summit will be giving away 50 tickets to every secondary school in Ireland so that the entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow get the opportunity to hear from and learn from these world class speakers.

Paddy Cosgrave, CEO, Web Summit, said: "Three months ago we announced a recruitment drive for 40 positions. We filled these positions and a further five roles.

"Today we are announcing that we will fill another 40 positions over the next six months both in Dublin and new roles in San Francisco and Hong Kong.

"This is an exciting new chapter in Web Summit where we have scaled rapidly.

"Whilst we can no longer claim to be startup we have kept the disruptive spirit that has helped us grow so quickly. As we continue to grow our events with an incredible roster of world figures such as Francois Hollande and Al Gore and the heads of big tech companies including Intel, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Facebook, we think its essential we play our part in supporting the leaders of tomorrow.

"We will give away 50 tickets to every secondary school in Ireland so they can experience Web Summit and learn from our amazing speakers.
An Irish barman whose poitin cocktails are a hit at parties swapped it for tequila in Mexico as he bids to be crowned a world champion with the shaker.

Andy Ferreira, 40, is normally gearing up for blackberry-foraging at this time of year to supply his Cask cocktail bar in Cork.

But this week Ireland's leading barman deserted the harvest season for the heat and colour of Latin America during the World Class competition in Mexico City.

He said: "I feel passionate about nature, I feel passionate about using local suppliers and rather than just saying those things we are trying to work that ethos into our drinks and cocktails."

The pub owner has worked in India and Indonesia, the style of drinks-making there influencing his own cosmopolitan creations.

In a nod to the deepening relationship between food and drink, he took up a saucepan as he caramelised fruit into syrup in front of expert judges in Mexico.

The businessman organises pop-up bars at weddings and other events in Ireland as another sideline in his relationship with cocktails.

Among the successful themes he has pursued in the past was recreating the illicit shebeen atmosphere of years gone by with cocktails inspired by poitin.

He started organising small events with his wife in 2009 and his business has grown to the extent that he was crowned Ireland's finest bartender in a heat for this week's global tournament in Mexico.

A typical day at home could involve foraging in the abundant gorse or picking blackberries.

He takes the family picking fruit at nearby Ballymaloe, home of the famed cookery school, as he searches for sustainable ingredients.

He said: "This is a subject really close to my heart."

The bartending expert launched an initiative where customers at Cask will be given bracelets with lemon basil seeds in them, to be planted, to get people involved in the sustainability movement.

Matt Preston, a judge from London at World Class this week, rates food on the Australian version of Masterchef and said there were strong links between cooking and cocktail-making.

He said: "I spent three weeks in Japan this year.

"That sushi chef precision and the balletic ability of a great sushi chef using the knife, forming the rice, brushing on some reduced soy or mustard, how they dab the wasabi on the rice or the mustard on a fish.

"It is very similar to when you are watching a great cocktail waiter in terms of stirring the drink and how he uses all those bar accoutrements.

"There is a kind of a beauty to it that you maybe don't get if you go to the local food joint with their mound of melting cheese on the burger to put in their brioche bun."
The High Court has rejected an appeal against a 280m power line between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

The North-South Electricity Interconnector will see EirGrid build 400 pylons between Meath and Tyrone.

Supporters say it is vital for Ireland's energy market, while those opposed to it say it will have negative environmental and health impacts.

The appeal was taken by the North East Pylon Pressure campaign against An Bord Pleanala's decision to give it the green light.

Spokesperson Pauric O'Reilly says he is disappointed but not surprised.

He said: "We understand the need for it, we support the need for it, but from the very outset - which is 10 years ago now - we put a lot of money and effort into looking into an underground option along public roads.

"This would obviously eliminate all the issues that people have in relation to health concerns."

EirGrid welcomed the decision, their director of grid development and interconnection, John Fitzgerald, said: "The North South Interconnector is undoubtedly the most important infrastructure scheme on the island today and will help deliver very real benefits to domestic and commercial customers.

"We look forward to moving on to the next stage of the project, in particular engaging with landowners in Meath, Cavan and Monaghan who are directly affected by it."

When Eirgrid submitted the plans to An Bord Pleanala, more than 900 objections were lodged.

Landowners and residents raised numerous concerns about the project during a 12-week oral hearing into the development in 2016.
A man has been arrested over the murder of a father in front of his three-year-old son in the North.

The PSNI said the 46-year-old was detained in the Belfast area in connection with the shooting of 35-year-old Colin Horner on Sunday May 28 outside a supermarket in Bangor, Co Down.
The Irish government has warned UK authorities it will not be used as a "pawn" in Brexit negotiations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said he does not want the issue of the Irish border to be used by the UK government as a tool to pressurise the EU for broader trade agreements.

Mr Coveney also said that sufficient progress on the future of the Irish border has not been made during Brexit talks.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire in Dublin today Mr Coveney said: "We do not want the Irish issue, the border issue, to be used as a pawn to try to pressurise for broader trade agreements."

He added: "Sufficient progress (on the issues facing the island of Ireland post-Brexit) hasn't been made to date."

He warned that in order for Brexit negotiations to move onto the next phase "measurable and real progress" is needed.

Before the meeting Mr Brokenshire insisted there was no possibility of the UK staying within a customs union post Brexit.

He said that to do so would prevent the UK from negotiating international trade deals.

However, following a meeting with the Irish and British Chamber of Commerce he said there would be a period of implementation where the UK would adhere closely to the existing customs union.

"We think it is important there is an implementation period where the UK would adhere closely to the existing customs union," said Mr Brokenshire.

"But ultimately it is about the UK being able to negotiate international trade deals. We want to harness those freedoms. If we were to remain in the customs union that would prevent us from doing so.

"We are leaving EU, customs union and single market. We have set out options as to how we can achieve that frictionless trade," he added.

However, Mr Coveney said the Irish Government believes the best way to progress "the complexity of Britain leaving the European Union is for Britain to remain very close to the single market and effectively to remain part of the customs union."

He added: "That would certainly make the issues on the island of Ireland an awful lot easier to manage.

"But of course the British Government's stated position is not in agreement with that but that doesn't mean we won't continue to advocate for that.

"In the absence of that it is up to the British government to come up with flexible and imaginative solutions to actually try to deal with the specific island of Ireland issues."
Three out of four third-level students expect to find work in Ireland when they finish their course, according to a new survey.

A similar survey at the height of the recession in 2011 found that around half of that proportion of respondents expected to stay at home .

The poll by the Irish League of Credit Unions also found that two thirds are looking forward to a bright future in Ireland, compared to just 21% in 2011.

Emmet Oliver from the ILCU says the prospects for people starting third level are hugely improved.

"Now what they're looking at is having the choice and most of them are deciding that they're going to stay at home, they feel that there are jobs, the kind of jobs they want, and the jobs that relate to the course they're going to be undertaking at third level,

"So there's been a complete and utter chagearound there."

Almost a quarter of students are skipping lectures to keep up part time jobs during college.

The survey also shows that money pressures are having a negative impact on two thirds of students, however.

The study found students are fitting in an average 21-hour working week along with their studies.
A town in Co Galway has become embroiled in an American human rights row.

A number of residents in Tuam want to tear down a memorial to Major Dick Dowling, a local famine emigrant who fought for the Confederates in the American Civil War.

A bad picture of a plaque to a Confederate soldier from Tuam, Richard Dowling. I'll try & get a better one soon chaps pic.twitter.com/5yS1V9yhgr  John Jeremiah Cronin (@thatcroninguy) December 27, 2013

The bar of the Ard Ri House Hotel in the town is also named after him.

A decision to take down similar tributes in the US has provoked protests which occurred before the recent riots in Charlottesville, Virginia.

But local Independent Councillor Shaun Cunniffe thinks it is time for the Major's plaque to come down.

"It was put up in 1998," he said.

"The focus at the time from the Tuam Town Council was really on the enormous effect that this guy had, Dick Dowling, in Houston [Texas] - there was streets named after him, parks named after him.

"Unfortunately, I think they overlooked the fact that he was on the side of the American Civil War that wanted to uphold slavery."
Afghanistan's government has applauded US president Donald Trump's strategy, praising its focus on needs and conditions instead of timelines.

Hamdullah Mohib, the country's ambassador to the US, called the president's speech "10 out of 10", saying his country heard "exactly what we needed to".

Mr Mohib said critics of the speech for failing to disclose troop numbers were misguided and their emphasis on numbers detracted from the "real focus" on conditions and support needed for Afghanistan to succeed and achieve peace.

The ambassador also praised Mr Trump for "breaking the silence" about Pakistan's sheltering of what he calls terrorists, after the president stressed the need for Pakistan to stop harbouring the Taliban.

Mr Mohib said Afghanistan had made progress and was committed to pursuing reforms to show it merited continuing help from the US.

US senator John McCain also praised Mr Trump's strategy for Afghanistan and said the president needed to start conducting himself as a "wartime commander in chief".

The Arizona Republican said while the plan was long overdue, it moved the United States well past the Obama administration's "failed strategy of merely postponing defeat" in Afghanistan.

Mr McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged Mr Trump to speak regularly "to the American people, and to those waging this war on their behalf, about why we are fighting, why the additional sacrifices are worth it, and how we will succeed".

He said his committee would hold a hearing on Mr Trump's Afghanistan strategy in September.

But Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, criticised the Trump speech as too vague.

He said the plan was late in coming and "short on the details our troops and the American people deserve".

Mr Reed said defence secretary Jim Mattis said two months ago that there was no strategy for Afghanistan.

He said Mr Trump's repeated delays and mixed messages about the commitment to Afghanistan harmed American credibility with the country's leaders and members of the US-led coalition.

Mr Reed said Mr Trump needed to use US diplomacy more than he had so far, but added that the president's State Department was understaffed and facing steep budget cuts as part of plan to boost US military spending.

Breitbart News called the speech a reversal, saying the president was defending his "flip-flop".

The conservative news site referred to the conflict as an "unlimited war".

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon resumed his role of executive chairman of the website on Friday after leaving the White House.

Breitbart refers to Mr Trump's plan for Afghanistan as "tweaks around the edges of the current strategy instead of a different approach".

The website said the speech was a "disappointment" to those who had called for an end to foreign intervention and nation-building.

The top US general in Afghanistan says Mr Trump's "new approach" to Afghanistan would deny the Taliban a military victory.

John Nicholson called on the Taliban to "renounce violence and reconcile" and said Mr Trump's new policy promised the Afghan government that the US commitment was "strong and enduring".

Meanwhile a Taliban spokesman dismissed Mr Trump's remarks as "old" and "unclear".

Zabiullah Mujahid said "the whole speech was old" and added that the Taliban would come out with a more detailed response later.

Last week the Taliban issued a 1,600-word open letter to Mr Trump warning against a troop surge, saying it would prolong what is already the United States' longest war.

The Taliban has also said it is not ready for any peace talks, at least not until the US and Nato give a timescale for withdrawal - something Mr Trump says will not happen.
President Donald Trump's plan to end the stalemate in Afghanistan and eliminate the rising extremist threat involves sending up to 3,900 additional US forces, senior officials said.

The first deployments could take place within days.

In a national address on Monday night, Mr Trump reversed his past calls for a speedy exit and recommitted the US to the 16-year conflict, saying troops must "fight to win".

He warned against the mistakes made in Iraq, where an American military withdrawal led to a vacuum that the Islamic State group quickly filled.

Mr Trump would not confirm how many more service members he plans to send to Afghanistan, which may be the public's most pressing question about his strategy.

In interviews with television networks on Tuesday, vice president Mike Pence similarly would not give any clear answer. Instead, he cited Pentagon plans from June calling for 3,900 more troops.

"The troop levels are significant, and we'll listen to our military commanders about that," Mr Pence said. "And the president will make that decision in the days ahead."

US officials said there was no fixed number, but they said the Pentagon has told Mr Trump it needs that many fresh forces in addition to the roughly 8,400 Americans in the country to accomplish Mr Trump's objectives of "obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaida, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge".

The 3,900 figure includes a combination of trainers, security forces and other support troops, according to the officials.

Defence secretary Jim Mattis also declined to confirm an exact number on Tuesday, saying he was waiting for more input from General Joseph Dunford, America's top military official.

Mr Mattis said he will "reorganise" some US troops in Afghanistan to reflect the new strategy.

The top US commander for the Middle East said he expects the first reinforcements to arrive "pretty quickly", within days or weeks.

"What's most important for us now is to get some capabilities in to have an impact on the current fighting season," Gen Joseph Votel, who spent last weekend in Afghanistan, told reporters travelling with him to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Before he was a presidential candidate, Mr Trump ardently argued for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan and called the war a massive waste of US "blood and treasure". On Monday, he suggested an open-ended commitment rather than a "time-based" approach.

"Conditions on the ground - not arbitrary timetables - will guide our strategy from now on," Mr Trump said.

At its peak involvement in 2010-2011, the US had roughly 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama then started bringing them home, drawing criticism for the advance timetables he provided for his planned drawdown and ultimate withdrawal of forces.

Mr Trump was among those who argued that Mr Obama was aiding the enemy by telegraphing US intentions.

On Monday, Mr Trump said he would not discuss troop numbers, military tactics or timetables.

"America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out," he said.

While such reticence may have a military rationale, the American public may insist that it has a right to know how many of its citizens are waging a war overseas in its name.

The administration invariably will have to provide updates to Congress, which pays the military's bills, and to key US allies, whose troop contributions it seeks, on the changing level of American manpower in Afghanistan.

Mr Obama reversed himself on withdrawing from Afghanistan as security worsened. Taliban militants have made gains across the country, and the fractious Afghan government currently controls about half the country.

Afghanistan's US-backed government welcomed Mr Trump's strategy, with President Ashraf Ghani saying it will help stabilise the region.

Allies responded positively, too.

Germany, which contributes 950 troops in northern Afghanistan, approved the US readiness for a "long-term commitment" and agreed the military's continued deployment should be "linked to the conditions on the ground".

Mr Trump offered few specifics of how his strategy would be implemented. He did not say how the US would get Pakistan to crack down on militant sanctuaries on its soil - long a point of contention that has led Washington to restrict aid to the country.

Insisting that the US was intent on "killing terrorists" rather than "nation building", Mr Trump gave little indication of how the US would use other instruments of American power to end the conflict.

Secretary of state Rex Tillerson said that after an effective military effort, a political settlement including some Taliban might be possible, echoing language of the Obama years. He said the US would support peace talks with the Taliban "without preconditions".

AP
A Catholic priest who was a "wizard" in the Ku Klux Klan before becoming a clergyman has urged white supremacists to turn their back on hate by revealing his own personal journey from extremism.

While Father William Aitcheson's racist past was a matter of public record, it was not widely known in the Virginia diocese of Arlington, until this week.

Prompted by images of violence during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Fr Aitcheson described his transformation in a column published on Monday in The Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocesan newspaper, and urged white supremacists to repent.

"While I firmly believe God forgave me, as he forgives anyone who repents and asks for forgiveness, forgetting what I did would be a mistake," wrote Fr Aitcheson, who is taking a leave of absence from active ministry.

"My actions were despicable.

"When I think back on burning crosses, a threatening letter, and so on, I feel as though I am speaking of somebody else."

Fr Aitcheson, 62, said 40 years have passed since he was in the Klan, but the violence he saw last week compelled him to describe his journey.

The diocese noted Fr Aitcheson "voluntarily asked to temporarily step away from public ministry, for the well being of the Church and parish community".

In a statement, Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge called Fr Aitcheson's past with the Klan troubling, but said he hopes his story of transformation will help others.

"I pray that in our current political and social climate his message will reach those who support hate and division, and inspire them to a conversion of heart," Bishop Burbidge wrote.

Fr Aitcheson was ordained as a priest in 1988 by the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas, and has been assigned to the Arlington Diocese since 1993, most recently serving as parochial vicar, an assistant pastor, at St Leo the Great in Fairfax.

In his article, Fr Aitcheson wrote that his membership in the Klan is public information, but rarely comes up.

Indeed, the then Mr Aitcheson was convicted on criminal charges in 1977 after the cross-burnings, one of which drew a response from President Ronald Reagan years later.

Articles show Mr Aitcheson was arrested in 1977, when, as a student at the University of Maryland, authorities identified him as the "wizard" of a 12-member KKK lodge.

He was charged in state and federal court with multiple cross-burnings, and a threat to kill Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.

He was convicted and sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Five years later, a judge ordered Mr Aitcheson to pay $23,000 in damages to Philip and Barbara Butler, who were victimised by one of Mr Aitcheson's cross-burnings after they moved into a mostly white neighbourhood in College Park, Maryland.

A 1982 file photo of then US President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan with the Butler family on their front porch at their home in College Park, Maryland.

That prompted the visit from Mr Reagan, who sought to reassure the Butlers that the racist attack was not representative of most Americans' views.

Diocese spokesman Billy Atwell said on Tuesday the diocese knew about Fr Aitcheson's past with the Klan when he arrived in 1993, but "just learned this weekend about the civil suit from 40 years ago and will be working with Fr Aitcheson to ensure he meets all of his legal and moral obligations to make restitution".

The diocese said Fr Aitcheson was declining interview requests.

Mr Atwell said the diocese is confident Fr Aitcheson's change of heart all those years ago was sincere, "evidenced, in part, by the fact that we have had no accusation of racism while ministering".

In his column, Fr Aitcheson urges white supremacists to take a different path and seek forgiveness.

"You will find no fulfilment in this ideology," he wrote.

"Your hate will never be satisfied and your anger will never subside."

AP
A 77-year-old woman in England suffered a heart attack after a burglar pushed her to the floor and kicked her before he fled.

The raider posed as a furniture collector as he called at the pensioner's address in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and then forced his way inside.

His victim is recovering in hospital from her ordeal in which she also needed treatment for bruising to her arm, elbow and ribs.

Police are appealing for information about the aggravated burglary in Sedgemoor Way, shortly before 5.45pm on Friday August 18, in which the woman's handbag containing cash, bank cards and personal items was taken.

Detective Constable Zahir Hussain, from Oldham CID, said: "This was a cruel and completely unnecessary attack that has left an innocent elderly woman in hospital.

"Our thoughts remain with her and her family as she recovers from this ordeal.

"I would like to ask that anybody who thinks they may know something that can assist with our investigation to please contact police.

"Similarly if you saw anyone in the area around the time of the robbery that matches the description of the offender, please get in touch."

The offender is described as white, aged in his 50s or 60s, 5ft 2in, of slim build and with black and grey scruffy hair.

He was wearing dark grey pants with a dark coloured zip-up jacket and dirty black shoes.

Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting incident number 1645 of 18 August 2017, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Maggie Taylor constructs photomontages to create a dreamlike world inhabited by everyday objects. Runs through 9/9.

Opening & Artist Reception

Friday July 7, 57pm

On View: July 7  September 9, 2017

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

photo-eye Gallery is thrilled to announce Maggie Taylor: A tale begun in other days an exhibition of color photomontages from our newest represented artist Maggie Taylor opening Friday July 7th and continuing through September 2nd, 2017. An Opening and Artist Reception will take place on Friday, July 7th from 5  7 PM.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Maggie Taylor constructs what she terms dreamlike worlds inhabited by everyday objects. An early adopter, Maggie Taylor has been utilizing digital technology to build her evocative and elaborate photomontages for more than 20 years. These whimsical narratives often begin as pastel background drawings with additional components such as 19th Century photographs, drawings, vintage toys, seashells, feathers, and taxidermy scanned and meticulously arranged over time to complete the scene. Working instinctively, Taylor crafts a surreal alternate reality rife with curious peculiarities and rich in symbolism.

"I work very spontaneously and intuitively, trying to come up with images that have a resonance and a somewhat mysterious narrative content. There is no one meaning for any of the images, rather they exist as a kind of visual riddle or open-ended poem, meant to be both playful and provocative. "  Maggie Taylor

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Maggie Taylor is an artist who lives amid the Spanish moss and live oaks at the edge of a small swamp on the outskirts of Gainesville, Florida. Taylors photomontages have been widely exhibited and have been collected by many museums including the following: The Center for Creative Photography, Tucson; The George Eastman House, Rochester; Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans; The Art Museum, Princeton University; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland; and The Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University among others. Maggie Taylor's work is also featured in the following publications: Adobe Photoshop Master Class: Maggie Taylor's Landscape of Dreams, Peachpit Press; Solutions Beginning with A, Modernbook Editions; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Modernbook Editions; Album, Edizioni Si; and No Ordinary Days, University Press of Florida.

For more information please contact Anne Kelly - anne@photoeye.com | 505-988-5152 x202
Banks are on a collision course with powerful shareholders over Treasurer Scott Morrison's plan to give the prudential regulator stronger powers to intervene in senior bankers' multimillion-dollar pay packets.

As part of the May budget, Mr Morrison unveiled the banking executive accountability regime (BEAR), which will grant significant new powers to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to influence how top bankers are paid.

The regime includes a requirement that between 40 and 60 per cent of very senior bank executives' bonuses be deferred for at least four years; APRA will be able to "review and adjust" remuneration policies in response to "inappropriate outcomes"; and it could have senior bankers disqualified.

In submissions to the federal Treasury, ANZ, National Australia Bank and Westpac raised concerns about certain aspects of the new regime for banker pay  which is currently set by boards, albeit within broad APRA guidelines.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

If you're not one for conspiracy theories, you won't see anything untoward in the fact that Spotless chief executive, Martin Sheppard, stepped down with immediate effect on Tuesday  just two days before the rather spotty cleaning services group delivers what should be its last full-year result as a listed company.

Former Spotless CEO Martin Sheppard, who stepped down on Tuesday. Credit:Wayne Taylor

With Grant Fenn's Downer EDI all but in control of Spotless, there isn't much reason to hang around, but given its history of profit downgrade disasters you wouldn't bet against some surprises.

Spotless says there won't even be a market briefing with the results release. The market is expected to be focused on the Downer EDI mothership, which reports its results next Tuesday.
A budding price war in the IVF sector has led to lower treatment prices at one of Australia's largest providers but costs for consumers could still go lower, according to one of the industry's pioneers.

Two of Australia's largest IVF providers  Virtus Health and Monash IVF  have this week reported sluggish earnings as fewer Australians seek reproductive assistance and as they battle increasing competition from a low-cost operator, Primary Health Care.

Virtus Health CEO Sue Channon says the company's fertility specialists are a point of difference to other operators in the low-cost market. Credit:Peter Braig

Virtus shares tumbled as much as 7.5 per cent on Tuesday after the group missed analyst forecasts by posting a 14.6 per cent fall in net profit to $28.1 million. On Monday, Monash IVF's shares dived 8.7 per cent on its results and lacklustre 2018 outlook.

Virtus shares closed down 3.2 per cent at $5.48.
Malcolm Turnbull remarked recently that Australia and the United States remain joined at the hip in matters of defence.

This could be taken as a statement of his government's avowedly pro-Washington political disposition; a template for future strategic policy decisions; or, perhaps as a pragmatic piece of relationship strengthening, given that Australia derives more from the US alliance than America gets in return.

US President Donald Trump announces his strategy on Afghanistan. Credit:AP

Considering a North Korean attack, for example, Australia would enjoy the immediate retaliatory power of the world's largest and most lethal war machine. The deterrent factor of this alone is incalculable.

In truth, Mr Turnbull's observation probably combined all three elements above.
If you want to set western Sydney back 20 years, if you want to turn the Canterbury-Bankstown region into the Cabramatta of the 90s, support welfare drug testing.

There is a reason Australia has the second best health system in the developed world, while a country like the USA languishes last. It's the same reason we are the second richest nation in the world  we take care of our own.

The USA has a highly flawed health system that sees it lag behind comparable countries in life expectancy and disease burden, and when we consider the American health system locks out so many  particularly the disadvantaged and marginalised  from adequate health coverage and insurance, we understand why.

The poor in the US are disadvantaged even further with drug testing. It prevents them from accessing some of the most basic services, including food stamps, even though evidence shows they don't use drugs at substantially higher rates than other demographics
Lawyer Robert Richter outside court in September last year. Credit:Jason South The 25-page white paper contained an extract from a secret statutory declaration made by Vass a week earlier in which she admitted to being on the yacht the night Chappell disappeared. Along with other information detailed in the white paper, Richter believed Hodgman would be forced to consider an independent inquiry. The yacht Four Winds was moored off Hobart in 2009. Despite years of intense media scrutiny of the case, the contents of the white paper have been a tightly held secret. Richter requested that Hodgman and the others in the room  Tasmania's acting attorney-general Matthew Groom and the solicitor-general Michael O'Farrell SC  not pass it to the Tasmanian police.

Hodgman and Groom declined to read the white paper but agreed that O'Farrell should review it. Richter flew back to Melbourne and waited for a reaction. Sue Neill-Fraser and Bob Chappell. It came this month, although not in the manner Richter expected. Witnesses named in the white paper who helped compile or corroborate aspects of Vass's statement  her associate Karen Keefe, a lawyer Jeff Thompson, and another man who must remain anonymous, Witness X  have all been arrested by Tasmanian police and charged with perverting the course of justice. Former police officer Colin McLaren. Credit:Jason South

The police allege they have concocted or coerced evidence to clear Neill-Fraser and support Vass's statutory declaration. The arrests have plunged the small state's criminal justice system into the spotlight and led to claim and counterclaim of cover-ups and witness intimidation. Sue Neill-Fraser on Australia Day 2009. A compelling case The possibility of strong-arm tactics by the police were flagged in the white paper given to Hodgman in May.

Witness X is recorded in the white paper as claiming he had been visited in jail by detectives and warned he may be charged if he co-operated with Neill-Fraser's legal team. But police insist they have acted appropriately, accusing Neill-Fraser's supporters of dirty or illegal tactics. The case that sent Neill-Fraser to jail was circumstantial but compelling, due largely to a series of jarring lies she told police about her activities at the time of Chappell's disappearance. Neill-Fraser has continued to protest her innocence, dividing the Tasmanian community and the mainland media. Her supporters have paid for a billboard in Hobart promising a $40,000 reward for "true facts leading to the release of Sue Neill-Fraser". The confidential dossier presented to Hodgman outlined evidence that could do just that.

Meaghan Vass' DNA was found on the Four Winds yacht. Credit:Facebook In her signed statutory declaration, Meaghan Vass  who in 2009 was a homeless 15-year-old who hung out with criminals  answers a question that for years confounded police, prosecutors and defence lawyers; how did her DNA get on the deck of the Four Winds? Vass testified at the original murder trial that she had never set foot on the yacht and had nothing to do with the events of January 26, 2009. Police suggested that her DNA may have arrived via secondary transfer: on the boot of a police officer or crime scene examiner. But in her brief statutory declaration, signed on April 27, Vass says she was on the yacht on the night in question.

The white paper and the statement by Vass, now 23 and still enmeshed in Tasmania's criminal underworld, have never before been made public, but both have been sighted by Fairfax Media. Vass seeks an indemnity from prosecution and states that she "was on the Four Winds yacht on the night of Australia Day 2009 with other people". She also states that she is "scared", that "nobody understands my grief" and that "Sue Neill-Fraser was not on the yacht". The contents of the white paper also make clear that Vass is a difficult, unreliable witness. If Neill-Fraser and Chappell are representative of those with means in Tasmania, Vass is a small cog in the state's underbelly, a seedy milieu of substance-abusing criminals.

Vass was tracked down in Tasmania by a former Victorian senior sergeant, Colin McLaren, who also attended the meeting with the premier. Both McLaren and Richter are working on the Neill-Fraser case pro bono. As an undercover operative, McLaren famously infiltrated Australia's most powerful Calabrian mafia cell in the 1990s. To convince Vass to talk, McLaren had to deal with an outlaw bikie club, the Devil's Henchmen. Depending on who you ask, Vass has gone into hiding in the club, protected by its president and her boyfriend, "Sharkie". Others suggest the club may be less a sanctuary for Vass than it seems. The white paper, which was compiled by McLaren for Richter, details a phone conversation in January between McLaren, Vass and a female "hanger on" of the Devil's Henchmen, Karen Keefe.

Keefe facilitated contact between McLaren and Vass after meeting Neill-Fraser in Risdon prison. "What do I say," Vass asks Keefe, according to McLaren's record of the conversation in the white paper. "Tell them what you said to me," Keefe tells Vass. "I was on the yacht with [two criminals]," Vass replies. "And?" Keefe prompts.

"And there was a fight?" Vass states. In an earlier conversation facilitated by Keefe, Vass told McLaren about attending a party with two criminals on a yacht moored near the Four Winds. "We were there on the yacht partying. I can't remember but I have to think about it," Vass purportedly said, before claiming the trio had used a dinghy to board the Four Winds. "There was a fight on the other yacht  the old guy's yacht," Vass told McLaren, according to the white paper. The white paper also includes extracts from statements Keefe and Witness X (who can't be named as he is facing trial for other charges).

They partly corroborate the theory that Vass was on, or in the vicinity of, the Four Winds and in the company of at least one violent criminal, on the night of the murder. Witness X, who has never met Keefe or Neill-Fraser, claims he saw Vass on the night of the 26th in the company of a man called "Sam" near the beach where the Four Winds was docked. The pair "discussed breaking into yachts". Vass and Keefe have also been video recorded discussing elements of the case. These recordings were organised by Eve Ash, who accompanied Richter and McLaren to the meeting with Hodgman. Ash is a film-maker, and a friend and campaigner for Neill-Fraser. She is making a documentary about the case with leading Australian television production firm CJZ and has filmed Vass in a hotel room.

On this video recording, an agitated and seemingly scared Vass refuses to talk about the night of the 26th, but says that she thinks about Neill-Fraser "every day". Independent inquiry Despite their obvious credibility problems and the fact their statements have not been verified in any forensic setting, Vass, Witness X and Keefe's comments, combined with the fact of Vass's DNA on the deck of the Four Winds, were enough for Richter to urge the Premier to commission an independent inquiry. Such an inquiry could have the ability to compel witnesses, including Vass, to testify about what they knew about the case. It could also examine allegations made by Witness X that he was told by detectives he would be charged with historic offences if he co-operated with Neill-Fraser's legal team.

While Richter's team also hopes the evidence in the white paper may form the foundation of Neill-Fraser's last-ditch legal appeal in the Supreme Court (the appeal has been adjourned indefinitely but could be held as early as October), an inquiry would be able to find and test the white paper evidence in a manner unconstrained by court procedure. The Tasmanian police, though, had other ideas. At the start of August, Keefe was charged by Hobart detectives with perverting the course of justice over allegations she had been offered an inducement by an unnamed party to lie about Vass and compel the younger woman to testify falsely in Neill-Fraser's appeal. Keefe is accused of agreeing to receive $3000 in cash, a $40,000 reward and a further $50,000 in the form of an "education fund" for herself and her children. Tasmanian detective Shane Sinnitt, who played a lead role in the original Neill-Fraser investigation, also helped police charge Tasmanian solicitor Jeff Thompson, who is working with McLaren on the case.

Thompson's charges stem from a visit he paid to Witness X in jail as he sought to confirm Witness X's claim he had spoken with Vass and her male companion, "Sam," on the night of January 26, 2009. Under the glare of prison security cameras and guards, Thompson showed Witness X a photoboard created by McLaren and depicting Sam and seven men who resemble him. In charging Thompson, Detective Sinnitt accuses the solicitor of "influencing" Witness X to select the photo of Sam. Back in 2010, Sinnitt unsuccessfully sought to confirm Vass' whereabouts on the the night of the January 26. Sinnitt's own files reveal he was told in 2010 by a witness that Vass had failed to return to her usual accommodation that night and may have been in the company of a man called "Sam."

(In a statement, Tasmania Police say Sinnitt was "seconded" to the team investigating the allegations against Thompson and Keefe "to utilise his detailed knowledge of the evidence gathered in the [original] murder investigation"). Tasmania Police also charged Witness X with perverting the course of justice in connection to his claims about the Neill-Fraser case. After charging Thompson, Keefe and Witness X, Tasmanian detectives contacted television production company CJZ, demanding last week that it hand over the video recordings of Keefe, Vas and McLaren. Series of arrests The police activity in the past month suggests the potential evidence Richter hoped would prompt Hodgman into action has instead been used by Tasmanian detectives to make a series of arrests.

According to a source working with Richter, rather than being used to outline a case to clear Neill-Fraser, the contents of the white paper has instead been used to demolish it. In a statement, Assistant Commissioner Glenn Frame says a "complex investigation" that began in February led to the charging of "three people who we allege intended to fabricate evidence in support of the Supreme Court appeal of Susan Neill-Fraser". Frame also indicates "the material contained in the white paper" is central to the charges against Witness X, Keefe and Thompson. But because "the matters are before the court," Frame says he can't provide further details. Frame does, however, flag "the possibility of further charges." Both Colin McLaren and Eve Ash have told friends they anticipate being raided or arrested.

Assistant Commissioner Frame also says that the white paper has not been provided by Sue Neill-Fraser's legal team "directly" to Tasmania Police but that a team of detectives with no connection to the original murder probe have investigated "material provided to the DPP." That material is Vass' statutory declaration. Privately, police insist that the white paper is largely debunked by earlier police investigations. The two criminals (including Sam) named as Vass' associates and possible murder suspects have previously been interviewed, with police finding no evidence to tie them to any foul play. But the fight over the white paper may only be starting.
Maverick Queensland Labor MP Jo-Ann Miller has claimed her party ignored allegations of corruption against former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale, drawing comparisons between her government and the corrupt Bjelke-Petersen era.

In State Parliament on Tuesday night, Ms Miller said she repeatedly called out alleged corruption in Ipswich, including raising it multiple times with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

MP Jo-Ann Miller claims the premier ignored corruption allegations. Credit:Chris Hyde

"The Deputy Premier, (Jackie Trad), also knew of my concerns, as did other ministers," she said, under parliamentary privilege.

"The State Secretary, Evan Moorhead, and the State President, Dick Williams, of the ALP also knew, as did many ALP branches in Ipswich, trade unions and loyal and honest ALP branch members.
There will be capped maximum fees for towing from private property in an overhaul of the tow truck industry.

It comes after reports of dodgy operators quietly towing away cars as soon as they were parked, threatening drivers and charging exorbitant fees, with the government accepting all 22 recommendations from a review headed by former judge Michael Forde.

The Queensland government will introduce caps on towing fees. Credit:Glen Watson

A new bill, introduced to Queensland Parliament on Tuesday, would create maximum fees of $250 for a standard tow from a private car park including three days' storage, $150 for the on-site release of a vehicle at private property and $25 per day for storage longer than three days.

The cap for crash towing will remain at $348.
Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik being refused entry to a Brisbane bar because of state ID laws has "not created a diplomatic incident", Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath says.

Prince Frederik and his entourage were turned away from Jade Buddha, in the CBD's upmarket Eagle Street Pier precinct, just before midnight on Friday but returned 15 minutes later with the Queensland Police Service's dignitary protection unit.

Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark: the Danish prince famously met Mary, a Tasmanian, at an Australian bar. Credit:Franne Voigt

The police officers reportedly told the venue they had permission from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation to let them skip the laws.

Ms D'Ath said if the reports were correct, the bar applied the law equally to Prince Frederick as it would to anyone else.
Standing in the crowd at a rally calling for a royal commission into the Department of Veterans' Affairs were the parents of Jason Grant, a veteran of Afghanistan who died of a suspected drug overdose at his Ferny Creek home just a month ago.

Ross Grant was a quiet but powerful presence at the rally on Tuesday, holding a placard reading "DVA Killed My Son" as well as photos of Jason in uniform, in recent years and also as a child.

Although still reeling from the death of their son at the age of 32, Mr Grant and his ex-wife, Lisha Taylor, joined the call for a royal commission into a "broken" Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Veterans' advocate Mick Quinn, the MC for the event outside the department's Melbourne office in La Trobe Street, said it was also a memorial service for the 56 Australian veterans who have taken their lives this year.
The Australian Medical Association acted as exclusive distributor of an Australian-invented pelvic mesh device for women that helped spark a global pelvic mesh scandal after it was sold and registered for use in America in 2001.

The AMA's marketing of the Intravaginal Sling (IVS) Tunneller device as an "Australian medical design breakthrough" to treat incontinence and prolapse, despite women's reports of complications in Western Australian public hospital trials from as early as 1989, was "a long way from our proudest hour", said current AMA president Dr Michael Gannon.

Australian Medical Association national president Dr Michael Gannon said it was "utterly irresponsible" for aged-care workers to work without a flu vaccination.

"It is unfortunately the case that many women have been injured by these kinds of operations. To call this a tragedy is not overstating it at all," he said, after confirming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the AMA's Western Australian branch promoted and exclusively distributed the IVS device.

It was a controversial decision that "I'm sure they now regret", and which some Perth gynaecologists continued to be unhappy about more than 15 years later, he said.
"This is to avoid contact with the mainstream prisoners." The report was complimentary of the prison's reception processes, and it made no indication the toilet was used for extended periods of time to house prisoners. However, the report also identified a problem with the entry of drugs into the prison, and said it had proven to be an "uphill battle" in order to stop them from entering the facility. Inspector Neil Morgan said a commitment from the Labor Government was needed to stem the flow of issues arising from the prison's overcrowding problem. "Measured by national and international benchmarks, WA's prison system is chronically overcrowded," he said.

"However, the new Labor government has rejected calls for a new prison to be built. Instead, it has called for measures to stem the growth in prisoner numbers. "This is an admirable objective. Compared with the rest of the country, WA already has a high rate of imprisonment and by far the highest rate of Aboriginal incarceration. And history shows that if prisons are built, they will be filled. "It was only in 2010 that $640 million was committed to expand prison capacity but even with that level of investment overcrowding has increased." In December last year, then Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis announced Cabinet had approved planning for a major new prison to meet projected growth. However, 2016 budget papers revealed there was only a provision for minor custodial projects in the form of $1.5 million. It was also found there was no provision in any forward estimates that would allow for a new custodial facility to be built by 2018.

Acting WA corrective services commissioner Tony Hassall said the Department of Justice (formerly Corrective Services) accepted the recommendations made in the report, and it had already began to implement change inside the prison. "The Inspector's concerns regarding offender welfare are shared by Department and it recognises the range of operational challenges Casuarina currently faces," he said. "We share the Inspector's concerns regarding offender welfare, as it's central to our role in supporting prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration. "There is no doubt a rising remand population has impacted Casuarina's available resources, affecting its performance, management of offenders and ability to deliver services. "With support from key stakeholders we are working to address this, having initiated two key projects earlier this year that will benefit Casuarina and the wider prison estate.

"It's early days and there is work to do, but good progress is being made," said Mr Hassall. The Department also addressed concerns a toilet was used as a "holding cell", which had been reported by various WA news outlets. "The general public would assume a cell is a place where a person sleeps, eats or is held for a significant period of time," a spokesperson said. "The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services have not reported that this is a regular, ongoing issue and that prisoners are being held for a considerable period of time. There are times when all reception holding cells are full of mainstream prisoners and protection prisoners are required to wait in the toilet. "This is to avoid contact with the mainstream prisoners."

The report was complimentary of the prison's reception processes, and it made no indication the toilet was used for extended periods of time to house prisoners. WA Prison Offers' Union Secretary John Welch said some findings of the report remained concerning. "For both terms of the previous State Government, our members and this Union continued to raise concerns about the serious over-crowding and lack of resources in WA prisons," he said. "Sadly this latest independent report shows the prison system is still struggling under an ever-increasing prison population, and lacks the proper resources to meet the needs of both remand and sentenced prisoners." The report also noted high levels of unemployment and insufficient education, training and rehabilitation programs being available for prisoners.

"When prisoners are underemployed or can't access programs in a timely manner, they can become bored and restless, and this can sometimes lead to them lashing out, particularly at staff," Mr Welch said. "Coupled with a spike in prisoner numbers, this has the potential to create a dangerous and highly stressful working environment for our prison officers. "Whilst we acknowledge the significant financial challenges that the new State Government has inherited, the issue of overcrowding in WA's prisons is well and truly at crisis point and has to be addressed urgently." The report found while officers seemed to have "relatively... positive morale during the inspection, some staff genuinely felt overwhelmed by the number of prisoners held in the units." A survey of employees found 70 per cent of staff had experienced an instance of workplace bullying, and a restructure amongst human resources had caused "some tension".

"We were not able to correlate specifics in the course of our inspection, and we did not receive information on anti-bullying processes that we had requested. It is a worryingly high perception and something that should be tackled," Mr Morgan said. In June this year, Corrective Services minister Fran Logan lashed out at the former State Government's handling of the prison system, and said their refusal to address overcrowding had caused a litany of issues for the McGowan Government to solve. While Minister Logan rejected the claim the WA prison system would reach full capacity as early as this September, he said the Government would soon have to scramble to find a short term, under-budget solution to the growing problem. "When the former Commissioner James McMahon called for a new prison several years ago, it was frankly needed then," he said. "The whole thing's blocking up. We have more and more people coming in, and less and less people going out the door.
Washington: President Donald Trump opened the door to an increase in US troops in Afghanistan on Monday night as part of a retooled strategy for the region, overcoming his own doubts about fighting on in America's longest military conflict.

Trump, in a prime-time televised address at a military base near Washington, said his new approach was aimed at preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants bent on attacking the United States.

Trump expanded the US military's authority for American armed forces to target militant and criminal networks. He said that US enemies in Afghanistan "need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

"Our troops will fight to win," he added, offering no timetable for how long US forces would need to remain in the country.
One of the two Wisconsin teenage girls charged in the 2014 Slender Man stabbing of a classmate has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, who were both aged 12 at the time of the attack, were charged as adults with first-degree intentional homicide on the attack on Payton Leutner, who was stabbed 19 times and left for dead in a park during a sleepover party.

Anissa Weier, 15, appears in court in February 2017. Credit:AP

Both girls faced up to 45 years in prison, if convicted. The teenagers entered an insanity plea.

Weier, now 15, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree homicide as a party to a crime, with use of a deadly weapon.
New Delhi: India's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled a Muslim instant divorce law unconstitutional, a landmark victory for Muslim women who have spent decades arguing that it violated their right to equality.

The law allows Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word "talaq" three times. Muslim women say they have been left destitute by husbands divorcing them through "triple talaq", including by Skype and WhatsApp.

Muslim women say they have been left destitute due to the law. Credit:AP

Under the ruling, the court said the government should frame new divorce legislation to replace the abolished practice of triple talaq.

"Finally, I feel free today," Shayara Bano, who was divorced through triple talaq and was one of five women who brought the case, told Reuters after the ruling.
London: Civilian casualties, including the child fighters of the Australian jihadist Khaled Sharrouf, are part of the "price of the war," despite efforts to minimise their deaths, says the spokesperson for the global coalition fighting Islamic State.

While refusing to comment directly on the case of Sharrouf and his two sons, reported killed in an airstrike in Syria last week, Major General Rupert Jones said the global coalition goes through "really detailed, targeted processes."

Khaled Sharrouf has reportedly been killed in an air strike while he was driving.

Speaking to international journalists in London from Baghdad via Skype, General Jones said: "This is the most precise, targeting process that I think any coalition has ever achieved in any previous conflict," he said.

He declined to give any details about Sharrouf's death but said in general children on the battlefield would be treated differently but it would not always be possible to tell if they comprised part of a target or not.
Geneva: North Korea and the United States clashed at a UN forum on Tuesday over their military intentions towards one another, with Pyongyang's envoy declaring it would "never" put its nuclear deterrent on the negotiating table.

Japan, well within reach of North Korea's missiles, said the world must maintain pressure on the reclusive country to rein in its nuclear and missile programmes and now was not the time for a resumption of multi-party talks.

North Korea has pursued its weapons programmes in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and ignored all calls, including from major ally China, to stop, prompting a bellicose exchange of rhetoric between the North and the United States.

North Korea justifies its weapons programmes, including its recent threat to fire missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, by pointing to perceived US hostility, such as military exercises with South Korea this week.
Washington: The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on 10 companies and six individuals from China and Russia who it says helped North Korea develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

"We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activity in the future," said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin in a statement.

The new sanctions are the latest in a raft of blacklists issued in recent months to punish Chinese and Russian companies that try to evade international efforts to isolate North Korea. They seek to cut violators off from the US financial system, which extends to banks in Russia and China that use it to transfer money between institutions.

The sanctions come amid high tensions between the US and North Korea. The North warned on Sunday that it would launch a nuclear war if the annual US-South Korea military exercises this week turn to "actual fighting."
Bangkok, Thailand: For decades, the US Navy has served as the foremost symbol of America's power in the Asia-Pacific. With bases from South Korea to Japan to Guam and a fleet of warships bristling with modern weaponry, it has been a physical reminder of the nation's strength and vigilance in the region to friends and foes alike.

Few images could have been as damaging to that reputation as that of the guided-missile destroyer John S. McCain limping into Singapore on Monday after a pre-dawn collision with an oil tanker punched a hole in the warship's hull.

Ten sailors were missing, and Tuesday, the Navy said divers had found the remains of some sailors in flooded compartments of the warship. A Navy statement Monday described how water had filled the crew's sleeping quarters, machinery rooms and communications facilities.

The collision came less than two weeks after the same destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef, a contested atoll that China has built into a de facto military base. The patrol was meant to challenge Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea and underline the United States' naval dominance of the Pacific Ocean.
Bucks County schools help Give a Christmas reach local families in need

In its 64-year history, the Give-a-Christmas drive has raised $5.26 million to help thousands of families at the holiday season.
Democrats largely prevail in SJ, but reversals loom in two townships

Democratic incumbents held on to many seats, but GOP challengers made inroads in two large townships
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has partnered with IIT Madras to carry out research and development (R&D) activities for strengthening battery engineering and related sub-parts, especially for electric vehicles. IIT Madras is the first institution to set up such an initiative to develop the electric mobility ecosystem in India with industry participation.
Ltd (HCL) is implementing mine expansion projects to increase production capacity by four times. It is also investing Rs 3,025 crore to set up a plant in Chhattisgarh with a 0.1-million-tonne per annum (mtpa) capacity.
For the IAF, which is making do with only 32-33 fighter squadrons instead of the 42 squadrons it wants to defend two borders with China and Pakistan, inducting 36-48 fighters per year would correct the shortfall quickly. Photo: Reuters
Infosys co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday amid the uncertainty surrounding the company following the sudden resignation of its CEO Vishal Sikka.

According to sources, Venkatesan met the minister and is believed to have apprised him of the developments at Infosys as also the steps being taken to keep the shareholders informed.

Infosys was not available for comment.

Last Friday, the first non-founder CEO of Infosys, Sikka resigned from the company following months of acrimony with high-profile founders, led by NR Narayana Murthy, citing "malicious" and "personal attacks" on him.

While Sikka did not name Murthy for his exit, the Board of the $10 billion firm blamed the founder for "continuous assault" through "factually inaccurate" and "already-disproved rumours" for the resignation of the CEO.

Murthy, however, maintained that his only concerns are the lapses in corporate governance standards, something that Infosys was admired for at one point.

However, the developments of the day (August 18) sent the company's stocks plummeting nearly 10 per cent, with its market valuation falling by over Rs 22,518 crore in a single day.

Once the poster boy of Indian IT success story and considered a bellwether among Indian tech stocks, Infosys has had to battle challenges like an uncertain business environment, senior level exits and increased visa scrutiny in key markets like the US and the UK.

Troubles mounted for Infosys when an anonymous letter was sent to the market regulators in February this year, alleging that its acquisition of Panaya was overvalued and that some Infosys executives may have benefited from the deal.

While an independent probe absolved the board of any wrong doing, Murthy kept insisting that the company goes public with the full contents of the investigation report. Infosys has so far refused to make it public.
Former Infosys director T V Mohandas Pai has accused co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan of playing a role in the resignation of Vishal Sikka as the chief executive officer. "Ravi (Venkatesan) is in power play, get rid of Vishal (Sikka), sideline others, take over, big ego, big lies, need to be fought," Pai, who is close to founder N R Narayana Murthy, wrote on the microblogging platform Twitter on Tuesday.
Banking operations across the country will be affected on Tuesday with around one million bankers going on strike pressing various demands.
China on Tuesday said there will be "utter chaos" if its troops entered India on the pretext that Indian border infrastructure posed a threat to Beijing.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said India's logic that Chinese road building in Doklam on the border posed a threat to New Delhi was "ridiculous and vicious".

It said China would in no way allow any country or individual to infringe upon its territorial sovereignty.

"The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of ... Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and facts are clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

"You may think about it. If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour's home can break into its neighbour's house.

"Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?"

To Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh's remark that India had never been an aggressor and has had no ambitions to expand its border, Hua responded: "China loves peace and firmly upholds peace. At the same time, we will safeguard our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We allow no country or any individual to infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty."

She asked India to pull back troops from Doklam to resolve the crisis.

"We have said many times that prerequisite basis for the settlement of the trespass is the unconditional withdrawal of the personnel and equipment from the Indian side.

"So we urge the Indian side to take concrete actions and make positive moves to correct its wrongdoing."

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a stand-off since June at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border.

This is the longest stand-off between the two armies since 1987 when they faced a similar situation at Somordong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

It all began when Indian troops stopped Chinese troops from building a road in Doklam, citing the disputed status of the territory.

Doklam is claimed by Bhutan, which has protested against Chinese road building.

China says the construction of the road is just since Doklam has been Chinese territory since ancient times.

New Delhi backs Bhutan's claims and sees a Chinese road in Doklam as a threat because the region is very close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects India's northeast with the rest of the country.

(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.)
China laid the blame at India's door on Monday for an altercation along their border in the western Himalayas involving soldiers from both of the Asian giants.
With the Supreme Court declaring triple talaq as unconstitutional, the stage has been set for the Parliament now to frame laws to regulate this practice among Muslims. One cannot help but recall a Bombay High Court order in a case involving India domiciled Pakistani musician Adnan Sami and his thrice married wife Sabbah in 2010. The Bombay High Court while pronouncing its verdict had quoted a famous judgment of the Delhi High Court of 2007 in the Masroor Ahmed vs State of Delhi case.
The landmark has given big boost to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has long pushed for a uniform civil code to be enforced which would end the reach of different religious laws in civil issues, sanctioned originally to protect the independence of different faiths.

In a far-reaching verdict empowering millions of Muslim women, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down triple talaq, or instant divorce, by a 3:2 verdict of the constitutional bench.

Three of the five judges banned the practice for six months till the government introduces new legislation. Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice Nazeer, even while holding triple talaq to be valid ordered a stay on this practice for six months, to enable the legislature bring a law banning this practice.

The verdict has given the Centre an opportunity to fulfill their long pending agenda of having a common civil code through a new legislation.

Backing the petitioners in this landmark case, in different public speeches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken against the practice, pledging to protect the right to equality of all women declaring triple talaq unconstitutional, derogatory and discriminatory for women.

The apex court has said that if a legislation banning triple talaq completely is placed before Parliament within six months, the stay on the practice would continue till Parliament enacts or rejects the law."

Bhartiya Janta Party president Amit Shah welcomed the apex court judgment, saying that "It marks the beginning of a new era of pride and equality for Muslim women. The BJP welcomes the respect and the expansion of Muslim women's rights and sees today's court order as a step towards a determined 'New India'.

In the last six decades since the Constitution was adopted, Congress party-led governments at the Centre have been accused of shirking their responsibility of announcing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as mandated by Article 44, which was placed as a Directive Principle of State Policy, mandating the government to endeavour to bring in a political climate that would be conducive to enacting the code.

However, at the time of the drafting of the Constitution, in the wake of the partition of the subcontinent and the riots that gripped the country thereafter, it was believed that the time was not right to enact a UCC.

The mood in the BJP is upbeat after the SC judgement which had been accusing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government of 'minority appeasement'.

Triple talaq has been an issue of concern for over 65 years for Muslim women, who comprise approximately eight percent of the population as per the 2011 census. The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the practice terming it "unconstitutional". After reading separate judgements, the majority of five-judge bench of Supreme Court ruled triple talaq to be void and illegal.

Here are some highlights of the Supreme Court judgement and all about the issue which you may like to know:

The constitution bench of SC, headed by the Chief Justice J S Khehar, invalidated the practice as part of the Muslim Personal Law in a spilt verdict (3:2). The majority three judges - Justice Rohinton Nariman, Justice Kurien Joseph and Justice U U Lalit gave their judgment against it. While Chief Justice of India J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer gave dissenting judgment in favour of it, saying that they were of the view that triple talaq can't be declared illegal.

Striking down triple talaq in the majority verdict, the three judges extensively quoted from Quranic verses and Hadith. The judges said one cannot seek constitutional protection for a practice for which the primary source is not the holy Quran. "What is not permissible under Quran can't be protected by the Constitution," judges said.

Triple talaq has so far been legal for Muslims according to the Constitution, but several Muslim women who have been divorced, including on Skype and on WhatsApp, had challenged the 1400-year-old practice.

A Constitution bench of five judges of different faiths - Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer - heard the case over five days from May 12 to May 18. The court had framed questions that included whether triple talaq is fundamental to Islam and whether it is an enforceable fundamental right.

After six days of the historic hearing, which saw some of the top lawyers argue whether triple talaq was essential to Islam or not, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice U U Lalit were of the view that triple talaq was not essential to Islam, and therefore, it should be banned.

Justice Kurian Joseph said: There are four sources of Islamic law. Only the Quran is the first source of law. Therefore, sources other than the Quran are supplement to what is in it. Therefore, there can be nothing more than what is written in the Quran.. Quran attributes permanence to matrimony. Essential steps required before talaq. Triple talaq is against the tenets of Quran, and therefore, violates the Shariat. As held in Shamimara, talaq must be after having tried to resolve issues. Triple talaq not a part of sharia, therefore, I do not agree with CJI that it's part of personal law...Freedom of religion is absolute, I agree with CJI. However, triple talaq being a part of religion is what I disagree with...After 1937 Act, no practice deviating from Quran is valid. I expressly endorse and uphold the law in Shamimara. What is bad in theology is bad in law. What is bad in Quran can't be good in Shariat.

Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman said: It is a disapproved form of divorce. Even Hanafi law says triple talaq is sinful. 1937 Act recognizes triple talaq and therefore does not violate Article 13...Triple Talaq won't fall within confines of Article 13(1)...It is not possible for court to fold his hands when petitioners come to court. Court has to declare whether practice is legal or not.

CJI JS Khehar said: Till the time a legislation is considered, the court injuncts Muslim husbands from pronouncing triple talaq for six months.

Chief Justice Khehar further said: "Triple talaq does not violate article 25, 14 and 21 of the Constitution...Practice being constituent of personal law, it can't be set aside on ground of constitution morality by judicial intervention. Triple Talaq is important to sunnis of hanafi school, has to be accepted as important to their culture. Legislative intervention needs to be followed in respect of triple talaq if it has to be set aside... International conventions do not have any bearing on the subject as the practice is part of personal law. This is a case where court should exercise Article 142 and direct the Union to enact appropriate legislation keeping in mind advances in Muslim personal law".

Chief Justice Khehar added: "Despite Rashid Ahmed decision by privy council the issue needs fresh examination. All parties were unanimous that triple talaq is a heinous practice. It won't be appropriate for the court to observe whether practice is valid as per hadith due to variations in the school".

Justice Kurian said, "Extremely difficult to agree with CJI that Triple Talaq is integral to practise of Islam. Triple talaq was against the tenets of Holy Quran and hence violates Shariat law, Justice Kurian added.

Triple talaq in SC: How it came

The Supreme Court on October 16, 2015, questioned whether Muslim personal law practices of marriage and divorce reduce women to mere chattels. In a rare move, it registered a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) petition titled 'In Re: Muslim Women's Quest for Equality' to examine whether arbitrary divorce, polygamy and nikah halala (where a Muslim divorcee marries a man and divorces him to get re-married to her former husband) violate women's dignity.

The court ruled missing the opportunity to address the question of gender inequality in both the Shah Bano and Danial Latifi cases. In the Shah Bano case, the court merely goaded the government to frame the Uniform Civil Code. In the Latifi case, it upheld the right of Muslim women to maintenance till re-marriage.

Several Muslim women and organisations have welcomed the court's verdict.

Six petitioners including Five women, Shayara Bano, Ishrat Jahan, Gulshan Parween, Aafreen Rehman, and Atiya Sabri along with the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), had filed case and had approached the Supreme Court on the controversial triple talaq issue.

Bano, in her petition, contended that "the Muslim husband's right to ask for divorce by uttering talaq three times in a row is completely unilateral, unguided, absolute and has no rationale. It cannot be identified with Muslim culture and is not part of Muslim law. So it is not part of religion and hence not part of the right to practice or propagate religion and deserves no protection".

Three forms of triple talaq

In the Muslim society, there are three forms of talaq (divorce): Ahsan, Hasan and Talaq-e-Biddat (triple or instant talaq). Ahsan and Hasan are revocable.

Biddat is considered 'sinful,' but permissible in Islamic law. In Biddat, however, pronouncing divorces in one go by the husband is irrevocable.

What Arif Mohammad Khan had said?

In May this year, former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khan had said, "Triple talaq is "anti-Constitution, anti-Quran, and anti-humane" and that Uniform Civil Code is a "constitutional obligation of the government" which should come up with a draft soon.

Triple Talaq denies the rights of equality, it is anti-Quran because Quran describes the elaborate procedure which it lays down.It is anti-humane because a young Muslim girl grows up with the consciousness that after marriage her husband if he wishes so, can turn her out of the marital home on any day of his choice. That to me is anti-humane, oppressive and an ignominy," Khan said during a public lecture on 'Triple Talaq and Uniform Civil Code' at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.

The Governments position

The Centre had claimed that instant talaq is not fundamental to Islam. It promised to bring in a new divorce law for Muslim men in case the court strikes down the three forms of talaq. The government argued that Muslim marriage and divorce is codified under Section 2 of the Shariat Act of 1937 and came within the ambit of 'law' under Article 13 of the Constitution. Hence, they should abide by the principles of dignity and non-discrimination.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board too had described the divorce practice as "horrendous", "sinful" and "undesirable" with no sanction of the Quran and the Shariat, during the arguments,. However, India's largest Muslim body had also cautioned that "testing the validity of customs and practices was a slippery slope".

The AIMPLB had earlier countered that triple talaq is a matter of faith like the Hindu belief that Ayodhya is Ram's birthplace. The Personal Law had argued that for the Hanafis, who make up more than 90% Sunnis in India, triple talaq is a matter of faith followed for 1,400 years. The courts and the government should leave reform to the community, it said, quoting the Bombay High Court's unchallenged decision in the Narasu Appa Mali case that personal law should not be tinkered with. Where will Muslim men go for divorce if you (the court) strike down talaq and Parliament refuses to pass a new law, the AIMPLB had asked.

Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi on May 15 had told SC that the Centre will bring in a new law to regulate marriage and divorce among Muslims if the practice of triple talaq is declared unconstitutional.

Arshiya Ismail, a triple talaq victim expressed her happiness while commenting on the SC judgement and said, "It's a big victory for the victims of triple talaq. Victims like us have suffered a lot. God has been very kind. Faith in judiciary has come back. Supreme Court's has taken out right essence of shariya".

Millions of Indian Muslim women have the same feeling on the verdict, commented another Muslim woman.

(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.)
Prime Minister on Tuesday called upon chief executive officers (CEOs) and entrepreneurs to identify and develop five items whose imports could be stopped by 2022 so that the countrys needs could be met by domestic production.



He said an atmosphere must be created to take the poor along in every sphere of life.



India continues to have a significant trade deficit in goods even as it has reduced since 2014-15. In 2016-17, merchandise exports stood at $276.28 billion even as imports soared to $384.31 billion.



The $108.03-billion deficit has been explained in terms of skewed trade relations with manufacturing hub China as well as India's dependence on exporting raw materials rather than finished goods.



Addressing 200 top CEOs from across the country as part of the second edition of Champions of Change series organised by the NITI Aayog, Modi said that entrepreneurs needed to develop products through which imports of costly medical equipment could be curbed.



We develop products keeping in mind markets and claim that they are cheaper than others; but have we ever thought of developing products that help in solving our domestic problems, Modi asked.



Let's carry India's poor in each of our thoughts and actions, the Prime Minister said, adding that if the current generation thought of feasible solutions to our unique problems, markets and jobs would automatically be created.



He said among many sectors that had the potential of creating jobs, tourism held great promise but it was not exploited fully due to psychological issues.



We Indians don't take pride in our rich heritage. If we begin talking about our tourist destinations with pride, the world will be desperate to visit India, Modi said.



He said that companies, while inviting their foreign partners for business meetings, should also encourage them to visit the many tourist places in India.



He said corruption in this country was transparent as almost everyone knew how the system could be manipulated, but his government had tried to put in place small changes that were fundamentally transforming how things were governed in India.



Giving the example of the Centres newly launched e-marketplace for local purchases (Government-e-Market), Modi said even with little reach, procuring goods worth Rs 1,000 crore had been recorded by the GeM and 28,000 suppliers had contributed to the platform.



Referring to the November 8, 2016, decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the Prime Minister said he did not believe in piecemeal solutions and looked for end-to-end solutions.



Digital India, which saw 100 times increase in the Optical Fibre Network, is an example, Modi said.



He said the government was looking to double farmers income by 2022, and this would come from animal husbandry, fisheries, bee keeping, and allowing commercial felling of timber grown on farmlands.



We need to look for agro products that can capture targeted markets like in the Gulf and then integrate them with food processors, farmers, and companies, Modi said.



Touching upon the issue of food wastage, he said that the Centre opened up food processing to foreign direct investment and was now looking at private players and investors to build storages which would have multiple applications.



Calling upon the CEOs to make development a mass movement just as Mahatma Gandhi made freedom a mass movement, Modi said that they were his team for the new India and soldiers of a prosperous and developed India.



If you treat government as a client, you will complain. If you treat government as a partner, you will come up with feasible solutions, Modi said. He also exhorted the CEOs to go cashless by 2022 both in their own working and also in their dealings with employees.



The CEOs, who were divided into six groups in their presentation made to the Prime Minister and his top cabinet ministers along with bureaucrats, pledged to double their R&D spend to 3 per cent of revenues by 2022, employ at least one-third new hires as women, and also enhance skills through online skill training courses in the next five years.



Among the multiple suggestions and pieces of advice that the CEOs gave, the group on doubling farmers income wanted the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act scrapped. Another was creating one million agriprenuers to serve 100 million farmers in India, enabling massive self-employment.



They also wanted public-private partnership in agriculture information centres to deliver demand data and analytics and create brand value of source origin.



The group on world-class infrastructure wanted greater access to electricity to trigger household income growth, a Right to Energy Act along with automatic monthly tariff adjustments, power supplier portability, and creating power retailers.



It also wanted creating tourism circuits through the special purpose vehicle model. The group on developing cities of tomorrow wanted private sector participation in smart meters, ward level waste converters, etc.



The group on financial sector reforms wanted to create 100 more no-frills banks with only the licence for deposit and credit.



They said to build a new India of 2022, the focus should be on jobs, health care, tourism, branded goods and services, and affordable medical access for all.



PM praises Panagariya



Prime Minister on Tuesday showered praise on outgoing NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya, saying he had quietly done marvels in shaping the new body that replaced the Planning Commission. Panagariya, the first V-C of the NITI Aayog, is scheduled to leave the government think-tank on August 31 and return to Columbia University in the US. I want to specially thank NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya, who is showing how work is done in a mission mode... He has done good work and the country will always remember him and his contribution, Modi said.
Various government departments as well as State Bank of India (SBI) have shown interest in buying the properties to be auctioned by Air India in Mumbai, sources in the know said.
Dr Jitendra Singh calls for 'Make in India' health module

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has called for establishing a Make in India" health module. Addressing the CII Health Conference organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here today, he said that this module can be based on public-private partnership as well as multi-centric healthcare collaboration to meet the changing health needs of 21st century India.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Indian society, as a whole, is fast evolving and at the same time, in recent years, India too has become a part of shrunken global world and this phenomenon is impacting every sphere of life including the healthcare system. While on the one hand, disorders like Diabetes and heart disease, which were hitherto confined to urban population, are now also on the rise in rural areas, on the other hand, the access to modern modalities of treatment is confined only to cities and big towns, as a result of which 70% of rural population gets access only to 1/3rd of countrys hospitalization facilities and over 600 million people in the country are deprived of access to affordable healthcare, he added.

Describing the emergence of private sector as an inevitable phenomenon, Dr Jitendra Singh stressed that for a heterogeneous country like India, public sector healthcare was still very much relevant and therefore, called for a healthy synergism between public sector and private sector healthcare agencies.

He cited the experience from Northeast where he had motivated some of the countrys leading corporate sector hospital groups to set up healthcare outlets of different magnitudes depending on the viability of the location, in the form of OPD clinics or diagnostic centres or even full fledged hospitals.

Referring to the constraints of heterogeneity and diversity, Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned topographical and geographical variations in different regions of India. In this regard, he referred to vast expanses of inaccessible areas in the North East where he had proposed the introduction of Helicopter Care Service in the form of Air Clinics wherein specialist doctor could fly to remote areas to hold the OPD and on way back,could also carry some needy patients requiring hospitalization. The same concept, he said, could also be applied to hill states like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Finance Minister Sh Arun Jaitley chairs the 17th meeting of FSDC

The seventeenth Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was held in New Delhi today under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance, Shri Arun Jaitley. The meeting was attended by Dr. Urjit R. Patel, Governor, RBI; Shri Ashok Lavasa, Finance Secretary, Shri Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ms. Anjuly Chib Duggal, Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Shri Tapan Ray, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser, Shri Ajay Tyagi, Chairman, SEBI; Shri T.

S. Vijayan, Chairman, IRDAI; Shri Hemant G Contractor, Chairman, PFRDA; and other senior officers of the Government of India and financial sector regulators.

Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) made a presentation on the state of economy. The Council noted that India has macro-economic stability today on the back of improvements in its macro-economic fundamentals, structural reforms with the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), action being taken to address the Twin Balance Sheet (TBS) challenge, extraordinary financial market confidence, reflected in high and rising bond and especially stock valuations and long-term positive consequences of demonetization. The Council also discussed the issues and challenges facing the Indian economy and Members agreed on the need to keep constant vigil and be in a state of preparedness of managing any external and internal vulnerabilities.

The Council also took note of the progress of Financial Sector Assessment Program for India, jointly conducted by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Council directed that the assessment report should be finalized by the end of this calendar year.

FSDC took note of the developments and progress made in setting up of Computer Emergency Response Team in the Financial Sector (CERT-Fin) and Financial Data Management Centre and discussed measures for time bound implementation of the institution building initiative.

A brief report on the activities undertaken by the FSDC Sub-Committee Chaired by Governor, RBI was placed before the FSDC. The Council also undertook a comprehensive review of the action taken by members on the decisions taken in earlier meetings of the Council.

The Council discussed on the Central KYC Registry (CKYCR) system, took note of the initiatives taken in this regard by the members and discussed the issues / suggestions in respect of operationalization of CKYCR.

The Council also deliberated on strengthening the regulation of the Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs).
National Workshop on Enforcement of IPRs inaugurated in New Delhi

Union Minister of Home Affairs, Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the three-day workshop on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) today, in the august presence of Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State, Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju.

Addressing the Workshop Shri Rajnath Singh said that counterfeiting and piracy activities give rise to serious organized crimes. Such activities finance criminals and terrorists who deal in counterfeit goods to launder illegal money. He said police officials should be therefore equipped with proper knowledge and training, so as to curb and restrain IPR violations, at the very outset.

The Union Minister of Home Affairs announced that IPR training modules would be introduced in police training institutes and academies across India to familiarize and sensitize our police forces on IPRs.

Smt.

Nirmala Sitharaman said that the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in collaboration with CIPAM is setting up two Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISCs) in Punjab & Tamil Nadu for technology and innovation support. She emphasized that people need to understand the ways to create and protect their intellectual property for a secure future.

Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State, Home Affairs, called upon people to respect others intellectual property and talked about creating a strong IPR enforcement mechanism in the country.

This workshop will help enforcement agencies across the country understand and appreciate the importance of their role in IPR enforcement. It will also act as a platform for the officials to share their experiences, exchange best practices and better inter-agency coordination with respect to enforcement of IPRs. Besides people from enforcement agencies, many IP professionals, lawyers, law students and people from industry associations are also participating in the workshop.

The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), a professional body under the aegis of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, is organizing this three-day workshop on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) from 22nd 24th August, 2017, in New Delhi.
Afghanistan today lauded President Donald Trump for breaking America's "silence" on Pakistan providing sanctuaries to terrorists and embracing a strategy that gives the war-torn country what it needs.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end America's longest war.

He also warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Reacting to Trump's address, Afghanistan's Ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib thanked president Trump for breaking America's silence on Pakistan, which has been harbouring terrorists for attacks against its neighbours.

"We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account both our countries' needs and considerations. This is the first time a focus has been put on what Afghanistan must have to succeed, and we are grateful for this outcome," Mohib said after Trump concluded his speech on Afghanistan and South Asia.

Mohib said Trump has embraced a strategy that gives Afghanistan what it needs, specifically a shift away from talking about timetables and numbers to letting conditions on the ground determine military strategy.

He also lauded the decision to integrate America's military, economic and political power to achieve shared goals.

The strategy also expands "authority to move swiftly against terrorist activities and criminal networks in place of micromanagement from Washington" and "a breaking of the silence over Pakistan's shelters and sanctuaries for terrorists", the Afghan Ambassador said.

"Like America, Afghanistan also wants an honourable and enduring outcome" to this fight, for all the Afghan, US, and NATO soldiers who have served and sacrificed to advance the cause of peace, Mohib said.

In his address, Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in an apparent warning to Pakistan.

In his speech, Trump came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying Islamabad receives billions in aid from the US but continues to harbour terrorists.

"In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices," Trump said.

"But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people," he added.

Trump noted that the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars but it continues to house the very terrorists that America is fighting.

"But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace," Trump said.

(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.)
United States President Donald Trump has sought more help from India in Afghanistan. Speaking from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va, Trump said, We will develop a deeper strategic partnership with India, but we want them to help us more in Afghanistan.
We are leaderless. America doesnt have a president. America has a man in the White House holding the spot, and wreaking havoc as he waits for the day when a real president arrives to replace him.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday restrained Group's arbitration proceeding against India, under a treaty with the United Kingdom, in connection with a Rs 11,000 crore tax demand raised against the company in relation to its $11 billion deal acquiring stake of Hutchinson Telecom.

Justice Manmohan restrained or its subsidiaries from going ahead with arbitration under the India-UK Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA) as the telecom major had initiated similar proceedings on the same issue under the the India-Netherlands BIPA.

"This court is of the prima facie view that in the present case, there is duplication of the parties and the issues. In fact, the reliefs sought by the defendants under the India-UK BIPA and by the International Holdings BV (VIHBV), the subsidiary of defendants (Vodafone group), under the India-Netherlands BIPA are virtually identical.

"This court is further of the prima facie view that there is a risk of parallel proceedings and inconsistent decisions by two separate arbitral tribunals in the present case. In the prima facie opinion of this Court, it would be inequitable, unfair and unjust to permit the defendants to prosecute the foreign arbitration," the court said in an interim order.

It also issued notice to Vodafone and sought its response by October 26 on the central government's plea seeking a permanent injunction against the telecom major from proceeding with the arbitration under the India-UK BIPA.

In its interim order, the court was also of the prima facie view that "India constitutes the natural forum for the litigation of the defendants' (Vodafone and its subsidiaries) claim against the plaintiff (Centre)".

The court noted that government was of the view that the $11 billion acquisition of stake of Hutchinson Telecommunications International Limited (HTIL) in Hutchinson Essar Limited (HEL) by Vodafone was liable for tax deduction at source (TDS) under the Income Tax Act.

As Vodafone had not deducted the tax at source, the government had raised the demand of Rs 11,000 crore which was subsequently quashed by the Supreme Court on January 20, 2012, the high court said.

Thereafter, the government made a retrospective amendment to the Income Tax Act which re-fastened the liability on Vodafone, the high court order noted.

Aggrieved by the imposition of tax, VIHBV invoked the arbitration clause under the BIPA between India and Netherlands through a notice of dispute of April 17, 2012 and notice of arbitration of April 17, 2014, the 10 page order said.

While the proceedings under the India-Netherlands BIPA was pending, Vodafone initiated arbitration under the India-UK BIPA on January 24 this year.

Challenging the second arbitration, the government, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, has said the two claims are based on the same cause of action and seek identical reliefs but from two different tribunals constituted under two different investment treaties against the same host state.

The ASG, assisted by central government standing counsel Sanjeev Narula, argued before the high court that the arbitration proceedings initiated under the India-UK BIPA was an abuse of the process of law.

The government lawyers argued that disputes encompassing tax demands raised by a host state are beyond the scope of arbitration provided under the bilateral investment treaty as taxation is a sovereign function and the same can only be agitated before a constitutional court of the host state.

They also contended that laws passed by the Parliament cannot be adjudicated by an arbitral tribunal and do not fall within the ambit of BIPA or any other international treaty.
Alongside the fierce battles that have been raging of late in key strongholds of so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, intense battles against Islamist extremism have also been taking place online, particularly on social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
The North Korean regime has lashed out at Australia, describing its participation in current military exercises with the US and South Korea as a suicidal act of inviting disaster.
The US today ruled out a hasty withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan as President Donald Trump warned Pakistan of consequences if it continues to provide safe havens to terror groups and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Trump, in a prime-time televised address to the nation, laid out his South Asia policy saying a "critical part" of it was to further develop US' strategic partnership with India.

He said after a "comprehensive review", it has been decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically.

"A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations," Trump said in his address.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said as he announced his South Asia policy in front of about 2,000 people from all five services and top officials of his administration.

Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in a apparent warning to Pakistan.

The US President reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump unveiled his updated Afghanistan policy to 'win' a war which has stretched over 16 years. Targetting Pakistan for its safe harbour to terrorism over the years, Trump said that America cannot be silent about Pakistans safe haven for terror groups. Identifying Pakistan as a refuge to terrorism the President said, Pakistan often gives safe havens to agents of chaos, violence and terror. Trump went on to add that more than 20 US designated terror organisation is active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world.
With Steve Bannon out of the White House, its clearer than ever that Donald Trumps promise to be a populist fighting for ordinary workers was worth about as much as any other Trump promise  that is, nothing. His agenda, such as it is, amounts to reverse Robin Hood with extra racism  the conventional Republican strategy of taking from struggling families to give to the rich, while distracting lower-income whites by attacking Those People, with the only difference being just how blatantly he plays the race card.
surged 17% to Rs 50.50 on BSE in early morning trade after the company on Monday said it will distribute Apple products, including the iconic iPhone, in the Indian market.
A special Terrorist and Disruptive Activity (TADA) Court would pronounce the quantum of sentence against all the convicts of the 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blast Case.

The court had convicted six people, including the mastermind of the attack Mustafa Dosa, and Abu Salem on June 16 this year.

Arguments over the degree of sentences continued after the conviction in June and concluded on August 10.

All the accused were facing multiple charges like criminal conspiracy, waging war aginst the government and murder of people.

This was the second leg of the trial; in the first leg of the trial that concluded in 2007, the TADA court had convicted 100 accused in the case, while 23 people were acquitted.

The Mumbai blast of March 12, 1993, resulted in 257 fatalities and over 700 were injured. The attacks were planned by Dawood Ibrahim, India's 'most wanted' fugitive who also has his name prominently figuring on the 'most wanted' lists of the US and the Interpol.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghanistan's Ambassador to India Shaida Mohammad Abdali has hailed United States President Donald Trump's new policy for Afghanistan and urged Pakistan to join the fight against terrorism sincerely to sustain peace in the region.

"President Trump's remarks were very clear. It has still open the window for cooperation and partnership, but clearly the lack of that...he also hinted at a strong action. I think this is an opportunity for everyone, including Pakistan to adhere to the principles of state government, to fight terrorism sincerely, for the sake of everyone in the region," Ambassador Abdali told ANI.

"If there is genuine fight against terrorism for peace and stability, there is still an opportunity for partnership, but if that's not there, the words were clear and we hope that words are also transferred into action, and if there is lack of sincerity in the fight against terrorism, action will be as it was spoken in his (Donald Trump) remarks," he added.

Describing Trump's policy as a very comprehensive strategy, the envoy said it focused more on terrorism and it is very multifaceted.

"Finally, it's a strategy that has a clarity. Clarity, in a sense, that the objectives are clear-that Afghanistan, currently, is facing the problem of terrorism, and clearly saying that the problem of terrorism has roots outside of Afghanistan, so, the condition based approach is something which is very significant," he said.

"We fully support it, specially the clarity of the strategy that we see as compared to previous strategies of the US government. There is no longer patience to the use of terrorism and to the existent of safe sanctuaries which is something Afghanistan has always sought," he added.

Ambassador Abdali said he was glad that the U.S. government, after taking much time, has reviewed its strategy for Afghanistan.

He added that finally its the strategy that has clarity and its objectives are also clear.

Emphasising that India has been a genuine partner, the envoy said New Delhi has been standing alongside Afghanistan, especially after fall of Taliban.

"India's assistance is in multifaceted ways. You can see India's assistance in development of peace , security, economic, culture and education in many fields, there is always room for more ....and we hope India will do more," he said.

Speaking about Trump asking India's help in Afghanistan, the envoy said, "I am glad, I wish this had been the case long time back, that India to be partnered with on peace and stability in Afghanistan and the wider region. I am glad right now, the U.S. in this current strategy has focussed more and we look forward to a strong India-U.S. partnership with Afghanistan."

Welcoming the new strategy of the United States for Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani said the decision unveils an enduring commitment by Washington as a key partner of the Kabul government.

Ghani thanked Trump and the people of America for their support and efforts for Afghanistan to make the country self sufficient to combat the threat of terrorism.

"I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism," Tolo News quoted Ghani, as saying.

"The new strategy will increase the capacity in the Resolute Support mission. It will particularly emphasis on enhancing the Afghan air power, doubling the size of the Afghan Special Force and deepening NATO's ability to train, advice and assist Afghan security forces," he added.

He further said the new strategy would allow both the US and Afghanistan to work together in achieving mutual goals of peace and prosperity. The new strategy will also provide a clear pathway for the regional countries to end support for non-state actors.

India has also welcomed Donald Trump's new policy on Afghanistan and said that New Delhi shares the concerns and objectives as entailed by the former in his recent address.

"We welcome President Trump's determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives," India's External Affairs Ministry spokerperson Raveesh Kumar said, in a press statement.

"We are committed to supporting the Government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country. We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people. We will continue these efforts, including in partnership with other countries," the statement added.

India's reaction came as Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan policy and that "from now on victory will have a clear definition."

Trump also sought more help from India in Afghanistan.

Speaking from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va., Trump said, "We will develop a deeper strategic partnership with India, but we want them to help us more in Afghanistan."

"Another part of South Asia strategy for America to further develop its strategic partnership with India, the world's largest democracy and key security and economic partner of US. We appreciate India's important contribution to bring stability in Afghanistan. But, India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan especially in the area of economic consistence and development," Trump said.

India aided the overthrow of the Taliban and became the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. Indians are working in various construction projects, as part of India's rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan.

Trump's assertion of a bigger Indian role in Afghanistan is a blow for Pakistan, which has been opposing New Delhi's presence in Kabul.

Pakistan alleges the Indian intelligence agency RAW is working in cover to malign Pakistan and train and support insurgents. This claim has been rejected strongly by India and the United States, which is historically a strong ally of Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Taliban on Tuesday warned that Afghanistan would become a 'graveyard' for the United States if the latter does not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

According to media reports, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that Afghanistan will soon become another graveyard for US if America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

Taliban's reaction comes as United States President Donald Trump said that their military intervention in Afghanistan will continue and 'from now on victory will have a clear definition'.

Trump, while giving an address at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, a U.S. military base adjacent to the Arlington National Cemetery, proclaimed the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, saying that the objectives will include "obliterating ISIS" and "preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan."

Trump made it clear that he would not announce dates of military operations in advance and went on to say that he would not discuss troop levels or further plans for military activities.

"I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will," Trump said.

Trump further said that to achieve these goals, he would expand the authority for the U.S. to target criminal and terrorist networks in Afghanistan.

"Afghan will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed. But we will no longer use the American military to construct democracies in faraway lands or try to rebuild other country in our own image," he added.

The President reached a decision on the future of the U.S. strategy after a final round of deliberations with his national security team at Camp David on Friday.

Trump's decision comes as Taliban militants have been resurgent in recent months, posting a series of recent gains against Afghan government forces, which are backed by a US-led coalition of NATO allies.

The ISIS, through a regional affiliate known as the ISIS-K, has also established a foothold in Afghanistan in recent years, carrying out a series of deadly terrorist attacks and coordinating assaults with the Taliban.

Earlier, defence secretary James Mattis said that he directed US military chiefs to make preparations to carry out the president's strategy.

He added that several allies of the U.S. have also committed to increasing their troop numbers in the region and together they assist the Afghan Security forces to destroy the terrorist hub.

About 8,400 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan.

The majority of about 6,900 are assigned to the NATO mission to train and advise Afghan security forces alongside approximately 6,000 troops from other NATO countries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Bangladesh on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of three neo-JMB militants in Narayanganj.

In a statement, the RAB was quoted by the Daily Star, as saying that the three suspected operatives belonged to the "Neo JMB's Sarwar-Tamim group", and added that they were trying to commit a major terrorist attack.

They have been identified as Abdur Rahman alias Sufian alias Rubel, 27, Imam Hossain alias Rashed alias Abu Umama Al-Bahiri, 26, and Rayhan Ahmed alias Nasir, 30.

They were arrested them from Rupganj and Bandar upazilas today.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar on Tuesday submitted a report compiled by the four-member inquiry panel on the death of dozens of children in Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The chief minister has directed to file a case against the principal of the BRD Hospital and five others on the matter.

On August 18, the Allahabad High Court pulled up the Uttar Pradesh Government and asked to specify the cause of deaths of children at the BRD Medical College.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court questioned the state government while hearing the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in regard with the Gorakhpur tragedy in which at least 30 kids died in 48 hours at Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College's Nehru Hospital on August 10 and 11.

Activist and advocate Dr. Nutan Thakur said that PIL would be heard before the bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Daya Shankar Tiwari.

Thakur further said the PIL asserts that the state government and its agencies have been trying to defend the entire incident by negating the facts emerging in media about deaths taking place due to oxygen failure, which gives a message that they are trying to hide facts and shield certain guilty persons.

The PIL seeks judicial enquiry in the matter so that the true facts emerge and guilty do not remain unpunished. It also prays for issuing directions to the state government so that such incidents do not happen again.

The PIL further seeks complete enforcement of the previous High Court order about complete ban of private practice by government doctors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In yet another goodwill gesture, the Government of India on Tuesday released seven Pakistani nationals and handed them over to Islamabad at the Wagah border near Amritsar.

The Pakistani nationals were handed over to Pakistani Rangers by the India's Border Security Force (BSF) troops.

Earlier in March, India had released 39 Pakistani prisoners.

On July 1, in a step aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between India and Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs had exchanged the lists of nationals of their respective countries who are currently lodged in the jails of the other country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Tuesday welcomed United States President Donald Trump's new policy on Afghanistan and said that New Delhi shares the concerns and objectives as entailed by the former in his recent address.

"We welcome President Trump's determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives," India's External Affairs Ministry spokerperson Raveesh Kumar said, in a press statement.

"We are committed to supporting the Government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country. We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people. We will continue these efforts, including in partnership with other countries," the statement added.

India's reaction came as Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan policy and that "from now on victory will have a clear definition."

Trump also sought more help from India in Afghanistan.

Speaking from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va., Trump said, "We will develop a deeper strategic partnership with India, but we want them to help us more in Afghanistan."

"Another part of South Asia strategy for America to further develop its strategic partnership with India, the world's largest democracy and key security and economic partner of US. We appreciate India's important contribution to bring stability in Afghanistan. But, India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan especially in the area of economic consistence and development," Trump said.

India aided the overthrow of the Taliban and became the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. Indians are working in various construction projects, as part of India's rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan.

Trump's assertion of a bigger Indian role in Afghanistan is a blow for Pakistan, which has been opposing New Delhi's presence in Kabul.

Pakistan alleges the Indian intelligence agency RAW is working in cover to malign Pakistan and train and support insurgents. This claim has been rejected strongly by India and the United States, which is historically a strong ally of Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa met Lieutenant General Mahmoud A. Fraihat, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff, Jordan Armed Forces, and Essa Abdullah Al Basha Al-Noaimi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Pakistan at the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi, on Tuesday.

An Inter-Services Public Relations release said that matters of mutual interest, including strengthening of bilateral security and defence cooperation between Pakistan and Jordan were discussed by the two generals.

In the meeting with the UAE envoy, General Qamar Javed Bajwa discussed matters of mutual interest, including regional security issues. The visiting dignitary, who was making a farewell call, acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army's contributions for peace and stability in the region and pledged to keep working for better relations between two brotherly nations, the ISPR release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the Supreme Court granted bail to Lieutenant Colonel Purohit in connection to the 2008 Malegaon serial blasts case, the Congress Party on Tuesday said that the Investigative Agency (NIA) has been lacking in the investigation and works on the signals of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Talking to ANI, Congress leader Meem Afzal said, "NIA works on the signals of BJP government. They submitted the report which is contradictory. I was also shocked to see that how Purohit got the bail. The BJP government did the same thing in Gujarat case as well as the party always try to escape their own people."

Meanwhile, another party leader Raju Waghmare said, "If you look into the whole investigation scenario since 2014 when the Modi government came into the power, the NIA has been lacking in the investigation. The witnesses have been hostile and the cases and charges have been dropped on many people. This whole thing is happening in the front of the government."

Yesterday, the Supreme Court set aside the Bombay High Court earlier order and granted bail to Purohit.

Earlier on August 17, the apex court reserved its order on the bail plea of Lieutenant Colonel Purohit.

Senior lawyer, Harish Salve, appearing for Lieutenant Colonel Purohit told the court that he did not want to be discharged from the case at present, but for the interest of justice, wanted an interim bail.

Salve told the apex court that Lieutenant Colonel Purohit was allegedly caught in the political crossfire and was falsely implicated in the case.

Opposing Lieutenant Colonel Purohit's bail plea, the NIA argued that the Bombay High court order should be upheld by the apex court.

Purohit's bail plea was earlier rejected by the Bombay High Court saying the charges against him were of a grave nature, after which he moved to the top court.

Purohit, a former military intelligence officer, is one of the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, along with Sadhvi Pragya and others.

The 2008 Malegaon serial blasts claimed four lives and left nearly 79 injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump's request for India's help in Afghanistan has rattled Pakistan.

Reports suggest that Islamabad, which sees New Delhi as bete noire, is now contemplating involving India in Afghanistan peace process.

The New York Times reported that President Trump's appeal On Tuesday for India's help on Afghanistan set off alarm bells in Pakistan, where officials warned that the approach risked jolting a tumultuous relationship.

It further added that "Pakistani officials also expressed relief that Mr. Trump did not call for abrupt reductions in military aid to Pakistan, which the United States has long accused of going easy on militants".

Speaking from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va., Trump said, "We will develop a deeper strategic partnership with India, but we want them to help us more in Afghanistan."

He further added that "India makes billions of dollars with the United States in trade; we want them to help us more in Afghanistan".

The US President's outreach to India has not gone down well within Pakistan. To make the matters worse for Islamabad, Trump said that Pakistan was needed to show more commitment to fight terror.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," Trump said on Monday.

The New York Times said although Trump stopped short of cutting off military aid, "as some Pakistani elites had feared".

Even before Trump unveiled his strategy on Monday, Islamabad was apprehensive and concerned.

"The Pakistani military has been at the forefront of formulating the country's foreign policy and has taken the lead in defining the contours of Islamabad's relationship with Afghanistan and India. The civilian government has very little say, if any, in these policy initiatives," reported The New York Times.

Citing background interviews, the report said that "senior Pakistani security officials stress that an all-inclusive engagement is the only option for peace inside Afghanistan. More troops inside the country, along with blaming Pakistan for harboring terrorists, will not work".

The New York Times report said that "Pakistani officials have cited Indian influence as a primary cause of instability and insecurity in Afghanistan. Officials in Islamabad accuse India of supporting a hostile political regime in Kabul and funding militants, who use Afghanistan as a base to launch attacks inside Pakistan".

Trump's desire of India's bigger role in Afghanistan and warning to Pakistan has left Islamabad dumbfound.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued a statement after Trump's speech saying it is committed to fighting terrorism, and it called allegations it provided safe havens to militants "a false narrative."

It added that a military solution is not possible, saying "only an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned politically negotiated solution can lead to a sustainable peace in Afghanistan."

Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that his country "has rendered unmatched sacrifices in the war on terror. Our war against terrorism is not because of the United States; we will continue this war."

However, Pakistan, a US ally in War on Terror, is accused of misusing the US aid mean for fighting terror.

US defense secretary Mattis said in July that the US has decided to block $350 million in coalition support funds to Pakistan as it had not taken "sufficient actions" against the dreaded Haqqani terror network which has been behind terror attacks in Afghanistan.

In July, the US listed Pakistan among the nations providing "safe havens" to terrorists saying terror groups like the LeT and JeM continued to operate, train, organise and fund-raise inside the country.

"Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan," said the annual 'Country Report on Terrorism' from the US state department.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Welcoming the new strategy of the United States for Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani said the decision unveils an enduring commitment by Washington as a key partner of the Kabul government.

Ghani thanked Trump and the people of America for their support and efforts for Afghanistan to make the country self sufficient to combat the threat of terrorism.

"I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism," Tolo News quoted Ghani, as saying.

"The new strategy will increase the capacity in the Resolute Support mission. It will particularly emphasis on enhancing the Afghan air power, doubling the size of the Afghan Special Force and deepening NATO's ability to train, advice and assist Afghan security forces," he added.

He further said the new strategy would allow both the US and Afghanistan to work together in achieving mutual goals of peace and prosperity. The new strategy will also provide a clear pathway for the regional countries to end support for non-state actors.

India has also welcomed Donald Trump's new policy on Afghanistan and said that New Delhi shares the concerns and objectives as entailed by the former in his recent address.

"We welcome President Trump's determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives," India's External Affairs Ministry spokerperson Raveesh Kumar said, in a press statement.

"We are committed to supporting the Government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country. We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people. We will continue these efforts, including in partnership with other countries," the statement added.

India's reaction came as Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan policy and that "from now on victory will have a clear definition."

Trump also sought more help from India in Afghanistan.

Speaking from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va., Trump said, "We will develop a deeper strategic partnership with India, but we want them to help us more in Afghanistan."

"Another part of South Asia strategy for America to further develop its strategic partnership with India, the world's largest democracy and key security and economic partner of US. We appreciate India's important contribution to bring stability in Afghanistan. But, India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan especially in the area of economic consistence and development," Trump said.

India aided the overthrow of the Taliban and became the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. Indians are working in various construction projects, as part of India's rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan.

Trump's assertion of a bigger Indian role in Afghanistan is a blow for Pakistan, which has been opposing New Delhi's presence in Kabul.

Pakistan alleges the Indian intelligence agency RAW is working in cover to malign Pakistan and train and support insurgents. This claim has been rejected strongly by India and the United States, which is historically a strong ally of Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Onkareshwar Pandey

New Delhi [India], Aug. 22 (ANI): The landmark triple talaq verdict has given big boost to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has long pushed for a uniform civil code to be enforced which would end the reach of different religious laws in civil issues, sanctioned originally to protect the independence of different faiths.

In a far-reaching verdict empowering millions of Muslim women, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down triple talaq, or instant divorce, by a 3:2 verdict of the constitutional bench.

Three of the five judges banned the practice for six months till the government introduces new legislation. Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice Nazeer, even while holding triple talaq to be valid ordered a stay on this practice for six months, to enable the legislature bring a law banning this practice.

The verdict has given the Centre an opportunity to fulfill their long pending agenda of having a common civil code through a new legislation.

Backing the petitioners in this landmark case, in different public speeches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken against the practice, pledging to protect the right to equality of all women declaring triple talaq unconstitutional, derogatory and discriminatory for women.

The apex court has said that if a legislation banning triple talaq completely is placed before Parliament within six months, the stay on the practice would continue till Parliament enacts or rejects the law."

Bhartiya Janta Party president Amit Shah welcomed the apex court judgment, saying that "It marks the beginning of a new era of pride and equality for Muslim women. The BJP welcomes the respect and the expansion of Muslim women's rights and sees today's court order as a step towards a determined 'New India'.

In the last six decades since the Constitution was adopted, Congress party-led governments at the Centre have been accused of shirking their responsibility of announcing a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as mandated by Article 44, which was placed as a Directive Principle of State Policy, mandating the government to endeavour to bring in a political climate that would be conducive to enacting the code.

However, at the time of the drafting of the Constitution, in the wake of the partition of the subcontinent and the riots that gripped the country thereafter, it was believed that the time was not right to enact a UCC.

The mood in the BJP is upbeat after the SC judgement which had been accusing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government of 'minority appeasement'.

Triple talaq has been an issue of concern for over 65 years for Muslim women, who comprise approximately eight percent of the population as per the 2011 census. The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the practice terming it "unconstitutional". After reading separate judgements, the majority of five-judge bench of Supreme Court ruled triple talaq to be void and illegal.

Here are some highlights of the Supreme Court judgement and all about the issue which you may like to know:

The constitution bench of SC, headed by the Chief Justice J S Khehar, invalidated the practice as part of the Muslim Personal Law in a spilt verdict (3:2). The majority three judges - Justice Rohinton Nariman, Justice Kurien Joseph and Justice U U Lalit gave their judgment against it. While Chief Justice of India J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer gave dissenting judgment in favour of it, saying that they were of the view that triple talaq can't be declared illegal.

Striking down triple talaq in the majority verdict, the three judges extensively quoted from Quranic verses and Hadith. The judges said one cannot seek constitutional protection for a practice for which the primary source is not the holy Quran. "What is not permissible under Quran can't be protected by the Constitution," judges said.

Triple talaq has so far been legal for Muslims according to the Constitution, but several Muslim women who have been divorced, including on Skype and on WhatsApp, had challenged the 1400-year-old practice.

A Constitution bench of five judges of different faiths - Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer - heard the case over five days from May 12 to May 18. The court had framed questions that included whether triple talaq is fundamental to Islam and whether it is an enforceable fundamental right.

After six days of the historic hearing, which saw some of the top lawyers argue whether triple talaq was essential to Islam or not, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice U U Lalit were of the view that triple talaq was not essential to Islam, and therefore, it should be banned.

Justice Kurian Joseph said: There are four sources of Islamic law. Only the Quran is the first source of law. Therefore, sources other than the Quran are supplement to what is in it. Therefore, there can be nothing more than what is written in the Quran.. Quran attributes permanence to matrimony. Essential steps required before talaq. Triple talaq is against the tenets of Quran, and therefore, violates the Shariat. As held in Shamimara, talaq must be after having tried to resolve issues. Triple talaq not a part of sharia, therefore, I do not agree with CJI that it's part of personal law...Freedom of religion is absolute, I agree with CJI. However, triple talaq being a part of religion is what I disagree with...After 1937 Act, no practice deviating from Quran is valid. I expressly endorse and uphold the law in Shamimara. What is bad in theology is bad in law. What is bad in Quran can't be good in Shariat.

Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman said: It is a disapproved form of divorce. Even Hanafi law says triple talaq is sinful. 1937 Act recognizes triple talaq and therefore does not violate Article 13...Triple Talaq won't fall within confines of Article 13(1)...It is not possible for court to fold his hands when petitioners come to court. Court has to declare whether practice is legal or not.

CJI JS Khehar said: Till the time a legislation is considered, the court injuncts Muslim husbands from pronouncing triple talaq for six months.

Chief Justice Khehar further said: "Triple talaq does not violate article 25, 14 and 21 of the Constitution...Practice being constituent of personal law, it can't be set aside on ground of constitution morality by judicial intervention. Triple Talaq is important to sunnis of hanafi school, has to be accepted as important to their culture. Legislative intervention needs to be followed in respect of triple talaq if it has to be set aside... International conventions do not have any bearing on the subject as the practice is part of personal law. This is a case where court should exercise Article 142 and direct the Union to enact appropriate legislation keeping in mind advances in Muslim personal law".

Chief Justice Khehar added: "Despite Rashid Ahmed decision by privy council the issue needs fresh examination. All parties were unanimous that triple talaq is a heinous practice. It won't be appropriate for the court to observe whether practice is valid as per hadith due to variations in the school".

Justice Kurian said, "Extremely difficult to agree with CJI that Triple Talaq is integral to practise of Islam. Triple talaq was against the tenets of Holy Quran and hence violates Shariat law, Justice Kurian added.

Triple talaq in SC: How it came

The Supreme Court on October 16, 2015, questioned whether Muslim personal law practices of marriage and divorce reduce women to mere chattels. In a rare move, it registered a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) petition titled 'In Re: Muslim Women's Quest for Equality' to examine whether arbitrary divorce, polygamy and nikah halala (where a Muslim divorcee marries a man and divorces him to get re-married to her former husband) violate women's dignity.

The court ruled missing the opportunity to address the question of gender inequality in both the Shah Bano and Danial Latifi cases. In the Shah Bano case, the court merely goaded the government to frame the Uniform Civil Code. In the Latifi case, it upheld the right of Muslim women to maintenance till re-marriage.

Several Muslim women and organisations has welcomed the court's verdict.

Six petitioners including Five women, Shayara Bano, Ishrat Jahan, Gulshan Parween, Aafreen Rehman, and Atiya Sabri along with the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), had filed case and had approached the Supreme Court on the controversial triple talaq issue.

Bano, in her petition, contended that "the Muslim husband's right to ask for divorce by uttering talaq three times in a row is completely unilateral, unguided, absolute and has no rationale. It cannot be identified with Muslim culture and is not part of Muslim law. So it is not part of religion and hence not part of the right to practice or propagate religion and deserves no protection".

Three forms of triple talaq

In the Muslim society, there are three forms of talaq (divorce): Ahsan, Hasan and Talaq-e-Biddat (triple or instant talaq). Ahsan and Hasan are revocable.

Biddat is considered 'sinful,' but permissible in Islamic law. In Biddat, however, pronouncing divorces in one go by the husband is irrevocable.

What Arif Mohammad Khan had said?

In May this year, former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khan had said, "Triple talaq is "anti-Constitution, anti-Quran, and anti-humane" and that Uniform Civil Code is a "constitutional obligation of the government" which should come up with a draft soon.

Triple Talaq denies the rights of equality, it is anti-Quran because Quran describes the elaborate procedure which it lays down.It is anti-humane because a young Muslim girl grows up with the consciousness that after marriage her husband if he wishes so, can turn her out of the marital home on any day of his choice. That to me is anti-humane, oppressive and an ignominy," Khan said during a public lecture on 'Triple Talaq and Uniform Civil Code' at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.

The Governments position

The Centre had claimed that instant talaq is not fundamental to Islam. It promised to bring in a new divorce law for Muslim men in case the court strikes down the three forms of talaq. The government argued that Muslim marriage and divorce is codified under Section 2 of the Shariat Act of 1937 and came within the ambit of 'law' under Article 13 of the Constitution. Hence, they should abide by the principles of dignity and non-discrimination.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board too had described the divorce practice as "horrendous", "sinful" and "undesirable" with no sanction of the Quran and the Shariat, during the arguments,. However, India's largest Muslim body had also cautioned that "testing the validity of customs and practices was a slippery slope".

The AIMPLB had earlier countered that triple talaq is a matter of faith like the Hindu belief that Ayodhya is Ram's birthplace. The Personal Law had argued that for the Hanafis, who make up more than 90% Sunnis in India, triple talaq is a matter of faith followed for 1,400 years. The courts and the government should leave reform to the community, it said, quoting the Bombay High Court's unchallenged decision in the Narasu Appa Mali case that personal law should not be tinkered with. Where will Muslim men go for divorce if you (the court) strike down talaq and Parliament refuses to pass a new law, the AIMPLB had asked.

Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi on May 15 had told SC that the Centre will bring in a new law to regulate marriage and divorce among Muslims if the practice of triple talaq is declared unconstitutional.

Arshiya Ismail, a triple talaq victim expressed her happiness while commenting on the SC judgement and said, "It's a big victory for the victims of triple talaq. Victims like us have suffered a lot. God has been very kind. Faith in judiciary has come back. Supreme Court's triple talaq verdict has taken out right essence of shariya".

Millions of Indian Muslim women have the same feeling on the verdict, commented another Muslim woman.

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The Spanish Interior Ministry has confirmed that the four terror suspects detained in connection with the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, which claimed 15 lives, will appear in the Spanish High Court on Tuesday.

According to Xinhua, "Driss Oukabir, Mohamed Aallaa, Salar El Karib and Mohamed Houli Chemlal, will appear before judge Fernando Andreu, who is leading the investigation."

Earlier, the Spanish police confirmed that the suspected driver behind the Barcelona terror attack, Younes Abouyaaqoub has been shot dead, putting an end to the international manhunt for Europe's most-wanted man.

A van was driven into pedestrians on La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain, on the afternoon of 17 August, killing 15 and injuring at least 130.

Nine hours after the Barcelona attack, police shot and killed five people in Cambrils as they were carrying out a second car attack which killed one woman and injured six others.

Investigators have said that the Barcelona and Cambrils terror attacks are closely linked as that was hatched in a house that the plotters had used as a bomb factory, the Telegraph reported.

An explosion at a house in Alcanar, which is about 125 miles southwest of Barcelona, took place before the Las Ramblas attack. Police currently believe the Barcelona and Cambrils incidents were planned in Alcanar - linking all three events.

An imam, suspected of radicalising the young men who carried out the attacks, died in what is believed to have been an accidental explosion on Wednesday at a house in Alcanar, south of Barcelona.

Spain's Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido on August 19 stated that the terror cell behind Spain's deadly twin attacks cell was believed to have consisted of at least twelve persons.

The four suspects are the only survivors of the 12-man terrorist cell.

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A day after the two warring factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) - one led by former Tamil Nadu chief minister O. Panneerselvam (OPS) and other by Chief Minister Edappady K. Palaniswami (EPS) - came together to rework the 'power-sharing deal', about 19 MLAs withdrew support from the ruling party.

The nineteen MLAs are said to be among the 121 MLAs, who supported Chief Minister Palanisamy.

In a letter to Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, one of the MLAs who have resigned said that the Chief Minister "forfeited my confidence and that of the public."

The MLA further wrote that he is withdrawing his support given to Edapadi Palanisamy and asked the governor to intervene and institute a Constitutional process for the same.

He further said that he was elected under the leadership of late J. Jayalalithaa, but after her demise had supported Palanisamy at the time of the floor test in order to prove the majority, back in February.

Palanisamy also said, "The government headed by Edapadi K. Palanisamy has been abusing power, has favouritism, misuse of government machinery, and widespread corruption."

The resigned MLA also said that the corruption charges against Palanisamy are "leveled from various sectors vehemently."

He also said, "As Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edapadi Palanisamy is corrupt and encouraging at several levels, which also have caused severe damage to the name of our party."

He further added that in the first week of August, O. Paneerselvam had given a press statement where he said that the present Chief Minister is "totally filled with corruptive practice."

The MLA then said, "The statement was made against the government headed by Palanisamy, but within a short span of two weeks, the Chief Minister had included Paneerselvam Deputy Chief Minister in the government."

He further said that this 'reveals' the Chief Minister's favouritism, abuse of power of misusing government machinery to cover up the corrupt practice.

He has hence requested the Governor of Tamil Nadu to intervene.

The MLA said that he supported the Chief Minister back in February on the opinion that he would discharge his duty as a good minister and further said, "Whereas the present situation has arisen that the governance of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the constitute."

Talking on the matter, Opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK) Executive President said, "My information is that three more AIADMK MLAs have also withdrawn support, making the count of resigned MLAs to 22 MLAs in total. We demand a trust vote.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump on Monday said that he would not announce dates or troop levels, but "from now on victory will have a clear definition," while laying down goals for the war in Afghanistan.

Trump, while giving an address at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, a U.S. military base adjacent to the Arlington National Cemetery, proclaimed the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, saying that the objectives will include "obliterating ISIS" and "preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan."

Trump made it clear that he would not announce dates of military operations in advance and went on to say that he would not discuss troop levels or further plans for military activities.

"I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will," Trump said.

Trump further said that to achieve these goals, he would expand the authority for the U.S. to target criminal and terrorist networks in Afghanistan.

He also said, "Afghan will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed. But we will no longer use the American military to construct democracies in faraway lands or try to rebuild other country in our own image."

Trump further said, "Those days are now over," adding that America will instead work with allies and partners to protect their "shared interests".

Trump also said that a rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan is not feasible, pointing to the lessons the U.S. learned from Iraq.

"The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable," Trump said. "We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake we made in Iraq."

Pointing out to the presence of terrorists in Afghanistan, Trump said, "They are nothing but thugs and criminals and predators and, that's right, losers."

Trump further said that they will "defeat them and defeat them handily."

Trump had earlier expressed reservations about the seemingly endless U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan and questioned the objectives of staying there.

The President reached a decision on the future of the U.S. strategy after a final round of deliberations with his national security team at Camp David on Friday.

Trump's decision comes as Taliban militants have been resurgent in recent months, posting a series of recent gains against Afghan government forces, which are backed by a US-led coalition of NATO allies.

The ISIS, through a regional affiliate known as the ISIS-K, has also established a foothold in Afghanistan in recent years, carrying out a series of deadly terrorist attacks and coordinating assaults with the Taliban, reports CNN.

About 8,400 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan.

The majority of about 6,900 are assigned to the NATO mission to train and advise Afghan security forces alongside approximately 6,000 troops from other NATO countries.

CNN reports that the remainder of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan carry out counter-terrorism missions in the country.

The U.S. officially ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014 and shifted its mission to focus on counter-terrorism operations and training Afghan forces.

The administration has also been developing a strategy to address the growing Iranian influence in Afghanistan and to crack down on terror networks in neighboring Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump is at it again. On Monday, he once again targeted U.S. media by terming them as 'fake'.

Trump castigated 'Fake News' and thanked Christian leader Jerry Falwell Jr. for defending him on Fox & Friends, a weekday morning news show hosted by Fox News Channel stalwarts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, along with more recent addition Ainsley Earhardt.

Falwell had defended Trump's response to the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month.

"Jerry Falwell of Liberty University was fantastic on @foxandfriends. The Fake News should listen to what he had to say. Thanks Jerry!" Trump tweeted.

Trump then replied to a Twitter user who also criticised 'Fake News Media'.

Mentioning Trump, the Twitter user tweeted: "Every single day the #FakeNews media try to take you down.. You never falter, you always stand strong!"

The president then responded and tweeted: "Thank you, the very dishonest Fake News Media is out of control!"

"President Donald Trump does not have a racist bone in his body," Falwell said Monday morning on "Fox & Friends." "I know him well. He loves all people; he's worked so hard to help minorities in the inner cities."

This is not the first time that Trump has called mainstream media 'fake'.

On February 18, the President had termed popular media brands as 'fake' and enemy of American people.

"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!" Trump tweeted.

The Trump administration has declared war on the American press. The press, overall, Trump says, is a "disgrace,.false, horrible, fake reporting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump, on Monday night, unveiled a new U.S. strategy for war in Afghanistan without offering details about changes to troop levels.

Addressing the crowd at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Trump started his speech by sending prayers to sailors who were injured and lost their lives after a collision at seas and said, "We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search-and-recovery efforts."

"I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the service members here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home," he added.

President Trump further said that since the founding of America's republic, the country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history.

"American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their lives, and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality. By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation, under God. The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission and one shared sense of purpose. They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together and sacrifice together in absolutely perfect cohesion," Trump said.

Calling all service members brothers and sisters, President Trump said, "They're all part of the same family. It's called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They're bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other."

President Trump said that the soldier understands what the United States as a nation too often forgets "that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together. Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people."

"When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate. The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the if we are not at peace with each other."

President Trump said that the nation sends their bravest to defeat the enemies overseas adding, "we will always win-let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name: that when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one."

Talking about 9/11 Trump said, "Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military, and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th-nobody can ever forget that-have not been repeated on our shores. But we must acknowledge the reality I'm here to talk about tonight: that nearly 16 years after the September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history, 17 years. I share the American people's frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations."

President Donald Trump said that short after his inauguration, he directed Secretary of Defense Mattis, and his national-security team, to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia.

"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office, in other words, when you're president of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in a great detail, and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David with my Cabinet and generals to complete our strategy. I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America's core interests in Afghanistan."

President Donald Trump also said that first the nation must seek an honourable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives.

"The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need and the trust they have earned to fight and win," President Trump said.

He further said that, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable.

"9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan, because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and Al-Qaeda, would instantly fill just as happened before September 11th. And as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies."

Talking about the ISIS, President Donald Trump also said that the soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called the ISIS.

"The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe havens for the ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks, President Donald said.

"We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq. Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan, and the broader region, are immense. Today 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan," President Donald Trump.

Talking about Pakistan, Trump said, "The highest concentration in any region, anywhere in the . For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen. No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan, and South Asia. But we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became president, I was given a bad and very complex hand. But I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But one way or another, these problems will be solved. I'm a problem solver, and in the end, we will win."

He further said that they must address the "reality" of the as it exists right now, the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.

Trump said, "We need look no further than last week's vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children. You saw it for yourself, horrible. As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia, three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology."

Calling terrorists "thugs" and "predators", President Trump said, "Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs and criminals and predators, and that's right-losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily."

He further said that in Afghanistan and Pakistan, America's interests are clear.

President Donald Trump said, "We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America. And we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists, and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter. But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history."

Talking about South Asian strategies, President Trump said, "As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways. A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin or end military options."

President Trump said that they would not talk about numbers of troops or the plans for further military activities.

President Trump also said, "Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on. America's enemies must never know our plans, or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will."

"Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power-diplomatic, economic, and military-toward a successful outcome. Some day, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field. Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an ever-lasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists," President Trump said.

President Trump further said that the next pillar of U.S.'s new strategy is to change the approach in how to deal with Pakistan.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe-havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," President Trump said.

Talking more about Pakistan, President Trump said, "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists. In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked to together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices. But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars. At the same time, they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting."

He further said that this will have to change, and added, "And that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace. Another critical part of the South-Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India; the world's largest democracy, and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States-and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development."

President Donald Trump said, "We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region. Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively, and work quickly."

He further said that restrictions have already been lifted, and added that, "the previous administration placed on our war fighters that prevented the secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy."

"Micromanagement from Washington, D.C., does not win battles. They're won in the field, drawing upon the judgment and expertise of war-time commanders and front-line soldiers acting in real time with real authority and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy. That's why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorists and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos through Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide, that no place is beyond the reach of American might and American arms. Retribution will be fast and powerful as we lift restrictions and expand authorities," President Trump said.

Talking about the ISIS, President Trump further said, "We're already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq. Since my inauguration we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law-enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force. Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on victory will have a clear definition: Attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, and preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terrorist attacks against America before they emerge."

President Trump also said, "We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will. Since taking office I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense. And they have done so. In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us. Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do."

President Trump also that Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future.

"We want them to succeed, but we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interest.

We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives," President Trump said.

President Donald trump further said that this principled realism will guide the nation's decisions moving forward.

"Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country, but strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace. America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited and our support is not a blank check," President Trump.

He also said that the government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden.

"The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open in abiding by the oath I took on January 20. I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists, take heed: America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat. Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military and this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense. In every generation, we have faced down evil and we have always prevailed. We have prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for," President Donald Trump said while addressing the nation.

President Donald Trump said, "Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of America's greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth. Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after Sept. 11, 2001. They volunteered for a simple reason: They loved America and they were determined to protect her. Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives."

President Trump also said that everybody must unite to defend America from its "enemies abroad".

"We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home. And we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid. Our actions, and in months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation," President Trump said.

President Donald Trump said, "With our resolve, we will ensure that your service, and that your families, will bring about the defeat of our enemies, and the arrival of peace. We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally in downtown Phoenix.

The rally, scheduled for 7 p.m. (local time) at the Phoenix Convention Center, is Trump's maiden visit as president to Arizona.

According to CNN, "Democrats in Arizona, including Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, are lambasting Trump for even visiting the state -- particularly for a campaign rally."

An Arizona Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego stated, "Trump's unpredictable and bombastic style makes us worry that he will come here and make things worse, not better and he does not know how to be a unifier."

Comparing Trump with the former US President George Bush, Gallego said, "Trump does not know how to ease the pain of this country like we saw George Bush do after 9/11."

Arizona is home to high-profile supporters of Trump, like Joe Arpaio who is a controversial former Arizona sheriff who was convicted of contempt by a federal judge last month.

The state, also, is a home to staunch critics of Trump, like Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain, both Republicans who have feuded openly with the president.

Trump's day in Arizona will begin near the U.S. border with Mexico, Yuma, to view equipment used by US Customs and Border Patrol agents to track illegal crossings.

Less than 24 hours post delivering a primetime speech outlining his Afghanistan strategy, Trump is all set to rock Phoenix.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The University of London has stated that it would not allow All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) president Pervez Musharraf to use its venue to take part in question and answer recording session for a private Pakistani television.

A channel had announced that Musharraf will "answer your questions on a range of issues, from '99 takeover to the War on Terror and Nawaz Sharif's disqualification" at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Khalili Theatre on August 24.

The SOAS came in extreme pressure after the event with the former military dictator was announced.

The college was told by at least three groups that it will protest during the event and activists.

Pakistan Solidarity Campaign, a group of Pakistani activists from various progressive groups, wrote to the SOAS and launched a petition calling on the university to "immediately revoke permission" to host Musharraf, reports Geo TV.

It said that allowing General (retd) Musharraf will "send the wrong message that the SOAS - and the British Government - support military coups, state-sponsored violence, and humanitarian crimes in Pakistan".

The Campaign said that Musharraf was "not only a military ruler who has toppled a democratically-elected government," but was involved in abduction, torture and humiliation of human rights activists and political opponents including supporting political and religious groups with links to violence.

It was told that the SOAS allowing Musharraf a platform will mean undermining the rule of law in Pakistan.

"The SOAS academics and students have been at the forefront in the campaign for the restoration of democracy and for the rule of law in Pakistan. I condemn providing an academic platform to Gen. Musharaf for his projection. He has violated the Constitution of Pakistan and is declared absconder by the court in Pakistan. The SOAS was not involved with planning the event; it was being arranged by a private Pakistani TV as their private event," Nadir Cheema, an academic at SOAS, said.

Yesterday, the main Student Union of SOAS joined the Pakistan Solidarity Campaign in announcing various layers of protest and forced the university to cancel the permission of the event.

The SOAS has confirmed by issuing a statement that it had "not invited Pervez Musharraf to speak at the school and no such event is taking place here".

It confirmed that a "room booking request" was made by a student and "that the student has now in fact withdrawn the request".

The SOAS said that the student who had applied to book the event has already withdrawn his request.

"We have proper procedures in place for managing proposed events by student societies. At no point was an event confirmed or accepted by the SOAS, nor was any event planned and organised in conjunction with the SOAS or in discussion with the Students' Union," Geo TV quoted.

Pakistan Society President Khadeejah Shahid said that SOAS's PakSoc had no relation with the event and "we don't get involved in Pakistani politics".

The University of London's cancellation comes few days after Musharraf was forced to leave an event midway at Nobel Peace Centre due to a protest by some of the participants.

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United States Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale briefed Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday on the statements made by President Donald Trump regarding Pakistan in his South Asia policy announcement earlier in the day.

A Pakistan Foreign Office press release said Ambassador Hale had informed Foreign Minister Asif that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson would spell out in greater detail the various aspects of the bilateral relationship between the two countries and explain America's South Asia policy.

Ambassador Hale was told of Pakistan's desire for peace in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Asif told the envoy that Pakistan would continue to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism; the Dawn quoted the press release, as saying.

Asif also informed that he had accepted Tillerson's invitation to visit Washington.

Earlier in the day, President Trump described Pakistan as a country that continues to offer safe haven to "agents of chaos".

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations," Trump said as he cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan, backtracking from his promise to swiftly end America's longest war.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. That will have to change and that will change immediately," President Trump said.

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United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that Washington is ready to support peace talks between Afghanistan Government and the Taliban without preconditions for peace and stability in the region.

"We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions. We look to the international community, particularly Afghanistan's neighbors, to join us in supporting an Afghan peace process," Tillerson said in statement on the United States' Engagement in South Asia.

Highlighting that Trump's new strategy for the U.S. approach to South Asia clearly supports the Afghan people and government, Tillerson said the Washington will continue to support the Afghan government and security forces in their fight against terrorists and prevent the reestablishment of safe havens in the country.

"We are making clear to the Taliban that they will not win on the battlefield. The Taliban has a path to peace and political legitimacy through a negotiated political settlement to end the war," he said.

Asserting that Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and can be an important partner in US' shared goals of peace and stability in the region, Tillerson said that Washington looks to Islamabad to take decisive action against militant groups based on its soil.

"It is vital to U.S. interests that Afghanistan and Pakistan prevent terrorist sanctuaries," he said.

He further said that India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region and welcomed New Delhi's role in supporting Afghanistan's political and economic modernisation.

The Taliban on Tuesday warned that Afghanistan would become a 'graveyard' for the United States if the latter does not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

According to media reports, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that Afghanistan will soon become another graveyard for US if America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

Taliban's reaction comes as United States President Donald Trump said that the US military intervention in Afghanistan will continue and 'from now on victory will have a clear definition'.

Trump, while giving an address at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, a U.S. military base adjacent to the Arlington National Cemetery, proclaimed the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, saying that the objectives will include "obliterating ISIS" and "preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan."

Trump made it clear that he would not announce dates of military operations in advance and went on to say that he would not discuss troop levels or further plans for military activities.

"I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will," Trump said.

Trump further said that to achieve these goals, he would expand the authority for the U.S. to target criminal and terrorist networks in Afghanistan.

"Afghan will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed. But we will no longer use the American military to construct democracies in faraway lands or try to rebuild other country in our own image," he added.

The President reached a decision on the future of the U.S. strategy after a final round of deliberations with his national security team at Camp David on Friday.

Trump's decision comes as Taliban militants have been resurgent in recent months, posting a series of recent gains against Afghan government forces, which are backed by a US-led coalition of NATO allies.

The ISIS, through a regional affiliate known as the ISIS-K, has also established a foothold in Afghanistan in recent years, carrying out a series of deadly terrorist attacks and coordinating assaults with the Taliban.

Earlier, the defence secretary, James Mattis said that he directed US military chiefs to make preparations to carry out the president's strategy.

He added that several allies of the U.S. have also committed to increasing their troop numbers in the region and together they assist the Afghan Security forces to destroy the terrorist hub.

About 8,400 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan.

The majority of about 6,900 are assigned to the NATO mission to train and advise Afghan security forces alongside approximately 6,000 troops from other NATO countries.

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United States President Donald Trump has again offered condolences and prayed for the US Navy sailors who died in the US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S McCain's collision with a merchant ship Alnic MC in waters east of Singapore and the Straits of Malacca.

The president took to Twitter and expressed his grief concern for the families, who lost their love ones in the accident.

"We pray for our fallen heroes who died while serving our country in the @USNavy aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain, and their families," he tweeted.

The commander of the Pacific Flee said that the remains of some of the 10 missing sailors have been found in the compartments on the damaged ship, reports Washington Post. The search operation for other missing sailors is ongoing.

Earlier, Trump had tweeted, "Thoughts and prayers are with our US Navy sailors who are aboard the USS John S McCain where search and rescue efforts are underway."

The US destroyer was making its way to a routine port visit in Singapore when it collided with the merchant vessel Alnic MC at 5:24 am local time on Monday.

The warship suffered damage the port side aft (rear left) side. USS John S McCain is the second US warship to be involved in a collision in the Pacific in just over two months post USS Fitzgerald.

On June 17, the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan which resulted in the deaths of seven US sailors.

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At meeting held on 22 August 2017

The Board of NIIT at its meeting held on 22 August 2017 has approved in-principle, the voluntary liquidation of NIIT Antilles NV, Netherlands, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Upon completion of the process of voluntary liquidation of Antilles NV, there would be a potential positive impact of approx. Rs 10 crore in the financial statements of the company.

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Union Minister for Electronics & IT and Law & Justice, Sh. Ravi Shankar Prasad said today that the Government is committed to evolve new India, free of hunger & deprivation, by the year 2022. VLEs, the ambassadors of change, will play a major role in bringing about revolutionary changes in rural India. The Minister said the NDA Government has total faith in these agents of change. He said with Patanjali & IFFCO agreeing to provide their range of products from these outlets scope & viability of CSC will get a big boost.

Addressing the audience of more than 2500 VLEs, the Hon' Minister hailed the outstanding efforts of CSC VLEs in delivering digital services in rural areas of country. He praised the women VLEs, who provide government services through their CSCs in far flung areas, particularly mentioning the name of Smt. Janki Kashyap, who provides digital services in the naxal affected area of Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.

The Hon' Minister announced that his Ministry will send five best performing women VLEs to the United States and further award Rs. 1 lakh to outstanding District VLE societies. He also administered 'Sankalp se Siddhi' pledge to all VLEs and officials present on the occasion. He said that, 40,000 CSCs have registered with Patanjali for medical tele-consultations through 800 ayurvedic practitioners, benefiting citizens in rural India.

On the occasion, Acharya Balkrishna ji announced provision of free Yoga training to CSC VLEs at Patanjali Yog Pith to teach Yoga in rural areas to realise the dream of making India disease free. While speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey, CEO, UIDAI, admired the achievements of CSC VLEs in discharging Aadhaar services in rural areas. Mr. Bhushan said, VLEs in rural areas have helped UIDAI in enrolling small children, old people, patients and those who could not travel to Aadhaar centres by enrolling them by visiting their households.

On the occasion, following new services will be launched-

1. Launch of Patanjali products through CSCs:

CSC SPV has tied up with Patanjali Ayurveda for sale of Patanjali products at the last mile through the vast network of Common Services Centers.

The products would be sold through distributor model through CSC District VLE Societies.

2. Launch of Bharat Bill Pay service through CSCs:

Bharat Bill Pay Service (BBPS) is a unified bill payment system under the umbrella of National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). With CSC SPV becoming a Bharat Bill Pay Operating Unit, CSCs can provide BBPS services and further enable the villagers to pay their Electricity, Water, Gas, DTH and Mobile bills.

3. Launch of Deposit Service in Aadhaar Enabled Payment System - Digi Pay:

CSC SPV, in Collaboration with NPCI, launched its Aadhaar Enabled Payment service 'Digi Pay' to address need for financial services of rural people. Now on August 22, 2017, its cash deposit service will also be launched under Digi Pay, enabling citizens to deposit cash in their Aadhaar seeded account of any bank.

4. Exchange of MOU for Sale of IFFCO Products like Fertilizers, Seeds etc through CSCs:

CSC has partnered with IFFCO to market all products and service offerings of IFFCO and Group Companies through Digital Seva portal. Under this service, once VLE accepts significant quantity of orders from farmers for agri-inputs and other services, the VLE can place orders on CSC Portal and remits payment.

5. Exchange of MOU between CSC & IGNOU:

CSC SPV is partnering with IGNOU to extend its online services through the network of CSCs across the country. The services include facility of online admission form & examination form submissions, online re-registration, and online payment facilitation through the Digital Seva portal for prospective and enrolled students of IGNOU.

6. Exchange of MOU between NeGD & IGNOU:

NeGD is partnering with IGNOU to collaborate on and develop synergies to advance its Digital India Capacity Building agenda. Under the partnership, IGNOU will provide NeGD access to its state-of-art facilities for developing content for its capacity building and awareness and communication activities.

7. Exchange of MOU for Tele-Radiology service through CSC:

5C Network, India's first diagnostic network that connects hospitals and diagnostic centers with X-Ray, CT and MRI to radiologists, is partnering with CSC SPV to leverage last mile network of CSCs to provide radio-diagnostic facility at grassroot level.

8. Exchange of MOU for Tally GST Service:

CSC SPV is partnering with Tally Education, a subsidiary of Tally Solutions, to increase adoption of computerized accounting and GST compliance across the rural and sub-urban parts of country. Under the partnership, VLEs enabling GST compliance for small businesses and traders, will receive complimentary license for the most recent version of the GST billing and compliance software from Tally.

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Key benchmark indices hovered with small gains in early afternoon trade. At 12:17 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 124.38 points or 0.4% at 31,383.23. The Nifty 50 index advanced 42.35 points or 0.43% at 9,796.70.

Key indices opened the session higher on bargain hunting after registering losses in the preceding two trading sessions. Later, the indices witnessed volatility even as they almost confined to positive territory so far. Higher Asian stocks also helped key indices to trade with gains.

Among secondary indices, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.1%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index lost 0.04%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.

The breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was negative. On the BSE, 1,345 shares declined and 946 shares rose. A total of 137 shares were unchanged.

Pharma stocks gained. Divi's Laboratories (up 1.26%), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (up 0.92%), Aurobindo Pharma (up 0.68%) and Cipla (up 0.4%) advanced. Alkem Laboratories (down 1.79%) and Cadila Healthcare (down 0.98%) declined.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) rose 1.98% at Rs 1,971.50 after the company through its wholly owned subsidiary Promius Pharma, LLC, has out-licensed the future development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights of DFD-06, a topical high potency steroid, to Encore Dermatology Inc. The drug is intended to be used for treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The announcement was made during market hours today, 22 August 2017.

Under the terms of the agreement, Encore will be responsible for the commercialization of DFD-06 in the United States. Promius Pharma is eligible to receive certain pre and post-commercialization milestone payments of up to $32.5 million, followed by fixed royalty payments on net sales.

Lupin advanced 2.08% at Rs 942 after the company announced that it has received notification that the inspection carried out by the USFDA in April 2017 at its Aurangabad facility is now closed and the agency has issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR). This closes all outstanding USFDA inspections at Lupin's Aurangabad facility. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

IT stocks were mixed. Wipro (up 1.4%), HCL Technologies (up 1.28%) and Infosys (up 0.45%) edged higher. Oracle Financial Services Software (down 0.98%), Persistent Systems (down 0.22%) and TCS (down 0.03%) declined.

S Chand and Company lost 3.36% at Rs 475 after the company reported net loss of Rs 7.90 crore in Q1 June 2017, as compared with net loss of Rs 10.87 crore in Q1 June 2016. Net sales rose 86.11% to Rs 29.35 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q1 June 2016. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

Overseas, Asian stocks edged higher as investors turned their attention to the US Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole at the end of the week. US stocks closed slightly higher yesterday, 21 August 2017, but a decline in tech and financials kept a lid on gains.

The annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium is scheduled for this Friday in Wyoming. Representatives from the central banks of more than 40 countries will attend the annual gathering, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

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Lupin announced that it has received notification that the inspection carried out by the USFDA in April 2017 at its Aurangabad facility is now closed and the agency has issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR). This closes all outstanding USFDA inspections at Lupin's Aurangabad facility. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

ONGC said that the company's board of directors considered the proposal for acquisition of 51.11% of share of HPCL from the Government of India and given the 'in principle approval' for the same. Further, the board has constituted a Committee of Directors to examine various aspects of the proposal and to provide its recommendations to the board of directors. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

Biocon announced the transfer of the Biosimilars business of the company by way of a slump sale as going concern to Biocon Biologics, a step down subsidiary of the company. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

GTPL said that a special committee of the board of directors approved the acquisition of remaining 49% stake in GTPL Deesha Cable Net, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

Aarti Drugs said that goods and services tax (GST) transition affected the domestic sales heavily in June quarter leading to decline in local sales to the extent of approximately 18%. However, there was good demand growth in export markets recording the volume growth of around 20.5% and the value growth of around 5.5% due to lower foreign exchange rate.

Consolidated profit after tax for the quarter ended June 2017 is Rs 11.38 crore and consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the quarter ended June 2017 is Rs 35.46 crore. Despite of the lower profit due to GST transition impact, debt/equity ratio was maintained at 1.13 as of June 2017. Lower domestic sales affected the absolute gross contribution due to which operating margins were affected temporarily in this quarter.

The company is confident to face US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) audit in recent future. Approvals for three of its products for European markets and marketing authorization of Zolpidem and Celecoxib tablets in UK and Ireland will positively impact the exports in future. The company has just commissioned centralized multiple effect evaporator systems to reduce the effluent streams, thus positively contributing towards the cleaner environment. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

Reliance Capital will be watched. Reliance Home Finance is proposed to be independently listed on stock exchange, subject to regulatory approvals. Nearly 1 million shareholders of Reliance Capital will be allotted one free share of Reliance Home Finance for every one share held in Reliance Capital. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

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Key benchmark indices edged higher in early trade tracking positive sentiment in Asian bourses. At 9:15 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex rose 171.58 points or 0.55% at 31,430.43. The Nifty 50 index advanced 61.40 points or 0.63% at 9,812.30.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.68%, outperforming the Sensex. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index advanced 0.52%, underperforming the Sensex.

The breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 785 shares rose and 237 shares declined. A total of 26 shares were unchanged.

Bajaj Auto was up 0.21% at Rs 2,776.40. Promoter Rahul Bajaj's sister Suman Jain, in her press release addressed to the company stated that her name should be excluded from the list of promoters/insiders of the company and also her holdings from the holdings by the promoter & promoter group with immediate effect in the company's filings with the stock exchanges. She has cited Sebi's rules to this effect. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017. Suman Jain held 0.36% stake in Bajaj Auto as on 30 June 2017 in the promoter category.

ONGC rose 0.6% at Rs 158.50 after the company said that its board of directors at a meeting held yesterday, 21 August 2017, considered the proposal for acquisition of 51.11% of share of HPCL from the Government of India and given the in-principle approval for the same. Further, the Board has constituted a Committee of Directors to examine various aspects of the said proposal and to provide its recommendations to the board of directors. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

Pharma major Lupin advanced 2.3% at Rs 944 after the company announced that it has received notification that the inspection carried out by the USFDA in April 2017 at its Aurangabad facility is now closed and the agency has issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR). This closes all outstanding USFDA inspections at Lupin's Aurangabad facility. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

Overseas, Asian stocks edged higher as investors turned their attention to the US Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole at the end of the week. US stocks closed slightly higher yesterday, 21 August 2017, but a decline in tech and financials kept a lid on gains.

The annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium is scheduled for this Friday in Wyoming. Representatives from the central banks of more than 40 countries will attend the annual gathering, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

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Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could gain 36 points at the opening bell.

Overseas, Asian stocks were mixed as investors turned their attention to the US Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole at the end of the week. US stocks closed slightly higher yesterday, 21 August 2017, but a decline in tech and financials kept a lid on gains.

The annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium is scheduled for this Friday in Wyoming. Representatives from the central banks of more than 40 countries will attend the annual gathering, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Closer home, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 1983.39 crore yesterday, 21 August 2017, as per provisional data released by the stock exchanges. Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 474.72 crore yesterday, 21 August 2017, as per provisional data.

Among corporate news, pharma major Lupin announced that it has received notification that the inspection carried out by the USFDA in April 2017 at its Aurangabad facility is now closed and the agency has issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR). This closes all outstanding USFDA inspections at Lupin's Aurangabad facility. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

Reliance Capital will be watched. Reliance Home Finance is proposed to be independently listed on stock exchange, subject to regulatory approvals. Nearly 1 million shareholders of Reliance Capital will be allotted one free share of Reliance Home Finance for every one share held in Reliance Capital. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 21 August 2017.

Market registered losses yesterday, 21 August 2017, extending previous trading session's slide on weak global cues. The Sensex fell 265.83 points or 0.84% to settle at 31,258.85, its lowest closing level since 11 August 2017.

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Held on 22 August 2017

The Board of Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network at its meeting held on 22 August 2017 has appointed Rakesh G Jain as Additional Director with effect from 22 August 2017. The Board noted relinquishment of office of Manav Dhanda as Chief Executive Officer of the Company w.e.f 31 August, 2017, for taking up a leadership role at group level in TV Vision (Broadcasting Arm).

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At least 33 people were injured in a train crash at a station in the US city of Philadelphia early on Tuesday.

An inbound Norristown High Speed Line train crashed into an empty stationary train at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby around 12.15 a.m., the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) said.

Upper Darby Mayor Nicholas Micozzie said the victims were taken to hospitals and four of them suffered serious injuries, USA Today reported.

SEPTA said there may be train service disruptions during the day. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

--IANS

soni/vm

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Afghan President Ashraf Gahni on Tuesday welcomed the new strategy announced by US President Donald Trump.

"I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism," Xinhua news agency quoted the Afghan President as saying.

"The decision shows an enduring commitment by Afghanistan's foundational partner in this global conflict," Ghani said.

Revealing his new Afghan strategy, Trump on Monday said a rapid exit of the US troops from Afghanistan was "unacceptable" and his new Afghanistan strategy would shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground.

"The US-Afghan partnership is stronger than ever in overcoming the threat of terrorism that threatens us all. The strength of our security forces should show the Taliban and others that they cannot win a military victory. The objective of peace is paramount. Peace remains our priority," Ghani said.

The statement said the Afghan government welcomed renewed US emphasis on seeing security in the war-torn country as part of a wider regional package.

It said the strategy complemented Afghan initiatives including the Kabul Process that seek to engage the region in sharing common security burdens.

Presidential Palace spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi said Afghanistan as a strategic partner of the US welcomed the new strategy and supported regional cooperation in the war on terror.

--IANS

py/mr

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Activists, politicians, clerics, celebrities, political outfits and NGOs, including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) that was contending for the triple talaq, on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court verdict on the controversial instant divorce among the Muslim community.

While the government, women rights activists and political parties appreciated the apex court's constitutional bench order banning instant divorce by a 3:2 verdict as unconstitutional, the AIMPLB said the court's order also underlined that a community's personal laws cannot be interfered with.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley called the judgment as "progressive" and said efforts should be made to rectify "aberrations" in personal laws that infringe on constitutional guarantees.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the decision was an indication of an emerging new India.

BJP President Amit Shah hailed the ruling as "historic" and said it was a victory for Muslim women and their right to live with dignity.

"I welcome this historical decision... This judgement is not about anyone's victory or defeat. This is the victory of basic Constitutional rights of Muslim women and their right to live with equality," Shah said in a statement.

The Congress termed the ruling as an "affirmation of the rights of women" with its Vice President Rahul Gandhi congratulated "the women who fought for justice".

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) welcomed the judgment but said it will properly respond only after studying the majority and minority judgments.

Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who represented the AIMPLB in the Supreme Court, said the ruling signifies as laid down by the majority judgment that Muslim personal laws cannot be interfered with.

"The decision where triple talaq is administered in one sitting is different from the decision in law which by majority says that personal laws can't be tested on the anvil of Part III of Constitution. They cannot be tested on grounds of violation of Article 14 or 25."

He stressed that the apex court had only banned the administering of triple talaq in one sitting and it did not interfere with the other two forms of triple talaq which are Talaq-e-Ahsan and Talaq-e-Hasan.

The AIMPLB too welcomed the apex court verdict saying it vindicated the organisation's stand and "accords protection to Muslim personal law".

It said the judgment will "ensure non-interference by the courts in matters of practices emanating from religious texts and belief systems" of different communities".

The women's wing of the AIMPLB termed as "contradictory" and "fractured" the judgement of the Supreme Court on triple talaq.

Asma Zehra, chief organiser of the wing, said while they respect the judgement that appeared confusing, triple talaq did not always work against women.

"Many a time it is an exit mechanism to relieve women from unsuccessful and troublesome marriages," she said.

"Talaq is a non-issue and divorce rate is the least in the Muslim community. Muslims have divorce rate of only 0.5 per cent whereas it is 1.64 per cent in Hindu community," she said.

But the Muslim women who challenged the practice expressed joy over their success.

Shayara Bano was the first petitioner in the case. "I feel happy for Muslim women. It's a great day for them," she said.

Another petitioner, Atiya Sabri, was married in 2012 and then divorced, has two daughters aged four and three.

"I was beaten and thrown out of the house. There were attempts to poison me," she said, recalling how she was given instantly divorce.

Muslim clerics associated with the RSS-backed Muslim Rashtriya Manch too hailed the judgment in a chorus when Manch patron Indresh Kumar asked them at an event here if they were happy with the verdict.

A number of Bollywood celebrities including Anupam Kher, Madhur Bhandarkar and Dia Mirza too welcomed the judgment with Mirza calling it a "historic day for women's rights in our country".

Amnesty International India too welcomed the verdict as a step forward for womens rights in India.

--IANS

mak/sar/vd

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BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court ruling on triple talaq as "historic" and said it was a victory for Muslim women and their right to live with dignity.

"I welcome this historical decision... This judgement is not about anyone's victory or defeat. This is the victory of basic Constitutional rights of Muslim women and their right to live with equality," Shah said in a statement.

Shah said that by declaring triple talaq as "unconstitutional", the Supreme Court had given crores of Muslim women the right to live with self respect.

"It is the beginning of new era for the Muslim women to live with self respect and equality. The BJP welcomes the rights given to the Muslim women and sees it as a step forward towards a new India," he said.

He hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for effectively presenting the case of Muslim women in the apex court.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amnesty International India on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict striking down the practice of triple talaq among Muslims as a step forward for womens rights in India.

After the apex court declared talaq-e-biddat unconstitutional, Asmita Basu at Amnesty India said: "We welcome the Supreme Court judgment. Triple talaq is a discriminatory practice that violates women's right to equality, and has devastated the lives of many Muslim women.

"The Supreme Court's bar on this regressive practice is a step forward for women's rights in India. We urge the government to repeal all religious family laws that violate women's right to equality, without exception."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prints by Reginald Gammon that explore aspects of African American life and history. Runs through 9/30.

Reginald Gammon (1921-2005), originally from Philadelphia, moved to New York City in 1951. He taught in the New York public schools and for 21 years at Western Michigan University. When he retired to New Mexico in 1992 he became active in the arts scene here. Gammon's paintings and prints often explore aspects of African American life and history. He was a member of the black artists' collective, Spiral, with Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, Hale Woodruff and Emma Amos, among others. He was an avid jazz fan and saw many concerts in New York. Gammon made his own bold interpretations of such artists such as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong and Lester Young performing. The expressiveness of his lines and color suggest the sounds and cadences of the performances represented on these silent sheets of paper. The juxtaposition of his sensuous nudes with the jazz portraits in this exhibition reflect the multisensory element of jazz syncopation. Gammon once said, "The human physiognomy is as great a landscape as you can find or as great a still life as you can find." These prints were created at New Grounds Print Workshop & Gallery in Albuquerque located just blocks from the Outpost. Gammon was a founding member of New Grounds in 1996. While in New York the artist had worked as a commercial artist, painter and printmaker. Known mainly as a painter, Gammon revived his interest in making prints when he moved to Albuquerque. In 2007-8 New Grounds Gallery and the Albuquerque Museum and the African American Performing Arts Center held exhibitions to honor Gammon and his legacy. In 1997 Gammon showed in the original Inpost Artspace Gallery at the old Outpost on Morningside Dr. Dr. Kymberly Pinder, Dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico has the curated this show on the 20th Anniversary of Gammon's last Inpost Artspace show. FREE!
Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has started the principal photography of "Everybody Knows" ("Todos Lo Saben"), a psychological thriller film starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Ricardo Darin.

The Spanish language film is being made on a budget of 10 million Euros here, reports variety.com.

Written by Farhadi, "Everybody Knows" follows the journey of Carolina as she travels with her family from Buenos Aires to her hometown in Spain for a celebration. Meant to be a brief visit, the trip is disturbed by unforeseen events that will completely change the lives of Carolina and her family.

Farhadi is best known for directing films like "A Separation" and "The Salesman".

--IANS

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The Australian government will consider any request from the US to contribute further troops to Afghanistan, Defence Minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday.

In a statement following US President Donald Trump's announcement that he would "ask NATO allies and global partners" for further support, Payne said that while Australian contribution was already "significant", the government would consider any formal request, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We will examine the President's statement, consider any expectations of counterpart nations and engage in discussion with the US on these matters," Payne said.

"Australia is making a significant contribution to operations including in Iraq and Syria, in Afghanistan and in our own region. In May, we agreed to increase the ADF train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan by 30 personnel, which will take our total troop numbers to around 300."

Meanwhile Peter Jennings from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said Australia would definitely be one of the nations from which Trump would seek support.

"We will certainly be among the allies they would expect to take a request like that seriously," Jennings said.

He said that while the US might be concerned with the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan, Australia should perhaps look at working against the Islamic State (IS) group in the Philippines -- much closer to home.

"It might be smart to actually look at doing a bit more to assist with the Philippines because really we just can't let the IS establish a hold in the South and that's probably for us where the most immediate problem is," Jennings said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Banking operations were on Tuesday hit across the state as members affiliated to nine unions in the public sector banks struck work protesting against reforms in the banking sector.

However, new generation banks were reported to be functioning normally.

A senior banking official attached to a leading public sector bank said that he came to the branch as usual and opened but later it was closed.

"All officials who are in the category of Scale 4 and above, besides those in probation, cannot participate in strikes. But all such people signed for the day and then left," said an official who did not wish to be identified.

In Kerala, while there are more than 5,000 branches in the public sector, the total number of branches in the private sector is under 250.

There were sizeable crowds in front of many ATMs and at some places, the cash was finished by noon. The worst affected were cheque clearing operations.

--IANS

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Divers searching for 10 missing American sailors have located some bodies inside the stricken US destroyer, a day after it collided with a merchant vessel near Singapore, a US Admiral said on Tuesday.

Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the US Pacific fleet, did not say how many bodies were found inside the ship, but disclosed that Malaysian Navy vessels also found one body. The officials said work to identify the bodies found inside the USS McCain was continuing, CBS News reported.

US military divers started searching the flooded parts of the US destroyer for the missing sailors after the collision near the Strait of Malacca on Monday. Five other sailors were injured in the incident.

The search operation involved aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS America, along with coordination from local authorities, including ships and planes from the Malaysian and Singaporean Navies.

The incident prompted the US Navy to order a rare, one-day operational pause in response to the collision, which was the latest in a string of accidents involving Navy vessels -- with four occurring in Asian waters this year alone.

"This trend demands more forceful action," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said.

One of the missing seamen was named as Petty Officer Logan Palmer in a Facebook post by US Congressman Rodney Davis, who said that he was in touch with the missing man's family.

Meanwhile, the state-run China Daily newspaper criticised the recent spate of accidents, saying the US Navy was becoming "a hazard in Asian waters".

"It may be hard for people to understand why US warships are unable to avoid other vessels since they are equipped with the world's most sophisticated radar and electronic tracking systems, and aided by crew members on constant watch," the English-language daily said.

Calling the US Navy a "dangerous obstacle" and an "increasing hindrance to ships sailing in Asian waters", the article said there was "no denying the fact that the increased activities by US warships in Asia-Pacific since Washington initiated its rebalancing to the region are making them a growing risk to commercial shipping."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 42nd Annual General Body Meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) on Tuesday discussed if memorials of other former Prime Ministers of India can be built in the sprawling campus of the Teen Murti House. However, the issue remained inconclusive.

The meeting was chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the capacity of NMML Society's ex-officio Vice President, and was attended by various members including Union Minister M.J. Akbar, Congress MPs Mallikarjun Kharge and Karan Singh, and nominated Rajya Sabha Member Swapan Dasgupta.

After the meeting, Swapan Dasgupta said the issue of accommodating other former Prime Ministers' memorials in the Teen Murti House complex without disturbing NMML was discussed but no decision was taken.

"Even if the proposal gets through, Nehru's memorial and library will remain intact," he said.

The NMML was founded in 1964 after the death of Nehru. Its archives contain the bulk of Mahatma Gandhi's writings besides private papers of C. Rajagopalachari, Jayaprakash Narayan, Charan Singh, Sarojini Naidu and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, among others.

The entire site is spread over 45 acres and is a heritage landmark, including the Herbert Baker Building (1928) that houses the museum, the library building (1974) and a 14th century hunting lodge of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Union Muslim League in Kerala on Tuesday demanded that the central government should not show any undue haste in coming out with an ordinance on triple talaq, after the Supreme Court struck it down as "unconstitutional" and "not part of Islam".

Speaking to the media, senior IUML leader and Malappuram Lok Sabha member P.K. Kunhalikutty said with the apex court giving six months time, the Centre should debate the issue well and not show any undue haste in coming out with an ordinance.

"The Parliament should debate and discuss this issue... there is time of six months," said Kunhalikutty.

The IUML, the second largest ally of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, has two Lok Sabha members and a member in the upper house.

A five judge constitutional bench by a 3:2 majority judgement said there is no constitutional protection for triple talaq.

Justices Kurien Joseph, Rohinton Fali Nariman and Udey Umesh Lalit held that triple talaq is not integral to Islam, is banned in law and lacks approval of the Shariat.

However, Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice S. Abdul Nazir, in a minority judgment, said triple talaq is integral to Islamic practices and enjoys constitutional protection.

Khehar in his judgement urged Parliament to pass a law to deal with the issue.

He, however, injuncted Muslim men from pronouncing instant triple talaq for next six months within which he implored the political parties to shed their difference and enact a law.

Kunhalikutty's colleague in the Lok Sabha, E.T. Mohammed Basheer said that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board will discuss this issue.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China on Tuesday defended Pakistan after US President Donald Trump slammed Islamabad for harbouring terrorists.

Beijing said Pakistan was doing a good job in fighting against terror and had made great sacrifices.

In an address to the nation on Monday from Fort Myer near Washington, Trump put long-time ally Pakistan on notice with a virtual ultimatum that it "has much to lose" by backing terrorists.

Trump accused Islamabad of sheltering "the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people".

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars, at the same time they are housing the very terrorists we are fighting. But that will have to change and that will change immediately."

Reacting to Trump's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "As for Trump's remarks on Pakistan, I should say that Pakistan is on the frontline of the fight against and has made great sacrifices and contributions to fighting and making important contributions to upholding peace and stability."

"I think the international community should fully affirm (sic) the efforts in this regard by Pakistan. We are pleased to see US and Pakistan conduct cooperation in anti- efforts on the basis of mutual respect and to contribute to global peace and stability."

This is not the first time China has shielded its "all-weather" ally on the issue of terrorism. It also refused to list the mastermind of Pathankot attack Masood Azhar as an international terrorist at the UN.(Gaurav Sharma is the Beijing-based correspondent for IANS. He can be contacted at sharmagaurav71@gmail.com and gauravians@yahoo.com)

--IANS

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The use of positive or negative words on Facebook signifying an emotion give a clue about how religious you are, a new research has revealed.

Researchers from the US, Britain and Australia conducted a study of nearly 13,000 Facebook users to find how the use of positive emotion and social words associated them with religion, whereas the use of negative emotion and cognitive processes hinted that the users were not religious.

The findings showed that non-religious individuals make more frequent mention of the body and of death than religious people.

It was further revealed that religious people used more religious words like "devil", "blessing" and "praying" than do non-religious people. They also showed higher use of positive words like "love" and "family" and social words such as "mothers" and "we".

On the contrary, non-religious individuals used words from the anger category like "hate" more than did religious people and also showed a higher use of words associated with negative emotions and cognitive processes such as "reasons".

"Other areas where the non-religious dominated included swear words, bodies, including 'heads' and 'neck' and words related to death including 'dead'," the paper published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science noted.

These findings bring to light the role of in an age when secularism is growing in the west. Despite that, over 80 per cent of the global population identifies with some type of .

However, the researchers are yet to reach a conclusion where they could tell how exactly the use of language associated someone with a .

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A survey participated in by 30,000 people across the country found that the majority of them want private hospital charges to be standardised according to their rating.

After almost 15 years, the Union Cabinet has approved the new National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 which only covers government hospitals.

The biggest concern about healthcare services in the country for 42 per cent people is the quality. People don't trust the government healthcare system, according to the survey conducted by the citizen engagement platform LocalCircles.

An equal 42 per cent said that the rising costs in private hospitals was a concern for them.

For nine per cent of the participants, the availability of healthcare services and for seven per cent, the rising cost of drugs and medicines were major concerns.

When asked about their previous visits to a hospital, 85 per cent said they went to private hospitals as they did not trust government hospitals enough.

After the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority of India has fixed the pricing for essential drugs and implants like stents, knee caps and the like, citizens now demand that the surgery and procedure charges at private hospitals across India should also be standardized to a fixed price based on a hospital's star rating, to increase transparency and trust in healthcare services.

The poll saw 87 per cent citizens favour the move.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Tuesday said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh should resign, taking responsibility for the deaths of 350 cows in three cow sheds in the state.

"This year, about 350 cows have died in three Gaushalas (cow sheds) in Chhattisgarh. The animals died due to lack of fodder and water. Both Chief Minister Raman Singh and state Animal Husbandry minister Brijmohan Agarwal are responsible for these deaths," said AICC in-charge of Chhattisgarh P.L. Punia in a statement.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indulges in pretense of cow protection. The Chief Minister should resign immediately taking responsibility," he added.

The Congress also alleged crores of rupees have been siphoned off by the BJP leaders in the name of cow protection in the state.

"All the three cowsheds were run by BJP leaders. Shagun Gaushala, in which more than 200 cows died, was run by BJP's Jamul Nagar panchayat vice-president Harish Verma," said state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Bhupesh Bhagel.

"This year about Rs 517 crore was allocated in the budget for cow protection. Also, Rs 22 crore more was allocated by Gau Seva Aayog," he added.

Bhagel said: "When we carried out our inspection, we found about 600 cows were kept in a very small space. The cows which were standing could not sit, and the ones which were sitting could not stand. This is the current situation. There was neither fodder nor water for the cows."

"The skin and bones of the cows were sold off and the skin was used to feed the fish in the pond," he added.

Bhagel further said: "This is the country's biggest fodder scam. Every year, thousands of cows die. Every year, crores of rupees are allocated for cow protection and the money is eaten up."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The opposition on Tuesday demanded a floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after the AIADMK group led by jailed General Secretary V K Sasikala's nephew T T V Dinakaran withdrew support to Chief Minister K Palaniswami, reducing the government to a minority.

DMK Working President M K Stalin and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss urged Governor C V Rao to ask Palaniswami to prove his majority immediately in the House after the Dinakaran group said it wanted the Chief Minister changed.

Speaking to a television channel after meeting the Governor, Sasikala-Dinakaran loyalist Thangathamizh Chelvan said: "We have told the Governor that we will be taking steps to change Chief Minister Palaniswami."

The Dinakaran faction has been upset over its isolation in the ruling party whose two major factions, led by Palaniswami and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, united a day earlier. The merged party also decided to sack Sasikala as General Secretary.

Nineteen legislators belonging to the Dinakaran faction met the Governor on Tuesday at Raj Bhavan. A source said all of them would now shift to Bengaluru or Puducherry to avoid poaching by the major AIADMK factions.

Chief Minister Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister Panneerselvam reportedly went into a huddle after the Dinakaran group met the Governor. Details of their meeting or what they plan to do to counter the threat to the government were not immediately known.

Reacting to the developments, Stalin, Leader of Opposition in the House, told Rao in a letter: "Any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove his majority will pave the way for continuance of an unconstitutional government and it will destabilise the democratic norms and precedents established in demonstrating the confidence of the House."

He said this will give room for "evil practice of horse-trading" which he added was seen when Palaniswami proved his majority earlier.

PMK's Ramadoss said the 19 legislators belonging to the Dinakaran group had told the Governor that they had withdrawn support to the government. And so, the AIADMK government had lost legislative majority.

The AIADMK had 134 members in the assembly (excluding the Speaker). Ramadoss said this number had now fallen to 115.

Ramadoss said three legislators belonging to other parties who fought the 2016 elections under the AIADMK's "two leaves" symbol had also expressed support to Dinakaran.

As a result, the total number of AIADMK legislators supporting the government was only 112, less than the number needed for a legislative majority, he said.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly has 234 seats. One seat is vacant due to the death of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa.

The DMK has 89 members, the Congress 8 and the IUML-1. Speaker P. Dhanapal has only a casting vote in a tie. The DMK, Congress and IUML are in an alliance.

On Monday, the two major AIADMK factions finally came together after months of bickering between Palaniswami and Panneerselvam.

In a deal worked out between them, Palaniswami will continue to head the government while Panneerselvam -- who has been Chief Minister thrice  will become the Deputy Chief Minister and also the numero uno in the united AIADMK.

A collective leadership drawn from the two factions will overrun the merged AIADMK.

(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.)
Europe's leading healthcare provider Medicover has picked up 22 per cent stakes with an investment of Rs 100 crore in the MaxCure Group of Hospitals, it was announced here on Tuesday.

Medicover will invest another Rs 220 crore within the next two years to hold 51 per cent in MaxCure, which currently has nine hospitals in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The partnership was announced at a joint news conference by Anil Krishna, founder and Managing Director of MaxCure and Fredrik Stenmo, chairman, Medicover.

This acquisition, which brings European and Indian expertise together, will strengthen the presence of Medicover in India, they said.

Hari Krishna, CEO, MaxCure, said the group will increase the number of hospitals to 20 within two years with a total investment of Rs 500 crore including the investment by Medicover.

It plans to open three new hospitals in Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune in the next financial year. He said they were also looking at opportunities in Delhi, Guwahati and other cities.

This is the second investment of Medicover, after it ventured into the Indian healthcare sector last year with the launch of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) clinics in Delhi.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Accra, Aug 21 (IANS/MAP) A medical clinic in Ghana's capital organised a free health screening and medication exercise for police and military officers as part of its corporate social responsibility effort.

The screening exercise was conducted on a variety of health disorders including malaria, blood pressure and sugar levels among other ailments, a report said on Monday.

Drugs including anti-malaria, blood tonics, breast relievers, dewormers, antihypertensive, haematinic were given to the beneficiaries of the exercise.

The Danfa Health Centre, where the health screening was conducted, is located in Danfa, a community of over 11,000 people in the La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality in the Greater Accra Region.

Aseye Apetsi, the senior physician assistant in-charge of the centre, commended La-Nkwantanang District Director, NGOs, the Regional Director, staff and participants for their enormous efforts for the success of the programme.

--IANS/MAP

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A police investigation has been launched into the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, one of the oldest Hindu temples in Singapore, over suspected criminal offences, a media report said.

The police confirmed on Tuesday that its Commercial Affairs Department was conducting the probe but said it was "inappropriate" to comment further, the Strait Times reported.

The temple on 141 Serangoon Road is a well-known landmark in the Little India area. According to the temple website, it is one of the oldest in Singapore and was built by early Indian migrant workers.

The Commissioner of Charities (COC) said it had been notified of the investigation and had also launched its own inquiry into the temple under section 8 of the Charities Act, which gives the Commissioner the power to institute such inquiries into charities.

The COC said it received feedback on the management of the temple, which led to it carrying out a review.

"The review identified certain areas of concern with regard to governance and administration, which warrant conducting an inquiry," it said.

The COC added that it will decide on the next course of action after the inquiry.

Religious activities in the temple will not be affected and it can continue with its operations and daily services, the COC said, adding measures would be put in place to ensure the temple was properly managed.

--IANS

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Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) is focusing on Rs 5, 000 crore of expansion projects which will be executed over the next three to four years, a top company official said on Tuesday.

"We are focusing on expansions projects over the next 4-5 years and the investment would be around Rs 5,000 crore," company's Chairman K.D.Diwan told reporters here.

Of the total investments, around Rs 2,000 crore would be made in mining and rest for manufacturing of copper cathodes.

Its Malanjkhand underground mine with a capacity of 50 lakh tonnes has been making progress and it is expected that the ore production will commence from December 2018, he said.

"The investment for the project would be around Rs 1,856 crore," an official of the company said.

During the current financial year, it expects to make progress in mine development activity with appointment of MDO for Banwas mine at Khetri. The company has obtained environment and forest clearances for its Kendadih and Rakha mine re-opening projects.

Diwan said it has re-commissioned the first phase of newly acquired Gujarat Copper Project and it has produced 8,906 tonnes of copper cathode. The company has plans to set up a plant with a capacity of one lakh tonne per annum to manufacture copper cathodes through cost effective hydro-metallurgy technology.

"The site of the project has been finalised and investment in the project is Rs 3,025 crore. The investment proposal after the recommendation of the Board has been sent to the Ministry to obtain CCEA (Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs) approval," Diwan said.

The company has an installed capacity of copper production of 68,500 tonne per annum. After expansion, its mining capacity is expected to be around 12 million tonne per annum from the present capacity of 3.2 mtpa.

The copper producer has signed a MoU with Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (Midhani), a Defence PSU, for a joint venture in production of copper-nickel tubes and associated products to be used extensively by the navy for naval vessels and submarine.

The PSUs are yet to decide on the structure of the joint venture, Diwan said.

--IANS

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In one of the biggest global tenders for helicopters issued recently, a Request For Information was issued by India's Defence Ministry for over 200 helicopters for the Indian Navy under the new Strategic Partnership model, informed sources said.

The RFI was issued for 111 Naval Utility Helicopters and 123 Naval Multi-role Helicopters, with anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Sources said both were under the Strategic Partnership model of the new Defence Procurement Procedure. Both will be global tenders for Original Equipment Manufacturers.

The Strategic Partnership policy envisages the establishment of long-term strategic partnerships with qualified Indian industry majors, wherein the Indian industry partners would tie up with global original equipment manufacturers, to seek technology transfer and manufacturing know-how to set up domestic manufacturing infrastructure and supply chains in defence manufacturing.

Four sectors have been finalised for the model at present - fighter aircraft, helicopters, submarines and armoured fighting vehicles and main battle tanks.

The last date to respond to the RFI is October 6.

Both proposals for the NUH and NMRH were pending for long as the finalisation of Strategic Partnership model took long. The Naval Utility Helciopters will replace the aging fleet of Chetak helicopters.

The Indian Navy has been facing a shortage of helicopters, and requires the Multi-Role Helicopters for deployment on its warships.

In 2014, Defence Ministry had scrapped a Rs 6,500 crore Navy helicopter deal for buying 16 multi-role helicopters for the Navy from US to promote 'Make in India' in the military sector.

--IANS

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India-US joint defence exercise Yudh Abhyas, set to be held in the US from September 14-27, will focus on anti-terror operations and will also see discussion on strategic issues between experts on both sides, defence sources said on Tuesday.

The exercise comes shortly after India-US-Japan naval exercise Malabar, held in the Bay of Bengal in July, that left China jittery.

The theme of the exercise, 13th in the series, is "to build and develop positive military relation and interoperability to conduct counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and regional security operations and Peace Keeping operations under the UN Charter".

The exercise, set to be held at the Joint Base Lewis Mc-Chord in the US, will have troops from an infantry battalion from the Indian Army's Central Command, and 5-20 Infantry Battalion based on Stryker of 1 Corps of US' Pacific Command, participating.

Sources said the scope of the exercise will cover various bilateral issues, and it will include a Brigade Headquarter based Command Post Exercise, academic discussions on strategic issues, and combined training.

The sources however did not disclose the nature of strategic issues being discussed.

"This will be an excellent platform for troops to share operational experiences," a source said.

Last year, the exercise was held in Chaubattia, Uttarakhand.

--IANS

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A defiant Infosys Founder NR Narayana Murthy will interact with investors on Wednesday through a conference call to tell his version of the software major's boardroom battles that led to the exit of its technocrat Vishal Sikka as CEO on last Friday.

"Murthy will address and interact with the company's investors across the world on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. through a conference call we are hosting," said the Indian arm of the global asset management group Investec in a statement from Mumbai on Tuesday night.

Investors from Britain, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and the US can join the con-call by pre-registering with the facilitator and dialling the given numbers.

Though the 70-year-old Murthy declined to respond to the company's Board charge that his continuous attacks led to Sikka's exit, he decided to explain his stand on the tussle to restore investors' confidence in the iconic IT major.

"I have read the statement issued by the Infosys Board of Directors. I am anguished by the allegations, tone and tenor of its statements," said Murthy in an e-mail to the media on Friday, adding it was below his dignity to respond to such insinuations.

The promoters group, led by Murthy, holds 12.92 per cent of the equity shares, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) and Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) 37.33 per cent, Indian retail, corporate and other investors 23.08 per cent, Indian FIs, Banks and Mutual Funds 9.63 per cent, American Depository Receipts (ADRs) 16.69 per cent and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) 0.52 per cent.

Following Sikka's abrupt exit as the firm's first non-founder executive, the company's shares of Rs 5 face value took a heavy toll, losing 15 per cent since Friday and slipped to 11th from BSE's top 10 most valued firms, with its market capitalisation declining a whopping Rs 33,912 crore to Rs 2,01,479 crore from Rs 235,390 crore in the last three trading days since August 18.

The Board's announcement on Saturday to buy back 11.3-crore shares at Rs.1,150 each worth Rs.13,000 crore ($2 billion) failed to halt the slide.

"Murthy is likely to bare all, explaining his stand to analysts on the values, culture, transparency and corporate governance with which he built the company over three decades till he stepped down in 2014," said a source familiar with the events and developments in the company.
Iran on Tuesday warned that it needs only five days to enrich its uranium to 20 per cent, a level at which the material could be used for a nuclear weapon, the media reported.

The comment by Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi comes as the US threatened to renegotiate or walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran gave up the majority of its stockpile of 20 per cent enriched uranium as part of the nuclear deal it struck with world powers.

The accord, which lifted sanctions on Iran, currently caps the Islamic Republic uranium enrichment at five per cent.

--IANS

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Iraqi security forces battling the Islamic State (IS) militant group on Tuesday broke into the first neighbourhood west of the IS-held city of Tal Afar, the military said.

The commandos of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) forces initiated a new push into the neighbourhood of Kifah and were fighting the IS there, Xinhua news agency quoted a Joint Operations Command (JOC) official as saying.

The Iraqi Army's 9th Armoured Division and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units broke into the eastern side of the city, the official said.

The advance inside the city came two days after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the start of an operation to retake control of the northern city of Tal Afar and nearby areas from the IS.

"We announce the launch of an operation to liberate Tal Afar. I say to Daesh (IS), either you surrender or die," Abadi said.

Tal Afar, about 70 km from Mosul, is the last IS redoubt in the Nineveh province.

The UN International Organisation for Migration estimates that about 10,000 to 40,000 people were still living in Tal Afar and surrounding areas.

Major General Najim al-Jubouri, commander of Nineveh's Operations Command, said he estimated there were between 1,500 and 2,000 IS militants in Tal Afar.

--IANS

py/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq, saying that it protects personal laws while deprecating the practice of instant divorce.

"We hail the judgement, it protects personal laws and at the same time deprecates the practice of triple talaq," Sibal told media.

"Justice (Rohinton Fali) Nariman says it (practice of triple talaq) is bad and can be tested as legislation while Justice Kurian (Joseph) says it cannot be tested as legislation but it is bad as practice," Sibal said.

Sibal's remarks came after the Supreme Court on Tuesday held triple talaq being practised by the Muslim community as "unconstitutional", "arbitrary" and "not part of Islam".

A five judge constitutional bench by a 3:2 majority judgement said there is no constitutional protection for triple talaq.

Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice S. Abdul Nazir, in a minority judgment, said triple talaq is integral to Islamic practices and enjoys constitutional protection. Khehar in his judgement urged Parliament to pass a law to deal with the issue.

He, however, injuncted Muslim men from pronouncing instant triple talaq for next six months within which he implored the political parties to shed their difference and enact a law.

"What Justice (J.S.) Khehar said is part of minority judgement so that does not apply," Sibal said.

--IANS

am/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala is travelling to the flood-hit Tarai region in Nepal.

Manisha, who is a native of Nepal, will be travelling with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for relief work.

The "Dear Maya" actress took to Facebook and expressed that her "heart sank" after hearing the "devastating news".

"First it was earthquake and now its floods. My heart sank with devastating news. I am travelling to Tarai with UNFPA team hoping, praying to be of some use in this crisis," Manisha wrote.

Many areas in Nepal were cut off after the floods and landslides, and many villages and communities are stranded without food, water and electricity, according to reports.

--IANS

dc/rb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that Iran's attempts to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria pose a problem for Israel and the entire Middle East.

"Iranian aggression has not subsided in the least following the nuclear agreement," the hardline Prime Minister said in a statement released a day before his travel to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea city of Sochi, Xinhua reported.

"This also presents a problem not only to Israel but rather to all the nations of the Middle East and the entire world," he charged.

Netanyahu said that the head of Israel's Mossad national intelligence agency, Yossi Cohen, and the head of the National Security Council, Meir Ben-Shabbat, will join him in the meeting.

The meeting will focus on "Iran's accelerated attempt to establish a military presence in Syria," Netanyahu said.

Israel and Russia agreed to coordinate military actions over Syria to avoid accidental clashes two years ago.

Since then, Netanyahu and Putin have held several meetings in Russia.

Israeli leaders have consistently pointed at Iran's increasing military presence in Syria as a matter of concern.

On more than one occasion, Netanyahu warned that Israel would not allow Iranian bases next to its border with Syria. He also called on Putin not to enable such a situation in case of a possible agreement to end the six-year conflict in Syria.

Netanyahu's visit to Russia comes amidst a string of victories by President Bashar Assad's army and its allies, Iran and Hezbollah.

--IANS

ahm/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Abuja, Aug 22 (IANS/MAP) Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari held a meeting on Tuesday with the members of the National Security Council.

The meeting was attended by the service chiefs including National Security Adviser Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd).

Buhari in a broadcast to the nation on Monday charged the security agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months in the fight against insurgents "be a sign to relax".

He said in the broadcast that "terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety".

Buhari also pledged "to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight against elements of Boko Haram in addition to ethnic violence fuelled by political mischief makers".

"We shall tackle them all," he said.

--IANS/MAP

soni/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The first batch of Palestinian teachers returned to Kuwait after a gap of 25 years for the 2017-18 school year.

The Kuwaiti government had agreed last year to lift a ban on hiring Palestinian teachers, many who had left the country during Iraq's 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Kuwaiti Education Ministry signed contracts in April with 105 Palestinian math and science teachers.

Haitham Al-Athari, undersecretary of the Education Ministry, told the media on Monday that the ministry sought to hire Palestinian teachers "whose expertise would contribute to educational improvement".

Al-Athari added that the ministry was keen to recruit excellent teachers regardless of their nationalities, though Kuwaiti teachers remain the main contributor to elevating the teaching process to higher levels.

Mohammad Al-Huwailah, chairman of the Education Committee at the National Assembly, said he was confident the Palestinian teachers would boost Kuwait's educational level.

Palestinian teachers accounted for 49 per cent of overall teachers in Kuwait between 1965 and 1975.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bihar Assembly was adjourned on Tuesday amid uproar by opposition RJD legislators demanding resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi over the Rs 1,000 crore Srijan scam.

Soon after the house assembled, the Rashtriya Janata Dal legislators, with placards in their hands, shouted slogans against the scam in which crores of rupees of government funds were transferred to private bank accounts with the help of an NGO.

Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary adjourned the house till 2 p.m. after repeated attempts to pacify the RJD legislators failed.

Earlier, the RJD legislators protested in the portico of the legislative assembly.

"RJD will continue to protest in the state assembly and will not allow it to function till Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi resign," said Bhai Virender, a vocal RJD legislator, who is also party spokesperson.

The RJD had on Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session, also disrupted the proceedings in the assembly.

"Both of them should resign as Srijan scam happened in their knowledge and they protected the main accused," said Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav.

Calling it a "mega scam", he said it was not confined to Bhagalpur district alone but that its links were spread in several districts.

The scam involves a Bhagalpur-based NGO Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Limited, which provided vocational training to women.

The NGO allegedly pilfered funds meant for the government's welfare schemes from the bank accounts of the Bhagalpur district administration.

Following the RJD's demand, the Chief Minister on August 17 recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter.

According to Bihar Police chief P.K. Thakur, so far 18 people have been arrested and 11 FIRs lodged, including nine in Bhagalpur and one each in Saharsa and Banka districts, in connection with the scam.
Dozens of Muslim clerics linked with the RSS on Tuesday pledged there will be no cow slaughter on Eid ul Azha -- a Muslim festival of offering animal sacrifice.

At an event organised by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an RSS wing, the clerics also vowed to spread the message of no cow sacrifices on Eid throughout the country for communal harmony.

Maulana Wajahat Qasmi of the All India Mosques and Madrassa Coordination Committee said clerics should explain to their followers in their coming Friday sermons why cow slaughter was wrong despite not being prohibited in Islam.

"I can cite many decrees to support the anti-cow slaughter movement. Killing a cow disturbes communal harmony and Islam is a religion of peace and harmony. It doesn't encourage any practice that will harm peace," Qasmi said.

Maulana Kaukab Mujtaba, National Convener of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, said Muslims should speak against cow slaughter because "the practice hurts religious sentiments of Hindus".

"Your faith doesn't get strengthened by killing a cow. And by not killing a cow, you won't become a non-believer," Mujtaba said.

He said some Muslims had earned a bad name because some leaders were using them by inducing fear that their faith was in danger in India.

RSS leader Indresh Kumar, the patron of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, said cow was a highly revered animal in Islam because the longest chapter in Quran, "al baqrah", was named after the "mother cow".

Kumar said the Prophet had advised against eating beef because it can cause diseases while milk and ghee provided "cure and treatment".

"Those who sacrifice the animal, slaughter it and eat it are eating poison, are eating diseases," he said.

--IANS

sar/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Korea and the US on Tuesday began talks over a possible revision of their free trade agreement (FTA).

The talks were at the request of Washington, which considers that the deal has increased its trade deficit with the Asian country, reports Efe news.

Trade representatives from both countries, Kim Hyun-chong and Robert Lighthizer, exchanged their respective positions in a video conference before the start of the technical session in the South Korean capital.

"It's very difficult to predict the first round of negotiations," Kim said in statements after concluding the video conference.

Neither party has so far provided details on the content of the meeting between senior South Korean and US officials.

This extraordinary session comes after Lighthizer's official request a month ago, which urged the discussion of "possible amendments and modifications" that could solve the problems which, in Washington's eyes, widen its large trade deficit with Seoul.

In the letter sent to South Korea, Lighthizer highlighted that among these problems were the "limited access to the Korean market for US exports" and the "significant trade imbalance" between the two countries.

Washington's proposal is in line with the "America First" policy of US President Donald Trump, who has long urged a modification of the free trade agreement with South Korea.

Although South Korea argued that the FTA has contributed to the economic growth of both countries, Washington said that it ran a trade deficit with Seoul of $27.7 billion in 2016, almost twice as much as the 2012 deficit of $16.6 billion, when the treaty entered into force.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The four men detained over last week's terror attacks in Spain appeared at the High Court here on Tuesday.

Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Allaa, Sahal El Karib and Mohammed Houli Chemlal were detained last week over their alleged role in the attacks on Barcelona and Cambrils which left 15 people dead and 130 wounded.

They are the only surviving members of a 12-member terror cell said to have been behind the attacks, the other eight members were killed -- two in an explosion and six were shot dead by the police, the Daily Mail reported.

Younes Abouyaaqoub, the 22-year-old Moroccan, thought to be the driver of the van that rammed into crowds in Barcelona was shot dead after being spotted in a vineyard to the west of Barcelona on Monday wearing a fake explosives belt.

The detained men are from the town of Ripoll, north of Barcelona, where the majority of those connected to the terror attacks lived.

The men appeared in court as police arrested one more person and were investigating three others in connection with the terror attacks, La Vanguardia reported. They include the parents of one of those in custody, and Nourine Oukabir, the cousin of brothers Driss and Moussa. The latter was one of the five terrorists shot dead by police during the second attack in Cambrils.

According to reports, Nourine Oukabir, despite living in Morocco, had been seen with members of the terrorist cell at a bar in Ripoll for a meeting that "lasted hours".

Investigating judge Fernando Andreu was expected to read out the charges against them, likely to span counts of terrorism, murder and possession of arms.

Forty-five companies in a Catalonia association of undertakers and funeral companies offered to perform funerals for the victims without charge.

--IANS

soni/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Tuesday by a 3-2 decision struck down the centuries-old practice of instant triple talaq among Indian Muslims as unconstitutional, manifestly arbitrary and void in law.

However, the minority judgment concluded that "talaq-e-biddat" was a matter of personal law of Muslims that does not breach the Constitution's Article 25 (right to practice one's religion).

The judgment was widely welcomed by political parties including the BJP and Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and women's organisations. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) welcomed the judgment on the ground that it accords protection to Muslim personal law. The political parties said the landmark judgment accorded equality to Muslim women and rendered gender justice.

Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer constituting the minority in the five-bench Constitutional bench ordered an injunction on triple talaq at least for six months -- by when the government should consider steps to initiate legislation on the issue. They beseeched political parties to keep their individual political gains apart while considering measures requiring legislation.

The other three judges disagreed.

"In view of the different opinions recorded, by a majority of 3:2 the practice of talaq-e-biddat - triple talaq - is set aside," the bench comprising Justices Khehar, Kurian Joseph, Rohinton F. Nariman, U.U. Lalit and Abdul Nazeer said in the concluding para of the 395-page ruling.

The apex court gave its judgment on a petition filed by Muslim woman Shayara Bano, joined by a Muslim group and four other women.

Justice Nariman and Justice Lalit, who were part of the majority judgment, said: "Given that triple talaq is instant and irrevocable, it is obvious that any attempt at reconciliation between the husband and wife by two arbiters from their families, which is essential to save the marital tie, cannot ever take place.

"...This being the case, it is clear that this form of talaq is manifestly arbitrary in the sense that the marital tie can be broken capriciously and whimsically by a Muslim man without any attempt at reconciliation so as to save it.

"This form of talaq must, therefore, be held to be violative of the fundamental right contained under Article 14 of the Constitution," they said, adding the 1937 Shariah Act must be struck down.

In a concurring but separate judgment, Justice Joseph said: "What is held to be bad in the Holy Quran cannot be good in Shariat and, in that sense, what is bad in theology is bad in law as well."

He said he found it extremely difficult to agree with the Chief Justice that triple talaq has to be considered integral to the religious denomination and it was part of their personal law.

He said merely because a practice has continued for long, that by itself cannot make it valid if it has been expressly declared to be impermissible.

He said when issues of such nature come to the forefront, the discourse often takes the form of pitting religion against other constitutional rights.

In the minority judgment, Justice Khehar said it would not be appropriate for the court to record a finding whether talaq-e-biddat was or was not affirmed by Hadiths (Prophet's sayings) in view of the enormous contradictions in the Hadiths relied upon by rival parties.

"Talaq-e-biddat is integral to the religious denomination of Sunnis belonging to the Hanafi school. The same is a part of their faith, having been followed for more than 1,400 years, and as such, has to be accepted as being constituent of their 'personal law'."

"The ... practice cannot therefore be set aside ... through judicial intervention."

The minority judgment observed that there was seemingly an overwhelming majority of Muslim women demanding that triple talaq, "which is sinful in theology, be declared as impermissible in law".

The judges noted that during the hearing, learned counsel appearing for the rival parties described the practice as unpleasant, distasteful and unsavoury. Others called it disgusting, loathsome and obnoxious.

The minority judgment said religion was a matter of faith and not of logic and it was not open to a court to accept an egalitarian approach over a traditional practice.

They said it was not for a court to determine whether religious practices were prudent or progressive or regressive.

The judges said the stance adopted by the Union Government supports the petitioners' cause and observed: "Unfortunately, the union seeks at our hand, what truly falls in its own."

Reacting to the judgment, Modi, who has been forthcoming on the issue on a number of occasions including last week's Independence Day address, hailed the ruling as "historic."

"Judgment... is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment," the prime minister tweeted.

BJP president Amit Shah said it was a victory for Muslim women and their right to live with dignity.

The Congress also called it historic and said it reinforces the rights of Muslim women who were victims for centuries. "Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant Triple Talaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice," Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter.

The National Federation of Indian Women said the Supreme Court verdict is a crucial step towards women's equality and justice as enshrined in the constitution.

The AIMPLB saw the verdict as a vindication of its stand that accords protection to Muslim personal law. "As a representative body, we welcome the judgment...The majority (comprising Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazir, with Justice Kurian Joseph agreeing) has accorded personal laws the status of a fundamental right being protected under the right to practise religion contained in Article 25," the body said in a statement.

In his reaction, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said there was need for society to reform. "Judicial pronouncements and law ... experience tells us that what is needed is that society should reform. Reform on the ground should come from society," he said.

-- IANS

team-ps/vsc/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Taliban on Tuesday warned that the US would lose many more lives in Afghanistan after President Donald Trump approved increasing the number of American troops deployed to the war-torn South Asian country.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan soon, Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement to Efe news.

He added that the militants will continue their fight until the US quits the country.

"As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale, will continue our jihad," said the Taliban leader.

In a televised address on Monday from Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, Trump announced that he would be making changes to the US military strategy in Afghanistan, which he has previously criticised.

Trump said that his "original instinct was to pull (US troops) out. And historically, I like following my instincts".

However, Trump went on to say that "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable".

"Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on," he concluded.

Trump did not specify the number of troops to be deployed to Afghanistan, saying that "America's enemies must never know our plans. I will not say when we are going to attack. But attack we will".

According to a report released by the US' Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction this month, the war in the country has remained stagnant, with the Taliban still controlling around 40 per cent of the country.

--IANS

ksk/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The triple talaq issue is not related to religion but social reform, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here on Tuesday, adding that the Modi government would discuss with all political parties on framing a law on the matter.

Naqvi welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court that banned instant divorce.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held triple talaq being practised by the Muslim community as "unconstitutional", "arbitrary" and "not part of Islam". A five judge constitutional bench by a 3:2 majority judgement said there is no constitutional protection for triple talaq.

"We should not adopt a rigid attitude, we should adopt a reformist approach towards social evil. From the last about two years, there was a national debate on this issue. The Narendra Modi government always favours gender equality," Naqvi said.

The Minister said the central government will talk to all political parties on framing a law on this issue.

He said the Modi government was against this "social evil" from the beginning and added that earlier too reforms were implemented on the practice of Sati and child marriage.

--IANS

mak/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran actress Shabana Azmi has welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling on triple talaq and says the judgement is a victory for brave Muslim women in the country.

"I welcome the Supreme Court judgement on instant Triple Talaq. It's a victory for brave Muslim women who have waged a battle against it for years," Shabana tweeted on Tuesday.

The apex court, by a 3:2 majority judgment, held triple talaq being practised by the Muslim community as "unconstitutional", "arbitrary" and "not part of Islam".

Shabana is also a social activist and is active in supporting child survival and fighting AIDS and injustice in real life. She had participated in several plays and demonstrations denouncing communalism.

Among the social groups whose causes she has advocated are slum dwellers, displaced Kashmiri Pandit migrants and victims of the earthquake at Latur. The 1993 Mumbai riots appalled her and she emerged as a forceful critic of religious extremism.

In 1998, the United Nations Population Fund appointed her as its Goodwill Ambassador for India.

She also runs the NGO Mijwan Welfare Society. The foundation was started by Kaifi Azmi, Shabana's father. It has advanced from 40 to 300 craftswomen.

The NGO was launched with the goal of creating employment opportunities for women, and reviving the art of chikankari embroidery.

--IANS

dc/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump has unveiled his long-awaited Afghanistan policy, warning the US will take action within Pakistan if it did not stop backing terrorists battling American forces. And in a first for an American President, Trump brought India directly into the equation by assigning a strategic role for New Delhi.

In an address to the nation on Monday from Fort Myer near Washington, Trump put long-time ally Pakistan on notice with a virtual ultimatum that it "has much to lose" by backing terrorists.

He accused Islamabad of sheltering "the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people".

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars, at the same time they are housing the very terrorists we are fighting. But that will have to change and that will change immediately."

In an implied warning to Islamabad, he added: "These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

Trump also asked India "to help us more with Afghanistan" and said a "critical part of the South Asia strategy for America was to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the world's largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the US".

The new US policy, a reversal of Trump's threats during the Presidential campaign to quit Afghanistan, was hailed by Kabul and New Delhi. But the Taliban denounced it -- so did leading figures in Pakistan.

Trump presented his strategy for the 16-year Afghanistan war, three weeks before the anniversary of 9/11 attacks on the US by the Al Qaeda which was then based in that country.

He said from the Oval Office he now saw things differently after receiving advice on Afghanistan.

But he stuck to a core tenet of his policy, limiting American missions: "We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists."

The Taliban warned on Tuesday that the US would lose many more lives in Afghanistan.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan soon, Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said.

India, which enjoys close ties with Kabul, welcomed Trump's "determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists".

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was "grateful" to Trump "for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism".

There was no reaction from the Pakistan government but leading politicians slammed Trump.

"Blaming Pakistan will not win the war for the US in Afghanistan nor will embracing (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi," said Shireen Mazari, a PTI member in the National Assembly.

Trump declared: "We will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in far away lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image - those days are now over."

"The next pillar of our new strategy is a change in our approach to Pakistan," he said. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond."

He added he would not set any timetables as his predecessor Barack Obama had.

"From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating IS (Islamic State), crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

The other danger he saw was from Pakistan's backing for terrorists against India. "The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict."

He said he wanted India's help but made it appear a transactional issue by referring to New Delhi's trade with the US.

India pledged a $1 billion package for Afghanistan in 2016.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson affirmed India's role outlined by Trump.

"India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan's political and economic modernisation," he said.

--IANS

team-mr/soni/sar

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In possibly the sternest warning to Pakistan by an American leader, US President Donald Trump has put Islamabad on notice, declaring it "has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists" and hinting at a direct action within that nation.

Outlining a new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia before at a meeting of 2,000 US military personnel at Fort Meyer near Washington, he forthrightly accused Pakistan of giving "safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror".

In an implied warning to Islamabad, he added, "These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

Asserting that "the next pillar of our new strategy is a change in our approach to Pakistan," he reverted to his trademark blunt style and said: "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond."

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan," he added. "It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists."

In the strongest accusation coming from a US President, he forthrightly accused Pakistan of giving "safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror".

"We will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan," he said.

"These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

"I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defence and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy," he said.

While he talked of a new strategy, he played the cards close to his chest. He did not provide any specifics saying: "We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

He added that he would not set any timetables -- which his predecessor Barack Obama had.

Trump said: "From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating IS (Islamic State), crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

Another important change to US policy that he announced was a break from the failed policies of his predecessors to build democracies around the world, sometimes at the point of a gun as in Iraq.

He called the new policy "Principled Realism" and said: "We will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in far away lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image - those days are now over."

He added, "We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better lives."

He raised the spectre of nuclear threats at two levels.

"We must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us," Trump said.

The other danger he saw was from Pakistan's backing for terrorists against India.

"The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict," he said.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

al/in

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With his trademark bluntness, US President Donald Trump has put Pakistan on notice with a virtual ultimatum warning that it "has much to lose" by backing terrorists and held out threat of action against them within its borders.

Outlining his administration's long-awaited Afghanistan policy on Monday, he accused Pakistan of sheltering "the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people" and warned "It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists".

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars, at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," he said. "But that will have to change and that will change immediately."

In an implied warning to Islamabad, he added, "These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, both said on Fox TV this was a warning to Islamabad that the US could act directly inside Pakistan against those attacking Americans in Afghanistan.

Adding to the pressure on Pakistan, in a first for an American President, Trump brought India directly into the equation by assigning a strategic role for India.

He asked India "to help us more with Afghanistan" and said a "critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the world's largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the US."

Trump presented his strategy for the 16-year Afghanistan war in what was billed as an address to the nation at Fort Myer, near Washington, three weeks before the anniversary of 9/11 attacks on the US by the Al Qaeda operating from that country.

Guided by a triumvirate of military generals, Chief of State John Kelly, Secretary of Defence James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Trump stepped back from his campaign rhetoric of pulling out from Afghanistan.

He acknowledged that from the Oval Office he now saw things differently "from his original instincts" after receiving advice on the situation on Afghanistan.

But he also stuck to a core tenet of his foreign policy, limiting American missions: "We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists."

He called the new policy "Principled Realism" and said: "We will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in far away lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image - those days are now over."

Speaking bluntly, he said "The next pillar of our new strategy is a change in our approach to Pakistan" and asserted, "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond."

"We will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan," he said.

"These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

"I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defence and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy," he said.

But he played the cards close to his chest and did not provide any specifics, only saying, "We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

He added that he would not set any timetables as his predecessor Barack Obama had.

Trump said, "From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating IS (Islamic State), crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

At the same time he held out a vague promise of allowing a role for elements from the Taliban in an Afghan government after the Islamic extremists are decisively defeated.

In a statement after Trump's speech, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, however, held out an olive branch. "The Taliban has a path to peace and political legitimacy through a negotiated political settlement to end the war. We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions."

Trump raised the spectre of nuclear threats emanating from Pakistan at two levels.

"We must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us," Trump said.

The other danger he saw was from Pakistan's backing for terrorists against India. "The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict," he said.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

al/in/rn

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US President Donald Trump has said that he wants to further develop strategic partnership with India to achieve country's goals in Afghanistan, saying American troops "will fight to win" and "from now on victory will have a clear definition."

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade from the United States, and we want them to help us war with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," CNN quoted Trump as saying on Tuesday.

Trump on Tuesday detailed several of the US's goals in Afghanistan, including "obliterating IS", "preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan" and strengthen Afghan security forces.

He noted that "the stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do."

The US President also vowed to change the country's approach to dealing with Pakistan, promising to crack down on Pakistan's harbouring of terrorist and militant groups.

Trump promised that Pakistan has "much to gain" from partnering with the US, but also warned "it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists."

"They are housing the very terrorists we are fighting," Trump said, noting that the US gives Pakistan billions of dollars.

"That will have to change and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of terrorists."

Trump also said the US would pressure India to increase its support for Afghan economic development.

Trump's plan involves a modest increase of several thousand troops.

According to Pentagon, additional troops, above current levels of about 8,500, would serve very specific purposes, including boosting training, capacity-building and allowing advisers to work more closely with Afghan soldiers along the front lines.

The increase was effectively approved in June, when Trump gave Defense Secretary James Mattis the go-ahead to boost levels by as many as 3,900 troops.

US commanders would bring in additional advisers to support Afghan special forces, the Afghan air force and the Afghan army and police professional schools, such as the infantry and artillery schools, the report said.

--IANS

sku/

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Turkish security forces on Monday thwarted a bomb attack planned by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, according to an official statement.

The gendarmerie forces carried out an operation after receiving intelligence that the militants were planning a bomb attack in the eastern province of Van, Xinhua news agency cited the statement as saying.

The forces have destroyed a vehicle with explosion devices and killed the two PKK militants onboard in the Gurpinar district of Van province.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the European Union, resumed its armed campaign against the Turkish government in July 2015.

Since then, some 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians have been killed in PKK attacks, while more than 7,000 PKK members were killed during government operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.

--IANS

sku/

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Days after taking over the mantle from flamboyant technocrat Vishal Sikka, software major Infosys' unassuming interim CEO U.B. Pravin Rao on Tuesday reached out his nearly 2 lakh employees, asserting: "We can do it again and we will".

"We can do it again and we will. Helping each other, when it is needed, to stay focused on what matters - our commitments, our clients, our vision of who we really are," Rao said in an e-mail to the company's techies the world over.

Asserting that the $10 billion IT major would stay on course, come what may, Rao said that despite the changes following Sikka's sudden exit, the company would continue to execute on the strategy laid out for the current fiscal and the near future.

"We have seen how new services are gaining traction, how our embrace of automation is helping us become more productive and how it is creating more opportunity to focus our energies towards innovation," he said.

Admitting that the firm would miss Sikka as he decided to move on from the company, Rao said though rough economic conditions, near-impossible projects, leadership exits and debates about the future would continue, the company would emerge stronger, wiser and remain together as in the past.

"In fact, you have achieved so much over the several quarters. Strengthened by movements like zero distance, you have begun an exciting journey of innovation relying on your creative confidence. You must continue the work to create the value our clients expect us to deliver," he reiterated.

Though 50-year-old Sikka resigned on Friday, the company's Board appointed him as Vice-Chairman till a new CEO is appointed by March 31, 2018 and elevated Rao from the post of Chief Operating Officer.

Noting that the days ahead would not be easy, the 55-year-old Rao said the intense attention on the firm would be unsettling, if the management and employees allow it.

"We must not allow attention on us to unsettle us because this is not the first time the company has been up against a tough challenge. We have seen it all. There is not a single occasion when we did not emerge stronger," he recalled.

Assuring the employees of sharing as much as he could in the coming days, Rao expressed confidence that the employees would remain together with faith, perseverance and focus.

"Having learned so much, done so much and coming so far, we can see that the road ahead is long and winding but leads to greatness. I want for us to stay the course. I know you too want it for yourself and the company. That's why I can rely on your support. You too can rely on the leadership and on my personal support," added Rao in the letter.

Rao also asked his employees not to hesitate writing to him, posting questions and thought they may have to share with him.
Rebel leaders of Janata Dal-United (JD-U), who support Sharad Yadav, have been barred from the partys national headquarters at 7, Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Police personnel have been posted at the gates to check the identity of visitors. The JD-U led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has threatened to get Yadav disqualified from the Rajya Sabha, and is busy building a case against him. However, Yadav has not indulged in any anti-party activity inside Parliament, such as defying the party whip, which can become the basis for his disqualification from the Rajya Sabha. That Yadav held a parallel convention in Patna on August 19, could be construed as an anti-party activity, the party has argued, but the law seems vague on that. All eyes are now on whether Yadav will attend the Opposition Unity public rally called by Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad in Patna on August 27.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was recognised as the best administrator in the country by a New Delhi news magazine recently. Thousands of party workers turned up at the airport to greet him when he returned to Bhubaneswar after receiving the award over the weekend. An entire stretch of road, from the airport to the chief ministers residence, Naveen Niwas, was lined with huge cut-outs of Patnaik; there was much slogan-shouting hailing him as a hero. While party men had planned to burst crackers and organise roadshows also, the show of strength was scaled down after the accident of the Utkal Kalinga Express.
The Congress and the BJP were on Monday engaged in a war of words over the Supreme Court granting bail to 2008 Malegaon serial blasts accused Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, with the former blaming the ruling party of "protecting" all the accused "connected to the RSS".

The BJP, however, demanded an apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi for "politicising terror, conspiring to besmirch the Army's reputation and defaming the Hindu community".

The Congress raised questions over Investigation Agency (NIA) chief Sharad Kumar getting two extensions and hoped that justice would be done in the Malegaon serial blasts case, "without fear or favour".

"Col Purohit gets Bail. It was expected as the present BJP Govt is protecting all the accused connected with RSS in all Bomb Blast cases (sic)," Congress leader Digvijaya Singh wrote on Twitter.

In another tweet, he said, "NIA chief has been given two extensions to ensure their acquittal. He may now be further rewarded for a suitable post retirement position (sic)."



The BJP criticised the Congress' reaction to Purohit getting bail and said Sonia and Rahul must apologise for "indulging in the politicisation of terror".

BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao also condemned the main opposition party for its "attempts to defame the Hindu community in particular and Indians in general".

"The conspiracy was also to besmirch the excellent reputation of the Indian Army, a nasty habit that the Congress continues to follow till date," he alleged.

At the Congress briefing, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said grant of bail was neither a proof of innocence nor guilt as bail was essentially the court's prerogative.

"An interim bail frankly has no reflection or connection with the merits of the case as we understand that a chargesheet has been filed. The matter is under adjudication and a trial court will determine it," he said.

As far as justice dispensation was concerned, Tewari said the Congress was "not in the business of speculating" as a responsible political party.

"We are not trying to draw parallels here, but it is surprising that this government has not been able to find a single competent officer to head the NIA.

"These repeated extensions have been frowned upon by the Supreme Court and therefore, what the government is doing is a flagrant violation of the law laid down by the apex court and it needs to answer why can't the NIA have a head with a fixed tenure," Tewari said.

Asked whether the Congress endorsed Digvijaya Singh's comments, he said he was not aware of them.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of communications department Randeep Singh Surjewala said Purohit getting bail was neither a reflection of his guilt nor innocence as he was facing a trial.

"Why is that the (Narendra) Modi government cannot find any competent police officer in India to head the NIA that they have to give two extensions to its current chief?



"We sincerely hope that the law will take its own course and justice will be done, free from fear or favour, in this case," he said.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed the Congress' accusations, saying whoever deserved justice would get it.

"What is the conspiracy about it? The Congress has the habit of raising this issue. Why should we intervene? This is a process (that was) started a long time back and it is a process of the judiciary. Why should we intervene?



"Whosoever deserves justice will get it. My saying anything will not change it," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event of the border guarding force, Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

Rijiju added that he would not like to comment on statements made by Digvijaya Singh on the issue.

"He (Singh) has a habit of saying all these things. Why should I respond to that?" the minister said.

The Supreme Court today granted bail to Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon serial blasts case.

A bench of justices R K Agrawal and A M Sapre granted bail to Purohit, setting aside a Bombay High Court order which had denied him bail earlier.

(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.)
Twenty service attaches' from friendly foreign countries (FSA) have arrived here on a three-day visit to the Naval base and Indian Naval Academy from August 21 to August 23.

The purpose of the visit is to understand Indian Navy's training philosophy and capabilities, the Navy said in a release here today.

The visit includes a training presentation and visit to professional training schools of the Navy at Kochi and one-day visit to INA at Ezhimala in Payannur.

Yesterday, the Dean of FSAs accompanied by two FSAs called on Vice Admiral AR Karve, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command (SNC).

During their visit, the delegates would be visiting places of interest at Kochi and Ezhimala including the harbour familiarisation in Kochi, the release said.

Over the last few years, defence diplomacy has seen ascendancy as a subset of India's Foreign Policy with the Indian Navy emerging at the helm of the maritime component of the same, the release said.

The visit is in accordance with Indian Navy's Foreign Cooperation initiatives anchored on four pillars of capacity building, capability enhancement, constructive engagements and collective efforts, according to the release.

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As many as 340 bovines, including cows, were rescued from illegal slaughtering by the Nagpur Police in two separate incidents recently.

In the first incident, 175 cows were rescued from a private premises in Gaddigodam area of the city after a raid was conducted by the Sadar Police on Saturday, a senior official said today.

"The police recovered 500-kg meat and 448 pieces of bovine skins from the premises located near an old school. The police also seized sevenfour-wheelers from the spot. The total seizure worth around Rs 50 lakh," said DCP, Zone II, Rakesh Ola.

He said nine persons were arrested in this regard.

The officer said the police suspect that the accused were indulged in the illegal slaughtering of bovines at the spot, which were transported from various places.

They were booked under section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle etc.), under Maharashtra Animal Preservation Amended Act 1995, and under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Police sent the samples of the seized meat to the forensic laboratory and are awaiting results.

In another incident on Sunday, police rescued 165 bovines, including cows as well as bulls, from an open place in Mahendra Nagar area under the Pachpaoli police station limits.

Three persons were arrested in this regard, Police Inspector Narendra Hiwre said today.

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At least seven persons have died and over 1,500 affected after dengue outbreak in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said today.

This is the first time since dengue's outbreak in the province that any official data has been released.

A total of 1,547 were tested positive for the virus since, of which 560 were admitted to different hospitals in the provincial capital, according to statistics released by the Deputy Commissioner's Office, the Dawn reported.

The document said 242 patients are still being treated.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak and Health Minister Shahram Tarakai visited the affected areas and announced Rs 500,000 compensation for each of the deceased.

The recent dengue outbreak in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw has become an alarming situation for the authorities and residents.

The first case of dengue outbreak this year was reported from Peshawar in June 14 this year.

Pakistan has experienced many dengue outbreaks since the first observed in 1994.

Two major outbreaks were reported over the last two decades: one in 2005, in which over 6,000 cases and 52 deaths were reported in Karachi, and in 2011, when more than 21,000 cases and 350 deaths were reported from Lahore.

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Afghanistan today welcomed a decision by US President Donald Trump to renew America's engagement in the war-torn country and allow for the deployment of more troops.

President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that the announcement showed the "enduring commitment by Afghanistan's foundational partner in this global conflict".

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Afghanistan today welcomed President Donald Trump's speech clearing the way for thousands more US troops to be deployed in the country, backtracking on his election promise rapidly to quit America's longest war.

In a speech to troops in southern Kandahar, birthplace of the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani said Trump's first formal address as commander-in-chief today showed that America was "with us, without any time limit".

"You cannot win this war," Ghani told the Taliban, calling on them to join talks and saying that Afghanistan wants peace with neighbouring Pakistan, long accused of fuelling the insurgency.

Trump pilloried US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos". He discarded his previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from "behind the desk in the Oval Office".

"My instinct was to pull out," Trump said as he spoke of his frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.

But following months of deliberation, Trump said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable" -- a vacuum which terrorists "would instantly fill".

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Trump warned that the approach would now be more pragmatic than idealistic. Security assistance to Afghanistan was "not a blank check" he said, adding: "We are not nation- building again. We are killing terrorists."



The US has grown increasingly weary of the conflict that began in October 2001 as a hunt for the 9/11 attackers and has turned into a vexed effort to keep Afghanistan's divided and corruption-plagued democracy alive amid a brutal Taliban insurgency.

In response to Trump, the Islamist group vowed to make the country "a graveyard" for the US and said it would continue its "jihad" as long as American troops remained in the country.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement.

"We want peace from Pakistan, they cannot provide safe havens to anyone anymore," Ghani said in Kandahar.

But ahead of the speech Pakistan's military insisted the country has done all it can to tackle militancy.

Trump for the first time also left the door open to an eventual political deal with the Taliban.

"Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan," he said.

"But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen," he added, before vowing that "America will continue its support for the Afghan government and military as they confront the Taliban in the field".

His Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went further, saying the US would "stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions".

In 2010 the US had upwards of 100,000 US military personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Today that figure is around 8,400 US troops and the situation is as deadly as ever.

More than 2,500 Afghan police and troops have been killed already this year.

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President Donald Trump's warning to Pakistan to put an "immediate" end to harboring militants operating in Afghanistan didn't spell out the consequences of defiance or suggest a new strategy to get it to yield to longstanding US demands, analysts said today.

They also said that isolating Pakistan could unsettle the US relationship with Islamabad and push it closer to Russia, China and Iran, further complicating efforts to stabilize the region.

"The idea of US leverage in Pakistan is deeply exaggerated," Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the US- based Wilson Center's Asia Program, said in an email to The Associated Press. "No matter the punishment, policy, or inducement, there's little reason to believe that Pakistan will change its ways.

"Pakistan has an unshakeable strategic interest in maintaining ties to militant groups like the Taliban because they help keep Pakistan's Indian enemy at bay in Afghanistan," he added.

In a speech last night on his plan for the 16-year war in Afghanistan, Trump warned of the threat to US security from militant groups operating there and in neighboring Pakistan.

"Today, 20 US-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world," he said.

"For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror."



The threat is compounded by the fact that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers, he said, and their hostile relationship could spiral out of control.

"And that could happen," Trump said.

Some in Pakistan were baffled by his later statement demanding that India get more involved in Afghanistan, a scenario dreaded by Islamabad and the reason cited most often for Pakistan's support of the Taliban as a bulwark against India's influence in Afghanistan.

"Upgrading the Indian role in Afghanistan basically means perpetuating the hostilities," said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies.

Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told reporters that his country "has rendered unmatched sacrifices in the war on terror. Our war against terrorism is not because of the United States; we will continue this war."



US Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale met today with Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, according to a government statement, which also announced a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "in the next few days" in Washington.

The US policy toward Afghanistan and South Asia will feature prominently in their meeting, it said.

While Trump's speech was widely criticized in Pakistan by politicians of all parties, it was welcomed by Afghanistan's shared leadership of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

Abdullah told a conference the US strategy marks a unique opportunity to ultimately achieve peaceful objectives in the region.

"The regional aspect of this strategy is very clear. It shows that the problem was very well identified," he said, referring to Trump's singling out of Pakistan.

But security analyst Amir Rana, director of the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, warned that isolating Pakistan as the sole culprit could stymie efforts to stabilise the region or bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

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: Confederation of Indian Industry, Tamil Nadu has termed the induction of new ministers including Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam would strengthen the development and lead the growth of the State.

"CII congratulate O Panneerselvam on assuming office as Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, a press release said.

The induction of new ministers to the Cabinet would further strengthen development and growth of Tamil Nadu, CII Tamil Nadu State Council, Chairman, Ravichandran P said.

Ravichandran welcomed the Government's focus on improving the ease of doing business index in key parameters to enable the State in attracting new investments.

CII urged the Palaniswami government to focus on education, skill development, entrepreneurship, district development, he said.

"CII would continue to work closely with the State government in realising the vision set out by Government under the Vision 2023 programme", the release added.

Rival AIADMK factions led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and rebel leader O Panneerselvam yesterday merged, ending a nearly seven-month feud in a power sharing formula in the ruling party and the government in which the latter was made the deputy chief minister.

K Pandiarajan of Panneerselvam camp was appointed as minister of tamil official language and tamil culture yesterday.

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Triple Talaq outlawed: the message from the Supreme Court of India had travelled far and wide, but Razia was unaware of the verdict that could pave way for that long-elusive justice she had been fighting for.

A local reporter broke the to the 26-year-old resident of a hamlet in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur, about 350km from Delhi. And since then she has been grappling with the import of the top court's verdict today, banning the practice of instant divorce.

"Does that mean my case will finally be taken up for hearing? Does that mean the policemen who turned me away from the station will be acted against? Kya mujhe ab nyay milega (will I get justice)," she asked.

Nearly two years ago, Razia's world turned upside down when her husband of eight years allegedly moved to Saudi Arabia after giving her an instant divorce, over the birth of their two daughters, including one with a physical handicap.

"When I approached the local police station, I was turned away. The police said my case was related to the Muslim Personal Law. I was asked to move court," she said.

Razia did so, but it was a slow process.

"There has been no progress in the local court," she told PTI over the phone from Shahjahanpur.

Hasina Khan of Bebaak Collective, who was among the petitioners against triple talaq in the Supreme Court, said the challenge now was to spread awareness on the momentous decision, on how it would strengthen the case of thousands of women like Razia.

"For the first time, the issue has been viewed through constitutional lenses. It will take time for it to percolate down to the lowest level. But apart from the judicial process, including in ongoing cases, it will have a deep impact on deep-rooted prejudices in society," Khan said.

The verdict has come as a saviour for those who have been harassed and threatened with instant divorce, said one such victim of the practice, Rubina from Lucknow.

"We have been harassed in the name of Muslim laws. With this verdict, men will find it hard to divorce women as earlier it was easy for them to do so. But now the law will be in our favour. The thought of going through a legal procedure for talaq will make them think twice about divorce," she said.

Rubina, 24, had married an affluent man double her age but was soon harassed for dowry and was forced to undergo an abortion under the threat of a triple talaq.

The triple talaq issue had come to the fore in February last year when Shayara Bano, divorced through the practice, petitioned the Supreme Court for a ban on instant divorce, on polygamy and nikah halala, under which a woman divorcee seeking to re-wed an ex-husband has to first consummate a marriage with another man.

Subsequently, thousands of Muslim women across the country formed pressure groups and spearheaded signature campaigns demanding that triple talaq be abolished.

According to experts, Islam views marriage as a civil contract based on consent, unlike Hinduism, for instance, where it is a sacrament.

At the core of the controversy was the dispute over the forms of dissolution of that contract.

Under talaq-ul-sunnat, there has to be a three-month period called iddat between the pronouncement of talaq by a husband and a lawful separation. Talaq-e-bidat authorises a man to do so in a single sitting.

The Court has outlawed talaq-e-bidat.

"All personal laws are gender-biased. And it isn't only about triple talaq. The Muslim personal law is problematic in terms of divorce, property rights, inheritance, adoption rights. We maintained that triple talaq is unconstitutional," Khan said.

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Bihar assembly today passed four bills amid the din by opposition parties over the Bhagalpur NGO scam.

The four bills passed were Bihar Special Survey and Bandobast (Amendment) Bill 2017, Bihar Tenancy (Amendment) Bill 2017, Bihar Land Mutation (Amendment) Bill 2017 and Bihar Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill 2017.

The pandemonium by the opposition RJD and Congress lasted all through the proceedings which took place for around half an hour.

The din began when Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary rejected RJD member Abdul Bari Siddiqui's demand for an adjournment on the Bhagalpur NGO scam when the house assembled in the post-lunch session. RJD was joined by Congress and their members trooped into the well of the house and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi.

The respective in-charge ministers tabled the four bills in the midst of the din and they were passed by voice vote.

Sushil Kumar Modi, who also holds the finance portfolio, tabled the report pertaining to the excess expenditure of 1981-82, 1986-87, 1989-90, 1993-94 and 1995-96 in the assembly amid the din.

Kumar was not present in the house in the post lunch session as he had gone to Araria to take stock of the flood situation there.

The speaker then adjourned the house till 11 am tomorrow.

In the legislative council the proceedings could barely lasted for 15 minutes and was also adjourned till 12 noon tomorrow by its deputy chairman Haroon Rashid following din by the opposition on the same issue.

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With 37 more deaths, the toll in Bihar flood rose to 341 today even as 1.46 crore people are affected by the deluge in 18 districts of the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would make an aerial survey of flood affected districts of Bihar on August 26, said Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

"PM coming on 26th Aug for aerial survey of flood affected dists of Bihar (sic)," Sushil Modi said in a tweet.

The flood toll stood at 304 till yesterday in Bihar with 1.38 crore people battling the deluge in 18 districts.

Around 7.61 lakh people have been shifted to safer areas. With water receding in some places many people have returned home.

Special Secretary in state Disaster Management Department Anirudh Kumar said that 2.29 lakh people are putting up in 1,085 relief camps.

Kumar said Araria district alone accounted for 75 deaths, followed by Sitamarhi (36), West Champaran (36), Katihar (26), Kisanganj (23), Madhubani (23), East Champaran (19), Darbhanga (19), Madhepura (19), Supual (15), Gopalganj (14), Purnea (9) Muzaffarpur (7), Khagaria (6), Saran (6) and Saharsa (4), Sheohar (4).

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reached Purnea by road from Patna after a helicopter in which he had to travel developed some snag and inspected some relief camps, an official accompanying him said from Purnea.

The chief minister would stay in Purnea tonight and would go to Araria, Katihar and Kisanganj tomorrow, the official said.

A total of 1,608 community kitchens are under operation in flood affected areas in which 4.52 lakh victims took meal today, the state Disaster Management department report said.

With flood creating havoc in as many as 18 districts of Bihar, the legislators have started contributing to the Chief Minister's relief fund.

Sushil Modi said he had made a request to the PM for a visit to Bihar during a meeting of chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states in Delhi yesterday.

He said during the meeting all BJP-ruled states were asked to contribute to flood relief work in Bihar.

He told reporters that all BJP Legislators would meet tomorrow to decide to contribute their one month salary in flood relief.

Former minister and JD(U) MLA Ranju Geeta today donated her one month salary in the CM relief fund.

A road construction department statement said a total of 203 state highways and other roads under it were damaged in flood waters in different places out of which 95 per cent have been repaired and made motorable.

The Met office in its forecast said that Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur and Purnea are likely to witness generally cloudy sky with the possibility of rain or thundershower tomorrow.

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Eleven years after his shehnai fell silent, the family of Ustad Bismillah Khan found to their horror that the Padma Vibhushan certificate awarded to the musician had partially been eaten up by termites.

Yesterday (August 21) was the 11th death anniversary of the shehnai maestro. On the occasion, Khan's family members, who were organising the certificates won by the Bharat Ratna awardee at his residence at Hadha-Sarai here, found out that the Padma Vibhushan certificate awarded to him in 1980 by the then president Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was partially eaten up by termites.

Khan's grandson Nasir lamented the fact that due to their poor financial condition, they were not in a position to make arrangements for a proper preservation of the musical instruments, awards and memorabilia of the maestro.

"We are doing whatever we can with our limited financial resources to preserve his belongings," he said.

Since his death in 2006, the family members of Khan have been demanding a museum to preserve the articles associated with the late musician.

After assuming charge as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, in April, had given a go-ahead to a proposed 'music village' to be named after the maestro in Varanasi.

Among other features, the unique village, to be named the 'Bismillah Khan Sangeet Gram', is supposed to have a museum as well.

On his 11th death anniversary, District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra, Inspector General of Police, Varanasi range, Deepak Ratan, Senior Superintendent of Police R K Bhardwaj and representatives of various political parties offered flowers at Khan's mausoleum at Fatman Road here.

Former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (PAC) Ranjan Dwivedi, state minister Neelkanth Tiwari, former Congress MLA Ajai Rai too offered flowers at the late shehnai maestro's mausoleum.

Khan was born on March 21, 1916, at Dumraon in Buxar district of Bihar. He died of a cardiac arrest at a Varanasi hospital on August 21, 2006.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BSP and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) today welcomed the Supreme Court judgement on triple talaq with the former calling for enactment of a law in this regard without any narrow politics.

In a statement here, BSP chief Mayawati said, "It is now the responsibility of the central government to enact a legislation within the desired time frame as per the wish and intention of the apex court without any narrow politics of RSS' hidden agenda."



She said her party welcomed the apex court's order keeping in mind the atrocities on Muslim women in the country because of triple talaq or under its garb for years.

It would have been better if the Muslim Personal Law Board acted on its own on the triple talaq issue, but since it was not done, the court had to mediate, Mayawati said.

Apna Dal (Sonelal), a constituent of the BJP-led government at the Centre, said the apex court verdict has ushered in a ray of hope among the Muslim women.

National president of the party Ashish Singh Patel, in a statement here, said, "The decision of the Supreme Court will definitely usher in a ray of hope among the Muslim women."



"This decision of the Supreme Court will not only stop the practice of triple talaq, but it will also give justice to the suffering women," he said.

"Women will now get their due rights and honour. Owing to votebank politics, previous governments did not take any stand on this issue.

"But, Prime Minister Narendra Modi without bothering for the votebank politics, took a bold decision for the justice of Muslim women," spokesperson of Apna Dal (Sonelal) Arvind Sharma said.

The Supreme Court by a majority verdict set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims, saying the practice was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

The apex court held that the triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Quran.

While Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq and asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit held it as violative of the Constitution.

The minority verdict by CJI Khehar and Justice Nazeer, which favoured keeping on hold the practise of triple talaq for six months, asked the political parties to set aside their differences and help the Centre in coming out with a legislation.

The judges in the minority verdict said that if the Centre does not bring a law within six months, then its injunction on triple talaq will continue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British oil explorer Cairn Energy plc has added another USD 249 million to the compensation it is claiming from India after the government set off a tax refund due to it to settle part of a retrospective tax demand.

Cairn had before an international arbitration tribunal in July last year sought USD 5.6 billion in compensation from the Indian government for raising a retrospective tax demand of Rs 10,247 crore on a decade old internal reorganisation of its India unit.

In its half-year financial and operations statement, the company said the government had raised Rs 18,800 crore as interest on the principal tax demand. The interest demand was quashed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

"Following that, the Income Tax Department issued a revised demand including interest running from February 2016 i.E. 30 days after the date of the assessment order. That interest currently amounts to Rs 1,440 crore (approximately USD 224 million)," the statement said.

To recover this, the tax department "seized" USD 104.7 million of dividend income due to it from Vedanta Ltd, where it holds about 5 per cent stake, Cairn said, adding it has since written off the dividend income.

"A tax refund in respect of financial year 2011-12 in the amount of Rs 1,590 crore (USD 249 million) which became due to Cairn as a consequence of a successful appeal by the company to the Delhi High Court has also been directed to the Income Tax Department to be set against the 2006-07 (retrospective tax) liability and Cairn's claims under the international arbitration have been adjusted to include this," it said.

The company said it commenced international arbitration proceedings against India under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty in 2015 for "expropriating Cairn's property without adequate and just compensation, denying fair and equitable treatment to Cairn in respect of its investments and restricting Cairn's right to freely transfer funds in connection with its investment."



Cairn's holding in Vedanta Ltd has been attached by the Income Tax Department.

In its Statement of Claim before the arbitration tribunal, the company said it has stated that applying the retrospective amendment and seizing USD 1 billion worth of shares was in breach of the Treaty's requirements of fair and equitable treatment and its protections against expropriation.

"Cairn has asked the arbitration panel either to order India to withdraw its unlawful tax demand and compensate Cairn for the harm suffered by the seizure of the shares, being not less than USD 1.1 billion (plus costs); or, if the tax demand remains in place, compensate Cairn for the quantum of the tax assessment and the harm suffered by the seizure of the shares. These claims were subsequently updated to include the USD 249 million tax refund," the statement said.

The company said based on detailed legal advice, it is confident that it will be successful in such arbitration.

"The total assets of Cairn have a current value of USD 863.1 million (comprising principally the group's shareholding in Vedanta Ltd) and any recovery by the Indian authorities would be limited to such assets," the statement added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Multiplex chain operator Carnival Cinemas today appointed Mohan Umrotkar as its chief executive in place of P V Sunil, who has been elevated as the managing director.

Umrotkar has been associated Reliance MediaWorks Group as the chief financial officer in the past.

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FCB India appoints Jyotsana Kaushik as VP



Mumbai: Integrated marketing communications agency FCB India today appointed Jyotsana Singh Kaushik as its vice- president. She will be based in Gurgaon.

She has been associated with TetraPak India, Aviva Life Insurance, GE Money, Roca, McCormick and JWT in the past.

-----------------------------



IDFC Mutual Fund AUM rises to Rs 15,268 crore



Mumbai: Equity asset under management of IDFC Mutual Fund has increased to over Rs 15,268 crore, up from Rs 12,827 crore a year ago, the company said.

According to Amfi data, asset under management of IDFC MF was Rs 64,463 crore as of July, up from Rs 53,585 crore a year ago. Its corporate bond fund AUM stood at Rs 9,228 crore, the company said.

----------------------------



IndiaFirst Life launches chatbot



Mumbai: Private sector life insurer IndiaFirst Life today launched a chatbot, Iris, which is equipped with multiple functionalities, such as product descriptions, premium statements and notices, fund value inquiries and application status to the customers.

"A chatbot, a virtual assistant that is available 24x7 to our customers, distributors and employees is our viable adoption of technology to provide our stakeholders with a superior and consistent performance," the company, promoted by Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank and Legal & General, said in a statement.

-----------------------



UBM India to hold 3-days renewable energy expo in Noida



Mumbai: UBM India today said it has organised a three-day Renewable Energy India 2017 Expo (REI) in Noida that will witness participants from across the globe to discuss industry trends, challenges and market insights including the Indian regulatory framework.

"REI will see active participation from countries such as Japan, Germany, France, Poland, USA, Korea, China and Taiwan amongst host of other countries," UBM India Managing Director Yogesh Mudras said.

He further noted the event aims to further upscale and mainstream the applications of renewable energy resources, showcase product launches, innovations and augment the forethought through the international exhibitions and conference platform.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Jammu and Kashmir government today told the Supreme Court that the proposal for Centralised Selection Mechanism for appointments in the subordinate judiciary needed interpretation of Constitution as the state enjoyed a special relationship with the Centre.

Seeking to refer the matter to a larger bench, the state government told a bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar, Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and A M Khanwilkar that appointment of district judges was a constitutional power of the Governor in consultation with the high court.

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi and advocate Shoeb Alam, appearing for the state of Jammu and Kashmir, told the bench that this constitutional power cannot be taken away by the exercise of judicial power by apex court.

Dwivedi said that there were various constitution bench judgements interpreting the Constitution and hence the matter should be heard by a larger bench.

"Appointment of district judges is a constitutional power vested with the Governor to be exercised in consultation with the high court. Thus this power cannot be taken away or abridge by exercise of judical powers by court," he said.

He said that Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed a special relationship with the Union of India and under Rule 9 of Higher Judicaal Services Rules, 2009, only a permanent resident of the state is eligible for appointment as a district judge.

Dwivedi further contended that the concept of a common syllabus will be anomalous, since the laws of the state are different from rest of the country.

The apex court deferred the hearing on the issue for two weeks after hearing the contentions of Chhattisgarh High Court, the Delhi High Court, the central government and amicus curiae Arvind Datar.

Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, appearing for Delhi High Court, told the top court that a full court meeting of high court was convened on August 21.

He said that the members of Central Selection Committee (CSC) should be from among the sitting judges of all the High Courts and selection based on multiple choice questions will not be a meaningful assessment as it would dilute merit.

However, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, refuted the contentions that the proposal violated Article 233 of Constitution.

The matter will now be heard by a new bench as Chief Justice Khehar will retire on August 27.

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh had supported the Central Selection Mechanism proposed by the top court for appoinment in subordinate judiciary, saying the process will assist the High Courts.

The apex court's proposal last week met with stiff opposition from West Bengal and the Calcutta High Court which claimed that the move was unconstitutional and would breach the federal structure.

The apex court had taken the proposal on its judicial side to arrive at a consensus over the mechanism for appointment in subordinate judiciary, terming it as a "service to nation" on the grounds that the delay in recruitment had led to a huge backlog of cases.

The apex court had on August 4 indicated that it was inclined to go ahead with a proposal for a centralised selection mechanism for appointment of judicial officers in the subordinate judiciary even if there was no amicable consensus among various the high courts and the states.

It had said that if the need arose it might accord a day-long hearing on the issue on August 22 to resolve the objections of various states and high courts to the proposal.

The court had tried to assuage the concern of various states and high court, saying there would be no breach and interference in the federal structure and it is "trying to do some service to the nation".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China today jumped to the defence of its all-weather ally Pakistan in the wake of US President Donald Trump's stern warning to it over providing safe havens to terrorists, saying that Islamabad is at the frontline of combating terrorism.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, while reacting to Trump's comments on Pakistan, said, "Hope the relevant policy decision by US side will be conducive to promoting security, stability of the relevant region."



"(On) President Trump's remarks on Pakistan, I should say that Pakistan is at the frontline of fighting terrorism, has made sacrifices in fighting terrorism, making an important contribution to upholding peace and stability," Hua said, strongly defending Beijing's all-weather friend.

Trump, in his address, slammed Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

Hua, in response to Trump's scathing criticism of Pakistan's support to terror groups, said, "I think the international community should truly affirm" the efforts by Pakistan in combating terrorism.

"We are pleased to see US and Pakistan to conduct cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts on the basis of mutual respect and contribute to the global peace and stability," she said.

On Trump indicating deepening ties with India, Hua said China is happy to see the development of normal and friendly relations between the two countries as long as such a relationship does not harm other countries and is conducive to regional development.

"So we are pleased to see sound and normal relations between US and India," she said, hoping that the two sides will play a more constructive role promoting regional peace and development.

Hua skirted a direct answer to a question on whether China's policies like blocking India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and efforts to get Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar banned by the UN had created more space for the US to develop closer ties with India, saying its bilateral ties with India or with the US will not be targeted at a third party.

Hua also criticised India's action to block China's road building in Doklam region where the two sides are involved in a standoff.

India's move at Doklam has a negative impact in the eyes of the Chinese people, she said.

India should match its words with deeds, Hua said while calling for unconditional withdrawal of Indian troops and equipment.

Asked about the impact of Trump's decision to follow a more proactive policy in Afghanistan on China, Hua said, the "Chinese side will uphold the objective and unbiased principle to promote friendly relations with other countries, based on the merits of the matter itself".

"We hope that the Trump administration's policy adjustment will be conducive to promoting peace and stability in South Asia," she said.

"China closely follows Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. We think the stable relations between the two countries will also be helpful," Hua said.

Referring to recent trip made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Afghanistan and Pakistan amid Kabul's allegations that Islamabad was not cracking down on the Taliban, Hua said Wang's visit was aimed at mediating for better relations between the two countries.

During the visit, Afghanistan and Pakistan sent out goodwill messages to each other, especially in the establishment of crisis management mechanism which China is trying to operationalise, she said.

"We also appreciate and applaud the dialogue between the two countries. During the process, as a friend of these two countries, China will, within its capacity, play a constructive role," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Coal India managament has not accepted wage hike demand of worker unions due to "financial constraints", a trade union said today.

Four central trade unions at the coal PSU had demanded "25 per cent increase on gross wages as on June 30, 2016 plus four per cent perk", the Indian National Mineworkers' Federation, which is affiliated to INTUC, said in a letter.

D D Ramanandan, General Secretary of CITU-affiliated All India Coal Workers Federation said that the management was of the view that it was not ready for such a hike as the company was facing "fiancial constraints".

"Coal India (CIL) management said that it cannot give such kind of hike as company's financial condition is precarious, coal demand has come down and production of fossil fuel is declining," S Q Zama, Secretary General of Indian National Mine Workers Federation said.

Indian National Mineworkers' Federation further said that due to wrong policies of NITI Aayog and excessive/higher dividend payout to the government the net worth has come down to half from the net worth it was holding in 2012-13.

"The higher dividend and buy-back scheme and lack of scientific assessment and proper planning towards factual demand and supply of coal/power has caused damage to the financial strength of CIL," Indian National Mineworkers' Federation said.

According to Ramanandan in the last wage negotiations which took place in 2011 Coal India's profit was Rs 10,000 crore and "this time it is Rs 16,000 crore plus."



Trade unions and Coal India management met for three days -- from August 17 to 19 -- in Ranchi to deliberate the issue of wage hike.

The five operating central trade unions in the coal industry are INTUC, BMS, HMS, AITUC and CITU.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court today rejected the bail plea of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah after the Enforcement Directorate said it was probing whether he had received money from countries such as Pakistan to promote terrorism in India.

Taking note of the ED's submission that Shah had failed to explain the source of huge money received in his bank account, Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma said that the offence was serious and there were chances of evidence being tampered with in the case if the Hurriyat leader was granted bail.

"Investigation of this case is at a crucial stage and there are chances of witnesses being influenced and evidence being tampered and considering that offence is serious, I do not consider it a fit case for grant of bail to the accused," the court said.

Advocate Naveen Kumar Matta, appearing for the probe agency, told the court that co-accused Mohd Aslam Wani had told the ED as well as the Delhi Police that he had been working as a carrier for Shah.

He said that the investigation was at an initial stage and the agency had to ascertain as to from where such a huge cash amount reached the bank accounts of Shah and whether those sources were legitimate.

The agency also said that the agency was trying to probe as to whether the money was received from any enemy country to promote terrorism in the country.

"Money are alleged to have come from Pakistan and other foreign countries. Shah failed to explain source of money," the agency said.

Advocate M S Khan, appearing for the accused, said that Shah was not an accused in the case filed by the Delhi Police on basis of which the current money laundering case was filed.

He told the court that Shah was a political leader and allegations levelled against him were motivated and that he was in continuous house arrest since 2011.

During the proceedings, the ED also told the court that Shah's wife, Bilquees Shah, was also summoned by the agency in connection with the case.

She was present before the court and submitted that she joined the probe thrice.

On August 3, the court had allowed the ED custody of Shah after the agency alleged that he was "ruining" the country by using money to fund terror.

Shah was arrested by the ED a day after several Hurriyat leaders were taken into custody of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in a case of alleged terror funding in the valley to fuel unrest.

He was arrested in connection with the August 2005 case in which the Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested 35-year old Wani, an alleged hawala dealer who is currently in ED custody, claiming that Rs 63 lakh was recovered from Wani, out of which Rs 52 lakh was allegedly to be delivered to Shah.

The agency had earlier issued summonses to Shah in the case, the prosecution had said, adding that Wani had claimed that he had given Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.

Investigating agencies such as the NIA have cracked down on Hurriyat leaders, arresting Syed Ali Shah Geelani's son- in-law -- Altaf Ahmed Shah, also known as Altaf Fantoosh -- and six other Kashmiri separatists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security forces today conducted flag marches in many parts of Haryana and Punjab in the wake of upcoming court verdict in the sexual exploitation case against Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Senior administrative officials reviewed the security arrangements in the two states, officials said.

Police along with paramilitary forces, the CRPF and Rapid Action Force (RAF), SSB held the flag marches, officials said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh warned against any attempts to disrupt the state's law and order in view of the upcoming judgement by Panchkula court on August 25.

"All steps were being taken to ensure that law and order is not disturbed in any way in the wake of the court orders", the chief minister said.

Appealing to all to maintain peace, Amarinder said that people should accept the court judgement.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also reviewed security arrangements with top brass of state police today.

Punjab DGP Suresh Arora personally visited the sensitive areas and put fool-proof security network in place to prevent any untoward incident, officials said.

The DGP visited Bathinda and other sensitive districts bordering Haryana today for a first-hand assessment of the security arrangements, they said.

Arora reviewed the arrangements in the district and instructed all police personnel to remain alert to any attempt to disturb the harmony of the state.

Besides Bhatinda, the DGP also visited Mansa, Moga, Patiala, Ludhiana Rural, Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali.

"The DGP has been provided with the Punjab government chopper to conduct aerial survey of the sensitive areas," Amarinder said.

The chief minister has held high-level meetings with top security, intelligence and administrative officials in the state to take inputs on the situation on the ground.

He has directed all officials to act with an iron hand against any elements found indulging in rumour mongering or resorting to provocative statements or acts, officials said.

However, at several places the followers of Dera known as 'premis' are camping at different locations in the two states.

Officials said that six each RAF companies have been deployed in Punjab, Haryana and union territory of Chandigarh.

While Punjab had received 75 companies of central forces, Haryana got 35 companies to maintain security. Haryana government has also sought more central forces from the Centre.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had large followers in Haryana and Punjab.

Punjab ADGP (law and order) Hardeep Singh Dhillon said "all appropriate steps are being taken to maintain law and order situation."



Tight security arrangements have been made in the district court complex in Panchkula. A ban on the vehicular movement has already been announce for August 24 and 25 around the complex.

Security agencies have been keeping a strict watch on suspicious persons who could create law and order problem ahead of the court verdict.

Sirsa headquartered sect head has also been asked to appear in person before the court on the same day.

The sexual exploitation case was registered against Dera chief in 2002 by the CBI on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two 'Sadhvis' (female followers) by Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

However, Dera Chief has denied these charges.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: The Director General of Shipping, has de-recognised a maritime training institute here with immediate effect and advised students not to take up any admissions in it.

"Director General of Shipping, Ministry of Shipping, Mumbai, has de-recognised Chennai School of Ship Management with immediate effect", a PIB release said.

However, the reason for de-recognising the institute was not mentined in the release.

The Shipping Ministry also permanently withdrew all the approvals to elementary first aid, medical first aid, personal safety and social responsibility courses which were earlier offered by the institute.

The DG Shipping has cautioned students interested to join merchant navy not to take any admissions at the institute.

"Any individual who takes admission for any of the courses (offered by the institute) may do so at their own risk and courses and certificate issued shall not be valid", the release added.

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Despite the constitutional guarantee of equality before law, the harsh reality is that disabled persons do not have any substantive equality, the Delhi High Court observed today.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar further said it was the responsibility of every authority and person to ensure social justice and equality to the marginalised as well as implement the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

"Despite the constitutional guarantee by Article 14 of equality before law and equal protection of the laws, it is a harsh reality that substantive equality has not been ensured to such disabled persons.

"It is the responsibility of every authority and person to facilitate the compliance with the constitutional mandate ensuring social justice and equality to marginalised and that the spirit, intendment and purpose of the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 are ensured," the court said.

The observations came on a PIL initiated by the bench itself on the issue of a visually-impaired man missing his M.Phil entrance exam as he could not board a reserved compartment of a train since it was locked from inside.

The bench said the obstruction to the student in accessing the reserved compartment of the train "was in violation of his constitutional right to equality and non- discrimination, and a breach of statutory duty of the respondent (Railway)".

In the case, the court said that while the Railway was responsible for the impairment of the rights of the disabled student, the Delhi University (DU) cannot isolate itself from taking measures to secure his rights.

It said that DU will have to grant the student a chance to participate in the entrance exam for M.Phil (Sanskrit) course for the academic year 2017-18 like all other candidates.

The court said it was issuing the direction "to ensure equality and non-discrimination of a disabled person who is visually impaired and has been exposed to the most callous treatment because the respondents (DU and Railway) did not take effective steps as mandated under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act".

It directed DU to conduct, within 10 days from today, an entrance exam for the student for admission to the M.Phil (Sanskrit) 2017-18 session and declare his result.

The bench said that if the student qualifies in the exam and "is placed appropriately in the merit list", he shall be granted admission to the course.

It listed the matter on September 5 for a report indicating that its orders have been complied with.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) today approved construction of 5,012 housing units for people belonging to economically weaker section (EWS) at three locations in the city, and set aside Rs 654 crore for the project.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and was attended by Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain and other senior officers.

In the meeting, the DUSIB also ratified the decision of granting no objection certificate (NOC) and user permission for setting up of 50 mohalla clinics on its land in different Jhuggi Jhopari Rehabilitation (JJR) colonies.

An official said that all housing complexes for in-situ rehabilitation of urban slums in the city will be 14 storied each.

The Board will request the Delhi government to allocate Rs 500 crore as seed money for taking up the proposed projects.

Out of 5,012 housing units for the economically weaker section (EWS), 3,780 will be built at Pocket-F Bhalswa Jahangirpuri at a cost of Rs 493.40 crore while 784 housing units will come up at Dev Nagar Karol Bagh at a cost of Rs 102.28 crore.

Besides, 448 EWS housing units will be constructed at Kasturba Niketan Lajpat Nagar at an expense of Rs 58.65 crore.

The Board approved setting up of Early Childhood Care and Education Centre by allotting 10 Basti Vikas Kendras to Ambedkar University in association with Directorate of Higher Education.

The budget of DUSIB for the financial year 2017-18 was presented at Rs 381.47 core and approved Rs 165.72 crore for non-plan and Rs. 215.75 crore for plan budget.

The Board will undertake the execution of plan works to the tune of Rs 215.75 crores which include construction of jan suvidha complexes, environmental upgradation in urban slums and construction of night shelters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ED today arrested two Directors of a Delhi-based company in connection with its money laundering probe in an alleged bank fraud case amounting to about Rs 2,300 crore.

The central probe agency, in a statement, said it has arrested Sanjay Jain and Rajeev Jain of Surya Vinayak Group of Industries, under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The duo, who are also brothers, were sent to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till August 25 after they were produced in a court here.

"Investigations so far conducted disclosed that Ms Surya Vinayak Industries Ltd and its owners/major shareholders and directors--Sanjay Jain and Rajiv Jain-- obtained loan and credit facilities from a consortium comprising 21 banks, led by Punjab National Bank (PNB), but did not repay the same.

"The resultant outstanding liability against the said company as on September, 2012 stands at Rs 2,066.60 crore," it said.

The ED took over the case early this year based on a CBI FIR.

It said that both the brothers had formed various companies like Surya Vinayak Industries Limited, Ms SVIL Mines, Surya Vinayak Wellness Limited, Surya Vinayak Agro Commodities Limited, Allied Perfumers and others and by "fraudulently inflating their actual worth" took large amount in bank loans.

Investigations also disclosed, the agency said, that a sister concern of Ms Surya Vinayak Industries Ltd, Ms SVIL Mines, had taken loan from various banks and as of January, 2014 the outstanding, for which also the Punjab National Bank is the consortium head of 14 banks, is Rs 246 crore.

"These loan amounts were diverted out of these companies, routed through many shell companies and used for purchase of immovable properties.

"Further, more than Rs 500 crore have been remitted outside India to their wholly owned subsidiaries," the agency said.

The agency, in the past, has attached assets worth Rs 78 crore of the group and its associates.

The duo were also arrested by the CBI in this case in the past and were out on bail.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Egyptian authorities have arrested 12 people including doctors and nurses suspected of belonging to a "large criminal network specialised in trading human organs", the interior ministry said today.

Hundreds of poor Egyptians sell their kidneys and livers each year to be able to buy food or pay off debts, according to the United Nations.

The network "agreed with Egyptians to transfer some of their organs to foreign patients in exchange for large sums of money, exploiting people's financial need," the interior ministry said.

Among those arrested were three doctors, four nurses, three hospital workers and two agents, it said in a statement.

Some were arrested "while they were carrying out an operation to remove the kidneys and part of the liver of a citizen in a private hospital" in Giza province, part of Greater Cairo.

The man had sold the organs for $10,000 (8,500 euros). Those operating on him were planning to implant the organs in a patient, the ministry said.

It did not give further details on the man's condition or say when the arrests took place, but added that the hospital had been closed pending an investigation.

The World Health Organisation in 2010 ranked Egypt among the top five countries in the world trading illegally in organs.

Egypt's parliament passed a law that year banning commercial trade in organs as well as transplants between Egyptians and foreigners, except between husbands and wives.

The law aimed to regulate organ transplants and curb illegal trafficking and medical tourism for such operations.

In 2012, then-United Nations refugee agency chief Antonio Guterres warned that migrants in Egypt's Sinai peninsula were being killed for their organs.

Authorities in December arrested 25 people, including doctors and university professors, suspected of being part of an organ trading network.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Banking operations were hit today by the nation-wide strike called by employees of public sector to protest against the government's proposed consolidation move and to press for other demands.

Operations such as clearing of cheques, money transfer, cash remittances, and deposit and withdrawals at branches were hit across public sector and some old generation private sector banks, as per the reports received from various parts of the country.

However, branches of new generation private like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank were functioning as usual.

The impact of strike was seen in major business centres like Mumbai, Kolkata, Patna, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune and Jaipur, while some ATMs in small cities went dry, according to reports from various parts of the country.

The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) had already informed customers that functioning of branches and offices may take a hit due to the one-day strike. It had also asked banks to take measures in advance to minimise the impact.

The strike has been called by all unions under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU).

The UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and the National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

AIBEA General Secretary C H Vekatachalam said government is talking of consolidation, amalgamation and merger of banks at a time when India needs more banking services.

Bank mergers would result in closure of bank branches as is happening in the case of SBI now after the merger of associate banks, he said, adding that creation of big banks through mergers would also increase risks for lenders.

AIBOC General Secretary D T Franco demanded that the government should immediately raise gratuity limit for bank employees to Rs 20 lakh.

Other demands of the unions include no write-off policy for non-performing assets (NPAs) of corporate loans, declaring wilful default of loans as criminal offence and implementation of recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on Recovery of NPAs, NOBW vice-president Ashwini Rana said.

The government should provide overtime for additional work employees did during demonetisation phase, he said.

The UFBU, which claims membership of nearly 10 lakh across banks, requested the government for cost reimbursement of demonetisation to banks.

As many as 21 public sector banks control 75 per cent of the total banking business.

(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.)
Ruias-owned Essar Group today said it will pay an additional Rs 880 crore to minority shareholders of its erstwhile company, Essar Oil, following its takeover by Russia's Rosneft and its partners for USD 12.9 billion.

Minority shareholders of Essar Oil, who had participated in the company's delisting in 2015, will get an additional Rs 75.48 per share, Essar said in a statement.

This would be in addition to Rs 262.80 per share they had got on delisting.

Rosneft bought 49.13 per cent in Essar Oil and a consortium of European trader Trafigura and Russian fund UCP a similar stake in the USD 12.9 billion deal.

Essar said it received Rs 338.28 per share and, as per its previous commitment, is sharing the same with minority shareholders.

"Essar Energy Holdings Ltd (EEHL) and Oil Bidco (Mauritius) Ltd (OBML), the promoters of Essar Oil Ltd (EOL), are pleased to announce that they will pay to former minority shareholders, who tendered EOL shares in the delisting offer, an additional amount of Rs 75.48 per share, based on the current closing numbers," the statement said.

The payment of around Rs 880 crore will be in addition to the Rs 3,064 crore that the minority shareholders had got following EOL's delisting in 2015.

Essar Founder Shashi Ruia said: "We have always believed in creating value for all our shareholders. I am extremely happy with this outcome where we could maximise returns for our shareholders who had invested and believed in us."



Stating that the Rosneft-Essar Oil transaction created many records, he said the additional payout to shareholders over and above the delisting price is another first in the history of corporate India.

"This resonates with our philosophy of rewarding shareholders handsomely," he said.

EOL was valued at Rs 2,000 crore around the time of its listing in 1995, and has now been valued at about Rs 50,400 crore, a growth of 2,420 per cent.

This value creation was made possible through continued strategic investments and growth of the businesses since commencement.

EEHL Director Dhanpat Nahata said: "Essar Energy has created value not only for itself but also for the minority shareholders. The additional payment to minority shareholders is unprecedented as they got exit and liquidity upon delisting in December 2015, retained the upside from the transaction that has closed 20 months later, without carrying any downside risk."



The promoters will shortly issue a public notice and the additional payout will be made within two months thereafter.

In the delisting, of the 14.25 crore shares held by public shareholders, OBML acquired 11.66 crore shares as against the requirement of 9.26 crore shares for delisting.

The shareholders had tendered their shares through the reverse book building window. While the floor price for the delisting was set at Rs 146.05 per share in accordance with a SEBI-mandated formula, OBML agreed to pay Rs 262.80 per share, a premium of 80 per cent.

With the additional payout, the total price paid represents a premium of about 132 per cent.

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The European Commission said today it was opening an in-depth investigation into the proposed USD 66-billion takeover of US seed and pesticide supplier Monsanto by Germany's Bayer, citing concerns it may reduce competition in key products for farmers.

"Seeds and pesticide products are essential for farmers and ultimately consumers," said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

"We need to ensure effective competition so that farmers can have access to innovative products, better quality and also purchase products at competitive prices."



After a months-long pursuit in which it raised its offer price several times, Bayer won over Monsanto's management in September 2016 for the buyout that would create the world's largest integrated pesticides and seeds company.

But the deal has provoked criticism from environmental groups, because of Monsanto's long history of promoting genetically modified crops.

The European Commission expressed concern that Bayer produces one of the few alternatives to Monsanto's product glyphosate, which it said is the most sold non-selective herbicide in Europe.

It also noted that both firms have large market shares in vegetable seeds and several field crops where their products compete against one another.

The European Commission also said Bayer was one of the few competitors to Monsanto in several markets for developing traits in plants, such as tolerance to herbicides.

It said the two companies made commitments to address some of its concerns in July.

"However, the Commission considered these commitments insufficient to clearly dismiss its serious doubts as to the transaction's compatibility with the EU Merger Regulation," it said in a statement.

The Commission said it would take a decision on the merger by next January 8.

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With an aim to strengthen the family planning programme in the state, Odisha Government today launched free Injectable Contraceptive programme, which is considered effective and convenient.

Christened as Antara programme, the drive was launched by the state's Health and Family Welfare department here.

"This contraceptive is highly effective, very convenient, tested and tried as a very safe method of family planning. It is in use in more than 130 countries around the world," Health and Family Welfare Secretary P K Meherda said at the launch of the Antara Programme.

The programme will also help women who are not able to convince their partners to use contraceptives, he said.

Among others present at the function were Deputy Commissioner - FP Division, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr S K Sikdar, Commissioner-cum-Mission Director, NHM, Odisha, Shalini Pandit and Director of Family Welfare, Odisha, Dr Binod Kumar Mishra.

Mishra said quality of services is important and preparatory activities like orientation of district teams and training of counsellors to roll out injectable contraceptive have been completed. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is providing technical support in rolling out the injectables in the state, he said.

The injectable contraceptive is supposed to be used within a week from the day a woman's menstrual cycle starts. Currently, injections are available for free at public health facilities. It may help reduce the maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate in the state. It has to be taken once in every 3 months, officials said.

Providing more contraceptives choices is the fulcrum of the family planning programme. Evidence of contraceptive method mix has shown that with addition of a single new method there is a linear increase of MCPR (Modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate) by 3.4 per cent, they said.

In view of that, the Central Government has added three new contraceptives - Injectable DMPA (Antara Programme), Progestrone Only Pill (POP), Centchroman (Chhaya). The main advantages with the newer contraceptives are, they can be safely used in post-partum or lactation period and are highly effective with few side effects, they said.

Promoting informed choices and voluntary decision making among eligible clients has been the mainstay of family planning programme as per the mandate of Vision FP2020. Odisha government is undertaking several measures to adhere to this principle, said officials.

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Regulator on Tuesday offered nine mobile testing labs to eight states and 53 more units are lined up for other states and UTs with an overall cost of Rs 19 crore to strengthen food testing infrastructure.

FSSAI's CEO Pawan Agarwal announced plans to launch a food safety index to judge all states and Union Territories on parameters like testing infrastructure, enforcement, surveillance and consumer grievance cell, among others.

The authority's Chairperson, Ashish Bahuguna, today flagged off the mobile labs called 'Food Safety on Wheels' here. These labs are multi-purpose vehicles for food testing, public education and awareness.

" has completed 11 years of its operations. On this occasion, we are flagging off nine mobile food testing labs equipped with basic infrastructure for quick testing to detect common adulterants in various food commodities," Agarwal told reporters here.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will provide 62 such mobile units, each costing over Rs 30 lakh, to all the states and Union Territories, he said, adding that the next lot will be launched in November.

"We will provide at least one unit to each state and UT and more in respect of bigger states," Agarwal said.

The regulator is providing guidelines and operational manuals to the states on how to run these mobile units.

"Through these units, 24 tests can be conducted on milk, 9 on edible oil, 17 on spices and 11 on other foods," Agarwal said.

Asked about the FSSAI's programme to strengthen the existing labs, he said the regulator will modernise 45 labs across the country with a cost of about Rs 12 crore each.

"We have provided amount to 23 states. We have signed MoUs with 11 states. The process for tendering of equipment has started," Agarwal said.

On the food safety index, he said: "We will show states mirror on where they stand on food safety aspects. This will have positive competition among states."



The regulator, Agarwal further said, is launching Indian food laboratory network to connect all food labs in the country to a centralised lab management system.

This system will provide an end-to-end solution where samples collected by field units will be coded and tested in FSSAI-notified labs and the results will be available in a central database. This data will be available for enforcement and food import controls in a seamless manner.
State-owned utility GAIL India has signed three time-swap deals to sell some of its US liquefied natural gas (LNG) as it rejigs the supply portfolio in line with domestic demand.

Under the deals, the company will buy LNG from international companies this year and sell equivalent amount of Henry Hub-indexed volumes during 2018-19, GAIL said in its Annual Report.

It is also seeking destination swaps to cut shipping costs of US LNG.

GAIL has a deal to buy 3.5 million tonnes a year of LNG for 20 years from Cheniere Energy of US and has also booked capacity for another 2.3 million tonnes at Dominion Energy's Cove Point liquefaction plant.

The company said it had contracted LNG from US to meet the demand of growing Indian economy with power sector being considered as a major buyer.

But electricity produced using imported LNG is not finding buyers due to cheaper alternatives including renewables, leading to stranding of significant capacity out of 25,000 MW of installed gas based power plants.

To mitigate the risks, GAIL said it is exploring opportunities to market Henry Hub indexed LNG volumes in the international markets either directly or through Singapore based subsidiary, GGSPL.

GAIL said it "has already concluded three time swap deals, where-in LNG volumes are purchased from international parties during financial year 2017-18 with an agreement to sell equivalent volumes of Henry Hub volumes during FY 2018- 19".

It added: "In parallel, your company is also making efforts to optimise Henry Hub LNG through destination swap transactions that could significantly reduce cost of shipping (US) LNG to the Indian ports resulting in improved affordability for the Indian customers."



Without giving the volume swapped, the company said a "substantial" US volume has been swapped.

"Over the last few quarters, your company has concluded various deals towards de-risking the portfolio significantly and also executed swap structures to ensure competitive delivery based pricing at Indian terminals.

"Residual volumes too are expected to be tied-up based on the encouraging response received from the domestic and overseas market participants," the annual report said.

GAIL had in May signed a first-ever time-swap deal to sell some of its US LNG.

Under the agreement, it will get 15 cargoes or about 0.8 million tonnes of LNG from an unnamed trader this year. In return, GAIL will sell 10 cargoes or about 0.6 million tonnes next year from Sabine Pass on the US Gulf coast.

GAIL had separately signed a deal with Royal Dutch Shell to sell about 0.5 million tonnes of its US LNG.

The LNG that GAIL will receive this year between April and December under the time-swap deal will be at oil-linked prices. The sale of US gas next year will be at a premium to its pricing formula on a free-on-board (FOB) basis.

GAIL said it is trying to market LNG to anchor customers such as refineries, steel plans along planned and existing pipelines. It is also in talks to supply LNG to new fertiliser plans and expect firm agreements in 2017.

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German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has accused supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of threating his wife amid a festering diplomatic crisis.

He said that Erdogan's strident style "had apparently led some to feel motivated to try to threaten and harass my wife," in comments broadcast Tuesday by channel NTV.

"Of course, this is a terrible outcome," he said without giving further details, at a time when relations between the NATO allies have plunged to their lowest point in years.

On Saturday, Erdogan launched a bitter personal attack on Gabriel, who has frequently criticised the president's leadership and his treatment of opponents and critics.

"Who are you to talk to the president of Turkey?" Erdogan said in a televised speech. "Know your limits. He is trying to teach us a lesson... How long have you been in politics? How old are you?"



Relations between Turkey and Germany, home to three million ethnic Turks, have deteriorated sharply, particularly since a failed coup against Erdogan over a year ago and a subsequent mass crackdown on its alleged plotters.

Among the alleged state enemies and terrorist supporters behind bars in Turkey are several German or dual Turkish- German citizens, including journalists and rights workers.

Erdogan has charged that Germany is sheltering Kurdish militants, coup plotters and terrorists.

In recent days he has angered Berlin by urging ethnic Turks in Germany to vote in September 24 elections against Merkel's conservatives and two other parties he labelled "enemies of Turkey".

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As the West Bengal government invited the GNLF for talks, a miffed GJM, which is spearheading the Gorkhaland stir, today alleged it was an attempt to undermine it and the GMCC and said a dialogue can only be successful if the main stakeholders are included.

The GJM-led Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) comprising 30 hill parties including the GNLF is carrying out an indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling which entered its 69th day.

"Responding to GNLF's appeal is nothing but an effort to undermine GJM and GMCC," GJM vice-president Kalyan Dewan told PTI.

He is also the convenor of GMCC.

"The Gorkhaland movement is led by GJM and it is GJM which has called the indefinite shutdown in the hills on for the last over two months. The GJM is also the main stakeholder of GMCC.

"So if the state government wants the talks to be fruitful, then it has to officially call GJM and GMCC for talks. GNLF may be a constituent of GMCC but it is not the main stake holder with whom talks can be held," he said.

Quickly responding to a Gorkha National Liberation Front(GNLF) proposal for talks to end the Darjeeling impasse, where the indefinite shutdown entered its 69th day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today invited it for a discussion on August 29.

"We have accepted the GNLF proposal for talks and called a meeting on August 29 at the state secretariat. We welcome all major political parties and development boards in the hills to the discussion for restoration of peace," Banerjee said.

The development comes a day after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is spearheading the agitation in the hills for a separate state, requested the Centre and the West Bengal government to initiate talks at the earliest to restore peace in the area.

This was the first time that the GJM expressed its willingness to hold talks with the state government along with the Centre.

Reacting to the question whether the GNLF had tried to bypass the GMCC by writing to the state government on its own, Dewan said "GNLF did not discuss the matter in our GMCC meeting".

When contacted, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri expressed his displeasure over "GJM being bypassed by GNLF".

"We will let you know whether we will attend the meeting or not in the next 24 hours," he said.

The GMCC was formed on June 20 to chalk out the future course of action to achieve the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.

Meanwhile the situation in the hills remained incident free during the day. The GJM took out rallies in various parts of the hills demanding restoration of the internet services, which remain banned in the hills since June 18, and an immediate withdrawal of police forces from Darjeeling.

Some political party activists dressed in traditional attire also took out rallies and raised slogans in support of Gorkhaland.

The GJM activists and NGOs were seen distributing food among the local people like other days as food supply has been severely hit in the prolonged shutdown.

Barring medicine shops, all other shops, business establishments, schools and colleges continue to be closed.

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The Assembly bypolls for Panaji and Valpoi seats in Goa will be held tomorrow.

In the Panaji contest, Chief Minister and BJP stalwart Manohar Parrikar is in the fray against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's confidante Girish Chodankar.

In Valpoi, the BJP has fielded Congress rebel and Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane, whose main opponent is Roy Naik, the son of former state Home minister Ravi Naik, of the Congress.

Panaji has been a bastion for BJP since 1994.

The polling, to be held at 76 booths including 30 in Panaji and 46 in Valpoi, will take place between 8 am to 5 pm.

As per the Election Commission data, 51,032votersare eligible to cast theirvotesin the bypolls, including 22,203in Panaji and 28,829in Valpoi.

The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines would be used tomorrow, like it was done in the Assembly polls held in February this year.

North Goa Collector Nila Mohanan said that adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure that the polling passes off peacefully.

"Around 1,000 personnel from agencies like the Goa police, India Reserve Battalion and Central Paramilitary Forces are deployed at various locations," she said.

The counting of votes will take place on August 28.

The Panaji bypoll was necessitated after the BJP's sitting MLA Siddharth Kuncolienkar vacated the seat for Parrikar, as the latter has to get elected to the Assembly within six months of becoming the Chief Minister.

Valpoi by-election became necessary after Rane, the sitting MLA, joined the BJP after the Parrikar-led government won a crucial floor test in March this year.

While Parrikar has promised the overall development of Panaji through an Action Plan, the Congress alleged that the BJP leader, who had represented the constituency from 1994 to 2012, has proved "inefficient".

In Valpoi seat, Rane, son of veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane, has assured of creating employment for the local youth.

In the Assembly elections, the Congress won 17 seats and the BJP 13 in the 40-member House.

However, the saffron party formed the government under Parrikar on the backing of three MLAs each of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), and three Independents.

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Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said the government will ensure protection of intellectual property rights of film and music industry as any kind of piracy is "absolutely unacceptable".

Addressing participants of three-day national workshop on enforcement of intellectual property rights, the minister said the film and music industry representatives have been in a constant engagement with the ministry on IPR related issue.

Without naming the film, Sitharaman said a famous box- office hit film in India has already been pirated and people are getting it at their door steps, "which is absolutely unacceptable".

"We are ensuring that their call for protecting the rights of music and film will be fully attended to," she said, adding the government would soon appoint chairman of intellectual property appellate board together with copyright board.

She said the government values the rights of IPR holders.

"Telugu film industry and Film Chamber of Commerce have been approaching Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) to know their IP rights and ways to protect them," she added.

Talking about the workshop, Sitharaman said through this exercise the ministry is trying to build awareness about protection of IPRs.

"We are going to bring in certain level of credibility and build awareness among people who are IP holders and institutions which should know where they have to intervene, so that rule of law play its role," she added.

The minister informed that special courts are being set up for speedy resolution of disputes.

The ministry is also encouraging institutionalised arbitration processes to settle cases outside courts.

Further, Sitharaman added that embassies too have a critical role to play in this area.

She informed that a government's task force on innovation has submitted its report and the ministry is "engaged to understand what they can draw from it and to do better in innovation".

Speaking at the function, secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Ramesh Abhishek said the ministry is taking steps to reduce time for examination of patent and trademark applications.

He said 458 new patent examiners have been recruited besides 57 regular trademark examiners.

Augmentation of manpower has helped in reducing examination time for trademarks from 13 months to one months.

"The examination of patent applications in the first four months this year has shot up 5-fold to over 16,000," he added.

The 3-day workshop is being organised to increase awareness about IP rights amongst officials of enforcement agencies such as police and customs.

The workshop acts as a platform for the officials to share their experiences, best practices and better inter- agency coordination.

The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), a professional body under the aegis of the DIPP is organising this event.

This exercise is part of the implementation of the national IPR policy, released by the government last year.

The policy lays down seven objectives, including awareness, generation of IPRs and legal and legislative framework.

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The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday claimed the Supreme Court's verdict on is a blow to the "plans" of the government of "using the judiciary as a shield" on the issue.

The party also suggested that the government could make a draft legislation and based on suggestions by parties, a law could be enacted on the issue.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the practice of divorce through among Muslims, saying the practice was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

"They (government) did not want to lose a section of their vote bank by taking a decision over this contentious issue. Thus, they were seeking an escape route using the judiciary as a shield. But, the Supreme Court has dealt a blow to their plans," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.

"The government should make a draft legislation and circulate it among all parties. Based on the suggestions and objections received, a law can be enacted," Malik said.

The apex court held that the was against the basic tenets of Quran.

"In view of the different opinions recorded by a majority of 3:2, the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' - triple talaq is set aside," a five-judge constitution bench said in a 395-page order.
The Haryana government today said that its revenue department has rolled out a cloud-based centralised online system 'Web-HALRIS' to manage property registration and land records in the state.

State Revenue Minister Abhimanyu announced this at a review meeting with his department's officials on the progress of digitisation of land records, property registration and other e-governance initiatives, an official spokesman said here.

During the meeting, the minister was informed that the Haryana government will integrate property registration, mutations using the HALRIS software, he said.

This integrated system automatically verifies the ownership and share of the seller prior to the registration of the sale of land, Abhimanyu said.

It also facilitates the sanctioning of the mutation of the land thus registered, the minister said.

He expressed appreciation for several new initiatives taken by the revenue department since October, 2014, such as e-registration, e-stamping and online appointment for deed- registration to ease the process of land registry.

The e-registration has been seamlessly integrated with e-stamping system using e-gras system of the finance department, Abhimanyu said.

It has been also linked with the Urban Local Bodies, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) properties in urban areas, he said.

Digital signatures are also being introduced for digitally signing the registration deeds and copy of the Record of Rights, he said.

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The Madras High Court today directed the family of Aiswarya Dhanush, daughter of Tamil actor Rajinikanth, to file the statement of accounts to the Advocate Commissioner regarding the rental arrears due to the owners of the premises of Ashram School which the family runs.

The court also directed the owners to file their statement of accounts and advance amount received for the building from Aiswarya's family.

Aiswarya had moved the court against locking of the school by the land owners last week for alleged non-payment of rent arrears for the premises by the family of Aiswarya.

The owners of the premises told Justice CV Karthekeyan, who is hearing the case, that they had handed over the keys of the school to the security personnel there in the presence of the Principal of the school.

When the counsel for the owners of the premises informed the court that there were rent dues for which they have filed a suit, the advocate for Aiswarya Dhanush presented demand drafts for Rs 7,79,200 in favour of the owners of the premises.

However, the counsel for the owners declined to accept it.

The Judge directed the Advocate Commissioner to file a report and posted the matter for further hearing to August 24.

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A Delhi Police head constable attached with the Jaitpur police station today allegedly shot himself dead, officials said.

Devendra Singh, in his fifties, was on emergency duty from 8 pm and had got a service revolver issued for work around 6 pm, the police said.

He went to an isolated place on the banks of Yamuna near Kalindi Kunj bridge in southeast Delhi between 6.30 and 8 pm and shot himself dead, a police official said.

His motorcycle was found parked at the spot where his body was found, the official said, adding no suicide note was recovered.

The official, who did not wish to be named, said it is suspected that there was tension in his family life.

"His brother-in-law had passed away two months back and there was tension in the family," the official said.

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The opposition National Conference (NC) today asked the BJP to make the people of the state understand that how repealing Article 35A would benefit the Dogras and safeguard their interests.

NC provincial chief Devender Singh Rana also asked the BJP not to indulge in jingoism, saying the BJP must realise that the fall out of removing this constitutional provision, which is detrimental to overall interests of the state in general and the people of Jammu in particular," he said adding that posterity will never forgive the BJP if Article 35A is tampered with.

"The apprehensions of the jobs going to outside youth and businesses getting usurped by affluent traders are as graveas they were 90 years ago when the Maharaja Sahib was constrained to bring the law," he said, adding that the Article35-A may be anything but not-anti-national, as it formsimportant ingredient of the Constitution of India.

In fact, this Act endorses the wisdom of the Maharaja and his far-sight which is reflected in the presidential order of 1954.

He termed the Act as religious neutral, regional, neutral and caste neutral, saying its applicability is more relevant for the Jammu region than the other two regions of Kashmir and Ladakh.

The chances of non-state subjects making their way to Jammu are more likely because of its proximity to other parts of the country and conduciveness in terms of security cenario, culture, topography and terrain.

Rana also warned against any move that will not be in the interests of the Dogras-Mahajan Biradari, Brahmins, Rajputs, Khatris, Dogra Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Scheduled Caste and other segments of the society.

He expressed hope that the BJP would gauge the popular sentiment against repealing of Article 35-A and start course correction by rising above politics and joining saner voices of protecting and safeguarding the state subject laws.

"Protecting Article 35-A is saving the proud Dogra heritage and culture," he said, adding that the NC will take its crusade in this regard to logical conclusion.

Citing the background of the enactment of permanent residence laws in 1927, he said that the Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh had sagaciously acted upon the representation of Dogra Pratinidhi Sabha and Kashmiri Pandit Sabha, keeping in view the threat of outside domination over the poor subjects of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

He said the BJP cannot deprive the Dogras of the great legacy of their Maharja.

He questioned the silence of the BJP led NDA at the Centre in remaining mute spectator to the case pending before the Supreme Court notwithstanding such pleas being rejected twice on merit by the apex court in the past.

"What has changed in the past three years that the Centre is acting against the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially at a time when the state is passing through a most difficult phase of its history," Rana said, asking the BJP to explain the compelling circumstances and convincing the people of Jammu, who are major stakeholders of retaining Article 35A.

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South Korean automaker Hyundai today launched all-new version of Verna in India with introductory price starting at Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) as it seeks to regain lost market share in mid-sized sedan segment.

The fifth generation Verna will compete with the likes of Honda City and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

The petrol variants of the Verna are priced between Rs 7.99-12.23 lakh, while the diesel trims are tagged between Rs 9.19-12.61 lakh.

Honda City petrol on the other hand is priced between Rs 8.46 lakh and Rs 13.37 lakh, while its diesel variants are priced between Rs 10.68 lakh and Rs 13.43 lakh.

Maruti Ciaz petrol is priced between Rs 7.65 lakh and Rs 10.41 lakh, while diesel variants are tagged between Rs 9.42 lakh and Rs 11.55 lakh (all prices ex-showroom).

"We are aiming for the leadership position in the segment. With the kind of features the new Verna has, we are confident of achieving it," Hyundai Motor India MD & CEO YK Koo told reporters here.

The company has set a target of selling 4,000 to 5,000 units a month for the model, he added.

"In the last 17 days, we have received 45,000 enquiries and we expect at least a conversion of 20 per cent of these into actual sales," Koo said.

As competition brought in full model changes of their models like City, sales of Verna had dropped to around 700 units a month from a peak of around 49,000 a year in period between 2011 and 2013, he added.

Hyundai said the introductory prices will be applicable for first 20,000 customers only.

"We will take a price increase after 20,000 units," HMIL Director Sales & Marketing Rakesh Srivastava said.

The latest Verna comes with 1.6 litre petrol and diesel engines mated with both manual and automatic transmissions.

The model is based on a newly developed K2 platform and has been developed with an investment of Rs 1,040 crore.

Overall, Hyundai has sold 3.17 lakh units Verna in India since the introduction of the model in 2006. Globally, around 88 lakh units of the sedan have been sold.

The new Verna comes with various features like sunroof, rear curtain, standard dual airbags and ABS, eco coating for AC vents and rear parking sensors.

When asked about increasing the production capacity, Koo said that with flexibility in manufacturing the company would be able to pull on till around 2020.

"So there is no plan for a new factory right now. After 2020 we will look into it," he added.

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India is emerging as a very important regional strategic partner for the US that can help modernise Afghanistan both politically and economically, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said today.

Tillerson's remarks came after President Donald Trump unveiled the US strategy in Afghanistan which included expanded authorities to target terrorists.

"India is emerging as a very important regional strategic partner with the United States, and has played an important role supporting the Afghan government and in particular supporting their economy," Tillerson told reporters.

He also praised India's role in Afghanistan.

"India has provided development assistance. They've provided economic assistance. They are hosting an important economic conference in India this next week. All of that is important to stabilising Afghanistan as a nation," he said.

"Get their economy functioning, stabilise the country so that they can provide more opportunities to their citizens. These are all elements of what will lead to stability and ultimately a peace agreement," he said.

Responding to a question, the Secretary of State sought the help of India in changing Pakistan's behaviour.

"It is important that Pakistan begin to think about its ability to contain these groups as well. It's why, though, we take a regional approach. The US alone is not going to change this dynamic with Pakistan," he said.

"India and Pakistan, they have their own issues that they have to continue to work through. But I think there are areas where perhaps even India can take some steps, a rapprochement on issues with Pakistan to improve the stability within Pakistan and remove some of the reasons why they deal with these unstable elements inside their own country," Tillerson said.

According to the Secretary of State, other regional players have strong interest in Pakistan.

"China has strong interest in Pakistan. Having a stable, secure future Pakistan is in a lot of our interests. They are a nuclear power. We have concerns about their weapons, the security of their weapons. There are many areas in which we believe we should be having very productive dialogue that serves both of our interests and regional interests as well," Tillerson said.

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India is committed to gender equality and eradication of discrimination on the basis of sex, the Supreme Court today said in its minority verdict on the practice of triple talaq among Muslims.

The remarks were made in the minority judgement by Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S A Nazeer while refusing to rely on the international conventions and declarations as it examined the issue of triple talaq, also known as talaq-e- biddat.

"We have not the least doubt, that the Indian State is committed to gender equality. This is the clear mandate of Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution. India is also committed to eradicate discrimination on the ground of sex. Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution, prohibit any kind of discrimination on the basis of sex.

"There is, therefore, no reason or necessity while examining the issue of 'talaq-e-biddat', to fall back upon international conventions and declarations. The Indian Constitution itself provides for the same," the two judges said.

The counsel for Muslim women, who had moved the apex court seeking to set aside the practice of triple talaq, had submitted that the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' was rendered impermissible, as soon as India accepted to be a signatory to international conventions and declarations, with which the practice was in clear conflict.

It was submitted that continuation of this practice sullied the image of the country internationally, as the nation was seen internationally as a defaulter of those conventions and declarations.

The two judges, however, said that the reason for which they were not acceding to the submissions with reference to international conventions and declarations, is based on Article 25 of the Constitution by which 'personal law' of all religious denominations is sought to be preserved.

"The protection of 'personal laws' of religious sections, is elevated to the stature of a fundamental right, inasmuch as Article 25 of the Constitution, which affords such protection to 'personal law' is a part of Part III (Fundamental Rights) of the Constitution," the minority judgement said.

It further said while the Indian Constitution supported all conventions and declarations which call for gender equality, it preserves 'personal law' through which religious communities and denominations have governed themselves, as an exception.

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Infosys former CFO V Balakrishnan has said the company should have increased the size of its buyback plan to boost investor confidence amid the uncertainties at the firm, but maintained that the probe by the US law firms will have no bearing on the offer.

Terming the timing of up to Rs 13,000-crore buyback as "unusual", the former executive said while the pricing of Rs 1,150 apiece is "reasonably good", the board could have been more "forceful" in setting the price target for the buyback.

"They could have done with a larger corpus and maybe price of Rs 1,200 which would create enough confidence for investors," he told PTI.

A day after Vishal Sikka, Infosys first non-founder CEO, resigned, the board of IT giant approved the buyback of 11.3 crore shares at Rs 1,150 apiece. The price was set up at almost 25 per cent premium to the closing price of Rs 923.10 on August 18, the day when Sikka resigned.

Infosys shares had dropped by over 5 per cent yesterday as the company's share buyback announcement failed to cheer investors.

"Just announcing a buyback without saying anything when there is a lot of uncertainty like the CEO moving away and the spat with the founders not coming to an end... I think the buyback somewhere loses its sheen," Balakrishnan said.

He plans to participate in the buyback programme as well.

Asked if the response to buyback offer would be impacted by the ongoing investigations by four law firms in the US, Balakrishnan answered in the negative.

He said the law firms are investigating whether they can file a class action suit and have to undergo the stipulated processes and find support before proceeding with any lawsuit.

"It is sometime away. I don't think it will have any impact on the buyback," he said.

Sikka resigned last week citing slander by founders. The board, which has blamed co-founder Narayana Murthy for the CEO's resignation, has said it will find a replacement latest by March 31, 2018.

Balakrishnan, whose views mirror those of Murthy, has also demanded that chairman and co-chair as also heads of the audit and remuneration committees step down to address charges of corporate governance lapses.

He stressed that the reconstitution of the board is a must before the company commences its search for a new CEO.

Interestingly, Omkar Goswami, a former member of the Infosys board (2000-15), has written a public letter in an economic daily suggesting that Murthy should walk away before further destroying his reputation and debilitating Infosys.

"Your actions have de facto created a crisis that has forced the exit of a CEO, led to a stupendous 9.6 per cent drop in the share price, and a loss in market capitalisation of over Rs 22,600 crore in one trading day, and initiated the process of class-action suits in the US," he wrote.
The Madras High Court on Tuesday refrained from granting any relief to former Union minister P Chidambaram's son Karti, who sought quashing of the FIR filed by the CBI and its subsequent summonses in the .

Justice P Velmurugan directed the court registry to return all the papers in the case to the petitioner so as to enable him approach the Delhi High Court which has superintendence powers in the matter.

The judge had on August 16 reserved orders on maintainability of Karti's petitions seeking to quash the FIR and summons related to the case pending in a CBI special court in Delhi.

Before the verdict was pronounced today, the media was asked to leave the courtroom.

In his order, the judge held that the petitions filed by Karti were maintainable and the high court had territorial jurisdiction.

But, in the interest of justice, and in order to avoid conflicting views in case any of the parties (other accused) moved the Delhi or Bombay High Court, the court held it was inclined to adopt the 'doctrine of forum of convenience' so that parties could move the convenient court.

On May 15, a FIR was registered by CBI against Karti and INX Media along with eight others for alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to the media house for receiving foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007 when his father was the finance minister.

The probe agency had claimed the FDI proposal of the media house was "fallacious" but Chidambaram had cleared it.

The CBI had on July 19 issued summons, the second by the agency in the case, asking Karti to appear before it two days later.

Earlier, it had asked Karti and four others to appear for questioning on June 27 and 29. Karti had then informed the CBI through his lawyer that he needed more time to appear.

The agency had alleged that a firm "indirectly controlled" by Karti had received money from INX Media, run by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in 2007.

During the hearing of the petitions earlier, the CBI had opposed them arguing they were not maintainable and wanted the court to dismiss them.

In May, the CBI had conducted raids at the premises of Karti, Peter and Indrani at 14 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai in connection with the case.

Incidentally, during the pendency of the petition challenging the summons, a 'look out circular' was issued by the government against Karti and subsequently stayed by the high court.

However, the Supreme Court had on August 14 stayed the high court order on an appeal by the Centre after observing that Karti had not joined the investigation in the case.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards today denied claims by Turkey that the two countries were planning joint military operations against Kurdish rebels in Iraq.

"We have not planned any operations outside Iran's borders," said a statement from the Guards' regional ground forces headquarters published by the ISNA agency.

"But as always we will strongly confront any group, team or person who wants to penetrate into Iran's territory for anti-security or terrorist operations," it added.

The statement came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a joint Turkish-Iranian operation against Kurdish militants was "always on the agenda".

A leading Turkish newspaper also claimed Iran made a "surprise proposal" to Ankara to jointly attack Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq during a rare visit by armed forces chief of staff General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri earlier this month.

Turkey has battled the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for decades, while the Iranian security forces have also fought its affiliate, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). Both groups have rear bases in neighbouring Iraq.

Despite denying that specific operations were planned, the Revolutionary Guards did threaten the possibility of cross-border attacks in the future.

"Although Iran has no plan to take widespread operational actions outside its borders, if any terrorist group... Aims to take the slightest measure to create insecurity on our borders, they will be faced with our intensive and fierce response, and their remnants will be targeted wherever they are," the statement said.

Erdogan said yesterday that the two countries' military chiefs had discussed how to work against Kurdish militants.

"The work will continue because you know that the PKK terror organisation has a foot in Iran," he said.

"We believe that if the two countries cooperate, we can reach a conclusion in a much shorter period of time."



Tensions between Turkey and Iran -- both of which see themselves as historically powerful regional leaders -- have often been tense, and they currently back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Bagheri's visit -- hailed as the first by an army chief of staff since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution -- was therefore seen as a key sign of warming ties.

"The actions of Turkey and Iran complement themselves. We reached good agreements to prevent terrorists passing from one side of the border to the other," Bagheri said during the visit.

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Iraqi forces today recaptured from the Islamic State group the first three districts of jihadist bastion Tal Afar as the Pentagon chief visited Baghdad in a show of support.

The United Nations said thousands of civilians had fled Tal Afar in the two days since the start of the broad offensive backed by the US-led coalition fighting IS.

In remarks in Baghdad after meeting Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said the jihadists were "on the run".

"Cities have been liberated, people freed from ISIS, from Daesh," Mattis said, using alternative names for IS.

The jihadists had not been able "to stand up to our team in combat, and they have not retaken one inch of ground that they lost", he said.

Iraqi troops backed by a US-led international coalition routed IS in Mosul in July after a gruelling nine-month fight for Iraq's second city.

They launched an offensive Sunday to recapture Tal Afar, once a key IS supply hub between Mosul -- around 70 kilometres (45 miles) further east -- and the Syrian border to the west.

IS fighters inside Tal Afar, estimated to number around 1,000, responded with artillery fire Tuesday as Iraqi forces massed outside the city.

Army, police and units of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition later took "full control" of the Al- Kifah, Al-Nur and al-Askari districts of Tal Afar, the Hashed said.

Iraqi forces had encircled the city despite what Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi described as "intense" fighting. He said the battle for the city would probably last weeks, in contrast to the months-long battle for Mosul.

The International Organization for Migration said "thousands of civilians" had fled Tal Afar since the offensive began.

Since Friday, more than 3,000 people had arrived at two IOM emergency sites, many with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, the UN agency said.

The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said it had received some 9,000 people at the Hamman Al Alil transit centre over the past week, and it was preparing to accommodate nearly 30,000 more.

Mattis declined to make any predictions about the battle.

"ISIS's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over anytime soon," he said.

Iraqi forces had "fought like the dickens in Mosul, (it) cost them over 6,000 wounded, somewhere over 1,200 killed," he said.

Yet that comeback restored the confidence of the Iraqi forces after their shock loss of Mosul and swathes of northern Iraq to IS in 2014.

Mattis stressed that retaking Mosul would not have happened "without... Abadi's steady hand", but was also due in part to extensive US support.

Mattis said his discussions in Iraq would focus on the way ahead, including how to keep the country from again politically fragmenting or falling further under Iran's influence.

"Secretary Mattis is going to be very much focused on a pathway for the United States to continue to have a residual force in Iraq to continue to train Iraqi security forces" and avoid a successor from IS emerging, said Nicholas Heras, Middle East Security Fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

A key issue is a plan for an independence referendum on September 25 in Iraqi Kurdistan, where Mattis met on Tuesday afternoon with the autonomous region's president Massud Barzani.

The poll is strongly opposed by the US, which believes it could undermine Abadi and distract from the fight against IS.

White House envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, said the battle for Tal Afar was "going well" but that a referendum on Kurdish independence would be "potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign".

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State owned Hindustan Copper Ltd today said after India Resources Ltd terminated the contract at Surda mines, it has decided against any exclusive contract or partnership with any foreign contractor firms.

"After IRL we are apprehensive about foreign parties," HCL chairman and managing director K D Diwan said here today after the AGM.

Another HCL official said the company has decided that they have decided against any foreign partner unless they have partnership with local firms.

HCL had said IRL has terminated contract arbitrarily leading them to loss of production.

Though, HCL will claim damage but was unsure whether that can bear any fruits, officials said.

HCL has able to reopen Surda mine since yesterday with an existing Indian contractor Sriram EPC.

"We have signed a contract with Sriram EPC for six months in the existing mine till we hire a new one," Dewan said.

Meanwhile, HCL will pump Rs 5000 crore in expansion of mining and copper production in the next three to four years.

"We will invest some Rs 5000 crore in three to four years in mining and copper production capacity," Dewan said.

While, another Rs 1200 crore will be done by our proposed mine developer and operator, for two mines in Rakha and Chapri Sidheshwari in Jharkhand including three million concentrate plant, he said.

Some eight companies have expressed interest in the consolidated project.

Another project will invest Rs 3025 crore in one lakh tonne per annum copper cathode at Malanjkhand.

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Common Services Centers, set up under the IT ministry for government services in rural India, will now sell products of Yoga Guru Ramdev promoted Patanjali, fertiliser firm IFFCO and software company Tally Solutions.

The special purpose vehicle CSC India, which gives permit for setting up common service centres, partnered with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to facilitate online registration of students for its courses, fees payment etc.

Under the host of services launched by the Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the CSCs can now help people in rural India to deposit money in their Aadhaar linked bank account using DiGiPay service as well as facilitate them in paying water, gas, electricity, DTH and mobile bills online.

"I want to create a new movement of Common Service Centres for transforming the nation. Don't worry about money. It will rain...You have earned about Rs 1,200 crore in last three years from Aadhaar based services. I want you to earn 3,000-5,000 crore but with honesty and for transforming the nation," Prasad said while launching various new services.

He said 40,000 CSCs have registered with Patanjali for medical tele-consultations through 800 ayurvedic practitioners, benefiting citizens in rural India.

Around 2,50,000 CSCs are operational across the country at present.

The minister announced that top five women entrepreneur will be selected based on performance of their CSCs, and will be sent to silicon valley, US to showcase their work. Prasad also announced provision of Rs 1 lakh as award for best performing district level village entrepreneurs society.

Prasad said that the textile ministry has shown interest to sell textile through CSCs.

"5C Network, India's first diagnostic network that connects hospitals and diagnostic centers with X-Ray, CT and MRI to radiologists, is partnering with CSC SPV to leverage last mile network of CSCs to provide radio-diagnostic facility at grassroot level," the IT ministry said in a statement.

On the occasion, Patanjali's Acharya Balkrishna announced provision of free yoga training to CSC VLEs (village level entrepreneurs) at Patanjali Yog Pith to teach Yoga in rural areas.

He said that Yoga is not linked to any religion or community but it is for well being of human kind.

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Punjab-cadre IPS officer Jagdale Nilambari Vijay today took over as the first woman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Soon after taking over the charge, the 2008-batch officer said that maintenance of law and order in the city and safety of vulnerable sections, including women, would be her main priority.

Ahead of the verdict in a case involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief, she said elaborate security arrangements were being made to maintain law and order (in the wake of verdict in the case).

The special CBI court in Panchkula will pronounce the judgment in sexual exploitation case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief on August 25.

The Sirsa-headquartered sect head has also been asked to appear in person before the court on the same day.

To a query on crime against women, she said special efforts would be made to ensure safety of vulnerable sections including women.

Chandigarh remained in the this month in the wake of woman stalking incident.

She also appealed to city residents to cooperate with the police for better police services.

Vijay was earlier presently posted as the commandant- cum-deputy director (indoor) at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur.

She had served in various districts including Ludhiana, Ropar and Pathankot.

The post of the SSP in Chandigarh had been lying vacant after Sukhchain Singh Gill, a 2003-batch IPS officer, was repatriated to Punjab in December last year.

SP Eish Singhal was presently officiating as the UT, SSP.

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Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra called on Home Minister Rajnath Singh today and discussed with him various issues including repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces, officials said.

During the 30-minute meeting here, the governor apprised Singh about the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley and steps taken for restoring normalcy.

They also discussed, among other issues, the ceasefire violations from across the border, increasing infiltration attempts and the incidence of terrorism in the Valley.

A 40-year-old woman was killed in firing by the Pakistani Army on border villages in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on August 12.

Pakistan violated the ceasefire four times on August 13 by firing at and shelling Krishnagati, Nowshera and Mankote, resulting in injuries to three jawans.

On August 8, Pakistani troops fired at and shelled the Krishnagati sector of Poonch district, killing one soldier.

Till August 1 this year, there have been 285 instances of ceasefire violations by the Pakistani forces. In 2016, the number was significantly less at 228.

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Suspended additional sessions judge R K Shrivas, who has set off on a 700-km journey on bicycle from Neemuch to Jabalpur where he plans to stage 'satyagrah' to draw the attention of the Madhya Pradesh High Court to the 'injustice' meted out to him, today arrived here.

"I am fighting to seek justice not only for me but also for my colleagues who too have faced similar hardship," said Shrivas, flanked by number of lawyers.

When asked what would he do if he did not get justice in Jabalpur, Shrivas said he will then go to Delhi to fight for his rights.

His son could study in a school at Jabalpur only for 23 days and now he is forced to go to another schools (because of Shrivas' transfer to Neemuch), he said.

Shrivas had staged a sit-in outside the high court building in Jabalpur earlier this month to protest against his "frequent" transfers.

Shrivas today said he would try to ride nearly 100 km per day and reach Jabalpur in three more days via Mandideep, Gadarwara and Narsinghpur.

The suspended judge had also filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against judges of the MP high court.

A group of lawyers extended support to Shrivas on his arrival in Bhopal.

During the sit-in outside the MP high court in Jabalpur from August 1 to 3, Shrivas had alleged that he was transferred four times in fifteen months.

After he called off his protest, Shrivas was posted in Neemuch, and soon placed under suspension for "grave misconduct".

He also alleged that despite the Transfer Policy-2015, which says that a judicial officer could work at one place for maximum of three years, several officers were enjoying stints of as long as five years.

Shrivas started his career as a Judicial Magistrate First Class in 2000, and was promoted as additional district judge about three years ago.

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Sri Lanka's ruling party has urged President Maithripala Sirisena to sack Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe for criticising the government's USD 1.1 billion deal with China to develop the strategic Hambantota port.

Sri Lanka on July 29 signed the deal to sell a 70-per cent stake in the port to a state-run Chinese firm, a move that could raise security concerns in India.

Rajapakshe was accused of violating collective responsibility at the United National Party (UNP) working committee meeting held last week.

He was asked to correct his statement which was critical of the government's deal with China, but he did not respond positively to the request.

Rajapakshe was quoted as saying that the port deal was the betrayal of the country's sovereignty and he would make sure that the port is taken back from China.

UNP general secretary Kabir Hashim said the UNP has requested Sirisena to remove Rajapakshe form the Cabinet.

Under the 99-year lease agreement, China's state-run conglomerate China Merchant Port Holdings is to invest up to USD 1.1 billion in the port and marine-related activities.

The accumulated loss from the port was more than USD 300 million and the money realised from deal will set off the debts owed to China, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had said.

Rajapakshe, who is also the minister in charge of the Buddhist order, was previously accused of aiding and abetting an extremist Buddhist monk who was promoting violence against the Muslim minority.

The UNP has also charged that Rajapakshe as the Minister of Justice had hampered the investigations against the family of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose nearly a decade- long rule was ended by Sirisena in 2015.

The UNP said that investigations against former strongman Rajapaksa and his followers on alleged misdeeds had taken over two and a half years, and Rajapakshe was responsible for deliberate slowing down of investigations.

Rajapakshe denied the accusation, saying it was not proper for the government to interfere in the judiciary.

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London police has increased its expenditure on weaponisation by nearly six times to about USD 12 million compared to the previous year as part of its anti- terrorism drive, official data revealed today.

The Metropolitan Police spent 9.4 million pounds (USD 12 million) on guns, bullets, Tasers and smoke and stun grenades in the previous year until March compared with about 1.6 million pounds (USD 2 million) over the previous 12 months, according to data acquired through a freedom of information request by the 'The Times'.

The firearms budget alone rose to 5.7 million pounds (USD 7.3 million), nearly five times the total spent over the preceding six years. Spending on Taser stun-gun devices more than doubled last year and the outlay on ammunition, including blanks and grenades, more than tripled to 2.5 million pounds (USD 3.2 million).

The budget hike coincides with a UK-wide drive to increase the number of armed police officers on the country's streets to combat terrorism. Much of the money is thought to have gone on training for officers as part of a drive across the UK to recruit and train an extra 1,500 firearms officers, the newspaper reported.

"The Met is on track to meet the plan to complete an uplift of 600 firearms officers by April next year," a Met Police spokesperson said.

The UK government's aim is to have at least 7,000 firearms officers available, with nearly half of any new armed officers based in London.

Britain's police are largely unarmed and officers need to volunteer to carry a gun. Five per cent of all police are armed, according to UK Home Office figures, out of a total of 125,851 officers in England and Wales. The government has been trying to increase the number of specially-trained armed officers since the November 2015 terrorist attack on Paris, which left 130 people dead.

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French President Emmanuel Macron embarks on a three-country tour of central and southeast Europe today, hoping to drum up support for his ambitious EU reform agenda as his ratings falter at home.

The main focus of the trip to Austria, Romania and Bulgaria will be his push to change a controversial EU regulation allowing companies to send workers to other members states without paying local social charges.

Macron, elected in May, has promised to overhaul the so- called Posted Workers Directive because it is used by eastern Europe companies to undercut their rivals in wealthier members such as France.

For example, it enables a Polish firm to win a contract in France and then send Polish workers to carry out the work without having to pay French social charges, which are higher than in Poland.

"It's a sensitive issue in all our countries, particularly in France but not only there," said a French diplomat on condition of anonymity. "It's about how people perceive economic competition in Europe."



Foreign companies competing unfairly with French ones is seen by Macron as a driver of anti-EU sentiment which helped the eurosceptic far-right and far-left to record scores in France's elections earlier this year.

"Do you think I can explain to the French middle classes that companies are closing in France to relocate to Poland because it's cheaper there and that here (in France) construction companies are employing Polish workers because they are less expensive? This system doesn't work," Macron said in June.

Reforming the directive is one part of the 39-year-old centrist's broader push to create a new "protective Europe" that helps shield citizens from the effects of cut-throat international competition.

He is also pushing for a new mechanism to screen non-EU investments, particularly from China, into strategic areas of the European economy, as well as tougher measures to block the dumping of cheap imports on the continent.

Other strands include creating a "Buy European Act", which would oblige EU governments to buy more from companies that manufacture inside the bloc.

Pierre Vimont, a former French diplomat and senior fellow at the Carnegie Europe think tank, called changing the Posted Workers Directive "a symbolic case" for the president.

"Macron needs to deliver for French public opinion," he added. A recent survey showed only 37 percent of people were happy with Macron's performance in office so far.

Macron will meet the leaders of Austria, Romania and Bulgaria as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Austria backs Macron but the others will need to be convinced of his proposals for posted workers to be limited to jobs lasting 12 months, half the period proposed by the European Commission.

France also wants greater efforts to fight fraudulent use of the directive, which was used to employ 286,000 people in the country in 2015.

Notably absent from the French president's tour are meetings with the hard-right and conservative leaders of Hungary and Poland, with whom Macron has clashed repeatedly.

Poland is the country that benefits most from the Posted Workers Directive, with an estimated 500,000 of its nationals employed by Polish companies in other EU members.

Macron will host his counterparts from western Europe in the coming weeks.

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A 35-year-old man was allegedly killed by his neighbour inside southeast Delhi's Ambedkar Nagar police station in the early hours today, the police said.

Following the incident, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the police station has been sent to district lines, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Romil Baaniya.

He also said that a sub-inspector and a constable posted there have been suspended and directed to report to district lines.

The administrative action was taken against the personnel for failing to prevent the killing inside the police station, the police said.

Vishal had asked Anil to treat him with liquor since it was the birthday of the latter's child. But when Anil refused, it let to a quarrel between them, the DCP said.

The police were informed about the incident and the quarrelling duo was brought to Ambedkar Nagar police station. Inside the investigating officer's room the duo again started quarrelling.

The police personnel intervened but in the melee Vishal assaulted Anil with a file clip. Anil was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where he was declared "brought dead", the officer said, adding Vishal was arrest from the spot.

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Unhappy over the merger with O Panneerselvam faction, MLAs loyal to sidelined AIADMK leaders Saikala and TTV Dhinakaran on Tuesday told the Governor that they no longer had confidence in Chief Minister K Palaniswami, prompting the opposition DMK to demand a trust vote.

"We are going to initiate efforts to bring in a new CM with the help of our supporting MLAs," Dhinakaran supporter and Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamil Selvan told reporters following a meeting with Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao a day after the patch-up between the camps led by Palaniswami and rebel leader Panneerselvam.

The Dhinakaran camp had yesterday claimed the support of 25 AIADMK MLAs. Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that the meeting took place this morning, but did not divulge details, including the number of members in the delegation and the nature of their interaction with Rao.

"We have informed the Governor that we don't have confidence in the Chief Minister," Selvan said after the MLAs owing allegiance to Dhinakaran, nephew of jailed AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, met Rao.

Of the 234-member Assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs excluding the Speaker. Late chief minister Jayalalithaa's RK Nagar constituency is still vacant.

The DMK has 89 seats followed by its allies Congress with eight and IUML one seat.

Seeking to capitalise on the developments, principal opposition DMK shot off a letter to the Governor asking him to convene the assembly and direct Palaniswami to prove his majority in the House.

Asked about the possibility of the Palaniswami government facing a trust vote, Selvan said that was "our intention."



"Our intention is that there should be a trust vote. So after that a new Chief Minister will be in place," he claimed.

MLAs supporting Dhinakaran have been on a warpath against Palaniswami, questioning the merger of the Amma faction-led by him and Panneerselvam's Puratchi Thalaivi Amma faction yesterday.

Tamil Selvan criticised Palaniswami for aligning with Panneerselvam, who had been critical of the government till very recently.

"The 122 (AIADMK) MLAs had made Palaniswami Chief Minister because Chinnamma (Sasikala) asked us to do so. Panneerselvam had voted against the government (in the February 18 trust vote).

"He wanted to split the party and topple the government. Yet you give the Deputy Chief Minister's post to him. What is the need for that now?" he asked.

He also expressed anguish over efforts to remove Sasikala from the party, saying it was she who ensured the continuation of the AIADMK government following Panneerselvam's revolt in February last.

In a related development, Dhinakran announced removal of senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam from the primary membership of the party.

The move came a day after Vaithilingam, a loyalist of Palaniswami, said steps would be taken for the removal of Sasikala from the AIADMK.

Earlier, in his reaction to the merger, Dhinakaran dubbed it as a "betrayal" of party general secretary Sasikala.

In a series of tweets last night, he also questioned the durability of the arrangement.

"It is not a merger. It is a commercial agreement reached for self-interest and hunger for positions and to protect posts," Dhinakaran charged.

He also claimed that not only the AIADMK cadres, but even the public would not forgive "those who betrayed the general secretary who made Pannerselvam and Palaniswami the chief ministers after the death of Jayalalithaa".

His tweets came hours after the factions merged and Panneerselvam, who had challenged Sasikala's leadership, was appointed the deputy chief minister and his close aide K Pandiarajan a minister.

Responding to Dhinakaran's loyalist MLAs meeting the Governor, opposition parties including DMK, said Palaniswami should now prove his majority.

DMK Working President and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly M K Stalin in a letter to Rao claimed that "consequent upon identical letters given by 22 MLAs to the Governor expressing lack of confidence on the Chief Minister, an unprecedented constitutional crisis has erupted."



The DMK leader said, as a result of the letters given by MLAs, the incumbent government led by Palanisamy has "lost" its majority.

He said in a similar previous occasion in Karnataka, the Governor of that state had directed then Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove his majority in the House.

Any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove majority would pave the way for continuance of an 'unconstitutional' government, he said in the letter, a copy of which was circulated to the media here.

"As the leader of Opposition, I therefore request the Governor to direct Palanisamy to prove his majority in the House immediately," Stalin said.

DMK will take a "good decision" on the trust vote at an appropriate time, he later told reporters.

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss also said that following the revolt of MLAs the Palaniswami government should prove its majority.
PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been diagnosed with throat cancer, a close aide of former premier said today.

"Begum Kulsoom has been diagnosed with throat cancer in London. Doctors have said that her cancer is curable," Sharif's political secretary Senator Dr Asif Karmani told PTI.

Kulsoom had filed nomination papers for NA-120 in Lahore after the seat fell vacant following Sharif's disqualification to hold any office by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the Panama Papers case.

"Doctors will start her treatment in coming days in London," Dr Karmani added.

Kulsoom, in her mid-60s, had suddenly left for London last week on the day when her nomination papers were to be filed in the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Dr Karmani said Kulsoom would not be able to participate in election campaign for some days.

He further said that Kulsoom's absence federal commerce minister Pervaiz Malik will supervise her election campaign.

According to a PML-N leader, Kulsoom had not been well for quite sometimes but Sharif preferred to pitch her on his constituency making her a possible candidate for the prime minister slot.

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court Appellate Tribunal yesterday rejected all appeals filed against the nomination papers of PML-N candidate Kulsoom for the NA-120 by-poll.

Petitioners had argued that Kulsoom Nawaz also holds a work permit of UAE like that of her husband on which he was disqualified.

Sharif won the seat by a substantial margin in the 2013 general elections, defeating Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf's Yasmin Rashid, who is again contesting for the seat this time around.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Orkla Group, the Norwegian branded consumer goods and parent company of MTR Foods today announced its foray into the Indian confectionery space with the 'Laban'.

The launch of Norway's popular confectionery brand 'Laban' in India, also marks the entry of first product from Orkla's portfolio in the confectionary category, the company officials said.

They said Laban, a specially crafted human shaped, non sticky, fruit flavored chew, will be manufactured and distributed by MTR Foods in India.

Announcing the launch of Laban MTR Foods CEO Sanjay Sharma said it marks the major shift in our strategy towards realizing "One Orkla".

He said "So far we were focused just on one brand MTR that has driven the growth, now armed with the wider vision, a fantastic team and backing from Orkla we can today unleash the power of One Orkla in India."



"...With the widening of the vision, today we can add new categories, add new brands and new channels", he said.

"One Orkla gives us access to several local brands and concepts that are successful in may countries where Orkla operates along with providing access consumer insights, successful concepts and flexibility to adapt to the needs of every consumer," he added.

He said Laban's product proposition has been localised to make it 100 per cent vegetarian confectionery with a range of flavors such as strawberry, mango, green mango and orange, and it will be available at all general and modern trade outlets across India price at Rs 10 for the 26 gms pack and Rs 30 for 65 gms pack.

Stating that the focus is to target 200 cities in India and reach reach 125000 outlets in the first phase, Sharma said "we are investing very heavily behind this, we have already invested Rs 40 crore behind the manufacturing line and we will be spending Rs 30-35 crore over the next three to five years towards building this brand."



Pointing out that it has been 10 years since Orkla acquired MTR, Orkla Foods CEO Atle Vidar-Nagel Johnssen said the company has invested RS 2.5 billion into MTR for modernization and other things.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan today said blistering criticism by US President Donald Trump was "disappointing" and denied accusations that it supported terrorist groups.

"No country in the world has suffered more than Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism, often perpetrated from outside our borders. It is, therefore disappointing that the US policy statement ignores the enormous sacrifices rendered by the Pakistani nation in this effort," said a statement from the country's Foreign Office.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A top Palestinian official says the Palestinians are hoping for some clear answers from the US when White House envoy Jared Kushner returns to the region this week.

Ahmad Majdalani, a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinians asked Kushner for the US position on two key issues Israeli settlements and support for Palestinian independence during his last visit to the region in June.

"Since then we didn't hear from them," he said today. "We hope they bring clear answers this time."



Majdalani says the peace process cannot resume "from scratch."



Kushner, who is President Donald Trump's son-in-law, is expected to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday as he tries to restart talks. The last round broke down over three years ago.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi today hailed the Narendra Modi government for supporting Muslim women in their quest for freedom from triple talaq, which was today outlawed by the Supreme Court.

Welcoming the verdict of the top court, Lekhi said the "political will" of the NDA government has led to the judgement, otherwise the fate of this case could have been the same as that of the 1985 judgement in the Shah Bano case.

62-year-old Shah Bano was granted maintenance from her ex-husband by the Supreme Court under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code, with an upper limit of Rs 500 per month.

However, this judgement was reversed due to religious and political pressure after which the then Congress government passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act which diluted the verdict.

Lekhi, a lawyer and a Lok Sabha member, also lauded the Prime Minister for "vociferously" supporting the cause of Muslim women.

"I genuinely compliment the Prime Minister who has given vociferous support to the cause of Muslim sisters. Otherwise, the fate of this case could have been the same as that of Shah Bano case.

"Modi government has supported the cause of the society without discriminating between genders," she said about the majority verdict which set aside the practice of triple talaq.

Expressing satisfaction with the apex court verdict, Lekhi said "I welcome the decision of the Supreme Court. Similar decisions have existed in the past on the issue of uniform civil code as well but what was missing earlier has now been compensated by political will of the present dispensation."



"Earlier the apex court gave progressive decisions but politicians of yesteryears lacked the vision to support its (court's) decisions in making more equitable and inclusive society by not treating Muslim women at par with women of other communities," she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the Supreme Court today banned instant triple talaq, activists urged the apex court to also take steps to decriminalise homosexuality and penalise marital rape.

The triple talaaq verdict should open people's minds to more progressive laws, gay rights activist Harish Iyer said.

"Any step in the direction of liberty for the most marginalised should be seen as a wave that all allied causes could ride on. The verdict should open our minds to more progressive laws, including on Section 377," Iyer said.

While the issue of Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises homosexuality, is pending before the top court, it has been reluctant to make marital rape a criminal offence.

"SC rightly held instant triple talaq unconstitutional, didn't pass the buck to Parliament. Isn't it a shame SC didn't do the same on Section 377 (of the Indian Penal Code)," tweeted Kavita Krishnan, Secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association.

"Dear SC, after this will you please hold marital rape, including of minor wives, unconstitutional, undo regressive verdict on it," she said.

The SC ruling today was pronounced on a petition filed two years ago by Shayara Bano, a woman from Uttarakhand whose husband of 15 years sent her a letter with talaq written three times on it and left her. Similar petitions filed by four other women were heard with Bano's petition.

"We welcome the SC judgement. Triple talaq is a discriminatory practice that violates women's right to equality, and has devastated the lives of many Muslim women," said the programmes director at Amnesty International India, Asmita Basu.

She urged the government to repeal all religious family laws that violated women's right to equality.

Earlier in the day, in a landmark verdict, the SC by a majority of 3:2 ruled that the practice of instant divorce through triple talaq among Muslims was "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional".

The apex court said the practice went against the tenets of Quran.

"This is a positive step in the right direction. Now is the time to raise the issues of marital rape and Section 377. It is the time to focus on gender-just laws across communities," said women's right activist Jagmati Sangwan, former general secretary, the All India Democratic Women's Association.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RJD leader Rabri Devi today attacked the new JD(U)-BJP government in Bihar for denying her the status of leader of opposition in the legislative council under the "cover of rules" that RJD does not have the required number of MLCs needed for the post.

"They wish to suppress the voice of opposition by doing this out of political considerations," Rabri Devi, wife of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, told reporters outside the legislative council.

"Earlier, the status of leader of opposition was given to the then RJD leader Gulam Gaus even when the party's strength was 4-5 in the council. But, now they (JD(U)-BJP) are taking the cover of rules," she said.

"Let them deny the post (to RJD), we are the leader of masses."



The Bihar legislative council had in the first week of this August month rejected RJD's request to appoint Rabri Devi as the leader of opposition in the upper house stating that the party did not have the required number of MLCs needed for the post.

A strength of nine MLCs is required for the post of leader of opposition in the legislative counicl but RJD at present has only seven. Hence, its application was not in conformity with the rules, deputy chairman of Bihar state legislative council Harun Rashid had said while turning down the request.

JD(U) spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar took a swipe at Devi on the issue. "She and her family cannot live without facilities," he told reporters outside the legislative council.

Rabri Devi was chosen as member of legislative council for the second time in 2012 and her tenure will end in 2018. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Sushil Kumar Modi are both members of the legislative council at present.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Divers searching for 10 missing sailors on a US destroyer that collided with a tanker off Singapore have found human remains, a US admiral said today.

The accident off Singapore, which left a gaping gash in the destroyer's hull, was the second deadly collision in two months involving an American warship.

The US Navy has announced a fleet-wide global investigation after the accident involving the USS John S McCain and the merchant vessel yesterday.

But Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, praised the surviving crew for saving the ship and saving lives.

The accident -- which also left five sailors injured -- happened before dawn in busy shipping lanes around the Strait of Singapore, and sent water flooding into the ship.

A massive search involving planes and aircraft was launched and US Navy divers joined the hunt today, searching the ship's flooded compartments



Speaking in Singapore, Swift said that "the divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today".

He said bodies were found during "the diving on McCain today but it's premature to say how many and what the status of recovery those bodies are".

Swift said Malaysian authorities had also found a body and were sending it to the US Navy for identification.

He said the search and rescue effort, involving hundreds of personnel and several countries, would continue, adding: "We're always hopeful that there are survivors."



The admiral added that the McCain's crew were "tough, and they are resilient. It is clear that their damage control efforts saved their ship and saved lives."



It was the second fatal collision in two months - after the USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off Japan in June and left seven sailors dead - and the fourth accident in the Pacific this year involving an American warship.

The incidents have sparked concern that the US Navy could be overstretched in East Asia -- both ships were from the Japan-based Seventh Fleet -- as they tackle China's rising assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The McCain had been heading for a routine stop in Singapore after carrying out a "freedom of navigation operation" in the disputed South China Sea earlier in August, sparking a furious response from Beijing.

On Monday the Chief of US Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered commanders within a week to set aside time, perhaps "one or two days", for crews to sit down together for discussions.

A "comprehensive review" of practices would also begin.

"As you know, this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theatre," Richardson said.

"This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world."



The admiral did not rule out some kind of outside interference or a cyber-attack being behind the latest collision, but said he did not want to prejudge the inquiry. His broader remarks suggested a focus on "how we do business on the bridge."



The damaged vessel is named after US Senator John McCain's father and grandfather, who were both admirals in the US navy.

The tanker involved in the collision, which was used for transporting oil and chemicals and weighed over 30,000 gross tonnes, sustained some damage but no crew were injured, and Singapore said there was no oil pollution.

In the June incident, the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship in a busy channel not far from Yokosuka, a gateway to container ports in Tokyo and nearby Yokohama.

The dead sailors, aged 19 to 37, were found by divers in flooded sleeping berths a day after the collision tore a huge gash in the ship's side.

A senior admiral announced last week that the commander of the destroyer and several other officers had been relieved of their duties aboard their ship over the incident.

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The Adviser (Bru), Ministry of Home Affairs has suggested that repatriation of Bru families from six relief in North Tripura might be undertaken during dry season, Mizoram Home department officials said today.

Mahesh Kumar Singla, Adviser (Bru) made this suggestion at a meeting held in Aizawl yesterday, the officials said, adding that the former visited some villages in Tripura border Mamit district and Assam border Kolasib district where those repatriated were proposed to be resettled.

"It is not yet clear if the Bru repatriation process would be taken up as the attempts were futile exercise with the Bru community lodged in the relief camps unwilling to return to Mizoram," the officials said.

They said that the Brus were making a plethora of excuses and several sets of new demands as condition for their return to Mizoram every time the road map for the repatriation was being to be implemented.

The Centre also had to take up a series of initiatives before the repatriation process could be taken up, they said.

Thousands of Brus left Mizoram and migrated to Tripura after Lalzawmliana, a forest guard was gunned down by Bru militants on October 21, 1997 inside Dampa Tiger Reserve near Persang hamlet.

The first attempt to repatriate them from November 16, 2009 not only did not take off, but a murder of Zarzokima, a young boy near Bungthuam village by the Bru militants triggered another wave of exodus.

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There was no delay in communicating the guidelines on hoisting the national flag to a Palakkad school, where unfurling of the tricolour by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat triggered a row on Independence Day, Kerala government told the state assembly today.

Replying to a submission by BJP member O Rajagopal, Education Minister C Raveendranath said the public education director had on August 8 and 10 issued circulars with guidelines for the celebration of Independence Day.

As per the circular, the head of the institution should hoist national flag and participants in the celebrations should include among others parents of students, public servants, people's representatives and freedom fighters, he said.

The district collector and the Palakkad education deputy director had again directed the principal of the Karnagi Amman higher secondary school to strictly follow the instructions when on August 14 it came to notice that Bhagwat was going to hoist the flag at the school on Independence day, he said.

"There was no delay from the education department authorities in informing about the guidelines for hoisting the national flag," Raveendranath said.

Palakkad District Collector P Marykutty had issued the order on August 14 stating that since the Karnagi Amman School was government-aided, only elected representatives or school authorities could hoist the flag.

However, Bhagwat went ahead with the programme and hoisted the flag following which a senior CPI-M district office-bearer had asked the government to register a case against the RSS chief.

RSS leader P Gopalankutty Master, however, had ridiculed the CPI-M's demand asking "Is it a crime to hoist national flag on Independence day?"



Raising the matter in the assembly, Rajagopal accused the government of discriminating in the matter of flag hoisting.

It was reported in media that former KPCC president V M Sudheeran and CPI-M leader Anathalavattom Anandan had hoisted national flags on Independence day in schools, he claimed.

Healleged that instructions to the school with regard to the guidelines were given as per a directive from the Chief Minister's Office on August 14 late evening.

"I do not believe that it was done with the knowledge of chief minister," he added.

At this, ruling bench members protested, saying he was making a speech rather than taking up the matter as a 'submission' under Assembly Rule 304.

The government had alleged that Bhagwat hoisted the flag at the government aided school defying directives in this regard and had thus "shown disrespect to national flag".

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said in the assembly last week that legal opinion had been sought for taking further steps on the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq holding it unconstitutional, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said it will give a sense of security and respect to Muslim women.

"Supreme Court has delivered an (sic) historic verdict on triple talaq. I welcome the judgment," Rupani tweeted.

"This verdict is the victory of Muslim women's right to equality and their constitutional rights," he said in another tweet.

In an apparent jibe at the opposition parties, Rupani also said in a series of tweets that the verdict will change the dynamics of the "appeasement politics".

"Muslim women received justice after a very long time. After the SC verdict, appeasement politics will see a huge change," he tweeted.

While talking to reporters, he said the verdict was crucial for the real empowerment of the Muslim women.

"The Supreme Court's verdict on triple talaq will give Muslim women a sense of empowerment, security and respect. This is truly an important judgment for the Muslim women of our country," he said.

Gujarat BJP chief Jitubhai Vaghani also hailed the verdict.

"I welcome Supreme Court's historic verdict making Triple Talaq as unconstitutional. Verdict will definitely empower Muslim women in India," Vaghani tweeted.

Meanwhile, several Muslim women in Surat also welcomed the SC verdict and burst fire crackers to express their happiness.

The apex court, by a majority verdict, today set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims, saying the practice was void, illegal and unconstitutional. It held that the triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Quran.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia detained and charged today the theatre and film director Kirill Serebrennikov with fraud in a move that critics denounced as the latest sign of increasing censorship of the arts.

Serebrennikov, 47, is the artistic director of Moscow's Gogol Centre theatre and has staged productions at the legendary Bolshoi Theatre. His films have been shown at the Cannes and Venice film festivals.

But in recent years Serebrennikov has fallen out of favour with the authorities and has criticised a government clampdown on artistic works, warning last year that "everything is returning to the most pathetic Soviet practices".

The Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said in a statement he has been charged with defrauding the state of at least 68 million rubles (USD 1.15 million, 977,000 euros) in arts funding over three years from 2011 to 2014.

Serebrennikov has denied any fraud, insisting that the charges are "absurd" and that the money went into stage productions.

A court will now decide whether or not to put him behind bars. A source told Interfax agency that this was expected to happen tomorrow.

Serebrennikov's lawyer Dmitry Kharitonov told Kommersant FM radio that his detention was "a complete surprise," adding his client had been shooting a film in Saint Petersburg.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Serebrennikov's detention was a warning to other arts figures that the Kremlin expected absolute loyalty ahead of next year's presidential election, in which Vladimir Putin is expected to run.

"They're drawing a new red line: your creative work must glorify (the authorities) -- and with your friends, you should hold your tongue," he wrote.

Novelist Boris Akunin likened Serebrennikov's detention to the Stalin era, saying the order could have come only personally from the Kremlin chief.

"It wasn't the Investigative Committee that arrested the director Serebrennikov -- it was Putin," he wrote on Facebook.

Serebrennikov could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Investigators had raided the director's flat in Moscow as well as the Gogol Centre theatre in May, prompting protests from leading arts figures, including Vladimir Urin, director of the Bolshoi Theatre.

"This is a very gifted and talented person. The Bolshoi sees him as a great artist," Urin told the Interfax agency.

Putin himself criticised the heavy-handed raids on Serebrennikov's home and workplace, telling the independent Dozhd TV channel they were "just ridiculous".

He said the case was opened because "suspicions arose that there were financial violations".

Police have already arrested three people in connection with the inquiry, two of whom are in custody and the other under house arrest.

The case concerns a theatrical project set up by Serebrennikov called Platform, which staged shows in Moscow.

A former accountant who is in jail awaiting trial has testified against Serebrennikov, investigators said this month.

Serebrennikov was appointed in 2012 to head an ailing and unpopular Soviet-era theatre, remaking it into a contemporary venue now called the Gogol Centre, where he put on his own radical stagings as well as hosting film and dance festivals.

The centre has been targeted by conservative activists, some of whom even installed a naked cutout of Serebrennikov outside.

At the Bolshoi, Serebrennikov has staged the Rimsky- Korsakov opera "The Golden Cockerel" and a ballet based on Mikhail Lermontov's novel "A Hero of our Time", which won a prestigious Golden Mask award last year.

But he recently ran into trouble with plans for a controversial staging of a new ballet for the Bolshoi based on the life of star dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who defected to the West.

The Bolshoi pulled the show three days before its scheduled premiere in July, saying it was not ready, in a move critics called unprecedented.

Urin, the Bolshoi director, had said the ballet would be staged in May next year, but Serebrennikov's detention raises fresh doubts about its eventual production.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two media reports highlighting plight of Muslim women led the Supreme Court to change its professed stand that the sensitive issue of "triple talaq" involved state policy and Parliament should deal with it.

A five-judge constitution bench, by a majority of 3:2, set aside the prevalent practice of 'triple talaq' among Sunni Muslims saying it went against the basic tenets of Holy Quran and the Islamic law Shariat.

However, the apex court had refused to entertain the plea of Ahmedabad Women Action Group in 1997 on the discrimination meted out to Muslim women in the case, saying that the issue involved "State policy to be dealt with by the legislature".

It had then referred to the observations made in two cases in which it was said that a climate was required to be built for a uniform civil code and "the court could at best advise and focus attention to the problem instead of playing an activist role".

The professed stand got changed when a bench comprising Justices A R Dave and Adarsh Kumar Goel, in 2015, decided to take up the matter on its own and referred it to the then Chief Justice for necessary action.

It had taken note of two articles, including one titled as 'Muslim Women's Quest for Equality', which was published in a leading English daily. They had highlighted the plight of Muslim women who suffered polygamy and unilateral triple talaq.

It was pointed out that in spite of constitutional guarantee, the Muslim women were subjected to discrimination and there was no safeguard against arbitrary divorce and second marriage by her husband during the currency of the first marriage, resulting in denial of dignity and security to her.

Finally, a five-judge constitution bench came into being and struck the practice down on grounds, including that it was against the basic tenets of the Holy Quran and violated the Islamic law Shariat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Leaders across the political spectrum, social activists and top jurists today hailed as a victory of "gender equality" and a "giant step" for women the landmark Supreme Court verdict banning the practice of instant divorce among Muslims.

As reactions from across the country poured in welcoming the judgement declaring triple talaq, a form of divorce under Islam which allows men to dissolve marriages instantly, unconstitutional, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah called it "historic". The judgement grants equality to Muslim women and is a "powerful measure" for women empowerment, Modi said.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) for its part said it will chalk out its future course of action at its working committee meeting in Bhopal on September 10 while Maulana Mohammed Shafique Qasmi, the Imam of Nakhoda Masjid in Kolkata, said the AIMPLB and experts of Sharia law should be consulted before formulating a new law.

"Muslim Law is our own personal law and it has nothing to do with any other community. It should be left to us to decide on it," Zafaryab Jilani, a member of the working committee of the board, told PTI in Lucknow.

BJP chief Amit Shah said the verdict marked the beginning of a new epoch of equality and self-respect for Muslim women in the country.

Muslim women, who had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court opposing triple talaq, were elated at the verdict, saying they have emerged "victorious" and now feel protected.

However, some women petitioners opined that the victory in its true sense would be achieved once a law comes into force, making the practice punishable.

Farah Faiz, Zakia Suman, Noorjehan Niaz and the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) variedly described the verdict as a "moment of big victory," "big relief" and "half the battle won."



"The court has given a direction to the government to frame a law. We have won half the battle. We will be victorious in the true sense only once the law is framed so as to make this practice punishable. There is no remedy for women against the practice till a law is framed," Faiz, also the President of Rashtrawadi Muslim Mahila Sangh, said.

But the government virtually ruled out the need for a new law on triple talaq, indicating that existing laws, including the one dealing with domestic violence, were sufficient.

"The government will consider the issue in a structured manner. A prima facie reading of the judgement makes it clear that the majority (of the five member bench) has held it (the practice of instant triple talaq) as unconstitutional and illegal," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Finance and Defence minister Arun Jaitley said the verdict is the law of the land now and a great victory for those who believe that personal laws must be progressive.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi while welcoming the verdict congratulated the women who fought for justice.

Chief Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the verdict was an "affirmation of women's rights" and would give them relief from discrimination.

Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi hailed the judgement as a "giant step" for women, adding that it's about time that women were given the right to equality.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore tweeted that it was a "huge step forward" for women's rights.

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "We should not adopt a rigid attitude, but choose a reformist approach towards social evil.

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, blamed the AIMPLB over the triple talaq issue, saying it should have acted in a way to avoid the matter reaching the Supreme Court and find a solution to the contentious issue.

Eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee said the verdict was progressive, protecting the rights of the women, and that now no Muslim man can divorce his wife through the controversial divorce practice.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said nobody should see the verdict through the "prism of religion".

In Mumbai, social activists from the Muslim community described the verdict as "one of the best reforms" in the country after independence.

"I am elated to hear about this historical judgement which is not only for the Muslim women, but is one of the best reforms in India after independence," said Zakia Soman, the co-founder of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, which is also one of the petitioners in the triple talaq case.

The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and All India Shia Personal Law Board described the verdict as a victory of Islam and Muslim women in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar today termed the Supreme Court's judgement on triple talaq as historic, saying it had "shut the mouths of Islamic fundamentalists" and a proper law should be framed on it.

Kumar, who is the patron-in-chief of RSS affiliated Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), said the government should set up special centres for Muslim women and their children affected by this "wrong" practice, so that they could get education and become self dependent.

"Today is a historic day for the country and especially for the women. The Supreme Court has today resolved the biggest social problem of nine crore Indian Muslim women by pronouncing judgement on the issue of triple talaq," he told reporters here.

"With today's judgement the apex court has shut the mouths of the Islamic fundamentalists who were persecuting women by misinterpreting the Islam's holy text and had also been harassing them through this dirty practice," he added.

Replying to a question, he said this judgement should be given a proper shape of law and "those Muslims who oppose this are basically supporting the devil".

The Supreme Court by a majority verdict today set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims, saying it was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

The apex court held that the triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Quran.

The majority verdict said any practice including triple talaq which was against the tenets of Quran was unacceptable.

The three judges also said the practice of divorce through triple talaq was manifestly arbitrary and violative of the Constitution and must be struck down.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stocks today moved in a range, but managed to shake off two consecutive days of weakness, with both Sensex and Nifty signing off on a positive note.

The markets looked for direction, but there were no major triggers at hand. Unabated buying by domestic institutional investors and a positive trend overseas gave markets some relief.

Covering short positions by speculators gave equities a push.

After a higher opening, the Sensex settling up 33 points, or 0.11 per cent, at 31,291.85.

The 30-share gauge had lost 536.61 points in the past two sessions, mostly dragged down by over 15 per cent plunge in the Infosys stock after Vishal Sikka's surprise resignation as CEO last Friday amid foreign fund outflows.

The NSE Nifty reclaimed the 9,800 mark, but gave up part of the gains due to profit-booking before ending at 9,765.55, up 11.20 points, or 0.11 per cent.

India's second-largest IT exporter, Infosys, which had been in decline for two straight days, is back in the green by rising 0.42 per cent to Rs 877.15 on value-buying.

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Veteran actor Shabana Azmi today welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict banning the practice of instant divorce among Muslims.

Azmi said the judgement was a victory for the women who have been fighting against it for years.

"I welcome the Supreme Court judgement on instant Triple Talaq. Its a victory for brave Muslim women who have waged battle against it for years," Azmi tweeted.

Actor Anupam Kher said the decision of triple talaq is for the win of women empowerment.

Dia Mirza called the decision a "win for democracy".

"A win for democracy! Historic day for women's rights in our country. Equality, triple talaq, human rights, Supreme Court.

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A court in Sri Lanka today extended the remand of 54 Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested by the navy of the island nation on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line, till September five.

The fishermen were produced before a court in Jaffna which extended their judicial remand, P Sesuraja, leader of Rameswaram Fishermen's Association, said.

The fishermen, hailing from Nagapattinam, Jagadapattinam Rameswaram and Madapam, were arrested by navy on various occasions, he said.

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Morocco has long considered itself a haven of stability in a volatile region and a key ally in the fight against Islamic extremism, but in recent months, it has found itself shaken by carnage in Europe blamed on Moroccans who moved abroad.

Young men from the North African nation have been involved in deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels, and just last week emerged as suspects in violence in Spain and Finland.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility. In the days after attacks on Barcelona's famed Las Ramblas and a seaside resort killed 15 people, shocked and horrified relatives and friends of the suspects gathered with the Muslim community in their Spanish town of Ripoll to denounce terrorism.

Their families in Morocco issued similar statements and also said that anything the young men learned about extremism had taken place away from home.

The 12-member cell accused of carrying out the attacks in Spain was made up of brothers and childhood friends from Ripoll young men described as integrated, well-liked and responsible members of their tight-knit community.

"Pilot, teacher, doctor .... How could this have disappeared? What happened to you?" their school counselor, Raquel Rull, wrote in a despairing column published today in La Vanguardia newspaper.

"What are we doing to make these things happen! You were so young, so full of life you had a lifetime ahead ... And a thousand dreams to fulfill."



Spanish police yesterday shot and killed Younes Abouyaaqoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan who was thought to be the driver in the van attack on Las Ramblas that was responsible for 13 of the deaths. He also was identified as a suspect in the slaying of the owner of a hijacked car.

His grandfather, Aqbouch Abouyaaqoub, told the Spanish newspaper El Pais that Younes left Morocco as a young boy.

"But one thing is certain: My grandson did not finish his studies here. He studied in Spain," he said.

Prominent Moroccan Islam expert Bilal Talidi cited multiple causes for radicalisation among Moroccans after moving to Europe: "the tug-of-war between two identities and two educational cultures, social marginalization, a precarious economic situation and a criminal record."



Since the rise of the Islamic State group, experts say its recruitment has been less focused on religious motivation. Instead, the group has successfully sought out relatively secular young men with a foot in both cultures. An estimated 1,600 Moroccans have joined in recent years.

Politicians and experts decry the government's failure to grasp the scope of young Moroccans' problems at home and in immigrant communities abroad, and are searching for ways to infuse their countrymen everywhere with this message of religious moderation.

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Banking services in Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh were affected today as public sector bank employees went on a day-long strike to protest the government's proposed consolidation move, besides raising other demands.

While customers could not get their cheques cleared, services like cash withdrawal, cash and cheque deposits were also hit.

Several harried customers faced inconvenience as they found many branches of public sector banks (PSBs) closed by the protesting employees.

The industrial sector including MSME and large enterprises of Punjab and Haryana were the worst hit due to the strike.

However, major private sector banks continued to function.

The protesting employees held rallies and demonstrations at several places including Ludhiana to press for their demands.

While addressing bank employees in Ludhiana, Punjab Bank Employees Federation Secretary Naresh Gaur said they did not want customers to face any kind of inconvenience.

"But we are left with no option except to go on strike," he said.

He said bank officials' major demands include stopping mergers, consolidation and privatisation of banks, criminal action against wilful defaulters of bank loans, implement recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on recovery of NPAs, abolish bank board bureau, among others.

In Phagwara, banks officials raised slogans against Central government and its "anti-people" banking policies.

Punjab Bank Employees Federation Phagwara Chairman V K Verma and Secretary Narinder Singh raised slogans against government's "double standard" on non-performing asset(NPA) policy.

Condemning hike in banking service charges, they alleged that it had put unnecessary burden on common man and should be rolled back.

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With a price tag of $44.8 million, the ship-to-shore cranes will be the largest delivered to the U.S. by builder Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., according to Virginia Port Authority (VPA) Board Chairman John G. Milliken.



The Port of Virginia will add four new ship-to-shore cranes from builder ZMPC in 2019.



The Port of Virginia has signed a contract for the purchase of four new ship-to-shore cranes as part of the $320 million expansion of Virginia International Gateway (VIG).

Built by Shanghai-based Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd (ZPMC) at a total cost of $44.8 million, the new cranes will be able to handle the larger containerships currently calling the Port of Virginia, as well as even larger vessels in the future. The cranes will have a height of 170 feet and a lifting capacity of 65 long tons under a twin-20-foot spreader or 100 long tons under cargo hook, according to the port.

These cranes are the biggest of the big  the largest ZPMC has ever delivered to the U.S. said Virginia Port Authority (VPA) Board Chairman John G. Milliken. What is unique about these cranes is their outreach, they will be able to reach across a vessel that is 26 containers wide, which is three-to-four containers wider than most cranes. We anticipated needing this capacity (of the cranes) for the ships that will be coming to Virginia 10 years from now. When that day comes the Port of Virginia will be ready.

The crane contract also includes the purchase of several specialized cargo handling components for the cranes and an option for two additional ship-to-shore cranes for use at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT), said the port.

Acquiring these cranes is another important step in the larger expansion efforts underway at VIG, said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the VPA. The big ships calling the port are only getting bigger and we are charting our course for the future to ensure we will be able to accommodate the larger capacities still to come.



Engineers from the Port of Virginia will visit the ZPMC facility to oversee the manufacturing process and ensure the cranes are up to specs, said the port. The new cranes are slated for delivery in April 2019. Once they are delivered, the Port of Virginia will have 30 ship-to-shore cranes, with VIG having 12 cranes, NIT having 14, and Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) having six.

For more information on the $320 million expansion project at VIG, read American Shippers Special Coverage: Port of Virginia full speed ahead on major expansion plans.
SAD Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal today accused the Congress of getting case registered against Akali workers in Gurdwara Gallughara incident at Gurdaspur.

Badal also sought withdrawal of cases against the Akali workers.

Coming down heavily against the conduct of the Punjab Police, which he alleged that instead of respecting the sentiments of the Sikh Sangat, "sided with" the alleged Congress-sponsored anti-Sikh gang.

He also registered cases against peaceful protesters and Akali leaders and workers who were merely demanding the restoration of the 'maryada' in Gurdwara Ghallughara Sahib, Kahnuwan.

In a statement, Badal demanded that all the cases registered against Akali workers be immediately withdrawn.

A criminal case was registered against 27 Akali workers including two former Akali ministers on charge of stopping police from performing duty at Gurdwara Gallughara in Kahnuwan area in the district on Sunday.

Police was deployed at Gurdwara Ghallughar to stop Akali workers from going towards Gurdwara to maintain law and order. However, Akali workers forcibly made their way while going towards Gurdwara.

SAD president said the Sikh Sangat was outraged over the "immoral acts" reportedly carried out on the precincts of the Gurudwarra Ghallughara Sahib at Kahnuwan Sahib.

The Akali president said that the disgraceful acts being reported and exposed about the goings-on in the holy place involve a "most grave issue of violation of Sikh Maryada and the most respected Jathedar Sahib of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib has every right to intervene where everywhere Sikh Maryada is violated.

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The main suspect in last week's stabbing attack in Finland admitted today to killing two people and injuring eight others but denied any intent to murder, his lawyer said.

The Turku district court placed Abderrahman Mechkah, an 18-year-old Moroccan citizen, in formal custody after he made his statement to the court via video link from hospital, where he is being treated for a police gunshot wound to the thigh.

"The main suspect admits acts which led to deaths, but denies that they were murders," his lawyer Kaarle Gummerus told AFP.

The stabbing is being investigated as Finland's first terror attack.

"The offender in Turku incident is suspected on probable cause of murders and attempted murders with terrorist intent and placed in detention," the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said in a Twitter post.

"He didn't explain the motive of the acts," Gummerus added.

Police have said that Mechkah -- an asylum seeker who arrived in Finland in early 2016 -- targeted women in the Friday rampage at a market square in the southwestern port city of Turku.

Two Finnish women were killed and six women and two men were injured. Among the injured were a Briton, an Italian and a Swede.

Mechkah was shot by police minutes after the attack.

Most of the hearing was held behind closed doors, but press photos taken of the video screen at the beginning showed the suspect lying in his bed, his head propped up on pillows and his face shielded by a white sheet.

The country's intelligence agency SUPO said yesterday that it had received a tip earlier this year that Mechkah might have become radicalised.

Because the tip did not contain information about a concrete threat of an attack, it had not yet been investigated, the agency said.

In June, the SUPO raised Finland's terror threat level one notch, to "elevated" from "low", the second on a four-tier scale.

It said at the time that it saw an increased risk of an attack committed by Islamic State group militants, noting that foreign fighters from Finland had "gained significant positions within IS in particular and have an extensive network of relations in the organisation."



The agency reiterated yesterday that it was closely watching around 350 individuals -- an increase of 80 percent since 2012.

Four other Moroccan citizens were arrested in a raid in Turku just hours after the attack.

Today, the Turku court placed two of them, Mohamed Bakier and Ilyas Berrouh, in custody.

The nature of the two men's involvement in the attack has not yet been made public.

A third, identified as Abdederrazak Essarioul, was also due to appear before the court later today, suspected of being an accessory to the crimes.

Meanwhile, the fourth man remains a suspect but police said today that they had released him and would not seek his detention.

Germany's interior ministry has said that Mechkah spent time in Germany from late 2015 to early 2016.

He had been registered in a German police database because his stay in the country was illegal, since he had not sought asylum there.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met her Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov, who was on a four-day visit to India.

The Kamilov-led delegation, which arrived in New Delhi on August 20, comprises Elyor Ganiev, Minister for Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, senior representatives from the Government of Uzbekistan, and chairmen and representatives from several government associations and corporations.

"Continuing engagements with Central Asia! EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets Abdulaziz Kamilov, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan," external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

This year, the two sides are celebrating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.

The visit of the delegation is taking place following the recent discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, in Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of States meeting.

Both leaders had decided to further strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in all areas, particularly trade and economic.

The ties between the two countries were elevated to the level of Strategic Partnership during the visit of late Uzbek President Islam Karimov in 2011.

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Controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen today said the Supreme Court verdict against triple talaq would not usher in freedom for Muslim women until a uniform civil code based on equality was introduced.

"The verdict of the Supreme Court on triple talaq may be a slap on the face of the Muslim Law Board, but it will definitely not bring in freedom for the Muslim women," Nasreen told PTI.

Criticising the Muslim Law Board, Nasreen said, "Laws cannot be framed based purely on religion. In a modern society there cannot exist religious laws. Laws must be framed based on equality and justice keeping in mind human rights."



"Laws must be uniform. There cannot be discrimination. Discrimination cannot bring in equality. Women need to be educated and independent and uniform civil code based on equality must be introduced," the author said.

While Muslim countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh abolished triple talaq a long time back, the author of 'Lajja' wondered why such a retrograde practice was allowed in a democratic and secular country like India.

"I am quite surprised why it was still in use in a secular, democratic country like India. This is only a first step and it cannot be this slow," she observed.

"In a democracy there must be equal rights for both male and females. In the 21st century you cannot have such laws in practice," she said.

Welcoming the move, former Trinamool Congress MP Krishna Bose said, "I do not understand why such a law was in use in our country when countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia had abolished the practice. I think this is a great step taken up by the Supreme Court. I hope this will bring in equality among Muslim men and women.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Top stories from the Southern region at 1700 today.

MDS4 TN-AIADMK-REMOVAL



Chennai: AIADMK (Amma) Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakran announces that senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam has been removed from all party posts. MDS5 KL-ASSEMBLY-RSS



Thiruvananthapuram: There was no delay in communicating guidelines on hoisting the national flag to a Palakkad school, where unfurling of the tricolour by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat triggered a row on Independence Day, Kerala government told the assembly today.

MDS6 TN-LD AIADMK



Chennai: Unhappy over the merger with O Panneerselvam faction, MLAs loyal to sidelined AIADMK leaders Saikala and TTV Dhinakaran today told the Governor that they no longer had confidence in Chief Minister K Palaniswami, prompting the opposition DMK to demand a trust vote.

MES1 PD-TEACHER ARREST



Karaikal: A 42-year old headmaster of a private schoo has been arrested on the charge of sexually harassing a kindergarten girl student.

MES3 TN-BAGGAGE GOLD



Chennai: Gold biscuits weighing 15 kilogram and valued at Rs 5.75 crore were seized from an unclaimed baggage at the aiport here by customs officials.

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Social activists from the Muslim community today termed the Supreme Court's decision to set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq as "one of the best reforms" in the country after independence.

Zakia Soman, the co-founder of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan which is also one of the petitioners in the case, expressed hope that the verdict will usher in a new era of social reforms.

"I am elated to hear about this historical judgement which is not only for the Muslim women, but is one of the best reforms in India after independence," Soman told PTI.

"It reaffirms faith in this democratic country. Muslim women have really struggled hard so far and we hope that this verdict will usher a new era of social reforms," she said.

The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan had earlier spearheaded a signature campaign for a ban on triple talaq.

Zeenat Shaukat Ali, a noted scholar on Islamic issues, welcomed the "excellent" verdict.

"I welcome it whole-heartedly. Triple talaq is violative of Islam as well as the Constitution. There is no such thing like triple talaq in one go in Quran. With due respect, I wished there was a total concurrence of all five judges on it," she said.

Slamming those who are opposing the judgement, Ali said, "Their arguments have become redundant. They have no face to show."



Maharashtra State Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar described the decision as a bold move towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'New India'.

"This verdict is the result of a long fight that Muslim women have fought. This will definitely help restore the self- esteem of Muslim women where all cherish equal rights in society," she said.

Saeed Noori, the general secretary of Raza Academy, said the decision is divided therefore, the government should not interfere into the "internal matters" of Shariat.

"The verdict on triple talaq is divided. So the notion of the two judges cannot be ignored in straight-forward manner," he said.

"We appeal to the Union government not to interfere in our internal matter, because if it comes with a law, there is least possibility that people will follow it as it will be practically impossible to follow it because Muslims have a deeper sense of belongingness with our Shariat," he said.

The Supreme Court by a majority verdict today set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims, saying the practice was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

The apex court held that the triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Quran.

"In view of the different opinions recorded by a majority of 3:2, the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' - triple talaq is set aside," a five-judge constitution bench said in a 395-page order.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari today said the issue of triple talaq would not have reached the Supreme Court, had the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) not failed to address the problems of women "wronged" by the divorce practice.

Bukhari said the stand of the AIMPLB, which "considers itself as a custodian" of the matters related to civil issues of the Muslim community in the country, was ambivalent in the matter of triple talaq.

"Why did the Muslim Law Board not act? This is why these women (the petitioners) had to approach the court. The Muslim Law Board first told the court that it would issue an advisory in the marriage contract to avoid this practice. Then, it said it would socially boycott those who resort to this practice," Bukhari told PTI.

The Supreme Court by a majority verdict today set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims, saying the practice was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

"In view of the different opinions recorded by a majority of 3:2, the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' - triple talaq is set aside," a five-judge constitution bench said in a 395-page order.

While Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq and asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit held it as violative of the Constitution.

On May 22, the AIMPLB had told the Supreme Court that social boycott of Muslims who resort to triple talaq was among the new guidelines issued by it for married couples.

Five separate petitions were filed by Muslim women challenging the practice of triple talaq.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP chief Amit Shah today welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict on triple talaq as "historic" and said it marked the beginning of a new epoch of equality and self respect for Muslim women in the country.

Shah also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led central government for presenting the viewpoint of the Muslim women, who contested the issue, "in a just manner" before the apex court.

Viewing it as a "resolute step towards New India", he stressed that the Supreme Court's majority verdict was not a defeat or win for anyone. It was a "victory of rights to equality and fundamental Constitutional rights", Shah told reporters.

"We welcome the verdict. The Supreme Court has given a historic decision. This verdict has given the right to crores of women to live with equality and dignity.

"It is a beginning of a new epoch of self-respect and equality for Muslim women. The party (BJP) welcomes the rights and respect the women have received and sees it as a resolute step towards a New India," he said.

The BJP chief observed that the law of triple talaq does not exist in many Muslim countries across the world.

The Supreme Court by a majority verdict today set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims, saying the practice was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

The apex court held that the triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Quran.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Victims of triple talaq across Odisha today expressed jubilation over the Supreme Court's landmark verdict striking down the age-old practice.

A cross-section of Muslim women said that the verdict terming the practice as unconstitutional empowered them to live life with dignity on equal terms with their male counterparts.

"The fear of triple talaq always haunts us during solemnization of 'nikkah', but now it becomes a thing of the past," they said in unison.

"The verdict has given me the strength to fight back. My life turned miserable after my spouse uttered talaq thrice over phone from Saudi Arabia eight months back. I was separated from him in a flash after 4 years of conjugal life. My parents took up the matter with the clerics, but I was told by them that my marriage was over," Nazma Begum (21) said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I have suffered a lot. Now the court ruling paved the way for a new era for Muslim women who are no longer going to suffer like me," she said.

Lali Biwi (27) hailed the verdict, saying, "It is a victory for Muslim women. The Supreme Court has come to the rescue of all Muslim women in the country. Now it is up to the government to frame a law within next six months to abolish it bag and baggage."



After her marriage ended with her husband uttering talaq thrice, Lali was left with a 3-year-old son to take care. It would be impossible to live life with dignity if her parents had not supported her.

The story of Rizwana Begum (28) from Jajpur district is the same.

"I have an unmarried younger sister. At least she will not meet my fate due to triple talaq as the court had pronounced it 'illegal," Rizwana said.

It was an evil practice that was in a crying need to be dumped, Rukshana Begum from Bhubaneswar said.

"My husband is a progressive-minded person. I have never thought of triple talaq affecting my life. However, I was perturbed to read reports highlighting the sufferings of triple talaq victims," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Governor of Tripura Tathagata Roy today regretted the run down condition of engineering industry in eastern India which was used to be a matter of glory in the past.

"You see eastern India today and what it used to be in the past. The possible reaction will be nothing but to shed a drop of tear," he said at an event organised by Engineering Exports Promotion Council (EEPC) here.

Roy, who was earlier the president of West Bengal unit of BJP, said that Howrah was once known as the Sheffield of India where companies like GKW, Remington Rand, Martin Burn, Braithwaite and Hindustan Motors used to operate.

"All these are things of the past or barely existing", he said.

According to Roy, engineering exports from the east used to account for 50 per cent to 60 per cent of India's overall figure. "This has now dwindled to less than 15 per cent."



The reasons for such a decline were known to all, he said adding West Bengal had a bad experience in the recent past. "A car factory started construction of its plant (the Nano plant in Singur) and then went away. And some proudly say that land has been given back to the cultivators," Roy said.

The state was moving from an industrial age to agricultural age, he said adding that similar signs were seen in Odisha when Posco and Vedanta moved away. "But Odisha showed some kind of dynamism", he said.

Roy said resurrection was still possible in Bengal if the right government was there as well as a stable land policy and good infrastructure.

The state has good coal reserves and plenty of power, he said but was quick to add that there was no load-shedding as there was no load here referring again to lack of industrialisation.

About Tripura, he said that connectivity was still a problem and transit through Bangladesh would help to a great extent.

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The U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control issued sanctions against 16 Chinese and Russian entities and individuals for alleged dealings with North Korea.



The U.S. Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is cracking down on Chinese and Russian entities and individuals supporting the North Korean Regime.

OFAC has issued sanctions against 10 entities and six individuals in response to North Koreas ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), violations of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions, and attempted evasion of U.S. sanctions, the Treasury Department said Tuesday.

Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Back in June, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the Chinese Bank of Dandong, Dalian Global Unity Shipping, and two Chinese citizens. The Treasury Department said the Bank of Dandong acts as a conduit for illicit North Korean financial activity and is a foreign bank of primary money laundering concern.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said today that the Trump administration had to put pressure on India to step up its role in bringing about a political solution to end the prolonged war in Afghanistan.

Her comments came as Trump today unveiled his new Afghan strategy retracting from his initial instinct to pull out from Afghanistan. Instead, the US president said, the American troops will "fight to win" the 16-year-long conflict.

In a prime-time address, Trump called out Pakistan for for providing safe havens to terrorists but also said that India was making "billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan..."



"We've got to put the pressure on India that they have to be part of the political solution," Haley told CNN.

The Indian-origin US ambassador to the UN said that Trump was taking a regional approach to end the Afghan conflict.

"This is not just about Afghanistan. This is about the region, and so that means that we've got to put the pressure on Pakistan," she said, adding that Pakistan can no longer harbour safe havens for terrorists.

"We need to continue to let Iran know that all of this terrorism and their sponsorship of it is not something we're going to put up with. And we need the international community to step up and say, look, if we're going to do this, we're doing it together. It's not the US alone," Haley said.

She said America's enemies were no longer going to know "what the timeline is".

"What our enemies are going to know is, we're not putting up with the terrorism anymore and we're going to do whatever it takes," she told the network.

Senator Ben Cardin, a ranking member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, supported Trump's Afghan policy.

"I think the president, is calling on regional cooperation. That is the right thing. We need to have Pakistan as a more cooperative partner in dealing with Afghanistan. India could be an important partner in dealing with this," he told on MSNBC .

"What I find difficult to follow is what he's doing on the military side. It looks like he is dealing another surge with additional troops being put into Afghanistan," he said.

Cardin said the US needed a diplomatic surge. "That, to me, is going to be the key, whether he can implement a surge and have the confidence of our regional partners that we can really bring peace to Afghanistan," the Democratic Senator said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Trump administration wants to engage India more effectively in Afghanistan and hold Pakistan accountable for its actions in the region, US Vice President Mike Pence said today.

His comments came hours after President Donald Trump hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

"We want to strengthen the partnership between Afghanistan and India. We want to hold Pakistan more accountable for their actions in the region," Pence said.

"What President Trump announced yesterday was a whole new strategy for South Asia that said, look, we're going to provide the resources and the military personnel and the air assets necessary to support the Afghan army's efforts to defeat the Taliban," the Vice-President told Fox .

He said the US would destroy terrorist networks that use Afghanistan and portions of Pakistan as safe havens and asked Islamabad to step up and be a more effective partner in confronting the terrorist organizations, some 20 of which harbor in Afghanistan and regions in Pakistan.

"We're going to engage India more effectively in Afghanistan," Pence said.

India has been supporting an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, broad-based and inclusive process of peace and reconciliation, and advocating the need for a sustained and long-term commitment to Afghanistan by the international community.

"We'll let the Afghan people build their own nation. Our objective there is to advance the security of the United States of America and to support the Afghan national army as they stay in the lead, in the fight," said the Vice President.

In an op-ed in USA Today, Pence alleged that Pakistan too often turns a blind eye to the cancer of terrorism and in many cases it has contributed to the growth of terrorist groups.

"Pakistan, like Afghanistan, is a haven for terrorist activity. Between the two countries, no fewer than 20 US- designated foreign terrorist organizations have haven and conduct operations - the highest concentration of any region in the world. Pakistan, which has borne the weight of terrorist attacks in the past, shares with us," he wrote.

He said America will not write a blank check for countries that fail to root out the same forces who try every day to kill its people.

Pence said that Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with American effort in Afghanistan. It has much more to lose by supporting terrorists, he warned.

"The president has put them on notice," he said.

Pence said President'sstrategy for South Asia involves a stronger strategic partnership with India - the world's largest democracy and a key security and economic partner.

"India has made important contributions towards Afghanistan's stability and security, and India has also pledged critical support to Afghanistan's development needs. Because they directly affect America's interests, America will continue to work closely with New Delhi on these issues," Pence wrote.

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Ruling out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, President Donald Trump today issued the sternest warning yet by an American leader to Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to war- weary Americans as commander-in-chief, laid out his South Asia policy saying a "critical part" of it was to further develop US' strategic partnership with India.

He said after a "comprehensive review", it was decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically and American troops will "fight to win" America's 16-year-old war.

"From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge," he said of his new Afghanistan strategy.

Trump said his instinct was to pull out of Afghanistan but following months of discussion, he concluded that "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable" and would leave a vacuum that terror groups -- including ISIS and al-Qaeda -- would instantly fill.

"A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations," Trump said in his 26-minute speech.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, in front of about 2,000 people from all the five services and top officials of his administration.

Trump said another pillar of his new strategy was a change in America's approach to Pakistan, considered a long- time ally of Washington.

"For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen," Trump said.

Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in a warning to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs, welcomed Trump's remarks calling for a crackdown on terror safe havens.

"We welcome President Trump's determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross- border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives," it said.

The US President, in his address, also reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said.

"We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region," said the US President.

Trump said he initially wanted to withdraw from Afghanistan, but decided against his first instinct based on the ground realties, his extensive study of the problem and consultations with his top national security team.

The US currently has about 8,500 troops on the ground in Afghanistan and is likely to add another 4,000.

"My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts," Trump said.

Trump said he shares the American people's frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in America's own image, instead of pursuing its own security interests above all other considerations.

Trump said in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq.

"As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies...The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq," he said, in an apparent jibe at his predecessor Barack Obama.

Trump's rejection of a rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan was being seen as backtracking from his promise to swiftly end America's war in Afghanistan.

In his speech, Trump came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying Islamabad receives billions in aid from the US but continues to harbour terrorists.

"In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices," Trump said.

"But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people," he added.

Trump noted that Pakistan continues to house the very terrorists that America is fighting.

"But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace," Trump said, in remarks that are the sternest yet by an American president against Pakistan's support to terrorism.

In a statement following Trump's address, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson echoed the president's views on enhanced role for India in the new South Asia strategy.

"India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region, and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan's political and economic modernisation," he said.

Tillerson also urged Pakistan to take decisive action against terror groups.

"Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and can be an important partner in our shared goals of peace and stability in the region," he said.

"We look to Pakistan to take decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan that are a threat to the region. It is vital to US interests that Afghanistan and Pakistan prevent terrorist sanctuaries," Tillerson said.

Top Trump administration officials were present as the US President delivered his address to the nation.

Prominent among those present were Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, National Security Advisor Let Gen H R McMaster, and Vice President Mike Pence.

Noting that security threats the US face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense, Trump said 20 US designated foreign terrorist organisations were active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region of the world.

"In Afghanistan and Pakistan, America's interests are clear: we must stop the re-emergence of safe-havens that enable terrorists to threaten America; and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us," he said.

Trump said he has already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on US' war-fighters that prevented the Secretary of Defence and its commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy.

"We will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in far away lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image -- those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests," Trump said.

Trump also indicated that the latest terrorist attack in Barcelona might have played a role in his decision making process.

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President Donald Trump today vowed to boost US' strategic partnership with India in Afghanistan but pressed New Delhi to provide more help to the war-torn country, especially in the economic sector, as it makes billions of dollars in trade with America.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, laid out his South Asia policy saying a "critical part" of it was to further develop US' strategic partnership with India.

He said after a "comprehensive review", it was decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically.

The US President reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the US, he said.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the US, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said.

"We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region," said the US President.

Indo-US bilateral trade in goods and services increased from USD 104 billion in 2014 to USD 114 billion in 2016.

India has a strategic partnership with Afghanistan and is implementing projects worth USD 2 billion to help rebuild the country's infrastructure.

India has been supporting an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, broad-based and inclusive process of peace and reconciliation, and advocating the need for a sustained and long-term commitment to Afghanistan by the international community.

In June last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurated a landmark dam, a Rs 1,700 crore showpiece infrastructure project by India in strategically important Herat province.

In his speech, Trump came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying Islamabad receives billions in aid from the US but continues to harbour terrorists.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," he said.

"In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices," Trump said.

"But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people," he added.

Trump noted that the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars but it continues to house the very terrorists that America is fighting.

"But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace," Trump said.

In a statement following Trump's address, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson echoed the president's views on enhanced role for India in the new South Asia strategy.

"India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region, and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan's political and economic modernisation," he said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today exhorted corporates to gift coupons during Diwali as it would greatly help the poor.

This gesture on the part of corporates, Modi said, will create an atmosphere that will encourage people to take care of the poor.

The prime minister was addressing CEOs at the 'Champions of Change  Transforming India through G2B partnership' initiative organised by the NITI Aayog.

"You people give coupons for purchasing of goods, why can't you give coupons? Why can't you give gifts this Diwali? I am not saying people will start wearing khadi after receiving the gifts. If you have 50 kinds of fabric, there can be one of khadi also," the prime minister stressed.

He laid a big pitch for creating an atmosphere for helping the poor. "... We should do at least one activity that can help in addressing the problem of poverty. We need to address poverty in a positive manner. You will see change will happen on its own. I am not saying you should compromise on quality, but we need to create an atmosphere for helping the poor," Modi said.

In the past, the prime minister urged Indians to embrace the indigenous fabric khadi through various platforms, including his radio programme Mann Ki Baat.

The sale of khadi products jumped 35 per cent in 2016- 17.

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As it targets to more than double its revenues to USD 1 billion by FY20, mid-tier IT firm Synechron today said it is looking to hire up to 1,500 in the next 12 months.

"We have 7,500 employees at present and are looking to hire 1,000-1,500 more over the next 12 months," its chief executive Faisal Husain told reporters here.

The move by the US-headquartered company, which employs over 5,000 people in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, comes amid growing instances of job cuts in the IT sector facing a slew of challenges, including automation, currency volatilities and rising protectionism in mature markets.

Husain said the company is "benefiting" because of the moves of its peers, but added the rupee appreciation is taking away the advantages, which may help in staff being hired at lower salaries.

The company clocked a revenue of USD 390 million in FY17 and is targeting to increase it to USD 480 million in FY18, he said, adding right now it is growing faster than the target and tracking a runrate of USD 500 million per year.

The company is able to exceed the 25 per cent revenue growth objective due to the nature of the work it does for the banking, financial services and the insurance sectors,he said.

As many of its peers suffer reverses due to the disappearance of the cost arbitrage work, Synechron has benefited because of its focus on the upcoming areas like digital, artificial intelligence and block-chain technologies, Husain said.

"All the work we do is on the 'change' part, rather than the 'run' part, which is leading to troubles elsewhere," he explained.

He said nearly 1,000 people in the fresh hiring will be based here at Pune, which is its single largest development centre, he said.

When asked about the quality of the talent that it is getting, Husain said most of the freshers it hires at reputed engineering colleges are "trainable", but sought an overhaul of education system to make it more relevant for the industry.

The company, which launched a facility to showcase its innovations called 'Finlabs' here, is also working with startups who can work out of the campus here, he said, adding it has helped three city-based start-ups till now.

Husain said the 16-year-old company started by him along with two friends wants to work like a start-up despite its growing size.

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Top American lawmakers and foreign policy experts today welcomed President Donald Trump's new Afghan policy and his tough stand on Pakistan's support to terror groups, calling it a "big step".

Trump, in a prime-time televised address to the nation, ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end America's longest war, as he warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

He also laid out his South Asia policy saying a "critical part" of it was to further develop US' strategic partnership with India.

US Senator John McCain said he believes the President is now moving well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of merely postponing defeat.

"It is especially important that the newly announced strategy gives no timeline for withdrawal, rather ensures that any decision to reduce our commitment in the future will be based on conditions on the ground. The President is also correct to frame this new effort as a comprehensive regional strategy," McCain said.

"I commend President Trump for taking a big step in the right direction with the new strategy for Afghanistan. The unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue, and in the interim, the Taliban has made dangerous inroads," McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said in a statement.

Senator John Cornyn, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus said speech by Trump is a way forward with Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the new policy also utilises a conditions-based approach for US military, which should lead to better diplomatic outcomes and ensures engagement with regional partners, especially Pakistan and India, giving America a better opportunity for success.

"The president has been clear that we must put pressure on our regional partners, specifically Pakistan and India, and work with us to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a hotbed of international terrorist activity, as before September 11. This new strategy will begin to correct the course from eight years under the Obama administration of premature drawdowns and ambivalence to the mission," said Senator Jim Inhofe.

However, Democratic Senator from Connecticut Chris Murphy was skeptical of the new policy.

"You can't announce a strategy that relies on complicated diplomacy with Pakistan/India/Afghanistan when you're firing all the diplomats," he tweeted.

"This announcement revealed troubling shifts in foreign policy and our relationships in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India," said Congressman Bonnie Watson Coleman.

"Pressure must be increased on Pakistan to end its support for extremist groups like the Haqqani Network, LeT and JeM that fuel so much of the violence in the region.The Afghan government has a central leadership role to play, with our help, in advancing a reform process and serious anti- corruption efforts."



Meanwhile, former Pakistan Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani said that Trump has acknowledged what Americans have known for some time. Pakistan's regional goals as identified by its powerful military are at variance with America's interests.

"Trump has clearly decided that he will not let Pakistan block peace and stability in Afghanistan, and endanger itself in the process, while retaining its status as a US ally," Haqqani told PTI.

Alyssa Ayres, a former state department official during the Obama administration hailed the prominence Trump accorded to India.

"The place of prominence the president accorded to India, as an important partner in stabilising the region, is the biggest and most promising departure in my view. The US and India have consulted on Afghanistan, including in a trilateral, but could definitely work more closely together," Ayres said.

Trump's strongly worded remarks on Pakistan was also welcomed by several Indian-Americans.

"He (Trump) had a clear pressure message for Pakistan leadership to stop harbouring terrorist and criminals," said Puneet Ahluwalia, who was one of the Indian Americans in Trump Campaign's Asian American Advisory Committee.

"Afghanistan and its people have to play a responsible and nation building role themselves with support from US and India. A targeted message on Killing Terrorist with power resolve courage pride and commitment of US forces and their Generals to do their job," he said.

On Trump's strategy on Afghanistan, an influential American Congressman sought an end to destabilising activities from Pakistan.

"Given the ongoing terrorist threats, we need a credible US military presence in Afghanistan and an equally strong diplomatic strategy. This must include pressing neighbouring Pakistan - which remains a fount of radical Islamist thought - to put an end to its destabilising activities," Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee said.

"The stakes in Afghanistan are too high, and we've sacrificed too much, to come up short," said Royce who in the past have been pushing for a strong US policy against Pakistan.

Congressman Bill Johnson said he is encouraged that Trump is wisely deferring to his military commanders when it comes to his administration's Afghanistan policy.

"Tonight, President Trump said, 'We are not nation building again... We are killing terrorists. It's a message that our military and the majority of the American people have been waiting to hear. And, President Trump is correct on another point regarding Afghanistan's neighbour -it's time for Pakistan to step up in combating radical Islamic terrorism," he said.

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The US today slapped sanctions on 10 Russian and Chinese companies and six individuals for helping in advancing North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programme by conducting business with the reclusive nation.

As a result of today's action, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of US persons or within the United States must be blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.

The sanctions target third-country companies and individuals that assist already-designated persons who support North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, deal in the North Korean energy trade, facilitate its exportation of workers, andenable sanctioned North Korean entities to access US and international financial systems.

"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," said Treasury Secretary Steven T Mnuchin.

Some of the prominent companies and individuals slapped with sanctions are China-based Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co, Moscow-based Gefest-M LLC and its director, Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and China and Hong Kong-based Mingzheng International Trading Limited.

"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilise the region," Mnuchin said.

"We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activity in the future," he said.

The Treasury also designated three Chinese coal companies collectively responsible for importing nearly half a billion dollars' worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called today for Pope Francis to support him against a "military threat" from the United States, as international pressure mounts over the deadly political crisis Caracas is facing.

"May the pope help us prevent Trump from sending troops to invade Venezuela," Maduro told a conference. "I ask for the pope's help against the military threat from the United States.

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Legal luminaries today hailed the Supreme Court verdict on the practice of triple talaq among Muslims, by terming it as "historic, progressive and path- breaking", which would restore the equality, dignity and respect of crores of women.

They were also of the opinion that the verdict would protect the Muslim women, who could now march towards the path of progress and prosperity like any other citizen of India.

This view was shared by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who had advanced the stand of the Narendra Modi government in the apex court, and senior advocate Soli Sorabjee.

Sorabjee even went to the extent of saying that instead of delivering a split verdict, the five judges should have come up with a unanimous judgment.

Kapil Sibal, the Congress leader who represented the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) before the five-judge constitution bench, told PTI that this was a "dying" and "sinful" practice.

Even the AIMPLB had agreed to suggest to the Qazis to grant the women the liberty to say 'no' to 'talaq-e-biddat' at the time of the execution of the Nikahnama (marriage contract), he said, adding, "We welcome the judgment in its entirety."



Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani said though the judgment had to be welcomed, it was only limited to triple talaq.

"It is a welcome judgment in a right direction, but it is limited to triple talaq, also called talaq-e-biddat.

"It does not cover all the forms of talaq like Hasan and Ahsan, which also could have been dealt with as the quest should be for a full-fledged gender upliftment. This is only a small step," he said.

Attorney General K K Venugopal welcomed the verdict and praised his predecessor Rohatgi, saying the latter had done a "commendable job" in putting forward the stand of the Modi government, which had been vindicated by the apex court.

Rohatgi said, "The judgment is a step towards achieving the ultimate goal of Uniform Civil Code."



While Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand said the verdict "speaks volume about the progress of the nation", senior advocate Aman Sinha, who is also a BJP spokesperson, said "it would grant crores of Muslim women the right to lead life with dignity and respect -- what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken about on Independence Day".

So was the view of BJP MP and lawyer Meenakshi Lekhi, who said the "political will" of the NDA government had led to the verdict, otherwise the fate of the case could have been the same as that of the 1985 judgment in the Shah Bano case, when the then Congress government came up with a law to undermine the Supreme Court verdict to overwrite the maintenance issue for Muslim women.

A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, by a 3:2 majority, today ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims was "void, illegal and unconstitutional".

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Media firm Viacom18 today said it has tied up with the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) to launch a campaign around protection of proprietary content and fight against piracy.

CIPAM is a professional body under the aegis of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

As part of the partnership, the company has created awareness videos spreading the message of how piracy is equivalent to stealing.

The videos were broadcast at the three-day national workshop on enforcement of intellectual property rights.

The workshop is being organised to increase awareness about IP rights amongst officials of enforcement agencies such as police and customs.

"Intellectual Property Rights awareness is critical as far as India is concerned and the industry needs to partner with government to take it forward," Viacom18 Group General Counsel and Company Secretary Sujeet Jain told PTI.

The workshop acts as a platform for the officials to share their experiences, encourage best practices and improve inter-agency coordination.

This exercise is part of the implementation of the national IPR policy, released by the government last year.

The policy lays down seven objectives, including awareness, generation of IPRs and legal and legislative framework.

Jain said: "We have seen our films like 'Manjhi', 'Force 2' and 'Toilet' available online either before the official release or just at the same time, due to which we are also losing a lot of revenue."



He further said this is a reason it is hard for studios to make money in India.

The company, which also owns Viacom18 Motion Pictures, had previously led a campaign against film piracy.

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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will lay foundation stone for Ranchi smart city on September 9.

The vice president has accepted the invitation extended by Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das in New Delhi today, an official release said.

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Full service airline Vistara and Persian Gulf carrier Qatar Airways have entered into an interline partnership wherein they will provide "through check-in" facility to customers for seamless travel.

Qatar Airways currently operates to 13 cities in India from its Doha hub, while the Tata-SIA run joint venture airline Vistara operates to 19 domestic destinations.

The partnership is effective from today, Qatar Airways said.

An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline. When selling an interline ticket, the operating airline's own flight numbers are used.

Under the partnership, passengers of Qatar Airways can travel seamlessly on Vistara's domestic flights to and from the Persian Gulf carrier's global network.

"Together the two airlines will provide the 'through check-in' facility, enabling customers to get their boarding passes at the first point of departure for all the travel sectors, both domestic and international, and have their baggage checked-in through to their final destination," the carriers said in separate but similarly-worded releases.

Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh said through the partnership, a seamless flying experience and international luggage allowance would be offered for joint customers from various Indian cities to and from over 150 destinations worldwide on a single ticket.

"This exciting new partnership with Vistara would bring enhanced connectivity and increased convenience to our passengers travelling within India on an expanding full- service premium carrier," Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said.

"The Indian market is very important to us. This new partnership expands Qatar Airways' presence in India and reinforces our commitment to this market," he added.

Qatar Airways in the past had initiated talks with Indian budget carrier IndiGo for a marketing tie-up, which later failed to yield any results.

The Qatar-based airline operates from Doha to New Delhi, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Kolkata, Goa, Chennai, Nagpur, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad in India.

Already, Vistara has interline/through check-in agreements with various carriers, including Air France, KLM, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA), British Airways and Finnair.

The domestic airline also has code share partnerships with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, as per release issued by Vistara.

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The Delhi High Court today send out a strong message to those eateries at Hauz Khas village operating without mandatory clearances, saying "we are here to protect the life and personal liberty of every person in the city".

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, however, made clear that it will also consider the owners' right to practice profession, which has been guaranteed under the Constitution.

"We will balance the rights of every person including the owners of the properties, but only if one has complied with the building bye-laws and the master plan. Violators will have to go," the bench added.

The court's oral observation were made during hearing of petitions by social activist Pankaj Sharma and advocate Anuja Kapur, who alleged that there are over 120 restaurants and pubs running in the area without any building plan approval or no objection certificate (NOC) from the authorities, including the fire department.

They alleged "unlawful existence" of restaurants, pubs, fashion studios, bars serving liquor without licence, art galleries and other buildings in the village.

The petitioners also claimed that these restaurants posed a grave security risk and fire hazard and apart from that the crowd in the area had made it impossible for emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks to gain access to the restaurants.

The court then directed the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to provide a site plan of the area indicating the width of the street, location of the properties and the village area as well as the permissible usage of the properties according to the master plan of Delhi.

Responding to the court's direction, the corporation said that they have issued closer notices to 19 restaurant owners, who have failed to get mandatory clearances from the bodies and the government.

The Delhi Police informed the court that there are around 5,000 footfalls on weekdays and over 15,000 on weekends.

The police also said there are around 45 eateries in Hauz Khas Village, of which 26 have valid licence, eight have applied for renewal and four have fresh licence.

Seven of the restaurants were operating without any valid licence, the police told the court.

The bench, meanwhile, got annoyed over the information that there is only one entry and exit of the fire tending vehicles in the village.

It said as per the rule such vehicle should have enough space to move around.

It said, "Valuable right of the people is involved. It is very serious issue. Only 45 restaurants is playing with the life of thousands of people visiting the Hauz Khas village in south Delhi."



The bench asked the MCD and the petitioners to conduct an inspection of the village and inform it about the width of the road in that area.

The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on September 5.

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The Delhi High Court today expressed dissatisfaction with the Centre's report that the number of doctors in its hospitals had seen a massive increase in the past 5 years, and asked when was the last recruitment done?



A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar asked the Centre to inform it since when the posts of doctors had been lying vacant.

The court raised the questions after it was dissatisfied with the Centre's report that there was massive increase in the number of doctors in its hospitals in the last five years.

It, meanwhile, expressed displeasure over the government hiring the doctors on contractual basis.

It also sought to know the "variation/increase in the number of patients/doctors ratio as well as in the patients/ other personnel ratio in the government hospitals" here from the date when



These hospitals were constructed/taken over by the government of India.

"This information is vital for us to take any view with regard to the issues which are under our consideration," it said.

The court asked the authorities to file a status report by September 25.

The observations came during the hearing of a plea initiated by the court on its own after perusing a report on the rise in violent attacks on doctors.

The court had on May 3 initiated the PIL based on the report that doctors in public hospitals were being subjected to extreme violence.

Stressing the need to provide security and better facilities to doctors and patients, the bench had asked the authorities about the number of cases they had lodged in this regard and also the prosecution carried out.

On perusing the report which said that resident doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences have decided to take self-defence classes, the bench had observed "this needs to be taken care by the authorities and steps have to be taken in this regard".

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Angry over bring forced to follow a dress code, hundreds of students of the Government Womens' College here today boycotted their classes and staged protests against the management's "unnecessary diktats".

Shouting slogans and demanding immediate removal of the college principal, they also blocked the main road for nearly an hour soon after the institution opened at 9 am, the police said.

The blockade was removed after district and police officials rushed to the college at Parade, in the heart of the city, and pacified the protesters assuring them of appropriate action within 24 hours if their allegations were found true.

The protest, however, continued through the day despite assurances as the agitators accused the principal and teachers of harassing them on one pretext or the other.

"We are made to sit outside the class as punishment for not following a dress code, like not wearing a proper uniform and making two plaits. The students are deliberately failed in the class tests and even lewd remarks and abusive words are used against them," alleged the agitating students.

Additional District Development Commissioner Arum Manhas said that the issues of removal of a peon at the main gate of the college and passing of lewd remarks came up during the discussion between the protesting students, the college management and district administration and police official.

"It was decided that the peon who is deployed at the main gate would be immediatelyremoved. As far as the second allegations of passing of lewd remarks, there was no credible evidence, and the students wereasked to lodge a written complaint with Sub-divisional PoliceOfficer (North) Varun Jandiyal who was asked to probe the allegations andsubmit report within 24 hours," he said.

Meanwhile, on the allegations of harassment and high- handedness by the college management, Principal Anita Sudan said she had taken several decisions on the recommendations of the parents to ensure discipline in the institute.

"Four of our college girls had gone missing in the recent times and one of them was later recovered from Allahabad. Parents of the girls regularly visit me and complain that they drop their wards outside the institute in the morning but they do not attend the college.

"I had asked the girls to come in proper uniform and called for strict enforcement of college timing. The students are levelling wild allegations," Sudan said.

She said that no student had lodged any complaint about misbehaviour or passing of lewd remarks by anyone with her till date.

"When I came today and saw the students protesting, I called them to my chamber and asked them the reason. Some girlsclaimed that the guard at the main gate allegedly misbehaved with one of the girls but when I called him, they could not identify him," she claimed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seven major drinks including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will limit the sugar content of drinks they sell in Singapore, as part of the city-state's campaign to fight diabetes.

Singapore is one of the first countries in Asia to target sugary drinks, bringing it in line with many Western nations that have sought to mitigate the health risks associated with sugar through measures such as taxes and warning labels.

Globally, beverage firms have been reworking recipes, racing to cut sugar and introduced more options to cater to increasingly health-conscious consumers.

On Tuesday, Singapore's ministry of health said the seven firms had signed an industry pledge to remove by 2020 drinks that contain more than 12 percent sugar from their portfolios of sugar-sweetened beverages.

As well as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the include F&N Foods, Malaysia Dairy Industries, Nestle, Pokka and Yeo Hiap Seng.

"In addition to this industry commitment, Coca-Cola Singapore is making an additional commitment to reduce the sugar content in our portfolio of sugar-sweetened beverages by 10 percent by 2020," Coca-Cola said in an email to Reuters.

It said it had been reducing sugar and calories across many of its brands, and offering more new drinks with low sugar content or no added sugar.

Daily sugar consumption per capita from soft drinks has risen since 2010 to 6.08 grams in Asia-Pacific in 2016, with Singapore at 11.99 grams, according to market research firm Euromonitor. Consumption has been trending lower in Europe and the United States, but it is still higher than in Asia-Pacific.

"Governments in Asia are actively promoting healthy consumption, such as Malaysia which launched its Healthier Choices Logo in April 2017," said Euromonitor analyst Nathanael Lim. "Consumers also have an increasing preference for beverages containing natural ingredients with zero sugar."

The World Health Organization said last year drinking fewer calorific sweet drinks was the best way to curb excessive weight and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, although fat and salt in processed foods were also to blame.

Among Asian countries, the Philippines has slapped levies on sugar-sweetened beverages, while Indonesia and India have been considering similar taxes.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned the drinks makers' agreement in a speech on Sunday, in which he also urged people to drink water, eat wholemeal bread and brown rice, but did provide details.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Additional reporting by Karishma Singh in SINGAPORE; Editing by Mark Potter)
India has granted Pfizer a patent for its powerful pneumonia vaccine Prevenar 13, in a blow to some health groups that said this would put the treatment out of reach of thousands in poorer nations.

The decision by Indias patent office bars other from making cheaper copies of the vaccine and allows Pfizer to exclusively sell it in India until 2026.

Its a big victory for the U S drugmaker in a market that has the worlds largest number of pneumonia cases, a lung disease. Tuesdays decision also has international implications, as several poorer nations rely on Indias robust drugs industry to supply cheaper copies of medicines and vaccines.

Pfizers vaccine protects children and adults from 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria, and a full vaccination course costs about $170 on Indias private market. India started giving out the vaccine for free under its national immunisation programme in March, but the roll-out is restricted, so only 2.1 million of the 25 million people in the country will get it this year.
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's natural rubber imports in July fell 13.8 percent from a year ago to 35,560 tonnes as domestic output jumped due to favourable weather, the state-run Rubber Board said in a statement on Tuesday.

The country's production rose 11.5 percent in the month to 58,000 tonnes, while consumption nudged up 0.7 percent to 89,000 tonnes, the Board said.

In the first four months of the 2017/18 fiscal year that began April 1, imports fell 12.1 percent from a year ago to 130,543 tonnes, it said.

India imports natural rubber mainly from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Arnab Paul

- Indian shares edged up in lacklustre trade on Tuesday, but markets remained range-bound as investors kept to the sidelines in the absence of clear triggers.

Shares erased early gains even though some amount of buying was seen across sectors. The broader NSE Nifty rose as much as 0.76 percent in early trade.

"The markets are in a consolidation phase now after disappointing Q1 results," said Siddharth Sedani, head and vice president, equity advisory at Anand Rathi.

"In the short-term, I see markets range-bound between 9,600-10,000 and change is unlikely unless there are strong geo-political triggers."

The Nifty was up 0.32 percent at 9,785.35 as of 0609 GMT, while the benchmark Sensex was 0.24 percent higher at 31,334.8.

Shares of Infosys Ltd extended losses to a third session, falling as much as 1.53 percent, after Vishal Sikka resigned as chief executive officer on Friday. The stock has lost 14.4 percent since Sikka's resignation up to Monday's close.

HCL Infosystems Ltd rose 18.1 percent after signing an agreement with Apple India Pvt Ltd for distribution of iPhones and other Apple products in India.

Energy stocks gained with Indian Oil Corp up 3.2 percent and Oil and Natural Gas Corp rising 1.6 percent.

Auto stocks were among the decliners, with Hero MotoCorp Ltd falling as much as 1.7 percent.

(Reporting By Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
I don't know how many young women come to this blog or how many are parents of teenage or young adult women, but here are some safety tips from Kelsey's Army:

T

I

P

S

1. Trust your instincts - If something feels wrong then something probably is wrong.2. Know your surroundings - know who and what is around you.3. Always have a plan for where you would go and what you would do if a situation arises.4. Be willing to make a scene in order to be noticed.5. Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.Remember the acronym TIPS:ake Chargenform others of your whereaboutsrepare for any situationurvival Mentality (role play situations so you will respond should they happen)For more information, go to Kelsey's Army
The government has announced second exchange traded fund (ETF)- Bharat 22 - to be used by the government for its disinvestment program. ETFs are like mutual funds but they can be sold and purchased on exchanges just like stocks. The first was CPSE ETF which was launched in March 2014 for raising funds through disinvestment of its share in public sector undertakings. ICICI Prudential Asset Management company will be the fund manager and the ETF will be rebalanced annually.

Performance of CPSE ETF

The performance of the CPSE ETF has been erratic being a thematic fund with more than half portfolio in just 10 PSU (public sector undertakings) energy stocks. Over the past three years it has delivered a return of close to two per cent, while the broad equity market indicator S&P Sensex has delivered a return of six per cent.

In 2015, CPSE ETF delivered a negative return of 14 per cent while Sensex, was down only five per cent. In 2016, CPSE delivered 18 per cent while S&P Sensex delivered two per cent. This year so far CPSE ETF has delivered a return of five per cent while Sensex is up 17 per cent.

Bharat 22 is more diversified

Bharat 22 is more diversified with 22 stocks as suggested in the name. Bharat 22 is much more broad based with 6 sectors (Basic Materials, Energy, Finance, FMCG, Industrials & Utilities). The maximum allocation to a single sector that is finance is at 20 per cent. It also has private sector companies -- Axis Bank, L&T, ITC which the government is holding under the Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SUUTI).

Among stocks L&T and ITC have the highest allocation of 17.1 per cent and 15.2 per cent respectively.

Should you invest?

The government gave a five per cent discount at the launch of CPSE ETF to retail investors and again those who held the ETF for at least a year got one fifth loyalty bonus.

No such discounts has been announced on Bharat 22 yet, which could have been an attraction for some investors.

However, experts believe that this fund is not for the common investors.

"Ideally, such funds are for more evolved investors. For a common investors it is better to stick to diversified funds. While Bharat 22 is more diversified as compared to CPSE ETF but it is still a thematic fund with PSU focus. And in time like these when markets have run up quite a bit, it would be prudent for investors to stick to diversified funds and invest systematically," says Anil Rego, CEO & Founder, Right Horizons.

Thematic funds performance can be erratic as they will do well over certain periods and a common investor may not be able to stomach the risk.

"Not more than 10 per cent of your total financial portfolio in one ETF scheme," says Anil Chopra, Group Director, Bajaj Capital.

"All in all Bharat 22 is not a very great fund to be excited about and only evolved investors with a long-term exposure can put some partial money in this fund," added Rego.


Hyundai Motor India today launched its much awaited all new sedan Hyundai Next Gen Verna 2017 in India.

The Next Gen Verna will come in four manual and two automatic variants. The price for basic E vaiant in manual transmission will be Rs 799,900. First 20,000 customers will be able to take benefit of introductory prices. The prices will rise after that.

Next Gen Verna also comes with complete 3 years unlimited km warranty. The fifth generation Verna is based on a newly developed K2 platform, a new damper orientation for better handling and ride, and a new power steering system.

NextGenVerna comes with ventilated seats which is a huge relief in hot places like Delhi and most parts of India. The all new Verna will be available in 7 colors.

Next Gen Verna comes fully loaded with 7.0 inch touchscreen, android auto, Apple carplay, cooled seats, rear AC vents.

The fifth generation Verna is powered by a 1.6 litre petrol and 1.6 litre diesel engine that is paired to both six-speed automatic and a six-speed manual transmission. The 1.6 litre Dual VTVT petrol engine develops 120 hp of power, while the 1.6 litre U2 CRDi VGT diesel unit generates 123 hp.

NextGenVerna is offered 1.6l petrol & diesel that makes 123ps &128ps with 6-speed MT and AT.

The company has so far sold 3.17 lakh units of the sedan in the country since the introduction of the model in 2006. Globally, the company has sold around 88 lakh units of the sedan till date.

New Hyundai Verna's launch will give way to a three-way battle in the mid size sedan category in India. Hyundai 2017 Verna will compete with Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Volkswagen Vento.

Ahead of the launch of the new Hyundai Verna, market leader Maruti Suzuki had launched a sporty version of its current best selling sedan Ciaz

"We want to achieve brand supremacy in this segment. By Diwali, we expect to deliver the car to its first 10,000 customers. Which means we are looking at monthly volumes of 4000-4500 units every month," Y K Koo, managing director and CEO, Hyundai Motor India had said earlier this month.




In order to handle the growing footfall at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, Terminal T2 of in Delhi will be made functional again, along with Terminal T1 and T2 being merged into an integrated terminal, and a new runway being built by 2021. The expansion plans is in accordance to Masterplan 2016 which DIAL finalised last year after consultation with Ministry of Civil Aviation and other stakeholders to decongest the international airport.



DIAL is a consortium led by the GMR group. Other stakeholders are government-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Germany's Fraport.

"We have planned to increase the capacity of T1 and T3 and build a fourth runway in due course of time," I Prabhakara Rao, CEO, DIAL said while sharing expansion plans for the airport. As per the master plan, capacity of T1 will be doubled from 20 million to 40 million and the capacity of T3 will be increased from 34 million to 45 million, he said in a statement.

Currently, T1 - which is used for domestic operations of some flights - can handle 20 million passengers annually. The last fiscal year saw around 24 million passengers, though. In 2016-17, the airport handled 57.7 million passengers and more than 8.57 lakh tonnes of cargo.

To handle growing footfall, departure terminal T1D would be merged with arriving terminal T1C and then expanded to accommodate 40 million passengers per annum. This new integrated terminal will be like another T3, Rao stated. A pier building will be erected as an extension of the two merged terminals, with a combined total of 22 aerobridges and 15 bus gates.

For the amalgamation to be completed, some of the operation in Terminal T1 have to be move to T2. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has already asked airlines operating from Terminal T1 to partially shift their operations to T2 from October.

Moreover, a fourth runway would be constructed by 2021. "This will ease out future pressure on other runways and will be constructed parallel to runway 11/29," DIAL said. At present, there are three runways.

Taking into consideration rising passenger numbers, Rao said, "We have asked the airlines operating from T1 for part shifting of operations to T2 from October. There is an immediate need to decongest T1 and one-thirds of operations need to be shifted to T2, which has been revamped with an investment of around Rs 100 crore."

Operations were stopped at Terminal T2 in 2010. T3 and T2 would cater to the growing traffic in the next three to four years by which time T1 expansion project would be completed, Rao added. There would be a "huge transformation" for T1, Rao said, adding that there would be metro rail connectivity to the terminal. The expansion activities are part of the master plan, which would be implemented in three phases starting from 2018 -2021 period. The work in the second and the third phases would be done during 2021-2025 and 2026 onwards, respectively.

(With PTI inputs)

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The United Forum of Bank Unions has today called for a day-long nation-wide strike to protest the government's bank consolidation and privatisation move. The UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation or AIBOC, All India Bank Employees Association or AIBEA and National Organisation of Bank Workers or NOBW. The strike has affected over 42,000 branches of 21 public sector banks. The strike has also affected deposit and withdrawal in bank branches, cheque clearance, NEFT and RTGS transactions in these branches. However, operations at private lenders such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are expected to be normal except delay in cheque clearances.



Over 10 lakh bank workers, representing 9 PSU bank unions,to be on strike today (visuals from Mumbai) pic.twitter.com/rysBOQwKPL ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

WHY THE STRIKE AND WHAT ARE THE DEMANDS?

The Unions call for nation-wide strike came in the backdrop of a news that the government was working on a consolidation agenda with a view to creating 3-4 global-sized banks and reduce the number of state-owned lenders to about 12. If the government moves on the plan, the 21 public sector banks would get consolidated to 10-12 in the medium term.



Apart from this, the unions have several other demands such as no write-off policy for non-performing assets or NPAs of corporate loans, declaring wilful default of loans as criminal offense and implementation of recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on recovery of NPAs. NOBW Vice-President Ashwini Rana protested the bank charge hike and said the banks should not pass on the burden of corporate NPAs to bank customers by increasing charges. He further said that the government should compensate for the additional work during demonetisation.



The union also called for the withdrawal of the proposed financial resolution and deposit insurance or FRDA Bill, total exemption of gratuity and leave encashment on retirement. It also says that the government should abolish the Banks Board Bureau and ensure stringent measures to recover bad loans and accountability of top executives. The Union suggested that around one million bankers working in around 132,000 branches would be part of this strike.



BANKS THAT ARE AFFECTED TODAY

Except the State Bank of India, no other public sector bank has made any official announcement. However, it is expected that all public sector banks will be shut by this strike. Speaking to Business Today, All India SBI Officers' Co-ordinating Committee President M S Jaishankar said : "No work will take place across public sector banks as they will remain locked." Earlier in a regulatory filing in the BSE, the State Bank of India had said: "All India State Bank Officers' Federation and All India State Bank of India Staff Federation, being part of UFBU (United Forum of Bank Unions), will also participate in the strike. It is likely that our Bank would also be impacted by the said strike." All Public-Sector Banks: Allahabad Bank, Andhra Bank, Vijaya Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Dena Bank, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, IDBI Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab & Sindh Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Syndicate Bank, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India and United Bank of India

National Org of Bank Workers has said that the strike is against Govt policies of privatization & merger ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

BANKS THAT ARE OPEN TODAY

Today's strike will affect only state-run banks and operations at private lenders like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are expected to be normal. However, since the public sector banks are closed that could affect the cheque clearances. All Private-sector banks: Axis Bank, Bandhan Bank, Catholic Syrian Bank, City Union Bank, DCB Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank, Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDFC Bank, IndusInd Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Karnataka Bank, Karur Vysya Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Lakshmi Vilas Bank, Nainital Bank, RBL Bank.

South Indian Bank, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank amd YES Bank



WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT GOING FOR CONSOLIDATION

Earlier in April, Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel said that the Indian banking system could be better off if some public sector banks are consolidated to have fewer but healthier entities as it would help in dealing with the NPAs. According to reports, that bad loans of public sector banks had gone up by over Rs 1 trillion to Rs 6.06 trillion during April-December of 2016-17.

Last year during budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the government had started the process of transformation of IDBI Bank and would look at bringing down government's stake in the bank below 51 per cent. Earlier this year, the government again said that it was examining the possibility of further consolidation in the public sector banking space. Multiple news agencies reported that Punjab and Sind Bank could be merged with Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda could take over Indian Overseas Bank. Similarly, Dena Bank could be merged with some large banks like South Indian bank.
Indian patent office has granted patent protection to US drug major Pfizer's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). The decision will strengthen India's position as an intellectual property (IP) rights friendly nation and showcase its patent office as an independently functioning body.

However, the patent grant, to the product which is marketed by Pfizer as Prevnar13, have been flayed by the civil society groups as they fear that the granting of this patent would block other manufacturers in India from supplying this vaccine - which protects against 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria (PCV-13) - to those who need it most.

"It's unfair and unacceptable that almost a million children die each year from pneumonia, even though a life-saving vaccine is available. Children everywhere have a right to be protected from pneumonia, but many governments can't afford the prices set by Pfizer," said Dr Prince Mathew, Asia Regional Coordinator for international health NGO Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF). "We urgently need additional manufacturers to rapidly introduce competition with the aim of lowering vaccine prices."

The NGO had challenged the patent claims of Pfizer in India last year, after the same patent was revoked by the European Patent Office (EPO). The patent is also being legally challenged in South Korea and before the US Patent Trademark Appeal Board.

"The method Pfizer is trying to patent is too obvious to deserve a patent under Indian law, and is just a way to guarantee an extended market monopoly for the corporation for many years to come", Leena Menghaney, South Asia Head for MSF's Access Campaign, says.

According to MSF, Indian vaccine manufacturers have the ability to supply PCV for a much lower price. However, Pfizer's patent allows it to continue controlling the PCV market in India until 2026, and blocks developing country vaccine manufacturers from supplying a competing version of Pfizer's PCV. Manufacturers will have to find new routes to develop a non-infringing PCV vaccine which may delay the availability of competing products in the pipeline from Indian producers.

MSF also states that the Indian patent office's decision indicates a weakening of India's strict patentability standards, which results in granting monopolies for minor and trivial improvements of existing medical products, as allowed in some other countries. Such ever-greening practices will hamper India's role as 'pharmacy of the developing world,' supplying governments and procurers like MSF with affordable medicines and vaccines, it fears.

Pneumonia is a leading killer of children, accounting for more than a quarter of deaths of children less than five years of age. The vaccine does more than protect those who are vaccinated from life-threatening infections. Studies show that the vaccine lowers antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by bringing down infection in the community and reducing antibiotic use in children. One study estimates that introduction of Hib conjugate and PCV13 to 75 developing world countries could reduce antibiotic use for these diseases by 47 per cent and avert 11.4 million days of antibiotic use in children younger than 5 years old each year.

India has the world's highest burden of pneumonia, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of global pneumonia deaths in children under the age of five. In India, PCV had until recently been available solely in the private market with out-of-pocket price tags beyond the reach of not only vulnerable children and impoverished parents but also the Health Ministry. At present, only two pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are registered by CDSCO and imported into India: Pfizer's Prevnar13 (PCV13) and GSK's Synflorix (PCV10) which are very expensively priced at approximately INR 3,800/dose (approximately USD 59 per dose, with three doses needed for full vaccination) and INR 1,800/dose (approximately USD 28 per dose, with three doses needed for full vaccination) respectively in the private market. No pneumococcal vaccine has been registered from an Indian manufacturer and made available to provide competition to Pfizer and GSK who currently dominate the market internationally and India, MSF states.

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Vodafone prepaid users can now avail 1GB data every day and unlimited local and national calls on recharging with the new Rs 344 special tariff recharge offer. The recharge pack will come with a validity of 28 days.

The new Rs 344 recharge offer can be availed by all Vodafone users irrespective of whether they are using 2G, 3G or 4G handsets. Users can get the offer at Vodafone stores, Vodafone Mini stores or multi-brand retail stores, or through MyVodafone app.

The offer has a catch though. Although the plan starts at Rs 344, prices can go up to Rs 349 depending on the telecom circle. Also, Vodafone is not actually offering unlimited calls under its Rs 344 recharge offer.

Under the special tariff recharge voucher worth Rs 344, customers will have to pay if they make voice calls exceeding the prescribed limits. Users making voice calls over 1200 minutes within seven consecutive days will be charged 30 paise per minute for local or STD calls to other networks, and 10 paise for Vodafone to Vodafone calls. Using more than 300 voice call minutes in a day will again incur similar charges.

Also, users calling more than 300 unique contacts, either local or STD numbers, within seven consecutive days will too have to pay 30 paise per minute for local and STD calls to other networks and 10 paise for Vodafone to Vodafone calls for the rest of the validity period.

Also watch:




Alibaba's UC Browser has come under the government's scanner for alleged leak of mobile data of its Indian users and may be banned in the country if found guilty, a senior IT ministry official said today.

"There have been complaints against UC Browser that it sends mobile data of its users in India to server in China. There are complaints that even if an user has uninstalled it or cleaned browsing data, the browser retains control of DNS of user's device," the officer who did not wish to be named told PTI.

The officer said if the allegations against the browser are established then it may be banned in the country.

Email sent to UC Web, which operates UC Browser, did not elicit any response.

UC Browser is part of Alibaba's mobile business group.

Alibaba has made significant investments in the payment bank firm Paytm and its parent company One97. Besides Paytm, Alibaba has invested in e-commerce firm Snapdeal as well.

UC Browser has last year claimed that it has over 100 million monthly active users in India and Indonesia.

As per Stat-Counter report at the end of June 2017, UC Browser is second most used web browser in India after Google's Chrome and leads mobile phone segment with 48.66 per cent market share.

The probe by the government comes amid escalating tension between India and China.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT actively looking at findings of University of Toronto which has allegedly discovered "several major privacy and security vulnerabilities that would seriously expose users of UC Browser to surveillance and other privacy violations".

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Hyderabad is doing technical investigation into the allegation made in University of Toronto report, which also mentioned that the browser is mostly used in India and China.
Sheriffs deputies have released the identity of a Logan man who died Saturday afternoon in a four-wheeler accident. The crash was reported just after 12 p.m.

Cache County Sheriffs Lt. Mike Peterson said Cassidy Wakely was riding an ATV with friends on the Franklin Basin Road, about four-miles off of Logan Canyon, US-89. The 33-year-old failed to negotiate a bend in the road, causing the four-wheeler to run off the roadway and drop over a 15-foot ledge.

Several others saw Wakely ride off the side of the road. By the time they were able to reach him, he was unconscious and not breathing. They began CPR while paramedics were called.

Peterson said Wakely was wearing a helmet. He sustained significant internal injuries in the crash.

Paramedics continued lifesaving efforts once they arrived. They were unsuccessful and Wakely was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators have determined that speed was a major factor in the cause of the accident. Officials from the Utah State Parks Department and the State Medical Examiners Office assisted deputies in their investigation.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
Australias commitment to improving healthcare in Papua New Guinea is delivering tangible results, particularly in dealing with diseases such as HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis.

The ongoing co-operation between our two governments is very strong which is also enhancing business links, and delivering capacity building support, he said.

Following a courtesy call by Bruce Davis, Australias high commissioner to Papua New Guinea (seen here with deputy high commissioner Bronte Moules), Mr ONeill said the bilateral relationship with Australia continues to strengthen.

PRIME minister Peter ONeill has welcomed partnership activities between Papua New Guinea and Australia that are building capacity in healthcare, and providing support for the hosting of APEC in 2108.

Cooperation activities are underway, together with World Bank support, to deal with TB in areas that include Western Province, Gulf Province and Port Moresby, and this is saving lives.

We thank Australia for this ongoing healthcare co-operation that is also strengthening infrastructure and service delivery.

Current projects include the new nursing school, dental clinic and maternal and child health ward at Angau Hospital.

Mr ONeill said Australian support and co-operation is particularly important as Papua New Guinea prepares to host APEC.

In 2018 the leaders of APECs 20 other member economies, together with more than 15 thousand delegates, will come to Papua New Guinea.

This is an enormous logistical undertaking, and Australia is providing support that is building our capacity, particularly in the area of safety and security.

I have expressed my appreciation to high commissioner Davis for the support that Australia is providing, including the allocation of Australian Federal Police in training and mentoring.

Papua New Guinea will deliver a very safe and successful APEC year and leaders summit in 2018, and we thank Australia for its ongoing contribution.

During the courtesy call the prime minister and high commissioner further discussed the closure of the Manus regional processing centre that is underway as planned and the outcome and processes of the 2017 national election.

The prime minister advised that a review of the election is due to begin, from which lessons learnt will be considered.

As part of this review the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission will seek perspectives and advice from its counterpart, the Australia Electoral Commission.
GEDDES  One of the New York State Fair's biggest attractions will pay tribute to the state's top law enforcement agency this year.

The American Dairy Association North East unveiled the fair's butter sculpture Tuesday, which honors the New York State Police on its 100th anniversary. The agency was founded in 1917 and its first patrol was at the state fair.

The sculpture was created over a 10-day period by artists Marie Pelton and Jim Victor. They used more than 800 pounds of butter from Genesee County to produce the dairy tribute.

One side of the butter sculpture features a state trooper assisting a child. The other side was inspired by an image captured at the 2016 fair of two state troopers, Michael Leggio and Daniel Skiba, posing with a calf named Trooper that was born at the Dairy Cow Birthing Center.

"The New York State Police are extremely honored to have been chosen by American Dairy Association North East to be part of the 2017 butter sculpture," said Major Philip Rouguex of the state police.

The butter sculpture, which is displayed in the fair's Dairy Products Building, traditionally features a theme. Last year, the dairy artwork celebrated New York athletes and the U.S. Olympic team.

The fair received additional support for the butter sculpture this year. After New York State Dairy Exhibits decided to no longer operate the Dairy Products Building, the fair now runs the facility. This includes the popular Milk Bar, which serves 25-cent cups of milk.

A new addition to the butter sculpture is a corporate sponsor. Wegmans Food Markets sponsored the attraction this year.

"The butter sculpture is such an integral and significant part of the New York State Fair and Wegmans wants to make sure that we continue the tradition," said Evelyn Carter, director of community relations for Wegmans.

The fair opens Wednesday and will run through Sept. 4. The butter sculpture will be on display for all 13 days of the fair.

Once the fair is complete, the butter will be recycled and transported to a local farm. The farm will use it for renewable energy.
Count U.S. Rep. John Katko among those who support President Donald Trump's plan for the lengthy war in Afghanistan.

Trump, who delivered an address to the nation Monday, said he wouldn't reveal details about troop levels  officials from his administration have hinted that there would be additional troops sent to Afghanistan  and he didn't set a timetable for withdrawal.

His goal is to win the war in Afghanistan, which began in October 2011 after the 9/11 attacks.

To achieve that mission, he challenged Pakistan to combat terrorism and suggested that India assist the U.S. in Afghanistan. He also called for an end of "micromanagement from Washington, D.C."  a criticism of his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, and how his administration restricted military operations against the Taliban.

With his plan, Trump reversed his position on the war. He has previously called for withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan. But he acknowledged what happened after the U.S. military had a significant reduction in troop levels in Iraq.

A withdrawal in Afghanistan, Trump said, "would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11."

As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Katko, R-Camillus, agrees. He chaired a task force that examined foreign fighter travel. He also leads the House Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security, which frequently reviews threats posed by terror groups to transit hubs.

"President Obama attempted this strategy by pulling out of Iraq, which quickly resulted in an ISIS takeover of broad swaths in both Iraq and Syria," Katko said. "We must not make that mistake again."

Katko also considered Trump's speech from a personal perspective. His oldest son is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.

Military service members, Katko said, "deserve a clear plan for success going forward."

"Last night, I believe the president outlined a multifaceted approach to begin to bring stability to the region, to eliminate terrorism, to finally stand up to countries like Pakistan which allow terrorism to germinate, and to keep our country safe," he said.
| BY Ricki Green |

Air New Zealand customers at Sydney Airport will get to experience the role robots may play in future travel journeys this week.

The airline is partnering with CommBank in a five-day experiment utilising Chip CANdroid, the banks social humanoid robot, which will interact with and assist Air New Zealand customers checking in and at the gate prior to boarding.

Says Avi Golan, chief digital officer, Air New Zealand: This partnership and experiment with Commbank and Chip is another way we are pushing the boundaries to ensure we remain at the forefront of technology which will allow us to further enhance the experience we offer our customers.

Air New Zealand has worked with a range of technology partners to introduce innovations which are enhancing the experience it offers customers. For example, Oscar, the artificial intelligence-backed chatbot has been introduced to assist customers with a more personalised online experience or biometric bag drops which identify customers using face-to-passport recognition.

Says Golan: We are also experimenting with potential enhancements of the future, including the idea of our cabin crew one day using Microsofts HoloLens augmented reality viewers onboard our aircraft.

Commonwealth Bank established a social robotics team within its Sydney Innovation Lab in late 2016, with the intention of partnering with leading corporates and research institutions to better understand the opportunities and challenges that physical robotic technologies present in a variety of commercial contexts.

Says Tiziana Bianco, general manager Innovation Labs, Commonwealth Bank: This experiment is a great example of why we invested in social robotics; working collaboratively with an innovative client like Air New Zealand, while also engaging some of the brilliant minds from UTSs Centre for Artificial Intelligence. It is a wonderful opportunity to explore the possibilities of a horizon technology such as social robotics, and what it might enable in the future.

Bianco says social robots can bring to life information that is not particularly engaging when delivered by a screen: People interact with them in a very social and sometimes emotional way, which means they can enhance experiences in ways that other technologies are unable to do.

Chip is one of the most advanced humanoid robots in the world, and is perfect for our work aimed at understanding how humans and robots interact in dynamic social spaces.

The opportunity to experiment with a robot like Chip in a real world environment such as Sydney Airport is unique, even on a global scale. It is also incredibly valuable, as it allows both corporates and academics to contribute to the growing field of research in social robotics and ensures that both CommBank and Air New Zealand remain at the forefront of disruptive technologies.
Aug. 22, 1962

What started out as a conversation by a group of amateur artists 30 years ago, over the years has resulted in a museum  the Cayuga Museum of History and Art.

This museum, the dream of a professor, has become a reality to Auburnians, Cayugians, New Yorkers, Americans and an example to world observers of Museums.

Its founder and director, Professor Walter K. Long, will insist that there were many others who contributed to its beginning. Among those, the professor includes the names of Mrs. H. Dutton Noble, Mrs. E. D. Clapp, Mrs. Wilfred Sefton and Judge Leonard H. Searing who, during the first three years of talk, worked with unflagging zeal to make a reality of the dream.

It was not until 1936 that the museum recorded its first meeting and its first and only mailing address, 203 Genesee St., the former Willard Mansion.

Built in 1836 by John Seymour, it was sold during the 1937 depression to Theodore Case who bought it as a wedding present for his daughter and son-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Sylvester Willard. Daughters of the Willard family lived in the mansion for many years. At their death the mansion revered to Theodore Willard Case, who used it as a laboratory in his development and research on sound film. It was used at one time as a private school, the Logan School.

Only 100 years after it was built, the mansion became the museum, and today houses all of the experimental projects of Mr. Case, as well as many historic records and items of Cayuga County.

There are three large exhibit rooms on the main floor plus a large exhibit hall and the museum offices.

The large southwest room is a large music room-exhibition hall. There are two concert pianos, tuned together for concert quality. Circassian walnut paneling in this room makes the display of paintings, prints and tapestries as interesting as they would appear in private homes. End bookcases have glass doors and serve as exhibition cases for the more fragile type of exhibits.

The Jesse Stanton gallery on the north end of the building is actually four inner walls of the original structure. Modern illumination enhances the paneled and monks cloth covered walls, making possible all types of glass covered exhibits.

The front east room is paneled, also making it adaptable for the display of prints and graphic arts.

The are also several items on exhibit in the upstairs hallway.

The log cabin, said to be 200 years old, has been open for exhibition for the past two years. It is still not completed.

Located at the north end of the museum grounds, the log cabin presently shows the surroundings of the Millard Fillmore cabin. It was created and authenticated by documents written by a playmate of Mr. Fillmore. The upstairs is a replica of the inside of the cabin of Col. John L. Hardenbergh, founder of what was once known as Hardenbergh's Corner, and is now more familiarly known as the city of Auburn.
| BY Lynchy |

Blis has opened an office in Kuala Lumpur office and appointed Mohanarajah Visuvanathan to lead as Agency Group Head, amid further Asian expansion.

The expansion into Malaysia follows Blis recent opening of an office in Indonesia, underpinning a heightened commitment to the Asia Pacific market which will see additional offices opened in the Philippines, and Thailand over the coming months. Malaysia now has over 20 million people using smartphones, and is a fast growing market with consumers spending nearly four hours each day on mobile devices*.

With over 13 years experience, Visuvanathan (pictured) is an accomplished digital strategist and business leader, having held senior roles at Sizmek, Mkini Dotcom and Out There Media. Most recently he joins from MobMe Asia where he was Regional Director, overseeing sales, partnerships, strategy and operations. The new role will see him leading Blis sales, operations and growth and he will report into Richard Andrew, Regional Business Director Asia, Blis.

Im very excited to be joining Blis at a time where mobile and location data are becoming a core pillar of brands digital strategy in Malaysia, sais Visuvanathan. This year alone weve seen smartphone penetration grow to over 80%, and with this comes an enormous opportunity for marketers to better understand and engage Malaysian consumers. Im excited to enable brands and media agencies to leverage Blis unique insight into movement data to do this.

Andrew says hes excited to see Blis unique insight into movement data making a focused commitment to new markets. Mohanarajah has a unique insight into the Malaysian market which makes him an invaluable partner in a time when Blis is undergoing heightened investment across the region. Establishing operations in Malaysia, one of the regions fastest growing mobile markets, ensures we are well positioned to engage top media agencies who are increasingly shifting budget to programmatic spend.
| BY Lynchy |

To meet the increasing demand for quality online content delivered on time and to budget, production company Seven Sunday Films has launched a new content division, The Eight Sunday.

Steered by Indonesian producer Yugi Darmawan, the newly formed company aims to lead the way within the digital domain in the local market.

Offering full service production along with producing content ideas and copywriting services, The Eight Sunday will primarily concentrate on digital video content, and will also undertake some smaller budget TVC work, particularly when working with brands direct.

Just prior to launching The Eight Sunday, Seven Sunday Films produced a regional job for Uber directed by Mark Toia and shot in Indonesia. A digital project produced at an affordable budget and using a high-end director, executive producer of Seven Sunday Films, Rodney Vincent said, Its a good example of the type of projects The Eight Sunday will take on.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to offering our clients solutions and managing their expectations, explains Vincent. The digital wave in Indonesia is expanding by the day and there is a massive demand for quality digital content in this part of the world.

However, Vincent admits there could be improvements made to the current quality of content surfacing out of the region, which he says can be limited in production value and developed with unclear messaging. He believes the time is right for The Eight Sunday to become a strategically led production partner that specialises in producing quality content for clients.

Since the core of our companys philosophy has always been about quality and added value, we intend to make a difference and hopefully raise the production ante on digital films here in Indonesia.

Concentrating mainly on the Indonesian and Singaporean markets, The Eight Sunday aims to fill a gap in the market for clients not able to commit to large-scale big budget commercials but who desire decent quality videos with concise and clear messaging.
The judge said Nikro had used the Crace property to prepare, store, and conceal the cocaine he trafficked, and that there was "a real and demonstrable connection" between the use of the house - which Nikro said he bought with two loans in 2013 - and the conviction.
He was also part of an episode in the 2015 budget lock-up when budget papers were unavailable and Health Department public servants were unable to clarify changes, to the frustration of health professionals, but last year he praised his staff for a "180-degree turnaround" at the 2016 budget.
The next steps for two Auburn construction projects were approved at the Aug. 17 Auburn City Council meeting.

City council members unanimously voted to award the construction contract for this year's Community Development Block Grant Sidewalk Replacement project to Concrete Slipform. The city will pay the Canastota construction company $147,420 to complete the project. All funds will come from the $172,000 grant the city received from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Engineering Services Superintendent Bill Lupien said Tuesday that the following areas will see sidewalk construction beginning in mid-September:

 Perrine Street from North Division Street to Pulaski Street, north side

 State Street from York Street to Pulaski Street, east side

 State Street from Pulaski Street to Perrine Street, east side

 Perrine Street from railroad tracks to North Street, both sides

Sidewalk replacement will take place in low-to-moderate income area neighborhoods and will benefit an estimated 800 residents, according to the city's 2017-2018 Annual Action Plan.

Lupien said this project is "time sensitive" as the city is required to spend a certain amount of the money from the CDBG program within the year.

The council also voted unanimously to award the construction contract for the North Hunter Brook Bridge Replacements Project to Schuyler County-based construction company Silverline Construction for nearly $1.29 million.

Work at North Hunter Brook will see the badly eroded culverts at Schwartz Drive, within the Standart Woods apartment complex, and McIntosh Drive replaced, starting with the McIntosh culvert, Lupien said.

Originally expected to begin this summer, construction could start anywhere from six weeks to six months, Lupien said, depending on material availability. A more definite construction schedule will be available in October and according to Lupien, the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.

The city is responsible for 5 percent of the project's cost; the rest is eligible for 95-percent reimbursement from both federal and state resources.
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
POPLAR RIDGE  Alan Ominsky told the crowd of excited eclipse viewers gathered at the Southern Cayuga Planetarium and Observatory Monday afternoon about the time he traveled over 500 miles to see a total solar eclipse in 1979.

Ominsky, the planetarium's director, and other eclipse chasers loaded up thousands of dollars worth of telescopes and other astronomy equipment into a bus to make the 12-hour trip from Minnesota to North Dakota.

"The sensation of being under a totally eclipsed sun is eerie, weird, amazing ... It's also very strange to see the sky go dark, but it's still light out there on the horizons, Ominsky said, describing the experience as "otherworldly."

Those who attended the eclipse-viewing party were able to watch NASA's live footage of the eclipse from around the United States projected onto the planetarium's dome. Although a total eclipse was not visible from Cayuga County, people were able to witness a partial eclipse in the area starting at around 1:15 p.m. Around an hour and 20 minutes later, the eclipse peaked in the area; the sun was around 70-percent eclipsed by the moon.

Some people brought eclipse glasses and homemade viewing devices made out of cereal boxes, tin foil and sheets of paper. Members of the Friends of the Planetarium committee set up a refracting telescope with a solar filter so people could safely view the eclipse close up.

For many who attended the event, this was their first time witnessing a solar eclipse.

Anne Brazee, a retired second-grade teacher from the Auburn school district, said she used to bring her students to the planetarium for field trips and she was excited to come back with her eclipse glasses in tow to witness her first solar eclipse.

"It was very impressive," Brazee said.

Southern Cayuga science teacher and Friends of the Planetarium Secretary Frank Benenati also witnessed his first solar eclipse on Monday, although he said he has seen a lunar eclipse before.

"I think it's wonderful to see all these people interested in such an astronomical event," Benenati said.

Ominsky, who refers to himself as an "amateur astronomer"  he worked in the publishing industry  was on hand to answer people's questions and explain some of the science behind the eclipse.

"I think it's important (to get) people engaged with astronomy in general," Ominsky said. "One thing I like about astronomy is it forces people to think about things in new ways because you're dealing with forces and distances that are well beyond our experience. How do you grasp that? I'm still grasping."
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.
An Auburn lawyer who works part-time for Cayuga County government was arrested Friday evening for driving while intoxicated, city police said.

Samuel P. Giacona, of 383 Waters Edge, Auburn, was charged Aug. 18 with misdemeanor DWI.

Auburn Police Department Chief Shawn Butler said officers were dispatched to Logan Street at around 5:45 p.m. Friday after a caller complained of a man parked on the side of the road.

"For whatever reason, they were concerned for the driver's welfare," Butler said. "They said a 50s male was behind the wheel and appeared to be confused."

Upon arrival, police found 59-year-old Giacona idling in his car. Butler said further investigation revealed that Giacona was intoxicated.

An attorney with Giacona Law P.C. in Auburn, Giacona primarily practices in real estate and family law. He is also employed as a part-time attorney with Cayuga County Department of Social Services, representing the county in child abuse and neglect cases.

Michael Russell, the county's human resources administrator, said Giacona is still employed with the county. He added that Giacona was out of the office Monday for "personal reasons" and it was unclear whether the charge could affect his job status at a later date.

Giacona was charged with first-offense DWI and released to a third party. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning in Auburn City Court.
AURORA  Treatment of hydrilla, a highly invasive aquatic weed found near the village of Aurora on Cayuga Lake, is wrapping up this year with some optimistic signs for the future. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has found funding for additional monitoring and treatment next year, while this year's crop of hydrilla appears to be decaying, slowly but surely.

That information came to light Monday during the corps' latest survey of Cayuga Lake off the village's shoreline.

The southern end of Cayuga Lake has struggled with the invasive for years, but it wasn't until September 2016 that members of the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom discovered patches of hydrilla not far from the Wells College dock and drinking water intake pipe.

Hydrilla is one of the worst aquatic invasive species. Like the Hydra, a mythological creature whose head regenerates when it's cut off, hydrilla grows new plants when cut. This makes eradication and management difficult. It also grows upward and then sideways across water bodies, forming thick mats and choking out water bodies.

For months, Cayuga County officials and partners called for help, unsure of how to fund treatment and monitoring. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District answered. The district has been fighting hydrilla in the Erie Canal and Tonawanda Creek for the last few years, managing to eradicate about 90 percent.

"I understood the problem, and the time sensitive nature of the treatment, so I looked within our agency's budget and some of the funds we get through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and I was able to get enough money to support a treatment this year," said Army Corps Regional Technical Specialist Michael Greer in a July interview with The Citizen.

Greer is working with SOLitude Lake Management, an environmental firm in charge of applying herbicides to the approximately 27-acre patch. The primary treatment is called Sonar H4C, which has the active ingredient called fluridone. In denser patches SOLitude may use another kind of treatment called Komeen Crystal, a kind of copper-based treatment that is fast-acting. Greer said that's used sparsely as it's bad for certain kinds of bugs in the water.

The Cayuga County Health Department is monitoring drinking water out of a Wells College tap, making sure both chemicals' levels do not exceed state and federal guidelines. So far, levels of both have appeared undetectable or low. Eileen O'Connor, director of the county's environmental health division, did say the chemicals are not good for watering tomatoes or green peppers and residents should refrain from using their tap water on those plants.

Greer and his colleagues went out on the corps' about bi-weekly survey Monday to see how treatment is going in its sixth week. The corps monitors about 50 acres in total to make sure that the hydrilla isn't spreading. One boat collects water quality samples to see the concentrations of the herbicide in the water. Greer said Cayuga Lake has been difficult because of the wind and waves constantly diluting the herbicide.

Greer's boat  which Monday included Steven Nagel with the Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management and Dean Jones with the University of Florida's Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants  took point intercept surveys of aquatic plants. Using a kind of GPS technology, Greer steered the boat to specific points along the lake. Nagel tossed a rake into the water, which collected all kind of weeds. As Nagel identified them, Jones would take note of the species and their concentrations.

On the outskirts of the main hydrilla area, Nagel raked up other invasive species like Eurasian watermilfoil and an invasive green algae called starry stonewort. Just south of the Wells College campus, a rake toss took up a piece of hydrilla. Looking at its sickly appearance  a waning color and lack of growth tip  Greer, Nagel and Jones appeared encouraged. They kept the sprig inside the boat to be thrown into the trash later.

Jones, who's seen the devastation hydrilla has caused to Florida's lakes, said Cayuga Lake's is nowhere near as bad. Cayuga Lake's hydrilla, too, is a bit different in that parts of the plant die off in the colder months. As the water warms, an underground part of the plant that buds called a tuber, starts to sprout new growth. In Florida, the waters are warm pretty much year round so the hydrilla just continues to grow, he said.

"Being able to find it is dictated by water temperature," Jones said about the Cayuga Lake hydrilla. "First couple of surveys, we didn't find it. Then it started to warm up."

Greer said it will be about three years before the Aurora-area patch sees about a 75-percent reduction. By about five years of treatment and monitoring, he'd expect it to be down by about 90 percent. Treatment and monitoring this year are expected to wrap up at the end of August or early September. Over the winter, Greer said they'll be adjusting the plan of attack for 2018 with work to begin again in June.

"Everyone's a little different, so it's hard to say for certain," Greer said about the timeline. "I did find funding so we will have funds to do this work next year. I haven't had a chance to talk to our partners, but it is pretty much guaranteed at this point."
Lexus is one of the automakers that isnt skipping this years Frankfurt Motor Show, and will be present at the German event with two local premieres.



Unveiled in Shanghai earlier this year, the NX will sit under the spotlight with its new face and tweaked suspension, which is said to improve both the ride and handling.

Underneath its familiar design, the 2018 Lexus NX remains largely the same as the current models, as the 200t retains its 2.0-liter turbod four engine, while the more potent 300h continues to do with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that works together with two electric motors.

Toyotas luxury brand will also display the facelifted CT 200h in Frankfurt, which was updated a couple of months ago. Blink and you might miss the changes, but still, the automaker talks about evolutionary changes with sportier styling, and an enhanced cabin and new equipment features.

Lexus all-new flagship saloon, the LS, will join the two cars at the largest European automotive event of the fall, and so will the LC luxury coupe.

PHOTO GALLERY
Ford has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Anhui Zotye Automobile, a major manufacturer of electric vehicles in China.



The proposed 50:50 joint ventures ultimate goal is to produce new zero-emission cars, which will be sold to customers in the Peoples Republic under an indigenous brand, and besides development and manufacturing, they will also focus on marketing and servicing.

The potential to launch a new line of all-electric vehicles in the worlds largest auto market is an exciting next step for Ford in China, said Peter Fleet, Ford group vice president and president, Ford Asia Pacific. Electric vehicles will be a big part of the future in China and Ford wants to lead in delivering great solutions to customers.

This new partnership allows Ford to come closer to their plant that sees the introduction of 13 new electrified vehicles globally, over the next 5 years, including a zero-emission small SUV that will be sold in Asia, North America, and Europe.

Details surrounding the products and production volume, as well as information about the indigenous brand, which is owned by the new joint venture, will be announced at a later date, according to the Michigan-based automaker.

PHOTO GALLERY
Toyota is expanding its presence in the car sharing arena by announcing a new partnership with its Hawaiian distributor Servco Pacific.



Under the terms of the deal, the two companies will test and develop a car sharing service in Honolulu.

During the initial testing phase, the service will be limited to employees. However, once testing is complete, Servco plans to launch a consumer-focused car sharing business by the end of 2017.

According to Toyota, users will download a smartphone application which provides driver identification and authentication as well as a Smart Key Box that allows them to lock and unlock vehicles with their phone. The app, which was designed in-house, will also provide payment services as well as fleet management tools.

In a statement, Toyota Connected North America CEO Zack Hicks said This successful launch of the MSPF [Toyota Mobility Services Platform] represents the next generation in car-sharing platforms and is Toyotas global foundation for fleet management, car-sharing, and the future of mobility. He went on to hint at further expansions by noting the API-based platform allows us to quickly adapt to new market opportunities and support deployment of locally-tailored mobility services.

Toyota declined to name future cities but confirmed it will work with dealers and other distributors to bring car-sharing technologies to their markets.

Photo Gallery
Photo: Contributed

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District can breathe a little easier.

(TNRD) Emergency Operations Centre has been advised that the imminent risk of danger has decreased at this time.

The Evacuation Orders issued on August 4 at 17:00 hrs have been partially rescinded, effective today, Monday, August 21, 2017 at 12:00 hours, for the areas on the map above.
Photo: Destination B.C.

June saw a significant amount of International visitors to British Columbia.

The latest numbers from Statistics Canada from June 2017, show a 5.3 per cent increase over the same month in 2016, resulting in 35,000 more visitors arriving in B.C.

The total year-to-date international overnight custom entries to B.C. are up 4.1 per cent.

Other notable increases for June (over June 2016) include:

Germany - up 31 per cent

Australia - up 26 per cent

Mexico - up 13.3 per cent

China - up 9.3 per cent

Direct flights can have a big impact on international visitor arrivals. Both Germany and Australia saw an increases in air capacity to British Columbia of 37.8 per cent and 20.4 per cent.

"British Columbia boasts an amazing array of tourist experiences and it's no surprise that people from around the world are spending their time in our beautiful province, said Marsha Walden, CEO of Destination British Columbia.

We know that, in some parts of the province, the wildfires have taken a toll on the summer tourism season. However, as we start rebuilding this vital industry, it's reassuring to know that June offered positive results," Walden added.
Photo: RCMP The black bear seen in this photo refused to leave a home on Saturday.

A large black bear that entered a Sunshine Coast home and refused to leave even after being punched in the face has been killed.

Police said Elery Froude and her two sons were at their Franklin Beach area home Saturday about 5:30 p.m. when her son yelled "mom, look!"

(Froude) turned in time to see the bear coming through her sliding glass door, said Const. Karen Whitby.

The bear, weighing up to 250 pounds, roamed the house and drooled all over the dining room table.

They locked themselves in a bedroom while a friend yelled, banged pots and shook chairs at the bear before there was a standoff with the bear standing halfway in the home.

The family friend slammed the door on the bear before finally punching it in the nose, which made (it) retreat outside, said Whitby.

Once the door was closed, the bear stayed put, pawing and chewing the screen until police arrived.

Police said they scared the bear into the bushes with an air horn and by throwing water bottles at it, but it returned and tried to open the door to the garage.

The bear also chased a man down the street before he could jump into his truck.

After liaising with conservation, it was determined that due to the bear's aggressive actions and lack of fear of humans, it was to be put down, said Whitby.

Conservation Sgt. Miller said the adult bear did not have any overt signs that it had been suffering from any illness that would have resulted in the unusually brazen behaviour.
Photo: shuswappassion.ca Shuswap River boating regulations are back on the table.

North Okanagan politicians are putting a tentative toe in the water on possible boating regulations for the Lower Shuswap River.

The regional district is going to be meeting with the Splatsin. We're expecting to have a discussion with (Chief Wayne Christian), said Herman Halvorson, Electoral Area F director.

Halvorson said that, with the Splatsin, it is hoped that some regulations can be worked out.

The decision to move forward follows the failure last month of an advisory committee to agree on boating regulations for the lower section of the river despite lengthy talks with the help of a mediator. The committee was made up of stakeholder groups that include motorized and non-motorized boating users and related businesses.

It's been going on a number of years and I think the main thing is to do it right. It's not like we have to make a recommendation immediately.

Halvorson refused to comment on what he'd would like to see, acknowledging the matter was contentious.

Motorized users from the advisory committee have proposed implementation of a 50 km/hr from Mara Lake to Mable Lake but 60 km/hr if boats are pulling water skiers. They have also called for the installation of swim barriers and channel control markers.

When asked what he thought of possible boating speed limits, Halvorson said he was completely open to proposals.
Photo: RCMP

RCMP on Vancouver Island are investigating a suspicious fire that destroyed a First Nations community hall.

The Nanoose Community Centre burned Saturday on Snaw-naw-as First Nation land, near Nanaimo.

Firefighters saved priceless artifacts from the building, which was empty during the early morning blaze.

A group of young people was seen in the area before the fire, police say.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Photo: Kate Bouey Homeless are complying with a new bylaw to pack up in city parks by 9 a.m., says official.

These are early days, but a City of Vernon official says campers in Polson Park are complying with a new bylaw that forces them to pack up their tents each morning at 9 a.m.

All of the people camping in Polson are complying with the bylaw, said Tanya Laing Gahr, communications officer. They are being cooperative, though it's difficult for some of them trying to pack up and transport their belongings.

Laing Gahr said a census of the homeless camps has not been done in recent weeks and she could not say how many people were still sleeping rough. At last count, the city's bylaw department put the number at about three dozen campers in and around public areas.

B.C.'s courts have allowed camping in public places when there are no other places to sleep, so city council has opted to make it a bit tougher by limiting camping hours from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.

By that time of the morning, tenters have to pack up or lose their belongings to the bulldozer.

It's a very vulnerable time for them so we're grateful to Upper Room Mission for providing storage space for many of the homeless, said Laing Gahr.

Concern over what the homeless would do with their possessions prompted the URM to have several storage lockers built, with the help of local businesses who provided the material and the workers.

We're trying to alleviate some stress for some people, said Lisa Anderson of the URM.
Photo: Manpreet Dha/Flickr

Two motorists were slammed with fines after flicking cigarette butts from their vehicles near Clearwater.

RCMP Central Interior Traffic Services issued two $575 fines in the past week.

An officer witnessed one driver throw out the cigarette when driving behind him.

This Alberta driver received a $575 ticket and a lengthy lecture from police, said Cpl. Steven Schenkeveld.

The driver said he had just purchased the vehicle and it was not equipped with an ashtray.

Police were conducting a road check in Barriere when they spoke to a B.C. motorist and when he drove away he threw a lit cigarette out the window.

"Officers subsequently extended the motorist's visit and issued the driver a $575 fine for his actions, said Schenkeveld.

RCMP said they will continue to monitor drivers and violations of the Wildfire Act and Wildfire Regulations can result in fines up to $1150.
Photo: Twitter

Over 400 firefighters are working to contain the largest wildfire in British Columbia's history.

Kevin Skrepnek of the BC Wildfire Service said 19 fires merged in an area west of Quesnel in the Interior, creating a single fire estimated to be 4,674 square kilometres in size.

Coordinating a response has been a challenge because the fire measures more than 130 kilometres from one end to the other, he said, adding 25 helicopters and 73 pieces of heavy equipment are being used.

"There's good progress being made out there, but just given the sheer scale of this fire, it is going to be active for some time to come," Skrepnek said.

It's been decades since British Columbia has seen a fire anywhere near this big, Skrepnek said. The previous record was 2,250 square kilometres, set in 1958 by a fire burning in the northeastern part of the province.

Residents of several small communities have been forced from their homes by the giant fire, but Skrepnek said it's still about 60 kilometres away from the nearest cities of Williams Lake and Quesnel.

There were 135 fires burning on Monday, including seven that started within a 24-hour period.

Crews fighting flames in the southern part of the province are getting some help from calm weather and seasonal temperatures, Skrepnek said, but there are indications conditions could change later this week as a cold front rolls through the region.

"We could potentially see these fires flare up if we get a relatively dry cold front with wind and potentially lightning, but it could also be bringing showers with it," he said.
During this season of gratitude, we are reminded of the many reasons we can be thankful for the freedom and opportunity to travel.
Photo: Twitter

Limited visibility could cause problems on the Trans-Canada Highway today.

DriveBC reports poor visibility due to smoke from the Prairie Hill wildfire near the east boundary of Glacier National Park.

Travellers are advised highway closures may be required depending on fire behaviour.

Motorists are urged to reduce speed through the area.
Photo: The Canadian Press Matthew "Max" Kennedy

Two members of the Kennedy family have been arrested in Massachusetts following complaints about a loud party and fireworks.

Barnstable police say officers responded to a home near the family compound in Hyannis Port early Sunday morning on noise complaints.

Police say 52-year-old Matthew "Max" Kennedy and his daughter, 22-year-old Caroline Kennedy, were taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct and violating the town's noise law. They both were later released on their own recognizance.

Matthew Kennedy pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday in Barnstable District Court. Caroline Kennedy will be arraigned at a later date. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney who could comment on the charges.

Matthew Kennedy is an author and the ninth child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy.
Photo: CTV

Police are appealing to the public for information after shots were fired into a house in a notorious area of Vancouver.

Shots rang out about midnight near Kaslo Street and East 22nd Avenue.



Investigators believe the incident was not random and that the house was targeted.

No one was injured in the gunfire, and no arrests have been made.



Any witnesses are asked to call the Vancouver Police Organized Crime Unit at 604-717-2596 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.



The area is no stranger to crime. In 2015, police installed surveillance cameras at the intersection to crack down on gang activity.
Photo: CTV Dianne Watts

A new poll reveals former Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts as a front-runner to lead the BC Liberals.

The Insights West poll found Watts has the highest favourability rating at 39 per cent.

She's followed by former Vancouver councillor Sam Sullivan at 30 per cent, finance critic Mike de Jong at 28 per cent, Jas Johal at 24 per cent and former cabinet minister Kevin Falcon at 23 per cent.



The leadership race was triggered by the resignation of Christy Clark, following the party's defeat in the provincial election.



Some of those widely considered to make a bid for the leadership will have to fight low name recognition.

At least two-in-five residents don't know enough to provide an assessment of Todd Stone Mike Bernier, Andrew Wilkinson, James Moore or Michael Lee.



When asked how they would vote in an election led by any of these contenders, only de Jong and Watts placed the Liberals in a position to potentially win.



De Jong garnered 27 per cent, and Watts led the way with 30 per cent to the NDP's 25.



When British Columbians ponder the possibility of Dianne Watts as leader of the BC Liberals, the partys fortunes change dramatically when compared with other possible contenders, says Mario Canseco, vice-president of Insights West.

The Watts-led BC Liberals would enjoy a significantly higher level of support from voters aged 55 and over and residents of the Lower Mainland.



Across the province, slightly over half of residents (52 per cent) approve of the performance of NDP Premier John Horgan, while 31 per cent disapprove. Almost half (48 per cent) are satisfied with the performance of Green Party leader Andrew Weaver, while the rating is significantly lower (28 per cent) for interim BC Liberal leader Rich Coleman.



The most important issue for British Columbians continues to be housing, homelessness and poverty, followed by health care, the economy and jobs, and the environment.

Who do you think should lead the BC Liberals? Vote in our daily poll.
Photo: Contributed

A stolen pickup truck from the Fraser Valley, connected to a crime in Vernon, was found Monday morning in Penticton.

A black lifted Ford F-350 was spotted driving erratically through a construction zone in Peachland at about 2:30 a.m. The vehicle was then located at the Chevron on Eckhardt Ave. West by Penticton RCMP.

"It fled at a high rate of speed to the Riverside Starbucks area driving over a barrier to avoid police," Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said. "The truck was found abandoned near Coyote Cruises, it had taken out a pole and driven across a pedestrian bridge."

The truck, which was stolen from Abbotsford on Saturday, was also involved in an attempted theft in Vernon on Sunday where it fled from police

There is significant damage to the interior and exterior of the vehicle, which is being examined by the Penticton Forensic Identification Section in an effort to identify the suspects.
With Deadspin under threat from a defamation lawsuit, parent company Univision is not laying down.

As we reported in June, Deadspin is being sued by R.J. Bell of gambling website Pregame.com, who claims he was defamed in an expose about his sites alleged murky relationship with sportsbooks. Bell, who is seeking more than $10 million, has hired Charles Harder, the same lawyer who helped bring down Gawker Media through the Peter Thiel-funded Hulk Hogan lawsuit.

This meritless lawsuit should not have been brought in the first place and it is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate journalists, Gizmodo Media Group spokesman David Ford said in an email. Mr. Goldberg said in a statement that his article was the result of a monthslong investigation and that allowing the lawsuit to proceed will chill my work and threaten investigative reporting by freelance journalists across the country.

Univision indicated almost immediately that it planned on fighting Bells lawsuit , and the Wall Street Journal reports that subsidiary Gizmodo Media Group filed court papers Monday asking for the case to be dismissed. Gizmodo also sent WSJ a strongly worded statement, while Ryan Goldberg, the freelancer who wrote the story about Bell, defended himselfand journalists in generalas well.

Harder, in response, told the Journal that, The purpose of the suit is not to intimidate or harass, but rather to obtain a retraction of the false statements said about my client in the article at issue, and obtain damages for the harm that it has caused.

It feels important that Univision and Gizmodo are not only defending the merits of this specific story but also speaking so unambiguously about the broader threat to journalism here. Hogans lawsuit, which bankrupt Gawker and forced its sale to Univision, seemed to demonstrate that a grumpy billionaire with a well-paid legal team can exact vengeance on a media outlet it doesnt approve of. Now Bells lawsuit feels like a heat check. Harder has succeeded once in silencing reporters who piss off his clients, and now hes giving it another try, to see just how far the courts will let him go.

Univision and Gizmodo will likely argue that because Goldbergs story was published before Univision purchased Gawker, the new owner cant be held accountable, given that Gawkers bankruptcy plan included a liability release. That alone may be enough to get the lawsuit dismissed. But in their public comments, Deadspins parent companies seem to be reaching beyond legalities to make an important moral argument about the danger of intimidation tactics and the harm caused by reporters worrying about legal retribution whenever they hold someone to task.

Per the Journal, a hearing in bankruptcy court is scheduled for Sept. 28.

[Wall Street Journal]
The world still often demands a What I did during summer vacation essay, and Im happy to oblige. I attended the Animal Behavior Society conference in Toronto, Canada, in June, where I noticed that spiders are the new super stars in animal behavior research. There were talks about spiders in sessions on predation, foraging, mate choice, aggression, evolution, social behavior, parental care, cognition and learning.

My favorite spider talk was by Anita Aisenberg. She is an expert on the nocturnal wolf spider, Allocosa senex, a common and important species in her native Uruguay. This spider lives in sand dunes by the beach that have been heavily impacted by human activity. Its considered an indicator species because its presence provides evidence of a healthy ecosystem. This nocturnal wolf spider can be studied inexpensively which is critical, as funding in Uruguay is monumentally difficult to obtain.

Aisenberg is interested in mating systems, and this spider has an unusual one. Males and females are both choosy  a technical term meaning that they will not mate with just any individual, but rather that they are selective. Its common across the animal kingdom for females to be choosy and for males to mate with any willing partner. This pattern reflects the amount of parental investment by each sex.

Females generally invest more time and energy in their offspring than males do. From an evolutionary perspective, it is a poor strategy to invest these extensive reproductive efforts in offspring from low quality males, which costs them the opportunity to invest in offspring from higher quality males. To maximize their reproductive success, it is vitally important that they only reproduce with the best possible males.

With a lower investment in their offspring, males can optimize their reproductive success by mating as often as they can, regardless of female quality. Mating with less desirable females does not cost them future mating opportunities with higher quality females. Though its uncommon for males to be the choosy ones, such sex role reversal occurs when males have high levels of investment in their offspring but females dont.

If both males and females invest heavily in their offspring, both are choosy, and the species is said to exhibit partial sex role reversal. In this nocturnal wolf spider, males dig burrows and produce pheromones to attract females. Digging a burrow is a lot of work, so the males are investing a lot in their reproductive effort. Males choose younger females with bodies in good condition, especially virgin females. This choice by males is advantageous to them, because younger, unmated females lay more eggs than older ones do. Females, who produce many eggs at a great energetic cost, choose the males with the longest burrows, which provide better protection for their eggs, and also indicate that a male is healthy, strong and likely to be passing on good genes.

And that, plus a family trip to Portugal, Spain and France where I paid no attention to spiders, is the story of how I spent my summer vacation.
PHOENIX  A federal judge has given the go-ahead for a broad-based challenge to Arizona statutes that allow police and prosecutors to profit from items they seize.

In an extensive ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa said there was enough evidence in the lawsuit, filed in 2015, to give attorney Jean-Jaques Cabou and the American Civil Liberties Union a chance to prove that the laws are unconstitutional. They claim the statutes provide an improper financial motivation for law enforcement to take cash, homes, cars and other property.

The case itself surrounds the complaint of San Tan Valley resident Rhonda Cox.

She said her rights were violated when Pinal County sheriff's deputies took her truck and the Pinal County Attorney's Office sold it based on the activities of her son. And Cox charged that Arizona law erected barriers to her challenging the seizure, including requiring her to pay a filing fee just to get into court.

But Humetewa said the evidence presented so far shows this is not a local issue.

Many state agency departments are entirely funded through forfeiture money, the judge wrote in her 20-page order.

For instance, the Arizona Department of Public Safetys bomb squad, S.W.A.T. team, and hazardous materials unit rely entirely on forfeiture money, Humetewa said. Other agencies use their forfeiture money to pay overtime, retirement contributions of employees, and department vehicles to name a few.

And she said some agencies are funding pet projects, noting allegations by Cox that funds from seized property paid for the personal home security system of former Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles.

What that means is if Cox wins her case and Humetewa voids the civil forfeiture statutes, the impacts will be felt not just in Pinal County but statewide.

Cabou said that the changes in forfeiture laws adopted by legislators earlier this year did resolve some of the complaint.

For example, it is no longer necessary for those whose property is seized to have to pay a filing fee to challenge the action. And property owners who lose in court no longer face the threat of having to pay not only their own legal fees but those of the government, both provisions that provided a clear disincentive for people to try to get their property back.

But Cabou said that still leaves the questions of whether Arizona's forfeiture statutes are fair.

The core of the case was always the policing for profit incentive, he said.

The center of the lawsuit was always about the fact that police in Arizona and prosecutors in Arizona have a direct financial incentive to seize as much property as they can without regards to due process, Cabou said. That part of the lawsuit will continue.

The Attorney General's Office, which tried to have her case thrown out, declined to comment. There was no immediate response from the attorney representing the Pinal County sheriff and attorney.

The case stems from the fact that Cox's son, Chris, had been arrested in 2013 after deputies determined that the hood and a cover on the back of her pickup truck, which he was driving, had been stolen. Based on that, deputies seized the truck.

Cabou said that Cox herself was unaware of the stolen items and therefore, under the terms of the law, entitled to have the truck returned. That did not happen and the truck and its contents eventually were sold.

Under Arizona law, neither police nor prosecutors need charge anyone with a crime, much less gain a conviction, in order to seize property.

Instead, the law at the time required only that prosecutors show by a preponderance of the evidence that the property was linked to a crime. That essentially is a 51-49 standard, with a judge needing to believe that the allegations are more likely true than not.

One of the new reforms changes that to a requirement for clear and convincing evidence. But that still falls short of the standard for criminal cases where prosecutors must convince a court beyond a reasonable doubt that someone is guilty.

Cabou said the process remains flawed.

Rhonda was caught in a Kafkaesque predicament where, bizarrely, she bore the burden of proving that she was entitled to get the truck back, he argued in his legal papers. The state did not have to provide that Rhonda did anything wrong  let alone criminal  in order to keep the truck.

What convinced Humetewa to let her proceed with her challenge is that link between those who take the property and those who benefit.

Thus, defendants are 'incentivized' to rigorously enforce forfeiture laws, the judge wrote. And she said the amount that police and prosecutors are allowed to keep of what they seize  in some cases 100 percent  clearly make the question of the fairness of the process significant.

Separately, the judge rejected arguments that Cox, in challenging the laws that led to the seizure of her truck, was somehow trying to get Humetewa to overturn the state court ruling that took it.

The legal wrong asserted in plaintiff's complaint is not that the state court erroneously determined her truck was subject to forfeiture, but rather, the continued enforcement of the forfeiture statutes plaintiff alleges are unconstitutional, the judge wrote.

The original lawsuit named Voyes as Pinal county attorney and Paul Babeu as sheriff, but in their official capacity. That means the defendants are now County Attorney Kent Volkmer and Sheriff Mark Lamb, who were elected in 2016.

A hearing on what happens next in the case is set for next month. No date has been set for a trial.
The following editorial appeared in the Star Tribune on Saturday, Aug. 19:

Once again, there are flickering candles and flowers left on the streets of one of the worlds great cities to mourn terror attack victims. This time, blood has been shed in and near the breathtaking Spanish city of Barcelona, a global tourism magnet known for its striking modernist basilica and vibrant street scene.

At least 14 people were killed when ordinary vehicles became weapons on Thursday and early Friday and mowed down people in two locations. One assault took place on the crowded sidewalks of a popular promenade in the heart of Barcelona. The other happened in Cambrils, a smaller city on the Mediterranean coast about 60 miles away. Thoughts and prayers from around the world are still a necessary balm for grieving families and a wounded nation. May we never grow so accustomed to ongoing terror attacks that we halfheartedly mourn innocent lives lost and fail to pause to denounce their murderers.

These words, however, must be accompanied by deeper determination to thwart extremists of all ideologies. Initial reports indicate that the Barcelona attacks were planned by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and carried out by multiple people. This distinguishes it from a so-called lone wolf attack by someone with more tenuous ties to terrorism. The Barcelona attacks scope and coordination suggests that the Islamic State still has enough organizational resources to execute its hellish ambitions.

International cooperation is critical to track down the perpetrators and prevent another tragedy. Other nations have long been partners in the fight against terror. President Donald Trump should strongly signal the world that he values this collaboration and will seek to wield the worlds resources to pursue justice. While a tweet would be helpful, this message would resonate far more strongly if Trump employed a more traditional presidential communications strategy.

The terror attacks in Spain follow last weekends violence in Charlottesville, Va., spurred by right-wing extremists. The run of such tragic events may tempt some to tune out the news. Dont succumb to this. The Charlottesville attack drove home that terror flourishes within our borders as well as in faraway deserts. Every American shares the responsibility to work peacefully to stop it.

Trump cant help himself. Who will?

The following editorial appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Wednesday, Aug. 16:

The North Korean crisis appears to have de-escalated in recent days, thanks to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillersons steady, stern response to the rogue nations provocations. Pyongyangs decision to drop a plan to shoot ballistic missiles near Guam, a U.S. territory, was a relief after last weeks global nuclear anxieties.

But on Tuesday, the Donald Trump crisis escalated. The president hates the intense criticism that hes faced over failing to immediately denounce the white nationalists and Nazi sympathizers who engaged in violent protests in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday that led to the deaths of three people. His response was to use a news conference to angrily defend his initial claim that both nationalists and counter-protesters were to blame. He also defended the quiet members of a Friday night demonstration in which people chanted Jews will not replace us. Even for Trump, this feels unfathomable.

The result could well be more administration advisers following the lead of the CEOs of Merck, Intel and Under Armour, who resigned Monday from Trumps American Manufacturing Council. But on behalf of the American public and the world, we implore Mattis, Tillerson, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster to stay. The Trump on display Tuesday  so convinced of his infallibility, so comfortable supporting people who march alongside racists  needs aides able to rein him in. We need Trumps national security team  to protect us from Trump.

Ousting Bannon no cure for the real White House problem

The following editorial appeared in The Dallas Morning News on Saturday, Aug. 19:

President Donald Trumps top adviser, Steve Bannon, is out of the White House. The departure is welcome; his corrosive influence and association with white nationalists represents some of the worst elements in politics.

That said, it would be unwise to consider this anything more than just a small step in the right direction.

Bannon is the latest in a string of staffers leaving the Trump White House, which is still only seven months old. His ouster follows by a couple of weeks that of communications director Anthony Scaramucci, after 10 days on the job. Also gone in July: chief of staff Reince Priebus, press secretary Sean Spicer, and Office of Government Ethics director Walter Shaub. And the list goes on and on.

While the addition of John Kelly as chief of staff  and H.R. McMaster before him as national security adviser  may have played a stabilizing role on White House staff, nothing weve seen so far convinces us that much will change. Why? The real problem is President Donald Trump.

In just the last few weeks, Trump managed to shame Attorney General Jeff Sessions publicly; tweet a transgender military ban without informing the military; and politicize a speech to Boy Scouts and then lie about a phone call from a Boy Scout leader. He made up a phone conversation with the president of Mexico over border protection. He joked about Vladimir Putin kicking 750 diplomats out of Russia. He waited days to sign an overwhelming bipartisan Russian sanctions bill and then complained Congress made him sign it. He joked about cops roughing up suspects. He threatened a possible nuclear war with North Korea. And all of that was before his offensive responses to the events in Charlottesville.

The list is wearying. And ongoing.

Bannon certainly had his hands on some of Trumps most controversial policy proposals, from immigration to military intervention around the world.

But it defies reality to think the country can rest easy now that Bannon is out of the White House.

Ignore climate change report at our peril

The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday, Aug. 18:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officially confirmed last week that 2016 was the Earths hottest year on record, surpassing 2015, which surpassed 2014. The NOAA had reported this unofficially back in January. What made last weeks announcement noteworthy is that the NOAA is now part of the administration of President Donald Trump, who has famously called global warming a hoax.

Climate change denial is getting a little tricky for the president and his fellow Republicans. Politico reported last week that some business groups, including those allied with Charles and David Kochs powerful interests, are pushing back against the aggressive efforts of Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt to deny human-induced climate change.

These groups would rather not argue against the scientific consensus that man-made global warming is a growing threat. They want to roll back environmental regulations anyway without getting into debates that might hurt moderate Republicans. Its an amazingly cynical strategy: Dont argue the evidence or address the problem. Just ignore it.

The Trump administration has another chance this week to consider the choice between deny and ignore. Friday is the deadline for the heads of the 13 federal agencies that study various aspects of climate change to sign off on a draft of the Climate Science Special Report compiled by the scientists who work for their agencies. The report is part of the quadrennial National Climate Assessment mandated by Congress in 1990.

The draft was posted on the private nonprofit Internet Archive in January at a time when scientists feared that Trump might halt all climate research. It came to light last week when The New York Times reported that some government scientists were still concerned about potential Trump administration censorship.

The 673-page report largely reflects findings of hundreds, if not thousands, of previous studies of climate change, including those of the U.N.s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This is not surprising: Good science must be replicable.

This report concludes that it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence.

Scientists dont throw terms like extremely likely around casually. It means a 95 percent to 100 percent probability. And yet Pruitt, Trumps chief environmental official, scoffs at the concept that carbon dioxide released by human activity is a primary cause of global warming.

The draft report ventures into the quickly evolving field of attribution science, suggesting that theres a very high level of confidence that global warming is responsible for extreme temperatures and high confidence that its responsible for extreme precipitation.

The scientific argument is over. Its silly to deny it. Its shameful to know it and ignore it.

Ukraine rocket firm, North Korea linked

The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday, Aug. 16:

Ukraine is virtually an anything goes zone for American entrepreneurs  as well as for people like the North Koreans. That idea has been reinforced by news reports that a Ukrainian factory sold North Korea rocket engines for intercontinental ballistic missiles, which Pyongyang wants to arm with nuclear warheads so it can threaten the United States as well as peace in its region.

In 2014, Ukraine had a piece of its territory, Crimea, sawed off by Russia and parts of its east occupied by Ukrainian rebels backed by Russian military support. After the initial conflict, a low-boil state of war persists, faded from the daily headlines in the U.S. at least. In the absence of attention, the country has become something of a Wild West entrepot of black-market weapons supply.

Military observers have been curious about how North Korea, which put into orbit in recent months two long-range ICBMs, was able to get past some of Americas heretofore relatively successful efforts to sizzle its burgeoning missile-launching capacities. The rapid nature of how theyve been able to come to that capability is something, frankly, that has surprised both the United States and the world, said former CIA Director Leon Panetta on CBS on Sunday.

Ukrainian technology and a specific Ukrainian factory now appear to be the origin of the new North Korean surge. The missiles are called by the North Koreans Hwasong-14s, apparently powered by Ukrainian-made RD-250 engines, and they are projected to be able to reach Guam, Alaska and who knows where else if their trajectories are appropriately programmed.

The Ukrainian factory is located in Dnipro, pretty much on the line between Ukrainian-controlled territory and Russian-supported rebel territory. It is called Yuzhmash, and North Korean cooperation with it has been going on for about two years, counter to Ukrainian government denials. It is also likely that Ukrainians have been helping the North Koreans with the technology involved, in North Korea itself.

For its part, the Yuzhmash factory denies any wrongdoing. Any transfer of technology to other countries for the organization of production of rocket and space technology is, in the opinion of Yuzhmash, inexpedient, it declares on its website. Aware of its responsibility, Yuzhmash has not participated, does not participate and will not participate in any cooperation involving the transfer of potentially dangerous technologies outside Ukraine.

Ukraine is a snakepit of runaway business transactions. It is a pity that an effective CIA element was also not more active along with American businesspersons in the snakepit and able to head off sales of engines and technology to the North Koreans. It would have been worth buying up underemployed Yuzhmashs production and capacity to keep it out of the hands of Pyongyang.
Al Ahram Weekly, by Azza Radwan Sedky

President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis tour of four Sub-Saharan African countries signals Egypts desire to bolster its role across the continent, writes Azza Radwan Sedky

Africa is at a crossroads. The image of a needy, deficient continent is slowly eroding only to be replaced by the image of a region enjoying rapid growth, endless possibilities and economic potential.

This is why conquering Africa, as the old saying goes, still holds but with a novel twist: you must give in order to take. And other countries are eyeing Africas prospects and venturing into the continent with their full weight behind them, not only to support but also to gain. Its a win-win situation.

China, Israel, India, Brazil and many other nations have sought to expand their presence in Africa. Over the last 20 years, Chinese trade in Africa has increased 150 times, and today China is the largest trade partner in Africa. From almost no trade in 2000, trade between Africa and China has reached over $200 billion, with approximately one million Chinese entrepreneurs settling in Africa.

Israel, too, realising Africas geopolitical importance and growth potential enjoys a strong presence in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and western Africa at large.

In the light of the efforts made by other countries to utilise the current African boom, it is important to bolster Egypts role in Africa. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis visit to Rwanda, Tanzania, Gabon and Chad is fundamental in cementing Egypts role and rekindling the lost connections that existed during the era of former president Gamal Abdel-Nasser.

The Ethiopian Dam conflict, Nile Basin challenges, terrorism and security threats, and border issues are all key points of discussion, in addition to improved ties and trade ventures. To facilitate trade and investment in the continent, Egypt has already opened commercial offices in Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Djibouti and Ivory Coast.



TANZANIA: During his press conference in Tanzania, Al-Sisi said that Egypt aspires to increase mutual investments and trade, especially in the fields of agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals, metallurgical wealth and sustainable development.

He also cited development projects that Egypt is carrying out in Tanzania, especially in the areas of construction and infrastructure. The health sector is also getting its share of cooperation as Tanzanian hospitals have twinned with the Shatby Hospital in Alexandria under the auspices of Alexandria University.

In an article entitled Revived Relations Promise Benefits, the Tanzanian Daily News said that the trade volume between Tanzania and Egypt stands at 78 million US dollars, with Egyptian companies over about 900 million US dollar investments creating 956 jobs for Tanzanians, which should now increase further.



RWANDA: This is Al-Sisis second visit to Rwanda. His first came as part of the African Union Summit in Kigali, Rwandas capital, in 2016.

As Rwanda is part of the Nile Basin Initiative group, the visit aimed at clarifying Egypts views on Nile Basin issues and ensuring water security.

Commenting on the visit, Al-Sisi said he had discussed ways to improve cooperation between the private sectors of both countries, mainly in the fields of telecommunication, tourism, agriculture and energy.

According to Rwandas The New Times, as of 2015, statistics show that Rwanda earned about $30 million in exports to Egypt annually, while Egypt made about $64 million from exports to Rwanda.

These are numbers that should increase. Rwandas earnings from exports to Egypt are likely to rise in the coming days, following the latters pledge to continue supporting trade ties and with the growth of the Made-in-Rwanda campaign, the paper said.

GABON: The third stop on the tour was Gabon, the first visit to the central African country by an Egyptian president. It came in response to the several visits to Egypt by Gabonese President Ali Bongo, the countrys deputy prime minister, and several Gabonese ministers.

Bilateral relations, investments and trade were discussed. Gabon enjoys diverse natural resources such as oil, wood and mineral wealth, which could open investment opportunities for both countries, and a trade cooperation agreement between Egypt and Gabon in the timber industry was signed.

The talks also focused on the contribution that Egyptian companies can make to infrastructure development in Gabon.



CHAD: Chadian President Idriss Deby visited Egypt in 2014, and president Al-Sisi is returning the visit.

Sharing a border with Libya, Chad falls within the reach of the Islamic State (IS) group in Africa. As fleeing militants leave Libya, they could easily cross into Chad, and already Chad has deployed troops along its northern border.

Egyptian medical, educational and agricultural collaboration with Chad is strong. Deby confirmed Chads keenness on encouraging Egyptian investors, exempting them from entry visas to Chad.

Apart from Al-Sisis African tour, Egypt will be hosting the Africa 2017 Forum, entitled Business for Africa, Egypt and the World, in December this year. In his welcome message on the Forums Website, Al-Sisi says that the Africa 2017 Forum is a landmark platform that will bring together political and business leaders to discuss ways to enhance pan-African international trade and investment.

As other nations attempt to charm Africa into beneficial trade agreements and joint ventures, Egypt must exert similar efforts to regain and sustain improved relations with the continent.

The writer is an academic, political analyst and author of Cairo Rewind: The First Two Years of Egypts Revolution, 2011-2013.
An electrician installs lights last year in the new United Club in Terminal 1 at OHare International Airport. The shortage of trade workers needs to be addressed more urgently. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

If you're waiting longer these days to get an appointment with an electrician, plumber or carpenter, don't blame it only on summer vacations.

There's a growing shortage of these skilled workers that perform essential jobs at major construction sites and inside customers' homes. Even in a strengthening economy, more experienced and older trade workers are retiring.

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Unfortunately, there aren't enough younger people poised to take their places.

That has to change because left unchecked, this could blossom into an acute skilled worker shortage that touches everyone. It will mean higher costs or delays for those building new office towers, rehabbing houses or merely dealing with annoying, everyday emergencies like clogged toilets and sinks.

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Some local schools, unions and companies are working to ease the labor crunch. That's an important mission, and more organizations need to get on board.

"This could be a very large problem," says Mark Klein, co-president of Lincolnshire-based Klein Tools, which makes products for the electrical industry and electricians. "It's a huge supply and demand issue."

A recent survey of more than 600 union and nonunion electricians found that 56 percent said more experienced electricians are leaving the field, compared with 44 percent in 2015, according to an analysis of independent research commissioned by Klein.

What's more, 40 percent of those asked say they are concerned there won't be enough qualified electricians available in the coming years to meet demand.

A similar dynamic is running through plumbing, carpentry and other construction-related trades where the median worker age is over 40 years old and the need for new workers is building, according to the Washington D.C.-based National Association of Home Builders.

Why did this job crunch happen?

The Great Recession and subprime mortgage meltdown of the late 2000s and early 2010s took a toll. The economic disaster meant a loss of nearly 1.5 million construction-related jobs, with hundreds of thousand workers leaving the field for good. Many independent contractors also went out of business.

Those construction businesses that endured didn't spend much-needed cash on mentoring or recruiting new workers. Unions, which also were reeling from related economic hardships, cut back on paid apprenticeships. That kept many young people out of the trade job pipeline.

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But there's another hurdle to attracting new workers: lack of exposure to the trades at an early age.

As high school shop classes and other related "build-it-yourself" experiences are being taken out of curricula, students don't get much hands-on exposure to making stuff and problem-solving.

Nor do they get a chance to envision the trades as a career option versus a four-year college degree.

We need to appreciate that some people have a talent for working with their hands and solving those daunting difficulties that come with creating and fixing things.

As someone who has a hard time switching on the snowblower and comes from a family that could repair mostly anything mechanical, I've long admired those abilities.

Lately, there's been a burgeoning effort to recruit younger people to fill these important positions. Increasingly, it's across-the-board with higher education, business and unions stepping up to do the sales pitch that says, barring other Great Recession calamities, an enduring and good-paying career is possible.

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Taking part are area community colleges, including the City Colleges of Chicago. The system's Dawson Technical Institute, part of Kennedy-King College, offers programs in carpentry, plumbing, electric line work and more.

In a few weeks, the Chicago-based Plumbers Local 130 is opening a state-of-the-art training center that will expose apprentices to "real world" construction scenarios and plumbing issues. The center also will focus on how to work with "green" technology and rainwater harvesting, says James Coyne, business manager of the 6,000-member local.

For its part, Klein is investing $2 million over five years in union and business programs that develop training, scholarships and an endowment that provides tools to upcoming electricians.

This is all good but it's only a start.

More local unions, companies and educational institutions have to come to the rescue. They must push themselves to be more creative and inclusive than ever before, opening the trades further to women and minorities.

And as Plumbers Local 130 is showing, there's also a need to emphasize new ways of doing the jobs, one that offers greater rewards by stressing emerging environmental and technological advances.

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At the same time, it would be great if more experienced workers, retired or not, took a while to mentor and teach students about their crafts  sort of what the federal government-backed SCORE volunteer network does to advise small business owners.

Let's get going. We can't wait much longer for a new wave of electricians, plumbers and carpenters to arrive.

roreed@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @reedtribbiz
The partnership with GrubHub will allow guests at Hyatt Centric hotels to try a variety of local cuisine. ( Keri Wiginton/Chicago Tribune )

Hyatt and GrubHub said Tuesday they have expanded a partnership that allows a hand-picked collection of restaurants to deliver room service to visitors at Hyatt Centric hotels, Hyatt's brand geared toward younger travelers.

The partnership offers Hyatt Centric hotel guests the option of ordering from about a dozen restaurants through GrubHub and having the food delivered directly to their rooms  either by a delivery driver or a hotel employee.

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The program was first tested last year at three Hyatt Centric hotels, in Long Beach, Calif., Park City, Utah, and Miami. Starting this month, it has expanded to six additional hotels in San Francisco; Arlington, Va.; The Woodlands, Texas; New York City; and Chicago. The Hyatt Centric in Chicago is in the Gold Coast neighborhood, just off the Magnificent Mile.

The restaurants at each location are selected by hotel staff so travelers can try food unique to the area without leaving their rooms, according to Sandra Cordova Micek, senior vice president of global brands at Hyatt. In Chicago, available restaurants range from Portillo's and Broken English Taco Pub to Carson's and RPM Italian.

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The GrubHub delivery service is advertised on key card sleeves and in hotel information books in each room.

The partnership is part of Hyatt Centric's "Restaurant To Go" program, which also offers a 24-hour Express Menu featuring food that can be delivered in 20 minutes.

sbomkamp@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SamWillTravel
Presence Health has agreed to be acquired in a deal that will make it part of Amita Health, expanding the system to 19 hospitals in the Chicago area.

No money will change hands in the deal that was announced Tuesday, though Ascension will take on Catholic hospital system Presence's liabilities, Presence President and CEO Michael Englehart said Tuesday. Presence has faced financial challenges in recent years.

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If the deal goes through, Amita will have the most hospitals of any hospital system in the state. By comparison, Advocate Health Care has 11 hospitals and a two-campus children's hospital, and OSF HealthCare has 10 hospitals in Illinois and one in Michigan.

The deal could close by the end of this year or early next year, pending regulatory and church approval, said Amita President and CEO Mark Frey.

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Amita is a joint operating company formed by Adventist Midwest Health and Ascension's Alexian Brothers Health System in 2015.

Amita has nine hospitals in the west and northwest suburbs. Presence has 12 hospitals stretching from Evanston to Urbana, though it recently announced plans to sell its Danville and Urbana hospitals to Peoria-based OSF HealthCare.

The systems don't plan to close any hospitals as a result of the proposed merger, Englehart said. Layoffs and/or job eliminations are possible, particularly when it comes to office functions, though the systems are unsure how many positions might be affected, Frey said.

Over time, the "Presence" name will disappear and be replaced with the "Amita" name, Englehart said. For example, the "Saint Francis" in Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston will stay in place.

"The goal really here is to be able to serve our communities, increase access, make sure we're consistent with our mission to serve the poor," Frey said.

He said the acquisition is an opportunity to "really lower the cost of care by getting efficiencies, and redundancies out of both organizations."

"I don't see this as anything but a win for consumers," Frey said.

In recent years, Presence has worked on a financial turnaround. It returned to profitability during the first quarter of this year after reporting operating losses of about $40 million last year and $185 million for the year before.

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Englehart said Presence is now on "much firmer footing than we were two years ago."

He said the deal with Ascension is less about Presence's finances and more about "how do we really strengthen Catholic health care, faith-based health care, and continue to live our mission."

The deal comes as hospital systems across the country consolidate in hopes, they say, of lowering costs and improving quality. The Federal Trade Commission, however, has challenged some of those proposed mergers over concerns they would raise prices.

Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem decided in March to walk away from plans to merge after a federal judge ruled in favor of the FTC, which had challenged the deal.

But Englehart said Presence and Amita are confident their proposed deal will help and not hurt consumers.

Mark Rust, a partner at law firm Barnes & Thornburg in Chicago, said he thinks it's unlikely the FTC will challenge the proposed tie-up between the systems.

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Unlike in the Advocate-NorthShore case, Amita and Presence's hospitals are in different geographic locations, and a number of Presence's hospitals are in underserved areas without much competition, he said.

"If you look at the map where these hospitals are, you'll see it's pretty well spread out," Rust said. "There's not a huge concentration in any one area that would cause you to say they've really concentrated the market in one area."

Plus, Presence could likely make a case that a merger wasn't its first choice but necessary to address its financial issues, he said.

"I believe this will be a fairly easy one for the FTC ... that they will look at it as a good merger," Rust said.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lschencker
craigslist: thailand jobs, apartments, for sale, services, community, and events

craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, services, local community, and events
Many people buy property thinking a fence is the property line. The real line is found on the plat survey that every homeowner should get  and carefully review  before taking title. (Ingram Publishing/Getty Images )

Q: I just sold a townhouse I purchased back in 2001. In 2002, I learned that the wooden fencing parallel to the back of my house had been erroneously installed about 4 feet inside of my homeowners association's common area. Although I believe the seller knew the land inside the fence did not belong to my lot, neither he nor the seller's real estate agent disclosed this to me.

About a year ago, the president of the HOA admitted in public that the board of directors had routinely failed to disclose the fencing issue, but the board was now going to install a replacement fence right on the boundary.

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I believe the current value of the land that I thought belonged to me is approximately $30,000. Can I sue the board for this amount, considering they clearly knew and did not disclose?

A: When you went to closing years ago, you were given a copy of the plat survey. Did you look at it? Did you discuss the property lines with your attorney or with the title (escrow) agent at closing?

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More significant, back in 2002, you learned the facts but apparently did not do anything about it.

Did the association install the new fence before you sold your property? If not, I hope you disclosed the facts to your buyer. Otherwise, you could be sued for nondisclosure.

This is not a unique situation; many people buy property thinking a fence is the property line. From my experience, typically the courts have taken the position that the fence is not necessarily the property line. The real line is found on the survey that every homeowner should get  and carefully review  before taking title.

Q: I am an owner in a 24-unit resort condo building. The board of directors continually ignores the bylaws and our state condo laws. For example, the board doesn't hold open board meetings, it spends beyond bylaw limit and it doesn't answer questions beyond saying "trust your board."

My question is this: Like a tenant, can I withhold monthly dues and put them in an escrow account until the board follows the bylaws and state condo laws? What requirements are necessary for such an account?

A: While unit owners often escrow their condo fee, basic community association law is that the requirement to pay the assessment is a separate legal obligation that cannot  and should not  be used as leverage, or a setoff, in light of grievances against the association. In other words, if you have a problem, you can sue the association, but you still have to pay the assessment on a timely basis.

Having said that, my experience (on both sides of this issue) is that if the association files suit against a delinquent owner, the court will accept a counterclaim against the association.

But, to what avail? What do you think you can unilaterally do to change the mindset of the association? I recommend you contact all of the other owners, explain the facts and see if they will join you in this fight.

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One way to resolve the problem  if you have enough support  is to recall the board. Your bylaws will spell out the procedure. Another approach is to

file a complaint with the consumer protection division in your state's attorney general's office.

And of course, the ultimate remedy: file suit.

But if you are unable to muster a sizable majority of owners, these are your only options: try to get on the board yourself, put up with the problems or sell your unit.

Benny Kass is a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland. He does not provide specific legal or financial advice to any reader. Readers may email him, but he cannot guarantee a personal response.

mailbag@kmklawyers.com







Watch our latest Real Estate videos.
Gene Simmons is the co-frontman of fabled, fire-breathing rock overlords Kiss, and does a thriving side business as an entrepreneur. Kiss made rock merchandising an art form, and Simmons (born Chaim Witz in Israel 68 years ago) is its finest brand extension.

He has authored books, starred in a reality show, made it to week three of "The Celebrity Apprentice" in 2008, endorsed Mitt Romney and launched his own cola. He will patiently, eloquently answer any question, and is unfailingly serious, even when he's probably kidding. He has an easy command of Kiss-related statistics, from the number of "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" episodes that have aired (156) to the number of Kiss-affiliated Rock & Brews restaurants set to open locally (15).

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"Our reach is far and wide," says Simmons, who plays a rare, makeup-free solo show at the Park West on Saturday as part of the Wizard World convention (he's a big comic book geek). Simmons, whose new book, "On Power," arrives in November, talked meeting presidents, vomiting blood and life as a tabloid staple. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation:

Q: Your new book is partly a meditation on power, and partly a self-help book.

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A: The book grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you and says, "OK, are you serious about life? Do you want to reach for the stars? Here's some things you can do to make more money, and become more powerful."

Q: What do you make of President Trump, how he uses power? Is he wielding it effectively?

A: Politically, you can make a good argument that it's not the way people are used to politicians acting. I know President Trump well enough, I suppose. I've certainly met President Clinton and President Bush, and everyone's different when they get in there.

Q: Was running for president something you would have been interested in, if you'd been born here?

A: Democracy is very messy, although it's the best system we have, so I wouldn't be interested in that. I like the fact that the president is accepting no salary, he's doing it for one dollar. I like that. I think it should be public service. ... I like captains of industry becoming politicians. I don't recall your question, but I like my answer.

Q: You strike me as being very practical and unsentimental, which are great qualities for a businessman, but not so much for an artist. Do those qualities come into conflict in your mind, ever?

A: How did you ever think anyone who plays electric guitar is an artist? They can't even read or write music.

Q: You don't think of yourself as an artist?

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A: No. An artist is somebody who went to school, who learned music theory, can read and write music, like classical musicians or jazz musicians. None of us  Madonna, I don't care who you're talking about  none of us learned to read and write music, we just sort of did it. It's pretty much on the same level as cavemen who came out of the caves and started to beat on the drums, and howl at the moon.

Q: I think of somebody like Bruce Springsteen as an artist. I don't know if he can read music.

A: Yeah, but you're buying into the culture. I don't think he'd stand up and say, "I'm an artist." And I've met Bruce. Remember, he wears torn jeans, because he wants to connect to the common man. We both know he can buy a fleet of Rolls Royces.  Everybody puts on affectations, including myself. I wear shades in the dark, because the sun never sets on Planet Cool, does it?

Q: Are they prescription?

A: Certainly not.

Q: You used to be in the tabloids without your makeup, and you always looked so unhappy to be seen. Could you walk around and have a normal life, before you unmasked yourself?

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A: As soon as Kiss started, we had to hide our faces, because there was a reward: What did they look like without the makeup? So when I was going out with Cher and Diana Ross, we had to sneak around and cover our faces. Then, eventually, you grow up and you don't care.

Q: Was that a fun time in the band's history?

A: I have to say in all honesty, every day is fun. I've never had a bad day in my life. When you're rich and famous and you have the life of Riley  I would understand if very poor people living in squalor or in the Third World are depressed and feel bad and grim. I get it. But when you're rich and famous, unless you have a chemical imbalance, it's all nonsense. It's all an attention-getting device.

Q: Kiss does everything from condoms to caskets. Do you talk to a lot of people who bury loved ones in Kiss caskets, or is that a loss leader?

A: Well, it happens once in your life, right, but the marketplace is pretty large. There are bars that get them because they're moisture-proof, and they use them for coolers.

Q: Does performing in makeup and costumes give you more longevity? You could go out there at 80.

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A: It's fair to say Kiss is the hardest-working band in show business. Even just the weight of the stuff we carry around. We're not going to do it anywhere as long as the Stones or McCartney, because we can't. I mean, we don't step onstage in jeans and a T-shirt, because that you can do into your late 70s. I'm on 7-inch platform heels, I spit fire and fly through the air. It's exhausting.

Q: Have you ever come close to packing it in  you, personally?

A: No. Why would you, when you're having so much fun? I've never done drugs or alcohol, never smoked cigarettes, so my soul is intact.

Q: When you would vomit blood, what was in it? Was it a squib?

A: There was eggs, yogurt, rotten milk, food coloring. I mean, it was putrid, it smelled bad. If it looked like I was throwing up, sometimes I did.

Q: So you would run to the side of the stage and put it into your mouth, then spit it out?

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A: There would be a blackout, and someone would run onstage and put it in my mouth.

Q: Whatever they were paying you, it wasn't enough.

A: I like you. I like the way you put that.

When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave.

Tickets: $38-$299; 773-929-5959 or www.ticketfly.com

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Allison Stewart is a freelance writer.

onthetown@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @chitribent

[ RELATED: Pearl Jam announces screenings for Wrigley Field concert film  ]

[ Stephen Wade has a new album 'Amerikee,' and a lifelong love of banjo  ]

[ Coldplay's Chris Martin visits ill teen in Chicago after Soldier Field show  ]







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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)
Chicago consulting firm CEO Iggy Rodriguez (left) was briefly on the cast of "Bachelor in Paradise." (Paul Hebert / ABC)

Chicago consulting firm CEO Iggy Rodriguez was sent home without fanfare on Monday's episode of "Bachelor in Paradise."

The quiet exit mirrored Rodriguez's low-key time on the show. Over five hours of the ABC network series, he was shown making an uncomfortable pitch for kisses, grunting while weightlifting, primping in the mirror and commenting on other contestants' budding relationships.

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It's almost as if the 30-year-old West Loop resident didn't realize he was supposed to be making a love connection at the Mexican resort, where former cast members of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" are encouraged to pair up.

The women had the power on Monday's episode to give out roses to men they wanted to keep around for another week.

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Rodriguez made a last-ditch effort to try to get a rose from New York marketing and social media specialist Lacey Mark by reading her a Jewish prayer. He didn't have a prayer, though, as Mark gave her rose to Groupon senior inventory analyst Kenneth "Diggy" Moreland because she found him to be genuine.

Rodriguez was one of four men eliminated on Monday's episode, but his exit interview wasn't televised. Instead, producers focused on showing an eliminated contestant's struggle with his seat belt during the ride home.

Moreland is the only Chicagoan who remains on "Bachelor in Paradise," though new contestants are added each week. The series airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays. Monday's episode was interrupted for about half an hour in Chicago for President Donald Trump's address about the war in Afghanistan. Some social media users were unhappy about the delay.

RELATED STORIES:

'Bachelor in Paradise' star from Chicago talks effects of sexual incident between castmates

Chicagoans hunt for roses on 'Bachelor in Paradise' premiere

Chicago CEO talks his 'disappointing' portrayal on 'The Bachelorette'

Chicagoans upset airing of 'The Bachelorette' delayed for Cubs game

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Chicago CEO calls 'The Bachelorette' the 'single most revealing process of my entire life'

'Bachelor in Paradise' investigation finds no misconduct, production to resume







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
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Former astronaut and governor-general designate Julie Payette has dropped her attempt to seal the record of her divorce proceedings with husband William (Billy) Flynn. Payette had asked a Maryland court to seal the records this summer when it was revealed she had been charged with assault on Flynn in 2011. The prosecutor dismissed the charge about two weeks later and the assault has since been expunged from the public record, as permitted under state law. News organizations including The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Postmedia Network, the CBC, CTV and iPolitics joined together as interveners to contest the sealing order, arguing that scrutiny of Ms. Payettes background is in the public interest, given the importance of her new post as the Queens representative in Canada. The record of the 2013 divorce is expected to be public Tuesday.

Related
https://theprint.in/2017/08/20/clash-pangong-lake-shows-india-prepare-unexpected/



India must be vigilant and at the same time prepare for the worst.

Colonel (retd) Vinayak Bhat

This Independence Day brought unexpected news of troops from Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) pelting stones at Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel at Pangong Tso. Many ITBP personnel were injured in the incident.

On August 19, 2017, a video of the incident emerged. At first glance the video confuses a viewer. It requires at least two viewings to understand that the Chinese soldiers crossed the limits of sane behaviour. They were not only pelting stones at ITBP personnel, but also hitting and kicking them. It was an unprecedented act and terrible behaviour by the Chinese PLA.

It was an impossible task to geo-locate the video after the first few viewings. However, the bright idea of stitching video frames together gives a panoramic view of the location.

The long shadows of the men and the fact the altercation took place in the morning narrowed the probability of the incident having taken place on the Northern shores of Pangong Tso. The incident obviously took place between two differently perceived borders.

The task became easier when the satellite images were seen with North-facing down. The video was geo-located to 33 43 12N 78 45 49E, which is very close to the perceived Chinese border. In the video, ITBP personnel are on the right and the PLA troops on the left. The ITBP personnel are seen carrying white banners to indicate to the PLA that they have violated patrolling lines.

PLA and jostling

The PLA using jostling to push the opposing army behind a border is not a new tactic. It was seen during the Ussuri River incident in 1969 when troops from China and the erstwhile USSR jostled in the snow.

The Indian Army experienced the same at Doklam area in June and July of 2017. But PLA troops pelting stones at ITBP personnel was unwarranted, and has never happened before.

Why the incident at Pangong Tso was an aberration

The incident would never have occurred if the PLA abided by the relevant treaties and agreements regarding the Pangong Tso area. The routine protocol for any visual sighting of opposing forces is being followed by the ITBP personnel  to show white banners; then convey the message on megaphones or loudspeakers. The physical interaction should never have taken place at all.

This video clearly puts the PLA in the dock. It is very clear and apparent that the Chinese resorted to physical violence first, and had some axe to grind after the Doklam standoff. The Chinese soldier jumping and kicking ITBP personnel from almost 2-4 metres above was uncalled for. Surely the Indian government will take this issue up with the relevant authorities in China.

Importance of the area

The area lies close to the Southern tip of Aksai Chin, that has been occupied by China since the 1962 war with India. Pangong Tso is sacred to Indians and Tibetans. Today, India controls less than one-third of the 160 km-long lake. There is no way Indians can hope to circumvent the lake in their lifetime.

Strategically, this area is very important because it provides access to the areas north of the Himalayas on the Tibetan plateau. Both China and India have deployed speedboats to patrol the lake.

South of the Pangong Tso and East Chushul, there is another freshwater lake named Spanggur Tso. It is presently under Chinese control and is the source of many jibes against Indian officers. At almost every Border Personnel Meeting, Indian officers are reminded that they cant eat the freshwater fish of the Spanggur Tso.

What to watch for

All our forces must remain vigilant for the unexpected. It is a perpetual habit and tactic by the Chinese to open up new fronts if one is closed. China today knows that the Doklam issue has become a stalemate, and is not likely to be resolved. Hence, the PLA will make all efforts to grab land in areas that are sensitive to India, so that they can be used to strike bargains in either Ladakh or Arunachal Pradesh.

India must be vigilant and at the same time prepare for the worst  a war with its nuclear neighbour.

Col Vinayak Bhat (retd) is a Military Intelligence veteran of the Indian Army with vast experience of satellite imagery analysis. He has worked as Chinese interpreter and is a specialist on PLA and Pakistans Armed Forces. He tweets @rajfortyseven
Eclipse Impressions from Oregon, the Coast in Pics, Video, Words

Published 08/21/2017 at 7:33 PM PDT - Updated 08/21/2017 at 7:53 PM PDT

By Andre' Hagestedt





(Salem, Oregon)  I'm old enough to remember the last full eclipse we had in Oregon in 1979, and it was a dud thanks to cloud cover. So that's all I remember. I don't even remember what I saw.

Today's total eclipse was a different story around Oregon and even the slightly cloudy Oregon coast. In spite of all the over-hype and mega warnings, and then the let down of lack of business and bodies in some tourist areas, this was definitely worth it.

And I have pictures and video to prove it. Here, however, I wasn't on the Oregon coast but in Salem. I just did not want to take any chances. That decision proved worth it as well.

I got up later than I intended, around 10 a.m. This didn't leave me much time to set up the two video cams and one SLR, so immediately I'm in a groggy panic. Totality is only 17 minutes away. Nothing like fumbling around with technology when you're not all there.

My first look at the eclipse is indeed a surreal kind of dusk: it's a blue sky in Salem but strangely a much darker shade, and you're not seeing the oranges and reds of sunset you usually see at this hour. That's because the sun is low on the horizon at the end of the day, which blocks out different bands of colors as it descends. Here, it's just one object blocking the sun in the midst of a deep blue sky.

What a wild sight, just a few minutes before totality. But nothing compared to when that sun is abruptly blocked out, evenly on all sides. It took me by surprise. That luminous ring and the deep, dark shade of blue above us was beyond surreal. Stunning. Breathtaking. I'm still struggling to find words.

Oregon Eclipse: totality dissipates FAST #OReclipse Video Totality waning - quickly. Taken just now from Salem, Or. From https://www.beachconnection.net Posted by Oregon Coast Beach Connection on Monday, August 21, 2017

All of a sudden I could look at it for a few brief moments. I could see this with the naked eye.

Unfortunately, I couldn't live long in that moment. I was vastly under prepared in getting my SLR gear on the right settings and took a few photos in a panic. As a bit of an experiment, I used my trusty Cannon to take video, but it didn't seem like this was working well. Then the sun came out from behind the moon and totality ended, and I abandoned taking moving pictures. Not until I looked at all of it on the computer a few minutes later did I realize the video more than worked  and I got a great sequence of the sun emerging from totality.

On the Oregon coast, the Oregon Coast Beach Connection Facebook page was filled with fascinating insights and descriptions of how it all went down over there. There was a lot of surprise about how it did not get entirely pitch black.

One reaction from the coast:  It got pretty dark. Not pitch black but inside the house you needed the lights on. It cooled off a bit too. Not as much as I thought it was going to.

On the beaches in places like Lincoln City and Depoe Bay, there was a layer of clouds  but a thin one. In Newport, resident Deb Trusty described the scene from her neighborhood as the whole area cheered. Did it feel elemental and mysterious? Yes. she said.

Indeed, the reactions in Salem were what I noticed most. I was so caught up in the technical struggle I didn't notice what the animals did or didn't do.

Just as the sun was covered up, I heard an enormous cheer and applause; a roaring crowd. This was odd as the sound should be much more spread out up and down this street. It took me an hour to realize this roar was from the OMSI event nearby: the fairgrounds are only about two blocks from my brother's house. That too was surreal.

Then some in the neighborhood launched fireworks, at least two different homes by my estimation. One of my brother's dogs was a stress case for most of the day after that.

Meanwhile, my brother had rigged up the old telescope from '70s we grew up with to project the eclipse onto paper. This was fascinating as he caught a bundle of sunspots. I felt closer to Neil Degrasse-Tyson than ever.

Now comes the wait to get home. Traffic from Salem to Portland as I write this is a substantial mess. Yet I bask in this glow still  the post-eclipse glow of a wispy glow around the moon and a once-in-a-lifetime event. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours













Posted by Oregon Coast Beach Connection on Monday, August 21, 2017

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Its not every day that you go to the Gage County Fairgrounds for a free movie and find a lifetime friend, but thats what happened Sunday evening.

The free movies at the fairgrounds were hosted by Gage County Tourism and the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce.

Lisa Wiegand, Gage County Tourism and Special Events Director, said with the 400-plus confirmed campers there was really an atmosphere of family at the fairgrounds.

There are a lot of people that came here to watch the eclipse that will be forever friends, she continued as she pointed in the direction of Eydie Ridder.

Eydie traveled from Baraboo, Wis. and arrived on Tuesday in Beatrice.

I was in Beatrice a few years ago, she recalled. When she saw that it was in the path of totality, I knew that was the place I wanted to go to.

Ridder stated that her story began six years ago when her husband had passed away after being sick with cancer.

I wanted to see some things before I was in an electric wheelchair, she explained. This is my fifth summer of traveling.

Eydie stated that she travels in a simple van with an extension cord and work light, a roll away bed, some fans and her two dogs, Eddy and Lulu. Her longest trip took about six weeks.

She laughed as she told a story about having vents put in her van, but later stopping at a construction site and asked a man for duct tape.

He helped me tape it up because they were flapping in the wind she giggled.

Her first trip was to South Dakota.

I wanted to see the Crazy Horse Memorial. That worked out really well, she added. She recalled being to Glacier National Park which was "orgeous.

She talked about a trip to Fort Hall, Idaho and to the Shoshone Bannock Reservation.

That was really interesting. The speakers talked about their family experiences that were unlike my own, she said. I stayed an extra week for the pow wow.

Ridder shared some of her other travels, noting that she loves museums.

One year, it took me a whole week to get across Iowa, she said. It was because she had stopped at so many museums.

Ridder noted that there is a conference she is looking forward to attending in Santa Fe, N.M. in a couple of years.

Im saving all of my pennies for that trip.

She admits that the eclipse hadn't crossed her mind until a trip to Idaho last year.

I was on a stop on a mountain and there was just another couple there. They were from Pennsylvania. They kept looking up at the sky and there were no birds around so I had to ask what they were doing. They were scouting out a place for eclipse viewing. Well, I figure it had to be something big!

Ridder stated she started planning her trip to Beatrice last winter.

On her way to Nebraska, she stayed at Nauvoo State Park in Illinois.

That was really interesting and they had so much to do, she said. I went on a horse-drawn wagon ride and there were concerts.

She visited Carthage, Ill. and learned about Joseph Smith and the jail there.

I went to Keokuk, Iowa because they are known for geodes, Edyie said.

While in Nebraska, Ridder enjoyed day trips to Filley, as well as the pottery place, Virginia and the Filley Stone Barn.

Ridder planned to view the eclipse from the fairgrounds on Monday. She pointed out a few of her neighbors and said she thought they would be staying around, too.
The planning was the easy part, but actually getting married proved to be a little more difficult.

Sarah Bollwitt and Morgan Jones got married during the total solar eclipse on Monday in Beatrice, but the path to their wedding day took them thousands of miles from home and several venue changes.

Bollwitt and Jones knew they wanted to get married during the total solar eclipse, the only problem was, the eclipse wouldnt reach them where they live in Homer, Alaska.

Bollwitt, a native of Seward, wanted to come back to Nebraska to get married. They could have done it at her parents house in Seward, but Beatrice had a full minute more of eclipse totality.

Her best friend in high school, Suzanne Clabaugh and her husband Nate, offered their home in Beatrice for them to get married, which the couple accepted.

The two took a plane from Homer with their daughter, Sidney, and were off to Nebraska.

Their plane was delayed for 18 hours in Anchorage, but luckily, Jones said, they had some friends and family they could stay with.

Sounds worse than it was, he said.

They arrived in Nebraska on Aug. 17, Bollwitts 35th birthday, and headed to Seward where her mother had a wedding reception all planned out. After a hamburger feed this past Friday and a rehearsal dinner on Saturday, they were going to have a small get-together for their reception on Sunday.

Sunday, had other plans. The Big Blue River began to flood in Seward. They moved the tables and lighting to a nearby park, but the roads to the park were quickly closed, also due to flooding.

Thats when they moved it to Bollwitts parents home. It was lovely, her mother Sue Bollwitt said, but then they received more bad news. Seward lost all water pressure on Sunday afternoon.

No water, no flushing, Sue said. Suddenly, two Port-a-Potties arrived and saved the day. Not only that, but suddenly we felt like we were kings in our palace. We had water, ice and port-a-johns. What a wonderful thing.

They had the reception and headed off to Beatrice on Monday morning, though Sue began feeling unwell and had to go to the emergency room along the way, she said, thinking she might be having a heart attack.

I got checked out, I'm good to go, Sue said. That was part of the travel on down here. We still made it down here with time to spare. It is meant to be.

They made it to Beatrice and their friend, Irene Williams, officiated the ceremony. It was Williams second wedding, but it went much better than her first one, she said.

The sky was cloudy, but through eclipse glasses, guests could still make out the moons shadow. At the last moment, the clouds began to part and what looked like a diamond ring shone brightly before the halo around the sun appeared and the sky plunged into darkness.

The guests cheered.

It was a difficult journey to get to their wedding day, but they had done it, Jones said, and it was a pretty amazing experience.

The clouds were in, but we still saw the corona and Venus came out for a minute, He said, holding Sidney in his arms. It was one of the coolest things that I've ever seen.
Amy Koester, of the Skokie Public Library, peers skyward Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 to see the historic solar eclipse during a viewing event held at the library in Skokie. (Mike Isaacs / Pioneer Press )

Even though clouds covered much of the sky Monday afternoon, and although this area did not offer up the same kind of ideal viewing venue as Carbondale, many people donned their coveted safety glasses to get a peek at the historic American eclipse.

For some, business-as-usual suddenly gave way to sky gazing, as spectators waited for post-1 p.m. when the eclipse was supposed to be in full effect.

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Astronomers said Monday marked the first eclipse in a century to travel coast to coast across the country and the first ever to pass directly over only the United States.

The Skokie Public Library celebrated the solar eclipse with outdoor games and other festivities leading up to an afternoon viewing. So valuable were the glasses they handed out, which allowed for safe viewing of the eclipse, that the library made special note that they could not be removed from the site.

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Youth and Family Program Supervisor Ann Koester said the library received more than 2,000 calls prior to the event  most of them within the last 10 days. She said she was anticipating 300 to 400 people coming at various times and as many as 1,000 in total in Skokie.

"The enthusiasm has been beyond anything we could have hoped for," Koester said.

Skokie residents Mike Latala and Martha Mazur busily set up lawn chairs in the morning outside Skokie's library. They said they were to be part of a group of seven to view the astrological phenomenon.

"It's going to be something very exciting to see, and we're bringing two little ones," Mazur said.

"We have a young daughter  she's 8  and we thought this would be fun for her," Latala added. "I told her this was something very special."

According to NASA, the eclipse was to last 100 minutes with 14 states  Illinois one of them  experiencing more than two minutes of darkness in the middle of the day.

The Carbondale area, in southern Illinois, provided the most direct view of the eclipse in this region, astronomers said, but that didn't stop Niles Township sky-gazers from participating. The Lincolnwood community was invited to take it all in on School District 74 grounds, one of several Niles Township venues that hosted communal eclipse viewing events.

But officials said they didn't expect this kind of turnout.

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"We thought we'd be lucky to get 500 people out here," said Courtney Tucker, president of the Lincolnwood Parent Teacher Association, which sponsored the viewing event with the school district. She estimated more than 1,000 people were in attendance.

Seven hundred glasses were handed out in Lincolnwood, according to organizers. Those who received them were then asked to share theirs with the plethora of late-comers who arrived. Many adults came with their children, spread blankets on the ground as though they were at a concert at Ravinia and waited for the sky show.

Before the eclipse, the district provided a brief presentation and film on the eclipse and the phenomenon people were about to see.

Seventh grader Evan Halkitis of Queen of All Saints in Chicago said he came to Lincolnwood because he had never seen an eclipse before. He had with him a homemade viewing box as well as the safety glasses the Lincolnwood school district handed out.

"We're doing both," he said. "We want to see how it looks both ways."

Sergio Gomez said he gathered with his children who played in the playground before the sun and moon crossed paths.

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"This isn't something you see every day," he said, holding on to glasses just handed out to him. "We'll watch as a family. It should be something."

School District 74 board member John Vranas said the district and the PTA did an excellent job getting the word out and making the gathering community wide.

"I certainly didn't expect this kind of a turnout," Vranas said. "I think there is excitement about the beginning of the school year, too. But people realize this is a once-in-a-lifetime event."

Oakton Community College's Des Plaines and Skokie campuses hosted viewings of the solar eclipse overseen by faculty and staff who provided safety glasses. The library on the Des Plaines campus also hosted viewing via a live stream.

Oakton officials said more than 300 students, staff, faculty, administrators, and local sky-gazers watched the solar eclipse at the two campuses Monday afternoon.

Oakton also used the opportunity to teach students in introduction to weather and physics classes more about solar eclipses, they said. Oakton had telescopes with solar filter glasses on hand for viewing as well as the safety glasses.

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Oakton physics lab supervisor Matt Herzau called the eclipse viewing "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see an incredible astronomical event" even if clouds hovered over the sky.

"Still, it was easy to see with the solar glasses," he said. "Due to the cloudiness, you could also view the eclipse with the naked eye and it looked like a giant crescent in the sky."

The Morton Grove Public Library provided free safety glasses prior to the event, but like many area venues, it ran out days before, officials said. The library also was to hold a post-eclipse event where attendees could make eclipse necklaces.

misaacs@pioneerlocal.com

@SKReview_Mike
On Monday night, the Beatrice City Council approved economic development loan agreements with two Excel Development Group-owned companies that would see houses and duplexes built at the location of the former Beatrice Community Hospital. The agreements would include rezoning part of the area as residential.

The first loan agreement totals $70,000 to Midwest Housing Initiatives to build eight duplex units located on the site of the old hospital.

The loans will be derived from LB 840 funds which involve a few conditions, City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer said.

It is to be paid-out half, $35,000 upon signing all the documents, he said. The other half cannot get paid out for one year. They'd have to finalize four of the duplexes that are a part of the senior housing project and be completed.

Completion, he said, would mean the units would need to be certified by the building inspection department and get building permits for the next four units. Everything would have to be completed by Oct. 1, 2019, he said.

The next economic development loan totaled $100,000 and is also derived from LB 840 funds. These would be workforce housing units built on the site of the former hospitals parking lot, Tempelmeyer said. The units would be built by Porter Housing LLC, which is a subsidiary of Excel.

We spell out in there what the houses have to be, Tempelmeyer said. They're 1,300 to 1,500 square feet, they're two-stall garages that are attached. They are two-bathroom houses, they have unfinished basements, all those details are laid out in the loan documents themselves.

The terms are the same as the first loan agreement, he said, with half paid upon signing and the second half paid upon completion.

Right now, our price point for those houses is between $187,000 and $195,000 for three to four bedroom houses, said Joel Anderson of Excel Development Group.

Construction would mean that the old hospital needs to be demolished, Tempelmeyer said. The first construction would begin on an area of green space on or around Oct. 1, with demolition of the hospital to begin in January or February and construction expected to begin there in the spring.

Demolition of the old hospital will take months, Tempelmeyer said. There's a lot of asbestos that has to be removed and a lot of concrete that has to be removed.

The city council approved the loan agreements unanimously at 8-0.
Pueblo East, Pueblo West football teams knocked out of playoffs

Both Pueblo West and Pueblo East high schools had their faced stiff competition Friday night on the road.
Heres one equation that doesnt require math: Health plus education equals success. Healthier children are better students and a better education promotes a lifetime of better health. Healthier kids tend to have better school attendance, and better attendance leads to higher graduation rates, which benefit the entire community.

A large body of evidence supports a connection between students health status and academic performance. Research has found that some key health problems get in the way of academic success by reducing a students motivation and ability to learn. Those health issues include poor dental health, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, inattention and hyperactivity. School-based health centers help address those issues. They can also help reduce chronic absenteeism  missing 10 percent or more of school days for excused or unexcused absences. Research links chronic absenteeism to an increased risk of academic failure and is considered an early predictor of whether students will drop out of high school, according to the School-based Health Alliance. Nationally, one in 10 kindergarteners and first-graders miss a full month of school in a single year. Rates of chronic absenteeism in middle school and high school are even higher.

Bringing health care to where students already spend the majority of their time makes sense. Successful school-based clinics share a common vision with parents and teachers  young people thriving in the classroom and beyond. Collaboration between a school-based clinic and administrators, school nurses, teachers and support staff helps meet student needs efficiently, effectively and seamlessly.

A school nurse is the buildings health ambassador, on the front line for day-to-day oversight and management of the schools health. School-based health care complements the work of school nurses. Ready access to a school clinic helps students who lack a primary care provider or are in need of more comprehensive services. When students can get health care needs met at school, they dont have to travel to find a physician, counselor or dentist. Parents benefit because they dont have to take a day off work. Schools benefit because students spend more time in the classroom. Developing the partnership also helps promote a positive school climate, since providers can help improve student behavior and identifying support services.

RiverStone Healths Orchard School Clinic, the first school clinic in our region, opened in May 2015 as a collaborative effort between RiverStone Health, Billings Public Schools and Billings Clinic. At first, the Orchard School Clinic was only open to students attending Orchard Elementary, along with their parents and family. Last year, the clinic opened up to nearby schools. This year, all Billings Public School students, their parents and family members can enroll.

Services offered at the Orchard School Clinic include:

Urgent care  sore throat, stomach ache, flu.

Chronic illness management  asthma, diabetes.

Well-child care with immunizations.

Behavioral health counseling.

Child and adolescent psychiatry.

Dental care.

Payment options include Healthy Montana Kids, Medicaid, Montana HELP Plan, Medicare and most private insurance plans. A sliding fee discount may be available based on family size and income.

At the clinic, our No. 1 goal is to keep the children and schools healthy and provide services to individuals and families who may find it difficult to otherwise receive health care.
A joint venture strategy in China works differently for different businesses at different times. China Briefing looks at the experiences of Starbucks and McDonalds to capture important lessons.

Americans are feeling less optimistic about doing business in China.

In its latest survey, the American Chamber of Commerce in China found that more than three-quarters of US-based companies expressed doubts about investing in China, while over 45 percent of those already in the country stated that their revenues were dropping.

Chinas economic growth has slowed down since 2012. Its gross domestic product rose only 6.7 percent in 2016, registering its slowest pace of expansion in two decades.

Apart from sluggish growth, Chinas challenging regulatory environment and fierce market competition makes doing business much harder for foreign companies in the country.

Yet, two global fast-food giants  McDonalds and Starbucks  continue to expand their operations in China. In this article, we discuss how the two companies have pursued and expanded their operations, and why China is still seen as a valuable market.

McDonalds formed new JV to expand

Recently, on August 9, McDonalds announced plans to open new restaurants in China to reach 4,500 within the next five years. McDonalds announced the plan after finalizing a new joint venture (JV) with CITIC Ltd., CITIC Capital, and Carlyle Capital. The state-owned group will have full ownership of McDonalds existing restaurants as well as additional new outlets for the next 20 years.

The strategic partnership is aimed at securing better locations for McDonalds expansion, according to media statements made by Zhang Yichen, McDonalds China chairperson, and CEO of CITIC Capital. The group owns real estate that will help McDonalds expand its footprint across China, especially in third and fourth tier cities. The group would like to increase the proportion of its outlets in these developing cities from 35 to 45 percent.

Further, the JV will help bring local market knowledge and local resources to the management of McDonalds in China, the absence of which had caused McDonalds to fall behind other food brands such as KFC and Yum China in the last few years. For example, McDonalds confirmed plans to introduce digitalized and personalized dining experiences, which are popular concepts for many Chinese consumers, following the expansion announcement.

The JV in China is one part of a global effort by McDonalds to shift to a lighter global footprint; the company would like a majority of its restaurants to operate as franchises.

McDonalds expects China to become its largest market outside of the US. By relinquishing control, the fast food giant hopes to regain its market share with local decision-making that is flexible to meet consumer demands.

Starbucks bought out JV partner to increase value

Starbucks too plans to increase its number of outlets in China to 5,000 by 2021. But contrary to McDonalds strategy, Starbucks in July bought out its East China joint-partnership  formed with Uni-President Enterprises Corp and President Chain Store Corp  to take over full control of its market operations.

However, Starbucks is already opening more than 500 outlets in China a year, suggesting that buyout was about more than expansion. Starbucks China CEO Belinda Wong told the media that the company viewed full ownership as an opportunity to improve customer experience, through in-store third place experience and digital innovation, and leverage their business infrastructure in a market that is their largest outside of the US. The US$1.3 billion buyout stands as Starbucks largest ever acquisition.

After establishing a considerable foothold in China with the help of its JVs, Starbucks now intends to absorb the growing profits instead of sharing it with JV partners. Given the huge market share, the buyout is intended to counter it slowing sales in the US and establish China as its home market outside of the US.

Joint venture: A unique approach to doing business in China

Much of what Starbucks and McDonalds have achieved in China is the result of their partnership with local operators.

What is important for businesses to learn is that pursuing a JV strategy in China works differently for different businesses at different times. Once the strategic goal is met, companies may alter their partnership as per the business contract, or end it.

A successful JV can present valuable opportunities while reducing costs and risk, especially in times of slow or accelerated growth. Moreover, it can help companies gain access to new markets and distribution networks, along with new resources.

Some of the ways a JV can help foreign companies establish a business in China are discussed below.

Identifying the right market

Though most foreign companies remain focused on coastal cities, there is a huge market for Western products in other parts of China. A local partner with pre-existing market knowledge can help its partner find the most competitive location to target first.

Navigating regulations

Foreign companies must keep in compliance with Chinas fluid regulatory changes while maintaining specific business records. The process, at times, can be burdensome and costly for the newly established foreign companies; local partners can help with best practices to manage compliance.

Safeguarding intellectual property

Intellectual Property rights infringement  intentional or unintentional  is a common concern among foreign companies entering Chinas market for the first time. Safeguarding technology, a companys unique business practice, or simply the business logo against IPR infringement requires a mix of legal, practical and technical measures that can prove to be a costly affair. JVs can help companies monitor the market for possible infringements and save the legal cost.

Leverage local talent

Most companies entering China have limited local knowledge of Chinese business culture, and rarely have the language skills that are essential for dealing with local staff and Chinese clients on a regular basis. Establishing a JV can help companies get the best of talent to work for them at a competitive cost, and enhance its business network and local market knowledge.
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Portuguese ceramics often feature blue-and-white color combinations, says Chinese ceramic artist Bai Ming, who visited Lisbon for an exhibition in July.

Chinese artist Bai Ming's ongoing exhibition in Lisbon showcases nearly 200 ceramic works, including vases, paintings and large bowls. [Photo provided to China Daily]

It is said that after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama returned home from his historic voyage (1497-99) that linked Western Europe and Asia via a maritime route, he presented tributes to King Manuel I that included Chinese qinghua porcelain.

Since then, cobalt blue-and-white ceramics have become part of Portuguese life.

Portuguese love the color combination very much, says Chinese ceramic artist Bai Ming, who visited Lisbon in July for the first time.

The Jiangxi province native grew up in a town not far from China's "porcelain capital", Jingdezhen, which produced the porcelain the Portuguese explorer took to his homeland.

He saw many blue-and-white ceramic elements in Lisbon, from daily-use items to building tiles.

"The patterns and shapes show very little Chinese influence but have a style that reflects Portuguese culture," says the 52-year-old, who heads the ceramics department of Tsinghua University's arts and design academy in Beijing.

He was on a mission to link the West and the East like Da Gama. Bai was in Lisbon as a cultural ambassador, holding his first solo exhibition in Portugal, White and Blue/Bai Ming.

The ongoing exhibition showcases nearly 200 ceramic works, including vases, paintings and big bowls.

Some are blue-and-white objects.

Bai displays a contemporary Chinese artist's ideas while working with an age-old material.
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China's central bank has called for the country's financial institutions to give more credit support to poor areas to help lift people out of poverty.

At a meeting Monday, Pan Gongsheng, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, urged China's policy and commercial banks to step up financing support for relocation projects and infrastructure building in poor regions.

Securities and insurance companies should expand their business network in these areas, Pan said, stressing China's poverty relief target needs coordinated efforts from various financial organs.

The central bank also pledged to effectively use monetary policies and finance tools to guide more institutions to contribute to poverty alleviation.

China has set 2020 as the target to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society, which requires the eradication of poverty.

As of the end of 2016, there were still 43.35 million Chinese living below the country's poverty line.
The Chinese mainland spoke highly of Taiwan-based New Party's stance of opposing "Taiwan independence," a mainland spokesperson said Monday.

An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the New Party has always advocated for peaceful reunification of the two sides across the Taiwan Strait and firmly adhered to the one-China principle since its founding 24 years ago.

On Aug. 20, the New Party brought up a new statement on the party course at its 24th anniversary celebration, and its chairman Yok Mu-ming said that they should "forge ahead for peaceful reunification and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

The mainland would like to communicate with all of Taiwan's parties, groups and organizations that adhere to the one-China principle, support national reunification and oppose "Taiwan independence," in order to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, maintain peace and stability, and cooperate in national reunification and rejuvenation, An said.
Beijing Monday unveiled cooperation agreements with Hebei Province on the construction of Xiongan New Area, a new development area southwest of the capital, according to a press conference by Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform.

The agreements were signed after a group of the city's leaders and heads from Beijing's different districts, departments and state-owned enterprises paid a visit to the new area on Thursday.

The agreements focus on eight areas namely working mechanisms, scientific and technological innovations, transportation, ecology, industry, public services, construction plans, and talent exchanges.

Liu Bozheng, deputy director of the Beijing office overseeing the integration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, said at the press conference that Beijing will provide comprehensive support as required for the construction of Xiongan New Area.

Beijing will support cooperation between Zhongguancun Science Park and Xiongan New Area to build a science park in the new area and accelerate the construction of transportation infrastructure between Beijing and the area, including a high-speed railway, intercity railway, and expressway.

Some Beijing based state-owned enterprises such as Beijing Energy Investment Holding Co., Ltd. and Beijing Waterworks Group will provide services for the new area.

Three schools and a hospital will be built in the new area with the help of three prestigious schools and a hospital in Beijing, according to one of the agreements.

At present, Xiongan New Area is in dire need of high-quality public service resources, Liu said. These agreements will take advantage of Beijing's education, health care, and scientific innovation resources to come up with a batch of specific projects in Xiongan.

Beijing will provide talent and technical support for the new area's urban planning, surveying and mapping, Liu said.

The capital will also share its experience in the construction of its eastern suburb of Tongzhou, which serves as a "subsidiary administrative center," according to Liu.

In April, China announced plans to establish the new economic zone about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing. It covers Hebei's Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties.

Following the success of the country's economic zones in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions, Xiongan is expected to promote the formation of a world-class city cluster.
A lost elderly woman with cancer who didn't want to burden her children, was found dead on Saturday morning in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, after her son sought help on social media to find her.

Dai Jinxiu, 70, had been living with her daughter in Wenzhou. Her two sons lived elsewhere.

She was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in April and had undergone treatment in Shanghai, Tu Huanyu, the younger son, was quoted as saying on 66wz.com, the city's largest news website.

"She said she was unhappy and refused more medical treatment," Tu said.

On Wednesday morning, Dai went to see a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine with her daughter, and afterward asked to go to an opera house to relax by herself. She didn't return home.

The daughter later found a two-page letter at home.

"Your careful nursing has put me under great pressure. I don't want to be a burden on you. I want to do it in my own way," Dai wrote, apparently contemplating suicide.

The family called the police. But there was no progress in the search until Tu posted the story online on Thursday afternoon.

A WeChat search group was set up to coordinate police officers, reporters, rescue groups and family members.

"Many news websites linked to our page, and the public was highly concerned. That drove both official and civilian rescue forces," said Ye Shuanglian, deputy news director at 66wz.com.

A breakthrough came at 8:40 pm on Thursday. Dai had been recorded by a camera as she got on a bus on Wednesday morning. She was then spotted in other recordings, and the police traced her route.

Several civilian rescue teams were sent to scour mountain and lake areas. Hundreds of residents also volunteered.

At 10:30 am on Saturday, Dai's body was found in brush at an abandoned automobile salvage yard. The exact cause of death is yet to be announced by forensic experts.

Dai's family was grateful, despite the sad outcome.

"I want to say thanks to everyone who helped us," said Tu, the son.

"We've done many reports about elderly people who got lost, and we've helped families find them. But this story is one of the hardest because it triggered the hidden and painful experience of many Chinese families," said Ye of 66wz.com.

"Many traditional Chinese parents took on the responsibility to raise their children, but they don't want the children to do anything for them. Such one-way devotion is a typical Chinese style," she said.

"We appeal for more care for elderly parents, both economically and mentally."




A large thangka painting of the Buddha is exhibited at Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 21, 2017. Buddhists and believers thronged Lhasa for the start of the traditional Shoton Festival. The Shoton Festival, also known as the Yogurt Banquet Festival, is a week-long gala held since the 11th century. (Xinhua/Liu Dongjun)





Lhasa City, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, began celebrating the annual Shoton Festival on Monday.

The event began amid a drizzle at Drepung Monastery, the largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism's Gelug Sect, where a large thangka painting of the Buddha was on display.

At 7:10 a.m., monks and believers moved the painting from the great hall of the monastery to the exhibition stage as thousands of people watched on the winding mountain road.

A man in his 30s named Kunga took his wife and daughter to the Buddha exhibition. Kunga and his family woke up at 5 a.m. at their home in Lhasa's Liuwu New District.

"I'm busy with my business and the child is busy at school. It's good to spend some time with her during the festival," said Kunga. He said the Shoton Festival is the second most popular festival in Lhasa, only following the Tibetan New Year.

Before the Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened in 2006, Kunga was a farmer living on the outskirts of Lhasa. Since then, the district has developed into one of the most prosperous areas in Lhasa, and Kunga now runs a grocery store there.

The Buddha exhibition is an important occasion for elderly Tibetans.

"My husband and I came here last night. After worshipping the thangka, we will go to the Sera Monastery and watch Tibetan opera for several days before returning home," said 70-year-old Rinqen Wangmo from Nagarze, Shannan City. The couple spent the night on a wool pad in front of the great hall.

Tibetan opera performances are another must-see at the Shoton Festival.

Dating back to the 14th century, the performance style epitomizes Tibetan culture, combining dance, chanting and songs, and the region's famed painted masks. It was awarded national intangible cultural heritage status in 2006 and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009.

"The legends the operas tell are well-known among Tibetans. Although we young people can't understand every line like the older generation, we're familiar with every character. I hope my child can learn more about the opera, so I will take her to the show," Kunga said.

In addition to exhibitions, Tibetan opera performances and Tibetan equestrianism, the week-long festival will also include hiking, yogurt-eating and beer-drinking contests, and a Tibetan-style fashion show.

The Shoton Festival, also known as the Yogurt Banquet Festival, has been held since the 11th century. It was originally a religious occasion when locals would offer yogurt to monks who had finished meditation retreats.

In the first half of 2017, Lhasa received about 3.86 million domestic and foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 18.21 percent, generating tourism revenue of about 5.1 billion yuan (764 million U.S. dollars).
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China on Tuesday urged Japan to walk the talk and take concrete actions to improve bilateral ties, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

It is reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is scheduled to visit Africa from Wednesday to attend a ministerial meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), where he will call for "navigation freedom" in the South China Sea.

"I have noticed the related reports," spokesperson Hua Chunying said, noting that TICAD should aim to support Africa's peace and development.

At present, the South China Sea situation is stabilized and improving thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, Hua said.

Hua urged Japan to respect the efforts regional countries had made to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

"We also hope Japan will play a constructive role in the South China Sea issue," Hua added.
Chen Guiqiu (right) with Xie Yangs lawyers.

(Photo: ChinaAid)

ChinaAid

(Changsha, HunanAug. 22, 2017) A prominent human rights lawyer who has been imprisoned since July 2015 was recently released and remains under close surveillance at home, ChinaAid learned recently.

Xie Yang, an attorney taken into police custody on July 11, 2015, was allowed a limited amount of freedom after being moved back into his home this month. Following his trial on May 8, 2017 Xie vanished, and authorities rented an apartment opposite Xies in Changsha, Hunan, and installed a gate in the hallway that could only be opened by a finger print scanner.

When Chen Guiqiu, his wife who fled from China to the United States in March, learned of this development, she told the international media. The attention it garnered prompted the government to remove the gate, and Xie was allowed to move into his home. Currently, he is allowed to move about Changsha as long as he provides officials with an update of his activities every four hours and asks for permission whenever he wishes to leave the city. Officials tail him when he leaves the building, and cameras monitor the hallway outside of his home.

In an interview, Chen described these events, as well as her resolve to sue the government for the various abuses enacted against their family, including the freezing of their bank accounts.

During Xies time in prison, he revealed that he had been tortured and the lawyers appointed by his family were blocked numerous times from being able to meet with him. On Jan. 13, Xie wrote a declaration stating that he was not guilty, and, if he should confess to his subversion charges, it would be either due to continued torture or for the sake of his family.

ChinaAid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by Xie and his family, in order to stand in solidarity with the persecuted and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.

ChinaAid Media Team

Cell: +1 (432) 553-1080 | Office: +1 (432) 689-6985 | Other: +1 (888) 889-7757

Email: [email protected]

For more information, click here
Indian home minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday he believed the border standoff with China would end soon. Yet what the trespassing Indian troops did to their Chinese counterparts last week belies that belief.

The same day Singh made that remark, the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed that some Chinese border troops, who were carrying out normal patrols on the Chinese side of the line of actual control in the Pangong Lake area, suffered injuries from a "fierce assault" by Indian troops who obstructed their passage on Aug 15.

The Indian home minister also said that India wanted peaceful relations with its neighbors. Yet what the India troops did in the Pangong Lake area and the trespassing by Indian troops in Chinese territory in an attempt to block Chinese troops from building a road on Chinese soil in the Donglang area where the border is delimited are provocations that fly in the face of that sentiment.

If India really wants to have peaceful relations with China and settle its border disputes with China through negotiations, it must, as the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, show it is responsible, law-abiding and reasonable. It can do that by withdrawing its troops from Chinese territory.

By saying that it wants peaceful relations with China, India is not only paying lip service to a settlement of the stand-off that has lasted more than two months, it is also seeking to shift the responsibility onto China for the likely consequences of its insistence on staying in Chinese territory.

Unless it pulls its troops out of Chinese territory, no words will convince China that India is serious and earnest about seeking a peaceful solution to the stalemate.

From the belligerent remarks India defense minister made at the very beginning of the crisis to the appeasing words uttered by the home minister on Monday, what India actually wants are concessions from China. Yet it is being naive if it expects China to give in to its unreasonable demands and its patience never to be exhausted.

No country should ever underestimate this country's resolve to defend its territorial integrity.
The logo of Huawei is seen at a store in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Jan 19, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia's mobile telecommunications company Smart Axiata, in partnership with global ICT solutions provider Huawei, launched the 4.5G network in Cambodia on Monday.

Cambodian Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Tram Iv Tek said Smart Axiata was the first telecom operator that introduced 4.5G evolution technology to Cambodia.

"This latest evolution of mobile technology will enable subscribers to enjoy better and faster mobile internet," he said during the launching ceremony. "Fast access to the internet is indeed an important tool in developing a digital economy."

In Cambodia, about 45 percent of the population is still offline, the minister said, adding that the country expected that 100 percent of the urban dwellers and 80 percent of the rural dwellers would use the Internet by 2020.

Thomas Hundt, chief executive officer of Smart Axiata, said 4.5G network is capable of providing an Internet speed 8 times higher than that of 4G.

"We strive to be the most progressive telco in the country. Smart will continue to seek new and better ways to ensure our subscribers receive the best possible service," he said. "After being the first telco introducing 4G LTE in Cambodia in 2014, 4G+ in 2016, and now 4.5G, and 5G is surely not far away."

Industry experts expect the first commercial launch of full-fledged 5G to happen in 2020.

Li Xiongwei, chief executive officer of Huawei Technologies Cambodia, said Huawei was very pleased to cooperate with Smart to launch 4.5G and to bring Cambodia closer to next generation technology.

"The 4.5G will certainly bring significant network improvements from today's 4G network, while acting as a bridge for future mobile data applications when 5G is launched in the future," he said.

Cambodia has six mobile phone operators and about 30 internet service providers.

According to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, approximately 8 million out of the country's 15 million people have now access to the internet.
China will enhance oversight over monopolistic practices created by industrial organizations, especially in overcapacity sectors, a senior official with the nation's top economic regulator said.

Xu Xinyu, a senior official with the National Development and Reform Commission, said the commission will strengthen oversight of industrial association involved in enterprises' monopolistic practices, at the time when a growing number of industrial association have been found to gain benefits from organizing enterprises to collude, driving up market prices.

The official's remarks came after the commission issued fines earlier this month on Shanxi Electric Power Association for asking local power companies to fix prices, infringing consumer rights.

Twenty-three local power companies caught colluding on price of power supply were fined 72.88 million yuan ($10.9 million), and the association was fined 500,000 yuan, according to the commission.

While higher market prices provide a temporary respite with sluggish demand pressures, entities in overcapacity sectors, both enterprises and associations, have no excuse to violate the anti-monopoly law, according to Xu.

"The government will strive to maintain a level playing field, treating all sectors equal," he said.

Deng Zhisong, a senior partner at Dentons Beijing Office, said the penalties reflected the government's determination to improve market fairness.

He said fines would warn associations in other sectors, at the time when many lack legal awareness.
Caricatures of the top three meal delivery services in the domestic online food delivery market: ele.me, Meituan and Baidu Waimai, from left to right respectively.[Photo/VCG]

Chinese Internet giant Baidu will sell its meal ordering and delivery services, Baidu Waimai, to rival ele.me and the deal is expected to be announced by ele.me as soon as this week, reports China Business News.

Baidu Waimai will continue to operate as an independent entity for a year, according to the report.

This follows the failure of Baidu to ink a deal for its meal delivery service with Meituan and SF Express.

Baidu Waimai had reportedly been in merger talks with Meituan since September 2016, which failed to materialize.

Baidu Waimai then tried to engage in a deal with SF Express to operate its food delivery business.



However, the two sides could not reach a consensus on price and conditions, and negotiations broke down, according to China Daily.

Meanwhile, according to reports, e-commerce giant Alibaba is negotiating for a full takeover of ele.me through a new share purchase agreement. Alibaba currently controls about 28 percent of ele.me after an investment worth over $1.2 billion in 2016.

Alibaba and Ant Financial Services Group have been searching for a new round of financing for ele.me worth at least $1 billion, reports Bloomberg.
The C919, China's first large passenger airplane, lands at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after its maiden flight on May 5, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Executive vice-president of French engine specialists Safran talks about how 'proud and excited' he was to work on China's first large passenger jet, the C919

Olivier Dubroeucq reads Chinese classical literature to settle himself and find inner calm.

The Frenchman has a lot to be excited aboutnot least the global debut of the LEAP-1C engine, which powered the maiden flight of the country's first large passenger aircraft, the C919.

"I'm very excited, very proud," said Dubroeucq, executive vice-president of the COMAC & AVIC program of Safran.

"Proud of Safran being a partner of COMAC. Proud of China's aviation industry. And proud of myself," he added.

COMAC is the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd, which built the C919, and Safran SA is a leading aerospace engine and equipment manufacturer.

It made the LEAP-1C engines and the outer layer nacelles for the aircraft through CFM International, a 50-50 joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and General Electric.

"You can see a new giant of the global aviation industry," Dubroeucq said. "China is moving forward with major steps such as the successful flight of the C919."

The maiden flight on May 5 was a crucial test of both the aircraft as a whole and its propulsion system.

Dubroeucq and his team witnessed the historical event at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

"China demonstrated its independent pursuit of mastering key technologies in large passenger aircraft manufacturing," he said. "It has also created valuable opportunities in global aviation."

More than 200 enterprises in 22 provinces and cities in China took part in the research and development of the C919. Up to 16 leading international aviation companies were selected as airborne system suppliers, with 16 joint ventures set up.

The LEAP engine family integrates cutting-edge technologies of Safran subsidiaries and global giant General Electric. It includes the LEAP-1A adopted by the Airbus A320neo, the LEAP-1B on the Boeing 737MAX, and the LEAP-1C used by COMAC.

The three have similarities in performance and components. But the main difference lies in electrical and mechanical interfaces, and the engine's appearance, which is adapted to the aircraft design.

"The LEAP-1C has excellent environmental performance, with significant reductions in energy consumption, gas emissions and noise, making the C919 competitive with its peer models," Dubroeucq said.

Indeed, the spring of 2017 will be remembered as the time China finally realized the development of a homegrown large passenger aircraft.

This reflected the country's determination to master the key technologies, matching the status of a major power.

For Dubroeucq, it was a great honor to start to work with China in 2014, directly participating in the development of the C919 as the integrated propulsion system program director.

"I like doing intricate and difficult things," he said. "The more difficult, the more my potential is stimulated.

"If providing engines for a type of newly developed aircraft was one such thing, the other was learning Chinese," he added.

Dubroeucq took out a copy of The Great Learning, a Confucian classic on governance, and chanted word-by-word. The Chinese classics can "enlighten and calm" him during tight business schedules and trips. "The Chinese characters are so complicated and difficult, similar to an aero-engine," he said. "The more you achieve, the happier and prouder you get."

The C919 project has taken two decades, but it has helped trigger an acceleration in the global aviation industry.

The LEAP-1C engine and nacelle, for example, are innovative designs that are lighter and easier to maintain than current propulsion systems.

"The innovation also lies in its adoption of an integrated propulsion system, including the engine, nacelle and all relative modules," Dubroeucq said.

The C919's first flight also marked the launch of an O-type ducted thrust reverser designed by Safran Nacelles.

"Competitive design and technologies are just the beginning," Dubroeucq said. "The major challenge stays to win market trust from their safe, reliable and efficient operation."

If the C919 is to compete against aircraft from Airbus SE, the giant European aerospace company, and Boeing Co, the United States-based corporation, it must be on the same level of technology.

"That's exactly what COMAC did by choosing the LEAP engine . . . They're on the right track," Dubroeucq said.

The C919 still faces major challenges such as the time for its market launch, its operational performance and reliability, as well as brand image building to get customers.

"Time will give trust and reliability," Dubroeucq said. "Safran has gained a global reputation in one century, and we would like to share our experience with China."

According to him, the Safran team is now eyeing a more challenging and larger aircraft that will be jointly developed by the world's second biggest economy and Russia.

China is the world's second largest aviation market and is growing fast. Safran plans to strengthen its cooperation with China's aviation industry through joint ventures and production subcontracting with major Chinese aviation industry partners.

"We are not working in a short term in China," Dubroeucq said. "The market is here and we are right here. All we have done is to pave the way to share the future."
The Board of Governors of the New Development Bank, formed by the ministers of finance of the BRICS nations, intends to approve at least $32 billion in loans by 2021, according to the bank's general strategy for 2017-21.

Paulo Nogueira Batista, vice-president and chief risk officer of the NDB. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Paulo Nogueira Batista, vice-president and chief risk officer of the NDB, said that the loans include a number of projects growing from 15 in 2017 to 50 in 2021.

"In a more ambitious scenario, the NDB may approve around $45 billion in this period, reaching 75 projects in 2021. This is an already significant volume for a bank that will have completed only six years at end of the period covered by the strategy of the bank," said Batista.

The NDB was founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africathe BRICS countriesduring the fifth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, in July 2014, and was launched in 2015.

The NDB issued a three-billion-yuan ($449.8 million) green financial bond last year. So far, it has approved seven projects in BRICS countries.

The central idea behind these plans is that the bank is in the process of creating a new multilateral institution, according to Batista.

"People may ask what is new about the New Development Bank. One of the most important aspects is the focus on sustainable infrastructure development," he said.

Around two-third of the loans the NDB will take to its board for approval in the period from 2017 to 2021 will be for sustainable infrastructure development. This is the key target of the bank's strategy.

According to the NDB, sustainable infrastructure incorporates sustainability criteria from design to operation, not only economic and financial, but also social and environmental.

Even in traditional infrastructure projects, the NDB will apply social and environmental requirements to control adverse negative effects on social groups and the environment.

In the case of sustainable infrastructure, however, the difference is that the projects supported by the NDB will go beyond mere mitigation of side effects.

The key objective of sustainable infrastructure will be to generate positive impacts in social and environmental terms, said Batista.

"For that purpose, the bank will concentrate its efforts in sectors such as renewable energyfor example, solar, wind and small hydro electrical plantsenergy efficiency, clean transportation, urban mobility, sanitation, and water and waste management," he said.

The NDB intends to establish a new relationship of equality, mutual respect and trust between the bank and member countries. In addition, it intends to be fast, flexible and efficient by designing a more streamlined project review and implementation oversight without unnecessary bureaucracy.

"Our first issuance in the market was already a green bond, meaning that the resources thus raised must necessarily be allocated to projects considered green by international standards. NDB's strategy points out that the bank will continue to explore opportunities to mobilize funds through green bonds and other financing mechanisms linked to the protection of the environment," Batista added.

The NDB was established by BRICS countries to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries.

The Africa Regional Centre of the New Development Bank was launched on Aug 17 in South Africa. According to South African President Jacob Zuma, the launch of the ARC of NDB is "a historic occasion as it marks the strengthening of the BRICS formation and also underlines the BRICS commitment to the development of the African continent and emerging markets".

NDB obtained a domestic AAA credit rating with a stable outlook in China from China Cheng Xin International Credit Rating Co Ltd, and Lianhe Credit Rating Co Ltd, two of the leading domestic rating agencies.

According to CCXI and Lianhe Credit Rating Co, the main credit strengths of the NDB include "strong support from its founding members given NDB's political and economic importance, a high level of paid-in capital and its timely infusion, great potential for future business growth in developing countries and emerging markets, and a sophisticated governance structure and risk management system".
Two officials from Shandong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau check imported soybeans at Rizhao port, Shandong province. [Zhu Yuanli/for China Daily]

China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corp  the country's biggest food trader by sales revenue, on Monday confirmed that COFCO International Ltd, one of its subsidiaries, has formed a grain supply partnership with the Illinois-based farm cooperative Growmark Inc.

The deal was sealed at Bloomington, Illinois on Aug 15. As part of the deal, they will jointly own and operate a truck, rail and barge terminal in Cahokia, Illinois, on the Mississippi River, the main pipeline that supplies exporters along the US Gulf Coast with corn and soybeans.

The facility can receive about 180,000 bushels (4572.24 metric tons) of corn per hour, delivered by truck and rail, and can load two river barges simultaneously at a rate of about 60,000 bushels per hour.

COFCO also acquired the terminal near the busy inland port of St. Louis as part of its Nidera deal, completed in 2016.

Growmark staff will assist in sourcing grain at COFCO's St. Louis office as part of the partnership, the companies said in a statement.

This partnership will offer China more direct access to ensure food imports, said Ding Lixin, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing.

"The food industry has gained a growing influence in the country's economy over the past decade. China also needs more food to boost domestic consumption and facilitate ongoing supply-side structural reform," Ding said.

This also is the latest expansion move by COFCO International since it invested $3 billion to buy Noble Group's agribusiness and a large stake in Dutch grain trader Nidera BV in deals that bolstered its position in the global grain market.

The deal draws a more direct link between a large Chinese food importer and farmers in the world's largest corn exporter and second biggest soybean exporter.

Growmark hopes to solidify ties to a huge market in China, the world's top soybean importer and major buyer of other agricultural goods.

Neither company disclosed terms of the deal.

Eager to enhance its earning ability, COFCO has already increased staff numbers in Geneva, home to COFCO International's headquarters and the center of its grains and oilseeds business. Its Rotterdam office has separately played a core role in trading activities.

The media office of COFCO's headquarters in Beijing said the group will accelerate its pace of building warehouses and logistics facilities in the world's major grain-producing regions this year.

The State-owned group plans to build new warehouses and processing facilities in countries including the United States, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Indonesia to acquire more food resources at global markets.

Reuters contributed to the story.
Chinese conglomerate HNA Group has completed the acquisition of a 16.2 percent stake in Swiss airport retailer Dufry AG from Singaporean sovereign funds GIC and Temasek, Dufry and HNA said on Monday.

No value for the deal was given, but considering that Dufry's current market capitalization of $8.5 billion, the stake would be worth about $1.4 billion. HNA's total stake in the Swiss group will rise to 20.92 percent, the firms said.

HNA, one of China's most acquisitive conglomerates, now spans its business across aviation, finance, real estate, logistics, hospitality, tourism and ecological technology, and it is adding news media to its portfolio.

HNA said the Dufry shares purchase was in line with China's Belt and Road policies, as Dufry's businesses cover many countries and regions on the Belt and Road map.

Dufry runs more than 2,200 duty-free and duty-paid shops across five continents. Dufry said the two companies have started to look at possible areas of collaboration, with a view to getting more business from domestic and international Chinese travelers.

HNA said its acquisition of Dufry shares was funded entirely by offshore capital. HNA is now Dufry's largest shareholder, a person familiar with HNA said.

Separately, HNA said on Monday that it is progressing with its proposed $1 billion purchase of Singapore-listed logistics firm CWT Ltd.

HNA, which has been in exclusive talks with CWT for more than a year, said one of its fully owned subsidiaries will hold a meeting in September to seek approval from shareholders for a transaction. It expected a notice of the general meeting to be sent to shareholders on Monday.

HNA said in April that its subsidiary, HNA Belt and Road Investments (Singapore) Pte. Ltd, would offer to buy CWT for nearly $1 billion.

"One of the reasons that the government proposed the Belt and Road Initiative is to find partners for domestic enterprises. As a critical point of the route, Singapore has its advantages and deserves attention," said Li Xiaojin, a professor of aviation economics at the Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin.

"As a diversified enterprise, logistics is one of the largest sectors at HNA Group. Singaporean logistics firms are very competitive, as they integrate the advantages of the Western markets, such as international experiences and advanced regulations, and the advantages of oriental culture, which makes it easy for Chinese companies."

Reuters and China Daily
View of the headquarters of the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, in Beijing, Jan 12, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

BEIJING - China's central bank has called for the country's financial institutions to give more credit support to poor areas to help lift people out of poverty.

At a meeting Monday, Pan Gongsheng, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, urged China's policy and commercial banks to step up financing support for relocation projects and infrastructure building in poor regions.

Securities and insurance companies should expand their business network in these areas, Pan said, stressing China's poverty relief target needs coordinated efforts from various financial organs.

The central bank also pledged to effectively use monetary policies and finance tools to guide more institutions to contribute to poverty alleviation.

China has set 2020 as the target to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society, which requires the eradication of poverty.

As of the end of 2016, there were still 43.35 million Chinese living below the country's poverty line.
LAGOS - China and Nigeria had put in place measures to address importation of substandard products into the West African country, an official said Monday.

Addressing reporters in Abuja, the nation's capital, Ye Shuijin, President of China Chamber of Commerce Nigeria (CCCN), said most of the fake products imported into Nigeria were not made in China.

The chamber and Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), nevertheless, had some agreements to check influx of sub-standards products into Nigeria, he told reporters.

"Products from China are of high quality ... the Chinese government is already cooperating with the Nigerian government to promote importation of quality products to Nigeria," he said.

Sub-standard products are reportedly common in Nigeria's importation of iron rods, electronics, electrical consumables and fittings, among others.

SON raised an alarm in 2016 that 40 percent of electrical and electronic appliances imported into Nigeria are sub-standard and have caused loss of lives and property.

It is also observed that all manners of un-certified food items are being dumped in the country.

Ye stressed the need to guide importers to do the right things and urged the importers and consumers to be vigilant and reject observed sub-standard products.

The CCCN president also said the chamber and the Chinese government have always encouraged investors from China to invest in the manufacturing sector to help in the development of Nigerian economy.

Ye gave assurances that more Chinese investors would be willing to invest in Nigeria.
An image shows the mergers between Sinolight Corporation, China National Arts & Crafts (Group) Corp and China Poly Group Corporation. [Photo/VCG]

Sinolight Corporation and China National Arts & Crafts (Group) Corp will become wholly owned subsidiaries of China Poly Group Corporation, said the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) on its website Monday.

The regulator added that it will not have direct supervision of these companies any more. A catalogue published on the website of SASAC also showed that the number of centrally administrated State-owned enterprises is 99 now.

An unidentified analyst told Shanghai Securities News that currently regrouping in SOEs is aimed at absorbing companies in difficulties.

This is also a market-oriented acquisition for Poly Group which had contacted other central SOEs prior to this deal and Poly's global sales network can also help the trade business of Sinolight, which runs a variety of business including paper-making, according to the finance newspaper.

China National Arts & Crafts (Group) Corp was established in 2017 after the merger of two central SOEs, China National Arts and Crafts Import & Export Corporation and the China National Arts & Grafts (Group) Corporation.

Poly Group runs business covering international trade, real estate, culture, civilian explosives production and investment in resource exploitation. Under its arm, there are four listed companies: Poly Real Estate (Group) Co Ltd, Poly Property Group Co Ltd, Poly Culture Group Co Ltd and Guizhou Jiulian Industrial Explosive Materials Development Co Ltd.
A man rides a tricycle past a Jeep Liberty vehicle on the production line at Chrysler's Toledo Assembly Complex in Toledo, Ohio. [Photo/Agencies]

Experts say takeover would realize dream of company's chairman to make it world's largest SUV maker

China's Great Wall Motor intends to buy Jeep from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, which analysts believe could give the country's largest SUV maker a boost to go upscale.

Wang Fengying, general manager of Great Wall, said it is interested in Jeep and is contacting Fiat Chrysler to begin negotiations, Automotive News reported on Monday, citing an email from the executive.

"We are interested in purchasing the Jeep brand and we will pay close attention to it," Zhao Lijia, a public relations manager at Great Wall, confirmed with China Daily on Monday.

However, Fiat Chrysler said that it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors in connection with the Jeep brand or any other matter relating to the business.

Last week, Fiat Chrysler, which has long been seeking a partner to cut costs, but has been rejected by GM and Volkswagen, was reported to have declined an offer from an unnamed Chinese automaker as the price was too low.

Dongfeng, GAC Group and Geely have denied reports that they had expressed an interest in Jeep.

Yale Zhang, managing director of Shanghai-based consulting firm Automotive Foresight, said Jeep, the renowned off-road SUV maker, will benefit Great Wall in terms of products and sales.

"If successfully completed, the takeover will enrich Great Wall's portfolio and it will instantly realize the dream of Wei Jianjun, chairman of Great Wall, to make it the largest SUV maker worldwide."

Jeep sold 1.42 million SUVs last year, while Great Wall delivered 938,000 units. In February, Wei announced a goal to sell 2 million SUVs a year by 2020.

Focusing on going upmarket, Great Wall launched a brand called Wey late last year, which is positioned to compete with those from international brands such as Volkswagen and Toyota.

Patrick Yuan, an equity analyst at Jefferies Hong Kong, said the takeover of Jeep will help to improve the outlook for Great Wall's long-term development.

"The company seems not to be acquiring too much know-how compared with global OEMs who are introducing more SUVs to the China market.

"By acquiring FCA (Jeep), technical support is expected, while long-term sustainability is more visible."

Great Wall shares rose 2.87 percent to close at 13.25 yuan ($1.98) in the A-share market, while in Hong Kong they closed at $HK10.08 ($1.28), a 1.61 percent rise.

Fiat Chrysler has been producing Jeep SUVs in China with its partner GAC Group since 2015, including the Cherokee and Compass models.

The 50-50 joint venture, with total investment of 17 billion yuan, employs around 6,000 people. It sold 120,000 SUVs from January to July, a 63 percent surge year-on-year.

A representative of GAC Group declined to comment on the possible impact on its productions if Great Wall takes over Jeep.

John Zeng, managing director of LMC Automotive Shanghai, said it may take some time for the three to solve but will not be a big problem.

"It may take the model of Volvo. When Geely bought it from Ford, it was localized at a Ford partner in China. Production continued for some years at the previous facility and then the models were gradually shifted to Geely's plants."
United Kingdom-headquartered Delphi Automotive PLC has joined hands with Israel-based Innoviz Technologies to push forward the development of light radar, or lidar, technology in autonomous vehicles.

According to Dephi, long-range lidar is critical for enabling Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous vehicles to travel at high speeds, as these vehicles will need to identify objects at far-off distances and in great detail in order to operate safely.

"Along with radar and vision technology, lidar is an essential component to Delphi's automated driving perception suite," said Glen De Vos, Delphi's senior vice-president and chief technology officer.

Innoviz's proprietary lidar sensing solutions will be integrated into Delphis systems to provide automakers with a comprehensive portfolio of autonomous driving technologies, said Delphi, which has also made a minority investment in Innoviz.

Innoviz's lidar technology utilizes a solid-state design to provide longer-range scanning performance, as well as superior object detection and accuracy capabilities.

Omer Keilaf, co-founder and CEO of Innoviz, said, "By challenging the conventions of lidar design, we were able to develop a lidar solution that delivers superior performance at a reasonable price and in a much smaller footprint  three factors that are required to help autonomous driving achieve mass commercialization."
Series highlights Xi's influence on transformative changes

A six-part political documentary exploring the advances made to China's legal system over the past five years is winning praise from analysts and viewers since it's first episode aired Friday.

The documentary, named The Rule of Law in China, is being broadcast one episode a day by China Central Television. It summarizes the improvements to China's rules of law under the leadership of President Xi Jinping since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November 2012.

Jiang Guohua, a professor of law at Wuhan University, said that under the leadership of the CPC, China has made great progress in advancing the rule of law.

"Just as it is mentioned in the political documentary, advancing the rule of law is the basic characteristic of modern nations," he said.

This has great significance on a number of issues, including promoting economic growth, maintaining social security and boosting clean governance, said Wang Ruolei, an associate professor of politics and law at the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC.

Authorities should constantly try to improve the legislation process and ensure that the people could get "a sense of gain" from building a law-based country, government and society, he said.

The president has attached great importance to promoting the rule of law and has pledged on numerous occasions to build a law-based socialist country.

"To implement the rule of law as the basic strategy, and accelerate the building of a law-based socialist country, we should make laws through proper procedures, enforce them strictly, administer justice impartially and ensure that everyone abides by the law," Xi said in a speech on Dec 4, 2012, to mark the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the current Constitution. The speech came soon after he became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November.

In his speech, Xi vowed to ensure everyone enjoys extensive rights in line with the laws; to protect the rights of the person, property and politics; and to safeguard their economic, cultural and social rights.

While presiding over a group study of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in February 2013, Xi raised the goal of developing a law-based country, government and society.

"We should exercise governance and administration in accordance with the laws, develop a law-based country, government and society simultaneously, and thereby bring the rule of law to a new state," he said.

The CPC convened a plenary meeting of its central committee in October 2014 to further promote the rule of law. It was the first time a plenary session of the CPC Central Committee had taken the topic as its central theme.

In a statement released after the plenary session, the Party said it will further emphasize the role of the Constitution in China's legal system. It also aims to improve judicial independence, promote procedural justice, professionalize judicial officers, and build a law-abiding government.

During a visit to the China University of Political Science and Law in May, Xi said that a comprehensive advancement of the rule of law is a long-term and significant historic mission, which is related to the people's happiness and the development of the Party and the country.

He called on universities and colleges to step up research into the rule of law and other fundamental matters that involve legal issues to help improve the nation's socialist system with Chinese characteristics.

In his speech to mark the 95th anniversary of the CPC in July 2016, Xi vowed to guarantee the authority of the Constitution and laws. No organization or individual is privileged to act beyond the Constitution or the laws, and all acts in violation of the Constitution or the laws must be investigated, he said.

Comprehensively promoting the rule of law is one of the "Four Comprehensives"a strategic blueprint drawn up by Xi to create paths to realize the national rejuvenation. The other three are comprehensively building a moderately well-off society; comprehensively deepening reforms; and comprehensively promoting stricter governance of the Party.

Last year, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee made a total of 10 laws, revised 24 laws and adopted six decisions on legal issues. By the end of December, there were 256 current effective laws, apart from the current Constitution, according to the China Law Society.
Beijing has seen a significant reduction in PM2.5 as a five-year campaign against air pollution nears its end.

The level of PM2.5 - fine particulate matter with diameter 2.5 microns or less that can be hazardous to health - declined by 34.7 percent in the first seven months of the year, compared with the same period in 2013, the municipal environment bureau said on Monday.

However, the pressure is still on the municipal government to meet the goal of reducing the average PM2.5 concentration to 60 micrograms per cubic meter, as the average PM2.5 concentration last year was 73.

From January to July, the average PM2.5 concentration was 64 mcg/cu m, the lowest yet during the campaign, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said in a statement on Monday.

The PM2.5 level has continued to decrease since March and reached 52 in July, it said.

Among the capital's 16 districts, the four northern districts - Huairou, Miyun, Yanqing and Changping - have seen the average PM2.5 level in July drop below 60.

The capital imposed strict measures to reduce emissions in the first seven months of the year, the bureau said, including phasing out 300,000 vehicles with high-emissions and shutting down 3,648 polluting companies.

In addition, 79 percent of its 700 rural villages have had the necessary facilities installed to switch from coal to electricity for heating in winter, the bureau said.

The city's environmental bureau also summoned leaders from 14 villages that had poor air quality and failed to fully implement the controls, sending a warning to all counties and districts to make controlling air pollution a priority.

However, Beijing as well as neighboring Tianjin and Hebei province still face the challenges of worsening pollution in autumn and winter, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Monday.

The ministry recently approved an action plan to help the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region reach their targets.

Li Ganjie, the environment minister, said on Monday that the region should make joint efforts to reduce air pollution in autumn and winter, and make the implementation of the action plan a priority.

No details of the plan have been released yet.

Chai Fahe, a researcher at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, agreed that the governments should take extra measures to control emissions in order to reach the targets, considering the severe air pollution in January and February, and also the smog that may come in the coming months.

"The ministry has promoted coordinated controls in the northern region, which will work to alleviate smog in winter," he said, adding that it will be difficult but still possible to reach the target.
Plans include support for schools, transportation and innovation

Beijing rolled out a series of plans on Monday to support the development of Xiongan New Area, aiming to help the new economic zone become the major center for the city's noncapital functions.

The planned new area in Hebei province, announced in April, is about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing and is dubbed one of the two wings of the capital.

Beijing will support Xiongan in eight areas - working mechanisms, scientific and technological innovation, transportation, environment, industries, public services, planning and design and talent exchange - according to a strategic cooperation agreement signed by the two sides last week.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform detailed the agreement at a news conference on Monday.

"We will use our advantages in different areas, such as innovation, education and medical care, to cooperate with Xiongan for meeting its most urgent needs," a commission official was quoted as saying by Beijing Daily.

Under the agreement, Beijing, as a center of innovation, will promote its innovative resources - such as the Zhongguancun Science Park - to transfer resources or establish branches in Xiongan.

A counterpart of the park will be set up in the new area as a base for high-end innovation and startups.

To support innovative projects, a special fund under a current Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cooperative development fund is being studied.

For easier transportation, construction of high-speed railways between Beijing and Xiongan will be accelerated under the agreement. Also, the Beijing-Xiongan rail line, currently under construction as an upgrade from an old line, will be put into operation in 2019. A one-way trip will take only 30 minutes, shaving about an hour off the current time.

A new expressway directly linking the two will also be built.

To improve Xiongan's public services, an area in which Xiongan is weaker, Beijing will invest in a high-class kindergarten, a primary and a secondary school and a comprehensive hospital, according to the agreement.

They will be managed by first-rate educational and medical institutions chosen from Beijing. The institutions will provide training and talent to support and upgrade the existing local schools and hospitals in Xiongan, which cover Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties.

In the areas of infrastructure, Beijing will encourage State-owned companies such as Beijing Energy Investment Holding Co and Beijing Waterworks Group to provide services. The two will also cooperate in protecting the region's environment and developing high-tech industries and up-to-date financial services.

"These projects are just a beginning," the commission said, adding that along with the development of Xiongan, Beijing will carry out collaborative plans on a regular basis.
With a loud explosion on Sunday in the Hufengling Tunnel, 200 kilometers from Harbin, Heilongjiang province, the final section of rock gave way, marking a major step in the construction of a high-speed railway in Northeast China.

The 8,755-meter tunnel on the Harbin-Mudanjiang line is the longest of those that have been built in regions with extremely low temperatures - in this area as low as -40 C.

During its construction, builders dealt with many difficulties, not least the cold.

"It is the most difficult project on the whole line," said Wang Zhiqiang, deputy chief engineer of the tunnel project. "During construction, accidents such as collapses happened easily because it's rich in underground water. To reinforce the tunnel, we put nearly 1,000 steel tubes with cement paste into the soil."

Another big problem was the bitter cold in the mountain area, as the concrete doesn't work below -5 C, he said.

To finish the project on time, the team, which committed to working without interruption, even on the coldest days, built two 4,000-square-meter greenhouses and installed boilers in them to keep the temperature around 10 C, Wang said, adding that the boilers also provided the warm water needed to mix concrete.

It is about 4 km from one greenhouse to the farthest entrance of the tunnel.

"We wrapped the tanks with thick quilts during transportation of the concrete to maintain the temperature," Wang said.

The Harbin-Mudanjiang high-speed rail line, designed for trains running at speeds of up to 250 km per hour between the two cities, will cut travel time to about an hour and 30 minutes from the current five hours.

The line has to withstand temperatures as low as -40 C in winter and as high as 35 C in summer, which poses major challenges both to the builders and to the trains that will later run on the rails.

Construction of the 300-km line began in December 2014 and is expected to be complete by the end of next year, railway authorities in Harbin said.
A man carries a public bicycle while riding another in Shanghai. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

Shanghai is trying to rein in the excessive number of public bicycles on city streets and sidewalks by preventing companies from adding new ones.

According to a notice sent by the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission to all bicycle-sharing companies in the city, bicycles not parked in designated areas - especially around public transportation stops, residential communities, hospitals and major streets - should be cleared out in a timely manner.

The tighter control is necessary, the commission said, because bicycle-sharing companies have neglected maintenance and management while aggressively adding bikes into the market, seriously affecting public transportation and the city's image.

Leading bicycle-sharing company Ofo said it will strictly implement the policy and deploy another 80 management cars to immediately clear up any congestion of its bicycles. Its biggest rival, Mobike, also said it will follow the policy.

Guo Jianrong, secretary-general of Shanghai Bicycle Association, said the government has adopted stricter controls because of the disorderly development of the industry.

"The number of bicycles put onto the streets of Shanghai has far exceeded capacity," he said.

Shanghai is able to cope with up to 600,000 shared bicycles, the association estimated. However, there are at least 1.5 million such bicycles at present. Although the city has confiscated 150,000 bicycles, there are still too many to deal with.

"It is quite difficult to limit the number of bicycles simply by threatening the companies' credit," said Guo. "If the company is registered outside of Shanghai, the policy is ineffective," Guo said.

"A more effective policy is to issue a license for each shared bicycle. Those without licenses will not be allowed to operate on the streets."

Guo predicted that other cities will follow Shanghai's lead and adopt similar tightening measures.

But Zhang Xu, a senior analyst at market research firm Analysys, expressed concerns that the policies will impair the natural development of the industry.

"It is hard to define which bicycles are redundant," he said.

The problem is that too many disorganized bicycles are clustered in central city areas, which also underscores a problem with the companies' strategies.

According to the Ministry of Transport, there are now more than 30 registered bicycle-sharing companies that have put more than 10 million bicycles on the streets around the country.




Money that would have been spent on construction will go to boosting public welfare

More public funds will be invested in improving people's lives as the central government approved a new draft regulation on Friday that controls expenditure for new buildings for government agencies, public organizations and institutions.

The draft regulation was approved at a State Council executive meeting, which was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.

To improve the government's work style and achieve cleaner governance, the new regulation aims to set up a mechanism for curtailing the number of new buildings, or their upgrade, for agencies and organizations paid for by fiscal funds, a statement released after the meeting said.

The regulation sets ceilings upon constructing, purchasing, enlarging and reconstructing office buildings by government agencies, public organizations and institutions. No venues and facilities that can receive guests will be built, including training centers and other reception venues or facilities. No more offices will be erected solely to accommodate equipment.

Public institutions and State-owned enterprises, which are subsidized by fiscal funds, will be curtailed from constructing buildings without proving demand, the document said.

Approvals and fund management will also be curbed in this field. All funds must come from approved budgets, and there will be no tolerance for those who embezzle special-purpose funds, raise money from staff members or pay the expenditure through bank loans and other channels.

The regulation also sets standards for information disclosure and supervision. It requires that information about construction should be disclosed to the public. Any violation of the regulation must be corrected and officials in charge will be punished.

The regulation is the latest move by the central government to curb expenditure on office buildings, following Li's promise to cut governmental budgets for new buildings four years ago.

When meeting with the media in March 2013, the premier promised not to erect new governmental buildings during his term over the next five years. "The central government will take the lead while each level of government will follow," he said.

Four months later, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly released a notice to curb construction for government agencies and public institutions.

"Precious fiscal funds should be used more in economic development and improving people's lives. The government must tighten its belt," the premier said at Friday's meeting, pointing out that money could be better used on boosting the public welfare.

The new regulation reiterates the importance of controlling unnecessary construction projects and clarifies the punishment for violators, which will lessen the opportunity for corruption, said Jia Xijin, associate professor of public management at Tsinghua University.

Since the 18th Party Congress in 2012, the central government has spotlighted the task to manage building new governmental offices, said Zhu Lijia, a professor of public management at the Chinese Academy of Governance.

However, some of the old regulations are outdated and not detailed enough to adapt to new conditions anymore, said Zhu. The drafted regulation was approved by a high-level meeting at the State Council, showing the importance the central government has attached to this area, he said.

"I expect the document to restrict impetuous moves by local governments to carry out infrastructure projects and office buildings in a fully normalized and consistent manner," Zhu added.

Friday's regulation was also welcomed by local government officials, including He Yongchun in Lijiang in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

He, who works for the Laojun Mountain National Park Management Bureau, said local governments have limited budgets as fiscal revenues have been squeezed amid slower growth.

"There are still millions of people living under the poverty line in many areas in western and central China.

"To develop local economies and improve their living conditions, governmental budgets should be spent in correct areas and ways, instead of erecting office buildings," He said.

huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn
Tina Lam, Michael Cheng bought the street in auction. [Provided to China Daily]

A Chinese-American couple said they will stand by the city of San Francisco and defend their ownership of a street in one of the city's richest neighborhoods, where the homeowners want the purchase negated.

Michael Cheng and Tina Lam, both real estate investors based in San Jose, bought Presidio Terrace, a private oval street, for $90,100 in 2015, when the city put it up for auction because the homeowners association failed to pay property tax bills for three decades.

After learning of the sale of the street and sidewalks, the homeowners sued the city. They petitioned the city Board of Supervisors for a hearing to rescind the sale. A hearing is scheduled for Sept 5.

"We are going to ... stand by the city because they did everything correctly and we did everything correctly, according to the law," said Cheng, who was born in Taiwan and has lived in the Bay Area for 34 years.

The couple were named in the lawsuit but are not directly being sued. "It's them (homeowners) against the city," Cheng said.

The gated street is lined by 35 multimillion-dollar mansions. Past homeowners have included US Senator Dianne Feinstein, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and the late mayor Joseph Alioto.

Homes at the exclusive Presidio Terrace used to be sold to whites only until racial covenants were banned in 1948.

Cheng and Lam found the racial language in the original covenants when they were doing research two years ago.

"It didn't feel good that people like me were racially bullied, because they specifically didn't want Chinese or Japanese people in that community," Cheng said.

"Owning a piece in that community now is particularly satisfying," he said. "I want to continue to stand up for all Chinese people, that we have the right to own this piece that was properly purchased."




Foreign border guards obstructed and jostled Chinese counterparts

China expressed its "strong dissatisfaction" over the behavior of Indian border troops in the western section of the two countries' border last week and urged India to place them under stricter supervision, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Monday.

On Aug 15, Indian border troops obstructed Chinese border troops, who were conducting normal patrols in the Pangong Lake area, on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control, spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a daily news conference in Beijing.

The Indian troops "acted fiercely", aggressively bumping into the Chinese personnel and injuring some through physical contact, Hua said.

Hua's statement came a week after reports emerged of an altercation between the two countries' troops in the area, on Aug 15.

"The acts the Indian side has engaged in violate the consensus the two countries reached on maintaining peace at the border regions, and it threatens the situation of the western section of the China-India boundary," Hua said.

China has lodged solemn representations with India over the incident, she said.

"China urges India to observe the agreements the two countries have reached, effectively obey the 1959 Line of Actual Control, strictly restrain the Indian border troops' behavior and take effective measures to maintain peace and stability in the two countries' border regions," Hua said.

On Monday, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind visited the area near Pangong Lake, Indian media reported.

The Aug 15 incident came about two months after the Indian troops illegally crossed the Sikkim section of China-India boundary, the only delimited section of the boundary, into China's Donglang to block Chinese road construction in mid-June.

China has repeatedly asked India to immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Donglang.

Sun Hongnian, a researcher of China's southwest borders at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, called the incident between the Chinese and Indian border troops another provocation by India since tensions rose in Donglang.

India has done "very poorly" in keeping in mind the "bigger picture" of the two countries border, and it has even disrupted the situation multiple times, which will negatively affect the two countries' ties and their cooperation, Sun said.
Graduates from normal universities in Hunan province interact with their potential employers at a job fair in Hengyang in March. [Peng Bin/For China Daily]

BEIJING -- The future is not so bright. Almost eight million fresh college graduates are looking for jobs in China this year, a new high in recent years. But many do not seem to care much whether they find one or not.

They are devotees of "slow employment", sort of a trendy lifestyle that advocates a not-so-fast attitude in finding a job after graduation.

Some, like Xia Chuanqi, 24, planned for it. After bidding farewell to campus life in Sichuan College of Culture and Arts in July, Xia went to Bazhou in northeast Sichuan province and became a volunteer. He had no idea how long he would stay, but only knew he wanted to be there.

"I interned at a local TV station in college and had been to several impoverished places in remote Sichuan. There, I saw people in need of help and that image stayed in my head. I come from the countryside, and I want to give them a hand and pull them up," he said.

Majoring in performing arts, many of Xia's classmates went off to seek fame and fortune in the megacities, dreaming of overnight success. Xia is quite clear about how unlikely that would be.

"Many actors lack real life experiences, so I want to do something down to earth and become a better person. Even if I decide not to become an actor, these experiences will stand me in good stead and will do me good," he said.

Xia speaks with a certain amount of authority. He seems like a person who already knows himself quite well.

"I have no idea of what my future holds, but first and foremost, I want to be a man with a sense of social responsibility," he said.




Workers at the huge Canton, Mississippi, Nissan plant rejected the United Auto Workers attempt to unionize them. Employees chose to self-represent. What a novel idea. The UAW defeat also happened at the Chattanooga, Tennessee, Volkswagen plant in 2014.

Other recent defeats have been in heavily union states when the people voted to become a right-to work state. Indiana 2012, Michigan 2013, Wisconsin 2015, and Missouri 2017 are the latest.

Our governor is so beholden to union money he says that he would veto any bill trying to make Montana a right-to-work state. I made the point to the governor that all of our bordering neighbors are right-to-work states. Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Right-to-work is an important tool in attracting businesses and specialty manufacturing jobs. Right-to-work does not stop employees from voting to unionize. There are now 28 states with right-to-work. Montanans should not be forced to join a union if that is how they feel. Let's join our neighbors and pass right-to-Work.

Rich Lloyd

Absarokee
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Gao Ruida, left, donates his blood at a blood center. [Photo by Zhang Lei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Gao Ruida, a soldier from Northeast China's Jilin province has donated 4.2 liters of blood, almost the equivalent of the volume of blood in an adult, according to Jilin Daily.

Gao, who was born in the 1980s, has been donating blood for 13 years and has saved the lives of 11 people.

He first learned about his blood type in 2002 during a school health check at university in Jilin's Yanbian. His Rhesus, or Rh-negative blood, is also known as "panda blood" due to its rareness. Only three or four people in every 1,000 Chinese people has this blood type.

"Donating blood doesn't influence my health and will save other people. Why would I refuse to do such good deeds?" Gao said.

Born into an ordinary family, he said his parents always taught him to be a kind-hearted person and contribute to society.

Gao began donating blood in April 2003 after seeing a blood collection vehicle on the street and he has been on the rare bloods list for Yanbian, Jilin province, ever since.

Two months later, Gao received a call from the blood center, saying there was a woman suffering from postpartum hemorrhage and was in urgent need of Rh-negative blood. He rushed to the blood center and donated 400ml of blood.

Gao Ruida, left, donates his blood at a blood center. [Photo by Zhang Lei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Even though he never met the woman, Gao said he felt very happy to hear the woman survived thanks to his donation.

After graduation, Gao has changed jobs several times but hasn't stopped donating blood.

"Every time I changed phone number, I would tell the blood center to ensure they can find me," Gao said.

In May 2015, a man named An Xinbo called Gao, saying his brother was injured in a car accident and needed Rh-negative blood for a surgery. An found Gao's contact information online and decided to ask him for help.

Without hesitation, Gao, who was then working in another city, took a train early in the morning to Yanbian and donated 400 milliliters of blood to ensure the surgery went smoothly.

"The rose's in her hand; the flavor in mine. What a happy and touching thing to think that my blood runs in someone else's body and gives the person a new life! " Gao wrote on WeChat calling on more people to donate blood to those in need.
Guizhou government has banned serving of all alcohol at official functions for civil servants effective from Sept 1.

Rolling out the strictest regulation, the government said no alcohol, including those offered by individuals or organizations, will be served at official receptions and functions.

It bans civil servants from using public money to buy alcohol for official receptions and drinking during office hours and lunch break.

It also bans individuals from paying for alcohol for official functions as some people think it's OK as long as officials are not using public money.

Qiao Xinsheng, professor of law at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, said drinking by civil servants during working hours or at official receptions violates the rules as alcohol may affect their job performance. It's worse if public money is used.

But there are exceptions. The regulation specifies grand official receptions or those intended to attract investment that need to provide alcohol have to report to people in charge of the events and forward the records to discipline inspection commissions.

Guizhou is not the first region to ban alcohol. Zhejiang, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Anhui and Xinjiang already have similar move in place.

The ban aims to build awareness about the adverse effects of alcohol on those performing official duties. In 2013, the central government issued a regulation banning expensive delicacies, cigarettes and fine liquors at official receptions.
Premier Li Keqiang inspects the Ministry of Science and Technology on Tuesday. He said he'd like to enhance the nation's technological innovations. [Photo by Wu Zhiyi/China Daily]

Premier says innovations will propel nation to next level of competitiveness

Premier Li Keqiang called to further strengthen technological innovations to proceed with China's innovation-driven development and boost economic restructuring.

Li spoke during an inspection at the Ministry of Science and Technology on Tuesday.

Innovation-driven development has made breakthroughs in a number of areas, playing a vital role in promoting stable economic growth and steadily increasing employment opportunities, Li said when chairing a meeting at the ministry.

The premier called for continuing supply-side structural reform by using innovation as a leading force to build China into a leader in innovation and technology. Noting an accelerated process of technological breakthroughs that could be industrialized, Li said the country should boost the contribution rate of sciences and technologies to the level of national economic growth.

The country should establish an open platform for innovations and carry out the strategy of "Made in China 2025" to advance customized and smart innovations, Li said. Enterprises are encouraged to join in with basic research and to help transform technological achievements, Li said. In addition, he wants to delegate more power to research institutions and universities in fields such as fund management and arouse enthusiasm among scientists and technologists.

Last year, China spent 1.55 trillion yuan ($231 billion) on research and development, accounting for 2.1 percent of the country's GDP. Enterprises contributed more than 78 percent, Wan Gang, minister of science and technology, said at the meeting. More than 1 million effective patents were registered last year, ranking the country third globally, he said.

Meanwhile, the nation has made vast progress in innovating new technologies. The contribution rate of scientific and technological progress in the national economy rose to 56.2 percent last year, with world-leading technologies in areas such as high-speed railways, nuclear energy and mobile telecommunication, Wan said.

Before the meeting, the premier visited the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center, an institution administered by the ministry to promote innovation incubators and small and medium-sized enterprises that are based on certain technologies.

Zhang Zhihong, the center's director, told the premier that enterprises in high-tech zones spent 537 billion yuan on research and development last year while making an output value of 8.8 trillion yuan.

Li encouraged employees at the center to "deliver the torch of innovation" across the country to benefit all people.

Technological innovation has become a vital way to achieve industrial upgrades and to support medium-and high-speed economic growth, said Zhou Zixun, a senior columnist at the China Economic Times newspaper in Beijing. Technological innovations also can help enterprises cut outdated production capacities and improve competitiveness, he said.

China ranked 20th in the Global Innovation Index last year. The country also ranks 17th in the national innovation index, the only developing country in the top 20 in technological innovation, according to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development.
China will launch a regional campaign to help the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and neighboring provinces control air pollution this autumn and winter, with more effort placed on regulating government officials and companies that pollute.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has drawn up a series of plans for the regional campaign, which will start soon, Liu Youbin, a senior official from the ministry's publicity department, said on Tuesday.

In addition to the general action plan for the campaign, officials will keep track of every issue reported and how it was resolved, Liu said.

Another six supportive documents were prepared with detailed stipulations on the key regions and industries, as well as to ensure the timely disclosure of problems to the public.

Those documents also list punishments that irresponsible government officials can expect during the campaign, he said, responding to reports that some disclosed pollution issues were not resolved.

"In the coming campaign, the ministry and involved governments will take efforts to keep the polluting companies from resuming production or will relocate them to other areasand then fully implement the control measures," he said.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, prone to suffer through severe smog in the autumn and winter months, faces a large risk of air pollution returning in the coming months, the ministry said on Sunday.

This past January and February, the concentration of PM2.5hazardous fine particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micronssoared due to the severe air pollution in the region. This was caused by a confluence of several factors, including windless weather, active production, coal consumption for heating and vehicle exhaust, Liu said.

The ministry's data showed that in the first seven months, the region's PM2.5 average concentration increased by 11.3 percent year-on-year.

The average PM2.5 concentration in the region should by the end of this year be cut by 25 percent from the 2012 level.

Beijing needs to lower its PM2.5 level to 60 micrograms per cubic meter, as the central government required in 2013. The capital saw the average PM2.5 level fall to 52 in July, but in January it was as high as 116, a year-on-year increase of 70.6 percent.

To tackle the air pollution, the ministry has conducted a yearlong inspection of 28 major cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the neighboring provinces of Shandong, Shanxi and Henan, which began in April.

The latest data from the ministry showed that through Aug 20, inspectors have checked 40,925 companies, of which 55 percent, or 22,620, were found with various pollution problems, such as discharging pollutants excessively or not installing emission-reduction equipment.

"Besides, these cities have found over 170,000 small and polluting companies, which should be shut down or improve their pollution reduction facilities," said Bie Tao, head of the policy and laws department of the ministry, on Tuesday.
Chinese artist Bai Ming's ongoing exhibition in Lisbon showcases nearly 200 ceramic works, including vases, paintings and large bowls. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Portuguese ceramics often feature blue-and-white color combinations, says Chinese ceramic artist Bai Ming, who visited Lisbon for an exhibition in July. Lin Qi reports.

It is said that after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama returned home from his historic voyage (1497-99) that linked Western Europe and Asia via a maritime route, he presented tributes to King Manuel I that included Chinese qinghua porcelain.

Since then, cobalt blue-and-white ceramics have become part of Portuguese life.

Portuguese love the color combination very much, says Chinese ceramic artist Bai Ming, who visited Lisbon in July for the first time.

The Jiangxi province native grew up in a town not far from China's "porcelain capital", Jingdezhen, which produced the porcelain the Portuguese explorer took to his homeland.

He saw many blue-and-white ceramic elements in Lisbon, from daily-use items to building tiles.

"The patterns and shapes show very little Chinese influence but have a style that reflects Portuguese culture," says the 52-year-old, who heads the ceramics department of Tsinghua University's arts and design academy in Beijing.

He was on a mission to link the West and the East like Da Gama. Bai was in Lisbon as a cultural ambassador, holding his first solo exhibition in Portugal, White and Blue/Bai Ming.

The ongoing exhibition showcases nearly 200 ceramic works, including vases, paintings and big bowls.

Some are blue-and-white objects.

Bai displays a contemporary Chinese artist's ideas while working with an age-old material.
Heart Sutra, by Xu Ruifeng. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

For nearly 1,000 years, mountainous Dehua county in Fujian province has been producing ivory-white porcelain.

When pieces were exported in large quantities to Europe via the Maritime Silk Road between the 17th and 18th centuries, the wares won acclaim and were referred to in French as "blanc de Chine (white from China)".

Ancient Dehua porcelain can be found today in museums at home and abroad, including Beijing's Palace Museum, the British Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The porcelain has also been excavated by archaeologists from wrecks of ancient ships, such as the Nanhai One, a Song Dynasty (960-1279) vessel found off South China's coast 30 years ago.

More than 180 porcelain objects by contemporary Dehua artisans are on show at the Silk Road Ambassador, China White exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

Wang Yi, the exhibition's curator and a researcher at the China National Academy of Painting, says the milky-white Dehua porcelain has a translucent glaze and features a jadelike texture.

"It transmits divinity, purity and grace," he says.

He says the artists105 in totalinclude State-designated "arts-and-crafts masters" and up-and-coming creators, both of whose works show their endeavor to retain Dehua porcelain's charm.
Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan promotes his latest film Dunkirk at an event in Beijing on Monday, August 21, 2017. [Photo/China Plus]

A promotional event has been held in Beijing for Christopher Nolan's latest effort, Dunkirk.

Nolan is in Beijing, along with others connected to the film, to promote it ahead of its September 1st release in China.

Although Dunkirk is set during World War II, Nolan says he believes it's better to describe the film as a suspense thriller, rather than a war movie.

"I think it's one of the great thriller suspense stories of all times. Our heroes face impossible loss and really no solution to the problems can be seen is what makes one of the great stories for me. So I needed a form of storytelling that would draw attention to what's different about the story; not to allow the usual characteristics of war movies that audiences are very familiar with to disguise what's unique and different about the film. So I approach it not as a war film but as a survival story and a suspense thriller," Nolan said.

This World War II thriller is centered on the real-life evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk while being encircled by Nazi forces in 1940.

Dunkirk follows the story of a handful of soldiers, sailors, Royal Air Force pilots and civilian volunteers.

With a budget of some $100-million, the film stars, among others, Tom Hardy, Harry Styles and Kenneth Branagh.
A large thangka painting of the Buddha is exhibited at Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, Aug 21, 2017. Buddhists and believers thronged Lhasa for the start of the traditional Shoton Festival. The Shoton Festival, also known as the Yogurt Banquet Festival, is a week-long gala held since the 11th century. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/Asianewsphoto]

Lhasa city, capital of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, began celebrating the annual Shoton Festival on Monday.

The event began amid a drizzle at Drepung Monastery, the largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism's Gelug Sect, where a large thangka painting of the Buddha was on display.

At 7:10 am, monks and believers moved the painting from the great hall of the monastery to the exhibition stage as thousands of people watched on the winding mountain road.

A man in his 30s named Kunga took his wife and daughter to the Buddha exhibition. Kunga and his family woke up at 5 am at their home in Lhasa's Liuwu New District.

"I'm busy with my business and the child is busy at school. It's good to spend some time with her during the festival," said Kunga. He said the Shoton Festival is the second most popular festival in Lhasa, only following the Tibetan New Year.
Participants pose for a group photo at the Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation and Exchange in Cultural Heritage (2017) on Monday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation and Exchange in Cultural Heritage kicked off in Beijing on Monday.

The forum aimed to discuss the theory and practice in international folk art protection and cultural heritage inheritance, and to collectively promote the cooperation and development in cultural heritage among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Since President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, the initiative has gone from blueprint to practice, and cooperation has been extended from economy field to humanity. The folk culture and art exchanges in the field of cultural heritage have also been a major move in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative.

Tan Tianxing, deputy director of the overseas Chinese affairs office at the State Council, said there were more than 60 million overseas Chinese abroad, among which more than 40 million live in countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Tan made the remark at the opening ceremony on Monday.

"They know the Western and Oriental cultures well, and are able to play an unique role in promoting the international cultural heritage exchanges," he said.

Tan added the problem we now face in promoting Chinese culture overseas is no longer going out, but how to melt in.

"Only by making foreign people feel the beauty of our culture and fall in love with our culture, can our culture spread wider," he said.

Tan then added the inheritance and innovation of cultural heritage is a systematic project, which needed effort from all respects.

"Jinan University, as one of the highest educational institution for overseas Chinese, is a major platform in realizing creative transformation of traditional culture, as well as international communication and cooperation," he said.
[Photo provided to China Daily]

Southwestern Guizhou province is home to many picturesque historic towns.

Among these getaways is Longli, which was not a well-known destination until the first International New Media Art Festival held there during last year's National Day Holiday.

Now, outdoor artworks there are drawing tourists from across the country.

The second edition of the festival will return to Longli from Oct 1 to 5.

But unlike last year when completed artworks were shipped to the town, this year artists will arrive in Longli in the next few weeks to create and install location-specific works. And their works will be on permanent display in the town.
Critical Mass II [Photo provided to China Daily]

London-born artist and Turner Prize-winner Antony Gormley, 67, is acclaimed for creating sculptures and installations that explore the relationship between the human body and space.

He will show several of his works at a Shanghai exhibition, titled Antony Gormley: Still Moving, to be held from Sept 9 to Nov 27 at the Long Museum (West Bund).

Gormley held an exhibition at the Galleria Continua Beijing in March 2016.

In Shanghai, he will exhibit Critical Mass II, an installation, for the first time in Asia.

The exhibition will also show Gormleys drawings and prints from 1981 to date.
[Photo provided to China Daily]

Many artists today create works on tablets for convenience, such as celebrated British artist David Hockney who draws using an iPad.

Beijing-based artist Sun Rongfang is now showing 38 paintings of her iPad art at the Ici Labas gallery in the capital's 798 art district.

The exhibition, titled From Horizon to Lake Inside, which runs through Sept 17, provides a glimpse of how technology is reshaping an artist' creative process.

"The iPad becomes a moving studio, allowing me to create anytime, anywhere," says Sun.

"To a great extent, the tablet has released me from the limitations of traditional painting  and the need to carry paper, canvases, pigments and brushes  and so I can focus more on thinking and quickly recording my emotions."

The paintings were done by Sun as she traveled around the world.

Sun, who lives in a hutong, travels for several months a year.
Foreign models strut on a catwalk in a fashion show in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region this month. [Photo by Zheng Huansong/Xinhua]

Foreign faces no longer have the edge in the domestic modeling scene.

In the eight years he has spent in China as a professional model, Alexandr Pozhar has witnessed major changes in the domestic industry.

When he first arrived in Shanghai, eight to 10 foreign models usually attended each casting session, but now there are scores of them, according to the 30-year-old Ukrainian-Russian dual national.

"If it's a large-scale casting, maybe 300 models will join the first round of competition. About 20 will then be chosen to go through to the next round, and at the end of the day, after several more rounds, the client will choose the winner," said Pozhar, who has a decade of experience on the catwalk and fashion shoots.

"Most candidates who stand in line for the client just hear 'OK, thanks, bye-bye' within just a few minutes of joining the line."

In addition to capricious clients, Pozhar and his foreign peers face another challenge. They are losing opportunities as a result of many clients' growing preferences for local faces, a result of a growing appreciation of fashion among Chinese customers and the rising international status of domestic models, allied to their distinctive looks which can draw target audiences.

"Foreign models no longer enjoy an absolute advantage over their Chinese counterparts. The line between foreign and domestic models is not so obvious anymore," said Zheng Yi, president of Esee Model Management in Shanghai, one of the largest modeling agencies in China.

"Once living expenses and travel costs are included, there are almost no differences between the incomes the two groups can earn," he said, noting that most young models can make between 10,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan ($1,500-3,000) a month.

However, the new reality hasn't stopped foreign models, including those with vast experience, from coming to China in the hope of finding work in the domestic market, which offers a greater range of opportunities than any other Asian country.
Angel Chen Spring Summer 2017 collection [Photo/CGTN]

Milan Fashion Week is not just about Gucci, Fendi and Prada.

According to the calendar that Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) released, four Chinese designer brands are to present their latest collections during the Milano Moda Donna Spring Summer 2018 show.

Eyeball-catching big names in fashion realm, such as Gucci, Alberta Ferretti, Max Mara, Fendi, Prada and Moschino are showing their latest creations for the upcoming seasons.

And fresh blood remains the key part to drive the Milan fashion renaissance to compete with New York and London as a hub for emerging talent.

Angel Chen Spring Summer 2017 collection [Photo/CGTN]

Angel Chen, who made her debut with the eponymous label in last Autumn/Winter 2017 show in this fashion capital with the support of Mercedez-Benz, is to be present by CNMI this time.

This Shanghai-based Central Saint Martins graduate openly admitted that Milan has a more mature market and encouraging environment for young designers, according to Business of Fashion's report.

Explaining this, she recalled her experience visiting Milano Unica, a fabric convention not unlike Premiere Vision in Paris, "I was there for three days, many of them have been working with big brands and they were very open minded. I showed them my work and they are happy to collaborate with me. Its very different to when I was in Paris a few years ago and at Premiere Vision  people treat the Asian customers as copycats.

The other Chinese brands about to bring new energy and creativity to this international fashion platform are ANNAKIKI by Yang Zi, Ricostru by Ou Minjie and Tommy Zhong co-founded by Zhong Jiaqi and Jenny Nelson.

Milan Fashion Week, held in the northwestern Italian city, is considered one of the biggest events of its kind in the world, alongside London, New York and Paris fashion weeks. This year, it is expected to wow the world from September 20 to 25, right after the other two events.
In his keynote address to a high-level meeting on July 26, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new development stage after the 18th National Congress of the CPC.

This major conclusion is based on the history of the People's Republic of China. The first stage of the PRC started with its founding in 1949, when China achieved political and economic independence. The second stage began when the reform and opening-up policy was implemented in 1978, which led to China's unprecedented economic growth and the development of market economy under socialism.

After the 18th Party Congress in 2012, the Party leadership with Xi as the core started the third stage of China's development.

But while it is true that the 2008 global financial crisis exposed the flaws in the Western development mode, China, too, faces certain social challenges, and creative measures are needed to overcome them.

It is against this background that the Party leadership, thanks to its hard work, has made tremendous progresses in the third stage. From 2012, a new stage, different from the first two stages, has been developing. And China is committed to completing this stage by the middle of this century.

Two key words, "transcending" and "rejuvenation" best describe this new era. "Transcending" here means, transcending the two preceding stages. Xi has made a major conclusionthat the two previous stages could not negate each other. The new stage will help deepen reform and opening-up under the socialist system. It will also strengthen the Party's leadership, enhance social fairness, ensure the success of market economy and enrich the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

"Transcending" also means transcending the Western mode of development, which helped only a small number of countries with a cumulative population of about 1 billion to lead comfortable lives but failed to realize common prosperity. More importantly, the Western development mode failed to realize fair, coordinated, environmentally friendly and shared development. As a result, it has to face many crises.

China has followed its own path of economic development and become the largest and fastest-growing developing country. As Xi said, socialism with Chinese characteristics has widened the path of modernization for developing countries, which is a public good that can help two-thirds of the world's population achieve progress. And China will continue to provide such public goods.

"Rejuvenation" means the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The goal of China's development has transcended from "standing up" and "getting rich" to "getting stronger" to help meet the needs of overall human development and social progress. But that requires innovations both in theory and practice, especially in terms of freeing China of its overreliance on economic growth for overall development.

Xi's keynote speech shows the 19th Party Congress will provide not only guidance in the coming decades but also detailed answers on how to realize the objective of building a modern socialist country.

"Rejuvenation" also means the rejuvenation of global socialism. Since capitalism has been crippled by 2008 global financial crisis, the entire world is trying anew to understand the real meaning of socialism and Marxism, not only as an ideology but also as a means to solving the existing problems. It is the socialist system that has helped China gain advantage over other countries in terms of efficient governance, fast development, social stability and unity.

To correct the economic imbalances, resolve the environmental crisis and narrow the widening wealth gaps, countries across the world need to make their policies more "socialistic". The ultimate goal of socialism is in accordance with the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, which will be a powerful guiding force for the success of socialism in the 21st century.

The author is an associate researcher in macroeconomics at the Development Research Center of the State Council.






LI MIN/CHINA DAILY

President Xi Jinping has been reiterating the importance of innovation in economic development, and recent media reports have highlighted the "four new great inventions" of modern Chinahigh-speed railway, Alipay, shared bicycles and online shopping. The four new inventions are technological breakthroughs that will help China move toward overall prosperity and make innovation a driver of economic development.

Some may argue that the technologies the "four new great inventions" are based on did not originate in China. That is true, but it is China that used the technologies to come up with the new inventions. This shows that research is important. But it is equally important to successfully implement it.

Each of the four new inventions involves a series of new technologies. High-speed railway involves new material technology, motor technology, bogie processing technology as well as network control technology. From its engine to its cover to its rails, high-speed railway integrates many high technologies. And since high-speed railway is an exemplary combination of technological innovation and industrial capacity, it would not have been possible without China's mature manufacturing industry.

Besides, this invention plays a rather important role in China's modern development. Featuring high speed, huge passenger carrying capacity, low pollution and high safety, it consumes limited energy and resources and has greatly improved the transportation efficiency of the country. China is not only developing a high-speed railway network within the country; it is also building high-speed railways overseas to improve infrastructure in other countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Alipay, the other new invention, has to a large extent solved the trust problem of online trade with modern technologies, by introducing real-name registration, digital certificates and dynamic password based on smartphones. More importantly, it has been constantly adopting new technologies such as 3D fingerprint detection.

By popularizing mobile payment, Alipay is freeing people of the burden of carrying cash. Many foreign tourists who visit China marvel at the convenience of Alipayall people need to have is a smartphone, which enables them to pay for almost everything. That saves business cost for the whole society and promotes sales. And Chinese consumers have ample reason to be proud of it.

The business of shared bicycles is also based on mobile network, third-party payment and big data technologies, and it has revolutionized the concept of traffics and optimized the usage of roads in cities. Before shared bikes were introduced, urban residents had almost given up on bicycles. But shared bikes have made people realize the benefits of eco-friendly commuting.

Bike sharing has also helped ease traffic jams in cities, by prompting more people to use bicycles, instead of cars, for short-distance travel. The manufacturing industry, too, has benefited, because of the resultant huge demand for bikes.

Online shopping also combines technologies such as the internet, online financing and advanced logistics. It has turned the world into a village in the truest sense of the term: people can now buy anything from anywhere in the world. Moreover, it has helped develop logistical technology to meet the needs of transporting large quantities of goods across long distances at short notice.

True, online shopping poses a challenge to brick-and-mortar stores, but it has also prompted them to improve their services and cut their costs. And the result could be an overall improvement in business.

In other words, the "four new great inventions" have combined modern technologies and helped the Chinese economy to move toward innovation-driven development. Therefore, every Chinese should feel proud of the "four new great inventions".

The author is an associate professor at the College of Humanities, Xiamen University.




A housing project in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo/VCG]

President Xi Jinping has said "houses are built to be lived in, not for speculation". In this context, the pilot for joint property rights housing implemented by Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban Rural Development is an important move to cool down the heated housing market in the capital.

According to a document, the government and the homebuyers will jointly own the policy-based housing units, with the government granting the buyers the right to use the property.

Since the Beijing municipal government will provide policy support for the construction of joint property rights housing, the price of such housing units will be lower than commercial property in the same neighborhood. However, the homebuyers' right to use the property will be partly restricted.

Different from economically affordable housing, joint property rights housing is a kind of limited property rights housing, because the government provides subsidy in order to lower property prices and reduce homebuyers' economic burden. Also, the government and homebuyers will share the incremental profit of land and housing, as well as the risk of asset depreciation.

By funding the joint property rights housing, the government will eliminate the aspect of profit, which in turn will largely curb speculation. Despite enjoying only partial property rights, the homebuyers have the complete right of use. In fact, they could eventually enjoy full property rights after purchasing the partial property rights from the government. In a way, the government is helping potential property buyers to purchase a house "on installment".

Joint property rights housing may not attract many homebuyers in the short term, because those homebuyers who have enough funds would prefer to purchase commercial housing units, so as to enjoy "full ownership" of the property. But as the supply of joint property rights housing gradually increases, it will check the rise in housing prices, and eventually have an impact on the entire real estate market.

In first-tier cities such as Beijing, a large group of people cannot afford to buy commercial property, but at the same time they are not eligible to apply for public rental housing. Joint property rights housing, to a large extent, will help meet this group's housing need.

In the initial stage of providing public rental housing for those in need, the government focused on solving the housing problem of low-and middle-income people by mainly promoting house leasing. In the middle and later stages, the government jointly promoted the leasing and selling of houses.

The joint property rights housing policy, for the first time, explains in details the sharing of housing property rights between the government and the homebuyers. Thus the resultant market demand will provide a stable source of capital for building joint property rights housing.

And those who buy joint property rights housing can "transfer" their "property" five years after purchasing them according to the prevailing market housing prices at the time, which means policy-based housing can turn into commercial housing. This is not only conducive to making joint property rights housing more attractive to buyers, but also may change homebuyers' expectations.

Moreover, joint property rights housing reflects the significant change in China's real estate policy. In the future, joint property rights housing may integrate various kinds of policy-based housing and security housing for sale, in order to promote more fair and reasonable distribution of security housing, and eventually improve people's livelihoods and regulate the property market.

A series of policies aimed at the property market is expected to be issued soon. Under such circumstances, the environment and operation mechanism of the real estate market could drastically change. As a result, more people would be eager to rent, instead of buying, a house in the future. Generally speaking, more potential homebuyers might prefer adopting a wait-and-see approach after the launch of joint property rights housing, and housing prices are likely to stabilize when the supply of joint property rights housing increases.

The author is a researcher at the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain approaches the aircraft carrier USS George Washington for a fueling at sea in this December 5, 2010 handout photo courtesy of the US Navy. [Photo/VCG]

The US Navy, which likes to claim its presence can help safeguard "freedom of navigation" in the South China Sea, is proving to be an increasing hindrance to ships sailing in Asian waters.

Early on Monday, the guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with an oil and chemical tanker in waters east of the Strait of Malacca, causing significant damage to the hull that resulted in flooding to nearby compartments. Four sailors were airlifted to hospital and 10 are missing, according to a statement released by the navy.

No members of the crew on the tanker were injured, but the vessel sustained damage near the bow.

The latest incident occurred just two months after the USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine container ship collided in waters off Japan, killing seven US sailors.

It may be hard for people to understand why US warships are unable to avoid other vessels since they are equipped with the world's most sophisticated radar and electronic tracking systems, and aided by crew members on constant watch.

But investigations into the cause of the USS Fitzgerald collision shed some light on the way US warships tend to sail without observing maritime traffic rules and the sloppiness of their crews. According to the Philippine container ship's captain, it signaled with flashing lights after the Fitzgerald "suddenly" appeared on a course to cross its path. Yet the US warship did not respond or take evasive action.

The US Navy concluded the collision was the result of "poor seamanship and flaws in keeping watch" on the part of the warship, which led to its captain and two other senior officers being removed from their posts and administrative actions being taken against members of the watch teams.

The investigations into the latest collision will take time to reach their conclusions, but there is no denying the fact that the increased activities by US warships in Asia-Pacific since Washington initiated its rebalancing to the region are making them a growing risk to commercial shipping; this is the third collision involving a US naval vessel in the region so far this year. And a US guided missile cruiser ran aground off the coast of Japan.

While the US Navy is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian waters, China has been making joint efforts with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to draw up a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea and it has boosted navigational safety by constructing five lighthouses on its islands.

Anyone should be able to tell who is to blame for militarizing the waters and posing a threat to navigation.
British food and drink exports saw record growth in the first half of this year, rising by 8.5 percent on the same period last year, buoyed in part by a 35 percent increase in exports to China.

The first half of the year saw exports of all British food and drink grow to 10.2 billion pounds ($13.14 billion), up by 8.5 percent and also representing the highest first half-year growth on record.

Whisky, salmon and beer remained the UK's top three food and drink export products. Ireland, France and the United States are the top three destinations for British products in terms of overall value.

UK food and drink exports to China from January to June totalled 274.3 million pounds, a 35 percent increase on the same period last year. This represents the third-largest growth for an individual market, behind South Korea and Belgium where exports grew by 77 percent and 39 percent respectively.

George Eustice, minister of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "We will continue to work with industry to open new opportunities. Last week, we announced further market access to China for pork producers, and UK beef will soon be heading to the Philippines."

On Aug 14, Eustice announced an increase in the number of pork exporters and products from the UK to China. Valued at 45.2 million pounds, salmon was the UK's top food and drink export product to China in the first half, a 60.1 percent increase. In descending order, pork, milk and cream powders, whisky, beer, crustaceans, milk and cream liquids, waters, coffee and wine rounded out the top export products from the UK to China this year.

In terms of growth, beer was the outstanding performer. Britain exported 23.7 million pounds worth of beer to China in the first half of 2017. Crustacean and wine exports registered 179.8 percent and 98.7 percent growth respectively.
A visitor takes photos in front of a replica stairway at an exhibition displaying cultural relics retrieved from the sunk vessel of Titanic in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, June 16, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

A new documentary by a US film-maker will bring to light the story of six Chinese passengers who survived the sinking of the Titanic.

The film, The Six, to be released next year, explores the identity of the six men and what happened to them during and after the wreckage.

Steven Schwankert, the documentary-maker, told the Belfast Telegraph: "That huge vessel that came out of Belfast is the alpha and the omega of shipwrecks. This isn't just a Western story, it's a global story. And now, a Chinese story."

Eight Chinese passengers from Guangdong and Hong Kong were on board the Titanic, all of whom were sailors and found themselves out of work because of a coal strike in Britain, according to the Encyclopedia Titanica, a website which contains extensive Titanic facts, history and biography.

The Chinese sailors were the largest group of non-European or north American passengers on the luxury cruise ship, which struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York resulting in the loss of 1,500 of its 2,200 passengers and crew in 1912.

The Chinese passengers' names are listed on the manifest as Ali Lam, Len Lam, Lee Bing, Fang Lang, Chang Chip, Choong Foo and Ling Hee. All travelled on single tickets.

Len Lam and Ling Hee died but the others survived. Fang Lang was found on a floating piece of the wreckage by other survivors in a lifeboat. Four others made it onto one lifeboat and the remaining man made it onto another boat.

When they arrived in New York they were detained before joining the freighter Annetta, bound for Cuba, which was their original intention.

The last evidence of the Chinese passengers' life stories were their claims against the owners of the Titanic. Chip Chang filed for $177, Fang Lang, for $137, Bing Lee $99.34 and Ling Lee's wife filed for $91.05 for the loss of her husband.

Schwankert said, "Their story is actually one of courage and of quick thinking. We don't accept the history as it is presented  we don't believe these guys just disappeared."

Aidan McMichael, chairman of Belfast Titanic Society, said: "Everybody who died or survived on that ship was an individual, so it's good that whenever information comes out that can be sourced that is positive about those people because it means those stories are brought back to life."

A replica ship of the RMS Titanic is under construction in Daying county of Suining city, Southwest China's Sichuan province, April 12, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

The film Titanic made by James Cameron in 1997 has led to great Chinese interest, and a replica ship of the RMS Titanic in Sichuan is currently under construction which is due to be completed in early 2019.

Zhang Yangfei contributed to this story.
UPPER DARBY, Pa. - More than 30 people were injured when a train crashed into another train that was parked at a station in suburban Philadelphia.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said the crash happened around 12:15 am Tuesday.

An inbound Norristown High Speed Line train crashed into an unoccupied, parked train at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, said SEPTA spokeswoman Heather Redfern.

SEPTA said 33 people aboard the train were injured.

In an early morning news briefing, Upper Darby Mayor Nicholas Micozzie said at least four people suffered serious injuries. The victims were taken to area hospitals.

"The conductor is in the hospital right now, I can't release his condition," Micozzie said.

One passenger told reporters at the scene that the operator of the train was "all banged up." The passenger said "there was blood everywhere. "The cause of the crash remained under investigation.

SEPTA said there likely would be service disruptions for the Tuesday morning commute.

In February, four people were injured in a crash near the 69th Street Terminal involving three out-of-service commuter trains. At the time, SEPTA said one train rear-ended another on a loop where trains turn around to get back into service. Cars from that accident derailed and hit a third train on nearby tracks.

AP
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump unveiled his new Afghanistan strategy Monday night in a national address, calling a rapid exit of the US troops from Afghanistan "unacceptable" and pledging a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions.

QUICK EXIT UNACCEPTABLE

Trump delivered a prime-time nationally televised address at 9 pm local time on Monday (0100 GMT, Tuesday) from Fort Myer in Virginia.

In this over 30-minute speech, Trump ruled out a quick exit of the US troops, saying that a "nasty withdrawal" would have unacceptable consequences and "create a vacuum" that terrorists including the Islamic State and al-Qaida would instantly fill.

He said that the Untied States have been facing "immense" security threats in Afghanistan and the broader region, which made him stop following his "original instinct" to "pull out" the troops.

As a long-time critic of US strategy in Afghanistan under the Obama administration, Trump ordered a review of the strategy soon after taking office in January.

During his speech, Trump also made it clear that he would not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

Ahead of Trump's speech, US media expected the US president to authorize the deployment of up to 4,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.

US government officials have reportedly said that Trump had agreed on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' plans to send about 4,000 more troops in Afghanistan.

Currently, there are about 8,400 US troops and another 5,000 forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the ground in Afghanistan to train and assist the Afghan forces against the Taliban, and conduct counter-terrorism missions against groups such as the Islamic State.

In the speech, Trump said it was counter-productive for the United States to "announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options."

However, the new strategy would shift from "a time-based" approach to one based on conditions on the ground, he said.

Trump outlined the pillars of his strategy, saying that the United States was not about nation-building but focusing on "killing terrorists."
China hopes to work with ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, to maintain "the hard-won good situation" in the South China Sea, and hopes to promote development of China-Philippines ties, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio's remarks of "invasion of Philippine territory by China", the Chinese Commercial News, or Feilyubinshangbao in Chinese, reported.

Duterte said the Philippines has not been invaded and that what Carpio said was not true, according to the report.

"Individual persons in the Philippines laid indiscreet accusations towards China only because they attempted to stir up tension between China and the Philippines," Hua said in response at a daily news conference in Beijing.

China has always been committed to solving the disputes peacefully through talks with the sovereign states directly involved, Hua said.

The spokeswoman added that China hopes to work with ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, "to continue implementing the Declaration on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea comprehensively and effectively" and to actively promote the discussion on a Code of Conduct in the region.
A handout photo from Australia Zoo showing a rare white koala joey sitting on her mother's back at the Australia Zoo, Beerwah, on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, August 10, 2017. [Photo/IC]

SYDNEY - A rare white koala joey has been welcomed at a zoo in Australia on Tuesday, prompting thousands of Australians around the country to suggest names for the cuddly creature.

The white koala is one of 12 joeys born this season at Australia Zoo, the zoo established by the legendary "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, in the northern state of Queensland - but none of her siblings share her characteristic coloring, which is thought to be the result of a recessive gene inherited from her mother's side.

Conservationist and CEO of the Australian Koala Foundation Deborah Tabart said she is thrilled by the news, and hopes the focus on this joey can direct attention to koala conservation generally.

"People love white koalas, they are just so unique and beautiful, and they really capture people's imagination," Tabart told Xinhua on Tuesday.

"If zoos have a good strong conservation message, the birth of a white koala might do wonders. The Irwin family always does a great job in highlighting the importance of conservation."

Despite her white fur, the koala's brown eyes and nose mean she is not an albino - and though albino koalas are rare, it is even more unusual for a koala to have white fur, and not have albinism.

Thousands of Australians have responded to the call on social media from Australia Zoo to help them with naming the adorable joey, a number of people suggested traditional Aboriginal names, while others took inspiration from popular culture, and commented the koala should be named after Daenerys, a character from the worldwide smash-hit television show "Game of Thrones", who also has white hair.

Hospital director at the zoo Rosie Booth told local media that when animals are born with white, or extremely pale fur, it is expected that they will eventually shed this fur and their colouring will gradually become darker as they age.

However, it is her white fur that is sure to attract crowds at the Sunshine Coast zoo, while the koala is on display with her mother and siblings.

"I'm sure the koala will be a hit with crowds. It's just the dearest little thing," said Tabart.
MINOT -- A Minot man entered not guilty pleas in district court in Minot on Monday, to 17 felony counts related to terrorizing his girlfriend on Jan. 16 and, the day afterwards, of firing shots in and around a trailer at a Minot trailer park, spitting at multiple police officers and physically assaulting two paramedics.

He also pleaded not guilty to an aggravated assault charge accusing him of beating and choking his girlfriend on Dec. 8, 2016.

James Milton Blue II is charged with attempted murder, a Class A felony, for allegedly firing directly at his girlfriend as she fled the trailer with her young son on Jan. 17. He is also charged with terrorizing and five counts of reckless endangerment for reportedly brandishing a weapon and firing the gun inside the trailer with people present and two additional counts of reckless endangerment for reportedly firing in the direction of two Minot police officers outside the trailer. He is charged with two counts of simple assault on emergency personnel for allegedly grabbing their arms while he was struggling inside the ambulance and three counts of spitting at police officers.

He is charged with prohibited possession of a firearm by a felon for the incidents on Jan. 16 and 17. All of those charges are Class C felonies. Each C felony carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He is charged with terrorizing for the Jan. 16 incident, when he allegedly held a gun to his girlfriend's head and threatened to shoot her through the head and spine in front of her child, and with interference with a telephone during an emergency call, for hitting the phone away from his girlfriend when she tried to call 911.

No one was injured during the incident on Jan. 16 or Jan. 17.

Minot Police Detective Stephanie Zifchock testified during a probable cause hearing Monday that she had investigated the Dec. 8, 2016 assault. The alleged victim was reluctant to tell her the name of the man who strangled her twice. The victim did say that her boyfriend worked in the oil field and was "selling a dream to women," and had an extensive criminal record. Hospital personnel had called to report the alleged assault. Zifchock later spoke to the woman's friend outside in the hospital parking lot and the friend identified Blue as the boyfriend of the alleged victim. The alleged victim later told police that Blue had assaulted her.

Zifchock also investigated the incidents on Jan. 16 and 17. The alleged victim also called police to report the altercation on Jan. 16. The day after, she called 911 when Blue returned to the trailer with two friends. The woman, her friend and the woman's 4-year-old son were also present in the trailer when Blue allegedly brandished the firearm and began firing shots. Blue told his two friends and the woman's friend that they had better leave and those three people fled the trailer. The woman and her son were able to escape minutes later. The woman thought her son had run out ahead of her but went back to get him when she realized he had run somewhere else in the trailer. Blue allegedly fired shots at the pair as they ran away from the trailer. They got into a car and drove to safety.

Blue then allegedly came out of the trailer, brandished a firearm and was firing shots towards the trailer and a car parked in front of the trailer.

Two officers, Sgt. Jessica Sundheim and Officer Andy Mehlhoff, were positioned behind their vehicles nearby. Mehlhoff testified Monday that Blue had a notation in his "jacket" that he was aggressive towards police officers and might try to provoke "suicide by cop." Dispatchers had given him a description of Blue as he headed to the scene of the shooting.

Mehlhoff had gone to the car to take out a rifle and Sundheim asked him to hand her his AR-15 rifle. She could not get her own firearm because of the way her patrol car had been positioned. Sundheim fired one shot at Blue and missed. Mehlhoff said he did not witness Blue firing a shot in the direction of the officers, but Sundheim reported that he had fired towards them. Blue was also endangering the public by firing shots towards the trailer, Mehlhoff testified. The shooting by Sundheim was ruled justifiable following a police investigation.

Blue's attorney, Patrick Waters, questioned the two officers exhaustively during two hearings that lasted over three hours.

Judge Gary Lee told Ward County Assistant State's Attorney Ashlei Neufeld that she must see to it that any and all evidence in the case is turned over to the defense as soon as possible. He said he is concerned that some forensic testing has apparently not yet been conducted.

Waters told the judge that he plans to file a motion seeking sanctions against the state's attorney's office. He believes they have deliberately delayed turning over certain evidence. Waters said the office gave him the excuse that they are not required to give exculpatory evidence to the defense because it would be offering legal advice to the defendant.

Lee said he hoped to head off arguments over discovery in this case by ordering the state to turn over the evidence. He said he would consider Waters' motion if it is filed.
Today, the National Prayer Committee announced that Dr. Ronnie Floyd of Cross Church in Springdale, Ark. will serve as the new president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force  an ecumenical organization that mobilizes prayer across Christian denominational lines.

Americas greatest need today is to experience the next Great Spiritual Awakening, said Floyd in a statement. We know that no great movement of God ever occurs that is not preceded by the extraordinary prayer of Gods people [and] the National Day of Prayer mobilizes unified public prayer for America.

Recognized in federal law as a day on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals, the National Day of Prayer has been observed on the first Thursday of May since 1988. Its history stretches back to a resolution of Congress signed into law in 1952, as well as national calls to prayer dating back to the Continental Congress in 1775.

Floyd has served as senior pastor of Cross Church since 1986, a megachurch with five campuses where approximately 10,000 people combined worship weekly. He previously served as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention and currently participates in the White House evangelical advisory board.

He picks up the reins of the National Day of Prayer from Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Reverend Billy Graham and a well-known Bible teacher. She had served in the role since May 2016.

Lotz planned the 2017 national observance of the National Day of Prayer held in the U.S. Capitol on May 5, which Floyd helped lead. Less formal than previous annual gatherings, the Capitol Hill event convened by Anne Graham Lotz focused specifically on corporate repentance and less on political influence.

She led the hundreds of assembled faith leaders and elected officials in twelve statements of confession, including: We confess to believing the prosperity of our nation is because we are great, while refusing to acknowledge that all blessings come from Your hands.

In a related incident, the atheist advocacy organization Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a letter of legal complaint in North Carolina against Lotz on June 28. Her nonprofit group AnGeL Ministries has been based in Raleigh since 1988.

Longtime chairman of the National Prayer Committee Dave Butts endorsed the new leader, saying: As we step into a new phase of carrying this mission and legacy, I believe we couldnt have found a man more passionate or dedicated to prayer and spiritual awakening than Ronnie Floyd. Throughout his life, he has demonstrated he is a leader with a unique calling to lead others to unify together to pray for our nation and the need of spiritual awakening.

The National Prayer Committee, which serves as a board of oversight for the National Day of Prayer, started in 1979 as an outgrowth of the evangelism-centered Lausanne Movement. A prayer leaders roundtable, the committee meets regularly to share strategies and coordinate national efforts.

In a letter to his Arkansas church family, released with a video announcement, Floyd outlined a four-part strategy for the National Day of Prayer moving forward:

1. The National Day of Prayer mobilizes unified public prayer for America.

2. The National Day of Prayer must become a movement of prayer every day of the year.

3. The National Day of Prayer must become a multi-church, multi-denominational, multi-ministry, multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual movement of prayer for America.

4. The National Day of Prayer must engage with the digital world via relevant and robust channels.

The National Day of Prayer Task Force office currently resides in Colorado Springs; as of press time, questions on whether it would be relocated were not returned. Under new convening leadership, the next observance of the National Day of Prayer will be held on May 3, 2018.

A freelance writer and editor,Josh M. Shepherd has served on staff at The Heritage Foundation, Focus on the Family, Bound4LIFE International, and two Congressional offices. His articles have appeared in media outlets including The Federalist, The Daily Signal, Charisma News, The Stream, and Christian Headlines, where he serves as a contributor. He earned a degree in Business Marketing from the University of Colorado. Josh and his wife live in the Washington D.C. area.

Photo courtesy: Will Foster / via Flickr

Publication date: August 22, 2017
A shocking news segment on child sex trafficking in Cambodia spurred American evangelicals to get involved in the cause 13 years ago. A recent CNN update on the industry almost ended more than decade of anti-trafficking ministry by a major Christian charity.

The controversial story, which portrayed mothers selling their daughters to work in brothels, offended the countrys top leader, who threatened to expel Agape International Missions (AIM) from Cambodia.

Prime Minister Hun Sen took issue with the characterization of Cambodians in CNN coverage from July since the women featuredlike a disproportionate number involved in trafficking in Cambodiawere ethnically Vietnamese, not Cambodian.

On Tuesday, the leader of the majority-Buddhist nation accepted AIMs apology over the segment and has rescinded calls to shut down the organizations schools, shelters, and offices, mostly based in the heavily Vietnamese Svay Pak slums.

AIM, the subject of CTs June cover story, investigates more than half of all sex trafficking raids that take place in Cambodia and has rescued over 100 underage girls in recent years.

The evangelical charity works in partnership with the anti-human trafficking division of the national police to catch perpetrators and provide recovery for young victims. It had received commendation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in July, just days before the prime minister pledged, No matter what it costs us, this organization has to leave Cambodia.

The government investigation ultimately found AIM to be sincere in its explanation and apology.

"Recently, myself and the NGO I led, Agape International Missions, were mistakenly accused of working with CNN to defame the integrity of Cambodian mothers and of not having programs to help the people of Cambodia. Both of these accusations are false, said Don Brewster, the founder and president of AIM, in a press conference Monday, emphasizing his organizations work to benefit thousands of Cambodians, including eliminating brothels in Svay Pak.

CNN identified the three girls as Cambodian when in fact they are ethnically Vietnamese. This misidentification was made even though I told CNN the girls were Vietnamese.

The prime minister has shifted his criticism to the network.

My country is poor, but you cannot insult our people, Hun said, according to a New York Times report. It is fitting that CNN was blasted by President Donald Trump. I would like to say that President Trump is right: US media is very tricky.

Even as significant progress is being made to curb child sex trafficking in the former communist country, Cambodian officials remain very sensitive about the countrys international reputation. The Phnom Penh Post pointed out that:

The governments response  appeared to ignore both the wider issue of sex traffickingwhich advocates say remains a problemand the fact that the CNN report had called attention to authorities good work in largely stamping out what was once a notorious hub of child sex trafficking.

CTs recent cover story highlighted the dynamic between AIM, which applauds the reduction in underage girls available for sex but believes theres still work to be done, and fellow Christian organization International Justice Mission (IJM), which wrapped up its pioneering antisex trafficking efforts in Cambodia to focus on labor trafficking.

Over the past decade or so, Christian missions organizations have catalyzed Cambodian efforts to fight trafficking more so than any other forceeven though the country itself is 95 percent Buddhist.

We found they are very committed to assisting vulnerable people, Her Excellency Chou Bun Eng, vice-chair of the governments National Committee for Counter-Trafficking, told CT. They work by faith.
5 minutes with... A Himalayan gilt-bronze Buddha

Leiko Coyle, Senior Specialist in Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art at Christies in New York, explains why this beautiful, centuries-old Nepalese sculpture is her dream piece

This 51 cm-high gilt Buddha was produced sometime in the 13th or 14th century by a master Newari artist. The original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley, the Newars are renowned for their artistic skill, particularly related to bronze casting. We know examples of their work dating back to the 4th century, says Leiko Coyle, Senior Specialist in Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art at Christies in New York. But even today, if you go to the valley you will see Newar artists practising the same techniques they used hundreds of years ago. It's an unbroken living tradition  such a rarity these days.'

I first saw this piece in our London warehouse a couple of years ago, the specialist continues. When we got word that it was coming to New York, I was beyond ecstatic. For Himalayan art, this type of bronze from this early period is rare  and it's so large! That doesnt happen very often.' Heavily influenced by the art of Gupta India and later by Pala-period prototypes, the Newars developed their own unique aesthetic. In my opinion, its one of the most beautiful and compelling styles in South Asian art history', Coyle says. In this gilded Buddha, you see the rounded, supple contours reminiscent of early Gupta figures, but the profile, with the long, hooked nose, is very Pala.'

Open a larger version of this image In this gilt Buddha, the influence of Pala art  an important sculptural style that reached its peak in Northeast India in the 12th century  can be seen in the profile, particularly the long, protruding nose

This work represents the moment when the Buddha achieves enlightenment. 'The figure is sitting in a meditative posture, but it remains animated,' Coyle adds. 'He's relaxed, but not static: a true yogic master. The shoulders are broad and full; the toes are splayed; and the face has a slight smile. He appears full of the breath of life'.

Open a larger version of this image A great sculpture, like this one, always has great hands and feet

The figures hands and feet are another outstanding feature. In a lesser example, they wont be very lifelike  they may even be kind of clunky, says Coyle. But a great sculpture, like this one, always has beautiful, well-understood hands and feet.



Central to much of Buddhist religious art is the process of consecration. Generally, explains the specialist, there will be a cavity at the bottom or back of the sculpture, that is filled with materials  pages of Buddhist scripture, sacred herbs, or fabrics from the garments of an important living religious figure  and sealed with a baseplate. Its a way of imbuing the sculpture with life or power.

Open a larger version of this image Generally, there will be a cavity at the bottom or back of sculptures such as this, which is filled with materials. In this example the materials have been preserved inside

Most extant Buddha figures no longer retain this material but, unusually, in this instance it has been preserved, although the baseplate itself is missing. If you tilt the bronze back you can see cloth, herbs and scrolls of Buddhist text inside, says Coyle. It really gives you a sense that these objects were considered living containers for divine energy. I spent nearly 10 years living in Nepal, so I have a deep love for its art, the specialist continues. This Buddha has a purity of form and sweetness that captures the essence of Nepal. For me, its a dream piece.

Open a larger version of this image Theres a real vibrancy to the figure, says Coyle. The shoulders are broad and full, and theres a narrowness in the torso. Its like its full of breath.
Chevron CEO John Watson will soon retire as the Big Oil giant pivots in a world of evolving energy dynamics, The Wall Street Journal is reporting, citing sources close to the matter.

California-based Chevron is planning to announce the change in September, if not sooner, and the Journal said newly promoted Vice Chairman Michael Wirth, 56, is the leading candidate to replace Watson, 60.
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Tiffany Trump is ending her adventure-filled summer and beginning law school at Georgetown University this week.

Before Donald Trump's youngest daughter, Tiffany hits the books at one of the most prestigious law universities in the nation, it is clear she made the most of her summer, traveling across the globe to exotic locations. She documented much of her exciting vacation on Instagram to be seen by her 863,000 followers.

PICTURE PERFECT: How models spent their summer





Tiffany kicked off her vacation in Hungary and Germany with her boyfriend, Ross Mechanic. Tiffany posted pictures of them visiting the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in late June. Mechanic later posted a picture of them in front of a beautiful view of Budapest. It is reported that her trip to Berlin costs taxpayers at least $22,000 due to costs regarding hotels and flights for the Secret Service team, according to CBS News.

One of Tiffanys stops was Italy with her mom, Donald Trumps second ex-wife, Marla Maples, in mid-July. The two, along with family friends, voyaged around the beautiful island of Capri and other islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The 23-year-old law student spent the remainder of her summer either leisurely by the pool, or out on the town with close friends.

It now seems as though Tiffanys days of relaxation are over. She is back in Washington D.C., near her father in the White House, and begins student orientation this week.

Tiffany is Donald Trumps third child to attend Georgetown. Her brother and Georgetown alumnus, Eric Trump, told Daily Mail in an interview, "I am so proud of Tiffany. Georgetown University is a truly amazing school and she is going to love her time in Washington, D.C."
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The Texas inmates at the center of an ongoing legal saga over sweltering prison conditions scored another victory Friday when a federal appeals court reaffirmed class certification in a lawsuit launched back in 2014.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit's decision paves the way for the suit to include all of the more than 1,400 inmates at the Wallace Pack Unit instead of just the six named plaintiffs.

"Affirming that all prisoners, regardless of health and age, have a clearly established right to be protected from the heat inside Texas prisons will have a lasting impact far beyond this case," said Jeff Edwards, whose Austin firm is representing the prisoners along with the Texas Civil Rights Project.

BACKGROUND: Federal judge orders Texas prison system to provide a/c for heat-sensitive inmates at Pack Unit

Though parts of the facility are air-conditioned, the inmate housing areas are not, so indoor temperatures can spike up over 100 degrees in the summer months.

In the suit filed three years ago, inmates accused the state of violating their constitutional right against cruel and unusual punishment and the Americans with Disabilities Act after a series of heat-related deaths. None of the 22 inmate deaths in Texas prisons since 1998 were at the Pack Unit, although some of the more than 100 inmates struck by heat-related injuries were housed in the facility that's home to a disproportionate number of geriatric inmates.

In a 100-page rebuke of the Texas prison system, a federal judge in July issued a temporary injunction ordering the state to find cooler living quarters for heat-vulnerable prisoners.

Earlier this month, the state began transferring inmates to other prisons. But still, officials took issue with the district court's decision to grant class status.

The state argued, among other things, that the class action certification was in violation of the Prison Litigation Reform Act, a 1996 law aimed at reining in prisoners' legal actions.

MOONLIGHT RIDE: Transfers begin for more than 1,000 prison inmates from Pack Unit

The 5th Circuit did not agree.

The state also argued that other heat-mitigation measures could work depending on inmates' age and health, so it wasn't possible to determine whether the excessive heat really presented a risk of serious harm to all of the unit's inmates.

But the 5th Circuit upheld the district court's finding that cooled respite areas, more frequent showers, cold water and fans were ineffective to reduce the risk, pointing out that the lower court's decision came after a four-day evidentiary hearing that included a unit tour.

Wallis Nader, a staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, applauded the 5th Circuit's decision, saying it will help other inmates challenge "abusive and inhumane" prison conditions.

"Everyday, more and more Texans are awakened to the effects of our broken criminal justice system which does little to rehabilitate individuals in our prisons or serve public safety," she said in a statement.

"Working hand-in-hand with our partners and allies in the state, we will continue to shine a light on the inhumane conditions faced by thousands of prisoners every day and challenge them in and out of the courtroom."
The Great American Eclipse captivated millions of Americans, including a Florida 22-year-old who authorities say parked a stolen vehicle to check out the cosmic phenomena.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Jocsan Feliciano Rosado stole a vehicle and was being followed by police when he stopped by an equipment store to purchase a welding helmet to safely view the eclipse.
Art enthusiasts will be able to see a one of a kind collection of Salvador Dali's work at Off The Wall Gallery in the Galleria starting Sept. 1 through Sept. 14.

Salvador Dali: The Argillet Collection features work that was owned by Pierre Argillet, Dali's publisher and close friend, now passed on to his daughter, Christine Argillet.

Visitors to the gallery will have a chance to meet Christine Argillet during two special appearances on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The work that will be seen as a part of the Argillet Collection includes drawings, copper plate etches and tapestries.

"The collection that will be shown was passed on to me by my father. The fact that we have publications - sometimes we have 100 of one piece, 50 of another - it has allowed us to part with some elements of the collection and to share it. In our view, it is important to share the collection. I feel very happy when it is seen by other people," Argillet said.

Argillet continued, " An interesting part of the collection is that a lot of the tapestries are being shown for the first time. This is a big part of the show."

Ironically, according to Argillet, Dali hated the tapestries and thought they were gaudy.

Argillet's father Pierre first met Dali before World War II, when he was starting his publishing house. Pierre initially worked with many artists, but eventually worked only with Dali.

"My father really had a big admiration for Dali's work, not only on the craft side, but the imagination. They were quite close," Argillet said. "Dali would recognize my father as someone who really loved his work. There was a very strong confidence in each other and they knew they would rely on each other. Dali was very joyful. It is the reason why my father only worked with him."

Dali is known for being a surrealist artist. According to Argillet, the surrealist movement, which was both literary and art based, took place after World War I.

"[During the war] Millions of young people would die. There was a need from the people to escape the absurdity. People wanted to be happy and create a new world. Between the two world wars there was an extreme sense of freedom and the dream," Argillet explained.

Argillet noted that Dali was simple in his daily life, had a sense of humor, and was also able to do many things at once. Argillet remembered a time when she was a child when Dali was hosting a crowd of the media in his room, and her father pleaded with him to finish one or two more plates before he was set to go to New York. Dali would take the plate, but he would still keep talking to the media.

"Yet he would be able to produce this amazing work," Argillet said. "My father would always have copper plates in hand and would always ask Dali to consider etching a series of plates on a topic. Sometimes Dali would be very inspired and sometimes he would lose his way and you just had to accept it. My father wasn't patient in normal life but he was patient with Dali."

Argillet continued, "I remember myself being fascinating by Dali's paintings and his imagination. These things talk even to a child. I would see him do sculptures and drawing and it was like magic coming out of his hand."

"Dali's etching was done in a way where he took a stylus and once it went down on the plate he never lifted it off until he was done with the entire drawing. He was a genius. To know what he had in his mind - he had a real intensity," Mimi Sperber, owner of Off The Wall Gallery said.

Sperber notes that she has multiple favorites of Dali's work, including Flower Women With Soft Piano, a drypoint etching from 1969, and the handwoven Argus Tapestry from 1972 to 1973.

"It is hard to pick a favorite. Every time you see them you begin to see something else in them so it doesn't get easier over time," Sperber said.

According to Argillet, Dali worked with many different mediums, including both two and three dimensions, and she believes that is why so many other artists look up to him.

"People like Andy Warhol have said that without Dali they wouldn't have become the artist they have become. Dali would value all kinds of arts. He loved to work in different directions that would all compliment his other work. I think his openness is an incredible legacy," Argillet said.

Sperber said about the exhibit, "I hope that people in Houston will get to see something they would ordinarily have to go see in a museum in Europe. They can come in and see many different kinds of art and it is free to the public."

The exhibition and Argillet's special appearances are complimentary to the public, and RSVP's are required at 713-871-0940 or by email at mimi@offthewallgallery.com. Off The Wall Gallery is located at 5015 Westheimer Rd, Houston. Visit www.offthewallgallery.com for more information.
Participants in a public fossil dig discovered two large Tyrannosaurus rex teeth south of Bismarck last week, setting records for the North Dakota Geological Survey.

The fossils  teeth that measure 2 inches and 4 inches long  give North Dakota paleontologists hope that they may be getting closer to their goal of uncovering a partial T. rex skeleton.

Every little bit is exciting, said senior paleontologist Clint Boyd.

The teeth discovered by volunteers on Thursday are the ninth and 10th T. rex teeth discovered at the site south of Bismarck-Mandan in the past three years.

Previous finds, however, were fragments of teeth that had to be reconstructed in the lab by paleontologist Becky Barnes at the North Dakota Heritage Center.

The fossils discovered last week were fully intact teeth, with the largest one from a full adult T. rex.

We couldnt believe what we were seeing, Barnes said. I couldnt wait to get this tooth out of the ground to see the full extent of what we were dealing with. It was quite remarkable.

The T. rex teeth fossils are not attached to the roots, meaning the teeth likely broke off when the dinosaur was feeding on other animals at the site, Boyd said. T. rex shed teeth frequently and grew replacement teeth.

Paleontologists hope to find teeth with the roots still attached, which would indicate that the dinosaur died there and its skeleton may be nearby, Boyd said.

Theres only been one partial skeleton of a T. rex discovered in North Dakota, and the paleontologists goal is to find another, Boyd said.

Casts of the newly discovered T. rex teeth are expected to be on display in the Geologic Time Gallery at the Heritage Center in the coming weeks.

Its unclear if the fossils will become part of the states collection. The site is on private property, but the landowners have an agreement with the North Dakota Geological Survey to host the public fossil digs. The landowners have donated many past fossil finds to the state, Boyd said.

This is only made possible because of the partnership we have with the private landowners, he said.

Last weeks discoveries were made while a crew from The Today Show was filming at the fossil dig site. The segment is scheduled to air on Saturday.

Locations for next years public fossil digs have been announced, but dates have not been set. To sign up for information about next years public fossil digs, visit www.dmr.nd.gov/ndfossil/digs.
Aug. 11

An Officer observed a vehicle weaving in and out of traffic without utilizing its turn signal. A traffic stop was initiated and upon the Officer making contact there was an odor of marijuana emanating from within the vehicle. A probable cause search was conducted and two firearms were discovered. Upon further investigation, the driver was discovered to be a convicted felon and was arrested for the felony offense of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

An officer observed a vehicle in the parking lot of a closed business located in the 5300 block of Kirby. As the officer began to approach the vehicle to further investigate, the driver of the vehicle began to rapidly reverse out of the parking lot. The officer gave pursuit as the vehicle entered the correct side of the roadway. The pursuit was terminated and the driver of the vehicle was taken into custody.

Aug. 13

An officer observed a vehicle in the 6400 block of Buffalo Speedway with a defective brake lamp. The officer conducted a traffic stop during the course of contact; the officer was able to detect an odor of marijuana emanating from within the vehicle. A vehicle search was conducted and a clear bag containing marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found. The driver was given the opportunity to participate in a Harris County drug program, which the driver agreed to participate in.

An Officer was dispatched to the 2600 block of rice in reference to a parked vehicle being struck by an unknown vehicle that already occurred. A report was generated for the offense of Failure to Stop and Give Information.

An officer was dispatched to a residence in the 2900 block of W Holcombe in regards to a Burglary of Habitation. At this time it appears that nothing was taken from inside the residence.

Aug. 14

An Officer was dispatched to the 2700 block of Bissonnet in reference to a burglary of a building that had already occurred.

An officer was dispatched to the Houston Police Department Central Jail facility to pick up a prisoner in custody with West University Place warrants. The prisoner was transferred to the West University Jail Facility and booked without incident.

Aug. 15

At 12:40 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 6200 block of Community in regards to found

property. Upon arrival and through investigation, it was discovered an unknown person(s) left a bicycle on the residence property throughout the night hours.

Aug. 16

An Officer was dispatched to the 2700 block of University in reference to a Failure To Stop and Give Information that already occurred.

An Officer was dispatched to the 2600 block of Robinhood to speak with a complainant in regard to a package being stolen from their door step.

Aug. 17

An Officer was dispatched to pick up a subject that had warrants with the West University Place Police Department.

At 7 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in regards to a theft that already occurred.
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Houston-based law firm Porter Hedges has locked in a long-term lease for 105,026 square feet at its downtown offices at 1000 Main.

The firm, which has been subleasing the penthouse space from Reliant-NRG since 2005, signed a 13-year lease plus renewal options, according to CBRE.

Porter Hedges, which represents clients from a range of industries, is Houston's seventh-largest law firm based on the number of attorneys, according to a Chronicle 100 survey in April. The firm has 108 attorneys in Houston.

Charles Gordon, Brandon Clarke, Paul Penland and Ryan Roth of CBRE represented Porter Hedges in the lease. Wade Bowlin with PM Realty Group represented the landlord, 1000 Main LLC, an affiliate of German realty fund Union Investment.

RELATED: Law firms lease space at Hines' 609 Main tower

"It was imperative for us to create a solution that would help Porter Hedges continue its reputation as one of Houston's leading law firms," Gordon said in an announcement.

"After a thorough evaluation of their needs and how they could continue to best serve their clients, they determined that staying downtown would suit them best and from there, our team worked with the landlord to structure a lease that met the interests of all parties involved."

RELATED: Fisher Phillips law firm to relocate offices to One Shell Plaza

Porter Hedges received market concessions for a Class AA building, according to CBRE. The company also took a little less space due to a reduction in file storage and support areas.

The firm occupies 12.5 percent of the 36-story tower. Other tenants include Shell, Sanchez Energy, UBS, and NRG Energy, according to CBRE.

Reliant put the top four floors of its space at 1000 Main on the market before moving in as part of cost-cutting measures in 2004. The building was completed in 2003.

Founded in 1981, Porter Hedges handles energy transactions, corporate mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation, banking and finance, bankruptcy and construction law. It also has an office in Oklahoma City.
Texas Dems blame 'mind blowing' GOP dark money for midterm losses An internal party memo cited huge spending by special interest groups as a factor weighing...

Montrose's iconic nightclub is ready for its close up A new documentary explores the former epicenter of Houston's queer culture civil rights movement.
By a unanimous 7-0 vote, the Board of Trustees for the Katy Independent School District called for a $609 million bond election to be held on Nov. 7, 2017.

"It is time to give this vote to the community," said board president Ashley Vann.

If passed by voters, the bond will fund construction of six new schools  a new high school, two junior high schools and three elementary schools.

At more than $448 million, that will consume the majority of the bond funding.

Other spending includes more than $51 million for renovations and reforms at 61 campuses.

Trustee George Scott, who has opposed bond elections in the past, said he "fully supports" this bond issue.

"I'm going to (vote for calling for the bond election) without an ounce of reservation," Scott said.

The bond, if passed, also will fund technology upgrades at almost 30 Katy ISD campuses with about $31.7 million.

Officials said the bond issue will not result in a tax rate increase.

"We need this bond," Superintendent Lance Hindt said.
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Natalie Romero, a Bellaire High School graduate, was among those injured August 12 when a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville during a white nationalist rally.

Romero was one of 19 people injured, and one killed, when a car sped into a crowd at a mall where protesters were gathered.

When news of the 20-year-old's involvement in the counter-protest spread, Bellaire High School Principal quickly posted to his Twitter page that he was not surprised that the woman was there in defense of civil rights.

"As well as I know Natalie (BHS '16) , I'm not surprised she was at the event," said Michael McDonough, principal, on his Twitter page.

"Natalie has always had a strong spirit for being an active citizen. She was always a fervent rights advocate and her peers found her inspiring," said McDonough in an email about the 2016 grad.

He said one of her most notable accomplishments was her leadership in the school's Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Romero was named as Outstanding JROTC cadet for all of Houston ISD in May 2016.

"She balanced a heavy AP course load along with her duties as lead JROTC cadet," said McDonough. "She was selected as an HISD EMERGE fellow which brought with it specific college prep programming."

EMERGE helps low-income and minority students get accepted into Ivy League schools, and was a factor in Romero's choice of UVA for higher education.

"Additionally, she was awarded the Harlan Andrews Founding Principal Scholarship at graduation based on her leadership, character, and commitment to excellence," said McDonough.

A Gofundme.com page was set up by her mother and raised more than the $120,000 she needed for hospital costs due to suffering a fractured skull and lacerations to her face. She has since been discharged from the hospital, but remains in Virginia while her mother hopes she will soon return to Houston for her recovery.

"Natalie was there because of the person she is and to support the rights of everyone," said McDonough.

Natalie Romero Santana donated $50 on the website and wrote, "Seeing we share the same name, the same skin color and almost the same age is a reminder that we are all in this together. We must raise our voices and fight against this together."
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The man in charge of the Katy Independent School District stood at the front door at Bryant Elementary School as the seconds ticked away for the start of the new school year.

"Does anyone know when it opens?" Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt asked, half-jokingly.

"7:55," answered a tiny voice belonging to one of the new first graders at Bryant Elementary, 29801 Kingsland Blvd.

Kimberly Crawford, the 6-year-old girl who was keeping track of the time, was ready to get her education started.

"I'm a little nervous and a little excited," Crawford said, standing very close to her proud father, J.P. Crawford.

"It's a beautiful school," Kimberly's dad said. "The facilities are amazing. They really put a lot of thought into the details."

Kimberly and about 500 other students will be part of the first group of students to attend the just-opened Robert and Felice Bryant Elementary School, the district's first campus in Waller County.

Bryant is one of three schools - along with Stockdick Junior High and Paetow High School - that opened up for the 2017-2018 school year, constructed with funds from a 2014 bond referendum.

"Our kids are eager to get back to school and our teachers are eager to see them," Hindt said.

As the line of students filed into Bryant Elementary, their district's gregarious superintendent held up his hand for high-fives.

"We're going to have a great year," Hindt said as student after student smacked his palm.

"Oh no! He left me hanging!" he said after one of the new Bryant Bengals strode into the school without returning the high-five.

The school was named for a pair of veteran Katy ISD educators who proudly watched as the children filed into the campus.

"It's surreal and humbling. It's something we never would have imagined," Felice Bryant said.

Robert Bryant said teachers don't go into education with the idea that someday a school will bear their name.

"You start off being a teacher because of the kids and you continue being a teacher because of the kids," he said.

The architecture of the new elementary school isn't like the standard square room with rows of wooden desks. There are several places on the campus where teaching can be done in a more open and collaborative environment.

"Schools have changed a bit since the early 1970s and early '80s when I was in school," Hindt said. "But what happens in the classroom hasn't changed - that's where the kids have a relationship with the teachers and the teachers inspire them to learn."

Emily Chaney, 9, will start the fourth grade as a Bryant Bengal.

"School has always been exciting for me," Emily said as she filed through the front door. "I'm going to miss some of my friends from last year. I'm feeling pretty sad about that.

Hindt walked through the brand new halls of Bryant Elementary as part of his plan to visit the other new campuses on the first day of school. He stopped and embraced a red-eyed mother who was dabbing her eyes after leaving one of her children in a kindergarten classroom.

"Oh come on Mama. We're going to take good care of them," Hindt reassured her.

He said building new schools like Bryant, Stockdick and Paetow, is simply a necessity as Katy continues its explosive growth. A 2017 bond referendum, if approved by the voters, will result in the construction of another high school, two more junior high campuses and three elementary schools.

Hindt grew up in Katy and is a 1983 graduate of James Taylor High. He said Katy ISD had fewer than 10,000 students when he was there. Today, the district has more than 77,000 students and is growing by 3,000 every year.

"What it tells me is this: families want to be part of this school district and parents want their kids in our schools," Hindt said. "We'll take as many as they bring."
An aspiring actor from Houston was killed in New York City on Friday in what is being called a random act of violence.

George Carroll, 42, was walking home with his wife, Christina, Friday evening after looking at apartments when two men hanging out near the steps of a school in Brooklyn's Greenpoint area said something to him.
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Richmond City Commission recently approved the installation of a Second Street gate outfall, which will help protect Wessendorff Park and its trails system from becoming damaged by Brazos River flooding.

"In 2015 and 2016, Wessendorff Park was flooded due to the high levels in the Brazos River back-feeding into the park through the outfall on Second Street," said Public Works Director Howard Christian. "Installing an outfall gate will help prevent the park flooding from the river rising when there is no local flooding."
When Alisha Will needs a hand around her Tomball home  moving the refrigerator, hanging a flag above the garage, the kinds of chores her husband would have done  she calls or texts members of her family in blue.

Inevitably, off-duty police officers arrive quickly, offering more help than she needs.

A couple weeks ago, Alisha put out one of those messages. Her 5-year-old son was about to start kindergarten, but he wouldn't be sharing the moment with his father, a Houston police officer who was killed in an on-duty crash in 2011. Wouldn't it be nice, she asked, if a few officers walked the boy down the street to his first day of school?

"All I did was send a text saying, 'Hey, can I have some guys come to the house?'" Alisha said. "I thought four, five, maybe six."

True to form, the officers over-delivered.

Shortly after 7 a.m., as the sun rose on a sticky August morning, about 100 officers  most of them from the Houston Police Department, 13 of them mounted on horseback  arrived at the Will family home. Together, they picked up Kevin Will Jr., dressed sharply in a button-down shirt, blue jeans and sparkling white sneakers, and started the .7-mile trek to Wildwood Elementary School in Tomball.

After a quick picture with Kevin in the saddle of a horse, the crew quietly walked in a long line through his subdivision. As Kevin clung to his mother and grandfather, barely uttering a word, officers marshaled traffic and carved a path for the procession. Eventually, a helicopter escort arrived overhead.

And finally, when it was all over, a Tomball ISD administrator greeted them with a booming "Hello," then showed the boy the way to his class.

"I think he was way overwhelmed today," Alisha said. "But he was excited about kindergarten, and I talked to him about the officers being here because his daddy couldn't."

Meticulous officer

The fatal crash occurred in the early-morning hours of Sunday May 29, 2011 as Officer Kevin Will worked his overnight shift for the Houston Police Department's vehicular crimes division.

The 37-year-old officer had been with the department for only two years, the result of a career change in his mid-30s. After studying engineering at Texas Tech University and working in finance for several years before the recession, he joined the police department in 2009, called to a profession of service. He'd developed a reputation as a meticulous officer, who meshed with colleagues by pulling frequent pranks.

"Kevin was one of those guys that wanted to take the extra steps  wanted to make sure everything got done right," said Houston police Sgt. Don Egdorf, who met Will in training classes.

On that fateful Sunday, Will was interviewing a witness to a hit-and-run involving a motorcyclist on the North Loop of Interstate 610. Officers used patrol vehicles to set up a barricade to give investigators space to work.

At about 3:15 a.m., a 26-year-old motorist with a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit blew through the barricade and past flashing police lights. He sped toward the scene at more than 80 mph, barreling down on Officer Will. Witnesses said the officer screamed at a civilian, warning him to get out of the way. The civilian was able to jump to safety before Will was struck and killed.

Officers delivered the news to Alisha at her mother's house, where she was resting in bed, pregnant with the couple's first child. They had planned to name him Matthew.

In the days after the tragedy, Houston's police community surrounded the family to provide support, from street-level officers to the department's chief.

Three months later, Alisha gave birth to a baby boy.

She named him Kevin.

Father's absence felt

If everything had gone according to plan, Kevin, Sr., would have been the first person awake in his house. He would have downed a cup of strong black coffee, wrested his son and two stepchildren out of bed, and escorted Alisha and Kevin Jr. to Wildwood.

"It would have been a normal day, like every other parent that took their kindergartner to school," Alisha said.

Alisha and Kevin met through a mutual friend, dating on and off for three years. At first, her family was wary. He was a decade older than she was.

"But after meeting him, we fell in love with him, both my husband and I," said Alisha's mother, Cyndee Herring.

He was all Alisha could want  an intelligent, goofy, charming man with a deep Christian faith. When he'd pump gas, he was liable to chat up the customer next to him. When he needed to provide for his family, he took side jobs working security at a hospital and the local Food Mart.

He doted on Alisha's two children, Abby and Alex, then went "over the moon" after learning he'd become a father, Alisha said.

Before his death, he'd begun studying to become a sergeant, seeking a career path that provided a better life for his wife and children.

Today, his only son is a precocious 5-year-old who loves to swim and play with his new puppy and watch Paw Patrol. Some day, young Kevin wants to play football like his 17-year-old stepbrother, even if his grandmother would prefer he play baseball like his father.

Kevin Jr. believes his father is in heaven. He knows it's because of a drunken driver. He doesn't know much more, and every now and then, he asks a question that reminds his family of all he has to learn.

"Some days," Herring said, "he'll look at Alisha and say, 'When is my daddy coming to meet me?'"

Always there

The officers have been there from the start. Through the funeral, through the trial that resulted in the 26-year-old driver's plea to intoxicated manslaughter and 55-year prison sentence, through the milestones in Kevin Jr.'s life. They've taken the boy to police memorials, to fund-raising dinners, to the zoo.

"It could be just about anything. We're just open for them," Egdorf said. "Even with this today, it's not necessarily something we're looking for attention on ourselves. We're doing this all for Kevin."

When word started trickling out about Tuesday's event, some officers tried to keep it in relatively closed quarters. They ended up with officers from as far south as McAllen, north as Fort Worth and west as Odessa.

"We knew if we put it out to the public, we'd have 100,000 people out here cheering Kevin on," said Doug Griffith, vice president of the Houston Police Officers Union.

Alisha Will says her husband's fellow officers have been a constant presence in the past six years, helping her navigate the tumult of unexpectedly losing a husband. For Kevin Jr., the officers' presence Tuesday was another reminder that when he lost his father, he gained a family.

"He knows," Alisha said, "that they'll always be there."
As children in the U.S. return to school, their European contemporaries have or soon will join them. However, they do so in a context that recognizes fewer of the traditional rights that society has accorded parents over the education of their children, especially whether they are taught to uphold or disdain their familys moral and religious views.

Gregor Puppinck, Ph.D., the director of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), addressed the rights that parents rightfully exercise over their childrens education during a conference at the European Court of Human Rights. In his address  which is reprinted today at Religion & Liberty Transatlantic  he told a distinguished audience that it has not always been this way.

European society, and Western culture in general, upheld a spontaneously ordered society built upon the individual person and the family unit, and it affirmed the principle of subsidiarity. These societies left education to parents, perhaps drawing upon Biblical injunctions (see, as but two examples, Deuteronomy 6:6-7 and Deut. 11:18-19), certainly drawing upon a long and unbroken tradition of both religious and philosophical origin that holds conscience inviolate. As a consequence, the intrusion of the government into such realms had always been necessarily limited.

Puppinck traces Western history through Erasmus, Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, and Kant to modern human rights statements, written in reaction to Nazi and Communist regimes that used the educational system to indoctrinate innocent minds in totalitarianism:

The preparatory works of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights and of its First Protocol clearly show that the first aim of their authors was less to proclaim a right to education than to guarantee the prior right of parents against the State. The rights of parents are called natural, elementary, fundamental, innate, or priority rights. This right, which was initially considered to be the third paragraph of Article 12 of the Convention, was not titled the right to education, but the prior right of parents to choose the kind of education to be given to their children. It was one of the family liberties, alongside the right to marry and to found a family and the right to freedom from arbitrary interference with the family. As numerous drafters of the convention underlined, it was aimed at protecting families against the danger of nationalization, absorption, monopolization, requisitioning of young people by the State.

Yet European governments have steadily encroached upon this right. This January, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the governments goal of enabling a successful social integration  takes precedence over the wish of the parents to exercise their religious mores.

The decision, Puppinck writes, amounts to the State asserting that it is protecting the children from their parents, because they are foreigners.

Previous decisions had stamped out some parents right to homeschool their children, he noted. In his sweeping review of the rights parents wield over their childrens educational and religious instruction, he quotes a postwar German politician whose words ring prophetic in our own day:

If we wish strenuously to oppose everything that smacks of collectivism  we must foster and increase individual responsibility. Furthermore, one of the most urgent tasks of this assembly is to contend against totalitarianism. I shall venture to say that, though totalitarianism obviously exists under dictatorial governments, it may also develop in democracies. We should offer the strongest possible opposition to any such development.

For Americans, observing the unrelenting hostility that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has endured for advocating greater school choice implies that further encroachments by the State upon parental liberties may not be a remote concern.

You can read his informative speech here.

(Photo credit: Public domain. CC0.)
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A Montgomery man found guilty of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old on several occasions was handed a life sentence Friday, a decision, prosecutors said, that was highly influenced by the amount of self-imposed cuts the victim had as a result of the emotional trauma from the assault.

Jeffrey Michael McDonough, 46, met the young girl when he and the girl's mother started dating in summer 2014, according to a release from the District Attorney's Office. He moved in with the mother and daughter the following spring.

McDonough began sexually assaulting the young girl on many different occasions, the release states. One of the girl's teachers testified during trial that she noticed a big change in the girl, reportedly going from a happy, giving and friendly in the fall 2014 semester to an angry, reserved and unfriendly person the following semester, prosecutors said.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Man accused of posting photos of girl he sexually assaulted

The victim's mother noticed similar changes, including sleeplessness and nightmares. The girl eventually asked if she could live with her father in Dallas, which is when she told her family that she had been raped, prosecutors said.

The girl told investigators with Children's Safe Harbor that the sexual assaults lasted for about four months and happened at her home while her mother was at work.

At some point, the girl began to cut herself in response to the abuse, prosecutors said. One nurse testified that she had never seen a more severe case of self-mutilation on a victim.

PROSTITUTION STING: Former Brazoria County prosecutor among 250 arrested

The jury found McDonough guilty following three hours after hearing testimony from the victim herself.

Prosecutor George Napier said during their closing statements in the sentencing phase that McDonough deserved a year in prison for every cut on his victim's body. Napier told the jury that once they could no longer count the cuts, they should "stop counting and give him life."

The jury agreed.

"I am so proud of that little girl for taking the stand, facing the man who violated her in the worst way an adult can violate a child, and telling her truth to the jury," Napier said. "She's braver than most adults I know. She's an inspiration to me."

Under Texas law, McDonough will be eligible for parole in 30 years, or possibly less with good time credit.
Two dogs were put down Monday afternoon, days after one of them mauled a baby in a north Houston home.

The parents of 2-month-old Michael James Obergas left the infant alone in a secure room on Saturday. But one of the dogs managed to pry open the door and attack the child.
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A Houston mother accused of killing her young son while driving while intoxicated broke down in court Tuesday as prosecutors outlined the allegations against her.

Edith Abrego, 29, is charged with felony murder, accused of causing a death while committing the felony of driving while intoxicated with children in the car. If convicted, she faces the possibility of life in prison.
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Defense lawyers in the murder trial of Sandra Jean Melgar on Tuesday blamed "a couple of cowboys" at the Harris County Sheriff's Office for jumping to conclusions and accusing her of fatally stabbing her husband in 2012.

"Sandy Melgar got sucked into this by a couple of cowboys who came up with some theories and game over," defense attorney Mac Secrest told jurors in closing arguments of the three-week murder trial. "Where are the real killers? Are we going to see them in the courtroom anytime soon? I wouldn't bet on it."

Melgar, 57, who faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted, is accused of stabbing her husband on Dec. 22, 2012, then tying herself up to stage a home invasion on the eve of their 32nd anniversary.

Friends arriving for a party the next day found Jaime Melgar's body in the couple's northwest Harris County home, with Sandra Melgar tied up in the master bedroom closet.

The defense insisted that Sandra Melgar never saw the home invader that hit her in the back of the head, tied her up and brutally stabbed her husband 31 times.

Melgar's attorney said police failed to investigate a neighbor with a criminal record who was acting strangely at the crime scene.

Instead, Secrest told jurors, two sheriff's detectives, one of whom was later fired for backdating a search warrant in a murder case, decided to charge Sandra Melgar and stopped looking for evidence.

"There's no physical evidence that points to her at all," Secrest said, explaining that Jaime Melgar was stabbed and beaten about the head and body. "No broken nails, no problems with her hands, no bruising of the hands."

Prosecutor Colleen Barnett said Melgar was motivated to kill her husband and stage a break-in for a $500,000 life insurance policy.

She also said Melgar's religious beliefs as a Jehovah's Witness made her look for a way to get out of the marriage without a divorce, which would have left her ostracized.

Because a church friend testified that Jehovah's Witnesses believe dead people are "sleeping" until the Apocalypse, Barnett said Melgar may have taken her husband's death lightly.

"If I kill him, then I'm not ostracized  I get to hang out with my friends  and I get the money," Barnett said, imagining Melgar's thinking.

When it came to Melgar's hands, Barnett pointed to photos of Melgar's right hand which showed cloudy nails, saying she used a harsh cleaner or detergent after the bloody stabbing to clean up.

"This proves she's the one. That she did it," Barnett said.

Jurors began deliberating immediately after the closings in state District Judge Kelli Johnson's court.

brian.rogers@chron.com

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The University of Houston announced Monday it will rename its Calhoun Lofts dormitory, joining other Texas colleges and universities in a nationwide recoil against statues and other monuments to slavery and white supremacy.

The dorm  named after the nearby street that bears the moniker of former U.S. Vice President John Calhoun, who advocated for slavery and was an avowed white supremacist  will be called University Lofts, a spokesman said Monday.

TEXAS RALLY: Confederate rally in Austin postponed to late September

"While the residence hall was not named in recognition of John C. Calhoun, in the wake of recent events, and out of sensitivity to our diverse student community the university has decided to change the name to University Lofts," the university said in a statement. "The change will be made as soon as practical."

Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University both pledged Monday to review artifacts linked to the Confederacy, while the University of Texas at Austin took down four statues overnight Sunday.

The actions follow a backlash on college campuses after protests to preserve a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee turned deadly near the University of Virginia in Charlottesville Aug. 12.

UT-Austin removed life-size bronze figures of Lee, Albert Sidney Johnston, John Reagan and James Stephen Hogg, culminating a decades-long debate at the state flagship university.

"The horrific displays of hatred at the University of Virginia and in Charlottesville shocked and saddened the nation," UT-Austin President Gregory Fenves said in a letter announcing his decision. "These events make it clear, now more than ever, that Confederate monuments have become symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism."

Fenves' decision was cheered among some alumni, current students and even UT's Chancellor William McRaven but drew sharp criticism from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

At Texas A&M, President Michael Young said a statue of Confederate general and former Texas A&M President Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross would stay but that the university would examine other historical artifacts to assess their consistency with the school's core values. Other universities in the A&M System would also examine their artifacts, Chancellor John Sharp said in a statement.

Texas Tech officials said they would reconsider the display of two Confederate generals on the north side of an administrative building.

In Houston, officials with UH, Rice University, the University of St. Thomas and Texas Southern University said they have no statues or monuments honoring Confederate leaders.

Supporters of removing Confederate monuments say that it's wrong to honor a rebel army that broke away from the U.S. to preserve slavery. But two surveys this month show that a significant group of Americans believe the statues should remain.

'Where does it stop?'

The Texas lieutenant government Monday criticized UT-Austin for removing the statues in the "middle of the night."

In a radio interview, Patrick said while he does not tolerate racism, tearing down statues sends "a poor message."

"I thought universities were where we were supposed to have robust discussions about our history," Patrick said. "Where does it stop?"

He also criticized the university for giving "no notice" on its plans to remove the statutes, which UT-Austin spokesman J.B. Bird said was to minimize disruption and to ensure public safety.

UT-Austin officials said Sunday that statues of Lee, Johnston and Reagan will be placed in the Briscoe Center, a research space with exhibits on the American South. The representation of Hogg, the former Texas governor, may be placed elsewhere on campus, Fenves said.

Historian and author Kevin Levin, who focuses on the Civil War, said that it's no surprise that universities can relocate monuments more quickly than cities can. UT's statues are among at least a dozen to be moved since the clash in Charlottesville, he said.

"For universities with the resources and also the mandate to educate, it makes sense that these monuments can find a place in a museum setting where they can be properly interpreted," he said. "The argument that taking down these monuments is erasing history, you can't say that about UT-Austin. If anything, they're providing more information."

The death of a woman protester in Charlottesville and rising racial divisions have galvanized local institutions to take action, he said.

"This is a moment of racial tension, on a national level," he said. "I think this is playing out as part of that."

Decades of debate

Confederate statues at UT-Austin have divided the university for decades. The pieces were commissioned in 1916 by Major George W. Littlefield, a former UT regent, donor and Confederate veteran.

Like the monuments at UT-Austin, many statues and other symbols were erected years after the Civil War had concluded, during a period of white "Lost Cause" nostalgia for the Confederacy, according to UT-Austin.

More statues were erected as the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s took hold.

Since at least 1989, debate raged in editorials in UT-Austin's alumni magazine, according to a 2015 report by a university task force that evaluated whether the statues should remain on campus.

That group assembled shortly after a white supremacist killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina. UT-Austin later announced it would move a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis to a museum.

At the time, Fenves said the other statues could stay because of the subjects' connections to Texas. His statement on Sunday reversed that decision.

"We do not choose our history, but we choose what we honor and celebrate on our campus," Fenves wrote in a letter explaining his decision. "As UT students return in the coming week, I look forward to welcoming them here for a new academic year with a recommitment to an open, positive and inclusive learning environment for all."

Calls for removal

Texas joined the nationwide debate this month after the protests in Charlottesville, when some state lawmakers called for the removal of monuments, plaques and other memorials from the State Capitol in Austin.

In Houston, several hundred people turned out to demand removal of the Spirit of the Confederacy statue in Sam Houston Park over the weekend while a few dozen counter-protesters showed up to oppose their efforts.

And a Houston man was charged Monday with trying to plant explosives at the statue of Confederate officer Dick Dowling in Hermann Park, federal officials said.

Despite UT-Austin's decision, A&M said the statue of Ross will remain in the Academic Plaza on campus.

Ross, a Confederate general, was a former A&M president and helped create Texas' first public historically black university, Prairie View A&M University. Sul Ross University in Alpine is also named for him.

"Lawrence Sullivan 'Sul' Ross is honored on our campus as a former president of the school. Without Sul Ross, neither Texas A&M University nor Prairie View A&M University would likely exist today," Young said in a statement. "He saved our school and Prairie View through his consistent advocacy in the face of those who persistently wanted to close us down."

Alejandra Matos in Austin contributed to this report.
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Police are on the hunt for a Houston man accused of shooting a homeless man in the leg.

Jamin Stocker, 33, is accused of firing at the 50-year-old man from the balcony of the townhome in a Midtown neighborhood where friction has been growing between homeowners and residents of a burgeoning homeless encampment nearby.

Stocker, however, was apparently not just another frustrated homeowner. Neighbors said he had been living in the home, which went into foreclosure in 2008 but appeared to have reverted to the previous owner last month.

The news that Stocker was charged in the shooting shocked activist Shere Dore, who said he was a civil rights activist who spent years fighting for Houston's marginalized communities.

"It wasn't like him to do something like this," Dore said.

Dore said the change in his behavior may have come from a recent attack  he was robbed several weeks ago while walking in the Third Ward.

Stocker was charged Tuesday with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and remained at large Tuesday afternoon.

He is accused of firing at the man just before 10:30 p.m. Monday as several homeless people hung out in an abandoned lot near the corner of Caroline and Wheeler, said Kese Smith, spokesman for the Houston Police Department.

By the time the HPD SWAT team arrived at the home moments after the shooting, no one was home, Smith said. Officers found a stockpile of weapons inside.

Police said the injured man was charging his phone at an outlet at the lot. The owner of a nearby food truck, who uses the electricity during the day, lets the area's homeless people charge their devices at night, said Lakeith Jones, 42, who lives on-and-off at the nearby encampment.

The injured man spent most nights in the abandoned lot and may have been sleeping, said Trampus Edwards, 50, who also stays at the encampment.

Stocker doesn't have a violent criminal history in Harris County, though he did have several run-ins with the law over weapons, according to court records.

In April, Stocker pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying a weapon, a misdemeanor charge, after police spotted him in 2015 with an unregistered firearm silencer, court records show. During the course of that investigation, officers seized a handful of pistols and ammunition from his home.

In 2007, Stocker pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying a handgun.

In 2013, a jury cleared him of a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing after he was accused of squatting in an abandoned home. The jury concluded he had greater claim to the home than its owner, records show.

Jonathan Piefer, 37, an attorney who lives in the Midtown area, said Stocker appeared to have moved into the townhome on Rosewood about a year ago.

The home went into foreclosure in 2008 but ownership was returned in July to its pre-2008 owner, according to records from the Harris County Central Appraisal District.

The shooting is not the first reported by homeless men in the area. Jones and Edward, who live at the nearby encampment, said they were targeted earlier this week while charging their phones. And another homeless man showed what he said were wounds on his hip from a rubber pellet that he said was fired off the townhome balcony.

Police acknowledged there has been tension between nearby homeowners and residents of the encampment, which has grown up under Interstate 69 at Caroline.

Earlier this month, the city deemed that encampment a public health hazard and ordered homeless people away from the camp for several hours to clean.

The city on Aug. 10 evacuated the encampment briefly for cleaning.

The camp, which started about a year ago with a single couch, grew to a peak of about 50 tents, according to counts from an HPD homeless outreach team. A crew power-washed the area but many of the residents returned almost immediately afterward.

Nearby homeowners say they have invested thousands of dollars in security equipment and gates to keep the homeless population off their property. Signs advertising home security systems and guard dogs litter the neighborhood.

Piefer said he has called HPD countless times after people have defecated on his lawn and recently spent $400 on security cameras. He said his primary concern is not with the homeless people but with criminals who use appear to use the encampment as a place to hide.

"We just need help," Piefer said.
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Over the weekend, mystery surrounded why the FBI, ATF and Houston Police swarmed a Museum District home.

Few details were given Sunday, but on Monday the neighborhood and the rest of Houston discovered the cause of the raid.

FIRST REPORT: FBI, ATF, Houston Police swarm street near Museum District

Houston native Andrew Schneck, 25, was arrested Saturday night after being accused of trying to blow up a Confederate statue in Hermann Park because he "didn't like the guy." After his arrest, he told officials that he had additional explosive chemicals in his home, which led to the mysterious raid on Sunday.

Now Playing: Houston Police said they were responding to a "special assignment" in the 2000 block of Albans, near Rice University. Video: Steve Gonzales Video: JW Player

Following the events, Houston Chronicle staff dove into Schneck's background and found this wasn't the first time the Schneck family home has been raided by federal officials.

To learn about Schneck and his history, go through the gallery above for the things we know about Schneck so far.
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Three men admitted in federal court that they illegally took live turtles from East Texas that are considered a threatened species and sold them out of the state.

Travis Joseph Leger, 40, and Rickey Paul Simon, 57, both of Sulphur, Louisiana, and Jason Gene Leckelt, 36, of Wilburton, Oklahoma, have all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act by illegally trafficking alligator snapping turtles, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

HOUSTON TURTLES: Alligator snapping turtle freed from a Houston drain pipe is rehabilitated and released

According to prosecutors, the men conspired to illegally take more than 60 large alligator snapping turtles during multiple fishing trips to Texas in the spring and summer of 2016. The defendants transported the turtles back to a property in Sulphur, Louisiana, with the intent to sell them. In July 2016, Federal agents secured a search warrant and seized about 30 large alligator snapping turtles from ponds at the Louisiana property.

Leger admitted to selling a live 171-pound turtle for $1,000 and another live 168-pound turtle for $500 in 2016. The turtles were later seized by U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents from the buyer and are currently being cared for at a private facility.

The market value of the turtles varied between suspects. Leger said the turtles he caught in Texas and sold in Louisiana were valued between $40,000 and $95,000. Leckelt, who is Legers half-brother, said the turtles that he caught in Texas and sold in Louisiana were valued between $15,000 and $40,000.

CRACKING DOWN: Game wardens crack down on internet wildlife trade

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Simon admitted he lied to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent by denying that he ever fished for alligator snapping turtles in Texas. The federal agency also said Simon admitted to playing a role in selling a 120-pound alligator snapping turtle to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent.

The defendants each face up to five years in federal prison.

Alligator snapping turtles are designated as threatened with statewide extinction under Texas state law. It prohibits anyone from taking, capturing, transporting, or selling these turtles. The turtles are also protected under Louisiana state law, which makes it illegal to sell or barter for the turtles. The Lacey Act makes it a federal crime to engage in the interstate trafficking of wildlife taken in violation of state wildlife protection laws.
The dry start to this week may not last, thanks to the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey.

The tropical system, which largely dissipated Saturday as it moved west across the Caribbean Sea, is expected to send heavy rain to the Texas coast, wrote meteorologist Eric Berger, editor of the Space City Weather blog.

"Right now the primary concern is the potential for heavy rainfall. Somewhere on Texas is likely to get hit by 10 to 15 inches of rain accumulation, but it's too early to say whether that will be the upper or lower Texas coast. Residents should be prepared for heavy rain this weekend, and the possibility of tropical storm force winds too, although this is a lesser threat at this time," Berger told Chron.com Tuesday morning.

INCOMING: Tropical Storm Harvey heading west toward Mexico

The National Hurricane Center gives this system a 90 percent chance of developing into a depression, and then tropical storm, over the southern Gulf of Mexico over the next several days, Berger wrote on his blog.

Forecasts indicate that the storm could make landfall near south or central Texas, Berger wrote. Much of this was supported by a tropical weather outlook released by the National Hurricane Center Tuesday morning.

"Regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds are expected to spread westward across Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula during the next day or so. Interests in northeastern Mexico and along the Texas coast should monitor the progress of this system," stated the National Hurricane Center.
Officers with the San Antonio Police Department's Vice Unit arrested six men Thursday in a prostitution sting on the North Side.

Two female officers posed as prostitutes in the 11200 block of U.S. 281 North, near Loop 410. All six men arrested in the sting allegedly arrived to the location and agreed to pay the officers for sex.
AUSTIN -- Special prosecutors who have been waiting more than a year to get paid while building a criminal case against Attorney General Ken Paxton will have to keep waiting after a Dallas-area appeals court voided their payment.

The 5th Court of Appeals issued an opinion Monday voiding an order for a $205,000 payment to three Houston-area special prosecutors assigned to Paxton's securities fraud case. The invoice for payment dates back to January 2016.

Brian Wice, one of the lead special prosecutors of the Paxton case, is expected to appeal the court's ruling to the Court of Criminal Appeals in the next few weeks.

In the opinion, the court recognized the courts have the responsibility of appointing qualified attorneys, but acknowledged "attorneys appointed will likely be paid a fee much less than a retained attorney would command."

Lawsuits have tied up the special prosecutors' payments since then amid a dispute launched by Jeffory Blackard, a Paxton donor and political ally in Collin County -- and later the Collin County Commissioners Court -- arguing the attorneys' $300 per hour fee was too much and exceeded local caps.

The appeals court agreed, and said the judge overseeing the case at the time agreed to too high a fee schedule.

The ruling deals a win to Paxton, a tea party Republican who is under indictment for two first-degree felony charges of securities fraud and one third-degree felony charge of failing to register as an investment adviser.

While state law gave Collin County criminal district court judges power to set a standard fee schedule for attorneys, the opinion found the judges exceeded their authority when they created a provision allowing judges to disregard that schedule in "unusual circumstances" or where the fee would be "manifestly inappropriate."

It was this law that Judge Scott Becker, a local administrative judge, tapped when negotiating a $300 per hour fee for Kent Schaffer, Nichole DeBorde and Wice to serve as criminal district attorneys pro tem in Paxton's criminal case.

According to court records, attorneys are supposed to be paid fixed fees of $1,000 for first-degree felony pleas, $500 for third-degree pleas, $1,000 for pre-trial preparation and$500 for each one-half day of trial.

The attorneys submitted an invoice for $242,000 for pretrial work at the $300 rate in December of 2015, which was OK'd by the Collin County Commissioner's Court and paid the next month. But the subsequent bill by the special prosecutors -- which included nearly $200,000 in attorneys fees and was submitted in January 0f 2016 -- has gone unpaid.

The Texas Fair Defense Act ensures the court has appropriate standards for appointed counsel in criminal cases and mandates counsel be pad a "reasonable attorney's fee" for services.

In 1987, the Texas legislature eliminated a state-dictated mandatory fee schedule and gave that power to the county and district criminal court judges to adopt their own fee schedules that "reflects the customary and reasonable fees in their jurisdiction," according to the ruling.

The problem is the Collin County criminal district court judges exceeded their authority when they created a provision allowing a judge to disregard a pay schedule in "unusual circumstances" or where the fee would be "manifestly inappropriate," according to the court of appeals.

The special prosecutors have twice asked the court to delay Paxton's criminal trial until they can get their pay resolved. Prosecutors' attorney David Feldman did not respond to a request for comment early Tuesday. Wice, who is expected to take over the case, declined to comment.

Paxton's long awaited trial is scheduled for the end of the year. Prosecutors are expected to try him first on failing to register with the state as an investment adviser and later on the first-degree charges of securities fraud for failing to tell investors he would make a commission off their investment in Servergy, a North Texas tech company.

A federal judge dismissed similar charges against him early this year. Paxton is scheduled to go to trial on the state charges in Houston in December.

Paxton maintains his innocence and contends he is the victim of a political witch hunt. He is expected to seek reelection in 2018.

Andrea Zelinski covers politics and education for the Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Send her tips at andrea.zelinski@chron.com.
With Congress on recess, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is taking full advantage of the time away from Washington, D.C. by crisscrossing Texas and focusing on a familiar message: it's past time to repeal Obamacare.

Even though the U.S. Senate in late July rejected the latest so-called "skinny repeal," Cruz is continuing to tell Texans during stops over the last two weeks that the fight goes on.

"We have to deliver on our promise to repeal Obamacare," the Republican said during a speech to the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

Earlier on Monday he had been in New Braunfels meeting with employees of Sysco Central Texas, Inc. And already on Tuesday, Cruz has delivered speeches to agriculture workers in Edinburg and to workers at a business in Mission. Later Tuesday, Cruz has stops planned for Pharr and Brownsville.

Last week Cruz made similar comments during stops in Lubbock, Amarillo, Katy and Addison. After touring a business in Amarillo Cruz said he's optimistic that the Senate can take another run at repealing Obamacare and succeed.

"I'm convinced we are going to do so," Cruz told reporters in Amarillo.

After attending the American Legion Convention 2017 in Nevada on Wednesday, Cruz is expected back in Texas again for events in El Paso on Thursday and Friday.

His touring of the state comes as his expected rival in 2018 is doing much of the same.

U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, an El Paso Democrat, has been touring Texas all of August, making stops in many of the same places Cruz has been to or is heading for.

Of course, O'Rourke's approach on health care is vastly different. During his stops like in College Station on Sunday, O'Rourke has celebrated the survival of Obamacare saying it is better than what the nation had before. He also has advocated for a single-payer type system or universal system that would guarantee everyone a chance to get health coverage.
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.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- United Way for Jackson & George Counties recently received a $10,000 grant from Singing River Electric and CoBank. The grant will support Catholic Social and Community Services' efforts to provide utility assistance in the community, as well as United Way's 2017 Annual Campaign.

"United Way for Jackson & George Counties is a proud partner of Singing River Electric and Catholic Social and Community Services. We are so pleased to be able to help SRE members through this grant," said UWJGC CEO, Carolyn Moore.

Catholic Social and Community Services is a local United Way agency that works to assist those in our local communities. They believe social responsibility belongs with the whole community, and that is why their services are open to all.

"CSCS works with the individual to assist with power bills, but also works to educate clients on budgeting, goal setting and basic needs assistance, said Singing River Electric General Manager and CEO Mike Smith. "It's a program that doesn't just give financial assistance, but helps those in our community make a positive change in their lives."

In addition to CSCS, the donation will assist UWJGC with its annual campaign. Funds raised in the campaign help fund 19 health and human service agencies with programs in the local communities. It also helps support Community Impact Grants, a resource center, and much more.

The total grant was made possible by a matching $5,000 grant through CoBank's Sharing Success program. Sharing Success was established in 2012 to celebrate the International Year of the Cooperative.

Since the program's inception, CoBank and its customers have together provided more than $25 million in support to charitable organizations across the nation.

Singing River Electric is an electric distribution cooperative serving nearly 74,000 meters across over 7,300 miles of power lines in seven counties in Mississippi and two in Alabama.

The cooperative works to provide safe and reliable electric service at the lowest possible cost while promoting energy efficiency and enhancing the lives of the members and communities served.

Singing River Electric has been serving the community for nearly 80 years. For more information, visit www.singingriver.com.

CoBank is a $126 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states.

The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 70,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country.

CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities.
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A new law passed in July aims to shrink the special education teacher shortage in Washington state by providing an easier path to teaching certification for paraeducators, also known as instructional aides or teacher assistants.

The Seattle Times reports that nearly two-thirds of principals said that special education slots were the hardest ones to fill, according to a 2016 survey on school staffing .

From the article :

About 27,000 paraeducators work in schools across the Evergreen State, according to the Public School Employees of Washington (PSE) union. And paraeducators cover a wide variety of essential classroom duties: instructional assistants, teacher's aides, library technicians, preschool caregivers and more. They also provide the bulk of instruction62 percent, the PSE estimatesin programs that serve some of the neediest students, including children with special needs and those who are learning English or live in low-income households. The new law, in fact, explicitly states that "paraeducators provide the majority of instruction in programs designed by the Legislature to reduce the opportunity gap."

The Seattle Times also notes that starting in the 2018-19 school year, districts can compete for $250,000 in grant funds to pilot new paraeducator training courses.

The Washington law is just one of several efforts intended to boost the academic credentials of paraprofessionals , whose percentage of the workforce is growing faster than the overall student population. But others worry that paraprofessionals are being used to shore up inclusion efforts in schools, rather than schools making more systemic efforts to promote inclusion in general education.

Problematically, teacher assistants have become almost exclusively the way, rather than a way, to support students with disabilities in general education classrooms, especially those with severe ... disabilities, said Michael Giangreco, the director of Project EVOLVE Plus at the University of Vermont, which works with schools and districts on inclusion issues.

File Photo: Paraprofessional Stefanie Trotter uses flashcards of words and objects with 7th grader Jack Robinson, 13, at Siloam Springs Middle School in Siloam Springs, Ark. in 2015.Shane Bevel for Education Week
Republican Gov. Chris Christies administrations plan for storm protection along the entire 127 miles (204 kilometers) of New Jerseys coast was endorsed by two courts this week, but residents of some beach towns still arent happy.

A state judge on Wednesday ruled against the attempt by homeowners in Bay Head, Mantoloking and Point Pleasant Beach to opt out of the protective sand dune plan in an area devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

The dune project resumed in Margate last weekend after a federal judge overruled a state judges decision to stop it. On Tuesday, a federal appeals court refused to halt the project in Margate.

Margate had gone to court to stop the project after heavy rain late last month led to pools of bacteria-laden water on the beach, some 2 or more feet (0.6 meters or more) deep. Residents who had warned of the possibility during a previously unsuccessful court fight dubbed the pools Lake Christie.

Drain the swamp. Locals know best, said one sign from protesters who gathered on the beach last weekend.

Youre, like, beaching in a middle of a construction zone, said Margate homeowner Anne Rubin. I have been on a Margate beach for 61 years, my entire life. Weve managed to have the beaches lovely and beautiful, and they are changing the Margate beaches now, and its not the same thing.

Judge Renee Marie Bumb ordered the engineers to investigate the root causes of the ponding and possible solutions, pump out future ponding immediately after reaching 4 inches rather than waiting 24 hours and construct elevated walkways across the water basins.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said contractors added more sand to the areas where the ponding happened to raise the elevation and set up a procedure for testing water quality there. It is also continuing to build elevated walkways.

Theyre going to go away and Margate is going to be left pumping out the water. I dont hear a plan that theyre figuring this out, Rubin said.

In the Bay Head case, Superior Court Judge Marlene Lynch Ford ruled against homeowners who argued that the $5 million rock wall they built with their own money provides adequate storm protection.

The state disagrees. Bob Martin, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, said Fords ruling is a strong vindication of the states authority to protect people and property there.

Our commitment to restoring and making the Jersey shore more resilient for the future has and will remain steadfast. Now, it is time to move ahead on that pledge, Martin said.

A lawyer for the homeowners said they are still deciding whether to appeal.

We are disappointed with the ruling, especially in light of the courts finding that the oceanfront owners had made a compelling argument that the governments project is superfluous due to the pre-existing storm protection provided by the privately owned and maintained revetment system that has been in place for decades, said attorney Anthony DellaPelle.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Colorados transportation agency began using a driverless truck on Friday that is designed to protect highway work crews from oncoming traffic.

The truck is officially known as an Autonomous Impact Protection Vehicle, but it is not really autonomous like the self-driving cars being tested around the country. Instead, the truck is electronically controlled by a driver in another truck ahead of it.

If the protection vehicle loses its electronic tether to the lead vehicle, it is programmed to pull over and stop.

Like other trucks that follow highway crews and display messages or arrows telling drivers to shift lanes, it has a large cushion to absorb the impact of vehicles that may crash into it. In Colorado, that happens an average of six times a year, making driving such vehicles one of the most dangerous highway jobs, state officials say.

It just didnt make any sense to me to have a human being in a truck designed to be hit, Shailen Bhatt, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, said in an interview Friday.

With a growing population and billions in unfunded road projects, Colorado has embraced technology to help it make the best use of the roads it already has. But while the state hopes to eventually add more driverless escort trucks, freeing up workers for other duties, Bhatt said safety, not saving money, is the main motivation.

Bhatt said he believed that Colorado is the first place to use the driverless trucks for road work. His department says it has been tested in Florida but not deployed. The Federal Highway Administration said it was not aware of any other such trucks in use.

Officials used the vehicle Friday to follow a crew striping a road in Fort Collins, home to Colorado State University. It will be used more widely in the fall after further testing and consultation with the Colorado State Patrol, Bhatt said. Eventually, it may be used on all sorts of road projects, including snow plowing.

The truck was built by Pennsylvania-based Royal Truck & Equipment using technology adapted by another firm, Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, from the military. The transportation department said another company, Colas UK, is testing the technology for use in the United Kingdom and also shared its lessons.

A representative with California-based Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit group skeptical of driverless technology, said Colorados experiment has the potential to save lives.

John Simpson said the technology sounds like that being tested for rows of trucks that follow a lead vehicle, allowing them to save fuel by drafting off one another. But he said billing it as autonomous misrepresents what truly autonomous vehicles can do, such as navigate their own routes and turn.

This is a very novel and probably very good application of the technology once its fail-safe and people sell it for it is, Simpson said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A federal appeals court has increased a judgment obtained by the former Lorain County coroner and General Health District health director, after a jury found that he was wrongly fired and endured retaliation.

A jury in May 2016 originally awarded Paul Matus $1.36 million -- $1 million of which was for his retaliation claim.

Matus said he was fired from the health district because of a false sexual harassment claim that was investigated and ultimately led to his termination.

Senior U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent later reduced the verdict to $615,178.18, claiming Ohio law capped damages at $250,000 for the retaliation. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati wrote Tuesday that the actual cap for retaliation under state law in Matus' case is $350,000.

The health district is now on the hook to pay $715,178.18.

Matus, who served as the health director between 1991 and 2013, says then-Health Commissioner Ken Pearce reported a false sexual-harassment claim to the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office.

Matus said Pearce made the report as payback for his opposition to Pearce's 2012 attempt to retire as health commissioner and return an interim basis. This was because Pearce would be able to "double dip" and receive state retirement benefits along with a salary.

Matus' brother-in-law also served as president of the county's Board of Health and opposed Pearce's attempt to return, records say. The board had also discussed having Matus replace Pearce, but that never happened.

An independent investigation into the harassment claims found that Matus attacked the female accuser's character, tried to get information about her from her ex-husband and refused to turn over documents to the health district about the misconduct claims. However, the investigators dismissed several claims against him, including the sexual harassment allegation.

The Board of Health fired Matus in April 2013, and Matus filed suit.

The appeals court rejected other challenges made to the case by the health district.

Matus also served as the county's coroner between 1992 and 2011.

David Cuppage and Margaret Metzinger, Matus' attorneys, said in an emailed statement that they were pleased by the appeals court's decision.

"Although the jury awarded Dr. Matus $1,000,000 in non-economic damages, we understand that the Court was limited by damages caps required by Ohio law," the statement reads. "Nonetheless, the jury's verdict is the best evidence that Dr. Matus served the Health District with great distinction for over 20 years."

Gregory Beck, the health district's attorney, said he respected the court's decision and declined further comment.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Doctors across Northeast Ohio are keeping an eye out for patients experiencing symptoms of vision damage after watching Monday's solar eclipse without the proper eye protection.

Across the country, Americans headed outdoors on Aug. 21 to watch The Great American Eclipse, a rare celestial show in which the moon appeared to slide across the face of the sun. In Northeast Ohio, sky watchers saw a partial solar eclipse, with about 80 percent of the sun obscured by the moon.

However, those who tried to take in the rare event without the proper eye protection could have permanently damaged their eyes. So far, a number of area eye clinics and offices reported that they haven't seen anyone with eye damage but it's still early, local doctors say.

"It could take today or tomorrow to see the full effects of it," Corrie Weitzel, an optometrist at Cleveland Clinic's Cole Eye Institute, said Tuesday, after being on call the night of the eclipse. "Maybe some people are thinking, 'I have these side effects but maybe they'll go away.'"

Usually, the signs of eye damage are noticeable within one to four hours, Weitzel said, and recommends those who experience changes in vision see their eye care providers to prevent further damage. While the damage already done is permanent in many cases, eye doctors can try to use strong magnifiers and other devices to compensate for the loss of vision, she said.

"I think that the magnitude of people who could potentially injure their eyes is great," said Thomas Steinemann, a professor of ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University and an ophthalmologist at the MetroHealth System.

Those who tried to view the eclipse directly could suffer from what is known as solar retinopathy - a loss of vision in the retina.

"We have no pain receptors in the retina. You're not going to know how much damage you're doing as it occurs," Steinemann said. "We could potentially have lots of people both here in Cleveland and across the U.S. coming to the ophthalmologist."

Those affected might experience fogged or distorted vision, light sensitivity, central blindness or see afterimages, the doctors warned.

Dr. Faruk Orge, chief of pediatric ophthalmology at University Hospitals, said there is a higher risk of children damaging their eyes during an eclipse because the lens in their eyes isn't yet as opaque as that of adults. To further compound the problem, children might not be able to describe a difference in their vision or will learn to adapt to changes by relying more heavily on the other eye, making it more difficult to know if there is damage.

Astronomers, scientists and doctors in advance of the eclipse recommended finding ways to protect the eye from potential harm: wearing protective glasses, creating pinhole projectors or using binoculars backwards to project the sun's image onto a surface.

UH's Orge has seen retinopathy in adult patients before and said it is somewhat more common in those who use LSD because they are mesmerized by colors and stare at the sky.

"Staring at the sun normally is bad whether an eclipse is going on or not," Orge said. "Looking at any light source has the potential to cause similar damage. The difference with the sun is the rays are so powerful."

Even every day lightbulbs, which have to meet filtering standards, could potentially be harmful if stared at for very long periods of time, Orge said. Not to mention lasers. That risk of harm is why welders, who deal with electric arcs, wear helmets with protective eye shields.

Healthcare reporter Julie Washington contributed to this story.


CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ohio health classes have a new lesson this school year -- on organ, eye and tissue donation.

House Bill 438 requires a half hour of instruction in organ donation as part of the regular health class curriculum in every school district.

The law is a direct result of efforts by an Athens teenager. Emmalyn Brown, now 19, is a liver transplant recipient who had a high school assignment to create a "change in their community that could potentially be realized," a Lifebanc news release says.

After the assignment was done, Brown contacted her state representative and jumpstarted the process of putting positive organ donation education into schools, the release says.

The bill's passage was great news for Lifebanc, a locally-based non-profit organization that educates and facilitates organ donation in 20 Ohio counties. The organization already works with 90 out of about 300 high schools in their service area, Lifebanc spokesman Nick VanDemark said, and it hopes to expand its reach with the new requirement.

"Our focus is mainly on high schools, since that's the age group when kids are registering for a driver's license," VanDemark said. In Ohio, that's also the time when a license holder decides if they'd like to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.

In the past, Lifebanc representatives were proactive in their approach to reach out to high schools about organ donation lessons.

"A lot of the times, there would be a personal connection for the contact," meaning maybe a student or a teacher was an organ donation recipient, VanDemark said. "With the passage, we're changing our tactics a little bit."

Now, the organization will still be proactive, but officials hope schools and health educators will trust Lifebanc's expertise and reach out to them too, he said.

Lifebanc has worked with other organ donation groups across the state to develop an all-encompassing curriculum health educators can use, VanDemark said. While the curriculum includes teacher development and education on the matter, Lifebanc is still happy to send contractors and educators into schools to teach the lessons themselves.

"Lifebanc prefers to send in the experts," he said. "They know a lot about all requirements, the myths and the facts."

VanDemark said that in a poll, 90 percent of Ohioans are in favor of organ, eye and tissue donation, but only 60 percent of those people are actually registered to donate. He believes the new requirement will have a "huge exponential impact" on students, who will learn about ways to act on their desires to have a real impact on many people's lives, and hopefully help Lifebanc and other organ donation groups to reach that 90 percent.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - On Monday, the Ohio Mayors Alliance - a bipartisan group of more than 20 mayors from large cities and suburbs across the state - sent Gov. John Kasich a letter filled with recommendations to help them fight the state's opioid crisis.

Earlier this summer, the alliance asked communities how they're dealing with the overwhelming numbers of opioid overdoses - from law enforcement strategies to local treatment center availability, said Keary McCarthy, the Ohio Mayors Alliance's executive director.

"We learned that since the issue touches so many different levels of government, it can be very difficult to really understand what the best approach and policy response could be," he said.

The mayors decided to create "centralized response team," McCarthy said.

The letter to Kasich outlines seven suggestions to relieve the strain on local governments. Those include:

Activate the State Emergency Operations Center and Joint Dispatch Facility: The Mayors Alliance hopes that mobilizing the emergency response center would be the easiest way to gather data - for example, overdose death figures - from a variety of government branches.

"It's a great vehicle to make sure we're streamlining and expediting the sharing of critical data," McCarthy said. He also mentioned that the center has been activated in other health crises, like the H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009.

Establish a mechanism to facilitate mutual aid between jurisdictions: While a specific method is not outlined in the letter, alliance board members hope it would be able to do things like "work with the pharmacy board to permit sharing of naloxone [and] establish state stockpiles of Narcan, clean needles and other materials that can be deployed as needed," it reads.

Review all available opportunities to secure funding and resources: This suggestion was modeled after a move Alaska made after that state declared an opioid crisis emergency. The alliance would like to see all Ohio cabinet agencies "review all possible funding opportunities at the federal government and in the philanthropic sector," the letter reads.

Create a charitable vehicle to secure private-sector resources: Besides looking for grants or charity money, the mayors believe it could be useful to create a way that private businesses could give aid money.

"Business leaders can be engaged to help either through in-kind or direct financial contributions," the mayors' letter says. "We think the business community will help and we are confident that if we work together with you, we can bring some essential private-sector resources to help in this ongoing fight."

You can read the full letter in the document viewer below.

"From our perspective on the front lines, it has become clear that a more coordinated and comprehensive strategy at all levels of government is urgently needed," the letter reads. "And we believe the time is right to reconsider what more can be done given President Trump's recent declaration of a national emergency."

The alliance thanks Kasich for what he's done so far, like expanding access to outpatient treatment facilities. They simply hope this letter will be an "opportunity to start a dialogue with Kasich," McCarthy said.

The alliance did not give a timeline for a detailed response from the governor. Kasich's press secretary Jon Keeling told cleveland.com that the governor's office is happy to receive any and all suggestions on how to best approach the battle.

"In our war against drug abuse and addiction, our partnerships must be absolute and that's why we welcome all ideas that can provide those on our frontlines with new tools and resources to help," Keeling said in a statement. "The Governor's Opiate Action Team has been meeting with communities that have been hardest hit by this epidemic to ensure that they are taking advantage of all the tools and $1 billion that are available, and we will give serious consideration to these recommendations."
CLEVELAND, Ohio - A painting that depicts a Confederate general on horseback, with his sword upraised, has been removed from the dining room at Salt Fork State Park in Cambridge, Ohio.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) operates the park, and ODNR spokesman Matt Eiselstein said, "In light of recent events, we made the decision to remove the painting. The canvas was carefully taken down from the wall and is currently being safely stored. "

Those "recent events" include the national controversy regarding the display and removal of statues representing leaders of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

An August 12 rally by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, protesting plans to remove a state of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, resulted in a confrontation with demonstrators that left one dead and dozens injured.

Removal of Confederate statues in other states also has sparked controversy in the past year.

Ohio Rep. Janine Boyd was told about the Salt Fork painting by a constituent last week.

The painting, by Phil Brinkman, depicts Confederate Gen. John Morgan, who led a raid across southern Ohio, passing near Cambridge, in July of 1863.

Boyd said when she contacted the ODNR about the painting, she was told that it had been removed and an inventory of other ODNR properties was being made to see if any similar items were displayed.

Boyd said she was happy that the mural had been removed at a site where she was considering making her first visit, in September, to attend an Ohio Chamber of Commerce conference.

"If we're interested in being a state that welcomes people of all cultures and backgrounds, if we're interested as a state in valuing our African-American citizens, then yes, reminders of things that were meant to exclude and divide and oppress and even brutalize, those symbols are not appropriate to be preserved in facilities" where tax dollars are spent, she said.

"This is a really important time, and even a painting matters when it's in a public location," she added.

Boyd said possible legislation regarding removal of Confederate symbols in the state is being considered by other members of the legislature, and "if it looks like Ohio can take a lead, or other states have done it and done it well, I'd be interested supporting that."

She did not believe Ohio's two cemeteries where Confederate prisoners of war are buried - one on Johnson's Island and the other in Columbus - fall in the same category as Confederate monuments.

"Some of those kinds of situations are just protecting places that are meant to be sacred," she said. "That's very different from a public park."

The cemeteries are maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Boyd said she would be willing to follow the lead of the VA which seems inclined to protect those sites.

There are an estimated 300 Civil War monuments in Ohio and less than a half-dozen are dedicated to the Confederacy.

Eli Beachy, 67, of Valley View, is a Confederate re-enactor who grew up in the Cambridge area, and remembers that when he was a young child, his father introduced him to an old man who was one of the last surviving witnesses to Morgan's raid.

"He could not stop talking about the day the soldiers came to town and one big soldier told him, 'Get out of the way or you'll get your toes stepped on.'"

When Beachy heard about removal of the painting, he said, "How unfortunate. That (Morgan's raid) is local history."

Morgan's raid represented the northernmost penetration into northern states by the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The Confederate general led some 2,500 men into Ohio after sweeping across Kentucky and southern Indiana.

He traveled through 20 Ohio counties for 13 days, and fought a pitched battle at Buffington Island before finally being captured with his remaining 335 soldiers in Columbiana County.

Cambridge played a small role during Morgan's raid. The town jail held captured raiders, and as the Confederate forces neared, a group of citizen volunteers grabbed their guns and rode out on wagons to meet them.

The volunteers quickly dispersed at the sight of two of the raiders, scattering to the hills and woods.
Its a question that most math teachers have probably heard. Why do I have to learn this? What is math even for?

On Twitter, I asked math teachers from various grade levels to share how they answer that question. Heres what they said:

I try to explain that math is simply a form of problem solving, which is what 100% of life is. What do I know,what do I need to figure out? -- Tara Zelano (@blondeteachertz) August 14, 2017



I remind students (with e.gs) that their brain is doing maths behind their back. HCF, LCM, simult equations, probability..#WhatIsMathFor -- Adhila101 (@AdHiLa101) August 15, 2017

I try to always relate it as real world as i can. I do teach 1st grade so it is pretty foundational at this point, though. -- Popcorn and Pringles (@CupcakeGirl1444) August 13, 2017

Tell Ss about careers that use specific math skills-some

dont require college #orbehonest They need it to get a #hsdiploma #WhatisMathFor //t.co/bZfllGTAUa -- Casey Dove (@CaseyMDove) August 12, 2017

I also asked a handful of math teachers to share their answers more in-depth. Heres what they said:

Nicole Smith , a high school math teacher in North Carolina, said she tries to proactively address this question before students even ask:

I look for connections between upcoming topics and the real world to show students how the skill is used outside of this class. Our school media specialist has been invaluable in helping find current and historical uses for skills practiced in my courses. Another proactive approach I like to use is to pose a problem in class which I know can be solved using the skill I want students to learn. In trying to find a solution to a problem, students articulate the specifics of what they need to find a solution and then they go about gathering information and looking for ways in which others may have solved a similar problem in the past. Sometimes I don't have an easy answer for the question as it applies to a particular topic or skill, but I try to stress daily how the study of math and the productive struggle I encourage in class strengthens students' minds and makes them better problem solvers."

Heres what John Trout McCrann , a high school math teacher in New York and a blogger for Education Week Teacher , said he tells students when they ask why they need to learn a math concept:

You don't. We all know successful people who don't know how to factor a trinomial with a leading integer that doesn't equal one or derive the general form of the equation of an ellipse. So, why indeed? Of course, you will use very little of the specific content knowledge and/or skills developed in one particular high school class a great deal as a professional and in your daily adult life. Very few of you will ever write literary analysis papers or lab reports after you are done with school. What we learn when we really stop to think about high school academic programs is they ask us to learn specific content and skills in the hopes that this process will help us develop orientations and habits of mind ... Math skills and content provide a particularly clean context in which to practice the kinds of problem solving and reasoning that we inevitably use (or misuse) in and out of class, during adulthood and as you move towards it. Deep understanding about the process of solving an equation helps everyone understand how to create systems to solve problems at work, in their families, in our world. The kinds of problem-solving strategies you might use to tackle a big project, develop a more efficient engine, or address an issue that's arisen between you and your partner. Deep understandings about shapes help everyone understand how to reason spatially, a skill that you may one day apply as a designer or as you lay out the furniture in your first house or apartment."

Justin Minkel , an elementary teacher in Arkansas, said he uses simulations to make math fun and relevant for his young students:

My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders use measurement and geometry to engage in engineering design challenges like building skyscrapers out of straws or designing a parachute for a gummy bear. They also do an economics simulation where they design, produce, and sell a product, which incorporates multiplication, percents, and addition and subtraction, along with concepts about profit, advertising costs, and supply and demand. We link these simulations to professions like engineering, architecture, business, and advertising, and the consequences feel more real and relevant to the students than a letter grade does."

Finally, I looked through our archives to see what other advice Education Week has published that will help teachers answer that question. Here are a few pieces worth reading:



John Urschel, the former offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens and a mathematician, wrote that he wants students to see that math extends far past the confines of the classroom and into everyday life. I also want them to appreciate that math is cool. He shares examples of some of the hundreds of decisions that are informed by our quantitative judgment. (Maybe this has more weight for students coming from a former star football player?)

and into everyday life. I also want them to appreciate that math is cool. He shares examples of some of the hundreds of decisions that are informed by our quantitative judgment. (Maybe this has more weight for students coming from a former star football player?) One teacher shares how she taught multiplication by using art . She writes: When these students are formally assessed on this skill, they will think back to the time they created the art work. They wont be as likely to think back to the time they completed a worksheet.

. She writes: When these students are formally assessed on this skill, they will think back to the time they created the art work. They wont be as likely to think back to the time they completed a worksheet. Opinion blogger Larry Ferlazzo asked educators how they taught math besides drill the skill. Jose Vilson, a math middle school teacher in New York City, responded that math shouldnt be limited to a disconnected set of rules and jargon that doesnt seem to mean much of anything. We should try to give everything we teach a context, or at least a story as to why we came up with the curriculum we did.

Jose Vilson, a math middle school teacher in New York City, responded that math shouldnt be limited to a disconnected set of rules and jargon that doesnt seem to mean much of anything. We should try to give everything we teach a context, or at least a story as to why we came up with the curriculum we did. Some teachers are incorporating social justice issues into math class to relate lessons to students communities and personal lives. For example, one teacher in Minneapolis has her students collect various social data about city neighborhoods that relate to race, income, crime, and policing. The students use statistical methods to analyze the data.

Teachers, share your answers to the question Why do I have to learn this? in the comments below.
WASHINGTON -- In the aftermath of the deadly Charlottesville white supremacist protest, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown wants the FBI to disclose any domestic terrorist or hate groups operating in Ohio.

He also wants to know about any related investigations since January 2015.

Brown, an Ohio Democrat, noted in his letter Tuesday to FBI Director Christopher Wray that a 20-year-old man from Maumee, James Alex Fields Jr., has been charged in the death of a woman mowed down during the Charlottesville protests Aug. 12. Authorities said Fields, reported to have Nazi sympathies, plowed his Dodge Challenger into a street filled with counter-protesters during a weekend in which neo-Nazis and white supremacists marched on the college town.

Heather Heyer, 32, a Charlottesville paralegal, was killed and dozens were injured.

"The current investigation will soon determine whether the defendant had any contact or associations with known domestic terror organizations or hate groups, specifically in Ohio, prior to his involvement in the events in Charlottesville," Brown's letter said.

"However, the fact that an individual from Ohio is alleged to have traveled to Virginia and committed such an act while attending a white supremacist rally has caused many in my home state, including myself, to question the degree to which domestic terror organizations and hate groups are present and operate in the state of Ohio."

Not mentioned in Brown's letter was a report that a man formerly from Mason, near Cincinnati, was a "person of interest" in the severe beating with poles, punches and kicks of a black man during the Charlottesville violence.

And in a story on why people came to Charlottesville for a white supremacist march on the grounds of the University of Virginia and a protest of the planned removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in a park, the Washington Post mentioned a Dayton man driving 442 miles to attend.

None of these people have been charged with terrorism. But Brown said Ohioans have a right to know about domestic groups that promote hate, or incite acts that he and others say amount to terrorism, so they can "make informed decisions about their everyday lives -- such as where to live, where to work, or where to send their children to school."

He therefore wants the FBI to provide:

A list of all domestic terrorist organizations or hate groups known or believed by the FBI to have been present in Ohio at any time since January 2015, and their location.

A detailed description of any closed domestic terrorism or hate crime investigations conducted by the FBI in Ohio since January 2015.

A list of anyone charged with a federal crime in Ohio with a connection to a domestic terror organization or hate group.

Brown said he also wants to know if the FBI has a policy of notifying state and local authorities if it determines a domestic terror organization or hate group is present. If so, he said, he wants details as to how the information was shared.

Asked if Brown will share the information with the public, his office told cleveland.com he will work with the Justice Department or FBI to share as much as possible.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 35 "hate groups" with a presence in Ohio, Brown said. They include the Blood and Honour Social Club, a group of statewide racist skinheads; American Vanguard, a statewide white supremacist group with whom Fields is believed to have consorted; and a number of groups with Ku Klux Klan or neo-Nazi affiliations.

Not all the groups are accused of racially linked or anti-Semitic violence, however.

The Southern Poverty Law Center's "hate map," for example, also lists Nation of Islam black separatist chapters and Citizens for Community Values, a conservative Cincinnati group behind Ohio's former gay marriage ban. It is included because of its anti-LGBT activism.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Eight candidates for Cleveland mayor appeared before the editorial board for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Tuesday to seek an endorsement.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson defended his record (while clarifying that he has nothing to be defensive about). The challengers -- City Councilmen Zack Reed and Jeff Johnson, State Rep. Bill Patmon, nonprofit restaurateur Brandon Chrostowski, activist Robert Kilo, entrepreneur Tony Madalone and resident Dyrone Smith took their shots, trying to argue that a change is needed. Former East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer, the other candidate whose name will appear on the Sept. 12 ballot, did not attend.

Here are a few takeaways from the meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes.

8 Cleveland mayoral candidates at cleveland.com office for interview with editorial board Posted by cleveland.com on Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Mayor Jackson does not respect Reed

Reed very well may advance to the November run-off election. But it's clear Jackson does not consider him to be a worthy challenger. It also seems Reed's relentless critiques have gotten under his skin.

Cleveland mayoral candidates agree neighborhood safety, security is key issue

An extended exchange here Tuesday was the day's most interesting, and possibly most illuminating.

After complaining about Jackson's "lack of vision" and failure to act on myriad potential projects in his ward, Reed was asked if he bears any personal responsibility for not pushing things through himself.

Barely pausing, Reed described "petty politics" as the culprit, and proceeded to say that a 2013 council redistricting, designed by then-Council President Martin J. Sweeney, disrupted the plans he had for his ward.

Jackson unsuccessfully tried to interrupt, before waiting for his turn to speak. He was deliberate and withering in his criticism of Reed.

"You put too much value in yourself that I would do something like that," Jackson said.

Jackson said that when he was a city councilman, his ward, which includes the Central neighborhood where he still lives, was perhaps Cleveland's most troubled. He said he pushed for commercial and residential investment, and the neighborhood is better for it. Reed, he said, should take responsibility for the problems in his ward.

He said his $65 million neighborhood investment plan, passed by council last week, included money for Reed's ward, meant to spur private investment. The vision behind the plan, Jackson told Reed, "probably is above your head."

In another exchange, Reed accused Jackson of politically retaliating against him by not providing more funding for road repaving. Jackson said if his decisions were driven by politics, Reed would get no funding.

"But the fact is, your ward is getting the lion's share of the resurfacing dollars. And that's because of the condition those roads are in," he said.

Jackson finished his thought -- and the exchange -- by saying: "There's a difference between having an idea and getting something done about it. You do not have the ability."

Neighborhoods vs. downtown continues

One of the challengers' key messages is that Jackson has lavished attention on downtown while allowing the neighborhoods to crumble. Jackson has responded by promoting his $65 million neighborhood plan.

In the midst of the aforementioned exchange with Jackson, Reed had a good line -- which he has used effectively on the campaign trail -- as he griped about major streets in his ward not getting redone.

"You can pave every road downtown for the Republican National Convention. But you can't pave one street for the people in Slavic Village. I've asked them to pave one street for the people of Lee-Miles. Nothing," he said.

Johnson, asked about his criticism that Jackson is too close to downtown business interests, said he is not anti-business. He said he just thinks neighborhood businesses need stronger advocacy.

"I have to be the bridge as mayor, to bridge the two ends," said Johnson, who is running a populist campaign. "I am absolutely pro-business from the standpoint of small business, minority business, those developments, that's what I mean."

Madalone said candidates shouldn't look to play downtown and the neighborhoods off each other.

"Downtown is a neighborhood too, and pays most of the taxes," he said.

Madalone looks to leave an impression

Madalone, the owner and CEO of Fresh Brewed Tees, apparel company, has struggled to gain traction in the race. When he entered, some wondered openly if his candidacy was a publicity stunt meant to sell T-Shirts. (Madalone, 32, says his candidacy is serious, reflecting the frustration young professionals have with city leaders.)

But as the youngest candidate and one of only two Republicans in the race, he does have a message that clearly contrasts with his opponents. Besides Reed, he offered the most forceful and direct critique of Jackson.

Describing the need for jobs training, Madalone went on to say Jackson has neglected the neighborhoods during his term in office. Jackson's $65 million neighborhood plan was an election-year play that was too little, too late, he said.

Jackson, asked for his response, said he would respond later.

"I think it's past later," Madalone said, turning to Jackson. "The people deserve an answer.'

In his closing remarks, Madalone alluded to Reed's and Johnson's past legal issues, and said the other elected officials running for mayor have given "numerous reasons not to trust them." He also said Cleveland has, by far, the worst administration of any major city in the region. Sparing no one, he also chastised cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer's editors for endorsing Jackson in the past and preserving the status quo.

Age becomes an issue

As part of his criticism, Madalone said Jackson is out of touch.

"My argument is that at 71 years old, the mayor is completely removed and disengaged with the reality that everyday Clevelanders experience," Madalone said.

Some of the older candidates who followed Madalone reacted to what he said.

Smith, a long-shot candidate who has not actively campaigned, said his mother is 70, and "has a mind like a steel trap."

State Rep. Bill Patmon, who is 71, said he was not looking to lead Cleveland long-term, but presented himself as a candidate to bridge the gap for the next generation.

"What I'd like to do is spend four more years preparing this city for sustainable leadership for the future, because clearly that's needed... otherwise, why would we have 10 candidates for mayor, and 70 candidates for City Council?" he said.

Jackson did not address the swipe about his age, but said he is very aware of the reality city residents face every day. He pivoted to a common talking point -- his longtime residency in the city's Central neighborhood.

"I don't stay out of touch from anything because I live it -- the things you talk about, I live in it," he said. "I stayed on 38th and Central. Everything that happens to anybody out here, including the homicides, the drugs or whatever may come about, happens to me and my family."

Johnson reveals shift in minimum-wage strategy



Johnson has run with the heavy backing of the Service Employees International, which represents low-wage workers in the city. And the SEIU's number-one priority locally had been to advance a Cleveland-only $15 minimum wage ballot-issue. Johnson was council's lone member to support the issue, which was blocked by city leaders and the state legislature earlier this year.

However, Johnson, in his comments to the editorial board and in a follow-up interview, revealed the movement is looking to take the minimum-wage issue statewide in 2018. Johnson told cleveland.com that minimum-wage activists are shifting strategy to prevent state lawmakers from acting to block a Cleveland-only increase, as they did with the previous attempt.

"We felt our energy would be used more efficiently statewide," he said.

Some of the other candidates in the race -- Reed and Jackson among them -- said they would support a statewide minimum-wage hike, but said a Cleveland-only one would have disadvantaged businesses here. Madalone said a $15 minimum wage would actually hurt the poor by forcing them to make too much money to qualify for food stamps and other social programs.

Chrostowski said the city needs to change its attitude

After touting a plan to establish neighborhood job-training centers, Chrostowski was asked how the city should pay for it.

(At another point in the meeting, he endorsed two costly law enforcement proposals -- giving city police three consecutive 5 percent raises, and re-assuming local control of city police training, something the state currently oversees.)

Chrostowski said at Edwins, the non-profit restaurant he founded, accepted no state or federal money, because he could attract support from businesses and philanthropists. He said he would take a similar attitude in running the city.

"We need to get out of this mindset that we live in a nursing home, and that we're on a fixed income," he said.

Chrostowski went on to cite examples in which the city has wasted money -- he cited a clerical error that led the city school district to forfeit an $8 million-plus federal reimbursement, and a federal $200,000 fine for the city's failure to properly plow the runway at Cleveland Hopkins airport.

"The money is there. If we have the mindset that we don't have anything, then we don't have anything," he said.
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens on Tuesday halted the scheduled execution of condemned inmate Marcellus Williams after DNA testing raised questions about whether he actually killed.

Just hours before Williams was to be put to death, the Republican governor said in an email that he was issuing a stay of execution. Williams was convicted of fatally stabbing former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Lisha Gayle during a 1998 burglary at her suburban St. Louis home. Williams' execution had been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The governor's decision comes after Williams' attorneys cited DNA evidence found on the murder weapon that matched another unknown person, but not Williams. But St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said there was ample other evidence to convict Williams, and that there's "zero possibility" he's innocent.

"A sentence of death is the ultimate, permanent punishment," Greitens said in his statement. "To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt."

Greitens said he will appoint a five-member board of inquiry made up of retired judges with subpoena power. The board will make a recommendation to the governor concerning whether the 48-year-old Williams should be executed. No timetable has been set.

Williams' attorney, Kent Gipson, who had asked Greitens for clemency, said the stay of execution was "the appropriate thing to do." He believes large-scale opposition to the execution was a factor in the governor's decision.

"The people have spoken," Gipson said. "This online petition had a quarter of a million signatures. The case has generated a lot of outrage all over the country and the world."

Gipson also had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court over concerns raised by DNA testing of the knife conducted in December using techniques that were not available at the time of the killing. He also cited previous DNA testing of hairs from Gayle's shirt and fingernails that also excluded Williams, and said footprints at the scene did not match Williams.

But McCulloch on Tuesday said the DNA tests "were inconclusive" and "can neither include or exclude" Williams as the killer.

"He is the one who committed this murder," McCulloch said. "He made his decision 20 years ago to stay in that house. He heard Lisha Gayle walk down the stairs, and all he had to do was leave. He didn't. And now he has to live with that decision -- die with that decision."

Outside Greitens' office in Jefferson City, execution protesters broke into a dance to celebrate the stay, and some wrote a thank-you note to the governor.

"We are glad that you had the courage as a leader to exercise your power to promote truth and justice," the note, which they wrote on the spot, read.

Zeke Johnson, senior director of programs at Amnesty International USA, said the Williams case is further evidence that the death penalty should be abolished.

"No human being should pay the ultimate price for a cruel and inhumane system so capable of error," Johnson said in a statement.

Death penalty supporters say there is no evidence that an innocent person has ever been executed in the U.S. But the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago cites at least 39 executions carried out despite what it calls "compelling evidence of innocence or serious doubt about guilt."

Robert Dunham, executive director of the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, called Greitens' decision "an important step in ensuring that Missouri does not execute an innocent man." He said executing Williams without further inquiry "would have been intolerable and indefensible."

At the heart of the prosecution's case against Williams was testimony from his former girlfriend and a former cellmate.

In a court filing last week, Assistant Attorney General Michael Spillane wrote that Williams took a bus to the St. Louis suburb of University City, Missouri, on Aug. 11, 1998, looking for a house to break into and chose Gayle's.

Spillane said Williams broke out a window pane to get inside, where he heard water running in the shower. Spillane said Williams went downstairs and found a large butcher knife. When Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times. Her purse and her husband's laptop were stolen.

Spillane said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. Williams' girlfriend at the time, Laura Asaro, later asked him why he would wear a jacket on such a hot day. According to prosecutors, the girlfriend said she later saw the laptop in the car and that Williams sold it a day or two later.

The state also cites testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a cell with Williams for three months in 1999 while Williams was jailed in St. Louis on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors that Williams confessed to the killing and offered details about it.

But Gipson said the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted felons who were out for a $10,000 reward.

Gayle, 42, was a reporter at the Post-Dispatch from 1981 to 1992. She left journalism to do social work.

In addition to the murder conviction, Williams is serving consecutive terms of life in prison for robbery, and 30 years each for burglary and weapons crimes.

Associated Press writers Jim Suhr in Kansas City, Missouri, and Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed to this report.
HOUSTON, Texas -- Law-enforcement officials say a man was found with explosives last weekend near the statue of a Confederate figure and intended to blow it up.

Andrew Schneck, 25, was spotted by a park ranger on Saturday hiding in some bushes with explosives in hand near the statue of Confederate Lt. Dick Dowling in Houston's Hermann Park, Reuters reports.

Schneck was charged Monday in federal court with attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property, according to the Houston Chronicle. He could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison and fined $250,000 if convicted.

He remains in federal custody, the Chronicle reports.

Prosecutors said the bomb consisted of a timer, wires, duct tape and two types of explosives, including nitroglycerin, Reuters reports.

When the ranger spotted Schneck, he reportedly admitted that he wanted to destroy the statue, saying he "did not like the guy," according to NBC News.

The discovery of Schneck with the explosives resulted in a two-day investigation that included the evacuation of the upscale neighborhood where the suspect lives with his parents, the Chronicle reports.

Explosives found in the home where Schneck lives were detonated by bomb squad experts.

It is not Schneck's first encounter with law enforcement. NBC News reports he was charged in 2014 with improperly storing explosive material. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor federal charge and was sentenced to five years probation and $159,000 in restitution.

Lawyers for Schneck declined to comment, reports say.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments section.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Senate curbed the power of a state board to accept large amounts of money - including federal dollars for Medicaid expansion - during a series of overrides of Gov. John Kasich's budget vetoes Tuesday afternoon.

But most notable on the Senate floor were the key Medicaid measures that senators did not touch.

Senators did not try to override Kasich's veto of Healthy Ohio, a proposed program in the two-year budget bill that would have required Medicaid recipients to make payments into health savings accounts or lose coverage, akin to paying a health insurance premium.

Healthy Ohio, which would require permission from Washington, could force 125,000 Ohioans to lose coverage because they would be unable to afford the premiums, according to the Kasich administration. Senate President Larry Obhof said his chamber is working with Kasich's team on a compromise.

Another veto untouched by senators Tuesday results in a $200 million yearly cut to local governments - including $30 million to Cuyahoga County and $18 million to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

A sales tax on managed care organizations, or medical practices with contracts to care for Medicaid recipients, will disappear because it was against federal rules.

The state is making up some of the tax by charging a franchise fee on health insurers. Lawmakers in the budget required Kasich to ask for federal permission for Ohio to increase its fee, in order to raise more money for local governments. Kasich objected, and the Senate didn't take up the issue.

Obhof, a Medina Republican, said lawmakers will also attempt to work out a solution on the tax, but Kasich's office sent a statement after the Senate adjourned expressing satisfaction that his veto prevailed.

"The Senate deserves credit for saying no to efforts that would have risked the future sustainability of Ohio's health care system in order to seek a 24 percent tax hike on health plans," Kasich said in the statement. "...I stand by my vetoes on other health care items and am disappointed with today's actions on them, but am committed to working to manage changes with the least possible disruption in order to continue providing taxpayers with value and needy Ohioans with quality care."

Obhof never called for a vote on the Healthy Ohio or the franchise fee vetoes, but said the Senate could return to override those and others if an agreement is not soon hammered out with Kasich. Budget bill veto overrides must begin in the House, which started the process in July by overriding 11 of Kasich's 47 vetoes in the $133 billion budget bill.

Among the six vetoes the Senate did override were two limitations on the Ohio Controlling Board, a panel of executive and legislative branch representatives who make decisions on state finances. Through the Controlling Board, Kasich expanded Medicaid. Lawmakers this year set parameters on the amount of unexpected revenue the Controlling Board can accept, roughly up to $170 million, and about $226M in Medicaid funding.

Senate Democrats and even a small number of Republicans objected to the measure, which Kasich vetoed.

Sen. John Eklund, a Munson Township Republican, said the General Assembly needs to trust the Controlling Board's judgement, since it is comprised of lawmakers. He believes the $170 million threshold is arbitrary and unnecessarily constraining.

"I have great confidence in their ability to do their job," he said.

Tuesday's overrides in the Senate are the final say on the vetoes.

The House could also return and attempt to override Kasich's veto of a Medicaid expansion freeze that lawmakers passed in the budget.
New Law Makes Drug Possession a Misdemeanor in Oregon

Oregon legalized recreational marijuana back in 2015. But what about other Schedule 1 narcotics like cocaine, meth, or LSD? While the Beaver State isn't planning on legalizing those any time soon, it is rolling back the penalties for their possession.

A new state law will downgrade first-time drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, so long as the amount is under a certain limit. So to which drugs does the new law apply? What are the limits? And how does that change the possible criminal penalties?

Possession, Priors, and Penalties

Oregon's HB 2355 applies only to first-time offenders, so those with prior felony convictions or with two or more prior convictions for drug possession can still be charged with a felony. The new law also does not change penalties for possession of large, commercial amounts of illegal drugs. Here are the drugs, and amounts addressed by the new statute:

Cocaine under two grams

Methamphetamine under two grams

Heroin under one gram

Oxycodone under 40 pills

MDMA/Ecstasy under one gram or five pills

LSD under 40 units

Instead of looking at five to ten years in prison, those charged with first-time drug possession are instead facing a maximum penalty of just one year in prison and/or a $6,250 fine.

Police, Policy, and Profiling

Both the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police and the Oregon State Sheriffs' Association supported the measure, saying convictions include unintended consequences like barriers to housing and employment. But the groups also had some reservations. "Reducing penalties without aggressively addressing underlying addiction is unlikely to help those who need it most," the groups warned in a letter to a state senator who backed the bill, adding the law "will only produce positive results if additional drug treatment resources accompany this change in policy." Another bill appropriated $7 million that can be used to pay for drug treatment.

The new law also attempts to address police profiling by directing a state commission to develop methods for recording data concerning police-initiated pedestrian and traffic stops.

Related Resources:
The late motorcycle racer Marco Simoncelli appears on a 5 coin from San Marino marking the 30th anniversary of his birth.

San Marino honors the late Italian professional motorcycle racer Marco Simoncelli with a ringed-bimetallic 5 coin marking the 30th anniversary of his birth.

Simoncelli was born Jan. 20, 1987, and died Oct. 23, 2011, in Sepang, Malaysia, during the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The September 2017 cover feature explores one-year wonders, designs that lasted just a year or less, many of which are now coveted delicacies. Other topics include how to value unique collectibles, and an outline of the history of what "paper money" is printed on, from mulberry bark to plastics.

His memory lives on in the hearts and minds of many fans, and on Aug. 31 he is remembered on a coin from San Marino.

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San Marino is close to his hometown Cattolica, which is why the nation is issuing the coin, according to the San Marino Ufficio Filatelic e Numismatico (Stamp and Coin Office).

Maria Carmela Colaneri, a designer at the Italian State Mint, designed the coin, the reverse of which shows Marco Simoncellis portrait.

The ringed-bimetallic coins copper-nickel center is surrounded by a bronzital (copper and aluminum) ring.

The 16-sided coin weighs 9.5 grams, measures 27.5 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage of 76,493 piece.

To order the coin, or learn more, contact the Stamp and Coin Offices website.


ACLU Settles Lawsuit Against CIA Torture Psychologists

Much was made of the 'enhanced interrogation techniques' employed by the U.S. military and contractors in terrorism investigations. Often considered torture, the interrogation program was at the center of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed against the alleged architects of that program, on behalf two men subjected to those techniques and the family of one man who froze to death in a CIA prison.

In what the ACLU says is a first for lawsuits involving CIA torture, the two defendants in the case, psychologists James Mitchell and John "Bruce" Jessen, have agreed to settle the lawsuit, for an undisclosed amount.

Enhanced Interrogation

"Government officials and contractors are on notice that they cannot hide from accountability for torture," said director of the ACLU National Security Project Hina Shamsi in the wake of the settlement. "Our clients' groundbreaking case has changed the legal landscape. It showed that the courts are fully capable of handling lawsuits involving abuses committed in the name of national security." Due to issues of immunity and fears of classified information being made public, the case was set to be the first of its kind to go to trial, perhaps because the Justice Department did not try to block it.

Although both Mitchell and Jessen continue to claim that the abuse suffered by Suleiman Abdullah Salim, Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, and Gul Rahman, and Rahman's death, all occurred without their knowledge. But in an earlier ruling in the case, the court found "The evidence would support a finding Defendants designed the [enhanced interrogation techniques] to be used on detainees, and thus they clearly had knowledge they would be so used."

Brutal and Ineffective

Those techniques embodied an effort to a state of "learned helplessness" in captives that would remove any resistance to interrogation. According to Dr. Jessen's deposition in the case, he and Dr. Mitchell were tasked with coming up with those techniques, which included sensory and sleep deprivation, shackling for hours in uncomfortable positions, and waterboarding. "Jim and I went into a cubicle," he said. "He sat down at a typewriter and together we wrote out a list."

The interrogation techniques developed by the doctors were ultimately found to be brutal and ineffective, but caused lasting pain and suffering to those subjected to them.

Related Resources:
The state-level Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee put together a delegation that included representatives from the Tatmadaw, the state police and the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, but did not include the Restoration Council of Shan State.

Lieutenant Colonel Sai Oo from the RCSS/SSAs liaison office in Taunggyi said the RCSS was only invited at the very last minute.

We were invited with short notice and were not informed in advance. We were busy with our own meetings so we couldnt attend the [public] meeting. We were only informed via telephone. We werent ready so we told them that we couldnt come. Even though we couldnt go with them, they still wanted to hold the meeting anyway. Such kind of issue can only work out when there is cooperation. The best solution is to negotiate [with us] in advance so that we can prepare ahead, said Lt-Col Sai Oo.

The delegation was led by Major General Than Hlaing, commander of the Tatmadaws Eastern Central Command and chair of the Shan States JMC. The group met separately with residents of Mine Kaing/Mong Kung, Lechar/Laihka and Namsan townships, and of Panglong town under Loilin/Loileng township from August 16 to 18.

They told the public to speak without fear if human rights violations are committed by any armed group. Public participation is needed in order to implement peace. [Peace] will only be successful when everyone becomes involved. The public hasnt seen peace for over 70 years now, said Nan Mya Htwe, a Shan State Hluttaw MP from Loilin township.

The Shan State JMC was established in Loilin in May this year with representatives of the government, the Tatmadaw, the RCSS/SSA, the PNLO and the public.
Oh  hello, Oreo!

After months of discussion, developer previews and beta releases, Google's latest and greatest Android software is finally upon us. Android 8.0, aka Oreo, is officially named, numbered and on its way into the world  and that means many-an-Android-phone-owner is gonna be battling some serious cookie cravings in the weeks to come.

So what's Oreo all about? And what'll it mean for you? Grab a glass of milk and get cozy: Here are answers to all of your burning questions.

What are the biggest new features in Android 8.0?

Well, we're certainly eager beavers, aren't we? (Beavers really love Oreos. C'mon  don't tell me you didn't already know that.)

Not to fear, my dear: We'll get right to the good stuff. I'd say Oreo has three real "headline features" that you are bound to notice  or perhaps will just want to notice  first:

1. Picture-in-picture mode

I know, I know: Android's had a native split-screen function since last year's Nougat release (and third-party manufacturers have been baking that ability into their own software for even longer). But honestly, how often do you actually use that  especially when you're on a smaller-screened device?

Android Oreo expands the platform's multitasking capabilities with something called picture-in-picture mode. With phones in particular, it's a much less space-consuming and interface-interrupting way of viewing multiple things on your screen at once  though it really only applies to a specific sort of full-screen-oriented task.

The way it works is pretty thought-free and automatic: Imagine you're watching an important professional development video in YouTube (because that's the only type of video you'd ever watch from your work phone, obviously)  and you decide you want to send a message to someone or go look something up in Chrome without stopping playback.

[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]

Just hit your Home or Overview key, and bam: The video will shrink down into a small floating box over your home screen or recent apps list, and you can go about your other business while continuing to watch.

JR

Open any other app you want, and the floating box will remain in place. You can even drag it around the screen to position it wherever you like. Tap it, and you'll get a set of playback controls along with a button to bring it back into a regular full-screen view within its own app. Want the box to go away altogether? Just fling it toward the bottom of your screen to dismiss it.

JR

The inevitable asterisk: Android Oreo's picture-in-picture mode will work only in areas where an app's developer explicitly decides to support it. For now, it's available in a relatively small number of titles  apps like YouTube (with an active Play Music/YouTube Red subscription), Google Play Movies (in theory, though it isn't yet working there for me) as well as Chrome (when you're playing a video from a web page in a full-screen view) and WhatsApp (when you're engaged in a video call).

Google Maps has picture-in-picture support available for navigation, meanwhile, though it works only in the beta version of the app as of this writing. And Google Duo supports the feature wholeheartedly, but  well, y'know.

Other apps, including Netflix, are said to have picture-in-picture support in the works and on the way soon.

2. Native auto-fill functionality

Oreo makes it easier than ever to stay signed to various services through Android.

How? Good question, my fellow cookie connoisseur. Android 8.0 makes it happen on two different fronts: First, Google's own Smart Lock for Passwords system sends out near-instant suggestions for signing into accounts within apps  so if you've saved your Twitter credentials in Chrome, for instance, and then try to sign into the Twitter app on your phone, the system will prompt you to fill in your username and password with a single tap.

Second, if you use a password management service like Dashlane, 1Password or LastPass, you'll be able to use said service to sign into accounts all throughout your device without the need for any awkward pop-ups or back-and-forth authorization (which is how most of those services have managed to make things work thus far). You can see a demo of the difference at the blog of Dashlane, which has already integrated the feature into its app.

It'll be up to each service to support the Oreo-level auto-fill feature, but most of the other big names (including LastPass, 1Password and Enpass) have already committed to doing so in the foreseeable future, and some have already rolled out beta-level integration.

3. Notification snoozing

If you ask me, this may be Android Oreo's most useful and impressive new element: the software's newfound ability to snooze notifications  something I've been clamoring for ever since I got accustomed the idea of snoozing things in Google's Inbox app.

The way it works with notifications is simple (though, fitting with recent trends, you might not ever be aware of it if you didn't know where to look): You just swipe any notification slightly to either side and then tap the newly added clock icon that appears in that area.

jr

By default, the system will snooze your notification for an hour when you hit that clock icon, but you can tap a little down-arrow next to the confirmation dialog and select to snooze for 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 2 hours instead.

JR

Whenever the amount of time you chose has elapsed, the notification will reappear as if it were new. It's essentially a built-in "remind me later" function  and it's never more than a swipe away.

Hang on, Charlie: Doesn't Oreo have some other new notification panel features?

Indeed  you are correct! I always knew you were one sharp cookie. (Pardon the implicit Oreo pun. And please, don't call me Charlie.)

Android Oreo actually introduces several noteworthy notification improvements beyond just the aforementioned snoozing. The biggest is something called notification channels. It's kinda confusing, but the gist of it is that apps can separate all the different types of notifications they generate into different channels  and you can then subscribe or unsubscribe from any individual channels instead of only being able to turn all of an app's notifications on or off.

This is best illustrated by example. When you long-press a notification from Google Maps in Android 8.0, you'll see something like this:

JR

That's telling you the notification you received falls into Maps' "Navigation" channel. Tap that "All Categories" link, and you'll see a slew of other channels for the app's various types of alerts:

JR

If, say, you want to get Maps' notifications about navigation-related matters but don't want to get its notifications about new and popular places, you can turn off or even customize alerts for the latter without affecting the former (or anything else). In previous versions of Android, it was an all-or-nothing choice.

The catch, of course, is that notification channels are available only for apps that have taken the time and effort to support the feature  so it's still a pretty limited-scale thing, and practically speaking, it isn't gonna do a heck of a lot for you at the moment. But it'll be interesting to see how it develops over time, particularly for us power-user folk who are inclined to actually tinker with something so intricate.

Beyond that, Oreo has a new smaller format for lower-priority notifications  things that are proactively informative but don't necessarily demand your immediate attention. Those types of alerts now appear in a collapsed-down form when other more pressing notifications are present, and they expand only if you tap 'em.

JR

And the 8.0 release provides system-level support for notification badges on home screen icons  something I personally find to be a counterproductive addition, but hey, your mileage may vary.

Yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah. C'mon, Android writer man: Isn't there any other interesting stuff to Oreo  stuff that'll actually affect the way I use my device on a daily basis?

Kudos on the clever nickname there, Paco. But yes! Of course there's more to Oreo, you silly slurring mongoose.

Some of the smaller but still significant touches you'll actually appreciate as you get to know Android 8.0 (for the love of Goog, would someone fire up a drumroll MP3 already?!):

Notification and widget access within home screen icons

Android Oreo adds the native ability for launchers to show you all sorts of contextual info when you long-press an icon on your home screen. If the associated app has any notifications pending, you'll see them right then and there (and can even swipe them away to dismiss them)  and if it has any widgets available, you'll be able to pull them up and place them on your home screen by tapping a little icon right in that very panel.

JR

Smart text selection

In apps that support it (that always-present caveat), you can simply double-tap on addresses, URLs, phone numbers or email addresses anywhere they appear. Android will recognize the text for what it is and quickly select the entire string for you, figuring out the appropriate start and end point on its own  and will then give you a one-tap option to shoot the info over to the most logical place (a new phone call with a number, for instance, or Maps with an address).

JR

Smarter sound selection

File this one under "HOLY MOLY, FINALLY!": Android 8.0 delivers a simple and intuitive way to set your own custom sound file as a ringtone or notification  something the operating system has somehow lacked all these years. Rather than having to do the complicated dance of using a computer or file manager to manually move your file into a folder (and potentially even create said folder), you can now just open up the regular option to change a sound in Oreo's system settings  and, look at that, right there is an option to add your own ringtone. Who woulda thunk?

JR

Smarter Wi-Fi toggling

Buried deep in a network settings menu on Pixel phones sits one of Oreo's tastiest treats: an option to allow your phone to turn on Wi-Fi automatically anytime you're in range of a known high-quality network. No more manual toggling or needlessly leaving Wi-Fi on all the time  and no need for a complex configuration in a third-party app to accomplish this extra little pinch of intelligence. (For whatever reason, this feature is presently available only on Pixel phones.)

JR

An expanded and more easily accessible native file manager

Oreo's Downloads app has some new options, including the ability to show your full internal storage and essentially open a native file manager right within the app. It's nowhere near as robust as what you'll get from third-party file managers, but it allows for basic browsing and file manipulation  which is probably enough for most people, most of the time.

JR

What about appearance? Will Oreo look any different from what I have now?

Mais oui! (That's French for "Darn tootin', buckeroo.") Oreo isn't a massive change in terms of Android aesthetics, but it does introduce some noticeable tweaks and refinements to the core user interface.

The notification and Quick Settings panel is probably the most obvious example. It's now a lighter hue, with a more info-dense appearance and some rearranged elements.

JR

Notifications themselves take on context-specific themes in Oreo, too: In playback controls for Google Play Music and Youtube, for instance, notifications adopt a nifty color scheme that matches the artwork for the currently playing song or video.

JR

Android's system settings also have a new look (again). That awkwardly tacked on slide-out menu introduced in Nougat is gone, for one, and the main settings menu has been condensed down and reorganized into a smaller number of broad categories.

JR

What else? The battery settings menu gets a major makeover in Oreo, with easier-to-read and more detailed info right on the main screen.

JR

We could do this all day  because the truth is that Oreo has tons of subtle changes, like a new icon for system apps that most people probably won't ever see (look at "Device Configuration," below).

JR

And speaking of icons, Android 8.0 introduces something called adaptive icons for the home screen. It's basically a way for app developers to create a single icon for their apps that can then be displayed in different shapes  circles or "squircles," for instance (apologies for saying "squircles," even if I did put it in quotes)  based on what a particular device or launcher prefers. Long story short, it'll make it easier for both phone-makers and users to customize how icons look without any funky workarounds.

Oh, and there are new emoji (or is it emojis?). Yes, again. Shrug.

Google

How 'bout Chrome OS? Isn't Android supposed to be merging with that, or something?

Not exactly (though you can be forgiven for thinking so, given the never-ending public narrative along those lines). The reality, as those of us who watch the platforms closely have been seeing take shape for years now, is that Google is aligning Android and Chrome OS and allowing them to overlap and work together in mutually beneficial ways. And that's something we're continuing to see happen with Android 8.0.

To wit: Oreo introduces better support for multiple displays  something you're more likely to encounter on a desktop or laptop than a phone or tablet. The software makes it easier for apps to handle movement from one display to another and to specify which display certain activities should start on. (Think about the ways that could work for Android apps running on Chrome OS devices  an increasingly common scenario that creates a new kind of platform-defying productivity machine.)

Similarly, Oreo makes it possible for developers to support physical keyboard shortcuts within their apps  another addition made explicitly with Chrome OS in mind.

Hang on. You mean to tell me we're going from 7.1-something to 8.0, and that's it? Surely there's something else new here, even if it isn't earth-shattering?

Man, you are one tough cookie! But you're right, you sassy son-of-a-gun: There most certainly is some other interesting new stuff within these crispy chocolate layers.

On the stamina front, Oreo has a new behind-the-scenes system for limiting background activity in apps you don't use that often. That should, in theory, make your device last longer with each charge. And who wouldn't want that?

If you're an audio nerd, you'll be pleased to know that Android 8.0 adds support for aptX Bluetooth streaming, at least on certain devices. (Translation: You'll get better-quality audio on your Bluetooth speakers and headphones.)

Android's Night Light mode gets an upgrade in Oreo, too, with the ability to adjust its intensity and control precisely how much yellow-ish tint it places on your screen.

JR

And on the accessibility front, Android 8.0 has a bunch of new elements. There's a new "accessibility shortcut" option that lets you toggle services like TalkBack (which provides spoken feedback for blind and low-vision users) on and off simply by pressing your volume-up and volume-down buttons together. There's also a handy option to make services like on-screen magnification available via a specialized "accessibility button" that appears alongside Android's main navigation keys.

JR

Beyond that, remember that Android OS upgrades are different from Apple's iOS upgrades in that Google now updates most of its system-like apps directly via the Play Store all throughout the year  so things like improvements to the browser, keyboard, Photos app, Maps app and even system-level security features happen bit by bit all the time instead of being clustered into one or two massive OS releases per year.

The result, as I've pointed out before, is that any random month could see a level of system-like updates on Android that's comparable to a major OS upgrade on other platforms. Most of us just don't think about it with that big-picture perspective.

Fine. What about performance, though? Will Oreo devices run faster? Last longer? Make me feel loved and attractive for who I am, even if I might have gained a few pounds over the past several months?

I mean, look: Every operating system upgrade always promises to provide better performance, stronger stamina and more cuddle time when you're finished. Oreo is no exception: The latest version of Android has lots of impressive-sounding technical mumbo-jumbo that basically amounts to all those things you mentioned (aside from the loved and attractive part  sorry, pal, but you're on your own there).

Specifically, Google says Android 8.0 cuts a device's startup time in half. On my own Pixel phone, the time it takes for the phone to boot up does seem noticeably faster. So there's that.

In regular day-to-day use, though, I doubt most people will notice too much of a tangible difference from most of the performance-related enhancements. But we shall see.

And security? There's gotta be something about security, right?

But of course! A good bit, actually, though mostly behind-the-scenes stuff you probably won't notice directly. It's all still important, though, and some of it's pretty interesting. I put together a detailed guide to the high points here.

Please, please, please: Before we start wrapping this thing up, tell me about some boring work-related gobbledygook Android 8.0 enables.

Boy howdy, would I love to! It may not be the most exciting stuff, but Android's Oreo release does have a handful of enterprise-related improvements  and those can be pretty significant for worker bees who use the software on office-issued devices.

The highlights:

Enhanced support for separate work profiles on fully managed devices

A new way to assign and, erm, manage app management

An improved setup process for new devices that should make it faster and simpler to add new users and customize their experience

Added enterprise-level controls for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, backup and security

A new network activity logging option for problem detection

Digital TPS report cover sheets with a patented eLumbergh feature (if you have to ask what that means, hold your breath for an extra 14 seconds as punishment)

Whew! Still awake? Nice work, team. (And yes, I made that last one up. But you have to admit, it'd be a greaaat addition. Yeaaaaaah.)

Okay, wise guy. What about updates? Isn't Oreo supposed to make it so manufacturers will actually get the software out to us at a less turtle-like speed?

Kinda. But don't get too excited. You're right that Android 8.0 includes something called Project Treble that's meant to create a "modular base" for Android, which should then make it easier for manufacturers to update their phones and tablets.

But, well, there are some important asterisks. Treble won't even appear on most existing Android devices, for one, and even when it does start to show up on new devices, it'll affect only the updating procedures related to "lower-level" code  the sort of stuff device-makers currently rely on silicon manufacturers to handle. It won't do anything about the user-facing interface changes and feature additions so many companies bake into Android before shipping their software to customers.

So, yes: Treble has the potential to make Android OS updates easier and less expensive for manufacturers, but manufacturers will still have to put in a fair amount of effort to get each update ready and delivered. And if history's any indication, that type of customer-centric focus isn't necessarily something we can count on from most Android device-makers  no matter how hard Google may try to make it happen.

As I said in my analysis earlier this year:

All signs suggest the lackluster update performance we're seeing from Android manufacturers is less about logistics and more about incentive. And admirable as Project Treble effort is in concept and in engineering, it  much like the various update-improving efforts before it  doesn't appear to address that underlying issue.

Maybe Treble will make some level of difference with at least some of Android's device-makers. I certainly hope so. But while it's undoubtedly a positive step for the platform, it's tough to imagine it being an end-all fix for the companies that flat-out don't care.

Fine, then. Just tell me what I want to know: When will my device get Oreo?

Ah, if only it were that easy.

As usual, it's up to each manufacturer to provide the upgrade to its phones and tablets  and as usual, most manufacturers aren't making specific commitments about when (or often even if) they'll deliver this latest version of Android to their various devices.

That being said, we can use data from the manufacturers' recent past performance to make some educated guesses. Check out my data-driven Oreo upgrade prediction guide to see how things look for you.

The one exception to the rule, of course, is Google's own Pixel and Nexus devices  the only devices that consistently get timely and reliable ongoing updates (and the only Android phones you should consider if such things are important to you). Google says it'll be starting the rollouts for the Pixel, Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P soon. And if you have one of those devices and don't want to wait, you can force the upgrade to start pretty easily right now.

Will all the features and changes you mentioned actually come to my device?

Not necessarily. First of all, some of the features are hardware-dependent  like the Bluetooth and Night Light stuff we talked about a minute ago. So those are things that'll by and large be more relevant for new devices coming out down the road than existing devices getting Oreo today.

Beyond that  as we've discussed countless times before  Android's open nature means manufacturers can modify the software in different ways and put their own individual stamps on it. If you want the software as Google designed it, a Google Pixel phone is the way to go. Other manufacturers do their own things  which can be both good and bad, depending on the specific nature of the thing and what type of experience you prefer. But they don't always include everything Google's core software offers, particularly when it comes to interface- and design-related elements.

For better and for worse, that's part of what you get when you purchase non-Pixel Android products  and it's something you have to think about when you decide which type of device is right for you.

So if I don't have Android 8.0, I'm basically just out of luck for now?

Hey, now: Turn that frown upside-down, Dr. Downer. You can actually get some of Oreo's finest features on any Android device anytime, even without the upgrade  if you know how.

Why did Google decide to name this release Oreo, anyway?

You didn't hear this from me, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Google's most recent engineering hire.

What in the world are they gonna name next year's Android P release? And what about Android Q after that?!

Only time will tell. Personally, though, I'm hoping for Prickly Pear and Quandong.

Will Google send me an actual Oreo whenever I get the Android 8.0 upgrade?

If only, my friend. If only.
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Get the best and latest crime stories with our Court Insider newsletter

A rapist broke into his victim's house after trying to get in through upstairs windows as she raised the alarm through a Facebook message.

Darren Whelband, from Camelford, used a ladder to try to get through two upstairs windows before smashing through a glass panel in the front door of the house.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, could not alert the police because there was no mobile signal in the area and Whelband had broken her landline handset.

She tried to report his attack on her home to the police through her computer but there is no online 999 service, Exeter Crown Court heard.

Instead, she sent a Facebook message to a friend at about 1am asking them to call the police but it was not picked up until the morning. At 5am she sent a second message saying she had been raped.

The messages were not picked up until 8am. Whelband denied raping her and claimed she had invited him into her home in north Devon for sex.

He was found guilty by a jury at Exeter Crown Court after they were shown pictures of the ladder, which was still up against the window when police arrived, and of a sledge hammer which he used to break in. The victim also had a bruise to her neck.

Tree surgeon Whelband, 52, denied rape but was convicted and jailed for eight years by Judge Robert Linford.

He told him: "The victim had secured her property, believing herself to be safe in her own home, and so she should have been. You returned and got a ladder and tried to get in through windows.

"You got in by removing a window of the front door and made your way upstairs and got into bed with her. While this was going on she had been trying to get help.

"She could not use the phone and so e-mailed a friend without success. You raped her. She did not consent and you persisted. She says you went to sleep and she tried to contact her friend again.

"The following day you woke up and the unpleasantness continued. You subjected her to further aggressive behaviour. The police arrived and you lied to them and persisted in your denials throughout this case.

"The jury have listened to this case and it has taken them only 42 minutes to see through your deceit and convict you. This case is made more serious because you broke into her home where she was entitled to feel safe.

"This was an unpleasant and lengthy experience for her."

During the three-day trial the woman told the jury Whelband had visited her earlier in the day but she had asked him to leave. She said he returned at about 12.30am and broke in through a broken window in her front door.

She went to bed but then heard tapping him on her first floor window, which he used a ladder to reach. She had no means of contacting the police and so sent a Facebook message to a friend.

It read: "Are you still up. I need you to call the police for me." A few minutes later, at 1.07am, she wrote: "He is breaking in."

The next message was at 5.30am and said: "He broke in and forced himself on me. He is completely out of control and manic. I don't have a phone. I tried to contact the police online. If you see this in the early morning can you pop over or call the police."

Whelband claimed the woman had been 'welcoming' and 'coquettish' and had enjoyed having consensual sex with him.

He said: "She was nice and very welcoming. She was playing a bit hard to get but we were making love. She did not resist in the slightest. She was very forthcoming and open. It was consensual absolutely. She was a little agitated but very loving. She was coquettish."
President Donald Trump's speech on military policy in Afghanistan didn't provide much in the way of specifics about troop numbers or other measures of force commitment or our long-term goals. All that vagueness led to tea-leaf-reading today. Reuters spoke with the top general of the U.S. Air Force, and learned the USAF may intensify air strikes in Afghanistan and expand training of the Afghan air force.

The U.S. war in Afghanistan will soon enter its 17th year.

Reuters:

Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein told Reuters he is still examining the matter, "as the U.S. military's top brass had only begun the process of translating Trump's war strategy into action." Snip: Asked whether the Air Force would dedicate more assets to Afghanistan, where the United States has been engaged in its longest military conflict, Goldfein said only: "Possibly." "It's actually too early to tell what this will mean in terms of plus-ups and reductions," he said in a joint interview with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. Still, he acknowledged that the Air Force was "absolutely" examining the possibility of increasing air power, including to support U.S. ground forces, following Trump's promise of a stepped-up campaign against Taliban insurgents, who have gained ground against U.S.-backed Afghan government forces. Goldfein said the same about providing training to Afghan pilots.

PHOTO: US soldiers walk near a police checkpoint in Afghanistan. (Reuters / Lucas Jackson)
A 17.6 million deal to take ultrafast broadband to thousands more homes and businesses in some of Cornwalls most remote places has been unveiled.

The third phase of the Superfast Cornwall programme will see the latest Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology - capable of delivering speeds up to one gigabit per second (Gbps)  rolled out to more than 7,000 premises by the end of 2019.

The first locations to benefit are expected to be announced on the www.superfastcornwall.org website before the end of 2017.

The new phase builds on the multi million pound first two phases of Superfast Cornwall, which have already made Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly some of the best digitally-connected rural areas in Europe.

Among the rural companies benefitting from high-speed broadband is Rogers Space Heaters of Rosenannon, near Bodmin, which sells portable industrial heaters and spares to countries as far afield as the United States, Australia and Mongolia. The company now gets broadband speeds about 70 times faster than before it took delivery of fibre broadband.

Director Oliver Rogers said: Superfast broadband has allowed us to increase our productivity significantly. We can focus on the customer and the job in hand, without having to worry about our internet connection. We can send and receive large files internationally and upload our instruction videos to YouTube, all at lightning speed. Now, anything at all we want to do, we can do. The sky is the limit.

Latest independent research shows that the high-speed technology is delivering huge economic benefits. The first phase of Superfast Cornwall has so far provided an estimated 275 million annual boost to the economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, creating 3,120 jobs and safeguarding 3,430. An estimated 16,150 businesses have connected to high-speed fibre broadband with the technology helping the creation of around 3,300 start-up businesses 2.

Funding for this new initiative comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which will provide 8.5 million; BT 5.1 million; the Governments Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme 3 million; and Cornwall Council 1.1 million , and the programme will be managed by Cornwall Development Company.

The phase three roll-out is expected to reach the first premises by spring 2018.

Minister of State for Digital, Matt Hancock, said: "The transformation of the digital landscape in Cornwall to date has been tremendous, but there's still more to do. I'm delighted that Government investment is going to help take fibre connections right to the door of more than 7000 more Cornish homes and businesses, ensuring they can get the fast and reliable connectivity they need, both now and for the future."

Cllr Bob Egerton, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for economy and culture, said: Our digital infrastructure is going from strength to strength, Im delighted that this latest investment from the European Regional Development Fund will further improve our position, particularly in geographically challenging areas. The importance of digital connectivity is far reaching. The positive impact it has had on our businesses is helping to create and safeguard jobs and is boosting our economy. We mustnt forget also the social benefits it brings as well. People can access jobs, skills and training, as well as their friends, all of which helps to improve quality of life for our people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Clive Selley, chief executive of Openreach, the local network business which is part of BT Group, said: This major investment is a vital new chapter in the story of rolling out high-speed broadband across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. A huge amount has already been achieved since our superfast broadband partnership with Cornwall Council started seven years ago  and we recognise there is more to do.

As we reach further into the most remote areas, the challenge becomes greater, but we are committed to rolling out this exciting technology as far as possible.

This third phase further strengthens Cornwalls position as a leader in the UK for ultrafast broadband and one of Europes foremost digital economies in a rural area with a world-leading broadband network. The latest roll-out will run the length and breadth of the county to many of the remaining communities most in need of high-speed broadband.

The 132 million first phase of Superfast Cornwall saw superfast broadband speeds made available to 238,000 households and businesses, far outstripping the original aspiration of 205,000. The 7.6 million second phase, which is still underway, aims to bring superfast broadband to a further 8,000 premises by the end of 2017.

More than 90,000 households and businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have already connected to the fibre network through 60 different internet service providers  and the number is continuing to grow. Some areas have seen some of the strongest demand for the technology in the UK with up to 50 per cent of households and businesses already having chosen to take up the technology.

More than 84,000 Cornish premises now have access to the fastest form of fibre broadband, Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)  making it the leading county for FTTP in the country.

Cornwall Council will announce details later this year of a grant scheme, which will help to provide faster broadband for the remaining premises not included in any planned fibre broadband programmes.

Separately, the new Superfast Satellite Broadband project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), provides eligible SME businesses not covered by these plans with broadband speeds up to 40Mbps. The scheme enables businesses to take up a service with subsidised installation and service charges. To find out more and grow your business visit www.avantiplc.com/cornwall
CORNWALL, Ontario  At a packed special meeting of Council, municipal, provincial and federal agencies updated Cornwall City Council on the status of asylum seekers at the Nav Centre.

The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), Cornwalls Emergency Management department, the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Field Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management all presented information to council.

The Mayor himself admitted that the situation was changing so quickly that even information that had been agreed upon that morning had already changed.

The main detail that council wanted settled was which federal agency was taking the lead on this project. That position has changed several times since the Nav Centre agreed to house the asylum seekers last Tuesday, and as of Monday night, there was no federal organization currently identified as the lead agency.

Council seemed to be in agreement that this detail needed to be settled quickly and the Mayor pressed Louis Dumas, Director General of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to quickly identify a lead agency, a system to provide information to citizens and a public meeting.

The message Im sending from people around this table is to find that lead and get peoples questions answered, the Mayor said.

What was explained is that there are currently around 300 asylum seekers staying at the Nav Centre. The Nav Centre has offered space for 500 and there are no plans for more beyond that. In order to accommodate the Nav Centres other obligations temporary shelters have been setup outside the Nav Centre by the Canadian Forces. They include five to 10 person tents, privacy fences and lighting. Additionally there is a clinic on site managed by the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) to address any health needs of the asylum seekers.

Emergency Management Coordinator Bradley Nuttley explained that one asylum seeker has already had a baby.

The so-called tent city will be a temporary measure however as the Nav Centre is currently experiencing a high capacity, which is expected to ease in the winter and the asylum seekers will be moved inside.

The plan is to move 50 asylum seekers in and move 50 out in a continuous flow.

Dumas said that most of these asylum seekers are crossing in Quebec and are being processed at the Lacolle crossing which is about 50 minutes south of Montreal.

Dumas explained that they are mostly Haitian and that mostly families, including children are being sent to Cornwall. Brad Nuttley estimated that roughly 40 percent of the asylum seekers were children.

Kim Coe-Turner, General Manager of the Nav Centre explained that she is housed right next to the asylum seekers and that they have been perfect guests, which Nuttley verified.

Shawn Hoag, of the CBSA said that all asylum seekers were being processed at the Lacolle Inspection Station and only those who are identified as low risk are being sent to Cornwall.

After they are processed, they are allowed to move freely through Canada until their case is heard before an immigration tribunal. Dumas said that in 2015, nearly 50 percent of Haitian asylum seekers were rejected and deported.

Dumas said that he expected the vast majority will go to Montreal after they are processed to join the large Haitian community that is there.

At least one councillor, Elaine MacDonald, hoped that the asylum seekers would consider staying in Cornwall and making a life here.

If we could, we should tell them what a fabulous city they are in right now, she said. So that they fall in love with this City now. Lets be welcoming.

The crowd gathered in Council Chambers responded to Councillor MacDonalds sentiments with loud cheers.
SOUTH GLENGARRY, Ontario  On August 21, 2017 at approximately 2:29PM members of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a Six (6) vehicle crash on Highway 401, South Glengarry Township near Mile marker 828 in the westbound lanes.

Four (4) passenger vehicles and Two (2) tractor trailers collided. One person died at scene and 5 others were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Names are not being released pending notification of next-of-kin.

Highway 401 west bound is closed at the Quebec Border, detouring onto Highway 2. One east bound lane is closed.

The SD&G OPP officers and OPP Traffic Collision Investigators (TCI) and an OPP Reconstructionist are assisting in the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPP at 613-534-2223 or 1-888-310-1122.
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Channel programs News

CRN Exclusive: ClearCenter Plans To Invest Up To $50M In Partner Ecosystem Under Channel Vet, HPE Alum Raddon

Alec Shirkey

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ClearCenter, aiming to shake up the IT market with its Linux-based operating system, ClearOS, is prepared to sink serious funds into its channel program following the addition of Blaine Raddon to its executive team last month.

The Orem, Utah-based vendor hired Raddon, an industry veteran with 28 years of experience at IBM, Juniper and HPE, as senior vice president of sales last month to spearhead ClearCenter's channel charge. The push includes the establishment of a channel management team under Raddon, a strategic partnership with HPE and an infusion of $40 million to $50 million around certification, training, marketing programs, and incentive offerings over the next several years.

"We need to have a relationship with the channel, not necessarily their customer," said Raddon. "When they realize they can trust us and that we give them the account control they're looking for, and we're not in that business, that's going to separate us out from competitors. They've had to understand which companies are direct companies and which ones are channels. We are a channel-based company."

[Related: 30 Hot Products To Check Out Right Now]

Helping fuel ClearCenter's forthcoming channel push is an exclusive deal with HPE built around ClearOS. The agreement, announced in June, makes the innovative operating system available on HPE ProLiant servers and gives users the option to begin a free 30-day trial post-install.

The HPE partnership will quickly create new market opportunities for ClearCenter, Raddon said, because roughly 85 percent of ProLiant servers are sold through the channel. He hopes to tap into existing HPE channel relationships and train the giant's account managers to effectively sell ClearOS, which already has 400,000 paying users and a total of 10 million who use either the free or premium versions.

CEO Michael Proper, who founded ClearCenter in 2009, added that the company is "really just starting" its outbound sales offensive.

"This industry is ripe for disruption, ripe for growth and we don't see anyone from a tech or competitive channel program standpoint offering anything like this," Proper said. "When we start sprinkling real money on it, it's going to change a lot of these conversations."

In addition to funneling resources into the low-touch conversion strategy built around HPE and its partners, ClearCenter plans to attack the space by developing key partners that have either attained dominance in a specific geographic region, or ones that have established a strong brand around their own services.

Solution providers that have done the latter, Raddon said, can confidently build on the "vanity free" technology of ClearOS without worrying about ClearCenter brand placement.

"They can rebrand our stuff, build on top of it and feel comfortable they can put their brand in front of it," Raddon said.

ClearCenter will also develop "some" direct sales capability, but Raddon said those efforts will primarily target better customer engagement around channel sales and the reduction of implementation costs.

ClearCenter has an existing partner program that Raddon said offers tight account control and "most of the right elements," including a partner portal where solution providers can administer all of their licenses. However, he and his team will seek feedback from current ClearCenter partners before expanding their channel support suite and, more importantly, aligning with the HPE partner program.

The vendor will focus extensively on managed services providers that serve the SMB market as well as distributed enterprises, two spaces where HPE maintains strong influences.

A major benefit of the ClearBOX hardware for many prospective SMB clients, Proper explained, is the consolidation of a server rack with potentially 15-plus boxes to one on-premises device. Paired with ClearOS, MSPs can manage an end user's gateway, network, server and devices from a single dashboard.

The setup makes sense for SMB companies that possess limited IT resources and lack the technology expertise required of virtualization or Linux-based operating systems, Raddon said, because it turns ClearCenter partners IT consultants that can deploy the ClearBOX and a wide array of adjacent apps and services available through the ClearOS Marketplace.

The deals are well-worth it for the partner, as well, said Mark Warburton, CEO of Salt Lake City-based solution provider Projipro. Warburton has been exclusively using ClearCenter products for more than four years, and he's seen the money ClearBOX can save a business firsthand.

In 2012, one Projipro client needed a suite of hardware replacements, including a new HP server, Windows server, upgraded Cisco equipment and Barracuda web filtering. The "traditional" bid, he said, was about $50,000.

An alternative offer that included ClearBOX, ClearOS and Marketplace add-ons, which covered features like remote data backup and intrusion detection and prevention, was priced around $20,000. The client was also able to lower its power and air conditioning utility bills, because the server room had shrunk from a full rack to fewer than "five or six" units on the rack.

"We were able to give them exactly what they had," Warburton said. "They didn't have to change anything, except it was the ClearBOX Windows server portion running on there."

Currently, the ClearOS-equipped ProLiant sells to the end-client for a one-time $300-350 hardware cost, the company said, and the hybrid operating platform works on almost any x86-based system. Pricing for the premium version of ClearOS starts at $9 per month.

While its fair to ask if an open source solution is secure, Warburton said he's seen end-user skepticism go down as IT decision-makers become more knowledgeable. He added that the learning curve is more forgiving than typical Linux-based software, with "99 percent" of the ClearOS configuration able to be done from the GUI.

Raddon echoed that, emphasizing that the simplicity of ClearOS' single user interface  combined with its affordability and security  are what they hope will differentiate ClearCenter's products and lead to mass adoption among clients. The company said it has attained about 12 percent of "freemium" ClearOS users have converted to the paid version.

"This is just the beginning," Raddon said. "How many times can you start a sales organization with a company that has 10 million users and 400,000 customers? That's the [open source] mentality. There's a starting point here, and this relationship with HPE opens a completely new arena."
Channel programs News

Dell EMC Channel Chief Byrne: New VMware Enterprise Licensing Engagement Model Puts An End To Channel 'Conflict'

Matt Brown

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Dell Global Channel Chief John Byrne is pledging to end VMware channel conflict with a new field engagement model that for the first time opens the door for partners to receive full VMware incentives for selling VMware enterprise licensing agreements (ELAs) in tandem with Dell-EMC hardware.



As a result of a new Dell EMC agreement with VMware, Dell EMC Titanium Black and Titanium partners for the first time can procure VMware enterprise licensing agreements (ELAs) in tandem with Dell EMC hardware on Dell-EMC paper, said Byrne in an interview with CRN.



The change directly addresses requests from partners who were anxious to combine VMware enterprise licensing agreements and Dell EMC hardware on a single purchase order, said Byrne.



[Related: VMware Shuffles Channel Execs: Brandon Sweeney Takes Top Channel Post; Ross Brown To Lead Cloud Charge]



"Partners wanted the capability of buying all the Dell Technologies portfolio from a one-stop shop," said Byrne, acknowledging channel conflict as a result of Dell EMC sales reps and VMware partners battling for VMware sales. "This takes away the conflict."



The watershed channel change is aimed at stopping in its tracks channel conflict that has bedeviled longtime VMware partners who have seen an increase in Dell and VMware reps taking deals direct. Dell is one of VMware's top licensing software partners and the company has stepped up its VMware software licensing charge since its blockbuster acquisition of storage market leader EMC and virtualization kingpin VMware last year.



The new model is focused on Titanium and Titanium Black partners for deals involving Enterprise License Agreements. It's being launched today in six countries, the U.S.; the U.K.; Canada; Mexico; Brazil and France. It will be rolled out worldwide during Dell EMC's 2019 fiscal year, which begins in early February 2018.



Dell EMC has plans to introduce the system for non-ELA business once it has built out those capabilities, said Byrne.



Partners can roll VMware into deals being completed on Dell EMC paper simply by selecting Dell EMC from a drop-down menu from distributors.



VMware Channel Chief Brandon Sweeney, who was just appointed to the top VMware channel job, said he was "excited" by the change, which makes it easier for partners to do business with VMware. "That just leads to more top-line growth for all of us," said Sweeney. "We need to continue to have a balanced ecosystem, but we're certainly excited to be able to work with Dell to make the partner experience better."



In the past, solution providers weren't eligible for VMware incentives  and VMware reps didn't get paid  when VMware was pulled into Dell EMC hardware deals. Now partners will bank Dell EMC incentives, as well as VMware incentives, while closing deals on a single purchase order and all the reps will get paid.





"It's the first time that we are going to be able to provide partners the choice that they've been asking for," said a source close to the change. "We're giving the customers what they want: a seamless solution on one PO [purchase order]. Partners get the best of both programs. This is a way to get the best of both worlds. A partner can do the deal with Dell, and still get the VMware benefit stack. Partners would make margin and incentives of [Dell EMC hyper-convergence solutions that include VMware] VxRail, VxRack, and take advantage of the VMware benefit stack. You can offer customers one consolidated solution, one purchase order, but two different incentive stacks."



Dan Serpico, CEO of FusionStorm, a San Francisco-based solution provider that works with Dell EMC and VMware, said the channel conflict for large partners that work combined deals with Dell EMC and VMware boils down to confusion over who gets paid for what.



"The conflict has been, which team do you support in the transaction?" said Serpico. "Do you support the VMware team? The hardware team? That's an obvious conflict that is potentially solved today. There's potential to get the Dell team committed through registration so partners are protected where they wouldn't be otherwise. If you're doing registration through Dell on a VMware solution, then the Dell team can't really go direct anymore. Any of these problems, it's all part and parcel of confusion. Take the confusion out and focus on the solution. This helps clarify some of the noise in the channel and focus on what's right, on what customers need and how do we support it."



A top executive at another large solution provider that works with both Dell EMC and VMware said the new system is a clear sign that VMware is serious about improving and modernizing its channel operation.



"They have really compelling solutions, but the program is less than state-of-the-art and there was real conflict," said the solution provider executive, who did not want to speak on the record. "This is a big step toward solving that. We have had any number of opportunities where we have struggled with whether to do the deal direct with VMware, through disty, or do the deal through the Dell EMC rep to help them retire quota. The problem with the first one is that it doesn't help the Dell EMC rep retire quota. The problem with second one is that we weren't able to pick up [VMware] back-end rebates or goals that were only attributable to us if we did it with VMware."



The clarity comes as VMware takes other steps to level the channel playing field. Last May, the company said it would become "channel neutral" across the board, meaning its sales reps will get the same compensation for working with partners that they get when taking deals direct. In the past, VMware reps made bigger commissions when taking deals direct. The model is intended to encourage VMware reps and partners to work together on opportunities to drive what VMware calls its "transformational technologies," like NSX, VSAN and cloud management software. "We need this, and it's going to be explosive growth in the channel," said one source close to the channel neutrality effort, which goes into effect in early February.



"We're trying to remove friction to scale the business," Sweeney said. "We're responding to customers and to partners saying, 'make it easier to procure VMware through Dell Technologies.' We're trying to make it easier on some of the channel neutrality that we're trying to reinforce across the ecosystem. This is a really good thing for partners, and it's a really good thing for customers. (Dell EMC Channel Chief) John (Byrne) and I are trying to be responsive to partners because there's a ton of upside if we can make it easier to sell together."
Networking News

Verizon Teams Up With Versa Networks To Extend Security, SDN To The Branch

Gina Narcisi

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Telecom giant Verizon is adding SD-WAN startup Versa Networks to its growing software-defined networking roster of partners and catalog of virtualized services.

Verizon announced the new partnership on Tuesday, revealing that Versa's Cloud IP Platform will be added to the Verizon's Virtual Network Services portfolio, specifically within its new SD-Secure Branch (SD-Branch) managed service.

The SD-Secure Branch offering injected with Versa technology is immediately available through Verizon's channel partners, Shawn Hakl, vice president of business networking and security solutions for Verizon, told CRN.

[Related: SD-WAN Progress Report: Here's Who Made Headlines In 2017 Q2]

Basking Ridge, N.J.-based Verizon's SD-Secure Branch offering includes SDN, cloud-based end user management and virtualized security services that partners and end customers can use to protect and simplify branch networking environments.

Versa's technology built into SD-Secure Branch means more tightly integrated application and path intelligence to help users reach the cloud, and centralized control across public and private connectivity options. Businesses will also benefit from simplified networking and security functionality with less equipment needed at the branch, according to Kumar Mehta (pictured), founder and chief development officer of Versa Networks.

The offering will give customers a single interface for configuring and managing security rules and network monitoring across their branch office locations, using only one appliance, Mehta said.

Verizon's SDN portfolio has primarily targeted first adopters -- typically high-end enterprise customers. But the Secure Branch offering in partnership with Versa opens up SDN to a broader audience, Hakl said.

"The offer itself is easy to use and simple to consume, so customers aren't at the mercy of a long installation process," he said. "We really see a lot of advantages for customers and for our partner community."

Verizon partners, who can start earning recurring revenue on the solution immediately, can also build their own services on top of the SD-Branch offering or bundle it into their existing products to create a full solution for their clients, Hakl said.

"For partners looking to move into the SaaS arena, this is another component that can help them secure their [customers] architecture better," he added.

Verizon, in 2016, announced a partnership with SD-WAN startup Viptela that resulted in an SD-WAN platform and managed service for Verizon partners and enterprise customers. In May, Cisco announced its intent to acquire Viptela. Verizon is still selling its Viptela-based SD-WAN offering to end customers and through channel partners.

Versa Networks is no stranger to the telecom space. The provider today is partnering with several service providers to power their SD-WAN services, including CenturyLink and Comcast.
Security News

Palo Alto Networks Sales SVP To Retire, Will Be Replaced By Salesforce EVP

Sarah Kuranda

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Palo Alto Networks Senior Vice President of Americas Sales John Spiliotis is planning to retire from the Santa Clara, Calif.-based security vendor, sources told CRN.

Spiliotis will be replaced by Patrick Blair, the sources said. Blair currently serves as executive vice president for Salesforce.com. Blair is on site at the Palo Alto Networks Sales Kick Off in Las Vegas, Nevada this week, one source said, and his appointment was announced at the event.

Palo Alto Networks confirmed Spiliotis' retirement from the company in an email to CRN.

[Related: Palo Alto Networks Overhauls Sales Strategy, CEO Says Channel Partners Not Affected]

"We can confirm that John Spiliotis is retiring and we thank him for his tremendous service to our company," Dave Peranich, executive vice president, worldwide sales at Palo Alto Networks, said in a statement to CRN. CRN reached out to Spiliotis directly but did not receive a reply.

Palo Alto Networks also confirmed Blair's appointment as senior vice president and general manager of Americas sales.

"With his experience in several sales leadership roles at Salesforce, where he led their largest and fastest growing business unit, Patrick brings to our team a wealth of sales expertise and proven success delivering market-leading results. He will add to the tremendous bench strength of our current sales organization and play a key role in scaling and inspiring our Americas sales organization to reach audacious goals and the next big milestones in our company journey," Peranich said in a statement.

Spiliotis' departure comes just a few months after Palo Alto Networks took an earnings hit from sales execution issues that resulted in a "disappointing" sales performance. CEO Mark McLaughlin said at the time that the problems occurred in all regions, but the impact from Americas sales stumbles was particularly strong as that region accounts for a significant percentage of the company's overall business.

The go-to-market problems stemmed from the company's sales playbook, which McLaughlin said has driven high growth in years past, but no longer sees the same return on investment. The playbook had the company splitting territories vertically and by customer size, as well as investing in sales and marketing. McLaughlin said those changes occurred too quickly, over-complicating the go-to-market strategy and leading to weaker relationships with customers.

Palo Alto Networks has since worked to "recalibrate" its sales go-to-market by reorganizing its account coverage model, retooling its sales and marketing resources and updating its second half revenue expectations. The company said it expected to see the effects in the second half of 2017, and said in its most recent earnings call that the reorganization was "on track."

Spiliotis has been with Palo Alto Networks since April 2013. He joined the telecom vendor from Avaya, where he was vice president. He has also held executive leadership positions with Ericsson, Redback Networks, Extreme Networks and Cisco.

Blair has been at Salesforce.com since 2007, most recently serving as executive vice president, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has also held roles at the company as senior vice president of commercial sales and senior area vice president of sales. Blair has also held sales leadership roles at Covad Communications.

Partners said they had felt the effects of the recent sales reorganization and turnover in the Palo Alto Networks sales ranks in the past few months. One partner executive, who did not want to be identified, said the technology remains competitive, but the company has faltered recently when it comes to sales.

"I absolutely love their platform  They're probably set up well with the market of information security products. But, I can tell you for a while as a partner the sales team was weak and not as collaborative as they could be," the partner executive said.

The partner did not attribute the challenges to Spiliotis, but did say they hoped the recent broader reorganization would ultimately lead to a better sales strategy overall and collaboration with partners.

"I hope this change is positive," the partner executive said of the reorganization. "I hope that they focus more on partners that really focus on helping clients and CISOs gain more of a competitive advantage in competitive environments and enable and protect the business."
What is Stuxnet?

Stuxnet is a powerful computer worm designed by U.S. and Israeli intelligence that to disable a key part of the Iranian nuclear program. Targeted at an air-gapped facility, it unexpectedly spread to outside computer systems, raising a number of questions about its design and purpose.

Stuxnet exploited multiple previously unknown Windows zero days. That description should probably make it clear that Stuxnet was a part of a high-level sabotage operation waged by nation-states against their adversaries.

Who created Stuxnet?

It's now widely accepted that Stuxnet was created by the intelligence agencies of the United States and Israel. Stuxnet was first identified by the infosec community in 2010, but development on it probably began in 2005. The U.S. and Israeli governments intended Stuxnet as a tool to derail, or at least delay, the Iranian program to develop nuclear weapons. The Bush and Obama administrations believed that if Iran were on the verge of developing atomic weapons, Israel would launch airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities in a move that could have set off a regional war. Operation Olympic Games was seen as a nonviolent alternative. Although it wasn't clear that such a cyberattack on physical infrastructure was even possible, there was a dramatic meeting in the White House Situation Room late in the Bush presidency during which pieces of a destroyed test centrifuge were spread out on a conference table. It was at that point that the U.S. gave the go-head to unleash the malware.

The classified program to develop the worm was given the code name "Operation Olympic Games"; it was begun under President George W. Bush and continued under President Obama. While neither government has ever officially acknowledged developing Stuxnet, a 2011 video created to celebrate the retirement of Israeli Defense Forces head Gabi Ashkenazi listed Stuxnet as one of the successes under his watch.

While the individual engineers behind Stuxnet haven't been identified, we know that they were very skilled, and that there were a lot of them. Kaspersky Lab's Roel Schouwenberg estimated that it took a team of ten coders two to three years to create the worm in its final form.

Several other worms with infection capabilities similar to Stuxnet, including those dubbed Duqu and Flame, have been identified in the wild, although their purposes are quite different from Stuxnet's. Their similarity to Stuxnet leads experts to believe that they are products of the same development shop, which is apparently still active.

What did Stuxnet do?

Stuxnet was designed to destroy the centrifuges Iran was using to enrich uranium as part of its nuclear program. Most uranium that occurs in nature is the isotope U-238; however, the fissile material used in a nuclear power plant or weapon needs to be made from the slightly lighter U-235. A centrifuge is used to spin uranium fast enough to separate the different isotopes by weight via to centrifugal force. These centrifuges are extremely delicate, and it's not uncommon for them to become damaged in the course of normal operation.

When Stuxnet infects a computer, it checks to see if that computer is connected to specific models of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) manufactured by Siemens. PLCs are how computers interact with and control industrial machinery like uranium centrifuges. If no PLCs are detected, the worm does nothing; if they are, Stuxnet then alters the PLCs' programming, resulting in the centrifuges being spun irregularly, damaging or destroying them in the process. While this is happening, the PLCs tell the controller computer (incorrectly) that everything is working fine, making it difficult to detect or diagnose what's going wrong until it's too late.

How did Stuxnet work?

Stuxnet attacks all layers of its target infrastructure: Windows, the Siemens software running on windows that controls the PLCs, and the embedded software on the PLCs themselves. It is designed to be delivered via a removable drive like a USB stickthe Natanz facility where the uranium enrichment was taking place was known to be air-gapped, with its systems not connected to the internetbut also to spread quickly and indiscriminately from machine to machine on an internal network.

Stuxnet includes rootkit abilities at both user and kernel mode. To install the kernel-mode rootkit, it uses digitally signed device drivers that use private key certificates stolen from two well-known Taiwanese device manufacturers.

Once in control of the PLCs, Stuxnet varied the rotation speeds of the centrifuges while they were in operation in a way that damaged them and left them inoperable in short order.

What vulnerability did Stuxnet exploit?

In order to infect the Windows PCs in the Natanz facility, Stuxnet exploited no fewer than four zero-day bugsa Windows Shortcut flaw, a bug in the print spooler, and two escalation of privilege vulnerabilitiesalong with a zero-day flaw in the Siemens PLCs and an old hole already used in the Conficker attack. The sheer number of vulnerabilities exploited is unusual, as typically zero-days are quickly patched in the wake of an attack and so a hacker won't want to reveal so many in a single attack.

What language was Stuxnet written in?

While security researchers don't have access to the Stuxnet codebase, they've been able to learn a lot by studying it, and have determined that it was written in multiple languages, including C, C++, and probably several other object-oriented languages. This too is unusual for malware and is a sign of the level of sophistication involved in its creation.

Was Stuxnet successful?

The Stuxnet virus succeeded in its goal of disrupting the Iranian nuclear program; one analyst estimated that it set the program back by at least two years. The first outsiders to notice the effects of the worm were inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who were permitted access to the Natanz facility. Part of the IAEA's job was to inspect damaged centrifuges that were being removed from the facility to make sure they weren't being used to smuggle uranium out to some other plant that wasn't on the international community's radar. As noted above, it's typical for centrifuges to be damaged as part of the uranium enrichment process; at a facility on the scale of Natanz, you could expect about 800 centrifuges a year to be taken out of commission. But in 2010, the IAEA started noticing an unusually high number of damaged centrifuges, with one inspector estimating that almost 2,000 were rendered inoperable. At the time, of course, nobody had any idea that computer malware was causing this.

How was Stuxnet discovered?

Stuxnet was discovered because, unexpectedly, it spread beyond the Natanz facility. As noted, Natanz was air-gapped, and it's not clear how Stuxnet got out. Many in the U.S. believed the spread was the result of code modifications made by the Israelis; then-Vice President Biden was said to be particularly upset about this. It's also possible that it escaped thanks to poor security practices on the part of the Iranians at Natanzit could've been something as simple as someone taking a work laptop home and connecting it to the internet. Thanks to the malware's sophisticated and extremely aggressive nature, it then began to spread to other computers.

Stuxnet soon became known to the security community thanks to a call to tech support. An office in Iran (not part of the nuclear program) was experiencing mysterious reboots and blue screens of death, which were even affecting computers with fresh OS installs. The on-site security expert, unable to figure out the cause, contacted a friend of his, a Belarusian named Sergey Ulasen who was working for the antivirus vendor VirusBlokAda. Ulasen was at a wedding reception, but spent the evening on the phone with his Iranian friend trying to figure out the cause of the problem. Ulasen and his team managed to isolate the malware and realized how many zero-days it was exploiting and what they were up against. They began the process of sharing their discoveries with the wider security community.

Liam O'Murchu, who's the director of the Security Technology and Response group at Symantec and was on the team there that first unraveled Stuxnet, says that Stuxnet was "by far the most complex piece of code that we've looked atin a completely different league from anything wed ever seen before." And while you can find lots of websites that claim to have the Stuxnet code available to download, O'Murchu says you shouldn't believe them: he emphasized to CSO that the original source code for the worm, as written by coders working for U.S. and Israeli intelligence, hasn't been released or leaked and can't be extracted from the binaries that are loose in the wild. (The code for one driver, a very small part of the overall package, has been reconstructed via reverse engineering, but that's not the same as having the original code.)

However, he explained that a lot about code could be understood from examining the binary in action and reverse-engineering it. For instance, he says, "it was pretty obvious from the first time we analyzed this app that it was looking for some Siemens equipment." Eventually, after three to six months of reverse engineering, "we were able to determine, I would say, 99 percent of everything that happens in the code," O'Murchu said.

And it was a thorough analysis of the code that eventually revealed the purpose of the malware. "We could see in the code that it was looking for eight or ten arrays of 168 frequency converters each," says O'Murchu. "You can read the International Atomic Energy Associations documentation online about how to inspect a uranium enrichment facility, and in that documentation they specify exactly what you would see in the uranium facilityhow many frequency converters there will be, how many centrifuges there would be. They would be arranged in eight arrays and that there would be 168 centrifuges in each array. Thats exactly what we were seeing in the code."

"It was very exciting that wed made this breakthrough," he added. "But then we realized what we had got ourselves intoprobably an international espionage operationand that was quite scary." Symantec released this information in September of 2010; analysts who had gotten wind of the IAEA's observation of damaged Iranian centrifuges began to understand what was happening.

Is Stuxnet still out there?

Stuxnet hasn't vanished, but it is not a major cybersecurity threat today. In fact, while Stuxnet grabbed a lot of headlines due to its dramatic capabilities and cloak-and-dagger origins, it was never much of a threat to anybody other than the Natanz facility that was its original target. If your computer is infected with Stuxnet and you aren't connected to a centrifuge used for uranium enrichment, the worst case scenario is that you might see reboots and blue screens of death, like the Iranian office that brought the malware to the world's attention, but other than that little or no harm will come to you.

How to prevent Stuxnet

That said, you probably don't want your systems infected by powerful malware developed by U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies. Fortunately, the zero-day vulnerabilities Stuxnet originally exploited have long been patched. As long as you're practicing the basics of good cyber hygiene, keeping your OS and security software up to date, you don't have much to worry about. Remember, Stuxnet affects PLCs, so you'll want to keep any operational technology as secure as possible as well.

Why is Stuxnet significant to cybersecurity?

If there's any threat coming from Stuxnet, it's one that emanates from its descendants. As we noted above, there are other malware families that seem to have functionality derived from Stuxnet; these may be from the same intelligence agency shop, or they might represent freelance hackers who have managed to reverse-engineer some of Stuxnet's power. Security researchers are still building off of Stuxnet to discover new attack techniques.

But beyond specific technologies, Stuxnet is significant because it represented the first widely recognized intrusion of computer code into the world of international conflict, an idea that previously had been in the realm of cyberpunk sci-fi. In the decade since, particularly in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, cyberattacks have become accepted as part of the arsenal of war.
After the collision of the USS John S McCain and a Liberian-flagged tanker near Singapore on Monday, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson ordered an operation pause while the U.S. Navy investigates the cause, including any possible cyber attack angle.

Richardson announced an operation pause to be taken in all of our fleets around the world. He tweeted that the investigation would include considering the possibility of cyber intrusion or sabotage even though there were no indications of that being true right now.

2 clarify Re: possibility of cyber intrusion or sabotage, no indications right now...but review will consider all possibilities  Adm. John Richardson (@CNORichardson) August 21, 2017

However, an unnamed U.S. Navy official told CNN that the warship experienced a steering failure as it approached the Strait of Malacca and that caused it to collide with the commercial oil tanker. The official said it was unclear why the crew couldnt use the ships backup steering system to maintain control.

CNN added that another unnamed Navy official said there were indications the destroyer experienced a loss of steering right before the collision, but steering had been regained afterward.

Officials on record such as Admiral Swift have gone out of their way to say there is no sign of cyber attack. Swift, according to The New York Times, said there were no signs of failure in the ships steering system or of a cyber attack.

Retired Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told CNN that the Navys review would look at leadership, training, shipboard watching and even consider the degree to which the budget uncertainty of the last few years has likewise affected any of those factors. Yet Swift swatted down theories that the McCain crew had been overworked or underprepared.

The possibility of a cyber angle being the cause for multiple collisions is picking up steam. Former Navy information warfare specialist Jeff Stutzman told McClatchy, When you are going through the Strait of Malacca, you cant tell me that a Navy destroyer doesnt have a full navigation team going with full lookouts on every wing and extra people on radar. He added, Theres something more than just human error going on.

Todd E. Humphreys, a professor at the University of Texas and expert on GPS, said: Statistically, it looks very suspicious, doesnt it?

Vulnerability in GPS makes ship hijacking possible

Humphreys name may be familiar because he has long warned that a critical vulnerability in GPS could be exploited to hijack ships and UAVs. Back in 2013, his team used a $3,000 GPS spoofer, a small antenna and a laptop to steer a $80 million private yacht off course. The captain of the vessel told Fox News that he and his team on the bridge were gobsmacked and unaware the ship was being steered off course.

At the time, Humphreys said, I didnt know until we performed this experiment just how possible it is to spoof a marine vessel and how difficult it is to detect this attack. The ship actually turned, and we could all feel it, but the chart display and the crew saw only a straight line.

According to McClatchy, on June 22, Someone manipulated GPS signals in the eastern part of the Black Sea, leaving some 20 ships with little situational awareness. Shipboard navigation equipment, which appeared to be working properly, reported the location of the vessels 20 miles inland, near an airport.

Humphreys added, We saw it done in, I would say, a really unsubtle way, a really ham-fisted way. It was probably a signal that came from the Russian mainland.

The Navy, Humphreys said, does not use commercial GPS, and there is no indication that faulty satellite communications were a culprit in the USS McCain accident.

Some ships rely on Automatic Identification System (AIS) to avoid collisions, but AIS is also vulnerable.

China would have us believe the collisions are a result of the U.S. being inept. The state-run China Daily newspaper suggested the U.S. Navy was becoming a hazard in Asian waters. The bashing continued, saying, It may be hard for people to understand why U.S. warships are unable to avoid other vessels, since they are equipped with the worlds most sophisticated radar and electronic tracking systems, and aided by crew members on constant watch. Read the whole thing if you feel like getting ticked.

Itay Glick, who formerly worked as for an Israeli intelligence agency in a cyberwarfare unit, told Fox News he believes the USS McCain collision may have be the result of a hack.

I dont believe in coincidence. Both USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald were part of the 7th Fleet; there is a relationship between these two events, and there may be a connection, he said.

That, of course, doesnt mean the connection is hacking. This is the fourth accident involving U.S. Navy ships in the Pacific this year.
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New York police have identified the woman killed in an early Sunday morning crash on the Hutchinson River Parkway as a 56-year-old Beacon Falls resident.

Police say Damita Mathis, of Beacon Falls, was driving the wrong way when her 2014 Kia Sorento slammed into another vehicle in Scarsdale, N.Y. at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. Police say she was traveling southbound in the northbound lane.
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BRIDGEPORT  It has been nearly two years since the citys police union helped usher in the second Joe Ganim era, with the law enforcers endorsing the formerly imprisoned ex-mayor during his successful 2015 comeback campaign.

And for just over a year, Bridgeports Finest have been securing the city under Ganim without a contract.

That appears unlikely to change soon.

Police union head Sgt. Chuck Paris said Tuesday negotiations are at a standstill and are heading for arbitration before a state board. The city and union will each be represented and there will be a neutral third member weighing the sides last, best offers.

We met with the city and we just havent agreed on any contract, Paris said. Theyre looking for certain things were not willing to give. Were in a holding pattern right now.

Asked for more specifics about where the parties are at odds, Paris said, Its everything.

Larry Dorman, a spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in Connecticut, which includes the Bridgeport police, said arbitration is a time-consuming process.

Dorman called Bridgeports officers a group of dedicated public servants who care about the city and protecting neighborhoods, residents and businesses and hoped for an outcome that honors and respects the work they do.

A once-close relationship

It took the police and former Mayor Bill Finch  whom Ganim ousted in the 2015 Democratic primary with the help of Paris and other allies in blue  three years to finally reach their last new labor pact. That contract, voted on in March 2015, was retroactive until 2012 and expired in July of last year.

So, the fact the Ganim administration and the union are at an impasse after 14 months is not necessarily unusual.

It is, however, understandable some might have expected a quicker resolution, given the mayors alliance with the police. They helped his credibility when Ganim, convicted in 2003 of corruption, asked voters for a second chance.

He initially returned the favor in a number of ways. Ganim installed a new acting chief  well-liked Armando Perez. The mayor terminated disliked overtime watchdog Assistant Police Chief James Nardozzi (who has since filed a lawsuit).

Ganim hired three new classes of officers; and allowed Paris greater access to the mayors office.

Obviously, we put a lot of time and effort into helping the mayor get elected, Paris said Tuesday. We expected to have an open door to him and were hoping the negotiations would go smoothly. That has not been the case.

Ganims communications director, Rowena White, said, It is the practice of this administration not to openly discuss union contract negotiations with the press or in the media.

Looking for savings

City Councilman Scott Burns, a Budget Committee chairman, said Ganim does have a reputation as a tough negotiator.

I hope the fact that the police and city do not have a contract yet says something about the city wanting to get a pretty fair deal and not just give in to the police and whatever they want, Burns said.

Ganim and the City Council agreed in 2016 to a new municipal budget that was balanced with $4 million worth of labor concessions, and the administration promised it would not play favorites, particularly with the cops.

We need to get the savings and we are looking for those from every union, Av Harris, a Ganim aide, said at the time.

When the 2016-17 fiscal year concluded on July 1, less than half of that $4 million in savings had been achieved, with the police one of the unions that had not made concessions.

While the city is now operating under a new budget, Burns said the police should not be off the hook.

These are tough times for the city, and its not like things are getting a lot easier, Burns said, noting Bridgeport stands to lose significant state aid because of Connecticuts fiscal woes. We need concessions from everybody.

While Paris did not offer specific contract issues over which the police and City Hall are at odds, one likely bet is overtime. Though he fired Nardozzi  whom Finch had hired to crack down on rising overtime budgets  Ganim and the council have been pressuring Perez to rein in the costs.

Ganim did not stand in the way when the council passed a new budget that, over Perezs protests, cut the mayors proposed police overtime budget from $6.2 million to $5.2 million.

Although the police union would have to accept the ultimate order of the state arbitration board, it would still need to be voted on by the City Council.
News / International

by Kingstone Jambawo

Those who participated;

Support Teams

U.K. Zimbabweans walked 105km from Brighton to London to raise money for charity. The protest walk - #WalkforFreedom - was organised by Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO) to raise awareness of the human rights crisis in Zimbabwe.After months of preparations, the 26 Zimbabweans who took up this physical challenge met up at Brighton Pier at 06:00am on Friday (18th of August).It started to rain heavily after an hour into the walk as the protest walkers pounded the streets of Brighton. Not deterred, the determined protesters continued, with conviction, in their long walk for freedom.This extreme challenge required dedication, commitment, and desire to highlight the human rights situation back home. ZHRO has been instrumental in providing a platform for Zimbabwean Activists to challenge the Zimbabwean authorities on human rights abuses and for a right to vote.Whilst the Zimbabwean Government cracks down on the opposition and activists, the diaspora is able to freely protest against the injustices in Zimbabwe and campaign for human rights from their host nation.105km walk was a real challenge but the trek cut through some of the most exciting countryside. The protesters encouraged and reminded each other that the purpose of enduring such pain is to represent the struggle in Zimbabwe.On approaching the Devils Dyke, a -DRONE video - organised by John Burke was taken. The drone and stills operator, James Coutts, Operations Manager of Airborne Visual Solutions Limited was so inspired by the impromptu singing at Devils Dyke that he joined us at the bottom of the South Downs to do more filming.The seemingly disoriented walkers arrived in a single file at Christ Hospital [Downs Link], 40km mark stage at 16:00hrs. We had Sadza and other high carbohydrates energy sustenance that was delivered by Sarah Bayisai, Edward Murota, Mabel Russel and Chipo Parirenyatwa. A few had to pull out at this stage due to injury or exhaustion. They were ferried to a base organised by Chipo in Horley [near Gatwick].The route finder and trek leader Rashiwe Bayisai finished first along with Salome Nkiwane and Patience Musasiwa. The three girls were presented with special cups with their names engraved on them.Speaking after the presentation Salome Nkiwane said "This walk was like a journey to freedom. After reaching the finishing line having walked 105 km I felt that with determination we are going to get our country back. We walked through rocky roads, hills, streams, and rivers which was a stumble block to reaching our destination but we got there: similarly Zimbabwe going through untold suffering; oppression, violation of human rights, living beyond poverty level , high unemployment rate and its so.painful that we have no freedom of speech""This terrorist regime of dictatorship has increased nomadism and migration of the poor Zimbabweans: Health and infrastructure is dead! Zanu Pf officials have racked our health and now they resort to medical treatment abroad. How about the the marjority of the people? I am sick of this; we want our country back. Zimbabweans work up and get rid of this tyrant. Together we stand, divided we fall . Let's our journey frendom with bravery, determination and strength" she said.Quoting Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Patience Musasiwa said"[If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor]""My 105km walk is a plea for freedom in our beloved country, Zimbabwe. I yearn for freedom to express our views as a nation, freedom to speak and act, freedom from corrupt leaders" she continued."We need emancipation from unjust political, social and legal restrictions. Liberate Zimbabweans who are suffering both home and away. Home is not rosy, Diaspora is thornier. We are humans and need to belong and to me the heart lies home- Zimbabwe. Our people deserve better and more, lets claim our freedom. It is a long awaited right, I claim freedom with my 105km looooooong walk" said Patience."Even when I sprained my ankle, I soldiered on with the knowledge that the pain I felt was nowhere near what activist like silvanos, Itai and Linda have endured at the hands of the Mugabe regime and as a citizen of Zimbabwe I say, enough is enough" said Tsungirirai Kahiya."Walking for freedom with such dedicated and passionate people was electrifying. It is encouraging to see that many Zimbabweans want to see a better, however, this walk would be classified as treason back home" wrote Kingstone Jambawo.Full support and great hospitality was provided by activists Sarah Bayisai, Edward Murota, Mabel Russel and Chipo Parirenyatwa all the way to the finish line where medals were presented to the walkers by Rev Canon Lameck Mutete. Rev Mutete aslo took part in the first and last stages of the walk. He was accompanied by Robert Chilowa, the hero who saved children from a fire in Withington, Manchester.The walk ended with a welcome and triumph speech from Alfredy Mukuvare followed by the presentation of medals to all who participated.105 km - Rashiwe Bayisayi70 km -John BurkeEbson ChigwedereHillary ChikombaKingstone JambawoBarbra KachidzaSibongile KadzimaTsungirirai KahiyaMable KayiyaPhillip Mahlahla [in detention but registered to take part]Melody MagejoNancy MakuriraDarlington MlamboRoseline MukuchaAlfredy Mukuvare105 km Patience MusasiwaRev Canon Lameck Mutete [Trustee of ZHRO]Maruwiza Nkhambala105 km Salom NkiwaneMasline Xavier Anesu Mutatapasi [only for last 4 miles]Lee MutoroPride Nyandoro [only for last 4 miles]- Cars, Deliveries of food, ferrying the injured!Edward MurotaSarah BayisayiMabel RussellChipo ParirenyatwaHope that these creative forms of protests will act as a communicative vessel to their repressive government. They want to see a "STOP IT" to the abductions, torture and government induced poverty.
The Connecticut Food Bank received enough pet food to provide over 180,000 meals to pets in need as a part of a donation program by PetSmart.

On Monday, the food bank in Wallingford received its donation of nearly 40,000 pounds of pet food, which will provide more than 187,000 meals for pets in need, the release said.

The donation was a part of a coast-to-coast donation program by PetSmart, where donations would be made in more than 70 cities in 31 states and three Canadian provinces, a press release said.

The Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program by PetSmart runs through Dec. 31 in stores and online, the release said.

Shoppers can buy any bag of dog or cat food, any size, any brand, and well donate a meal to a pet in need, said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart.

The program will donate meals to pets in shelters and rescue organizations across the country, the release said. Food will also be distributed to food banks, pantries and meal programs where pet food is often a rare occurrence.

PetSmart is working with PetSmart Charities, GreaterGood.orgs Rescue Bank program and Feeding America, the release said. The three are non-profit organizations.

In total, the program is expected to deliver 60 millions meals through the donation program, the release said.

As a point of reference, using a standard six-inch pet food bowl, 60 million meals lined up beside each other would span from New York City to Los Angeles and back again - covering more than 5,500 miles, the release said.
FAIRFIELDThe man who died in a crash on the Merritt after a police pursuit has been identified.

Jervon Winston, 22, of Brooklyn, New York, died at the scene of the crash on Monday Aug. 14.
When we hear naptime, most of us think of small children who are lucky enough to have sleep scheduled into their day. At some point, these naps stop being scheduled, and it becomes taboo to get rest throughout the day.

Unfortunately, this stigma attached to catching some much-needed zzzs throughout the day is hurting employees productivity, motivation and their ability to perform everyday tasks. In fact, according to The Cost of Working Tired, a report by Accountemps, 77 percent of men and 71 percent of women admit to often working while tired.

Jason Cummins, owner of All Hours Air, a 24-hour heating and air conditioning company headquartered in Sparks, Nev., witnessed first-hand what extreme tiredness can do to employees.

I had an engineer once who always came in late to work because he had insomnia. I knew it was affecting his work because he got simple instructions wrong and didn't produce much in the office, Cummins told me via email.

Cummins jumped at the opportunity to help by changing his employees schedule to a time when he was feeling more productive and awake. Even the best employees can fall victim to becoming overly tired and worn out. Heres how leaders can encourage them to have a snooze and increase productivity:

Have a nap room.

A lack of sleep can make people do some funny -- oand not so funny -- things. The Accutemps report found 52 percent of employees feel distracted and unable to focus when tired at work, which causes employees to make mistakes they wouldnt normally make.

Michael Steinitz, executive director for Accountemps, a temporary accounting and finance hiring resource headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., witnessed what sleep deprivation can do when his company surveyed professionals.

One person admitted to deleting a project that took 1,000 hours to put together and another missed a decimal point on an estimated payment, causing the client to overpay by $1 million, Steinitz shared with me in an email.

To help prevent employees from making these errors, Steinitz suggests encouraging employees to take breaks -- and dont forget to lead by example.

Some professionals and management may choose to forgo breaks to get their work done. But remind staff that a tired employee isn't an effective or productive one. Everyone needs an occasional break to recharge, he said.

Make rest and relaxation part of the companys corporate culture by adding napping areas or rooms. Explain to your team that to stay productive it's crucial they take breaks and close their eyes, even if only for a few minutes. Encourage team members to bring in their own blankets and pillows to make them even more comfortable when cozying up for a midday snooze.

Related: Why Leaders Should Welcome Employees Napping on the Job

Educate employees.

A companys employees are its greatest strength -- especially their health and happiness, Michael Susi, the global wellness manager at LinkedIn from San Francisco told me via email.

Thats why Susi and LinkedIn have committed to making sleep their wellness focus for 2017. To kick it all off, the company held its first annual sleep fair in New York.

The goal of the event was to educate employees on the importance of sleep and share advice on how to get a good nights rest, Susi explained.

LinkedIns program included a sleep ambassador teaching employees the best techniques for making a bed in order to get the most comfortable sleep.

While some employers dont have the resources to hold large events, there are other effective ways to keep employees informed about healthy sleep habits. For example, Optimity, a corporate wellness company, equips their team with a fully loaded library of content on better sleep.

We focus on building small habits that improve the quality and consistency of your sleep patterns. The most popular ones are educational about good sleep hygiene and action focused about habit-hacking your way into more consistent practices that synchronizes your circadian rhythm to maximize your sleep cycles, Jane Wang, CEO of Optimity located in San Francisco, told me via email.

Whether holding a large event or giving employees educational tips throughout the year, its important to remain proactive in their efforts to find healthy sleep patterns. For LinkedIns sleep fair attendees, this motivation came in the form of analog clocks to encourage disconnection from their digital devices at night and maximize their rest.

Also, try inspiring team members to take care of themselves by bringing in sleep experts, offering fun cooking classes with recipes that enhance sleep or host a team bonding where employees create their own aroma therapies.

Related: Will You Actually Be More Productive If You Take a Nap Every Day?

Be observant.

When employees are making mistakes -- especially costly ones -- it can be difficult to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. But thats exactly what Mike Seidle, co-founder of WorkHere, a job search app located in Indianapolis, did when one team member was making multiple mistakes.

After sitting down with the employee, we discovered he was having problems with medication and got him to see his doctor to get it fixed, Seidle said to me in an email. About the worse thing you can do with tired employees is assume it's just not getting enough sleep. It's amazing the answers you get when you say, You've looked really tired the last few days, is everything OK?"

Take on the responsibility of employees health and sleep issues. Start by asking how theyre doing if they seem off or are making more mistakes than usual. Let them know theyre supported and not being judged or reprimanded.

Once an employee opens up, give them time to catch up on their sleep or see a doctor. Offer flexible working hours, the opportunity to work remotely or the option to catch up on work over the weekend.

Related: Here's Your 'Doctor's Note': It's Time To Nap

Be flexible with new parents.

Naptime is important for newborns, and its necessary for moms and dads as well. Just because parental leave has ended, doesnt mean the struggles of being a new parent have.

Joanna Douglas, owner of Clean Affinity Cleaning Service, a cleaning service agency located in Portland, Ore., recognized this when a new mom returned to work.

I had an employee once who came into work after maternity leave and found it hard to work because her baby kept her up all night, Douglas told me via email. I gave her a schedule that allowed her to get eight hours of work, and also go home, rest and take care of her baby at the end of the day.

When a team member returns from parental leave, take them aside to show that leaders understand their current situation and are willing to help them get back to work. Allow them to take more control of their own schedules. This could range from letting them go home during the day to nap, to taking breaks throughout the day to get some shuteye.

Related:

Fighting Sleep Is a Losing Management Strategy. Let Your Employees Take Naps.

15 Scientifically Proven Ways to Work Smarter, Not Just More

10 Simple Daily Practices That Will Make You Happier



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


WESTPORT  Two New York men suspected of working together to rob banks across the state and in Rhode Island were arrested in Westport early this week, following similar charges in nearby towns.

Alpha Jalloh, of New England Thruway in Bronx, N.Y., allegedly committed the spree of similar bank robberies working with an alleged accomplice, Loang Manpign, of Bronx, N.Y. Both men were picked up in New York late last month and extradited to Connecticut, police said. Jalloh, 24, was arrested by Darien Police last week, while Manpign, 24, is already facing Waterbury charges.

On July 2, Jalloh allegedly passed a note to a bank employee saying a robbery was underway and that he had a gun just before 1 p.m. at TD Bank, 1111 Post Road East in Westport. Manpign allegedly drove Jalloh to and from the bank, knowing he would commit a robbery.

Westport Police connected the robbery with a similar crime in Darien  the June 12 robbery of a Chase Bank in the town  and detectives from both departments worked to connect the crimes, according to police.

Jalloh has also been linked to bank robberies in Waterbury and Pawtucket, R.I. Detectives believe Manpign knowingly collaborated as Jallohs driver for the string of crimes, Westport Police said.

Darien Police identified Jalloh as the suspect and, on July 27, the New York Police Departments Fugitive Task Force stopped Jallohs car and arrested him based on Darien and Waterbury warrants for his arrest. Westport Police said Jalloh and his car passenger at the time, Manpign, were interviewed by detectives. They said Jalloh admitted to the Westport robbery while Manpign admitted to driving him to and from town for him to commit the crime.

On Aug. 14 Darien Police charged Jalloh with second-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and third-degree burglary with the inference of a firearm. He remains under investigation for a second robbery in the town  a July 11 robbery at a Chase Bank on Noroton Avenue in Darien.

Westport officers arrested Jalloh at Norwalk Superior Court Aug. 21, charging him with second-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery and third-degree larceny. Manpign was arrested by a Westport detective the following day, Aug. 22, at Norwalk Superior Court. He was charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit third-degree larceny.

Both men were initially held on $100,000 cash bonds, but each was set to be arraigned on the day of their arrests.

LWeiss@hearstmediact.com; @LauraEWeiss16
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Former ZBC presenter Eric Knight has warned first lady Grace Mugabe that it is not over after she was freed by the South African authorities on charges of assaulting a model in that country.Grace reportedly assaulted a model when she found her in the company of her two sons in a hotel in that country."Igwe must see this. This is the best letter the Igwe family has ever received. The letter that let Madam Igwe off hook after a trying and tumultuous week. Is the case closed? Well, from the South African Government's side yes it is. But there is some private prosecution to be instituted I m told," Knight said."The bad thing is the victim is now being privately represented and they have rejected monetary compensation and are prepared to pursue the case for as long as it takes. Even in the event Igwe is gone they want Madam Igwe! Time will tell. Another worrisome thing, Igwe's boys may become targets from other disgruntled sectors of the South African society. Perhaps again they move to another country!"He said by the way, she is back in Zimbabwe.
STORY LINK Historic UK Borrowing Surplus Pushes Up GBP NZD Exchange Rate

GBP NZD Exchange Rate Rises despite Mixed Reception to UK Borrowing Stats

Growth in receipts will slow sharply at the end of this fiscal year, because the bumper batch of seasonally adjusted receipts collected in January and February 2017, due to prior tax changes, will not be repeated.



The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) also likely will revise down its very optimistic forecasts for wage growth in the Autumn Budget, boosting the borrowing forecast in future years. As such, we continue to doubt that the Chancellor will pare back the fiscal consolidation planned for the coming years.

[This is] a welcome summer break for the Chancellorspecifically, there was a marginal repayment of 184m on public sector net borrowing excluding public sector banks in July. This compared to a shortfall of 308m in July 2016.



Junes shortfall was also revised down to 6.2bn from a previously reported 6.9bn. Even so, Junes shortfall was up markedly from 4.8bn a year earlier - partly due to a major payment to the EU budget as well as higher debt interest payments.



Completing a hat-trick of good news, the 2016/17 budget shortfall was trimmed again to 45.1bn from 46.2bn.

New Zealand Dollar Declines on Stronger US Dollar, Trader Concerns

GBP NZD Future Forecast: Volatility ahead on NZ Trade Data and UK GDP

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The Pounds minor advance against the New Zealand Dollar comes despite heavy scepticism about the UK borrowing surplus.The Pound has made a minor advance against the New Zealand Dollar today, following the news that the UK borrowing deficit has moved into a surplus range in July.This is the first surplus recorded since 2002, but the reception has been more muted than might be expected.Crucially, traders are focusing on the surplus largely being the result of higher tax revenues, caused by a changes in tax laws. Highlighting the future issues associated with UK tax revenues and borrowing has been Samuel Tombs of Pantheon Macroeconomics.Tombs has warned that this recent surge in tax receipts could be a temporary source of support for the UK;This suggests that the UK could return to an extended period of borrowing deficits in the future, which may prove a drag on the GBP NZD exchange rate.On the other side of the equation, EY Item Club economist Howard Archer has argued that this makes Chancellor Philip Hammonds job easier;Todays New Zealand Dollar to Pound dip has been relatively minor and comes on a quiet data day.The last direct data to speak of was mixed, with Mondays credit card spending rising on the month in July but falling annually. Overall, this was the fifth straight month of higher spending, which implies a moderate level of confidence among citizens.The stronger negative influence may instead be trader uncertainty about an upcoming trade balance figure. Covering July, this could show that national trading has fallen into a deficit range for the first time in five months.As well as possible domestic disappointment weakening the New Zealand Dollar today, the currency has also been devalued by a stronger US Dollar.With the US Dollar rallying strongly today, the more risk-associated New Zealand Dollar has been in lower demand by extension.The next major pairing data will come from New Zealand, ahead of later UK GDP stats on Thursday.Wednesdays late-night NZ news will cover Julys reported trade balance. On the month, the previous surplus of 242m is predicted to fall into a deficit at -200m. Such a result would break four consecutive months of surplus figures and could devalue the New Zealand Dollar.A deficit figure indicates that the country is importing more than it is exporting. In New Zealands case, this would imply an unbalancing of key trade relationships with countries such as China.Pound traders are primed for the weeks last collection of UK data, out on Thursday. Out at the same time will be figures for Q2 business investment, as well as GDP growth in the same month.Business investment is tipped to slow on both the quarter and the year, while the Pound could also be damaged if annual GDP growth slows.While quarterly GDP is predicted to rise from 0.2% to 0.3%, an annual slowdown from 2% to 1.7% might prove to be the more overriding factor.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

TAGS: Pound New Zealand Dollar Forecasts
To Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, Gazans are pawns in a shameful quest for political domination. As the occupying power, Israel bears responsibility under international law to facilitate normal life for the people of Gaza. Hamas exercises internal control and is responsible for protecting our rights. The Palestinian Authority oversees millions in donor funds and should also protect our rights, including paying for vital services.

Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

.

..Honest Reporting..21 August '17..There is no dispute over the hardships that Gazans are enduring as a result of chronic electricity outages. It is difficult not to feel sympathy withopinion piece writer Abier Almasri as she describes life in Gaza with only limited electricity.However, Almasri states:As Almasri well knows, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and is not occupying it. Moreover, Almasri fails to mention anywhere in her article the major reason for the lack of normal life in Gaza: Hamas terror.
Great Allegheny Passage improvements coming

The bids were opened Nov. 1 and Adam Eidemiller's was the lower of two bids received. The project will take two weeks starting within the next week.
Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions, has called for online hate crime to be treated the same as real-world abuse

An article in yesterdays Guardian called for a surge in prosecutions against anyone suspected of committing hate crime on social media.

The author wants to see online abuse taken as seriously as assault or daubing vile graffiti on peoples houses.

Hate is hate, she tells us. And, reaching for another cliche, victims should not be left to suffer in silence.

She makes no distinction between proven hate crimes  that is, those that result in an actual conviction  and complaints about hate crimes, which may be justified, but are just as likely to be paranoid, malicious or frivolous.

You may shrug and say: what do you expect from The Guardian? But heres the scary bit. The author is Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the most senior public prosecutor in England and Wales.

If she wants a wave of prosecutions against people accused of writing abusive comments on social media, shes likely to get her way.

The results would be disastrous. If we send police officers after online trolls, and paralyse the criminal justice system while their cases are processed, who really benefits?

The answer is simple: genuinely dangerous criminals, who can put their feet up while the police spend hours interviewing alleged online offenders and the people whove been moved to complain by a rude tweet or Facebook comment.

I dont mean to make light of the sadistic behaviour of those who torment innocent members of the public, politicians or celebrities. Such behaviour is inexcusable.

No one should have to suffer the poisonous anti-Semitic abuse that the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, Luciana Berger, endured last year. Her persecutor, Joshua Bonehill-Paine, was quite rightly jailed for two years.

And this years General Election campaign was disfigured by racist, sexist, religious and homophobic abuse and intimidation, including death threats. Some of the abuse was aimed at Labour MPs by rival factions on the hard Left.

We already devote appropriate resources to tracking down trolls, such as Joshua Bonehill-Paine who was jailed for two years for sending vile abuse to Labour MP Luciana Berger

But the perpetrators account for only a tiny minority of social media traffic, and surely the point is that we already devote appropriate resources to tracking them down.

Ms Saunders cites the case of Rhodri Philipps, the 4th Viscount St Davids, who was jailed for 12 weeks last month for writing on Facebook that he would pay 5,000 to anyone who ran over Gina Miller, the anti-Brexit campaigner.

Philipps is a chortling, snooty racist. He wasnt planning an assassination, but he deserved to be prosecuted. And he has been. But Ms Saunders is planning sweeping changes that encompass alleged offences far less clear-cut than Philippss sinister joke.

I emphasise the word alleged because the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) already defines hate crime as any offence which is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice.

This created a ludicrous situation last year when the Home Secretary Amber Rudds speech to the Tory party conference was investigated as a hate crime after an Oxford academic  who wasnt even there  complained about what he felt was its anti-immigrant message three months later. (West Midlands police found no evidence of a hate crime but recorded it as a non-crime hate incident.)

Britain's public sector is bursting at the seams with professional offence-takers who cant pop out for a pint of milk without being outraged at something

Ms Saunders cannot see how crazy this is  she embraces the Alice-in-Wonderland political correctness in which perceiving something as an offence is enough to make it one. Alas, that should hardly surprise us. Ms Saunders, 56, is far more right-on than her predecessor as DPP, Sir Keir Starmer  and he now sits on Jeremy Corbyns front bench.

This is a woman who rarely misses an opportunity to polish her liberal halo, air her PC credentials, and generate self-regarding headlines in sympathetic publications.

She blew her top earlier this year when a Crown Court judge, Philip Shorrock, accused the CPS of bringing too many prosecutions for rape that involved men and women who had been drunk or under the influence of drugs when the supposed attack took place.

Since no one could corroborate the claims, juries usually dismissed the allegations. Judge Shorrock asked why the CPS was so eager to bring charges in such cases. Ms Saunders accused him of victim-blaming that gave a free rein to sexual predators.

Shes on a mission when it comes to these sexual predators. In 2015, she prompted outrage and derision when she insisted that any woman who woke up in a mans bed with no memory of the night before should consider the possibility shed been raped.

Ms Saunders also championed Britains first Female Genital Mutilation prosecution  against a male London hospital doctor, Dhanuson Dharmasena. She announced after he was charged that she wanted to bring more such cases. It took a jury 25 minutes to acquit Dr Dharmasena.

Ms Saunders fails to see the distinction between online hate and hate of the kind displayed by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, two weeks ago

Hyperbole is one of Ms Saunderss trademarks; her latest article for The Guardian reeks of overblown indignation.

She tells us that online abuse is a frontline crime comparable to the scenes last week in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacists clashed with anti-racism protesters  and even to the Islamist atrocity in Barcelona.

Yet she shrinks from defining this abuse, because, of course, only the victim can do that.

This is the foundation for her grandiose plans to expand the prosecution of social media hate crime. Ms Saunders fails to see  or care  that any large-scale diversion of police and court resources can only benefit the perpetrators of real crimes, such as Islamist terrorists, cyber-criminals, child abusers and street thugs.

Nor does she grasp a point obvious to anyone with experience of dealing with internet trolls, as I did when I edited blogs for a national newspaper. Most people who spew hatred online are pathetic.

Although they are usually too gutless to use their real names, they crave the attention of their imagined enemies. And theyll be thrilled by the thought that they have panicked the Director of Public Prosecutions into acting to change the law.

That said, the more devious among them will have no difficulty escaping detection one way or another.

The dimwits will be caught  but deciding whether theyve broken the law will involve a colossal effort by law enforcement authorities.

Meanwhile, Ms Saunderss questionable definition of what constitutes a hate crime will encourage everyone to think of themselves as victims.

Its beautifully tailored for Leftie lawyers who make a fortune by nurturing their clients grievances, and who, according to new CPS policy documents, will have a smorgasboard of hate crimes to choose from. These include biphobic hate crime, aimed at bisexual people who apparently have different needs and experiences compared with those suffering anti-gay and transphobic offences.

Britains public sector is bursting at the seams with professional offence-takers who cant pop out for a pint of milk without being outraged at something. They share Ms Saunderss view that left unchallenged, even low-level offending can fuel hostility.

Under normal circumstances, a Tory government would tell the DPP that shes overstepped the mark. Yet it seems no minister is willing to take her on.

Im tempted to call for the sacking of this sanctimonious woman. But I wont because hate crimes are defined by the victims, Ms Saunders has a notoriously thin skin, and I dont want the coppers knocking at the door.
Emyr Williams on This Morning in 2014

Many university lecturers make little effort, simply reading from notes in a monotone voice and occasionally looking up to check that everyones still asleep.

Others prefer to make things more dramatic by suddenly raising their voices, or bringing a pet dog along, or gesticulating wildly, or suddenly leaping onto a desk.

During my brief time at university, I used to long for this sort of professorial song-and-dance routine. After all, there is little point in a lecturer simply reading aloud. The majority of students are perfectly capable of reading for themselves, and books have the advantage over lectures in that they can be re-read, and/or skipped.

So I was sorry to hear that a senior lecturer in psychology at Glyndwr University in North Wales has been taken to an employment tribunal for trying to liven things up, albeit in a way that may not have appealed to all his pupils.

Mr Emyr Williams, who has been described as an expert on vampires, is facing allegations of encouraging blood-tasting after one of his classes.

The story remains confused, but it seems that a student cut herself, and then her blood was wiped up and tasted.

At the moment, we have no means of knowing whether or not it was passed around as a novel alternative to the usual choice of tea or coffee. But, if so, it would certainly have made for a memorable lecture.

Mr Williams is said to have cultivated a national reputation for his expertise in vampirism, having once co-authored a study on the history and portrayal of vampires. This was published in The Journal of Dracula Studies.

It is also said that Mr Williams once appeared on ITVs This Morning, alongside a couple of wannabe vampires from South Wales called Pyretta Blaze and Andy Filth. This couple claimed to enjoy drinking each others blood.

No doubt it was a slow day for breaking news.

In the old days, academic reputations were cultivated by publishing, over any number of decades, a succession of lengthy books, the drearier and more specialised the better.

Nowadays, it seems you need only team up on telly with a vampire called Andy Filth and youre halfway to an Oxbridge fellowship. Count Dracula himself is often remembered as a rather glamorous figure, but it should not be forgotten that in Bram Stokers 1897 original, he is described as a foul-smelling elderly man with massive eyebrows meeting in the middle, which makes him sound rather more like Noel Gallagher.

If theres one thing worse than having Count Dracula coming up to you, teeth bared and a greedy look on his face, then it must surely be Count Dracula coming up to you wailing Dont Look Back In Anger over and over again.

Coincidentally, for the past few months a Californian company called Ambrosia has been offering elderly Americans transfusions of teenage blood for 6,000 a pop.

From left to right: Pyretta Blaze, Andy Filth with Emyr Williams on This Morning during a segment about real-life vampires

Its founder, Jesse Karmazin, claims that more than 100 people have already undergone the procedure, in which two and a half litres of plasma are injected into each patient. Its like plastic surgery from the inside out, says Mr Karmazin. Im not really in the camp of saying this will provide immortality, but I think it comes pretty close, essentially.

Is he telling the truth? Does his expensive treatment really work?

The student confided in Helen Coleman (pictured), a PhD student at the time, who then launched a whistleblowing campaign against the Dr Williams.

Supporters of the procedure argue that several elderly laboratory mice have already benefited from having adolescent blood injected into them, but who can tell? I dont know how you can ever gauge whether an elderly mouse is behaving more like an adolescent.

Do you tot up the number of times he sleeps through until lunch, or complains about being misunderstood, or threatens to get a tattoo, or sings Ohhh, Jeremy Corbyn in a tuneless voice?

The names of the patients at the Ambrosia clinic have yet to be released, so we have no means of knowing whether injecting them with teenage blood has transformed hundreds of tottering Grampa Simpsons into bouncy young Justin Biebers.

Or has the proof been staring us in the face since 9am on January 20?

As each day has passed since his inauguration, President Trump seems to have grown more like an adolescent, increasingly prone to random outbursts, shafts of paranoia, sudden losses of temper, erratic behaviour and indiscriminate lashings-out at all and sundry.

Has he been busy with the blood transfusions? Has he taken a tip from Count Dracula? Is this 71-year-old man turning, before our very eyes, into a 17-year-old boy?

English actor Christopher Lee as the blood-sucking Count in Dracula A.D. 1972

Blood-sucking vampires have been a popular topic in the film industry for decades
A lesbian couple who flew out to a luxury five star Mexican resort to enjoy their dream honeymoon were left devastated after experiencing what they claim was homophobic abuse from hotel staff.

Emma Louise Morris, 27, and her wife Jo, 31, from Harwich, Essex, were married in July and decided to take a romantic break in Riviera Maya, Mexico just two days after they said I do.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the couple allege staff at the Grand Bahia Principe Tulum Resort turned on them and referred to Jo as a 'f***ing d***' after she referred to Emma as 'my wife'.

Emma claims staff destroyed her property and refused to serve her in the bar when they found out she was in a gay relationship.

Jo, an education sales manager, was even left with glass in her foot from a broken astray on the balcony she claims staff refused to clean up.

Emma Morris (left) married her partner Jo last month and then went on a disastrous honeymoon

Emma and Jo married on July 1 of this year and began their ten day honeymoon on July 3, which they booked through Thomas Cook.

Emma told Femail: 'The first few days were good but my wife had used the phrase 'my wife' when talking about me to various members of staff, this is when everything changed.

'We were ignored at the restaurant and we weren't allowed to get our own drinks. We would make contact with various waiters, raise our hands but they either went to a table that arrived after us or just simply stood at the bar and didn't serve us.

'My wife had to go to the bar to ask for drinks but was often told she must sit down and wait to be served. This happened at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The bar staff at the pool bar told my wife that she can't have what she wanted to drink and must have 'what she's given', which is not something you expect to hear at a 5 star all inclusive hotel.

Jo was left with glass in her foot after the hotel refused to clean up a broken ashtray on their balcony

'The most shocking part of the whole honeymoon was my wife being called a 'f****** d***' by a waiter at the hotel.'

Emma says she contacted the Thomas Cook representative as soon as the waiter called Jo the name, who told her to take pictures of him - but claims this didn't stop the name-calling.

MailOnline has contacted Grand Bahia Principe Tulum Resort and is awaiting comment.

The problems didn't end there for the couple, as they found a smashed ashtray on their balcony, which took days to be cleaned up and resulted in Jo getting glass in her foot.

'When going into the balcony to put out our towels and swimwear to dry my wife discovered where the ashtray had gone. It was shattered on the floor of our balcony and a shard of glass went into Jo's foot causing it to bleed,' Emma said.

Emma's GHD hair straighteners were also broken and the couple were refused service

'We went straight to reception and asked for them to clear it up, as it was their fault and we didn't have anything to clear it up with without cutting ourselves with shards of glass.

'Over a five day period we went to a total of 13 members of staff, including managers, but this still wasn't cleared up until finally a manager came to our room when the maids were cleaning nearby and they were told there and then to clear it up.'

Emma also found her GHD hair straighteners broken and hidden under a chair in the hotel room, despite leaving them in perfect condition when she left the room.

After arriving back in the UK the couple filed a complaint with Thomas Cook, and Emma claims it took them a month to respond.

The clerk says their problems started when Jo referred to her as 'my wife' to the hotel staff

'We finally heard from them around a month after our original complaint when we were told we can have 500 back for our bad time, this was then confirmed in an email that said not 500 cash but 500 Thomas cook vouchers, we didn't want to use Thomas Cook again so asked for cash,' she said.

'We were told we can only have 300 cash, less than 10% of what we paid for our honeymoon.'

Emma and Jo contacted ABTA, who advised them not to take the Thomas Cook vouchers.

'We are genuinely so upset we don't have happy memories from our honeymoon and we can never get that back,' Emma said.

A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook said: 'We are always concerned to hear reports of this nature and are investigating the allegations that Ms Morris has made with the hotel. We will be contacting her again as soon as we have an update and hope to resolve this satisfactorily with her.'
You wouldn't expect the Royal Marines to be overly concerned about using beauty products.

But it turns out that there is one moisturiser that the servicemen swear by - because it doubles up as an insect repellent.

Avon's 2.25 Skin So Soft Dry Oil Spray is not only used to hydrate the skin, but also apparently manages to effectively keep the mosquitoes away.

In fact, the product is so popular that five bottles are sold every minute according to the brand - making it their bestseller.

Avon's 2.25 Skin So Soft Dry Oil Spray is used by the Royal Marines as an insect repellent

Fans of the moisturiser have been taking to social media to recommend the product, saying it's 'better than any anti bug spray'.

One wrote: 'Avon Skin So Soft is v effective (esp against midges!) & gentle on the skin.'

Another added: 'Avon skin so soft, its (sic) not a repellant but works a treat 100%'

Meanwhile, the Royal Marines first revealed that they used the product as a midge repellent back in 2005.

The best-selling moisturiser contains citronella, which makes it an effective insect repellent (file photo)

While the moisturiser is not part of the 'official kit', Royal Marines are buying it to ward off midges and other bugs (file photo)

Speaking at the time, Royal Navy spokesman Neil Smith told the Scotsman: 'It's not official kit but nothing works better and the Marines are buying it themselves because the midges are so bad up there.'

A Royal Marines stores sergeant added: 'The reason the [Marines] are using it is because it is good kit. It works.'

The Avon moisturiser contains citronella, which makes it an effective insect repellent.
A 23-year-old man planned an elaborate proposal for his girlfriend by organising a choreographed flash mob before getting down on one knee.

Joe Tomlin, from Western Australia, surprised his girlfriend Monica Bagley, 22, with an unforgettable proposal when the pair were enjoying a recent holiday in Europe.

The couple stood among the crowd as they watched a ballerina dance at Piccadilly in the heart of London on August 7.

As the staged routine drew to an end, Joe pulled out an engagement ring to ask for Monica's hand in marriage, bringing the city to a standstill - and she said yes.

'I was more nervous than anything else,' Joe told Daily Mail Australia.

'I always knew she would say "yes" but that didn't stop my heart racing. It was the best thing I've ever done and I couldn't be happier.

'My fiance is a very outside the box person.. I knew she didn't want a cliche proposal. For example a river cruise or a fancy dinner.

'I knew she wanted to be surprised and overwhelmed and this was the best way to make sure that would happen.'

The man said he had planned the proposal in the months leading up to their holiday.

Monica laughed as she revealed she initially wondered why her boyfriend was suddenly showing an interest in street performances.

'You could see on my face, I was just a little bit over it and not impressed,' she told Sunrise.

Joe Tomlin, from Western Australia, surprised his girlfriend Monica when they were in Europe

The man planned an elaborate proposal for his girlfriend by organising a flash mob in London

The couple were pulled into the flash mob before Joe popped the question to his girlfriend

The six-minute video has been posted online, attracting tens of thousands of views from around the world.

'It's good that people can watch it and hopefully see that romance isn't dead and guys can get inspired to think outside the box,' Monica said.

The heartwarming video shows Monica being moved to tears when her boyfriend popped the question, prompting cheers from the crowd.

The love-struck man had enlisted some help, including his mother Claire and a marriage proposal planner he found in the UK.

His sister Lea and their cousin Paige also made the special trip abroad to wear 'Will You Marry Me' T-shirts in the flash mob.
A mother who gave birth to her baby girl at 26 weeks weighing just 673 grams has opened up about how her daughter defied the odds of survival.

Maydel Quiming, from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, was rushed to Nambour Hospital after her water broke three months before her baby was due.

But after little Felicity was born prematurely via a c-section on February 10, she was placed in an incubator to prevent her fragile skin from tearing.

Little Felicity (pictured) was placed in an incubator for three after she was born prematurely

Maydel Quiming (pictured with her girl during their first cuddle after 15 days apart) has opened up about how her daughter defied the odds of survival

'Her skin was paper thin. She was so tiny and only skin and bones. She wasn't much bigger than my hand,' Ms Quiming told Daily Mail Australia.

'We were planning on natural birth but she went into distress so they had to do an emergency caesarean to me.

'She was taken from me immediately after birth so I didn't get to see or hold her. My partner was able to see her briefly before they incubated her to get her to survive.'

Before the birth of her daughter, Ms Quiming and her partner Juan Hopkins were told to prepare for the worst.

'Doctors said the delivery will be very dangerous for her,' the 37-year-old woman said.

'Our baby was given a chance to survive - but we were also told it was going to be a long road - or she might not make it.

'I was very scared. My partner Juan was there with me all the time and he told me to believe in our little girl.

'I thought if I go to labor early, I'll lose her for sure. We had two miscarriages before Felicity so I couldn't bear the thought of losing her too.'

The mother-to-be was transferred to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital where she stayed for two weeks before giving birth to her baby.

The baby was placed in an incubator shortly after birth to prevent her fragile skin from tearing

After she was born, Ms Quiming said she wasn't allowed to see her newborn daughter until six hours later.

'I saw her through the small window of her incubator,' she recalled.

'I was very excited to see her but I also felt so guilty on not being able to hold on to her in my tummy for longer. I ended up crying the whole time I was there.'

Felicity suffered multiple complications, including sepsis, stomach bloating and bedsores around her neck and armpits.

'She had three blood transfusions and two sepsis which had to be treated with very strong antibiotics,' her mother said.

'Her tummy became so bloated that the veins became very visible and had looked like she was about to pop.

'She had a lot of pressure sores in her neck and armpits because of her thin skin. Her ears were also paper thin. They rolled in like paper and we had to unroll it every four hours so it wouldn't get stuck together.'

Happy family: The 37-year-old mother with her partner Juan Hopkins and their little girl

After 15 days, her mother was able to hold her daughter for the first time.

'It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to finally hold my baby,' she said.

Little Felicity spent the first three months of her life in hospital as her parents remained right by her hospital bedside.

'There was a lot of tubes connected to her and she was cared by great nurses so I thought the hospital would be the safest place for her at that time,' she recalled.

'My partner and I would visit and stay with her almost eight hours everyday in hospital. We wanted to be there and let her know we were there for her.

'But going home without her the first time was very hard. All I wanted was to cuddle her and give her kisses and let her know we love her.'

The emotional rollercoaster finally came to an end when little Felicity was allowed to go home

Her mother said her daughter was just 'skin and bones' after she was born prematurely

The emotional rollercoaster finally came to an end when little Felicity was allowed to go home with her parents for the first time after spending 98 days in hospital.

'The first cry she made when we were home made me realise that she was finally home after a very long journey,' she said.

'She's smiling a lot now, recognises us and gets all excited when we pick her up. She's still on oxygen but we know it won't be long now before she's off it.

'She's doing very well. She can lift her own head, can rollover from tummy to back, feeds well - everything that a three month old baby should be doing.

'We'd like to thank all the family and friends that helped us through this difficult time as well as the nurses and doctors who looked after her.

'Juan has been with me throughout this whole journey. He was my rock and my strength and I couldn't have done it without him beside me.

'We are just so proud of Felicity for being such a fighter.'
Loose Women star Saira Khan has revealed how she received a death threat in response to a provocative bikini picture she posted on social media.

The television presenter, 47, who is Muslim, shared the Instagram photo of herself sunbathing on holiday alongside a caption blasting a female Muslim preacher who decreed it was 'sinful' for Muslim women to pluck their eyebrows. Ms Khan ended the ended the defiant post with the words: 'Here's my response - kiss my [bottom]'.

In response, an anonymous Instagram user posted a comment threatening the mother-of-two, writing: 'If you value your life keep the f*** out of Islam.'

Ms Khan, who has previously publicly shamed social media users for criticising her religion, later called out the troll in a tweet and tagged the official Twitter account for the Metropolitan Police, urging them to 'check it out'.

Taking a stand: Loose Women star Saira Khan, 47, shared this bikini picture on Instagram yesterday alongside a caption criticising a conservative Muslim preacher

Defiant: The television presenter, who is Muslim, slammed a Muslim preacher who claimed it was 'sinful' for Muslim women to pluck their eyebrows, adding: 'Kiss my [bottom]'

Abuse: In response an anonymous user, posting under the account 'silverbengle', wrote an expletive-ridden comment criticising the Muslim mother of two over the post

Concerned: Ms Khan shared the comment on Twitter and tagged the Metropolitan Police

Ms Khan spoke out after a YouTube video emerged of Australian preacher Umm Jamaal ud-Din that showed her criticising women who pluck their eyebrows.

In the two-hour long sermon the teacher, who wears a burqua, claimed the practice was 'sinful'.

Posting the bikini picture on Instagram yesterday, Saira wrote: 'I woke up to news that A Muslim Preacher is saying that "plucking eyebrows" for Muslim women is a sin - here's my response - kiss my [peach emoji] you backward prehistoric dinosaur.'

Muslim preacher who believes plucking eyebrows is sinful Saira Khan posted in response to comments by a female burqa-wearing Muslim convert teacher who said it is sinful for Islamic women to pluck their eyebrows. Umm Jamaal ud-Din's fiery, two-hour sermon covered the delicate topics of female grooming and obeying Allah. The Islamic instructor from western Sydney, who is also known as Mouna Parkin, said it was sinful, or haram, for women to pluck their eyebrows, even if they believed it was hygienic. Advertisement

Dozens of users praised Saira for speaking out against the conservative preacher.

One wrote: 'Best response I've seen in a while @iamsairakhan to something so silly.'

Another posted: 'Well said Saira, I love how you speak up for what you believe in on something like you say is so prehistoric.'

However others criticised Saira's attack, including anonymous user 'silverbengle', who wrote the threatening post.

The comment, which has since been removed from Instagram, read: 'Keep your f****** mouth shut! Your not a Muslim nor do you represent anything to do with Islam!!! Your white masters have given you what you desire as a sell out reporter!!! If you value your life keep the f*** out of Islam [sic].'

Ms Khan, a mother of two, shared a screenshot of the comment on Twitter, tagging the official Metropolitan Police account with a message urging officers to 'check it out'.

The Twitter post received further supportive messages from followers, with one writing: 'Disgusting. I hope this is followed through Saira. Don't let it get to you'.

Praised: Saira, pictured in May, was hailed by followers after she stood up to the preacher

Another added: 'Words fail me...you shouldn't have to receive and deal with this stuff...awful.'

It is not the first time Ms Khan has hit back at vicious online trolls.

In May the star publicly called out a Muslim man who criticised her for baring her body in a candid shoot alongside her fellow Loose Women panellists.

In an impassioned online posted she told the troll to 'go and do one' and dubbing him a 'narrow minded, misogynistic, brainwashed, backward idiot'.

Responsibility: Ms Khan has used her high profile to support of a positive view of Islam

The most recent example comes just days after Alison Saunders, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), called for a surge in prosecutions against anyone suspected of committing 'hate crime' on social media.

She said wanted to see online abuse taken as seriously as assault or daubing vile graffiti on peoples houses.

There have been several high-profile instances of successful prosecutions of people who had abused lawmakers and other public figures online.

A spokesman from the Metropolitan Police said: 'The Met's digital contact team @MetCC have DM'd a 47 year old woman with a view to formally reporting an allegation of malicious communications. Enquiries continue.'
A couple who were expecting triplets were forced to sacrifice their conjoined twins in order to save their other baby.

Jemma Haig, 20, and her fiance Murray McKirdy were over the moon when a routine scan revealed that they were expecting not one but three babies last year via natural conception.

But the couple's joy soon became heartbreak as doctors told the pair from Tranent, East Lothian, that not all of their babies would survive.

Staff at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary gave the couple two options: have a selective reduction to remove the twins or lose all three babies. Jemma and Murray decided to remove the twins because she didn't want them to suffer.

A scan revealed that Jemma was carrying two amniotic sacs - one contained the embryo of her son Thomas and the other contained conjoined twins.

The conjoined twins were joined at the chest so shared a heart, respiratory system and digestive system. However doctors told them that the odds of twins joined in this way surviving was 'one in half a million'.

Jemma Haig, 20, and her fiance Murray McKirdy (pictured with daughter Abigail, three, and baby Thomas) had been expecting triplets but had to make the heartbreaking decision to sacrifice their conjoined twins

Jemma said that she did not want them to suffer, explaining: 'We came to the informed decision to have a selective reduction of our conjoined twins as we couldn't bear to make them suffer.

'We knew that procedure carried risks of miscarriage of all foetuses and premature birth but we just hoped and prayed for the best.'

After the procedure, Jemma made it to 32 weeks before any further complications arose.

Staff at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary gave the couple two options - have a selective reduction to remove the twins or lose all three babies. Their son Thomas (pictured) was later born via emergency c-section

Baby Thomas, who is now 17-weeks-old, spent three weeks on the neonatal intensive care unit before he was allowed home

Following a bleed, Jemma was admitted to hospital. As the days went on, the bleeding worsened and the doctors feared that it was placental abruption because her blood count was dropping considerably.

Thomas was born via emergency c-section, weighing 4lb 10oz.

He was immediately admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he was treated for suspected sepsis and mild breathing difficulties.

He spent three weeks on the unit before going home.

The conjoined twins (pictured in a scan) were joined at the chest so shared a heart, respiratory system and digestive system

Doctors explained that Jemma was carrying two amniotic sacs - one contained the embryo of her son Thomas (left) and the other contained conjoined twins (right)

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES FOR TWINS CONJOINED AT THE CHEST? Dr Ravi Kanojia, associate professor at the department of paediatric surgery at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), said the chances of their birth are 'one in half a million.' He successfully separated three-month-old conjoined twins who shared a liver in India in 2015. Sisters Jannat and Mannat were born joined at their abdomen and lower chest - a condition known medically as omphalopagus - and had a combined weight of just 6.6 lbs. They were delivered at a private hospital in Barara, a town in Ambala district, near Chandigarh. Speaking at the time, he said: 'This is a rare case scenario and a surgeon would be fortunate to see a couple of cases in his or her lifetime. Dr Kanojia said that such separation surgeries on conjoined twins are generally performed when the children are over a year old. Advertisement

Jemma and Murray, along with their three-year-old Abigail and 17-week old Thomas, will take on a 27-mile 'Go the distance' challenge for premature baby charity Bliss.

The family have chosen to take part in the fundraiser to highlight the long distance travelled by parents to visit their premature or sick babies in hospital.

Parents of premature and sick babies travel an average of 27 miles a day to visit their little one on the neonatal unit - some even face a commute of 100 miles or more.

The family will complete the challenge over two days by hiking the Pencaitland Railway Walk among other local walkways.

After Thomas was born, he was treated for suspected sepsis and mild breathing difficulties

His mother Jemma made it to 32 weeks before any further complications arose. Pictured is a scan of baby Thomas

Jemma added: 'We had a 20-mile round trip to visit our son, but some parents often have to travel much further.

'Thomas only spent three weeks in hospital but during that time, Bliss helped us get through it.

'As my partner had to return to work I often found myself alone on the unit.. I often looked on Bliss' Facebook page and spoke with mothers in the same position as me.

'As a neonatal unit isn't a place any new mother wants to be, Bliss made me comfortable and made sure I knew what was going on with my baby and I cannot thank them enough for all they do for myself and other parents.'

Caroline Lee-Davey, chief executive at Bliss, said: 'We are so grateful to Jemma, Murray and their family for raising money for us.

'Our fundraisers' support is invaluable in helping us to achieve our ambition to reach every single baby born needing neonatal care in the UK and their families.'
Queen Maxima was ever the professional as she stepped out for the first time since her father's death.

The royal dressed to suit her mood as she stunned in a colourful ensemble for her trip to Jessehof homeless centre, Delft, The Netherlands on Tuesday.

The mother-of-three displayed her toned legs in the summer ensemble, which she offset with hot pink shoes for the occasion.

The Jessehof is a shelter intended for people suffering from social exclusion and homeless people.

Maxima's father, Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta, had a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and died at the age of 89 earlier this month.

Queen Maxima was in high spirits as she stepped out for the first time since her father's death at a homeless centre in her hometown on Tuesday

The royal dressed to suit her mood as she stunned in a colourful ensemble and bonded with the elderly at the Jessehof homeless centre, Delft, The Netherlands on Tuesday

Maxima was flanked by her family and close friends as the Dutch royal family gathered in Buenos Aires to send off her father.

The royal donned a chic black coat and delicate pearl necklace as she arrived at a memorial park in Pilar, on the outskirts of the Argentine capital, where he was buried.

Maxima's two eldest daughters, Princesses Catharina-Amalia and Alexia, could also be seen speaking to relatives in the park, while their father lent in to comfort them.

His relatives, including a tearful-looking Maria del Carmen Cerruti, Maxima's newly-widowed mother, could be seen arriving together.

The week before the funeral, Maxima, who is married to King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, was seen leaving her mother's house in the city looking upset.

The mother-of-three displayed her toned legs in the summer ensemble as she was treated to a tour of the centre

An upbeat Queen Maxima waved to wellwishers as she left the centre on Tuesday

The royal proved she was a good sport as she took part in a game of pool with the men

Maxima was certainly in high spirits as she chatted to residents

Maxima beamed as she bonded with elderly people inside the centre

The Queen appeared animated as she chatted to one of the enthused old men in the centre

Maxima displayed her trim figure as she stepped out on Tuesday for the first time since losing her father. Zorreguieta stayed away from his daughter's 2002 wedding to the now king because of the Dutch government's concern over his participation in Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship

The royal laughed and joked with residents who were clearly delighted to see her and showered her with hugs

The royal mother-of-three shook hands with one of the performers after her performed a musical rendition for her

The Queen laughed gleefully as she watched people play a game of snooker

The mother-of-three was clearly overwhelmed, covering her face with her hand as she was driven away.

Zorreguieta's body is believed to have been removed from the Fundaleu clinic before being taken to a private cemetery.

It is believed the funeral of the former politician, who served as Minister of Agriculture in the regime of General Jorge Rafael Videla, was a private affair, restricted to close family and friends.

Zorreguieta stayed away from his daughter's 2002 wedding to the now king because of the Dutch government's concern over his participation in Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship.

Dutch Queen Maxima Zorreguieta (2-L), and her husband, King Willem-Alexander (2-R), attended the funeral of her father, Jorge Zorreguieta, in the Memorial Cemetery of the locality of Pilar, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday

Maxima was flanked by friends and relatives as she attended the funeral of her father. Jorge Horacio Zorreguieta was the elderly father of the Netherlands' Queen consort

King Willem-Alexander comforted his eldest daughter as they attending the memorial event

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands walk alongside their daughter Princess Alexia after the funeral ceremony for the Queen's father Jorge Zorreguieta

Netherlands' Princess Ariane, daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, attended the sombre event

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands and relatives and friends placed their arms around each other as they attended Jorge Zorreguieta's funeral

Queen Maxima arrived with her children, including Princess Alexia of The Netherlands and King Willem Alexander

Known as a technocrat while heading the Agriculture Ministry, he was one of the longest-serving civilian Cabinet ministers during the regime.

He denied knowing anything about human rights abuses committed under the junta.

Despite not being able to attend the wedding, he was present for the christening of Maxima's three daughters princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane.

Maria del Carmen and Jorge Zorreguieta (left) sitting next to Dutch Queen Beatrix (centre) and during the christening ceremony of their granddaughter Catharina-Amalia in 2004

Close: Despite not being able to attend Maxima's wedding, Jorge was present for the christening of her three daughters princesses Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane

Queen Maxima's father, Jorge Zorreguieta died at the Fundaleu Clinic in Buenos Aires

Maxima's parents Maria Del Carmen Cerruti and Jorge Zorreguieta attending a conference in Buenos Aires last year

The former politician is survived by seven children and 12 grandchildren.

He had three daughter with his first wife Marta Lopez Gil who he married in 1956. After their divorce, he married Maxima's mother and had two sons and two daughters.

Maxima was born in Argentina and married into the Dutch royal family in 2002, after meeting her husband-to-be in Seville in 1999.

Despite reportedly having no idea that Willem-Alexander was heir to the throne when the pair first met, she eventually became Queen consort when her husband was crowned in April 2013.
Princess Olympia of Greece had an especially scenic spot to watch the solar eclipse on Monday: her family's luxe vacation home in the Bahamas.

After their usual summer trip through the Greek isles, Olympia, 21 (whose paternal grandfather, King Constantine II of Greece, was deposed in 1973), and her family headed to their home on Harbour Island last week.

There, they hosted friends for an eclipse viewing party, and were dutifully prepared with a few pairs of special glasses to wear, as well as a telescope.

Socialite summer: Princess Olympia of Greece enjoyed the eclipse yesterday on Harbour Island in the Bamahas

Don't forget glasses! She and her family were visiting their vacation home there and had a viewing party

Little bro: The family passed around a few pairs of protective glasses (seen on her 9-year-old brother, Prince Aristidis-Stavros)

Cool view: Prince Odysseas-Kimon, 12, looks at the eclipse

Olympia and her family head to their home on pink sand beach-trimmed Harbour Island at least once a year.

This summer, they seemed to recreate their 2016 itinierary, first spending some time in Mykonos and then Yorkshire before flying to the Bahamas.

On Friday, Olympia took to Instagram to upload a shot of herself sitting on a dock in front of crystal-blue waters. She wore a pink knit one-piece, matching sunglasses, and an anklet while nursing a beer in the scenic spot.

Later, Olympia shared a photo of her brother Alexios walking around town, followed by another picture of the pair with brother Achi on the lawn of their home.

One-piece parade: Olympia arrived late last week and quickly began sharing pictures of herself in swimsuits

Must be nice: She and her family (including brothers Prince Achileas-Andreas, 17, and Prince Constantine-Alexios, 18) go to the house several times a year

Beach to beach: Olympia and her family flew to the Bahamas shortly after a trip to Mykonos

Par-tay! She recently celebrated her 21st birthday with a star-studded event in England

The princess' mom, Marie-Chantal, also shared a picture of the young socialite, showing Olympia in a pink bikini with a pair of D&G slides off on the side of her blanket.

Olympia held a pair of eclipse glasses to look at the sun, one of a couple pairs that seem to have been passed around within the group.

Princess Eleonora of Yugoslavia and her family were also visited and enjoyed the event with her fellow deposed royals.

The group stood together on a dock, the women in sundresses and the men in swim trunks, with most wearing regular sunglasses for the celestial event.

Dive in! Her brother Achi didn't let a little rain get in the way of his enjoyment

NIce door: She also shared a picture of Achi walking around down

The more the merrier: Friends including Eleonora of Yugoslavia (right) and Vogue UK editor Nona Summers (left) joined them

Beautiful: The family has been enjoying the beach and the sunsets

Flashback: Olympia, who is starting her junior year at Parsons School of Design this fall, often visits her family's Bahamas home for a break (pictured in March 2016)

Close: The close-knit family (pictured inside the house in December 2015) also sometimes spends holidays there

The family appears to have a few other visitors in town as well, including Vogue UK editor Nona Summers.

Olympia, who grew up in London and will be starting her junior year at New York City's Parsons School of Design this fall, told Hello! in 2016 that she's incredibly close with her family.

'I think I'm closer with my family than I was before, because I FaceTime them all the time! I FaceTime them when they're all having dinner and I'm, like, walking to school. We're always speaking,' she said. 'I'm just so close to my family and my brothers  Princes Constantine, Achileas-Andreas, Odysseas-Kimon and Aristidis-Stavros.'
While white evangelicals voted overwhelmingly (81 per cent) for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, not all churchgoers are happy with the President. And now many are sending messages to the leader of the free world through church signs.

A handful of Christian houses of worship across the US have been updating the signs out front to share strong words for the President and those who follow him.

The signs denounce racism and white supremacy, call for compassion, and even seem to pray for impeachment.

Scroll down for video

Hey Mr. President! Christians have been sharing messages for Donald Trump on church signs, including this Beatles-inspired version which pokes fun at his tweeting habits

Clearer words: Last week, First Christian Church of Glenwood earned national attention for urging Trump to say that 'white supremacy is sin'

Strong message: Several other churches took cues and put up similar signs

Soft: Trump was criticized for not unequivocally condemning white supremacists this month

Say it loud: Many churches more strongly condemned the racism in Charlottesville than the President did

Not messing around: Signs called out white supremacists and the alt-right in clear words

Across the US: The signs have been popping up all over the country

Not condemning evil is just as bad as committing it: This church quoted pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, writing that 'silence in the face of evil is evil itself'

According to the Pew Research Center, 81 per cent of evangelicals, 58 per cent of Protestants, 61 per cent of Mormons, and 60 per cent of white Catholics voted for Trump last November. (Meanwhile, just 24 per cent of Jews and 21 per cent of Hispanic Catholics voted that way.)

But Trump, a professed Presbyterian, doesn't count all Christians as fans  and some are using church signs to let him know.

This month, First Christian Church in Glenwood, Iowa updated its roadside sign after white supremacists marched in Charlottesville. Their new sign had strong words which seemed to shame the president for not speaking quite as unequivocally while encouraging him to condemn the alt-right.

'White supremacy is sin. Say it,' reads the sign.

The church's pastor, 34-year-old Evan Welcher, told the Des Moines Register: 'I've tried to learn from my African-American sisters and brothers in Christ about racism and one of the overwhelming frustrations I've heard from them is they do not believe their white sisters and brothers in Christ care about their plight.'

Strong words: In February, New Era Baptist Church in Birmingham updated its sign to say: 'Trump deceived poor white folks'

Taking it back: Some churches have reworded Trump's MAGA slogan

They've called for America to be made compassionate again, for racism to be 'wrong again'

High number: 81% of evangelicals voted for Trump

Get a dictionary: One church updated a commandment to warn against 'alternative facts'

Rabble-rousers: This spot said it's white supremacists, not immigrants, who should be deported

Similar signs about white supremacy, racism, and the alt-right have popped up elsewhere. Keizer Christian Church in Keizer, Oregon put up an identical message, while Paxton United Methodist Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has theirs read: 'We all need to say it out loud. White supremacy is a sin. All people have divine worth.'

'A woman was killed on a US street fighting Nazis. Repent our racism,' wrote Third Lutheran Church.

Several turned Trump's own catchphrase around, reimagining it to get their messages across.

'Make racism wrong again,' wrote St. Luke United Methodist Church in Austin. 'Make American love again,' wrote another. St. Pius X Parish changed its sign to say, 'Make America compassionate again.'

And then there are the signs that have called out Trump by name. In February, the New Era Baptist Church in Birmingham updated its sign to say: 'Trump deceived poor white folks.'

Watch your words: This Lutheran church warned about rude Twitter usage

Humility is a virtue: The Madison Avenue Baptist Church has had several strong words on its sign

Folliwing his lead... This sign had a prayer to God that Trump would become his servant

Eclipse joke: While this sign isn't outside a church, it did offer up a prayer

The Rev. Michael R. Jordan, explained to Al.com: 'There's a covert expectation by even poor whites of white privilege. They feel like even if they're illiterate, skin color should give them privilege. Even if they are an illiterate, they feel superior to a black president with a Harvard degree.

'What interrupted that was a black president and immigrants. Trump plugged in on that. He's talking basically about let's get white males in charge. That was the covert message of this campaign.

'Everything to poor whites was Obama's fault. They feel that because they're white they should get privileges,' he added.

Over in Wichita, a church sign offered up a prayer that Trump would start being a 'servant' to God. And Canaan Baptist Church called out the administration's looseness with the truth, writing: 'Thou shall not lie or use alternative facts.'

The Wallingford Sign in Seattle doesn't sit outside a church, but did offer a prayer before the solar eclipse on Monday.

Up north: Similar signs can be found in Canada. This one says a longer table  not a taller fence or wall  should be built, welcoming the less fortunate

Look inward: This church also warned against a wall and encouraged self-reflection

God's children: An Austin church wrote simply: 'No human is illegal'

This church points out that the bible says 'thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself', meaning one should want to help others, not take away their healthcare because they can't afford it

Mini me: A Baptist church sign reminds those who speak out against transgender individuals that people were all made in God's image

Constitution-ish: A Massachusetts church proclaimed to believe in the 'separation of Church and hate'

'Dear Lord, is it time to impeach? Give us a sign, blot out the sun,' it read.

Another American church sign rewrote the words to the Beatles song Let it Be, reading: 'When I find myself in tweet o' trouble, Mother Russia comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom... covfefe!'

Other signs have attacked Trump's Twitter usage, too. 'Tweet others as you want to be tweeted,' wrote one Lutheran church.

More signs have criticized Trump's position on transgender people, whom he recently banned from the military, as well as his hatred of Obamacare and plans to cut Medicaid.

They've condemned calling people 'illegal' and Trump's insistence on building a wall at the Mexico-US border.

'Rather than a wall, America needs to build a giant mirror to reflect on what we've become,' posted the Madison Avenue Baptist Church in New York City.
Just a few weeks after she revealed she wouldn't be returning to The Chew, Daphne Oz and her family escaped to the Hamptons, and the expectant mom couldn't resist showing off her baby bump to celebrate her 25th week of pregnancy.

The 31-year-old, who is over six months pregnant with her third child, took to Instagram at the start of their trip to share a photo of herself cradling her growing stomach while on the beach in Water Mill, New York.

Daphne shared plenty of beachside photos of her husband John Jovanovic and their children, Philomena and Jovan; however, the mom received some unexpected backlash after she posted a playful image of her three-year-old daughter holding a salt shaker to her mouth.

Scroll down for video

Expectant mom: Daphne Oz shared a photo of herself cradling her baby bump on the beach in celebration of her 25th week of pregnancy

Soon-to-be mother-of-three: The 31-year-old spent the weekend in the Hamptons with her husband John Jovanovic and their children, Philomena and Jovan

The picture, which was taken at a restaurant, sees Daphne smiling for the camera while her little girl has a salt shaker tipped into her mouth and her one-year-old son is looking for his breakfast.

'I really like salt. I fear it might be genetic. (meanwhile, JJ tracking the imminent delivery of his waffles) #sunday #brunch #babes,' Daphne captioned the image.

Plenty of people found the picture amusing, noting that they or their children love salt just as much as little Philo does.

However, there were also many commenters who were disgusted that cookbook author allowed her daughter to put her mouth on the restaurant's salt shaker.

'I am thinking about the germs on that salt shaker. Yikes! Hers and the others before her,' a woman named Janet Knight wrote.

Mom life: Daphne shared a playful picture of her three-year-old daughter Philo with a salt shaker in her mouth while enjoying brunch at a restaurant on Sunday

Mommy shaming: Although some people found the picture amusing, others slammed Daphne for letting her daughter put her mouth on the restaurant's salt shaker

Just a little request: One woman named Gloria asked Daphne to make sure their server cleans and refills the salt shaker before the next customer comes in

Shaking it off: Daphne ignored her critics and shared another photo of her daughter at the beach the next day

Look of love: 'Favorite view,' Daphne captioned this image of her husband and their children

'You look lovely! But, your little one has the salt shaker in her mouth!' Gloria Bogdan added. 'Could you make sure the server cleans and refills it? Shake a little on the plate or a napkin for her, next time! Thanks.'

And another woman named Jami stressed that 'a lot of salt is not good for you', noting that Dr. Oz's daughter 'should know better'.

Like most moms in the public eye, Daphne ignored the mommy shamers and returned to Instagram the next day to share a darling photo of Philo on the beach sporting a yellow and white checkered two-piece and a gold temporary tattoo.

'Mondays ain't got nothing on us #bikini #beach #babes,' she captioned the image.

Daphne kicked off the trip with a snapshot of herself posed on the beach in Rolling Stones T-shirt that hugged her baby bump and a pair of comfy sweatpants, writing: 'sweatpants at the beach #25weeks #bumpstyle.'

Moving on: Daphne, who co-hosted The Chew with Michael Symon, Mario Batali, Carla Hall, and Clinton Kelly (from left to right) since 2011, will not be returning to the show this season

Summer vacation: The family traveled to Maine earlier this month

Showing off her bump: Daphne shared a bikini photo of herself last month when she was 21-weeks pregnant

The proud mom also posted an image of herself sitting on the sand with her two children cuddled around her.

Earlier this month, Variety confirmed that Daphne would not be returning to The Chew for the upcoming season, which kicks off on September 5.

Daphne, who co-hosted the show with Carla Hall, Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Clinton Kelly, has been on The Chew since its start in 2011.

'It has been so much fun having lunch with you on TVs most delicious daytime show for the past six seasons, and I am immensely grateful to have found dear friends in my co-hosts and our team,' she said in a statement.

'I have had the great privilege of growing up at our family table, and have shared some huge milestones along the way  including the birth of my first two children, and recent announcement of a third on the way!  and am lucky to have had The Chew as a bright beginning to my career.'
Last week, former Disney stars Aly & AJ released their first music under their own names in ten years  and now the duo is explaining just what kept them away from recording as 'Aly & AJ' for so long.

Since the release of the single Take Me, 26-year-old AJ (full name Amanda Joy Michalka) explained why the pair broke away from Disney, admitting some of their experiences left a 'bad taste in our mouth'.

Now she and Aly, 28, are doing things a bit differently, including posing for Playboy in a shoot that  while covered-up for the nude magazine  is a far cry from their Disney days.

Grown up: Aly (right) and AJ Mi Michalka (left) posed for Playboy this month

Flashback: The singers rose to fame in the '00s while signed to Disney's record label (pictured in 2007)

Sisters Aly & AJ released their first album, Into the Rush, on the Disney-owned label Hollywood Records in 2005, when they were just 14 and 16. The album went gold, and they went on to release two more before, in 2010, deciding to leave the label altogether.

'We just lost the love a little bit,' AJ told Playboy.

'We had experienced so much as kids and I kind of feel like we learned a lot about the industry that put a little bit of a bad taste in our mouth, whether it was a couple of people we worked with or whether it was just trying to find the right inspiration or what have you.'

She also said that fame was a tricky thing to grapple with as a young teen, and they had some growing up to do.

'Aly and I were recognized on a day-to-day basis, especially if we were together,' she told Elle. 'You deal with constant scrutiny, and people who know your business too intimately who shouldn't. As a kid, it can be overwhelming and frightening.'

Public eye: AJ said that parts of their early stardom left a bad taste in their mouths, which is why they stepped away from music for a while

'You deal with constant scrutiny, and people who know your business too intimately who shouldn't. As a kid, it can be overwhelming and frightening,' she said

@playboy  A post shared by AJ Michalka (@iamaj) on Aug 21, 2017 at 12:28pm PDT

Check out our most recent article & photoshoot online @playboyhair by @elissaruminer styling by @chrishoran20 and makeup by @andremakeup A post shared by Aly Michalka (@iamaly) on Aug 21, 2017 at 9:32am PDT

So the pair decided to step back. They left their label, choosing to work on their own projects, separate from each other.

Aly took roles in Easy A, as well as the series Hellcats, Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television, and iZombie, which she still stars on. AJ, meanwhile, was in Secretariat, the TV movie Salem Falls, and Super 8, and now stars in The Goldbergs.

In 2013, they released new music  but this time, it was under the name 78Violet. Their album was put out without a record label, and they found out how difficult that can be.

Then last year, Aly's husband Stephen Ringer encouraged the pair to start recording together again.

'We were a little bit gun shy about going back to Aly & AJ and I just feel like we got past that,' AJ told Playboy. 'I really look at this as a 10 year reunion to our music and just finding the passion again and the love for writing and for performing.'

When they released the single on August 18, they also shared a heartfelt message with fans.

New tunes: Last week, they released their first song, Take Me, under the name 'Aly & AJ' in a decade

Sunkissed freckles for @playboy online A post shared by Aly Michalka (@iamaly) on Aug 21, 2017 at 2:57pm PDT

@playboy  A post shared by AJ Michalka (@iamaj) on Aug 21, 2017 at 12:26pm PDT

'Since we can remember, our first and truest love has been music,' they wrote. 'That feeling we get when performing, when writing, when working together is unexplainable. We lost that feeling for a good long time.

'The idea of trying to prove ourselves again as adults has been overwhelming and at times paralyzing. We lost the passion to create. That passion came back.'

Their new single, Take Me, is already earning buzz thanks to its catchy tune and reliability. The song, which urges a guy to 'take me out' already, was written while AJ struggled with the online dating scene.

'I was a little frustrated going through the dating scene,' she told Elle. 'I started experimenting on a dating app that a friend told me to go on, and I realized quickly that any match I came across, it was like, "Cool, we'll continue to message on here but nothing will get set in stone."

#alyandajareback @playboy Styling @chrishoran20 Hair @theannarose Makeup @andremakeup A post shared by AJ Michalka (@iamaj) on Aug 21, 2017 at 12:27pm PDT

'We were a little bit gun shy about going back to Aly & AJ,' they said, because it was hard to show people they'd grown up

'In the age of social media and dating apps, so many people are able to hide behind their Instagram page or their Raya page or Facebook. And it's like, "Let's set something up! I want to meet face-to-face." And Take Me was about, "Are you going to take me out? Do I have to be the first person to make the move?"

'And in this era, women can be the first person to make the move, but it's not usually how Aly and I roll romantically. I was writing a song that was more of a demand. "You're going to do this, if it works, it works, but I'm not going to be the first one to step out."'

The single will be released on a four-song EP first, and will be part of a full album coming out next year.

And while they've been promoting it, it's clear the girls are a different Aly & AJ than they were in the 2000s, when Aly was on Disney's Phil of the Future and the duo star together in the Disney Channel movie Cow Belles.

For one thing, they're posing for Playboy, though they're dressed in crop tops and bikinis, not nothing at all like some models. They've also opened up their minds to a different view of their Christian beliefs.

IRL: AJ said their new single is about wanting a guy to actually you out on a date instead of just messaging back and forth on an app

Happy: AJ said that despite the downsides of being famous as a kid, she wouldn't trade the childhood she had

'Within religion there's a lot of prejudice and I think AJ and I, thankfully, never ended up growing up around something like that, but we definitely saw friends that did,' Aly told Playboy.

'I think that's the hardest thing about religion, is that people use religion as a way to judge other people, but I think that that kind of defeats the whole purpose, unfortunately, of loving your neighbor as you would yourself.'

But though they've broken away a bit from their past, the sisters don't regret being thrust into the spotlight at a young age.

'I wouldn't trade the childhood we had because, A. It was normal to me, even though, in hindsight, its not normal. It felt normal and I think we maintained a pretty normal healthy attitude towards what we did,' added AJ. 'And B. I just wouldn't trade it, the experience that we had and the growth we've had.'
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. ALAN RENE SAJOUS, Defendant-Appellant. No. 17-10440 Decided: August 21, 2017

Before HULL, WILSON and WILLIAM PRYOR, Circuit Judges.

In this out-of time appeal, Alan Sajous challenges his conviction and sentence of 52 months of imprisonment for possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices. 18 U.S.C.  1029(a)(3). Sajous argues, for the first time, that the information to which he pleaded guilty is invalid, that the government breached the plea agreement, that the government failed to introduce favorable evidence at sentencing, and that his sentence is procedurally unreasonable, but we affirm. Sajous also argues his trial counsel was ineffective, but we decline to review that issue at this juncture.

Sajous contends that his information mischarged  possession of access devices because his crime involved possessing social security numbers and other means of identification, but Sajous waived this nonjurisdictional challenge to his information. A plea of guilty entered knowingly and voluntarily waives all nonjurisdictional defects in the proceeding, including allegations concerning the invalidity of the information, Howard v. United States, 420 F.2d 478, 480 (5th Cir. 1970), and Sajous concedes that he pleaded guilty to the information. So long as [an] indictment charges the defendant with violating a valid federal statute as enacted in the United States Code, it alleges an offense against the laws of the United States' and  invokes the district court's subject-matter jurisdiction. United States v. Brown, 752 F.3d 1344, 1354 (11th Cir. 2014). Because Sajous's information cites section 1092(a)(3) and tracks its language that he did knowingly, and with intent to defraud, possess fifteen (15) or more unauthorized access devices, it empowered the district court to act on the information. See id. Sajous waived his nonjurisdictional challenge to the validity of his information when he entered his plea of guilty.

Sajous argues that he pleaded guilty based on misinform[ation] from his trial counsel, but we ordinarily will not consider a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel on direct appeal. The district court should be given the first opportunity to address Sajous's allegation of ineffectiveness and to develop the record. See United States v. Bender, 290 F.3d 1279, 1284 (11th Cir. 2002). Sajous can present his argument in a postconviction motion. See 28 U.S.C.  2255.

Sajous argues that the government breached the plea agreement by failing to recommend at sentencing that he receive a sentence at the low end of his guideline range. Because Sajous raises this argument for the first time on appeal, he must prove that an error occurred that is plain and that affected his substantial rights. See Puckett v. United States, 556 U.S. 129, 14043 (2009); United States v. Romano, 314 F.3d 1279, 1281 (11th Cir. 2002). The district court referenced the low-end recommendation during the guilty plea colloquy, and that recommendation was included in Sajous's presentence investigation report, which the district court adopted at sentencing. Sajous cites no binding precedent holding that the failure of the government to request that the defendant receive a favorable sentence when its position was already known by the district court constitutes plain error. See United States v. Hoffman, 710 F.3d 1228, 1232 (11th Cir. 2013). Additionally, at sentencing, the government supported Sajous's request for a downward variance, which would have been more beneficial to Sajous than what he was promised in the plea agreement. The government also moved to reduce Sajous's sentence based on his substantial assistance, see Fed. R. Crim. P. 35(b), which resulted in the reduction of his sentence from 108 months to 52 months. And, even if we were to assume that the government plainly erred, Sajous cannot prove that the lack of a recommendation for a low-end sentence affected his substantial rights. See Puckett, 556 U.S. at 142. The district court stated at sentencing that, even if the Government had argued for the lowest end of the advisory guideline range, [it] would not have granted [that relief].

Sajous also fails to establish that the government erred, much less plainly erred, by failing to introduce evidence that a cohort, not Sajous, used the personal identification information discovered in Sajous's residence. Sajous fails to cite any statute, binding precedent, or provision in his plea agreement that obligated the government to introduce evidence about his cohort's conduct. See id. Sajous argues that he was denied due process as contemplated under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32, but he availed himself of the opportunity to object to his presentence investigation report and submitted a sworn statement in which his cohort admitted that he, not Sajous, used the stolen identification information, see Fed. R. Crim. P. 32(f), (i). The district court had before it information about Sajous's cohort when it selected Sajous's sentence.

Finally, Sajous's challenge to the procedural reasonableness of his sentence is barred by the sentence appeal waiver in his plea agreement. The written agreement provided that Sajous waives all rights  to appeal any sentence imposed  or to appeal the manner in which the sentence was imposed, unless the sentence exceeds the maximum permitted by statute or is the result of an upward departure and/or an upward variance from the advisory guideline range that the Court establishes at sentencing. The district court explained the waiver to Sajous during the change of plea hearing, and Sajous acknowledged at that hearing that he had agreed to waive his right to appeal his sentence. See United States v. Grinard-Henry, 399 F.3d 1294, 1296 (11th Cir. 2005). Sajous knowingly and voluntarily waived the right to appeal the procedural reasonableness of his sentence.

We AFFIRM Sajous's conviction and sentence.

PER CURIAM:
McDonald's is known for its cheap and cheerful burgers that cost just a couple of pounds each.

But now the UK arm of the fast food giant is launching a much posher range that will sandwich 100 per cent British and Irish beef between a brioche bun, McDonald's revealed to FEMAIL in an online exclusive.

The burgers will rival those sold by upmarket fast food chain rivals such as Byron - but at 4.89 a burger, they are half the price.

McDonald's is rolling out its three Signature Collection burgers to all of its branches by the end of this year (pictured, its Classic burger, 4.89)

The three Signature Collection burgers have been trialled in some UK branches already but this year will be the first time they will be available to order at every restaurant.

Before they arrive in McDonald's 900 UK branches at the end of this year, the burgers will be available in limited supply at several showcase events across the country.

The burgers come in three flavours: Classic, BBQ, and Spicy.

The Classic contains a beef patty along with beechwood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, wholegrain mustard mayo, ketchup, lettuce and red onion.

The burgers feature a thicker patty than normal and have higher quality toppings such as beechwood smoked bacon and coleslaw, as well as a brioche bun

The BBQ contains a beef patty, BBQ sauce, coleslaw, red onion, lettuce, beechwood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese.

And The Spicy contains a beef patty, Jalapeno slices, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, hot and spicy mayo and a spicy relish.

All three come in a brioche-style bun.

Byron's burgers are also sandwiched in a sweet brioche bun. However its burgers start from 6.95 for a Classic burger without cheese. Its Byron burger - which contains both cheese and bacon - costs 9.50.

McDonald's Signature Collection burgers all cost 4.89, rising to 6.39 as part of a meal - making them some of the priciest items on the menu.

The Big Mac, meanwhile, costs 3.19 on its own.

How do the posh McDonald's burgers taste? The MailOnline's Food Journalist Imogen Blake was one of the first to try one of the new Signature Collection burgers last year. She reveals how they taste - and if they can match up to upmarket rivals by restaurant such as Byron. I first tried miniature versions of The Signature Collection burgers at an event last Christmas where McDonald's food was presented as if it were fine dining fare. I found the meat in the posher burgers much juicier and more flavoursome than a normal Cheeseburger or Big Mac. The toppings were also of higher quality, and the BBQ one in particular had a delightfully sweet and tangy sauce. The Spicy one failed to ignite the tastebuds, however. I always think a perfect burger needs a brioche bun to really set it off - so it's a welcome addition to the McDonald's range. The new burgers pricey for McDonald's but they're still a much cheaper alternative to the other gourmet burgers out there. In my opinion though, Byron does some of the best burgers I've ever tasted and they would take some beating, which McDonald's hasn't quite achieved. However the Signature Collection is a darn sight tastier than the other burgers on the menu. The extra few quid is worth it. Advertisement

The Signature Collection will first launch at special showcase events around the country

Fashion designer Julien Macdonald has designed some limited edition boxes for the launch of the Signature Collection

Fashion designer Julien Macdonald OBE, a former judge on Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, has designed limited edition burger boxes for the launch of the roll-out of the luxury Signature Collection.

His black and gold design features crystal detailing, as well as McDonald's iconic Golden Arches.

Only 1,000 of the boxes will be available at the showcase events, with one embellished by Julien himself being unveiled in Leicester Square tomorrow.

The box will then be auctioned off with the proceeds donated to charity.

Emily Somers, vice president of marketing at McDonald's said: 'To partner with such an iconic designer as Julien Macdonald is fantastic, and his beautifully designed star-studded box complements The Signature Collection perfectly.

'Julien's limited edition box is a great way to mark our nationwide launch of The Signature Collection.'

The Signature Collection was first trialled in 2015 and will be available at all branches by the end of the year.
Amid the hustle and bustle of our super-connected 21st century, we all dream of an easy life of leisure.

But often that dream just keeps receding from our grasp. Only last month, the Government announced that it will raise the pension age from 65 to 68 in 2037 rather than 2044. Six million men and women, aged between 39 and 47, will just have to wait for their gold watch.

Meanwhile, smartphones and social media mean were never really switched off. It sounds like a recipe for constant harmful stress  as were often being warned.

A wealth of emerging medical research reveals that having plenty to do may be the key to good health

But a wealth of emerging medical research reveals that having plenty to do may be the key to good health. Staying busy, it seems, helps us to live longer, keeps us strong, fosters sparky brains and could even keep dementia at bay.

Recently, American researchers revealed that we even sleep better when we have lots of reasons to jump out of bed in the morning. Neurologists at Northwestern University in Chicago reported that people who are busily purposeful  in particular having a packed agenda of future plans  enjoy better sleep and are less troubled by insomnia.

The study, in the journal Sleep Science and Practice, focused on older people  the average age was 79. But Professor Jason Ong, the studys lead author, says the findings should apply to adults of all ages.

And last year, psychologists at the University of Texas reported that keeping busy is associated with a battery of brain benefits. They asked more than 300 adults how frequently they have too many tasks to complete during the day. The volunteers then did tests to measure their cognitive performance.

Recently, American researchers revealed that we even sleep better when we have lots of reasons to jump out of bed in the morning.

The investigators concluded that the busier people are  having to squeeze all their tasks into the space of their waking days  the stronger their mental powers.

This was true of short and long-term memory, ability to use logic, and crystallised intelligence  the ability to put a lifetimes skills and knowledge into practical use.

The research, published last year in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, added that busyness had a bolstering effect on brain power, regardless of age or education.

FIVE WAYS TO PREPARE... SPINACH How to get the most nutrients out of food. This week: Spinach 1. Make spinach soup. A typical bowl contains about 100g of the leafy green, which provides 15 per cent of your daily iron requirement and a fifth of your daily calcium. 2. Mix young and old leaves. Baby spinach has higher levels of the B vitamin folate (vital for pregnant women) and magnesium (important for the nervous system) while mature leaves have vitamin E and vitamin A (needed by the immune system), calcium and iron. 3. Eat a side of creamed spinach  fat helps the body absorb vitamin A from the leaves. In a 100g serving of mature spinach theres 80 per cent of the RDA of this vitamin. 4. Saag Aloo, the Indian curry of potatoes and spinach simmered in tomatoes is crammed with potassium, which helps to maintain blood pressure. 5. Go for the classic spinach and eggs. Theyll top up your levels of lutein and zeaxanthin that could limit your risk of macular degeneration, the eye condition that causes age-related blindness. Advertisement

Sara Festini, the lead author of the study, suggests that busyness gives us more opportunities to learn through the variety of situations in which we find ourselves. This keeps our cognitive faculties stimulated and challenged, which may boost neuroplasticity  the ability of the adult brain to rewire itself to learn new skills.

But Dr Festini recognises that there are two types of busy: good and bad  and the bad type can harm our brains.

Stress has been shown to narrow attention, impair memory and interfere with knowledge acquisition, she says.

The crucial factor in determining whether our busyness is stressful or beneficial is whether we feel that we have control over what we are doing, explains Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist with a specialist interest in stress management. Having to be busy when you have no control over workload can cause stress and potentially harmful chronic rises in the stress hormone cortisol, she says.

Chronically high stress hormone levels are associated with mental problems including anxiety, depression and impaired memory and concentration. They can cause physical inflammation throughout the body, which may precipitate illness such as cardiovascu- lar disease.

Busyness is good when you perceive you have control over the hours you are busy, what you are doing and who you are with, Linda Blair says.

It is easy for people to tell if they are good busy, she adds. It will be easy to switch off from work, you will have energy for your other interests and you sleep well. The difference between good and bad busyness can come down to a matter of mental approach, Linda Blair adds: It might just be about focusing on the good experiences you can have with the money you may earn from being at work a lot.

Keeping busy as we age appears to be particularly beneficial  even if it means working beyond retirement age.

In May, Italian neuroscientists warned that people aged over 50 who retire early face an increased risk of losing muscle strength, a key indicator of encroaching illness. Their study, in the journal Health Economics, examined data on handgrip strength among retired people aged 50 or over in 12 European countries. The investigators found that retirement speeds up age-related loss of strength.

Early retirement may not be such a good deal for retirees longevity and physical functioning late in life, warned the researchers at the Italian National Research Council.

Working for even one year beyond the retirement age can reduce your odds of later dying prematurely by more than 10 per cent, according to a 2016 study by Oregon State University.

One important reason for this may be that late retirement delays the onset of dementia. Last year, a report in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging found that people who retired later were significantly less likely to have developed cognitive difficulties.

It is psychologically healthier to be occupied. One of the problems with being unemployed is suffering from a stressful lack of busyness, and a lack of a place in society. An idle retirement may have the same effect.

Voluntary work appears to have a similar effect. We monitored 1,001 Swedish people who retired at 65, explains Professor Yannick Griep, a psychologist at Canadas University of Calgary. Those who did voluntary work for one hour a week were 2.44 times less likely to have dementia two years later.

Professor Griep says he suspects it is because volunteering keeps seniors physically, mentally and socially active  keeping their brains stimulated. Indeed, research this month revealed that keeping the brain active through social activities can build cognitive strength in old age and ward off dementia.

Beyond this, there may be another benefit. Being busy means that you dont have time to sit and think about how unfair life is, says Dr Jane Prince, a psychologist at the University of South Wales. Busyness directs your attention away from yourself, your aches and pains.

She told Good Health: It is psychologically healthier to be occupied. One of the problems with being unemployed is suffering from a stressful lack of busyness, and a lack of a place in society. An idle retirement may have the same effect.

Dr Prince suggests that it doesnt matter what you are doing but the key is routine. Routines help you to get a sense of identity, she says.

So, while keeping busy looks to be essential for our health, it seems that what you choose to do is no ones busyness but your own.
Nigel Lewis-Baker is a busy man: he runs a charity, spends time with wife Janet, 71, and their eight grand- children and has a thriving social life.

What makes this so extraordinary is that three years ago he was told he probably had just months to live.

Nigel, also 71, a former businessman from Effingham in Surrey, was diagnosed with prostate cancer 13 years ago. It was inoperable, as it had spread.

Although Nigel still has cancer, the drug Prostvac appears to be holding it at bay

He endured hormone treatments to starve the tumour of the testosterone feeding its growth, several rounds of chemotherapy and 37 sessions of radiotherapy.

At best, treatment would hold the cancer off for several months before it would start growing again. After it spread to his hip and skull a year after his initial diagnosis, he was told he had perhaps a year to live.

It was then that he was offered the chance to take part in a trial for an experimental drug called Prostvac. The drug, which is still in clinical trials at 200 hospitals worldwide, tackles tumours by harnessing the power of the immune system.

More than two years on, Nigel is in robust health  although he still has cancer, the drug seems to be holding it at bay. He is now campaigning, through his charity Topic of Cancer, for others to be able to benefit from immunotherapy as he did, as such drugs are not widely available on the NHS.

Nigel endured hormone treatments to starve the tumour of the testosterone feeding its growth, several rounds of chemotherapy and 37 sessions of radiotherapy (stock photo)

For me, immunotherapy has been a life-saver, says Nigel.

Immunotherapy has been hailed as the biggest advance in cancer treatment in decades.

While chemotherapy can destroy healthy as well as diseased cells, immunotherapy turbo-charges the immune system so it targets and destroys just cancer cells. Its usually given as weekly or fortnightly infusions for up to 90 minutes a time.

The principle of the treatment was discovered in 1891 by an American doctor, William Coley, who injected a patients inoperable tumour with bacteria-filled fluid to see if it would fire up the immune system. A full recovery followed.

Coley repeated the experiment in other patients with astonishing results. But fellow medics remained unconvinced, and with the rise of chemotherapy in the Forties, the treatment fell out of favour.

But in the past decade interest was rekindled when cancer specialists called the drugs game-changers after early trial results showed 74 per cent of patients with the skin cancer malignant melanoma were alive a year after starting treatment, compared with one in ten of those not given the drug.

As Alan Melcher, a professor of translational immunology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, explains: The progress made in such a short space of time has been astonishing  it has surpassed all my expectations.

In melanoma it helped patients in whom nothing else worked, he says. And in lung cancer it has outperformed all other treatments in terms of improving survival rates.

Its proving to be the biggest advance in cancer treatment for at least the past 20 years.

Last month a form of immunotherapy was shown to have impressive results in leukaemia patients for whom other medicines had failed, with 71 per cent seeing their tumours shrink or disappear.

Professor Melcher believes it will eventually be the norm for treating many of the biggest cancer killers. The drugs have been shown to be kinder than chemotherapy, with fewer side-effects.

Stories abound of people such as Nigel who survived for years, having been told they were dying, after treatment in a clinical trial.

So why is immunotherapy not more widely available? And is it really the miracle cure it seems? The answer to the first question is cost: while some immunotherapy drugs have now been licensed for use in the UK in certain cancers, they can cost as much as 100,000 per patient per year and are not routinely prescribed on the NHS.

Watchdog NICE has rejected several immunotherapy drugs on the grounds of cost  in April, turning down nivolumab for advanced head and neck cancer.

Instead, immunotherapy has been available only through trials or, once licensed, via the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), set up by David Cameron to give patients access to costly drugs; if an oncologist thinks a patient would benefit, they can apply to the fund.

However, only a limited number of patients qualify, so some resort to desperate measures.

Earlier this year, Lisa Harris, 46, an ovarian cancer patient from Gateshead, sold virtually everything  including her house and car  to raise 45,000 for treatment with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, at a private clinic in Germany, after conventional treatments failed. In the UK, this is licensed only for lung and skin cancer. In months, blood tests showed a steep drop in Lisas cancer markers.

The immunotherapy drugs available via the CDF include ipilimumab (brand name Yervoy), for malignant melanoma and certain types of lung cancer. It targets T-cells, normally released by the immune system to attack foreign cells. T-cells carry a CTLA-4 molecule which controls them so they dont attack healthy tissue.

Ipilimumab turns this off so cells can go into full attack mode against cancer cells. In trials, average survival time in terminally ill patients increased to ten months from six. But some who took part in the first trials are still alive years later. It was licensed in the UK in 2011.

Another is nivolumab (brand name Opdivo), for advanced melanoma and lung cancer.

But there is another problem  only around one in five patients responds to treatment, albeit some very well. The rest see no benefit, or their tumour shrinks before returning weeks or months later.

One theory is that once the drugs take the brakes off the immune systems T-cells, they become over-stimulated and are too exhausted to launch an effective attack.

In July a trial for pembrolizumab (Keytruda) found it didnt improve survival rates in those with advanced head and neck cancer compared to standard treatment.

Drug companies have ploughed millions into treatment development and want to highlight success stories. But some experts fear the benefits are over-hyped.

Professor Karol Sikora, former head of the World Health Organisation cancer programme, says: Patients are very aware of immunotherapy. They read about it and wonder why they cant have it.

But its not a panacea for all cancers. If you gave the drugs to 100 people, about 40 would see quite dramatic shrinkage of tumours in a month or two.

But a year later only about ten will still have significantly reduced tumours. The others will grow, as the cancers become resistant to the drugs.

Professor Sikora adds that 5 to 10 per cent of patients can suffer significant side-effects, such as lung inflammation and joint issues.

We need to manage expectations, as many of these people are desperate. One of the worst aspects is when they go crowd-funding to get money for the treatment because they only hear positive reports.

These drugs could still become a major weapon against cancer, but it could be another five or ten years before we really find out.

Daniel and Katie Cohen were among those with high hopes for immunotherapy. In January 2015, Katie, then 32, found the cough shed had for months  that she was told was just an infection  was, in fact, advanced lung cancer.

We were distraught, says Daniel, 41, a property investor from Bushey, Herts. We were due to get married in May that year.

Katie, an addiction therapist, was given two chemotherapy drugs, which temporarily stabilised the cancer but made her very ill. The couple timed their wedding for when she felt relatively well.

But by January 2016 the chemotherapy was causing kidney failure and the couple were advised to use private health insurance to get nivolumab  not available for lung cancer on the NHS at the time.

The relative lack of side-effects made a big difference. After chemotherapy I would bundle Katie in the car and take her home to bed, says Daniel. But after immunotherapy she could walk out and we went for lunch.

But last summer the drugs stopped working. In August 2016 an MRI scan showed the cancer was growing again. Despite higher doses, Katie deteriorated. In February, doctors gave two immunotherapy drugs together  ipilimumab and nivolumab. Studies have shown this can boost the response rate to around 50 per cent.

But Katie didnt respond, and she died on April 8, aged just 34.

Daniel says: Immunotherapy bought her time. We hoped it would give us more years. But that wasnt the case.
A potentially devastating strand of bacteria that could have made antibiotics futile in the fight against disease has finally been quashed by a team of scientists.

The strand of E.coli - which US health officials dubbed a 'nightmare' bacteria - posed an 'urgent threat' to global health as it had a very high-degree of resistance and could spread rapidly.

Researchers led by the University of Buffalo have now created three antibiotics that together could eradicate E.coli genes mcr-1 and ndm-5 that previously made the bacterium immune.

Health officials were worried the mcr-1 gene, which is carried by a highly mobile piece of DNA called a plasmid could potentially make infections untreatable.

The scientists found a novel combination of aztreonam, amikacin and polymyxin B - a last-resort antibiotic - was able to kill the mcr-1 and ndm-5 genes within 24 hours while also preventing regrowth.

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A novel combination of aztreonam, amikacin and polymyxin B was able to kill E. coli carrying mcr-1 and ndm-5 - genes that make the bacterium immune to last-resort antibiotics

E. COLI SUPERBUG Health officials were worried the mcr-1 gene, which is carried by a highly mobile piece of DNA called a plasmid could potentially making infections untreatable. The scientists found a novel combination of aztreonam, amikacin and polymyxin B - a last-resort antibiotic - was able to kill the mcr-1 and ndm-5 genes within 24 hours while also preventing regrowth. Fewer than two dozen cases of E. coli carrying mcr-1 have been reported in the U.S. The bacteria can be transmitted by fecal contact and poor hygiene, which suggests a far wider likely presence than the documented cases so far, according to leading infectious disease experts. However, with additional cases reported worldwide, the bacteria's immunity to available antibiotics has left the medical community vulnerable to a massive outbreak of infections. Advertisement

Golden era of antibiotics isn't over yet

Eighteen months ago, the E.coli gene variant mcr-1 emerged in bacteria from pigs in China.

Since then has been identified in farm animals and people in about 20 countries, including China, Germany and Italy since 2016 and spread around the world at an alarming rate.

The bacteria can be transmitted by fecal contact and poor hygiene, which suggests a far wider likely presence than the documented cases so far, according to leading infectious disease experts.

'The threat of gram-negative bacteria, including E. coli carrying mcr-1, is worrisome,' said lead author Zackery Bulman, assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy.

'We believe that the appearance of mcr-1 and ndm-5 in patients may be a harbinger for what is to come.

'The golden era of antibiotics isn't over yet, but we wanted to help clinicians prepare therapeutically for the occurrence of these strains', he said.

Fewer than two dozen cases of E. coli carrying mcr-1 have been reported in the U.S.

However, with additional cases reported worldwide, the bacteria's immunity to available antibiotics has left the medical community vulnerable to a massive outbreak of infections.

We had to work quickly

'That is why the mcr-1 and ndm-5 strains represent an urgent threat, because of the high-degree of resistance combined with the potential for rapid spread in the community setting', siad Brian Tsuji associate professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

'We had to work quickly and think outside of the box, beyond traditional antibiotic combinations', he said.

Although the two genes were found on separate plasmids it's common for one plasmid to carry resistance genes for multiple drugs.

Fewer than two dozen cases of E. coli carrying mcr-1 have been reported in the US, however, the bacteria's immunity to available antibiotics has left the medical community vulnerable to a massive outbreak of infections

'This is the first study to propose therapeutic solutions with three drugs against superbugs harboring mcr-1 and ndm-5', he said.

Researchers say the results will help prepare clinicians for future occurrences of these pathogens.

Only the triple combination worked

The rapid increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria has resurrected the importance of polymyxins, a class of antibiotics that are effective but employed as a last resort because of the damage they can cause to the kidneys.

To avoid prescribing high dosages of polymyxins and to make up for the antibiotic's weaknesses, the researchers decided to turn to new dosing strategies and multiple antibiotic combinations.

After conducting studies on dozens of combinations of more than 15 antibiotics paired with polymyxin B, the researchers discovered two effective treatments.

Combinations of polymyxin B with either aztreonam or amikacin resulted in undetectable bacterial counts after 24 hours.

Only the triple combination of of aztreonam, amikacin and polymyxin B eliminated the E. coli strain and prevented regrowth.

'We knew that polymyxins alone couldn't work. Only the three drugs combined were able to work synergistically to suppress and kill the bacteria,' said Dr Bulman.

'We overcame the bacteria by pushing it as far as possible with an agent that it was resistant to while simultaneously administering two other antibiotics.'

The promising finding may provide a viable treatment against mcr-1 and ndm-5 strains.
A representative of the Kashmiri Pandit community has questioned a recent order by the apex court declining an investigation into killings of hundreds of Hindus because it happened 27 years ago.

The decision is being questioned in light of the Supreme Court's move to scrutinise the SIT's decision to close 241 cases related to anti-Sikh riots in 1984.

On July 24, a bench of CJI J S Khehar and justice D Y Chandrachud dismissed a PIL filed by a body representing Kashmiri Pandits 'for the simple reason that the instances referred to in it pertain to 1989-90, and more than 27 years have passed'.

Members of Roots in Kashmir, a Kashmiri Pandit group, campaigning for the restoration of human rights and dignity of over 50,000 Kashmiri Hindus who had to flee the Kashmir valley

A soldier stands guard outside Sheetleshwar Bhairav, one of the valley's oldest and largest Hindu temples, in Srinagar

Drawing a parallel between the two orders, the petitioner - Roots in Kashmir - described the court's stand as 'travesty of justice'.

'If the court can scrutinise each case of anti-Sikh riots which happened 33 years ago and order re-opening of the closed ones, why can they not order a probe into the killings of Kashmiri Pandits which took place 27 years ago?' asked Vikas Padora, the counsel for Roots in Kashmir.

When Padora had argued before the bench that not a single FIR out of 215 registered cases was investigated by the State of Jammu & Kashmir, and the Union government too failed to take any measures to ensure justice to the families of victims or punish 'terrorists like Yasin Malik', the counsel was snubbed by the CJI for making a political speech.

Protestors belonging to the Kashmiri Pandit group 'Roots in Kashmir' participate in a silent protest on 'World Refugee Day' at Jantar Mantar

The CJI asked him: 'Where were you till now? Why are you coming to court now? Are you making a drama here? Are you making a political speech and saying all this for making headlines in the media?'

Padora told Mail Today: 'By saying that no evidence is available now, the court is giving liberty to police officers and authorities not to investigate at all. It is the duty of the police to say there is no evidence and file a closure report, and not of the court.'

On July 24, a bench of CJI J S Khehar (pictured) dismissed 'for the simple reason that the instances referred to in it pertain to 1989-90, and more than 27 years have passed'

Leaders of the Kashmiri Pandits said they will soon be filing a review petition against the dismissal of their application.

Amit Raina of Roots in Kashmir said: 'All the accused and witnesses are still alive and probably most of the investigation officers are also alive.

The FIRs have not been closed and the cases are open in the judicial system itself. In the anti-Sikh killings even today they have not been able to identify the main accused.

'In the killings of Kashmiri Pandits, the accused have been identified. There are recorded statements of some accused admitting their involvement also.'

In the anti-Sikh riots case, the SC appointed a supervisory body of two former judges to scrutinise the SIT decision to close 199 cases in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots matter.

The bench led by Justice Dipak Misra also asked the panel to also examine the SIT's decision to close additional 42 riot-related cases.

Kashmiri Hindus, called also Pandits, shout slogans against the state and central governments to halt terror in the strife-torn valley

Kashmiri Pandits sing during an annual Hindu festival at the shrine at Khirbhawani, some 30 kms east of Srinagar

Kashmiri Pandits, the 'invisible refugees'

The top court has directed the supervisory body to examine the issue and submit a report within three months. Noting that the SC should have also taken cognisance of the killing of Kashmri Pandits just like the anti-Sikh riots, B L Wali a lawyer belonging to Kashmir said, 'There cannot be a differential treatment in cases of killings. It should be dealt on the same footing.'

Roots in Kashmir leaders said the entire community has suffered from the forced exodus and grave injustice would be caused if the justice done to the relatives of victims.

'A large number of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley and could not join the local investigation agency. This led to initial delay. However, neither the Centre, nor the state government, nor the judiciary has taken adequate note of it to do the needful,' Padora said, adding 215 FIRs were lodged but not a single one had been investigated.
Chief Justice JS Khehar's brusque term of eight months has come to an end. Among the least distinguished Chief Justices of India, his term must rank among the lowest.

At the sesquicentennial of the Allahabad High Court, Khehar is reported to have said that when he became a judge, his legal knowledge was only service law.

On his own candour, he was not fit to be appointed a High Court judge and should have been appointed chairman of a service tribunal.

Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar (born 28 August 1952) is the 44th and current Chief Justice of India (CJI)

As CJI, Khehar's basic depth in law was wanting. Of course, what Khehar said of himself is true of many High Court appointments.

The service judges knew little constitutional law and the bar judges were wanting in many basic areas of law.

Comparison

Compare Khehar with other CJIs. We cannot fault pre-Emergency judges. Post Emergency, we have Chandrachud, Bhagwati, Verma, Venkatachaliah, Ahmadi, Kripal, and of course, Sabarwal.

On law, Khehar ranks with the 18-day Chief Justice K.N. Singh; Balakrishnan (who at least tried, but to my knowledge had judgments written for him) and Khare (who could not dictate his orders in court).

'Thakur was a good judge but a bad CJI'

Thakur was a good judge but a bad CJI. Chief Justices are appointed on the seniority principle with long term political intrigue or mindlessness.

A proper system of appointing CJIs and, at least Supreme Court judges does not exist.

Khehar wrote notable judgments in the NJAC and Arunachal cases, which are of poor quality.

His orthodox view of what constitutes a Sikh, is shallow. Some 'weak' Chief Justices made it a point to educate themselves.

Not so Khehar who seemed too arrogant to want to learn. When he tried to defend Chandrachud's highway-liquor vend judgement, he was at his obstinate best, knowing very well that he had to backtrack.

On the contrary, Justice Krishna Iyer reminded the judiciary that the hall mark of a judge is to accept when he is wrong.

Redefining roles

Khehar redefined the role of a Chief Justice. His predecessors with comparable tenures tidied up specific areas.

Lodha brought in 3 advocates as judges, of which one is a disaster. But this brought balance to Supreme Court appointments.

Dattu showed admirable skill on the service conditions of Supreme Court employees, and enlarging the new premises for the registry expeditiously.

Khehar self description was imperial. He collapsed eight courts into four to give more space for courts in the East wing. The architectural result is a total disaster.

Khehar redefined the role of a Chief Justice. His predecessors with comparable tenures tidied up specific areas

SCBA President Suri says he was barely consulted. It was all done during the vacation. Khehar genuinely believed that as CJI he had the power to do what he wanted.

He then felt that the Supreme Court's vacation should be curtailed, overlooking the intensity of the court's work.

One reason for this, it seems to me, is that unlike others he was not very laborious in prereading his briefs but pontificating as if he had.

In this vacation, he heard the triple talaq case (which should never have been heard then) but had to abandon the What's up and Migrants case. Why these cases?

Was this his agenda or the governments? Or did they just coincide. Post vacation, he embarked on an emergency hearing on the constitutional status of privacy  genuinely believing that with nudging and bullying, the matter could be concluded in one day!

The bar rose to the challenge to educate the 9 judge bench, amongst whom only two (possibly three) were familiar with the intricacies of the subject. Why did he do this? On a whim is the best explanation.

This was like Lahoti (displaying Hindu orthodoxy) setting up the cow-slaughter bench a few days before retirement.

This is quite different from Bharucha giving priority to Constitution (five-judge) benches. So what is missing in all this? The Chief Justiceship is of India is not a sultanate even though at least one CJI thought it was; and told me proudly.

'I don't have to consult my colleagues' The CJI as sultanate idea will ruin the Supreme Court. Imagine how skilfully S.R. Das and Venkatachaliah handled the colleagues with respect and consultation.

From Ahmadi to Khehar there have been many sultanates. Khehar's is the most peremptory seeking publicity to display his power. This brings us to judicial appointments.

In the NJAC cases, Khehar had blundered over the Memorandum of Procedure (MOP) to be followed. This gave the government leverage and tearfully paralyzed Thakur.

Anyhow, Khehar worked out the MOP accepting the government's veto on 'security' grounds. Since security can mean anything, the government's veto is wide. Everything is in the black box.

Justice Dipak Misra (right) will replace Justice JS Khehar as Chief Justice

Collegial chief justices

Prashant Bhushan rightly asked for the minutes on the appointment of the CBI Director to which Khehar was a part.

'No' was the answer. Now 6 SC and 91 High Court vacancies have to befilled. The problem is Chief Justices negotiate with government. They would be better of doing so collegiately after consulting all the brethren for collegial strength.

'Pow-wow' in the dark is not the answer. A controversy arose about former Arunachal CM's suicide implicating Khehar's son in a bribe scandal. Dushyant Dave was right to criticize how Khehar dealt with this instead of an administrative inquiry.

Likewise, Suri, President SCBA was right in criticizing appointment of judges sons as judges, lawyers on State panels, etc. Khehar took this personally, getting the facts wrong.

Khehar is a bad example to follow.
It looks like the BJP's Chennai Express is all set to reach New Delhi.

Tamil Nadu's nearly seven-month-long political turmoil came to a temporary end on Monday with the merger of two AIADMK factions, the impact of this could be felt in the North and South blocks of the Capital.

With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar already on-board, sources say the BJP has now managed to garner the support of the third largest party - AIADMK - in Parliament.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami (left) greeting O Panneerselvam (right) after he was sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister in the presence of Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan in Chennai

The picture of Tamil Nadu's acting Governor Vidyasagar Rao uniting the hands of O Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palanisamy after the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan says it all.

Calling each other 'anna' (elder brother), both Palanisamy and Panneerselvam described the merger as 'historic'.

With AIADMK's 12 MPs in Rajya Sabha and 38 Lok Sabha MPs, it could only mean more Bills getting passed easily.

It's the 50 AIADMK MPs, especially those in Rajya Sabha, who could strengthen the BJP.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami (right) and O Panneerselvam exchange greetings following merger of their factions in Chennai

Starting from GST to presidential polls, the BJP could wield power in Tamil Nadu which was not so easy when Jayalalithaa was the chief minister.

DMK spokesperson R Kannan said, 'Assuming that all the 50 MPs are with the merged factions, it is indeed a coup for the Centre, but having said that these MPs were always there.

All the factions were competing to get the Centre's attention which we witnessed in the presidential polls. So the question is who is the closest to the BJP.

In that race, one faction has been sidelined.' Political analysts in Tamil Nadu felt that many measures of the government had been bypassing the Rajya Sabha till now.

'The BJP in itself has a majority in either houses. With AIADMK, this will become an absolute majority,' said an analyst. Now, the BJP wouldn't need backdoor entry. After the merger of EPS and OPS camps, the Cabinet reshuffle ensured the later got the deputy chief minister's post.

He also became the convenor of the AIADMK. Immediately after the merger, Palanisamy and Panneerselvam, accompanied by leaders of both factions, paid homage at the burial site of Jayalalithaa, besides memorials of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran and Dravidian ideologue C N Annadurai.

TTV Dinakaran said, 'I don't know about the BJP's hand but RSS ideologue Gurumurhi mediated this merger.'

Sources say Gurumurthi was the architect of this merger, which has now given a foothold to the BJP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet congratulating EPS and OPS and extending support to the welfare of Tamil Nadu made it all the more clear.

Saffron raj has now spread its wings in Tamil Nadu at least for now, barring the 18 MLAs of TTV Dinakaran who have decided to submit a memorandum to the Governor and threatening to topple the government.

MLAs owing allegiance to sidelined party deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran said they would meet Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday.

On Sunday, around 10,000 fans of Rajinikanth gathered in Trichy at a public meeting, which is being seen as a trial balloon for his political plunge. They were headed by Tamilaruvi Manian, who is said to be testing waters for the superstar on his behalf.

Sources say the BJP will now aim for the 2019 elections with a merged AIADMK and Rajinikanth.

'Even if TTV pulls the plug, we will consolidate our strength and prepare for the 2019 elections.

'We also believe by then 2G verdict will be out to impact the DMK,' said a BJP leader.

Actor Rajinikanth

With rapid developments, BJP chief Amit Shah's scheduled visit to Tamil Nadu was cancelled. Kannan said, 'This is the largest Cabinet in Tamil Nadu's history. Today is the new moon day and it's a very elegant way of saying in English that there is no light.

'That is what has happened to Tamil Nadu today notwithstanding the PM's assurance that he will support the state's growth. In the hundredth year of the Dravidian movement, this is a huge blight that has befallen the state.'

Well, considering that the BJP - which has less than two per cent vote share in Tamil Nadu - seems to have set the stage for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which could bring the two leaves and the lotus together, giving a tough fight to the DMK.
China defended its ally Pakistan on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said the United States could no longer be silent about Pakistan's 'safe havens' for militants and warned it had much to lose by continuing to 'harbour terrorists'.

Trump on Monday committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signalling he would dispatch more troops to America's longest war and vowing 'a fight to win'.

Trump insisted that others - the Afghan government, Pakistan, India and NATO allies - step up their own commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict, but he saved his sharpest words for Pakistan.

After a strategy review finalized with top advisors at Camp David, Trump revealed what he called a 'path forward' and a 'dramatically' different approach

Senior US officials warned security assistance for Pakistan could be reduced unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperated more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil.

Critics say Pakistan sees militants such as the Taliban as useful tools to limit the influence of old rival India. Pakistan denies allowing militants refuge on its territory, saying it takes action against all groups.

Asked about Trump's speech, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Pakistan was on the front line in the struggle against terrorism and had made 'great sacrifices' and 'important contributions' in the fight.

'We believe that the international community should fully recognise Pakistan's anti-terrorism,' she told a daily news briefing.

'We are happy to see Pakistan and the United States carry out anti-terror cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, and work together for security and stability in the region and world.'

'Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win,' the president told soldiers at Fort Myer outside Washington

An Afghan woman reads a local newspaper with a photo of Trump on the front page, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

China and Pakistan consider each other 'all-weather friends' and have close diplomatic, economic and security ties.

China has its own security concerns in the region, in particular any links between militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Islamist groups China blames for violence in its far western region of Xinjiang.

'We hope the relevant U.S. policies can help promote the security, stability and development of Afghanistan and the region,' Hua said.

Pakistan 'shocked' at Trump's Afghan policy

By Kaswar Klasra in Islamabad

US President Donald Trump's much awaited Afghanistan policy has sent shock waves through Pakistan.

Trump asserted that Pakistan continues to be a safe haven for terrorist organisations that the US Army has long been fighting in Afghanistan.

Just as India blames Pakistan for indigenous Kashmiri uprisings when these are a result of its own failed policy of military repression in India-held Kashmir, the US again blames Pakistan for its deeply flawed and failed Afghan policy stretching over a decade Imran Khan

'Pakistan continues to house terrorists we are fighting. It must change immediately,' Trump said on Monday unveiling US' new Afghanistan policy.

He added that the US has been paying Pakistan billions of dollars for its assistance in the war against terrorism and indirectly threatened it with dire consequences if it failed to cooperate.

Well informed officials in Pakistan's civilian government said the government was shocked by the way Trump spoke up against Pakistan.

'It was truly un-diplomatic language Trump spoke. Such language was never ever used by any head of state or officials in the history of Pakistan-US bilateral relationship. Pakistan is really concerned,' a senior government official told Mail Today.

US soldiers walk at the site of a Taliban suicide attack in Kandahar

On Monday, director general of Inter Services Public Relations Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said during a press briefing that Pakistan doesn't have safe havens for terrorists.

'For us Pakistan is more important than anything else. We also told American authorities that there is no terrorist network, including Haqqani, in Pakistan,' he said, adding that the foreign office will officially declare Pakistan's stance on Trump's Afghan policy soon.

Analysts and experts gave mixed response to Trump's tirade. Rahimullah Yusufzai, Pakistan-based journalist who has been covering the conflict in Pakistan and Afghanistan for long, wondered that Trump was asking Pakistan to do more at a time he wants Pakistan's arch rival India to invest in Afghanistan.

US soldiers patrol near the site of a US bombing during an operation against Islamic State

'India's greater role in Afghanistan will threaten Pakistan. In this scenario, how can Trump expect Pakistan to cooperate with America in this war?' Yusufzai questioned, adding that Pakistan will extend its cooperation in the matter, but to threaten or pressure it is not a smart move by Trump.

Imran Khan, one of main opposition leaders in Pakistan, said the US policy on Afghanistan was deeply flawed.

'Just as India blames Pakistan for indigenous Kashmiri uprisings when these are a result of its own failed policy of military repression in India-held Kashmir, the US again blames Pakistan for its deeply flawed and failed Afghan policy stretching over a decade,' Dawn quoted Imran Khan as saying.

Hours after Trump accused Pakistan of 'harbouring terrorists', US ambassador David Hale met foreign minister Khawaja Asif in Islamabad on Tuesday.

'Ambassador Hale briefed the foreign minister about President Trump's latest statement on the US policy review on South Asia and Afghanistan,' the foreign office announced in a statement.

According to the statement issued by the foreign office, the US ambassador conveyed that US secretary of state Rex Tillerson looked forward to meeting Asif in the next few days to have an in-depth discussion on the state of play in the bilateral relationship as well as the new US policy on South Asia.
The world over, China is famous for its fake products. Whatever the 'original', China is sure to come up with a cheaper, if not so satisfactory, copy.

But can this be extended to the realm of 'news'? No. Fake news, sooner than later, is revealed to be what it is. Bogus. False. This applies especially to China's standoff with India at Doklam.

For China is using its economic and military clout to take over this territory by building a road through it.

To this end, it is belting out a barrage of fake news and views. But like its substandard, counterfeit products, no one believes Chinese propaganda either.

China is famous for its fake products (pictured - Chinese men dressed as fake Mickey Mouse)

Fake news! Does the Global Times reflect Beijing's official policy?

Propaganda

If the 'Seven Deadly Sins' anti-India video put out by its inept, if overactive propaganda machinery is anything to go by, China is a racist and imperialist state, browbeating and threatening both friends and foes alike to achieve its ends.

Who would want to endorse or imitate it? No wonder, few Chinese cultural products or trends have gained worldwide currency.

If Chinese food is an exception it is precisely because it is not politicised or ideologised. The state doesn't interfere in it; that is why it succeeds.

Why has China's soft power failed miserably? The answer is simple: it usually manifests in the ugliest fashion. Like pulling out hundreds of unflattering articles from the Cambridge University Press published China Quarterly.

Given our eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with China over Doklam, is it any surprise that Chinese state-controlled media outlets have been spreading disinformation abroad as also creating an anti-India climate within China?

Local men wear Mickey mouse mascot costumes and strolling on the beach to try and attract the attention of tourists

The ongoing stand-off between India and China at the Doklam plateau was triggered by a Chinese manoeuvre on the night of June 8

Global Times in particular, which is under the control of People's Daily, is the main culprit. A recent example is a story called 'A slap in the face! Bhutan acknowledges that Doklam is a Chinese area.'

First appearing on the mobile version of the People's Daily, the article is based on misreporting and mistranslating a PTI newsfeed.

The only one, it turns out, who made the assertion in the headline was a Chinese official. Naturally! But this fact was conveniently omitted by Chinese media. Naturally!

The article was republished by the Global Times, again state-run and known for its hardline stance. If China is a great power, why doesn't it behave like one? This is a question on every observer's mind when they see the contradictory rhetoric emerging from Beijing.

Think about the North Korean crisis. There's Donald Trump on one side, threatening 'fire and fury' on the 'rogue' Pyongyang regime.

And there's North Korea on the other side, formed in 1948, when the Korean peninsula was partitioned on the 38th parallel. North Korea had overrun the South; Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), the commander of the Allied force, which forced Japan's surrender in World War II, then led the UN forces to push back the Communist invaders.

An artificial boundary and demilitarised zone, totally sealed, complete with barbed wire fences armed forced massed on both side prevails.

The Global Times is a popular news source in China's state-controlled media

Totalitarian

The 'great leader', Kim Il-sung, ruled North Korea with an iron fist from 1948 till 1994, followed by his son, Kim Jong-il. Now the latter's son, 'Supreme Leader' Marshal Kim Jong-un runs this sad, some would add starving, country.

No doubt, it is a totalitarian regime, propped up by China. If China didn't give it oil and food, it would fold in a few weeks.

China benefits by a proxy state training its guns on its biggest rival, the United States. North Korea is now a nuclear state. When it threatens to target Guam, a US territory, it is akin to China saying, 'We can get you, America!' What is more, the subtle subtext says, 'We are not responsible; North Korea is.'

The standoff near the Doklam plateau at the trijunction between India, Bhutan and China is now in its second month (file pic)

How convenient.

Closer to home, China has border disputes with most of its 'neighbours' - Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, and of course, Taiwan.

China is a great civilisation. Supremely pragmatic, the Chinese have survived the worst odds to become the world's most populous country, soon the biggest economy too. We respect that. But China must live up to its own ideals if it is to win universal regard.

Subservience

What are these? Respect, discipline, and hard work, instead of domination, bullying, bad behaviour. All over the world, China is increasingly unpopular.

It is perceived as selfish and brutish, pushing its own interests over those of its client and allied states.

This defies the traditional wisdom according to both Confucian and Daoist principles, let alone Buddhism. If China does not adhere to the dharma of a great power, how can it hope to earn respect and credibility?

The world over, China is famous for its fake products. Whatever the 'original', China is sure to come up with a cheaper, if not so satisfactory, copy

Xi said the Chinese military had the capabilities to 'preserve national sovereignty, security and interests'

China and India should be the best of friends, being the world's oldest surviving civilisations. Why can't they live up to this ideal? It is because of one simple reason. China does not hold India in hight esteem.

It wants to intimidate us into submission and subservience. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this will prove impossible.

Once China accepts India's 'peaceful rise', a different equation between the two powers will become possible. It is in China's best interests to maintain friendly and peaceful relations with India.

President Xi Jinping must overrule his hawks who want to teach India a lesson. If China wants to play the elder statesman, preaching moderation and rationality on the US-North Korea front, it cannot very well behave like a blundering tyrant in its standoff at Doklam.

Be consistent, Big Brother - that's what I would say to China. Let both sides withdraw from the conflict zone.
As the Supreme Court finally struck down triple talaq as unconstitutional, questions have now turned to what comes next on the agenda of the saffron government.

BJP has finally delivered on one of the many contentious articles from its agenda list that have since long been labelled 'communal' and 'anti-Muslim'.

The next logical step seems to be a move towards the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and BJP's election manifesto over the past several general elections has promised to legislate on it.

ndia's Supreme Court ruled the Islamic divorce tradition was 'unconstitutional'

Farha Faiz, a Supreme Court lawyer, speaks to media after the apex court declared 'triple talaq', a Muslim practice that allows men to instantly divorce their wives, unconstitutional in its verdict, in New Delhi, India

Moreover, the right-wing BJP seems to have carved out a separate and exclusive vote-bank in so far as a large section of women from the minority community are very happy at the SC ruling.

How effective this section could be in an election was recently seen at the UP polls when just the promise of dealing with triple talaq delivered a large number of Muslim women's votes for the BJP.

The 2014 manifesto said the BJP believed that 'there cannot be gender equality till such time India adopts a Uniform Civil Code.'

'In 2009, the party document had reiterated the same. The 2004 vision document had said that the BJP views Uniform Civil Code primarily as an instrument to promote gender justice.'

'This is, perhaps, not the sole shot of the judiciary at history. Such issues as the ongoing challenge to Article 35A which promises to take away the special privileges granted to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and the Ayodhya Ram temple issue are also pending before the Supreme Court and about to be heard in the near future,' said a senior RSS functionary.

VHP not just demanded that the government enacted a law against the practice, it went further to ask for a legislation to ban more than two children. Its international working president Pravin Togadia said, 'The government should enact a law against triple talaq to ensure justice to Muslim women and to the nation's tax payers.'

Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, 'We should not adopt a rigid attitude, but choose a reformist approach towards social evil.'

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, said AIMPLB should have acted in a way to avoid the matter reaching SC.

Congress welcomed the verdict, with its spokesperson Randeep Surjewala saying, SC quashed the practice, which by itself was an aberration and adulteration of talaq.

V-P Rahul Gandhi tweeted: 'Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant Triple Talaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice.'
United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. FANGYONG ZHANG, Petitioner, v. JEFFERSON B. SESSIONS, III, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL, Respondent. 16-2182 Decided: August 21, 2017

PRESENT: ROBERT A. KATZMANN, Chief Judge, JON O. NEWMAN, RICHARD C. WESLEY, Circuit Judges. FOR PETITIONER: Zhen Liang Li, New York, NY. FOR RESPONDENT: Chad A. Readler, Acting Assistant Attorney General; Linda S. Wernery, Assistant Director; William C. Minick, Trial Attorney, Office of Immigration Litigation, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

UPON DUE CONSIDERATION of this petition for review of a Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision, it is hereby ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the petition for review is GRANTED, and the case is REMANDED for further proceedings consistent with this Order.

Petitioner Fangyong Zhang, a native and citizen of China, seeks review of a May 26, 2016, decision of the BIA affirming a January 7, 2016, decision of an Immigration Judge (IJ) denying Zhang's application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). In re Fangyong Zhang, No. A206 333 845 (B.I.A. May 26, 2016), aff'g No. A206 333 845 (Immig. Ct. N.Y. City Jan. 7, 2016). We assume the parties' familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history in this case.

Under the circumstances of this case, we have reviewed both the IJ's and the BIA's decisions for the sake of completeness. Wangchuck v. Dep't of Homeland Sec., 448 F.3d 524, 528 (2d Cir. 2006). The applicable standards of review are well established. See 8 U.S.C.  1252(b)(4)(B); Xiu Xia Lin v. Mukasey, 534 F.3d 162, 165-66 (2d Cir. 2008).

The governing REAL ID Act credibility standard provides that the agency must [c]onsider[ ] the totality of the circumstances, and may base a credibility finding on an applicant's demeanor, candor, or responsiveness, the plausibility of her account, and inconsistencies in her or her witness's statements, without regard to whether they go to the heart of the applicant's claim. 8 U.S.C.  1158(b)(1)(B)(iii); Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 163-64. We defer  to an IJ's credibility determination unless  it is plain that no reasonable fact-finder could make such an adverse credibility ruling. Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 167.

In this case Zhang based her asylum claim on two forced abortions performed in China. She testified, as the IJ recounted, that as a result of a poorly-performed abortion she developed uterine fibroids, which necessitated a hysterectomy. Certified Administrative Record (CAR) 46. The IJ determined that she was not credible, and the BIA upheld this finding.

We conclude that there are ambiguities in the record that preclude a fair opportunity for even the deferential review we are obliged to perform. See Poradisova v. Gonzales, 420 F.3d 70, 77 (2d Cir. 2005) ([M]inimum level of analysis required if judicial review is to be meaningful.). First, the IJ relied on what she deemed an inconsistency between Zhang's testimony on cross-examination and redirect. On cross, she was asked whether she had to go for regular checkups in China to make sure she was not pregnant, and she answered, No. CAR 88. On redirect, her lawyer asked, We know that you did not go to the gynecological checkups, but were you required to attend any in the period between 2001 and 2005? Zhang answered, Yes, but I didn't go. Id. 92-93.

That apparent inconsistency precipitated the following colloquy:

IJ: Ma'am, why is it that you told the trial attorney that you were not required to have gynecological checkups yet you just told your attorney that you were[?]

Ms. Zhang to Judge: In the village it's very complicated. Sometimes I go. Sometimes I don't go. And they call me on the phone, because too many people.

Judge to Ms. Zhang: What I'm asking is why did you give two different answers to the same question?

Ms. Zhang to Judge: Yes, there were regular checkups, but I didn't go.

The matter was not further pursued, either by the IJ or counsel.

On this record, it is unclear whether Zhang was saying that she was required to have checkups and that she was not required to have them, or was saying and endeavoring to explain that her two answers meant that she was required to have checkups but did not go to have them. The ambiguity could and should have been readily cleared up.

Second, the IJ said that Zhang, in her asylum application, did not write anything about her husband leaving her because of [her] surgery, although she testified that the husband left her because she could not have any more children. The IJ deemed the omission about why the husband left significant because she should have been able to make the same statements [about the husband leaving] in a written format. Id. 47. It is not clear whether the IJ thought that not stating why the husband left raised a doubt as to whether the hysterectomy had in fact been performed. Yet Zhang produced a document on the letterhead of a California physician stating that the above named patient [Zhang] had her uterus removed (hysterectomy). Id. 111.

Third, it is not clear whether the IJ doubted the authenticity of the doctor's document. The IJ characterized the document as a form letter, id. 47, when it is in fact a blank form with the line for a description of the medical procedure performed filled in by the physician. The document lists a phone number for any questions. The IJ concluded that the document provides very minimal support for [Zhang's] claim, id., leaving it unclear whether the IJ was doubting the hysterectomy or the abortions. And the IJ left it unclear why the physician's document provided minimal support.

Under all the circumstances, the appropriate course is to remand to the BIA for a remand to the IJ so that the ambiguities we have identified can be clarified with a renewed questioning of Ms. Zhang.

For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is GRANTED, and the case is REMANDED for further proceedings consistent with this Order.

FOR THE COURT:

Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk
Eric Daniels was in charge of Lloyds from 2003 to 2011

The shamed former Lloyds boss who led a disastrous takeover of rival HBOS is demanding 500,000 in unpaid bonuses.

Eric Daniels was in charge of the lender from 2003 to 2011, presiding over the 12 billion acquisition of its tainted competitor during the financial crisis.

That decision almost destroyed Lloyds and forced it into a humiliating 20.5 billion bailout.

Daniels, 66, was also in charge at the height of the PPI mis-selling scandal, a disaster which has cost the bank 18.1 billion.

He and other executives have already had millions of pounds of bonuses taken away from them because of the debacle.

But now Daniels and former wholesale banking head Truett Tate are reportedly challenging a decision not to pay them part of a bonus due in 2012  the year after the former chief executive left.

They are said to have filed High Court claims against Lloyds this month, with Daniels reportedly demanding around 500,000.

The banker left with a 5 million pension pot and has remained prominent in City circles, dispensing advice to top clients and serving as a non-executive director at online lender Funding Circle.

He has also been working for Mayfair investment bank Stormharbour and private equity giant CVC Capital Partners.

Critics slammed Daniels last night, accusing him of ignoring the damage he had caused to taxpayers, trust in banking and the wider economy.

Led to breaking point: Daniels, 66, was also in charge at Lloyds during the height of the PPI mis-selling scandal, a disaster which has cost the bank 18.1 billion

Labour MP John Mann said: Eric Daniels was rightly criticised by the [Treasury Select] committee back in 2010 but still left with a massive pension pot.

To try and claw back even more money adds insult to injury.

It is not known how much cash is being sought be Tate, who quit Lloyds a year after Daniels did and joined Australian finance firm ANZ.

A Lloyds spokesman said: As this matter is a live legal issue, it would be inappropriate to comment.

Daniels could not be reached for comment.
A Democrat running to become America's first black female governor wants to demolish the 'Confederate Mount Rushmore' in Atlanta, over its links to the KKK and white nationalism.

Stacey Abrams, who is a leading Democrat candidate to run for Georgia's governor wrote to supporters following the Charlottesville violence outlining her plan.

She said the images of Confederate President Jefferson Davis alongside Generals Robert E Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson 'like Confederate monuments across this state, stand as constant reminders of racism, intolerance and division'.

Stacey Abrams, who is running to become the first black female governor in Georgia has called for the demolition of a carving showing, from left, Jefferson Davis, president of the confederate states and Generals Robert E Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson

The calls for the monument's demolition are being led by Democrat Stacey Abrams who aims to become the first black woman to become governor in the US by running in Georgia

The trio were carved into Stone Mountain in Georgia on a rocky granite outcrop describes as the 'Mount Rushmore of the Confederacy'.

The monument measures 90 feet, by 190 feet.

The park, east of Atlanta, has been the site of violent clashes in the past as the KKK were confronted by anti-fascist activists.

Abrams called for the carving to be removed from the park which is the centerpiece of one of Georgia's biggest tourist destinations.

The artwork was commissioned following a request by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1915, although a shortage of funding delayed the project's completion until 1972.

Yet, on Thanksgiving night in 1915 the KKK held their annual cross burning for the first time on top of Stone Mountain.

Georgia Historical Society historian Stan Deaton said it's significant that the monument was begun as the KKK was reborn and completed following the civil rights movement and desegregation. He said many Southern politicians still chafed at changes imposed by what they considered an intrusive federal government.

Deaton said: 'As a segregated society is coming to an end, we're going to forever enshrine these three Confederate heroes on the front of this mountain as a kind of perpetual middle finger, if you will, to the federal government.'

There has been widespread revulsion across the United States following the march in Charlottesville, attended by Fields, second left, who is facing second degree murder charges

The Stone Mountain memorial was first mooted in 1915 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, but due to funding problems it was not completed until 1972

The location was the site of an annual Ku Klux Klan cross burning, pictured here in 1948

Confederate flag supporters claim the anti-fascist protesters are trying to deny their heritage

The Sacred Knights of the Ku Klux Klan applied last May for a permit to hold a 'lighting ceremony' on top of the mountain on October 21 to commemorate the 1915 burning.

In a letter last week denying the permit, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association cited a disruptive 2016 clash between a white nationalist group and opponents at the park.

The association 'condemns the beliefs and actions of the Ku Klux Klan' and believes denying the permit 'is in the best interest of all parties and is the appropriate course of action,' it said in a statement.

John Purpera, who's white, stopped last week at Stone Mountain with his wife and son while driving from their home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, to St. Louis to see the solar eclipse. Originally from Louisiana, he opposes the removal of Confederate statues.

John Purpera, who is originally from Louisiana and but living in Florida is uncompromising in his view about the monument. He said: 'The people that want it removed should be shot'

He said: 'The people that want it removed should be shot. It's part of history, and you shouldn't just delete parts of history you don't like.'

Even if Abrams wins the nomination and beats the odds next year to become governor of this red state, it's unlikely she would be able to get the carving removed. State law says it 'shall never be altered, removed, concealed or obscured in any fashion and shall be preserved and protected for all time as a tribute to the bravery and heroism of the citizens of this state who suffered and died in their cause.'

That language was part of a compromise in a 2001 law that changed the state flag from one that included the Confederate battle flag.

It would be extremely difficult to muster enough support in the Georgia General Assembly to change the law, University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said.

'That's going to be a lot harder than pulling down a statue,' he quipped.

Abrams made her call after a white nationalist was accused of murder having plowed into protesters demonstrating against fascism in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12
More than 80,000 has been raised for the family of a 'much-loved' seven-year-old boy killed in the Barcelona terror attack.

Julian Cadman, a dual British-Australian national, became separated from his mother in the massacre on Las Ramblas that left 13 dead and at least 120 injured.

His Filipina mother, known as Jom, was badly injured in the rampage and remains in hospital.

Tragic: Julian Cadman, a seven-year-old dual British-Australian national, was one of 13 people killed in the massacre on Las Ramblas

The GoFundMe page, with a goal of one million US dollars (776,564), was created on Sunday with money from supporters rolling in minute-after-minute.

In 15 hours, hundreds of well-wishers had given a total of 80,000.

Donator Aileen Mountifield posted: 'I am so sad for this family. I cannot imagine the pain and grief they are going through right now.'

Established by a man called Scott Bowman, the page says: 'Andrew, Jom and Julian are a normal Aussie family whose lives have been devastated by the recent tragedy in Barcelona.

A GoFundMe page set up in Julian's memory has already reached 80,000. It has a goal of one million US dollars (776,564)

Julian, pictured here with his father Andrew, a 42-year-old cabinet maker, as born in Kent but moved to Sydney three years ago

'As you can imagine, there will be ongoing medical costs to get Jom back to full health.

'We are asking for any contribution for those that may wish to help. This will assist with additional medical and funeral costs for the family. We thank you greatly for any support you may offer.'

After his death, a family statement said: 'Julian was a much-loved and adored member of our family. As he was enjoying the sights of Barcelona with his mother, Julian was sadly taken from us.

'He was so energetic, funny and cheeky, always bringing a smile to our faces. We are so blessed to have had him in our lives and will remember his smiles and hold his memory dear to our hearts.'

An official page for Barcelona attack victims vetted by GoFundMe can be found at www.gofundme.com/raise-funds/help-barcelona
US House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he will not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments, even though he believes Trump 'messed up' by saying 'both sides' were to blame for violence in Charlottesville, Virginia and that there were 'very fine people' among those marching to protect Confederate statues.

Ryan's remarks came at a town hall in Racine, Wisconsin, his home district, in response to a question from Rabbi Dena Feingold, the sister of former Democratic Senator Russ Feingold.

Ryan said censuring Trump would be 'counterproductive'.

'If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-fest, into some bickering against each other and demean it down into some political food fight, what good does that do to unify this country?' Ryan said, adding that it would be the 'worst thing we could do.'

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US House Speaker Paul Ryan is seen at a Monday town hall. He said he will not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments about Charlottesville

While Ryan said he wouldn't support censuring Trump, he gave his sharpest criticism to date of the president's comments in the wake of the rally where a woman protesting against the white supremacists was killed by a man identified as a neo-Nazi supporter.

Ryan had previously spoken out against the violence, both on Twitter and in a statement earlier Monday, but he hadn't previously addressed Trump's comments directly.

'I do believe that he messed up in his comments on Tuesday when it sounded like a moral equivocation or at the very least moral ambiguity when we need extreme moral clarity,' Ryan said of Trump.

'You're not a good person if you're there, it's so very clear,' he said of the rally to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee.

Masked antifa (right) are seen clashing with white nationalists (left) in Charlottesville. Ryan said that Trump 'messed up' by blaming violence there on both sides

Trump is seen returning to the White House on Sunday after a 17-day working vacation. Ryan criticized the president's remarks but said he would not censure Trump

The Ryan town hall began 30 minutes later than originally planned to accommodate Trump's nationwide address where he outlined a new strategy for troops in Afghanistan.

Trump vowed to keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan, despite his earlier inclination to withdraw.

Ryan said he was 'pleased' with what he heard from Trump and that it represented a more comprehensive strategy than what had been in place under former President Barack Obama.

Ryan said he was also glad that Trump is moving away from having a timetable for withdrawing from Afghanistan and wants to prevent creating a safe haven for terrorists.

'We can't afford to allow that to happen again,' Ryan said.

CNN extended invitations to people from Ryan's district and selected the questions that were asked.

That has led to criticism from Democrats who say the Republican Ryan has been hiding from Wisconsin voters since he hasn't held a town hall open to everyone since October 2015.

Ryan has held numerous events in Wisconsin, but he's only taken questions from the public in controlled environments such as private businesses.

Ryan, pictured in a file photo from July, says the nation's leaders 'have an obligation' to steer the country past 'the passions of the moment'

'Hopefully the media event that occurred tonight will convince Paul Ryan that talking to his constituents is a good idea,' said US Rep. Mark Pocan, a Democrat representing a south-central Wisconsin congressional district that's next to Ryan's.

'In the remaining weeks when Paul is home, he might want to schedule a real town hall or two and explain his health care bill that drops tens of millions of people's coverage, as well as discuss his tax preferences that would give the top 1 percent more tax breaks while working Americans continue to struggle.'

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the town hall, including Ryan's Democratic opponent Randy Bryce, who said he sought a ticket to attend but was denied.

The Ryan town hall event was in Racine, near where global electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group has said it plans to build a factory that could employ thousands.

Ryan helped in negotiations with the Taiwanese company and has joined with Trump and others in touting the news as transformational for Wisconsin's economy.

Ryan defended the $3 billion tax incentive package working its way through the Wisconsin Legislature for Foxconn, citing the potential jobs and $10 billion in economic investment by the company, calling it an 'exceptional deal.'
Bill Cosby has hired Michael Jackson's former lawyer to represent him at his November retrial on sexual-assault charges in Pennsylvania.

Cosby's spokesman announced Monday the 80-year-old comedian is bringing in Tom Mesereau to lead a retooled defense team.

Lawyers from the first trial in June had said they wanted off the case.

Mesereau won an acquittal in Jackson's 2005 child molestation trial. He also has represented boxer Mike Tyson, rap mogul Marion 'Suge' Knight and a Playboy bunny.

Bill Cosby has hired Michael Jackson's former lawyer to represent him at his November retrial on sexual-assault charges in Pennsylvania

Mesereau will be joined by former federal prosecutor Kathleen Bliss and Sam Silver, who represented now-imprisoned former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah in a corruption case.

Cosby's first trial on charges he drugged and molested a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004 ended in a hung jury.

Cosby was long beloved by U.S. television audiences for his family-friendly style of comedy, before dozens of women came forward to accuse him of a series of sexual assaults dating back to the 1960s.

He is due to be retried beginning November 6 on charges of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former administrator at his alma mater Temple University, at his Philadelphia-area home in 2004.

Cosby's spokesman announced Monday the 80-year-old comedian is bringing in Tom Mesereau (pictured) to lead a retooled defense team

Cosby denies wrongdoing, saying any sexual contact he may have had with his accusers was consensual.

The jurors who heard Cosby's first trial in the Constand case were unable to reach a verdict and Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven O'Neill declared a mistrial in May after 52 hours of deliberations that often stretched late into the night.

Cosby is due in court Tuesday for a hearing on changes to his legal representation after both his lawyers from the original trial, Brian McMonagle and Angela Agrusa, withdrew.

He is due to be retried beginning November 6 on charges of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand (pictured), a former administrator at his alma mater Temple University, at his Philadelphia-area home in 2004

Each has declined to give reasons for withdrawing, but toward the end of the trial they appeared at odds with Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt, who would deliver impromptu news conferences outside the courthouse without McMonagle's knowledge.

At one point during jury deliberations, the judge expressed annoyance that Wyatt had told reporters the time had come to declare a mistrial, prompting McMonagle to make it clear that Wyatt did not speak for the legal team.

While dozens of women have accused Cosby of assaulting them, sometimes after plying them with drugs and alcohol, all but one of the alleged incidents was too old to be the subject of criminal prosecution.

He was charged in the Constand case in December 2015, just days before the statute of limitations was to run out on her claim.
Two married couples have been shot dead while playing cards in North Carolina during a home invasion.

Halifax County Sheriff's Office is offering a $6,000 reward after the couples were found dead by shocked relative in the Glenview community, just of Interstate 95 north of Rocky Mount.

Police believe the couple were murdered sometime between Sunday and Monday.

The two couples were found dead in a house following a home invasion in Halifax County

Officers are appealing for information in connection with the quadruple murder

Sheriff Wes Tripp of Halifax County, North Carolina said the quadruple homicide is the first he has ever had to deal with during his career of more than 30 years in law enforcement

Sheriff Wes Tripp confirmed there were no signs of a struggle. He said both couples had been identified but their names were not being officially released at this stage.

One of the couples lived in the home while the second were visiting.

The sheriff confirmed two of those who had been murdered were close friends of his.

He told ABC 11: 'I knew two of these people personally. In my 33 years of law enforcement, this is my first quadruple murder.

'We do have indications a robbery did take place. We will not be releasing the names of the victims at this time; however, all family members have been notified.

'All four victims were members of this community and well-known, and well thought of. You put your emotions aside and you work the case.'

Halifax County Sheriff's Office have offered a $6,000 reward for information on the killers who murdered the two couples at a house in the Glenview area between Sunday and Monday

As of yet, investigators have not received any information about a possible suspect and are appealing to the public for information.

They have also offered a $6,000 reward.

Sheriff Tripp urged anyone with information on the case to call Crime Stoppers at (252) 583-8201.
Honored guests: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (left) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (right) outside the main door to the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox on Monday

Inside the famed vaults at Fort Knox, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell held a 27-pound gold bar in his hands Monday as part of the first civilian delegation to see most of the country's bullion reserves in more than 40 years.

McConnell was part of a delegation of Kentucky politicians allowed inside the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox for the first time since 1974.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin initiated the visit, along with U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie and Gov. Matt Bevin.

And being surrounded by more than $186 billion worth of gold was no sweat for one of the country's most powerful politicians

'It's not even the annual funding level for some of our large departments in the federal government,' he said.

The depository holds more than 147 million ounces of gold, which puts its market value at more than $186 billion.

Built in 1936, security access for the facility make it difficult to get access.

While primarily known as a vault for gold, the depository also held the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution during World War II.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Kentucky politicians went to the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox for the first time since 1974

Reassurance: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin tweeted out thanks to the US Mint and confirmed that the gold is all safe. He also mentioned that despite this being the first visit by a group of politicians and journalists to Fort Knox since 1974 - he was the first serving Treasury Secretary to visit since 1948

And the vault has also been a setting place for several movies, the most famous being the 1964 James Bond film, Goldfinger when the titular character foiled a plot to contaminate the bullion.

Day trip: Steve Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton touched down in Kentucky earlier on Monday prior to the Treasury Secretary's tour of Fort Knox

Mnuchin said it was the first time Fort Knox opened its vaults to outsiders since a Congressional delegation and some journalists were let in to view the gold for the first time in 1974.

It was also the first visit by a serving US Treasury Secretary since 1948.

McConnell said he had never thought about visiting Fort Knox before, but jumped at the chance when Mnuchin offered to take him.

'It just kind of came up as a result of a casual conversation,' McConnell said.

A movie producer before becoming treasury secretary, Mnuchin told a group of Louisville business leaders earlier in the day it was important for him to see the gold to attest that 'it is part of our national assets.'

'I assume the gold is still there,' he said. 'It would really be quite a movie if we walked in and there was no gold.'

Last time: This picture dates from 1974 - the last time civilians were allowed inside - and shows Mrs. Mary Brooks, Director of the Mint surrounded by gold in one of Fort Knox's vaults

While primarily known as a vault for gold, the depository also held the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution during World War II

In an interview, McConnell said he could not say much about the visit for security reasons. But Bevin, speaking on WHAS radio, divulged a few more details.

He said it took 'quite a bit of time' to get in and out of the facility, and said officials had to cut a seal to open the vault for them.

And the vault has also been a setting place for several movies, the most famous being the 1964 James Bond film, Goldfinger when the titular character foiled a plot to contaminate the bullion

Mnuchin said it was the first time Fort Knox opened its vaults to outsiders since a Congressional delegation and some journalists were let in to view the gold for the first time in 1974

In addition to the gold bricks, Bevin said he got to hold a 1933 double eagle, a $20 gold coin that was never circulated.

Bevin, who said he collected coins as a child, compared it to 'seeing a leprechaun on a unicorn.'

'All I will say is that it is freakishly well secured,' he said. 'The gold is safe.'
Some graduates of Liberty University say they're returning their diplomas to the evangelical school to denounce President Jerry Falwell Jr's latest show of support for Donald Trump.

Falwell dismissed the protest on Monday, telling The Associated Press that it's 'all just grandstanding.'

The students organized the effort after Falwell, in tweets and interviews, defended the president's response to a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to deadly violence.

Democrats and Republicans, business executives, artists and other religious leaders have criticized Trump for saying 'both sides' share blame, but Falwell has repeatedly gone to bat for Trump.

Jerry Falwell Jr was on 'Fox & Friends' at 8:15 a.m. on Monday, insisting Donald Trump 'doesn't have a racist bone in his body'

Trump thanked Falwell publicly on Twitter barely an hour later

'President Donald Trump does not have a racist bone in his body. I know him well. He loves all people,' Falwell said Monday in an interview with 'Fox & Friends.'

He said the president had made 'very clear' who the culprits were because he called out 'the Nazis, the white supremacists, the KKK members by name.'

Georgia Hamann, a 2006 Liberty graduate who works as an attorney in Phoenix, said a friend of hers started the movement.

A Facebook group had more than 300 members as of Monday afternoon, and Hamann thinks it will grow.

'Our hope is that the moderate alumni of the school, folks who are moderate Republicans ... will call on the school to manage this situation better, to rebuke Mr. Falwell for his apparent inability to distinguish between what's politically incorrect, as he puts it, and what's morally correct,' Hamann said.

Falwell said the president had made 'very clear' who the culprits were because he called out 'the Nazis, the white supremacists, the KKK members by name.' Trump is seen standing with Falwell in Lynchburg, Virginia on May 13, 2017

Rebekah Tilley, a 2002 graduate who lives in Ohio, said returning the diplomas seemed like the only appropriate step after Falwell joined David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, in applauding the president's comments.

'I've been talking to other friends from Liberty who feel there is no other way to express our outrage and our sorrow,' Tilley said.

'One is a military spouse - a home-school mom with four kids in Oklahoma - who texted me that she just dug her diploma out of a box to mail it back,' she wrote in an email.

Falwell, meanwhile, said the graduates were just looking for their 'five minutes of fame.'

Sending in a diploma doesn't change where they earned it, he added.

'When they do their next resume, my guess is they'll list it,' he said.

Liberty, about an hour southwest of Charlottesville, was founded in 1971 by Falwell's father, evangelist and Moral Majority leader the Rev. Jerry Falwell, with just 154 students.

It now has a total enrollment of more than 110,000 students, including its huge online education program.

Democrats and Republicans, business executives, artists and other religious leaders have criticized Trump for saying 'both sides' share blame for the violence in Charlottesville. Trump is seen commenting on Charlottesville at Trump Tower in New York last Tuesday

It says it is the largest Christian university in the world, and remains an influential hub for conservative politics, frequented by candidates courting evangelical voters.

Falwell was an early and ardent Trump supporter, which caused some controversy on campus during the presidential campaign.

A group of students called Liberty United Against Trump attracted national media attention by rebuking Falwell for expressing support of Trump after he was heard making vulgar comments about women in a 2005 video.

Still, election results showed Trump won the vast majority of votes on campus.

Trump has earned some of his highest approval ratings from evangelicals throughout his tumultuous presidency, and Falwell isn't alone among religious leaders who continue to support him.

Trump dismantled other presidential boards amid multiple defections last week, but only one of Trump's evangelical advisers has quit.

After Falwell's 'Fox & Friends' interview, Trump tweeted his appreciation, saying Falwell had been 'fantastic.'

'The Fake News should listen to what he had to say. Thanks Jerry!' Trump tweeted.
The Senate president is calling for a new formal dress code to be considered for the upper house following Pauline Hanson's controversial burqa stunt.

Senator Stephen Parry is reportedly hoping to force a vote on a new dress code and wants an examination of the president's power to enforce dress standards.

At present there are no formal dress code rules for the chamber, although there is a code of conduct banning clothing containing political slogans.

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There have been calls for changes to the Senate dress code following Pauline Hanson's burqa stunt (pictured is Ms Hanson in a burqa)

The One Nation senator's (pictured) stunt has divided opinions and led to a surge in the polls for the party

Items offensive to other senators are not allowed to be placed on desks, and senators may not hold up newspapers or placards, The Australian reported.

Mr Parry's push for a new dress code was triggered by Ms Hanson's appearance in the chamber wearing a burqa on Thursday.

West Australian Labor senator Sue Lines is opposed to any chances to the Senate dress code, and wants the right to wear religious clothing protected.

'Our dress code would enable those of faiths to be able to wear religious garb into the parliament and I wouldnt want to see that changed,' she said.

Senate president Stephen Parry (pictured) is calling for a new formal dress code to be considered and the power to enforce it examined

Labor senator Sue Lines (pictured) says she is opposed to any changes to the Senate dress code

Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson states Senate standing orders should prohibit the wearing of anything 'extraneous to normal clothing.'

Ms Hanson provoked outrage when she appeared in the Senate covered in a black burqa on Thursday and called for the garment to be banned from the chamber.

The One Nation senator said she wore the Islamic garment to trigger a debate on banning 'oppressive' full-face coverings for security reasons.

Ms Hanson (pictured) provoked outrage when she appeared in the Senate covered in a black burqa on Thursday and called for the garment to be banned from the chamber

The polarising stunt led to a surge in the polls for One Nation but was heavily criticised by Attorney-General George Brandis, who called it 'appalling'.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused Ms Hanson of putting Australia's security at risk by wearing the full-face veil, saying the next terror attack would be 'on her head'.

Former president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils Haset Sali spoke out in defense of Ms Hanson, agreeing the burqa is a security risk.

'The sooner Muslim women get rid of this hideous garb the better,' he said.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young (pictured) accused Ms Hanson of putting Australia's security at risk by wearing the full-face veil, saying the next terror attack would be 'on her head'

Former president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils Haset Sali (pictured) spoke out in defense of Ms Hanson, agreeing the burqa is a security risk

Author Ayaan Hirsi Ali said that while Ms Hanson's behaviour was 'unparliamentary' the issue went beyond security, calling the burqa and example of 'evil sexism'.

'We should no more want to see it [the burqa] imported into Australia than we should want to see wife-beating legalised,' she said.

The One Nation party has soared in popularity in the wake of Ms Hanson's stunt, with its share of the primary vote rising to nine per cent on Sunday.

Mr Parry's office told Daily Mail Australia the matter will be referred to the Senate standing committee for consideration.
Yvette Cooper warned that the social media giant is too slow to act on removing racist and misogynistic tweets that violate its own rules

Twitter must do more to stamp out abuse by taking down offensive posts within 24 hours, a senior MP demanded last night.

Yvette Cooper warned that the social media giant is too slow to act on removing racist and misogynistic tweets that violate its own rules.

The Labour MP, who is chair of the home affairs select committee, accused the disgraceful and irresponsible site of giving a platform to hatred and extremism.

In a letter to Twitter, co-written with the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality, Miss Cooper urged it to finally take action.

Her intervention comes as new Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidelines published yesterday (Mon) said hate crime committed in cyberspace should be taken as seriously as offences carried out face to face.

Miss Cooper, who set up the cross-party Reclaim The Internet campaign to challenge online abuse, said: Twitter claims to stop hate speech, but they just dont do it in practice.

Vile racist, misogynist and threatening abuse gets reported to them, but they are too slow to act so they just keep giving a platform to hatred and extremism.

Its disgraceful and irresponsible. Twitter need to get their act together.

Abusive content needs to be removed far more quickly and the company should be doing more to respond immediately to complaints and to proactively identify content that contravenes their community standards.

She called for Twitter to outline its plans to tackle abuse more quickly as research by the campaign found abusive posts remained online for days after being reported.

Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: Twitter is failing women because they are failing to respond and act when content on their platform clearly contravenes their own terms of use.

Women are being routinely and regularly abused online with impunity for the abusers and that has to change.

The row comes after Theresa May ordered an investigation into the abuse of parliamentary candidates following a wave of intimidation against male and female politicians, both on social media and offline during the election campaign.

At a debate in the Commons last month, the Tory former minister Andrew Percy, a convert to Judaism, said he had been called Zionist scum and Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, said she had faced repeated death threats, rape threats and racist abuse.

MPs also heard claims that Twitter had refused to investigate lies that may have led to a Tory losing his seat.

MPs also heard claims that Twitter had refused to investigate lies that may have led to a Tory losing his seat

A campaign of smears was mounted on the social media site against Byron Davies, whose Gower constituency was the most marginal in the country, with a 27 majority.

Anonymous far-left activists spread false claims Mr Davies was under criminal investigation for election fraud, but the tech giant told him they would not remove the posts.

Miss Cooper also became the target of vile abuse herself after she condemned online abuse of journalists and politicians in a speech last month.

A group of far-left online trolls published a picture taken surreptitiously of the former Labour leadership contender sitting in the first-class carriage of a train.

After users criticised the picture as creepy, they menacingly boasted: Face it, Yvettes a bell*** and a busted flush, youre a **** and were in charge forever.

Twitter suspended the account for abusive behaviour, but the trio were able to immediately set up a replacement account.

A Twitter spokesman last night said: Abuse and harassment have no place on Twitter.

Weve introduced a range of new tools and features to improve our platform for everyone, and were now taking action on 10 times the number of abusive accounts every day than the same time in 2016.

We will continue to build on these efforts and meet the challenge head-on.
United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Appellee, v. FIRKON JAMES, AKA Rock, AKA Maurice Patterson, AKA Mark James, AKA John Atkins (Federal Prisoner: 20372-055), Defendant-Appellant. No. 16-2851-cr Decided: August 21, 2017

PRESENT: PIERRE N. LEVAL, REENA RAGGI, RAYMOND J. LOHIER, JR., Circuit Judges. FOR APPELLANT: Edward S. Zas, Of Counsel, Federal Defenders of New York, Inc., Appeals Bureau, New York, New York. FOR APPELLEE: Joseph J. Karaszewski, Assistant United States Attorney, for James P. Kennedy, Jr., Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, Buffalo, New York.

Defendant Firkon James stands convicted of conspiracy to traffic in crack cocaine. See 21 U.S.C.  841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A)(iii), 846. Originally sentenced to a below-Guidelines 300-month prison term, he here appeals from the order reducing that sentence to 292 months pursuant to 18 U.S.C.  3582(c)(2), arguing that the district court incorrectly determined that it could not reduce his sentence further. Because the district court's decision rested upon its interpretation of  3582(c)(2) and a related Sentencing Guidelines policy statement, see U.S.S.G.  1B1.10, we review its determination de novo, see United States v. Leonard, 844 F.3d 102, 10607 (2d Cir. 2016). In so doing, we assume the parties' familiarity with the facts and record of prior proceedings, which we reference only as necessary to explain our decision to affirm.

A convicted defendant is eligible for a sentence reduction if (1) he has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment based on a sentencing range that has subsequently been lowered, and (2) such a reduction is consistent with applicable policy statements issued by the Sentencing Commission. 18 U.S.C.  3582(c)(2). One such policy statement conditions reduction eligibility on the guideline range applicable to that defendant ha[ving] subsequently been lowered as a result of an amendment to the Guidelines Manual listed in subsection (d). U.S.S.G.  1B1.10(a)(1).

The parties do not here dispute that James was eligible for a sentence reduction, but they disagree as to the available extent of that reduction. In United States v. Leonard, we held that a defendant's applicable Guidelines range was that determined by the court as set forth in the Guidelines, without regard to the parties' agreement [under Fed. R. Crim. P. 11(c)(1)(C)] to a different calculation, and before the exercise of any departure or variance discretion. 844 F.3d at 113. The district court determined James's applicable Guidelines range to be 324 to 405 months' imprisonment based on a total offense level of 36 and a criminal history category of VI, the latter dictated by James's classification as a career offender pursuant to U.S.S.G.  4B1.1. James's career-offender status did not inform his offense level because the then-applicable base offense level of 34, see U.S.S.G.  2D1.1(c)(3) (Nov. 2009), with two-level enhancements for both weapon possession, see id.  2D1.1(b)(1), and aggravating role, see id.  3B1.1(c), yielded an adjusted offense level of 38, which was higher than the level 37 provided for a career offender, see id.  4B1.1(b).

Amendments lowering drug quantity base offense levels would have lowered James's adjusted offense level from 38 to at least 36. See U.S.S.G., Supp. to App. C., Amends. 782, 788 (Nov. 2014). But the career-offender classification precluded the district court from applying a base offense level lower than 37. See U.S.S.G.  4B1.1(b)(1) (stating that offense level of 37 applies for offense with statutory maximum of life such as 21 U.S.C.  841(b)(1)(A)(iii) where non-career-offender offense level would be less than 37). Thus, with application of acceptance credit, the net effect of the offense level reduction amendments in James's case was a total offense level of 35 rather than the initially calculated 36. That level, with a criminal history category of VI, yielded a 292-to-365-month Guidelines range. Because U.S.S.G.  1B1.10(b)(2) instructs that sentence reduction under  3582(c)(2) cannot be to a term less than the low end of the amended Guidelines range, the district court correctly concluded that it could not reduce James's sentence below 292 months.

In urging otherwise, James argues that his applicable Guidelines range was that agreed to by the parties in his plea agreement: 262 to 327 months, derived from a total offense level of 36 and a criminal history category of IV. With the relevant reduction in that offense level, James maintains that granting his  3582(c)(2) motion would result in, at most, a 210-to-262-month range, allowing the district court to sentence him to as low as the mandatory minimum term of 240 months. See U.S.S.G.  5G1.1(c)(2). Again, this argument is foreclosed by United States v. Leonard, 844 F.3d at 116 (identifying as applicable Guidelines range the one calculated by the district court  before it accepted an 11(c)(1)(C) agreement (emphasis in original)). James recognizes as much, but argues that Leonard erred in so concluding. This panel, however, is bound by the Leonard decision, which has not been overruled either by the Supreme Court or by the Second Circuit sitting en banc. See Doscher v. Sea Port Grp. Sec., LLC, 832 F.3d 372, 378 (2d Cir. 2016). Accordingly, James's challenge fails on the merits.

We have considered James's remaining arguments and conclude that they are without merit. Accordingly, the order of the district court is AFFIRMED.

FOR THE COURT:

Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk of Court

FOOTNOTES

. The government suggests that James's notice of appeal was untimely but does not object to our review of the merits. Appellee's Br. 2 n.2. Because the government has thus waived any timeliness argument, and Fed. R. App. P. 4(b) is not jurisdictional, see United States v. Frias, 521 F.3d 229, 234 (2d Cir. 2008), we proceed to the merits.

. A two-level credit for acceptance of responsibility then reduced James's total offense level to 36. See U.S.S.G.  3E1.1(a).

. In the 2009 Guidelines under which James was initially sentenced, the quantity of drugs that he agreed in his plea agreement were involved in his criminal conduct, 500 grams to 1.5 kilograms of crack, was coterminous with the drug quantity necessary for a base offense level of 34. See U.S.S.G.  2D1.1(c)(3) (Nov. 2009). In the 2014 Guidelines under which James moved for reduction in sentence, however, that drug-quantity range had been separated into two different ranges: 280 to 840 grams of crack produced a base offense level of 30, see id.  2D1.1(c)(5) (Nov. 2014), while 840 grams to 2.8 kilograms of crack produced a base offense level of 32, see id.  2D1.1(c)(4). Accordingly, it is not clear whether James's offense level would have decreased by 2 or 4 levels. We need not here choose between these base levels, however, because the career-offender classification automatically anchored that level at 37. See id.  4B1.1(b).

. To the extent James contends that Freeman v. United States, 564 U.S. 522 (2011), and United States v. Smith, 658 F.3d 608 (6th Cir. 2011), compel a contrary conclusion, those arguments were considered and rejected in Leonard, see 844 F.3d at 109, 11416.
Sunrise host Sam Armytage has gone head-to-head with a Melbourne suburban mayor who said those who oppose her council's decision to ditch Australia Day celebrations were 'uneducated'.

The City of Darebin council, which governs several of Melbourne's northern suburbs including Northcote, Preston and Reservoir, came to the controversial decision with a 6-2 vote in favour of the change, following a heated debate among councillors this week.

Armytage confronted Mayor Kim Le Cerf in a heated interview on Tuesday morning, when she persistently pressed the community leader about the tiny survey the council based it's decision on, and her claim that if 'more Australians were educated, they would be ashamed of Australia Day'.

'Why have you decided not to recognise Australia Day? There are 148,000 people that living in your shire, 81 people were surveyed about Australia day. That's 81 people of the 140,000  why have you decided not to recognise Australia Day?' Armytage asked.

Sunrise host Sam Armytage (pictured) has gone head-to-head with the mayor of a Melbourne city over the council's decision to ditch Australia Day celebrations

Armytage confronted Darebin Mayor Kim Le Cerf (pictured), persistently pressing the community leader on the small survey poll and her claim that if 'more Australians were educated, they would be ashamed of Australia Day'

Ms Le Cerf responded that 'there are many issues of social justice that are taken by government,' but said she doesn't believe 'opinion polls should decide what we vote on.'

Armytage continued to push Ms Le Cerf to answer the question, asking how the 81 people surveyed are a true reflection of a community with a much greater population.

'Aren't you elected to make a decision on behalf of the people of your shire?' Armytage said, cutting Ms Le Cerf off mid-sentence.

'In the best interest of our community yes, and what we are hearing from our Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people is that January 26 marks the beginning of invasion and dispossession,' Ms Le Cerf said.

After a back and forth debate, Armytage confronted Ms Le Cerf about her comments on uneducated Australians.

'Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are quoted as saying that if "more Australians were educated, they would be ashamed of Australia Day." Do you stand by that? Do you stand by that now, on national television?' the Sunrise host asked.

Ms Le Cerf began to speak when she was cut off by Armytage, who asked her point blank if she stood by her comment.

'Yes, I do,' Ms Le Cerf said.

When Armytage (left) asked Ms Le Cerf (pictured) if she would still partake in the public holiday and have a day off of work, the Darebin mayor refused to answer the question

The mayor said she did not celebrate Australia Day and that she reflects on the day with 'a heavy heart.'

When Armytage asked Ms Le Cerf if she would still partake in the public holiday and have a day off of work, the Darebin mayor refused to answer the question.

'Kim, with all due respect, it is a yes or no. I will be working on Australia Day, will you?' a frustrated Armytage pressed.

'I work every day for our community,' Ms Le Cerf answered, ending the tense interview.

The Darebin City Council's decision comes one week after Yarra City Council's decision to no longer refer to January 26 as Australia Day. Yarra Council was promptly stripped of its citizenship powers by the government.

Another Melbourne council are the latest to ditch its Australia Day celebrations following a heated debate among councillors

The City of Darebin council (pictured), which governs several of Melbourne's northern suburbs including Northcote, Preston and Reservoir, came to the controversial decision with a 6-2 vote in favour of the change

Darebin's planned shake-up will see a shift of date for the Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, which will now fall on January 25, ABC News reported.

Ms Le Cerf denied on the claim, but did not elaborate.

The Australia Day awards will be renamed the Darebin Community Awards and an Indigenous-themed event will be held instead of an annual citizenship ceremony on the day.

But the decision, alike Yarra's, has been faced with a wave of residents protesting the move.

'Australia Day is January 26 and it should remain that day. They're doing it without proper consultation and they're just making decisions for us,' resident David Schulz said.

Councillor Trent McArthy argued the changes were needed and disagreed suggestions there was not enough discussion on the matter.

Darebin council will follow Yarra's lead and hold an Indigenous-themed event instead of an annual citizenship ceremony on the day

'Australia Day is January 26 and it should remain that day. They're doing it without proper consultation and they're just making decisions for us,' Darebin resident David Schulz said.

'We are at risk of losing our citizenship ceremonies but we need to make this change to respect our Indigenous people,' he said.

In a statement released onto the council website moments after the Yarra City vote last Tuesday, Yarra City mayor Amanda Stone said the decision was about being 'culturally sensitive'.

'The overwhelming sentiment from our Aboriginal community is that January 26 is a date of sadness, trauma and distress,' Cr Stone said.

But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told parliament the following day the decision was 'utterly out of step with Australian values'.

Australia Day is one of the nation's biggest celebrations and the public holiday is full of colour as millions descend on public events held across the country

But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told parliament last week such decisions were 'utterly out of step with Australian values'.

'Yarra council is using a day that should unite Australians to divide Australians,' Mr Turnbull said on Wednesday.

Darebin council fast-tracked their vote after declaring a prompt decision was required.

'[The decision] is in response to an emerging public debate regarding Australia Day and which Darebin councillors have been actively engaged in', they said in a statement.

The move is now thought to provoke other surrounding councils into similar decisions, with Hepburn Shire Council at Daylesford rumoured to be eager for the switch.
The men arrested over the terror attacks in Spain have arrived in Madrid as they prepare to face court for the first time.

Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Allaa, Sahal El Karib and Mohammed Houli Chemlal were all detained last week over their alleged role in the attack on Barcelona and Cambrils which left 15 people dead and 130 wounded.

Two of the men were pictured being led from prison vans to a detention facility in Tres Cantos, north of Madrid, on Monday night ahead of an appearance at Spain's highest court - the Audiencia Nacional.

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Four men arrested over the terror attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils have arrived in Madrid as they prepare to face court for the first time

The men will be brought before a judge at the Audiencia Nacional, Spain highest court, where they will have a chance to give an initial statement, Spanish meida reports

Legal sources told local newspaper La Vanguardia that Judge Fernando Andreu anticipated taking a statement from the men, though it is unclear if they will opt to remain silent.

All four men are from the town of Ripoll, north of Barcelona, where the majority of those connected to the terror attacks lived.

Oukabir, 28, handed himself over to police in the town on Thursday after being named by police as the suspected van driver that killed 13 on Las Ramblas.

He insists he is innocent, and that his younger brother Moussa stole his identity documents in order to rent the vehicle, which is where police obtained his name.

Officers now say the van driver was actually Younes Abouyaaquob, who was shot dead on Monday night in Subirats.

Moussa was one of five people killed by police during the attack on Cambrils on Friday which left one dead and 16 hurt.

Under arrest is Driss Oukabir (left), who handed himself over to police after his documents were used to rent the van used in the Barcelona attack. Mohammed Houli Chemlal (right) was arrested after being pulled from the rubble of a suspected bomb factory in Alcanar

Mohamed Aallaa (left) was arrested after his car was used in the Cambrils attack in which one of his brothers was shot dead. Sahel el Kaib is the owner of an internet cafe in Ripoll, where the majority of the alleged attackers lived

Also under arrest is Mohammed Allaa whose car was used to ram pedestrians in the Cambrils attack.

One of his brothers, Youssef Allaa, died in an explosion at a suspected bomb factory in Alcanar on Wednesday, while another, Said Allaa, was killed in Cambrils.

Mohammed Houli Chemlal, who police allege was the group's bomb-maker, was pulled alive from the rubble of that blast before being arrested.

Sahal El Karib is the owner of an internet cafe in Ripoll and his exact connection to the terror cell is unclear.

Also among the dead is imam Abdelbaki Es Satty, who preached at the mosque in Ripoll and is believed to have radicalised the other men and masterminded the plot.

Police confirmed on Monday that he was killed in the Alcanar blast.

The remaining three men - brothers Omar and Mohamed Hychami and Houssaine Abouyaaqoub, the brother of van driver Younes, were all killed in Cambrils.

Investigators say all members of the terror cell have now been accounted for, though their probe into the attacks will remain open.
A hunt is underway for a man who had exposed himself to three teenage schoolgirls in two separate incidents within a week.

The man first exposed himself to a 16-year-old girl at 8.45am on August 10 while she was walking through a bushland between Peach Avenue and Fifth Street, Cardiff, a suburb of the City of Lake Lake Macquarie in New South Wales.

Police say the man had acted indecently in front of the girl.

Police are looking for this man (pictured) who exposed himself to several teenagers this month

She immediately left the area and reported the incident to her teachers at school.

A week later on August 17 at the same time, two 15-year-old girls were walking along a stormwater drain on Fourth Street at Cardiff when they noticed a man exposing himself and performing a lewd act.

They reported the matter when they arrived at their nearby school, with another two teenage girls reporting a similar incident at the same location at 9am.

Investigators had conducted extensive patrols to find the man in question but were unable to locate him.

They have now released a computerised image in hopes that someone might be able to recognise him.

He is white, in his mid-40s with a medium to large build and dark hair.
Shocking assaults on doctors and nurses have been caught on camera as aggression at Australian hospitals continues to rise.

Medical and security staff are increasingly being put at risk, particularly in emergency departments, 7 News reported.

The violence has become so bad police have been called in to do random patrols in emergency departments to keep staff and patients safe.

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Shocking assaults on doctors and nurses have been caught on camera as aggression at Australian hospitals continues to rise

In one incident caught on CCTV a taxi driver is coward punched as he drops of a patient in the emergency department

In one incident caught on camera a doctor at Caboolture Hospital in Queensland is assaulted before he even begins his shift.

The doctor is head-butted during a dispute with a motorcyclist in the carpark outside the hospital.

In a separate incident caught on CCTV a taxi driver is coward punched as he drops of a patient in the emergency department.

'There's been some very unfortunate incidents around the country in recent times,' Dr David Rosengren of Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital told 7 News.

'Health professionals have been assaulted outside the hospital grounds with some terribly tragic outcomes.'

An extra 15 security officers have been hired to patrol the emergency departments at Caboolture, Redcliffe, Prince Charles and Royal Brisbane and Women's hospitals.

Security officers will be equipped with body worn cameras.

An extra 15 security officers have been hired to patrol the emergency departments at Caboolture, Redcliffe, Prince Charles and Royal Brisbane and Women's hospitals
A group of shoppers have become involved in a fight with a Coles staff member after he reportedly accused one of them of stealing.

Footage shows the manic brawl breaking out in the middle of an aisle in the store at Werribee, in Melbourne's west.

Trading a series of punches, the Coles employee and the man were eventually pulled apart as other store members and the man's friends rushed in to stop the fight.

After reportedly confronting the man and accusing him of shoplifting, the Coles staff member and the man began trading blows.

A fight broke out between a Coles staff member and an angry customer who was reportedly accused of stealing

The men were filmed trading punches at the Werribee Plaza store in Melbourne's west

As women and young children look on in shock, the pair continue scrapping, hitting and wrestling with each other.

With blows being landed employees run in to constrain the man, while two women who appear to be friends with the shopper also try to break up the fight.

Eventually, the growing crowd are able to contain the angry men, who continue trying to reach each other as they are pulled away.

The staff member's shirt was ripped in the scuffle, which is visible as he is led away from the crowd.

A man claiming to be the customer at the centre of the brawl said on social media shortly after the event in 2016 he was 'only trying to defend himself', and that the staff member pushed him.

Daily Mail Australia have contacted Coles for further information and comment.

A growing crowd struggled to keep the men off each other as their fight intensified
Comedian Magda Szubanski has broken down as she emotionally plea to Australians who support same sex marriage to vote in the plebiscite.

Ms Szubanksi, who famously came out as 'gay-gay-gay-gay-gay-gay a little bit not gay-gay-gay-gay' on national television in 2012, shed tears on Today as she explained she did not want the plebiscite to ruin children's lives.

'I barely made it through my childhood and I don't want it to happen to any of these kids,' Ms Szubanksi said Tuesday morning.

Comedian Magda Szubanski (pictured) has broken down as she emotionally pled to Australians who support same sex marriage to vote in the plebiscite

Ms Szubanksi (pictured Tuesday morning) said she did not want plebiscite to ruin kid's lives

The comedian (pictured) famously came out as 'gay-gay-gay-gay-gay-gay a little bit not gay-gay-gay-gay' on national television in 2012

'They [the government] will send our children to war, they will kill our children without consulting us, they won't protect them.

'Please, when I think about my childhood and the vilification and the disgust that I was on the receiving end of, all I wanted to do was bring joy and what I gave back was Sharon Strzelecki, sorry, I'm so sorry.'

Ms Szubanksi took the opportunity to encourage the 70 per cent of Australians who support same sex marriage to simply stick a stamp on envelope and send it.

Previously opening up about wanting to end her life because of her struggles as a homosexual, the comic actor said the LGBTQI community would 'survive' the plebiscite because they all had each other's backs.

'It's so unnecessary, so unnecessary, it's the most unkind thing for no good reason,' Ms Szubanksi said.

The comic, who has famously graced the screens in titles including Kath and Kim and Australian musical Bran Nue Dae, told hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson same sex marriage was a 'wrong that can be made right so simply'.

'I barely made it through my childhood and I don't want it to happen to any of these kids,' Ms Szubanksi said Tuesday morning

Ms Szubanksi took the opportunity to encourage the 70 per cent of Australians who support same sex marriage to simply stick a stamp on envelope and send it

Ms Szubankski said same sex marriage was a 'wrong that can be made right so simply'

Ms Szubankski shed some light last year on how she felt 'a slight sadness' watching younger people in the LGBTQI community could hold hands in public or 'get married', wishing she had the same opportunity, The Guardian reported.

The controversial plebiscite reportedly cost Australian tax payers $122 million and enrolling to vote closes on Thursday, August 24.

The voluntary plebiscite will allow Australians to have their say before November 25 on whether they believe same sex marriage should be legal.
The men accused of trying to blow up an Etihad flight out of Sydney were reportedly monitored by Lebanese authorities for over a year before their dramatic arrests.

Brothers Khaled Khayat, 49, and Mahmoud Khayat, 32, were charged following terror raids in Sydney on July 29, and two others were released.

Lebanon's interior minister Nouhad Machnouk said the two men, along with another brother Amer, were first placed under surveillance last year, when their brother Tareq moved to Syria's ISIS stronghold of Raqqa as a commander of the terrorist group.

He claimed his country's Internal Security Force uncovered the alleged plot to smuggle a bomb on board the jet inside a large Barbie doll.

The bomb allegedly meant to murder 500 people by bringing down an airline flying from Sydney to Abu Dhabi was to be hidden inside a barbie doll, Lebanese officials claim

Khaled Khayat, 49, (pictured) and Mahmoud Khayat, 32, were charged following terror raids in Sydney on July 29, and two other were arrested by released

Lebanon's interior minister Nouhad Machnouk said the two men, along with their brothers Amer and Tarak (reportedly an ISIS commander in Syria) had been under surveillance for over a year. Forensic crews are seen at a crime scene during the terror raids in July

The bomb was previously alleged to have been concealed inside a meat grinder, but was never checked onto Etihad Airways flight EY451 from Sydney to Abu Dhabi because it was too heavy.

Australia is keeping mum on reports it partnered with Lebanon for more than a year to monitor a plot to blow up a flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi.

Transport minister Darren Chester, who has primary responsibility for Australia's airports, was reluctant to confirm statements by the Lebanese interior minister.

'The bottom line is we work very closely with our security partners around the world,' Mr Chester told Sky News on Tuesday.

'It's a team effort in the sense that we do need to share information, because the threat of terrorism crosses international boundaries.'

Khaled Khayat and his brother allegedly planned to sneak the bomb on to the plane in the luggage of an unwitting fourth brother

Australian police this month charged Khaled Khayat and Mahmoud Khayat with two counts of planning a terrorist attack after conducting raids to disrupt what authorities described as an Islamic State-inspired plot to bomb an Etihad Airways flight.

Brother Tarek Khayat allegedly put the pair in Sydney in contact with a dangerous ISIS heavyweight known as 'The Controller' in April, who instructed them on how to build the bomb.

Police alleged the components of that bomb had already been flown into Australia from Turkey as air cargo and assembled in Sydney.

Deakin University terror expert Greg Barton suggested the plan may have centred around acetone peroxide - or TATP.

It was the same chemical used in the Manchester Arena bombing in May and the 2015 Paris attacks, and though unstable can be powerful when placed in a pressure vessel.

Their alleged new plan after the bomb plot failed was to release highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas into Sydney Airport and on public transport at the same time. Pictured, queues at Sydney Airport after the arrests led to more stringent security checks

One of the houses police searched in raids on July 29 that saw four people arrested and two charged

Police would not name the ISIS commander who allegedly sent the explosives to Sydney but said he was 'not Australian' and was not related to any of the local terrorism targets.

Mr Machnouk said a fifth, previously unknown, brother was involved and holed up with fellow jihadists in ISIS' defacto capital of Raqqa in Syria.

After the bomb plan failed, The Controller allegedly told the would-be terrorists how to construct an 'improvised chemical dispersion device'.

Their alleged new plan was to release highly toxic hydrogen sulfide gas into Sydney Airport and on public transport at the same time.

Police stressed the alleged conspirators 'were a mile-and-a-half from having a functioning chemical dispersion device'.

Police alleged the components of that bomb had already been flown into Australia from Turkey as air cargo and assembled in Sydney

Police previously thought the bomb was be concealed inside a meat grinder, but was never checked onto Etihad Airways flight EY451 on June 15 because it was too heavy

But a Daily Mail Australia source claimed it was just 'a fluke' the Khayat brothers were caught before the alleged second attempt, which was 'very close' - even just days or hours from happening.

'Our tip said if they were going back to the airport, they would let it off in there if they couldn't get it on a plane,' the source said.

Letting the alleged terrorists back through the doors of the country's busiest airport was not an option, the source said.

'We were told to act if we saw them go to the airport.'

The source said authorities took the tip seriously and it was the most dangerous operation they have been involved in because of how far along the alleged plot was.

Australian security agencies were reportedly unaware of the plot until British and American operatives tipped them off, but Mr Machnouk appeared to be implying it was actually Lebanon.
Two Labour MPs have resigned from their positions at Bath University over the excessive salary of its vice-chancellor, who is the highest paid in the country.

Kerry McCarthy and David Drew said they were stepping down in protest at Dame Glynis Breakwells 451,000 package.

They added it was inappropriate for a university boss to be paid so much when students graduate tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

And they said their young constituents should not have to pay large fees  which next month rise to 9,250 a year  to sustain mega salaries.

Kerry McCarthy (left) and David Drew (right) said they were stepping down in protest at Dame Glynis Breakwells 451,000 package

Kerry McCarthy and David Drew said they were stepping down in protest at Dame Glynis Breakwells (pictured) 451,000 package.

Miss McCarthy, MP for Bristol East, and Mr Drew, MP for Stroud, are the latest politicians to leave Bath Universitys court, a statutory body representing the interests of those involved in the institution.

Just over a week ago Andrew Murrison, the Tory MP for South West Wiltshire, announced his resignation from the court over the same issue.

It is understood a number of other Labour MPs on the body are also considering their positions. In a joint statement, Miss McCarthy and Mr Drew said: We are resigning from the court of the university in protest at the excessive salary of the vice-chancellor and senior staff.

We do not think a salary of 450,000 can be justified, especially when students are taking on debts of 60,000 to pay fees, and spending 30 years of their working lives paying them off.

The resignations come after the Higher Education and Funding Council for England said it would investigate governance in relation to the remuneration committee of the university.

The charities watchdog has been asked to examine whether Dame Glyniss salary is in line with charitable duties and responsibilities. Most universities have charitable status and are bound by the rules of the Charity Commission.

Kerry McCarthy, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,

While the HEFCE has no powers to cut pay, it can remove a vice-chancellor if it finds that governance is inadequate.Former education minister Lord Adonis said after the latest resignations: The only way to resolve this is for the vice-chancellor to resign.

Dame Glynis earned 451,000 last year in salary, benefits and allowances  an 11 per cent rise on the previous year, when she earned 406,000. This is despite a 1.1 per cent cap on pay for non-managerial staff across the higher education sector.

She also earned 27,000 from non-executive directorships and lives in a 1.6million house in Bath, a benefit in kind thought to be worth 20,000 a year. Meanwhile, 66 senior managers at Bath University are also on six-figure salaries, with 13 earning more than 150,000.

Bath is not in the elite Russell Group but was rated gold  the top standard  in recent government rankings on teaching quality. The university declined to comment yesterday.
Pauline Hanson has demanded an apology from a Greens senator who suggested the One Nation leader would be responsible for Australia's next terrorist attack.

South Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young sparked outrage on Monday during a morning TV spray about Senator Hanson's burqa stunt in parliament last week.

'The next attack in Australia will be on your head Pauline,' Senator Hanson-Young told Sunrise.

Pauline Hanson says the left-wing senator's remarks were reprehensible.

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Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young (right) accused Pauline Hanson (left) of putting Australia's security at risk

Pauline Hanson issued a media release demanding an apology from Sarah Hanson-Young

Pauline Hanson has been accused of putting security at risk with her burqa stunt in the Senate

'To think that drawing attention to the problems associated with full-face coverings like the burqa, and starting a debate, might somehow justify a terrorist attack on Australian soil shows you just how out of touch the Greens are,' Senator Hanson said in a statement on Monday night.

'It was disgusting and Ms Hanson-Young should apologise.'

Sarah Hanson-Young had described the One Nation leader as a 'goose' and an 'absolute disgrace' for wearing the Islamic garb into Parliament last week, arguing it contradicted the advice of security experts.

'You are doing ISIS's work for them,' she said. 'You are putting the entire country at risk.'

Senator Hanson stood by her push for the burqa ban, despite what Senator Hanson-Young labelled a 'stupid stunt'.

One Nation's Newspoll rating has gone up following Pauline Hanson's burqa theatrics

Sarah Hanson-Young said Pauline Hanson would be responsible for the next terrorist attack

Twitter users were also outraged.

'Get rid of Sarah Hanson-Young. She is rude and doesn't know what she is talking about,' an animal rights activist said.

'Most Aussies want the burqa banned, it's a security risk.'

One woman suggested Sarah Hanson-Young predict where the next terrorist attack would occur 'so we can save as many Australians as possible'.

This woman on Facebook asked Sarah Hanson-Young to predict the site of next terrorist attack

This animal rights activist said most Australians want the burqa wanted on security grounds

One Nation's primary vote rose from 8 per cent to 9 per cent in the latest Newspoll, but Senator Hanson doesn't think it was driven by wearing the burqa in the Senate chamber.

'But, I do believe the burqa is something that we need to actually talk about.'

Senator Hanson wore a full-face burqa into the Senate on Thursday last week, earning her a rebuke from Attorney-General George Brandis.
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A waterfront mansion in an exclusive suburb is expected to sell for a whopping $6 million  even though the new owners are expected to demolish it.

The seaside property with spectacular ocean views and a jungle inside it in the sought-after Auckland, New Zealand suburb of Westmere is expected to sell for $6 million, but its eccentric design means it fails to meet council regulations.

'You walk in through the front door and it's essentially like walking into a jungle, which is possibly not everyone's cup of tea,' real estate agent Angus Campbell told Stuff.

The eccentric property in a sought-after exclusive Auckland suburb doesn't meet council regulations due to its design

The two-storey, three-bedroom house has a jungle inside it growing right up the ceiling of the property

A tiki hut sits on the front lawn of the property, providing spectacular views out onto Auckland's Waitemata Harbour

The house was designed by the current owners' parents, who were 'very creative artists' according to the real estate agent

The current owners' parents designed the house, and Campbell said they were 'very creative artists in their own right'.

The two-storey, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house at 32 Rawene Ave was built in the 1980s.

Palm trees grow inside the house and there is dense foliage on the first storey.

A tiki hut sits outside the house on the edge of the Waitemata Harbour, and the 1,100sq m section is surrounded by palm and pohutakawa trees.

The house is in the much sought-after Auckland suburb of Westmere, which provides seaside living close to the city

Despite being expected to sell for $6 million, the house will have to be renovated or demolished as it doesn't meet regulations

The house is described as being an 'opportunity to build your dream home in a unique and spectacular fashion'

In the Barfoot and Thompson listing for the property, it is described as an 'opportunity to build your dream home in a unique and spectacular fashion'.

'Live the coastal lifestyle with the convenience of being so close to the city.'

The listing says the property is 'surrounded by some of the finest homes in Auckland'.

The real estate agent said walking through the front door is like walking 'into a jungle, which may not be everyone's cup of tea'

The property is surrounded by palm and pohutakawa trees, as well as 'some of the finest houses in Auckland'

The real estate agent selling the property said he expects the new owners will bowl the house to build their dream home

'What you're buying is really the section,' Campbell said.

'The most likely scenario is that the original house will get bowled to build someone else's dream home.'

The house isn't the only quirky property in the area, as it sits near a zen sanctuary modeled on Asian temples.

Auckland Council estimates the property's land value at $4.5 million, but that estimate was made in 2014.

The house is not the only quirky property in the area, as it neighbours a zen-like sanctuary modeled on Asian temples

Auckland Council estimated that the property's land value was worth $4.5 million back in 2014
Uber Driver Allegedly Locked 19-Year-Old Woman In Car & Demanded Sex

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 21, 2017 10:55PM



Muhammad Fahim / Cook County Sheriff

A Chicago Uber driver is accused of locking a 19-year-old female passenger in his and demanding that she have sex with him.

Muhammad Fahim, 44, of West Rogers Park, was ordered held on $100,000 bond on Saturday and faces three counts of unlawful restraint, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The incident allegedly happened on July 4. Prosecutors said that the victim offered to pay her fare in cash after her rideshare request was somehow deleted, but Fahim demanded sex, the Tribune reports. She refused and Fahim allegedly locked the doors several times. The victim was only able to escape from the moving car after it slowed down in traffic, authorities said, according to the Trib.

Fahim has been banned from the app and Uber is looking further into the incident, a spokesperson told the paper.

Fahim was reportedly picked up by police after a traffic violation on Thursday. Authorities were alerted of the July incident after they ran Fahim's name.
Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein on Monday once again took aim at President Donald Trump on Twitter.

Wish the moon wasn't the only thing casting a shadow across the country, Blankfein tweeted, without mentioning Trump by name.

We got through one, we'll get through the other.

The investment banking executive tweeted on the same day that Trump and tens of millions of Americans gazed at the total solar eclipse.

There was no comment from the White House.

Blankfein is a relative newcomer to Twitter.

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein on Monday once again took aim at President Donald Trump on Twitter

He opened his Twitter account on June 1  the same day that Trump announced the United States was withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change.

On that day, Blankfein tweeted: Todays decision is a setback for the environment and for the U.S.s leadership position in the world. #ParisAgreement

Since June, Blankfein has posted just 13 tweets total  nearly half of them being implicit criticisms of the presidents policies.

The day after Trump made the announcement on the Paris Agreement, Blankfein tweeted: Leadership helps. Our language is dominant. [Money is] global. [Foreign] talent comes. Bad if lost. Consider with making policy on environment, trade, defense, etc.

The investment banking executive tweeted on the same day that Trump and tens of millions of Americans gazed at the total solar eclipse. The president is seen above putting on special glasses to look at the eclipse from the Truman Balcony at the White House

On June 9, Blankfein once again took a shot at Trump, tweeting: Just landed from China, trying to catch up How did infrastructure week go?

The White Houses infrastructure week theme was overshadowed at the time by fired FBI Director James Comeys testimony before a Senate committee.

Last week, in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Blankfein tweeted a quote from President Abraham Lincoln.

A house divided against itself cannot stand, Blankfein tweeted. Isolate those who try to separate us. No equivalence with those who bring us together.

The tweet was another criticism of Trump, who ignited outrage by declining to condemn the white nationalists involved in the rally.

Instead, the president said both sides were to blame for what transpired.

Since June, Blankfein has posted just 13 tweets total  nearly half of them being implicit criticisms of the presidents policies. Last week, in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Blankfein tweeted a quote from President Abraham Lincoln

On June 9, Blankfein again took a shot at Trump, tweeting: Just landed from China, trying to catch up How did infrastructure week go? Infrastructure week was overshadowed at the time by fired FBI Director James Comeys testimony before a Senate committee

The Goldman Sachs CEO opened his Twitter account on June 1  the same day that Trump announced the United States was withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change

The day after Trump made the announcement on the Paris Agreement, Blankfein tweeted: Leadership helps. Our language is dominant. [Money is] global. [Foreign] talent comes. Bad if lost. Consider with making policy on environment, trade, defense, etc.

Just 10 days after Trump took office, Blankfein became the first major Wall Street leader to speak out against his order to halt arrivals from several Muslim-majority countries.

In a voicemail to employees, Blankfein said diversity was a hallmark of Goldman's success, and if the temporary freeze became permanent, it could create 'disruption' for the bank and its staff.

'This is not a policy we support, and I would note that it has already been challenged in federal court, and some of the order has been enjoined at least temporarily,' Blankfein said, according to a transcript seen by Reuters.

During the presidential election, Blankfein endorsed Trumps Democratic opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
David Davis yesterday demanded that British goods are not forced off the Continents shelves the day after Brexit as he warned any disruption to trade would be disastrous for the EU.

The Brexit Secretary pointed out that the EUs 250billion annual exports to the UK are more than it sells to Brazil, Russia, India and China combined.

He called for new arrangements to the benefit of all.

Mr Davis will this morning set out more detail on Britains negotiating position as he publishes proposals for how cross-border divorce cases, child custody battles and consumer rights problems are handled after Brexit.

Brexit Secretary David Davis, pictured, has warned the EU not to ditch UK products from its shelves after Brexit or face 'disastrous' consequences

Yesterday, in the Governments latest Brexit paper, he urged Brussels to allow all goods placed on the market before the day of departure in March 2019 to continue being sold in the UK and EU without any additional requirements.

The European Commission has said goods approved by regulators in the UK and EU immediately before Brexit could have to be re-examined after the split.

This could theoretically lead to mass recalls, with British officials fearing such an approach could hugely disrupt businesses on both sides of the Channel.

The regime could also mean car manufacturers whose vehicles have gone through checks in the UK would be forced to undertake costly tests again elsewhere in the EU.

In the negotiating paper, the Government said: Our ambition is to seek an agreement with the EU which allows the freest and most frictionless trade possible in goods and services, to the benefit of all.

We want to ensure that goods which are placed on the market before exit day can continue to be sold in the UK and EU, without any additional requirements or restrictions.

We also want to avoid unnecessary duplication of compliance activities that have been undertaken by businesses prior to exit.

'This means that where products have gone through an authorisation process prior to exit, for example a type approval for a car, this approval should remain valid in both markets after exit.

Mr Davis said the papers being published this week provided certainty and confidence in the UKs status as an economic powerhouse after we have left the EU.

He added: We have already begun to set out what we would like to see from a future relationship on issues such as customs and are ready to begin a formal dialogue on this and other issues.

Britain hopes the EU will agree to open formal negotiations on a trade deal in October.

Goods approved by regulators in the UK and EU immediately before Brexit could have to be re-examined after the split, which could lead to mass recalls

European Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein said publishing position papers was a positive step.

But Slovenian prime minister Miro Cerar said he did not expect the EU to approve starting trade talks as planned in October.

He told The Guardian: There are so many difficult topics on the table.

Downing Street said it was confident of making enough progress on citizens rights, the financial settlement and borders for the European Council to give the green light to the second phase of Brexit negotiations in October.

Germanys finance ministry has warned in a report that its economic success is at risk if Brexit goes wrong.
A prankster sparked outrage after winning a prize at a fancy dress competition as paedophile Rolf Harris - while holding a sign which read: 'I touch kids'.

Oliver Denton, 29, dressed up as the former Animal Hospital presenter, 87, and was wearing a waistcoat, a goatee beard and a pair of glasses.

A photograph of him receiving a certificate on a stage was posted on the carnival's Facebook page and it has since been blasted by furious parents.

He was stood next a white piece of paper - placed on an easel - which also included the statement: 'I love Jimmy Savile' and was signed by 'R Harris'.

Oliver Denton (right) dressed up as Rolf Harris and won a prize in a competition at a carnival in Norfolk

Mr Denton did not scoop the main prize, however took home 'one of the top three prizes', according to the carnival's chairman.

Organisers of the Cromer Carnival in Norfolk uploaded pictures of the event but this particular image sparked a strong response on social media, The Sun reports.

Other contestants had entered the competition dressed as Jesus, the Joker, the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz and Harley Quinn from the film Suicide Squad.

Local Lauren Ball wrote online: 'This is absolutely disgusting and sick. Celebrating someone making a joke out of something so serious. Genuinely shocked.'

Martin Hipkin added the festival should be 'ashamed' and blasted the costume as being 'not really appropriate'.

Mr Denton was wearing a waistcoat and Harris' famous goatee beard and glasses

Chairman Tony Shipp admitted the judges on the night were not aware that Mr Oliver was entering as Harris as he stated he would be dressing up as an 'artist'.

He was quoted in the newspaper as saying: 'We are sorry if any offence has been caused. He won one of the top three prizes, not the top one.'

When approached by The Sun, Mr Denton declined to comment about the photograph.

Harris was jailed for five years for indecently assaulting four girls aged between eight and 19 and was a free man after serving time at HMP Stafford.

In June, he was seen for the first time after he was freed from prison one month earlier.

Harris - who was a respected artist who once painted a portrait of the Queen - was wearing clothes covered in paint when he made his way into a car outside the police station in Windsor, Berkshire.

The Australian entertainer was said to be planning a shock television comeback last month by begging his team to find him a new show.
Cocaine worth almost 10million was smuggled into the UK from Brazil by a corrupt baggage handler, a court heard yesterday.

In a plan described as beautiful in its simplicity, a suitcase of drugs would be taken off a British Airways flight from Rio de Janeiro at 1pm each Monday and placed on the wrong carousel at Heathrow Airport.

The baggage handler would put the case at domestic arrivals, so it would not need to go through custom checks.

Cocaine worth almost 10million was smuggled into the UK from Brazil by a corrupt baggage handler, a court heard yesterday

The suitcase  packed with blocks of cocaine  would then be picked up by a drug mule flying into Heathrow from UK cities such as Aberdeen so they could take it through a lower level of security.

Kingston Crown Court heard the smuggling operation had worked beautifully until a security officer noticed a suspiciously heavy Samsonite suitcase that may have been tampered with.

He found it contained 29 blocks of cocaine, weighing a total of 29kg, with a purity of up to 77 per cent.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) then began a year-long investigation, intercepting more than 100kg of cocaine with a street value of more than 9million, as well as a bag of cannabis, that was flown into Britain in just six trips.

Yesterday alleged smugglers Preetam Mungrah, 43, and Wilfred Owusu, 30, went on trial accused of organising couriers to pick up the drugs at Heathrow.

Timothy Probert-Wood, prosecuting, said: The existence of this conspiracy came to the attention of the National Crime Agency and as such an operation, with a period of observation, was mounted.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) then began a year-long investigation, intercepting more than 100kg of cocaine with a street value of more than 9million, as well as a bag of cannabis, that was flown into Britain in just six trips

Inevitably when dealing with a conspiracy like this, there must have been incidents when the consignments got through and the NCA didnt manage to get them.

The baggage handler at the centre of the conspiracy, Joysen Jhurry, pleaded guilty to his involvement at an earlier hearing. Jurors heard yesterday he had always been on hand to do the carousel swap when the Brazil flight landed, even if he was not scheduled to be working.

Describing the plot, Mr Probert-Wood said: It is in fact beautiful in its simplicity. It was simple method known to the authorities and rip on, rip off. Jhurry would search for and find the bags containing the drugs and remove it from where these bags were.

They were meant to go on the international arrivals carousel.

Investigators believe the drugs were loaded on to flights in Rio airside, after cases had gone through airport security checks

Bags from international flights would go through customs for examination and Border Force security. People removing a bag from a domestic flight means there is no customs, no security for people arriving from, say, Aberdeen. Far less rigorous than that for a Rio flight.

Investigators believe the drugs were loaded on to flights in Rio airside, after cases had gone through airport security checks.

It is thought offenders in Brazil would then tell the British gang what the bag looked like. Mr Probert-Wood said: It worked beautifully and we only know about this conspiracy when it went wrong, when a bag was intercepted.

The court was told Owusu organised couriers, while Mungrah, who was in a relationship with Jhurrys sister, was the Terminal 5 baggage handlers right-hand man.

Phone records show Mungrah spoke with Jhurry before consignments came into the UK, it was alleged. The jurors were also shown call records between Mungrah and other alleged members of the conspiracy.

Mungrah, of Croydon, South London, and Owusu, of Hackney, East London, both deny two counts of conspiracy to contravene the customs and excise act. The trial continues.
Police are searching for an 'armed and dangerous' suspect after two bank workers were killed during a holdup in South Carolina.

Conway police said the robbery happened at CresCom Bank on 16th Avenue on Monday.

Authorities said the bank sounded an alarm shortly after 1pm Monday, as local residents were preparing for the solar eclipse over the Horry County area.

Police are searching for an 'armed and dangerous' suspect after two bank workers were killed during a holdup in South Carolina. Around 2.30pm police released a photo of the suspect (pictured) a nd said he fled the area in a Chrysler 200 with tinted windows

Authorities said the CresCom Bank (pictured) sounded an alarm shortly after 1pm Monday, as area residents were preparing for the solar eclipse over the Horry County area

Around 2.30pm police released a photo of the suspect and said he fled the area in a Chrysler 200 with tinted windows and a South Carolina license plate.

The vehicle may also have a sticker on the glass that says 'River Life'. The suspect is described as a black male with dreadlocks.

Conway Police Lt Selena Small said the names of the two victims haven't been released because their relatives haven't been notified.

The cause of death wasn't revealed, but a coroner's report is expected Tuesday.

'Please keep the family of the victims and co-workers in your thoughts and prayers during this time,' the Conway Police Department wrote on Facebook.

Small would not say if there was a hostage situation at the bank as part of the robbery.

Conway Police Lt Selena Small would not say if there was a hostage situation at the bank as part of the robbery. Small also declined to comment on how much money was stolen

Conway police have enlisted the help of Myrtle Beach and Horry County police, as well as the FBI and the South Carolina Highway Patrol for the investigation. Pictured is the scene after the bank robbery

Small also declined to comment on how much money was stolen.

The Brandon Agency released a statement on behalf of the CresCom Bank Monday evening.

'Everyone in our company is heartbroken about this tragedy and we are devastated for the victims and their families. We are actively cooperating with the authorities investigating this unthinkable crime.'

Conway police have enlisted the help of Myrtle Beach and Horry County police, as well as the FBI and the South Carolina Highway Patrol for the investigation.

Authorities are also asking the public for help finding the man and are urging anyone with information to call 911.
There will be no more Sex in Victoria, but there's a good Reason for it.

The nation's only Sex Party MP Fiona Patten is set to announce the party will change its name to the Reason Party ahead of the 2018 Victorian election, in a bid to appeal to a broader base.

'The major parties are bickering within themselves and the only policies they seem to develop are ones that attack the other side,' Ms Patten told 3AW on Tuesday.

The Sex Party is changing its name to the Reason Party in a bid to win a broader base of votes ahead of the 2018 Victorian election

Ms Patten said the party would continue advocating for the same policies, and focus on being a 'voice of reason' in politics, she told The Age.

'People are sick of irrational politics. Many are deeply concerned about the future of our country,' she said.

'The major parties are debilitated by factionalism, corruption and political deadlock. Now it's extremists who hold the balance of power.'

'People are sick of irrational politics. Many are deeply concerned about the future of our country,' Party MP Fiona Patten told The Age

Ms Patten and her partner Robbie Swan foundered the party in 2009 with key policies including voluntary euthanasia and decriminalisation of cannabis.

The party has also been vocal about a number of other issues including quashing a government proposal for a national Internet filter that would block 10,000 websites; instituting a national sex education curriculum; and pushing for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

However, Ms Patten admitted members were concerned over the new 'conservative' name, but she remained optimistic about gaining nationwide support, The Herald Sun reports.

The party has also been vocal about a number of other issues including quashing a government proposal for a national Internet filter that would block 10,000 websites

The party was foundered in 2009 with key policies including voluntary euthanasia and decriminalisation of cannabis

The party is set to notify the Australian Electoral Commission and its support base this week.

Ms Patten first launched the party at Melbourne's annual Sexpo expedition before it quickly garnered the required 500 members to register with the AEC.

It was originally created out of members of the Eros Association; an adult-industry lobby group, but now boasts membership upwards of 7500 people.

With the party's re-branding however, it will need to rethink its 'We're serious about sex' slogan.
A petition urging the White House to declare antifa groups 'terrorists' has accumulated more than 200,000 signatures in four days.

The petition, hosted on the White House's 'We the People' sub-site, claims that the decentralized group of anti-fascist activists meets the criteria for terrorism because it uses 'violence and intimidation in pursuit of political aims.'

'It is time for the pentagon to be consistent in its actions - and just as they rightfully declared ISIS a terror group, they must declare AntiFa a terror group - on the grounds of principle, integrity, morality, and safety,' the petition reads.

A petition on the White House website calling for members of Antifa - or anti-fascist - groups to be classed as 'terrorists' has received more than 200,000 signatures in four days. Pictured is an Antifa group protesting the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville on August 12

According to the rules of 'We the People,' any petition that gathers more than 100,000 signatures in 30 days is due a response from the White House.

The petition 'Formally recognize AntiFa as a terrorist organization,' which was posted on Thursday by someone known as 'AH', had gathered more than 200,000 by Monday afternoon.

It claims that Antifa - the general term for a loose collection of anti-fascist organizers has earned the label 'terrorist' for 'due to its violent actions in multiple cities and their influence in the killings of multiple police officers throughout the United States.'

It gives no evidence for either claim - including the remark about influencing the killing of police officers.

Anti-fascism as a movement has been around for around a century, but has reached a particular prominence since the violence seen in Charlottesville, Virginia.

One woman was killed and 19 injured when a white supremacist drove into a crowd of counter-protesters at the Unite the Right rally on August 12.

Since then, Donald Trump has come under fire for quavering about condemning white supremacists, and for equating neo-Nazis with their anti-fascist counter-protesters.

If Antifa groups are declared terrorists it will come as a surprise to many, as they do not fit traditional terrorist models.

Although Antifa groups have committed violence, it is usually in mutually antagonistic clashes, such as this fight between pro-Trump (left) and Antifa (right) groups on April 15. That puts it outside the federal definition which says terrorism is violence against noncombatant targets

And federal law defines terrorism as 'premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.'

While Antifa has engaged in violence, the instances commonly seen in the media involve mutual combat with violent members of white supremacist groups in rallies.

They also do not have a single controlling body or unifying political mission, unlike many terrorist organizations, such as ISIS or Al Qaeda.

Instead, they formed of independent, politically diverse groups, though typically from the left of the political spectrum.

That doesn't mean Antifa groups haven't faced fire from the left, however; liberal commentators have denounced Antifa violence for legitimizing retaliatory violent action from the right.

An Atlantic commentator wrote: 'They're troubling tactically because conservatives use antifa's violence to justify - or at least distract from- the violence of white supremacists, as Trump did in his press conference.

'They're troubling strategically because they allow white supremacists to depict themselves as victims being denied the right to freely assemble.

'And they're troubling morally because antifa activists really do infringe upon that right.'

Although a response is promised by the We the People website, not every petition that has reached the 100,000 signatures mark has received a response.

One that has not been answered is a demand that Trump's investments be divested or put in a blind trust, which received 353,496 signatures.
Revered former prime minister John Howard says Donald Trump is doing a good job and the world should judge him on substance, not style.

Speaking at a US-Australia relations conference in Sydney on Monday evening, Mr Howard said the American president's actions universally justified cause 'for a positive response'.

'Its impossible to talk about our relationship without acknowledging that President Trump has brought a different style to the position,' Mr Howard told the function, hosted by Australian and US embassies and think tanks.

Revered former prime minister John Howard (pictured) says Donald Trump is going a good job and the world should judge him on substance, not style

Mr Howard has said he believes Trump's (pictured) White House will be more stable after the departure of Steve Bannon last week

'It is very important to look to the substance of what the American administration is doing and not be distracted by the style and externalities.'

Mr Howard pointed to Mr Trump's military response to the chemical attack on Syrian civilians by the Assad regime earlier this year as an example of good leadership.

'That was consummately executed, both in a military sense and also in a diplomatic sense and it won the applause of the world.'

Mr Howard went on to say he believed the seemingly continual turnover of senior White House staff was beginning to settle following this week's ousting of controversial strategist Steve Bannon.

Mr Howard (pictured) said the American president's actions universally justified cause 'for a positive response'

'I think I see a return to normalcy in the personnel,' Mr Howard said, prompting an subtle murmur.

Afterwards, his comments were described as 'delusional' by audience member, Sydney University academic James Curran.

'I think he's got the blinkers on with the US,' the history professor told AAP.

'He's delusional in the belief that now that Bannon is gone, the Trump White House is slowly settling down into some kind of normalisation.'

'Its impossible to talk about our relationship without acknowledging that President Trump (pictured) has brought a different style to the position,' Mr Howard said

Professor Curran challenged Mr Howard's assertion that there was any 'substance' behind Mr Trump's unconventional style.

'I'm not too sure where the substance is, I haven't seen it,' he said.

'Yes, he spoke about Syria strikes, well what was the strategy to back that up?'

Professor Curran said he didn't believe Australia's current prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, was as confident in Mr Trump.

'As I understand it, Turnbull is privately scathing of Trump - privately scathing.'

Mr Howard pointed to Mr Trump's (pictured) military response to the chemical attack on Syrian civilians by the Assad regime earlier this year as an example of good leadership

Distinguished research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institute Kori Schaki said while she believed Mr Howard had a point, she wasn't convinced Mr Trump had yet proved it.

'I think style matters and I think words matter, so I'm not entirely persuaded by his argument,' Ms Schaki told AAP.

'But his point to watch what they do, not just what they're saying - I do think he's right about that.'

Mr Howard made similar statements at a University of Sydney event in July, urging Australians to trust the US president.

'The style of President Trump is unusual... I accept that some of his style is provocative, but in the end it's what he does that matters,' he said.
A generation of 'olderpreneurs' are turning their backs on retirement to set up their own businesses, research has found.

Barclays says the number of companies run by bosses aged 65 and over has jumped 140 per cent in the past decade, the biggest rise of any age group.

The number of firms with those aged 55 to 64 also increased by a third, according to the bank.

The number of companies run by bosses aged 65 and over has jumped 140 per cent in the past decade, the biggest rise of any age group

The findings challenge stereotypes that most start-ups are run by those in their 20s, with older generations increasingly launching business ventures to bolster their pensions.

Barclays business banking chief Ian Rand said: 'At a time when they could be planning for retirement, the over-55s are utilising their skills by putting their wealth of experience and business knowledge to use.'

The surge in older generations running their own businesses compared with a 23 per cent rise in those aged 25 to 34 and a 15 per cent drop in those aged under 25.

It comes at a time when the Government is considering further increases to the retirement age.

The bank released the findings after analysing 1.1million business accounts that were in use at the end of 2016, but did not provide the actual numbers involved.

Firms run by over-55s contributed more than 7billion to the economy in 2015, Barclays said.

To meet growing demand, the bank has launched training events to offer advice on how to use technology to set up a business and has brought in beauty business boss Liz Earle, 54, as an adviser for start-ups run by mature founders.

Liz Earle, 54, a mother-of-five who founded her beauty business in 1995, is helping Barclays business bank offer advice to older people on how to start their own companies

The mother-of-five, who founded her company in 1995 and recently launched a new magazine, Liz Earle Wellbeing, said: 'The older generation adds so much value to the workplace, bringing a wealth of experience and industry contacts to the table.

'It's great to see them taking the plunge in later life, rather than feeling it's too late.'

The number of business owners aged 55 and above grew fastest in London, followed by the South East and the North East.

They were most likely to launch businesses in healthcare, education and professional services, as well as property and the arts.

One who started a business later in life was Lesley Benson, who quit her job to start her own luxury travel firm, Ski Bespoke, in West Sussex, when she was 54. Now 60, she has no plans to retire from her role.

She said: 'I think more people of my age own businesses now because the concept of age has totally changed  people don't retire until their mid-sixties or even their seventies.

'If they're going to be working that long, they want to find something they love.

'Nothing beats being your own boss.'
A servicewoman known by the name Kirsty Lea is at the centre of a controversial will dispute

The de facto partner of a deceased RAAF mechanic who was given the majority of his estate while his two little girls received far less is a fellow member of the Defence Force.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal a servicewoman known as Kirsty Lea is at the centre of the controversial will dispute which infuriated her former partner's family.

Ms Lea was the girlfriend of airman Daniel Leverton, who died suddenly during a surfing trip with his father on April 4, 2015.

Daniel's former partner and the mother of his two little girls, Angela Watson, believed she was still the sole beneficiary and executor of his will from when they were married and that their daughters' future was secure.

But according to News Corp, she then discovered Mr Leverton's partner had filed a claim through Military Super, entitling her to $352,170 of the $451,500 of his superannuation account, leaving just $49,664 each to his girls. The children were aged aged 9 and 7 at the time of his death.

Daniel Leverton (pictured with his two daughters) passed away suddenly while surfing with his father in Arrawarra, on the New South Wales north coast

Ms Lea (pictured left) and right, a Facebook display picture

It's understood Mr Leverton was surfing with his father in Arrawarra on the New South Wales north coast when he complained of chest pains and suddenly collapsed.

News Corp first reported this week that Ms Watson was shocked when she later learned that there was less than $100,000 remaining from his estate to split between their two daughters, and appealed to the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation. Her appeal was denied and the decision upheld.

In conversations, friends also reiterated Ms Lea was legally entitled to his superannuation payout.

Mr Leverton's father Geoff recently starred in a short online video recently where he described the Corporation's decision as 'morally wrong' and a 'travesty of justice'.

'The girls are missing out on Daniel's wishes,' he claimed, explaining he had recently written to the Minister responsible for assistance. He said he was posting the video for his deceased son and two daughters.

In the video, he told how Mr Leverton made a statutory declaration in mid-2014 that his new girlfriend was his 'independent partner'.

This was done as he was about to be posted to Katherine, in the Northern Territory, but did not want to move away from his daughters.

So he used a loophole to declare he was in a de facto relationship and he wouldn't have to be relocated.

Mr Leverton died shortly after returning from deployment in Vanuatu helping the country recover from the devastation of Cyclone Pam

'It put a terrible burden on Daniel... he asked if there was a way around it,' Mr Leverton's father Geoff said in the video.

'He had a casual relationship with a young lady at the time, so they advised him that even though it was well below the de facto relationship civil laws of Queensland which is two years, if he signed a stat dec, they could be recognised as de facto and therefore being in such state, Daniel didn't have to be transferred and could stay at Amberley, in Queensland, therefore close his girls.'

It is not suggested Mr Leverton's girlfriend knew of the statutory declaration.

On Tuesday, a friend of the couple, who asked not to be named, characterised their relationship in a different light.

'It definitely wasn't a "casual relationship" like his father stated,' the friend claimed.

The friend pointed to the extensive requirements for a couple to be recognised as de facto by the Defence Department.

A Defence fact sheet seen by the Daily Mail said couples must provide documents that prove they live together on a genuine basis, including rental agreements, joint bank accounts, bills and statutory declarations.

'It put a terrible burden on Daniel because he didn't want to be away from his girls, and he asked if there was a way around it,' Mr Leverton's father Geoff told News Corp

The friend said: 'It's not like she wasn't legally entitled to his super.

'The only people who know the truth about their relationship is the two of them, but he doted on her.

'He used to bring her coffee, lunches, had flowers delivered for her birthday, he seemed to be head over heels...both of them were.'

Ms Lea's lawyer told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Leverton did not get to choose who he nominated as the beneficiary of his superannuation.

'Military Super do not allow their members to nominate beneficiaries. It is Military Supers own scheme rules that determine who receives the payment of the benefit in the event of a members death. It was completely beyond our clients control as to the decision that was reached by Military Super.

'Further, what is failed to have been mentioned, is that when the Military Super decision was originally handed down, our client made an offer to the mother of Mr Levertons children, via her Solicitor, to gift a significant sum to the children from the benefit she was due to receive. This offer was made on 17 July 2015 and was never accepted by the mother of the children.

'Our client was in a meaningful relationship with the deceased. The material published contains many inaccuracies with respect to the type of relationship and duration of the relationship that our client shared with the deceased, among other things.'

The Defence Department was also approached for comment, although a spokesperson said they would endeavour to respond as soon as possible.
Chicagoans Will Protest Controversial Balbo Monument & Balbo Drive On Wednesday

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 22, 2017 8:55PM



Balbo Monument / Flickr / Photo: rchdj10

A protest is scheduled for Wednesday night to calling for the removal of the Balbo Monument and the renaming of Balbo Drive. Both have become focal points in a local version of the national conversation over whether to remove memorials to and/or from objectionable governments.

A movement to remove the monument and rename the drive reemerged in the wake of Charlottesville and has since gathered momentum from activists and aldermen. The monument was gifted to the city in 1933 by Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and honors Italo Balboan Italian Air Force Marshal and Fascist organizer who helped bring Mussolini to powerand his transatlantic flight to Chicago, for the Century of Progress World's Fair. The monument features a 2,000-year-old Roman-pillar antiquity atop a stone base. In 1933, 7th Street was also renamed as Balbo Drive.

A weathered inscription on the monument reads: "Fascist Italy, by command of Benito Mussolini presents to Chicago exaltation symbol memorial of the Atlantic Squadron led by Balbo that with Roman daring, flew across the ocean in the 11th year of the Fascist era."

The protest calls for Balbo Monumentwhich stands in Burnham Park, not far from Soldier Fieldto be removed and for Balbo Drive to be rechristened "Ida B. Wells Way," in honor of the suffragist icon and early Civil Rights leader. A petition calling for "Ida B. Wells Way" was introduced last week and has gathered more than 1,500 signatures. Aislinn Sol, a Black Lives Lives Matter-Chicago activist who helped launch the petition, told Chicagoist last week that she'd like to see the monument placed in a museum.

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (Ward 36) and Ald. Ed Burke (14th) are among the aldermen working on an official push to remove the monument and rename the roadway.

There have been various attempts throughout the decades to nix the honorary designations, including a 1946 effort that was well outlined in a 2008 Chicago magazine piece. Some Italian-American preservationistsmany of them olderwho stress that Balbo's flight was a point of pride in the community remain opposed to the anti-Balbo push, John Greenfield reports in the Chicago Reader. Chicago Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner reportedly said officials expect to meet with aldermen soon to discuss the matter.

The protest, which was launched by activist group Answer Chicago, is scheduled to take place Wednesday Aug. 23, at 6:00 p.m.
A daredevil grandfather took a swim in a murky Northern Territory river in a bid to impress his grandchildren.

The man, who is in his 70s, asked his wife to snap a picture as he entered the water to send to his 14 grandkids.

However, the grandfather  who didn't want to be named - told the NT News that his stunt was not as well-received as he'd hoped.

A grandfather (pictured) swam in a murky river in the Northern Territory in a bid to impress his grandkids

He had jumped into the water near a baited crocodile trap for the photo opportunity, but said his grandchildren were not impressed by his courageous act.

'The idea was to send it back to the grandkids so they could think, "wow, look at Grandpa."

'I think they thought, "how silly is old Grandpa, he's lost it".'

And while he concedes it was reckless and he battled some nerves before doing it, he didn't think he was in any real danger.

He said others had been swimming in the water and he had a good look for the creatures before jumping in.

A saltwater crocodile rest on a river bank with his jaws open in Queensland. File photo

'I said to my wife, "would you hurry up and press the so-and-so button" because she was taking her time.'

Interfering with a crocodile trap can lead to a $70,000 fine and six months in jail, according to the NT News.

Almost 250 saltwater crocodiles have been captured in the state this year.
Indigenous broadcaster Stan Grant has called on Australia to follow the example set by the United States and consider altering statues that leave a 'legacy of pain'.

The U.S. has been rocked in recent weeks by violent conflict, stemming largely from a push to tear down statues of Confederate army figures such as Robert E Lee.

Claiming that it makes Indigenous people and culture feel 'invisible', Grant has called for the inscription on a statue in Sydney's Hyde Park that credits Captain James Cook with 'discovering Australia' to be changed.

Indigenous broadcaster Stan Grant (pictured) has called on Australia to follow the example set by the United States and consider altering a statue of Captain James Cook that leaves a 'legacy of pain'

Claiming that it makes Indigenous people and culture feel 'invisible', Grant has called for the inscription on this statue of Captain James Cook located in Sydney's Hyde Park to be changed

Having led the 'First Fleet' of British ships to Australia in 1770, the statue of Captain Cook unveiled in 1879 is inscribed with: 'DISCOVERED THIS TERRITORY 1770'

But in an opinion article written for the ABC, the respected Indigenous advocate told how the claims on the statue were a sore point for Indigenous people.

While saying he didn't want the statue pulled down, Mr Grant called it a reminder of 'the violent rupture of Aboriginal society' - one he claimed they are still enduring.

'This statue speaks to emptiness, it speaks to our invisibility,' he said.

'It says that nothing truly mattered, nothing truly counted until a white sailor first walked on these shores.'

Referring to the lack of acknowledgement about the way Australia had been taken in an instant from the Indigenous people, Mr Grant called it the 'great silence'.

In the past week, following racist rallies and riots, calls to tear down a statue of Confederate army leader Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville have grown louder.

Just like Lee, who fought to keep slavery in the American Civil War, Captain Cook is a figure that brought pain to Australia, according to Mr Grant.

The U.S. has been rocked in recent weeks by violent conflict, stemming largely from a push to tear down statues of Confederate army figures (pictured) such as Robert E Lee

Following racist rallies and riots, calls to tear down a statue of Confederate army leader Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville have grown louder

'Captain Cook's statue stands in the centre of our biggest city. There are Indigenous people who for good reason would prefer to see it removed,' he wrote.

'Personally I accept that it remains; Cook is part of the story of this nation.'

Mr Grant's call to change the statue's inscription comes after a second Melbourne council voted in favour of not celebrating Australia Day in 2018 because its 'racist'.

The City of Darebin council, which governs several of Melbourne's northern suburbs, made the decision on Monday night - a week after the City of Yarra.
A man and woman from western Montana have been charged in the stabbing deaths of two people whose bodies were found in plastic tubs of chemicals in the basement of a Missoula home.

Tiffanie Pierce, 23, and Augustus Standingrock, 26, were arrested last Thursday and made their initial appearances in Justice Court on Monday, at which time their bail was set at $2millon.

Both are charged with deliberate homicide and accountability to deliberate homicide for the deaths of a man and a woman on August 17. They did not enter pleas.

Scroll down for video

Pair charged: Augustus Standingrock (left), 26, and Tiffanie Pierce (right), 23, are accused of stabbing to death two people in Montana on August 17

Grisly scene: Police discovered the bodies in plastic tubs filled with chemicals while searching this home in the 1900 block of Strand Avenue in Missoula

Gory evidence: The search also turned up knives and an ax covered in blood and suspected human tissue at the scene

'There's no combination of [release conditions] that would ensure that members of our community would be safe,' Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst told Justice of the Peace Marie Andersen on Monday.

Pierce and Standingrock tried to destroy the bodies of the victims by putting them in tubs with chemicals that prosecutors say were purchased by Pierce, prosecutors said.

Police discovered the bodies while executing a search warrant at 6pm on Thursday at a home in the 1900 block of Strand Avenue.

The search also turned up knives and an ax covered in blood and suspected human tissue at the scene.

Pierce's roommate told a police informant that he was awakened by a woman's screams and found Pierce and Standingrock in the bathroom washing blood off themselves before Pierce told him there was a dead woman in the basement, reported KRTV3.

The roommate told them he did not want to know anything and left but said Pierce showed up at his work, 'freaking out,' and told him she 'killed a couple people last night,' according to court records.

Witness: A roommate of the couple said he found Pierce and Standingrock in the bathroom washing blood off themselves

First appearance: Pierce (left) and Standingrock (right) appeared in court Monday, at which time their bail was set at $2millon

Pierce reportedly told her roommate that Standingrock brought a couple of people over and that he took them to the basement and attacked one.

Pierce attacked the other person, who had tried to get away, the roommate told investigators.

The initial investigation found both victims died of stab wounds.

Pierce also is being investigated in a home invasion and stabbing that happened on July 23, according to a search warrant application filed by Missoula police.

The victim in that case survived and told investigators that a woman, later identified as Pierce, broke into her home in the 1300 block of Montana Street and proceeded to repeatedly stab her in the neck, face and stomach as she slept. She then asked her several times, 'Where's the money, where's the drugs?'

Court records cited by NewsTalk KGVO indicate that Standingrock has been in trouble with the law in the past, including five years ago when he was arrested for beating a man with a crowbar and trying to stab him.

Then in 2015, he was accused of kicking and punching police officers who were trying to take him into custody for violating the conditions of his parole.
A rare white koala joey born at Bindi Irwin's Australia Zoo needs a name, and the public is being asked to help.

The unbearably cute marsupial's unusual colouring is not as a result of albinism but is due to a recessive gene inherited from her mother, Tia, who has had other pale coloured joeys in the past.

Dr Rosie Booth, Director of the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, said it was rarer to see a koala with light fur than it was to see one with albinism.

A rare white koala joey (pictured) has been born at Australia Zoo - and she needs a name

This koala joey is light due to a recessive gene inherited from her mother Tia (pictured)

'In veterinary science it's often referred to as the 'silvering gene' where animals are born with white or very pale fur and, just like baby teeth, they eventually shed their baby fur and the regular adult colouration comes through,' Dr Booth said.

'In the wild animal kingdom, it's actually quite unfortunate to have unusually light colouration as it makes animals stand out from their camouflage risking being spotted by potential predators,' she said.

'So this little joey has hit the jackpot being born at Australia Zoo, where every single person adores animals and gives them such great care.'

Koalas are also known to vary in colour depending on where they are born, with those from southern Australia being darker and larger than those found in Queensland and New South Wales.

An Australia Zoo media spokesperson said told Daily Mail Australia the joey recently emerged from its mother's pouch.

'She could have been born in the last five to six months,' the spokesperson said.

More than 1,000 people have liked the zoo's Facebook post inviting the public to name the joey.

Suggestions so far have included Elsa, after the lead character in the Disney movie Frozen, and Eleebana, which means beautiful girl in an Australian Aboriginal language.

Australia Zoo posted a Facebook on Tuesday asking the public to suggest names for her
Chinese students outraged over a world map showing territory claimed by China as part of India have forced the IT lecturer who used it to apologise.

Khimji Vaghjiani included the offending image in his Sydney University lectures 18 months ago but has now made a public apology after Chinese social media erupted.

The map - which is the first result when Googling 'map of the world' - shows the disputed territories of Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as belonging to India.

Khimji Vaghjiani (pictured) included an inaccurate map in his lectures 18 months ago but has now made a public apology after Chinese social media erupted

The map shows two regions which are claimed by China (pictured, circled in red) as part of India

This Google Maps image shows the disputed territories which appear as part of India on the controversial map

A Sydney University Chinese students group posted an article on WeChat on Wednesday complaining about the map, The Australian reported.

Tensions have been high between China and India due to a border dispute over the Doklam plateau, called Donglang by China.

'Over 18 months ago, I used an out-of-date map, downloaded from the internet, when discussing characteristics of IT entrepreneurs around the world,' said Mr Vaghjiani in a statement.

'I was unaware that the map was inaccurate and out-of-date. This was a genuine mistake and I regret any offence this may have caused.'

The lecturer used the map (pictured, from WeChat article) in lecture materials 18 months ago

Chinese students at Sydney University (pictured) complained about the map used by the IT lecturer

This is not the first time Chinese students at the university have vented their anger over the territorial spat, with an automobile club staging a protest on August 15.

A convoy of supercars emblazoned with the Chinese flag and nationalist slogans were photographed driving through the university grounds.

A statement written on one of the luxury vehicles read: 'Anyone who offends China will be killed no matter how far the target is', SBS reported.

The social media campaign attacking the controversial map is the latest in a series of incidents in which Chinese students have pressured Australian universities.

Monash University suspended a lecturer in May after he held a quiz (pictured) containing questions which offended students said mocked Chinese government officials

Monash University suspended a lecturer in May after he held a quiz containing questions which offended students said mocked Chinese government officials.

The course material was also criticised for discussing the corruption of Chinese officials and saying China lacked skilled workers.

In early August a lecturer at Australian National University in Canberra was accused of discrimination after posting a warning not to cheat in both English and Chinese.

The ensuing uproar resulted in a letter of apology in which he wrote 'I realize I made a poor decision'.
Accused: Esmeralda Marie Medellin, 18, sexually abused a boy, 4, she was babysitting, police said. The boy told his mom she had made him perform a sex act on her, they said

A Texas babysitter who was left in charge of a four-year-old boy forced him to perform a sex act on her, a court heard this week.

Esmeralda Marie Medellin, 18, was arrested on Thursday for the alleged sexual assault, which police say occurred on March 28.

The little boy told his mom that Medellin had made him perform the act, and she then called police while the babysitter was still in the home, My San Antonio reported.

The boy also said that she also performed a sex act on him, according to KENS5.

According to an arrest affidavit, the boy and Medellin were both taken to a hospital for a sexual assault examination.

The results of that examination came in last Wednesday, and said that DNA found on Medellin's breast belonged to the boy, police said.

The test also found male DNA on her genitals, but there was not enough to make a positive comparison with the boys' DNA.

Medellin was taken to a police station on the night of the alleged assault, where she denied the allegations.

After the test results came back, she arrested on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

She has been released from Bexar County Jail Friday on $75,000 bail.
A cyclist who was not wearing a helmet has been hit by a garbage truck at an intersection.

Western Australia police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia the male cyclist, 43, collided with the truck at an intersection before 6.30am Tuesday.

The cyclist is now in a stable condition after he was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital with serious head injuries who was believed to have bleeding on the brain, 7 News Perth reported.

A Perth cyclist who was not wearing a helmet has been hit by a garbage truck at an intersection (the cyclist's bike pictured)

The cyclist was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital with serious head injuries who is believed to have bleeding on the brain, 7 News Perth reported

The collision reportedly took place at a busy intersection in Perth suburb Victoria Park (pictured)

The bike rider was travelling along Albany Highway in Victoria Park, a suburb more than 5km south-east of central Perth.

The male truck driver, 28, allegedly turned right onto McMillan Street where the two men collided.

Police are currently interviewing the truck driver.

The identity of the cyclist is currently unknown.
A Brisbane pub owner wanted to make sure Prince Frederik wasn't a terrorist before letting him in

A pub owner wanted to make sure Danish Crown Prince Frederik wasnt a terrorist before turning him away because he didnt have any identification.

Australias draconian liquor laws made headlines after Prince Frederik, 49, and his security entourage were bounced from the Jade Buddha Bar in Brisbane just before midnight on Friday.

Co-owner Phil Hogan told Sunrise his first thought was to make sure the prince and his gun-wielding cronies werent plotting a terror attack.

Youve got six guys there with guns and plain clothes, he said.

My brother Gary rang me and he said what do you think?, and I said well the first thing is weve got to make sure theyre not terrorists.

It wasnt until Mr Hogan was sent a photo of the ID for the Princes head of security that the bar owner realised they were kosher.

I said no theyre kosher, I recognise that name from when the Mexican first lady came in.

We know theyre not terrorists, and we know theyre real police but now were in a catch-22, because if we let him in we do so in front of six police officers and we potentially break the law.

Scroll down for video

Prince Frederik is currently in Australia without his wife, Princess Mary, who chose to stay in Denmark rather than return to her home nation

Prince Frederik and his entourage were denied entry to the Jade Buddha Bar (pictured) just before midnight on Friday evening because they did not have identification

Just because a policeman tells you to shoot someone doesnt make it legal, he said.

Hogan said Prince Frederik was standing quietly through the discussions between the pubs bouncers and his security team.

He seemed like a very nice bloke.

We said we believe you, but were worried about getting into trouble with liquor licensing so then they left. They came back though.

The group left the establishment, but returned 15 minutes later armed with seven Queensland Police officers who confirmed the identity of the prince.

The Crown Prince is not the only famous face to enjoy a tipple at the Jade Buddha Bar.

It wasnt too many years ago when Kim Kardashian came through Brisbane, she only had one function in the city and it was upstairs at Jade Buddha it mustve been recommended,' Mr Hogan said.

After the Crown Prince returned to the venue 15 minutes later with identification he was let in, and wasted no time in making a beeline straight to the bar.

So while the venue manager is racing around like a lunatic organising cocktail waitresses for his group the prince just walks up to the bar and the guy that served him said hey dude what can I get for you, Mr Hogan said.

The Denmark royal has been in Australia this month competing in the Hamilton Island Race week

Prince Frederik, Princess Josephine, Prince Vincent, Princess Mary pose before the children's first school day (pictured)

He bought a dark and stormy [dark rum and ginger beer] so to give him credit he seems like a very nice fellow.

I jokingly said to my brother if he had Mary with him he wouldve waltzed in.

After Prince Frederik's farcical experience at the Jade Buddha One Nation has announced it would scrap ID scanners at Queensland pubs if it holds the balance of power after the state election, according to AAP.

The policy would remove ID scanners, abolish Safe Night Precincts and establish a 3am closing time for all bars.

The Denmark royal has been in Australia this month competing in the Hamilton Island Race week.

He is currently in Australia without his wife, Princess Mary, who chose to stay in Denmark rather than return to her home nation. The two famously met in a Sydney pub during the Olympics in 2000.

The owner of the bar located on the Eagle Street Pier intervened before the situation could become any more embarrassing, and the prince and his party entered the club.

'It's a stupid law. We always thought it was going to be a nightmare,' the bar's co-owner Phil Hogan told the Telegraph.

'This is just the tip of the iceberg with the Prince. It's happening all the time with normal people.'

Prince Frederik and his group were reportedly shocked by the denial, and quickly enlisted the help of police who told security at the Jade Buddha Bar (pictured) they had the authority to override the laws

New identification scanning laws in Queensland dictate anyone entering a premises after 10pm must have their passport or drivers license on-hand. The devices have cost venues $8,000 each to implement.

Prince Frederik and his group were reportedly shocked by the denial, and quickly enlisted the help of police who told security at the Jade Buddha Bar they had the authority to override the laws.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jade Buddha Bar for comment.

Prince Frederik (left) smiles with daughter Josephine (center left), son Vincent (center right) and Princess Mary (right)
A gay couple dining at one of Washington, DC's most popular restaurants was stunned this past Thursday evening when their server refused to bring them an order of dessert with two spoons because 'it wouldn't look right with two gentlemen eating out of the same sundae.'

Ron Gage, 55, and his companion, Henry McKinnon, 58, were enjoying dinner at the Prime Rib, an eatery that boasts of being one of the top five romantic restaurants in the country, according to The Washington Post.

The evening was progressing swimmingly as the two men dined and even joked around with their server.

After finishing the main course, it was time to order dessert.

Ron Gage (left), 55, and his companion, Henry McKinnon (right), 58, were stunned last Thursday evening when a server at a Washington, DC restaurant refused to bring them a sundae with two spoons because two men sharing dessert 'wouldn't look right'

The evening was progressing swimmingly as the two men dined and even joked around with their server at Prime Rib, a well-known DC eatery

'When it came time for dessert, we asked for one sundae with two spoons,' Gage said

'When it came time for dessert, we asked for one sundae with two spoons,' Gage said.

The server 'said he would bring it in two separate dishes. He said "It wouldn't look right with two gentlemen eating out of the same sundae. It doesn't go with the ambiance of the restaurant".'

The two men simply did not know how to respond.

'We were speechless, we nodded,' Gage said. 'We weren't expecting it.'

Earlier in the evening, Gage and McKinnon engaged in friendly banter with the server.

After the dessert fiasco, they kept their conversations to a minimum.

The restaurant's (above) general manager, James MacLeod, told the Post that he planned to reach out to the diners. 'I cannot believe that a waiter would have ever said anything like that,' MacLeod said. 'There's no way we would condone anything remotely like this'

The two men then left the server a 15 percent tip  even though they usually tip 20 percent.

Still stunned over what just transpired, they left the restaurant without saying a word of protest to the manager.

'I'm kind of embarrassed to say we didn't say anything,' McKinnon said.

'It just took us back to such a shameful place, in a way.'

After sleeping on it, the two took to social media and expressed their anger over what took place.

The restaurant's general manager, James MacLeod, told the Post that he planned to reach out to the diners.

'The waiter in question is Bulgarian, and he does speak four different languages,' said MacLeod.

'I am not sure if he got confused as to what he was saying, or how he was saying it.'

'I cannot believe that a waiter would have ever said anything like that,' MacLeod said.

'There's no way we would condone anything remotely like this.'

The bad news for MacLeod and Prime Rib is that it's unlikely the couple will return to the restaurant after their unpleasant experience.

'It was so humiliating,' McKinnon said.

'It was unbelievable how it made us feel.'
Anger boiled over at the first Charlottesville City Council meeting since a white nationalist rally in the city descended into violent chaos, with some residents screaming and cursing at councilors calling for their resignations.

Scores of people packed the council's chambers on Monday and Mike Signer was interrupted by shouting several times in the first few minutes of the meeting. As tensions escalated, the meeting was halted. Live video showed protesters standing on a dais with a sign that said, 'Blood on your hands.'

After talking with members of the crowd, Councilor Wes Bellamy said the council would drop its agenda and focus on the crowd's concerns, the Daily Progress reported.

Scroll down for video

Anger boiled over at the first Charlottesville City Council meeting since a white nationalist rally and many called for the resignation of Mayor Mike Signer

Speakers, some yelling and hurling profanities, then took turns addressing the council, some expressing frustration that leaders had granted a permit for the August 12 rally that had turned violent. Others criticized the police response to the event, which drew hundreds of white nationalists and other counter-protesters.

The two sides clashed violently in the street that day, largely uninterrupted by authorities, until the event was declared an unlawful assembly and the crowd was forced to disperse.

Later, a car rammed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman and injuring 19 others. The death toll for the day climbed to three when a helicopter that had been monitoring the event and assisting with the governor's motorcade crashed, killing two state troopers.

Speakers, some yelling and hurling profanities, expressed frustration that leaders had granted a permit for the August 12 rally that had turned violent

The event dubbed 'Unite the Right' was sparked by the city's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

At one point, the crowd chanted, 'Signer must go.'

Elsewhere in Charlottesville, dozens of students rallied Monday night at the University of Virginia in rejection of the violence. Video of the event streamed by the newspaper on social media showed students marching on the stately grounds of Virginia's flagship public university.

The event was billed as a 'reclaim our grounds' rally and organizers said it was held to highlight the advances made at the university to end racism and discrimination in recent decades. The organizers also said via social media that they were seeking to send a message to the university leadership that more advances were still needed.

Others criticized the police response to the event, which drew hundreds of white nationalists and other counter-protesters.

Earlier Monday, the man who authorities say drove his car into the crowd of counter-protesters Aug. 12 made a second court appearance. The Charlottesville Commonwealth's Attorney's Office said James Alex Fields Jr., 20, appeared by video Monday. It was his first hearing on a second set of charges filed against him last week.

Senior assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nina Antony says a judge declined for now to set bond for Fields, who has another hearing Friday. The charges against Fields include second-degree murder. In addition to the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, police said, some of the 19 people injured when the crowd was rammed by the car suffered serious and permanent injuries.

Fields' attorney couldn't immediately be reached.

A sign asks Mayor Mike Signor to resign during the Charlottesville City Council meeting, As tensions escalated, the meeting was halted. Live video showed protesters standing on a dais with a sign that said, 'Blood on your hands'

In developments elsewhere, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday he would not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments following the white supremacist march in Virginia.

Ryan was asked at a town hall organized in his Wisconsin congressional district whether he would back the resolution that comes following Trump's comments about the Virginia rally. The question came from Rabbi Dena Feingold, the sister of former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who grew up in the same city as Ryan.

Ryan said censuring Trump would be 'counterproductive.'

In developments elsewhere, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday he would not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments following the white supremacist march in Virginia

'If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-fest, bickering between one another ... what good does that do to unify this country?' Ryan said, adding that it would be the 'worst thing we could do.'

While Ryan said he wouldn't support censuring Trump, he gave his sharpest criticism to date of the president's comments in the wake of the Charlottesville rally. Ryan had previously spoken out against the violence, both on Twitter and in a statement earlier Monday, but he hadn't previously addressed Trump's comments directly.

'I do believe he messed up on his comments on Tuesday,' Ryan said, referring to Trump asserting there were good people on 'both sides' of the Charlottesville rally. But he added he believes Trump has clarified his remarks.
Billy Corgan Announces Solo Album & Tour Under Legal Name: William Patrick Corgan

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 22, 2017 3:50PM



Photo by Alpha Pan

Looks like that long-rumored reunion of the original Smashing Pumpkins lineup will have to wait just a little longer. Lead Pumpkin Billy Corgan on Tuesday announced an upcoming solo album, Ogilala, which he will release under his full name, William Patrick Corgan, on Oct. 13. Ogilala will be Corgan's second solo effort, his last being 2005's TheFutureEmbrace.

The first taste of Ogilala is the sweetly soaring "Aeronaut," a song firmly in the vein of the "Twilight to Starlight" sides of the Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Check it out below.

To promote the new solo jawn, Corgan will embark on a brief acoustic tour, primarily focusing on the coasts but including a two night stand in Chicago, at Athenaeum Theatre on Oct. 24 and 25. His full tour dates are below and all tickets go on sale this Friday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. local time through the Ogilala website.

Oct. 14 and 15 in Brooklyn, NY at Murmrr Theatre

Oct. 18 in Wilmington, DE at Grand Opera House

Oct. 20 in Toronto, ON at Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Oct. 24 and 25 in Chicago, IL at Athenaeum Theatre

Oct. 27 in Nashville, TN at CMA Theater

Oct. 29 in Boulder, CO at Boulder Theater

Nov. 1 and 2 in San Francisco, CA at Herbst Theatre

Nov. 9, 10 and 11 in Los Angeles, CA at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Those still holding out hope for that reunion tour might appreciate knowing that the last time Corgan released a solo album, he announced he was resurrecting a version of the Pumpkins on the day of its release. So, we'll see what happens.
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President Donald Trump announced a new Afghanistan strategy Monday that relies on features of the current one: Maintaining a lethal force of U.S. troops to battle Taliscban and ISIS insurgents and propping up the wobbly Afghan government  while ramping up the pressure on Pakistan to stop harboring terrorists in its territory.

After a strategy review finalized with top advisors at Camp David, Trump revealed what he called a 'path forward' and a 'dramatically' different approach in a prime time address Monday night.

He called for victory and use of overwhelming force, but made no specific mention of dispatching thousands of new American troops to boost the effort, saying levels would be based on conditions on the ground.

President Donald Trump cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan Monday, backtracking from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war

Donald Trump shakes hands with military officers as he departs after announcing his strategy for the war in Afghanistan during an address to the nation from Fort Myer, Virginia

After a strategy review finalized with top advisors at Camp David, Trump revealed what he called a 'path forward' and a 'dramatically' different approach. Pictured left to right: Ivanka Trump, First Lady Melania and Vice President Mike Pence

In his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump discarded his previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money

'My instinct was to pull out,' Trump said as he spoke of his frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars

'Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win,' the president told soldiers at Fort Myer outside Washington.

'From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies. Obliterating ISIS. Crushing Al Qaeda. Preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan. And stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge,' the president said.

Acknowledging his earlier panning of the war, Trump said: 'My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts.'

'But all my life, I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office  in other words, when you're president of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle,' Trump said.

A key feature of his speech was tough rhetoric targeting Pakistan, which has harbored Taliban and terrorists including Osama bin Ladin  a figure he did not name  inside its borders.

'We have been paying Pakisatan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately,' Trump said.

Acknowledging his earlier panning of the war, Trump said: 'My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts'

'Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win,' the president told soldiers at Fort Myer outside Washington

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorized his defense secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan

First lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and White House advisor Ivanka Trump were on hand for the speech

He called it one pillar of the strategy he mentioned: 'To change the approach in how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations.'

But Trump said there would be no 'blank check' from the US. First lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and White House advisor Ivanka Trump were on hand for the speech.

Trump also called for 'a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions, saying: 'We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.'

He did neither in his remarks Monday night, staying away from any talk of troop strength or a withdrawal date, although administration officials had indicated Monday afternoon that the Pentagon would get its request for about 4,000 troops to supplement more than 8,000 already there.

At the height of President Obama's surge, there were about 100,000 U.S. troops engaged in the effort.

Trump made an emotional case against any plan to cut losses, and repeatedly argued against a 'hasty withdrawal.'

'First our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made,' Trump said.

Trump also called for 'a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions, saying: 'We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities'

he US has grown increasingly weary of the conflict that began in October 2001 as a hunt for the 9/11 attackers has turned into a vexed effort to keep Afghanistan's democracy alive

The Islamist group later vowed it would make the country 'a graveyard' for the United States and would continue its 'jihad' as long as American troops remained in the country

SIXTEEN YEARS IN AFGHANISTAN: A BRIEF HISTORY OF AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR America's longest-running war began well as US-led forces quickly toppled the Taliban government and disrupted al-Qaeda leaders who plotted the September 11, 2001 attacks from Afghan soil. But the fighting never ended. - Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks: A massive US air campaign targets al-Qaeda fighters and Taliban troops, training camps and air defences. The Taliban flee. - December 2001: Afghanistan is liberated from Taliban control and US force there grows to 2,500 but Osama bin Laden evades capture. Afghanistan was liberated from Taliban control in December 2001 and the US force there grew to 2,500 - but Osama bin Laden evades capture - End of 2002: There are now 9,700 US soldiers in the country. - November 2004: After two years as interim leader, Hamid Karzai wins Afghanistan's first direct election for president, an appointment hailed by then-president George Bush. Millions of girls return to school after being barred under the Taliban and Western aid helps the economy grow (at least in urban areas). But having enjoyed sanctuary in Pakistan, the Taliban shows signs of resurgence, launching sporadic attacks on government forces in eastern Afghanistan. US troop numbers swell to 20,000, but Washington's attention increasingly turns to Iraq. March 2003: The US invades Iraq, toppling dictator Saddam Hussein, but struggles with the aftermath. Iraq is gripped by an explosion of sectarian violence that preoccupies Mr Bush until he leaves office. The US invaded Iraq in March 2003 and toppled dictator Saddam Hussein (pictured), but struggled with the aftermath Iraq is gripped by an explosion of sectarian violence that preoccupies Mr Bush until he leaves office. Pictured: Canadian troops in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2003 MORE TROOPS, MORE VIOLENCE 2006: Nato assumes responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan, pumping troops into Taliban heartlands. The US ups its forces to 30,000. Production of opium, used to make heroin, soars to a record high, funding the insurgency and fuelling official corruption. Tensions grow between Afghanistan and Pakistan over cross-border Taliban attacks. 2008: Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mike Mullen concedes: 'I'm not sure we're winning.' PRESIDENT OBAMA 2009: President Barack Obama assumes office and vows to refocus efforts in Afghanistan by protecting Afghan civilians rather than hunting down the Taliban. He quickly sends in 21,000 more forces. President Barack Obama assumes office in 2009 and vows to refocus efforts in Afghanistan by protecting Afghan civilians rather than hunting down the Taliban. Pictured: US troops carry an injured soldier in Camp Bastion in November 2009 August 2010: After a prolonged policy review, Mr Obama orders an additional surge, bringing troop levels to a high of 100,000. March 2011: Osama Bin Laden is killed in a US special operations raid in Pakistan. Mr Obama then presses ahead with plans to hand over security responsibilities to Afghanistan by 2014. End of 2016: With Afghan security forces taking heavy casualties, Mr Obama backtracks on plans to withdraw all US forces by the end of 2016. He leaves office with 8,400 troops still in the country. DONALD TRUMP Donald Trump says little about Afghanistan during his first seven months in office. The Pentagon proposes sending in nearly 4,000 more US troops to increase training of Afghan forces and counter-terrorism operations, but the administration REMAINS divided. Donald Trump said very little about Afghanistan during his first seven months in office. Pictured: US troops in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province in April 2017 Among Afghans, anti-Western sentiment grows over deteriorating security, even in the capital Kabul. Months later, Trump finally unveils his strategy in a prime-time television address, saying the US will defeat al-Qaeda and ISIS fighters. He refuses to provide troop increase numbers or timelines, saying military assistance would be determined by results and the co-operation of Afghanistan's beleaguered government. Advertisement

He added: 'Especially the sacrifices of lives... The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable.'

Having botched a chance to unify the nation after the violence in Charlottesville, Trump opened his remarks with a call for 'loyalty to one another.'

'When one citizen suffers and injustice we all suffer together,' Trump said. 'We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.

'Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name, that when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.'

Trump also called for 'the integration of all instruments of American power: diplomatic, economic, and military, toward a successful outcome.' He mentioned economic sanctions ad well as diplomatic pressure.

Trump said military strategy would be determined by 'conditions on the ground.'

'We will not announce our plans for further military activities. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on. America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will,' he said.

President Donald Trump delivered remarks on his Afghanistan strategy using a teleprompter

His speech was laced with tough talk. 'These killers need to know they have no place to hide,' Trump said.

Accompanying Trump were national security advisor H.R. McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, UN ambassador Nikki Haley, and acting communications director Hope Hicks, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

Tillerson's presence signified that the new strategy would also include diplomatic elements.

Trump pointed to the extraordinary sacrifice of 'blood and treasure' on the effort  which has included billions spent and thousands of lives lost. 'The American people are weary of war without victory,' Trump said, noting the war was the longest in U.S. history.

'I share the American people's frustration,' he said.

Donald Trump was deeply skeptical of the war in Afghanistan in tweets leading up to his election

Trump had blown through an earlier self-imposed deadline for a new strategy, and said he examined the issue from 'every' angle.

'So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy,' he said.

U.S. commanders have long planned for a possible shift in resources from Iraq to Afghanistan as the fight against ISIS comes off its peak, following gains made in the Iraqi city of Mosul and other areas.

The difficulty in reaching a decision, however, was compounded by the wide range of conflicting options Trump received.

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster and other advisers favored accepting a request from Army General John Nicholson, who leads U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan,' for some 4,000 additional U.S. forces.

But recently ousted White House strategic adviser Steve Bannon had argued for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces, saying that after 16 years, the war was still not winnable, U.S. officials said.

These U.S. Marines are part of a massive detachment of U.S. troops in Afghanistan that is set to get even bigger

In a sign of an enhanced regional approach, Vice President Mike Pence called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in anticipation of the speech. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson phoned top diplomats in Pakistan and India.

'Let it come,' Pakistani army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said, AFP reported. 'Even if it comes... Pakistan shall do whatever is best in the national interest,' he added.

Bannon, fired on Friday by Trump, was not at Friday's Camp David meeting that solidified the White House's strategy.

The officials said that another option examined was to shrink the U.S. force by some 3,000 troops, leaving a smaller counter-terrorism and intelligence-gathering contingent to carry out special operations and direct drone strikes against the Taliban.

Proponents argued that it would be less costly in lives and money, and reduce the additional damage to U.S. special operations forces already strained by long-running engagements in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Syria.

With Taliban insurgent forces no nearer to defeat, the most likely outcome is that Trump will agree to sending more U.S. forces as recommended by his senior advisers, a senior administration official said. Current U.S. troop numbers are about 8,400.

National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster (left) and former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon were at odds over whether to increase America's military presence in Afghanistan or pull out entirely

Donald Trump was deeply skeptical of the war in Afghanistan in tweets leading up to his election

Donald Trump was deeply skeptical of the war in Afghanistan in tweets leading up to his election

Donald Trump was deeply skeptical of the war in Afghanistan in tweets leading up to his election

Donald Trump was deeply skeptical of the war in Afghanistan in tweets leading up to his election

Donald Trump was deeply skeptical of the war in Afghanistan in tweets leading up to his election

Trump has long been skeptical of how the United States is fighting the war in Afghanistan, which was launched by President George W. Bush in October 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Trump announced a strategic review soon after taking office in January and has privately questioned whether sending more troops is wise, U.S. officials said.

'We're not winning,' he told advisers in a July meeting, questioning whether U.S. Nicholson should be fired, an official said.

But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has argued that a U.S. military presence is needed to protect against a continuing threat from Islamist militants.

Earlier this year, Trump gave Mattis the authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan. A U.S.-led coalition invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Islamist Taliban government for harboring al Qaeda militants who plotted the Sept. 11 attacks. But U.S. forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of Bush, Barack Obama and now Trump.

'I took over a mess, and we're going to make it a lot less messy,' Trump said when asked about Afghanistan earlier this month.

US Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers are pictured carry flags during a handover ceremony at Leatherneck Camp in Lashkar Gah in the Afghan province of Helmand on April 29, 2017

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has argued that a U.S. military presence is needed to protect against a continuing threat from Islamist militants

A Pakistani army spokesman said on Monday that Pakistan has taken action against all Islamist militants including the Haqqani network, which is allied to Afghan Taliban insurgents.

'There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. We have operated against all terrorists, including (the) Haqqani network,' spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told a media briefing in Islamabad.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent advances by Taliban forces. The war confounded the Obama administration, which first committed an increase of tens of thousands of U.S. troops to reverse Taliban gains, then committed to a troop drawdown, which ultimately had to be halted.

U.S. military and intelligence officials are concerned that a Taliban victory over Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government would allow al-Qaeda and ISIS's regional affiliate to establish bases in Afghanistan from which to plot attacks against the United States and its allies.

'What we need to do is make sure that Afghanistan isn't a breeding ground for things that can come back and hurt us or our allies,' Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, told MSNBC.

Presidents have wrestled with troop levels for the Afghanistan war since it began under the George W. Bush administration.

President Donald trump is expected to announce a surge deployment of 4,000 additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan, in a move that satisfies his generals

President Barack Obama dispatched 30,000 additional forces after conducting his own lengthy strategy review, announcing the plan at West Point.

'The toughest decision was early in my presidency when I ordered 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan, as somebody who had run to end a large troop presence overseas,' Obama told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in January.

'Now I had said, from the start, that I thought Iraq was a mistake, that we should have stayed focused on Afghanistan. I think it was the right decision because the Taliban, at that point, had gotten a lot of momentum. Since that time, we've been able to build up the Afghan security forces and stabilize it. But that was the first time in which I looked out at a crowd of West Point graduates, and knew that some of those might not come back because of that decision,' he said.

According to an August Politico / Morning Consult poll, just 23 per cent of voters think the U.S. is winning the war. Among the remainder, with 38 per cent who say the U.S. is losing and 39 per cent who have no opinion.

Trump has raised serious doubts about the prospects for victory over the years.

In 2011, he tweeted: 'When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan? We must rebuild our country first.'

In 2012, Trump tweeted: 'It is time to get out of Afghanistan. We are building roads and schools for people that hate us. It is not in our national interests.'

President Donald Trump speaks at Fort Myer in Arlington Va., Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, during a Presidential Address to the Nation about a strategy he believes will best position the U.S. to eventually declare victory in Afghanistan

The following year, he tweeted: 'Can you believe that the Afghan war is our 'longest war' ever-bring our troops home, rebuild the U.S., make America great again.'

Later that year, he wrote: 'We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives. If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick. Rebuild the US first.'

Trump's new policy got finalized at Camp David on Friday.

It got mixed reviews even before it was announced. 'It seems like 2011 all over again,' retired Army Col. Chris Kolenda told the Daily Beast. 'We're kicking the can not just down the road, but around in a circle,' said Koenda, who did four tours in Afghanistan.

A senior U.S. official, asked by NPR how long the U.S. could remain in Afghanistan, responded: 'How long have we been in Korea?'
Federal cabinet minister and Liberal Party powerbroker Arthur Sinodinos could be a dual Greek citizen.

The Liberal senator had repeatedly refused to say whether he has renounced any dual Greek citizenship he may hold through his parents, making him the fourth Turnbull Government cabinet minister whose parliamentary eligibility is now in doubt.

Under Greek law, the child of a mother or father born in Greece 'acquires Greek citizenship by birth'. In his maiden speech to the Senate in November 2011, the Industry Minister paid tribute to his late parents Dionysos and California Sinodinos, who hailed from the Greek island of Cephalonia.

Cabinet minister Arthur Sinodinos is the fourth cabinet minister to be under citizenship cloud

The NSW Liberal senator has declined to say if he renounced his Greek citizenship by descent

The law in Greece gives the child of a Greek mother or father automatic citizenship by descent

However, when asked by Daily Mail Australia, the Liberal minister's spokesman declined to say if the New South Wales senator, born in Newcastle north of Sydney in 1957, had renounced any dual Greek citizenship

'The minister was born in Australia and has never taken Greek citizenship,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

The spokesman declined to answer questions on whether Senator Sinodinos holds dual Greek citizenship through his parents, which would make him ineligible to sit in federal parliament under section 44 of the Australian constitution.

State of origins: Arthur Sinodinos (left) and his cabinet colleague Barnaby Joyce (right) are under a citizenship cloud

'We are happy to stand by our statement,' he said.

After Daily Mail Australia published the story, Senator Sinodinos released a statement saying that he had never held Greek citizenship.

'Categorically, I am not a dual citizen,' he said.

'I have never held Greek citizenship. My citizenship status has never been in question.

'I have recently confirmed with the Government of Greece that I have never held Greek citizenship.

'I was born in Newcastle and have lived all my life in Australia.'

However, the Greek Embassy says the children of Greek parents get citizenship as an 'inherent right'.

'In accordance with Greek Law, the Greek citizenship is an inherent right of persons born to a parent who is a Greek citizen,' its website says.

'As such, Greek consular authorities do not 'grant Greek citizenship'.'

Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce announced he was a dual New Zealand citizen from having a Kiwi father

Nationals deputy Fiona Nash last week discovered she was a dual British citizen by descent

Matt Canavan resigned as resources minister in July after learning he was a dual Italian

His NSW Liberal Senate colleague Concetta Fierrvanti-Wells, who is also a minister, told Daily Mail Australia she renounced her dual Italian citizenship in July 1994.

Unlike Senator Sinodinos, she provided documentation to show she no longer held Italian citizenship through having Italian parents.

Nicholas Venizelakos, who practises as a barrister in Athens and as a solicitor in Melbourne, said it was compulsory for Greek migrants to register their children's births with the Greek consulate, from the 1950s until the 1980s.

The Venizelakos Lawyers and Notaries principal, who has 30 years' legal experience in Australia and Greece, said it was very likely that Senator Sinodinos' late parents registered their son's birth to avoid incurring a fine from the Greek government.

'He maybe didn't know about it,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

'Sometimes, there are situations where the kids, they don't know that they have been registered as a Greek citizen.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (left) provided documentation to show she renounced her dual Italian citizenship in July 1994. Arthur Sinodinos (centre) maintains he was never Greek.

Arthur Sinodinos was sworn in as Industry Minister in January 2017 by Governor-General Peter Cosgrove

'It was compulsory the Greek migrants, where they came here, they were obliged within three months from the date of their birth of their children to register them at the Greek consulate.'

Mr Venizelakos said this situation had happened 'frequently not regularly' in Australia during the 1950s when Senator Sinodinos was born.

'Many Greeks didn't know that their parents registered their birth in Greece and they had Greek nationality,' he said.

Greek citizenship can only be revoked by a minister in Greece, and parents can register the births of their children at any time after the three-month grace period.

This makes Senator Sinodinos the fourth Turnbull Government cabinet minister to be under a dual citizenship cloud during the past four weeks.

Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan quit as resources minister in late July after discovering his mother had applied for Italian citizenship on his behalf in 2006, when he was 25.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce revealed he was a dual New Zealand citizen by descent, from having a Kiwi-born father.

Larissa Waters quit as a Greens senator in July after learning she was a dual Canadian citizen

Scott Ludlam resigned as Greens senator in July after finding out he was a dual New Zealander

However the Tamworth-born Agriculture Minister has declined to resign as Nationals leader and from cabinet.

His Nationals deputy Fiona Nash revealed two days later that she was a dual British citizen by descent from having a Scottish father, but like her boss she hasn't quit the cabinet.

The High Court is determining if Mr Joyce and his Nationals colleagues Nash and Canavan are eligible to remain in federal parliament.

South Australian senator Nick Xenophon has announced he is a dual British citizen by descent

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN SO FAR 1. Scott Ludlam resigned as a Greens senator on July 14 after learning he was a dual New Zealander 2. Larissa Waters quit as a Greens senator on July 18 when she discovered she had dual Canadian citizenship 3. Matt Canavan resigned as resources minister on July 25 after learning his mum applied for Italian citizenship for him in 2006 4. One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts on August 9 referred his possible dual British citizenship to the High Court 5. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announced on August 15 he was a dual New Zealander from having a Kiwi father - before recanting 6. Nationals deputy leader Fiona Nash on August 17 told the Senate she was a dual Brit from having a Scottish dad 7. Nick Xenophon confirmed on Saturday he had dual British citizenship from having a father born in Cyprus, a British colony when he born in 1959 Advertisement

Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters quit as Greens senators in July after learning they were dual citizens of New Zealand and Canada, respectively.

One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts' own party referred him to the High Court last week to decide if he was a dual British citizen when he nominated as a candidate during the 2016 federal election.

South Australian senator Nick Xenophon confirmed at the weekend he is a dual British citizen by descent because his father Theo Xenophou hailed from Cyprus, which was a British colony when his son was born in 1959.

However, he has declined to resign from the Senate as the High Court considers whether he can stay in parliament.

Senator Sinodinos resigned as an Abbott government minister in December 2014 after he was called as a witness to help the Independent Commission Against Corruption investigate infrastructure company Australian Water Holdings.

The ICAC earlier this month announced they had made no adverse findings against Senator Sinodinos.

The Liberal Party powerbroker, who had previously been former prime minister John Howard's chief-of-staff, returned to the ministry in January 2017.
Fadi Ibrahim failed to front court for a dispute with a former brothel madam over a multimillion-dollar Sydney home because he is stuck in a Dubai prison cell.

Lawyer Michael Bennett said on Tuesday his client, the brother of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim, could not appear in the NSW Supreme Court because he was 'indisposed in a very public way'.

Registrar Leonie Walton then looked at the case file and said she was aware of the Ibrahim name, according to AAP.

John Ibrahim's brother Fadi could not appear in court on Tuesday because he is 'indisposed'

Former brothel madam Jamelie Lahood is in a legal dispute with Fadi Ibrahim over a property

Fadi Ibrahim's lawyers say this Yowie Bay home in Sydney's south is worth up to $4.2m

Both Fadi and his brother Michael were arrested in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month when police smashed what they said was an international drug smuggling syndicate.

Fadi was already in a legal dispute with former brothel madam Jamelie Lahood over a five-bedroom waterfront mansion at Yowie Bay in Sydney's south.

He says Ms Lahood owes him $2.9 million in loans secured in part by a caveat on the property, which she bought in November 2011 for $3 million and entered a contract to sell in April this year for just $2.8 million.

Ibrahim's barrister Craig Wilson has previously told the court the property, with views over Port Hacking River, was worth between $3.8 million and $4.2 million.

The pool at the Yowie Bay home in Sydney's south that is the subject of a Supreme Court case

Nightclub identity John Ibrahim's brother Fadi leaving Sydney's Central Local Court in 2010

Former brothel madam Jamelie Lahood bought this Yowie Bay home in November 2011 for $3m

Westpac has also commenced proceedings against Ms Lahood, who took out a $2.2 million mortgage on the property.

The court heard on Tuesday Westpac had decided to repossess the home.

Ms Lahood was once engaged to prolific gambler Eddie Heyson, with whom she ran the huge Stiletto brothel at inner-city Camperdown on Parramatta Road.

At a hearing in June, Justice Michael Slattery agreed to extend Ibrahim's caveat on the Yowie Bay property if he paid an outstanding stamp duty bill.

Last year the Australian Taxation Office reportedly pursued Ms Lahood for $16 million in unpaid income tax.

The home at Yowie Bay, in Sydney's south, which is the subject of a NSW Supreme Court case

Jamelie Lahood ran the brothel Stiletto in Sydney with her then fiance Eddie Hayson (pictured)

Fadi Ibrahim's nightclub baron brother John, who has not been charged with any offence

The ATO later dropped the case but retained a caveat on several of her properties, including the Yowie Bay mansion.

Mr Wilson has previously told the court Ibrahim and others placed an injunction on the sale of the property because they wanted to maximize the sale price.

Ms Lahood did not appear in court. The matter was adjourned to September 19.

Fadi and Michael Ibrahim were arrested over an alleged drug syndicate planning to import drugs worth $810 million.

Their brother John, whose home at Dover Heights in Sydney's eastern suburbs was also raided, has not been charged with any offence.
One of the girls decided to wear a Make America Great Again hat and Trump t-shirt to the most famous historically black university in the nation has said she does not plan on apologizing.

Allie Vandee was ridiculed over the weekend when she wore the Trump ensemble to Howard University in Washington D.C..

And while the Erie, Pennsylvania, high schooler feels she was unfairly mocked, she asserts that she won't be pulling the stunt again.

Allie Vandee (left) was ridiculed over the weekend when she wore the Trump ensemble to Howard University in Washington D.C.

And while the Erie, Pennsylvania, high schooler feels she was unfairly mocked, she asserts that she won't be pulling the stunt again

'Knowing that I would be harassed as bad as I was, I would still love Trump. I feel as though to keep the peace, I would just lay low,' she said.

Vandee spoke with The Tab about the encounter at the highly respected university.

The 16-year-old is part of a group called Talent Search, aimed at helping students plan for college through meetings once a month.

According to Vandee, the group went on a trip to DC to see the history and decided to eat at a local college, like they had done on a previous trip to Cleveland State.

She said: 'So we didn't get much background on Howard at all from our DC tour guide. He never said it was a predominately African-American school.

'Knowing that I would be harassed as bad as I was, I would still love Trump. I feel as though to keep the peace, I would just lay low,' she said

'Either way, in my defense, it shouldn't matter what I wear anywhere and when I wear it.'

Vandee claims that she had never heard of Howard before, going even further to state that she didn't know that 'there were historically black colleges.'

She added that they don't have them around where she lives, where the closest HBCUs in Pennsylvannia are over five hours away.

'So this was a little bit of culture shock, and I'm taking a lot of good and positivity from this lesson,' she added.

'But I honestly had no idea it was a historically black college and these people are harassing me for not knowing I did, but I swear to God, me and my friend were innocently wearing Trump stuff.

'We stopped at Howard on the way home and we were harassed.

Vandee continued describing the altercation where a man took her friends hat and how the moment made her feel 'a little bit intimidated.'

She said: 'Why would they take her hat? I realized this must be like, anti-Trump.

The teen then states that the pair received a lot of 'dirty looks; when they walked in the cafeteria and that people were taking pictures and laughing at them.

Vandee claims that she had never heard of Howard before, going even further to state that she didn't know that 'there were historically black colleges'

'Actually a girl was videotaping us in line and saying: "Who do these people think they are?"

'They were putting us on their Snapchat. I really did not expect that.

'I can walk and roam the streets in Erie and wear as much Trump gear as I please and none of that would happen to me.'

Since the incident, Vandee claims she has received 'well over 500 direct messages' harassing her, but that she's gotten support too.

She also alleged that someone had said to have found her address and threatened to kill her. Another, that her mom had aborted the teen.

'Kill yourself, you're a racist, you're a white supremacist, you're a Nazi. It's way out of hand,' Vandee said.

People have responded to the girls Twitter post with criticism

Since the incident, Vandee claims she has received 'well over 500 direct messages' harrassing her, but that she's gotten support too

She said: 'But there are a lot of people out there who say: "Thanks for standing up for what you believe in."

And looking back, the teen does understand where the frustration was coming from.

She said: 'But there's different ways to approach the situation. They were saying I was racist, a Nazi, a white supremacist, in the KKK and that is not the case.

'If I want to support my president and your president, then I'm going to do as I please. It would be different if I walked in with KKK and Nazi stuff.

'Donald Trump is not a Nazi. They weren't just labeling me, they were labeling our president as these horrible groups. The way they approached the situation was horrible and completely uncalled for.

She also alleged that someone had said to have found her address and threatened to kill her. Another, that her mom had aborted the teen

She said: 'But there are a lot of people out there who say: "Thanks for standing up for what you believe in"

Apparently, some fellow students explained to Vandee that the college students were responding to Charlottesville and Trump's remark on them

But the teen doesn't feel sorry at all for her actions.

'I will say sorry for your misunderstanding. I won't apologize for supporting our president.

'Like I said, I can roam the streets in Erie, I can walk around DC all I want and wear as much Trump stuff as I want. I never realized going into Howard I would be harassed.'

Apparently, some fellow students explained to Vandee that the college students were responding to Charlottesville and Trump's remark on them.

After the students explained to me about Charlottesville, they said primarily that was the reason why they were talking to me,' Vandee said.

'They felt as if Trump was siding with the KKK and the Nazis when in reality he wasn't. He waited to present his opinion on the situation when he had all the facts.

'I have the utmost respect for him for doing that, and that is not what the liberals wanted.

Vandee asserts that she has no plans on going back to the University.

She said: 'After the death threats and saying they want to beat me up, I would not put myself in that situation. Just stay classy and avoid it.'
Kellyanne Conway, White House counselor to President Donald Trump, tweeted photos of her and her family on vacation in the Great Plains on Monday.

My Fab Four at Mount Rushmore & heading to Yellowstone on family vaca in gorgeous South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana  my 50th and final state visited, Conway tweeted on Monday.

She attached two pictures showing her and her four children.

Kellyanne Conway, White House counselor to President Donald Trump, tweeted photos of her and her family on vacation in the Great Plains on Monday

Conway's children are seen with Mount Rushmore in the background

My Fab Four at Mount Rushmore & heading to Yellowstone on family vaca in gorgeous South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana  my 50th and final state visited, Conway tweeted on Monday

Earlier this month, conservative media outlets speculated that Conway was being considered for the job of White House communications director

The White House counselor has not been heard from in two weeks.

Earlier this month, conservative media outlets speculated that Conway was being considered for the job of White House communications director, the Bergen Record reported.

Hope Hicks is currently serving as interim communications director after the ouster of Anthony Scaramucci.

The Mooch was told his services were no longer needed after Trump named John Kelly as White House chief of staff, replacing Reince Priebus.
Woolworths have been targeted by a new scam weeks after it was revealed the company was double-charging customers for groceries.

The email scam is a response to customers being overcharged, which falsely promises to compensate customers who were affected, offering people 'free $2000 Woolworths gift cards'.

'You may have been overcharged by Woolworths,' the scam email reads.

An email scam is sending misleading emails offering them free $2000 Woolworths gift cards (pictured)

The supermarket giant (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia they had 'no affiliation' with scam

'And we are very sorry for that.

'As part of settlement we are offering you and 52 other Woolworths regulars a Gift Card worth $2000 to use on tons of great discounts at Woolworths.

The scam then highlights some of the special deals customers could buy with their too good to be true free gift cards, before prompting customers to click on a link.

The supermarket giant told Daily Mail Australia they had 'no affiliation' with the scam.

'We have reported the scam to the ACCC's SCAM Watch and advised our social media team,' a Woolworths spokesperson said.

The company advises people affected by the scam to report it Woolworths.

People took to Facebook (pictured) to warn others of the newest scam targeting customers

Woolworths did not disclose the number of people affected by the scam but encouraged people to report any scams

Woolworths would not confirm the number of people affected by the scam.

One Facebook user said 'a lot of people [will be] caught in this scam' and was concerned about the affects it may have on elderly people.

Another user posted 'scams get texted to people every day' and advised people if they opened the scam messages, their phones would be 'made useless'.

The gift card scam comes as a response weeks after the supermarket giant revealed they were charging their customers double for their groceries they bought six months ago.

Thousands of angry Woolworths customers were re-charged for groceries they bought in March, leaving many unable to pay for bills and other groceries.

The supermarket did later reimburse customers after the 'error at their data centre' meant customers 'received incorrect transactions on accounts'.

If people are affected by any Woolworths scam they should report it on 1300 767 969.
Money can buy you a lot - but it can't buy you diplomacy, as Louise Linton, the millionaire heir-turned-wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has discovered.

On Monday Linton posted an Instagram picture of herself and new hubby Mnuchin stepping out of a taxpayer-funded plane during his official visit to Fort Knox.

That wouldn't have been a problem, of course, except for Linton's questionable decision to segue from the standard cheerful hashtags to a systematic namedrop of all of the brands in her outfit.

'Great #daytrip to #Kentucky!' she wrote, according to New York Magazine journalist Yashar Ali. '#nicest #people #beautiful #countryside #rolandmouret pants #tomford sunnies #hermesscarf #valentinorockstudheels #valentino'.

She concluded with a perfuntory-looking '#usa'.

That didn't sit well with Instagram user and mother-of-three jennimiller29, who commented: 'Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable'

And things went downhill from there.

Follower of fashion: Louise Linton posted this photo (left) of her and new hubby Steven Mnuchin visiting Fort Knox - and hashtagged the brands she was wearing. That led to a scathing comment by user jennimiller29, and a long, angry response from Linton (right)

Private: After the fuss created by her remarks, Linton set her Instagram account to private - meaning that nobody could see or react to her posts unless she accepted them as a follower

In touch? Linton (seen wearing $30,000 of clothing with Mnuchin in Edinburgh at the start of their honeymoon) called the mother-of-three 'out of touch' and boasted about taxes she pays

'Deplorable': Miller went on the attack after Linton closed her Instagram account, dismissing her as 'an aspiring Penthouse model.' She added: 'She says she's a nice person. I doubt it. There weren't any Nazi sympathizers at my wedding'

'Cute! [kissing face emoji] Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?!' asked Linton, who recently concluded a Europe-trotting honeymoon with Mnuchin.

'Adorable! Do you think the US Govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?'

'Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband?' continued the minor TV and movie actress whose husband's net worth was estimated by Forbes to be more than $500 million.

Tagged: Linton also posted an image without the hashtags, but with the brands (and her husband) tagged into the image. Her account is now set to 'private'

'Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country?'

'I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day "trip" than you did,' she added - the quote marks around 'trip' being hers, despite the fact that she had hashtagged #daytrip in her initial comment.

'Pretty sure that the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours. [arm flex emoji, kissing face emoji]' she continued.

Linton, who grew up in a castle in Scotland, then told the mother-of-three: 'You're adorably out of touch.'

She then used a heart-eyes emoji before writing, with no apparent irony, 'Thanks for the passive-aggressive nasty comment.'

However, at that point the tone of her response changes abruptly, to be more positive and reconiliatory.

Perhaps she noticed how brusque she had been - but decided to leave the first part of the message in anyway.

'Your kids look very cute,' she wrote, 'Your life looks cute. I know you're mad but deep down you're nice and so am I.

'Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isn't going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message, one filled with wisdom and hunanity [sic] would get more traction.

LOUISE LINTON'S $15,000 WARDROBE In the photo, Linton appeared to be wearing: A Hermes New Libris cashemere-and-silk stole worth $940

Tom Ford Emma Cat-Eye Sunglasses worth $405

Pink Valentino Rockstud Pumps worth $825

Rouland Mouret's white Ward Trousers, which retail for $925

A white Hermes Birkin bag, which retail for $12,000-70,000 on Bags of Luxury Advertisement

'Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new Game of Thrones. It's fab!'

She later deleted the image and its attached comments, Ali said.

Another screengrab from account posted by a CNN journalist showed a second image of Linton and Mnuchin leaving the plane.

That one had apparently had the fashion hashtags removed - and had the fashion companies she'd name-dropped tagged in the picture itself instead.

As of Monday evening, Linton's Facebook account had been set to private, and new followers were being screened before they were allowed to see the images.

Miller posted her own response on Instagram after the virtual encounter.

'Apparently I offended this deplorable girl I had never heard of until today,' she wrote alongside a screenshot of a June article titled 'A "white savior" memoirist widely mocked in Africa has married Trump's treasury secretary.'

'According to my 20 second Google search, she's an aspiring Penthouse model who married an old rich guy in a wedding officiated by a homophobe and attended by other couples of similar age and beauty gaps,' Miller continued.

'She says she's a nice person. I doubt it. There weren't any Nazi sympathizers at my wedding. #byelouise'

Mom: Mother-of-three Jenni Miller (seen left with her youngest son, and right) said she shouldn't have let Linton upset her, and questioned why she would show off her expensive labels in a state where 19 per cent of people live below the poverty line

Spotted: Although it was ostensibly just a family visit, Mnuchin and Linton seemed happy to be photographed on the trip last month, before continuing on to mainland Europe

Miller told the New York Times that she regretted letting Linton rile her.

But she admitted that 'If she hadn't made her account private, I would have written back with a very snide Marie Antoinette joke.'

'I think my post was just five or six words, and she had to go on basically a rant about it to make herself look more important and look smarter, better, richer - all those things', she said.

She also told the paper that she didn't understand why Linton had made such a fuss of her expensive labels while visiting Kentucky, where 19 per cent of the population live below the poverty line.

Miller also said that she thought Linton needed to be more in control of herself when responding to comments in the public eye.

'It seems like shes been in public life for a long time,' she said. 'It just seemed wholly inappropriate.'

The encounter between the two women led to complaints by others on Twitter, as users denounced Linton's post and her response.

Angry: This user was angry that Linton had boasted about how much tax she pays, given the tax breaks and loopholes open to the rich, concluding 'FOH' - of 'f**k outta here'

'Corrupt': Linton was described as corrupt by this user, although a White House spokesman said that Mnuchin paid for her flight on the government plane

'"We pay more into the economy (despite it being a smaller percentage of our income than the middle class), therefore we are superior!"' responded user H.E.A.D. Shot.

They added 'FOH' - an acronym for '(get the) F**k outta here.'

And Anita E Weis wrote: 'This is how they justify corruption: "We paid more in taxes for our trip than you did." Not how it works, honey. @LouiseLinton'

Linton's own Twitter account has been set to 'protected,' stopping outsiders from seeing it.

Her Wikipedia page was also edited to include the line 'Never forget she posted this on Instagram' with a link to a Tweet showing copies of the offending post and comment.

'Never forget': Linton's Wikipedia page was also edited to include a link to a Twitter update with pictures of her offending Instagram post and comment

Newlyweds: Mnuchin and Linton are seen here at their wedding on June 24, with President Trump, the First Lady, and VP Mike Pence and his wife

A Treasury Department spokesman told The Washington Post that the Mnuchins paid for Linton's travel on the flight, which was cleared on the proper channels.

He also said Linton didn't get any 'financial compensation' for the items that she tagged in the image.

Mnuchin's purpose for flying to Louisville was to promote Trump's tax changes, which the administration says will relieve middle-class families.

Opponents say it will actually increase the burden on the middle classes while providing tax cuts to the extremely wealthy.

Linton has come under fire on Twitter before.

In July last year she released the book 'In Congo's Shadow: One Girl's Perilous Journey to the Heart of Africa' - a memoir that led to online ridicule and accusations of outright lying.

The book is billed as 'the inspiring memoir of an intrepid teenager who abandoned her privileged life in Scotland' and 'a tale of lost innocence and one daring young girl's bittersweet journey to the heart of Africa.'

Home away from home: Linton grew up in Melville Castle (pictured), which is based outside of Edinburgh in Scotland, and is owned by her family

In it, Linton writes about how she was terrified of what the rebels from Congo 'would do to the "skinny white muzungu with long angel hair."'

She also claims that her gap year became 'a living nightmare when I inadvertently found myself caught up in the fringes of the Congolese War.'

In one passage she describes how 'armed rebels descended' on her Zambian village from the neighboring Congo, forcing her to hide for fear of being raped or murdered.

Mockery: Linton (seen with Mnuchin in a $30k wardrobe in Edinburgh last month) has come under fire before, after her memoir about living in Africa on her gap year was mocked as misleading

But that passage - and others - were disputed after the release of the book by actual Zambians, who disputed her claims on Twitter with the hashtag #LintonLies.

Bornface wrote on Twitter: 'Zambia in 1999 according to #LintonLies; -Monsoons -Civil War -Rebels -Jungles. I've been in the wrong Zambia all my life.'

Another, Mademoiselle Vu, wrote: 'Years in Zambia and I figure out we had a hutu-tutsi conflict. Who am I? Where do I belong? #LintonLies'

Muchemwa Sichone said: 'The only thing missing from the @LouiseLinton story is Tarzan and Mowgli. #Zambia is calling her out!'

And another user quoted one of Linton's passages: '"The dense jungle canopy above me?" Zambia has savanna grasslands, not dense jungle. But I guess "English girl experience".'

And in a lengthy Amazon review, user MoiZam claimed that he knew the people that Linton stayed with and that she was a 'nightmare'.

'Louise never encountered Congolese or Hutu/Tutsu rebels, Gerard Zytiv of Ndole Bay often gave the Congo troops food and water but they NEVER ATTACKED THE ZAMBIAN VILLAGES OR LODGES,' he said.

'Also we do NOT have jungle in Zambia, we have Miombo bushland, Moponi bushland and Savannah grasslands.

'And we don't have Monsoon rains, 12 inch rain spiders or lions and elephants running through our backyards.

'This book is c***! What a shame someone could write such lies about a country as beautiful and diverse as Zambia is!

'I was born here and lived here for all of my 53 years and I can tell you Zambia is nothing like the rubbish Loiuse has written! Shame on you Louise!!'

Linton apologized in a series of tweets, writing: 'I am genuinely dismayed and very sorry to see that I have offended people as this was the very opposite of my intent.

'I wrote with the hope of conveying my deep humility, respect and appreciation for the people of Zambia as an 18yr old in 1999.

'I wrote about the country's incredible beauty and my immense gratitude for the experiences I had there.'
Police pulled the driver, 17, over on Sunday after being alerted that there were two people smoking marijuana in a car on I-94 in Van Buren County, Michigan

A 17-year-old was arrested during a traffic when an officer found him under the influence of drugs.

Police pulled the driver over on Sunday after being alerted that there were two people smoking marijuana in a car on I-94 in Van Buren County, Michigan.

When the deputy approached the vehicle, he discovered the front seat passenger, an 18-year-old woman from Lawrence, Michigan, had been eating something.

Upon further inspection, the passenger opened her mouth and chewed marijuana fell out.

The driver, from Watervliet, Michigan, was questioned about whether he used and the boy admitted that he was under the influence of marijuana.

When the deputy approached the vehicle, he discovered the front seat passenger, an 18-year-old woman from Lawrence, Michigan, had been eating

Authorities said that while they were making the arrest of the driver for operating under the influence of drugs, another driver rear-ended a vehicle in front of him when he weren't paying attention.

Police took the driver to Van Buren County Jail for operating under the influence of drug

The 40-year-old man was cited for failing to yield and then taken to Bronson Lakeview to treat his injuries.

A Hartford family had been in the vehicle that was rear ended but they were all treated at the scene and released.

Police took the driver to Van Buren County Jail for operating under the influence of drug.

The passenger was cited for possession and released.
A headless female torso has been found in the Copenhagen bay where Danish police have been searching for the body of Swedish journalist Kim Wall.

The body - missing head, legs and arms - was discovered just hours after a Danish inventor charged with killing the 30-year-old in his home-made submarine told a court she died on board, police said.

Peter Madsen, 46, claims Miss Wall died in an accident and that he then buried her at sea, changing his earlier statement the he dropped her off alive in Copenhagen.

Dead: Kim Wall, 30, (left) had gone along for the submarine's voyage to report on Peter Madsen (right), who has now admitted to 'burying her at sea' after she died on the vessel

A police officer holding an evidence bag and a fire fighter at the scene of the isle of Amager, in Kge Bay, Copenhagen, where the headless torso of a woman was found on Monday

Copenhagen police told a press conference on Monday evening that it was still too early to identify the body.

The torso was found by a passing cyclist at the water's edge in Kge Bay in Copenhagen, where Madsen had informed police that he had 'buried' Miss Wall's dead body.

'It is clear that the police, like the media and everybody else, is speculating whether this female body is Kim Wall, but it is way too soon to tell,' Copenhagen police spokesman Jens Moller said.

The body had been sent for forensic analysis while divers continued to search the area where it was found, Moller said.

Miss Wall was last seen on board the UC3 Nautilus with amateur builder Madsen on August 10, but until Monday, he insisted he had let her off that evening.

Last moments: One of the last images taken of Miss Wall shows her on board the sub alongside Madsen on Thursday August 10

Police say it's too early to confirm the identity of the headless torso found in Kge Bay in Copenhagen, the same place where Peter Madsen say he 'buried' Kim Wall's dead body

Tragedy: Journalist Kim Wall died on the submarine, Madsen has admitted, but he claims it was an accident

Extended search: A Swedish Sea Rescue Society unit searches for the remains of Kim Wall at Lundakra Bay between Barseback and Landskrona, in Sweden, last week

'Hot-tempered': Peter Madsen, pictured with fellow enthusiast Kristian von Bengtson and one of their rocket prototypes in 2010, allegedly has a history of lashing out at journalists

Madsen was picked up by the Danish navy on August 11, when his submarine sunk in Copenhagen harbour.

He was photographer making a 'thumbs up' as he made it to the shore, but was later arrested after Miss Wall's family reported her missing.

Danish investigators say they have found evidence the Nautilus was sunk deliberately.

Miss Wall was a freelance journalist who graduated with a masters from Columbia University before going on to write about identity, gender, pop-culture, social justice and foreign policy.

She grew up in Sweden but spent time living in New York and Beijing. Her writing has appeared in Harpers, The Guardian, New York Times, Foreign Policy, Vice Magazine, Slate, South China Morning Post, The Atlantic, Roads & Kingdoms, and TIME.

The freelance reporter boarded the sub, which was built by Madsen, on the evening of Thursday 10th August in order to write a story about the inventor.

On Friday morning the Danish Navy were scrambled to help the stricken sub, before reporting it sunk at 10.45am.

Madsen claims he was the only one on board at the time, and that he dropped Miss Wall off at the mouth of the harbour shortly after 10pm the previous night.

But Danish police on Sunday said he has given them several conflicting accounts of what had happened, without elaborating further.

Passionate: Madsen's biographer has revealed that the hobby rocket builder has made enemies of the people he has worked with , and that his temper can flare unexpectantly

Police raised the wreckage of UC3 Nautilus two days after it went down, but failed to find a body or any other signs of Miss Wall

Around the time he claimed to have dropped Miss Wall off, Madsen sent a mysterious text to a friend saying she had left the vessel and cancelling a trip he was supposed to be taking on the submarine the following day, according to local reports.

He did not respond to questions from the friend about why he had dropped Miss Wall off or why the trip was being cancelled.

Madsen was arrested on manslaughter charges the following Saturday before a judge ordered that he be held in custody while investigations are carried out.

He is charged with having killed Miss Wall 'in an unknown way and in an unknown place sometime after 5pm on Thursday.'

Before the first court hearing, which was held in private and attended by his relatives, Madsen smiled, and chatted with both his lawyer and reporters.

If convicted, Madsen faces between five years and life in prison.

Madsen, an amateur enthusiast who had built the UC3 Nautilus himself, has a history of lashing out at journalists who gave his project bad press, his biographer has said.

'He often ends up in conflicts, and has a lot of enemies,' says Thomas Djursing, a journalist who has written a book about Madsen.

'He can throw tools at you. But at the same time, he's not a violent person. I've never been afraid of him,' he told Aftonbladet.

Mr Djursing adds that Madsen would often become angry with journalists who wrote about his ambitious projects in a negative way, and says 'I don't know a journalist who has not been in conflict with him'.

In Mr Djursing's book 'Rocket Madsen', the inventor describes himself as a 'nerd with few friends' who grew up with his elderly father after the parents separation.

The UC3 Nautilus was raised from the bottom of Copenhagen harbour where it had been under 8m (24ft) of water since sinking on Friday morning

Despite not finding Miss Wall's body, Danish investigators are continuing to search in water and on land for any sign of her

Police technicians are pictured investigating the rescued private owned submarine UC3 Nautilus today

Madsen claims he dropped Miss Wall off at the mouth of the harbour and was the only one on board when his craft (pictured right) sank

The 40-ton, 18-meter long Nautilus, one of three subs built by Madsen, was found by divers under 7m (24ft) of water, though they were unable to enter it safely

Early on, he joined several rocket and space travel clubs, but his lack of patience and short fuse saw him excluded from the societies in his teens.

'The past few years, he has been driven by a kind of vengeance. To show those he has worked with in the past, but who has since become his adversaries, that he can beat them,' Mr Djursing toldExpressen.

'He is a crazy person,' photographer Bo Tornvig tells the newspaper.

'I mean, making space rockets and sailing around in home-made submarines is not normal behaviour. But I've never seen him lay a hand on anyone. This whole story really stinks.

The 40-ton, 18-meter long Nautilus, one of three subs built by Madsen, was found by divers under 7m (24ft) of water, though they were unable to enter it safely.

A salvage ship, the Vina, has now raised the sub from the sea bed close to Copenhagen's south island of Dragoer and brought it back to shore to be inspected.

Kristian Isbak, who had responded to the Navy's call to help locate the ship, sailed out immediately Friday and saw Madsen standing wearing his trademark military fatigues in the submarine's tower while it was still afloat.

Divers had located the submarine underwater on Friday but were unable to enter it safely

The submarine was reported missing early on Friday by Miss Wall's boyfriend after she failed to return home, prompting a major search operation by the Danish Navy

Madsen, pictured above in 2008 in front of his submarine, was seen standing the tower of the still-floating submarine moments before it sank, according to a rescuer

Peter Madsen, who built the submarine himself before inviting Miss Wall along for the maiden voyage, is still under investigation for negligent manslaughter as investigators say there is evidence it was wrecked deliberately

'He then climbed down inside the submarine and there was then some kind of air flow coming up and the submarine started to sink,' Isbak told The Associated Press.

'(He) came up again and stayed in the tower until water came into it' before swimming to a nearby boat as the submarine sank, he added.

Madsen said there was a valve error that became serious when he tried to repair it.

Footage aired on Denmark's TV2 channel showed Madsen, 46, getting off what seemed to be a private boat and making a thumbs up sign as he walked away.

Upon his rescue from Kge Bay, Madsen said: 'I'm fine. But I'm sorry because 'Nautilus' has gone down.'

The submarine was Madsen's third attempt at building such a structure and was the largest privately built submarine in the world at the time of its launch.

The Nautilus was a diesel-electric submarine. The diesel engine is uses when sailing or propelling just below the surface, while the electrical engine is used when the submarine is deep below the water's surface.

It was built like a post-World War II submarine, with a galley, crew bunks, officer's mass, bridge and engine room.

It's named after the famed submarine manned by Jules Verne's Captain Nemo character in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
Milk intake at Australia's biggest dairy supplier have dropped by a staggering 22 per cent in one year.

Murray Goulburn, who produce brands including Devondale and Liddell, announced a 22 per cent drop in milk consumption in the last financial year.

The dairy producers revealed on Tuesday milk intake had dropped to 2.7 billion litres and is expected to drop even lower.

Murray Goulburn, who produce brands including Devondale (pictured) and Liddell, announced a 22 per cent drop in milk consumption in the 2016-17 financial year

Australia's biggest dairy supplier's milk sales have dropped significantly despite shoppers turning their noses on no-name milk (pictured)

The dairy producers revealed on Tuesday milk intake had dropped to 2.7 billion litres and is expected to drop even lower

The milk giant said they had experienced a difficult year because of the lower milk intake and adverse seasonal conditions, reported ABC News.

West Victoria dairy farmer Craig Dettling told Daily Mail Australia milk intake was not predicted to increase in the financial year.

'We're expecting the intake to drop again this year, but what really affects us is what they do with the milk they get and the milk products,' Mr Dettling said.

'In milk volume intake, it's what they do with milk and how much they return rather than who has the biggest factory.'

The drop in milk intake comes despite consumers turning their backs on no-named milk in support of branded milk to support Australian farmers.

Thousands of shoppers posted photos of supermarket shelves full of supermarket branded milk with branded milk sold out mid 2016.

Mid 2016 shoppers boycotted supermarket branded milk (pictured) as a way to support Australian dairy farmers

The drop in milk consumption means Australia's biggest diary producer (pictured) is predicted to sit equally with New Zealand competitors Fonterra

Mr Dettling, who has 220 dairy cows, said the supermarket branded milk boycott gave dairy farmers 'confidence knowing [they] had the support of customers' because every little bit helps support the dairy industry.

The milk crisis took place after it was revealed the supermarket giant's $1/L milk war could potentially bring down the dairy industry.

Last year, Coles and Woolworths supermarkets collectively sold out of branded milk due to the high demand, however, the milk boycott did not increased the milk consumption of Murray Goulburn during the 2016-17 financial year.

Murray Goulburn financial report states the group lost $370.8 million and had a $39.8 million profit.

The drop in milk consumption means Australia's biggest diary producer is predicted to sit equally with New Zealand competitors Fonterra.
The construction site of the car plant of Beijing Automobile International Corporation in Coega, South Africa. [Photo by Xing Yihang/China.org.cn]



Beijing Automobile International Corporation (BAIC), one of China's largest automakers in terms of sales, said its new auto plant in Coega, South Africa, has no delays and the project is moving forward in accordance to an earlier agreement and local regulations.

The statement came after a spate of allegations from local partners over problems involving procurement and language differences that are hindering communication between the parties.

As one of Chinas largest single-investment projects in Africa, BAIC Automobile South Africa, the joint venture between BAIC and South Africas Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), has a total plant investment of US$226 million with the former holding 65 percent stake and latter the remaining 35 percent.

The Nelson Mandela Bay branch of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce (Nafcoc) claimed that BAIC has sidelined and undermined its members, rendering them as "useless" and "unworthy" of being involved in the project.

Also, IDC CEO Geoffrey Qhena earlier complained about BAIC importing building materials from China instead of sourcing them from South Africa.

In response, Li Xingxing, executive vice president of BAIC International Development Co., Ltd., said the project needs a huge amount of building materials like steel, which is both expensive and supplied in comparatively small quantities locally.

Li said steel structure is imported from China according to an earlier agreement and only accounts for 13 percent of the entire project, and other construction facilities are all sourced locally.

BAIC welcomes cooperation with local small and medium-sized enterprises (SOEs) in material supplying, he added.

So far, over 30 such companies have been authorized to contribute to the project.

In response to the accusation of the projects delays,Li explained the plant has begun construction on schedule and the first phase is expected to complete in June 2018.

After the plant begins its full operation, it is expected to provide 800 jobs, of which 98 percent will be hired locally.

"The biggest challenge lies in how we, the Chinese, could build it into a local company and adapt to local conditions," Li said. "And this may need a change of mindset as well as practice."
Ousted White House chief strategist Steve Bannon promised a war, and he is delivering  so far, at least.

Bannon's alt-right news site Breitbart accused President Donald Trump of a 'flip-flop' on his Afghanistan policy late Monday.

Since Trump came into office, Breitbart was steadfastly in the president's corner as he pursued his nationalist and populist policies.

But the president's decision to send more US soldiers to Afghanistan coupled with Bannon's departure from the White House has led to a change in the tenor of coverage at Breitbart.

'TRUMP REVERSES COURSE, WILL SEND MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN,' the red-lettered headline on Breitbart read.

Alt-right news site Breitbart (above) accused President Donald Trump of a 'flip-flop' on his Afghanistan policy late Monday

Since Trump came into office, Breitbart was steadfastly in the president's corner as he pursued his nationalist policies. But the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan coupled with Steve Bannon's ouster as strategist has led to a change in the tenor of coverage at Breitbart

Underneath the main headline was another headline, which read: 'Defends flip-flop in somber speech.'

Another story on the web site bore the headline: 'Donald Trump echoes Obama "blank check" rhetoric in Afghanistan speech.'

It is widely acknowledged that Trump hates to be compared to Obama and that the mere mention of his predecessor's name is considered an affront.

An earlier story from writer Adam Shaw had the headline: 'America First? With Steve Bannon out, globalists push for more war abroad.'

Trump (seen above addressing the nation from Fort Myer, Virginia, on Monday) had repeatedly argued on the campaign trail last year that the long-running wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were a waste of lives and billions of dollars that could be better spent at home

The unflattering coverage from Breitbart appears consistent with Bannon's reported vow to 'go to war' with White House aides who he believes are sabotaging the president's promises to his voters.

According to Vanity Fair, Bannon is aiming his sights on 'globalists' and hawks including Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and National Security Adviser HR McMaster.

McMaster is believed to have been in favor of Trump's new Afghanistan policy.

Indeed, one Breitbart article bore the headline: 'His McMasters voice: Is Trumps Afghanistan policy different from Obama?'

Even before Trump's prime time televised address to the nation on Monday, Breitbart led its web site with an article critical of the president.

The article quoted the founder of the private mercenary army Blackwater.

'Erik Prince: Trump will "roll over and accept" same failed strategy on Afghanistan,' the headline read.

Trump had repeatedly argued on the campaign trail last year that the long-running wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were a waste of lives and billions of dollars that could be better spent at home.

An emotional visit in April to Walter Reed Hospital, where many grievously wounded soldiers are taken for treatment, only served to harden the president's reluctance to send more troops.

The unflattering coverage from Breitbart appears consistent with Bannon's reported vow to 'go to war' with White House aides who he believes are sabotaging the president's promises to his voters. Bannon is seen above at the White House on June 1

Trump said he did not want to send more young Americans to battle only to see them lose limbs.

'What are we doing there?' he asked his national security aides, according to a senior administration official.

In a series of interviews, senior administration officials said Trump was hard to persuade but finally - and begrudgingly - agreed to allow for a modest increase in troop numbers, from the current 8,400 to more than 12,000.

He first had to be convinced that the approach he was approving was markedly different from the strategies employed by his two immediate predecessors, George W Bush and Barack Obama, since he considered them to have failed, the officials said.

In his prime-time speech to the nation on Afghanistan policy on Monday night, Trump conceded that his original instinct on taking office had been to pull out but he was then persuaded of the dangers of a hasty withdrawal.

Putting new emphasis on anti-terrorism goals, he said US troops were needed to prevent the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and again making it a breeding ground for Islamic militants.

'This is not about nation-building again. We are killing terrorists,' he said.
A three-year-old and a nine-year-old were found hiding in a boat being towed along a highway, both under the influence of alcohol, while their father was sat drunk in the front seat.

Craig Lawrence Walton, 35, who drove the family home from a crabbing trip, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court to dangerous driving on Thursday, The Gympie Times reported.

Police pulled Walton over in Cooloola Cove, near the south-eastern tip of Yorke Peninsula on December 11 at 9.45pm last year after seeing a child in the boat, which was being slowly towed along the road.

The court heard when the child saw police, they 'hit the deck to avoid detection'.

Police pulled over a car towing a boat after seeing a nine-year-old sitting on deck unrestrained, and were astounded to find the child and their younger sibling, three, were under the influence of alcohol (stock image)

The children, their father and his friend were returning from a crabbing trip when they were pulled over by police (stock image)

While the father of the two children escaped a drink-driving conviction by getting his friend to drive the group home, he did not escape the wrath of his wife, who was reportedly furious when they arrived at the family home.

The youngest child was asleep on the floor of the boat at the time.

Walton had questioned the placement of the man's two children, but the father brushed off his concerns, the court heard.

The court heard it would have been easy for the children to climb out of the boat as it was being towed down the highway, which could have killed the pair.

Though he was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for six months for his actions, police made no claim Walton had anything to do with the children being under the influence of alcohol.

Gympie magistrate Ross Woodford said the circumstances of the incident were 'unusual', and it was relieving everyone made it home safely.

'Thank goodness nothing happened to those children,' he told the court before delivering his sentence.
African refugee Yacqub Khayre was on parole when he launched an ISIS-inspired attack on the streets of Melbourne in June.

The gunman shot dead hotel clerk Kai Hao, wounded three police officers and took a woman hostage in a dramatic two-hour siege in a complex on Bay Street, Brighton.

A coronial inquiry will look at how the 29-year-old criminal was managed by Victorian authorities, but the full scope of the inquest won't be known for weeks.

Counsel assisting the coroner Sarah Thomas told a preliminary hearing on Thursday Khayre had only been released from prison in December.

African refugee Yacqub Khayre (pictured) was on parole when he launched an ISIS-inspired attack on the streets of Melbourne in June

The gunman shot dead hotel clerk Kai Hao, wounded three police officers and took a woman hostage in a dramatic two-hour siege (specialist officer pictured outside apartment complex)

She said he was on parole and wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet, although there are reports he may have tampered with the device.

Details of the incident are limited, with the full brief of evidence still being compiled, Ms Thomas said.

Khayre phoned police twice, claiming it was a hostage situation, that no one should attend or the hostage would die, that the hotel clerk was dead and there was a bomb on site.

He also called television network Seven, reportedly saying 'this is for IS (Islamic State)' and 'this is for al-Qaeda', Ms Thomas said.

A coronial inquiry will look at how the 29-year-old criminal was managed by Victorian authorities (body of victim Kai Hao, a hotel clerk, pictured being taken away)

Khayre phoned police twice, claiming it was a hostage situation, that no one should attend or the hostage would die, that the hotel clerk was dead and there was a bomb on site.

He emerged from the apartment with a sawn-off shotgun, firing twice before dying in an exchange of gunfire with special operations police.

The female hostage was then freed.

Ms Thomas said given the coronial brief won't be finalised until September 29, it is not yet possible to set the scope of the inquest.

However, she said a statement about the police response to the situation, as well as the Adult Parole Board and Corrections Victoria, on its management of Khayre, would assist the coroner.

State Coroner Judge Sara Hinchey adjourned the case to a date to be fixed.

He emerged from the apartment with a sawn-off shotgun, firing twice before dying in an exchange of gunfire with special operations police
A mother has recalled the horrifying moment when her seven-year-old son began choking on a bone buried in a slice of turkey meat over the weekend.

Kerry Williams of Gympie, north of Brisbane in Queensland, said her son had turned red after eating a toasted sandwich she prepared for him and his brother for lunch on Sunday.

'It was really terrifying,' Ms Williams told The Gympie Times.

A mother recalled a horrifying moment when her son started choking on a boneless meat

'I made toasted sandwiches and the next minute my son started choking.'

Ms Williams said she was baffled because the meat that she used in the sandwich was supposed to be boneless.



She was thankful her son survived the ordeal after her other son alerted her about it through his screams.

Ms Williams said she had entered the room in the nick of time to save her son from choking by hitting him on his back to get the bone out from his system.

Kerrie Williams says her seven-year-old son choked while eating a boneless turkey meat

'I gave him a whack on the back and out came a bone - but I couldn't understand where the bone had come from,' she said.

The mother-of-two said she had called the supermarket to inform them about the meat but was unhappy with their response.

Ms Wiliams hoped her experience would encourage other parents with young children to always check supermarket food thoroughly before giving it to their kids.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Williams for comments.
Queensland's strict nanny state laws have been slammed following Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik being refused entry to a Brisbane bar last Friday night.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls questioned whether the prince would have met his Australian wife, Princess Mary, under the strict laws.

Mr Nichols used a joke to help get his point across: 'Have you heard the one where a Danish prince walks into a Queensland bar?'

MP Tim Nicholls has questioned whether Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik would have met his Australian wife, Princess Mary, under Queensland's strict nanny state laws

'You know what, Mr Speaker, he doesn't, he can't even get in the door.'

The Denmark royal was visiting Australia during the 2000 Olympic Games when he met Mary at Sydney's Slip Inn bar.

But Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath has hit back at critics, telling parliament the event had 'not created a diplomatic incident'.

The two (pictured) famously met in a Sydney pub during the Olympics in 2000

Prince Frederik and his entourage were denied entry to the Jade Buddha Bar (pictured) just before midnight on Friday evening because they did not have identification

She defended the right of the bar to turn the prince away and suggested the events of the evening had been blown out of proportion.

Prince Frederik, 49, and his entourage were denied entry to the Jade Buddha Bar just before midnight on Friday because they did not have identification, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The group were granted entry 15 minutes later after they returned to the establishment with Queensland Police Service's dignitary protection unit.

Australia's draconian liquor laws are sure to now attract international attention after Danish Crown Prince Frederik was turned away from a Brisbane bar

Ms D'Ath argued there had been no official complaints made by the prince and therefore alterations to the State's strict security measures weren't necessary, The Brisbane Times reports.

'The prince obviously did not take great offence to this as he returned a short time later and was granted entry,' she told parliament.

'The fact is this has not caused a diplomatic incident as some would have you believe.'

Prince Frederik, Princess Josephine, Prince Vincent, Princess Mary pose before the children's first school day (pictured)

In a press conference on Tuesday, Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart defended the need for identification scanning and confirmed staff at the establishment had full intentions of allowing Prince Frederick entry into the bar.

'It is normal protocol that we operate in this particular way, that we don't put anyone at risk,' Mr Stewart said.

'The club certainly knew that his royal highness was who he was and that he was going into their club.

'It was certainly my understanding that they had no concern as long as we vouch for his profile.'
The Taliban warned Afghanistan will become 'a graveyard' for the US after Donald Trump announced thousands more troops will be sent to the war-torn country.

The US President not only backtracked on his promise to end the nation's 16-year-long campaign in Afghanistan, he criticized ally Pakistan for giving a safe haven to extremists.

While some world leaders and even ordinary Afghans welcome the move, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said they would 'continue our jihad' so long as the US 'imposes war on us'.

He added: 'If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon it will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century.'

The Taliban warned Afghanistan will become 'a graveyard' for the US after Donald Trump announced thousands more troops will be deployed there

Trump called for the use of overwhelming force, but made no specific mention of dispatching thousands of new American troops to boost the effort

An Afghan woman reads a local newspaper with a photo of Trump on the front page, in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday

Fighters with Afghanistan's Taliban militia stand with their weapons in Ahmad Aba district on the outskirts of Gardez, the capital of Paktia province, on July 18

After a strategy review finalized with top advisors at Camp David, Trump revealed what he called a 'path forward' and a 'dramatically' different approach.

He called for the use of overwhelming force, but made no specific mention of dispatching thousands of new American troops to boost the effort, saying levels would be based on conditions on the ground.

'Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win,' the president told soldiers at Fort Myer outside Washington.

He added: 'From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies. Obliterating ISIS. Crushing Al Qaeda.

'Preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan. And stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.'

British Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said Trump's commitment to Afghanistan was 'very welcome'.

The US President not only backtracked on his promise to end the nation's 16-year-long campaign in Afghanistan (pictured)

After a strategy review finalized with top advisors at Camp David, Trump revealed what he called a 'path forward' and a 'dramatically' different approach

'Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win,' the president told soldiers at Fort Myer outside Washington

British Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said Trump's commitment to Afghanistan was 'very welcome'

SIXTEEN YEARS IN AFGHANISTAN: A BRIEF HISTORY OF AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR America's longest-running war began well as US-led forces quickly toppled the Taliban government and disrupted al-Qaeda leaders who plotted the September 11, 2001 attacks from Afghan soil. But the fighting never ended. - Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks: A massive US air campaign targets al-Qaeda fighters and Taliban troops, training camps and air defences. The Taliban flee. - December 2001: Afghanistan is liberated from Taliban control and US force there grows to 2,500 but Osama bin Laden evades capture. Afghanistan was liberated from Taliban control in December 2001 and the US force there grew to 2,500 - but Osama bin Laden evades capture - End of 2002: There are now 9,700 US soldiers in the country. - November 2004: After two years as interim leader, Hamid Karzai wins Afghanistan's first direct election for president, an appointment hailed by then-president George Bush. Millions of girls return to school after being barred under the Taliban and Western aid helps the economy grow (at least in urban areas). But having enjoyed sanctuary in Pakistan, the Taliban shows signs of resurgence, launching sporadic attacks on government forces in eastern Afghanistan. US troop numbers swell to 20,000, but Washington's attention increasingly turns to Iraq. March 2003: The US invades Iraq, toppling dictator Saddam Hussein, but struggles with the aftermath. Iraq is gripped by an explosion of sectarian violence that preoccupies Mr Bush until he leaves office. The US invaded Iraq in March 2003 and toppled dictator Saddam Hussein (pictured), but struggled with the aftermath Iraq is gripped by an explosion of sectarian violence that preoccupies Mr Bush until he leaves office. Pictured: Canadian troops in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2003 MORE TROOPS, MORE VIOLENCE 2006: Nato assumes responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan, pumping troops into Taliban heartlands. The US ups its forces to 30,000. Production of opium, used to make heroin, soars to a record high, funding the insurgency and fuelling official corruption. Tensions grow between Afghanistan and Pakistan over cross-border Taliban attacks. 2008: Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mike Mullen concedes: 'I'm not sure we're winning.' PRESIDENT OBAMA 2009: President Barack Obama assumes office and vows to refocus efforts in Afghanistan by protecting Afghan civilians rather than hunting down the Taliban. He quickly sends in 21,000 more forces. President Barack Obama assumes office in 2009 and vows to refocus efforts in Afghanistan by protecting Afghan civilians rather than hunting down the Taliban. Pictured: US troops carry an injured soldier in Camp Bastion in November 2009 August 2010: After a prolonged policy review, Mr Obama orders an additional surge, bringing troop levels to a high of 100,000. March 2011: Osama Bin Laden is killed in a US special operations raid in Pakistan. Mr Obama then presses ahead with plans to hand over security responsibilities to Afghanistan by 2014. End of 2016: With Afghan security forces taking heavy casualties, Mr Obama backtracks on plans to withdraw all US forces by the end of 2016. He leaves office with 8,400 troops still in the country. DONALD TRUMP Donald Trump says little about Afghanistan during his first seven months in office. The Pentagon proposes sending in nearly 4,000 more US troops to increase training of Afghan forces and counter-terrorism operations, but the administration REMAINS divided. Donald Trump said very little about Afghanistan during his first seven months in office. Pictured: US troops in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province in April 2017 Among Afghans, anti-Western sentiment grows over deteriorating security, even in the capital Kabul. Months later, Trump finally unveils his strategy in a prime-time television address, saying the US will defeat al-Qaeda and ISIS fighters. He refuses to provide troop increase numbers or timelines, saying military assistance would be determined by results and the co-operation of Afghanistan's beleaguered government. Advertisement

He added: 'In my call with Secretary Mattis yesterday we agreed that despite the challenges, we have to stay the course in Afghanistan to help build up its fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist threat to the West.

'It's in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer: that's why we announced our own troop increase back in June.'

Meanwhile ordinary Afghans appeared to back the harsh words Trump had for neighbouring Pakistan.

The US president accused Pakistan - an American ally - of giving extremists a safe haven while they kill American troops 'next door' in Afghanistan.

Many Afghans interviewed by AP in the capital Kabul expressed fears of a worsening situation in the country, bemoaning runaway corruption, high unemployment and increasingly deadly attacks.

Trump's new stance on Afghanistan contradicts his previous criticism of America's longest ever war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from 'behind the desk in the Oval Office'.

Trump's new stance on Afghanistan contradicts his previous criticism of America's longest ever war as a waste of time and money

'My instinct was to pull out,' Trump said as he spoke of his frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars.

But following months of deliberation, Trump said he had concluded 'the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable'.

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorized his defense secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

He warned the approach would now be more pragmatic than idealistic and that assistance to Afghanistan was 'not a blank check'.

He warned he would not send the military to 'construct democracies in faraway lands or create democracies in our own image', adding: 'We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists.'

Taliban spokesman Mujahid dismissed the strategy as vague, saying: 'For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear.'

Reversing his past calls for a speedy exit, Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan Monday night, declaring U.S. troops must 'fight to win'

While another senior Taliban commander said Trump was just perpetuating the 'arrogant behaviour' of previous presidents such as George W Bush.

He added: 'He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

'For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath.'

The commander went on to say the statement proved the current Afghan government 'is a US puppet'.

The insurgents signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the US embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack late Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the city's diplomatic quarter, with no casualties reported.

Trump also lambasted US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to 'agents of chaos'.

Trump offered few specifics, such as whether more troops would be sent to Afghanistan. US soldiers are seen above walking at the site of a Taliban suicide attack in Kandahar on August 2

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment, said Trump 'has proved it's a Crusade'.

'His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community),' he said.

Prior to Trump's announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Divers have found remains of some of the ten missing sailors in a flooded compartment during a search of the USS John S. McCain.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca in the South China Sea, in the early hours of Monday morning.

The crash tore a gaping hole in the McCain's left rear hull and flooded adjacent compartments including the crew's sleeping area and communication rooms, leaving five sailors injured and ten missing.

Today, Commander of the United States Navy Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift held a press conference at the Changi Navy Base in Singapore, where he revealed that divers 'were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartment during their search.'

Navy sailors cover an unidentified body, believed to be one of the ten sailors missing from the USS John McCain, on to the deck of KD Lekiu frigate after it was recovered in the waters off the Johor coast of Malaysia

Commander of the United States Navy Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift (pictured) held a press conference at the Changi Navy Base in Singapore, where he revealed that divers had recovered the remains of some of the missing men

Megan Partlow (left with Drake) revealed that her fiance Jacob Drake (left and right) was on board the McCain, but she was losing hope of seeing him again

Swift said the Malaysian Navy has reported locating other potential remains and are working to confirm the identities.

Photos released by the Royal Malaysian Navy shows personnel covering up the remains of a missing sailor with a body bag, on the deck of KD Lekiu frigate, after the body was recovered in the waters off the Johor coast of Malaysia.

Naval ships from Singapore and Malaysia were aiding the U.S. Navy in a massive search that was continuing Tuesday, Swift said.

'It is clear that their damage control efforts saved their ship and saved lives,' he added.

The discovery will come as a blow to the families of the missing sailors who had been holding out for a miracle. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the servicemen and women whose bodies have been recovered from the flooded ship.

Authorities revealed that divers 'were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search'

A body bag containing the remains of a US sailor is laid out on the deck of the Royal Malaysian Navy ship

The body bag is carried off by members of the Royal Malaysian Navy

Megan Partlow of Ohio, revealed that her fiance Jacob Drake was on board the McCain, but she was losing hope of ever seeing him again.

'My last text to him was 'be safe,' which is the same way we end every conversation,' he said, adding that last text exchange was on Sunday.

'I'm just ready for answers,' she said.

The identities of the missing have not been disclosed but Partlow said her fiance's parents were in touch with the Navy's family assistance center.

The divers will also be conducting damage assessments of the hull and flooded areas as the investigation into the cause of the collision continues.

This is the second major collision in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet and the Navy has ordered a broad investigation into its performance and readiness.

Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

After the collision, (daamge is seen on the side of the ship) the John McCain sailed under its own power and headed to port at Changi Naval Base in Singapore

There were also two lesser-known incidents in the first half of the year. In January, the USS Antietam guided missile cruiser ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th Fleet, and in May another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain from the Navy's 3rd Fleet, had a minor collision with a South Korean fishing boat.

A top admiral has now said that the US Navy will 'consider' whether two fatal collisions this summer could have been the result of a cyber attack.

Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said yesterday that there were 'no indications right now' that the two ships were hacked, but added investigators 'will consider all possibilities'.

Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, on Monday ordered a pause in 7th Fleet operations for the next few days to allow commanders to get together with leaders, sailors and command officials and identify any immediate steps that need to be taken to ensure safety.

'He has put together a broader inquiry to look into these incidents,' Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday, referring to the two recent collisions and other accidents at sea. Mattis spoke to reporters in Amman, Jordan, where he is traveling.

Admiral Scott Swift, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, speaks at the news conference near the damaged USS John McCain and the USS America (seen behind) at Changi Naval Base in Singapore

He revealed that bodies had been found, but would not confirm how many, or the identities

The damaged USS John McCain and the USS America are docked at Changi Naval Base in Singapore

The damaged USS John McCain is docked at Changi Naval Base. The whole in the hull is clearly visible

A broader U.S. Navy review will look at the 7th Fleet's performance, including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers.

Richardson said the review will be conducted with the help of the Navy's office of the inspector general, the safety center and private companies that make equipment used by sailors.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea.

China, Washington's main rival for influence in the Asia-Pacific, seized on the McCain collision to accuse the Navy of endangering maritime navigation in the region. This year's string of accidents shows the U.S. Navy 'is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian waters,' the official China Daily newspaper said in its online edition.

The McCain and the Alnic MC oil tanker collided about 4.5 nautical miles from Malaysia's coast at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the busy Singapore Strait.

The collision between the 505-foot destroyer guided missile destroyer and the 600-foot Alnic MC ripped a gaping hole in the destroyer's hull.

The Navy's 7th Fleet said 'significant damage' to the McCain's hull resulted in the flooding of adjacent compartments including crew berths, machinery and communications rooms. A damage control response prevented further flooding.

A picture of the US guided-missile destroyer after the collision shows the ship riding low in the water with a hole in its side near its waterline

The Alnic MC tanker, pictured here outside Singapore, collided with the USS John S. McCain in the early hours of Monday morning

The Malaysian navy joined with search teams from Singapore and the US

Royal Malaysian Navy personnel looked for missing sailors of the US guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain off Johor coastal area on Tuesday

There was no immediate explanation for the collision, although it appears the McCain had the right of way.

Singapore, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the world's busiest ports and a U.S. ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships.

The Singapore government said no crew were injured on the Liberian-flagged Alnic, which sustained damage to a compartment at the starboard, or right, side at the front of the ship some 23 feet above its waterline. The ship had a partial load of fuel oil, according to the Greek owner of the tanker, Stealth Maritime Corp. S.A., but no apparent spill.

Several safety violations were recorded for the oil tanker at its last port inspection in July, one fire safety deficiency and two safety-of-navigation problems. The official database for ports in Asia doesn't go into details and the problems apparently were not serious enough for the tanker to be detained.

President Donald Trump expressed concern for the McCain's crew. Returning to Washington from his New Jersey golf club, he responded, 'That's too bad' when reporters shouted questions to him about the McCain. Later, Trump tweeted that 'thoughts and prayers' are with the McCain's sailors.

The McCain is named after US Sen. John McCain's father and grandfather, who were both US admirals. It's based at the 7th Fleet's homeport of Yokosuka, Japan. It was commissioned in 1994 and has a crew of 23 officers, 24 chief petty officers and 291 enlisted sailors, according the Navy's website.

McCain said on Twitter that he and his wife, Cindy, are 'keeping America's sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight - appreciate the work of search & rescue crews.'
Madeleine McCann, three, vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007

Detectives hunting for Madeleine McCann will ask for more money to pursue a 'final line of inquiry' as their 11million investigation fund runs out.

Funding will have run out by September, with officers set to appeal to the Government for further support.

Madeleine, three, vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007.

The inquiry, known as 'Operation Grange', was launched nearly six years ago in May 2011 on orders of then Prime Minister David Cameron but has so far failed to unearth any new clues.

Metropolitan Police detectives in charge of the search hope another cash injection will allow them the opportunity to give one more throw of the dice.

The team appealed to the Home Office in March this year for 85,000 to cover 'operational costs'.

Met Officers have flown out to Portugal to carry out searches at the scene of Madeleine's disappearance as well as question various suspects.

A Scotland Yard spokesman told the Mirror: 'Funding is in place until the end of September. Any details about future funding will be released when appropriate.'

The British police inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance has cost 11million, since it was launched in May 2011. Pictured, UK detectives at the scene in Praia da Luz, Portugal

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann (pictured), have vowed to never give up searching for their daughter

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann from Rothley in Leicestershire, have vowed to never give up searching for their daughter.

The couple have ploughed 500,000 of their own money into the search fund.

Speaking on the official Find Maddie website, they wrote: 'Until we have answers, until there is news there will always be hope.

'Whist the investigation is never as much or as speedy as we, or the police would like, we are moving in the right direction.'
An Aboriginal elder has hit out at Melbourne councils for scrapping their Australia Day celebrations on January 26 and says the move will 'pull everyone apart again'.

Gordon Workman, a leader in the indigenous community of Blacktown in Sydney's west, slammed the controversial decision and said it would further 'create a divide'.

Mr Workman's critique comes as the City of Darebin is stripped of its power to hold citizenship ceremonies by Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Alex Hawke.

Aboriginal elder Gordon Workman has slammed the decision to scrap Australia Day

Mr Workman, a leader in Blacktown in Sydney's west, said the decision would 'create a divide'

City of Yarra mayor Amanda Stone (left) and City of Darebin mayor Kim Le Cerf

Last week the Greens-dominated Yarra City Council voted to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day, prompting widespread backlash and condemnation.

Neighbouring left-leaning Darebin Council followed the suit this week, risking being stripped of its power to host citizenship ceremonies by the federal government.

But Mr Workman said the decision to change the date to be more 'culturally sensitive' would do more harm than good with indigenous Australians in the area.

Ms Le Cerf (left) and Ms Stone speak to reporters at a media conference in Northcote

The pair were commenting on decisions by their councils to change Australia Day celebrations

They said January 26 is a date inappropriate for a national day of celebration

'As far as I'm concerned it's not going to change the day whatsoever, it's part of history,' Mr Workman told the Blacktown Advocate.

'This will create a divide; it's a further nail in the coffin. Instead of bringing everybody together it's just pulling everybody apart again.'

Darebin mayor Kim Le Cerf said the list of councils could grow longer and on Tuesday confirmed there had been discussions with Moreland council in Melbourne's north, Fremantle council in Perth and Hobart City Council.

Darebin Council voted to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day after Yarra Council made the controversial decision last week (Mayor Kim Le Cerf pictured)

The City of Darebin council (pictured), which governs several of Melbourne's northern suburbs including Northcote, Preston and Reservoir, came to the controversial decision with a 6-2 vote in favour of the change

She said January 26 was inappropriate for a national day of celebration because it marked the anniversary of the British 'invasion' of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands.

Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews said it was a shame.

January 26 celebrations are 'quintessentially Australian' and done in a respectful way that acknowledges the contribution and heritage of the country's first people.

Darebin council will follow Yarra's lead and hold an Indigenous-themed event instead of an annual citizenship ceremony on the day

'Australia Day is January 26 and it should remain that day. They're doing it without proper consultation and they're just making decisions for us,' Darebin resident David Schulz said.

But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told parliament last week such decisions were 'utterly out of step with Australian values'.

'I think it's a great shame that others are not prepared to do the hard work to get that balance right,' Mr Andrews said.

Ms Le Cerf said the premier's approach was a backwards step.

'The Victorian government has said they're committed to treaty and to true reconciliation with our people and I don't think that's in the spirit of that commitment.'

After Yarra City Council voted for change the federal government stripped its powers to host citizenship ceremonies.

Yarra mayor Amanda Stone said there had been an 'overwhelming majority' of people in the area who backed its decision move.

'That tells us the country is actually ready for this discussion about what's the most appropriate date for a national day,' Ms Stone said.

Darebin plans to replace Australia Day events on January 26 with other community celebrations to be held on another day.

It will include awards recognising community service and the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents.

Residents living in Yarra and Darebin will still be able to celebrate Australia Day on January 26, Victoria's local government minister Natalie Hutchins told parliament.

'There will not be any council officers peering over the fence as they have a barbecue,' she said, adding that wide consultation needs to be undertaken ahead of councils making such important changes.

In a statement, Hawke said the Turnbull Government 'remains resolute in its commitment to safeguard the integrity of citizenship ceremonies in Australia'.

'The Melbourne local authority will be stripped of its power to hold any citizenship ceremonies following its political resolution which cancelled Australia Day citizenship formalities.

'The Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Alex Hawke today issued a new instrument under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 which removes the ability of office holders at the City of Yarra Council to receive a pledge of commitment at a citizenship ceremony.

'The Government had already issued a warning to Yarra Council that such an action would be viewed by the Government as a significant breach of the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code ('the Code').

'The Commonwealth now will ensure prospective citizens with the City of Yarra are allocated to citizenship ceremonies held by neighbouring councils while the Department of Immigration and Border Protection will hold ceremonies within the City of Yarra as demand requires, including on Australia Day next year.

'Mr Hawke said today the Turnbull Government would not tolerate Yarra Council's use of citizenship ceremonies as a political device in a campaign against Australia Day being celebrated on January 26.

'We are committed to ensuring that citizenship is treated in the 'non-commercial, apolitical, bipartisan and secular manner' which the Code mandates,' Mr Hawke said.

'The instrument I have signed today means there will be no more citizenship ceremonies conducted by the City of Yarra on behalf of the Government.

'Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today expressed his deep disappointment at the Yarra Council decision.

'On Australia Day, we celebrate what's great about our wonderful nation. An attack on Australia Day is a repudiation of the values the day celebrates: freedom, a fair go, mateship and diversity,' he said.

'Yarra council is using a day that should unite Australians to divide Australians.

'I recognise Australia Day and its history is complex for many indigenous Australians, but the overwhelming majority of Australians believe the 26th of January is the day and should remain our national day,' Mr Turnbull said.

'Mr Hawke has also written today to Minister for Local Government and Territories Senator Fiona Nash, asking that the she examine the proportion of Commonwealth Government funding provided to Yarra Council for the purpose of conducting citizenship ceremonies, with a view to that funding being reconsidered following today's revocation decision.

'It is regrettable that Yarra Council has proceeded with this course of action. I note that other Councils, including Fremantle and Hobart made the sensible decision to comply with the Code rather than risk losing their ability to conduct citizenship ceremonies,' he said.

'I am surprised and disappointed that the City of Yarra has chosen to pursue this divisive approach.

'I would again like to thank the overwhelming number of local councils Australia wide which comply with the Code and conduct citizenship ceremonies that are non-commercial, apolitical, bipartisan and secular,' Mr Hawke said.'
NYPD officials have identified Gary Correa, 19, (pictured) as the man who stabbed George Carroll, 42, on Friday night just steps away from Carroll's house in Brooklyn

A teenager has been identified as the person who stabbed a man to death steps away from his home in Brooklyn.

NYPD officials have identified Gary Correa, 19, as the man who stabbed George Carroll, 42, on Friday night.

Carroll had just left dinner with his wife, Christina Romero Carroll, around 9.30pm when they came across a group of people, including Correa.

The 19-year-old was identified as a suspect by NYPD after another man he was hanging out with showed up at the crime scene to pick up his car, which he left behind during the attack, the New York Daily News reported.

That man did not take part in the murder, according to the outlet.

Carroll and his wife were walking down Monitor Street in Greenpoint near the group who were hanging out around an SUV, Carroll's wife told NBC 4.

One of the men looked at her husband, they made eye contact and he spoke to him.

'It's basically "what are you looking at?" That was it,' Romero Carroll recalled. 'And my husband, he's a Texan, he's like "I'm...looking."'

Scroll down for video

George Carroll (pictured), 42, had just left dinner around 9.30pm when they came across a group of people, including Correa

His wife, Christina Romero Carroll, was with him at the time. She broke down in tears as she spoke about his death

She said the man then chased her husband, stabbed him, and took off in the SUV. Carroll was taken to Woodhull Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

'Mr Carroll was walking down the street and just some eyes back and forth led to a dispute,' NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

Officials have not arrested Correa, but detectives looked for clues in the Bushwick Houses, where Correa lives, all day Monday to find out where he has gone, NY Daily News reported.

Boyce has asked for the public's help to find the teen.

'[Correa] is 19 years old, looks a bit older than that, but he's got 13 prior arrests,' he said. 'Detectives have been working all weekend on this case.'

The 19-year-old has a long arrest record, police said, including arrests for robbery, burglary and drug possession.

He was most recently arrested in May and was charged with robbery and grand larceny, NY Daily News reported.

Romero Carroll said one of the men looked at her husband and spoke to him. She said the man then chased her husband, stabbed him and took off in the SUV. Photos of the scene showed yellow police tape surrounding a bloody sidewalk

Carroll had just left dinner with his wife, Christina Romero Carroll, around 9.30pm when they came across a group of people hanging out around an SUV. Police said the incident took place near Msgr. McGoldrick Park (pictured) in Brooklyn

'Its still not registering We had just seen an apartment  we were going to see two more apartments today. I cant believe were talking about him in the past,' said Christina Romero Carroll about her late husband.

The incident took place near Msgr. McGoldrick Park in Brooklyn.

Photos of the scene showed yellow police tape surrounding a bloody sidewalk.

Carroll was a writer and actor who was originally from Texas, his wife said. He moved to New York in 2001 and they recently moved from East New York to Greenpoint because they thought it would be safer, his wife told NBC.

Carroll (pictured with his wife on their wedding day) was a writer and actor who was originally from Texas, his wife said. He moved to New York in 2001 and they recently moved from East New York to Greenpoint because they thought it would be safer

Despite Greenpoint's rapidly rising rents and high standard of living, residents of the neighborhood say that over at McGolrick Park, less than a block from where Carroll was stabbed, a growing homeless population and raucous youth are causing concerns.

'There has been a group of older teens. They hang out by the schoolhouse or the park. I wont go by them, whether its day or night,' John Allens, a truck driver, told The New York Post.

'Theyre loud, theyre rowdy . . . Neighbors have been complaining, but nothing got done. Within the last few years, the surge of drugs in the neighborhood is incredible. You can smell the reefer everywhere.'

Danielle Pirhaly, 40, a dental assistant in New York City, described the kids who have taken over the park 'young punks.'

'They like to go and cause trouble. There are always fights here . . . They beat up a young kid, stuffed him in the garbage. They broke someones jaw,' she claimed.

No arrests have been made in the incident and police have not provided a description of the man.

Romero Carroll says now that all she hopes for is that the killer is caught and brought to justice.

'These people are still out there,' she said. 'I just want to get the word out. Sometimes we see something and we dont know what were looking at. . Maybe if there is more information someone can say, "Oh I saw this. 

Anyone with information on Correa's whereabouts has been asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)
Two Europeans became the first foreign astronauts to take part in space-related training in China by completing a 17-day sea survival course.

Astronauts Matthias Maurer (left), Liu Boming and Ye Guangfu signal for "help" in Monday's training. [Photo/China Daily]

Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy and Matthias Maurer of Germany, both from the European Space Agency, joined 16 Chinese astronauts in waters off the coastal city of Yantai, Shandong province. The training concluded on Monday.

The course was organized by the China Manned Space Agency in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport's Beihai Rescue Bureau. An astronaut sea survival training base in a suburb of Yantai was put into use shortly before the session.

The Chinese astronauts included Yang Liwei, the first Chinese in the space, and Jing Haipeng, a three-time flyer. The group was divided into six teams during the training, which was designed to improve astronauts' sea survival, decision-making and emergency response capabilities, and to boost their team spirit and collaboration capacity, according to the Chinese agency.

Each team had three membersone commander and two operators. At the beginning of the training, members of a team would put on their space suits and enter into a mock re-entry capsule of a Shenzhou spacecraft, which was carried by a ship and placed on the sea's surface by a crane.

Once in the water, the astronauts would take off their space suits and put on a rubber suit capable of resisting cold and providing extra buoyancy. Then they would get out of the re-entry capsule to board inflatable boats. Next, they would practice rescue procedures with a rescue ship and later repeat the process with a helicopter.

Through the training, the astronauts learned methods and procedures of exiting the re-entry capsule as it floated in the sea; familiarized themselves with sea survival skills and rescue preparations; and strengthened their ability to cooperate with each other and with rescuers, the agency said.

Huang Weifen, deputy research director for the Astronaut Center of China, said the European astronauts' participation helps to explore methods and gain experience for international cooperation in manned space activities. She said the training program tested the overall design and feasibility of the sea survival plan and related training procedures.

She said such training is aimed at preparing the astronauts to survive an emergency landing in the water during a carrier rocket's liftoff process and a re-entry capsule's return to Earth.

"In the past, we organized survival training in pools or reservoirs. This was the first time for us to conduct such training at sea and also the first time for rescue forces to be involved in a survival training session," Huang said.

Maurer said this was the first time for European astronauts to come to China to train with Chinese colleagues, and also the first time for him to attend a realistic sea survival training course involving a ship and helicopter.

"The training was well organized with a high level of quality and safety and we are well protected. It is important to nurture mutual trust so that in the future we can work together in space," Maurer said.

"We feel that we are like a family. We share our experience and other information. Samantha and I have learned how the Chinese perform their training. ... Through this training, we understand that China's training standards are very high and such occasions would be foundation for our future cooperation."

He added, "This has been a big step forward toward our future cooperation in space. In the future, we want to fly and explore together."

The space agencies in China and Europe signed an agreement in May 2015 to boost collaboration.

Pal Hvistendahl of the European agency has said the objective of the cooperation is "to fly a European astronaut on the Chinese space station" that is scheduled to enter operation in 2022.
Customers at Pacific Fair Shopping Centre in Queensland were plunged into darkness for the second time in just two months.

Power was cut at the Broadbeach centre for 15 minutes just after 2pm, with some shops choosing to close, reported The Gold Coast Bulletin.

A spokeswoman for Pacific Fair told Daily Mail Australia the 15-minute power outage was part of a wider issue with Energex, and the shopping centre itself did not close during this time.

She further confirmed that when power returned, 'all the stores' were up and trading.

Pacific Fair in Broadbeach, Queensland, lost power for 15 minutes on Tuesday (pictured during a blackout in June)

A spokeswoman for Pacific Fair said when the power returned, all stores resumed normal trading

A spokesman for Energex told Daily Mail Australia there was a 'minor outage on the Gold Coast on Tuesday, due to minor equipment issues'.

'The power was out for 12 minutes, but the crews there restored the power very quickly,' he said.

Though the plunge into darkness was brief, it was reminiscent of a bigger blackout in June.

The outage left some shoppers literally stuck inside the centre after automatic doors sealed shut.

Security officers had to manually operate the doors to let people out, and then lift boomgates to allow them to leave.

The outage in June (pictured) left some customers trapped inside the centre, as automatic doors sealed shut
The son and granddaughter of Robert F Kennedy have both been arrested on charges of disorderly conduct in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

Matthew 'Max' Kennedy, 52, and his daughter Caroline, 23, were arrested this weekend after cops busted a loud party at 172 Irving Avenue, close to the Kennedys' Cape Cod compound.

'It's if noise is audible for a distance of 150 feet away,' Barnstable Police Lt John Murphy told the Boston Herald. 'It's a loud party statute, that's what it's used for.'

Matthew 'Max' Kennedy (pictured), son of Robert F Kennedy, was arrested along with his daughter on Sunday at around 1am after complaints about a loud party

Caroline Summer Rose Kennedy, pictured, goes by the name Summer

They were partying at a rental home close to the historic Kennedy compound (pictured) in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, which was bought by RFK's father in 1928

The pair were asked to turn down their music at around 1am Sunday, and when they refused they were taken into custody, CapeCod.com reported.

No-one else was arrested at the party, which also received complaints about fireworks, Murphy said.

He added that the the law was punishable by a $100 fine and arrest.

If found guilty, they will not face jail time, as neither of them has a criminal record, police said.

Both Kennedys were released on their own recognizance the night they were arrested, and Max Kennedy was arraigned in Barnstable District Court on Monday.

His pretrial hearing on the disorderly conduct charge is set for November 22.

Caroline Kennedy's arraignment has been set for the same date. It's unclear why she was not arraigned around the same time as her father.

The property does not belong to the Kennedys - although Max lives elsewhere in Hyannis Port.

It is a nine-bedroom rental home known as the 'Judy Garland House' after the actress, who used to spend her summers there.

The party was held here, at a home once used by Judy Garland on her summer holidays. Locals had complained about the noise and fireworks, and police asked them to turn the volume down

The Garland House is seen top-right here; the Kennedy compound far left. Police say they arrested the Kennedys after they refused to turn down the music. No-one else was arrested

Max Kennedy is probably best known for the book he wrote about his grandfather, 'Make Gentle the Life of This: The Vision of Robert F Kennedy.'

He is one of nine children born to RFK and Ethel Kennedy.

His arrest, and that of his daughter, comes eight months after his nephew - Conor Kennedy, son of RFK Jr - was arrested.

Conor Kennedy, an ex-boyfriend of Taylor Swift, was charged with disorderly conduct after he punched a man outside a nightclub on December 29 in Aspen.

However, he avoided going to court after agreeing to a plea deal that saw him given a six-month deferred sentence.

The Kennedy compound was purchased by Joseph P. Kennedy Sr, father of RFK and John F Kennedy, in 1928. It was expanded upon, but the original structure was built in 1904.
A cancer diagnosis has forced long-serving Victorian MP Fiona Richardson to take time off and she says she'll quit parliament at next year's state election.

The Family Violence Prevention Minister was diagnosed with a serious illness before the winter break and gave notice earlier this month that she would be taking leave from her parliamentary duties.

Ms Richardson, 50, also took time off in 2013 to fight breast cancer and on Tuesday she revealed she was now battling multiple tumours and will extend her leave.

Victorian MP Fiona Richardson (pictured) said she'd quit parliament at next year's state election after being diagnosed with cancer

The MP (far left) is fighting cancer for a second time in four years, who was diagnosed with multiple tumours earlier this month

Ms Richardson thanked everyone on social media for offering their support while she recovers

She won't recontest her key inner seat of Northcote, which she was elected to in 2006, in next year's Victorian election.

'I have been diagnosed with multiple tumours for which I am receiving treatment,' Ms Richardson said.

'I intended to return to work part time next week, however my recovery is not going the way I had planned.

'I am grateful that the premier has agreed to an extended period of leave from my portfolio to enable me to concentrate of my health.'

Ms Richardson posted her regards on her social media accounts, thanking everyone for their support during the difficult time.

'Thank you to everyone for your kind words of encouragement and support,' she posted.

Ms Richardson said she would be taking time off work after her health didn't go to plan

The Family Violence Prevention Minister (pictured) first took time off from politics in 2013 to fight breast cancer

'While I haven't been able to respond to you each individually, I think you for your well wishes while I focus on recovery.'

Premier Daniel Andrews said Ms Richardson had been an 'unwavering advocate' against family violence.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with Fiona and her family and we will do everything we can to support her during this difficult time,' he said in a statement.

The long serving MP is a leader in Labor's right factions and has been a factional rival of the left-wing premier.

Her seat of Northcote has undergone demographic change in recent years, with polls suggesting the Greens are a chance to take it from Labor at the election in November 2018.
Sir Philip Green has been filmed smashing up to 200 plates worth 20 each after a meal at an exclusive Greek restaurant with Kris Jenner and Tommy Hilfiger.

The 65-year-old billionaire was seen alongside the reality TV star and fashion designer at Caprice restaurant on the Greek island of Mykonos.

Sir Philip has been enjoying a luxurious holiday on his 15million yacht and has already been filmed on the same trip spraying champagne around a beach bar.

Sir Philip Green (centre) was filmed smashing up to 200 plates worth 20 each plates with designer Tommy Hilfiger (right) after a meal at an exclusive Greek restaurant

Reality TV star Kris Jenner (left, next to Sir Philip) was filmed laughing from her chair without getting involved in the carnage at Caprice restaurant on the Greek Island of Mykonos

And at Caprice, which is known for its sunset views, Hilfiger, 66, could be seen throwing crockery to the ground - before Sir Philip threw four bowls in the air.

Jenner, 61, was filmed laughing from her chair without getting involved in the carnage - although her new boyfriend Corey Gamble, 36, was seen throwing a plate.

A witness told the Daily Mirror: 'The restaurant unofficially charges 15 -20 a plate for smashing, which is a Greek tradition at the end of a meal.

'People usually get four or five to smash at the end of the night, but they had two full trays delivered to their table - it looked like about 200 plates.'

At Caprice restaurant, which is known for its sunset views, Hilfiger, 66, could be seen throwing crockery to the ground - before Sir Philip threw four bowls in the air

The restaurant is said to unofficially charge 15 to 20 a plate for smashing, an onlooker said

The custom of plate smashing in Greece is believed to possibly derive from ritually 'killing' plates to deal with loss when mourning in ancient times

Sir Philip faces a battle to restore his own reputation after the collapse of BHS, which failed a year after he sold it to three-times bankrupt Dominic Chappell for 1.

It left 19,000 former workers facing severe pension shortfalls and triggered a public outcry over how he extracted profits from BHS and then tossed it aside.

MPs called for Sir Philip to lose his knighthood, but he agreed to pay 363million into the pension fund.

He had until recently tried to avoid the limelight  unlike his daughter Chloe, 26, who has dated Jeremy Meeks, a US criminal banned from entering Britain.

Sir Philip talks to a group of women on Psarou beach in Mykonos on his holiday on August 8

Sir Philip walks along a marina in Mykonos where he is holidaying on his 15million yacht

The tycoon was seen firing champagne around at a party at Nammos beach bar in Mykonos where drenched and scantily clad women danced on tables stacked with empty bottles

Sir Philip (pictured with his wife Tina) faces a battle to restore his own reputation after the collapse of BHS, which failed a year after he sold it to Dominic Chappell for 1

However, Sir Philip resurfaced earlier this month on Mykonos, at Nammos beach bar, which offers 110 bottles of 'spraying Champagne'.

The tycoon was seen firing fizz around at a party where drenched and scantily clad women danced on tables stacked with empty Veuve Clicquot bottles.

The custom of plate smashing in Greece is believed to possibly derive from ritually 'killing' plates to deal with loss when mourning in ancient times.

However there is also a theory that it was a sign of wealth for the rich when they threw them into a fireplace after a feast instead of washing and reusing them.
Three hundred villagers have admitted being cannibals after a suspected killer handed himself into police with a piece of an arm and a leg saying he had lost the taste for human flesh.

The suspect entered a police station in Estcourt, South Africa, telling shocked officers 'I'm tired of eating human flesh', as he gave up the body parts.

A trio of alleged cannibal killers aged 22, 29 and 32, were subsequently arrested, after more gruesome remains were found in a nearby house, leading to the discovery of a woman's mutilated body.

But after a meeting was held in the village of Esigodlweni, home to just 971 people, it emerged almost a third of the population had been digging up graves or eating residents.

Cannibals: The three men were arrested in after one of them handed himself over to police, admitting that he had grown tired of eating human flesh, and officers were led to a house, pictured, where bodyparts and a mutilated body of a woman was found

In the aftermath of the arrests, villagers gathered in the community hall allegedly admitted tasting human flesh.

Two of the men arrested are witch doctors, or traditional healers, a third was on parole from jail.

Police are now following up reports that the cannibals robbed graves to source flesh and bones.

Ward councillor Mthembeni Majola, who held a meeting at the Esigodlweni community hall on Monday morning said that around 300 residents had confessed to visiting the two witchdoctors and knowingly eating human flesh given to them.

Mr Majola told News24 website: This has happened within our community.

'Families, people we know and live with have now confessed to eating this woman.'

He added that community members had also allegedly confessed to digging up graves under the orders of 33 year-old Nino Mbatha, and giving him the bones.

He told them that digging up the graves would make them strong and protect them from harm and that bringing him the bones would bring them wealth in the future.

Gone vegetarian: One of the killers walked into the police station in Estcourt, pictured, and told officers that he had become 'tired of eating human flesh'

Three men arrested by police initially allegedly raped and murdered the woman before butchering the body and eating the flesh.

Crowds of residents gathered outside Estcourt magistrates court Monday as the trio appeared on murder charges alongside a fourth man, 31, accused of possessing human flesh and tissues.

They were all remanded in custody and are due to reappear in court next week.

Stunned local councillor Mthembeni Majola said one of the suspects led community members and police to the woman's body.

'It was buried under big rocks and we had to call a machine to remove the rocks,' he told News24.

'They showed us the body parts in one of the houses.

Mr Majola added that authorities fear the group had killed more victims, saying: 'it cannot only be one.'

'When the police were following this matter they discovered eight ears in a pot where one man was staying. That means there is much more to this.'

Police spokeswoman Captain Charmaine Struwig said: 'Three of the suspects face charges of murder and charges relating to the possession of human organs and tissue.

Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the man handed over bodyparts during questioning

'A fourth suspect faces charges relating to the possession of human organs and tissue.

'The three suspects are alleged to have murdered a woman and then cut her body up.

'Allegations are that some consumed some of her flesh while some of her body parts were shared with the fourth suspect in Amangwe.

'Human remains were found at one crime scene in Estcourt and another crime scene at Amangwe.

'At this time only one person is suspected of having been killed and her identity is as yet unknown.'

Another spokeswoman, Colonel Thembeka Mbhele, said the three main suspects were arrested on Friday night after one walked into Estcourt police station with his 'tired of eating human flesh' bombshell.

She said: 'When he was questioned, he produced part of a human leg and a hand.

'Further investigation led police to a house where they were met with a foul smell, and more human remains were found.

'A second suspect was also arrested in Estcourt and a third in the Amangwe area. More body parts were found.

'It is alleged the suspects raped, killed and cut up the body of a woman, which they then consumed.'

Muti medicine, a term used to describe traditional practices in South Africa is common, and so called muti killings have been reported from time to time, where people are killed for their body parts to be used by witchdoctors.

People with albinism are particularly at risk of muti killings due to the belief held by some that their body parts impart power and health to those who consume them.

Earlier this month, a man was found in Durban, 100 miles from the scene of the latest incident, with a human head in his backpack.

He was thought to be attempting to sell the head to a witchdoctor.
This is the moment alien hunters believe they spotted an extra-terrestrial aircraft flying above them.

The sighting in the Philippines shows an object obscured by clouds, but still vaguely visible from a moving vehicle and seemingly high above nearby trees.

In the 20-second clip, which was uploaded to YouTube channel SecureTeam 10, the tip of the structure can be seen poking above clouds, becoming clearer as the narrator increases the contrast of the footage.

He concedes the viewers that the UFO is 'hard to see' in the 'original footage' due to trees obscuring it as it appears to hover under a telephone line.

'There's trees passing by but you can still see it vaguely in the background,' he says, before sharpening the image to increase the object's visibility.

The UFO was spotted apparently flying behind clouds by alien hunters in the Philippines

Then, toward the end of the video, it seems to accelerate and shoot off into the distance.

The video follows five other claimed incidents in the islands since 2000, when 37-year-old Antonio Israel said he filmed small balls of light over his Silver St neighbourhood.

Though it appears obscured here, post-production contrast editing made it more visible

The object appears to accelerate toward the end of the footage taken by UFO hunters

Then, in 2004, it is claimed more than 10 UFOs were sighted in Las Pinas at around 7pm on August 28.

In 2011 there were reports of red, large UFOs in Bulcan, which were followed by sightings in Cavite.

And in April 2015 motionless lights were reported to be hovering in a v-formation in Lubao-Pampanga.
The British hero father who comforted a boy killed in the Barcelona terror attack has called on every 'common man' to fight against terror.

Harry Athwal, 44, from Birmingham, rushed to the aid of the youngster after a van ploughed into people and killed 15 in the popular Las Ramblas district of the Spanish city.

Heartbreaking pictures showed Mr Athwal sitting alongside the boy's body moments after the shocking attack last Thursday.

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During an emotional interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain today, Barcelona hero Harry Athwal urged viewers to take a stand against terrorism

During an emotional interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain today, the father-of-one urged viewers to take a stand against terrorism.

He said: 'Were fighting a different enemy now, theyre using every day things like cars, theyre killing our children.

'You have to do something, its not about your safety its about someone else's. The common man is the person who can now do something about this.

'Weve got to change, weve got to do something. The common man has to wake up we can't walk around with blindfolds anymore. We've got to protect our loved ones.'

Mr Athwal was in a restaurant on a first floor balcony when a van, believed to have been driven by 22-year-old jihadist Younes Abouyaaqoub, was driven into crowds of tourists.

He told GMB hosts Jeremy Kyle and Kate Garraway that he knew 'straight away' that a terrorist attack had taken place.

Harry Athwal, from Birmingham, was pictured comforting the child, who was injured when a van ploughed into crowds in Barcelona's busy tourist district

Mr Athwal said: 'You hear this screaming, thuds and thunder, you were just trying to think ''what I have I just seen?''

'Straight away I knew it was a terrorist attack. I didnt know what to do but I knew I had to do something.'

Mr Athwal explained that when he saw the little boy lying on the pavement, it reminded him of his son and he felt the need to rush to his side.

He added: When I saw that child, I was instantly drawn to that child.

'He was quite badly injured, I checked for a pulse and he didnt have a pulse.

Mr Athwal told GMB hosts Jeremy Kyle and Kate Garraway that he knew 'straight away' that a terrorist attack had taken place

Mr Athwal also explained that he felt 'drawn' to the little boy after spotting him lying on the pavement

'I put a hand on his back and he wasnt breathing, so all I could do was sit with him and stroke his back until the police came.'

The courageous project manager stayed with the young boy until emergency services came.

He said: 'I was panicking, the police were screaming at me to get out of the road in case of another van, but I was not going to leave this boy here.

'I have a son the same age, and that was what was going through my head.'

Mr Athwal also revealed that only a week before the shocking incident, he had discussed with his son what he'd do in the event of a terror attack.

He also said the scenes on Las Ramblas would stay with him until his 'dying day' and that given the chance, he'd act with the same bravery all over again.
Abdelbaki Es Satty, who died in an explosion last Wednesday, is believed to have masterminded the attacks

The Imam accused of masterminding the Barcelona terrorist attacks was ordered to leave Spain after finishing a prison sentence for drugs offences, it was claimed today.

Islamic preacher Abdelbaki Es Satty was told he must comply with an expulsion order when he left jail in April 2014, respected Spanish daily El Mundo said.

The paper said a first appeal against the decision failed - but the 42-year-old Moroccan won his fight to stay in Spain after taking the case to a judge.

The unnamed judge who made the decision is said to have accepted Es Satty's claims his forced removal would be a breach of his international rights.

The preacher followed up his court win by seeking asylum through lawyers in an application filed on November 29 2014, El Mundo reported.

The paper described the asylum request as a 'standard move to legitimise even further his presence in Spain,' and said it enabled him to move freely among the 26 EU countries that form part of the Schengen area.

He died at a home in the town of Alcanar, where butane gas canisters were being stockpiled for use in the Barcelona attack

Es Satty, who police confirmed last night had died in an explosion at a house in the Catalan town of Alcanar said to have prompted last Thursday's deadly attacks in Barcelona and the seaside resort of Cambrils, has been blamed for brainwashing the terrorists.

More than 20 butane gas canisters were found intact in the wreckage of the home, as well as Acetone peroxide (TATP) - nicknamed 'Mother of Satan' because of the high number of accidental explosions it causes.

Hans Bonte, the mayor of Vilvoorde near Brussels, has already revealed the Imam spent three months there at the start of last year looking for work.

There was no immediate official response to the reports about Es Satty's removal order, which were also carried by news website Okdiario.

It said it was linked to the four-year prison sentence he was handed in 2010 after being caught trying to smuggle cannabis resin on a ferry between Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta and the southern Spanish port city of Algeciras.

Fifteen people were killed and more than 100 injured in last week's terror attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils by the terror cell

Under Spanish immigration laws, foreign-born nationals who receive prison sentences of more than one year often face the threat of expulsion when they leave jail.

Es Satty is said to have learned he had won his fight against his expulsion order on March 2 2015 in a sentence drafted by Castellon's Contentious-Administrative Court Number 2.

Younes Abouyaaqoub, the driver of the van that mowed down and killed 14 people on Barcelona's Las Ramblas before stabbing Spaniard Pau Perez to death and stealing his car

He had been out of prison for nearly a year when he was told the news.

Enraged Javier Pina, commenting on the reports on social media, said: 'Never mind what his conscience is telling him, if he has one. The judge who took this decision should be called to account over this.'

The court that took the decision on Es Satty is said to be based in the eastern Spanish city of Castellon, where he served his sentence.

His removal from Spain could have changed the course of history, as it would almost certainly have prevented him from entering into contact with the men accused of bringing terror to Spain last week in attacks which killed 15 people and left more than 100 injured.

Today it emerged police are focusing on the theory that Younes Abouyaaqoub, the driver of the van that mowed down and killed 14 people on Barcelona's Las Ramblas before stabbing Spaniard Pau Perez to death and stealing his car, spent his time on the run sleeping by day and walking at night to minimise his chances of being detected by CCTV cameras or noticed by members of the public.

Catalan daily La Vanguardia said he had changed his T-shirt before he was gunned down by police in a vineyard in Subirats an hour's drive west of Barcelona - but was dirty and had no phone, money or belongings on him other than a fake explosives belt and three knives.
Justice Secretary David Lidington (file picture) insisted today ministers were simply trying to maximise the opportunities of Brexit while minimising the risks

European courts will still be allowed to hand down rulings in Britain to settle issues such as divorces and child custody battles under Government plans for Brexit.

A policy paper, published today, said it is 'vital' for families and businesses in the UK and EU that there are 'coherent common rules to govern interactions between legal systems'.

Britain wants an agreement that would 'mirror closely' the current EU system for deciding which country's courts and laws should rule on the case and enforcing it abroad.

Justice Secretary David Lidington insisted today ministers were simply trying to maximise the opportunities of Brexit while minimising the risks.

But any suggestion that European judges will hold any sway in Britain after Brexit will prompt claims Theresa May is watering down her promise of independence for British laws.

Under proposals to essentially stick to the status quo, if a British mother and French father are locked in a custody battle over their child and a French court rules on the case, that ruling will still hold sway in Britain even after we quit the Brussels club.

The reverse would be true if a British court heard and ruled on the case.

But Government sources admitted that if no deal is struck to guarantee this legal continuity, then such cases could become longer, messier and ultimately cost more.

UK citizens could find themselves forced to fall back on international rules set out in agreements such as the Hague Convention, which officials said are slower and less effective than the EU system.

BRITAIN'S BREXIT POSITION: THE FIVE NEW PAPERS Brexit Secretary David Davis is this week unveiling five position papers due before the next round of talks. They will cover: The UK's negotiating approach to goods on the market at Brexit and after

Confidentiality and access to official documents shared between London and Brussels

Future civil judicial cooperation

Proposed mechanisms for enforcement and dispute resolution once the European Court of Justice no longer has direct jurisdiction in the UK

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And rival sides in a dispute could end up launching court cases in the UK and another EU state without agreement on which ruling is definitive.

A Government source said: 'It would be much more difficult.

'We have a range of for example time limits which come with EU measures which aren't necessarily there with some of the other agreements we are talking about, like the Hague conventions.'

The UK said it would leave the 'direct jurisdiction' of the European Court of Justice, but understood that future civil judicial cooperation would need to take into account 'regional legal arrangements', such as the ECJ.

Summing up the government's approach an insider said: 'The current rules, on which we hope to model a new agreement, provide a legal route to resolving often difficult or desperate situations.

'That could be cases which involve family disputes.

'It could be helping to return home a child abducted by one of their parents, it could be to do with parents of different nationalities divorcing and agreeing child custody and financial arrangements in the best interests of their children.

'It could also be a small business which has been left out of pocket by a supplier based in another EU country.'

Today's paper is the latest in a series being published this week.

Tomorrow will see details about how Britain sees the role of the European Court of Justice in resolving state to state disputes after Brexit.

Today's proposals are designed to cover a wide range of potential cases.

They include business disputes between EU-based companies and British consumers taking legal action over defective products supplied by firms on the continent.

The idea extends to divorce, custody or child maintenance battles involving families with members resident in one of the 27 remaining EU states.

Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured in London last week) is this week unveiling five position papers due before the next round of talks in Brussels

Mr Lidington told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'The best outcome - not just for British citizens but for other EU27 as well - is if we have an even closer set of arrangements amongst the countries that are near neighbours so we continue with the sort of very close cooperation we have now on civil judicial matters.

'The responsibility of the Government to give effect to the decision the British people have taken but in a way that maximises opportunities for the UK and minimises the risks.'

The UK proposals are designed to ensure there is clarity about which country's courts will hear a case, which country's laws will be used to resolve it and how judgements in one country will be enforced in another, said officials.

Any suggestion that European judges will hold any sway in Britain after Brexit will prompt claims Theresa May (pictured in Maidenhead on Sunday) is watering down her promise of independence for British laws

The new framework would replace existing arrangements under which the UK is part of the EU's civil judicial co-operation system, which provides a clear set of rules to manage cross-border disputes.

Labour MP Wes Streeting, a vocal opponent of Brexit, said: 'The Government's hypocrisy on this issue is mind-boggling.

'It is they, not the EU, who have said repeatedly that no deal is better than a bad deal.

'And yet now they admit that a Brexit with no deal on judicial cooperation could put British children in legal limbo.

'Ministers need to drop their absurd rhetoric about no deal, and focus on negotiating an agreement with the EU that guarantees British families and children will not lose rights and protections as a result of Brexit.'

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: 'Each Brexit paper the Government releases leaves us with more questions than answers. Even Brussels must have had enough of this waffle by now.

'The Conservatives are admitting the current system has served British citizens well, giving them certainty that the same rules will apply across Europe.

'So why are ministers hell-bent on ripping up this system and plunging British citizens abroad and EU citizens here into uncertainty?

'No clarity has been given over which court will resolve disputes and how this will work in practice.

'The Government doesn't even seem to know what it wants to negotiate, so how can it possibly secure a good deal for Britain?'

A UK Government source said: 'Close co-operation in this area isn't just in the interest of the UK citizens living in the EU, it's in the interest of the 3.2 million EU citizens living here in Britain.

'For example, with more and more families living across borders, we need to make absolutely sure that if and when problems arise, they can be reassured that cross-border laws will apply to them in a fair and sensible way.

'By setting out a very clear position on this, we hope that we will be able to work with the (European) Commission to agree a reasoned approach that works for families here in Britain and across the European Union.'
A tiny 85-year-old nun was left with 20 stitches in her legs after being attacked in her bathroom by a 26ft-long python.

Frail Chin Darachan, who is just 3ft 9in tall wandered from her bedroom to an outside toilet at a temple in rural Rayong province, Thailand.

When she opened the door the serpent lunged at her - sinking its fangs into both her legs before she could escape and began wrapping itself around her.

The huge python is manhandled by monks in the street after it had attacked the tiny Thai nun

Chin Darachan, pictured right, recovers with bandages wrapped around her legs after the attack

The enormous python is held to the ground to make sure it doesn't pounce again with its massive fangs

Monks who also live within the temple grounds heard Chin's screams and raced to the outhouse to save her.

They attacked the python with pliers and prized the deadly reptile away from the nun - who is not even 4ft tall.

Chin, who has now returned to the temple with bandages on her legs, said: 'I opened the door to the bathroom and saw a large snake lying down. I could not escape.

'The python jumped at me and bit my legs. It was too fast and tightened itself around my calves.

'I was in shock and called for help from the monks and laymen. I could see them using steel pliers to get the snake out.'

A woman points at the injuries caused to 3ft 9in nun Chin Darachan which left her with 20 stitches

The size of the snake can be seen in this picture as it stretches across the pavement near the bathroom where it attacked a nun

After the monks caught the giant python, which they estimated to be 26ft (8m), it was released into the wild

Monks caught the python and stretched it out on the ground.

They estimated its size as eight metres.

It is believed to have slithered into the small building from nearby jungle and found a way through a gap between the concrete wall and a metal door.

Chin was rushed to the Pluak Daeng Hospital after the attack on August 7 at 10.30pm.

The outside toilet where the nun had gone to use having left her bedroom to go to the bathroom

She received 20 stitches in her legs before being discharged.

The snake was later released into the wild.

Chin said: 'I don't feel any anger towards the python. It was just doing what was natural.

'I'm happy to still feel alive. But I'm a little bit afraid every time I have to go the bathroom.'
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Customs in southern China recently seized 600 tonnes of smuggled electronic cigarette oil, with a total value of 300 million yuan (about 44 million U.S. dollars).

File photo of a Chinese girl using electronic cigarette. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

Over 320 police raided four groups who were suspected of smuggling the oil from the United States, according to Zhou Bin, head of Gongbei Customs Office, which administers Zhuhai and Zhongshan cities in Guangdong Province.

The four companies were based in Shenzhen and Xiamen and supplied the majority of the e-cigarette oil in the Chinese market, according to Zhou.

In recent years, sales of electronic cigarettes have grown by more than 300 percent annually, but supervision of the industry is still weak, Zhou said.

Most of the oil sold in China is imported, he said.

Twenty people have been placed under criminal detention following the raid, and further investigation is underway.
Abdelbaki Es Satty was the mastermind behind the Barcelona attack and originally planned to carry out a large-scale suicide bombing, two terror suspects told a court

An extremist imam with links to al-Qaieda was the mastermind behind the Barcelona attack and planned to blow himself up in a much larger atrocity, a court has heard.

Two of the four men arrested in connection with the plot told Spain's National Court that Abdelbaki Es Satty, who preached at a mosque in the town of Ripoll where most of the attackers were from, was the instigator of the terror plot.

Terror suspect Mohammed Houli Chemlal told a judge that the group were planning an attack involving explosives on monuments around the city, including the Sagrada Familia church.

But the attack had to be scaled back after an explosion at a suspected bomb factory on Wednesday wounded Chemlal and killed Es Satty, the court heard.

Chemlal testified for the first time on Tuesday alongside Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Allaa, and Sahal El Karib.

All four were charged with terror-related murder over the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils which killed 15 and wounded more than 120.

'Bomb factory': Es Satty died in an accidental blast at this suspected bomb-making factory hours before the attacks were launched

Testimony: Mohamed Houli Chemlal, 21, was pulled alive from the rubble and appeared to still be wearing hospital pyjamas as he appeared in court today

Police had previously revealed that the suspected jihadis had been preparing bombs for 'one or more attacks in Barcelona'.

Josep Lluis Trapero, head of police in Catalonia, said 120 gas canisters and traces of TATP components - a homemade explosive that is a hallmark of the Islamic State group that claimed the attacks - had been found at their bomb factory.

FRESH ISIS THREAT A pro-ISIS media outlet has threatened fresh attacks on 'disbelievers' in Spain saying terror cells remain in Barcelona and elsewhere. The Wafa Media Foundation carried a statement from 'the Islamic Republic of Spain' which warned 'the war has not been fought and gone'. The group said it would conquer Catalonia, the region where Barcelona is located, just as the Moors had once ruled over Gibraltar and Andalusia. It said Spain will remain a target as long as military operations continue in Bahrain, Iraq and Somalia. Advertisement

Driss Oukabir, the brother of terrorist Moussa Oukabir who was shot dead in Cambrils, also spoke in court on Wednesday.

According to court sources he admitted renting the van used in the Barcelona attack, having previously said his brother had stolen his identity documents and rented the vehicles himself.

But he continued to deny being part of the terror cell, saying he believed the van was going to be used to help move house.

Driss told the judge he had lied initially because he was afraid, a court source said.

Elsewhere it was confirmed by French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb that the Audi A3 which belongs to Mohammed Allaa and was used in the Cambrils attack was photographed for speeding in Paris in the weeks before the Spain attacks.

He said that 'this group came to Paris but it was a quick arrival and departure.'

Arrested: Driss Oukabir, left, and Mohamed Houli Chemlal are taken to the Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid for the first hearing on Tuesday

Taken away: Salah El Karib, 34, and Mohamed Aallaa, 27, were detained last week over their alleged role in the attack on Barcelona and Cambrils which left 15 dead and 130 wounded

Thursday's van attack on the crowded Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona killed 13 people and injured more than 100.

Chemlal, Oukabir, Allaa and El Karib are the only surviving members of an alleged terror cell of 12 said to have been behind the attacks, the other eight either died before the incidents or were shot dead by police.

All four men are from the town of Ripoll, north of Barcelona, where the majority of those connected to the terror attacks lived.

Oukabir, whose passport was found in the van that careered down Las Ramblas, looked distressed as he was taken to court this morning, while Houli Chemlal appeared to still be wearing a hospital pyjamas and bandages.

They appear in court as Moroccan police have arrested one person and are investigating three others in connection with the terror attacks, La Vanguardia reports.

The four include the parents of one of those in custody, and Nourine Oukabir, the cousin of brothers Driss and Moussa. The latter was one of the five shot dead by police at Cambrils.

REMEMBERING : FUNERAL HELD FOR CAMBRILS VICTIM The funeral of one of the victims of the twin terror attacks has been held in Zaragoza, Spain, today. Ana Maria Suarez was the sole fatality in the attack in the seaside resort of Cambrils. The 61-year-old, from Zaragoza, north-east Spain, was with her husband and sister, who were both injured in the attack, according to Radio Television Espanola. The Spanish royal family Twitter account confirmed her death, offering their thoughts to her family. Victims: Ana Maria Suarez died when she was run over by a vehicle driven by terrorists while she was walking along the promenade in Cambrils with her husband and sister Honouring: Relatives and friends of Mrs Suarez, 67, arrive to her funeral in Zaragoza, Spain on Tuesday Advertisement

Accused: Oukabir, 28, looked distressed, while El Karib simply stared at the ground as police officers took them to be transported to court on Tuesday morning

The four arrested are the only surviving members of an alleged cell of 12 said to have been behind the attacks, the others either died before the incidents or were shot dead by police

TERRORISTS' 'SHOPPING WEEKEND' IN PARIS The jihadi terrorists who brought carnage to Barcelona spent the weekend before in Paris  staying in a hotel and 'shopping', it emerged today. Their car, an Audi A3, was flashed speeding in the Essonne department, west of Paris, just before they reached Paris itself. There is also evidence place them in the centre of the city. After spending Saturday and Sunday in France, the group then drove back to Spain in the same car. Confirming the development in the investigation, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said: 'This group came to Paris, but it was a quick arrival and departure'. Security sources meanwhile told the BFM television channel that the men 'spent the night in a hotel in the Paris region. They went on to make purchases in Paris' at a major department store. Among those spotted in Paris was Younes Abouyaaqoub, the 22-year-old Moroccan, who drove a van along the crowded Las Ramblas. Mr Collomb said all the information about the Paris link had been passed over to his Spanish counterpart, Juan Ignacio Zoido. Advertisement

The newspaper reports that Nourine Oukabir, despite living in Morocco, had been seen with members of the alleged terrorist cell in a bar in Ripoll for a meeting that 'lasted hours'.

At Tuesday's closed-door hearing at the Audiencia Nacional, Judge Fernando Andreu will read out charges against the men expected to include counts of terrorism, murder and weapons possession.

The accused will then be asked if they wish to testify, in which case Judge Andreu will question them.

It is likely that the suspects being remanded in custody while the judge conducts an investigation, meaning that it can take months or even years before a trial is organised.

Oukabir, 28, handed himself over to police in the town on Thursday after being named by police as the suspected van driver that killed 13 on Las Ramblas.

He insists he is innocent, and that his younger brother Moussa stole his identity documents in order to rent the vehicle, which is where police obtained his name.

Officers now say the van driver was actually Younes Abouyaaquob, who was shot dead on Monday night in Subirats.

Moussa was one of five people killed by police during the attack on Cambrils on Friday which left one dead and 16 hurt.

Also under arrest is Mohammed Allaa whose car was used to ram pedestrians in the Cambrils attack.

One of his brothers, Youssef Allaa, died in an explosion at a suspected bomb factory in Alcanar on Wednesday, while another, Said Allaa, was killed in Cambrils.

Under arrest is Driss Oukabir (left), who handed himself over to police after his documents were used to rent the van used in the Barcelona attack. Mohammed Houli Chemlal (right) was arrested after being pulled from the rubble of a suspected bomb factory in Alcanar

Mohamed Aallaa (left) was arrested after his car was used in the Cambrils attack in which one of his brothers was shot dead. Sahel el Kaib is the owner of an internet cafe in Ripoll, where the majority of the alleged attackers lived

Four men arrested over the terror attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils have arrived in Madrid as they prepare to face court for the first time

The men will be brought before a judge at the Audiencia Nacional, Spain highest court, where they will have a chance to give an initial statement, Spanish meida reports

Mohammed Houli Chemlal, who police allege was the group's bomb-maker, was pulled alive from the rubble of that blast before being arrested.

Sahal El Karib is the owner of an internet cafe in Ripoll and his exact connection to the terror cell is unclear.

Also among the dead is imam Abdelbaki Es Satty, who preached at the mosque in Ripoll and is believed to have radicalised the other men and masterminded the plot.

Police confirmed on Monday that he was killed in the Alcanar blast.

The remaining three men - brothers Omar and Mohamed Hychami and Houssaine Abouyaaqoub, the brother of van driver Younes, were all killed in Cambrils.

Investigators say all members of the terror cell have now been accounted for, though their probe into the attacks will remain open.
The British Defence Secretary today welcomed the decision by Donald Trump to leave US troops in Afghanistan.

Sir Michael Fallon said Britain was playing its part by increasing by 85 the number of military trainers it had deployed in the war-torn country.

The Government could face pressure to increase the UK commitment to the country. The final British combat troops left Afghanistan in 2014.

The US President has repeatedly called for an end to the 16-year Afghan war and campaigned on a promise to bring troops home.

But in a speech last night, Mr Trump admitted a sudden withdrawal of his forces would have 'predictable and unacceptable results'.

Scroll down for video

Sir Michael Fallon (file picture in Downing Street) today welcomed the decision by Donald Trump to leave US troops in Afghanistan

The President demanded other Nato allies step up to offer reinforcements to the on-going struggle to stabilise the country, which has endured decades of fighting and terrorism.

MOD sources suggested the White House was focused on the capabilities Nato forces could provide to the mission and not necessarily a surge in numbers. Britain is a mainstay of the training mission in Kabul building up the Afghan security forces.

Sir Michael said:'The US commitment is very welcome.

'In my call with Secretary Mattis yesterday we agreed that despite the challenges, we have to stay the course in Afghanistan to help build up its fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist threat to the West.

'It's in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer: that's why we announced our own troop increase back in June.'

Mr Trump said he believed allies would back increases in troops numbers in a speech evoking the 9/11 attack in 2001 which drew the US into the war, as well as the recent terror in Barcelona.

In a speech last night (pictured), Donald Trump admitted a sudden withdrawal of his forces would have 'predictable and unacceptable results'

US troops at Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Virginia, listened to the President's new plan for Afghanistan last night (pictured)

'From now on victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating Isis, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge,' he said.

'We will ask our Nato allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own - we are confident they will.'

US defence secretary Jim Mattis said in a statement that he would consult with Nato and other allies, adding that 'several' had already committed to increasing troop numbers.

Before his election, Mr Trump made repeated calls for the US to withdraw, saying lives and money were being 'wasted'.

News of the President's speech reached local newspapers in Kabul today (pictured)

But Monday's announcement came after discussions with top Pentagon advisers and the intelligence community as well as vice president Mike Pence and Mr Mattis.

Mr Trump said he would not put a timescale on the end of the war but would instead wait for certain conditions to be met on the ground.

He declined to discuss further details on troop numbers, saying: 'America's enemies must never know our plans.'

He also addressed his reversal in opinion which he said comes after studying Afghanistan from 'every conceivable angle'.

'My original instinct was to pull out and historically I like following my instincts, but all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office,' Mr Trump said.

The US President has repeatedly called for an end to the 16-year Afghan war and campaigned on a promise to bring troops (pictured in Nangarhar province in April) home

He also issued a warning to Pakistan, urging it to stop providing 'safe havens' for terrorist groups.

'Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan, it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists,' he said.

Then-president George W Bush sent troops into Afghanistan after the 9/11 attack and while his successor, Barack Obama, increased the military presence to over 100,000 and failed to bring it to a close as he had planned.

Currently there are around 8,400 US troops in the country and Pentagon officials had proposed sending in a further 4,000 to train Afghan forces and fight the Taliban and an affiliate of terror group Islamic State.

There are also about 500 British troops there and around a further 85 had been promised in non-combat roles.
A man in his 40s has died after collapsing on a Jetstar flight from Brisbane to the Whitsundays.

Flight JQ 836 was expected to arrive at Whitsunday Coast Airport around 1.55pm Tuesday but was diverted to Mackay.

Queensland Ambulance and Emergency Services were called to airport around 1.20pm, but the man could not be saved.

A man in his 40s has died after collapsing on a Jetstar flight from Brisbane to the Whitsundays on Tuesday (File photo)

A Queensland Police Service spokesperson told Sunshine Coast Daily that there were no 'suspicious circumstances'.

Jetstar offered alternative transport to Proserpine or overnight accommodation for the other travellers.

More to come.
Police have made more than 300 arrests and seized knives and guns in a crackdown on gang violence ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival.

At least 26 people were arrested in dawn raids across London on Tuesday, meaning a total of 316 people have been arrested in the last 12 days.

Eight addresses in Lewisham, south-east London, were searched and eight arrests made early on Tuesday morning in a planned, intelligence-led operation.

A number of raids were also carried out in Kensington and Chelsea, the borough where the world-famous carnival takes place every August bank holiday weekend.

In one property, uncut crack cocaine with an estimated street value of 60,000 was discovered, along with multiple bags of powder thought to be heroin.

Police have arrested at least 26 people in a series of dawn raids ahead of Notting Hill Carnival which is due to take place on August bank holiday weekend

Eight addresses in Lewisham, south-east London, were searched and eight arrests made early on Tuesday morning in a planned, intelligence-led operation

A number of raids were also carried out in Kensington and Chelsea, the borough where the world-famous carnival takes place every August bank holiday weekend

Officers searched 21 homes in Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Westminster, and Wandsworth, arresting 18 people

Officers searched 21 homes in Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Westminster, and Wandsworth, arresting 18 people.

The crackdown - against knife crime, drugs and child exploitation - was carried out by more than 100 officers from the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police and the British Transport Police.

Since Friday August 11, and not including Tuesday's raids, officers have made more than 290 arrests for a range of offences, recovering 190 knives and 18 firearms.

Tuesday's arrests were predominantly for possession with intent to supply drugs.

If some of those arrested are then bailed, they will be forbidden from attending the carnival, Scotland Yard said.

Officers known as 'super recognisers' will be in the area and monitoring CCTV to help spot those banned from the parade.

The crackdown - against knife crime, drugs and child exploitation - was carried out by more than 100 officers

Rude awakening: Suspected criminals were pulled from their beds on Tuesday morning as part of an intelligence-led operation

In one property, uncut crack cocaine with an estimated street value of 60,000 was discovered, along with multiple bags of powder thought to be heroin

Since Friday August 11, and not including Tuesday's raids, officers have made more than 290 arrests for a range of offences, recovering 190 knives and 18 firearms

Tuesday's arrests were predominantly for possession with intent to supply drugs. If some of those arrested are then bailed, they will be forbidden from attending the carnival

Officers known as 'super recognisers' will be in the area and monitoring CCTV to help spot those banned from the parade

Cuffed: A series of dawn raids were executed across the capital. The activity was primarily to crackdown on the supply of drugs

A further three men and two women were arrested at a terraced house in south-east London, while a young child was taken by police to stay with her grandparents.

Chief Superintendent Robyn Williams, the Met's spokesman for Notting Hill Carnival, said: 'Our officers have been proactive and focused on tackling serious violence and knife crime across London.

'Today's operation is aimed at ensuring that those who intend to cause trouble at Carnival are prohibited from doing so.

'We are committed to ensuring that Carnival remains a safe, vibrant and enjoyable event; troublemakers are not welcome.

'We will be uncompromising in our operations to keep our communities safe and secure. People can expect to see operational activity right up until, and throughout the bank holiday weekend.'

During the 2016 carnival more than 450 people were arrested, the highest number since 2010, in a police operation which cost the taxpayer 8 million.

Asked if Scotland Yard had prior intelligence that those targeted were planning to disrupt the carnival, Ms Williams said: 'What we would say is that they are criminals and there is intelligence of their criminal activity and that, in the midst of the biggest policing event at carnival, actually means that we needed to proactively target them.'

And on Twitter, the force said: 'Prior to NottingHillCarnival, we're disrupting gang crime, drug supply, knife crime & offences that could impact the safety of the weekend.'
A Chinese man has been caught on camera brutally slapping his father, who is said to be mentally ill, in a hospital ward.

The elderly patient, 86, from Shanghai, was also kicked in the leg and strapped to the bed by his son, according to onlookers who supplied the video.

The son can be heard saying 'why did you cause trouble' as his father cried for help while being beaten. The police have detained the son for questioning after the video became viral on social media.

Onlookers said the son had been strapping and kicking his father (left). One eyewitness filmed the beating and released a picture of the father (right) so that the public could help him

The clip, a part of a four-minute-long video, was first shared by a social media user, who posted it to the Twitter-like platform Weibo on August, 20.

The user, who remained anonymous, claimed to have witnessed the son beating his father every day.

The user wrote in the post 'can anyone help this elderly man' before uploading a picture showing the father.

Conversation between the son and his ill father indicated that the father had thrown his food on the ground, which enraged his son, who started beating the elderly man.

The son can be heard saying: 'You are in hospital. Why did you cause trouble?'

The post claimed that the elderly man was mentally ill, and he had two sons and a daughter. It's said that this son would hit his bedridden father when he came to pay his daily visit.

The user also claimed that the son would threaten his ill father by telling him 'I'll punish you properly when we get home'.

The elderly man cried out loud begging his son to stop as the man violently slapped him (left). The arms of the dementia patient were also strapped to the side of the bed by force (right)

According to Shanghai-based newspaper The Paper, the father is 86 years old and is known as Mr Wang.

The report said the father was admitted into the neurology ward of Shanghai No. 4 People's Hospital in eastern China on August 11.

Doctors from the hospital told a reporter that Mr Wang had dementia, and showed symptoms of memory distortion, sleeping and eating disorders as well as disorientation.

Other patients sharing a ward with Mr Wang told the reporter that they had seen Mr Wang's son beating and kicking him when he came to visit.

One of the wardmates said: 'One time, Mr Wang was crossing his legs while sitting on a chair, his son kicked his legs and later strapped him to a bed.'

Another person, who was a family member of another patient, said Mr Wang was beaten by his son 'all the time'.

The person said: 'Although this is more of a family matter, children should live up to the responsibility of taking good care of their parents, not treating them by violence.'

Footage has emerged showing the bedridden father being abused by his son at a hospital in Shanghai (left). The elderly man was slapped in the face repeatedly, as the clip shows (right)

Mr Wang's son told The Paper on August 21 that he beat his father because his father 'had not behaved well'.

The son said that he beat his father because of previous family dispute as well.

Dr Xiao, the father's doctor, reportedly found bone fractures on Mr Wang's left arm and bruises at the corner of his eyes days after the patient had been admitted to the hospital.

The doctor said the hospital had suggested surgery for Mr Wang to treat the injuries, but Mr Wang's family said they couldn't afford it.

However, there is no proof that Mr Wang's injuries were caused by the beating.

After the video became popular online, web users reported the case to the police.

Mr Wang's son has been taken away by the police for questioning while the case is being investigated further.
Terrifying video footage has caught the moment a tornado rips through a Chinese county causing havoc.

The powerful storm hit Nenjiang County in China's Heilongjiang province on August 21.

No casualties were reported however some crops were damaged and cars can be seen thrown into the air by the sheer power of the storm.

The powerful storm hit Nenjiang County in China's Heilongjiang province

A giant destructive storm: No casualties were reported however some crops were damaged

The sheer size of the tornado can be seen in the footage posted to Pear Video.

It can be seen nearing a residential area in Heilongjiang.

All of a sudden, tiles can be seen ripped off houses and flying through the air.

Shocking moment: A crane can be seen moved by the sheer power of the tornado

Tiles and other objects can be seen ripped from the residential area in northern China

The sound of the destruction is powerful.

Sparks can be seen on one building site as the tornado passes over while a crane can be seen moving.

No casualties were reported and emergency services are now conducting a clear up operation.
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Unable to vote, sit on a jury or graduate from Oxbridge, 100 years ago women in Britain were treated as second-class citizens.

It sparked the rise of the Suffragettes, a movement of brave women led by political activist Emmeline Pankhurst who used controversial and occasionally violent means of protest to campaign for equality and the right to vote.

Now this rare set of harrowing images reveal the scale of the human cost of their struggle, showing gaunt, frail suffragettes imprisoned and showing defiance from their jail cells.

In one haunting image from 1913, suffragette Olivia Wharry is pictured weighing just 5 stone 9lbs after a gruelling 32-day hunger strike in Holloway Prison, while another shows an inmate being force-fed through a tube over fears she could die a martyr.

But their fight eventually led to a historic move almost a century ago  when women over 30 were finally granted the right to vote in 1918.

Pictured left, a suffragette on hunger strike being forcibly fed with a nasal tube whilst in Holloway prison, circa 1911. Meanwhile, Suffragette Olive Wharry is pictured on hunger strike in the same prison in 1913. In this shocking photograph, she is seen weighing just 5 stone 9lbs after a gruelling 32-day hunger strike

Suffragettes Evelina Haverfield and Emmeline Pankhurst (right) in court, circa 1909. In 1903, Mrs Pankhurst set up the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) for a more militant approach to gaining the vote, after the limited success of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, set up in 1897, which believed in enfranchising women by peaceful means

Flora Drummond (pictured at the front) and other Suffragettes are placed under arrest, sometime in 1914. The union's motto was 'Deeds not Words' and many of their actions were considered extreme by the population. They included large rallies and hunger strikes

Surveillance photos taken by British police of members of the Suffragette movement. Top row (L-R) Mary Raleigh Richardson, Lilian Lenton, Kitty Marion (Katherina Maria Schafer), Lillian Forrester. Bottom row (L-R) Miss Johansen, Clara Giveen, Jennie Baines, Miriam Pratt. Lilian Lenton (number 13) described being force-fed in prison as the most 'intolerable and intense pain' and she became seriously ill with pleurisy caused by food entering her lungs

Suffragettes and convicts Evelyn Manesta and Lillian Forrester are pictured as they talk a walk together in Manchester Prison, sometime in 1913. The photograph was taken covertly by the police as they sought to curtail the militant Suffragette movement

Although it would be a long road to equality. The practice of hunger strikes, common among Suffragettes in prison, did long-term damage to the physical and mental health of the suffragettes.

Lilian Lenton described being force-fed in prison as the most 'intolerable and intense pain' and she became seriously ill with pleurisy caused by food entering her lungs.

Eventually, authorities passed the 'Cat and Mouse Act' in 1913 a law that allowed them to set hunger-striking suffragettes free and arrest them the second they had eaten a morsel of food.

The suffragette movement dates back to the mid-1800s, when Mary Smith delivered the first women's suffrage petition to parliament in 1832.

Later that same year, the General Reform Act confirmed that women would remain excluded from the vote. In 1866, The National Society for Women's Suffrage was formed.

The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) was formed in 1897 and lead by Millicent Garrett Fawcett. In 1903, Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst set up the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) for a more militant approach to gaining the vote.

In 1918, The Representation of the People Act was passed, allowing men over 21 and women over 30 to vote. An amendment to the act 10 years later allowed everyone over 21 to vote.

Suffragettes in their cells at Holloway Prison are pictured waving through the bars, circa 1909. In prison, many suffragettes went on hunger strikes. Fearing that these women would become martyrs, prison guards started force-feeding them to keep them alive - strapping them down and jamming tubes up their noses.

A crowd gathers to welcome Mary Leigh after her release from prison in London, 1908. She joined the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1906. Four years after her release, in Dublin, she threw a hatchet at serving Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, but she hit Irish nationalist leader John Redmond instead, leaving him badly injured

The arrest of Flora Drummond, Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst (pictured left to right), 1908. Flora Drummond was nicknamed The General, due to her habit of leading marches whilst wearing a military-style uniform and cap and riding on a large horse. She was also known for her oratory skills, and was said to be able to put down a heckler with ease

Christabel Pankhurst, Flora Drummond and Emmeline Pankhurst in court, 1908. All three played a major role in the success and exposure of the Women's Social and Political Union, and were regularly brought before the courts. The group was known for physical confrontations, with members encouraged to smash windows and assault police officers

Surveillance photos taken by British police of members of the Suffragette movement. Top row (L-R) Margaret Scott, Olive Leared (nee Hockin), Margaret McFarlane, Mary Wyan (Mary Ellen Taylor), Annie Bell. Bottom row (L-R) Jane Short, Gertrude Mary Ansell, Maud Brindley, Verity Oates, Evelyn Manesta

A portrait of Suffragette Lillian Forrester whilst in prison is shown left. Shown right, a mock prison cell for Suffragettes erected at The Women's Exhibition held at Prince's Skating Rink in Knightsbridge, May 1909

Suffragettes Christabel Pankhurst, right, with Annie Kenney, circa 1910. Kenney was the only working class woman to become part of the senior hierarchy of the Women's Social and Political Union, becoming deputy of the group in 1912; an unusual occurence in a middle-class organisation
The first total solar eclipse for 99 years swept America yesterday, with several states witnessing the incredible natural phenomenon as the moon blocked out the sun.

But this once in a lifetime opportunity did not impress everyone, and comics flocked to Twitter to share their own version of the total eclipse, with beer and pugs.

Videos appeared of people 'eclipsing' their white cats with their black ones, and their white pugs with the black pugs.

One clever video had a bottle of Sol being eclipsed by a bottle of Blue Moon beer.

Scroll down for video

This video was shared across Twitter, as the owners of two pugs joked that their eclipse was their black pug moving across their white one

While in the Midwest, some cat owners recreated the eclipse with their adorable kittens

Some people obviously had food rather than space or science on their minds - and this Twitter user was more interested in two donuts

This joke took on an alcohol theme, moving a bottle of Blue Moon in front of a bottle of Sol

Some of the memes turned political, as one person asked for former president Barack Obama to eclipse the new leader, President Trump

The only eclipse I enjoyed today pic.twitter.com/bFsxdvKNmZ  KS (@KaitlynShultz) August 22, 2017

The memes also took on a political stance as President Trump was mocked for failing to wear his eclipse sunglasses when he first turned his attention to the sky.

He did eventually put them on, when he was prompted by an aide, leading to tweets suggesting he decided to wear them when Fox News said people should.

And another joked that former President Barack Obama, should eclipse the new president.

Some users were quick to call out the fake images, purporting to be from NASA, that were circulating through the day

President Trump was widely mocked for not wearing his protective eyewear when the eclipse started, looking straight into the sun

America: Hey Britain, you looking forward to the Eclipse?

Britain: Eclipse? *sips tea* Haven't heard that name in years.#SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/wKnOURfcNb  Hindyhow (@HindyoftheHow) August 21, 2017

But in Britain, a partial eclipse was barely visible thanks to unseasonable clouds covering the sky.

While in America people tweeted that they were bored, in the UK, people did not see any difference in their skyline, with thick cloud cover blocking the sun before the moon could get involved.

People in the UK were left frustrated by the lack of eclipse, which was clouded over. In the States, people bemoaned their colleagues for only caring to have 45 minutes out of work

The total eclipse of the sun is considered one of the most spell-binding phenomena in nature but it rarely occurs over a wide swath of land, let alone one of the world's most heavily populated countries at the height of summer.

Darkness swept across the US on Monday as the eclipse traveled from coast to coast, ending just before 3pm EDT in South Carolina.

The celestial event began in Oregon at just after 9am PDT, and by 10.20am, the sun was completely blocked out except for a halo-like solar corona plunging the area into twilight.

Plenty of Brits mocked the weather as the country missed out on a total eclipse this time around

Over the next 90 minutes, the total eclipse traveled through 14 different states until ending in South Carolina. The other 36 states were all treated to a partial solar eclipse, where the moon covers only a part of the sun.
A frustrated shopkeeper has released CCTV of a woman stealing every packet of ham from his store - and claimed police won't bother to investigate.

Video show the woman filling a satchel with at least a dozen packets of meat before darting out the front doors.

Sunny Patel, shopkeeper at the Best One store in Bristol, said he wants to shame thieves who regularly target his store.

Brazen: A frustrated shopkeeper has released CCTV footage of a thief emptying his shelves of ham at the Best One Store in Bristol

Sunny Patel, shopkeeper at the Best One store in Bristol, said he wants to shame thieves who regularly target his store

Mr Patel added: 'I know who this is - she's already banned but she came in when I wasn't there.

'We've been in this shop for 30 years and we know everyone in the area. I just want people to know that if they do this we have it on CCTV, and will release it.'

Sunny says he 'had not even bothered reporting it to the police'.

She said: 'They just don't do anything. I'm still waiting to hear what has happened, if anything, to things I reported to them six months ago.'

The CCTV shows the woman placing at least 12 packets of sliced meat into her satchel before walking off
A man in China was detained by police for writing a post on social media complaining about the food in a local cafeteria.

The man surnamed Zhang from Handan city criticized the hospital canteen writing that it was 'expensive and poor in quality'

He was later detained by police for 'forging facts and disturbing public order.'

A man in north China was taken into custosdy after complaining about food (File photo)

The post criticising the cafeteria which claimed that 'there is no meat in the 10 yuan (1.17) food set'

The post criticising the cafeteria which claimed that 'there is no meat in the 10 yuan (1.17) food set' and 'in the past, one can eat well at 7 (82p) to 8 yuan (94p) but now 20 yuan (2.34) is not enough.'

The post was later deleted, reports CGTN.

Local police detained Zhang for 'forging facts and disturbing public order'.

The man was detained by police officers for his post on Chinese social media

Following further investigations, Handan police said that Zhang was a former worker in the cafeteria before a new contracting company was found. They said he had published information online to vent his anger.

However they admitted that the decision to detain him was not appropriate and released him over the weekend.

The officer in charge with detaining Zhang has been removed from his post and been forced to apologise to the man.
Joint communication and cooperation are important factors in current China-U.S. military ties, especially following recent meetings in China between General Fang Fenghui, chief of the People's Liberation Army's Joint Staff Department (left) and Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The two are seen here at a welcoming ceremony in Beijing on August 15 for the visiting U.S. official. [Photo/China Daily]

If you only followed coverage of China-U.S. relations by the mainstream international press, you'd never think the American and Chinese military were talking to each other, far less cooperating on anything.

However, these two powerful armed forces have actually been quietly talking and actively working together, at the highest levels, on issues of mutual and global importance, each side declaring mutual understanding of the significance of joint cooperation and confidence-building measures to not only regional stability, but also to world peace and security.

China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump agree that deeper cooperation is essential; meanwhile, the respective heads of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have met, in China, to create new and activate existing mechanisms to promote and pursue the necessary levels of coordination for related cooperation.

General Fang Fenghui, chief of the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Joint Staff Department, on August 15 met his American counterpart, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dunford later met with President Xi and they reiterated their shared commitment to work towards making military cooperation an important feature of improved overall bilateral ties and global affairs.

The Chinese president painted a clear vision of strengthening Sino-American military ties as a stabilizing factor in boosting mutual benefits for the world's two strongest economies and in contributing to global peace and stability.

He also noted that they shared joint responsibility to promote global development and prosperity.

Dunford assured his hosts that President Trump was just as committed as his Chinese counterpart to ensuring the continuance of the changed and changing levels of U.S.-China military cooperation.

Using very colorful adjectives, he noted that "under the strong leadership" of the two heads of state, bilateral military ties had made "positive progress," while the two armed forces "are in a mature relationship" and his side is committed to conducting a "sincere and professional dialogue" with China "in the military realm."

The brief meetings covered many subjects, but focused mainly on current areas of strategic engagement  especially strengthening the joint coordination mechanisms.

The military already have established dialogue mechanisms across many ranks and services, including the Defense Policy Coordination Talks between senior military officials, which also serves as a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between the respective armies and navies.

Both sides had earlier agreed on the vital need for their joint staff departments  encompassing all military branches  to have more regular exchanges; during the most recent such exchanges, they signed a framework agreement to build a new shared communication mechanism of greater effectiveness that will reduce miscalculations and improve risk management, especially at a time of increasing concern about occasional tensions in regional and global affairs.

Exuding confidence, President Xi applauded the progress made, including enhanced dialogue at all levels, improved military confidence-building mechanisms and deepened cooperation.

He also welcomed the new cooperation agreement, pledging that Beijing remains prepared to make joint efforts with the U.S. to show mutual respect, focus on cooperation and accumulate more fruitful results.

The recent exchanges show both countries accept that the level and general direction of bilateral ties have wider implications for the overall international strategic situation and remain committed to joint military cooperation as a cornerstone in building strong bilateral ties.

Such peacetime cooperation is always useful, especially as modern weapons and other instruments of war have become so devastating.

The Chinese and American political, diplomatic and military directorates do exchange the usual expected barbs each time any of their ships or planes intersect in troubled waters or shared skies.

To date, only a war of words has been waged. However, just imagine the consequences, if cooperative mechanisms did not exist to avoid accidents, mistakes or miscalculations leading to conflict.

President Xi fully showed his optimism that Sino-American military ties today can be so improved to result in marked changes in the overall global peace and security climate.

Following his exchange with the top U.S. military official, he said that "despite some ups and downs" in the development of bilateral China-U.S. relations, "a rainbow comes after wind and rain."

Earl Bousquet is a contributor to china.org.cn, editor-at-large of The Diplomatic Courier and author of an online regional newspaper column entitled Chronicles of a Chronic Caribbean Chronicler.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
A Perth man who is recovering in hospital after he went into cardiac arrest during a routine surgery in Bali says going overseas for surgery to save money isn't worth it.

Steven Didmon was admitted to Siloam Hospital in Jakarta on July 12 for a hernia operation, but went into cardiac arrest when doctors gave him epidural anesthetic.

Mr Didmon's sister Fiona Vojnovic told Perth Now doctors gave her brother CPR to stabilise him.

Perth man Steven Didmon who is recovering in hospital after he went into cardiac arrest during a routine surgery in Bali

The 39-year-old says undergoing overseas for surgery to save money isn't worth it

He was admitted to Siloam Hospital in Jakarta on July 12 for a hernia operation, but went into cardiac arrest when doctors gave him epidural anesthetic

The father-of-two remembers going in for the check-up and speaking to the doctor before the operation before waking up in Australia.

He is now in Fiona Stanley Hospital yet to have the hernia operation he originally had gone in for.

After going to Bali for cheap surgery, he now faces medical bills in excess of $100,000.

It cost $45,000 alone to Medivac Mr Didmon out of Indonesia.

It's been seven weeks since the the 39-year-old's heart failed as doctors were about to make their first incision.

Medical staff worked for two hours to save his life and spent the week-and-a-half in a coma on life support.

He is now in Fiona Stanley Hospital yet to have the hernia operation he originally had gone in for

Medical staff worked for two hours to save his life and spent the week-and-a-half in a coma on life support.

He soon showed signs improvement however relapsed when he was in the general ward.

His father Jeffrey Didmon said they had to quickly move him back to ICU where doctors found he had a lot of fluid on his lungs.

'When his wife called me and told me that, I thought enough is enough. We have got to get him home. And that's when we initiated the medivac to fly him back to Australia,' Jeffrey Didmon said.

Steven Didmon said he had 'no fear' when he went to Bali for the operation but now recommends staying home for surgery.

'I'd been in good health prior to it and never would have expected it. It just goes to show it could happen to anyone,' he said.

'Obviously cost is a factor but it's not everything and your life is more important than saving a few dollars.'

Mr Didmon will continue to stay in hospital and monitored for his weakened heart.
The Pensions Regulator today said it is to prosecute former BHS owner Dominic Chappell (file image)

The Pensions Regulator today said it will prosecute former BHS owner Dominic Chappell.

The serial bankrupt is accused of failing to provide information and documents the watchdog requested during its investigation into the sale of the collapsed retailer.

Mr Chappell, a playboy businessman who bought the high street chain from Sir Philip Green for 1, owned BHS at the time of its collapse.

He has been summoned to appear in Brighton Magistrates Court on September 20.

Mr Chappell faces three charges of neglecting or refusing to provide information and documents, without a reasonable excuse, when required to do so under section 72 of the Pensions Act 2004, contrary to section 77(1) of that Act.

The Pensions Regulator demanded the information from Mr Chappell in April 2016, May 2016 and February this year. Conviction can be punished with unlimited fines.

The charges follow a damning Parliamentary inquiry into the collapse of BHS, which condemned him for his 'systematic plunder' of the retail chain before its closure.

Labour MP Frank Field, who led the pursuit of the case in Parliament, said: 'If The Pensions Regulator is frightened of landing the whale, I suppose going after the sprat is the next best thing

'Why was Sir Philip Green allowed to get away with an inadequate settlement, in which pensions have been cut, yet Dominic Chappell is going to be sued?

'I'll be consulting the House of Commons' lawyers on when I can begin to unlock that puzzle, so that Mr Chappell has a fair trial.'

Mr Chappell, a playboy businessman who bought BHS from Sir Philip Green for 1, owned the high street retailer for 13 months

Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael said: 'The legal process must now run its course but no prosecution will give back the jobs of 11,000 people who Philip Green effectively put on the dole by passing the company on to Mr Chappell.

'While Green continues to enjoy his knighthood and his yacht, we need to ensure that workers and pensioners are never again put through such an ordeal.'

Mr Chappell, a serial bankrupt, bought BHS from Sir Philip in March 2015, through a consortium called Retail Acquisitions.

He promised to inject millions of pounds into the ailing retail giant, which had become one of the most well-known names on the High Street.

Sir Philip Green (file image) was slammed by MPs for selling the retailer to Mr Chappell in 2015

But 13 months later, BHS went into administration  the biggest collapse in the British retail sector since the closure of Woolworths at the height of the financial crisis.

It was later revealed that, far from injecting cash into BHS, Chappell and his firm had extracted 17 million, although it is understood 10 million was later returned.

The millionaire awarded himself 2.6 million, including his 600,000 salary.

He also gave a loan of 1.5 million to his father Joseph, 78, from BHS funds, which he later defended during an interview on BBC Newsnight.

The Pensions Regulator has pledged to flex its muscles recently, saying in July that it 'will not hesitate' to prosecute companies or individuals if they refuse to hand over information.

After a drawn-out saga that included a parliamentary inquiry and public outcry over both Mr Chappell's and Sir Philip's conduct, the Topshop tycoon agreed to pay 363 million to settle the BHS pension scheme in February.

Under Mr Chappell's tenure as owner of BHS, 8.4 million was taken out of the chain by Retail Acquisitions, with 6 million still owed when it collapsed last year.

Retail Acquisitions was put into liquidation in May although Mr Chappell, a former bankrupt, said at the time he would challenge the court ruling.
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Adapting from life of starvation, state control and censorship to one of freedom and democracy (and supermarkets full of food) can be a shock to the systems.

Kim, 16, still remembers her disbelief as she arrived in Seoul, South Korea and saw aisles lined with meat and vegetables, and street lights turned on for more than two hours a day. It was a different world compared to her home in the North - even if it was just on the other side of the border.

Kim was just ten when her mother decided she could no longer bear the misery, lack of freedom and food deprivation, so decided to flee from North Korea, despite the threat of being killed if they were discovered.

They had to leave the rest of her family, her friends and her school without even having the chance to say goodbye, and crossed a river bordering China on foot under the cover of darkness.

It took the pair eight months to reach South Korea, as her mother used her meager savings to pay smugglers to go from China to enter Laos, Thailand and finally South Korea in 2012.

Kim is now much like any other teenager on the streets of Seoul, where she attends a Christian boarding school, obsessed with American film, ice cream and manga.

New life: Kim, 16, arrived in Seoul, South Korea, five years ago, after an eight month journey from the North through China, Laos and Thailand before reaching their new home

Escape: Kim and her mother left North Korea in 2011, leaving everything they owned and all the people they knew behind, and having to pay smugglers to get safely to Seoul

Back to school: Kim now studies at the YeoMyun school, A Christian boarding school which adapts education to students with special needs such as young North Korean defectors, and even use textbooks specially designed to help fill the gaps of knowledge they have following the restricted education in North Korea

Girls just wanna have fun: On the weekend, the other girls in Kim's dormitory reunite with their families. while Kim often stays behind alone

Space: The teenager says she uses the peace and quiet when her classmates leave the dorm to rest and read Korean mangas. She will often spend Sunday preparing a surprise meal for her friends when they return, as she loves to cook

Treats: Kim says her guilty pleasure is ice cream. She loves buying a large container to share with her friends while watching a DVD on Sunday night, before school starts again

Different way: Discipline in the classroom at Kim's school is more relaxed than in many others in Korea. While some students, including Kim, are very attentive, others are sleeping, putting on makeup or eating a snack during lessons

Very relaxed: During an anatomy class, Kim is busy blow-drying her hair under the teacher's unfazed gaze and finishes class with rollers in her hair. Teachers know that these students have been through trauma when they fled the North, so they deserve special attention.

Memories: As a child in North Korea, Kim and her family were forced to kill and eat her pet rabbits to survive, something which left Kim emotionally scarred for life. Now in South Korea, she fights for animal rights and campaigns against the consumption of dog meat in Seoul, a tradition that is still alive in both Koreas

Memories: There are no pictures of her family in North Korea. She lost everything while crossing the icy river to enter China. The only picture in her possession shows her during a military training in Seoul

A new diet: Kim says she could not believe her eyes when she saw all the shops filled with fruits, vegetables and meat when she arrived in Seoul. While in the North, Kim suffered from anemia, due to the lack of variety and vitamins in her diet which consisted of soup and rice every day - very rarely did she get to eat meat

Discoveries and revelations: She says was amazed to see so many lights in the city, as in North Korea, power was available only two hours a day at best

A whole new world: While in North Korea, South Korean television was banned, and those who broke the law risked going to jail. Kim now revels in the ability to choose, and loves American movies - particularly ones starring Drew Barrymore
A teenage Moroccan asylum seeker has admitted killing two people and wounding eight in what is believed to be Finland's first ever terror attack.

In a closed-door court hearing, 18-year-old Abderrahman Mechkah confessed to carrying out Friday's attack but denied he had a terrorist motive, lawyer Kaarle Gummerus said.

It emerged yesterday that the Finnish intelligence service had received a tip-off earlier this year about Mechkah.

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Abderrahman Mechkah (pictured during the hearing at his hospital bed) confessed to carrying out Friday's attack but denied he had a terrorist motive

Killer: Abderrahman Mechkah, an 18-year-old asylum seeker from Morocco, admitted manslaughter but denied being an extremist

He appeared via video link at a court in Turku, where the horrific stabbing frenzy happened on Friday

'(My client) admits manslaughter and injuries. But based on what the investigator has presented thus far, the crime was not necessarily with terrorist intent,' Gummerus told Reuters.

He appeared via video link at a court in Turku, where the horrific stabbing frenzy happened on Friday.

It has emerged that Mechkah had been living in a Red Cross reception centre in Turku, and was appealing the result of an asylum application when the attack happened.

A spokeswoman from the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said: 'He has received the result of his asylum application and he has appealed it.

'He is still in the (asylum) process.'

The district court on today placed him in custody.

In a Twitter post the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said: 'The offender in Turku incident is suspected on probable cause of murders and attempted murders with terrorist intent and placed in detention.'

Police have said he targeted women in the Friday afternoon attack at a market square in the southwestern port city of Turku. Two women were killed and six women and two men were injured.

Two women were killed and six people were injured in the knife attack on Friday in Turku

Friday's attack is being investigated as Finland's first ever terror attack, but the killer denies being a terrorist

'According to the tip-off, the suspect seemed radicalised and was interested in extreme thinking,' a Finnish intelligence statement said, while adding there was no information to suggest a threat of an attack.

The service said Mechkah was not among the around 350 people it was monitoring in its terrorism prevention programme.

Mechkah, who was shot in the thigh by police minutes after the attack, appeared before the Turku court on Tuesday via video link from hospital.

Most of the hearing was held behind closed doors, but press photos taken at the beginning showed the suspect lying in his hospital bed, his head propped up on a pillow and his face shielded by a white sheet.

The motive for the attack is unclear, but the country's intelligence agency SUPO said Monday that he might have been radicalised.

Mohamed Bakier, who is suspected of having links to the attack on Friday, covered his face as he appeared in court today

Also covering his face was alleged accomplice Llyas Berrouh, who appeared in court in Turku today

Three other Moroccan men detained over possible links to the attack are due in court today. A fifth Moroccan who had also been under arrest was released, the court said.

The investigation is the first into suspected terrorism-related crimes in Finland's history.

Gummerus said it was 'impossible to take a final stance at the moment' on the issue of whether the stabbings were terrorism-related.

Investigators have not made clear what role the three other Moroccans, who deny involvement in the attack, are suspected of playing.

Police said they had issued an international arrest warrant for a fifth Moroccan national.
A conservationist who spent his life trying to prevent deforestation was killed when a cherry tree fell in stormy weather and crushed his car, an inquest heard.

Social scientist David Hoyle was driving his silver Citroen Xsara Picasso at 70mph when the roots of the large tree became dislodged in the ground.

Despite braking, the 48-year-old father-of-three was unable to stop his car in time, suffering fatal fractures to his skull as the tree landed on top of him.

Mr Hoyle, of Crondall near Aldershot, Hants, had spent his life working to protect African forests and natural ecosystems from being destroyed.

David Hoyle, pictured here on a visit to a sustainable cattle project in Brazil, spent his life working to prevent deforestation. He was killed when a tree crushed his car in stormy weather

Basingstoke Coroners' Court, Hants, heard Mr Hoyle had been travelling on the A287, a dual carriageway, near Odiham, Hants, on June 6 this year.

As Mr Hoyle's car was passing by the cherry tree, its roots became dislodged in torrential rain, causing it to fall on top of his car.

Police detective sergeant Paul Plews told the court he had been the first to arrive on the scene as he had been following Mr Hoyle in an unmarked car.

DS Plews had worked as a medic in the army prior to becoming a police officer and was trained in battlefield treatment techniques.

He told the inquest: 'I approached the vehicle and saw one male in the driver's seat.

'He had lacerations to his head and there was blood coming from his nose. His neck was also turned at a funny angle, indicating a broken neck.

Mr Hoyle, seen here working in a forest in Gabon, Africa, was driving his Citroen Zsara Picasso when a dislodged Cherry Tree crushed the car

'I checked for a pulse and to see if he was breathing, but I judged that he was already dead when I arrived at the car.'

The inquest heard the tree had been inspected twice in the year and a half prior to it falling, but the only concerns raised had been about some deadwood in the branches.

Hampshire County Council chief arborist Mark Weal, responsible for forestry at the roadside across the county, had sent one of his staff to conduct a full inspection after the accident.

He said: 'My colleague Michael Ripley said the torrential rain had caused the roots to heave and the tree to fall across the duel carriageway.

'Two inspections had been conducted on the tree in February and November 2016, but the tree was not deemed a danger, nor was it felt it needed felling.'

Hampshire Police crash investigator Tony Johnson said checks on the filament in Mr Hoyle's brake lights had revealed he attempted to stop, but could not do so before the tree crushed his car.

Mr Hoyle spent his life working in conservation after earning a degree in geography at Reading University and his masters in natural resource management in Edinburgh.

He met his wife, Marceline in Cameroon while working on a conservation project in 2002, with him he had three children.

He had most recently been working with Oxford-based natural resource company Proforest, trying to help developing tropical countries to stop deforestation.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, North Hampshire coroner Andrew Bradley said he hoped Mr Hoyle's family could take some comfort in knowing he did not suffer.

He said: 'It is plain to see that David was a loved son, husband and father.

'I hope that, despite great sadness, it might help the family to have heard the evidence in person today.

'It is of particular significance that he did not drive into the tree, but that the tree fell on top of him.

'This caused major trauma to his skull, fracturing it in several places.

'He would not have suffered, as these injuries were not ones compatible with life.

'I am recording a verdict of accidental death.'
The new girlfriend of a deceased RAAF mechanic who pocketed $350,000 of his estate while his two young daughters were left with far less, offered the girls just $50,000 each.

Airman Daniel Leverton, 40, died suddenly during a surfing trip with his father Geoff on April 4, 2015, leaving behind his new girlfriend Kirsty Lea, his two young daughters and their mother.

Daniel's father Geoff told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday Ms Lea offered his two granddaughters $50,000 each, leaving herself the remaining $350,000 of Daniel's superannuation account.

Daniel Leverton (pictured with his two daughters) passed away suddenly while surfing with his father in Arrawarra, on the New South Wales north coast

'We rejected it of course,' Geoff said.

'She offered my granddaughters $50,000 each, $50,000 per child is a pittance compared to what it's going to cost them to make their markers in life.

'It's not fair to the girls, it's a travesty of justice.'

Daniel's former partner and the mother of his two daughters, Angela Watson, believed she was the sole beneficiary and executor of his will and believed her daughters' future was secure.

But his new girlfriend of five months, Kirsty Lea, filed a claim through Military Super entitling her to $352,170 of the $451,500 of his superannuation account.

The claim left his two daughters, who were aged 9 and 7 at the time of his death, with just $49,664 each.

'It should have been a three way split between the young lady and the girls,' Geoff said.

'We're not gold diggers, we just want the right thing to happen.'

Ms Lea (pictured left) and right, a Facebook display picture

Geoff said the girls were offered $50,000 on top of the initial settlement, $100,000 under the sum the Leverton family asked for.

'We rejected it because it still left Kirstie with $250,000 and that's the reason they said no,' he said.

'She'd only been with him for five months,' he claimed.

Geoff said the family did not wish to drag Ms Lea's name through the mud, and tht they simply wanted an appropriate outcome for the girls.

'Education, how much does a young person's education cost over 15 years, primary, secondary school, university  it's got to be at least $120,000 each,' he said.

'They're beautiful kids, beautiful kids.

'It's sour grapes what's happened to us  the character of this young lady who's taken advantage of us.'

Geoff said Daniel and his ex-wife Angela remained very good friends and Daniel always wanted the best for his young family.

'Now Angela's trying to protect the girls from all the rubbish going on,' he said.

A servicewoman known by the name Kirsty Lea is at the centre of a controversial will dispute

Mr Leverton was surfing with his father in Arrawarra on the New South Wales north coast when he complained of chest pains and suddenly collapsed.

News Corp first reported this week that Ms Watson was shocked when she later learned that there was less than $100,000 remaining from his estate to split between their two daughters, and appealed to the Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation. Her appeal was denied and the decision upheld.

In conversations, friends also reiterated Ms Lea was legally entitled to his superannuation payout.

Mr Leverton's father Geoff recently starred in a short online video recently where he described the Corporation's decision as 'morally wrong'.

'The girls are missing out on Daniel's wishes,' he claimed, explaining he had recently written to the Minister responsible for assistance. He said he was posting the video for his deceased son and his two daughters.

In the video, he told how Mr Leverton made a statutory declaration in mid-2014 that his new girlfriend was his 'independent partner'.

This was done as he was about to be posted to Katherine, in the Northern Territory, but did not want to move away from his daughters.

So he used a loophole to declare he was in a de facto relationship and he wouldn't have to be relocated.

Mr Leverton died shortly after returning from deployment in Vanuatu helping the country recover from the devastation of Cyclone Pam

'It put a terrible burden on Daniel... he asked if there was a way around it,' Mr Leverton's father Geoff said in the video.

'He had a casual relationship with a young lady at the time, so they advised him that even though it was well below the de facto relationship civil laws of Queensland which is two years, if he signed a stat dec, they could be recognised as de facto and therefore being in such state, Daniel didn't have to be transferred and could stay at Amberley, in Queensland, therefore close his girls.'

It is not suggested Mr Leverton's girlfriend knew of the statutory declaration.

On Tuesday, a friend of the couple, who asked not to be named, characterised their relationship in a different light.

'It definitely wasn't a 'casual relationship' like his father stated,' the friend claimed.

The friend pointed to the extensive requirements for a couple to be recognised as de facto by the Defence Department.

A Defence fact sheet seen by the Daily Mail said couples must provide documents that prove they live together on a genuine basis, including rental agreements, joint bank accounts, bills and statutory declarations.

'It put a terrible burden on Daniel because he didn't want to be away from his girls, and he asked if there was a way around it,' Mr Leverton's father Geoff told News Corp

The friend said: 'It's not like she wasn't legally entitled to his super.

'The only people who know the truth about their relationship is the two of them, but he doted on her.

'He used to bring her coffee, lunches, had flowers delivered for her birthday, he seemed to be head over heels...both of them were.'

Ms Lea's lawyer told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Leverton did not get to choose who he nominated as the beneficiary of his superannuation.

'Military Super do not allow their members to nominate beneficiaries. It is Military Super's own scheme rules that determine who receives the payment of the benefit in the event of a member's death. It was completely beyond our clients control as to the decision that was reached by Military Super.

'Further, what is failed to have been mentioned, is that when the Military Super decision was originally handed down, our client made an offer to the mother of Mr Leverton's children, via her Solicitor, to gift a significant sum to the children from the benefit she was due to receive. This offer was made on 17 July 2015 and was never accepted by the mother of the children.

'Our client was in a meaningful relationship with the deceased. The material published contains many inaccuracies with respect to the type of relationship and duration of the relationship that our client shared with the deceased, among other things.'

The Defence Department was also approached for comment, although a spokesperson said they would endeavour to respond as soon as possible.
A man found guilty of raping and murdering a teenage boy in Sydney stopped by a police station the day of the horrific slaying.

Footage shows Aymen Terkmani visiting Fairfield Police Station on May 16, 2015, just hours before he sexually assaulted and killed 16-year-old Mahmoud Hrouk.

The video, obtained by 9News, shows the now 24-year-old dressed in a white t-shirt and sunglasses as he attended the station around 4pm for bail conditions related to a prior drugs charge.

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Footage shows Aymen Terkmani (pictured) visiting Fairfield Police Station on May 16, 2015, just hours before he sexually assaulted and killed 16-year-old Mahmoud Hrouk

On Monday, a NSW Supreme Court jury found Terkmani guilty of sexually assaulting and murdering Mahmoud at an unoccupied Fairfield East home.

Mahmoud had reportedly been affected by ecstasy when he was beaten with a toaster and rolling pin, before he was then strangled and sexually assaulted.

His numerous injuries included a skull fracture, brain damage, fractured ribs, fractured eye socket, collapsed lung and internal injuries.

The teenager's half-naked body was reportedly discovered the following morning in a pool of blood.

Mahmoud's family had frantically searched the neighbourhood for him following his disappearance, with his mother Maha Dunia last speaking to him at 9.42pm.

The teenager had whispered 'Mum, I'm with Aymen,' before their call was cut off.

On Monday, a NSW Supreme Court jury found Terkmani guilty of sexually assaulting and murdering Mahmou, who was reportedly beaten with a toaster and strangled

The video, from 9News, shows the now 24-year-old dressed in a white t-shirt and sunglasses as he attended the station around 4pm

Ms Dunia testified she was in bed when Mahmoud left for his labouring job about 5.30am and asked her: 'Mum do you need anything before I leave?'

She replied no and said 'God bless you' as he left the house and later phoned him around 9pm to tell him to come home.

He replied he was with a friend and would come home on his pushbike, but in a second call, she told him: 'Don't worry about the bike I'm coming to pick you up.'

The family began searching the neighbourhood and reported Mahmoud missing to police.

During the search, Ms Dunia allegedly saw her son's pushbike outside Terkmani's house but by the next morning it was in a nearby street.

Mahmoud (pictured) was brutally bashed and sexually assaulted in an unoccupied Fairfield East home, with his body discovered the following morning

Mahmoud's family had frantically searched the neighbourhood for him following his disappearance, after he told his mother Maha Dunia 'I'm with Aymen,' in their last phone call

Mahmoud's father, Azzam Hrouk, told the jury that during the search he kept looking for someone on the ground next to a bicycle.

'I thought he might have fallen, had an accident,' he said.

After he was told the bike was seen outside Terkmani's house, Mr Hrouk went there around 4am and spoke to Terkmani who said 'I don't know any Mahmoud'.

Terkmani later claimed he parted from the teenager at 7.30pm after they ate at McDonald's.

His father testified his son was at home at the time of the murder, with Terkmani showing no reaction to the verdict as it was handed down.

Terkmani is due to be sentenced on October 27.

The now 24-year-old Terkmani claimed he parted from the teenager at 7.30pm after they ate at McDonald's
Health chiefs have turned down thousands of pounds from a charity run as it was raised by men dressed as female nurses.

Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust rejected 2,500 from the group who have run several miles through a town in the traditional blue dresses annually for the last twenty years.

The chairman of The League of Friends of Ludlow Hospital claims the bed push run has never upset anyone and hospital staff have even helped with their makeup in the past.

Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust rejected 2,500 from the group (picture) who have run through a town in the traditional blue dresses annually for the last twenty years

But bosses have called for a ban on the run after they turned down the cash.

Jan Ditheridge, chief executive of the trust said: 'It isn't okay to portray healthcare professionals in this way.

'We have previously asked that this doesn't happen and therefore don't think it's right to accept any money associated with this activity.

'I'm sure the event was organised with the best intentions and we are sorry if it's made people feel uncomfortable or embarrassed.

The chairman of The League of Friends of Ludlow Hospital claims the bed push run has never upset anyone and hospital staff have even helped with their makeup in the past

'Many people kindly and selflessly raise money for our organisation, and especially for our hospitals. We are eternally grateful for that.'

The event involves a team of men in nurse-themed drag who run around the town collecting money every June - in recent years without a bed as modern medical beds are too hi-tech and valuable to wheel around the streets.

The trust is responsible for the management of Ludlow Hospital which the team in drag have fundraised for since president Howard Watkins had the idea 20 years ago.

The chief executive of the trust said: 'It isn't okay to portray healthcare professionals in this way. We have previously asked that this doesn't happen and therefore don't think it's right to accept any money'

Peter Corfield, chairman of the League of Friends of Ludlow Hospital, has criticised Ms Ditheridge's refusal of about 2,500 raised, calling it an 'over-reaction'.

The bed push was the idea of Howard Watkins, lifetime president of the League of Friends.

Long-time chairman Mr Corfield said: 'We have not had one single complaint about this event from members of the public.

'The bed push has over the years raised a substantial amount of money and the lads who do it are great supporters of the hospital.

'I need to talk to the lads who do this because it is effectively casting aspersions on their character.

'What Ms Ditheridge doesn't seem to be aware of is that the bed push was originally set up with the full co-operation of the hospital staff and has been happening in the town for about 18 to 20 years.

'Hospital staff have been involved with doing their make-up and, in the days when we actually pushed a bed around town, a member of staff was sometimes the person in the bed.

'I think it's an over-reaction to say that they will not accept the money.

'The money raised had already been earmarked and approved for the purchase of an ECG machine and we are now withdrawing that funding as per the diktat.

The trust is responsible for the management of Ludlow Hospital which the team in drag have fundraised for since president Howard Watkins had the idea 20 years ago

'Rather than cause further embarrassment, we will not be offering that money again,' he said.

It is organised by the Hospital League of Friends which this year has the target of raising 150,000 to renew and update the x-ray equipment.

Vital equipment at Ludlow Hospital provided by the League of Friends includes kidney dialysis machines and special beds.

Volunteers from the group also provide a tea-and-coffee service for patients.

The League of Friends is also involved in the campaign to secure the future of the hospital.

Mark Hiles who was one of the seven men dashing about in women's nurse uniforms, wigs and makeup to help buy medical equipment says the mates feel discriminated against.

Mark Hiles, 45, a telecommunications engineer in customer service said: 'We've been doing this for years going out one day in July we've raised an awful lot of money; 2,500 this year and 3,000 last year alone.

The League of Friends is also involved in the campaign to secure the future of the hospital

'It always gone towards vital equipment for our local hospital but someone's turned round saying it's outdated and sexualised.

'We feel a bit discriminated against in this world of political correctness we've all got our own ways of living life and we haven't upset anyone at all.

'Everyone seems to enjoy it in the town and it's obviously for a good cause. I'm a bit flabbergasted by it really.

'I've done it on and off for a number of years and it's been going on long before I got involved.

'We're just a mix of normal men some work with me as engineers, a couple work at the local brewery and one's a lorry driver.

'They just want to do their bit for the community.'
Akol Garang and George Rodriguez, both 18, allegedly ambushed Omer Raza (pictured) for his iPhone and Armani watch

Two teenagers lured a car insurance salesman to his death by stabbing him after setting up a fake deal, a court heard.

Akol Garang and George Rodriguez, both 18, allegedly ambushed Omer Raza for his iPhone and Armani watch as he sat waiting to meet a customer named Stacey.

Mr Raza, 23, suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest during the struggle in Wood Green, north London, later collapsing in the street as he tried to run away.

Garang allegedly plotted the attack on Mr Raza after the pair fell out over a 1,600 debt.

He first met Mr Raza, who also worked for Selfridges wine department, after advertising a red laptop for sale on Gumtree for 180.

Mr Raza paid for the computer for his fiancee and then offered to sort out Garangs car insurance, jurors heard.

Garang handed over an initial 300 but then failed to pay the rest - a total of 1,600.

A few days later Mr Raza and two friends set up a meeting with Garang and seized another laptop he was selling.

Garang later boasted to a friend that he was going to buck the insurance guy, the court heard.

Pretending to a be a potential customer named Stacey, he set up a meeting with Mr Raza in Ivatts Way for 2pm on 15 February this year.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC told the Old Bailey: This sham meeting was arranged so he could take his revenge by attacking Omer Raza with a knife and robbing him.

Mr Raza, 23, suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest during the struggle in Wood Green, north London, later collapsing in the street as he tried to run away

George Rodriguez agreed to go along and play his part in the ambush.

They entered into an agreement to rob Omer Raza of any available property he brought to this meeting.

In addition Akol Garang intended either to kill or cause serious bodily harm with a knife if the opportunity arose.

CCTV cameras captured Garang and Rodriguez apparently lying in wait for Mr Raza to arrive in the silver BMW and park up in Ivatts Way.

The teenagers then approached on either side before Rodriguez yanked open the drivers side door.

Mr Rees told jurors: A violent struggle ensues involving Omer Raza and both attackers during which he sustained at least one wound that bled heavily causing his blood to be deposited around the car.

Omer Raza managed to get out of the car and run off in the direction of Downhills Park Road.

Garang, still holding a knife, chased after Mr Raza while Rodrigues returned to the BMW to take the victims iPhone, jurors were told.

Mr Raza bled to death after collapsing in Downhills Park Road, the court heard.

Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene at around 3pm.

Garang, of Haringey, and Rodriguez of Tottenham, north London, both deny murder and conspiracy to rob.

The trial continues.
Vice President Mike Pence took a cue from President Trump and also stayed mum on the number of American troops to be sent to Afghanistan as part of the administration's newly-announced plan.

'What the president has decided is to deploy a sufficient number of troops at the brigade level in Afghanistan to assist the Afghans, who are in the lead, who are ... at the tip of the spear in this fight,' Pence told NBC's Matt Lauer Tuesday morning on the Today show.

The number the Pentagon had floated was 4,000 and Trump was expected to announce his approval of his generals' plan during his speech Monday night in Arlington.

Instead, Trump said part of his strategy was to not release numbers and disclose timelines, something he's faulted his predecessor for doing in the past.

Scroll down for video

Vice President Mike Pence went on morning television to back President Trump's plans on Afghanistan, though wouldn't share more details

On Fox & Friends, Vice President Mike Pence talked about being the father of a U.S. Marine, speaking about how proud he was to see Trump make this decision

'We will not announce our plans for further military activities. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on,' Trump pledged in his address Monday night.

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley reinforced that the public shouldn't expect to hear details about exactly what President Trump has in mind.

Haley, who was at the speech, told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Tuesday: 'What you're not going to hear are the details' of the plan.

'In the past we've had administrations that have given out everything we're doing, when we're doing it and how we're doing it. You're not going to hear that now,' she said, in a reference to President Obama's troop surge.

She described the commitment as open-ended. 'It's not going to be based on time; it's going to be based on results,' Haley said. 'It's not going to be like the last 16 years.'

On Tuesday morning, appearing on both the Today show and Fox & Friends, Pence defended the Trump plan, though suggested the administration would be more forthcoming than the president initially said.

'I think it's yet to be seen,' Pence said when Lauer asked for a number.

'And we'll certainly be making that information available as the president receives recommendations,' the vice president pledged.

Speaking more broadly, Pence said that, 'President Trump sent a message of resolve and commitment. He said to the people of Afghanistan, we are with you. He said to Pakistan that they need to stop up. He's calling on India to be a better and more strategic partner.'

'This is a whole new regional strategy for South Asia and it's all driving toward the objective of a stable and peaceful Afghanistan,' Pence said.

Over on Fox & Friends, Pence vouched for Trump as he reminded the audience he was a member of a military family himself.

'As a father of a United States Marine, I couldn't be more proud to have seen the way this president went about this decision,' Pence said. 'He asked all the hard questions. He demanded answers. Not just from our military personnel, but our diplomatic team and everyone who can bring expertise to this decision.'

UN Amb. Nikki Haley appeared on Good Morning America Tuesday to advance the president's plan for Afghanistan

'And the way he went about this decision, and the way he squared his shoulders, he said to the American people and he said to the world, "Here is what we need to do for our safety and our security,"' Pence added.

At last night's speech President Trump also admitted that he had been wrong on Afghanistan when he said during the presidential campaign that the country's best course of action was to pull out.

'My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts,' the president said.

'But all my life, I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office  in other words, when you're president of the United States,' Trump continued.

'So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle,' Trump said, explaining how he had come to the decision he had.
North Korea has claimed the U.S.-South Korea joint military drills are 'secret operations' to oust Kim Jong-un as leader.

The nation's media mouthpiece Korean Central News Agency said the training was an 'aggressive war scenario to carry out pre-emptive strikes' after the dictator threatened to turn America into 'a heap of ashes' in a fiery response to war games between the countries' militaries.

Pyongyang today vowed 'merciless retaliation' for the exercises, as it branded Britain a U.S. subordinate state who had let its mercenary troops join the military drills.

A statement by the state-run KCNA branded the U.S. 'imperialists' and South Korea 'war maniacs'.

Angry retort: North Korea branded Britain a U.S. subordinate state with 'mercenary' troops for joining the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills in South Korea

The video emerges shortly after the reclusive nation threatened to turn the US into 'a heap of ashes' in response to the American war games in the neighbouring South (pictured)

South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, said the necessary because of repeated provocations by North Korea. Pictured: US Pacific Command Commander Admiral Harry Harris Jr. (center) at a press conference at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea

A chilling North Korean propaganda video appears to show Donald Trump staring at the apocalyptic remains of US territory Guam

North Korea diplomat Ju Yong Chol said measures taken by his country to strengthen its nuclear deterrent and develop inter-continental rockets were 'justifiable and a legitimate option'.

Ju said: 'As long as the U.S. hostile policy and nuclear threat remains unchallenged, the DPRK will never place its self-defensive nuclear deterrence on the negotiating table or step back an inch from the path it took to bolster the national nuclear force.'

Regarding joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises that began on Monday, he warned: 'The ongoing military adventure would certainly add gasoline to the fire, driving the current tense situation to further deterioration.'

The footage released by Kim Jong-Un's state run media featured a macabre shot of Trump at cemetery, apparently in Guam, and North Korean soldiers marching with weaponry

With tensions already running high, the KNCA - North Korea's state news agency and Kim Jong-un's mouthpiece - reported: 'The U.S. imperialists and the South Korean war maniacs Monday launched Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military drills aimed at a preemptive attack on the DPRK.

'Even mercenaries from seven vassal countries, including Australia and the UK, have joined them.

'The situation on the Korean peninsula has plunged into a critical phase due to the reckless north-targeted war racket of the war maniacs.'

The KCNA also attacked U.S. President Donald Trump, describing him as a leader who frequently tweets 'weird articles of his ego-driven thoughts' and 'spouts rubbish' to give his assistants a hard time.

It criticized South Korea's 'puppy-like' defense minister, who it said was 'running wild' while relying on the 'master of the White House.

South Korean army soldiers conduct an anti-terror drill as part of Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise inside a subway station in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday

They're not wrong: North Korean state media also lashed out at President Donald Trump, accusing him of 'spouting rubbish' on Twitter

This came after U.S. military commanders dismissed the calls for Washington and Seoul to pause or downsize their joint military exercises.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer, and this year's exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers.

No field training like live-fire exercises or tank maneuvering is involved in the drills, in which alliance officers sit at computers to practice how they would engage in battles and hone their decision-making capabilities. The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.

Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, told reporters in a visit to South Korea on Tuesday that while finding a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear problem is the priority, there's a need to support diplomacy with 'credible combat power.'

Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, says the allies should continue the war games until they 'have reason not to.'

'That reason has not yet emerged,' he said.
Rhys Roser has been jailed for seven years and eight months for his attack on a 19-year-old woman

A rapist has been jailed for more than seven years after unwittingly confessing to the sex attack as his victim recorded him on her mobile phone.

Amateur boxer and rock climber Rhys Roser, 24, denied the allegations when he was arrested, but went on the run when he heard the damning recording, eventually pleading guilty at trial.

He was jailed for seven years and eight months for a rape in the early hours of September 14, 2015 of a 19-year-old.

'He had not heard the recording until earlier this year and that must have come as a shock to him, the clear evidence of it,' his lawyer Miss Marie Spenwyn told Harrow Crown Court.

'We now have a man hanging his head in shame over his behaviour.'

Roser, of Maida Vale, north west London, pleaded guilty to one count of rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration at a north-west London address nearly two years ago.

The tree surgeon raped the teen in the flat's shower after the victim fled to the bathroom because she was suffering a panic attack brought on by Roser's unwanted advances.

'He made it plain he wanted to have sex and she didn't,' said prosecutor Mr. Peter Clement. 'The defendant became more demanding and somewhat bullying of her.

'He grabbed her by the arm, torso and neck and the more aggressive he became the more aroused he got.'

Roser, an amateur boxer, told the victim he had a free pass to sleep with her. The tree surgeon was recorded on the victim's phone and he pleaded guilty

THE 'FREE PASS' PHONE RECORDING He told her he had a 'free pass' to sleep with her. After the crime, he said: 'I was wrong in every way. I shouldn't have done that, I don't know what came over me. 'Don't tell anyone please. You don't want to do the whole court thing. You're not going to stand up in court and tell everyone you were raped, way too embarrassing. 'You were kinda (sic) sexy because you had wetness on your face. 'That's the one thing that's going to ruin my life. Don't f***ing tell anyone, it's real simple.' Advertisement

They were still in the bedroom when she grabbed her phone and began the audio recording, which later proved she was pleading: 'Leave me alone.'

'He said he had a "free pass" to have sex with her and by this time she was in tears, asking him to shut up and leave her alone,' added Mr. Clement.

'She locked herself in the bathroom, but Roser pushed his way in. He locked the bathroom door and pushed her into the shower.

'He pulled her head back and bent her left arm behind her back.'

The teenager was then raped.

They returned to the bedroom, where the phone recorded Roser saying: 'I was wrong in every way. I shouldn't have done that, I don't know what came over me.

'Don't tell anyone please. You don't want to do the whole court thing. You're not going to stand up in court and tell everyone you were raped, way too embarrassing.

'You were kinda (sic) sexy because you had wetness on your face.

'That's the one thing that's going to ruin my life. Don't f***ing tell anyone, it's real simple.'

In an impact statement fifteen months after the attack the victim said the attack had 'a staggering effect' on her explaining she had suffered depression, anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks and night terror.

The victim said the attack had led her to suffer anxiety and insomnia. The recording included Roser apologising for what 'came over him'

Recorder Matthew Lowe told Roser: 'Your subsequent conversations were recorded on that telephone.

'You were heard saying you had gone mad and were wrong in every way and went onto plead with her not to report what happened and put pressure on her.

'She describes it as emotional blackmail. What you did to her that night has had significant psychological and emotional effects.'
A South Carolina mother has named her baby girl Eclipse after giving birth just hours before the once-in-a-lifetime solar event.

Freedom Eubanks, of Spartanburg, delivered Eclipse Alizabeth Eubanks at 8.04 am yesterday weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 19 inches long.

She was due to give birth on September 3 but instead went into labour early and had her baby at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

A South Carolina mother has named her baby girl Eclipse after giving birth just hours before the once-in-a-lifetime solar event

Freedom Eubanks, of Spartanburg, delivered Eclipse Alizabeth Eubanks at 8.04 am yesterday weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 19 inches long

A Greenville Health System spokesman said on Facebook: 'Meet Eclipse! She was born at 8.04 am at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

'Mom and dad made a last-minute decision to name her Eclipse this morning.'

Eclipse's mother and father, Michael, had originally planned to name their child Violet.

Freedom wrote on Facebook after the birth: 'Our daughter has went viral! I've had some rude comments about her name and I've had some very sweet ones but it's a name - all that matters is that my daughter is healthy and she is here. Thank you all for your love and support.'

She was due to give birth on Septmber 3 but instead went into labour early and had her baby at Greenville Memorial Hospital

'I kind of felt like it was meant to happen, to have her on this day,' Eubanks told ABC News.

She added: 'We're probably going to call her Clipsey.'

All babies born at the Greenville hospital on the day of the eclipse were given special onesies to commemorate the event.

The US witnessed its first full-blown, coast-to-coast solar eclipse since World War I on Monday, the first eclipse of the social media era to pass through a heavily populated area.

All babies born at the Greenville hospital on the day of the eclipse were given special onesies to commemorate the solar eclipse
A 24-year-old woman died after being set on fire by her husband and in-laws in a row over their dowry demands, it is alleged.

According to reports in India, the victim was burned alive at her husband's home in the colony of Vikaspuri in northern India.

Police found the woman, named as Parvinder Kaur, lying next to her burned clothing. She was rushed to hospital but died as a result of her injuries.

Parvinder Kaur, pictured with husband Gurcharan Singh, said on her deathbed that she had been killed by her in-laws

On her deathbed, the Hindustan Times reports, she claimed she was burned by her new husband, Gurcharan Singh, and his parents.

A dowry is the price paid to a man's family for a woman to take his hand in marriage.

Traditionally, the woman's father pays for her to be married in either possessions or money.

The victim had returned to her husband's home to collect her son's clothes

The couple had reportedly married for love, rather than an arranged marriage, and such a dowry was not in place.

But after she gave birth to their son four years ago, her husband's parents began demanding money from her.

Her brother explained: 'It was a love marriage. Everything was fine until their son was born four years ago. After that, her husband's family started demanding money from her. We tried to meet their demands.'

As a result of the fighting, they split up and she returned to live with her family.

According to her family, she was sent away from their home last month after a dispute over the dowry.

When she returned to Singh's home to collect her son's clothes, though, she was attacked by his family.

Gurcharan Singh, 27, his brother Prabhjot Singh, 25, and their father Rawel Singh, 62, have all been arrested in connection with her death.
This is the dramatic moment a group of Good Samaritans rushed over from all directions to save a young boy who was trapped under a car.

The boy had been hit by the car while trying to cross the road in China, according to surveillance camera footage.

He was taken to a hospital after being freed and is currently in a stable condition.

CCTV footage shows the boy dashing across the road as a white car driving pass in China

He got hit by the bonnet of the car and trapped under the wheels on August 12

According to Kankanews, the incident took place on August 12 at Xinxiang, Henan Province.

The boy, whose identity is yet to be revealed, can be seen in the video running across the road as a white car drives past.

He was hit by the car's bonnet, bounced off to the ground and trapped under the wheels.

Chao Feiyang (right) and his friends attempted to lift up the car, but the vehicle was too heavy

More than 20 onlookers came from all directions. They lifted up the car and freed the boy

Chao Feiyang, a passerby, witnessed the accident along with his two friends, according to the report.

They attempted to lift up the car to free the child, but the vehicle was too heavy.

Moments later, more than 20 people rushed out from nearby shops and restaurants to the scene to offer help.

The boy was freed from underneath the car as members of public joined forces to life the car.

The boy was taken to a hospital. He is reported to be in a stable condition.
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This is the moment 200 ISIS militants were annihilated by Russian air strikes as coalition forces look to flush the terror group out of Syria by battering them from the air.

Russia said it has intensified its air campaign in Syria to help President Bashar Assad's forces drive Islamic State militants from Deir el-Zour, a major stronghold for the group, killing an estimated 800 militants across the country this month alone.

Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi said Russian jets are now making 60 to 70 flights a day to target militants heading from other areas to join the fight in the eastern city. He says Syrian troops are meanwhile advancing from three directions to encircle Deir el-Zour.

In the most recent raids, 200 terrorists were killed when an ISIS convoy was targeted as they headed towards the eastern city.

Syrian government forces control around half the city and a nearby air base, both of which are besieged by the militants.

Rudskoi said militants fleeing US-backed offensives in the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa have poured into Deir el-Zour in recent months.

He said Syrian troops have also encircled Akerbat, an IS-held town in central Syria, and that Russian warplanes have targeted militant convoys trying to flee the area for Deir el-Zour.

Russia has waged an air campaign in Syria since September 2015 aimed at helping Assad's forces defeat IS as well as Syrian rebel groups. This month alone, Russian warplanes have flown 990 missions, destroying 40 armored vehicles, more than 100 trucks and killing about 800 militants, Rudskoi said.

An ISIS convoy is targeted in one of between 60 to 70 air strikes a day on the Syrian city of Deir el-Zour which has become a stronghold for the terror group

Seconds later, bombs are dropped on the vehicles, obliterating the militants travelling in them on their way to Deir el-Zour

Meanwhile, at least 250 US-led air strikes have pounded the Syrian city of Raqqa and surrounding territory in the past week, the coalition fighting the Islamic State group said Tuesday.

Coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon said the air raids targeted the greater Raqqa area.

Activists and monitoring groups have reported that intensifying coalition bombardment of the city has left scores of civilians dead.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 42 civilians had been killed in US-led strikes on Raqa Monday, taking the civilian toll for the past eight days to 167.

Dillon said that the allegations would be taken seriously and investigated.

Since a US-backed offensive ousted IS from Mosul in neighbouring Iraq in July, the coalition has had more available aircraft to strike Raqa, he added.

Dillon said: 'We have increased our strikes recently especially since the end of the Mosul battle.'

Earlier this month, the coalition acknowledged the deaths of 624 civilians in its strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014, but rights groups say the number is much higher.

The international alliance says it takes all possible measures to prevent unnecessary deaths.

'The avoidance of civilian casualties is our highest priority when conducting strikes against legitimate military targets with precision munitions, unlike the indiscriminate nature of ISIS tactics which result in an enormous number of avoidable civilian deaths,' the coalition told AFP in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

Russian jets, under orders of Vladimir Putin, are typically carrying out between 60 and 70 of these types of strikes every day

A cloud of smoke comes from the blown up vehicles targeted by the Russian airstrikes. Meanwhile, at least 250 US-led air strikes have pounded the Syrian city of Raqqa and surrounding territory in the past week, the coalition fighting the Islamic State group said Tuesday

Three vehicles are targeted by the air strikes entering a compound in Syria. In a statement from the Russian Defence Ministry, Rudskoi said the province of Aleppo had been entirely liberated with control of 50 population centres and more than 2,700 square kilometres of territory taken back

In the most recent raids, 200 terrorists were killed when an ISIS convoy was targeted as they headed towards the eastern city

Russia on Monday hailed what it said was 'a dramatic shift' in the Syria conflict, saying that the Syrian army, with Moscow's help, was well on its way to pushing militants out of the central part of the country.

In a statement from the Russian Defence Ministry, Rudskoi said the province of Aleppo had been entirely liberated with control of 50 population centres and more than 2,700 square kilometres of territory taken back.

Rudskoi said: 'In the last month a dramatic shift has taken place in Syria.

'With the support of the Russian air force, Syrian forces have notched up a series of significant successes and won a major defeat over a big group of Islamic State fighters in the central part of Syria.'

With Islamic State fighters concentrated in Deir el-Zour, he said Russia had stepped up its reconnaissance and bombing runs in the area and that the Syrian army was closing in on the militant group from three sides.

Rudskoi said the Syrian army was advancing at a pace of 30-40 kilometres (43.5 miles) or more every 24 hours and that - with Russia's help - it was using new battlefield tactics such as surprise landings by helicopter.

'The main aim is to destroy the last stronghold of the terrorists in the Deir el-Zour region,' said Rudskoi.
Barcelona terror attack suspect Younes Abouyaaqoub was looking like a hermit when he was gunned down by police after four days on the run, it was reported today.

The 22-year-old was said to be dressed in filthy clothes, suggesting that he had been living rough and had walked for around 30 miles from Barcelona across scrubland, woods and farmland to the area where he was killed.

Abouyaaquob, who was Europes most wanted man, was shot dead by two police officers yesterday afternoon on a footpath bordering vineyards in the Subirats district.

This is the spot where the hunt for Europe's most wanted man came to an end in hail of gunfire on Monday. Younes Abouyaaqoub was looking like a hermit when he was gunned down by police after four days on the run

The 22-year-old was said to be dressed in filthy clothes, suggesting that he had been living rough and had walked for around 30 miles from Barcelona across scrubland, woods and farmland to the area where he was killed

A local woman called in saying she was certain that she had seen Abouyaaqoub running in scrubland near a vineyard close to an Amoco petrol station

Target: Younes Abouyaaqoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan national who became Europe's most wanted man after ploughing a van into pedestrian's on Barcelona's Las Ramblas leaving 13 dead, has been shot and killed by police

Abouyaaquob who was Europes most wanted man was shot dead by two police officers yesterday afternoon on a footpath bordering vineyards in the Subirats district

BARCELONA JIHADI 'WAS TRYING TO GET HELP BEFORE HE WAS SHOT DEAD' Younes Abouyaaqoub may have been trying to get help from an acquaintance just minutes before he was shot dead by police, it was reported today. A villager near the scene of the shooting said his Argentinian neighbour had told him that a man resembling Abouyaaqoub was whistling from an orchard at the back of his home as if he was trying to get someones attention. The local resident named only as Agustin said his neighbour looked out of the window at 4pm yesterday after hearing the whistling and saw a young man looking like he was half-drunk. The man then turned round and went away in another direction as if he was upset that he had not found who he was looking for. Agustin told the El Pais newspaper that a Moroccan couple and their daughter who was aged around three had previously lived in the Argentinians house until about a year ago when they just disappeared. He said: I do not know anything because, especially the man, he never talked to anyone. Agustin contacted the police after his neighbour told him what had happened. He told the newspaper: He heard that he whistled as if to call attention, to ask for help, and he came face to face with him. When he came to explain, he was scared to death and I decided to call the police.' Agustin claimed the man his neighbour had seen was wearing dark trousers, a blue shirt and black shoes with white soles. Advertisement

The Moroccan national who was wearing a fake suicide belt and reportedly carrying three knives was tracked down soon after two sightings of him in the area.

Abouyaaqoub had been a fugitive since he killed 13 people and injured more than 100 by mowing them down in a hired van in the Las Ramblas tourist hot spot in Barcelona last Thursday.

Police finally found him on the footpath on the outskirts of the wine-producing town of Sant Sadurni DAnoia. A report in the Spanish newspaper Lavanguardia, said: He looked like a hermit. He was filthy.

The newspaper reported that Abouyaaqoub was wearing two shirts and trousers which were different from the clothing he was seen wearing immediately after his rampage in Barcelona.

It added: He had no backpack, no bag, no phone, no money. He was said to be carrying two knives and a razor with two of the blades wrapped in plastic wrap. The newspaper claimed that Abouyaaqoub died with his eyes wide open and his face disfigured by the impact of bullets.

Major Josep Lluis Trapero, the chief of the Catalan Police, said two local police officers had earlier reported seeing a man looking like the suspect while they were in their patrol car in the area.

At around the same time, a local woman called in saying she was certain that she had seen Abouyaaquob running in scrubland around a vineyard close to an Amoco petrol station.

The woman claimed that her suspicions were raised as he was wearing heavy clothing including a long sleeved top on a hot afternoon. Initial reports suggested that Abouyaaquob may have been in a car after the owner of the nearby Caves Ventura Soler vineyard reported seeing a vehicle speeding down his driveway on to a dirt track.

Police finally found him on the footpath on the outskirts of the wine-producing town of Sant Sadurni DAnoia. A report in the Spanish newspaper Lavanguardia, said: He looked like a hermit. He was filthy

Abouyaaqoub had been a fugitive since he killed 13 people and injured more than 100 by mowing them down in a hired van in the Las Ramblas tourist hot spot in Barcelona last Thursday. He was found in land near the vinyard Ventura Soler

Police say Abouyaaquob was the last member of the terror cell that attacked Barcelona and Cambrils to be on the loose

VIDEO SHOWS GAS CANISTERS FOUND IN SUSPECTS' HOUSES A dramatic video of heavily armed police raiding the homes of the Barcelona terror suspects has been released. Specialist firearms officers and plain clothed detectives can be seen searching the flats and apartments of the suspects just hours after the Thursday night attacks. Using torches attached to guns the police sift through documents, empty cupboards and check whether domestic cooking gas bottles have booby-trapped and turned into bombs. Detectives can be seen searching under mattress and inspecting a wardrobe wearing plastic gloves. Wearing full-face protection, bullet proof vests and armed with machine guns and pistols squadrons of specialist police can be seen entering building after building as they search for evidence against the Barcelona and Cambrils atrocities. The officers from the Mossos dEsquadra police use battering rams to break-down the front door of one apartment block during a dawn raid. And they check air-vents and drainage pipes to make sure no one escapes. In a statement describing the film said: This is how we went into the homes of the terrorists on Thursday night, following the attacks on Barcelona dn Cambrils. Nick Fagge in Barcelona Advertisement

But Maria Ventura, the daughter of the owner, told Mailonline that it had turned out her father had actually seen an unmarked police car racing across her familys land to investigate the sighting of Abouyaaquob.

Maria, 25, said: My father had seen this car travelling on our land when we were closed. We later checked with the police and they told us that it was a police car with no markings on it.

Abouyaaquob is thought to have run on to the footpath before being finally cornered by officers, around 30ft from the road about a kilometre from the main Caves Ventura Soler buildings. The spot is around 50metres from a railway line carrying inter-city trains and adjacent to a sewage treatment station.

Major Trapero said the terrorist was asked to stop and identify himself and lifted his shirt to show what appeared to be an explosive belt. Abouyaacoub then yelled, Allahu Akbar before the officers shot him down. A bomb disposal robot later confirmed his suicide belt was fake.

Police are still investigating whether he may have been receiving help from anyone in the area.

Maria Rosell, the mayor of Sant Sadurni DAnoia, refused to identify the woman who spotted the terrorist and alerted police. She said: This local woman called police at around 4.30pm to say she had seen the terrorist running near the petrol station.

She said she was an expert in remembering faces and realised that it was the man who was wanted. The police went to check and they found him here. Local people are frightened and conscious of the situation.

Abouyaacoub had managed to escape police twice before being tracked to land near a vineyard where he was shot dead

Armed police were scrambled to the scene where they confronted Abouyaaquob, who died in a hail of bullets while shouting Allahu Akbar - God is greatest in Arabic

Police are looking at what brought him to this area and whether he might have had any local help. This has always been a safe and peaceful place.

Last night Catalan police tweeted a message thanking the woman who contacted police, describing her as Citizenship X.

The tweet on the forces official @mossos account said: Our gratitude to the citizenship x the decisive collaboration in the operation of #Subirats. You are an important piece to fight terrorism.

An ambulance is driven away from the vineyard where Abouyaaquob was shot dead by police who had been hunting him since the Las Ramblas attack on Thursday last week

CCTV footage emerged yesterday of Moroccan national Abouyaaquob walking calmly through the La Boqueria food market shortly after his killing spree in Las Ramblas.

He then crossed Barcelona as a frantic hunt was underway for him and hijacked a white Ford Focus, stabbing the driver Pau Perez to death before putting the 34-year-old electrical engineer's body in the back seat.

Mr Perez is believed to have been on the phone to his family to reassure them he was okay after the Las Ramblas carnage when he was attacked. Abouyaaqoub later drove through a police roadblock at Sant Just Desvern on the outskirts of Barcelona, as police opened fire later on Thursday.

Armed officers patrol a road near Subirats where Abouyaaqoub was shot dead

Ghanno Gaanimi, Abouyaaquob's mother (left), pleaded for her son to hand himself over to police on Saturday in Ripoll, the town where the majority of the attackers lived

How the Spain terror attacks unfolded day-by-day, from the town of Ripoll where the plot was hatched, to the outskirts of Subirats, where van driver Younes Abouyaaquob was shot dead

He abandoned the car nearly two miles away at the side of the road with the body of former aid worker Mr Perez still inside. It is not known if he then headed off on foot or found another vehicle.

One suggestion is that he might have headed to the wine-producing region in a bid to fit in as many Moroccans work in vineyards in the area.

Pere Pons, the mayor of Subirats, today posted an official notice on his councils website praising the effort and professionalism of police in hunting down Abouyaaqoub. He said that officers had risked their lives to defend the democratic aspects of Catalan society .
Police are searching for a Victorian woman and her four-month-old child after they disappeared nine days ago.

Carmen Anne Villella, 35, and her daughter Alexandria were last seen at their Werribee home on Piovesan Lane on August 13.

Victoria Police said they have concerns for their welfare and were appealing for assistance from the public.

Carmen Anne Villella, 35, and her daughter Alexandria were last seen at their Werribee home on Piovesan Lane on August 13

Police said the behaviour was out of character for Ms Villella and released her image in the hopes someone could assist their investigations.

The mother is described as being 148-150cm tall and of a stocky build.

She is bot believed to have a car with her and police said she may be using public transport to travel.

Anyone who see Ms Villella or has information on her whereabout is asked to contact Werribee Police Station on 9742 9444.
A pastor in Memphis, Tennessee allegedly posted a sexually explicit remark on a bodacious Instagram photo of popstar Nicki Minaj.

It appears William Henry Dewberry III, an elder at the Church Of God In Christ, who's listed on Instagram as a 'God Fearing Man and Retired U.S. Soldier,' wrote 'I'll love to eat your booty @nickiminaj,' beneath the sexy snapshot, alongside a series of winking tongue-out emojis.

Since receiving backlash, Dewberry has come forward with a rebuttal, suggesting the account belongs to an impersonator.

Scroll down for video

A pastor is denying claims he posted a sexually explicit remark on this Instagram photo of popstar Nicki Minaj

William Henry Dewberry III allegedly wrote 'I'll love to eat your booty @nickiminaj,' alongside a series of winking tongue-out emojis

Dewberry is an elder at the Church Of God In Christ in Memphis, Tennessee

He since reached out to his friends on Facebook, asking for help in reporting the account.

'Saints, I need your help,' Dewberry wrote in the post, which has since been set to private on his page.

'Somebody created a fake Instagram page under my name. I don't know who did this. But, this needs to come down ASAP! May somebody report this IMMEDIATELY! I did not create this. I already have an Instagram page, and this one ain't me!!!!'

One user replied saying, 'How is this fake? You've used this page.'

Dewberry has since reached out to his friends on Facebook, asking for help in reporting the account

In another alleged incident, Dewberry attacked a woman named Tarshiela Tole with the account

It seems the Instagram account has been active since January 2016, and shows everyday pictures of Dewberry spending time with his loved ones.

The account has thousands of followers and vice versa.

In another alleged incident, Dewberry attacked a woman named Tarshiela Toles, according to Complex.

The tirade said Toles is the 'biggest whore in Columbus, Georgia' and threatened to leak nude images of her if she did not stop broadcasting Dewberry on Snapchat.

Another Facebook user claimed she was blocked from account, adding that the 'dude has a history of this sh-t' and once sexually harassed her.

A woman who says she knows the pastor, defended him writing, 'This is bogus! Elder III would not do anything like this.'

It's unclear whether or not the account actually belongs to Dewberry  and if not, who may be responsible.
The family of a grandmother found dead alongside her partner at their $2.2million home are grieving tonight after police confirmed the two deaths were a murder-suicide.

Marilyn Burdon, 70, and her male partner, 69, were found dead in separate rooms of their luxury house in Kew, Melbourne, on Monday night.

Homicide detectives have now told 7 News that the deaths were a tragic murder-suicide, leaving Ms Burdon's loved ones heartbroken.

Police told the network that Ms Burdon was killed by the man she loved.

The family of a grandmother found dead alongside her partner at their $2.2million home are grieving tonight after police confirmed the two deaths were a murder-suicide. Two Lotus cars and a black BMW convertible were parked in the driveway

Real estate data reveals that the couple bought the home on Princess Street in Kew in 2004 for $680,000, although it is now worth at least $2.2 million (backyard with pool pictured)

Marilyn Burdon, 70, and her male partner, 69, were found dead in separate rooms of their luxury house in Kew, Melbourne, on Monday night

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our mother in the company of a person who she considered a friend,' they family said in a statement.

'She was a beautiful mother and grandmother who loved her family passionately. She enjoyed all manner of pursuits and interests and always liked to have fun,' they said.

It is not clear how the couple died, although unconfirmed reports said a gun was found at the property.

Real estate data reveals that the couple bought the home on Princess Street in Kew in 2004 for $680,000 - although the home is now worth an estimated $2.2 million.

Forensic crews arrived at the four-bedroom home on Monday night and dozens of officers were seen searching a Lotus Esprit, Lotus Elan and black BMW convertible parked in the driveway.

Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia they were not searching for any third parties in connection with the deaths.

The multi-million dollar home owned by the elderly couple was on Princess Street in Kew, one of Melbourne's most prestigious suburbs

It's believed the two people found dead were a 70-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man. Three forensic crews arrived at the home on Monday night

The circumstances have not been confirmed but police (pictured at the property) said they were not searching for any suspects in connection with the deaths

A woman with two young children was seen being escorted from the property on Monday evening, The Age reported.

Neighbours described the couple as 'quite reserved' and said they hardly ever saw them. They said the man did not appear to be in good health.

'They kept to themselves,' one neighbour told news.com.au.

Officers were also seen searching a car boot with the help of a torch.

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14.

Anyone across Australia experiencing a personal crisis or thinking about suicide can contact Lifeline.

Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation their trained volunteers are ready to listen, provide support and referrals.

The Princess Street house was under heavy guard by police on Monday evening
Tara Gotovnik, 35, allegedly forced the boy to perform and watch sex acts while he was at her home in Greendale, south of Milwaukee, on August 7

A Wisconsin woman is accused of molesting a 10-year-old boy after drugging his slushie with sleeping pills.

Tara Gotovnik, 35, allegedly forced the boy to perform and watch sex acts while he was at her home in Greendale, south of Milwaukee, on August 7.

She is accused of putting the sleeping pills in the boy's drink, causing him to have double vision and slurred speech.

Police said Gotovnik then allegedly took off her clothes and forced the boy to perform a sex act on her.

She also allegedly used sex toys on the boy, according to a criminal complaint.

Gotovnik had told the boy that they could 'go online and make money for doing it', according to the criminal complaint.

The boy's father reported the alleged sex assault to police after he picked up his son from Gotovnik's home.

He said the boy had told him he never wanted to go back again.

The boy told his father of another incident where Gotovnik had allegedly made him take a pill that caused him to feel dizzy, vomit and urinate on himself.

Gotovnik was ordered not to have any contact with the boy and is being held at Milwaukee County Jail (above) on $15,000 bond

Police searched her home and found the sex toys the boy had described to authorities.

They also seized a number of pills containers, including sleeping tablets.

When questioned, Gotovnik told police: "I don't remember anything from that night."

She allegedly admitted to giving the boy an Ambien on two different occasions but denied allegations she molested him.

Gotovnik was charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child and delivery of a controlled substance.

She was ordered not to have any contact with the boy and is being held at Milwaukee County Jail on $15,000 bond.
Paris is on track to welcome more tourists this year than ever before despite a wave of terror attacks across Europe.

The Paris region saw 16.4million arrivals in the six months to June which is the highest number since current records began in 2008.

That puts the city on track to break records by the end of the year, though there are fears the most recent attack in Barcelona could cause visitors to shy away.

Paris is on course to break records for the number of tourists to visit in a single year after seeing a 10 per cent bump in arrivals in the first six months of this year

American and Chinese tourists led the way as they returned to the city in droves, having shied away last year in the wake of the 2015 terror attack

Frederic Valletoux, president of the Paris region tourist board, said a strong July and August and good bookings for September meant the region could see 32-34 million tourist arrivals this year compared with 30 million in 2016 and 32 million in 2015.

'(This) could be a record year but let's not get carried away,' he told a news conference.

'Now will Barcelona have an impact on other destinations like Paris? It's hard to say. It's Europe. The international situation remains turbulent and terrorism a daily threat.'

Paris saw a similar lull after the attacks in November 2015 which saw 130 innocents killed, mostly inside the Bataclan Theatre.

Since then there have been eight major terror attacks across Europe, including truck attacks in Nice and Berlin, bomb blasts at Brussels airport and Manchester Arena, and car attacks on Westminster and London Bridge.

The latest attacks occurred on Las Ramblas, in Barcelona, and the beach resort of Cambrils, leaving 15 people dead and more than 120 wounded.

Despite this Paris saw a 10.2 per cent year-on-year bounce in first half arrivals, driven by a 14.9 per cent rise in foreign tourists, led by Americans and Chinese.

Fewer Britons visited as the pound lost value amid uncertainties over Brexit.

It remains to be seen whether visitor numbers will drop in the second half of 2017 after the attacks in Barcelona (pictured) and Cambrils which killed 15 and wounded more than 120

Marketing campaigns and enhanced security were touted as reasons tourists decided to visit again following the November 2015 Paris attacks which killed 130

Among reasons for the upturn, tourism officials cited government financing for marketing campaigns abroad and enhanced security measures in Paris.

Tourism generates over 7 per cent of France's national income. In the Ile de France region, which includes Paris - one of the world's most visited cities - about half a million people have jobs linked to tourism.

The French revival is not confined to Paris. Visitor numbers nationwide are seen rising to 89 million in 2017 from 83 million last year. France targets 100 million visitors annually by 2020.

Valletoux said it was likely that Barcelona's tourism sector would now take a hit, but the experience of Paris and New York showed the Spanish city would recover.

'One can expect Barcelona to experience some slowdown. It took three years for New York to bounce back after the Sept 11 attacks, for Madrid it was a year (after the 2004 commuter train bombings) and for Paris also a year,' Valletoux said.

The Barcelona attack was the latest of a spate across Europe in the past 13 months in which militants have used vehicles as weapons, killing nearly 130 people in France, Germany, Britain, Sweden and Spain.
Michel Barnier has taunted Britain's latest raft of Brexit policy papers by insisting he and the EU have been ready for the talks since 'day one'.

Brexit Secretary David Davis is spending the week before the next round of face to face talks publishing a series of new British negotiation positions.

They included a renewed British call for trade talks to be taken alongside the divorce deal as Mr Davis warned they were 'inextricably linked'.

But Mr Barnier - who has repeatedly dismissed London as unprepared and failing on detail - insisted he would stick to the plan of agreeing Britain's Brexit bill, sorting out the Irish border and negotiating a reciprocal deal on citizens' rights first.

Michel Barnier (pictured right with Brexit Secretary David Davis) has taunted Britain's latest raft of Brexit policy papers by insisting he and the EU have been ready since 'day one'

Mr Barnier issued a series of tweets to show off EU policy papers published weeks ago as the UK Government rolled out a series of its own positions ahead of the third round of talks

Despite Mr Davis' renewed call for parallel talks, Mr Barnier insisted he would stick to the plan of agreeing Britain's Brexit bill, sorting out the Irish border and negotiating a reciprocal deal on citizens' rights first

Last night Mr Barnier tweeted a series of nine policy papers published by the EU side weeks ago.

And the EU's chief negotiator said: '3rd round of Brexit negotiations with UK begins next week. Focus on orderly withdrawal.

'EU positions clear and transparent since day one.'

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told MailOnline: 'I think it's clear Michel Barnier is feeling the pressure.

'He has got lots of red lines for the negotiations inflicted on him by the EU. It's not David Davis and the UK negotiators who are struggling - it's the EU and he knows it.'

Britain has so far published new positions on how UK and European courts will work together on civil issues, how goods already on sale in the single market will be handled after Brexit and keeping confidential documents secret.

Tomorrow the thorny issue of the European Court of Justice and data protection rules will be addressed in further papers.

BRITAIN'S BREXIT POSITION: THE FIVE NEW PAPERS Brexit Secretary David Davis is this week unveiling five position papers due before the next round of talks. They will cover: The UK's negotiating approach to goods on the market at Brexit and after

Confidentiality and access to official documents shared between London and Brussels

Future civil judicial cooperation

Proposed mechanisms for enforcement and dispute resolution once the European Court of Justice no longer has direct jurisdiction in the UK

Data protection Advertisement

Mr Barnier added: 'Looking forward to discussing these papers with UK.

'Essential to make progress on citizens' rights, settling accounts and Ireland.'

As he published yesterday's papers, Brexit Secretary David Davis said: 'These papers will help give businesses and consumers certainty and confidence in the UK's status as an economic powerhouse after we have left the EU.

'They also show that as we enter the third round of negotiations, it is clear that our separation from the EU and future relationship are inextricably linked.

'We have already begun to set out what we would like to see from a future relationship on issues such as customs and are ready to begin a formal dialogue on this and other issues.'

But European Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein said the position papers would not alter plans drawn up by Mr Barnier and approved by the other 27 states.

'There is a very clear structure in place, set by the EU27, about how these talks should be sequenced and that is exactly what we think should be happening now,' Mr Winterstein told a Brussels press conference.

Today's papers from David Davis (pictured in London last week) outline Britain's position on access to confidential documents after Brexit and how goods on the market at the point of Brexit will be handled

'So the fact that these papers are coming out is, as such, welcome because we see this as a positive step towards now really starting the process of negotiations.

'But as Michel Barnier has said time and again, we have to have sufficient progress first on the three areas of citizens' rights, financial settlement and Ireland, and only then can we move forwards to discussing the future relationship.

The proposal could allow Theresa May (pictured at church yesterday) to square the circle of getting Britain out of the ECJ while protecting free trade in the single market

'The important thing is to realise that the clock is ticking, that we have no time to lose and that we need to get on with it.'

Mrs May's official spokeswoman said the Premier believed both sides need a 'dynamic and flexible' approach ahead of the unveiling of the latest position papers.

Asked if Brussels was engaging with Britain's work on the future partnership - which is in defiance of an EU diktat the divorce must be finalised first - the spokeswoman said officials were in 'regular dialogue with each other'.

She said: 'You will here from David Davis next week on how that approach is going.'

EU chief negotiator Mr Barnier has been dismissive of Britain's work to date, accusing Mr Davis and his team of a lack of preparation.

Slovenian prime minister Miro Cerar yesterday repeated concerns in Europe the talks were going too slowly.

He said: 'I think that the process will definitely take more time than we expected at the start of the negotiations.

'There are so many difficult topics on the table, difficult issues there, that one cannot expect all those issues will be solved according to the schedule made in the first place.

'What is important now is that the three basic issues are solved in reasonable time. Then there will optimism on realistic grounds.

'I know this issue of finance is a tricky one. But it must also be solved, along with the rights of people.'
Paedophile PE teacher Glyn Jones, 57, who had been teaching for 30 years, has been exposed as a 'clandestine sex offender'

A victim of a paedophile PE teacher today released a harrowing account of how he abused her as he was jailed for sex attacks on a string of young girls.

Glyn Jones, who had been teaching for 30 years, was exposed as a 'clandestine sex offender' who abused pupils since he was at teacher training college.

The 57-year-old admitted seven counts of indecently assaulting girls under the age of 16 yesterday at Norwich Crown Court and was jailed for five years today.

This afternoon, one the six girls Jones abused released a heartbreaking victim statement, saying: 'Why me? Did I do something wrong? Did I bring this on myself? Was it my fault?'

The victim has suffered with anxiety and depression and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

She said: 'There has not been one day, since first disclosing the abuse to the police two-and-a-half years ago, where I haven't thought about Glyn Jones and what he did to me.

'It's incredible how someone you haven't seen - or had any contact with - in more than 20 years can have such an effect on your life.

'When I was 13 and 14 years old, I saw him as someone who was there to protect and educate me. He made me feel safe and secure.

'But what I didn't realise at the time was that he was actually grooming me. Grooming me until that point where he had enough control to make his move.'

She told how that the realisation that she was a victim of child abuse was 'crippling', adding: 'As an adult I have tortured myself as to why I didn't see it at the time.

Jones admitted seven counts of indecently assaulting girls under the age of 16

'I was a bright young girl - how could I not see what he was doing to me? I torture myself daily with questions such as - Why me?

'Did I do something wrong? Did I bring this on myself? Was it my fault? What made me the perfect victim?

'But I was just a child. A young girl who trusted someone - someone who was in a position of trust - who used that position to manipulate me and make me his sexual fantasy.

'I feel sick and dirty at the thought of that. I look back at my childhood and question the person I thought I was.'

Jones taught at two high schools in Norfolk before he moved to Australia, but was brought back to England for a trial.

Judge Anthony Bate, sentencing, said the charges related to six girls who were aged between 13 and 16 years old at the time of Jones's offending between 1979 and 1996.

He said the offending ranged from kissing on the mouth to 'much more serious', that all but one of the victims was a former pupil of Jones and that Jones first offended while aged 19 at teacher training college.

'Your victims were pupils at two Norfolk high schools where you taught physical education in the 1990s,' said Judge Bate.

'Your misconduct towards them was a gross abuse of the trust placed in you by their parents, fellow members of staff and your employers.'

He said the 'enduring impact' on the women, who were 'molested in this way as young teenage girls', was made plain in their statements to the court.

'It is a telling reflection that [one victim] refers to you throughout as Mr Jones,' he said. 'She recalls how you made her feel special, complimented her on her sporting skill and appeared interested and cared about her.

Jones's given address was in Upper Coomeera (file picture), a suburb on the Gold Coast of Australia in Queensland, near Brisbane

'Such observations could be made about many fine teachers who have followed this honourable profession with distinction over the years. However, for you it was a charade and a device.

'Gaining in turn the trust of [one victim] and then other similarly aged girls was the means by which you went on to exploit and abuse that relationship in the several ways described by the prosecution.

'You relied on them to keep secret what you had done to them and they each bore that burden for many years, while you continued to lead an outwardly respectable life as a man of apparent good character.

'In fact, as a consequence of your pleas to this indictment, you had been a clandestine sex offender since the age of 19, when you were a trainee teacher at college in Plymouth.'

Jones, whose given address was in Upper Coomeera, a suburb on the Gold Coast of Australia in Queensland, near Brisbane, appeared in court dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and purple tie.

Judge Bate, jailing Jones for five years, told him: 'You will plainly never teach or be responsible for children ever again.'

The unshaven defendant, who has receding grey hair, spoke only to confirm his name and showed no reaction as he was led to the cells. His passport was handed in to the court.

Some of his victims were in court as he was jailed, and others watched from a videolink from outside the courtroom.

In a statement made after the court hearing, Detective Constable Kim Taylor said: 'Jones took complete advantage of his position of trust to encourage his victims to allow him to carry out sex offences having persuaded them that he was in an emotional relationship with them.

'I want to thank all the victims involved in this investigation for their bravery and patience while this case came to court.'
President Trump's re-election team is already tracking  and attacking, when necessary  the Democrats, and a Republican too, who may give him trouble in 2020.

Politico reported that Trump's campaign team, which is still headquartered in Trump Tower, has a list of names that range from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a liberal favorite, to political outsider Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of Facebook, who might run for president in three years.

With prominent Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine saying this week that it's 'too difficult to say' if Trump will again be her party's nominee, the president's campaign team is eyeing GOP challengers too, mainly Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

President Trump has a handful of staffers employed to start his 2020 re-election bid, and they're already trying to figure out which Democrats - and Republicans - might run

Trump's re-election team is already gathering information on potential White House challengers including Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckberberg

Trump's re-election team, comprised of only a handful of staffers, has been informally monitoring the activities of a number of potential 2020 players, with the prevailing thought being that Democrats will have an overly crowded field, Politico reported.

The line-up includes known quantities like Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who could inspire both liberals and white working class voters to come to the polls, and win back an especially important bellwether, purple state.

They're also looking at Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a newcomer on the national scene who is getting a lot of ink.

And beyond Zuckerberg, the Trump team is looking at Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, as someone who might enter the political fray to take on billionaire Trump.

The Trump campaign 2.0 is already sending out email attacks too, with one last week aimed at a number of lawmakers, and potential 2020 contenders: Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

The Trump campaign is also speculating that Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., might run

The Trump campaign believes a number of current Democratic senators might run for president including: (from left) Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. and Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

'The 2020 Democrat field is trying to stand out by obstructing the president's agenda,' the release said, according to Politico.

And the president personally is starting to get into the action.

Tonight he'll do a rally, which is considered a Trump campaign event and not part of his presidential duties, from Phoenix, Arizona, a state he won by less than four points against Hillary Clinton and could be a challenge in 2020 as demographics continue to change.

He already started fundraising, hosting donors to his downtown D.C. hotel earlier this year.

Politico reported that Trump plans a major cross-country fundraising haul this fall as well, hitting up states including New York and Texas.

While Trump has suffered from low poll numbers  including a recent survey that showed his popularity dipping below 40 percent in three key states, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin  the numbers also reveal that his core base of supporters remains and that Republicans tend to be supportive of his decisions.
Jessica Bartley is accused of fraud while working for Lambeth Council, pocketing 71,600

A group of housing benefit assessors fraudulently claimed more than 1million using false names, a court heard.

The council workers then put the money into bank accounts set up with fake passports, it was alleged.

The seven assessors worked for councils across London including Kingston, Lambeth and Barking & Dagenham.

Rehel Asfaha, 35, Jessica Bartley, 33, Menelik Cowan, 36, Natasha Francis, 37, Cassandra Johnson, 36, Hugh Junior Small, 38, Alexandra Williams, 38, all appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court this morning.

They are all face charges of fraud by abuse of position while working at the different councils from between 2006 to 2016.

Prosecutor Carley Loftus said: 'The allegations charged relate to a housing benefit fraud.

'A number of the people are appearing in court today are housing benefit assessors who worked for Kingston, Lambeth and Barking and Dagenham authorities.

'They have put in false claims using false identities and these benefits are paid into other people's accounts which are set up using false identities.

'The housing benefit taken in this case, the total exceeds 1 million that was defrauded. It includes an abuse of position of trust.

Asfaha, is charged with two counts of fraud by abuse of position while working firstly at Lambeth Council where she pocketed 82,331 and then Barking & Dagenham council where she allegedly conned the authority out of 182,907.

She also faces two charges of money laundering by placing the some of the cash into different bank accounts.

Mgeini Khanye (left) face a charge of controlling criminal property namely the money from the frauds, whlie Natasha Francis (right) is charged with fraud while working for Lambeth council

Cassandra Johnson (left) is alleged to have pocketed almost 180,000 while working for Lambeth, while Samuel Hammond (right) faces charges of controlling criminal property

Finally she is charged with possession of fake identity documents.

Bartley of Stockwell, is accused of fraud by abuse of position while working for Lambeth Council, pocketing 71,600.

She also faces a charge of money laundering 51,155 of the cash into a bank count on behalf of another, and another charge of possession of fake identity documents.

Cowan, from Enfield, is also charged with fraud by false position while working for Lambeth Council, taking 298,469.

He also faces a charge of possession of identity documents and of laundering 150,759.92 of the money pocketed.

Francis, of Walworth, south London, is charged with fraud by abuse of position while working for Lambeth council and possession of fake identification documents.

Johnson, 36, of Brixton, also charged with fraud by abuse of position while working for Lambeth pocketing 179,078.

She is also charge with of possession of identity documents and controlling criminal property namely 57,514 in housing benefit.

Small, of Fulham, faces a charge fraud by abuse of position while working for Kingston Council and is charged with possession of fake identity documents and controlling criminal property namely money.

Derek Williams, 56, leaves Westminster Magistrates Court today (left). Donna Francis (right) face charges of controlling criminal property

Williams, of Brixton, is charged with fraud by abuse of position while working for Baking and Dagenham Council, taking 240,345, from the authority.

He is also charged with possession of fake identity documents and controlling criminal property, namely the money from the frauds.

Also appearing at the same court today were Donna Francis, 56, of Brixton, Samuel Hammond, 39, of Dagenham, Mgeini Khanye, 35, of Canning Town, Kyeshia Stratchan, 27, of Hackney, and Derek Williams, 57, of Brixton.

They all face charges of controlling criminal property namely the money from the frauds, between June 2009 and October 2016.

Referring to all 12 defendants, Ms Lofus said: 'The crown would say the powers of sentencing are insufficient in this court and I would ask them to be committed to the crown court.'

Magistrates chairman, Victoria Readman declined jurisdiction and the case was sent to the Crown Court for a preliminary hearing next month.

All 12 defendants were granted unconditional bail to appear at Southwark Crown Court on September 19.
A retired senior Army officer 'haunted' by what he had seen on the battlefield hanged himself after suffering from anxiety and depression.

Former Lt Col Michael Russell was found dead at his home in Topsham, Devon, having also lost his wife of 32 years to terminal illness.

An inquest heard the former Devon and Dorset officer, who was also in the Intelligence Corps during his 45-year career, hanged himself in February.

His heartbroken brother Christopher Russell questioned whether his experiences in the military had led to his death.

An inquest into the death of former Lt Col Michael Russell held at County Hall in Exeter, Devon, pictured above, heard the 63-year-old was 'haunted' by his battlefield experiences

He told the coroner: 'He saw a lot of things in Bosnia which he was very upset about.'

The coroner said there were 'unpleasant experiences which haunted him subsequently'.

A psychotherapist who saw him for two years said that the 63 year old started seeing her when his wife Ursula died from a terminal illness.

Pyschotherapist Angela Avis said Lt Col Russell suffered from complex issues which impaired his mourning process.

She said he was also experiencing 'distressing memories associated with his military career causing him to question his fundamental beliefs and values'.

She said in her opinion he was experiencing 'exaggerated grief reaction'.

She said he felt guilt and self blame and was even reluctant to change things in his home because he felt it would be a 'betrayal'.

He suffered a panic attack on a flight home to the UK from a long holiday in Australia a month before he died, but said he had no plans to kill himself.

Although financially very secure, the inquest at County Hall in Exeter, Devon, heard he 'wanted to die' as his only escape but said he was not brave enough to do it.

The inquest heard he spent 45 years in the Army achieving high rank.

The coroner was told he found retirement from that rigid military structure destabilising because he had lost his position of purpose.

His new partner Judy Day said Michael had a 'bad couple of years' after his wife died and his mental health took a dip.

The Devon coroner Dr Elizabeth Earland said he was 'the author of his own demise and was satisfied that he had reached the point where he could not continue'.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org for details.
Father William Aitcheson, 62 (pictured), a Catholic priest, stepped down after revealing in an editorial on Monday that he used to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan

A Virginia Catholic priest has stepped down after admitting that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan more than 40 years before joining the church.

In an editorial published in the Arlington Catholic Herald on Monday, Father William Aitcheson wrote that images from the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville on August 12 'brought back memories of a bleak period in my life that I would have preferred to forget'.

The head of St Leo the Great Church in Fairfax said he was sharing his story so he could show that transformation was possible.

'My actions were despicable,' the 62-year-old wrote.

'When I think back on burning crosses, a threatening letter, and so on, I feel as though I am speaking of somebody else. It's hard to believe that was me.'

In 1977, Aitcheson, then a 23-year-old University of Maryland student and a klan leader, was charged with six cross-burnings in Prince George's County, Maryland, and other counts, including making bomb threats and manufacturing pipe bombs.

Officers who searched his home in the 1970s found nine pounds of black powder, weapons and bomb parts in Aitchesons bedroom and basement.

A Washington Post story at the time reported that the Robert E Lee Lodge of the Maryland Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was planning to bomb the homes of blacks and the offices of the NAACP in Prince George's.

The lodge also allegedly planned to recruit people to blow up communications facilities and a generating plant at Fort George G Meade.

'While 40 years have passed, I must say this: I'm sorry. To anyone who has been subjected to racism or bigotry, I am sorry. I have no excuse, but I hope you will forgive me,' Aitcheson wrote in his editorial.

'The irony that I left an anti-Catholic hate group to rejoin the Catholic Church is not lost on me. It is a reminder of the radical transformation possible through Jesus Christ in his mercy.'

Aitcheson, who headed St Leo the Great Church in Fairfax, Virginia (pictured), was charged in 1977 with six cross-burnings in Prince George's County, Maryland

In the editorial, Aitcheson asked for forgiveness and condemned 'racism and bigotry' (Pictured, a vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville on August 12)

Virginia has been dealing with the aftermath of a white supremacist rally on August 12 that killed one after a car drove into a crowd of counter-demonstrators (pictured) and injured 35 others

The Diocese of Arlington released a statement on Monday stating that no accusations of racism or bigotry against Aitcheson have been brought during his 24 years of service in the diocese.

'While Father Aitcheson's past with the Ku Klux Klan is sad and deeply troubling, I pray that in our current political and social climate his message will reach those who support hate and division, and inspire them to a conversion of heart,' said Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington.

A note at the bottom of Aitchesons editorial stated he voluntarily asked to take a leave of absence from public ministry 'for the well-being of the Church and parish community' - and the request was approved.

Virginia has been dealing with the aftermath of a white supremacist rally, which included neo-Nazis, KKK members, and members of the alt-right movement, in Charlottesville on August 12 protesting the removal of the statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee from a downtown park.

One person was killed when white supremacist James Alex Fields, Jr drove his car into a group of counter-demonstrators.
Advertisement

An ominous white and yellow sign hangs alongside the entryway to the New York Mental Health and Hygiene building in downtown Manhattan that reads FALLOUT SHELTER.

At the corner of Worth and Centre Street in the Two Bridges neighborhood, the sign is passed by thousands of New Yorkers and tourists alike, often without recognizing what it signifies.

Similar advertisements can be seen across the city, weathered from time and age, the true reasoning behind them lost with the passing years.

Unbeknownst to many, these signs once represented fully stocked fortresses that could serve as protection in the event of a nuclear bomb  an concern shared by Americans, and especially New Yorkers, following the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. By the following decade, however, money had run out and the majority were converted into basement storage spaces.

The controversial shelter program was spearheaded by then-governor Nelson Rockefeller, who in 1960 authorized a state shelter initiative which oversaw the building of at least tens of thousands of shelters across the city with a projected price tag of $1.5 billion - the equivalent of more than $12 billion today.

When these spaces were originally created, the United States felt on the brink of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Many lived with the fear of a nuclear bombing as political pressures between the nations peaked.

This month, nuke fears rose again when America's standoff with North Korea intensified when after a series of missile tests and launches by North Korea and a Washington Post report that the rogue state had produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead it could fit inside its missiles, President Trump stated: 'North Korea had best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen'.

North Korea retaliated with a threat to attack Guam, resulting in President Trump tweeting that US ' military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded should North Korea act unwisely'. North Korea again retaliated by stating that it would turn America into a 'heap of ashes'.

At the height of Cold War hysteria, after atomic bombs first illustrated the destruction man could inflict, shelters  at first theoretical  became potentially practical.

West 4th street and 7th Ave: Thousands of nuclear fallout shelters were built in New York City after the Cold War when threats from the Soviet Union were at an all-time high

By 1963, the organization handling shelter construction, the Army Corps of Engineers, had identified 17,448 shelter spaces in New York City that could conceal 11,703,090 residents

202 Ave C, Brooklyn New York: Often built in the basements of government buildings or public schools, the shelters were meant to protect from radiation and debris following a nuclear bomb

West 4th street and 7th Ave: The shelters were rendered essentially useless over time, and many have been transformed for more practical uses, such as this Chase Bank

The shelters were meant to hold more than 11million New Yorkers and were scattered throughout the boroughs - this advertisement even directs residents to where the shelter lies on Argyle Road and Newkirk Avenue in Brooklyn

In 1961 President John F Kennedy took the program nationwide. The following year, in October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis took place. US officials were at a stalemate with the Soviet Union over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba  a mere 90 miles from the US soil.

President Kennedy emphasized the severity of the situation to the American public in a notable October 1962 speech which declared: Nuclear weapons are so destructive and ballistic missiles are so swift, that any substantially increased possibility of their use or any sudden change in their deployment may well be regarded as a definite threat to peace.

Fallout shelters began to be constructed in earnest in New York City with the understanding that, as one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, it would be an ideal target for Soviet missiles to attack the greatest number of people.

By 1963, the organization handling shelter construction, the Army Corps of Engineers, had identified 17,448 shelter spaces in New York City that could conceal 11,703,090 residents in the event of a nuclear bomb. The locations were chosen based on their perceived ability to shield from radiation.

550 St Marks Place, Brooklyn:The controversial program was spearheaded by then-governor Nelson Rockefeller, who in 1960 authorized a state shelter initiative which oversaw the building of at least tens of thousands of shelters across the city with a projected price tag of $1.5 billion

After the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1992, the shelters began to be built with earnest

6th ave and Lincoln Pl Brooklyn: Evidenced by this Brooklyn building constructed in 1962, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, many of the shelters were considered the best option in the event of an indirect bomb

Carmine and Bleeker Street: At Carmine and Bleeker Street, another fallout shelter is advertised at Our Lady of Pompeii Church

East 26th street and Glenwood Road, Brooklyn: In 1961 President John F Kennedy took the program nationwide. The following year, in October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis took place. US officials were at a stalemate with the Soviet Union over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba  a mere 90 miles from the US soil

Dorchester and Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn: President Kennedy emphasized the severity of the situation to the American public in a notable October 1962 speech which declared: Nuclear weapons are so destructive and ballistic missiles are so swift, that any substantially increased possibility of their use or any sudden change in their deployment may well be regarded as a definite threat to peace

24th street and 9th Ave: No location was spared as a potential shelter location - even the upscale London Terrace apartments in Chelsea held one

Many were scattered throughout the city in government buildings, public schools and local churches.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the funding had run out for the shelters, the federal organization in charge of their construction had been discontinued, and the rationale behind 'fallout shelters' as a means of protection was largely debunked. As the signs were under federal authority, New York City government had no power to remove them - and as an additional complication, they had no clear idea of where all of the signs and subsequent shelters actually were.

'The office was basically debunked, it was defunded, and all of the shelters fell off the map. As the decades went on, a lot of the facilities were changed or renovated or neighborhoods changed,' Nancy Silvestri, a spokesperson for the New York Office of Emergency Management told the DailyMail.com.

'From the citys perspective, we never had a sense of what facilities were designated as shelters. We never got a list or anything,' she continued. 'We actually dont have and never have had a record of what buildings in the city were designated as fallout shelters.'

Now the spaces serve as basements and storage; Ms Silvestri said that many were repurposed for laundry rooms or similar uses in private residence buildings. Crown Heights resident Nathan Pensler said that the former fallout shelter in his building now holds bikes, non-functioning washing machines and leftover building materials. At least one homeless person hid out there until recently, he said, and left behind a cell phone and two suitcases.

Each shelter was to be provided by the government with a federal aid survival kit  which would have cost about $2.40 per person  which included aspirin, toilet paper, tongue depressors, appetite-suppressing hard candies and ''Civil Defense Survival Rations,'' i.e., animal cracker-like biscuits, the New York Times reported.

The decor of the shelters was less than ideal  it generally included the bare minimum that would be needed to survive an extended period of time underground.

Those who had the means however, wanted to survive in style. Governor Rockefeller built his own fallout shelter in Albany which cost $3.5 million, and installed others at his various homes in Maine, Westchester County, and on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

At the 1964 World Fair in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, a Texas builder named Jay Swayze pioneered a luxury underground fallout shelter which was 5,600 square feet, air conditioned, and equipped with a 20-inch steel shell, according to Untapped Cities. It is rumored that the nuclear resistant home may still be intact beneath the New York park.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO DURING A NUCLEAR BLAST? The reason for discontinuing the building of fallout shelters was that they provided more of a liability than encouraging people to stay where they were in the case of a nuclear bomb. 'The guidance we give now is if something happens you should stay inside or get into the nearest building as quickly as possible,' Nancy Silvestri, a spokesperson for the New York Office of Emergency Management told the DailyMail.com. 'Most buildings in New York City are concrete  youd have more protection inside. Going into the subway would be safer than being outside or exposed,' she continued. The concepts behind the fallout shelters, however, remain true today. Ready.gov has identified the three key elements to protection from nuclear blasts: distance, shielding, and time. Their tips include: Distance - the more distance between you and the fallout particles, the better. An underground area such as a home or office building basement offers more protection than the first floor of a building.

- the more distance between you and the fallout particles, the better. An underground area such as a home or office building basement offers more protection than the first floor of a building. Shielding - the heavier and denser the materials - thick walls, concrete, bricks, books and earth - between you and the fallout particles, the better.

- the heavier and denser the materials - thick walls, concrete, bricks, books and earth - between you and the fallout particles, the better. Time - fallout radiation loses its intensity fairly rapidly. In time, you will be able to leave the fallout shelter. Radioactive fallout poses the greatest threat to people during the first two weeks, by which time it has declined to about 1 percent of its initial radiation level. It is advised to have a safe space in your home that is well stocked with food, flashlights, and medical supplies, as one can expect to be hidden for at least 24 hours after a nuclear blast to avoid the subsequent radiation. However, if cover is not possible, there are also a number of emergency precautions that can be taken. Do not, under any circumstances, look at the fireball or flash because it can blind you

Take off your clothes - removing the outer layer of clothing can get rid of up to 90 per cent of the radioactive material

Shower as soon as possible to clean your body of any radioactive material it was exposed to

Be careful, however, not to scrub or scratch the skin so that radioactive material doesn't enter your body

Do not use conditioner because it binds radioactive material to the hair, preventing it from rinsing out

Blow your nose, wipe your eyelashes, eyelids and ears with a clean, wet cloth Advertisement

80 New York Avenue: Crown Heights resident Nathan Pensler said that the former fallout shelter in his building now holds bikes, non-functioning washing machines and leftover building materials. At least one homeless person hid out there until recently, he said, and left behind a cell phone and two suitcases

In 2006, city workers stumbled upon a long-forgotten safe room under Brooklyn Bridge, which was filled with stockpiled supplies hidden away for decades

6th Ave and Lincoln Pl, Brooklyn: Each shelter was to be provided by the government with a federal aid survival kit  which would have cost about $2.40 per person  which included aspirin, toilet paper, tongue depressors, appetite-suppressing hard candies and ''Civil Defense Survival Rations,'' i.e., animal cracker-like biscuits,

At the 1964 World Fair in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, a Texas builder named Jay Swayze pioneered a luxury underground fallout shelter which was 5,600 square feet, air conditioned, and equipped with a 20-inch steel shell

It is rumored that the nuclear resistant home may still be intact beneath the beloved New York park

Those who had the means wanted to survive in style. Governor Rockefeller built his own fallout shelter in Albany which cost $3.5 million, and installed others at his various homes in Maine, Westchester County, and on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan

Argyle Road and Newkirk Ave, Brooklyn: However creative and well-intended the fallout shelters may have been, though, they came with their fair share of issues

However creative and well-intended the fallout shelters may have been, though, they came with their fair share of issues.

First of all, there wasnt a universal standard for building the shelters, and much of their construction differed from location to location.

Jeff Schlegelmilch, deputy director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Earth Institute of Columbia University, told Gothamist: It's all over the map in terms of how well they were designed.'

'I've heard stories of some where they were in the basement with sewage pipes dripping down and rats running around... The public ones are probably just large enclosed spaces where they're able to accommodate a large number of people in a very municipal fashion.'

Secondly  it appeared that many of them did not have the supplies they promised.

In 1966, the citys civil defense director apparently found that most of the shelters were devoid of any food, aid kits or other means of support.

At the time, he said: 'Personally, I have grave doubts that shelter-stocking is a meaningful answer for New York City in the event of nuclear war.

After funding ran out for the program in the 1970s, the urban bunkers had already fallen out of priority in favor of 'suburban, backyard' hideouts in the case of a nuclear attack. As time passed, most were converted into storage spaces in basements for the schools or government buildings in which they resided.

In 2006, however, city workers stumbled upon a long-forgotten safe room under Brooklyn Bridge, which was filled with stockpiled supplies hidden away for decades.

Boxes including plastic covered blanked and medical aid supplies such as Dextran, and antibiotic, were found beneath the bridge

On the Manhattan side of the bridge was a brick basement filled with boxes labelled For Use Only After Enemy Attack

The safe room was filled with drums of water, medicine, blankets, and 352,000 high-calorie crackers, appearing to still be edible, sealed away in airtight metal canisters

The New York Times reported that the boxes were stamped with dates which read: 1957, when the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellite, and 1962, when the Cuban missile crisis seemed to bring the world to the precipice of nuclear destruction

On the Manhattan side of the bridge was a brick basement filled with boxes labelled For Use Only After Enemy Attack that were filled with drums of water, medicine, blankets, and 352,000 high-calorie crackers, appearing to still be edible, sealed away in airtight metal canisters.

The New York Times reported that the boxes were stamped with dates which read: 1957, when the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellite, and 1962, when the Cuban missile crisis seemed to bring the world to the precipice of nuclear destruction.

Despite some of the larger shelters being stocked with enough to feed thousands, it is curious that the government would bother  knowing that if a nuclear bomb were to hit Manhattan directly, it was extremely unlikely that there would be any survivors.

11th street and Broadway: Despite some of the larger shelters being stocked with enough to feed thousands, it is curious that the government would bother  knowing that if a nuclear bomb were to hit Manhattan directly, it was extremely unlikely that there would be any survivors

Center street and Worth street: The fallout shelter housed on Centre Street and Worth Street, at the New York Mental Health and Hygiene Building is seen here

Mulberry and Worth street: Dr Jeffrey Kroessler, an expert on physical development and urban policy in New York City, told the DailyMail.com: American military and civilian investigators saw what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so no one was unaware of the scale of destruction. No one could believe that a room in the cellar of an apartment building would provide any real safety'

76 Navy Street, Brooklyn: He continued,That said, why was the United States government encouraging this when it was indisputable that fire bombings, let alone nuclear weapons, would be so devastating that survival would at best be a matter of chance? I would not want to take those odds

Dr Jeffrey Kroessler, an expert on physical development and urban policy in New York City, told the DailyMail.com: American military and civilian investigators saw what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so no one was unaware of the scale of destruction. No one could believe that a room in the cellar of an apartment building would provide any real safety.

Further, American and British investigators examined the results of their bombing campaign against German cities. They found unnumbered thousands perished in cellars, trapped under burning buildings, literally baking.

That said, why was the United States government encouraging this when it was indisputable that fire bombings, let alone nuclear weapons, would be so devastating that survival would at best be a matter of chance?

I would not want to take those odds, he added.
Connie Johnson has shared the heartbreaking reality of her life in hospice care, as she nears the end of her fight against terminal cancer.

The sister of actor Samuel Johnson described how she has been 'mourning the loss of my bodily function' in a post made to the Love Your Sister page Tuesday.

The mother-of-two revealed that while she can no longer walk and finds breathing difficult, she has been doing her best to 'find the positives'.

Connie Johnson (pictured) shared the heartbreaking reality of her life in hospice care in a post Tuesday, as she nears the end of her fight against terminal cancer

'I can't walk anymore. Breathing has become difficult with the swelling of the liver. Sitting up is difficult with the swollen abdomen,' she wrote.

Ms Johnson even revealed that eating had become 'a bit of a chore' and had left her feeling 'cheated out' of such everyday experiences.

But ever the optimist, she pointed out all the things that she was still lucky enough to have.

'I still have my mind, there's no cancer there. I still have my hands and arms for hugging my children,' Ms Johnson wrote.

'I still have eyesight for seeing my friends, I still have my hearing for lovely conversations and music.'

She finished off her note by stating how she 'celebrated' these moments and despite her battle with breast and liver cancer still managed to be 'wonderfully happy'.

The sister of actor Samuel Johnson (pictured together) described how she has been 'mourning the loss of my bodily function' since moving into hospice care

The mother-of-two revealed in the Love Your Sister post that she can no longer walk and finds breathing difficult, but has been doing her best to 'find the positives'

The post drew an overwhelmingly show of support, with more than 64,000 reactions and thousands of comments.

People praised Ms Johnson for her honesty and for sharing her story with others around the world.

'I am so amazed at your positivity and courage. I don't think you will ever know what a huge inspiration you are to so many people,' one person wrote.

Another added: 'Thank you for reminding us no matter how hard life is we still have the simple things.'

Ever the optimist, Ms Johnson pointed out all the things that she was still lucky enough to have, including 'arms for hugging my kids' and 'eyesight for seeing my friends'

Ms Johnson and her brother (pictured together) have been vigorously campaigning to raise funds and awareness to beat cancer following her diagnosis four years ago

It comes just days after the brave mum 'broke out of hospice' to take part in a fundraiser for the Hearts As Big As Yours campaign.

Ms Johnson attended the art project in Canberra on Sunday, sporting a pink beanie and big smile as she took to Instagram.

'About to break out of the hospice now. I'm on my way. Can't wait to see Marie and all the villagers. See you there soon,' she wrote.

The venture was founded by Sydney artist Marie Ramos and involves collecting fingerprints shaped like love hearts.

Ms Johnson and her brother have been vigorously campaigning to raise funds and awareness to beat cancer following her diagnosis four years ago.

The Gold-Logie winning actor rode around Australia on a unicycle in 2013, raising $1.6 million for breast cancer awareness and research.

Her post came just days after the brave mum 'broke out of hospice' to take part in a fundraiser for the Hearts As Big As Yours campaign

Ms Johnson decided to end all treatment earlier this year, having gone through a double mastectomy and gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and radiation

While this year the pair's Big Heart Project, where five cent pieces were made into a giant heart, raised more than $2 million.

Ms Johnson decided to end all treatment earlier this year, having gone through a double mastectomy and gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.

She had previously suffered bone cancer at age 11 and a tumour in her womb at 22, before she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

'That's 10 to 11 years of cancer treatment in a 40-year lifespan and I guess my organs are just saying, "No more. No more",' Connie told The Canberra Times.

The Love Your Sister social media accounts document her brave journey and her brother's never-ending support.


Charlottesville, Virginia, is planning to cover the statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson in black fabric.

The city council voted unanimously early Tuesday to shroud the statues in fabric to represent the city's mourning of Heather Heyer.

The 32-year-old woman was killed when a car rammed into a group of people protesting a white nationalist rally in the city.

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Statue of Confederate General Robert Lee to be shrouded in black to represent the city's mourning of Heather Heyer- a protester who was killed by a car on Aug. 12

Heather Heyer was killed when a car rammed into a crowd of protesters on Aug. 12

Statue of Confederate General Thomas Jackson to be shrouded in black to represent the city's mourning of Heather Heyer- a protester who was killed by a car on Aug. 12

The rally was sparked by the city's decision to remove a statue of Lee.

Tuesday's vote came after anger boiled over at the first city council meeting since the rally. Some residents screamed and cursed at councilors and called for their resignations.

A police spokeswoman said three people were arrested and released on summons for disorderly conduct.

Scores of people packed the council's chambers on Monday and Mike Signer was interrupted by shouting several times in the first few minutes of the meeting. As tensions escalated, the meeting was halted. Live video showed protesters standing on a dais with a sign that said, 'Blood on your hands.'

Anger boiled over at the first Charlottesville City Council meeting since a white nationalist rally and many called for the resignation of Mayor Mike Signer

After talking with members of the crowd, Councilor Wes Bellamy said the council would drop its agenda and focus on the crowd's concerns.

Speakers, some yelling and hurling profanities, then took turns addressing the council, some expressing frustration that leaders had granted a permit for the August 12 rally that had turned violent. Others criticized the police response to the event, which drew hundreds of white nationalists and other counter-protesters.

The two sides clashed violently in the street that day, largely uninterrupted by authorities, until the event was declared an unlawful assembly and the crowd was forced to disperse.

Later, a car rammed into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman and injuring 19 others. The death toll for the day climbed to three when a helicopter that had been monitoring the event and assisting with the governor's motorcade crashed, killing two state troopers.

Speakers, some yelling and hurling profanities, expressed frustration that leaders had granted a permit for the August 12 rally that had turned violent

The event dubbed 'Unite the Right' was sparked by the city's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

At one point, the crowd chanted, 'Signer must go.'

Elsewhere in Charlottesville, dozens of students rallied Monday night at the University of Virginia in rejection of the violence. Video of the event streamed by the newspaper on social media showed students marching on the stately grounds of Virginia's flagship public university.

The event was billed as a 'reclaim our grounds' rally and organizers said it was held to highlight the advances made at the university to end racism and discrimination in recent decades. The organizers also said via social media that they were seeking to send a message to the university leadership that more advances were still needed.

Others criticized the police response to the event, which drew hundreds of white nationalists and other counter-protesters.

Earlier Monday, the man who authorities say drove his car into the crowd of counter-protesters Aug. 12 made a second court appearance. The Charlottesville Commonwealth's Attorney's Office said James Alex Fields Jr., 20, appeared by video Monday. It was his first hearing on a second set of charges filed against him last week.

Senior assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nina Antony says a judge declined for now to set bond for Fields, who has another hearing Friday. The charges against Fields include second-degree murder. In addition to the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, police said, some of the 19 people injured when the crowd was rammed by the car suffered serious and permanent injuries.

Fields' attorney couldn't immediately be reached.

A sign asks Mayor Mike Signor to resign during the Charlottesville City Council meeting, As tensions escalated, the meeting was halted. Live video showed protesters standing on a dais with a sign that said, 'Blood on your hands'

In developments elsewhere, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday he would not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments following the white supremacist march in Virginia.

Ryan was asked at a town hall organized in his Wisconsin congressional district whether he would back the resolution that comes following Trump's comments about the Virginia rally. The question came from Rabbi Dena Feingold, the sister of former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who grew up in the same city as Ryan.

Ryan said censuring Trump would be 'counterproductive.'

In developments elsewhere, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday he would not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments following the white supremacist march in Virginia

'If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-fest, bickering between one another ... what good does that do to unify this country?' Ryan said, adding that it would be the 'worst thing we could do.'

While Ryan said he wouldn't support censuring Trump, he gave his sharpest criticism to date of the president's comments in the wake of the Charlottesville rally. Ryan had previously spoken out against the violence, both on Twitter and in a statement earlier Monday, but he hadn't previously addressed Trump's comments directly.

'I do believe he messed up on his comments on Tuesday,' Ryan said, referring to Trump asserting there were good people on 'both sides' of the Charlottesville rally. But he added he believes Trump has clarified his remarks.
Video footage shows the moment a train driver is caught dozing off at the controls by a shocked passenger.

The driver was filmed in Changchun City, northeastern China earlier this month.

The company that owns the train network has said that they are investigating the case further.

In the footage, the driver's hand can be seen on the controls as he begins to nod off

In the footage, the driver can be seen with his hand on a control.

All of a sudden, his head starts to bob up and down and he has fallen asleep.

Napping on the job: His head started bobbing and he can be seen falling asleep

The video was taken on line four of the Changchun City in north east China.

According to Changchun transit, they are investigating the case and the driver has been suspended.

The spokesman did not comment on whether the light rail system is automated or manned.

People have been discussing the video on social media site Weibo.

One user commented: 'His thumb seems to still be holding the button.'

While another wrote: 'Tired with no rest, you can't blame him.'
A lesbian couple have been awarded $3.25million for emotional distress against their own lawyer after their adopted baby boy was reclaimed by his birth mother, only to be murdered by his father weeks later.

Rachel and Heidi McFarland, of Des Moines, Iowa, were awarded the considerable sum after a jury agreed that their adoption attorney, Jason Rieper, acted negligently by not getting the child's biological parents to sever their parental rights.

The McFarlands were at the birth of their son Gabriel in December 2013 - and even cut the umbilical cord.

But just a few months later, the teenage birth mom Markeya Atkins, then-16, changed her mind about the adoption and took him back from the women who had brought him up as their own.

Rachel and Heidi McFarland, pictured with baby Gabriel, have been awarded $3.25million after their adopted son was reclaimed by his birth mother, only to be murdered by his father weeks later

Within a few weeks, Gabriel's father, Drew Weehler-Smith, then-17, was arrested for murdering the little boy. He has since been sentenced to 50 years in jail.

The couple said they were devastated when they learned that the little boy they considered their own son had died - while watching the news.

'It's like he's been taken away from you again,' Rachel McFarland told the Des Moines Register in 2014.

'We brought him home from the hospital. I cut his umbilical cord.'

The couple, who had supported the mother fina ncially through her pregnancy and had been with her at every doctor's appointment, spent every waking moment with the baby - and had even planned to learn sign language after learning Gabriel was born deaf in one ear, in case he lost the hearing in his other ear.

Teen mom: Gabriel's mother, Markeya Atkins, 16, pictured left took him back on March 13. He was killed by his birth father five weeks later

Rachel and Heidi McFarland, of Des Moines, Iowa, were awarded the considerable sum after a judge agreed that their own adoption attorney, Jason Rieper, acted negligently by not getting the child's biological parents to sever their parental rights

The couple say Jason Rieper (pictured) acted negligently by not getting the child's biological parents to sever their parental rights - something he denies

'It just felt natural. When he was with us it just felt right. Like we were always meant to be moms,' Rachel told WHOTV.com.

The couple said they repeatedly asked Atkins if she wanted to go ahead with the adoption and she said 'yes.'

After the tragic loss of their son, t hey filed a negligence lawsuit against Rieper in August 2014, claiming he failed to complete the basic adoption paperwork, which left the couple powerless when Atkins decided she wanted her baby back, Yahoo reports.

The couple said that the judgement felt like a weight has been lifted although they revealed they were unlikely to see all, if any, of the sum awarded for emotional distress after Rieper revealed he plans to challenge the result.

Rachel, who now has two daughters with Heidi, said that when they were told in March that Atkins wanted Gabriel back, their lawyer said there was nothing they could do.

'If the lawyer had done what he was supposed to do, the birth mother would have signed a document called a release of custody and 4 days after she signed it, it would have been almost impossible for her or the baby's father to take Gabriel away from them,' Roxanne Conlin, who represented the couple, wrote in a post on Facebook.

'The lawyer just didn't get around to it.

'The birth mom got mad at the McFarlands and ripped this baby away from the only parents and the only home he had known.'

Drew Weehler-Smith received a 50-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his son, Gabriel,

Grief: Heidi and Rachel McFarland in court in Des Moines for the sentencing of Drew Weehler-Smith

Conlin added that the jury had been unaware that Weehler-Smith had murdered the little boy five weeks after he was returned to his birth mother who was out buying concert tickets.

'The jury 'also didn't know that for every hour of every day he was not with them, Heida and Rachel worried that he was living in a cockroach invested apartment with a 16-year-old who drank and took drugs.

'God bless the civil justice system for holding people accountable for the damage they do to others and to this jury who came to the right conclusion even without all of the evidence.'

Rieper's lawyer said he plans to challenge the jury's verdict in the civil trial.

He added that the birth mom had been emotional and that it would have been unethical for Rieper to have tried to 'force' her to sign the paperwork.

Four-month-old Gabriel King McFarland was found unresponsive on April 22, 2014, by his mother after she left the baby in the care of his father at their Des Moines home.

The boy later passed away, with an autopsy showing Gabriel of an abusive head trauma, which authorities say he suffered at the hands of his dad, who was 17 at the time.

Loss: Four-month-old Gabriel McFarland died on April 22 last year after he suffered an abusive head trauma while in the care of his teenage father. Gabriel's mother had just taken him back from adoption

Teen mom: Gabriel's mother, Markeya Atkins, 16, pictured left took him back on March 13 2014. He was killed by his birth father five weeks later Scene: According to police, the young mom left the baby with Weehler-Smith in an apartment, pictured, in the 6500 block of Chaffee Road in Des Moines while she went to the library and to run errands

'I never thought in my wildest dreams this would happen,' Atkins told WHO-TV shortly after the tragedy.

She explained that, after discovering she was pregnant five months along, she knew that she wouldn't be able to raise the little boy so decided to give him up for adoption.

'I just thought  the rest of my life  am I really ready to give away the rest of my life for someone,' she said. 'And I just felt like it was the best way to go about it.'

But in February 2014, she visited the couple's home and had second thoughts when she saw Rachel kiss the little boy and said 'mommy's here'. She passed back the baby and stormed out, she said.

Afterwards, the couple texted Atkins' mother and said she wouldn't be allowed to visit alone without her mother there in the future - which angered Atkins, she said.

'It really hurt my feelings because my mom was not there when I made the baby,' she said.

She made a list of pros and cons about taking her son back and 'couldn't for the life of me' think why she would want to have him again, she said.

New beginnings: Rachel (left) and Heidi (right) McFarland have since adopted a little girl, London (pictured in 2015) and given birth to another

She said that she did not appreciate the adoptive couple telling her that they hoped the tragedy would be a wake-up call for the girl.

'They have no right to talk to me about that,' she said. 'I did absolutely nothing wrong.'

She decided to take the baby back, something she was allowed to do under Iowa law without the signed paperwork.

In Iowa, the birth mother has three months and then one additional 31-day probationary period to change her mind about giving up her baby.

Meanwhile, the McFarlands have focused on overcoming the tragedy and have since had two children.

The women were able to adopt their baby, London, after being contacted by a mom-to-be who was touched by their story and had been searching for adoptive parents.
A children's book website has been slammed by Jewish leaders for encouraging kids to dress up as a fictional victim of the Holocaust.

The blog post on the Children's Books Daily website suggested children dress up as a character from The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, whose title character is a child being held at a Nazi death camp during World War II.

Titled '23 Easy Book Week 2017 Costumes Inspired by Kids Favourite Books', the post appeared on the website run by Megan Daley, a teacher librarian at St Aidans Anglican Girls School in Brisbane.

A children's book website has been slammed by Jewish leaders for encouraging kids to dress up as a fictional victim of the Holocaust (pictured)

The blog post on the Children's Books Daily website suggested children dress up as a character from The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (pictured)

'Its so wonderful that the book like The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas makes the 'best loved' list for kids,' the post began, penned by blogger Bron Maxabella of parenting page Maxabella Loves.

'One for older primary kids to honour, all you need are a pair of striped pyjamas,' the post stated.

The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas is a novel about a young boy who moves with his family from Berlin to Poland and befriends a boy, wearing stripped clothing, on the other side of a fence, unaware he is in a concentration camp.

A comment was then added underneath by Daley, the website's editor.

'(Edit from Megan: Despite this being a book character who many readers young and old identify with, when choosing to dress as a historical figure, please remain sensitive to the feelings that can surround historical events portrayed in fiction.)'

An apology was made on the website's Facebook page which was responded to with a mixture of support and outrage

Anti-Discrimination Commission's Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich, couldn't believe the 'shocking level of ignorance demonstrated by the person who authored this list'.

He has called for the introduction of mandatory Holocaust education in Australia following the suggestion on the post.

'Clearly, this offensive and ill-judged suggestion is a timely wake call that we all have much work to do in ensuring that all everyone understands the enormity of the Holocaust, not only to the Jewish community, but to all the victims, the survivors and to those Australian soldiers who fought to defeat the Third Reich,' the statement said.

The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas is a novel about a young boy who moves with his family from Berlin to Poland and befriends a boy in a concentration camp who wears 'stripped pyjamas'

He suggested the person who wrote the text visit Auschwitz so they can grasp an idea of 'the genocide that Hitler and his regime unleashed' on their countless victims and 'understand that this bizarre inclusion was tasteless, hurtful and offensive.'

The author of the post Maxabella Loves told Daily Mail Australia she now feels dreadful about the lapse in judgement made when penning the post.

'I apologise unreservedly for including The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas in a list of ideas for Book Week costumes.

Anti-Discrimination Commission's Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich, couldn't believe the 'shocking level of ignorance demonstrated by the person who authored this list'

'I had no thought beyond honouring a book that I love. I acknowledge and own the fact that it was a thoughtlessly insensitive mistake.'

She said she had no further comment to make, citing it was a 'distressing time'.

An apology was made on the website's Facebook page.

'We have deleted the post with deep and sincere apologies to all of you and to Megan, who is devastated and would never knowingly cause offence to anyone,' it read.

The post on the website has since been removed.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Megan Daley for comment.
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster helped persuade President Donald Trump to recommit to the Afghanistan war effort by showing him an old photo of Afghan women strolling the streets of Kabul wearing miniskirts.

The visual aid was meant to demonstrate to the president that Western norms could be restored to Afghanistan through U.S. persistence in the war effort that has dragged on for 16 years.

The photo McMaster showed was a 1972 black-and-white image of women in miniskirts walking in the Afghan capital, the Washington Post reported.

The idea was to convince the president that it was not a hopeless cause to continue.

VISUAL AID: National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster helped persuade President Donald Trump to recommit to the Afghanistan war effort by showing him A 1972 black and white image of Afghan women strolling the streets of Kabul in mini-skirts

Previous reports have stated that Trump likes to receive information with charts and other visual aids.

McMaster's ploy was part of a months long effort by generals and other advisors who wanted him to recommit to the 16-year old war that Trump himself had called a 'waste' in a series of tweets before he got elected.

'My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts,' Trump said Monday night.

Aghan women in 1979 in the streets of Kabul. Gen. H.R. McMaster showed the president an image of Afghan women in miniskirts to show the city once had western mores that could be restored with more troops

Others in the administration, like forced out chief strategist Stephen Bannon, were urging a decision to cut the nation's losses. As it turns out, both Bannon and former chief of staff Reince Priebus were forced out in the final weeks of the Afghan strategy.

Trump referenced his decision-making process in his speech. ''So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy,' the president said.

Picture taken in 1962 of Afghan women passing by a street in Kabul. As four of them are dressed in a complete head-to-toe garment with a mesh covered opening for the eyes, one is clad at the Western style

Afghan women have been permitted to be unvieled in public since 1959. Kabul, Afghanistan

President Donald Trump announces his strategy for the war in Afghanistan during an address to the nation from Fort Myer, Virginia, U.S., August 21, 2017

Defense Sec. James Mattis also warned the president of the consequences of withdrawal  and the president's remarks made repeated reference to the risks of a 'hasty' removal of forces.

A third general, new White House chief of staff John Kelly, also held sway, as the trio of men with decades of military experience persuaded the commander in chief to keep up the fight.

'Talking to generals, he realized, you pull out completely and this is what happens: You endanger lives, you endanger American interests, allies, troops, Afghanis who are our friends, and it's not a stable government,' an official told the paper.

McMaster chafed at a Bannon proposal to rely on military contractors backed up by just a small contingent of U.S. troops.

Ivanka Trump, US First Lady Melania Trump and US Vice President Mike Pence await the arrival of US President Donald Trump to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia

In this photograph taken on October 19, 2016, Afghan women, who were displaced by Kunduz fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban insurgents, gather at a makeshift camp in the outskirts of Kabul

Afghan shoes maker work at the roadside as burqa-clad women walk in a street market in Kabul,Afghanistan on October 28,2014. The war-torn country still faces poverty, unemployment and lack of infrastructure

A view of the destruction caused by a suicide truck bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan on June 1, 2017. At least 90 people were killed and over 400 were wounded after the explosion

First lady Melania Trump (C-R) stands with Ivanka Trump (C) before US President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on American involvement in Afghanistan at the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Virginia, USA, 21 August 2017

Breitbart News, where Bannon returned, on Monday ran a story quoting Prince defending his proposal to rely on a private army of 5,500.

'Sadly, I anticipate [Trump] to roll over and accept the same failed DOD paradigm of the last 16 years,' Prince, the founder of the former Blackwater USA firm, told Breitbart.

'As interested in diversity as the Pentagon claims to be, they aren't interested in diversity of opinions on how to end their longest war,' he continued.

Bannon departed from his post on Friday, and wasn't at the Camp David decision-making retreat.
German police have seized a huge batch of orange-colored ecstasy pills shaped like the face of Donald Trump.

Two traffickers were busted smuggling the stash, with a street value of around $46,000, in a car on the A30 Motorway in the north-western city of Osnabruck.

The car, driven by a 56-year-old man and carrying his 17-year-old son, was stopped on Sunday evening by German traffic police during a random traffic stop.

German police have seized a huge batch of orange-colored ecstasy pills shaped like the face of Donald Trump

To their surprise, the German cops found a stash of around 5,000 ecstasy pills hidden in the car.

The pills were found in plastic bags, together with a large amount of cash.

The ecstasy pills all came in the shape of the face of US President with the words 'Trump' and 'NL' written on the back.

All the pills were aptly coloured in the same tint as the American President's infamous orange hue.

Local media reported that the car had Austrian number plates.

The suspects said they had travelled to the Netherlands because they were interested in buying a car, but had returned empty-handed to Germany in the direction of Hanover.

Two traffickers were busted smuggling the stash, with a street value of around $46,000, in a car on the A30 Motorway in the north-western city of Osnabruck

The police, however, suspect them of having bought the pills on the Dutch market for around 11,000 ($13,000).

Both father and son were arrested while the drugs, money and their car were seized.

Dutch-made Donald Trump pills have been showing up for some time on the UK market, according to reports.

On the darknet, they are sold with the slogan 'Trump makes partying great again', referring to the famous slogan of the American President, 'Let's make America great again'.

The A30 Motorway which links Amsterdam with the German capital of Berlin and the Polish capital of Warsaw is often used by drug smugglers and other criminals.
The parents of two 13-year-olds are desperately searching for their children after the teens vanished together over the weekend.

Jeremy Ogden, of Humble, and his girlfriend Halie Journet, were last seen early Sunday morning.

'When we went to her bedroom, her mother said she wasn't there,' Andre Journet, Halie's father told KPRC 2.

Toni Ogden, Jeremy's mother, said her son may have left home because he's dealing with the grief from his older brother's death.

Jeremy Ogden (left), of Humble, and his girlfriend Halie Journet (right), were last seen early Sunday morning. The parents of the 13-year-olds are desperately searching for their children after the teens who have been missing for 48 hours

Toni Ogden, Jeremy's mother, said her son may have left home because he's dealing with the grief from his older brother's death. Jeremy's (center) older brother, Fort Hood soldier Justen Ogden (right), was found unresponsive in his home on Tuesday, July 11

The circumstances surrounding Justen Ogden's death remain under investigation, Fort Hood officials said. Toni Ogden said Justen (left) was Jeremy's (right) 'best friend and idol' and his brother's death has 'been really hard on him'

'His oldest brother was his best friend and his idol,' said Ogden. 'He was active-service military. That's been really hard on him.'

Jeremy's older brother, Fort Hood soldier Justen Ogden, was found unresponsive in his home on Tuesday, July 11.

The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation, Fort Hood officials said.

Toni Ogden said Jeremy kept going into his older sister's bedroom and the last time she saw him was around 3am on Sunday.

By the time the family woke up on Sunday, Jeremy took his sister's car keys and drove left the home in her car.

'We've been driving around, searching the streets, searching the neighborhoods, searching anywhere he might go,' Jeremy's mother, Toni Ogden, told the station.

The Ogden family believe the pair are driving around the Houston area in a gray Nissan Altima SL that belongs to Jeremy's sister.

According to Ogden, the car has paper tags and a cheetah print license plate cover.

Toni Ogden (pictured) said Jeremy kept going into his older sister's bedroom and the last time she saw him was around 3am on Sunday. By the time the family woke up on Sunday, his sister's keys and car were gone

Andre Journet (pictured), Halie's also said that he just wants his daughter to know that she is loved and 'there's nothing you can do that would erase the love that we have'. 'We want her to just come home. We can work anything out,' he said

Both parents are asking the public to be on the lookout for the Altima with paper tag number 47P5505

Ogden said she's 'really scared and worried' and she just wants her son to come back home.

Journet also said that he just wants his daughter to know that she is loved and 'there's nothing you can do that would erase the love that we have'.

'We want her to just come home. We can work anything out,' he said.

Jeremy's mother said he has a phone that only workes on Wi-Fi, but she hasn't received any pings that would find the teens' location. The phone seems to be out of power.

Both parents are asking the public to be on the lookout for the Altima with paper tag number 47P5505.

The public is also encouraged to call Harris County Precinct 4 at 281-376-3472 with any information regarding the children.
Authorities confirmed Monday that burned human bones found on a rural Missouri property earlier this month belonged to missing 16-year-old Savannah Leckie

Remains of a teenage girl have been found in a burn pit on her biological mother's rural Missouri property after she left her adoptive parents to go live with her.

Authorities confirmed on Monday that burned human bones found earlier this month on the property in Longrun, south-west of St. Louis, belonged to missing 16-year-old Savannah Leckie.

Savannah had been reported missing from her home in late July where she had been living with her biological mother Rebecca Ruud, 39, and her mom's boyfriend.

The human remains were discovered on August 4 when police started searching Ruud's 81-acre farm property.

Investigators found bone fragments, two intact finger bones, a large vertebra bone and several items that appeared to be teeth when they sifted through ash in a burn pit on the property.

'From information I received (on Monday) from forensic specialists, and evidence that was obtained, the remains that were recovered are those of 16-year-old Savannah Leckie, of Longrun,' Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed told the Star Tribune.

Savannah had been reported missing from her home in late July where she had been living with her biological mother Rebecca Ruud (pictured together)

The teenager went to live with her biological mother in Missouri 11 months ago after reportedly not getting along with her adoptive mom's new boyfriend divorced

Savannah (right) was adopted at birth and grew up in Minnesota with her adoptive parents Tamile Montague (Left)) and David Leckie. The couple have since divorced

During the search of the property, police had seized a meat grinder, a knife and 26 bottles of lye, which can be used to speed up the breakdown of human tissue.

Savannah was adopted at birth and grew up in Minnesota with her adoptive parents Tamile Montague and David Leckie. The couple have since divorced.

The teenager went to live with her biological mother in Missouri 11 months ago after reportedly not getting along with her adoptive mom's new boyfriend.

Savannah was reported missing from the home by Ruud on July 20.

Ruud told police Savannah was home when she went to bed the night before but had disappeared by the time she woke. She said she searched the property herself before contacting authorities.

During the search of the remote property (above), police had seized a meat grinder, a knife and 26 bottles of lye, which can be used to speed up the breakdown of human tissue

Ruud (left) and her boyfriend Robert E. Peat Jr. (right), who was also living at the farmbut is not the teen's biological father, got married on the same day Savannah's remains were found on the property

She started a GoFundMe page to raise money for a lawyer after revealing she was a suspect in her daughter's disappearance. The page has since been taken down.

Ruud and her boyfriend Robert E. Peat Jr., who was also living at the farm but is not the teen's biological father, got married on the same day Savannah's remains were found on the property.

Married couples don't have to testify against each other but it isn't always the case if the victim is under the age of 18, according to the sheriff.

Jail records show Rudd is currently in custody but no charges had been filed.

Savannah's adoptive father David Leckie posted a tribute to his daughter on August 9 revealing news of her death.

'My daughter Savannah has passed away in Missouri. I would like to thank everyone that has prayed for her and our family. My Faith in God will get us through this and I will forever miss.my sweet girl,' he wrote.
The Swiss Parliament is to vote on whether to ban the import of kosher and halal meat in the country amid criticism from Jewish leaders.

The piece of legislation was introduced in June and would make it illegal to bring any meat into the country which was slaughtered in a manner deemed to be inhumane if agreed.

It would include both halal and kosher meat because the animal is conscious when they are slaughtered.

Undated handout photo issued by Animal Aid of a screen grab taken from spy-cam footage of a halal slaughterhouse, where sheep have their throats cut without being stunned, which has led to action by the Food Standards Agency

A client of a super market Carrefour chose to halal meat in a rack, Hazebrouck in France

Herbert Winter, president of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, told the Jewish Chronicle the bill would 'be a massive limitation on the religious freedoms of Jews' in Switzerland.

The organisation also branded the move an antisemitic act.

Last year, the population of Switzerland was 8.37million, of which 17,500 were Jewish and around 450,000 Muslims.

The act of religious slaughter in the neutral country has been banned since 1893, but at the moment the import of such products is legal despite a number of attempts to block it.

Despite the religious element to the vote, with Muslims eating halal and Jews eating kosher meats, the main point of contention appears to be the effect it would have on Swiss cuisine.

According to the Tages Anzeiger newspaper, the strongest opposition to the bill has come from those against it effectively banning foie gras and goose liver pate, which is popular in Switzerland.

No date has been set for the vote.
The famed New York City landmark The Plaza Hotel is expected to go up for sale.

The Sahara Group, an India- based conglomerate and the hotel's majority owner enlisted JLL Hotels and Hospitality Group, to help find a buyer, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Hiring a broker indicates the Sahara Group is serious about selling after several investors including celebrities and governments, have courted purchasing the property in recent years.

The grand entrance to The Plaza Hotel

Donald Trump and Ivana Trump attend a dinner at The Plaza Hotel in 1989

Majestic. The Plaza Hotel on a sunny New York City day

Qatari sovereign-wealth fund, a Shanghai municipal investment fund and Pras Michel, co-founder of the hip-hop group Fugees have expressed interest in the property.

The hotel is estimated to be worth more than half a billion dollars, with rooms valued around $2million each.

Interested investors had gone as far as taking meetings with Sahara founder and Chairman Subrata Roy, where he was incarcerated in a jail in New Delhi- as he was serving a two-year-sentence on contempt charges.

Actress Marilyn Monroe during a press conference, leans over a banister at the Plaza Hotel in New York City

Jackie Kennedy talks to Baroness De La Bovillerie at the Wild West Ball at The Plaza

Senators Edward Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy attend Democratic National Committee Fundraising Dinner on December 10, 1967 at the Plaza Hotel

The Beatles pictured at a press Conference at their suite in The Plaza Hotel New York, 1964

None of those talks moved to a sale, which left potential buyers frustrated and unsure Sahara was serious about selling, according to the WSJ.

The storied legacy of the 110-year-old hotel is rich with famous faces and dignitaries alike.

John F Kennedy, Marilyn Monore and the Beatles have all stayed at the hotel that was also once owned by a not yet President Donald Trump.

The 'State Room' one of the ornate meeting rooms of The Plaza Hotel

A 5th Avenue Suite at The Plaza

The dining room at the Plaza Hotel

The Palm Court Restaurant at the Plaza Hotel

The Plaza Hotel has been in countless films including Alfred Hitchcock's 'North by Northwest' (1959) and was featured in the American classic novel The Great Gatsby (1925).

Sean Hennessey, chief executive officer of Lodging Advisors, a hotel consulting company not involved in the sale, tells WSJ hiring a broker is real indication a sale is likely.

'This suggests a commitment to consummate a transaction,' Hennessey said. Also a broker 'might draw people back that looked once and walked away.'

The Plaza Hotel's buying and selling history is as rich as its guest.

Conrad Hilton bought the Plaza Hotel for $7.4million in October 1943.

Donald Trump purchased the Plaza in 1988 for $390million, and said of the buy: 'I haven't purchased a building, I have purchased a masterpiece  the Mona Lisa. For the first time in my life, I have knowingly made a deal that was not economic  for I can never justify the price I paid.'

Mosaic tiles at The Plaza (left), the hotel was granted landmark status by the city of New York in 1986 (right)

A deal was made with the Plaza's creditors under Trump to take a 49 per cent stake in the hotel to forgive its $250million debt and was submitted as a prepackaged bankruptcy in 1992.

Roy and Sahara have considered offers on the Plaza over the years to raise money to pay off debtors, according to the WSJ. Roy has been out on parole since 2016.

Owners of The Plaza Hotel Conrad Hilton bought the Plaza Hotel for $7.4 million in October 1943 The Childs Company, a national restaurant chain, purchased The Plaza from Hilton on November 18, 1955 for $6.2 million in stock (equivalent of $56.6 million today).[10] Childs had partnered in the development of the neighboring Savoy-Plaza Hotel,[11] (now the site of the General Motors Building). Childs sold the Plaza to Westin Hotels in 1975 for $25 million Westin sold The Plaza to Donald Trump for $390 million on March 27, 1988 (equivalent of $790 million today). In 1995, CDL Hotels International and Saudi prince Al-Waleed bin Talal purchased a controlling stake in the Plaza in a deal that valued it at $325 million (equivalent of $511 million today). The hotel was sold in 2004 for $675 million (equivalent of $856 million today) to Israeli-owned Manhattan-based developer, El Ad Properties El Ad bought the hotel with plans of adding residential and commercial sections. Since the Plaza Hotel is a New York landmark, Tishman Construction Corporation, the construction management company hired to complete the renovations and conversions, had to comply with landmark regulations. El Ad temporarily closed the Plaza Hotel on April 30, 2005, for extensive renovations costing $450 million. Beginning May 2005, the Plaza Hotel's contents were available to the public via a liquidation sale. The hotel reopened on March 1, 2008, offering 282 hotel rooms and 152 private condominium units; it is managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. On July 31, 2012, India's business group Sahara India Pariwar agreed to buy a 75 percent controlling stake for $570 million from El Ad Properties. In August 2014, Sahara's Subrata Roy announced he was seeking a buyer for his company's majority stake in the Plaza Advertisement




Drone footage has captured a massive brawl between two rival biker gangs in Ottowa, Illinois, 80 miles southwest of Chicago.

Four men from the motorcycle gangs the Hells Angels and the The Outlaws have been arrested, and three are charged with felonies.

50 to 75 bikers were involved in the incident that occurred Sunday night, according to police.

The whole fight only lasted about 45 seconds. Police were stationed outside the bar before the brawl broke out.

Amazing drone footage captured a 45 second biker brawl in Ottowa, Illinois Sunday night

Ottawa police say they recovered two handguns, multiple knives and other weapons including brass knuckles.

One police officer received minor injuries. He was treated and released from a local hospital.

Craig Varner, 45, was cited for expired registration.

Ottowa police arrested three men on felony charges and recovered two handguns, multiple knives, and other weapons

The fight lasted less than a minute because police were already standing by outside the bar

Christopher Tondini, 39, was charged with unlawfully altering his registration.

Robert Thoman, 53, was arrested on complaints of mob action, and possession of brass knuckles, a broken glass bottle and bringing a gun into a bar.

The most serious charges are against Eric Cronin, 38. He was arrested on complaints of mob action and aggravated assault upon a peace officer for allegedly assaulting a police officer with a knife.

Shannon Cantu filmed all the action on his drone after hearing about a possible fight. He posted the video to Facebook Sunday night, where it already has 175,000 views.
This is the moment a skydiver plunged from a glider and caught the 'best dive of her career' on film after overcoming horrendous injuries sustained in a car crash.

Nicole Smith of Cleveland in Georgia is shown flying in a Fox glider above the Desert Campus at Skydive Dubai.

The professional American skydiver was shot from multiple cameras at different angles on the jump, which is one of the world's most exclusive.

She is shown flinging herself from the passenger seat of the aerobatic aircraft to freefall to the ground alone.

The footage even won an award from camera makers GoPro after Ms Smith joined the elite group of skydivers given the unique chance to jump from the plane.

Nicole Smith feared she'd never walk again, but filmed this skydive over the Dubai desert

She completed the solo freefall after overcoming a broken neck and two brain injuries

Fewer than 100 people have been allowed to perform the stunt so far.

She first skydived in 2007 with her husband when she was working as a retail manager of a big retail company and completed four dives.

Writing on GoPro's website, she said the dive gave her a sense of freedom.

'From the first time I jumped out of an airplane, I felt free.

'Its the most exciting, powerful, liberating, nerve-wracking, and peaceful experience I have ever had - if you can imagine such a combination.

Cameras shooting from multiple angles captured her flinging herself out of the glider

'Ive learned trying to describe the sensation of skydiving is like trying to describe the taste of water.'

But in 2010 Nicole was widowed aged just 25.

She continued: 'After a year of soul searching, I decided I was ready to skydive on my own.

'On January 7, 2011, I signed up for an Accelerated Freefall class (AFF) at my local dropzone. My instructors were Jeremy Marston and Miki Baranowski.'

That same year she completed the course and became a licensed skydiver, finding love again with her instructor Jeremy.

Fewer than 100 people have completed this dive, an elite club Ms Smith has now joined

But heartbreak struck once more when he died in a car crash - and Ms Smith was left with serious injuries.

She said feared she would never walk again.

'I was in critical condition. I was helicoptered to a trauma hospital in Atlanta. I sustained a broken neck, back, tailbone, punctured lung, two broken ribs, four pelvic fractures, and two brain injuries.

'The doctors prepared my family for the worst. My prognosis was bleak. The physicians suspected the brain injuries would prohibit me from being able to converse as I had before the accident.

In 2012 she became the youngest person to skydive in all 50 US states

'Because of the pelvic injuries, the doctors also suspected it would be next to impossible for me to walk without some type of assistance.'

But she was walking again after a year of physiotherapy. She quit her job and became a professional skydiver and went on to complete more than 2,000 skydives.

And in 2012 she became the youngest person to skydive in all 50 US states.

She once again found happiness with the instructor, who took her on her very first dive 10 years ago and the pair are now engaged.

Tandem skydive and accelerated free fall instructor Nicole said: 'I get the chance to share my love and passion for skydiving with my students (and anyone, really) every single day. I am living my dream every day.'
First look: This old school photo shows Andrew Schneck, 25, who is suspected of attempting to blow up a Confederate statue at a Houston Park

A 25-year-old Texas man who has been arrested for allegedly trying to plant a bomb on a Confederate statue at a Houston Park has previously been convicted of storing explosives at his parents' house.

According to prosecutors, Andrew Schneck was caught on Saturday evening kneeling next to a statue of Richard Dowling, a lieutenant in the Confederate army, in Hermann Park.

A Houston park ranger found Schneck holding two boxes with duct tape and wires as well as a bottle and a small tube containing compounds that tests later revealed were explosive materials, according to a criminal complaint.

Schneck was charged with attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property receiving federal financial assistance. He made his initial court appearance on Monday and was to remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Thursday.

It has since emerged that in October 2013, federal agents searched a home where Schneck lived with his parents looking for chemicals that could be used to make nerve or tear gas.

In 2014 Schneck, who has a Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, was arrested on a charge of improperly storing explosive materials.

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Schneck was allegedly found kneeling near a statue of Richard Dowling, a lieutenant in the Confederate army, in Hermann Park (above) in Houston on Saturday with a box of explosives

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation and a fine of nearly $160,000, according to Click2Houston. Last November, a federal judge approved a request by Schneck's attorneys for early termination of his sentence.

In his motion, his defense lawyer had written that Schneck 'is not a risk to public safety' and that 'his focus is no longer concentrated on high-risk activities.'

Investigators were still determining a motive for Saturday's attempted bombing of the park monument but there are no indications of any additional threats to the Houston area, said Deron Ogletree, assistant special agent in charge with the FBI's Houston office.

Authorities allege that Schneck was caught with a plastic bottle with what is likely nitroglycerin, an active ingredient in the manufacture of explosives, and with a small black aluminum tube that contained a white powder that tests showed was Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, which is used as an initiating or primary explosive.

ln its undiluted form, nitroglycerin is one of the world's most powerful explosives.

When he was confronted by the park ranger, Schneck tried to drink the bottle that had the nitroglycerin but spit out the liquid and then poured it out on the ground.

When asked by [the park ranger] if he wanted to harm the statue, Schneck responded that he did, and that he did not like that guy," according to the criminal complaint.

The FBI swarmed a home in Houston on Monday near where Schneck's parents live. It came just days after the 25-year-old was arrested for allegedly trying to bomb a statue

Houston firefighters arrive a the scene of a 'law enforcement operation' led by the FBI in Houston linked to Schneck's arrest

FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Houston Police work at the scene on the 2000 block of Albans Road Monday

The statue is honoring Richard W. Dick Dowling, an Ireland-born Houston saloon owner. His Confederate unit defeated a Union invasion force at the Battle of Sabine Pass in 1863.

Dowling was hailed as a war hero in Houston, and the end of the war saw him resume his successful business career until his death in 1867.

The Houston police bomb squad said a timer, wires connected to a homemade detonator, battery and the Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine found in Schneck's possession were capable to produce a viable explosive device, according to court documents.

Schneck told police he had other chemicals at his Houston home. On Monday, houses located near Schneck's home were evacuated as authorities worked to dispose of materials found in his home, where he lives with his mother, Cecily Horton, who is a Yale-educated art appraiser and a trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Andrew's father, also named Andrew Schenck, was doctorate student in urban and regional sciences at Texas A&M at the time of his son's first arrest in 2013, reported The Eagle.

The materials were disposed of during a small controlled explosion at the address on Monday afternoon, according to Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Pena.

FBI agents evacuated several homes near where Schneck's parents lived on Monday after finding 'significant hazardous materials' inside a property

Authorities would not confirm if the materials found in the home on Monday were related to Schneck's arrest

Authorities declined to specify what materials they found in the home, citing the ongoing investigation.

Schneck's mother told authorities that her son uses one of their properties to conduct his chemistry experiments, according to the complaint.

If convicted of the charges against him, Schneck faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had previously announced the city had begun compiling an inventory of its Confederacy-related statues to determine if any action should be taken with regard to them.

I'm going to ask everybody in this city to remain calm. I understand everybody has a First Amendment right. But you do not have a First Amendment Right to deface any of the public art, any of the statues, the monuments that exist in this city, Turner said.

Schneck's arrest comes just over a week after the unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a white supremacist rally over the removal of a statue honoring Confederate General robertE Lee resulted in three deaths, and the removals of other statues nationwide, including at Duke University and late Sunday evening at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dozens of daycares have been shut down after ripping off tax-payers by claiming children who do not exist were under their care.

The daycares had been providing incorrect records to the government and creating 'phantom children,' according to the Herald Sun.

A school in western Sydney was stripped of funding last year for billing taxpayers for children were overseas, the Daily Telegraph reported.

However, more than 70 per cent of the Victorian services that were suspended or cancelled had been previously signed off on.

Dozens of day-cares have been shut down after ripping off tax-payers by claiming more children were under their care (stock photo)

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the government was 'failing in its duty of care' after allowing such operators to look after children.

One particular case showed a day care in Caroline Springs, Victoria, had claimed government assistance for nearly 1,500 days for educators who were overseas at the time.

But Mr Birmingham also said the government had tripled their checks and saved nearly $1billion, according to the Herald Sun.

It comes as the Victorian Government accused Canberra of failing to fund compliance checks in December 2016.

The day-cares had been providing incorrect records to the government and creating 'phantom children,' to receive government assistance (stock photo)

'Essentially children [are] being paid for and hours being claimed for care that hasn't actually happened,' Victorian Children's Minister Jenny Mikakos told the ABC last year.

'Taxpayers' money is being wasted by payments being made to ghost children, phantom children that aren't in the family day care providers' home.'

At that time Senator Birmingham had said compliance checks had increased six-fold, with 75 suspensions and 15 prosecutions.
The mother of a schoolgirl, 15, who died from cancer just weeks after taking her 'knight in shining armour' Trent Hodkinson to her formal, has paid a heartbreaking tribute.

Hannah Rye, a high school student from the Hunter Region of New South Wales, died at the weekend following a two-year battle with Ewing's Sarcoma.

Taking to Facebook to share the devastating news, her mother Charlii Croese said 'You have now received your angel wings'.

'I can't believe you are gone, your smile was so contagious it would light up the room,' Ms Croese said on Monday.

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Hannah Rye, a high school student from the Hunter Region of New South Wales, died at the weekend following a two-year-long battle with Ewing's Sarcoma

'You are the strongest, funniest and most amazing girl I have ever met. You kept me fighting when I wanted to give up.

'Han, I can't thank you enough for everything you have done for me.'

Hannah's death came after she took Newcastle Knights halfback Trent Hodkinson to her Kurri Kurri High School dance in July - a night she described as 'one of the most magical nights I've ever had'.

Taking to Facebook on Monday, her mother said 'this world is never going to be the same without you'.

Taking to Facebook to share the devastating news, her mother Charlii Croese said 'You have now received your angel wings'

'You are the strongest, funniest and most amazing girl I have ever met. You kept me fighting when I wanted to give up,' Hannah's mother said on Monday

'You had a special place in everyone's heart that had the privilege to meet you,' Hannah's mother posted

'You had a special place in everyone's heart that had the privilege to meet you,' she said.

'You were the first person I could talk to about what was going on in my life and the only one that understood what I was going through.

'No more pain and suffering, Han. Spread them wings.'

Her sister, Annaliese, also posted a tribute to Hannah on Facebook on Monday night.

'I will hold you in my heart until I can hold you in heaven.'

Hannah Rye (left) died over the weekend after suffering from Ewing's Sarcoma for two years

Hannah (right) was escorted by Newcastle Knights halfback Trent Hodkinson (left) to her Kurri Kurri High School dance in July after meeting at a charity event

Tributes have poured in for Hannah on Facebook from friends and family

Hannah was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that caused tumours to grow around her spine, in October, 2015.

She endured rigourous chemotherapy treatments but relapsed in May and was told her condition was terminal, which her mother said was devastating.

A big Newcastle Knights fan, one of her final wishes was to attend her school dance with her favourite player, Trent Hodkinson.

The former Knights player met the teenager at Kick for Kids - a program where he would dedicate his conversions to a sick child and write their name on his kicking tee.

When Hodkinson heard Hannah's cancer had returned, he wanted to help out.

Hannah was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that caused tumours to grow around her spine, in October 15, 2015

Hannah's sister Annaliese posted a tribute to Hannah on Facebook on Monday night. 'I will hold you in my heart until I can hold you in heaven.'

'She's so brave. She's such a strong girl, you wouldn't know she was going through this,' he told media.

Her mother Racheal Rye said it was 'like Cinderella and her knight in shining armour' when he picked her daughter Hannah up from their home in the Hunter Valley.

'It was absolutely a magical moment when Trent turned up with a big bunch of flowers at our house. A perfect night,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

'No girl could have asked for a better date. He was a perfect gentleman. He stayed for as long as she needed and helped cut the cake.'

Hannah was the envy of all her classmates when she arrived at the Kurri Kurri High School winter formal on Wednesday night with the halfback on her arm.

Hodkinson also helped cut a two-tiered cake alongside his date at the event that was moved forward because Hannah may not live to the end of the year.

Hodkinson, who is an ambassador for Give Me 5 for Kids, which raises funds for children's hospital wards across Australia, shared a selfie taken on the way to the formal on his Instagram story.

Ms Rye said the eight-year NRL veteran, who met Hannah last March, was a 'genuinely gorgeous person' whose actions made a difference.

'Hannah has been incredibly unwell - you wouldn't believe that just a few days ago she couldn't get out of bed. It was a very big deal for her and she's now resting,' she said.

Hodkinson shard a selfie with the teenager, taken on the way to the formal, on his Instagram
Royal Air Force raids have smashed 30 ISIS targets in a fortnight as the international coalition forces the terrorists to retreat.

An intense wave of attacks between August 9 and August 21 have seen RAF aircrew destroy targets including a terrorist headquarters in Raqqa, machine gun teams and roving trucks.

ISIS - also known as Daesh - has lost more than 70 per cent of the territory it once held in Northern Iraq and Syria. The terror group surged into Iraq in the June 2014.

The terror group is in retreat to its heartland in and around the city of Syrian city of Raqqa.

Royal Air Force raids have smashed 30 ISIS targets in a fortnight as the international coalition forces the terrorists to retreat (file picture of an RAF Tornado at Akrotiri in Cyprus)

An intense wave of attacks between August 9 and August 21 have seen RAF aircrew destroy targets including a terrorist headquarters in Raqqa, machine gun teams and roving trucks (file image of a Typhoon squadron returning to the Cyprus base used in the counter-terror mission)

British aircrews and drones have been launching attacks on ISIS in Iraq and Syria for more than two years (file image of a Typhoon pilot on the tarmac at RAF Akrotiri)

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said recent terror attacks in Europe served as a 'grim reminder' of the importance of the UK mission.

Sir Michael said: 'As Iraqi Security Forces advance on Tal Afar and Syrian Democratic Forces continue with the liberation of Raqqa, the RAF is providing continuous air support in the fight to end Daesh's barbarous presence in its strongholds.

'Daesh has now lost over 70 per cent of territory it once occupied in Iraq and is in retreat in Syria.

'This has only been possible because the UK, as a leading member in the Global Coalition, has hit the terrorists hard where they plan their campaigns of violence, depravity and hate.

'The recent terrorist attacks serve as grim reminders of the need to defeat Daesh and its twisted ideology across all theatres.'

British aircrews and drones have been launching attacks on ISIS in Iraq and Syria for more than two years.

The RAF have struck ISIS targets in Raqqa, Baiji and Tal Afar as British forces continue to push the jihadi group back in Iraq and Syria

ISIS have been in control of Raqqa in Northern Syria (pictured on Saturday) for several years but has lost 70 per cent of the territory it once held

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (pictured in Raqqa on Saturday) are fighting the terrorists on the ground while coalition aircraft launch air raids from the sky

Troops advance towards the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, today after the Iraqi government announced the beginning of the operation to retake it from the Islamic State

Iraqi forces move in on Tal Afar today as they continue their assault on Isis jiadis in the country

Hundreds of air strikes have been carried out during the campaign and British forces played a key role in helping Iraqi ground troops rout ISIS from the city of Mosul earlier this summer.

The RAF has been flying Typhoon and Tornado jets out of RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus for the duration of the campaign.

The latest wave of attacks began on August 9 when a mixed pair of jets continued to provide support to the SDF and destroyed a further defensive position in Raqqa with a Paveway.

Typhoons then maintained a presence over Raqqa over the weekend, destroying an ISIS headquarters building on Saturday August 12.

The aircrew then conducted attacks on Sunday which eliminated three more terrorist positions in the city, including a strongpoint adjacent to the now-abandoned ISIS 'Immigration Office', and machine-gun and mortar teams.

This map of Syria and Iraq issued by the Ministry of Defence lays out the complex war zone in the two nations. The areas marked yellow and black were once held by ISIS but have seen the terrorists forced out by allied military action

On Friday August 18, Tornados were tasked with the destruction of a heavily booby-trapped building discovered in eastern Syria, south of Al Hasakah, which was too dangerous to approach.

The building was destroyed with a Paveway which safely detonated the concealed explosives.

A Typhoon flight faced a challenging target last Saturday. The crew was tasked witj taking out a fast-moving truck carrying a group of terrorists across the desert in Iraq, west of Bayji.

Despite the vehicle's speed, a Paveway IV bomb was guided accurately onto the target, destroying it.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon (left aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth last month) said recent terror attacks in Europe served as a 'grim reminder' of the importance of the UK mission
Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe has written a letter admitting 'I did some bad things' but denying he murdered a father-of-five

Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe has written a letter admitting 'I did some bad things' but denying he murdered a father-of-five.

The serial killer, 71, is serving 20 concurrent life sentences for the murder of 13 women between 1975 and 1980 and attempting to murder seven others.

The former Bradford lorry driver attacked and murdered women between 1976 and 1981 using knives, hammers and screwdrivers.

Now he has written to ITV News from Durham's top-security Frankland Prison following an investigation into whether he had previously attacked two men, killing one of them.

In his letter, Sutcliffe - writing under his adpoted name of Peter Coonan - says: 'Yes, I did some bad things, but I just want people to know that I did not attack or murder any males.'

He says he is writing with '100% honesty'.

The letter, written to ITV's Christine Talbot, follows an investigation into whether Sutcliffe murdered Fred Craven, a bookmaker from Bingley in West Yorkshire, and left Leeds taxi driver John Tomey with lifelong injuries in attacks carried out before those for which he was convicted.

Father-of-five Mr Craven was beaten to death with a hammer in his town centre office in 1966.

His daughter, Irene Vidler, 74, told ITV she remains convinced Sutcliffe was behind the attack.

The Ripper he has written to ITV News from Durham's top-security Frankland Prison following an investigation into whether he had previously attacked two men, killing one of them

'He knew us quite well, he used to come to our house for tea when we were children,' she said. 'He placed bets with my dad. My sister Jenny, he asked her to go out with him and she refused because she didn't like him.

'At the time of the attack, Sutcliffe was working in the Bingley graveyard. I think that given the way he was killed with a hammer on his head, that it was the same way Sutcliffe killed his victims.

Mr Tomey suffered life-long brain injuries when he was attacked by a passenger with a hammer as he drove him across the moors near Bingley in 1967.

Now 77, Mr Tomey says his life was ruined by the early morning attack, carried out using tool similar to that which Sutcliffe used on most of his murder victims.

In his letter, Sutcliffe - writing under his adpoted name of Peter Coonan - says: 'Yes, I did some bad things, but I just want people to know that I did not attack or murder any males'

WHAT DOES THE YORKSHIRE RIPPER'S NEW LETTER SAY? 'Yes I did some bad things, but I just want people to know I did not attack or murder any males.....I'm telling you 100% it was nothing to do with me.' 'Firstly, may I just tell you I am now registered blind, so for your information another inmate who is a prison buddy/carer is writing this on my behalf and under my instruction' 'The truth of this matter is I was questioned on 16 attacks and all were none fatal, nothing about murders. The police are satisfied I was not involved in any of the said attacks. And I was not questioned about Mr Craven and Mr Tomey. 'How well did I know Mr Craven and his family? I knew of Mr Craven and his family as I used to walk past their house. I have never spoken to Mr Craven on a personal level and I couldn't even tell you where his betting shop is. I have spoken to his daughter on the odd occasion and that's as far as it goes. 'I can tell you with 100 per cent honesty I did not murder Mr Craven. And never have I attacked a male. I understand she would want closure and yes I did some bad things, but I just want people to know I did not attack or murder any males. 'And with a whole life sentence I'd have nothing to lose and it would not be in my interest to say I didn't do it if I did, because I'm in jail until my dying day. 'So I'm telling you 100 per cent it was nothing to do with me. I hope this is satisfactory to your needs and reaches you in time. 'Regards. Yours sincerely, Peter William Coonan.' Advertisement

An artist's impression of the man responsible for the attack, based on his description, bore a striking resemblance to Sutcliffe. Mr Tomey is adamant he was a victim of the Ripper.

Shortly after Sutcliffe's arrest, detectives showed Mr Tomey images of possible suspects to see if he could identify his attacker. It took him 'less than 20 seconds' to pick out Sutcliffe, he said.

'By the time we'd turned the first page, they started to turn the second page. I said, 'Go back, it's him'. It took me 20 seconds and I'm a man with brain injuries,' he said.

Sutcliffe, who has been told he will never be released, was interviewed earlier this year by West Yorkshire Police about 17 unsolved attacks. The force refused to confirm that Mr Craven was among them.

Convicted murderer: Serial killer Peter Sutcliffe is pictured while in police custody in 1983

ITV News wrote to Sutcliffe putting to him the allegations that he attacked Mr Craven and Mr Tomey.

Replying before recent eye surgery, he used a prison buddy to write his responses to ITV's questions. In the letter he denies knowing Mr Craven 'on a personal level' or where his business was, then states: 'I can tell you with 100% honesty I did not murder Mr Craven. And never have I attacked a male.'

He also says he was questioned about 16 not 17 non-fatal attacks and 'the police are satisfied I was not involved with any said attacks.'

'I was not questioned about Mr Craven or Mr Tomey,' he says.

Mrs Vidler said she simply wants closure.

'All I want from Peter Sutcliffe is for him to say I did it,' she said.

'I don't want any witchhunts, I don't want anything. I know they can't do anything more to Peter Sutcliffe than he's already got. But I want closure and there's other families that want the closure as well. I believe he's done a lot more.'

The ripper's first four victims were prostitutes, but the serial killer soon moved on to members of the public.

Between 1975 and 1980, women in the north of England were advised to not go outside 'unless absolutely necessary, and only accompanied by a man you know'.

Sutcliffe was eventually arrested because he had a set of false number plates on his car.

He spent three years in HMP Pankhurst on the Isle of Wight before he was transferred to Broadmoor Hospital in 1984.

In 2010 Sutcliffe appealed against his sentence in the High Court.

But a judge dismissed the case and confirmed he would be in custody for the rest of his life.

Sutcliffe was moved from the psychiatric hospital in 2016 when a judge ruled he was fit to serve time in jail.
He's spent months boasting of his international jet-setting lifestyle after digging his way out of Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail.

But Australian prison escapee Shaun Davidson, 33, could still be in Indonesia - and officers claim they are close to recapturing him.

Police believe Davidson, who broke free in June, is somewhere near Indonesia's border with East Timor, 9 News reported.

'The Australian has not yet (fled out of country) and is still in Indonesia,' Bali Provincial Police Chief Petrus Golose said.

'(He is) the focus of a search on the border between Indonesia and Timor-Leste.'

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Australian prison escapee Shaun Davidson, 33, could still be in Indonesia - and officers claim they are close to recapturing him

'Run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man,' he posted on Tuesday

Recent Facebook posts from Davidson's account have taunted the authorities over their inability to snare him.

'Run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man,' he posted last week.

The post was met with an outpouring of support from his more than 6,000 followers.

'Keep 'em guessing mate,' one man said.

'Please don't get caught, I am your big fan,' another said.

Davidson tunnelled out of the overcrowded Bali prison with three other inmates in June.

Two escapees were caught within days, while Davidson and another man remain on the run.

Since his escape Davidson has continued to taunt the police with bizarre and provocative Facebook posts.

Davidson, from Perth, has amassed somewhat of a cult following on Facebook since his escape, where he taunts the police about not having yet caught him

Davidson tunnelled out of the overcrowded Bali prison with three other inmates in June

Davidson also created his own 'wanted' posters offering a 'huge reward' award for his capture.

In the posters, which were met with a huge amount of support from his followers, he called himself a 'gangsta, hustler, outlaw, ladies' man and hide and seek champion'.

Davidson has also made a series of posts on Facebook claiming to be in various exotic locations across the globe.

'Living the dream,' he wrote in June, claiming to be in Amsterdam.

In the posters, which were met with a huge amount of support from his followers, he called himself a 'gangsta, hustler, outlaw, ladies' man and hide and seek champion'

'Straight outta Kerobokan': Davidson created fake 'wanted' posters claiming there was a 'huge reward' for his capture

Shaun Edward Davidson, 33, (pictured) broke out of the notorious Kerobokan prison on June 20 through a tunnel burrowed underneath the jail walls

He also went on a bizarre rant in early July.

'I'm a real life action movie star, nah I'm just normal b, there ain't no way a penitentiary is every holding me from Oz to Bali, Amsterdam to Germany, you better believe it when I say my life is no lie. I'm sipping on this cocktail on the beaches of Dubai [sic],' he said.

Balinese authorities said in July they were 'close' to finding the fugitive.

After the announcement, Davidson messaged Interpol, the world's largest police organisation, asking them how close they really were to catching him.

After the announcement, Davidson messaged Interpol, the world's largest police organisation, asking them how close they really were to catching him

Since his escape from Kerobokan prison (pictured) Davidson has continued to taunt the police with bizarre and provocative Facebook posts

Balinese authorities said in July they were 'close' to finding the fugitive (pictured)

Davidson and three other inmates escaped from Kerobokan prison through a muddy tunnel (pictured) on June 20

'How how's it going, just wondering, when you say close, how close are you really?' he wrote.

Davidson claimed he was not trying to taunt police with his Facebook activity, instead just 'having some fun and a laugh' with his life.

'I'm living my life just trying to make the best out of a bad situation,' he said.
Peter Green of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps in the remote community of Fence Lake, New Mexico was arrested Sunday and faces 100 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child

A leader of a New Mexico military-style Christian sect is facing dozens of child sexual abuse charges in a case that authorities say is connected to widespread abuse by the religious commune.

Peter Green of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps in the remote community of Fence Lake was charged with 100 counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child.

Sect members Deborah Green, Joshua Green and Stacey Miller also face various charges ranging from child abuse, bribery and not reporting a birth.

All four were arrested on Sunday.

A former member, Maura Alana Schmierer, said on Monday that she's been trying to draw attention to the New Mexico group for years. Schmierer added that she had been interviewed by investigators recently about the group.

'I've been trying to expose them for years,' said Schmierer, who left the sect in the late 1980s.

Schmierer sued the sect for mistreatment and forcing her to give up legal custody of three of her children. A judge in 1989 awarded her $1.08 million.

The group fled California and later resurfaced near El Paso, Texas, and then in western New Mexico.

Sect members Deborah Green and Stacey Miller also face various charges ranging from child abuse, bribery and not reporting a birth

The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps based in New Mexico (above) describes itself as a group that is 'aggressive and revolutionary for Jesus'. Aerial views of the facility show a series of mobile trailers

Sheriff Tony Mace told KOAT-TV that his office began investigating the group last year after two members claimed they had escaped the commune in the sparsely populated area of mostly ranchland.

He said those who escaped told deputies that Deborah Green and Stacey Miller allowed Miller's 12-year-old son to die of the flu in 2014.

Miller faces one count each of intentional abuse of a child age 12-18, bribery of a witness and not reporting a birth.

Joshua Green (above), whose relationship to the other Greens is unclear, is charged with not reporting the birth of his son to the state

In a statement published on their website, the group said the allegations 'are totally false' and similar to others the group has faced over the years.

'We don't know who all the accusers are, but the accusations are just re-runs of old lies that have been investigated and shown to be malicious attacks against a legitimate ministry, time and again,' the statement said.

Deborah Green and her husband James are the 'generals' who command their army to spread Christian ideals throughout the world, according to the group's website. Deborah, who also goes by the name Lila, faces one count of intentional child abuse resulting in death.

Joshua Green, whose relationship to the other Greens is unclear, is charged with not reporting the birth of his son to the state.

The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps describes itself as a group that is 'aggressive and revolutionary for Jesus' and provides a free spiritual 'ammo pack' to anyone who writes.

Photos of members show them in military-style clothing and on missions in Africa.

A former member, Maura Alana Schmierer, said on Monday that she's been trying to draw attention to the New Mexico group for years

Its website is laced with anti-Semitic language and anti-gay tirades about same-sex marriage.

The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps as a hate group.

The group has its origins in Sacramento, California, after Deborah and James Green founded 'Free Love Ministries' but garnered media attention for its unique beliefs and its communal houses.

In 1986, a sect member died of malaria while on a mission in Malawi, sparking criticism of the sect from his family.

New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department spokesman Henry Varela confirmed Monday that state officials are investigating a case involving the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps in Fence Lake.

Varela said he could not discuss the details.
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on 16 mainly Chinese and Russian companies and people for assisting North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs on Tuesday.

According to a statement from the Treasury Department, Kim the sanctions were also imposed on those helping the North make money to support their ballistic missile programs.

The penalties are intended to complement new UN Security Council sanctions and further isolate North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests amid heightened tensions that have led to threats from both sides.

The Trump administration imposed sanctions on 16 mainly Chinese and Russian companies and people for assisting North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs on Tuesday

According to the Treasury Department, the 16 affected entities either do business with previously sanctioned companies and people, work with the North Korean energy sector, help it place workers abroad or facilitate its evasion of international financial curbs.

The measures block any assets they may have in US jurisdictions and bar Americans from transactions with them.

'It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region,' Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

'We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activity in the future,' Mnuchin added.

Among those sanctioned are six Chinese companies, including three coal companies; two Singapore-based companies that sell oil to North Korea and three Russians that work with them.

China-based Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co was penalized for its support to previously sanctioned entities that act on behalf of North Korea's General Bureau of Atomic Energy, which is responsible for the North's nuclear program.

Dadong purchased vanadium ore from North Korea in violation of United Nations sanctions resolutions, the Treasury said.

Moscow-based Gefest-M LLC and its Russian director, Ruben Kirakosyan, were penalized for helping procure metals for Korea Tangun Trading Corporation, another previously sanctioned entity involved in the North's missile and weapons programs.

The penalties are intended to further isolate North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests amid heightened tensions that have led to threats from both sides.

Three Russian individuals and two Singapore-based companies that helped provide oil to North Korea were sanctioned. Pictured is Russian President Vladimir Putin

Three Chinese coal companies responsible for importing nearly half a billion dollars worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016 were penalized by the US.

Those complanies include Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Materials Co, Ltd, JinHou International Holding Co, Ltd, and Dandong Tianfu Trade Co, Ltd.

All three helped North Korea generate funds that fuel its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the Treasury said.

Three Russian individuals and two Singapore-based companies that helped provide oil to North Korea were sanctioned.

A construction company based in Namibia; a second Namibia-based company, and its North Korean director, that supplies North Korean workers to build statues overseas to generate income for the North.

According to the Treasury, a North Korean subsidiary of Mansudae Overseas Projects Group of Companies, which was previously sanctioned by the UN for exporting workers from North Korea to generate revenue for the government, was also penalized.
A man in China broke into a corner shop wearing a pair of knickers on his head.

The burglar surnamed Li allegedly broke into the shop in Qidong City on August 18 and stole 500 yuan (58.48) and a pack of cigarettes.

According to police, the underwear was intended to help disguise his face.

Bad disguise: According to police, the underwear was intended to help disguise his face

According to reports, Li works at a construction site in Yinyang, Qidong city.

The owner of the shop reported the break-in to the authorities after arriving the next morning to find that the cash register was missing 500 yuan (58.48).

A packet of cigarettes was also missing.

The man stole 500 yuan (58.48) and a pack of cigarettes from the convenience store

Police managed to match his body type to people working nearby and tracked him down

Video footage shows the moment the man wearing a pair of knickers on his head as he enters the premises. Apart from the knickers on his head, he is only wearing a pair of underpants.

Police managed to match his body type to people working nearby and tracked him down.

He was detained for burglary and admitted his crimes immediately.

According to reports, the man wanted to smoke as he had been suffering from a stomach ache all day.
CCTV footage has emerged of Danish Crown Prince Frederik's entourage being turned away from a Brisbane bar.

The security team for the Danish prince had approached bouncers at the Jade Buddha Bar to alert them of his impending arrival and ensure he would be allowed in.

His team were told Prince Frederik would not be allowed in without a driving licence or passport under identification rules in new Queensland liquor license laws.

The images, obtained by the Courier Mail, show the parties deep in conversation, before the heir to the Danish throne appears just under an hour later.

After eventually being let in, Prince Frederik reportedly asked a member of his entourage if the bouncers thought he was a criminal.

Scroll down for video

The Danish Prince's entourage first come into the CCTV cameras at 11:20pm on Friday evening. His security can be seen shaking the hands of the Jade Buddha Bar bouncers before conversing about his imminent arrival

Prince Frederik's entourage then contact an Australian Federal Police officer, who meets with the Danish Crown and his team and escorts them back to the bar at 12:18am early Saturday morning

After eventually being let in, Prince Frederik reportedly asked a member of his entourage if the bouncers thought he was a criminal

Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson were married in Copenhagen on May 14, 2004

The Danish Prince's entourage first come into the CCTV cameras at 11:20pm on Friday.

His security can be seen shaking the hands of the Jade Buddha Bar bouncers before conversing about his imminent arrival.

They then leave at about 11:28pm after being told he would not be allowed to enter because of the strict new Queensland liquor laws that demand patrons entering a venue after 10pm must have a drivers license or passport for identification.

They then contact an Australian Federal Police officer, who meets with Prince Frederik and his team and escorts them back to the bar at 12:18am on Saturday.

The incident report, signed by Jade Buddha Bar manager Quinten Robinson, states the Queensland Police and AFP officer demanded bar staff 'allow another gentleman to enter the venue without being scanned'.

'I tried to stop him from walking in but the officer told us that as QPS (and he was also with AFP) they would overrule Liquor Licence Qld and answer to them if they were to question us on the issue of the gentleman not being scanned in the ID scanner.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jade Buddha Bar for comment.

Prince Frederik (pictured in dark shirt with white shoulders) can then be seen entering the bar at 12:18am early Saturday morning

The incident report, signed by Jade Buddha Bar manager Quinten Robinson, states the Queensland Police and AFP officer demanded bar staff 'allow another gentleman to enter the venue without being scanned'

He is currently in Australia without his wife, Princess Mary, who chose to stay in Denmark rather than return to her home nation

'It's a stupid law. We always thought it was going to be a nightmare,' the bar's co-owner Phil Hogan told the Daily Telegraph.

'This is just the tip of the iceberg with the Prince. It's happening all the time with normal people.'

The Denmark royal has been in Australia this month competing in the Hamilton Island Race week.

He is currently in Australia without his wife, Princess Mary, who chose to stay in Denmark rather than return to her home nation. The two famously met in a Sydney pub during the Olympics in 2000.
A 20-year-old driver who killed her 'second mother' in a hit and run smash in Victoria has been jailed for three years.

Taylor Hocking drove 45-year-old Tracey-Lee Kemp to a birthday party last year where she consumed a number of glasses of wine before opting to drive herself home.

Ms Kemp had already left the party on foot following a disagreement with another guest, 9 News reported.

Scroll down for video

Taylor Hocking drove 45-year-old Tracey-Lee Kemp to a birthday party last year then consumed a number of glasses of wine before opting to drive herself home

Police believe within a minute-and-a-half of Hocking heading off she struck Ms Kemp while texting her ex-boyfriend.

Hocking drove away and faked another accident before calling her mother for help after running the car into a tree.

Ms Kemp's body was found more than two hours later by the bar manager, who had just left the venue, on the side of the Midland Highway.

Ms Kemp (pictured) left the party on foot following a disagreement with another guest

Hocking drove away and faked another accident before calling her mother for help after running the car into a tree (pictured)

Judge Bill Stuart sentenced Hocking to three years in a youth detention centre citing Hocking showed great remorse for her crime.

He said she is a young woman who shows a lot of potential in the future.

Ms Kemp's family, who were understood to have close relationship with the Hocking family and known each other for a long time, said the sentence was an insult.

Andrew Hocking, the accused's father, said it was an awful set of events for everyone involved.
Jocsan Rosado pictured above who was arrested for suspected car theft during the eclipse

An auto theft suspect didn't want to wait another seven years to see the next eclipse.

Allegedly using a stolen car, Jocsan Rosado, 22, of Orlando, Florida, took a joyride to a hardware store where he purchased a welder's mask to watch the phenomenon.

Not knowing he was being followed by police, after Rosado bought the mask, he decided to watch it in the parking lot of Harbor Freight Tools on Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee.

Looking up at the sky and not suspecting a thing, police swarmed in and made their arrest.

'He never saw it coming,' the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.

There were no online court records for Rosado early Tuesday, and it was unknown if he had an attorney.
He reigns over a kingdom where the average salary is around $33,000 (25,000), but that didn't stop Saudi Arabia's king splashing out $100million on holiday.

King Salman travelled in style to his favourite holiday spot, Tangier, in the north west of Morocco, along with an entourage of more than 1,000, who were booked into luxury hotels.

The king himself stayed in his 74-acre summer palace, one of his many properties around the world, which boasts lavish restaurants, and impressive views of the sea.

Expenses during the month-long break included more than 200 cars, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reports.

King Salman (pictured arriving in Tangier last year) travelled in style to his favourite holiday spot

Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (L) and Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R) meet in Tangier in 2016

King Salman (right, pictured in Tangier this month) brought an entourage of 1,000 to Tangier, in Morocco, where he is pictured earlier this month

King Salman was photographed arriving in Tangier, just moments after stepping off a plane

The 81-year-old's summer palace has been renovated extensively over the past 12 months, with helipads among the features added.

According to reports in Morocco, King Salman's trip accounts for 1.5 per cent of the country's foreign tourism revenue.

When he arrived at the Ibn Battouta Airport, the king was greeted by Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani.

King Salman opted to go on vacation at a time of high tension in the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia locked in a political row with Qatar which has seen transport links to Doha severed since June.

Satellite images from October 2016 showed a number of upgrades the King made to his retreat in Morocco.

It now has three helipads, several extra buildings and a tent the size of a circus big top.

The sprawling complex is surrounded by 1,500m of wall, staffed by 30 members of the Moroccan royal guard, has its own medical facilities and top-notch restaurant-style kitchens.

Meanwhile, earlier this month another Saudi Prince, Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, swapped his superyacht for a bike trip in Turkey.

The prince, who is worth an eyewatering 18billion, was spotted cycling topless and was wearing a pair of yellow shorts.

The sprawling complex is surrounded by 1,500m of wall, staffed by 30 members of the Moroccan royal guard

In 2016, King Salman of Saudi Arabia added some new features to his seaside villa in Tangier, Morocco - including new helipads

King Salman traveled in style to his favourite holiday spot, Tangier (pictured), in the north west of Morocco

It comes after King Salman made the shock decision to appoint his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as crown prince and heir to the throne in June this year.

The King made a surprise reshuffle and removed his nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, as crown prince in favour of his 31-year-old son.

His son Salman, nicknamed 'Mr Everything', is seen as symbolising the hopes of the youth of the country's population, more than half of which is under 25.

Saudi Prince worth 18billion swaps his 280ft superyacht for a rather awkward-looking bike trip as he holidays with family in Turkey

By Alice Evans For Mailonline

A Saudi prince worth 18billion swapped his 280ft superyacht for a rather awkward-looking bike trip as he holidayed with his family in Turkey.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and several family members, friends and guards were spotted riding bicycles in the Aegean resort of Bodrum this month.

The Prince, 62, who is worth an estimated 17.7bn according to Forbes, wore only bright yellow shorts, matching shoes and a pair of sunglasses as he pedalled through the tourist hot spot.

Royal ride! Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (in bright yellow shorts) and family members, friends and guards were spotted riding bicycles in the Aegean resort of Bodrum

The Prince (centre), who is worth an estimated 17.7bn according to Forbes, wore matching yellow shoes and a pair of sunglasses as his legs span the pedals through the tourist hot spot

He looked calm and collected as he fronted the group of around a dozen riders.

He took one hand off the handlebars to point out various sights on the route - and hopped out of the saddle to grab a drink during a refreshment break.

The Prince is more often spotted on his superyacht than on two wheels.

The yacht, called Kingdom 5KR, is 282ft long, accommodates 22 guests and 31 crew, and has a helicopter, swimming pool and cinema screen.

It used to be owned by Donald Trump and also appeared as the Flying Saucer, the yacht of James Bond villain Largo in Never Say Never Again.

The Prince bought the yacht in 1991 for $40million, and renamed it Kingdom 5KR after his investment company Kingdom Holdings, his lucky number 5 and the initials of two of his children.

Its maximum speed is 20 knots with a cruise speed of 17 knots. The exterior is painted beige to emulate the colour of Arabian sands.

And the yacht is not the only luxury mode of transport the Prince is used to zipping around in.

Rare sight: The Prince is more often spotted on his superyacht (pictured) than on two wheels. The yacht, called Kingdom 5KR, has a helicopter, swimming pool and cinema screen

The Prince bought his yacht in 1991 for $40mn. He called it Kingdom 5KR after his investment company Kingdom Holdings, his lucky number 5 and the initials of two of his children

Drink stop: The Prince took one hand off the handlebars to point out various sights on the route - before he hopped out of the saddle to grab a refreshment (pictured)

A private jumbo jet flying the Prince and his family to their getaway landed at the Milas-Bodrum Airport under tight security measures.

The family got into six VIP cars and were escorted to the city centre by two police vehicles.

A removal truck carrying around 30 bicycles and an extravagant 300 suitcases completed the convoy.

The billionaire has shares in private and public companies in the US, Europe and the Middle East through his company, Kingdom Holding.

Holdings include stakes in the swanky Hotel George V in Paris and the Savoy Hotel in London, according to Forbes.

The billionaire (pictured with his wife Princess Amira al-Taweel, left, and Azerbaijan's first lady, Mehriban Aliyeva, right, in 2012) and his party brought 300 suitcases with them on holiday
A South Carolina lawmaker got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend during the eclipse on Monday.

State Rep. Micah Caskey, 36, said that he started planning two months ago to pop the question to his girlfriend Erin Harris, 29, during the eclipse's totality, when the moon moved directly in front of the sun.

'I saw a video about how cool the total solar eclipse was going to be, and it just made sense to do it then,' he said.

South Carolina lawmaker Micah Caskey (right) proposed to his girlfriend Erin Harris (left) during Monday's solar eclipse

While celebrating the event on Lake Murray with friends, the West Columbia Republican dropped to one knee after the skies darkened, and popped the question.

Caskey said he waited until about halfway into the full eclipse so Harris wouldn't miss out on one event due to excitement over another.

'I tried to wait until about a minute into when totality had started because I was worried she would start crying and miss getting to see the whole thing,' he said.

Caskey proposed to Harris on Lake Murray. Columbia experienced one of the longest periods of totality in the country

Caskey waited until the eclipse was halfway over so Harris wouldn't miss anything

Columbia experienced one of the longest periods of totality in the country - more than two minutes of total darkness. The moonshadow raced across 14 states, from Oregon to South Carolina and out to sea.

Caskey quickly got an enthusiastic 'yes!' from his bride-to-be, and the happy couple didn't miss the show.

Harris is from Columbia and is an importer of Italian wines.

Micah Caskey is a state representative and Erin Harris imports wine and models

The future bride posted a photo of the happy couple on Instagram and captioned it: 'Well today was pretty special! Happy anniversary mom and dad! Happy new anniversary to us!'

Caskey posted photos on his Facebook page and said: 'During the solar eclipse, I got engaged to my favorite person in the universe.' He also added two heart emojis and the dancing woman in a red dress emoji.

As for a wedding date, they aren't necessarily planning their nuptials around any other celestial circumstances, though that could change.

'We're not really looking at the astronomical calendar for planning the wedding,' he said. 'But who knows?'
An Afghan murderer who was allowed into Britain unchecked and then attacked two police officers with a hammer has had his sentence slashed in half by appeal judges.

Jamshid Piruz, 35, was handed a life sentence earlier this year after he launched a frenzied attack on the two officers in East Sussex.

He cornered PC Jessica Chick and lashed out wildly at her with the claw hammer before repeatedly hitting her colleague PC Stuart Young.

Both officers suffered injuries in the terrifying attack and thought they were going to be killed.

It later emerged Piruz had served time in jail for murder after brutally killing a woman in his flat.

Jamshid Piruz, 35, was handed a life sentence earlier this year after he launched a frenzied attack on the two officers

Sentencing him for the attack on the police officers Judge Jeremy Gold said Piruz was a 'very dangerous man' from whom the public needed protecting

Sentencing him for the attack on the police officers Judge Jeremy Gold said Piruz was a 'very dangerous man' from whom the public needed protecting.

Ordering him to serve a minimum of six years before being eligible for release he said: 'You are potentially a very dangerous man and you are prone to outbursts of potentially fatal violence when stressed with little or no ability to control these outbursts.'

But last week appeal court judges slashed his minimum sentence to just three years.

The appeal court ruling means the convicted murderer could be back on the streets in less than 30 months.

Mr Justice Holroyde, sitting with Lady Justice Rafferty and Mr Justice Sweeney, cut his minimum term saying the crown court judge had not given him enough credit for his early guilty plea.

But Piruz did not enter an early guilty plea as the case had to be repeatedly adjourned.

It was adjourned twice as the court explored whether he was mentally fit to plead and then adjourned twice more as Piruz, who speaks fluent English, insisted on an interpreter being present in court.

It is the third sentence slashed on appeal by Mr Justice Holroyde in a little over two months.

Pc Chick told the court: 'I have never been so scared in my life, I have never been in a situation where I thought "This is it, I am going to die or I am going to be brain dead"'

Earlier this month Mr Justice Holroyde slashed the sentence of a hospital doctor who had sexually assaulted young girls.

Benjamin Brooks, 28, of Lytham, had his 28 month sentence reduced to 22 months after he claimed the stress of his job caused him to commit the crimes.

And in June Mr Justice Hoyroyde also slashed the 13-year sentence handed to high-rolling cocaine dealer David Gallagher, 57, to 12 years on appeal.

Jamshid Piruz attacked PC Chick and PC Young with a claw hammer during a break-in at a property near Crawley on 7 January 2016.

The court heard that after arriving in Britain in December 2015 to visit relatives, Afghan-born Dutch citizen Piruz had missed his return flight home from Gatwick Airport on 4 January, 2016.

He went on to be arrested and prosecuted for assault after he spat at a member of EasyJet staff who told him he would need to buy a new ticket.

After appearing in court and being ordered to pay compensation, he was released and went on to burgle garages in Crawley, where he stole tools including a hammer.

On 7 January police were called after a member of the public saw Piruz attempting a further break-in, which led to the attack on the officers.

He pleaded guilty at Hove Crown Court to burglary and two counts of attempting to cause GBH with intent and affray.

But the court was told Afghan-born Piruz had been previously jailed in the Netherlands after he had had brutally cut the throat of a woman who was a tenant in his flat in 2006.

Pc Young, who was hit in the neck during the attack, described it as 'akin to a horror film'

He had locked the woman in a room and taken her mobile phone away from her.

After three hours he released her and handed her back the phone so she could call her ex-husband.

But by the time he arrived at the property she had had her throat cut and was already dead.

Court documents in the Netherlands said he was inspired to attack the woman after watching Taliban beheading videos.

Piruz pleaded guilty to murder was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was released after six years.

However in 2014 was hauled before the Dutch courts again for breaching the terms of his licence.

It was said he had been found wandering around in a confused and distressed manner and admitted using drugs - a breach of his parole licence.

Politicians called for Amber Rudd to introduce a tougher US-style warning system to flag up whether any traveller has a conviction

However the Dutch courts refused to revoke his licence and return him to prison and he was freed and allowed to travel to Britain where he attacked the two police officers when they confronted him.

PC Chick said: 'I have never been so scared in my life. I thought 'This is it, I am going to die.'

Neither officer was seriously injured but PC Stuart Young, who was hit in the neck, described it like 'a horror film'.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex Katy Bourne said: 'Whilst I fully accept the decision of the courts, I share the frustration of the Sussex Police Federation in that someone with such a violent past appears to have got off very lightly. The officers who dealt with this individual showed incredible bravery.'

Matt Webb, chairman of the Sussex Police Federation, said: 'On August 17, we were informed that the appeal of Jamshid Piruz was successful and his minimum tariff the minimum time that he will need to spend behind bars was reduced to just three years - bearing in mind the time he had spent on remand prior to conviction he could be back on the streets in less than two and a half years.

'It is highly frustrating that a male, who is a convicted murderer in another European country, has been treated so leniently by the appeal judge.

'When located by police he was prepared to use significant violence towards officers in an attempt to avoid apprehension.

'Who can forget the body worn video footage showing the officers with hammer blows raining down on them, before sufficient numbers arrived to subdue and control him.

'These officers were attacked and assaulted while simply doing their job, investigating crime and seeking to bring criminals to justice. I do not believe for one moment that had Piruz attacked a member of the judiciary while they carried out their work that he would be freed in such quick time.

'Policing is a risky business, but being assaulted is not part of the job and will never be part of the job.

'On behalf of the officers involved we will be seeking advice as to what can be done in this case, while continuing to work with colleagues around the country to bring about the overdue legislative change that will adequately protect the protectors.'
President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner quietly slipped out of the country Sunday to embark on a trip to the Persian Gulf and Israel.

Kushner is leading a delegation that includes special Middle East negotiations envoy Jason Greenblatt, as well as deputy national security advisor Dina Powell.

Kushner is expected to visit Israel Wednesday, where the delegation will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Thursday, they are set to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas recently griped that he doesn't understand the Trump administrations policy toward Israel  complaining that the administration won't go public with its support for a two-state solution and a halt to Israeli settlements.

BACK TO WORK: White House Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner headed to the Middle East on Sunday for a trip that will take him to Israel

'I have met with Trump envoys about 20 times since the beginning of his term as president of the United States,' Abbas told a delegation from the left-wing Meretz party, Haaretz reported.

'Every time they repeatedly stressed to me how much they believe and are committed to a two-state solution and a halt to construction in the settlements. I have pleaded with them to say the same thing to Netanyahu, but they refrained. They said they would consider it but then they didn't get back to me.'

'I can't understand how they are conducting themselves with us,' he said, according a participant's notes. 'Inside [Trump's] country, there is chaos in the administration,' he said.

Kushner and wife Ivanka Trump traveled to Bedminister, NJ along with Arabella, six, Joseph, three, and Theodore, one

The visit to the region will also have the group meet with delegations from Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, Politico reported.

The White House released little information about the trip when it got announced 10 days ago.

High up on his agenda is the possibility of resuming talks between the Israelis and Palestinians on the peace process.

He hit the road just days after the departure of chief White House rival, chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon, who was pushed out Friday.

Kushner is being accompanied by envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt and Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell (pictured)

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with US President's envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt (L) in Jerusalem on June 21, 2017

In this handout provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump, meets with service members at a forward operating base near Qayyarah West in Iraq

Dina Powell, U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy to President Donald Trump, speaks with members of India's delegation, before President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India's joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, on Monday, June 26, 2017

According to a report in Vanity Fair, Bannon pushed President Trump to adopt a tougher stance toward the Palestinians, while urging him to keep a campaign promise to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, only to face resistance from Kushner.

Trump issued a six-month waiver instead.

Bannon skipped a May White House meeting with Abbas. He texted a friend: 'I'm not going to breathe the same air as that terrorist,' according to the report.

Top Abbas aide Ahmad Majdalani said the Palestinians pressed Kushner for the U.S. position on Israeli settlements and support for Palestinian independence during his June visit, the Associated Press reported.

'Since then we didn't hear from them,' he said.

Netanyahu's hand has been weakened by an ongoing corruption probe.
Parents are angry after a kindergarten lesson had a student's transgender reveal occur mid-class.

The incident took place last year after a Rocklin Academy Gateway teacher gave the lesson on transgenderism because a boy in the class is transitioning to a girl, reported FOX40.

The California charter school and parents are now battling over whether the lesson was appropriate or if the kindergartners were too young to understand.

Parents of students at Rocklin Academy Gateway in Rocklin, California, are angry after a kindergarten lesson had a student's transgender reveal occur mid-class in June 2017 (Pictured, parents at a school board meeting on Monday night)

The kindergarten teacher (pictured), who has not been named, read two books meant to explain 'transgenderism' to children between ages four and eight because a student in her class was transitioning from boy to girl

The teacher introduced the five-year-old student to the class as a boy. He went to the bathroom and emerged dressed as a girl, revealing her 'true identity' (pictured, Rocklin Academy Gateway)

During the lesson on the second-to-last day before summer break, the teacher, who has not been named, read two books, I am Jazz and The Red Crayon. Both are meant to explain 'transgenderism' to children between ages four and eight.

However, in what critics are calling a 'transition ceremony', the teacher introduced the five-year-old student to the class as a boy. The student then went into the bathroom and emerged dressed as a girl.

The teacher then reintroduced her to the children, and explained she was now a girl with a girl's name and was to be called that from now on.

Many parents said they had no idea the lesson was coming and weren't notified it occurred until a week later when a letter was sent out.

Concerned parents went to the Pacific Justice Institute and the California Family Council to represent them.

'These kids who had never struggled with their gender identity before are all of a sudden scared they could be turned into a boy,' Greg Burt, director of capitol engagement with the California Family Council, told FOX40.

The teacher who read the books defended her actions during a school board meeting on Monday night.

'I'm so proud of my students, it was never my intent to harm any students but to help them through a difficult situation,' she said.

Many parents said they had no idea the lesson was coming and weren't notified it occurred until a week later when a letter was sent out (Pictured, parents speak at Monday's school board meeting)

The district says the books were age-appropriate and fell within their literature selection policy. Unlike sex education, the topics of gender identity don't require prior parental notice (pictured, one of the two books read to the class)

However, the school conceded a policy change and said outside books will now be approved by administration (pictured, one of the two books read to the class)

But parents say they should have been told.

'My daughter came home crying and shaking so afraid she could turn into a boy,' one parent said.

The district says the books were age-appropriate and fell within their literature selection policy. Unlike sex education, the topics of gender identity don't require prior parental notice.

The school also argued that not reading the books would have put them at risk of discrimination and could expose them to a potential lawsuit.

However, Rocklin Academy conceded a policy change and said outside books will now be approved by the administration.

Legislative manager at Equality California Jo Michael, who is a transgender male himself, told FOX40 early education is key to helping children understand transgenderism.

'Most people have a sense of their gender identity at age three or four,' he said.

'It's important to note that the other students really do need to have that opportunity to engage and hear from the transgender student.'
A man claiming to be the common-law husband of a woman convicted in a bizarre Pennsylvania bank robbery plot that killed a pizza delivery driver with a bomb locked to his neck wants officials to confirm her death and release her remains.

Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, 68, died on April 4 of natural causes at the Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Mark Marvin, 68, from Walden, New York, told the Erie Times-News that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons hasn't helped him locate Diehl-Armstrong's remains.

Diehl-Armstrong was serving life plus 30 years in the 2003 Erie bank robbery plot that ended with the death of 46-year-old Brian Wells.

Diehl-Armstrong and at least two others forced Wells to wear a metal collar bomb and gave him instructions to rob a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Dressed as a pizza delivery man, Wells escaped with $8,702 but was stopped by police shortly after.

As he sat handcuffed in a parking lot while police and the FBI waited for a bomb squad, the bomb blew his head off.

A 2004 file photo shows Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong as she heads into a hearing at the Erie County Courthouse in Erie, Pennsylvania. She died of natural causes on April 4

In 2003, Brian Wells, 66, robbed a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania wearing a pizza delivery man's uniform and a metal collar bomb around his neck. Police captured him after he left the bank and the bomb exploded, blowing his head off

Brian Wells is pictured in his driver's license photo (left). Prosecutors claimed that he was in on the robbery but his family is adamant that he was a hostage. Diehl-Armstrong is pictured right following a mental competency hearing in 2008 proclaiming her innocence in the 2003 bank robbery and collar bomb death of Brian Wells

Marvin says the Bureau hasn't confirmed to his satisfaction that she's dead.

'It is certainly reasonable to believe she died,' Marvin said. 'But I don't have any confirmation of that.'

Marvin said he met Diehl-Armstrong by mail while he was corresponding with her fellow inmates and helping them with legal issues, though he's not an attorney.

He said he met her in person in prison.

'I miss her very much,' he said of Diehl-Armstrong. 'She was just really easy to talk to. She appreciated me. We had a really good partnership.'

She insisted she is not guilty Mark Marvin

Marvin filed a Freedom of Information Act request for details about her death and where she is buried. He said he fears that they threw her in an unmarked grave in a landfill.

If she is dead, he wants to move her remains to a Quaker cemetery near Poughkeepsie, New York.

'I am just pursuing her interests,' Marvin said. 'She insisted she is not guilty.'

Marvin also wants the judge to 'abate' the charges against Diehl-Armstrong, which would declare her innocent after her death.

A Bureau of Prisons spokesman was investigating Marvin's request Tuesday, but didn't immediately comment.

The U.S. attorney's office in Pittsburgh, which oversees the satellite office in Erie where Diehl-Armstrong was convicted, also declined to comment.

Wells' death remained a mystery until Diehl-Armstrong and her fishing buddy Kenneth Barnes were indicted in 2007 on charges they concocted the plot along with her ex-boyfriend William Rothstein, who by then had died of cancer.

Barnes later pleaded guilty and testified against Diehl-Armstrong. Federal prosecutors said Rothstein, a retired high school shop teacher, made the bomb collar using two egg timers provided by Diehl-Armstrong.

William Rothstein, left, and Kenneth Barnes, right, were implicated in the bank robbery

They said he ordered the pizzas that lured Wells to a dead-end road where Wells was fitted with the device and given handwritten instructions on how to rob the bank and disarm the bomb.

Prosecutors contend Wells was in on the plot but was fooled into believing the collar bomb would be a decoy. His family disputes that and maintains he was a hostage.

Diehl-Armstrong suffered from bipolar disorder. She pleaded guilty but mentally ill to fatally shooting her boyfriend, James Roden, in 2003.

She also argued self-defense and was acquitted in the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Robert Thomas, in 1984.
Stuart Campbell, who runs the Wings Over Scotland website

A prominent Scottish pro-independence blogger has been arrested after a woman accused him of online harassment and 'malicious' tweets'.

Stuart Campbell, who runs the Wings Over Scotland website, was arrested on Friday at an address in the Avon and Somerset area and bailed pending further inquiries.

Police Scotland said the arrest was 'on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications'.

It followed a complaint from a woman in her 30s who attended a south London police station.

The alleged harassment is said to have taken place over the past two years.

In a statement published on his website, Mr Campbell said the allegation relates 'entirely to some tweets from our Twitter account, none of which have been deleted and all of which are still publicly visible'.

He added: 'None of the tweets involved are in any way threatening, not even in a joking sense.'

Mr Campbell, who lives in Bath, became a prominent online campaigner for a Yes vote in the 2014 independence referendum.

He continues to run his website as a 'Scottish political media digest and monitor', providing commentary and analysis.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'On August 18 a man aged in his 40s was arrested at an address in the Avon and Somerset area on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications.

'He has been bailed pending further enquiries to a date in mid-September. Enquiries continue.'
It is the ladies who rule the roost in the world of TV hosting, with women occupying six of the top ten spots on the annual Variety salary survey.

And at the very top of the list are two women who are making more than double their nearest competitors - Ellen DeGeneres and Judith Sheindlin.

DeGeneres will earn $50 million this year to play nice with her audience and ask polite questions to her celeb guests, while the now-iconic Judge Judy will take home $48 million to do the exact opposite.

And Shiendlin is not the only woman on the least being generously compensated to judge people.

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Bow down: Ellen DeGeneres (above in January) will earn $50 million in 2017, narrowly edging out Judge Judy Sheindlin ($48 million) as the top-paid TV host

Girl power: At NBC, Megyn Kelly (left) outearns Jimmy Fallon (right) as she makes $18 million with her new contract to his $16 million

Early fall shopping? Kelly beamed as she arrived at work Tuesday in an animal print sweater and black boots - despite a New York city heatwave

Big shoes to fill: Robin Roberts (left) also makes more than George Stephanopoulos (right) over on ABC, with the senior host taking home $18 million to his $12 million

It is a tie for third with Matt Lauer earning $25 million for his twentieth season as the lead anchor on 'Today,' tying him with Katy Perry.

The Grammy-winning songstress will be making the same amount as the news veteran for judging her very first season of the rebooted 'American Idol.'

Kelly Ripa lands in fifth with $22 million, followed by another tie between Robin Roberts and Megyn Kelly.

The morning show hosts both earn $18 million for their work on competing networks, which is more than every single other late night host on the list.

Kelly's salary is of particular interest given the amount of press that surrounded her move from Fox News to NBC, with her former employer offering her a reported four-year contract that would pay her a total of $100 million to stay on as host of 'The Kelly File.'

Reports had her new salary as low as $12 million and most seemed to believe her contract was for $15 million, but it seems those numbers were all too low.

Kelly has been spending the past few weeks gearing up for her big morning show premiere next month on September 25 at 9am in front of a live studio audience.

On Tuesday morning, she appeared on a segment that was part of Today's 'Summer of Yes,' which encourages people to try something out for the first time.

For Kelly, that was dancing with 'World of Dance' judge Derek Hough, and she seemed to have a ball as she trotted, kicked and even flipped with her debonair dance partner.

The segment also allowed Kelly and Hough to teach a young mother to dance in order to honor her late sister.

Level playing field: Jimmy Kimmel (left) and Stephen Colbert (right) both take home $15 million for their late night shows

Rich kids of Instagram: Kelly Ripa makes $22 million for 'Live With Kelly and Ryan' while Ryan Seacrest makes $15 million, and another $12 million for the upcoming 'American Idol' reboot

And while women may be underrepresented in late night, they at least know where the money is, as the first member of the boys club to bust onto the list is Jimmy Fallon, who with his $16 million salary lands in eighth.

The top ten is rounded out with a tie for ninth between Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, who earn $15 million for their network late night shows.

King of the Hill: David Letterman is getting $2 million an episode for his Netflix show

Those two are not the only members of the $15 million club either, whose members also include ageless wonder Pat Sajak, who has been manning the turntable over at Wheel of Fortune since 1981, taking just a brief two-year break in the middle when tried his hand in late night.

George Stephanopoulos gets a cool $15 million too for his work on both 'Good morning America,' 'This Week' and 'ABCNews,' which is good deal less than his more senior co-worker Roberts.

And the last member of the $15 million gang is actually the highest paid male host in television, Ryan Seacrest.

That is due to the combination of the $15 million her gets for 'Live With Kelly and Ryan' along with the $12 million he is set to receive when he returns to host the new season of 'Idol' on ABC.

Also banking $12 million this year will be CNN host Anderson Cooper, Conan OBrien and David Letterman for his new Netflix show.

That new show will tape just six extended episodes however, meaning that Letterman is getting the last laugh with a per-episode pay rate of $2 million.

But will he finally shave?
Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman ordered a Confederate memorial outside a courthouse in Ellicott City, Maryland be removed Monday night

A Confederate memorial outside a courthouse in Ellicott City, Maryland was removed Monday night.

The controversy and scrutiny over Confederate monuments continues to intensify in the wake of the deadly attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month.

The news was revealed on Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman's official Facebook page.

He shared several pictures that show the memorial outside the Circuit Court in Ellicott City being removed and placed onto a truck.

The monument includes the names of dozens of Confederate soldiers from the area.

Kittleman wrote alongside the images: 'Photos from Monday night when the Confederate memorial was removed from outside the Circuit Courthouse in Ellicott City.'

The controversy and scrutiny over Confederate monuments continues to intensify in the wake of the deadly attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month

The monument includes the names of dozens of Confederate soldiers from the area

The politician added: 'The more appropriate place for the memorial is in a museum, along with other artifacts and information on the Civil War.'

In another post, the Howard County Executive said: 'It has become increasingly clear in recent weeks that memorials such as this are hurtful to many residents in our community and elsewhere.'

'Given these feelings and the tragedy in Charlottesville, I felt compelled to remove this memorial from public property.'

The politician continued: 'We cannot and should not erase the past. We must learn from it. A museum offers context for us and for future generations to better understand our shared history.'

Kittleman wrote alongside the images: 'Photos from Monday night when the Confederate memorial was removed from outside the Circuit Courthouse in Ellicott City'

The politician added: 'The more appropriate place for the memorial is in a museum, along with other artifacts and information on the Civil War'

In another post the Howard County Executive said: 'It has become increasingly clear in recent weeks that memorials such as this are hurtful to many residents in our community and elsewhere'

Criticism of Confederate monuments has been increasing since a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent after white nationalists opposed the city's plan to remove a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee.

This resulted in the death of one woman named Heather Heyer.

The removal of the memorial in Ellicott City comes about a week after Baltimore pulled down its Confederate monuments under the cover of night.

He said 'Given these feelings and the tragedy in Charlottesville, I felt compelled to remove this memorial from public property'

Criticism of Confederate monuments has been increasing since a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent after white nationalists opposed the city's plan to remove a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee

Kittleman shared several pictures that show the memorial outside the Circuit Court in Ellicott City being removed and placed onto a truck

In Kansas City, park officials revealed that an 83-year-old Confederate memorial is set to be moved after it was vandalized.

That came after someone painted what appeared to be a red hammer and sickle on the 'Loyal Women of the Old South' memorial late Friday or early Saturday.

Meanwhile in Houston a man named Andrew Schneck was arrested for allegedly trying to plant a bomb near a Confederate statue in a Texas park.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are among a set of White House aides pushing President Trump to allow illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to stay, in an effort to get Democrats to fund the president's border wall.

McClatchy reported that the group of White House officials have suggested using so-called 'Dreamers' as a bargaining chip, in order to check off some of the president's campaign promises on immigration, including the wall, additional detention facilities, an E-verify system for employers and cuts to legal immigration.

However, such a move would break another campaign promise, as candidate Donald Trump had pledged to supporters last August to 'immediately terminate President Obama's two illegal executive amnesties,' including DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Some of President Trump's top aides, including family members Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, want him to give protections to Dreamers in order to get Democrats on board a bigger immigration plan

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are among the White House aides who believe President Trump should move to protect Dreamers

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have found a White House ally in new Chief of Staff John Kelly (pictured), who's reportedly on board with the plan and is keeping aides who are against it away

One of those aides is Stephen Miller who has expressed that he's against giving Dreamers amnesty

Aide Stephen Miller formerly worked for Attorney General Jeff Sessions (pictured), who is believed to also not want President Trump to protect the 750,000 so-called 'Dreamers'

But now with much of Trump's agenda sputtering on Capitol Hill, the first daughter and her husband have formed an alliance with new Chief of Staff John Kelly in support of this plan.

Vice President Mike Pence, along with National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and Trump economic adviser Gary Cohn, are also believed to agree, McClatchy said.

'They are holding this out as a bargaining chip for other things,' Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Reform, told McClatchy.

Mehlman's group opposes offering protections to Dreamers and has been in talks with the White House.

On the other side of the coin are advisers like Stephen Miller and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who'd like to see the Dreamers deported. Sessions was Miller's former boss.

McClatchy revealed that Miller was told not to brief the president on the issue anymore, according to two sources privy to the discussions, as the president has a tendency to side with the last person making the argument in the room.

'The president knows where Stephen Miller stands,' a former Trump adviser told McClatchy. 'It was discussed in the primary and general election. A new conversation is not going to change anything.'

Kelly, the president's original pick to lead Homeland Security who was appointed to the role of chief of staff last month, has been carefully watching which aides talk to Trump.

President Obama implemented DACA in 2012 and it protects approximately 750,000 people.

As it entered its fifth year, Trump was already under pressure to make a decision about the program's future.

Ten states have threatened to sue the government if the president doesn't overturn DACA by September 5.

Another 20 states, led by California's Attorney General Xavier Becerra, are urging the president to refuse that request.

Trump coming out in support of the Dreamers, like he hinted he might in February, when he said he would treat them with 'great heart,' looked like good politics, said some Republicans.

'It's smart for them to use it,' one Republican, with close ties to the White House, told McClatchy.

Though not everyone was impressed.

'It is abhorrent for the Trump administration to treat the lives and futures of Dreamers, including 800,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, as bargaining chips to further its racist agenda,' said Lorella Praeli, the director of immigration and campaigns at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Champion bodybuilder Dallas McCarver has died after he apparently choked on his food at home in Florida.

The 26-year-old bodybuilding superstar known to fans as 'Big Country' was found unconscious Monday evening at his home in Boca Raton by a friend shortly after speaking on the phone with his girlfriend WWE star Dana Brooke, TMZ reported.

Brooke, whose real name is Ashley Mae Sebera, said the last thing McCarver told her was that he was going to cook dinner and said, 'I love you. Goodbye.'

She said his cause of death is believed to be choking on food, and that she was told there were no signs of foul play.

In addition, she said it does not appear that the 26-year-old tried to harm himself.

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Champion bodybuilder Dallas McCarver (above left in March and right in a photo shared to Instagram on Sunday) has died after he apparently choked on his food at home in Florida

The 26-year-old bodybuilding superstar known to fans as 'Big Country' was found unconscious Monday evening by a friend shortly after speaking on the phone with his girlfriend WWE star Dana Brooke, TMZ reported

Brooke (pictured together above) said the last thing McCarver told her was that he was going to cook dinner and said, 'I love you. Goodbye.' She said his cause of death is believed to be choking on food, and that she was told there were no signs of foul play

Public Information Manager of the Boca Raton Police Department Mark Economou told the Hollywood Life a similar statement and said, 'the cause of death is pending on the Medical Examiner's report. At this time foul play is not suspected.'

Earlier on Monday, McCarver appeared to be fine as he worked out in a local gym and posted a video to Instagram where he chest-pressed 160 pound dumbbells in each hand with the assistance of his friend Josh Lenartowicz.

He captioned the video: 'Could've been a little slower and better under control wth (sic) these 160s today... but sometimes you've just got to let the intensity flow. Great chest day with @josh_lenartowicz in @project_flex_fl#DragonsLair ! That damn @redcon1official#Silencer had me sweating like a whore in church boy! Whew!!!! #HotAsHell #LoveIt#DoTheHardSfuff #bigcountry#dallasmccarver #outgrowyourego#redcon1'

McCarver was the face of RedCon1, an online sports supplement and training apparel site that he often promoted on his social media accounts.

The CEO of the RedCon1, Aaron Singeman, recounted in an emotional Facebook video how he found out that McCarver died.

Singeman said that Lenartowicz, who was McCarver's roommate, 'found him face down in the kitchen and not breathing.

Earlier on Monday, McCarver appeared to be fine as he worked out in a local gym and posted a video to Instagram where he chest-pressed 160 pound dumbbells in each hand (above)

He captioned the video: 'Could've been a little slower and better under control wth (sic) these 160s today... but sometimes you've just got to let the intensity flow. Great chest day with @josh_lenartowicz in @project_flex_fl'

'So they cleared out his passageways and removed the food in their, the blockage.

'And Josh actually cleared the passageways and removed the blockage, did CPR and when the ambulance came they continued.

'Brought him to the hospital and tried to resuscitate him, but unfortunately it didn't work out.'

He added that McCarver 'was generous and kind to everybody.'

The 6'1', 300-lb athlete began competing in the bodybuilding circuit when he was 21 and quickly started winning popular competitions.

He placed first in the NPC Hub City Fitness Quest Junior Heavyweight category in 2011.

Last year he placed 8th in the 2016 Mr. Olympia competition.

Back in March, McCarver suffered a health scare when he collapsed onstage at the 2017 Arnold Classic Australia.

At the time, he apparently had an upper respiratory infection that became a 'bad case of bronchitis' which lead to his collapse, The Hollywood Life reported.

The 6'1', 300-lb athlete began competing in the bodybuilding circuit when he was 21 and quickly started winning popular competitions. He placed first in the NPC Hub City Fitness Quest Junior Heavyweight category in 2011

He said that he was 'ok' and had his health under control.

Since word of his shocking death spread, fans and fellow athletes have flocked to social media offering their condolences.

Lenartowicz took to Instagram sharing a collage of photos of showing himself with McCarver.

'Today we lost a great bodybuilder but an even greater person,' he wrote in the post.

'So many lives impacted, encouraged and uplifted because of your only life here on earth @dallasmccarver'.

Since word of his shocking death spread, fans and fellow athletes have flocked to social media offering their condolences. Lenartowicz took to Instagram sharing a collage of photos of showing himself with McCarver (above)

Fellow bodybuilder Sasan Heirati shared a photo of himself with McCarver on stage during a competition to Instagram as a tribute (above)

Fellow bodybuilder Sasan Heirati shared a photo of himself with McCarver on stage during a competition to Instagram as a tribute.

Heirati wrote: 'R.I.P @dallasmccarver i had the honour of sharing the stage with you on my first ever pro show. I didn't get a chance to get to know you but it really saddens me to lose such an icon and great bodybuilder for our time, at such a young age.

'Never take life for granted. It really can end at any time. Be grateful for everyone and everything you have...'

Another professionals bodybuilder Dexter 'The Blade' Jackson also shared a photo to Instagram showing him alongside McCarver and wrote a touching tribute.

Jackson, who is the 2008 Mr. Olympia, wrote: 'One of the saddest days ever for me. Dallas McCarver has passed!

Another professionals bodybuilder Dexter 'The Blade' Jackson also shared a photo to Instagram showing him alongside McCarver and wrote a touching tribute (above)

McCarver's girlfriend also started replying back to some social media users who had offered her condolences over his shocking death

'It hurts me so much because I was like a mentor to this young dude. I loved this dude!!

'He was one of the realist for sure!! He would always call me Papa and I would say I ain't your dad! Don't call me that! R.I.P my brother! I love you Dallas!'

McCarver's girlfriend also started replying back to some social media users who had offered her condolences over his shocking death.

'Thank you Natti ! All we can do is be strong for him and pray like he would like,' Brooke tweeted in reply to Natalya Neidhart, one of her WWE co-stars and friends.

Hours before McCarver's death, Brooke shared a photo of them smiling together as her 'Man Crush Monday'.

As the caption, Brooke wrote: 'Still got some time left to post #mcm--someone who Day in and day out is helping and giving so much to so many people !@dallasmccarver is one of the most genuine people I have ever met'.

His family created a GoFundMe page where donations will go towards his foundation that helps 'provide food, clothing, toiletries, books, and school supplies to those children who otherwise would go without.'
Message addressed 'from the Islamic Republic of Spain to the Government'

A pro-ISIS website has warned of further Spanish attacks from terror cells still embedded around the country.

The Wafa Media Foundation published a statement addressed 'from the Islamic Republic of Spain to the Government of Spain', saying: 'The war has not been fought and gone'.

ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils last week which killed 15 and wounded more than 120.

A pro-ISIS website has published a statement promising further attacks on Spain from more terror cells embedded within the country

It comes after the terror group claimed responsibility for the attack in Barcelona (pictured) and Cambrils which killed 15 and wounded more than 120

In the message, the extremists said Catalonia would be conquered like Gibraltar and Andalusia, which were once under Moorish control.

The attacks would be revenge for military operations in Bahrain, Iraq and Somalia, the statement said according to PJ Media.

As with most ISIS threats, the message provided no evidence to back up its claims

And while the terror group has claimed the latest Spain attack, there is no evidence that any of the group were in direct contact with its recruiters or had ever traveled to its camps for training.

It seems as if the group was actually radicalised by extremist imam Abdelbaki Es Satty who had links to al-Qaieda, which is an enemy of ISIS.

All 12 members of the terror cell which operated out of Ripoll, north of Barcelona, have now been accounted for, Spanish police say.

Eight of them are dead, including Es Satty and Barcelona van driver Younes Abouyaaquob, who was shot dead in Subirats on Monday.

Four more have been arrested - Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Aallaa, Mohammed Houli Chemlal and Sahal El Karib.

Police say the terror cell which carried out the attacks last week are now either in jail or dead. Pictured is Mohammed Houli Chemlal as he appeared in court on Tuesday

Driss Oukabir, Salah El Karib, 34, and Mohamed Aallaa, 27 (left to right), appeared in court today and were charged with terrorist murder

Driss was initially accused of driving the van at Las Ramblas that killed 13 after his identity documents were found inside, but later claimed they had been stolen by his brother Moussa, who was shot dead in Cambrils.

In court on Tuesday he changed his story, saying he did rent the vans himself, but thought they were for moving house.

Aallaa, whose two brothers died carrying out the attack, was arrested after his car was used to run people down in Cambrils.

Chemlal is accused of working in a bomb factory making explosives to be used in a much larger attack before it blew up accidentally, wounding him.

Sahal El Karib runs an internet cafe in Ripoll, where all the attackers came from. His exact connection to the plot is unclear.
A 4-year-old boy from Texas was sent home from school during his first week after teachers informed his mother his long hair violated their policy.

Jessica Oates told KTRK she was told her son would be required to return a letter 'citing a religious or cultural exception,' otherwise, he would need to cut his locks in order to continue an education at Barbers Hill Independent School District.

A furious Oates told the news station she refused to go through with the school's orders, citing that her son's long hair is 'a part of who he is' as a person.

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A Texas mother is fired up after her son was sent home from school over his long hair

The 4-year-old has never had his hair cut and his mother Jessica Oates says she isn't going to give in

Oates learned of Barber's Hill's hair policy at registration. She says she was told she'd need a letter citing a religious or cultural exception

She was told her son couldn't come back until his hair was cut short

'He's never had a hair cut ... it's just kind of part of his identity,' Oates said. '(Also) I don't believe that short hair should be required to get an education.'

Barbers Hill policy strictly states boys must keep their hair above the neck, eyes and ears.

Oates even attempted to put the child's hair back into a bun, but the school didn't approve.

'I feel like my son is owed the same education that all other children in this school district have,' said Oates, shaming the 'outdated and sexist' guidelines.

'He's just so smart and he blows my mind ... Full of energy and excited to learn.'

'I don't believe that short hair should be required to get an education,' said Oates

'He's never had a hair cut ... it's just kind of part of his identity,' Oates added

The school policy states that boys' hair must be above the eyes and ears and neck

Oates tried a bun, but it didn't work for the school officials

Barbers Hill since released a statement on the policy to KTRK writing, 'Our local elected board has established policy based on community expectations, and Barbers Hill administration will continue to implement the said policy.'

New Hope mayor and transgender rights activist, Jess Herbst, released a statement on the incident to Twitter Tuesday afternoon.

'Barbers Hill Texas School District's discriminatory hair policy is an attempt to force everyone into mediocre stereotypes. #CivilRights,' she wrote to her page.

Oates said her son is 'so smart, full of energy and excited to learn'

Barbers Hill since released a statement on the policy to KTRK

Another woman mocked the district saying, 'Well, it's Barbers Hill. They like cutting hair. That's how they stay in business...'

Oates said she will continue to challenge the policy she doesn't 'believe' in.

'I will not cut his hair,' she said sternly.
Authorities in Oklahoma are searching for two possibly armed and dangerous inmates who escaped after stealing a prison transport van overnight.

Major County Sheriff Steve Randolph says inmates Andrew Foy, 32, and Darren Walp, 37, overpowered two transport officers about 3.30am and took the Inmate Services Corporation van on US 412 in Orienta.

Authorities say the van was found abandoned about 13 miles away in Ringwood, and an empty gun holster was found inside.

On the lam: Inmates Darren Walp (left), 37, and Andrew Foy (right), 32, are being sought in Oklahoma after pulling off an overnight escape from a prison transport van

Foy's final destination was supposed to be the Laramie County Sheriff's Department (pictured) in his native Wyoming

Walp was supposed to be transported to the Seward County Sheriff's Department in Kansas (pictured)

An oilfield company truck - a white 2017 Ford sitting 15 - was later reported stolen in the area. The missing vehicle has been described as a maroon 2006 Dodge Ram with Oklahoma tag DEL244, reported NewsOn6.

Authorities say the inmates were being taken by a transport company to a correctional facility in Kansas.

The van had been scheduled to pick up additional inmates in Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas.

Foy is described as a white male with blue eyes, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing 210lbs. His final destination was supposed to be the Laramie County Sheriff's Department in Wyoming.

Ex-convict: Walp has a long criminal record that includes bias intimidation charges for yelling racial slurs in New Jersey (he is pictured in a mugshot in 2013) and felony criminal endangerment charges in Montana

Walp was only described by officials as a white male with a medium build. An online inmate database, however, revealed that he is 6-foot-1, weighing 225lbs with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Walp was supposed to be transported to the Seward County Sheriff's Department in Kansas.

It was not immediately clear where the inmates were from or what crimes they were convicted of committing.

According to an article published in the Billings Gazette in January 2015, Walp was arrested and charged with felony criminal endangerment charges after being involved in an armed standoff with police in Montana that lasted nearly 20 hours.

Walp's lengthy criminal history, spanning multiple states, also included bias intimidation charges filed against him in New Jersey in 2013.

In one incident, which had occurred in June 2013, Walp, from Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, was attending a Toby Keith concert in New Jersey when he began waving a Confederate flag and hurling racial epithets at strangers, reported NJ.com at the time.

Less than two months later, Walp was again arrested for allegedly yelling racial slurs without any provocation at a black man driving with a child in Camden, New Jersey.

In 2015, Walp was handed a sentence of up to 14 months in prison for the flag incident.

Little is known about Andrew Foy's background beyond the fact that he is originally from Cheyenne, Wyoming.
A rising star of the Labour Party who is a key ally of Jeremy Corbyn shared a Twitter post telling sex abuse victims of the Rotherham scandal to shut their mouths for the good of diversity.

Naz Shah, who represents Bradford West, shared and liked the post by a parody account of newspaper columnist Owen Jones.

It said: Those abused girls in Rotherham and elsewhere just need to shut their mouths. For the good of diversity.

It comes just days after Ms Shah, 43, penned a comment piece for the Independent attacking fellow Labour MP Sarah Champion for writing an article stating Britain had a problem with Pakistani men targeting vulnerable white girls.

Rising star Labour MP Naz Shah, pictured, shared a Twitter post telling victims of sexual abuse to 'shut their mouths'

The post, pictured, was written by a parody account of columnist Owen Jones and Ms Shah later deleted it. Her spokesman said it was a 'genuine mistake'

Ms Shah, a mother of three, later deleted her retweet and unliked the post.

But her actions were criticised by Equality and Human Rights Commission chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath who said she should know better.

She told The Sun: We need to keep the victims of these horrific crimes at the heart of the debate and always remember that diversity is not served by silence.

As reported on MailOnline, Ms Shah, a Muslim, was suspended by the Labour Party in 2016 for making anti-semitic comments online.

Writing on Facebook, she said a solution to the Middle East conflict is to relocate Israel into the United States, adding that transportation costs will be less than three years of defence spending... problem solved.

The inflammatory outburst was accompanied by a map of America with a small section representing Israel shaded in.

Miss Shah later apologised in a statement to the Commons: I accept and understand that the words I used caused upset and hurt to the Jewish community, and I deeply regret that.

It came after Ms Shah attacked fellow Labour MP Sarah Champion, pictured, for speaking out about the Rotherham sex scandal in an open letter

She was then stripped of the Labour whip pending an investigation.

Her suspension was lifted three months later and she was welcomed back into the party.

On the Twitter posts, a spokesman for Ms Shah told the Sun it was a genuine accident rectified within minutes.

The spokesman said: Her record speaks for itself. Naz has been working for over 20 years on the issues of child abuse, violence against women and grooming, which is well documented.

She has and will continue to advocate for all victims, and work towards eradicating this evil from society.

Her letter about Ms Champions article in The Sun said the comments were nothing more than blanket, racialised loaded statements which stigmatised the Pakistani community.

The article, she said, published in the wake of the latest Asian sex grooming scandal in Newcastle, was irresponsible and was setting a dangerous precedent.

Miss Shahs stand was singled out for praise by Jeremy Corbyn. He posted her letter on his Facebook page, accusing The Sun, and by implication Sarah Champion herself, of using Nazi-like terminology about a minority community.

Ms Champion later left the Shadow Cabinet, in which she had served as Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities Minister, amid claims she was hounded out.


28-year-old Larissa Rivera from Kissimmee, Florida allegedly left her two young children unsupervised in a hot car with no air conditioning on Sunday

A 28-year-old Kissimmee, Florida mother allegedly left her two young children unsupervised in a hot car with no air conditioning on Sunday.

Larissa Rivera's children, who are four and five years old, were found by Orlando police who claim the mother went to Butkin Bar on International Boulevard for some drinks.

They said the children were left alone in a scorching hot silver Ford Focus, which was running with the keys in the ignition.

Officer W. Thomas of the Orlando Police Department was at the scene and opened the cars door.

Apparently the little girl was crying hysterically and sweating while her brother slept in a car seat next to her.

There was no food or drink in the car and the air conditioning was turned off. Police told WFTV it was 80 degrees outside but felt like 88 degrees.

Authorities made the discovery while the mother in question was inside the bar. She eventually walked out to greet them.

The police claimed she had glassy eyes and smelt like alcohol.

Witnesses said Rivera was at the bar at least an hour and a half and the children were alone in the car at least 30 minutes, investigators said

She told them that she was a regular at the bar and that people there help watch her kids from time-to-time. She also claimed to be watching them through a window.

Witnesses said Rivera was at the bar for at least an hour-and-a-half and the children were alone in the car for at least 30 minutes.

Rivera has posted bail and is out of the Orange County Jail.
Donald Trump believes his aggressive stance on North Korea has worked and its leader Kim Jong-Un has started to 'respect him'.

'Some people said it was too strong. It's not strong enough,' he told a gathering of thousands of supporters at a campaign style rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday night.

'But Kim Jong-Un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us. I respect that fact very much.'

His Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said peaceful talks between the nations were now possible 'in the near future' and welcomed the restraint the North had showed in its weapons program.

He said: 'We have had no missile launches or provocative acts on the part of North Korea since the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution.'

Donald Trump has claimed his aggressive stance on North Korea has worked and its leader Kim Jong-un has started to 'respect him'

'Some people said it was too strong. It's not strong enough,' he told a gathering of thousands of supporters at a campaign style rally in Phoenix, Arizona. Pictured: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

Pyongyang, meanwhile, revealed significant technological advances in its missile programs and ambitious plans to further improve its capabilities.

While visiting the Chemical Material Institute of the Academy of Defense Science, Kim ordered the production of rocket engines and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) to be stepped up, state media reported.

And only yesterday, a chilling North Korean propaganda video appears to show Trump staring at the apocalyptic remains of US territory Guam, which Kim threatened to attack.

The footage released by Kim Jong-Un's state run media featured a macabre shot of Trump at cemetery, apparently in Guam, and Vice President Mike Pence engulfed in flames.

The video emerged shortly after the reclusive nation threatened to turn the US into 'a heap of ashes' in a typically aggressive response to the American war games taking place in the neighboring South.

Tensions between North Korea and the United States and its allies soared last month after Pyongyang tested two long-range missiles that appeared to bring US cities within its range

US President Donald Trump vowed to respond with 'fire and fury' against the reclusive state, raising fears of a devastating regional conflict

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said peaceful talks between the nations were now possible 'in the near future'

A North Korean propaganda video emerged shortly after the reclusive nation threatened to turn the US into 'a heap of ashes' in response to the American war games in the neighboring South (pictured)

South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, said the necessary because of repeated provocations by North Korea. Pictured: US Pacific Command Commander Admiral Harry Harris Jr. (center) at a press conference at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills in South Korea - which themselves are a response to the North's nuclear tests - are largely computer-simulated

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills - which themselves are a response to the North's nuclear tests - are largely computer-simulated.

Tensions between North Korea and the United States and its allies soared last month after Pyongyang tested two long-range missiles that appeared to bring US cities within its range.

US President Donald Trump vowed to respond with 'fire and fury' against the reclusive state, raising fears of a devastating regional conflict.

Kim's regime later postponed a threat to fire missiles towards the US Pacific island territory of Guam, and Washington said it would be open to dialogue if Pyongyang were to take steps to calm tensions.

'We need to see more on their part, but I want to acknowledge the steps they've taken thus far.'

North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests and dozens of missile tests since the beginning of last year.

Still not friends: North Korean released a propaganda video which appears to show Donald Trump staring at the apocalyptic remains of US territory Guam

Its last missile test was of a second intercontinental ballistic missile on July 28.

This put the US mainland in range, prompting heated exchanges of threats and rhetoric that raised fears of a new conflict on the Korean peninsula.

Last week, Trump praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un for his 'wise' decision while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was available to help broker talks.

So called six-party talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program collapsed in 2008 following a North Korean rocket launch, after which Pyongyang said it was pulling out of a 2005 agreement to freeze the program.

In May, North Korea thumbed its nose at Tillerson personally by testing a missile just after the US secretary of state chaired a UN Security Council meeting.

During the session, he warned that failure to curb Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs could lead to 'catastrophic consequences.'

The footage is the latest escalation in a fiery war of words between Trump (pictured) and Kim since the North Korean leader threatened to level Guam

Tillerson's remarks on Tuesday came just after the United States announced new North Korea-related sanctions targeting Chinese and Russian firms and individuals for supporting Pyongyang's weapons programs.

China and Russia backed the U.N. sanctions but have urged the United States to enter dialogue with North Korea in return for a freeze in weapons testing.

Washington has long argued that any future talks with North Korea must have the aim of it giving up its nuclear weapons, something North Korea has rejected as long as the United States maintains a 'hostile policy' towards it.

North Korea's envoy to a disarmament conference in Geneva, Ju Yong Chol, reiterated this stance earlier on Tuesday.
It was a special day for Kevin Will Jr.

Kevin Jr. had his first day of kindergarten this week but one notable person in his life couldn't be there - his dad.

Houston police officer Kevin Will, 37, died in 2011 while investigating a hit-and-run on the North Loop.

A drunk driver went around police roadblocks and hit Officer Will, killing him instantly.

The driver pleaded guilty to intoxicated manslaughter and was sentenced to 55 years in prison, according to Click 2 Houston.

Officer Will had just married, gained two stepchildren and his wife was seven months pregnant with Kevin Jr.

The Houston Police Department shared a cute photo of the officers and Kevin Jr. on his special day

Although Kevin Jr. didn't have his dad with him on his monumental day, that didn't stop the Houston Police Department from supporting one of their own.

More than 100 officers showed up to walk Kevin Jr. to Wildwood Elementary School in Tomball, Texas.

'He'd like to have his dad here, but he's unfortunately not. So this is the second best thing and he's come to know them as a part of his family,' Cyndee Herring, Kevin Jr.'s grandmother told ABC 13.

Kevin Will's officer photo. He was killed in 2011 after being hit by a drunk driver

Officer Don Egdorf who was there the night of the accident and testified at Officer Will's trial and was there for Kevin Jr. when he needed him.

He said that he, along with his fellow officers, where just trying to do something to ensure Kevin Jr. had the necessary support - not just on his first day of school but everyday.

Kevin Jr. would have liked to have his dad there but having the Houston Police Department was the next best thing
The son and granddaughter of Robert F Kennedy have been pictured in their mugshots after they were arrested for allegedly throwing a raging party near the family's historic Cape Cod compound.

Matthew 'Max' Kennedy, 52, and his daughter Caroline, 23, were taken into custody for disorderly conduct and a noise violation on Sunday in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

Both of the Kennedys were bailed out that same night before their mugshots emerged on Tuesday.

Police busted the loud party on Sunday at 172 Irving Avenue - close to the Kennedys' Cape Cod compound.

Matthew 'Max' Kennedy, 52, and his daughter Caroline, 23, were taken into custody for disorderly conduct and a noise violation on Sunday in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts

The pair were asked to turn down their music at around 1am Sunday but they allegedly refused, CapeCod.com reported.

No-one else was arrested at the party, which also received complaints about fireworks.

Barnstable Police Lt John Murphy told the Boston Herald that the law was punishable by a $100 fine and arrest.

If found guilty, they will not face jail time, as neither of them has a criminal record, police said.

Both Kennedys were released on their own recognizance the night they were arrested, and Max was arraigned in Barnstable District Court on Monday.

They were partying at a rental home close to the historic Kennedy compound (pictured) in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, which was bought by RFK's father in 1928

Matthew 'Max' Kennedy (pictured), son of Robert F Kennedy, was arrested along with his daughter on Sunday at around 1am after complaints about a loud party

Caroline Summer Rose Kennedy, pictured, goes by the name Summer

His pretrial hearing on the disorderly conduct charge is set for November 22.

Caroline Kennedy's arraignment has been set for the same date. It's unclear why she was not arraigned around the same time as her father.

The property does not belong to the Kennedys - although Max lives elsewhere in Hyannis Port.

It is a nine-bedroom rental home known as the 'Judy Garland House' after the actress, who used to spend her summers there.

The party was held here, at a home once used by Judy Garland on her summer holidays. Locals had complained about the noise and fireworks, and police asked them to turn the volume down

The Garland House is seen top-right here; the Kennedy compound far left. Police say they arrested the Kennedys after they refused to turn down the music. No-one else was arrested

Max is probably best known for the book he wrote about his grandfather, 'Make Gentle the Life of This: The Vision of Robert F Kennedy.'

He is one of nine children born to Robert and Ethel Kennedy.

His arrest, and that of his daughter, comes eight months after his nephew - Conor Kennedy, son of RFK Jr - was arrested.

Conor Kennedy, an ex-boyfriend of Taylor Swift, was charged with disorderly conduct after he punched a man outside a nightclub on December 29 in Aspen.

However, he avoided going to court after agreeing to a plea deal that saw him given a six-month deferred sentence.

The Kennedy compound was purchased by Joseph P. Kennedy Sr, father of RFK and John F Kennedy, in 1928. It was expanded upon, but the original structure was built in 1904.
Nelson's Column should be torn down because the 18th Century naval hero was a 'white supremacist', a writer and broadcaster has claimed

Nelson's Column should be torn down because the 18th Century naval hero was a 'white supremacist', a writer and broadcaster has claimed.

Afua Hirsch, a journalist for Sky News, said it is time to 'look at our own landscape' following a number of campaigns to remove similar statues in the US.

She said the monument in London's Trafalgar Square was a prime example of one which should be felled because Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson defended slavery. 

In an article for the Guardian, titled 'Toppling statues? Here's why Nelson's Column should be next', she argued that the 'colonial and pro-slavery titans of British history' should stop being 'memorialised'.

She wrote that Nelson was 'what you would now call, without hesitation, a white supremacist' and that his influence hindered the progress of the slavery abolitionists.

'While many around him were denouncing slavery, Nelson was vigorously defending it,' she said. 'Britain's best known naval hero  so idealised that after his death in 1805 he was compared to no less than 'the God who made him'  used his seat in the House of Lords and his position of huge influence to perpetuate the tyranny, serial rape and exploitation organised by West Indian planters, some of whom he counted among his closest friends.

'It is figures like Nelson who immediately spring to mind when I hear the latest news of confederate statues being pulled down in the US.'

Her piece comes following a controversial - but unsuccessful - campaign at Oxford University to tear down a statue of the Imperialist Cecil Rhodes over fears it might offend ethnic minorities.

It sparked concerns that students were trying to erase a piece of history - and led to accusations of a 'snowflake generation' who are unable to deal with reality.

Yesterday, critics said it was wrong to pull down Nelson's Column because it is a 'landmark of our past'.  Ms Hirsch, who has Ghanaian and Jewish heritage and grew up in Wimbledon, south west London, said there is no 'equivalent site of glory' to celebrate black people's achievements of the time.

And she said it was illogical to argue against tearing down Britain's cultural heritage when our ancestors had done the same in other countries.

She added: 'We have 'moved on' from this era no more than the US has from its slavery and segregationist past.

In an article for the Guardian, titled 'Toppling statues? Here's why Nelson's Column should be next', Ms Hirsch argued that the 'colonial and pro-slavery titans of British history' should stop being 'memorialised'

Afua Hirsch, a journalist for Sky News, said it is time to 'look at our own landscape' following a number of campaigns to remove similar statues in the US

'The difference is that America is now in the midst of frenzied debate on what to do about it, whereas Britain  in our inertia, arrogance and intellectual laziness  is not.'

Speaking on yesterday on Sky News, she added of Nelson: 'He believed that black people were inferior, that they belong on plantations working under conditions of torture and exploitation and he used his incredible position of influence to try and prolong that situation.

'My real issue is when we remember these figures from British history we don't remember the full picture. We only remember the pro Imperial propaganda that he was a good person, that he was a hero.

'Where are the statues to people who were oppressed by people like Nelson? 'These people are as an integral part of our history as figures like Nelson but where are their monuments?' 

Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: 'Statues and monuments provide the landmarks of our past that define our national identity whether we approve of it or not.

'They should be protected and in many cases revered. 'Pulling them down polarises society and leads to violence and social breakdown.

'Hadrian' Wall is a monument to Roman power that was built on slavery.

'Should we destroy the ancient identity of western civilisation. No.'
Dramatic footage has emerged of the moment Spanish police raided the homes of four men suspected of carrying out the Barcelona terror attack.

Heavily armed officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra police force can be seen breaking into apartments in the town of Ripoll on Thursday, where most of the alleged terror plotters lived.

Police filmed as they searched the properties, before uncovering a gas canister of the same kind found at a suspected bomb factory used by the group in Alcanar.

Police in Catalonia filmed as they raided homes in the town of Ripoll last week, where the majority of the Barcelona terror suspects lived

Officers can be seen storming into apartments wearing full riot gear before searching them for clues. Police say the raids happened on Thursday

Mohammed Aallaa, whose car was used in the Cambrils attack, Driss Oukabir, who rented the van used in the Barcelona attack, and Sahal El Karib, who owns an internet cafe in the town, were all arrested as a result of the raids.

A fourth man, Mohammed Houli Chemlal, was pulled from the ruins of the suspected bomb factory before being arrested.

All four men appeared in court on Tuesday, where Chemlal and Oukabir were ordered to be held without bail and charged with terror-related murder.

Police were given 72 hours to strengthen their case against Karib as officers carried out a fresh raid on his cafe.

But Aallaa was released on bail after a judge ruled there was not enough evidence to hold or charge him.

In one apartment officers find gas canisters of the same kind located at a suspected bomb factory in the town of Alcanar

Driss Oukabir and Mohammed Houli Chemlal have been charged over the attacks while Sahal El Karib has been detained for questioning. Mohammed Aallaa has been freed on bail

However he has been forced to hand over his passport, barred from leaving the country, and must report to a court every Monday.

The men are accused of being part of a terror cell which killed 15 people and wounded more than 120 during linked attacks on Las Ramblas, in Barcelona, and the beach town of Cambrils.

Court documents say the group were plotting a much larger suicide bomb attack targeting the city's landmarks, but were thwarted when their bomb factory exploded on Wednesday last week.

As well as injuring Chemlal, the blast killed suspected plot mastermind Abdelbaki Es Satty and likely killed Youssef Aallaa, one of the terrorists.

That explosion forced the group to downsize their plans, rushing instead to acquire vehicles and knives to carry out lone-wolf-style attacks like those in Berlin, Nice, Stockholm and London, the judge said.
Illinois man Sean Woulfe (pictured), 25, was charged with 16 counts of reckless homicide in connection to the fatal crash

An Illinois man, who was driving the pickup truck that killed a pregnant woman and her three young sons, was charged Tuesday with reckless homicide.

The Will County States Attorneys Office said Sean Woulfe, 25, of Beecher, was charged with 16 counts of reckless homicide in connection to the fatal crash.

Lindsey Schmidt, 29, and her three young boys were driving to Bible camp on July 24 when Woulfe's pickup truck slammed into them.

Police said Woulfe was going 20 miles over the 55mph speed limit and missed a stop sign.

Schmidt, her one-year-old Kaleb, four-year-old Weston and six-year-old Owen died.

At the time, Owen and Weston, were put into medical induced comas after crash.

Weston Schmidt was pronounced deceased at 5.55pm on July 25, a day after the accident, at Comer Childrens Hospital in Chicago.

Six-year-old Owen died three days after the horrific crash on July 27.

Lindsey Schmidt, 29, from Beecher, Illinois, (left), her 21-month-old son, Kaleb, (top right) were killed in a car accident after a pickup truck ran a stop sign. Six-year-old Owen (front center) and four-year-old Weston (front left) died days later

Schmidt (left) and Kaleb (not pictured) were pronounced dead at the scene while four-year-old Weston (pictured in a stroller) passed away a day after the crash

Schmidt was driving her three sons at about 8.30am on July 24 to a vacation Bible camp when the 2002 Chevy S10 pickup truck ran a stop sign and crashed into the 2014 Subaru Outback with an impact so severe that Schmidt's car was sent barreling into a cornfield (above)

The boys' mother, Schmidt, and their one-year-old brother, Kaleb, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Schmidt was four months pregnant with her fourth child at the time of the collision.

Will County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said at the time that Woulfe, the driver of the 2002 Chevy S10 pickup truck that slammed into Schmidt's 2014 Subaru Outback, was issued a traffic citation.

However, investigators later dropped the citation and filed criminal charges against Woulfe.

Schmidt was driving her three boys at about 8.30am on July 24 to a vacation Bible camp in Beecher, Illinois, when the pickup truck ran a stop sign, police said.

The Chevy crashed into the Subaru with such a force that Schmidt's car was sent barreling into a cornfield.

The two boys were initially taken to St Margaret Hospital in Indiana before being airlifted to Comer Children's Hospital.

Woulfe was first taken to St James Hospital before being transferred to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn to be treated for his injuries.

Happier times: Eddie, Owen and Lindsey Schmidt are pictured together in 2012, celebrating the boy's second birthday

Six-year-old Owen had spent several days in a coma, but doctors could not save him

He had to undergo minor reconstructive surgery for a large laceration to his arm, authorities said.

Woulfe also had a fractured wrist, shoulder and ankle, and bruised lungs.

At the time, Woulfe told police he had his cruise control set to 55mph, which is the speed limit, reported CLTV.

However it was determined that he was going 20 miles over the 55mph speed limit.

States Attorney James Glasgow said the driver faced more serious charges, and dropping the traffic citations made it easier to pursue the bigger charges.

The Schmidt family had built their house in Beecher where neighbors described them as 'the perfect family'. Lindsey's husband, Eddie, was not in the car at the time of the crash.

Schmidt and Kaleb were pronounced dead at the scene (pictured) while the two older boys were taken to the hospital
A Confederate soldier statue in an Ohio cemetery was beheaded by vandals early Tuesday.

Police say the monument of a solider at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery in Columbus had its head knocked off and stolen.

The vandals appeared to have climbed on an arched memorial and toppled the statue atop the monument.

Police say the monument of a solider at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery in Columbus had its head knocked off and stolen

A Confederate soldier statue in an Ohio cemetery was beheaded by vandals early Tuesday

The soldier's head and hat were knocked off and police reported the vandals took the head but left the hat.

Police say the vandalism occurred at the cemetery where around 2,000 soldiers are buried.

Confederate statues around the country have been targeted in the weeks following a white-nationalist rally to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Police say the vandalism occurred at the cemetery where around 2,000 soldiers are buried

This resulted in the death of one woman named Heather Heyer.

Police in Ohio had been monitoring the cemetery since the August 12 rally.

The vandalism of this Confederate soldier statue comes after the removal of a memorial in Ellicott City on Tuesday.

Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman said: 'The more appropriate place for the memorial is in a museum, along with other artifacts and information on the Civil War.'

The vandals appeared to have climbed on an arched memorial and toppled the statue atop the monument

The crime took place at Camp Chase Cemetery

This news also comes after Baltimore pulled down its Confederate monuments under the cover of night.

In Kansas City, park officials revealed that an 83-year-old Confederate memorial is set to be moved after it was vandalized.

That came after someone painted what appeared to be a red hammer and sickle on the 'Loyal Women of the Old South' memorial late Friday or early Saturday.

Meanwhile in Houston a man named Andrew Schneck was arrested for allegedly trying to plant a bomb near a Confederate statue in a Texas park.
Mohammed Aallaa, 27, whose car was used in the Cambrils attack, was released from custody on Tuesday

A Spanish judge has ordered one of the four Barcelona terror suspects to be freed just hours after they appeared in court for the first time.

Mohammed Aallaa, 27, whose car was used in the Cambrils attack, has been released on bail after a Madrid judge ruled there was not enough evidence to hold him.

Mohammed Houli Chemlal, 21, who was pulled from the ruins of a suspected bomb factory, and Driss Oukabir, who rented the van used to attack Barcelona, have been charged with terror-related murder and ordered held without bail.

Sahal El Karib, who owns an internet cafe in the town of Ripoll where the cell allegedly operated, will be held for another 72 hours while further investigations are carried out.

Karib denied being a member of the terror cell as police raided his cafe. Raids were also carried out in a town called Vilafranca del Penedes on Tuesday night.

As a condition of Aallaa's release he must report to a courthouse every Monday, has been forced to hand over his passport, and cannot leave the country.

The judge also revealed that an ISIS document was found inside the suspected bomb factory, providing the first connection to the terror group which had earlier claimed responsibility for the atrocities which killed 15 and wounded 120.

The piece of paper was entitled 'A brief letter from the soldiers of the Islamic State on the territory of Al Andalous to the crusaders, the sinners, the unjust and the corrupters'.

Al Andalous is the name of the territories governed until 1492 by Muslims better known as Moors.

Court documents also revealed the Cambrils attackers bought knives and axes to be used against innocent civilians just minutes before they killed one and injured 16.

Mohammed Houli Chemlal, 21, who was pulled from the ruins of a suspected bomb factory, and Driss Oukabir, who rented the van used to attack Barcelona, have been charged with terror-related murder and ordered held without bail

Police were given 72 hours to strengthen their case against Sahal El Karib, who owns an internet cafe in Ripoll, the town where most of the attackers came from

Earlier in the day two of the suspects had told the court that Abdelbaki Es Satty, who preached at a mosque in Ripoll, was the instigator of the terror plot.

The other two denied knowing him, though it is unclear which two this was.

Chemlal told the judge that the group were planning an attack involving explosives on monuments around the city, including the Sagrada Familia church, and that he had known about it for two months.

But the attack had to be scaled back after an explosion at a suspected bomb factory on Wednesday wounded Chemlal and killed Es Satty, the court heard.

Chemlal wore hospital robes and had his arm bandaged in court, where he was brought after a doctor ruled he was well enough to testify.

He only survived because he had been on the porch at the time of the explosion.

Police had previously revealed that the suspected jihadis had been preparing bombs for 'one or more attacks in Barcelona'.

FRESH ISIS THREAT A pro-ISIS media outlet has threatened fresh attacks on 'disbelievers' in Spain saying terror cells remain in Barcelona and elsewhere. The Wafa Media Foundation carried a statement from 'the Islamic Republic of Spain' which warned 'the war has not been fought and gone'. The group said it would conquer Catalonia, the region where Barcelona is located, just as the Moors had once ruled over Gibraltar and Andalusia. It said Spain will remain a target as long as military operations continue in Bahrain, Iraq and Somalia. Advertisement

Josep Lluis Trapero, head of police in Catalonia, said 120 gas canisters and traces of TATP components - a homemade explosive that is a hallmark of the Islamic State group that claimed the attacks - had been found at their bomb factory.

Driss Oukabir, the brother of terrorist Moussa Oukabir who was shot dead in Cambrils, also spoke in court on Wednesday.

According to court sources he admitted renting the van used in the Barcelona attack, having previously said his brother had stolen his identity documents and rented the vehicles himself.

But he continued to deny being part of the terror cell, saying he believed the van was going to be used to help move house.

Driss told the judge he had lied initially because he was afraid, a court source said.

A prison van carrying Outkabir and Chemlal drives away from court on Tuesday night after they were ordered to be held without bail

Elsewhere Spanish police carried out fresh anti-terror raids in the village of Vilafranca del Penedes as their investigation remains ongoing

Elsewhere it was confirmed by French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb that the Audi A3 which belongs to Mohammed Allaa and was used in the Cambrils attack was photographed for speeding in Paris in the weeks before the Spain attacks.

He said that 'this group came to Paris but it was a quick arrival and departure.'

Abdelbaki Es Satty was the mastermind behind the Barcelona attack and originally planned to carry out a large-scale suicide bombing, two terror suspects told a court

Chemlal, Oukabir, Allaa and El Karib are the only surviving members of an alleged terror cell of 12 said to have been behind the attacks, the other eight either died before the incidents or were shot dead by police.

All four men are from the town of Ripoll, north of Barcelona, where the majority of those connected to the terror attacks lived.

Oukabir, whose passport was found in the van that careered down Las Ramblas, looked distressed as he was taken to court this morning, while Houli Chemlal appeared to still be wearing a hospital pyjamas and bandages.

They appear in court as Moroccan police have arrested one person and are investigating three others in connection with the terror attacks, La Vanguardia reports.

The four include the parents of one of those in custody, and Nourine Oukabir, the cousin of brothers Driss and Moussa. The latter was one of the five shot dead by police at Cambrils.

REMEMBERING : FUNERAL HELD FOR CAMBRILS VICTIM The funeral of one of the victims of the twin terror attacks has been held in Zaragoza, Spain, today. Ana Maria Suarez was the sole fatality in the attack in the seaside resort of Cambrils. The 61-year-old, from Zaragoza, north-east Spain, was with her husband and sister, who were both injured in the attack, according to Radio Television Espanola. The Spanish royal family Twitter account confirmed her death, offering their thoughts to her family. Victims: Ana Maria Suarez died when she was run over by a vehicle driven by terrorists while she was walking along the promenade in Cambrils with her husband and sister Honouring: Relatives and friends of Mrs Suarez, 67, arrive to her funeral in Zaragoza, Spain on Tuesday Advertisement

TERRORISTS' 'SHOPPING WEEKEND' IN PARIS The jihadi terrorists who brought carnage to Barcelona spent the weekend before in Paris  staying in a hotel and 'shopping', it emerged today. Their car, an Audi A3, was flashed speeding in the Essonne department, west of Paris, just before they reached Paris itself. There is also evidence place them in the centre of the city. After spending Saturday and Sunday in France, the group then drove back to Spain in the same car. Confirming the development in the investigation, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said: 'This group came to Paris, but it was a quick arrival and departure'. Security sources meanwhile told the BFM television channel that the men 'spent the night in a hotel in the Paris region. They went on to make purchases in Paris' at a major department store. Among those spotted in Paris was Younes Abouyaaqoub, the 22-year-old Moroccan, who drove a van along the crowded Las Ramblas. Mr Collomb said all the information about the Paris link had been passed over to his Spanish counterpart, Juan Ignacio Zoido. Advertisement

The newspaper reports that Nourine Oukabir, despite living in Morocco, had been seen with members of the alleged terrorist cell in a bar in Ripoll for a meeting that 'lasted hours'.

At Tuesday's closed-door hearing at the Audiencia Nacional, Judge Fernando Andreu will read out charges against the men expected to include counts of terrorism, murder and weapons possession.

The accused will then be asked if they wish to testify, in which case Judge Andreu will question them.

It is likely that the suspects being remanded in custody while the judge conducts an investigation, meaning that it can take months or even years before a trial is organised.

Oukabir, 28, handed himself over to police in the town on Thursday after being named by police as the suspected van driver that killed 13 on Las Ramblas.

He insists he is innocent, and that his younger brother Moussa stole his identity documents in order to rent the vehicle, which is where police obtained his name.

Officers now say the van driver was actually Younes Abouyaaquob, who was shot dead on Monday night in Subirats.

Moussa was one of five people killed by police during the attack on Cambrils on Friday which left one dead and 16 hurt.

Also under arrest is Mohammed Allaa whose car was used to ram pedestrians in the Cambrils attack.

One of his brothers, Youssef Allaa, died in an explosion at a suspected bomb factory in Alcanar on Wednesday, while another, Said Allaa, was killed in Cambrils.

Under arrest is Driss Oukabir (left), who handed himself over to police after his documents were used to rent the van used in the Barcelona attack. Mohammed Houli Chemlal (right) was arrested after being pulled from the rubble of a suspected bomb factory in Alcanar

Mohamed Aallaa (left) was arrested after his car was used in the Cambrils attack in which one of his brothers was shot dead. Sahel el Kaib is the owner of an internet cafe in Ripoll, where the majority of the alleged attackers lived

Four men arrested over the terror attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils have arrived in Madrid as they prepare to face court for the first time

The men will be brought before a judge at the Audiencia Nacional, Spain highest court, where they will have a chance to give an initial statement, Spanish meida reports

Mohammed Houli Chemlal, who police allege was the group's bomb-maker, was pulled alive from the rubble of that blast before being arrested.

Sahal El Karib is the owner of an internet cafe in Ripoll and his exact connection to the terror cell is unclear.

Also among the dead is imam Abdelbaki Es Satty, who preached at the mosque in Ripoll and is believed to have radicalised the other men and masterminded the plot.

Police confirmed on Monday that he was killed in the Alcanar blast.

The remaining three men - brothers Omar and Mohamed Hychami and Houssaine Abouyaaqoub, the brother of van driver Younes, were all killed in Cambrils.

Investigators say all members of the terror cell have now been accounted for, though their probe into the attacks will remain open.
The Trump administration has halted a study looking at the health risks of mountaintop removal coal mining.

In a letter written on Friday, the Interior Department announced the shutdown of the study, which was started in 2016 under former President Barack Obama, while the department undergoes an agency-wide budgetary review.

Scientists estimate at least 500 Appalachian mountaintops have undergone mountaintop removal mining, a form of surface mining that harvests coal deposits too thin to work from a coal mine.

The Trump administration has halted a study looking at the health risks of mountaintop removal coal mining in central Appalachia. Ordered by the Obama administration, the $1million, two-year study looked to investigate mountaintop removal in West Virginia (pictured), Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee

The initial study was ordered after a 2010 study reported an increase in mortality rates as well as an increase in incidences of lung cancer and kidney disease near where mountaintop mining is common. Birth defects were also reported in a 2011 study (Pictured, the effects of mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia)

The study had been launched at the request of two West Virginia agencies, the state's Department of Environmental Protection and Bureau for Public Health.

Ordered by the Obama administration, the $1million, two-year study looked to investigate mountaintop removal in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee.

An emphasis was placed on studying the 'effects from surface coal mining operations on air, surface water, groundwater, and drinking water quality and on ecologic communities and soil that could potentially lead to human health concerns.'

This came after a 2010 study in Science magazine reported an increase in mortality rates as well as an increase in incidences of lung cancer and kidney disease near where mountaintop mining is common.

Birth defects were also reported in a 2011 study published in Science Daily.

Some suggest the move may be part of President Donald Trump's efforts to bring back coal. In February, he scrapped the Stream Protection Rule, a regulation to protect waterways from coal mining waste and promised to bring back coal mining jobs.

Additionally, his proposed 2018 budget would cut funding for the Office of Surface Mining, which is responsible for protecting society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations.

Scientists estimate at least 500 Appalachian mountaintops have undergone mountaintop removal mining, a form of surface mining that harvests coal deposits too thin to work from a coal mine (Pictured, the effects of mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia)

Some suggest the move may be part of President Donald Trump's efforts to bring back coal. In February, he scrapped the Stream Protection Rule, a regulation to protect waterways from coal mining waste promising to bring back coal mining jobs (Pictured, the effects of mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia)

Critics have railed against the Interior Department for moves seen as halting scientific growth.

Several science advisory boards were frozen earlier this year by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. And Interior Department climate scientist Joel Clement alleged that he and dozens of other scientists had been arbitrarily reassigned.

'It's infuriating that Trump would halt this study on the health effects of mountaintop removal coal mining, research that people in Appalachia have been demanding for years,' Bill Price, Senior Appalachia Organizing Representative for Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, said in a statement.

'Stopping this study is a ploy to stop science in its tracks and keep the public in the dark about health risks as a favor to the mining industry, pure and simple,' said Democratic Representative Raul Grijalva of Arizona, ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, in a statement.
The biological mother of a missing teenage girl whose remains were found in a burn pit on her rural Missouri property has been charged with murder.

Rebecca Ruud was charged on Tuesday after authorities confirmed that burned human bones found on the property in Longrun, south-west of St. Louis, belonged to her 16-year-old daughter Savannah Leckie.

Savannah, who had autism, had been given up for adoption at birth but had returned to live with Ruud at the rural property a year ago.

Ruud, 39, is now charged with first and second-degree murder, abuse of a child resulting in death, tampering with physical evidence and abandoning a corpse.

Rebecca Ruud (left in her mugshot) was charged on Tuesday after authorities confirmed that burned human bones found on her Missouri property belonged to her 16-year-old daughter Savannah Leckie (right)

She was arrested on Monday at a Greyhound bus station in Springfield after buying a ticket to flee the state, according to the Ozark County Sheriff's Office. Ruud had three large suitcases with her, some of which contained blankets and quilts.

Savannah had been reported missing from the home in July where the teenager had been living with her mother and her mom's boyfriend.

The human remains were discovered on August 4 when police started searching Ruud's 81-acre farm property.

Investigators found bone fragments, two intact finger bones, a large vertebra bone and several items that appeared to be teeth when they sifted through ash in a burn pit on the property.

Forensic testing and other evidence confirmed the remains belonged to Savannah.

During the search of the property, police had seized a meat grinder, a knife and 26 bottles of lye, which can be used to speed up the breakdown of human tissue.

Savannah was adopted at birth and grew up in Minnesota with her adoptive parents Tamile Montague and David Leckie. The couple have since divorced.

The teenager went to live with her biological mother in Missouri 11 months ago after reportedly not getting along with her adoptive mom's new boyfriend.

Savannah had been reported missing from the home in July where the teenager had been living with her mother and her mom's boyfriend

Savannah had been reported missing from her home in late July where she had been living with her biological mother Rebecca Ruud (pictured together)

Her adoptive mother issued a statement on Tuesday following news of the arrest and confirmation of Savannah's death.

'Our family is in deep grief and is mourning Savannah as her remains were identified yesterday. This is not the outcome that we were hoping or praying for,' she said.

'We are grateful for the countless hours that the Ozark County Sheriff's office has dedicated in searching for Savannah. We know that their work continues as they investigate her death.

'We ask that Savannah is remembered as a beacon of light and her light will always shine.

Prior to Savannah's supposed disappearance, Ruud had contacted the local fire department on July 18 and asked for help putting out a fire on her property, according to a criminal complaint.

She had told fire crews that both she and Savannah had suffered burns. Ruud was treated for burns to her left arm but she told the fire crew that her daughter was fine and was taking a shower. Ruud allegedly refused to let the crews see Savannah.

Two days later on July 20, Ruud called the sheriff's office and reported her daughter missing.

'I need to report a missing child, I think she's a runaway,' Ruud is alleged to have said.

'I had a fire two days ago, Savannah is blaming herself for the fire. I got burnt, I think that's why she ran away. She took her pillow and blanket and her favorite coloring bag. We can't find her anywhere.'

Savannah (right) was adopted at birth and grew up in Minnesota with her adoptive parents Tamile Montague (Left)) and David Leckie. The couple have since divorced

The teenager went to live with her biological mother in Missouri 11 months ago after reportedly not getting along with her adoptive mom's new boyfriend divorced

During the search of the remote property (above), police had seized a meat grinder, a knife and 26 bottles of lye, which can be used to speed up the breakdown of human tissue

Ruud had told police that Savannah was home when she went to bed the night before but had disappeared by the time she woke.

Officers searched the property extensively and subsequently listed Savannah as a missing person.

Police said Ruud had told relatives varying stories about the fire. She allegedly told some she was burned trying to save Savannah, while she told others she was injured removing a chainsaw from the fire.

She started a GoFundMe page to raise money for a lawyer after revealing she was a suspect in her daughter's disappearance. The page has since been taken down.

Ruud and her boyfriend Robert E. Peat Jr., who was also living at the farm but is not the teen's biological father, got married on the same day Savannah's remains were found on the property.

Married couples don't have to testify against each other but it isn't always the case if the victim is under the age of 18, according to the sheriff.

The criminal complaint against Ruud also details elements of Savannah's life living on the farm with her biological mother.

Ruud had admitted to officers that she had smashed Savannah's cell phone and banned her from using Facebook as a form of punishment, according to the complaint.

She also admitted to making her teen daughter remove her pants so she could spank her bare bottom.

Ruud (left) and her boyfriend Robert E. Peat Jr. (right), who was also living at the farmbut is not the teen's biological father, got married on the same day Savannah's remains were found on the property

Ruud had told police that Savannah was home when she went to bed the night before but had disappeared by the time she woke

In a text message exchange between Ruud and Savannah's adoptive mother in June, the biological mom allegedly complained about having her daughter on the farm.

Ruud is alleged to have told Tamile that it was difficult to get things done because her daughter was 'treating me like crap'.

'It's to the point that I either need more help to care for her, or I can do nothing with her.

'I am severely limited in the work I can by having Savannah...'

In another text message, Ruud allegedly said Savannah was costing her too much money and she was afraid she would lose the farm.

A judge denied bail for Ruud on Tuesday after ruling she was a flight risk.

Savannah's adoptive father David Leckie posted a tribute to his daughter on August 9 revealing news of her death.

'My daughter Savannah has passed away in Missouri. I would like to thank everyone that has prayed for her and our family. My Faith in God will get us through this and I will forever miss.my sweet girl,' he wrote.
WASHINGTON  Is President Trump a populist or a corporatist?

Is he appealing to white supremacists as a form of political opportunism  or because, deep down, he sympathizes with their views? Is he the hard-core fire and fury hawk of his North Korea statements? Or is he actually a non-interventionist who disdains foreign engagement?

The answer to all these questions is: Who knows? There is absolutely no way of establishing what Trump believes. He says whatever he feels he has to say at any given moment to get attention, strike back at foes or advance his personal (especially economic) interests.

But Trumps decision to let go of his right-wing-populist-in-chief Steve Bannon sends a clear signal that the presidents populism has always been a ruse. And Bannon committed the cardinal sins of dishing to a liberal journalist and dissing his own base within the Republican Party.

One reason Bannon has always inspired fascination is that he has a set of beliefs that, while not always coherent, are strongly held. Faced with a president whose ideology verges on nihilism, here was someone in the Trump orbit who cared about certain things passionately. Bannon was allowed to fill in the blanks left by an empty man.

This explains Bannons seemingly fatal decision to call my friend Robert Kuttner, a left-of-center economic populist who disagrees with Trump on all manner of issues but does share Bannons skepticism about Chinas role in the global economic system. Bannon seemed to think that he could strengthen his position by seeking allies on the left. This, we have learned conclusively, is not how this fundamentally right-wing White House works.

Kuttners account of the conversation, published in The American Prospect, was striking because (1) Bannon declared, against Trumps bellicose public bloviating, that theres no military solution to the North Korea problem; (2) Bannon sees the U.S. facing an economic war with China that we have to be maniacally focused on; (3) hes been in a fight ... every day on these matters with the Treasury Department and Trumps chief economic adviser Gary Cohn; and (4) he called the ethno-nationalists with whom he is often associated a collection of clowns.

Yet Bannon also seemed to welcome the public battles that Trumps moral equivalency toward neo-Nazis and their foes in Charlottesville has unleashed. The Democrats, Bannon told Kuttner, the longer they talk about identity politics, I got em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats.

Well. Bannons last point, despite his departure, could be a Rosetta Stone for Trumps shameful handling of Charlottesville: The president may figure that dividing Americans along racial lines while fueling a fight on the left over identity vs. class politics will leave him a winner.

But Bannon made all of this way too explicit. He also overlooked the large national consensus against neo-Nazis, Klansmen and white supremacists. Trump cant admit that hes playing politics with race, and ethno-nationalism is, fortunately, being challenged more forcefully than ever.

Bannon got into trouble for other reasons as well, notably by directly contradicting Trumps posture on North Korea. His dismissal is a triumph for Cohn, White House chief of staff John Kelly and national security adviser H.R. McMaster. Friends of a steadier foreign policy will cheer Bannons fall  although who knew that doves had a secret ally in the former head of Breitbart News?

Bannons ouster will no doubt be described as a victory for moderation. But it also underscores that for all of Trumps talk about workers and jobs, his administrations substantive actions have mainly benefited corporate interests. This is especially true of its rolling back of rules around the environment, Wall Street and various worker and consumer protections.

As political scientists Matt Grossmann and David Hopkins observed earlier this month on The Washington Posts Monkey Cage blog, Trumps actual behavior, including his regulatory retrenchment, suggests he is likely to compile the most conservative policy record of any recent administration.

Trump carried the crucial states of the Midwest because he was not a conventional conservative. Bannon, for all his disturbing inclinations, understood this. Does Trump?

The presidents defenders will cheer this decision as an effort to create a more orderly and predictable administration. Just as likely, we are witnessing yet another erratic move from a leader who doesnt know what he believes and was uneasy with an aide who dared imagine that there was a point to his presidency.
A homeless man has saved a baby who was kidnapped by his uncle and left teetering on the ledge of an interstate overpass.

Little Elijah, two months old, was feared dead after 25-year-old Kyshaun Wilson allegedly stole him from his home in the early hours on Monday morning, while the child's mom was preparing his bottle.

Wilson headed down the Highway 371 in Louisiana and left the child underneath the I-20 overpass at Exit 47 at Sibley, police say, before he hitched a ride to Shreveport,KSLA reports.

Little Elijah, 2 months, (left and right) was rescued by officers early on Tuesday morning after he was taken by his uncle

Little Elijah, two months old, (pictured with his mom) was taken from his home in the early hours on Monday morning, while his mom was preparing his bottle

When he arrived, he confessed what he'd done to Demarco Lewis, a homeless man who immediately called the cops.

'I'm just glad I was there that morning as a vessel to make sure things panned out,' Lewis said.

Shreveport police arrested Wilson who initially denied all knowledge of the missing child.

But he eventually confessed and revealed where he'd left Elijah.

The boy was kidnapped by his uncle and left teetering on the ledge of an interstate overpass (pictured)

Kyshaun Wilson (pictured left in his mug, and right on his arrest) stole the boy from his mom's home in the early hours on Monday morning. When asked why he'd done it, Wilson told the police that 'God had to him to'

Wilson had confessed what he'd done to Demarco Lewis (pictured) a homeless man who immediately called the cops

When asked why he'd done it, Wilson told the police that 'God had to him to.'

Police were able to locate the two-year-old balanced on a concrete ledge beneath the overpass, at 7am this morning.

The boy was wrapped up in a blanket and and seemingly unhurt by the experience aside from a scratch on his knee.

'Scariest thing about it if he were able to roll off that ledge, he would have hit that concrete retaining ledge and probably would have rolled right out into the interstate,' Minden Police Chief Steve Cropper said.

The child was taken to a local hospital to be checked by medical professionals before being returned to his very grateful mother who hugged Cropper after he returned her baby.

Meanwhile, Wilson - the boy's uncle - was arrested and is being held in the Webster Parish Jail in Minden on a charge of aggravated kidnapping.
Malia Obama is officially a college student.

The oldest daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama moved into her Harvard University dormitory on Monday afternoon, one day before her fellow students began arriving with their parents.

The family was joined by members of the Secret Service as they pulled up to Malia's new residence in a two-SUV envoy, managing to avoid detection despite the thousands of people around the campus and in Cambridge.

That was due in large part to their timing, with the Obamas electing to get everything moved and Malia settled into her new digs during the solar eclipse.

Then it was time to say goodbye, which did not look easy for the parents of the 19-year-old freshman.

Barack and Michelle, who both went to Harvard Law School, had their sunglasses on long before they exited Malia's dorm and kept their faces looking down as they rushed into their SUV, leaving their daughter behind to start her new life.

Scroll down for video

She comes in peace: Malia Obama moved into her new dormitory at Harvard University on Monday afternoon (above on Tuesday outside the dorm)

Shedding some tears: Barack and Michelle Obama looked to be emotional as they left the dorm after saying goodbye (above) and rushed into their waiting SUV with their eyes covered

Boys: Malia, 19, is set to start her freshman year at the prestigious Ivy league university where her father attended law school later this month

Powder keg giving off sparks: Malia was allowed to move in a day early and the family took advantage of the solar eclipse by choosing that time for the move and drawing no attention

Barack has made no secret in the past about how emotional he gets at these moments, also crying when daughter Malia graduated high school back in June of 2016.

He was even brought to tears in September 2015 during a speech in Michigan while recounting sending Malia off to her first day of senior year, revealing he choked up when his daughter told him: 'Daddy, you know, you realize this is probably going to be the last time that you ever send me off for my first day of school.'

Barack has also admitted that when he does cry, he immediately puts on his sunglasses.

Malia did not let her early check in stop her from being social however, and on Tuesday she headed out to stand with her fellow dorm residents as they got to know one another.

For her big college debut Malia put on some very stylish and fancy threads, opting for a $275 top by Alexander Wang which she paired with a black baby doll dress and white sneakers.

She was not looking to make a scene however, and when approached by one reporter from the Boston Globe and asked if she would be willing to speak with him she politely declined by saying 'I can't' and shook his hand.

And most of the students and parents showed no special interest in the famous student, something that Harvard has prided itself on in the past when welcoming the likes of Natalie Portman to their campus.

Malia will not be the only big name on campus either, with 'Black-ish' star Yara Shahidi set to start classes a little later in the year.

Adulting: Malia and a friend went to go pick up a laundry bag on Tuesday afternoon (above)

Best of buds: Malia seemed to have previously known the young woman she was spotted with on Tuesday

Working woman: Malia took a gap year after graduating in June 2016, during which time she volunteered in South America and interned for The Weinsten Company

Getting stuff done: Malia also volunteered in South America while taking time off from school as her father wrapped up his time in the White House

Making plans: It is unclear if Malia will have a Secret Service detail,but she is entitled to one

Blonde ambition: Malia headed back to her new dorm room after grabbing her laundry bag to get changed before lunch

Dashing duo: Malia's friend was also looking very stylish in her jean romper and oversized tote

Courtesy of Jason Corey

A few students posted snaps of Malia to social media on Tuesday, including one young woman who could not contain her excitement when her father sent a picture of her brother chatting with the former first daughter.

'My brother and Malia are about to be besties,' wrote Robin Daggers, whose younger brother is attending Harvard on a full scholarship.

She also included the photo her father sent of Malia and her brother chatting in front of the dorm.

That was then followed up with another tweet from Robin, who wrote: 'Obama is about to start inviting my family on family vacations. He's going to let me call him Barack.'

Both tweets seemed to be in good fun but quickly gained a massive amount of attention due to her father's picture of Malia, and as a result Robin deleted them both from the social media site.

She then tweeted: 'So that picture blew up and it was not supposed to.'

Family: Malia was spotted chatting with a fellow incoming freshman on Tuesday whose sister later joked that her brother and Malia were best friends

She did what: Robin's brother (right) was probably not thrilled with his sister's humorous take on his new classmate on Tuesday

New look: Malia then changed into jean shorts to meet up with two other friends on Tuesday

On Monday, a few people managed to catch Michelle, Barack and Malia grabbing lunch at Harvest, a local restaurant.

It was a far more low-key affair for Malia Tuesday however, with the student joining two of her fellow Harvard classmates for a salad on the lawn.

It will be off to orientation Tuesday evening, where she will get a chance to tour the campus and meet some more members of the freshman class before the fall semester begins next week.

Malia opted to take a gap year however rather then head right off to college, wise decision given that her father was in the White House, which would have made the process a bit more stressful to say the least.

It also makes the prospect of living on her own far less daunting, with Malia already having done that while interning for Harvey Weistein at his eponymous production company earlier this year.

Malia has kept a relatively low profile during her time off, despite the public interest in her post-White House life.

It remains unclear if Malia even has a Secret Service detail with her in Cambridge.

Catching up with friends: Malia - sporting an Auxiliary for ARITZIA 'Dalen' crossbody purse -chats with a young man on campus before grabbing salads

Dunkin: A Dunkin Donuts cup was perched behind Malia as she laughed with her friend

Toss it out: Malia disposed of her napkin in a public trash cab after lunch

Beating the heat: The group will attend an orientation session on Tuesday night at the college

Responsible teens: Malia and her friends used the crosswalk on Tuesday rather than jaywalk across the road

Away they go: Malia and her friends headed off to enjoy the rest of their afternoon

Under a 2013 measure that was signed into law by President Obama, all former presidents and first ladies are given lifetime Secret Service details, while the children of the president receive that same protection until they are at least 16.

The length of the protection for the children of the president can be extended towards the end of their term, but the details are usually kept private for their safety.

President Bush extended protection for his daughters Jenna and Barbara after he departed DC, who were both older than Malia and Sasha at the time.

Meanwhile, just four days after her father vacated the Oval Office back in January, Malia made it clear just how disappointed she was in President Donald Trump by joining a rally protesting his plans to revive the Dakota Access pipeline project.

The student was one of approximately 100 people who gathered on Main Street at the Sundance Film Festival to let it be known how upset she was with President Trump's plan to move forward with the controversial transport system.

The group braved the blistering cold and heavy snowfall as they held up signs reading 'Exist. Resist. Rise.' and 'Impeach corporate control.'

That first sign expressed the group's solidarity with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, while the second expressed their displeasure with the Sundance Film Festival for allowing Chase Bank to be a sponsor of their event due to the fact that they are invested in the pipeline.

This is why the rally was held directly in front of the Chase Sapphire on Main Lounge.

A few hours later, Malia was also one of the select individuals in attendance at a private event with Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault, a man who just last month publicly applauded her father when he put a halt to the pipeline after months of protests at the site.

She landed in snowy Park City after spending a few days with her parents and sister Sasha in Palm Springs, California at the home of White House interior designer Michael Smith and his partner, former Ambassador to Spain James Costos.

Meanwhile, the weeks before her trip to Harvard were spent on her family's annual vacation to Martha's Vineyard.
Theresa May could send more RAF spyplanes and drones to Afghanistan but not any troops.

The Prime Minister is under pressure from Donald Trump to send ground troops after the US President announced he will send 4,000 to the war-torn country.

Mr Trump also said he is 'confident' Nato will follow his lead with deeper commitments of their own.

Theresa May could send more RAF spyplanes and drones to Afghanistan but not any troops

New deployments reportedly could include help from the RAF to chase down senior Taliban and Al Qaeda members in Afghanistan (file picture of an RAF Tornado at Akrotiri in Cyprus)

Senior MoD officials said there has been no request from Washington, according to The Sun.

But they are planning to 'look a what capabilities could be offered'.

Senior MoD officials insisted no new request has been made from the US, but defence chiefs will now 'look at what capabilities could be offered'.

New deployments reportedly could include help from the RAF to chase down senior Taliban and Al Qaeda members in Afghanistan.

It comes after news emerged today that RAF raids have smashed 30 ISIS targets in a fortnight as the international coalition forces the terrorists to retreat.

An intense wave of attacks between August 9 and August 21 have seen RAF aircrew destroy targets including a terrorist headquarters in Raqqa, machine gun teams and roving trucks.

ISIS - also known as Daesh - has lost more than 70 per cent of the territory it once held in Northern Iraq and Syria. The terror group surged into Iraq in the June 2014.

The terror group is in retreat to its heartland in and around the city of Syrian city of Raqqa.

An intense wave of attacks between August 9 and August 21 have seen RAF aircrew destroy targets including a terrorist headquarters in Raqqa, machine gun teams and roving trucks (file image of a Typhoon squadron returning to the Cyprus base used in the counter-terror mission)

British aircrews and drones have been launching attacks on ISIS in Iraq and Syria for more than two years (file image of a Typhoon pilot on the tarmac at RAF Akrotiri)

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said recent terror attacks in Europe served as a 'grim reminder' of the importance of the UK mission.

Sir Michael said: 'As Iraqi Security Forces advance on Tal Afar and Syrian Democratic Forces continue with the liberation of Raqqa, the RAF is providing continuous air support in the fight to end Daesh's barbarous presence in its strongholds.

'Daesh has now lost over 70 per cent of territory it once occupied in Iraq and is in retreat in Syria.

'This has only been possible because the UK, as a leading member in the Global Coalition, has hit the terrorists hard where they plan their campaigns of violence, depravity and hate.

'The recent terrorist attacks serve as grim reminders of the need to defeat Daesh and its twisted ideology across all theatres.'

British aircrews and drones have been launching attacks on ISIS in Iraq and Syria for more than two years.

The RAF have struck ISIS targets in Raqqa, Baiji and Tal Afar as British forces continue to push the jihadi group back in Iraq and Syria

ISIS have been in control of Raqqa in Northern Syria (pictured on Saturday) for several years but has lost 70 per cent of the territory it once held

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (pictured in Raqqa on Saturday) are fighting the terrorists on the ground while coalition aircraft launch air raids from the sky

Troops advance towards the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, today after the Iraqi government announced the beginning of the operation to retake it from the Islamic State

Iraqi forces move in on Tal Afar today as they continue their assault on Isis jiadis in the country

Hundreds of air strikes have been carried out during the campaign and British forces played a key role in helping Iraqi ground troops rout ISIS from the city of Mosul earlier this summer.

The RAF has been flying Typhoon and Tornado jets out of RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus for the duration of the campaign.

The latest wave of attacks began on August 9 when a mixed pair of jets continued to provide support to the SDF and destroyed a further defensive position in Raqqa with a Paveway.

Typhoons then maintained a presence over Raqqa over the weekend, destroying an ISIS headquarters building on Saturday August 12.

The aircrew then conducted attacks on Sunday which eliminated three more terrorist positions in the city, including a strongpoint adjacent to the now-abandoned ISIS 'Immigration Office', and machine-gun and mortar teams.

This map of Syria and Iraq issued by the Ministry of Defence lays out the complex war zone in the two nations. The areas marked yellow and black were once held by ISIS but have seen the terrorists forced out by allied military action

On Friday August 18, Tornados were tasked with the destruction of a heavily booby-trapped building discovered in eastern Syria, south of Al Hasakah, which was too dangerous to approach.

The building was destroyed with a Paveway which safely detonated the concealed explosives.

A Typhoon flight faced a challenging target last Saturday. The crew was tasked witj taking out a fast-moving truck carrying a group of terrorists across the desert in Iraq, west of Bayji.

Despite the vehicle's speed, a Paveway IV bomb was guided accurately onto the target, destroying it.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon (left aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth last month) said recent terror attacks in Europe served as a 'grim reminder' of the importance of the UK mission
Two married couples who were shot dead while playing cards in North Carolina during a home invasion have been identified.

Police say 72-year-old Janice Harris and 88-year-old James Harris, who owned the home, and 76-year-old James Whitley and 67-year-old Peggy Whitley, both of whom were visiting the house, were murdered during the gruesome home invasion.

Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said the two married couples had been sitting around a kitchen table when they were killed sometime between Sunday and Monday morning.

James Whitley, 76, pictured with his wife Peggy Whitley, 67, were both found shot dead while playing cards along with their hosts Janice Harris, 72 and James Harris, 88

Police are offering a $7,000 reward for information leading to an arrest for the gruesome quadruple homicide. James Harris (right) and his wife were hosting the card game

Tripp said a family member found the bodies after checking on the home in the Glenview community, just off Interstate 95 north of Rocky Mount.

The sheriff said there were no signs of a struggle. He told a news conference that there were signs of forced entry and items of value missing from the home.

'It's very disturbing,' Tripp said.

Authorities are still investigating the deaths and have made no arrests in the case. On his Facebook page, Tripp announced that his office is offering a $7,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible for the shootings.

Sheriff's offices from four counties have joined the investigation, as well as the NC Highway Patrol, the NC State Bureau of Investigation and the Enfield Police Department.

'We have a quadruple murder,' Tripp said. 'We want to use all available resources on this.'

Police believe the couple were murdered sometime between Sunday and Monday.

The two couples were found dead in a house following a home invasion in Halifax County

Officers are appealing for information in connection with the quadruple murder

Sheriff Wes Tripp of Halifax County, North Carolina said the quadruple homicide is the first he has ever had to deal with during his career of more than 30 years in law enforcement

Sheriff Wes Tripp confirmed there were no signs of a struggle.

One of the couples lived in the home while the second were visiting. The sheriff confirmed two of those who had been murdered were close friends of his.

He told ABC 11: 'I knew two of these people personally. In my 33 years of law enforcement, this is my first quadruple murder.

'We do have indications a robbery did take place.'

Halifax County Sheriff's Office have offered a $7,000 reward for information on the killers who murdered the two couples at a house in the Glenview area between Sunday and Monday

'All four victims were members of this community and well-known, and well thought of. You put your emotions aside and you work the case.'

As of yet, investigators have not received any information about a possible suspect and are appealing to the public for information.

Sheriff Tripp urged anyone with information on the case to call Crime Stoppers at (252) 583-8201.
President Donald Trump will not pardon controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio  at least for the next day  after saying he was 'seriously considering' the idea.

The president himself had floated the idea in a Fox News interview, even as Arpaio awaited an October sentencing court date for defying a 2011 court order.

With the president set to speak tonight at a rally in Phoenix, an Arpaio pardon was at the top of a list of possible developments.

'There will be no discussion of that today at any point, and no action will be taken on that front at any point today,' White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters traveling on Air Force One.

Former Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio (left) could receive President Trump's (right) first presidential pardon, the POTUS told Fox News on Sunday

Trump regularly hailed his support from 'Sheriff Joe' on the campaign trail, despite his reputation as a controversial and polarizing figure. Arpaio got booted out of office in November, with Trump at the top of the ticket.

With the pardon story out of the way, Trump is free to focus on other things  including a visit with border agents, his first rally since his controversial Charlottesville comments and Afghanistan speech, and his feud with Arizona GOP senator Jeff Flake.

Arpaio on Monday did not reveal any knowledge of inside information.

'Do you think he'll do it tomorrow night? Who knows,' Arpaio told NBC News. 'I don't know.'

He compared his own situation to that of Trump's having to contend with a special counsel investigation.

'I feel sad about what they're trying to do to him," Arpaio said. 'It's what they tried to do to me. The media  and the politicians.'

Trump said he had been mulling his first presidential pardon for the controversial crusader against illegal immigration  a top priority of Trump's

Joe Arpaio (left), who served as sheriff to the greater Phoenix area for more than two decades, supported President Trump (right) during the Republican primary, and they both claimed President Obama was born outside the United States

'I am seriously considering a pardon for Sheriff Arpaio,' Trump told Fox News on Sunday at the president's club in Bedminster, New Jersey. 'He has done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration. He's a great American patriot and I hate to see what has happened to him,' the president added.

In late July, the former Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff was found guilty of criminal contempt for violating a 2011 court order in a racial profiling case, brought to the courts by a group of Latinos, by continuing patrols that targeted immigrants.

Judge Susan Bolton wrote in her decision that Arpaio knew of the court order, but showed a 'flagrant disregard' for it, according to CNN.

'Not only did defendant abdicate responsibility, he announced to the world and to his subordinates that he was going to continue business as usual no matter who said otherwise,' Bolton wrote.

Arpaio's defense attorney blamed his previous counsel saying the lawyer 'dropped the ball' by not explaining the order clearly to the sheriff, nor reaching out to the judge who ordered it for further explanation.

Federal prosecutors countered that Arpaio defied the order purposely, believing he could get away with it.

Arpaio will be sentenced on October 5 and could face up to six months in jail, unless Trump intervenes.

Trump told Fox that the pardon, if he decides to go through with it, could come over the next few days.

'I might do it right away, maybe early this week,' Trump said. 'I am seriously thinking about it.'

Arpaio appeared alongside Trump on the campaign trail last year, as they both moved to eradicate illegal immigration.

They also both prescribed to the 'birther' conspiracy theory, which suggested President Obama was born outside the United States.

Obama was born in Hawaii.

'Is there anyone in local law enforcement who has done more to crack down on illegal immigration than Sheriff Joe?' Trump mused to Fox News on Sunday, as other journalists covering the president were kept away.

The president was taking heat for not directly calling out the white supremacists who wreaked havoc on Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend, leaving one counter-protester dead.

On Sunday, the president stayed off Twitter and his pool of reporters was kept away.

Finally on Monday afternoon, Trump condemned the various hate groups who marched in the Virginia town.

'Racism is evil,' Trump said. 'And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.'

Trump critic Walter Shaub, the ex-director of the Office of Government Ethics, connected Trump's announcement of a potential Arpaio pardon with his sluggish response to condemn the white supremacists, according to the Hill.

'Scrambling to reassure the white supremacists and nazis that he didn't really mean what he said to the 'normies' today...' Shaub tweeted, linking to Politico's story about the Arpaio pardon being in the works.

Arpaio was on the job for more than two decades, in the top law enforcement job in the county that includes Phoenix, Arizona.

He was known for constructing a tent city to house convicts, forcing them to wear underwear and bringing back chain gangs.

'He has protected people from crimes and saved lives,' Trump told Fox News of the former lawman.

While Trump was taking the White House, Arpaio lost his race last November to serve a seventh term.

Speaking to Fox about a potential pardon, Arpaio said he would welcome it.

'I am happy he understands the case,' the former sheriff said. 'I would accept the pardon because I am 100 percent not guilty.'
Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, has apologized for causing an Instagram farrago after a night of mockery on social media.

Linton, 36, hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after she posted photos of herself stepping off a taxpayer-funded plane wearing at least $15,000 in clothes and items - and tagged the names of the high-end brands she was wearing.

That invoked the ire of Oregon mom-of-three Jenni Miller, who commented on the photo: 'Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable'.

Linton's poor grasp of media optics might have still sunk without trace, but instead she chose to reply with an extended passive-aggressive rant in which she, a minor actress who grew up in a castle, accused Miller of being 'Adorably out of touch.'

Screenshots of the photos and comments then did the round on Twitter - leading to much mockery and derision.

Finally, on Tuesday afternoon - a day after the social media showdown - Linton's publicist offered this curt apology: 'I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive.'

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Follower of fashion: Louise Linton posted this photo (left) of her and Steven Mnuchin visiting Fort Knox on Monday - and hashtagged the brands she was wearing. That led to a scathing comment by user jennimiller29, and a long, angry response from Linton (right)

Apology: On Tuesday, Linton offered a curt apology, writing: 'I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive'

In touch? Linton (seen wearing $30,000 of clothing with Mnuchin in Edinburgh at the start of their honeymoon) called the mother-of-three 'out of touch' and boasted about taxes she pays

'Deplorable': Miller went on the attack after Linton closed her Instagram account, dismissing her as 'an aspiring Penthouse model.' She added: 'She says she's a nice person. I doubt it. There weren't any Nazi sympathizers at my wedding'

Linton's slip came when she posted a picture of herself and new hubby Mnuchin, 54, stepping out of a government-owned plane during his official visit to Fort Knox on Monday.

The image was innocuous, but Linton made the questionable decision to segue from the standard cheerful hashtags to a systematic namedrop of all of the brands in her outfit.

'Great #daytrip to #Kentucky!' she wrote. '#nicest #people #beautiful #countryside #rolandmouret pants #tomford sunnies #hermesscarf #valentinorockstudheels #valentino'.

She concluded with a perfuntory-looking '#usa'.

That post invoked Miller's ire - and things went downhill from there.

Tagged: Linton also posted an image without the hashtags, but with the brands (and her husband) tagged into the image. Her account is now set to 'private'

'Cute! [kissing face emoji] Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?!' replied Linton, who recently concluded a Europe-trotting honeymoon with Mnuchin.

'Adorable! Do you think the US Govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?'

'Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband?' continued the minor TV and movie actress whose new, second husband's net worth was estimated by Forbes to be more than $500 million.

'Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country?'

'I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day "trip" than you did,' she added - the quote marks around 'trip' being hers, despite the fact that she had hashtagged #daytrip in her initial comment.

'Pretty sure that the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours. [arm flex emoji, kissing face emoji]' she continued.

Linton, who grew up in a castle in Scotland, then told the mother-of-three: 'You're adorably out of touch.'

She then used a heart-eyes emoji before writing, with no apparent irony, 'Thanks for the passive-aggressive nasty comment.'

However, at that point the tone of her response changes abruptly, to be more positive and conciliatory.

Perhaps she noticed how brusque she had been - but decided to leave the first part of the message in anyway.

LOUISE LINTON'S $15,000 WARDROBE In the photo, Linton appeared to be wearing: A Hermes New Libris cashemere-and-silk stole worth $940

Tom Ford Emma Cat-Eye Sunglasses worth $405

Pink Valentino Rockstud Pumps worth $825

Rouland Mouret's white Ward Trousers, which retail for $925

A white Hermes Birkin bag, which retail for $12,000-70,000 on Bags of Luxury Advertisement

'Your kids look very cute,' she wrote, 'Your life looks cute. I know you're mad but deep down you're nice and so am I.

'Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isn't going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message, one filled with wisdom and hunanity [sic] would get more traction.

'Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new Game of Thrones. It's fab!'

She later deleted the image and its attached comments, Ali said.

A screengrab from account posted by a CNN journalist showed a second image of Linton and Mnuchin leaving the plane.

That one had apparently had the fashion hashtags removed - and had the companies she'd name-dropped tagged in the picture itself instead.

As of Monday evening, Linton's Facebook account had been set to private, and new followers were being screened before they were allowed to see the images.

Miller posted her own response on Instagram after the virtual encounter.

'Apparently I offended this deplorable girl I had never heard of until today,' she wrote alongside a screenshot of a June article titled 'A "white savior" memoirist widely mocked in Africa has married Trump's treasury secretary.'

'According to my 20 second Google search, she's an aspiring Penthouse model who married an old rich guy in a wedding officiated by a homophobe and attended by other couples of similar age and beauty gaps,' Miller continued.

'She says she's a nice person. I doubt it. There weren't any Nazi sympathizers at my wedding. #byelouise'

Private: After the fuss created by her remarks, Linton set her Instagram account to private - meaning that her posts cannot be seen by anyone unless she gives them permission

Mom: Mother-of-three Jenni Miller (seen left with her youngest son, and right) said she shouldn't have let Linton upset her, and questioned why she would show off her expensive labels in a state where 19 per cent of people live below the poverty line

Spotted: Although it was ostensibly just a family visit, Mnuchin and Linton seemed happy to be photographed on the trip last month, before continuing on to mainland Europe

Miller told the New York Times that she regretted letting Linton rile her.

But she admitted that 'If she hadn't made her account private, I would have written back with a very snide Marie Antoinette joke.'

'I think my post was just five or six words, and she had to go on basically a rant about it to make herself look more important and look smarter, better, richer - all those things', she said.

She also told the paper that she didn't understand why Linton had made such a fuss of her expensive labels while visiting Kentucky, where 19 per cent of the population live below the poverty line.

Miller also said that she thought Linton needed to be more in control of herself when responding to comments in the public eye.

'It seems like shes been in public life for a long time,' she said. 'It just seemed wholly inappropriate.'

The encounter between the two women led to complaints by others on Twitter, as users denounced Linton's post and her response.

Angry: This user was angry that Linton had boasted about how much tax she pays, given the tax breaks and loopholes open to the rich, concluding 'FOH' - of 'f**k outta here'

'Corrupt': Linton was described as corrupt by this user, although a White House spokesman said that Mnuchin paid for her flight on the government plane

'"We pay more into the economy (despite it being a smaller percentage of our income than the middle class), therefore we are superior!"' responded user H.E.A.D. Shot.

They added 'FOH' - an acronym for '(get the) F**k outta here.'

And Anita E Weis wrote: 'This is how they justify corruption: "We paid more in taxes for our trip than you did." Not how it works, honey. @LouiseLinton'

Linton's own Twitter account has been set to 'protected,' stopping outsiders from seeing it.

Her Wikipedia page was also edited to include the line 'Never forget she posted this on Instagram' with a link to a Tweet showing copies of the offending post and comment.

'Never forget': Linton's Wikipedia page was also edited to include a link to a Twitter update with pictures of her offending Instagram post and comment

Newlyweds: Mnuchin and Linton are seen here at their wedding on June 24, with President Trump, the First Lady, and VP Mike Pence and his wife

A Treasury Department spokesman told The Washington Post that the Mnuchins paid for Linton's travel on the flight, which was cleared on the proper channels.

He also said Linton didn't get any 'financial compensation' for the items that she tagged in the image.

Mnuchin's purpose for flying to Louisville was to promote Trump's tax changes, which the administration says will relieve middle-class families.

Opponents say it will actually increase the burden on the middle classes while providing tax cuts to the extremely wealthy.

Linton has come under fire on Twitter before.

In July last year she released the book 'In Congo's Shadow: One Girl's Perilous Journey to the Heart of Africa' - a memoir that led to online ridicule and accusations of outright lying.

The book is billed as 'the inspiring memoir of an intrepid teenager who abandoned her privileged life in Scotland' and 'a tale of lost innocence and one daring young girl's bittersweet journey to the heart of Africa.'

Home away from home: Linton grew up in Melville Castle (pictured), which is based outside of Edinburgh in Scotland, and is owned by her family

In it, Linton writes about how she was terrified of what the rebels from Congo 'would do to the "skinny white muzungu with long angel hair."'

She also claims that her gap year became 'a living nightmare when I inadvertently found myself caught up in the fringes of the Congolese War.'

In one passage she describes how 'armed rebels descended' on her Zambian village from the neighboring Congo, forcing her to hide for fear of being raped or murdered.

Mockery: Linton (seen with Mnuchin in a $30k wardrobe in Edinburgh last month) has come under fire before, after her memoir about living in Africa on her gap year was mocked as misleading

But that passage - and others - were disputed after the release of the book by actual Zambians, who disputed her claims on Twitter with the hashtag #LintonLies.

Bornface wrote on Twitter: 'Zambia in 1999 according to #LintonLies; -Monsoons -Civil War -Rebels -Jungles. I've been in the wrong Zambia all my life.'

Another, Mademoiselle Vu, wrote: 'Years in Zambia and I figure out we had a hutu-tutsi conflict. Who am I? Where do I belong? #LintonLies'

Muchemwa Sichone said: 'The only thing missing from the @LouiseLinton story is Tarzan and Mowgli. #Zambia is calling her out!'

And another user quoted one of Linton's passages: '"The dense jungle canopy above me?" Zambia has savanna grasslands, not dense jungle. But I guess "English girl experience".'

And in a lengthy Amazon review, user MoiZam claimed that he knew the people that Linton stayed with and that she was a 'nightmare'.

'Louise never encountered Congolese or Hutu/Tutsu rebels, Gerard Zytiv of Ndole Bay often gave the Congo troops food and water but they NEVER ATTACKED THE ZAMBIAN VILLAGES OR LODGES,' he said.

'Also we do NOT have jungle in Zambia, we have Miombo bushland, Moponi bushland and Savannah grasslands.

'And we don't have Monsoon rains, 12 inch rain spiders or lions and elephants running through our backyards.

'This book is c***! What a shame someone could write such lies about a country as beautiful and diverse as Zambia is!

'I was born here and lived here for all of my 53 years and I can tell you Zambia is nothing like the rubbish Loiuse has written! Shame on you Louise!!'

Linton apologized in a series of tweets, writing: 'I am genuinely dismayed and very sorry to see that I have offended people as this was the very opposite of my intent.

'I wrote with the hope of conveying my deep humility, respect and appreciation for the people of Zambia as an 18yr old in 1999.

'I wrote about the country's incredible beauty and my immense gratitude for the experiences I had there.'
Sir Bruce Forsyth's daughter has backed furious fans after Sky News pundit Adam Boulton labelled her father's death 'inconsequential'.

All Out Politics presenter Boulton, 58, posted on Twitter that the British TV legend's death was 'inconsequential' and 'not lead news' just hours after Sir Bruce's death was announced on Friday.

A number of tweets hitting back at Boulton from furious fans were endorsed by the former Strictly host's daughter Debbie Matthews, including one which read: 'If your father happened to be Bruce Forsyth would you be tweeting that?

'No. show some respect to the guy's family. I guess empathy is a gift.'

A number of tweets hitting back at Boulton from furious fans were endorsed by the former Strictly host's daughter Debbie Matthews (right)

All Out Politics presenter Boulton, 58, posted on Twitter that the British TV legend's death was 'inconsequential' and 'not lead news' just hours after Sir Bruce's death was announced on Friday

Boulton received a huge backlash for his tweet from users on the social media site.

Thomas Hornall simply replied to the tweet with a screenshot of Sky News' website, which had the news of Sir Bruce's death as its lead story.

Matthew Morrissey tweeted: 'Adam, this was misjudged. Fine if you think it, but no need to tweet it. It's refreshing that the first item made me smile.'

Ian R said: 'I've a lot of respect for you as a commentator Adam but you didn't need to make that comment even if it's what you think. Very unnecessary.'

Another user wrote: 'What am I reading??! How dare you! The man had the love & respect of millions, more than you ever will. Who are you anyway?! A nobody'

Robert Jane replied: 'Why do you think this is a statement worth mkg Adam? He was a knight of the realm, a TV institution for 70+ yrs. So what if he's lead item?'

Sir Bruce Forsyth performs on the Avalon Stage at the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 30, 2013 in Glastonbury,

Sir Bruce Forsyth, who died on Friday at the age of 89, surrounded by his family at his Surrey home

And Piers Morgan added: 'Brucie entertained this country for 70 years. His death is not 'inconsequential'... he touched millions of lives.'

In a statement on Friday, his family said he died peacefully surrounded by his wife and children.

The statement read: 'It is with great sadness that the Forsyth family announce that Sir Bruce passed away this afternoon, peacefully at his home surrounded by his wife Wilnelia and all his children.

'A couple of weeks ago, a friend visited him and asked him what he had been doing these last eighteen months.

'With a twinkle in his eye, he responded 'I've been very, very busy... being ill!' Unfortunately, not long after this, his health deteriorated and he contracted bronchial pneumonia.

'The family would like to express their thanks to the many people who have sent cards and letters to Bruce wishing him well over his long illness and know that they will share in part, the great, great loss they feel.'

Entertainer Bruce Forsyth and his wife Wilnelia celebrate his award of a CBE in 2005

Sir Bruce was a father-of-six, with five daughters from his first two marriages and one son from his last and current marriage to Lady Forsyth.

Sir Bruce was loved around the country for his 75-year TV career presenting shows including The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right and Strictly Come Dancing.

Fans, viewers and leading figures in showbusiness expressed their sadness and grief today after it was announced Sir Bruce had passed away.

Piers Morgan said: 'One of Britain's greatest ever entertainers & a lovely man. Very sad news.'

BBC Director-General Tony Hall said: 'One of the greatest entertainers our country has ever known.'
A woman leaped to her death from a New York City hotel about 120 feet above ground on Tuesday.

The woman jumped out of a window about 18 stories high at 1 Hotel Central Park on Sixth Avenue and West 58th Street in midtown Manhattan, according to theNew York Daily News.

Emergency services were called to the scene at approximately 2:19pm.

Firefighters and police tried to persuade the woman to come off the ledge and back inside the hotel, but to no avail.

The woman fell to her death just before 3:00pm.

A woman leaped to her death from a New York City hotel about 120 feet above ground on Tuesday

The woman jumped out of a window about 12 stories high at 1 Hotel Central Park on Sixth Avenue and West 58th Street in midtown Manhattan

Firefighters and police tried to persuade the woman to come off the ledge and back inside the hotel, but to no avail. A sneaker believed to belong to the dead woman is seen at the scene above on Tuesday

An unidentified hat is seen near the hotel above on Tuesday. I was coming out of the building and saw people looking up. There were firemen there trying to talk her out of jumping, said a witness, David Horowitch

I was coming out of the building and saw people looking up. There were firemen there trying to talk her out of jumping, said a witness, David Horowitch.

It almost looked like she slipped. Not sure if thats what happened. She somersaulted. It was a sound I never want to hear again.

Then I looked away.

Another witness, New York University student Brendan Walsh, told the Daily News that police spoke to the woman briefly before she jumped.

She came over the edge. One officer came. You could see his head. He talked to her for maybe one minute, he said.

Another witness, New York University student Brendan Walsh, told the Daily News that police spoke to the woman briefly before she jumped. Bystanders are seen near the scene above

It wasnt one of those situations where someone is sitting on the bridge and wants to talk, a witness said

The identity of the woman has yet to be revealed. Two police officers are seen standing a few feet from the woman's body

Standard rooms at the hotel cost about $800 a night, while the two-bedroom Greenwood Suite will set you back $10,798 a night

She just let go, fell backwards. From the beginning she was just a hair away from falling. It looked like she was ready to go. She was just getting ready, in the position.

It wasnt one of those situations where someone is sitting on the bridge and wants to talk.

Police were planning to deploy air bags on the pavement, but they did not do so before the woman jumped, officials told the New York Post.

The hotel from which she jumped is a pricey one.

Standard rooms at the hotel cost about $800 a night, while the two-bedroom Greenwood Suite will set you back $10,798 a night.

The identity of the woman has yet to be revealed.
Glenn Simpson, whose firm commissioned the infamous 'dirty dossier' on Donald Trump, has handed over a trove of information to Senate investigators.

Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, met with staff fort the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday at a closed meeting.

The panel kept the details of the appearance under close guard  declining to provide details about the time or location when asked about it, while senators are away for recess.

A source told Fox News that his firm, Fusion GPS, had turned over more than 40,000 to the Senate committee.

Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS, who commissioned the infamous 'dirty dossier' on Donald Trump, met with Senate Judiciary Committee staff Tuesday

The degree of cooperation could represent a turnaround: the firm's attorneys have previously argued that its client relationships are confidential.

The Judiciary panel, headed by Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, is probing compliance with the Foreign Registration Act. The Senate Intelligence Committee is conducting its own probe.

A public hearing the committee held before a Senate recess featured Hermitage Capital founder William Browder, who testified that Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya hired Simpson's firm in an effort to 'smear' him.

Browder's lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, died in a Russian prison, prompting passage of the Magnitsky Act slapping sanctions on Russian officials.

Participants at the hearing detailed efforts by Veselnitskaya to try to roll back the Magnitsky Act without having registered as a foreign agent.

William Browder testified that Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya hired Simpson's firm Fusian GPS in an effort to 'smear' him

Ex British intelligence officer Christopher Steele produced the dossier. ABC reported he met with the FBI and provided source information

Veselnitskaya was among those attending a June 2016 meeting attended by Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort under the pretext of providing dirt on Hillary Clinton.

'Veselnitskaya, through [the firm] Baker Hostetler, hired Glenn Simpson of the firm Fusion GPS to conduct a smear campaign against me and Sergei Magnitsky in advance of congressional hearings on the Global Magnitsky Act,' Browder testified.

A recent New York Times story detailed the connections of another meeting participant, Russian immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen and lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin, to the KGB. It reported a case where the firm that was a rival to one of Akhmetshin's clients was subjected to an attempted hacking.

The committee had subpoenaed Simpson to testify in public, but ended up withdrawing the subpoena in exchange for his private testimony to staff.

The dirty dossier included unproven and discredited allegations against Donald Trump, and surfaced during the presidential campaign.

It's author, ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, compiled alleged compromising information that Russia held over Trump.

Steele has met with FBI agents and provided the names of sources of his information in the dossier, ABC News reported.

Fusion GPS got paid by both Republicans and Democrats to dig up dirt on Trump.
The heroic British father who is believed to have cradled an Australian boy as he lay dying on Las Ramblas after the Barcelona terror attack has called on the 'common man' to fight terror.

Harry Athwal, from Birmingham, had been dining in a restaurant on a balcony in the Spanish city when a van was driven into a crowd of tourists last week, killing 15.

He immediately rushed to the aid of a little boy, believed to be seven-year-old Julian Cadman.

The 44-year-old father was seen comforting the youngster, whose mother was also injured and remains hospitalised, in heartbreaking pictures.

In emotional interviews, Mr Athwal  who has an eight-year-old son - said he had no choice but to go to help the little boy  and urged viewers to take a stand against terrorism.

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Harry Athwal (left) rushed to the aid of a little boy, believed to be seven-year-old Julian Cadman (right), after the Barcelona attack

'I could see bodies strewn to the left and right and in the middle of Las Ramblas was the body of a child, I knew what I had to do, I just raced to that child,' he told Nine News.

'The first thing I tried to do was check his pulse to see if she was alive and he had no pulse and I kept my hand there.

'I tried to talk to him, I said a little prayer.'

Police had ordered everyone, including Mr Athwal, to leave Las Ramblas after the attack  but he refused to leave the boy.

But despite his bravery, Mr Athwal insisted he's not a hero, but just a 'common man, same as anybody else.'

Harry Athwal, from Birmingham, was pictured comforting the child after a van plowed into crowds in Barcelona's busy tourist district

Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Mr Athwal, a project manager, said he had known straight away that a terrorist attack had taken place.

He said: 'You hear this screaming, thuds and thunder, you were just trying to think ''what I have I just seen?''

'Straight away I knew it was a terrorist attack. I didn't know what to do but I knew I had to do something.'

Mr Athwal explained that when he saw the little boy lying on the pavement, it reminded him of his son and he felt the need to rush to his side.

He added: 'When I saw that child, I was instantly drawn to that child. He was quite badly injured, I checked for a pulse and he didn't have a pulse.

'I put a hand on his back and he wasn't breathing, so all I could do was sit with him and stroke his back until the police came.'

During an emotional interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain today, Barcelona hero Harry Athwal urged viewers to take a stand against terrorism

He stayed with the young boy until emergency services came.

Mr Athwal added: 'I was panicking, the police were screaming at me to get out of the road in case of another van, but I was not going to leave this boy here.

'I have a son the same age, and that was what was going through my head.'

He added: 'We're fighting a different enemy now, they're using every day things like cars, they're killing our children.

'You have to do something, it's not about your safety it's about someone else's. The common man is the person who can now do something about this.

'We've got to change, we've got to do something. The common man has to wake up we can't walk around with blindfolds anymore. We've got to protect our loved ones.'

Mr Athwal explained he felt 'drawn' to the little boy after spotting him lying on the pavement

Mr Athwal also revealed that just a week before the shocking incident, he had discussed with his son what he'd do in the event of a terror attack.

He also said the scenes on Las Ramblas would stay with him until his 'dying day.'

Julian, a pupil at St Bernadette's Primary School in Sydney's Lalor Park, was the youngest of the 15 people killed in last Thursday's attack.

More than 120 others wounded in Barcelona and in another incident in the nearby town of Cambrils.

The boy, a dual citizen of Australia and Britain, and his mother, Jom Cadman, were in Barcelona for a family wedding and enjoying the sights when a van sped down the Las Ramblas promenade targeting pedestrians.

Julian, a pupil at St Bernadette's Primary School in Sydney's Lalor Park, was the youngest of the 15 people killed in last Thursday's attack

His mother, a 43-year-old from the Philippines who had been living in Australia, is still in hospital after being seriously injured in the attack.

On Friday, Julian's grandfather had posted an appeal on Facebook with Julian's photo asking for help finding him.

'He was so energetic, funny and cheeky, always bringing a smile to our faces,' the child's family said in a statement released by the Australian department for foreign affairs after his death was announced on Sunday.

The family statement extended sympathy to others coping with losses and thanked all those who helped search for Julian, saying 'Your kindness was incredible during a difficult time.'

'We are so blessed to have had him in our lives and will remember his smiles and hold his memory dear to our hearts.'
Mass immigration from outside Europe is unlikely to fall significantly unless ministers introduce tough new measures, a report warns today.

The scope to tackle migration from non-EU nationals will be limited unless the Government takes further and determined action, according to a respected think-tank.

MigrationWatch said net migration from outside the Brussels bloc - those people arriving minus those leaving  was likely to run at 155,000 a year until 2021.

Mass immigration from outside Europe is unlikely to fall significantly unless ministers introduce tough new measures, a report warns today

That would be the equivalent of more than the population of Slough  146,000  arriving from the rest of the world every 12 months for the next five years. It currently stands at 175,000 in the .

Until Britain finally quits the EU, controversial freedom of movement rules mean it is a requirement to let in the European citizens.

However, the Home Office does have the power to control the numbers coming from the rest of the world.

Measures to do this have included closing loopholes on student visas and raising the minumum income threshold for non-EU workers.

Lord Green of Deddington, chairman of MigrationWatch, said: Migration Watch UK has a remarkable record in estimating future migration'

But an analysis by MigrationWatch, which campaigns for controlled borders, predicted that between 2016 and 2021 net migration from non-EU citizens would average 155,000 annually. The report was published ahead of a new set of official migration statistics being published tomorrow THURS.

It based the findings on a series of major studies carried out by the Home Office of work, study and family visas issued between 2004 and 2010.

Researchers calculated how many recipients were still in the UK with permission to remain or had settled.

From this, they worked out that an estimated an average 85,000 of the 415,000 non-EU citizens handed visas each year from 2011 to 2016 would be in the UK after five years.

On top of this, MigrationWatch predicted 35,000 a year would overstay their visas and adjustments to official statistics would also add another 35,000 migrants a year  making a total of 155,000 a year.

At the same time, workers are also expected to pour in from EU nations fleeing stagnant eurozone economies with spiralling unemployment. Net migration from the EU was 133,000 last year.

Lord Green of Deddington, chairman of MigrationWatch, said: Migration Watch UK has a remarkable record in estimating future migration.

Until Britain finally quits the EU, controversial freedom of movement rules mean it is a requirement to let in the European citizens

We now say that, unless determined action is taken, it is extremely unlikely that non-EU migration will fall significantly in the next five years.

This should be a wake-up call for the government to take further action if overall net migration - after subtracting British emigration - is to be brought down to sustainable levels. Brexit should help considerably but further action on non-EU migration is essential.

The continued influx has left egg on the face of the Government which made it a manifesto pledge to reduce numbers to the tens of thousands.

Failure to control the countrys porous borders was the spur for millions of people to vote for Brexit.

Soaring immigration has been blamed for contributing to dampened down wages in some low-skilled industries, such as agriculture and food processing, and kept British people out of jobs. It also heaped pressure on public services, including schools and healthcare, say critics.

Prime Minister Theresa May has restated the vow to cut net immigration to below 100,000  but warned it could take more than four years.
Samsung has released its long awaited voice-activated assistant, Bixby, in Australia - but it's not completely up to date with Aussie slang.

While the assistant likely can't tell you where to get a sausage sanger, or where the nearest servo is, Bixby does understand context.

Immediately after taking a photo for instance, users can instruct Bixby to message the image to someone on their contact list.

Samsung has released their long-awaited voice assistant, Bixby (pictured), in Australia

While the voice assistant is advanced in that it recognises context, users may need to be patient when trying to use slang, like 'sausage sanger'

It's similar to the recently released Google Home, which recalls a user's last question or command and, if applicable, applies it to the most recent interaction.

But unlike Bixby, the virtual home-assistant - which can be linked up to devices throughout the home such as televisions and lights - does understand slang.

When questioned on where the nearest 'servo' is, Google Home will recite a list of nearby service stations.

The recently released Google Home was designed to understand slang, and will list nearby petrol stations when asked 'where's the nearest servo?'

Samsung says their new voice-assistant will soon learn the lingo though, as it has the ability to learn new commands, especially frequently used ones.

'Natural language understanding allows Bixby to continuously improve its ability to interpret regional dialects,' a statement read.

'But, since Bixby learns more frequently used command terms more quickly, it will take more time for Bixby to fully understand regional dialects that are used less frequently.'

While current Samsung owners will be able to download Bixby as an app, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 will provide a side button to activate the assistant.
Friends and family of four young men accused of plotting a Christmas Day terrorist attack in Melbourne have refused to stand for a magistrate during a court hearing.

Almost a dozen supporters of Hamza Abbas, 22, his brother Ibrahim Abbas, 23, Ahmed Mohamed, 24, and Abdullah Chaarani, 26, disobeyed protocol on Tuesday when they refused to stand for Magistrate Peter Mealy as he entered or left the court room, according to The Herald Sun.

At one point, a female supporter began to rise but quickly sat down again after a male in the crowd spoke to her.

Friends and family (pictured) of four young men accused of plotting a Christmas Day 2016 terrorist attack in Melbourne have refused to stand for a magistrate during a preliminary court hearing

Almost a dozen supporters (pictured) of Hamza Abbas, 22, his brother Ibrahim Abbas, 23, Ahmed Mohamed, 24, and Abdullah Chaarani, 26, disobeyed protocol on Tuesday when they refused to stand for Magistrate Peter Mealy as he entered or left the court room

Despite the magistrate's reputation for running a strict court, the publication said Mr Mealy didn't address the supporter's decision.

The four men will appear in front of the court again on Wednesday for day three of a pre-trial committal hearing.

Each man is charged with planning to use an improvised explosive device and other weapons to target Flinders Street Station, Federation Square and St Paul's Cathedral on Christmas Day 2016.

The men were arrested during raids by the Joint Counter Terrorism Team in Melbourne's north on December 22.

Among some of the items seized was a red container that had a mix of broken match heads and grey sparkler components inside, the court was told on Monday.

Victoria Police forensic scientist and explosives expert John Kelleher said the mix of 'sparkler composition and match heads' weighed 356.21 grams.

He believes 'a number of packets of sparklers' would have been used to make the mix.

A woman in a blue hijab (pictured) leaves the Melbourne courthouse as four men face serious terror plot charges

Despite the magistrate's reputation for running a strict court, it was reported Mr Mealy didn't address the supporter's decision

Policemen (pictured) guard Melbourne Magistrates Court as four men face terrorist plot charges

The four men will appear in front of the court again on Wednesday for day three of a pre-trial committal hearing

Australian Federal Police weapons expert Bruce Schiefelbein told the court a number of items found in a red Tupperware container - including a AAA battery, broken light globes and what looked like galvanised pipe - were capable of being turned into an explosive.

Federal police chemicals expert Vincent Otieno-Alego has also given evidence, including that chemicals allegedly found in their possession were capable of being mixed to create an explosive known as 'Mother of Satan'.

Some of the men may have tested bombs at a property almost 60km outside of Melbourne, the court heard, according to The Herald Sun.

Additional security has been placed outside the court for the preliminary hearing.

Earlier this week, a journalist accused Mr Mohamed of encouraging his supporters to frighten the court artist.

The 22-year-old covered his face during hearing but was seen on occasion showing his teeth to the artist, the publication reported.

The hearing continues.

Police (pictured) guard where four men face court charged with planning to use an improvised explosive device
Police say a woman wearing a burqa robbed a Subway restaurant with a knife.

She allegedly entered the fast-food restaurant in Croydon, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, at 5:30pm on Saturday and threatened workers.

Subway employees handed over cash and the alleged offender - wearing an Islamic full-face covering and a beige gown - fled the scene.

Police say a woman wearing a full-face burqa robbed a Subway restaurant with a knife (pictured is a stock image of an Islamic veil)

The burqa-clad woman allegedly entered the fast-food restaurant (pictured) in Croydon, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs at 5:30pm and threatened workers

No one was injured during the alleged armed robbery.

Karen, whose granddaughter works at the eatery, says police viewed CCTV footage on Sunday morning and were shocked to see the burqa-clad suspect.

'A woman came in in a full burqa, brandished a knife, asked for the money,' she told 3AW.

'She asked to see the safe, he [a male Subway employee] said they didn't have a safe, and she proceeded to take the money and put it into a Coles bag.'

'A woman came in in a full burqa, brandished a knife, asked for the money,' a relative of an employee who saw CCTV footage said (pictured is a stock image)

Karen said the woman then got into a car waiting on the main road outside.

Police have charged 38-year-old Frankston man with armed robbery and associated offences, and a 21-year-old woman from Narre Warren is assisting with inquiries.

Police have also charged them with three other armed robberies at Morwell and Traralgon on Monday.

The incident comes amid fierce debate about whether the burqa should be banned in parliament after Pauline Hanson entered the Senate wearing the Muslim garment.
None of us who lived through that extraordinary week following the death of Diana  a week during which the monarchy was shaken to its ancient foundations  will forget it.

We remember weeping angry crowds, seas of flowers, sobbing desolation, cries against the paparazzi  and then against the Queen.

We remember three men and two boys walking a ceremonial mile behind the coffin, with what Dianas brother, Earl Spencer, described as an absolute crashing tidal wave of grief, coming at you.

We remember... but there is now a new generation to whom it feels like history.

Prince William and Prince Harry, pictured at Diana's funeral, reveal their pain and bewilderment at her loss and the public outcry of grief in a new BBC documentary

Diana, 7 Days, which airs on Sunday, looks at the huge public reaction to the death, which saw mountains of flowers and tributes laid outside Kensington Palace, pictured. The Princes remain as confused at the population's desperation for them to share their grief now as they did 20 years ago, writes Libby Purves

Diana, pictured with her sons as young children. The documentary reveals how they wished they could have saved her from her eating disorder and the marriage problems

Diana, 7 Days provides a timely retrospective, asking what it was about the Princess of Wales that explained such an outpouring of emotion. And what it changed in our relationship with monarchy.

The boys relationship with their father is central to this film.

William and Harry were curiously silent about Charles in last months ITV documentary.

It created a sense that they were airbrushing him out, even taking revenge on their mothers behalf. But he is very much a presence here.

He was there for us, he did his best to see we were protected and looked after, says Harry, acknowledging, too, his fathers own grief at the death of his ex-wife.

William says that with one parent gone, they at least had the other half.

There is a touching shot of 12-year-old Harry leaning over to read tributes on bouquets, his father holding his hand.

In the documentary, the Duke of Cambridge, pictured, reveals he is sometimes tempted to share the 'true story' but does not want to open the floodgates

Prince Harry, pictured in the documentary, reveals how the news was broken to the young princes by their father

It is unforcedly clear that Charles, the Queen and Prince Philip supported the boys as any family would.

But the public were ravenous to share this private grief.

William, with something that might be a politely suppressed shudder, remembers how people grabbed at them with hands wet with tears, anxious to touch the boys, as if wanting to seize their sorrow and make it their own.

For Harry, the last thing I wanted to do was read about what other people were saying about my mother... Yes, it was amazing, it was incredibly moving to know, but at that point I wasnt there, I was still in shock.

To read other peoples outpouring of grief was quite odd when you are in a position almost as if people are expecting you to grieve in public. To whose benefit would that be?

Twenty years on, both William and Harry emerge as bewildered still by the intensity of strangers need to participate.

In an important insight, William admits that sometimes, when lies are written about you, it is tempting to do what his mother did, sharing her true story with the journalist Andrew Morton for his 1992 biography, being interviewed on Panorama  where Diana claimed the title a queen in peoples hearts  and using the media to her own ends when it suited her.

But once you open that door . . . ! he says.

These young men know now, for all their fierce defensiveness and their hatred of the paparazzi that hounded her and made her cry in front of them, that Dianas troubles with the media were magnified by the way she courted it to express her unhappiness.

Prince William said the decision for the brothers to walk behind the coffin was 'not easy' and described it as the 'hardest thing he has ever done'

The Queen made a special public address, pictured, on September 5 to share her family's grief with the nation, and agreed to make the speech because of her 'sense of duty'

We are reminded again of the roles of then Prime Minister Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell, with their self-serving account of how important they were in steadying the monarchys ship in the storm of public indignation.

Particularly irritating is their pride in persuading the Queen to introduce the words as a grandmother into her live address on the night before the funeral. That, and Blairs ridiculous assertion that Diana was the first royal who behaved like a human being.

Anyone who has trailed as a reporter behind royal events knows that the Queen, the Duke, Princess Anne and Charles himself have shown fellowship in crowds and created sparks of amused affection in their time.

But Dianas intensity was different: compassionate but so wounded herself that she sparked an electric bolt of empathy.

For me, one of the most startling comments was about danger and responsibility: Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Dianas sister, raises a rarely mentioned, intensely sad and enraging fact about the tragedy: that neither Diana or Dodi were wearing seat belts as the Mercedes roared away from the Ritz that night.

She was religious in putting on her seat belt. Why didnt she put it on that day? Well never know, her sister wonders sadly.

Well, there are many ironies. Another one which comes out with painful clarity is the crazy illogicality of some of those who massed in Kensington and on The Mall.

A thoughtful Salvation Army worker, who provided tea and support to the crowd, tells us that, once, people dealt with such grief in church, but this was different.

He also believed that many came simply because they didnt want to miss out.

The documentary also sees Diana's sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale, pictured centre outside the hospital in Paris where Diana died, alongside sister Lady Jane Fellowes, left, and Prince Charles, right, question why her sister was not wearing her seat belt when she did so 'religiously' before

Another focus of the documentary is the boys relationship with their father, pictured here taking them to church in Balmoral hours after they learned of Diana's death

Some, like the man who cried more for Diana than when my son died were doing what we all do with personal grief at times: transferring it.

I can remember weeping for my own father properly for the first time years later, watching Derek Jacobi as King Lear.

But some things the crowds did were awful, and irrational: not least the anger directed at the Queen for remaining in seclusion at Balmoral.

There was an unreasonable public perception that she should have hurried back to London to join in national mourning.

By staying at Balmoral, the Royal grandparents were accused of a lack of emotional intelligence and real feeling.

Yet the Queen and Prince Philip were actually displaying just that: acting like any family, giving two boys a chance to start to come to terms with horrific events.

We learn from Palace officials that the public anger caused the Queen pain.

That she did the right thing is confirmed as the Princes now express their gratitude. As Harry says, you need time before you have to put on your prince hats and be public.

As for the controversy over their following the coffin on foot, the argument over the rights and wrongs is pretty much put to bed by Williams words.

It was a collective family decision, he says, while Harry admits now that he was very glad I was part of it.

William and Harry are pictured here saluting as they arrived at Kensington Palace on September 5, 1997, to find the residence surrounded by flowers and tributes to their late mother

It is clear, however, that the experience was made even harder by the failure of many onlookers to show the silent respect due at another familys funeral.

In the film, we hear them scream, wail and call out Dianas name. For William, the pain and bewilderment that caused a shy teenager  I hid behind my fringe  is obvious.

Richard Ayre, a BBC Trustee and then news executive, reminds us that the last months of Dianas life, after the divorce, were extraordinarily, flaringly public as she demonstrated that she didnt need an HRH: one day campaigning about landmines, the next lounging on the Fayed yacht, visiting Mother Teresa, consulting an astrologer.

And that question of Dianas nature and behaviour overhangs all memories. What breaks you up, listening to her sons, is the way they still feel THEY should have protected her.

William says how sad it is that so many of his memories revolve around trying to cheer her up.

We feel we at least owe her . . . to stand up for her name.

I think an element of it is feeling like we let her down when we were younger, he says. That we couldnt protect her. No child should carry that burden, especially in retrospect. They could not have thwarted the paparazzi, banned her from travelling, fixed the seat belt.

They couldnt have saved her from the eating disorder, the chilly marriage, the hunger for public love, the urge to spill the beans to journalists.

No bereaved child can be expected to recognise if a mother contributed to her own misfortune: she is their lost angel. But neither should they reproach themselves.

So how, 20 years on, can we think about Diana and those seven days?

They were in some ways cathartic, a tearful washing-away of old protocols. In herself, she was to some extent a victim  but not by anyones ill-will  hitting an awkward corner in cultural change, when the Royal Family stood perched between an era of dutiful restraint and modern emotional openness and sexual liberation.

Charles was being pressed to marry, and there was still a sense in his circle that men should sow their wild oats but find a wife without a sexual past. Diana fitted the bill.

There is great danger in believing that Charles was always cold to her, as reported by her flaky butler Paul Burrell. Distressed people exaggerate about relationships.

Other observers say that, early on, they saw love and tactile attraction. But it isnt hard to see why each would lose patience with the other.

And so it failed. But marriages do. The Palace was slow to catch up with the situation, and needed to be steadied, and change a little.

This anniversary has brought an odd resurgence of Dianamania, and shaken Charless reputation anew.

As the Mail reported this week, theres been an apparent nosedive in his popularity.

But I suspect that, too, will steady, and this nuanced, fair film may help.

The one thing I still want to know is whether, looking back, any of those people who channelled their own issues into attacking the Queen, wailing at the bewildered princes and snatching at them with tear-wet hands, feel a shred of embarrassment now.

They didnt make it easier for anyone.
David Davis will today warn Brussels it would be unnecessary, inappropriate and unprecedented for European judges to have power over British courts after we leave the EU

David Davis will today warn Brussels it would be unnecessary, inappropriate and unprecedented for European judges to have power over British courts after we leave the EU.

The Brexit Secretary will declare that Britain will take back control of its laws as the judges in Luxembourg will no longer have supremacy over the countrys courts.

But Mr Davis last night faced accusations of a climbdown as he will stop short of demanding a completely clean break from the European Court of Justice.

In the latest in a series of papers setting out Britains negotiating position, he will reject the European Commissions call for the rights of EU citizens living in Britain to be enforced by the ECJ following the countrys departure.

Mr Davis will make clear it is not necessary or appropriate for the European Court of Justice to have direct jurisdiction over a non-member state and say such an arrangement would be unprecedented.

The Brexit Secretary will, however, leave open the door to the ECJ having some influence on our laws, saying British judges will have the option of taking account of judgments made at the court in Luxembourg following our departure.

But he will insist that these will no longer be automatically incorporated into British case law and the ECJ will have no power over our courts.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable last night claimed it was a climbdown by the Government as he argued that Theresa Mays Brexit red lines are becoming more blurred by the day.

But Eurosceptics said they would be happy with the plan as long as Parliament and British judges have the choice of whether to follow rulings made by European judges.

The Brexit Secretary will declare that Britain will take back control of its laws as the judges in Luxembourg will no longer have supremacy over the countrys courts

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said: The key point is that there should not be any direct effect of decisions by the ECJ or any new tribunal on the UK.

As long as that is the case it is a matter of detail not principle.

Osborne mocks May's ex-aides George Osborne has mocked the Prime Ministers former advisers  saying his Northern Powerhouse idea had outlived their careers. The ex-Chancellor accused them of trying to erase all mention of the investment scheme since he was sacked last summer. However, he pointed out that Theresa Mays joint chiefs of staff  Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill  had since been forced to resign following the election in June. Writing in the Financial Times, he said: I left office and there was a risk that the Northern Powerhouse would end with my own political career. It very nearly did. We know that there was a systematic attempt by Mrs Mays advisers (apparently without her knowledge) to eradicate all mention of the initiative. Thankfully, the idea has proved more enduring than those advisers. Mr Osborne  who is chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership  has also demanded the Prime Minister commit to building high-speed rail links across the North to unlock its economic potential. Mr Timothy last night responded with a swipe at Mr Osborne. He posted on Twitter: Sorry George Osborne repeated lies about my views. In government, I supported the Northern Powerhouse. I could hardly do otherwise having lived in Midlands and North for longer than George Osborne. Advertisement

In terms of historic ECJ rulings, they will have effect on continuing UK law and that is perfectly reasonable because that provides continuity from the day before we leave to the day we leave.

'Thereafter our courts may look to them in the way they look to other courts as a source of information, but not as a source of authority. That again is perfectly reasonable.

The paper will set out various models of how disputes are resolved over existing international agreements, such as trade deals between countries.

One example will be the European Free Trade Agreement court, which oversees the EUs relationship with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

However, Whitehall sources last night stressed that they were not looking to replicate any of the existing models as they do not want an off the shelf solution.

A UK Government spokesman said: We have long been clear that in leaving the EU we will bring an end to the direct jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the UK.

It is in the interests of both the UK and the EU, and of our citizens and businesses, that the rights and obligations agreed between us can be relied upon and enforced in appropriate ways.

It is also in everyones interest that, where disputes arise between the UK and the EU on the application or interpretation of these obligations, those disputes can be resolved efficiently and effectively.

A source said the paper delivered on Mrs Mays speech at the Tory party conference last October when she said: We are not leaving the EU only to return to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

The Prime Minister will today visit bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis in Guildford, which has secured a 44million finance deal to sell double-deckers to Mexico.

George Osborne pointed out that Theresa Mays joint chiefs of staff  Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill  had since been forced to resign following the election in June

Ministers have launched a bid to protect Britains legal sector by calling for courts here to be allowed to hear cross-border cases in the same way after Brexit. They want to keep arrangements with Brussels on some disputes that involve more than one European country.
Trainee GPs who repeatedly fail exams will be given even more chances to resit, according to proposals.

Health Education England announced draft plans to give doctors six chances to pass the GP qualification exam, up from the current four.

They will also be given an extra six months in which to sit the exams. Critics said last night they feared for the safety of patients.

Health Education England announced draft plans to give doctors six chances to pass the GP qualification exam, up from the current four

The Royal College of GPs said the country desperately needed more family doctors, but they should not come through the back door. And patients groups said failed doctors should not be allowed another bite of the apple.

The proposals were unveiled as NHS England announced it will spend 100 million recruiting 2,000 foreign doctors to tackle the GP shortage. The NHS application process for foreign GPs is to be streamlined and doctors will be offered generous relocation packages  including travel costs for their families and funds to move their possessions.

The NHS is facing a major crisis in GP staffing, with morale at an all-time low and many doctors abandoning the profession. The Government pledged two years ago to hire 5,000 new GPs by 2020, but statistics published yesterday revealed that since that plan was announced, numbers have actually fallen, dropping by 350 to 34,200.

The shortfall is projected to get worse, with research suggesting two in every five GPs are planning to retire or quit within the next five years.

The Royal College of GPs said the country desperately needed more family doctors, but they should not come through the back door

Announcing a consultation regarding the new qualification proposals, Health Education England (HEE) said a small number of doctors each year are progressing towards competence but at too insufficient a rate to succeed.

These tests, as well as a workplace-based assessment, are required for the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) qualification. The three-year MRCGP entrance process comes after students have attended medical school and completed a five or six-year degree, and undertaken two years of foundation training in hospitals.

The new proposals include allowing trainees who repeatedly fail the professional exams to sit the tests six times, and giving applicants a 12-month extension period to pass, up from six months currently. Officials insisted that trainees who repeatedly failed would be given additional targeted GP training.

Professor Simon Gregory of HEE said: The amended proposals offer a number of routes to support doctors to enter and successfully complete GP training while maintaining the gold standard of MRCGP as exit criteria.

In particular, this would help doctors who are progressing in training but not able to do so sufficiently in the time allowed.

But Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: The colleges No 1 priority is, and always will be, patient safety. General practice is under intense resource and workforce pressures, and we desperately need more family doctors practising in the UK, but not through the back door, and not at the expense of the trust and confidence patients have in their GP.

Joyce Robins, of Patient Concern, added: Streamlining is all right providing it is improving the hiring process, but not if they are dumbing down the entry criteria. Giving failed trainees a second bite of the apple could well be a bad idea.

Instead, we should be discouraging our brightest young medics from going abroad.
Middle-aged baby boomers are fast becoming a generation of problem drinkers, experts say.

NHS specialists are increasingly concerned about heavy drinking among the over-50s, particularly middle-class women.

Younger people are drinking far less than previous generations but alcohol is still a key part in the lives of their parents, they say.

Middle-aged baby boomers are fast becoming a generation of problem drinkers, experts say

While teenagers were once considered Britains biggest drinkers, doctors are now more worried about middle-aged, middle-class women who typically order wine from supermarkets and drink at home.

Some 45 per cent of English hospital admissions caused by drinking were among those aged 55 to 74 in 2015/16, up from 36 per cent a decade earlier.

Under-35s, in contrast, only made up 9 per cent of alcohol-linked admissions last year, compared with 29 per cent ten years previously, official figures show.

Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week. That is the equivalent of 15 single gin and tonics, or six medium glasses of merlot.

Dr Rahul Rao, of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, warned that the trend is likely to worsen. The psychiatrist, writing in the British Medical Journal with Professor Ann Roche, of Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, said: Risky drinking is declining, except among people aged 50 years and older.

There is also a strong upward trend for episodic heavy drinking in this age group.

Some 45 per cent of English hospital admissions caused by drinking were among those aged 55 to 74 in 2015/16, up from 36 per cent a decade earlier

Of additional concern is the increasing proportion of women drinking in later life, particularly those whose alcohol consumption is triggered by life events such as retirement, bereavement, change in home situation, infrequent contact with family and friends, and social isolation.

They said older drinkers often slip through the net and the problems are never spotted by doctors.

Under-detection of alcohol problems is of immediate concern, they write.

Alcohol misuse in the older population may increase as baby boomers get older because of their more liberal views towards, and higher use of, alcohol.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: The over 50s have seen a time when alcohol has become increasingly affordable and have been bombarded with sophisticated alcohol marketing messages telling them they cant live a fulfilling life unless alcohol is at the centre of it.

What they havent been told is that alcohol is linked to more than 200 types of illness and injury, including seven types of cancer.

Abuse of prescription drugs, painkillers and illegal drugs such as cannabis is also rising among the over-50s, and declining among younger groups, the experts said.

In 2014, 6.8 per cent of 65 to 74-year-olds admitted having tried cannabis, up from 0.9 per cent in 2000. But heavy drinking remains a more serious problem.
Crimes by marauding robbers on mopeds more than doubled last year as police struggle to tackle the menace.

Latest figures show 11,596 crimes took place in London, more than twice the 5,047 offences recorded in the previous 12 months.

And the crimewave is set to soar further with up to six times as many robberies, thefts and violent assaults taking place in April and May.

Some of the attacks involve acid as a weapon, contributing to a predicted 11 per cent increase in such incidents, after figures doubled last year.

Some 294 acid attacks were recorded by the end of July, suggesting around 504 will take place by the end of the year, compared with 454 in 2016.

CCTV image of moped gang targeting wealthy residents, attacking a businessman with a hammer. The gang stole a 60,000 watch from a businessman outside his North London home

Bike thieves with a Yamaha R6 motorcycle showing the immobiliser

Specialist units in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Merseyside have been set up to tackle criminals using motorcycles to target victims and evade police. Young thugs on stolen motorcycles are wreaking havoc, robbing victims, snatching phones and launching daring smash and grab raids.

Last month Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick said criminals had simply struck on a tactic that was giving them success as her officers raced to catch up. Police are now using innovative methods, including DNA sprays to mark fleeing suspects so they can be identified later and stinger devices to puncture tyres.

Footage has emerged of police ramming two suspects on one bike, although in many cases officers abandon chases because it is too dangerous. Some suspects have taken advantage of strict rules on police pursuits by abandoning helmets to raise the stakes.

Figures for the year ending in March were obtained by Tory politicians at Londons City Hall and reveal the majority of offences take place in just four central boroughs. A total of 6,403 offences involving suspects on mopeds took place in Westminster, Islington, Hackney and Camden alone last year.

They also underlined the pitiful rate at which police catch offenders, with just three in every 100 crimes involving mopeds solved last year.

This is because many of the crimes involve masked thieves snatching mobile phones on pavements, leaving few clues behind.

Specialist units in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Merseyside have been set up to tackle criminals using motorcycles to target victims and evade police

Tory politician Steve OConnell called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to host an emergency summit to discuss combating the surge.

The mayor needs to take the lead in tackling the growing number of violent crimes taking place on Londons streets, he said. Young people are being attacked and killed and something urgently needs to be done.

Last month, nationwide figures showed almost five million crimes in total were recorded in the year to March, a 10 per cent rise on the previous year. Among this was a 7 per cent rise in theft, including a 20 per cent leap in stolen vehicles and a 10 per cent increase in shoplifting.
Sixteen of the world's 500 richest people have investments in space enterprises, a new data analysis has found.

Technology tycoons dominate the list, including Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, and Jeff Bezos, founder of space travel firm Blue Origin.

The list also includes hotel and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who has invested in a mission to the moon, and Ricardo Salinas, a Mexican banking and retail billionaire who's backing private satellite network OneWeb.

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Sixteen of the world's 500 richest people (pictured) have investments in space enterprises, a new data analysis has found

Other big names on the list, compiled by Bloomberg and Virginia-based consulting firm Bryce Space & Technology, include Bill Gates, who has invested in satellite company Kymeta, and Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson.

Bransons space travel firm has already spent more than 465 million ($600 million) to help get commercial flights into suborbital space by the end of 2018.

Google co-founder Larry Page, who has backed asteroid mining company Planetary Resources, also features on the list, as does Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg led a 39 million ($50 million) investment last year into the SETI (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Research Centre, which is looking for alien life on distant planet proxima b.

The investment was made alongside Russian billionaire Yuri Milner and British physicist Stephen Hawking.

Space Angels, a network for space investors, calculates that more than 225 private space ventures have now received equity funding, up from 33 in 2009. Pictured is a graph showing the recent rise in the total number of private space ventures

The list includes hotel and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson (left), who has invested in a mission to the moon, and Ricardo Salinas (right), a Mexican banking and retail billionaire who's backing private satellite network OneWeb

SPACE INVESTMENT The last ten years has seen a boom in private space firms, triggered in part by the recent success of Musks SpaceX. The company launched its first commercial flight in 2009, providing a window to space for firms previously hindered by the high costs of getting into orbit. Space Angels, a network for space investors, calculates that more than 225 private space ventures have now received equity funding, up from 33 in 2009. Around 2.4 billion ($3.1 billion) was invested in these companies in 2016, a sharp jump from the 318 million ($409 million) invested in 2011. Advertisement

The last ten years has seen a boom in private space firms, triggered in part by the recent success of Musks SpaceX.

The company launched its first commercial flight in 2009, providing a window to space for firms previously hindered by the high costs of getting into orbit.

Space Angels, a network for space investors, calculates that more than 225 private space ventures have now received equity funding, up from 33 in 2009.

Around 2.4 billion ($3.1 billion) was invested in these companies in 2016, a sharp jump from the 318 million ($409 million) invested in 2011.

Last month, it was revealed that SpaceX is now worth more than $21 billion (16 billion) after it raised $350 million (268 million) in new financing.

Sixteen of the world's 500 richest people have investments in space enterprises, a new data analysis has found. Technology tycoons dominate the list - including Elon Musk (left), CEO of SpaceX, and Jeff Bezos (right), founder of Blue Origin

Other big names on the list, compiled by Bloomberg and Virginia-based consulting firm Bryce Space & Technology, include Bill Gates (left), who has invested in satellite company Kymeta, and Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson (right)

The firm joined an elite group of venture-backed companies - including Uber and Airbnb - that are valued at more than $20 billion (15 billion).

Its new value also makes it the fourth most valuable private technology company in the US.

SpaceX, which is based in Hawthorne, California, is known for its ambitious plans to establish humanity's first colony on Mars, as well as putting satellites into space.

The company, which was valued at $14.6 billion (11.2 billion) last year, is also vying to become a major government contractor.

Google co-founder Larry Page (left), who has backed asteroid mining company Planetary Resources, also features on the list, as does Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (right) thanks to his investment in the SETI (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Research Centre

Entrepreneur Yuri Milner (left), Mark Zuckerberg and physicist Stephen Hawking have jointly invested 39 million ($50 million) into SETI (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence). Google co-founder Sergey Brin (pictured right with wife Anne) has invested in SpaceX

The SpaceX billionaire has said the only way of attracting enough people to build a settlement on the red planet would be to cut the cost of a one-way ticket.

The entrepreneur aims to get the price down of the ticket down to the cost of an average house in the US - or around $200,000 (157,000).

'I want to make Mars seem possible - make it seem as though it is something that we can do in our lifetime,' Musk said.

'There really is a way that anyone could go if they wanted to.'
Mat Staver Responds to 'Hate Labels'

Contact: Liberty Counsel, 407-875-1776, Media@LC.org; Press Kit

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 22, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty, responds to the recent "hate label" from the Southern Poverty Law Center and calls for prayer and healing in a country divided.

Staver says, "As a pastor before becoming an attorney, my heart then and now is for hurting people. Liberty Counsel is a peaceful Christian ministry that opposes violence. We believe that each person is created in the image of God and each one should be treated with dignity and respect. Differences of opinion is no cause for violence or hatred. I have previously condemned the violence in Charlottesville perpetrated by KKK and white supremacist groups. We must not allow the seeds of the Holocaust or the violence against people of color to take root again in America. But instead of speaking with a united voice against violence and hatred, the Southern Poverty Law Center and some irresponsible media have falsely included some Christian, pro-family, or conservative groups with real hate groups like the KKK. This false labeling is defamatory and dangerous. Moreover, this false label is exploiting a serious situation to push a self-interested political agenda. This must stop! We need to come together to speak against hatred and violence. I urge everyone to pray for the healing of our nation."

Watch his entire message here: Mat Staver Responds to Hate Labels

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.


It is the moral of Hollywood films from The Breakfast Club to Mean Girls.

Now psychologists have agreed that it is better to have good friends when you are in school than to be popular.

A study found 15-year-olds who have close friends have higher self-esteem and fewer symptoms of depression a decade later.

But teenagers who are popular in school, without these genuine friendships, are actually more socially anxious as adults.

It is the moral of Hollywood films from The Breakfast Club to Mean Girls (scene from the film pictured). Now psychologists have agreed that it is better to have good friends when you are in school than to be popular

The authors, from the University of Virginia, suggest behaviours which make teenagers popular among large groups of their peers, such as drinking, drug-taking and losing their virginity early, may not be good for their mental health as adults.

Seeking social status, rather than close, genuine friendships, may be more unhealthy.

Meanwhile school losers could become winners in later life because their small groups of friends help them develop the skills they will need for romantic relationships.

Co-author Joseph Allen, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, said: 'Our study affirms that forming strong close friendships is likely one of the most critical pieces of the teenage social experience.

The authors, from the University of Virginia, suggest behaviours which make teenagers popular among large groups of their peers, such as drinking, drug-taking and losing their virginity early, may not be good for their mental health as adults (stock image)

'Being well-liked by a large group of people cannot take the place of forging deep, supportive friendships. And these experiences stay with us, over and above what happens later.

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? The authors, from the University of Virginia, suggest behaviours which make teenagers popular among large groups of their peers, such as drinking, drug-taking and losing their virginity early, may not be good for their mental health as adults. Seeking social status, rather than close, genuine friendships, may be more unhealthy. Meanwhile school losers could become winners in later life because their small groups of friends help them develop the skills they will need for romantic relationships. Children with close friends feel more unique, more close to others and benefit from exchanging secrets, loyalty and boosts to their self-esteem. Advertisement

'As technology makes it increasingly easy to build a social network of superficial friends, focusing time and attention on cultivating close connections with a few individuals should be a priority.'

The study, published in the journal Child Development, monitored 169 15-year-olds every year for a decade.

The teenagers' popularity was judged by collecting 'most-liked' nominations from their peers, while they were questioned about the strength of their friendships, feelings of depression, self-worth, social anxiety and how socially accepted they felt.

The results show the schoolchildren who prioritised close friendships had lower social anxiety, an increased sense of self-worth, and fewer symptoms of depression by the time they reached age 25 than their peers.

Conversely, the popular kids had higher levels of social anxiety as young adults.

The authors state: 'These teens may be focused more on status and short-term rewards or relationships that either do not reflect or do not lead to positive long-term emotional health in the way that being involved in a reciprocal positive dyadic friendship does.'

They suggest children with close friends feel more unique, more close to others and benefit from exchanging secrets, loyalty and boosts to their self-esteem.

But they say popularity may depend on social dominance, with the people who consider someone popular perhaps not even liking them.

Meanwhile these children can damage their future prospects by focusing on being liked more than their schoolwork.

Study leader Dr Rachel Narr said: 'Our research found that the quality of friendships during adolescence may directly predict aspects of long-term mental and emotional health.'

Happily for unpopular children who hope they will have better luck with the opposite sex in later life, the authors suggest that may be the case.

They conclude: 'The skills required in establishing and maintaining intimacy and depth in close friendships, which take on particular importance by middle adolescence, would seem to provide more natural scaffolding for success in later romantic relationships than the skills required in gaining acceptance by a broader peer group.

'In romantic relationships, as in close friendships, there are similar expectations for support, individual attention, warmth, and conflict resolution abilities.'
After months of delays, Samsung has finally launched its Bixby voice assistant in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Among the countries with access to the smart assistant are the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa  although it can only understand American English and Korean.

The launch will come as a huge relief to Samsung, which suffered major delays as Bixby 'struggled to understand English.'

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After months of delays, Samsung has finally launched its Bixby voice assistant in more than 200 countries worldwide

BIXBY'S KEY FEATURES - Operates through 'Quick Commands' - a feature that allows users to create custom voice commands - Uses deep learning technology to understand the way you speak, ask questions and make requests - Improves over time to recognise your personal preferences and style of speaking - Acts as an intelligent interface, and can be integrated into other apps - When an application becomes Bixby-enabled, the assistant will support almost every task that the application is capable of performing using voice, touch or text Advertisement

Bixby is a smart assistant, similar to Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana.

It operates through 'Quick Commands'  a feature that allows users to create custom voice commands.

For example, users can use the command 'good night' as a shortcut for 'Turn on Do-not-disturb mode, set an alarm for 6:00am and turn on blue light filter.'

The voice assistant can also use deep learning technology to understand the way you speak, ask questions and make requests.

For example, if you take a photo and then tell Bixby to 'send the picture just taken to Mum,' the assistant will know which photo you are referring to and will text it to your mum.

Bixby also improves over time to recognise your personal preferences and style of speaking.

Rather than operating as a standalone app, Bixby acts as an intelligent interface, and can be integrated into other apps.

When an application becomes Bixby-enabled, the assistant will support almost every task that the application is capable of performing using voice, touch or text.

Bixby was initially available in South Korea with the launch of the Galaxy S8 in May, and was then launched in the US on 19 July, before launching worldwide today.

Mr Injong Rhee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Software and Services of the Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, said: 'Now millions of customers worldwide have access to a new and intelligent way of interacting with their phone.

Bixby is a smart assistant that operates through 'Quick Commands'  a feature that allows users to create custom voice commands

'The expansion of Bixby's voice capabilities is an initial step in the continued rollout of Bixby functionality.

'In the future, Bixby will have the learning power to offer more intelligent and personalized interactions and seamless connections across more devices.'

Samsung has been plagued with issues with the smart assistant.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 SPECS Samsung is hoping that it's new high spec flagship can take on the iPhone Processor: Exynos Octa core (2.3GHz quad + 1.7GHz quad) 10nm SoC Screen: 5.8-inch Quad HD+, 2960 x 1440p, 570ppi Wireless: LTE Cat 16 Primary Camera: 12-megapixel, f/1.7, OIS Front-facing Camera: 8-megapixel, f/1.7, AF Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM Storage: 64GB, microSD expansion to 256GB Battery: 3,000mAh Dimensions: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0mm, 155g OS: Android 7.0 Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, NFC, GPS, Galileo, Glonass Advertisement

While the voice-enabled assistant has been available in Korea, where Samsung is based, a report in The Wall Street Journal indicated that Bixby was 'struggling to understand English syntax and grammar.'

In a statement at the time, a Samsung spokesperson said: 'Bixby Voice benefits from time to further enhance natural language understanding, and we are currently growing our user testing in the US to prepare for launch.'

Thankfully, the problems appear to have been rectified, and Bixby is now available in 200 countries for users with Galaxy S8 and S8+ devices.
Older employees tend to be more miserable in their jobs, with the rapid descent into workplace drudgery kicking in at the age of 35, a new study claims.

While millennials may be full of youthful exuberance for their new roles, the reality of working life has set in for Generation X and Baby Boomers.

Experts looked at a range of factors affecting job satisfaction and found that older workers reported higher levels of stress and dissatisfaction.

This resulted in almost one fifth reporting that they are unhappy at work, according to the report - meaning burnout may hit sooner than you think.

Older employees tend to be more miserable in their jobs, with the rapid descent into workplace drudgery kicking in at the age of 35, a new study claims (stock image)

FACTORS FACING WORKERS AGED 35 AND OVER A quarter (25 per cent) of 35 to 54-year-olds feel underappreciated, with this figure rising to 29 per cent for those aged over 55. One third (34 per cent) of those aged over 35 said they found their job stressful. In total, 12 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 and 17 per cent of those aged over 55 struggle to juggle work with other aspects of their life. Overall, 38 per cent of Generation X and 31 per cent of over 55s said they were able to be creative at work. Just 14 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 and 16 per cent of those aged over 55 said they don't have good friends at work, clearly keeping their work and social lives separate. Advertisement

'There comes a time when either you haven't achieved success, work has burned you out, or lived experience tells you family is more important,' said Cary Cooper, a workplace researcher at Manchester Business School told Bloomberg.

'You ask yourself: 'What am I doing this for?'

Researchers from Happiness Works, on behalf of recruitment firm Robert Half, found 17 per cent of people over the age of 55 were unfulfilled in their roles.

Generation X didn't fare much better, with 16 per cent of 35 to 54-year-olds admitting they were unhappy.

Half that number of number of Millennials said the same, with less than one in ten (eight per cent) of workers aged 18 to 34 saying they were dissatisfied in their jobs

The full report, which examined the influences behind employee happiness, discovered workplace stress was the largest factor affecting older workers.

This was coupled with creative dissatisfaction, struggling to find a happy work-life balance and feeling under-appreciated.

Theres a way to combat the pressure, Cooper said.

Making work friends could improve the situation, as well as refocusing on a personal project at work and make that your passion.

The London-based human resources firm also suggested a number of ways the issue could be addressed by employers.

Phil Sheridan, senior managing director at Robert Half UK, said: 'Employees that are aged over 35 have valuable experience that the whole organisation can learn and benefit from.

'It's important that their happiness is not neglected, so businesses need to take the time to invest in their staff at all levels.

'Simple things like conducting regular performance reviews, offering new opportunities for learning and setting ambitious career goals are all steps that can ensure more tenured workers feel appreciated and that career goals don't become static.'

For those aged over 35 a little appreciation could go a long way, the report suggests.

Overall, 60 per cent of those aged 18 to 35 said they feel appreciated and just 15 per cent feel undervalued.

In comparison, a quarter (25 per cent) of 35 to 54-year-olds feel underappreciated, with this figure rising to 29 per cent for those aged over 55.

One third (34 per cent) of those aged over 35 said they found their job stressful.

While millennials may be full of youthful exuberance for their new roles, the reality of working life has set in for Generation X and Baby Boomers. One third (34 per cent) of those aged over 35 said they found their job stressful

This figure is significantly lower for 18 to 35-year-olds, where only a quarter (25 per cent) said they suffered from stress.

Complaints about work-life balance also come into play the older you are.

In total, 12 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 and 17 per cent of those aged over 55 struggle to juggle work with other aspects of their life.

In comparison, just one in ten millennials said they feel the same.

Overall, 68 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds felt more free to be themselves at work, with more than half (55 per cent) saying that they were able to be creative at work.

This compared to 38 per cent of Generation X and 31 per cent of over 55s .

As employees get older, they are also far less likely to view their colleagues as friends.

In fact, 14 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 and 16 per cent of those aged over 55 said they don't have good friends at work, clearly keeping their work and social lives separate.

By comparison, three in five (62 per cent) of 18 to 34 year olds said that they had good friends at work.
A new 'neighbourhood watch' sensor device that can track traffic on local streets has been unveiled.

Flock's sensor logs the number plate of each car that drives into a residential street, for use by 'neighbourhood leaders'.

This information could come in useful in the event of thefts, break-ins and other disturbances.

Residents of monitored neighbourhoods can opt-out of being tracked, but visitors cannot - an issue which raises privacy concerns.

Flock's sensor will also capture a photograph and in the future the device could also include facial recognition technology. Its designers say that residents could opt out of being tracked but that visitors could not (stock image)

Y COMBINATOR The project is being funded by Y Combinator, which twice a year invests a small amount of money 94,000 ($120,000) in a large number of startups. The firms then move to Silicon Valley for three months, during which time they receive intensive support to develop and refine their pitch to investors. Past successes include Dropbox, Reddit and Airbnb. Each bi-annual cycle culminates in Demo Day, when the startups present their companies to an invite-only audience. The latest event, held yesterday, saw Flock's device displayed to potential investors and other influential figures. Advertisement

Flock's sensor will also capture a photograph and in the future the device could also include facial recognition technology, according to BBC reports.

The devices could soon become a common sight, thanks to an injection of finance from the seed funding firm behind Dropbox, Reddit and Airbnb.

It is expected to cost around 40 ($50) a year per house.

It has already led to the conviction of one offender, according to its creators.

Speaking to the BBC Garret Langley, chief executive and co-founder of Flock, said: 'An unfortunate individual drove into one of our [monitored] neighbourhoods,' explained.

'He put a nice road bike in the back of his car, and drove off with both the window down and the trunk open.

'Not only do we have footage of his licence plate, we have a picture of his face and a picture of the bike in the back.'

The project is being funded by Y Combinator, which twice a year invests a small amount of money 94,000 ($120,000) in a large number of startups.

The firms then move to Silicon Valley for three months, during which time they receive intensive support to develop and refine their pitch to investors.

Each bi-annual cycle culminates in Demo Day, when the startups present their companies to an invite-only audience.

Would be criminals may have to think twice about the neighbourhoods they target, thanks to a sensor device which can track traffic. Flock's sensor will log the number plate of each car that drives into a residential street (stock image)

The latest event, held yesterday, saw the device displayed to potential investors and other influential figures.

Flocks devices are currently on trial in seven locations in Atlanta, Georgia.

Further tests are being considered for neighbourhoods across the US.

A privacy expert who spoke to the BBC said he believed the data collected by the device is legal in the US.

But it could provoke a public outcry over invasions into people's right to privacy.

Albert Gidari, director of privacy at Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society, said: 'One of the great weaknesses in US privacy law is that we only protect against intrusions into private areas, not public spaces.

'Public roads through neighbourhoods, licence plates, pedestrians on public sidewalks etc all are fair game.'
A rare mutant baby turtle with two heads has been found on a Florida beach by researchers.

While checking empty nests left by recently hatched loggerhead turtles, scientists spotted the reptile struggling to keep up with its fellow hatchlings.

Scientists noticed the animal had two heads, and took photos that were later posted online.

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A rare mutant baby turtle with two heads (pictured) has been found by researchers on a Florida beach. All pictures were taken by the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group while conducting permitted research (Permit MTP-186)

THE MUTANT TURTLE The turtle's extra head was likely the result of a rare genetic mutation. After taking photos, researchers released the turtle, which quickly crawled down the beach toward the sea. Its chances of survival are low, researcher Dr Kate Mansfield said. The chances of any single hatchling surviving are extremely low, with anywhere from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000 infant turtles making it adulthood. Adult sea turtles with severe abnormalities are not common, with the occasional misshapen shell spotted by scientists, but rarely anything more serious. Advertisement

The 29-mile (47 km) stretch of Florida coastline where the turtle was found is visited by thousands of the reptiles each year and is monitored by experts the University of Central Florida, based in Orlando.

'It's not rare to find a turtle born with developmental abnormalities,' Dr Kate Mansfield, who manages the university's Marine Turtle Research Group, told National Geographic.

'But it is rare to find one alive - in my career I've only seen one other turtle with two heads.'

Dr Mansfield posted photos of the mutant loggerhead to Twitter after university interns found the creature.

'Our interns discovered this rare 2-headed loggerhead hatchling yesterday! It was alive and energetic. So cool!' her caption read.

Dr Mansfield's team later released the turtle, which quickly crawled down the beach toward the sea.

'It's possible it could survive, but the chances are pretty low,' Dr Mansfield said, adding that a genetic mutation likely caused the two heads.

Loggerhead turtles are protected by the US Endangered Species Act.

While checking empty nests left by recently hatched loggerhead turtles, scientists spotted the reptile struggling to keep up with its brothers and sisters

An intern with University of Central Florida noticed the animal had two heads, and took photos that were later posted online. The abnormality was likely caused by a genetic mutation

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies the marine reptiles as vulnerable to extinction.

The chances of any single hatchling surviving are extremely low, with anywhere from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000 infant turtles making it adulthood, according to statistics from the US Sea Turtle Conservancy.

Young turtles must survive fishing nets, abnormal weather patterns caused by climate change, and human developments along the Florida coastline on the reptiles' long migration routes.

Dr Mansfield said that adult sea turtles with severe abnormalities are not common, with the occasional misshapen shell spotted by her team, but rarely anything more serious.

After photos were taken by the researchers, the team released the turtle, which quickly crawled down the beach toward the sea

Most misshapen turtles are the result of injuries, rather than genetic abnormalities, she said, adding that 'injuries from ship strikes or bitten flippers are common.'

Dr Mansfield's strange two-headed turtle is not the first mutant reptile to be spotted this year.

A bizarre video that surfaced online in April showed a baby turtle with two heads and six legs found in north China's Shanxi Province.

Footage showed the baby red-eared slider as it moved around normally, with each flipper moving and all eyes blinking.

Researchers from Shanxi Medicine and Life Science Academy told Chinese media that it was 'caused by genetic mutation, just like a human.'
Google will unveil a new Pixel Chromebook as well as a miniature version of Google Home at its upcoming hardware event, according to a source.

If true, that would make the new laptop the fist Pixel-branded computer since 2015 and would mean the new Pixel 2 phone wouldn't be the only big release of the event.

The firm is also reportedly getting ready to launch smart headphones with direct access to Google Assistant, although it is not clear if it will be revealed alongside the other new devices.

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It is believed Google is also getting ready to announce smart headphones that will give users direct access to Google Assistant, similar to the futuristic technology in the film Her. The Google product is codenamed Bistro.

WILL THERE BE A NEW PIXEL CHROMEBOOK? Google will unveil a new Pixel Chromebook at its upcoming hardware event, according to a source. That would make the new laptop the fist to be Pixel-branded since 2015. Previously, the company said the device has reached the end of the line. No specs or additional details of the rumored Pixel Chromebook are known, but Android Police says the device was likely born out of Google's mysterious Project Bison. However, while the Bison laptop was originally intended to run a highly-modified version of Android known internally as Andromeda, the source is confident the device he is speaking of will be a Pixel. There is no way to confirm this is the same laptop, although it seems likely as both were slated to be launched in Q3 2017. Android Police says it's 'exceptionally confident' the information is trustworthy. Advertisement

No specs or additional details of the rumored Pixel Chromebook are known, but Android Police - which spoke to the anonymous source 'familiar with the company's plans' - says the device was likely born out of Google's mysterious Project Bison.

However, while the Bison laptop (the internal code name for the device) was originally intended to run a highly-modified version of Android known internally as Andromeda, the source is confident the device he is speaking of will be a Pixel.

There is no way to confirm this is the same laptop, although it seems likely as both were slated to be launched in Q3 2017.

The Bison Chromebook was intended to be a serious competitor to Apple's MacBook and Microsoft's Surface Pro.

Sources speaking of Bison said it'd have similar specs with, with a 12.3-inch screen, 32 or 128GB of storage, 8 or 16GB of RAM, and an optional stylus.

It was also said to be under 10mm thick, feature a 'tablet' mode and be priced inexpensively at $799.

But in order for this to be the same computer, that means Google would've had to change gears to switch the operating system.

It also means the company would've gone against its claim that the Pixel Chromebook is dead.

The 2015 Pixel Chromebook (pictured). Google was said to be killing off the Pixel Chromebook, but a source says the firm will unveil a new one at the upcoming hardware event where it plans to release the new Pixel 2 headset

At MWC 2017, Google's Senior VP for Hardware Rick Osterloh said the Pixel Chromebook has hit its end of the line and that there won't be any more premium Pixel chromebooks for the foreseeable future.

While Android Police says it's 'exceptionally confident that the information and sources we're working from are legitimate and trustworthy,' it warns it couldn't verify the information with primary source materials such as hardware renderings.

'We also believe Bison's specifications, while we will provide them, are very much subject to change, the site reads.

'Given it's a year or more from its planned release, Bison could evolve substantially or even be cancelled.'

The latest beta of the Google app rolled out yesterday, with information in the code pointing to the headphones. It's unclear when these headphones could be released and if it will be at the same time as the other upcoming products

In separate rumors, it's believed Google is also getting ready to announce smart headphones that will give users direct access to Google Assistant, similar to the futuristic technology in the film Her.

The latest beta of the Google app rolled out yesterday, with information in the code pointing to the headphones, as spotted by 9to5Google.

The relevant code reads:

'<strine name="bistro_magic_pairing_assistant_prop_text">Your headphones have the Google Assistant. Ask it questions. Tell it to do things. It's your own personal Google, always ready to help."</string>"'

References to 'bistro' first emerged in the version 7.0 released in April and only appeared again this month.

The aforementioned code indicated 'bistro' refers to headphones with Google Assistant, with other lines pointing to features including: several hardware buttons, the ability to hear and reply to notifications audibly, a setup process, and the ability for the headphones to receive over-the-air firmware updates.

It's unclear when these headphones could be released and if it will be at the same time as the other upcoming products.

The nearing hardware event is said to be scheduled for October 4th and will act as the launch for Google Wifi, the Daydream View, the new Chromecast Ultra and the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL headsets. The rumored mini Google Home may launch at the event too

GOOGLE PIXEL 2 Leaked photos allegedly of the Google Pixel 2 give truth to some of the rumored features. Via the photos or per the tipster, we know: The phone will have a curved screen. It has two LEDs in the camera flash. The back will be made of a glass panel. Google is ditching the headphone jack for the device. The source also reported a better in-hand feel than the original Pixel phone, The source said the device is 'sleek' and 'elegant.' Advertisement

The nearing hardware event is said to be scheduled for October 4th and will act as the launch for Google Wifi, the Daydream View, the new Chromecast Ultra and the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL headsets.

The rumored mini Google Home - which is likely a cheaper alternative meant to rival the Amazon Echo dot - may launch at the event too.

The event date is soon after Apple and Samsung's fall hardware releases, which would put the new Pixel phone in direct competition with the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy Note 8.

Recently leaked images claiming to show Google's Pixel 2 handset have revealed some of the device's rumored features.

According to the photos, it appears the upcoming device will, as previously predicted, have a curved screen and a glass back.

Leaked images allegedly of the Google Pixel 2 reveal some of the device's rumored features. According to the photos, it appears the upcoming device will indeed have a curved screen. It also seems Google is ditching the headphone jack for the new device

However, one thing is missing - Google is planning to follow Apple and dump the headphone jack for the new device.

Also shown in the leaked images is the presence of two LEDs in the flash and a glass panel on the back, which is smaller this time around.

While previous leaks have suggested the phone will also be equipped with a Laser autofocus feature, that can't be seen here - although it may just be too difficult to spot.

The photos, sent to Gsmarena by an unnamed tipster, show the front and back of what is clearly an early developer unit of the phone, as is indicated by the stickers on the back.

While the lack of headphone jack isn't seen in the photo, the source told Gsmarena the device doesn't include one.

The source also reported a better in-hand feel than the original Pixel phone, saying it is 'sleek' and 'elegant.'

Reports suggest the Google Pixel 2 phone, which is launching later this year, could have a curved screen display like the Samsung Galaxy S8 (pictured)

As the company prepares for the release of the Pixel 2, it's dropping price on the original Pixel phone.

As part of a back to school promotion, the Pixel's starting price is currently down to $524 instead of $649, while the Pixel XL is now priced at $569 rather than $769 - the company is also throwing in free Daydream View headsets for consumers who take advantage of the promotion, which runs from August 6 while supplies last.

GOOGLE PIXEL 2 The original Google Pixel phone was launched in October 2016. The 'Pixel 2' is due to be launched this autumn which would be in direct competition with Apple's iPhone 8. Reports suggest Google are investing $880 million (709 million) in LG's flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens. The report suggests that LG is yet to sign the massive investment offer proposed by Google. Advertisement

Insiders have long been suggesting the Google Pixel 2 could have a curved screen display like the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Reports suggest Google is investing $880 million (709 million) in LG's flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens.

The photos released today give truth to those rumors.

Increasingly curved screen are being adopted by smartphones and it seems Google want to move in this direction too, according to South Korea's Electronic Times.

The report suggests that LG is yet to sign the massive investment offer proposed by Google.

In March, the head of hardware at Google first confirmed that the firm is developing a second-generation Pixel for the 'premium smartphone market'.

The confirmation came from Rick Osterloh during an interview with AndroidPT.

'There is an annual rhythm in the industry,' Osterloh said in the interview.

'So, you can count on us to follow it'

'You can count on a successor this year, even if you don't hear a date from me now.'

Reports suggest Google is investing $880 million (709 million) in LG's flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens for their Pixel 2 handset (pictured is first-generation Pixel handsets)

Google debuted the first smartphones in its Pixel line during a conference in October 2016, a Pixel and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL.

Although the Pixel 2 release would fall around the same time as the iPhone 8, Google is focusing on the upper price segment of the market.

This may be tougher than imagined, if as speculated, the iPhone 8 turns out to cost over $1,000.

Osterloh stated that 'Pixel stays premium' and the firm will 'leave lower price segments to other manufacturers'.

The original Google Pixel phone (pictured) was launched in October 2016, and the Pixel 2 is due to be launched this autumn which would be in direct competition with Apple's iPhone 8

The firm launched the Pixel line around the same time as the iPhone 7 was revealed.

'We believe the next big thing will be at the intersection of hardware and software,' Osterloh said in October.

He also took aim at Apple, saying the phone has 'no unsightly phone bump'.

Brian Rakowski of Google said the phone was 'designed inside and out to be smart'.

He said the Pixel's new camera was better than the iPhone 7.

'It's the best smartphone camera anyone has made,' he said.
MQ-9 Reaper drones are being prepared to protect Guam from a North Korea attack, it has been revealed.

The move follows the recent huge tensions between America and North Korea, and comes as North Korea has claimed current U.S.-South Korea joint military drills are 'secret operations' to oust Kim Jong-un as leader.

The new system is based on one tested in June 2016, that saw teams of modified MQ-9 Reaper drones used to track missile launches and feed crucial data to Navy interceptor warships offshore, and experts say the effects could be 'game changing'.

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Pairs of MQ-9 drones (stock image pictured) will work together to act as 'eyes in the sky' using infrared sensors to detect the heat from missile launches, and working together to pinpoint their location.

HOW IT WILL WORK Electro-optical infrared sensors on the drone can detect the heat of a missile as it enters its boost phase. By working in pairs, the modified drones can triangulate on the plume to obtain 3D targeting data. This can then be sent to nearby warships to allow the missiles to be shot down. Advertisement

The 2016 missile defense drill was called Pacific Dragon, and brought together the militaries of Japan, the U.S., and South Korea in a series of tests that showed that a pair of modified MQ-9 Reaper drones could effectively track a ballistic missile.

'The biennial exercise focuses on improving tactical and technical coordination among its participants, including the detection, tracking and reporting of ballistic targets,' the Navy said at the time.

Now, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, which makes the Reaper, is working to improve its ability to contribute to missile defense.

'Let's just say that within the next few years, there's lots of improvements in the tracking capability,' company president David Alexander told reporters last week at the company's headquarters here, according to Defence One.

'The accuracy in the early part of the boost phase that this provides is game-changing,' he said, before adding 'If I say any more, I might get into trouble.'

Raytheon's Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS) provides electro-optical/ infrared (EO/IR), laser designation, and laser illumination capabilities integrated in a single sensor package. Rayhteon

CALM IN GUAM AMID RISING TENSIONS The lieutenant governor of Guam reassured Japanese on Monday that the U.S. territory is calm amid the recent tension between the U.S. and North Korea. Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio said at a news conference with the president of the Guam Visitors Bureau in Tokyo that Guam remains in a 'state of normalcy.' Japan is a major source of tourists for the Pacific island, with a tourism relationship that has lasted for more than 50 years. North Korea threatened recently to launch ballistic missiles into waters near Guam. However, leader Kim Jong Un said later that he would watch Washington's conduct before executing the plan. Advertisement

The drones used special Multi-Spectral Targeting System C sensors from Raytheon aboard the drones.

Their electro-optical infrared sensors can detect the heat of a missile as it enters its boost phase, and a pair of these modified drones can triangulate on the plume to obtain 3D targeting data, helping interceptor ships draw a better bead on the flying missiles.

According to Defence One, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency wants to reduce to one the number of Reapers needed to track enemy launches, likely by adding a tracking laser to keep tabs on the soaring missile, the source said.

Further into the future, Alexander said that the company's large, jet-powered Predator C 'Avenger' drone could add a layer of surveillance and targeting data to North Korea  or anywhere else the military might want one.

This would allow a more complex sensor package to be used.

Alexander said a Predator C, equipped for an MS-177 and priced at between $12 million to $15 million, might be able to do a similar job.

And in the future, a similar long-range sensor with 'very large aperture, so if you wanted to fly this airplane along the border of someone else's country and look deep in,' said Alexander
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After visiting North and South Korea, an intrepid traveller has revealed the contrast between the two nations using striking photographs.

Jacob Laukaitis, a 22-year-old entrepreneur and travel blogger from Lithuania, decided to take images of certain situations to show how South Korea has a warmth of character compared to its notoriously cold-hearted neighbour.

In one photo set, focused on education, a school in South Korea looks bright and relaxed with contemporary furnishings lifting the mood. But moving to North Korea, a classroom setting appears rigid and bleak as students sit in uniform with their heads studiously bowed.

 Slide me  After visiting North and South Korea, an intrepid traveller has revealed the contrast between the two nations using striking photographs. The above photos show how the countryside in South Korea (left) compares to North Korea (right)

 Slide me  Jacob Laukaitis, a 22-year-old entrepreneur and travel blogger, decided to take images of certain situations to show how South Korea has a warmth of character compared to its notoriously cold-hearted neighbour. The above photos show how the streets compare, with South Korea bustling with traffic (left) and North Korea eerily devoid of cars (right)

 Slide me  In Laukaitis' photo series people look happy and relaxed in South Korea, wearing colourful clothes (left), while in North Korea the mood is more formal and sombre (right)

Similarly, a train station in South Korea features slick and clean interiors. There are polished floors, bright lights and modern stainless steel finishings.

Over the border Laukaitis visited a train station that looks thoroughly dated. Low, arched ceilings inspire a feeling of claustrophobia and strip lights give a cold, bright glow.

Sticking with the transport theme, a photo of a road in South Korea is bustling with traffic. The lanes are full with commuters and the tarmac appears to be good condition.

But in North Korea, a gaping highway is completely devoid of cars, sitting eerily empty.

 Slide me  A car park in South Korea is packed full of cars and tour buses (left) but in North Korea there is just one car parked up and the police seem to be inspecting the driver (right)

 Slide me  Laukaitis says the above photos document what people get up to in the free time in South Korea (left) and North Korea (right). The two scenes strike a sharp contrast

Laukaitis explained previously to MailOnline Travel that he went on a 'strictly guided' seven-day tour in North Korea just over a year ago.

He said that the tour operators took away his passport and didn't let him explore anything on his own.

Every photograph he wanted to take needed permission from the guide as he was not allowed to capture certain aspects of life in North Korea, like soldiers, workers or construction sites.

He also had little opportunity to interact with locals and in turn, the locals seemed to have little interest or were too afraid to interact with the foreign visitors.

At one point, the group were allowed to go on one ride at a theme park before being told they had to leave.

 Slide me  In one photo set, focused on education, a school in South Korea looks bright and relaxed with contemporary furnishings lifting the mood (left). But moving to North Korea, a classroom setting appears rigid and bleak as students sit in uniform with their heads studiously bowed (right)

 Slide me  A train station in South Korea features slick and clean interiors. There are polished floors, bright lights and modern stainless steel finishings (left). Over the border, a train station looks thoroughly dated. Low, arched ceilings inspire a feeling of claustrophobia and strip lights give a cold glow (right)

The seven-day journey was one of the most interesting trips for Laukaitis, but he says he left the country feeling sad knowing that millions didn't have the freedom that he did.

Summing up the travel experience, the adventurer, who has travelled to more than 50 countries, wrote: 'North Korea was definitely the weirdest country I had ever visited.'

After the trip he decided to see what South Korea was like and he flew there this year so he could compare his experiences in both countries.

The most recent photos from Laukaitis' Instagram account, @jacoblaukaitis - which boasts more than 11,000 followers - shows he is on the move again, with his current adventure taking place in Thailand.
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An airline has unveiled the world's first mood-enhancing in-flight food menu in a bid to combat pangs of air rage.

British low-cost carrier Monarch recruited leading food psychologist Professor Charles Spence, who is known for his work with Heston Blumenthal, to rustle up some treats to 're-energise and reduce the stresses of travellers'.

Creations - served free of charge on select Europe flights - include 'immunity-boosting' Echinacea and liquorice ice cream, 'relaxing' green tea and lavender mochi rice cakes, a herbal tea designed to reduce bloating and a sweet nut bar dashed with mushroom and tomato powder to 'awaken the senses'.

British low-cost carrier Monarch recruited leading food psychologist Professor Charles Spence, who is known for his work with Heston Blumenthal, to rustle up some treats to 're-energise and reduce the stresses of travellers'

The flu-fighting ice cream will apparently be served prior to take off, to save people from contracting colds from fellow passengers or from zealous blasts of air conditioning.

Going against the grain, the ice cream is black.

Professor Spence says the bizarre colour might help to 'distract passengers from their chaotic journey whilst also surprising them and playing into childlike nostalgia.'

At take off, the 'soothing and relaxing' mochi cakes will appear. The cakes have a chewy, moist texture as they are made from rice paste. Professor Spence says the malleable texture will help calm fearful flyers.

Food for thought: The 'immunity-boosting' Echinacea and liquorice ice cream will apparently be served prior to take-off, to save people from contracting colds from fellow passengers or from zealous blasts of air conditioning

Green scene: At take off, the 'soothing and relaxing' mochi cakes will appear (left). Around 30 minutes into the flight, the experimental assortment will be washed down by a herbal tea blend of chamomile, fennel seed and kelp which, accompanied by a crunchy, seaweed biscuit, will help combat bloating and indigestion (right)

Flavour fiesta: Finally, passengers will enjoy a sweet caramelised nut bar coated in mushroom and tomato-infused powder just before they touch down

He explained: 'The soft, chewy texture of the rice encourages mastication, which has proven anti-stress properties, reducing tension much like chewing gum.

'The chewy rice snack has therefore been designed to help reduce passenger stress on aeroplanes.'

Around 30 minutes into the flight, the experimental assortment will be washed down by a herbal tea blend of chamomile, fennel seed and kelp which, accompanied by a crunchy, seaweed biscuit, will help combat bloating and indigestion.

Finally, passengers will enjoy a sweet caramelised nut bar coated in mushroom and tomato-infused powder just before they touch down.

Taste test: The boxes will be trialled on flights from Luton to Naples, Gibraltar and Malaga, and could be rolled out further if they prove popular with passengers

Comfort food: A survey of 2,000 British holidaymakers commissioned to mark the launch of the new snacks found that more than a third (39 per cent) of people cite the stresses of travelling as their biggest holiday mood killer

THE MAILONLINE TRAVEL DESK VERDICT Sadly the black liquorice pre-flight ice cream couldn't survive the journey to our west London office but MailOnline Travel's editor, Ted, described a chocolate truffle version as 'delicious'. Sat in my swivel chair, imagining take-off, I tried the green-coloured mochi ball. I was distracted by an over-powering green tea flavour and the gooey texture of the ball took a while to wash down. Next up was the mid-flight seaweed shortbread. I couldn't taste any seaweed - much to my mild delight - and the biscuit was lovely and buttery, with a good crunchy texture. The nut bar was very nutty and salty, with hints of caramel at the same time. I was in mild confusion but after looking at the ingredients list I can see why. The sticky snack is crafted out of peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, mushroom, tomato, salt and sugar. Quite the concoction! Sitting at my desk I'm not sure how much calmer I felt but free food on a plane journey would definitely lift my spirits. Monarch's food box is a definite upgrade from a pack of pretzels and maybe thousands of feet in the air it has more of a mood-inducing effect. The quirky origami-style packaging could also help distract passengers after theyve polished off the very tiny morsels. Advertisement

A survey of 2,000 British holidaymakers commissioned to mark the launch of the new snacks found that more than a third (39 per cent) of people cite the stresses of travelling as their biggest holiday mood killer, second only to bad weather (43 per cent).

In light of the results, Monarch chief operating officer, Nils Christy, said: 'We know how precious time on holiday is, so are delighted to be able to listen to our customers needs and trial the Monarch mood food box this summer, enabling more people to relax, feel good and start enjoying their holiday from the moment they get to the gate.'

The boxes will be trialled on flights from Luton to Naples, Gibraltar and Malaga, and could be rolled out further if they prove popular with passengers.

Commenting on his latest science assignment, Professor Spence concluded: 'Travelling is a time when were under pressure and rushed, so eating well is often an afterthought.

'Ive loved working with Monarch to use food - which can be a powerful psychological and physiological tool - to create the first ever real "happy" meal to get travellers in the holiday mood as quickly as possible.'
A major tour operator has resumed selling Tunisia holidays to UK customers for the first time since the Sousse massacre.

Thomas Cook is restarting its flight and holiday programme in the North African country after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) eased its travel advice.

The FCO advised against all but essential visits following the June 2015 beach attack in which 30 Britons were killed, but this guidance was withdrawn for the majority of the North African country last month.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has eased its travel advice on Tunisia

Thomas Cook resumed holiday sales to UK customers on Tuesday, with trips beginning on February 13 next year.

The firm's group head of customer welfare, Carol MacKenzie, said: 'We always follow UK government advice on where we can offer flights and holidays, because they are the experts in security.

'We also listen to our customers in where they want to go on holiday. Since it closed for British holidaymakers two years ago, we've had lots of customers asking us when Tunisia will be back on sale.

A memorial for the British and foreign tourists killed in the attack

'Taking your loved ones anywhere is a serious decision and ultimately of course it's up to you where you choose to go on holiday.

'You should always consult FCO travel advice before making your decision. Whichever Thomas Cook holiday you choose, you can always be assured that your safety is our first priority.'

Thomas Cook did not stop selling trips to French, German and Belgian holidaymakers after the Sousse attack as their governments did not recommend that their citizens should not visit Tunisia.

The FCO said last month that it kept its assessment of the risks faced by British nationals 'under constant review' since the massacre.

Thomas Cook tweeted the news on Tuesday having 'carefully reviewed conditions' in the country

Having 'carefully reviewed conditions' in the country  including the threat from terrorism and improvements in the Tunisian security forces  the Government decided its travel advice should change.

Some 440,000 people from the UK visited Tunisia in 2014, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Demand was reportedly even higher during the following year, until the Sousse attack in which gunman Seifeddine Rezgui killed a total of 38 tourists.

Terror group Islamic State claimed responsibility.
"No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth."



Plato





"This country has shed more blood for the freedom of other people than all the other nations in the history of the world combined, and I'm tired of people feeling like they've got to apologize for America."

Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)







In a time of universal deceit  telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

George Orwell, the author of 1984







"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.""Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.""A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right.
She teased fans on Monday about her sultry new music video for single Rake It Up.

And Nicki Minaj's loyal following were in for an eyeful as she flaunted her curves in an array of skimpy PVC ensemble for the sizzling visual offering in collaboration with Yo Gotti.

The award-winning rap artist, 34, was sure to set pulses racing as she showcased her ample cleavage in striking pink bondage inspired latex lingerie that managed to contain her modesty.

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Eye-popping: Nicki Minaj's loyal following were in for an eyeful as she flaunted her curves in an array of skimpy PVC ensemble for the sizzling visual offering in collaboration with Yo Gotti

Her eye-popping display continued with her high-waisted underwear that cinched her narrow waist and accentuated her pert posterior while she bathed in a paddling pool filled of dollars.

With her locks styled on top of her head, she offset her flesh-flashing display with a luxurious powder pink jacket, wrapped around her curvaceous frame.

In another shot, Nicki continued her pink theme as she slipped into a bust-hugging crop top which highlighted her taut stomach while she twerked with the aid of a garden rake.

Clean sweep: In another shot, Nicki, 34, continued her pink theme as she slipped into a bust-hugging crop top which highlighted her taut stomach while she twerked with the aid of a garden rake

Hot: There was no shortage of sexy sirens in the clip, as Nicki was flanked by three beautiful women in a playground sequence

Sizzling: The award-winning rap artist, 34, was sure to set pulses racing as she showcased her ample cleavage in striking pink bondage inspired latex lingerie that managed to contain her modesty

Work it: Her eye-popping display continued with her high-waisted underwear that cinched her narrow waist and accentuated her pert posterior while she bathed in a paddling pool filled of dollars

Top of the knots: With her locks styled on top of her head as she owned her flesh-flashing display for the video

Covering up to a certain degree, she worked a neon-coloured vinyl A-line mini skirt as she bumped and grinded in her striking pink and white shoe boots.

The Grammy-nominated beauty's among a number of sexy dancers raking dollars off the ground in several different settings.

While her skin-flaunting ways were sure to catch viewers attention, her Lamborghini race with Blac Chyna, 29, proved to be a highlight in the high-energy video.

Work it: Covering up to a certain degree, she worked a neon-coloured vinyl A-line mini skirt as she bumped and grinded in her striking pink and white shoe boots

Saucy: The Grammy-nominated beauty's among a number of sexy dancers raking dollars off the ground in several different settings

Dance it out: She seductively danced in her neighbourhood scene which featured grass covered in dollars

In the clip, which was directed by Benny Boom, the two made sure to show off their curvaceous figures as they rocked clinging pastel-colored latex numbers.

In the sequence, Yo Gotti stood between the divas in their luxury vehicles and signaled for the race to start, with Chyna in a red vehicle and Nicki in a lavender model.

The New York native took to Instagram Monday afternoon to celebrate the unveiling of the clip, adding that her race with the pop culture sensation marked her favorite segment in the video.

Dueling divas: Nicki's, 34, (R) new video featured a cameo from Blac Chyna, 29

Face-off: Nicki said on Instagram that the street showdown with Chyna was her 'fave part of the video'

On your mark, get set, go: With fistfuls of cash, Yo Gotti stood between the beauties in their Lamborghinis for the oncoming race

In a verse in the single, Nicki rapped that she's 'Brought out the pink Lamborghini just to race with Chyna.'

'YIKESSSSSS!!!!!!' she wrote. 'Fave part of the video bucket list!!! I raced wit Chyna.'

The Super Bass songstress added on the social media site: '#KIO knock it off gang. Tokyo pon di Queen hair. Barbie tingz. Ya dun bloodclotttt know. Sheika pon Barbie face. Maher pon di fabric dem.'

Focused: Chyna was well made up with blonde locks for the race against Nicki

The final cut of the clip did not include an extended sequence Nicki initially shared on her Instagram page, in which she's on a bed twerking alongside seven scantily-clad beauties in a hotel room.

Nicki last week acknowledged that last-minute editing had caused a delay in the release of the clip, which was originally slated to debut Friday.

She tweeted: 'My darlingz, we r trying our best. It should've been out today ... we want it out just as much as u.'

The single is featured on Yo Gotti's latest record, Gotti Made-It.
He's known for his polished good looks.

And on the Today show on Tuesday, Andy Lee looked very different as he made an appearance on the program with radio co-star Hamish Blake.

The 36-year-old star wore a prosthetic nose as he and Hamish hilariously spoke about their new men's cologne called Andy - by Hamish.

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What happened to Andy Lee's nose? Radio star and comedian looks barely recognisable as he makes an appearance on the Today show

Oh so natural! The 36-year-old star wore a prosthetic nose as he and Hamish hilariously spoke about their new men's cologne called Andy - by Hamish

'Ambassador' Andy wore a long fake snoz, telling the show's hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson that he looks different because he had had a 'haircut.

The pair joked that Andy woke up with a pimple and decided to wear a fake nose to cover it up.

'We can't have it exploding, it has an in built capsule so if it does go off on set, the pus will stay inside,' Andy laughed.

Just jokes: The pair joked that Andy woke up with a pimple and decided to wear a fake nose to cover it up

'He (Hamish) assured me no one would notice.'

About their new scent, Hamish described the spray as 'the world's first celebrity fragrance made without permission. I signed the deal with Chemist Warehouse behind Andy's back.'

Taking to their Instagram story, Hamish shared a clip of Andy getting the nose applied ahead of their appearance on the program.

Hilarious: Taking to their Instagram story, Hamish shared a clip of Andy getting the nose applied ahead of their appearance on the program, as well as dealing with several hurdles throughout the day

Pals: Hamish and Andy have been friends for years after meeting at university, where they did comedy competitions

'The nose is dealing with real world hurdles well,' he captioned the clip.

Hamish and Andy have been friends for years after meeting at university, where they did comedy competitions.

They've since gone onto enjoy a very successful career on radio and TV.
John Corbett played the beloved Aidan Shaw on the hit HBO series Sex And The City, but he has bad news for those who wanted his character to end up with the show's lead, Carrie Bradshaw.

Fans who are 'Team Aidan' will be disappointed to learn that even the 56-year-old actor believes that Carrie and her Lothario love interest Mr Big, played by Chris Noth, were destined to be together.

John told Australian breakfast program Today on Tuesday: 'I always knew how it was going to end. It made sense to me because New York is the fifth character in this show.

Not having it! John Corbett played the beloved Aidan Shaw on the hit HBO series Sex And The City, but he has bad news for those who wanted his character to end up with the show's lead, Carrie Bradshaw

Not destiny: Fans who are 'Team Aidan' will be disappointed to learn that even the 56-year-old actor believes that Carrie and her Lothario love interest Mr Big, played by Chris Noth, were destined to be together

'Carrie needed to end up with New York. Mr Big is New York. And it sort of made sense to me'.

Aidan and Carrie had an epic but ill-fated romance on the show, suffering through two splits, an affair and a broken engagement before revisiting their old chemistry by sharing a stolen kiss in the second Sex And the City film.

The My Big Fat Greek Wedding star did go on to admit there will always be die hard romantics who hoped that Carrie and Aidan might live happily ever after.

He added: 'I still kind of have my legion of fans out there they were Team Aidan. They were cheering for me.'

The Northern Exposure actor also confessed that he initially turned down the role of the homely furniture designer because the script required nudity.

John told the Today show Tuesday: 'I always knew how it was going to end. It made sense to me because New York is the fifth character in this show'

Soulmates: 'Carrie needed to end up with New York. Mr Big is New York' John said

John told the Today show Tuesday: 'I still kind of have my legion of fans out there they were Team Aidan. They were cheering for me'

'That's a show that I turned down three times because in the first script I was supposed to get naked and take a bath with Carrie. I said I can't do that while my mum is still alive,' John joked.

However meeting Sarah Jessica Parker changed his mind, John gushed: 'As soon as she opened the door to her house I fell in love, so it's the best decision I ever made'.

Sex And The City enjoyed six successful seasons before ending in 2004, and was followed by two films released in 2008 and 2010.

No more? Chris Noth recently cast doubt on the possibility of a third Sex And The City film

The actor confided to Us Weekly of his rakish character: 'I feel like we told that story,' and that 'I dont think theres anything left for me to say about that'

A third film has long been rumoured, however Chris Noth recently cast doubt on the possibility.

The actor confided to Us Weekly of his rakish character: 'I feel like we told that story,' and that 'I dont think theres anything left for me to say about that.'

He'd been at last Monday's New York City premiere of Manhunt: Unabomber when the 62-year-old had insisted to the magazine that 'I want to tell other stories.'
Over the weekend she was seen getting cosy with a mystery man.

And Lottie Moss' rumoured new flame has now been revealed as Bedford-born Elliot Clements Hill.

The 19-year-old half sister to Kate Moss was pictured 'flirting' with hunky male model, just weeks after her ninth month relationship with Alex Mytton came to an end.

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Models uniting: Lottie Moss' rumoured new flame has now been revealed as Bedford-born Elliot Clements Hill

Elliot, who describes himself as a professional rugby player and signed model, boasts an array of sun-soaked snaps on his Instagram profile.

And following the duo's reported flirty display, he followed the model's account, with her returning the favour a few hours later.

In pictures obtained by The Sun, the pretty blonde was seen nestling into her new beau's arms amid recent news that old flame Alex had reconnected with former girlfriend Nicola Hughes.

This comes weeks after her nine-month relationship with Made in Chelsea's Alex crashed and burned amid cheating rumours.

Scored! The 19-year-old half sister to Kate Moss was pictured 'flirting' with hunky male model, just weeks after her ninth month relationship with Alex Mytton came to an end

'Lottie was flirting outrageously': Elliot, who describes himself as a professional rugby player and signed model, boasts an array of sun-soaked snaps on his Instagram profile

A source told The Sun: 'Lottie was flirting outrageously and looked as though she was really trying to impress him.

'She was being really tactile and touching his arm, it was really quite sweet.

'He was on crutches and Lottie seemed to be taking good care of him.'

Her tactile display comes just two days after ex Alex, 26, was seen reconnecting his ex-girlfriend Nicola Hughes on Thursday.

Lottie and Alex began dating last year, during which they suffered a tumultuous romance after he admitted his partying was a problem for the pair.

The model confirmed her split with Alex in mid-July, sharing a light-hearted post of the duo with the caption 'Psycho ex girlfriend'.

Their relationship was first rocked by claims of a break-up earlier in the year when a video surfaced of them having a spat during a night out, culminating in Lottie screaming 'It's done'.

Follow for follow? Following the duo's reported flirty display, he followed the model's account, with her returning the favour a few hours later

New flame? Lottie was reported to be cosying up to a handsome mystery man at V Festival on Sunday amid news her former flame Alex Mytton had reunited with his old flame Nicola

Lottie's display comes just days after Nicola Hughes was pictured chatting intimately and laughing away with ex Alex - who broke up with her over text in 2016.

Sources claimed the 26-year-old DJ was trying desperately to 'charm' Nicola at the lotd.com party and it was obvious that there was 'chemistry'.

'Alex was doing his best to charm Nicola. He was very complimentary,' a source told The Sun.

'She looked a bit shy at first but as they started talking you could see the chemistry. Alex couldn't stop grinning at her.'

Back on? Her tactile display comes just two days after ex Alex, 26, was seen reconnecting his ex-girlfriend Nicola Hughes on Thursday

Rumour has it: This comes just days after she was pictured chatting intimately and laughing away with Alex - who broke up with her over text in 2016

Alex and Nicola dated on and off for two years after they met in August 2014 while he was DJ-ing in Ireland.

Alex called an end to his romance with Nicola via text while she was on a family holiday in July 2016 - and slept with his co-star Olivia Bentley just days earlier.

Alex dropped the bombshell by messaging the Irish beauty: 'This is the hardest thing in the world, but it's not going to work.'

Talking about discovering Alex had slept with Olivia during their summer stint in the South of France, Nicola branded her ex a 'gross, vile human'.

Cheeky: Sources claimed the 26-year-old DJ was trying desperately to 'charm' Nicola and it was obvious that there was 'chemistry'

Past loves: Alex and Nicola dated on and off for two years after they met in August 2014 while he was DJ-ing in Ireland - before he ended things over text in July 2016

Alex then dated Kate Moss' half-sister Lottie, 19, for nine months but split last month after they spent weeks apart this summer while he filmed Made in Chelsea in Ibiza.

It comes as Alex hinted that he had been unfaithful while away filming in Ibiza during a chat on BBC Radio 1.

Asked about his antics on The White Isle ahead of the show's return, he confessed: 'I wasn't exactly single when I went out to Ibiza for Made in Chelsea.

'It's very hard for me. It's tricky to hold down a girlfriend when you're in a place like Ibiza.'
Kate Mara flashed her wedding ring and taut tummy while out and about Monday in Los Angeles.

The 34-year-old actress showed her flat stomach in a black crop top with sheer scallop trim.

The Fantastic Four star donned matching black trousers and studded loafers.

Casual chic: Kate Mara showed her flat stomach and new wedding ring Monday while out and about in Los Angeles

She completed her outfit with a light tan jacket with white trim.

The Martian star had her golden tresses straight down around her shoulders.

Kate accessorized with sunglasses, necklace and her wedding ring following her recent marriage to actor Jamie Bell, 31.

She also carried a black heart-shaped purse that dangled near her hip on a long chain.

Just married: The actress and actor Jamie Bell announced last month that they tied the knot

Jamie confirmed last month via Twitter that he and Kate were married.

He posted a hazy picture of the couple kissing with the caption: 'Me & Mrs B.'

Jamie previously married Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood in 2012 after they rekindled their relationship.

Busy star: The newlywed starred in Megan Leavey that came out in June and has three more films due out thi syear

Nice gesture: Kate was spotted bringing a gift and flowers to a friend

They split in 2014 and have a four-year-old son together.

Kate recently played title character Megan Leavey in the biopic released in June about a young female US Marine and her combat dog Rex.

She can next be seen in the romantic drama My Days Of Mercy also starring Ellen Page, 30.

Famous family: The Fantastic Four star has a younger sister Rooney who also is an actres

Kate and Ellen, who play lovers in the movie, are also both producers of the film.

My Days Of Mercy is scheduled to premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Kate also will portray Mary Jo Kopechne in Chappaquiddick that also will screen at the Toronto Film Festival.
Georgia Fowler walked in the coveted Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last year, making her debut for the iconic brand.

And on Monday, the 25-year-old model auditioned for the 2017 parade in New York.

Flaunting her washboard abs in a crop top, the brunette beauty stunned as she left the casting, looking happy and relaxed.

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Should they chose her? Abs-olutely! Georgia Fowler flaunts her toned stomach in a crop top after auditioning for the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York

Georgia - who hails from New Zealand - teamed her high-neck top with high-waisted black pants and black heels.

She carried a plum leather shoulder bag and appeared to be makeup free.

Georgia completed her look with her hair out and over her shoulders, in loose tousled curls.

Stunner: She carried a plum leather shoulder bag and appeared to be makeup free

Will she walk the runway again? Georgia appeared in high spirits, suggesting that the casting was rather successful

Babe alert! Georgia Fowler walked in the coveted Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last year, making her debut for the iconic brand

Georgia appeared in high spirits, suggesting that the casting was rather successful.

Her debut at the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last year came after she auditioned five times for the role.

'It's the fifth time lucky I guess,' she told The Daily Telegraph in December.

'Determination, I guess, paid off but I suppose you just have to wait for your turn and hopefully it will then be an ongoing thing.

She did it: Her debut at the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last year came after she auditioned five times for the role

'It is a fickle industry but I'm glad it finally happened,' she added. 'You just have to never give up.'

Georgia is the younger sister of model Kate Fowler, who is married to Sydney businessman Justin Hemmes.

Georgia has previously been linked to actor Leonardo DiCaprio, 42, and former One Direction star Harry Styles, 23.
Her relationship with Sam Gowland failed to last the course once they set sail away from Love Island.

But Georgia Harrison, 22, seems to be settling back into single life after being spotted flirting with both Joey Essex and Roman Kemp while at V Festival on Sunday.

The Essex beauty, who turned heads with her daring Lycra bodysuit during her Love Island stint, reportedly seemed to be having a whale of a time with the two handsome chaps.

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Single life: Georgia Harrison, 22, seems to be settling back into single life well after reportedly being spotted chatting to both Joey Essex and Roman Kemp while at V Festival on Sunday

A source told the Mirror of her cosy chat with Joey: 'Forget Love Island, Georgia might have more luck finding the L-word closer to home.'

Adding that 'Joey kept kissing her cheeks and whispering in her ear'adding that 'they left hand-in-hand together' that night.

A spokesperson for Joey told MailOnline the pair are just 'friends' adding: 'Joey and Georgia have been family friends for many years and this is still the case.'

Handsome chaps: The Essex beauty seemed to be having a whale of a time with reality star Joey (left) and Capital presenter Roman (right)

Meanwhile, Georgia also met Capital DJ Roman Kemp at the festival and immediately hit it off with him, according to reports.

A source told The Sun: 'She thinks Roman is great fun. After meeting at V Festival they got on so well, he really makes her laugh.

'It's been a horrible few days for her so watching her have a laugh with someone who'll treat her well is great to see.

'They've swapped numbers and want to go out again soon.'

It looked optimistic: Sam Gowland and Georgia struck up a romance after Sam was reintroduced to the villa for a second time after failing to find love in the first few weeks

MailOnline has contacted Georgia and Roman's representatives for comment.

Georgia recently revealed she had parted ways with Geordie lad Sam.

She penned: 'Would like to confirm that myself and Sam are no longer together. Unfortunately for some men one girl isn't always enough'.

The pair sparked their romance after Sam was reintroduced to the villa for a second time after failing to find love in the first few weeks.

The couple hit it off immediately, and it appeared to be the real deal, as they even jetted off to Marbella for a romantic holiday together shortly after leaving the show last month.

It didn't work out: However, the pair's love story appeared to ground to a halt after Sam was spotted enjoying the new found throes of his fame on nights out flanked by various women

However, the pair's love story appeared to ground to a halt after Sam was spotted enjoying the new found throes of his fame on nights out flanked by various women.

One snap uploaded by the oil rig worker depicted him surrounded by a group of lads and bevy of beauties while in a club, including Ex On The Beach star Kayleigh Morris.

Sam even uploaded another photo with the brunette beauty, looking intimate as he wrapped a tattooed arm around her while she reclined against him in a busty bodycon white dress.

Sam captioned the since-deleted post 'Love making new mates @kayleighmorris', hinting at his newly struck up bond with the reality star.
He recently moved to New York, where he will study for a degree in photography at Parsons school of Design.

And Brooklyn Beckham appeared to be settling into life in the Big Apple with ease as he stepped out in downtown Manhattan on Monday.

The son of power couple David and Victoria Beckham, 18, looked happy and relaxed in a casual cool ensemble of an ivory slogan t-shirt, and slouchy jeans paired with monochrome loafers as he enjoyed his day in the city's Bowery district.

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City life; Brooklyn Beckham appeared to be settling into life in the Big Apple with ease as he stepped out in downtown Manhattan on Monday

Loving it: The son of power couple David and Victoria Beckham, 18, looked happy and relaxed in a casual cool ensemble of an ivory slogan t-shirt, and slouchy jeans paired with monochrome loafers as he enjoyed his day in the city

The What I See author wore his chocolate locks in a wavy tousled style, with a smattering of newly acquired stubble decorating his jawline.

Going for an 80s vibe, a gold arrow point dangly earring was seen in his left earlobe.

The star cracked a smile as he a pal reached out to hug him before he made his way down the street.

Brooklyn had the support of his father David when he moved to the city on Sunday with the pair posing for a sweet Instagram snap.

David looked cool in a beanie hat pulled low over his face, and captioned the photo 'Englishmen in New York', evidently excited about his trip to the big city.

Stylish: The What I See author wore his chocolate locks in a wavy tousled style, with a smattering of newly acquired stubble decorating his jawline

Pals; Going for an 80s vibe, a gold arrow point dangly earring was seen in his left earlobe

Boys in the Big Apple!Brooklyn had the support of his father David when he moved to the city on Sunday with the pair posing for a sweet Instagram snap

Brooklyn has already made waves in the art world; he recently released a photography album, named What I See, which gives a glimpse into his A-list lifestyle and family.

Located in Greenwich Village, New York, Parsons Private Art and Design School is one of the most prestigious art schools in the world.

And Brooklyn hinted that he may have received a generous gift for his A-level results and educational success, after he shared a cryptic snap of a vintage Kawasaki motorbike on his Instagram page on Saturday.

Fans instantly flocked to the comments section to ask if the 18-year-old had recently splurged out on the new ride, after he cryptically captioned the shot: 'Oh my.'

Motorcy-cool: Brooklyn Beckham has hinted he is keen to follow in his dad David's footsteps after sharing a cryptic snap of a vintage Kawasaki motorbike on his Instagram page on Saturday

The teen already has a track record for mimicking his dad's style, recently sharing his penchant for tattoos by undergoing his seventh inking, which ironically read 'Mama's boy'.

And it looks like the photographer is already setting his sights on an impressive set of new wheels like his dad's.

Or perhaps Brooklyn is hinting at a possible new gift, given that his mother Victoria recently expressed her joy at his phenomenal A-level results.

On your bike! Fans instantly flocked to the comments section to ask if the 18-year-old had recently splurged out on the new ride, after he cryptically captioned the shot: 'Oh my'

He is now set to enroll in the distinguished Parsons School of Design and while most students are gearing up for student dorms, it was recently reported that Brooklyn had set his sights on getting his own apartment during his University stint.

A source told Page Six in July: 'Hes searching for a space of his own in New York.'

Sharing her elation at her son's academic success earlier this week, she posted a photo of her pride and joy enjoying a celebratory cuddle with his mum.

She captioned the snap: 'We are all so proud of you Brooklyn. Amazing A level results and off to college. We love you so much and will miss you. #yesiamcrying #emotional.'

Daddy cool! It looks like the photographer is already setting his sights on an impressive set of new wheels like his dad, who has a penchant for custom-made vehicles

Any takers? Perhaps Brooklyn was hinting at a possible new gift, given that his mother Victoria recently expressed her joy at his phenomenal A-level results

Opening up about spending the next four years in the Big Apple, while his parents continue to be based in West London with their younger children Romeo, 14, Cruz, 12, and Harper, six, he recently admitted to GQ: 'I'm nervous, and my mum's upset about me leaving.

'But it's really exciting. I kind of live in the moment. I don't think people in New York will annoy me, and I feel like when I go there, I'll meet lifelong friends.'

He also joked that he is often left red-faced when Victoria encourages him to use his budding photography skills at her launches.

He enthused: 'She says "Go take pictures of the models!" and I'm a bit shy. So I kind of have to get the first two out of the way, and then I'm used to it.'
She is one of the most well-known models in the industry, having risen to fame back in 2006.

So it is no wonder Lara Stone commanded attention on Monday, as she posed up a storm in a new beauty campaign with L'Oreal Paris and Balmain.

The Dutch beauty, 33, certainly turned heads in a glittering gold and mesh tunic, and vibrant scarlet lipstick, as she smouldered for cameras with a bevy of high-profile co-stars - including Doutzen Kroes.

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Model material: Lara Stone (centre) commanded attention on Monday, as she posed up a storm in a new beauty campaign with L'Oreal Paris and Balmain

Stunning: The beauty, 33, turned heads in a glittering gold and mesh tunic, and vibrant scarlet lipstick, as she smouldered for cameras with Doutzen (right) and Cindy Bruna (centre)

The blonde showed off her famously statuesque frame during the shoot, as she posed in a figure-hugging tunic of gold sequins, beading and black fishnet mesh.

Remaining demure with a high round neck and long sleeves, the ensemble upped the sex appeal with its saucy semi-sheer material - and was secured with a chunky black belt, to accentuate her petite waist.

Pairing the garment with black skinny jeans, the model, who was previously married to David Walliams, turned heads with her show-stopping figure as she stormed across a rooftop during the shoot.

All that glitters: The blonde showed off her famously statuesque frame during the shoot, as she posed in a figure-hugging tunic of gold sequins and beading, and black fishnet mesh

Slender: The ensemble upped the sex appeal with its saucy semi-sheer material - and was secured with a chunky black belt, to accentuate her petite waist

Getting the job done: Leaving her hair in loose waves, Lara drew attention to her striking facial features - which she highlighted further with a bold red lip, as she posed with her co-stars

Leaving her hair in loose waves, Lara drew attention to her striking facial features - which she highlighted further with a bold red lip, from the designer's new range.

Marking Balmain's first foray into the make-up world, the mother-of-one was joined by a number of other models in the new campaign.

Victoria's Secret star Doutzen, 32, stood out from the crowds in an equally striking purple and gold dress, adorned with fringing all over.

Playful: Lara was later seen fooling around on set with Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing (centre)

Golden girl: Meanwhile Doutzen (above) stood out from the crowds in an equally striking purple and gold dress, adorned with fringing, as she captured photos of the view in one shot

Sexy: A number of shots saw the models smoulder with the lipsticks in hand (above)

Paired with racy thigh-high heeled boots, the model displayed her impossibly long and lean legs for all to see as she posed alongside Lara and their fellow beauties.

A number of shots saw the models smoulder for cameras, while others depicted the group laughing together - before they all stormed across the rooftop like a catwalk, in one final powerful image.

The models were posing as part of Balmain's new campaign - which aims to promote beauty in diversity.

Girl power: The troupe then all stormed across the rooftop like a catwalk, in one final powerful image

Inspiring: The models were posing as part of Balmain's new campaign - which aims to promote beauty in diversity

Strike a pose: Neelam Gill also appeared in the campaign, posing fiercely in a denim shirt layered beneath a glittering bomber jacket (above)

Twelve beauties of varying origins and upbringing star in the campaign, alongside Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing, to help drum up female empowerment.

The images, shot by Nico Bustos, aim to represent the three categories in the new L'Oreal Paris x Balmain lipstick collection - Rock, Couture and Glamazone.

The new make-up range features twelve Colour Riche lipsticks, with each worn by a different model, and marks Balmain Paris' first move into the beauty world.

Motivational: Twelve beauties of varying origins, including Soo Joo Park (above), star in the campaign to help drum up female empowerment

Making a statement: The images, shot by Nico Bustos, aim to represent the three categories in the new L'Oreal Paris x Balmain lipstick collection - Rock, Couture and Glamazone

The first set of colours, entitled Rock, stars Soo Joo Park, Valentina Sampaio, Neelam Gill and Grace Bol, while the Couture collection features Doutzen and Lara, alongside Cindy Bruna and Ming Xi.

Rounding up the stunning shoot are Ysaunny Brito, Alexina Graham, Luma Grothe and Maria Borges, in the Glamazone shades.

Creative director Olivier said of the new project: 'No matter your origin, no matter your tribe. Come together, be seen, be heard. United, we are invincible. Because we are all worth it.'
Tamra Judge lashed out at newcomer Peggy Sulahian during Monday's episode of The Real Housewives Of Orange County.

The 49-year-old reality star clashed with Peggy, 44, during a launch party for Nobleman magazine in the episode titled Un-Noble Women.

Tamra became outraged after Peggy urged her to move beyond her feud with Vicki Gunvalson, 55.

Party afoul: Tamra Judge barked at Peggy Sulahian during Monday's episode of The Real Housewives Of Orange County

'Are you kidding me? Do you want to be friends?,' Tamra angrily asked Peggy while taking a giant step back from her.

Tamra told Peggy that she accepted Vicki back into her life last year when she was ostracized over her ex-boyfriend's cancer deception only to have Vicki attack her marriage and husband.

'It's the same thing over and over again. Woman, move on,' Peggy later told the cameras.

Tamra said she was betrayed by her former friend and Peggy said, 'Hash it or let it go.'

Same thing: Peggy wanted Tamra to stop dwelling on her feud with Vicki Gunvalson

Step back: Tamra stepped back and asked Peggy if she wanted to be friends

Former friend: The 49-year-old reality star felt betrayed by her former friend who she accepted back into her life last year when Vicki was ostracized over her ex-boyfriend's cancer deception

'I let it go. Don't tell me to let it go. Watch yourself!,' Tamra warned.

'I don't know everything,' Peggy admitted.

'But you have a lot to say about it,' Tamra retorted.

Sage advice: Peggy suggested that Tamra either 'Hash it, or just let it go'

Feeling bad: The show newcomer told the cameras that Tamra should 'move on'

Peggy said she doesn't like it when 'people are uncomfortable' and said she felt bad for both Vicki and Tamra.

Tamra told Peggy that Vicki would eventually turn on her also.

'That's what she does,' Tamra warned.

Candid conversation: Peggy told Tamra she doesn't like it when people are uncomfortable

History lesson: Tamra informed Peggy that Vicki attacked her husband Eddie

Shannon Beador arrived just in time and Tamra said she was ready to leave the party.

'I'm f***ing p****d,' Tamra confided to Shannon.

'I'm getting together with Peggy tomorrow,' Shannon informed her.

Perfect timing: Shannon Beador arrived just in time to learn that Lydia had set up a meeting between feuding parties Vicki and Tamra

Crazy talk: Lydia noted that she didn't invite Shannon to meet with Vicki because she thinks Shannon is kind of crazy when it comes to Vicki

'Have fun,' Tamra said dryly before she and Shannon left the bash.

Lydia McLaughlin and husband Doug hosted the launch party for their new magazine Nobleman.

Peggy and her husband Diko were shown poster-size at the party after being featured in a photoshoot along with a profile of Diko and his Giovanna Wheels high-end car accessories business.

Launch party: Doug and Lydia hosted the party for their new magazine Nobleman

Magazine article: Nobleman featured a profile on Peggy's husband Diko and his Giovanna Wheels high-end car accessories business

The episode opened with Vicki being visited by her son Michael and daughter Briana who also brought her sons Troy, four, and two-year-old Owen.

Vicki gushed about being a grandmother and declared: 'I need more babies.'

She told her children about attending the Sip And See party hosted by new mom Meghan King Edmonds.

Family visit: Briana and her sons visited Vicki at her home in Orange County

Vicki said that Shannon needed to stop blaming her for her weight problems.

'I'm flattered Shannon thinks of me when she's eating food and not exercising,' Vicki told the cameras.

Meghan was sorting through Sip And See gifts and spoke with husband Jim in a video chat.

Easily flattered: Vicki said she was flattered that Shannon thinks about her when she's eating and not exercising

'He really is sweet, believe it or not,' Meghan claimed after a gruff conversation with her husband.

Doug also was shown gifting Lydia with an Infiniti SUV and a $180,000 Aston Martin for her 36th birthday.

Lydia also was treated to a birthday helicopter ride to Catalina Island where she enjoyed champagne with Doug.

New car: Doug gifted Lydia with a brand new Infiniti SUV

Sports car: Lydia also received a new Aston Martin

Appointment set: Doug was told during the birthday celebration on Catalina Island that his appointment for a vasectomy was all set up

Birthday girl: Lydia said birthdays have been a big deal for her since childhood and Doug has been keeping up the tradition

'I called and made your vasectomy appointment,' Lydia told Doug during her birthday outing.

Tamra and husband Eddie also were shown dining at a tapas bar.

Eddie gushed about their 'amazing life' living and working together.

Video chat: Meghan spoke with husband Jim Edmonds via a video chat

Believe or not: The new mom said Jim 'really is sweet' despite their gruff conversation

Dinner date: Eddie gushed about his life with Tamra as they live and work together

Tamra glumly noted that her estranged teenage daughter Sidney Barney 'left four months after we got married'.

She told Eddie how her father married her mother's best friend and it felt like he was 'choosing a woman over family'.

Tamra then beat herself up and wondered if she didn't give Sidney enough attention.

Mood killer: Tamra noted that her estranged daughter Sidney bailed four months after she married Eddie

Awkward theme: Kelly Dodd and her husband Michael had their own awkward dinner

'You can't change the past. You've got to be patient,' Eddie told her.

Shannon made a low-calorie meal for her family and grew frustrated when husband David snacked on chips before dinner.

Their daughters Stella and Adeline, both 12, shared their distaste for the meal.

Healthy meals: Shannon's daughters Stella and Adeline admitted they weren't fond of her new healthy cooking

'I hate her cooking when it's healthy,' Adeline admitted.

Stella meanwhile sneaked some of her food to the family dog.

Shannon then shared her plans to open a healthy restaurant with Zpizza co-founder Chris Bright and David reminded her that restaurants need to be profitable.

Good point: David reminded Shannon that restaurants need to be profitable

Longtime dream: Shannon told David that owning a restaurant was a longtime dream as Stella sneaked food to the dog

Vicki was the last of the group to arrive at the Nobleman launch party.

She left early after getting the cold-shoulder from Tamra and Shannon.

Lydia stated her intention to get Vicki and Tamra together so they could move on.

Butterflies and happy: Vicki before leaving the launch party told Lydia that she was like her and self-described herself as 'butterflies and happy and business and...'

On a mission: Lydia was on a mission to get Tamra and Vicki back on good terms

Vicki agreed to meet up next week and Tamra was considering the offer.

'I've been praying. It can't be worse,' Lydia told Tamra.

The conversation devolved as Shannon interrupted Lydia and Tamra and asked why she wasn't invited.

That was followed by Tamra and Peggy clashing in Vicki's absence.

The Real Housewives Of Orange County will return next week on Bravo.
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Elyse Knowles and her tradesman boyfriend, Josh Barker, have never really seen eye to eye with rivals Ronnie and Georgia.

And on the Block on Tuesday, the couples had a heated showdown during a body corporate meeting with all the teams.

Josh slammed the pair, calling them pork chops, as they were the only team to not allow him and Elyse to get cracking on their backyard, ahead of landscape week.

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'You guys are carrying on like a pork chop!' Elyse Knowles' boyfriend Josh (pictured) slams rivals Ronnie and Georgia during a heated showdown

Ronnie and Georgia opposed Josh and Elyse's plan, as they thought it was unfair for them to start on an area ahead of time, with the rules being that one space gets done in a week.

Josh and Elyse wanted to start laying footings for their pool so their landscaper had time to complete his design - and needed all teams to approve so they could go ahead, despite the inside home renovations not being completed.

'You made your bed guys, you lie in it. You guys are carrying on like a pork chop, from week one! Day dot,' Josh said at one point.

Clash: Josh slammed Ronnie and Georgia (pictured) as they were the only team to not allow him and Elyse to get cracking on their backyard, ahead of landscape week

Trouble on site: The rivals had the heated showdown during a body corporate meeting with all the teams (pictured)

Ronnie and Georgia objected, because they claimed it wasn't 'fair.'

'I knew we only had one week to do the landscaping. If I would of known I could of changed it and had three or four weeks and come up with something absolutely amazing,' Ronnie said, with him and Georgia putting in a prefabricated pool in their yard.

During the clash, Ronnie and Georgia said that they designed their landscaping before they 'landed in Melbourne' to start the show, with Georgia saying she saw ideas on Instagram.

Sticks fired up, saying they were trying to get ahead, themselves.

Speaking up: Sticks (pictured) fired up, saying Ronnie and Georgia were trying to get ahead themselves

'You already knew the plans before you got here? That's not fair to everyone else, how's that different, using plans and planning your own house before you get here? And you're putting the brakes on them?'

Georgia said it wasn't 'cheating,' as they were 'planning.'

They really got the other teams offside when they reminded everyone that The Block is a 'competition,' and that they're not here to make friends.

'At the end of the day...there's this friendship and vibe thing and that's cool, but for us, it's a competition,' Georgia said.

'Everyone is aware there is $100,000 at stake here.'

Ouch! The pair said they're not that interested in making friends on the show

'For us, its a little bit of strategy. And we're totally aware that if we bring something to the table, everyone will probably say no to that. That's what it's about.'

They said they didn't like that Josh and Elyse had booked in a landscaper at the beginning of the show and questioned if they were 'cheating.'

Jason meanwhile, said Ronnie and Georgia's stance was 'nasty' and 'rude.'

Ronnie also said that he doesn't want to give Josh and Elyse his approval, as he's concerned they will steal their buyer come auction day and want to win.

At the end of the clash, Elyse and Josh were told they can't start work on their backyard but took comfort in the fact that Ronnie and Georgia are renovating the middle block.

Getting everyone offside: Jason (R) meanwhile, said Ronnie and Georgia's stance was 'nasty' and 'rude'

It means they won't get access through the other teams' backyard if they want to put a pool in or any other objects.

'They're stuck in the middle and screwed,' Wombat said.

Afterwards, at dinner with Wombat and sticks, Josh slammed Ronnie and Georgia, saying: 'They're not f**king talented at what they do.'

'At the end of the day, auctions don't lie. He's shown his true colours.'
She's the former Big Brother Australia star who isn't shy about flaunting her surgically-enhanced assets.

And on Monday, Skye Wheatley left little to the imagination when she took to Instagram to pose in skimpy underwear.

Wearing matching undergarments, the 23-year-old showcased her trim figure in front of a picturesque beach setting.

Busting out: On Monday, Skye Wheatley left little to the imagination when she posed in skimpy underwear

'Productive Monday for me what about you guys?,' she captioned.

The set, which retails for $65AUD, left Skye's cleavage barely supported.

Flaunting her trim physique, the former reality star accessorised with a pair of oversized glasses.

On display: Wearing matching undergarments, the 23-year-old showcased her trim and surgically enhanced figure

Added support? The lacy set featured straps that laid in the middle of her cleavage while she held onto some orange roses

This isn't the first time the cosmetic surgery enthusiast has posed for the brand.

Last week, Skye upload another picture in racy black lingerie.

The lacy set featured straps that laid in the middle of her cleavage while she held onto some orange roses.

She's not shy: Skye regularly poses in lingerie

Independent: In 2015, the makeup artist traveled to Bangkok for a $3,800 breast augmentation, despite her families pleas for her not to go

In 2015, the makeup artist traveled to Bangkok for a $3,800 breast augmentation, despite her families pleas for her not to go.

Skye later revealed the surgery was botched and had left her with a 'double bubble' in one breast.

In 2016, Skye paid a Sydney surgeon $28,000 to fix the surgical error.
She's the glamorous AFL WAG who never misses an opportunity to pucker up for a sultry selfie.

But Rebecca Judd, 34, won't be sharing any photos of herself for the next short while thanks to the lasting effects of her recent Fraxel laser treatment.

Appearing on KIIS FM's 3pm Pick-Up this week, the mother-of-four spoke candidly about the extreme beauty treatment, admitting it had left her with 'a face for radio.'

Extreme beauty treatment: Rebecca Judd, 34, won't be sharing any photos of herself for the next short while thanks to the lasting effects of her recent Fraxel laser treatment

'You have fraxeled the bejesus out of your face!' exclaimed Rebecca's co-host Monty Dimond.

Rebecca agreed, explaining that her dermal clinician had begged her to go under the laser 'for years' but that she couldn't due to pregnancy.

'Mate it looks like you've been blasted with a torch of fire across your face!' Monty laughed.

Ouch! Appearing on KIIS FM's 3pm Pick-Up this week, the mother-of-four spoke candidly about the extreme beauty treatment, admitting it had left her with 'a face for radio'

'They kind of torch you with this laser': Rebecca revealed the gruesome details of her laser treatment

'That's kind of what it felt like! So this is the thing, you go in and you get numbing cream put on for an hour and it's this medical grade numbing cream,' she explained.

'You can't feel anything when you touch it with your fingers. But then they kind of torch you with this laser and you can really feel it then.'

She added: 'So it was still really hot and uncomfortable but tolerable.'

Taking a social media haitus: 'There's no chance of this face, this noggin, on my Instagram alright?' she said

Rebecca went on to joke: 'You know that saying, you've got a face for radio? That is me!'

'There's no chance of this face, this noggin, on my Instagram alright?' she said.

The socialite recently revealed how much effort goes into her immaculate social media pages, telling her radio co-hosts that she dedicates 15 hours a week to her Instagram page.

'That's my business. It's all very planned and scheduled; taking photos, creating that content.

'It's not just me sitting on the couch scrolling through Instagram, it's actually work,' she proclaimed.
She's walked in the Victoria's Secret Fashion show for the last two consecutive years.

And on Tuesday, Bridget Malcolm was spotted attending the first round of castings for the 2017 December runway show.

Strutting down the pavement in New York City, the 25-year-old was dressed in a chic outfit and looked relaxed ahead of auditions.

Will she make the cut? 'Excited' Australian model Bridget Malcolm flaunts her lean legs in a mini skirt as she attends 2017 Victoria's Secret castings in New York

Bridget wore a loose-fitting knit with a black singlet top underneath for the casting.

She paired the tops with a grey suede wrap mini skirt that showcased her long lean and toned legs.

Keeping comfortable, the star showed up in black leather ankle boots.

Easy breezy: Strutting down the pavement in New York City, the 25-year-old was dressed in a chic outfit and looked relaxed ahead of auditions

Bronzed: The blonde beauty showed off her slender bronzed legs

Bridget accessorised her look with a black designer bag and flaunted her large engagement ring.

The model, who was in Sydney two weeks ago for the David Jones Spring/Summer Collection launch, also had her blonde locks professionally styled into the signature Victoria's Secret beach waves.

Taking to Instagram earlier in the day, Bridget posted a throwback picture of herself modelling for the underwear brand and wished all the fellow aspiring 'angels' the best of luck.

She brought the bling: Bridget accessorised her look with a black designer bag and flaunted her large engagement ring

Wishing everyone the best of luck: 'Sending love and good vibes to everyone today'

'Sending love and good vibes to everyone today,' she captioned the shot.

Over on Instagram Stories, Bridget shared a close-up image of her simple bronzed makeup look.

Giving a shout-out to her makeup artist Aiden K, who's also worked with Kendall Jenner, she captioned; 'Go time!!'.

Stunner: Over on Instagram Stories, Bridget shared a close-up image of her simple bronzed makeup look

At ease: Changing into a plain black singlet and distressed denim shorts, Bridget said she was 'excited' as she sat waiting in the wings at the event

Over on Aiden's Instagram, the celebrity artist revealed Bridget was one of the five models he had done up that day for the castings.

Changing into a plain black singlet and distressed denim shorts, Bridget said she was 'excited' as she sat waiting in the wings at the event.

Bridget is one of the hundreds of models auditioning for this year's show.

Other familiar faces already spotted for this year's Shanghai show include veterans Kelly Gale, Shanina Shaik and first time auditionee Hailey Baldwin.
A cavalcade of TV stars descended on the Montage Hotel in Los Angeles on Monday for the Television Academy Performers Peer Group Celebration.

Chrissy Metz complemented the red carpet in a crimson dress with a cleavage-baring V-neck and sheer, lacy sleeves that were cut off at the elbow.

The 36-year-old This Is Us star's pleated ensemble was hemmed shortly below the knee, and she'd added a splash of contrast by way of black and silver shoes.

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Beaming: A cavalcade of TV stars including Chrissy Metz descended on the Montage Hotel in Los Angeles on Monday for the Television Academy Performers Peer Group Celebration

RuPaul, the 56-year-old behind RuPaul's Drag Race, had buttoned on a red dress shirt beneath a leopard-print suit, slipping on black-tipped walnut brown footwear.

Tracee Ellis Ross had got a simple white top on beneath a robe-like ankle-length jacket that featured gold-colored floral designs sprawling across a black backdrop.

A cinched-in waisltine - emphasizing her toned frame - topped trousers with intricate silvery patterns over a black field, and her black stilettos matched her black purse.

The ensemble: Chrissy complemented the red carpet in a crimson dress with a cleavage-baring V-neck and sheer, lacy sleeves that were cut off at the elbow

Looking fabulous: RuPaul, the 56-year-old behind RuPaul's Drag Race, had buttoned on a red dress shirt beneath a leopard-print suit, slipping on black-tipped walnut brown footwear

Radiant: Tracee Ellis Ross had got a simple white top on beneath a robe-like ankle-length jacket that featured gold-colored floral designs sprawling across a black backdrop

Colleagues: Whilst at the event, she got in a bit of posing alongside her Black-ish co-star Anthony Anderson, who cut a dapper figure in a blue checked suit over a powder blue shirt

Hoop earrings completed the ensemble for the 44-year-old, who's been starring on the sitcom Black-ish since 2014 and who incidentally is the daughter of Diana Ross.

Whilst at the event, she got in a bit of posing alongside her Black-ish co-star Anthony Anderson, who cut a dapper figure in a blue checked suit over a powder blue shirt.

Anthony had brought his mother Doris Hancox to the festivities, and she was pictured dressed in a chic black and gold ensemble while standing beside her son.

So sweet: Anthony had brought his mother Doris Hancox to the festivities, and she was pictured dressed in a chic black and gold ensemble while standing beside her sonF

Chic: Lily Tomlin, currently co-starring with Jane Fonda on the Netflix sitcom Grace & Frankie, wore a pale pink suit over a white pair of platform shoes and a grey top

Third time lucky: Lou Diamond Phillips stood for photos with his third and current wife Yvonne Boismier, who'd slid herself into a tight dress spattered with floral designs

Celebrity-strewn: Meg Donnelly of American Housewife fame had worn a black gown, whereas Chris Sullivan of This Is Us wore a tie with a short-sleeved shirt and tight black trousers

Lily Tomlin, currently co-starring with Jane Fonda on the Netflix sitcom Grace & Frankie, wore a pale pink suit over a white pair of platform shoes and a grey top.

A green, pink and burgundy necklace made to resemble flowers and leaves garnished the look for Lily, who's been a TV star since Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

Lou Diamond Phillips wore a pewter grey blazer over a white and charcoal shirt and midnight blue trousers, standing for photos with his third and current wife Yvonne Boismier, who'd slid herself into a tight dress spattered with floral designs.

Stylish: Kathryn Hahn had pulled on a white dress with pink, blue and green floral patterns, a hem cut off slightly above the knee and sleeves that spilled over much of her hands

Grinning: The 44-year-old actress, who once used to be on the show Crossing Jordan, had slid her feet into a pair of simple pink high-heeled shoes for the evening's bash

Kathryn Hahn had pulled on a white dress with pink, blue and green floral patterns, a hem cut off slightly above the knee and sleeves that spilled over much of her hands.

The 44-year-old actress, who once used to be on the show Crossing Jordan, had slid her feet into a pair of simple pink high-heeled shoes for the evening's bash.

Ross Matthews' tuxedo had black at the lapels, but was largely glistening with gold splash images over a silver background, and he stood for the cameras in black tie alongside Salvador Camarena, whom he's been with nearly a decade.

Ross and Ru stood for the cameras alongside Ru's Drag Race co-star Michelle Visage and Delta Work, who once competed on Drag Race and went on to hairstyle Ru.

Coordinated: Delta Burke, most famous for her role on Designing Women, had matched a bright pink jacket with drop earrings, plus a black cocktail dress, tights, shoes and purse

Still going strong: She'd also accessorized with a fan, which she held open whilst she was stood for the cameras with Gerald McRaney, whom she's been married to since 1989

Meg Donnelly of American Housewife fame had worn a black gown, whereas Chris Sullivan of This Is Us wore a tie with a short-sleeved shirt and tight black trousers.

Delta Burke, most famous for her role on Designing Women, had matched a bright pink jacket with drop earrings, plus a black cocktail dress, tights, shoes and purse.

She'd also accessorized with a fan, which she held open whilst she was stood for the cameras with her husband Gerald McRaney, whom she's been married to since 1989.

A group of the attendees - Patrika Darbo, Gerald, Chrissy, Dee Bradley Baker, Mo Collins, Tony Hale, Nancy Cartwright, Lily, Anthony, Tracee, Allison Janney, Kim Estes, Kathryn, Kelsey Scott, Matt Walsh, Mindy Sterling, Alan Tudyk and Alison Wright - were all also seen posing together at the evening's swank affair.

Smiles all around: Ross Matthews' stood for the cameras in black tie alongside Salvador Camarena, whom he's been with nearly a decade

Quartet: Ross and Ru stood for the cameras alongside Ru's Drag Race co-star Michelle Visage and Delta Work, who once competed on Drag Race and went on to hairstyle Ru
It was just three weeks ago when The Bachelor's Matty Johnson sent rhythmic gymnast Akoulina Ktoiants.

But the 29-year-old blonde hasn't waited long to leap back into the dating game, having this week announced her shock engagement to real estate agent Robert Rollington.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Akoulina uploaded a series of photos documenting Robert's romantic waterfront proposal, along with the gushing caption: 'He asked... I said yes!'

That was quick! Akoulina Ktoiants has revealed she is engaged for a second time... just months after being rejected by Matty Johnson on The Bachelor

Happy news! Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Akoulina uploaded a series of photos documenting Robert's romantic waterfront proposal, along with the gushing caption: 'He asked... I said yes!'

She also used a slew of tongue-in-cheek hashtags, including: #twolessfishinthesea, #hepromisedmeforever and #realbachelor.

In a moment of minutes, Akoulina's fellow Bachelor evictee Monica Brown commented on the post, writing: 'Congratulations! Perfect hashtags, all the best xx'.

According to his biography on www.RealEstate.com.au Robert 'has real estate in his blood being a third generation Rollington in the Gold Coast real estate industry.'

He's a keeper! According to his biography on www.RealEstate.com.au Robert 'has real estate in his blood being a third generation Rollington in the Gold Coast real estate industry.'

Meanwhile, Akoulina recently revealed to OK! magazine that she has already suffered one failed marriage in the past.

'I have been married,' she told the publication earlier this year.

The bubbly dancer also admitted to the publication that she had left another serious relationship in 2016 after dating the mystery man for two years.

The way to her heart! The Gold Coast beauty also told the publication about the type of man she's searching for in a partner

'He didn't want to commit to me... It was unstable and I pulled the plug,' she revealed.

The Gold Coast beauty also told the publication about the type of man she's searching for in a partner.

Qualities that topped the list included: not being a party boy, no smoking, no drinkers and definitely no bogans.

While The Bachelor's Matty Johnson appears to tick all these boxes, Akoulina's dreams at finding love with him were shattered when she was unceremoniously dumped in episode three.


Former NRL star Beau Ryan has thrown his support behind the legalisation of gay marriage.

The Footy Show funnyman made his thoughts on the issue quite clear ahead of the Australian postal survey on same-sex marriage, later this month.

'LOVE is LOVE. Sending nothing but LOVE to EVERYONE out there. LOVE always wins. #MarriageEquality' he wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

Good mates: Beau Ryan with long-time same-sex marriage supporter Ricky Martin

He clasped his hands together in the shape of a heart, while a rainbow-flag with an outlined image of Australia as well as a love heart and equal sign in the middle was placed underneath him.

Beau's post follows Sunday's results in Newspoll, where it was claimed that 63 per cent of Australians will be voting yes in the postal vote.

The former NRL star joins a long list of Australian celebrities to endorse marriage equality via social media in the past, with many also displaying the #LOVEISLOVE hashtag including Delta Goodrem, Jennifer Hawkins, David Campbell, Guy Sebastian, and Brian McFadden.

In tears: On Tuesday morning's Today show, Australian actor Magda Szubanzki also shared her thoughts on the issue with a heartfelt address to the public

On Tuesday morning's Today show, Australian actor Magda Szubanzki also shared her thoughts on the issue with a heartfelt address to the public.

Magda gave a passionate speech before breaking down in tears.

She spoke about the effects of the debate on her own well being, and how growing up gay in a society that was much less accepting before, impacted her greatly.

'I barely made it through my childhood, and I don't want that to happen to any of these kids,' she said.

Equal Love: Magda has been vocal for years on her views on same sex marriage in Australia

'I want to send a strong message too, we all do. We'll get through this, we'll survive it.'

Magda came out as gay publicly in 2012 and has been a staunch supporter for marriage equality ever since, claiming on Channel Ten's 'The Project' in 2012 that she "absolutely identifies as gay.'

She also offered solidarity with the Australian LGBTI community, claiming that the Australian community needs to stick together and support one another.

'We need young LGBTQI people to know to not isolate themselves, to reach out, find the support and we are there, we've got their backs and so have so many straight Australian allies.'
She's just returned from a trip to Thailand, where she enjoyed time in places including Phuket.

And it seems MKR star Betty Banks was in a nostalgic mood on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old reality TV star took to Instagram to showcase her curves and shapely derriere in a tiny striped bikini.

Cheeky flashback! MKR star Betty Banks was in a nostalgic mood on Tuesday, taking to Instagram to share this throwback bikini snap from her trip to Thailand

Posing underneath an outdoor shower, Betty stunned in her two piece, which featured high-waisted bottoms.

In the snap, she shows off a golden tan and has her dark locks pulled back and off her face, in a high bun.

'Missing the heat and the outdoor shower,' part of Betty's post read.

Sizzling hot: In the snap, she shows off a golden tan and has her dark locks pulled back and off her face, in a high bun

'Come on Sydney, get over the cold already! Bring on the heat so my tan lasts! Who else is over this heat?'

She added that her new boyfriend Billy, - who she went away with - is an 'Instagram hubby.'

The personality also shared another shot of herself in a bikini five days ago, in the same bikini, as she enjoyed their last day in Thailand.

Birthday fun: She celebrated her 28th birthday in Thailand and thanked her police officer man for everything he did to celebrate with her

'Our last day here, I don't want to leave but at least my tans on point!'

She celebrated her 28th birthday in Thailand and thanked her police officer man for everything he did to celebrate with her.

'Thanks for a beautiful birthday baby,' she wrote.

The pair have been dating since December.
Emma Roberts stepped out in eclipse-themed workout gear Monday in Los Angeles.

The 26-year-old actress hit the gym in a black cropped tank top and matching leggings, both from Cotton On Body, and both of which featured a pattern of intersecting circles.

She also wore black sandals and a black cap over her short blonde hair.

Celestial oufit: Emma Roberts stepped out in eclipse-themed workout gear Monday in Los Angeles

Emma completed her outfit with a grey hoodie and carried a large black purse.

The Scream Queens star posted a picture of herself Saturday working out at a studio on Instagram.

Emma in the photo stood on a block with her left leg resting on a ballet bar and her right arm extended above her head as she checked her form in a mirror.

She captioned the photo for her more than 11 million followers with a simple crescent moon emoji.

Lady in black: The Scream Queens store wore a cropped tank top and leggings, both from Cotton On Body, and both of which featured a pattern of intersecting circles

Emma can next be seen in American Horror Story: Cult.

The upcoming season of the FX anthology series will evolve around the 2016 US election and will premiere September 5 with an episode titled Election Night.

Emma also can be seen in the film drama Billionaire Boys Club due out later this year.

Eclipse theme: Emma wore her all-black workout outfit the day of the eclipse across America

Busy star: The actress soon can be seen in the upcoming season of American Horror Story: Cult

She also has a starring role in the big screen drama Who We Are Now scheduled to premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Australian actor, writer and director Matthew Newton, 40, wrote and directed Who We Are Now.

The film follows a woman sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter who recruits a young public defense lawyer to help her children.
She was accused of 'cultural appropriation' on Twitter simply for using a tan emoji to celebrate a recent magazine cover featuring her and her sisters and mother.

But Kendall Jenner put the backlash behind her as she enjoyed a dinner date with her dad Caitlyn Jenner in Los Angeles on Monday night.

The 21-year-old supermodel showed off her flawlessly toned abs in a very skimpy white crop top, which she paired with skin-tight jeans.

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Model muse: Kendall Jenner, 21, showed off her flawlessly toned abs as she headed for a dinner date with her dad Caitlyn Jenner in Los Angeles on Monday night

Kendall ensured to live up to her model muse reputation as she emerged for the evening out in her sartorially savvy ensemble.

The crop top flashed her enviably toned abs while her bottoms served to show off her lean legs, which were boosted with white ankle boots.

A heavily animated comic Las Vegas inspired jacket added a funky element to her overall look as she strutted along.

The sister of Kylie Jenner, 20, wore her centre parted brunette straight and her shoulder-length mane effortlessly framed her striking features.

Stylish: Kendall ensured to live up to her model muse reputation as she emerged for the evening out in her sartorially savvy ensemble

Ab-tastic! The crop top flashed her enviably toned abs while her bottoms served to show off her lean legs, which were boosted with white ankle boots

Funky: A heavily animated comic design jacket added a funky element to her overall look as she strutted along

Kendall was joined by her dad and the ex-husband of Kris Jenner and she opted for a stylish blue dress and a black coat.

The model's night out comes after she was criticised for using a tan emoji to celebrate her recent The Hollywood Reporter magazine cover alongside her family.

She captioned the snap which featured her with her sister Kylie Jenner, half-sisters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian and their mother Kris Jenner all wearing neutral-toned ensembles: 'Sister power...girl power.'

She's got company! Kendall was joined by her dad Caitlyn Jenner and she opted for a stylish blue dress and a black coat

Fashionista: The ex-husband of Kris Jenner flashed her toned legs in the sexy soaring blue dress and accessorised with a chic black handbag

Feeling blue: The brunette looked every inch the fashionista as she strolled in strappy black sandals which showed off her blue pedicure

Eyes on her! The brunette opted for a simple slick of make-up and teamed the look with a gold hoop earrings and a dainty necklace

Putting it out there: Her sighting comes after Kendall was accused of 'cultural appropriation' after using a tan emoji to celebrate the release of the new Hollywood Reporter cover

'Oh nah, why Kendall put her emoji as a darker skin tone?' wrote one user in response to the tweet.

Another raged: 'Y'all are not black. Next time use a white emoji.'

However, plenty of other users staged their own backlash against the backlash, with one writing: 'People are ACTUALLY mad about the COLOR of the emoji Kendall Jenner used. Surely there's more important things to be angry about.'

Getting attention: Quickly, users started taking notice of the shade of the fist emoji Kendall had tagged at the end of the tweet

Lining up: Several people hit out at Kendall for not using an emoji that matched her skin tone

Kendall has yet to respond to the remarks, but it comes just as her sister Kim revealed how hard Kendall was hit by the widespread criticism over her controversial Pepsi commercial when it debuted in April.

Kendall's reaction to the advertisement - which came under fire for trivializing the Black Lives Matter movement -was revealed in the same cover story in The Hollywood Reporter.

The supermodel's sister Kim, 36, revealed while the catwalk queen, 21, kept her emotions private, she was devastated and 'at home crying' behind the scenes.
Betting outlets appear to be pretty convinced that Laura Byrne wins this year's season of The Bachelor.

But steamy images that surfaced Tuesday, showing Matty Johnson sharing a passionate embrace with Tara Pavlovic, during filming earlier this year, may have thrown a spanner in the works.

Spotted filming a romantic date on a private boat, the Queensland nanny could be seen locking-lips with the hunky 30-year-old several times.

SPOILER ALERT: The Bachelor's Tara Pavlovic, 27, passionately embraced Matty Johnson, 30, on a steamy boat date

The pair, who have already shared a kiss on the show, could hardly keep their hands off each other throughout the entire journey.

Dressed in a tight pink skirt and white midriff-style top, Tara disembarked from a private plane alongside Matty, who wore a khaki sweater and black jeans.

As soon as they stepped outside, they locked lips, a scene easily rivaling the authenticity of any of the heartbroken hunk's moments with Georgia Love.

Their display continued during a trip out on the harbour, with Tara taking the lead as she wrapped her arms around Matty and pulled him in close.

Physical: The pair, who have already shared a kiss on the show, could hardly keep their hands off each other throughout the entire journey

Close: Tara, a Queensland nanny, nuzzled in close to Matty

I've got you: Matty gazed adoringly at his date, as he held tightly onto her petite upper frame

He was seen resting his arm on the small of her back as the pair sat on seats near the edge of the boat.

Their physical display continued at the end of the trip, with The Bachelor seen smiling as helped Tara off the boat by lifting her in his arms.

Before they'd moved even a few steps, they locked lips once again, seen standing on the dock for what seemed like an eternity.

Locking lips: The hunky marketing executive closed his eyes as he enjoyed a steamy kiss with Tara

The look of love? Matty could not wipe the grin off his face

Cool and casual: Matty sported a khaki sweater that skimmed over his muscular upper frame

Arm-in-arm, they made their way into a nearby villa to continue their date, but not before stopping on the balcony for one last kiss.

Tara is rapidly gaining ground on series favourite Laura Byrne, who remains at $1.30 in Sportsbet's odds to win the series.

After earning a kiss on her first date, Tara now sits at second place at $9.

Conversing: The pair looked to be engaging in conversation

Gentleman: Proving that chivalry isn't dead, Matty offered a helping hand to Tara

Physical touch: The pair once again could not keep their hands off one another, enjoying a passionate embrace

Svelte: Tara's slender frame was on display in her tight-fitting ensemble

Tara was the lucky hopeful who scored a kiss with Matty earlier this month.

The starlet revealed to Popsugar last week, that the amorous move was something she never expected.

'It was perfect timing, but no, wasn't expecting it. I wasn't even expecting a date!

Rising to meet him: Tara raised onto the balls of her feet as she embraced The Bachelor

Affectionate: Matty rested both hands around Tara's slender waist

That's a handful! Matty crouched down, while wrapping his arms around Tara's lower frame

Back on the boat: Tara was seen climbing back onto the boat, no doubt for more one-on-one time with Matty

'I was not expecting to even come this far, so it's all a big surprise,' she told the publication.

Tara revealed however that she was happy Matty had kissed her.

'I'm glad he did because I couldn't get any words out of my mouth, so he kind of saved me - thank you, Matty!' she said.

Another kiss! Once seated back in the boat, the duo once again locked lips

Absolutely smitten: Tara was seen closing her eyes, no doubt enjoying the moment

Enjoying the view? Matty was seen glancing at Tara's enviable figure

Picture-perfect: The affectionate pair were later seen walking around Sydney's Rose Bay marina

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Tara's mother is Debbie Newsome, the former co-host of 1980s dating game show Perfect Match.

Speaking to Woman's Day, Tara said that Debbie, who also starred in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, constantly pestered her daughter for Bachelor updates.

'She bugs me about how often I'm in episodes and if I've gotten a date yet!' she said.

Gesture: Matty once again wrapped his arm around Tara's slender waist

Quality time together: The twosome only had eyes for one another

Thirsty work: It appeared Tara had enjoyed an alcoholic beverage prior to locking lips
She admitted last year that she still 'cares enormously' for her ex-fiance Jude Law, despite their split in 2006 after he cheated on her with the family nanny.

And Sienna Miller proved she was still maintaining a bond with the Law clan, as she was spotted mingling with his ex-wife Sadie Frost and son Rafferty on Monday night.

After another stellar turn in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, the 35-year-old actress beamed as she strode out of London's Apollo theatre with her famous friends in tow.

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Bonding: Sienna Miller proved she was still maintaining a bond with the Law clan, as she was spotted mingling with his ex-wife Sadie Frost and son Rafferty on Monday night

Where's Jude: After another stellar turn in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, the 35-year-old actress beamed as she strode out of London's Apollo theatre with her famous friends in tow

She looked typically stylish in a Zoe Jordan black knit sweater with cut-out sleeves and black skinny jeans from the same brand, teamed with simple white trainers.

Meanwhile, budding model Rafferty showed off his striking resemblance to his dad Jude as he stepped out in a denim jacket and black biker boots.

Hot on his heels was former model Sadie - who had a six-year marriage to Jude - looking chic in red wide-leg trousers and black trainers.

Mother and son seemed to be in high spirits as they beamed after watching Sienna perform in the play.

Seeing double: Budding model Rafferty showed off his striking resemblance to his dad Jude as he stepped out in a denim jacket and black biker boots

Keeping it casual: Rafferty added a pair of black sports-trim trousers and a silver pendant necklace to his look

Having a whale of a time: He seemed to be in high spirits as he left after watching Sienna perform in the play

Sienna and Rafferty's outing comes after the 20-year-old model showed his support for Sienna's philanthropic work on Instagram.

She announced in a post: 'I am immensely proud to be an ambassador for @internationalmedicalcorps and honour them on this #worldhumanitarianday for the incredible and tireless work they do.

These trips have been some of the most fulfilling moments in my life. #firstresponders #haiti #congo #lebanon #ethiopia.'

Rafferty offered his support by posting a heart emoji in the comments section.

Looking good: She looked typically stylish in a black knit sweater with cut-out sleeves and black skinny jeans, teamed with simple white trainers

Arm candy: Sienna rocked a chic black leather tote with white chain trim

Having a whale of a time! Sienna and Sadie beamed as they piled into a car at the end of the show

The whole gang: Rafferty joined his mother and Sienna in the car as they sped off

It comes after Sienna, who gave into 'peer pressure' and joined Instagram in June, promptly followed Jude Law's wife and children.

The mother-of-one was quick to show her appreciation for the accounts of his ex-wife Sadie Frost, and his children Rafferty Law and Iris Law.

It's also not the first time she has been spotted out with Rafferty - as the pair partied together at a LOVE magazine bash in December 2015.

Supportive: Sienna and Rafferty's outing comes after the 20-year-old model posted a love heart emoji on one of her posts

Party pals: It's also not the first time she has been spotted out with Rafferty - as the pair partied together at a LOVE magazine bash in December 2015

Sienna admitted last year that while she doesn't see Jude much anymore, they still have a strong bond.

'We don't see each other that much. I care about him enormously,' she told PORTER magazine.

Sienna and Jude were the showbiz world's golden couple back in the mid-noughties - they had a much-publicised relationship after meeting on-set of Alfie in 2004, and got engaged on Christmas Day.

Former loves: Sienna and Jude were the showbiz world's golden couple back in the mid-noughties - they met in 2004 and got engaged on Christmas Day

Split: Despite their notable on and off-screen chemistry, Jude was forced to issue a public apology to his fiancee in July 2005 for having an affair with the nanny of his children

Despite their notable on and off-screen chemistry, Jude was forced to issue a public apology to his fiancee in July 2005 for having an affair with the nanny of his children.

The pair attempted to salvage their relationship, but separated in November 2006. They later gave a failed attempt at rekindling their romance in 2009.

However, while their romance didn't last the second time around, she was able to heal their friendship and they are clearly still on great terms over a decade after their initial break-up.

In the past: The pair attempted to salvage their relationship, but separated in November 2006. They later gave a failed attempt at rekindling their romance in 2009

Onscreen and offscreen romance: They had a much-publicised relationship after meeting on the set of Alfie in 2004

Candid: Sienna admitted last year that while she doesn't see Jude much anymore, they still have a strong bond

Honest: 'We don't see each other that much. I care about him enormously,' she told PORTER magazine

The blonde beauty shares daughter Harlow, 4, with actor Tom Sturridge, whom she dated from 2011 to 2015.

In February the actress spoke to Harper's Bazaar about their relationship, describing him as her 'best friend in the world'.

And revealing they spend a lot of time together for the sake of their daughter, she added: 'Everybody will stay over or well all go on holiday and thats because we genuinely want to be around each other.

Young love: Jude and Sadie, who ended their six-year marriage in 2003, are also parents to Iris, 16, and Rudy, 14. Pictured in 1998

Seeing double: Sadie and Rafferty have attended nights out together before, like this album launch event at The Groucho club in 2015

'Its great for our daughter that she has two parents who love each other and are friends.'

Meanwhile, Jude and Sadie, who ended their six-year marriage in 2003, are also parents to Iris, 16, and Rudy, 14.

Jude welcomed his fourth child Sophia in 2009, following a brief relationship with American model Samantha Burke.
He plays gawky but lovable real estate broker Phil Dunphy on the much-loved comedy series Modern Family, in which he is a doting dad to three teenagers.

But Ty Burrell casts aside the affable family man role as he strips off to star in a raunchy threesome with Demi Moore and Zoe Kravitz for the racy film Rough Night.

The 50-year-old will no doubt shock fans as he romps with the actresses in the R-rated raunchy comedy about a bachelorette party that goes hilariously wrong.

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What a difference! Ty Burrell casts aside his Modern Family role as he strips off to star in a raunchy threesome with Demi Moore and Zoe Kravitz for the racy film Rough Night

Racy: In racy scenes from upcoming film Rough Night, Blair (Zoe Kravitz) enjoys a passionate kiss with Lea (Demi Moore), before the women embark on a threesome with Pietro (Ty Burrell)

In released stills from new movie Rough Night, out on 25th August, Zoe Kravitz, playing the character of Blair, will see her night take an unexpected turn as she is seduced by a kinky couple, played by Demi and Ty.

In racy scenes, Blair (Kravitz) enjoys a passionate kiss with Lea (Moore), before the women embark on a threesome with Pietro (Burrell).

The sultry scenes show Pietro and Lea strip down to the buff as they seduce Blair - but the comedy will show that the affair is a rather awkward encounter.

Blair agrees to the menage a trois in order to obtain security footage, which incriminates her bachelorette party in a serious crime - and the kinky agreement is the only way to help her and her friends out of trouble.

The stills show Blair finds herself in a rather sticky situation, as Lea and Pietro attempt to entice her into the steamy arrangement.

Family man: Ty plays gawky but lovable real estate broker Phil Dunphy on the much-loved comedy series Modern Family, in which he is a doting dad to three teenagers

What a difference a film makes! Ty will no doubt shock Modern Family fans with the racy role. Pictured on Modern Family, left

Lea and Pietro are seen to kiss passionately, before inviting a confused-looking Blair to join them. Blair is then seen to kiss Pietro and Lea, before things hot up in the bawdy scenes.

The raunchy comedy will follow Jess (Scarlett Johansson) as she stars as bride-to-be Jess who meets up with her group of one-time closest friends to mark her last days as a single woman in Miami.

The trailer for the bachelorette comedy promises to tick off all the naughty genre's boxes and does so with a lot of F bombs.

Awkward: The stills show Blair finds herself in a rather sticky situation, as Lea and Pietro attempt to entice her into the steamy arrangement

Only way out: Blair agrees to the menage a trois in order to obtain security footage, which incriminates her bachelorette party in a serious crime - and the kinky agreement is the only way to help her and her friends out of trouble

Passionate: Lea and Pietro are seen to kiss passionately, before inviting a confused-looking Blair to join them

Getting close: Blair is then seen to kiss Pietro and Lea, before things hot up in the bawdy scenes

Raunchy: Lea and Pietro both kiss Blair's neck as she is seduced by the couple into having a threesome

Menage a trois: The trio get extremely close as they begin to shed their clothing

Steamy: All three characters are seen to strip down to the nude and things get extremely steamy

Sultry: Things appear to step up a notch between the trio for the racy scene

Having grown apart and gone their separate ways, Jess's rag tag party crew are determined to make their getaway one to remember.

Leading the big bash is inappropriate bestie Alice played by Jillian Bell who has recruited Jess' other friends played by Kate McKinnon, Ilana Glazer, Zoe Kravitz to send the bride-to-be off in style and try to reconnect as a group at the same time.

Alice promises Jess a weekend filled with men and fun or as she says, 'there are going to be so many hot Miami babes were going to be slimming in d**k girl'.

Girls' night: The raunchy comedy will follow Jess (Scarlett Johansson) as she stars as bride-to-be Jess who meets up with her group of one-time closest friends to mark her last days as a single woman in Miami

Very cheeky: The first trailer for the bacherlorette comedy promised to tick off all the naughty genre's boxes and does so with a lot of F bombs

Party time: Scarlett stars as bride-to-be Jess who meets up with her group of one-time closest friends to mark her last days as a single woman in Miami

And her plans almost work with the first half of the trailer filled with all the bachelorette fun you would expect - penis crowns, sashes and lost of drinks.

Despite a small hiccup that involves throwing up a shot, the friends have a great night and even get in some choreographed dancing and are given cocaine by a bus boy.

But it is not the drugs or the drinking that changes the night it it when they decided to top the night with a bachelorette must - a male stripper - things go south fast.

Let the games begin: Leading the big bash is inappropriate bestie Alice played by Jillian who has recruited Jess' other friends to send the bride-to-be off in style and try to reconnect as a group at the same time

The way they were: Having grown apart and gone their separate ways, her rag tag party crew are determined to make their getaway one to remember

All seems well as the hunk rips off his top and grinds on Scarlett's Jess.

But getting excited to see 'the beans', Jillian's enthusiastic Jess decides to launch herself on to the stripper sending them both tumbling to the ground.

The man strikes his head and dies instantly but instead of calling authorities the quartet panic.

To be expected: And her plans almost work with the first half of the trailer filled with all the bachelorette fun you would expect - penis crowns, sashes and lost of drinks

Dance it out: Despite a small hiccup that involves throwing up a shot, the friends have a great night and even get in some choreographed dancing

Too much party: The group are given cocaine and all indulge - some more than others

Down Under: Kate plays an Australian that hopes to be a singer song writer but currently works as a party clown

The foursome stash the body in a sex swing in a wardrobe before Zoe's character calls her uncle who is lawyer.

He tells them it is an accident so they will be fine - unless they touched the body.

Facing 15 years in prison for moving the dead man, the women come up with a scheme to cover up what they did.

Shirtless issue: But it is not the drugs or the drinking that changes the night it it when they decided to top the night with a bachelorette must - a male stripper - things go south fast

Oh no! But getting excited to see 'the beans', Jillian's enthusiastic Jess decides to launch herself on to the stripper sending them both tumbling to the ground

Not the best decision: The man strikes his head and dies instantly but instead of calling authorities the quartet panic

Somehow that scheme involves guns, explosions, car chases and jet ski crashes.

Borrowing from Weekend At Bernie's, the women and the dead man travel across Miami as they sill attempt to have 'the best weekend of our f**king lives.'

Rough Night also stars Ty Burrell and Demi Moore and is written by Broad City's Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, who is also the director.

Hiding the evidence: The foursome stash the body in a sex swing in a wardrobe before Zoe's character calls her uncle who is lawyer

It's a secret: The foursome stash the body in a sex swing in a wardrobe before Zoe's character calls her uncle who is lawyer. He tells them it is an accident so they will be fine - unless they touched the body

Plan of attack: Facing 15 years in prison for moving the dead man, the women come up with a scheme to cover up what they did

Hijinks ensue: Borrowing from Weekend At Bernie's, the women and the dead man travel across Miami as they sill attempt to have 'the best weekend of our f**king lives'

Big names: Rough Night also stars Ty Burrell and Demi Moore and is written by Broad City's Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, who is also the director
Her mum is one of the most famous faces in Hollywood, known for her iconic role as Elle Woods in 2001's Legally Blonde to winning critical acclaim for the 2014 drama, Wild.

And despite her mega-star status, Reese Witherspoon ensured that her daughter Ava Phillippe works hard on her own accord, as the 17-year-old was spotted working as a hostess in a pizza restaurant in an affluent Hollywood suburb.

The teen, who is the spitting image of her mother, looked stylish in a white top and edgy choker as she greeted guests with a smile and led them to their table.

Not born with a silver (Wither)spoon! Actress Reese ensured that her daughter Ava Phillippe, 17, works hard on her own accord, as she was spotted working in a pizza restaurant in an affluent Hollywood suburb

Famous family: Ava, bares an uncanny resemblance to her mother Reese, 43. Her dad is actor Ryan Phillippe

Ava, who's dad is actor Ryan Phillippe, looked in a great mood as she continued her summer job in a bid to make her own money.

Combining the elements of style and comfort, her hostess uniform consisted of a white top and skim-fit navy trousers - complete with white trainers.

Ava replied on her naturally pretty features as she sported a subtle slick of make-up, concentrating on blusher on her cheeks.

She pinned her blonde locks back on both sides, ensuring that they didn't come in her way as she happily greeted hungry diners.

Like mother, like daughter: Ava (L) looked like the spitting image of her famous mum (R- Reese in 1993) during the hard day's work

Hostess: The teen looked stylish in a white top and edgy choker as she greeted guests with a smile and led them to their table

Summer job: Ava looked in a great mood as she continued her summer job in a bid to make her own money

Trendy teen: Combining the elements of style and comfort, her hostess uniform consisted of a white top and skim-fit navy trousers - complete with white trainers

Ava looked like a natural during her summer job as she worked her charisma and kept in high spirits during the long day up on her feet.

The teen is Reese and Ryan's eldest child and the former lovers also share a son Deacon, 13.

The Oscar winning actress is now married to talent agent Jim Toth, with whom she has son Tennessee, 4.

Pretty: Ava replied on her naturally pretty features as she sported a subtle slick of make-up, concentrating on blusher on her cheeks

Mane attraction: She pinned her blonde locks back on both sides, ensuring that they didn't come in her way as she happily greeted hungry diners

Great service! Ava looked like a natural during her summer job as she worked her charisma and kept in high spirits during the long day up on her feet

Background: The teen is Reese and Ryan's eldest child and the former lovers also share a son Deacon, 13

Ava has been stunning her social media followers in recent months, thanks to a number of lookalike selfies with her mum Reese.

In February, Reese posted a snap of the two gazing at each other on the Big Little Lies red carpet - no doubt, looking like the ultimate mirror image.

Despite some celebrity children who seem to bristle at comparisons, Ava seems quite proud of her famous mom.

After the premiere, she shared her own red carpet snap on Instagram with the caption: 'So proud of my awesome mama and her passion for this project. It is so nice to see these wonderful, talented women in roles just as dynamic as they are.'

Expanding: Ava's Oscar winning mum is now married to talent agent Jim Toth, with whom she has son Tennessee, 4

Happy: Despite some celebrity children who seem to bristle at comparisons, Ava seems quite proud of her famous mom which is evident in her social media snaps

Humble: Ava is determined to not rely on Reese's success as she put in hard work during the day

Who's who? In February, Reese posted a snap of the two gazing at each other on the Big Little Lies red carpet - no doubt, looking like the ultimate mirror image

In early January, fans freaked out when Reese Snapchatted an image of herself with Ava in which it's almost impossible to tell them apart, save for Ava's nose ring.

Earlier this year, doting mum Reese gushed about her daughter to Vanity Fair: 'I do see the resemblance. Shes a beautiful person inside and out. Shes just a good soul.'

Referencing any potential desire Ava has to follow in her Hollywood footsteps, the star admitted: 'Shes still in school so she has a lot of time to think about what she wants to do. I want for her whatever she wants for herself.'
The cream of international modelling converged on Monday afternoon as casting got underway for the forthcoming Victorias Secret fashion show.

Making a united appearance in New York City, the hugely popular lingerie brands current crop of Angels were in high spirits as they jostled for a prominent place in the catwalk extravaganza, which is widely expected to take place in Shanghai.

Leading the way, Izabel Goulart looked typically stunning in a daring black crop top that showed off her undeniably taut midriff as made her way into a Manhattan office complex ahead of the casting call.

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Here they come: (L-R) Izabel Goulart, Kelly Gale and Hailey Baldwin joined forces as casting got underway for the forthcoming Victorias Secret fashion show in New York on Monday afternoon

Looking good: Hailey Clauson caught the eye in a crushed velvet dress as she attended the casting with her Victoria's Secret colleagues

The Brazilian model, 32, accentuated her slender frame by sporting high-slung cropped skinny jeans, while highly distinctive black ankle boots rounded things off.

Meanwhile Hailey Baldwin, 20, took one step closer to her dream job as she attended the casting call on Monday.

Having previously made no secret of her desire to walk down prestigious runway, the model put her best fashion foot forward as she showcased her taut stomach in a sizzling semi-sheer crop top.

Striking: Brazilian model Izabel looked typically stunning in a daring black crop top that exposed her taut midriff

Hopeful: Meanwhile Hailey Baldwin, 20, took one step closer to her dream job as she attended the casting call on Monday

Opting to forgo a bra, her saucy skintight garment hugged her slender torso while teasing at her cleavage with its sheer fabric.

She teamed her flesh-flashing piece with a pair of form-fitting ripped light wash denims that showcased toned pins as she posed up a storm for a peace-sign selfie.

The daughter of Stephen Baldwin completed her head-turning look with a pair of towering strappy high heels while draping a leather long-strap bag over her shoulder.

Hard to miss: Having previously made no secret of her desire to walk down prestigious runway, the model put her best fashion foot forward as she showcased her taut stomach in a sizzling semi-sheer crop top

Hot to trot: The professional clotheshorse showcased her lithe legs in extremely tight jeans

V-ery impressive: She posed up a storm for a peace-sign selfie

Upping the beauty stakes, she worked her blonde tresses into a soft wave while applying a slick of nude lipstick across her pout.

The blonde bombshell has made no secret of her want to appear in the show, having previously told MailOnline that it was her 'dream'.

She divulged: 'I want to walk in the Victoria's Secret show, it's every girl's dream'.

In good company: Kelly Gale (R) pictured attending castings for Victoria's Secrets alongside fellow model Keke Lindgard (L)

Don't mind me: flaunted her washboard abs in a tiny crop top, an Alice + Olivia jacket and low-rise camouflage pants by the label, as she pounded the pavement

Elsewhere Kelly Gale, 22, flaunted her washboard abs in a tiny crop top, an Alice + Olivia jacket and low-rise camouflage pants by the label, as she pounded the pavement.

The exotic beauty was pictured attending castings for Victoria's Secrets alongside fellow model Keke Lindgard.

Kelly, who has featured as a Victoria's Secret model over the past three years, paired her sexy outfit with a black leather jacket, matching ankle boots and a bowling bag.

On trend: Hailey Clauson added to her minimal look with a pair of stylish ankle boots

Subdued: In keeping with her understated look the blonde model opted for limited make-up

Upping the style stakes, Hailey Clauson caught the eye in a thigh-skimming crushed velvet minidress.

The blonde model, 22, added to her minimal look with a pair of on-trend ankle boots, while minimal make-up reflected her subdued appearance.

Accessorising tastefully, Hailey opted for a functional black ruck-sack as she made her way inside the Victoria's Secret HQ.

Ab-solutely marvellous: Georgia's midsection was perhaps even more impressive than Hailey's

Thoroughbred: The model added to her look with a pair of on-trend dress trousers and strappy heels

High spirits: Georgia beamed as she greeted onlookers on Monday afternoon

Blondes have more fun: Abby Champion (L) and Martha Hunt (R) were also in attendance at the casting call, with Martha looking chic in a cropped Fiorucci tank

A bit nippy: Devon Windsor seemed to have been caught by a chilly gust as she headed inside

Jasmine Tookes donned a pair of NASA safety glasses as she attended the star-studded event.

The model, 26, looked hot enough to burn retinas in a short blue summer dress that showcased her lithe limbs.

She paired it with pristine white sneakers and a small black purse, with a short denim jacket draped over her shoulders.

Space cadet: Jasmine Tookes added a contemporaneous flavour to her look by pretending to stare at he eclipse while wearing NASA glasses

Done: She later slipped back into a pair of much cooler looking shades

She Tookes a look the safe way! Jasmine Tookes donned a pair of NASA glasses to check out the eclipse in New York on Monday

Elsewhere Georgia Fowler, 25, flashed her washboard abs in a crop top, the brunette beauty stunned as she left the casting, looking happy and relaxed.

Georgia - who hails from New Zealand - teamed her high-neck top with high-waisted black pants and black heels.

She carried a plum leather shoulder bag and appeared to be makeup free.

Georgia completed her look with her hair out and over her shoulders, in loose tousled curls.

Spot the difference: Bridget Malcolm managed two distinct looks with a mere sweater

She brought the bling: Bridget accessorised her look with a black designer bag and flaunted her large engagement ring

Other models to attend included Bridget Malcolm, who threw her hat into the ring for the first round of castings for the 2017 December runway show.

Strutting across the pavement, the 25-year-old was dressed in a chic outfit and looked relaxed ahead of auditions.

Bridget wore a loose-fitting knit with a black singlet top underneath for the casting, paired with a grey suede wrap mini skirt that showcased her long lean and toned legs.

Martha Hunt meanwhile looked cool and casual in a pair of jeans, showing off her abs in a cropped Fiorucci tank top.

Previously: Last year's extravaganza took place at the Grand Palais in Paris, with catwalk appearances by the likes of Kendall Jenner (L) and Bella Hadid (R)

Centre stage: Taylor Hill was also amongst those to feature during the 2016 runway show

The forthcoming Victoria's Secret show - the most-watched fashion event of the year with global viewing figures exceeding 800 million - is widely tipped to take place in Shanghai.

Last year's extravaganza took place at the Grand Palais in Paris, with musical performances from Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and Bruno Mars.

The event ended with Jasmine Tookes wearing the Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra: The Bright Night, worth an eye-watering $3,000,000.




She's the trim, taut and terrific beach babe who has parlayed a passion for bikinis into a global swimwear success with pal Devin Brugman.

And Natasha Oakley once again flaunted her enviable form in a cleavage-baring bikini as she soaked up the sun in the Hawaiian island of Maui with Devin on Tuesday.

The blonde stunner posted a trio of photos to Instagram of her Maui adventure with the first showing her and Devin showing off their beach-ready bods.

Beach babes: Natasha Oakley showed off her enviable form in a cleavage-baring bikini as she soaked up the sun in the Hawaiian island of Maui with Devin Brugman on Tuesday

Natasha wore a black and white striped two-piece that paraded her washboard abs and slender, well sculpted legs to good effect.

Running her fingers through her golden hair, Natasha smiled broadly as she stood next to Devin who showed off her extreme cleavage and svelte form in a green two-piece.

A second photo showed Natasha, in the same bikini, siting poolside as she looked out over the picturesque scene.

Natasha wore a black and white striped two-piece that paraded her washboard abs and slender, well sculpted legs to good effect

Wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, Natasha's bronzed body glistened in the Hawaiian sun as she soaked it up.

Natasha took a more active approach for the third photo which showed her deftly manoeuvring a paddleboard on the water.

Standing with one foot on tippy-toe, she held the paddle proudly aloft as she declared in the caption: 'Queen of the paddleboard.'

Skillful: Natasha took an active approach for one photo which showed her deftly manoeuvring a paddleboard on the water. Standing with one foot on tippy-toe, she held the paddle proudly aloft as she declared in the caption: 'Queen of the paddleboard'

Natasha's legions of fans were quick to gush over the photos with the likes of: 'looking so good girl,'you both look amazing,' and 'gorgeous beauties.'

Appearing on 60 Minutes recently, Natasha, who co-founded online swimwear portal A Bikini A Day with Devin, denied that she doctors her Instagram photos, telling Peter Stefanovic that she'd simply learnt 'how to pose.'

'I have not photoshopped an image... but in saying that there's no way I can say that no one has photoshopped an image of me,' she said.

'It's all about lighting, it's all about angles, we know our angles and we know how to pose for a photo.'
He's the hunky marketing manager who is trying to find love on the hit Channel Ten reality show The Bachelor.

And Matty 'J' Johnson has become the latest celebrity to throw his support behind the campaign for marriage equality.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, the 30-year-old posted a promo photo from the reality show, captioning it with a plea for his followers to vote 'yes.'

Vote yes: Matty J Johnson has become the latest celebrity to throw his support behind the campaign for marriage equality.

'Not every Australian will get the chance to date 22 people on national TV but they should all have the opportunity to marry the person they love and be treated equally under the law,' he said.

Matty added: 'If you support marriage equality make sure you enrol to vote or update your details by midnight August 24 at aec.gov.au,' punctuating the sentiment with the hashtags #voteyes and #marriageequality.

Many of Matty's fans were overjoyed with the sentiment with one fan saying: 'Ok even if you pick someone I don't like at the end I will still love you because of this post!'

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, the 30-year-old posted a promo photo from the reality show, captioning it with a plea for his followers to vote yes.

Fair's fair: 'Not every Australian will get the chance to date 22 people on national TV but they should all have the opportunity to marry the person they love and be treated equally under the law,' he said.

Another follower offered a heartfelt thanks with: 'Me and my mums love you so much more for this, their love has been alive for 27 years and has not yet been legalised, I say, as a rainbow baby to two beautiful mothers, that it's time for change. Thank you Matty.''

Beau Ryan also made his thoughts on the issue quite clear when he took to the social media platform on Tuesday.

'LOVE is LOVE. Sending nothing but LOVE to EVERYONE out there. LOVE always wins. #MarriageEquality' he wrote on Instagram.

Thanks: oNE follower offered a heartfelt thanks with: 'Me and my mums love you so much more for this, their love has been alive for 27 years and has not yet been legalised, I say, as a rainbow baby to two beautiful mothers, that it's time for change. Thank you Matty,'

Support: Former NRL star Beau Ryan also threw his support behind the marriage equality campaign on tuesday.

He clasped his hands together in the shape of a heart, while a rainbow-flag with an outlined image of Australia as well as a love heart and equal sign in the middle was placed underneath him.

Beau's post follows Sunday's results in Newspoll, where it was claimed that 63 per cent of Australians will be voting yes in the postal vote.

Matty and Beau join a long list of Australian celebrities to endorse marriage equality via social media including Margot Robbie, Delta Goodrem, Jennifer Hawkins, David Campbell, Guy Sebastian, and Lisa Oldfield.

In tears: On Tuesday morning's Today show, Australian actor Magda Szubanzki also shared her thoughts on the issue with a heartfelt address to the public

On Tuesday morning's Today show, Australian actor Magda Szubanzki also shared her thoughts on the issue with a heartfelt address to the public.

Magda gave a passionate speech before breaking down in tears.

She spoke about the effects of the debate on her own well being, and how growing up gay in a society that was much less accepting before, impacted her greatly.

'I barely made it through my childhood, and I don't want that to happen to any of these kids,' she said.

Equal Love: Magda has been vocal for years on her views on same sex marriage in Australia

'I want to send a strong message too, we all do. We'll get through this, we'll survive it.'

Magda came out as gay publicly in 2012 and has been a staunch supporter for marriage equality ever since, claiming on Channel Ten's 'The Project' in 2012 that she 'absolutely identifies as gay.'

She also offered solidarity with the Australian LGBTI community, claiming that the Australian community needs to stick together and support one another.

'We need young LGBTQI people to know to not isolate themselves, to reach out, find the support and we are there, we've got their backs and so have so many straight Australian allies.'
He's the straight-shooter panellist on business reality series, Shark Tank.

But on Tuesday's episode, Steve Baxter revealed his softer side, during a pitch that saw the face of a child's loved one, who was away working in the armed or emergency services, printed on a cushion.

'I was armed services for almost nine years, so these dolls would take some pretty special meaning,' the entrepreneur said on-air.

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'It takes on a pretty special meaning': Shark Tank's Steve Baxter got emotional on Tuesday night's episode, after revealing he was in the armed services for almost nine years

Lauren and her daughter Lily presented the concept of 'Wish U Were Here Dolls' to the Sharks on Tuesday's program.

'My name is Lauren and I'm the owner and creator of Wish U Were Here Dolls. One night, five years ago, when my daughter Lily was four, she came out to me while I was sewing on my machine.

'She said that she missed daddy so much. My husband had recently started FIFO work in Western Australia. He was gone for four weeks at a time and only back for one, and she was finding this really hard.

Pitch: Lauren and her daughter Lily presented the concept of 'Wish U Were Here Dolls' to the Sharks on Tuesday's program. The pitch saw the face of a child's loved one, who was away working in the armed or emergency services, printed on a cushion

Heartfelt: Lauren told the panel: 'When my daughter Lily was four, she came out to me while I was sewing on my machine. She said that she missed daddy so much. My husband had recently started FIFO work in Western Australia'

'So she looked up at me and said, 'Can you please make me a doll that looks like daddy so I can cuddle him at night and feel safe?'

'I sat down to do some research, and the very next day, the very first Wish U Were Here Doll was born,' Lauren went on to explain.

Panellist Steve Baxter, known for his tough-as-nails demeanour showed his softer side, revealing that he had previously worked in the armed services.

Emotional: Steve, known for his tough-as-nails demeanour showed his softer side, revealing that he had previously worked in the armed services: 'I was armed services for almost nine years, so these dolls would take some pretty special meaning'

Input: The businessman offered a $25,000 investment for a 40 per cent stake in the company

'I was armed services for almost nine years, so these dolls would take some pretty special meaning.'

The businessman offered a $25,000 investment for a 40 per cent stake in the company.

However the odds were not in Steve's favour, with Lauren opting to take Andrew Banks' offer of a $25,000 investment for a 40 per cent stake, along with an attempt to secure a patent in the US market.
She recently bared her baby bump, in a workout snap shared to Instagram.

But on Tuesday, Snezana Markoski opted to cover up her burgeoning bump while telling fans pregnancy has made her feel more 'beautiful and comfortable.'

The 36-year-old was a vision in white, while sporting a figure-hugging maternity dress and cradling her belly.

Angelic: Snezana Markoski cradled her burgeoning bump in her latest Instagram snap, while telling fans pregnancy has made her feel more 'beautiful and comfortable'

'Suns Out Bumps Out! Another meltdown free shopping trip @ripematernity @eastland When your body changes this much, it's the little things,' she captioned.

'Feeling beautiful and comfortable. New blog post up now #ripemama #ripematernity #pregnantbelly #pregnantdress #pregnancydress #collab #comfortable.'

The former Bachelor winner, who is expecting a child with fiance Sam Wood, wore flawless makeup and straightened locks in the chic snap.

Work it! On Tuesday Snezana Markoski took to Instagram to reveal that she was still keeping up her workout routine

It comes after the brunette beauty showed off her bare bump in a gym selfie this week.

Posing in black and white marbled activewear, the reality star's prominent bump was on display.

She appeared to be in a fitness studio and had in her hand an iPad, perhaps tracking her workout.

Still at it: 'So I may have dropped back a few levels on the program in recent months but still getting my 28 workouts done and feeling strong and healthy,' she wrote

Snezana indicated in her caption that she is using Sam's '28 By Sam Wood' program.

'So I may have dropped back a few levels on the program in recent months but still getting my 28 workouts done and feeling strong and healthy,' she wrote.

Personal trainer Sam's system requires just 28 minutes of exercise a day to see results.

Working hard: The brunette beauty even did resistance training during her recent 'babymoon' vacation in Hawaii.

Both the former Bachelor contestants are dedicated proponents of the lifestyle system.

The brunette beauty even did resistance training during her recent 'babymoon' vacation in Hawaii.

New '28 By Sam Wood' program starts today,' she told her Instagram followers. 'So he makes me workout even on holiday.'

The former reality show contestant also recently used a photo of her bare belly to promote Sam's workout program.

Ready to roll! Snezana and Sam are expecting their first child together

In the photo, Snezana is seen posing in front of her fiance, with the logo for 28 conspicuously superimposed over her exposed bump.

'We all know @samjameswood @28bysamwood couldn't wait for this week!' she wrote in the caption, marking her 28th week of pregnancy.

Snezana and Sam are expecting their first child together and Snez is also mother to 12-year-old daughter Eve, from a previous relationship.
She previously admitted that he was her 'type on paper' following his stint on this year's offering of Love Island.

And now Chris Hughes, 24, has revealed he ignored messages from Katie Price, 39 after she sent him a flood of Twitter mails, despite her being married to Kieran Hayler and him happy with girlfriend Olivia Attwood, 26.

Speaking to Closer magazine, the reality star - who became a fan favourite on this year's ITV2 series - admitted that he found the former glamour model funny but her contact 'full on'.

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Crush: Chris Hughes, 24, has revealed he ignored messages from Katie Price, 39 after she sent him a flood of Twitter mails

He told the publication: 'She's a little bit full on! She's funny, but interesting. She tried to message me on Twitter a little bit, but I just didn't reply.'

The social media contact ensued shortly after his appearance on Loose Women when he went on the lunchtime stalwart following the Love Island finale and Katie sat next to him.

MailOnline have contacted Katie Price's reps for comment.

The TV personality previously joked that she would like Chris to be her next husband, much to her current spouse's chagrin but that didn't stop her from holding back when she met the ITV2 star.

Flirting up a storm with the Love Island hunk, the mother-of-five seemed to have ignored warnings from both her husband Kieran and Chris' girlfriend Olivia, leaving Coleen Nolan to intervene.

Happy: Speaking to Closer magazine, the reality star - who is happily loved-up with girlfriend Olivia Attwood - admitted that he found the former glamour model funny but her contact 'full on'

As Coleen repeatedly told Katie 'you're married!' the former glamour model brazenly announced: 'If I wasnt married you would be my type on paper, 100 percent to a tee!

'But she's [Olivia] got you, lucky girl! And I'm married!' Unable to resist flirting some more, Katie added: 'He thought I was 31, but I'm 39... and I'm a MILF!'

Katie's flirty comments came after Chris' girlfriend Olivia issued her a warning, tweeting: 'My cherub @chrishughes_22 is on @loosewomen this morning iv always been a @KatiePrice fan, hope that doesn't change today.'

Telling it how it is: Flirting up a storm with the Love Island hunk, the 39-year-old ignored warnings from both her husband Kieran and Chris' girlfriend Olivia

Cosy: The pair looked very comfortable around one another after the show

But the former Page 3 girl laughed off the comments, and even hit back at a video warning from her husband Kieran.

The former stripper sent in a strict message to his wife as he begged her to be on her best behaviour and encouraged her to think about the vow renewal that was aired on their reality show.

But Katie laughed off his pleas, shooting back: 'Reality TV is filmed in advance, we renewed our vows months ago, not last week!'

Flirty: As Coleen repeatedly told Katie 'you're married!' the former glamour model brazenly announced: 'If I wasnt married you would be my type on paper, 100 percent to a tee!'

Oops: Katie's flirty comments came after Chris' girlfriend Olivia issued her a warning over Twitter, which was read out for her during the show

Finalists: Chris is loved-up with his girlfriend and fellow Love Island finalist Olivia Attwood

Katie's flirty comments came after she announced last month that she has her eye on Chris for a future husband.

Despite already being married to Kieran - Katie put her thought process down to suffering 'mid-love crisis'.

'Chris on Love Island is going to be my next husband,' she declared brazenly to her fellow panelists Andrea McLean, Linda Robson and Saira Khan.

'Im in love with Kieran and hes perfect. Im just looking at everything at the minute. Kieran laughs it off but Im like "I dont know why youre laughing Kieran hes going to be good with the sheep"

Pucker up: Katie also shot down Kieran's pleas to be good and hit back at his comments about their vow renewal, announcing it was 'months ago!'

'I dont know if its because I want attention. I dont know whats wrong with me. I dont care Im turning 40 next year. I have no problem with that.'

She added 'Its like "will I be able to pull again?"' before swiftly adding 'not that I want to!'

Upon leaving the villa, news of the statement reached Olivia, who told MailOnline: 'I love Katie Price as well although she has said shes going to steal my man!'

Previously, a source close to Chris revealed that he was left reeling after Katie's contact.

Saucy: Unable to resist flirting some more, Katie had told Chris: 'He thought I was 31, but I'm 39... and I'm a MILF!'

An insider told The Sun said: 'He was completely knocked backwards by Katies messages. Katie has no shame and shell gladly flirt up a storm and insist its harmless. But given shes a married woman, its all very unsettling for Chris.'

The admission comes after Katie was plagued with rumours that her marriage to Kieran was 'essentially over', amid reports that she couldn't forgive his cheating.

But Katie defiantly hit out at the split rumours on Monday, as she shared a sweet selfie with the builder, 30, from their current holiday in Cyprus.

Another photo showed Katie cuddling up to Kieran, as they enjoyed a dinner out with Harvey, 15, and Kieran's kids with Katie - daughter Bunny, three, and son Jett, four.

Defiant: Katie , 39, defiantly hit out at rumours of a split from Kieran on Monday, as she shared a sweet selfie with the builder, 30, from their current holiday in Cyprus

The PDA-packed displays come amid reports that thrice married former glamour model Katie has allegedly informed friends she won't stay with Kieran, who is the father to the two youngest of her five children.

Ex lad's pin-up Katie - once known as Jordan - already has two failed marriages with Australian pop star Peter Andre and mixed martial artist Alex Reid.

According to friends, Katie has been unable to forgive and forget after Kieran bedded her best friends Jane Poutney and Chrissy Thomas in 2014.

Family affair: The photo showed Katie cuddling up to Kieran, as they enjoyed a dinner out with Harvey, 15, and Kieran's kids with Katie - daughter Bunny, three, and son Jett, four

'Chilling back at the villa': Kieran has also been dispelling the split rumours on social media, sharing a shot of him cuddling Katie while she lies in his lap

A source previously told The Sun: 'The marriage is essentially over.

'Pals are speaking openly about the fact she plans to end things officially soon. She has said she doesn't trust him and can't see them having a future together.'

Katie and Kieran married in the Bahamas in January 2013, just a few short months after they first met.

The couple have two children together  three-year-old Jett Riviera Hayler and two-year-old Bunny Hayler.
She's the statuesque model who is due to give birth to her second child with her UK rapper husband Elliot 'Example' John Gleave in September.

And Erin McNaught took to Instagram on Tuesday to flaunt her enviable form in a skimpy bikini while 36 weeks pregnant.

The 35-year old looked toned and trim in the mirror image photo, that showed her standing side-on and showing off her baby bump.

Looking good: Erin McNaught has taken to Instagram to flaunt her enviable form at 36 weeks pregnant in a skimpy bikini

In her thrid trimester, Erin looked svelte in the photo as she flaunted her slender legs in the colourful two-piece.

Augmenting the outfit with a chunky gold watch, Erin's brunette locks were left loose and hung freely down her back.

In captioning the post, Erin revealed her confusion admitting that her impending arrival had 'undropped.'

Natural beaty: Erin is often hailed for her slender figure and stauesque frame. Pictured at the World Premiere of 'Between Two Worlds' at Picturehouse Central on October 19, 2015 in London

Stunning: At 36-weeks, Erin looked svelte in the photo as she flaunted her slender legs in the colourful two-piece

'36 weeks! Eeeep! So you can;t tell in this pic, but the other night I completely 'dropped',' she wrote.

'I never experienced it with Van, so this was a whole new (VERY uncomfortable) experience!

'However, weirdly, I seem to have 'undropped' again?!! I'm still a lot lower that I was a week ago but def not where I was a few days ago. Is this a thing? Can a baby 'unengage'? Second time around is just as confusing as the first!'

Unsure: In captioning the post, Erin revealed her confusion admitting that her impending arrival had 'undropped'

Erin's post was met with equal parts fawning and motherly advice.

One follower said: 'Yes it can happen! It happened with me , my I asked my OB if it could happen as I felt more comfortable then the last checkup (a week previous) he said it's rare. He did my scan and yep, no longer engaged!'

Another, pointing out Erin's enviable pre-natal form, chimed in with: 'I want to look like her when I'm preggo! She is beaaaaaaut.'

Erin tied the knot with Examaple in 2014 and welcomed their first child Evander Maxwell into the world in December 2014.
She's been busy promoting her latest children's literacy offering, Marge And The Pirate Baby, over the past few days.

And Isla Fisher, 41, brought a touch of Hollywood glamour to Tuesday's instalment of Loose Women as she showcased her demure style while discussing her interesting childhood.

The Nocturnal Animals actress turned heads as she worked a black midi dress, which featured a fifties-inspired silhouette with its pleated A-line skirt and cap sleeve detail.

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Fashion foot forward: Isla Fisher, 41, brought a touch of Hollywood glamour to Tuesday's instalment of Loose Women as she showcased her demure style while discussing her interesting childhood

Her sophisticated look boasted a plunging neckline which accentuated her ample cleavage while her leopard print jacket draped over her shoulders in style.

Upping the fashion ante, she matched her court heels with a vibrant red lip while her flame-coloured tresses feel to her shoulders as she shielded her eyes with her cat-eye shades.

The Australian star - who was born in Oman and is of Scottish ancestry - revealed on the lunchtime stalwart that she her parents sent her to a different school every year until her teenage years so had to learn quickly how to adjust and make new friends.

She said: 'My parents sent me to a different school every year 'til I started high school. I was born in the Middle East, raised in Scotland, and emigrated to Australia.

Getting chic done: The Nocturnal Animals actress turned heads as she worked a black midi dress, which featured a fifties-inspired silhouette with its pleated A-line skirt

Eye-popping: Her sophisticated look boasted a plunging neckline which accentuated her ample cleavage while her leopard print jacket draped over her shoulders in style

Chic: Upping the fashion ante, she matched her court heels with a vibrant red lip while her flame-coloured tresses feel to her shoulders as she shielded her eyes with her cat-eye shades

'I had to make friends really quickly, because I was always moving schools. Thats why I love books so much, they were my friend when I was the new girl.

Adding: 'I'm very comfortable tapping into my inner idiot, when you make people laugh they're easier to connect to.'

Famed for her role in Tom Ford's thriller Nocturnal Animals, the beauty admitted on Monday's Good Morning Britain that filming for the 2016 blockbuster was 'difficult' as it was shot in the Mojave Desert.

While she also revealed what happened to her character was 'violent, horrific and emotionally challenging.'

Friendship: The Australian star - who was born in Oman and is of Scottish ancestry - revealed on the lunchtime stalwart that she her parents sent her to a different school every year until her teenage years so had to learn quickly how to adjust and make new friends

Isla was also thrilled to be talking about her new book, and revealed that her love for writing started in her teen years alongside her mum.

'I thought there werent any comedic books for children and child literacy is something Im really passionate about,' she revealed.

Isla has churned out multiple books, including two teen novels called Bewitched and Seduced By Fame that were published before she found fame as an actress.

More recently, the busy mum has veered into children's book writing, with Marge In Charge out last year and its sequel Marge And The Pirate Baby released this January.

Fresh start: She said on the show: 'My parents sent me to a different school every year 'til I started high school. I was born in the Middle East, raised in Scotland, and emigrated to Australia'

The new girl: She added: 'I had to make friends really quickly, because I was always moving schools. Thats why I love books so much, they were my friend when I was the new girl'

'Inner idiot' : Adding: 'I'm very comfortable tapping into my inner idiot, when you make people laugh they're easier to connect to'

Quick change: Isla later emerged in a pair of eye-catching red culottes

Isla also returned from a 24 hour book promotion tour in Scotland - where her parents are from and she revealed: 'I met some cousins who I havent met before!'

However, she revealed that as of right now, she's happy living in America as 'it's easier workwise.'

Isla - who is known for flicks including Wedding Crashers and Keeping Up With the Joneses - is married to British comedian and actor, Sacha Baron Cohen.

Style savvy: The flame-haired beauty teamed her high-waisted trousers with a white logo tee

Career: Isla has churned out multiple books, including two teen novels called Bewitched and Seduced By Fame that were published before she found fame as an actress

Writer: More recently, the busy mum has veered into children's book writing, with Marge In Charge out last year and its sequel Marge And The Pirate Baby released this January

The pair share three children together, daughters Olive, nine, and Elula Lottie, six, and son Montgomery Moses Brian, two.

The former Home and Away star and author recently said she doesn't know the 'secret' to balancing it all, as a working mother.

'I wish I had the secret to balancing it all as a mum, but I dont have a clue. "Dont worry about being perfect or you'll miss out on the fun!"  that's the message from Marge in Charge and I try to keep it in mind myself when I am juggling life,' she said, with Marge in Charge being the name of her latest book.
Romantic pursuits were put on hold as The Only Way Is Essex stars Yazmin Oukhellou and James Lock filmed scenes in their native Brentwood on Tuesday morning.

The happy couple were back at work following a romantic date at STK restaurant in Londons West End, but the surroundings were rather less auspicious as cameras prepared to roll outside a local furniture shop.

Still sporting a golden tan following a five-day shooting schedule in Marbella, Yazmin, 23, caught the eye in a busty pink top that exposed her cleavage as she made an exit from the Brentwood outlet with a small shopping bag.

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Hard to miss: The Only Way Is Essex star Yazmin Oukhellou caught the eye in a busty pink top that exposed her cleavage as she filmed scenes in Brentwood on Tuesday morning

The brunette drew further attention to the stunning figure that caught Jamess eye by adding to her look with a pair of skinny blue jeans.

A powder pink blazer added a sophisticated flourish to an otherwise casual ensemble, while gold wedge heels rounded things off.

Following close behind, James, 30, looked typically low-key in a fitted black top and skinny jeans, teamed with matching black boots.

In good company: Yazmin was joined by boyfriend and co-star James Lock for their latest scene, with much of the action taking place inside a local furniture shop

Looking good: The brunette drew further attention to the stunning figure that caught Jamess eye by adding to her look with a pair of skinny blue jeans

The pair were joined by co-stars Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Mallet, who shared a joke with onlookers by covering his face as they arrived on set.

Evidently in high spirits, Georgia, 26, beamed as she made her way inside the Essex retail outlet in a pair of heavily distressed retro jeans.

A stylish bomber jacket added to her throwback look, while a simple white T-shirt and Nike trainers rounded things off.

Walking alongside his girlfriend, Tommy, 24, opted for a red wind breaker and ripped jeans, teamed with a pair of sought-after Adidas Yeezy Boost running shoes.

Striking: A powder pink blazer added a sophisticated flourish to an otherwise casual ensemble, while James looked typically low-key in a fitted black top and skinny jeans, teamed with matching black boots

Make way: The pair were joined by co-stars Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Mallet on Tuesday morning

Yazmin has been dating co-star James for nine months, prior to which he was previously in a long-term romance with fellow TOWIE star Danielle Armstrong.

She joined the rest of the cast as filming on the show's eagerly awaited new series begins.

In recent weeks, Yazmin was pictured leaving a clinic in Turkey covered in bandages following a rhinoplasty procedure, before peeling off the wraps to debut her new look on social media.

Captioning a shot of her cosmetically enhanced nose, she wrote: 'So the cat is finally out of the bag. I can confirm that I had a rhinoplasty... It has only been 2 weeks and I can already see the results are going to be amazing.'

The Only Way Is Essex is expected to return to ITVBe in September.

Banter: Tommy shared a joke with onlookers by covering his face as they arrived on set

Stylish: Georgia sported a pair of heavily distressed retro jeans and bomber jacket for her latest filming commitment on behalf of the returning show
She was recently left heartbroken after ending things with her Love Island beau, Sam Gowland, sending a cryptic tweet implying that he had cheated on her.

But Georgia Harrison, 22, appeared to have the smile put back on her face, as she was seen to flirt up a storm with handsome presenter Roman Kemp, 24.

In photos taken from the V festival afterparty, which was held over the weekend, Roman is seen to lead Georgia out of a building, before the pair were seen to share an affectionate embrace.

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Moving on? Georgia Harrison, 22, appeared to have the smile put back on her face, as she was seen to flirt up a storm with handsome presenter Roman Kemp, 24, at V Festival over the weekend

Georgia looked sensational in a checked shirt, which was cut low to tease at her cleavage and tied up into a crop top to give a glimpse of her taut stomach.

She clad her long, slender legs in a pair of skintight black leggings, and looked gorgeous with her golden tresses styled into waves.

Roman smartened up in a navy blazer, and strode ahead of Georgia, while she trailed behind him, unable wipe the beam off her face.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for both Roman and Georgia for comment.

Getting close: In photos taken from the V festival afterparty, which was held over the weekend, Roman is seen to lead Georgia out of a building

Sultry: Georgia looked sensational in a checked shirt, which was cut low to tease at her cleavage and tied up into a crop top to give a glimpse of her taut stomach

The photos come after The Sun reported that the pair had been spotted getting close at V Festival.

A source told the publication : 'She thinks Roman is great fun. After meeting at V Festival they got on so well, he really makes her laugh.

'It's been a horrible few days for her so watching her have a laugh with someone who'll treat her well is great to see.

Dapper: Roman smartened up in a navy blazer, and strode ahead of Georgia, while she trailed behind him, unable wipe the beam off her face

'They've swapped numbers and want to go out again soon': A source told The Sun that the pair had been spotted cosying up to one another at V Festival

'They've swapped numbers and want to go out again soon.'

The blonde bombshell was also reported to be seen cosying up to fellow TOWIE alum Joey Essex at V Festival.

A source told the Mirror of her cosy chat with Joey: 'Forget Love Island, Georgia might have more luck finding the L-word closer to home.'

Adding that 'Joey kept kissing her cheeks and whispering in her ear. They left hand-in-hand together' that night.

Busy lady: The blonde bombshell was also reported to be seen cosying up to fellow TOWIE alum Joey Essex at V Festival

Pals: Georgia attended the party with fellow Love Island star Gabby Allen, who wore a complementing outfit

A spokesperson for Joey told MailOnline the pair are just 'friends' adding: 'Joey and Georgia have been family friends for many years and this is still the case.'

Georgia recently revealed she had parted ways with Geordie lad Sam.

She penned: 'Would like to confirm that myself and Sam are no longer together. Unfortunately for some men one girl isn't always enough'.

Having fun: The girls posed with Gabby's handsome brother Ethan. Fans were sent into meltdown after they spied Gabby's attractive sibling on social media

Bottoms up! Gabby and Georgia wore similar ensembles of extremely flared trousers, and posed to show off their derrieres

Good looking siblings: Gabby and Ethan both dressed to impress for their fun evening out

The pair sparked their romance after Sam was reintroduced to the villa for a second time after failing to find love in the first few weeks.

The couple hit it off immediately, and it appeared to be the real deal, as they even jetted off to Marbella for a romantic holiday together shortly after leaving the show last month.

However, the pair's love story appeared to ground to a halt after Sam was spotted enjoying the new found throes of his fame on nights out flanked by various women.

It looked optimistic: Sam Gowland and Georgia struck up a romance after Sam was reintroduced to the villa for a second time after failing to find love in the first few weeks

One snap uploaded by the oil rig worker depicted him surrounded by a group of lads and bevy of beauties while in a club, including Ex On The Beach star Kayleigh Morris.

Sam even uploaded another photo with the brunette beauty, looking intimate as he wrapped a tattooed arm around her while she reclined against him in a busty bodycon white dress.

Sam captioned the since-deleted post 'Love making new mates @kayleighmorris', hinting at his newly struck up bond with the reality star.
With it's imminent return at the top of the list of must-see historical drama this autumn, ITV's Victoria is set to explore the next stage in the Queen's marriage to Prince Albert.

And, speaking about it to Town & Country magazine, titular star Jenna Coleman has teased what viewers can expect from the impassioned forthcoming scenes with her on-screen husband (and real-life boyfriend) Tom Hughes.

The second season of the royal drama will begin as Victoria and Albert have welcomed their first daughter, also named Victoria, in 1840.

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Coming soon: Victoria season two will see monarch's maternal side and her 'fits of rage and passion'... as Jenna Coleman has teased explosive love scenes with her on-screen prince (and real-life boyfriend) Tom Hughes

But things are far from easy for the new parents - presumably thanks to the notoriously volatile Queen who made no secret of the fact that she didn't enjoy being pregnant, giving birth or breast feeding; nor did she think newborns were in any way attractive.

'Victoria would fly off the handle in these fits of rage and passion, whereas Alberts fire was a lot colder and more enduring. Theyd chase each other from room to room,' Jenna told the publication.

Jenna prepared for the role of the monarch by reading the diaries that were kepot by the Queen and her husband.

'Albert wrote something like, "I have two choices here: I either lock the door on her and let her cry her heart out till shes exhausted, or I join in, but then it gets too heated and I feel sorry",' Jenna explained.

Passion: With it's imminent return at the top of the list of must-see historical drama this autumn, ITV's Victoria is set to explore the next stage in the Queen's marriage to Prince Albert

New mother: Things are far from easy for the new parents - presumably thanks to the notoriously volatile Queen who made no secret of the fact that she didn't enjoy being pregnant, giving birth or breast feeding; nor did she think newborns were in any way attractive

Volatile: 'Victoria would fly off the handle in these fits of rage and passion, whereas Alberts fire was a lot colder and more enduring. Theyd chase each other from room to room,' Jenna told the publication

Scandal: Speaking about it to Town & Country magazine, titular star Jenna Coleman has teased what viewers can expect from the impassioned forthcoming scenes with her on-screen husband (and real-life boyfriend) Tom Hughes

She also believes the infamous Queen would have had no qualms about expressing herself in today's world of social media.

'Shed have been on Twitter. It would be awful, with all these opinions,' said Jenna. 'She was a great letter writer, trying to find out who Jack the Ripper was; she was like, "Have you thought about looking in this place? Have you thought about these clues?"

'She used to get involved, she had all sorts of theories. And she used to write to the Elephant Man toomeddling in everybodys business.'

Jenna had previously confessed to striking her on-screen husband with a hairbrush whilst performing one of Victoria's so-called fits of rage.

Research: Jenna prepared for the role of the monarch by reading the diaries that were kepot by the Queen and her husband

The next chapter: The second season of the royal drama will begin as Victoria and Albert have welcomed their first daughter, also named Victoria, in 1840

Tumultuous: 'Albert wrote something like, "I have two choices here: I either lock the door on her and let her cry her heart out till shes exhausted, or I join in, but then it gets too heated and I feel sorry",' Jenna explained

She told The Sun recently: 'We did [an argument scene] on our first day this year where I had to throw a hairbrush at Tom.

'I hit him and it broke. It was awful. I got through so many of them.'

The full interview can be read in the Autumn 2017 issue of Town & Country, on sale 24 August.

The new eight-part season will begin on Sunday 27th August at 9pm on ITV.
She teased her social media fans by posing topless in a raunchy Instagram post over the weekend.

And Paris Jackson was up to her old tricks again as she posted a racy shot of a woman showing off her peachy posterior in black Calvin Klein underwear on Tuesday.

The model, 19, opted for a cheeky angle that displayed quite a bit of a toned derriere, although it's not clear if the woman in the image was Paris or her or her lookalike friend, Lea Little.

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Cheeky! Paris Jackson was up to her old tricks again as she posted a racy shot of a woman showing off her peachy posterior in black Calvin Klein underwear on Tuesday

Lying on the bed, the friends appear to be in a hotel room in the cheeky social media snap.

The woman in the image - either Paris or Lea - paired the undergarments with a loose pink T-shirt with tiny holes in the top.

Feeling nostalgic for the Big Apple, Paris captioned the photo: '@kalealit can we go back to ny soon.'

Paris and her lookalike friend are hard to tell apart and it's unclear if the booty featured in the photo belongs to the only daughter of the late Michael Jackson or her friend.

Seeing double: It's not clear if the woman in the raunchy image was Paris, 19, or her or her lookalike friend, Lea Little

Gal pals: The duo have posted together on social media before and appear to be good friends

The duo have posted together on social media before and appear to be good friends.

Lea posted a black and white photo of herself and Paris, who is seen smoking in the background, with the caption 'no smoking' on April 29.

Paris was in Los Angeles over the weekend attending a themed birthday party.

The IMG model arrived in costume as Lydia Deetz - a character from the 1988 film Beetlejuice.

Winona Ryder played the character in the film.

Comfortable in her skin: The teen model teased her social media fans by posing topless in a raunchy Instagram post over the weekend

Home in LA: Paris was in Los Angeles over the weekend attending a themed birthday party

Paris shared a brief Instagram video to show off her costume, adding the caption 'call me ms deetz.'

The model later posed in front of the DeLorean from the cult classic eighties film Back To The Future, for an Instagram post.

She captioned the playful photo '*deep inhale" hmm smells like the 1980's.'

Earlier in the day, the model posed topless with just one of her canine companions to protect her modesty.

This year, the model signed a reported 'seven-figure deal' to be the face of Calvin Klein.

Paris has been featured on the cover of Teen Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and i-D magazine within the past year and has now signed with leading agency IMG.

The only daughter of Michael Jackson also landed a role on FOX's drama Star and has filmed a scene for an upcoming project that also stars Amanda Seyfried.
The finale of Game Of Thrones season seven looms, as week after week the HBO fantasy drama series has delivered scenes more jaw-dropping than the next.

And ahead of the final battle next week, HBO have unveiled a behind-the-scenes look at the series, specifically detailing how episode six's epic lake battle was filmed.

But revealing the CGI secrets behind the episode also uncloaked a slight mistake that was made in the sequence.

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Ice, fire and green screens! Behind-the-scenes Game Of Thrones footage explains how THAT lake battle sequence was shot... but has accidentally uncloaked an epic CGI fail

The end: The finale of Game Of Thrones season seven looms, as week after week the HBO fantasy drama series has delivered scenes more jaw-dropping than the next

Given that there's no such thing as an army of white walkers [demonic ice creatures] the series of course had to incorporate them into the episode in post-production.

As the behind-the-scenes video demonstrates, the actors in the battle scene often had to pretend to be fighting off the demons, essentially attacking thin air.

And these secrets have highlighted one error from the otherwise impressive lake scene, as one actor playing a wildling was seen in the backdrop fending off an invisible force.

Clearly, the walker was missed out when it came to being inserted afterwards in the edit suite.

The moment itself: As the behind-the-scenes video demonstrates, the actors in the battle scene often had to pretend to be fighting off the demons, essentially attacking thin air

Invisible: These secrets have highlighted one error from the otherwise impressive lake scene, as one actor playing a wildling was seen in the backdrop fending off an invisible force

Ghostly ennemy: Clearly, the walker was missed out when it came to being inserted afterwards in the edit suite

Tricks of the trade: HBO have unveiled a behind-the-scenes look at the series, specifically detailing how episode six's epic lake battle was filmed

Queen of Dragons: Emilia Clarke is seen riding on a moving green structure

Other than this, the video makes for fascinating viewing, explaining that the cast were sent to Iceland to shoot the 'Behind The Wall' moments, on terrain that could only be reached via trucks and jeeps.

This side of things was very real - with the Icelandic surrounds providing a natural backdrop of glaciers, mountains and ice caps.

But battling on an actual frozen lake is obviously out of the question when it comes to filming protocol - and so the sequence was relocated to Belfast, Northern Ireland to shoot the scenes in a quarry.

Wolf Hill Quarry was overtaken by production and the 'icy' lake was in fact made from sturdy concrete.

Creating the illusion: Given that there's no such thing as an army of white walkers [demonic ice creatures] the series of course had to incorporate them into the episode in post-production

Behind-the-scenes: The actors in the battle scene often had to pretend to be fighting off the demons, essentially attacking thin air

Creepy: And these secrets have highlighted one error from the otherwise impressive lake scene, as one actor playing a wildling was seen in the backdrop fending off an invisible force

Snow was brought in for the sequence [a reported 3000 bags' worth of it] and the surrounding rock surfaces were painted to make it look arctic.

To create the desired effect of having the characters plunge through ice into the waters below, the special effects department created a faux floor above a tank of water.

The water was legitimately freezing cold, however, to add an authenticity for the scenes for those actors falling into it.

The battle wasn't only centered around ice - with fire, dragons and demonic polar bears featured too.

Death defying: To create the desired effect of having the characters plunge through ice into the waters below, the special effects department created a faux floor above a tank of water

An icy reception: The water was legitimately freezing cold, however, to add an authenticity for the scenes for those actors falling into it

Frosty: The battle wasn't only centered around ice - with fire, dragons and demonic polar bears featured too

These were created using green screen sequences with the polar bear being acted by a man in a special suit and actress Emilia Clarke portraying the dragon-riding Daenerys Targaryen by straddling a green structure meant to represent the flying lizard in question.

Real flames were used in the sequence but all the action was undertaken by stuntmen in protective clothing [such as the one who was thrown through the air in order to portray the illusion he had been attacked by the dragon].

Action girl: Emilia Clarke portraying the dragon-riding Daenerys Targaryen by straddling a green structure meant to represent the flying lizard in question

Hot stuff: Real flames were used in the sequence but all the action was undertaken by stuntmen in protective clothing [such as the one who was thrown through the air in order to portray the illusion he had been attacked by the dragon]

Fantasy land: Wolf Hill Quarry was overtaken by production and the 'icy' lake was in fact made from sturdy concrete

The penultimate episode of Game Of Thrones' seventh season left fans speculating ahead of next week's finale which will feature one last battle of the current series.

But adding extra fuel to the fire were a selection of VERY beady-eyed viewers, who noticed something off kilter about Jon Snow [Kit Harrington's] sword.

The weapon, which has the face of a dire wolf carved into the handle, was seen lying back the snowy bank of the lake that Jon was plunged into, almost finishing him off.

'Did it just blink?' Game Of Thrones fans have whipped themselves into a frenzy as they believe Jon Snow's dire wolf sword is ALIVE

But as he clambered out, using the sword as a support, fans believed they witnessed the eyes of the wolf blinking.

This has led to speculation that there is a hidden clue to what's to come in the seemingly-animated sword.

'Hang on, did Jon Snow's sword come to life on GoT?' asked one excited fan, followed by a second who echoed 'Is it just me or did Jon Snow's sword just blink? #WhatTheF***! #GoTS7.'

Another added: 'Jon Snow sword is alive!?! Hw cm i dint realize this b4 #GoTS7e6.'

Nearly a gonna: The weapon, which has the face of a dire wolf carved into the handle, was seen lying back the snowy bank of the lake that Jon was plunged into, almost finishing him off

A fourth viewer questioned: 'Jon Snow's sword LONGCLAW opened his EYE? Or just a effect of transparent crystal? #GoTS7.'

Another typed 'hang on, did #GameOfThrones see Jon Snow's sword Longclaw come to life during Beyond The Wall?' echoed by another who wrote 'watch the wolf of the sword. The sword is alive!'

Others were far less convinced, and even provided an explanation to disprove it.

'The people who think Jon Snow's sword had glowing eyes should stop smoking pot, it's just a rack focu,' one wrote.

Eagle-eyed: As he clambered out, using the sword as a support, fans believed they witnessed the eyes of the wolf blinking

'The eyes are see through and the darkness is the gloves Jon Snow is wearing passing behind the sword and you see them through the eyes,' came another explanation.

Others didn't have a clue: 'There was so much going on in that episode. I didn't notice that Jon Snow's sword even had that head on it!'

The weapon, originally belonging to House Mormont, was given to Jon by former Lord Commander Jeoh Mormont.

Fan theories have suggested that 'it may be a future Bran warging into the sword to help save Jon'.

Blink and you'll miss it: 'Hang on, did Jon Snow's sword come to life on GoT?' asked one excited fan, followed by a second who echoed 'Is it just me or did Jon Snow's sword just blink? #WhatTheF***! #GoTS7'

Aside from the frenzy that ensued following the episode, other fans noticed a number of plot holes, leaving viewers baffled with the show's creators choices.

Fans found the return of Benjen Stark too convenient while the concept that Jon Snow survived five days - which one dedicated fan worked out - in the middle of a frozen lake, waiting for Daenerys to save them a little far fetched.

Many viewers were left scratching their heads on how the group managed to survived the cold temperatures after Thoros died.

One fan passionately wrote: 'It's time to admit to ourselves, that GoT has fallen off. This season is a bunch of plot holes, and poor writing. #GameOfThrones'.

Hitting out: Many viewers were left scratching their heads on how the group managed to survived the cold temperatures after Thoros died

'We've gotten to the point where people that don't even read the books can see the major plot holes in Game of Thrones,' another shared.

'Everyone losing minds over #GameOfThrones - plot holes, predictability, sloppy writing. Disappointed after how great season has been so far'.

Despite the fury by some fans, other loyal viewers couldn't help but disregard the plot gaps and focus on the thrilling season.

Staying strong: Despite the fury by some fans, other loyal viewers couldn't help but disregard the plot gaps and focus on the thrilling season

A Twitter user wrote: 'That was riddled with plot holes and I still enjoyed every second. #GameOfThrones'.

'People need to quit complaining about game of thrones plot holes... it's the greatest show of all time now sit down,' another said.

Game of Thrones season seven's finale airs on Sunday (August 27) with a feature-length episode at 2AM on Sky Atlantic in the UK and the next evening (Monday August 28) at 9PM.
A favorite of fans and critics alike, Claire Foy garnered a host of awards for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's The Crown.

But it's clear that in Hollywood's eyes, it's Robert De Niro who is the real royalty.

A new list of salary estimates compiled by industry bible Variety reveals the veteran star is likely taking home a whopping $775,000 an episode for his as yet unnamed Amazon drama - nearly 20 times more than Foy's relatively modest $40,000.

Laughing all the way to the bank: Robert De Niro banks $775k an EPISODE for new Amazon drama as he's named US TV's highest paid actor

More modest: despite her role as royalty, Claire Foy took home a relatively modest $40k an episode for the first season on Netflix's The Crown

Of course De Niro is an undisputed icon of the big screen, with decades of experience to call upon, while Foy is a relative newcomer.

Foy's current pay packet instead matches the $40,000 an episode made by Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley for their work on the first season of NBC's ensemble drama This Is Us.

Like her, the show proved their big break into the mainstream, and thanks to the warm reception of their shows, their earning potential has surely vastly increased for future seasons.

Big break: Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley made $40,000 an episode for their work on the first season of NBC's ensemble drama This Is Us

The list also reveals that the lead stars on the hit HBO show Game Of Thrones are paid $500,000 an episode. This sum is paid to both sexes, a fact that is notable due to the high-profile efforts by many big name female stars to end the frequent pay disparity in the industry.

For Shameless star Emmy Rossum, the list shows she now earns the same - $350,000 - as the show's big name male star William H. Macy.

She negotiated equal pay for the show's eighth season back in December, reports Variety, for the first time earning the same as Macy.

As it should be: Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke are both paid the same amount - $500,000 an episode - for their roles on HBO's Game Of Thrones

The same goes for the stars of Will And Grace, which returns to TV this year.

Eric McCormack, Debra Messing and Megan Mullally will each be paid $250,000 for reprising their much-loved roles.

As Variety notes, one reason TV stars have seen large pay increases is the rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon. The nature of these services means talent can no longer rely on future payments for things such as syndication, so are paid more up front.

Other notable high earners from the list are Ellen DeGeneres, who is paid $50million a season for her self-titled chatshow, and Jusy Sheindlin, who makes $47million for her Judge Judy show.
They went public with their romance last month and seem to be going from strength-to-strength.

And Ben Affleck and his girlfriend Lindsay Shookus even seem to be matching their wardrobe choices as they both stepped out in shades of blue on Tuesday.

Justice League actor Ben, 45, had on a King Tut shirt and jeans as he was seen leaving The Ritz Hotel in NYC.

Same color, same mood? Ben Affleck and his girlfriend Lindsay Shookus both wore blue when they were spotted outside The Ritz hotel in NYC on Tuesday

Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay, 37, had on a blue floral dress and shoes as she was spotted outside the same hotel on her cell phone.

Ben added a blue leather jacket and blue sneakers while carrying a backpack.

His lady love wore blue slides, a black purse and mirrored shades. The mother-of-one wore her blonde hair down around her shoulders and appeared to have natural make-up on.

Lindsay has been in the city with her actor beau since earlier this week.

Busy lady: The SNL producer, 37, looked pretty in a short floral dress that hung loosely around her figure while she chatted on her phone

Coke is it! The Argo director appeared to be holding a small bottle of Coca-Cola

Fan favorite: Ben was later swarmed by autograph seekers while catching a flight at JFK Airport

Casual outfit: The actor kept it casual in a T-shirt and blue jeans

The duo were spotted together in the Big Apple together on Monday as they arrived back at their hotel.

The couple went public with their relationship in early July.

Ben also has a home in Los Angeles to be close to his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 45, and their three children Violet, 11, Seraphina, eight, and Samuel, five.

The former Hollywood golden couple announced their split in 2015 after 10 years together, but did not officially file for divorce until 2017.

Keeping it casual: The mother-of-one wore her blonde hair down around her shoulders and appeared to have natural make-up on

Superhero movie: The Good Will Hunting co-writer and star can next be seen portraying Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman in Justice League due out November 17

Couple in the city: Ben and Lindsay went public with their relationship in early July (pictured during a dinner date in New York City on Monday)

Despite their split, Ben and Jennifer have remained on good terms and recently celebrated his 45th birthday as a family on August 15.

The actor was joined by his kids for a dinner at LA hotspot Barton G, before he jetted back to New York to be with Lindsay.

Ben continues to be one of the busiest stars in Hollywood.

He will next be seen as Batman/Bruce Wayne in Justice League on November 17, as well as having The Batman in pre-production, along with Thirst, a drama about the global water crisis.

Ben is also an executive producer on Showtime TV series City On A Hill, set in Boston in the early 1990s when corruption and racism was rife.
She supposedly doesn't want to act as much anymore so she can focus on her lifestyle website GOOP instead; but on Tuesday Gwyneth Paltrow was seen rehearsing for a new movie, spotted on set in North Carolina.

The 44-year-old blonde beauty appeared to be going through lines for Avengers 4, given the co-stars she joined on location - namely Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo.

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Rehearsal: Make-up free Gwyneth Paltrow rehearses on set with Robert Downey Jr confirming she WILL star in Avengers 4 (and is that a new ring on her finger?)

What's that? Gwyneth was showing off a ring on her engagement finger but it's unknown whether this was for the part, an accessory or something more?

Though it has yet to be confirmed that the Oscar winner will be joining the Avengers action sequel, Gwyneth was seen rehearsing a scene with stars of the franchise Robert and Mark in Fayetteville.

The star, who plays Pepper Potts in the Marvel franchise, was dressed casually in a black tank top that showed off her tanned and toned arms and her slim waistline.

The Sliding Doors actress also had on white high-waisted slacks that flared out at the bottom and strappy black heels.

The Vogue favourite wore her long, blonde locks down in soft beachy waves and went make-up free for the run-through.

The ex of Coldplay rocker Chris Martin also appeared to have a ring on her engagement finger (the star has been dating American Horror Story producer Brad Falchuk for quite some time now) but it seems it was part of Pepper's costume.

Her man: The movie star has been dating American Horror Story producer Brad Falchuk for several years; she has two children with Chris Martin

There she is: Gwyneth Paltrow was seen rehearsing for Avengers 4 on Tuesday with costars Robert Downey Jr, left, and Mark Ruffalo, right, in North Carolina

Done: The 44-year-old blonde beauty said recently that she did not want to act much anymore as she prefers to focus on her lifestyle website GOOP

Stylish: The Emma actress also had on white high-waisted slacks that flared out at the bottom and strappy black heels

Hair hair: The Vogue favorite wore her long, blonde locks down and unstyled

Gwyneth chatted and laughed with her co-stars while out in an open field - both of whom made the Forbes highest paid actor list the same day.

Robert landed on the sixth spot with $48m earned in the last year while Mark came in at number 20 with $13m.

Yoga-toned Robert looked slender in his extremely casual clothes: the Less Than Zero vet had on an olive green sweatshirt over a light grey sweatshirt and matching grey trousers.

All together now: The ex of Coldplay rocker Chris Martin also appeared to have no makeup on as she chatted with her co-stars as well as one of her directors (second from left) and actor/director Jon Favreau (far left)

Ring: Oddly, she appeared to have a wedding band on her ring finger. The star has been dating American Horror Story producer Brad Falchuk for several years

The former bad boy of the 90s held on to his script as he stood with Gwyneth and Mark, who had on a black V-neck shirt and black jeans.

Jon Favreau and directors Anthony and Joe Russo were also with the cast.

Gwyneth has sparked engagement rumours after reportedly being seen with a 'huge ring' on her finger late last year.

According to a report from The Sun, the Shakespeare In Love actress was spotted with a ring on her finger at a party for her pal Jay Z.

Her film franchise: With Downey Jr in the poster for Iron Man 3 in 2013

Good pals: She began starring in the Iron Man movies with RDJ in 2008

Two much: Avengers 4 stars Robert and Mark as well as a long list of Marvel actors

Work: The former bad boy of the Nineties also held onto a script as he stood with Gwyneth

A source for the publication said: ' Gwyneth had a huge rock on her wedding finger that caught a few peoples eyes.

'Later she was introducing Brad to someone he didnt know and referred to him as her fiance. She seemed totally loved-up.'

Meanwhile, Avengers 4 stars Robert and Mark as well as a long list of Marvel actors including Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Tom Holland, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Karen Gillan, Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner.

Boyz in NC: Robert is on the left and Mark on the right; both were very dressed down

Early years: The stunner with Robert's Tony Stark in 2010's Iron Man II

It is intended to be the direct sequel to 2018's Avengers: Infinity War and has a tentative release date of May 3, 2019.

The film was announced in October 2014 as Avengers: Infinity War  Part 2.

Filming began in August 2017 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia. It's shooting back-to-back with Avengers: Infinity War. Filming is scheduled to last until December 2017.

Gwyneth has been working on the Iron Man franchise with Downey for years.

She also appeared at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming when Iron Man's Tony Stark proposed marriage to her.
They are keen on making the most of their time alone after welcoming twins two months ago.

So it was no surprise George and Amal Clooney packed on the PDA as they enjoyed a dinner date in Lagio, Italy during their romantic holiday.

Leaning in for a kiss, Amal, 39, only had eyes for her husband, 56, as they flaunted their love for one another in full view of the other diners.

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Pucker up: George and Amal Clooney were making the most of their alone time together as they enjoyed a dinner date in Lagio, Italy during their romantic holiday

Unable to keep their hands off each other, the pair also were seen cosying up to one another other as they explored the sights of the city on their stroll to the restaurant.

It was no wonder George couldn't take his hands off his stunning wife, as she looked sensational in a plunging scarlet vest that teased a glimpse of her incredible post-baby body.

Proving that she'd had no trouble snapping straight back into shape just two months after welcoming twins, the human rights lawyer looked phenomenal as she showed off her incredible physique.

All over each other: Unable to keep their hands off each other, the pair were seen cosying up to one another as they explored the sights of the city on their stroll to the restaurant

Cute couple: Unable to keep their hands off each other, the pair also were seen cosying up to one another other as they explored the sights of the city on their stroll to the restaurant

Chest a glimpse: It was no wonder George couldn't take his hands off his wife, as she looked sensational in a plunging scarlet vest that teased a glimpse of her incredible post-baby body

It's a ruff life! The pair were joined by their adorable furry companion Louie on the outing

She teamed her vest with a billowing striped maxi skirt that kept her cool in the balmy climes whilst remaining demure.

Looking as handsome as ever, George dressed down in a crisp white shirt and jeans.

With his silver locks immaculately styled, George cut a dapper figure on the outing.

While many couples would be exhausted two months into being new parents, the genetically blessed pair proved they were going strong as they embarked on their romantic endeavour.

George and Amal were joined by their adorable dog Louie - who they rescued in 2015. They are also proud parents to another cocker spaniel Einstein and a basset hound Millie.

Stunning: Proving that she'd had no trouble snapping straight back into shape just two months after welcoming twins, the human rights lawyer looked phenomenal as she showed off her incredible physique

Legs eleven! She teamed her vest with a billowing striped maxi skirt that kept her cool in the balmy climes whilst remaining demure

Dapper: Looking as handsome as ever, George dressed down in a crisp white shirt and jeans

Silver fox: With his silver locks immaculately styled, George cut a dapper figure on the outing

Their sighting comes after the couple revealed in a statement (via Deadline) that they are donating the large sum of money after announcing that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is partnering with the Clooney Foundation for Justice

'Amal and I wanted to add our voice, and financial assistance, to the ongoing fight for equality. There are no two sides to bigotry and hate.'

He continued: 'We are proud to support the Southern Poverty Law Center in its efforts to prevent violent extremism in the United States.

'What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate.'

Proud parents: the pair are often seen working out together, both at home and in the Italian hotspot - where they arrived for a holiday with their newborn twins Ella and Alexander

She's Amal the rage: The stunning human rights lawyer looked sensational on the outing

Meanwhile, the pair are often seen working out together, both at home and in the Italian hotspot - where they arrived for a holiday with their newborn twins Ella and Alexander earlier this month.

The trip marks their first ever family holiday, and the group have been spotted enjoying a number of dinners by the water.

Amal's mother also joined them for the getaway - having recently gushed of her newborn grandchildren to People magazine.

Holding on tight: The pair made for a very handsome couple on the outing

Loving life: The duo looked adorable cuddled up to one another on the outing

So sweet: The pair only had eyes for each other as they headed out together

Stylish: Amal looked equally as stunning from behind in her low backed top

Expanding family: As well as Louie (R), George and Amal are also parents to pooches Einstein (L) and Millie - Pictured in 2015

Reflecting on the birth, she said excitedly: 'Seeing these two angels, these stunningly beautiful babies cuddled together...

'And seeing the joy on Amal and George's faces, it's one of those deeply felt beautiful feelings you can't express in words.'

Amal is understood to have given birth at a London hospital with her husband by her side on June 6.

Not letting go: The pair looked happily loved-up as they strolled hand in hand together

Looking good: Amal ran her hands through her luscious locks as she waited to board a boat

All aboard! Amal reached out for help as she boarded the boat

Looking good: Amal dazzled as she headed onto the boat to reach the restaurant

It's a dogs life! George stopped off to scratch an adorable pooch before boarding the boat

Their statement announcing the news at the time read: 'Ella, Alexander and Amal are all healthy, happy and doing fine,' before joking: 'George is sedated and should recover in a few days.'

However the family trip to Lake Como comes amid reports the family may be moving out of their stunning 20 million property in Sonning-On-Thames, Berkshire.

Following the birth of their children, the star has been increasingly worried about the level of security in their homes, according to Life&Style.

A source told the publication that George had received threats in the past, whilst he was concerned that his wife's work as an international human rights lawyer could make her a target.

Cruising: Amal beamed as she cruised across the lake with her beau

Sitting pretty: George looked in on his stunning wife as they cruised along the high seas

All together: The pair and the pooch headed towards the dock

'He doesn't feel like Amal and the twins are safe living in the English countryside,' the insider explained.

'As soon as Amal found out she was pregnant, he hired former Secret Service agents to assess all his properties and make recommendations for improvement.'

They claimed the star's mansion in Studio City, California was the most secure, as they added: 'He's waited so long for this family, he'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.'

George wed Amal in 2014, and bought their sprawling 7.5 million home in the English countryside later that year.

Cute: The pair cuddled up to one another on the outing
She graced the Victoria's Secret fashion show runway in 2011, 2012 and 2014 and 2015.

But last year, Shanina Shaik missed out on making a triumphant return to the lingerie label's lineup during this year's show.

The 26-year-old might have better luck this year as she was seen leaving the 2017 Victoria's Secret callbacks in New York on Tuesday.

Better luck this time! Shanina Shaik showcases her slim pins in denim miniskirt as she attends castings for the Victoria's Secret fashion... after missing out in 2016

The brunette looked the part, showing off her toned pins in a distressed 7 For All Mankind denim mini skirt as she posed in the Midtown street.

The skirt was belted to showcase the beauty's narrow waist and the skirt's frayed edging dangled down her tanned thighs.

A simple white shirt with long sleeves and a deep V-neck that showed off a hint of her black bra completed the breezy, flirty look.

Shanina accessorised with strappy heels and a tasselled shoulder bag, her long dark hair down and worn casually over one shoulder as she exited the casting.

Eye catching: The brunette looked the part, showing off her toned pins in a distressed 7 For All Mankind denim mini skirt as she posed in the Midtown street

Slim: The skirt was belted to showcase the beauty's narrow waist and the skirt's frayed edging dangled down her tanned thighs

Born with it: A simple white shirt with long sleeves and a deep V-neck that showed off a hint of her black bra completed the breezy, flirty look

Hairy situation: Shanina accessorised with strappy heels and a tasseled shoulder bag, her long, dark hair down and worn casually over one shoulder as she excited the casting

She had earlier arrived for the all important auditions with her hair pulled back.

When model missed out last year, her mother Kim took to Instagram to offer her support.

Kim wrote: '@shaninamshaik never allow one door closed to discourage you to step outside and seek other opportunities ahead. Never allow people to make you feel less cause you're far from less, you're amazing!

Multiple looks: She had earlier arrived for the all important auditions with her hair pulled back

When the Aussie missed out last year, her mother Kim took to Instagram writing: 'never allow one door closed to discourage you to step outside and seek other opportunities ahead'

'I'm forever proud of the person you are and how far you've come....I'm always right beside you to guide and support you, to achieve what ever goals you wish to pursue #alwaysgotyourback#alwaysawinnerinmyeyes'.

Earlier this year, the beauty appeared on The Morning Show ahead of the David Jones Spring/Summer launch and discussed how much 'getting her wings' in the lingerie parade meant to her.

She's a pro: The model graced the Victoria's Secret fashion show runway in 2011, 2012 and 2014 and 2015 (seen here in the 2012 show)

'It's always been a dream of mine and to book that significant show and it just changed my career,' she said.

Shanina, who has strutted her stuff in five Victoria's Secret shows to date, added: 'Once I have done the show, it is attached to me forever.'

The model-turned-actress confirmed to the co-hosts that her career grew from strength-to-strength after her appearance on the coveted catwalk.

Means a lot: 'Getting my wings was a special moment. I did the Chanel show and Tom Ford after that. It really changes every girl's career!' she said (seen here in the 2011 show)

'Getting my wings was a special moment. I did the Chanel show and Tom Ford after that. It really changes every girl's career!' she said.

The Mummy actress is back to work after recently enjoying some downtime away from her hectic modelling schedule in Greece with fiance DJ Ruckus.
Due out next month, the new Foo Fighters album combines thunderous guitar riffs with lush, harmonic textures

Grunge veterans the Foo Fighters are channelling their inner Rick Astley with a bold new record the American rockers describe as their "weirdest" yet.

While their DNA is rooted in the Seattle grunge scene of the early nineties, the band told AFP that turning to British pop diva Adele's award-winning producer Greg Kurstin for their ninth studio album, "Concrete and Gold", brought a fresh dimension to their sound.

In an interview before headlining the Summer Sonic festival in Tokyo -- where they invited Astley on stage for an improbable mash-up of the eighties pin-up's "Never Gonna Give You Up" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" -- Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett said:

"People think it's a really weird choice for us to work with a pop producer but it made perfect sense. There's so much more to Greg and his love of music and knowledge base than just the pop stuff."

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, the former Nirvana drummer, chose him to replicate the alchemy he has with Adele, this time with a gnarly rock band.

The Foo Fighters shot to fame in the late nineties with hits such as "This Is A Call," "Monkey Wrench" and "Learn To Fly" and have sold more than 30 million records worldwide

"We weren't getting Greg for Adele's sound," said keyboardist Rami Jaffee, previously a fan of Kurstin's indie synthpop duo The Bird and the Bee.

"The Greg we had in the studio was definitely the more adventurous soundscape guy -- he brought more of that stuff," he added.

"I thought: 'Oh boy, we're getting weird quick!' This record we really took extra leaps and bounds, sonically."

Due out next month, the new Foo Fighters album combines thunderous guitar riffs with lush, harmonic textures.

Tracks such as "La Dee Da" and the Donald Trump-inspired single "Run" rock out, but the Foo Fighters shift gears on the dreamy "Dirty Water", while the title track is a slow-burner that features Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman.

Beatles legend Paul McCartney also plays drums on one track among several other guest turns, including Alison Mosshart of The Kills.

- Bootleg tape -

"Paul McCartney is a fan of music," said Shiflett, nibbling on vegetable sticks in between photo shoots.

"He only did two passes at the song, which he had never even heard before. Then he just wanted to noodle around so we just jammed on a bunch of other stuff."

The Foo Fighters shot to fame in the late nineties with hits such as "This Is A Call," "Monkey Wrench" and "Learn To Fly" and have sold more than 30 million records worldwide.

"I didn't join the band until '99 but I remember a cassette tape bootleg of the first album way before it came out circulating," said Shiflett.

"All my friends that were in the know had it and it was just something that would be on the stereo at parties."

But after a turbulent 2015 when Grohl broke his leg after plunging off the stage and they were forced to cancel a tour, rumours persisted that the group were set to split.

"It would be so dumb for any band to break up," insisted guitarist Pat Smear, who also used to tour with Nirvana. "You just look stupid when you get back together."

Shiflett believes the secret of the band's longevity lies in not taking themselves too seriously, pointing to a spat with Coldplay, who took offence at a mischievous bumper sticker joke in a 2011 Foo Fighters video.

"I remember at the time Chris Martin got super offended and actually got into it with Dave at a kids birthday party or something," he said.

"It certainly wasn't meant to offend anybody. I don't think this band could ever take itself too seriously."

Jaffee agrees.

"Not taking yourselves too seriously -- all other bands take note," he said.

"It's a very important thing to keep in check and I'm sorry, Chris Martin, but all our wives love you!"
Critics warn the vote opens the way for a divisive debate that will subject gay people and their families to hate speech

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday called for respectful debate on an upcoming same-sex marriage vote, saying he "deplores" the homophobic slurs aired by anonymous opponents of the reform.

But Turnbull also warned cruel comments were often part of democratic discussion and could not be curtailed without impinging on free speech.

"I deplore disrespectful, abusive language whether it is directed at young gay people or people of other religions or other races," Turnbull told Sydney commercial radio station 2DAY FM.

"So mutual respect and a respectful debate is what we should have in Australia."

His comments come after Australia this month finalised plans for a non-binding postal vote on same-sex marriage, which is expected to be completed by mid-November.

In early signs the debate could turn toxic, a poster emblazoned "stop the fags" was put up in central Melbourne and flyers describing homosexuality as "a curse of death" were distributed in suburban Sydney.

Turnbull said extremists should not be allowed to derail the debate, urging both sides to "focus on the substance of the debate".

"The key here is respect," he said. "I know many people who take a conservative view of marriage... who do not have a homophobic bone in their body.

"One of the problems in debates like this is the tendency to caricature each side."

Turnbull supports gay marriage but has been pressured to hold the nationwide postal vote, rather than simply enact reform in parliament, to placate right-wingers in his conservative government.

Critics warn the vote opens the way for a divisive debate that will subject gay people and their families to hate speech, but Turnbull said it was just part of the democratic process.

"People will often say, in any democratic debate, things that are hurtful and unfair and sometimes cruel, but that is part of a debate," he said.

"The only way to stop people saying things that you find hurtful is to shut down free speech."

Turnbull also dismissed concerns that the vote would be meaningless because it is non-binding on the nation's parliament.

"If the postal vote is carried, the legalisation of same-sex marriage will sail though the parliament, believe me," he said.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics will begin sending out ballots on September 12 and voting will close on November 7, with the result known later that month.
A handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on July 30, 2017 shows Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) receiving prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Jeddah

Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr's visit to Saudi Arabia at the end of July signalled the Gulf Sunni powerhouse's ambition to distance its Iranian foe from policy-making in Baghdad.

In the wake of former dictator Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbour.

Ties have remained strained even after Saddam's ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, since when successive Shiite-dominated governments in Baghdad have stayed close to Tehran.

But Sadr's rare visit to Saudi Arabia came at the invitation of Riyadh, which played up his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Two weeks later, Sadr followed up by holding talks in Abu Dhabi with its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, strongman of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and close ally of his counterpart in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

"Hosting Sadr in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi shows regional rivals and particularly Iran that KSA/UAE are capable of tapping into and influencing intra-Shia politics in Iraq," said Fanar Haddad, a research fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

For the Gulf monarchies, "Sadr would be a prize catch: authentically Shia-Iraqi, distrustful if not disdainful of Iran and with a genuinely organic and loyal grassroots following."

- 'Pulling the strings' -

The pro-Western Arab states of the Gulf aim to show that Iran no longer holds a monopoly on influencing policy in Baghdad, according to Iraqi political scientist Hashem al-Hashemi.

Tehran "prided itself on pulling all the strings among the Shiites (of Iraq) but it seems that several strings are now beyond its grasp, like that of the Sadrists", Hashemi said.

In June, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, also a Shiite, held meetings in Saudi Arabia, four months after a visit to Baghdad by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, a first of its kind since 2003.

For Michael Knights, a researcher at the Washington Institute, such interaction with Riyadh could come at a price.

"Tehran will view the Saudi Arabian engagement by Abadi and Sadr as another reason that Abadi must be displaced as premier in the 2018 elections," said Knights.

"And Iran will work hard behind the scenes with money, media and weapons to make that happen."

But at the same time, Haddad warned that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi should not count too heavily on Sadr to restore their influence in Baghdad at the expense of Tehran.

"They should moderate their expectations as to how much he will be willing to deliver," he cautioned.

Tehran has played a major political, economic and military role in Baghdad since the end of Saddam's rule, during which Shiites were barred from powerful posts and Shiite-majority Iraq fought a 1980-1988 war against Shiite but non-Arab Iran.

According to the Carnegie Middle East Center, Iranian exports, not including fuel, tripled between 2008 and 2015 to reach $6.2 billion.

Apart from military advisers on the ground in Iraq, Iran also sponsors several armed groups, in particular the paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi units that are playing a key role in fighting the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

On his return from Saudi Arabia, Sadr renewed calls for the dismantling of armed groups, a stance which "makes him particularly attractive to KSA/UAE", said Haddad.

But the firebrand cleric, whose own armed supporters fought fierce battles against US and government forces in the wake of the invasion, has steered clear of openly condemning Hashed al-Shaabi, which was set up at the request of the Shiite religious hierarchy in post-Saddam Iraq.

- Arar starting point -

Furthermore, Haddad stressed, a warming in ties between Riyadh and Sadr cannot be compared to close relations between two states.

"We're still a long way from Iraqi-Saudi relations coming anywhere near the depth or complexity of Iraqi-Iranian ties," he said.

But in a first decisive step, Riyadh and Baghdad have announced plans to reopen the Arar desert crossing, their main border post and a potential alternative to Iraq's posts with Iran that are used for most of its imports.

The border has been shut for most of the past three decades to all travellers except Iraqi Muslim pilgrims heading to and from Mecca in western Saudi Arabia.

The announcement was made during a joint inspection of the Arar post by Iraqi and Saudi officials as well as Brett McGurk, the senior US envoy to the international coalition fighting IS.
The Taliban are dismissing Donald Trump's newly announced strategy for Afghanistan as vague and 'nothing new'

The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become "a graveyard" for the United States Tuesday after President Donald Trump cleared the way for thousands more American troops to be sent to the war-torn country.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

He added that America should think of an exit strategy "instead of continuing the war".

"As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale will continue our jihad," Mujahid said.

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief late Monday, though he did not offer specifics.

He said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable", leaving a vacuum that terrorists "would instantly fill".

US soldiers bow their heads in tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks during a ceremony at Bagram Airbase north of Kabul

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Earlier Mujahid had dismissed the strategy as vague and "nothing new".

"For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear," he told AFP.

A senior Taliban commander told AFP that Trump was just perpetuating the "arrogant behaviour" of previous presidents such as George W. Bush.

"He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

"For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath," he told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He added that the statement proved the current Afghan government "is a US puppet".

The insurgents signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the US embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack late Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the city's diplomatic quarter, with no casualties reported.

Trump also lambasted US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment, told AFP that Trump "has proved it's a Crusade".

"His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community)," he said.

Prior to Trump's announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which has long pushed for a uniform civil code, governing Indians of all religions, to be enforced, but the issue remains highly sensitive in India

India's top court on Tuesday banned a controversial Islamic practice that allows men to divorce their wives instantly, saying it was unconstitutional.

Victims of the practice known as "triple talaq", whereby Muslim men can divorce their wives by reciting the word talaq (divorce) three times, had approached the Supreme Court to ask for a ban.

Triple talaq "is not integral to religious practice and violates constitutional morality," a panel of Supreme Court judges said.

The five judges were from India's major faiths -- Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

In their ruling they said it was "manifestly arbitrary" to allow a man to "break down (a) marriage whimsically and capriciously".

"What is sinful under religion cannot be valid under law," they said.

The practice had been challenged in lower courts but it was the first time India's Supreme Court had considered whether triple talaq was legal.

India allows religious institutions to govern matters of marriage, divorce and property inheritance in the multi-faith nation, enshrining triple talaq as a legal avenue for its 180 million Muslims to end unions.

But the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had backed the petitioners in this landmark case, declaring triple talaq unconstitutional and discriminatory against women.

Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has long pushed for a uniform civil code, governing Indians of all religions, to be enforced.

But the issue remains highly sensitive in India, where religious tensions often lead to violence.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), a grouping of Islamic organisations, had opposed any efforts to ban triple talaq.

Some Islamic scholars say there is no mention of triple talaq in the Koran, which instead details a different process for divorce based on mediation.
Fighters of the Hashed Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation units) advance towards Tal Afar on August 22, 2017

Iraqi forces on Tuesday recaptured from the Islamic State group the first three districts of jihadist bastion Tal Afar as the Pentagon chief visited Baghdad in a show of support.

The United Nations said thousands of civilians had fled Tal Afar in the two days since the start of the broad offensive backed by the US-led coalition fighting IS, but tens of thousands are trapped.

After meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said the jihadists were "on the run".

"Cities have been liberated, people freed from ISIS, from Daesh," Mattis said, using alternative names for IS.

The jihadists had not been able "to stand up to our team in combat, and they have not retaken one inch of ground that they lost", he said.

Iraqi troops backed by a US-led international coalition routed IS in Mosul in July after a gruelling nine-month fight for Iraq's second city.

They launched an offensive Sunday to recapture Tal Afar, once a key IS supply hub between Mosul -- around 70 kilometres (45 miles) further east -- and the Syrian border to the west.

IS fighters inside Tal Afar, estimated to number around 1,000, responded with artillery fire Tuesday as Iraqi forces massed outside the city.

Army, police and units of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition later took "full control" of the Al-Kifah, Al-Nur and al-Askari districts, the Hashed said.

Iraqi advance on Tal Afar

Iraqi forces had encircled the city despite what Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi called "intense" fighting. He said the battle for the city would probably last weeks, in contrast to the months-long battle for Mosul.

Some 30,000 civilians are trapped by fighting in Tal Afar, according to the UN.

The UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) fears they "are likely to be used as human shields" and that "attempts to flee could result in executions and shootings," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The International Organization for Migration said "thousands of civilians" had fled Tal Afar since the offensive began.

Since Friday, more than 3,000 people had arrived at two IOM emergency sites, many with only the clothes they were wearing, the UN agency said.

The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said it had received some 9,000 people at the Hamman Al Alil transit centre over the past week.

- 'Fought like the dickens' -

Mattis declined to make any predictions about the battle.

"ISIS's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over anytime soon," he said.

Iraqi forces had "fought like the dickens in Mosul, (it) cost them over 6,000 wounded, somewhere over 1,200 killed," he said.

Yet that comeback helped restore the confidence of the Iraqi forces after their shock loss of Mosul and swathes of northern Iraq to IS in 2014, he added.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis speaks to reporters on board a flight to Jordan for the start of a regional tour on August 20, 2017

Mattis stressed that retaking Mosul would not have happened "without... Abadi's steady hand", but was also due in part to extensive US support.

He said his discussions would focus on the way ahead, including how to keep Iraq from again politically fragmenting or falling further under Iran's influence.

"Secretary Mattis is going to be very much focused on a pathway for the United States to continue to have a residual force in Iraq to continue to train Iraqi security forces" and avoid the emergence of a successor to IS, said Nicholas Heras, Middle East Security Fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

- Kurdistan referendum challenge -

A key issue is a plan for an independence referendum on September 25 in Iraqi Kurdistan, where Mattis later Tuesday met the autonomous region's president Massud Barzani.

The poll is strongly opposed by the US, which believes it could undermine Abadi and distract from the fight against IS.

US officials said Mattis and Barzani had a "very frank" discussion about the referendum.

White House envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, said the battle for Tal Afar was "going well" but that a referendum on Kurdish independence would be "potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign".

"It's not just the United States; every member of our coalition believes that now is not the time to hold this referendum," he said.

Shiite fighters advance towards the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, the main remaining stronghold of the Islamic State group, on August 21, 2017

Before leaving Baghdad, Mattis stressed the need to "stay focused like a laser beam on the defeat of ISIS and to let nothing distract us".

Mattis, who is on a five-day trip to Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Ukraine, said he would also talk about reconstruction and resettlement of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis driven from their homes and towns by the fighting, especially in Mosul.

"It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be a heavy lift for them going forward."

But Heras said Mattis, whom he said has earned firm trust among Iraqis, needs to help Abadi further build his base as a moderate for the post-war period, with elections looming for next year.

"That will be a political pickle that Mattis will have to work Abadi through," the analyst said.
-

Iran's new communications minister said Tuesday that negotiations were underway with Twitter to unblock the service, which has been banned for years despite being used even by the country's supreme leader.

The micro-blogging platform was barred at the time of mass anti-regime protests in 2009 that followed allegations of massive rigging in the re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"(Twitter) has announced that it is prepared to negotiate to resolve problems," Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi told the Iran daily newspaper.

"Considering the current situation there are grounds for such negotiation and interaction. Twitter is not an immoral environment needing to be blocked," he added.

The 36-year-old Jahromi became Iran's youngest-ever minister this week, and the first to be born after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

His selection has been criticised by rights groups over his involvement in surveillance during and after the mass anti-regime protests of 2009.

He rejected the criticism in a meeting with lawmakers this week, saying: "I wasn't responsible for surveillance -- I was in charge of the technical infrastructure for the surveillance industry, and I consider it an honour."

But Jahromi is also seen as a critic of online censorship in Iran, where platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter remain banned even if millions use them daily through easily available privacy software.

He said officials were also looking at ways to unblock YouTube while still censoring "immoral content" on the video-sharing service, and that a pilot project would allow universities to access the site.

There was no immediate response from Twitter or YouTube.

Jahromi added that the final decision on unblocking sites lay with Supreme Council for Cyberspace, which includes members of the hardline judiciary.

The 2009 protests were considered the first time that Twitter and social media were widely used to organise protests -- a model replicated when the Arab Spring movement erupted across the region the following year.

"At that time and based on remarks made by the director of this network, Iran's government believed they had interfered in the country's internal affairs and for this reason Twitter was filtered," said Jahromi, who has more than 4,000 followers on the service.

- 'Cyberspace can uproot religion' -

Despite the ban, Twitter is widely used by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has official accounts in several languages, as well as President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Even Ahmadinejad joined the service this year.

But many conservatives remain worried about "Western infiltration" through social media.

In December 2016, Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani, who heads the Committee for the Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice, said the dangers of the internet were even greater than women failing to wear a headscarf.

"Bad hijab is a bad thing but cyberspace is a hundred times worse," he said in a speech to religious officials, highlighting the presence of porn and anti-religious sites.

"Cyberspace can uproot religion and Islam completely," he said.

Rouhani is thought to have favoured lifting the Twitter ban for some time, having even exchanged words with the site's co-founder Jack Dorsey back in 2013.

"Good evening, President. Are citizens of Iran able to read your tweets?" Dorsey posted shortly after Rouhani's first election win.

Rouhani replied: "Evening, @Jack... my efforts geared 2 ensure my ppl'll comfortably b able 2 access all info globally as is their #right."
The death at police hands of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos has sparked rare criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, including a tweet from US ambassador Sung Kim, who called for "full accountability" for the killing

The US ambassador to the Philippines called Tuesday for "full accountability" following the alleged murder by local police of a 17-year-old boy as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war.

The killing of Kian Delos Santos last week triggered rare protests against Duterte's controversial but popular campaign to eradicate drugs, with critics saying it highlighted rampant rights abuses by police enforcing the crackdown.

"My condolences go out to the family and friends of Kian. Hope that the investigations lead to full accountability," US ambassador Sung Kim said on his Twitter account.

Duterte easily won presidential elections last year after promising to wipe out drugs in the country by waging an unprecedented crackdown in which tens of thousands of people would die.

Since he came to office 14 months ago, police have reported killing 3,500 people in anti-drug operations.

More than 2,000 other people have been killed in drug-related crimes and thousands more murdered in unexplained circumstances, according to police data.

The United States, a longtime ally of the Philippines, had under then-president Barack Obama led international criticism of Duterte's drug war.

Duterte reacted furiously and used the criticism as one reason for weakening his nation's alliance with the United States.

Duterte has said relations with the United States are better under Donald Trump, who has praised him for doing an "unbelievable job on the drug problem".

Kim's predecessor had repeatedly criticised Duterte in public.

Kim, who has been the ambassador since late last year, had sought to repair relations and refrained from publicly criticising the drug war.

- 'Undeserved death' -

While rights groups say Duterte may be orchestrating a crime against humanity, many Filipinos support the charismatic president and his efforts to fight crime.

However Delos Santos's death has dominated the media, and even some of Duterte's cabinet members and supporters have spoken out against the killing.

Police said Delos Santos was a drug courier who fired at them while resisting arrest.

However CCTV footage emerged of two policemen dragging the unarmed boy away moments before he was killed.

The public attorney's office on Monday said a forensic investigation found Delos Santos was shot in his back and ear, and that the evidence pointed to an "intentional killing".

Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday added his voice to the condemnation, following similar comments from the education minister.

"Whether or not he was involved in the use or trafficking of illegal drugs, he did not deserve to die in the manner that he did," Lorenzana said in a statement.

"If the allegations of foul play are proven then the perpetrators must be brought to justice."

The Philippine Senate on Thursday will begin its investigation into Delos Santos's death following an outcry from different sectors.

Over the weekend the two top leaders of the influential Catholic Church called for an end to the bloodshed as they urged the faithful to "stop consenting to the killings".

Duterte on Monday said policemen who killed Delos Santos would be jailed if convicted.

However he has also repeatedly vowed to pardon officers if they are found guilty of murder while fighting his drug war.

Duterte last month ordered the reinstatement of policemen who, according to the National Bureau of Investigation, murdered a politician facing drug charges inside his jail cell.
The monsoon floods in South Asia have now affected more than 24 million people

More than 24 million people have been affected by some of the worst flooding to hit South Asia in decades, with large areas of land submerged in water, the Red Cross Tuesday.

Authorities in Bangladesh, India and Nepal have put the death toll at more than 750 since August 10, when a series of deluges began spreading with the annual monsoon season.

"The situation is going from bad to worse," Red Cross under secretary-general Jagan Chapagain said in a statement, confirming the death toll given by regional authorities.

"Almost one third of Nepal has been flooded. One third of Bangladesh is flooded", he told reporters.

"This is the worst flooding that parts of South Asia have seen in decades."

Flood waters in the three countries have left hundreds of people stranded and entire communities cut off from road access, according to the Red Cross.

Many villages are now only accessible by boat and "are running out of food" with clean water also in short supply, the organisation added.

"The number of people affected is rising by the hour as waters rush south," Chapagain said.

He added the devastating flooding has been triggered in part by the monsoons but is "also a result of the lack of proper water management", in all three countries.

The organisation has launched a 3.5 million Swiss francs ($3.6 million, 3.1 million euros) international appeal to help authorities in Nepal.

Chapagain said a similar global appeal to help Bangladesh deal with the disaster could be launched soon, while India is seen as having the resources needed to respond without foreign help.

The heavy rain has also taken a toll on wildlife, with rescue teams pulling stranded animals from raging waters in India's Kaziranga National Park, including rare one-horned rhinos and other endangered species.
Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion: under fire for alleged abuses

A Bangladesh appeals court on Tuesday upheld the death sentences on a ruling party politician and 14 security officers for murdering political rivals in a case seen as a test of the government.

A trial court had in January sentenced 26 men to be hanged over the murder of seven victims who were suffocated with polythene bags and had their bellies cut before their bodies were dumped in a river.

Sixteen were members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite security force that rights activists say has been implicated in other unlawful killings in the country.

On Tuesday the High Court in Dhaka upheld the death sentences of 15 defendants and commuted the rest to life in prison, Deputy Attorney General Jahid Sarwar Kazal told AFP.

Those convicted can now make a final appeal to the country's highest court, he said.

The case had been seen as a test for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, which stands accused of using the security forces for the unlawful killing and enforced "disappearances" of scores of opposition activists.

Among the defendants was Nur Hossain, a former local representative of Hasina's Awami League who hired RAB officers to kill a political rival and four of his aides.

Hossain, whose death sentence was upheld, fled to neighbouring India after the killings but was later arrested and extradited.

The other 14 were from the RAB, prosecutor Bashir Ahmed told AFP.

"They were the protectors of life and property of the people, instead they became the predators," Ahmed said, quoting the verdict.

Convictions of security force members are rare in Bangladesh and rights activists say they operate in a climate of impunity.

A lawyer who filmed the abductions outside the stadium on his mobile phone was then himself kidnapped, along with his driver.

Opposition parties say hundreds of their activists have been abducted during Hasinas nearly nine years in power and never seen again, although the government denies any involvement by the security forces.

Local rights groups say at least 326 people have disappeared since January 2009, many of whom were members or supporters of opposition parties.
Members of the Syrian High Negotiations Committee and the Cairo and Moscow groups meet in Riyadh on August 21, 2017

A meeting between Syrian opposition groups in Riyadh has ended in stalemate, a member said Tuesday, with the fate of President Bashar al-Assad still an obstacle in forming a unified front for peace talks.

The Saudi-backed opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) began discussions on Monday with delegations from two other moderate camps, the so-called Cairo and Moscow groupings, in a bid to reach consensus on a joint negotiating strategy.

After hosting seven rounds of largely unsuccessful talks, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura had sought to unify the opposition for what he hopes will be a substantive round of negotiations in October.

"The representatives of the Moscow grouping refused to recognise any text that referred to the Syrian people's demand for the departure of Bashar al-Assad," said Ahmed Ramadan of the National Coalition, a leading component of the HNC.

"There was an important level of understanding between HNC and the Cairo grouping, but the stalemate with Moscow group delegates hampered efforts to bring representatives... into a single negotiating delegation."

There was no immediate comment from the so-called Moscow group.

Assad's fate has long been a key sticking point, with the HNC insisting on his ouster but the other two camps adopting a softer stance.

De Mistura said last week that he hopes for "real" peace talks between the government and a still-to-be-formed unified Syrian opposition in October.

Rebels have suffered heavy territorial losses since peace talks to end the war began, including the regime's recapture of second city Aleppo, a former opposition stronghold.

With the rebel fighting position weakened, experts say the regime faces no pressure to make concessions at the negotiating table, and especially not over the question of Assad's future.

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Boko Haram regularly launches suicide bomb attacks in Nigeria

The United Nations voiced alarm Tuesday at Boko Haram jihadists' surging use of children, mainly girls, as human bombs in northeastern Nigeria, describing the practice as an "atrocity".

The Islamists have for several years been using children to attack crowded markets, mosques and camps for internally displaced people in northeast Nigeria and the broader Lake Chad region.

But the UN children's agency said Tuesday that there had been an appalling increase in the cruel and calculated use of children, especially girls, as so-called "human bombs".

Since the beginning of the year, 83 children have been used to carry out bomb attacks in northeast Nigeria -- four times as many attacks as in all of 2016, UNICEF said in a statement.

Fifty-five of the children used as bombers were girls, most of them under the age of 15, 27 were boys and one was a baby strapped to a girl, UN numbers show.

Since 2014, a total of 125 children have been used as bombers in northeast Nigeria, according to UNICEF.

Boko Haram had sometimes, but not always, claimed responsibility for the attacks, the agency added.

It stressed that the children used as "human bombs are, above all, victims, not perpetrators."

The agency pointed out that the use of children in such attacks had also created suspicion and fear of children who had been released, rescued of had escaped from Boko Haram.

"As a result, many children who have managed to get away from captivity face rejection when they try to reintegrate into their communities, compounding their suffering," it said.

Children in northeastern Nigeria are also struggling to survive a massive displacement and malnutrition crisis, triggered by Boko Haram's bloody insurgency.

The violence, which began in 2009, has killed at least 20,000 people and forced some 2.6 million others to flee their homes.

Nearly half a million children in the region are at risk of severe acute malnutrition this year alone, UNICEF said.
Grief-stricken school director Ann-Marie Caulker says that dozens of pupils, and at least two of her teachers, were killed in the Freetown tragedy

Ann-Marie Caulker scrolls through the images on her smartphone: the faces of young girls who were her some of her brightest students at school in Freetown until the landslide hit.

"This girl has died," she says through the tears. "This one also has died. She was very clever."

The death toll from last week's mudslide and flooding in Sierra Leone's capital city is approaching 500. Hundreds more are missing after one of the country's worst disasters.

Caulker, 48, founded the Royal Kings International school a decade ago to provide education to some of Freetown's most disadvantaged children.

Today, she says she lost as many as 50 pupils and at least two teachers in the tragedy.

"Our school was destroyed completely. Pupils, teachers and parents also died during the disaster," she tells AFP.

Dressed in a purple hat and sneakers, Caulker picks her way through the capital's Pentagon district, the red earth strewn with rocks and other debris scattered when the ground gave way.

Houses -- simple, corrugated structures -- used to cling to the hillside above dotted with mango and palm trees.

It was from there, after three days of rain, that the torrent came on the night of August 13-14, sweeping away everything in its path, slamming into ramshackle homes and trapping families while they slept.

"All these rocks were not here," she says, gesturing at the detritus.

"All the places that you're seeing, there were houses of two-storey buildings. Many people are dead."

The school was mainly divided between two buildings. One, at the foot of the valley, was washed away in the landslide. Another, higher up the hill, has since been hit by looters.

"We used to have chairs and benches," Caulker says. "They have taken all during this crisis."

Teacher Felix Mansary says the fate of many of his pupils and colleagues remains unknown.

"We are still trying to get information about other teachers, pupils and parents of the school," he says.

"This (tragedy) discourages us, because we groom these people for the future and then unfortunately, they die."

- 'Sorrow and pain' -

The Sunday before last, hundreds of Pentagon residents crowded into the community church to celebrate mass.

A week later, after the devastation, barely 30 people made it to service.

After hymns sung to the beat of two drums, pastor Charles King addressed the congregation.

"This is a time of sorrow and pain as the church lost many members," he said.

For some in this deeply religious nation, prayer has been a powerful source of solace

He called on surviving church-goers to be kind to each other, an attempt at offering some sort of relief in this deeply pious nation.

But for Caulker, who is raising funds to rebuild her school even as bodies continue to be pulled from the mud, the pain will last a lifetime.

"Some of the women, right now they are homeless, people are sleeping in the rain," she says.

"I'm still scared and don't sleep at night when it starts raining."
This Missouri Department of Corrections photo shows death-row inmate Marcellus Williams

With only hours to spare, the governor of the US state of Missouri on Tuesday halted the execution of a man whose lawyers argued new DNA evidence exonerated him of a 1998 murder.

Governor Eric Greitens stayed the execution of Marcellus Williams, 48, who was convicted of fatally stabbing a woman more than 40 times during a robbery at her home in the Midwestern state.

Williams was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Tuesday, but the governor ordered the formation of an investigative panel to reconsider the facts of the case.

"To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt," Greitens said.

The governor planned to appoint a five-member board of inquiry that would include retired judges, who would have subpoena power to re-examine witnesses and evidence.

Williams' attorney claimed new testing of the knife used to commit the murder found another person's DNA on the weapon but none of Williams' DNA. The DNA testing was not available during the time of the original trial.

"The new DNA technology called touch DNA has developed a male genetic profile on the knife handle, that was the murder weapon, that does not match Marcellus Williams', so that we believe that totally exonerates him of the murder," attorney Kent Gipson told AFP.

- Non-DNA evidence -

State prosecutors contend there is enough other evidence to assure Williams' guilt, including the victim's personal items recovered from the condemned man's car.

The initial trial also relied on testimony from two witnesses, Williams' former girlfriend and a cell mate, who both said the convict admitted to the murder. Prosecutors say the cell mate knew details of the crime that were not made public.

Only hours before the governor's stay, the state attorney general's office insisted that they were confident of Williams' guilt "based on the other, non-DNA, evidence in this case."

In court filings during an earlier appeal, prosecutors dismissed the new DNA evidence, saying "it would be unsurprising" that other people's DNA would be on the kitchen knife used for the murder.

"It would not have been unreasonable for (Williams) to wear gloves during the burglary and subsequent murder," prosecutors wrote in explaining why his DNA was not on the knife.

Gipson appealed to the US Supreme Court Monday night, asking for a stay. The state's supreme court last week denied a similar request.

- Race a factor? -

Death penalty opponents had rallied to Williams' cause, sending a petition with more than 187,000 signatures to the governor. They claimed race was a factor in the African American man's conviction.

"African American men like Marcellus are arrested and convicted at significantly higher rates than any other ethnic group," the group Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty wrote in an online petition.

Reconsideration of a death penalty case due to DNA evidence is rare. Most death sentences that are reversed are due to findings of prosecutorial or police misconduct, said Robert Dunham of the watchdog group Death Penalty Information Center.

"Very often what you'll see is a prosecutor or police deciding they'd gotten the right guy, and ignoring the leads that would have taken them to somebody else as a possible suspect," Dunham told AFP.

"Governor Greitens did the right thing. Executing Marcellus Williams without meaningfully considering his evidence of innocence would have been intolerable and indefensible," he said.
Rodents damaged furniture and air conditioning fittings in President Buhari's official Abuja office while he was in London receiving treatment, his media adviser Garba Shehu confirmed

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will work from home after rodents damaged his official office during a more than 100-day overseas medical absence, a presidential spokesman told AFP Tuesday.

The animals damaged furniture and air conditioning fittings in the president's official Abuja office while he was in London receiving treatment, his media adviser Garba Shehu confirmed.

"These are also general works and it is not uncommon for Nigerian presidents to also work from the presidential villa. He has used the residential office for many years," said Shehu.

"What is important is that the job gets done. Whether he does it from his bedroom or his sitting room or his anteroom -- it does not matter. Let the job be done. And the job will be done," Shehu told the Arise News broadcaster.

Shehu was unable to confirm what type of rodent was responsible for the damage, which occurred during the president's prolonged absence for an undisclosed medical condition.

"I do not have that level of detail," he said, adding that it was unclear how long the refurbishment would last.

During his time away, tensions surfaced back home, where calls grew for him to either return or resign.

The Nigerian leader met with his security chiefs at his official residence on Tuesday, ordering them to deal with threats to the unity of the country.

In the weeks before Buhari left for London on May 7, he also worked from the presidential residence -- missing cabinet meetings and having official documents transported to him.

Rumours about his health have dogged Buhari even before he came to power in May 2015. He rejected claims during the election that he was critically ill from prostate cancer.

Buhari did not address his absence or medical situation when he addressed the nation on television on Monday, instead talking about separatism, crime, terrorism and the economy in his first speech since returning.

In an official letter to parliament on Monday relieving Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of his duties as acting head of state, Buhari described his trip as a "medical follow-up".

Clashes between protesters calling on Buhari to return from his recent lengthy absence and the presidents' defenders erupted in Abuja last week.

He first travelled to London in June last year for what aides said was a persistent inner ear infection, returning in January for check-ups, according to his office.

The health of Nigeria's president is a sensitive issue. President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua died in office in 2010 from a long-standing, but previously undisclosed, kidney complaint.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Black Sea resort city of Sochi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday what he calls Iran's "aggression" and attempts to expand its military presence in neighbouring Syria.

Iran is Israel's arch-enemy, and Netanyahu along with Israeli security officials have repeatedly expressed concern over what they see as the country moving to expand its presence in the Middle East.

Netanyahu will meet Putin at the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Wednesday. Both Russia and Iran back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the war.

"I will raise the problem of Iran trying to establish a military presence in Syria," Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday.

"This proves that Iran's aggression has not diminished since the nuclear agreement, which has become a problem not only for Israel, but for all the countries of the Middle East and the entire world."

The head of Israeli spy agency Mossad, Yossi Cohen, and Netanyahu's newly named head of his national security council, Meir Ben-Shabbat, will join him on the trip.

Netanyahu opposes a southwest Syria ceasefire recently agreed by Russia and the United States because he believes it would enable Iran to solidify its presence in the country, an Israeli official has said.

An Israeli intelligence official said in April his country fears an "Iranian crescent" may be forming in the Middle East because of Tehran's influence in Syria and its connections with regional Shiite groups.

Beyond concerns over Iran, Netanyahu's talks with Putin are also likely to involve coordination in Syria.

Russia and Israel have established a "hotline" to avoid accidental clashes in the country.

Israel has sought to avoid being dragged into the six-year Syrian conflict, but has acknowledged carrying out strikes to stop advanced weapons deliveries to Hezbollah, the Lebanese group with which it fought a devastating war in 2006.

Hezbollah also backs Assad's regime in the Syrian war.
The first pilgrims for the annual Hajj pilgrimage arrive in Jeddah in July 2017

Qatar said Tuesday it is worried hajj pilgrims from the emirate face being badly treated if they travel to Saudi Arabia as the row over arrangements for the religious event intensified.

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs said that considering the ongoing Gulf diplomatic impasse, it was concerned about the safety of pilgrims travelling from Doha in the next few days.

Qatar has been accused by a group of Saudi-led states of supporting extremism, charges it denies.

"Given the current situation, it (the ministry) remains concerned and fearful for Qatari pilgrims and a repeat of the harassment of Qatari citizens in June," read the statement.

Early in June, local media reports claimed Qataris were stopped from entering the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

The hajj to Mecca, the most revered site in Islam, is a pilgrimage that Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetimes if they are able to do so.

But the lead-up to this year's hajj, which takes place at the beginning of September, has been overshadowed by the conflict between Qatar and Saudi.

Saudi Arabia closed its border on June 5 to Qatar as part of the diplomatic crisis, but said it would reopen it for pilgrims.

Riyadh also said it would allocate seven flights of the Saudi national carrier to bring pilgrims from Doha.

It has subsequently accused Qatar of blocking its planes from landing in Doha.

Qatari officials deny this, and say paperwork from Saudi Arabia has been sent to the wrong ministry.

In its statement on Tuesday, the Doha ministry also called on Riyadh to "complete the procedures" for pilgrims travelling from Qatar, thought to be a reference to the outstanding paperwork.

Doha has previously labelled current arrangements as "illogical".

It has also accused Saudi Arabia of politicising the hajj.
Border Patrol agents are seen through the border fence detaining two people at the Border Field Park in Tijuana, northwestern Mexico, on Tuesday, ahead of President Donald Trump's speech to rally support for a border wall

President Donald Trump arrived at the US-Mexican border Tuesday, hoping to re-energize core supporters cooling to his crisis-riddled presidency and build momentum for a controversial border wall.

Trump was in Yuma, Arizona, where aides say he will tour a stretch of border fence before heading to Phoenix for a raucous campaign-style rally.

The event -- which typically features a stem-winding Trump speech -- will be the first of its kind since he sparked outrage by equivocating in his condemnation of a deadly neo-Nazi march in Virginia.

But the White House hopes this trip to Arizona can get the Trump train back on track.

His visit aims to tout the benefits of a border fence, turn up the heat on reluctant allies and demonstrate the president's determination to realize a central campaign pledge.

Speculation is building that Trump may use the Phoenix rally to formally endorse a challenger to incumbent moderate Republican Senator Jeff Flake.

That action would be a shot across the bow of skeptical Republicans and a message to far-right supporters.

However, despite rumors, Trump looks set to shy away from issuing a pardon for Joe Arpaio -- a former sheriff in Arizona who was convicted of willfully violating a court order to stop targeting Hispanics in immigration roundups.

"There will be no discussion of that today at any point and no action will be taken on that front at any point today," said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

- Case for a wall -

US President Donald Trump tours a US Customs and Border Protection facility in Yuma, Arizona, on Tuesday

In Yuma, Trump will again make the case that a wall along the 2,000 mile (3,200 kilometer) desert-scarred frontier would stem the flow of migrants from the south.

Yuma "was once one of the least secure border areas in America (and) is now one of the most secure areas because of these investments in border security," a senior administration official said ahead of Trump's trip.

Trump had insisted that Mexico will pay for the wall -- estimated to cost about $22 billion.

Having failed in that bid, he has turned to equally reticent Republicans in Congress to get US funding.

With his plan running into political quicksand, Trump needs to generate public pressure on reluctant lawmakers to support him.

A failure would be another setback for a president who has seen his message overshadowed by controversy and his agenda thwarted by legislative missteps.

A string of aides have departed the White House during Trump's seven months in office, including his chief of staff, two communications directors, a chief strategist and a press secretary.

Meanwhile, Republicans have become more vocal in their condemnation and polls show that Trump's approval rating stands at 35 percent -- a historical low level for a president in his first year in office.

The Trump campaign's own polling firm, Fabrizio Lee, recently reported that his approval fell 12 points among Republicans between June and August alone.

Trump will try to show that despite the setbacks, his administration has detained more migrants who arrived to the United States illegally.

In the first six months of this year, according to administration figures, immigration officials have arrested 91,000 people in the country illegally or who have violated their immigration status.

That is an increase of 44 percent in the same period the year before.

"An individual who crosses the border illegally and gets past the border patrol should no longer feel secure that they're immune from future enforcement," a senior administration official said.
Iranian armed forces chief of staff General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on August 16, 2017

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday denied claims by Turkey that the two countries were planning joint military operations against Kurdish rebels in Iraq.

"We have not planned any operations outside Iran's borders," said a statement from the Guards' regional ground forces headquarters published by the ISNA news agency.

"But as always we will strongly confront any group, team or person who wants to penetrate into Iran's territory for anti-security or terrorist operations," it added.

The statement came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a joint Turkish-Iranian operation against Kurdish militants was "always on the agenda".

A leading Turkish newspaper also claimed Iran made a "surprise proposal" to Ankara to jointly attack Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq during a rare visit by armed forces chief of staff General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri earlier this month.

Turkey has battled the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for decades, while the Iranian security forces have also fought its affiliate, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). Both groups have rear bases in neighbouring Iraq.

Despite denying that specific operations were planned, the Revolutionary Guards did threaten the possibility of cross-border attacks in the future.

"Although Iran has no plan to take widespread operational actions outside its borders, if any terrorist group... aims to take the slightest measure to create insecurity on our borders, they will be faced with our intensive and fierce response, and their remnants will be targeted wherever they are," the statement said.

Erdogan said on Monday that the two countries' military chiefs had discussed how to work against Kurdish militants.

"The work will continue because you know that the PKK terror organisation has a foot in Iran," he said.

"We believe that if the two countries cooperate, we can reach a conclusion in a much shorter period of time."

Tensions between Turkey and Iran -- both of which see themselves as historically powerful regional leaders -- have often been tense, and they currently back opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Bagheri's visit -- hailed as the first by an army chief of staff since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution -- was therefore seen as a key sign of warming ties.

"The actions of Turkey and Iran complement themselves. We reached good agreements to prevent terrorists passing from one side of the border to the other," Bagheri said during the visit.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said North Korea still needed to do more to allay tensions, but that he wanted to acknowledge what they had done so far

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged Tuesday that North Korea has shown a "level of restraint" in not conducting nuclear or missile tests since new UN sanctions were imposed.

And he expressed the hope that it was a sign of Pyongyang's readiness to enter peace and disarmament talks with Washington "sometime in the near future."

"I am pleased to see that the regime in Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that we've not seen in the past," Tillerson told reporters in Washington.

"We need to see more on their part, but I want to acknowledge the steps they've taken thus far. I think it's important to take note of that."

Tensions between North Korea and the United States and its allies soared last month after Pyongyang tested two long-range missiles that appeared to bring US cities within its range.

US President Donald Trump vowed to respond with "fire and fury," raising fears of a devastating regional conflict, and the UN Security Council scrambled to impose new sanctions on the North.

Kim Jong-Un's regime later postponed a threat to fire missiles towards the US Pacific island territory of Guam, and Washington said it was open to dialogue if Pyongyang were to take steps to calm tensions.

On Tuesday, Tillerson suggested that progress can now be made.

"I think it is worth noting that we have had no missile launches or provocative acts on the part of North Korea since the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution," he said.

"And I want to take note of that. I want to acknowledge it."

"We hope that this is the beginning of this signal that we've been looking for -- that they are ready to restrain their level of tensions, they're ready to restrain their provocative acts and that perhaps we are seeing our pathway to sometime in the near future having some dialogue."
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In military terms, Donald Trump's long-awaited and much-maligned new Afghanistan strategy looks very much like the old one. But, on the diplomatic front, he took a risk in confronting unruly, nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Washington has long been frustrated by Pakistan's provision of cross-border safe havens to some of the Taliban factions and armed Islamist groups fighting against US troops and their Afghan allies.

Trump's predecessor Barack Obama risked triggering a breakdown in the long US alliance with Islamabad when, without forewarning, he sent commandos into Pakistan in 2011 to kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

US President Donald Trump, who has unveiled his Afghanistan strategy, marked a dramatic increase in pressure on Pakistan

Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan (left) speaks with White House Advisor Ivanka Trump (centre) before US President Donald Trump announces his strategy for the war in Afghanistan

But, rhetorically at least, Trump's much anticipated national address on Monday, in which he laid out a new strategy to win the United States' longest war, marked a dramatic increase in pressure on Pakistan.

'We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting,' Trump said.

'That will have to change and that will change immediately.'

While Washington may hope that this motivates Islamabad to crack down on the groups that launch attacks into Afghanistan and Indian-administered Kashmir, it does not come without risk.

Pakistan holds the Muslim world's only known nuclear arsenal and its government is a sometimes shaky balancing act between elected civilians and a powerful military that maintains ties with the militants.

Harsh US measures could provoke Pakistan and, if the government feels its Cold War-vintage pact with America is under threat, it could turn towards China - the great rival of both India and America.

And, much more than the implied threat to cut military aid to Pakistan, Trump's request that India play a greater role in stabilizing Afghanistan will rattle New Delhi's most bitter and long-standing foe.

India's orbit

US troops at a base in Afghanistan

But, US experts agree, Pakistan is unlikely to step up its support for the Haqqani extremist group and the Afghan Taliban if that would mean the collapse of the Kabul government and driving out US troops.

Instead, despite some of his more vainglorious rhetoric, Trump's revamped strategy could lay the basis for dealing with Afghanistan as a long-term chronic problem rather than an imminent threat.

James Jeffrey, a fellow of the Washington Institute and former senior national security adviser to the George W. Bush White House, said: 'There's really no way to pressure Pakistan.'

Pakistan has made the decision that keeping Kabul out of India's orbit is more important that clamping down on cross-border militancy, and cutting aid would only be counterproductive, he argues.

After a strategy review finalized with top advisors at Camp David, Trump revealed what he called a 'path forward' and a 'dramatically' different approach

Beyond Afghanistan, the United States has an interest in preventing Pakistan from going to war with India or collapsing and allowing its government or nuclear weapons to fall into the hands of extremists.

And, while the US footprint is smaller now that it was at the height of the occupation, its forces still need access to Pakistani supply lines and airspace.

'There's really very little we can do,' Jeffrey said. 'To cut all aid or, even more dramatically, to start striking the Haqqani network and all that ... doesn't guarantee that they'll do what we say.'

But Pakistan also has no interest in driving the United States out, and Jeffrey sees Monday's speech as confirmation that Trump has come around to the idea of a strategy of 'long-term containment.'

'Other than the unfortunate reference to 'winning' there - that's something that nobody can promise because no one can achieve it -- I think that this is basically sensible strategy,' he said.

'Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win,' the president told soldiers at Fort Myer outside Washington

Stepping on toes

Sadanand Dhume, an Indian commentator and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, argued that Washington has many tools at its disposal to turn up the pressure on the Pakistanis - from cutting military aid, to stripping them of allied status or declaring them a state sponsor of terror.

But the biggest stick may be the outreach to India.

'The US have always encouraged Indian involvement in Afghanistan, but it was careful not to step on Pakistani toes,' he said.

US forces in Afghanistan

'What we're seeing now, is the US feeling it no longer needs to be that careful about Pakistani sensitivity,' he said, admitting that, after 16 years of war, it is hard not to be skeptical about Trump's chances of success.

Seth Jones, a former senior Pentagon official and now director of RAND Corporation's International Security and Defense Policy Center, sees room for a more stable future with a better balance of power.

'Pakistan certainly doesn't want Afghanistan to collapse and nor do they want an Afghan government that is strongly and closely tied to New Delhi,' he said.

'I think what they'd like is a relatively stable Afghanistan, and one whose government -- and some of the tribal and sub-tribal actors near the border -- have at least decent relations with Islamabad.'

And key to all of this, all experts agree, is that the US military remain in Afghanistan for the long haul.

How Pakistan fits into Trump's Afghan plans

In announcing his strategy for Afghanistan, US President Donald Trump lashed out at neighboring Pakistan, an ostensible US ally, ordering it to stop giving sanctuary to 'agents of chaos, violence and terror.'

His predecessors have aired similar complaints, and US officials and analysts have long accused Pakistan of playing a double-game with Islamic extremists -- supporting those that threaten its rivals in India and Afghanistan while cracking down on those who target its own citizens.

Pakistan has been at war with the Pakistani Taliban and homegrown extremists for years, but it has long tolerated the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, which are battling U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistan has also struggled to combat other forms of extremism. Blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death and has been known to incite mob lynchings. Around 1,000 women are murdered each year in so-called honor killings, and attacks on Shiites and other religious minorities are on the rise.

How did the US come to ally itself with Pakistan, and where do they go from here?

Fighters with Afghanistan's Taliban militia stand with their weapons in Ahmad Aba district on the outskirts of Gardez, the capital of Paktia province, on July 18

A longtime ally

The US backed Pakistan during the Cold War, and in the 1980s the CIA used it as a staging area for efforts to aid the Afghan Mujahedeen, who were then fighting to drive out Soviet troops. At the time, the U.S. viewed the Mujahedeen and Pakistan's president, Gen. Zia-ul Haq - a military dictator who promoted a harsh version of Islam - as allies.

The US renewed the alliance after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, as Pakistan again emerged as a key staging ground and supply route in the war to overthrow the Taliban and eliminate al-Qaida. The US has since given Pakistan billions of dollars in military aid.

A double game

Since the days of Zia and the Mujahideen, Pakistan's security apparatus has supported or turned a blind eye to extremist groups in Afghanistan and the disputed Kashmir region, viewing them as a weapon against India, its main rival.

Pakistan has long feared that Afghanistan would ally with India against it, and sees the Taliban as the best tool for thwarting such an alliance.

Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes at 9:03 a.m. on September 11, 2001 in New York City

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only three countries to recognize the Taliban when they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s.

That approach became increasingly problematic as the US waged its war on terror. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency is widely believed to maintain close ties to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

Their leaders live relatively freely in Pakistan - as long as they aren't seen as acting against Islamabad's political interests.

The ISI has long said it has limited influence over such groups, and uses it to pursue regional stability.

Bin Laden

Al-Qaida's top leaders, Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri, also found refuge in Pakistan after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, but they went into hiding. Whether Pakistan was ever able or willing to track them down remains the subject of heated debate.

US-Pakistan tensions came to a head in 2011 when American commandos killed Bin Laden in a secret raid in Abbottabad, just a few miles away from one of Pakistan's premier military academies.

Pakistan once again insisted it had no idea about his whereabouts, and expressed anger over the US carrying out the raid without giving it prior notice.

Shortly after the raid, Pakistan arrested a local doctor accused of running a fake vaccination program in order to gather DNA from Bin Laden, which he then allegedly passed on to the CIA.

Pakistan has refused US demands to release the man.

Power broker

Relations remained chilly in the following years, as the US repeatedly pushed Pakistan to do more to eliminate militant sanctuaries and trimmed military aid when it did not.

But Pakistan remains a major player in Afghanistan, and will need to be on board if Trump hopes to end America's longest war.

Pakistan has used its close ties to the Taliban to bring them to the peace table in the past and could do so again, but it will want to preserve its own interests, which appear to be in conflict with the US-backed Afghan government.

Kabul and Islamabad routinely accuse each other of turning a blind eye to Islamic militants operating along their porous border, and relations plunge with every deadly attack.

Limited options

Senior administration officials said ahead of Trump's speech that he was considering further cuts in aid to Pakistan unless it reins in the Taliban and the Haqqanis, but that approach has failed in the past.

Pakistan could respond by revoking US transit rights, shutting off the main supply route to US forces in Afghanistan.

Trump said he hoped to pursue closer ties with India, remarks that were sure to anger Pakistan.

But whether that would lead Islamabad to re-evaluate its ties to militant groups - or double down on its support for them - remains to be seen. A tougher US line might also push Pakistan into the arms of Russia, China and neighboring Iran.
Chevron Chairman and CEO John Watson, pictured in 2015, oversaw a number of massive development projects in far-flung corners of the world that accounted for a big jump in capital spending

Chevron chief executive John Watson plans to step down as the petroleum industry prepares for a period of lower oil prices, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

A transition would be announced next month. The leading front-runner to replace Watson is executive vice president Mike Wirth, but the plan has not been finalized and could still change, said the newspaper, citing unnamed sources.

A Chevron spokesman said he could not comment on the report.

If appointed, Wirth would be the latest head of a large oil company with extensive refining industry experience. That profile is expected to become more important in a period of lower oil prices that will constrain spending.

Appointed chief executive in 2010, Watson oversaw a number of massive development projects in far-flung corners of the world that accounted for a big jump in capital spending.

However, Chevron, like other oil companies slashed its capital budget following a two-year slump in oil prices due to oversupply. Chevron originally announced a 2017 capital budget of $19.8 billion, down 42 percent from 2015.
Louise Linton is pictured with her then-fiance Steven Mnuchin at his White House swearing-in ceremony as treasury secretary on February 13, 2017

The wife of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin apologized on Tuesday after she posted an Instagram photo and comments that were slammed as tone deaf and elitist.

Louise Linton, 36, who is also a Scottish actress, posted a photo to the social network on Monday night that showed her descending with Mnuchin from an official US government plane. She tagged her designer clothing and accessories, including Tom Ford sunglasses, an Hermes scarf and Valentino heels.

The husband and wife had just returned from a trip to Kentucky, where Mnuchin addressed the Louisville Chamber of Commerce and visited the US Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.

The Commerce Department estimates that about 18.5 percent of Kentuckians live in poverty.

A user, jennimiller29, left a comment accusing Linton of freeloading on the taxpayer's dime: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton was apparently unable to resist a lengthy rebuttal: "Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable!" she wrote. "Do you think the the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol."

Linton also said that by virtue of their wealth, she and Mnuchin contributed more to society than jennimiller29.

"Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country?" Linton wrote. "Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours."

"You're adorably out of touch."

By Tuesday morning, Linton's post had reportedly been removed from her Instagram account, which was no longer publicly accessible.

She also issued an apology through her publicist later in the day.

"I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive," Linton said in the statement given to AFP.

A Treasury Department spokesperson told AFP the couple were reimbursing the federal government for Linton's travel.

"She receives no compensation for the products she mentions," the spokesperson added.

A former Goldman Sachs executive, Hollywood producer and banker, Mnuchin is a prominently wealthy member of the Trump administration, one of the richest in recent memory.

Fortune magazine estimates Mnuchin's net worth is as high as $500 million.

During Senate confirmation, he faced awkward questions about previously undisclosed offshore investment firms and real estate holdings of about $100 million.

Linton posed earlier this year for the magazine Town and Country, exhibiting the lavish diamond and pearl jewelry she wore at her June wedding to Mnuchin.

The other Instagram user, identified by The New York Times as Jenni Miller, a 45-year-old mother of three from Oregon, told the paper Linton had gone on a "rant" to make herself appear "smarter, better, richer -- all those things."

"If she hadn't made her account private, I would have written back with a very snide Marie Antoinette joke," Miller said.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said North Korea still needed to do more to allay tensions, but that he wanted to acknowledge what they had done so far

The United States said Tuesday that talks with North Korea may be possible "in the near future" after Pyongyang reacted to tough new UN sanctions with a level of restraint.

But, in keeping with a "dual track" strategy of reaching out to the North diplomatically while increasing economic pressure, Washington also imposed new sanctions on Chinese and Russian firms suspected of doing business with Pyongyang.

Briefing reporters, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a point of acknowledging that Kim Jong-Un's regime has not carried out any new nuclear or ballistic missile tests since the UN Security Council imposed a new round of tougher sanctions last month.

"I am pleased to see that the regime in Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that we've not seen in the past," Tillerson said.

"We need to see more on their part, but I want to acknowledge the steps they've taken thus far. I think it's important to take note of that."

US officials told AFP that Tillerson was not thanking Pyongyang, nor making any concession on Washington's determination to halt Kim's missile program and negotiate the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

But they said he did want to note what the US administration sees as a lowering in immediate tensions, in the hope that the isolated authoritarian regime will see an opening that could lead to dialogue.

- 'Ready to restrain'? -

Tensions between North Korea and the United States and its allies soared last month after Pyongyang tested two long-range missiles that appeared to bring US cities within its range.

US President Donald Trump vowed to respond with "fire and fury," raising fears of a devastating regional conflict, and the UN Security Council scrambled to impose new punitive measures on the North.

Kim's regime later postponed a threat to fire missiles towards the US Pacific island territory of Guam, and Washington said it would be open to dialogue if Pyongyang were to take steps to calm tensions.

On Tuesday, Tillerson suggested that progress can now be made.

"I think it is worth noting that we have had no missile launches or provocative acts on the part of North Korea since the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution," he said.

"And I want to take note of that. I want to acknowledge it."

"We hope that this is the beginning of this signal that we've been looking for -- that they are ready to restrain their level of tensions, they're ready to restrain their provocative acts and that perhaps we are seeing our pathway to sometime in the near future having some dialogue."

Just before Tillerson alluded to the existence of a carrot to tempt North Korea, however, the US Treasury brandished its stick.

The agency slapped sanctions on 16 Chinese and Russian individuals and companies, accusing them of supporting North Korea's nuclear program and attempting to evade US sanctions.

The sanctions are part of a broader US effort to disrupt the funding of North Korea's weapons programs through its export of natural resources such as coal and minerals and foreign-based financial transactions undertaken for North Korean interests.

"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Trump has urged Beijing, North Korea's only major ally, to bring greater pressure to bear in reining in its neighbor's nuclear efforts, suggesting that the United States may offer concessions on trade in return.

But a spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in Washington told AFP "we strongly urge the US to immediately correct its mistake, so as not to impact bilateral cooperation on relevant issues."

"China opposes unilateral sanctions out of the UN Security Council framework, especially the 'long-arm jurisdiction' over Chinese entities and individuals exercised by any country in accordance with its domestic laws."

- Targets of sanctions -

The sanctions block those targeted from accessing much of the global financial system and freeze any assets they might hold in areas under US jurisdiction.

Among those hit was Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and his Moscow-based company Gefest-M LLC, which the Treasury accuses of procuring metals for a company involved in North Korea's nuclear weapons program known as Korean Tangun Trading Corp.

Also targeted is China's Dandong Rich Earth Trading, which the United States says has acted on behalf of North Korea's General Bureau of Atomic Energy -- responsible for the North's nuclear program -- and has facilitated prohibited North Korean exports of vanadium ore.

A third company, Mingzheng International Trading Limited, which maintains offices in Hong Kong and mainland China, is in fact a front for Foreign Trade Bank, North Korea's main foreign exchange bank, the Treasury said.

The Treasury also alleged that three Chinese companies -- Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Materials, JinHou International Holding and Dandong Tianfu Trade -- had collectively imported nearly a half billion dollars' worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.

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ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) - Abu Sayyaf militants killed nine people and wounded 16 others in an early morning attack Monday on a southern Philippine village which may have been in retaliation for a series of battle setbacks, officials said.

At least 20 Abu Sayyaf militants opened fire on villagers and burned five houses and a village hall in the attack on Tubigan village in Maluso town on Basilan island, military and police officials said. Among the dead were villagers and a militiaman.

Government militiamen were surprised by the dawn attack but later managed to put up resistance with extra troops and drive the attackers away after two hours of heavy fighting, the military said.

The militants fled and were being pursued by government forces.

The Abu Sayyaf "must have been hit hard by our operations over the weekend and opted to attack communities which they know are not supportive of them," Basilan military commander Col. Juvymax Uy said.

Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman condemned the attack, saying the militants wanted to divert the military's focus from an ongoing offensive by attacking even children, women and the elderly.

"They are cowards because they couldn't face their military adversaries," Hataman said.

The group has been blacklisted by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization for ransom kidnappings, beheadings, bombings and other violence.

Some Abu Sayyaf commanders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and were involved in a bloody siege in southern Marawi city which has left more than 750 people dead, mostly militants, and has dragged on for nearly three months.

President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the southern third of the largely Roman Catholic nation under martial law to deal with the Marawi crisis and prevent the Abu Sayyaf and other extremist groups from staging other major attacks elsewhere in the volatile region.

Troops pressed a monthslong offensive over the weekend, seizing two Abu Sayyaf camps where the militants made bombs near Akbar town in predominantly Muslim Basilan, the military said. Nine bombs and bomb materials were recovered by troops, it said.

Troops killed three militants and wounded five others in a gunbattle Sunday near Akbar.

Troops also rescued a Vietnamese kidnap victim, Do Trung Hieu, late Sunday on Mataja island in Basilan after nine months of captivity, Uy said.

The freed hostage was one of six Vietnamese crewmembers of a ship who were snatched by the ransom-seeking militants near Sibago island off Basilan in November 2016. One Vietnamese escaped from the Abu Sayyaf in June but two others were found beheaded last month in Basilan, the military said.

Abu Sayyaf gunmen are still holding 14 foreigners and four Filipino kidnap victims in their jungle hideouts, according to the military.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll on Hispanics and long-term care was conducted March 2-29 by NORC at the University of Chicago, with funding from the SCAN Foundation. It is based on online and telephone interviews of 1,341 adults age 40 and over, including 310 Hispanic adults, who are members of NORC's nationally representative AmeriSpeak panel.

The AmeriSpeak panel includes respondents originally selected randomly from NORC's National Frame based on address-based sampling and recruited by mail, email, telephone and face-to-face interviews.

NORC interviews participants over the phone if they don't have internet access. With a probability basis and coverage of people who can't access the internet, surveys using AmeriSpeak are nationally representative.

Interviews with AmeriSpeak panelists were conducted in English and Spanish.

As is done routinely in surveys, results were weighted, or adjusted, to ensure that responses accurately reflect the population's makeup by factors such as age, sex, education, census region and race. In addition, the weighting took into account patterns of nonresponse among panel members selected for the survey.

No more than 1 time in 20 should chance variations in the sample cause the results to vary by more than plus or minus 6.2 percentage points from the answers that would be obtained if all Hispanic adults 40 years old and older in the U.S. were polled, and plus or minus 2.2 percentage points for all adults.

There are other sources of potential error in polls, including the wording and order of questions.

The questions and results are available at http://www.longtermcarepoll.org/.
BOSTON (AP) - Thirty-three people taken into custody in Boston during a counterprotest of a small, conservative "free speech rally" over the weekend are headed to court this week.

The arrests - mostly for disorderly conduct - were made Saturday as an estimated 40,000 counterprotesters gathered in and around Boston Common. Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley says a "small number of people went beyond the bounds of safe behavior," during the events on the Common.

Arraignments are set for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court.

Police prepare to escort organizers from the bandstand on Boston Common after a "Free Speech" rally staged by conservative activists, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, in Boston. One of the planned speakers of a conservative activist rally that appeared to end shortly after it began says the event "fell apart." Dozens of rallygoers gathered Saturday on Boston Common, but then left less than an hour after the event was getting underway. Thousands of counterprotesters had also gathered. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Otherwise, Conley says marchers, protest organizers and police deserve praise for keeping the city peaceful and safe. He says Boston sent a strong message against bigotry and racism.

Organizers of the free speech rally say the event was mischaracterized and that it accomplished its purpose.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Yemen's foreign minister blamed Iran and its support for Houthi Shiite rebels on Monday for causing the country's civil war and said it can't be part of the solution.

Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi said at a press conference that Iranian weapons are still being smuggled into Yemen.

Saudi Arabia's U.N. ambassador, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, whose country supports Yemen's internationally recognized government, said Iran isn't a neighbor or part of the Arabian Peninsula and he had a more direct message: "Iran should get the hell out of the area, period."

The Saudi and Yemeni officials spoke to reporters after a presentation to U.N. diplomats on the path to peace and humanitarian aid to Yemen.

Yemen, which is on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been engulfed in civil war since September 2014, when the Houthis swept into the capital of Sanaa and overthrew President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi's internationally recognized government.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition began a campaign in support of Hadi's government and against Houthi forces allied with ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since then, the Iranian-backed Houthis have been dislodged from most of the south, but remain in control of Sanaa and much of the north.

The war in Yemen has killed over 10,000 civilians and displaced 3 million people. U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said Friday that 17 million Yemenis don't know where their next meal is coming from, nearly 7 million are facing the threat of famine and almost 16 million lack access to clean water and sanitation. The World Health Organization said last week that 2,000 people have been killed and an estimated 500,000 infected in a cholera outbreak.

Al-Mekhlafi said that "the Yemeni government ... will not be an obstruction to peace." But he said the Houthis and Saleh "cannot monopolize power."

The two diplomats reiterated Yemeni and Saudi support for a proposal by U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to reopen Sanaa airport for commercial flights and to hand over the port of Hodeida to a committee of "respected Yemeni security and economic figures" that would use the port revenues to pay civil servants.

The Houthis have not accepted the proposal, but Cheikh Ahmed said Friday he hopes their leaders will accept his invitation to meet in a third country to discuss the proposals.

The Saudi ambassador warned diplomats to beware of three "fallacies" about Yemen.

First, Al-Mouallimi said, supporting a cessation of hostilities "actually means the de facto partition of Yemen and the consolidation of a reactionary movement that is tied with Iran in the north part of Yemen and a weak Yemeni state in the southern part of Yemen."

"This is no recipe for sustainable peace," he said, stressing that any cease-fire has to be linked to implementation of a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution demanding that the Houthis withdraw from all areas they captured, hand over arms seized from military and security institutions, and stop all actions falling within the authority of the legitimate government.

Al-Mouallimi said the second fallacy "is that we must all sit around the table and talk." He said there have been talks "everywhere," including Geneva, Kuwait, Moscow and Saudi Arabia. Yemen's recognized government has shown willingness to move forward with a political settlement, Al-Mouallimi said, while the Houthis have rejected Cheikh Ahmed's proposal and refused to meet him.

The third fallacy, he said, is that people often seem to think that "a disastrous humanitarian situation, a catastrophic spread of cholera" afflict all of Yemen. But "all of that is concentrated in one part of Yemen which is controlled by the Houthis," he said. Al-Mouallimi said the entire world, especially Saudi Arabia, is ready to provide aid but he said the Houthis are unable or "sometimes maybe unwilling" to manage and distribute aid.

Looking ahead, Yemen's foreign minister predicted that "in the end," the parties will get to the place where they started - when the end of a national dialogue in January 2014 all political parties agreed on a road map for a political transition.

But unfortunately, to get there Yemenis will have "paid a high price for peace," Al-Mekhlafi said.
HOUSTON (AP) - A Houston man who's previously been convicted on explosives-related charges has been arrested after allegedly being caught trying to plant explosives on a Confederate statue at a Houston park, authorities said Monday.

Prosecutors allege 25-year-old Andrew Schneck was caught on Saturday evening near a statue of Richard Dowling, a lieutenant in the Confederate army. A Houston park ranger found Schneck holding two boxes with duct tape and wires as well as a bottle and a small tube containing compounds that tests later revealed were explosive materials, according to a criminal complaint.

Schneck's arrest comes after events in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a white supremacist rally over the removal of a Confederate statue resulted in three deaths, and the removals of other statues nationwide, including at Duke University and late Sunday evening at the University of Texas at Austin.

Houston firefighters arrive a the scene of a "law enforcement operation" led by the FBI in Houston. Andrew Schneck of Houston was arrested Saturday night, Aug. 19, after a Houston park ranger spotted him kneeling in bushes in front of the statue of Confederate officer Richard Dowling in Hermann Park. He has been charged with trying to plant explosives at the statue of Confederate officer Richard Dowling in the park, federal officials said Monday. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Schneck was charged with attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property receiving federal financial assistance. He made his initial court appearance on Monday and was to remain in federal custody until a detention hearing on Thursday.

Philip Hilder, Schneck's attorney, declined to comment Monday.

Schneck had been arrested in 2014 on a charge of improperly storing explosive materials at his Houston home. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation. According to court documents, Schneck has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

In November, a federal judge approved a request by Schneck's attorneys for early termination of his sentence. In his motion, Hilder had written that Schneck "is not a risk to public safety" and that "his focus is no longer concentrated on high-risk activities."

Investigators were still determining a motive for Saturday's attempted bombing but there are "no indications of any additional threats to the Houston area," said Deron Ogletree, assistant special agent in charge with the FBI's Houston office.

The statue in Houston, located in Hermann Park, is of Richard W. "Dick" Dowling, an Ireland-born Houston saloon owner. His Confederate unit defeated a Union invasion force at the Battle of Sabine Pass in 1863. Dowling was hailed as a war hero in Houston, and the end of the war saw him resume his successful business career until his death in 1867.

"When asked by (the park ranger) if he wanted to harm the statue, Schneck responded that he did, and that he (Schneck) did not 'like that guy,'" according to the criminal complaint.

Authorities allege that Schneck was caught with a plastic bottle with what is likely nitroglycerin, an active ingredient in the manufacture of explosives, and with a small aluminum tube that contained a white powder that tests showed was Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, which is used as an initiating or primary explosive. When he was confronted by the park ranger, Schneck tried to drink the bottle that had the nitroglycerin but spit out the liquid and then poured it out on the ground.

The Houston police bomb squad said a timer, wires connected to a homemade detonator, battery and the Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine found in Schneck's possession "were capable to produce a viable explosive device," according to the criminal complaint.

Schneck told police he had other chemicals at his Houston home. On Monday, houses located near Schneck's home were evacuated as authorities worked to dispose of materials found in his home, where he lives with this mother.

The materials were disposed of during a small controlled detonation at the home Monday afternoon, said Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Pena.

Authorities declined to specify what materials they found in the home, citing the ongoing investigation.

Schneck's mother told authorities that her son uses one of their properties "to conduct his chemistry experiments," according to the criminal complaint.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had previously announced the city had begun compiling an inventory of its Confederacy-related statues to determine if any action should be taken with regard to them.

"I'm going to ask everybody in this city to remain calm. I understand everybody has a First Amendment right. But you do not have a First Amendment Right to deface any of the public art, any of the statues, the monuments that exist in this city," Turner said.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/juanlozano70

FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Houston Police work at the scene of a "law enforcement operation" led by the FBI on the 2000 block of Albans Road Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, in Houston. Andrew Schneck of Houston was arrested Saturday night, Aug. 19, after a Houston park ranger spotted him kneeling in bushes in front of the statue of Confederate officer Richard Dowling in Hermann Park. He has been charged with trying to plant explosives at the statue of Confederate officer Richard Dowling in the park, federal officials said Monday. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Once upon a time they were falling in love. A South Carolina couple has welcomed a baby girl whom they named for the celestial event that had millions across the country on the edge of their seats.

Freedom Eubanks told The Greenville News she feared the labor pains she felt Monday were another false alarm, but the contractions grew stronger and she knew her baby was on the way. Her only concern: was the baby coming right away or on Tuesday?

On their way to Greenville Memorial Hospital, Eubanks and her husband, Michael, decided that if their daughter arrived on the day of the eclipse, then that would be her name.

Baby Eclipse was born at 8:04 a.m., weighing 6-pound, 3-ounces and with a full head of hair.

___

Information from: The Greenville News, http://www.greenvillenews.com
BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) - Two members of the Kennedy family have been arrested in Massachusetts following complaints about a loud party and fireworks.

Barnstable police say officers responded to a home near the family compound in Hyannis Port early Sunday morning on noise complaints.

Police say 52-year-old Matthew "Max" Kennedy and his daughter, 22-year-old Caroline Kennedy, were taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct and violating the town's noise law. They both were later released on their own recognizance.

FILE- In this Sept. 20, 2016, file photo, Matthew "Max" Kennedy, a son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, attends a ceremony to name the Robert Kennedy Navy Ship at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston. Police say 52-year-old Matthew Kennedy and his daughter, 22-year-old Caroline Kennedy, were taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct and violating the town's noise law, following complaints about a loud party and fireworks on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Matthew Kennedy pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday in Barnstable District Court. Caroline Kennedy will be arraigned at a later date. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney who could comment on the charges.

Matthew Kennedy is an author and the ninth child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Latest on House Speaker Paul Ryan town hall (all times local):

8:50 p.m.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan says he will not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments following the white supremacist march in Virginia.

FILE - In this July 25, 2017 file photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Ryan says the nation's leaders "have an obligation" to steer the country past "the passions of the moment." His remarks come after President Donald Trump drew bipartisan criticism for saying "both sides" were responsible for this month's deadly clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Ryan was asked at a town hall Monday night in his Wisconsin congressional district whether he would back the resolution. The question came from Rabbi Dena Feingold, the sister of former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who grew up in the same city as Ryan.

Ryan says censuring Trump would be "so counterproductive" and "descend this issue into some partisan hackfest."

Ryan says Trump "messed up" when he said that there were "fine people" on both sides of the Virginia march, but believes Trump has clarified his remarks.

Ryan says, "You're not a good person if you're there, it's so very clear."

___

8:40 p.m.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan says he is pleased with President Donald Trump's strategy for Afghanistan that he outlined in an address to the nation.

Ryan spoke about the president's comments Monday night at the outset of a town hall meeting in his Wisconsin congressional district.

Ryan says previous strategies in Afghanistan were "convoluted" and what Trump outlined was a "more comprehensive strategy."

Ryan says he's pleased that Trump is moving away from having a timetable for withdrawing from Afghanistan and wants to prevent creating a safe haven for terrorists. Ryan says "we can't afford to allow that to happen again."

Ryan's town hall is being broadcast nationwide from Racine, Wisconsin, on CNN.

___

10:45 a.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan will be taking questions from Wisconsin voters in a nationally televised town hall meeting immediately following President Donald Trump's address on Afghanistan.

Ryan had scheduled the event from his congressional district to be broadcast on CNN before Trump announced his speech to start at the same time. Ryan now will begin his event after the president talks.

CNN extended invitations to people from Ryan's district and selected which questions will be asked. That has led to criticism from Democrats who say Ryan has been hiding from Wisconsin voters since he hasn't held a town hall open to everyone since October 2015.

The event is in Racine, near where global electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group has said it plans to build a factory that could employ thousands.
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AP) - As North Korea vowed "merciless retaliation" against U.S.-South Korean military drills that it claims are an invasion rehearsal, senior U.S. military commanders on Tuesday dismissed calls to pause or downsize exercises they called crucial to countering a clear threat from Pyongyang.

The heated North Korean rhetoric, along with occasional weapons tests, is standard fare during the spring and summer war games by allies Seoul and Washington, but always uneasy ties between the Koreas are worse than normal this year following weeks of tit-for-tat threats between President Donald Trump and Pyongyang in the wake of the North's two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

There have been calls in both the United States and South Korea to postpone or modify the drills in an attempt to ease hostility on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's threat to lob missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam. But a visiting group of senior U.S. military commanders, including Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the drills are critical for the allies to maintain readiness against an aggressive North Korea.

United States Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks, right, speaks to the media during a press conference as U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris Jr., rear right, Commander of the U.S. 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Brigadier Gen. Sean Gainey, left, Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves, director of the United States Missile Defense Agency, second from left, Gen. John Hyten, commander of the United States Strategic Command, third from left, listen in front of PAC-3 launching station at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool)

"A strong diplomatic effort backed by a strong military effort is key because credible combat power should be in support of diplomacy and not the other way around," Harris said during a news conference at the Osan Air Base in South Korea.

Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said the allies should continue the war games until they "have reason not to." ''That reason has not yet emerged," he said.

The U.S. military officials later traveled to the site of a contentious U.S. missile-defense system in South Korea later Tuesday.

North Korea's military said in a statement that it would launch an unspecified "merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment" on the United States over the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills that began Monday for an 11-day run.

Despite the threat, an unprompted direct attack is extremely unlikely because the United States vastly outguns Pyongyang, which values the continuation of its dictatorship above all else. Impoverished North Korea hates the annual drills in part because they force it to respond with expensive military measures of its own.

The North Korean statement accused the United States of deploying unspecified "lethal" weapons for the drills that it says involve a "beheading operation" training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong Un.

"No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch in the Korean Peninsula," the statement said. "Moreover, high-ranking bosses of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces flew into South Korea to hold a war confab. Such huddle is increasing the gravity of the situation."

Sen. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who visited Seoul with other lawmakers, said Tuesday that dialogue would be the best way to defuse the North Korean nuclear standoff, though he argued that the United States and its allies must be ready to respond to potential aggression by North Korea with "overwhelming force."

"Talking with North Korea is not a concession; it is the only way to reach an agreement to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and to reinforce that our military strength is there only to deter aggression and to defend against attack," Markey told a news conference.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono offered a different view, saying pressure, not talks, is needed to push North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. He said Pyongyang had used dialogue in the past to buy time.

The Ulchi drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer, and this year's exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers. No field training like live-fire exercises or tank maneuvering is involved in the drills, in which alliance officers sit at computers to practice how they would engage in battles and hone their decision-making capabilities. The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.

___

Hyung-jin Kim reported from Seoul. AP journalists Kim Tong-hyung and Chang Yong-jun in Seoul and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.

U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris Jr., front, answers questions during a press conference as Commander of the U.S. 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Brigadier Gen. Sean Gainey, left, Lt. Gen. Samuel A. Greaves, director of the United States Missile Defense Agency, second from left, Gen. John Hyten, commander of the United States Strategic Command, third from left, United States Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks, second from right, and deputy Commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Force Command Gen. Kim Byeong-joo, right, stand in front of two PAC-3 launching station at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool)

U.S. Pacific Command Commander Adm. Harry Harris Jr., front, answers questions during a press conference as United States Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks, rear left, and deputy Commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Force Command Gen. Kim Byeong-joo, rear right, listen in front of PAC-3 launching station at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, Pool)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A one-car commuter train crashed into a parked train at a suburban Philadelphia terminal early Tuesday, buckling the floors of both cars and injuring more than 30 passengers, authorities said.

None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, said Heather Redfern, a spokeswoman for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

"Some were considered walking wounded," she said.

In this frame from video, a person is pulled away from the scene of a train crash in Upper Darby, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. A commuter train crashed into a parked train at the suburban Philadelphia terminal early Tuesday morning, injuring dozens of passengers, a transit spokeswoman said. (WPVI via AP)

The train operator, who was treated at a hospital and released midday, submitted samples for drug and alcohol tests, said Ruben Payan, lead investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. He said the NTSB also had asked to interview the operator Wednesday, along with the operator of a train on adjacent tracks and transit supervisors.

The Norristown High Speed train crashed into the unoccupied train car at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby around 12:15 a.m., tossing passengers from their seats.

"I heard the train going real fast ... like, super-fast," passenger Raymond Woodard told WPVI-TV Woodard. "And I looked up, and I saw that we're at 69th Street and said, 'Why are we going so fast?' And then we just hit the train. Boom! I fell out of my chair, glass from the window shattered, I hit my head. Everybody was on the floor."

Neither train car derailed, and Payan said damage overall did not appear to be major. But he said investigators wouldn't know for sure until the two cars could be inspected in a shop.

He said it could take up to a year to produce a final report on the cause and safety recommendations.

"We haven't ruled anything out right now," Payan said, adding that video recovered from both cars will be reviewed.

The transit agency had put the number of injured at 42. But the NTSB said the total number of injured was 33 - 32 passengers and the train operator.

In February, four people were injured in a crash near the 69th Street Terminal involving three out-of-service commuter trains. At the time, SEPTA said one train rear-ended another on a loop where trains turn around to get back into service. Cars from that accident derailed and hit a third train on nearby tracks.

Police tape blocks off a train track at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, Pa., after a train collision early Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, injuring dozens of passengers. A regional rail train crashed into a parked train at the suburban Philadelphia terminal, a regional rail spokeswoman said. (AP Photo/Anthony Izaguirre)
Global reaction to President Donald Trump's speech on the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan:

Afghanistan's chief executive is welcoming President Trump's strategy for Afghanistan, calling it a unique opportunity to fight terrorists in the region and insisting that it renews the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan and its people.

Abdullah Abdullah, the country's second most powerful official behind the president, said during a news conference Tuesday that the U.S. strategy marks a unique opportunity to achieve peaceful objectives in the region.

President Donald Trump applauds as he walks off the dais after speaking at Fort Myer in Arlington Va., Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, during a Presidential Address to the Nation about a strategy he believes will best position the U.S. to eventually declare victory in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

"The regional aspect of this strategy is very clear. It shows that the problem was very well identified," he said.

Abdullah noted that the strategy seeks clear measures against safe havens for extremist fighters.

He thanked President Trump for the strategy and said the Afghan National Unity government is committed to reforms, fighting corruption and strengthening its security forces.

___

China is defending its close ally Pakistan following comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that the country was not doing enough to shut down safe havens for terror groups operating out of its territory.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Tuesday said Pakistan lies on the front line of the anti-terrorism struggle and has made "great sacrifices" in battling insurgents who pose a threat to the region and the world.

In his speech Monday, Trump said the U.S. "can no longer be silent" about terrorist safe havens in Pakistan and that the country gives sanctuary to "agents of chaos, violence and terror."

China and Pakistan have close economic, political and security ties dating back decades, based partly on their shared distrust of India, with which both have disputed borders.

___

NATO's chief is welcoming Trump's new strategy on Afghanistan and says the U.S.-led military alliance remains committed to the conflict-torn country.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Trump's "conditions-based approach," as the president moves to a troop presence based on needs rather than timelines.

More than 12,000 troops from NATO and partner countries have been helping to "train, advise and assist" Afghan security forces since January 2015, after the alliance wound down combat operations there.

While Washington is expected to seek more troops from its allies, Stoltenberg said that "NATO allies and partners have already committed to increasing our presence in Afghanistan."

He said "our aim remains to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who would attack our own countries."

___

India has welcomed Trump's demand that Pakistan stop offering safe havens to terror groups operating out of its territory, a long-standing complaint that New Delhi has held against Islamabad.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that it welcomed Trump's "determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges faced by Afghanistan and in confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists."

Without naming rival Pakistan, the ministry said, "India shares these concerns and objectives."

India, the largest regional provider of reconstruction aid to Afghanistan, totaling more than $2 billion, also reaffirmed its policy of extending assistance to the country.

"We are committed to supporting the Government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country," said the statement, issued hours after Trump's speech.

___

An Australian military analyst says Trump's speech set a "fairly low bar" in terms of success.

Military strategist David Kilcullen told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that Trump isn't seeking to promote democracy or counter corruption, but simply noted military outcomes he is trying to achieve. Kilcullen said: "I think this is carefully shrouded in triumphalist rhetoric but it is actually quite a modest set of strategic goals."

Kilcullen said Trump's speech sounded as if it had been written by military officers working in the White House. Trump offered few specifics, such as whether more troops would be sent to Afghanistan. The president said the U.S. would shift away from a "time-based" approach, instead linking its assistance to results on the ground.

Kilcullen said Trump's speech focused on fighting terrorism, rather than fighting an insurgency, and that will require more use of lethal force and a restrained approach to nation-building and economic development.

___

A Taliban spokesman dismissed Trump's remarks on Afghanistan.

Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press, "The whole speech was old." He said the Taliban will come out with a more detailed response, but he is initially calling Trump's policy outline "unclear."

Last week the Taliban issued a 1,600-word open letter to Trump warning against a troop surge, saying it would prolong what is already the United States' longest war. Trump steered clear of discussing troop numbers, but said U.S. forces are in Afghanistan to win.

The Taliban have also said they aren't ready for any peace talks, at least not until the U.S. and NATO give a time frame for withdrawal - something Trump says isn't going to happen.
LONDON (AP) - Ford is offering car buyers in Britain a 2,000-pound ($2,570) incentive to trade in older vehicles for newer, less polluting models.

The offer announced Tuesday is available to new car buyers who trade in vehicles registered before Dec. 31, 2009. The cars will then be taken off the road and scrapped.

The move comes amid pressure from governments to reduce air pollution and end the sale of the most polluting types of diesel engines. Automakers are also rushing to adapt to new technology, such as electric cars, in part to address air quality concerns.

Andy Barratt, managing director of Ford in Britain, said that removing the most polluting vehicles would have an immediate and positive effect on air quality.

"We will ensure that all trade-in vehicles are scrapped," Barratt said. "Acting together we can take hundreds of thousands of the dirtiest cars off our roads and out of our cities."

Replacing old gasoline and diesel cars alone could save 15 million tons of CO2 annually, the company said.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Poland's Defense Ministry is starting a new program to boost the nation's defenses by offering military training to university student volunteers.

Poland has been making efforts to increase its defense capabilities amid security concerns raised in the region by Russia's military activity. It is upgrading its military equipment, some of which dates back to communist-era, and increasing its manpower, which was scaled back since the 1989 ouster of the communist regime.

"Poland's armed forces are faced with this very serious task of rebuilding their personnel reserves," Deputy Defense Minister Michal Dworczyk said on the ministry's website.

File- In this Nov. 6, 2016 file photo members of new military structure, the Territorial Defense Force, practice at a military test range in Minsk Mazowiecki, central Poland. Poland has been making efforts to increase its defense capabilities amid security concerns raised in the region by Russia's military activity. It is upgrading its military equipment and increasing its manpower. Defense and higher education officials signed an agreement Monday aug. 21, 2017, just weeks before neighboring Belarus and Russia hold a major military exercise in Belarus.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Dworczyk and education officials signed an agreement Monday, just weeks before neighboring Belarus and Russia hold a major military exercise in Belarus that is to involve over 12,000 troops.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is to visit alliance troops this week that are based in northeastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. NATO and U.S. troops were deployed to Poland earlier this year in response to Warsaw's concerns over Russia.

Poland's latest defense project aims to put some 10,000 volunteers through theoretical and practical training this academic year, increasing Poland's reserve military force.

Poland has also launched a new volunteer military structure, the Territorial Defense Force, which is to number some 53,000 in 2019.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - China recently deployed navy and coast guard ships in a cluster of uninhabited sandbars in the disputed South China Sea amid concerns that the Philippines may build structures on them, two Filipino security officials said Tuesday. The government, however, said the issue was quickly resolved amid the Asian neighbors' friendlier ties.

Two senior Philippine security officials told The Associated Press that three Chinese navy ships, a coast guard vessel and 10 fishing boats began keeping watch on Sandy Cay on Aug. 12 after a group of Filipino fishermen were spotted on the sandbars. The Filipinos eventually left but the Chinese stayed on.

The two spoke on condition of anonymity, saying only the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila has been authorized to publicly discuss issues related to the country's territorial disputes with China. The foreign affairs department, however, has refused to divulge details of the situation at Sandy Cay, a cluster of three sandbars.

In this Friday, April 21, 2017 photo, engineers from NAMRIA, the central mapping agency of the Philippine Government, survey the area around the Philippine-claimed Thitu Island with a sandbar sitting on the horizon off the disputed South China Sea in western Philippines. On Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, two Filipino security officials said China has deployed its navy and coast guard ships in a cluster of uninhabited sandbars in the disputed South China Sea amid concerns that the Philippines may build structures on them in an emerging territorial issue that the government stated was quickly resolved. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

A senior Philippine diplomat, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the issue publicly, said China "is concerned that we will build" structures on the sandbars. Chinese and Philippine officials have quietly worked to resolve the issue in recent days, said the diplomat, who is involved in the talks.

A government security report seen by the AP says three Chinese navy ships, a Chinese coast guard ship and 10 Chinese fishing vessels took positions off Sandy Cay. Its nearest sandbar is about 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 kilometers) from Philippine-occupied Thitu Island.

On Aug. 15, a blue Chinese helicopter flew low off Thitu's southwest coast, the report said.

Philippine troops and villagers based at Thitu call it Pag-asa -Tagalog for hope - while the Chinese call the island Zhongye Dao.

The Chinese military presence near Thitu sparked concerns in Manila.

Philippine Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who has studied the disputes extensively, said the Chinese navy ships and other vessels encroached in the Philippine island's 12-nautical mile (22-kilometer) territorial waters.

"In short, Sandy Cay is a Philippine land territory that is being seized, to put it mildly, or being invaded, to put it frankly, by China," Carpio said in a statement over the weekend.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte and Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano have the constitutional duty to defend and protect Philippine territory.

"The very least that they could do now is to vigorously protest this invasion of Philippine territory by China," Carpio said. "If both are courageous, they should send a Philippine navy ship to guard Sandy Cay and if the Chinese navy ships attack the Philippine navy vessel, they should invoke the Philippine-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty."

The 1951 treaty binds the allies to come to the aid of each other when attacked.

Cayetano, however, told reporters Tuesday that the issue has been diplomatically resolved and denied that China has invaded Sandy Cay.

"Let me assure you, there is no more problem in that area," Cayetano told reporters, declining to provide details. "But it is not true that there was an attempt to invade or seize it."

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said people with ulterior motives were seeking to "stir up conflicts between China and the Philippines."

She offered no further details on China's activities in the area. "What I want to stress is that China has been committed to resolving relevant disputes peacefully through negotiation and consultation with the sovereign states directly concerned," Hua said.

Much-friendlier ties between Manila and Beijing under Duterte have allowed both governments to manage their disputes better. Since he took office in June last year, Duterte has courted Chinese trade and assistance and taken a non-confrontational approach to their territorial disputes.

Despite such tact, Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez said the Duterte administration would never trade the national interest for economic concessions.

"If our relationship with our neighbors isn't this good, the situation in the West Philippine Sea will be much, much worse," Cayetano said, using the Philippine name for the South China Sea.

Duterte told reporters over dinner Monday that he has been assured by China's ambassador in Manila, Zhao Jianhua, and the Chinese foreign ministry that Beijing has no plans to occupy or build structures on Sandy Cay.

One of the Philippine security officials said the military has been monitoring the Chinese presence at Sandy Cay but added it was difficult to check if Beijing's ships were still there due to recent bad weather in the remote offshore region.

___

Associated Press writers Teresa Cerojano in Manila and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.

A man walks past a map of the Philippines and it's archipelagic waters during a budget meeting in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. Two Filipino security officials say China has deployed its navy and coast guard ships in a cluster of uninhabited sandbars in the disputed South China Sea amid concerns that the Philippines may build structures on them in an emerging territorial issue that the government stated was quickly resolved. The Chinese presence sparked concerns in Manila but Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said without elaborating that the issue has been resolved. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
MORGANTON, N.C. (AP) - A sheriff's deputy in North Carolina has shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at the officer.

Burke County Sheriff Steve Whisenant told reporters an officer had responded to a domestic dispute between a man and woman in Morganton around 7 p.m. Monday.

Whisenant said the deputy fired one shot when the suspect pointed a gun at him.

No one else was hurt.

Whisenant said in a news release Tuesday the man was 42-year-old Jeffrey Andrew Jacobs, who was white. The sheriff has not released the deputy's name or race.

Witnesses said the officer had repeatedly ordered Jacobs to put down the gun.

Whisenant said the State Bureau of Investigation is handling the case.

Morganton is about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of Charlotte.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The Palestinians are hoping for some clear answers on key disputes with Israel from U.S. envoy Jared Kushner when he returns to the region this week, a top Palestinian official said Tuesday.

The Palestinians have shown increasing signs of impatience in recent days, saying that after more than six months in office, President Donald Trump still has not laid out a vision for Mideast peace.

Ahmad Majdalani, a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinians asked Kushner for the U.S. position on two key issues - Israeli settlements and support for Palestinian independence - during his last visit to the region in June.

"Since then we didn't hear from them," he said Tuesday.

"We hope they bring clear answers this time," he added. "If not, then the peace process cannot be resumed because we cannot negotiate from scratch."

The Palestinians are seeking a freeze in Israeli settlement construction and a U.S. endorsement of Palestinian independence as part of a "two-state solution" with Israel.

The Palestinians say that continued Israeli construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem - captured territories sought by the Palestinians for their state - undermines their dream of independence.

Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, is expected to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday as he tries to restart talks. The last round broke down over three years ago. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had no comment on the upcoming visit, and there was no immediate reaction from a Kushner spokesman.

Trump has cast the elusive pursuit of peace between Israelis and Palestinians as the "ultimate deal." But he has given few indications of how he plans to reach it.

With his administration still coping with the fallout from his handling of the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Netanyahu facing a growing police investigation into possible bribery and corruption, the odds of any major breakthroughs on this trip seem low.

Trump has not explicitly endorsed the two-state solution, the cornerstone of U.S. policy for nearly two decades and the international community's preferred outcome. He has urged Israel to show restraint in settlement construction, but not demanded a freeze, disappointing the Palestinians.

Trump also has backed away from a campaign pledge to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel had welcomed the promise, while the Palestinians strongly opposed it.

Israel claims east Jerusalem, home to sensitive religious sites, as part of its capital. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, as the capital of their future state.
WASHINGTON (AP) - It was dragons vs. zombies in fiery combat during this week's "Game of Thrones," a battle that likely provides just a hint of what lies ahead in HBO's hit series.

Yet the epic scene also raised an economic question: Can the White Walkers' command-and-control economy defeat their disorganized, squabbling Westerosi opponents?

The Associated Press' economics team explores this question, as well as the growing rivalry between sisters Sansa and Arya Stark, in the latest episode of our audio series, "The Wealth of Westeros." We were joined by Carolyne Larrington , a professor of medieval English literature at Oxford.

This photo provided by HBO shows a scene from the sixth episode of the seventh season of HBO's "Game of Thrones." Dragons fought zombies in a thunderous battle on "Game of Thrones" on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, a showdown that provides just a hint of what likely lies ahead in the show's final season. Yet the battle also raised an economic question: Can the White Walkers' command and control economy defeat their disorganized, squabbling Westerosi opponents? (Courtesy of HBO via AP)

The icy, humanoid White Walkers have mobilized a fearsome, unthinking army of zombies against the population of Westeros, the Europe-like continent where the show mostly takes place. Their top-down, centralized approach can be intimidating from a military perspective. It can also help an economy accelerate temporarily, as the Soviet Union's did after World War II.

But this week's episode provides clues about the shortcomings of this approach. When a White Walker is killed by Jon Snow, all the zombies created by that White Walker also die off.

In other words, in a system with no individual autonomy or decision-making, the White Walker army is useless without its leaders.

By contrast, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and their compatriots bicker incessantly about strategy, but their less-centralized approach allows individuals like Snow to take risks and make their own decisions. Historically, economies that allow entrepreneurs to do the same have provided greater prosperity than those run from the top down.

Some other highlights from this week's show:

- SISTERLY RIVALRY GETS OUT OF HAND

One surprise this season has been the growing suspicion and ill-will between Sansa and Arya Stark. Both have suffered terribly after their mother and oldest brother were killed at the infamous "Red Wedding," and the scars they bear seem to be pushing them further apart.

This week, Arya attacks Sansa for a letter she wrote - against her will - years earlier, urging her older brother, Robb, to pledge his loyalty to the spoiled, evil King Joffrey.

Larrington, who wrote a book titled "Brothers and Sisters in Medieval European Literature," as well as "Winter Is Coming: the Medieval World of Game of Thrones," said the conflict is unusual for its time, because it doesn't involves a romantic rivalry.

"When sisters fall out in traditional stories like this, it's usually over a man," she said. "They both want the same man," but that's not true in this case.

"It's not like they both want Littlefinger, I mean God forbid," Larrington added. "They're not going to predestined paths like most medieval women would have done, which is getting married at quite a young age. They are actually fighting for power, fighting for self-determination, and it has cost both of them quite a lot."

WINTER IS COMING - AND SO IS CLIMATE CHANGE?

The show's catchphrase, "Winter Is Coming," refers to both the harsh, extended winters that can last for years in Westeros as well as the White Walker invasion. It's long been seen as a metaphor for climate change.

Just like climate change, the threat is two-fold: The people of Westeros have to figure out how to defeat the White Walkers, and also how to convince many of their compatriots that the threat is real.

In "Game of Thrones," the White Walkers haven't appeared for thousands of years, so it's not surprising that many characters on the show regard them as myths.

But even with all our advances in science and communications, it's still difficult to achieve consensus in the United States - and globally - on whether global warming constitutes a serious threat.

DRAGON V. DRAGON

The White Walkers now have their own zombie dragon, after killing one of Daenerys's dragons and capturing its corpse. This raises an interesting question of military strategy that has been studied by economists who specialize in game theory: Now that both sides have weapons of mass destruction, will they hold back from using them, as modern nuclear powers have done? Or will it increase the incentives for one side to strike first?

This is "Game of Thrones" we're talking about, so the safe answer is the latter one.
GENEVA (AP) - North Korea's envoy to U.N. disarmament talks says "military threats and pressure" from the United States are only serving to drive his country to further develop a nuclear deterrence.

Diplomat Ju Yong Chol said Tuesday that other countries which spoke at a Conference on Disarmament session against Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and missile tests had been siding with the "hostile" U.S. position.

Ju accused Washington of attempting to "shift the blame for the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula to DPRK."

U.S. ambassador Robert Wood warned that North Korea's ballistic-missile and nuclear-weapons programs "pose grave threats to the entire world" and said its recent intercontinental ballistic missile tests had showed "dangerous and reckless behavior of the North" was destabilizing the region and beyond.

Wood said the "path to dialogue remains open."
ISLAMABAD (AP) - In announcing his strategy for Afghanistan, U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at neighboring Pakistan, an ostensible U.S. ally, ordering it to stop giving sanctuary to "agents of chaos, violence and terror."

His predecessors have aired similar complaints, and U.S. officials and analysts have long accused Pakistan of playing a double-game with Islamic extremists -- supporting those that threaten its rivals in India and Afghanistan while cracking down on those who target its own citizens.

Pakistan has been at war with the Pakistani Taliban and homegrown extremists for years, but it has long tolerated the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, which are battling U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2009 file photo, a U.S. special operations forces servicemember climbs down from a compound wall after investigating suspicious activity, during a joint patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers in Shewan, a former Taliban Stronghold, in Afghanistan's Farah province. Reversing his past calls for a speedy exit, President Donald Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, declaring Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 U.S. troops must "fight to win." He pointedly declined to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched to wage America's longest war. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Pakistan has also struggled to combat other forms of extremism. Blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death and has been known to incite mob lynchings. Around 1,000 women are murdered each year in so-called honor killings, and attacks on Shiites and other religious minorities are on the rise.

How did the U.S. come to ally itself with Pakistan, and where do they go from here? The AP explains.

A LONGTIME ALLY

The U.S. backed Pakistan during the Cold War, and in the 1980s the CIA used it as a staging area for efforts to aid the Afghan Mujahedeen, who were then fighting to drive out Soviet troops. At the time, the U.S. viewed the Mujahedeen and Pakistan's president, Gen. Zia-ul Haq - a military dictator who promoted a harsh version of Islam - as allies.

The U.S. renewed the alliance after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, as Pakistan again emerged as a key staging ground and supply route in the war to overthrow the Taliban and eliminate al-Qaida. The U.S. has since given Pakistan billions of dollars in military aid.

A DOUBLE GAME

Since the days of Zia and the Mujahideen, Pakistan's security apparatus has supported or turned a blind eye to extremist groups in Afghanistan and the disputed Kashmir region, viewing them as a weapon against India, its main rival.

Pakistan has long feared that Afghanistan would ally with India against it, and sees the Taliban as the best tool for thwarting such an alliance. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only three countries to recognize the Taliban when they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s.

That approach became increasingly problematic as the U.S. waged its war on terror. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency is widely believed to maintain close ties to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. Their leaders live relatively freely in Pakistan -- as long as they aren't seen as acting against Islamabad's political interests.

The ISI has long said it has limited influence over such groups, and uses it to pursue regional stability.

BIN LADEN AND A BREAKDOWN

Al-Qaida's top leaders, Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri, also found refuge in Pakistan after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, but they went into hiding. Whether Pakistan was ever able or willing to track them down remains the subject of heated debate.

U.S.-Pakistan tensions came to a head in 2011 when American commandos killed Bin Laden in a secret raid in Abbottabad, just a few miles away from one of Pakistan's premier military academies. Pakistan once again insisted it had no idea about his whereabouts, and expressed anger over the U.S. carrying out the raid without giving it prior notice.

Shortly after the raid, Pakistan arrested a local doctor accused of running a fake vaccination program in order to gather DNA from Bin Laden, which he then allegedly passed on to the CIA. Pakistan has refused U.S. demands to release the man.

STILL A POWER BROKER

Relations remained chilly in the following years, as the U.S. repeatedly pushed Pakistan to do more to eliminate militant sanctuaries and trimmed military aid when it did not.

But Pakistan remains a major player in Afghanistan, and will need to be on board if Trump hopes to end America's longest war. Pakistan has used its close ties to the Taliban to bring them to the peace table in the past and could do so again, but it will want to preserve its own interests, which appear to be in conflict with the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

Kabul and Islamabad routinely accuse each other of turning a blind eye to Islamic militants operating along their porous border, and relations plunge with every deadly attack.

LIMITED OPTIONS

Senior administration officials said ahead of Trump's speech that he was considering further cuts in aid to Pakistan unless it reins in the Taliban and the Haqqanis, but that approach has failed in the past. Pakistan could respond by revoking U.S. transit rights, shutting off the main supply route to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Trump said he hoped to pursue closer ties with India, remarks that were sure to anger Pakistan. But whether that would lead Islamabad to re-evaluate its ties to militant groups - or double down on its support for them - remains to be seen. A tougher U.S. line might also push Pakistan into the arms of Russia, China and neighboring Iran.
Tammy Zywicki, 21, was found dead in Missouri nine days after she went missing in 1992

The day before the 25th anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of Tammy Zywicki, the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for help solving the case and are retesting evidence with modern DNA technology.

Tammy Zywick, a 21-year-old college student, disappeared while driving from her New Jersey home to Iowa's Grinnell College for her senior year of school.

She was last seen alive on August 23, 1992 in LaSalle County, between 3.10pm and 4pm on Aug. 23, 1992.

She had dropped off her younger brother at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and then headed to Iowa. She was expected to arrive that night.

Her car, a 1985 white Pontiac T1000, was found by an Illinois State Police trooper and marked as abandoned.

The next day, her mother called ISP to tell them her daughter had not arrived at college.

Tammy's body was found wrapped in a blanket and duct tape on September 1, 1992 in southwestern Missouri. She had been stabbed eight times and sexually assaulted.

A passer-by reported catching the last glimpses of Zywicki near her disabled car. Some witnesses said a tractor-trailer was seen parked behind her vehicle, while others say they saw a pickup truck.

After her body was found, Illinois State Police joined forces with the FBI and other agencies in a task force, but it disbanded the next year. On Tuesday, Illinois and federal investigators said the investigation was still active.

25 years later, authorities are stilling looking for leads on who killed Tammy Zywick

Her abandoned car, a 1985 white Pontiac T1000, was found by Illinois State Police

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 leading to the identification of Tammy's murderer

Over the past two decades, efforts to crack the case have sputtered. Investigators looked at truckers suspected in killings and sexual attacks elsewhere, from North Carolina to California, but eventually eliminated them from suspicion in Zywicki's death.

The FBI and state police are exploring new leads, examining 200 items of evidence and retesting items with modern DNA technology, according to a news release from state police Tuesday.

Some of Tammy's personal property was taken and never recovered, including a Canon 35 mm camera, a Lorus brand musical wristwatch that played the tune 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' with a green band and a green umbrella on its face, and a red and white soccer patch monogrammed with 'St. Giles Soccer Club, Greenville, South Carolina.'

The FBI is examining 200 items of evidence trying to find new leads in Tammy's disappearance
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the U.S. and North Korea (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

Russia has criticized the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russian companies and people for their ties with North Korea and warned it will consider retaliation.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson leaves after speaking at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, to discuss Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed penalties on 16 mainly Chinese and Russian entities linked to Pyongyang amid heightened tensions over North Korea's missile program.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says in Tuesday's statement that "we are starting to work on retaliatory measures, which are unavoidable in this situation."

Ryabkov notes that "U.S. statements about a desire to stabilize bilateral ties sound particularly unconvincing" in view of the sanctions. He voiced hope that the U.S. will realize that sanctions won't work.

The Kremlin has responded to anti-Russian sanctions approved by the U.S. Congress by ordering sharp cuts of the U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia.

___

3 p.m.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has commended North Korea for recent restraint in provocations that he said could point the way to possible dialogue with the U.S.

Tillerson said North Korea has not launched missiles or other provocations since the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution against weapons development on Aug. 5.

He told reporters that demonstrated "a level of restraint that we have not seen in the past."

Tillerson expressed hope that it could signal a North Korean willingness to lessen tensions and that, "perhaps we are seeing our pathway" to a dialogue in the near future.

He added, however: "We need to see more on their part."

Tensions were running high after the U.N. adopted new sanctions and after recent threats by the two nations' leaders.

___

11 a.m.

The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on 16 mainly Chinese and Russian companies and people for assisting North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and helping the North make money to support those programs.

The Treasury Department says the penalties are intended to further isolate North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests.

The 16 do business with previously sanctioned companies and people, work with the North Korean energy sector, help it place workers abroad or evade international financial curbs.

The measures block any assets they may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from transactions with them.

Those sanctioned include six Chinese companies, two Singapore-based companies that sell oil to North Korea, a Russian company, four Russian nationals and a construction company based in Namibia.
Gulf of Mexico DEAD ZONE caused by agricultural runoff from U.S. farms

Every year, a hypoxic zone appears along the Gulf of Mexico. Otherwise known as a dead zone, it is an area of water that contains little to no oxygen. The significantly reduced levels essentially makes the body of water a biological desert. Hypoxic zones usually occur around summertime. But while these areas are considered to be a natural phenomenon, scientists fear that increased human activity may be contributing to the number of dead zones being observed worldwide. More disturbingly, human factors may also be causing the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico to grow. Scientists predict that for this year, the hypoxic zone in the area will cover 10,089 square miles. This is about the size of Vermont. Biologists declare that bold and new approaches need to be made now to prevent a biological crisis. They have expressed a desired target reduction of 59 percent in the amount of nitrogen runoffs in the area. This would shrink the hypoxic zone to the size of Delaware.

Approaches to achieve this end are identified in a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers from the University of Michigan believe that this goal is achievable, though it would require the adjustment of large scale agricultural practices. The magnitude of the problem prompted an intergovernmental panel to extend the reduction program to 2035. This should give enough time, official spokespeople of the panel say, to achieve the goal of a hypoxic zone with a size of only 1,950 square miles.

What truly causes a hypoxic zone is yet to be fully determined, but scientists believe that the one in the Gulf of Mexico may be due to excessive farmland runoff containing fertilizer and livestock waste. These sources release significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous which further contribute to the reduction of oxygen in the water. Thankfully, this is a factor that can be easily addressed with proper management techniques.

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Aquatic ecologist Dan Scavia, who was the lead author of the paper, says on Science Daily, the bottom line is that we will never reach the action plans goal of 1,950 square miles until more serious actions are taken to reduce the loss of Midwest fertilizers into the Mississippi River system.

Scavia noted that for the last 20 years, the average nitrate load dumped into the Gulf of Mexico has not changed, despite the numerous conservation projects made along the Mississippi Basin states. Supposedly, more than $28 billion has been spent in trying to reduce the amount of nitrogen levels. (Related: Ocean Dead Zones Now Top 400.)

Clearly something more or something different is needed, Scavia noted. It matters little if the load-reduction target is 30 percent, 45 percent or 59 percent if insufficient resources are in place to make even modest reductions.

Some of the proposed solutions are to alter fertilizer application rates, planting cover crops (fast-growing plants which would prevent soil erosion), using alternatives to biofuels, and improving overall nutrient management. What is important, according to the team, is that these solutions be applied methodically and in conjunction with one another. This would introduce an amplified effect, in which both nitrogen and phosphorous levels would be reduced together. This dual-nutrient strategy is crucial in achieving a significant nutrient-load reduction.

You can read more stories like this on Environ.news.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

OceanService.NOAA.gov

GCOOS.Tamu.edu

NPR.org
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens on Tuesday halted the scheduled execution of condemned inmate Marcellus Williams after DNA testing raised questions about whether he actually killed.

Just hours before Williams was to be put to death, the Republican governor said in an email that he was issuing a stay of execution. Williams was convicted of fatally stabbing former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Lisha Gayle during a 1998 burglary at her suburban St. Louis home. Williams' execution had been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The governor's decision comes after Williams' attorneys cited DNA evidence found on the murder weapon that matched another unknown person, but not Williams. But St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said there was ample other evidence to convict Williams, and that there's "zero possibility" he's innocent.

FILE - This February 2014 file photo provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections shows death row inmate Marcellus Williams. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens halted Williams' scheduled execution Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, after DNA raised questions about his guilt. Williams was convicted of fatally stabbing former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Lisha Gayle during a burglary at her suburban St. Louis home in 1998. Williams' execution was scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday. (Missouri Department of Corrections via AP, File)

"A sentence of death is the ultimate, permanent punishment," Greitens said in his statement. "To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt."

Greitens said he will appoint a five-member board of inquiry made up of retired judges with subpoena power. The board will make a recommendation to the governor concerning whether the 48-year-old Williams should be executed. No timetable has been set.

Williams' attorney, Kent Gipson, who had asked Greitens for clemency, said the stay of execution was "the appropriate thing to do." He believes large-scale opposition to the execution was a factor in the governor's decision.

"The people have spoken," Gipson said. "This online petition had a quarter of a million signatures. The case has generated a lot of outrage all over the country and the world."

Gipson also had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court over concerns raised by DNA testing of the knife conducted in December using techniques that were not available at the time of the killing. He also cited previous DNA testing of hairs from Gayle's shirt and fingernails that also excluded Williams, and said footprints at the scene did not match Williams.

But McCulloch on Tuesday said the DNA tests "were inconclusive" and "can neither include or exclude" Williams as the killer.

"He is the one who committed this murder," McCulloch said. "He made his decision 20 years ago to stay in that house. He heard Lisha Gayle walk down the stairs, and all he had to do was leave. He didn't. And now he has to live with that decision - die with that decision."

Outside Greitens' office in Jefferson City, execution protesters broke into a dance to celebrate the stay, and some wrote a thank-you note to the governor.

"We are glad that you had the courage as a leader to exercise your power to promote truth and justice," the note, which they wrote on the spot, read.

Zeke Johnson, senior director of programs at Amnesty International USA, said the Williams case is further evidence that the death penalty should be abolished.

"No human being should pay the ultimate price for a cruel and inhumane system so capable of error," Johnson said in a statement.

Death penalty supporters say there is no evidence that an innocent person has ever been executed in the U.S. But the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago cites at least 39 executions carried out despite what it calls "compelling evidence of innocence or serious doubt about guilt."

Robert Dunham, executive director of the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, called Greitens' decision "an important step in ensuring that Missouri does not execute an innocent man." He said executing Williams without further inquiry "would have been intolerable and indefensible."

At the heart of the prosecution's case against Williams was testimony from his former girlfriend and a former cellmate.

In a court filing last week, Assistant Attorney General Michael Spillane wrote that Williams took a bus to the St. Louis suburb of University City, Missouri, on Aug. 11, 1998, looking for a house to break into and chose Gayle's.

Spillane said Williams broke out a window pane to get inside, where he heard water running in the shower. Spillane said Williams went downstairs and found a large butcher knife. When Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times. Her purse and her husband's laptop were stolen.

Spillane said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. Williams' girlfriend at the time, Laura Asaro, later asked him why he would wear a jacket on such a hot day. According to prosecutors, the girlfriend said she later saw the laptop in the car and that Williams sold it a day or two later.

The state also cites testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a cell with Williams for three months in 1999 while Williams was jailed in St. Louis on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors that Williams confessed to the killing and offered details about it.

But Gipson said the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted felons who were out for a $10,000 reward.

Gayle, 42, was a reporter at the Post-Dispatch from 1981 to 1992. She left journalism to do social work.

In addition to the murder conviction, Williams is serving consecutive terms of life in prison for robbery, and 30 years each for burglary and weapons crimes.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Suhr in Kansas City, Missouri, and Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed to this report.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Historians in Mississippi say the Confederate battle emblem is a "symbol of racial terror" that needs to be stripped from the state flag.

Thirty-four professors released a statement this week saying they expect questions from students about the recent white nationalist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, where some participants carried the rebel flag.

Mississippi has the last state flag with the Confederate symbol, a red field topped by a blue tilted cross dotted by 13 white stars.

The professors from public and private universities wrote that Mississippi legislators adopted the flag in 1894 to assert white supremacy.

"The threat of racist mob violence has been present throughout American history, and, as seen by the flag-wielding neo-Nazis and racist sympathizers in Charlottesville, the use of Confederate emblems echoes the racist reasoning of whites in Mississippi at the end of the 19th Century, who used terror to impose minority rule," they wrote.

Voters decided to keep the flag in a 2001 referendum. Confederate symbols have come under increasing scrutiny since 2015, when an avowed white supremacist who had posed for photos holding the battle flag killed nine black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Some Mississippi elected officials, including the Republican speaker of the state House and both of the state's Republican U.S. senators, have said the state should ditch the current flag and adopt a design that would unify the state, whose population is 38 percent black.

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant has said if the design is reconsidered, it should happen in another statewide election. Supporters of the flag say it represents the state's history.

The professors wrote: "This flag does not reflect the entirety of the state's history and people. It ignores the reality of the African-American experience, and it limits the scope of what Mississippi has been, is, and can be."

About 40 other opponents of the Mississippi flag gathered Tuesday at the state Capitol. Aunjanue Ellis, an actress who grew up in Mississippi, said the Confederate battle emblem on the flag represents "terrorism."

Ellis has starred in the ABC series "Quantico" and in the 2011 movie "The Help." She has been advocating a change for the state flag for several years.

"This beautiful state that I live in has a history of domestic terrorism like no other state in the union," Ellis said. "And our children are going to school every day, walking under a flag that tells them that violence and terrorism against their lives is OK. And that's unacceptable. ... This country's ideals of justice and freedom for all will always be hollow and a lie as long as that flag flies."

____

Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus .
BOSTON (AP) - As U.S. cities grapple with what to do with Confederate statues, an advocacy group is calling for renaming Boston's historic Faneuil Hall because its namesake had ties to the slave trade.

The brick meeting house, built in 1742 and nicknamed the "Cradle of Liberty," was where Samuel Adams and other American colonists made some of the earliest speeches urging independence from Britain.

Decades later, Frederick Douglass and other prominent abolitionists of the 1800s would use its famous stage to call for an end to slavery.

Pedestrians pass Faneuil Hall, also known as "the Cradle of Liberty" in Boston, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. As U.S. cities grapple with what to do with Confederate monuments, a movement is afoot to rename the historic hall, where the earliest calls for independence from Britain were sounded in the late 1700s. It was named for Peter Faneuil, a merchant who owned and traded slaves. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

But Kevin Peterson, founder of the New Democracy Coalition, says it's past time to change the hall's name because it was built and donated to Boston by Peter Faneuil, a wealthy merchant who owned and traded slaves.

"It's an embarrassment to this city to remain focusing on this place as a place of celebration and as a place of which we should have some civic pride with this name attached to it," said Peterson, whose nonpartisan group is focused on "renewing civic life."

He made the comments last week in front of Faneuil Hall. City leaders, including Mayor Marty Walsh, had gathered at the landmark to call for peace in the aftermath of the violent white nationalist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left one counterprotester dead and dozens of others injured Aug. 12.

Peterson suggests renaming the hall in honor of Crispus Attucks, a man of black and Native American heritage who was considered the first martyr of the American Revolution when he was killed not far from the hall in the Boston Massacre of 1770.

Peterson said he wrote a letter to the mayor in May and hasn't heard back.

Walsh has said it's not the right time to debate the name change, given the emotion following the Charlottesville disturbance and heated arguments over removing Confederate monuments across the country.

The Democratic mayor noted that many prominent black leaders have spoken at the hall, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and that it's a regular site for U.S. citizenship ceremonies.

Historians also suggested caution in moving to rename the hall.

Robert Allison, a Suffolk University history professor, said it would be a "misguided and ineffectual" way to set history straight. "Erasing history by changing names is not a way to engage it, or understand it, but simply a way to forget it," he said.

If the hall's name isn't changed, it's important that its ties to slavery be given "wider and deeper recognition," said Barbara Lewis, director of the William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. She suggested providing that through a permanent exhibit in the building.

Heather Cox Richardson, a Boston College history professor, said she supports removing all "celebratory" Confederate monuments from public properties but opposes simply renaming or removing all memorials to "problematic forebears."

"This country was founded on racial, gender and class biases. That is inescapable," she said. "Our complex history needs to be contextualized, recognizing both the weaknesses and the strengths of our ancestors."

Massachusetts leaders have appeared more open to the idea of changing or removing other controversial memorials in recent weeks.

In June, the state boarded up its lone memorial to the Confederacy: a stone marker on a historic island fort in Boston Harbor.

The monument, placed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in the 1960s, honors 13 Confederate soldiers who died as prisoners of war on the island. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker said he supports relocating it.

And after the Charlottesville protests, Red Sox owner John Henry said the team would lead the charge in eliminating the name of his predecessor, Tom Yawkey, from a street in front of Fenway Park.

Yawkey was the owner from 1933 to 1976 and presided over the team when it became the last in Major League Baseball to field a black player in 1959.

Peterson argued that changing Yawkey Way and Faneuil Hall are equally important. "We'd be moral cowards in addressing one but not the other," he said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (all times EDT):

5 p.m.

Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, is apologizing for posting on Instagram about a designer-label outfit and then blasting a critic.

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, file photo, then Treasury Secretary-designate Stephen Mnuchin and his then-fiancee, Louise Linton, arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington, for the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. Linton responded to a social media critic on Aug. 21, 2017, telling the mother of three that that she was "adorably out of touch." Mnuchin and Linton were married in June. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP, File)

In a statement issued Tuesday, Linton says her post and response were "inappropriate and highly insensitive."

Linton on Monday posted the picture of herself getting off a government plane in Kentucky with Mnuchin. In her post, she mentioned several designer labels for her all-white outfit, including Tom Ford and Valentino.

The commenter responded: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton, an actress, responded on Instagram by calling the commenter "adorably out of touch." She suggested she and Mnuchin contributed more to the U.S. economy and paid more in taxes than her critic.

___

8:15 a.m.

Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, blasted as "adorably out of touch" a person who criticized her Instagram post in which Linton depicted her designer-label outfit.

Linton posted the picture of herself Monday getting off a government plane in Kentucky with Mnuchin. In her post, she mentioned several designer labels for her all-white outfit, including Tom Ford and Valentino.

The commenter responded: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton, an actress, responded on Instagram by calling the commenter "adorably out of touch." She suggested she and Mnuchin contributed more to the U.S. economy and paid more in taxes than her critic.
MIAMI (AP) - Two tourists are dead after their personal watercraft crashed into a bridge in a Florida bay near Miami Beach.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that 30-year-old Julio Monteiro, of Brockton, Massachusetts, and his passenger, 34-year-old Sabrina Daniels, of Atlanta, were transported to a Miami trauma center after Monday evening's crash. Both later died from their injuries.

A commission news release says the watercraft was traveling near a causeway that connects Miami to Miami Beach and crashed into a concrete support for a bridge that leads from the causeway to a manmade residential island. Authorities say Monteiro and Daniels were ejected into the water.

The crash remains under investigation.
The suspect at the centre of a major manhunt by police investigating the terror attacks in Catalonia was the driver of the van that killed 13 people on Las Ramblas, Barcelona, an official has said.

Joaquim Forn, head of home affairs in Catalonias regional government, told a radio station everything indicates Younes Abouyaaqoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan, was behind the wheel.

Abouyaaqoub, who has reportedly fled into France on foot, is believed to be the only at-large member of the 12-strong terror cell behind the attacks in Barcelona and the seaside town of Cambrils, which left 14 dead and around 130 injured.

Younes Abouyaaqoubis is captured by a security camera walking through La Boqueria market seconds after a van crashed into pedestrians in Barcelona (El Pais, via AP)

Three of the group remain unaccounted for by police, but it is believed two of those were killed in an explosion on Wednesday at the house in Alcanar where the terror plot was hatched.

It comes as police reportedly probe claims the cell was radicalised by an imam with links to the Madrid train bombers and an area in Belgium known as a hotspot for Islamic State recruiting.

Spanish newspaper El Pais said Abdelbaki Es Satty was imam at one of the two mosques in Ripoll, in the north-east of Spain near to the French border and around 62 miles from Barcelona.

Younes Abouyaaquoub

All of the main suspects are believed to have lived in the small town, famous for its monastery, and which has a Muslim community of around 500 people.

Es Satty was reportedly friends and acquaintances with some of those jailed of the Madrid train bombings in 2004, having spent four years in prison himself for drug trafficking and breaking Spanish immigration laws, the newspaper said.

He also had spent several months looking for work in the Vilvoorde district north of Brussels, in Belgium, the regions mayor Hans Bonte told Belgian newspaper De Morgen.

Younes Abouyaaqoub (Mossos/PA)

Vilvoorde is known for jihadi activity and police were said to have contacted the Catalan department of justice and were told Es Satty had no links to extremist violence.

Police are investigating his role in radicalising the younger members of the cell before he was reportedly killed in the explosion in Alcanar, 124 miles south of Barcelona.

Officials believe the terror group behind the attacks were plotting much deadlier carnage using explosives favoured by Islamic State militants.

Three vehicles were rented using the credit card of Abouyaaqoub and police believe the group wanted to load the vans with explosives for a big attack, but were forced to change their plans after the house in Alcanar blew up.

The group is said to have stored more than 100 gas tanks and explosive ingredients at the house.

Five members of the cell were shot dead, four are in custody and as many as two were killed in the explosion, an interior minister said.

Moussa Oukabir

Some 34 nationalities were among those wounded in the attacks in Las Ramblas and Cambrils, which lies around 70 miles to the south west of Barcelona.

Victims of the atrocity in Barcelona have been identified as British/Australian, Italian, Portuguese, Belgian, Spanish, Spanish/Argentine, Canadian and American.

Among them was Julian Cadman, a dual British-Australian national who was separated from his mother on Las Ramblas during the massacre.

Julian Cadman

His family said: He was so energetic, funny and cheeky, always bringing a smile to our faces.

The victim of the second assault in Cambrils in the early hours of Friday, which brought the death tol
Voters switched party allegiances at unprecedented rates in the general election as they tried to game the failing electoral system, according to voting reform campaigners.

Elections are now more like lottery than a real choice with 22 million votes cast in June having no impact on the result, the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) found.

It branded the June vote the hold your nose election after an estimated 6.5 million people made tactical decisions and said the Conservatives could have won a majority if just 0.0016% of voters had chosen differently.

Wasted votes, hyper-marginals and disillusion: reform group issues damning report on election 2017 https://t.co/IDR6iUUsTt  Electoral Reform Society (@electoralreform) August 21, 2017

The first-past-the-post system is exaggerating divisions because of the huge discrepancy in the number of votes cast in an area for a party and the number of seats it wins and a new system must now be introduced, the ERS said.

Labour won 29% of votes cast in the South East but got just 10% of seats while Tories won 34% of the North East but returned just 9% of seats, according to its research.

ERS chief executive Darren Hughes said: For the third time in a row, Westminsters voting system has failed to do what it says on the tin  produce a strong and stable government.

"The myth that Westminsters voting system is strong and stable has been bust for good" -

our new report https://t.co/fS9oS6K7y9  Electoral Reform Society (@electoralreform) August 21, 2017

Junes election has shown first-past-the-post is unable to cope with peoples changing voting habits  forcing citizens and parties to try and game the system.

With an estimated 6.5 million people holding their nose at the ballot box, voters have been denied real choice and representation.

This surge in tactical voting  double the rate of 2015  meant voters shifted their party allegiances at unprecedented rates, with the second highest level of voter volatility since the inter-war years.

Breaking: 68% of votes had no impact on the General Election result  22 million votes were wasted https://t.co/xAerV1Ygjw  Electoral Reform Society (@electoralreform) August 21, 2017

A system designed for two parties cannot accommodate these complex electoral swings. In the nations and regions of the UK, elections now feel more like lottery than a real choice.

As weve shown, tiny shifts in the vote result in drastically different outcomes. Having results hinge on a few hundred voters is no way to run a modern democracy.

The vast majority of votes are going to waste, with millions still stuck in the electoral black hole of winner-takes-all.

Polling place

The report highlighted the huge fluctuations in results between the 2015 and 2017 general elections.

A 43.9% increase in the SNPs vote share in Glasgow North East recorded two years ago switched to a 9.2% hike for Labour in June.

The ERS called for a new system to be introduced to stop votes being wasted or voters being forced into tactical decisions.

general election

Under its assessment of the Alternative Vote (AV), which was rejected by voters in a 2011 referendum, Labour would have been chief beneficiaries in 2017, gaining 24 seats while the Conservatives would have doubled their majority from 12 to 24 in 2015.

Mr Hughes said: The real question for our politicians is this: If the two main parties can gain over 80% of the vote for the first time in decades, in a system designed for two parties, and yet both still lose  when will they show the leadership the country so desperately needs and fix our voting system?
Former England fly-half Toby Flood is considering switching allegiance to play for Germany.

The 32-year-old won the last of his 60 caps in 2013 and effectively made himself unavailable for international selection when he joined French outfit Toulouse in 2014.

A return to Newcastle for the upcoming Aviva Premiership season could see Flood return to the England fray, but with George Ford and Owen Farrell key components of Eddie Jones side, he is prepared to switch to minnows Germany should a recall not be forthcoming.

Toby Flood in action for England

If there was any way of trying to help a fledgling rugby country, it would interest me, Flood told the Times.

Floods grandfather Albert Lieven left Berlin under duress in 1936, and the Falcons fly-half applied for a German passport in the wake of the Brexit vote.

I have always been proud of being German, he added. It would be nice to go back and connect it all together. My mum is the last remaining true Lieven and she went back to Germany about 10 years ago to put together the family tree, so if there was a chance to connect into that it would be great.
Oil giant BP had its international headquarters besieged by inflatable sea creatures as environmentalists protested over a forthcoming drilling project.

Greenpeace marched on the central London office as BP prepares to search for oil near a coral reef off the coast of South America next year.

Giant inflatable marine life including jellyfish and starfish were paraded along The Mall and past Trafalgar Square to reach the building shortly after 8am.

Protesters marching from the Mall to St James's Square

Signs reading BP: Back off the Amazon Reef were held up alongside the colourful procession.

Activists said they intended to remain camped outside BP, in St Jamess Square, for several hours on Monday morning.

Greenpeace said the exploratory drilling work, due to begin near the recently discovered Amazon Reef, risks an oil spill which could prove catastrophic for sea life.
A judge has agreed to delay the start of Bill Cosbys sexual assault retrial to allow his new lawyers to get up to speed on the case.

Judge Steven ONeill granted a request by Cosbys new legal team to delay the retrial, which had been scheduled to start in November, but said he still expects the 80-year-old comedian to be tried before next summer.

The new lawyers made their first court appearance on behalf of the Cosby Show star, who is charged with drugging and molesting a woman at his home near Philadelphia in 2004. His first trial in June ended in a hung jury, setting the stage for a retrial.

The lawyers who represented Cosby at the first trial, Brian McMonagle and Angela Agrusa, had asked to be let off the case. Montgomery County Judge ONeill granted their request, praising them for their extraordinary advocacy.

Tom Mesereau has joined Bill Cosby's legal team (Reed Saxon/AP)

As they left the courtroom, the departing lawyers shook hands with Cosby and his new legal team, which includes Tom Mesereau, the high-profile attorney who won an acquittal in Michael Jacksons child molestation case.

Others on the team are former federal prosecutor Kathleen Bliss and Sam Silver, who represented now-imprisoned former US Representative Chaka Fattah in a corruption case.

The new lawyers said they want jurors picked from Montgomery County, where the alleged assault at Cosbys home took place. The first jury was selected from the Pittsburgh area and spent two weeks sequestered 300 miles from home.

Cosby is being retried on charges that he assaulted Andrea Constand in 2004. He has said their sexual encounter was consensual.
Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Monday was 58, with 49 from Platte County and nine from out of county.

Police

Aug. 16

8:26 p.m.  At the intersection of 37th Avenue and Howard Boulevard, Dallas Raitt, 18, Schuyler, was cited for careless driving and no seat belt.

Aug. 19

11:35 a.m.  Theft from a vehicle at 2621 21st St., cash and miscellaneous items stolen, $171 loss.

2:31 p.m.  Theft at 2255 31st Ave., bicycle stolen, $300 loss.

8:17 p.m.  Theft at Caseys General Store, 3821 Howard Blvd., gas drive-off, $30 loss.

Aug. 20

9:32 p.m.  Criminal mischief at 2700 21st St., car door damaged, $300 loss.

Sheriff

Aug. 15

3:38 p.m.  On Highway 91, west of the intersection with 415th Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Ronald Arlt, 73, Lindsay, and Dale Preister, 35, Newman Grove.

Aug. 18

8:12 a.m.  Wanted person at 6026 56th St., Kimberly Hernandez of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant.

8:45 a.m.  Wanted person at the Platte County Courthouse, 2610 14th St., Kyle Timm jailed on a Platte County warrant.

1:58 p.m.  Wanted person at 3440 E. 15th St., Gregory Neujahr of Columbus jailed on a Platte County warrant.

5:58 p.m.  Traffic violation westbound on U.S. Highway 30 at the Colfax County line, Julio Solis-Tino of Schuyler jailed for no operators license.

10:47 p.m.  Traffic violation at the intersection of Highway 22 and 308th Avenue, Dakota Kowalski of Genoa cited for speeding.

Aug. 20

1:54 a.m. - Traffic violation on Highway 22, Francisco Murillo-Corona of Gibbon cited for speeding.

6:38 a.m. - Traffic violation at Archer Daniels Midland on East Eighth Street, Andrew Caranci of Columbus cited for speeding.

3:44 p.m. - Wanted person at a campground west of the junction of Highways 30 and 81, Gary Gotschall of Columbus jailed on a Butler County warrant.

7:32 p.m. - Traffic violation northbound on Highway 81 at the intersection with 310th Street, Christian Burgos Rodriguez of Madison jailed for two Platte County warrants and Madison County warrant and cited for driving during revocation and open container of alcohol.

Fire

Aug. 18

11:56 a.m.  In the 4500 block of 63rd Street, medical.

2:16 p.m.  In the 3700 block of 23rd Street, medical.

3:25 p.m.  In the 100 block of North Road at Heritage House, medical.

Aug. 19

9:57 a.m.  In the 3200 block of 17th Street, medical.

10:53 a.m.  In the 1400 block of 31st Avenue, medical.

12:52 p.m.  In the 100 block of Lakeshore Drive, medical.

3:34 p.m.  Accident west of the intersection of 48th Avenue and 287th Street.

3:45 p.m.  In the 600 block of 12th Avenue, medical.

4:26 p.m.  In the 600 block of 12th Avenue, medical.

8:49 p.m.  In the 1300 block of 26th Avenue, medical.

Aug. 20

3:21 p.m. - In the recreational vehicle park west of Highway 81 and 30, medical.

4:48 p.m. - In the 2800 block of 40th Avenue, medical.

Aug. 21

6:18 a.m. - In the 4700 block of 38th Street, medical.
A 10,000 reward is being offered by police hunting for a man behind a series of sexual assaults in south London.

Three women were left traumatised after being attacked in separate incidents in Clapham last year, Scotland Yard said.

Police have released CCTV footage of an Asian man aged between 25 and 35 who is thought to have targeted the victims.

Can you ID this man who is sought following 3 linked sexual assaults? #Clapham #Lambeth https://t.co/wKRdkBYMhk pic.twitter.com/nzC7OsR3Vp  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 22, 2017

The first woman was attacked at around 2am on May 22 2016, after being followed into the hallway of flats in Clapham Common South Side. She fought the man off and he ran from the scene.

About a month later, another woman was sexually assaulted on June 26 in Klea Avenue, again at 2am, after the man crept up behind her and pushed her into the communal area of some flats.

The 27-year-old managed to scratch him in the face with her key, close to his left eye, and he ran off.

The third woman reported that she had been assaulted following a police appeal about the earlier attacks.

The 25-year-old was followed into Klea Avenue by the man on October 12 last year at around 10.30pm, and attacked from behind as she tried to walk away.

Police have released CCTV footage of an Asian man aged between 25 and 35 who is thought to have targeted the victims (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Officers believe the three assaults are linked and are appealing for information about the suspect, who is about 5ft 5ins, has short black hair and spoke with an English accent.

Detective Chief Inspector Melissa Laremore said: The victims were left traumatised by the attacks and we are determined to find the man responsible.

We are extremely keen to identify the man pictured in connection with these incidents and appeal to anyone with any information to come forward as soon as possible.

We are now offering a 10,000 reward for information that leads to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the suspect.

Anyone with information should contact police on 0208 721 4251 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A number of bodies have been found on a flooded US warship after 10 sailors went missing when it collided with an oil tanker in south-east Asian waters, the US Pacific Fleet said.

Navy and Marine Corps divers entered flooded compartments on the USS John S McCain after the collision happened east of Singapore at daybreak on Monday.

The collision tore a gaping hole in the McCains left rear hull and flooded compartments including crew berths and machinery and communication rooms. The warship is now docked at Singapores naval base.

It was the second major collision in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet and the navy has ordered a broad investigation into its performance and readiness.

#USSJohnSMcCain Update: Divers will access sealed compartments located in damaged parts of the ship. https://t.co/gatLRpehoY pic.twitter.com/ofFFnExjxb  7th Fleet (@US7thFleet) August 22, 2017

Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

Admiral Scott Swift said: The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today. We will continue the search and rescue operations until the probability of discovering sailors is exhausted.

There were two lesser-known incidents in the first half of the year. In January, the USS Antietam guided missile cruiser ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th Fleet, and in May another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain from the Navys 3rd Fleet, had a minor collision with a South Korean fishing boat.

While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation, Adm Swift said.

#USSAmerica is assisting with damage control efforts, messing and berthing following #USSJohnSMcCain's at sea collision yesterday pic.twitter.com/WSDusUw2MX  7th Fleet (@US7thFleet) August 22, 2017

He said the navy would conduct an investigation to find out if there is a common cause  and if so, how do we solve that.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 7th Fleet said the sea search by aircraft and ships from the US, Singapore and Malaysian navies would continue east of Singapore where the McCain and the tanker collided.

Navy Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, on Monday ordered a pause in 7th Fleet operations for the next few days to allow commanders to get together with leaders, sailors and command officials and identify any immediate steps that need to be taken to ensure safety.

A broader US Navy review will look at the 7th Fleets performance, including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers.

An Emergency Family Assistance Center has been established for USS #USSJohnSMcCain family members. pic.twitter.com/mFFYn2GggY  7th Fleet (@US7thFleet) August 21, 2017

Adm Richardson said the review will be conducted with the help of the navys office of the inspector general, the safety centre and private companies that make equipment used by sailors.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of Chinas man-made islands in the South China Sea. China seized on the McCain collision to accuse the navy of endangering maritime navigation in the region.

The McCain and the Alnic MC oil tanker collided about 4.5 nautical miles from Malaysias coast at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the busy Singapore Strait.
ROME, Aug 21 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - People in the western part of Iraq's devastated city of Mosul have received their first major delivery of aid since Islamic State militants captured the city in 2014, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday.

The agency began distributing food and other essential items last week and aims to reach more than 64,000 people in West Mosul, which was recaptured by Iraqi forces on July 10.

Much of West Mosul has been destroyed by fighting. Homes, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, electricity plants and water systems are in ruins, ICRC said.

Many people are living in their ruined houses, said Layal Neaimeh, deputy head of ICRC's sub-delegation in Mosul.

They include the few who stayed throughout the military offensive, families who returned home and those displaced from other neighbourhoods.

"They are in quite a desperate situation.... They don't have any resources to purchase the already-limited goods available on the market," she said.

"Families have no stocks of food whatsoever. They don't even have half a kilo of rice," she said, adding that many were living off tea and bread.

People are also being wounded by unexploded ordnance hidden under the rubble of their homes, ICRC said.

Nearly 1 million civilians fled Mosul in the last three years, according to the United Nations.

Islamic State turned the city into the stronghold of a "caliphate" they said would take over the world.

A 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias launched an offensive to recapture the northern city from the militants in October, with key air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition.

They cleared East Mosul of militants in January. (Reporting by Alex Whiting @Alexwhi, Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)
BAGHDAD, Aug 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Iraq on Tuesday, just days after the start of an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar, to speak with Iraqi leaders about the next steps in the fight against Islamic State.

Mattis has warned that the end of the militant group is far from close. Iraqi security forces launched an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar on Sunday, their latest objective in the U.S.-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.

A long-time stronghold of hardline Sunni Muslim insurgents, Tal Afar, 80 km (50 miles) west of Mosul in Iraq's far north, has experienced cycles of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi'ite Muslims. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Paul Tait)
LONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday welcomed a commitment by U.S. President Donald Trump to step up the military campaign against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

President Trump committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan on Monday night, reversing course from his campaign pledges.

Britain along with other European allies pledged more troops to support Afghanistan's military in June, with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis saying at the time that troop numbers in the country had been reduced too rapidly.

"The U.S. commitment is very welcome," British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement.

"In my call with Secretary Mattis yesterday we agreed that despite the challenges, we have to stay the course in Afghanistan to help build up its fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist threat to the West.

"It's in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer: that's why we announced our own troop increase back in June."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Kate Holton)
By Raya Jalabi

ERBIL, Iraq, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Iraq must ensure that women and girls subjected to sexual violence at the hands of Islamic State militants have access to justice and reparations, U.N. investigators said on Tuesday.

Thousands of people, predominantly from Iraqs ethnic and religious minorities, have been subjected to sexual violence since Islamic State militants swept across vast swathes of Iraq in 2014. The report pays particular attention to members of the countrys Yazidi community, who were kidnapped and forcibly converted, enslaved or conscripted to fight for the militants.

"Women and girls under the control of ISIL, in particular women from the Yazidi and other minority communities, have been especially vulnerable to abuses of human rights and violation of international humanitarian law," the report by the U.N. Assistance Mission to Iraq and the U.N. Human Rights Office said.

More than 6,800 Yazidis were kidnapped by Islamic State. About 3,000 of them are still believed to be held captive.

Victims must be provided with access to appropriate medical, psychosocial and financial support, the report said.

"The physical, mental, and emotional injuries inflicted by ISIL are almost beyond comprehension. If victims are to rebuild their lives, and indeed those of their children, they need justice and they need redress," said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein.

The report, based on interviews with survivors, found that support for the victims must come with significant changes to the criminal justice system to prove effective.

U.N. investigators highlighted gaps in the legal frameworks of both Iraq and Iraq's autonomous Kurdish Region, which "largely fail to ensure the appropriate respect and protection of women and children who have been subjected to sexual and other forms of violence".

Iraq's laws governing sexual and domestic violence offer inadequate protections for women, and would be an obstacle to the prosecution of Islamic State-related crimes, the report said.

The report comes three days after Iraqi security forces launched their offensive to retake the city of Tal Afar, one of the militant groups' last remaining strongholds in Iraq.

"With significant areas under the control of ISIL having been reclaimed, it is now urgent to consider what steps need to be taken to ensure the protection, recovery, reintegration and redress for the thousands of women and girls," the report states.

Though the report focuses on crimes committed by Islamic State, it also references abuses committed by groups fighting against the militants. These include "revenge attacks" against women thought to have been affiliated with IS, sometimes sanctioned by tribal agreements.

Marriage licenses and birth certificates issued in IS-held territories are generally not recognized by Iraqi and Kurdish officials. The report recommends that this be rectified, to avoid leaving women and babies without legal status, particularly those born of sexual slavery. UNHCR has identified nearly 800 children whose births had been registered by Islamic State in areas under its control.

Investigators found that men and boys had also been subjected to sexual violence by the militants.

Tuesday's report builds on last years finding that Islamic State was committing genocide against the Yazidi people. The rare designation under international law marked the first time genocide was recognized as being carried out by non-state actors. (Reporting by Raya Jalabi; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
PARIS, Aug 22 (Reuters) - French authorities were unaware of the existence of the cell which carried out last week's attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, said interior minister Gerard Collomb.

"We did not know them, they were exclusively Spanish," Collomb told BFM TV on Tuesday, adding that he would meet his Spanish counterpart on Wednesday.

Collomb confirmed earlier media reports that the car involved in the attack in Cambrils had been caught on camera speeding in the Paris region, but said authorities did not know at this stage why the car was there. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Richard Lough)
BEIJING/TAIPEI, Aug 22 (Reuters) - China warned the United States on Tuesday against any military contacts with Taiwan ahead of brief visits by the self-ruled island's defence minister to the United States on his way to and from Central American allies.

The United States is Taiwan's main source of weapons and Taiwan has been pressing for sales of more advanced equipment to deal with the rapidly modernising military of China, which claims Taiwan as its own.

Defence Minister Feng Shih-kuan would make brief transit stops in New York and Los Angeles on his Aug. 23-Sept. 8 trip, and had nothing else on his agenda in the United States, the ministry said.

Feng would visit Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic to "further deepen bilateral friendly relations", the ministry said in a statement.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had noted the reports.

"China consistently insists on using the 'one China' principle in handling the issue of the Taiwan region's exchanges, and firmly opposes country's with which China has established relations conducting any type of official contact or military exchanges with Taiwan," Hua told reporters.

"Our position is clear and consistent. I believe the United States is extremely clear on this."

Taiwan presidents and other senior officials frequently stop over in the United States while visiting Taiwan's dwindling number of allies in Latin America and the Caribbean, always drawing China's ire.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and has stepped up military drills around the island in recent months. Proudly democratic Taiwan has shown no interest in being run by autocratic China.

Taiwan now only has official diplomatic ties with 20 countries. Panama dropped its diplomatic ties with Taiwan to instead recognise China in June. China says Taiwan is merely a province with no right to diplomatic ties with other countries.

The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging that China takes the position that there is "one China" and Taiwan is part of it. But the United States is also duty-bound by legislation to help the island defend itself. (Reporting by Faith Hung; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina in BEIJING; Editing by Nick Macfie)
By Nobuhiro Kubo and Kiyoshi Takenaka

TOKYO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Japan's new foreign minister Taro Kono said on Tuesday international pressure against North Korea must be maintained until Pyongyang clearly demonstrates that it will give up its nuclear programme.

Japan's military is set to ask for record defence spending of 5.26 trillion yen ($48.12 billion) for the year starting April 1, as it upgrades ballistic missile defences against possible North Korean military action, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

Fears about North Korea's missile and nuclear development have grown in recent weeks as Pyongyang in July launched intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and said this month it was considering plans to fire missiles towards the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.

While the North later said it was holding off firing towards Guam, regional tension remains high.

"Instead of going straight to dialogue, we need to keep on putting pressure on North Korea until the North clearly demonstrates its intention and action for moving toward (denuclearisation)," Kono said in an interview with a group of reporters.

"It's not the time to discuss (the resumption of) six-party talks," Kono said.

Six-party talks, which were aimed at denuclearising the Korean peninsula and involved North and South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, collapsed in 2008 following a rocket launch by the North.

Kono, who replaced Fumio Kishida as foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle this month, stressed the importance of implementing fully the existing U.N. sanctions on North Korea.

"There appears to be various loopholes (in the sanctions). These loopholes need to be carefully plugged one by one."

Japan's Ministry of Defense will request a 2.5 percent hike in defence spending, way above forecasts, according to the a defence paper, which if approved it will be the sixth straight annual increase as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bolsters his nation's military.

A chunk of the money will be used to purchase the first batch of SM-3 Block IIA missiles, which are designed to hit warheads in space before they plunge to their targets, a Japanese government sources said.

The new munition has more than double the range of missiles currently loaded on Japan's ballistic missile defence destroyers in the Sea of Japan.

"Any easing in defence spending increases would send the wrong message to North Korea and China," the source said, asking not to be identified because he was not authorised to talk to the media.

Other spending in the proposed Japanese defence budget includes 88.1 billion yen for six more F-35 stealth fighters, 70 billion yen for a new submarine and 100 billion for two compact warships that will reinforce Japan's navy in the East China Sea where it faces growing Chinese naval power, he added.

The proposed budget, however, may be pared back by Ministry of Finance officials who must juggle growing outlays on health and social spending as the nation's population ages.

A five-year government defence plan that runs until the end of March 2019 stipulates that annual defence budget increases, minus spending to maintain U.S. military bases, should be limited to 0.8 percent. Japan over the past four years has largely stuck to that rate of increase. (Editing by Michael Perry)
ECKERNFOERDE, Germany, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Germany will not immediately send more troops to Afghanistan in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's request for more backing as it increased its presence last year at a time when others were cutting, the defence minister said.

Ursula von der Leyen welcomed Trump's commitment to continuing the U.S. mission, but said Germany would not be among the first nations to contribute more.

"We increased our troop numbers by 18 percent last year when others were cutting theirs," she said during a visit to a submarine base in north Germany on Tuesday.

"So we don't see ourselves in the front row of people who should be asked for more soldiers."

Having run for the White House last year on a pledge to withdraw swiftly from Afghanistan, Trump reversed course on Monday and promised a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban insurgents, saying: "Our troops will fight to win".

U.S. officials said he had signed off on plans to send about 4,000 more U.S. troops to add to the roughly 8,400 now deployed in Afghanistan. (Reporting By Sabine Siebold; Writing by Thomas Escritt)
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Two major unions said on Tuesday they will sign a new wage agreement in the engineering sector, quelling fears of an industry strike.

Trade union Solidarity and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) said they will sign a three-year wage agreement with the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA) on Wednesday.

NUMSA, which had previously demanded wage hikes of 15 percent across the board, said in July they had requested a certificate to strike in the engineering sector after wage talks reached deadlock. (Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg, editing by Louise Heavens)
By Idrees Ali and Raya Jalabi

BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Government forces breached the city limits of Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq on Tuesday on the third day of a U.S.-backed offensive to seize it back from Islamic State militants.

Tal Afar, a longtime Islamic State stronghold, is the latest objective in the war following the recapture of Mosul after a nine-month campaign that left much of that city in ruins.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, speaking just before arriving in Iraq on Tuesday, said the fight against IS was far from over despite recent successes by the Western-backed government. The Sunni Muslim jihadists remain in control of territory in western Iraq and eastern Syria.

On Tuesday, however, army and counter-terrorism units broke into Tal Afar from the eastern and southern sides, the Iraqi joint operations command said.

About three quarters of the city remain under militant control, including the Ottoman-era citadel in its centre, according to an operational map published by the Iraqi military.

The main forces involved are the Iraqi army, air force, Federal Police, the U.S.-trained Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), as well as units from the Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), who began encircling the city on Sunday.

Located 80 km (50 miles) west of Mosul, Tal Afar is strategic as it lies along the supply route between Mosul and Syria. It has produced some of IS's most senior commanders and was cut off from the rest of IS-held territory in June.

Up to 2,000 battle-hardened militants remain in Tal Afar, according to U.S. and Iraqi military commanders.

"ISIS' days are certainly numbered, but it is not over yet and it is not going to be over anytime soon," Mattis told reporters in Amman.

CIVILIANS PLIGHT

As was the case with the battle for Mosul, aid organisations groups are concerned about the plight of civilians in Tal Afar.

U.S. Brigadier General Andrew Croft, chief of coalition air operations over Iraq, said between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians remained in Tal Afar. Up to 20,000 are thought to remain in the surrounding areas, but aid agencies say these are just estimates as they have been without access to Tal Afar since 2014.

Waves of civilians have fled the city and villages under cover of darkness over the past few weeks. Those remaining are threatened with death by the militants, who have held a tight grip there since 2014. About 30,000 have fled Tal Afar since April, according to the United Nations.

In Geneva, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said those fleeing this week were suffering from dehydration and exhaustion, having lived off unclean water and bread for the past three to four months.

"Many talk of seeing dead bodies along the way, and there are reports that some were killed by extremist groups," UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said. "Others appear to have died due to dehydration or illnesses."

People were also arriving at camps with wounds from sniper fire and exploding mines, he said.

Several thousand civilians are believed to have been killed in the battle for Mosul, where Islamic State tried to keep them in areas it controlled to act as human shields against air strikes and artillery bombardments.

Defense Secretary Mattis met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Arfan al-Hayali in Baghdad to discuss the role of U.S. forces in Iraq after the recapture of the remaining cities under Islamic State.

''There are plans under consideration...that will look at residual presence in the future," Lt. General Steve Townsend, the U.S.-led coalition's commanding general, told reporters in a joing press briefing with Mattis.

Croft said that over the past two or three months, he had seen a fracturing in the Islamic State leadership.

"It just seems less coordinated. It appears more fractured, less robust, and sort of flimsy, is the word I would use...it is sporadic," Croft told reporters.

Islamic State leaders fled Mosul during the fighting there and the whereabouts of its chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, are unknown. Unconfirmed reports in the past few months have said he is dead.

U.S. officials said that while big cities like Mosul have largely been cleared of Islamic State militants, there were concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to hold territory. Pockets of resistance remained in west Mosul, including sleeper cells, Mattis said.

Islamic State is also on the back foot in Syria, where Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the U.S.-led coalition have captured swathes of its territory in the north and are assaulting its main Syrian stronghold of Raqqa.

McGurk said about 2,000 Islamic State fighters remained in Raqqa and as much as 60 percent of the city had been retaken.

The jihadist group is now falling back deeper into the Euphrates valley region of eastern Syria.

Mattis said the next step for forces fighting Islamic State in Syria would be a move against the middle Euphrates valley, a reference to the militants' stronghold in Deir al-Zor province southeast of Raqqa.

KURDISH REFERENDUM

A U.S. official also said Mattis would press Massoud Barzani, president of the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, to call off a planned referendum on independence.

Iraq's Kurds have said they will hold the referendum on Sept. 25 despite concerns from Iraq's neighbors who have Kurdish minorities within their borders and a U.S. request to postpone it.

However, a senior Kurdish official said the Kurds may consider the possibility of a delay in return for financial and political concessions from the central government in Baghdad.

The United States and other Western nations fear the vote could ignite a new conflict with Baghdad and possibly neighboring countries, diverting attention from the ongoing war against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

(Additional reporting by Maher Chmaytelli in Erbil, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Aug 22 (Reuters) - Family members of a Chinese scholar presumed kidnapped in Illinois asked President Donald Trump on Tuesday to provide additional resources to help find her.

Yingying Zhang, a 26-year-old visiting scholar to the University of Illinois from southeastern China, disappeared on June 9. Police believe Zhang is dead, although no body has been found.

Brendt Christensen, a former master's student at the university, has been charged with abducting Zhang. Christensen, 28, pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping last month and is scheduled to stand trial in September.

Yingying Zhang's father, Ronggao Zhang, cited the president's own role as a father in a letter sent to Trump earlier this month and read by Zhang's boyfriend, Xiaolin Hou, at a news conference on Tuesday.

"As a loving father to your own children, you can understand what we are going through," the letter said. "We fervently request that you direct all available federal law enforcement and investigatory resources be used to find our daughter as soon as possible."

A White House representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

Hou also told reporters at the news conference in Champaign, Illinois, that he and the family would not return to China until Zhang is found.

An online fundraising platform has collected more than $137,000 to support the family's stay in the United States.

The case has been watched closely by Chinese media, China government officials and Chinese students in the United States.

Zhang, who had been studying photosynthesis and crop productivity, was last seen when a security camera recorded her getting into a black car that authorities linked to Christensen, according to court documents.

Christensen was placed under surveillance by federal agents who heard him talking about how he kidnapped Zhang, court records said. He could receive a life sentence if convicted.

Christensen's attorney, Anthony Bruno, said in a phone interview on Tuesday that the defense received more than 1,000 pages of police reports related to the case earlier this month, and expects to gain access to video evidence soon.

Bruno said the defense plans to request a delay to the start of the trial to get additional time to review the "enormous" amount of evidence received from the government.

A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Springfield, Illinois, office referred questions to U.S. Attorney spokeswoman Sharon Paul.

Paul said in a phone interview on Tuesday that prosecutors have no update on Yingying Zhang's whereabouts and declined to provide details of the FBI's search efforts. (Reporting by Julia Jacobs in Chicago; Editing by Patrick Enright and Matthew Lewis)
Amendments to the Local Government Act not consistent with its nature, would be excluded during the Committee Stage of the debate, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament today.

The Premier came up with this statement in response to a question raised by the Opposition on the Bill last afternoon.

Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who raised a question on the matter inquired into what the Government intended doing with a large number of amendments, which he said were not consistent with the very nature of the Local Government election Bill.

"You are saying you will bring new amendments to the Bill, but there are a large number of amendments, which are inconsistent with the very nature of the Bill," he said.

Joint Opposition MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara also raised a similar issue but highlighted that the new amendments should be in the hands of the MPs so that they would have sufficient time to study them.

Don't get into the wrong impression that the Opposition is trying to delay the Local Government election, he said.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe in response said all inconsistent amendments would be excluded, while anyone could present new amendments during the Committee Stage.

Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said the debate on the Local Government election Bill would be taken up tomorrow. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)
Iraq, (Daily Mail), 21 August

2017 - Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced that the town of Tal Afar will be taken from the Islamic State in a speech where he warned the terror group to surrender or die.



Tal Afar and the surrounding area is one of the last pockets of IS-held territory in Iraq after victory was declared in July in Mosul, the countrys second-largest city.



The town, about 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of the Syrian border, sits along a major road that was once a key IS supply route.



The city of Tal Afar will be liberated and will join all the liberated cities, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in an address to the nation broadcast on state television early on Sunday.



Iraqs mostly Shiite militiamen largely stayed out of the operation to retake Mosul, a mostly Sunni city about 80 kilometres (50 miles) to the east, but have vowed to play a bigger role in the battle for Tal Afar, which was home to both Sunni and Shiite Turkmen before it fell to IS, a Sunni extremist group.
In the wake of the national Unity Government completing two years, United National Party (UNP) MP Ajith Mannapperuma spoke about the current status of the Government and how the country should move forward. Here are excerpts of the interview:

Individual parties may face problems due to this form of governance

Growth rates didnt reflect ground realities in the past

Figures are genuine now

Thats why the growth rate looks low

We have nothing personal against the Rajapaksas

We only want to deal with corruption and fraud

There is stability. The country is forging ahead

We engaged in hostile politics for 60 years undercutting each other

We have enacted the Right to Information Act. Nothing is shrouded in secrecy today

We introduced the Witness Protection Act for the good of the country

The President and the Prime Minister couldnt micromanage everything

Q As a UNP MP, how do you view the future of the Unity Government with the two- year period announced in the MoU concluding?

President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe made a clear departure from hostile politics that the two parties were engaged in for more than 60 years. They formed a Unity Government. Its a novel, alien concept for most of us. Within the system, the leaders are compelled to place the countrys future before their partys interest. Its a unique feature of good governance.

Q Though you make such claims, Sri Lanka has been on a downward spiral as far as economic development is concerned. The economic indices show it. Why is this?

Parliament started a debate on the Fiscal Report by the Central Bank. During the former rule, the then opposition argued that the figures had been manipulated to reflect an economic growth, which isnt real. We argued that these figures or indices didnt reflect the ground realities. Be that as it may, nobody made such allegations during the debate we had during the last parliamentary week. The figures were genuine. Anybody can make reports. Ours contains actual figures reflecting on the ground realities.

Today, the reality is reflected. When that is done, we are subjected to criticism. We receive brickbats. We stand up to all these challenges and proceed. There is stability. The country is forging ahead.

I see the two leaders-the President and the Prime Minister- arent on a collision course at all. Its a concept followed elsewhere in the world. It is wonderful that the system was applied here by them. At that time, it was more a dream

Q How do you look to the future when the UNP MPs and the SLFP MPs take on each other?

I see the two leaders-the President and the Prime Minister- arent on a collision course at all. Its a concept followed elsewhere in the world. It is wonderful that the system was applied here by them. At that time, it was more a dream. We could hardly imagine how the two parties could form a Cabinet jointly. The two leaders have stuck to it. Yet, their followers have clashed with each other on different occasions. Its because they arent used to it. It is understandable. We engaged in hostile politics for 60 years undercutting each other. We are moving forward now .

Q Do you believe that the Unity Government should continue?

In the greater interests of the country, this is the best mode of governance. Yet, individual parties face problems.

Q It means the Government should continue in the present form?

Yes. However, we have a problem because the MPs of both sides dont fall in line with the system. Once they fall in line, we can work together in the greater interest of the country. These differences will be a stumbling block in the way of achieving our personal agendas. Above all, the countrys agenda is more important.

There was mass corruption at that time starting from the Helping Hambantota case. There was the MiG transaction, the hedging deal and the Greek Bond case. The people wanted an end to all this. They entrusted us with the task of building a corruption-free society. We have enacted the Right to Information Act. Nothing is shrouded in secrecy today. People are entitled to know what is happening.

Everything is laid bare before the Parliament. There are shortcomings. Those existed even at that time. People have come to know of these things only now. We, as MPs, are compelled to adjust to the peoples expectations. People are holding the Government to ransom.

We introduced the Witness Protection Act for the good of the country. In the past, even Local Government members used to dictate terms to the police. The public service had been insulted. School principals had to admit children at the behest of politicians. We have placed everything back on track. Even the chairmanship of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) was given to the JVP.

we have a problem because the MPs of both sides dont fall in line with the system. Once they fall in line, we can work together in the greater interest of the country

Q You talked about the eradication of corruption. However, the bond scam-considered one of the biggest financial frauds in the country- was committed within a couple of months after the Government was formed in January, 2015. Once it came to light, the members of the Government tried to cover it up. What is your response?

As for the change in the Government, though we had a new President and a Prime Minister, there was no change in the MPs and bureaucrats as such. The President and the Prime Minister couldnt micromanage everything. It is impractical. They were only able to put up a mechanism in place.

The former rule covered up the cases related to the Greek Bond issue, the hedging deal and the MiG transaction. Yet, this Government has set up an independent commission to investigate the case. Its a new culture. As a result, we have experienced a new phenomena. In another two years or more, we will see a new country. I always say that politicization caused the gravest harm to the country. We have to end politicization.

Cases normally drag on for years in Sri Lanka. It isnt a phenomenon related to the cases involving the last Government. The average time, taken to dispense with a criminal case, is ten years

Q You referred to three specific cases of corruption and frauds during the former regime. Though you talk about them, the Government has been unable to file action and lead to any conviction so far. Why is it?

We have no personal issue with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Minister Basil Rajapaksa. We only have to deal with corruption and frauds for the greater good of the country. We witnessed how Minister Sarath Fonseka was victimized merely because of the fact that he contested the elections. We dont work in the same fashion. We will follow the law of this country.

We have sent 87 files related to corruption and frauds during the last Government. Legal action has been taken with regard to 16 of these cases. As a result, we have been able to discover different aspects of frauds. We found a land without a claimant for it in Malwana. We implement the law. There is public perception that the legal process is underway at a slow pace.

Cases normally drag on for years in Sri Lanka. It isnt a phenomenon related to the cases involving the last Government. The average time, taken to dispense with a criminal case, is ten years. Some even take as long as 20 years. This is the realty of the country. When the ruling is given, only the next generation of litigants is alive. We have paid attention to this. There is a dialogue within the party to decide on how to speed up the process. It isnt only regarding the cases involving the Rajapaksas.

We witnessed how Minister Sarath Fonseka was victimized merely because of the fact that he contested the elections. We dont work in the same fashion. We will follow the law of this country.

Q The Government is accused of postponing elections. What is the reason for the Government to dodge elections in this manner?

We promised to produce a set of politicians who are directly answerable to their electorates. A politician has to be produced from within the electorate itself. Its a difficult task for us to do this. We have to delimit the electoral units.

When we go for the ward system, its argued that the minority communities and minor parties will be marginalized. If such a system only existed, the parties such as the JVP, JHU, NFF and others would have been nowhere. We need to be fair by all concerned. So, a new system has to be worked out in a manner that will do justice to all. It will be discussed in Parliament on Thursday. This is a broad subject. We will conduct the local authorities election in December, this year or in January, next year. We will conduct the elections in the appropriate way. We might sometimes face a problem in December because of the G.C.E. Ordinary Level Examinations.
If a Sri Lankan in Colombo throws a stone at the sky, it would most probably fall on a foot massage parlour. Foot therapy or reflexology is so popular here in the business capital of Sri Lanka. Thats how we can see it from the surface.

However, when one considers the therapeutic benefits of such a practice, its sad to note that most spas in Colombo cater to satisfy the sensual needs of clients more than promote healing.

Dr.Cyril Antony from Wattala has practiced reflexology for many decades in Sri Lanka and has a sizable clientele. Recently the International Council for Reflexologists appointed him as one of the directors of its board. Following a voting procedure, Antony along with Arve Fahlvic (Norway), Sally Kay (UK) and Paula Stone (USA) was appointed as board directors and will serve this council till 2021.

According to Dr. Antony, foot therapy is a sub-element of reflexology. In most spas the key requirement to be a therapist is to have a lovely smile and a hourglass figure.

Commenting on the spas that operate in Sri Lanka, Dr. Antony said that most places offer foot therapy. According to Dr. Antony, foot therapy is a sub-element of reflexology. In most spas the key requirement to be a therapist is to have a lovely smile and a hourglass figure. But Dr. Anthony insists that reflexology is a study of the human body and goes beyond satisfying the human senses.

According to Dr. Antony, his treatments are based on many methods of alternative medicine. He is qualified in acupuncture, acupressure, Reikei and reflexology.

In reflexology, predetermined points are pressed to relieve pain and stress. Most patients come to me after many unsuccessful attempts at trying Allopathy (Western medicine) as the cure. By that time the condition of patients is chronic and healing rates have reduced, observed Dr. Cyril.

Reflexology literature reveals that this practice helps in cleansing the body of toxins, boosting the immune system, promoting healing and balancing subtle energies. Allopathy however doesnt recognize these channels of energies within the body which form a deep part of the study of alternative medicine. Western Medicine reviews dont find sufficient support where reflexology has aided the process of healing within human beings.

Dr. Antony isnt the person to start a campaign to promote reflexology nor is he inclined towards highlighting attempts where Western medicine doctors have failed to cure patients. He accepts a patient who has a history of having received Western medicine with a lot of love and compassion, if directed to him.

With Dr. Antony, healing might take time, but the cases are many where cure has come as the end result of a long process more than a miracle taking place. There is no take home medicine, so there is the need for patients to make that extra effort to visit the doctor several times, he said.

Dr. Antony receives patients who come from distant places like Chilaw and Ratnapura. Apart from practicing at his clinic in Wattala, he also treats patients at a clinic in Battaramulla.

In reflexology, predetermined points in the hands, feet, face and ears are pressed to enhance healing or reduce stress.

Like in most medical professions, the presence of quack doctors in alternative medicine has greatly inconvenienced patients.

This is why Dr. Antony wants a regulatory body in Sri Lanka so that it can ensure that practitioners of alternative medicine are qualified.

Reflexology helps in cleansing the body of toxins, boosting the immune system, promoting healing and balancing subtle energies. Allopathy however doesnt recognize these channels of energies.

We must have provisions to list practitioners and there should be course specific requirements. This feature is lacking in Sri Lanka, he said. For the record countries like America and most European nations have regulatory bodies to regulate alternative medicine.

Almost anybody can receive reflexology treatment. But reflexology practitioners specify that clients have to wait one hour after a meal before receiving treatment. Pregnant mothers are also advised not to receive this type of treatment.

Dr. Antony has received an invitation to attend the ICR Destination Reflexology Conference scheduled to be held in Taitung, Chinese Taipei in October this year. He believes the new appointment will help create more awareness on reflexology in the island. He also hopes that this new opportunity will help him reach the full potential in this therapeutic practice.

In this era where money making and long hours at work drain your energies and invite you to join the queue at the doctor, Dr.Antonys reflexology promises an alternative; one press here and another there and youll be relieved of stress and will feel like a charged up battery!
Joint Oppositions MP for the Galle District Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, spoke about the current political developments and how the country should move forward. Here are excerpts of the interview:

Building of social pressure makes them leave

UNPers are also disillusioned with the Govt

In politics, one can expect the unexpected

Present Provincial Council system is sufficient

If President formed a Govt with UNP, why cant he join hands with MR?

The UNP failed to ensure development when compared with what we did at that time

Q In the current political climax, what is the Joint Opposition up to?

Its a matter for the members who have joined the Government to decide in this regard. You can see a clear contrast of policies between the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Its clear that todays governance is based on the policies of the UNP. Then, its up to the SLFP members who value the partys policies to leave the Government. Its a matter of time. I think a significant number of members who are with the Government will leave. The rest will also take a decision. Social pressure is developing gradually. Therefore, those who wish to remain with the Government will also have to decide some time later.

Q In your view, how ready are you to form a Government?

Politically, its a game of numbers. We need 113 members to form a Government. We have only 51 at the moment. Quite a number of the UNPers are also displeased with the status of the economy. They arent happy with the current leadership of the party. Its a matter of time before they also come out.

Q Some people talk about uniting the Joint Opposition and the SLFP section in the Government. Yet, theres a lot of antagonism between the two main leaders-President Maithripala Sirisena and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. How feasible is the suggestion to unite the two factions led by them?

In politics, we can expect the unexpected. The President was able to form a coalition Government with the UNP. The SLFP and the UNP were parties that were at loggerheads with each other. If they could come together, why cant President Sirisena and the former President come together? Those possibilities are open actually. We can expect the unexpected in politics. They criticize each other. The situation can change overnight. We never know.

It isnt a long time since we passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. In this instance, a two-thirds approval is needed to dissolve Parliament. Thats to avoid haphazard elections.

Q The UNP and the SLFP were at loggerheads with each other over political issues. However, there is bitterness between the President and the former President over some personal reasons. What do you say about it?

I dont see them as personal issues. Everybody wants to obtain power and retain it. Earlier, he (the President) said serious things about the Rajapaksa family. Nothing happened over a period of time. Probably, that side would have realized that nothing could be done. We, as outsiders, cant see what is happening within. Anything is possible.

Q As an MP representing the Joint Opposition, what is your opinion on the move to unite the two factions?

As a person who believes in democracy, I prefer a change of Government after some time. I think its good for the country to experience a difference. We governed the country for 20 years starting from 1994, barring a two-year period in between. It was good that people wanted to experience a change. People who voted for the Swan symbol can see for themselves what is happening in the country. They see the restrictions in the public service, pruning of Government subsidies and the neglecting of the agriculture sector. I think its good that the people experienced these things. When it comes to the next General Elections, people can consider the potential of the two sides and make an informed decision. But, people are denied of elections. The local Government Elections are being postponed. There are moves underway to postpone the Provincial Council Elections. As a result, people cant express themselves. If we go for an election, we will be able to see what people are thinking. Unfortunately, people dont have the opportunity to vote.

Q How do you view the constitution making process?

Right from the beginning, opinion was adivided in this regard. Some people wanted to boycott it from the very beginning. Some others believe that we should participate in the process to know what the Government is up to. Unfortunately, the SLFP hasnt put forward its proposals. Also, the UNP hasnt put forward its proposals either. There are certain drafts available consequent to the report by the Public Representation Committee. We learned that there were moves to set up a Federal form of Government. We are opposed to it.

They see the restrictions in the public service, pruning of Government subsidies and the neglecting of the agriculture sector. I think its good that the people experienced these things. When it comes to the next General Elections, people can consider the potential of the two sides and make an informed decision.

Q Actually, your father strongly advocated the devolution of power. What is your position on the devolution of power?

The provincial council system is sufficient given the current situation. Actually, there are economic related issues in the north and the east. The Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council has failed even to spend the total allocations that were made. In that sense, even the powers vested with the council arent used properly. Why should they ask for more powers? After the enactment of the 19th Amendment, the executive powers of the President were also curtailed. I think we have to retain the Executive Presidency in the current form. We have to be happy with the 13th Amendment. I believe the status quo should remain.

Q With the 19th Amendment, the President has lost the power to dissolve Parliament for four and half years. What is your opinion?

Its good to have a stable Parliament. That is more important. The President cant unnecessarily interfere with the duration of the Parliament. I think what has happened is good. The Executive Presidency was under criticism for a period of time because the President could control Parliament. When its taken away, its good for democracy. Parliament enjoys independence for four and half years.

Q Today, the Parliament can be dissolved with a two-thirds majority under the 19th Amendment. Some argue that a simple majority should suffice to seek such a motion and dissolve Parliament. What is your position?

It isnt a long time since we passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. In this instance, a two-thirds approval is needed to dissolve Parliament. Thats to avoid haphazard elections. If its a simple majority, it will provide for the constant dissolution of Parliament. There is nothing wrong with the current clause.

Q What is the way forward for the Joint Opposition?

Its a bit of a complex situation in politics where the country is concerned. The people who voted for Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015 are still with us. Some have joined the Government for personal benefits. They look for personal favours. At a decisive election, everyone will join hands with us. There will be two political camps in the country. One is the UNP led camp and the other the anti-UNP camp.

Everybody wants to obtain power and retain it. Earlier, he (the President) said serious things about the Rajapaksa family. Nothing happened over a period of time. Probably, that side would have realized that nothing could be done.

Q Initially, you said some UNPers are also disillusioned with the Government. How certain are you about it?

We keep in touch with them in Parliament. We talk to each other about politics, personal issues etc. Its a common thing. The UNP talked about one million job opportunities. It fell far short of meeting this target. The UNP failed to ensure development when compared with what we did at that time. The UNPers arent in a position to deliver. We can understand their disappointment.

Q It means they will join hands with you later on?

It has to be a decisive election. People defeated the person who defeated terrorism. Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated the scourge of terrorism that plagued this country for 30 years. I have no doubt about the impending predicament of the present rule.
A well-known actor-turned politico at provincial level made news when he defected to another political party recently.



After singing the praises of his new party leader for a short while, he had approached the latter to seek the post of an electorate level party organizer. He had mentioned two electorates he was interested in and appealed that he be appointed as the organizer to one of them.



Angered by the ambitious politicos unreasonable request, the party leader had shown him the door.

The provincial politico had sought to be the organizer of one of the two electorates he mentioned knowing well that two party veterans were already functioning as the organizers of these electorates, they say.
If you are a Sinhala music lover, close your eyes and listen to a few of Nanda Malinis best songs. And then, reflect on her widely reported humble beginnings in a disadvantaged settlement in Colombo. Fortunately, for her and us, her innate talents were in music, not in any other institutionalized area of professional work where the rise to a higher level of competence and recognition has long been dependent on access to social and financial resources, besides having attended a privileged school.

The education system does not help develop the full intellectual potential of children and youth in the country

Yet, in general, Sri Lanka has been more egalitarian since independence than other South Asian countries, largely thanks to universal free education introduced in the early 1940s. Since then, many people from humble backgrounds have risen to higher positions in diverse fields. University professors, top public servants, lawyers, medical doctors, engineers, etc. have hailed from diverse social backgrounds including disadvantaged social groups. Yet, increasing inequality within the education system and rapid population growth made upward social mobility more difficult in recent decades.

The experience of social marginalization and the inability to satisfy social aspirations encouraged many youth in all parts of the country to join violent rebellions since the early 1970s. Some of the protests that are on going in the country are also manifestations of the same unjust competition.

Circulation of elites, a concept introduced and elucidated by a well known Italian Sociologist, Vilfredo Pareto, is a characteristic feature of modern egalitarian societies. In simple terms, this means that the individuals with the aptitudes and talents, can achieve elite status in diverse fields irrespective of their birth status. Given the fact that the elites in diverse fields in general constitute a minority of individuals with exceptional talents and attributes, those members of the privileged upper stratum who do not achieve such qualities have to give way to the former. This is what circulation of elites is all about. By contrast, traditional societies where birth status mostly determined the life chances of individuals, privileges and positions were reserved for those who belonged to traditional elite groups such as higher castes and feudal aristocratic clans.

Pre-colonial Sri Lanka was not an exception in this regard. Western colonial rule, however opened up some avenues for people outside traditional elite circles to achieve upward mobility but, as historians have documented, such mobility was not necessarily accepted without resistance. So, even when modern education was embraced by natives as an avenue of social mobility, educational institutions they helped build were used by them to protect their newly acquired privileges rather than to create opportunities for the underprivileged. So, the education system remained highly unequal until the introduction of the C.W.W. Kannangara reforms.

Circulation of elites is widely recognized in modern societies as a positive feature not only due to ideological reasons. Societies that place a high value on equality and equality of opportunity support policy measures that create equal opportunities. When people demand equal opportunities, policies and practices that deny them are resisted, at times even violently. On the other hand, extending equal opportunity to all segments of society is an effective way to develop the full human potential for the benefit of the entire society. This is what many developed egalitarian societies have demonstrated in no uncertain terms.

Education and other social policies in Sri Lanka today do not create equal opportunities for upward social mobility. Firstly, the education system does not help develop the full intellectual potential of children and youth

On the other hand, upward and downward mobility of individuals is not a smooth process even in highly individualistic capitalist societies as many structural factors facilitate the reproduction of privileged groups to a large extent through processes of intergenerational transmission of wealth and cultural attributes. But this can be neutralized to a considerable extent by effective and deliberate measures of redistribution of wealth and opportunities such as progressive taxation and equal educational opportunities.

Education and other social policies in Sri Lanka today do not create equal opportunities for upward social mobility. Firstly, the education system does not help develop the full intellectual potential of children and youth in the country. Rural and urban disparities in education create many divisions among upwardly mobile youth and they have highly unequal life chances.

While many youth leave school early and take up jobs that guarantee no decent and stable future for them, those who remain within the system and reach the university level end up having highly unequal life chances. Compare the life chances of an engineer or doctor with those of an average arts graduate. While the language skills of educated youth play an important part in determining employment and other opportunities, the failure to impart language skills to school children has continued to be a major source of frustration among youth contributing to various social issues including violent conflicts in the country. As is well known, the lack of language skills is also an important factor impeding educational advancement among youth leading to many adverse consequences. This is an issue that can be easily resolved if effective measures are taken.

The phenomenon of elite circulation is not confined to the field of education and employment. It is equally relevant for politics, civil society, arts, and science. Free upward and downward movement of individuals based on their talents and capabilities is critically important for the well being of people and social and political stability of countries. What happens when dictators capture power and share power and privileges with a small coterie of relatives, friends and acquaintances? The entire state apparatus decays. The same can happen in civil society organizations, political parties, businesses, etc. Manipulation of political parties by those who capture them to bring in their own kind lead to their degeneration as we have witnessed in this country.

The likes of Amaradeva and Nanda Malini have enriched the lives of millions of Sri Lankans and their music soothes us on a daily basis

Former Singapore PM allowed his son to replace him only when he had acquired his own impeccable credentials and gained maturity. Though regimes micro-managed by dictators may eventually fall, the lost opportunities can not be easily retrieved because they are often permanently lost. The value of unconstrained development of talents is clearly evident in the field of music.

The likes of Amaradeva and Nanda Malini have enriched the lives of millions of Sri Lankans and their music soothes us on a daily basis. If their humble beginnings prevented them from reaching the highest level of achievement, the whole country would have been poorer. Why not create the same conditions for youth with diverse talents to do so in a whole range of other fields ? That would benefit not only them but the entire society as well.




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.
Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

Hon William Gladstone said in the frequently used adage in the legal circle that Justice Delayed is Justice denied which is applicable to the justice system worldwide. [We inherited English legal principles of presumption of innocence and application of Rule of Law which means to act according to the existing legal framework, everyone should be treated equally before the law. Some of the main guiding principles of our legal system, the world has rated high despite isolated dark spots which are common worldwide in all jurisdictions].

AGs Dept. is overloaded with work with less staff

Some murder cases are dragged for over 20 years!

politicos earn Rs. 3.1bn on illegal selling of vehicle permits

The criminal and civil procedure, evidence ordinance and most of the legislation in practice in Sri Lanka are imported from the British and applied with subsequent amendments which are alien archaic and complicated to us using a foreign language. In addition we are muddled with the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim personal laws and Roman Dutch Law on property matters. Citizen is suffering from the time the foreign legal system is introduced, in which one of the classic examples of miscarriage of justice is the story of Silindu in the story Baddagama by the historian Leonard Wolf about a case in deep down south Walasmulla in which the justice was meted with the foreign language at the cost of the innocent villagers life and freedom which is continuing in everyday in the maize of litigation every day.

Some murder and rape cases have taken decades when a child rape victim gives evidence after 15 years and murder cases take sometimes 20 years when the witnesses are dead and the productions have gone missing

Laws delays are worldwide and common to any jurisdiction. Law Society Gazette in the UK complaints of a backlog of 63,000 appeals pending and Vinods case in India of the rape and murder of a 5-year-old child took 22 years with 36 witnesses with ample similar examples in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka there are land/partition cases that run to decades and generations. In Sri Lanka the hearing of a rape victim and the murder sometimes takes 15 to 20 years on average. In the history of Bribery cases only a few have been successful so far despite the enormous funds pumped and they are hardly heard in the media. Laws delays are frequent in western jurisdictions despite modern trends and sophisticated equipment with sufficient funds to the mechanism on delivery of justice.

Best mechanism was introduced to Sri Lanka by the act No. 44 of Administration of Justice Act introduced by Felix Dias Bandaraneike who was unpopular among the legal profession for the ground breaking reforms to expedite the justice system that was thrown away by the legal profession headed by the eminent lawyer Dr. H. W. Jayawardna Q. C. brother and the advisor to then President JR Jayewardene continuing the system to benefit the privileged legal profession for exploitation of the litigant directly responsible for laws delays, with other parties concerned mentioned in this article. No short cuts as the solution. The Nation needs drastic legal reforms with honest and genuine legislators. Or perish together.

BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION ENGULFED THE LEGAL SYSTEM AND OTHER BODIES LIKE CANCER

Bribery and corruption are cancerous rampant and all over as breath and air in the system more deep rooted in the administration of justice and the court system where anything is possible with bribe. Some citizens are litigants who had no faith in the legal system, took the law into their hands in resolving disputes. Criminal procedure and the system are still complicated with the dependence of peace officers, statutory bodies such as the departments offering technical support, AGs Department is overloaded with work with lack of staff and facilities.

It is a known fact that some partition/land/criminal with appeal cases has taken generations despite steps taken to speedy completion. Some murder and rape cases have taken decades. When a child rape victim gives evidence after 15 years and murder cases drag for 20 years, the witnesses are dead and the productions had gone missing. These are not isolated cases as it is the order of the day in the day to day procedure which is in the public domain.

As a test Bribery Commission was rejuvenated by appointing Dilrukshi Wickramasinghe - an energetic personality with lot of hopes and enthusiasm, and a Commission was appointed to inquire into corruption by the previous government with an honest and experienced secretary in Lacille de Silva. The fate of both officers are still fresh in memory of the citizen who always at the receiving end. This proves what bribery and corruption are to weak governance and inefficiency.

The recent two cases are trivial on two asserts cases of Duminda Silva and Sarana Gunawardena subjected to the fine of Rs 2,000 with no other harm

The recent two cases are trivial on two asserts cases of Duminda Silva and Sarana Gunawardena subjected to the fine of Rs 2,000 with no other harm. Today we have the most corrupt Parliament Mafia working together having forgotten party politics to earn money collectively by illegally selling vehicle permits at enormous profits with the loss of 3.1 billion to the citizen and more to be exposed. Activist lawyer Nagananda Kodittuwakku has filed a case against 100 MPs in the Supreme Courts when Ravi Karunanayaka has resigned for a short while, on the Mahendran/Aloysius scam the citizen is conversant with and continuing.

Now the alleged wealth accumulated by the former President and the Waseem Thadueen murder involving the formers wife is one of the main issues in the field of Bribery and Corruption. All well known to the public despite the VAT and Bond Scams the highest public robberies from the citizen in the decade which is still not resolved when the culprits are enjoying their accumulated wealth apparently in Dubai.

WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT BRINGING OFFENDERS TO JUSTICE WITHOUT DELAY?

Fingers are pointed at Minister of Justice, Attorney General, Legal Profession, Bribery Commissioner, Legal System, inefficiency of the establishments, lack of political will of the Minister to identify the Bribe takers and punish them outside special procedure by setting up special courts and procedures adopting new and special legislation and special procedure. A group of agitated members of the legislature have made the main accusation to the Minister and AGs department they believe are inefficient and do not do enough to bring the suspected members of the last regime accused of bribery and corruptions by a group of legislatures of the ruling party. Ministers response to the agitated colleagues is simple, logical, legal and convincing. He said to the party group and the public that, he is bound to adopt the due process, and to act legally and constitutionally based on the guidelines and articles of the supreme law the citizens are bound to.

Judicial power is exercised through courts Article 4-(c) created and established by law, and all persons are equal before law Article 12(1) and No citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of political opinion 12(2) nor can subject to disability, restriction and every person is presumed to be innocent until he is proved guilty. Article 13(5), and the mode of appointments of the judiciary is enshrined in the 1978 Constitution and the 19th Amendment adopted in hurry and haste which requires many changes is in the implementation process.

Today we have the most corrupt Parliament Mafia working together having forgotten party politics to earn money by illegally selling vehicle permits at enormous profits with the loss of 3.1 billion to the citizen and more to be exposed

Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary and the AG is the advisor to the state expected to be independent and impartial towards the citizen depending on justice and fair play. President of the Bar Association is the leader of the Unofficial Bar who plays a pivotal role in the process of delivery of justice with the legal profession acting as officers of courts assisting the Judiciary and the citizen. The Ministries and departments supporting the process as necessary appendages of the delivery of justice is expected to be steady, just and impartial.

Delivery of justice is a combined operation/process of all the necessary parties led by the Chief Justice and the judiciary who has control over the management of the Law College, disciplinary actions of the lawyers and the judiciary giving directions to the other judges with the cooperation of the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice which indicates that the process is complicated and the role played by the Minister is merely complementary and facilitation providing resources and assistance with no powers on the main process. Therefore finding fault on the AG and the Minister is illogical.

The writer could be reached on Sarath7@hotmail.co.uk
Suresh de Silva, Chief Executive Officer, EGUARDIAN Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. and Rajesh Maurya, Regional Vice President - India & SAARC, Fortinet

EGUARDIAN Lanka, a value-added distributor of Fortinet cybersecurity solutions in Sri Lanka, unveiled the countrys first Fortinet Technical Assistance Center (TAC) at World Trade Centerrecently. Staffed by a dedicated team of certified engineers, EGUARDIAN will be providing its clients and partners with level 1, 8x5 technical support for all Fortinet products and services through the TAC.

We are delighted to open Sri Lankas first Fortinet Technical Assistance Center to support our clients and partners who have trusted us with their business. Working together with Fortinet, we look forward to ensuring that they receive a timely response to any technical issues and that their Fortinet security infrastructure maintains the highest levels of performanceto protect their critical assets and data, said Mr. Suresh de Silva, Chief Executive Officer of EGUARDIAN Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. This TAC also underscores Fortinets commitment to providing a team of certified engineers who will be on hand to offer the highest levels of service.

The launch of the Fortinet Technical Assistance Centre in Sri Lanka will ensure support is readily available to customers at any point of time to ensure business continuity, said Mr. Rajesh Maurya, Regional Vice President, India & SAARC at Fortinet. The Fortinet Security Fabric positions us well to provide industry-leading technology to protect our customers against aggressive threats. With our local support centre, we are complementing our best of breed solutions with enterprise grade support to ensure our customers stay secure and protected.

As the first cybersecurity solution provider to offer such a service locally, this move by Eguardian and Fortinet will enable customers and partners to receive faster troubleshooting for their day-to-day issues. They will gain fast and easyaccess to technical support via a web portal and email including processing of returns and replacements for hardware failures.

EGUARDIAN has also made significant investments in maintaining an ample supply of hardware components in its local stores to minimize clients downtime. This, together with the fact that the Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) process will now be handled by the local TAC, will letEGUARDIAN further speed up ticket resolution.

EGUARDIAN Lanka, a member of LIMRA Holdings,is a provider of cyber security services which specializes in digital forensics, threat hunting and threat intelligence services. With its head office in Colombo, the company has operations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Oman and Bangladesh as well as a strategic office in Atlanta, USA. EGUARDIANLanka is the sole distributor of Fortinetscybersecurity solutions in Sri Lanka and Maldives also the value-added distributor for Radware, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Algosec and Arista solutions in the country.
Election monitoring organisations today warned the Government that they would seek stern legal action if the Government failed to pass the proposed amendments to the Elections Act, which would delay Local Government elections further.

Addressing a press briefing the 'March-12 Movement', a voluntary organisation consisting of representatives from election monitoring organisations, civil society groups and trade unions charged that following the mutual consensus of all political parties the LG elections were delayed for four years.

While expressing their displeasure to the Government for violating the peoples voting right, Manjula Gajanayaka of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) said commencing the elections in a timely manner was the cornerstone of Good Governance that people expected after 2015.

The electoral term of the Batticaloa Municipal Council was the first to end, which was around four years ago. Subsequently, the electoral terms of numerous other Local Government institutions too concluded.

If nothing happens in the coming two weeks the Elections Commissioner will receive the full authority to hold the election in North Central, Sabaragamuwa and Eastern Provinces, he said.

Meanwhile, PAFFREL Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said election monitoring organisations feared the delay of LG polls, citing the debate for the amendments of the new Elections Act.

The Act is to be debated in House on 24 and voted on September 6. If this was not passed the election would be further delayed. Moreover, the Government is also attempting to reduce the 25 percent female representation quota. We are totally against such a move, he said.

Further, the movement said the two delimitation reports, which were prepared in order to implement this mixed system of elections, while the first report was flawed and the second report was delayed, became the decisive factors that affected the delay in holding the elections.

Although such was the reasoning for the said delay, the point that warrants further contemplation is attributed to the fact that on which day, would be the Local Government elections, which should empower the closest institutions to the general public, be held, it said.

Further, it said that a continual postponement would not be palatable for the general public, regardless of what is set out in the Constitution.

Amidst the delay, the immediate task at hand is the passing of the proposed draft amendments to the Act that has already been presented to Parliament, it said. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
Ten U.S. Navy sailors are missing and five were injured after the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker three times its size collided near Singapore early Monday.



This is the second time in two months that a Navy destroyer based at the 7th Fleets home port of Yokosuka, Japan, has been involved in a collision at sea. Seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship south of Japan in June.



American and Singaporean ships and helicopters are involved in a search-and-rescue mission after the pre-dawn collision at the entrance to one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes.



The McCain, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer equipped with Aegis missiles, had been on its way to a routine port visit in Singapore after patrolling in the South China Sea. Shipping data showed that the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Alnic MC was also on its way to Singapore when the vessels collided east of the Strait of Malacca at 5:24 a.m. local time, while it was still dark. Initial reports indicated that the destroyer sustained damage to its port side at the rear, but is currently sailing under its own power and heading to port in Singapore.



By Anna Fifield

SEOUL, (c) 2017, The Washington Post  Aug 21, 2017
A French Police officer had been intercepted last evening at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) while attempting to smuggle out a buffalo skull and a pair of horns, Airport Deputy Customs Director Parakrama Basnayake said.

He said the suspect (56) was arrested, while he was trying to board to Dubai by UL 225 with his son.

Following a tip off and a suspicious scanner image the Customs officer managed to find out the skull and horns packed in his luggage. This was a rare case which we have detected so far, Mr. Basnayake said.

Taking dead animals or their parts out of the country is strictly protected and prohibited under the Fauna and Flora Protection (Amendment) Act, No. 22 of 2009. If a person wants to transport or keep animal parts in his/her procession, a proper permit should be obtained from the Wild Life Conservation Department.

Accordingly, the arrested person had no valid document with him from the Wild Life Conservation Department pertaining to the detected.

During the investigations at the Customs, the suspect had said that he was taking buffalo skull and a pair of horns because of his son loved to keep them with him.

Later Customs officers warned him not to take them out of the country and later he agreed to not to take them and after the Customs inquiry the suspect and his son were released.

However the buffalo skull and a pair of horns were confiscated.

The detection was conducted by the Customs Assistant Superintendent Isuru Nagahawatte and the investigation was carried out by the Airport Deputy Customs Director Parakrama Basnayake. (Chaturanga Pradeep)
DPA, 21st AUGUST, 2017- London icon Big Ben is about to begin its longest silence since it first chimed more than 150 years ago.



The 12 bongs at noon (1100 GMT) on Monday will be the last until 2021 according to current plans, as renovation work begins on the clock tower which houses the famous Big Ben bell.



A group of British members of parliament said they would gather with their heads bowed towards this noble, glorious edifice at midday to mark the occasion.



A group of like-minded traditionalists would take part in the gathering, Labour party lawmaker Stephen Pound told the Press Association. Some greeted Pounds plans with derision, including fellow Labour parliamentarian Wes Streeting, who tweeted the hashtag #getagrip. Keeper of the Great Clock Steve Jaggs has said that members of the public were welcome to mark this important moment by gathering in Parliament Square to hear Big Bens final bongs until they return.



The decision to silence one of the worlds most famous clocks for so long has drawn criticism from the British establishment, notably Prime Minister Theresa May, who said last week it cant be right for Big Ben to be silent for four years.
After video images showing the inspector general of police manhandling an employee (said to be a lift operator) at police headquarters went viral, one would have expected an official explanation, and a personal apology, from the IGP. None has been forthcoming.

The employee allegedly aroused the IGPs wrath because he failed to observe a new directive requesting all police department employees to meditate before commencing work in the morning.

First of all, one must see if this incident occurred before the IGP did his morning meditation duty, or after.

If its after, then it makes a mockery of such a practice. Meditation is expected to calm us down and make us feel benevolent and merciful towards those around us. This includes all forms of life, be they lift operators or ants.

If its before, theres still no excuse for the action, but one could at least put it down to typical police high-handedness.

While the practice of meditation anywhere is praiseworthy, there are several issues worth considering.

One understands that its Buddhist meditation that police employees are required to practice. This would put non-Buddhist personnel in some difficulty. The argument that meditation is good for everyone regardless of religion cant be used here. People seek meditation for a variety of reasons. Schools and varieties of meditation number in the hundreds, and can be broadly narrowed down to about two dozen. Seeking meditation due to personal reasons is one thing. Having it imposed on en masse by a directive is another, because then there is no personal choice. This is equal to making it compulsory for all members of any institution (schools, university, supermarket chain or department) to take Vitamin C everyday because it can strengthen ones constitution and may prevent flu. If anyone doesnt want to take Vitamin C, its a personal choice and forcing him or her to take it would amount a violation of fundamental rights.

Many existing meditation practices have their origins in India, Tibet or the Far East (China, Vietnam, Japan). They may be derived from or related to Buddhism and Hinduism (Loving Kindness or Metta meditation), Vipassana meditation, Zen or Zazen meditation, Focused Attention meditation and Mantra meditation. But there are also Sikh, Jain, Hindu and Yoga meditation practices and modern derivatives such as Transcendental Meditation. Yogic meditation includes Third Eye, Chakra, Kundalini, Sound (Nada), Tantra and Pranayama meditation, while Chinese practice offers Qigong. Then theres Christian meditation such as contemplative prayer.

One understands that its Buddhist meditation that police employees are required to practice. This would put non-Buddhist personnel in some difficulty

All these are equally valid practices and need guidance. Meditation can affect the subconscious and shouldnt be undertaken at the start without personal supervision by trained teachers. Has the Police Department offered its employees such services? Looking at those video images, the answer can be assumed to be negative. As for police high-handedness, its an old illness which no amount of meditation may be able to put right.
Mastercard has joined hands with Educate Lanka to empower Sri Lankas young women as part ofits Doing Well, Doing Good initiative.As part of the collaboration, Mastercard will fund a scholarship programme as well asa skills development and mentorship platform, supported by the company.The initiative seeks to build a more inclusive future for these women, in line with Mastercards global commitment to advancing social and sustainability causes within the communities they operate in.

Commenting on this partnership, Manjula Dissanayake, Founder and President of Educate Lanka, said, For over 10 years, Educate Lanka has been committed to and driven by its paramount mission: to empower every young person from marginalized backgrounds in Sri Lanka with relevant competencies and skills demanded by an ever changing world. By preparing our youth to meet the dynamic demands of the 21st century global citizenry, we are contributing to a stronger, skilled, and inclusive workforce and leadership that would lead Sri Lanka towards its socioeconomic advancement and global competitiveness.

We are thrilled to partner with Mastercard, a pioneer that has demonstrated its leadership and commitment in this space globally, to empower the young women of Sri Lanka. By sharing our collective vision of creating a platform to engage Sri Lankas corporate sector to directly invest their social capital in providing better opportunities for the marginalized, we lay the foundation for long term, large scale change that will impact all future generations and redefine Sri Lankas stature globally, he added.

The Mastercard scholarship programme will provide 50 women from underprivileged backgrounds with mentorship, skills training, as well as employment opportunities through Educate Lankas programmes. Scholarship recipients will be identified by Educate Lanka, who will then monitor their long-term progress with semi-annual feedback and evaluation.

In addition, the mentorship and skills development platform aims to empower approximately 200 female students in its first year through Educate Lankas various programmes. Along with sessions on career and workforce advancement, the initiative will also engage membersof Sri Lankas business community to mentor students on leadership development. Leveragingstakeholdersexpertiseand material resources, the programme seeks toenhance participantsemployability, as well as economic and civic contributions.

Mastercard has always believed that doing well as a company means doing good for society. Our scholarships and complementary programmes will provide new avenues to helpthose in need strive for a better life. Access to education has always been a crucial key to ending the cycle of poverty,and we hope to expand this access through todays partnership.We are proud to be working with Educate Lanka and do our part in ensuring a brighter future for not only the youth of the country but for the whole nation, said R. B. Santosh Kumar, Country Manager, Sri Lanka and Maldives, Mastercard.

Educate Lanka is the brainchild of Manjula Dissanayake, who developed the educational programme following a series of personal incidents and circumstances that made him reassess his lifes priorities and purpose. He then identified that despite Sri Lanka having a universal education system, poverty was a great barrier between Sri Lankan youths and the opportunities they deserve. Seeking to empower marginalized youth through education, he founded Educate Lanka, which provided funding from secondary through higher educationfor more than 1000 students since 2007.
After the resignation of Ravi Karunanayake as the Foreign Minister, the government has reverted the two lotteries boards, the National Lotteries Board and the Development Lotteries Board back to the Finance Ministry functioning under Minister Mangala Samaraweera.

The two lotteries boards had been under the Finance Ministry for a long time as two institutions earning revenue for the public coffers until the Cabinet reshuffle effected in last May, when they were transferred to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. This was widely discussed among the public then and Joint Opposition Parliamentarian Bandula Gunawardene had initiated legal action against the governments inappropriate combination of subjects under the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Why did the government bring the two lotteries boards under the purview of Foreign Ministry three months ago? And on what grounds has it now brought them back under the purview of the Finance Ministry?

Ravi Karunanayake had been the Finance Minister during the government appointed for the so-called Hundred Day Programme as well as in the government elected at the subsequent Parliamentary election on August 17, 2015 and the two lotteries boards had been functioning under his ministry throughout. With the change of ministries in May, Karunanayake was deprived of his favourite ministry and had to swap the portfolios with Mangala Samaraweera who had then been the Foreign Affairs Minister.

However, in a bizarre turn of event the two lotteries boards were brought under the Foreign Ministry under Karunanayake and now that he was forced to resign from the Cabinet they are again under the Finance Ministry. Therefore it is vividly clear that in spite of government ministers waxing eloquent justifying the inappropriate combination of two Lotteries Boards with the subjects of Foreign Affairs Ministry, they had done so as Karunanayake or the leaders of the government had wanted them always under him.

However, in a bizarre turn of event the two lotteries boards were brought under the Foreign Ministry under Karunanayake and now that he was forced to resign from the Cabinet they are again under the Finance Ministry

The government seems to have totally forgotten its promise given to the nation during the last Presidential election to appoint a relatively small Cabinet on a scientific basis. On the one hand the number of Cabinet ministers envisaged under those promises was 30, but it has risen to 47 now with the latest inclusion of Tilak Marapana at the Cabinet reshuffle in May with a new portfolio called Development Assignment. How can they justify, under the concept of scientific allocation of portfolios and subjects to the ministers, the appointment of State ministers, a portfolio introduced in Sri Lanka by the former President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1989, apart from the appointment of deputy ministers? Through the latest cabinet reshuffle, Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has also been assigned with another State Minister portfolio, the State Minister of Mahaweli Development.

On the other hand the subject combination of ministries has sometimes been ludicrous. The best case in point was the see-sawing of the two lotteries boards between the Finance Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Another interesting combination of subjects, among others, is Higher Education and Highways.

It is comprehensible that ministers or officials might have a special interest in certain ministries or subjects on the basis of their familiarity with or knowledge on those ministries or subjects. However, subjects should not be changed haphazardly from one ministry to another just because a minister or a leader of the government liked to do so. It is also a well known fact that many ministers prefer ministries handling massive amounts of money or/and huge man power capacities which can be puffed up with their supporters. However, governments giving into these whims of ministers or officials would inevitably end up in large-scale corruption.
Undergraduates of State Universities, who are against the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), launched a protest fast on Monday outside the Fort Railway Station in Colombo, demanding that the Government should abolish it. Pix by Nisal Baduge
Episode 132 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

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Today Koen Timmers @zelfstudie is a teacher in Belgium. He has founded the Kakuma project where teachers are helping teach in refugee camp via Skype. In todays show, he talks about this project and his Human Differences project. This top 50 global teacher prize winner is inspiring.

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Below is a transcript modified for your reading pleasure. For information on the guests and items mentioned in this show, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

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Transcript for Episode 132

Teachers Teaching Refugee Children via Skype with Koen Timmers

Shownotes: http://ift.tt/2v9YkZm

Download the Transcript: Episode 32 Transcript

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The Human Differences Project

Vicki: So, Im here at the National State Teachers of the Year Conference here in D.C., and a friend of mine, Joe Fatheree @josephfatheree, who is a Global Teacher Prize Finalist, told me about this amazing person, Koen Timmers @zelfstudie, who is a teacher from Belgium, whos a Top 50 Global Teacher Prize Finalist recently.

Now, Koen, youre real big on collaboration. Could you describe for us one of the examples of the projects that youve done collaboratively?

Koen: Yeah. So, one project Ive been running is the Human Differences Project. That was about two months ago, and that project is about collaboration on a global scale. In this project, we had fifty different schools over thirty-seven countries across six continents who participated. And it was a student-centered project, so the students had to do all the research, the thinking, discussion, brainstorming. They had to present and share their findings during each week about several topics.

This project was basically about, How are people different in their own classroom, in their own country? Why do countries decide to build walls? How do conflicts start? And also about finding solutions, like how to build bridges instead of walls. And we also did an anti-bullying campaign and also about gender equality. And the students? Well, they really amazed us. Some of the students, they began to dance. They went to interview people on the street. The Nigerians students, they even composed their own song. The students from Egypt, they even came to school during holidays, so we had some pretty amazing outcomes during the project.

How did you connect with the other schools?

Vicki: Wow. So how did you connect with the fifty schools?

Koen: Yeah. So, Im also an MIE thats a Microsoft Expert Educator  and thats a wonderful community of about 3,000 different educators. And once youre in the community, its pretty easy to set up global projects, actually. It took me a few days to find about fifty different schools over a lot of countries that were willing to participate.

Project Kakuma and teaching refugees via Skype

Vicki: Now you also have another project, Project Kakuma. Tell us a little about that.

Koen: Yeah. So, two years ago I had a very emotional skype call with Moses. Moses is an outreach assistant in the Kakuma refugee camp, and this refugee camp houses 200,000 refugees who fled from war and hunger in Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, etc. And I promised to help him increase the level of education in the camp by having regular Skype calls with them  with refugee kids, actually. During my first call with them, I realized that I was kind of naive, thinking that having a Skype call with the refugees was going to be like having a Skype call with my friends and family. They told me that they have very little resources in the school. They have 30 schools, and each classroom houses up to 200 refugees.

So, imagine 175 students taking a look at one laptop screen while Im teaching them. But, apart from that fact, the project became an instant success. They requested skype lessons on a daily basis, and so I had to find global educators willing to participate. And, at this moment, 100 educators from around 40 different countries are participating. They are teaching them on a daily basis.

How teachers can help

Vicki: So how can we help?

Koen: Well, basically, you can support the project by also volunteering to teach the refugees. We have a lot of teachers from the U.S. and from Asia. All continents, basically.

Vicki: You have a website or a place we can go to volunteer?

Koen: Yeah projectkakuma.com

Vicki: It just amazes me what youre doing. So, theyre teaching a variety of subjects?

Koen: Yeah.

Vicki: Many different topics?

Koen: We are teaching them maths, science, English, even art. Most people, they really love the fact that we are offering free knowledge and we are teaching them. But basically, we also bring empathy into the global classrooms. Most people forget about the students involved from all kinds of different countries, who are now offered the right perspective into what its like to be a refugee. But also, they talk about habits, religion, culture, about sport. They basically have fun. And so, we fight against misinformation, against polarization, and yeah Thats also very valuable, I think.

The biggest mistake teachers make when trying to collaborate

Vicki: As youve collaborated  because youve done a lot of collaboration now  what do you think the biggest mistake that youve made with collaborating in the classroom is?

Koen: Well Dont overdo it.

Vicki: (laughs) Been there. Wish I hadnt. (laughs)

Koen: Most people, when you advocate or you present about collaboration, they think its all about collaboration. They forget to instruct. Because collaboration takes a lot of time, and I think you need to shift between every approach. Sometimes you need to instruct your students. Sometimes you need to shift to flipped learning. Then you have to collaborate. And then you have to do learning by doing in maker space So I guess that a teacher as a pedagogical engineer who decides which approach is the best at that time, for that subject, for that topic, etc.

Vicki: I love that pedagogical engineer Thats a great way to think about teachers, isnt it?

Koen: Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

The CARE! Model of Teaching

Vicki: Yeah. Awesome. So, you have a CARE! model.

Koen: So I think that teachers have the responsibility to do different things, and its not only about offering knowledge. Its about also The C from CARE! is about collaboration, but its also about guiding. (ADVISING) In most cases when students graduate, theres a large gap for them. I think teachers also have to make sure how they can keep on learning  the lifelong learning concept, thats it. In my case, I dont want my students to be limited to my knowledge as well. I want them to learn from each other, but also from experts on social media, from their friends. We have to point them in the right direction and teach them that not every resource is a reliable. We have to fight against fake news as well. Yeah. I think thats also the duty of the teacher. Yeah. Not only offering knowledge, and thats it. Instructing in that sense.

Vicki: So give us the R and the E and the exclamation point for CARE!.

Koen: So in the CARE the R is for real problem solving. Well, I believe in project-based learning, and in many cases  and I didnt mention this before, but Im a computer science teacher  and in most cases, people teach about the computer. I think we need meaningful subjects, and we need real problems to solve. You can use a computer for data as well. I already explained about the E  the empathy. The explanation point is that most frameworks, most people who talk about their framework, think that it fits in every case and every scenario. And I think it doesnt. We all teach different subjects, different ages, and in different schools. They all have different financial resources, so I think in some cases, blended learning works. And in some cases, teachers have to fill the gap themselves, and they have to figure out what their students basically need, I think.

Vicki: Teachers, weve learned some remarkable things. Please check the Shownotes for links. I know and hope that some of you will help teach the refugees with Project Kakuma. Please let me know if you do, because I think this is a project worth following. And its also  can you think of a better way to spend our time volunteering and helping? So, Koen Timmers, thank you so much for being on, and thank you for your leadership on the worldwide stage that you now have.

Koen: Thank you so much.

Full Bio As Submitted

Koen Timmers

Koen Timmers is an educator, author and keynote speaker. Hes a 2017 Global Teacher Prize top 50 and founder of an online school Zelfstudie.be. Hes passionate about collaborative and technology enhanced learning. Koen founded several global educational project including the Kakuma project  in which 100 educators over 40 countries offer free education to African refugees via Skype  and the Human Differences project  in which 50 schools across 6 continents focus on how to build bridges instead of walls.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a sponsored podcast episode. The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions This is a sponsored podcast episode. The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.)

The post Teachers Teaching Refugee Children via Skype with Koen Timmers appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

From http://ift.tt/2v1Up4K via Vicki Davis at coolcatteacher.com . Please also check out my show for busy teachers, Every Classroom Matters and my Free teaching tutorials on YouTube
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday communicated to President Maithripala Sirisena his partys decision to expel Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe from his post, it is learnt.

Mr. Rajapakshe drew criticism from his party over the allegation that he was deliberately delaying the institution of legal action against those accused of corruption and frauds during the previous regime.

However, the Minister denied it saying he could not interfere with the independent functions of judiciary.

The United National Party (UNP)s Working Committee took him to task on August 17 in this regard. He was given time till yesterday to explain his position to the party. At the partys parliamentary group meeting, it is learnt that State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe inquired whether Mr. Rajapakshe had responded to the allegations.

It transpired at the meeting that he had not done so. Accordingly, the UNP decided that Mr. Rajapakshe should step down or be removed from office.

Afterwards, the Prime Minister called on the President to notify the partys decision. Constitutionally, the President has the authority to remove a Cabinet Minister. (Kelum Bandara)
It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.

- Voltaire

Resentful dependency kills mans free will

Critics of present govt. are senior level executives in private sector

Countrys economic development has been stalled

Resentful dependency, a human condition that is borne out of an amalgam of conditions producing resentment of the ultimate product, yet creates an unmistakable and consistent dependency on that resultant condition. It is cruel in inherent nature and the results it produces. It kills mans free will; it destroys his free movement in the realm of ideas; it deadens intellectual curiosity and it leads to a dull and obsequious existence. That is not a very promising way of living. But that is the way our people have chosen to spend their lives.

That resentful dependency has taken over the former lackeys and henchmen of the Rajapaksas. The so-called Joint Opposition is made up of all those lackeys and henchmen. These dregs of the political landscape of Sri Lanka are hanging on to the one clear master they had during those dark and deeply diabolical days. Being fully entrenched in a corrupt society which was a creation of their own cabal-driven machinery of state, they were compelled to stay close to their boss. In the hope that they would be the recipients of the deliberately-thrown residue of ill-gotten wealth, the henchmen and lackeys had one single function. It was to buttress the position of their master. A culture that was so created by this closely-knit society was a clear deviation from the traditional rituals and practices of a historically rich but emotionally not-yet-charged people. That culture was first embraced by the immediate cohorts of the Rajapaksas. Then it dribbled down the societal ladder, convincing the lower rungs that it was the new reality.

Politicians who were invigorated by a dense dose of political Viagra resorted to any and every means to lure the gullible mass of supporters to this new culture and the supporters became willing victims to this magical and nameless lust. That culture consumed a value system that had been based on mutual trust, selfless parental love, ungarnished simplicity and unhesitant sacrifice. In its place is now an unreservedly false system of destructive lifestyle, mistakenly called practical living. Resentful dependency is cultivating and nurturing this new system everywhere. And the so-called efficient private sector, which should be the driving force of the economy which is reasonably free of stifling regulations and fear of confiscation cum nationalization, is even worse affected by the vagaries of this resentful dependency.

The Foreign Service which was at the service of an uneducated political ruffian during last regime regained its rightful place and status under Mangala Samaraweera

Under the government of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe, mere pretence of possessing free will and see-through postures have come to stay. But economic development has been stalled. The harshest critics of the present government are the senior level executives in the private sector who were the recipients of various bones and partially-consumed financial carcasses. The salivating pukka sahibs of this sector of our economic drivers cannot simply do away with the extra cash that came with the debris of resentful dependency. Their allegiance to the former regime had tangible rewards. Invitations to cocktail parties, wining and dining with visiting foreign dignitaries and being seen with the first family, mattered particularly to the fair spouses of the leaders of the private sector. That is merely an extension of that political allegiance they had for the ruling cabal.

A structure that was based on political allegiance and personal relationship and loyalty began to manifest itself. This structure was more of an emotional and psychological one than a real and physical one. Its existence was more noticeable in the way in which various deals and businesses were consummated. Unsolicited contracts with huge profit margins ascribed to the contractor became the order of the day, especially amongst the Ministers who were eagerly looking forward to a portion of these large profits collected by the contractors. When government contracts were unsolicited, the final prices were invariably inflated and way over and above the estimated prices for such contracts. A portion of these profits is given to those Ministers who were primarily responsible for the work involved in those contracts.

For instance, a project that would cost, according to the engineers estimates, Rs. X, an enormous amount is added far above the usual margins to the costs. That extra amount is distributed among the politicos and officials who are intricately engaged in the workings of those costs and estimates. The tax payer is bearing the burden of those additional costs by way of increased prices on essential items such as food, transport and other facilities that are provided by the government. Costs are added but no real value is ascribed to the projects. Augmented costs are shrouded in in largely inflated prices and articulated by the politicos as a value addition!

These contractors were seen with their spouses at cocktail parties and banquets hosted by the then President and his relations who were in the same Cabinet. That was considered by these private sector-business vultures as a great benefit that comes their way. It gave them a sense of recognition which they could brag about in the elite gatherings. The spouses went to town on their jewellery and clothing. A vulgar display of wealth and power was visible; an unequivocal expression of political power and proximity to the powers that gave them an artificial elevation to the elites in our society that has already been polluted by deal-makers and merchants of the flesh and other nefarious deeds. Resentful dependency had already been built into these henchmen and cohorts of the Rajapaksas.

It was a sign of a decadent culture whose beginnings were more destructive than the middle and the end, if they materialize. When the local scholars and pundits write about the emergence of a dynamic and vibrant brand of an elite in society, they ignore these morbid groups of political vultures whose money is new and ill-gotten. But when one finds, among these new elites, some usual suspects whose monies could be traced back to a couple of generations prior to them, one wonders where the system failed and being responsible for making these reasonable businessmen into blind and greedy traders of allegiances and relationships.

The system has caught them and entranced them into practices which were once tabooed from their forefathers operational demeanour. The new leaders of new elites are now the leaders of our society. They advised the politicos as to what project to undertake and what not to. After being hosted to half a bottle of whiskey and roast chicken by the head of the land, they forgot their beginnings that were bred and born in mediocrity and below average education and learning.

The image of victory over the LTTE has faded. Patriotism has receded to a back seat. National security and empty sloganeering around national security are no longer taken as serious attempts at offering of realistic solutions for real problems the country faces. The Foreign Service which was at the service of an uneducated political ruffian during the last regime regained its rightful place and status under Mangala Samaraweera who, according to our own overseas Civil Servants, as the best Foreign Minister Sri Lanka had. I have no doubt he will do and equally effective job as new Finance Minister. A man, whatever his personal likes and dislikes are, driven by idealism and goal oriented personal philosophy, Mangala Samaraweera is one member of the current Cabinet of Ministers who could deliver the goods.

On one end of the political spectrum are these new elite of culture vultures and on the other are the politicos who are owned by these culture vultures. In the middle are the mass of people whose ideas and ideals have been destroyed by this double-edged culture. The people have been steadily watching this spectacle played out behind the curtains of slogans and pseudo-patriotic rhetoric. They waited for ten years to oust that clan and their indefensible greedy acts. Now the eyes and ears are in the duo of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremasinghe. Corruption and misdeeds are being exposed and some have been convicted, whatever the judicial findings and verdict would be, by the public court of opinion. Such openness was not in existence in the realm of government during the last regime.

Yet the tragic feature of the system is, it is increasingly becoming susceptible to the offerings of the new elite whose greed is beyond any limits. Indulgences in extra-civil activities, spending funded by casino-winnings and unsolicited contract profits, the new leaders of resentful dependency culture are oriented towards digging further down into the pit. The system has become more corrupting than corrupt. In such a tortuous context how can the masses extricate themselves from the system? The answer is evasive and not yet apparent on the horizon. A resentful people have become victims of their own making and neglect. Utterly unaware of the consequences, their plea of ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post  Max Bearak Aug 21, 2017 - Grace Mugabe, wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, is back in her country after South Africa granted her diplomatic immunity Sunday amid allegations that she viciously assaulted a 20-year-old model who was spending time in a hotel with two of her sons in the city of Johannesburg.



South Africas main opposition party demanded a parliamentary inquiry into the decision and said on Twitter that the government no longer has legitimacy in the arena of international diplomacy and displays a total disregard for the rule of law. A lawyer representing Gabriella Engels, the victim of the alleged assault, said he would seek to bar the Zimbabwean first lady from ever returning to South Africa.



On numerous occasions, the first lady has been accused of assaulting photographers and then invoked diplomatic immunity. Robert Jr. and Chatunga have been booted from at least two apartments for rowdiness.
After the derailment of the Kalinga Utkal Express, on Saturday, August 20, 2017, the Ministry of Railways has come under an onslaught of questions and accusations, and quite understandably so.

Most recently, it has been the Congress spokesperson, Manish Tewari, boldly declaring the lack of even an "iota of morality" in the NDA-led government. Tewari has called Prime Minister Narendra Modis governance model a miscellany of "event management and managing news cycles".

Twenty-three lives were lost, 153 passengers injured and 26 left in grievous conditions, after the derailment in Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar. Worse still, about 300 lives have been lost in 27 accidents in the past three years. Allegedly, there have been nearly 350 railway accidents during the tenure of the present railways minister, Suresh Prabhu.

Pizza over passenger security

A spectre is haunting the Indian Railways - the spectre of elite aspirations. After assuming office in 2015, Prabhu introduced pizza-on-demand and regional food services on select routes. This was then welcomed as a disruption in the erstwhile tradition of lacklustre railway services. Passengers today are quick to condemn the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), for instance, without quite understanding its economics.

About 300 lives have been lost in 27 accidents in the past three years.

The IRCTC is actually a subsidiary of the Ministry of Railways, and works through private participation - but is not a private entity. Even the magazine of the Indian Railways, Rail Bandhu, is not an in-production, but is published by the Maxposure Media Group Ltd. Yet, both of these services function almost without any accountability.

Tewari has accused the ministry of prioritising pizza over passenger-security. Elsewhere, the Anil Kakodkar Committee Report on Railway Safety (2012) has been quoted to tailor the current trends of railway debates - the facts that the railways are understaffed, and must immediately fill in vacancies, apart from creating a special corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore, for safety and infrastructural development.

But it is extremely crucial to also read the reasons behind the state the Indian Railways has found itself in the past decade or so. Inter alia, the report stated: "the 'present environment of Indian Railways reveals a grim picture of inadequate performance' largely due to poor infrastructure and resources [t]he financial state of Indian Railways is 'at the brink of collapse' unless some concrete measures are taken. Passenger fares have not been increased in the last decade and the infrastructure is severely strained This has led to a neglect of infrastructure maintenance."

The high-level infrastructural, organisational and administrative changes recommended by the report were taken forward by the Bibek Debroy Committee Interim Report for Mobilization of Resources for the Railways (2015).

Besides restructuring of zones and delinking of non-core activities such as schools and hospitals, and accounting reforms, the committee made three very serious recommendations. One was the formation of an independent body, the Railway Regulatory Authority of India (RRAI), which was taken up last year by the government, and the reform operationalised in April, 2017.

Another was the sharing of the subsidy burden and operating losses between the states and the Centre - in a bid to promote cooperative federalism in the railways. Out of 29 states, only nine have signed joint ventures with the Centre. Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Tripura, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam are the conscientious outliers - any damages or casualties upon the tracks in their territories must ideally weigh heavily upon their conscience.

Finally, the committee recommended encouraging the entry of private players. Public outrage against the privatisation of the railways, and political pressure, derailed this recommendation, even at the cost of forgetting the fact that the India Railways incur losses of $6 billion each year - largely on short commuter hauls - and its railway subsidy ranks the fifth in the world, only behind countries that have much more efficient and profitable railways: China, United States, Germany and Italy.

In late April, 2017, Prabhu announced that the railways shall not be privatised - except the auctioning of 23 railway stations.

Two of the three recommendations of the Debroy Committee - which would have been instrumental in operationalising the Kakodkar Committee recommendations in the first place - have bitten the dust. Instead, the Indian Railways has diverted its attention to promoting luxury transport in the form of Tejas and Humsafar Express, new militarily strategic railway networks such as the Bilaspur-Leh railways, and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Hugh Speer Railway Network. Arguably, it is to suit the sociocultural and political sensibility of upper-middle-class Indians, who would rather travel in comforts, than give up on their subsidy.

Politics over planning and accountability

Equating the inconsistencies of the NDA government with the failure of the railways is a premature burial of commonsense. It is also a terrible attempt at alienating the public at large from economics. Accusations like "criminal negligence" on part of the railways, may be a face-saver for the collective conscience of a nation of overentitled postcolonials and underprivileged constituencies.

It is, however, such politics that is the real killer - administrative and inspectional failure are only subservient to the interests of political and economic apathy.

Tewari and the Congress have raked up a debate, reminding how Lal Bahadur Shastri and Madhav Rao Scindia resigned, in 1956 and 1993, respectively, as railways and aviation ministers. Shastris resignation was accepted by the then prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and was amicably guarded and honoured. In 1988, while Scindia was the railways minister, 100 people died in an accident after a train fell into a river near Quilon, in Kerala. His resignation was overturned on prime minister Rajiv Gandhis insistence. Later, his tenure as the aviation minister saw the Imphal tragedy, when an Indian Air Force crash killed 69 people, despite the best of his "instincts and intentions".

To now recount these instances as a political defence to Tewaris narrative of upright politics of Congress cabinet ministers, would seem very irresponsible, indeed. So is his offensive.

After assuming office in 2015, railways minister Suresh Prabhu introduced pizza-on-demand and regional food services on select routes. (Credit: Mapsofindia.com)

The suspension of railway staff has been described by the minister of state for railways, Manoj Sinha, as historic and unprecedented. More than anything else, it is cinematic - makes a good screenplay. And besides, our elected democrats in Parliament, we - the everyday politicians - are to blame for the railway tragedy of our country - we who have made a cult and virtue out of every opposition that we seem to pose before the government we have chosen.

Our confusion begets a confused railway policy of the government, and staggeringly confused remarks by the opposition.

In order to truly secure our railways from further destruction of human life - and human property which accrue to us, the so-called tax-payers - the ministry and other political stakeholders must prioritise the operations of the RRAI, and the autonomy of the Indian Railways from the ministry, to begin with. Although railway safety is a concern of policy implementation - and therefore the ministry - it cannot be under the purview of the cabinet in a state of ever-expanding and grossly understaffed railway networks. The non-core subsidies of the railways - police force, schools, hospitals and production and construction units - must really take a back seat behind the question of human safety and investment thereunto.

And finally, the railway board must be corporatised. Let us, in the name of god, give a break to our mindless critiques of capitalism. The state may be as capitalist as its private cooperatives - worse still, it may be a failed capitalist.
India has always been bold and adventurous. Our founders constantly strived to do better as a nation. They experimented with revolutionary concepts to further the promise of the nation to all. Surrounded by wars, they consciously chose the path of non-violence. They witnessed exclusionary citizenship and extractive development and opted for universal enfranchisement and inclusive development.

And they rejected the graded inequalities to opt for equality. That quest, to always choose whats best for the people, defines our republic.

In that quest, our founders used their different approaches and ideas to become more than their individual parts. The belief that we are stronger together, and because of each other, was deeply ingrained in Indias collective consciousness. That is how we have grown over the past 70 years, by supporting and enabling each other.

Barring some unfortunate exceptions, we have consistently strived to ensure that each one of us is able to enjoy equal rights, lives a life of dignity and security and is guaranteed equitable access to opportunities. It is because of this that India has grown leaps and bounds in the last 70 years, and is a beacon of hope and inspiration the world over.

Unfortunately, today regressive forces are compromising the well-being of millions of Indians, and promoting development which is exclusionary. The most marginalised and vulnerable are being consistently denied access and opportunities to a better life.

In collusion with the State, these forces are aggressively homogenising India according to those very principles of hierarchy, patriarchy and fundamentalism that Babasaheb Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhai Patel, Maulana Azad and all our other founders so decidedly rejected during the birth of our nation.

Image: Reuters photo

Today, rigid norms are being imposed with regard to food, clothing, language and free speech, while the State is silent and unwilling to enforce the rule of law.

Consequently, hatred and violence towards Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, women and the minorities (both religious and ideological) have risen exponentially. As former vice-president Hamid Ansari rightly pointed out, there is a palpable sense of fear and indignity in India today. This poses a grave threat to Indias inclusive conception of polity and citizenship.

It has been argued that there is no viable force left to stop the attacks on Indias soul. The opposition, both social and political, has been caricatured as fragmented and bereft of a viable vision. There is a brooding sense of foreboding and helplessness at Indias future as a democracy committed to liberty, equality and fraternity. But not anymore.

To craft a visionary blueprint for the future, and to address the above mentioned concerns, the government of Karnataka recently organised the worlds largest Dr BR Ambedkar International Conference from the July 21-23, 2017. This historic conference saw the participation of over 300 academics, activists and policy-makers across the world as well as 12,000 delegates. Their insightful deliberations comprehensively assessed the contemporary challenges and opportunities India faces.

This dialectic yielded some bold and innovative recommendations. These were compiled into the Bengaluru Declaration, which outlines specific policy responses for Indias all-round development.

Some of the important institutional recommendations include dramatically empowering the Election Commission of India to ensure that all political parties strictly uphold fundamental rights and adhere to constitutional values; strengthening the Press Council of India so it can act against attacks on journalists and censorship, establishing a farmers' income commission to ensure income security for Indias "annadatas" and institutionalising an equal opportunities commission to ensure the representation of Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, women and minorities in the public and private sectors.

Some of the salient policy recommendations include making secondary education and healthcare universal rights, free accommodation for educated youth employed in tier I and II cities, a national law to allocate budgetary resources equal to the SC and ST population etc.

This blueprint makes an important start in proposing a viable alternative vision of development and governance. If it continues to amalgamate additional creative recommendations for all sectors, it could emerge as the undisputed silver bullet to the problems that India faces today.

To borrow from Martin Luther King, out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.

We have come a long way in the past 70 years. And by adopting the Bengaluru Declaration, we can go much further in the next 70.

If we are to keep rising to ever greater heights, we need to immediately address the concerns of equity, freedom, human rights, justice and democracy. We need to also ensure that we grow and prosper together, shoulder to shoulder. To do that, we need to be compassionate in our policies and constructive in our politics.
One week back, India celebrated the 70th anniversary of its Independence from the British colonial rule. For seven decades, India has remained the worlds most populous democracy. It is almost the only country in the developing world that has steadfastly adhered to peaceful transition of power through electoral means. In the past two decades, India has also been seen as a democratic alternative to Communist China in the emerging global power configuration.

However, after the 40 months of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India, there are now serious doubts over the regular continuation of the democratic arrangement in India. Indian democracy had primarily worked for so long because of its avoidance of a single religion, single culture or single language and continued the struggle to achieve equality among its citizens and the establishment of the rule of law.

But Modi and RSS have been adamantly pursuing majoritarian politics and policies, bringing fundamental change in Indias established pluralistic polity.

The major reason for concern for democratic India is Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, a former pracharak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1947, had cautioned the chief ministers of India: We have a great deal of evidence to show that the RSS is an organisation which is in the nature of a private army and which is definitely proceeding on the strictest Nazi lines.

India has witnessed Modis utter disregard for human rights. Every lynching is proof. Photo: Screengrab

Modi has trained in the Hindutva philosophy of the RSS  the same RSS which has grown multifold in size and influence and is his primary supporter and promoter.

Many were expecting PM Modi to change his Hindutva stance after becoming the prime minister of a religiously and ethnically divided country like India, but RSS' teachings seem to be more powerful than the countrys Constitution.

Modi is completing 40 months of his present tenure as the prime minister of India. In the last 40 months, India has witnessed Modis utter disregard for human rights, the crude use of state machinery to manipulate election results and to censor critics, trying all the tricks to undermine the independence and power of judiciary and other critical institutions, and using both constitutional means and Hindutva foot soldiers to suppress religious freedom.

However, no one can claim to be surprised at Modis non-democratic authoritarian tendencies as the prime minister.

In 2014 general election, BJP had projected him as a decisive and strong leader. Even BJP MP Paresh Rawal had asserted before the election, "A benevolent dictatorship is what India needs."

Demonetisation hit the poorest of the poor in India. Photo: DailyO.in/ Compiled by Pathikrit Sanyal

The Opposition always had that fear. National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had warned before the country went to polls, If Modi becomes the prime minister, India will become a dictatorial nation and only God knows who will survive that (his rule).

Modi as prime minister of India has fared terribly when it comes to upholding the countrys democratic and secular ethos, where all religious and ethnic groups are constitutionally equal. Violent attacks against Muslims by Hindutva mobs on suspicions of possession or consumption of beef have become quite regular. Minority communities are living in a virtual seize.

Academic freedom has been seriously curtailed and student activism brutally suppressed.

History books are being rewritten and voodoo science is being promoted. Highly incompetent Hindu right-wing sympathisers have been recruited to run the top educational and cultural institutions of the country.

More than 20,000 civil society groups have been denied international funding support.

When critics of Modi describe him as a serious threat to Indian democracy, his highly vocal supporters in the media and the intelligentsia continue to counter it saying Modi is exactly what India needs and will lead the country to greatness.

To them, Modi is unfairly maligned and misunderstood and the possibility of him turning out to be an authoritarian dictator is a myth.

To negate the apprehension of Modi becoming a dictator, the usual argument peddled by his supporters is that India is a democracy and that Modi has come to power through one of the largest democratic exercises in history.

However, the open manipulation of election results in Goa and Manipur and the blatant use of state machinery and money power in the Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat clearly show Modis disdain even for basic etiquettes in a democracy.

We should not forget what Plato had once said: Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy.

It is no-brainer to see that an elected leader can very well become a despot even if he or she has come to power though elections.

In some cases, autocrats come to capture power through violent means, but it is also very much possible that an elected government can evolve as a dictatorial one depending upon the person in charge and the quality of the Opposition.

The list of regularly elected dictators is very long, including present ones like Mugabe, Erdogan and Putin. A divided society like India with unusually high aspirations can fail to discipline its appetite for the sake of common good and thus some electoral outcomes can be quite problematic.

Dictatorship simply implies that the government rests on a single person. A regime, whether democratic or dictatorial, can surely make good or bad decisions. However, when an autocrat takes a decision, it might be look bold and efficient, but it lacks checks and balances and suffers from the absence of a safety net.

When a government  as we have been increasingly witnessing in India  becomes dependent on the "wise" choices of a sole individual to mirror the interests of the whole country it is a dangerous proposition.

Narendra Modis abrupt decision last year to invalidate 86 percent of the cash in circulation has caused immense hardship and terrible pain to millions of Indians, mostly those from the poorer sections of the society  and has resulted in no benefit for the nation or its economy.

As Amartya Sen described the idea and implementation of the note ban by Modi, it was a despotic action and only an authoritarian government can calmly cause such misery to the people.

A rubber stamp has now been placed at Rashtrapati Bhavan and Modis total control over his government and the ruling party as well as the absence of an effective parliamentary Opposition provide a fertile setting for authoritarian dictatorship to gain strength in India.

Since the 1970s, the world had witnessed the "third wave" of democratisation. The collapse of Soviet Union had led many to believe that democracy has become the only game in town.

But, with the arrival of the new century, the global march toward democratisation has suffered a halt.

In the last 17 years, at least 25 democracies in the world have taken a backward trajectory. Two major casualties of this ongoing global democratic recession are Russia and Turkey.

In Indias neighbourhood, Bangladesh and Maldives have joined this new trend. India  where democracy had taken root braving impossible odds  is unfortunately on the verge of a democratic collapse.
American Airlines has offered to fund a new home to be built by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, spurred by the Aug. 12 violence at and near Emancipation Park.

Like Habitat, we believe in bringing people together to build strong foundations for future generations, said Doug Parker, chairman and chief executive of the airline. We are inspired and humbled to be in a position to support the mission of Habitat, and stand with Charlottesville as the community moves forward in a positive way.

The offer came in the wake of violence that erupted during and after the white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Emancipation Park.

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a car was driven into a crowd of counter-protesters after the rally had broken up. The attack injured at least 30 others.

Two state police pilots were killed that same day when their helicopter crashed in Albemarle County after having flown over the city during the rally for much of the day.

Habitat officials said the airline contacted them with the offer. The home will provide a local low-income family a chance to own a home, they said.

It meant so much to us that American reached out from its corporate offices in Dallas without prompting and pledged to support our effort to build a more equitable and inclusive Charlottesville, said Dan Rosensweig, president of the local Habitat. The nation stands with us as we reject the hatred of last week and create neighborhoods built from love and respect.
Unite the Right organizer Jason Kessler no longer faces a disorderly conduct charge from May, and he has withdrawn a lawsuit against the city of Charlottesville for trying to move his white nationalist rally to another park.

Two days before his rally was supposed to commence at Emancipation Park on Aug. 12, Kessler filed a lawsuit after city officials agreed to grant his permit for assembly as long as the groups assembled in McIntire Park and not Emancipation Park. Citing the large crowds of people expected to arrive in the city, Charlottesville police and other city officials said it would be safer for them to gather in the larger park.

Kessler, however, refused to move his rally  which he said focused on the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee  and said that the city was infringing on his First Amendment rights. With the American Civil Liberties Union and the Rutherford Institute backing him up, Kessler asked a federal judge for an emergency injunction to stop city officials from moving the rally.

The judge granted the request, and ralliers gathered at Emancipation Park. The violence that followed started before the rally could begin, though, and police declared an unlawful assembly.

On Monday, Kessler filed a notice to withdraw his lawsuit. Citing the successful injunction, the notice states the issue is now moot.

By voluntarily dismissing the lawsuit, the city is no longer liable for any violations to the U.S. Constitution or for any damages to Kessler, according to the request for relief in the original lawsuit.

Neither Kessler nor a spokeswoman for the Albemarle County-based Rutherford Institute could be reached for comment.

Also on Monday, Kessler appeared in Charlottesville General District Court on a charge of disorderly conduct related to a demonstration in May. At a candle-lit demonstration on May 14 to protest the white nationalist rally from the night before, Kessler allegedly refused to stop using a bullhorn to incite others, according to police.

Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Nina-Alice Antony entered a nolle prosequi  meaning that the prosecution will decline to pursue the charge  and said there was not enough evidence to convict Kessler of disorderly conduct.

Judge Robert Downer Jr. accepted the prosecutions motion and said there was a difference between freedom of speech and disorderly conduct when it can incite violence. When dealing with disorderly conduct, Downer said, it has to be about more than just words.

It is a waste of time to refuse the nolle pros, Downer said. Freedom of speech has a cost. Weve all seen what that cost is in light of the recent events in Charlottesville.

Following the hearing, Kessler quickly left the courthouse, but his attorney, Michael Hallahan said his client had done nothing wrong.

His action of free speech was not a violation of the law, Hallahan said. It was the protesters who surrounded him that reacted with violence.

To prove disorderly conduct, Antony said a person must do something more than just speak  usually it involves words plus an act that will directly cause violence. In Kesslers case, though violence did occur, Antony said. In talking to police and reviewing the case, she determined that he could not be prosecuted on his words alone.

Mr. Kessler is a person that we have absolutely no respect for and he is a very troubled person that we do not think fully understands the damage that he has caused in this community and elsewhere, Antony said, following the hearing. But in this case, he was not guilty of criminal conduct, so the decision not to prosecute in this particular offense was the right one to do.
In July, a whopping 40 percent to 60 percent of land in the Dakotas and Montana descended into drought and left some farmers with no more than half their usual crop yield. As summer comes to a close, the drought is estimated to linger into fall. Climatologist Deborah Bathke said, We would expect to see conditions [this] bad once or twice in 100 years.

Maybe such a statement holds true in the U.S., one of the countries least vulnerable to the effects of climate change. On the other hand, the country rated most vulnerable to the effects of climate change is Chad. In the region of Lake Chad alone, the process of desertification threatens the resources and livelihoods of 50 million people, daily. Over the past 50 years, Lake Chad has shrunk to a mere 5.4 percent of its former expanse of 25,000 kilometers.

With 87 percent of its population classified as impoverished, Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world, presenting limited funding to combat the effects of climate change. Chad is not alone in this predicament; often the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change are the ones who contributed the least to carbon dioxide emissions.

The U.S., on the other hand, is the second-greatest emitter of carbon dioxide, but is both less vulnerable to and better equipped to combat the subsequent effects of climate change.

The U.S. is one of the most economically and environmentally stable countries in the world. U.S. aid is needed overseas in the countries unfairly ravaged by the climate change the U.S. helped cause. At present, less than one percent of the U.S. federal budget goes to foreign aid. The bottom line is: The U.S. isnt doing enough. Lets fix the problem before it reaches our own shores.

Sophie Nunnally

Albemarle County

Sophie Nunnally is an intern with The Borgen Project, a national organization seeking to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy.

References:

Editor's note: This letter was submitted prior to Aug. 12, 2017.
After two weeks in Australia filled with pulsars, radio astronomy, southern constellations, the Dish, black holes, and gravitational waves (AND KANGAROOS!!), the BLAsT class made its way up to Casper, Wyoming. On our first day there, Martin Ratcliffe (Professional Development Director for SkySkan, adjunct faculty member at Wichita State University, and contributing editor for Astronomy magazine), gave us a tale of two eclipses.

The two eclipses were both in India: One in 1898 and the other in 1995, which Ratcliffe observed with a film crew. His presentation was incredibly eye-opening to say the least. I never realized how much we have grown and advanced with science, technology, and transportation in a century. We thought that WE had it tough driving 3 hours to Dallas, flying for 3 hours to Denver, and then flying another hour to Casper, arriving to the Allen H. Stewart Lions Camp on Casper Mountain around 1 a.m. In 1898, scientists from England had to embark on a 6-week trip via ship, and then spend an additional few days on a train to make it to the eclipse line. In 1898, the plague was actually an issue at the original observing location, so the expedition was forced move their heavy equipment to a new camp by horse and carriage. Once there, it took them a total of 3 weeks to properly set up all of their equipment and perform nightly observations.

At our camp, everyone seems to be one big happy family, and there are telescopes set up in the clearing 24/7. But when astronomers were doing night-time observations for the 1898 eclipse, the police had to keep the locals, who were very intrigued in what the astronomers were doing, away from their camp.

The 1898 eclipse, with totality lasting 2 minutes, coincided with the Hindu Festival, Kumbh Mela, which is a pilgrimage of purification. Fast forward about a century later to 1995 for an eclipse that coincided with the Diwali festival of lights and a period of totality lasting a mere 44 seconds! Thats so quick! Astronomers have to do so much work every time there is an eclipse to have it be only 44 seconds. But those precious seconds sound so exciting. Ratcliffe played a bit of a movie made during the 1995 eclipse, complete with confused crowing rooster and panicking cameraman who wanted to make sure the filter was put back on his expensive camera after totality ended, and for someone like me who has never seen a total eclipse, it all definitely sounds worth it.

Its crazy to think about how truly difficult it was for astronomers back in the day to not only carry much larger and heavier equipment than we do today, but also to travel for weeks, sometimes even months, all in the name of science. One thing that has stayed the same, however, even now amidst the 2017 eclipse, hotels claim "no accommodation along the eclipse line" because of the number of people rushing in to witness natures greatest cover up.
17th meeting of FSDC held in New Delhi

Published: August 22, 2017

The seventeenth Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was held in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley.

The meeting was attended by RBI Governor Dr. Urjit R. Patel, SEBI chairman, IRDAI Chairman along with heads and other senior officers of the Government and financial sector regulators.

Key Highlights of Meeting

Macro-economic stability: FSDC held that India has macro-economic stability on the back of improvements in its macro-economic fundamentals, structural reforms, action taken to address the Twin Balance Sheet (TBS) challenge, extraordinary financial market confidence and long-term positive consequences of demonetization.

Challenges facing the Indian economy: It also discussed the issues and challenges facing the Indian economy and members agreed on the need to keep constant vigil and be prepared of managing any external and internal vulnerabilities.

Progress of Financial Sector Assessment Program for India: It is jointly conducted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. It directed that the assessment report should be finalized by end of this calendar year.

CERT-Fin and FDMC: It took note of the developments and progress made in setting up of Computer Emergency Response Team in the Financial Sector (CERT-Fin) and Financial Data Management Centre. It also discussed measures for time bound implementation of the institution building initiative.

Central KYC Registry (CKYCR) system: It also discussed on the CKYCR system and took note of the initiatives taken in this regard by the members and discussed the issues in respect of its operationalization.

Regulation of CRAs: It also deliberated on strengthening the regulation of Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs).

About Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)

FSDC is super regulatory body for regulating financial sector which is a vital for bringing healthy and efficient financial system in the economy. The idea to create it was first mooted by the Raghuram Rajan Committee on Financial Sector Reforms in 2008.

The FSDC envisages to strengthen and institutionalise mechanism of (i) maintaining financial stability, (ii) Financial sector development, (iii) inter-regulatory coordination along with monitoring macro-prudential regulation of economy.

Composition of FSDC: The Union Finance Minister is its chairman. Besides, heads of the financial sector regulatory authorities (i.e, RBI, SEBI, IRDA, PFRDA), Finance Secretary and/or Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (Union Finance Ministry), Secretary, Department of Financial Services, and Chief Economic Adviser are its members

Two Core functions: (i) Act as an apex level forum to strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial stability. (ii) Enhance inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development in the country.

Other functions: (i) Focus on financial literacy and financial inclusion. (ii) Monitor macro-prudential supervision of the economy. (iii) Assess the functioning of the large financial conglomerates.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2017

Topics: Banking  Business  Economy  Financial Sector  FSDC  National

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TRAI ink LoI with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission

Published: August 22, 2017

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) deepen bilateral cooperation in telecom and broadcasting regulation.

The LoI was signed on the sidelines of ongoing ITU-TRAI Asia-Pacific Regulators Roundtable jointly organised by the International Telecom Union (ITU) and TRAI in New Delhi.

Key Facts

The LoI will help both regulators to jointly conduct capacity building exercises in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation. It will help them to work closely in enhancing mutual cooperation and bilateral relations.

It will also facilitate exchange of information and regulatory best practices in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications, including new and emerging areas. It will also help in exchange, deployment and attachment of experts from both the countries.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

The TRAI is an independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India. It came into existence by the Act of the Parliament in 1997. It was established in wake of entry of private sector in telecom industries after Government had launched the National Telecom Policy (NTP) to attract domestic and FDI investment in the telecommunication sector. Its mandate is to deliver a fair and transparent environment for fair competition in telecom market. TRAI also fixes or revises the tariffs for telecom services in India.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2017

Topics: Asia-Pacific Regulators Roundtable  india-malaysia  National  Telecom sector  TRAI

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Mumbai: Bharti Airtel, country's largest telecom operator in terms of subscriber base, is holding talks with a few handset makers as it wants to launch its own 4G smartphone before Diwali in October, according to a report in The Economic Times. The report cites sources at handset makers Lava and Karbonn as saying that manufacturers are talking with Airtel for a "mass market" phone.

The launch is seen in telecom circles as Airtel's counter measure to take on rival Reliance Jio that has announced India's cheapest feature phone for a refundable deposit of Rs 1,500. JioPhone will start coming in the market by September whose beta testing has already started, Reliance Jio earlier said.

Like JioPhone that will come bundled with free voice calls and dirt cheap internet data packs, Airtel phone will also offer similar services, that will also be an Android-based phone, the report adds. "Telco will allow users to download all apps available on the Google Play app store," ET quoted people familiar with the development as saying.

Bharti Airtel that has ruled India's telecom market, it seems, is gradually losing ground as new entrant Reliance Jio with its lifetime free voice call and dirt cheap internet data packs has eaten into Airtel's revenues.

Airtel reported a 72 per cent drop in its quarterly profit reported in May this year, a figure that was not at par with the estimates. Airtel's net profit slumped from Rs 1,319 crore reported in March 2016 to Rs 373 crore reported in May 2017. Its revenue also dipped substantially. Its net profit had dropped by 55 per cent in quarter ended December 2016.

Airtel's decreased revenue has been attributed to Reliance Jio's arrival on India's telecom landscape. Jio had launched its free services in September last year, initially for three months till December 2016. It later extended the free packs till March 2017 and started charging its customers only from April.

On the contrary, Reliance Jio has grown with a rapid pace since its launch last year, as it added more than 100 million customers in just 170 days of its arrival, according to Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani. Jio expects it will add another 100 million users in just few months.
New Delhi: Infosys co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan on Tuesday met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley amid the uncertainty surrounding the company following the sudden resignation of its CEO Vishal Sikka.

According to sources, Venkatesan met the minister and is believed to have apprised him of the developments at Infosys as also the steps being taken to keep the shareholders informed.

Infosys was not available for comment.

Last Friday, the first non-founder CEO of Infosys, Sikka resigned from the company following months of acrimony with high-profile founders, led by NR Narayana Murthy, citing "malicious" and "personal attacks" on him.

While Sikka did not name Murthy for his exit, the Board of the $10 billion firm blamed the founder for "continuous assault" through "factually inaccurate" and "already-disproved rumours" for the resignation of the CEO.

Murthy, however, maintained that his only concerns are the lapses in corporate governance standards, something that Infosys was admired for at one point.

However, the developments of the day (August 18) sent the company's stocks plummeting nearly 10 per cent, with its market valuation falling by over Rs. 22,518 crore in a single day.

Once the poster boy of Indian IT success story and considered a bellwether among Indian tech stocks, Infosys has had to battle challenges like an uncertain business environment, senior level exits and increased visa scrutiny in key markets like the US and the UK.

Troubles mounted for Infosys when an anonymous letter was sent to the market regulators in February this year, alleging that its acquisition of Panaya was overvalued and that some Infosys executives may have benefited from the deal.

While an independent probe absolved the board of any wrong doing, Murthy kept insisting that the company goes public with the full contents of the investigation report.

Infosys has so far refused to make it public.
ONGC will hire investment bankers to assist it in acquiring government's 51.11 per cent stake in HPCL.

New Delhi: State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) will hire investment bankers to assist it in acquiring government's 51.11 per cent stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL).

The investment or merchant banker to be hired will be separate from the one the government is hiring to manage its disinvestment, a senior official said here.

The board of ONGC on Monday gave 'in principle approval' for acquisition of the government stake in HPCL, which at Tuesdays trading price is worth about Rs 34,800 crore.

He said a six-member Committee of Directors has been constituted to examine various aspects of the acquisition and to provide its recommendations to the board.

The panel includes Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh K Sarraf and Director (Finance) A K Srinivasan as also independent directors K M Padmanabhan, Sumit Bose and Vivek Mallya.

Director (Technology & Field Services) Shashi Shanker, who has been selected to succeed Sarraf as the chairman of ONGC at the end of September, will also be part of the panel.

The official said the acquisition will be done as per the Sebi takeover code. The price would be most likely be six month average of HPCL scrip on the day of the decision.

The government last month had approved sale of its 51.11 per cent stake in oil refiner HPCL to India's largest oil producer ONGC. Prior to the merger, HPCL is likely to take over Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) to bring all the refining assets of ONGC under one unit.

ONGC currently owns 71.63 per cent of MRPL while HPCL has 16.96 per cent stake in it.

The official said ONGC will not have to make an open offer to minority shareholders of HPCL as the government's holding is being transferred to another state-run firm and the ownership is not changing. The deal will be completed within a year, he said.

HPCL will become a subsidiary of ONGC and will remain a listed company post the acquisition, the source said, adding the board of the refining and marketing company will continue to remain separate.

The government has also constituted a committee  headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan and road minister Nitin Gadkari to work out the modalities of the sale.

Jaitley had, in his Budget for 2017-18, talked about creating an integrated oil behemoth. After that oil companies were asked to give their options. ONGC had evaluated options of acquiring either HPCL or BPCL -- the two downstream oil refining and fuel marketing companies.

It found the nation's second-biggest fuel retailer BPCL too expensive and conveyed its choice to the parent oil ministry. Sources said the transaction is likely to be completed within this fiscal year.

HPCL will add 23.8 million tonnes of annual oil refining capacity to ONGC's portfolio, making it the third-largest refiner in the country after IOC and Reliance Industries.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will open 1,000 'Sri Sri Tatva' stores across India that will sell over 300 Ayurveda products.

Mumbai: Yoga guru Baba Ramdevs brainchild Patanjali is all set to face competition as spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will foray into the retail ayurveda products sector by opening 1,000 stores.

The founder of the Art of Living Foundation, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, will open about 1,000 Sri Sri Tatva stores that will sell ayurveda retail products like toothpastes, detergents, ghee and cookies.

Spearheaded by the Rs 10,000 crore-company Patanjali, there has been a surge in demand for ayurveda and herbal products in India. People have now accepted ayurvedic products in their daily lives, and we believe our brand offerings are different compared to those of existing players, Tej Katpitia, chief executive of Sri Sri Ayurveda (SSA) Trust told the Economic Times.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankars company has already been selling health drinks, soaps, spices for a while now but will now expand its portfolio by including food and home categories. The company will make over 300 products at its three manufacturing units in India.

The company targets to open its first store in September and around 50 stores by November. The aim is to have a billion dollar business in the next few years, said Gaurav Marya, chairman of Franchise India Holdings, that is providing the company with franchise partners.

According to a study by TechSci Research, the India Ayurvedic products market is projected to grow at a rate of 16 per cent during 2016-2021.
Qatar Airways on Tuesday signed an interline partnership with Vistara, under which customers of the two carriers will have seamless travel to and from India to over 150 destinations.

Mumbai: Persian gulf carrier Qatar Airways on Tuesday entered into an interline partnership with Vistara, under which customers of the two carriers will have seamless travel to and from India to over 150 destinations.

The partnership is effective from Monday, Qatar Airways said.

Qatar Airways currently operates to 13 cities in India from its Doha hub while the Tata-SIA run joint venture airline Vistara operates to 18 domestic destinations.

An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline. When selling an interline ticket, the operating airline's own flight numbers are used.

Interline partnership allows Qatar Airways' passengers to travel seamlessly to and from a wide range of cities within India across Vistara's network, via Qatar Airways' existing 13 Indian gateways and under a single ticket, the Gulf carrier said in a release.

"This exciting new partnership with Vistara will bring enhanced connectivity and increased convenience to our passengers travelling within India on an expanding full-service premium carrier. The Indian market is very important to us. This new partnership expands Qatar Airways' presence in India and reinforces our commitment to this market," Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said.

Qatar Airways in the past had initiated talks with Indian budget carrier IndiGo for a marketing tie-up, which later failed to yield any results. "We are delighted to launch our interline partnership with Qatar Airways, through which we will offer a seamless flying experience and international luggage allowance to our joint customers from various cities in India to and from over 150 destinations across the world on a single ticket," Vistara Chief Executive Officer Phee Teik Yeoh said on the partnership.

Qatar Airways operates services from Doha to New Delhi, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad, Chennai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram in India.
GST registration procedures for new dealers has been further simplified for the sake of traders. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: The GST Network that controls and monitors GST returns filings has further simplified the registration process for filings under the new indirect tax regime. Earlier, traders had complained that they were still facing some issues related to GST and returns sunder it.

So, the authorities took it upon themselves and started educating the trader community. Knowing GST rules and methods of filing returns under it are very important. This write-up explains in detail GST registration for new dealers.

GST registration procedure further simplified.

Step by step guide

Here is a step-by-step guide that will further simplify for new dealers to understand the method for registration under the regime.

1- New dealers are required to fill and submit online a single application form to get themselves registered for GST transactions.

2- A PAN-based registration will serve the purpose of the Centre and the states.

3- A unified application to both tax authorities, in this case, the central and the state authorities.

4- Each dealer will get or to be given a unique identification that is known as GSTIN.

5- Users will get a deemed approval within three days.

6- Post registration verification in risk based cases only.
Investor confidence in India's growth story continues to be strong with both foreign as well as domestic players tapping into opportunities here.

New Delhi: Private equity investment activity in India remained buoyant in the April-June quarter with investments worth USD 6.3 billion, a 51 per cent rise in deal value over a year-ago period, says a report.

According to the PwC MoneyTree India report, a quarterly study of PE investment activity based on data by Venture Intelligence, the April-June period saw 155 PE deals worth USD 6.3 billion, taking the first half deal tally for this year to USD 13.6 billion -- highest PE activity in a decade.

As per the report, the PE appetite continued to be strong with late-stage investments accounting for almost 57 per cent of the investment value at USD 3.6 billion this quarter, followed by buyout deals at USD 0.9 billion.

"Investor confidence in India's growth story continues to be strong with both foreign as well as domestic players tapping into opportunities here. However, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) may impact the investment landscape in near term, as investors assess the scenario and proceed more carefully," PwC India Leader, Private Equity Sanjeev Krishan said.

Sectorwise, technology space led with over 40 per cent of the total investment value this quarter with investments worth USD 2.7 billion, a 93 per cent rise over the same period last year. Technology space recorded the largest deal -- Softbank's investment of USD 1.4 billion in One97 Communications.

"Despite the slowdown in growth in the Indian technology sector and in the midst of layoffs and US visa issues, technology continued to be an important investment theme in the second quarter with IT and ITes accounting for a large share of overall deal value," PwC India Global TMT Tax Leader and India Technology Sector Leader Sandeep Ladda said.

Ladda further said as transactions continue to move online, new areas such as FinTech and the hyperlocal and travel segments are set to benefit in the long term.

Regionally, Mumbai gained an edge over NCR (national capital region) in the April-June quarter of this year, with total investments worth around USD 2.3 billion in 39 deals. With a 70 per cent drop in PE investment value as compared to the last quarter, Bengaluru slid down to the third spot, the report added.

In terms of PE exits, the April-June quarter saw 61 deals worth around USD 2.8 billion n comparison to 58 deals worth around USD 3.2 billion in the previous quarter.
New Delhi: India's private sector needs to come forward to create well-paid and highly productive jobs, Niti Aayog outgoing Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Monday.

Panagariya was addressing 200 young CEOs who have gathered here to participate in the 'Champions Of Change' programme organised by the Niti Aayog.

The CEOs, including Rajiv Bajaj of Bajaj Auto and Avni Biyani of Future Retail, are scheduled to have a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow during which they will suggest steps for expediting growth and creating jobs. "India's big focus is on creating good jobs.

The private sector has to deliver to create well-paid, high productivity jobs: NITI VC @APanagariya," the government think-tank said in a tweet quoting Panagariya. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley too addressed the young CEOs and spoke about the Jan Dhan initiative of the government that has helped in pushing financial inclusion.

"Jan Dhan has proved to be a great launching pad to enable Financial Inclusion in India: Finance Minister @arunjaitley" the Aayog quoted Jaitley in a tweet. Jaitley also said the country needs effective regulators.

Modi had held a similar meeting with 212 young entrepreneurs last week as part of the 'Champions Of Change' programme. The young CEOs today began deliberations on six themes - New India by 2022, Doubling Farmer's Incomes, Creating Cities of Tomorrow, Taking Forward Make in India, Reforming Financial Sector and Building World-Class Infrastructure.

After the deliberations, the CEOs will make presentation on Tuesday to the prime minister on action points that could be incorporated in the 15-Year Vision Document, a senior Niti Aayog official said. The other CEOs slated to attend the meeting include Priya Pant of Park Hotel and Nikhil Nanda of Escorts.
The inter-ministerial group setup to look into financial woes of telcos may suggest increasing the time for deferred spectrum payment to 16 years. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The inter-ministerial group setup to look into financial woes of telcos may suggest increasing the time for deferred spectrum payment to 16 years as this is among the proposals on which the panel has reached a "consensus", according to multiple officials.

However, on the contentious proposal calling for removal of 50 per cent spectrum cap -- within a particular band  for mergers and acquisitions, the high-powered panel may consider the option of referring the matter to telecom regulator Trai, two IMG members told PTI.

The drafting of report has begun and will take a day or two, marking the final leg of the report's finalisation. One of the members said the IMG will "try" to meet this week again.

"The IMG will attempt to finalise its report by August 27. There is consensus on various issues, including increasing the time for deferred spectrum payment and shifting from PLR to MCLR on interest and penalty payments with regard to licence fee and spectrum charges," the official said.

The inter-ministerial group, constituted to suggest measures to ease the financial pain in the telecom sector, held its meeting hereon Tuesday.

The final recommendations of the group will be placed before the Telecom Commission and ultimately before the Cabinet. Incidentally, the Telecom Commission is slated to meet on September 1.

The two officials present at today's meeting said that on the spectrum cap proposal, one of the options is seeking Trai's opinion on the matter. The regulator being a domain expert has the mechanism available, including stakeholder consultation process, to examine the matter at length, they said. "The larger question is what happens to competition if the spectrum cap within a band is done away with," the official added.

The IMG, which comprises senior officials from ministries of finance and communications, last met on August 11 and deliberated on various proposals that can be taken to address the financial difficulties of the industry.

Among the multiple proposals on the table, the panel is learnt to be favouring increasing the period of deferred spectrum payment to 16 years, which, if materialises, will improve the cash flow of telecom companies.

Currently, a portion of spectrum auction amount is taken as upfront payment by the Department of Telecom (DoT) and the balance after a 2-year moratorium is paid out every year in 10 instalments.

The IMG is also considering a proposal to shift from PLR (prime lending rate) to MCLR (marginal cost of funds based lending rate) for interest and penalty payments pertaining to licence fee and spectrum usage charges.

The inter-ministerial group, in June, had held extensive dialogue with all telecom players and large banks on the industry's financial difficulties. With debt burden exceeding over Rs 4.6 lakh crore, the telecom companies are seeking an immediate policy intervention to overcome the crisis.

United against newcomer Reliance Jio, the established telcos have been flagging pressure on profitability and revenue and are pushing for cut in licence fee, spectrum usage charges, besides relaxation in deferred payment norms for the spectrum acquired.

Jio, backed by India's richest person Mukesh Ambani, has ascribed the financial stress in the telecom sector to existing operators like Bharti and Idea running businesses on debt and investing heavily in unrelated sectors, a charge that has outright been dismissed by the large operators.
    :             ,     
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called on 200 young CEOs at Niti Aayogs Champions of Change program, to become soldiers of a prosperous India.

Under the 'Champions of Change', young CEOs began deliberations on six themes - New India by 2022, Doubling Farmer's Incomes, Creating Cities of Tomorrow, Taking Forward Make in India, Reforming Financial sector, Building World-Class Infrastructure.

The Prime Minister, who is also the Chairman of the government think-tank, called these young entrepreneurs a part of his team to battle obstacles to fulfill his dream of a cashless India 2022.

He further stressed on the need for this team to prioritise the welfare of the citizens of India. Every citizen must have a feeling that this country is mine and I have to work for the country, I want to add something towards its growth, he said.

Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, Modi explained the need for a unified effort in working towards the welfare of India. Mahatma Gandhi turned the freedom struggle into a mass movement and we saw the results, he said.

He urged the industry leaders to think of the poorest of the poor while innovating new technology or products. However, he added that there is no question of compromising on the quality of the product.

On doubling farmers incomes, he said that one must take into account every aspect of a farmers life to ensure value addition. Citing the example of urea used by farmers, he said Rationalising numerous laws to provide gas smoothly for the manufacture of Urea is a big initiative of the government to ensure farmer welfare.

He also went on to talk about the Government e-Marketplace or GeM that facilitates online procurement of common use goods and services required by various government departments, organisations or PSUs. Even with little reach, procurements of Rs.1000 crore have already been recorded by GeM, he said.

The Prime Minister thanked the lot of 200 CEOs for their contribution to the program and thinking in terms of the country and not just the industry. "If this generation thinks of feasible solutions to our unique problems, markets and jobs will automatically be created," he said.

He also expressed his gratitude towards the outgoing Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya and said his contribution to nation building has been enormous.
Two major healthcare providers  Global Hospitals and Continental Hospitals  are currently controlled by the foreign entities.

Hyderabad: European healthcare firm Medicover on Tuesday announced that it has picked up 22 per cent stake in city-based multi-speciality hospital chain Maxcure Hospitals after investing Rs 100 crore.

Medicover also informed that it has an option to raise its stake up to 51 per cent in Maxcure Hospitals within two years by investing an additional Rs 220 crore.

Speaking to the media, Maxcure Hospitals managing director Anil Krishna said, Our aim is to expand pan-India and overseas, and for this we are partnering with Medicover, said.

The Indian healthcare sector has attracted several foreign companies in the recent times as the outlook of the sector looks promising due to the fast rising income in the country and deepening penetration of health insurance in urban areas.

Foreign companies have investments with varying shareholding in all major corporate hospital groups in the city.

Two major healthcare providers  Global Hospitals and Continental Hospitals  are currently controlled by the foreign entities.

If the Swedish company exercises its option to increase its shareholding in MaxCure, the ownership of the hospital would get transferred to the foreign entity.

MaxCure Hospitals has nine hospitals across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It had a turnover of Rs 350 crore last fiscal and expects to cross Rs 500 crore turnover in the current fiscal.

Mr Krishna added that they are now looking at expanding to Bengaluru and Pune. When asked about reasons behind selecting India, Medicover chairman Fredrik Stenmo said, India has a strategic importance for Medicover. The search for a strategic investment in healthcare received the best start with the acquisition of stake in the MaxCure.

This is the second investment of Medicover, after it ventured into the Indian healthcare sector last year with the launch of IVF clinics in Delhi, where seven clinics opened and another 6-9 clinics are due to be opened by the end of 2017.

MaxCure Hospitals, which was started in 2015 by a group of medical professional, has 1,600 beds across Hyderabad, Nellore, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Vizag and Kurnool. It plans to add 1,000 beds in two years. It plans to add another hospital in Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh.
Tiruchirappalli (TN): Writer and thinker Tamizharuvi Manian claimed that superstar Rajinikanth had told him he had decided to enter politics.

Addressing a conference here to project Mr Rajinikanth as an alternative force to DMK and AIADMK, he said both Dravidian parties should be removed from Tamil Nadu, as they had spoiled the governance in the state.

The system in Tamil Nadu has been spoiled by these two parties and now Mr Rajinikanths entry to politics will provide a pure and open government, Manian said.

The actors expectation was that those who stand with him should be free from corruption. That is Rajinikanths wish, he said. He said the actor had spoken of his decision to enter politics recently during a chat when he was asked whether he would finally take the plunge, given the speculation doing the rounds among people for nearly 20 years.

I have taken a decision to enter politics...It was Gods order to me to enter politics, so I will definitely enter, Manian quoted the star as having said.
A.R. Murugudoss is one of the most sought after directors, not only down South, but also in Bollywood. The filmmaker, producer and screenwriter is all set for the release of his Tamil-Telugu bilingual film Spyder, starring Mahesh Babu and Rakul Preet Singh.

Before the beginning

Murugudoss first Telugu film was Stalin made nearly ten years ago. And, interestingly, the 42-year-old met Mahesh around the same time. I was introduced to Mahesh Babu by writer Paruchuri while I was shooting Stalin. He was shooting for Pokiri close to our film sets and thats how I met him, says Murugudoss. I had expressed that I wanted to do a film with him and he responded positively, he added, further saying that before their meeting, he had watched Maheshs Okkadu in Vijayawada and decided to direct him.

Even though both the actor and the director met several times during the last decade, they were quite busy with their respective projects. In 2015, Mahesh came to Chennai to promote Srimanthudu and at that time, I met him and narrated a plot line. After a month, I came down to Hyderabad and narrated the entire story; he agreed immediately, says the director about how the project started taking shape, adding that he couldnt think of anyone, but Mahesh for a film like Spyder.

I waited for 10 years but finally made a good film. He (Mahesh) speaks Tamil fluently and is also popular in Tamil, remarks Murugudoss.

A.R. Murugudoss

A directors actor

On working with the actor, the director says that Mahesh is incomparable to any actor. I have worked with many superstars but Mahesh is completely different from everyone. My wish is that all the directors should do one film with Mahesh Babu, because he is completely a directors actor. He never interferes in the script once it is finalised.

Giving a sneak peek of the plotline, he says, Spyder is about Indias intelligence agency and how it works.

About the project getting delayed since long, Murugudoss clarifies, Initially we thought that its one extra take for the Tamil version, but we made one complete extra film. We shot separately in both Telugu and Tamil with different actors and hence, it took us double the time for us to complete the shooting.

Divulging an interesting piece of information, Murugudoss tells us that initially, he wanted to rope in Parineeti Chopra as the female lead, but ended up choosing Rakul Preet Singh. Yes. I didnt know Telugu completely and if I would have roped in Parineeti, it would have been very difficult for us to communicate with her as she cant speak or understand Telugu or Tamil. So we preferred Rakul, who is familiar with both the languages, reveals the director.

Future ventures

And finally, what about his film with Salman Khan? Murugudoss informs us that he has met the Bollywood actor a few times and narrated the basic plot. Last time when I met him, he said he wanted to start the shoot in one weeks time but I was not ready. He went and started another project and now, I am busy with my film. But I am definitely going do a film with him after both of us get convenient dates, he explains.

About other films in the pipeline, the Tamil Nadu born says that he has narrated a story to Rajinikanth as well and adds, After his two films, Kala and 2.0, release, my project will start.
A sensation in Tamil cinema, actor Vijay Sethupathi is making his debut in Telugu cinema with a key role in Megastar Chiranjeevis upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, a biopic on Telugu freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. It is now learnt that the actor will be playing a British guard in the film.

Vijays character will have an interesting transition from a negative shade to positive. While he starts off opposing the freedom fighter, he eventually lends his support to him. The actor was approached nearly a month ago to be a part of the film and agreed almost immediately. He was excited that hed be sharing screen space with a legendary figure like Chiranjeevi, shares a source.

Meanwhile, the team has announced the principal cast of the film, and several interesting names are featured on the list. Actors from various film industries like Amitabh Bachchan, Sudeep, Nayanthara and even Ravi Kishen have all been roped in to play key roles. A. R. Rahman, who rarely does Telugu films, will be scoring music for the film that is being directed by Surender Reddy. Ram Charan is producing the film, which is Chiranjeevis 150th project.
RILA MOUNTAINS, Bulgaria: Lilya Ivanova, a 29-year-old Bulgarian psychologist, glows with joy. She has just finished a ritual dance along with some 2,500 white-clad followers of the Universal White Brotherhood society next to a glacial lake, high in Bulgaria's Rila Mountains.

Every year devotees of the society, which combines a form of Christianity with Indian mysticism celebrate, their divine new year, which lasts three days from August 19.

The society was set up by Bulgarian spiritual teacher Peter Deunov in the 1920s. Deunov died in 1944 but followers continue to apply his teaching. The society's name does not refer to ethnicity or race but to light and purity of the soul and the belief that all people can live in harmony, followers say.

The highlight of the celebration is "paneurhythmy," a ritual also known by Deunov's spiritual name, Beinsa Douno. It aims to help devotees link with cosmic energy.

"It is not just the dance, it is the celebration itself, the whole connection with nature, the whole blessing that streams from all of us, the feeling of being one," says Ivanova, who is also an astrologer. "It is so beautiful that more and more people attend, especially to see parents dancing together with their small children. You feel harmony and love."

For about 80 minutes pilgrims move gracefully in concentric circles on a large meadow near Kidney lake 2,280 metres (7,480 feet) above sea level and some 90 km (56 miles) south from Sofia. They are accompanied by violins and choirs. Banished under Communism, the pilgrims are now free to perform dances, prayers, meditations and exercises which they say help create peace and harmony in the world and enhance physical and mental health.

Many come from as far away as France, Canada, Italy, Ukraine and Russia to take part . "I just need to come here because it's like the reset of the eleven other months of the year," said Pascale Husson, a retired Air France manager from France who has attended the celebrations since 2008. There is "no telephone, no internet, nothing but a contact with nature, God and what is here, what you can see here," she said.
For residents like Mr Sunil Patel, a chartered accountant, who lives on 12th main, the downside of its nightlife is of real concern.

Once-quiet residential localities like Indiranagar and Koramangala have of late seen nightlife get busier with pubs and restaurants moving there from the more central areas of the city following the Supreme Courts order on liquor vends near highways. But to the dismay of people in these localities, crime has seen a spurt with muggers and robbers targeting people, out on the street, and the police doing little to curb them. Mujahid Deputy, M.G. Chetan and Aknisree Karthik report.

With the state governments zonal re-jig to allow commercial establishments in residential areas doing more harm than good, people have begun to protest the noise and crime they have to put up with.

BBMP officers admit the state government needs to take public opinion into consideration before allowing such commercialisation of their neighbourhoods. It also needs to beef up police presence in these localities to keep the hooligans and thugs out, they add.

The Supreme Court had banned the sale of alcohol within 500 metres from the national highways. At least 600 wine shops and bars were closed near M.G. Road, Brigade Road and along stretches in Indiranagar and Koramangala.

Age-old threat!! Naanu yaru gothilva!

A fast evolving mecca of foodies,12th main, Indiranagar, lined with several upmarket restaurants, boasts of an active nightlife, supported by Bengalureans from all around the city, who come here to enjoy its many attractions. But this rising foodies hub is seeing an increase in crime too with unidentified gangs targeting both men and women emerging from its restaurants late at night.

The gangs of four to six members reportedly strike at midnight, following men or women emerging from pubs and restaurants and attacking them when they are in a more isolated location.

For residents like Mr Sunil Patel, a chartered accountant, who lives on 12th main, the downside of its nightlife is of real concern. Says he, Owners of residential buildings here have rented them out to pubs and restaurants after adding floors to them. So of late, the area around 12th main has seen a rise in crime, especially after midnight when gangs attack both men and women emerging from the pubs and restaurants.

Its getting increasingly unsafe in other parts of Indiranagar too as Vinny Bhatia, a resident of Double Road found recently. Walking back home at 12:30 am from a party in a well known restaurant on 100 ft road, she was followed by two helmet wearing men on a white scooter, who eventually snatched her bag and phone and sped away before she could raise an alarm.

And then more recently, there was the horrifying incident in the wee hours of Sunday on Indiranagar 13th main, in which three drunk men in a BMW attacked some youth in front of their house and threatened to gun them down.

Besides the rise in crime, the loud music and haphazard parking around the pubs and restaurants in the locality are also proving a huge nuisance for the people of Indiranagar. The nightlife has become a headache for all of us here. With the pubs and restaurants remaining open till early morning in violation of the rules, and the ineffective police patrolling, our lives have become miserable. The restaurants and pubs have no open space and so drunk people gather on roads and near houses close- by, creating a huge nuisance, complain many, who have little hope of things changing with the Supreme Court diktat driving watering holes of the city from around M G Road and other central areas to this upmarket locality in recent weeks.
Hyderabad: The Marketing Intelligence Team of Cyber Crimes, Hyderabad has arrested an online fraudster named Amjed Sohail Ahmed who had cheated a man on the pretext of a government tender notice from the Centre for Development Studies, New Delhi, by posting an advertisement on Tender247.com and in a leading newspaper's Jaipur edition.

The lost money of the victim has been frozen with the bankers. Amjad Sohail Ahmed, 44, is a resident of New Delhi.

On 15 July, Mr T. Srinivas Raghu, the Executive Director of AP Productivity Council, Banjara Hills said that he got registration for government tenders on tender247.com and paid an amount of Rs 17,000 for a year. Believing the accused, the complainant had transferred an amount of Rs 1,00,000 to different bank accounts. The bank manager of Jubilee Hills Branch told the complainant that the transactions are suspicious which led to the complainant lodging a complaint.

The accused Amjad Sohail Ahmed was arrested by D.D. Sudha, inspector, Special Operation Group, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat. The modus operandi of the accused was to post tender notices online through websites like tender247.com and tendersinfo.com on the pretext of Government Tender Notices from the Centre for Development Studies. The accused had cheated many people by collecting money dishonestly. He used accounts in three different banks to avoid suspicion.
Railway police incharge SP Rajendra Prasad speaks to media after the arrest of two thieves from Haryana.

Hyderabad: The Secunderabad railway police nabbed a two-member interstate gang involved in thefts and recovered 60 tolas of gold from them. The arrested men are Roshan, 32, and his associate Ranveer, 30, both hailing from the Hissar district of Haryana.

Police said the two were involved in attention diversion offences on moving trains and railway platforms.

Receiving a tip off, teams from Nizamabad and Secunderabad railway police conducted a joint operation and nabbed them. They were involved in seven cases of theft by diverting the attention of passengers at railway stations and on trains, SP (incharge) Railways, S. Rajendra Prasad said.

Police said they recovered 60 tolas of stolen gold jewellery worth `18 lakh from them. This included five cases at the Nizamabad railway police station involving 49.5 tolas, one case at Nalgonda involving 2.5 tolas and one case in Secunderabad involving eight tolas. The two were arrested and remanded.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that medical colleges in Tamil Nadu will have to use NEET as the only basis for admissions. (file photo)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Tamil Nadu to admit students for MBBS and dental courses on the basis of NEET-based rankings after the Centre refused to grant the state exemption.

This comes as a huge setback for the state board students, who were expecting that the Tamil Nadu government would come out with an ordinance to allow admission to medical and dental colleges on the basis of higher secondary marks.

A three-judge Bench of Justices Dipak Misra, Kurian Joseph and Amitav Roy extended the date of admissions for all institutions till September 4, as against the cut-off date of August 31.

The Bench made it clear that NEET-based admissions would be applicable for all examination boards.

During the resumed hearing, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Bench that the Centre was not inclined to allow Tamil Nadu to promulgate an ordinance to exempt the state from NEET.

Although the Union Law Ministry had cleared the draft ordinance, the Centre was not inclined to grant exemption, Mehta said.

Senior counsel Nalini Chidambaram and other lawyers, appearing for CBSE/ State Board students, who had cleared the NEET examination, wanted the court to direct Tamil Nadu to direct colleges to admit students on the basis of NEET marks as there had already been an inordinate delay.

They said the last date for medical admission was August 31 and hence, the rank list should be published forthwith and admission process commenced immediately.

Senior counsel Shekar Naphade for Tamil Nadu faulted the Centre for not informing about its decision on ordinance at the earliest so that the state could have prepared for it.

They pointed out that the students started preparing for NEET from the beginning of the academic year 2016-17. Some of the students even gave up further studies to prepare for NEET.

The attempt by the state government to show undue favour to Tamil Nadu State Board students Vis a Vis CBSE students by passing a GO providing for 85 per cent quota was struck down by the High Court and upheld by the apex court.

Thus, it was the legitimate expectation of the students that admission to MBBS course in the academic year 2017-18 will be based only on NEET marks.
Approximately 300 people gathered on the Mineral Area College campus in Park Hills for a special total eclipse viewing event that began at 10 a.m. with a number of school clubs, organizations and several local businesses setting up booths on the quadrangle featuring a variety of activities and information about the celestial event.

As the time for the eclipse to reach totality came closer, people began to set up folding chairs and blankets on the ground to watch the event on the campus grounds. While many of the people on-hand were from the Parkland, there were a number of guests who arrived to the area from as far away as Texas and Indiana.

MAC agriculture instructor Dr. Chad Follis, who co-chaired the event, said he was pleased with the turnout and was especially happy that the weather cooperated with storm clouds expected to move into the area later Monday afternoon into early evening.

"Everybody had a great time," he said, "and it's definitely an experience no one will forget for a lifetime."

At the Farmington Regional Airport, flights were coming in from all around the Midwest for those wanting to make a quick trip to experience a spectacular event.

The Turner family from Oklahoma said plans to make the trip to an area in the totality were not made until last week.

Tim, Melissa, Elizabeth and David made the three-hour trip by air to experience the total eclipse.

It never really crossed our minds, actually, said Melissa. Our daughter  some of her friends were going to skip school to come watch the eclipse on Monday and we said, oh, well do that, too!

Tim said they originally planned to fly into St. Joseph, but the weather forecast for that area was not as good as the one for Farmington.

We figured (Farmington) would probably be a better chance (to see the eclipse), he said, adding Farmington was within the three-hour flight time length they set for the special trip.

The family discussed taking to the skies for the event  depending upon the cloud layer.

However, they chose to stay on the ground with the around 30 or so others at the airport. Some of those travelers arrived from Texas and Arkansas.

Many came well-equipped for the day  bringing chairs, snacks and, for a couple from Arkansas, their own welders mask to use for viewing.

When the totality started, cheers could be heard erupting from those watching at Engler Park.

Sitting in the shade at the entrance to the park were Norman, Harriann and Krysti Myracle of Pilot Knob.

The three said they were excited at the chance to view the totality not far from home.

Harriann said there were a lot of out-of-state license plates on their way to Farmington.

Everything  New York, Alabama, Texas, she said, with Krysti adding she spied one from North Carolina.

Harriann and Krysti had their eclipse T-shirts on  along with their viewing glasses. Krysti added more than one person stopped to ask about the availability of eclipse glasses  something in short supply in the days leading up to the eclipse.

The Bonne Terre Aire Festival continued Monday during the eclipse, attracting folks both local and from out of town. The Murphy family of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin said they picked the location at the last minute after visiting family in St. Louis. Clouds occasionally blocked the view of onlookers near the Bonne Terre Airport's hangar, but a clear view was available through all of totality.

Azalea Park in Fredericktown saw its share of outsiders. Joe and Dorothy Shanley drove from Houston, Texas to share in the event. They said it was an incredible experience and worth the drive.

Ten-year-old Gwen Rickey from northern Arkansas said "for science geeks that's one off the bucket list." Many in the park were from out of town but it felt as if everyone knew each other by the end.

"We picked a perfect place," Debbie Golden from Little Rock, Arkansas, said.

For Walter and Pam Webb, the eight-hour drive from Foreman, Arkansas to St. Joe State Park was worth the drive.

We live in the far southwest corner of Arkansas, said Pam. But he wouldnt have missed this for the world. We thought we would come to Farmington because we thought it wouldnt be so crowded.

For Daniel Martinez and Maria Macias, an eight-hour drive would not have been that big of an inconvenience since the two of them were visiting from Barcelona.

We were going to go to Memphis yesterday when we heard about the eclipse, said Macias. I have never seen an eclipse, so we decided to come to Farmington.

For one visitor to St. Joe State Park, the crowds reaction to totality was different then he had expected.

I have seen a solar eclipse once before, and everyone was very quiet during totality, said Jon Schnarr of St. Louis. Here, when totality happened, everyone cheered. I thought that was pretty cool.

As far as public safety issues before, during or after the solar eclipse, St. Francois County 911 Director Alan Wells said no news was good news locally, as well as in Ste. Genevieve County.

"For such a historical event, I'm proud to say it was pretty much a non-event for us here," he said. "We had no incidents out of the ordinary other than a 25-year-old man who was set up in a camp on Simms Mountain in southwest St. Francois County and got lost.

"We had to go find him this morning, but other than that everything went very well. We hope that the citizens got to enjoy the historical event to the fullest and we're glad to say we had very few issues with it."

St. Francois County Sheriff Dan Bullock concurred with Wells' assessment of the day.

"Everyone was orderly," he said.

According to the sheriff, there were no calls or problems. In fact, he drove around minutes before the eclipse and no one was on the highway.

"They were all in parking lots, fields and other places," Bullock said.
The Andhra Pradesh government is contemplating a legal battle against the Maharashtra and Karnataka governments for denying the 'rightful share' of Krishna river water to the state. (Representational Image)

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government is contemplating a legal battle against the Maharashtra and Karnataka governments for denying the "rightful share" of Krishna river water to the state.

"We are consulting legal experts to file either a special leave petition or a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court against Maharashtra and Karnataka for withholding water in river Krishna and depriving the lower riparian state of its rightful share. They are not releasing water even as a humanitarian gesture," AP Water Resources Minister DU Rao said in Amaravati on Monday evening.

He said, thanks to copious rains, reservoirs on river Krishna in Maharashtra and Karnataka were filled to the brim.

"Both these states have a total of 275 tmc ft of water stored in their reservoirs, but they are not letting out even one tmc ft to lower riparian states like Telangana and AP. Taking cover under tribunals, those states are fully utilising the water," Rao alleged.

"Even on humanitarian grounds, Maharashtra and Karnataka are not releasing water to meet even the drinking water needs of Telangana and AP. We have already complained about it to Union water resources minister Uma Bharti. Now, we are contemplating a legal fight to get our due share of water," the minister added.
The TTV Dhinakaran faction of the AIADMK met Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday and demanded the removal of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palanisamy. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: A group of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs owing allegiance to sidelined party leader TTV Dhinakaran on Tuesday met Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao in Chennai and sought the removal of Chief Minister K Palanisamy, saying he has lost their confidence.

Dhinakaran dubbed the merger of two factions of the AIADMK as a "betrayal" of party general secretary V K Sasikala.

Breaking his silence on the sudden developments leading to the merger of the factions led by Chief Minister K Palanisamy and O Panneerselvam on Monday, Dhinakaran, in a series of tweets last night, also questioned the durability of the arrangement.

"It is not a merger. It is a commercial agreement reached for self-interest and hunger for positions and to protect posts," he claimed.

Meanwhile, DMK's M K Stalin on Tuesday wrote to the Governor requesting him to direct Edappadi K Palanisamy to prove his majority in the assembly immediately.

The move by Dhinkaran and his MLAs came a day after rivals factions led by Palanisamy and O Panneerselvam merged, ending a nearly seven-month feud in a power sharing formula in the ruling party and the government with the rebel leader being made the deputy chief minister.

"We don't have confidence in the chief minister. What is the need to give the deputy chief minister's post to Panneerselvam who had levelled charges of corruption against this government earlier," an MLA, who was part of the team that met the governor, said requesting anonymity.

He said 122 AIADMK MLAs had supported Palanisamy at the behest of jailed party chief VK Sasikala during the February 18 trust vote while Panneerselvam had voted against the government.

He said the chief minister should have held consultations with all the party MLAs before the merger of the two factions.

"So we have briefed the governor and said that the chief minister should be removed," the MLA added. The MLA lashed out at Panneerselvam, alleging that he had accepted the merger "only for posts" and asked if this was the deputy chief minister's "dharma yudh" as claimed by him earlier.

Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that the meeting took place between the MLAs and the governor, but did not divulge details, including the number of the delegation.

On Monday, around 18 MLAs were reported to have attended a meeting held by Dhinakaran, the party's deputy general secretary and nephew of party chief VK Sasikala, at his residence.

One of the MLAs P Vetrivel had last night claimed that Dhinakaran enjoyed the support of 25 MLAs.

Of the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs excluding the Speaker.

Late chief minister Jayalalithaa's RK Nagar constituency is still vacant. Opposition DMK has 89 seats followed by its allies Congress with eight and IUML one seat.
The Indian and the Bhutanese Army are operating together in the area to prevent any instruction by PLA. (Photo: PTI/File)

Guwahati: Despite the ongoing negotiations through diplomatic and other channels, the standoff between India and China in Doklam may prolong for some more time.

Pointing out that Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) have set up tents and other facilities near the standoff point, security sources said Chinese army seems to have been preparing to prolong their stay in the area.

Informing that the situation in the area was completely under control, security sources, however, clarified that Indian Army is also equally prepared to stay in the area with the Bhutanese Army.

Security sources said the Indian and the Bhutanese Army are operating together in the area to prevent any intrusion by PLA.

Informing that security forces have not noticed any major movement of troops on the other side, security sources said India has not moved additional forces in the area as reported in a section of Indian media.

India had pushed in additional troops to locations closer to the tri-junction in Doklam area initially to meet any eventuality but later on a status quo on deployment of forces have been maintained by the either side, security sources said.

About the activities of Chinese army, security sources said, The PLA has set up tents about 200 to 300 metres away from the standoff point. For their convenience the PLA has decided to pitch their tents a little away from standoff point.

Security sources however, clarified that it would be wrong to say that Chinese troops retreated from the standoff point, in fact they chose relatively a plain area to set up camps instead of doing it on hilly terrain.

Security sources keeping a close watch on the standoff in Doklam said the Chinese troops have not started construction of permanent bunkers and the construction of the road has also stopped. The Chinese troops are only staying in tents near the area and no additional troop movement has been noticed so far.

Security sources said the Indian action can be termed only a preventive mechanism and not troop mobilisation. In high altitude, the troops can face acclimatisation problem and in such cases, it is difficult for them to operate. That is why, India is pushing some additional troops closer to Doklam area so that the men can be acclimatised properly to operate in that area in case of any eventuality.

Moreover, security sources asserted that if China decides to mobilise additional troops towards the standoff point, India would also be able push in extra manpower, which is available in close proximity.

India has not taken any decision as yet to mobilise additional troops in Doklam area, security sources said while indicating that standoff may prolong for some more time.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palanisamy and his deptuy, O Panneerselvam, pay tributes at the memorial of J Jayalalithaa following a merger of their factions in Chennai on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: A day after the two warring factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) - one led by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) and other by Chief Minister Edappady K Palaniswami (EPS) - came together to rework the 'power-sharing deal', about 19 MLAs withdrew support from the ruling party.

The nineteen MLAs are said to be among the 121 MLAs, who supported Chief Minister Palanisamy.

In a letter to Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, one of the MLAs who has resigned said that the Chief Minister "forfeited my confidence and that of the public."

The MLA further wrote that he is withdrawing his support given to Edappadi Palanisamy and asked the governor to intervene and institute a Constitutional process for the same.

He further said that he was elected under the leadership of late J Jayalalithaa, but after her demise had supported Palanisamy at the time of the floor test in order to prove the majority, back in February.

Palanisamy also said, "The government headed by Edapaddi K Palanisamy has been abusing power, has favouritism, misuse of government machinery, and widespread corruption."

The resigned MLA also said that the corruption charges against Palanisamy are "levelled from various sectors vehemently."

He also said, "As Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi Palanisamy is corrupt and encouraging at several levels, which also have caused severe damage to the name of our party."

He further added that in the first week of August, O Paneerselvam had given a press statement where he said that the present Chief Minister is "totally filled with corruptive practice."

The MLA then said, "The statement was made against the government headed by Palanisamy, but within a short span of two weeks, the Chief Minister had included Paneerselvam Deputy Chief Minister in the government."

He further said that this 'reveals' the Chief Minister's favouritism, abuse of power of misusing government machinery to cover up the corrupt practice.

He has hence requested the Governor of Tamil Nadu to intervene.

The MLA said that he supported the Chief Minister back in February on the opinion that he would discharge his duty as a good minister and further said, "Whereas the present situation has arisen that the governance of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the constitute."

Talking on the matter, Opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK) Executive President said, "My information is that three more AIA DMK MLAs have also withdrawn support, making the count of resigned MLAs to 22 MLAs in total. We demand a trust vote."
On August 9, the court had sent Shabir Shah (left) to 14-day judicial custody for his involvement in a decade-old money laundering case for alleged terror financing. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed bail application of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah.

On August 9, the court had sent Shah to 14-day judicial custody for his involvement in a decade-old money laundering case for alleged terror financing.

Shah was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 25 from Srinagar and was brought to Delhi where he was produced in a court.

Earlier in August, the court had allowed the ED custody of Shah after the agency alleged that he was "ruining" the country by using money to fund terror.

The ED had issued multiple summons to Shah, but he never deposed before the central probe agency.

The court, in July, issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against the separatist leader.

The agency had been issuing to Shah summons earlier too in pursuance of the August 2005 case in which the Delhi Police's Special Cell had arrested Mohammed Aslam Wani (35), an alleged hawala dealer.

According to the police Wani had claimed that he had given Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.

The ED had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Shah and Wani.

Wani was arrested with a large cache of ammunition and Rs 63 lakh, allegedly received through 'hawala' channels from the Middle East, on August 26, 2005.
At least 72 children died due to alleged disruption in oxygen supply at Baba Raghav Das Medical College. in picture: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (Photo: PTI/File)

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary on Tuesday submitted a report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the deaths of 72 children earlier in August due to alleged disruption in oxygen supply at a hospital in Gorakhpur.

Adityanath has directed registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against principal of Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College and five others in the incident.
New Delhi: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the Supreme Court on Monday that Muslim bridegrooms will no longer have the right to resort to triple talaq to seek divorce, and that those who do this will face social boycott.

The board in its affidavit to the apex court said triple talaq is an undesirable practice and that AIMPLB will issue an advisory  applicable to all Muslims  that at the time of performing nikah (marriage ceremony), kazis will advise bridegrooms that, in case of differences, they shall not pronounce three talaqs in one sitting since this practice is condemned in Shariat. The bride and the groom will also be advised to incorporate this undertaking in the nikahnama.

The boards affidavit placed on record a copy of the resolution passed at its meeting, held in Lucknow on April 15 and 16, in relation to divorce (talaq) in the Muslim community. It was resolved at the meeting to disseminate a code of conduct to be followed in the matter of divorce, particularly emphasising that the pronouncement of three divorces in one sitting be avoided.

Appearing for the board earlier, senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal had submitted that the issue of triple talaq, a practice that is faith based and 1,400 years old, cannot be decided by the court. He told the court, Please dont enter into this area. It would be hazardous to interpret them in six days as it is not the job of this court. If the community feels that the time has come for a change, we will accept it. Belief and faith should not be interpreted by court.
Contrary to the increase in number of doctors trained in Karnataka, the shortage of total number of specialists went up from 32% to 39% (Rural Health Statistics, 2015).

Three infants dead in two days and 36 since June at the district hospital in Kolar evokes fears of another Gorakhpur-like tragedy in the city. Queues of weary patients awaiting treatment at Bowring Hospital are a common sight. Victoria Hospital, the largest in Bengaluru, deals with over 1000 out-patients a day amidst crumbling infrastructure, staff shortages and lack of supplies. Government-run institutions are ailing from systemic neglect and their private counterparts are blind to everything but profits. Are authorities waiting for tragedy to strike before they act, asks Joyeeta Chakravorty.

They dont enjoy the best of reputations and with reason. All you need to do is take a walk inside the government-run Bowring Hospital in the city to see how immense the disease burden is at this time of the year and the inability of the ailing public healthcare system to cope with it.

"I have been waiting in the queue for a doctor to treat my wife, who has high fever, since morning and I think we will have to wait for another two hours," says 47-year-old Shareef, revealing that even getting the appointment with the doctor was a hassle because of the immense crowd at the hospital. Another family is seen preparing to go to a private hospital as it has been told to wait for a bed for a sick member it is trying admit at Bowring. The scene is quite usual as at any given time there is a waiting list of two to five patients even for an ICU bed at the hospital. Deluged with patients suffering from viral fever, it is presently using surgery beds for dengue patients to manage the inflow.

The biggest multi -specialty hospital in this part of the city, it continues to battle human resource issues as well with the doctor to patient ratio in its general ward being 1:20 and in the emergency ward , 1:1 or 1:2.

In desperate need of a proper emergency care and trauma care units as well as mass casualty units in the fields of cardiology, nephrology, neurology, it is hamstrung with other problems too such as shortage of paramedics and group D employees.

Given its poor infrastructure, hospital sources admit it is not ready to handle mass admissions or a sudden epidemic. "Let us say that there is a building collapse and the victims need immediate emergency care. We will not be able to cope. Even now all the critical cases are referred to either Nimhans or the Trauma Centre at Victoria hospital, which is already over-burdened " they say, adding, "We have a lot of vacancies which are being ignored. The government is not recruiting group D employees and everything is on contract. The hospital has a sanctioned staff strength of 1, 040 but we have only 175 housekeeping staff on contract and 60 group D employees."

Sadly, almost all government hospitals are battling similar issues of infrastructure and human resources while their inflow of patients is only growing. In July alone Vanivilas Hospital saw some 13,000 OPD patients, 798 admissions in its paediatric ward and 2781 female admissions. "The patient inflow is huge, but we try to accommodate most of the cases as a lot of them are emergencies," says Dr Geetha Shivamurthy, Medical Superintendent, Vani Vilas Hospital.

The Trauma Care Center at Victoria Hospital sees 4,500 outpatients and around 2000 admissions every month. "The bed occupancy is 120 per cent at any given time, because of which many admissions are postponed. But the hospital tries to take care of all the critical trauma cases that come to it," says Dr Balaji Pai, Special Officer of the Trauma Centre.

Dr H.S. Satish, Medical Superintendent of Victoria Hospital, admits that the main challenge faced by its patients is effective communication with the authorities. "To bridge this gap, we are planning to set up enabling help desks at the hospital, " he reveals. With a daily average of 1150 outpatient registrations, the need for basic facilities is also on the rise at the hospital. While it has merely 34 wheelchairs and 32 stretchers, some remain in repair, leaving it badly in need of more. But hospital sources say effort is being made to supply more of these medical aids to the hospital to help it cope with the rush of patients.

While it did not directly impact its healthcare abilities, the hospital appreciated having a functioning police station in its grounds, but to its dismay, it was shut recently and now the administration is trying to retain it through talks with the Home Department. "At present we have a police outpost functioning round -the -clock at the hospital. But as we are a big hospital, we need more policemen on call and so have requested the authorities to come to our rescue," says Dr Satish.

The doctor deficiency

Contrary to the increase in number of doctors trained in Karnataka, the shortage of total number of specialists went up from 32% to 39% (Rural Health Statistics, 2015). The shortages for Junior Health Assistant (Female) commonly called as ANMs at the Health Sub-Centre (HSC) level increased from 13% in 2005 to 28.5% in 2015.

Despite having the highest number of medical colleges and the third highest number of doctors trained in the country, Karnataka has severe shortages, especially for specialist category. As such, there is severe shortage of health workers (worst for specialists) in the most vulnerable regions of the state, namely the northern Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka region.

Dr Sylvia Karpagam, Public health doctor, and researcher who has also been working with the patients at Government hospital

India is a signatory to the Alma Ata Declaration 1978, which emphasises that essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through the full participation and at a cost that the community and country can afford to maintain, through the full participation and at a cost that the community and country can afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination. It involves, in addition to the health sector, all related sectors and aspects of national and community development, in particular, agriculture, animal husbandry, food, industry, education, housing, public works, communications and other sectors. These decisions were not made lightly but in a collaborative process to ensure the highest possible level of health for all citizens irrespective of their religion, caste, social and economic background.

Patients, not profits are central to healthcare

While the government doesnt care to rely on public or expert opinion to assess its hospitals and take corrective measures, there is no dearth of expert advice to help it should it want it. Those closely associated with the healthcare field like Dr Sylvia Karpagam, public health doctor, and researcher, have several recommendations that could set it thinking.

She says, "When government hospitals perform less than their capacity, as they have been doing in India, the solution is not to dismantle them and break them down but to harness all measures to strengthen them. The constant neglect by the government of the public health institutions while allowing free and unbridled mushrooming of private players, has created a situation of healthcare becoming more and more fractioned, less accountable, unethical and unaffordable to a majority."

In her view, if things are to change, medical education has to make the patient central to healthcare and not profits. Policy-makers need to look at evidence, involve a wide range of citizen groups and keep all decisions transparent. Closed door decision- making dominated by tax companies, the World Bank, vested interest donors, and corporate mafias will only ensure that decisions are directed towards private profit rather than the principles of just and equitable healthcare that is comprehensive and accessible to all irrespective of their caste, gender, religion, socio-economic background or ability to pay," she adds.

Ask Dr Girdhar Babu, additional professor at the Public Health Foundation of India(PHFI), Bengaluru branch, for his take on the issue and he says the most difficult challenge is to fill the positions of specialist doctors in government hospitals.

To resolve this we need to train the MBBS doctors in specialist skills through the DNB programme (recently launched in Karnataka) and other programmes such as EmOC, where specialist skills are offered to MBBS doctors to promote them as specialists," he suggests.

A weak setup is prone to corrupt practices: Rajiv Chhibber, Public Health Communications Specialist and works with Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi

The Gorakhpur tragedy in which many innocent children died was awful. But we need to look beyond Gorakhpur at a society, which allows early marriage of an undernourished adolescent, permits her to give birth to a low weight baby that suffers from malnutrition and is prone to infections in conditions that are tailor-made for disease with mosquitoes breeding nearby and garbage piles near humans dwellings. What we need is major developmental efforts to improve child nutrition and hygiene, sanitation and alleviate poverty. Most of all we need to fix the countrys dismal health system.

There is an urgent need to strengthen our disease surveillance to provide timely and accurate data from both community and hospital set-ups in places where there is a rising threat of diseases spreading from animals to humans. Immunisation and interventions targeting preventable diseases must be effectively delivered through upgraded and tech-savvy health workers. The primary health care system and facilities need to be well resourced with trained manpower capable of making early detections, especially in areas where diseases like Japanese Encephalitis re-emerge. They must be able to do appropriate referrals for advanced care as well.

Only recently, states like Karnataka gave an SOS to doctors and nurses as many specialists and nursing posts were vacant, especially in rural settings. Hospitals in states with weak health systems that are inadequately resourced, have poor management practices that allow doctors to perform administrative roles, and have shortage of specialists and allied health professionals, are prone to corrupt practices.

In short, India needs to have universal health coverage, making healthcare affordable, accessible and of assured quality for all its people. The Gorakhpur incident is a reminder that we need to kick-start the ambitious National Health Policy 2017 to establish public health cadres in states and considerably increase public financing for health.

Views expressed are personal
On Monday night, she had opened the grille gate in the balcony of her apartment and jumped, an investigating official said.

Chennai: A 24-year-old college student jumped off the seventh floor of a high-rise apartment complex in Virugambakkam on Monday evening. The woman, J Niveditha miraculously survived after she fell on a parked car there. She is being admitted to a private hospital, where she is being treated for a ruptured backbone.

Rumours spreading like wild fire in the apartment complex about the suspicion of the student being a victim of the blue whale challenge forced cops to go through the victims phone and other gadgets. We have enquired with the family, who are ruling out the possibility. We would wait until the victim recovers from her injuries, a senior police officer told DC.

Niveditha is a second year MCA (master of computer applications) student at a private college and lives with her family at a seventh floor apartment in the Jains West Minster apartment complex on Arunachalam road in Virugambakkam.

On Monday night, she had opened the grille gate in the balcony of her apartment and jumped, an investigating official said. Security guards and residents rushed hearing the loud thud. She was moved to a private hospital nearby where it was ascertained that she had multiple fractures on her backbone, police said.

Investigations revealed that she appeared to be suffering from depression for quite some time. The parents seem to be unaware of any reasons, an officer said.
UNESCOs Education for All campaign says that teaching children in their mother tongue is more effective as children will grasp subjects better, learn faster, and express themselves better. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: The preference for English medium schools is being challenged by those who fear that children will soon stop speaking Telugu, or will not be proficient in their mother tongue. They want Telugu to be taught right up to Class 10 in all schools in the state.

UNESCOs Education for All campaign says that teaching children in their mother tongue is more effective as children will grasp subjects better, learn faster, and express themselves better.

S.V. Sathyanarayana, Vice Chancellor of Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, says, Parents think that only children who have studied in corporate english medium schools can get prominent and lucrative jobs, which is a very wrong notion because there are many examples of candidates from rural backgrounds and government schools who have become prominent IAS officers and other high ranking officials. I myself studied in a government school but now I am Vice-Chancellor of this university.

He said its wrong to assume that Telugu language doesnt provide any jobs; many students from our university were placed in high positions which demanded a qualification in Telugu languages. Only five per cent of students enter MNCs while 95 per cent students opt for different career options which need more skill sets rather than only English language.

Professor Surya Dhananjay, head of the Telugu Department at Osmania University, said that the Central government had formulated the Three Language Policy in 1964, which advised schools to teach the regional language as the first language, Hindi as the second language, and English as the third language. But we are not following this policy properly. Instead of following the three language policy, we started studying English as the first language and Telugu as the second language, mainly in private schools, she says.

She adds, The government should strictly implement the three language policy and should implement Telugu as the first language in both the Telugu speaking states. Children should mandatorily study Telugu at least till the fifth grade or maximum 10th grade.
DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year and a half. In the beginning, he kept his family and me apart. I thought it was because they were extremely close, but turns out he was doing me a favor given their inappropriate and cruel treatment of one another.

At my boyfriend's birthday lunch, his father called his mother the worst possible word anyone could call a female. My boyfriend and his sisters didn't seem phased by his verbal abuse. I worry his parents' toxic and unloving relationship is something he will eventually settle for in life. Is it possible for children not to emulate their parents' example, or should I move on? -- NOT IN THE FAMILY

DEAR NOT IN THE FAMILY: Children do not automatically follow the abysmal patterns set by their parents. However, if you and this man are serious and you are contemplating a future with him, I strongly recommend that before formalizing your relationship, you seek premarital counseling together to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

DEAR ABBY: I have a question about nail-biting/finger chewing. We recently hired a new employee who is in daily contact with the public. He is a finger chewer, and his nails are bitten well below the finger tip. I am struggling with this because I had a childhood friend who chewed her fingers to the point of bleeding, and I have a strong negative reaction when I see people do it.

When, if ever, is it appropriate to speak to someone about this bad habit? I have recently learned that it is actually a medical diagnosis and can lead to gastric disorders. We all know there are many germs on our hands, and every time you put them in your mouth, you're transferring them to your intestinal tract. -- WORRIED IN THE EAST

DEAR WORRIED: I have heard of very few nail-biters who are proud of the habit. There's a saying -- not original -- that if you want someone to avoid you, just tell him something "for his own good." If you want a pleasant working relationship with this person, mind your own business and do not attempt to "help" him by offering unasked-for advice.

DEAR ABBY: I'm usually well-spoken and articulate with family and close friends. But when talking to strangers or potential employers, I tend to choke up and make no sense at all. I become anxious and forget what I want to say. Do you have any ideas why this happens? -- TALKER IN THE WEST

DEAR TALKER: It may happen because you suffer from a form of social anxiety -- one shared by many people. Fortunately, there's help for it if you consult a mental health professional. Because it is interfering with employment opportunities, you shouldn't wait.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 24-year-old college graduate who has been unable to find a full-time teaching job, so I'm working as a teaching assistant. My salary is less than average, and between rent, bills and student loans, I am stretched more than thin.

Recently, a woman has been talking to me about nannying for her child after school. She'd like to hire me and have me meet her child in person, and we agreed on an hourly rate. I was excited about the opportunity and looking forward to starting.

This week she told me she wants to report my work for her on her taxes, which means I'll have to report as a freelancer and pay estimated quarterly taxes while I work for her. Abby, this is unheard of in the baby-sitting world! I have been baby-sitting from my preteens all the way through college, and never once have taxes ever been part of the conversation.

My mother says I shouldn't be upset because the woman is doing what she's supposed to as far as the IRS is concerned, but I feel shortchanged. Shouldn't she have been upfront about her intentions when we discussed my hourly rate? Am I wrong for asking her for more money per hour to make up for some of the taxes? -- AFTER-SCHOOL NANNY

DEAR NANNY: William R. Turner, CPA, says your mother is correct. Your prospective employer is obeying the law. She wants you to meet her child, negotiate an hourly rate and hire you as a NANNY, not as a baby sitter. Your new employer should have you fill out a form W-4 and pay you as an employee. Because payroll deductions will be taken out of your gross pay by your new employer, you should negotiate your hourly rate accordingly.

DEAR ABBY: I have been married five years and have two children under 3. I grew up in a large Italian-American family; my husband did not. He doesn't understand the closeness I have with my family. To him, "family" is just the four of us.

He doesn't comprehend the need for my family to get together all the time and feels that during holidays it should only be us. When they are just trying to help us out, he thinks my family is overbearing.

My husband travels a lot for work and gets upset if my family shows up to help out while he's away. Any time the topic of family comes up, we have an argument. He doesn't believe in divorce and refuses to go to counseling. It is causing a strain in our marriage, and I don't know what to do. Please help. -- BETWEEN A ROCK AND A FAMILY

DEAR BETWEEN: You obviously married someone with very different values than your own. Your husband's attitude seems unusually controlling. That he would object if your family comes around in his absence is troubling, because it appears he is deliberately trying to isolate you.

That he refuses to get counseling doesn't mean you shouldn't avail yourself of it. It may help you to arrive at a compromise that will satisfy both of you. However, if it doesn't, you may have some important decisions to make about your future, and counseling can help you do that with a clear head. Then, whether or not your husband believes in divorce will be less important than what YOU think.

DEAR ABBY: I have been taking tap dance lessons for the last five years. It's a class of adults with a broad range of age and experience, which is part of what makes it so much fun. We put on a couple of shows and recitals a year.

I have an issue with a fellow student, and it bothers me to the point that I'm thinking of dropping out. "Marguerite" is a ham. She adds lots of extra flourishes, head snaps, jumps and kicks that aren't in the choreography. She mugs shamelessly for the crowd, and it comes across as more burlesque than tap.

We have spoken to our instructor twice about it, but Marguerite is worse than ever. I hate to quit an activity I love, but I'm embarrassed by Marguerite. It's disheartening to dance the routine as we've been taught, only to be upstaged by this woman's antics. I don't fault her for her stage presence. I do have trouble with her over-the-top hamminess. I just wanted to dance, not compete for the limelight. Am I being petty? -- BROADWAY BABY IN TEXAS

DEAR BROADWAY BABY: I don't think you're being petty. And if others in the class agree with you, get them together and talk to your instructor about it again. Nobody likes being upstaged, and if Marguerite can't be convinced to conform her style to the rest of the troupe, then perhaps you all might be happier if she danced a solo.

DEAR ABBY: I have been in two relationships. The first was with a girl a couple of years older than I am. We were together for several years before she cheated on me and dumped me. I was crushed. The next girl was a few years younger. She did the same thing after we were together a year.

What am I doing wrong? Fidelity is important to me, and they both knew it from the start. How can I avoid this in the future?

I have never been a controlling person. I was always fine with my girlfriends going out with their friends without me if I couldn't go for some reason. (That's how they ended up meeting the other guys.)

The people in lasting relationships I've seen watch each other like hawks, and never allow their significant other to be in the company of the opposite sex without them. Is this normal? Should I be like them? That seems controlling, but clearly, my "no boundaries" relationship style has backfired on me. -- CHEATED ON IN NEW YORK CITY

DEAR CHEATED ON: Few things can ruin a relationship or a marriage like obsessive jealousy can. Watching one's partner "like a hawk" is stifling. It will eventually drive the person away, as you will see as you continue to observe the couples you have mentioned. Please don't try to change the person you are because YOU are just fine.

I believe that in relationships there has to be a certain amount of responsibility. If someone is mature enough to be involved romantically, that person should be willing to admit if things aren't working out. Being cheated on is painful, and being dumped is equally so. Not every relationship leads to marriage, but rather than sneak around to avoid a frank conversation, it's better to practice the Golden Rule.

DEAR ABBY: I am in a predicament. My therapist is great, but sometimes I think she shares too much. Last time I went, she was running late. When I finally got into her office, she told me the previous patient was nonverbal and had painted her nails during the session. Later in the session, she confided that years ago she had been date raped.

Abby, I am in counseling because my father raped me when I was 15 (I am now 24). Her sharing has me worried because I don't want her telling others what I say or do during counseling. Further, her story of the date rape scared me. She described a situation that is not uncommon for me to be in, and it caused something almost like a flashback in me. I think what she did was insensitive, to say the least.

I have nobody else to ask, so what should I do? I'm getting counseling for free now due to my income, and it took months to get set up with a counselor. Should I report her or accept that this was a mistake and say nothing? If I need to report her, how would I go about doing that? -- CONFLICTED ABOUT IT

DEAR CONFLICTED: You should change therapists because it appears this one has more problems than you do. As to what agency you should report her breach of professional ethics to, contact the state organization that has licensed her to practice.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Bhopal: A Dalit girl (6), class one student of a local primary school, was forced to remove her excreta with hands by an upper caste man in a Madhya Pradesh village, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place in the Gudhora village under Lavkushnagar in Chhatarpur district on Monday. According to the police, the girl, a student of Gudhora government primary school, had gone to a nearby open ground to answer the natures call owing to lack of toilet facility in her school.

The local strongman Pappu Singh got angry when he spotted. He forced her to lift excreta with hands and throw it elsewhere.
Hyderabad: With the Supreme Court granting a stay on instant talaq, women activists feel there is scope as men would prefer not give talaq but could force the women take khula.

Khula is a procedure through which a woman can divorce her husband in Islam, by returning the dower (mahr) that she received from her husband. However, the husband has the final authority to grant the woman divorce.

Generally, we do not get cases of talaq for various reasons. Instead, women along with their families approach us and seek help in taking khula from their husbands, Qazi Habeeb Ahmed Bin Salam Al Attas told this newspaper. Ms Jameela Nishath, said the number of Khula cases are more.

When the harassment or torture of the husband becomes unbearable the women apply for Khula from their husband. The cases of Khula are more in numbers than of talaq, she said. Ms Nishath feels, the government should introduce a law within six months on talaq or else men will force their wives to take Khula to be on safer side.
Hyderabad: To improve the quality of education in government schools, state is planning to merge government schools across Telangana, with the zero-enrollment schools of those located nearby. The government had also asked district education officers to find out the number of schools with fewer enrollments so that those schools could be merged with a school located within a one km radius but it could result in the closure of about 4,000 schools located across the state.

Teachers Associations claim that more and more parents were opting for private schools to educate their children, resulting in a decline in enrollment in government run schools. Parents consider English medium schools an instant uplift for their children.

High income homes were sending their kids to well equipped corporate English-medium schools but these days even parents who cannot afford it are also are trying their best to enroll their kids in English medium schools with the aim to provide the best school education, which parents think their children will not get in state run government schools, said Chava Ravi from Telangana United Teachers Federation

He adds, Parents believe that private schools have better infrastructure that is required for the physical and mental development of the child. Thinking that government schools provide the minimum required infrastructure to meet the basic needs of the students and the teachers being less fluent in English language, even government teachers are opting for corporate schools over government schools.
Hyderabad: We are happy over the stand of the Supreme Court on the triple talaq issue. No more women will be victimized by a section of men who divorce their wives over flimsy reasons and push them in lifelong trouble, said Ms. Mehreen Noor, whose husband Usman had sent her talaq through WhatsApp in February. Mehreen was married to US citizen Usman in 2015 and divorced two years later. Her cousin Ms Heena Fatima who was also divorced by Syed Fayazuddin, brother of Usman said that the government should bring in a law to curb the arbitrary practice of triple talaq.

Unless, the law is made and awareness created on the subject by involving the scholars of the community many young women will face problems. Everyone knows how difficult it is for a divorcee to get an alliance, said Heena.

Both the women had even approached the High Court demanding it declare the divorces illegal and arbitrary. Following the uproar over the case the police had registered two FIRs and arrested the parents of the men on various charges.

Victim sees hope in Triple Talaq ruling

A victim of instant Triple Talaq from Old City now plans to write to the embassy for justice. Twenty-six-year old Begum (name changed), who has been living for a year as a WhatsApp divorcee, is still knocking at the doors of justice as her husband remains unfazed in Dubai.

The young girl who married the 50-year-old man in 2015 was immediately taken to Dubai on a visit visa to nurse her ailing husband.

He would beat me up daily and force me to have intercourse, recollects Begum. This was her husbands third marriage, and the moment he recovered, he sent her back to India.

It just came one fine day, a message, on my brothers WhatsApp. Talaq Talaq Talaq, says Begum who says that she was not informed even once about it.

Post the triple talaq on WhatsApp, the Begum has been trying to make him face the law but the husband has refused to return.

What the man and his family fail to understand is that the woman has also invested time and money in the marriage. They cant merely walk out of it and expect the woman to remain silent, says Ms Jameela Nishat, Founder of Saheeh Womens Collective, who approached the Begums husband's family on her behalf.

She was then thrown out of her marital home without the mandated Iddat, which as per the Islamic law is the maintenance amount paid for three months post divorce.

She says, it is injustice that her husband remains in Dubai, without facing any consequences. The family refuses to return her belongings or come under a mutual consensus about the divorce or maintenance.

The aggrieved girl has now decided to approach the embassy and demand his return to India to have law take its course. I do not want to return to this marriage, but he has taken my belongings and had deserted me this way.

With the Supreme Court banning Triple Talaq, the law must bring me justice, says Begum who now works as a cook and house help.

We welcome the Supreme Court ruling as they have kept in mind cases of instant talaq. Nobody can ruin the lives of innocent women in name of Islam now, said Ms Sultana Begum, a counsellor for Muslim women.
KOZHIKODE: The Supreme Court verdict banning triple talaq is historic ensuring justice for women in the Muslim community. It is also a victory for our democracy, according to V.P. Suhra, head of Nisa, an organisation here fighting for reforms in Muslim personal law and supporting a uniform civil code. The verdict would save many women who lead an oppressed life fearing triple talaq, which provided unbridled freedom to men to divorce woman, she said. Nisa (woman in Arabic) was one of the organisations that raised the demand in the Supreme Court to ban triple talaq, challenging the threats of extremists in her own community.

I hope the proposed legislation will also ensure justice to women, she told DC. On the suggestion that religious boards can give suggestions on legislation, she said it should not be a religious affair. All personal laws-- Hindu, Muslim or Christian--are anti-women. The religious bodies and boards constituted on religious grounds would try to push in man- centric religious interests, she said. It would jeopardise the spirit of justice and democracy. If all religions start enacting their own laws, it would be going back to the days of anarchy, she added.

A victim of triple talaq, Suhra started her crusade against it and other outdated customs of community when she was exposed to the ordeal in her teens. Now looking back, I am satisfied that those days of suppression and torture in the early 70s moulded an innocent girl like me into an activist, brave enough to give voice to many of my ilk in the community, she said. Her fight to ensure justice for Muslim women entered the open space with the controversial Shah Bano case verdict in 1985 which rocked the conservative religious fortresses across the nation.

Reminiscing about the old days, Suhra said that she and her three children were under threat of religious fanatics. There was pressure on Suhra to back out and compromise. There were none to protect and support us. But I didnt budge. At times I went from one venue to the other with my children, two boys and a girl. When they threatened to finish off my family, I said you can do whatever you like.

Gradually those men realized that I am stubborn, and they backed out. It was hard to live single among them and bring up my children. But somebody should stand up and fight. I feel the spadework for the change in the community was made through our series of awareness sessions, public protests and programmes where Islamic scholars from various parts came and discussed the outdated Islamic laws and practices, she said. It was at one of such sessions that Justice B. Kemal Pasha courted a controversy for his harsh comments against triple talaq, she pointed out.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health minister K.K. Shylaja said new trauma care centre with modern state of the art facilities on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will be functional at the Thiruvananthapruam Medical College within six months. The minister disclosed this after examining the progress of work at the new Centre in the presence of AIIMS emergency medicine professor Dr Sanjeev Boi and associated professor Dr Tej Prakash Sinha on Tuesday. The new trauma care centre is coming near the main entrance of the medical college hospital along the road. The work on the second phase is the final stages.

Life 1 Trauma Care Centre along with emergency care department would be housed in the double storey building. Lift and ramp would connect the two floors. All latest diagnostic facilities including X ray, ultra sound scan, CT Scan, MRI scan along with other diagnostic services will be available under one roof. The ground floor will have reception, triage, different emergency departments, surgical ICU, medical ICU, operation theatres, pre operative and post operative rooms and observation room with 80 beds. In place of existing three operation theatres, the new trauma care centre will have eight operation theatres. Various specialities including surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, septic operation theatre, surgery procedure room, ortho procedure room will be part of the new block.

The road adjacent to the existing casualty will be utilised as one way for vehicles coming to the trauma centre. Adequate parking place is being earmarked for ambulances and other emergency rescue vehicles. More than 1,000 patients visit medical college casualty daily. With the commissioning of the new trauma centre, all state of the art life saving facilities will be available at the MCH. We are in the process of enhancing the facilities in trauma care centres attached to various hospitals along with ambulances with life saving facilities. The project is likely to be completed within two years, she said. The facilities were being upgraded in view of the rising number of road accidents in the state, the minister said.

She had visited AIIMS recently along with a group of doctors to study the facilities there. Subsequently a delegation of AIIMS came to MCH, examined the facilities and discussed the requirements at this Centre. A section of doctors and nursing staff also underwent training in latest techniques in trauma care. During her visit the health minister was also accompanied by social security mission executive director and trauma care nodal officer Dr Mohammad Asheel, medical college principal Dr Thomas Mathew, superintendent M.S. Sharmad and deputy superintendents Dr Joy John and Dr Santosh Kumar.

27 government hospitals to provide trauma care

The state government is planning to set up trauma care units in 27 select government hospitals across Kerala to provide expert emergency care to accident victims. These are besides the trauma care projects that are currently being implemented in Ernakulam Gene-ral Hospital, Kannur District Hospital, and Alappuzha Medical College under the Centres Assistance for Development of trauma Care Facilities in Gover-nment Hospitals located on National Highways.

We have also plans to establish trauma care systems in Thiruvan-anthapuram, Kottayam and Thrissur medical colleges, health minister K.K. Shylaja said in reply to a question in the Assembly on Tuesday. Under the project, 60 per cent will be met by the Centre and the rest by state.

The approval to include Alappuzha Medical College in the Level-II Trauma Care Project was received from the Centre, she said. The Centre has also issued an order granting Rs 3.66 crore as first instalment of its share. The total project cost is Rs 10.27 crore. The approval to inc-lude Kozhikode Medical College in Level-I Trauma Care projects has also been secured. As the first instalment of the Centres share, the state has received Rs 5.04 crore, she said. The state also requested the Centre to include Thrissur Medical College, too, within the Centres trauma care projects. A team from the Centre had visited the medical college on June 17 this year, Ms Shylaja said. A project proposal has already been submitted to the Centre.

The trauma care project involves equipping government hospitals with basic infrastructure and state-of-the-art medical equipments necessary to provide immediate medical care to trauma care victims. Steps have also been taken to ensure the availability of specialist doctors in these hospitals, the minister said. Apart from this, first aid and emergency treatment will be provided in hospitals, including private, along national and state highways with 24X7 casualty service.
Bengaluru: Taking potshots at BJP leaders for their comments on an opinion poll in favour of the ruling Congress, CM Siddaramaiah on Monday said these leaders were unable to come to terms with reality about the dim prospects of their party.

He told the media soon after former Union minister C M Ibrahim submitted his nomination forms for bypoll to the Legislative Council that his party had nothing to do with the survey carried out by C fore. The survey has said the Congress will return to power. What else can the Opposition say about it? The survey suggests that BJP will win around 65 seats and JD(S), 30. Unable to digest the facts, they are making these allegations, he added.

Dismissing charges by BJP leaders that officers of ACB were registering cases against BJP leaders because of pressure from the government, Mr Siddaramaiah said the ACB was an autonomous body and the institution had investigated and filed case against BJP leaders. If they are not guilty and not afraid, they should go and explain before the court. If the police have forced Mr Basavarajendra to make false statement, let that also be inquired into. He makes these claims after nine days of filing the case. The BJP leaders are caught on the wrong foot and so they are talking like this, he added.

On his part, Mr C.M. Ibrahim dismissed reports that he would quit the Congress soon.

Congress didnt commission Survey

Even as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party charged that the C fore survey, which predicted a landslide victory for the ruling Congress if the Assembly elections are held now, was commissioned by the ruling Congress, the agency clarified that it conducted the survey independently.

Founder and chief executive of Cfore, Premchand Palety told Deccan Chronicle that the survey was not commissioned by the Congress party. It was done for a private news channel in Karnataka. However, on seeing the results, they dragged their feet on telecasting it. So, I had to publish it and I approached the Chief Ministers office. I myself mailed the survey report to all media heads, so the question of the Congress commissioning or influencing the results is out of question.

He said that his agency had been involved in this work for the last 17 years. As far as Karnataka is concerned, our agency was bang on target in 2008 and 2013, he asserted. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Partys claims that it was a Congress survey which should not be taken seriously, attracted a sharp reaction from the Chief Ministers camp with his media advisor, Dinesh Aminmattu lambasting BJP leaders who questioned the survey report.
Bengaluru: Upping the ante against the Siddaramaiah government, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday petitioned Governor Vajubhai Vala against it, claiming it was misusing the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to foist false cases against its state chief, B S Yeddurappa and had ordered political advisor to the Home Minister, Kempaiah and ACB chief, M.N. Reddi to tap the phones of its political opponents.

A delegation led by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ananth Kumar alleged in a six-page memorandum handed to the Governor, that the government had also failed to control the killing of RSS workers in the state and was using pseudo Right To Information (RTI) activists to engineer false complaints against BJP leaders.

Emphasising that the tapping of phones of political opponents was not only a violation of liberty but also of the Constitution, the BJP urged the Governor to direct the state government to remove Mr Kempaiah from his post and suspend Mr. Reddi as well as Deputy Superintendent of Police, Balaraj Anthony Raj and CPI Manjunath.

Mr Ananth Kumar said that 16 false cases registered against Mr Yeddyurappa on the basis of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India had been challenged before the High Court, and it was shocking that the Chief Minister, who incidentally headed the ACB, was misusing it to implicate him.

Urging the Governor to intervene in the matter, and order a high level inquiry into the threats allegedly received by a senior KAS officer, who refused to give a statement against Mr. Yeddyurappa, the memorandum said, With the government misusing the state machinery and failing to protect the lives of people , we humbly request your Excellency to consider the same and save the state and the people from the misrule of the present Congress government.

Quoting media reports, it also maintained that the Chief Minister was using the ACB to settle scores with the political opponents of the Congress and had ordered its officials a few days ago to start registering cases against them.

The BJP delegation included leader of the opposition in the Assembly, Jagadish Shettar, former Deputy Chief Ministers, R. Ashok and K.S.Eshwarappa, BJP MPs, Prahlad Joshi, Shobha Karandlaje , and Shivakumar Udasi, senior leaders, Govinda Karjol, C.T.Ravi, Aravinda Limbavali, Suresh Kumar and Laxman Savadi, besides party MLAs and MLCs.
Chennai/ Puducherry: Driven to the wall by party actions against him and his jailed aunt, TTV Dhinakaran on Tuesday dispatched 19 AIADMK legislators supporting him to deliver identical letters to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao saying they have lost confidence in Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and asking him to "intervene and institute the constitutional process". This later prompted the DMK to demand a trust vote.

We have informed the Governor we don't have confidence in the Chief Minister. He said he will examine our request and let us know. We only want the CM to be changed; not interested in toppling the government, Antipatti MLA Thanga Tamil Selvan told DC soon after leading the TTV brigade to the Raj Bhavan in the morning.

Later, he led a caravan of cars and SUVs down the ECR to a resort in Congress-ruled Puducherry with the MLAs for safe housing. When asked about the resort sojourn, he shot back, We have come here to rest for some days. Anything wrong with that?

It appeared to be a rewind of the Koovathur excursion-only then it was a much larger group of Sasikala supporters hidden away from the then Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam's reach.

In the 234-member Assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs, excluding the Speaker, while the late CM Jayalalithaa's RK Nagar seat is vacant. The DMK has 89 seats followed by its allies Congress having eight and the IUML one. The TTV camp had on Monday claimed support of 25 MLAs but the AIADMK seniors stoutly contested that. "We are sure that even those who are now there (TTV) will soon come back to our fold", said Minister Sellur K. Raju.
In 1986, Shah Bano had lost out her case for maintenance post-divorce when conservative and reactionary leaders led by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and others browbeat liberals in the Muslim community like Arif Mohammed Khan and forced the Rajiv Gandhi government to bring in legislation to undo the Supreme Court verdict with regard to payment of maintenance or alimony. Thirty years later, five younger Muslim women from middle and lower middle class backgrounds from small town India have managed to beat the greybeards of the countrys Muslim community. It is a revolution from within the community and the majority of Muslim women and men in India today stand with Shayara Bano, 35, with Aafreen Rehman 26, Gulshan Parveen 31, and Ishrat Jahan, 31. It is not possible for the powers-that-be in the community to hold their sway. Muslims have grown larger, they are more confident and they cannot be blackmailed into submission by showing the red rag of saffron majoritarianism of the ruling BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The BJP and RSS may pretend that they support the cause of Muslim women in a bid to outflank Muslims as a whole. But Muslims can differentiate between the need to set their own house in order as well as to fend off saffron tactics against Muslims to give up their distinct religious identity in the country.

There is no doubt that more than the legal nuances of the judgment could be debated, and even be challenged. But the main issue is the politics of perception. The Narendra Modi government is sure to proclaim it as a victory for its own politics by projecting the issue of the court holding triple talaq to be illegal as a clash between the Quran and the Constitution, as one between the Muslim faith and the secular order, and as a victory of the Constitution over the Quran, of secularism over faith. There is no need to push the question under the carpet. It needs to be faced squarely and fairly. It can be interpreted as the victory of secularism over religiosity. But this is so only at a very superficial level. In Islam, marriage is a contract and not a sacrament. Divorce is an accepted norm unlike among orthodox Hindus and Roman Catholics. And the issue here is not about divorce. It is about whether a particular form of divorce  triple talaq  is valid. Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer have rightly concluded that it goes against the tenets of the Quran, which means it is un-Islamic, but they also conceded that the Hanafi school of Islam law allows for triple talaq, and that Sunni Muslims in India largely follow the Hanafi school. That is why they wanted the legislature to bring in the necessary changes in the law.

The majority judgment of Justices Joseph Kurian, U.U. Lalit and Rohinton F. Nariman looked upon triple talaq as arbitrary and which closes the door to reconciliation, which the Quran requires. They have held Section 2 of the 1937 Shariat Act, which says that issues of inheritance, marriage, trusts and waqfs will be decided on the basis of Muslim personal law, to be invalid, and said that no arbitrary law can be allowed to stand in the light of the Constitution. There are enough loose ends in the three verdicts  the minority one by Chief Justice Khehar and Justice Nazeer, and the majority comprising Justice Joseph, who has written a separate verdict, and that of Justices Nariman and Lalit. The concluding remarks of all three judgments carry a note of a tentativeness. Justice Kurien Joseph says:  I am also of the strong view that the constitutional democracy of India cannot conceive of a legislation which is arbitrary. It is the position adopted by Justices Nariman and Lalit as well.

There is enough fuzziness in the legal definitions and justifications for triple talaq. It has been agreed by all that triple talaq might be legal but it is sinful, even according to the Hanafi school, which allows for triple talaq. That is why Justice Kurian Jospeh has stated the problem succinctly: What is bad in theology was once good in law, but after Shariat has been declared as personal law, whether what is Quranically wrong can be legally right is the issue to be considered in this case. All the five judges have bravely grappled with this question. They have not been able to reconcile the two in a logical manner. But they have taken solace in the fact that triple talaq is found to be unacceptable in religious terms whatever might be the juridical position. It is necessary to remember this distinction in order to understand that the Supreme Court has not struck down triple talaq because religious law withers before secular law, but because there are too many contradictions and complications in the Hanafi jurisprudence and it cannot be reconciled with the Quran.

As a matter of fact, the Supreme Court has in effect said that the Quran is the true source of law and that the Hanafi law must bend its rules to follow the spirit of the Quran. And in secular terms as well, triple talaq was found wanting as it closed the door on reconciliation and a rethink and therefore carried elements of arbitrariness, which is unacceptable in secular law. It would be wrong then for the opponents and critics of the BJPs majoritarian politics to oppose the Supreme Courts verdict under the wrong impression that it questions and undermines the religious identity of Muslims. It would be a real tragedy for an ostensibly secular party like the Congress to criticise the Supreme Courts verdict and strengthen the hands of reactionary elements among Muslims once again.
As a journalist, one has travelled to remote places across India that have intractable pot-holed roads or have no roads at all. Given the challenge, there was always the option of hitching a ride with the odd politician on a helicopter, a memorable one being with Lalu Yadav to Vaishali. There is, though, nothing to beat the trove of stories that slower journeys throw up on routes that often meander through punishing terrains. Recently, I had to travel to Chicago from Delhi, and the only option was to fly. Since there was no journalistically stimulating route on offer, say, via Pyongyang, and there is no airport yet on the Doklam Plateau where India and China are flexing their military muscles, I chose to fly via Doha. The politically loaded route map displayed on the Qatar Airways monitors compensated amply for the money and time lost in cancelling the non-stop option with Air India. The Doha route had its purpose, not the least being to breach the dubious sanctions placed on Qatar all because it has an outspoken TV channel. We all have our differences with Al Jazeera. One senses in Al Jazeeras reports a bias for regressive religious ideologues. That being the case, however, the remedy is to cross check its coverage on channels like Russia Today or CNN, and not to call for the channels closure.

What if Muslim extremists win elections? Should a military coup void the results, as the generals did against the elected Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt? Al Jazeera has been punished for opposing the coup, its reporters jailed. The Gulf states are wary of the Muslim Brotherhood because of its support for political change, and so is Israel. Al Jazeera likens Hamas to a resistance group against occupation, not as a terrorist outfit. Al Jazeera correspondents have annoyed the US too whose warplanes have bombed its offices in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Modi government briefly suspended its uplinking over charges that the channel showed the wrong map of Kashmir. Twitter suspended its account briefly. If shutting down channels is the route to consider then Fox News in America and many channels in India have to be taken down for inciting violence. And Marine Le Pen should never frighten any democrat since a general will always be around to upend her victory!

Given the circumstances, the Qatar Airways itinerary helped me partake of a diplomatically fraught flight plan that willy-nilly included Iran. Above all, it involved a careening approach on the descent and a gentle landing through a narrow air corridor that David Beckham would be proud of. Qatars former Gulf allies have shut their air spaces to the peninsula. The bizarre move reminds us of a South Asian row some 16 years ago when India had closed its air corridor to Pakistani planes in response to a terror attack on Parliament House in late December 2001. It then offered a concession to president Musharraf. He could fly to a Saarc summit in Kathmandu through the Indian air space. Musharraf ignored the joke and opted to take the passage to Nepal via China. The joint boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt and, laughably, Yemen, produced a similarly Houdini-like response from the rulers of Qatar. Doha moved even closer to Iran, a shift that should leave its sullen former allies regretting their folly.

On the Delhi-Doha sector, the plane hugged the Pakistani coastline all the way to Bandar Abbas before sharply turning south towards the Qatari peninsula. The onward flight to Chicago cleared any lingering political doubts. The planes monitors as it cruised over Iran, showed up names of cities and places that would not exactly bring comfort to Qatars detractors. Flying northwards towards the Caspian, flanked by the fabled cities of Isfahan, Qom, Tehran and Tabriz, the US-bound pilots of the besieged airline would have much to thank the clerics of Iran for. As a political observer, it should ideally be ones preferred choice to remain non-judgemental in a stand-off between Qatar and its former Gulf allies. Both sides have colluded to destroy not one but three secular Arab states, namely Iraq, Libya and Syria. As such they bear a great responsibility for the cult of car bombs and suicide belts adopted as a badge of honour by Muslim terrorists. If the Saudi-led coalition, partnered occasionally by Turkey and others and blessed in no subtle terms by Israel, was fighting for democracy, they might begin by ushering secular and representative governments in their own countries, which they probably wont. My detour on the private journey would not be rewarded without the joy of meeting the heart-warming men and women from different South Asian countries. The Pakistani chief stewardess, the Sri Lankan and Indian pursers and their humming of Surangini, a love song in Sinhala, became the right antidote to the inevitable jet lag that followed the detour.

By arrangement with Dawn
It is no less than shocking that senior Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJPs blue-eyed boy who the party has entrusted with the key responsibility of roping in all northeastern states into its fold, should propose a two-child norm for Assam, effective April 2018. The draft policy, announced last April, is to be introduced in the next Assembly session with some changes. In this scheme of things, people with more than two children will not be eligible for government jobs. Nor will they be eligible to become members of panchayats and civic bodies.

This is a draconian, semi-fascist, approach to governance, reminiscent of Chinas erstwhile one-child norm that Beijing was forced to abandon as the system began to produce a ballooning of senior citizens, and is likely to face legal challenges on several counts. While it is next to impossible to defend such an approach in any democracy, the minister has argued that Assam faces a population explosion to justify this kind of thinking. But this is a patently false claim. According to the 2011 census, Assam ranks 14th among states and Union territories on the countrys population table. Even on the count of population density, it is behind seven states. By no means do such characteristics suggest a population explosion. Forced methods to check population, like the late Sanjay Gandhis sterilisation programme, is in line with thought processes that compels people about what to wear, eat, view or worship.
In a split 3-2 verdict on Tuesday, in which Chief Justice of India J.S. Kehar found himself in a minority, the Supreme Court struck down the concept of triple talaq uttered in one sitting or in a single instance, which had regrettably become the default divorce procedure among Muslims in India  leaving Muslim women in general, specially among the poor, vulnerable to the tastes of whimsical men, who typically had the backing of clerics, drawing sustenance from the prism of patriarchy. This method of divorce had been codified in 1937 by the British rulers as a part of Muslim Personal Law, deriving from a narrow reading of Shariat law. Its delegitimising is historic, and should be seen as a blow for gender justice, for which Muslim women in the country have waged a sustained struggle in the face of unremitting opposition by Muslim males more generally, and in particular the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, the self-appointed guardians of social and personal conduct among Muslims.

The board refused to countenance the fact that even in many regressive Islamic countries, including next-door Pakistan, whose social structures are comparable to Indias in the matter of Muslim personal law, the triple talaq method of divorce has been done away with. This procedure is in the nature of biddat, or innovation, to the original principle, which crept into the body of the Islamic legal system from the time of Hazrat Umar, after the demise of Prophet Muhammad 14 centuries ago. Triple talaq in one sitting is alien to the Quran, which is the revealed word for Muslims, but is still part of Shariat law, which is an amalgamation of the Muslim holy book, the actions and sayings of the Prophet, and the natural evolution of the legal framework in Muslim societies. It is this which led the Supreme Court to say that instant triple talaq was not part of the essential feature of Islam. As such, doing away with it was not an encroachment into a matter of faith.

As far back as 1981, a high court ruling had called instant triple talaq invalid and unconstitutional. The difference this time around is that the top court has asked the government to pass a law in Parliament within six months to regulate divorce procedures in a manner that does not leave Muslim women unprotected. This is likely to be a challenge before the political class, who may be wary of coming in the line of fire of conservative Muslims.
If you have a Google Pixel or Nexus, then you can taste the new cookie in town immediately. (Image: Google/Deccan Chronicle)

Speculations about the next version of Android were already floating months ahead of the final revelation, and now Google has finally pronounced the O as Oreo. As we all know, Googles mobile operating system Android has always been named after a dessert and in an alphabetical order. Androids version 8.0 is named after a well-known cookie brand Oreo. This is not the first time Google has borrowed the name from a brand  KitKat was also involved for an earlier version.

After more than a year of development and months of testing with developers and early adopters, Android 8.0 goes live. The new mobile OS version claims to bring in tons of new features, which includes picture-in-picture, autofill, integrated Instant Apps, Google Play Protect, a faster boot up and a few more. Google has already started pushing out the source codes to AOSP so that everyone (developers) can use and create their own third-party ROMS, and manufacturers can use them for upgrading their handsets accordingly.

As for now, the Pixel and Nexus smartphones are being tested by various carriers and the final roll out will hit the OTA servers within a few weeks. Google has also confirmed that they have been closely working with smartphone manufacturers, namely Essential, Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sharp and Sony, who are scheduled to be launching and upgrading new devices to Android Oreo.

Well, now that Google took its chance and revealed Oreo during the rare Solar Eclipse this year, what new does Oreo bring to the table and what is in it for you? Find out.

Android 8.0 Oreo focuses on creating fluid experiences that aim to make Android even more powerful and easy to use. Some of the features are as below.

Picture-in-picture: This new feature lets users manage two tasks simultaneously on any size screen, and it's easy for apps to support it.

Notification dots: It extends the reach of notifications and offers a new way to surface activity in your apps. Dots work with zero effort for most apps  it even extracts the colour of the dot from an icon. This though has been available on Samsung and LG smartphones from a pretty while.

Autofill framework: This simplifies how users set up a new device and synchronise their passwords. Apps using form data can optimise their apps for Autofill, and password manager apps can use the new APIs to make their services available to users in their favourite apps. Autofill will roll out fully over the next few weeks as part of an update to Google Play Services.

Android O is also heavily optimised for battery life optimisation, apart from startup time, graphics rendering and stability.

System optimisations: Google has worked across the system to help apps run faster and smoother  for example, in the runtime a new concurrent compacting garbage collection, code locality, and more, are added.

Background limits: Google has added new limits on background location and Wi-Fi scans and changes in the way apps run in the background. These boundaries prevent unintentional overuse of battery and memory and apply to all apps  make sure you understand and account for these in your apps.

Complimentary Android Vitals dashboards and IDE profilers: In the Play Console, you can now see aggregate data about your app to help you pinpoint common issues  excessive crash rate, ANR rate, frozen frames, slow rendering, excessive wakeups, and more. You'll also find new performance profilers in Android Studio 3.0, and new instrumentation in the platform.

Google has also made it easier for developers to build better and efficient apps.

Autosizing textview: Developers can use autosizing TextView to automatically fill a TextView with text, regardless of the amount. Developers can create an array of preset text sizes, or set min and max sizes with a step granularity, and the text will grow and shrink to fill the available TextView space.

Fonts in XML: Fonts are now a fully supported resource type. Developers can now use fonts in XML layouts and define font families in XML.

Downloadable fonts and emoji: With downloadable fonts, developers can load fonts from a shared provider instead of including them in your APK. The provider and support library manage the download of fonts and shares them across apps. The same implementation also supports downloadable emoji, so you can get updated emoji without being limited to the emoji built into the device.

Adaptive icons: Developers can now create adaptive icons that the system displays in different shapes, based on a mask selected by a device manufacturer. The system also animates interactions with the icons and uses them in the launcher, shortcuts, settings, sharing dialogues, and in the overview screen.

Shortcut pinning: App shortcuts and homescreen widgets are great for engaging users and now developers can let users add and pin shortcuts and widgets to the launcher from within your app. There's also a new option to add a specialised activity to help users create shortcuts. The activity is complete with custom options and confirmation.

Wide-gamut colour for apps: Imaging apps can now take full advantage of new devices that have a wide-gamut colour capable display. To display wide gamut images, apps enable a flag in their manifest files (per activity) and load bitmaps with an embedded wide colour profile (AdobeRGB, Pro Photo RGB, DCI-P3, etc.).

WebView enhancements: Android Oreo enables WebView multi-process mode by default and adds an API to let apps handle errors and crashes. Developers can also opt-in their app's WebView objects to verify URLs through Google Safe Browsing.

Java 8 Language APIs and runtime optimisations: Android now supports several new Java Language APIs, including the new java.time API. In addition, the Android Runtime is faster than ever before, with improvements of up to 2x on some application benchmarks.

Android 8.0 is the first release of the Oreo series and there will be more improvements in Oreos life cycle in form of Android 8.1.1 and so on. The current release is the first public iteration of Oreo with the possibility of some unknown bugs. If you have a Google Pixel or Nexus, then you can taste the new cookie in town immediately. Phones with custom Android versions will receive the update depending on how fast their respective manufacturers oblige with the implementation.

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The PC market is seeing a slow decline, thanks to the rising demand for smartphones. PC giants are trying their best to keep their cash registers functioning which is why they keep rolling updates and improvements every single year. Microsoft has resorted to updating its Windows 10 OS two times a year, which was not the case with Windows 7 and before. Dell and HP are showing off ultra-slim laptops to keep consumers interest active. So, when Intel had to grab attention, they released the next generation processors that promise to make PCs twice as fast as the existing ones in the market.

The latest generation of Intel processors, known as Kaby Lake Refresh, is based on the last years 14nm Kaby Lake architecture, albeit with incremental improvements. Intel is confident of its Kaby Lake Refresh processors to provide two times improved performance compared to the first Kaby Lake release. The processor is also expected to provide 40 percent more power to PCs compared to ones with Skylake processors. Intel underlines the fact that its 50 percent faster than a five-year-old laptop. Pretty tall claim indeed!

Intel says that multitasking is two times faster, web browsing is 1.9 times faster and 4K video playback is 14 times faster than a computer from 2012. A 1-minute and 46-second 4K video encoded in HEVC weighing 440MB takes a computer with the Kaby Lake Refresh chip three minutes to render versus 45 minutes on a 5-year-old PC. Not only performance, Intel claims that watching a Hollywood flick in 4K wont require you to look for the charger every hour. The 8th-gen processors will aid 10 hours of 4K video playback on PCs built to Intels benchmarks.

The latest generation improvements will available on the Core i5 and Core i7 models, which will roll out to the notebook models initially. Desktop PCs will gain a tad more powerful processor suited for gaming and professional editing and will be known as Coffee Lake. This could very well be the last 14nm PC processor before Intel takes the leap to 10nm IceLake chipsets.

The performance potential of the new processors makes it an uphill task for Intel to deliver their promise of an up-to-date PC performance and keep the PC relevant in times of the smartphones. Expect laptop manufacturers from the Windows universe to comply with these latest processors in their premium offerings before Apple makes a move for these with its MacBook Pro lineup.

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Washington: Sixteen years of US warfare in Afghanistan have left the insurgents as strong as ever and the nation's future precarious. Facing a quagmire, President Donald Trump on Monday outlined his strategy for "victory" in a country that has historically snared great powers and defied easy solutions.

America's longest-running war began well as US-led forces quickly toppled the Taliban government and disrupted al-Qaida leaders who plotted the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks from Afghan soil. But the fighting never ended.

In recent years, security has gradually worsened as Taliban insurgents, enjoying sanctuary in Pakistan, have gained a foothold across the country. Afghanistan's rampant heroin trade, official corruption and infighting among the nation's elite have only compounded problems.

Trump is the third US president to grapple with the Afghan challenge. A look at the phases of the US involvement to date:

Regime Change

Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, a massive US air campaign targets al-Qaida fighters and Taliban troops, training camps and air defenses. Anti-Taliban forces of the Northern Alliance enter Kabul as the Taliban flee.

By December 2001, Afghan groups agree on a deal in Bonn, Germany, for an interim government.

With Afghanistan liberated from Taliban control, the US military force grows to 2,500 as troops scour the mountainous Tora Bora region looking for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. He eludes capture. Although President George W Bush remains leery of supporting nation-building efforts in Afghanistan, the US expands its counterterrorism operations. By the end of 2002, there are 9,700 US troops in the country.

Democracy and Distraction

In November 2004, Hamid Karzai, who had served two years as interim leader, is the clear winner in Afghanistan's first direct election for president. The Bush administration hails the vote as a key step in the nation's transformation. Millions of girls return to school after being barred under the Taliban. As the country opens up, Western aid helps the economy grow, at least in urban areas.

But the Taliban, enjoying sanctuary in Pakistan, show signs of re-emergence, launching sporadic attacks on government forces in eastern Afghanistan. Although Karzai is an ethnic Pashtun, which comprise the bulk of Taliban recruits, his government alienates what is Afghanistan's main ethnic group. Karzai's administration is dominated by former commanders of the Northern Alliance.

US troop numbers swell to 20,000, but Washington's attention increasingly turns to Iraq. The US invades in March 2003, toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. It struggles with the aftermath. Soon Iraq is gripped by an explosion of sectarian violence that preoccupies Bush until he leaves office.

More Western Troops, More Violence

In 2006, NATO assumes responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan, pumping troops into Taliban heartlands in the south of the country.

The US ups its forces in the country to 30,000. Britain, Canada and others boost their contributions. But the violence and lawlessness worsens.

Production of opium, the raw material of heroin, soars to a record high, funding the insurgency and fueling official corruption. Tensions grow between Afghanistan and Pakistan over cross-border Taliban attacks.

In the fall of 2008, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen concedes, "I'm not sure we're winning."

Surge

President Barack Obama, vowing to refocus US efforts in Afghanistan, enters office in 2009 endorsing shifts to a counterinsurgency strategy designed to protect Afghan civilians rather than hunt down Taliban.

He quickly sends in 21,000 more forces. After a prolonged policy review, Obama orders an additional surge, bringing troop levels to a high of 100,000 by August 2010. He says the US will begin withdrawing forces by 2011. Critics say the drawdown date diminishes the incentive for the Taliban to negotiate for peace.

Bin Laden is killed in a US special operations raid in Pakistan in March 2011.

Obama then presses ahead with plans to hand over security responsibilities to Afghanistan by 2014. By the end of that year, NATO ends its combat mission in the country. US relations with Karzai, however, deteriorate. A contested election to replace Karzai introduces a more pro-US leader in Ashraf Ghani, but his government is bitterly divided.

No Withdrawal

With violence reaching post-2001 highs and Afghan security forces taking heavy casualties, Obama backtracks on plans to virtually withdraw all US forces by the end of 2016.

He leaves office with 8,400 troops still in the country.

The US kills new Taliban leader Mullah Mansour in a drone attack in Pakistan in May 2016, derailing peace talks. But on the battlefield, the Taliban are in the ascendant and threaten provincial capitals in both the north and south. The Islamic State group gains a foothold in eastern Afghanistan.

Enter Trump

Trump said little about Afghanistan during his first seven months in office, while the military grows antsy.

The Pentagon proposes sending in nearly 4,000 more US troops to increase training of Afghan forces and counterterrorism operations, but the administration is divided on strategy. Nearly everyone considers the fight a stalemate, and some in Trump's administration even propose withdrawing or handing over the entire American effort to private security contractors.

Among Afghans, anti-Western sentiment grows over deteriorating security, even in the capital, Kabul. The economy also suffers, partly as a result of a drawdown in foreign forces. As Trump is poised to announce his plan, Afghanistan's government controls only about half of the country.

After months of debate, Trump finally unveils his strategy in a prime-time television address.

He says the US will win "in the end," defeating al-Qaida and IS fighters, and ensuring the government doesn't fall to the Taliban. He refuses to provide troop increase numbers or timelines, saying military assistance would be determined by results and the cooperation of Afghanistan's beleaguered government.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made the comments during an event in East Rutherford to tout the state's economy and 4.2 percent unemployment rate. (Photo: AFP)

East Rutherford (N.J): New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Monday said that President Donald Trump's racially fraught comments about "both sides" being to blame for a deadly neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, were "a mistake."

But Christie says he know Trump isn't a racist. The Republican governor made the comments during an event in East Rutherford to tout the state's economy and 4.2 percent unemployment rate. Christie said there's not a moral equivalency between white supremacists and the people protesting them.

"In my view, the president's comments about 'both sides' were a mistake and they shouldn't have been said and I certainly wouldn't have said them and don't say them today and I don't agree with them and I don't adopt them," Christie said.

He said white supremacists and neo-Nazis rely subscribe to the use of violence based on race, which he called "unacceptable." Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 others were injured Aug.12 when a car purposely plowed into counter protesters at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, authorities said. An Ohio man, James Alex Fields Jr., has been charged with murder and other offenses.

Christie is a close political ally of Trump and leads his national drug commission. Monday's comments were Christie's fullest reaction yet about the deadly attack in Charlottesville.

While on vacation in Italy last week, Christie tweeted that he rejected the violence and called on "leadership" to speak out as well.

Christie just returned from the 10-day family holiday and said he hasn't spoken to the president yet. But he said he'll keep any advice he has for him between Trump and himself.
A native of Trinidad, Maharaj began his journey at the paper as a summer intern (Photo: Facebook)

New York: A prominent journalist of Indian- descent has been fired as the editor of the Los Angeles Times after serving 28 years at the news organisation, as part of a significant shake-up of the American daily's top management.

Davan Maharaj, who served as both editor and publisher since 2016, was terminated along with other senior editors of the daily.

"Maharaj was terminated along with a handful of other senior editors, including Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, Deputy Managing Editor for Digital Megan Garvey and Assistant Managing Editor of Investigations Matt Doig," a report in the LA Times said.

A native of Trinidad, Maharaj began his journey at the paper as a summer intern in 1989 and worked as a reporter in Orange County, Los Angeles and East Africa. He had later served as assistant foreign editor, business editor and managing editor.

A six-part series 'Living on Pennies' done by Maharaj in collaboration with photographer Francine Orr, won the 2005 Ernie Pyle Award for Human Interest Writing and prompted readers to donate tens of thousands of dollars to support aid agencies in Africa.

While Maharaj was editor, The Times won three Pulitizer Prizes, including for breaking news reporting of the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino.

"During the last 28 years, it has been an honour working with the best journalists in a great American newsroom," Maharaj said in an email, quoted in the LA Times report.

"They are indomitable, and I wish them well in their continued fight to serve our community. I'm proud of the work we've done," he added.

Ross Levinsohn, a veteran media executive who worked at Fox and had served as interim chief of Yahoo, was named publisher and chief executive of the 135-year-old LA Times.

Jim Kirk, who was publisher and editor of the Chicago Sun-Times until last week, was named interim editor.

The move was announced by Justin C Dearborn, chief executive of Tronc, the parent company of The Times and eight other daily newspapers as part the organisation s plans to invest more resources towards ushering it into the digital age.

The report added that the shake-up came just one month after an investigative report was published in The Times that revealed that the former dean of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine had partied with a prostitute and drug dealers, including on campus.

Some reporters who had worked on the project approached senior corporate management to express concern that Maharaj and Duvoisin had delayed the story for fear of upsetting USC, which hosts the newspaper's annual Festival of Books.

Maharaj and Duvoisin had defended the handling of the story, noting that sensitive and complicated articles take months to report, edit and legally review, the report added.
United Nations: Two North Korean shipments to a Syrian government agency responsible for the country's chemical weapons program were intercepted in the past six months, according to a confidential United Nations report on North Korea sanctions violations.

The report by a panel of independent UN experts, which was submitted to the UN Security Council earlier this month on Monday, gave no details on when or where the interdictions occurred or what the shipments contained.

"The panel is investigating reported prohibited chemical, ballistic missile and conventional arms cooperation between Syria and the DPRK (North Korea)," the experts wrote in the 37-page report.

"Two member states interdicted shipments destined for Syria. Another Member state informed the panel that it had reasons to believe that the goods were part of a KOMID contract with Syria," according to the report.

KOMID is the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation. It was blacklisted by the Security Council in 2009 and described as Pyongyang's key arms dealer and exporter of equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. In March 2016 the council also blacklisted two KOMID representatives in Syria.

"The consignees were Syrian entities designated by the European Union and the United States as front companies for Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC), a Syrian entity identified by the Panel as cooperating with KOMID in previous prohibited item transfers," the UN experts wrote.

SSRC has overseen the country's chemical weapons programme since the 1970s.

The UN experts said activities between Syria and North Korea they were investigating included cooperation on Syrian Scud missile programs and maintenance and repair of Syrian surface-to-air missiles air defence systems.

The North Korean and Syrian missions to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The experts said they were also investigating the use of the VX nerve agent in Malaysia to kill the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in February.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and the Security Council has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear weapons tests and four long-range missile launches.

Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Russia and the United States. However, diplomats and weapons inspectors suspect Syria may have secretly maintained or developed a new chemical weapons capability.

During the country's more than six-year long civil war the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has said the banned nerve agent sarin has been used at least twice, while the use of cholorine as a weapon has been widespread. The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons.
Kabul: The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become "a graveyard" for the United States Tuesday after President Donald Trump cleared the way for thousands more American troops to be sent to the war-torn country.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

He added that America should think of an exit strategy "instead of continuing the war".

"As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale will continue our jihad," Mujahid said.

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief late Monday, though he did not offer specifics.

He said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable", leaving a vacuum that terrorists "would instantly fill".

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Earlier Mujahid had dismissed the strategy as vague and "nothing new".

"For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear," he said.

A senior Taliban commander said that Trump was just perpetuating the "arrogant behaviour" of previous presidents such as George W. Bush.

"He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

"For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath," he told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He added that the statement proved the current Afghan government "is a US puppet".

The insurgents signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the US embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack late Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the city's diplomatic quarter, with no casualties reported.

Trump also lambasted US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment, told AFP that Trump "has proved it's a Crusade".

"His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community)," he said.

Prior to Trump's announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
SIBENIK, Croatia - Some damn fool thing in the Balkans.

That is the answer Bismarck gave when he was asked what might spark an uncontrollable military conflict in Europe. Years later his prophecy was realized with tragic implications. Some damn fool thing in the Balkans -- in that case, the assassination of Archduke Frank Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, at Sarajevo, less than five hours by motorcar from here -- began the Great War. It took another generation for that war, which stretched from 1914 to 1918, to require the wide use of an ominous Roman numeral.

Now, some damn fool thing in East Asia, involving some damn fool in Pyongyang, threatens to unleash another war, the most dreaded of all military conflicts, one perhaps involving nuclear weapons and a third set of Roman numerals.

The world shudders -- and gropes for historical antecedents. The most obvious one occurred 55 years ago, with the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the two great powers of the time, the Soviet Union and the United States, went eyeball to eyeball -- the phrase is attributed to Dean Rusk, the American secretary of state -- before Nikita Khrushchev blinked and began the long process of removing nuclear weapons from the island 90 miles from Florida.

But like most comparisons, it is an imperfect one. The two near-combatants of 1962 were superpowers led by rational men, aware of the consequences, knowledgeable about each other -- they had met in Vienna more than a year earlier -- and respectful of diplomatic norms. The least experienced of the two, the callow American president, had been beaten up at the summit, but, nonetheless, John F. Kennedy knew something about how the world worked. Indeed, while Americans like to quote his "ask not" riff in his eloquent inaugural address, the more relevant phrase may be this one: "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate."

Fortunately, the cooler heads in today's administration apparently heed the back half of that sentence.

There may be no crisp antecedents to the current crisis, but there are historical lessons that can shape our perspectives as the situation works its way to resolution or confrontation, and some of them come from the Balkans, an area as full of damn fools as any. Here we can start to apprehend one of the signature elements of the Korea situation.

The beginning of understanding the Balkans is the notion of the difference between countries and nations. Postwar Yugoslavia -- which encompassed Croatia along with Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina -- was a country. But it was composed of many nations -- and languages, some using the Latin alphabet, some the Cyrillic. Some of its residents spoke Italian, and indeed much of the fruit in the street markets of Slovenia today comes from Italy. This hodgepodge in defiance of history was not a 20th-century invention. The old Hapsburg monarchy, which ruled from Tyrol in the west to Transylvania in the east, was an uneasy construct consisting of Germans, Magyars, Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Serbs, Slovenians, Italians, Romanians, Poles and some Russians.

At the heart of the Korea issue is not so much North Korea's resentment of the United States as its resentment of South Korea -- and the irrepressible desire to reunify Korea, a nation split into two countries since the uneasy end of the Korean War. One of the diplomatic initiatives proffered by South Korean President Moon Jae-in is to begin talks to reunify not the Korean Peninsula but, as a small step, to reunify families divided by the Korean War, which began two-thirds of a century ago.

On the broader issues, including the nuclear threat, there is no clear nor easy way ahead. A settlement will require more ingenuity than intuition. And patience.

Everyone knows the differences -- and the dangers. Seoul is within a few hours' marching distance from North Korea, far less by aircraft, and even less by artillery or missile. The threat to Americans, whether in Guam, Alaska or California, is real, if not this summer, then perhaps by this fall. The leaders of North Korea and the United States are armed with nuclear weapons and incendiary rhetoric. The latter is tinder for the former.

President Kennedy distributed Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August" to his top aides so they would understand the danger of rhetorical tinder, along with the peril inherent in alliances that promised Russia to side with Serbia in 1914, while Germany sided with Austria-Hungary and while France acted on its alliance with Russia.

The alliances of 1914 created momentum to destruction. The alliances of 2017 are acting as a brake on destruction. It was Moon who sought to slow down the march to military force this month. "No one should be allowed to decide on a military action on the Korean Peninsula without South Korean agreement," he said in a nationally televised speech.

The South Korean president is urging a one-two nonviolent punch of diplomacy and sanctions, a combination that clearly is being pursued by China, which has begun enforcing trade measures that will deprive North Korea of an additional $1 billion -- a loss its severely beleaguered economy can hardly bear. Still, planning for harsher measures continues apace. "We are preparing a military option in case such efforts fail," said Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

American and South Korean forces are to begin military exercises in the region within days. These exercises, years in the planning, are not a response to the summer crisis. But they could provide a flashpoint -- the "some damn fool" incident -- if Kim Jong Un is looking for a provocation.

This time, unlike in 1914, there is plenty of room for both sides -- one planning military exercises, the other planning missile tests near Guam -- to back away. But one chilling fact remains once the crisis involving the missiles of August recedes. North Korea still will have nuclear weapons and ICBMs powerful enough to make them a formidable threat. It remains the biggest challenge facing President Donald J. Trump, a test of character, resolve and ... the art of the deal.

David M. Shribman is executive editor of the Post-Gazette (dshribman@post-gazette.com, 412 263-1890). Follow him on Twitter at ShribmanPG.
Trump suggested that military and other aid to Washington's nuclear-armed ally is at stake if it does not clamp down on extremism. (Photo: AP)

Washington: President Donald Trump cleared way for the deployment of thousands of more US troops in Afghanistan on Monday, backtracking from his promise to swiftly end America's longest war, while pillorying ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos."

In his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump discarded his previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from "behind the desk in the Oval Office."

"My instinct was to pull out" Trump admitted as he spoke of frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars.

But following months of discussion, Trump said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable" and leaving a "vacuum" that terrorists "would instantly fill."

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorized his defense secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

A conflict that began in October 2001 as a hunt for the 9/11 attackers has turned into a vexed effort to keep Afghanistan's divided and corruption-hindered democracy alive amid a brutal Taliban insurgency.

Trump warned that the approach would now be more pragmatic than idealistic. Security assistance to Afghanistan was "not a blank check" he said, warning he would not send the military to "construct democracies in faraway lands or create democracies in our own image."

Address to the Nation

Full Video & Transcript:https://t.co/FELdImTuUM pic.twitter.com/6ly3fNatiX  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2017

"We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists."

Trump indicated that single-minded approach would extend to US relations with troubled ally Pakistan, which consecutive US administrations have criticized for links with the Taliban and for harboring leading jihadists -- like Osama bin Laden.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations," he said warning that vital aid could be cut.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," he said. "That will have to change and that will change immediately."

Ahead of the speech Pakistan's military brushed off speculation that Trump could signal a stronger line against Islamabad, insisting the country has done all it can to tackle militancy.

"Let it come," army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters, referring to Trump's decision. "Even if it comes... Pakistan shall do whatever is best in the national interest."

- About face -

Trump for the first time also left the door open to an eventual political deal with the Taliban.

"Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan," he said.

"But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen," he added, before vowing that "America will continue its support for the Afghan government and military as they confront the Taliban in the field."

While wary of international entanglements, Trump has also been eager to show success and steel in the realm of national security.

As president, he has surrounded himself with military generals -- from his national security advisor to his chief of staff to his defense secretary -- who have urged him to stay the course.

The Trump administration had originally promised a new Afghan plan by mid-July, but Trump was said to be dissatisfied by initial proposals to deploy a few thousand more troops.

Thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer, and every member of the U.S. Military at home and abroad. #USA pic.twitter.com/ticezYKkhz  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2017

His new policy will raise questions about what, if anything, can be achieved by making further deployments, or repeating the demands of previous administrations in more forceful terms.

In 2010, the United States had upwards of 100,000 US military personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Today that figure is around 8,400 US troops and the situation is as deadly as ever.

More than 2,500 Afghan police and troops have been killed already this year.

"The Afghan government remains divided and weak, its security forces will take years of expensive US and allied support to become fully effective, and they may still lose even with such support," said Anthony Cordesman of The Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Hours before Trump's remarks there was a stark reminder of the Taliban's reach, when a missile landed on a field in Kabul's heavily fortified diplomatic zone.

- 'Rigorous debate' -

Trump's announcement comes amid a month of serious turmoil for his administration, which has seen several top White House officials fired and revelations that members of Trump's campaign are being investigated by a federal grand jury.

He sought in his address to convince Americans who have wearied of his controversial off-the-cuff remarks.

"I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle," he said, hoping to show he has sufficiently pondered the decision to send more young Americans into mortal danger.

The decision on Afghanistan could have wide-ranging political repercussions for Trump, who faces a backlash from his base for reversing his pledge not to deepen military entanglements on foreign soil.

One of the main voices arguing for withdrawal, Trump's nationalistic chief strategist Steve Bannon, was removed from his post on Friday.

Among the advisors present at Camp David was new White House chief of staff John Kelly, a former Marine Corps general whose son died in Afghanistan in 2010.
New Delhi: In a shock for Islamabad that was music to New Delhis ears, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday read the riot act out to Pakistan for providing safe havens to agents of chaos, violence and terror that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad it has much to lose by harbouring terrorists.

But while appreciating New Delhis role in Afghanistan, Mr Trump taunted India again for making billions of dollars in trade with the US and exhorted it to do more in Afghanistan, even as he appreciated Indias contribution to stability in the strife-torn country.

New Delhi was silent on Mr Trumps barb but pointed out nevertheless that it welcomed his determination to confront terror safe havens, adding India had been steadfast in its efforts towards the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

In its reaction, China jumped to the rescue of its all weather friend Pakistan, claiming Islamabad is at the front line of combating terrorism.

Pakistans own response was muted, with its foreign minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif highlighting Pakistans immense sacrifices in the enduring fight against terrorism, after US envoy there David Hale met him to brief him about Mr Trumps statement. Mr Asif may travel to Washington soon to meet US secretary of state Rex Tillerson after a US invitation.

Mr Trump, in his first televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, said, For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen... We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups...Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort... It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists.
Seoul: North Korea's military on Tuesday greeted the start of annual US-South Korean military drills with its standard fiery threats, vowing "merciless retaliation" for exercises Pyongyang claims are an invasion rehearsal.

North Korea routinely issues such warlike rhetoric or conducts weapons tests to respond to the US-South Korean exercises. Tuesday's threat came as top US generals, including Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of US forces in the Pacific, visited South Korea.

Ties between the Koreas are almost always fraught, but anxiety is higher than normal following weeks of tit-for-tat threats between President Donald Trump and Pyongyang in the wake of the North's two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

The US generals were to travel to the site of a contentious US missile-defense system in South Korea later Tuesday.

The North's military statement said it will launch an unspecified "merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment" on the United States over the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills that began Monday for an 11-day run.

Despite the threat, an unprompted direct attack is extremely unlikely because the United States vastly outguns Pyongyang, which values the continuation of its dictatorship above all else. Impoverished North Korea hates the drills in part because they force it to respond with expensive military measures of its own.

The North Korean statement accused the United States of deploying unspecified "lethal" weapons for the drills that it says involve a "beheading operation" training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong Un.

"No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch in the Korean peninsula," the statement said. "Moreover, high-ranking bosses of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces flew into South Korea to hold a war confab. Such huddle is increasing the gravity of the situation."

The drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer and have drawn furious responses from North Korea. This year's exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers, according to the U.S. military command in South Korea and Seoul's Defense Ministry.

No field training like live-fire exercises or tank maneuvering is involved in the Ulchi drills, in which alliance officers sit at computers to practice how they would engage in battles and hone their decision-making capabilities. The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.

Last month North Korea test-launched two ICBMs at highly lofted angles, and outside experts say those missiles can reach Alaska, Los Angeles or Chicago if fired at normal, flattened trajectories. Analysts say it will be only a matter of time for the North to achieve its long-stated goal of acquiring a nuclear missile that can strike anywhere in the United States.

Earlier this month, Trump pledged to answer North Korean aggression with "fire and fury." North Korea, for its part, threatened to launch missiles toward the American territory of Guam before Kim Jong Un said he would first watch how Washington acts before going ahead with the missile launch plan.
Police officers stand next to the van involved on an attack in Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday. (Photo: AP)

Subirats: The lone fugitive from the Spanish cell that killed 15 people in and near Barcelona was shot to death Monday after he flashed what turned out to be a fake suicide belt at two troopers who confronted him in a vineyard just outside the city he terrorized, authorities said.

Police said they had "scientific evidence" that Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, drove the van that barreled through Barcelona's crowded Las Ramblas promenade, killing 13 people on Thursday, then hijacked a car and fatally stabbed its driver while making his getaway.

Abouyaaqoub's brother and friends made up the rest of the 12-man extremist cell, along with an imam who was one of two people killed in what police said was a botched bomb-making operation.

After four days on the run, Abouyaaqoub was spotted outside a train station west of Barcelona on Monday afternoon. A second witness told police she was certain she had seen the man whose photo has gone around the world as part of an international manhunt.

Two officers found him hiding in a nearby vineyard and asked for his identification, according to the head of the Catalan police. He was shot to death when he opened his shirt to reveal what looked to be explosives and cried out "Allah is great" in Arabic, regional police chief Josep Luis Trapero said.

A bomb disposal robot was dispatched to examine the downed suspect before police determined the bomb belt was not real, Trapero said. A bag full of knives was found with his body, police said.

A police photo of the body seen by The Associated Press showed his bloodied face, bearing several days' stubble on the chin.

With Abouyaaqoub's death, the group responsible for last week's fatal van attacks has now been broken, Trapero said.

"The arrest of this person was the priority for the police because it closed the detention and dismantling of the group that we had identified," he said.

Four are under arrest, and eight are dead: five shot by police in the seaside town of Cambrils, where a second van attack left one pedestrian dead early Friday; two others killed on the eve of the Barcelona attack in a botched bomb-making operation; and Abouyaaqoub.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for both the Cambrils and Barcelona attacks.

Roser Ventura, whose father owns a vineyard between the towns of Sadurni d'Anoia and Subirats, said she alerted the regional Catalan police when they spotted a car crossing their property at high speed.

"The police told us to leave the premises and go home. We heard a helicopter flying around and many police cars coming toward the gas station that is some 600 meters from the property," Ventura said.

The search for Abouyaaqoub ended on the same day that Catalan police confirmed that he was the last remaining cell member thought to still be at large and provided a timeline of his movements.

Authorities said earlier Monday they had evidence that pinpointed Abouyaaqoub as the driver of the van that plowed down the Las Ramblas promenade, killing 13 pedestrians and injuring more than 120 others.

Trapero said that after abandoning the vehicle, Abouyaaqoub walked through Barcelona for about 90 minutes, through the famed La Boqueria market and nearly to Barcelona University.

The Spanish newspaper El Pais published images Monday of what it said was Abouyaaqoub leaving the van attack site on foot. The three images show a slim man wearing sunglasses walking through La Boqueria.

In a parking lot often used by university students, he then hijacked a Ford Focus belonging to Pau Perez, stabbing Perez to death and taking the wheel with his final victim's body in the backseat. Minutes later, Abouyaaqoub plowed through a police checkpoint with the stolen car and abandoned the vehicle, disappearing into the night.

The manhunt for him reached well beyond Spain's borders, but in the end, Abouyaaqoub died about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from where he was last spotted.

After the carnage in Barcelona, authorities took a closer look at an explosion the night before in a house south of the city. Police initially had dismissed it as a household accident.

Along with two bodies, the more exhaustive search turned up remnants of over 100 butane gas tanks and materials needed for the TATP explosive, which has been used previously by Islamic State militants for attacks in Paris and Brussels, among others.

The equipment, along with reports that Abouyaaqoub had rented three vans, suggested the militant cell was making plans for an even more massive attack on the city.

Family and friends of the young men, nearly all with roots in Morocco, described them as well-integrated members of the community in Ripoll, a quintessentially Catalan town nestled into the foothills of the Pyrenees.

"I knew everyone implicated in the attacks. These were people who avoided problems, kept their distance when they saw a fight," Saber Oukabir, a cousin of two of the attackers, said.

The group members started spending time with the imam who police think was their ideological leader about six months ago, Oukabir said. "I don't know what could have happened, if he manipulated them, if he drugged them or what."

Fernando Reinares, director of the program on global terrorism at Spain's Elcano Royal Institute, said imams such as Abdelbaki Es Satty have made strong inroads into the region's community of North African immigrants, often reaching their Spanish-born children.

"He successfully exploited the dense, overlapping, pre-existing kinship, friendship and neighborhood ties between these young Muslims," Reinares said in an email to The Associated Press. "One of the reasons why Catalonia is the main scenario for both jihadist radicalization and involvement in the whole of Spain is certainly related to the extraordinary, unparalleled concentration in the region of Salafist congregations and imams, such as Es Satty."

Regional authorities said Monday that 48 people were still hospitalized from the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, eight of them in critical condition.

Catalonia's regional president, meanwhile, said regional and local authorities had rejected the Spanish government's suggestion to place traffic barriers to protect the Las Ramblas promenade because they deemed them "inefficient."

Carles Puigdemont told La Sexta television the barriers wouldn't have prevented vehicles from entering the promenade at other points - and he said closing off Las Ramblas was impractical because emergency vehicles still needed access.

On Monday, crowds of people continued to lay flowers, candles and heart-shaped balloons at the top of the pedestrian promenade where the van struck and at other smaller tributes.

Las Ramblas also regained some normality, with throngs of people walking up and down, tourists arriving and residents going about their daily business.

"We have to stand strong in front of these betrayers, assassins, terrorists," said resident Monserrat Mora. "Because Barcelona is strong and they will not be able to prevail with us."
Local media said the man was spotted by a woman in the early afternoon and then fled through vineyards but police managed to find and shoot him on a road near a sewage treatment plant.

Spanish police on Monday shot down a man who local media identified as the Islamist militant who drove a van into a Barcelona crowd last week, killing 15 people.

Police did not immediately give the mans identity, saying only that he had appeared to be wearing an explosive belt in the incident in Subirats, a town near Barcelona.

They said only that a bomb squad was using a robot to approach the mans body.

Some Spanish media, citing investigative sources, said police had shot dead 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub, on the run since Thursday when he drove at high speed into heavy crowds strolling along Barcelonas most famous avenue, Las Ramblas.

It was Spains worst militant attack in over a decade, with Islamic State claiming responsibility.

The suspect wore what appeared to be an explosive belt. He has been shot down, police said in an official tweet that did not make it unequivocally clear that he had been killed.

Local media said the man was spotted by a woman in the early afternoon and then fled through vineyards but police managed to find and shoot him on a road near a sewage treatment plant.

Police had asked the rest of Europe to join the manhunt for the Moroccan-born man. They say he fled Las Ramblas on foot amid the chaos of the attack then hijacked a car, stabbing the driver to death, before crashing through a police checkpoint.

Abouyaaqoub had been the only one of 12 accomplices still at large. His mother, Hannou Ghanimi, had appealed for him to surrender, saying she would rather see him in prison than end up dead.

Authorities on Monday raised the death toll to 15, confirming that Pau Perez, a 34-year-old man found stabbed to death in a Ford Focus outside Barcelona on Friday, was killed by Abouyaaqoub.

The police had fired at the car as it forced its way through a checkpoint shortly after the Barcelona carnage, and later found Perez in the vehicle.

Four people have been arrested so far in connection with the attacks: three Moroccans and a citizen of Spains North African enclave of Melilla. They will be taken to the high court in Madrid, which has jurisdiction over terrorism matters.

Escape plan

Investigators said Younes Abouyaaqoub fled the scene of Thursdays attack on foot and hijacked a car to escape.

Abouyaaqoub is alleged to have stabbed the owner of the car, Pau Perez, as he parked the vehicle, and drove off with his body inside the car.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last week that it could ramp up its nuclear program (Photo: AP)

Tehran: Iran's atomic chief warned Tuesday the Islamic Republic needs only five days to ramp up its uranium enrichment to 20 percent, a level at which the material could be used for a nuclear weapon.

The comments by Ali Akbar Salehi to Iranian state television come as US President Donald Trump repeatedly has threatened to renegotiate or walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal.

Salehi's warning, along with recent comments by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, show Iran is willing to push back against Trump while still acknowledging they want to keep the deal, which lifted crippling economic sanctions on the country.

"If there is a plan for a reaction and a challenge, we will definitely surprise them," said Salehi, who also serves as one of Rouhani's vice presidents. "If we make the determination, we are able to resume 20 percent-enrichment in at most five days."

He added: "Definitely, we are not interested in such a thing happening. We have not achieved the deal easily to let it go easily. We are committed to the deal and we are loyal to it."

Iran gave up the majority of its stockpile of 20-percent enriched uranium as part of the nuclear deal it struck with world powers, including Trump's predecessor, President Barack Obama. The accord, which lifted sanctions on Iran, currently caps the Islamic Republic uranium enrichment at 5 percent.

While Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, uranium enriched to 20 percent and above can be used in nuclear bombs. Iran processed its stockpile of near 20 percent uranium into a lower enrichment, turned some into fuel plates to power a research reactor and shipped the rest to Russia as part of the deal.

The Obama administration and most independent experts said at the time of the deal that Iran would need at least a year after abandoning the deal to have enough nuclear material to build a bomb. Before the deal was struck, they said the timeframe for Iran to "break out" toward a bomb was a couple of months.

While the economic benefits of the deal have yet to reach the average Iranian, airlines in the country have signed deals for billions of dollars of aircraft from Airbus and Boeing.

Car manufacturers and others have swept into the Iranian market as well as the country has boosted its oil sales. Abandoning the deal would put those economic gains in jeopardy.

Rouhani, a moderate cleric within Iran's theocratically overseen government, warned last week that it could ramp up its nuclear program and quickly achieve a more advanced level if the US continues "threats and sanctions" against his country.

Rouhani's comments were sparked by Trump signing a sanctions bill imposing mandatory penalties on people involved in Iran's ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them. The US legislation also applies terrorism sanctions to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and enforces an existing arms embargo.
Baghdad: Expelled from their main stronghold in northern Iraq, Islamic State militants are now trapped in a military vise that will squeeze them on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.

Mattis arrived in the Iraqi capital on an unannounced visit Tuesday just hours after President Donald Trump outlined a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Afghanistan.

Trump also has vowed to take a more aggressive, effective approach against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but he has yet to unveil a strategy for that conflict that differs greatly from his predecessor's.

In Baghdad, Mattis was meeting with senior Iraqi government leaders and with US commanders. He also planned to meet in Irbil with Massoud Barzani, leader of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region that has helped fight ISIS.

Mattis told reporters before departing from neighboring Jordan that the so-called Middle Euphrates River Valley roughly from the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim to the eastern Syrian city of Der el-Zour -will be liberated in time, as ISIS gets hit from both ends of the valley that bisects Iraq and Syria.

"You see, ISIS is now caught in-between converging forces," he said, using an alternative acronym for the militant group that burst into western and northern Iraq in 2014 from Syria and held sway for more than two years. "So ISIS's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over any time soon." Mattis referred to this area as "ISIS's last stand."

Unlike the war in Afghanistan, Iraq offers a more positive narrative for the White House, at least for now. Having enabled Iraqi government forces to reclaim the Islamic State's prized possession of Mosul in July, the US military effort is showing tangible progress and the Pentagon can credibly assert that momentum is on Iraq's side.

Brett McGurk, the administration's special envoy to the counter-ISIS coalition, credits the Trump administration for having accelerated gains against the militants. He said Monday that about one-third of all territory regained in Iraq and Syria since 2014 has been retaken in the last six or seven months.

"I think that's quite significant and partially due to the fact we're moving faster, more effectively," as a result of Trump's delegation of battlefield authorities to commanders in the field, McGurk said. He said this "has really made a difference on the ground. I have seen that with my own eyes."

It seems likely that in coming months Trump may be in position to declare a victory of sorts in Iraq as ISIS fighters are marginalized and they lose their claim to be running a "caliphate" inside Iraq's borders.

Syria, on the other hand, is a murkier problem, even as ISIS loses ground there against US-supported local fighters and Russian-backed Syrian government forces.

The US role in Iraq parallels Afghanistan in some ways, starting with the basic tenet of enabling local government forces to fight rather than having US troops do the fighting for them. That is unlikely to change in either country. Also, although the Taliban is the main opposition force in Afghanistan, an Islamic State affiliate has emerged there, too.

In both countries, US airpower is playing an important role in support of local forces, and in both countries the Pentagon is trying to facilitate the development of potent local air forces.

In Iraq, the political outlook is clouded by the same sectarian and ethnic division between Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions that have repeatedly undercut, and in some cases reversed, security gains following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

An immediate worry is a Kurdish independence referendum to be held Sept. 25, which, if successful, could upset a delicate political balance in Iraq and enflame tensions with Turkey, whose own Kurdish population has fought an insurgency against the central government for decades. McGurk reiterated US opposition to holding the Iraqi Kurdish referendum.

"We believe these issues should be resolved through dialogue under the constitutional framework, and that a referendum at this time would be really potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign," McGurk told reporters in a joint appearance with Mattis before they flew to Iraq.

With the Iraqi military's campaign to retake the northern city of Tal Afar now under way, Mattis has refused to predict victory. He says generals and senior officials should "just go silent" when troops are entering battle.

"I'd prefer just to let the reality come home. There's nothing to be gained by forecasting something that's fundamentally unpredictable," he told reporters traveling with him over the weekend.
Rajnath Singh on Monday had hoped that a solution to the standoff in Doklam would be found soon. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

Beijing: China said on Tuesday that the only way to end the standoff in Doklam was for India to unconditionally withdraw its troops from the area, a day after Home Minister Rajnath Singh hoped Beijing would soon make a "positive" move.

Rajnath Singh on Monday had hoped that a solution to the standoff in Doklam would be found soon and said India never attacked a nation nor did it harbour any expansionist behaviour. In a speech, he had also expressed hope that China will undertake a positive initiative to resolve the standoff.

But China responded with its standard propaganda attack by repeating its accusation that Indian troops "illegally crossed the boundary".

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said India's reasons to stop the Chinese road building activity in Doklam area was "ridiculous".

"So the only prerequisite and condition of this incident is unconditional withdrawal of the Indian troops and equipment," Hua said.

India and China have been locked in a standoff for more than two months in Doklam near the Sikkim sector. The faceoff began after Indian troops stopped Chinese military from building a road India believes would allow Beijing to cut its access to the northeastern states. Bhutan says Doklam belongs to it but China claims sovereignty over the area.

China's state media has written shrill commentaries over the standoff and has even released a video which portrayed Indians in a very poor taste.

In a separate incident on August 15, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in stone pelting in Ladakh region that resulted in minor injuries to soldiers on both the sides.

Hua said China "loves peace and firmly upholds peace".

"At the same time we will safeguard our territorial sovereignty and integrity. We will not allow any country or any individual to infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty," she said.
Rawalpindi: Pakistan's military brushed off speculation on Monday that a new US strategy for neighbouring Afghanistan could include taking a stronger line against Islamabad, insisting the country has done all it can to tackle militancy.

US President Donald Trump announced his long-awaited decision on America's way forward in Afghanistan later on Monday, nearly 16 years after the US invasion, and reports claim it could include changes in Washington's policy towards Pakistan.

Some in Washington believe Islamabad has not done enough to persuade the Afghan Taliban to renounce violence, and doubt its willingness to tackle the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, based in the border areas between the two countries and long thought to have ties to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment.

But on Monday a Pakistani military spokesman said no group had been spared in ongoing offensives against militants, telling a press conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi hours before Trump's announcement "there is no organised infrastructure of any terrorist organisation in Pakistan".

"Let it come," army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters, referring to Trump's decision. "Even if it comes... Pakistan shall do whatever is best in the national interest."

Led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also the Taliban's deputy leader, the Haqqani network has carried out numerous operations deep in the heart of Kabul, and have been blamed by Afghanistan for a devastating truck bombing that killed more than 150 people in the capital in May.

Last month, the US Defense Department withheld $50mn in Pakistan military payments after Pentagon chief Jim Mattis determined Islamabad was not doing enough to counter the Haqqanis.

But Ghafoor said the network had not been exempted during recent offensives targeting insurgent strongholds in the country's restive tribal belt along the Afghan border.

"We carried out indiscriminate operation, across the board and did not ask anyone that what kind of terrorist you are," Ghafoor said.

The Pakistani military has "cleared all the areas", he said, adding that the country had gone beyond its capacity to tackle militancy.

Pakistan frequently fires back at US criticism of its tactics, saying the country has yet to receive appropriate credit for the tens of thousands of lives lost and billions spent battling extremists.

Trump will "provide an update on the path forward for America's engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia" in an address to be delivered at 9 pm from the military base at Fort Myer southwest of the capital, the White House said in a statement.

Trump's options ranged from backing away from Afghanistan to stepping up US efforts to defeat the Taliban.
With tension between India and China escalating, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj may hold a meeting with her American and Japanese counterparts in New York next month.



New Delhi is planning to schedule a trilateral meeting between Swaraj, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month, sources told the DH.



If the meeting takes place, it will be the second India-Japan-US trilateral parley at the level of Swaraj and her American and Japanese counterparts. Swaraj, Tillerson's predecessor John Kerry and Kono's predecessor Fumio Kishida held the first such meeting in New York in September 2015.



New Delhi is keen to add impetus to India-Japan-US trilateral cooperation to send out a message to Beijing, at a time when India-China relations worsened over the military face-off between Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army at Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan.



The current India-China face-off started on June 18 when soldiers form Indian Army's forward post at Doka La in Sikkim went to Doklam Plateau to stop personnel of Chinese PLA from constructing a road. The PLA soldiers had started building the road along the disputed border between Bhutan and China on June 16, brushing aside protests from Royal Bhutanese Army personnel deployed nearby. The intervention by Indian Army soldiers two days later resulted in the face-off, which has since been continuing.



New Delhi has been arguing that Indian Army had to intervene as the road the Chinese PLA had been building would have a serious security implication for India and would have unilaterally changed the status quo on India-China-Bhutan tri-junction boundary.



Tokyo's envoy to New Delhi, Kenji Hiramatsu, last week publicly endorsed the positions taken by India and Bhutan over the current stand-off between Indian Army and Chinese PLA. Japan asked China to stop trying to unilaterally change the status quo in Doklam Plateau.



Japan has over the past few years been taking a hard-line approach on its territorial disputes with China over Diaoyu or Senkaku islets in East China Sea. Tokyo is keen to foster closer ties between Japan and India in order to create a new arc of freedom and prosperity along with Australia, US and other democracies in the region  a vision that Beijing believes is targeted at China.



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also likely to visit New Delhi next month.



Washington has not yet publicly taken a side in India-China row over Doklam Plateau, but sent out a clear message to Beijing last week when US President Donald Trump called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two leaders resolved to enhance peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region by establishing a new two-by-two ministerial dialogue elevating strategic consultations between the two nations.



Swaraj and Tillerson will be joined by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and American Secretary of Defence James Mattis for the new India-US 2+2 dialogue.



The US, according to the sources, is also keen to start a quadrilateral security dialogue with India, Japan and Australia in response to growing maritime assertiveness by China in Indian Ocean region.



In Swaraj's trilateral talks with Tillerson and Kono in New York next month, New Delhi is likely to focus on stepping up India-Japan-US cooperation in maritime security to counter China's hegemonic aspirations in Indo-Pacific, sources told the DH.



Since 2015, Japan's Maritime Self Defence Force has been participating in Malabar Naval Exercise, which was earlier a bilateral war drill by Indian and American navies. The last Malabar Exercise was held in Bay of Bengal in July this year. Australia is also keen to participate in the naval war-drill with Japan, India and US.



The meeting among Swaraj, Kerry and Kishida in New York in September 2015 marked elevation of the trilateral dialogue, which had been launched in 2011 as a mechanism for interactions among senior diplomats of the India, US and Japan. The elevation signalled growing convergence in strategic interests of New Delhi, Tokyo and Washington DC in Indo-Pacific. Beijing, however, viewed it as an attempt to contain China.



After their first trilateral meeting in New York in September 2015; Swaraj, Kerry and Kishida called for peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in accordance with international laws, freedom of navigation and over-flight and unimpeded lawful commerce, including in South China Sea. They also called for resolving the dispute in keeping with principles of international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.



The South China Sea has been at the centre of an escalating conflict between China and many of its neighbours  Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan.



Beijing last year rejected the ruling of an international arbitration tribunal, which rejected Chinas claim for historic rights to islands on the disputed South China Sea. New Delhi, along with Washington and Tokyo, has been prodding Beijing to accept the award of the tribunal that was constituted in accordance with the UNCLOS.



China is strongly opposed to any role of US, Japan, India or any other country outside the region in the dispute and maintains that the row should be peacefully resolved through dialogue and consultation between countries directly concerned.
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the practice of triple talaq, as being violative of fundamental rights of Muslim women.



A five-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice J S Khehar by a majority of 3:2 declared the practice of instant pronouncement of Talaq thrice as void.



Justice Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in minority. Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit by a majority decision were in disagreement and declared it as illegal.



The CJI in his pronouncement passed an injunction on pronouncing triple talaq for a period of six months. He also implored the Union government to bring in a law to regulate it in this period. He also asked political parties to keep their differences aside. The CJI said the reforms should only by brought through legislative action.



Justice Nariman and Joseph made their separate pronouncements. Justice Joseph held the triple talaq is against the basic tenets of Islam. He disagreed that it is an integral to the religion.



Justice Nariman said it is "manifestly arbitrary and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution".



The apex court's historic verdict came on a batch of writ petitions filed by five affected Muslim women. The court also dealt with a suo motu matter 'In Re Muslim women's quest for Equality' of 2015.



The court had on May 18 reserved its judgement after wrapping up six-day long hearing on the batch of petitions.



The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which opposed the court's intervention, had conceded that it does not want the practice to continue and would issue an advisory to exclude it in the 'Nikahnama'.



The board had earlier admitted the practice was sinful and undesirable but defended it saying that it has continued for 1400 years.



The Union government had supported the women-petitioner saying the practice of triple talaq has to be tested on the principle of equity, good conscience and constitutional morality.



triple talaq is not a tussle between majority and minority, but it is an intra-minority fight of women against Muslim men. The women suffered domination due to employment and empowerment of men, the government had said. It also maintained that the practice was not an integral part of religion.
Barely a day after the merger between the two All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK) warring factions, as many as 19 MLAs supporting "ousted" leader TTV Dhinakaran, met Tamil Nadu governor CH Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday and submitted individual letters withdrawing their support to the chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.



The move by the Dhinakaran supporters is expected to put pressure on Palaniswami's government as the chief minister might undergo another floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly to prove his majority if governor asked to do so.



Adding to the woes, the Opposition DMK's working president MK Stalin too sent a letter to the governor seeking an order for proving Palaniswami's majority in the House citing the Supreme Court's judgement in SR Bommai case.



Legislators, supporting Dhinakaran, in their identical letter, stated that they have arrived at the decision as they have lost their faith in Palaniswami.



"I hereby express my lack of confidence on Edappadi K Palaniswami and withdraw my earlier support given to him with this communication. I hereby submit that I have not given up my membership of the AIADMK and I am only doing my duty as a conscious citizen to express the abuse and misuse of the Constitutional provision", the letter said.



Dinakaran supporter and legislator Thanga Tamilselvan, who led the MLA team to the governor, said that they were not consulted before the merger and Palaniswami had disrespected them by doing so.



Stepping up his fight back, "ousted" leader Dhinakaran also sacked Rajya Sabha member Vaithialingam from the party for his announcement that a general council meeting would remove Sasikala as general secretary of the party during the time of the merger between the two factions.



However, Vaithilingam said that Dinakaran does not have the power to remove him from the party as he has already been expelled.



Meanwhile, chief minister Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam, who got additional portfolios on Tuesday, convened an emergency meeting and discussed the developments in Dhinakaran's camp.



Going by the calculations, the ruling AIADMK need to have the support of 117 MLAs for showing an absolute majority in the House. The ruling AIADMK has 135 member strength in the Assembly. If 19 MLAs withdraw their support, Palaniswami government will be short of one seat.


Banking transactions came to a grinding halt across the country on Tuesday as over one million bank employees struck work protesting against merger and consolidation of banks and a large scale corporate debt write offs.



While all the public sector banks took part in the strike, some of the old generation private sector banks also joined hands. In Bengaluru alone, as many as 80,000 employees of various banks joined the strike and held a dharna in front of the State Bank of India office on K G Road before submitting a memorandum to the government through the general manager of the bank.



Services like deposits and withdrawal at bank branches, cheque clearance, NEFT and RTGS transactions were affected. The ATMs of the PSU banks functioned all over the country, but most of them went dry by the afternoon as there was no cash replenishment in them. Reports from across the states said ATMs went cashless.



All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said the strike was a huge success. He gave the figure of one million for the country as a whole.



The strike was called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). In Bengaluru, around 80,000 out of a total of 90,000 bank employees of all banks joined the strike and we held a protest demonstration between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm on K G Road, Narasimha Murthy, an office bearer of Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF) told DH.



Apart from the public sector banks, some of the old generation private sector banks such as Karnataka Bank, Dhanalaxmi Bank and Apex Bank also joined the strike.



Foreign exchange transactions, import and export bill transactions, the sanction of loans, etc. were also affected. Normally in the three clearing grids functioning from South, West and North India, that is Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, on an average about 40 lakh cheques and instruments worth about Rs 20,000 crore are transacted per day. This was affected in a big way.



The real problem facing the Banks today is the alarming increase in bad loans. It is now Rs 15 lakh crore that is about 20% of total loans. The bulk of bad loans is due from big industrialists and corporate houses. Top 12 defaulters owe Rs. 2,50,000 crore, Venkatachalam said.




Two months after the United States (US) declared him a global terrorist, the Islamic State has claimed that its operative Shafi Armar from Karnataka's Bhatkal acted as a suicide bomber and killed several people in Syria's Raqqa.



There is no confirmation from the Indian agencies about the death of Armar, who is considered a recruiter for the IS from India, though a US monitoring firm SITE Intelligent Group has reported about the IS claim.



According to the SITE, the IS propaganda arm 'Amaq' said in a statement in Arabic on Monday that the IS killed and wounded a "number"of people, whom it described as "PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) apostates" in a suicide attack involving an Indian fighter Abu Yusuf al-Hindi.



Prior to his joining the IS and taking the name of al-Hindi, Shafi had used several aliases like Chhote Maula, Yousouf al-Hindi and Anjan Bhai to hoodwink agencies.



The US had declared him a specially designated global terrorist in June. The US State Department described Shafi as a "leader and head recruiter in India for the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, ISIS".



It said Shafi had "cultivated a group of dozens of IS sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps".



Earlier also, there were reports about the death of Shafi, who reached Syria through Gulf after fleeing India after he was on the run from the agencies for his alleged involvement in terror strikes. Shafi was allegedly part of the Indian Mujahideen and had fled to Pakistan first.



However, Shafi and his elder brother Sultan Abdul Kadir Armar, who were holed up in Pakistan, left the IM in protest against one of its leaders Iqbal Bhatkal's activities and moved to Gulf before reaching Syria.



He took on the leadership role after his brother's killing in 2015. The elder brother was one of the founding members of the IM and he had influenced Shafi to join the terror network.



Shafi, who is born in Bhatkal in 1987 and can speak Kannada, English, Urdu and Hindi, is believed to have recruited nearly three dozen Indian members for IS. He became the chief recruiter in India after his brother's death.
Amid MLAs, supporting TTV Dhinakaran, submitting a letter to the Tamil Nadu Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao and seeking the removal of the chief minister, the Opposition DMK urged the governor to direct Edppadi K Palaniswami to prove his majority in the Assembly.



"Consequent upon the identical letters given by the MLAs today expressing lack of confidence in the chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami an unprecedented constitutional crisis erupted in which the ruling government has lost the majority", DMK working president Stalin said in a letter to the Governor.



Referring the present Tamil Nadu's situation to Karnataka, Stalin said, "In same consequence, the then governor of neighbouring state Karnataka HR Bharadwaj had directed former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa to prove his majority in the House. Any inordinate delay in asking the chief minister to prove his majority in the instant case will pave the way for a continuance of an unconstitutional government and it will destabilize the democratic norms".



Asking the governor to direct Palaniswamy to prove his majority in the Assembly immediately, Stalin said, "Kindly uphold the constitutional norms and the parameters laid down in the famous judgement in SR Bommai case by the Supreme Court of India".
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will chalk out its future course of action with regard to the Supreme Court's verdict on triple talaq in its working committee meeting slated on September 10 in Bhopal, an official of the body said.



The meeting was convened earlier and its agenda was issued yesterday, member of the Board's working committee Zafaryab Jilani said.



"The working committee meeting in Bhopal on September 10 will take a decision on the future course of action on today's Supreme Court verdict after studying it in detail," he said.



Besides, other issues will also be taken up in the meeting with the verdict being the most prominent one, said Jilani, who is also a senior counsel.



He said that the hearing on the Babri mosque case is also on the agenda of the Bhopal meeting.



To a question, Jilani said it will not be appropriate to comment on the apex court's decision without studying it in detail.
Piracy and copyright violations are sources of terror financing and money laundering, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today while announcing a special course in all police training colleges on intellectual property rights (IPR).



The training, he said, will sensitise policemen about the crimes that occur by IPR and copyright violations and prepare them to enforce the relevant laws strictly.



Delivering a keynote speech during the 'National Workshop on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)', Singh asked agencies like the police and the customs department "not (to) take lightly" these violations as they have direct links with public safety and security of the country. They can be exploited by terrorists and criminals to generate illicit funds and subsequently pump them for terrorist acts, he said.



The three-day workshop is being organised by the Commerce Ministry, while the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) enforces the various provisions of the IPR Act in the country.



Singh said: "Police officials shall be equipped with proper knowledge and training, so as to curb and restrain IPR violations at the very outset. A course in IPR would be introduced in police training institutes to familiarise and sensitise our police forces on IPRs. We will ensure all the facilities."



The minister added that these infringements like in pharma, software and other sectors pose a "serious safety threat" and hence the policemen, who are mandated to check these crimes on ground, need to be aware about the legal provisions of the Act that they enforce.



"Apart from infringement of private rights, counterfeiting and piracy activities also give rise to serious organised crimes. Counterfeiting, piracy and smuggling also finance criminals and terrorists who deal in counterfeit goods to launder illegal money," he said.



Further, the minister said the intellectual ability of a country has the "power to determine its future" as he added that India is known for its artistic craftsmanship, traditional techniques and creative workmanship.



He said the government and his ministry accords "highest importance" to prevention of crime and recognises the need to strictly deal with IPR-related crimes as he urged state police departments to strengthen their capabilities to check and investigate crimes in this domain.



"The law and order situation and crime scenario in India has made it necessary to modernise the state police forces quickly," the home minister said.



The state police, he said, needs to improve its functioning and get equipped with the latest technology to successfully meet emerging challenges in the IPR regime.



The government has taken some "serious steps" in this context, he said adding the centre has quickly moved towards taking new steps to strengthen the IPR regime in India.



The event was also attended by Singh's deputy in the MHA, Kiren Rijiju. He said that the ministry will undertake all measures that makes sure that the enforcement system in the country for IPR related crimes is "robust".



"In terms of recognising and protecting IPR, I am sorry to say that we have not been very successful. That is why, the assault on the quality becomes so prominent in our nation," the minister of state for home affairs said.



Rijiju added that all the stakeholders in the domain should take steps to "kill" piracy.



He also urged law enforcement agencies to not wait for IPR violation complaints to come at their doors but deploy a system where action is launched in an automatic fashion once a contravention is detected.



"The confidence of the people who innovate will be high, once they know that they are secure," he said.



Rijiju said that while at one hand "copy and paste" is very easy, research and development is not looked as a "lucrative or priority" avenue in the country.
Taking into consideration of the welfare of the students, the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the family-run school of actor Rajinikanth to be opened by the landowner. Ashram School, which is headed by Rajinikanth's daughter Aishwarya Dhanush, was locked by the landowner for alleged non-payment of rent.



The order came after Aishwarya Dhanush, elder daughter of Rajinikanth, filed a petition seeking to re-open the educational institution.



In addition, Aishwarya also demanded Rs 5 crore compensation from the landowner for causing defamation and another one crore rupees for wrongfully locking the school gate.



Recently, the landowner had locked the school for alleged non-payment of rental dues, forcing the school management to shift students to another institution.




The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the sensational killing of a journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, has blamed former RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin for the incident and charged the jailed leader with criminal conspiracy and murder.



The CBI, which filed its charge sheet on Tuesday in the court of Justice Anupam Kumari, has slapped Sections 302, 120 (B) and 27 Arms Act against Shahabuddin and his six other associates.



Appearing before the special judge, the investigating officer Sunil Singh Rawat (DSP, CBI) and lawyer Deep Narayan said there was substantial evidence to prove that Rajdeo was gunned down by Shahabuddins accomplices for writing stories against the former Siwan MP, who has been in jail since 2005. Others who have been named in the charge sheet include Azharuddin Beig, alias Laddan Mian, Rishu Jaiswal, Rohit Kumar Soni, Vijay Kumar, Rajesh Kumar and Sonu Gupta.



The conspiracy to eliminate Rajdeo was hatched at Siwan Jail where Shahabuddin was earlier lodged after being convicted of several kidnapping and murder charges. Shahabuddin was unhappy with Rajdeo for writing reports against him, the CBI told the court.



Rajdeo, the Bureau chief of a local Hindi daily, was shot dead in Siwan in May last year while he was returning to his home from the office. The killing took place at a crowded place near Siwan railway station. Rajdeos widow Asha Ranjan lodged a FIR against unknown assailants but expressed apprehension that Rajdeo was bumped off at the behest of Shahabuddin.



The murder case saw its first breakthrough when Shahabuddins sharp-shooter Laddan Mian, the prime suspect, was apprehended by the police. Laddan, who was denied bail by the CBI court, figures in the charge sheet.


The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today claimed the Supreme Court's verdict on triple talaq is a blow to the "plans" of the government of "using the judiciary as a shield" on the issue.



The party also suggested that the government could make a draft legislation and based on suggestions by parties, a law could be enacted on the issue.



The Supreme Court today set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims, saying the practice was void, illegal and unconstitutional.



"They (government) did not want to lose a section of their vote bank by taking a decision over this contentious issue. Thus, they were seeking an escape route using the judiciary as a shield. But, the Supreme Court has dealt a blow to their plans," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said.



"The government should make a draft legislation and circulate it among all parties. Based on the suggestions and objections received, a law can be enacted," Malik said.



The apex court held that the triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Quran.



"In view of the different opinions recorded by a majority of 3:2, the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat'  triple talaq is set aside," a five-judge constitution bench said in a 395-page order.
RJD leader Rabri Devi today attacked the new JD(U)-BJP government in Bihar for denying her the status of leader of opposition in the legislative council under the "cover of rules" that RJD does not have the required number of MLCs needed for the post.



"They wish to suppress the voice of opposition by doing this out of political considerations," Rabri Devi, wife of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, told reporters outside the legislative council.



"Earlier, the status of leader of opposition was given to the then RJD leader Gulam Gaus even when the party's strength was 4-5 in the council. But, now they (JD(U)-BJP) are taking the cover of rules," she said.



"Let them deny the post (to RJD), we are the leader of masses."



The Bihar legislative council had in the first week of this August month rejected RJD's request to appoint Rabri Devi as the leader of opposition in the upper house stating that the party did not have the required number of MLCs needed for the post.



A strength of nine MLCs is required for the post of leader of opposition in the legislative counicl but RJD at present has only seven. Hence, its application was not in conformity with the rules, deputy chairman of Bihar state legislative council Harun Rashid had said while turning down the request.



JD(U) spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar took a swipe at Devi on the issue. "She and her family cannot live without facilities," he told reporters outside the legislative council.



Rabri Devi was chosen as member of legislative council for the second time in 2012 and her tenure will end in 2018. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Sushil Kumar Modi are both members of the legislative council at present.
Muslim women, who had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court opposing triple talaq, today rejoiced at the historic judgement striking down the practice, saying they have emerged "victorious" and now feel protected.



However, some women petitioners opined that the victory in its true sense would be achieved once a law comes into force, making the practice punishable.



Farah Faiz, Zakia Suman, Noorjehan Niaz and the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) either described the verdict as a "moment of big victory," "big relief" or as "half the battle won."



"The court has given a direction to the government to frame a law. We have won half the battle. We will be victorious in the true sense only once the law is framed so as to make this practice punishable. There is no remedy for women against the practice till a law is framed," Faiz, also the President of Rashtrawadi Muslim Mahila Sangh, said.



Advocate Chandra Rajan, who represented the AIMWPLB, said "It is a monumental, landmark verdict and the Supreme Court could not give more to the Muslim women. The court has protected every Muslim woman. After six months, a law will be in place and we are very happy about it."



Niaz of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) expressed relief over the legal backing that the verdict has brought for the Muslim women.



"Now, Muslim women will be able to enjoy their fundamental rights and have a codified law that will guarantee them their fundamental rights. Just like the Hindu personal law which has legal backing, the law for Muslims should have the same," she said.



Co-founder of BMMA Zakia Suman also welcomed the verdict but said the battle for women's rights will still go on.



"We welcome the historic judgement on triple talaq, but the battle for women's rights will still go on. Our fundamental rights have been upheld by the SC order. This kind of a divorce exists because of patriarchal tyranny and we have been suffering this for the past 70 years," Suman said.



Bangladeshi author Tasneema Nasreen also reacted to the verdict in a tweet posted by her, saying, "Quran2:229 says about #TripleTalaq. Quran4:34 says about beating the wife. Abolish 1400 yrs old Quranic laws. Need modern laws based on equality. Abolishing #TripleTalaq may be a slap to Muslim Law Board but it is definitely not women's freedom. Women need to be educated and independent."



Triple talaq, or verbal divorce, is practised by some in the Muslim community to instantly divorce their wives by saying talaq three times.


Triple Talaq outlawed: the message from the Supreme Court of India had travelled far and wide, but Razia was unaware of the verdict that could pave way for that long-elusive justice she had been fighting for.



A local reporter broke the news to the 26-year-old resident of a hamlet in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur, about 350km from Delhi. And since then she has been grappling with the import of the top court's verdict today, banning the practice of instant divorce.



"Does that mean my case will finally be taken up for hearing? Does that mean the policemen who turned me away from the station will be acted against? Kya mujhe ab nyaymilega (will I get justice)," she asked.



Nearly two years ago, Razia's world turned upside down when her husband of eight years allegedly moved to Saudi Arabia after giving her an instant divorce, over the birth of their two daughters, including one with a physical handicap.



"When I approached the local police station, I was turned away. The police said my case was related to the Muslim Personal Law. I was asked to move court," she said. Razia did so, but it was a slow process.



"There has been no progress in the local court," she told PTI over the phone from Shahjahanpur. Hasina Khan of Bebaak Collective, who was among the petitioners against triple talaq in the Supreme Court, said the challenge now was to spread awareness on the momentous decision, on how it would strengthen the case of thousands of women like Razia.



"For the first time, the issue has been viewed through constitutional lenses. It will take time for it to percolate down to the lowest level. But apart from the judicial process, including in ongoing cases, it will have a deep impact on deep-rooted prejudices in society," Khan said. The verdict has come as a saviour for those who have been harassed and threatened with instant divorce, said one such victim of the practice, Rubina from Lucknow.



"We have been harassed in the name of Muslim laws. With this verdict, men will find it hard to divorce women as earlier it was easy for them to do so. But now the law will be in our favour. The thought of going through a legal procedure for talaq will make them think twice about divorce," she said.



Rubina, 24, had married an affluent man double her age but was soon harassed for dowry and was forced to undergo an abortion under the threat of a triple talaq.



The triple talaq issue had come to the fore in February last year when Shayara Bano, divorced through the practice, petitioned the Supreme Court for a ban on instant divorce, on polygamy and nikahhalala, under which a woman divorcee seeking to re-wed an ex-husband has to first consummate a marriage with another man.



Subsequently, thousands of Muslim women across the country formed pressure groups and spearheaded signature campaigns demanding that triple talaq be abolished.



According to experts, Islam views marriage as a civil contract based on consent, unlike Hinduism, for instance, where it is a sacrament.



At the core of the controversy was the dispute over the forms of dissolution of that contract.



Under talaq-ul-sunnat, there has to be a three-month period called iddat between the pronouncement of talaq by a husband and a lawful separation. Talaq-e-bidat authorises a man to do so in a single sitting.



The Court has outlawed talaq-e-bidat. "All personal laws are gender-biased. And it isn't only about triple talaq. The Muslim personal law is problematic in terms of divorce, property rights, inheritance, adoption rights. We maintained that triple talaq is unconstitutional," Khan said.
From one of the early settlements of the British East India Company to a vibrant metropolis retaining its cultural moorings, erstwhile Madras (Chennai) has come a long way. On Tuesday the city celebrated its 378th birthday.



It was on August 22, 1639, when Francis Day, a colonial administrator, had struck a deal with a local Nayak ruler over a strip of land where Fort St George, which houses the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, stands today.



It was around this fort that the colonial city started spreading itself.



The document related to the building of the fort was said to have been signed at Chandragiri Fort in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.



Today, Chennai (the name was changed from Madras in 1996 by the then Karunanidhi government), which is the capital of Tamil Nadu and home to over 5 million people, is called the Detroit of India, after the United States automobile city. It is a city with a vibrant cultural life and economic progress.



Chennai was first named Chennappanaikan, in memory of the Nayaks father, and later its name was changed to Chennapattinam, from which the current name has been derived.



A week-long programme has been organised by various public and private institutions and non-governmental organisations to celebrate the Madras Day to commemorate the citys founding.



Heritage walks, tours, exhibitions, quiz contests and inter-school events have been planned as part of Chennais birthday bash.



The Madras Day celebration focuses on the city, its history and noted historian S Muthiah on this day every year leads a team that motivates communities, groups, companies and campuses to observe the occasion with pride. Chennai, Mumbai (then Bombay) is about 35 years younger.
Pakistan today said that it wants peace in Afghanistan and pledged to work to eliminate terrorism, hours after US President Donald Trump's stern warning to Islamabad over providing safe havens to terrorists.



A Foreign Office spokesman said US Ambassador David Hale met Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif this afternoon and briefed him about President Trump's latest statement on the US policy review on South Asia and Afghanistan.



"The Foreign Minister reiterated Pakistan's perspective and desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan," said the carefully worded statement from the Foreign Office.



Highlighting Pakistan's sacrifices in the enduring fight against terrorism, Foreign Minister Asif underlined Pakistan's continued desire to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism.



Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.



He also slammed Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.



During his meeting, Asif said that he had accepted US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's invitation to visit the US and looked forward to his early interactions in Washington.

Hale conveyed that Tillerson looked forward to meeting the foreign minister in the next few days to have an in-depth discussion on the state of play in the bilateral relationship as well as the new US policy on South Asia.
The Rajasthan government on Tuesday transferred Robert Vadras land deal cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The case was earlier being probed by the committee formed by the state government.



The government had earlier cancelled the mutation (transfer of land) of 374.44 hectares of land after the land department claimed to have found that the allotments were made in the names of "illegal private persons". The cancellation was done on the basis of a statement recorded by the tehsildar in which he said that the government land in 34 villages of Bikaner, to be used for expanding the army's firing range, was grabbed by the land mafia by preparing fabricated documents with the help of government employees. While cancelling the mutations, the state government said these were not issued by the Commissioner, Colonisation, Bikaner.



Reacting to this Congress President Sachin Pilot said, "We are ready for any sort of investigation. But at the same time, we want to know about the report state government constituted committee has submitted in this regard. It's a tactic of BJP to malign Vadra and Congress party ahead of the elections in the state.



In 2016 state police had filed charge sheets in 18 cases in a court in Kolayat last year. Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also suspected that huge amounts of money were laundered in this case by people buying land at cheap rates through forged documents.
The main suspect in last week's stabbing attack in Finland admitted today to killing two people and injuring eight others but denied any intent to murder, his lawyer said.



The Turku district court placed Abderrahman Mechkah, an 18-year-old Moroccan citizen, in formal custody after he made his statement to the court via video link from hospital, where he is being treated for a police gunshot wound to the thigh.



"The main suspect admits acts which led to deaths, but denies that they were murders," his lawyer Kaarle Gummerus told AFP.



The stabbing is being investigated as Finland's first terror attack.



"The offender in Turku incident is suspected on probable cause of murders and attempted murders with terrorist intent and placed in detention," the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said in a Twitter post.



"He didn't explain the motive of the acts," Gummerus added.



Police have said that Mechkah -- an asylum seeker who arrived in Finland in early 2016 -- targeted women in the Friday rampage at a market square in the southwestern port city of Turku.



Two Finnish women were killed and six women and two men were injured. Among the injured were a Briton, an Italian and a Swede.



Mechkah was shot by police minutes after the attack.



Most of the hearing was held behind closed doors, but press photos taken of the video screen at the beginning showed the suspect lying in his bed, his head propped up on pillows and his face shielded by a white sheet.



The country's intelligence agency SUPO said yesterday that it had received a tip earlier this year that Mechkah might have become radicalised.



Because the tip did not contain information about a concrete threat of an attack, it had not yet been investigated, the agency said.



In June, the SUPO raised Finland's terror threat level one notch, to "elevated" from "low", the second on a four-tier scale.



It said at the time that it saw an increased risk of an attack committed by Islamic State group militants, noting that foreign fighters from Finland had "gained significant positions within IS in particular and have an extensive network of relations in the organisation."



The agency reiterated yesterday that it was closely watching around 350 individuals -- an increase of 80 percent since 2012.



Four other Moroccan citizens were arrested in a raid in Turku just hours after the attack.

Today, the Turku court placed two of them, Mohamed Bakier and Ilyas Berrouh, in custody.



The nature of the two men's involvement in the attack has not yet been made public.

A third, identified as Abdederrazak Essarioul, was also due to appear before the court later today, suspected of being an accessory to the crimes.



Meanwhile, the fourth man remains a suspect but police said today that they had released him and would not seek his detention.



Germany's interior ministry has said that Mechkah spent time in Germany from late 2015 to early 2016.



He had been registered in a German police database because his stay in the country was illegal, since he had not sought asylum there.
The high-level committee, which had been formed to probe the death of 30 children at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur a few days back allegedly owing to shortage of oxygen, has blamed the doctors, medical college authorities, senior government officials and the gas supplying company for the tragedy.



FIRs are likely to be lodged against as many as six people, including a senior bureaucrat, the suspended principal of the medical college Dr RK Mishra and the Oxygen supply company on the basis of the report.



The committee, which was headed by the state chief secretary Rajiv Kumar, submitted its report to chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday, according to sources here.



Sources said that the chief minister directed registration of cases against the officials, who were found guilty by the committee. These officials might be booked under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC.



The committee, in its report, has pointed out serious irregularities and laxity on the part of the college authorities and doctors and recommended stern action against them, sources added.



While the content of the report was not made public, it is admitted that the oxygen supply had been disrupted on August 10 and 11 in the hospital.



An official probe into the death of 30 children owing to alleged shortage of oxygen at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur has found that laxity on the part of the doctors and hospital authorities was behind the tragedy.



Earlier also a probe, which was conducted by the district magistrate of Gorakhpur, had said that the lives of the children could have been saved if the doctors been more careful and there was a better coordination among them.



The DM report had also found fault with the suspended principal of the medical college. It had also admitted that the stock of liquid oxygen had been alarmingly low for the past couple of days before the tragedy.



30 children, mostly new born, had died allegedly owing to shortage of oxygen at the hospital in a period of 36-hours on August 10 and 11.


The US today slapped sanctions on 10 Russian and Chinese companies and six individuals for helping in advancing North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programme by conducting business with the reclusive nation.



As a result of today's action, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of US persons or within the United States must be blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.



The sanctions target third-country companies and individuals that assist already-designated persons who support North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, deal in the North Korean energy trade, facilitate its exportation of workers, and enable sanctioned North Korean entities to access US and international financial systems.



"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," said Treasury Secretary Steven T Mnuchin.



Some of the prominent companies and individuals slapped with sanctions are China-based Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co, Moscow-based Gefest-M LLC and its director, Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and China and Hong Kong-based Mingzheng International Trading Limited.



"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilise the region," Mnuchin said.



"We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activity in the future," he said.



The Treasury also designated three Chinese coal companies collectively responsible for importing nearly half a billion dollars' worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.
After another day of dramatic activity, the six-month-old Edappadi K Palaniswami government in Tamil Nadu appears to have been reduced to a "minority" with 19 MLAs backing the combative group lead by T T V Dhinakaran, the 'ousted' AIADMK Amma Deputy General Secretary, withdrawing support.



The dissident MLAs handed over individual letters to governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, withdrawing their support to the government.



The Dhinakaran camp's action came even as it condemned the alleged betrayal of Palaniswami, by inducting rebel AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivi leader O Panneerselvam into the cabinet as deputy chief Minister, ignoring the charges of corruption levelled by him. With the merger of EPS and OPS groups after a six-month-long turmoil that plagued the party, Panneerselvam was made the deputy chief minister and also appointed coordinator of the party, which meant that he would have complete control over party affairs.



Protesting against this, the 19 MLAs supporting Dhinakaran, after meditating at the memorial of the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa late Monday night, called on the governor at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday. They submitted letters expressing their lack of confidence in Palaniswami and withdrew their support to him, virtually reducing the government to a 'minority'.



Against betrayal



"We are not against the government. But we are opposing the action of Palasniswami for making 'betrayer' Panneerselvam the deputy chief minister," MLA Thangatamilselvan, a staunch supporter of Dhinakaran said.



Meanwhile, Opposition parties urged the governor to direct the chief minister to seek a vote of confidence by convening the Assembly immediately to prove his majority. The Opposition claimed that not only 19 MLAs, three other legislators of friendly parties, who were elected under the AIADMK's 'Two Leaves' symbol, had pledged their support to Dhinakaran.



The Opposition parties, including DMK and PMK, said the government lacked majority and the governor should direct the CM to prove his group's strength immediately.



The AIADMK has a strength of 135 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly, including the Speaker, who can cast his vote in the event of a tie.



* 19 MLAs backing ousted T T V Dhinakaran withdraw support to govt



* Submit individual letters to governor expressing loss of confidence in govt



* Oppn claims govt reduced to a minority



* Urges governor to ask the CM to prove his majority on the floor of Assembly
Urging the fulfilment of various demands, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha members staged a protest in front of the deputy commissioners office in Mangaluru, on Tuesday.



KRRS president Ravikiran said that the farmers are in distress owing to lack of price for the farm produce. The government should waive all the loans of the farmers. Those who have repaid the loans should also get benefit of loan waiver scheme. Even the loans borrowed from nationalised banks, private banks should also be waived, to rescue farmers who are in the vicious circle of financial crisis, said the president.



He said that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) should be implemented effectively to benefit farmers and labour class.



General secretary Suresh Bhat Kojambe urged the government not to implement recommendations of the Kasturirangan report on the conservation of Western Ghats. The government should constitute a committee by including farmers and prepare a report on the conservation of environment.



He also urged the Centre to withdraw its notification banning cattle sale in livestock markets for slaughter and religious sacrifices. The government should also announce support price to ensure that the farmers get 50% profit, on the lines of recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.



KPRS general secretary Yadav Shetty said that the suicide of farmers being unable to repay the loans and failing to get price for their farm produce has continued during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the last three years, 12,000 farmers have committed suicide in the country. The farmers were neck-deep in loans because of the rising cost of farm labour and drought like situation. The situation was so sensitive that if the government did not intervene, farmers could commit suicide in the future, he said.



When the government can waive the loans borrowed by rich and influential persons, why cant they waive the loans of the farmers, who are considered as the backbone of the country? he asked.



DH News Service
The Centre's firm stand against triple talaq helped aggrieved Muslim women. The government also opposed Talaq-e-Ahsan and Talaq-e-Hasan, besides Talaq-e-Biddat, saying they were also liable to be declared as unconstitutional.



Notably, the then attorney general Mukul Rohatgi also assured the court that Parliament would enact a legislation within no time if all the three forms of talaq were declared illegal.



In a secular Constitution, Muslim women could be discriminated against, merely by virtue of their religious identity. And/or whether Muslim women, could be relegated to a status significantly more vulnerable than their counterparts who professed other faiths, Rohatgi had argued before the five-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice J S Khehar.



He had contended that gender justice was a constitutional goal of overwhelming importance and magnitude, without accomplishing the same, half of the countrys citizenry, would not be able to enjoy to the fullest their rights, status and opportunities.



He had cited countries like Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka which have regulated the practice.



The position of an Indian Muslim woman is much worse than Muslim women who live in theocratic societies, or countries where Islam is the state religion, he had said.



Rohatgi had maintained that under the Constitution, the right to freedom of religion was subject to, and in that sense, subservient to other fundamental rights.



DH News Service
Vindicated by the Supreme Court judgement, the BJP looks set to reap political dividend by focusing on the government's role in the protection of women's rights.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the verdict and said it grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment".



Modi, in his Uttar Pradesh election campaign speeches, had forcibly articulated the cause of Muslim women, saying that the instant form of taking divorce was discriminatory and had also accused Opposition parties of indulging in vote bank politics by backing conservative sections among the minority community.



In the Modi government, the Law Commission had taken up the issue of triple talaq and bringing a Uniform Civil Code.



At the party's Bhubaneshwar conclave in April, Modi had urged party leaders to reach out to poor Muslims so that they can benefit from the government's move to constitutionally empower National Commission for Backward Classes.



BJP leaders said the NDA government's push in the apex court for personal liberty of Muslim women will help blunt to a certain extent perception that the party is entirely anti-Muslim. And in the long run, said a party general secretary, the BJP may wish to get more than 1% to 2% votes of Muslims it gets now.



BJP president Amit Shah thanked Modi for presenting Muslim women's viewpoint in the court "in a just manner".



Shah stressed that the verdict should not be seen as a "victory" or "defeat" of anyone, alluding that such an interpretation would create a divide among women and men in the Muslim community.



"We welcome the verdict. The Supreme Court has given a historic decision. This verdict has given the right to crores of women to live with equality and dignity," Shah stated.



A BJP leader argued that but for the NDA, other governments in the past have been hesitant to take a stand for bringing parity between personal laws and fundamental rights.



A similar attempt, the leader recalled, was made by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government which had amended the marriage and divorce laws of the Christian community to instil gender equality.



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hoped the judgement will help rectify "aberrations in personal laws which infringe on constitutional guarantees".



When asked whether the verdict will give a fillip to the party's stand on a uniform civil code, a source said the two issues should not be hyphenated.



DH News Service
The two main schools of Islamic thought in the country -Darul Uloom at Deoband and Ala Hazrat at Bareli - on Tuesday opposed any change in the 'Shariat' (Islamic Laws).



The Darul Uloom, while reacting to the judgement, asked the Centre not to make any law which was in violation of the 'Shariat' and said that it would go with the decision to be taken by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on this issue.



"We hope that the Centre will enact laws with regard to triple talaq in the light of the Shariat and after consulting the AIMPLB...we will not accept any law which is against the Shariat," said a senior Darul Uloom cleric.



''Let us see what kind of law is enacted by the government in this regard,'' he added.



The Ala Hazrat, however, made it clear that the apex court's judgement was not in line with the provisions of the 'Shariat'.



Maulana Taslim Raza Khan, a senior cleric at Ala Hazrat, said that the 'Shariat' was the ''last word'' for the Muslims in the world and anything that was against it could not be accepted.



He also said that any law to be enacted by Parliament must take into account the provisions of the 'Shariat'.



The Deoband and Barelvi schools of Islamic thought commanded considerable influence on the Muslim community in the country. Deoband had in the past issued a number of 'fatwas' (religious decree) imposing restrictions on women.



The Muslim clergy elsewhere, too, came out with a mixed reaction with some calling it ''historic'' while some others termed it ''interference'' with Muslim personal laws.



A majority of Muslim clerics, however, did not favour interference with their personal laws.



DH News Service
Dalits were reportedly barred from entering a temple in Uttar Pradeshs Hamirpur district. According to reports, priest of Ram Janki Temple at Garha village in the district had put up a signboard at the entrance of the temple asking Dalits not to enter the temple to take part in the ongoing recital of Ramayana epic.



Sources said residents of the village have been regularly attending Ramayana recital for the past few days.



Kunwar Bahadur Singh, the priest, reportedly stopped a Dalit child from entering the temple and taking part in the recital on Monday.



The priest also put up a signboard stating that the Dalits were not allowed to enter the temple. The members of the Dalit community protested the ban and reported the matter to senior officials.



The priest withdrew the signboard after it triggered a protest.



However, Singh said he had barred some Dalits from entering the temple as they were drunk. A few days ago, some Dalit youths tried to force their way into the venue of the recital in an inebriated state. I had stopped them, he said.



Senior officials had visited the temple and the matter was being investigated, the sources said. Action would be taken against the priest if the allegation was found to be true, the officials said.



DH News Service
In a big win for Muslim women in their fight for equality, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a controversial practice of instant divorce by Muslim men as arbitrary and unconstitutional.



The apex court set aside a 1400-year-old practice as being violative of their fundamental right.



By a majority judgement of 3:2, the apex court's five judge Constitution bench struck down Talaq-e-Biddat (instant pronouncement of talaq thrice).



The judgement will end the practice of saying 'talaq' or divorce three times in one go, sometimes even over email, WhatsApp and letters, as it violated womens right to equality. It was found to be against the tenets of Islam.



Other forms of divorce like Talaq-e-Ahsan (single pronouncement followed by a period of abstinence) and Talaq-e-Hasan (three pronouncements interspersed with abstinence) will continue.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the verdict as historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment, he said.



Chief Justice of India (CJI) J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in minority. Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit were in disagreement and declared it as illegal. There were three separate judgements running into 395 pages.



Acting on a batch of petitions by affected Muslim women, Justices Nariman and Lalit held, This (instant) form of talaq is manifestly arbitrary in the sense that the marital tie can be broken capriciously and whimsically by a Muslim man without any attempt at reconciliation so as to save it.



Justice Khehar and Justice Nazeer also injuncted Muslim husbands from pronouncing triple talaq and asked the Legislature to consider passing a law.



They, however, found Talaq-e-Biddat a matter of 'personal law of Sunni Muslims, belonging to the Hanafi school.



The practice being a constituent of personal law has a stature equal to other fundamental rights. It, therefore cannot be set aside, on the ground of being violative of the concept of the constitutional morality, through judicial intervention, the CJI, who authored the minority judgement, said.



In his judgement, Justice Kurian Joseph said, Triple talaq is an integral part of the religious practice, I respectfully disagree. Merely because a practice has continued for long, that by itself cannot make it valid if it has been expressly declared to be impermissible.



In their judgement, Justices Nariman and Lalit noted, given the fact that triple talaq is instant and irrevocable, it is obvious that any attempt at reconciliation between the husband and wife by two arbiters from their families, which is essential to have the marital tie, cannot ever take place.



This form of talaq must, therefore, be held to be violative of the fundamental right contained under Article 14 (equality) of the Constitution, they held.



DH News Service

* Majority judgement, 3:2, strikes down Talaq-e-Biddat or instant talaq



* Talaq-e-Ahsan (single pronouncement followed by abstinence) and Talaq-e-Hasan (three pronouncements interspersed with abstinence) will continue



* Chief Justice of India J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in minority



* Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit declared triple talaq illegal



* Court gave three separate judgements running into 395 pages
T P Ramesh, chairman of Karnataka Silk Marketing Board Limited, who was in the thick of controversy for his alleged misbehaviour with a woman MLC, has resigned from the post.



Apart from quitting the post as board chairman, Ramesh also resigned from the primary membership of the party.



The incident occurred during an Independence Day programme organised by the district administration at fort premises here.



Ramesh, following an instruction from District Minister M R Seetharam, handed over his resignation letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Seetharam had expressed resentment over the incident.



Along with the resignation letter, he also enclosed his version on the incident, a fact report, on what actually happened during the programme.



"I have been in public life for 40 years, and the act of enquiring the health of a person (MLC Veena Achaiah) whom I treat as a sister, is construed as wrong by the party. It would be suffocating for seniors like me to continue further in the organisation," Ramesh wrote in his letter to KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao.



Ramesh had held the hand of Veena, only to be gently pushed back by the latter, the video of which had gone viral on social networking sites. As the controversy raged, Kodagu District Congress Committee president Shivu Madappa submitted a report to the higher ups, recommending disciplinary action against Ramesh for embarrassing the party.
Security was beefed up around the house of Atia Sabri, who had taken the issue of triple talaq to the Supreme Court, in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur town, about 500 km from here, after the apex court judgement termed the practice "unconstitutional".



Police here said on Tuesday that security had been beefed up at Atia's house in Teliwala Chowk locality in the town as a precautionary measure. "We do not want to take any chance. Additional security personnel have been deployed around the house," said a senior police officer here.



Atia, who was married in 2012 to Wazid Ali, a resident of Haridwar in Uttarakhand had been divorced by her husband through triple talaq. She claimed that she was divorced as she had failed to give birth to a male child as desired by her husband and in-laws.



Atia, who has two daughters, left for Delhi on Tuesday morning to be at the Supreme Court.



Atia had approached the Dalrul Uloom at Deoband, a prestigious Islamic seminary in Saharanpur district, but it did not listen to her side of the story and said that the divorce was in accordance with the 'Shariat' (Islamic Law).



Atia's in-laws and husband also tried to implicate her in a false case apparently to force her to withdraw her petition from the apex court, but she remained undeterred.



Her in-laws and husband also tried to kill her by poisoning her but she somehow survived and later lodged a police complaint against them. They were later arrested and sent to jail after a non-bailable warrant was issued against them by a court in Uttarakhand.


Despite a split verdict, the Supreme Court was unanimous on Tuesday in disapproving the practice of triple talaq  a mode of ending a marriage by pronouncing divorce thrice at one go.



Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer noted that all parties before the court  affected Muslim women, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, the Union government and others  are unequivocal, that besides being arbitrary the practice of Talaq-e-Biddat (instant talaq) is gender discriminatory.



Both the judges, however, preferred to exercise judicial restraint. But they went on to restrain Muslim men from using it for a period of six months. They asked the legislature to consider passing a law in this regard within six months.



On the other hand, Justices Kurian Joseph declared that it was against the basic tenets of Islam. Justices R F Nariman and U U Lalit declared it as arbitrary and violative of the fundamental right to equality, so much as it allowed the men to end a marital relationship without any attempt at reconciliation.



Differing with their view, the CJI, as well as Justice Nazeer, said, All issues governed by personal law, were only altered by way of legislation.



They said there was not a singular instance of judicial intervention, except a few judgements by the high courts in such matters.



Despite the practice being considered sinful, it was accepted amongst Sunni Muslims belonging to the Hanafi school. The same is a part of their faith, having been followed for more than 1400 years, and as such, has to be accepted as being a constituent of their personal law, they said. The judges said reforms to personal law, with reference to socially unacceptable practices in different religions, have come about only by way of legislative intervention.



Unfortunately, the Union (government) seeks at our hands, what truly falls on its own, the CJI and Justice Nazeer said, in their minority judgement.



Considering that the whole nation seems to be up in arms and the plight of an overwhelming majority of Muslim women, the CJI and Justice Nazeer directed the government to consider appropriate legislation, particularly with reference to Talaq-e-Biddat.



Till such time as legislation in the matter is considered, we are satisfied in injuncting Muslim husbands, from pronouncing Talaq-e-Biddat as a means for severing their matrimonial relationship, they said.



DH News Service
The Islamic State has claimed that its operative Shafi Armar from Karnatakas Bhatkal has died carrying out a suicide bomb attack in Syrias Raqqa.



Armar was declared a global terrorist by the United States just two months ago. No confirmation has come from Indian agencies about Armars death, though the US monitoring firm SITE Intelligence Group has reported about the IS claim.



Armar had been a recruiter for the IS in India. According to the SITE, the IS propaganda arm Amaq said in a statement in Arabic on Monday that the IS killed and wounded a numberof people, whom it described as PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) apostates in a suicide attack involving an Indian fighter Abu Yusuf al-Hindi.



Before joining IS and taking the name al-Hindi, Shafi had used several aliases like Chhote Maula, Yousouf al-Hindi and Anjan Bhai to hoodwink agencies.



The US had declared him a specially designated global terrorist in June. The US State Department described Shafi as a leader and head recruiter in India for the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated

Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, ISIS.



It said Shafi had cultivated a group of dozens of IS sympathisers involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps.



Armar was reported dead several times before. On the run from the Indian intelligence agencies for his alleged involvement in terror attacks, he went to Syria through the Gulf. Suspected to have been a part of the Indian Mujahideen, Armar first fled to Pakistan.



However, Armar and his older brother Sultan Abdul Kadir Armar who were held up in Pakistan- left IM protesting against the activities of one of its leaders Iqbal Bhatkal.He donned the leadership role after his brothers killing in 2015.



His brother was one of the founding members of the IM and had persuaded Armar to join the terror network.



Born in Bhatkal in 1987, Armar is fluent in English, Kannada, Urdu and Hindi.
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All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal is scheduled to hold a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his ministerial colleagues on August 30 in Bengaluru to review preparations for the next Assembly elections.



Sources in the state Congress said Venogopal is likely to review implementation of the governments flagship programmes such as Anna Bhagya.



Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara and other senior leaders will also attend the meeting.




A 20-year-old youth was killed and two others were grievously injured after a landowner and his associates assaulted them and subjected them to electric shocks at Munnekolala on Monday night.



Basu Reddy (50) suspected the trio had stolen copper wires and a motor pump. Basheer-ul-Sheikh, the deceased, was from Karimpur in Bengal.



The two injured are Ajmal Sheikh (22) from Pollachi, Tamil Nadu and Asif-ul-Sheik alias Banti (19), from Murshidabad, Bengal.



Basheer had come to the city six months ago with his pregnant wife and mother. His wife delivered a male child 10 days ago.



Reddy is into water business, selling borewell water to houses in nearby colonies



According to eye-witnesses, the victims were tortured till Basheer was declared dead by a local doctor at midnight.



Reddy and his associates barged into the shanties. Finding the stolen items there, the gang started assaulting the trio. They beat us using sticks, wires and hosepipes. They subjected our arms and legs to electric shocks using wires, said Ajmal.



They accused us of stealing wires and a water pump, but that is not true. But three of Reddys associates (also Bengalis), staying in the same shanties, had stolen the items, Ajmal said. Asifs condition is said to be critical, Ajmal is out of danger. The post-mortem report will reveal the actual cause of death - electric shock or the assault, said a senior police officer. Upon inquiry, police discovered the copper wires do not belong to Reddy.



We suspect the role of Syed Ullah, Meibullah and Mittu - all Bengalis who are absconding, the officer said. A case of murder, attempt to murder and assault has been registered by the Marathahalli police.



DH News Service
The Supreme Courtorder which has put a stop on triple talaq until new legislation is passed, has received mixed response in the state.



Former Congress leader Nafees Fazal, who was a minister in S M Krishna ministry, said that the judgment has liberated Muslim women and restored their dignity. I am very happy that the prime minister took up the cause of Muslim women. Because of triple talaq, women were being abandoned by their husbands, humiliated and oppressed. We are grateful to the three judges who were in favour of abolishing the illegal practice, Nafees said.



She added that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board should be abolished, saying that there was no sanction for it in the Quran.



Dr Sabiha Bhoomigowda, professor in Mangalore University, said that though the Quran has a system for divorce which gives ample time for reversing the decision, men were resorting to triple talaq. Even the Quran says that triple talaq should not be done. But, men have interpreted it as they like and used it to oppress women. The Supreme Court has upheld the basic right of women, she said.



Sheema Mohsin, a social activist from Bengaluru, said that though the Supreme Court verdict is in favour of Muslim women, it would have been better if the change had come from within the community.



Even in the Muslim community, the practice of triple talaq is condemned as it is not according to the Shariah. There are a few people who still do it but reformation should have come on its own from within, she said.



Sheema said that as the Constitution has given them the freedom to practice their religion, there should not have been interference from outside. It is a very small number of people who do triple talaq. This issue has been blown out of proportion. There are many other womens issues such as reservation in parliament, education opportunities and female foeticide that the Narendra Modi government could have addressed, she said.




A visit to the new KSRTC bus stand illustrates the kind of development work taking place in Chikkaballapur, 10 years after it became a district.



The hi-tech bus stand, constructed in 2014 by pulling down a 130-year-old inspection bungalow, is yet to open. A KSRTC bus driver spoke proudly of the bus stand but said: We park outside since the space inside has not been asphalted.



The Chikkaballapur district was carved out of Kolar on August 23, 2007, by including Chikkaballapur, Gauribidanur, Shidlaghatta, Bagepalli, Gudibande and Chintamani taluks.



Chikkaballapur achieved the political goal 10 years ago. We have an accessible and well-equipped district administration office with most government departments under one roof. People no longer have to run from pillar to post for their official work. Below the surface, on a social level, however, people have not been uplifted, B Gangadharamurthy, a retired professor of English, told DH.



Ironically, some of the opposition to development has come from citizens, said the professor. People objected to road-widening projects when they faced the loss of property.



But the district administration has mostly overcome the problem. An example is the widening of NH 234 that passes through Gauribidanur, Chikkaballapur, Shidlaghatta and Chintamani taluks, that has been going on since 2013.



The project involved the acquisition of agricultural land, causing problems for both farmers and sericulturists. In Chintamanis MG Road, shop owners were in trouble when the NHAI issued them notices in 2012 over road-widening. The work also led to a rise in accidents, said K Manjunath, a resident of Shidlaghatta.



Transport oscillates between good and unsatisfactory. The rural areas still have fewer bus services to the district headquarters.



A train linking Bengaluru and Kolar district, via Chikkaballapur, was introduced in November 2013 and eased travel a little, but the working class continues to struggle for quicker and cheaper travel options on a daily basis. In February 2013, the residents of Ambedkar Nagar ward in Chikkaballapur boycotted the City Municipal Council (CMC) elections, opposing the construction of a rail line passing through the ward.



The district still doesn't have enough public toilets. Shidlaghatta is the largest rearer of silkworms in Karnataka. There is a demand for better markets to support farmers. Chintamani is the second largest mango-producing taluk in the state, after Srinivaspur, which is in Kolar district.



Construction of a Red Cross blood bank at the district hospital in 2011 and opening of shelters for orphaned and abandoned children at district and taluk hospitals in 2014 are praiseworthy. But government hospitals still need better facilities and more staff. Another concern is that government doctors have been moving to private hospitals.



The district hasn't marketed itself as a tourist hub. The Veerasoudha at Vidurashwatha in Gauribidanur taluk, Nandi Hills, Skandagiri Hills and Bhoganandishwara Temple in Chikkaballapur taluk, and Nareyana Tataiah Temple at Kaivara, Chintamani taluk, are well-known. Chikkaballapur also has forts in Gudibande taluk, like in Chitradurga district. But a few know about them, said Ramakrishnappa, a resident of Shidlaghatta.



The district has over 1,500 primary schools and over 100 high schools. Devaraj M R, a high school teacher in Bagepalli, said: Government schools have hardly seen any development since Chikkaballapur became a district. More schools have shut down due to negligence."



Educationist Prof Kodi Rangapa stressed the need for a government polytechnic in Chikkaballapur. This will provide jobs, too. The MNREGA has been implemented efficiently, but industrial development is not up to the mark. Women do not have enough jobs, he said. "The 100-acre science park in the name of Dr H Narasimhaiah in Gauribidanur will help develop scientific temper.



Water supply is the biggest of Chikkaballapur's problems. Synonymous with drought, the district has pinned hopes on the Yettinahole drinking water project. At the same time, the government needs to work on improving water literacy and conservation.





Significance



The Kolar-Chikkaballapura District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd (KOMUL) is Karnatakas second highest milk producing organisation after KMF.



Shidlaghatta is the largest silk manufacturing taluk in Karnataka.



Chikkaballapur district had the second highest voter turnout (77%) in the state in Lok Sabha elections in 2014.



Chikkaballapur has a literacy rate of 64%.




The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday dismissed a batch of petitions filed by liquor licence holders for renewal of licence.



The Excise Department had refused to renew the licences following the December 2016 ruling of the Supreme Court that prohibits liquor outlets on highways. The court had directed the Excise Department not to renew the licences of liquor establishments located within 500 metres of national highways.



Justice Vineet Kothari of the high court stated that liquor licence holders cannot seek directions for consideration of their application under the State Excise Act for renewal of their licence in the teeth of the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court.



The judge ruled that none of the judgements relied upon by the petitioners counsels really supported their contention that even without a proper denotification under the National Highways Act, 1956, for MG Road and Brigade Road and without declaring the bypasses created being notified and declared as national highways, the court should not treat them as NH 4 and NH7.



The order said that NH4 and NH7, earlier known as NH44, included the present MG Road and Brigade Road and were definitely covered by the schedule at the time of commencement of the National Highways Act, 1956. The non-mention of these roads specifically in the schedule does not mean they were not part of the national highway.



NH44 runs from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and passes through several states. A detailed description of the individual roads of any particular city could not be included in the schedule.



The Central government had earlier written to Karnataka, rejecting its request to denotify the national highways.



Appeal planned



Liquor licence holders plan to go in for appeal. The owner of a pub on Church Street says they will study the judgement before going in for appeal. The high court still has to spell out the reasons. Once that comes out, well know what steps to take. As of now, the only option is to appeal.



He cited the Supreme Courts ruling on July 3, 2017, that gave relief to the state of Chandigarh when it said there was nothing wrong in denotifying state/local highways as district roads within the city. When other states can do it, why isnt our government doing? he asked.



Relocation not an option



Most pubs and bars do not feel relocation is an option as they spend as much as Rs 3 crore on the space, and relocation will only result in losses.



Nitesh, of BlueFrog on Church Street, said though none of their staff had quit, they would be relocated if denotification didnt happen. We have promised our employees they will not be fired, but we will shift them to other places in Bengaluru.



DH News Service
The posts of vice-chancellors in a few state universities still remain vacant because of a tussle between the state government and Raj Bhavan.



Governor Vajubhai Vala is sending back files without approving the appointment of any of the three names recommended by search committees. Instead, he is recommending names of his choice for the posts.



In Bangalore University, the post of V-C has been lying vacant since four months. Based on the report by the search committee, the government had recommended the appointment of Sangameshwar Patil, but the Governor sent the file back, recommending the name of UVCE principal K R Venugopal for the post.



There are allegations against Venugopal that he secured employment based on fake caste certificates and the social welfare department had recommended that he should be dismissed. The government presented the documents regarding this to the governor, urging him to appoint Sangameshwar instead. But he is bent on appointing Venugopal, a source in the Higher Education department said.



Similarly, the V-Cs post in the University of Mysore has been lying vacant for six months. Prof C P Siddashramas name had been recommended to the governor for the post. He sent back this file too, suggesting the name of Prof N S Ashok Kumar of Bangalore University.



The Karnataka State Law University in Hubballi has not had a V-C for more than a year now. It has been over five months since the government sent a file with three names recommended by the search committee, asking the governor to pick one of them, but he has not made any decision yet.



The law says that the governor can appoint a vice-chancellor with the governments consent, but our governor has recommended people of his choice. Because of this, the process has come to a standstill, a source said.



Search committees have been formed to recommend names for the posts of V-Cs to Tumakuru University and Janapada (folklore) University, but the government is unsure if their reports too would meet the same fate.



DH News Service

Bengaluru: The posts of vice-chancellors in a few state universities still remain vacant because of a tussle between the state government and Raj Bhavan.



Governor Vajubhai Vala is sending back files without approving the appointment of any of the three names recommended by search committees. Instead, he is recommending names of his choice for the posts.



In Bangalore University, the post of V-C has been lying vacant since four months. Based on the report by the search committee, the government had recommended the appointment of Sangameshwar Patil, but the Governor sent the file back, recommending the name of UVCE principal K R Venugopal for the post.



There are allegations against Venugopal that he secured employment based on fake caste certificates and the social welfare department had recommended that he should be dismissed. The government presented the documents regarding this to the governor, urging him to appoint Sangameshwar instead. But he is bent on appointing Venugopal, a source in the Higher Education department said.



Similarly, the V-Cs post in the University of Mysore has been lying vacant for six months. Prof C P Siddashramas name had been recommended to the governor for the post. He sent back this file too, suggesting the name of Prof N S Ashok Kumar of Bangalore University.



The Karnataka State Law University in Hubballi has not had a V-C for more than a year now. It has been over five months since the government sent a file with three names recommended by the search committee, asking the governor to pick one of them, but he has not made any decision yet.



The law says that the governor can appoint a vice-chancellor with the governments consent, but our governor has recommended people of his choice. Because of this, the process has come to a standstill, a source said.



Search committees have been formed to recommend names for the posts of V-Cs to Tumakuru University and Janapada (folklore) University, but the government is unsure if their reports too would meet the same fate.



DH News Service
Dubai and Singapore were the top international destinations for air passengers from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from January to June, this year. A total of 3,81,304 people boarded flights to Dubai while 1,94,201 passengers headed to Singapore during the first half of 2017.



Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) statistics showed that a total of 16,73,508 international passengers transited through KIA. The daily international passenger numbers between January and June averaged 9,245.



On average, 8,744 passengers took international flights from KIA daily, from January to March. This number went up to 9,849 between April and June. Besides Dubai and Singapore, passengers also flocked in big numbers to the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. As many as 1,42,281 travellers transited through KIA during the first half of the year, while Frankfurt, Germany, had 1,09,014 passengers from Bengaluru airport.



Other key international destinations for flights from KIA were Bangkok (92,923 passengers), Doha (94,081), Colombo (92,629), London (83,071), Muscat (82,618), Kuala Lumpur (78,860), Paris (70,083), Hong Kong (69,407), Sharjah (51,823) and Jeddah (30,433).



An overwhelming trend was the dominance of passengers headed to West Asia, particularly the United Arab Emirates. A whopping 5,75,408 travellers were bound for the Emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah during the six-month period.



The total number of passengers to other West Asian cities, including Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Muscat, Riyadh and Madina stood at 2,38,897.



DH News Service
Banking transactions came to a grinding halt across the country on Tuesday as over one million bank employees struck work protesting against the merger and consolidation of banks and large-scale corporate debt writeoffs.



While all the public sector banks took part in the strike, some of the old generation private sector banks also joined hands. In Bengaluru alone, as many as 80,000 employees of various banks joined the strike and held a dharna in front of the State Bank of India office on KG Road, before submitting a memorandum to the government through the general manager of the bank.



Services like deposits and withdrawal at bank branches, cheque clearance, NEFT and RTGS transactions were affected. The ATMs of PSU banks functioned all over the country, but most of them went dry by afternoon as there were no cash replenishment in them. Reports from across the states said ATMs went cashless.



All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) general secretary C H Venkatachalam said the strike was a huge success. He gave the figure of one million for the country as a whole.



The strike was called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU). In Bengaluru, around 80,000 out of a total of 90,000 bank employees of all banks joined the strike and we held a protest demonstration between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm on KG Road, Narasimha Murthy, office-bearer of Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF) told DH.



Apart from the public sector banks, some of the old generation private sector banks such as Karnataka Bank, Dhanalaxmi Bank and Apex Bank also joined the strike.



Foreign exchange transactions, import and export bill transactions, sanction of loans, etc. were also affected. Normally in the three clearing grids functioning from South, West and North India, that is Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, on an average about 40 lakh cheques and instruments worth about Rs 20,000 crore are transacted per day. This was affected in a big way.



The real problem facing the banks today is the alarming increase in bad loans. It is now Rs 15 lakh crore, about 20% of total loans. The bulk of bad loans are due from big industrialists and corporate houses. Top 12 defaulters owe Rs 2.5 crore, Venkatachalam said.



DH News ServiceNationwide strike cripples banking transactions
The number of foreign students in Bengaluru, ranked as the worlds most dynamic city, is on the decline. Bangalore University (BU), for the first time, has collected and compiled data that reveals a 25% drop in foreigners studying in its affiliated colleges in the last three academic years. An even bigger drop (28%) is among female foreign students. While the university is yet to compile nationality-wise data, authorities say a majority of the students come from African nations followed by the SAARC nations excluding Pakistan - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.



The drop is because there have been so many incidents of violence against foreign students in Bengaluru. Some colleges even cheat students, said Mobarak Abdalla Garelnabi, a Sudanese student who is also the president of the Federation of International Students Association, Bangalore. In February last year, a Tanzanian student was attacked by an unruly mob at Soldevanahalli in what was one of at least six cases of violence recorded against African nationals in the city. Foreign students have complained time and again that some colleges in the city dupe them by making false promises. At one point, about 600-800 students came to India from Sudan every year. This is now down to 10-15 as no one encourages studying in India any more, he said.



An official from the BU International Centre, who did not want to be identified, said Mysuru among other cities had emerged as a magnet attracting overseas students. Cost of living is an important factor because many students come from poor countries, he said. To address this, the university has already proposed building a hostel dedicated to international students.



Garelnabi concurred that more and more foreign students were headed to Mysuru. Foreign students are not facing any problems in Mysuru.



There are nearly 850 foreign students in Mysuru, according to G R Janardhana, director of the International Centre of the University of Mysore. Foreign students are not exploited here the way they are in Bengaluru, he said. More importantly, as a city, Mysuru has retained quality in its academic programmes and research. Course-wise data shows that a majority of foreigners choose to study computer applications (BCA) and business management (BBM) courses in the city.



The university is also curious on how the foreign students population is concentrated in a handful of colleges. For instance, two-fifths of foreign students join 3-4 colleges located in the north and north-east parts of the city.



BU Acting Vice Chancellor HN Ramesh said he was surprised that the number of foreign students is decreasing when Bengaluru has emerged as a global city. Perhaps, Mysuru attracts foreigners because of less pollution and its peaceful nature. To arrest this trend, Bengaluru needs more international hostels, he said.
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An IT consultant claimed some kind of virus had infected his computer after he was found to have downloaded child abuse images and bestiality which a judge said: "covered all age groups and a fair swathe of the animal kingdom".

Gary Rendle, who accessed images while at his parents house, told police he used his computer to read The Guardian and play Star Wars games.

Rendle, 34, had images of people having sex with horses, dogs, donkeys and chickens as well as adults abusing children as young as six.

Judge Ian Lawrie remanded Rendle into custody in the court cells for just under an hour while he prepared sentence, reports plymouthherald .

He said: "I want to give you a taste of what your future will hold if you fail to comply with the court's order or commit further offences. By viewing these images, you are part of the process which inflicts appalling suffering on these children."

But he suspended his prison sentence, stating his previous good character, his guilty plea and the fact he had a skilled job.

Rendle, of Barons Pyke in Ivybridge, had denied two counts of possession of indecent images of children between March 2015 and March 2016. The defendant had 24 Category A indecent images of children, showing them being abused by adults. He also had eight images in the lesser Category B.

He had claimed that the pictures must have been downloaded without his knowledge. But Rendle changed his plea wo weeks before his trial.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of 322 extreme pornographic images showing adults having sex with animals including dogs, horses, donkeys and chickens.

Anita Noerr, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said police executed a search warrant at the home of Rendle's parents back in April last year. She added they seized a laptop from Rendle's car and his computer tower  which were found to contain the images.

Miss Noeer said Rendle told police in interview the images could have been downloaded without his knowledge. He insisted he used the laptop for work, playing Star Wars games and visiting sites such as The Guardian. Tom Bradnock, for Rendle, said "hundreds and thousands" of images had been stored on his computer  including many of adult pornography.

He added: "These offences were caused by curiosity and unrestrained impulse rather than an overriding sexual interest in children. It is not the numbers of images these courts see in their thousands.

"It has taken him some time to come to terms with what he has been doing. It is by no means the focus of his sexual interest. He is certainly deeply ashamed."

But the barrister said the defendant accepted he obtained gratification through looking at the images. Mr Bradnock said the offences would have a major impact on his role as a self-employed IT consultant. But the court heard he was still to be used by a major client.

Judge Lawrie said of Rendle's images: "He covers all age groups and a fair swathe of the animal kingdom".

He handed the defendant a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years. He must attend the 31-session Horizon programme for sex offenders and pay 1,500 prosecution costs.

Rendle must also sign the Sex Offender Register for ten years and was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention order for a similar period. He must hand over any computer to the police monitoring his behaviour for inspection.
The Moto X4 will be the third smartphone from Lenovo-owned Motorola to feature a dual camera setup. The handset is expected to debut on August 24 in Brazil.

Moto X4, the upcoming dual camera smartphone from the Lenovo-owned company has leaked once again in the form of real life images. After several leaks and rumours, this latest images give us our best look yet at the handset. The handset is likely to be announced on August 24 in Brazil.

The leaked images posted on Google+ suggest the device will sport a combination of metal and glass design with dual camera setup is expected to be the USP of this device. With Moto X4, Motorola is resurrecting the Moto X series after the product discontinued for a brief period in 2015. In terms of specifications, the handset is expected to feature a 5.2-inch full HD display and will use Qualcomm's mid-tier Snapdragon 630 mobile platform.

The Moto X4 is expected to launch with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage in Europe, North America and Latin America while Asia Pacific region will get the variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The rear camera setup will feature a combination of 12MP main shooter with dual pixel autofocus and f/2.0 aperture paired with secondary 8MP sensor for ultra-wide angle pictures. The setup is said to be similar to LG's G series in terms of application and support 120-degree wide field of view.

The smartphone is likely to feature a 16MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and support for 4K video recording. Moto X4 will measure 7.99 mm at its thickest point and weigh around 163 grams. The handset will be backed by a 3000mah battery along with support for Turbo Charging technology. The Moto X4 is said to offer IP68 water and dust resistance and will be available in blue and black colour options.
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30 Magnolia units sell for $12.6M

SEATTLE  The Marinwood Apartments, at 3628 24th Pl. W. in Magnolia, have sold for $12.6 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Columbia Partners Business Park LLC, which acquired the property in 2015 for $8.2 million.

The buyer was Mag 31 LLC, which is associated with private investors listing an address in Entiat.

Developed in 1980 on about three-quarters of an acre, the Marinwood is a four-story building with 30 units. The average unit size for the view property is quite large: about 1,119 square feet, according to King County. The building has covered parking for 30 vehicles.

Brokers were not announced. The deal was worth about $416,763 per unit.




A Los Angeles jury on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record $417 million to a hospitalised woman who claimed in a lawsuit that the talc in the company's iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene. The verdict in the lawsuit brought by medical receptionist Eva Echeverria, 63, of East Los Angeles marks the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in courts around the US. Echeverria is one of thousands of women who have sued the consumer products giant claiming its baby powder caused their disease, pointing to studies linking talc to cancer that date to 1971, when scientists in Wales discovered particles of talc embedded in ovarian and cervical tumours. Only a few lawsuits have gone to trial, but so far most of the decisions have gone against the company. In May, a Missouri jury awarded $110 million to a Virginia woman, a year after Missouri juries awarded $55 million to one plaintiff and $72 million to a woman who died before the verdict. Another woman, Deane Berg of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, won a lawsuit, but the jury did not award damages. In March, a St Louis jury rejected a Tennessee woman's claim that Johnson & Johnson's powder caused her ovarian cancer, and a New Jersey judge dismissed two talcum powder lawsuits against the company. Many women sprinkle baby powder on their inner thighs to prevent chafing, or use it on their perineum, sanitary pads or underwear for its drying and freshening effects. Echeverria alleged Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers about talcum powder's potential cancer risks. She used the company's baby powder on a daily basis beginning in the 1950s until 2016 and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, according to court papers. Echeverria developed ovarian cancer as a ''proximate result of the unreasonably dangerous and defective nature of talcum powder'', she said in her lawsuit. Echeverria's attorney, Mark Robinson, said his client is undergoing cancer treatment while hospitalised and told him she hoped the verdict would lead Johnson & Johnson to put additional warnings on its products. ''Mrs Echeverria is dying from this ovarian cancer and she said to me all she wanted to do was to help the other women throughout the whole country who have ovarian cancer for using Johnson & Johnson for 20 and 30 years,'' Robinson said. ''She really didn't want sympathy,'' he added. ''She just wanted to get a message out to help these other women.'' The jury's award included $68 million in compensatory damages and $340 million in punitive damages, Robinson said. The evidence in the case included internal documents from several decades that ''showed the jury that Johnson & Johnson knew about the risks of talc and ovarian cancer'', Robinson said. ''Johnson & Johnson had many warning bells over a 30-year period but failed to warn the women who were buying its product,'' he said. Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said in a statement that the company will appeal the jury's decision. She said while the company sympathised with women suffering from ovarian cancer, scientific evidence supported the safety of Johnson's baby powder. The verdict came after a St Louis, Missouri jury in May awarded $110.5 million to a Virginia woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. Besides that case, three other trials in St Louis had similar outcomes last year - with juries awarding damages of $72 million, $70.1 million and $55 million, for a combined total of $307.6 million. Two similar cases in New Jersey were thrown out by a judge who said the plaintiffs' lawyers did not presented reliable evidence linking talc to ovarian cancer. More than 1,000 other people have filed similar lawsuits. Some who won their lawsuits won much lower amounts, illustrating how juries have wide latitude in awarding monetary damages. Johnson & Johnson is preparing to defend itself and its baby powder at upcoming trials in the US, Goodrich said.








The battle of a historic eclipse and an Alabama thunderstorm was something of a draw for Larry Smith and crew.

Smith, of Enterprise, was part of a trio of people going airborne via a small aircraft Monday to get a good view of the eclipse as it made its way into the Wiregrass region. However, a thunderstorm cut short the flight and ensured the trio would be watching the eclipse from ground level and made the sun look like it had a bite taken out of it.

Still, Smith  a veteran eclipse watcher said he mostly liked Mondays event, which made the skies a little darker for while that afternoon.

I got to see enough to be very satisfying, Smith said. It was not a disappointment. Not at all. Its the awe of the whole thing that attracts me to it and really fulfills me.

Smith, pilot Les Brusse and WTVY meteorologist Caroline Ritter planned to fly from Enterprises airport at 1 p.m. Monday and head north in an attempt to get above any clouds and get good pictures of the eclipse.

However, a thunderstorm began developing to the north, Smith said. The group decided to leave about 15 minutes earlier to try and beat the story. But they were unable to get to their destination. Smith said the plane got up to 3,500 feet, but was not going to be able to climb above the high, building clouds.

We tried various turns and maneuvers to get good visibility on the eclipse, he said. The eclipse had started. But the weather was too bad to risk it, so I think all three of us made the decision that its time to go home.

Once they got to the ground, they had spotty sunshine and were able to get some good views and pictures.

So it was not a total waste, he said. We did get to observe it and had an experience in flight.

Smith said his is looking forward to the next full eclipse in the United States, which should take place in April 2024.

Ill start getting ready for it now, he said.
Chinese car maker Great Wall wants to buy Jeep. The only catch is, it hasnt made an offer.

It recently emerged that Chinese automakers are looking to invest in foreign car companies and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is a prime target.

The initial report suggest FCA is willing to sell-off its Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Ram and Fiat brands, but wants to keep Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

It has now emerged that Great Wall, which makes utes for the Chinese markets, but is interested in acquiring Jeep as part of its global expansion plans. Great Wall sister brand Haval makes SUVs and has also begun expanding outside of China, including Australia, so getting Jeeps knowledge and experience building SUVs and off-roaders would be valuable for the Chinese brands.

"We are deeply interested in the Jeep brand and have paid close attention to it for a long time," a Great Wall spokesman told Automotive News. "Our strategic goal is to become the world's largest SUV maker. Acquiring Jeep, a global SUV brand, would enable us to achieve our goal sooner and better"

However, Great Wall is yet to make it official and actually make a formal offer to FCA.

In response to market rumours regarding a potential interest of Great Wall Motors in the Jeep brand, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirmed that it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors in connection with the Jeep brand or any other matter relating to its business, read a statement from the Italian-American company.

The FCA statement didnt make it clear if the company would entertain a Great Wall offer for only Jeep, instead of all its American brands. But in April FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne admitted it was possible that Jeep could be spun-off into its own company.
The Formula One field could soon be led by a car without a driver.

The sports governing body, the FIA, has flagged the possibility of making the safety car an autonomous vehicle.

Currently the Mercedes-AMG GT safety car is driven by former German touring car racer Bernd Maylander. But Marcin Budkowski, the head of the FIA Formula One technical department, has told British publication Autosport he would like to showcase self-driving cars to F1 fans using the safety car.

"Let me give you an example, but it is not the only one: we have spoken about an unmanned safety car," Budkowski told Autosport.

"It would promote a technology about which there is a bit of scepticism and, instead, it could be shown that it works.

"The safety car driver would no longer be essential, because it would leave the controls to the computer.

"But we must be aware of the attraction of race cars without drivers: the engineers would love it, but not the fans."

This isnt the first development in autonomous cars going racing. The organisers of the all-electric Formula E series have been developing an autonomous racing series, known as Roborace, has been in development since 2015.

Originally set to debut during the 2016-17 Formula E series, Roborace is still in the development phase with the prototype and no specific timeframe announced for the first race.
Local Cllr Antoin Watters has welcomed the news that a Wildlife Ranger will be assigned to the Cooley Mountains.

Having attended a public meeting last Friday with his colleague Cllr Mickey Larkin from South Armagh in the Mullaghbuoy Community Centre, Cllr Watters said we were present with representatives from the IFA, Mountaineering Ireland and local walking groups. One thing that we all had in common was our love for the mountains and our wish to see their natural beauty preserved for future generations.

Cllr Watters said The meeting was called following the discovery of yellow markings that had been sprayed on the Cooley Mountains recently. It was agreed that there needed to be more awareness of events being held on the mountains. All those present agreed that a no trace approach would be best practice, basically, leave the Mountains as you found them.

Cllr Watters was also pleased to see that the organisers are going to meet with local Gardai to ensure that any future users of the mountain will use appropriate temporary markings and the group will work closely with the Wildlife Ranger.

Cllr Watters reminded that the Cooley Mountains are for all to enjoy and are important for local tourism. The area is one of outstanding beauty so I will raise this issue with Louth County Council and my colleague Cllr Mickey Larkin will raise it with Newry, Mourne & Down District Council and we will also raise it at the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Group which deal with cross border issues between the two Councils. Lets leave nature as we find it.
The Minister for Housing has been castigated, along with the rest of the Government, for failing to address the housing crisis in Louth, by Sinn Fein TD Imelda Munster.

Deputy Munster called on Minister Murphy to take action to resolve the private rental crisis in Louth.

Deputy Munster said:

'Louth has seen the highest rent increase in the state in successive Daft.ie rent reports.

'Rents have increased by 67.7% from their lowest rate. Rents are spiralling and it is simply unsustainable.

'The fact that Louth has seen the biggest increase, yet again, should be setting off alarm bells for the Minister for Housing.

'His continued inaction on this issue is causing severe hardship for the people of Louth.

'This is an emergency. It is a crisis. It is outrageous that the Minister for Housing and his colleagues in government are not lifting a finger to resolve this situation.

'I have raised this issue on numerous occasions.

'I have asked the government on many occasions to designate Drogheda as a Rent Pressure Zone but I have been met with a brick wall.

'Drogheda has the highest population of any town in the state and government continues to ignore us.

'Today I have written to Minister Eoghan Murphy asking him to include Drogheda in the Rent Pressure Zones which would restrict the rise in rent increases to a maximum of 4% annually.

'I hope he heeds my call, unlike his predecessor Minister Coveney.

'Including Drogheda as a Rent Pressure Zone will not solve the problem, but it might help to slow down the rate of increase in rent in the county, which has been spiralling out of control for some time now.

'Minister Murphy must outline his plans to deal with this crisis.

'Rents in Louth are at an all-time high and the Minister is burying his head in the sand.

'The only thing the Ministers continued inaction will ensure is that more families become homeless.'
With their staff numbers in the town set to exceed 1,100 next month, National Pen are appealing for help from the local community in easing the rental burden on new employees.

The international firm, whose Dundalk-based HQ caters to 22 countries worldwide, describe as 'unprecedented' the squeeze being put on renters in the area.

"The nature of our consumer base requires us to draft in a multilingual workforce, but the reality is it's getting harder and harder for these new arrivals to find accommodation", says company recruiter Kevin Adams.

"We've always had strong state support in terms of bringing jobs to Dundalk, but it's vital that local town bodies like the Council and Chamber of Commerce band together to ensure that jobs like these are not lost.

In addition to the new workers joining our contact centre from abroad, National Pen will also be filling hundreds more roles locally, with our factory remaining a massive employer for indigenous workers in the area.

"Our internal accommodation system strives to house all new employees in that regard, while some seek to source their own housing through sites such as Daft.ie. As things stand, though, the demand is exceeding the supply, something which has also been highlighted by DkIT of late.

The price gouging so prevalent in the Dublin rental market is increasingly an issue here, homes which might previously have had a rental value of 600 per month seen to have almost doubled in some instances.

The growing nature of industry around the town means the squeeze is only going to get more pronounced, so were appealing to the wider community to help ease the burden a bit.

While we understand its getting less and less likely that full homes may be available for rent, were keen to find families or homeowners who may be open to letting individual rooms to incoming tenants.

Our employees have always had a great reputation with landlords in the area so were keen to maintain that going forward. The main thing, however, is that we all strive to safeguard job creation in Dundalk and addressing the rental crisis is a crucial step.
Tus maith, leath na h-oibre goes the saying. A good start is half the work. Something most of us learn to be true as we grow older, and hopefully wiser.

A good start in life is something we all want for our children too. Something we as parents strive to give them, and often have to work long hours to be able to afford.

For parents who want, or need to work outside the home while their children are young, this means being able to access high quality and affordable childcare.

I hear it from too many families in Louth on a weekly basis  childcare is breaking the bank, it is like a second mortgage.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) lists Ireland as the third most expensive country for childcare. If you are a single parent it is the most expensive country in the OECD in which to avail of childcare. A recent Aviva Family Finances Report showed childcare to be a major factor in some families not yet feeling the positive effects of the economic recovery currently underway in this country.

These are the kinds of families who have been pressed to the pin of their collars for far too long. The people who really struggled to make ends meet after the economic crash. The people who pay for everything and feel they receive very little in return for their taxes.

As your local fine Gael TD, I have been using my position to impress upon my Government colleagues the need for this to change.

Childcare is just one area where a change in Government policy can and will make a tangible difference to these families who need help.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone recently announced new affordable childcare measures that will see up to 70,000 children benefit from State supports from this September.

This radical Government scheme is designed to help families meet the cost of childcare and ease the financial burden. For the State to support families with childcare in this way is a progressive move, and it is the first step towards a single affordable childcare scheme that will eventually encompass all childcare options into one simple system.

So what does this mean for families this coming September?

In a new universal benefit, children aged between 6  36 months in Tusla registered childcare, will qualify for childcare supports worth up to 1,040 per year. This will bring them up to the point where they can access the ECCE (free pre-school programme).

In addition to this universal payment, there will also be further childcare supports for families who need them most. Families on lower incomes who qualify by way of a means test, will be eligible for supports worth up to 7,500 per year for children aged 6 months to 15 years of age.

Children will of course also continue to benefit from the free pre-schooling that has been a great help to families across Louth. The take up of this scheme was so high that the Government recently extended it to a second year of free preschool for all children. This extension is estimated to provide an average saving of 4,000 per child. Despite the success of this programme however we know that families with children under 3 years of age are struggling to meet the costs of childcare. That is exactly why we are taking action now to help families meet these costs.

Since Fine Gael entered Government in 2011, we placed major emphasis on job creation and getting people back to work. Weve had good success in this with unemployment now down to 6.3% from a high of 15.1% in the dark days of the recession. There is no room for complacency however and we remain committed in our efforts to boost job creation across all regions of Ireland. We simply cannot have a situation whereby people are unable to take up work because they cannot afford the childcare they will need in order to start a new job. The new targeted childcare support in particular is designed to prevent this problem.

The new childcare supports will be available to every family here in Louth and across every region of the country.

The reason the new subsidies will apply only to children in Tusla registered childcare is because the Government must be able to stand over the quality of the childcare given where tax payers money is being invested.

This is exactly why the Government is investing in the quality of those services.

Just last week, funding of almost 30,000 has been made available to help improve the quality of school age childcare in Louth.

This funding comes from the Governments School Age Childcare Capital Scheme and is designed to improve quality and standards, helping childcare providers to replicate the home environment for children in their care, through for example, age appropriate play equipment to stimulate children mentally and physically.

This builds on the recent allocation of funding for Louth to help new and existing services to increase the number of childcare places that they provide here. Under this funding strand, almost 95,000 was provided to creches and Montessori groups in Louth.

So in total, Louth is receiving 125,000 in funding this summer alone to increase capacity and improve the quality of childcare services.

I encourage families to visit www.affordablechildcare.ie for more information. You can find out about eligibility, the application process and which childcare providers are included.

Busy parents will be glad to hear that access to these new supports is designed to be as simple and hassle free as possible. So check out the website and avail of affordable high quality childcare, designed to ease the burden on your family and give your children that tus maith they so deserve.
The opportunity for small to medium sized businesses to make the switch to solar and batteries is stronger than it has ever been. Similar to households, small businesses typically pay high electricity rates and unlike big businesses, possess less negotiating power on energy retail costs. Small businesses also tend to have tighter budgets when it comes to managing overheads, which means investing in energy efficiency needs to be considered even more carefully.

In a climate of increasing power prices (as of 1 July, power prices in Sydney rose 16 per cent and in the ACT 19 per cent[1])  a growing number of small businesses are looking for an alternative to the traditional power supply model. Solar and batteries can now be a cheaper alternative to grid power and therefore offer an increasingly compelling and economical investment. The cost-savings on power bills is significant, with savings of up to 80% to be made when switching to renewables.

For small businesses wanting to reduce energy costs and increase energy efficiency, the renewables proposition is relatively simple but there are factors to consider. Installing an intelligent solar and battery system for example could provide average annual savings on electricity bills of around $2,000 for a one-off investment of $15,000. This is attractive to businesses that can afford the upfront cost, own their premise, and have sufficient roof space in relation to their energy requirements. For small businesses in a rental however, the situation can be trickier, usually because the landlord holds executive decision over the property, but its not impossible.

One underlying problem is that Australias power network regulations are not set up to allow energy to be traded in local areas cheaply. If regulations were changed to encourage a peer-to peer model, this could offer small businesses  and energy customers generally  the ability to access the benefits of solar and batteries without actually having systems located on their premises.

How do we make renewables more economical for small businesses?

More needs to be done to help small businesses access the economic benefits of solar and batteries and we see peer-to-peer trading as a timely and valuable solution.

Peer-to-peer trading can work in a case where, for example, two small businesses in close proximity to each other can complement or supply the others energy needs: one business might have a large energy consumption but lack sufficient roof space to install solar panels and a battery, while the other might have a small energy consumption but a perfect roof space for solar.

Peer-to-peer trading could allow the business with less energy consumption to invest in a solar and battery system and then sell that energy to the business needing it and at a price cheaper than regular grid power. One reason that the price can be cheaper is because the need to rely on a power station to supply energy  and charge customers the cost of the poles and wires needed to transport that energy across the country  is avoided.

Peer-to-peer trading is something my organisation is actively exploring to help Australias energy challenges and we are in the process of building the infrastructure to enable customers to do so. A report by the Energy Networks Association and CSIRO further highlights the future opportunity for peer-to-peer trading, forecasting that by 2050, between 30% to 45% of Australias power supply will be sourced from customer-owned generators.

Federal Government subsidies for batteries could also go a long way in helping businesses and consumers better afford up-front installation costs. Currently, the ACT has a successful program to subsidise batteries that other states could replicate. This is only a start however, and one piece of the longer-term solution.

Why now?

The renewables conversation is happening now because we have reached a tipping point: power prices are rising and at the same time, innovative and intuitive technology is becoming increasingly accessible to the everyday consumer  at homes and businesses. One of the biggest benefits of intelligent or smart solar and battery technology is that it continuously analyses and optimises energy use and costs, choosing the most efficient source between solar, battery and the grid. The economics and efficiencies present a huge value-add for choosing intelligent renewables.

Shifting Australias currently centralised energy model to a decentralised model with peer-to-peer trading is a big transition but one that with progressive, carful implementation presents enormous opportunities for businesses, government and households.

The good news is that regulators are now embracing the vision of a decentralised and optimised grid. The Australian Energy Markets Commission has just released a report examining the requirements for a distributed energy market model, which could be the blueprint for the future. If we can deliver on that model, then Australia wont just be helping to reduce energy costs for businesses, but will lead the world.

See also: Energy startups have to be very smart in how they challenge the big retailers: Evergens CEO

About the author

Emlyn Keane is the CEO of Evergen, a new energy services company that sells and manages intelligent home energy systems comprising solar power and batteries. The intelligence technology is provided by the CSIRO, which periodically analyses and remotely updates the system to improve over time. AMP Capital is a major investor in the company alongside CSIRO. Emlyn was previously Head of Business Operations, Property, at AMP Capital and Head of Operations and Environment at AMP Capital Investors. He recently spoke with Dynamic Business about the genesis of Evergen and opportunities to compete against the large energy retailers.

[1] https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/shopping-for-services/utilities/articles/electricity-prices-to-increase-july-220617
Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist said Monday he thinks the county handled the total solar eclipse event "just right," in that no real public safety problems came up, traffic was the only after-event issue, and retail sales for area businesses were up 15 to 20 percent.

"We think as a community we handled it really well," he said.

Nyquist said the months leading up to the eclipse made the actual day hard to predict because of the inflated speculation on the number of visitors, which he said fluctuated wildly with each passing day.

"At one point I saw a projection of 4 million people (for the state)," he said. "We would not have been able to handle that."

Nyquist said the projection of 100,000 for the county felt more accurate.

"On any game day in the fall, where Oregon State or the University of Oregon are playing, we'd see numbers like that," he said. "It really felt more like one of those days."

Nyquist pointed to other venues, such as Madras, and to Salem's decision to offer free camping in all of its city parks, as things that likely took the heat off the county. Still, he said the real problems could start on Tuesday, when all the visitors who decided to stay an extra night leave.

As for the actual event, Nyquist was able to run home to witness the totality with his teenage son. That experience, Nyquist said, was memorable.

"When it went dark and we were looking at the corona around the moon, my son looked up and then over at me," said Nyquist. "And then he said, 'Dad, I get the distinct feeling that we are not in charge.'"

Sheriff's Office

Save for some post-eclipse traffic issues, the pre-eclipse hype of crowds, food and gas shortages and overwhelmed cell towers didn't materialize.

Prior to the eclipse, the Santiam Rest Area was full by 9:30 a.m., and Interstate 5 southbound from Albany was slow stop-and-go traffic for much of the day.

"We have had zero related calls right now," said Linn County Undersheriff Jim Yon, at 10:10 a.m. Monday, just before totality. Yon was working with a team of Sheriff's Office deputies and volunteers at the Emergency Operations Center at LCSO headquarters, a command post set up specifically to handle possible mayhem.

The last time the Sheriff's Office set up such a center was during flooding in 2011. Comparatively, this center was remarkably relaxed. While staff members monitored situations and traffic conditions throughout the county, they had plenty of time to head outside to view the eclipse.

When Yon remarked at the lack of emergency activity, the light dimmed to dusk levels and the automatic street lights switched on. Most of the staff lined up with their glasses, pulling them away from their eyes as the sky went dark, letting out a collective gasp at the image of the moon surrounded by the silvery light of the corona.

With the spectacle over, the team headed back inside to deal with what Incident Commander Lieutenant Joe Larsen said was the biggest concern of the day: traffic. He said the throngs of visitors hopping on the highways could still cause problems, and some visitors might decide to explore the outdoors, creating the potential for search-and-rescue situations.

Just after totality, 7,500 people were still camped at the Bi-Mart Willamette Country Music Festival, a much lower number than expected. The fear was that all of the campers would break camp and leave at once, adding to the chaos, but that prediction did not materialized.

Larson said all of the hype could have worked in their favor.

"I think a lot of people stayed away because they heard how bad we expected it to be," he said.
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Debut syndication aims to attract new lenders to the sector

In a move to support innovation in Turkeys financial sector, the EBRD is providing a syndicated loan of 120 million Turkish lira (36 million equivalent) to Hayat Varlk, the largest non-performing loans (NPL) and asset management company in the country.

Hayat Varlk has recently merged with Turkasset Varlik Yonetim A.S., previously the biggest player in the market and a long-standing partner of the EBRD.

The funds will partly re-finance the companys maturing debt and enable new NPL acquisitions from financial institutions in the coming years.

The investment will facilitate new lending within the economy and help financially challenged companies to become economically active. This will help boost the resilience of Turkish corporates, small and medium-sized enterprises, the financial sector and the economy as a whole.

Resilience is among the six transition qualities the EBRD has identified as the characteristics of a successful economy, along with competitiveness, green, inclusion, good governance and integration.

Half of the EBRDs loan is syndicated to the Turkish subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC Turkey). As the first syndication of a loan to an NPL asset management company in the country, it will diversify Hayat Varlks investor base and lengthen the maturity profile of its funding base.

Hilmi Guvenal, the CEO of the newly consolidated Hayat Varlk, said: Since 2009 we have grown to 800,000 customers, a portfolio of 8.5 billion TRY and 600 employees under the Turkasset brand. The powerful combination of a robust shareholding structure, solid lenders, advanced technology and a people-focused business approach has also made us the subject of a Harvard Business School case study. Building on these achievements, we will continue our journey as a strong new company under the name of Hayat Varlk. The syndicated loan provided by the EBRD and ICBC is an important sign of international investors confidence in both our company and the Turkish economy.

Jean-Patrick Marquet, EBRD Managing Director for Turkey, commented: With this transaction we are broadening Hayat Varlks access to long-term local-currency funding. We are particularly delighted to have brought along such a major lender as ICBC to what is a new asset class for them. This a pioneering syndicated loan structure in the Turkish NPL market and we hope to attract more interest to the sector.

Xu Keen, ICBC Turkey Chairman added: "This landmark transaction is our third joint project with the EBRD in Turkey. As the first Chinese bank active in the country, we are seeking further investment opportunities alongside leading financial institutions and large corporates to continue supporting the Turkish economy. Our goal is to become one of the major financial institutions providing long-term financing to Turkish and international investors.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the worlds largest bank, entered the Turkish financial market by acquiring Tekstilbank, a local lender, in May 2015.

The EBRD started investing in Turkey in 2009 and currently operates from offices in Istanbul, Ankara and Gaziantep. The country is a top destination for the Banks finance, with 1.9 billion invested in 2016 alone. To date, the Bank has invested over 9 billion in Turkey through more than 220 projects across sectors and has mobilised nearly 20 billion for these ventures from other sources of financing. Some 98 per cent of the Banks investments in Turkey are in the private sector.

The EBRD invested in a 12.3 per cent stake of Turkasset in 2011 and retains its stake in the newly merged company. It has previously provided a 27 million loan to Turkasset and has invested a total of TL 61 million (19.5 million) in four issuances of its bonds.

Established in 2008, Turkasset has a 31 per cent market share in the sector where it operates. It holds assets of 253 million and total equity of 90 million as of end-2016.
Stung by charges that it allowed fake news stories to proliferate during the 2016 election cycle, Facebook on Thursday began rolling out broadly a feature meant to regain the trust of its members. The tool effectively will surround questionable stories with related news stories offering different perspectives  a strategy intended to help readers discern where the truth lies.

Facebook this spring began testing the Related Articles feature, offering different takes on stories fact checkers have disputed as false, including coverage of the topics by legitimate news organizations.

Facebook also has updated its machine learning technology to flag potential hoax stories and send them to third-party fact checkers, according to News Feed product manager Sara Su. Following review, additional stories may be posted showing related articles beneath the original post.

Election Fallout

Facebook has been under fire since the 2016 election cycle for allowing fake news to proliferate on the network, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken criticism for failing to understand his companys role as a de facto provider of news and information to readers.

The company in January brought in former CNN and NBC broadcaster Campbell Brown to lead its news partnerships group, which acts as a liaison with more traditional media organizations to help Facebook better adhere to journalistic standards in terms of the content that is allowed in users News Feeds.

Ad placements next to fake news is increasingly being recognized as a problem by both the ad and publishing communities, observed Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at Poynter.

I think and certainly hope that there is a growing flight to quality, which will reward the providers of serious journalism like The New York Times, The Atlantic and Vox, he told TechNewsWorld.

Facebooks relationship with traditional media has been complicated by the fact that many legitimate news sites have found their articles and videos posted on the network for free, with no way of recouping revenue and no way of tracking how many legitimate subscribers actually are viewing the content.

As a result, Facebook last month announced plans to test a paywall that would charge users a fee to view content from certain sources, following a grace period of 10 free articles per month.

Fake news is a really tough problem to crack, noted Mark Nunnikhoven, vice president of cloud research at Trend Micro.

The challenge isnt actually filtering out posts from a news feed or search index  its how to identify what is fake about a story, he told TechNewsWorld.

Underground services in China, Russia, the Middle East and other countries propagate fake news, using everything from underground crowdsourcing services to voter manipulation platforms and services like BeSoEasy, which sells automation bots, according to a recent Trend Micro white paper.

Facebooks approach is admirable, Nunnikhoven said, because it avoids pointing fingers at particular stories but gives readers enough information to make their own value judgments.

However, the deeper challenge is determining whether something has gained the attention of the native algorithms from organic interest or a coordinated push, he pointed out. Even then, a coordinated push could be a marketing campaign and not something malicious.

Search Algorithm Issues

The fake news phenomenon is clearly is not limited to Facebook. Google also has been a target of criticism for allowing content farms and other automation services to drive certain stories up the search rankings. The result is that when users search for a particular subject, the misleading articles are displayed right next to legitimate stories.

Google has taken some steps to improve its algorithms, using new search-quality rater guidelines and direct feedback tools, Ben Gomes, vice president of engineering at Google, noted in an online post this spring.

Google also expanded its use of Jigsaws fact-check tool into its global search and Google News sites to display legitimate articles and tag them to show that they have been properly vetted, Justin Kosslyn, project manager at Jigsaw, and research scientist Connie Yu wrote in an online post.

Google also commissioned a study, conducted jointly by Michigan State University, Oxford University and the University of Ottawa, which found that fake news and biased search algorithms did not have a major impact on public opinion, based on a survey of 14,000 Internet users in the U.S. and six European nations.
T-Mobile last week announced that it has begun the long-anticipated rollout of its new 600-MHz LTE premium low-band spectrum network in Cheyenne, Wyoming, kicking off a massive rollout designed to provide wireless coverage to rural communities across the United States.

T-Mobile also plans to use the low-band spectrum to accelerate deployment of next-generation 5G mobile service.

T-Mobile acquired about 45 percent of the low-band spectrum licenses the Federal Communications Commission made available two months ago. It spent about US$8 billion to gain access to millions of potential wireless customers in small communities where access to wireless and broadband coverage has been limited due to low-density populations and high buildout costs.

T-Mobile aims to meet a record-setting deployment schedule, it said, condensing a two-year deployment process to make the network available to consumers in only six months.

T-Mobile has seen rapid growth in recent years, observed Jeff Kagan, an independent telecom analyst.

The one area where it has not grown is the rural U.S., he told the E-Commerce Times.

Major Expansion

T-Mobile has set an ambitious schedule for deploying low-band spectrum around the country, with new service planned for Northwest Oregon, West Texas, Southwest Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle, Western North Dakota, Maine, coastal North Carolina, central Pennsylvania, central Virginia and eastern Washington.

The deployment will bring T-Mobiles total LTE coverage from 315 million to 321 million customers nationwide by the end of 2017, according to the company.

T-Mobile earlier this year said it was working with PBS and Americas Public Television Stations to cover the cost of relocating low-power broadcast facilities to new broadcasting frequencies following the FCC auction. Up to 38 million rural viewers are at risk of losing access to free public television with the change to new frequencies.

Tech Advancements

Nokia and Qualcomm have developed new technology to facilitate the wireless deployment, T-Mobile noted, and Samsung and LG plan to have new mobile devices ready to operate on the spectrum by the end of the year. Nokias Flexi MultiRadio 10 Base Station will be used in the buildout.

Qualcomms X20 LTE modem and RF transceiver were designed with 600-MHz capability, Jim Tran, senior vice president of product management, noted in an online post this spring.

Qualcomm had been working with the FCC on the design, he said.

However, OEMs would face antenna design challenges, Tran pointed out, because the range of frequencies supported by mobile devices would be stretched at the low end of the radio spectrum.

Qualcomms RF Front End technologies, including dynamic antenna tuning, were designed to operate in the 600-MHz spectrum without having to increase antenna size or compromise RF performance.

Both Qualcomms Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, which is part of its 835 mobile platform, and its WTR5975 RF transceiver will support 600 MHz, according to Tran.

The T-Mobile deployment will help spur new competition in Wyoming, where smaller, local providers compete against major telecoms like Verizon and AT&T, said Bryan Woody, chief customer relations officer at Union Wireless, a Wyoming-based carrier.

Finally a Tier 1 carrier is trying to push the envelope, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Late to the Party?

However, the impact on Wyoming will be limited, at best, in the view of Matt Larsen, CEO of VistaBeam, a Nebraska-based wireless firm.

It may help drive down the price of cellular service somewhat, but the areas that they will be going to first are the ones that already have pretty decent coverage from existing providers, and there is nothing particularly innovative or interesting about 600-Mhz spectrum that will make people want to switch, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Frankly, T-Mobile is a little late to the party, said Verizon Wireless spokesperson Meagan Dorsch.

While theyre catching up, were planning for tomorrows customer needs. We currently have the largest 5G test bed in the world in 11 cities where precommercial trials are going on with live customers, she told the E-Commerce Times.

Low-band spectrum such as T-Mobile is now deploying is what we started deploying years ago, Dorsch said, and what our customers are using now. Our 4G LTE network, using 700 MHz spectrum, is the largest in the country. T-Mobiles smaller network has roughly 750,000 fewer square miles of coverage.
Facebook last week confirmed its plan to launch a paywall for content providers, a move that could ease longstanding tensions with traditional publishers who objected to giving away their print stories for free.

Campbell Brown, former CNN and NBC News journalist and current head of Facebooks news partnerships unit, announced the plan at a New York digital media forum, outlining the companys strategy for monetizing the news content that drives so much of the user engagement on the site.

Consumers increasingly are getting their first read of daily news on Facebook.

We are in early talks with several news publishers about how we might better support subscription business models on Facebook, Brown said. As part of the Facebook Journalism Project, we are taking the time to work closely with our partners and understand their needs.

Test Run

Facebook will test its paywall model later this year with a small group of publishers. Readers will be given access to 10 free articles per month but then will have to subscribe to view additional articles. A more robust version is planned for 2018, according to a source familiar with the project.

Brown and fellow Facebook executive Fidji Simo briefed several publishers about the plan during one-on-one meetings last week in New York and Paris, according to the source, and the company has been working closely with numerous publishers in recent months to get a better handle on the issue.

The plan is for the subscription to operate through Facebooks Instant Articles platform. There will be so-called freemium options, and publishers will have full control over locked and unlocked articles. Publishers also will have full control over their subscriber data, and the program will be able to authenticate existing subscribers.

Collective Bargaining Move

The Facebook announcement came about a week after the News Media Alliance, which represents 2,000 news organizations in the U.S. and Canada, asked Congress to pass legislation that would allow it to engage in collective bargaining with Facebook and Google.

Those two companies dominate most of online consumption of news content and control almost 70 percent of digital advertising revenue, according to the alliance.

Google and Facebook basically have forced publishers to give up their rights and play by their rules, said Paul Boyle, News Media Alliance SVP of public policy.

Their dominance has forced publishers to try and exercise more control, he maintained.

Basically, what youve seen is a commoditization of the news, where many people cant tell the difference between real news and fake news reports, Boyle told the E-Commerce Times.

Gradual Evolution

Facebook is responding, gradually and with a variety of initiatives, to help publishing partners, said Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at Poynter.

This is a constructive step, but not necessarily transformative, he told the E-Commerce Times. It fits the current trend of publishers asking digital readers to pay a bigger share of their costs  a bit ironically, in that Facebook and Google are sucking up nearly all the digital ad growth.

It would be mildly surprising if Google, or especially Twitter, should follow suit, Edmonds said.

Facebooks move is part of a natural progression, as the company finally is taking ownership of the fact that it operates as a publisher and is a major information source for many readers, said Zack Fuller, an analyst at Midia Research.

The argument that Facebook is simply a platform for news content no longer washes, he told the E-Commerce Times, when we consider the scale of its user base and the fact that its increasingly becoming many peoples core news source away from TV and print.
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(Photo: British Council)Young people in the United Kingdom.

In the United Kingdom, regular church attendance continues to dive, but Religious Studies remains the fastest-growing exam subject among the arts, humanities, and social sciences in the country for people aiming to go college.

It is the high school subject that is growing the second fastest after Further Maths, the Church Times reported despite growing secularization of the society.

More than 23,000 students who on Aug. 16 completed their examinations for subjects needed to gain university entry chose RS, as it is also known.

The numbers are down four percent on last year, but still more than double the number taking the exam since 2003 (11,132 students), the newspaper reported.

The nearest comparable subject was Political Studies, where interest has grown 90 percent.

Among all subjects, only Further Maths had seen more rapid growth than RS, data provided by the Joint Council for Qualifications shows.

Of all RS students collecting results for the university exams known as A levels this week, 23.5 percent were awarded an A or an A*  higher that 13 other subjects, including English (17.9 per cent), and Business Studies (15.2 per cent), the data showed.

Further Maths students gained the highest percentage of As and A*s (58.2 percent  42.2 for single maths), compared to the lowest achieving subjects: Media (11.5 per cent), and General Studies (12.1 percent).

Overall, the proportion of students awarded A* and A grades in all subjects increased for the first time since 2011.

The National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) and the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC) emphasised the importance of the subject in Britain after the release of the data.

UNIVERSITIES ACCEPT VALUE OF RELIGIOUS LITERACY

They said universities and employers are more and more accepting the value of religious literacy.

Pointing to data from the Higher Education Career Services Unit, which suggests that 25 percent of university graduates in 2015 went on to work in the legal, social, or welfare sectors, NATRE and REC noted that career prospects are "very bright" for those studying RS or theology at degree level.

They also said that in February this year there had been the creation of a diversity-and-inclusion training program from the analytics company Ernst & Young: Religious Literacy for Organisations, designed to help organisations better understand religious inclusion and its impact on business process and performance.

The chair of NATRE, Daniel Hugill, congratulated students sitting exams for university and teachers on the latest results.

He said, "It is of little surprise to those of us who teach RS that it remains so popular amongst young people.

"RS A-level is an excellent preparation for both further study and for entering the world of work. The subject matter and approach of an RS A-level helps to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to succeed in modern Britain."

The chief executive of the REC, Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, said that, while its popularity and the results are encouraging, more needs to be done to support religious education in the United Kingdom.

"This is a highly rated subject that offers pupils the opportunity to explore crucial questions in relation to beliefs, values, and morality. In doing so it provides an excellent preparation for living in a multifaith, multicultural world.

"I hope that the [UK] Government will want to work with us to turn enough of today's keen A Level pupils into tomorrow's teachers, to help meet the shortfall in appropriately qualified teachers of religious education that we currently face."
(Photo: The Orthodox Church of Albania)Orthodox Church of Albania celebrates last 25 years with Archbishop Anastasios

About 30 years ago before the death of Communist dictator Enver Hoxha Albania was an officially atheist State, where even mentioning religion could land a person in the dungeons.

This month the Orthodox Church of Albania, with a Festive Divine Liturgy on Aug. 2, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the election and appointment of Archbishop Anastasios as the head of the church.

Many regard the canonical revival of the Orthodox Church of Albania as beginning when the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople sent Archbishop Anastasios - at that time the Metropolitan of Androussa, moderator of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches.

He was also the acting archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

In May this year, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, praised the Albanian Government's policies and practices to promote and protect interreligious harmony and co-existence in the country.

However, he noted that Albania's multi-religious society faces many challenges, including democratic consolidation, economic and social development, as well as those related to rapid globalization.

He urged the authorities to address unresolved issues dating back to 1967, when Albania officially became an atheist State.

"Freedom of religion or belief is a practical reality in Albania, and there is much the world can learn from the Albanian experience in respecting freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief and achieving inter-religious harmony," Shaheed said.

He was speaking at the end of his first fact-finding mission to the country, from May 8 to 17.

The expert noted that Albania is a multi-religious society with a deeply troubled past where intense and systematic persecution of all religions, after the late sixties.

ENVER HOXHA

Under the iron-fisted communist rule of Enver Hoxha from 1944 until his death in 198, Albania effectively wiped out religious institutions in the country and had banned all public expressions of religion by the eighties.

"Many issues related to the abuses carried out prior to the end of the authoritarian rule in 1990 remain unresolved, such as the restitution of properties seized and destroyed or repurposed by the state," Shaheed stressed.

"However, the free, voluntary and respectful expression of religious sentiment lies at the heart of the interreligious harmony and co-existence that characterizes the situation of freedom of religion or belief in Albania today," he said.

"The underlying circumstances and disposition that nourish and promote interfaith harmony in Albania are unique to the country, and there are many examples of good practices, in both governmental policy and communal engagement that can be instructive to the international community," Shaheed said.

In a news statemen earlier in August, the Orthodox Church of Albania expressed joy and gratitude for Archbishop Anastasios.

"Even in the most difficult moments, with abundant blessings from God and the continuous support of the Orthodox faithful of Albania, he accomplished a real miracle," read the statement.

In his message at the Festive Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Anastasios recalled the path followed by him since the beginning of his work till the present.

He noted, in particular, that these achievements are simply the starting point of an ongoing journey of resurrection for the Orthodox Church of Albania.
For a number of years, a court in Spain has had before it a case involving the 1989 murder of the Jesuit priests at the University of Central America. Although the case is before the court, none of the former military officer defendants are yet before the court. El Salvador's Supreme Judicial Court has twice denied extradition of the officers who are in El Salvador.





This leaves former Salvadoran army colonel Inocente Orlando Montano Morales who has been fighting attempts to extradite him from the US to Spain. Yesterday Montano lost another round in court. From the Associated Press

Judge Terrence Boyle ruled that a lower-level magistrate judge was correct last year in approving the extradition of Inocente Orlando Montano Morales, who is charged with terrorist murder in the 1989 killings of the Jesuit priests, most of whom were from Spain.

A human rights lawyer who helped persuade Spanish authorities to prosecute Montano applauded.

The U.S. government has a great interest in cooperating with Spain on an accusation of terrorist murder, said Patty Blum, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. This is all about international cooperation.

Montano could still ask a federal appeals court to halt his extradition. His attorney, James Todd, didnt respond to a message seeking comment.

Montano is the highest-ranking official in recent history to be ordered extradited from the United States for human rights violations. At the time of the massacre, Montano served as the Vice Minister of Defense for Public Safety, in command of the National Police, the Treasury Police, and the National Guard.

In her 23-page ruling, [U.S. Magistrate Judge] Swank said the evidence shows that Montano participated in the "terrorist" murders and attended the key meetings where the high command plotted the assassination of Jesuit Father Ignacio Ellacuria, the rector of the University of Central America.

Requiem para los martires by Antonio Bonilla
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Perhaps the most astonishing thing about Donald Trumps victory last November was that, according to exit polls, 60 percent of the voters had an unfavorable impression of Trump on the day he was elected president of the United States.

Now, its remarkable that after all that has happened, Trumps favorable and unfavorable rating  not his job approval, but whether people hold a favorable or unfavorable view of him  is virtually the same as it was on election day.

A new Marist poll found that 60 percent of those surveyed have an unfavorable view of the president, versus 34 percent who have a favorable view and six percent who dont know.

In the RealClearPolitics average of all polls on the favorable/unfavorable question, Trump is now at 55.2 percent unfavorable versus 39.6 percent favorable. That is little changed from his average on November 8: 58.5 percent unfavorable, versus 37.5 percent favorable.

Considering all that has gone on in the Trump presidency  its too much to recount in a sentence or two  the stability of the Trump favorable/unfavorable rating is notable.

The other measure, Trumps job approval rating, has fallen since he took office; it was 43.8 percent in the RCP average in his first week in office and is 38.6 percent now. Pollsters and strategists believe the job approval rating  which Trump of course didnt have before January 20  is much more important than personal approval.

In every model I am familiar with over the past 40 years, job approval has been a more influential predictor than a personal favorable rating and I believe that will be true for President Trump as well, said Bill McInturff, the Republican pollster who, along with Democrat Peter Hart, conducts the Wall Street Journal-NBC poll, in an email exchange. Long ago, presidents could have some gap between how we perceived them personally, with Carter and Reagan, for example, having stronger personal ratings than job approval at various points. An exception was President Clinton in 1998, who had terrible personal ratings, but high job approval.

Right now, Trumps job approval rating and personal favorability rating are very close, as are the job disapproval rating and personal unfavorable rating. But is that disastrous for the president, or not? Theres still what happened last election day to consider.

In another email exchange, David Winston, a pollster who has done extensive work for House Republicans, agreed that job approval is a more important measure than personal approval, but also noted that Trumps polls are hard to interpret.

Trying to compare Trump numbers with prior presidents at this point is very difficult, particularly given that he started with 60 percent unfavorable on election night, said Winston. He also had a significant amount of support coming from people who had an unfavorable view of him. Of the people that voted for him, 20 percent had an unfavorable view, according to the exit polls.

Winstons comments suggest that the old way of viewing job approval as the pre-eminent measure of a presidents performance might be lacking when it comes to Trump. But if that is true, nobody has come up with a better measure, at least not at the moment.

Even though much of the political reporting and commentary at the moment focuses on Trumps excesses, Bill McInturff also sees something bigger than Trump at work.

We are at the logical end of a generation of change in American politics, McInturff said. Political scientists measure polarization by the gap between how the presidents party rates a president versus the opposition party. President Clinton was the most polarizing president in polling history, followed by Bush 43, who took over the mantle of most polarizing until replaced by President Obama, with the largest gap now being held by President Trump.

McInturffs conclusion: President Trump did not begin this trend, but he has become its logical end point. Hence, its hard to change numbers when 85 percent of your own party likes you and functionally no one does in the other party.

A Trump re-election campaign, if there is one, seems light years away; who knows what will happen between now and then? What is more pressing is what effect Trumps standing will have on the 2018 midterms, where Republican prospects seem very strong in the Senate and far less so in the House. Brad Todd, a Republican strategist who has worked with many congressional candidates, believes there should be a new way of measuring the political climate.

I think two polarizing presidencies in a row have broken this measuring stick, Todd wrote in an email. Job approval is more important than personal favorability, but neither is as important as what we call the gas pedal/brake pedal question.

By gas pedal/brake pedal, Todd referred to whether voters believe Congress should serve as a brake on a presidents policy choices or whether lawmakers should offer more help and support to the president.

In 2010, Obama had high personal favorables, softening job approval, and a really high brake pedal number, Todd wrote. That led to a landslide against his party in the mid-term. His personal favorability eventually dropped, before rising again in 2018 just as voters were rebuking his chosen successor.

The question to watch is not what voters think of a president personally, but whether or not they think he needs supervision or not, Todd added.

Trump is a conundrum, Todd concluded, because voters see him as a brake pedal on both parties. So it is unclear whether they will put a brake pedal on the brake pedal in the next midterm.

The bottom line is that evaluating Trumps standing is probably more complicated than simply citing a falling job approval number. This is a presidency like no other, and it should be no surprise that measuring it presents new problems.
We currently have a President who has verbally assaulted the other two branches of government with numerous verbal and tweeted assaults and insults of judges, congressmen, senators, and members of the Executive Branch to include the special prosecutor investigating the possible illegal cover up of his campaigns collusion with the Russians during the last election.

He has also insulted anti-KKK, anti-Nazis and anyone who opposes his diatribes. He has encouraged hate and discontent in the American populace and appears to be mentally disturbed. It is time for our congressman, Mr. Amodei, and our Republican senator, Dean Heller, to stand up to his abuses of power, possible illegal cover up, and assaults on the other two branches of government.

They should be verbally disagreeing with his rants and stand up for the freedoms so many Nevadans have fought for, been mutilated by our enemies, and died to protect. They should also be talking about his frequently irrational rants and numerous tweets which have been proven to be lies and have sown the seeds of the current domestic violence.

They should be speaking up for all of us Nevadans and especially for our large number of Hispanic, Jewish, and African American Nevada citizens. And then they also should be talking about either invoking the 25th Amendment or impeachment.

Under the 25th Amendment Congress can initiate his temporary removal for being mentally unfit to be the President. Once removed, Pence becomes the acting President until such time as Trump can prove that he is not too mentally ill to be the President. The House can also begin impeachment hearings focused on the obvious cover-up by him of his campaigns collusion with the Russians. As part of that, they can subpoena the Special Prosecutor for what he has learned so far. If it can be proved that he is trying to cover up a felony or participated in it, that counts as high crimes and misdemeanors. The Senate then would hold the trial to remove him from office.

Even if this doesnt come to pass, our Republican congressman and senator need to speak out and call him to task. They have to stop being rubber stamps for Senator McConnell and Congressman Ryan. The freedom, liberty, and racial harmony of our nation are at stake. And if that means that the out-of-state PACs controlled by the Republican leadership contribute to their opponents in the next election, they can still be proud for trying to protect us and acting as real Nevada men, not puppets. They have to start fighting for our democracy and racial harmony now, before it is too late.
The Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman used to say that we are living in liquid times by which he meant a constant presence of change, which in turn creates uncertainty. In such a state, social institutions dissolve more quickly than the new ones are able to form. Backed by plentiful evidence, the liquidity has become a dominant feature of the increasingly contradictory Middle East. The region is characterized by short-lived alliances that are often times formed in fear rather than in shared identities. Moreover, these liquid alliances are continuously adapting to the landscape and operate in the environment of liquid rivalries too.

The recent regional boycott against Qatar is the most obvious case of this liquidity, which has, for example, brought about the current rapprochement between Iran and Turkey in the same fashion as the advance of the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria made Turkey reconcile with Russia. The Saudi-Egyptian alliance is another example of unlikely alliances formed due to the Qatar crisis  it is worth reminding that back in October 2016, the Saudis suspended oil supplies to Egypt in response to Cairos move to join Russians in two votes at the United Nations. By the end of 2016, the tension was still high but this has not prevented either country to join forces against Doha. The Saudi-Emirati alliance is also fluid. Although Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have not had any clash in recent years, their involvement in Libya demonstrates their varying preferences. While the Emiratis are backing Khalifa Haftar, thus teaming up with the Egyptians, the Saudis preferred to keep out of it.

Even more interestingly, the Saudi-led coalition against Qatar was not joined by Pakistan, whose links to Qatar are important for the imports of liquefied natural gas. This decision to go against Riyadh is, however, not the first one. In 2015, Islamabad decided not to send its troops to join the operation Decisive Storm in Yemen. As a result of Pakistans opt-out from the Qatar boycott, Saudi Arabia feels that it can no longer rely on Pakistan as a security provider, which would have long-lasting consequences for the geopolitics of the region and beyond. Another country that has not taken side with Riyadh is Morocco, which neither sent its troops to Yemen nor joined the sanctions against Qatar. In contrast, Algeria, a country that tends to disagree with Rabat on almost everything, is exceptionally in line with Morocco on this particular issue.

Liquidity has been further reinforced by global developments. The new administration in the White House was received with hope across the Middle Eastern capitals and there is no doubt that the Qatar boycott was emboldened during Donald Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia. The Trump Effect could be perceived as an indication that Washington will further boost its traditional alliances or it could be a warning that Donald Trump will further destabilize the region. When it comes to the European Union, the old continent is a secondary player. Brussels is not seen as a potential ally  liquid or solid  but its brand is strong in trade and humanitarian action.

The Qatar Crisis: Welcome to the Liquid Middle East  Opinion by Eduard Soler i Lecha  Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB).



The Opinion can be downloaded here:
Croatia has kicked off preliminary works on a long-delayed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the northern Adriatic  the first concrete step to build a terminal that would be part of the EUs efforts to decrease energy dependence on Moscow and thus boost the continents energy security. The Croatian energy company LNG Hrvatska confirmed to Croatian press that the company would start conducting research and drilling of the seabed off the island of Krk in order to check its stability. The works are supposed to last until the end of September.

The Krk terminal is shortlisted as the EUs Project of Common Interest due to its strategic purpose to diversify gas supply sources and lower dependence on the imports of natural gas from Russia. The EU is financing 101.4 million, almost a third of the projects value. The terminal is due to be finished in 2019 and its capacity is seen at around two billion cubic meters of gas annually. Croatia plans to target central European markets as well as its domestic market.

Zagreb had initially wanted to build a land-based terminal with bigger capacity but those plans are currently on hold and depend on the blocs future gas demand. The brainstorming around the Krk project was initiated more than 10 years ago but the first concept did not take off due to protracted decision-making that put investors off. In the meantime, Poland opened its first LNG terminal last year at a Baltic Sea port. Both countries  Poland and Croatia  also signed a deal to construct a North-South Gas Corridor connection that would enable transferring gas between the two terminals.
The UK government has now released several new papers, attempting to clarify their position on a number of Brexit topics. While this is obviously late, it is most certainly better than never. GBP markets were largely disinterested in the news, suggesting that there was no sufficient shock in either direction to do anything meaningful. PM May continues to want a trade deal, but the EU is committed to ensuring that the Divorce settlement and the rights of citizens are adequately protected. The UK can keep pushing but for now it's falling on deaf ears.

Papers or not, the future of the GBP is still unclear. Particularly concerning for UK business is a growing euro-skeptic voice which seems to be growing in strength once again within the party. The UKs trade situation is such that the EU is a disproportionately massive partner and any other new trade deals would have to be colossal to make up the shortfall. Is it realistic to increase trade with China and the US by previously unimaginable levels, to make up as little as a 10% dip with the common market?

Have the GBP/EUR, GBP/USD exchange rates absorbed most of the Brexit worries?

Trade wants partners who are first and foremost in close proximity, and the Irish relationship is a good example of trade between the UK and Ireland is more significant than that between the UK and Spain a much larger economy than Irelands.

Economists at Credit Agricole think that all these concerns over trade and politics appear to be well entrenched in the price for now and the risks are skewed to the positive side

The latest price action in GBP seems to suggest that some negatives related to the darkening UK economic outlook and the political uncertainty linked to Brexit are already in the price, however. This much could imply that the currency impact of any disappointing data or resurfacing Brexit risks this week may be more muted than the impact of positive surprises.

If the UK economy has shown us anything over the course of Brexit, it has been how important the British pound is to the Island nation and how resilient the job market has been.

With no-one expecting anything good to happen in negotiations any time soon, Credit Agricoles position is extremely prudent, particularly when the heavy short positioning in Sterling is considered.
Garcias turns 55 this year. With fresh paint, new paneling and shiny chrome barstools that look brand new, even 55 looks pretty good on this little cafe with the gigantic reputation. A reputation that was built one brisket taco and one #1 Mexican Dinner at a time.

Tacos: If nothing else went right besides the brisket taco at Garcias, Id still rate it worth a drive for that brisket taco alone. Other things went right, but this taco with brisket and guacamole ($3.69) went especially right, with a wide slice cut from the moist end, with a ridge of fat through the center, a velvet smoking jacket of bark and a coral blush working its wood-smoked way to the silky core.
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Jasmine Paredess parents didnt go to college. Immigrants from Mexico who only speak Spanish, they opened a small auto dealership several years ago in their East Side neighborhood, an enterprise that Paredes, 18, described as trial and error.

So Paredes father was amazed when, two months after she graduated fourth in her class at Sam Houston High School, she graduated again  from an apprenticeship at Accenture Federal Services, a tech consulting company that contracts with the federal government.

I never imagined somebody in my family being able to do something like this, Paredes recalled her father saying.

Accenture began offering the apprenticeships in April, and a new cohort will begin in a matter of weeks, for a total of about 50 apprentices this year, said Ali Bokhari, director of Accenture Federal Services Delivery Network. The positions are open to prospective tech industry employees aged 17 and up, Bokhari said.

They make $14 per hour and can work up to 40 hours a week, depending on their availability, in application testing, application development, network infrastructure or program support, Bokhari said. There is no residency requirement, but Accenture is focused on recruiting from the Eastside Promise Zone through Sam Houston High School, St. Philips College and the Eastside Education and Training Center.

Apprentices shadow Accenture employees and, toward the end of the program, do hands-on work in a controlled environment, Bokhari said. Paredes apprenticeship involved working on a database for about 200 clients.

They understand how technology is used in business, Bokhari said. They get exposure to the functional side of things and thats really important, whether or not youre going to actually write code.

A typical apprenticeship lasts 12 weeks, but ideally, Sam Houston graduates who go on to St. Philips College could keep working for Accenture for years while earning their associates degree, Bokhari said.

We wouldnt put them through the exact same program again, he said. Wed put them through something more challenging or something different.

Apprentices end up in a better position to apply for a job with Accenture  or any other employer in the field of information technology.

The Promise Zone, some 22 square miles, was designated during the Obama Administration along with other high-poverty areas across the country to receive special consideration in the federal grant application process. The area has a poverty rate of about 31 percent and an unemployment rate of 10 percent.

Accentures apprenticeship program is the first of its kind in San Antonio, said Romanita Matta-Barrera, executive director of SA Works. Its being used as a model for similar partnerships with other corporations, including a manufacturing apprenticeship being developed with Precision Group, she said.

They are going to walk away with better skills so they have better-paying employment, Matta-Barrera said. Thats a win-win for our community.

SA Works convenes the public and private sectors to create employer-led job training. It helped connect Accenture to schools in the Promise Zone and federal funds to pay some apprentices through Workforce Solutions Alamo.

For apprenticeships, Accenture recruits students from the science and tech magnet program at Sam Houston High, those pursuing related fields at St. Philips College and graduates of the information technology certification program at Eastside Education and Training Center. More than 400 students have graduated from workforce training programs at the center, and 85 percent of them came from the East Side, said Mike Etienne, the citys Promise Zone director.

We think the apprenticeship program will put East Side residents on a career pathway, which is very important for us, Etienne said.

Paredes has a scholarship to study chemical engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station. But when Accenture recruiters came to her high school computer research class in the spring, Paredes signed up.

She had already been working part-time, taking people up the Tower of the Americas, but said she felt privileged to have a job with a cubicle, badge and work-issued laptop so soon after high school graduation. Paredes said she learned how to network, dress professionally and interact in a business environment  skills not usually taught in high school.

All her pay from the apprenticeship went into savings, and Paredes said she will put her new spreadsheet skills to use at her parents business, which still keeps records on paper.

Im going to make sure to come back to Sam Houston and influence the other seniors to actually take part in this, because its a really good opportunity and we dont usually get these things, Paredes said. I just hope that other businesses will look into other apprenticeship programs like this.

AMalik@express-news.net
FALFURRIAS  Sixty immigrants were found in a load of ice-covered broccoli in a refrigerated trailer that was searched at a South Texas border checkpoint, federal officials said Monday.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection statement said nobody was hurt and the trucker was arrested at the Falfurrias checkpoint.

Agents on Saturday opened the padlocked trailer and found dozens of immigrants amid pallets of broccoli lined with ice. Customs officials say the temperature inside the trailer was 49 degrees. Some immigrants wore hooded heavy coats.

The immigrants  from Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador and Hondurans  were detained and being processed for entering the U.S. illegally. The trucker faces immigrant smuggling charges.

Officials didnt immediately say where the produce was headed or provide further details on the investigation.

Last week, Border Patrol agents found 16 immigrants locked inside a semitrailer at a gas station in the Edinburg and 20 immigrants crammed into a locked semitrailer at an Interstate 10 checkpoint southwest of El Paso. All were in good condition.

In July, 10 people entering the U.S. died after being packed with as many as 90 other people into a sweltering tractor-trailer that was found outside a San Antonio Walmart.

The driver of the truck. 61-year-old James Matthew Bradley Jr. of Florida, is facing several charges, including transporting immigrants resulting in death and conspiracy to do so. He could face life in prison, and even the death penalty.

Staff writer Guillermo Contreras contributed to this story.
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After President Donald Trump announced his Afghanistan strategy Monday night that administration sources said included sending 4,000 more troops to the country, military analysts were skeptical that the decision will end the longest war in U.S. history without renewed efforts to broker a diplomatic settlement with the Taliban.

Unless the troop increase is paired with a well thought-out political strategy for what the United States is trying to accomplish, were going to be spinning our wheels, said Stephen Tankel, an adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, a bipartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. Four thousand troops is not going to be enough to defeat the Taliban.

In a nationally televised address, Trump, speaking before troops at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, pledged that America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. But he added that our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check.

Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban and Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen, he said.

More Information New policy Key points of Trump's announcement on the war in Afghanistan Shift to conditions-based approach; stop publishing time-based deadlines Integrate diplomatic, economic and miltary power in the fight Change approach to Pakistan to end safe havens there for terrorists Enlist help from India, especially in economic development in Afghanistan Expand military authority to attack terrorists wherever they might be Fight to win; victory will have a clear definition Involve NATO and other allies in this new strategy. See More Collapse

The additional forces Trump is expected to deploy will join 8,400 U.S. troops involved in Resolute Support, the NATO-led training mission of the Afghan military. The American presence on the ground also includes some 2,000 special operations troops carrying out counterterrorism missions with Afghan forces against the Taliban, Islamic State group and al-Qaida.

Trumps decision represents a departure from his frequent criticism of U.S. involvement in a war he once called a total disaster and that will mark its 16th year in October.

In a post on Twitter in 2013, he wrote, We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. Their government has zero appreciation. Lets get out!

The president made no reference Monday to the 10-year strategic partnership agreement that the U.S. and Afghanistan signed in 2012. Paul Miller, associate director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin, asserted that the U.S. should reaffirm its commitment to strengthening the Afghan government.

Trump is no fan of spending money on reconstruction overseas, but we cant win in Afghanistan without it, said Miller, a former CIA analyst and Army intelligence officer who deployed to the country. We need to have some kind of stable government to hold the line and command the Afghan army after we leave.

In the view of Anthony Cordesman, a military strategy expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, failing to reinforce the Afghan government will neutralize any military gains.

It is a country that really needs more cohesive political leadership, and it really needs better governance at all levels, he said. And that has to happen at a level where the Afghan people can see it.

An increase of 4,000 troops would correspond with what Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told federal lawmakers in February that he needed to aid Afghan forces battling a Taliban insurgency that has shown renewed potency.

The special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction reported last month that the Taliban control or influence 45 of the countrys 407 administrative districts  the most territory the group has held since U.S. forces toppled it from power in 2001  while an additional 119 are contested.

Afghan forces have suffered heavy casualties since assuming the lead security role from the U.S. military in 2015. In the first four months of this year, nearly 6,800 Afghan troops were killed or wounded, an average of 375 a week, according to the special inspector general.

More than 2,400 American troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001, and the U.S. has poured an estimated $800 billion into the war and the countrys reconstruction.

Concerns over Afghanistans fragile security persuaded former President Barack Obama to ease restrictions on U.S. airstrikes against insurgents last year, and the bombing has intensified under Trump.

His address Monday made explicit that he has taken the reins of a conflict started by former President George W. Bush weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Afghanistan now becomes Trumps war, said Andrew Bacevich, a military and foreign policy analyst and retired Army colonel, who predicted that the conflict will grind on for the foreseeable future.

Given who Trump is, given his temperament and personality, its almost inconceivable that a year from now hell look back and say, Oh, that was a mistake, he said. So by taking ownership, it almost guarantees perpetuation of the war until the end of his presidency.

The possible conclusion of the conflict that Nicholson described as a stalemate earlier this year appears no closer than it did in 2011, when U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan peaked at 100,000.

As for when  or whether  Trump will offer a detailed vision for what the U.S. seeks to accomplish there, Jonathan Schroden, director of the Center for Stability and Development at the Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington, suggested that the answer remains uncertain.

For the last eight, 10 years, we have not had operational and tactical efforts in line with strategic goals, Schroden said. Well have to wait to see if that changes.

mkuz@express-news.net

Twitter: @MartinKuz
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HOUSTON  A Houston man has been charged with trying to plant explosives at the statue of Confederate officer Richard Dowling in Hermann Park, federal officials said Monday.

Andrew Schneck, 25, who was released from probation early last year after being convicted in 2015 of storing explosives, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in federal court, acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez said in a statement Monday.

Schneck was arrested Saturday night after a Houston park ranger spotted him kneeling in bushes in front of the Dowling monument, Martinez said.

When confronted, he tried to drink some of the liquid explosives but spit it out, officials said.

The ranger then asked if he planned to harm the statue, and he said he did because he did not like that guy, according to a sworn statement submitted in federal court by an FBI agent investigating the case.

Schneck was holding two small boxes that included a viable explosive, a timer, wires connected to a homemade detonator, a battery and an explosive compound, according to the statement. He told law enforcement he had other chemicals at his home on Albans Road near Rice University.

Federal authorities said one of the tubes contained nitroglycerin and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, HMTD, a highly explosive compound used as a primary explosive. Nitroglycerin, in its purest form, is a contact explosive.

Schneck was arrested about 11 p.m. Saturday in the park, a source said, following a day of protests that drew hundreds to Sam Houston Park over the Spirit of the Confederacy statue.

The details emerged as authorities on Monday evacuated residents near a home owned by Schnecks parents, in a neighborhood six blocks north of Rice University.

Lawyers for Schneck offered few details when reached Monday afternoon.

This is an evolving situation, with an ongoing investigation, said Philip Hilder, who is representing Schneck and who represented the man in his previous run-in with authorities in 2013. It would be premature to comment at this time since we have not seen the evidence.

Residents living on Albans Road, between Hazard and Wilton streets, were urged at 10 a.m. to leave their homes, according to an emergency alert from the city of Houston. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution, said Larry Satterwhite, an assistant Houston police chief who oversees the Homeland Security Command.

Satterwhite said significant hazardous materials were found at the home, but didnt say what type they were.

Law enforcement agents early Monday said they were planning controlled detonations of the materials, Satterwhite said. The first detonation occurred late Monday afternoon and was heard from blocks away.

The Dowling statue, built in 1905, honors Richard William Dowling, who served as a Civil War lieutenant for the Confederacy.

Dowling was a Houston businessman before enlisting. The city named Dowling Street in his honor until changing its name to Emancipation Avenue earlier this year. The statue, made of marble, was the first publicly financed monument in Houston, according to the citys website.

The debate over its placement has spanned years, though a 1958 Houston Chronicle article acknowledged that there probably are only a few Houstonians who have more than a hazy idea about Dick Dowling's contribution to Texas history.

Noted Houston defense attorney Dick DeGuerin lives near the home where the searches continued Monday. He said a fire captain told him that he and his wife, who has a broken knee, were among those who should evacuate their home.

They just told us to evacuate, and they told us its pretty bad, DeGuerin said.

He said the law enforcement response Monday was an order of magnitude greater than the response to the hazmat situation at the same house in 2013.

In that instance, DeGuerin said authorities learned that a young man who lives there with his parents had ordered explosive materials over the internet.
JOHN MACCORMACK, STAFF / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

A federal judge on Monday sentenced the former Eagle Pass city manager to 3.5 years in prison for a bribery scheme involving his side job as a consultant for the Maverick County landfill.

Hector Chavez Sr., 48, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of making a false statement to a federal agent. According to the indictment against him, an unnamed company seeking the engineering contract for Maverick Countys landfill subcontracted to Chavez, who paid part of his salary to a county commissioner as a bribe.
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City officials have embarked on their annual budget roadshow, going into the community to present the municipal spending plan in a series of meetings that go into next week.

On Monday night, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Council members Clayton Perry, Cruz Shaw and John Courage welcomed scores of mostly District 10 residents to the citys Tool Yard, near Morgans Wonderland.

About 200 people packed into the Northeast Side facility to listen to City Manager Sheryl Sculleys presentation on the annual $2.7 billion budget, which included an explanation of how the spending document was designed through an equity lens, a concept of spending money to meet pressing needs rather than simply dividing equally across all 10 council districts.

Sculley noted that the idea of budgeting with equity isnt completely new. Animal Care Services, code enforcement and public safety resources have already been deployed to areas that most need them. Theres an emphasis in the upcoming budget to fix major infrastructure needs.

The city plans to spend new money in five council districts: 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10, over the next two years. On average, the streets in those districts are significantly worse than their counterparts.

More Information Community nights Residents can give their input on the city's 2018 proposed budget at the following locations: Tuesday, Aug. 22 - Central Library, 600 Soledad St. 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 - Pearsall Park, 4838 Old Pearsall Road, 9 a.m.-noon (in Spanish) Monday, Aug. 28 - Garza Community Center, 2627 Mira Vista, 5:30-7:30 p.m. See More Collapse

Several officials noted to the crowd that their District 10 is the beneficiary of the extra spending.

But that didnt stop Bobby Younts from asking Sculley which district contributes the most tax revenue to the city. He said he believes that the district that contributes the most should receive the most benefit.

Nirenberg jumped in to respond. He told Younts that using that logic, some would argue, is how San Antonio wound up where it is today  with areas of town having significantly greater needs because of a lack of historic spending.

And because of its density and high-dollar commercial properties, he said, the citys downtown district contributes the most.

I dont think anyone here would want us to put everything into downtown, Nirenberg said.

Others at the budget presentation applauded a plan to increase lane-striping on San Antonios streets and asked for more sidewalks (theyre slated to get them).

Amy Contreras called on the city to grow its budget, saying there are a number of issues that need additional funding. She implored the city to increase property taxes so that a number of essential areas  from health care and education to public art and parks  could be better-funded.

The idea is a controversial one, especially in a crowd eager to see property tax relief. Still, Contreras won applause from a number of audience members on Monday night.

JBaugh@express-news.net

Twitter: @jbaugh
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Although San Antonio saw only a partial eclipse Monday, the city still found fun ways to celebrate the sun and moons spectacular celestial pas de deux. Barbaro restaurant and bar in the Monte Vista area served 25-cent martinis leading up to the event, while Paramour bar downtown held a viewing party on its rooftop terrace.

Many who werent imbibing and viewing, though, made it an educational experience, such as Lackland Independent School District.

Shortly before noon as the eclipse got underway, dozens of students at Virginia Allred Stacey Junior-Senior High School at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland streamed out of the building, gasping in delight at the sight of the moon taking a bite out of the sun.

Oh, my god, I see it, exclaimed one eighth-grade girl delightedly as she firmly held her glasses in place, the way shed been taught during a pre-eclipse presentation. Other students sat on the ground or lay in the grass to better view the first major eclipse visible from much of the country since 1918 and the first total eclipse visible in the continental U.S. since 1979.

The path of totality, where the moon completely obscured the sun, cut a 2,500-mile-long, 70-mile-wide swath through the center of the country, from Oregon to South Carolina. Although San Antonio wasnt in the totality path, the city watched as the moon blocked out about 60 percent of the sun before exiting the scene at 2:38 p.m.

Earlier this summer, Denise Miller, a science teacher at Stacey, realized that the first day of class would coincide with the Great American Eclipse.

She emailed her principal, Hunter Shelby, and made a request: Would it be possible to buy enough solar glasses so her students could safely view the partial eclipse?

He did better than that, buying 500 pairs so that every fifth- through 12th-grader could experience the unforgettable event with their own eyes. Because Shelby bought the glasses so early, he said, he paid only a little more than $100 for the batch. Not bad, considering that in the days leading up to the eclipse, last-minute buyers paid $10 or more per pair, according to news reports.

Only the fifth- through 12th-graders were allowed outside to watch the eclipse through the solar glasses. Younger children were kept inside for safety reasons.

At the Central Library, people started lining up to receive solar glasses about 9 a.m., according to spokeswoman Marcie Hernandez, so the 80 or so pairs they had left from the 1,000 they started with went quickly.

Wed been handing them out for days beforehand, so we held back a bunch so wed have them today, she explained. But people shared, and a lot of them stayed around and made pinhole viewers.

At one point, a volunteer musician showed up and entertained the crowd with his guitar playing.

At the Scobee Education Center on the campus of San Antonio College, officials shuttled small groups, one at a time, up to the rooftop observatory. There, they could safely view the eclipse though a telescope outfitted with a solar filter. Each group got about 10 minutes before being replaced by another.

All 1,000 solar eclipse glasses the college had on hand were distributed well before the eclipse peaked at 1:09 p.m. An announcement was made asking those who had a pair to share theirs with others.

Paula Armstrong came to the school in part to get a pair of the solar glasses, but also to enjoy the event as part of a crowd.

I felt like Id get a better experience coming here, and that Id get more information about the eclipse, she said. And its fun to be with other people who want to experience an event like this.

About 1:04 p.m., a distressed gasp arose from the crowd when a thick cloud slid in front of the sun, obscuring the view almost entirely. Within a few minutes, however, it had moved along and the view was again unobstructed.

Ron Hernandez brought son Ronald Jr. to see the eclipse.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing  well, not once in a lifetime, but nobody knows where theyre going to be tomorrow, so you dont want to miss it, he said. Nowadays, with everyone just staying in the home with the computers and all that, you have to go outside and show them the world. Its a beautiful world.

rmarini@express-news.net

Twitter: @RichardMarini
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A San Antonio police officer did hit a 14-year-old girl with either his hand or fist after the minor used similar physical force, according to a report released Monday by the city.

Officer Gary Tulis supervisor found that he was justified in using force against the girl, whom the San Antonio Express-News is not identifying because she is a minor who has not been convicted of a crime.

According to the report, the girl was using her hands, arms, feet, legs and fists as a weapon during the May 20 altercation. Tuli used verbal commands and tried to de-escalate the situation before using force, the report states.

The girl did not suffer any injuries during the incident, according to the report, though Artessia House, one of the girls lawyers, said she suffered a concussion that she is still recovering from. The officer said he had a bruise or abrasion afterward.

The San Antonio Police Departments use-of-force policy states that an officer should try to de-escalate a situation with verbal commands and physical restraint before using force. The policy goes on to say that physical force or an intermediate weapon can be used if a suspect is being actively resistant.

The general rule, the backdrop, is that officers are legally allowed to use force to protect themselves, protect others or restrain someone under certain circumstances, said Mike Smith, chair of the criminal justice department at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The standard is for a reasonable officer from a reasonable perspective, not from 20/20 hindsight.

Some department policies say officers should consider external circumstances such as age, gender, size, physical ability or disability before using physical force, Smith said. At SAPD, the policy states that the officer should consider factors such as the nature of the crime and a suspects history of violence, but age and gender are not listed.

It is not clear if Tuli knew the girls age at the time.

Smith, an expert in use-of-force policies, said that is often the case, as situations escalate quickly.

Police officers are oftentimes called upon to make decisions very quickly in stressful situations, he said. Its a tough job.

Romana Lopez, a police spokeswoman, said Monday that the department had no further comment about why the officers actions were justified.

San Antonio police officers have reported far fewer use-of-force incidents this year. As of June 30, officers documented 311 such incidents, down from 520 at the same time last year. Thats a 40 percent decrease. (These numbers are reported by officers and do not necessarily equate to use-of-force complaints filed by residents.)

Police Chief William McManus has credited the decrease in use-of-force incidents to the implementation of body cameras, saying it often proves that officers are not unfairly using force.

After the altercation in May, the Express-News requested, under the state open records law, the use-of-force report, bodycam footage and dashcam video of the incident. The city forwarded the request to the Texas attorney generals office, arguing that the information was exempt from the states public records law because it was a confidential law enforcement record that depicted a minor.

The attorney generals office ruled that the use-of-force report was an administrative record and therefore had to be released. It said the bodycam and dashcam videos may not be publicly disclosed.

House, the girls lawyer, said in July that the city offered to release the bodycam videos directly to House under the stipulation that faces of minors would be blurred. House declined the citys offer, saying she didnt want tampered evidence.

She also said a representative from the Internal Affairs unit at the Police Department contacted her, requesting a statement from the girl. House did not want the girl to make a statement, fearing that she could incriminate herself in the ongoing criminal case.

House did not immediately return a call Monday seeking comment about the report. The girls mother declined to comment, directing all questions to House.

The altercation happened late in the evening of May 20 in the parking lot of the Crown Palace Event Center on the Northeast Side. Police were called to the lot after an assault was reported between adults at a quinceanera.

A 39-second bystander video of the altercation went viral on the Internet, capturing the attention of many national media outlets. However, the video is blurry, unsteady and shot from a distance at night, which led some to speculate if the officer did in fact hit the girl.

Mike Helle, president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, said Monday that the video did not capture the full interaction and that bodycam footage from other officers at the scene would offer a better depiction of what happened.

Unfortunately, the video that got people worked up on, we didnt get to see from start to finish, Helle said. If I remember correctly, at the most critical point, it was shaky and blurry.

In the bystander video, one officer can be seen talking to two men in the parking lot. As the camera pans to the left, an officer lunges toward the girl, her head whips around and she falls backward.

More officers jump in, and for nine seconds, they attempt to restrain the girl, grabbing at her from behind as the whole group stumbles across the pavement. They eventually move behind a vehicle, out of view.

The girls mother, in a white dress, can be seen trying to get to her daughter and pleading with officers to stop while she is also restrained.

No! No! No! No! she cries as officers hold her arms from behind. Let her go!

After the video surfaced online, drawing ire from local activists, McManus and then-Mayor Ivy Taylor issued statements ensuring the public that an investigation was being conducted.

According to the report released Monday, a police supervisor went to the event center parking lot after the altercation. Based on a review of use-of-force procedures, the supervisor found that Tuli didnt break department policies or need additional training. The report was also signed by a director.

After the incident, the girl was arrested and police charged her with assaulting a public servant, a felony. She remained in the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center for a day and a half before she was released by a judge because she didnt have a history of violence.

On Monday, a spokeswoman for the district attorneys office said the case was turned over to the office and is under review.

eeaton@express-news.net

Twitter: @emilieeaton
You know Sen. Ted Cruz is walking a tightrope when he refuses to admit hes right.

On Monday, before speaking at the Marriot Riverwalk for a fundraising luncheon, the Republican senator from Texas fielded questions from the media, including mine.

I wanted to know his current opinion of President Trump. Considering the senator once called Trump utterly amoral, was the presidents widely panned defense last week of white supremacists further evidence that Cruz was correct in that assessment?

You know, there will be no shortage of media figures and political figures attacking and criticizing the president, Cruz responded. And Washington can sometimes be consumed by a battle of personalities, a back-and-forth.

You know, what I hear back in Texas is that people arent interested in a bunch of politicians behaving like children, throwing toys at each other in the sandbox, he continued. People are interested in results. And so my approach is to ignore the political circus, ignore the hyperventilating voices on cable news and focus on substance.

Suddenly, the man who once called Trump a sniveling coward was above politics.

Back when Cruz was trading insults, of course, he was running against Trump. Now, the senator is seeking his own re-election.

Cruzs visit here was part of his Ted Works for Texas Tour, a wide-ranging swing through more than 20 Texas cities, three on Monday alone (passing through San Antonio, he made his way from New Braunfels to Laredo.)

Cruz famously rebuffed Trump last year when he refused to endorse him at the national convention. The senator has since made amends with Trump supporters, ultimately offering his endorsement before the election, then supporting much of the presidents agenda.

Trashing Trump now would scarcely benefit a candidate trying to appeal to as many Texans as possible.

At the same time, Cruz is taking pains to distinguish himself from the unpopular president in subtle ways, especially on the issue du jour of removing Confederate monuments.

It is unfortunate that there are people who would use these issues to try to divide us, to try to turn us against each other, he said on Monday, a veiled reference, perhaps, to Trumps divisive comments after a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

And far from echoing Trumps defense of those who oppose the removal of the controversial monuments, Cruz told reporters on Monday that every community will decide how to deal with the issue.

This is an issue that reasonable people are divided on, he said. People of good faith can look at Confederate monuments, Confederate statues, and come to different conclusions.

Cruz has no reason to court controversy. Hes expected to win his 2018 re-election bid, although hes facing a spirited challenger in El Paso Rep. Beto ORourke, a Democrat who raised as much money as Cruz  $2.8 million  in the space of only a few months.

To ensure victory, Cruz is replicating what got him elected back when he was a virtual unknown, presenting himself to voters as a principled conservative warrior. He hasnt given up on repealing Obamacare, his signature issue for years, despite the Republican-controlled Senates failure to do so last month.

I think, although a lot of Democrats and folks in the media were celebrating that vote as the end of the Obamacare repeal effort, I believe that failure is not an option, he told the luncheon crowd. We must get it done. For seven years, Republicans have promised the voters, If you elect us, well repeal Obamacare. I think if we fail to deliver on that, I think we look like blithering fools.

As far as the fool in the White House, Cruz is likely hoping voters can finally see that for themselves.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
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Visitors to what was once Richters ButterKrust Bakery on Broadway likely have fond memories of the intoxicating smell of freshly baked bread and may even still have a keepsake from a tour of the plant.

Though the bakery was merged with another company, the family that established the bakery and kept it going is engrained in the citys history.

William Louis Richter was 20 when he rode into San Antonio on top of a load of cowhides in 1879 with 25 cents in his pocket and six years experience as a bakers helper, according to The Story of William Louis and Emma Solcher Richter and Richters Bakery. The book details the history of the family and what would become an iconic business that spread to Corpus Christi and Austin.

The talented breadmaker was German; his parents migrated to the U.S. in the early 1850s, settling in Baltimore. Were it not for an accident, Richter might not have been a baker, and his career could have taken him down a completely different path.

When he finished grammar school at 14, he planned to begin working for an area blacksmith. But the smiths shop burned overnight before Richter could even begin training.

Instead, he joined a burgeoning trade: baking. After gaining experience in a small shop, he traveled through the southeastern U.S. on his way to Fredericksburg, according to the book. His stay in the Hill Country town was short-lived because the good German housewives in Fredericksburg thriftily baked their own (bread), son Rudolph William Richter said.

In San Antonio, Richter became a pastry chef at the Menger Hotel. Now an Alamo Plaza mainstay, the hotel registered more than 2,000 visitors from November to January the year before Richter arrived.

When he wasnt baking at the hotel, he was working for other bakeries  after hours, early in the morning, late at night and on holidays.

One such establishment was Solchers Bakery, where he would meet his future wife, Emma Solcher. The daughter of baker Henry Conrad Solcher, who owned the shop, fell in love with Richter, whom she described as an energetic and ambitious pastry baker.

The two married July 25, 1882.

A week later, having decided to run their own business, they opened their first bakery. With $200 that Henry Solcher gave the newlyweds, they rented an adobe building at North Flores and West Houston streets. Richter had been staying in the same building since he first arrived in the city.

From a single room, the couple baked and delivered fresh bread, cakes and pies daily. Eventually, they took over the street corner as owners of three bakeries.

For them, I guess theres lots of luck being at the right place, but theres a lot of hard work that went into it, said great-grandson Richard Richter, 68.

The startup was already up against what William Richter humorously called the tortilla menace.

Three years later, Richter found a prime location at what was once Laredo and East Santa Rosa streets, where the building that now houses the Bill Millers commissary sits.

At the time, the intersection was considered an important portion of the wagon trail leading to Indianola through San Antonio from Mexico.

The building there would be replaced with a two-story brick plant and residence 15 years later. After 30 years, the complex went from a one-room bakery to a complex that would bake 110,000 loaves of bread a day.

The bakery even had a special bread called Bamby Bread, which weighed 1 pounds, was made of butter and had its own delivery trucks.

The baker turned politician in 1897 when his friend and former Mayor Bryan Callaghan persuaded him to run on the Democratic ticket for alderman.

Back then, the city was divided into sections called wards, instead of districts. Those wards were managed by elected leaders called aldermen.

Ward 2 was where Richter lived and ran his business. It began at West Commerce Street and San Pedro Creek and encompassed a large portion running up the creek to where it intersected with Fredericksburg Road.

Richter won the Ward 2 seat with 710 votes. In his last term, he became mayor pro tem when Callaghan died in 1912. His term lasted about a month.

He continued an initiative to widen Commerce Street, and he would later be recognized for his efforts by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

A photo of Richter as mayor shows him playing host to President Theodore Roosevelt, who had been in town for a reunion of the Rough Riders, a unit of volunteer cavalry that had trained at Fort Sam Houston for the Spanish-American War in 1898, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Association website.

Even as Richter detoured in politics, business continued as Richters Bakery acquired the ButterKrust franchise for the area and discontinued retail deliveries to focus on wholesale.

In 1925, Richter and his sons started Colonial Cake Co., using the old brick bakery shop and residence where he first lived. Business was a phenomenal success, as they delivered hundreds of thousands of cakes annually.

At 104 years old, Colonial Cake would take part in the Texas visit of Britains Prince Charles on Feb. 20, 1986. The bakery had 20 pastry chefs and 150 student helpers bake a cake large enough to feed 300,000 in the days leading up to the event.

With each milestone anniversary, Richters bakery had an entire section to itself in either of the local newspapers. The sections detailed the latest advancements in baking machinery and quality control the company employed in its plants, while other bakeries and businesses had a space to express their congratulations.

Richter died in 1940, according to the University of Texas at San Antonios Special Collections Library. A year later, the ButterKrust Bakery moved operations to a state-of-the-art plant on Broadway.

When Colonial Cakes moved into a new factory in 1964, Richters Bakery had expanded to include plants in Austin and Corpus Christi.

Although Richters Bakeries stayed in the family for more than 100 years, many of the family members who took the reins had some part in the daily operations and worked their way up from post to post.

There was and is a Richter in every plant, the book states. And every Richter can do his part  change a tire, bake a loaf of bread or punch the right button.

The company presidency went from its founder to his son, Herman J. Richter Sr.; grandson, Herman J. Richter Jr., and a fourth president, the late Louis L.J. Richter, who served for five years.

Tom Frost of Frost Bank said Herman J. Richter Jr. and his family were very civic-minded people, even supporting the organizers of Fiesta.

They were a principal factor in the business community and the community itself, Frost said. We are very proud of our relationship with them.

Eventually, Georgia-based Flowers Industries took over as part of a multimillion-dollar merger in 1994. According to San Antonio Express-News archives, its payroll had grown to 1,100 employees, 650 of whom lived here.

Production at the Broadway plant ended when Richters Bakeries was dissolved in 1997. Many Richters are still in San Antonio, but only one of them, Joe Richter, is president, at Flowers Baking Co. of San Antonio at the companys Northeast Side facility..

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA

COMING WEDNESDAY: The Great Little Train Robbery at Brackenridge Park.
SALEM, Ohio  Almost everyone knows that the federal food safety law known as the Food Safety Modernization Act applies to human food.

What you may not know is that it also applies to livestock and even pet feed.

The law requires feed mills and companies that produce animal feed to comply with certain Good Manufacturing Practices, and to establish an approved system of hazard and risk-based preventive controls.

Companies have a range of compliance dates, depending on their size. The largest companies were required to follow Good Manufacturing Practices last September and are technically required to meet quality control requirements this September, although inspections wont begin until September 2018.

Small businesses  those with less than 500 full-time employees  need to have Good Manufacturing Practices in place this September, and preventive controls in place by next September.

The effect

The rules have been forthcoming for roughly the past six years, but their impact on the industry and on local feed mills is uncertain.

Richard Sellers, vice president of public policy and education for the American Feed Industry Association, said the trade organization supported the Food Safety Modernization Act, known as FSMA, and its rule-making process in the beginning.

But Sellers said after the rule affecting feed mills was released in 2015, it became clear that it could hurt the feed mill industry.

We supported the law in a big way. We felt it was needed, he said. But we didnt know they would go this far.

The cost to comply varies from feed mill to feed mill, but if a new staff member has to be hired, Sellers said that could cost the mill an additional $60,000 or more.

Larger mills are more likely to already have quality control staff on hand, while smaller mills may need to train or hire additional staff.

In July, the Centerra Co-op, located in northeastern and north central Ohio, decided to close its Jefferson feed mill in part because of the costs associated with the new FSMA rules.

Making adjustments

Farm and Dairy contacted a half-dozen feed mills in our readership area, but only one returned our calls.

Samantha Johnson, the quality assurance manager for Witmers Feed and Grain, said the company did not need to hire outside help to meet the new law, because she had been re-assigned to that position about seven years ago.

She completed additional training in the past year, including the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification offered by AFIA.

Johnson said a big thing is traceability  making sure the mill can track one step backward, where feed ingredients came from, and one step forward, or the customers buying the ingredients.

She said the new rules created additional paperwork, and the need for good documentation.

If you dont document it, its like you didnt do it, she said.

She said the new rule allows the Food and Drug Administration to shut down feed mills if the federal agency feels the mill isnt FSMA-compliant, and to force mandatory recalls that were previously only requested recalls.

Witmers operates a feed manufacturing facility in Columbiana, Ohio, and has stores in Garfield-Salem, and Berlin, Pennsylvania.

The need to get mill operators trained prompted the Ohio AgriBusiness Association and AFIA to offer a special training session Sept. 26-28 in Plain City, Ohio. The training will focus on preventive controls and compliance with the new FSMA rules.

Penn State will offer a similar training event Sept. 18-20, at the Extension office in Mercer.

Getting trained

Sellers said AFIA has been trying to get the industry trained, while also lobbying federal leaders about the industrys concerns. Hes concerned about the cost burden, especially to smaller businesses, and about the upcoming compliance deadlines.

Its an overbearing food rule and it really doesnt apply well to our animal food industry, except maybe pet food, he said.

He hopes AFIA can be part of the regulation revolution thats been going on with the new administration, but he said it will take time.

Training event details:

Two local training sessions are being planned to help companies meet the required Good Manufacturing Practices, and to implement the required quality controls.

 Penn State Extension is offering a workshop Sept. 18-20 at the Penn State Extension Office in Mercer, PA. Details can be found at: http://extension.psu.edu/ animal-pc.

 The Ohio session will be held Sept. 26-28, at Der Dutchman Restaurant in Plain City, Ohio, and is being organized by the Ohio AgriBusiness Association, and the American Feed Industry Association.

Registration for the Ohio event is $700 per participant, with a limit of 60 participants. For complete event details or to register, visit oaba.net/events or contact Janice Welsheimer at 614-326-7520, or email jwelsheimer@oaba.net. The registration deadline is Sept. 6.
Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced today the appointment of Genevieve Parent as a part-time member of the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal. The appointment is for a three-year term.

This appointment is part of the Government of Canada's rigorous new approach to Governor in Council appointmentsan approach that uses open, transparent and merit-based selection processes that strive for gender parity and reflect Canada's diversity.

Quote

"I am pleased to announce the appointment of Genevieve Parent to the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal. I am confident Ms. Parent's experience and knowledge of food security and agri-food law will greatly benefit the Tribunal in its vital role protecting the health and well-being of consumers and the economic vibrancy of Canadian agri-food industries."

- Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Source: CISION
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Growing up on the Yorkshire Moors, a place of great beauty, JENNIFER WEEKS became a secondary school English teacher where she went on to inspire her students in London and Buckinghamshire with her passion for literature. Following the publication of her new novel, The Perils of a Literary Life, she shares the 10 things shed like readers to know about her.

The Perils of A Literary Life

I feel very fortunate to have had a secure childhood, growing up in a loving family  the best foundation in life  and I believe this has enabled me to live my life as I have wished, creating my own happy family and pursuing a useful and fulfilling career in teaching.

I am lucky to have a lovely husband and two delightful sons. Nothing in my life has been more important to me than creating two wonderful people and I have loved watching them flourish. I also have the added joy of two grandchildren!

Being an English teacher has meant a lot to me, helping students express their thoughts and feelings and open their eyes to English Literature. Unfortunately I have found that many layers of bureaucracy now involved in teaching are time-consuming and often detrimental to education.

As a bit of a culture vulture, I enjoy helping with our annual local Shakespeare production. We have raised a lot of money for charity and I act a little  not big parts, as I dont trust my memory! I am in awe of some of our performers, especially my husband who is an excellent actor.

I enjoy both the countryside and city life. We have undertaken many long distance walks, including the 250 mile Pennine Way, the Coast to Coast and the Cotswold Way. We love the freedom of countryside and enjoy the varied beauty of mountains, rivers, streams and moors.

I regularly meet up with my sister for weekend city breaks and with friends for a day in London. We share a love of art galleries, traditional and modern, as well as an interesting play. I like to support the arts, feeling it is an undervalued boost to our national economy.

I am also interested in scientific developments, particularly advances in Neuroscience. I have always been fascinated by the brain and new research has inspired my next novel, which I am working upon at present. Watch this space!

Other cultural interests include ballet for the over-60s and singing. I enjoy the discipline and focus of ballet, as well as the fun of dancing. I am a keen member of our 100 strong community choir and sometimes find singing collectively in unison almost euphoric  a feeling difficult to define or explain.

Having visited Rome and Athens, deepening my understanding of the origins of western civilisation, I would like to travel further afield, finances allowing! In particular, I would love to visit India, as well as encounter the varied landscapes, flora and fauna of Australia and New Zealand.

I am so lucky to be in good health and in a loving relationship with my husband, and with supportive friends and family. I do believe in trying to make the most of each day, appreciating the pleasures in life, large and small, and helping others in whatever ways I can.
Olivia Culpo's fashion range with Pretty Little Thing was inspired by Italy and "the colours of Rome".

Olivia Culpo

The 25-year-old model recently launched her new clothing line with the brand and the star has admitted the Pretty Little Thing x Olivia Culpo was "Mediterranean-inspired" and influenced by her visits to the European city, which has blooming flowers and fresh fruit filling the streets.

Speaking to InStyle about her latest venture, the brunette beauty said: "I was really inspired by Italy and the colours of Rome in the spring and walking in any sort of city where the flowers are blooming and fresh fruit is abundant. And flower markets. [The collection] was very colourful, very Mediterranean-inspired."

And the style icon believes her designs are "classic and timeless and elegant", but she "always knew" the 30-piece collection would be "great".

She explained: "It's also classic and timeless and elegant, so it was a perfect collaboration in that way because it was fun and sexy but also timeless, which I think is really important.

"I knew it was going to be a great collaboration. Their clothes are so accessible for people of every single body type and age range. And they make everybody feel so sexy, because it's the nature of every single piece that they have."

Olivia also believes a sleek of red lipstick can transform any outfit.

The 'The Other Woman' star said: "For me, a red lip is iconic because of so many reasons: because of the people who have worn it and made it iconic in the past. It's because of the way that it pairs so well with classic colours, like black and white together. And I just feel like any outfit can be elevated and be made more iconic and more of a statement with a red lip. It definitely jazzes up a look in a very sophisticated way when done appropriately. I think that, for me, if the outfit lends itself to a more classic and timeless feel, a red lip just takes it to the next level.

"I think that it's a woman who isn't afraid to be bold and isn't afraid to stand out and wants to celebrate her own beauty, confidence, and uniqueness."
Cotton yarn futures trading recently began on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (ZCE) in the Henan province of China. This is the first commodity futures contracts launched in China since 2016 and will help investors mitigate price volatility risks by obligating them to buy or sell cotton yarn at a predetermined price at a specific time.China's securities regulator had in July approved the launch of cotton yarn futures on the ZCE. The profit and cost of textile and apparel companies are directly affected by fluctuations in cotton yarn prices.

Cotton yarn futures trading recently began on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (ZCE) in the Henan province of China. This is the first commodity futures contracts launched in China since 2016 and will help investors mitigate price volatility risks by obligating them to buy or sell cotton yarn at a predetermined price at a specific time. #

Cotton yarn futures, cotton futures and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) futures have formed a somewhat complete futures system for textile raw materials, a Chinese news agency quoted ZCE director Chen Huaping as saying.The ZCE has launched 17 types of futures and one variety of options, covering chemical engineering, energy, agriculture and building materials.China has been developing its commodity derivatives market and plans to gradually open it up to foreign investors. In April, the country had launched white sugar options, the second commodity options after soybean meal.Large and frequent fluctuations in cotton yarn prices have had negative impacts on related industries in the last few years, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) had said some time back. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
A visiting Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KFTI) delegation has expressed satisfaction over the location and infrastructure of the proposed Kakatiya Mega Textiles Park in Telanganas Warangal Rural district. Delegation chairman and Youngone Corporation chief Kihak Sung offered a few suggestions to improve park facilities and connectivity.The delegation recently visited the park site along with Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation managing director EV Narasimha Reddy and Warangal Rural collector Prashant Jeevan Patil, according to media reports.

A visiting Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KFTI) delegation has expressed satisfaction over the location and infrastructure of the proposed Kakatiya Mega Textiles Park in Telangana's Warangal Rural district. Delegation chairman and Youngone Corporation chief Kihak Sung offered a few suggestions to improve park facilities and connectivity.#

Sung queried about narrow approach roads and the availability of water and was told that a four-lane road is coming up and the state government has earmarked 25 million litres of water per day for the project. He ruled out use of trains for transporting products and raw materials. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has expressed serious concern over a crisis-like situation resulting from lethargic growth in exports, which continue to follow a downward spiral due to high production costs, regional competition, inconsistent government policies and uncompetitive energy prices. This contributes to the trade deficit as well.While regional peers have doubled their textile exports, the same has declined across the value chain in Pakistan in quantity and value terms, PTEA chairman Mian Ajmal Farooq said in recent press release. He urged the government to offer incentives to textile exporters.

The Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has expressed serious concern over a crisis-like situation resulting from lethargic growth in exports, which continue to follow a downward spiral due to high production costs, regional competition, inconsistent government policies and uncompetitive energy prices. This contributes to the trade deficit as well.#

The country's textile exports were worth $13.8 billion in 2010-11 fiscal which dropped by 10.4 per cent to $12.4 billion in 2016-17. Meanwhile, textile exports of India witnessed a 31 per cent rise from $27.7 billion to $36.4 billion across the same period.Bangladeshs textile exports jumped by 63 per cent to $31 billion in 2016-17 from $19 billion in 2010-11, while Sri Lankas exports rose by 20 per cent from 4.1 billion to $4.9 billion during the same period. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
SINGAPORE -- (Marketwired) -- 08/21/17 -- Chubb (NYSE: CB) announced today that Johannes Gschossmann has been appointed as Head of Financial Lines in Singapore. He joined the company on 12 July and reports to Liam Burrell, Division Head of Property & Casualty (P&C).

Mr. Gschossmann brings with him more than 10 years of industry and global experience. Prior to joining Chubb, he was at Allianz overseeing the Financial Lines operations in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

In his new role, Mr. Gschossmann will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Financial Lines portfolio in Singapore, including all underwriting and market-facing functions. In addition, he will spearhead product development as well as underwriting initiatives to achieve sustainable growth.

On Mr. Gschossmann's appointment, Mr. Adam Clifford, Country President for Chubb in Singapore said, "The Financial Lines portfolio is dynamic as well as competitive, and staying innovative is critical to ensuring we craft market-leading, tailored solutions for our distribution partners and their clients. Johannes is an outstanding choice to drive growth in this line of business given his proven track record and breadth of expertise in underwriting and portfolio management. I am confident that with Johannes, our Financial Lines business is poised to scale to new heights of growth."

About Chubb in Singapore

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide.

Chubb Insurance Singapore Limited, via acquisitions by its predecessor companies, has been present in Singapore since 1948. Chubb in Singapore provides risk management and underwriting expertise for all major classes of general insurance, including Property & Casualty, Marine, Liability, Financial Lines and Group Personal Accident insurance. As one of the leading providers of Accident & Health insurance through direct marketing, the company partners with financial institutions and other companies to tailor individual policies for their clients and employees. In addition, it offers a suite of customised Personal & Specialty insurance solutions to meet the needs of consumers.

Over the years, Chubb in Singapore has established strong client relationships by offering responsive service, developing innovative products and providing market leadership built on financial strength. The company has been assigned a financial strength rating of AA-/Stable and the highest ASEAN credit rating of axAAA by Standard & Poor's. It has also been awarded the Singapore Quality Class STAR (SQC STAR) and Singapore Service Class (S-Class) certification for achieving all-round business excellence and high levels of service respectively by SPRING Singapore, the national standards and accreditation body.

More information can be found at www.chubb.com/sg

Media Contacts



Juliana Lim

Email Contact



Chubb Insurance Singapore Limited

138 Market Street

#11-01 CapitaGreen

Singapore 048946




ROME (dpa-AFX) - Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor Co. plans to make a bid for Fiat Chrysler's lucrative Jeep brand, according to reports. Great Wall's interest arose after years of speculation regarding which global company would emerge as a buyer for some or all of Fiat Chrysler's brands. Fiat Chrysler officials reportedly said that Great Wall hadn't delivered an offer as of Monday. according to reports, a Great Wall spokeswoman wouldn't say whether it was preparing an offer for Fiat Chrysler, but she did say the company would continue to pursue Jeep in hopes of doing a deal. 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.
Industry experts host interactive briefing on radical new possibilitiesfor outcome-based care delivery and reimbursement models in an interactive briefing.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan, the growth partnership company, announced today that it will host a live, complimentary Growth Innovation Leadership (GIL) briefing titled, "Healthcare's Challenges with Blockchain - A Promising but Bumpy Ride!" on Tuesday, October 3, 2017, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Eastern Time. The webinar will offer expert insight from Frost & Sullivan's Reenita Das (Partner, and Senior Vice President of Transformational Health), Kamaljit Behera, (Industry Analyst, Visionary Healthcare), John Bass (Founder/ CEO, Hashed Health), Navin Ramachandran (Healthcare Specialist in Distributed Ledgers at the IOTA Foundation, medical doctor and data researcher at UCL) and Dr. Vidushi Savant (MD, Clinical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University Medical Center).

Digital transformation has become a strategic priority for healthcare industry participants as they strive to justify value in the anticipated data-driven, outcome-based reimbursement regime. As the healthcare industry continues to face difficulty identifying the trade-off between the risk and reward of going digital, the potential applications of blockchain and emerging distributed ledger technologies (DLT) provides a path to mitigate pressing requirements.

"On-going digital democratization of care delivery models towards a much-anticipated personalized and outcome-based treatment paradigm will be the primary impetus for blockchain adoption. Furthermore, the convergence of blockchain with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) would provide radical new opportunities to explore digital health economies," stated Kamaljit Behera.

The webinar will provide expert insight on blockchain technology with the most potential applications across the healthcare industry, including health data interoperability, cybersecurity, insurance fraud management, and drug supply chain provenance.

Key benefits of attending the briefing:

Learn how blockchain and emerging DLTs offer the potential of a shared platform that can improve access control, authenticity, and integrity of protected data.

Gain insight into the potential to leverage blockchain technology to eliminate the costs and burden associated with data reconciliation and how to better facilitate interoperability.

Listen to experts share thoughts on ways to position never before blockchain-based trusted workflows to achieve new possibilities for outcome-based care delivery and reimbursement models.

For more information and to register for the webinar, click here. The event will also be recorded and available for on-demand viewing athttp://frost.ly/1ti.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

For more information, visit ww2.frost.com or call +1 (877) 463-7678.

Press Contact:

Mariana Fernandez

Frost & Sullivan

+1 (210) 348.1012

mariana.fernandez@frost.com
-Alpha-One launches in the UK exclusively with London department store Harrods.

-In the UAE, Tonino Lamborghini smartphone will be available at Levant luxury boutique in the Dubai Mall and the highest-level hotels.

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Italian luxury brand Tonino Lamborghini announces the distribution of his signature smartphone Alpha-One with retailers in the UK and in the UAE, distributed by DASAN Networks.

In the United Kingdom, Alpha-One is available exclusively at the London department store Harrods, in a newly launched space on the third floor of the store dedicated to advanced mobile technology created by innovative high-end brands.

Starting from August 22nd, Alpha-One will also enter the UAE market: the premium smartphone will be available at the Levant luxury boutique in the Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping center and in the highest-level hotels in UAE such as Levant Boutique at Atlantis Hotel The Palm, Jumeirah Al Qasr Hotel, Jumeirah Al Naseem Hotel, Four Season Hotel, and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel.

Levant is a luxury retail chain store that carries coveted fine jewelry, luxury timepieces, high-end fashion apparels and accessories to ensure an unrivaled retail experience to the discerning clientele of the United Arab Emirates.

"Entering Harrods and the Dubai Mall means that Alpha-One has been recognized worldwide as a premium smartphone thanks to its innovative specs and the brand's added value," said Min Byeong-Gon, VP of Korean IT DASAN Networks. "It will be a great opportunity to introduce Alpha-One to discerning consumers around the world and reinforce its premium smartphone image through a selected distribution."

Alpha-One represents a new species of mobile phones that combines technology with pure luxury. It is made with the finest materials, including handcrafted Italian leather and a liquid alloy developed specifically to resist corrosion whilst remaining lightweight. This uniquely designed phone combines design, fashion and functionality.

Key features include the fast fingerprint sensor for security and usability, a dual-SIM slot, a front-facing 8MP camera and a main 20MP camera with optical and digital image stabilization and a high-quality audio system using a Dolby dual speaker.

Alpha-One is available online (www.lamborghinimobile.com) as well asin luxury-selected stores worldwide: at Harrods in London and Levant boutique at Dubai Mall.

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/546595/ALPHA_ONE.jpg


DEARBORN (dpa-AFX) - Ford Motor Co. (F) announced Tuesday the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Anhui Zotye Automobile Co., Ltd., a major manufacturer of zero-emission all-electric vehicles in China.



The goal of the MoU is to explore the establishment of a joint venture for the development, production, marketing and servicing of a new line of all-electric passenger vehicles in China.



Ford said the vehicles produced would be sold under an indigenous brand owned by the new joint venture.



The company will announce further details, including information about the brand, products and production volumes, at a later date, pending a final definitive agreement and regulatory approvals.



Ford said the deal is consistent with its vision for a more sustainable auto industry, as well as efforts to contribute to societal goals of improving air quality and addressing climate change.



China is the fastest-growing market in the world for new energy vehicles. Ford expects the market for these vehicles in China to grow to six million units per year by 2025, of which approximately 4 million vehicles will be all-electric.



Ford has invested $4.5 billion to make electric vehicles that offer customers more capability, productivity and performance.



Ford plans to introduce 13 new electrified vehicles globally in the next five years, including an all-electric small SUV to be sold in Asia, North America and Europe.



The company also recently announced an ambitious China electrification strategy and confirmed that 70 percent of all Ford vehicles sold in China will have electrified powertrain options by 2025.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Why drive around looking for tyres at a reasonable price? With just a few clicks of a computer mouse, car drivers can purchase those they need from the comfort of their own house. Online tyre shopping is a really great alternative for everyone who is looking for a convenient and time-saving way of getting new "footwear" for their car. ReifenDirekt.de put together the top four benefits of buying tyres on the Internet:

Competitive prices

Internet shops like ReifenDirekt.de are a real heaven for price-conscious buyers. The prices for the tyres are usually lower and they offer a product range wide enough to meet their customers' different budgetary requirements from quality tyres at low prices to premium brands.

Variety of choice

The freedom of choice is one of the great benefits of online tyre shopping. In online stores like ReifenDirekt.de drivers can easily find what they need for their car. Relevant search parameters, such as tyre size, vehicle registration or tyre/car manufacturer, support motorists in their search. The Internet shop boasts an impressive product range, which includes over 100 brands and 25,000 types of tyres in all sizes. This means that in one recognized shopping place buyers can find the right "footwear" for their car, no matter the size and requirements.

Convenience

Bad weather, traffic, parking problems, unavailability of tyres in seasonal peaks, inability to use more than one payment method customers do not have to care about any of these anymore while buying tyres online. They just have to sit comfortably, choose the tyres they want from the website and have them delivered to their doorstep or any other place of their choice within a few days. Online stores care for high availability and deliverability of tyres all year round as well as a variety of safe payment options. Additionally, customers of ReifenDirekt.de who need a specialist to mount their brand new tyres can choose from more than 9,500 partner fitting stations in Germany or take advantage of a comfortable fully fitted option.

Easy access to additional info

Nobody wants to buy "a pig in a poke". Before choosing right tyres buyers would probably like to know what all the tyre markings mean and what other customers have to say about the product. Online shops offer exactly what car drivers need the very possibility to make an informed choice and purchase. Tyre descriptions at stores such as ReifenDirekt.de include clear explanations concerning the properties and performance of chosen tyres as well as information about the EU tyre label and its criteria such as wet grip, rolling resistance or noise emissions. And if customers need some more support deciding which tyres are best for their car, online platforms such as Reifentest.com give an easy and free of charge access to customer ratings and opinions.

Buying tyres online:

www.reifendirekt.de, www.reifendirekt.at, www.reifendirekt.ch, www.mytyres.co.uk, www.123pneus.ch, www.autobandenmarkt.nl, www.123pneus.fr, www.gommadiretto.it, www.neumaticos-online.es and in many other Delticom online shops

Tyre tests: www.reifentest.com

All about tyres from A to Z: www.reifen.de

Information about the company: www.delti.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005502/en/

Contacts:

Press contact:

insignis Agentur fur

Kommunikation GmbH (GPRA)

Henning Jahns

Tel.: +49-511-132214-14

Fax: +49-511-132214-99

delticom@insignis.de

or

Delticom AG

Anne Lena Peters

Tel.: +49-511-93634-8909

Fax: +49-511-93634-8301

anne.lena.peters@delti.com
ALBANY, New York, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

A recent intelligence study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) has detected that the global Blood Transfusion Diagnostic Market is highly fragmented in nature, owing to the participation of many local and regional players. As per the report's findings, the top four companies didn't even account for one-third of overall shares of the global blood transfusion diagnostics market in 2016. Apart from a few major companies, such as Immucor Inc., Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Abbott Laboratories, Quotient, Ltd., BAG Health Care GmbH, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., and Hologic, Inc., most of the smaller players offer their products regionally and locally. Immucor Inc. currently accounts for the most prominent share in the global blood transfusion diagnostic market, at 11.6% in 2016, owing to its wide offerings in transfusion, transplant, and molecular diagnostics. Robust portfolio of products and solutions keeps Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. in good stead in the global blood transfusion diagnostics market.

As per the estimations of the TMR report, the demand in the global blood transfusion diagnostics market will increment at a healthy CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025, reaching a valuation of US$6.0 bn by the end of 2025, significantly up from its evaluated worth of US$3.3 bn in 2016. As far as recent market developments is concerned, Abbott Laboratories and St. Jude Medical, Inc., announced definitive agreement for Abbott to acquire St. Jude Medical, creasing a premier medical device leader with top positions and high growth worldwide. BAG Health Care GmbH launched a new BAGene kid and a new BAGene format to improve the results of its existing product BAGene SSP kit.

Browse Market Research Report @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/blood-transfusion-market.html

In terms of revenue, the kits and reagents segment of product type is anticipated to dominate the market during the forecast period, whereas application-wise, blood grouping is losing shares owing to technological advancements towards automation. Hospitals are expected to remain the most profitable end-users, by a long margin. Geographically, North America accounted for 43.1% share of the total market in 2016.

Escalating Blood Transfusion Procedures Driving Demand

Increasing number of blood transfusion procedures is the key factor augmenting the demand in the global blood transfusion diagnostics market. According to the American National Red Cross, approximately 21 million blood components are transferred in the U.S. each year. Over 90,000 people are affected by sickle cell disease in the U.S. and blood transfusion is a frequent process in sickle cell patients. In addition to that, the World Health Organization estimates that around 16 countries across the world have inadequate facilities for screening donated blood for one or more infections. This shortage is attributed to the irregular supply of test kits. Rapid technological advancement and automation in blood processing equipment, which can reduce the contamination risk associated with the collection and handling procedures, shortage of blood transfusion infrastructure in developing countries, increasing government awareness programs and incentives for blood transfusion and donation, and the development of the WHO recommended national blood policy.

Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=23963

Low Blood Donation Rate Obstructing Market Prosperity

On the other hand, low blood donation rate and stringent regulation related to safe blood transfusion are a few hindrances faced by the global blood transfusion diagnostics market. The report observes that although blood donation is a remarkably safe medical procedure, lack of knowledge and beliefs obstructs potential blood donors from obliging. In addition to that, high investment and steep operational costs restrain emerging economies such as Brazil, India, China, and Indonesia from adopting new blood processing technologies. That being said, persistent awareness programs by various health organizations and government agencies is expected to somewhat overcome this restraint over the course of the forecast period.

The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, "Blood Transfusion Diagnostics Market (Product Type - Kits & Reagents and Instruments; Application - Blood Grouping and Disease Screening (Molecular Disease Screening and Serological Disease Screening); Distribution Channel - Hospitals, Diagnostic Laboratories, and Blood Banks) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025."

Browse Press Release: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/blood-transfusion-market.htm

Key Segments of the Global Blood Transfusion Diagnostics Market

The global Blood Transfusion Diagnostics Market has been segmented into:

Global Blood Transfusion Diagnostics Market, by Product Type

Kits & Reagents

Instruments

Global Blood Transfusion Diagnostics Market, by Application

Blood Grouping

Disease Screening

Molecular Disease Screening

Serological Disease Screening

Global Blood Transfusion Diagnostics Market, by End-user

Hospitals

Diagnostic Laboratories

Blood Banks

Others

Global Blood Transfusion Diagnostics Market, by Geography

- North America

U.S.

Canada

- Europe

Germany

Italy

France

U.K.

Spain

Rest of Europe

- Asia Pacific (APAC)

Japan

China

India

Rest of APAC

- Latin America (LATAM)

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of LATAM

- Middle East & Africa (MEA)

South Africa

Saudi Arabia

Rest of MEA

Browse Related Research Report:

Umbilical Cord Blood Banking Market (Storage - Public Cord Blood Banks and Private Cord Blood Banks; Application - Cancers, Blood Disorders, Metabolic Disorders, Immune Disorders, and Osteopetrosis; End User - Hospitals (Medical Applications), Pharmaceutical Research (Drug Discovery), and Research Institutes (Scientific Research)) Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, & Forecast 2017 - 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/umbilical-cord-blood-banking-market.html

Blood Pressure Monitoring Devices & Accessories Market (Device - Sphygmomanometers (Mercury Sphygmomanometers, Aneroid Sphygmomanometers, and Digital Sphygmomanometers), Automatic Blood Pressure Monitors, Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitors, Blood Pressure Transducers (Disposable Blood Pressure Transducers and Reusable Blood Pressure Transducers), and Blood Pressure Instrument Accessories (Blood Pressure Cuffs, Bladders, and Bulbs and Valves); End User - Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Clinics, and Homecare Settings) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/blood-pressure-monitoring-market.html

Molecular Diagnostics Market (Technology - PCR and Real-Time PCR, Hybridization, Microarray, Transcription-mediated Amplification, and Next-Generation Sequencing; Application - Infectious Diseases, Oncology, Blood Screening, Microbiology, Genetic Testing, and Women's Health; End User: Hospitals, Diagnostic Laboratories, Blood Banks, Academics, and Research) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/molecular-diagnostics-industry.html

About Us:

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S. based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.



Contact Us:

Transparency Market Research

90 State Street, Suite 700

Albany, NY 12207

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com



Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Blog: https://theglobalhealthnews.com/

http://www.editiontruth.com/
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM and SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- StaffConnect, provider of the world's leading enterprise mobile employee engagement platform, today announced it has been named a finalist in the second annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers. The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the world's best employers and the human resources professionals, teams, achievements and HR-related products and suppliers who help to create and drive great places to work. StaffConnect was singled out in two categories: Achievement in Employee Engagement, for innovation in mobile technology to drive better employee experiences; and Employee Engagement Solution, for its bar-raising StaffConnect Mobile App Platform enhancements.

"The judges were extremely impressed with the quality of entries we received in the second annual Stevie Award for Great Employers. The dedication of the Stevie Award finalists to making workplaces great for employees is evident in every finalist nomination," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards.

"We are honored to have been recognized by the highly esteemed global panel of judges in not one, but two Stevie Award categories, and believe it underscores StaffConnect's disruption of the internal communications and employee engagement space with mobile-first technology that unites both desk and non-desk based employees," said Geraldine Osman, vice president of marketing, StaffConnect. "The StaffConnect platform has been designed specifically to increase engagement across the entire workforce. The secure native mobile app could be described as a new 'mobile, social intranet' which extends beyond enterprise social networks and workplace communication tools by encouraging and enabling employees to have a voice. The feature rich solution means employees are informed, engaged and experience a stronger more positive employee experience. For our customers this represents greater productivity, higher retention, better operating margins and increased shareholder value."

The StaffConnect Platform features:

StaffConnect App - unites the entire workforce from the field to the boardroom -- enabling all employees to engage with company communications and connect with and be inspired by corporate goals. Employees are empowered to express views and share knowledge across business-lines, titles and geographies; increasing job satisfaction, loyalty and retention. StaffConnect is designed specifically to deliver a better employee experience, which ultimately leads to better served customers, greater customer loyalty and increased revenues.

Management Console - provides authorized administrators a powerful yet simple tool to manage all aspects of the StaffConnect Platform. Reports and dashboards offer invaluable insight into employee engagement levels, to analyze and understand each individual, as well as the overall organizational experience.

AppSuccess Program - delivers customized consultations with a domain expert(s) to define a winning internal communications strategy, ensure a successful program and app launch, accelerate user adoption, and provide a pathway for feedback to continuously maximize app and program performance.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning "crowned," the awards will be announced and presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Friday, September 22. More than 500 nominations from organizations around the world were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of HR-related categories. More than 50 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award finalists. All finalists will ultimately be named Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award winners, and the results will be revealed at the ceremony. Further details about the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the list of 2017 Stevie finalists are available at www.StevieAwards.com/HR.

Tweet this: .@StaffConnectApp Honored as Finalist in 2017 @TheStevieAwards for Great Employers https://www.staffconnectapp.com/latest/press-releases/ EmployeeEngagement MobileApp

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

About StaffConnect

StaffConnect delivers the world's leading mobile employee engagement platform. The StaffConnect solution transforms the employee experience by enabling large enterprises to connect, communicate and engage their entire workforce, especially remote, non-desk employees. The customer-branded mobile app gives employees 'a voice' -- with access to company and user-generated content to increase loyalty and productivity. The cloud-hosted platform empowers employers to target that content, with analytics, to deepen engagement with everyone. From offices in London and San Francisco, StaffConnect's platform and domain expertise are supporting large businesses around the world to inspire their workforces to deliver better performance, improved customer experiences and greater shareholder value. For further information, please visit: www.staffconnectapp.com.

PR Contacts:

Sabrina Sanchez

The Ventana Group for StaffConnect

(925) 785-3014

Email Contact



Nicole Gorman

The Ventana Group for StaffConnect

(508) 397-0131

Email Contact




DOVER, DE -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 --Rocky Mountain Ayre Inc (OTC PINK: RMTN), in collaboration with Ocubicle Inc., became the first companies in the crypto space to release a quantum deep learning Artificial Intelligence system that manages crypto assets funds.

Kairos (KRX) is the first of its kind crypto asset management fund that is completely driven by Artificial Intelligence. It is an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) that is managed with Artificial intelligence from end to end. The objective of Kairos is to make it easier for investors to make money from their crypto market investments. This is achieved by the use of a well sophisticated A.I. system also called Kairos. It is predictive by nature, and analyzes mass data sets with incredible speed and accuracy. The Kairos A.I. manages the Kairos Fund by optimizing and harnessing the vast investment potentials available in the crypto markets. This Artificial Intelligence investment system had been in development for about 3 years and has tested the crypto market for the last 18 months.

Artificial Intelligence is a relatively new technology in the crypto markets. Most market investors are still unseasoned and invest mostly based on guesses, sentiments or speculations; Kairos puts an end to such. The crypto market is a promising one that has grown from a market capitalization of $12.4 billion to over $106.6 billion in the last 12 months.

The Kairos team comprising of Ocubicle Inc and Rocky Mountain Ayre Inc is initially offering 15 million Kairos tokens at $10 per token with the aim of raising $150 million from investors who are interested in investing in the fast growing crypto market by taking advantage of the first of its kind crypto asset fund that is completely driven and managed using artificial intelligence / Machine learning. The Kairos tokens were built on the Ethereum blockchain following the ERC20 smart contract standards.

The ICO (Initial Coin Offering) holds for 30 days, from July 27th, 2017 to August 27th, 2017, accepting investments in USD (Bank wire), Bitcoins, Ethereum and Litecoin. https://kairostokens.com

Investors resident in the United States can only participate after certifying that they are accredited investors. This is to comply with the United States Security and Exchange Commission rule 506C of regulation D. Also inline with the United States Security and Exchange Commission Reg S exemption, foreign investors can participate but do not need to be accredited investors; however, they need to confirm that they are not US citizens or residents and were not in the US at the time of the offering.

Funds generated from the Kairos crowdsale will be added to the fund used by Kairos A.I. for the sole purpose of expanding its investments into crypto assets with the goal of making profit for its investors. Kairos' return on investment is split into two parts. One part is spread across the Kairos tokens in circulation; this directly impacts the Net Asset Value (NAV) of investor held Kairos tokens. The other half of the return on investment is paid out as dividends to investors every quarter. Dividends are paid in Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Kairos: The crypto asset fund with many "firsts"

Kairos is the first crypto asset management fund to be completely driven by Artificial Intelligence





They are the first crypto asset management fund supported by a public company (Rocky Mountain Ayre Inc (OTC PINK: RMTN)





Kairos is the first crypto Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) that offers to directly buy-back its tokens at the prevailing Net Asset Value (NAV) from interested investors.





The ongoing initial coin offering (ICO) is expected to attract lots of attention and make waves in the emerging crypto economy. Early participation bonuses are offered to investors who join the party early. https://kairostokens.com

The Project White paper can be seen here: https://kairostokens.com/assets/pdf/whitepaper.pdf

The Kairos project team can be contacted on:

Telegram: @kairostokens

Email: crowdsale@kairostokens.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kairostokens




PHOENIX, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- Today American Green, Inc. (OTC PINK: ERBB) is very pleased to announce that after nearly two years of hard work by key people engaged in the project, the Company has rekindled a fantastic working relationship with Natural Herbal Remedies, the company's licensed grow partner. American Green and NHR have signed an agreement beneficial to each party designed to be sustainable for years to come.

"The Cannabis market, as new as it is, does not have a simple path to any outcome for entrepreneurs, business owners and municipalities alike," said David Gwyther, acting president at American Green and Board Chair. "The challenges in this project included sidestepping pitfalls from ex-employees within and outside the Company. But in true AG style, we persevere, and while nothing in our new industry seems to move as fast as we'd like it to, I believe we're nearing the day that both we and many of our shareholders have looked forward to. We are excited to be working with NHR again and confident our facility will provide the highest quality product for their use in their Arizona dispensary," Gwyther concluded.

"I've been involved in many projects over the years and have never seen one present a challenge at every turn," said Pat Carrigan, Chief Operating Officer at American Green. "What we started working with was little more than an idea. NHR have been great to work with. They are solid people and we look forward to a long, successful relationship," Carrigan concluded.

NHR collectively had this to add: After a year and a half of working through challenges created by everyone except the people who really mattered in the relationship between our two companies, it's great to be working with American Green again. Pat [Carrigan] and their current staff of professionals made getting this back on track easy and the whole experience has once again shown that good people with clear goals and communication can accomplish just about anything.

In other news, as the final stages of construction lead to a completed building, American Green has selected its new offices in preparation for what it believes will be an exciting future, both near and long term. The company is already busy with machine roll-outs, cultivation management, and its CBD operations which are poised for extreme growth; And with only several weeks of due diligence remaining, the Nipton, California 'Cannabis Hospitality Town' conceived to revitalize both town and the nearby region, the need for comfortable, convenient space to operate from has never been more in demand. The company will take possession of its new offices located at 11011 S 48th St in Phoenix, AZ immediately after Labor Day and will welcome visits as always and make photos of our progress available for those who can't drop by to say "hello."

Be sure to visit the company's website at www.americangreen.com and sign up for the company's EMAIL ALERTS to stay current on news. In addition, shareholders and other interest holders are invited to join the conversation about American Green found here: https://otc.watch/groups/american-green-inc-erbb/forum/

Shareholders and interest holders may also stay current with American Green Updates:

Twitter: @American__Green (two underscores), or

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americangreenusa

NOTES ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for any historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission reports and filings. Certain statements contained in this release that are not historical facts constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created by that Act. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Forward-looking statements may identified by words such as estimates, anticipates, projects, plans, expects, intends, believes, be should and similar expressions and by the context in which they are used. Such statements are based upon current expectations of the Company and speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which they are made.

About American Green, Inc.

American Green, Inc., became, in 2009, one of the first publicly traded technology companies in the cannabis industry. Now, with over 50,000 individual shareholders, more than any other company in the cannabis sector, American Green's mission is to lead the cannabis industry. Leveraging our team of professionals in cultivation, manufacturing, extraction, wholesale, retail, and community outreach, we strive to develop sustainable initiatives, while increasing shareholder value and company profit.

Contact:

American Green, Inc.

Investor Relations

2902 W. Virginia Ave.

Phoenix, AZ 85009

480-443-1600 X555




Maricann Group Inc. (CSE: MARI)(CSE: MARI.CN)(CNSX: MARI) ("Maricann" or the "Company") announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Canaccord Genuity Corp., as lead agent on behalf of a syndicate of investment dealers, including Industrial Alliance Securities Inc., Mackie Research Capital Corporation and Sprott Capital Partners (collectively, the "Agents") pursuant to which the Company will issue on a private placement basis up to $35,000,000 aggregate principal amount of convertible debenture units (the "Convertible Debenture Units") at a price of $1,000 per Convertible Debenture Unit. Each Convertible Debenture Unit will consist of $1,000 principal amount of 9.0% secured convertible debentures (the "Convertible Debentures") and 278 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") of the Company (the "Offering"). Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") for a period of three years following the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) of the Offering at an exercise price of $2.60 per Warrant Share, subject to adjustment in certain events.

Pursuant to the terms of the offering, the Agents have been granted an option to arrange for the sale of up to $3,500,000 of additional Convertible Debenture Units, which option is exercisable by the Agents at any time up until 8:00 a.m. (Eastern time) on the date prior to the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined).

"We can now expand fully funded production capacity by an additional 35,000 kg per year, to a total of 57,245 kg, including current operations and expansion underway of 20,245 kg," said Ben Ward, CEO of Maricann. "We need to move forward now, so we can have sufficient product to supply our joint initiative pharmacy partners and their forecasted future demand."

The Convertible Debentures will bear interest from the Closing Date at 9.0% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears on the last day of August and February in each year, commencing February 28, 2018. The Convertible Debentures will mature on September 15, 2020 (the "Maturity Date").

The Convertible Debentures will be convertible at the option of the holder into common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") at any time prior to the close of business on the Maturity Date. Subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE"), the Convertible Debentures will be convertible into Common Shares at a conversion price of $1.80 per common share (the "Conversion Price"). Holders converting their Convertible Debentures will receive accrued and unpaid interest thereon, up to, and including, the date of conversion.

Upon a change of control of the Company, holders of the Convertible Debentures will have the right to require the Company to repurchase their Convertible Debentures, in whole or in part, on the date that is 30 days following the giving of notice of the change of control, at a price equal to 104% of the principal amount of the Convertible Debentures then outstanding plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon up to and including the date of redemption (the "Offer Price"). If 90% or more of the principal amount of the Convertible Debentures outstanding on the date of the notice of the change of control have been tendered for redemption, the Company will have the right to redeem all of the remaining Convertible Debentures at the Offer Price.

Closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or about September 15, 2017 (the "Closing Date"). The Offering is in the form of a best efforts private placement (i) in Canada to "accredited investors" within the meaning of National Instrument 45-106 and other exempt purchasers in each province of Canada, as agreed upon by the Issuer and the Agents, (ii) in the United States only to Qualified Institutional Buyers (within the meaning of Rule 144A) and/or Accredited Investors (within the meaning of Rule 501(a) of Regulation D) pursuant to available exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and in each case in compliance with the securities laws of the applicable States of the United States and (iii) outside Canada and the United States on a basis which does not require the qualification or registration of any of the Debentures or the Issuer.

The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release will not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Maricann Group Inc.

Maricann is a vertically integrated producer and distributor of marijuana for medical purposes. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Toronto, Canada and Munich, Germany, with production facilities in Langton, Ontario, Canada where it operates a medicinal cannabis cultivation, extraction, formulation and distribution business under federal licence from the Government of Canada. and Dresden, Saxony, Germany. Maricann is currently undertaking an expansion of its cultivation and support facilities in Canada in a fully funded 217,000 sq. ft. (20,159 sq. m) build out, to support existing and future patient growth.

For more information about Maricann, please visit our website at www.maricann.ca.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this document, including statements with respect to the proposed Offering and Closing Date and use of proceeds thereof, contain forward-looking statements which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "expects", "may", "desires", "will", "should", "projects", "estimates", "contemplates", "anticipates", "intends", or any negative such as "does not believe" or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. No assurance can be given that potential future results or circumstances described in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. By their nature, these forward-looking statements, necessarily involve risks and uncertainties, including those discussed herein, that could cause actual results to significantly differ from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the view of the Company with respect to future events, and are based on information currently available to the Company and on assumptions, which it considers reasonable. Management cautions readers that the assumptions relative to the future events, several of which are beyond Management's control, could prove to be incorrect, given that they are subject to certain risk and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: fluctuations in operating results; the impact of general economic, industry and market conditions; the ability to recruit and retain qualified employees; fluctuations in cash flow; increased levels of outstanding debt and obligations under a capital lease; expectations regarding market demand for particular products and the dependence on new product development; the impact of market change; and the impact of price and product competition. Management disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Shawn Alexander

VP Investor Relations

289-288-6284

salexander@maricann.ca



Media:

Carrie Booze

North 6th Agency

212-334-9753 ext.142

maricann@n6a.com



Corporate Headquarters (Canada)

Maricann Group Inc. (Toronto)

845 Harrington Court, Unit 3

Burlington Ontario L7N 3P3

Canada

289-288-6274



European Headquarters (Germany)

Maricann GmbH

Thierschstrasse 3, 80538 Munchen, Deutschland




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- Maricann Group Inc. (CSE: MARI)(CSE: MARI.CN)(CNSX: MARI) ("Maricann" or the "Company") announced today that it has entered into an agreement ("Acquisition Agreement") to acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of NanoLeaf Technologies Inc. ("NanoLeaf"), a biotech company possessing licensing rights to a number of globally patented technologies that provide proven pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and functional beverage drug delivery formulations. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of September 2017.

NanoLeaf, through its licensing agreement with Vesifact, has developed and marketed the first cannabinoid standardized dose soft gel capsule in a nano-dispersed drug called Vesisorb. The challenge the cannabis industry has faced is finding a predictable delivery mechanism of cannabinoids in an oral dosing format. Cannabinoids are a fat-soluble compound that have low solubility, leading to low dissolution rates and significant first-pass liver metabolism resulting in low and unpredictable oral cannabinoid bioavailability. This poor solubility not only gives low oral bio-availability but also leads to high inter- and intra-subject variability and lack of dose proportionality.

Strategic Rationale

-- Patented, Proven Technology used by Large Global Companies - the portfolio of patents and proven technology has been developed and commercialized globally, and is licensed by world leading pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies to be used in nutraceutical products and topicals -- Exclusive License for Significant Jurisdictions - Maricann, through the acquisition of NanoLeaf, will obtain the exclusive rights for Canada, Europe, South America (excluding Uruguay), Israel and Australia. Maricann will also obtain certain non-exclusive rights for the rest of the world (excluding the United States), and certain states within the United States -- Strengthens Pipeline of Differentiated Products - the company anticipates that the technology will not only strengthen its position in the oils and capsules market, but also areas such as cannabinoid based functional beverages and topicals, given the consistent, fast onset, high bio-availability product

Pursuant to the Acquisition Agreement, NanoLeaf shareholders will receive C$38.5 million in consideration for their NanoLeaf shares, to be satisfied by delivery of approximately 18.3 million common shares of Maricann (the "Closing Shares") at a deemed value of $2.10 per share (subject to adjustment as described below). Maricann will also loan NanoLeaf C$1.6 million in cash to settle existing liabilities of NanoLeaf in advance of completing the acquisition, resulting in deemed total transaction consideration of C$40.1 million.

The number of shares issued to NanoLeaf shareholders is subject to adjustment in certain circumstances following closing, including if, on the date that is 179 days post-closing (the "Adjustment Calculation Date"), the volume weight average price of Maricann common shares for the preceeding 20-day period (the "Adjustment VWAP") is less than $2.10, the Company will issue incremental shares to NanoLeaf ("Adjustment Shares") in accordance with the following formula:

(C$38.5 million / Adjustment VWAP)) - Number of Closing Shares issued).

The Adjustment VWAP is subject to a minimum of $1.40 per Maricann share resulting in a maximum number of Adjustment Shares of approximately 9.2 million. The Adjustment Calculation Date will be accelerated should Maricann announce a change of control before the Adjustment Calculation Date. For more information on the terms of the acquisition, please refer to the Share Purchase Agreement between Maricann and the NanoLeaf shareholders date August 21, 2017, which will be filed under Maricann's profile on www.sedar.com.

Vesisorb, a patented cannabinoid drug delivery technology developed at the Zurich Institute of Technology and formulated and manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices and Food and Drug Administration standards in Baar Switzerland, is a proven nano-dispersion technology used in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries, that will improve the water solubility and ultimately, bioavailability of lipophilic drugs (cannabinoids). The technology does not change the molecular structure of cannabinoids.

Vesisorb has shown very strong properties from thermodynamic stability (long shelf life), easy formation (zero interfacial tension and almost spontaneous formation), optical isotropy, high surface area (high solubilization capacity), very small droplet size, standardized dosages, high concentration of bioactive cannabinoids, increased absorption and bioavailability. The small droplets also provide better adherence to membranes and transport drug molecules in a controlled fashion. The key for health care professionals and the pharmaceutical industry is to provide a more efficacious cannabinoid therapy through predictable meter dosing with no delayed onsets and fast absorption.

In connection with the agreement to acquire NanoLeaf, Dr. James Hyssen will be appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Maricann Group Inc. upon signing. Dr. Hyssen possesses an accomplished background as the co-founder of Douglas Laboratories Canada, a globally recognized manufacturer of specialized nutraceuticals. Dr. Hyssen will lead the company's operations as it expands its product offering globally through multiple recognized distribution channels. Terry Fretz, current COO will move to President of the company, focusing effort on development of the company's initiatives in the Pharmaceutical sector, and expansion of the company's global footprint.

"The acquisition of NanoLeaf Technologies Inc. will significantly enhance Maricann's growth trajectory by expanding our product portfolio, delivering access to new markets, and strengthening our pipeline of future products, making us leaders in the drug delivery of cannabinoids" said Ben Ward, CEO of Maricann. "Health Care Professionals are

comfortable with traditional drug delivery systems, and patients understand how to use them."

Eight Capital is acting as financial advisor and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP is acting as legal counsel to Maricann. Cassels, Brock & Blackwell LLP is acting as legal counsel to NanoLeaf and its shareholders.

About Maricann Group Inc.

Maricann is a vertically integrated producer and distributor of marijuana for medical purposes. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Toronto, Canada and Munich, Germany, with production facilities in Langton, Ontario, Canada where it operates a medicinal cannabis cultivation, extraction, formulation and distribution business under federal licence from the Government of Canada. and Dresden, Saxony, Germany. Maricann is currently undertaking an expansion of its cultivation and support facilities in Canada in a fully funded 217,000 sq. ft. (20,159 sq. m) build out, to support existing and future patient growth.

For more information about Maricann please visit our website at www.maricann.ca

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this document, including statements with respect to the proposed acquisition of NanoLeaf Technologies Inc. and the timing thereof, contain forward-looking statements which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "expects", "may", "desires", "will", "should", "projects", "estimates", "contemplates", "anticipates", "intends", or any negative such as "does not believe" or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. No assurance can be given that potential future results or circumstances described in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. By their nature, these forward-looking statements necessarily involve risks and uncertainties, including those discussed herein, that could cause actual results to significantly differ from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the view of the Company with respect to future events, and are based on information currently available to the Company and on assumptions, which it considers reasonable. Management cautions readers that the assumptions relative to the future events, several of which are beyond Management's control, could prove to be incorrect, given that they are subject to certain risk and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected. There can be no assurance that the proposed transaction will occur or that the anticipated strategic benefits will be realized. The proposed transaction could be modified, restricted or terminated. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the satisfaction of the conditions to closing the acquisition; whether the consideration is adjusted pursuant to the terms of the share purchase agreement; fluctuations in operating results; the impact of general economic, industry and market conditions; the ability to recruit and retain qualified employees; fluctuations in cash flow; increased levels of outstanding debt and obligations under a capital lease; expectations regarding market demand for particular products and the dependence on new product development; the impact of market change; and the impact of price and product competition. Management disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Shawn Alexander

VP Investor Relations

289-288-6284

salexander@maricann.ca



Media:

Carrie Booze

North 6th Agency

212-334-9753 ext.142

maricann@n6a.com



Corporate Headquarters (Canada)

Maricann Group Inc. (Toronto)

845 Harrington Court, Unit 3

Burlington Ontario L7N 3P3

Canada

289-288-6274



European Headquarters (Germany)

Maricann GmbH

Thierschstrasse 3, 80538 Munchen, Deutschland




WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE: WNS), a leading provider of global Business Process Management (BPM) services, today announced that WNS and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) jointly won the silver award for customer loyalty in the 'Measurement' category at the 2017 Loyalty360 Awards. The award acknowledged WNS' analytics solution which measures IHG's campaign effectiveness for its loyalty program IHG Rewards Club - one of the most elaborate measurement-based, data-driven, multi-channel promotional programs.

"We're honored to receive this esteemed award recognizing WNS' analytics expertise in delivering differentiated, technology-enabled and domain-led analytical solutions to our clients," said Keshav R. Murugesh, Group CEO, WNS.

"We are always proud to talk about our success with WNS in building campaigns from the ground up on a foundation of complex test-n-learn, not only to accurately measure their commercial value, but also to learn which offers are most relevant and influential with each customer," said Jim Spriggs, Director, Database Marketing Analytics, InterContinental Hotels Group.

"When speaking to our brand membership, we hear time and again that measurement is among the biggest challenges in customer loyalty today," said Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360. "WNS-IHG's win in the category speaks to the sophistication of its measurement processes, as well as the dedication of the company to creating unique and memorable experiences for its customers."

IHG partnered with WNS to develop a promotional engagement program, called Accelerate, which uses various types of tailored offers to foster awareness, trial, and utilization of IHG's programs, brands, products, and channels. This program is driven by strong customer analytics and deep domain knowledge of the hospitality industry.

WNS' analytics practice currently has over 2,200 researchers and analytics experts, delivering for more than 50 global businesses across industries. WNS provides a broad spectrum of analytics products and services, including big data, business intelligence and reporting, machine learning, research, marketing, social media, risk, fraud, claims, and customer relationship management. The WNS Analytics practice is complemented by a robust R&D center, focused on innovation and emerging technologies.

About Loyalty360 Awards

The Customer Loyalty Awards recognize brands that have consistently demonstrated excellence in customer-centric initiatives to enhance customer experience, loyalty and engagement. At the Loyalty360 Awards companies vie for top honors in six categories: Loyalty Rewards Program, Technology Trends, Customer Experience Engagement, Customer Insights, Creative Campaign and Measurement. This year the winners were announced as a part of Loyalty Expo 2017, May 2-4 at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.

About WNS

WNS (Holdings) Limited (NYSE: WNS), is a leading global business process management company. WNS offers business value to 300+ global clients by combining operational excellence with deep domain expertise in key industry verticals including Travel, Insurance, Banking and Financial Services, Manufacturing, Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods, Shipping and Logistics, Healthcare and Utilities. WNS delivers an entire spectrum of business process management services such as finance and accounting, customer interaction services, technology solutions, research and analytics and industry specific back office and front office processes. As of June 30, 2017, WNS had 34,789 professionals across 52 delivery centers worldwide including China, Costa Rica, India, Philippines, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, visit www.wns.com.

Safe Harbor Provision

This document includes information which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied are discussed in our most recent Form 20-F and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. WNS undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005585/en/

Contacts:

WNS (Holdings) Limited

Investors:

David Mackey

Corporate SVP Finance Head of Investor Relations

+1 (201) 942-6261

david.mackey@wns.com

or

Media:

Archana Raghuram

Head Corporate Communications

+91 (22) 4095 2397

archana.raghuram@wns.com; pr@wns.com
HYDERABAD, India, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Implementing asset integrity management across all the sectors in the oil & gas industry is extremely critical in the current day scenario. The demand for energy is rising constantly, and there is a decline in productivity among the existing oil & gas fields amidst a sustained low oil & gas price environment. Asset integrity measures help maintain the onshore and offshore assets, ensure minimal unexpected down times and enhance productivity from the existing assets. Moreover, it also ensures that the required business processes, systems, tools, competence, and resources are in place throughout the asset lifecycle. Hence, continued strategic investments in this field are a necessity for the companies in the sector, so as to optimize operations, increase the safety factor during operations, gain maximum benefit from the existing portfolios, and avoid potential environmental risks.

Asset integrity management services include, design review and verification, inspection, risk assessment, maintenance support (reliability, predictive, and preventive strategies), testing, monitoring, obsolescence mitigation, corrosion services, process safety, mechanical integrity services, and health, safety & environmental strategies (HSE).

Factors, such as, improved profitability and prevention of downtime because of AIM, increasing number of new finds in deep-water and ultra-deep-water, growing focus on operational performance, safety and reliability, stringent government regulations, field development, MRI in the established offshore provinces, etc., are driving the market growth.

North America is the leading market for AIM services, followed by the Asia-Pacific region. The latter has the highest growth rate, and is expected to overtake North America in the next five years.

By country, United States accounted for the largest market share in 2016, among other countries, such as, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Kuwait. The United States is expected to record the fastest growth rate during the forecast period, owing to the growth in oil & gas industry, increased stringency in regulations, and the need to improve efficiency, productivity, safety, and integrity of the assets.

Browse this report: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/oil-gas-asset-integrity-management-services-market

Why Go for the Report?-

1.The Global (North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Europe, Africa, and South America) Spending on Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Services.

2.Key Players in Asset Integrity Management (Aim) Services and Their Company Profiles (Overview, Products & Services, Financials, Recent Developments, Financials, and Strategies).

3.Aim Service Spending Forecast in Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream Sectors, until 2022.

4.The Market Size and Growth Rates of Onshore and Offshore AIM Service Market.

5.Recent Trends and Developments in Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Service Market.

6.The Size Forecast and Growth Rates for the Global Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Services Market for 2022.

7.Key Factors Driving the Global Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Services Market.

8.Key Market Trends Impacting the Growth of the Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Services Market.

9.Key Factors Restraining the Growth of the Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Services Market.

10. Comprehensive Summary of Regions and Countries Poised for Fastest Growth, along with Market Demand Forecasts.

11. Future Opportunities for the Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Services Market.

Study Objectives:

1.To provide a detailed analysis of the market structure, along with the forecast for various segments and sub-segments of the asset integrity management (AIM) services.

2.To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the asset integrity management (AIM) services, on the basis of various market determinants, such as, supply-chain analysis, Porter's five forces analysis, etc.

3. To analyze historical data and forecast revenue for the market segments, along with their respective growth rates.

4.To provide country-level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and prospects.

5.To identify the regions and segments poised for the fastest growth, and provide comprehensive analysis.

6. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyze their core competencies, and draw a competitive landscape of the market.

7.To track and analyze competitive developments, such as, joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, new product & service developments, and R&D in the global asset integrity management services market.

Spanning over 160 pages, the Global Asset Integrity Management Services Market (2017-2022) report covers industry overview; analysis of drivers, restraints, and opportunities; Porter's five forces analysis; market analysis by geography, sector (upstream, midstream, downstream), and application (onshore and offshore); key company profiles; competitive landscape; key developments; and trend analysis of the market.

About Mordor Intelligence

Mordor Intelligence is a market intelligence and business advisory firm. The company operates in the business of industry analysis & consulting, in over 16 verticals. In today's fast-paced and competitive business environment, every customer has unique information requirements. With an eye to such requirements, Mordor offers custom market intelligence and advisory services along with syndicated reports, to help them gain an edge over the competition. The company has successfully catered to over 500 (40% of whom are Fortune 500) clients, since 2013.

Media Contacts:

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5th Floor, Brigade Towers, Financial District,

Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Phone: Asia Pacific: +91-9700500900

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Email: rohith@mordorintelligence.com



Website: http://www.mordorintelligence.com
HERNDON, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 10/24/17 -- EdgeConneX, specializing in global data center solutions at the edge of the network, today announces that Faction, a leading enterprise-class private cloud and backup infrastructure provider, has partnered with EdgeConneX to deliver expanded multi-cloud service offerings to its customers across its Edge Data Centers (EDCs) portfolio. The initial deployment is complete in the Portland EDC and the Denver facility will follow this quarter. EdgeConneX houses a robust Internet ecosystem, providing cloud onramps to major cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud and many others.

The EdgeConneX Portland and Denver EDCs are in strategic proximity to network provider aggregation points, which ensures the lowest latency data delivery with improved security and quality of service for Faction customers. Additionally, these purpose-built, state-of-the-art EdgeConneX facilities provide Faction with a robust Internet ecosystem with direct access to leading cloud providers at the Edge. Partnering with EdgeConneX will assist Faction in rapidly expand its multi-cloud service offerings while enabling access to more private enterprises.

"EdgeConneX is the nexus of interconnection in a very heated Portland hyperscale cloud market, and being a cross-connect away will enable our multi-cloud solutions and go-to-market strategy," states Luke Norris, CEO, Faction. "Our partnership will enhance our ability to build storage pools between hyperscale cloud providers with maximum control as we continue to shape the future of multi-cloud computing for our customers."

In both the Portland and Denver facilities, Faction will leverage connectivity in a secure and reliable Edge Data Center, delivering high-performance and cost-effective VMware based clouds with Administrator-level access to VMware vCenter that offers unprecedented control, flexibility, and integration capabilities for hybrid and multi-cloud deployments.

"As cloud traffic rises exponentially, it is essential to provide access to innovative cloud service providers and partners that can help companies realize their strategic and commercial objectives," states Clint Heiden, chief commercial officer, EdgeConneX. "The launch of Faction's multi-cloud service offerings at our Portland and Denver Edge Data Centers underscores our commitment to making it easier for customers to reach the cloud and take advantage of industry-leading cloud technologies all in one secure edge location."

EdgeConneX specializes in providing purpose-built, power dense Edge Data Center solutions that enable the fastest delivery of data to end-users. EdgeConneX has created a new Edge of the Internet by designing and deploying facilities that are strategically positioned nearest to network provider aggregation points, ensuring the lowest latency data delivery with improved security and quality of service.

For more information about EdgeConneX and its leading Edge of network infrastructure solutions for expanding and improving access to wireless and data communications, visit edgeconnex.com or email info@edgeconnex.com.

To learn more about Faction, please visit www.factioninc.com.

About EdgeConneX

EdgeConneX is the only global Edge Data Center provider. Creating purpose-built, edge-of-network infrastructure solutions that extend the internet's reach, EdgeConneX enables the fastest and most secure delivery of content, cloud services and applications. Edge Data Centers host bandwidth intensive and latency sensitive data closer to end-users, establishing a more secure, reliable and cost-effective distribution model for the internet. For more information, please visit the EdgeConneX Internet of Everywhere at edgeconnex.com.

About Faction

Colorado-based Faction is an enterprise-class IaaS cloud provider delivering maximum control, flexibility, and integration capabilities for customers in hybrid & multi-cloud environments. Faction has Type II SSAE 16 and SOC 1 & 2, HIPAA compliant and PCI capable cloud nodes in 8 geographies in North America. Faction is a Platinum-level NetApp Service Provider and is VMware Hybrid Cloud and IaaS Powered. For more information on Faction and to learn how to leverage hybrid cloud and multi-cloud strategies, please visit http://www.factioninc.com. Follow us on Twitter (@FactionInc) and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

iMiller Public Relations for EdgeConneX

+1.866.307.2510

edgeconnex@imillerpr.com




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 27, 2017) - RT Minerals Corp. (TSXV: RTM) (OTC Pink: RTMFF) (the "Company") announces an update on the Norwalk gold property located near Wawa, Ontario further to the Company's news release dated December 12, 2017. The Company has completed four HQ core diamond drill holes totalling 93 metres to test the Red Carbonate Zone ("RCZ") and follow up on trenching completed in November 2017. Fifteen grab samples collected during trenching and 66 core samples from drilling have been submitted for gold fire assay or pulp and metallic sieve analysis with fire assay finish to estimate gold content when coarse free gold is present. Results are expected in January 2018.

The current drill program is designed to test the geometry and mineralization of the RCZ at shallow depths below November 2017 trenches. All four holes intersected the targeted RCZ and visible gold was observed in two drill holes. Drill core has been split and samples submitted for gold analysis.

Hole N17-11 was collared in the hanging wall of the RCZ at an azimuth of 200 and an angle of -60. The core drill hole intersected 4.1 metres of sulfide-bearing sericite schist and then RCZ at 10.4 metres depth for 3.1 metres core length. Visible gold was observed in a quartz vein at 11.1 metres depth.

Hole N17-12 was collared from the same location and azimuth as N17-11, but at a steeper angle of -80. This hole intersected 2.3 metres of mineralized sericite schist before intersecting 3.6 metres of RCZ from 13.7 metres.

Drill holes N17-11 and N17-12 were designed to intersect RCZ and measure the dip angle of the RCZ structure. This orientation is not optimal to sample quartz veins within RCZ. Quartz veins within RCZ are oblique to the plane of the RCZ structure and must be drilled at a different orientation.

Drill holes N17-13 and N17-14, collared at 200 azimuth, at -60 and -62 plunge respectively, were positioned to drill down dip of RCZ and intersect quartz veins within RCZ at near-right angles. Down-dip drilling is designed to cut many veins at a more optimal angle so the distribution of gold mineralization in quartz veins within RCZ envelope can be more accurately measured.

Hole N17-13 collared in RCZ below overburden and exited RCZ at 6.3m depth. Hole N17-13 was stopped at 12.0 metres in footwall geology.

Hole N17-14 collared in RCZ and continued in the target to 27.0 metres depth. The hole has been temporarily suspended at 27 metres depth for Christmas holidays. The drill remains on the casing so drilling can resume in January 2018 to complete the hole. A speck of coarse visible gold was observed at 26.7 metres.

RED CARBONATE ZONE ("RCZ")

The RCZ lies within a broad corridor of intense deformation, referred to locally as the Monk deformation zone. Recent property-wide exploration indicates that the Monk deformation corridor has a minimum width of 1.5 kilometres and extends from the northwestern to the southeastern border of the Norwalk property for 2.5 kilometres.

Trenching initially exposed the Red Carbonate Zone along a 25-metre strike oriented at 115 Azimuth, and drilling measures dip to be 65 south. The RCZ is currently known to be 25 metres long and 25 metres deep, and is open in all directions for additional exploration.

The RCZ is a red-brown crystalline carbonate body 2 to 5 metres wide with up to 25% quartz veins that are mineralized with sulphides and gold. Host-rock adjacent to the RCZ is intermediate to felsic metavolcanic schist mineralized with 2 to 3% sulfides locally. Mineralized host rock is also being assayed for gold as part of the samples detailed herein.

Carbonate zones with quartz veining like the RCZ are one of several gold mineralized host units in Timmins and Campbell Red Lake gold camps. Carbonate zones like RCZ are commonly 30 to 60 centimetres wide, and interpreted to be significant channels for hydrothermal fluid movement during gold mineralizing events. The Company's Red Carbonate Zone measures 2 to 5 metres wide in trenches and core drilling at Norwalk. Historical grab sampling of RCZ has returned from trace to 0.43 ounces per ton gold.

The RCZ is situated 600 metres south-southeast of the Company's high grade Gananoque showing, and the gap between RCZ and Gananoque has undergone limited exploration.

The east-southeast strike of the RCZ is similar in strike to other geophysical anomalies mapped elsewhere on the property by a 31-line kilometre IP and magnetometer ground geophysical program completed in September 2017.

2018 WORK PROGRAM, NORWALK PROPERTY

In 2018, the Company proposes to carry out further drilling in the immediate vicinity of the current work on the RCZ. In addition, approximately 4-line kilometres of extended geophysics is planned to cover the area between the Gananoque showing and the RCZ. This work will be followed up with trenching and drilling within this 600-metre gap. Subject to further funding in 2018, the Company also proposes to further review, ground truth and explore up to 64 geophysical anomalies that remain untested out of the 69 targets outlined on the property from the Company's September 2017 geophysical program.

Mr. Kevin Kivi, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person for RT Minerals Corp. and approves the technical content of this news release.

ABOUT RT MINERALS CORP.

RT Minerals Corp. is a junior resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and evaluation of primarily gold and diamond properties in Canada. The Company's principal mineral properties include:

Norwalk Gold Property (100% option) is located near Wawa, Ontario and is contiguous to the southern border of Red Pine Explorations Inc.'s Wawa Gold Project;

Ballard Lake Diamond and Gold Property (100% owned) is located ~50 kilometres ENE of Wawa, Ontario and encompasses 366 square kilometres (~141 square miles).

Dill River Gold Property (100% option) is located near Wawa, Ontario and is contiguous to the eastern border of Red Pine's Wawa Gold Project;

Golden Reed Mine Gold Property (100% option) is located near Wawa, Ontario and is staked within Red Pine's Wawa Gold Project; and

Dog Lake Gold Property (100% owned) is located ~59 kilometres NE of Wawa, Ontario.

The Company's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "RTM" and on the OTC Pink Market under the symbol "RTMFF" with DTC eligibility for trading in the United States.

For more information on the Company and its properties, please visit the Company's website at www.rtmcorp.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Antoniazzi

President and Chief Executive Officer

RT Minerals Corp.

Toll Free: 877-581-3170

Telephone: 604-681-3170

Fax: 604-681-3552

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release relating to the Company's exploration activities, project expenditures and business plans are approximate and are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of securities legislation. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment based on current facts and assumptions that management considers reasonable, including that operating and capital plans will not be disrupted by issues such as adverse market conditions, mechanical failure, unavailability of parts, labor disturbances, interruption in transportation or utilities, or adverse weather conditions, that there are no material unanticipated variations in budgeted costs, that contractors will complete projects according to schedule, and that actual mineralization on properties may not achieve any category of resource(s). The Company makes no representation that reasonable business people in possession of the same information would reach the same conclusions. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, fluctuations in the price of gold, equity markets or in currency markets could prevent the Company from achieving its targets. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There is no guarantee that drill results reported in this news release or future releases will lead to the identification of a deposit that can be mined economically, and further work is required to identify resources and reserves. We seek safe harbour.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 22, 2017) - CVR Medical Corp. (TSXV: CVM) (FSE: B3BN) (OTCQB: CRRVF) ("CVR Medical") is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Phillip J. Bendick, PhD, to the company's advisory staff. Dr. Bendick, a renowned medical sonographer and researcher, will assist CVR in the organization of expanded clinical trials for the "Carotid Stenotic Scan (CSS)" device.

Dr. Bendick will bring a wealth of knowledge and an extensive network to CVR. Since 1971, he has worked, taught, and presented at medical institutions across the world, making seminal contributions to the field of vascular sonography. He has served on the Board of Governors of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), among many other prestigious appointments, and has authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles, 15 book chapters and, most recently, held the position of Editor-in-Chief emeritus of the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

"My goal with CVR is to help prove their technology as effective and efficient," Dr. Bendick says. "I'll be working to establish additional clinical sites for the CSS, in order to gather as much data as possible that can be correlated with ultrasound and other, more invasive, imaging techniques."

CVR CEO Peter Bakema states, "We're thrilled to have Dr. Bendick's incredible insight going forward in this process. It really speaks volumes for the technology and product we've developed that someone of his stature in the industry, with so much experience with the existing models, would join us in this revolutionary effort."

Wasting no time in becoming part of that effort, Dr. Bendick has already put forth inquiries on behalf of CVR to some of the nation's leading research facilities.

"I've spent 40 years using ultrasound to diagnose carotid disease," he tells. "I've seen how good it is, but I've also seen all its pitfalls and problems. It takes a long time, it is extremely operator-dependent; [the CSS device] offers the ability to do this very simply in about five minutes. For both diagnostic and research results, it has the potential to do really great things."

As much as he, and CVR, are focused on changing the past practices of vascular sonography with this contemporary advancement, he admits just as much excitement in looking ahead. "CVR is going to validate this technology, and then I think we'll see huge opportunities open up. I talk to doctors about this who can look down the road and see how this device could impact their fields of expertise. This stage is truly the very tip of the iceberg."

For additional information on the organization, leadership, and current news please visit the company website at www.CVRMed.com.

About CVR Medical

CVR Medical is a company that is involved in an equal parts joint venture with CVR Global Inc. (the "Joint Venture"). The Joint Venture operates in the medical industry focused on the commercialization of a proprietary subsonic, infrasonic, and low frequency sound wave analysis technology and has patents to a diagnostic device designed to detect and measure carotid arterial stenosis. CVR Medical is managed by a proven technical team. CVR Medical trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol CVM.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD:

(signed) "Peter Bakema"

CEO, President & Director

For further information contact:

Brisco Capital Partners Corp.

Scott Koyich, President

Telephone: (403) 262-9888

This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events related to the Joint Venture. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: (1) a downturn in general economic conditions in North America and internationally, (2) the inherent uncertainties and speculative nature associated with commercialization of technology and the practice of medicine, (3) a change in health regulations, (4) any number of events or causes which may delay or cease commercialization and development of the Joint Venture, (5) the risk that the Company or the Joint Venture does not execute its business plan, (6) inability to retain key employees, (7) inability to finance operations and growth, and (8) other factors beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 22, 2017) - Appia Energy Corp. (CSE: API) (OTC: APAAF) (FSE: A0I) (MU: A0I) (BE: A0I) (the "Company or "Appia") is pleased to announce the start of a ground prospecting and radiometric surveying program (the "Program") on the high-grade rare earth element ("REE") plus uranium Alces Lake property (the "Property"), located 29 km north of the Athabasca Basin, Northern Saskatchewan.

The objective of the Program is to follow-up anomalous radioactive areas that were identified in a helicopter-borne VTEMTM Plus survey flown last year (see the Company's news release dated July 19, 2016). The anomalous radioactive areas to be visited are similar to those observed at the Alces Lake and Ivan zones which are host to high-grade REE outcrops and boulders ranging from 1.1% to 35.7% total REEs by weight, producing an average of 9.7% total REEs by weight (see the Company's news release dated May 22, 2014). The REE outcrops and boulders exhibit uranium plus thorium radioactivity levels in excess of 10,000 cps measured with an RS-230 hand-held spectrometer.

The field work will be supervised by James Sykes, the Company's Vice President of Exploration and Development. The Program is expected to take 2 weeks, and final results will be reported as received and analyzed by the Company.

About Appia

Appia is a Canadian publicly-traded company in the uranium and rare earth element sectors. The Company is currently focusing on discovering high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its recently acquired properties, Loranger, Otherside and Eastside, as well as delineating high-grade REEs and uranium on its Alces Lake joint venture. The company holds the surface rights to exploration for about 63,504 hectares (156,922 acres) in Saskatchewan.

Appia's technical team is directed by James Sykes, who has had direct and indirect involvement with over 450 M lbs. U3O8 being discovered in five deposits in the Athabasca Basin.

Appia currently has 52.3 million common shares outstanding, 65.3 million shares fully diluted.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward- looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Drivas, President, CEO and Director: (tel) 416-546-2707, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) appia@appiaenergy.ca

James Sykes, Director of Saskatchewan Operations, (tel) 306-221-8717, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) jsykes@uraniumgeologist.com

Frank van de Water, Chief Financial Officer and Director, (tel) 416-546-2707, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) fvandewater@rogers.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 15, 2017) - Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. (TSXV: AGH) (Canadian Silver Hunter" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that positive results have been released from a borehole geophysics program on the Keeley-Frontier property, by First Cobalt Corp. An electromagnetic program successfully identified a geophysical signature associated with vein-style mineralization intersected in recent drilling as well as an off-hole anomaly, providing a new exploration tool for the Cobalt camp.

Highlights:

In-hole and off-hole electromagnetic-anomalous responses corresponding to veining have been encountered at the Woods vein extension and near the Keeley mine.

Off-hole anomalous results will be targeted for follow-up in the winter drill program.

Final data interpretation is nearly complete and results are being incorporated into the planning for January, 2018, drilling.

Three areas were targeted for surveying: the area known as the Woods vein extension, the Frontier No. 1 vein and an area near the Keeley mine. The Woods vein extension area was previously believed to be barren but, based on new mapping and drilling, may be the extension of the Woods-Watson vein system that accounted for over 80 per cent of the historic production in the Cobalt South region of the Cobalt camp.

Results of the program were positive, with both in-hole and off-hole electromagnetic anomalous responses encountered.

Five holes were surveyed near the Keeley mine and three at the Woods vein extension, to the north of the Frontier mine. Three holes with known cobalt veining provided an in-hole EM response consistent with drill core logging and assay results, confirming the ability of EM to detect a geophysical signature for cobalt veins.

More significantly, surveying in one hole near the Keeley mine detected an off-hole response, indicating a potential extension of the veining recorded in the hole. Two holes drilled along the Frontier No. 1 vein were also surveyed to detect off-hole anomalies, but did not encounter any EM responses.

Next Steps

EM surveying has not been used extensively in the Cobalt camp despite cobalt and silver minerals being excellent conductors. The pulse EM method which is being used is well suited for this setting.

Ground-based EM system testing will commence shortly to determine if the cobalt veins encountered by drilling can be detected from surface. An expanded ground EM survey over the Woods extension area is also being considered. If the results from the borehole program can be replicated from surface, EM surveys could have a camp-wide application as a prospecting and drill-hole-targeting tool.

The off-hole anomaly detected near Keeley will be targeted during the winter drilling program starting in January.

Crone Geophysics, based in Mississauga, Ont., has been contracted to conduct the surveys. Crone Geophysics develops high-quality instruments and has provided leading-edge surveying and consulting since 1962.

Qualified and Competent Person Statement

Dr. Frank Santaguida, PGeo, is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Dr. Santaguida is employed on a full-time basis as vice-president, exploration, for First Cobalt. He has sufficient experience that is relevant to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a competent person as defined in the JORC Code.

About Canadian Silver Hunter Inc.

Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on the exploration of silver-cobalt deposits on its 100% owned flagship Keeley Frontier Project. For more information please visit the Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. website at www.canadiansilverhunter.ca.

Shareholders of Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. are reminded to view the filings of First Cobalt Corp. on www.sedar.com for further information regarding the activity of First Cobalt Corp. with respect to the Keeley Frontier project.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. We seek safe Harbor.

Canadian Silver Hunter Inc.

Jeffrey Hunter

President & CEO

(416) 707 4230

info@cshi.ca

www.canadiansilverhunter.ca
North Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 14, 2017) - Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (ASX: LLO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (FSE: LY1) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the start of the construction phase of the Tuvatu Gold Project with the release of the site Bulk Earthworks Contract. The Company has awarded the Contract to A.R. Quarry and Concrete Limited (ARQC), a large, reputable civil contractor based in Nadi, Fiji. ARQC won the contract in a competitive tender process with multiple bidders.

The contract scope of work includes approximately 112,000 m3 of excavation and 85,000 m3 of fill. Specific construction activities include the following:

mill site bulk excavation and fill for 5 platforms for the run of mine ore stockpile, the crushing plant, the processing plant, the maintenance building, and the diesel power generation plant;

mill site road construction;

erection of three retaining walls ranging in height from 3 m to 10 m high;

construction of a lined storm water detention pond;

excavation of a large diversion ditch to redirect storm water runoff around the mill site;

installation of site drainage ditches and culverts for management of mill site storm water runoff;

straightening of Tuvatu creek to open up additional required site area;

rerouting of 400m of the Navilawa Road outside the mill site proper to ensure public safety and security;

preparation of a pad for the installation of the engineered fill crushing plant;

preparation of a pad for the installation of the mine maintenance shop and mine dry.

ARQC will begin mobilizing equipment and personnel immediately. The earthworks are planned to be substantially complete in Q2 2018.

A ground breaking ceremony is planned inviting government officials, members of the press, and the local communities. The general public is also welcome to attend. The date and time will be posted on our website.

About Tuvatu | Lion One | Fiji Gold

Lion One is aggressively advancing its 100% owned Tuvatu Gold Project as a world class discovery and near-term production opportunity in the southwest Pacific Ring of Fire. Tuvatu is modeled for exploration after regional giants in the low sulphidation family of high grade epithermal gold deposits such as Porgera and Lihir in PNG, and Vatukoula in Fiji. These spectacular discoveries have produced over 35 million ounces of gold in similar alkaline volcanic settings. Tuvatu has been fully permitted by the Government of Fiji for operations startup and has a dual-track strategy of production development and resource expansion inside its 385 hectare mining lease.

Tuvatu is located 25 km from the international airport in Nadi, on the west coast of Viti Levu in the Republic of Fiji. Lion One's CEO Walter Berukoff leading an experienced team of mine builders, has owned or operated over 20 mines in 7 countries. As the founder and former CEO of Miramar Mines, Northern Orion, and La Mancha Resources, Walter is credited with building over $3 billion of value for shareholders.

Ian Chang, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Chief Development Officer, is the Qualified Person ("QP") responsible for Tuvatu Mine development.

For more information on Lion One including technical reports please visit the Company's website at www.liononemetals.com or the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com .

On behalf of Lion One Metals Limited

"Ian I Chang"

Chief Development Officer

For further information please contact

Hamish Greig, Vice President (North Vancouver, BC) Tel: 604-973-3008

Joe Gray, Investor Relations (North Vancouver, BC) Tel: 604-973-3004

Toll Free IR Line (North America) Tel: 1-855-805-1250

Email: info@liononemetals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward looking information. Generally, forward-looking information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "proposed", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information reflects Lion One Metals Limited's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to Lion One Metals Limited and on assumptions Lion One Metals Limited believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, the actual results of exploration projects being equivalent to or better than estimated results in technical reports, assessment reports, and other geological reports or prior exploration results. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Lion One Metals Limited or its subsidiaries to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: the early stage development of Lion One Metals Limited, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the actual results of current research and development or operational activities; competition; uncertainty as to patent applications and intellectual property rights; product liability and lack of insurance; delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals; changes in legislation, including environmental legislation, affecting mining, timing and availability of external financing on acceptable terms; not realizing on the potential benefits of technology; conclusions of economic evaluations; and lack of qualified, skilled labor or loss of key individuals. Although Lion One Metals Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Lion One Metals Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 25, 2018) - Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. (TSX: XTG) (OTCQB: XTGRF) ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company")is pleased to announce highly encouraging results for the recently completed Bomaa gold project scout drilling program, on the Company's wholly-owned Kwabeng Concession, located in the Kibi - Winneba greenstone belt (the "Kibi Gold Belt"), in Ghana, West Africa. A total of 17 diamond core boreholes totaling 985 metres were completed by the Company's in-house drilling crew; with the first pass drill program targeting the Bomaa North segment of the extensive Bomaa auriferous float / subcrop train. Present assay results also include outcrop channel sampling work conducted in conjunction with the drill program. Highlights of the exploration results reported today include:

18.5 metres ("m") grading 2.04 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold, including 5.22 g/t gold over 5.0 m, from 4.5 m down-hole in BADD17003; 6.5 m grading 1.2 g/t gold, including 3.6 g/t gold over 1.0 m, from 46.05 m down-hole in BADD17009; and 5.4 m grading 1.59 g/t gold, including 2.48 g/t gold over 2.2 m, from 28.5 m down-hole in BADD17016;

Saw-cut channel sample composite grading 4.23 g/t gold over 12.0 m, including 9.14 g/t gold over 2.2 m in sample string RSBA004 (stripped outcrop); and saw-cut channel sample CSBA006 grading 25.0 g/t gold over 0.9 m (trench TBA002);

Scout drilling successfully traces Bomaa North silicified argillite / quartz vein zone over approximately 200 m strike length and 170 m down-dip from surface (~90 m vertical).

James Longshore, President and CEO remarked: "The fact that near-surface scout drilling limited to a 200 m segment of the Bomaa North silicified argillite / quartz vein zone yielded a highly exploration significant mineralized intercept of 18.5 m grading 2.04 g/t gold, including 5.22 g/t gold over 5.0 m, is very encouraging for the continued exploration potential of the almost 3 km long Bomaa auriferous float / subcrop train. With the successful completion of this initial drill program by our in-house drilling crew, the Company is well positioned to conduct ongoing scout drilling to enable the cost effective advancement of its pipeline of grassroots projects."

The grassroots Bomaa auriferous float / subcrop target discovered by the Company in 2013 consists of a continuous auriferous argillite rock float and/or subcrop train traceable in a meandering pattern over an approximately 2.8 km distance; with the mineralized rock float / subcrop train appearing to mimic the trace of a folded argillite metasedimentary rock unit. Refer to May 6, 2014 and August 22, 2017 news releases filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or the Xtra-Gold website for further details on the Bomaa gold project.

The Bomaa North target exploration results reported today correspond to a 17 borehole (985 m) scout drilling program implemented from September 28 to December 9, 2017 utilizing the Company's recently commissioned diamond drill rig (BADD17001 - BADD17017); and three saw-cut channel sample strings (41.95 m) collected from two stripped outcrop exposures along strike of the discovery trench. The shallow first pass drill program, with boreholes ranging from 31.0 m to 119.5 m in length, was designed to test the near-surface extent of the auriferous argillite / quartz vein zone identified by trenching / outcrop stripping efforts and to gain a better understanding of the litho-structural setting of the gold mineralization. The typically NW-trending boreholes (-50o to -75o) tested an approximately 200 m segment of the northeast striking / southeasterly dipping mineralized argillite unit. Exploration significant auriferous intercepts from the present drilling and channel sampling are presented in Table 1 & 2.

Table 1: Significant Drill Intercepts - Bomaa Gold Project

(Scout Drilling Program/September - December 2017) Hole ID From

(metres) To

(metres) Core Length (metres) Gold Grams Per Tonne Target BADD17003 4.50 23.00 18.50 2.04 RSBA004 including 9.50 20.00 10.50 3.16 Stripped Outcrop including 9.50 14.50 5.00 5.22 including 10.75 11.50 0.75 7.79 including 12.50 13.70 1.20 8.11 BADD17004 4.17 8.65 4.48 0.74 Trench TBA002 including 7.00 8.65 1.65 1.38 BADD17007 6.87 13.00 6.13 0.18 BADD17009 46.05 52.55 6.50 1.20 including 48.00 49.00 1.00 3.60 BADD17016 28.50 33.90 5.40 1.59 including 29.30 31.50 2.20 2.48 Table 2: Significant Channel Sample Intercepts - Bomaa Gold Project

(September 2017) Channel String ID From

(metres) To

(metres) String Length (metres) Gold Grams Per Tonne Comments RSBA004 9.05 21.05 12.00 4.23 Stripped Outcrop including 11.00 18.85 7.85 5.77 including 11.00 13.20 2.20 9.14 including 17.60 18.85 1.25 7.42 CSBA005 2.50 15.30 12.80 0.52 Trench TBA002 including 2.50 6.25 3.75 1.05 CSBA006 0.00 0.90 0.90 25.00 Trench TBA002 Notes: Reported intercepts are core - lengths / channel string - lengths; true width of mineralization is unknown at this time. Due to irregular bedrock surface the reported saw-cut channel intercepts are sample intersection lengths irrespective of mineralization topography and may not represent true width of mineralization. Unless otherwise indicated intercepts constrained with a 0.25 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold minimum cut-off grade at top and bottom of intercept, with no upper cut-off applied, and maximum of five (5) consecutive metres of internal dilution (less than 0.25 g/t gold). All internal intervals above 10 g/t gold indicated.

Follow-up outcrop stripping / channel sampling successfully extended the Bomaa North silicified argillite / quartz vein zone over an approximately 50 m northeast strike distance from the 1.46 g/t gold over 9.17 m, including 5.64 g/t gold over 1.62 m, channel sample composite yielded by discovery trench TBA001 (see August 22, 2017 News Release). Saw-cut channel sampling of the new silicified argillite / quartz vein zone exposures returned sample composites grading 4.23 g/t gold over 12.0 m, including 9.14 g/t gold over 2.2 m, in sample string RSBA004, and 0.52 g/t gold over 12.8 m, including 1.05 g/t gold over 3.75 m, in sample string CSBA005 (i.e. trench TBA002); located approximately 15 m and 50 m northeast of trench TBA001 respectively. Channel sample CSBA006 collected across a quartz lens within the silicified argillite material exposed in trench TBA002 yielded a high-grade intercept of 0.9 m grading 25.0 g/t gold.

Scout drilling successfully traced the northeast striking, moderately southeast dipping (40o - 60o) Bomaa North silicified argillite / quartz vein zone over an approximately 200 m strike length and a 170 m down-dip distance from surface (~90 m vertical). Thirteen (13) out of the 17 boreholes intersected the mineralization-hosting silicified argillite unit; with five (5) boreholes yielding exploration significant gold intercepts ranging from 4.48 m to 18.5 m in core-length (i.e. BADD17003, BADD17004, BADD17007, BADD17009, BADD17016). The mineralization zone is characterized by strongly silicified, commonly crackled-brecciated, pyritized argillic rock exhibiting variable amounts of typically bedding-concordant quartz veining. Three (3) boreholes failed to intersect the mineralized argillite zone as a result of the host unit appearing to be truncated / displaced by an apparent post-mineralization fault (i.e. BADD17001, BADD17010, BADD17011); with subsequent drilling further down-dip successfully intersecting the silicified argillite / quartz vein zone.

Borehole BADD17003 (32.5 m), designed to test the near-surface dip extension of the high-grade gold intercept yielded by the silicified argillite / quartz vein zone in channel sample string RSBA004, returned a mineralized intercept of 18.5 m grading 2.04 g/t gold, including 3.16 g/t over 10.5 m, and including 5.0 m grading 5.22 g/t gold, from a down-hole depth of 4.5 m. Borehole BADD17009 (61.5 m) collared approximately 50 m southeast of the stripped outcrop hosting the CSBA005 channel sample string (i.e. trench TBA002) returned a mineralized intercept of 6.5 m grading 1.2 g/t gold, including 3.6 g/t gold over 1.0 m, from a down-hole depth of 46.05 m. Borehole BADD17016 (42.0 m) collared 35 m northeast of BADD17009 yielded a mineralized intercept of 5.4 m grading 1.59 g/t gold, including 2.48 g/t gold over 2.2 m, from a down-hole depth of 28.5 m.

QA/QC

Yves P. Clement, P. Geo, Vice President, Exploration for Xtra-Gold is acting as the Qualified Person in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to this announcement. He has prepared and or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this announcement and confirms compliance with NI 43-101. All samples in this news release were analyzed by standard fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy finish at the ISO 17025:2005 accredited Intertek Minerals Limited's laboratory in Tarkwa, Ghana. Xtra-Gold has implemented a rigorous quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of drill core, trench channel, and saw-cut channel samples, the details of which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.

Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt, has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area.

Xtra-Gold holds 5 Mining Leases totaling approximately 226 sq km (22,600 ha) at the northern extremity of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Company's exploration efforts to date have focused on the Kibi Gold Project located on the Apapam Concession (33.65 sq km), along the eastern flank of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Kibi Gold Project (Zone 2 - Zone 3) maiden mineral resource estimate produced by Xtra-Gold in October 2012 represents first ever NI 43-101 compliant resource estimate generated on a lode gold project within the Kibi Gold Belt. The NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Independent Technical Report, Apapam Concession, Kibi Project, Eastern Region, Ghana", prepared by SEMS Explorations and dated October 31, 2012, is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Contact Information

For further information please contact:

James Longshore

Chief Executive Officer

416-628-2881

E-mail: info@xtragold.com

Website: www.xtragold.com
OUTOTEC OYJ PRESS RELEASE OCTOBER 19, 2017 AT 1:00 PM



Outotec to deliver gold processing technology to Fruta Del Norte in Ecuador

Outotec has been awarded an order for the delivery of minerals processing technology packages by Lundin Gold for their greenfield project Fruta Del Norte in Ecuador. The contract value booked in Outotec's 2017 third quarter order intake is over EUR 10 million.

Ecuador, until recently only known by its oil resources, is quickly gaining ground as a mining investment destination in Latin America thanks to significant gold and copper resources. Fruta del Norte, property of Lundin Gold, is one of the world's largest, highest grade undeveloped gold deposits, with reserves estimated at about 4.8 million ounces of gold and 6.3 million ounces of silver. Fruta Del Norte is expected to produce approximately 325,000 ounces of gold a year over a 15-year mine life.

Outotec's scope includes process engineering and the delivery of grinding mills, flotation, thickening and filtration technology packages. The deliveries will take place before the end of 2018.

"We are pleased to deliver our energy efficient process equipment to Lundin Gold's greenfield project, Fruta del Norte. This order will strengthen Outotec's position as a supplier of advanced minerals processing technologies in Ecuador", says Kimmo Kontola, head of Outotec's Minerals Processing business unit.

For further information please contact:



OUTOTEC



Kimmo Kontola, President - Minerals Processing business unit

tel. +358 40 822 7100

Eila Paatela, Vice President - Corporate Communications

tel. +358 20 529 2004, +358 400 817198



e-mails firstname.lastname@outotec.com (mailto:firstname.lastname@outotec.com)



DISTRIBUTION:

Main media

www.outotec.com (http://www.outotec.com)





This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Outotec Oyj via Globenewswire


The Heilfursorge Bundespolizei (medical insurance of the federal German police force) now covers echotherapy for both breast fibroadenomas and thyroid nodules.

Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital started echotherapy treatments.

Theraclion Won Silver Stevie Award at the 2017 International Business Awards.

Regulatory News:

THERACLION (Alternext, FR0010120402 ALTHE) (Paris:ALTHE), a company specialized in leading-edge medical equipment for echotherapy, today announced the expansion of the insurance coverage in Germany to the Heilfursorge Bundespolizei and the launch of a new echotherapy center in the Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital in Hong Kong, China. Theraclion also announced that the Echopulse device has been honored as Silver Stevie Awards in the "Best New Health Pharmaceutical Product" category of the 2017 International Business Awards.

Expansion of the insurance coverage in Germany

Theraclion recently announced the signature by the BKK Landesverband Nordwest, a German insurance company union, of the integrated care contract covering echotherapy for both fibroadenoma and benign thyroid nodules. In the frame of this agreement, the Heilfursorge Bundespolizei will now be covering all officials of the federal police for the treatment of breast fibroadenoma or thyroid nodules with echotherapy.

"It is a strong mark of recognition for our technology that the German federal police force now joins the integrated care contract to cover all their officials", explained Anja Kleber, VP Marketing and Market Access of Theraclion. This new contractual member is an additional step in the generalization of access to echotherapy."

First Echotherapy treatments for thyroid nodules done in the Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital

The top private hospital in Hong Kong and Asia, Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital (HKSH), is now the second hospital after Queen Mary Hospital to treat patients with thyroid nodules with echotherapy in Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital not only serves local patients from Hong Kong, but also serves a great number of patients from Mainland China. Dr. William Wei, Director of Li Shu Pui ENT Head and Neck Surgery Centre, Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital, the former Professor at the Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong who has carried out this procedure said: "Echotherapy can provide an alternative medical solution to those patients who want their thyroid diseases treated but don't wish to undergo surgery and to be left a scar on the neck, and more importantly, want to preserve their thyroid gland to avoid life-long medication". HKSH, which is one of Asia most famous oncology center, will hopefully be Theraclion's first private hospital reference site for Asia for benign thyroid nodule treatments. "Echotherapy is already used in daily practice at Queen Mary Hospital where Dr. Lang and his team have performed more than 180 treatments in about a year. This treatment done in HKSH is a key milestone in the development of the private high-end market in Asia for us. It will also become our strategic partners in Hong Kong, and the whole China where echotherapy can be a transforming solution," says Sylvain Yon, Deputy CEO and VP Asia of Theraclion.

Award of the Silver Stevie Award

After having won the German Stevie award in early 2017, Theraclion is now awarded internationally by the Silver Stevie Award for its Echopulse, its non-invasive solution for the treatment of fibroadenomas and benign thyroid nodules, in the "Best New Health Pharmaceutical Product" category

Every year this prize is awarded to companies, organizations, or individuals for their outstanding achievements. The award ceremony will take place in Barcelona (Spain) on October 21, 2017.

"We are very proud to be awarded the Silver 2017 Stevie Award," said David Caumartin, CEO of Theraclion. "This prestigious award along with the extended adoption of echotherapy by German organizations and its daily uses in Hong Kong confirm that we have developed a groundbreaking alternative to the invasive treatment methods for benign nodules of breast and thyroid with Echopulse. We are convinced that this approach will be a promising option for cancer therapy."

About the BKK Landesverband Nordwest

The BKK Landesverband Nordwest (LV NW) comprises 21 insurance companies, which together cover approximately 3 million insured people mainly in the Northwest of Germany but also all over the country. The LV NWis in charge of designing contract policies and organizing regional care.

About the Stevie Award Ceremony

The Stevie Awards ceremony, which was awarded for the first time in 2002, is one of the world's leading prizes and is aimed for international companies of all sizes. Today, the Stevie Awards consist of six different programs, competing around the world. For more information, please visit www.stevieawards.com

About Theraclion

Theraclion is a French company specializing in high-tech medical equipment using therapeutic ultrasound. Drawing on leading-edge technologies, Theraclion has designed and manufactured an innovative solution for echotherapy, the Echopulse, allowing non-invasive tumor treatment through ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound. Theraclion is ISO 13485 certified and has received the CE mark for non-invasive ablation of breast fibroadenomas and thyroid nodules. Based in Malakoff, near Paris, France Theraclion has brought together a team of 34 people, 50% of whom are dedicated to R&D and clinical trials. For more information, please visit Theraclion's website: www.theraclion.com

Theraclion is listed on Alternext Paris

PEA-PME eligible

Mnemonic: ALTHE ISIN Code: FR0010120402

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170925005872/en/

Contacts:

Theraclion

David Caumartin, Tel.: +33 (0)1 55 48 90 70

Chief Executive Officer

david.caumartin@theraclion.com

or

Kalima

Press Relations

Sarah Hachemi, Tel.: 33 (0)1 42 21 56 36

shachemi@kalima-rp.fr

or

The Ruth Group (U.S.)

Investor Relations Public Relations

Robert Flamm Kirsten Thomas, +1 646-536-7017 +1 508-280-6592

rflamm@theruthgroup.com / thomas@theruthgroup.com
DUBLIN, September 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Seaweed Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global seaweed market to grow at a CAGR of 10.28% during the period 2017-2021.

Global Seaweed 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.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is Seaweed as a paleo diet. The growing popularity of paleo diet is expected to drive the global seaweed market in the coming years. Most consumers consider seaweeds as a part of the paleo diet, and hence, the demand for them is expected to grow in the coming years. In terms of color, seaweeds can be of three types, namely, red, green, and brown, all of which are considered as paleo food.

According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is Health benefits of seaweeds. The growing awareness of the various health benefits of consuming seaweed is expected to drive the market's growth over the next five years. Seaweed is a natural substitute for salt, and exhibits antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties that are required to lower blood cholesterol levels and regulate blood pressure. Seaweed also aids in digestion and weight management (since it has very low calorie and fat content, provides fiber, and contains alginate an anionic polysaccharide that is known to cut fat absorption). It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, essential amino acids, and vitamins A, B, C, and E.



Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is Health risks associated with the consumption of seaweeds. Although there are many benefits of the consumption of seaweeds, eating large amounts of seaweeds might result in certain side effects and can also interact with certain medications. Seaweeds have high concentrations of certain nutrients, which can be risky for some people. For example, excess consumption of vitamin K interferes with medications such as warfarin, which is prescribed to treat and prevent blood clots. Certain seaweeds like red seaweed dulse have high potassium content, which might cause issues for those with kidney problems.



Key vendors

Cargill

DuPont

Groupe Roullier

Irish Seaweeds

Qingdao Gather Great Ocean Algae Industry Group (GGOG)

Other prominent vendors

Annie Chun's

Chase Organics

GimMe Health Foods

Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

Mara Seaweed

Ocean Harvest Technology

Seagreens

SeaSnax

Seasol

This is Seaweed

Key Topics Covered:



Part 01: Executive Summary



Part 02: Scope Of The Report



Part 03: Research Methodology



Part 04: Introduction



Part 05: Market Landscape



Part 06: Market Segmentation By Application



Part 07: Market Segmentation By Product



Part 08: Geographical Segmentation



Part 09: Key Leading Countries



Part 10: Decision Framework



Part 11: Drivers And Challenges



Part 12: Market Trends



Part 13: Vendor Landscape



Part 14: Key Vendor Analysis



Part 15: Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ckfwrs/global_seaweed

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
DUBLIN, September 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "3D Printing Medical Devices Market by Component, Technology, Product Type - Global Forecast to 2022" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global 3D printing medical devices market is projected to reach USD 1.88 Billion by 2022 from USD 0.84 Billion in 2017, at a CAGR of 17.5% during the forecast period

Technological advancements, increasing public-private funding, easy development of customized medical products, and growing applications in the healthcare industry are the major factors driving the growth of the market.

On the basis of components, the 3D printing medical devices market is segmented into software & services, equipment (3D printers and 3D bioprinters), and materials (plastics, metal & metal alloys powder, bioprinting biomaterials, and others). In 2017, the software & services segment is expected to account for the largest share of the market. Whereas, the 3D printing equipment segment is poised to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period.

Based on technology, the global market is segmented into five broad categories, namely, electron beam melting, laser beam melting, photopolymerization, droplet deposition (DD) or extrusion-based technologies, and three-dimensional printing (3DP) or adhesion bonding or binder jetting. The photopolymerization technology segment is estimated to command the largest share of the global market in 2017. This is attributed to the widespread application of this technology across the medical industry, for manufacturing surgical guides (orthopedic, dental, and CMF guides), prosthetics and implants, porous scaffolds, and dental restorations.

The 3D-printed medical products market is further segmented on the basis of type into four major categories, namely, surgical guides, surgical instruments, prosthetics & implants, and tissue engineering products. The surgical guides segment is expected to account for the largest share of the 3D printing medical device market in 2017. The increasing use of the digitally driven process for accurate surgical planning is the key factor contributing to its market growth.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights



5 Market Overview



6 3D Printing Medical Devices Market, By Technology



7 3D Printing Medical Devices Market, By Component



8 3D-Printed Medical Products Market, By Type



9 3D Printing Medical Devices Market, By Region



10 Competitive Landscape



11 Company Profiles



3D Systems Corporation

3T RPD Ltd

Anatomics Pty Ltd

Anatomiz3D LLP

Arcam AB

Beijing Tiertime Technology Co. Ltd. (Tiertime)

BioFab Inc

Biomedical Modeling Inc.

Carbon Inc.

Concept Laser GmbH

Create O&P

EOS GmbH

Formlabs Inc.

GPI Prototype & Manufacturing Services

HP Inc.

Lima Corporate

Materialise NV

Orchestrate Orthodontic Technologies

Organovo Holdings Inc.

Prodways Group

Renishaw plc

SLM Solutions Group Ag

Stratasys Ltd. Envisiontec GmbH

Ultimaker B.V.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6484hg/3d_printing

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Lincoln National Corp. (LNC) announced a profit for its fourth quarter that increased from last year. The company said its bottom line totaled $440 million, or $1.98 per share. This was up from $409 million, or $1.77 per share, in last year's fourth quarter. Analysts had expected the company to earn $1.94 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. The company said revenue for the quarter rose 12.9% to $3.67 billion. This was up from $3.25 billion last year. Lincoln National Corp. earnings at a glance: -Earnings (Q4): $440 Mln. vs. $409 Mln. last year. -Earnings Growth (Y-o-Y): 7.6% -EPS (Q4): $1.98 vs. $1.77 last year. -EPS Growth (Y-o-Y): 11.9% -Analysts Estimate: $1.94 -Revenue (Q4): $3.67 Bln vs. $3.25 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): 12.9% 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.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar climbed against its major opponents in the European session on Tuesday, as the nation's core retail sales outpaced expectations in June, supporting hopes for a possible rate hike by the Bank of Canada again this year.



Data from Statistics Canada showed that retail sales rose for the fourth consecutive month in June, edging up 0.1 percent to C$49.0 billion



Nonetheless, the sales growth was slower than expectations for a 0.3 percent rise. The May reading was revised down to 0.5 percent from the initial estimate of 0.6 percent.



Core retail sales improved 0.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis in June.



This was higher than the 0.3 percent increase forecast by economists. In May, the core retail sales dropped by 0.1 percent.



Investors focus on the Fed's annual Jackson Hole symposium commencing on Thursday, with the key theme to be 'Fostering a dynamic global economy.'



Fed's chair Yellen will be speaking on financial stability, while ECB President Mario Draghi is expected to stick to 'the script of the conference' rather than talking of monetary policy pullback.



The loonie traded mixed in the Asian session. While the currency rose against the yen and the euro, it held steady against the greenback and the aussie.



Reversing from an early low of 1.2595 against the greenback, the loonie climbed to a 3-week high of 1.2526. Further gains may take the loonie to a resistance around the 1.23 region.



Extending early rally, the loonie spiked up to a 3-week high of 1.4728 against the euro. The loonie is seen finding resistance around the 1.46 mark.



Survey data from the Mannheim-based Centre for European Economic Research/ZEW showed that the ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment declined to 10.0 in August from 17.5 in July. This was the lowest score since October 2016, when the reading was 6.2.



The indicator remained significantly below the long-term average of 23.8 points and the expected level of 15.0.



After a brief pause, the loonie resumed its early rally and touched a 5-day peak of 87.36 against the yen. Continuation of the loonie's uptrend may see it challenging resistance around the 88.6 area.



Data from the Japan Chain Stores Association showed that Japan's supermarket sales remained flat in July.



Supermarket sales showed nil growth in July. Before store adjustment, supermarket sales slid 0.1 percent.



The loonie that ended Monday's trading at 0.9968 against the aussie strengthened to near a 4-week high of 0.9905. On the upside, 0.98 is likely seen as the next resistance for the loonie.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de


NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump ruled out an immediate withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan as he unveiled an expansive new strategy for South Asia aimed at bolstering America's security.



In his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump clarified that a hasty US withdrawal would leave a vacuum for terrorists to flood back into that country and begin planning attacks on America and its allies and partners.



Addressing a crowd of hundreds of service members at Conmy Hall at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia Monday, Trump said his original intention was troop withdrawal, but had instead decided to stay and 'fight to win' to avoid the mistakes his predecessors made in Iraq.



Trump made it clear that he will not talk about numbers of troops or the Government's plans for further military activities.



He emphasized the strategy will be conditions based and not set to a timetable, as it will be counterproductive for the United States to announce in advance the dates to begin or end military options. 'America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out'.



Trump said America will work with the Afghan government, so long as it sees commitment and progress, and warned it was not a 'blank cheque' for Afghanistan.



Trump's turnaround from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war evoked rapid response from Taliban, which threatened that Afghanistan would become 'a graveyard' for the United States.



'If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century,' Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.



Trump said the American people are frustrated by the nation's longest war in Afghanistan, calling it a war without victory.



Trump's new expansive strategy encompasses Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the Central Asian nations, and extends into Southeast Asia.



Trump warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and of nuclear weapons and materials coming into their hands.



'The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen,' the President said.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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One of the leading firearms and weapon systems manufacturer FN Herstal and defence solutions provider Milrem Robotics are introducing their first joint product, a weaponized unmanned warfare system, at DSEI 2017.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170914005574/en/

The system by FN Herstal and Milrem Robotics has already been deployed with positive results at the largest Estonian military exercise Spring Storm 2017. (Photo: Business Wire)

This system features the THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle by Milrem and the deFNder remote weapon station by FN Herstal. The joint product has strong advantages in providing fire support and acting as a force multiplier for warfighters.

The system has already been deployed with positive results at the largest Estonian military exercise Spring Storm 2017. The two companies will continue their R&D efforts later this year.

"Weaponized robotic systems are the next generation of warfare that will provide a new level of fire power and most importantly keep our soldiers in a safe distance," said Kuldar Vaarsi, the CEO of Milrem Robotics. "And I am not talking about AI driven systems but remotely controlled solutions where human operators make all the important decisions," he added.

"The combined solution of deFNder Medium and THeMIS, merging the technologies and expertise of our two companies, illustrates the potential of the concept," said Vincent Verleye, COO of FN Herstal. "The value added of such a weaponized robotic system is self-explanatory," he added.

The tracked diesel-electric THeMIS UGV is intended to provide support for dismounted troops even on very harsh terrains and in difficult conditions. It offers 10 hours of work time with one full tank that can be topped up anytime. The system has a payload of at least 750 kg /1650 lbs.

Unlike competing systems the THeMIS is a multi-mission system that can be equipped with several different superstructures including IED detection and disposal systems, small and large calibre weapons and also tethered and non-tethered drones.

The system is on display at the Estonian National Pavilion N3-430 with other Estonian defence industry partners.

THeMIS deFNder RWS https://youtu.be/XNe6jDZqPu4

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170914005574/en/

Contacts:

Milrem

Gert Hankewitz

Export Director

gert.hankewitz@milrem.com

+37256644416
BROSSARD, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- DIAGNOS Inc. ("DIAGNOS" or "the Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: ADK)(OTCQB: DGNOF), a leader in early detection of critical health issues through the use of its FLAIRE platform based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), announces today the implementation of DIAGNOS CARA (Computer Assisted Retina Analysis) telemedicine platform at Al Kahhal Medical Complex clinic. With our Saudi Arabia business partner, Al Kanhoor Medical Co, we will make retinal screening exams available to the diabetic population in the cities of Dammam and AL-Hasha Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. As per the latest International Diabetes Federation survey, Saudi Arabia ranks seventh (7) in the world with a 17.65% prevalence of diabetes in Saudi adults. This illness has almost reached the level of an epidemic in this country.

"The opening of these clinics, with the help of our Saudi business partner, is a good example of the benefits of our strategy to create an ecosystem of partners around the globe. DIAGNOS provides the best detection technology and our local partner brings local clinics and hospitals to deploy our services quickly while respecting local cultures and meeting legal requirements," said Yves-Stephane Couture, Vice-President of Sales for DIAGNOS.

Al Kanhoor Medical specializes in providing technology to the medical healthcare system in Saudi Arabia and in the Gulf region. It's a sister company of Hajz Telecommunications Company (HTC), an important provider of customers access network solutions to Saudi Telecom and other Telecom Operators in the Middle East.

About DIAGNOS

Founded in 1998, DIAGNOS is a publicly traded Canadian corporation with a mission to commercialize our Artificial Intelligence technology combining contextual imaging and traditional data mining thereby improving decision-making processes. DIAGNOS offers products, services, and solutions to clients in healthcare.

About CARA-AI

CARA-AI is a tele-ophthalmology platform that integrates with existing equipment (hardware and software) and processes at the point of care (POC) and comprises: image upload, image enhancement automated pre-screening, grading by a specialist, and referral to a specialist. CARA's Artificial Intelligence image enhancement algorithms make standard retinal images sharper, clearer, and easier to read. CARA is accessible securely over the internet, and is compatible with all recognized image formats and brands of fundus cameras, and is EMR compatible. CARA is a cost-effective tool for screening large numbers of patients, in real time and has been approved by regulatory authorities including Health Canada, US Food and Drug Administration, the European Union and others.

Additional information is available at www.diagnos.ca and www.sedar.com.

This news release contains forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements. DIAGNOS disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Mr. Andre Larente, President

DIAGNOS Inc.

450-678-8882 ext. 224

alarente@diagnos.ca

www.diagnos.ca




VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 22, 2017 / Klondike Gold Corp. (TSX-V: KG; FRA: LBDP) ("Klondike Gold" or the "Company") announces that, as a result of a review by the IIROC, the Company is issuing the following news release to clarify and retract disclosure pertaining to an article featuring Klondike Gold entitled, "How Technology is Fueling the Next Gold Rush," which appeared on the website OilPrice.com. The article is the product of a corporate communicator attempting to encapsulate the news and direction of the Company's exploration efforts specifically over the past three years as part of an awareness initiative. For greater clarity this article and its contents is not in any way intended as, nor should be confused with, technical disclosure, nor was this article reviewed by a Qualified Person.

Statements disclosed in the Oilprice.com article contain material which is overly promotional and potentially misleading, does not meet the scientific and technical disclosure requirements of Canadian securities legislation including National Instrument 43-101, and was not prepared by or approved by a Qualified Person and should not be relied upon. The exploration potential disclosed in the piece is conceptual in nature and there is no certainty that ongoing exploration will yield positive results.

Klondike Gold is a junior gold exploration company operating in the Klondike District outside of Dawson, YT, Canada. The Company's Klondike area property is at an early stage of exploration. There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource or mineral reserve and there are no current mineral resources or mineral reserves outlined on the property. Nor has a preliminary economic assessment, preliminary feasibility study or feasibility study been completed to support the economic viability or technical feasibility of the project. There is no certainty that ongoing exploration will yield positive results.

In particular, the Company wishes to clarify the several references of "20 million ounces of gold" throughout the article. The 20 million ounces of gold refers to the total estimated alluvial gold production as calculated by the Yukon Geological Survey from the Klondike area creeks and gravels extracted from 1896 to the present day from the area located within Klondike Gold's current bedrock mineral claims. A Yukon Geological Survey technical reference is HERE. Alluvial gold in the Klondike area creeks within the Company's claims has been considered to be locally derived since its discovery in 1896, and scholarly research has supported this over the past century. The first scholarly publication from 1899 is HERE. However, there is no certainty that ongoing bedrock exploration will yield positive or substantive results from the Company's properties. As stated above, these references to "20 million ounces" should not be construed to imply the existence of any bedrock mineral resource or reserve on the property.

The Company wishes to retract the quote in the article of "It makes the 20 million ounces that have been collected on the surface of the seem like gold dust. A mere flash in the pan." This is an egregious statement with no technical merit, is misleading and a violation of TMX Venture Exchange Policy 3.3, 8.2 and is wholly and fully retracted.

The Company wishes to retract the quote of "The verdict: Not only was Klondike's property 'good,' it was exceptional: It's sitting on channel gravels that have given up 20 million ounces of placer gold (worth $25 billion USD today)." This statement is unsupported and misleading, and disclosure of gross values of metal is a violation of NI 43-101, 2.3 - Restricted Disclosure. For clarity, the Company's bedrock claims cover the areal extent of the Klondike placer "channel gravels."

The Company wishes to clarify the statement "5 g/t over 14 meters and 76 g/t over 3 meters, keeping in mind that the industry average is 1.18 g/t." The article is referring to the Company's drill hole intersections of 5.1 g/t Au over 14.3 meters at the Nugget Zone in 2016, and 75.6 g/t Au over 2.8 meters at the Gay Gulch prospect respectively. The true thickness of the gold mineralization is approximately 0.8 times the interval length in these holes (see NR's July 14, 2016 and October 26, 2015). The comparative reference to "industry average is 1.18 g/t" is derived from Natural Resource Holdings research findings from the "Global Gold Mine and Deposit Rankings 2013" report which stated the average grade of producing gold mines globally is 1.18 g/t Au. The average grade globally, according to Natural Resource Holdings, for undeveloped "gold deposits" (sic) is 0.89 g/t Au. A link to the full report is HERE. The article compares individual drill hole results to global mine averages; the Company's drill hole results are selective in nature, non-representative and highly variable whereas global mine averages are representative and a low-variable average. The Company disclaims the comparison which is technically unsound and should not be relied upon.

The Company wishes to clarify the statement in the article that "The Klondike is full of gold - it is known for its gold. It is all sitting at the surface". The Klondike gold rush is famous for its gold endowment and 20 million ounces of gold have been extracted by simple methods from surface creeks and streams over the past 120 years. The Company has drilled approximately 100 diamond drill holes since 2015 and all of the gold mineralization intersected (approximately 70% of all holes) to date begins at surface or at shallow depths of less than 50 meters vertically from surface.

The Company wishes to clarify the statement in the article that "The 2.4 g/t results from 2 holes at Lone Star on 11 July, was just the beginning" and also "Lone Star is a 70-hole drill program, with results so far showing 2.4 g/t". The article refers to the drill hole intersection result from the Lone Star target of 2.4 g/t Au over 40.9 meters in news released July 11, 2017. The gold mineralized intersection is approximately true thickness and begins approximately 6 meters vertically below surface. The link in the article is accurate, repeated HERE which contains technical information. The context of both statements suggests to the QP that there is expected to be a high volume of news flow of results from the property, which is an assumption and should not be relied upon.

Peter Tallman, President of Klondike Gold, is the Qualified Person, is author of the foregoing clarifications of the article which contained scientific and technical information that was not reviewed by a Qualified Person, for the purposes of NI43-101 Section 3.1 Written Disclosure to Include Name of Qualified Person. Mr. Tallman has provided links to the Company's technical and scientific disclosure, and provided reference links to outside sources for information purposes only if they could be determined for non-Company technical information used in the article. The technical and scientific information contained within this news release has been reviewed and approved by Peter Tallman, P.Geo, President of Klondike Gold Corp. and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy.

ABOUT KLONDIKE GOLD CORP.

Klondike Gold Corp. is a Canadian exploration company with offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Dawson City, Yukon Territory. The Company is focused on exploration and development of the Lone Star gold target at the confluence of Bonanza and Eldorado Creeks, within a district scale 527 square kilometer property accessible by government maintained roads located on the outskirts of Dawson City, YT within the Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation traditional territory.

On behalf of Klondike Gold Corp.,

"Peter Tallman"

President and CEO

(604) 609-6110

E-mail: info@klondikegoldcorp.com

Website: www.klondikegoldcorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

"This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This information and statements address future activities, events, plans, developments and projections. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information and statements are frequently identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and similar terminology, and reflect assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management of Klondike in light of its experience, current conditions, expectations of future developments and other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking information and statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Klondike's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and statements and accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed thereon.

Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary include but are not limited to the availability of financing; fluctuations in commodity prices; changes to and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including environmental laws and obtaining requisite permits; political, economic and other risks; as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Klondike disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements except as may be required."

SOURCE: Klondike Gold Corp.
AURORA, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- BERNINA of America, the premier manufacturer of sewing, embroidery and quilting machines, is pleased to introduce its new BERNINA Toolbox Software, an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use, editing, lettering and monogramming modular software. The BERNINA Toolbox Software is able to read multiple embroidery formats and is compatible with all machines. Embroiderers can choose from four modules: editing, lettering, lettering pro and monogramming or they can purchase the bundle that includes all four modules in one. The software offers a wide variety of designs, fonts, text shapes and alphabets. A FREE trial is available for 30 days by simply visiting www.bernina.com/toolbox-trial. The FREE software can be downloaded to a PC or Mac. The MSRP for the BERNINA Toolbox Editing, Monogramming and Lettering modules is $249. The BERNINA Toolbox Lettering Pro module MSRP is $349. The BERNINA Toolbox Bundle has an MSRP of $799.

"BERNINA Toolbox Software takes embroidery to a whole new level with its ease-of-use, four unique modules and bundle option, which includes all modules in one," said Paul Ashworth, President of BERNINA of America. "With its ability to be downloaded onto a PC or a Mac, the BERNINA Toolbox Software is a quality package for all home embroidery machine users to enjoy."

The BERNINA Toolbox Editing module easily allows embroiderers to turn any embroidery design into a new creative masterpiece by combining, rearranging, duplicating or distorting existing designs. In addition, embroiderers can edit an entire design or just sections of it; change design colors; customize embroidery patterns by using the editors and enjoy 100 exclusive embroidery designs from the BERNINA cloud. This module is also compatible with 200 plus hoops from many embroidery machine models.

The BERNINA Toolbox Lettering module offers simple and easy lettering for personalizing any project. It also has 20 high-quality alphabets for adding custom letters to projects; 6 text shapes; 100 exclusive embroidery designs from the BERNINA cloud. It also allows embroiderers the ability to edit or combine lettering with embroidery designs; insert text in capital letters into an embroidery pattern; choose between bold and normal lettering and define a personalized font.

THE BERNINA Toolbox Lettering Pro module offers more options than Lettering Basics, for more creative project personalization. There are more than 100 alphabets to choose from; 5 two-tone fonts; 6 text shapes and 200 exclusive embroidery designs from the BERNINA cloud. Additionally, embroiderers can use text boxes for decorative elements and exclusive frames for creating badges.

And lastly, the BERNINA Toolbox Monogramming module, top-of-the-line monogramming software offers creative personalization and is perfect for articles of clothing, hand towels and napkins, to customize and add dimension. This module has 15 monogram fonts; 100 alphabets; 6 lettering shapes; 10 small monogram alphabets and 500 exclusive embroidery designs from the BERNINA cloud. Additionally, embroiderers can enjoy combinations of one to three-letter monograms with more than 60 monogram decorations.

The BERNINA Toolbox Bundle includes the BERNINA Toolbox Editing, BERNINA Toolbox Lettering and BERNINA Toolbox Monogramming modules and is stored on the BERNINA cloud, a web service for Toolbox users that can be accessed by using any tablet or portable device with an Internet connection and browser. Embroiderers can download the web app and upload designs from BERNINA Toolbox to browse, store and edit designs. The 30-day free trial version has the full functionality of all the modules to allow users the chance to test drive the software. Go to www.bernina.com/toolbox-trial to get started.

About BERNINA

Founded in Switzerland more than 100 years ago, BERNINA is the world's premier manufacturer with a proven reputation for offering quality state-of-the-art sewing, quilting and embroidery machines, overlockers, and embroidery software. BERNINA's leadership is marked by an impressive number of ambassadors, industry leaders, influencers and bloggers who chose to partner with the company. BERNINA products are sold in the United States through a network of over 400 fully trained independent dealerships that also offer support and education. Select BERNINA and bernette machines, and BERNINA software can also be purchased online. BERNINA products are designed for beginning to advanced sewists and priced to meet a variety of budgets, with new products being introduced every year. You can follow BERNINA on Facebook: www.facebook.com/berninausa, Instagram: @BERNINAUSA, and Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/WeAllSew, and read BERNINA's WeAllSew blog at www.weallsew.com. To learn more about BERNINA and to find a Dealer, visit www.bernina.com or call (630)978-2500.

Media Contact for BERNINA of America, Inc.:

Joanne Tedesco

(312)780-7210

jtedesco@dresnerco.com




Funding of $100,000 to Advance Fiedmont Platinum-Palladium Project

Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 22, 2017) - Carube Copper Corp. (TSXV: CUC) announced today that it will initiate an exploration program to advance its Fiedmont Platinum-Palladium Project (Fiedmont) in Quebec with funds provided through an equity placement with SIDEX, Limited Partnership (SIDEX), a Quebec fund that invests in prospective early stage exploration projects under its Field Action 2017 program.

Jeff Ackert, Carube Copper's President and CEO noted: "The funding by SIDEX will help us develop drill targets on this highly prospective palladium and platinum- project. The drill target potential is extremely favourable as historic channel sampling at Fiedmont has yielded up to 6.8g Pt+Pd/t over 1m and drilling has intersected up to 1.5g Pt+Pd/t over 5m. Although not a core asset of the company, we believe that this exploration program, with the price of palladium soaring to more than US$940 an ounce since last September, will no doubt attract some third party interest."

The $100,000 private placement in Carube Copper by SIDEX consists of 1,250,000 units @$0.08 per unit. Each unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the company and one half of one common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant is exercisable into one common share at a price of $0.13 for a period of two years from the closing date. SIDEX will have the right for a period of 18 months to invest in any future financings in order to maintain its proportional interest in Carube.

The proceeds are to be used exclusively for the continuing exploration of the Fiedmont Platinum Palladium Project, which consists of 54 claims covering 23 square kilometres, accessible via paved roads, 30 kilometres from Val d'Or, a major mining and service centre.

The Fiedmont Project:

Exploration at has identified three large differentiated intrusions where prospecting trenching and drilling has identified palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) zones in association with nickel (Ni) plus numerous other potential Pd + Pt prospective areas with humus sampling at Fiedmont. The nature of the Platinum group elements (PGE) mineralization and its potential size is similar to Canada's only successful primary PGE mine, the Lac des Iles mining complex in northwestern Ontario. The property also has lithium potential with mapped pegmatites and Li-Bi-Be-Mo metal associations similar to the Pressiac mine, located some km northwest of Fiedmont. The present program will focus on identifying the nature of the Pd, Pt and Li mineralization and the lithological and structural relationships of this mineralization.

QP Statement: This press release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Vern Rampton, P. Eng. in his capacity as a qualified person as defined under NI 43-101.

Contacts

Jeff Ackert, President and CEO  1-613-839-3258  jackert@carubecopper.com

Vern Rampton, Executive VP of Corporate Development  1-613-839-3258  vrampton@carubecopper.com

Alar Soever, Chairman  1-705-682-9297  asoever@carubecopper.com

www.carubecopper.com



- END PRESS RELEASE -

Wholly Owned Projects

Carube is focused on the exploration and development of copper and gold projects in Jamaica and Canada. In Jamaica, Carube Copper holds a 100% interest in 11 licenses, totalling 535 square kilometres. In Canada, it holds a 100% interest in three porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum properties, totalling 492 square kilometres within the Tertiary-aged Cascade Magmatic Arc in southwestern British Columbia. It is also advancing its promising Fiedmont PGE Project in Quebec. Carube is currently drilling on its Bellas Gate Project in Jamaica where it has recently intersected over 340m of continuous copper and gold mineralization at the Provost Prospect.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

DISCLAIMER & FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, and by their very nature involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on currently available information, Carube Copper Corp. provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Factors which cause results to differ materially are set out in the Company's documents filed on SEDAR. Undue reliance should not be placed on "forward looking statements".

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Carube Copper hereby incorporates the entire disclaimer set forth on its website at http://www.carubecopper.com/uploads/1/6/5/2/16521880/disclaimers-and-forward-statements.pdf
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - August 22, 2017) - Aviation Week Network announced plans to showcase the strength and depth of the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry in Queensland, Australia during MRO Asia Pacific, happening October 31 to November 2, 2017 in Singapore. Companies from the region will be featured in The Queensland Pavilion at the conference and exhibition, which will be held at the Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Queensland Pavilion will be located on the exhibition floor November 1 and 2 and will include the following companies: AIR 360, Aviation Australia, Aviation Labour Group, Electronic & Mechanical Calibrations, Flying Colours Aviation, Pacific Turbine Brisbane, Precision Aviation Group, Qantas Engineering, Queensland Aerospace College, and Sikorsky Helitech.

Focused on commercial aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), the event is the industry's largest in Asia-Pacific featuring speakers from airlines, OEMs, regulators, suppliers, and service providers. Taking place at the Singapore EXPO Convention & Exhibition Centre, MRO Asia Pacific attracts more than 4500 attendees from 65 countries including China, France, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States, with 81 percent involved in the purchasing cycle.

The Queensland Pavilion will join the Singapore Pavilion, featuring 29 companies from the region, and the Inflight Pavilion, Workshop and Awards, hosted in collaboration with HMG Aerospace.

The aerospace industry already contributes significantly to Queensland's economy and jobs. In 2015-16, Queensland's aircraft manufacturing and repair businesses generated approximately $1.2 billion in revenue, of which $565 million went directly into the Queensland economy.

"We are delighted that companies in the Queensland region are working together at MRO Asia-Pacific to showcase the strength of the MRO industry in the region," said Lydia Janow, Managing Director/Events & Tradeshows, Aviation Week Network. "This event, which grows each year, sets the industry standard as the place to gather and learn the latest news, experience the hottest technologies and meet with aviation decision makers."

ABOUT AVIATION WEEK NETWORK

Aviation Week Network is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries that has a database of 1.2 million professionals around the world. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week Network for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, business aviation operators, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. The product portfolio includes Air Transport World, Aviation Week & Space Technology, AC-U-KWIK, Aircraft Blue Book, Airportdata.com, Air Charter Guide, AviationWeek.com, Aviation Week Intelligence Network, Business & Commercial Aviation, ShowNews, SpeedNews, Fleet and MRO forecasts, global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tradeshows and aerospace & defense conferences.

ABOUT INFORMA

Aviation Week Network is part of Informa, the international business intelligence, academic publishing, knowledge and events group. Informa serves commercial, professional and academic communities, helping them connect and learn, and creating and providing access to content and intelligence that helps people and businesses work smarter and make better decisions faster.

Informa has over 7,500 colleagues in more than 20 countries and a presence in all major geographies. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.

CONTACT:

Elizabeth Kelley Grace

855-525-2899

Elizabeth@thebuzzagency.net


Keystone Investment Trust plc

HEADLINE: Appointment of Directors

LEI: 5493002H3JXLXLIGC563

The Board of Keystone Investment Trust plc is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs Karen Brade and Mrs Katrina Hart as non-executive Directors of the Company with effect from 18 January 2018.

Peter Readman, who has been a non-executive Director of the Company since 1993, will retire from the Board on the same date.

.

Karen Brade:

Mrs Brade has over 25 years of investment experience in a range of sectors and markets, and is an experienced non-executive director. She began her career at Citibank working on multi-national project finance transactions. She was a director at the Commonwealth Development Corporation and Actis, a leading emerging markets private equity firm, where she worked with the investment and portfolio management teams, and subsequently on fund raising and investor development in South Asia and China. Since 2005 she has been an adviser to hedge funds, family offices and private equity houses. Mrs Brade is currently a non-executive director of Aberdeen Japan Investment Trust plc, a UK listed fund investing in Japanese mid cap and large cap stocks. She is also a non-executive director of Crown Place VCT plc and chairs its Audit Committee. She is an external member of Albion Capital's Investment Committee.

Mrs Brade does not currently hold any of the Company's ordinary shares.

There is no information to disclose in respect of paragraphs 9.6.13(2) to 9.6.13(6) of the Financial Conduct Authority's Listing Rules

.

Katrina Hart:

Mrs Hart spent her executive career in investment banking, advising, analysing and commentating on a broad range of businesses. Initially working in corporate finance at ING Barings and Hawkpoint Partners, Mrs Hart then moved into equities research at HSBC, covering the General Financials sector. Latterly, she headed up the Financials research teams at Bridgewell Group plc and Canaccord Genuity, specialising in fund and asset managers. Mrs Hart has been a non-executive director of Miton Group plc, an AiM-listed fund manager, since 2011 and chairs its Remuneration Committee. She is also a non-executive director of Polar Capital Global Financials Trust plc and chairs its Management Engagement Committee. In addition, Mrs Hart is a non-executive director of AEW UK REIT plc, a real estate investment company listed on the main market.

Mrs Hart does not currently hold any of the Company's ordinary shares.

There is no information to disclose in respect of paragraphs 9.6.13(2) to 9.6.13(6) of the Financial Conduct Authority's Listing Rules.

Shilla Pindoria

Invesco Asset Management Limited, Company Secretary

22 August 2017
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In what has been seen as an effort to quell the furor over his response to the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Donald Trump opened his Afghanistan policy speech on Monday with a call for national unity. Trump urged Americans to follow the example set by U.S. servicemembers in an effort to bring the country together. 'By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under God,' Trump said. 'The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared sense of purpose.' 'They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together -- and sacrifice together -- in absolutely perfect cohesion,' he added. 'That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters. They're all part of the same family; it's called the American family.' Trump also spoke out against prejudice and bigotry, arguing that U.S. troops serving overseas deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself. 'Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people,' Trump said. 'When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.' 'The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home,' he added. 'We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.' Trump did not specifically mention Charlottesville, but his remarks were seen as a response to widespread criticism of his comments suggesting both white supremacists and counter-protesters were to blame for the violence seen there earlier this month. (Photo: Gage Skidmore) 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.


NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump's expansive new strategy for South Asia and his decision not to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan for the time being received mixed response from across the political spectrum.



Unlike the recent critical approach from his own party members on his controversial remarks, Trump's address to the nation Monday was hailed by Republican leaders and Congressmen alike.



And the main point of contention between Republicans and Democrats was the President not setting a specific deadline for troop withdrawal.



In his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump clarified that a hasty US withdrawal would leave a vacuum for terrorists to flood back into that country and begin planning attacks on America and its allies and partners.



He emphasized the strategy will be conditions based and not set to a timetable, as it will be counterproductive.



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said US forces' overseas presence should not be guided by arbitrary withdrawal deadlines. 'The Taliban will never agree to a political settlement in Afghanistan if a date for our draw-down has been handed to them,' according to him.



Sen. John McCain, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, commended the President for 'taking a big step in the right direction with the new strategy for Afghanistan,' and for 'moving us well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of merely postponing defeat.'



Sen. Lindsey Graham said he thinks there will be a lot of bipartisan support in Congress for this proposal.



Democrat Senator Jack Reed, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, blamed Trump for trying to ratchet up tensions between Pakistan and India which can only serve to negatively impact stability in the region.



Democrat Senator Bob Casey urged the President to engage Congress in a bipartisan, bicameral effort to draft and enact a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF, that will govern the ongoing deployment of U.S. military forces to combat terrorism. Afghanistan's future must be decided by the Afghan people, not the U.S. military, he said on Twitter.



'You can't announce a strategy that relies on complicated diplomacy with Pakistan/India/Afghanistan when you're firing all the diplomats', said Chris Murphy, Democrat Senator from Connecticut.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The European markets ended Tuesday's session firmly in positive territory, following three straight days losses. Mining stocks were among the best performers following solid reports from BHP Billiton and Antofagasta.



The European markets got off to a positive start Tuesday and advanced further in the afternoon, following the positive opening on Wall Street. Concerns over the tensions between North Korea and the U.S. and the political turmoil being faced by the Trump administration relaxed slightly.



Traders are also looking forward to the upcoming economic policy symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which will begin on Thursday. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi are both due to speak at the conference and may shed some light on the outlook for monetary policy.



The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index advanced 0.87 percent. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone bluechip stocks increased 0.94 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, added 0.91 percent.



The DAX of Germany climbed 1.35 percent and the CAC 40 of France rose 0.87 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. gained 0.86 percent and the SMI of Switzerland finished higher by 0.90 percent.



In Paris, Total SA advanced 1.50 percent, a day after it agreed to acquire Maersk Oil for $7.45 billion.



In London, BHP Billiton increased 1.98 percent after the mining giant reported a turnaround to a full-year profit of $5.9 billion and raised its final dividend.



Antofagasta climbed 2.04 percent after its half-year profit surged by nearly 90 percent, thanks to higher copper prices.



Persimmon rose 1.72 percent as the homebuilder logged a 30 percent rise in first-half profit after selling more houses at higher prices.



Sareum Holdings jumped 6.67 percent. The specialist cancer drug discovery and development business expects its fiscal 2017 profit after tax and cash at bank to be ahead of market expectations.



Subprime lender Provident Financial plunged 66.22 percent after issuing another profit warning in months.



Affecto surged 27.84 percent in Helsinki after the data analytic and business intelligence services firm received an all cash takeover offer from CGI.



Germany's economic confidence weakened for the third straight month to hit a 10-month low in August, reflecting weak exports and scandals in the auto sector.



The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment declined to 10.0 in August from 17.5 in July, survey data from the Mannheim-based Centre for European Economic Research/ZEW showed Tuesday.



This was the lowest score since October 2016, when the reading was 6.2. The indicator has remained significantly below the long-term average of 23.8 points and the expected level of 15.0.



The UK public sector net borrowing in July turned to surplus for the first time in 15 years on higher receipts of income tax, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday.



Public sector net borrowing excluding public sector banks was in GBP 0.2 billion surplus, which was the first July surplus since 2002. In July 2016, borrowing was GBP 0.3 billion. Economists had forecast borrowing to increase to GBP 1 billion in July.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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CORALVILLE, Iowa, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- McCord Research is launching a new website to encourage collaboration among scientists around the world who conduct olive-related research, including research involving the important olive polyphenol compounds found in Olivamine10 skincare products and supplements. D. Elizabeth McCord PhD, FAPWCA, the inventor of Olivamine, and Tom Karagiannis PhD, a world-renowned scientist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, created the OliveNet' Library website with this web address: www.mccordresearch.com.au.

This groundbreaking website provides useful information about 752 individual olive compounds, an extraordinary undertaking that culminated in the creation of the unique OliveNet' Library. In addition, it contains information about various olive compound groups and subgroups. Details include important chemical and physical compound properties, extensive lists of relevant publications, as well as external links concerning these compounds. Dimitrios Boskou PhD, an Emeritus Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, is the Senior Advisor for the OliveNet' Library website. Co-contributors to the website are McCord Research Scholars from the Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at Monash University and RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia including Dr. Andrew Hung, Natalie Bonvino, Julia Liang, Elena Zafiris and Natalia Benetti. Other co-contributors include Dr. Nancy Ray and Angela Zhang from McCord Research in Iowa. The website was designed by Kariel Post.

Olive researchers can access the website at: www.mccordresearch.com.au, and are invited to submit comments or contribute olive-related information to the website upon approval. Researchers are also invited to sign up for periodic email updates that highlight current OliveNet' Newsletters illustrating olive molecules of the month, upcoming olive-related events, exciting new olive compound research, and key expert interviews. These convenient updates (OliveNet' News) also highlight reviews of cutting-edge, olive-related publications from peer-reviewed journals (OliveNet' journal clubs).

McCord Research is located at 2769 Heartland Dr., Suite 303, Coralville, IA. For further information, call 319-351-3201 or go to: www.mccordresearch.com

www.olivamine.com

www.facebook.com/olivamine


MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Claiming they benefit from the Russian government's destabilizing activities, President Donald Trump's administration has imposed sanctions on several Russian Oligarchs.



The Treasury Department said in a statement on Friday it has designated seven Russian oligarchs and 12 companies they own or control, 17 senior Russian government officials, and a state-owned Russian weapons trading company and its subsidiary, a Russian bank.



'The Russian government operates for the disproportionate benefit of oligarchs and government elites,' said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.



Mnuchin accused the Russian government of engaging in a range of malign activity, including the occupation of Crimea, supplying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with material and weaponry, and attempting to subvert Western democracies.



'Russian oligarchs and elites who profit from this corrupt system will no longer be insulated from the consequences of their government's destabilizing activities,' Mnuchin said.



The Treasury said the targets include individuals who benefit from Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime and play a key role in advancing Russia's malign activities.



The oligarchs targeted include Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire linked to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who has been charged with money laundering in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.



The Treasury also imposed sanctions on Kirill Shamalov, who is married to Putin's daughter, and Putin adviser Suleiman Kerimov.



Relations between the U.S. and Russia have become increasingly strained recently after Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack on a former spy.



Trump also ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle due to its proximity to a U.S. submarine base and Boeing (BA).



Russia responded by announcing it would expel 60 American diplomats and close the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg.



Nonetheless, the White House confirmed Monday that Trump and Putin discussed potentially meeting at the White House in the 'not-too-distant future' during a phone call last month.



(Photo: www.kremlin.ru)



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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DUBLIN, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Protective Textiles Market Analysis By Application (Heat & Flame Resistant, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Ballistic, Space Suits, Healthcare Garments), And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global protective textiles market is expected to reach USD 7.78 billion by 2025, according to this new report. The market is expected to witness growth at 3.4% CAGR owing to increasing industrial fatalities in developing economies owing to the lack of protective gear coupled with growing awareness of worker's health and safety are expected to drive the market growth.

The increasing importance of raw materials that offer features such as lightweight, comfort, higher heat resistance, and wear & tear resistance for workwear has been a significant incentive for companies to conduct R&D activities extensively. The initiatives are mainly intended at attaining multi-functionality of workwear fabrics and rise its application scope. Improving product designs and specifications are expected to provide market participants with immense opportunities over the forecast period.

Ballistic protective apparel is estimated to witness the highest penetration and growth over the projected period, owing to the increasing use of high performance protective textiles in the military sector. Defense sector holds the largest market segment in the global ballistic fabrics industry and is anticipated to have remarkable growth over the next few years driven by rising concerns over national security and escalating geopolitical unrests.

Companies Mentioned

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

& Associates, Inc. DuPont

Royal Ten Cate NV

DyStar Group

Kusumgar Corporates

Madhuram Fabrics Pvt. Ltd.

Schoeller Textil AG

PBI Performance Products, Inc.

Teijin Limited

Marina Textil S.L.

ARGAR S.r.l



Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2. Executive Summary



3. Protective Textiles: Application Outlook



4. Protective Textiles: Region Outlook



5. Competitive Landscape



6. Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ssrvv5/protective

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
Quantzig, a global analytics solutions provider, has announced the completion of their latest marketing analytics study on the retail industry. The client, a leading retail firm, wanted to improve their cost savings and gain better returns on their investment. The client also wanted to devise product portfolios based on customer preferences in the retail industry. Also, the retail firm wanted to understand the impact of data on marketing activities.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171020005023/en/

Marketing Analytics Helps a Leading Retail Firm Improve Cost Savings. (Photo: Business Wire)

According to the marketing analytics experts at Quantzig, "With the changing preferences and shopping behaviors of the customers, many organizations in the retail sector are advocating the need for marketing analytics."

In the recent competitive environment, the retail industry is facing challenges like changing demographics and frequent fluctuations in the economy. With the varying preferences and buying behaviors of the customers, organizations in the retail industry are relying on marketing analytics to identify the potential customers. Furthermore, it has also been noted that the players in the retail market are shifting towards a customer-centric environment from a product-centric environment to deliver better-targeted messages.

Request a free demo to see how Quantzig's solutions can help you.

The solution offered by Quantzig helped the retail firm to identify robust marketing campaigns to interact with the customers before purchasing the products. The client was also able to identify the average value to measure the market performance. Additionally, the client was able to understand the marketing spends across different channels.

This marketing analytics solution provided benefits that helped the client to:

Assess and identify the impact of marketing on revenue and market shares

Increase sales and decrease customer acquisition costs

To know more, request a free proposal

This marketing analytics solution offered predictive insights on:

Identifying the customer and devising a robust customer engagement

Understaning the direct and indirect impact of media types on incremental sales

To know more, request a free proposal

View the complete marketing analytics study here:

https://www.quantzig.com/content/retail-industry-marketing-analytics

About Quantzig

Quantzig is a global analytics and advisory firm with offices in the US, UK, Canada, China, and India. For more than 12 years, we have assisted our clients across the globe with end-to-end data modeling capabilities to leverage analytics for prudent decision making. Today, our firm consists of 120+ clients, including 45 Fortune 500 companies. For more information on all of Quantzig's services and the solutions they have provided to Fortune 500 clients across all industries, please contact us.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171020005023/en/

Contacts:

Quantzig

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Consultant

US: +1 630 538 7144

UK: +44 208 629 1455

hello@quantzig.com

https://www.quantzig.com/contact-us
DUBLIN, September 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Energy Drinks Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global energy drinks market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 8.86% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Energy Drinks 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.

One trend in the market is increase in demand for low-calorie energy drinks. In recent times, there has been an increase in health consciousness among consumers. Due to an increase in the occurrences of various diseases, consumers are becoming more conscious about what they consume. Obesity is one of the main reasons for the increase in demand for low-calorie energy drinks. Several energy drink manufacturers like Red Bull have already come up with sugar-free variants of energy drinks.

According to the report, one driver in the market is hectic lifestyle and need for instant energy. The change in lifestyles and work practices, globalization, and several other aspects have made consumers' lives more hectic. They have more work than time to complete their tasks. Thus, to survive in such a competitive environment, they need to put in more effort. As these energy drinks are rich in energy-simulating ingredients like ginseng, caffeine, and others, they keep the mind and body alert. Caffeine present in energy drinks helps to increase the overall productivity by increasing activeness and alertness.



Key vendors

Monster Beverage Corporation

PepsiCo

Red Bull

Rockstar Energy Drink

Other prominent vendors

BOMB ENERGY DRINK

Living Essentials Marketing

POWER HORSE Energy Drinks

Starbucks

Vemma Nutrition Company

XS Energy

XYIENCE Energy Drink

Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: Executive summary



PART 02: Scope of the report



PART 03: Research Methodology



PART 04: Introduction



PART 05: Market landscape



PART 06: Market segmentation by packaging



PART 07: Market segmentation by product category



PART 08: Market segmentation by product type



PART 09: Market segmentation by brand labeling



PART 10: Geographical segmentation



PART 11: Key leading countries



PART 12: Decision framework



PART 13: Drivers and challenges



PART 14: Market trends



PART 15: Vendor landscape



PART 16: Key vendor analysis



PART 17: Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hnm6f5/global_energy

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
JERSEY CITY, NJ -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- Following a successful tax season and a dramatic increase in franchise ownership inquiries, Jackson Hewitt has a great need to hire tax preparers and other associates. To address the increased demand for services, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and its franchisees expect to hire more than 25,000 nationwide between now and the end of the year.

The positions with Jackson Hewitt will appeal to workers with widely different desires, from those looking for a long-term career path to those looking for a good job with flexibility to fit their lifestyle.

"You can live your life," said Briana DeSanctis, Jackson Hewitt tax preparer in Dover, NH. "I really enjoy the hours because they are really flexible."

DeSanctis likes to travel during the summer and as a seasonal tax preparer she has summers off. Other tax preparers appreciate the flexible schedules which allow them to spend more time with their families while still offering a professional environment.

Jackson Hewitt offers tax education training both online and classroom style, as well as continuing education and support to ensure the best possible client service and opportunities for career growth.

"We are more than a tax company. We are looking to hire people who want to make a difference in the lives of others," said Alan Ferber, Jackson Hewitt CEO. "We encourage applications from all individuals, whether they are starting their career, looking for a position that better suits their lifestyle or looking for a path to ownership."

Entry level Tax Pro positions can lead to career advancement within the second largest tax brand, and for some, even franchise ownership*. Every year, several Jackson Hewitt franchise territories are purchased and offices are opened by owners who started as seasonal tax preparers.

Jackson Hewitt is an innovator in the tax industry with a mission of helping the hardest-working Americans get their tax refunds faster, easier and at lower cost. Jackson Hewitt Tax Pros dig deep to find deductions that others miss so that clients get the biggest refund they deserve.

To learn about employment opportunities or enroll in tax education training, visit www.JacksonHewitt.com.

About Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. is an innovator in the tax industry, with a mission of offering its hard-working clients access to simple, low-cost solutions to manage their taxes and tax refunds. Jackson Hewitt is devoted to helping clients get ahead with Maximum Refund and 100% Accuracy Guarantees. With approximately 6,000 franchised and company-owned locations, including 3,000 in Walmart stores and online and mobile tax solutions Jackson Hewitt makes it convenient for clients to file their taxes. For more information about products, services and offers, or to locate a Jackson Hewitt office, visit www.JacksonHewitt.com or call 1 (800) 234-1040.

* This is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy a franchise.

An offer is only made by the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

2016 Jackson Hewitt Inc. All Rights Reserved.

NY Residents: This is not an offering. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law.

MNFileNo. F-7505

Contact

Ed Kral

Email Contact

314-982-8697




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump is headed to Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday for a campaign rally that has some Republicans on edge. Trump's remarks, scheduled for 9 pm ET at the Phoenix Convention Center, are likely to be unscripted, raising the possibility the president could veer off message. The rally comes despite a request by Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton that Trump delay the event due to the uproar over his response to the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. 'We don't want to cancel the presidential visit overall, but a delay would be the appropriate action by the White House,' Stanton said at a news conference on Monday. Stanton has suggested Trump could inflame emotions and further divide the nation if he uses the rally as an opportunity to announce a pardon for controversial former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio was convicted of contempt by a federal judge last month for defying an order to refrain from racially profiling Latinos during patrols. Democratic National Committee CEO Jess O'Connell has described a pardon for Arpaio as a 'pardon for white supremacy.' Trump is expected to be greeted by mass protests after suggesting both white supremacists and counter-protesters were to blame for the violence seen in Charlottesville earlier this month. A report from Politico said Senate Republican leaders have also warned Trump against attacking GOP Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. Trump lashed out at Flake and praised the candidate challenging him in the Republican primary in a post to Twitter last week 'Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!' Trump tweeted. Flake has emerged as a prominent Republican critic of Trump and attacked the president in a book he recently wrote about conservatism. 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.
TITUSVILLE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 22, 2017 / America's premier healthcare accrediting and certification organization spotlights on its website Parrish Medical Center in a white paper written to help hospitals benefit from PMC's experience in achieving a national patient-care first.

The Joint Commission, which accredits nearly 21,000 healthcare organizations and programs, has published, "A Framework for Achieving Clinical Integration," which details how PMC designed and carried out the years-long effort that earned PMC the nation's first Joint Commission certification for integrated care.

"Integrated care certification offers an opportunity to measure success within the network for reducing readmissions, cost of care, and effective management of patients with chronic diseases," the white paper says.

Officially named "The Joint Commission's Gold Seal for Integrated Care Certification," the process "reviews how well an organization handles information sharing, including handoffs, IT integration and other integration points."

"Integrated care - healthcare providers communicating, sharing, and working together - benefits patients in their care, safety, and outcomes," said George Mikitarian, PMC President and CEO.

"Integrated care is quite literally a worldwide movement to improve patient care," Mikitarian said. "Unfortunately, it takes no effort for a healthcare provider to claim it's providing integrated care, and such claims can mislead patients."

"That's precisely why we sought certification, so patients could have confidence in us and to use what PMC has done as a benchmark to measure against providers who make claims without substance."

The white paper explains how Parrish Medical Center in 2009 made integrated care emphasis part of its strategic plan, the decision to seek Joint Commission integrated care certification, and how it used The Joint Commission's initial review to make care improvements that met certification standards.

"The Joint Commission certification evaluation forces you to demonstrate that coordination of care," Edwin Loftin, PMC Vice President of Acute Care, said in the white paper.

Among the Joint Commission reviewers' comments in the white paper that PMC has used to benefit patients:

Define within clinical care partners who is responsible for what processes

Look for ways to match service capacity to meet needs of the community

Ensure that information systems link patients, providers, community agencies, and payers across continuum of care

Define meaningful and agreed-upon metrics among the clinical care partners

Assure oversight/governance of a model that crosses organizations

Guarantee that components within an integrated care structure are accountable

The white paper also explains how, by collaborating as well with community organizations, PMC's integrated care initiative quickly achieved quantifiable results. For example, "PMC reduced the readmission rate from SNFs (skilled nursing facilities' patients admitted to the hospital) from 20 percent to less than 6 percent, well below the national benchmark of 19 percent."

The Joint Commission's market research of its certification programs shows 92 percent of Joint Commission certification customers indicate that certification improves patient outcomes.

"Lowering costs and improving patient outcomes are why PMC focuses on integrated care," Mikitarian said. "To be the country's first, and to be spotlighted in such a way by the Joint Commission, is a testimony about the dedication of PMC's care partners and our community's desire to work with us to improve health for the people we serve."

The white paper is available online at http://pages.jointcommission.org/rs/433-HWV-508/images/ICC_Framework_Achieving_Clinical_Integration.pdf.

About Parrish Medical Center

Parrish Medical Center (PMC), a Parrish Healthcare integrated care partner and Mayo Clinic Care Network member, is a 210-bed, public, not-for-profit community medical center located in Titusville, Florida. PMC was founded nearly 60 years ago and is today nationally recognized as "One of America's Finest Healing Environments." In 2016, PMC was the first in the nation to earn The Joint Commission Integrated Care Certification (ICC). Additionally, PMC has earned top rankings on The SafeCare Group's Top 100 SafeCare Hospitals list since 2015. The Joint Commission consistently names PMC as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures. The hospital has earned straight "A" safety ratings (since 2012) from the Leapfrog Group. In 2014, Consumer Reports recognized PMC as Florida's safest hospital. And, as compared to other U.S. hospitals by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), PMC maintains top-tier national rankings for clinical outcomes, safety and patients' experiences. For more information, visit www.parrishmed.com.

About Parrish Healthcare

Parrish Healthcare is a community-based, collaborative health system located on Florida's Space Coast. Parrish Healthcare includes PMC, a Mayo Clinic Care Network member and one of America's most recognized hospitals for clinical quality, patient safety, and healing environments, Parrish Medical Group, NCQA certified patient-centered medical homes, and Parrish Health Network, a network of healthcare providers, insurers and others working together to improve quality and safety and lower healthcare costs on behalf of individuals, families and businesses. For more information, visit www.parrishhealthcare.com.

SOURCE: Parrish Medical Center
Technavio analysts forecast the global non-alcoholic beverage packaging marketto grow at a CAGR of more than 5% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005822/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global non-alcoholic beverage packaging market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global non-alcoholic beverage packagingmarketfor 2017-2021. The market is segmented based on packaging materials (plastic, metal, and glass) and geography (APAC, the Americas, and EMEA).

One of the main factors that is driving the non-alcoholic beverage packaging market growth is the increased consumption of bottled water, which is a part of non-alcoholic drinks. This is increasing the need for non-alcoholic beverages packaging. The rising demand for bottled water is attributed to the increase in the number of health-conscious consumers who are choosing healthy and zero-calorie bottled water. Another factor boosting the market growth is the increasing demand from the emerging countries where disposable income is augmenting, and rapid urbanization is taking place.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Technavio transportation and logistics research analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the global non-alcoholic beverage packaging market:

Increasing popularity of adult soft drinks

Rising consumption of bottled water

Augmented consumption of soft drinks in emerging countries

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Increasing popularity of adult soft drinks

Adult soft drinks can be consumed by both alcohol drinkers and traditional soft drink consumers. These drinks do not contain alcohol and act as a viable alternative to alcohol, as they are more sophisticated and premium alternative to regular soft drinks. The adult soft drinks market is gaining its popularity because vendors of these products seek to satisfy different consumer needs.

Shakti Jhakar, a lead packaging research analyst at Technavio, says, "In March 2017, the local government association and all fire and rescue authorities in England and Wales demanded a lower limit of alcohol while driving. The imposition of this reform across the country will significantly lower alcohol consumption and the demand for adult soft drinks could increase during the forecast period. As a result, the demand for non-alcoholic beverage packaging should increase in the next five years."

Rising consumption of bottled water

The consumption of bottled water in the US in 2015 increased by almost 2.5-3.5 times of other liquid refreshments. People in the US increased their annual consumption by around 10-12 gallons from 2004, which was around 24-26 gallons per person in 2005.

"The market is driven by the increased health awareness and changing consumer lifestyle, which is moving toward healthier life choices. Also, the lack of well-developed public water infrastructure is expected to fuel the growth of the global bottled water market. This increased consumption of bottled water will create a rise in the demand for non-alcoholic beverage packaging globally," adds Shakti.

Augmented consumption of soft drinks in emerging countries

Soft drinks manufacturers are increasingly looking at establishing their manufacturing units in emerging markets such as Mexico, Brazil, India, China, and Africa to boost their global performance and compensate for the falling consumption in the US. The sales of CSDs are expected to increase in Latin America, APAC, Africa, and the Middle East by 2020. This is because companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have increased their reach across the world.

The majority of the global beverage consumption in 2021 will come from Asian countries. It is estimated that Asia will account for around 40%-50% market share of the total global beverage consumption by 2021, followed by Latin America with around 15%-20% market share expected to be in 2021.

Top vendors:

Amcor

Ball Corporation

BEMIS

Crown Holdings

O-I

Browse Related Reports:

Global Primary Food Processing Machinery (PFPM) Market 2017-2021

Global Glass Packaging Market 2017-2021

Corrugated Box Market in Europe 2017-2021

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005822/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- Quinto Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: QIT) ("Quinto" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of an arm's length option agreement with Mr. Sabino Rodrigo de Freitas to earn up to a 100% interest in the Campo Largo gold project in Brazil (the "Property"). The Property consists of one mineral-rights concession covering 1,775.68 hectares located in the rural area of the municipalities of Balsa Nova and Campo Largo, approximately 45 km west from Curitiba, the capital city of the State of Parana, in Brazil. Services and support for mining in this area are excellent.

Michael Curtis, President and CEO of Quinto, said: "While this has taken longer than what we expected, we are pleased with the results of our negotiations with Mr. Freitas and now have an option to acquire a very promising gold project on an emerging mining district with gold production activities."

The Campo Largo district is known for hydrothermal gold-pyrite-quartz mineralization, which has been prospected and mined for about 400 years. In the area of the Property, gold mineralization occurs in the contact zone between a granitic intrusion, which introduced the gold, and the overlying metamorphic rocks. This mineralized contact zone crops out on the concessions immediately north of the Property, where the Tabipora mine has been successfully producing gold from high-grade veins for thirty years. Waste rock from this mine was assayed and examined with reflected-light microscopy. Results indicate a similar gold-bearing mineralogy to that of other area gold operations.

"As indicated in the Property's NI 43-101 technical reported dated August 18, 2017, historical drilling on a neighbouring concession to the southeast has reported intersections with higher-grade gold assays at a depth of 30 to 40 metres. At two points along the border, historical drilling indicates that the gold mineralization has been found as close as 25 metres from the Property. The Property covers a large area along the trend between the Tabipora mine and the neighbouring concession gold occurrences and represents a significant exploration target. We will shortly start a small drilling program to validate the Property's gold potential," added Dr Luisa Moreno, a Director of Quinto.

In order to earn a 100% interest in the Property, Quinto will have to fulfill the following terms over a six-year period. During the earn-in period, Quinto will be the project manager.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Option period Cumulative interest Quinto commitments ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upon signature and within- - Initiate drilling and 5 business days of devise new exploration receipt of all required program regulatory approvals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On or prior the first 15% - Submit a NI 43-101 anniversary technical report - Incur minimum $250,000 of exploration work within first year - US$100,000 cash payment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On or prior the second 30% - US$100,000 cash payment anniversary - Submit a NI 43-101 resource estimate report - Incur additional costs of $500,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On or prior the third 50% - Incur additional costs anniversary of $500,000 - Submit a positive preliminary economic assessment report - US$237,138 cash payment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On or prior the fourth 80% - Submit a positive pre- anniversary feasibility study - Incur additional costs of $1,000,000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- On or prior the sixth 100% - Submit a feasibility anniversary study - Pay US$20 per ounce of economic reserves - Incur additional costs of $1,000,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This agreement is subject to regulatory approval and positive legal due diligence.

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by William H Bird, PhD, PGeo, a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Quinto

Quinto Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: QIT) is a Canadian gold exploration company. It has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Campo Largo gold project in Brazil and owns a 5% interest in the Monster Lake property (IAMGOLD: 50%/TomaGold: 45%) in Quebec, Canada.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" and readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual developments or results, may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking" statement.

Contacts:

Michael Curtis

President and Chief Executive Officer

(514) 793-1915

mcurtis@cardwellcap.com

www.quintocorp.com



Louis Morin

The Ask Marketing Services Inc

(514) 591-3988




BUENOS AIRES (dpa-AFX) - Argentina and Spain signed an agreement for public-private investments in infrastructure, urban development, housing, and transportation projects. The agreement was signed as part of the official visit of the Argentine Interior Minister Rogelio Frigerio to Santander, in Spain. Frigero said that the agreement would allow to generate a synergy between both governments and to 'enhance the knowledge of technical staff of joint projects,' according to the official news agency Telam. Meanwhile, Spain's Development minister Inigo de la Serna pointed out that Spanish companies established in Argentina have 'a lot of interest and are eager to take part in the projects' that Argentina has to improve its services infrastructure, among other fields. Also, De la Serna told Spanish media that the fact that Argentina has approved a National Plan of Infrastructures opens a 'very positive scenario' for both countries to collaborate. 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.
MONACO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- Dynagas LNG Partners LP (NYSE: DLNG) ("Dynagas Partners" or the "Partnership"), an owner and operator of LNG carriers, today announced that it will release its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017 before the market opens in New York on Tuesday, September 5, 2017.

The same day, Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the Company's management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the earnings results.

Conference Call details:

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: 1 (866) 819-7111 (from the US), 0(800) 953-0329 (from the UK) or (+44) (0) 1452 542 301 (Standard International Dial In). Please quote "Dynagas."

A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available until Tuesday, September 12th, 2017. The United States replay number is 1 (866) 247-4222; from the UK 0(800) 953-1533; the standard international replay number is (+44) (0) 1452 550 000 and the access code required for the replay is: 59711562#.

Audio Webcast - Slides Presentation:

There will be a live and then archived audio webcast of the conference call, via the internet through the Dynagas LNG Partners website www.dynagaspartners.com. Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

The slide presentation on the second quarter ended June 30, 2017 financial results will be available in PDF format 10 minutes prior to the conference call and webcast, accessible on the company's website www.dynagaspartners.com on the webcast page. Participants to the webcast can download the PDF presentation.

About Dynagas LNG Partners LP

Dynagas LNG Partners LP (NYSE: DLNG) is a growth-oriented master limited partnership formed by Dynagas Holding Ltd., its sponsor, to own and operate liquefied natural gas ("LNG") carriers employed on multi-year charters. The current fleet of Dynagas Partners consists of six LNG carriers, with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 914,000 cubic meters.

Visit the Partnership's website at www.dynagaspartners.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

The Partnership desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words "believe," "anticipate," "intends," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," "expect," "expected," "pending" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, examination by the Partnership's management of historical operating trends, data contained in its records and other data available from third parties. Although the Partnership believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Partnership's control, the Partnership cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Partnership's view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shipping capacity, changes in the Partnership's operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Partnership's vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and the Partnership disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

Contact Information:

Dynagas LNG Partners LP

23, Rue Basse, 98000 Monaco

Attention: Michael Gregos

Tel. +37799996445

Email: management@dynagaspartners.com



Investor Relations / Financial Media:

Nicolas Bornozis

President

Capital Link, Inc.

230 Park Avenue, Suite 1536 New York, NY 10169

Tel. (212) 661-7566

E-mail: dynagas@capitallink.com




VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 22, 2017 / Kapuskasing Gold Corp. (TSX-V: KAP) (the "Company" or "KAP") announces that it has executed and finalized, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, the formal option agreement (the "Agreement") to earn a 100% interest in the Sterling Property, contiguous to the Lady Pond Property, located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador ("NL"), as announced May 9, 2017. The Lady Pond Property consists of 98 claims totaling 2450 hectares in size and covers a number of historic shafts, mine workings, and areas of economic historical drilling.

Pursuant to the Agreement, KAP may earn a 100 percent interest in the Sterling Property for total consideration of 1,800,000 shares, $25,000 in cash payments, and a work commitment of $250,000 over four years. The Vendor shall retain a 3% net smelter royalty ("NSR") interest. The Company retains the option to buy back 2% of the NSR for $2,000,000.

The Lady Pond Property lies immediately adjacent to the town of Springdale and can be accessed via numerous logging roads and ATV trails throughout the property. Rambler Mining and Metals PLC operate a base metal mill at Baie Verte and currently own the historic Little Deer and Whalesback copper deposits (approximately 7 million tonnes of 2.25% Cu). Both of these projects are situated on contiguous claims to the west of the Lady Pond Property.

The geology underlying the Lady Pond Property consists entirely of the Lush Bight group of rocks, which is the same lithology which hosts the nearby Little Deer and Whalesback copper deposits. The Lady Pond Property is host to several historic copper occurrences (Cyprus Type VMS deposits), the most notable of which include the Sterling Mine, the Twin Pond prospect, and the Lady Pond Mine, all of which have exploration histories dating back to the late 1800's. The Sterling Mine hosts a NI 43-101 non-compliant, historic resource of approximately 1,000,000 tonnes of 1% copper, and is open in all directions. This non-compliant resource was calculated from drilling and evaluations performed during the late 1960's. The Sterling Mine is situated approximately 1.5 km to the southwest of the Twin Pond Prospect, where an additional 32 holes has been drilled but no calculation of any kind has been made. Lady Pond Mine is located approximately 3 km's to the northeast of Twin Pond.

The Company is treating the tonnage and grade estimates above as historical estimates. The historical estimates do not use categories that conform to current CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves as outlined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and have not been redefined to conform to current CIM Definition Standards. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources and the Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources. More work, including, but not limited to, drilling, will be required to confirm the estimates to current CIM Definition Standards. Investors are cautioned that the historical estimates do not mean or imply that economic deposits exist on the Property. Other than as provided for in this press release, the Company has not undertaken any independent investigation of the historical estimates or other information contained in this press release nor has it independently analyzed the results of the previous exploration work in order to verify the accuracy of the information. The Company believes that the historical estimates and other information contained in this press release are relevant to continuing exploration on the Property because they identify significant mineralization that will be the target of the Company's exploration programs.

There are over 50 historic drill holes on the property, the most notable intersections include:

Sterling Deposit

4.42m - 5.50% Cu from 38.10 to 42.52m

6.10m - 2.32% Cu from 106.68 to 112.78m

4.57m - 1.45% Cu from 50.29 to 54.86m

Twin Pond Prospect

3.35m - 4.20% Cu from 82.30 -85.65m

3.05m - 2.16% Cu from 33.53 to 36.58m

3.05m - 3.20% Cu from 70.14 -72.54m

Lady Pond Prospect

8.10m - 2.61% Cu

A preliminary three dimensional geological modeling of the historic drilling results for Sterling and Twin Pond has been performed and will prove to be a useful and highly effective tool to better understand the Sterling and Twin Pond potential. Based on the initial results, significant gaps in drilling between high grade intersections have been identified. A detailed compilation of the historical data is currently underway and a phase I drill program is being planned to commence in September, 2017, upon receipt of permits. An Induced Polarization Survey is also being planned for the area in between the Sterling and Twin Pond Prospects.

Mr. Garry Clark, P.Geo, (Exploration Manager and a Director of the Company) a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the technical content of this release. The content of the geological data presented has been derived from the Provinces Mineral Deposit Database and exploration assessment files and are believed to be accurate and correct.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Kapuskasing Gold Corp.

Jonathan Armes

President & CEO

Phone 1 (416) 708-0243

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including "will," "anticipates," "expected to," "plans," "planned," and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Company's management discussion and analysis as filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Kapuskasing Gold Corp.
DUBLIN, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Nuclear Imaging Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global nuclear imaging market to grow at a CAGR of 6.01% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated form the new nuclear imaging equipment sales.

The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is Growing focus on developing PET/MRI hybrid imaging systems. PET/MR systems are the emerging hybrid imaging devices, which are likely driving the market growth. These scanners combine the anatomical imaging and functional imaging data, bringing MRI's excellent soft tissue characterization and imaging without ionizing radiation. Further, research studies stated that PET/MR systems provide more quantitative data on the density and profusion of tumors.



According to the report, one of the major drivers for this market is Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. Rise in prevalence of chronic disorders increases the demand for diagnostic procedures which require medical imaging equipment such as nuclear imaging for effective and accurate diagnosis. Chronic diseases and conditions such as stroke, cancers, arthritis, thyroid, orthopedic and many other neuro degenerative disorders are easily diagnosed with the help of nuclear imaging.



Further, the report states that one of the major factors hindering the growth of this market is Risks and safety issues associated with nuclear imaging and radiation exposure. Although nuclear imaging systems are popular in the effective diagnosis of chronic conditions and becoming a vital component of clinical diagnosis, it has certain limitations and safety issues.



Key vendors



GE Healthcare

Siemens Healthcare

Koninklijke Philips

Digirad

Mediso Medical Imaging Systems

Other prominent vendors



Advanced Accelerator Applications

Agfa-Gevaert

BC Technical

CardiArc

Cardinal Health

Carestream Health

CMR Naviscan

Cubresa

DDD-Diagnostic

Eczacibasi-Monrol Nuclear Products

FMI Medical Systems

FUJIFILM Holdings

MiE America

MILabs

NeuroLogica

Neusoft Medical Systems

Photo Diagnostic Systems

RadioMedix

Sofie Biosciences

Spectrum Dynamics Medical

SynchroPET

Toshiba Medical Systems



Key Topics Covered:



Part 01: Executive summary



Part 02: Scope of the report



Part 03: Research Methodology



Part 04: Introduction



Part 05: Market landscape



Part 06: Market segmentation by application



Part 07: Market segmentation by product



Part 08: Market segmentation by end-user



Part 09: Geographical segmentation



Part 10: Decision framework



Part 11: Drivers and challenges



Part 12: Market trends



Part 13: Vendor landscape



Part 14: Key vendor analysis



Part 15: Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8g9bzz/global_nuclear

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
HOUSTON, TEXAS -- (Marketwired) -- 08/22/17 -- Cub Energy Inc. ("Cub" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: KUB), a Ukraine-focused upstream oil and gas company, announced today its unaudited financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2017. All dollar amounts are expressed in United States Dollars unless otherwise noted. This update includes results from KUB-Gas LLC ("KUB-Gas"), which Cub has a 35% equity ownership interest, Tysagaz LLC ("Tysagaz"), Cub's 100% owned subsidiary and CNG LLC ("CNG"), which Cub has a 50% equity ownership interest.

Mikhail Afendikov, Chairman and CEO of Cub said: "We are pleased to report income from our equity investment during the six months ended June 30 2017 amounted to $3.6 million and our net income was $0.9 million. During the most recent quarter, the Company made a capital commitment to purchase a new nitrogen rejection unit with the goal of re-commencing production on our wholly-owned western Ukraine RK field. To date in 2017, the Company has received $1.7 million in dividends from its eastern Ukraine investment."

Operational Highlights

-- Production averaged 1,004 boe/d (97% weighted to natural gas and the remaining to condensate) for the quarter ended June 30, 2017, which decreased 15% as compared to the 1,185 boe/d in the comparative 2016 quarter and a decrease of 9% as compared to the 1,107 boe/d average for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017. -- Achieved average natural gas price of $5.71/Mcf and condensate price of $65.93/bbl during the quarter ended June 30, 2017 as compared to $5.55/Mcf and $52.89/bbl for the comparative 2016 quarter and compared to $6.88/Mcf and condensate price of $62.70/bbl during the quarter ended March 31, 2017. Gas prices are historically lower during the summer months due to seasonal heating demand in Ukraine. -- In June 2017, the Company contracted to purchase a new Nitrogen Rejection Unit ("NRU") to re-commence production on the wholly-owned RK field in western Ukraine. -- A 118 square kilometer 3D seismic program was completed during the quarter on the Uzhgorod licence which was largely funded by our partner. The 3D seismic will be interpreted and the Company hopes to identify drill targets. -- KUB-Gas completed a 150 kilometer 2D seismic survey during the quarter on the West Olgovskoye licence in eastern Ukraine. KUB-Gas will utilize the 2D seismic survey to identify drill targets. -- During the second quarter of 2017, KUB-Gas spud the Olgovskoye-26 ("O- 26") well in eastern Ukraine. KUB-Gas will be testing the B-14 zone after unproductive tests of the S-5 and S-4 zones.

Financial Highlights

-- Netbacks of $21.53/boe or $3.59/Mcfe for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 as compared to netback of $18.20/Boe or $3.03/Mcfe for the comparative 2016 quarter. -- During the three months ended June 30, 2017, the Company received dividends of approximately $1.0 million (2016 - $Nil) from KUBGAS Holdings Limited ("KUBGAS"), which owns 100% of KUB-Gas. Subsequent to the quarter ended June 30, 2017, the Company received a further $0.4 million in dividends from KUBGAS. The National Bank of Ukraine ("NBU") eased certain capital controls by allowing limited dividends. The Company expects to continue to repatriate dividends to the extent possible and allowed by the NBU, although there are no assurances the NBU will continue to ease restrictions indefinitely. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three Months Three Months Six Months Six Months Ended Ended Ended Ended (in thousands of US June 30, June 30, June 30, June 30, Dollars) 2017 2016 2017 2016 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Petroleum and natural gas revenue 6 - 24 1,456 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pro-rata petroleum and natural gas revenue(1) 3,223 3,873 7,406 9,776 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenue from gas trading 2,040 - 6,035 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net income 15 583 931 2,040 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Income per share - basic and diluted 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Funds generated from operations(2) 124 (966) (646) (1,075) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pro-rata funds generated from operations(3) (1,143) 2,326 248 3,541 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Capital expenditures(4) 12 24 810 162 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pro-rata capital expenditures(4) 1,220 46 2,688 336 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pro-rata netback ($/boe) 21.53 18.20 24.64 22.05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pro-rata netback ($Mcfe) 3.59 3.03 4.11 3.67 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- June 30, December 31, 2017 2016 ---------------------------------------------------- Working capital 556 3,255 ---------------------------------------------------- Cash and cash equivalents 4,034 4,585 ---------------------------------------------------- Long-term debt 5,934 6,332 ----------------------------------------------------

Notes:

(1) Pro-rata petroleum and natural gas revenue is a non-IFRS measure that adds the Company's petroleum and natural gas revenue earned in the respective periods to the Company's 35% equity share of the KUB-Gas natural gas sales that the Company has an economic interest in. (2) Funds from operations is a non-IFRS measure and is defined as cash flow from operating activities, excluding changes in non-cash working capital. (3) Pro-rata funds from operations is a non-IFRS measure that adds the Company's funds from operations in the respective periods to the Company's 35% equity share of the KUB-Gas and 50% equity share of CNG Holdings funds from operations that the Company has an economic interest in. (4) Capital expenditures includes the purchase of property, plant and equipment and the purchase of exploration and evaluation assets. Pro- rata capital expenditures is a non-IFRS measure that adds the Company's capital expenditures in the respective periods to the Company's 35% equity share of the KUB-Gas and 50% equity share of CNG Holdings capital expenditures that the Company has an economic interest in.

Outlook

The Company expects KUB-Gas to drill one additional Olgovskoye field well in 2017, O-28, which will be self-funded by KUB-Gas. KUB-Gas will also commence a review and interpretation of a 150 kilometer 2D seismic survey on the West Olgovskoye licence in eastern Ukraine.

In western Ukraine, the Company committed to purchase a new NRU with a goal of resuming production at the RK field in the first quarter of 2018. Also in western Ukraine, CNG LLC completed a 118 square kilometer 3D seismic program and interpretation has commenced to identify drill targets.

Supporting Documents

Cub's complete quarterly reporting package, including the unaudited interim financial statements and associated Management's Discussion and Analysis, have been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and has been posted on the Company's website at www.cubenergyinc.com.

About Cub Energy Inc.

Cub Energy Inc. (TSX VENTURE: KUB) is an upstream oil and gas company, with a proven track record of exploration and production cost efficiency in Ukraine. The Company's strategy is to implement western technology and capital, combined with local expertise and ownership, to increase value in its undeveloped land base, creating and further building a portfolio of producing oil and gas assets within a high pricing environment.

For further information please contact us or visit our website: www.cubenergyinc.com.

Oil and Gas Equivalents

A barrel of oil equivalent ("boe") or units of natural gas equivalents ("Mcfe") is calculated using the conversion factor of 6 Mcf (thousand cubic feet) of natural gas being equivalent to one barrel of oil. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf: 1 bbl (barrel) or a Mcfe conversion of 1bbl: 6 Mcf is, based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead and is not based on either energy content or current prices. While the boe ratio is useful for comparative measures, it does not accurately reflect individual product values and might be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. As well, given that the value ratio, based on the current price of crude oil to natural gas, is significantly different from the 6:1 energy equivalency ratio, using a 6:1 conversion ratio may be misleading as an indication of value.

The disclosure in this press release is prepared in accordance with NI 51-101 standards.

Reader Advisory

With the current cash resources, suspension of the RK field, uncertainty surrounding the successful installation of the NRU, dividend restrictions, currency fluctuations, reliance on a limited number of customers, and impact on carrying values, the Company may not have sufficient cash to continue the exploration and development activities. These matters raise significant doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern and meet its obligations as they become due.

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Cub believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable; however there can be no assurance those expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Ukraine, the Black Sea Region and globally; political unrest and security concerns in Ukraine; industry conditions, including fluctuations in the prices of natural gas and foreign currency; governmental regulation of the natural gas industry, including environmental regulation; unanticipated operating events or performance which can reduce production or cause production to be shut in or delayed; failure to obtain industry partner and other fourth party consents and approvals, if and when required; competition for and/or inability to retain drilling rigs and other services; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; volatility in market prices for natural gas; liabilities inherent in natural gas operations; competition for, among other things, capital, acquisitions of reserves, undeveloped lands, skilled personnel and supplies; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; geological, technical, drilling, processing and transportation problems; changes in tax laws and incentive programs relating to the natural gas industry; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and dispositions; and the other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

This cautionary statement expressly qualifies the forward-looking information contained in this news release. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Cub Energy Inc.

Mikhail Afendikov

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

(713) 677-0439

mikhail.afendikov@cubenergyinc.com



Cub Energy Inc.

Patrick McGrath

Chief Financial Officer

(713) 577-1948

patrick.mcgrath@cubenergyinc.com

www.cubenergyinc.com




Release no. 18/2017 Columbus A/S will publish its result for the first half 2017 on Thursday, 24 August 2017, around 9.30 CET. The following event will take place later that day: A live webcast and conference call for shareholders, analysts, investors and representatives of the media: Topic: Columbus Financial Results for H1 2017 Date: Thursday 24 August 2017 Time: 13.00 CET The webcast is hosted by CEO Thomas Honore and CFO Hans Henrik Thrane. Please login to the webcast via Columbus' Investor Site http://ir.columbusglobal.com/events.cfm. Questions can be sent in advance by email to Communication Manager Tine Rasmussen at tra@columbusglobal.com. or can be raised at the question session during the webcast. A recorded version of the presentation will be available on the website after the webcast has concluded. Conference call dial-in details: Denmark: +45 32 71 16 60 UK/International: +44 20 3427 1909 US: +1 646 254 3365 Conference ID: 6738447 Please dial in a few minutes before to allow time for registration of name and company. For further information, please contact: Communication Manager, Tine Rasmussen, tra@columbusglobal.com, +45 29690677 Translation: In the event of any inconsistency between this document and the Danish language version, the Danish language version shall be the governing version. Attachment: https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=642400

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, broke into a verbal fight on the Instagram with Jenni Miller, a mother of three from Portland, Oreagon.



The issue started when Linton shared a picture of herself leaving a government jet and touted the designer clothing brands she was wearing.



'Great daytrip to Kentucky! nicest people beautiful countryside,' Linton commented on the photograph along with hashtags of various luxury designers including, rolandmouret pants, hermesscarf, tomford, valentino and valentinorockstud heels.



Instagram user Jenni Miller showed her displeasure on the photo by commenting on the post, 'Glad we could pay for your little getaway. deplorable'



Instead of ignoring the comment, Linton took it personal grudge and started firing back at her in a sarcastic tone.



'Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable!' Linton wrote. 'Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country?'



'I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day 'trip' than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours,' Linton continued.



'You're adorably out of touch. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute. I know you're made but deep down you're really nice and so am I. Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isn't going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message, one filled with wisdom and humanity would get more traction.'



'Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It's fab!' she concluded.



The post was deleted late Monday evening and Linton's account was set to private.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 22, 2017) - Nano One Materials Corp. (TSXV: NNO) (FSE: LBMB) (OTC Pink: NNOMF) ("Nano One" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of up to 3,000,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $1.00 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $3,000,000.

Each Unit will consist of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole such warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share at a price of $1.25 for a period of 24 months from the closing date. The proceeds of this private placement will be used for technology and corporate development, and general working capital. In connection with the private placement, the Company may pay finder's fees in cash or securities or a combination of both, as permitted by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The shares issued pursuant to the private placement will be subject to a hold period under applicable securities laws, which will expire four months plus one day from the date of closing of the private placement. Closing of the private placement is subject to receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Nano One Materials Corp.

Dan Blondal, CEO

For information with respect to Nano One or the contents of this news release, please contact John Lando (President) at (604) 669-2701 or visit the website at www.nanoone.ca.

About Nano One:

Nano One Materials Corp ("Nano One" or "the Company") is developing patented technology for the low-cost production of high performance battery materials used in electric vehicles, energy storage and consumer electronics. The processing technology addresses fundamental supply chain constraints by enabling wider raw materials specifications for use in lithium ion batteries. The process can be configured for a range of different nanostructured materials and has the flexibility to shift with emerging and future battery market trends and a diverse range of other growth opportunities. The novel three-stage process uses equipment common to industry and Nano One is building a pilot plant to demonstrate high volume production. The pilot plant is being funded with the assistance and support of the Government of Canada through Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and the Automotive Supplier Innovation Program (ASIP). Nano One also receives financial support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Nano One's mission is to establish its patented technology as a leading platform for the global production of a new generation of nanostructured composite materials. For more information, please visit www.nanoone.ca

Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, statements related to the completion of the private placement and the use of proceeds thereof. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing', or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including: the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE

THIS NEWS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL SECURITIES AND THE COMPANY IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM.



NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES
DUBLIN, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Ballistic Composites Market Analysis By Product (Polymer Matrix Composite (PMC), Polymer-Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC), Metal Matrix Composite (MMC)), By Application, And Segment Forecasts, 2015 - 2025" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global ballistic composites market is expected to reach USD 2.18 billion by 2025

Unstable geopolitical relations, increasing cross-border tensions have forced nations to strengthen their defense units. Providing lightweight, efficient and advanced combat equipment has been on top priorities of most of the developed as well as developing countries. This has triggered the use of ballistic composites over the past few years.

Several factors, like the propensity of the composite armor of supporting the weight of an externally attached component, anchoring composite armor with a platform, safeguarding of ballistic weaknesses at panel joints and corners are taken into consideration while product designing and production are executed.

Ballistic vests are envisioned to deflect bullets from several types of guns, while armored vehicles must withstand projectiles, shells fired from tanks and roadside bombs. The layout of ballistic materials thus presents challenges familiar to any composites manufacturer.

North America is slated to account for larger market share. Active involvement of the U.S. military to counter terror threats is expected to fuel the product demand. Rising pressure on the U.S. government to maintain its military dominance is also expected to drive the regional market.

The key value chain components for the ballistic protective equipment market include raw material suppliers, ballistic equipment manufacturers, and end-users. The raw material suppliers form the first component in the value chain and provide various metals, materials, and fabrics required for producing ballistic protection suits.

Major companies in the global ballistic composites market include DuPont, Teijin, DSM and Honeywell International. The market can be characterized by increasing R&D spending and continuous efforts for new product development.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest growing market in terms of product technology upgradation. Rising awareness in this region pertaining the life of deployed soldiers and vehicles is likely to trigger government budgets allocated for defense.

is expected to emerge as the fastest growing market in terms of product technology upgradation. Rising awareness in this region pertaining the life of deployed soldiers and vehicles is likely to trigger government budgets allocated for defense. North America is likely to emerge the largest market for ballistic composites on account of favorable government budgets, policies and regulations pertaining defense initiatives.

is likely to emerge the largest market for ballistic composites on account of favorable government budgets, policies and regulations pertaining defense initiatives. Polymer matrix composite is expected to experience a significant growth on account of their low cost and simple fabrication methods. Its significance lies in its ability to grow fatter and short upon being heated.

During the forecast period, ballistic composites market is expected to be majorly driven by armor applications in body vests and defense vehicles.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Methodology and Scope



2. Executive Summary



3. Ballistic Composites Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1 Market segmentation

3.2 Market size and growth prospects, 2013-2025

3.3 Ballistic composites value chain analysis

3.4 Ballistic composites market dynamics

3.4.1 Market driver analysis

3.4.1.1 Increasing internal and external threats

3.4.1.2 Increasing need for lightweight, comfortable and high-strength materials

3.4.2 Market restraint analysis

3.4.2.1 Lack of complete protection

3.4.2.2 Complexities in designing ballistic composites

3.5 Industry analysis - Porter's

3.6 Ballistic composites PESTEL analysis



4. Ballistic Composites: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis

4.1 Ballistic composites market share by product, 2015 & 2025

4.2 Global ballistic composites demand by product 2014 - 2025 (USD Million)

4.2.1 Polymer

4.2.2 Polymer-ceramic

4.2.3 Metal matrix



5. Ballistic Composites: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1 ballistic composites market share by application, 2015 & 2025

5.2 Global ballistic composites demand by application 2014 - 2025 (USD Million)

5.2.1 Armor

5.2.2 Helmets & face protection

5.2.3 Others



6. Ballistic Composites: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis



7. Competitive Landscape



8. Company Profiles



Honeywell International Inc.

BAE Systems

DSM

Morgan Advanced Materials

Southern States, LLC

Barrday Corporation

PRF Composite Materials

Gaffco ballistics

M Cubed Technologies, Inc.

MKU Limited

Royal Ten Cate NV

Gurit

Teijin Limited

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/pw84vw/ballistic





Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Wednesday see preliminary August results for the manufacturing PMI from Nikkei, setting the pace for a modest day in Asia-Pacific economic news. The PMI score in July came in at 52.1. Japan also will see final July figures for machine tool orders; the previous reading suggested an increase of 26.3 percent on year. Australia will release July data for skilled vacancies; in June, vacancies were up 0.9 percent on month. Singapore will provide July numbers for consumer prices, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.3 percent on month and 1.1 percent on year. That follows the 0.1 percent monthly decline and the 0.5 percent yearly increase in June. Malaysia will release July figures for consumer prices, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.1 percent on month and 3.4 percent on year. That follows the 0.2 percent monthly decline and the 3.6 percent yearly increase in June. 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.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 22, 2017 / Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces a class action lawsuit against Tahoe Resources Inc. ('Tahoe' or the 'Company') (NYSE: TAHO) for possible violations of federal securities laws from March 12, 2015 through July 5, 2017 inclusive (the 'Class Period'). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Tahoe shares during the Class Period should contact the firm in advance of the September 5, 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 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 to be represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

According to the lawsuit, during the Class Period, Tahoe made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: that consultation obligations relating to the permitting of the Escobal mining license were not met; that the Escobal mining license is subject to suspension; and that as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On July 5, 2017, Tahoe revealed that the Supreme Court of Guatemala issued a provisional decision suspending the Escobal mining license of its subsidiary Minera San Rafael, in connection with an action brought by CALAS against Guatemala's Ministry of Energy and Mines ('MEM'). CALAS alleged that MEM violated the Xinca Indigenous people's right of consultation before granting the Escobal mining license. Following this news, Tahoe's stock price lowered significantly, which caused investors harm according to the lawsuit.

Lundin Law PC was established by Brian Lundin, Esq., a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding the rights of shareholders.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethics rules.

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
Kite Power Systems (KPS), a Glasgow, Scotland, UK-based developer of innovative new kite power technology, secured 2m in equity funding.

The Scottish Investment Bank, the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise, made the investment. It joined E.ON, Schlumberger and Shell Technology Ventures, who announced a combined 5m investment in the company in December 2016.

The company intends to use the funds to further expand and demonstrate the latest iteration of its kite power technology in Scotland.

KPS provides a power system that features two kites which fly up to an altitude of 1500 feet. Both kites are attached by tethers to a winch system that generates electricity as it spools out. According to the company, this technology has the potential to transform the global offshore wind generation market, as it is cheaper to manufacture and requires less construction and installation materials than conventional wind turbines.

In February 2017, KPS had re-located from Essex and consolidated all of its activities in Scotland, establishing a research and test facility near Stranraer and a head office in Glasgow. It already has a team of 20, mainly engineers and aims to grow to 34 by the end of 2017.

FinSMEs

22/08/2017
Prodigy Finance, a London, UK-based global fintech platform that provides post-graduate loans to international students with no alternative access to finance, raised $240m in equity and debt financing.

This includes:

 a $40m Series C equity round led by Index Ventures, with participation from Balderton Capital and AlphaCode; and

 a $200m debt facility led by a global investment bank.

The company intends to use the funds to increase its operational expansion and provide additional funding to students.

Led by Cameron Stevens, Founder and CEO, Prodigy Finance is a lending platform that provides postgraduate loans to international students from 150 countries attending top 100 universities including INSEAD, London Business School, Cambridge Judge Business School, Stanford University and Harvard University, who would otherwise have no alternative access to finance. The loans are collectively funded by a community of alumni, institutional investors and qualified private investors who receive both a financial and social return.

Its global credit model assesses applicants based on projected earnings rather than historical credit, allowing the company to provide funding to students without collateral, a cosigner or guarantor. It also enables qualified investors, and the alumni of top schools, to assist students from their alma mater or home country, while earning a financial return.

Since 2007, Prodigy Finance has provided more than US$325m in funding to over 7,100 students.

FinSMEs

21/08/2017
With record capital raising occurring in the world of cryptocurrency ICOs, the Securities and Exchange Commission has stated that virtual currencies and tokens issued by an initial coin offering, or ICO, are considered the same class of asset as securities.

They, therefore, should be subjected to the same regulatory structures and bylaws that govern said securities, including the necessity to register pending coin offerings with the SEC.

The pace of ICOs has been escalating dramatically in 2017, with over 800 cryptocurrencies now available on the open market. The SEC has been working to slow the pace of these launches and start-ups have been hiring legal talent to determine the legal requirements and remain in compliance.

Blockchain analysts have reasoned that the SEC ruling has been a definite turn for the ICO market, where the increased regulation would be able to stem the ongoing fraud and shady dealing in the ICO market. The SEC monitoring benefits legitimate investors by encouraging risk-averse investors to become active in buying the token offerings.

However, it would see that the warnings of the SE have fallen upon deaf ears in the world of ICOs, with new offerings failing to register with the authority and the SEC unable to provide any form of penalty to these start ups. Most ICOs have very little interest in following theSEs rules given the pace of new IO offerings and choose to ignore the advice of the regulatory authority.

Industry professionals in the legal environment are concerned that startups have failed to comply with the SECs requests. Since the issuance of the guidance formally issued on July 25, over 40 new coin offerings have come to market seeking a capital raise. There are also a further 200 plus offerings set for release shortly.

Despite the lack of regulation, the ICO market is scheduled to exceed all previous VC funding in the Blockchain space by the end of 2017. Reports from news authorities, the New York Times, stated that July 2017 was the most successful month in ICO history, with over $665 million raised for new coin offerings. It seems that starting a new token is as easy as creating a Spiel Scribes video.

The most shocking part of this statistic is that this months capital exceed all the previous five months combined, shoe in the acceleration within the ICO space and the reason for the call to alarm. Initial Coin Offerings have outperformed all seed-stage and angel funding for all online firms since the beginning of the second quarter.

Cryptocurrency has a decentralized nature, one of the primary reasons why the asset class has succeeded outside the current global monetary system. It has allowed Blockchain startups to leverage regulatory arbitrage to its maximum.

Essentially it is like asking the question of why would ICOs waste their time registering with the US regulatory authorities when they can set up shop offshore in Switzerland or Hong Kong? All facets of cryptocurrency continue to disrupt the list monetary system and its modern money mechanics. They achieve this by circumventing regulation, using the loopholes and inefficiencies of the current regime. This fact is the seed of innovation and the source of freedom that world governments and central banks are beginning to take note.

In 2016, China announced plans to create its virtual currency regulated by the PBoC, which would ironically be against the decentralized nature of cryptocurrency. Recently, Russia has announced plans to build a state-owned cryptocurrency mining operation. ICOs will continue to seek and find funding, as well as set new records for VC capital raising, as long as there is a market for them to do so.

With the price of Bitcoin surging to new highs above #3,500 and Ethereum achieving a 400% gain, cryptocurrency is the choice of speculators across the world. As governments continue to fall in line and recognize the legitimacy of crypto, they sow the seeds of doom for their central bank created fiat currencies. This fact begs the question of how long this current boom in IOs will last? Are we at the beginning or the end of the worlds greatest asset bubble? Only time will tell.

With global governments now executing upon strategies to harness the opportunities found in Cryptocurrency, maybe its about time we all started to pay closer attention to whats going on as well?

22/08/2017
Normal banking operations have been hit as public sector bank employees went on a one-day nationwide strike on Tuesday to protest against the government's proposed consolidation move, besides raising other demands.

Services like deposits and withdrawal at bank branches, cheque clearance, NEFT and RTGS transactions are affected.

However, operations at private lenders such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were almost normal.

The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) had already informed customers that functioning of branches and offices may take a hit if the strike takes off. It had also asked banks to take measures in advance to minimise the impact.

Meanwhile, IANS reported that in Tamil Nadu alone around 55,000 bankers struck work pressing for their demands.

"It is a dawn-to-dusk strike as cheque clearing operations start at 6 a.m. Bankers working in around 10,300 branches struck work protesting the policies towards the sector," CH Venkatachalam, general secretary, All India Bank Employees Association, was quoted as saying in the report.

Venkatachalam said around 12 lakh financial instruments valued around Rs 7,300 crore would not be cleared.

With branches closed, automatic teller machines (ATMs) might get empty sooner than normal. Government treasury transactions would also be impacted.

Foreign exchange transactions, import and export bill transactions, sanction of loans and others would also be affected.

In most of the places, clearing operations, particularly outward clearing was seriously affected.

Normally in the three clearing grids functioning from South, West and North -- Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi -- on an average about 40 lakh cheques and instruments worth about Rs 20,000 crore are transacted per day. This was affected in a big way, Venkatachalam said.

The strike has been called by all unions under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU).

The UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and the National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

Besides, protest against consolidation move of the government, other demands include no write-off policy for non-performing assets (NPAs) of corporate loans, declaring wilful default of loans as criminal offence and implementation of recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on recovery of NPAs, NOBW vice president Ashwini Rana said.

The government should provide overtime for additional work during demonetisation, he said.

The UFBU, which claims membership of nearly 10 lakh across banks, requested the government for cost reimbursement of demonetisation to banks.

As many as 21 public sector banks control 75 percent of the total banking business.

(With inputs from PTI, IANS)
New Delhi: Infosys' interim CEO UB Pravin Rao and his team face a major challenge of reining in higher attrition resulting from the senior management churn and a drop in employee morale, according to analysts.

The management changes could also make clients cautious and competitors more aggressive, they noted.

"Significant churn in senior management and a drop in employee morale leading to a rise in attrition could hurt Infosys' performance, if not addressed by Pravin and his team," Macquarie Research said in its latest report.

It noted that the company has indicated its willingness to meet key clients to address any concerns they may have due to the events of the past few days.

Vishal Sikka, Infosys first non-founder CEO, quit last week citing slander by founders. The board, which has blamed co-founder Narayana Murthy for the CEO's resignation, has said it will find a replacement latest by March 31, 2018.

Nomura, in its report, said these developments push back "turnaround hopes" as the appointment of the CEO is likely to take time.

"... It could hamper longer-term growth if senior management attrition continues... management churn at Infosys would make clients cautious and competitors more aggressive," it said.

JPMorgan said it expects to see an impact from this event on Infosys' performance of 2017-18 and 2018-19.

"... There is now a real risk that with his (Sikka) departure as the CEO/MD, the force and ability with which the strategy gets executed will suffer at least near term, a risk that Infosys can ill-afford in the current difficult climate for Indian IT," it said.

Also, the longer it takes for the board to find a "suitable, willing candidate" to step into Sikka's shoes, the greater the likelihood that Infosys can drift, it added.

"We see impact on Infosys' performance (FY18/FY19) from this event," it said.
New Delhi: Markets regulator SEBI has begun a routine investigation into the Infosys stock movement following the resignation of CEO & MD Vishal Sikka and the share buyback announcement, which came the very next day. Sikka announced his shock resignation on Friday, plunging the scrip to multi-year lows over uncertainty on near-term operation metrics, leadership challenges and continued tussle between the board of directors and the founders. And the very next day, the company's board went ahead and announced the planned share buyback, at a price which seemed quite attractive after the Friday bloodbath on the street. Now, questions are being raised on the timing of both these events.

Speaking to Firstpost, proxy advisory firm Stakeholders Empowerment Services MD, J N Gupta, made two pertinent points about the entire saga of resignation and buyback:

1) Why did Vishal Sikka quit just a day-and-a-half before the buyback announcement was scheduled to be made? It is to be noted that the date for a meeting of the board of directors was already known.

2) Sikka was considering quitting for some time (as we got to know from his blog on Friday) and he would have had a general idea about the intended buyback price. This is pertinent especially since Gupta says Sikka knew that both, the announcement of his exit and the buyback price, are pieces of price sensitive information.

This report in The Times of India hints at a Sebi probe into the entire Inofsys episode since Friday.

It also quotes Anil Singhvi of Ican Investment saying an enquiry is in order. "The board announced plans to go ahead with buyback when they knew the CEO was leaving. Investors bought heavily into the counter on Thursday (stock was up 4 percent) only to realise the next day Sikka was leaving (stock lost more than 10 percent). This massive erosion of wealth alone is sufficient for examination. Why make a filing on a buyback plan when the board was besieged by a significant corporate development?" Singhvi said. Perhaps, the Sebi investigation will look into this matter keeping these queries in mind.

Shriram Subramanian, MD of another shareholder advisory firm InGovern, said the buyback price is an average of the scrip price for the last three months, adding the board could have been more discerning in going ahead with the buyback decision just a day after the resignation of the CEO & MD. This leads to the perception that the company wanted to support the stock price by putting out positive news.

It is another matter that despite the buyback price becoming suddenly quite attractive, the Infosys investor seems to have scant faith in the company and the scrip was hammered on Monday too, the first trading day after the buyback announcement.

Why did the Infosys scrip tank on Friday after Sikkas resignation became public? Analysts at brokerage ICICI Securities noted with concern that unlike peers, Infosys' fortunes were linked to just one person, something they have not seen in other IT companies.

No other company within our coverage universe, barring Infosys, has had its fortunes linked to just one person. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro and HCL Tech (HCLT) have seen their CEOs change over the past two years with the transitions being seamless, having limited impact on employee morale and customer perception. However, we expect Vishal Sikkas exit from Infosys to have a definite impact on high performer employee attrition, pace of next generation capability creation, investments in software and products, and in the organisation's risk taking ability. High performers at Infosys identified more with Sikka in recent times rather than Infosys as an institution, and may now look at avenues outside the company (unlike TCS, for example, where employees have always prided themselves in working for an iconic institution more than anything else). Since the board desires next CEO with an innate understanding of the company's culture and the services industry, and given that the friction with founders seems far from over, the likelihood of the next CEO being an outsider becomes that much lesser.

With the company plunging into crisis of uncertainty and hoping for the share buyback announcement to be a savior, will things get back to normal anytime soon? This article in Moneycontrol.com suggests that the founders  whose allegations of wrongdoing and falling corporate governance standards within Infosys forced Sikka to quit  will benefit at all from this turn of events. It says if founders also submit their shares in the buyback, reduce their stake then their stand of fighting for the long-term good of Infosys would sound hollow.

The promoters would be making money by selling their stake at a huge premium over the current market price. This is unlikely to go down well with investors as many blame N R Narayana Murthy for Sikkas exit and the resultant fall in Infosys share price. Why should the promoters sell their share at a time when Sikka is no longer at the helm? The promoters need to put their money where their mouth was, the article said.

On the other hand, if founders do not submit their shares in the buyback offer, their stake in the company would increase subsequently. Higher promoter stake would be interpreted as higher meddling in the affairs of the company, something that would mean that the status quo would continue and no real decisive policy measures would be taken, the Moneycontrol article said.

Many brokerages have already given a thumbs down signal to the Infosys developments, downgrading the stock over near term operational uncertainties and vacuum at the top.
Fast food chain McDonald's said on Monday it planned to shut all 169 of its restaurants in India's northern and eastern regions, escalating a dispute with its local partner and potentially putting thousands of workers out of jobs.

The US company said it was "compelled" to take the action because its partner Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Ltd (CPRL) had breached the terms of their franchise agreements.

Vikram Bakshi, managing director of CPRL, told Reuters the decision came as a "big shock" and the company was studying all its legal options.

The move by McDonald's India follows a protracted legal dispute with CPRL that started in 2013, when McDonald's said Bakshi's term as managing director had ended - a decision Bakshi challenged in the courts.

"They fell out because McDonalds thought that Mr Bakshi was involved in irregular siphoning activities, so they wanted him to go," said AS Chandiok, a lawyer representing Bakshi, who added that his client denied the allegations.

McDonald's did not comment on the court dispute in its statement on Monday, but said it would try to mitigate the impact on employees, suppliers and landlords affected by the closure of the outlets.

The decision will likely lead to thousands of job losses and further dent McDonald's share of India's booming quick service restaurants market, where it has already been losing ground to rivals like Domino's Pizza.

The north and east Indian outlets under the McDonalds-CPRL franchise employ 6,500 people directly and many more indirectly, said Madhurima Bakshi, a member of CPRL's board.

All those restaurants will have to stop using McDonald's name, trademarks, designs, branding, and recipes within 15 days of the termination notice, McDonald's said. It added, though, that it remained committed to northern and eastern India and had started looking for a new partner.

"It will take time to bring the current situation to a final resolution," McDonald's said.

A report in The Times of India estimates the job loss figures at 10,000. The report citing a senior McDonald's executive said each outlet employs around 40-50 directly. Apart from this there are others who are indirectly employed such as suppliers and farmers who produces tomatoes, onions, lettuce and ingredients for sauces, the report said.

(With inputs from Reuters)
Pahlaj Nihalani's exit has sparked of numerous controversies with the former chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification accusing the ministry of sacking him, wrongfully. However, Nihalani's exit has also liberalised the committee for a brief period.

As per DNA, Rajat S Mukherjee's controversial political drama Umeed, which contains various graphic scenes, has been passed by the board, with just one cut.

The committee has been walking on eggshells after Nihalani's public exit. As per the directive from authorities, the members have been reportedly told to certify films rather than censoring them until Prasoon Joshi, the new chief, assumes office.

Joshi had earlier reported unwell on his first day to work.

Mukherjee, whose film reportedly throws light on drug testing on children, is one of the recipients of the relaxation being shown by the CBFC currently.

The committee has reportedly passed the film, without snipping out some contentious scenes. The only scene that has been snipped is the one that shows a picture of former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.

"We are not allowed to cut anything at the moment for fear of being answerable to the I&B the high command," a source close to the committee told DNA.

This seems like an auspicious time for the Indian film industry to get films with contentious content, passed, after struggling under Nihalani's iron fist.
Sanjay Chhel's comedy Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi got everyone's attention, thanks to the hilarious teaser released by the makers a few days ago. Now, the trailer is out, which offers a fair share of laughs and duds within the span of three minutes.

Paresh Rawal plays a true blue Gujarati whereas his fellow veteran actor Rishi Kapoor is a Punjabi in every sense of the world. The trailer starts with an exchange between the two where they are singing praises for their respective communities.

The narratives moves on to the next generation when Rishi's son, played by a funny Vir Das, woos Rawal's daughter, played by Payal Ghosh, and lures him for a Gujarati wedding, an idea that his prospective father-in-law vehemently opposes. While the overall tone of the trailer is kept funny, there are certain points when it assumes a graver tone which does not go down well with the mood of the film.

There are certain tacky dialogues and inconsistent editing too. But the USP of the trailer, and presumably of the film, is the exchanges between Rawal and Kapoor. Both of them are powerhouses of talent but only the film will tell whether they have been utilised to their optimum capacities or wasted in roles not worth of their towering statures.

Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi is slated to release on 15 September, along with Hansal Mehta's slice-of-life entertainer Simran.
Maitrey Bajpai and Ramiz Ilham Khan's science fiction short film Carbon paints a world that we all fear deep down. But by doing so, it gives us a sense of discomfort that is essential to shake us out of our complacency and ensure a greener future.

The short film, that intrigued viewers with its trailer, extends the same idea but fails to live up to the innovative premise. While the conceptualisation of this universe is immensely fascinating, despite the doom that it spells for the collective fate of humanity, the icing of the cake had already been served in the trailer.

What the short film captures interestingly is the back story of its protagonist Random, played by Jackky Bhagnani, who is also a co-producer of the film. The name of the character is itself so telling as it gives out the impression that the identity of humans holds little significance if they do not value sustainable development.

Random was born with a failed heart and was saved by an artificial one. This artificial heart proved to be a blessing in disguise eventually as he could use his licence to legally carry natural oxygen in the dystopian scenario where oxygen has become a commodity.

He ponders using this licence to smuggle oxygen in order to earn money that will help him to evacuate to Mars, the planet inhabited by the elite of Earth who had the means to leave their doomed homes behind. In his quest, Random runs into Yakub, a smuggler lord (played by Yashpal Sharma), a contract killer from Mars (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and Pari, an escort who reveals herself to be a robot (played by Prachi Desai).

His encounters with all these three eccentric personalities, particularly Pari, changes his perspective towards his planet and the humans that inhabit it.

While the screenplay is quite inconsistent and a couple of plot points rather ambiguous, Carbon deserves to be lauded for two aspects  the idea it aims to hammer home and the brilliant concept that it uses to do so. But the innovative premise is what makes the ensuing lackluster drama so disappointing.

The production design, the music and the VFX have all been toned down in order to lend the film a deliberate synthetic appeal. This paints a gloomy picture of the Earth's future. Jackky turns out to be a revelation as he carries the short on his shoulders commendably, given his intense demeanor and restrained delivery.

Prachi is too expressive for a robot but it is nonetheless a visual delight to watch her on screen after a long time. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has a cameo in the short film, infuses life into this rather glum fare with his charged presence but it is certainly not one of his best acts.

Overall, Carbon is an important film as well as a good attempt at snap science fiction, a genre under-utilised in India today.
Malayalam superstar Dileep's remand period, in the assault and abduction case of a Malayalam actress, has been extended till 2 September by the the Angamaly first class judicial magistrate court.

Manorama Online reports that the court extended the remand period till 2 September as Kerala High Court is considering Dileep's bail plea. The Court had postponed the bail plea from 18 August to 22 August at the prosecution's request as its lawyers were out of town attending the funeral of former Advocate General MK Damodaran at Kannur.

Another report by Manorama Online suggests that the Kerala police team, probing the case, have newfound evidence against Dileep. They have reportedly got significant leads on the mobile phone that was used to record the survivor's assault.

Kaumudi Online reports that the prosecution has claimed that there is strong evidence against Dileep which can not be presented in the open court and that is why they will soon submit it in a sealed cover to the court. They have also contended not to give bail till the aforementioned phone is retrieved.

Dileep, arrested on 10 July, is since then lodged in the Aluva sub-jail. Dileep's arrest came after police found evidence against him as the abduction's key conspirator. The actress was abducted and molested while travelling from Thrissur to Kochi on 17 February.
JK Rowling's Philip Marlowe-like private eye Cormoran Strike will now star in a BBC One Drama. The series is called 'Strike: Cuckoo's Calling', after Rowling's first book in the detective fiction series. The seven-part BBC show begins airing on 27 August.

BBC One released a trailer for the show, which begins (just as Cuckoo's Calling does) with the apparent suicide of supermodel and socialite Lula Landry which Strike and his secretary Robin Ellacott investigate at the request of Landry's brother. They soon find that foul play is involved in Landry's death, and the investigation leads them down a trail of family secrets, money, greed and behind it all  a clever murderer.

Rowling published the first Cormoran Strike novel in 2013 under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith; two other books have been published in the series since  The Silkworm and Career Of Evil.

The trailer, at a short 40 seconds, hasn't met with the approval of several fans, who felt the appearance of lead actor Tom Burke didn't match with the idea of the jaded Afghanistan veteran Cormoran Strike they had in their minds after reading the books. Holliday Grainger has been cast as Robin. HBO had previously acquired the US and Canadian rights to the show.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that BBC One's Strike will eschew the "voyeuristic violence" that some of its dramas have been accused of.

Watch the trailer here:
Rajkummar Rao was reportedly roped in to star in the biopic of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. However, it is now being reported that Nawazuddin Siddiqui may be the one to take on the lead role in the biopic instead.

Movie maker Madhura Sreeghar Reddy officially announced the KCR movie sometime last year, and rumours were rife that Rajkummar would be the one who would be approached for the role but recent developments claim otherwise.

The makers are considering three actors at this point and Nawazuddin tops their list because of his uncanny facial resemblance to KCR and acting prowess, of course. They want to be fully prepared with the script and other modalities before they formally approach him. However, Nawaz is already aware of the makers' interest in casting him and he has started watching KCR's videos to pick up his mannerisms, an unverified source was quoted as saying, according to a Times Of India report.

When Siddiqui was asked about his interest in the project, the actor said he is keen to dive into the realm of the Telugu film industry. "As of now, I have no information regarding it. Great films are made in the South, and if I am offered a good script, I will definitely lap it up," said Siddiqui according to a Pinkvilla report.

In line with the conjecture, Siddiqui was recently in Hyderabad to promote his upcoming film Babumoshai Bandookbaaz and the actor reportedly visited the cheif minister's camp office while he was there.

The biopic will allegedly show a different side to the life of the Telangana chief minister. The script has reportedly been completed and the shooting is expected to start as soon as the cast is finalised.

Siddiqui's Babumoshai Bandookbaaz is all set to hit the screens on 25 August.
Islam is not monochromatic. The Ahmadiyyas, one of the many sects of Islam, have supported a ban on the controversial triple talaq, for long. The small community of about 1.5 lakh followers, whose headquarters is at Qadian, Punjab, has now gone a step further pronouncing its support for Uniform Civil Code.

The reason for the community's opposition to triple talaq is based on the practices followed by them. The community lays great emphasis on educating its women and offers financial support for higher or professional education of its women, who must, at least, be a graduate before they think of marriage. Womens education goes a long way in defining equal social terms.

The right to seek a divorce too is enjoyed by both the genders. The community, however, tries its best to ensure that a couple once married, stays together. If divorce becomes unavoidable, the man or woman, whosoever seeking it, has to give a notice of divorce to the community office called Darul Qaza, with two witnesses, who would vouch for the authenticity of ground for seeking a divorce. After receiving the notice, the office gives the estranged couple three months time to reconcile. During this period the woman has to stay back in her husbands house and make an effort to reconcile. Ditto goes for the man. Within this period the elders from both families are told to intervene for a reconciliation.

This period of three months is called tehkeen, which has several stages of reconciliation. At the end of tehkeen, if the couple still thinks that the marriage cannot work, once again it's the job of Darul Qaza to work out details like custody of the children, the amount of maintenance and its duration to be paid by the man, and the issue of inheritance, division of property, etc. Here again, the community strives to be just to both the man and the woman, depending upon the financial status, age, number of children, etc, of the couple.

"Divorces are few, but when they do happen, it's almost an equal number of men and women who are seeking to end marriages. Its not that men alone have the right to divorce," says Tariq Ahmad Ahmadiyya, spokesperson of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jaamat, India.

"Our community has no fear of the scrapping of triple talaq because the couple is given time to think over and reconcile, and justice is done to both parties even if they wish to go separate ways. We also support Uniform Civil Code because we adhere to the fair practices of inheritance, marriage, and divorce. And since we adhere to a uniform criminal code then why not have Uniform Civil Code too, he adds.
Srinagar: The Supreme Court verdict terming the practice of triple talaq unconstitutional has evoked a controversy in Jammu and Kashmir with both the Opposition parties  National Conference and Congress  terming its extension to the state as an "interference in the religious rights of Muslims" in the state.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has its own laws in civil matters such as divorce and is governed (the only state in India) by the Muslim Personal Law, 2007, which had made Shariah as the basis for divorce and succession rights. The special law could throw a challenge in extending the Supreme Court verdict to Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim majority state of India.

In a rare move, was rare that the government allowed a private members bill to become a law.

During the PDP-Congress rule in 2007, former minister and National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather had moved a private members bill for the state to have its own law, which was passed unanimously in the state Assembly. As per the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Personal Law Application Act, 2007, The dissolution of marriage including talaq, ila, zihar (and) mubarat, the rule of decision in a case where the parties are Muslims shall be the Muslim Personal Law (Shariah)."

Muslims in Kashmir follow the means provided under Sharia to solemnise marriages. They dont register marriages and the practice of instant triple talaq has not been an exception but rather the most prevalent means of divorce.

Rather said that the bill was passed with a voice vote in the state Legislative Assembly in 2007 before it was notified as a law. He said that even though former deputy chief minister Muzafar Hussain Beg had argued that "improvements" should be made in the law, it was passed in the House because National Conference held that "there was no scope for improvement in Shariah law".

"We made Shariah as the basis for divorce, but the Supreme Court judgment has rejected it," Rather told Firstpost on Tuesday.

Both the National Conference and Congress (which was part of the then-ruling government in the state along with PDP) have maintained that the Supreme Court judgment on Tuesday was part of a larger Rashtriya Swayansevak Sangh (RSS) agenda to divest the state of its autonomy and to encroach upon the religious rights of Muslims.

National Conference leader, Mustafa Kamal, said that the Supreme Court judgment was an intervention into the religious rights of Muslims. He said that though there have been instances in which the practice of triple talaq has been misused and women were treated in an inhumane way by Muslims in different parts of India", Kamal reasoned that it should have been left to the Muslims to decide on the practice they need to follow.

Political parties and religious experts have said that though the Supreme Court of India has a jurisdiction over the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Supreme Court judgment cant encroach upon the religious rights and the special status of the state.

Kamal said that the state government should ensure that a law is passed only in the Assembly to bring any changes in the existing practice of instant triple talaq prevalent among Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress vice-president, GN Monga, also endorses the view that the Supreme Court judgment is part of RSS ideology to erode the special status of the state. He said that part of the Supreme Court judgment has laid the basis for arguments to bring in laws in the Parliament over not just triple talaq but other religious matters of Muslims as well, and that could pave way for the erosion of Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

"The PDP-BJP government is following the RSS agenda. It could bring any law in the Parliament and later extend it to the state (of Jammu and Kashmir) through a presidential order which was done to extend the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to the state," he said.

Islamic scholar, Professor Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi, said that Muslims in Kashmir have been deciding on matters of divorce as per the practice laid out in the Quran. He said that the Supreme Court judgment has opened the possibilities for endless interference in the religious rights of Muslims.

Ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and MLA from Baramulla, Javid Hassan Beg, however, said that the parties claiming that Islam is in danger after the verdict are only indulging in vote bank politics.

"There is a provision in Islam that means of reconciliation should be adhered to in matters of marital discord, and in case they fail in marriage, only then divorce is to be followed as a last resort," he said, adding that India has only joined the other Muslim countries in scrapping the practice of instant triple talaq among Muslims.

Senior BJP leader and MLC, Sofi Yusuf, however, said that there should be no hurdles in extending the verdict to Jammu and Kashmir. He said that a law could be passed in the Assembly to extend the verdict to the only Muslim majority state of India.

In line with his party's ideology, Yusuf said that the practice of instant triple talaq was putting women at disadvantage and that (the women of) Jammu and Kashmir shouldnt be deprived of the (benefits of the) Supreme Court verdict.

"I have come across cases of women divorced in most inhuman way," he added.
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday said Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh should resign and taking responsibility for the deaths of 350 cows in three cow sheds in the state.

"This year, about 350 cows have died in three gaushalas (cow sheds) in Chhattisgarh. The animals died due to lack of fodder and water. Both Chief Minister Raman Singh and state animal husbandry minister Brijmohan Agarwal are responsible for these deaths," said AICC's Chhattisgarh in-charge, PL Punia, in a statement.

"The BJP indulges in pretense of cow protection. The chief minister should resign immediately taking responsibility," he added.

The Congress also alleged crores of rupees have been siphoned off by the BJP leaders in the name of cow protection in the state.

"All the three cowsheds were run by BJP leaders. Shagun Gaushala, in which more than 200 cows died, was run by BJP's Jamul Nagar panchayat vice-president Harish Verma," said state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Bhupesh Bhagel. "This year, about Rs 517 crore was allocated in the budget for cow protection. Also, Rs 22 crore more was allocated by Gau Seva Aayog," he added.

"When we carried out our inspection, we found about 600 cows were kept in a very small space. The cows which were standing could not sit, and the ones which were sitting could not stand. This is the current situation. There was neither fodder nor water for the cows. The skin and bones of the cows were sold off and the skin was used to feed the fish in the pond," he added.

"This is the country's biggest fodder scam. Every year, thousands of cows die. Every year, crores of rupees are allocated for cow protection and the money is eaten up," Bhagel added.
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict setting aside the practice of divorce through 'talaq-e-bidat' among Muslims, saying it was an "affirmation of women's rights" and would give them relief from discrimination.

Chief Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the apex court quashed the practice of 'instant triple talaq' or 'talaq-e-bidat', which by itself was "an aberration and adulteration" of 'talaq'.

The top court has recognised the pristine form of religious practice in Islam that abhorred any exploitation, he said.

Even the Muslim Personal Law Board had pleaded before the Supreme Court that the practice of 'instant triple talaq' was per se wrong, he said.

"This verdict is an affirmation of the rights of women and gives relief to them against being subjected to discrimination by a practice that had been perverted over the years. We welcome the acceptance of this reality by the court," he said.

The Congress leader said several interveners, including the Amicus Curiae, had pleaded before the Supreme Court against 'talaq-e-bidat'.

"The Supreme Court's verdict is a culmination and acceptance of this wider wisdom as also recognition of the rights of the Muslim women," he said.

In a 395-page order, five-judge constitution bench noted, "In view of the different opinions recorded by a majority of 3:2, the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat'  triple talaq is set aside."

While Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq and asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman and UU Lalit held it as violative of the Constitution.

Surjewala said there was no need for a law now as the suggestion made by the Chief Justice was a minority view.
A Dalit boy, Vinayakan, committed suicide in Kerala last month, allegedly after he suffered physical and mental torture at the hands of the police, and his post-mortem report confirmed the worst fears. The incident has opened a new can of worms in Kerala politics.

As per media reports, Vinayakan and his friend Sharath were picked up by the police from a public road in Pavaratty in Thrissur district, while they were talking to a girl on 17 July. The girl was let go after her father reached the police station, but the two boys were physically and verbally abused in the police station.

The case, which started as an act of moral policing, took a nasty turn when the police tried coercing the boys into admitting they were involved in chain snatching, to solve a case which has been pending at the police station. The boys refused to accept the charge even after continuous physical torture. The police then called their parents and asked them to pay a fine of Rs 2,500, saying their motorcycle didn't have the relevant documents. Anguished by the arrest, torture and humiliation, Vinayakan committed suicide the next day.

"They were asked to admit being involved in chain snatching. But they refused, and said they won't accept something they don't even know about," said Krishnan, Vinayakan's father.

Krishnan was called to the police station saying the boys were caught with a girl. But when he reached, the charge was about the motorcycle documents.

It's been one month since the incident took place, and the case is currently with the Crime Branch. The police maintained its version that the boys were caught for not having the relevant documents on them. But such a charge doesn't explain the custodial torture, which was later confirmed by the post-mortem report as well. Sharath, the other boy who was picked up by the police, spent a week in hospital following the torture.

"His hair looked different, so the police told him he is a thug. But he is a small boy, even we are four times his size," said Vinayakan's uncle.

Mainstream Kerala society has been up in arms against long-haired dark men in recent times. A year ago, Martin Oorali, a musician, was caught and tortured by the police in Thrissur. The accusation? He had long hair, so he must've been a criminal.

In 2016, a popular Malayalam film Action Hero Biju showed an eerily similar scene, where two boys were caught by the police for not wearing a helmet. Upon seeing their "different" hairstyle, the cops ask them if they were involved in chain-snatching before asking them to cut their hair short.

The identification of dark and "different looking" people from the marginalised communities in Kerala has resulted in an atrocious end for one Dalit teenager, whose family is still awaiting justice from the system.
Kolkata: Extending an olive branch, the West Bengal government on Tuesday invited the GNLF for talks on 29 August on the Darjeeling stalemate, but snubbed agitation spearhead GJM.

"I received a letter from the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) Monday night and within 24 hours we have responded. Doors for a dialogue have to be always kept open," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told a press conference at the state secretariat after returning from a visit to flood-affected areas of north Bengal.

She said that the state government accepted the proposal of the GNLF, a constituent of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC), for a dialogue and fixed 29 August for the discussion at the state secretariat.

But Banerjee made no mention of agitation spearhead Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

Miffed with the West Bengal government for responding to GNLF's appeal for talks, GMCC convenor and GJM vice president Kalyan Dewan said a dialogue can only be successful if the main stake holders of the Gorkhaland movement are invited for talks.

"Responding to GNLF's appeal is nothing but an effort to undermine the GJM and GMCC," Dewan told PTI.

Describing the request of the GNLF to hold dialogue as a "good and constructive gesture", Banerjee said, "Major political parties and development boards, which have been involved in development work in the hills, will be invited to the meeting."

The chief minister said, "The state government is for development and always open to hold talks to restore peace in the hills."

Banerjee said only the GNLF till now had expressed its willingness for talks to end the indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling.

The agitation entered its 69th day on Monday.

"A stalemate is continuing in the hills. Any other major political party apart from the GNLF, which is in favour of peace and willing to participate in talks, is welcome. My government is always ready for talks," she said.

Recalling that meetings were earlier held to initiate a dialogue, Banerjee said, "I had held a meeting with the chairmen of different (development) boards."

She said, later, state Chief Secretary Maloy Kumar Dey also held a meeting but not all representatives of various parties participated in it.

Banerjee said there would be a discussion on the destruction and vandalism which affected normal life and tourism.

"The police and general public have shown restraint. A few people have lost their lives in the current unrest. Many governments and private properties in the hills were destroyed during this period. There will be discussions on them also," she said

She said that normalcy was being restored slowly in different parts of Darjeeling and Mirik.

Dewan said, "The Gorkhaland movement is led by the GJM and it is the GJM which called the indefinite shutdown over two months back. The GJM is also the main stakeholder of the GMCC. If the state government wants the talks to be fruitful, it has to officially call the GJM and GMCC for talks."

"The GNLF may be a constituent of the GMCC but it is not the main stakeholder with whom talks can be held," he said.

Dewan said, "Responding to GNLF's appeal is nothing but an effort by the state government to undermine the GJM and GMCC."

On Monday, GJM joint secretary Binay Tamang had requested both the state and central governments to initiate talks at the earliest to restore peace and normalcy in the hills.
Dehradun: Two cadets of the prestigious Indian Military Academy in Dehradun died within three days of participating in a 10 km run as part of their routine training.

Seven cadets had collapsed during a "routine 10-km run" out of which five were admitted in the Military Hospital (MH) at Dehradun where their condition was reported to be "stable".

Dipak Sharma (22), who hailed from from Bathinda in Punjab, died at a hospital in Herbertpur during treatment on the same day and Navin Chetri (23), from Darjeeling in West Bengal, died during treatment at Mahanth Indresh Hospital in Dehradun on Monday, they said.

Though post-mortem reports in both cases are still awaited, prima facie the cadets appear to have died of exhaustion and dehydration, they said.

Such runs called route marches are held from time to time by the IMA to boost the cadets' stamina and endurance.
New Delhi: India on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confront issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists.

"India shares these concerns and objectives", External Affiars Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Kumar said India was also committed to supporting the government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity to their country.

"We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people. We will continue these efforts, including in partnership with other countries", he said in a statement.

India's reaction came after Trump ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end America's longest war, as he warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

In his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump laid out his South Asia policy, saying a "critical part" of it was to further develop US'strategic partnership with India.
An encounter is underway in Handwara area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir between security forces and terrorists, the police said on Tuesday.

Two to three terrorists are believed to be trapped, ANI reported. Further details are awaited.

J&K: Encounter underway in Kupwara between Security forces and terrorists,2 to 3 terrorists believed to be trapped (Visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/x0ziqdjInA  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have stepped up measures to strike down militancy in Kashmir. In August alone, multiple militants have been taken down by the officials in separate encounters.

On 9 August, the security forces gunned down three militants in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, after receiving specific inputs about the presence of militants, while one militant was killed in a fierce gunbattle with the forces on 7 August.

On 3 August, two militants were killed in Shopian district of south Kashmir. An Army major and a jawan were killed in the encounter.

With inputs from PTI
Lucknow: The high-power committee probing the Gorakhpur hospital tragedy on Tuesday submitted its report to the Uttar Pradesh government.

The committtee headed by chief secretary Rajive Kumar submitted the report to the government this evening, an official spokesperson told PTI.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had formed the committee on 12 August to probe the incident, a day after deaths of scores of children in the state-run BRD Medical College was reported.

UP Medical Education minister Ashutosh Tandon had said that action would be taken against those found guilty in the probe.

As the first action, the government had suspended the college principal Dr Rajiv Mishra, who subsequently put in his papers accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy.

A three-member team of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has charged the administration with negligence, saying no alert was issued regarding shortage of oxygen.

The treating doctors should have been alerted seven days in advance that oxygen supply was not being received, the IMA had said on 18 August.

A total of 60 infants admitted to the government-run facility had died in a span of 48 hours, allegedly because of the disruption in oxygen supply due to pending payments to the supplier, a charge stoutly refuted by the state government.

The government has maintained that the children died due to different illnesses, including Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and there was no shortage of oxygen.
Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced the state government will hold talks with "all major political parties" on 29 August in a bid to restore peace and normalcy in the agitation-hit north West Bengal hills.

Banerjee said the president of the central committee of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) has written to the state government, asking for a high-level intervention to end the present crisis in the Hill areas of Darjeeling" and has "humbly requested for talks to restore peace and normalcy in the Hills".

The Trinamool Congress supremo said the state government has decided to "respond positively to the request".

Not only the GNLF but "all major political parties will be called" on 29 August at state secretariat Nabanna at 4 pm, she said.

"Representatives of the development boards will also be called to the meeting. I have said it earlier as well that those who are in favour of restoration of normalcy, government is ready to talk with them anytime. This (request for dialogue from GNLF) is a constructive and positive indication. Since GNLF is a very old party and they have sent the first request... we are responding.

"Those who think on the same lines as the GNLF, we can invite those parties also," Banerjee said, adding normalcy is gradually being restored in the hills.

The Darjeeling hills have been on the boil for over two months with an indefinite shutdown called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha continuing since 12 June to press for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

Two explosions rocked Darjeeling and Kalimpong last week, within a span of 24 hours, killing one civic volunteer and injuring two others.
Ahmedabad: The death toll in Gujarat due to swine flu infection since January this year has reached 288, as eight more deaths were reported on Tuesday.

As per a health bulletin issued by the state government this evening, eight persons infected with H1N1 virus died in different parts of the state, while 193 new cases were registered on Tuesday.

Two deaths were reported in Ahmedabad city, one each in Vadodara city, Surat city, Rajkot city, Surat district, Anand district and Kutch district.

At present, 1,877 H1N1-infected people are being treated in hospitals across the state. Of them, 22 are on ventilator, while eight others died in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.

Meanwhile, the Central government's three-member team of experts on Tuesday arrived to take stock of the situation.

The team met Gujarat health minister Shankar Chaudhary and health department officials before visiting the civil hospital, said a government release.

The Central team directed the health officials to visit private hospitals in the state to provide guidance to doctors, staff members as well as patients about the treatment of swine flu.
New Delhi: India on Tuesday released seven Pakistani prisoners and stressed the need to address all humanitarian issues, including early and full consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav and Hamid Nehal Ansari, who are in Pakistan's custody.

The external affairs ministry in a statement also said that release of 300 Indian prisoners, including 295 fishermen, has been secured in 2017 so far.

Seven Pakistani prisoners, who have completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed by Pakistani authorities, were repatriated to Pakistan via Attari/Wagah, the ministry said.

"The government of India attaches highest importance to addressing all humanitarian matters, including early and full consular access to all Indian nationals in Pakistan's custody, including Jadhav and Ansari and secure their early release and repatriation," it said.

Jadhav is in Pakistan's custody after it claimed to have arrested him last year from the restive Baluchistan region and alleged that he was involved in terror activities.

However, India has been maintaining that the former Navy official was kidnapped from Iran where he had legal business interest.

India has also moved the International Court of Justice against the death sentence given to Jadhav by a Pakistani army court. The court has stayed the execution pending a final verdict by it.
Srinagar: A militant was killed on Tuesday in an encounter with security forces in Handwara area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, an army official said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Hongnikote in Haphruda forest area of Handwara, 85 kilometres from Srinagar, following information about presence of militants there, the official said.

He said during searches, the militants opened fire on security forces who retaliated, triggering a gun battle. The official said one militant has been killed so far and the operation was still in progress.
Washington: The Trump administration wants to engage India more effectively in Afghanistan and hold Pakistan accountable for its actions in the region, US vice president Mike Pence said on Tuesday.

His comments came hours after President Donald Trump hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

"We want to strengthen the partnership between Afghanistan and India. We want to hold Pakistan more accountable for their actions in the region," Pence said.

"What President Trump announced yesterday was a whole new strategy for South Asia that said, look, we're going to provide the resources and the military personnel and the air assets necessary to support the Afghan army's efforts to defeat the Taliban," the vice president told Fox News.

He said the US would destroy terrorist networks that use Afghanistan and portions of Pakistan as safe havens and asked Islamabad to step up and be a more effective partner in confronting the terrorist organizations, some 20 of which harbor in Afghanistan and regions in Pakistan.

"We're going to engage India more effectively in Afghanistan," Pence said.

India has been supporting an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, broad-based and inclusive process of peace and reconciliation, and advocating the need for a sustained and long-term commitment to Afghanistan by the international community.

"We'll let the Afghan people build their own nation. Our objective there is to advance the security of the United States of America and to support the Afghan national army as they stay in the lead, in the fight," said the vice president.

In an op-ed in USA Today, Pence alleged that Pakistan too often turns a blind eye to the cancer of terrorism and in many cases it has contributed to the growth of terrorist groups.

"Pakistan, like Afghanistan, is a haven for terrorist activity. Between the two countries, no fewer than 20 US-designated foreign terrorist organizations have haven and conduct operations  the highest concentration of any region in the world. Pakistan, which has borne the weight of terrorist attacks in the past, shares with us," he wrote.

He said America will not write a blank check for countries that fail to root out the same forces who try every day to kill its people.

Pence said that Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with American effort in Afghanistan. It has much more to lose by supporting terrorists, he warned.

"The president has put them on notice," he said.

Pence said president's strategy for South Asia involves a stronger strategic partnership with India  the worlds largest democracy and a key security and economic partner.

"India has made important contributions towards Afghanistans stability and security, and India has also pledged critical support to Afghanistans development needs. Because they directly affect Americas interests, America will continue to work closely with New Delhi on these issues," Pence wrote.
New Delhi: Muslim women, who had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court opposing triple talaq, on Tuesday rejoiced at the historic judgement striking down the practice, saying they have emerged "victorious" and now feel protected.

However, some women petitioners opined that the victory in its true sense would be achieved once a law comes into force, making the practice punishable.

Farah Faiz, Zakia Suman, Noorjehan Niaz and the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) either described the verdict as a "moment of big victory," "big relief" or as "half the battle won."

"The court has given a direction to the government to frame a law. We have won half the battle. We will be victorious in the true sense only once the law is framed so as to make this practice punishable. There is no remedy for women against the practice till a law is framed," Faiz, also the President of Rashtrawadi Muslim Mahila Sangh, said.

Advocate Chandra Rajan, who represented the AIMWPLB, said "It is a monumental, landmark verdict and the Supreme Court could not give more to the Muslim women. The court has protected every Muslim woman. After six months, a law will be in place and we are very happy about it."

Niaz of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) expressed relief over the legal backing that the verdict has brought for the Muslim women.

"Now, Muslim women will be able to enjoy their fundamental rights and have a codified law that will guarantee them their fundamental rights. Just like the Hindu personal law which has legal backing, the law for muslims should have the same," she said.

Co-founder of BMMA, Zakia Suman, also welcomed the verdict but said the battle for women's rights will still go on.

"We welcome the historic judgement on triple talaq, but the battle for women's rights will still go on. Our fundamental rights have been upheld by the Supreme Court order. This kind of a divorce exists because of patriarchal tyranny and we have been suffering this for the past 70 years," Suman said.

Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen also reacted to the verdict in a tweet posted by her, saying, "Quran2:229 says about #TripleTalaq. Quran4:34 says about beating wife. Abolish 1400 yrs old Quranic laws. Need modern laws based on equality. Abolishing #TripleTalaq may be a slap to Muslim Law Board but it is definitely not women's freedom. Women need to be educated and independent."

Quran2:229 says about #TripleTalaq. Quran4:34 says about beating wife. Abolish 1400 yrs old Quranic laws. Need modern laws based on equality  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) August 22, 2017

Triple talaq , or verbal divorce, is practiced by some in the Muslim community to instantly divorce their wives by saying talaq three times.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed over 200 young CEOs and corporate leaders on Tuesday at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi and pitched for a need for all citizens to feel a sense of belonging towards the nation.

The prime minister, who met start-up CEOs last week, made time out for industrialists, including Rajeev Bajaj and Sangeeta Reddy, on Tuesday to seek their inputs on nation building.

While stressing on the need for every person to feel part of the government, Modi said that if one is sitting in front of the government as a client, s/he will speak in a certain way, but if a person is part of the government, s/he will want to talk about the issues that they can work on. The prime minister further urged every citizen to feel that the country belongs to them and they have to work for its development.

#BREAKING  One shouldnt just advice govt. as client, but should take part in decision making: PM Modi addressing young CEOs pic.twitter.com/O9h2jPI9vn  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 22, 2017

#BREAKING  As industry leaders, think about what more you can do for the poorest of poor: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/OltXA5Ycxq  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 22, 2017

While acknowledging that there may be problems and obstacles, he said that every citizen should feel the need to add to the growth of the country. He further said that welfare and happiness of the people is of paramount importance for a government.

Referring to Mahatma Gandhi, Modi said that while there was never a dearth of people who wanted to sacrifice their lives for India's Independence, Gandhi did something unique. He made every person feel that s/he is working for the nation and turned the freedom struggle into a mass movement, the prime minister added. Gandhi created an atmosphere where people felt that even if they were just teaching children, they were doing it for India's Independence, which brought about results, Modi said.

In the same spirit, we also need to make India's development a mass movement, he urged people. He called on entrepreneurs to become soldiers of development. He motivated the audience to work for the poor sections of the society. "As industry leaders, think about what more can be done for the poorest of poor. We can solve India's problems if we work together," he said.

Talking about India Inc., Modi said that it is a great social force for poverty alleviation. "We have been using technology to bring about more transparency in systems. We should work for better healthcare system and bring infant and maternal mortality rate at par with global rates," he added.

Modi ended his address by congratulating outgoing NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya. He said that despite planning to move to the US next week, Panagariya is working with the same dedication that he has displayed in the past three years. Modi said that the nation will always remember Panagariya and his services.
Union power minister Piyush Goyal found himself in the centre of a schooling session by Twitter users on appropriate image usage following his tweet lauding the government's effort to illuminate Indian streets.

Goyal had initially posted an inauthentic image to announce that his ministry's had illuminated 50,000 km of Indian roads by retrofitting streetlights with LED lights. The tweet was later deleted after Twitter users brought the use of the inappropriate image to the notice of the minister, reported Hindustan Times.

After the power minister's followers pointed out that the image was not of an Indian street, Goyal thanked them for pointing out the error. Saying that social media helped "illuminate facts", he put out a new tweet with the correct image on Monday.

Govt. has illuminated 50,000 KM of Indian roads by retrofitting 30 lakh conventional street lights with LED lights. pic.twitter.com/awvQjmCPUg  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) August 21, 2017

Thanks to many who pointed issues with earlier image. While we illuminate streets, social media helps illuminate facts, helping us improve.  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) August 21, 2017

According to The Times of India, Goyal had tweeted a link to a PIB release on Sunday, along with a picture of an street lit with fluorescent lights. The image was the same as that carried by Cnet for an article on Japanese lighting firm Luminus "expanding into white LEDs."

After replacing LED lights in Canada, now BJP has replaced LED Lights in Russia. Massive respect for BJP and @PiyushGoyal pic.twitter.com/XyemXjrIVZ  Joy (@Joydas) August 20, 2017

An online hoax busting website was among the first ones to point out the wrong image representation in Goyal tweet on Sunday.
Chennai: The Madras High Court on Tuesday posted for 3 October the hearing on petitions filed by two lifers in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeking premature release.

A division bench, comprising Justice A Selvam and Justice Pon Kalaiyarasan, posted the matter for next hearing after the state government submitted that a similar plea was pending before the Supreme Court. The state government's decision of 2014 to set free all seven convicts in the case was opposed by the Central government and the matter is pending in the Supreme Court. The matter relates to petitions filed by a Sri Lankan national B Robert Payas and Jayakumar, both convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

In their petitions, filed years ago, the duo have sought inclusion of their names in a list of prisoners prepared by the state government proposing their premature release and the matter is pending.

During the previous hearing on August 18, Additional Public Prosecutor VMR Rajendran had submitted that the government will submit a fresh counter affidavit detailing its present stand.

On Tuesday, when the matter came up, the government said an identical plea seeking premature release was pending before the apex court. In a previous hearing, the Centre too had argued against

the premature release of both Payas and Jayakumar.

It had cited the apex court's ruling that life sentence meant imprisonment for the entire life of a person. The Union government had also referred to the state government's proposal to remit the life sentences and release all seven convicts, including the two petitioners. It had challenged it and the matter was pending in the top court.
Editor's note: Over 40,000 Rohingya live in India as refugees. The Indian government has recently decided to deport them. In part two of this three-part series, Ajay Kumar focusses on their connection with India. Part three looks at the legal trouble India may face regarding their deportation.

Indian immigration into Burma created a lot of resentment among the local population.

The influx of cheap migrant labour lowered standards of living and also reinforced Burma's status of being under colonial administration.

At the outset of hostilities in 1939, Burma was under threat from Japanese invasion.

As the Japanese advanced on Burma, they were supported both by the local populace and the Burma National Army (BNA), a local force which was raised to fight against British and enjoyed the support of ethnic tribes.

For their part, the British armed the Muslims in northern Arakan to fight against the ethnic Rakhine who harboured Japanese sympathies. This resulted in atrocities being committed by both sides and left deep communal divisions that linger till this day.

But helped largely by the Indian Army, the British managed to squeeze the Japanese from Burma. By the time the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the British reoccupied Burma and created the British Military Administration.

Due to political reasons, the British found themselves unable to prosecute BNA leader General Aung San for war crimes and treason. So they chose to negotiate. On 27 January 1947, the famous Aung San-Atlee Agreement was reached, which paved the way for Burmese independence. Aung San managed to unite Burmese minorities at Panglong in February 1947 and the Union of Burma was soon birthed.

Burma's formation gives insight into the Rohingya situation. Burma was founded on ethnic identity rather than a constitutional one. Article 10 of the 1948 Burmese Constitution enshrines the principle of citizenship by descent from one of the ingenious races of Burma.

Section 3 of the 1948 Union Citizenship Act of Burma makes it clear that to be an indigenous race of Burma, you have to have been settled there prior to 1823 AD, the year prior to the outbreak of the First Anglo-Burmese War, which resulted in parts of modern Burma being occupied.

Needless to say, neither the 1948 constitution nor the Citizenship Law of Burma recognised the Rohingya as Burmese citizens or nationals. The 1982 revision to the Burmese nationality law didn't recognise them as citizens either.

As events were unfolding in the 1940s, a movement calling for the Muslims who resided in Arakan to join Pakistan (East Pakistan) moulded itself into the Arakan Muslim League. However, Jinnah declined to support it, stating he was unconcerned with Burmese affairs. Which led to an armed insurgency seeking a Muslim homeland in the region. That movement was put down by the army.

This operation resulted in many refugees fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh. After the India-Pakistan War of 1971, many refugees fled Bangladesh and returned to Burma. The Rohingya thus found themselves in a peculiar situation: They can't be Bangladeshi as the government doesn't consider them Bengali. However, the Burmese government insists the Rohingya are Bengali migrants and therefore they cannot be Burmese. The Rohingya are effectively a people without a state.

Over time, the Rohingya have started asserting themselves as an ethnic group of Burma and demanding equal rights. They claim descent from the sultanates that briefly occupied the region and have tried to build a narrative that ties them to the area. This has been subject of intense public debate in Burmese academic circles, with many accusing them of revisionism.

Many have been confusing them with ethnic Rakhine Muslims who predate the First Anglo-Burmese War. But though some sections of the media have tried to paint this as a Buddhists versus Muslims debate, this isn't a religious issue. Many ethnic Rakhine are Muslim. At the core, this is an ethnic issue. The Rohingya have their own language, which branches out of the Indo-Aryan language family.

Ethnic Rakhine, the major population of the Rakhine state, (which is what Arakan is called) speak Arakanese or Burmese, both branches of the Sino-Tibetan language family. These ethnic populations evolved on both sides of the natural boundary that separates the subcontinent from the rest of Asia.

The issue, an ethnic one, has resulted in large-scale violence being inflicted on the Rohingya, much of it sponsored by the State. Without being accepted as citizens in a country that they have inhabited for generations, the Rohingya face threats to their life, liberty and property every day. They live in constant fear and in conditions that do not befit the dignity that that human beings are entitled to. The violence is, in part, led by the Burmese military who wish to use the communal situation to ensure their relevance.

This situation has resulted in a large-scale refugee crisis which has engulfed neighbouring states since 2012. States such as Bangladesh and Thailand, which share a border with Burma, are bearing the brunt of it. But refugees are also pouring in on boats. The world has often woken up to images of desperate refugees on wooden planks.

Over time, many of these refugees have also made their way to India, which is home to over 40,000 Rohingya.

Our government calls them illegal migrants.

Read Part I of the series here
The Supreme Court's decision to declare the practice of triple talaq as unconstitutional is a milestone in the Muslim women's rights movement in India. Triple talaq  or the practice whereby a Muslim husband pronounces talaq (divorce) three times to end a marriage  has two variations. One variation is to pronounce talaq three times in one sitting, either verbally or through various written media such as phone call, letter, WhatsApp, Skype, SMS and the likes. The other is to pronounce a talaq each over three months.

At the time of writing this article, it is unclear if both the variations of triple talaq were struck down by the Supreme Court. However, it seems the practice of triple talaq was declared as unconstitutional by a 3:2 majority of the court. It was the instant triple talaq which was at the centre of countrywide debate due to its arbitrary use by Muslim husbands. The decision is a milestone in the life of the poorer sections of Muslim women who are the worst sufferers and don't have the economic means to go to court.

It does appear, however, that the other form of triple talaq will continue to remain valid  which will be welcomed by Islamic clerics. If the non-instant form of triple talaq remains valid, the apex court's decision doesn't significantly ameliorate the conditions of Muslim women. It should be noted that triple talaq affects poor sections of Muslim women who are mostly unable to go to court for financial reasons.

This means the Muslim husband will continue to have his Sharia-based right to unilaterally divorce a wife. From the reports in the media, it doesn't appear that the Supreme Court has addressed this issue of unilateral divorce.

The unilateral divorce by a Muslim husband happens because Muslim husbands are not permitted to go to court to effect divorce  and also because the right of divorce in Islam belongs to the husband, not to the wife. Accordingly, a Muslim wife in India can seek, not give, divorce either through a court or through Islamic clerics.

By reading media reports on the verdict, one fails to reach the conclusion that the Muslim husband will, now onwards, have to go to court to seek divorce. Therefore, any Supreme Court judgment which doesn't require a Muslim husband to effect his divorce before a court of law necessarily falls short of any real change for women. Consequently, Sharia courts run by Islamic organisations in India will remain in business. While laws are good, one must also keep in mind that a Muslim husband and Muslim wife can still divorce by instant triple talaq - if they live by Sharia codes. For example, Sharia-abiding Muslims in Britain already avoid going to court and choose their own Sharia courts.

It also appears that the verdict will be effective from today, 22 August 2017  which arguably is a milestone because from this day the arbitrariness involved in the practice of triple talaq is removed. However, it remains to be seen how the justices addressed the issue of Shayara Bano whose appeal, along with those of others, before the Supreme Court triggered a countrywide debate leading to the verdict. If the verdict is to be effective from 22 August, it will also mean that Bano got no justice personally and her divorce by triple talaq remains valid.

Media reports also indicate that the court asked the government to make a law and that the verdict declaring triple talaq as unconstitutional is valid for six months - but this point was an observation by the minority two judges of the five-bench court and is therefore meaningless. At the end of the day, Muslim women should keep in mind that this verdict will not make any meaningful change in their daily life if they do not send their daughters and grand-daughters into career-oriented education and from there into cash-paying jobs.
The Supreme Court is expected to pronounce its verdict on Thursday whether right to privacy can be elevated to the status of a fundamental right under the Constitution. This verdict is likely to define the relationship between Indian citizens and the state in the digital era, and will impact the outcome of several cases where aspects of Aadhaar have been challenged, with petitioners arguing that making the scheme mandatory violates rights to privacy and equality.

The verdict on right to privacy and Aadhaar, on which much has been speculated on in public debates, is the final verdict Chief Justice JS Khehar will deliver before retiring on 27 August.

The other judges hearing the case are Justice J Chelameswar, Justice SA Bobde, Justice RK Agrawal, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice S Abdul Nazeer.

On this case, while critics have said that the 12-digit biometric unique identity number Aadhaar violates privacy and helps government spy on people, the government has said citizens have a right to privacy but it is not an absolute right. Judges have differed with the government, saying, Textually it is correct today that there is no right to privacy in the constitution. But even freedom of press is not expressly stated. This court has interpreted it. Here is a summary ahead of the apex court's verdict:

On the concept of privacy

The counsels for the petitioners, who include top legal eagles like Gopal Subramanium, Soli Sorabjee and Shyam Divan, have made an argument showing how linking of Aadhaar number violates personal privacy of citizens. So far, the apex court appears to be in agreement that there exists an 'amorphous' or undefined concept of privacy in the fundamental rights.

The government asserted that the linking of Aadhaar with PAN cards was made mandatory to weed out fake PAN cards, which were used for terror financing and circulation of black money, while terming the concerns over privacy as "bogus". It said that while citizens have a right to privacy, it is not an absolute right under the Constitution.

What will the Supreme Court decide on?

The nine-judge bench will not decide the fate of Aadhaar in terms of its validity, but only the nature and status of the right to privacy under the Constitution. The ruling will, however, have a far-reaching impact on the function and currency of the Aadhaar card.

According to a report in The Hindu, the court said that in order to recognise privacy as a right, it would first have to define it. That would pose a serious challenge as an element of privacy pervaded all fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.

Effect of a fundamental right to privacy on State action

Petitioners argued that the entire degree of protection granted to the right to privacy is higher as a fundamental right, Asheeta Regidi reported. Recognising privacy as a fundamental right will create a change in the relationship between the State and the citizen. For example, taxi aggregators in Mumbai have to mandatorily hand over their professional and personal data to the State. Once it is a fundamental right, the State's power to collect and handle data will change, and perhaps be diluted. Also, the State's collection of biometric data for Aadhaar through the exercise of executive fiat wouldn't have been possible without first enacting a law which passes the muster of Articles 14, 19 and 21.

Kharak Singh and MP Sharma cases as bad law

The main reason for the reference of this case to a nine-judge bench are the conflicting cases of Kharak Singh and MP Sharma, six and eight-judge judgments respectively which denied the right to privacy, and numerous other judgments that followed based on them. There are now over 40 judgments today given by Indian courts which recognise the right to privacy, but these are given by benches of a lower strength. Thus, a lot banks on the Supreme Court's decision on whether the Kharak Singh and MP Sharma cases are 'good law'.

The counsels for the petitioner have made an arguments that they are not, particularly focusing on the fact that neither of these cases dealt specifically with the right to privacy. Also, these judgments were passed in the 1950s and 1960s, long before the digital age, they said.

With inputs from agencies
Lucknow: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will chalk out its future course of action with regard to the Supreme Court's verdict on triple talaq in its working committee meeting slated on 10 September in Bhopal, an official of the body said.

The meeting was convened earlier and its agenda was issued on Monday, member of the Board's working committee Zafaryab Jilani said.

"The working committee meeting in Bhopal on September 10 will take a decision on the future course of action on today's Supreme Court verdict after studying it in detail," he said.

Besides, other issues will also be taken up in the meeting with the verdict being the most prominent one, said Jilani, who is also a senior counsel.

He said that the hearing on the Babri mosque case is also on the agenda of the Bhopal meeting.

To a question, Jilani said it will not be appropriate to comment on the apex court's decision without studying it in detail.
It was both a little bemusing and elating to watch the hype over a Supreme Court judgment on triple talaq. Bemusing, because it has taken India 70 years to challenge a regressive practice that has long been outlawed in over 20 Muslim nations including Pakistan, Egypt and Bangladesh. Elating, because Muslim women, who have been at the forefront of this fight, will finally enjoy a sliver of equality before law  a right that had been denied to them so far by a country which fancies itself as a liberal democracy.

In the end, the bullet had to be bitten by the judiciary through a five-judge Constitution bench because India's toxic political climate makes it difficult for even progressive lawmakers to reform religious customs that militate against all tenets of liberalism, fairness and justice.

The debate over why things came to such a pass when a progressive India codified Hindu personal laws in the 1950s will never be conclusively settled. The Hindu Marriage Act (1955), Hindu Succession Act (1956), Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act (1956), and Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (1956) held Hindu personal laws to Constitutional scrutiny and outlawed regressive practices. This was an act of wisdom that bore far-reaching benefits for the majority community.

Sadly, Jawaharlalu Nehru and his peers decided against codifying Muslim personal laws, denying members of the minority community the chance to similarly benefit from the light of liberalism. Partition may have played a big part in this decision.

On this, Michael Walzer writes in his book The Paradox of Liberation (Page 113, Yale University Press, 2015): "Nehru and his associates were not ready to challenge the strength of Islamic belief and the authority of sharia. They probably feared that any such challenge would be regarded as religious persecution. For the majority, then, there would be liberation; for the minority, there would be religious liberty"

Since then, the question of codification of Muslim personal laws has been reflexively set inside a political framework and no government has found the courage or conviction to extricate regressive customs from religious sanction.

Protected from judicial scrutiny and political challenge, the scope of religious jurisdiction grew unfettered over the lives of ordinary Indian Muslims. This resulted in two unfortunate realities. Spawning of self-styled 'guardians of religion' like the clerics of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and their stifling control over all aspects of Muslims' lives.

The tipping point was reached when customs, that had no constitutional or even theological validity, were cynically used against the most vulnerable section of the minority community: The women. Ever since many Muslim women have come forward with their plight and appealed for justice before the courts, we have been let into a strange world in 21st century India where divorce proceedings are conducted in a matter of a few seconds through letters, over phone, via instant messaging service or even social media.

In this context, the Supreme Court's ruling on Tuesday to set aside the controversial custom of instantaneous divorce among Muslims is a landmark judgment. While it doesn't fully tackle the question whether personal laws should be allowed to coexist and run parallel to the Constitution, it nevertheless is an important step in the right direction that could turn out to be an inflection point in the history of this young republic.

By deeming triple talaq as violative of Articles 14 and 15 and hence "unconstitutional", Supreme Court has delivered a ruling that sits at the crossroads of civil rights, gender justice and paves the way for eventual codification of personal law. That must be the ultimate goal. But there are caveats to consider.

Bear in mind that Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer ruled in favour of a six-month injunction on the practice (the minority view) while Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and UU Lalit held that triple talaq is unconstitutional and violative of Article 14. Justice Kurian Joseph struck down the practice on the ground that it goes against Shari'a and the basic tenets of the Quran.

The fractured way in which the verdict was reached, however, ought to tell us two things. One, while the time is ripe for eventual reform of all personal laws and ushering in of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), it must be preceded by exhaustive debates and careful considerations of the minority view.

It is disingenuous to claim that codification of personal laws into UCC is somehow linked to Hindu nationalism and will result in 'dictatorship of majority'. While defending triple talaq in court, the AIMPLB claimed that the practice of divorce is more rampant among Hindus than Muslims. Ironically, this serves to only strengthen the argument against triple talaq because it shows Hindu women have more personal, political and economic agency than Muslim women who must suffer bad marriages because of socio-economic compulsions.

The voice against triple talaq had been rising from below and in many ways, Tuesday's judgment is an acknowledgement of the struggle faced by Muslim women. Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, whose view counted among the majority opinion of the five-judge bench, held in his judgment that it is "not possible for the court to fold its hands when petitioners (Muslim women) come to court for justice."

Narendra Modi government's role in this fight must be applauded. Where this judgment exceeds its immediate context and sets a legacy is that it negates to a certain extent the sharp political edges of UCC and creates an ambient opportunity for the government to initiate a debate in right earnest. There may be a political backlash but no democracy can claim to be a truly liberal one if it allows illiberal laws to coexist as extra-constitutional provisions.

"As B.R. Ambedkar pointed out in the Constituent Assembly debates, uniform criminal laws and what amounts to a uniform civil code in the majority of civil law areas other than personal law already exist. They have not compromised religious freedom in any fashion. Nor is the need for a uniform civil code solely to do with Muslim personal law. Inequities exist in the other personal laws as well, from Hindu to Parsi," writes Livemint in an editorial.

This battle, however, remains outside the jurisdiction of judiciary and must be fought in the political arena. Modi has considerable political capital at his disposal. His government must rise to the challenge while eschewing the trap to use it as a tool for electoral gains.
Editor's note: The law of sedition  Section 124A of the IPC  was introduced in 1870 to curb anti-colonial sentiment. Many leaders of the Independence Movement, including Mahatma Gandhi, were tried under this draconian act. Ironically, while the British themselves have abolished the law, present-day India has discovered its many maliciously creative uses. With hardly any convictions, the act has turned out to be an instrument of political oppression.

In the second of a three-part series  exploring how the 147-year-old law has been adapted to deal with acts that are remotely anti-establishment  Firstpost meets those who have sedition cases lodged against them and examines their daily hardship.

Barhani: Every war has its casualties. The same is true of the Naxal insurgency.

In the long-drawn, low-intensity battle against the armed militants, the police occasionally invoke the law of sedition.

Firstpost's interviews with those accused of sedition and their families in Bihar's Aurangabad district indicates that while many are seemingly plotting the overthrow of government, others are simply hapless folks caught up in the crossfire.

Baban Chaudhary is one such example. He is 38-years-old but he looks 50. His wife left him and took their daughter with her. His beard is bushy. Hair is unkempt. Clothes are torn. He works at a brick kiln where no one knows his identity.

The sedition case against Baban was booked on July 19, 2014. He was a rickshaw puller who earned just enough to sustain his small family.

Baban has been accused of laying landmines and helping the Naxals attack policemen. But he says he's innocent and that the police are mistaking him for a Naxal or a Naxal sympathiser merely because he once ferried passengers who were apparently rebels.

"How can I be held responsible for who hires me and sits in my rickshaw?" he asks. "I don't know why God is punishing me and my family."

His mother, a widow, died after the police detained Baban. She died of shock, Baban claims. They performed her last rites even as he was in police custody. Baban tears up as he remembers a happier time. Despite the difficulties, he was content. He had a home. A family. But the sedition case ruined his life, he says.

"The police changed my life. I am on the run because of the police. I never imagined my wife would leave me. But it's ok. I'm happy that the police aren't hassling her and my daughter," he says. Baban seems resigned to his fate.

Having sedition charges lodged against you upends your life, Baban says. One cannot go anywhere without informing the police. Baban assumed a new identity after the police repeatedly detained him. He says that he doesn't attend court because he fears arrest but that he has been fighting to clear his name.

"I have Rs 4,700 and nowhere to go," Baban says. "I don't know what tomorrow has in store for me. I miss my family and my home. I've lost everything. I'm growing weaker and weaker. I don't know what God has planned for me."

Baban kept bringing up his family. He says all he wants is for the charges to be dropped against him so he can reunite with his wife and daughter. He says he has considered fleeing the state to start a new life elsewhere but he's afraid of being arrested by the police.

Baban insists that he would never betray the motherland. He says he has never been a Naxal handler or sympathiser.

"Can there be a worse crime than sedition? I don't know if the police will throw me behind bars or shoot me on sight! Please help me. All the charges against me are false."

Pramod Kumar was one of the co-accused in the FIR filed against Baban. He was killed in an encounter last year in Tendui village. Kumar was held in high regard by the people of the village. The Naxals are planning to build a memorial at the site where he was killed, so the rumours go.

Alok Pandey, a self-proclaimed social activist, says it is the actions of the police that compel the working men and women to align themselves with the Naxals. Only the rebel group gives them support, Alok claims. He says the police should be sensitive to the populace and not file cases and detain people indiscriminately.

While Baban evokes pity and sympathy, not all who plead their innocence come across as earnest as the rickshaw puller-turned-labourer.

The 'poor' accused

Dressed in grey trousers and a dirty half-sleeve white shirt, a shawl draped over his head and a beedi hanging between his lips, Vasudev Ravidas comes across as a man whose brash ways belie his professions of innocence. He says he has no ties with Naxals but casually addresses an acquaintance as "comrade".

Vasudev, a labourer, has been booked for giving money to Naxals and for being an informer. He denies these accusations but admits to collecting funds for a memorial to Pramod.

Vasudev is in his early 30s. He says he has no money to fight a legal battle. But he's carrying an expensive smartphone and rides a motorcycle. He gets rather agitated when this is pointed out. He calms down only after Alok, who is helping him in his legal battle and who arranged the meeting, intervenes.

Alok says Vasudev has a short fuse and that his wife left him for another man. He lives in the small village of Deora, where he is feared by all. The sarpanch ousted him from the village on at least one occasion. Vasudev has a drinking problem and is an accused in a few other cases, Alok claims. The police are hunting him. He's never appeared before the Patna High Court, where his case is being heard.

Vasudev ends the interview abruptly.

He returns just as we're getting ready to head back to Aurangabad.

"It's getting cold," Vasudev says. "Drive safe."

Something isn't right. Things feel off-kilter.

"Ignore him," Alok says. He explains away the swanky smartphone and motorcycle as having been borrowed from someone. He insists Vasudev has no earthly possessions.

Alok makes a phone call before the trip back, telling someone that we're leaving for Aurangabad and that "people" should be informed. On the way back, we change motorcycles thrice.

While Alok insists that the vehicles were running low on fuel, a quick look at the gauge indicates otherwise. Two motorcycles tail us back to Aurangabad.

The police remain unavailable for comment, despite repeated efforts to contact them.

The author is a Lucknow-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.

Read Part I of the series here
The Supreme Court by a majority verdict on Tuesday ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional". The apex court by 3:2 verdict held that the triple talaq is against the basic tenets of Quran.

While Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq, asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman and UU Lalit held it as violative of the Constitution. The apex court has also ruled that the injunction will continue in case the government fails to bring the law in force within six months.

Khehar on Tuesday said that Talaq-e-biddat was not in violation of Articles 14, 15, 21, and 25 of the Constitution, reported ANI. He also asserted that all parties must arrive as a solution by keeping politics aside.

Js Joseph, Nariman nd Lalit disagree with CJI nd say TT is against the Holy Quran, constitutional protection not permissible @LiveLawIndia  Prabhati N. Mishra (@Prabhati_Mishra) August 22, 2017

The five-member bench was divided 3:2 on the ruling of the verdict. "Talaq-e-biddat is an integral part of Sunni community practiced since 1000 years," ANI quoted Khehar as saying. Opposing the view of Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer, Justice RF Nariman, Justice UU Lalit and Justice Kurien called the practice of instant divorce "unconstitutional".

According to NDTV, Justice Kurien Joseph said that the practice was "bad in law". The top court also expressed hope that the Union government would consider the Muslim bodies and Sharia law while considering the changes in the legislation.

Before the verdict was out on Tuesday, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told CNN-News18 that it was unconstitutional for the judiciary to interfere in the relgious practices of Muslims. The board also said that there cannot be any uniform civil code in a diverse nation like India.

Former attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi also came out to speak on the significance of Tuesday.

It is a big day, let us see what the judgement says: former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi #TripleTalaq pic.twitter.com/h7ea2ZnYSu  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

Rejected that the practice was a religious issue, the bench had in May called it a gender issue. Rohatgi had then made a strong pitch for judicial scrutiny on grounds including violation of fundamental rights like gender justice and said that the apex court cannot shy away.

On 12 May 2017, the Supreme Court said the practice of triple talaq was the "worst" form of dissolution of marriages among Muslims, despite there being schools of thought which termed it as "legal".

Click here to follow live updates on the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq

With inputs from PTI
In a historic verdict, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the practice of divroce through triple talaq among Muslims was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

The apex court set aside the practice, saying that triple talaq was against the basic tenets of the Quran.

"In view of the different opinions recorded by a majority of 3:2, the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat'  triple talaq is set aside," PTI quoted the five-judge constitution bench as saying in its order.

While Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq and asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman and UU Lalit held it as violative of the Constitution.

The three judges also said the practice of divorce through triple talaq is manifestly arbitrary and violative of the Constitution and must be struck down.

Here is the full text of the 395-page order:

With inputs from PTI
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is "void", "unconstitutional" and "illegal", a historic verdict on a case which dates back to 2015 and saw heated debates in the media.

A five judge constitutional bench by a 3:2 majority judgement said there is no constitutional protection for triple talaq, and held that the practice is against the basic tenets of Quran.

The controversial matter, which challenged the constitutional validity of the practice of instant divorce by the men of the Muslim community, was brought to the Supreme Court in 2015. Here isa glance at the events since then:

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday met her Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov, who was on a four-day visit to India.

The Kamilov-led delegation, which arrived in New Delhi on 20 August, comprises Elyor Ganiev, Minister for Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, senior representatives from the Government of Uzbekistan, and chairmen and representatives from several government associations and corporations.

"Continuing engagements with Central Asia! EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets Abdulaziz Kamilov, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan," external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Continuing engagements with Central Asia!

EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets Abdulaziz Kamilov, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan pic.twitter.com/CrLyVGPjQ0  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 22, 2017

This year, the two sides are celebrating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.

The visit of the delegation is taking place following the recent discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, in Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of States meeting.

Both leaders had decided to further strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in all areas, particularly trade and economic.

The ties between the two countries were elevated to the level of Strategic Partnership during the visit of late Uzbek president Islam Karimov in 2011.
New Delhi: India is committed to gender equality and eradication of discrimination on the basis of sex, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said in its minority verdict on the practice of triple talaq among Muslims.

The remarks were made in the minority judgement by Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice SA Nazeer while refusing to rely on the international conventions and declarations as it examined the issue of triple talaq, also known as talaq-e-biddat.

"We have not the least doubt, that the Indian State is committed to gender equality. This is the clear mandate of Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution. India is also committed to eradicate discrimination on the ground of sex. Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution, prohibit any kind of discrimination on the basis of sex.

"There is, therefore, no reason or necessity while examining the issue of 'talaq-e-biddat', to fall back upon international conventions and declarations. The Indian Constitution itself provides for the same," the two judges said.

The counsel for Muslim women, who had moved the apex court seeking to set aside the practice of triple talaq, had submitted that the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' was rendered impermissible, as soon as India accepted to be a signatory to international conventions and declarations, with which the practice was in clear conflict.

It was submitted that continuation of this practice sullied the image of the country internationally, as the nation was seen internationally as a defaulter of those conventions and declarations.

The two judges, however, said that the reason for which they were not acceding to the submissions with reference to international conventions and declarations, is based on Article 25 of the Constitution by which 'personal law' of all religious denominations is sought to be preserved.

"The protection of 'personal laws' of religious sections, is elevated to the stature of a fundamental right, as much as Article 25 of the Constitution, which affords such protection to 'personal law' is a part of Part III (Fundamental Rights) of the Constitution," the minority judgement said.

It further said while the Indian Constitution supported all conventions and declarations which call for gender equality, it preserves 'personal law' through which religious communities and denominations have governed themselves, as an exception.
Soon after a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court termed the practice of triple talaq among Muslims as "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional," a number of people, including political leaders, came out to hail the verdict as a 'historic step' in the empowerment of women.

While most of the reactions to the verdict were positive, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) criticised it saying the judgment will have wide ramifications as it has affected the religious rights of minority groups.

The most-awaited reaction was from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had earlier expressed hope that progressive Muslims will come forward and help "Muslim daughters" in fighting against triple talaq.

Soon after BJP chief Amit Shah welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, the prime minister hailed the verdict in a tweet.

Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2017

Shah, on the other hand, in a lengthy Facebook post, called the verdict a "victory of the right of equality of the Muslim women, and a win of the constitutional fundamental rights". He also said that the practice is not present in many Muslim majority nations of the world and by making it unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has given a right to live with equality and dignity to the crores of Muslim women of the country. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi also welcomed the decision and congratulated the "women who fought for it".

Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant #TripleTalaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 22, 2017

Hailing the verdict, another senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said the practice was a "distortion of original Quranic legal principles".

Triple talaq was a distortion of original Quranic legal principles. Good it has been declared unconstitutional.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 22, 2017

The verdict on Tuesday morning was announced 3:2 by the five bench Constitution bench. While Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer held triple talaq to be part of fundamental right to religion of Muslims and said it was not unconstitutional, Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman and UU Lalit said triple talaq violated the fundamental right of Muslim women because they are subjected to arbitrary irrevocable divorce through this practice. Speaking to News18, the main petitioner in the case Shayara Bano said that she is "extremely happy" and that "today is a historic day for all Muslim women". "For years, all Muslim women have been exploited in the name of this practice which is not even validated by the Quran," she added. Bano also urged the government to ensure its implementation and bring in a strong law to end the practice. Indira Jaising, senior counsel and another petitioner in the case told News18, "It's a judgement that goes on to uphold the basic right to equality for all women. The minority judgement failed to understand what is religion and what is not religion," Jaisingh said. Congress leader and amicus curiae to the SC in the case, Salman Khurshid, also welcomed the verdict saying, "It's not just about gender justice, this judgement is for the upliftment of the society as a whole." Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan termed the verdict a step towards women empowerment.

                     #TripleTalaqVerdict  ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) August 22, 2017

Eminent historian Ramchandra Guha agreed with the verdict and called the practice of triple talaq "obnoxious".

The Supreme Court has done absolutely the right thing by declaring triple talaq illegal and unconstitutional. It is an obnoxious practice.  Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) August 22, 2017

Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen reacted to the verdict, saying while it was "definitely not women's freedom" there was need to go beyond by doing away with "1400 yrs old Quranic laws".

Abolishing #TripleTalaq may be a slap to Muslim Law Board but it is definitely not women's freedom. Women need to be educated & independent.  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) August 22, 2017

Going a step further, Nasreen even demanded to abolish Sharia and other religious laws.

All religious laws should be abolished for the sake of humanity. Religions including religious laws and rituals are anti-women. Period.  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) August 22, 2017

Main Opposition party Congress in a press statement hailed the verdict calling it an affirmation of the rights of women.

#TripleTalaq verdict is an affirmation of the rights of women & gives relief to them against being subjected to discrimination.Our Statement pic.twitter.com/VJD3ZFBSIi  Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 22, 2017

From Kashmir, People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader and MLA Baramulla, Javid Beg, said that there should be no objection to the extension of Supreme Court verdict to Jammu and Kashmir on triple talaq.

He also said that the parties which are decrying that Islam has come in danger after the verdict are only doing so for vote bank politics, adding that India has only joined the other Muslim countries in scrapping the dirty practice of triple talaq.

A bit apprehensive about the verdict, former Jammu and Kashmir minister and National Conference leader, Mustafa Kamal, agreed that triple talaq has often been misused against the Muslim women, however, he said that the Supreme Court decision is an interference in religious matters of Muslims and the issue should have been addressed at the societal level.
Apart from the social implications that the judgment will have on the Muslim society, the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq terming it "illegal" and "unconstitutional" will also have its impact on the political scenario of the country.

It is mind-boggling that this practice survived in India for so long when it is banned in 20 Islamic countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh. Compared to the governments of the past, the Narendra Modi government was proactive in this regard including his party the BJP which ultimately helped in getting away with a process that has been termed un-Islamic by several Islamic scholars. The apex court verdict on Tuesday will deliver a majority of Muslim women in India from the fear of instant divorce.

Way back in 1985 Supreme Court had given a landmark verdict in favour of Muslim women in the Shah Bano case giving alimony rights to her as per the law of the land. But unfortunately the then Rajiv Gandhi government which had brute majority in Parliament with over 400 MPs in Lok Sabha capitulated under pressure from Islamic orthodoxy, completely reversed the Supreme Court judgment and passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986, which gave a Muslim woman the right to maintenance as per the Islamic norms for the period of 90 days only or iddat after the divorce.

Now 32 years after the Rajiv Gandhi government had reversed that historic verdict by the Supreme Court in Shah Bano case, a much-required twist has come. On Tuesday, Supreme Court reversed the wheel -- in effect upholding the Shah Bano case for maintenance to Muslim women after divorce. It practically nullified the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986 which was passed by the Rajiv Gandhi government.

This is a win-win situation for the Modi government and the BJP and probably not for the Congress. Though a judicial process was in progress Modi made Muslim women's rights an issue during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election by announcing that he, his government and his party are for the abolition of triple talaq which severely disadvantaged a large section of women population in the country. The government made its position clear by arguing against triple talaq.

That way Modi projected himself to be a champion of Muslim women's rights. In India, Islam is the second largest religion constituting 14.2 percent of the total population or a total of 17.2 crore people (as per 2011 census). Female population of the community is around 8.40 crore.

Until the apex court order passed on Tuesday, a large section of Muslim women faced the brunt of triple talaq as the process was one-sided, discriminatory and cruel where the husband can break out of his marriage just by oral pronouncement of talaq, talaq, talaq in one go or by sending the same in a postcard, text message, WhatsApp, e-mail or by any other means. The process of reconciliation between the separated couple through "Halala (forced temporary marriage with someone other than her previous husband) virtually amounted to rape and the practice couldnt have the approval of a civilised society.

While Congress, SP, BSP, Left parties, RJD and others were arguing that this was a religious issue and should be left to the wisdom of Muslim community leaders, Modi and BJP came out with an unambiguous position in public and in the court of law. The prime ministers position was in sharp contrast with the position taken by other political parties. Modi reacted soon after the judgment on Tuesday.

Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2017

His tweet was soon followed by BJP national president Amit Shah's.

     -               pic.twitter.com/NDMcZsKJUw  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 22, 2017

The two top BJP leaders were obviously trying to convey a message to sections of the population concerned that they were the ones who stood by them and made this judgment possible for them.

Now that triple talaq is gone, Muslim women must be sensing a huge sense of relief. It is likely that they will have a certain sympathy for Modi and the BJP. One is not sure how much of that goodwill will translate into votes but even if a section of Muslim women start voting for BJP all across the country then the BJP would have achieved its purpose for now and made a new beginning for the future.
The debate over the controversial practice of triple talaq, it seems, is not going to die down soon. Although the Supreme Court has imposed a ban on instant talaq for the next six months to allow Parliament to frame a new Muslim divorce law, the verdict certainly opens up a number of questions.

In fact, there is a strong possibility that this highly technical judgment might be used to nurture the evolving politics of nationalist reforms. Therefore, it is important to look at the Muslim position(s) on the triple talaq debate to understand the modes by which the Supreme Court judgment might be read, interpreted and understood.

The petition

The writ petition filed by Shayara Bano in the Supreme Court, we must remember, has outlined five main demands:

 The divorce deed issued by her husband should be treated as illegal and unconstitutional as it violates the Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 of the Constitution.

 Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 should be declared unconstitutional as it seeks to recognise and validate talaq-e-bidat (triple talaq) as a valid form of divorce, the practice of nikah halala, and practice of polygamy.

 The Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939 should be declared unconstitutional as it fails to secure for Indian Muslim women the protection from bigamy.

 The practice of polygamy should be declared illegal and unconstitutional.

 Muslim wife whose marriage has been terminated by a valid and legally recognised form of talaq by her husband may remarry her husband without an intervening halala marriage with another man.

The petition calls upon the state to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to secure and protect the constitutional rights of Muslim women.

Responses to the petition

The All India Muslim Personal Law Boards (AIMPLB), which filed a counter affidavit in the case, opposed the petition on following grounds:

 The questions raised in the petition are matters of legislative policy.

 Personal laws cannot be challenged as being violative of Part III of the Constitution.

 Personal laws of a community cannot be re-written in the name of social reform.

 Article 44 of the Constitution of India which envisages a Uniform Civil Code is only a directive principle of state policy and is not enforceable.

 Muslim Personal Law is based on holy scriptures - al-Quran and sources based on al-Quran.

The affidavit also argues that the triple talaq is a universal practice among Muslims in India. It says:

"Almost 90 percent of Indian Muslims are Sunni Hanafi, and the rest 10 percent consist of Shafais, and Ahle Hadees. Shafais endorse the Hanafi stance on this issue that triple talaq in one-go constitutes effective Talaq and results in the immediate termination of the marriage."

This sweeping generalisation does not take into account the religious position of Ahle Hadees, a Sunni sect, which does not follow the practice of triple talaq. In an interview Ahle Hadees cleric, Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi, argued that they oppose the idea of triple talaq as "this is not in keeping with the Quran and Hadees". It simply means that the AIMPLB does not represent the diverse Sunni Islamic religious practices and beliefs.

One can also find an interesting debate among Muslim Womens rights and advocacy groups as well. For instance, the Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), a leading Muslim womens organisation, which has been campaigning against the triple talaq for a long time, does not support the idea of UCC.

Although the BMMA subscribes to the position taken up by Shayara Bano and others in the Supreme Court, the organisation finds the UCC a politically motivated project. In one of the reports published by the BMMA (No More Talaq Talaq Talaq: Muslim Women Call for Ban on an Un-Islamic Practice) it is argued:

".Muslim orthodoxy in India does not want to entertain any talk of personal law reform and the Hindu right is pushing for the Uniform Civil Code.both these sections are coming from extreme points-of-view and both are equally patriarchal. The credentials of both these formations on the question of gender justice and place of women in society are far from impeccable. There is no clarity about what is meant by Uniform Civil Code in the BJP manifesto of 2014. Are they calling for the abolition of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955? On the other hand, the Muslim conservatives cannot keep their minds and eyes shut to the atrocities such as triple talaq."

Possible readings of the judgment

The Supreme Court ruling should be re-read in relation to these internal Muslim debates.

The AIMPLB might argue that the judgment is favorable for them as the court has asked all the stakeholders to come together and frame a new law. If the AIMPLB is invited to participate in the deliberation on the proposed new law, (the way it happened in 1985 during Shah Bano case!), the conservative Ulema would be able to secure their lost legitimacy as Muslim representatives.

The ban on the practice of instant talaq by the court could also be seen as an approval of the Ahle Hadees position on this issue. This powerful Sunni sect can claim now that triple talaq is unconstitutional as well as un-Islamic. This position would allow them to operate within the realm of secular minority rights.

The BMMAs strident opposition to triple talaq and UCC are also resonated in this ruling. The court has asked Parliament to make a Muslim Divorce Law and the issue of the UCC is clearly separated from it. This legal clarity might be employed to consolidate an influential Muslim womens position on the UCC.

Finally, the judgment does not disappoint the victims and womens right activists, who were associated with the writ petition. The court has questioned the practice of triple talaq on a constitutional ground and called upon all the parties to establish a gender sensitive legal framework to deal with the issues faced particularly by Muslim women.

These possible readings of the Supreme Court judgment underline Muslim political-religious heterogeneity, which is often ignored in the debates and discussions on issues such as the triple talaq. If the government is really serious about new Muslim divorce law, it should not follow the precedent established by the Congress government in the Shah Bano case, when AIMPLB was invited as the sole representative of Islam in India.

Islam and Muslims are not homogeneous entities. The new divorce law, therefore, must respond to the anxieties, apprehensions, worries, fears and concerns of a highly diversified legal category called Muslim women.

The author is an associate professor at Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
New Delhi: The landmark verdict of the apex court setting aside the practice triple talaq among Muslims, "speaks volume about the progress of the nation", Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Pinky Anand said on Tuesday.

The ASG, who was part of the central government's legal team led by former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, also said that the judgment heralded good things for the country as the practice has been condemned by almost all quarters.

"I think it (judgment) heralds good things for the country and its citizens. We have been able to deal with the malpractice and degrading practice and cast them away with the taint," Anand said.

The Supreme Court, through a majority verdict, on Tuesday set aside the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims, saying the practice was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

The apex court held that the triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Quran.

"It speaks volume about the progress of the nation and all its stakeholders. This is the practice that has been condemned from almost all quarters but it needs the vision of our leaders and the institutions of the country to deal with it," Anand said.

"What is extremely important is the finding that all citizens have fundamental rights to life, liberty, dignity and equality and these inalienable rights are uncompromisable," she added.
New Delhi: In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court by a majority of 3:2 on Tuesday ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional".

The apex court held that the triple talaq is against the basic tenets of Quran.

While Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq, asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman and UU Lalit held it as violation of the Constitution.

The majority verdict said any practice including triple talaq which is against the tenets of Quran in unacceptable.

The three judges also said the practice of divorce through triple talaq is manifestly arbitrary and violative of the Constitution and must be struck down.

The minority verdict by CJI Khehar and Justice Nazeer, which favoured to keep on hold the practise of triple talaq for six months, asked the political parties to set aside their differences and help the Centre in coming out with a legislation.

The judges in the minority verdict said that if the Centre does not bring a law within six months, then its injunction on triple talaq will continue.

CJI Khehar and Justice Nazeer in their minority verdict expressed hope that the Centre's legislation will take into account concerns of Muslim bodies and the Sharia law.
New Delhi: Activists, politicians, clerics, celebrities, political outfits and NGOs, including the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) that was contending for the triple talaq, on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court verdict on the controversial instant divorce among the Muslim community.

While the government, women rights activists and political parties appreciated the apex court's constitutional bench order banning instant divorce by a 3:2 verdict as unconstitutional, the AIMPLB said the court's order also underlined that a community's personal laws cannot be interfered with.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley called the judgment as "progressive" and said efforts should be made to rectify "aberrations" in personal laws that infringe on constitutional guarantees.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the decision was an indication of an emerging new India.

BJP president Amit Shah hailed the ruling as "historic" and said it was a victory for Muslim women and their right to live with dignity.

"I welcome this historical decision... This judgement is not about anyone's victory or defeat. This is the victory of basic Constitutional rights of Muslim women and their right to live with equality," Shah said in a statement.

The Congress termed the ruling as an "affirmation of the rights of women" with its vice-president Rahul Gandhi congratulated "the women who fought for justice".

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) welcomed the judgment but said it will properly respond only after studying the majority and minority judgments.

Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who represented the AIMPLB in the Supreme Court, said the ruling signifies as laid down by the majority judgment that Muslim personal laws cannot be interfered with.

"The decision where triple talaq is administered in one sitting is different from the decision in law which by majority says that personal laws can't be tested on the anvil of Part III of Constitution. They cannot be tested on grounds of violation of Article 14 or 25."

He stressed that the apex court had only banned the administering of triple talaq in one sitting and it did not interfere with the other two forms of triple talaq which are Talaq-e-Ahsan and Talaq-e-Hasan.

The AIMPLB too welcomed the apex court verdict saying it vindicated the organisation's stand and "accords protection to Muslim personal law".

It said the judgment will "ensure non-interference by the courts in matters of practices emanating from religious texts and belief systems" of different communities".

The women's wing of the AIMPLB termed as "contradictory" and "fractured" the judgement of the Supreme Court on triple talaq.

Asma Zehra, chief organiser of the wing, said while they respect the judgement that appeared confusing, triple talaq did not always work against women.

"Many a time it is an exit mechanism to relieve women from unsuccessful and troublesome marriages," she said.

"Talaq is a non-issue and divorce rate is the least in the Muslim community. Muslims have divorce rate of only 0.5 percent whereas it is 1.64 percent in Hindu community," she said.

But the Muslim women who challenged the practice expressed joy over their success.

Shayara Bano was the first petitioner in the case. "I feel happy for Muslim women. It's a great day for them," she said.

Another petitioner, Atiya Sabri, was married in 2012 and then divorced, has two daughters aged four and three.

"I was beaten and thrown out of the house. There were attempts to poison me," she said, recalling how she was given instantly divorce.

Muslim clerics associated with the RSS-backed Muslim Rashtriya Manch too hailed the judgment in a chorus when Manch patron Indresh Kumar asked them at an event here if they were happy with the verdict.

A number of Bollywood celebrities including Anupam Kher, Madhur Bhandarkar and Dia Mirza too welcomed the judgment with Mirza calling it a "historic day for women's rights in our country".

Amnesty International India too welcomed the verdict as a step forward for women's rights in India.
The Supreme Court's much-awaited verdict on triple talaq was delivered on Tuesday. The court was split 3:2 as the majority held that the practise was illegal and unconstitutional. However, the minority  which includes the outgoing Chief Justice JS Khehar  has asked the Centre to bring in legislation to govern the practice.

The full text of the judgment is available here.

The practise has attracted a fair share of controversy and political parties have not shied away from making statements on it. Here is the stance taken by various parties on the issue.

BJP

The ruling party has made its stance pretty clear on the issue as an authority no lesser than the Prime Minister has hailed the Supreme Court judgement, adding that it's a powerful measure for the empowerment of Muslim women.

Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2017

Earlier too, the prime minister had said that he hoped that progressive Muslims will come forward and help Muslim daughters as they fought against triple talaq. The party has also relentlessly advocated against the practice, including in the recent Uttar Pradesh election campaign.

Moreover, when the All India Muslim Personal Law Board had told the Supreme Court that it will tell Qazis to "advise" the bridegroom and bride during nikah to do away with triple talaq, the party had said that it hoped that the board will also welcome legislation doing away with the practice.

The party would in fact welcome the court's invitation to legislate on the issue as in May, M Venkaiah Naidu, then a Union minister in the Narendra Modi government, had said, "Our government has made its stand very clear on triple talaq. If necessary, it will bring a legislation against it.. after allowing the community to reach a consensus through deliberations."

Congress

The main Opposition party has been much more cautious on the issue. In principle, many leaders are against triple talaq especially in light of its abolition in many Muslim countries, according to The Economic Times. However they are wary of taking an explicit stand on the matter due to the religious and political dimensions of the issue. Instead, they had taken a general line of the matter being sub judice to avoid committing to either side of the debate.

This was further borne out of the quote given in the report by Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad who was careful to call it his personal view. He said, 'Firstly, it is a very sensitive matter. There are more than one view even in various sections of the Muslim community and even among clergies on the issue of triple talaq.... Therefore, I think any effort to arrive at a decision should be in consultation with religious leaders and with different sections of the community.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal, on the other hand, is intricately linked to the matter as he has represented the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) in the Supreme Court and has defended the practice. News18 has however reported that the party leadership is unhappy with the situation.

Trinamool Congress

The party has been drumming up support against a possible ban on triple talaq as they fear it could eventually lead to the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code, according to The Economic Times. The party further planned to oppose a ban on the practice during debates in the state Assembly and the Parliament.

The party's stand against the abolition of triple talaq was also reiterated by senior party leaders on several occasions. West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and urban development Minister Firhad Hakim have rejected Centre's attempt to abolish triple talaq.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen

AIMIM is for the practise of triple talaq and this has been made clear by its firebrand leader Asaduddin Owaisi who has urged Muslims to stand up and support triple talaq, according to India Today. He asked them to draw inspiration from the Jallikattu struggle waged by the Tamilians. He further said that nobody should interfere in the customs of marriage and triple talaq followed by the Muslims.

In 2016, Owaisi had also accused the prime minister of "converting the triple talaq issue into a political tool" ahead of the Assembly elections.

Shiv Sena

The Maharashtra party supports the abolition of the practice as it sees it as a battle of justice for Muslim women in the country. The party mouthpiece Saamana in an editorial said, "There would be several attempts to suppress these voices and a comprehensive effort at every level is needed to make this movement a success or else the Muslim women wont be able to see a morning rise when triple talaq is abolished."

The party has also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give his nod to bring changes in Sharia law in the interest of Muslim women.

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

The Left-wing party has supported the move against triple talaq which it has called "arbitrary". While its stance allies it to the Centre, the party alleged that the BJP wasn't actually interested in securing women's equality but in targeting the minority communities.

Senior leader Sitaram Yechury has called Modi's stand on triple talaq a "communal campaign" as he questioned the prime minister's alleged silence on impediments to widows remarriage in other religions.

More opponents than supporters

As the political landscape stands, the ruling BJP government which is strictly against the practice will have no problem enacting a law against the practice. The government has also shown its willingness to do exactly that, should the opportunity arise. While the Congress has been wary of sticking its neck out in the matter, other parties have indicated their opposition to the practice. This means that should the matter reach the legislature, its fate seems sealed.

Click here to get live updates on the triple talaq verdict.
Washington: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday spoke with Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani to discuss how they can help in shaping President Donald Trump's new South Asia strategy.

Trump is set to announce America's new strategy in Afghanistan, amid reports that his administration could be mulling a role for India in ending the brutal and costly conflict, the US' longest war.

He will make his first prime-time broadcast to the nation as president at 9 pm (6:30 am IST, Tuesday) to unveil his new plan after a lengthy period of deliberations to end nearly 16 years long war in Afghanistan.

Notable to the Presidents forthcoming remarks to the nation on South Asia, the Secretary of State spoke over the phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Abbasi, Indian Foreign Minister Swaraj nd Afghan Foreign Minister Rabbani, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"The topic was how the United States would like to work with each country to stabilise South Asia through a new, integrated regional strategy," she said.
Chandigarh has produced an army of lawyers who thrive in the marriage business of runaway couples. Young men and women from small towns in Punjab and Haryana throng to the city for the anonymity and security the city offers. But, it's hard to find a single lawyer in this 'army' who practices the Special Marriage Act 1954 (SMA), that offers a provision for inter-caste and inter-religious marriages, without asking for conversion. In a society where marriage outside the caste is still considered a taboo, provisions of SMA remain under-utilised.

In Haryana, conjugal relationships between the same gotra (clan) or between the residents of the same village are also prohibited. The suffocating restrictions imposed on the freedom of choices often pushes young men and women to seek freedom in marriage; marrying a person of choice is often a statement of rebellion in these parts.

In the model protection homes, facilitated by the state in 19 districts under an order of Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2010, one can see young runaway couples packed like sardines in small, stuffy rooms, where they lack both privacy and freedom. The demand for a quick marriage against the wishes of their parents has given birth to an exploitative industry  of lawyers, hoteliers, pundits and even police personnel.

Yet, surprisingly, in three years (2013-15), only 18 couples applied for marriage under SMA, in Haryana, whereas for the same period 828 applications were received in Uttar Pradesh and 432 in Jharkhand. The Marriage Registrar's office in Panchkula, Haryana, did not receive any application for marriage under SMA in last many years. Dr Rajesh Puniya, Tehsildar, Kalka says that in his tenure of two years, he has never heard of the Special Marriage Act.

Incidentally, the number of reported cases of honour killings grew phenomenally during these years, by almost 800 percent  in 2014, if 28 cases of honour killing were reported, the numbers rose to 251 in 2015.

Why SMA is not an option

Haryana, the state that earned distinction for killing daughters in the womb or in their bridal attire  when they break the clan's code of honour  still sticks to practices that further kill women's chances to exercise choice and decision-making, under a legal garb. The practice of asking the young couples to publish their intended marriage in the newspapers goes against the very spirit of the Act. The practice kills the secrecy required for such marriages, often opposed by the clan.

The Act demands that the couples give a notice of 30 days to the marriage registrar, who is then supposed to display the notice in DCs office, in the courts and the police post etc., to invite objections if any. For convenience, the registrar asks the couples to publish the notice in newspapers as well.

"It's the marriage registrar's discretion and it's a matter of precedence," says Yogesh Mittal, a leading lawyer of the high court. A retired judge of the high court said that the law is fine but it's a social problem, 'parents don't accept marriages outside their caste and creed'.

A demand for three witnesses for the marriage is another hurdle, apart from multiple declarations. Even though witnesses are 'arranged' for marriage under personal laws, procedures are more demanding for SMA and hence not suitable to the lawyers. "It's just a matter of an affidavit of conversion and the marriage can be registered under Hindu Personal Law. Only yesterday, I arranged for a conversion affidavit for a Manipuri Christian girl marrying a Hindu boy... for inter-caste marriage, we don't even need the affidavit," comments another lawyer.

A young couple said that they paid Rs 5,000 for their marriage at Mansa Devi temple, where the Pandit provided quick photographs as proof. But why didn't they opt for SMA? "We do what our lawyer suggested". They paid the lawyer Rs 10,000.

Crimes in the name of marriage

Forced marriage is a violation of human rights yet, in most societies in India, they enjoy social sanction against choice marriage. Even after elopement, many young women are brought back home and coerced into marriages arranged by the family. The National Crime Records Bureau data shows that, in 2015 alone, 59,277 women were abducted for marriage purposes across the country, and about half of these were in the age group of 18-30.

It reflects the magnitude of the problem. But when women approach the law, they are rebuked for breaking the community honour and are often sent back to their families. The entire machinery supports a patriarchal mindset. No wonder then, of the 8,120 trials of kidnapping for marriage, that concluded in 2015, 75 percent cases were either acquitted or disposed of.

Of the 30,887 cases investigated the same year, in only 52 percent cases the police submitted a chargesheet against the accused  rest of the cases ended at the police level as false, or as 'mistakes'.

Former chairperson of Haryana State Women's Commission, Kamlesh Panchal, blames it on the indifferent attitude of the state machinery. " Office holders don't sympathise with the runaway couples, they too think of them as a blot on the clan."
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Decks are cleared for the merger of two factions in AIADMK  one led by Chief Minister E Palaniswamy and the other led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam  on Monday, party officials told IANS on Monday.

Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao, who is also the Governor of Maharashtra, left Mumbai for Chennai this morning for official work. The development fuels the speculation that the Tamil Nadu cabinet is likely to see some reshuffle today.

O Panneerselvam is likely to be made deputy Chief Minister and might get Finance and PWD. As reported earlier, E Palaniswamy is set to continue as Chief Minister.

Cabinet reshuffle of the Tamil Nadu assmebly is likely at 3 pm, News18 reported.

TTV Dinakaran and his loyalists have gone into a huddle, at his home, News18 reported ahead of the merger meet between both factions of the AIADMK. There have been several false alarms in this AIADMK merger saga. The Amma Memorial had been decked up on Friday night, fuelling rumours that OPS and EPS would finally join hands at the Marina Beach samadhi of Jayalalithaa. But no such thing happened.

Meanwhile, quoting sources, News18 reported that O Panneerselvam might visit J Jayalalithaa's memorial after the meeting with the rival EPS camp.

Meanwhile, Tiruvallur MP Ponnusamy Venugopal will be the face of the Union cabinet.

S Semmalai is likely to get health in his portfolio after the cabinet reshuffle, reports have said. Ma Foi K Pandiarajan is also likely to get inducted into the cabinet today. News18 reported that the leader is set to get Housing and Urban Development in his portfolio.

Other members of OPS camp - Ma Foi, Semmalai - will also be inducted in the cabinet.

BJP president Amit Shah has cancelled his Chennai visit. He was to visit Tamil Nadu from 22-24 August. According to India Today, Panneerselvam is likely to take oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at 4 pm today. He will also get PWD.

According to reports, Panneerselvam will be appointed as the guiding working president of AIADMK and both the factions have agreed to limit Sasikala's role in the AIADMK.

Dinakaran has claimed to have support of 20 MLAs in the 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly. According to reports, Panneerselvam will be appointed as the guiding working president of AIADMK and both the factions have agreed to limit Sasikala's role in the AIADMK.Dinakaran has claimed to have support of 20 MLAs in the 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly.

According to insiders, in order to overcome this hurdle and also to carry out the party affairs, a steering or advisory committee would be formed with representation from the two merging factions. The decisions of the advisory committee has to be ratified at the general council meeting, said an AIADMK leader.

Prior to merger announcement, the Palaniswamy faction was expected to pass a resolution against AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala. As per AIADMK party byelaws, the General Secretary cannot be removed by a resolution passed by a committee or group of office bearers.

"It is a legal question that has to be deliberated in detail," C Ponnaian, former Finance Minister and part of Panneerselvam faction told IANS on Sunday.

But the main question is can the by-law be amended to take away the only power that a primary member enjoys? As per AIADMK constitution, the party General Secretary is elected directly by the primary members. The party has around 1.5 crore members.

According to AIADMK insiders, one of the moves that is being contemplated is to abolish the post of General Secretary on the pretext that late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa will be the party's permanent General Secretary. This would be done by amending the party by-laws.

Along with OPS, K Pandiarajan and Semmalai will take oath of office at a swearing-in ceremony which could take place around 4 pm today. The OPS camp is pushing for one more cabinet berth.

OPS will be made the deputy CM with portfolios of PWD and possibly finance as well. He will be named the party affairs coordinator, effectively making him party chief. A 11-member leadership committee likely to be announced, which will include the likes of KP Munusamy, Vaithialingam etc.

Panneerselvam to be deputy CM, with PWD and finance under his wings

After the announcement, EPS and OPS will go together to the Jayalalithaa memorial.

The EPS-OPS merger announcement is likely by noon at the AIADMK party headquarters in Chennai, where security has been tightened. Sometime before that or around the same time, EPS is likely to announce that the General Council would expel interim genera secretary VK Sasikala though the final word on this front has not been said yet.

In what seems to be a well-coordinated effort, Governor Vidyasagar Rao will land in Chennai around 12.30 pm. TTV Dinakaran is also holding a meeting with his supporters and he will try to ensure that he keeps his flock of 20 MLAs with him, which would effectively reduce the government to a minority.

The Palaniswamy faction had declared the appointment of TTV Dinakaran, Sasikala's nephew, as Deputy General Secretary as "improper, unacceptable and invalid". This was challenged by Dinakaran.

Sasikala and her family members' dismissal from AIADMK was one of the basic condition laid down by the Panneerselvam camp for merger.

Sasikala's removal from party was one of the top demands by Panneerselvam for merger

"There will be couple of ministerial berths for legislators from our group," he added. This is the contour of the merger plan the two factions in the AIADMK have agreed upon.

"As regards party affairs, Panneerselvam will be the number one and Palaniswamy number two. In the government, Panneerselvam in most probability will be the Deputy Chief Minister," the leader told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

Following merger of the two factions, the Panneerselvam-Palaniswamy faction may get back the party's popular "two leaves" symbol which has been frozen by the Election Commission.

Prior to the merger announcement, the Palaniswamy faction was expected to pass a resolution against AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala. As per AIADMK party byelaws, the General Secretary cannot be removed by a resolution passed by a committee or group of office bearers.

According to latest reports, merger talks meet between the two rival factions of the AIADMK has been delayed over VK Sasikala and her role in the party. OPS camp wants documents that says VK Sasikala has been sidelined. EPS camp is yet to respond.

According to latest reports, women have been queuing up outside OPS' home with turmeric water to welcome him back into AIADMK .

OPS throws a spanner in the works. The former chief minister demands resolution on expulsion of Sasikala before he agrees to the merger. The 12 noon appearance at AIADMK headquarters has got delayed due to the same. Many cadre have moved out of the party office.

OPS demands resolution on expulsion of Sasikala before he agrees to the merger

Meanwhile, KPCC labour department secretary to Karnataka chief minister alleged that Sasikala was in Bengaluru's MG road. He said that the jailed leader was in a burqa.

As a result, Shah's visit to Tamil Nadu as part of the 95-day nation wide tour has been "postponed", she said in a statement. The new schedule for his visit would be announced later, she added.

BJP president Amit Shah's three-day visit to Tamil Nadu, scheduled to start from Tuesday has been postponed again, the party's state unit said on Monday. Shah had to postpone his visit following a meeting of NDA chief ministers in Delhi on Monday and his subsequent required presence in various other important meetings, BJP State unit president Tamilisai Sounderrajan said.

While BJP has one Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, it has no representation in the 234-member state Assembly, dominated by the AIADMK. PTI SA APR GSN

Shah was earlier scheduled to visit Tamil Nadu in May but the trip was postponed. With an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP chief is travelling across the country to strategise and find ways to strengthen the party at the grass-root level.

Amit Shah was slated to attend a series of events in Chennai and Coimbatore during his August 22-24 state tour. Among other engagements, he was scheduled to meet a host of personalities, have lunch at a party worker's residence here and address the state party unit functionaries.

This wasn't the first Tamil Nadu visit of Amit Shah to be postponed

Unsure about how the AIADMK MLAs and district secretaries, many of who owe their political career to Sasikala and Mannargudi clan, will react, Palaniswamy is in two minds about Sasikala's expulsion. Add to that the presence of 17 MLAs at Dinakaran home which means the Palaniswamy govt could be in a minority.

India Today reported that at least 7 MLAs have ditched Dinakaran and now the leader is left with 13 legislators. Dinakaran had 20 MLAs till today morning, reports had said.

Reports said that there will be no merger announcement on Monday and the talks have been put on hold again.

Last miniute drama unfolded in Chennai after OPS demanded a written resolution promising expulsion of AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala. Chief minister E Palaniswamy, reportedly, cancelled his scheduled visit to AIADMK headquarter postponing merger talks.

Reports suggest that O Panneerselvam is headed towards the party headquarters and E Palaniswamy is also likely to leave from his residence shortly. The recent developments suggest that the two leaders may have, at long last, reached a compromise.

News 18 sources suggested that the OPS faction may have agreed to soften their stance on the Mannargudi clan's ouster from the party. The latest reports suggest that Panneerselvam has agreed to leave the question of Sasikala's ouster to the Election Commission for now.

Sasikala's ouster likely to be put on the backburner

An RSS ideologue is mediating between the two camps and has asked them to announce the merger today.

O Panneerselvam has tweeted that he has left for the party headquarters and he used the trending twitter hashtag #AIADMKMerger. This is being interpreted as the first official signal that the merger announcements now are only a matter of time.

AIADMK cadre is all set to kickstart the celebrations as soon as the good news" is out. Crackers are being burst outside the party headquarters and sweets are being distributred.

S Semallai of the OPS faction claimed that the two factions have reached upon an agreement on the ouster of Sasikala, adding that all demands of O Panneerselvam are met.

In return, sources say, that OPS has managed to convince the EPS faction to boot out Sasikala and has negotiated several Cabinet berths for OPS supporters too.

O Panneerselvam will be formally invited by chief minister E Palaniswamy to join his cabinet as the deputy chief minister. However, the former CM and Jayalalithaa loyalist will re-enter the Tamil Nadu government in a slightly diminished role, as part of the compromise.

Kamal Hassan slams AIADMK merger, says whole country laughing on Tamil Nadu because of these 'political jokers'

Now, the fact that an RSS ideologue is reportedly facilitating the merger talks and that both EPS and OPS had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the merger talks began suggests that post the high drama AIADMK merger, it wouldn't be a surprise if the party formally annonces joining hands with the NDA.

Talks of an invisible hand pulling the strings of the tamil nadu political drama, eversince O Pannerselvam's open rebellion from AIADMK, has been around. BJP's extraordinary interest in the situation had given political pundits only a fair chance to propose that the saffron party may be fishing in troubled waters in Tamil Nadu politics.

I am happy to be back in your midst: O Panneerselvam at AIADMK merger meet

The Hindu reported that TTV supporter Nanjil Sampath has said that EPS will have to fall on Dinakaran's feet if he wants us to stop from pulling down his government

E Palaniswamy should fall at TTV Dinakaran's feet or we will pull down the govt: Sasikala supporter

If the two factions have agreed upon circumventing the major demand, even if by leaving the final decision on Sasikala, then OPS has gained little from the reunion. As of now, Sasikala remains to be the General Secretary of the AIADMK, even if in name.

And this was arguably a necessary compromise for the OPS faction given the stakes involved. However, the eerie silence over Sasikala's ouster, one of the most rigid demands put forward by OPS camp, is unsettling.

O Panneerselvam's stature is slightly diminished within the party as the former chief minister returns to AIADMK folds as Palaniswamy's deputy. He is also the AIADMK convener, a post especially created to accommodate him within the party while circumventing the formal chief position of General Secretary currently occupied by Sasikala.

O Panneerselvam to get Finance portfolio; two OPS loyalist to find place in the new Tamil Nadu cabinet

The dual power centre, both within the party and the governmnet, has created a tenuous arrangement for now, but the political stability of the reunited factions will remain questionable after seven month of bitter animosity.

E Palaniswamy has relented control over AIADMK and appointed O Panneerselvam to be party coordinator, a post freshly created to accommodate OPS. Palaniswamy, will work as the joint coordinator and an 11-member steering committee will be formed to guide the party. In the government though, EPS will continue to hold the chief minister's post and OPS will be the deputy chief minister.

Eager to strike a merger deal. the two factions have, for now struck a unique deal. The two party stalwarts, each keen to inherit Jayalalithaa's legacy at one time, have worked out a formula to play second fiddle to each other alternatively in the party and the government.

"We want everybody to be together, we don't know why they are avoiding us. It was honourable Chinnamma who made Palaniswamy chief minister now they are avoiding us. The cadres are with us and just like OPS, they will soon come to us too for a merger and compromise," CR Saraswathy, a TTV Dinakaran supporter said.

Sore Sasikala camp hits out at EPS, OPS, says Sasikala can't be ousted

Sasikala will be removed from the post of AIADMK General Secretary soon, AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Vaithilingam told The Indian Express. However, no official word has come out on the matter so far.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, known to be friends with Jayalalithaa says that OPS has nothing to gain from the merger formula. He said that the dual power centre arrangement in the party and the government is a mere patchwork and he will not be surprised if another conflict flares up in the party.

He said the merger was not only the desire of Tamil Nadu people, but also of the of 1.5 crore AIADMK cadres.

The burden in my heart is gone, Panneerselvam said adding none can separate us, we are children of Amma (late chief minister Jayalalithaa), we are brothers.

We are like brothers and no one can seperate us: OPS after AIADMK merger

The AIADMK-led cabinet in Tamil Nadu is likely to be expanded after O Panneerselvam is sworn in as the Deputy CM of the state this evening. Media reports suggest that three Panneerselvam supporters will also get ministerial berths in the cabinet expansion as part of the merger formula.

Panneerselvam's key aide, Pandiarajan will get the Tamil Official Language & Tamil Culture ministry that was previously held by Sevvoor S Ramachandran. He will take charge of the Ministry of Archaeology from K A Sengottaiyan.

Deputy Chief Minister Panneerselvam has been allocated the finance portfolio which was previously held by D Jayakumar. According to The Times of India , the former chief minister will also take charge of Housing, Rural Housing and Housing Development, Slum Clearance Board and Accommodation Control, Town Planning, Urban Development and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority ministries that were held by Udumalai K Radhakrishnan.

What will the new Tamil Nadu cabinet look like?

He said under the AIADMK constitution whenever there is a vacancy to the post of General Secretary, the duties and responsibilities of General Secretary will be performed by an Executive Council.

"There was no provision for Sasikala's appointment as General Secretary because election to that post can be done only by the primary members of the party. The General Council, which appointed her, will be convened to remove her from the post," he told reporters.

Former minister and party veteran C Ponnaiyan also expressed confidence that the AIADMK government would run its full course of five years and no MLA would take part in any attempt at toppling it.

The AIADMK General Council will be convened to expel Sasikala as General Secretary, a senior leader owing allegiance to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said on Monday.

The AIADMK, which has been a part of the National Democratic Alliance in the past too, is likely to join the NDA soon. CNN-News 18 sources report that the party is likely to get two Minister of State cabinet berths in the Central government if it goes ahead to join the BJP-led alliance.

Post AIADMK merger, is there an NDA reunion on the cards?

The CPM leader said that joining hands with 'communal forces' like BJP will be dangerous to AIADMK and also the people of Tamil Nadu, "who will totally reject this opportunism."

"The opportunistic decision by the two factions, at the behest of BJP. will be rejected by the people of Tamil Nadu," he told reporters at the airport in Chennai.

CPM politburo member Prakash Karat today termed the merger of AIADMK factions as opportunistic and alleged that the BJP was behind it.

The merger of two AIADMK factions would in no way be beneficial to the people of Tamil Nadu, DMK MP and the party's women's wing leader Kanimozhi said on Monday. Moreover, the people had not voted for these leaders and the continuation of the government itself was doubtful, she said.

Now 18 happens to be the exact number needed to topple the AIADMK government in the 235-member Assembly. All that the Dinakaran camp has to do is submit a no-confidence resolution to the governor. However, Dinakaran's supporters have refrained from spelling out the agenda of the meeting. This could only be a warning call, a show of strength by the Mannargudi clan to remind Palaniswamy, what is at stake if he chooses to go ahead with Sasikala's ouster.

The MLAs visited the Amma memorial, which has recently become the stage-setter for all political drama in the state, and sat in meditation. They also raised pro-Sasikala slogans, while announcing that they will meet the governor tomorrow at 10.00 am.

Eighteen MLAs supporting TTV Dinakaran and Sasikala faction have reignited the political debate in Tamil Nadu, just when the dust was starting to settle on the high-decibel AIADMK merger.

Since the demise of former AIADMK supremo and chief minister J Jayalalithaa in December last year, Tamil Nadu's political scenario has witnessed unprecedented drama. Following is the chronology of major events in the southern state's ruling party. The state has seen it all  revolt, conviction in a graft case of Jayalalithaa's aide and her successor to the party post VK Sasikala, split in the party, cancellation of bypoll to RK Nagar seat held by the late CM, sidelining of party deputy chief TTV Dinakaran and the eventual merger on Monday.

Merger brought tremendous joy to lakhs of party followers. I share the same joy: OPS after taking charge as Dy CM & Minister #AIADMKMerger pic.twitter.com/HTqKkcSFjN

The CPM leader said that joining hands with 'communal forces' like BJP will be dangerous to AIADMK and also the people of Tamil Nadu, "who will totally reject this opportunism."

"The opportunistic decision by the two factions, at the behest of BJP. will be rejected by the people of Tamil Nadu," he told reporters at the airport in Chennai.

CPM politburo member Prakash Karat today termed the merger of AIADMK factions as opportunistic and alleged that the BJP was behind it.

The merger of two AIADMK factions would in no way be beneficial to the people of Tamil Nadu, DMK MP and the party's women's wing leader Kanimozhi said on Monday. Moreover, the people had not voted for these leaders and the continuation of the government itself was doubtful, she said.

TN Governor has given us appointment at 10 am tomorrow. We'll discuss the issue with him: P Vetrivel (TTV Dinakaran supporter) #AIADMKMerger pic.twitter.com/rEDY3qNCeW

To media friends...as I have sore throat and fever, doctor has advised me rest. Will meet you all on Aug 23rd.

Now 18 happens to be the exact number needed to topple the AIADMK government in the 235-member Assembly. All that the Dinakaran camp has to do is submit a no-confidence resolution to the governor. However, Dinakaran's supporters have refrained from spelling out the agenda of the meeting. This could only be a warning call, a show of strength by the Mannargudi clan to remind Palaniswamy, what is at stake if he chooses to go ahead with Sasikala's ouster.

The MLAs visited the Amma memorial, which has recently become the stage-setter for all political drama in the state, and sat in meditation. They also raised pro-Sasikala slogans, while announcing that they will meet the governor tomorrow at 10.00 am.

Eighteen MLAs supporting TTV Dinakaran and Sasikala faction have reignited the political debate in Tamil Nadu, just when the dust was starting to settle on the high-decibel AIADMK merger.

Acc. to by law they don't have rights to do this, everything happening in party HQ is forgery: P.Vetriivel, TTV Dinakaran camp #AIADMKMerger pic.twitter.com/JS1lKEYiSI

#BREAKING -- 16 AIADMK MLAs may be moved to a resort outside Chennai; Dinakaran sends 16 MLAs outside Chennai pic.twitter.com/KqjlrrikSF

A group of AIADMK MLAs owing allegiance to sidelined party leader TTV Dhinakaran met Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday and sought the removal of Chief Minister K Palaniswami, saying he has lost their confidence.

The move came a day after rivals factions led by Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam merged, ending a nearly seven-month feud, in a power sharing formula in the ruling party and the government with the rebel leader being made the deputy chief minister.

"We don't have confidence in the chief minister. What is the need to give the deputy chief minister's post to Panneerselvam who had levelled charges of corruption against this government earlier?" asked an MLA, who was part of the team that met the governor.

He said 122 AIADMK MLAs had supported Palaniswami at the behest of jailed party chief VK Sasikala during the 18 February trust vote while Panneerselvam had voted against the government.

He said the chief minister should have held consultations with all party MLAs before the merger of the two factions. "So we have briefed the governor and said that the chief minister should be removed," the MLA added.

The MLA lashed out at Panneerselvam, alleging that he had accepted the merger "only for posts" and asked if this was the deputy chief minister's "dharma yudh" as claimed by him earlier.

Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that the meeting took place between the MLAs and the governor, but did not divulge details, including about the number of the delegation. Around 18 MLAs were reported to have attended a meeting held by Dhinakaran, the party's deputy general secretary and nephew of party chief VK Sasikala, at his residence.

One of the MLAs, P Vetrivel, had claimed that Dhinakaran enjoyed the support of 25 MLAs. Of the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs excluding the Speaker. Late chief minister Jayalalithaa's RK Nagar constituency is still vacant.

Opposition DMK has 89 seats followed by its allies Congress with eight and IUML one seat.

With inputs from PTI
Patna: The Bihar Assembly was adjourned on Tuesday amid uproar by opposition RJD legislators demanding resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi over the Rs 1,000 crore Srijan scam.

Soon after the house assembled, the Rashtriya Janata Dal legislators, with placards in their hands, shouted slogans against the scam in which crores of rupees of government funds were transferred to private bank accounts with the help of an NGO.

Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary adjourned the house till 2 pm after repeated attempts to pacify the RJD legislators failed. Earlier, the RJD legislators protested in the portico of the legislative assembly. "RJD will continue to protest in the state assembly and will not allow it to function till Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi resign," said Bhai Virender, a vocal RJD legislator, who is also party spokesperson.

The RJD had on Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session, also disrupted the proceedings in the assembly. "Both of them should resign as Srijan scam happened in their knowledge and they protected the main accused," said Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav. Calling it a "mega scam", he said it was not confined to Bhagalpur district alone but that its links were spread in several districts.

The scam involves a Bhagalpur-based NGO Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Limited, which provided vocational training to women. The NGO allegedly pilfered funds meant for the government's welfare schemes from the bank accounts of the Bhagalpur district administration.

Following the RJD's demand, the Chief Minister on 17 August recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter.

According to Bihar police chief PK Thakur, so far 18 people have been arrested and 11 FIRs lodged, including nine in Bhagalpur and one each in Saharsa and Banka districts, in connection with the scam.
In BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, any perceived disrespect to the cow can invite serious trouble to human beings, but when cattle die in great numbers in gaushalas (cow shelters), it is hardly a matter of concern for anyone, least of all the authorities.

As news of more cattle deaths keep pouring in from the state  till today, more than 200 cow deaths were reported from three cow shelters  a story of callous neglect of the animals has started unfolding. It's a sordid tale of corruption in name of the cow, involving the so-called gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) working in connivance with bureaucrats and possibly politicians.

After coming to power in 2003, the BJP government in Chhattisgarh had set up a Commission for Protection of Cows (Gau Sewa Aayog) with an objective to protect cows that had been rendered useless. The commission gives grants to cow shelters for the upkeep of cattle that have either been rescued or voluntarily given up by farmers and dairies, after cows grow old and stop producing milk.

Theres an organised racket in the name of cow protection in gaushalas across the state, where the Gau Sewa Aayog and the owners of gaushalas are hand-in-glove in misappropriation of funds. In the name of cow protection, theres severe insensitivity on part of gau rakshaks, whose sole objective is to terrorise people and usurp government funds in the name of sewa (service), Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly TS Singh Deo told Firstpost.

Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee has prepared a fact-finding report on the death of cows, the factors involved, the corruption in the system, etc. Fringe elements of the BJP are often being accused of attacking, even lynching, cattle traders on the suspicion of transporting cows for slaughter. Well submit it to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he added.

The game behind funding of cow shelters

After the incident of the death of cows in Shagun Gaushala at Rajpur village in Durg district (Chhattisgarh), a series of allegations of misappropriation of grants in various gaushalas has come to light. The said case has also opened a can of worms on alleged deep-rooted corruption  from states cow protection commission to cow shelters  especially, after the owner of the said cow shelter, Harish Verma, who has been arrested by police, accused the Commission of demanding cut (commission) in lieu of providing grants.

Congress has siphon it up, as Verma is a local BJP leader and is the vice-president of Jamul Nagarpanchayat (local civic body) who made allegations against his own party. Verma, who claimed that he didnt receive any grant for the last two years, is accused of siphoning of Rs 1.65 crore given to three cow shelters run by him.

Harish Vermas allegation exposes the corruption within the Gau Sewa Aayog. Despite receiving a grant of Rs 93 lakh, he has accused the Commission of bribery. Theres a need of a proper act for protection of cows, Mayor of Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) Pramod Dubey told Firstpost.

According to Raipur mayor, the state government has allocated Rs 200 crore to Chhattisgarh Cow Protection Commission since its inception in 2005, and Rs 30 crore has been distributed to cow shelters till date.

In Chhattisgarh, hooliganism is taking place in the name of cow protection. So much terror has been spread by gau rakshaks that the community that used to clear dead cattle from roads now doesnt touch them for fear of getting attacked. Cow carcasses continue to rot on streets. It has become a menace. Why are no gwalas (milkmen) gau rakshaks? Most gau rakshaks are BJP workers and owners of gaushalas are politicians and BJP members, who are not sensitive towards cattle, claimed Dubey.

Ineffective law

Senior Congress leader and former minister Mohammad Akbar has alleged that after Gau Sewa Aayog was set up by the BJP government, a DGP was made member of the commission so that proper inspection and monitoring of cattle at shelters could be done; but nothing happened.

On the legal aspect, he alleged that the four laws enacted by the government under Chhattisgarh Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act 2004 are ineffective.

All these laws are related to punishing those allegedly found guilty of slaughtering cows. There is no mention of any stringent action against those people under whose supervision cows die due to starvation and other factors. According to Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, there was a provision of fine from Rs 10 to 25, which was later enhanced to Rs 100. Due to this reason, the district administration hasnt mentioned in its report that cows died due to starvation in the cow shelters, Akbar said at a press conference in Raipur. In the report of the magisterial inquiry ordered by Durg collector, no mention has been made about death due to starvation.

What do the findings say?

Findings of the inquiries ordered by various agencies like the district collector, RMC mayor, fact-finding team of Chhattisgarh Congress party, etc have mentioned various factors related to the death of cows and scams in various cow shelters across the states. However, the findings differ from each other.

Most of the findings focus on the following points:

 No provision for fodder and water for the ailing cattle.

 Misappropriation and siphoning of funds by gaushala owners.

 Confinement of large number of animals in a small space.

 Lack of proper care of cows and ill maintenance of cow shelters.

 Release of grants under pressure without prior verification.

 No mention of death due to starvation made in the report of the magisterial inquiry ordered by Durg collector.

What is the Chhattisgarh government doing?

The state government has initiated an inquiry into all the cow shelters across the state. After an emergency meeting between the Gau Sewa Aayog (Cow protection commission) and Department of Animal Husbandry, the joint director of the department has ordered the setting up of a three-member team headed by a deputy director in each district. The teams will visit each and every cow shelter, and after an intensive probe, will submit an inspection report within three days.

There is no grazing ground for cattle, as land in neighbouring areas of Raipur has been taken over by builders. Considering this, I have written five times to the government to allocate 25 acre of land for a cow sanctuary. But till now nothing has been done, added Dubey.
Panaji: Atanasio Monserrate, a politically promiscuous former Cabinet minister who was booked in a minor's rape case in 2016, may hold the key to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's winning margin and electoral comeback in state politics as a legislator in the 23 August Assembly bypoll. The coastal state will witness two bypolls on Wednesday.

While in Valpoi, health minister and Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Vishwajit Rane takes on Roy Naik, son of Congress MLA Ravi Naik, it is the battle for the capital constituency  featuring Parrikar, a former defence minister and also the incumbent chief minister, and Girish Chodankar, the son of a vegetable vendor, currently an AICC official with virtually no electoral pedigree  which has stolen the spotlight.

While Parrikar, a five-time Panaji legislator is the favourite, his campaign appears to lack his characteristic style and individual charisma, and the sudden appearance of the entire Cabinet on the campaign trail over the last few days as well as the unprecedented presence of both his sons Utpal and Abhijat in campaign events does indicate an element of anxiety in the Parrikar camp.

Also, the indirect overtures made by Parrikar to Monserrate, a former legislator from an adjoining constituency whose wife is a Congress legislator, also appears to point to tension in the BJP camp.

One of Goa's most controversial lawmakers, Monserrate was booked for raping a minor girl after spiking her drink in 2016. He has also been accused of forging a school certificate and booked for crimes ranging from extortion to assault.

Monserrate, who has party-hopped nearly half a dozen times in the last decade-and-half, joined the ruling alliance party, Goa Forward, a few weeks before the bypoll, after initially hinting that he would contest against Parrikar.

"In fact, I had issued clear instructions to my workers to extend their support to Manohar Parrikar. Parrikar is a man of stature and doesn't need anybody's support to campaign," Monserrate said.

Parrikar, as opposition leader in 2011, had staged a walkout from the state Assembly after Monserrate, a legislator then, was detained at the Mumbai airport by customs authorities for allegedly carrying excess foreign exchange.

Accusing the then Congress-led coalition government of being a government "of smugglers, for smugglers, by smugglers" for shielding Monserrate, he had said: "He could be a conduit for parking money from ministers and politicians abroad."

With a day to go for polls and Monserrate's support crucial, Parrikar's demeanour towards him is a changed one.

Asked to comment on Monserrate's joining his coalition ally, Goa Forward, Parrikar said in an earlier interview: "I did not tell him anything. It is his decision. Possibly, he must have realised that Congress is trying to use him as a pawn against me. He has a good relationship with Goa Forward from the beginning. He is an ally."

Monserrate controls the Panaji municipal authority and has been both an ally and a thorn-in-the-flesh for Parrikar over the last decade and more.

Even in the current circumstances, while Monserrate has made a public statement expressing support to Parrikar, the BJP leadership says it is not willing to take any chances.

"He has always been temperamental but eventually he has backed Bhai (Parrikar) in some poll campaigns. We are working hard to make sure we can do without his vote bank. If he eventually puts his weight behind us, the margin of victory will be a huge one," a senior BJP leader told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

Girish Chodankar, on the other hand, was a last-minute choice put forward by the Congress after its efforts to field a consensus candidate failed twice.

Chodankar, who hails from Margao town, located 35 kilometres from Panaji, says he is too small a political personality to take on a big leader like Parrikar, but adds a rider.

"It is not me, but the people of Panaji who will defeat Parrikar for the 23 years of mismanagement, U-turns, lack of facilities and now pandering to the casino lobby," Chodankar told IANS.

The bypolls were necessitated after Panaji's BJP MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker resigned in order to facilitate Parrikar's entry to the state legislative assembly, following his return to Goa from the Centre.

In Valpoi, the cause for the bypoll is the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who quit the party after the results were announced in March 2017, before joining the BJP-led coalition government as health minister.
Patna: Many may believe Nitish Kumar's decision to embrace the BJP was in the works for weeks, if not months, but the Bihar chief minister insists he himself had no inkling he would return to the NDA fold until the saffron party offered support to him the day he resigned after walking out of the Grand Alliance.

Kumar, who jettisoned Lalu Prasad's RJD and Congress on 26 July and put in his papers, also claimed attempts were being made to engineer defections in his party.

"I know none of you would believe me that I had no previous thinking of joining hands with the BJP after tendering my resignation to the governor on 26 July.

"After I resigned, when an offer came to us from BJP that day, I placed it before my legislators who had gathered at my Anne Marg residence for the legislature party meeting and they decided that the offer should be accepted," Kumar told reporters on Monday, insisting everything happened in "quick time".

He said BJP legislators and those of its allies immediately joined the meeting of JD(U) lawmakers where he was chosen the leader of their joint legislature party after which he staked claim to form the government.

Kumar claimed, before the quick-paced developments plunged Bihar into a political turmoil, a "behind the scene game" was being played out where JD(U) MLAs were being "lured" to defect.

"Many JD(U) MLAs were being lured to defect from the party ... my MLAs refused all allurements and told me who came with huge offers to them," he said without naming any party or individual. However, his statement was being seen as directed at RJD.

Kumar, also the JD(U) president, warned that rebel veteran leader Sharad Yadav, who is upset over the split in the 3-party Grand Alliance in Bihar, would lose his Rajya Sabha seat if he were to attend the RJD's 27 August rally in Patna, in violation of a party directive.

The Bihar chief minister said he had challenged his detractors to break the party at the open session after the JD(U) national executive meeting last Saturday. "I repeat my challenge on Tuesday," he said.

Kumar said rules provided the for expulsion of a member if he participates in the political programme of another party against the party line, he said.

"If you go into the technicality of this provision....if somebody even sends a photograph of a party leader sharing platform of another party to the president of the party to which the leader belongs, it would amount to that person giving up the membership of the party on his own," he said, and cited instance of former Bihar MP (Captain Jai Narain Nishad) who lost his membership on that ground.

Kumar, however, did not elaborate whether the provision existed in the JD(U) constitution or the Anti-Defection Law.

JD(U) principal general secretary KC Tyagi had on Saturday said that if Sharad Yadav crosses the 'Lakshman rekha' and attends RJD's rally, the party would initiate action against him.
New Delhi: There are apprehensions that disqualifying candidates from contesting polls from the day charges are framed against them in a court  as observed by the Supreme Court  may be misused by a party in power if put into effect, a parliamentary panel has said.

The parliamentary standing committee on law and personnel, while examining electoral reforms, has asked political parties to send their feedback on the apex court's observation.

"It has been apprehended that the process of framing of charges and thereafter being automatically disqualified are likely to be misused, particularly by the party in power. Please comment," it said in a mail sent to the parties.

Currently, a candidate is disqualified from contesting for a certain period if he or she is convicted by a court. The present position is also based on a July 2013 Supreme Court judgment.

Politicians such as Lalu Prasad are barred from standing for an election on the basis of the apex court order.

Earlier this month, the apex court referred to a five-judge constitution bench a case on whether politicians charged with offences attracting five or more years of jail term should be barred from contesting polls.

The court was hearing a plea which sought to declare the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, which bars convicted politician from contesting elections for six years, as ultra vires to the Constitution.

Last month, the court had pulled up the Election Commission for not taking a clear stand on a plea seeking the barring of convicted politicians for life.

It had said the EC could not remain silent on the matter and wondered if it was "constrained" to give its views on the matter.
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Tuesday accused the PDP-BJP government of creating controversies to serve its vested interests and divert the people's attention from its alleged misrule.

"The uncertainty in the state is created by the PDP-BJP government which is responsible for creating social and political uncertainty. They can go to any extent to remain in power," Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief GA Mir said.

He said that both the PDP and the BJP were sharing power in the state despite the fact that their approach is opposite on a number of issues.

Alleging that there was a "complete uncertainty" at all levels, including social and political, he said the Mehbooba Mufti dispensation for creating social and political uncertainty to serve their vested interest.

Mir, who addressed public and party meetings, alleged the PDP-BJP coalition for creating the current controversy on Article 35-A with an aim to keep the situation boiling.

"The coalition partners are deliberately creating hurdles in the peace and development of the state by doing politics on sensitive issues. The situation in the state, especially in the valley was deteriorating," he said.

Mir said that the coalition has failed to create a peaceful atmosphere.

Describing the Congress as the only secular force in the country, the party chief said that Congress has always strengthened the secularism and it will continue to safeguard the secular fabric of the country.

He claimed that the Congress party will defeat the designs of the BJP-RSS and create an atmosphere of discord will not allow them to play with the emotions of people for political gains.

Referring to the organisational activities and affairs in all three regions of the state, Mir said that the Congress was holding organisational elections from the booth-level in order to reactivate the party from grass roots level.

Mir said Congress was a vibrant situation in the State capable of defeating BJP-RSS menace hell bent upon to divide people on regional lines in order to serve their vested interests.

Senior vice-president of Jammu and Kashmir Congress Sham Lal Sharma also hit out at the BJP and the RSS for misleading people on every count just to share power with the PDP.

Sharma said that PDP and BJP secured votes by making false promises, as a result, people not only in Jammu but in Kashmir and Ladakh feel back-stabbed and betrayed.
A day after drama unfolded at the AIADMK office in Chennai on Monday where "merger architects", E Palaniswamy and O Panneerselvam decided to bury their seven-month-old hatchet, 19 MLAs, owing allegiance to sidelined party leader TTV Dinakaran, told Governor Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday that they dont support the E Palaniswamy government.

The MLAs asked the governor to intervene as the government is technically in a minority without their support. It is not clear if they have conveyed their intention to bring in a no-confidence motion against the government in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

"We don't have confidence in the chief minister. What is the need to give the deputy chief minister's post to Panneerselvam who had levelled charges of corruption against this government earlier," an MLA, who was part of the team that met the governor, said requesting anonymity.

He said 122 AIADMK MLAs had supported Palaniswamy at the behest of jailed party chief VK Sasikala during the 18 February trust vote while Panneerselvam had voted against the government.

He said the chief minister should have held consultations with all the party MLAs before the merger of the two factions. "So we have briefed the governor and said that the chief minister should be removed," the MLA added.

The MLA lashed out at Panneerselvam, alleging that he had accepted the merger "only for posts" and asked if this was the deputy chief minister's "dharma yudh" as claimed by him earlier.

Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that the meeting took place between the MLAs and the governor, but did not divulge details, including about the number of the delegation.

Yesterday, around 18 MLAs were reported to have attended a meeting held by Dinakaran, the party's deputy general secretary and nephew of party chief V K Sasikala, at his residence.

One of the MLAs P Vetrivel had last night claimed that Dinakaran enjoyed the support of 25 MLAs. Of the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs excluding the Speaker. Late chief minister Jayalalithaa's RK Nagar constituency is still vacant.

Opposition DMK has 89 seats followed by its allies Congress with eight and IUML one seat.
tech2 News Staff

The Android 8.0 name is finally out and it is pretty much what we had expected it to be all along. Android 8.0 or Android O, the latest operating system has been named Android Oreo, after the popular cream biscuit. The unveiling of the new name happened in New York City, at the same time as the total solar eclipse which took place in the US.

After Android 4.4 KitKat, this is another instance of Google going with a popular brand name for its latest Android operating system. Android OSes have been traditionally named after sweets.

Android 8.0 Oreo will be shipping out first to Google Pixel and Nexus devices. The exact list of devices includes: Pixel XL, Pixel, Pixel C, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and Nexus Player and you can find the flashable system images here. OTAs will soon begin rolling out for the devices mentioned. Any device which is registered for the Android Beta Program will also be upgraded to these builds.

Some of the improvements in Android Oreo include a revamped notification panel which has new layout, colours and features including snoozing them. Notification dots will be a feature to let you see what's new on any particular app and clear away the notifications that are not relevant. Battery life will see some improvements. Startup times are expected to speed up. Security improvements in the form of the Google Play Protect program will be part of the package as well.

According to Google, Android Oreo also helps minimise background activity on apps that you use the least.

Autofill will remember your login and passwords for your most-used apps. Picture-in-picture mode has finally been added natively as well.

Android Instant Apps which can be powered from the browser itself, without the need to install them are also part of Android Oreo.

For those not using Google Nexus or Pixel devices, it will be some time before the Android Oreo update starts rolling out.
tech2 News Staff

Motorola's Moto X4, the company's mid-range offering for 2017 has been doing the rounds in terms of leaks lately. This time, it's the company's official distributor in Iran that has leaked the images of the X4 on their Instagram handle.

The images at first glance reveal a glossy back, courtesy of the glass rear along with the camera module in the centre. The camera module does not hold any surprises after a previous report had shown the presence of a dual-camera setup on the Moto X4.

Another set of leaked images were brought forward by a tipster, Jerry Yin on Google+ who gave us a clearer view of the shiny back. First reported by SlashGear, the design of the Moto X4 in the images tend to follow a similar design language that Motorola has used throughout its product range this year. The front features large bezels to the top and bottom of the phone, the bottom bezel also housing the fingerprint sensor. The design, however, would disappoint fans expecting a return of the Motorola dimple on the back.

Based on previous reports, the Moto X4 will come with a 5.2-inch Full HD display powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor. The GPU is expected to be the Adreno 508 along with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage on board for the Asia-Pacific market. European markets will get a lower 3 GB variant with 32 GB of storage on offer.

The battery on the Moto X4 is expected to be a 3,000 mAh unit with Motorola's Turbo Charging feature. The phone is expected to be priced at around the Rs 26,000 mark in India.
PTI

Union Human Resource Development minister Prakash Javadekar today announced that the NDA government is contemplating to build a better research infrastructure in the country at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore.

Addressing the fourth convocation of Sri Sri University in Cuttack, the minister said in order to promote research and innovation in higher education in the country, his ministry is working on the proposed Prime Minister's Scholarship scheme in which at least 1000 best innovative minds will get monthly scholarships of Rs 75,000.

"India lacks in innovation therefore, turn this adversary into your strength", Javadekar said. The Union HRD minister also indicated that his ministry is working towards reducing the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) control and giving more autonomy to higher education institutions so that these institutions get more freedom for better education and research. Speaking on the occasion the founder of the University Sri Sri Ravi Shankar called upon the students to face the challenges of life with smile and confidence.

He said education is not stuffing the mind with information but building a strong personality and inculcating great human values. Sri Sri said his purpose of setting up the University here was to bring the best of East and best of West to this land of Lord Jagannath. At least 169 graduates and post graduates received their degrees from the dignitaries, of which 11 were awarded gold medals for outstanding performances in seven different courses, including M.Sc in Osteopathy, a method of treating patients by moving bones and muscles supplemented by therapeutic measures. While Internet Tractor Limited MD Dr Deepak Mittal received honoris causa, three research scholars of the University were awarded with PhD degree on the occasion.
tech2 News Staff

After arriving in the US a month ago, Samsung today announced that its voice assistant has now gone global. Samsung announced through its official blog that its Bixby voice assistant available on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ models will be available in 200 countries, but for now will only understand US English and Korean.

According to the post, the software is sensitive to accent. But Samsung claims that this is just the start for its voice assistant. For now, there is no word on which new languages will be added either, but Samsung is reportedly working on it.

While the current form of Bixby will only allow it to take advantage of native (or built-in) apps, Samsung wants to integrate Bixby with third-party apps as well, letting users get complete control over their smartphones using just voice commands.

If you are a proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S8 we recommend you tap on the Bixby button to begin the setup of your voice assistant.

Now millions of customers worldwide have access to a new and intelligent way of interacting with their phone, said Injong Rhee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Software and Services of the Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. The expansion of Bixbys voice capabilities is an initial step in the continued rollout of Bixby functionality. In the future, Bixby will have the learning power to offer more intelligent and personalized interactions and seamless connections across more devices.

Bixby is rather different from what its current competition is capable of. Samsung calls it an intelligent interface instead of a standalone app. Once an app becomes Bixby-enabled, the assistant will support every task that the application is capable of performing. This means that everything a user can do using touch, Bixby can pull off using voice. While native apps should work fine, it's the third-party app developers that Samsung will need to approach to get them to support Bixby.
IANS

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to jointly conduct capacity building exercises in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation.

The agreement would help both regulators to work closely in enhancing mutual cooperation and bilateral relations, an official statement from TRAI stated. The agreement will facilitate exchange of information and regulatory best practices in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications, including new and emerging areas. It will also help in exchange, deployment and attachment of experts from both the countries.

"Collaboration in various international forums, including, but not limited to, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU)," the statement said.

This comes on the same day the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) stated that it was likely to release a discussion paper on spectrum auction this week, chairman R S Sharma said on 21 August.

Sharma told reporters on the sidelines of ITU-TRAI Asia Pacific Regulators Roundtable that the consultation paper of spectrum auction and pricing is "ready" and the telecom regulator hopes to release it this week.

Earlier this year, the Department of Telecom (DoT) sought Trai's views on spectrum price for various frequencies, including premium airwaves in the 700MHz band which remained unsold in the last auctions in October 2016.
tech2 News Staff

According to a report by the Business Standard, UC Browser is being probed by the Indian government for sending data of Indian users to servers in China. The report claims that a government lab in Hyderabad is currently looking into how the Alibaba-owned browser can send user details, which include location data, to a remote server.

The lab which has been identified as the Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) by ICTFlash claims that Alibaba-owned browser has been found guilty. The report also claims that UC Browser could be banned in the country, although it isn't clear whether a ban is really necessary at the moment.

UC Browser reportedly sends a device's access point network information to a remote server, a source told the Business Standard. According to the same, the security flaw was first reported by back in May 2015 by the University of Toronto. This is an alarming discovery indeed, as UC Browser takes up about 50 percent share of India's mobile browser market.

While the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has already begun sending notices to smartphone makers, services that operate out of China could be next if the UC Browser probe is any indicator of things to come.

The move by the government to probe into the security practices of data sharing by Chinese smartphone makers comes after the recent stand-off between India and China in Doklam.
Washington: The Secret Service can no longer pay hundreds of its agents to protect United States president Donald Trump and his large family, according to a top official.

Secret Service Director Randolph Alles, told the USA Today in an interview on Monday that more than 1,000 agents have already hit the federally mandated caps for salary and overtime allowances that were meant to last the entire year.

The agency has faced a crushing workload since the height of the contentious election season, and it has not relented in the first seven months of the administration.

Agents have to protect Trump, who has travelled almost every weekend to his properties in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia, and his children whose business trips and vacations have taken them across the country and overseas.

"The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law," Alles told USA Today. "I can't change that. I have no flexibility."

He said the service is grappling with an unprecedented number of White House protectees.

Under Trump, 42 people have protection, a number that includes 18 members of his family. During the Obama administration, only 31 people were under protection.

The compensation crunch is so serious that the Director has begun discussions with key lawmakers to raise the combined salary and overtime cap for agents, from $1,60,000 per year to $1,87,000 for at least the duration of Trump's first term.

But even if such a proposal was approved, about 130 veteran agents would not be fully compensated for hundreds of hours already amassed, according to the agency.

"I don't see this changing in the near term," Alles said.
While the new US strategy on Afghanistan announced by President Donald Trump on Monday offered nothing new or dramatic, it gave him the opportunity to make some salient points to his base and to try to sway them.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Trump slammed former president Barack Obama for announcing a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan.

Trump said US policy in Afghanistan will shift from a time-bound approach to one where decisions will be taken after examining circumstances on the ground. In short, the enemy will not be given advance notice of US plans in Afghanistan (another dig at Obama).

Breaking with the past, Trump announced that his administration would not take part in nation building in distant lands but would stick to protecting US interests.

"I share the American peoples frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money  and, most importantly, lives  trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations, Trump said.

Having broadly outlined his new approach to Afghanistan, Trump was rather light on the details. An increase of around 4,000 troops to add to the 8,500 troops already in Afghanistan seemed like the only change.

Trump has favoured pulling US troops from Afghanistan. He has long since admitted his frustration over the long war which has yielded very little fruit.

"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts, Trump said. But all my life, Ive heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.

Some in the administration, including defence secretary James Mattis, are delighted that cooler heads have prevailed.

Trump tried to hard-sell his new Afghan strategy: Continuing America's decade long engagement with Afghanistan.

That is an anathema to his base, which is completely against nation building.

Trump said that a hasty retreat from Afghanistan would lead to a vacuum which would soon be filled by Al-Qaeda, Islamic State and other extremist groups, who could once again target the US.

Trump, attempting to rally his base, said: Our troops will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: Attacking our enemies, obliterating the Islamic State, crushing Al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge.

Trump also said that Americas diplomatic, military and economic might will combine to ensure the defeat of extremists in Afghanistan.

But it's not as if the US wasn't doing this before.

Trump's harsh words for Pakistan

Donald Trump also had some sharp words for Pakistan. He warned Pakistan to fall in line. Or else.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations," Trump declared.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists."

America, has over the years, become increasingly estranged from Pakistan and its strong military.

The ISI and CIA once worked closely together to arm and fund the Afghan Mujahideen to expel the Russians from Afghanistan.

But America is seemingly growing weary of the Pakistan Army's double dealings.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," Trump added.

However, like every other US president, Trump seems to realise that in Afghanistan, only a political solution can yield results.

So while Pakistan may be in the dog house at the moment, the US will need its help in bringing the Taliban to the bargaining table. Which is Pakistan's trump card (no pun intended).

'New Delhi, a strategic partner'

As US-Pakistan relations have deteriorated, India's ties with America have improved drastically.

The equation changed when George W Bush offered India a civil nuclear deal.

Trump also mentioned India in his address. He said New Delhi was a strategic partner and must do its bit for Afghanistan's economic development.

India has done a lot of good work in Afghanistan and will have little trouble in expanding its footprint. How India plans to take this forward remains to be seen.

No good options

Trump took his time with his Afghanistan policy. A review of the US' options in Afghanistan was to have been completed ahead of his meeting with NATO leaders in May.

Candidate Trump was skeptical of US being involved in an open-ended war in Afghanistan and said it had no chance of victory.

The president received many different opinions from his advisors.

While Mattis was keen on keeping some troops in Afghanistan, former chief strategist Steve Bannon favoured a different approach: Using paid mercenaries to train Afghan troops and fight by their side.

Erik Prince, founder of the notorious Blackwater company (now Academi), pitched hard for this. Prince is the brother of Trumps education minister.

There was always a chance that Academi would get its way as long as Bannon remained in the White House.

But Bannon's exit put an end to any such notion.

It probably didn't help that this idea was vehemently opposed by Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani.

It remains to be seen how all this unfolds.

But for the US in Afghanistan, there seem to be no good options.
New York: In possibly the sternest warning to Pakistan by an American leader, United States president Donald Trump has put Islamabad on notice, declaring it "has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists" and hinting at a direct action within that nation.

Outlining a new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia before at a meeting of 2,000 United States military personnel at Fort Meyer near Washington, he forthrightly accused Pakistan of giving "safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror".

In an implied warning to Islamabad, he added, "These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide  that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

Asserting that "the next pillar of our new strategy is a change in our approach to Pakistan," he reverted to his trademark blunt style and said, "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond."

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan," he added. "It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists."

"We will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan," he said.

"These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide  that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

"I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defence and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy," he said.

While he talked of a new strategy, he played the cards close to his chest. He did not provide any specifics, saying, "We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

He added that he would not set any timetables  which his predecessor Barack Obama had.

Trump said, "From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating Islamic State, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

Another important change to United States policy that he announced was a break from the failed policies of his predecessors to build democracies around the world, sometimes at the point of a gun as in Iraq.

He called the new policy "Principled Realism" and said, "We will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in far away lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image  those days are now over."

He added, "We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better lives."

He raised the spectre of nuclear threats at two levels. "We must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us," Trump said.

The other danger he saw was from Pakistan's backing for terrorists against India.

"The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict," he said.
Beijing: China on Tuesday jumped to the defence of its all-weather ally Pakistan in the wake of US president Donald Trump's stern warning to it over providing safe havens to terrorists, saying that Islamabad is at the frontline of combating terrorism.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, while reacting to Trump's comments on Pakistan, said, "Hope the relevant policy decision by US side will be conducive to promoting security, stability of the relevant region."

"(On) President Trump's remarks on Pakistan, I should say that Pakistan is at the frontline of fighting terrorism, has made sacrifices in fighting terrorism, making an important contribution to upholding peace and stability," Hua said, strongly defending Beijing's all-weather friend.

Trump, in his address, said a pillar of his new strategy was a change in America's approach to Pakistan.

He slammed Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in a warning to Pakistan.

Hua, in response to Trump's scathing criticism of Pakistan's support to terror groups, said, "I think the international community should truly affirm" the efforts by Pakistan in combating terrorism.

"We are pleased to see US and Pakistan to conduct cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts on the basis of mutual respect and contribute to the global peace and stability," she said.

In his speech, Trump slammed Islamabad for harbouring militants who target US service members.

"But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace," Trump said.
Washington: Reversing his past calls for a speedy exit, President Donald Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan Monday night, declaring US troops must "fight to win." He pointedly declined to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched to wage America's longest war.

In a prime-time address to unveil his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said the US would shift away from a "time-based" approach, instead linking its assistance to results and to cooperation from the beleaguered Afghan government, Pakistan and others. He insisted it would be a "regional" strategy that addressed the roles played by other South Asian nations  especially Pakistan's harbouring of elements of the Taliban.

"America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress," Trump said. "However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank cheque."

Still, Trump offered few details about how progress would be measured. Nor did he explain how his approach would differ substantively from what two presidents before him tried unsuccessfully over the past 16 years. Although Trump insisted he would "not talk about numbers of troops" or telegraph military moves in advance, he hinted that he'd embraced the Pentagon's proposal to boost troop numbers by nearly 4,000, augmenting the roughly 8,400 Americans there now.

Before becoming a candidate, Trump had ardently argued for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling the war a massive waste of US "blood and treasure" and declaring on Twitter, "Let's get out!" Seven months into his presidency, he said Monday night that though his "original instinct was to pull out," he'd since determined that approach could create a vacuum that terrorists including Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State would "instantly fill."

"We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy, with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will," Trump said in comments echoed by defence secretary Jim Mattis.

Earlier in 2017, Trump announced he was entrusting Mattis and the military with the decision about how many troops would be needed. In talking points sent Monday to congressional Republicans and supportive groups, the White House affirmed that the troop numbers were up to Mattis and added that the administration wasn't seeking more money from Congress for the strategy in the current fiscal year, which concludes at the end of September.

While Trump stressed his strategy was about more than just the military, he was vague on other "instruments of American power" he said would be deployed in full force to lead Afghanistan toward peace, such as economic development or new engagement with Pakistan and India. Absent military specifics, it was difficult to assess how his plan might dissolve the stalemate between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

On one point  the definition of victory  Trump was unequivocal. He said American troops would "fight to win" by attacking enemies, "crushing" Al-Qaeda, preventing terror attacks against Americans and "obliterating" the Islamic State group, whose affiliate has gained a foothold in Afghanistan as the US squeezes the extremists in Syria and Iraq.

Trump's definition of a win notably did not include defeating the Taliban, the group whose harbouring of Al-Qaeda led the US to war in Afghanistan in the days after the 9/11 attacks. Like President Barack Obama before him, Trump conceded that any solution that brings peace to Afghanistan may well involve the Taliban's participation. "Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan," Trump said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in a statement after the speech, said the US was ready to support peace talks with the Taliban "without preconditions."

Talk of future Taliban reconciliation was one of several echoes of Obama woven into Trump's plan. Like Trump, Obama insisted near the start of his presidency that the "days of providing a blank check are over," urged a regional approach and said US assistance would be based on performance.

Still, Trump was intent on differentiating his approach from his predecessors  at least in rhetoric. He emphasised there would be no timelines, no hamstringing of the military and no divorcing of Afghanistan from the region's broader problems. One step being considered to further squeeze Pakistan is to cut foreign aid programs unless Islamabad clamps down on the Taliban and an associated group known as the Haqqani network, senior administration officials told reporters ahead of Trump's speech. Using civilian and military aid as a pressure lever with the Pakistanis has been tried for years.

Trump's speech concluded a months-long internal debate within his administration over whether to pull back from the Afghanistan conflict, as he and a few advisers were inclined to do, or to embroil the US further in a war that has eluded American solutions for the past 16 years. Several times, officials predicted he was nearing a decision to adopt his commanders' recommendations, only to see the final judgment delayed.

And while Trump has pledged to put "America First," keeping US interests above any others, his national security advisers have warned that the Afghan forces are still far too weak to succeed without help. Even now, Afghan's government controls just half the country.

In Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid dismissed Trump's speech as "old" and his policy as "unclear." But the plan was cheered by Afghanistan's government. Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan envoy to Washington, called it a "10 out of 10." "We heard exactly what we needed to," Mohib said in a phone interview. "The focus on the numbers has taken away the real focus on what should have been: what conditions are required and what kind of support is necessary."

Among US elected officials, the reception was equally mixed, reflecting the deep divisions among Americans about whether to lean into the conflict or pull back.

John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman who'd criticised Trump for delays in presenting a plan, said the president was "now moving us well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of merely postponing defeat."

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the speech was "low on details but raises serious questions." "Tonight, the president said he knew what he was getting into and had a plan to go forward. Clearly, he did not," said Pelosi.

At its peak, the US had roughly 1,00,000 in Afghanistan, under the Obama administration in 2010-2011. The residual forces have been focused on advising and training Afghan forces and on counter-terror operations  missions that aren't expected to dramatically change under Trump's plan.

"I share the America people's frustration," Trump said. But he insisted, "In the end, we will win."
US president Donald Trump has just issued an unambiguous public rebuke to Pakistan. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," he said.

This will not make Pakistan swerve away from such groups. It might become more operationally circumspect, but it is adept at playing both sides. On the other hand, this clear US positioning may make Pakistan more defiant, even if not immediately.

Battle lines

The bottom line is that battle lines are being drawn. Trump spoke of engaging in "battle" but did not specify against whom. "I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will," he said.

This is an unsettling statement for two reasons. On one hand, Trump ignored the China-Russia-Iran-Pakistan axis that has become evident over the past few months. On the other, he highlighted the conflict between India and Pakistan, saying that "Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen."

Trump committed the US "to further develop its strategic partnership with India." Many Indian strategists count on this partnership, but they must be cautious about the pronouncements of a president who is not known for consistency.

Afghan focus

The speech on Monday night (Tuesday morning in India) focused primarily on Afghanistan. Trump said India must spend more on development there. For its part, the US will commit more troops to fight the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other groups based in the Af-Pak region.

The problem in all this is geography. Afghanistan is landlocked, and there is a limit to the volume of air transportation. So, to reach Afghanistan, either the US or India need to cross Pakistan.

The real battle lines are that other regional powers, namely China, Russia and Iran, are on Pakistans side. In fact, the real reason for retaining US troops there is Afghanistans location, not to speak of its mineral wealth.

Conditional support

Trumps commitment of support for India has also been made in the context of that geostrategic reality. In his 26-minute speech, he did not mention China, leave alone Doka La or Kashmir.

Even his invitation for India to play a role in Afghanistan as an ally of the US was more to do with telling India that it must spend more there than about participating in strategic planning for south Asialeave alone what he called the "the broader Indo-Pacific region."

Trump said plainly that "India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development."

Choke points

A retired US major general who has coordinated US supply lines through Pakistan in the past observed soon after Trumps combative speech that it might actually lead Pakistan to "shut the gates" for the supply lines from Karachi to the US troops in Afghanistan.

In fact, those supply lines do not just cross the length of Pakistan, they cut across the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, in which China is investing tens of billions of dollars. China and Russia both intend to use that corridor to reach the Arabian Sea. The route for Russia would need to go through Afghanistan.

One can be sure that there will be a coordinated response to Trumps speech from China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan. The intent of all four will be to get the US to leave Afghanistan, or at least minimise its involvement in that country.

The US does not have a happy record of maintaining strategic advantage after a 'surge' in troops. Whether or not its current plans for Afghanistan succeed, India should build strategies to promote its own security and strategic interests.
US president Donald Trump on Monday addressed the military and his nation to reveal his plans for Afghanistan and South Asia.

Reversing his past calls for a speedy exit, Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, declaring US troops must "fight to win." He pointedly declined to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched to wage America's longest war.

In a prime-time address to unveil his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said the US would shift away from a "time-based" approach, instead linking its assistance to results and to cooperation from the beleaguered Afghan government, Pakistan and others.

Here's the full text of the US president's speech:

Thank you very much. Thank you. Please be seated.

Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan. Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer and every member of the United States military at home and abroad.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search and recovery efforts.

I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the servicemembers here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home. Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history.

American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their lives -- and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality.

By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under God. The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared sense of purpose.

They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together -- and sacrifice together -- in absolutely perfect cohesion. That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters. They're all part of the same family; it's called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.

The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together.

Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.

The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.

As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas -- and we will always win -- let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name that, when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.

Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th -- and nobody can ever forget that -- have not been repeated on our shores.

But we must also acknowledge the reality I am here to talk about tonight: that nearly 16 years after September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history -- 17 years.

I share the American peoples frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.

That is why, shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of Defense Mattis and my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia.

My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you're President of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy. I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about Americas core interests in Afghanistan.

First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need, and the trust they have earned, to fight and to win.

Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th.

And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.

Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense. Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world.

For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen.

No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But, one way or another, these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win.

We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now -- the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.

We need look no further than last weeks vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children. You saw it for yourself. Horrible.

As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology.

Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and predators, and -- that's right -- losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, Americas interests are clear: We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter.

But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history. As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways:

A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. Ive said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options. We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.

Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power -- diplomatic, economic, and military -- toward a successful outcome.

Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field.

Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices.

But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.

Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the worlds largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate Indias important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development. We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work quickly.

I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles. They are won in the field drawing upon the judgment and expertise of wartime commanders and frontline soldiers acting in real time, with real authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.

Thats why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and Americans arms. Retribution will be fast and powerful.

As we lift restrictions and expand authorities in the field, we are already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.

Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force.

Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will. Since taking office, I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense, and they have done so.

In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.

Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed.

But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward.

Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country. But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace.

America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open.

In abiding by the oath I took on January 20th, I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists take heed: America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat.

Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military. And this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense. In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed. We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.

Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of Americas greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.

Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after September 11th, 2001. They volunteered for a simple reason: They loved America, and they were determined to protect her.

Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives. We must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad. We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid.

Our actions, and in the months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation. With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of peace.

We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you. Thank you. May God bless our military. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)

The full speech has been reproduced from the official White House website and has not been edited by Firstpost.
The US on Monday ruled out a hasty withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan as President Donald Trump warned Pakistan of consequences if it continues to provide safe haven to terror groups. He also sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

He highlighted the fact that Pakistan and India are nuclear armed states and their tense relations could spiral into conflict, reported ANI.

Pakistan and India are nuclear armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict, and that could happen: Donald Trump  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

Trump, in a prime-time televised address to the nation, laid out his South Asia policy, saying a "critical part" of it was to further develop US' strategic partnership with India. He said after a "comprehensive review", it has been decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically.

No rapid exit from Afghanistan

In his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump discarded his previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from "behind the desk in the Oval Office."

"My instinct was to pull out," Trump admitted as he spoke of frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars. But following months of discussion, Trump said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable" and leaving a "vacuum" that terrorists "would instantly fill."

"A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said many times how counter-productive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations," Trump said in his address.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said as he announced his South Asia policy in front of about 2,000 people from all five services and top officials of his administration.

Trump detailed several of the US's goals in Afghanistan, including "obliterating IS", "preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan" and strengthening Afghan security forces. He noted that "the stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do."

Trump for the first time also left the door open to an eventual political deal with the Taliban. "Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan," he said. "But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen," he added, before vowing that "America will continue its support for the Afghan government and military as they confront the Taliban in the field."

Warning to Pakistan over continued support to terrorist groups

Trump lashed out at Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in a apparent warning to Pakistan.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had spoken with Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani to discuss how they can help in shaping President Donald Trump's new South Asia strategy.

Enhanced role for India

The US president reached out to India, seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said. "We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said.

He also said that he wants to further develop strategic partnership with India to achieve country's goals in Afghanistan, saying American troops "will fight to win" and "from now on victory will have a clear definition."

Modest increase in troops in Afghanistan

Trump's plan involves a modest increase of several thousand troops.

According to Pentagon, additional troops, above current levels of about 8,500, would serve very specific purposes, including boosting training, capacity-building and allowing advisers to work more closely with Afghan soldiers along the front lines. The increase was effectively approved in June, when Trump gave defence secretary James Mattis gave the go-ahead to boost levels by as many as 3,900 troops.

US commanders would bring in additional advisers to support Afghan special forces, the Afghan air force and the Afghan army and police professional schools, such as the infantry and artillery schools, according to CNN.

With inputs from agencies
President Donald Trump on Monday made several thundering announcements regarding US' strategy in Afghanistan where it has been waging a war for the last 16 years, while also warning old ally Pakistan for providing safe havens to terrorist organisations.

The US president said that he would be open to a "political agreement with the Taliban" and also confirmed Washington's support to the Afghan government, army and people. Trump also warned Islamabad of "consequences" if it continues to support terror groups. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," he said.

The reactions from around the world were varied, ranging from encouraging to dismissive. Here are a few of these:

India: India welcomed Trump's speech, saying it shares these concerns with Washington. "India shares these concerns and objectives," external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. "We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people. We will continue these efforts, including partnerships with other countries," Kumar added.

China: China jumped to Pakistan's defence, saying that Islamabad is at the frontline of combating terrorism. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "Hope the relevant policy decision by the US will be conducive to promoting security and stability of the relevant region. Pakistan is at the frontline of fighting terrorism, has made sacrifices in fighting terrorism, making an important contribution to upholding peace and stability. I think the international community should truly affirm the efforts by Pakistan in combating terrorism."

Pakistan Army: A spokesperson for the Pakistan Army said that his country had taken action against all Islamist militants including the Haqqani network, which is allied with the Afghan Taliban. "There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. We have operated against all terrorists, including (the) Haqqani network," said Pakistan armed forces spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor. "We carried out indiscriminate operations, across the board and did not ask anyone that what kind of terrorist they were."

Afghanistan: Afghanistan on Tuesday welcomed Trump's speech, saying it's "grateful" to Trump and the American people. "The strategy puts emphasis on enhancing Afghan air power and doubling the size of the Afghan Special Forces. This strategy allows the region to work together in achieving mutual goals of peace and prosperity, and provides a clear pathway for regional countries to end support for non-State actors," President Ashraf Ghani said.

Taliban: The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become a "graveyard" for the US following Trump's decision. "If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century. As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale, will continue our jihad," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

NATO: NATO allies said they are "fully committed" towards helping the US out on its mission. NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement, "NATO remains fully committed to Afghanistan and I am looking forward to discussing the way ahead with the US (defence) secretary (James) Mattis and our allies and international partners."

Britain: Britain, a leading NATO member, called US' commitment very welcoming. "US' commitment is very welcome," British defence secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement. "In my call with Mattis, we agreed that despite the challenges, we have to stay the course in Afghanistan to help build up its fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist threat to the West. It's in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer, and that's why we announced our own troop increase back in June."

With inputs from agencies
Washington: President Donald Trump is vowing to win what has seemed to be an unwinnable war.

How he plans to do so is still murky despite the months of internal deliberations that ultimately persuaded Trump to stick with a conflict he has long opposed.

In a 26-minute address to the nation on Monday, Trump alluded to more American troops deploying to Afghanistan, but refused to say how many. He said victory would be well-defined, but outlined only vague benchmarks for success, like dismantling al-Qaida and preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan. He said the United States would not offer Afghanistan a "blank check," but provided no specific timetable for the end of an American commitment that has already lasted 16 years.

Instead, Trump projected an "I got this" bravado that has become a hallmark of his presidency.

"In the end, we will win," he declared of America's longest war.

Victory in Afghanistan has eluded Trump's predecessors: President George W Bush, who launched the war after the 11 September, 2001 attacks, and President Barack Obama, who surged United States troop levels to 100,000, but ultimately failed in fulfilling his promise to bring the conflict to a close before leaving office.

As Trump now takes his turn at the helm, he faces many of the same challenges that have bedeviled those previous presidents and left some United States officials deeply uncertain about whether victory is indeed possible.

Afghanistan remains one of the world's poorest countries and corruption is embedded in its politics. The Taliban is resurgent. And Afghan forces remain too weak to secure the country without American help.

"When we had 100,000 Uniteds States troops in Afghanistan, we couldn't secure the whole country," said Ben Rhodes, who served as Obama's deputy national security adviser.

Trump offered up many of the same solutions tried by his predecessors. He vowed to get tough on neighboring Pakistan, to push for reforms in Afghanistan and to moderate ambitions. The United States will not be caught in the quagmire of democracy-building abroad, he said, promising a "principled realism" focused only on United States interests would guide his decisions.

Obama promised much of the same.

By simply sticking with the Afghan conflict, Trump's plan amounts to a victory for the military men increasingly filling Trump's inner circle and a stinging defeat for the nationalist supporters who saw in Trump a like-minded skeptic of Ujnited States intervention in long and costly overseas conflicts. Chief among them is ousted adviser Steve Bannon, whose website Breitbart News blared criticism Monday of the establishment's approach to running he war.

After Trump's speech, one headline on the website read: "UNLIMITED WAR." Another said, "What Does Victory in Afghanistan Look Like? Washington Doesn't Know."

Now Trump leads Washington and that question falls for him to answer. As a candidate, he energized millions of war-weary voters with an "America First" mantra and now faces the challenges of explaining how that message translates to United States involvement in a war across the globe, likely for years to come.

In a rare moment of public self-reflection, Trump acknowledged that his position on Afghanistan had changed since taking office and sought to sway his supporters who would normally oppose a continuation of the war.

"My original instinct was to pull out," Trump said. "But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office, in other words, when you're president of the United States."

Trump pointed to "three fundamental conclusions" about United States interests in Afghanistan  all of which appeal to patriotism and nationalistic pride.

The president said the nation needs to seek "an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices" made by United States soldiers  a line that harkened back to promises made by Richard Nixon during the 1968 campaign to bring "an honorable end" to the war in Vietnam.

Trump also warned that a rapid exit would create a vacuum that terrorists like the Islamic State group and al-Qaida would fill, leading to conditions similar to before the 11 September, 2001, attacks. And he noted that the security threats in Afghanistan are "immense," and made the case that it is key to protecting the United States.

The United States currently has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan. Pentagon officials proposed plans to send in nearly 4,000 more to boost training and advising of the Afghan forces and bolster counterterrorism operations against the Taliban and an Islamic State group affiliate trying to gain a foothold in the country.

To those service members, Trump promised nothing short of success.

"The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory," he said. "They deserve the tools they need and the trust they have earned to fight and to win."
United States president Donald Trump seems to have come a long way in his stand on Afghanistan and the US involvement in the protracted war. From declaring, "We should leave Afghanistan immediately" to backtracking and saying, "You have to stay in Afghanistan for a while", the president seems to have a confused view of how the US should go forward in the war.

We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives. If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick. Rebuild the US first.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2013

On Monday, he ruled out a hasty withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and even warned Pakistan of consequences if it continues to provide safe haven to "agents of chaos". The president cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to the war-ravaged country. "My instinct was to pull out," Trump said as he spoke of his frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars. But following months of deliberation, Trump said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable" leaving a "vacuum" that terrorists "would instantly fill." "We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists," he warned.

A similar set of warning has come from the terrorists for the US. The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become "a graveyard" for the United States following Trumps decision. "If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement. He added that America should think of an exit strategy "instead of continuing the war". "As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale, will continue our jihad," Mujahid said.

Breitbart News, owned by Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, took an aggressive and critical approach to the president's policy. It said on its homepage that Trump has "reversed course" and "defended flip-flop in sombre speech."

Defence Secretary James Mattis said, "Together, we will assist the Afghan Security forces to destroy the terrorist hub. The president has provided his strategic guidance for the South Asia strategy following a rigorous review. I have directed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make preparations to carry out the presidents strategy."

Speaker Paul Ryan praised the president in a CNN interview for the new Afghan policy. "What I heard tonight for the first time I think I heard a new Trump strategy or a doctrine, so to speak. Principled realism is how I think he described it," he said. Meanwhile, retired army special forces officer Michael Waltz, who served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan, said he is proud of Trump because making potentially controversial moves like these takes true leadership, as Fox News reported.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the United States would "stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions." Senator John McCain described the strategy as "a big step in the right direction." Democrats meanwhile voiced concern with what House minority leader Nancy Pelosi called "an open-ended commitment of American lives with no accountability to the American people."

"President Trump says there will be no ceiling on the number of troops and no timeline for withdrawal," she said. New York Democratic senator Kirsten Gillibrand said Trump's speech was "terribly lacking" in details, substance and "a vision of what success in Afghanistan looks like," CNN reported.

Afghanistan, on its part, lauded the president's decision. The country's ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib thanked Trump for breaking America's silence on Pakistan, which has been harbouring terrorists for attacks against its neighbours. "We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account both our countries' needs and considerations. This is the first time a focus has been put on what Afghanistan must have to succeed, and we are grateful for this outcome," Mohib said after Trump concluded his speech on Afghanistan and South Asia. Mohib said Trump has embraced a strategy that gives Afghanistan what it needs, specifically a shift away from talking about timetables and numbers to letting conditions on the ground determine military strategy.

Read Ambassador @hmohib's statement on @POTUS announcement tonight regarding US policy toward #Afghanistan and Southeast Asia. pic.twitter.com/SKtddSQptT  Afghan Embassy DC (@Embassy_of_AFG) August 22, 2017

Reacting to Trumps harsh words, a Pakistani Army spokesperson said that his country had taken action against all Islamist militants including the Haqqani network, which is allied to Afghan Taliban. "There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. We have operated against all terrorists, including (the) Haqqani network," spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said.

India on Tuesday welcomed the US policy on Afghanistan and Trump's determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confront issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. "India shares these concerns and objectives", external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Kumar said India was also committed to supporting the government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity to their country.

With inputs from agencies
Kabul: The Taliban dismissed Donald Trump's strategy for Afghanistan as vague and "nothing new" on Tuesday after the United States president cleared the way for thousands more American troops to be sent to the war-torn country.

"For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, told AFP.

He added that the militants were preparing a formal statement which would be released later.

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief late on Monday, though he did not offer specifics.

He said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable", leaving a vacuum that terrorists "would instantly fill."

A senior Taliban commander told AFP that Trump was just perpetuating the "arrogant behaviour" of previous presidents such as George Bush.

"He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

"For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath," he told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He added that the statement proved the current Afghan government "is a United States puppet".

The insurgents also signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the American embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack late on Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the city's diplomatic quarter, with no casualties reported.

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

He also lambasted ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment, told AFP that Trump "has proved it's a Crusade".

"His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community)," he said.

Prior to Trump's announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Kandahar (Afghanistan): Afghanistan on Tuesday welcomed President Donald Trump's speech clearing the way for thousands more US troops to be deployed in the country, backtracking on his election promise rapidly to quit America's longest war.

In a speech to troops in southern Kandahar, birthplace of the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani said Trump's first formal address as commander-in-chief on Tuesday showed that America was "with us, without any time limit".

"You cannot win this war," Ghani told the Taliban, calling on them to join talks and saying that Afghanistan wants peace with neighbouring Pakistan, long accused of fuelling the insurgency.

Trump pilloried US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos". He discarded his previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from "behind the desk in the Oval Office".

"My instinct was to pull out," Trump said as he spoke of his frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.

But following months of deliberation, Trump said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable"  a vacuum which terrorists "would instantly fill".

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Trump warned that the approach would now be more pragmatic than idealistic. Security assistance to Afghanistan was "not a blank check" he said, adding: "We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists."

The US has grown increasingly weary of the conflict that began in October 2001 as a hunt for the 9/11 attackers and has turned into a vexed effort to keep Afghanistan's divided and corruption-plagued democracy alive amid a brutal Taliban

insurgency.

In response to Trump, the Islamist group vowed to make the country "a graveyard" for the US and said it would continue its "jihad" as long as American troops remained in the country.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement.

"We want peace from Pakistan, they cannot provide safe havens to anyone anymore," Ghani said in Kandahar.

But ahead of the speech Pakistan's military insisted the country has done all it can to tackle militancy.

Trump for the first time also left the door open to an eventual political deal with the Taliban.

"Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan," he said.

"But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen," he added, before vowing that "America will continue its support for the Afghan government and military as they confront the Taliban in the field".

His Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went further, saying the US would "stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions".

In 2010 the US had upwards of 100,000 US military personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Today that figure is around 8,400 US troops and the situation is as deadly as ever.

More than 2,500 Afghan police and troops have been killed already this year.
President Donald Trump may be reviled within his own country for his mercurial temperament but his long awaited Afghan strategy is going to find strong support in some quarters.

US National Security Advisor HR McMaster and the generals at the helm in Afghanistan are well aware of the dangers of abandoning Afghanistan at a crucial juncture.

The Taliban are sweeping the country and reports suggest a greater concentration of Islamic State elements across the land.

In India, there is much cause for satisfaction, mixed with cautious optimism.

While framing their strategy, US generals would have known that there was never much chance that Trump would sanction a large troop increase.

During his campaign for president, candidate Trump called US involvement in Afghanistan "a disaster".

It was clear that his supporters preferred completely pulling troops out of Afghanistan.

Trump has, as president, reasonably asked for a definition of "victory": An end of US military involvement and no more loss of American lives.

A marginal increase in the troop levels indicates a president fully aware of the Afghanistan threat. That nation is emerging as a haven for terrorists of all stripes.

But the overall strategy represents the middle ground rather than a bold break from past policy.

As such, around 4,000 troops will be sent, far below what is necessary to fight a well-entrenched insurgency.

Indias own experience has shown that insurgency can only be fought by virtually flooding the affected areas with troops and restricting the movement of terrorists almost entirely.

Even though these troops are likely to be backed by several hundred private contractors, the US military strategy is tentative and will not bring the  victory the president seeks.

In Afghanistan, military prowess isn't enough to win a war. Even if the US had increased troop levels substantially, the key to succeeding in Afghanistan remains pressuring Pakistan to act.

Trump, talking about Pakistan, said much to gladden Indian hearts.

Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists, Donald Trump said.

That's as close as he will ever get to issuing a public threat to the Pakistan Army.

His statement would have sent shock waves through Rawalpindi.

But the problem is that the Pakistani establishment remains greatly enamoured of the attention that Beijing has bestowed upon it in the form over $40 billion in investment.

The view from army headquarters is that the US Eagle  even with the latest in missile technology  can do little in the face of the Chinese Dragon.

But Beijing has little love for jihadists who have spread out all over Afghanistan.

If strong US pressure on Pakistan is the order of the day, China is likely to extend its own cautionary message to its ally, though in a more private setting.

The Chinese plans for South Asia (and beyond) require an end to violence and insurgency. The sooner the better.

India has much to cheer.

Pakistan's four decade long interference in Afghanistan has constantly been a thorn in India's side.

India was apprehensive of militants being trained in Afghanistan's "ungoverned territory and had long feared for the future of an old historical and cultural ally. Afghans have always been welcome in India. After all, Rabindranath Tagores Kabuliwala was not created in a vacuum.

The US exhortation to India to do more in Afghanistan remains limited to economic assistance.

India had already promised this in a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ashraf Ghani in September 2016.

That meeting ended with India making a commitment to assist Afghanistan across several sectors: Skill development, education, health, agriculture, empowerment of women, energy, infrastructure and strengthening democratic institutions.

India also added a billion dollars to its Afghanistan kitty, bringing the total to $2 billion.

If Trump echoed the sentiment of his base when he said Afghanistan cannot expect a "blank cheque", Modi echoed his own voters when he told Afghanistan "India will not forget you or turn you away" while inaugurating the Salma Dam in June 2016.

To sum things up, the US troop increase will not fundamentally change matters on the ground.

What is will do is to send a signal that its commitment to eradicate terrorism continues, that its backing of Kabul continues  with some reservations  and that it is in no mood to listen to Pakistan's whingeing.

On the whole, that's good.

If that leads to Pakistan completely cutting off support to terrorists, so much the better.

And that's when we can bring out the chai shireen in Kabul.

The sweeter the better.
New York: Davan Maharaj, who was the highest ranking Indian American newspaper journalist, has been removed as the top editor and publisher of The Los Angeles Times in a shakeup of the publication's leadership.

The newspaper reported on Monday that Tronc, the parent company of the LA Times, had also removed three other high-level editors in what it described as a "dramatic shake-up" at the fifth largest newspaper in the US with a circulation of about 500,000.

Ross Levinsohn was named to succeed Maharaj as the publisher and Jim Kirk as the editor.

Levinsohn is a former executive of Fox Interactive Media, owned Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox, and interim CEO of Yahoo.

Kirk was the editor and publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Maharaj, who began his editorial career at the Trinidad Express in his native Caribbean country, worked his way up the LA Times from an intern at to the top spot.

Along the way he was a foreign correspondent in Africa, assistant foreign editor, business editor and managing editor. He became editor in 2011 and added the title of publisher last year.

He also oversaw six local newspapers, two Spanish language newspapers and several websites.

Last year, another Indian American at the LA Times, S Mitra Kalita, who was the Managing Editor for Digital Strategy, left the newspaper to become the vice president for programming at CNN Digital.

The LA Times was purchased in 2000 by the Tribune Co., which was renamed Tronc.

The parent company has been in a state of turmoil, weathering a bankruptcy, change in ownership and the split of the newspaper and television properties.

The LA Times has undergone several rounds of layoffs. New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet, had been fired by the LA Times corporate management in 2006 when he was the editor there refusing to carry out layoffs.

While announcing the changes Tronc CEO Justin Dearborn said the company would invest more in the LA Times and would like it to reach Asia and South America, the LA Times reported.
Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday expanded his Cabinet by inducting 15 more state ministers, making it the third largest in Nepal's history.

With the latest expansion, Deuba now heads a 46-member jumbo council of ministers, which includes three deputy prime ministers, 19 ministers and 23 state ministers. The expansion came two days after Deuba inducted eight state ministers from former prime minister Prachanda's CPN (Maoist-Centre) party, a coalition partner in the government. The newly-inducted members were administered the oath at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The expansion comes a day before Deuba embarks on a five-day state visit to India.

The Deuba Cabinet is the thirst largest ever in Nepal. In 1996, Deuba, who has become the prime minister of the Himalayan country for the fourth time, chaired a 48-member Cabinet. Baburam Bhattarai, who was the prime minister of Nepal from August 2011 to March 2013, led a Cabinet of 49 members. The newly-appointed state ministers include Seeta Gurung for Physical Infrastructure and Transport; Sarita Prasain for Agriculture Development; Shesh Nath Adhikari for Education; Nar Bahadur Chand for Commerce; Abdul Rajjaki for Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Tapta Bahadur Bista for Information and Communications; Amar Sing Pun for Irrigation; Dilman Pakhrin for Law and Justice; Uday Shamsher Rana for Finance; Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary for Labour and Employment. Teju Lal Chaudhary for Youth and Sports; Champa Devi Khadka for Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation; Janakraj Chaudhary for Federal Affairs and Local Development; Sumitra Tharuni for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; and Yashoda Kumari Lama for Lands Reforms.

Out of 15 state ministers, the Nepali Congress has 12 ministers and Nepal Loktantrik Forum has three ministers.
Rawalpindi: Pakistan's military brushed off speculation on Monday that a new US strategy for neighbouring Afghanistan could include taking a stronger line against Islamabad, insisting the country has done all it can to tackle militancy.

US President Donald Trump is set to announce his long-awaited decision on America's way forward in Afghanistan later Monday, nearly 16 years after the US invasion, and reports claim it could include changes in Washington's policy towards Pakistan.

Some in Washington believe Islamabad has not done enough to persuade the Afghan Taliban to renounce violence, and doubt its willingness to tackle the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, based in the border areas between the two countries and long thought to have ties to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment.

But on Monday, a Pakistani military spokesman said no group had been spared in ongoing offensives against militants, telling a press conference in the garrison city of Rawalpindi hours before Trump's announcement "there is no organised infrastructure of any terrorist organisation in Pakistan".

"Let it come," army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters, referring to Trump's decision. "Even if it comes... Pakistan shall do whatever is best in the national interest."

Led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also the Taliban's deputy leader, the Haqqani network has carried out numerous operations deep in the heart of Kabul, and have been blamed by Afghanistan for a devastating truck bombing that killed more than 150 people in the capital in May.

Last month, the US Defense Department withheld USD 50 million in Pakistan military payments after Pentagon chief Jim Mattis determined Islamabad was not doing enough to counter the Haqqanis.

But Ghafoor said the network had not been exempted during recent offensives targeting insurgent strongholds in the country's restive tribal belt along the Afghan border.

"We carried out indiscriminate operation, across the board and did not ask anyone that what kind of terrorist you are," Ghafoor said.

The Pakistani military has "cleared all the areas", he said, adding that the country had gone beyond its capacity to tackle militancy.

Pakistan frequently fires back at US criticism of its tactics, saying the country has yet to receive appropriate credit for the tens of thousands of lives lost and billions spent battling extremists.
Washington: The US on Tuesday slapped sanctions on 10 Russian and Chinese companies and six individuals for helping in advancing North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programme by conducting business with the reclusive nation.

As a result of Tuesday's action, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of US persons or within the United States must be blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, the US treasury department said in a statement.

The sanctions target third-country companies and individuals that assist already-designated persons who support North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, deal in the North Korean energy trade, facilitate its exportation of workers, and enable sanctioned North Korean entities to access US and international financial systems.

"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," said Treasury Secretary Steven T Mnuchin.

Some of the prominent companies and individuals slapped with sanctions are China-based Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co, Moscow-based Gefest-M LLC and its director, Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and China and Hong Kong-based Mingzheng International Trading Limited.

"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilise the region," Mnuchin said.

"We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activity in the future," he said.

The treasury also designated three Chinese coal companies collectively responsible for importing nearly half a billion dollars' worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.
London: London's iconic Big Ben bell fell silent on Monday for four years of costly renovation work, with its final 12 bongs ringing for midday in front of a crowd of over a thousand people.

The midday bongs were the last regular chimes from the famous bell, one of the world's most famous clock towers of the 19th century, until the repairs to its tower are complete.

It will still be used for special occasions, including New Year's Eve.

There were cheers and applause from a crowd of tourists and onlookers on the green opposite as the final chime rang out.

The Elizabeth Tower, as it is officially known, is said to be the most photographed building in the UK.

The decision to switch it off to protect workers' hearing has sparked a debate about the length of time it will be silent, with MPs not being told it would be four years, the longest period in its history.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said "it can't be right" that the famous bongs will not be heard again until 2021 and has asked for the proposals to be reviewed.

The House of Commons has said it will look again at the length of time Big Ben will be silenced after "concerns" were raised.

The 29 million pound restoration of the Big Ben was signed off in 2015 by the Commons Administration Committee.

A small group of MPs gathered by the members' entrance to the Houses of Parliament on Monday to mark the occasion of the London landmark's final chimes.

"This is a desperately sad moment and you don't know what you've got till it's gone," said Labour MP Stephen Pound.

Some Eurosceptic Conservative MPs have previously called for the bongs to ring at midnight after the UK officially leaves the EU on 29 March, 2019.

Members of the public and tourists also packed into Parliament Square and lined Westminster Bridge to hear the final bongs.

There were cheers and applause as the final chime rang out.

The Great Bell, the official name for Big Ben, traditionally rings every hour to the note of E, accompanied by four quarter bells that chime every 15 minutes.

This is not the first time the bells have fallen silent - they were stopped for maintenance in 2007, and between 1983 and 1985.

"This essential programme of works will safeguard the clock on a long-term basis, as well as protecting and preserving its home, the Elizabeth Tower," said Steve Jaggs, keeper of the Great Clock.

As part of the elaborate repair programme, the roof of the Elizabeth Tower will be stripped off and restored, the bell frame repaired, leaks into the clock room stemmed and a lift installed.

A brick enclosure in the tower will also be replaced with glass to allow Big Ben to be viewed by people walking up the staircase.

The colour scheme on the Great Clock will also be reportedly changed to give it a more "vibrant" look.

The 13.7-tonne Great Bell has sounded on the hour for 157 years and last fell silent in 2007. The Great Clock it forms part of is to be dismantled and repaired.

Meanwhile, the Ayrton Light, which shines when the House of Commons and Lords are sitting, will be "off for some time" but the timescale will not be finalised until later this year, it emerged during the weekend.

Located above the Great Bell known as Big Ben, the Ayrton Light  which is switched on in the evening whenever the Parliament is sitting  needs to be fully dismantled and restored. A temporary light will replace it, the House of Commons has said.

Installed in 1885, the historic lamp was previously turned off only during both world wars.
Madras (United States): Emotional sky-gazers on the US West Coast cheered and applauded Monday as the Sun briefly vanished behind the Moon -- a rare total solar eclipse that will stretch across North America for the first time in nearly a century.

Eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 70-mile (113-kilometer) wide path running through 14 US states, where the Moon will block out all light from the Sun.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups popped up nationwide for what NASA expects will be the most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media.

At about 1605 GMT, eclipse fans in Lincoln Beach, Oregon were the first to witness the partial phase of the eclipse.

More than 100,000 people have gathered in Madras, Oregon, typically a town of 7,000 for what experts described as perfect viewing conditions.

Totality began at 1716 GMT over Oregon and will end roughly 90 minutes later at 1848 GMT over Charleston, South Carolina.

In Los Angeles, "oohs and aahs" emanated from the crowd of thousands of people gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began.

Many hiked to the site to avoid massive traffic jams. Some watchers had fashioned their own pinhole projectors out of cardboard and scotch tape.

In Mexico, where there was a partial eclipse, astronomy buffs set up telescopes fitted with special sun filters in parks and squares in various cities.

"Put down your smartphone and experience this one emotionally, psychologically, physically, rather than just through the screen," advised prominent US astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Telescopes and smartphones

In the US capital, where 81 percent totality will occur, eclipse watchers flocked to the National Air and Space Museum, where solar telescopes were set up for the occasion. The National Zoo staged a viewing party, and national parks across the country organized programs for children.

In downtown Charleston, the last point in the path of totality, crowds of tourists -- some in special eclipse T-shirts and star-printed trousers -- made their way to the bustling East Coast city's storied waterfront to stake out a prime spot.

"It is very exciting," said Kwayera Davis, 34, an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston who was setting up telescopes in a waterfront park.

"Here we will get to see it because we are off on the water, with the shadow going off into the Atlantic."

One bar had installed outdoor speakers which blasted Bonnie Tyler's mega-hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" -- which she was to sing on a cruise ship on Monday.

"I am really pumped up about it," said t-shirt vendor Jan Dahouas, who is from Atlanta, Georgia.

"I hear it is supposed to be really moving."

President Donald Trump was expected to watch the partial eclipse from the White House with his wife Melania, his office said.

Many people who have seen eclipses in the past describe the experience as an emotional one, as the sky goes black, birds return to their nests and the air chills.

"It is such an incredible, sensory-overload kind of event," eclipse-chaser Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, told AFP of the first total solar eclipse he saw in the United States back in 1970.

'We're ready!'

Experts warn that looking directly at an eclipse can cause permanent eye damage.

"The damage can really be permanent and right smack in the center of their vision," said Vincent Jerome Giovinazzo, director of ophthalmology at Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health.

The only safe time to look at it is for those within the path of totality -- and only during the brief moments when the Sun is completely blocked.

Everyone else should use proper solar eyeglasses, which are far darker than regular ones, or make a pinhole projector to see the eclipse while avoiding the glare of the Sun.

Cloudy weather and thunderstorms threatened to dash viewers' hopes in some places, including Charleston.

But so far, it was sunny in South Carolina.

Some of the clearest views were expected along the West Coast and in the Midwest.

Scientists plan to study the eclipse to learn more about the super-hot corona, or outer edge of the Sun.

Astronauts orbiting the Earth aboard the International Space Station are also planning to document the eclipse, and will get to see it three times.

"My first solar eclipse from space... We're ready!" wrote Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli on Twitter.
(Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp separate contracts to continue work on the replacement of the aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Though the award comes amid rising tensions with North Korea, the Air Force asked the defense industry last summer for proposals to replace the Minuteman III and the nuclear cruise missile as the military moved ahead with a costly modernization of its aging atomic weapons systems.

"The Minuteman III is 45 years old. It is time to upgrade," Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein said in a statement on Monday.

Northrop Grumman was awarded $328 million, and Boeing will get $349 million over the three year duration of the contract.

The relatively small award is a milestone that will allow Boeing and Northrop to continue parallel detailed development and prototyping for the Minuteman replacement. The Pentagon's office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) has said the total cost could top U.S. $85 billion. The Air Force has estimated $62 billion.

Lockheed Martin Corp, Northrop and Boeing were all competing for the contract which is needed to perform the three-year technology maturation and risk reduction (TMRR) phase of Minuteman replacement.

A Lockheed representative said the company was "disappointed" and looked "forward to a debrief about the selection."

Boeing is the incumbent on the current Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program.

Leanne Caret, the CEO of Boeing's Defense, Space & Security business, told Reuters at the Paris Airshow this summer that she had her sights set on winning the contract for GBSD replacement.

Northrop Grumman's chief Wes Bush said, "We look forward to the opportunity to provide the nation with a modern strategic deterrent system that is secure, resilient and affordable."

Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said "we are moving forward with modernization of the ground-based leg of the nuclear triad," in a statement on Monday.

Modernization of the U.S. nuclear force was expected to cost more than $350 billion over the next decade as the United States works to replace its aging systems, including bombs, nuclear bombers, missiles and submarines. Some analysts estimated the cost of modernization at $1 trillion over 30 years.

"Our missiles were built in the 1970s. Things just wear out, and it becomes more expensive to maintain them than to replace them," Wilson said.

(Reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Tom Brown)
In this MarketFoolery podcast segment, host Chris Hill and Aaron Bush of Motley Fool Rule Breakers consider the latest numbers from this Chinese company that is now the largest retailer in the world. When you're already that huge, and you can still post mobile monthly active user growth of 24% to 530 million, you're doing something very right. But where does the company go from virtual ubiquity in its core markets, and how key is CEO Jack Ma's leadership in the company's next phase?

A full transcript follows the video.

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Chris Hill: Let's move on to Alibaba (NYSE: BABA), the e-commerce giant in China. First quarter profit came in north of $2 billion, and shares of Alibaba up around 4-5% today. This is what Jet.com wants to be when it grows up.

Aaron Bush: It's the antithesis of Wal-Mart right now.

Hill: It's not the antithesis. But if you're Wal-Mart, if you just keep piling up quarter after quarter of 60% online sales growth, eventually you're going to get to $2.1 billion. But, again, this is what Jet.com wants to be when it grows up.

Bush: Yeah. I felt really positive looking into this quarter. I'll just start by saying that Alibaba's mobile monthly active users, that metric was up 24% year-over-year to about 530 million. So, to frame that up, about 55% of China's population are internet users, that's about 750 million people. If you take out kids and such, you see that Alibaba is really at the point of ubiquity right now. That just builds a really powerful network effect, and because of that network effect, people just start to use Alibaba and their websites and services more and more. So, this quarter, you see exactly that. Revenue rose 56%, and most of those gains did come from the commercial operations, so, Tmall and Taobao. More big brands are jumping onto the platform. And naturally, because of that, consumers are engaging more with its apps. Gross merchandise volume is spiking. So, at the core, Alibaba is killing it, margins are scaling, cash flow is rising, they're getting the job done.

Hill: How key in your mind is Jack Ma to this company? He's clearly a tremendous business leader, but I don't know that I get the sense that he is as crucial to Alibaba right now -- obviously, he's gotten Alibaba to where it is -- but I don't get the sense that he is as crucial to Alibaba as, say, Jeff Bezos is to Amazon in this regard: I think if Jeff Bezos announced tomorrow that he was leaving as CEO, he was basically walking away from Amazon.com, I think that stock takes a much bigger hit than Alibaba takes if Jack Ma announces that he's walking away.

Bush: Probably. I think I agree with that. I still think that he is important for the reason that, similar to Amazon, Alibaba is starting to branch out of just pure retail. As they scale into these new ventures, having a more centralized person up top to manage all of that, allocate resources, decide strategically for the whole what to do, I actually think that position starts to be more important. Whether or not that's solely Jack Ma or not, or if it's more of a group of people, I don't really know. But I actually feel like it's going to be more important just from a resource allocation perspective. So, actually, what I think is particularly interesting about Alibaba is, similar to Amazon, the new things that they're venturing into. Just the name two or three that they highlighted this last quarter, for one, similar to Amazon, Alibaba Cloud is gaining more traction. The similar cloud services, cloud computing growth that we're seeing here and the U.S. --

Hill: Are they also calling it AWS for shorthand? Alibaba Web Services?

Bush: They could, they definitely could.

Hill: That would get confusing.

Bush: Yeah, a little bit. But right now, that's only 5% of the total business, but revenue doubled year over year for that. So, if that keeps up, that actually becomes a larger percent of the business, and the economics of it pour through to the bottom. They also acquired a company called Intime Retail Group, which is a leading department store and mall operator in China -- it is kind of odd if you think about it. I think what Alibaba is doing there could end up being a really interesting case study in how you connect the online and digital retail worlds to create the ultimate omnichannel experience. They're investing heavily into original content, like most big tech companies are here, like most big tech companies are there. They're trying to expand internationally, they're partnering with big companies like Marriott. So, they're doing a ton of stuff, and I guess my point here is, the core business is on fire. And those results are providing the resources to move in all of these new directions, similar to how we've seen Amazon here. I actually do think that makes leadership more important than it's been in the past.

Hill: Do you think there comes a point in the next, say, five years where they make a significant push into North America?

Bush: No, I don't think so. I think, more in Asia, there are several countries around there that are probably better targets to tap into. They would probably try to go after even Latin America or Australia before they tried to attack Amazon's home turf.

Aaron Bush owns shares of Amazon. Chris Hill owns shares of Amazon. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon and Marriott International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Colorado will not offer an online map of oil and gas pipelines in the wake of a fatal house explosion blamed on a gas leak, Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday, citing concerns about security and theft.

The state will instead require energy companies to provide location information to the existing Call 811 program, which marks the location of underground utilities at a property owner's request, Hickenlooper said.

The expanded location program was among seven steps the governor announced in response to an April explosion in the town of Firestone that killed two people and injured a third. Investigators blamed the explosion on odorless, unrefined natural gas leaking from a pipeline that was thought to be out of service but was still connected to a well with a valve open.

Hickenlooper said in May that the explosion showed the need for a comprehensive state map of "flow lines," which carry oil or gas from wells to tanks or other gathering equipment.

But he said Tuesday "there are a lot of concerns about having a database like that available, of people stealing gas or, you know, tapping into these lines, that causes some level of security risk," he said. "I recognize that, and I think that's a valid argument."

He said having flow line information available through the Call 811 program makes it readily available.

Other steps Hickenlooper announced Tuesday include updating the state's rules for flow lines with specific requirements for taking a pipeline out of service. After the Firestone explosion, the state imposed emergency regulations for emptying and capping unused lines near buildings. Hickenlooper wants the rules to be made permanent.

The governor also said the state would try to get the industry to fund a program to seal off "orphan wells," which are usually old, inactive wells that no one claims. The fund could also be used to reimburse homeowners who install natural gas detectors.

Hickenlooper said the state would not require energy companies to contribute to the fund but he believes most are willing to do so.

The other steps Hickenlooper called for are asking other states' regulators to review Colorado's rules, improving Colorado's safety training, looking into ways to detect natural gas leaks and banning any future "domestic gas taps" that allow landowners to get unrefined natural gas directly from wells on their land.

Matt Sura, an attorney who represents landowners and local governments in negotiations with energy companies, said Hickenlooper's proposals do not effectively address the dangers the industry poses to the public.

"I take this as a clear sign that it will be up to local governments to protect their residents' public health and safety," he said in an email to The Associated Press.

Sura questioned why the fund to clean up orphan wells would be voluntary and suggested instead that the state add a $1,000 fee on each well drilling permit.

Dan Haley, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, neither endorsed nor criticized Hickenlooper's plan.

"We look forward to closely reviewing the details of the governor's proposal and will fully engage in conversations about next steps," he said in a written statement.

All the steps were recommended by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates the industry. Hickenlooper directed the commission to review the state's practices after the Firestone explosion.

___

Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/dan%20elliott .
French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for tighter European Union rules to protect workers in France and other prosperous countries in Western Europe from cheaper labor stemming from the continent's eastern nations.

Macron is set to raise concerns over so called "posted workers" with several leaders in Central Europe as he makes his first visit to the region this week. His stance threatens fresh tensions in a bloc already strained by competing national interests after disputes over migrants and Britain's vote last year to leave the European Union.

During a three-day tour starting Wednesday, Macron will seek to get an agreement on posted workers, those who are temporarily posted by companies in their home country to a second country. While abroad, they continue to pay into the tax and social security systems of their home countries, allowing their employers to hire them for less than in Western countries where welfare costs are higher. The largest number work in construction, but many also work as welders, electricians or caring for the elderly.

Although they don't account for more than a small fraction of the EU's total workforce, they are perceived as pricing out local workers in Western Europe, putting downward pressure on wages and exacerbating inequalities in wealth.

This concern was one of the factors behind Brexit, Britain's decision to leave the EU.

While the posted workers must earn at least the minimum wage of the host country, they often earn less than the wages guaranteed by collective agreements between unions and firms.

Critics of the current regulations, which took effect in 1996, years before a large chunk of the former communist bloc joined the EU, say it gives Eastern European service providers an unfair advantage over Western companies because their wage and social security costs are lower. It's a practice that some have dubbed "social dumping."

Last year, the European Commission proposed new rules to regulate posted workers  proposals backed by Macron during his successful presidential run.

The most important change would be to require companies to pay posted and local workers the same. In addition, the prevailing labor laws of the host country on such things as overtime, bonuses and vacations days would be applied if a posting lasts longer than two years.

However, the proposals haven't won the support of 11 other EU countries, including Poland, which is the largest source of posted workers, with around 300,000 to 400,000 a year. Nine other former communist member states have also voiced their opposition, as has Denmark, which says the proposals don't go far enough to protect Danish collective bargaining.

Vladimir Dlouhy, head of the Czech Republic's Chamber of Commerce, says he believes the revised rules are "about pushing cheaper competitors, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, from the market."

The EU nations will debate the changes this fall before eventually voting on them. Macron's tour of the region is aimed at winning some understanding for the position of the bloc's more prosperous countries. During his visit, Macron will go to Austria for meetings with Czech, Slovak and Austrian leaders, and Romania and Bulgaria.

Some labor market experts argue that it's a mistake to just isolate posted workers.

Dominik Owczarek, an expert on European labor polices with the Institute of Public Affairs in Warsaw, said French and German companies have profited by producing and selling goods across Central Europe, benefiting from low-wage, high-skilled workers and low corporate taxes.

"Western countries afraid of competition from Eastern countries want protectionist policies to give better chances to companies in their countries," he said. "In a way the posting of workers is 'social dumping,' but you can also call it the right to free competition."

Poland's government has hinted it could retaliate if the new rules pass.

But Poland's ability to defend the interests of its firms and workers has weakened under Prime Minister Beata Szydlo's populist government, which is increasingly marginalized in the EU due to its rule of law violations and its combative stance toward Brussels.

Macron is pointedly bypassing both Poland and Hungary, which is also perceived by many in Brussels as backsliding on democratic norms.

Marek Benio, deputy head of the Labour Mobility Initiative think tank in Poland, said he believes the proposed changes would merely push workers into the black market, because the main reason there are so many posted workers is a "lack of qualified workers for specialized jobs in the receiving countries."

He accuses Macron of using the issue to distract voters from problems that he and other politicians have failed to fix.

Some Polish companies that send workers to France say they are already being squeezed by greater inspections as the mood turns against them, and fear more regulations will run them out of business.

__

Associated Press writers Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Angela Charlton in Paris, Karel Janicek in Prague and Alison Mutler in Bucharest contributed.
Great Wall Motor (OTC:GWLLY), the Chinese automaker that expressed interest in buying Jeep, has yet to engage in discussions with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (NYSE:FCAU) as of Tuesday.

In a filing with the Shanghai stock exchange, Great Wall said it took interest in FCA but there has been no concrete progress so far. Great Wall added that it hasnt had any negotiations or signed any agreements with Fiat Chrysler.

The Chinese SUV maker confirmed on Monday that it wants to acquire Jeep, and Great Wall President Wang Fengying told Automotive News that executives would seek to begin negotiations on a deal. Fiat Chrysler issued a statement saying it had not been approached by Great Wall. It remains unclear if Great Wall intends to make an offer for all or part of the Italian-American automaker, even if Jeep is its primary target.

Jeep is seen as Fiat Chryslers most valuable brand. The Wrangler maker is worth $33.5 billion on its own, an estimated $1.5 billion more than Fiat Chrysler as a whole, according to Morgan Stanley analysts. Great Wall said a Jeep takeover would help the automaker achieve its goal of becoming the worlds largest seller of SUVs.

However, the filing suggests that a Chinese company other than Great Wall could be actively interested in striking a deal with Fiat Chrysler, based on a report last week from Automotive News. The industry publication said at least one automaker in China made a firm bid for the company, and others had expressed some level of interest.

Despite potential backlash in political circles, analysts expect that a Chinese takeover of Fiat Chrysler or an individual brand such as Jeep would face few regulatory obstacles in the U.S. The biggest challenge for Great Wall might be financing a deal, given that its a smaller company.

Fiat Chrysler shares are up 16% since reports of potential Chinese bidders first surfaced last week.
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South Korea's top trade negotiator said Tuesday that Seoul will not discuss renegotiation of the free trade agreement with the U.S. without first looking into what is really causing the U.S. trade imbalance.

Speaking after a video conference with U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, South Korean Trade Minister Kim Hyung-chong said Seoul proposed a joint study with Washington to evaluate the impact of the 5-year-old bilateral trade deal and the cause of the U.S. trade deficit.

"We did not agree to the unilateral proposal from the U.S. to amend the Korea-U.S. FTA," Kim told reporters in a briefing after a talk with U.S. trade representatives. "We made our position clear that investigation, analysis and evaluation of the impact of the Korea-U.S. FTA must be preceded."

The two sides found they had different views on the impact of the free trade deal and could not reach any agreement during the talks, he added. Kim said Seoul will be waiting for Washington's response to its proposal for the joint study.

The countries' trade officials held their first talks in Seoul, in what Washington hoped would lead to discussing amendment or modification of the trade deal that took effect five years ago under President Barack Obama.

The U.S. trade official said discussions will continue.

"Unfortunately, too many American workers have not benefited from the agreement," Ambassador Lighthizer said in a statement posted on the USTR website. "President Trump is committed to substantial improvements in the Korean agreement that address the trade imbalance and ensure that the deal is fully implemented."

The Trump administration criticized the pact with its ally, saying that the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea had doubled since the deal went into effect. The U.S. trade deficit with South Korea widened from $13.2 billion in 2011 to $27.6 billion last year.

But South Korea said the deal has been beneficial to both countries. The U.S. runs a trade surplus with South Korea in services such as banking and tourism, estimated at $10.7 billion in 2016. South Korea also believes that the FTA is not the cause of the U.S. trade imbalance, and that other, complex factors in the global economy are to blame.

The Trump administration is seeking to renegotiate the trade deal with South Korea as part of its broader efforts to reduce the U.S. trade deficit. It has begun an effort to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

South Korea is the sixth-largest trading partner for the U.S., while the U.S. is South Korea's second-largest trading partner.
The stock market is still hitting new highs daily, and finding companies that offer good value at a good price remains an increasingly difficult task. But price by itself isn't the best reason on which to base an investment decision because cheap stocks are often cheap for a reason and high-priced ones could be getting ready to go higher still.

Yet combine a good business with a good valuation and suddenly investors have a powerful winning ticket in their hands. Here's why Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG), Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), and Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO) appear to offer not only good businesses but ridiculously cheap values as well.

Harley-Davidson

The decline of Harley-Davidson's core customer base has been well documented, leaving the big motorcycle maker with falling sales and lost market share to rival Indian Motorcycle. Harley's stock has fallen 18% so far this year and it's seen nearly a quarter of its value evaporate from its 52-week high. While that might suggest to some to find a different iron horse to ride, there are plenty of reasons Harley can roar ahead.

After all, it remains the industry leader in the U.S., where it commands nearly half the share of the market, and it owns a sizable slice globally. Although Polaris Industries (NYSE: PII) has made significant strides with the Indian Motorcycle name since rescuing it from bankruptcy in 2011, it remains in distant second place with single-digit share.

Harley-Davidson trades at less than 14 times earnings, about 12 times next year's profit estimates, and at less than 10 times the free cash flow it produces. Its production and sales of motorcycles may be down from prior years, but it still sells a lot of bikes and holds a dominant share across all demographics making it a good business at a ridiculously cheap valuation.

Oshkosh

Truck maker Oshkosh has the opposite problem as Harley-Davidson: Its stock is soaring and trading near its all-time high as it gains new contract wins, yet the market has not yet fully valued the company.

Oshkosh surprised Wall Street with a strong earnings report that, while showing higher sales across all four of its divisions, really owed thanks to its defense side for pushing sales up 17% and profits 50% higher. It called out several recent deals with the U.S. military that factored into the big gain, but a recent win with the British military that promises to deliver $1 billion in revenue wasn't even part of the superlatives.

For all that, Oshkosh's stock is cheap. While it trades at a multiple of 22 times its earnings and 18 times next year's estimates -- not bargain-basement material on the surface -- it also goes for a fraction of its sales and just 12 times its free cash flow. This despite Wall Street still thinking Oshkosh will grow earnings at a compounded rate of almost 15% a year for the next five years.

With an administration in Washington looking to beef up the military's capabilities even further, Oshkosh might be a stock investors want to play defense with.

Winnebago Industries

Recreational vehicle maker Winnebago seems to be something of a mix between Harley and Oshkosh, a company whose stock has been on a roller-coaster ride but one that had been dragged down because of operational concerns despite favorable demographic trends.

The leading RV company that is almost synonymous with its industry made a purchase last year of a towable RV maker that would extend its product line in a favorable direction. Everyone knows Winnebago's hulking suburban assault vehicles; now it would have a scaled-down product to offer as well. And that's a hugely positive development because while the mature crowd typical of Winnebago's customers prizes its motorhomes, millennials are a rising consumer segment looking for weekend experiences that a towable camper would more readily offer.

It also gives it the opportunity to go in a different direction than rival Camping World Holdings (NYSE: CWH), which also recently made an acquisition, but of bankrupt sporting goods retailer Gander Mountain that it plans to use to cross-sell to existing customers.

Despite that, Winnebago Industries trades at almost 18 times earnings and only 12 times 2018 estimates and less than 18 times its free cash flow. That's not heavily discounted by itself, but with favorable industry trends and as it goes for a fraction of its sales, the stock looks to be a steal at these levels.

10 stocks we like better than Oshkosh CorporationWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Oshkosh Corporation wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

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Rich Duprey has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Polaris Industries. The Motley Fool recommends Camping World Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Flooding investors with a variety of emotions, earnings season can often leave investors feeling excited, relieved, or confused -- and overwhelmed. And, in the case of a company missing analysts' estimates or coming up short of management's guidance, investors may even find themselves doubting their convictions, wondering if they should start to look for new opportunities.

Having recently released its second quarter earning, American Water Works (NYSE: AWK) may have left some investors frustrated -- even fearful. For one, the company reported sales of $844 million, which was below analysts' estimates of $863 million. The company also reported diluted earnings per share of $0.73, dropping from the $0.77 which it reported during the same period last year and falling short of the $0.80 which analysts had anticipated. Should investors consider jumping ship? Absolutely not. This is one water utility which finds itself in anything but deep water.

Calm seas ahead

During the earnings presentation, management claimed that the year-over-year decline in earnings was not a surprise and does not indicate any missteps in the company's operations. According to management, favorable weather conditions and a contract settlement positively affected the company's EPS by $0.02 and $0.01, respectively, in Q2 2016; moreover, in the recently completed quarter, lower capital upgrades in the company's Military Services Group and a New York tax adjustment each adversely impacted EPS by $0.02.

Proving its confidence that the rest of the year will see smooth sailing, management --crediting several factors -- affirmed annual EPS guidance of $2.98 to $3.08 during its earnings presentation. For one thing, it anticipates growth from the regulated businesses segment in the second half of the year, stemming from the addition of about 34,000 customers from pending acquisitions. In the market-based businesses segment, management sees Keystone Clearwater contributing to earnings thanks to increased activity from a backlog of projects.

Financial fortitude means no need to fret

Expanding our perspective beyond the quarterly earnings and fiscal 2017 guidance, we find that there are plenty of other reasons why investors can sleep soundly. For example, the company is financially fit. In addition to growing its top line at a greater clip than its peers over the past five years, it has increased its operating cash flow at a superior rate.

The most geographically diverse water utility, American Water Works is not susceptible to adverse local weather phenomena like some of its competitors. In fiscal 2016, for example, New Jersey and Pennsylvania -- the company's two largest regulated business markets -- accounted for 25% and 22%, respectively, of total operating revenue. Its closest competitor by market cap, Aqua America (NYSE: WTR), on the other hand, reported that Pennsylvania accounted for 52% of operating revenue in fiscal 2016. American States Water (NYSE: AWR) illustrates the danger posed by a lack of geographical diversity most clearly: California, which suffered severely from a recent drought, is the only state in which it operates in the regulated market.

Besides the income and cash-flow statements, American Water Works' balance sheet is another source of reassurance. The company maintains investment-grade credit ratings of "A3" and "A" from Moody's and Standard & Poor's, respectively.

In good hands

Oftentimes, it's the steady dividends that attract investors to utility stocks. And American Water Works, offering one of the best dividends among water stocks, is no different. Raising its payout by 22% over the past three years, management has demonstrated a clear commitment to returning cash to shareholders. But has this come at the expense of the company falling into a precarious position.?

No, not at all. Compared to its peers, American Water Works has consistently maintained a lower payout ratio, suggesting that management is increasing the dividend in a circumspect manner. This bodes well for investors moving forward. In fact, management has provided insight into its dividend policy. In a recent investor presentation, management forecast a 7% to 10% EPS compound annual growth rate from the $2.64 that it reported in fiscal 2015 through 2021.

Investor takeaway

Moving forward, investors should monitor American Water Works' commitment to its growth-through-acquisition strategy; failure to pursue this strategy effectively may compromise the company's ability to achieve its EPS guidance through 2021. Growth, of course, shouldn't come at the expense of the company's financial health, so investors can also keep an eye on the company's credit rating while watching the payout ratio as the dividend rises.

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President Donald Trump announced late Monday evening changes to the U.S. strategy in the Afghanistan, saying America must maintain a military presence in the country as the consequences of a quick exit would be predictable and unacceptable.

A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terroristsincluding ISIS and Al Qaedawould instantly fill, just as happened before Sept. 11, Trump said in a prime-time address before a group of U.S. service members at Fort Myer in Arlington, Va.

The president said Americas interests in the Middle Eastern countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan are to prevent the re-emergence of safe-havens, which allow terrorists to thrive and threaten the U.S., and to stop nuclear weapons and materials from reaching terrorists. Though he did not talk about number of additional troops that would be deployed to the region, Fox News reported earlier in the day that Trump approved sending 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Currently, the U.S. has about 8,400 troops in the area.

Following what he called a comprehensive review with his cabinet and generals at Camp David last week, Trump announced the new strategy in the Middle East would rest upon multiple pillars, including a transition from a time-based approach to one based on conditions and a shift in policy regarding Pakistan.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, Trump said. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists.

Additionally, Trump said the U.S. would focus on working with allies instead of using the military to rebuild nations with an American image, and allow Afghans to secure and rebuild their country.

America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress, Trump said. However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. The American people expect to see real reforms and real results.

Despite the new strategy in Afghanistan, Trump, who has stepped up military action in the country since taking office, has not always been in favor of keeping U.S. forces in the region. He admitted in his speech Monday night that his original instinct was to pull out, and tweeted in 2013then a private citizenagainst keeping troops in the war-torn country.

Do not allow our very stupid leaders to sign a deal that keeps us in Afghanistan through 2024-with all costs by U.S.A. MAKE AMERICA GREAT!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2013

Trumps message on Monday, however, was clear when it came to what he hopes to accomplish by maintaining a U.S. military presence in the Middle East.

Our troops will fight to win, he said. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge.
Iran's new telecommunications minister says negotiations are underway with Twitter representatives to unblock the social media service within the countrys borders.

The state-owned IRAN newspaper quoted Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi on Tuesday as saying Twitter has "officially announced readiness to talk with Iran for resolving the problems."

San Francisco-based Twitter declined to comment.

Iran blocked the site, along with Facebook and YouTube, after mass protests and violence over the 2009 re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Aside from Iran, Twitter is also blocked in China and North Korea. Iran also bans social media sites like Facebook and YouTube.

Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace, headed by current President Hassan Rouhani, officially is in charge of blocking websites. That council is overseen by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ahmadinejad, Rouhani and Khamenei all have Twitter accounts administered on their behalf. Others in Iran use virtual private networks to subvert the ban.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, fired back on Tuesday after social media users criticized her for posting a photo of herself wearing designer clothes on Instagram.

Linton posted the picture of herself Monday getting off a government plane in Kentucky with Mnuchin. In her post, she mentioned several designer labels for her all-white outfit, including Tom Ford and Valentino.

The commenter responded: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton, an actress, responded on Instagram by calling the commenter "adorably out of touch." She suggested she and Mnuchin contributed more to the U.S. economy and paid more in taxes than her critic.

aCute! Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? Iam pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day atripa than you did,a Linton wrote, according to the New York Post.

aPretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than youad be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours. Youare adorably out of touch. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute. I know youare mad but deep down youare really nice and so am I. Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isnat going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message [sic], one filled with wisdom and hunanity [sic] would get more traction. Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. Itas fab!,a she added.

Linton changed her Instagram account setting to aprivatea after the exchange.

The Treasury Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump will tour a border patrol station in Yuma, Arizona on Tuesday, championing the administrationas promise to reduce the flow of illegal migrants across the southern border.

Senior White House officials said Tuesday the president will take a close look at Customs and Border Patrol protection equipment, including a Predator drone, a surveillance vehicle and a U.S. border patrol boat. He will also meet with U.S. Marines and local Customs and Border Patrol officials before departing for Phoenix.

President Trump is expected to herald Yuma on Tuesday as an example of how his policies a increased border infrastructure, more agents and additional tech investmentsacan make an impact at the border. The White House said in Yuma specifically, illegal border crossings have plummeted 82% since 2007. Between January and July, illegal immigration is down 47% over the same period last year, according to administration officials.

Trump will head to Phoenix, Arizona for a rally Tuesday evening, his first since he received bipartisan criticism for not taking a strong enough tone against the white nationalist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. Tuesday marks Trumpas first visit to Arizona as president.

Trumpas trip out West comes after he announced his decision Monday to maintain a U.S. presence in Afghanistan, despite pledges during the campaign to pull troops out.
I worry about The Washington Post. It was rightly considered one of America's great newspapers. Now, its descending into farce.

Look at this: "Trump briefly glanced at the sky, without protective glasses". The horror!

He ignored the good advice that had bombarded us constantly - he glanced at the sun during the eclipse. To the Post, thats apparently shocking, and worthy of a public rebuke.

On the editorial page, Eugene Robinson says "its time to talk about Trump's mental health". Really? Why don't you just call him crazy and be done with it!

Wait, there's more. Also in today's edition, there is a breathless denunciation of the Treasury Secretary's wife and her reports of the fashion brands she wore while flying with her husband on a government plane. The couple paid for the flight out of their own pockets, but the Post reporter still finds the story bizarre. I think its the Post that is bizarre

This is not the reportage of a great newspaper.

Apparently, it is the reportage of a newspaper now owned by a leading Trump critic, Jeff Bezos. He's the founder of Amazon. He's worth close to $90 billion.

What we're looking at here is a journalistic disaster. The Washington Post leads the media jihad against President Trump. If readers and advertisers peel away, Bezos doesn't care. He's wealthy beyond measure.

But when the media descends into shallow, almost childish, criticism, we all lose. As the fall legislative season approaches, we need a media that dissects tax cuts, infrastructure, health care and growth. We don't need silly little pieces about glancing at the sun, or the clothes of a Treasury Secretay's wife. And we certainly don't need dangerous and unfounded speculation about the sanity of our president.
Across the country, people gathered to check out the solar eclipse and found themselves awestruck by the cosmic event. Among those profoundly moved by the eclipse was Weather Channel meteorologist Stephanie Abrams.

While reporting from the ground of a gathering of eclipse-watchers in Madras, Oregon, Abrams tried to describe the moments just after the moon passed in front of the sun, but found herself surprised by her own tearful reaction. Fortunately, despite the tears, she remained professional and continued to report on the crowd and what they were experiencing.

Its emotional, I cant explain why but it is, she said in a video posted by The Weather Channel. That is something thats really special, and were all really fortunate to be alive and where we are today so we can see it.

To see the video, fans can watch it in full at The Weather Channels website.
A judge has delayed the start of Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial to allow his new lawyers to get up to speed on the case.

Judge Steven O'Neill said Tuesday that he still expects the 80-year-old comedian to be tried before next summer.

O'Neill granted a request by Cosby's new lawyers to delay the retrial, which had been scheduled to start in November. His new legal team includes Tom Mesereau, the high-profile attorney who won an acquittal in Michael Jackson's child molestation case.

Cosby is being retried on charges that he assaulted Andrea Constand in 2004. He has said their sexual encounter was consensual.

The comedian starred as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" from 1984 to 1992, earning a reputation as America's Dad.

That reputation was slowly torn to pieces as dozens of women came forward, beginning in 2014, and accused him of drugging them, assaulting them or both. Their stories were all eerily similar and eventually led to the star being ostracized by Hollywood.

Before his downfall, Cosby was long-known as for his success as a comedian and actor. He won five Grammy Awards after breaking into the standup scene in 60s.

He then parlayed that success on TV, winning three consecutive Emmy Awards from 1966 to 1968 for his role on I Spy. The show elevated him to a new level of stardom and led to the eventual creation of his titular sitcom, The Cosby Show. In the 1998, he became known to a new generation as the host of Kids Say the Darndest Things.

He was also once praised as a philanthropist, and received more than 50 honorary degrees from universities across the country. Those degrees were revoked one-by-one as more women spoke out against him.

Cosby said in an interview ahead of his June trial that he was looking forward to being found innocent and he wanted to be remembered as being the guy that they give back all the things that they rescinded.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jerry Seinfeld is heading to Netflix for the first of his exclusive comedy special deals with the popular streaming giant. On Tuesday, fans were given their first taste of his upcoming one-hour, and it seems like its getting back to basics.

Netflix has announced that Jerry Before Seinfeld will drop on September 19. However, unlike typical comedy specials from A-listers like Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Sarah Silverman and Tracy Morgan, this wont be entirely new material.

Jerry Before Seinfeld will be more of a retrospective of the comedians career, including jokes from his early days, legal pads with every joke hes written since 1975, childhood videos and, yes, new material. The special even takes place at New Yorks The Comic Strip, the club that gave a young Seinfeld his start.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the acclaimed comedian inked a massive deal with Netflix in January that promised two stand-up specials as well as 24 new episodes of his Emmy-nominated talk show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Additionally, the early episodes of the show will move from their previous home on Crackle to Netflix.

The comedian recently revealed on Instagram that he recorded an episode of the talk show with comedy legend Jerry Lewis that gained new significance this week following the 91-year-olds death.

As part of the promotion for Jerry Before Seinfeld, Netflix released a handful of clips from the special on its Netflix Comedy Instagram.
When Jim Fitzgerald urged the FBI in 1995 to convince both the New York Times and Washington Post to publish a 35,000-word, anti-technology manifesto by a mad man threatening to blow up a plane, he was worried his idea wouldnt work.

The goal was to capture the unabomber, an American terrorist behind 16 mail bombs that killed three people and injured 23 within an 18-year period.

We all had our concerns, the former FBI profiler told Fox News. We realized this could also open the doors for a lot of different people. Every newspaper and every TV news network could be contacted by [terrorists], wanting to get their document of some sort out there to spread the word of what they were doing. And I was very conscious of that.

Despite his hesitations, Fitzgerald knew he was on to something.

I was one of the first people who had really dug into the manifesto and said Boy, there is so much distinctive language in here; I cant believe someone from somewhere wouldnt recognize this guy.'

The plan worked. The unabombers article, titled Industrial Society and Its Future, was published in September 1995 and by February 1996, the mystery writer was identified as Ted Kaczynski, a recluse living without electricity or running water on a mountain shack in Lincoln, Montana. In April that year he was arrested and the now-75-year-old is currently serving four life terms in person.

The real-life crime drama is now a scripted series for Discovery titled Manhunt: Unabomber where curious viewers learn how Kaczynski, who once had a promising career in academics, became a murderer.

The unabomber was a very dangerous person because no one ever knew who his next target was going to be or where it would occur, recalled Fitzgerald. His bombings seemed random at first and he only earned his nickname because his first bombings were in fact universities or airlines."

Before the killings, Kaczynski was recognized as a genius from Chicago who attended Harvard at age 16 and earned his Ph.D by his mid-twenties. His first position was that of a math professor at Californias Berkeley University.

He was a confused person growing up, mentally, sexually, philosophically, said Fitzgerald. And he didnt like people he basically didnt like himself.

In 1969, Kaczynski chose to leave behind society for a hermits life on a Montana mountaintop. With money he earned from teaching, Kaczynski and his brother David built a cabin together where he would happily reside in for six years.

In 1978, he moved back to Illinois and work alongside his brother in a foam rubber factory. There, he developed a brief relationship with a woman, which quickly soured. It was that same year when his first bombing occurred at Northwestern University.

David would ultimately come forward with the unabombers identity.

It had to be one of the most difficult decisions anyone would have had to make in life, said Fitzgerald. Even if youre not that close to [your loved one], his blood runs through your veins, too. And you have to make a decision on whether to just leave him alone and let him do what he does, which is killing people, or come forward and try to save lives. I have no doubt, and I know for a fact, that this was very difficult for David. He kept trying to talk himself out of it.

Yet, it was Kaczynskis willingness to publish his lengthy manifesto that proved to be his downfall.

The first thing I realized was this guy was writing essentially mistake-free, which very few of us ever do without an editor, explained Fitzgerald. This guy amazed in sentence structure, his usage of language  everything about it was perfect He would have a few typos that he would ex out, but anyone using a 1930s mechanical typewriter is going to have a few typos.

"But he also had three pages of corrections after the cover page of his manifesto. I mean, who bothers doing that? These are notes on whether a period should be inside a quotation mark or not, whether a comma should be placed here or there Nothing of any substance or value that would change the meaning of what hes writing.

Fitzgerald also revealed Kaczynski used archaic terminology rarely used in the '90s. And there was one strange sentence that couldnt be ignored.

The big one was in paragraph 185 he ended it with the phrase, Well, you cant eat your cake and have it, too. I thought, Wait, he has that backwards. It should be you cant have your cake and eat it, too. Thats how everybody says it. But guess what? He technically had it right. The rest of us had it wrong. Going back to 15th century early modern English.

"A treasure trove of evidence [was found] within the writings of the unabomber, and then when they were matched up with the writings of Ted Kaczynski, we came up with 600 virtually identical sentences and that helped us close the case.

Kaczynskis capture wasnt just gratifying for Fitzgerald.

Quite frankly, if youre going to strictly put it in the category of manhunt or wanted person, probably with the exception of Osama Bin Laden it may still be to this day that the unabomber manhunt was the most expensive one in law enforcement, criminal justice history, he said.

"Manhunt: Unabomber" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Discovery.
Louise Linton, the actress wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, ignited a firestorm of criticism after she responded to a negative comment on social media.

She recently told Elle magazine that she is super-duper apologetic for the drama that she has caused since her husband joined President Trumps Cabinet.

Linton, 37, said she felt like a regular person when she saw someones negative comment on Instagram in August 2017 and chose to respond like regular people would. But her knee-jerk reaction, as she described it, earned her unlimited criticism and launched her husband into a sea of controversy.

Read on for a brief look at Linton's life, including since Mnuchin became treasury secretary.

She got into an Instagram spat

Linton posted a photo to her Instagram account  which was briefly made private to those who do not follow her  of her and Mnuchin disembarking a government plane. In the August 2017 photo, she tagged some of the high-profile designers of the ensemble she was wearing.

One user commented, Glad we could pay for your little getaway, and included the hashtag deplorable.

Linton responded with a lengthy comment and touted her and her husbands financial success.

Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country, Linton said.

Im pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day trip than you did, she continued. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than youd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours.

She's an actress

Born in Scotland, Linton trained at the Edinburgh Drama Academy as well as the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, according to her IMDB page.

She has guest starred in episodes of Cold Case and CSI: NY. Linton has also starred in the movies Cabin Fever and Intruder.

Mnuchin and Linton recently married

Mnuchin and Linton married in June 2017  with a star-studded guest list.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended the wedding. Vice President Mike Pence officiated the ceremony.

Prior to joining the Trump administration, Mnuchin, 55, ran a company that invested in Hollywood movies including "Wonder Woman," "The Lego Movie," "The Accountant" and "Suicide Squad." He is a Goldman Sachs alumnus.

Both Mnuchin and Linton were married previously. Mnuchin has children from his earlier marriage.

Her controversial memoir is no longer on Amazon

Linton wrote and self-published a memoir about her experiences volunteering in Africa as an 18-year-old  but her writings ignited controversy.

In her book, called In Congos Shadow: One Girls Perilous Journey to the Heart of Africa, Linton described her experiences in Zambia. She detailed hiding from armed rebels and her fear of being found as she was a skinny white muzungu with long angel hair, the Los Angeles Times reported.

On Twitter, people accused Linton of lying or exaggerating about the extent of the violence in Zambia and hailed her work as a white savior fantasy.

The book is no longer available on Amazon.

She posed with new cash

Linton again raised eyebrows when she posed with Mnuchin holding a sheet of brand-new $1 bills in November 2017.

In the photo, Linton is wearing elbow-length black leather gloves and skirt and top.

Because of the controversial photo-op, Linton told Elle magazine that her skirt and gloves remain in her closet.

I really hope someday I can wear that outfit again, Linton told the magazine. Because I really liked it.
If we had to guess, we'd bet that Giada De Laurentiis is probably going to enjoy an Italian meal in celebration of her 47th birthday on Tuesday.

De Laurentiis has starred in multiple Food Network series, published several cookbooks, and even found time to launch her own lifestyle website. But the celeb chefs successful career hasnt been without its controversial moments.

Here are the ones you should know:

Dump bucket allegations

De Laurentiis was accused of having a dump bucket and spitting out her food in a 2014 New York Post story.

When Giada films her cooking show, she never eats. Never. When she is making drinks and food that she has to drink or eat, they have a dump bucket that is brought out the second they cut, a source told the newspaper.

GIADA DE LAURENTIIS, BOBBY FLAY AND THE 'CAKE BOSS' DISH ON FINDING AMAZING DESSERTS

It was also alleged that, occasionally, during filming, they have an assistant take the bite (so you only see teeth and a mouth), and then they cut back to her taking an empty fork out of her mouth to resume filming.

De Laurentiis representative, Stephen Huvane, told the Post that she absolutely eats her own food while filming.

Giada tapes sometimes three episodes in one day, and they do multiple takes on a close-up of her eating. She doesnt always eat and swallow every time, since they can do sometimes six to 10 takes with three episodes a day, and that would be like eating six to eight meals a day  The bottom line is, she most certainly does eat the food she prepares on the show, but does not always consume the whole dish, as that would be too much for most people to eat in one day, Huvane said.

Cheating rumors

In 2010, the chef denied having an affair with musician John Mayer after Star magazine accused the two of having a tryst, MTV reported.

In late December 2014, De Laurentiis announced that she and her husband, Todd Thompson, were ending their 11-year marriage. A January 2015 Star article again mentioned the supposed tryst, along with what it called a close relationship with Matt Lauer and closer-than-close relationship with Bobby Flay.

GIADA 'UNCOMFORTABLE' WITH TOUCHY-TOUCHY FANS

The allegation of an affair was a fabrication back in 2010 and remains so today, De Laurentiis told Gossip Cop about the Mayer claims.

Regarding Lauer and Flay, she said, My long-time friendships with my co-workers Matt Lauer and Bobby Flay are exactly that  long-time friendships.

Ellen appearance

Nicole Kidman criticized De Laurentiis cooking in an Ellen appearance in May 2017, which multiple reports deemed awkward.

In a cooking segment, De Laurentiis instructed host Ellen DeGeneres and Kidman on how to make arancini balls. At one point, De Laurentiis asked DeGeneres, Have you made any kind of balls before?

No, Im not  DeGeneres trailed off, with the audience laughing.

De Laurentiis then asked Kidman, Nicole, have you made meatballs or anything? while trying to instruct her. Kidman turned slightly away and put her hand up to De Laurentiis, saying it was a family-friendly program.

De Laurentiis later criticized DeGeneres attempt at an arancini ball, saying it looked like dog food. She then looked at Kidmans, exclaiming, Oh my God, the woman who cant cook made the perfect ball!

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

DeGeneres tried some of De Laurentiis pre-cooked focaccia pizza later during the segment and winced.

Why do I even do a cooking segment? I dont even know why I bother, De Laurentiis said, smiling.

Kidman went on to try the pre-cooked pizza, calling it a little tough.

De Laurentiis laughed and said, Nicole, its been sitting there for like five hours! I hate doing these things for that reason.

Kidman eventually spit the food out of her mouth.
A fine dining restaurant in Washington D.C. is getting slammed with hate after a waiter took it upon himself to shame a gay couple dining there.

Last week, couple Ron Gage and Henry McKinnon went to The Prime Rib in Washington D.C. for dinner. The two were enjoying their meal at the romantic steak spot until they tried to order dessert  one sundae with two spoons.

BODYBUILDER DALLAS MCCARVER DIES AFTER APPARENTLY CHOKING ON FOOD

In a statement to The Washington Post, Gage said, [The server] said he would bring [the dessert] in two separate dishes. He said, It wouldnt look right with two gentlemen eating out of the same sundae. It doesnt go with the ambiance of the restaurant.

Taken aback, the couple said nothing and their dessert was delivered. After finishing, they tipped 15 percent (they usually tip 20) and left the restaurant without informing the manager.

It just took us back to such a shameful place, McKinnon told the Post.

But after sleeping on the matter, the men were still upset by the bigoted treatment they received and wrote about it on Facebook and Yelp, causing a media firestorm.

The restaurant was quick to respond to the outcry by firing the server. But, The Prime Rib is still getting slammed with attacks  some going as far as to request a boycott of the restaurant.

In a statement to Fox News, The Prime Rib spoke out about the treatment it has been receiving and defended both its practices and its reputation, declaring that the restaurant has always practiced respect for all and that the hostility is unwarranted.

What he said was stupid and its not us, Larry Bravman, The Prime Rib Washington D.C.s maitre d, said. Weve been here for 40 years and if you look at the Yelp page the day before that and the day before that, its all good. This isnt who we are.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

When asked about the backlash, Bravman called the entire incident a nightmare and that the act of that individual [server] does not even remotely show who we are [as a company].

Bravman said he has been working there for 35 years and has never witnessed any kind of rude treatment to a patron.

However, that hasnt kept people off of the restaurant chains social media  launching so many attacks at their Yelp page that Yelp has issued a cleanup alert and is removing all news-motivated content from the page.

James MacLeod, the general manager, spoke briefly with Fox News saying the entire thing has been a mess.

In a statement to the Post, MacLeod said the server in question is Bulgarian, and he does speak four different languages.

I am not sure if he got confused as to what he was saying, or how he was saying it, MacLeod added. I cannot believe that a waiter would have ever said anything like thatTheres no way we would condone anything remotely like this.

The manager told the Post he would be reaching out to the couple about the event.

Ron Gage and Henry McKinnon were not immediately available for comment.
If you stopped by Starbucks this morning for your daily caffeine fix, you might have noticed something different about the cup sleeve. Thats because the coffee chain unveiled a new camo-inspired sleeve design to celebrate the military veterans and spouses the company employs.

The sleeve reads: 10,000 veterans and military spouses hired. And counting.

STARBUCKS ADDS A SUSHI BURRITO TO ITS EXPANDING COFFEEHOUSE MENU

Keeping with the theme, the sleeves are also printed with a camouflage design in earthy green and brown tones, but with a coffee-inspired twist  the camo spots are made up of coffee beans.

The print was designed by Meghan Moser as a tribute to her father, a retired Navy Seal. This special-edition sleeve will remain in stores for several weeks at participating locations, according to a press release.

The sleeves are just a small part of Starbucks larger campaign encouraging people to better get to know Americas veterans and start a conversation with them, Carole Guizzetti, creative manager on Starbucks brand and advertising team, said in the press release.



FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Starbucks hopes to help foster those conversations. As noted on the sleeve, the company has employed 10,000 veterans and veterans spouses since 2013, with plans to hire another 15,000 by 2025, according to Grub Street.
As many as 305,000 Atlantic salmon have been accidentally released into the waters near the San Juan Islands in Washington State, and officials are asking anyone with a valid fishing license to help reel the escapees back in.

The breakout happened Saturday when a net imploded at the Cooke Aquaculture net pen operated off Cypress Island. Thousands of 10-pound salmon fled from the containment out into open water.

SHARK FEASTS ON SEAL IN VIDEO, CAUSES PANIC ON CAPE COD BEACH

In a report from The Seattle Times, tribal fishers are calling the accident a devastation, and are concerned about the negative impact this could have on native salmon populations. Many fishers in the area have concerns about the Atlantic salmon preying on the native Pacific salmon babies.

A member of the Lummi Natural Resources staff and fish commission, G.I. James, told The Seattle Times, It is potentially a disease issue, and impact on our fish, as dire a shape as they are in, right now any impact to them is difficult to absorb.

James is concerned about the wild Pacific salmon as they face enough trouble already without the addition of Atlantic salmon invading their home waters.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is just as concerned for the fish population and is urging people to catch as many of the Atlantic salmon as they can, with no size or number limit.

Catch as many as you want, Ron Warren, the fish program assistant director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, has stated. We dont want anything competing with our natural populations. We have never seen a successful crossbreeding with Atlantic salmon, but we dont want to test the theory.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Cooke Aquaculture released a statement this morning blaming exceptionally high tides and current coinciding with this weeks solar eclipse for the net breaking and the ensuing catastrophic damage.

Cooke continued in the statement, saying It will not be possible to confirm exact numbers of fish losses until harvesting is completed and an inventory of fish in the pens has been conducted.

It is unknown the exact number of fish that escaped, but Warren said the net was holding about three million pounds of fish when it imploded.

The accident is still under investigation.
A 10-year-old boy is being credited with saving the lives of both his newborn baby brother and mother, who did not realize that she was in labor. Ashley Moreau, who was 34 weeks pregnant, said she went to use the bathroom on August 11 when her water broke.

Her son, Jayden Fontenot, of Sulphur, Louisiana, ran next door to alert his grandmother who called 911, and then returned ready to help his mother, who was bleeding out on the bathroom floor.

Fontenots stepfather, Kelsey Richard, had already left for work, and the boy knew his mother and baby brother couldnt wait for paramedics to arrive, KPLC reported.

OFF-DUTY OFFICER SAVES CHOKING 3-YEAR-OLD BOY

When he got to the bathroom, he just took a deep breath and said, OK Mom, just tell me what I need to do, Moreau told KPLC. He didnt look scared, he looked calm and brave and I said OK Im going to tell you what to do and we need to get your brother out as fast as possible because hes breech and he cant breathe.

Fontenot then gently pulled the baby out by his legs but noticed that he was not breathing, KPLC reported. The quick-thinking big brother ran to the kitchen for a nasal aspirator to clear the babys nose.

I wasnt even thinking, I was just amazed, Fontenot said. I didnt know what was going on.

Paramedics arrived shortly after and the two were transferred to a local hospital where doctors called Fontenots actions life-saving.

I am so proud of him, Moreau told KPLC. He is brave, he is strong, he is my hero. Im just so proud of him. He saved me and his brothers life.

PROGRAM AIMS TO BOOST PRENATAL CARE IN RURAL US

Fontenots baby brother, named Dax, has been recovering in the hospitals NICU but is expected to be released in the coming days. Fontenot was recognized by the citys mayor at a special assembly at his elementary school, and Aug. 11 has been declared Jayden Fontenot Day.

You dont hear about stuff like this, Richard, who didnt find out what had happened until after everyone arrived at the hospital, told KPLC. Its amazing how brave and everything he was. Calm, collected, he saved their life. Hes a hero.
Organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), the 15th World Suicide Prevention Day is Sept. 10, 2017. This years theme is: Take a minute, change a life.

As members of communities, it is our responsibility to look out for those who may be struggling, check in with them, and encourage them to tell their story in their own way and at their own pace, IASP states.

On average, 121 people die by suicide daily in the U.S.  and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention estimates that number is even higher.

Read on for tips from experts on how to help loved ones  including adolescents  who deal with suicidal thoughts or attempts.

Actually listen

Shari Sinwelski, the associate project director for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, encouraged people to really listen if a loved one expresses thoughts of suicide.

While sometimes people can brush off comments from others about wanting to die as just being dramatic, people should really view it as a cry for help, she said.

ADVOCATES ADDRESS SUICIDE IN LGBT COMMUNITY

Its a cry for help so that means we should take it seriously, Sinwelski told Fox News. Sometimes people dismiss that as theyre not serious, theyre just looking for attention, but thats actually one of the warning signs you need to take very seriously.

Professional help

One of the biggest ways people can help those who are struggling with suicide is to seek professional help, Jamie Tworkowski, founder of the nonprofit To Write Love on Her Arms, said.

You want that person to get the help they need and deserve, Tworkowski told Fox News, equating seeking professional help for mental health to going to a mechanic when a cars check engine light comes on. If youre struggling with mental health  to the point youre thinking about suicide  its so important you connect and get whatever help you need.

We would encourage people to take it seriously, to take those words seriously, and do everything you can to keep that person safe and stable in the moment, he added. But with that, to get professional help right away.

13 REASONS WHY MAY HAVE TRIGGERED SUICIDE SEARCHES ONLINE

To find a good therapist, Tworkowski said he hoped people would be willing to ask around for recommendations or read online reviews.

And for parents of minors who struggle with suicide, Sinwelski suggested parents be cognizant of how they present the idea of therapy to a child.

Therapy for a young person, it has to be something that is presented to them in a way that its for them, she said. It needs to be presented in a way thats  not because youre in trouble or something is wrong with you. This is just a way for you to learn how to feel better.

Honesty and compassion

Tworkowski said he has a friend who is a mental health professional who always encourages people to balance honesty with compassion.

I think its easy to err on one side or the other, Tworkowski said. Compassion means that our friends and family need to know that we care for them and will continue to be there for them, but honesty means that were willing to ask the hard questions and were willing to follow up and tell them the truth even if it makes for an uncomfortable conversation or not something they want to hear.

Sinwelski, too, encouraged people to be direct with loved ones and ask point-blank if suicide is something one is considering.

KATY PERRY DISCUSSES HER STRUGGLES WITH SUICIDE

First and foremost, you naming it and saying youre not afraid to talk about it can be a release to someone who was trying to get help this whole time, but no one was really hearing it, she said. So asking directly is really important.

Use lifelines

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is manned by counselors around the clock and Sinwelski encouraged anyone who might be struggling with suicidal thoughts to call. But she also suggested the lifeline as a resource for those who are worried about loved ones.

They can call the lifeline and talk with a counselor on the line who can help them sort out the situation and talk to them about their own feelings about it and guide them through the process, she said.

Sinwelski also encouraged people to check out the #BeThe1To campaign for additional tips.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Theres good news and bad news when it comes to this years edition of the worlds most livable cities from The Economist. The good news is that the report shows an increase in global livability for the first time in a decade. The bad news is that not one American metropolis made the cut.

The concept of liveability is simple: it assesses which locations around the world provide the best or the worst living conditions, reads the 2017 Global Liveability Report.

Conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the report assessed the quality of life across 140 cities worldwide and assigned scores across five categories: stability, healthcare, education, infrastructire, and culture and environment.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO WILL FINALLY FLY COMMERCIAL TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT

According to the aforementioned factors, Melbourne took the prize as the worlds most livable city for the seventh year in a row, in a winners circle dominated by Australia and Canada.

Heres the official roundup:

1. Melbourne, Australia

2. Vienna, Austria

3. Vancouver, Canada

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Calgary, Canada

6. Adelaide, Australia

7. Perth, Australia

8. Auckland, New Zealand

9. Helsinki, Finland

10. Hamburg, Germany

THE EASIEST WAY TO SAVE ON HOLIDAY AIRFARE (THAT MOST PEOPLE JUST IGNORE)

And while their absences may seem strange, megacities like New York, London, Paris and Tokyo didnt make the cut because higher levels of crime and public transit issues were deemed uncomfortable. The report also stated that rankings were affected by increased civil unrest as worldwide terrorism continues to spread.

Violent acts of terrorism have been reported in many countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, France, Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S. While not a new phenomenon, the frequency and spread of terrorism have increased noticeably and become even more prominent, the report said.

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In contrast, the most livable cities share critical common ground as mid-sized metropolises in wealthier nations with lower population densities, low crime rates, and high rates of tourism.

If there's another silver lining to this year's report, it's this: These dreamy locations, many of them halfway across the globe, can at least serve as inspiration for Americans' next vacation destinations.
$15,735.

That's how much the outfit that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's wife Louise Linton wore on Monday night cost.

We know this because she set the Internet ablaze by posting a photo of herself on Instagram exiting a government plane and captioning it with all of her pricey designers' hashtags.

Great #daytrip to #Kentucky! #nicest #people #beautiful #countryside #rolandmouret pants #tomford sunnies, #hermesscarf #valentinorockstudheels #valentino #usa, the 36-year-old Scottish-born actress captioned the photo, according to a Twitter screenshot.

THIS ANTI-TRUMP LIPSTICK IS SUPPORTING VICTIMS OF CHARLOTTESVILLE

In the photo, Linton appears to be wearing a $940 cashmere-and-silk Hermes stole, $405 cat-eye Tom Ford sunglasses, $995 Valentino pumps and $1,395 white Rouland Mouret trousers, which she topped off with a white Hermes Birkin bag, with a starting sale price of around $12,000.

Touching down in the Bluegrass State where nearly 19 percent of people live below the poverty line, many social media users felt that Lintons upscale fashion flaunt was in particularly poor taste.

When an Instagram user called Linton deplorable for what the woman believed to be Linton's taxpayer-funded trip, Linton fired back personally, criticizing the womans wealth and lifestyle.

Linton has since deleted the post, made her social media accounts private, and reportedly apologized, but people are still buzzing about the costly outfit that sparked this debacle.

Lipton was accompanying her husband, age 54, on a trip to Louisville, where the Secretary discussed the benefits of raising the federal debt ceiling and how Republican tax reform plans will help middle class Americans.

NUDE BLOGGER'S INSTAGRAM DEACTIVATED WITHOUT WARNING, SHE CLAIMS

A spokesman for the Treasury Department told The Washington Post that the cost of Lintons flight was incurred by the couple. In addition, Linton was not compensated by the fashion houses she tagged in her post, they said.

A notorious label-lover, Linton has long harbored a predilection for high end looks. For their June nuptials, she wore a grand lace ball gown with a cathedral length train, custom made by Ines DiSanto.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
The president of Liberty University, one of the nations most influential evangelical universities, is dismissing complaints from a small group of disgruntled graduates who are upset over his support for President Trump.

The graduates, who reportedly organized after the racial unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia, say they plan on returning their diplomas in protest.

PODCAST: Click here to listen to Todds interview with Liberty University President Jerry Falwell

Im sending my diploma back because the president of the United States is defending Nazis and white supremacists, 2006 graduate Chris Gaumer told NPR. And in defending the presidents comments, Jerry Falwell, Jr. is making himself, and it seems to me, the university he represents, complicit.

To be clear, President Trump denounced all those who committed acts of violence at Charlottesville  including the Antifa protestors who attacked police officers and members of the news media. The president later condemned the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists by name.

Click here for a free subscription to Todds newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives!

The truth as stated by @realdonaldtrump is that violent white supremacists, Nazi, KKK and similar hate groups are pure evil and un-American, Falwell tweeted in support of the president.

Its hard to understand why a handful of miffed college graduates would take issue with Falwells tweet or his support for the president.

Were asking that Liberty University return to its stated values and accept that the pursuit of power is leading it into some dark places, and really repudiate that, 2006 alum Georgia Hamann told NPR.

Falwell told me on my nationally syndicated radio program that hes not terribly bothered by the angst-driven grads.

Its a joke. Its grandstanding, thats all it is, Falwell said.

And for the sake of full disclosure  Ive spoken at Liberty Universitys Convocation service twice.

And its been my impression that a majority of the students actually support President Trump.
President Donald Trump has now officially embraced and expanded the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan which candidate Trump denounced as a waste of American blood and treasure.

In his first major foreign policy speech in prime time, Mr. Trump unveiled what he called a new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, which he called principled realism. But many of its key components remain infuriatingly vague, such as the number of additional troops he intends to deploy in Afghanistan and how much more money -- if any -- he intends to spend there. Moreover, some of the goals he espoused Monday night seemed inherently contradictory.

Officials said that the president had chosen among three main options. A substantial surge of forces comparable to President Bushs surge of forces in Iraq  a commitment which stabilized the country until President Obamas abrupt withdrawal of them  was not on the table.

Mr. Trump did explain, with admirable candor, why he had abandoned his initial instinct to withdraw the 8,500 American forces deployed in Afghanistan immediately. He said that after listening to the generals whose wisdom and views he had denigrated as a candidate, he had become convinced that an abrupt withdrawal would create a vacuum that the Islamic State, the Taliban, and other terrorists would fill. That, in turn, he said, would enable Americas Islamist foes to strike America and its allies, as Al Qaeda had done on September 11th from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Mr. Trump is right about that. And has apparently learned from Barack Obama what the lesson of an abrupt withdrawal from a counter-terrorism war can mean for American security.

He also seemed determined to do more to prevent Pakistan from giving the Taliban aid, comfort and sanctuary. He also wisely mentioned India in a thinly-veiled threat to Pakistan. A senior administration official said that several weeks ago, for instance, Mr. Trump had lifted restrictions that his predecessor, President Obama, had imposed on the use of U.S. forces, enabling U.S. commanders on the ground, among other things, to attack such sanctuaries in Pakistan. The official said the administration would use economic leverage (foreign aid) and diplomatic pressure to convince Pakistan to become part of the solution, rather than the problem. It's hard to see how they can win. But Presidents Bush and Obama also tried to persuade Pakistan to switch course, without success. And some military analysts were quick to note that American forces in Afghanistan are supplied mainly through Pakistan. So its hard to see how the U.S. forces deployed there can fight, much less win the war without Pakistani cooperation and support. Openly courting India, Pakistan's historic rival, could backfire but may be worth the risk.

Mr. Trump said his administration would no longer engage in nation-building, another good step. He also said that the Afghan government in Kabul would have to do more to ensure that Afghans do the bulk of the fighting. While he vowed to stay in the region to kill terrorists and defeat the Taliban who support the Islamists until victory was achieved, he also said that Americas commitment to Afghanistan was not open-ended. He did not define what obliterating ISIS or victory meant, or specifically what conditions on the ground would enable an eventual withdrawal of American forces.

While saying that Americas military presence in the region would be conditions not calendar- based  an implicit criticism of President Obamas commitment of more U.S. soldiers to the Afghan fight but only for 18 months  Mr. Trump declined to articulate what he intends to do, or how he would win and defeat Islamist terrorists if the Afghan government crumbled or remained riven by the factionalism and corruption which has hampered the war effort so far. He said that Americas commitment was not open-ended, and that America would no longer give Kabul a blank check, but did not say how America would defeat ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the indigenous Taliban if the Afghan army did not start performing more effectively.

A senior official, briefing reporters on the presidents speech, said that the administration hoped that reversing recent Afghan losses by increasing the number of Americans who are training, advising and assisting the Afghan army, and especially its special forces, would convince the Taliban that a negotiated settlement was the only way to prevent military defeat. But it is unclear whether the deployment of some 4,000 more U.S. forces can succeed in reclaiming the 30-40 percent of Afghanistan the Taliban are now said to control. How can 4,000 more forces do what 100,000 American forces could not? said Les Gelb, a former president of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, referring to the number of forces stationed there during the height of Americas involvement. You cant win this war with more American troops. But instead of getting better, Afghan forces are getting worse.

Speaking on background, officials said that the president had chosen among three main options his military advisers had prepared for a final decision last Friday at Camp David: to withdraw forces quickly, to conduct a mercenary war by transferring major responsibility for the fighting to private contractors, and a modest increase in American forces for an unspecified amount of time. A substantial surge of forces comparable to President Bushs surge of forces in Iraq  a commitment which stabilized the country until President Obamas abrupt withdrawal of them  was not on the table, the official said. But while President Trump and his senior aides spoke about their desire to integrate military, economic and diplomatic efforts to defeat terror, how is that goal advanced by the savage cuts Mr. Trump has proposed to the State Departments budget or the hundreds of key diplomatic posts that have gone unfilled?

The final reason Mr. Trump gave for remaining in Afghanistan was to honor the sacrifices of the more than 2,200 Americans who had already died there. This seemed eerily reminiscent of the justifications his Democratic and Republican predecessors gave for continuing the war in Vietnam. President Trump may have wisely learned not to repeat President Bush's and Obama's mistakes in Afghanistan but sacrificing more Americans to a fight that may not be winnable without a clear new strategy and benchmarks honors neither those who have died nor history.

Ultimately, this most unconventional of presidents has proposed the most conventional of responses to reverse the momentum of loss in Afghanistan  more American soldiers. But deploying an unspecified number of American soldiers does not a strategy make. And precisely how President Trump intends to turn the losing tide in Afghanistan remains opaque.
Two summers ago, the Nineveh Plain lay in ruin, divided by a trench that stretched hundreds of miles across Northern Iraq, through the heartland of what remained of Christianity in Mesopotamia. Telskuf, a once-thriving Christian town, survived two assaults and brief occupations by ISIS. But ISIS had been driven back toward Mosul.

ISIS had come to wage a war of systematic annihilation against the Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities, whose very existence was a threat to the universal jihad. The soldiers of the caliphate wrote as much on the walls of the churches. Most of the Christians had escaped, but not all. From the trenches of Telskuf, one could look to the south toward another Christian village, Batnaya, and only imagine the destruction.

Today, the Nineveh Plain has been liberated from ISIS. Christians are returning to Telskuf and there is hope, though much reconstructive assistance is still needed.

In Batnaya, however, ISIS left the unmistakable mark of the Caliphate: barbarism and desolation. It is, for now, uninhabitable.

In 2015, I stood in a Christian home in Telksuf that served as a temporary ISIS headquarters before it was leveled by a coalition airstrike that killed several members. Today, standing in another Christian home in Telskuf, there is none of the haunted silence. Nadok, a middle-aged Christian man and leader in his community, bears none of the signs of a genocide victim. He has the gregarious nature of a politician, but the intensity of a soldierhes both.

In the end, more than one hundred ISIS fighters were confirmed killed. Sixteen Pehsmerga were also killed and a Navy Seal, Charles Keating IV. Every Christian in this village knows his name.

ISIS smashed his familys statues of Jesus and Mary, shot his dog, and destroyed his bottles of liquor. Today, the statues and images of Jesus and Mary (and the liquor) have been replaced. Nadok knows that the men who stood in his home are either dead or being hunted down and killed. He and other Christians have returned. He was the first to return to Telskuf and among the first to return to the Nineveh Plain, but will not be the last.

Upon entering his home, which he did when Telskuf was still the front lines, Nadok found that ISIS had left some fresh food behind. Laughing, he recalls, I phoned friends to tell them to come back and enjoy some Daesh food. They didnt come. One senses that the demystification of ISIS is cathartic for this community. But this community knows that they may return one dayand are determined to have security. We are all grateful to the Peshmerga who liberated our towns, especially those who died for us.

During much of the ISIS occupation of the Nineveh Plain, Nadok was a soldier. On May 3, 2016, just a few months before Peshmerga liberated the Nineveh Plain, ISIS broke through the lines and, once again, briefly occupied Telskuf. In the end, more than one hundred ISIS fighters were confirmed killed. Sixteen Pehsmerga were also killed and a Navy Seal, Charles Keating IV. Every Christian in this village knows his name.

Nadok, who fought that day, recalls the battle. Keating was killed by a sniper before the airstrikes. Nadok shows me where Keating and the Seals were fighting. We saw the courage of the Navy Seals that day. They came quickly from Barqofa (a neighboring Christian village) when they heard that ISIS had breached the line in Telskuf. They rushed in and held the line by themselves for about ninety minutes. Then the order came to withdraw. ISIS occupied and there was an airstrike. Then the Peshmerga moved back in.

The Peshmerga are gone today, except for a token force. He shows me the photo of his foot on the head of a Deash soldier killed in the May 3 battle. Im sorry to show you this. Hopefully it will comfort the mothers of victims. Charles Keating will not soon be forgotten in Telskuf.

Two years ago, Telskuf was lifeless town with overgrown brush. On this day, there was a flurry of activity. In the town center, a private Canadian charity delivers aidfood, water, generators, air conditioning units. The Christians, like their Yazidi neighbors, desperately need immediate reconstructive aid, which has been slow to arrive, when it arrives at all. But there is a defiance about the Christians: ISIS will not have the last word in this village. They are rebuilding.

The church of Saint George in Telskuf is filled with workers rebuilding what ISIS destroyed. Theyd used the statutes of Jesus and Mary for target practice. The altar was also destroyed. Daesh knew that the West would be reluctant to bomb a church, so stored food and ammunition here, says one man from the town. Throughout the church, much of the ISIS graffiti has been removed. The altar is being restored. To see our Christian symbols again is almost as important as food for us, says another.

Many families have also begun to return to other villages on the Nineveh Plain. Thank God we dont have it as bad in Telskuf as they do in Batnaya says Nadok. Weve opened our doors to them, just as Al Qosh (a Christian city to the north) opened their doors for us when Daesh came. A Dominican nun on the streets of Ainkhawa, the heavily Christian city north of the Kurdish capital, Erbil, told me days before that she was from Batnaya. It was as if she was saying the name of a deceased loved one.

The destruction in Batnaya is not as devastating as Mosul, but its closer than one wouldve imagined. The historic village's walls are filled with caliphate graffiti: There is no place for the Cross in Islamic lands; O Allah, give us martyrdom; Office of the mujahedeen; Lions of the Caliphate; The Cross is under our foot. Everywhere are the names of ISIS martyrs. On the door of the parish priests home, The house of Kafir (infidel). Across the street, a house for nuns has been destroyed.

Inside the homes on the way toward the church, one sees the Spartan-like discipline of ISIS, so uncharacteristic for organized militaries in the region, the single-minded focus. They slept on floors even when beds were available. They tunneled and trained by day, slept or attacked by night. Only blankets, bullet-filled statues, and graffiti with the nom de guerre of fallen comrades remain. Daesh are like ghosts, says one of the Christians, echoing a sentiment heard from Iraq to Syria.

Inside the church, Saint Kyriakos, there are shot up statues of Jesus and Mary. Across Iraq and Syria, there is writing in Arabic, Russian, Frenchmarks of the universality of the Caliphate. In Saint Kyriakos, there is German. Oh you Cross worshippers, well kill you all. Germany is an Islamic land. You are weak and dont belong here. And: Oh you Cross worshippers, you have no place in Islamic lands. Either you leave or well kill you.

ISIS appears to have taken their dead with them. But in the two-year occupation, the graves in the Christian cemetery were desecrated. ISIS couldnt have done this by themselves, says one local Christian leader. Many locals came from towns nearby when ISIS came to loot and to destroy. ISIS destroyed where their faith required it but they didnt loot. Locals from the neighboring village took part in the destruction as well. This is what we believe. The Christians here are open to reconciliation with neighborsbut will trust only their own police and defense forces. Our own neighbors turned on us overnight. We wont let that happen again.

The ISIS assault against minorities is part of a wider Islamist campaign to subjugate or simply eradicate religious minorities in the region. The State Department (begrudgingly) acknowledged last year that this systematic pattern, which included slavery, rape, and murder, constituted genocide, confirming what Congress had found unanimously the week before. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently clarified the U.S. government's position, following omissions of the term earlier this year in country reports for 2016 on Iraq and Syria. One U.S. official last year voiced concern about Iraqi Christians seeking revenge against Sunni Arabs in a private meeting -- a fear without any basis in reality or history.

There is no talk of reprisals by Christians. They simply want to provide for their own securityto ensure that it doesnt happen again. How less forgiving Americans would be, I thought, listening to these Christians. It is precisely the Christian tendency to reconcile, to forgive, that makes them vulnerable to exploitation, to absurd lectures from an American official not to exact revenge on their neighbors.

Later that day, Christian leaders in Dohuk ask candidly whether the Trump Administration will help them. After years of neglect from the Bush and Obama administrations, the Christians of the region went all-in for Trump and remain unabashed supporters. Middle East Christians in America overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election, particularly in key swing states like Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. They are growing concerned that they may once again become an afterthoughtbut they havent lost hope.

We believe in God first, Trump second, says one of the Christian leaders in Dohuh. You hear it said often here. You see, we are caught between Arabs and Kurds, between Sunni and Shia, between Turkey and Iran. Without a province, doomed.

The future of the Nineveh Plain will be decided as much in Washington as it is in Northern Iraq. To the extent that Christians have a voice in their own future, they will likely opt for the creation of a province, perhaps with a path toward an autonomous zone, like that which was created to protect Iraqs Kurds in 1991. On September 25, Iraqs Kurds will vote in a referendum on independence.

Iraqs Christians dont ask for continuous aid or for any special status. We seek only equal rights and the ability to protect ourselves, says one community leader. We can provide for our own defense and build our own economy. After the 2003 invasion, America made no special accommodation for the Christians. In 2014, no military action was taken to stop the ISIS conquest of Christian Nineveh, though it couldve been done easilyand prevented genocide. The Trump Administration is now the last, best hope for Christianity in Iraq. The Christians there watch and wait.

Andrew Doran writes about U.S. foreign policy and human rights in the Middle East.
Editor's note: The following column originally appeared in The Hill newspaper and on TheHill.com.

Steve Bannons battles  death matches against national security advisor H.R. McMaster and top economic advisor Gary Cohn, among others  rocked the White House until Bannon tapped out Friday.

But the fight with long-term, potentially crippling consequences pits President Trump against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky).

That ongoing fight has a few in the Republican majority on Capitol Hill privately raising the prospect of a formal censure of Trump over his response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va.

Censure of a Republican president by a Republican Congress remains highly unlikely. The prospect of impeachment or a concerted effort to pressure the president to resign over broader issues  including allegations of collusion with Russia during his campaign, or the suggestion he could have obstructed justice by his firing of FBI director James Comey  is even more remote.

Even so, fear of the populist president is giving way to anger among Senate Republicans. First of all, they cant explain the politics of Trump going after the Republican leader of the Senate. Why is the president opening the question of whether McConnell should resign?

Why is the president delighting in taking down Republican senators? In recent days, he has labeled Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) as Flake Jeff Flake, and derided Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) as a publicity seeking" liar.

The lack of answers is why GOP Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.), who had previously been supportive of the president, now says openly Trump has failed to demonstrate stability or competence.

Trump will need votes from these senators to get anything done in Congress. Even now, almost none of them are willing to go on television to defend the president.

McConnells strategy  walking away from fights with the president when possible  is an act of restraint that can only last so long.

At the moment, McConnell sees more advantage in not fighting back.

For now, he is keeping his distance from the president to protect his Senate majority. For example, McConnell did not name Trump when he issued a statement on Trumps appalling failure to assign blame to the neo-Nazis and white supremacists he has stirred into violent action.

But there is no way for McConnell to look the other way on special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into possible ties between Trump and Russia. Again, the president is damaging the GOP brand ahead of the 2018 elections.

In the short term, McConnell also wants to protect his GOP caucus from the presidents failed legislative agenda and the potentially ugly mud-fight in September over the budget, the debt ceiling and an infrastructure spending bill.

McConnells shield against the president first came into view when the majority leader kept the Senate in pro forma session over the August vacation break.

That move blocked the president from making a recess appointment of a new attorney general. And it gave McConnell added favor with Capitol Hill Republicans by making it harder for Trump to fire former senator and current attorney general Jeff Sessions.

Next, McConnell gave his Senate Republicans an answer to Trumps self-serving rants about Congresss failure to repeal ObamaCare.

Our new president, of course, has not been in this line of work before, McConnell said earlier this month in a speech. And I think he had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process.

Trump had every reason to let McConnells words roll off his back. But the president could not help firing back.

Senator Mitch McConnell said I had excessive expectations, but I don't think so, Trump tweeted. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?

And Trump kept punching: Mitch, get back to work and put Repeal & Replace, Tax Reform & Cuts and a great infrastructure Bill on my desk for signing. You can do it! the president said in another jab via Twitter.

Trump is betting that he can turn Republican voters against McConnell because the GOPs base sees McConnell as part of the establishment it sent Trump to D.C. to blow up.

Trump is getting support from conservative radio commentators in his war against McConnell.

My Fox News colleague Sean Hannity tweeted at McConnell, YOU are a WEAK, SPINELESS leader who does not keep his word and you need to Retire!"

A July PPP poll found that voters give McConnell an 18 percent job approval rating and a 58 percent disapproval rating. And the whole Congress had a 75 percent disapproval poll number.

So even as disapproval of Trumps job performance has risen to 55 percent, according to the Real Clear Politics average, he found short-term satisfaction in throwing dirt on McConnell in the hope of looking good by comparison.

It may be working with some GOP voters, but so far, McConnells GOP caucus is sticking with the Kentuckian.

Passing POTUS's legislative agenda requires a team effort, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the number two Republican in the Senate, tweeted in McConnells defense. No one is more qualified than Mitch McConnell to lead Senate in that effort.

Lets not forget it was McConnell who used the so-called nuclear option to hand Trump the only real win of his presidency by confirming Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

And that was after McConnell kept a Supreme Court seat open for a year by refusing to hold hearings, much less a vote, on Merrick Garland, then-President Obamas nominee to fill Antonin Scalias seat on the bench.

That open seat gave Trump a strong campaign talking point  his promise to appoint a conservative to the court.

It wasnt too long ago that Republicans lived by Ronald Reagans 11th commandment: Thou shall not speak ill of a fellow Republican. But Trump, beginning with his name-calling during the GOP primaries, did away with all political niceties.

Thats why the Trump-McConnell version of the Survivor reality show will be topic number one on every media political shout-fest this fall.
The art of smart, strategic and successful foreign policy is clearly something not mastered by every president. In fact, most presidents fumble on the world stage, failing to articulate their vision for Americans engagement with the world, what Washingtons international priorities should be or how they will advance their agenda once declared. As one senior George W. Bush National Security Council official said to me last week: Everyone knows what bad foreign policy looks like. But good foreign policy seems exactly thatforeign.

Our last presidentthanks to unenforced red lines and pivots that went nowherelearned that lesson the hard way. And it now seems President Trump will not only have to fix the many mistakes of Barack Obama, but somehow, pursue his own America First strategyall at the same time.

To be honest, I almost feel bad for him.

We will be there to help, but at the end of the day, this is a fight Afghans must take the lead in. Otherwise, all the money, arms, ammunition and allies in the world wont make a difference.

And no other foreign policy dilemma demonstrates such challenges for the Trump Administration than Afghanistan. Since the very day America stepped foot in that far away land back in October 2001commonly referred to as the graveyard of empiressuccess after the initial overthrow of the Taliban has come in starts and stops. Even with 100,000 troops in that war-torn nation under the Obama administration, trillions of dollars spent and too many American lives lost, something close to resembling a final victory seems far off.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump seemed to be of the mindset that it was time to end Americas longest wars, and seemed to favor a pullout. But like many other men who came before him, what once seemed like a good idea as a contender for the presidency looks very different once you step foot in the Oval Office. He admitted as much last night in his address to the nation.

So with America once again committing more lives and loot to Afghanistan, what should Americas strategy for the long-term be?

For me, that seems rather simple: to never allow Afghanistan to once again become the blackhole from which terrorism can once again rain down death and destruction on innocent Americans. And Monday night, despite criticism from some that he was abandoning his goals from the campaign, President Trump made the only decision he couldto attack the terrorists who would like nothing more than to inflict harm on us and destroy our very way of life.

For those who keep asking for the president to evolve or grow into the office, you have to admit, this was the moment we have all been waiting for, in a carefully delivered prime time speech. Reports explained that President Trump took months to consider his decision, to ask tough questions, and to carefully look at alternatives. You can say what you will about his 140 character crusades on Twitter or his sometimes shoot-from-the-hip political style, this was none of that.

This was a man having to admit a hard truth publicly, that his original instinct for withdrawal would have invited disaster, while presenting the nation what he felt was the best option in a war that he inherited in a place most Americans cant even find on a map. Clearly not an easy task for someone who until January had never held any position in any government anywhere, and was a newcomer to the inner workings of Americas national security challenges, something many of us seem to forget.

But from here there comes another hard truth, a truth that might be a bitter pill for some in Washington to swallow. We should be under no false allusions about the road ahead, as the president seemed to allude to in his remarks. Afghanistan will not become a beacon of democracy or a model of stable governance in Central Asia for generationsin fact, it may never resemble a working state like those we take for granted. Decades of war have robbed it of that opportunity. But we can and must be a vital partner to the Afghan government, helping them in their time of need when the Taliban seems on the march. However, it is Afghans that must win the fight for their future, and President Trump said as much. We will be there to help, but at the end of the day, this is a fight Afghans must take the lead in. Otherwise, all the money, arms, ammunition and allies in the world wont make a difference.

And there might even be a final truth yet to come: there will likely be no victory in Afghanistan for America. There will be no parades down the streets of Kabul celebrating the complete death and destruction of the Taliban.

But there is a victory President Trump can claim, and indeed, seemed to point to last nightmaking sure no more towers fall like they did almost sixteen years ago, with terrorist masterminds plotting in Kandahar or somewhere in Afghanistan. That is a victory every American should hope for.
President Trump did two bold things in his Afghanistan speech Monday night. One was somewhat wishful thinking and the other was quite smart if he follows through.

Trump vowed the U.S. will "fight to win" in Afghanistan, reversing what his own advisers have admitted has been a losing battle. Though he didnt specify a number, U.S. personnel in Afghanistan are likely to get a 50 percent increase to about 12,000 men and women.

Ralph Peters, a Fox News military analyst, says that even with more freedom to engage the enemy its unlikely they will be able to beat the Taliban when a combined U.S. and allied force of 140,000 troops couldnt do it over the course of several years.

But the president did make a real break with the past in calling out Pakistan for its double game in the region. Publicly, Pakistan is our staunch ally against terrorism and has taken billions in U.S. aid to that in. Privately, elements of the Pakistani military, intelligence, and political elites have sheltered and even supported Taliban leaders and forces operating out of Pakistans border regions.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, Trump said. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately, Trump vowed.

Trump has already backed up his words at least once in his administration. For months, Defense Secretary James Mattis has withheld $50 million in aid from Pakistan over its insufficient cooperation against fighting local terrorists.

Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, says if Trumps rhetoric is backed up by more aid cuts and sanctions, the Pakistanis will be shuddering in fear. He says the Pakistanis may finally agree to expand the U.S. drone campaign so it can target known Taliban leaders operating inside Pakistan.

For too long, the Talibans leaders have been able to direct the insurgency in Afghanistan from their cozy confines in Pakistan, Roggio wrote on Monday in this weeks Weekly Standard.

I have two nephews, Matthew and Michael, who served with the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan and completely agree with Trumps approach. Everyone knew we were fighting with one hand behind our back because of the Talkban sanctuaries in Pakistan, Michael told me.

Indeed, to his credit President Trump listed to other enlisted veterans of the Afghan conflict before making his speech. The New York Times reported that the president had lunch last month at the White House with four soldiers who had served in the area. They told him much the same thing my nephews told me and the Times reported they left the president sober about the prospects for turning around a war that has dragged on for nearly 16 years.

An improvement in Pakistans attitude on the War on Terror is long overdue.

When the U.S. toppled the Taliban regime and destroyed Al Qaedas headquarters in Afghanistan in 2001, the remnants of both structures relocated to northwestern Pakistan.

Usama bin Laden hid out in Pakistan for a decade until the U.S. killed him in a raid they didnt reveal to Pakistan authorities until it happened.

Dr. Shakil Afridi, a Pakistan physician who helped lead the U.S. to Usama and was hailed as a hero by the Pentagon, was arrested by Pakistani on trumped-up charges he belonged to a militant Islamist group.

Those charges were eventually thrown out, but just this year Pakistans law minister announced the doctor wont be released or handed over to the U.S. but will instead languish in jail as he awaits trial on dubious charges that he killed a patient eight years ago.

For 16 years, the United States has tried to seduce, wheedle and beg Pakistan to be a full partner in the War on Terror. Nothing has worked.

But on Monday night, Trump finally played the India card -- vowing to pursue much greater cooperation with India on economic and strategic matters.

Pakistans leaders have viewed India as the single greatest threat ot their nation ever since the two countries were brutally carved out of British India at the time of Indian independence in 1947.

If Trump is serious about playing the aid curtailment and India cards, he may finally see an improved level of cooperation against terror that neither the Bush nor Obama administrations were able to get.

That alone could redeem the limited vision of Trumps policy in Afghanistan and make it a success.

Its time for some decisive action.

In less than two years, U.S. soldiers will be deployed to Afghanistan who werent not even born yet when the conflict began back in 2001.
On Monday evening, President Trump addressed the nation to outline his new strategy to win the war in Afghanistan.

After a series of accusations by lawmakers and the media suggesting that the president had been dragging his feet on the conflict, Trump confidently committed to sending an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan and indicated that the United States will work closely with NATO allies, as well as regional allies in Pakistan and India to resolve the conflict.

To open his address, the president followed through on an important recommendation that I have made over the past week.

Although President Trump could not have effectively made a speech about the events in Charlottesville and the need for unity in our country alone, he did use tonights address to lay the groundwork for healing the wounds of division in our country, essentially using the examples of unity and common purpose that our armed service members consistently display.

Despite President Trumps overt confidence and soaring rhetoric on Monday night, his new plan is too little, too late.

This is the first step in a national reconciliation process that will take more time effort and commitment to implement. Along these lines, the President needs to lower his voice, reduce his tweets, and seek common ground with Republicans and Democrats alike.

That means explicitly no more discussion, much less analysis, of what happened in Charlottesville, no more characterization of Nazis and white supremacists, nor left wing activists, as very fine people as the president did in his press conference last week.

Further, President Trump needs to begin working toward compromise on key issues like health care, tax reform and infrastructure.

Otherwise his presidency -- at the very least -- will be far less successful than it might otherwise be.

On Monday night, however, the president successfully changed the national conversation to foreign policy and military strategy.

In regard to the presidents new strategy, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has indicated that he has already made preparations to expeditiously carry out the presidents new guidance and effectively destroy the terrorist hub in Afghanistan.

At this time, 4,000 additional U.S. troops are far too few to stop the full range of terrorist and insurgent threats menacing the United States and challenging the Afghan government.

To be sure, as Senator John McCain has stated, the presidents new strategy is a big step in the right direction with the new strategy for Afghanistan.

However, as Senator McCain continued, the unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue, and in the interim, the Taliban has made dangerous inroads.

In large measure, President Obama is to blame for the current state of affairs in Afghanistan, specifically the resurgence of the Taliban and emergence of other dangerous groups during the former presidents second term.

It is my view that despite President Trumps overt confidence and soaring rhetoric on Monday night, his new plan is too little, too late.

More acutely, the promises made in the speech simply do not align with the harrowing reality that the new troops will find once on the ground in Afghanistan.

Modern Middle Eastern history tells us that no foreign power has ever succeeded in Afghanistan and there is no reason to believe things will change with this small additional troop allocation.

As is well-known, and President Trump reminded us tonight, the war in Afghanistan is the longest military conflict in U.S. history.

Given the recent gains made by the Taliban, Haqqani, Islamic State in Khorasan, and other terrorist groups, more is needed to successfully reassert the Afghan governments control, as well as bring American involvement to an end.

Clearly, bringing the conflict to an end could potentially stand as one of President Trumps greatest achievements.

But given the complexities of the political and military situations on the ground in Afghanistan, this achievement will take a serious commitment, extending well beyond what the United States has already dedicated over the past sixteen years.

As the president stated, victory will now have a clear definition, involving five key facets: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge.

These causes are all well and good and it is my hope the president and our military succeeds.

To do so, I share Senator McCain's recommendations for the president, which are that he must regularly address the American people about why we are fighting, effectively articulate the details of his strategy and his expectations to those fighting, effectively make the case to the American people why the additional commitment of lives and resources are worth it, and, above all, clearly define success and the specific conditions on the ground we are seeking.

As echoed in Monday nights address, President Trumps reassertion of U.S. leadership around the world was a foundational component of his campaign.

I hope the president is successful in this mission as a means of ending this conflict in a dignified manner and finally securing stable democratic governance in Afghanistan.
The city of Seattle is in a battle with residents over a controversial new income tax, and the spat says something significant about Americas public sector pension crisis.

Lawsuits filed by several groups against the city contend that the 2.25 per cent tax, passed in July by the city council, violates the constitution of Washington stateone of only seven states without a levy on incomes. Seattle officials, who say they need the tax to fund a range of programs, argue that the tax is legal.

Although the case is being portrayed in the media as a legal face-off, one underlying but rarely mentioned factor in Seattles search for more revenues is the citys huge pension bill. Seattles retirement system, like those of many local governments, is woefully underfunded, and the added cost of trying to fix the system will consume big chunks of the citys tax revenues in coming years, squeezing the budget.

Thats a reminder that these days, when we see local battles over tax increases, the growing cost of pensions is a key factor-- even when pensions arent explicitly mentioned.

Seattles retirement system, like those of many local governments, is woefully underfunded, and the added cost of trying to fix the system will consume big chunks of the citys tax revenues in coming years, squeezing the budget.

Although Seattles budget has grown since 2012 from $4.2 billion to $5.3 billion, city leaders say they need even more revenue. And they want that money from the citys higher income residents. Seattles new income tax, which is aimed at those earning $250,000 a year or more, would provide additional revenues for expanding homeless services, building more affordable housing, creating, green jobs, and reducing the citys carbon emissions. Budget officials estimate that after administrative costs the tax would net the city about $130 million annually.

But looking over Seattles pension woes, whats striking is how much tax money the underfunded system is already gobbling up, and how much more it will require. Like many cities and states, Seattle guaranteed its workers generous pensions based on optimistic assumptions that have proved faulty.

The stock market crash that began in late 2007 devastated the retirement system, robbing it of hundreds of millions of dollars in assets. Its debt subsequently soared from $175 million in 2008 to more than $1 billion two years later. Despite a 9-year bull market, the retirement systems funding level has failed to rise significantly, and today it has only 68 percent of the money that it has promised to workers.

A study earlier this year by Stanford University finance professor Joshua Rauh ranked Seattle as having the ninth worst funded system among the nations 40 largest cities. Though Seattle says that today it owes about $1.2 billion, Rauh says the bill could be as high as $3.2 billion.

A decade ago Seattle contributed about $40 million a year to pensions, but the city has been forced to increase the amount over time and this year put $108 million into the system. And that tab will keep growing.

According to the retirement systems own documents, over the next 10 years, just the cost of paying off the pension debt will consume about $850 million in city revenues. Thats in addition to $570 million that the city will also spend to finance new pension credits that workers will be earning.

Even that wont be enough. Based on the citys own calculations it will take Seattle until 2042 to retire its current pension debt. And that is contingent on the pension system achieving an annual average investment return of 7.5 percent with the money it already has. If the retirement system fails to hit that number, the cost of fully funding the system will rise even higher.

In other words, the price tag for fixing Seattles pension system will grow so rapidly that it may soon be consuming much of the proposed new tax increaseif it ever goes into effect. The money spent on paying off that debt represents resources that could have funded a whole menu of worthwhile services or programs and could have made much of the wealth tax that Seattle is now trying to institute unnecessary.

Whats really troubling is that Seattle is not alone. On average, our state pension systems are only about 73 percent funded, even after a long bull market. Many of our largest cities are similarly underfunded.

As a result, states and cities are spending tens of billions of dollars every year in taxpayer money just to pay off this debt, and will have to continue doing so for years to come. That money is disappearing into pension systems at a time when our local governments are also struggling to find revenue to invest in roads and bridges, in schools, and to respond to crises like the opioid epidemic.

Thats why these days when you hear debates about the need to raise taxes and you wonder where the money is all going, remember the local government pension crisis.
The 10-year strategy guides future programs for collaboration research, including research themes, geographic foci and funding priorities from 2017 to 2027.

I welcome the active participation of Vietnamese partners in the development of the strategy, said the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E. Mr. Craig Chittick. The new strategy provides a roadmap for Australia and Vietnam to work in equal partnership with mutual contributions and benefits for economic growth, security and innovation under the next ten years framework for collaborative agricultural research.

Photo: apec2017.vn

In the next decade, ACIAR will cooperate with MARD and other partners to continue assisting Vietnam to address obstacles for agricultural development under six focus research areas: Food safety; Climate change; Improving soil fertility and crop efficiency; Improving market engagement; Improving the value from forest; and Aquaculture.

ACIAR will implement research all across Vietnam, with a particular focus in the Mekong Delta, Central Highlands and North-West Highlands.

Future research will involve the private sector to catalyse opportunities for the rural and urban poor.

Collaborative projects will also focus on highly applicable practices, creating opportunities for women to participate in and benefit from research, agribusiness systems and on-farm activities.

Photo: apec2017.vn

The capacity of Vietnamese researchers, farmers, extension workers and students will be improved through working with Australian and international scientists.

Vietnam and Australia enjoy a strong and mutually beneficial relationship, with two-way trade worth over AUD10 billion annually. Collaboration in agricultural research between the two countries has developed through the ACIARs program.

Since 1993, ACIAR has invested AUD100 million in 170 research projects in Vietnam, across agriculture, forestry and fisheries./.
President Trump outlined a comprehensive new strategy Monday night for achieving a lasting peace in Afghanistan  rejecting what he called arbitrary timetables for the U.S. troop presence, ratcheting up pressure on Pakistan to stop harboring militants and vowing to refocus the mission on killing terrorists, not nation-building.

From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America, Trump said, in a primetime address to the nation.

The speech made clear he is keeping U.S. troops in the country  he said they will fight to win  and scrapping any consideration of a hasty withdrawal.

Speaking to servicemembers at Fort Myer, Va., though, Trump tried to draw a sharp distinction between his approach and that of his predecessors. Pointedly, the president vowed not to openly discuss troop numbers, withdrawal dates, or attack plans.

Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on, he said, vowing, Americas enemies will never know our plans."

Ahead of the speech, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Trump has in fact signed off on sending an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan, apparently listening to appeals from his generals. But Trumps address to the nation was focused on more than troop levels.

He stressed that the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan is not a blank check and the American people expect real results. He declared the days of democracy-building abroad are over.

We are not nation-building again, Trump said. We are killing terrorists.

Trump is now the third commander-in-chief to attempt to bring stability to the war-torn country and seek a U.S. victory in what is now Americas longest war. He acknowledged the American people are weary of war without victory.

But he sought to bring new focus to the fight Monday night, highlighting the threat that must be eradicated from upwards of 20 terror groups active in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Trumps warning to the latter nation marked perhaps the most significant rhetorical  and diplomatic  shift.

He said bluntly that Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror, a situation made worse by the tensions between Pakistan and India, two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Trump said a pillar of the new strategy is a change in approach to Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, he said.

Complaining that Pakistan houses the terrorists the U.S. is fighting as they take billions in aid, Trump said, That will have to change.

Trumps stance on Afghanistan has shifted over the years. Prior to his candidacy, Trump called for U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan immediately and rebuild the US first on Twitter in 2013, even agreeing with then-President Barack Obama on withdrawing troops.

But since taking office, Trump has been stepping up military action in Afghanistan. The Trump administration has ramped up airstrikes in the region with 1,984 U.S. bombs dropped in Afghanistan between January and July of this year, compared with 705 dropped during the same time period in 2016  thats a 181 percent increase, according to U.S. Air Force data.

In his address, Trump admitted his original instinct was to pull out of the warzone. But he said he studied the issue and held many meetings, over many months with the Cabinet and generals to complete the new military plan. He said a rapid exit would be unacceptable, citing the example of Iraq as a cautionary tale.

In the end, we will win, Trump said.

The president began his address with words of unity, after a week of political turbulence and racial and cultural divide after attacks in Charlottesville, Va.

Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other, Trump said.

Ahead of his primetime address, Fox News learned that the president had signed off on sending an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan, adding to the current estimated 8,400 U.S. troops already stationed in the region.

"I'm proud, I'm relieved. I'm proud of the fact that President Trump made a national security decision, not a political decision. I'm proud of the fact that he listened to the generals and most proud of the fact that he shows the will to stand up to radical Islam. I'm relieved that he did not take the advice to withdraw which would've been disastrous, or create a mercenary army," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who often has been critical of Trump, told Fox News after the address.

Tonight, the President said he knew what he was getting into and had a plan to go forward. Clearly, he did not. The Presidents announcement is low on details but raises serious questions," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reacted.

The stakes are high for the new strategy, which follows months of deliberations including a top-level meeting at Camp David last week. Nearly 16 years after the 9/11 terror attacks, which first drew U.S. forces into Afghanistan, the local government controls just half the country  beset by the Taliban insurgency and terrorist factions. An Islamic State affiliate has been hit hard, but continues to attempt major attacks in the region.

Vice President Mike Pence spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier Monday, ahead of the presidents remarks.

Politically speaking, the president also is seeking a reset after what was perhaps the rockiest stretch of his presidency thus far, one that saw multiple staff shakeups and an all-consuming controversy last week over his response to the violence in Charlottesville. The president took heat for repeatedly blaming both sides for the clashes at a white supremacist rally, where a counter-protester was killed in a car attack. The response was met with a bipartisan rebuke from members of Congress and a wave of resignations from various corporate and other advisory boards.

Fox News Judson Berger, Lucas Tomlinson and Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump touted the United States military on Monday night as a special class of heroes who are unmatched in history, at the top of his address slated to unveil the administrations Afghanistan policy.

After more than a week of stark racial and cultural divide, the president opened his address to an audience of more than 2,000 at Fort Myer Army Base in Arlington, Va., with a softer tone, calling for unity.

Our country needs to unify, to heal and to remain one nation under God. The men and women of our military operate as one team with one shared mission and one shared sense of purpose, the president said. They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed and color to serve together and sacrifice together in absolutely perfect cohesion.

The presidents remarks came nine days after the violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., where a counter-protester was killed in a car attack. The president took heat for repeatedly blaming both sides for the clashes at the rally that featured swastikas and neo-Nazi garb and chants, and counter-protesters.

All service members are brothers and sisters, all part of the same family  the American family, Trump said. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.

The president also came under fire last month after tweeting his intention to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military in any capacity.

But Monday evening, the president spoke in a unifying voice, saying that when we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no place for bigotry and no tolerance for hate.

When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when all citizens suffer an injustice, we all suffer together, Trump said. Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to each other. Love to America requires love for all of its people.
A former elections worker in North Carolina was indicted Monday by a Durham County grand jury for mishandling provisional ballot results during the March 2016 primary election.

Richard Robert Rawling, 59, of Cary, was charged on the counts of obstruction of justice  a felony  and failure to discharge a duty of his office  a misdemeanor.

An investigation of the states elections board determined Rawling ran or ordered subordinates to run provisional ballots through tabulators more than once and made manual changes to the ballot count so the results of the provisional canvass would match the number of approved provisional ballots.

Elections board officials discovered the problem during a routine audit of primary results in April 2016.

When Durham County elections officials notified State Board investigators about the issue in early April 2016, the State Board office opened an investigation. In October 2016, investigators provided a full report to the Durham County district attorney for possible prosecution.

According to the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement, Rawlings actions were committed to avoid having to report a discrepancy in the number of provisional ballots in possession of the Board of Elections and the number counted on canvass day.

Unlike regular ballots, provisional ballots arent counted at a polling place on Election Day. Provisional ballots are issued when there is a question about a voters eligibility. They are collected at polling places and then taken to county elections boards to determine if they should be counted.

The State Boards top priority is ensuring the integrity of elections so voters have confidence in the process, Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement, said in a statement. We will continue to hold accountable elections workers and voters who violate election laws.

Rawling worked for the Durham County Board of Elections during the March 15 primary, but resigned later that month in 2016.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
Authorities are looking into the apparent hack of a road sign in Washington's scenic Rock Creek Park that was emblazoned with a profane message Monday morning about President Trump.

The electronic sign was supposed to inform drivers that a local road was closed for sewer work. Instead, all it said was: "F--- Trump."

A photo of the rogue sign was posted on a local D.C. blog on Monday afternoon.

It turns out the sign belongs to a D.C. Water contractor. But when reached for comment, the agency chalked up the presidential profanity to a hack.

It was discovered yesterday morning that someone had hacked into one of the variable message boards used by a contractor, Chief of External Affairs at D.C. Water John Lisle told Fox News in an email. We were notified by our contractor who corrected the sign quickly and is taking additional steps to secure their signs and hopefully prevent something like this from reoccurring.

An official with the District of Columbia's transportation department also said the sign had been "hacked."

Lisle told Fox News the U.S. Park Police may be investigating, as the sign was inside Rock Creek Park -- the sprawling 1,754-acre park overseen by the National Park Service.

U.S. Park Police did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment.

This isn't the first time a road sign has been breached in order to blare an anti-Trump message. Last year, a Texas sign was hacked to declare Trump a "shape-shifting lizard."
The Democratic National Committee just posted its worst July fundraising numbers in a decade, raising questions about why the party machine cannot capitalize on President Trumps low approval ratings and whether new Chairman Tom Perez is up to the task.

The DNC raised $3.8 million last month, compared to $10.2 million for the Republican National Committee. The tally fit a pattern for the Democrats, who have posted a string of depressed fundraising numbers month after month this year, even after new party boss Perez took charge in February.

Perez, after the small haul was announced last week, attributed the disappointing July results to understaffing and too few fundraisers as he tries to rebuild the group in the wake of 2016's damaging controversies.

The DNC had a similar response when reached by Fox News, issuing a statement from press secretary Michael Tyler saying the group is still focused on rebuilding but confident that our team will raise the resources needed as we head into 2018 and beyond.

Many Democrats seem willing to extend Perez, a Labor secretary in the Obama administration, a longer honeymoon, considering the situation he inherited. DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, of Florida, resigned last July after hacked emails revealed discussions about undermining primary candidate Bernie Sanders. Then the party suffered a devastating defeat four months later when nominee Hillary Clinton lost to Trump.

Perez is trying to reorganize, said a Democratic strategist, whose ties to the DNC go back the early-2000s, when now-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe used his fundraising prowess to finally get the group out of debt.

But Democrats also aired a sense of frustration over the fundraising lag.

"We really should be kicking their asses," one Democratic donor told The Hill. "It shouldn't even be close, considering all hell is breaking loose on their side."

DEMS TARGET 80 HOUSE SEATS; REPUBLICANS GO ON OFFENSE

Former Tennessee Democratic Rep. Harold Ford suggested Monday that the fundraising issues are connected to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi now essentially being the party's most recognizable and influential figure.

Unfortunately for Democrats  Nancy Pelosi is less popular than Donald Trump is in many of these districts where Democrats have to win, he said on MSNBC. Without a message and a local messenger, it is very difficult to construct a path to victory for Democrats in the Senate winning the majority and Democrats in the House doing it as well.

Ben Tulchin, pollster for Sanders, on Monday downplayed the fundraising numbers, arguing they should be viewed in a larger context.

DNC and RNC fundraising is largely tied to the president whos in power, said Tulchin, president of San Francisco-based Tulchin Research. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was a good fundraiser, but President Obama was also in the White House. So Im not overly concerned.

But time is running out. The primary races for the 2018 midterms are now just months away, with Democrats aiming to win at least 24 House races to take control of the chamber.

Below the surface, some have started to question Perez. RoseAnn DeMoro, a Sanders supporter and head of National Nurses United, tweeted a link in June to a Reddit post calling for Perez' resignation, after another bad fundraising month.

"Dems call on Tom Perez to resign as Party continues to push corporate candidates, ignore members: http://bit.ly/2sZuWXn . #FridayFeeling," she wrote.

The DNCs haul for last month adds to the groups overall weak fundraising numbers this year.

The group has raised about $42 million through the first seven months, compared to $86.5 million for the RNC, which also has a $47.1 million-to-$6.9 million cash-on-hand advantage.

To be sure, Perez was elected to the post amid a host of problems including Wasserman Schultz resigning after hacked emails showed the DNC eased Clintons path to the nomination, in part by limiting the number of primary debates.

Clinton's defeat highlighted Washington Democrats disconnect with voters. And in March, interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile admitted shed used her position as a CNN commentator to share with Clinton questions for a primary debate.

Perez was elected to the post over Minnesota Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, a progressive in a race considered yet another internal struggle between Clinton and Sanders supporters that continues to challenge the party.

Tulchin and other Democrats argue the DNC is only one fundraising arm -- with money also going to candidates individual campaigns, a proliferation of political action committees and super PACs and both parties' House and Senate fundraising teams.

Dont see this in isolation, Tulchin said.
GOP Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham are among the biggest Capitol Hill supporters of President Trumps new Afghanistan strategy but also say the plan should run through Congress.

McCain, a Navy war veteran and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said after Trumps announcement Monday night that the presidents strategy was long overdue, considering the war in Afghanistan has dragged on for 16 years while Islamic terror groups continue to flourish there.

However, the Arizona lawmaker said his committee will hold a hearing on the plan in September, after Congress returns from the August recess.

Congress must meet its responsibilities for overseeing the war in Afghanistan and providing the necessary resources for it, McCain said. Congress has a role to play in sending America's young men and women into harm's way, and we intend to exercise that responsibility.

The president outlined his Afghanistan approach in an address to the American people Monday night. He declined to specify troop numbers, though a senior U.S. official told Fox News hes signed off on a call for roughly 4,000 more troops. Trump made clear Monday that a swift withdrawal is not on the table right now, while also saying the U.S. commitment is not a blank check and upping the pressure on Pakistan to root out militants on its side of the border.

Graham, a former Air Force pilot and like McCain one of Congress biggest military hawks, offered strong support for Trumps plan.

The gloves are off inside of Afghanistan, the South Carolina lawmaker told Fox News. I can assure you a lot of people in Congress will be behind the president.  Im very pleased with this plan. And Im very proud of my president.

But Trump saw some criticism from the Republican side  namely from Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who opposes most U.S. foreign intervention. He said he strongly disagrees with Trumps plan to extend the Afghanistan war -- citing the enormous cost to American families and taxpayers, including the 2,400 soldiers killed and the $1 trillion price tag over 16 years.

Paul is calling on Congress to vote on Trumps plan and suggested hell even attempt to repeal the Authorization for the Use of Military Force that Congress approved after the 9/11 attacks.

The Afghanistan war going beyond its original mission has an enormous cost, Paul said in a Hill op-ed. If the president and my colleagues want to continue the war in Afghanistan, then at the very least Congress should vote on it. Ill insist they do this fall, and Ill be leading the charge for 'no.'"

Graham, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, thinks Trump has the authority to increase troop levels. However, he suggested the president will have to go through Congress to at least get the money for additional soldiers.

I will fight Senator Paul tooth and nail to make sure we don't lose in Afghanistan like we lost in Iraq, Graham said.
Sorry might not cut it for the Missouri lawmaker who called for President Trumps assassination.

Missouri Senate leaders announced Tuesday that Democratic state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal has been stripped of her committee assignments, just two days after she tried to calm the controversy with a public apology.

Meanwhile, the states Republican lieutenant governor, Mike Parson, on Tuesday called for the Senate to go into special session to expel Chappelle-Nadal from the body.

I do not make this request of you lightly, but you and I know it is the right course of action to take for the people of Missouri, Parson wrote in a letter to members of the Missouri Senate.

Republican Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard and Minority Leader Gina Walsh on Tuesday both rescinded the lawmakers nine committee assignments, with Richard saying in a brief statement: "I support the decision of Senate Minority Leader Gina Walsh to remove Sen. Chappelle-Nadal from all of her Senate committees. I am also removing her from all appointments under my authority."

The move reflects the erosion of support Chappelle-Nadal has seen ever since she posted on Facebook last week: "I hope Trump is assassinated!"

Chappelle-Nadal later deleted the statement. She then apologized at a press conference streamed live Sunday on the Facebook page of the Clayton Times, a St. Louis County newspaper.

President Trump, I apologize to you and your family, Chappelle-Nadal said at the Wellspring Church in Ferguson, Mo. I also apologize to all the people in Missouri. And I also apologize to my colleagues in the Missouri legislature for the mistake that I made.

She added, I made a mistake. And Im owning up to it.

But Missouri's Republican governor and lieutenant governor already had said senators should oust her from office if she doesn't resign.

Expulsion from office would require a two-thirds vote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Donald Trumps detractors may believe his presidency has been totally eclipsed, but like what happened to the sun yesterday, it always comes back into blinding view.

Theres been a lot of media chatter, in the wake of Charlottesville, about how the president has forfeited part of his job. This was The Week When President Trump Resigned, liberal New York Times columnist Frank Bruni wrote (that is, if we regard the job as one of moral stewardship). The business advisory councils have been abolished, he and his wife have bowed out of the Kennedy Center Honors, and so on.

As Politico pointed out, in 10 of the 30 weeks of his White House tenure, some pundits have declared it to be the worst week of his presidency. That was an echo of the campaign, when the press repeatedly decided he was dead in the water.

But no matter how much a president may seem marginalized by the pressBill Clinton had to insist after his party was decimated in 1994 that the Constitution gave him relevancesuch periods are always temporary. Given all the responsibilities of the leader of the free world, it doesnt take much of a shift in the landscape to put him back at the center of the world stage.

Thus it was that the commander-in-chief is having to grapple with Afghanistan.

It doesnt matter if his polls are down or hes drawing negative press, he still faces the maddening complexities of whats become Americas longest war.

Candidate Trump heavily criticized the U.S. invasion of IraqAfghanistan, not so muchand his instincts are undoubtedly to minimize our military footprint. As the Times noted, Trump tweeted about Afghanistan in 2013: We should have a speedy withdrawal. Why should we keep wasting our money  rebuild the U.S.!

But Trump has also installed a trio of retired generalsJim Mattis, H.R. McMaster, John Kellyat the top of his administration, and they are not in favor of what George W. Bush used to call cutting and running.

Trump sounded like a reluctant warrior in last nights speech from Fort Myer, Va. He said his original instinct was to pull out of Afghanistan, but that the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. He said the immense security threats required him to lift restrictions on the military targeting terrorists. And in a swipe at Barack Obama, he said military moves would be guided by conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables.

We are not nation-building. We are killing terrorists, Trump said in the closest thing to a sound bite.

It was not a rousing call to arms. In fact, Trump said that military power alone could not prevail and that our patience is not unlimited.

The president did not provide a headline-making number for an escalation of the war, however modest. He simply said he would seek additional troop and funding increases. It sounded like a split-the-difference speech.

The challenge for Trump is that he also ran as the tough-on-terrorism candidate, and a total U.S. withdrawal would give the Taliban free rein to plot future attacks on the West. Afghanistan was, of course, the staging ground for 9/11.

Obama, who also had antiwar instincts, struggled with Afghanistan throughout his eight years, at one point announcing a military surge to be followed by a drawdownwhich drew flak from many military strategists.

Trump inherited this mess, to be sure. But after having made the prime-time speech, it is now Trumps wara fact of political life that is not likely to be eclipsed.
Republican lawmakers are casting a wider net in their search for wrongdoing at federal agencies in past election cycles, after learning the Postal Service violated the law by allowing employees to do union-funded work for Hillary Clintons campaign while on leave.

The lawmakers blasted out letters on Monday to 10 other federal government agencies questioning their unpaid leave policy for union-related political work.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., led the charge on the review of agencies practices after spurring an investigation by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) beginning in October 2016. That inquiry revealed that the USPS violated federal law by letting employees perform union-funded work for Clintons campaign and other Democratic candidates while on leave from the agency.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., joined Johnsons efforts this week by penning joint letters to the departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, Labor, Transportation, Treasury, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration Monday. The letters concerned what's known as union official Leave Without Pay (LWOP) for political campaign activity.

USPS BROKE LAW IN ALLOWING WORKERS TO BOOST CLINTON CAMPAIGN, WATCHDOG SAYS

The letters cited the OSCs findings regarding the USPS that only [employees] who wanted to campaign for the [unions] endorsed candidates were given the opportunity to take several weeks of leave on short notice, over the objections of local supervisors who raised concerns about potential operational impact. The OSCs findings revealed that the USPS violated the Hatch Act, a federal law that limits certain political activities of federal employees. While employees are allowed to do some political work on leave, the report said the USPS showed a bias favoring the unions 2016 campaign operation.

The procedures by which federal employees request LWOP, and by which managers and supervisors consider these requests, are the product of negotiation between the agency and the employees collective bargaining representative, Johnson and Gowdy wrote, requesting specific information to ensure federal agencies are granting LWOP in a politically neutral manner.

USPS TAKES HEARING HEAT FOR 'FAVORING' PRO-CLINTON UNION'S CAMPAIGN WORK

Johnson and Gowdy asked for information regarding use of LWOP in the three months prior to a federal election dating back to 2008, agreements between the agency and employees regarding their leave, written policies and all documents and communications related to the use of LWOP.

Johnson and Gowdy requested state-by-state data for the requested information, giving a deadline of 5 p.m. on Sept. 11.
The 10-year strategy guides future programs for collaborative research, including research themes, geographic foci and funding priorities from 2017 to 2027.

I welcome the active participation of Vietnamese partners in the development of the strategy. The new strategy provides a road map for Australia and Vietnam to work in equal partnership with mutual contributions and benefits for economic growth, security and innovation under the next ten year framework for collaborative agricultural research, said the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Craig Chittick.

Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr. Le Quoc Doanh (fifth, from the left) and General Manager, Country Programs - ACIAR Dr. Peter Horne (fourth, from the left) at the signing ceremony of the Letter of Intent in Can Tho city, on August 21st. (Photo: Australian Embassy Vietnam)

Accordingly, ACIAR will cooperate with MARD and other partners to continue assisting Vietnam to address obstacles for agricultural development under six focus research areas: food safety; climate change; Improving soil fertility and crop efficiency; improving market engagement; Improving the value from forests; and aquaculture.

Besides, the Australian side will implement research all across Vietnam, with a particular focus in the Mekong Delta, Central Highlands and North-West Highlands.

Future research will involve the private sector to catalyze opportunities for the rural and urban poor.

Collaborative projects will also focus on highly applicable practices, creating opportunities for women to participate in and benefit from research, agribusiness systems and on-farm activities.

The capacity of Vietnamese researchers, farmers, extension workers and students will be improved through working with Australian and international scientists.

The two nations enjoy a strong and mutually beneficial relationship, with two-way trade worth over AUD10 billion annually. Their collaboration in agricultural research has developed through the ACIARs program. Since 1993, ACIAR has invested AUD100 million in 170 research projects in Vietnam, across agriculture, forestry and fisheries./.
The head of the firm behind the infamous anti-Trump dossier was interviewed for hours behind closed doors Tuesday on Capitol Hill, sources confirmed to Fox News.

Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of investigative firm Fusion GPS, met with staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the committees investigation into Russian meddling and potential collusion with the Trump campaign in the 2016 presidential election.

A committee spokesperson did not give Fox News any further information on the meeting with Simpson and Judiciary staff, though a source confirmed that Fusion GPS has given the Senate committee over 40,000 documents.

"Mr. Simpson told Congress the truth and cleared the

record on many matters of interest to congressional investigators," his attorney Josh Levy told Fox News.

Simpson's company was behind the dossier that was compiled during last year's campaign and which contained crude allegations against now-President Trump.

Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and committee Ranking Member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., originally had issued a subpoena for Simpsons testimony at a public hearing before the committee last month. But they withdrew it after Simpson reached arrangements to interview with the committee in private.

RUSSIA PROBE: DEMOCRATS BLOCK KEY WITNESS AGAINST SHADOWY FIRM FUSION GPS

The committees hearing in July pertained to oversight of the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA). At the public session, CEO and founder of Hermitage Capital Bill Browder testified that Fusion GPS and Simpson worked on behalf of the Russian government in an effort to fight U.S. sanctions that had enraged Moscows elite.

Browder told lawmakers that Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who met with Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower in June 2016, also was responsible for hiring Simpson to conduct a smear campaign against me and Sergei Magnitsky in advance of a congressional hearing on the Global Magnitsky Act. The Magnitsky Act is a U.S. law that brings sanctions against Russian oligarchs suspected of money laundering.

FIRM BEHIND ANTI-TRUMP DOSSIER ALSO WORKED FOR RUSSIA, SENATE WITNESS SAYS

After the hearing, Fusion GPS responded to Browders allegations -- saying they had complied with the law and were not required to register under FARA, and did not spread false information about William Browder or Sergei Magnitsky.

What is clear is that the president and his allies are desperately trying to smear Fusion GPS because it investigated Donald Trumps ties to Russia, Fusion GPS said in a statement to Fox News last month. They have pulled out all the stops, including this false allegation about FARA.
President Trump apparently has no plans to pardon "America's toughest sheriff" Joe Arpaio at his campaign-style rally Tuesday night in Phoenix.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Air Force One that there would be no discussion of a pardon and no action taken on that front at any point on Tuesday.

Trump himself recently told Fox News that he was seriously considering a pardon for the former Maricopa County, Ariz., lawman.

I might do it right away, maybe early this week, Trump told Fox News on Aug. 13. I am seriously thinking about it.

When the presidents campaign announced the Phoenix rally days later, it touched off immediate speculation that the event could be the venue to announce the presidents first pardon.

'Im still going to support him as long as he is the president of the United States because thats the way I am. I dont desert for political reasons. Ill stick with him.'  Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, on possibility of a pardon from Trump

But the White House made clear that no announcement will be made in Phoenix.

Earlier Tuesday, Arpaio told Fox News he wasnt sure if hed even be at the rally.

I havent officially been invitedIve been to every single one in the last two years, but I dont anticipate going down there on my own, Arpaio told Fox News, adding that he was not sure if the president would issue a pardon.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to comment on whether they plan to extend an invitation to the sheriff.

TRUMP 'SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING' A PARDON FOR EX-SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO

I would accept [a pardon], but well see what happens, Arpaio said, while stressing that his support for Trump and his administration is unwavering. [I]t doesnt matter because Im still going to support him as long as he is the president of the United States because thats the way I am. I dont desert for political reasons. Ill stick with him.

Arpaio added: I said hell go down in history as one of the best presidents weve ever had, and I stick with that prediction regardless.

Arpaio, 85, who served as sheriff in Maricopa County for more than 20 years before losing election in 2016, forged a national reputation for his tough and controversial policies cracking down on illegal immigration. Arpaios widely publicized tactics included forcing inmates to wear pink underwear and housing them in desert tent camps.

He was convicted of misdemeanor contempt of court for disregarding an Arizona judges order in 2011 to stop his anti-immigrant traffic patrols.

Weve been fighting this and appealing this, but no one will really look at our defense, Arpaio said, claiming that he did not use racial profiling but used race as a criteria. He complained he wasn't given a jury trial.

Of course, if I had a jury, I never would have been convicted, he said.

Arpaio is expected to be sentenced Oct. 5, and could face up to six months in prison.

Is there anyone in local law enforcement who has done more to crack down on illegal immigration than Sheriff Joe? Trump asked, during the interview with Fox News' Gregg Jarrett last week. He has protected people from crimes and saved lives. He doesnt deserve to be treated this way.

Arpaio, who endorsed then-candidate Trump in January 2016, told Fox News on Tuesday that he had not spoken directly with the president since after the election, but claimed that his attorney wrote memos in June to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

I know the president was made aware of the memos. I know all these guys at the White House. I campaigned with a lot of them, Arpaio said Tuesday morning, though the Justice Department did not comment on-the-record on the matter.

The White House did not have any comment on whether the president had reviewed the Arpaio memos.

The prospect of a pardon has touched off a political debate in Arizona. Republican Reps. Andy Biggs and Trent Franks support a pardon, while Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton called for the president to reconsider even hosting Tuesday's event.

Lets be clear: A pardon of Arpaio can be viewed only as a presidential enfdorsement of the lawlessness and discrimination that terrorized Phoenixs Latino community, Stanton wrote in on an op-ed in the Washington Post on Monday.

Before the rally, Trump will visit U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Yuma Station in Arizona, the main base of operations for the USBP Yuma Sector. The president will meet with Border Patrol agents, and discuss policy initiatives and legislative efforts, like Kates Law and the funding of his paramount campaign promise  the wall.

A DHS official told reporters on a conference call Tuesday morning that Border Patrol has apprehended 126,472 people who were illegally attempting to enter the United States at the border between Jan. 1 and July 31 of this year  a 46 percent decrease in the level of apprehensions from the same time last year.

Trump signed an executive order in January calling for a physical wall along the southern border. However, a DHS official Tuesday described the southern border infrastructure as both wall and fence.

"The wall is a prominent part of that, but what is along the border in Yuma is fence, so we use those two interchangeably," DHS spokesman Dave Lapan told reporters. "... There will be areas where a wall makes the most sense from an operational perspective."

Fox News' Lesa Jansen contributed to this report.
Millions gazed at the eclipse along the path of totality with it ending its coast-to-coast journey in Charleston, SC. Nearly 3,000 visitors from all over the country viewed the celestial event from the deck of USS Yorktown (Fighting Lady), the famous World War II battleship.

It always seems to be in other parts of the world, New Hampshire software engineer Martin Winkler told Fox News aboard Fighting Lady. I planned it about 7 months ago. I heard this was happening. Its once in a lifetime experience. It was on my bucket list of things to do.

We drove four and a half hours, Brad Thomas said, describing his travel from Jacksonville, Florida with his wife and son.

SOLAR ECLIPSE: THE BIG EVENT IS FINALLY HERE

Many families set up lawn chairs across around the upper level of the battleship. Others listened to experts from NASA, rode in a simulator or viewed memorabilia below the deck.

In the morning scattered rain, thunder, lightning and dark clouds threatened to block the afternoon view of the solar eclipse. Around 2:40 p.m. there was a sea of faces wearing solar glasses. Loud gasps and people shouting,its beginning could be heared all around the ship. Once the moon reached totality, it grew very dark and thunder and lightning began. Many cheered and clapped.

It was amazing, totally worth the trip. Terry Eggenberger, another Floridian, says she and her husband came to Charleston for her son. We brought our 13-year-old boy. Hes in advance science classes. We thought it would be great for him to see it from this location.

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 IN PICTURES

The next predicted eclipse will travel across the country in 2024.
Charlotte Roel Easterly came into the world in Pensacola, Florida, during the height of Mondays solar eclipse.

The Pensacola News Journal reports that the 7-pound, 11-ounce baby girl was born at 1:36 p.m. local time on Monday, precisely when the eclipse was at its height in Pensacola.

SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 IN PICTURES

It was literally during the eclipse, it was the most amazing thing, Karen Lee, the babys aunt, told the Pensacola News Journal.

Family members of patients in the maternity ward at Pensacolas Sacred Heart Hospital took turns to go outside and don eclipse glasses to view the rare event, according to Lee.

FAMILIES FROM ALL OVER THE US FLOCKED TO CHARLESTON FOR THE 2017 SOLAR ECLIPSE

What an incredible day, wrote Charlottes mother Taria White, on Facebook. Our sweet baby girl is famous, she wrote, in another Facebook post, noting the media interest in her daughters birth.

The coast-to-coast solar eclipse captivated millions of Americans as it carved a 70-mile wide path of totality from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic. The eclipse, which began in Oregon and ended in South Carolina, was the first to cross the continental U.S. since 1918.

NASHVILLE HOSTS OVER ONE MILLION VISITORS FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE

The eclipse was also big news at St. Lukes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.

Newborns at the hospitals Birth Care Suites were dressed in eclipse-themed outfits and families received eclipse baskets filled with Sun chips, Moon Pies and Eclipse gum.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
The hunt is on for frozen tusks from the extinct woolly mammoth, and NPR reports that it's making people rich in otherwise poor regions of Siberia.

But it's also taking a devastating toll on the landscape, according to a photographer who embedded with hunters for three weeks. "It should be one of the most pristine places on earth," Amos Chapple tells the news organization, but the tusk hunters' favored technique is changing that.

First, they blast the hills using firefighting pumps that draw water from nearby rivers. "Once they see the end of a tusk, they'll just give it a little wiggle, and then blast it some more, give it another wiggle, and eventually it'll come out. It's like extracting a tooth." Meanwhile, all that newly blasted silt runs back into the river.

Don't expect such hunts to end, however, thanks to a booming international trade that is perfectly legal, reports the BBC. One particularly large stockpile from Russia of more than a ton was seized in China earlier this year, but only because it was improperly declared.

Critics say the tusks, of which some 10 million sets may still be frozen in Arctic tundra, are often sold as elephant tusks, thereby driving demand for ivory and further endangering elephants.

In fact, half the ivory sold in China is thought to be mammoth ivory, the BBC notes. Woolly mammoths were kind of like "prehistoric giant hairy" elephants that got bigger and hairier the further north they migrated, until eventually, around 10,500 years ago, they died outpossibly due to being over-hunted and, per the Christian Science Monitor, "terribly inbred." (Could geneticists bring them back to life?)

This article originally appeared on Newser: People Now Getting Ivory Fix From Woolly Mammoth
A top U.S. Navy admiral on Monday called for a swift and thorough investigation into Monday's collision of the USS John S. McCain into an oil tanker near Singapore -- marking the second deadly mishap that occurred in the Pacific in the past three months.

"Some remains" of the sailors who were declared missing after the collision were found in a sealed compartment aboard the destroyer on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Malaysian officials said they found one body, but were still in the process of identifying it.

Adm. John Richardson ordered an operational pause in all the fleets around the world while the Navy works to determine the factors behind the collision. Richardson tweeted that the Navy will conduct a wide investigation, including a review into the possibility of "cyber intrusion or sabotage," -- though a Navy official told Fox News on Tuesday any possible cyber sabotage played "no role" in the USS John S. McCain incident.

Richardson made clear that there is no evidence of a hacking at this point, but some cyber experts have raised to possiblity given the location of the warships.

Jeff Stutzman, an ex-information warfare specialist in the Navy who works at a cyber threat intelligence company, told McClatchy that theres something more than just human error going on."

"When you are going through the Strait of Malacca, you can't tell me that a Navy destroyer doesn't have a full navigation team going with full lookouts on every wing and extra people on radar," he said.

Richardson called for a review of the 7th Fleets maintenance, personnel and equipment in the region. He called on a new focus on surface warfare training, which includes tactical and navigational proficiency.

The USS John S. McCain suffered significant damage to its hull after a collision with an oil tanker on Monday near Singapore.

The 7th Fleet said in a statement that damage to the guided missile destroyer's hull flooded nearby compartments including crew berths, machinery and communications rooms.

Aside from the dead and missing sailors, four were hospitalized in Singapore with injuries after being evacuated by helicopter.

On June 17, the USS Fitzgerald was badly damaged in the collision off the coast of Japan. The waters off Japan are considered congested and considered to be challenging to navigate.

The seas were relatively calm, and visibility was unrestricted. The bow of the container ship, the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal, slammed into the Fitzgerald's right side above the waterline, quickly flooding several areas inside the ship, including a berthing, or sleeping, area.

Seven sailors drowned.

The New York Times reported that there were radar officers working on the bridge and combat information center below and should have spotted the freighters image on their screens. One sailor wrote the paper: All I can say is, somebody wasnt paying attention.

The top three leaders aboard the USS Fitzgerald were removed from duty.

Aside from the USS McCain and USS Fitgerald incidents, the Navy cruiser USS Antietam ran aground dumping more than 1,000 gallons of oil in Tokyo Bay in February. In May, another cruiser, USS Lake Champlain, hit a South Korean fishing vessel.

Itay Glick, the founder of a cyber security firm called Votiro, told News.com.au that his initial reaction to news of the USS McCain collision was that it may have been hacked. Glick worked in the cyber-warfare unit of the Israeli intelligence agency and pointed to the possibility of involvement from Russia and China.

I dont believe in coincidence, Glick said. Both USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald were part of the 7th Fleet, there is a relationship between these two events and there may be a connection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
A Florida woman was arrested for felony child abuse after urging her 14-year-old daughter to fight with a girl who was six months pregnant, police said.

Beat her a--, Celena Troupe, 34, allegedly told her daughter as the got into the fight with the pregnant minor on Friday.

Booked into the Pinellas County Jail later that day, the St. Petersburg resident was released from custody after posting a $5,000 bond.

Troupe, a former convicted felon, knew her childs opponent was pregnant but actively encouraged the fight, investigators said, according to The Smoking Gun. Cops said Troupe did not make any effort to stop or restrain her daughter from fighting during the first 2 to 3 min of the altercation.

The pregnant girl, Troupe later said, hit my daughter first. She said that the incident was related to a fight her daughter had on a school bus on the way home and that it continued after the students got off the bus. They hit my baby first, she said. We were the victims.

The altercation was recorded on video.

Troupe has served two separate state prison terms in Florida, the most recent of which concluded in a two-year stint in April 2013. Months after being released she was arrested in Georgia for escorting without a license, a misdemeanor for which she ultimately pled guilty, the website added.
Republican Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte has been ordered to be photographed and fingerprinted for assaulting a reporter in May  opening the door for the congressmans mugshot to be plastered in opponents campaign ads in next years election.

Justice Court Judge Rick West on Monday ordered the Montana Gianforte to report to the Gallatin County Detention Center to be booked for the assault charge by Sept. 15.

Gianforte had argued that he should not have to be photographed and fingerprinted because he never formally was arrested for attacking Ben Jacobs when The Guardian reporter tried to ask him a question about health care.

Jacobs said then that Gianforte body slammed him and broke his glasses.

Fox News reporters witnessed the incident on May 24. Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him to the ground behind him, then started punching the reporter. As Gianforte moved on top of Jacobs, he began yelling something to the effect of, "I'm sick and tired of this!"

Prosecutors filed the misdemeanor assault charge later that day.

The day after the assault, Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist in the special election to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as Montanas only congressman.

Gianforte pleaded guilty in June.

However, the congressman contested the judges original order then that he be booked, fingerprinted and photographed. His attorneys said a justice court judge does not have authority to order a defendant to be photographed or fingerprinted, and that Gianforte is exempt because he was charged with a misdemeanor, not a felony.

West said in his order, signed on Friday, that the Court has authority to order fingerprinting and photographing. If Gianforte doesnt comply by Sept. 15, he will be in contempt of court, West wrote.

Gianforte spokesman Travis Hall did not immediately return calls or emails for comment to Fox News.

Gianforte was fined $385 and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of anger management counseling. He also apologized to Jacobs and gave $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The congressman plans to work off his community service sentence with a Bozeman organization that builds custom wheelchairs for children.

Fox News' Alicia Acuna and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Pennsylvania high school student who visited the nations capital last week says she was harassed for wearing Make America Great Again attire that showed her support for President Trump.

Allie Vandee, a student from Union City, Pennsylvania, was in Washington, D.C. on Saturday when she and some high schoolers traveling with her decided to visit Howard University, a historically black college, for lunch.

Vandee took to Twitter to describe her visit to HU. She said upon entering the cafeteria, a man shouted an expletive directed at her. The group of students hadnt made it fully inside the cafeteria when someone made physical contact with her friend, Sarah Applequist, by grabbing her MAGA hat and removing it from her head.

FEMALE STUDENT: THE LEFT MADE ME A TRUMP SUPPORTER

Vandee said one of her chaperones retrieved the hat, only for them to be harassed continuously by those in the cafeteria. She said that students took videos and pictures of us saying WE were being 'disrespectful,' and that 'us being Caucasian, we should have known better.'

Vandee told Fox News via Twitter that she was on Howards campus only for about 15 to 20 minutes, but during that time countless students took videos, pictures, and made mocking comments towards my friend and I. She clarified that she claims she was harassed by people of all races.

One of the students who was also on the school trip with Vandee apparently told her to remove her hat and called her racist.

Trip supervisors eventually decided to take the students elsewhere for lunch.

HUCKABEE: TRUMP SUPPORTERS BEING SUBJECTED TO 'TERRORISM' FOR THEIR VOTE

Vandee said shes never been harassed for wearing Trump-supporting clothing before.

People have joked with me about it and even questioned me... but I have never received the amount of harassment that I had to deal with a HU, Vandee said.

Howard University responded to the incident in a series of tweets by referring to the campus as an institution where freedom of thought, choice, and expression are ever-present and Our campus is a space for educational engagement to occur between both those who do and do not share our values.

However, a separate Twitter handle for the schools dining services tweeted in response to a student: We will take any action necessary to ensure that HU students feel safe& comfortable in our dining spaces. This group is no longer on campus.

Vandee said the dining halls response shows school officials were uninformed.

I understand with incidents in Charlottesville where HU is trying their best to be as precautions (sp) as possible to keep their students safe from people who purposely show up on campus to enrage the student body, Vandee said. However, mine and Sarah's case was completely different. We were both innocent 16 year old Trump fans who HAD to eat lunch on campus. Ultimately I feel like the HU twitter page owners were very uninformed.

LARRY ALEX TAUNTON: IF AMERICA ISN'T GREAT, WHO IS?

Regardless, Vandee said the harassment wont deter her from proudly wearing her Trump gear.

I will always support our President when and where I please. I will feel safe wearing it because it never phased me before so I will not let it phase me now!
President Donald Trump's new Afghanistan war strategy includes old demands on Pakistan and an entirely new ultimatum to India.

Much of Trump's eagerly awaited address on turning around America's longest war sounded familiar, not least on the need for Pakistan to crack down on Taliban fighters seeking sanctuary across Afghanistan's border. Washington has clamored for more Pakistan action for years.

More surprising was Trump's call on India and how he linked Afghanistan to totally separate U.S.-Indian trade matters.

Trump said the U.S. appreciates India's important contributions to Afghan stability. But he lamented that India "makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States." He said he wants India to provide more economic assistance and development to Afghanistan.
A manhunt is under way in northwestern Oklahoma for two escaped inmates who overtook officers and stole a transport van Tuesday morning, authorities said.



Cops said Andrew Jason Foy and Darren Walp overpowered two transport officers from Inmate Services Corporation at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, speeding off in the guards transport van on U.S. 412 north of Fairview. Authorities dont know where the pair was headed.

Officials later recovered the van in Ringwood, Okla., but the suspects stole another vehicle, a 2006 maroon Dodge Ram pickup truck, from an oil field service company, authorities said. They are still on the run.

ESCAPED INMATE MAY HAVE USED WIRECUTTERS DELIVERED BY DRONE

Fox affiliate KOKI-TV reported that officials found a police belt with an empty holster inside the van. Police said the inmates may be armed.

Foy, 32, is described as 6 feet tall with blue eyes and a medium build. He has a tattoo arm band on his upper right arm. He was heading to Laramie County Sheriffs Department in Wyoming when he escaped.

Walp, 37, is described as having a medium build. His final destination was slated to be Seward County Sheriffs Department in Kansas.

It was not immediately clear what crimes the inmates were convicted of committing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Major County Sheriffs Office at 580-227-4471.
An Iowa couple has been awarded $3.25 million for emotional distress after adopting a baby who was reclaimed by his birth mother, only to then be murdered by his birth father weeks later.

Rachel and Heidi McFarland sued their adoption lawyer, Jason Rieper, in August 2014, after he had lied about receiving the babys birth mothers signature on an important release-of-custody document.

His negligence set up our baby on a course that was irreversible, Rachel said.

The birth mother, then-16-year-old Markeya Atkins, changed her mind about the adoption and regained custody of her birth son, Gabriel.

AS NUMBER OF ADOPTIONS DROPS, MANY US AGENCIES FACE STRAINS

The McFarlands were there for Gabriels birth in December 2013, the Daily Mail reported. The couple even cut his umbilical cord.

Gabriel died at 3-months-old in April 2014  about five weeks after Atkins regained custody of him. Atkins found Gabriel in her apartment alone, pale, wet and foaming from his mouth and nose.

Authorities charged the babys father, 17-year-old Drew James Weehler-Smith, with murder in the babys death, which the medical examiner said was due to head trauma.

Weehler-Smith was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 2015.

Court records show the jury unanimously decided that Riepers action caused the McFarlands emotional distress.

ISRAEL, LGBT ACTIVISTS FIGHT OVER ADOPTION RIGHTS

God bless the civil justice system for holding people accountable for the damage they do to others, and to this jury who came to the right conclusion even without all of the evidence, the McFarlands attorney, Roxanne Conlin, said on Facebook.

The McFarlands adopted a daughter after Gabriels death, before Heidi gave birth to their youngest daughter  but the couple said they will always remember their son, Gabriel.

He is the baby that made us mothers, Rachel McFarland said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A California boy for whom an Amber Alert was issued Tuesday has been found safe in Santa Maria, Fox 5 in San Diego reported.

Details of how the boy was found were not immediately available.

The boy's mother was shot and killed, and his father was named as a "person of interest" in the woman's slaying, police said.

Daniel Morozov, 9, was believed to have been taken shortly after 8:30 p.m. Monday when his mother was shot in Santa Maria, police said. The woman, who was only described as Morozov's mother, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police issued the Amber Alert for the boy shortly after investigating the scene. They named Konstanin Morozov, 48, as the person likely with the boy. Morozov was believed to be the father of the boy and was named a "person of interest" in the shooting, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Santa Maria police were initially looking for a blue Volkswagen, but the car had been located as of Tuesday. They believe Morozov and the boy then traveled in a black 2017 Jeep Cherokee, but that vehicle also was found, police said.
Another defendant in a Jamaican lottery scam authorities say bilked 90 mostly elderly Americans out of $5.7 million has been scheduled for trial.

Gregory Gooden was arrested in Jamaica in June and pleaded not guilty in federal court in North Dakota Aug. 1. A federal judge on Monday scheduled him for trial in January, joining eight co-defendants previously scheduled.

Fifteen people are charged in the case. The alleged mastermind has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors, and another suspect is scheduled to plead guilty in October. Alrick McLeod will remain jailed until then, because a federal magistrate on Monday denied him a detention hearing.

Two other suspects are in Jamaica awaiting extradition, and two others remain fugitives.

The case began when a North Dakota woman lost her life savings in 2011.
Another police body camera video has emerged purportedly showing Baltimore police officers engaging in questionable activity, according to the Baltimore States Attorneys Office.

The office confirmed to Fox News that it does not plan to release the video, which allegedly shows the re-enactment of the seizure of evidence by an unknown number of officers in June.

The body-worn camera program was established to fight crime, better protect officers and foster public trust, States Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement.

Whether planting evidence, re-enacting the seizure of evidence or prematurely turning off the department-issued body-worn camera, those actions misrepresent the truth and undermine public trust," she said referring to the latest case.

Hundreds of cases have already been impacted due to recent revelations from footage captured by members of the Baltimore Police Department, according to the States Attorneys Office.

Heres a look at the recent body camera controversies in Baltimore.

Re-enactment

Mosby's office said it recently reviewed and reported a body-worn camera video that captured questionable activity by a Baltimore Police Department member.

The "self-reported" video, the office said, showed a re-enactment of the seizure of evidence" that was brought to the attention of the office on Aug. 2.

The incident took place in June, according to the office, and it is unclear how many officers were involved.

BALTIMORE POLICE VIDEOS DONT INSPIRE PUBLICS CONFIDENCE

T.J. Smith, a police spokesman, confirmed that an officers status has not changed as a result of the recent allegations in an email to Fox News.

We will address the issue that the officer self-reported to the Police Department at a later time, Smith said.

Smith did not respond to additional questions from Fox News, but he told the Baltimore Sun that the officer felt [the video] deserved more scrutiny based on the things that have been in the news.

Officers who mainly work with the utmost credibility dont want their credibility challenged because of a misunderstanding, he said. So this is a good problem to have, when you are self-reporting.

COPS APPEAR TO PLANT DRUGS, STUN TEEN IN NEWLY RELEASED POLICE FOOTAGE

A spokeswoman for the Baltimore States Attorneys Office declined to discuss the body camera videos further than the offices previous public statements.

As a result of the new video, 101 total cases are impacted, according to the latest numbers from Mosbys office. That includes 43 cases that will be dropped, and 36 closed cases that will be reviewed.

If the re-enactment indicated any misconduct or negligence, it could affect all those cases.

Manufacture evidence

The Baltimore Public Defenders office announced last month that a different police body camera video appear[ed] to depict multiple officers working together to manufacture evidence.

The problematic video showed one officer searching a car but not finding anything. Shortly after, a different officer searched the same vehicle and immediately found a bag of drugs.

That body camera video impacted 237 cases, according to numbers provided by the States Attorneys Office.

MARYLAND BOARD OKS SETTLEMENT IN POLICE CUSTODY DEATH CASE

A police official confirmed this video is still under investigation.

Planting drugs

The Baltimore Public Defenders office also released a video in July that purportedly shows an officer planting a bag of pills in a tin can as other police officers watched.

The video, taken from the body camera of Baltimore Police Officer Richard Pinheiro in January, impacted approximately 227 cases, according to Mosbys office. That number includes 68 cases that have been or will be dropped.

BALTIMORE STATION, ONCE A FOCUS OF ANGER, GETS FACE-LIFT

We have long supported the use of police body cameras to help identify police misconduct, but such footage is meaningless if prosecutors continue to rely on these officers, especially if they do so without disclosing their bad acts," Debbie Katz Levi, head of the Baltimore Public Defenders Special Litigation Section, said in a statement at the time.

Police Commissioner Kevin Davis suggested that officers could have forgotten to turn on their body cameras and recreated finding the drugs.

A police official confirmed this video is still under investigation. Pinheiro has been suspended from the department.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Following a deadly vehicle ramming at a demonstration against white nationalists earlier this month, the city of Charlottesville is set to cover controversial statues of Confederate generals in black fabric, city officials said.

The city council voted unanimously early Tuesday to shroud the statues of Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in fabric to represent mourning of Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman killed when a car rammed into a group of people protesting a white nationalist rally in the Virginia city, the Daily Progress reported.

The vote comes only hours after tensions boiled over at the first city council meeting since rallies on Aug. 11 and 12 that were organized by white nationalist elements. Heyer was killed during a demonstration against the rally on the second day.

Monday nights meeting began with thick tension that quickly erupted when the Unite the Right rally was mentioned. Angry residents called into question the citys and police departments responses to the deadly rally.

Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer, who seemed to take the brunt of the assembled crowd's ire, was interrupted several times in just the first few minutes of the meeting by residents shouting, with some calling for his resignation.

Protests and interruptions continued to escalate. At one point, police had to forcibly remove three people. The trio received summons' and were charged with disorderly conduct.

A live video shows two people standing up on the dais and pulling out a large banner with the words: "Blood on your hands!" At this point Signer suspended the meeting while he and other council members left the room, the New York Times reported.

Why did you think you can walk in here and do a business-as-usual meeting after what happened on the twelfth? Nikuyah Walker, who is candidate for city council, asked, according to the Daily Progress.

Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy, the only African-American on the council, was the sole member to remain, and he negotiated with angry residents to restore order in exchange for scrapping the rest of the meetings agenda to allow people to speak.

After the meeting was resumed, white and black residents called into question the citys decision to let the white supremacist rally take place, and faulted the police department for its perceived inaction during repeated clashes.

Their impassioned remarks lasted nearly four hours, the Times reported.

In the end, city officials unanimously voted to take the first administrative steps to remove the statue of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson.

It was the citys decision earlier this year to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee that prompted the August rallies.

Earlier Monday, the man who authorities say drove his car into the crowd of counter-protesters Aug. 12 made a second court appearance. The Charlottesville Commonwealth's Attorney's Office said James Alex Fields Jr., 20, appeared by video Monday. It was his first hearing on a second set of charges filed against him last week.

Senior assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nina Antony said a judge declined for now to set bond for Fields, who has another hearing Friday. The charges against Fields include second-degree murder. In addition to the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, police said some of the 19 people injured when the crowd was rammed by the car suffered serious and permanent injuries.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Its open season on statues.

Or so it seems: This months violence between white supremacists and counterprotestors over removing a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Va., has fast-tracked plans to take down some of the nations 718 memorials to the Confederacy. But it also has unleashed a rash of demands that long-standing and hitherto innocuous statues and memorials be destroyed.

Fox News has compiled a list of five memorials and monuments that are now alleged to be deeply offensive and in need of disposal.

Columbus Circle statue (New York): Sitting on the southwestern edge of Central Park, Columbus Circle is one of the Big Apples most iconic locales. Since 1905, a statue of Christopher Columbus has stood atop the 76-foot tall monument, but in recent years  as the explorers life and legacy is re-examined  some have started calling for its removal.

Many Italian-Americans view Columbus as a hero responsible for discovering the New World and have turned the citys Columbus Day Parade into a celebration of Italian heritage. Others, particularly those in New Yorks large Puerto Rican and Dominican populations, believe history should not be so kind to Columbus, saying he used enslavement, disease and trickery to oppress and kill thousands of indigenous people in the Americas.

Now as the city reviews which statues to potentially purge in the wake of Charlottesville, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito wants Columbus added to the chopping block. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has not offered his opinion, but added that the Columbus statue is one of the ones that will get very immediate attention because of the tremendous concerns about it.

Despite the recent recasting of Columbus  and the prominence of the busy traffic circle  many New Yorkers say they did not know that the explorer was such a contentious historical figure.

I never knew Christopher Columbus was so controversial, Robin Kelly, who lives near Columbus Circle, told Fox News. I just though he sailed the ocean blue.

Frank Rizzo statue (Philadelphia): The 10-foot-tall bronze statue of the former Philadelphia mayor and police commissioner sits just to the side of City Hall. While there have been calls for years to bring down the statue of the man who has been posthumously called the Joe Arpaio of eastern Pennsylvania, the demands have reached a fever pitch since Charlottesville. Last week someone was cited for disorderly conduct for throwing eggs at the hulking likeness of Rizzo and on Friday Philadelphia police arrested a man who had spray-painted the words black power on the statue.

Philadelphia has struggled for years to reconcile the legacy of Rizzo, who served as mayor from 1972 to 1980 and died in 1991. His fans remember him as a devoted public servant and defender of the middle class who was unafraid to speak his mind. His detractors saw his police force as corrupt and brutal and said Rizzo alienated and targeted minorities both as police commissioner and mayor. Democratic Councilwoman Helen Gym tweeted last week that the Rizzo statue should be removed, and Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday it's the "right time" for a conversation about the statue.

Mount Rushmore (Black Hills, S.D.): Each year around 3 million tourists from around the globe flock to the desolate Black Hills region of South Dakota to view the 60-foot high stone faces of President George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Those faces, along with its scale, ambition and the audacity to turn a massive mountain face into a presidential monument, have made Mount Rushmore both a beloved American icon and a heated symbol of Manifest Destiny.

The fight against Mount Rushmore began in earnest in the 1970s when the American Indian Movement led an occupation of the mountain with Lakota holy man John Fire Lame Deer planting a prayer staff on the summit of the mountain. Lame Deer said that the staff was a shroud over the presidents' faces "which shall remain dirty until the treaties concerning the Black Hills are fulfilled. The monument was built on land seized from the Lakota following the Great Sioux War of 1876, before which the Black Hills were granted in perpetuity to the Lakota under the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868.

In response to the completion of Mount Rushmore in 1941, some members of the Lakota tribe began carving a monument to famed Oglala warrior Crazy Horse into the side of Thunderhead Mountain  roughly 17 miles from Rushmore. Construction of the monument, which began in 1948 and is far from complete, has itself not been without controversy as some descendants of Crazy Horse and the traditional Lakota question whether he would have approved of his likeness being carved into the side of a pristine mountain and are upset his family was not consulted before dynamiting of the rock began.

V.I. Lenin Statue (Seattle): Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, hundreds of statues and monuments to communist leaders were torn down and either destroyed or put into special parks across the former USSR. So how did a 16-foot-tall bronze sculpture of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov -- better known to the world as Lenin  end up in the trendy Seattle neighborhood of Fremont?

The statue of the man arguably responsible for the birth of the Soviet Union was brought to the U.S. by Lewis Carpenter, an English-language teacher who was working in Slovakia when he found the sculpture lying in a scrapyard with a homeless man living inside it. Carpenter had originally planned to put the statue in front of a Slovak restaurant, but he died in a car accident and through a few twists of fate the likeness of Lenin ended up on display in Fremont until a private buyer could be found for it.

That was in 1995.

Since then the Lenin statue has become a popular attraction in the counterculture-embracing Fremont, but it has also generated a number of calls for its removal. In 2014, following the Russian military intervention in the Ukraine, the Lithuanian envoy to Washington, D.C., warned that one day you will wake up and instead of 'Go Huskies' Seattle residents will instead see Russian license plates on military vehicles in their city.

And following the protests in Charlottesville, alt-right activist Jack Posobiec led a gathering of several protesters at the statue to demand its removal. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray also recently called for the statue's removal, along with a Confederate memorial at Lake View Cemetery. But because both the statue and the property it sits on are privately owned, neither Murray nor the city council has the power to actually tear down Lenin.

Baphomet Monument (Detroit): With all the battles raging over Confederate monuments, one would think calls to remove a statue of a mythical satanic goat deity would be pretty cut and dry.

Not so.

The Satanic Temple, a political activist group and religious organization, announced plans in 2014 to build a monument to the goat deity Baphomet at the Oklahoma State Capitol in response to a Ten Commandments Monument installed by Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Ritze in 2012. Following the vandalism of the Ten Commandments monument and a ruling by Oklahomas Supreme Court declaring all religious displays illegal, however, the Satanic Temple moved the statue to a warehouse in Detroit.

The unveiling of the Baphomet monument in Detroit drew widespread protests from Christian organizations in the city, but also saw 700 people sell their souls to Satan in order to receive a ticket to the event -- a tactic used by the Temple to "keep away some of the more radical superstitious people who would try to undermine the event."

The Satanic Temple had planned to move the statue to the Arkansas statehouse, in protest of a Ten Commandments monument being erected there, but their plans were stymied when a 32-year-old man plowed his Dodge Dart into the Ten Commandments monument in June, less than 24 hours after it was installed.

One More: There actually has been a proposal to replace a memorial to Confederate soldiers with a statue of Missy Elliott.

A petition on Change.org is currently looking for signatures to support replacing a Confederate monument in Portsmouth, Va., with one of hometown hero Missy Misdemeanor Elliott.

Hailing from humble beginnings as the only child of a power company dispatcher and a welder at Portsmouth's lauded naval shipyard, she rose to become a platinum recording artist with over 30-million albums sold, Nathan Coflin, who started the petition wrote. All this without even once owning a slave.

Coflin added: Missy is all of us. Missy is everything the Confederacy was not.

The petition currently has over 27,000 of the 35,000 needed signatures.
A reportedly raucous party at a Kennedy family home in Massachusetts resulted in the arrest of two members of the illustrious clan Sunday after their neighbors complained and the Kennedys allegedly refused police requests to keep it down.

Barnstable police said 52-year-old Matthew "Max" Kennedy, the ninth child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, and his daughter, 22-year-old Caroline Kennedy, were taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct and violating the town's noise law.

Officers originally responded to a home on Irving Avenue near the family compound in Hyannis Port on noise complaints. The two were arrested after the officer asked them to keep it down, but they refused, according to CapeCod.com.

Barnstable Police Lt. John Murphy told the Boston Herald the Kennedys broke a local noise law, which is punishable by a $100 fine and arrest.

"It's if noise is audible for a distance of 150 feet away," Murphy told the newspaper. "It's a loud party statute, that's what it's used for."

No one else was arrested at the party, according to the Herald.

Matthew Kennedy pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday in Barnstable District Court, and Caroline Kennedy will be arraigned at a later date. Both were released without bail.

The 52-year-old is an author who wrote Make Gentle the Life of This: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More than 40 people were injured after a regional rail train crashed into another train at a suburban Philadelphia terminal early Tuesday morning, officials said.

The crash occurred early around 12:15 a.m. at the 69th Street Terminal as the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train traveled inbound toward the station in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

Rail spokeswoman Heather Redfern told Fox News there were 42 people on board the train at the time of the crash, but none of those on board suffered life-threatening injuries.

In an early morning news briefing, Upper Darby Mayor Nicholas Micozzie said at least four people suffered serious injuries, FOX 29 reported.

One of the victims in critical condition was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital, while the other three were taken to Lankenau Hospital, according to Micozzie.

One passenger told reporters that the operator of the train was "all banged up" and the scene was bloody. The trains operator was treated at the hospital and has since been released, according to FOX 29.

The train line resumed normal operations by the Tuesday morning rush hour, but SEPTA warned commuters there could be continued delays.

In February, four people were injured in a crash near the 69th Street Terminal involving three out-of-service commuter trains. At the time, SEPTA said one train rear-ended another on a loop where trains turn around to get back into service. Cars from that accident derailed and hit a third train on nearby tracks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
When Hunter Sawyers heard about this weeks total solar eclipse two months ago, he saw an opportunity even greater than the chance to view the rare and remarkable celestial event. As the moon crossed in front of the sun Monday during a once-in-a-lifetime interplanetary pas de deux, Sawyers sought a memorable moment of his own: asking his girlfriends hand in marriage.

He and his now-fiancee, Elaina Bullard, went to North Carolinas Hanging Rock State Park Monday. She thought they were going for a picnic and to watch the eclipse like everyone else.

The couple climbed up to their vantage point high in the rocks. And when it was time for totality, Sawyers helped Bullard put her glasses on from behind.

Her shielded eyes pointed skyward, Bullard was completely taken with the view, unaware of the events about to unfold.

It was really beautiful and everything and she was distracted looking at the beautiful eclipse, Sawyers said in an interview with FOX8 WGHP.

While I was looking at it, that's when he quickly pulled (the ring) out, Bullard said. When I turned around, he was kneeling.

WOMAN'S LOST ENGAGEMENT RING TURNS UP WRAPPED AROUND CARROT 13 YEARS LATER

It's a once-in-a-lifetime happening and youre a once-in-a-lifetime girl, Sawyers said during his proposal. I said, I want to grow old with you and tell our grandkids about this day."

Sawyers and Bullard have known each other since they were 3; they grew up together attending the same church. Sawyers, now 20, said he knew instantly that the eclipse was the perfect moment to propose.

Ive been wanting to do this for quite a while, Sawyers said. "I just kept it a big secret because I didn't want anything to spill out."

Even though he was ready with a ring, solar eclipse sunglasses and a picture-perfect panoramic view, Sawyers said he was "very, very nervous but luckily I got the words out."
A Missouri man convicted of murder who was slated for execution Tuesday evening will not be put to death. The governor put the execution on hold after new DNA evidence suggested Missouri could be killing an innocent man.

Marcellus Williams, 48, was convicted in 2001 of stabbing and murdering Lisha Gayle, a St. Louis newspaper reporter, during a 1998 robbery inside her home in the suburb of University City. Williams was previously scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening, but Gov. Eric Greitens issued a stay of execution and ordered further consideration in his case Tuesday afternoon.

MISSOURI DEATH ROW INMATE APPEALS TO US SUPREME COURT

The newly acquired evidence shows Williams DNA wasnt detected on the murder weapon, Williams attorneys say, but DNA from another male was found. The DNA testing techniques used were not available when Williams was tried in 2001.

Fingernails and hair samples discovered at the crime scene didn't match up with Williams' DNA, an official hired by defense lawyers claimed. Footprints at the scene didnt match his shoes, defense attorney Larry Komp said.

But St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said there was ample other evidence to convict Williams, and that there was "zero possibility" he was innocent.

DEATH ROW INMATE WHO HANGED SELF DIDN'T WANT PRISON CHANGE

A small group of protesters who traveled to the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City from Kansas City wrote the governor a thank-you note on the spot after learning about the stay of execution.

Williams' attorneys had filed a brief with Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch Monday night aiming to stop the execution and examine new evidence.

Court documents filed in opposition to a stay of execution by the Missouri Attorney Generals Office say the new DNA evidence "does not come close to showing Williams is actually innocent.

It would be unsurprising if Williams, who wore a coat from the crime scene to cover his bloody shirt, wore gloves when he committed the burglary and the murder," the documents say.

Our office is confident in Marcellus Williams' guilt and plans to move forward," Loree Anne Paradise, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Josh Hawley, said.

Gipson said Williams' conviction was based on the testimony of two convicted felons who were after a $10,000 reward. One was Williams' former girlfriend and the other was his former cellmate.

In addition to the murder conviction, Williams is also serving consecutive life terms for robbery, and 30 years each for burglary and weapons crimes.

If Williams death sentence is eventually carried out, it would be Missouris second execution this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Missouri woman was charged with murder Tuesday in the death of her 16-year-old biological daughter after the teenager's burned bones were found on their rural property.

Ozark County Prosecutor John Garrabrant confirmed Rebecca Ruud was charged with first-degree murder and other counts in the killing of Savannah Leckie, who was reported missing in July.



Leckie was raised in Minnesota after being put up for adoption as a baby, but stayed in touch with Ruud. In November 2016, Leckie's adoptive mother, Tamile Leckie-Montague, asked Rudd to take Savannah because the girl couldn't get along with her new boyfriend. Ruud agreed and was given power of attorney.

After Savannah moved to Missouri, she was home schooled and had "almost no social contacts," according to an affidavit filed to support a search warrant.

Investigators say the teen was subjected to repeated abuse from her biological mother, with Ruud's ex-boyfriend telling police she had forced Savannah to crawl through a hog pen and bathe in a pond. The ex-boyfriend, identified as Buddy Smart, also claimed Ruud had rubbed a self-inflicted cut on Savannah's arm with alcohol and salt as a form of discipline.

During an Aug. 4 search of the property, officials recovered hair, bone and teeth fragments from a "burn pile." The Ozark County Sheriffs Office said dental records helped confirm the recovered remains were Leckie's.

Investigators also observed that Leckie's remains had suffered "advanced deterioration" due to some kind of chemical, and observed that lye soap was being made on the property in several large drums.

Investigators searched the property three times in early August, seizing a meat grinder, three knives and 26 bottles of lye. Other items recovered included about 20 boxes of bone fragments, a box of girl's clothing, and notebooks, according to search warrants filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Ozark County investigators.

The property, spanning about 81 acres, includes vacant outbuildings and structures, and several inoperative vehicles and campers. It is described in the affidavit as isolated and at least 5 miles from the nearest paved road.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Two western Montana residents were charged with deliberate homicide in the stabbing deaths of two unidentified people whose bodies were found in plastic tubs of chemicals in the basement of a home.

Tiffanie Pierce, 23, and Augustus Standingrock, 26, were arrested last week and made their initial appearances in Justice Court on Monday. Both are charged with deliberate homicide and accountability to deliberate homicide for the deaths of a man and a woman on Aug. 17. They did not enter pleas and bail was set at $2 million.

The bodies of the unidentified man and woman were found in a Missoula home.

GIANFORTE ORDERED PHOTOGRAPHED, FINGERPRINTED FOR ASSAULT OF REPORTER

"There's no combination of [release conditions] that would ensure that members of our community would be safe," Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst told Justice of the Peace Marie Andersen on Monday.

Pierce and Standingrock tried to dispose of the bodies of the victims by putting them in tubs with chemicals, prosecutors said.

Investigators discovered that Pierce purchased the chemicals, tubs and cleaning supplies that were found at the crime scene, according to KRTV. They also found a bloody ax and knives.

Pierces roommate told police he was awakened by a womans screams and found Pierce and Standingrock in the bathroom washing blood off themselves before Pierce told him there was a dead woman in the basement.

The roommate left the house after he was told of the body. He said Pierce later showed up at his work and told him she killed a couple people last night, according to court records.

Pierce reportedly told her roommate that Standingrock brought a couple of people over and that he took them to the basement and attacked one. Pierce attacked the other person who tried to get away, according to the roommate.

MONTANA WILDFIRE GROWS, DESTROYS 2 HOMES

Officers received a search warrant for the Missoula home and discovered Pierce and Standingrock at the residence.

Officers discovered a handgun and the two bodies in the home.

The initial investigation discovered that both victims died of stab wounds.

Pierce is also being investigated for another crime, a home invasion and stabbing that occurred in late July. The victim told officers that a woman asked her several times, Wheres the money, wheres the drugs?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump outlined a comprehensive new strategy Monday night for achieving a lasting peace in Afghanistan  rejecting what he called arbitrary timetables for the U.S. troop presence, ratcheting up pressure on Pakistan to stop harboring militants and vowing to refocus the mission on killing terrorists, not nation-building.

From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America, Trump said, in a primetime address to the nation.

DOUG SHOEN: Strategy might work | MILLER: Trumps conventional response

WAS SHIP HACKED?

A top U.S. Navy admiral on Monday called for a swift and thorough investigation into Monday's collision of the USS John S. McCain into an oil tanker near Singapore-- marking the second deadly mishap that occurred in the Pacific in the past three months.

Adm. John Richardson ordered an operational pause in all the fleets around the world while the Navy works to determine the factors behind the collision. Richardson tweeted that the Navy will conduct a wide investigation, including a review into the possibility of "cyber intrusion or sabotage."

DESTRUCTION THWARTED?

A Texas man was arrested Monday after he allegedly tried to destroy a Confederate statue in a park during the weekend by planting explosives, federal officials said.

Andrew Schneck, 25, was charged with attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property receiving federal financial assistance. A Houston park ranger spotted Schneck Saturday night in Hermann Park in Houston kneeling near the statue of Richard Dowling, a lieutenant in the Confederate army.

INSTAGRAM TUSSLE

The wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday fired back at an Instagram user-- calling her "adorably out of touch"-- after the woman criticized a picture she posted on the social media platform.

Louise Linton posted a photo that showed her and her husband stepping off a government plane. She captioned the photo: Great #daytrip to #Kentucky!

FOX BUSINESS: Macy's hires new president; 100 jobs to be cut in restructuring efforts

COMING UP ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL

10 PM ET: President Trump speaks at a rally in Phoenix. Watch live on Fox News Channel and FoxNews.com

COMING UP ON FOX BUSINESS

8:30 AM ET: Brad Anderson, former Best Buy CEO, will be on Mornings with Maria

10:45 AM ET: Corey Lewandowski, former Trump campaign manager, will be on Varney & Company

NOON ET: Gov. Bill Richardson will appear on Cavuto: Coast to Coast
Iowa's "most wanted" sex offender was captured on Monday after he emerged from his residence to get a better view of the much anicipated "great American solar eclipse," only to be nabbed when a "concerned" citizen called police, U.S. Marshals said.

Investigators were hunting for Ladarius Martez Blue, 26, after he failed to register as a sex offender in Iowa. Blue had not been seen since early June before he was arrested Monday, according to The Gazette.

Authorities from the U.S. Marshals Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force narrowed down Blue's location to Ceder Rapids by August, part of the "Operation Most Wanted" initiative. As the total solar eclipse swept through the nation on Monday, Blue emerged from his residence to join millions of Americans looking up the sky.

"[Law enforcement members] positively identify Blue as he exited a residence in what appeared to be an attempt to observe the solar eclipse," U.S. Marshals said in a statement.

A "concerned citizen" also called police when the individual spotted Blue climbing into a yard waste container. Blue tried to escape, but was arrested after a "foot pursuit."

Blue was arrested and faces more charges. He was convicted in 2010 for lascivious act with a minor, KCRG reported.
A Nevada daycare worker was arrested Monday after she was caught on camera grabbing and tossing a 5-year-old child.

Henderson police said Aleana Estepp, 20, was arrested on a felony child abuse charge, FOX 5 Las Vegas reported.

The mother of the child, Nina Pitts, told FOX 5 the incident happened Aug. 10, when her daughter said the "teacher had thrown her," and she later asked the facility to see the surveillance video.

"You can see in the video that she walked back with aggression, and went back and stomped and just slammed her on the ground, and that's not what you do to anybody," Pitta said. "Let alone a five-year-old."

Estepp told police the classroom was over capacity the day of the incident, and that another student had complained the 5-year-old was kicking her, according to the arrest report. The student complained the 5-year-old kicked her again, so Estepp "tried to remove her from the situation."

She told cops she recalled being "angry" because the child wasn't listening and "pulled her," but lost her grip, causing the kid to slide acrpss the carpet, FOX 5 reported.

"I guess I removed her a little too hard," Estepp told police, according to the arrest report.

Pitts said that staff told her Estepp was fired after the incident. The owner of the daycare told FOX 5 she was devastated to see the video and will use it to train staff on what not to do.
A Pittsburgh veterans organization is building a community of tiny homes for veterans who struggle with homelessness.

Veterans Place Director Marlon Ferguson told Fox News his organization will turn nearly four acres of land into a livable community for veterans who are looking for permanent housing.

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans says veterans make up 11% of the homeless population in the United States. Nearly 40,000 veterans are homeless on any given night according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2016 data.

Ferguson says veterans deserve better. How is it you live in the best country this world has ever produced, and you serve your country, and you come back and you cant quite make it? he asked.

Ferguson, a former petty officer in the Navy, looks to help those who served the country transition back to their communities.

This is one solution for permanent housing for our veterans, he said of the tiny homes project, which will have up to 17 tiny homes with a community center. The project will use energy efficient technology, Ferguson added.

Ferguson plans to build a sense of belonging with community-style living. The community center, located in the middle of the community, will host workshops and other events tailored for veterans in their transition from serving.

The organization is now looking for donors to fund the purchase of the houses for the veterans. The monthly rent will be nearly half of the average rent in that Pittsburgh community, Ferguson said.

Ferguson said the organization will offer the housing first to those who graduate from the organizations temporary housing program and are looking for permanent housing. Other veterans will get help with their permanent housing search as part of an ongoing initiative by the organization.

Ferguson said the initiative is just one of several ways he hopes to help lower the number of homeless veterans. Its sending a message to our veterans that you are not forgotten, that your service does matter, he added.
Thats a lot of Meow Mix.

A Bronx widow left $300,000 to her two cats in her will, along with instructions that the funds be used to make sure the felines, Troy and Tiger, would never be caged and always be lovingly cared for.

Tiger especially hit the jackpot. The former alley cat is now living the good life in sunny Ocala, Fla., dining on filet- mignon-flavored Fancy Feast and bedding down in a plush faux-fur bed with silk lining.

He deserves it, said Dahlia Grizzle, the former home health aide to the late Ellen Frey-Wouters, and now Tigers caretaker. Hes a wonderful cat.

Frey-Wouters, a Netherlands native who worked for the United Nations, died in 2015 at age 88. Her husband, a Brooklyn College professor, passed away in 1989, and the couples only child died in infancy.

The cats were like her babies, Grizzle said.

Lawyer Irwin Fingerit was a little surprised when Frey-Wouters suggested that she leave the large sum to her kitties, court papers show.

I said I didnt think, you know, $300,000 was necessary, and I pointed out the case of the Queen of Mean, Leona Helmsley, who left $65,000 to a dog and became sort of a laughingstock, Fingerit said during a 2016 hearing about the gift. (Helmsley actually left $12 million to her Maltese, Trouble.)

But no, no, [Frey-Wouters] insisted, Fingerit said. She wanted to make sure they were taken care of.

Read more from The New York Post.
A petition to have a statue of rapper Missy Elliott replace a Confederate monument in Virgina has garnered more than 27,000 signatures in less than a week.

The Change.org petition, started by Nathan Coflin, calls for replacing a Confederate monument in Portsmouth, near the intersection of Court and High Streets, saying Elliott is the "true Portsmouth native hero" whose statue deserves to be in its place.

"Who better to encapsulate the culture and spirit of the city enshrined in a new monument than Grammy Award-winning rapper, dancer, and record producer Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott?" the petition stated.

PARIS HILTON SAYS SHE COULD'VE BEEN LIKE PRINCESS DIANA IF SEX TAPE WASN'T RELEASED

The Grammy Award-winning rapper was born in Portsmouth in 1971. Coflin wrote on Twitter he has a few ideas about what the Missy Elliott monument should look like, but is open to suggestions.

"Together we can put white supremacy down, flip it and reverse it," the petition said.

Elliott responded to news of the petition on Twitter last week, saying: "I don't know what to say just to see this warms my heart and it's so humbling to me."

Calls to remove Confederate monuments began last week in the wake of the Charlottesville rally that left one woman dead when a vehicle rammed into a group of counter-protesters.

NICKI MINAJ'S EX-BOYFRIEND MEEK MILL ARRESTED FOR RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT

Portsmouth Mayor John Rowe said last week he wanted the Confederate monument to be moved to Cedar Grove Cemetery, calling it a "perfect place for it," The Virginian-Pilot reported.

"People understand that its a memorial to the dead. Putting it in a cemetery is appropriate," Rowe said at a news conference.
The county judge in Steubenville, Ohio was making his way to work at the courthouse on Monday morning when the angry father of a convicted rapist walked up and shot him.

Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr., who was carrying a concealed weapon, fired back at the man, who then was fatally shot by a probation officer.

A few weeks ago, an inmate in Tennessee grabbed a county sheriff deputys gun during a hearing and shot him and another officer. The inmate fled the courthouse and fatally shot himself.

As violence inside and near courthouses grows, judges increasingly are choosing to carry concealed weapons, experts say.

Judge Eugene Lucci, who presides over cases in an Ohio county courthouse and sits on the board of the American Judges Association, says theres a clear concern among his colleagues in the judicial world about safety.

Lucci, who delivers talks to judges about protecting themselves, says hes seen an unmistakable interest in carrying concealed firearms.

Based on the number of requests that I get to speak on the topic, theres definitely an uptick in interest by judges, Lucci said, adding that while judges are more of a target for violent attacks than they once were, carrying a concealed weapon is not for everyone.

Its never wise to carry a firearm without training or experience, said Lucci, who takes refresher firearms training about three times a year. That weapon, in your hesitance based on lack of confidence and training, can be used against you, and you can make a mistake.

Lucci says that judges face the most danger outside the courtroom, which is secured by armed officers most of the time.

Judges are more vulnerable in when theyre parking in their spot, which is marked Judge, and thats where Bruzzese was, the guy was lying in wait for him.

Judges are now increasingly faced with threats, experts say.

Last year, a Cincinnati man who lost custody of his children threatened to kill two county judges, adding that he knew where they lived. They judges filed emergency affidavits to carry concealed weapons.

Its getting dangerous out there, retired Judge Norbert Nadel of Ohio was quoted as telling WCPO.com. Times have changed. Originally, I was against courthouse security. Now, Im for it.

William E. Raftery, a senior analyst with the non-profit think tank National Center for State Courts, based in Virginia, said that courts often are emotional minefields where rage can erupt at any moment, particularly by people who feel wronged by those who made an arrest or hand down a jail sentence.

The courtroom is a place of highly charged, highly emotional, highly sensitive cases, said Raftery, who has written reports about weapons in courthouses. Its a two-pronged issue. Theres been an increase in judges who want to carry firearms, but more and more state legislatures are citing the second amendment saying anyone, not just judges, can carry firearms into a courthouseJudges are saying No, this is a safety issueIf theyre carrying a firearm in the courthouse, Im carrying a firearm.

Legislatures in several states have passed measures allowing state workers and elected officials to carry concealed weapons to court buildings. In Ohio, a bill is pending that would allow people who have permits to carry concealed weapons to bring them into courthouses, according to published reports. Those who have proposed those laws say that people who legally possess guns should be able to protect themselves in public buildings.

Many judges still remember the 2011 bloody rampage in an Atlanta courtroom by a man on trial for a rape who managed to wrestle a gun from a sheriffs deputy. The man, Brian Nichols, killed the judge presiding over his case, a court stenographer and a sheriffs deputy.

That came on the heels of the Chicago murder of a judges husband and mother by a man who lost a case in the judges court.

Lucci, who himself has been threatened numerous times, said that in his county, judges have been the target of murder plots.

In one case, several people acquired bomb-making materials with the intention of exploding it near a judge, Lucci said. In another, a person who was angry over a delinquent tax bill hired a hitman to kill a judge, he added.

This happens much more frequently than most people would imagine, Lucci said. The days are long gone when judges were immune from threats or assaultsTheres a lack of respect for the law, persons or property.
The U.S. Navy is facing some tough questions following two deadly collisions during the summer of 2017.

More than a dozen sailors died in the separate accidents. The destroyer USS Fitzgerald struck a commercial ship off the waters of Japan in June, killing seven U.S. sailors. The destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in coastal waters off Singapore in August, killing 10 U.S. sailors.

Five officers involved with those two collisions have been charged with negligent homicide, the Navy said Tuesday.

Read on for a look at other recent U.S. military incidents in the Pacific.

C-2A Greyhound

Three sailors were lost after a Navy plane crashed in the Philippine Sea shortly after takeoff from Japan in November 2017.

Eight other crewmembers on board the plane were rescued and listed in good condition at the time of the crash.

Deep water salvage experts located the plane in early January 2018 and efforts are underway to recover the aircraft and sailors, the Navy said.

USS John S. McCain

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant vessel Alnic MC on Aug. 21, 2017, according to the Navy report.

Five sailors were injured, and 10 sailors died.

No one onboard the 600-foot oil and chemical tanker was injured, the Singapore government has said, although the ship did sustain damage to a compartment at its front.

Singapore, at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the world's busiest ports and a U.S. ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships.

The Navy said in a release that the crash could have been avoided, adding that it "resulted primarily from complacency, over-confidence and lack of procedural compliance."

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

An Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the ocean off the coast of Hawaii on Aug. 15, 2017.

Two Black Hawk aircrews were participating in training exercises when communications were lost.

Crews from the Army, Coast Guard, Navy and local agencies in Hawaii searched around the clock as strong currents moved the wreckage into a deep-water search area that spanned 72,000 nautical miles.

The five soldiers who went missing ranged in age from 26 to 41. The crew did have life vests and devices to assist with underwater breathing on the helicopter, officials said.

But while officials recovered significant debris from the crash, Army and Coast Guard officials said that they found no signs of life and ended the search-and-rescue operation.

All five missing soldiers have been declared dead.

MV-22 Osprey

Three U.S. Marines were declared dead in August 2017 after their MV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of Australia.

The MV-22 Osprey  part helicopter, part plane  crashed into the back of the USS Green Bay, a Navy amphibious ship, and fell into the sea on Aug. 5.

USS Fitzgerald

Seven sailors  ranging in ages from 19 to 37  died in June 2017 when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship in waters off Japan.

The captain of the ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship, accused the Navy destroyer of failing to heed warning signs before the crash on June 17.

"The collision between Fitzgerald and Crystal was avoidable and resulted from an accumulation of smaller errors over time, ultimately resulting in a lack of adherence to sound navigational practices," the Navy said in the release.

"Specifically, Fitzgerald's watch teams disregarded established norms of basic contact management and, more importantly, leadership failed to adhere to well-established protocols put in place to prevent collisions," it added.

USS Lake Champlain

The USS Lake Champlain, a guided-missile cruiser part of the U.S. Navys 7th fleet, collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in the Sea of Japan in May 2017.

No injuries were reported following the May 9 crash.

The naval ship was conducting routine operations in international waters at the time of the incident, according to the U.S. Navy. A defense official said visibility was limited at the time.

USS Louisiana

The ballistic-missile submarine USS Louisiana collided with a U.S. Navy Offshore Support Vessel off the coast of Washington state on Aug. 18, 2016, according to the U.S. Navy.

The crash occurred during routine operations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

While both vessels were damaged, no one was injured in the collision.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Wisconsin woman put sleeping pills in a boy's Slushie before sexually assaulting him earlier this month, police said.

Tara Gotovnik, 25, was arrested and charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child and delivery of a controlled substance, FOX6 reported.

The 10-year-old boy's father reported the alleged sexual assault to police on Aug. 7, the criminal complaint stated. The boy told investigators he started getting double vision and his speech became slurred after Gotovnik allegedly placed the sleeping pills in his drink.

She then sexually assaulted him while he was impaired, the boy said, adding that Gotovnik previously said the pair could "go online and make money for doing it."

'MOST WANTED' SEX OFFENDER CAUGHT WHILE TRYING TO WATCH SOLAR ECLIPSE IN IOWA, OFFICIALS SAY

Gotovnik initially told investigators she "don't remember anything from that night," but then reportedly confessed she slipped Ambien to the child on two separate occasions.

Click here for more from FOX6.
One of the four surviving suspects in last week's twin terror attacks in Spain was ordered released by a judge Tuesday.

National Court Judge Fernando Andreu said the evidence against Mohamed Aalla was "not solid enough."



However, Andreu did determine there was enough evidence to hold 21-year-old Mohamed Houli Chemlal and 28-year-old Driss Oukabir on preliminary charges of causing homicides and injuries of terrorist nature and of belonging to a terrorism organization.



The fourth man, Sahl El Karib, was to remain in custody for at least 72 more hours while police inquiries continue.

Andreu issued his orders after listening to the men answer questions about the vehicular assaults in Barcelona and Cambrils that killed 15 people and injured more than 120 others.

Chemlal, the first to testify, confirmed media reports that a much larger attack had been planned in Barcelona, the capital of Spain's Catalonia region. He identified imam Abdelbaki Es Satty as the leader of the 12-man cell, and said Es Satty planned to carry out a suicide bombing at a monument in the city.

Es Satty preached in a mosque in the northeastern town of Ripoll, home to most of the 12 pointed by police as being possible members of the cell. He and another man blew themselves up Wednesday while preparing explosives in a house in the coastal town of Alcanar, south of Barcelona.

Chemlal testified Tuesday that he only survived because he was on the ground floor of the house washing dishes after dinner. Police later found in the house over 100 tanks of butane gas and materials to make TATP, an explosive frequently used in attacks by ISIS militants. The group has claimed responsibility for both attacks.

INSIDE THE FILTHY APARTMENT OF BARCELONA TERROR ATTACK SUSPECT

The Alcanar explosion forced the surviving members of the cell to change their plans and resort to vehicular attacks. Receipts described in the judge's order showed the men also made a last-minute run to buy knives and an ax just before the Cambrils attack early Friday.

Oukabir, the second suspect to testify, denied any involvement with the extremist cell despite his brother being one of the five radicals shot dead by police in Cambrils early Friday. He admitted he rented the vans used in the assaults, but said he thought they would be used for a house move.

Oukabir initially told police after the Barcelona attack that his younger brother had stolen his identification documents to rent the van used to create carnage on the famous Las Ramblas pedestrian boulevard. On Tuesday, he testified that he had told this initial story out of fear.

Aalla and El Karib flatly denied being part of the extremist cell. Aalla said an Audi A3 used in the Cambrils attack was registered under his name, but used by another sibling. Police say one of Aalla's younger brothers died in Cambrils and another one is believed to be the second casualty in the Alcanar house blast where the imam died.

El Karib, the owner of a cybercafe in Ripoll, told the judge on Tuesday that he was only trying to make a profit when he bought at least two plane tickets for two alleged members of the cell.



Earlier Tuesday, raided that cybercafe in Ripoll as well as a house in Vilafranca del Penedes, searching for more evidence.



ATTACK VICTIMS CAME FROM AROUND WORLD TO CELEBRATE BARCELONA

The lone fugitive from the cell  22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub  was shot to death Monday west of Barcelona after a massive, dayslong manhunt. Police say he flashed what turned out to be a fake suicide belt at two officers who confronted him in a vineyard.

Police said they had "scientific evidence" that Abouyaaqoub drove the van that barreled through Barcelona's crowded Las Ramblas promenade and that he hijacked a car and fatally stabbed its driver while making his getaway.

Abouyaaqoub's brother and friends made up the rest of the 12-man extremist cell. Police said with Abouyaaqoub's death, the group's members were all dead or in custody.

Chemlal was born in Melilla, one of Spain's two North African coastal enclaves that have borders with Morocco. Spanish media say the other 11 suspects are all reportedly Moroccans who lived in Spain.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A British Royal Marine veteran is selling his three war medals to help a little girl receive the funding needed to treat her rare cancer.

Matthew Goodman, 35, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said he decided to sell his medals after reading about Lottie Woods-John and her fight with neuroblastoma, according to The Sun.

When I came across Lotties campaign, I was heartbroken to read her battle against childhood cancer, Goodman told The Sun.

ATTACK VICTIMS CAME FROM AROUND WORLD TO CELEBRATE BARCELONA

As a father myself, I couldnt imagine seeing my baby daughter, Freya, suffering like that and I knew I had to help in some way, Goodman continued.

Goodman was awarded his medals after serving in the Iraq War. He hopes the money from the medals would help close the gap for the $256,880 needed to help fund treatment for the little girl, whom he has never met.

My medals were just sitting in the drawer doing nothing, and I thought they could be used for something worthwhile, Goodman said.

They were awarded for the sacrifices I made, but Im happy to forego that honor if it means helping a little girl in desperate need.

Lottie was diagnosed with the rare cancer in June 2016 after her stomach began to swell and doctors discovered a large tumor in her stomach. Her parents, Charlottes Woods, 36, and David John, 44, were told Lottie had stage 4 cancer.

MOST WANTED SEX OFFENDER CAUGHT WHILE TRYING TO WATCH SOLAR ECLIPSE IN IOWA, OFFICIALS SAY

The little girl has received chemotherapy, immunotherapy and underwent an operation last year to remove 95 percent of her tumor but needs a vaccine treatment that is available in the United States.

The vaccine treatment prevents the cancer from returning, so Lottie needs the cutting-edge treatment straight away, meaning we need the $256,880 imminently, Charlotte, Lotties caretaker, told The Sun.

Charlotte said she was overwhelmed after Goodman told her he would sell his three medals to help pay for her treatment.

When Matt contacted me to tell me he wanted to sell his medals to help towards treatment costs I was speechless, Woods said.

He risked his life for those medals and the fact that hes not even met Lottie, but wants to help keep her alive is mind-blowing. I cant thank him enough.

Goodman said he hopes his gesture would set a positive example for his daughter.

I hope to set a really nice example to my daughter when she grows up, Goodman said.

To show her how to be compassionate and make sacrifices for others. Once theyre sold, in the place of my medals Ill be wearing a childhood cancer awareness ribbon.

For me, nothing is worth a childs life, Goodman concluded.
Police say two cars used by a German lawmaker have been targeted in an arson attack in the western town of Herne.

Police said Tuesday that two cars used by Social Democratic Party lawmaker Michelle Muentefering were attacked overnight. There was no immediate word on who was behind the attack.

Muentefering, who chairs the German-Turkish parliamentary group, told German news agency dpa that she was shocked and that "such attacks ahead of the election target the entire democratic system."

Germany holds a general election on Sept. 24.

Dpa reported that a helicopter was used to search for the perpetrators.
Germany's justice minister is calling for European Union countries to reconsider how they deal with Turkish warrants following the arrest in Spain of a Turkish-born German writer.

Dogan Akhanli was arrested Saturday in Spain. Chancellor Angela Merkel has accused Turkey of abusing the international system used to hunt down fugitives.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas was quoted Tuesday as telling Funke newspaper group: "We should at least embark on a more intense dialogue inside the EU on how we deal with search requests from Turkey." He added that Europe "cannot allow every critic of the Turkish regime to be exposed to arbitrary persecution."

Akhanli is accused of involvement an armed robbery in 1989 with alleged links to an outlawed Kurdish group. Turkey issued an international request for his arrest in 2013.
The headless body of a woman was found Monday in the Baltic Sea near the location where a Swedish journalist disappeared -- the grim discovery coming just hours after the owner of a home-built submarine told authorities she died aboard the craft and he buried her at sea.

Copenhagen police spokesman Jens Moller Jensen said the female torso -- without legs, arms or a head -- was found by a passerby near Koge Bay after an intense search, Sky News reported.

"We have recovered the body...It is the torso of a woman," Moeller Jensen told reporters. "An inquest will be conducted."

Moeller Jensen added it was "too early" to say if the body was that of reporter Kim Wall, 30, who vanished more than a week ago after a trip on the submarine owned by 46-year-old Peter Madsen, a Danish inventor.

Moeller Jensen said the body was discovered hours after Madsen told authorities Wall had died aboard in an accident, and that he buried her at sea at an unspecified location in Koge Bay, located south of Copenhagen.

Danish police spent Tuesday combing the Baltic Sea coast where the grisly discovery was made without finding new evidence in their investigation, but Moeller Jensen said the arms and legs had been "deliberately been cut off" the body.

Moeller Jensen added the DNA from the torso is being compared to genetic material from relatives of 30-year-old Kim Wall, adding "we do not know yet whether it is her or not."

Results are expected Wednesday.

Madsen was the lone survivor after his 40-ton homemade Nautilus sub foundered off Denmarks eastern coast on Aug. 10. He was arrested hours after he was rescued, hit with preliminary manslaughter charges in the death of Wall.

Madsen has maintained his innocence and told a local television station last week the sub sank due to technical issues.

I was toying with various things on the submarine and then an error occurred, he told TV2 immediately after the sub sank.

Madsen had initially said he dropped Wall off on land before departing again and ultimately sinking, however, his story changed in recent days.

What is likely the last picture taken of Wall showed the freelance journalist, smiling, aboard the sub and standing alongside Madsen, whose back is turned, just before the Nautilus departed on its ill-fated voyage.

Wall, who was based in Brooklyn, N.Y., had been writing about Madsen and the Nautilus at the time of the incident. Wall freelanced for publications such as the New York Times, The Guardian and Vice magazine, and had studied at the Sorbonne university in Paris and the London School of Economics. She also received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York in 2013.

Her family earlier told The Associated Press in a previous interview she had worked in many dangerous places as a journalist and it was unimaginable "something could happen...just a few miles from the childhood home."

The International Women's Media Foundation said it was "deeply saddened" to receive confirmation Wall had died.

"She was dogged in her pursuit of important and sometimes quirky stories," the organization said in a statement. "She was adored by those who knew her."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump is pictured looking out over a Guam graveyard cluttered with crosses in a photoshopped image from the newest propaganda film -- and grim warning -- from North Korea.

The regime followed the video with a statement posted through its KCNA news agency, saying Trump "spouted rubbish" and frequently tweeted about "weird articles of his ego-driven thoughts" and attacking South Korea's "puppy-like" Defense Minister Song Young-moo for "pinning hope on that mad guy."

But the picture of a graveyard believed to be in Guam may be the most rattling in the video, given dictator Kim Jong Un's repeated threats to strike the U.S. territory with a missile. The video also features Vice President Pence engulfed in flames.

"Trump spouted rubbish that if a war breaks out, it would be on the Korean Peninsula, and if thousands of people die, they would be only Koreans and Americans may sleep a sound sleep," the KCNA statement said.

North Korea's bombastic double-barreled messages come as the U.S. and South Korea are engaging in an annual 10-day military training drill.

KCNA wrote on Tuesday it would be ready to stage "ruthless" retaliation against South Korea and the U.S., according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

"The U.S. will be wholly held accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by such reckless aggressive war maneuvers, as it chose a military confrontation [with North Korea]," a North Korean military spokesman said to KCNA.

Kim Jong Un's latest diatribe comes on the heels of a new United Nations report revealing two North Korean shipments bound for Syria's chemical arms agency were recently "intercepted."

An independent U.N. experts panel report obtained by Reuters on Monday revealed two shipments to the Syrian government agency responsible for the country's deadly chemical weapons program was intercepted.

"The panel is investigating reported prohibited chemical, ballistic missile and conventional arms cooperation between Syria and the [North Korea]," the report stated.

The experts wrote the panel was informed there were "reasons to believe" the items were part of the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation contract, which was blacklisted in 2009 by the Security Council. The council said the trading corporation was North Korea's top arms dealer and an exporter of materials for ballistic missiles and conventional weapons.

JAPAN MINISTER SEES UNITY WITH TRUMP, PRESSURE ON N. KOREA

The revelation comes as North Korean diplomat Ju Yong Chol on Tuesday said the communist regime's missile program is "justifiable and a legitimate option for self-defense," Reuters reported.

"The measures taken by [North Korea] to strengthen its nuclear deterrence and develop inter-continental rockets is justifiable and a legitimate option for self-defense in the face of such apparent and real threats," Ju said at a U.N.-sponsored disarmament conference.
A claim from Natalee Holloways father last week that a set of unidentified human remains were found in Aruba is now under scrutiny after one of the countrys prosecutors said the bones belong to an animal.

When we determined these remains were human, I was shocked, Dave Holloway said on NBCs Today show last week, part of a media tour to promote a new TV series on the American teens disappearance.

But Aruba Public Prosecutor Dorean Kardol told HuffPost Friday that no human remains were found in the location the father flagged to police. Kardol added the only remains investigators dug up in the area were from animals.

Holloways father said he received a tip from a man who claimed to have helped dispose of his daughters body 12 years ago, behind a house on the Caribbean island, calling it a major discovery.

Natalee Holloway vanished in 2005 during a graduation trip to Aruba with other Alabama high school students. She has never been found.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry is criticizing as "illogical" Saudi Arabia's decision to only fly Qatari pilgrims to the kingdom on Saudi aircraft, and cautioned against exploiting the hajj "as a tool for political manipulation."

The annual hajj pilgrimage is performed at Islam's holiest site in Mecca.

The ministry's statement, released Tuesday on the state-run Qatar News Agency, also criticized Saudi King Salman's offer to fly Qatari pilgrims at his expense. The ministry said the state of Qatar and Qatari pilgrims "don't need aid in terms of covering the cost of hajj and portraying it as a charity."

Last week, Saudi Arabia unilaterally reopened its border with Qatar to allow Qataris to attend the hajj amid a monthslong rift between the neighboring countries.
A spokesman for the Taliban criticized President Trumps nationally televised address Monday night on his initiative to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region.

Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesman, said in an interview that Trumps whole speech was old. He said the Taliban needs more time to issue a more precise response, but he said Trumps policy outline is unclear.

Trump will become the third U.S. president to attempt to make strides in the country. Trump said he will leave major military decisions--like troop size-- to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Ahead of his primetime address, Fox News learned that the president had signed off on sending an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan, adding to the current estimated 8,400 U.S. troops already stationed in the region.

From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America, Trump said.

Speaking to servicemembers at Fort Myer, Va., Trump tried to draw a sharp distinction between his approach and that of his predecessors. Pointedly, the president vowed not to openly discuss troop numbers, withdrawal dates, or attack plans.

Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on, he said, vowing, Americas enemies will never know our plans."

Last week the Taliban issued a 1,600-word open letter to Trump warning against a troop surge, saying it would prolong what is already the United States' longest war. Trump steered clear of discussing troop numbers, but said U.S. forces are in Afghanistan to win.

The Taliban have also said they aren't ready for any peace talks, at least not until the U.S. and NATO give a time frame for withdrawal -- something Trump says isn't going to happen.

Afghanistan's government applauded Trump's speech. Afghan Ambassador to the U.S. Hamdullah Mohib called it a "10 out of 10." He told the AP by telephone from Kabul that Afghans heard "exactly what we needed to."

Mohib says critiques of the speech for failing to disclose troop numbers are misguided. He says the focus on numbers detracts from the "real focus" on conditions and support needed for Afghanistan to succeed and achieve peace.

Sen. John McCain is commended Trump's strategy and said the president needs to start conducting himself as a "wartime commander in chief."

McCain, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, urged Trump to speak regularly "to the American people, and to those waging this war on their behalf, about why we are fighting, why the additional sacrifices are worth it, and how we will succeed."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said, "Tonight, the President said he knew what he was getting into and had a plan to go forward. Clearly, he did not. The Presidents announcement is low on details but raises serious questions."

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Several thousand troops from the 82nd Airborne Division are expected to arrive in Afghanistan in the coming weeks, a U.S. defense official told Fox News Tuesday.

The official refused to be more specific about the timetable because the orders had not yet been signed. Gen. Joseph Votel, the top U.S commander for the Middle East, earlier told reporters in Saudi Arabia that the deployments could take days or a few weeks.

"What's most important for us now is to get some capabilities in to have an impact on the current fighting season," said Votel, who spent last weekend in Afghanistan.

Votel spoke hours after President Trump outlined his strategy for breaking the stalemate between U.S.-backed government forces and the Taliban. Though Trump did not discuss troop levels in the speech, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the president had signed off on sending an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan, apparently listening to appeals from his generals.

Most of the new forces will train and advise Afghan forces to improve their combat abilities, or provide security for American adviser teams in the field, Votel said. U.S. counterterror forces will make up a smaller portion, as will other support forces and medical personnel.



About 460 of the total troops will help the U.S. to train more Afghan special commandos in more locations, said U.S. Maj. Gen. James Linder, commander of U.S. and NATO special operations forces in Afghanistan.



Elements of the 1st Brigade Combat Team from the 82nd Airborne Division deployed to Afghanistan over the summer.

Earlier this month, two paratroopers from 1-82  as the unit is called  were killed in a suicide attack in southern Afghanistans Kandahar Province, the spiritual home of the Taliban.

Roughly 8,400 American troops are currently in Afghanistan, down from a peak of approximately 100,000 in 2010 and 2011. President Barack Obama then started bringing them home, drawing criticism for the advance timetables he provided for his planned drawdown and ultimate withdrawal of forces.

Before he was a presidential candidate, Trump ardently argued for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan and called the war a massive waste of U.S. "blood and treasure." On Monday, he suggested an open-ended commitment rather than a "time-based" approach.

"Conditions on the ground  not arbitrary timetables  will guide our strategy from now on," Trump said.

Trump was among those who argued that Obama was aiding the enemy by telegraphing U.S. intentions. On Monday, Trump said he wouldn't discuss troop numbers, military tactics or timetables. "America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out," he said.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
With summer coming to a close I began thinking about things that were part of summer half a century ago that you dont see anymore.

One thing that came to mind was the encyclopedia salesman.

Now the first thing millennials will ask is What is an encyclopedia? This question is understandable for a generation who doesnt know that maps were once in paper form and that a collection of maps was called an atlas.

For the uninformed, an encyclopedia was a collection of books that provided information on thousands of subjects. Usually each letter of the alphabet had its own volume although sometimes two or more letterslike WXYZ were combined within a single cover.

In other words, an encyclopedia is/was Wikipedia and Google in book form (I never thought I would have to explain that). I say is/was because at least one encyclopediaWorld Bookis still being printed in book form.

This fact came as a shock because I havent seen an updated edition since the internet became available. But I know it is true because I looked it up on Wikipedia.

Anyhow, in days of old college students would often work summers as door-to-door salesmen hawking sets of encyclopedias, especially World Book (the Encyclopedia Britannica was the other top brand but it was more exclusive. According to Wikipedia, it hasnt been printed since 2010.).

These college kids sold encyclopedias for a novel reasonto help pay their tuition. Yes, millennials, there was a time when college students actually helped pay their own way through school. These kids really earned their education.

It may also shock many people today to learn that an enterprising student could often earn enough money selling encyclopedias in the summer to pay for his or her tuition the next year.

Goodness, I started out writing about a summer job that was no more and I stumbled upon two other antiquated ideasstudents actually paying for their own education and door-to-door salesmen. Today parents are expected to provide money for the college experience and most people would call the police and report a pervert in the neighborhood if a salesman showed up at the door.

But there was a time when college students turned into door-to-door salesmen to sell encyclopedias to make money to pay for their own education. These times, at least by todays standards, would now be referred to as the Dark Ages.

A home set of encyclopedias was a big deal 50 years ago. Students who didnt have access to these volumes of knowledge were at a distinct disadvantage when it came to writing reports and doing research.

If a family didnt have a set of encyclopedias, any student in that household would likely have to make a trip to town or county library when a report was assigned.

That sounds like an easy task today, but in the 1950s and 60s there were still many rural families that did not have a car. If that were the case, the only other option was look the information up in the school library, which was one of the main reasons almost every student had a study hall back then.

Of course, there were maybe two sets of encyclopedias in the school library to serve 30 kids in the class that had to write a report on the same subject. So, good luck.

Thats what encyclopedia salesmen told every parent who looked wealthy enough to afford a set of encyclopedias.

It will improve your childs grades, make him a better student!

We still hear that message from various sources today, but back then a child whose family did not have a set of encyclopedias was at a definite disadvantage just as kids with no internet at home are at a disadvantage today.

College kids made great salesmen because these young people were themselves students and could explain to parents how having a set of encyclopedias at home had helped them.

So, the encyclopedia salesman became as much a part of summer as Kool-Aid in a pitcher.

Now almost every child has his own laptop or cell phone with instant access to all available knowledge at the touch of a button. It is a different world.

I have a set of World Book encyclopedias, the 1962 edition. It is interesting to go back and look at a world where John F. Kennedy was the sitting president, the space program was in its infancy and Vietnam was still just a country and not a war.

The worldincluding summershas sure changed since those volumes were written.
Alan and Halina Zimm of Richmond have accomplished two amazing feats almost none of us will ever achieve, and the second one we wouldnt want to. They have been married almost 70 years, and they both survived the Holocaust.

The Zimms spoke recently to a group of about 45 educators in a summer program at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, a hidden gem on Cary Street. As a middle school history teacher from Spotsylvania, I was honored and excited to hear them speak.

However, Id seen Alan many times before. About 15 years ago, I started using the video testimonies on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museums website with my students. Of the hundreds of videos available, I randomly selected about 12 that gave a representation of major aspects of the Holocaust, and Alans story of liberation happened to be one of them. Imagine my surprise and delight to see his name as a speaker on our syllabus.

At the time, I had no idea he lived in Richmond, or that his wife was also a survivor. As I learned in the two-week Teacher Education Institute, the second one that the museum offered this summer, Richmond has had a strong Jewish community going back to Colonial times. After World War II, when Holocaust survivors were leaving Europe for either the United States or Israel, many were placed in Richmond by Jewish relief organizations such as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the Thalhimer family.

As a result, Richmond became one of several hubs in the United States for survivors, though it is estimated that only about 25 remain in that area today. While some have died, others have moved away to be near family.

The Virginia Holocaust Museum is one of 10 Holocaust museums in this country. Its housed in a former tobacco warehouse, and the brick and wood construction along with trains roaring past one block away create a feeling of stepping back into the past. The exhibits narrate the story of the Holocaust and include some things you wont find anywhere else: a re-creation of the courtroom at the postwar Nuremberg trials, complete with wax statues, for one.

Other items relate to the survivors who settled in Richmond. One of the museums founders, Jay Ipsen, was a survivor from Kovno, Lithuania, and an exhibit tells his story of hiding for months with his family in a potato hole his father dug under a field in the countryside. Theres also a reproduction of the interior of a beautiful 19th-century synagogue in Kovno.

Like Jay Ipsen, Alan and Halina were targeted because they were Jewish, although the Nazis targeted many other groups as well. Stories of victims who survived usually contain a few common threads: personal endurance, kindness from others, and sheer luck.

Alan, who is now 97, told the teachers that night that he had been held prisoner at four different concentration camps. Dora was this camp that was dug underground in the mountains. Most people didnt know it was there. We worked on the V-2 rockets. We had to make 20 rockets a day. And if they found any mistakes, they would say it was sabotage. And they would hang you. So I always made 25 rockets a day. And one SS guard, he would see this and he would slip me extra food when no one was looking.

Halina, who met Alan after the war, never went to a camp. Her father managed to obtain real birth certificates from a Catholic acquaintance who had daughters the same age as Halina and her sister. This allowed Halina to travel to Warsaw and work outside the ghetto, pretending to not be Jewish. She had a few harrowing escapes, including being betrayed by someone from her past who recognized her in Warsaw. She came back to the house where she worked as a cook to find SS guards. The Polish woman Halina worked for bravely stood up for her and saved her that day, but only because she really believed Halina wasnt Jewish. Yet despite all this, Halina assured the teachers, I still believe most people are good.

The museums distinguished senior historian, Charlie Sydnor, also spoke to the teachers. Sydnor worked with the Department of Justice for years as a key witness on many trials of Nazis involved in the Holocaust who lied about their backgrounds in order to get into the United States. His papers are now part of the museums collection, and interested members of the public can make an appointment to view them.

Like many others from the Fredericksburg area, I was only dimly aware of this museum, though Id visited its more famous cousin in D.C. With its top notch exhibits, well-educated staff, free admission and free parking, the Virginia Holocaust Museum is a must-see.
A Stafford County man was arrested Saturday after being involved in two hit-and-run accidents and a brief foot chase with deputies, police said.

Stafford Sheriffs Maj. Don Lenhart said police were able to identify the suspect, 31-year-old John Alexander Watts, in part because of a license plate that fell off his vehicle during one of the accidents.

According to Lenhart, deputies were sent to a reported accident with injuries about 4:42 p.m. Saturday on Bells Hill Road near Fair Oaks Avenue. Deputy C.A. Gale, the first arriving deputy, saw a Chrysler against a tree off the road.

The driver of that vehicle walked up to Gale and handed her a Virginia license plate that had fallen off the vehicle that struck her. She reported that a blue Ford SUV traveling at a high rate of speed had made an illegal U-turn in front of her and the vehicles collided. The SUV then fled the scene.

Gale broadcast a lookout to other deputies and learned that the same SUV had been involved in another hit-and-run accident a short time earlier.

The deputy was driving north on Bells Hill Road when a motorist stopped her to say that a blue Ford SUV had just passed her by crossing a double yellow line and turned onto Bell Vine Lane.

Gale found the vehicle unattended in a travel lane. The vehicle was damaged and the tag on the rear matched the one that had been left behind at one of the accident scenes, Lenhart said.

A police dog performed a track but police initially were unable to find the suspect. Deputies later determined that the wanted driver was Watts and went to a home near the area where the SUV had been abandoned.

As deputies approached the home, a man ran out the back door, Lenhart said. He later ran back into the home with deputies in pursuit. The suspect was eventually arrested on the lower floor of the home.

Watts was charged with two counts of hit and run, unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license and multiple traffic offenses. He was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

Lenhart said Stafford authorities already had two warrants for Watts arrest prior to Saturdays incidents. Court records show he was arrested on a drug charge in November but did not appear for subsequent scheduled court appearances.
Spotsylvania County Supervisor Greg Cebula has agreed to conceal the elephant symbol depicted on some of his campaign yard signs after the Republican National Committee accused him of trademark infringement.

Cebula, who is running for re-election as an independent conservative, wrote an email to RNC attorney Nathan Groth early this month promising to replace the elephant with an image of an American flag on signs not yet disseminated. He said he also fully intend[s], as convenient, to similarly modify signs already on display.

Cebulas original signs picture an elephant with three blue stars across its back. The RNCs elephant logo, used since 1969, is nearly identicalblue and red with three white stars.

As a proud 20 year Air Force Veteran, who served throughout the Vietnam War and the majority of the Cold War with Russia, I am pleased to cover my unique, self-designed, white elephant symbol previously portrayed on my campaign posters, with a much more appropriate campaign symbol representation of my lifelong patriotism and service to both Country and Community, Cebula wrote Groth in an email he forwarded to The Free LanceStar.

The American flag most clearly represents and defines my choice to run as an Independent Conservative, Cebula added. He attached a picture of his revised sign.

Cebula, who wrote in the email that he considered the matter amicably resolved, said he did not hear back from Groth.

Groth did not immediately return a phone call and email for comment.

The attorney wrote a cease-and-desist letter to Cebula late last month calling the supervisors use of the elephant deceptive and unauthorized. The logo is likely to lead individuals to believe that the RNC has authorized, sponsored, approved, endorsed, or provided financial support to your committee, which it has not, he wrote.

Its unclear who reported the signs to the RNC. Spotsylvania Republican Committee Chairwoman Dale Swanson, who has clashed with Cebula, sent Groths letter to the newspaper in an email with the subject: Greg Cebulas efforts to deceive.

Cebula said the signs at issue date to 2013, when he received the Republican nomination for the Berkeley District seat. But this year, he lost the GOP nod to Debbie Curcie at a mass meeting of local party members. Independent candidate Kevin Marshall, the son of former Supervisor Emmitt Marshall, is also seeking the seat.
It was a total takeover.

People in the crowd said three were arrested. They called for Mayor Mike Signers removal. His eyes welled as people told the Charlottesville City Council how they experienced the vicious car attack that slammed into a crowd of counter-protesters crossing the Downtown Mall.

A woman said her daughter was supposed to start her fourth year at the University of Virginia this week. She wont be attending the first day of class because of her injuries, the mother said.

Another man said hes suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

He said he can still see the bodies that went flying after the car struck the crowd several hours after the Unite the Right rally was shut down because of rampant street-fighting outside Emancipation Park, the location where white nationalists and white supremacists gathered on Aug. 12 for their Unite the Right rally.

Within 30 minutes of starting its meeting, the entire City Council, the city attorney, the city manager and council clerk all retreated into a backroom. Two women stood on top of the dais with a banner: Blood on your hands.

City Council candidate and community activist Nikuyah Walker asked: Why did you think you can walk in here and do a business-as-usual meeting after what happened on the 12th?

Mayor Mike Signer and Councilor Kathy Galvin are now supporting the removal of Charlottesvilles statue of Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park, but the change did not spare them from criticism Monday.

Last week, Signer asked for the state General Assembly to hold an emergency session to consider amending the states law regarding statues. A lawsuit citing that law is preventing the city from removing the statue as planned because of a court injunction.

A spokesperson for Gov. Terry McAuliffe intimated last week that a special session was unlikely.

Galvin held a news conference Monday to announce her change of mind, and she called for the removal of the statue of Thomas Stonewall Jackson, too.

It is time for the Jackson and Lee statues to be relocated to a battlefield park or a museum where they will neither be reviled or revered, she said, adding that shed prefer the statues there so they can be preserved and explained more fully.

She said the state legislature would need to play a role in their removal.

Weve been told that if we take them down tonight, were going to be personally sued, Councilor Wes Bellamy said Monday night. We will personally be held liable and charged with a class-six felony.

Councilor Kristin Szakos encouraged the protesters to challenge the states legislators.

You cant just show up to City Council meetings, Szakos told the protesters. You have to go to the state legislature. Virginia has laws that restrict what we can do.

Signer and Galvins change of heart, however, failed to placate those who accosted their local elected officials almost immediately at the start of the meeting.

It then became an urban-populist coup.

Someone needs to be held accountable, said Don Gathers, the former chairman of the blue ribbon commission that recommended relocating the Lee statue.

Something is going to happen  by any means necessary, he added. People are tired and theyre fed up  its going down, for real.

Social justice activist Emily Gorcenski said many protesters had tried to warn the city that violence would come to the city if the rally was permitted.

Aside from the well-documented clashes that took place on Market Street and in Emancipation Park, protesters Monday said the Unite the Right ralliers went to majority African-American communities south of the downtown area to harass residents there.

Gorcenski said activists and counter-protesters took it upon themselves to defend the community.

Charlottesville isnt the capital of the resistance, Gorcenski said, excoriating Signers declaration of resistance against President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Charlottesville now, she said, is the capital of the [anti-fascists].

Signer read a resolution at the start of the meeting to commemorate the three lives lost, but not before someone in the crowd accused him of being responsible for the loss of life.

The protesters criticized the council for allegedly allowing the rally happen. Signer defended himself and the council, explaining that the council attempted previously to move the rally to McIntire Park.

The crowd also took aim at police officers for not intervening more in the melees that took place on Aug. 12.

We tried really hard. A federal judge forced us to have the rally downtown, Signer said.

Responding to the allegations that he ordered police to not protect people counter-protesting in the street, Signer said the mayor has no real police power.

Signers attempts to calm the crowd repeatedly failed. He tried to cut the meeting short, but that didnt work either.

Bellamy attempted to regain control and coordinate a town-hall style meeting, giving the floor to everyone gathered. The councilors appeared visibly rattled as they came out to the crowd at 8 p.m. It continued past 11 p.m., and dozens of people made their frustration and anger known.

The reason my two daughters and I were out there protesting and putting our bodies in our lines is because we knew that so many others could not, said the woman who told the crowd that her daughter wouldnt be able to attend classes at UVa later this week.

Its not about the statues, she said. We were out there because our community is hurting.  what I want to see is meaningful changes in our community.

After the violent street-fighting compelled local and state officials to end the rally prematurely before noon Aug. 12, James A. Fields Jr. allegedly drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters with intent to kill about two hours later.

Local paralegal Heather Heyer was killed. At least 30 were hospitalized because of their injuries.

Two state police officers, H. Jay Cullen and Berke Bates, died several hours later when a Virginia State Police helicopter crashed in Albemarle County.

Fields is facing second-degree murder and other charges.

The protesters Monday said they expect there are many more injuries and criminal assaults that have not been reported.

There were hundreds of people that were hurt, said housing activist Joy Johnson. Way more than 19 people got hurt, she added, citing the number that city officials previously reported were injured in the car attack.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the Sentara Martha Jefferson hospital said they treated 11 people who were injured in the car attack. A spokesperson for the UVa Medical Center said they treated 19.

Im still pissed, Johnson said. Im still angry.

Before adjourning early Tuesday morning, the Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously to cover the citys statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson in black fabric, which will represent the city's mourning of Heather Heyer.
Shortly before noon on Aug. 25, 1967, a pale '58 Chevy pulled into a shopping center in Arlington. Out stepped one of the most hated men in America.

As the founder of the American Nazi Party, George Lincoln Rockwell had hung swastikas on the Mall and picketed the marches of Martin Luther King Jr. He had called for shipping blacks to Africa and sending millions of "Communist Jews" to the gas chambers - all at a time when memories of World War II were still fresh.

Now, dressed not in his Nazi uniform but a simple white shirt and dark slacks, Rockwell grabbed his dirty laundry and headed into the Econ-o-wash, only to realize he had forgotten the bleach. As he climbed back into his car to return to Nazi headquarters - a large house a block away dubbed "Hatemongers Hill" - two shots rang out.

Rockwell died amid a flurry of Ivory Snow soap flakes.

For years, he had claimed his enemies were stalking him. But when police arrested the gunman minutes later, they identified him as 29-year-old John Patler: Rockwell's neo-Nazi protege.

The killing made international headlines and led to a bizarre standoff over the Nazi's body. It also crippled his party, which soon sank back into obscurity.

But Rockwell's death did not dispel his ideas.

Half a century later, they were on display last weekend when hundreds of torch-carrying neo-Nazis and white nationalists marched in Charlottesville.

Among today's white supremacists, Rockwell's hate-filled books remain widely circulated. Even Rockwell's assassin, now an old man, still struggles to shake off his influence. And "White Power," the term Rockwell coined months before his death, lives on in the movements of David Duke and the alt-right, which advocates for a whites-only state.

The Charlottesville rally was "infused with Rockwell's ideology," said Martin Kerr of New Order, the successor to the American Nazi Party.

"He is the grandfather of the white racialist movement as it exists today," he said of Rockwell. "To see these many hundreds of racially conscious white men on the streets of Charlottesville, I'm sure he would have been very pleased."

---

When Martin Luther King Jr. arrived to the southwest side of Chicago on Aug. 5, 1966, to march for housing desegregation, he was met by thousands of angry white residents. Some waved Confederate or Nazi flags. Others pelted him and other civil rights activists with bottles and bricks. Many of them chanted "White Power."

"I've been in many demonstrations all across the south," King told reporters, "but I can say I have never seen - even in Mississippi and Alabama - mobs as hostile and hate-filled as I've seen here in Chicago."

Rockwell, who had spent the day egging on the crowd and distributing "White Power" T-shirts and posters, considered it his finest hour.

Chicago marked a turning point for Rockwell. Tall, handsome and sporting a corncob pipe in the style of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Rockwell had studied philosophy at Brown but dropped out to join the Navy after becoming convinced the school was a breeding ground for communism.

After serving in World War II and rising to the rank of commander, Rockwell stumbled upon a copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf in a used bookstore and became obsessed with the racist manifesto. Rockwell, who once had fought against fascism, became convinced only it could save America. He moved to Arlington in 1955 and launched his party a few years later.

He initially ran his party out of a ramshackle house on Randolph Street in downtown Arlington. When police raided the swastika-draped den in April of 1959, they walked in on Commander Rockwell - as he liked to be called - and his followers celebrating Hitler's 70th birthday with a cake.

When "Exodus," a movie about the founding of Israel, opened in Boston in 1960, Rockwell stood outside the theater in his Nazi uniform - earning him mention in a Bob Dylan song. He and his troopers followed the Freedom Riders around the country in a "hate bus" covered in swastikas and picketed clubs that booked Sammy Davis Jr., whose wife was white. Rockwell's parents had been successful vaudeville performers and he had inherited their showmanship, earning himself the nickname "Barnum of the Bigots."

But those tactics gained him few followers. When Rockwell ran for governor of Virginia in 1965, he got one percent of the vote.

He saw the rapid rise of Black Power and decided to emulate it. At the urging of Patler - a short, dark-haired Greek American who had changed his name from Patsalos to Patler to sound more like Hitler - Rockwell began pitching his party to all whites, including southern and eastern Europeans it had previously shunned. Rockwell would eventually change its name to the National Socialist White People's Party and even eschewed the swastika, according to the biography "American Fuehrer."

"We will make White Unity the biggest thing in history," Rockwell wrote to Patler, a Marine marksman who had been discharged for wearing his uniform to Nazi rallies.

Rockwell believed White Power would carry him to the White House.

In a 1966 Playboy interview, which began with Rockwell pulling out a pearl-handled revolver, Rockwell told black journalist Alex Haley that he planned on being elected America's first National Socialist president in 1972. "The people will welcome a man who stands unequivocally for the white Christian majority," he said.

Behind the scenes, however, his party was in turmoil. Some did not like the denazification. Rockwell and Patler, once like father and son, had a personal falling out that ended with Patler's expulsion from the party in the spring of 1967. A few months later, two men - one of whom reportedly looked like Patler - shot at Rockwell as he returned to Nazi headquarters, then escaped.

On the morning of his death, Rockwell worked on his magnum opus - posthumously published as "White Power" - before heading to the Dominion Hills shopping center. Seconds before gunshots broke the midday humdrum, bystanders heard what sounded like footsteps on the roof.

The first bullet nicked Rockwell's shirt. But as he peered up through the shattered windshield at a figure perched atop the shopping mall's roof, a second bullet tore through his chest.

Rockwell's pipe fell from his mouth to the car seat. As the Chevy rolled backward, Rockwell crawled toward the passenger door and tumbled onto the asphalt. Witnesses said the fleeing gunman wore a yellow shirt, hat and a trench coat.

Fifteen minutes later, Arlington police officers spotted Patler, wearing a yellow shirt, his pants wet at the ankles, standing at a bus stop 1.5 miles away. They found a hat and trench coat hidden nearby. And the next day, they fished a German Mauser pistol out of Four Mile Run in Bon Air Park, between the bus stop and the crime scene.

The story stayed on The Washington Post's front page for more than a week as it took one strange twist after another. Before Rockwell's family could organize a burial, his Nazi followers attempted to inter him at Culpeper National Cemetery in Virginia - in a Nazi ceremony, complete with a swastika-draped casket.

Soldiers blocked their entrance. The American Civil Liberties Union backed the Nazis, but before a lawsuit could be settled, the Nazis smuggled the body out of an Arlington funeral home and secretly cremated it.

"You don't mean they actually stuck the . . . in an oven?" Hank Burchard, a Post reporter who had infiltrated Rockwell's group while in college, asked Rockwell's second-in-command. Burchard was, he wrote, "struck by the irony of the end of a man who had dreamed of sending 'the Jews that Hitler missed' to the ovens."

At trial, Patler denied killing his mentor. His attorney suggested it could have been another Nazi, upset with the direction Rockwell was taking the party. But the jury found Patler guilty. He was sentenced to 20 years.

---

The script in Charlottesville could have been cribbed from Rockwell's speeches.

"White lives matter! You will not replace us! Jews will not replace us!" the men chanted as they carried tiki torches around the University of Virginia.

"White power!" they shouted at counterprotesters the next morning.

If white nationalism is now resurgent in America, it is partly due to Rockwell.

Rockwell paved the way for white nationalists like David Duke and Richard Spencer, according to Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, which tracks hate groups.

"I don't know if we'd have this type of activism or even this kind of president if there hadn't been a figure like that," she said.

"He had a very big influence on the resistance movement in this country to the destruction of European Americans," agreed Duke. "He brought attention to a lot of issues."

In Charlottesville, Duke echoed Rockwell, telling a crowd in Emancipation Park that "European Americans face massive discrimination" and were being "ethnically cleansed in our own nation."

Spencer said Rockwell's Nazi uniform was "unproductive" but admired some of his tactics.

"There was a trolling aspect to what he was doing, so you could connect him to some of the trolls on Twitter," he told The Post. "Shock can be a positive means to an end."

Among the millions of Americans dismayed by the violence in Charlottesville was an adjunct professor of African American history at West Virginia State University.

Sitting in a McDonald's in Mississippi, where he is doing research for a book on black leaders during Reconstruction, Nicholas Patler saw the hatred on a television screen and couldn't help but think of his father.

John Patsalos, as he is again called, served a decade in prison before being released in the early 1980s. He is now 79 and lives in New York City. The man who once illustrated hate magazines for Rockwell now ekes out a living as a freelance cartoonist.

Patsalos refused multiple interview requests, including one left on his door, which is covered in Dr. Seuss-like cartoons and an "I voted" sticker. He is a staunch online defender of Donald Trump.

Patler said he learned of his father's crime as a child. His parents divorced when his father was in prison, and his mother moved the family to Staunton, Va., near Charlottesville.

His father's hatred "inspired me to explore different things," he said of his decision to study African American history. His students don't know about his father, he said. But in 2013, Patler penned an afterword to another Rockwell biography, "For Race and Nation," in which he said his father had been traumatized as a child. Patsalos's father had killed his mother, and Patsalos was now ashamed of his time as a Nazi. "Today he describes that time as a period of 'temporary insanity,' " his son wrote.

Over the past two years, however, Patler has seen his father change again.

"I don't know what the climate is doing to him," he said. "Now it seems like, little by little, he's becoming poisoned again."

Two days after Charlottesville's "Unite the Right" rally left a 32-year-old counterprotester dead and many others injured, Patsalos praised the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who descended on the college town.

"It was a peaceful parade, with a coupl'a hundred white men, neatly attired, expressing their to free speech and objection to the removal of the statue of Gen. Lee," he wrote on Facebook, where he uses an alias. "White Pride, Black Pride, Gay Pride, Transgender Pride, Greek Pride, Your Grandmother's Pride . . . Hey, this is the United States of America, so can we not all exhibit pride?"

The remains of the man he killed are kept in an ivory urn with a photo of Rockwell on one side and a swastika on the other, said Kerr, who helps run New Order, the successor to Rockwell's American Nazi Party. Kerr refused to reveal more about Rockwell's ashes.

"We want to keep them in a secure location until a time when we can inter them properly," he said.

"We're not at the end of the Rockwell wave," Kerr added. "We're at the beginning."
Why has lightning not struck twice? asked Dr. Catherine Bollard, a bone marrow transplant specialist with Childrens National Health System and George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Possibly, it has. At an international HIV/AIDS meeting in Paris in July, scientists reported on a European cohort of patients with HIV who have successfully undergone bone marrow transplants for advanced leukemias and lymphomas. Five such patients have been followed for more than two years and appear to be HIV-free.

But while their HIV may be cured or in remission, the only test is to take them off their antiretroviral medication  something that has not yet been done because of lessons learned several years ago when two Boston patients were believed to be cured and taken off daily treatment only to have their HIV come back.

In the meantime, researchers continue to try to tease out how, exactly, the transplant cured Brown and how they can fashion a less risky approach suitable for people who arent also facing life-threatening cancers.

Weighing the factors

One of the biggest challenges to curing HIV is the existence of so-called reservoirs of dormant, HIV-infected cells. Combination antiretroviral therapies developed in the mid-1990s suppress active virus, turning HIV from a certain death sentence to a chronic, manageable disease. But these drugs dont affect the HIV reservoirs, and even a tiny number of latently infected cells are enough to re-seed infection if a person with HIV stops taking lifelong medication.

Brown has been off medication for 10 years and  although reservoirs are notoriously difficult to find, much less measure  the virus has not returned. Before his transplant, he underwent conditioning, an intense chemotherapy and radiation regimen that destroys the immune system to make room for transplanted immune cells to grow. Could that pretransplant conditioning have also destroyed his HIV reservoir? Was it the donor that his German doctor located, whose cells carried a rare, HIV-resistant mutation? Afterward, he developed graft-vs.-host disease, or GVHD  a serious, often fatal condition in which the newly donated immune system attacks the patients body as foreign. What about that?

Research from Fred Hutchs Dr. Chris Peterson, who works in Kiems lab, found that conditioning may play less of a role than first believed, which is good news, given how hard it is to go through. Conditioning before stem cell transplants for cancer patients is done for two purposes: to kill cancer cells and to make room for the donor immune cells. For HIV, Peterson showed in preclinical models that total body irradiation did not have much of an impact on the size of the viral reservoir.

These results suggest that the focus going forward should be on a conditioning regimen that is less toxic, focusing not on killing the reservoir but just making room for engraftment, he said. The side effects of conditioning are just not worth it. And as anyone whod gone through it or knows someone whos gone through it knows, its not fun.

Oregon Health and Sciences University researcher Dr. Jonah Sacha, who like Peterson works on preclinical models of HIV, believes that GVHD did play a key role. His theory prompted a question from Brown.

Why do you think it was the GVHD that cured me? he asked.

We know that the graft-vs.-leukemia effect is so potent, Sacha said.

A pivotal early study on leukemia patients who had bone marrow transplants showed that patients with nonidentical twin donors who developed GVHD had lower rates of cancer recurrence, suggesting a graft-vs.-leukemia effect  that is, the transplanted immune system did not merely replace the one destroyed by conditioning but actually played a role in curing leukemia. But Sacha assured Brown that, as with immunotherapy research in cancer, HIV cure researchers are looking for less-toxic ways to harness that effect.

As for Bollard, she believes that bone marrow transplant specialists should put a higher priority on finding donors that carry the resistance gene that Browns donor did. June, who does HIV as well as cancer research, is working on genetically engineering such a mutation in a patients own T cells, and Fred Hutchs Kiem is working on a similar approach in stem cells.

Innovations in the works

For now, CAR T cells are labor-intensive and highly individualized  June calls them personalized serial killer cells. But just as cars  as in automobiles  went from being hand-built to factory-made, he predicted that T-cell therapies would become mass-produced as well.

Since were in Seattle, Ill talk Microsoft, he said. Were Windows 1.0 for CAR T cells now. Well have a series of innovations in this area and an increase in sophistication.

And CAR T cells are not the only innovation on the table. In addition to exploring CAR T-cell therapies, defeatHIV is investigating using gene therapy to induce production of a synthetic super antibody to target HIV and adding a therapeutic vaccine to boost the proliferation and function of genetically modified HIV-resistant cells. And, along with defeatHIV, the National Institutes of Health has funded five other public-private HIV cure research groups that are focusing on ways to kick the viral reservoirs awake, studying other immunotherapy approaches used in cancer such as drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors, and developing nanoparticle backpacks to deliver virus-killing T cells.

Talk at the conference included these and other approaches, including research on a slow-release form of antiretroviral therapy that would work in combination with the CRISPR gene-editing tool and a study on broadly neutralizing antibodies that may be able to stop the establishment of the HIV reservoir in infants born with HIV if given within the first two days of life. (To date, three children have been reported to be HIV-free after very early treatment with antiretroviral therapy, though in one the virus returned. Scientists say it's too early to know if the other cases are cures or long-term remissions.)

Also presenting at the conference was social scientist Dr. Karine Dube of the University of North Carolinas Gillings School of Global Public Health, who spoke of the need to keep HIV clinical trials patient-centered and to address concerns about the risks of taking part in HIV cure research, particularly of interrupting antiretroviral treatment. And as is typical of HIV conferences, nonscientists representing and advocating for people with HIV were introduced and applauded.

One of the things we feel strongly about is involving the community, said Jerome at the conference opening.
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There currently are 93 Fisher Houses in the United States and in Europe with plans for more.
Students at Mount Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, Alaska, spent an entire school year working on a weather balloon and a payload of cameras, communications equipment and tracking devices to launch during Mondays eclipse.

In all, 15 students contributed to the project, with several saying they worked on it daily.

We made sure everything was OK, every day, said Alicia Evans, who is about to start her senior year at Edgecumbe, a boarding school, which was created in the 1940s to serve Alaska Native kids. It was our baby.

A half-dozen of the students involved in the project traveled more than 1,000 miles to Corvallis to join five Oregon schools and colleges in launching balloons from Oregon State Universitys campus. The idea was that the balloons would record and broadcast images of Mondays eclipse from near space. It was part of a NASA project spanning the country with more than 50 teams of student partners covering the eclipses path.

Adonna Adams, who is about to start her junior year at Edgecumbe, said the project was so consuming, she wasnt sure how she would find meaning in her life without it.

And just before the team launched their balloon, all that work nearly fell apart.

The string anchoring the inflated balloon to the ground snapped minutes before launch time and the balloon floated away before the students had attached their payload of cameras and other electronics.

My stomach went upside down, said Adams of the moment.

I felt really defeated, said Evans. We went through other problems, but right before launch everything was working and then the worst thing that could have happened, happened in front of hundreds of people.

But the day was not over for the Edgecumbe students: As soon as their balloon had escaped, they looked up to see other teams rushing toward them to try to help them salvage the mission. Students from the University of Portland offered the Edgecumbe students a spare weather balloon, and the Edgecumbe students were able to inflate it, attach their payload of electronics to the balloon and launch just 10 minutes behind their scheduled time.

Evans said the loss of their first balloon ended up helping the team because the University of Portland balloon they used was designed to lift the payload even higher than their original balloon, to a height of more than 100,000 feet.

I didnt think people would so quickly jump in and help us, she said. In the end, it worked out because everyone jumped in.

I felt so grateful those other people cared about our project too, Adams said.

Morgan Johnson, with the Alaska Space Grant, said that after the eclipse, the team set out trying to recover the payload, which had a parachute attached to it to slow its fall after the weather balloon popped at high altitude. Johnson said the tracking devices battery failed, adding a challenge to the team's efforts to find it. But the balloon was following a trajectory similar to one of the other balloons launched from OSU, so the Edgecumbe students planned to search in the area of that teams balloon for their own.

Johnson said the payload has information in it telling anyone who finds it how it can be returned for a reward.

The students plan to return to Alaska later this week. Both Evans and Adams said they were proud of their involvement in the project.

Its the chance of a lifetime, said Evans.

Its something to tell your grandkids about, to tell your kids, to tell your whole family, said Adams.
The atmosphere was festive on Marys Peak on Monday morning as close to 1,000 people traveled to the high point of the Oregon Coast Range to see a total eclipse of the sun.

The upper parking lot looked like a tailgate party with people cooking breakfast on portable stoves and buying food from vendors hawking gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches and gluten-free doughnuts.

On the summit, expectant eclipse-watchers clustered in small constellations, talking excitedly and spreading blankets or setting up lawn chairs in prime viewing locations.

One group even worked through a set of yoga poses as they limbered up for the big event.

But the party mood turned reverent as the moon covered up the last sliver of the solar disk, bathing the peak in an eerie half-light as the temperature took a nosedive.

At the moment of totality, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause, pulling off their viewing glasses to take in the full splendor of the suns corona, blazing like molten silver against the jet-black orb of the moon.

Amazing! one man cried. I want to see it again!

The celestial totality show didnt last long  less than a minute and a half  but it made a powerful impression on those lucky enough to see it.

On a clear day, 4,097-foot Marys Peak offers views of a dozen snowcapped Cascade summits, but on Monday a distant band of wildfire smoke obscured all except Mount Hood, standing tall to the northeast.

When the sun disappeared behind the moon at about 10:15 a.m., however, a band of light encircled the horizon like a second sunrise, spotlighting Hood and temporarily bringing Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Rainier into view.

Eclipse-watchers exclaimed in wonder as a handful of glowing planets appeared in the darkening sky, and they called out to each other to watch closely as the moment of totality approached.

Afterward, people chattered excitedly or spoke in hushed voices about what they had just witnessed.

Perfect, pronounced John Zhang, who traveled from Sonoma County, California, with his wife and son for the event. Ive never seen anything like this.

Peter Wendel of Corvallis took in the sky show with childhood friend Andy Sass, who drove up from Fremont, California. Wendel was on hand for Oregons last total solar eclipse in 1979, but he said watching this one from the vantage point of Marys Peak was better.

To see the light glowing around the edges and to see Mount Hood glowing in the distance  spectacular, he said.

Sass was equally impressed.

I didnt expect the 360-degree sunrise, he said. Amazing. Well worth the 20 hours of driving.

In an effort to avert traffic snarls and protect the summits sensitive vegetation, the Siuslaw National Forest decided to limit access to the peak. Permits were required for private vehicles on the day of the event, and fewer than 90 were issued to avoid overtaxing the mountains parking areas.

Under a permit from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Trail Runs and Cascadia Expeditions used chartered school buses to shuttle 450 visitors between Corvallis and the summit. Tickets cost $85 a pop, or $65 for riders under 18, and came with free eclipse glasses and a commemorative T-shirt.

The big thing was how to have an event so we could manage the parking, manage the traffic and manage public access, said Mike Ripley of Oregon Trail Runs.

The two Corvallis-area companies also managed permits for overnight tent camping at the Conners Camp picnic area and put together a deluxe camping package on the summit for a select few. The high-end overnight experience included a winery tour, farm-to-table dinner, private concert and stargazing, with an informal yoga session just prior to the eclipse.

Bend like the eclipsing sun, urged Jennah Stillman of Cascadia Expeditions, who led the pre-totality workout. Lets do some shoulder rolls. We slept on the ground last night  work it out!

Suzanne Eager of Redondo Beach, California, one of 13 people who paid $750 apiece to take part in the luxury campout, called the astronomer-led star-viewing session a highlight of the trip.

He brought up a telescope, she said. We got to see Saturn and its rings and Jupiter and its moons  it was awesome!

Siuslaw National Forest spokeswoman Lisa Romano estimated the total number of people on the mountain Monday  including shuttle bus passengers, campers, vehicle permit-holders, vendors, Forest Service employees, emergency responders and volunteers  at around 1,000.

They came from all over the country and all over the world. About half the shuttle bus riders came from outside Oregon, with a hefty chunk from California and Washington and others from as far away as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida and Hawaii. Some traveled even greater distances, including visitors from Canada and Norway.

Michelle Baumgartner and Clyde Charlton drove up from San Rafael, California, with their 12-year-old son, Dylan Charlton, camping along the way and riding the shuttle to Marys Peak.

We had taken his time off anyway  and then we realized it was the time of the eclipse, Clyde Charlton said. We decided it was worth the adventure.

Its so beautiful up here, Baumgartner said. Its a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Not all came by bus or car. A number of people arrived by bicycle, pedaling up the steep, winding road to the summit.

Eighteen-year-old Coby Boeder set out by bike from Corvallis about 7:30 p.m. Sunday evening, then continued on foot after his chain broke on Highway 34 just below the turnoff to Marys Peak Road.

I pushed it all the way up, he said.

After camping out overnight, he left his disabled bicycle at Conners Camp and hiked the 2-mile East Ridge Trail to the summit, planning to return for his bike after the eclipse.

I figure Ill just coast down, phone home and get a ride back to town, he said.

A couple of people even motored to the summit on Segways.

Mary and Jennifer Simpson hitchhiked to the top. The sisters drove down from Seattle for an Oregon vacation, hoping to view the eclipse from a backcountry campsite near Mount Jefferson, but a wildfire forced them to change their plans.

After camping near the coast on Sunday night, the two drove inland toward Coast Range. Lacking a vehicle permit, they stuck out their thumbs at the foot of Marys Peak Road and quickly flagged a ride to the summit.

It probably helped that they were wearing party hats and toting a helium-filled balloon to celebrate Jennifer Simpsons 36th birthday. They even brought cake.

We always wanted to come down here and do some hiking and see the beaches, the birthday girl explained. But knowing the eclipse was coming really made it special.

A crew from Portland-based Sparkloft Media was on hand, shooting photos for use by Travel Oregon. Other teams were stationed at the coast and in Oregon wine country to capture images of people viewing the eclipse, which the state tourism agency plans to use on its website and social media platforms.

We really want to capture the Oregon experience, photographer Benjamin Day said.

The brief moment of totality was sandwiched between two periods of partial eclipse, each about an hour long.

Most of the people on Marys Peak started heading home shortly after the sun began making its return appearance, but Marian Porterie and Bob Motzer of Eugene stayed for the full meal deal, watching from lawn chairs just below the summit and packing up to catch the last bus down the hill as the final bit of moonshadow slipped away.

Motzer seemed to think he got more than his moneys worth.

You know, some things in life dont live up to the billing, he said. That was perfect.
The event started slowly, just a little dimple in the sun.

But the crowd of around 5,000 people on the field at Oregon State Universitys Student Legacy Park cheered enthusiastically.

We were all looking at (the sun) and all of a sudden it wasnt a perfect circle anymore, said Claire Diller, an OSU student from Portland who came to Corvallis for Mondays total solar eclipse. Its normally such a perfect circle.  Everyone was cheering. You certainly wouldnt be able to miss it.

As the morning wore on, that little dimple grew into a little bite. And then the sun diminished into a little celestial "C" shape. And then it was gone.

Its breathtaking. Awe-inspiring. A bit surreal, said Connie Lingren, who came from Eugene to watch the eclipse at OSU.

Im a bit speechless, she said as the moon swallowed the sun completely for just less than two minutes.

With the sky dark and the air cooling, the umbra appeared. The crowd at the field clapped and cheered through the entirety of the totality.

Kurt Wineinger, of Tuscon, Arizona, called the totality "awesome."

It might take a while to process," he said. "That was incredible. You see pictures, but until you see it, you dont really understand it.

Wineinger, who visits family in Corvallis every summer, said it was a happy coincidence the city just happened to be on the path of totality.

It was a good thing they live here. I cant find a hotel in town to save my soul, he said.

Wineinger said hed been a "sky fan" since he was a kid and always had wanted to see a total eclipse. He spent several months figuring out filters for his camera lens and learning to photograph the sun so he could take pictures of the eclipse. He said hes already thinking about trying to see the next total eclipse in the United States in 2024.

I may have created a monster," he said.

After totality passed and the sky began to lighten again, many on the field began to leave. But Ron Mallory, of Maple Valley, Washington, remained with his family, with Mallory frequently adjusting his homemade Newtonian reflector telescope for strangers who wanted to see the magnified version of the sun. Invented by the British scientist Sir Isaac Newton, this type of telescope uses a concave primary mirror and a flat diagonal secondary mirror.

Mallory, now 44, said he began to get into astronomy at age 11  and he read about the eclipse that would arrive in 2017.

I said, When that day comes, Im going to be there for it.'"

The eclipse was the first total eclipse Mallory had seen.

It was absolutely bizarre and otherworldly in the best possible way. Ive seen pictures of it, Ive read about it, but reading about it doesnt do it justice.

He added that the experience was worth the wait.

(It was) one of the highlight experiences of a lifetime.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has opened a new radio and television broadcasting station in Bakhmutivka (Luhansk region) on Tuesday, which will ensure the broadcasting of Ukrainian TV and radio channels in the temporarily occupied territory of the Luhansk region.

"The opening of the TV tower in the village of Bakhmutivka is a step towards restoring the unity of Luhansk and all Ukraine [...] Residents from the controlled territory and from the occupied cities and regions of Luhansk are returning to the common information space of our Motherland," Poroshenko said during the grand opening of the station.

The Ukrainian president said that "information war is the key element of Russian aggression." Given this, Poroshenko said, the opening of the station is becoming more important, which was built, including with the help of the U.S., a 134-meter transmission tower with a range of 50 km.

"This station will ensure the broadcasting of 11 Ukrainian TV and four radio channels to our territory temporarily occupied by the Russian aggressor," the president of Ukraine said.
After repeatedly seeing a half-page color ad in the Gazette-Times for a local nursing home advertising its upcoming Hawaiian luau (to benefit Alzheimer's research), I can't help but wonder  where are the PC thought/speech/word police? Where is the outrage over the cultural appropriation of the menu of (traditional?) teriyaki chicken and Waikiki meatballs? Woe to our poor citizens when they are not protected from these kinds of attacks on our shared sense of being told what is right!
Oil and gas companies showed the largest growth in 2016 among 94 largest state-owned enterprises (SOE) in Ukraine, boosting net revenue by 46.8% year-over-year, to UAH 192.9 billion, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry has said in the top 100 SOE report.

"The most profit-making assets are national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy, Ukrenergo, Ukrainian Sea Port Authority, Ukrhydroenergo, Pivdenne (Yuzhnoye) Design Bureau (Dnipro). These enterprises are operating on the regulated markets with restricted competition," First Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Maskym Nefyodov said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

According to the report, net profit of oil and gas companies in 2016 amounted to UAH 22.5 billion compared with loss of UAH 36.3 billion in 2015. The rapid growth of this sector is explained by the Naftogaz's price policy reform, the ministry said.

SOE in the electricity sector increased net revenue by 10% last year to UAH 87.5 billion. At the same time, their net profit decreased by 63%, up to UAH 4.9 billion, according to the report of the minsitry.

"This is primarily due to the increase in net profit of PJSC Centrenergo, National Energy Company Ukrenergo and PJSC Ukrhydroenergo," the report says.

Centrenergo increased profit by 5.5-fold, to UAH 387 million, Ukrhydroenergo  doubled it, amounting to UAH 2.2 billion.

In 2016, the 14 largest state-owned machine-building enterprises sold products for UAH 7 billion, which is 1.4% less than in 2015. At the same time, their net profits increased to UAH 5 billion from UAH 1 billion. This is due to the growth in profitability of Pivdenne Design Bureau - up to UAH 4.3 billion.

In the food industry and agriculture, revenue in 2016 increased by 0.6% compared to 2015, to UAH 18.5 billion. The largest SOE reduced net loss to UAH 576 million from UAH 2.9 billion in 2015 due to reduction of losses by the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine and improvement of the financial results of the state enterprise Ukrspyrt, the ministry said.

In the transport sector, net revenue grew by 11%, to UAH 96.7 billion. The net loss of SOE in this sector fell to UAH 268 million from UAH 9.1 billion in 2015. This is due to the reduction in losses of Ukrzaliznytsia (more than halved), to UAH 7.3 billion from UAH 16.8 billion. Net profit of the Boryspil International Airport doubled to UAH 1.4 billion. Net profit of Yuzhny maritime merchandise port fell by 25%, to UAH 581 million.

Ukrposhta posted losses of UAH 161 million.

Net revenue of coal industry enterprises in 2016 declined by 25%, to UAH 4.9 billion.

"In recent years, there has been a reduction in coal production due to hostilities in Donbas. Last year, all enterprises from the top 100 SOE saw no profit," the ministry said in the report.

Net revenue of chemical industry enterprises in 2016 decreased by 40% - to UAH 9.6 billion, while net loss amounted to UAH 2.3 billion compared with profit of UAH 432 million in 2015. Financial indicators worsened due to the suspension of the operations of the main enterprise of the industry - PJSC Odesa Port-Side Chemical Plant, which net financial loss reached UAH 3 billion compared with profit of UAH 211 million in 2015.
United Nations in Bonn : UN Summer Academy kicks off with reception at the Old Town Hall

Participants in the UNs Summer Academy gather on the steps of the Old Town Hall with Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan. Foto: Kate Carey

Bonn Participants from around the world are in Bonn for the UNs biggest ever Summer Academy with the focus this year on realising the 2030 Agenda at a local level.

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Participants in the UNs sixth Summer Academy, hosted by the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development, enjoyed a reception in Bonns Old Town Hall on Monday evening and received a warm welcome from Lord Mayor, Ashok Sridharan.

The Academy is being held all this week at the UNs historic Haus Carstanjen location on the Rhine and is, according to Patrick van Weerelt, Head of Office of UNSSC Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development, the biggest UN Summer Academy since its inception 6 years ago.

The annual programme allows those working to advance sustainable development both to improve their knowledge and exchange ideas. More than 120 speakers and participants from over 50 countries have gathered in Bonn and this years specific focus is on the role of local authorities and cities in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In his welcome speech, the Lord Mayor emphasised Bonns role as Germanys hub for sustainability and its close relationship with the UN. He said the sustainable development agenda and SDGs would only be successful if they could be implemented at a local level and he hoped Bonn would benefit from the knowledge gained through the Summer Academy.

As well as taking part in workshops and discussions, participants in the 5 day programme will have a chance to talk about their own work on sustainable development at a Share Fair, which will also act as a networking platform. The Share Fair will also host the launch of the UNSSC-simpleshow foundation Volunteer Initiative to create simple and entertaining explainer videos about the 2030 Agenda and SDGs, targeted at young people around the world.
The Health Ministry of Ukraine must approve a model for calculating the cost of healthcare services, the notion of which has been introduced into the Ukrainian legislation after passing the bill providing autonomy to clinics in spring 2017, Head of the parliamentary committee for healthcare Olha Bohomolets has said.

"Parliament launched the healthcare reform in April when it passed bill No. 2309 initiated by the Verkhovna Rada committee for healthcare and the president signed it into law. This is so-called law providing autonomy to clinics. It first introduced "the healthcare service" notion into our legislation and permitted to pay for it. The Health Ministry must approve a model for calculating the cost of healthcare services to understand what sum is funded by the state for treating concrete patients and let the law get rolling," she said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

Bohomolets said that when the bill was drawn up, many lawmakers feared that this would result in the privatization of health institutions.

"The medical service is, in fact, commercialization, but our task was not to commercialize medicine, but to introduce a new unit of calculation, the quality of which can be checked and guaranteed. Earlier, the unit for calculating the budget was a hospital that received funding simply for what it is. Now a new unit is a medical service that is provided to a concrete patient. The money for the patient has already "gone", but still "have not arrived," since the Health Ministry can not say how much money and for which patient it should "go," she said.
felicilin at 22-08-2017 11:04 AM (5 years ago) (f)

A suspected phone thief who paraded himself as member of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria who attempted to steal a phone from a female student of the state owned Niger Delta University has been apprehended by members of the Bayelsa state Vigilante network.

A suspected phone thief who paraded himself as member of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria who attempted to steal a phone from a female student of the state owned Niger Delta University has been apprehended by members of the Bayelsa state Vigilante network. According to the identity card suspected to have been falsified, the culprit goes by the name "Areofurubo Anthony".

The suspect who was apprehended on the 19th of August, along the popular Tombia-Amassoma road, has been handed over to the security agencies.



According to the identity card suspected to have been falsified, the culprit goes by the name "Areofurubo Anthony".The suspect who was apprehended on the 19th of August, along the popular Tombia-Amassoma road, has been handed over to the security agencies.

Post Reply Posted: at 22-08-2017 11:04 AM (5 years ago) | Hero
clarajancita at 22-08-2017 11:29 AM (5 years ago) (f)

Chibok Girls Diary  The mass abduction of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls from Chibok  the biggest publicity coup of Boko Harams jihadist insurgency  was the accidental outcome of a botched robbery, say the girls who spent three years in their brutal captivity. The Chibok girls made the surprise revelation in secret diaries they kept while held prisoner and a copy of which has been exclusively obtained by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Chibok Girls Diary  The mass abduction of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls from Chibok  the biggest publicity coup of Boko Harams jihadist insurgency  was the accidental outcome of a botched robbery, say the girls who spent three years in their brutal captivity. The Chibok girls made the surprise revelation in secret diaries they kept while held prisoner and a copy of which has been exclusively obtained by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Chibok Girls Diary

Recalling the night of their kidnapping in April 2014, Naomi Adamu described in the diaries how Boko Haram had not come to the school in Chibok to abduct the girls, but rather to steal machinery for house building.

Unable to find what they were looking for, the militants were unsure what to do with the girls. Recalling the night of their kidnapping in April 2014, Naomi Adamu described in the diaries how Boko Haram had not come to the school in Chibok to abduct the girls, but rather to steal machinery for house building.Unable to find what they were looking for, the militants were unsure what to do with the girls. Quote One boy said they should burn us all, and they (some of the other fighters) said: No, let us take them with us to Sambisa (Boko Harams remote forest base)  if we take them to Shekau (the groups leader), he will know what to do, Adamu wrote. She was one of about 220 girls who were stolen from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok one night in April 2014  a raid that sparked an international outcry and a viral campaign on social media with the hashtag #bringbackourgirls.



Championed by former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama  along with a diverse cast of media celebrities  the campaign won international infamy for Boko Haram and helped galvanize the Nigerian government into negotiating for the girls release.



Adamu was among 82 of the Chibok girls released by Boko Haram in May  part of a second wave after 21 of them were freed in October. They are being held in a secret location in Abuja for what the government has called a restoration process. A few others have escaped or been rescued, but about 113 of the girls are believed to be still held by the militant group. The authenticity of the diaries, written by Adamu and her friend Sarah Samuel, cannot be verified, nor their intended role as the government negotiates with Boko Haram for more releases.

[/img]

CLANDESTINE CHRONICLES

The diaries shed light not only on the horrors the girls endured under Boko Haram, but their acts of resistance, and their staunch belief that they would one day go home. The girls said they started documenting their ordeal a few months after the abduction, when Boko Haram  whose name loosely means Western education is sinful in the local Hausa language  gave them exercise books to use during Koranic lessons.



To hide the diaries from their captors, the girls would bury the notebooks in the ground, or carry them in their underwear. Three of the other Chibok girls also contributed to the undated chronicles, which were written mainly in passable English, with some parts scribbled in less coherent Hausa.

We wrote it together. When one person got tired, she would give it to another person to continue, Adamu, 24, said from the state safe house in the capital, where the girls are being kept for assessment, rehabilitation and debriefing by the government.



CONVERT OR BURN

Life in the Sambisa involved regular beatings, Koranic lessons, domestic drudgery and pressure to marry and convert. The girls spirits remained intact, as they devised amusing and mocking nicknames for the fighters, the diaries show.



Yet cruelty and brutality were ever present.

When five girls tried to escape, the militants tied them up, dug a hole in the ground, and turned to one of their classmates. The jihadists handed her a blade and issued a chilling ultimatum: cut off the girls heads, or lose your own. Adamu wrote. She was one of about 220 girls who were stolen from their school in the northeastern town of Chibok one night in April 2014  a raid that sparked an international outcry and a viral campaign on social media with the hashtag #bringbackourgirls.Championed by former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama  along with a diverse cast of media celebrities  the campaign won international infamy for Boko Haram and helped galvanize the Nigerian government into negotiating for the girls release.Adamu was among 82 of the Chibok girls released by Boko Haram in May  part of a second wave after 21 of them were freed in October. They are being held in a secret location in Abuja for what the government has called aA few others have escaped or been rescued, but about 113 of the girls are believed to be still held by the militant group. The authenticity of the diaries, written by Adamu and her friend Sarah Samuel, cannot be verified, nor their intended role as the government negotiates with Boko Haram for more releases.[/img]The diaries shed light not only on the horrors the girls endured under Boko Haram, but their acts of resistance, and their staunch belief that they would one day go home. The girls said they started documenting their ordeal a few months after the abduction, when Boko Haram  whose name loosely means Western education is sinful in the local Hausa language  gave them exercise books to use during Koranic lessons.To hide the diaries from their captors, the girls would bury the notebooks in the ground, or carry them in their underwear. Three of the other Chibok girls also contributed to the undated chronicles, which were written mainly in passable English, with some parts scribbled in less coherent Hausa. Adamu, 24, said from the state safe house in the capital, where the girls are being kept for assessment, rehabilitation and debriefing by the government.Life in the Sambisa involved regular beatings, Koranic lessons, domestic drudgery and pressure to marry and convert. The girls spirits remained intact, as they devised amusing and mocking nicknames for the fighters, the diaries show.Yet cruelty and brutality were ever present.When five girls tried to escape, the militants tied them up, dug a hole in the ground, and turned to one of their classmates. The jihadists handed her a blade and issued a chilling ultimatum: cut off the girls heads, or lose your own. Quote We are begging them. We are crying. They said if next we ran away, they are going to cut off our necks, Adamu wrote.



On another occasion, the militants gathered those girls who had refused to embrace Islam, brought out jerrycans and threatened to douse them in petrol then burn them alive.

They said: You want to die. You dont want to be Muslim,(so) we are going to burn you, read the diary entry.

As fear set in, the militants cracked into laughter  the cans contained nothing but water, the girls wrote.



FEAR DOES THEIR BIDDING

One of the most striking excerpts illustrates the pervasive fear spread by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria, where the group has killed 20,000 people and uprooted at least 2 million in a brutal campaign that shows no signs of ending soon.

During their captivity in the Sambisa forest, some of the Chibok girls escaped, and ended up in a nearby shop where they asked the owners for help, as well as food and water.

Adamu wrote.On another occasion, the militants gathered those girls who had refused to embrace Islam, brought out jerrycans and threatened to douse them in petrol then burn them alive.read the diary entry.As fear set in, the militants cracked into laughter  the cans contained nothing but water, the girls wrote.One of the most striking excerpts illustrates the pervasive fear spread by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria, where the group has killed 20,000 people and uprooted at least 2 million in a brutal campaign that shows no signs of ending soon.During their captivity in the Sambisa forest, some of the Chibok girls escaped, and ended up in a nearby shop where they asked the owners for help, as well as food and water. Quote The girls said: We are those that Boko Haram kidnapped from (the school) in Chibok, Adamu wrote. One of the people (in the shop) said: Are these not Shekaus children?



The shop owners let the girls stay the night. But the next day they took them back to Boko Harams base, where the girls were whipped and threatened with decapitation. Despite being flushed with relief at her own freedom, Adamu worries about her closest friend and co-author, Samuel, who is still with the group, having married one of its militants.

The shop owners let the girls stay the night. But the next day they took them back to Boko Harams base, where the girls were whipped and threatened with decapitation. Despite being flushed with relief at her own freedom, Adamu worries about her closest friend and co-author, Samuel, who is still with the group, having married one of its militants. Quote Quote She got married because of no food, no water, Adamu said from the government safe house in Abuja.

Not everbody can survive that kind of thing, she added. I feel pained  so pained. Im still thinking about her.

Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 22-08-2017 11:29 AM (5 years ago) | Hero
bayonel3 at 22-08-2017 12:52 PM (5 years ago) (m)

Militant groups in the Southeast and South-south regions have threatened a showdown should government proceed with the Anambra State election billed for November this year. According to the group identified as Concerned Militant Leaders (CML), warned Anambra people to boycott the election for their safety.

Militant groups in the Southeast and South-south regions have threatened a showdown should government proceed with the Anambra State election billed for November this year. According to the group identified as Concerned Militant Leaders (CML), warned Anambra people to boycott the election for their safety. The leader of the CML, General Ben, claiming that pictures of its rugged fighters were recently released in the social media, to warn the Federal and Anambra State governments not to toy with them. He pointed out that the Niger Delta agitators have no stake in the demand by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), but was worried about the marginalisation of the South East and South-South regions.

The militant leader stated that though the group is not interested in meeting the Leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, but disclosed that the rugged fighters only supported Kanus position, that elections in Anambra be boycotted.

Ben warned: No campaign, no election in Biafraland. We are going to use the state as an experiment because the Federal Government has not told our people why harmless Biafran people were killed by federal troops. The CML group said Niger Delta militants deliberately observed the temporary ceasefire on pipeline bombing because of pleas from their people.

We have maintained silence on the attack on oil installations, not that we are afraid of anybody or government. No! It is because of the torrent of pleas coming from our people. But, that will soon lapse."

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Alliance and National Coordinator of Initiative for Demonstrating Change in Nigeria, Comrade Chinaedu Ogah yesterday alleged that Nnamdi Kanu is using his so-called IPOB to siphon money from different categories of Nigerians.

Addressing journalists in Abakaliki, Ogah allied himself with Mr. President verdict that said the unity of the country is not negotiable, insisting that those agitating for Biafra only want to destabilize the Nation only for selfish gain. He accused Kanu of using IPOB to siphon money from people saying that must of the people working with him are touts and unemployed youths. While believing in one Nigeria, Comrade Ogah insisted that Ndi-Igbo are not marginalized rather we are the ones marginalizing ourselves noting that realization of the sovereign state of Biafra is a mirage and not feasible in a country like Nigeria. The leader of the CML, General Ben, claiming that pictures of its rugged fighters were recently released in the social media, to warn the Federal and Anambra State governments not to toy with them. He pointed out that the Niger Delta agitators have no stake in the demand by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), but was worried about the marginalisation of the South East and South-South regions.The militant leader stated that though the group is not interested in meeting the Leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, but disclosed that the rugged fighters only supported Kanus position, that elections in Anambra be boycotted.Ben warned: No campaign, no election in Biafraland. We are going to use the state as an experiment because the Federal Government has not told our people why harmless Biafran people were killed by federal troops. The CML group said Niger Delta militants deliberately observed the temporary ceasefire on pipeline bombing because of pleas from their people.Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Alliance and National Coordinator of Initiative for Demonstrating Change in Nigeria, Comrade Chinaedu Ogah yesterday alleged that Nnamdi Kanu is using his so-called IPOB to siphon money from different categories of Nigerians.Addressing journalists in Abakaliki, Ogah allied himself with Mr. President verdict that said the unity of the country is not negotiable, insisting that those agitating for Biafra only want to destabilize the Nation only for selfish gain. He accused Kanu of using IPOB to siphon money from people saying that must of the people working with him are touts and unemployed youths. While believing in one Nigeria, Comrade Ogah insisted that Ndi-Igbo are not marginalized rather we are the ones marginalizing ourselves noting that realization of the sovereign state of Biafra is a mirage and not feasible in a country like Nigeria.

Post Reply I scour the world wide web to bring you interesting stories from around the globe. [email protected] Posted: at 22-08-2017 12:52 PM (5 years ago) | Hero
The U.S. Treasury has introduced individual sanctions against six physical persons, including four Russian nationals, for commercial ties with North Korea, the U.S. agency said in a press release published on its website.

The sanction list includes Ruben Kirakosyan, Mikhail Pisklin, Andrey Serbin and Irina Huish.

The sanctions also affect the Russian company Gefest-M LLC and a number of firms domiciled in China, Singapore and Namibia, it said.

"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region. We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activity in the future," Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement also published on the agency's website.

These latest sanctions target third-country companies and individuals that assist "already-designated persons who support North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs", the U.S. Treasury said. Other activities subject to the U.S. Treasury's individual sanctions included "dealing in the North Korean energy trade, facilitating the country's exportation of workers, and enabling sanctioned North Korean entities to access the U.S. and international financial systems", it said.
Serbia Recalls Entire Embassy Staff From Skopje, Citing 'Offensive Intelligence Activities'

RFE/RL's Balkan Service August 21, 2017

Serbia has abruptly recalled all staff from its embassy in Macedonia for consultations regarding "offensive intelligence activities" against Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic has said.

No reason was initially given for the move, but Vucic later told reporters in Serbia that the decision was based on "sufficient evidence of highly offensive intelligence activities against certain bodies and institutions of Serbia."

"Our duty is that our people be prepared and ready. There will probably be some changes in our staff to protect the friendship between Serbians and Macedonians," he added.

Vucic spoke about "a different and new environment" in Macedonia, and said things would become clearer in coming days.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told Serbian media that part of the embassy staff will return to Skopje next week.

Kosovo-UNESCO Connection?

Macedonian media reports suggested the decision was linked to Skopje's alleged decision to back a potential new bid by Kosovo to join UN's cultural body, UNESCO.

Serbia has not recognized Kosovo's independence claim and opposes its attempts to join international organizations.

Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, applied to join UNESCO in 2015, but its application did not secure enough votes.

Kosovo has not yet reapplied ahead of a UNESCO general meeting in two months.

When asked if the embassy withdrawal was related to a UNESCO bid, Vucic did not answer directly but said relations with Skopje "must be based on mutual respect."

"Our job is to protect the interests of Serbia without disrupting the interests of other countries," he said.

Macedonia's government, which came to power in late May, said in a statement that it was "developing friendly relations" with its neighbors.

"With regard to the vote on Kosovo's accession to UNESCO, the Macedonian government will take into account the positions of the majority of EU countries," the government said in a statement.

Relations between the two former Yugoslav republics have been strained since this year's transition of power in Skopje.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev's coalition government took power in May, almost six months after general elections.

Before assuming office, Zaev accused the Serbian leadership of promoting nationalism.

Dacic described the statement as a "brutal and scandalous attack" on then-Prime Minister Vucic and his government.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia- macedonia-embassy-staff-withdrawn /28688067.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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12:00 22.08.2017 Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Housing and Communal Services Predatory Tariffs: the Way Kyiv City State Administration Robs Kyiv citizens'

1 min read

On Tuesday, August 22, at 12.30, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference entitled "Housing and Communal Services Predatory Tariffs: the Way Kyiv City State Administration Robs Kyiv citizens." The participants will include Arseniy Pushkarenko, Board Chairman of the Center for the Protection of the Rights of the Holosiyivo Community; Yuriy Holovaty, deputy chairman of the NGO 'Vazhlyvy kozhen' (Everyone is important) (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission requires press accreditation. More information by phone: (093) 198 8908.
Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 21, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 35 strikes consisting of 114 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 26 strikes consisting of 30 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed nine ISIS oil stills and three oil barrels.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two command-and-control nodes and a fighting position.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed eight ISIS wellheads.

-- Near Raqqa, 21 strikes engaged 14 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 22 fighting positions, two unmanned-aerial-system staging areas, two heavy machine guns, a vehicle and an explosives cache.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 84 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Asad, a strike suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIS supply cache.

-- Near Qayyarah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS headquarters.

-- Near Rawah, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a staging area and an ISIS barge.

-- Near Tal Afar, four strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed five rocket-propelled-grenade systems, four tunnel entrances, four fighting positions, four vehicle-borne bombs, two tactical vehicles, two weapons caches, two supply caches, a command-and-control node, a medium machine gun and an anti-tank weapon; damaged five supply routes; and suppressed 32 mortar systems.

Details on Earlier Strikes

Additionally, officials released details today on 46 strikes consisting of 59 engagements conducted in Syria and Iraq on Aug. 18 and 19 for which details were not yet available at the time of yesterday's report.

-- Near Raqqa on Aug. 18, four strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions.

-- Near Shadaddi on Aug. 19, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.

-- Near Raqqa on Aug. 19, 36 strikes engaged 22 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 29 fighting positions and seven command-and-control nodes.

-- Near Huwayjah, Iraq, on Aug. 19, a strike destroyed a command-and-control node.

-- Near Tal Afar on Aug. 19, four strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed 14 fighting positions, seven roadblocks, two tunnel entrances, two supply caches, a vehicle-borne-bomb facility, an improvised-explosive-device facility, a staging area, and an IED.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

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10 Missing, 5 Injured After USS John S. McCain Collides With Merchant Ship

From a U.S. 7th Fleet News Release

SOUTH CHINA SEA, Aug. 21, 2017  Ten sailors are missing and five others were injured after the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant vessel Alnic MC east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore today, U.S. 7th Fleet officials said.

Four of the injured sailors were medically evacuated by a Singapore Armed Forces helicopter to a hospital in Singapore for non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. The fifth injured sailor does not require further medical attention, they added.

The collision was reported at 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time -- 5:24 p.m. EDT Aug. 20 -- while the ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.

The ship headed under its own power to Changi Naval Base, 7th Fleet officials said, and no fuel or oil was visible on the water's surface near the ship.

Assistance From Singapore

Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities. In addition to tug boats out of Singapore, RSN Fearless-class patrol ships RSS Gallant and RSS Resilience, Singaporean navy helicopters and the Singaporean Police Coast Guard vessel Basking Shark are in the area to render assistance.

An MH-60S helicopter from the amphibious assault ship USS America is in the area providing search and rescue assistance. An additional MH-60S helicopter and MV-22 Osprey are expected to arrive soon, officials said.

Alnic MC is a Liberian-flagged 600-foot oil and chemical tanker with a gross tonnage of 30,000. Initial reports indicate damage to USS John S. McCain's port side aft. Damage control efforts continue while the extent of damage is being determined, officials said, and the incident will be investigated.

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Navy Operations Chief 'Devastated' Over McCain Collision

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2017  The chief of Naval Operations says he is devastated and heartbroken over the collision of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain, and has ordered a worldwide operational pause as fleet commanders assess practices.

"I just want to convey again that our thoughts and prayers are with the crew of the John S. McCain and their families as we work together through this very, very difficult time," Navy Adm. John M. Richardson told reporters today at the Pentagon.

Ten sailors were missing and five injured after the McCain collision, which occurred east of the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, early today local time, as reported 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time, according to the U.S. 7th Fleet.

The collision involved the McCain and the merchant vessel Alnic MC. The McCain arrived at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in the afternoon.

Seven sailors were killed June 17, when the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Fitzgerald and a cargo ship collided off the coast of Japan.

"I am sure you all felt the same way that I did -- just devastated, and really just heartbroken at having to deal with this again," Richardson said today.

Serious Incident, Operational Pause Directed

Richardson directed the Navy to take an "operational pause" in all of its fleets around the world, to allow fleet commanders to assess and review with their commands the fundamental practice to safe and effective operations.

He said he envisions the pause lasting "one to two days," but said he is leaving the specifics to the fleet commanders.

"This is obviously an extremely serious incident and is the second such incident in a very short period of time, within inside of three months and very similar as well and is the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific fleet in particular," the admiral said.

In addition to the operational pause, Richardson said he directed a more comprehensive review to find the contributing factors and root causes of the incidents.

U.S. Fleet Forces Command Chief to Lead Comprehensive Review

Richardson said he tasked Navy Adm. Phil Davidson, the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, to take charge of a comprehensive review that will include representation from throughout the Navy, as well as from other services and the private sector.

That review will look at the processes the Navy uses to train and certify the forward deployed forces in Japan. Another area for examination, as Richardson outlined, is how the Navy trains and certifies its surface warfare community, including tactical and navigational proficiency.

"My hope is that we will learn, continue to improve in the short term, validating that we are sound on the fundamentals and if not then we'll take action to correct that, and then look at broader, more systemic issues that we may find through this comprehensive review," Richardson said.

The comprehensive review is in addition to the investigations into the Fitzgerald and McCain, he added.

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Army Secretary focused on readiness and lethality

By Kimberly Hanson August 21, 2017

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- Two weeks after being sworn in as the Army's senior civilian leader, Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy visited commands at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, Aug. 17.

McCarthy, who was sworn in as Under Secretary of the Army Aug. 3 and assumed duties as Acting Secretary the same day, said he needed to hear early on from the leaders of the three Army Commands: Training and Doctrine Command, Army Materiel Command, and Forces Command.

"I need to understand the priorities of the commanders," McCarthy said. "We're in the process of building the budget, so it's important for me to understand the priorities and needs of the major commands so I can best represent the Army in this process."

When it comes to his priorities for the Army, McCarthy was clear.

"Readiness is number one, and there really is no other," he said. "But being ready to fight tonight is not enough."

McCarthy stressed that the Army has to focus on both near-term readiness and modernization.

"It's what I refer to as readiness and lethality. If you look at the world today, near-peer competitors have made tremendous investments over the last 16 years. We need to understand how we can make adjustments to do both," he said.

AMC Commander Gen. Gus Perna highlighted the commands expansive portfolio, from research and development to battlefield sustainment, from contracting to Foreign Military Sales.

"Army Materiel Command is focused on providing materiel readiness in support of the Army's priorities and Combatant Commanders' requirements," Perna said. "We are the Army's materiel integrator."

While at Redstone Arsenal, McCarthy also heard from leaders at Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command about their work in the space and missile defense domains. He made one final stop at the U.S. Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade whose mission is to recruit the next generation of Soldiers from across the Southeast United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"Combat arms units and our warfighters cannot survive one day without the support Army Materiel Command and the units here provide," said McCarthy. "AMC and Redstone are enabling forces worldwide, not just for the U.S. military but for foreign partners."

As the Army's senior civilian, McCarthy noted that the predominant civilian workforce, both at AMC and Redstone Arsenal, was not lost on him. He referenced an earlier statement from Perna to recognize their significant role.

"Their proximity to the objective does not accurately reflect their contribution to the overall mission," he said. "There is no better way to describe the important work these quiet professionals do every day."

McCarthy said he leaves Redstone Arsenal with a clear take-away: the need for consistent and predictable funding.

"I will continue to work hard for stable and predictable funding for the warfighters," he said. "The turbulence makes it incredibly difficult for the major commands to meet global demand."

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UPDATE: USS John S. McCain Collides with Merchant Ship

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170820-01

Release Date: 8/20/2017 7:38:00 PM

From U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs

CHANGI NAVAL BASE, Singapore (NNS) -- UPDATE POSTED AUG. 21, 3:42 A.M. (EDT)

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) has arrived at Changi Naval Base following a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore on Aug. 21.

The collision was reported at 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time. Significant damage to the hull resulted in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms. Damage control efforts by the crew halted further flooding.

There are currently 10 Sailors missing and five injured. Four of the injured were medically evacuated by a Singapore Armed Forces helicopter to a hospital in Singapore for non-life threatening injuries. The fifth injured Sailor does not require further medical attention.

A family assistance center has been established. Families who do not live on base should call 011-81-46-816-1728 (international); families who live on base should call 315-243-1728 (DSN).

Search and rescue efforts continue in coordination with local authorities. The Republic of Singapore Fearless-class patrol ships RSS Gallant (97), RSS Resilience (82), and Singaporean Police Coast Guard vessel Basking Shark (55) are in the area rendering assistance.

Additionally, MH-60S helicopters and MV-22 Ospreys from the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) are in the area providing search and rescue assistance.

Alnic MC is a Liberian-flagged 600-foot oil and chemical tanker with a gross tonnage of 30,000.

The incident will be investigated.

-------------------

UPDATE POSTED AUG. 20, 11:31 P.M. (EDT)

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore on Aug. 21.

There are currently 10 Sailors missing and five injured. Four of the injured were medically evacuated by a Republic of Singapore Navy Puma helicopter to a hospital in Singapore for non-life threatening injuries. The fifth injured Sailor does not require further medical attention.

A family assistance center has been established. Families who do not live on base should call 011-81-46-816-1728 (international); families who live on base should call 315-243-1728 (DSN).

The collision was reported at 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time, while the ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.

The ship is currently sailing under its own power and heading to Changi Naval Base. At this point, no fuel or oil is visible on the water's surface near the ship.

Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities. In addition to tug boats out of Singapore, RSN Fearless-class patrol ships RSS Gallant (97), RSS Resilience (82), RSN helicopters and Singaporean Police Coast Guard vessel Basking Shark (55) are currently in the area to render assistance.

An MH-60S helicopter from the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) are in the area providing search and rescue assistance. An additional MH-60S helicopter and MV-22 Osprey are expected to arrive soon.

Alnic MC is a Liberian-flagged 600-foot oil and chemical tanker with a gross tonnage of 30,000.

Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft. Damage control efforts continue while the extent of damage is being determined. The incident will be investigated.

More information to follow.

-------------------

UPDATE POSTED AUG. 20, 9:42 P.M. (EDT)

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore on Aug. 21.

There are currently 10 Sailors missing and five injured.

The collision was reported at 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time, while the ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.

A family assistance center has been established. Families who do not live on base should call 011-81-46-816-1728 (international); families who live on base should call 315-243-1728 (DSN).

The ship is currently sailing under its own power and heading to port.

Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities. In addition to tug boats out of Singapore, Republic of Singapore Navy Fearless-class patrol ships RSS Gallant (97), RSS Resilience (82), RSN helicopters and Police Coast Guard vessel Basking Shark (55) are currently in the area to render assistance.

MV-22s and SH-60s from USS America are also responding.

Alnic MC is a 600-foot oil and chemical tanker with a gross tonnage of 30,000.

Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft. The extent of damage and personnel injuries is being determined. The incident will be investigated.

More information to follow.

-------------------

UPDATED AT AUG. 20, 8:42 P.M. (EDT)

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore on Aug. 21.

The collision was reported at 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time, while the ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.

A family assistance center has been established. Families who do not live on base should call 011-81-46-816-1728 (international); families who live on base should call 315-243-1728 (DSN).

The ship is currently sailing under its own power and heading to port.

Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities. In addition to tug boats out of Singapore, the Republic of Singapore Navy ship RSS Gallant (97), RSN helicopters and Police Coast Guard vessel Basking Shark (55) are currently in the area to render assistance.

MV-22s and SH-60s from USS America are also responding.

Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft. The extent of damage and personnel injuries is being determined. The incident will be investigated.

More information to follow.

-------------------

POSTED AUG. 20, 7:38 P.M. (EDT)

SOUTH CHINA SEA (NNS) -- The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca, Aug. 21.

The collision was reported at 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time, while the ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore.

Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft.

Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities.

More information to follow.

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Statement from Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer on USS John S. McCain

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170821-03

Release Date: 8/21/2017 10:03:00 AM

From Office of the Secretary of the Navy

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The following is a statement released Aug. 21 by Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer on USS John S. McCain, which was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Alnic MC while underway east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore on Aug. 21.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our shipmates onboard USS John S. McCain. The Navy family comes together during times of crisis and I want to thank those who are providing around-the-clock assistance to the affected Sailors and families.

As details continue to emerge, we can be proud of the heroic effort by the crew to tend to the needs of those injured and save the ship from further damage while returning safely to port.

I also want to express my appreciation to the government of Singapore for their swift support and assistance during this time of need.

The United States Navy will fully investigate the cause of this incident and I ask all of you to keep the families of John S. McCain in your thoughts and prayers as we begin the task of answering the many questions before us.

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USS Porter Enters Black Sea

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170821-09

Release Date: 8/21/2017 10:35:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Krystina Coffey, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

BOSPHORUS STRAIT (NNS) -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) entered the Black Sea, Aug. 18, to conduct maritime security operations and enhance capability and interoperability with allies and partners in the region.

The ship's operations in the Black Sea are meant to enhance maritime stability, combined readiness and naval capability among NATO allies and partners.

Quote:

"Porter is excited to be back in the Black Sea, building strong relationships with our partners and allies which are crucial to peace and stability in the region." - Cmdr. John Tobin, commanding officer, USS Porter

Quick Facts:

Porter entered the Black Sea to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to the collective defense of NATO allies and partners. All Department of Defense efforts in support of NATO allies in eastern Europe fall under Operation Atlantic Resolve.

The U.S. Navy routinely operates in the Black Sea consistent with the Montreux Convention and international law.

Porter, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on a routine patrol conducting naval operations with allies and partners in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to advance security and stability in the Black Sea region.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with joint, allied and interagency partners to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

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Ocean Giant Returns to Norfolk, Completes Annual Resupply of Remote Arctic Air Base

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170821-04

Release Date: 8/21/2017 10:26:00 AM

By By Bill Mesta, Military Sealift Command Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command chartered heavy lift ship MV Ocean Giant pulled into Naval Station Norfolk to complete its support of of Pacer Goose 2017, the annual resupply mission to Thule Air Base, Aug. 18.

Ocean Giant is to spend multiple days at the naval station off-loading outdated equipment and waste material transported from the remote U.S. Air Force base, located in the northern coast of Greenland.

"Ocean Giant's mission support of Pacer Goose 2017 was very successful," said Rick Caldwell, a Military Sealift Command supervisory marine transportation specialist. "Pacer Goose is a critical mission as Thule Air Base would not be able to operate without the fuel and supplies which were delivered."

Ocean Giant is crewed by 19 civilian merchant mariners who perform all the operations aboard the vessel including navigation, engineering, medical care and line handling.

"Ocean Giant is a beautiful ship and has the ability to transport a wide variety of cargo," said Capt. Timothy Arey, Ocean Giant's master. "The ship was a great fit for this mission because it is double hulled to handle the ice and is extremely maneuverable. The ship also has its own cranes so it can load and off-load cargo independently."

During the ship's northern track to Thule, Ocean Giant rendezvoused with the oil tanker MT Maersk Peary, which was loaded with fuel for Thule. The two ships followed the Canadian Coast Guard's Pierre-Radisson class icebreaker CCGS Henry Larson through the ice and into the air base's harbor.

"Merchant marines have a proud history of service to the United States," said Arey. "During WWII civilian mariners did their part in support of the war effort and we are very proud to be supporting the military by delivering supplies to Thule."

Pacer Goose, the annual operation to resupply Thule, began in 1952 using U.S. Navy combatant ships to transport goods equipment and materials to the remote military base.

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Backgrounder: Collision accidents of U.S. warships in recent years

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 19:22, August 21, 2017

U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in Singapore waters Monday morning, leaving five U.S. sailors injured and 10 others missing.

The collision between the U.S. destroyer and the tanker Alnic MC teared a hole beneath the waterline and flooded compartments that include a crew sleeping area.

The incident was the second involving U.S. Navy destroyers and merchant vessels in Asian waters within about two months. The following are major collision accidents between U.S. warships and civil vessels occurred during recent years.

-- U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine container vessel collided on June 17, 2017 in waters south of Tokyo, leaving seven U.S. sailors dead and three others injured, including the Fitzgerald's commanding officer.

-- U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in international waters off the Korean Peninsula on May 9, 2017, with no injured.

-- U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter collided with a Japanese-owned oil tanker Otowasan in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 12, 2012, with no injured.

-- U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy collided with a dhow while on patrol in the Persian Gulf on July 22, 2004, causing the dhow sinking immediately on collision with no survivors.

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Hezbollah using combat drones against Daesh terrorists in Syria

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:50PM

The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement says it has used weaponized unmanned aerial vehicles to strike the positions of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the strategic and mountainous region of Qalamoun close to the border with Lebanon.

Hezbollah's media bureau announced in a statement on Monday that it had deployed the drones to hit Daesh positions, bunkers and fortifications in the area, located about 330 kilometers (205 miles) north of the Syrian capital Damascus.

Video footage released by the media unit, seemingly taken from a drone, showed two types of missiles, one of them with a tail fin, cruising towards the ground and subsequent explosions as they struck the designated targets.

Earlier on Monday, Hezbollah's media bureau reported that the Lebanese resistance fighters and Syrian government forces had wrested complete control over Shoubat al-Dowab and Shoubat Beit Shuker heights in the western outskirts of Qalamoun.

It added that Hezbollah fighters and Syrian army soldiers were in control of the strategic Qornat Shoubat Aakko district near al-Jarajir village in Syria's southwestern province of Rif Dimashq.

On Saturday, Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched an operation to purge Qalamoun from Daesh terrorists.

Hezbollah launched a major push on July 21 to clear both sides of Lebanon's border with Syria of "armed terrorists."

In August 2014, the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Daesh terrorist groups overran Arsal, killing a number of Lebanese forces. They took 30 soldiers hostage, most of whom have been released.

Since then, Hezbollah and the Lebanese military have been defending Lebanon on the country's northeastern frontier against foreign-backed terrorist groups from neighboring Syria.

Hezbollah fighters have fended off several Daesh attacks inside Lebanon. They have also been providing assistance to Syrian army forces to counter the ongoing foreign-sponsored militancy.

The movement has accused Israel of supporting Takfiri terrorists operating in the Middle East.

Israel, which continues to occupy Lebanon's Shebaa Farms and Syria's Golan Heights, is widely reported to be offering medical help to Takfiri terrorists injured in Syria. In December 2015, British newspaper the Daily Mail said Israel had saved the lives of more than 2,000 Takfiri militants since 2013.

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US Navy halts worldwide fleet operations after deadly collision

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:25PM

The US Navy has ordered a worldwide "operational pause" following the collision of the USS John S. McCain and a cargo vessel in the Pacific Ocean.

The USS John S. McCain collided with the oil tanker Alnic MC on Monday morning local time while the guided-missile destroyer was passing near the Malacca Strait to make a port visit in Singapore, the Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement.

The dramatic pre-dawn collision, which left 10 sailors missing and five people injured, was the second major accident involving a US warship in two months.

"This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world," Navy Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said in a statement on Monday.

"I want our fleet commanders to get together with their leaders and their commands to ensure that we are taking all appropriate and immediate actions to ensure safe and effective operations around the world," he added.

"In addition to that operational pause I have directed a more comprehensive review to ensure that we get at the contributing factors, the root causes of these incidents," he continued.

Pentagon chief pledges 'broad' probe

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Monday that Richardson's review is part of an extensive investigation to "look at all related accidents, incidents at sea. He is going to look at all factors, not just the immediate one."

"We obviously have a [separate] investigation underway that will determine what happened," Mattis said.

A search operation involving ships and aircraft from three countries was underway on Monday for the missing sailors following the deadly collision.

In June, another guided-missile destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, collided with the Philippine-flagged merchant ship ACX Crystal 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan. Seven US sailors were killed in that collision.

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China urges US, Japan to play 'constructive role' in promoting peace

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 4:14PM

China has called on the United States and Japan to play a "constructive role" in promoting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing that military cooperation between Tokyo and Washington must not harm any third party's interests.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks during a press conference on Monday, after media reported that Japan was seeking increased cooperation with the US in deploying a land-based missile defense system designed to counter the alleged threat of North Korea's ballistic missiles.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, in response, expressed the US's readiness to help Japan in this regard, noting that it was important to integrate their ballistic missile defense capabilities.

"China always holds that the anti-missile issue concerns global strategic stability and mutual trust among big powers. So it should be handled prudently. All the nations should consider their own safety interests and at the same time respect the reasonable security concerns of other countries," Hua said.

The Chinese official, however, said that all should "follow the principle of maintaining global strategic stability and doing no harm to the security of other nations."

"The military cooperation between the US and Japan should ensure that it will not harm the interests of the third party and regional peace and stability. We hope that Japan and the US practice prudence and play a constructive role in boosting peace and stability in the region, rather than the other way round," the Chinese official noted.

Last week, Beijing expressed concern about the "negative" impacts of the presence of US military aircraft in the South China Sea and their reconnaissance activities there.

Chinese claims of sovereignty in territories in the South and East China Seas, the US military ties with Taiwan, and the deployment of the American THAAD missile system in South Korea are some of the issues on which Beijing and Washington spar from time to time.

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Taliban assault underway in Afghanistan's Jawzjan province

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 2:41PM

Taliban militants have launched an attack in the northern Afghan province of Jawzjan, attempting to run over the district headquarters and setting off heavy fighting, the provincial police chief says.

Gen. Rahmatullah Turkistani said on Monday that a fierce gun battle was underway between Afghan security forces and the militants in Khamab district.

Turkistani added that security forces were trying to repel the assault across the troubled region.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Turkistani said that in recent days the militants had gained control of several villages nearby.

Some unconfirmed reports claim that the Taliban have seized control of the Khamab district headquarters.

The Taliban have yet to comment on the ongoing fierce fighting in the north.

The renewed attacks by the Taliban militants come amid fresh warnings by the group about the need for the US to fully withdraw its forces from Afghanistan after more than a decade and half of occupation.

US President Donald Trump has resisted repeated requests by the Pentagon to approve the deployment of another 4,000-strong US force to Afghanistan, which the US military says is needed to boost the so-called counter-terrorism operations in the country.

There are 8,400 American troops in Afghanistan. Washington claims they are advising and assisting the Afghan military in the fight against the Taliban and Daesh.

Trump is to detail his strategy for the war in Afghanistan, the US' longest military conflict, in an address later on Monday.

In a prime-time speech to the nation, Trump may announce a modest increase in US troops, as recommended by his senior advisers.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, and overthrew the Taliban regime. But US forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and now Trump.

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9 Filipinos killed in fresh Abu Sayyaf attack in southern Philippines

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 2:0PM

Nine people have been killed and 16 others injured in an attack on their village in the southern Philippines.

Military and police officials said that some 20 members of Abu Sayyaf stormed Tubigan village on Basilan island and opened fire on villagers early on Monday.

The attack then triggered resistance from pro-government militiamen and additional troops that were dispatched to the area. Clashes continued for two hours, officials said, adding that some militiamen were killed in the confrontation. Security forces then began a hunt for the militants who fled the village, the military said.

Abu Sayyaf, a terror group that has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, is known for its years of militancy against the Philippine government. The group, blacklisted by both Manila and Western governments, has carried out some high-profile ransom kidnappings, beheadings, bombings and other forms of violence in areas mostly in the south of the island nation.

An ongoing siege in the city of Marawi has prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to place the southern third of the Philippines under martial law. That has also been meant to prevent senior commanders of Abu Sayyaf, especially those close to Daesh, from staging attacks in other areas while troops struggle to find the hideouts of militants in jungles in Basilan to recover more than dozen foreigners who are believed to be held captive by Abu Sayyaf.

The Monday attack on Tubigan village sparked condemnation from local authorities, with Governor Mujiv Hataman saying the assault on children, women and the elderly was a tactic by Abu Sayyaf to deflect public attention from successful military operations against the militants in the south.

"They are cowards because they couldn't face their military adversaries," said Hataman.

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Militants kill Egyptian soldier, policeman in Sinai Peninsula

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 1:6PM

An Egyptian soldier and a policeman have been killed in separate attacks by suspected Takfiri militants in the turbulent north of the Sinai Peninsula, security officials say.

The officials said on Monday that five troops were wounded when their armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the border town of Rafah late on Sunday.

The soldiers came under fire immediately after the bomb went off in the violence-wracked region of the North African country.

Separately, a militant sniper killed a policeman on duty at a checkpoint in Sinai's coastal city of el-Arish on Sunday night.

The Egyptian military has been struggling to contain an insurgency by militants in northern Sinai.

At least 26 Egyptian soldiers were killed or wounded on July 7, 2017, in attacks on checkpoints in the Sinai Peninsula.

Militants battling Egyptian security forces in Sinai are led by Velayat Sinai, a local affiliate of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

The extremist group, formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, is behind most of the deadly attacks in the volatile region. The group pledged allegiance to Daesh in 2014.

Since its emergence in 2013, Velayat Sinai has killed hundreds of members of Egyptian security forces.

Velayat Sinai later expanded its assaults to target members of Egypt's Coptic Christian community as well as foreigners visiting the country.

Egypt has been suffering from a spike in terrorist attacks targeting civilians in the mainland over the past year.

That has prompted the government to impose a state of emergency and widen a controversial crackdown, which critics say has mostly targeted dissidents.

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EU must work to cut reliance on US military support: Juncker

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 8:15AM

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker says the European Union cannot turn to the United States forever when it comes to its defense issues, urging the 28-nation bloc to cut its reliance on Washington's military support.

"It becomes clear that we cannot rely on American defense support in the long run," Juncker told Tiroler Tageszeitung, an Austrian daily.

He added that the European Union is steadily recovering from the crises it has faced since 2015, including the mass influx of refugees and the surprise election of Donald Trump as US president.

Juncker, who is a strong advocate of creating an EU army, has repeatedly called for separating European forces from NATO, a Western military alliance led by the United States.

His calls intensified after Trump raised uncertainties over his commitment to European security.

The senior European official advised the 28-nation bloc back in June against "outsourcing" its defense issues.

"The protection of Europe can no longer be outsourced. Even our biggest military powers  and I could count them on one, maximum two  cannot combat all the challenges and threats alone," he said at the Prague Defense and Security Conference.

Calls for creating a European army have also been voiced by other EU officials.

"In the end, there will be a European army," said Hans-Peter Bartels, the German parliament's Commissioner for the Armed Forces in June.

The German official said eventually the EU will be organized and eliminate "disorganized, technically fragmented, and duplicate structures," calling on EU states to organize their military forces sooner and create a single military force.

An EU plan to create a European army has been the subject of media debate over the past months.

The plan, drawn up by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, foresees the creation of a new European military and operational structure.

In March, the EU created a joint military headquarters in Brussels, dubbed the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) facility.

Many see the formation of the MPCC as the first step towards the creation of a European army led from the EU headquarters in Brussels.

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S Korea, US start joint military drills amid tensions with North

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 6:11AM

South Korea and the United States have started annual joint military exercises, ignoring strong warnings from Pyongyang, which has slammed the wargames as the "most explicit expression of hostility" against the North.

Tens of thousands of troops from the US and South Korea are participating in the drills, codenamed Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which kicked off on South Korean soil on Monday.

The maneuvers, which are largely computer-simulated, will run for two weeks.

Pyongyang views such exercises as a threatening act of hostility and a rehearsal for a military invasion against North Korea.

Commenting on the drills, South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday described the exercises as defensive, saying they do not aim to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The maneuvers began a day after North Korea warned Washington and Seoul that going ahead with the drills would be like "pouring gasoline on fire."

The exercises come amid fresh escalations on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of targeting US mainland last month.

US President Donald Trump lashed out at Pyongyang by threatening it with "fire, fury...the likes of which this world has never seen."

Pyongyang in response said that it would launch missiles into the waters near the US Pacific island of Guam, where American military troops are stationed and some 160,000 US citizens live.

Last week, however, North Korea, which is under mounting international pressure over its missile and military nuclear programs, "postponed" the move.

About 17,500 American troops are reportedly participating in the drills, a cutback from last year.

South Korean media also reported that the US was considering scrapping a plan to deploy two aircraft carriers to the peninsula.

However, US Defense Secretary James Mattis denied suggestions that his country had slashed the number of its troops to try to ease tensions with Pyongyang, saying the smaller troop numbers were "by design to achieve the exercise objectives."

"This right now is an exercise to make certain that we're ready to defend South Korea and our allies over there," Mattis told reporters en route to Jordan on Sunday.

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10 US Navy sailors missing after warship collision near Singapore

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 1:20AM

Ten US Navy sailors are missing after an American warship collided with a merchant ship east of Singapore.

The USS John S. McCain collided with the oil tanker Alnic MC on Monday morning local time while the guided-missile destroyer was passing near the Malacca Strait to make a port visit in Singapore , the Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement.

The collision marked the second accident involving US Navy destroyers in Asian waters in over two months.

"Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft," the Navy said as a search-and-rescue mission was underway. "The ship was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore."

"There are currently 10 sailors missing and five injured... Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities," the Navy statement said.

Trump sends 'prayers' to US sailors in crash

US President Donald Trump on Sunday night tweeted his "thoughts and prayers" to the sailors aboard the warship.

"Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway", Trump said in a post which contained a link to the US military's announcement about the crash.

According to shipping data in Thomson Reuters Eikon, the Alnic MC is a Liberian-flagged 183 meter-long chemical tanker of more than 50,000 deadweight tons.

The American destroyer was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore when the collision was reported at 6:24 am Japan Standard Time.

A Philippine container ship collided with a US warship that almost sank off the coast of Japan in June.

After the accident, the Navy said it removed the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor on the warship.

Seven American sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer the USS Fitzgerald lost their lives due to the accident.

Monday's collision made US Republican Senator John McCain, a Vietnam War-era naval aviator, to make comments about the ship that has been named after him.

"Cindy & I are keeping America's sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight - appreciate the work of search & rescue crews," the Republican lawmaker said on Twitter.

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'Rigorous' Debate Led To New U.S. Strategy For Afghanistan, Mattis Says

RFE/RL August 21, 2017

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis confirmed that President Donald Trump has agreed with military leaders on a new strategy for Afghanistan after "rigorous" debate, but he declined to provide details.

Mattis, speaking on August 20 to reporters during a trip to Jordan, said that "everyone who had equity was heard," including budget officials responsible for funding any possible changes.

"I'm very comfortable that the strategic process was sufficiently rigorous, and did not go in with a preset condition in terms of what questions could be asked and what decisions could be made," he said.

"The president has made a decision. As he said, he wants to be the one to announce it to the American people."

His comments came hours after the White House announced that Trump will make a major address to the nation on August 21 to explain "the path forward for America's engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia."

The statement said Trump will make the speech at the Fort Myer military base near Washington and it will be televised at 9 p.m. local time.

The options being considered by U.S. leaders range from pulling out of the country totally to increasing U.S. efforts to defeat the Taliban militant group that is battling the Afghan government.

Some speculation has centered on the possibility of substituting paid contractors for U.S. service personnel to battle the Taliban, although most officials have dismissed that option.

Trump met on August 18 with his national security team at the Camp David presidential retreat to discuss the conflict in Afghanistan.

A White House statement following the meeting said Trump had been briefed on "a new strategy" but that no decisions had been made.

"The president is studying and considering his options and will make an announcement to the American people, to our allies and partners, and to the world at the appropriate time," press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

General John Nicholson, the top U.S. Army commander in Afghanistan, speaking before the White House announcement, signaled his belief in a long-term U.S. commitment during a ceremony to inaugurate a new Afghan special operations unit.

"I assure you we are with you in this fight. We are with you and we will stay with you," he said at Camp Morehead, a training site for Afghan commandos southeast of Kabul.

There are about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and some 5,000 troops from other NATO member and partner countries.

A senior administration official told Reuters news agency that the likeliest outcome was that Trump would agree to a modest increase in U.S. troops as recommended by his top advisers.

Media reports have indicated that the U.S. military has requested 3,000 to 5,000 additional troops.

A top U.S. military officer in Kabul told the Associated Press that increasing the number of troops would allow the U.S. military to send additional advisers or provide air support to two battlefields simultaneously. Currently, the official said, they can only do so for one operation at a time.

Colonel Abdul Mahfuz, an Afghan intelligence agency official, said a withdrawal of U.S. forces "would be a total failure."

U.S.-backed forces have been in Afghanistan since invading following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States carried out by Al-Qaeda militants, whose leaders were being harbored by the Taliban-led government.

The coalition drove the Taliban from power, but the militant group has been resurgent in recent years and controls large portions of the country.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, The Washington Post, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-afghanistan- strategy-speech/28686975.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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Kyrgyz PM Jeenbekov Resigns To Run For President

RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service August 21, 2017

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sooronbai Jeenbekov has resigned in order to run for president.

Jeenbekov announced his decision at a cabinet meeting on August 21 after the Central Election Commission registered Jeenbekov as a candidate in the October 15 election.

He later told journalists that instead of suspending his duties or taking a break, which is allowed by law, he decided to step down "to be in an equal position with other presidential candidates."

A former governor of the Osh region in southern Kyrgyzstan, Jeenbekov had been prime minister since April 2016.

He said he does not know who will replace him.

Jeenbekov was nominated for the presidency by the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan and was the third hopeful to be officially registered as a candidate.

The other two are Temir Sariev, leader of the Ak Shumkar (White Falcon) party, and Omurbek Babanov, leader of the Respublika-Ata Jurt (Republic-Homeland) parliamentary faction.

The final list of registered candidates is to be made public on September 10.

President Almazbek Atambaev, who has been in office since December 2011, is constitutionally barred from running for a second term.

Controversy has been cast over the election by the August 16 conviction of opposition politician Omurbek Tekebaev on bribery charges his party says were aimed to keep him off the ballot.

Tekebaev was sentenced to eight years in prison in a ruling that bars him from running in the October election and the next presidential vote, due to be held in 2023.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan -prime-minister-resigns-run-for- president/28688058.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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Lebanese Army Captures Senior Daesh Member During Offensive at Syrian Border

Sputnik News

23:51 21.08.2017

A military source said that Lebanese military intelligence units have detained a Daesh senior member.

BEIRUT (Sputnik)  Lebanese military intelligence units have detained an Islamic State (Daesh) senior member responsible for an assault on the country's troops in 2014 on the Syrian border, a military source told Sputnik Monday.

"Military intelligence has detained Basel Abdel Kader in Wadi al-Araneb, a Syrian national, in Aarsal  [he was] in charge of security in Daesh," the source said, adding that the terrorist was responsible for the attack on a military base in Aarsal's vicinity in 2014 when the Daesh militants kidnapped several Lebanese servicemen whose fate is still unknown.

Lebanon announced the start of the offensive against the Daesh enclave on the northeast part of its border with Syria on Saturday. Damascus and Lebanese militia movement Hezbollah are also currently carrying out their anti-Daesh offensive on the Syrian side of the border. A statement of the Lebanese army's command obtained by Sputnik on Sunday showed that 80 out of 120 square kilometers (31 out of 46 square miles) had already been liberated on the Lebanese side of the border since the beginning of the offensive.

 Sputnik

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Lebanese Army Launches Counterterrorist Operation on Border With Syria

Sputnik News

21:26 21.08.2017(updated 00:48 22.08.2017)

The Lebanese Army has launched the 'Fajr al-Joroud' (Dawn of the Outskirts) offensive to drive Daesh militants out of the Lebanese-Syrian border region.

Brigadier General Ali Qansuh, during a press conference on August 19, announced the start of this large counterterrorist operation.

According to the general, the main purpose of the offensive is to return all Lebanese lands under the control of the government right up to the borders with Syria.

It was especially noted that coordination between the Hezbollah movement and the Syrian Army is not envisaged, and there are also no plans to conduct any negotiations with Daesh militants.

The army leadership also expressed hope to liberate captured soldiers of the Lebanese Army as soon as possible.

According to the general, in Lebanon there are about 600 militants, which are divided into three groups with some located in the north of the Raas al Baalbek and al Qaa mountains. These terrorists are armed with anti-aircraft weapons, sniper rifles and they often move from place to place on motorcycles.

Daesh militants hide in the caves and crevices of the mountains, so the Lebanese Army must battle its enemy great skill and maneuvering.

A deputy of the Lebanese Parliament, a member of the "Islah wa tagiir" block, Amal Abu Zeid, told Sputnik that this operation is noteworthy for several reasons.

"Firstly, this political decision was made in the presence of the Lebanese President and the head of the Supreme Defense Council, without objections from the government, and secondly, this is exclusively a Lebanese solution without any outside influence," Zeid said.

He further added that keeping in mind these factors it is clear that this operation is carried out exclusively in the interests of the Lebanese people.

Lebanon announced the start of the offensive against the Daesh enclave on the northeast part of its border with Syria on Saturday. Damascus and the Lebanese militia movement Hezbollah are also currently carrying out their anti-Daesh offensive on the Syrian side of the border.

The Lebanese Army eliminated 12 Daesh strongholds on the Lebanese-Syrian border during the second day of its anti-Daesh offensive, according to a statement of the army's command obtained by Sputnik on Sunday.

 Sputnik

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NATO-Led Mission Committed to Helping Afghan Military Grow - Commander

Sputnik News

16:41 21.08.2017

The NATO-led Resolute Support mission is determined to assist the Afghan military in order to enhance its capabilities.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement on Monday it is determined to assist the Afghan military enhance its capabilities.

"Although Afghan commandos conduct four of five operations independently, Resolute Support is committed to helping them grow and improve," the mission said in a Twitter message.

On Sunday, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani along with senior military leaders participated in a ceremony to activate the country's Special Operations Corps.

Resolute Support Commander Gen. John Nicholson said during the event that Afghan forces will become "even more lethal" and bring an end to the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia).

On Sunday, the White House released a statement saying that President Donald Trump will address the US troops and American people on Monday to provide an update on the path forward for the US engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia.

Following the White House's statement, officials expect Trump to announce the strategy that would meet the requests of commanders in the field and authorize the deployment of around 4,000 more US troops in Afghanistan, according to media reports.

 Sputnik

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India Expects China to Break Deadlock on Doklam

Sputnik News

16:09 21.08.2017

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to discuss the crisis with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit to be held in September in Xiamen, China.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  Weeks before BRICS summit in Xiamen, India has termed Doklam stand-off as a 'deadlock' but at the same time has expressed confidence that it would be resolved soon.

"There will be a solution very soon and I am sure China will make a positive move," Rajnath Singh, India's Minister of Home Affairs said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao has reported that Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has held a military drill to "strike awe in India". Tibet, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Chongqing come under the newly formed Western Theater Command. Indian government has not commented on the report but has already made it clear that India is prepared for any eventuality.

"Our security forces are capable of safeguarding our borders," Rajnath Singh asserted once again on Monday but added "We don't want confrontation; we want peace."

The ongoing stand-off between India and China began in June this year when Indian troops asserted their presence in Doklam  an area claimed by both China and Bhutan. India said China's plan to construct a road in the disputed territory was not only an attempt to bully Bhutan but also a threat to India's security as Doklam borders the north eastern state of Sikkim.

 Sputnik

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India Expedites Construction of Border Roads Amid Military Conflict With China

Sputnik News

14:54 21.08.2017

Indian Army had asked the defense ministry to expedite construction of roads along the border with China citing it as a crucial requirement for faster movement of troops and uninterrupted supplies of ammunition and other necessities.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  In an unprecedented move, the Indian government has decided to delegate more financial powers to the Border Road Organization (BRO) in order to expedite the construction of roads near the border with China. The BRO is an executive force mandated with the task of constructing and maintaining roads in border areas in keeping with defense requirements.

The move comes shortly after the Indian Army voiced strong concern against the inordinate delay in completion of strategic road projects along China border.

"Across the border, China has built roads which will give them quick access to border posts in case of any eventuality. We have neglected the infrastructure development in the north-eastern states bordering China, but in view of the continuing standoff with China we need to speed up the construction of border roads," Major GeneralG D Bakshi (Rtd.) told Sputnik.

BRO has been engaged in the construction of seventy three road projects in the otherwise inaccessible areas bordering China, out of which only twenty seven projects have been completed till date despite the original deadline of 2013. Earlier this year, the defense ministry had said that the remaining projects would take at least five more years to complete. However, after the Indian Army conveyed strong apprehension, the defense ministry said it was delegating more financial autonomy to locals units of the BRO.

"The Ministry of Defense intends to bring transformational changes in the organization in order to improve the pace of execution of works and to achieve the desired outcomes according to the requirement of the Armed Forces," read a statement issued on Sunday.

According to new rules, the entire tendering process including acceptance of bids would be completed at the level of chief engineer/additional director general for a majority of the contracts. This would avoid delays on account of references between the local officials and the BRO headquarters and defense ministry. Apart from this, the local level officers would have more financial autonomy to purchase local as well as imported construction equipment of up to $15 million.

The delay in India's road and rail projects along China border has been blamed on a number of reasons including bureaucratic inefficiency, lack of funding, environmental clearances, absence of heavy machinery and airlift capabilities for the BRO.

 Sputnik

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US Navy Orders Operational Pause, Broad Probe Following Collision Near Singapore

By Jeff Seldin August 21, 2017

The U.S. Navy has ordered an immediate, worldwide "operational pause" after a guided-missile destroyer collided with a merchant ship Monday east of Singapore, the second such collision in as many months.

Ten American sailors are reported missing and five injured, with the USS John S. McCain sustaining "significant damage" as a result of the incident near the Strait of Malacca, according to a statement from the U.S. 7th Fleet.

The chief of naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, has ordered an immediate operational pause for all U.S. fleets, along with a broader investigation in the root causes of what he described as a "series of incidents in the Pacific Theater."

"This requires urgent action," Richardson said in a video statement. "I want our fleet commanders to get together with their leaders and their commands to ensure we're taking all appropriate immediate cautions to ensure safe and effective operations."

Richardson said the broader investigation will look at training and operational tempo as well as at equipment and maintenance.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters while traveling in Jordan he "fully supports" Navy Admiral John Richardson's probe that "will look into all related accidents at sea."

"Once we have those facts, we'll share them with you," Mattis said.

The commander of the U.S. Pacific fleet, Admiral Scott Swift, is enroute to Singapore to take charge of operations involving the damaged USS McCain.

Officials said the collision punctured a hole in the ship's hull, below the waterline, causing several areas to flood, including a sleeping compartment for sailors as well as some of the ship's communication rooms.

The Singapore military evacuated four of the injured sailors by helicopter to a hospital in Singapore, where they are being treated for non-life threatening injuries. The fifth sailor did not require medical attention.

Search & rescue

The U.S. Navy says it is continuing search and rescue operations with the help of local authorities, including the Malaysian and Singaporean navies.

The USS America, an amphibious assault ship that had been in the region, is also on the scene in Singapore to help with search and rescue operations, as well as with damage assessment.

The collision is the second involving a ship from the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet in the Pacific in two months. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship hit each other in waters off Japan.

In the case of the USS Fitzgerald, the Navy relieved the captain of his command and other sailors are to be punished after an inquiry found poor seamanship and flaws in keeping watch contributed to the collision.

The USS McCain had been scheduled for a routine port visit in Singapore when it collided with the Liberian-flagged tanker ship Alnic MC at about 6:20 a.m. local time.

Despite the damage, the McCain was able to pull into Singapore's Changi Naval Base under its own power.

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority said the Alnic MC also sustained damage, but that there were no injuries among its crew.

President tweets support

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed support on Twitter, writing that his "thoughts and prayers" are with the sailors aboard the McCain.

The USS McCain is named for the father and grandfather of U.S. Senator John McCain, who each served as U.S. Navy admirals.

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ICRC Chief Urges Renewed Dialogue to End War in South Sudan

By Halima Athumani August 21, 2017

The warring factions in South Sudan and the country's neighbors must leave no stone unturned in finding a political solution to the three-and-a-half-year civil war. That was the message of the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as he wrapped up his visit to South Sudan and neighboring Uganda.

Peter Maurer has visited conflict zones around the world, including Syria and Yemen. The International Committee of the Red Cross president paints a grim picture of what he has just seen in South Sudan, one in two people is severely hungry and dependent on food aid, while one in three people is displaced.

ICRC's Maurer said returning to dialogue is the only solution.

"I have seen the alternative of it, and the alternative of it looks bleak," Maurer said. "That is a continuation of the conflict. It is people being afraid, people not having any trust, people fleeing before even the fighters are coming because they are scared to death that any fighter coming to a village comes with violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and so this is not an acceptable solution."

Violence has intensified in South Sudan since July of last year after a power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar collapsed.

International human rights bodies say warring factions have perpetrated gross human rights abuses against civilians, including gruesome killings, abductions of adolescent boys and girls, and rapes of women and young girls.

The ICRC says the number of wounded treated in ICRC-supported hospitals is significantly higher this year than last year, and health care workers continue to come under threat. The number of family members separated by conflict and reunited by the ICRC has already more than doubled this year compared with 2016, to nearly four dozen, including many children.

"People, when they see us, they also they want food, water, sanitation and health services, but they also first and foremost ask us where are our relatives?," Maurer said.

Uganda welcomed its one millionth South Sudanese refugee this month. Nearly all of them arrived in the past year.

Maurer visited refugee settlements in northern Uganda and planned to meet Monday with Ugandan president, and regional heavyweight, Yoweri Museveni.

"President Museveni knows himself what to do, and if we come to the conclusion that there is no military solution to the problem, you better reinforce and redouble your efforts at the political side, and we have to have national, credible, inclusive national dialogue," Maurer said.

Museveni's role in regional mediation efforts in the past has been controversial, with the SPLA/IO rebels accusing him of backing the government of Salva Kiir.

But the few precursors to potential peace talks that have taken place recently have been held in Uganda, and some groups in the conflict think Museveni could use his influence to mediate an end to the violence.

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Angolan Voters See First Poll in Decades Without Longtime President

By Anita Powell August 21, 2017

Angola is gearing up for a historic vote, as longtime President Jose Eduardo dos Santos prepares to step down after 38 years in power.

For more than two-thirds of the population, he is the only leader they have ever known. And the vast majority of eligible voters have never seen a ballot without his name on it.

Ana Maria Espirito Santos Monteiro has decided to do something she has never done before: Vote.

She's lived her entire life in Angola, but in those 60 years, this is the first time she's bothered to register. Dos Santos has been accused of rigging elections in his favor and of ruling with an iron fist. But he's now stepping down at the age of 74, leaving a ballot full of possibilities in what many of his critics say is the first opportunity for a real election in this Southern African nation.

"I'm going to vote for the first time," she told VOA, "because I believe that the electoral ruses won't be as they have been before on such a great scale. We want this election to happen transparently and fairly."

She's chosen the CASA-CE opposition party, which started in 2012 and has eight seats in parliament. They face tough opposition from the powerful ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, which has chosen Defense Minister Joao Lourenco as dos Santos' successor. Polls predict an MPLA win.

However, many of this nation's nine million voters are excited about the mere fact that this is the first ballot they've seen without dos Santos' name at the top. The excitement is palpable in the sprawling seaside capital, Luanda, where political flags flutter from lampposts and over the traffic-clogged avenues.

Younger voters say they're excited, but can't imagine a country without a man who has ruled for their entire lives. Under his rule, the oil-rich nation has become one of the most unequal countries in the world, and many young people, like 27-year-old student Louis Gabriel, say they can't find work. The economy is a central issue in this poll, with both the ruling party and opposition promising sweeping improvements.

"I think this year will be different because dos Santos is not running, is not running," Gabriel said. "That's why it will be different."

Voting for a better life

Vendor Gniama Yamba says she earns just more than $1 a day selling cheap shoes at an illegal roadside market. Like many Angolans, the 25-year-old says she's frustrated she earns so little in a nation flush with oil wealth. Watchdog Transparency International ranks Angola as one of the world's most corrupt nations, and pins blame on the president and his family for mismanaging the country's ample resources, which include oil and diamonds.

Yamba says she registered to vote for the first time this year, and won't miss dos Santos.

"I won't miss anyone," she told VOA. "We want a new president to organize the country so that we will live well."

But not all first-time voters want change. Gaspar Domingos, 36, recently returned from a long period overseas and says he's sticking with the establishment.

"I'm very expectant, yes," he said, while walking toward a massive rally for the ruling party. "I believe that the MPLA is the big family, is the first community, that has a long story."

Is this real change?

Critics of the regime say the ruling party has intimidated voters and coerced attendance at its massive rallies.

Investigative journalist Rafael Marques has long been a critic of the regime.

"These elections are essentially just a process, because we already know what the results are, and most of the population also knows that the results are," he told VOA. "And the question is whether MPLA will try to understand how disaffected, how unhappy, the population is, and give more space to the opposition."

Opposition leaders are hopeful and confident, as is the ruling party juggernaut; but, for the first time many Angolans can remember, President dos Santos is done.

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Trump: Americans 'Weary' of Longest US War

By William Gallo August 21, 2017

President Donald Trump said Monday in a national address that Americans have grown weary without a victory in the longest U.S. war as he laid out a path forward not only in Afghanistan but in South Asia as well.

Trump said the United States must seek an honorable and enduring outcome in Afghanistan that is worthy of the sacrifices made. He said the consequences of a rapid exit from the country would create a vacuum that would be filled by militants.

He also criticized Pakistan, saying the country has acted as a safe haven for "agents of chaos."

Speaking Sunday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis declined to comment on specifics, including troops levels, but said he was "very comfortable that the strategic process was sufficiently rigorous." Mattis also stressed the president's plan involved more than just Afghanistan, saying it amounted to a full "South Asia strategy."

The State Department on Monday said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had spoken over the phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani about how the United States would like to work with each country to stabilize South Asia through a new, integrated regional strategy.

The White House has said only that Trump's speech will lay out the "path forward" for Afghanistan.

U.S. generals have advised Trump to send several thousand more troops to break the stalemate and retake territory from the Taliban, which controls nearly half the country. But Trump, who campaigned on an "America First" foreign policy, has been reluctant to commit more resources to the country.

For years, Trump has criticized the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, calling it a "complete waste" and advocating a "speedy withdrawal" of U.S. troops so that the U.S. could spend more money "rebuilding" its own country.

Those comments could make it politically tricky for Trump, should he decide to make the case for an open-ended U.S. military commitment to Afghanistan. But just how Trump will define success in Afghanistan isn't clear.

James Dobbins, who served as U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2013-2014, said Trump faces a choice between "losing and not losing."

"Winning is not an option," Dobbins told VOA's Afghan Service.

Trump's Afghanistan policy likely won't be drastically different from the existing strategy, says Wilson Center Asia program deputy director and South Asia senior associate Michael Kugelman.

"Though I imagine that could entail sending several thousand more troops to enhance the current U.S. training mission of the Afghan security forces," Kugelman said. Additional U.S. troops could help train more members of the Afghan special forces, which have been overburdened, Kugelman told VOA. And he said the overall strategy will have to take into account neighboring Pakistan.

"It's very hard to consider a way forward in Afghanistan without looking at the very connected case of Pakistan, which is a bordering country of Afghanistan and also happens to play a key role in the war in Afghanistan because among other things leaders of the Taliban insurgency have used Pakistan as a sanctuary," Kugelman said.

Afghanistan has been the subject of significant debate within the Trump administration.

The president has been skeptical about a victory there. "I want to find out why we've been there for 17 years," he told reporters at one point.

In June, Mattis told a Senate panel: "We are not winning in Afghanistan." The panel's chair, Arizona Republican John McCain, challenged Mattis on the subject. "We want a strategy, and I don't think that's a hell of a lot to ask," McCain said. "We're now six months into this administration. We still haven't got a strategy for Afghanistan. It makes it hard for us to support you when we don't have a strategy."

The Pentagon has been awaiting a final decision by Trump on a proposal to send nearly 4,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Most are advising Afghan forces, though some are tasked with carrying out counterterrorism operations against groups such as the Taliban or the Islamic State's Afghan affiliate.

That number is down significantly from the height of former President Barack Obama's troop surge, which saw nearly 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in August 2010.

"Most Afghans are not expecting any fundamental change in U.S. policy," said Aimal Faizi, an Afghan journalist and aide to former President Hamid Karzai.

"Afghanistan has become a global issue. Any U.S. strategy based on the assumption that Washington alone decides the way forward in Afghanistan is a terrible mistake," he said.

VOA's Victor Beattie contributed to this report.

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Lebanon foils bomb attack on UAE passenger plane: Minister

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:12PM

Lebanon says its forces played a major role in the recent foiling of a bomb attack aboard a passenger plane bound for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Australia.

Lebanon's Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk announced the news in a press conference on Monday, adding that the airplane was supposed to take off from the Australian city of Sydney and land in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi with some 400 passengers on board, at least 120 of them having been Lebanese nationals.

He further said that the four Lebanese-Australian brothers, including one who is in police custody in Lebanon, had plotted to blow up the plane some 20 minutes after takeoff from Sydney Airport, by detonating explosives concealed inside a large Barbie doll and meat grinder.

Machnouk added that one of the brothers, Amer, was supposed to carry out the terror mission in mid-air but he failed to bring the handbag, containing the two bombs, onto the plane because it was seven kilograms above the permitted weight by the airline, and the hidden explosives were sent back to his home in Australia.

The Lebanese minister went on to say that two other brothers, Khaled and Mahmoud, were held in Australia while the fourth, Tarek, a senior member of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, is based in the northern Syrian city of Raqqah, the terror group's de facto capital in the Arab country.

Machnouk said the intelligence department of the Lebanese internal security forces played a major role in uncovering the terror plot, without giving further details. It was not immediately clear how exactly the Lebanese intelligence, in cooperation with Australian authorities, foiled the bomb attack.

Late last month, Australian authorities announced that they had uncovered a credible terror plot to down a passenger plane by sneaking a device onboard, without providing more details, including the exact nature of the threat or any airlines involved.

Earlier this month, Australian police said that they had charged two men with terrorism offenses in Australia in connection with a purported plan to bring down a plane, but it was not immediately clear whether the pair were two of the four brothers.

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Spanish Police Shoot Dead Suspected Barcelona Attack Driver

By VOA News August 21, 2017

Police in Spain have shot dead a man they believe was the driver of Thursday's deadly van attack in Barcelona.

Ending a massive manhunt, police killed Younes Abouyaaqoub after confronting him Monday in a rural area known for its vineyards about 45 kilometers west of Barcelona. Authorities say they shot the fugitive after he held up what appeared to be a bomb belt, which they later discovered was fake.

"We confirm that the man shot dead in #subirats is Younes Abouyaaqoub, author of the terrorist attack in #barcelona," police tweeted on Monday.

Catalan interior minister Joaquim Forn told Catalunya radio that "everything indicates" Younes Abouyaaqoub was behind the wheel of the van during Thursday's Barcelona attack that killed 15 people.

Police say a bomb disposal robot was dispatched to approach the man's body after the shooting to check the apparent suicide belt.

Earlier, authorities said they had been searching for Abouyaaqoub as the last member of a 12-person cell still at large.

Islamic connections

Police have arrested four of the suspects in the 12-man cell, while the rest were either killed by police or died in an accidental explosion at their bomb-making facility on the day before the attack. Many of the suspects had connections to the northeastern town of Ripoll, one of the places where police have focused their investigation.

Authorities say Abouyaaqoub, who was born in Morocco and has Spanish residency, also is suspected of carjacking a man and stabbing him to death as he made his getaway from the Barcelona attack.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack along with another vehicle attack on Friday in which a car crashed into people in the resort town of Cambrils, Spain, and the attackers then got out and tried to stab people. One person was killed and several people were wounded. Authorities believe both attacks were carried out by the same terrorist cell.

Authorities are also looking for an imam named Abdelbaki Es Satty, whom they believe may have radicalized some of those who carried out the attack in Barcelona and the later attack in Cambrils.

Arrests may have prevented more attacks

Deakin University professor of global Islamic politics Greg Barton told VOA that Spain's previous arrests of terrorism suspects could explain why it has not dealt with the same number of attacks as other countries in Europe, such as France and Belgium, in recent years.

"Spain is not immune from these problems, particularly Catalonia, where there are links with northern Morocco," Barton said. "But Spain up until now has been able to keep on top of the problem, whereas France and Belgium have been struggling."

Barton also said there does not seem to be any particular link between the influx of migrants to Europe and these attacks.

"The individuals being recruited have largely grown up in the countries where they're recruited and they launch attacks in neighborhoods familiar to them," he said.

VOA's Victor Beattie contributed to this report.

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DPRK says increasing coal production to fend off sanctions

People's Daily Online

DPRK says increasing coal production to fend off sanctions

(Xinhua) 20:54, August 21, 2017

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Monday that it is increasing coal production to fend off international sanctions.

"Coal miners of the DPRK have turned out in a drive to foil the U.S. reckless sanctions and provocation with increased coal production," said official Korean Central News Agency.

The agency quoted Kim Chang Sok, department director of the Ministry of Coal Industry, as saying the Tukjang Area Coal-mining Complex is a leading unit which has carried out the daily assignment at 105 percent.

The DPRK has been on a drive to maintain economic production in the face of new U.N. sanctions imposed for its nuclear and missile programs.

The new U.N. sanctions have banned export of coal, iron, iron core, lead and sea food products by DPRK.

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India's Main Battle Tanks T-90, T-72 to Become More Lethal

Sputnik News

13:45 21.08.2017

India hopes to add a new dimension to the nation's defense capability by integrating the locally developed third generation missile system with Russia made T-90 and T-72 tanks which is the mainstay of Indian Army's offensive formations.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  India plans to make the Russian origin tanks T-90 and T-72 more lethal by upgrading their missile systems. The Indian government has approved the purchase of third generation anti-tank missile systems which will make the T-90 & T-72 capable of hitting targets up to 8 kilometers during the day as well as night. Currently, the T-90 fleet of the Indian Army is armed with the INVAR missile system.

The Indian Army has proposed specific features of the missile system that are to be developed by the private defense manufacturers. The missile should be capable of being fired from 125 mm gun barrel and should have the ability to carry out pre-flight programmed maneuvers towards a beyond-line-of-sight engagement target.

"The missile should comprise of two parts; msl along with booster & sustainer charge and the second part should only be a pusher/propelling device which can be loaded in the carousel auto loader of Tank T-90 S/T-72," reads a document of the Indian Army.

Meanwhile, the defense ministry has also approved $375 million fund for the purchase of armored fighting vehicle protection and counter measure systems for more than 3000 T-90 tanks. The system will warn & destroy impending attacks from anti-tank guided missiles, rocket propelled grenade/rocket launcher and projectiles fired up to velocity of 1000 m/sec.

"The system should be capable of detecting attack from more than one direction in case of near simultaneous hostile threat (minimum of 0.4 second gap) and neutralize up to two threats. The system should have multi launcher capability/ auto loading to address threats from different directions simultaneously," the Army document revealed.

Indian defense ministry has also approved purchase of 2011 modular engine for T-90 S/SK tanks. It will have a variable power output of 1200-1500 HP to cater for high battle field agility mandated with system/ platform level upgrades planned for the T-90S/SK, including its future variants.

 Sputnik

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Iran Army ready to counter enemy threats

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Aug 21, IRNA -- Iranian Army on Monday lauded defense industry advances and said that 'Army is ready to counter enemy threats.'

'Iran defense industry has become a manifestation of resistance economy, national self-esteem and self-sufficiency despite threats and sanctions,' Army said in a statement released on the occasion of the National Defense Industry Day.

The defense industry has made an exhibition of modern military equipment that meets the demands of armed forces, the Army statement noted.

Iran has reached self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defensive systems.

Islamic Republic developed its defense industry during eight years of Iraqi-imposed war against Iran because it was under the US and its western ally's sanctions.

Iran is now manufacturing its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines, unmanned aerial vehicles, and fighter planes.

9191**2050

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Iran never to ignore any chance to maximize defense power: statement

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Aug 21, IRNA -- Iran's Ministry of Defense and Logistics of the Armed Forces issued a statement on Monday on the threshold of 'Defense Industry Day' underlining that the experts at the industry never ignore any chance to maximize their defense power.

The statement reads that Iran's defense status before triumph of the Islamic revolution was under control of the west led by the US and lacked independence and identity, but after fall of Pahlavi dynasty and coming to power of the Islamic revolution, it could blossom its capabilities through relying and taking advantage of its youth in defense industry and now has amazed all of its friends and enemies for its great achievements in the field.

This year the Defense Industry Day has coincided with the initiation of the 12th government and taking the office of the new defence minister inspiring the role and status of the ministry in increasing the country's security and deterrent power of the Islamic Revolution mainly in strengthening strategic weapons such as missiles and supporting the Islamic resistance movement which secures sustainable national security in approaching international and strategic policies, the statement read.

Tangible realities in the country's defense and security mainly after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) followed by the US disloyalty and in response to the Iranian Majlis has ratified a bill to counter the US sanctions, read the statement, adding that all these developments put the country's defense on the agenda in making use of indigenized capabilities in meeting the country's defense and securities.

Forecasting and taking required measures in dealing with unfair US sanctions will emerge new horizon in the country's defense apparatus which will be manifested in military missions assigned to the Iranian army as well as IRGC, said out the statement.

1430**2050

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Former defense minister appointed as Leader's advisor

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Aug 21, IRNA -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a decree on Sunday appointed former defense minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan as advisor to commander-in-chief in the field of defense industries and armed forces logistics.

"Given your efficient experience in the fields of defense, [defense] industry in particular, I appoint you as advisor to commander-in-chief in the arena of defense industries and armed forces logistics," reads the Leader's decree.

The Leader issued the decree after Brigadier General Amir Hatami won a vote of confidence from Iranian lawmakers on Sunday to replace Dehqan.

Ayatollah Khamenei said that Dehqan is 'expected to regularly monitor scientific research and defense technologies development and present proposals to help promote defensive capabilities'.

Dehqan served as Iran's defense minister in President Rouhani's first term.

8072**1394

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US must pay $245mn compensation to chemical victims of Iraq-Iran war: Judiciary

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 21 August 2017 / 13:38

Tehran (ISNA) - The Iranian Judiciary has issued a ruling demanding the US government pay around $245 million compensation to a number of victims of chemical attacks carried out by Saddam Hussein's troops during the 1980 to 1988 imposed war on Iran.

Iran's Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei made the remarks on Sunday, while noting that the amount would be distributed among 18 victims of the attacks who had filed for the legal action.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians were killed in the Iraqi-imposed war and many more were affected by the chemical weapons like mustard gas that were used by the regime of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Many of those Iranians who were attacked by chemical weapons and are alive today continue to suffer the lingering aftereffects.

Iraq once possessed a huge arsenal of chemical weapons, the production of which was facilitated by exports of chemicals as well as financial and technological support from the United States and other Western countries.

Iraq is believed to acquire the technology and the materials to develop chemical weapons from the US and a number of Western countries. According to reports, US spy agency, CIA, had knew about Iraq's use of chemical weapons as early as 1983, but the US took no action against the violations of international law, and even failed to alert the UN.

End Item

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Iran to Continue Its Missile Program Despite International Pressure

Sputnik News

00:35 21.08.2017

Iran will not abandon its missile program and will continue activities related to the country's defense industry, Iran's new Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Sunday, the Iranian parliament had approved almost all Cabinet candidates proposed by the country's President Hassan Rouhani, except the nominee for the position of the energy minister. Hatami was appointed as the country's new defense minister.

"We will firmly stick to our defense industry and will not allow a day of delay in defense ministry's mission," Hatami told reporters when asked about his response to certain countries' pressure on Iran's missile program as quoted by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). Hatami was speaking on the sidelines of the first cabinet meeting of the newly-formed Iranian Cabinet.

Addressing the parliament on Sunday, Rouhani stressed that the most important goal of the new government would be to safeguard the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

On July 14, 2015, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, collectively referred to as the P5+1 group, signed the JCPOA with Iran on the latter's nuclear program. The deal stipulated a gradual lifting of anti-Iran sanctions in exchange for Tehran's assurances that its nuclear program would remain in a peaceful nature.

On July 29, the US Senate approved a bill on new non-nuclear sanctions against 18 individuals and entities in Iran over the country's missile program and human rights violations. The move has been widely criticized by Iranian senior officials, claiming that the US bill violated the provisions of the JCPOA. Tehran vowed to impose retaliatory measures against US individuals and entities.

 Sputnik

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Iraqi security forces retake 5 villages southwest of Tal Afar from Daesh

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:19PM

Iraqi government forces have managed to seize back five villages near Tal Afar as they are battling the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in joint operations with allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units to push the terrorists out of the northern city.

The commander of Tal Afar Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, announced in a statement on Monday that members of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) had liberated the villages of Tal Rahal, Jabbara, Hussein Idris, Mullah, and Majid southwest of the city, located 63 kilometers west of Mosul, Arabic-language Shafaaq news agency reported.

Separately, Captain Ali Ahmad al-Hindawi of the Federal Police said security forces had destroyed 13 tunnels on the southern outskirts of Tal Afar.

He added that Daesh militants were using the tunnels to freely move into and out of Tal Afar and targeting military units.

Meanwhile, the media bureau of Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha'abi, stated that volunteer fighters and the 9th Armored Division of the Iraqi Army had established full control over the route linking Tal Afar to Mosul.

Additionally, the artillery unit of the 26th Brigade of Hashd al-Sha'abi targeted the important positions of Daesh terrorists in al-Hassan Koi district, killing and injuring scores of the Takfiris.

The shelling resulted in the death of two militant commanders identified as Abu Yusuf al-Russi and Abu Younis Azeri, and destruction of a communications center.

Iraqi forces must rescue Izadi abductees trapped in Tal Afar

Moreover, an Izadi politician has urged Iraqi army troops and their allies to quickly rescue many members of the Kurdish minority, who are believed to be held captive in Tal Afar by Daesh militants.

Vian Dakhil said the fate of children who have been kidnapped, sold or had their identities changed was of particular concern.

"We ask the leaders of the military and security forces to take precautions regarding the large number of kidnapped Izadis still present in Tal Afar and its surrounding villages," Dakhil said in a statement.

She also called upon the advancing Iraqi force to rescue the enslaved Izadis "as soon as possible."

Dakhil asked for the rescued Izadis to be separated from other fleeing civilians and not to be sent to refugee camps.

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Iraq rejects concessions to Kurds over referendum

Iran Press TV

Mon Aug 21, 2017 9:19AM

Iraq has roundly rejected a senior Kurdish official's suggestion to postpone a planned Sept. 25 referendum on independence in return for financial and political concessions from Baghdad, a London-based paper says.

The suggestion made on Sunday by Mala Bakhtiar, executive secretary of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Politburo, came as a Kurdish delegation wrapped up a week-long visit to Baghdad to sound out proposals from the two sides.

In an interview with Reuters, Bakhtiar said the delegates wanted to know "what thing would Baghdad be prepared to offer to the Kurdish region" in return for postponing the referendum, the news agency reported.

A terse statement issued by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday rejected the remarks, stressing that the "unrealistic" proposals had never been raised in negotiations between the two sides, the pan-Arab Al Quds Al Arabi daily reported.

The Kurdish delegation, headed by Rozh Nuri Shawaiys, reportedly held talks with Prime Minister Abadi, President Fuad Masum, and other Iraqi leaders as well as ambassadors of the United States, Iran and Turkey in Baghdad.

The visit came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson formally asked Massoud Barzani, president of the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), to postpone the referendum.

Bakhtiar said Baghdad should help the Kurds overcome a financial crisis and settle debts allegedly owed by their government and agree to settle the issue of disputed regions, such as the oil-rich area of Kirkuk in order to postpone the vote.

"We don't accept to postpone the referendum with nothing in return and without fixing another time to hold it," he said.

The statement by the Iraqi prime minister said Bakhtiar's remarks were his personal views and did not reflect the negotiations between the two sides.

"The Reuters correspondent, quoting the head of the political office of the Kurdish Patriotic Union, has published some claims which are false and unrealistic, and have never been raised in talks with the Kurdish delegation in Baghdad," it said.

"Moreover, Mala Bakhtiar was not a member of the delegation and was not present during the talks," added the statement, a copy of which the London-based newspaper said it had received.

The Iraqi government has rejected the planned referendum as "unilateral" and unconstitutional. Turkey, Iran and Syria, which together with Iraq have sizable Kurdish communities, also oppose an independent Kurdistan.

Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that plans by the leadership in Iraq's Kurdish region to hold a referendum on independence could lead to civil war.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in June strongly criticized the referendum plan, calling it "an error" and "a threat" to Iraq's territorial integrity.

Iraqi Kurdish oil is exported through Turkey, including from the oil-rich area of Kirkuk where Arab and Turkmen communities also live.

Iraq's militia groups which were key to driving out Daesh from much of the country have threatened to expel the Peshmarga from Kirkuk and three other disputed areas - Sinjar, Makhmour and Khanaqin.

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Monday that it is increasing coal production to fend off international sanctions.

"Coal miners of the DPRK have turned out in a drive to foil the U.S. reckless sanctions and provocation with increased coal production," said official Korean Central News Agency.

The agency quoted Kim Chang Sok, department director of the Ministry of Coal Industry, as saying the Tukjang Area Coal-mining Complex is a leading unit which has carried out the daily assignment at 105 percent.

The DPRK has been on a drive to maintain economic production in the face of new U.N. sanctions imposed for its nuclear and missile programs.

The new U.N. sanctions have banned export of coal, iron, iron core, lead and sea food products by DPRK.
Iraqi Forces Kill Several Foreign Daesh Militants by Shelling Tal Afar

Sputnik News

23:34 21.08.2017

The press service of Iraq's Shia militia reported that several foreign militants of Daesh terrorist group were killed as the Iraqi army and supporting militias continues their offensive to retake Daesh-held Tal Afar.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Several foreign militants of Daesh terrorist group were killed as the Iraqi army and supporting militias continues their offensive to retake Daesh-held Tal Afar, the press service of Iraq's Shia militia (Hashd Shaabi) said Monday.

Tal Afar is the last major stronghold of Islamic State (Daesh) militants on the border between Iraq with Syria to the west of Mosul, which was liberated in early July.

"The shelling targeted several foreign militants including abu Youssef al-Roussi and Abu Youness al-Azri, who is a military leader within the group A telecommunications center was destroyed and a member known as Saud Qablan was killed. Moreover, the soldiers department was destroyed," the press service said in a statement, as quoted by the Iraq News outlet.

Earlier in the day, the Iraqi armed forces and militia liberated five villages, gained control over a tunnel network dug by Daesh and killed 20 militants.

On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the beginning of the military offensive aimed at retaking Tal Afar, which is located 30 miles away from recently liberated Mosul.

 Sputnik

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Surrender or Die: Iraqi Jets Drop Leaflets in Daesh-Held Areas Amid Tal Afar Op

Sputnik News

20:45 21.08.2017(updated 22:32 21.08.2017)

Iraqi Air Force planes have dropped leaflets containing calls to surrender over a number of settlements controlled by Daesh amid a new operation to retake the terrorist group's stronghold of Tal Afar.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Sunday, the Iraqi prime minister announced the beginning of the operation to free Tal Afar.

"Air Force jets dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets over Hawija, Al-Qaim, Rawah, Anah and Akashat districts. The leaflets contained news on the Iraqi army's successes and Daesh losses, as well as a warning that all militants will either surrender or die," the press service said in a statement.

The Hawija district is located in the Kirkuk province, north of Baghdad, while Al-Qaim, Rawah, Anah and Akashat are located in the western Anbar province.

Previously, Iraqi officials had not verified publicly that the operation had launched, though Kurdish news agency Rudaw reported in the first week of August that it mission has already commenced.

Earlier on Monday, the Iraqi army seized control over the road between Mosul and Daesh-held Tal Afar.

Prior to the launch of the operation, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said that it believes that Tal Afar liberation will be "easier" than the Mosul campaign.

 Sputnik

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Thousands flee as Iraqi forces advance on ISIL-held Tal Afar - UN

21 August 2017  The top United Nations humanitarian official in Iraq has warned against the consequences of displacement as thousands of civilians are expected to flee from Tal Afar and surrounding communities during the Iraqi military operation to retake these areas from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorist group.

"Thousands of people are fleeing Tal Afar for safety," said Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, in a press release issued yesterday. "Families are trekking for 10 to 20 hours in extreme heat to reach mustering points. They are arriving exhausted and dehydrated."

More than 30,000 people have already fled the district, said Ms. Grande, noting that it is not known how many civilians are still in the areas where fighting is occurring, but preparation is under way for thousands more to flee in coming days and weeks.

"Food and water are running out, and people lack the basic necessities to survive," she said, stressing that nothing is more important than protecting civilians during the conflict while urging the parties to the conflict to avoid civilian casualties.

"The Government is leading the humanitarian operation, providing transport and aid. Humanitarian partners are helping to cover gaps by providing life-saving assistance at mustering points and supporting families when they reach emergency sites and camps," said Ms. Grande.

As of 20 August, less than 50 percent of the funding requested in the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan for Iraq has been received, she said, underscoring the need for additional resources.

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S Korean President Warns of Dangerous Fallout From Any US-N Korea Conflict

Sputnik News

21:49 21.08.2017(updated 21:54 21.08.2017)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in believes that even a minor conflict between Washington and Pyongyang may threaten the lives of South Koreans and foreigners, including the US forces stationed on the Korean peninsula, a presidential spokesman said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The South Korean president also stressed the importance of China's role in bringing North Korea back to negotiations.

"President Moon said he understands why the United States has traditionally said all options were on the table to push North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. But he said even the slightest military action will lead to a clash between the South and North, and it will threaten many lives of not only South Koreans but foreigners, including U.S. forces stationed in South Korea," Park Soo-hyun said at a press briefing, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

The remarks were made during Moon's meeting with a bipartisan group of US lawmakers. The South Korean president also agreed on the need to exert additional pressure on Pyongyang but pointed out that the conflict must be resolved by peaceful means.

"President Moon noted the need to continue sending a clear message to the North that a brighter future will be guaranteed should it choose to come to the negotiations table, while continuously increasing pressure and sanctions on the North," Park said.

Tensions around Pyongyang's missile program have flared up in recent weeks, following the adoption of the UN Security Council sanctions, which led to North Korea trading threats and warnings with the United States. Most notably, Pyongyang said it might consider an attack on the area near the US territory of Guam in the Western Pacific.

Commenting on the sanctions, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to take decisive steps against the United States, including "physical actions." In response, US President Donald Trump threatened to unleash "fire and fury" against North Korea if it endangered the United States.

In July, Russia and China proposed a "double freeze" scenario, in which North Korea ceases its nuclear missile tests, while US-South Korean military drills are simultaneously halted. The initiative was rejected by the United States. North Korea has not yet issued an official response on the matter.

 Sputnik

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U.S. Institutes Visa Restrictions At Its Missions Across Russia, Blames Kremlin Order

RFE/RL August 21, 2017

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow says that "all nonimmigrant visa operations" at U.S. missions across Russia will be suspended as of August 23 due to a Kremlin-imposed cap on staff at U.S. diplomatic facilities.

In an August 21 statement, the embassy said that visa operations will resume "on a greatly reduced scale" on September 1, with nonimmigrant visa interviews conducted "only in Moscow."

Visa operations at the U.S. consulates in St. Petersburg, the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok on the Pacific coast will "remain suspended indefinitely," it said.

"Russia's decision to reduce the United States' diplomatic presence here calls into question Russia's seriousness about pursuing better relations," the U.S. Embassy said.

The U.S. step is the latest development in a bitter back-and-forth between Washington and Moscow, whose relations have hit what officials on both sides say is a post-Cold War low.

Already badly strained by tension over Russia's aggression in Ukraine, its role in the war in Syria, and treatment of dissenters at home, ties were frayed further by what U.S. intelligence officials say was a concerted campaign, ordered by President Vladimir Putin and carried out through cyberattacks and propaganda, to influence the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

After Congress passed a bill imposing sanctions on Russia and making it harder for President Donald Trump to ease or lift the punitive measures, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on July 28 that Washington must reduce its diplomatic staff at the U.S. Embassy and consulates to 455 people by September 1.

Putin later said that meant the United States must cut 755 of the roughly 1,200 staff members at the missions -- many of whom are Russian.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the U.S. decision shortly after the announcement, claiming the move to curtail visa operations is aimed at stirring up resentment among Russians with Putin's government.

The Kremlin's deadline for the reduction of personnel is September 1. A 2013 report by the State Department Inspector-General said that the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok employed 1,279 staff, including 934 "locally employed" staff and 301 U.S. "direct-hire" staff.

In its August 21 statement, the U.S. Embassy said it will be able to maintain adequate staffing "to carry out essential elements of our mission."

It said the operations would remain "at reduced capacity for as long as our staffing levels are reduced" in order to comply with the Russian government's requirement.

The embassy said that all currently scheduled nonimmigrant visa appointments in Russia were being canceled and that applicants will be provided with instructions on how to reschedule their interviews.

The embassy said that in order to comply with "international agreements, diplomatic practice, or customary international law," first priority for nonimmigrant visas must be given for the travel of UN officials, international organizations with offices in the United States, and bilateral missions.

It said priority would be given to other categories of nonimmigrant visa applications -- such as travel for medical or family emergencies -- depending on staff levels.

"This could include funerals, hospitalizations, or legal proceedings," the embassy said.

The Kremlin-ordered U.S. diplomatic staff reductions also will affect the scheduling of interviews for some immigrant visa applicants.

The U.S. Embassy said applicants for immigrant visas will be contacted if there is a change to the time and date of their interview.

For Russian university students who study in the United States, the U.S. Embassy said that it planned to offer a block of visa-interview appointments in early September.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg also will no longer accept new visa applications for residents of Belarus.

Instead, the embassy says residents of Belarus are being encouraged to schedule interview appointments at the U.S. embassies in Warsaw, Kyiv, or Vilnius.

Lavrov said that change has clear political undertones.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the three U.S. consulates in Russia say they will continue to provide the full range of American Citizen Services.

Those services include the issuing of passports, reports on births, assistance to victims of crime, emergency loans, and prison visits.

The U.S. Embassy statement said those services will continue because "the safety and security of American citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-diplomatic- missions-russia-suspend-nonimmigrant-visa- operations/28688075.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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Russia's Top General to Visit Ankara Amid Turkish US Tensions

By Dorian Jones August 21, 2017

Russia's armed forces chief staff, General Valery Gerasimov, is due to visit Turkey this week in the latest step in bilateral regional coordination efforts on Syria. Ahead of Gerasimov's visit, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolgu took a swipe at NATO ally the United States, saying Russia better understood Turkey's concerns about the Syrian Kurdish rebel militia, the YPG.

Washington's strong backing of the YPG in its fight against Islamic State in Syria continues to strain relations between the NATO partners. Ankara accuses the YPG of being linked to the PKK, which is fighting an insurgency in Turkey.

The Syrian civil war had brought Turkish-Russian relations to the breaking point with the two strongly backing opposing forces in the conflict. In November 2015, a Turkish jet downed a Russian bomber operating from a Syrian airbase, but, rapprochement efforts initiated by Ankara have seen relations improve markedly.

The looming defeat of the Syrian rebels and gains by the Syrian Kurdish forces are giving added impetus to a rethink in Ankara's regional foreign policy.

"When it comes to Iraq and Syria and when it comes to the Kurdish issue, Ankara is more and more under pressure, as it feels it's on the losing side," observes former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served widely in the region. "Now Ankara is trying a second approach with Moscow and Tehran and to try to achieve at least some of its priorities, especially getting rid of the perceived Kurdish threat in Syria and Iraq."

General Gerasimov's planned Turkey visit will come just one week after his Iranian counterpart, General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, visited Ankara for three days of talks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who hosted Bagheri, on Monday said common ground had been found with Iran in battling the PKK. "Joint action against terrorist groups that have become a threat is always on the agenda. This issue has been discussed between the two military chiefs, and I discussed more broadly how this should be carried out," Erdogan said before visiting Jordan.

Ankara, Moscow and Tehran are already cooperating over Syria in what has been dubbed the Astana process. The Astana process has presided over the creation of de-escalation zones across Syria. Idlib, one of the last remaining areas under Syrian rebel control, is expected to be discussed during Gerasimov's visit. Local Turkish media report that while the Iranian chief of staff was in Turkey, both sides "shook hands" on resolving Idlib.

Ankara is expected to press the Russian general for cooperation in a military operation, against the YPG, based in the Syrian enclave of Afrin, which borders Turkey. Russian forces are currently deployed in Afrin, a presence that is widely seen as preventing any Turkish operation.

Some analysts warn that Ankara could face disappointment. "As we know, Iran, Russia and Turkey cooperate in Syria, but their strategies as well as their ambitions are different," cautions Zaur Gasimov, an Istanbul-based Russian-Turkish analyst for the Max Weber Foundation.

"The PYD [political wing of the YPG] and PKK have offices in Moscow; second, the PKK is not on the terror organizations' list of Russia and when Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov was asked about this, he said each country has it own parameters when defining terrorist organizations," points out former Turkish diplomat Selcen, who is now a regional analyst.

Selcen also warns Moscow's goal of wiping out all foreign fighters in Idlib runs counter to Ankara's policy, but, Ankara's main agenda, in its courting of Moscow, could be an attempt to extract concessions from Washington. "Ankara is trying to play the Russian card against Washington," observes political scientist Cengiz Aktar, "and Moscow is very happy to alienate Turkey from its Western allies, indirectly hitting not only the United States, but the NATO alliance in general."

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is due later this week in Turkey.

Adding to the discomfort of the United States and Turkey's other Western partners is Ankara's plan to purchase Russia's S400 surface-to-air missile. The multi-billion-dollar sale is also expected to be on General Gerasimov's agenda.

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US Halts Non-immigrant Visas from Russia

By Daniel Schearf August 21, 2017

The United States will halt the issuing of all non-immigrant visas from Russia from Wednesday to September 1, according to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

The embassy says the move is due to the "Russian government-imposed cap" on its staff levels, according to a fact sheet on the U.S. Embassy's website.

"All non-immigrant visa operations across Russia will be suspended on August 23," it said. Visa issuing resumes September 1  but only at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Consulates in St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg will stay frozen for as long as staffing levels are reduced, it read.

The statement said all scheduled appointments for non-immigrant visas would be canceled.

Frustration

Russians outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow voiced frustration Monday with the ban, citing the effect on travelers to the U.S. for tourism, business and education.

"I am very negative about it," said a radio announcer who gave just his first name  Stepan. "Unfortunately, one of my friends was supposed to have an interview on August 24th in Yekaterinburg and she won't get a visa now."

Stepan said Russia's expulsion of U.S. Embassy staff was "out of place" and making things worse for visa applicants.

Others noted that ordinary Russians bore the brunt from the dispute. As many as 200,000 Russians apply for non-immigrant visas to the U.S. annually.

"It is very silly. I think it so silly!" said a doctor who also gave only her first name  Inna. "Why should the people suffer because of something happening between our states?"

Russia response

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed the suspension attempts to stir discontent among Russians over the actions of the Russian authorities.

"It is a well-known logic," Lavrov said, answering a question at a joint press conference in Moscow with his Egyptian counterpart. "And this is the logic of those who organize color revolutions, and it is clearly inertia from the [President Barack] Obama administration.

"As for our response, like I already said, it is necessary to thoroughly study the decisions announced by the American side today. We will see ... I can say only one thing  we will not take it out on American citizens," Lavrov said.

In July, Russia retaliated against U.S. sanctions by expelling U.S. Embassy staff from diplomatic property and demanding their numbers be reduced from 755 to 455 by the end of August.

However, hundreds of Russian citizens employed at the U.S. Embassy are expected to account for most of the lost jobs.

U.S. officials have said the administration plans to announce its own retaliation after September 1.

A series of U.S. sanctions followed Russia's 2014 military interference in Ukraine, including the annexation of Crimea. Russia's hopes for improved relations, and weakened sanctions, under the administration of President Donald Trump have been dashed since Trump took a tougher line at a July speech in Poland. Trump also reluctantly signed onto tighter sanctions against Moscow over alleged Russian spying and meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

VOA's Olga Pavlova contributed to this report.

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Turkish Troops 'Neutralize' About 4,600 Daesh Militants in Syria, Iraq  PM

Sputnik News

16:38 21.08.2017

According to the Turkish prime minister, the country's forces has "neutralized" 4,600 Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Turkey has "neutralized" 4,600 Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq since the launch of its military operations in both countries, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Monday.

"So far, 3,800 in Syria, 800 in Iraq, in total 4,600 Daesh terrorists, have been neutralized. Today, no other country has been more decisive in the fight against Daesh like Turkey," Yildirim said during his visit to Singapore, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency.

The prime minister underlined that Ankara continued to fight against terrorism and cooperation on the international level was key to defeat the global threat.

"In order to end the global threat by terrorist organizations, all countries should fight them through joint efforts, without making distinctions between them and without stressing their ethnic structure or identity  Close cooperation internationally in the fight against terrorism is a must," Yildirim added.

In late March, the Turkish National Security Council announced that Ankara had successfully completed Operation Euphrates Shield in cooperation with the Free Syrian Army in northern Syria, during which the cities of Jarabulus and al-Bab had been liberated from Daesh terrorists. The operation has been widely criticized both by the Syrian Kurds and Damascus, who have accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity.

Turkey also launched an operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed by Ankara as a terror organization, in country's Kurdish-dominated southeastern regions as well as in Syria and Iraq. Tensions between Ankara and the Kurdish pro-independence PKK escalated in 2015, after a ceasefire between the two sides collapsed over a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by the PKK members.

 Sputnik

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U.S. Envoy On Ukraine Conflict Meets With Russia's Surkov In Minsk

RFE/RL August 21, 2017

The new U.S. special envoy for efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Kurt Volker, has met with a Kremlin aide in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that Volker and Vladislav Surkov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin's point man for the conflict in eastern Ukraine, met behind closed doors.

The U.S. State Department announced on August 18 that Volker and the Russian representative would discuss "Russian-Ukrainian relations."

After the meeting, Surkov said his discussion with Volker was "useful and constructive," Russian news agencies reported.

There was no immediate comment from Volker.

Volker's talks with Surkov kick off three days of U.S. diplomacy on the war between Russia-backed separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014.

From Minsk, Volker will head to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to meet with senior government officials on August 22 to discuss "the way forward in Ukraine," the State Department said.

On August 23, Volker will join U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in meetings with senior Ukrainian government officials to discuss "the next steps in diplomatic negotiations to restore Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the department said.

After Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed from power in February 2014 by massive pro-European protests, Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region and fomented separatism in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Russia-backed separatists seized parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, which border Russia, and the war has persisted despite a pact known as Minsk II, a February 2015 agreement on a cease-fire and steps to resolve the conflict.

Sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union have not prompted Russia to abandon its support for the separatists or fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements.

Tillerson named Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, as the U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations in July.

In an interview with Current Time TV in July, Volker said that ending the fighting will require agreement by all sides on two major principles -- the "territorial integrity of Ukraine, security of all the people" -- and a change in Russia's approach. Current Time TV is the Russian-language network, run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.

He said that the United States is considering sending Kyiv weapons to help government forces defend themselves against Russia-backed separatists. To date, the United States has provided only nonlethal military aid.

Relations between Moscow and Washington have been driven to a post-Cold War low by disagreements over issues including Russia's aggression in Ukraine, its role in the war in Syria, and its alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-minsk-volker-meeting -russia-fighting/28687815.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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A few rogue clouds created some tense moments for hundreds of skygazers who gathered Monday afternoon at the Danville Science Center to witness a stellar delight.

The long-awaited, coast-to-coast solar eclipse arrived in the Danville area on schedule Monday, with the moon working its way in front of the sun from about 1 p.m. until it covered close to 92 percent of the suns surface at 2:43 p.m.

In the days leading up to the eclipse, people were active on social media, frantically asking where eclipse glasses could be found. Basically, the answer was nowhere  locally, stores were sold out and there wasnt enough time for special shipments.

The science center promoted it had about 240 pairs of glasses and announced they would be handed out beginning at 1 p.m. Monday.

Matthew Holder arrived at the science center with a friend and 12:30 p.m. only to find the line for the table with eclipse glasses was already stretched back to the sidewalk and down to the railroad tunnel by the train station.

They said they were encouraging people to share, Holder said. But I dont think anyone will be sharing.

Denise Hubbard and her son, Ryan, were further toward the front of the line and did get glasses, which they did offer to let people use.

We got here about 12:20 p.m. and the line was back to the edge of the street, Ryan Hubbard said. When we got [to the front of the line] there were probably about 20 pairs left.

Adam Goebel, executive director of the science center, said the glasses were distributed quickly.

He said 240 pairs of glasses went in about five minutes.

The entire class from SOVAH Health-Danville  10 students and two instructors  arrived and missed out on glasses.

But Meghan Setliff, the classs clinical instructor, had a pair and shared with her students.

Setliff said the group had just moved into the Spectrum Medical building  the former Dan River Research building in the River District  the day before and walked down to the science center to watch the eclipse.

It was neat, Setliff said. We came here because I dont want anyone to look up without glasses anymore  I didnt realize they would run out so fast.

By the time 1:30 p.m. arrived, about 800 people had gathered at the science center, many making their way into the Digital Dome Theater for a live feed from NASA showing the event across the country. Another television screen for the live feed also was set up in the science centers lobby.

Outside, telescopes and binoculars  as well as a Sunspotter that projected the image of the eclipse on a white surface were available for glimpses at the eclipse, and many people were sharing their glasses with passersby.

Carolyn Stephens, Kyle Yarboro, and their daughter, Victoria Stephens, made their own viewing instruments with pieces of the glass used to make welding masks they taped to pieces of cardboard and boxes to create eclipse glasses  and did offer to others to get a look at the eclipse.

We got the glass at a welding supply store for $4 each, Yarboro said.

There was a tense few minutes at about 2:20 p.m., when clouds hid the sun and reports of rain in Ringgold had people fretting about missing the eclipse.

Thats one thing we have no control over, Brian Buchanan, education coordinator for the science center, said as we waited for the telescope he was manning to see the sun again.

The clouds moved out of the way just in time for the eclipse.

If you missed this eclipse, the next solar eclipse viewable in the Danville area will come in 2024, Goebel said.

It will not be a coast-to-coast event, coming into the country instead from Mexico and working its way up through Illinois, New York and Maine before moving into Nova Scotia, Canada, Goebel said.
Coal exports from the United States are up 60 percent from last year, a figure President Donald Trump triumphantly cited at a rally in West Virginia earlier this month.

I made you a promise during the campaign, Trump said. As youve seen, Ive kept that promise. As president, we are putting our coal miners back to work. Weve ended the war on beautiful, clean coal.

Trump is quick to claim his push to eradicate some environmental regulations created the uptick in the coal industry, but the sectors recent momentum has more to do with the international market, according to industry watchers.

While coal miners, industry leaders and officials in Southwest Virginia expressed relief at the industry's recent turn for the better, they agree: This is not the start of a second heyday for coal.

Australian floods help miners here

The United States' market for metallurgical coal is rebounding. And Southwest Virginia, which counts 60 percent to 70 percent of its coal as met coal used for steelmaking, is showing signs of recovery.

Only about 10 percent of the country's coal is used to make steel.

The remainder is thermal or steam coal, which is used for power and heat generation. Steam coal isnt experiencing the same boost as metallurgical coal largely because of the growth in natural gas, which is quickly becoming a cheaper and more readily available energy source. Many energy companies also are phasing out their coal-fired power plants and supplementing natural gas generation with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.

International demand for metallurgical coal is soaring for a few key reasons.

China, the worlds largest consumer of coal, recently has cracked down on domestic production because of environmental concerns. Meanwhile, China's steel production is hitting record highs, causing the country to import more coal.

This spring, Cyclone Debbie rocked Australia, damaging the worlds largest metallurgical coal mining region. The storm and severe flooding damaged rail lines used to transport coal, bringing production and transportation to a standstill.

As a result, coal prices are up.

Weve been on a downward trend for a while, but we may be able to stabilize it because of this demand for metallurgical [coal] right now, said Harry Childress, president of the Virginia Coal and Energy Alliance.

The international market is driving increases in coal production and employment in the U.S., Childress said. But the former head of Virginias Department of Mines, Minerals and Energys Mine division declined to cite specific examples of local mines hiring additional workers.

The U.S. has added more than 1,000 new coal mining jobs since the start of the year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. An S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis of federal employment data shows coal employment is up with more than 250 new jobs added in the second quarter of this year. Most of the new jobs are clustered in central Appalachia, which produces large quantities of metallurgical coal.

In Bluefield, Virginia, Komatsu Mining Corp. called back 65 employees and plans to hire up to 15 more, said company spokeswoman Caley Clinton.

The company formerly known as Joy Global Inc. manufactures excavators, trucks, continuous mining machines and other equipment largely used for longwall and room-and-pillar mining.

Komatsu equipment is used for various types of mining, not just coal. The mining industry long has exhibited a boom and bust pattern, but now mining across the board is starting to boom again, Clinton said.

Were just excited that after a prolonged downturn, were starting to see things pick up, so it certainly seems like the momentum is swinging upward for the time being, she said.

Norfolk Southern Corp. has noticed a resurgence as its coal exports are up 78 percent from this time last year. Coal revenues are up 32 percent from last year on a 27-percent gain in coal volume.

The rail company expects to exceed last years performance , though the gains wont be as drastic during the second half of 2017, Alan Shaw, the companys executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said during a presentation on second-quarter earnings.

The growth may flatten later in the year as Australias coal production stabilizes, said Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem. While the industry is unlikely to return to where it was when it was thriving, the congressman who represents Virginias coalfields region predicts it will become healthy again.

When youve been bleeding jobs for two or three years in the region  and suddenly, youre adding new jobs back, I dont know if I would call it surging, but I do think well see a more stable industry, Griffith said.

Rules rollback

Adele Morris, a senior fellow and policy director for the Climate and Energy Economics Project at The Brookings Institution, warns the coal industrys longterm outlook isnt promising.

Trump cant deliver on his promise to revive the coal industry because the industry faces numerous foes, she said. Low natural gas prices, automation, competition in the international market and others all are hurting coal.

Morris said Trump is peddling a false cure, disillusioning people and communities reliant upon the coal industry for survival.

Were still in relatively early days of this administration, she said. How long is it until people realize theyre not able to fulfill these promises and they really start holding the administration accountable for the misleading promises?

Metallurgical coal is experiencing ebbs and flows in the export market, but thats likely temporary and is not linked to Trumps administration, Morris said.

The metallurgical coal market is dependent on the foreign appetite for steel. China is hungry, but its cheaper and easier for that country to boost domestic production or import coal from Australia than it is to rely on U.S. coal, she said.

Phil Smith "It's a heck of a lot faster to get coal from Australia than it is from here." Phil Smith, spokesman for United Mine Workers of America

I think its time to recognize the grim prognosis in the long run for the industry, she said. It doesnt get easier the longer you wait. Youre going to lose population. Youre going to get into a downward spiral thats really hard to get out of.

Earlier this year, Trump announced his intention to exit the Paris Climate Accord  a pledge for the nearly 200 countries that joined to adopt renewable energy sources and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Trump also signed a bill repealing former President Barack Obamas last-ditch effort to protect streams from the effects of coal mining. The Stream Protection Rule, issued in the last days of Obamas presidency, would have required coal companies to restore coal mine areas and nearby streams to their previous condition, before excavating.

The United Mine Workers of America supported Trump on both actions. But Phil Smith, a spokesman for the group, said that while rolling back those regulations creates a brighter future for the industry, it doesnt reverse any of the losses experienced in recent years.

No coal miner lost their jobs because of either one of those things because neither one of them has actually been implemented yet, he said.

The mineworkers union typically sees an influx in membership when workers are heading back to the mines, but their membership numbers do not show that to be the case now, Smith said.

While the improving market for coal is encouraging, indicators suggest the boom only will last for about a year due to stabilization of the international market, Smith said. Coal is not a safe bet in the long term because of the volatility in the international market, he said.

Its a heck of a lot faster to get coal from Australia than it is from here, he said.

Trump-inspired optimism

People who have devoted their life's work to coal aren't ready to quit on an industry that has lost approximately 40,000 jobs in the past five years.

Ramaco Resources plans to start up new mines in West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania over the next two years. The company also plans to fire up the Berwind Mine, which straddles the West Virginia-Virginia border, this year.

Company officials predict the metallurgical mine will start with about 50 workers and could work its way up to about 200 within two years. Company President and CEO Mike Bauersachs expects the mine will employ Virginia and West Virginia residents.

We think theres a great future for our metallurgical coal properties, he said. We think theyll be some of the best mines for the next two decades or three decades.

In deciding to build out their business, Ramaco officials were encouraged by the high market prices of metallurgical coal in the past 18 months.

Thomas McLoughlin "When Mr. Trump got elected, it was like somebody had taken the finger out of the tank and Ive been pretty busy ever since. Thomas McLoughlin, former U.S. Department of Labor inspector

Ramaco is one of a few coal mining companies that have gone or will go public this year, banking on the strength of metallurgical coal in the international market. When shares went on sale in February, the company offered 6 million at $13.50 apiece.

Trumps deregulation efforts added a sense of confidence to Ramacos expansion even though the company was planning for the new mines before the 2016 presidential election was decided, Bauersachs said.

We were hopeful that he [Trump] would make change," Bauersachs said. "We needed it. At least we knew we didnt have the alternative, which would have been extremely bad for the coal industry.

That alone wont turn the industry around from its more marginalized position, he said. But Bauersachs is hopeful for an overall friendlier attitude toward coal once Trump finishes nominating various federal department heads for agencies such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Thomas McLoughlin of Norton spent nearly 30 years inspecting coal mines for the U.S. Department of Labors Mine Safety and Health Administration. After retiring in 2009, McLoughlin, 64, started training coal miners.

Business was stagnant at first as McLoughlin struggled to make a name for himself. But the bigger problem was the lack of coal mining jobs, he said. With few open jobs, McLoughlin had few customers. He needed all of the clients he could find because his pension didnt cover all his bills.

When Obama was elected, it [coal] just about fell out to bottom, he said. Of course, when Mr. Trump got elected, it was like somebody had taken the finger out of the tank and Ive been pretty busy ever since.

The winds have shifted. So far this year, McLoughlin has trained about 200 new miners in Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia. For the most part, he trains workers who have jobs lined up but need new or updated certifications. The training can last anywhere from one day to two weeks.

McLoughlin chalks up the growth in the coal industry to bad weather in Australia and Trumps rollback of some Obama-era environmental regulations. Thanks partly to Trump, the industry is getting its strength back. Coal is no longer defenseless, he said.

In November, McLoughlin cast his ballot for Trump. Trumps business background and promises to revive the coal industry convinced McLoughlin the real estate mogul was right for the job.

I think a lot of people realize already that we may come out of this, he said. I think we needed a businessman.
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Kapuskasing Gold Corp. (TSX-V: KAP) (the Company or KAP) announces that it has executed and finalized, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, the formal option agreement (the Agreement) to earn a 100% interest in the Sterling Property, contiguous to the Lady Pond Property, located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) as announced May 9, 2017. The Lady Pond Property consists of 98 claims totaling 2450 hectares in size and covers a number of historic shafts, mine workings and areas of economic historical drilling.

Pursuant to the Agreement, KAP may earn a 100 percent interest in the Sterling Property for total consideration of 1,800,000 shares, $25,000 in cash payments and a work commitment of $250,000 over four years. The Vendor shall retain a 3% net smelter royalty (NSR) interest. The Company retains the option to buy back 2% of the NSR for $2,000,000.

The Lady Pond Property lies immediately adjacent to the town of Springdale and can be accessed via numerous logging roads and ATV trails throughout the property. Rambler Mining and Metals PLC operate a base metal mill at Baie Verte and currently own the historic Little Deer and Whalesback copper deposits (approximately 7 million tonnes of 2.25% Cu). Both of these projects are situated on contiguous claims to the west of the Lady Pond Property.

The geology underlying the Lady Pond Property consists entirely of the Lush Bight group of rocks, which is the same lithology which hosts the nearby Little Deer and Whalesback copper deposits. The Lady Pond Property is host to several historic copper occurrences (Cyprus Type VMS deposits), the most notable of which include the Sterling Mine, the Twin Pond prospect and the Lady Pond Mine, all of which have exploration histories dating back to the late 1800s. The Sterling Mine hosts a NI 43-101 non-compliant, historic resource of approximately 1,000,000 tonnes of 1% copper, and is open in all directions. This non-compliant resource was calculated from drilling and evaluations performed during the late 1960s. The Sterling Mine is situated approximately 1.5 km to the southwest of the Twin Pond Prospect where an additional 32 holes has been drilled but no calculation of any kind has been made. Lady Pond Mine is located approximately 3 kms to the northeast of Twin Pond.

The Company is treating the tonnage and grade estimates above as historical estimates. The historical estimates do not use categories that conform to current CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves as outlined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) and have not been redefined to conform to current CIM Definition Standards. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources and the Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources. More work, including, but not limited to, drilling, will be required to confirm the estimates to current CIM Definition Standards. Investors are cautioned that the historical estimates do not mean or imply that economic deposits exist on the Property. Other than as provided for in this press release, the Company has not undertaken any independent investigation of the historical estimates or other information contained in this press release nor has it independently analyzed the results of the previous exploration work in order to verify the accuracy of the information. The Company believes that the historical estimates and other information contained in this press release are relevant to continuing exploration on the Property because they identify significant mineralization that will be the target of the Companys exploration programs.

There are over 50 historic drill holes on the property, the most notable intersections include:

Sterling Deposit

4.42m  5.50% Cu from 38.10 to 42.52m

6.10m  2.32% Cu from 106.68 to 112.78m

4.57m  1.45% Cu from 50.29 to 54.86m

Twin Pond Prospect

3.35m  4.20% Cu from 82.30 -85.65m

3.05m  2.16% Cu from 33.53 to 36.58m

3.05m  3.20% Cu from 70.14 -72.54m

Lady Pond Prospect

8.10m - 2.61% Cu

A preliminary three dimensional geological modeling of the historic drilling results for Sterling and Twin Pond has been performed and will prove to be a useful and highly effective tool to better understand the Sterling and Twin Pond potential. Based on the initial results, significant gaps in drilling between high grade intersections have been identified. A detailed compilation of the historical data is currently underway and a phase I drill program is being planned to commence in September, 2017, upon receipt of permits. An Induced Polarization Survey is also being planned for the area in between the Sterling and Twin Pond Prospects.

Mr. Garry Clark P.Geo, (Exploration Manager and a director of the Company) a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed the technical content of this release. The content of the geological data presented has been derived from the Provinces Mineral Deposit Database and exploration assessment files and are believed to be accurate and correct.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Kapuskasing Gold Corp.

Jonathan Armes

President & CEO

Phone 1 (416) 708-0243

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including will, anticipates, expected to, plans, planned and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Companys management discussion and analysis as filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements.

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/Kapuskasing08222017.pdfSource: Kapuskasing Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:KAP)

To follow Kapuskasing Gold Corp. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.

Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com

Copyright  2017 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Government has a data problem. Put simply, it collects so much of it that it struggles to analyze most of it.Of course, states and localities already use data analytics for a lot of things. Departments of revenue, for instance, rely on it to curb tax fraud. Public schools use it to measure student performance and figure out how to boost grades and graduation rates. Cities turn to it to manage traffic congestion and monitor air pollution. But despite all of this, governments are still collecting vast amounts of data and, well, doing nothing with it. A lot of time is spent and wasted trying to find the right data, says Adnan Mahmud, founder and CEO of LiveStories , a firm that creates digital tools for visualizing data. Very little time is spent exploring it.Mahmud estimates that government workers spend about 80 percent of their time trying to find data and only about 20 percent of their time analyzing it. We need to flip that number, he says. He and others argue that government needs a better way to sift through and tell the story that lies behind the data it collects. But most important, it needs people who can analyze and diagnose what it means.Thats where citizen data scientists come in. These people arent statisticians or analysts by training, nor are they coders -- the people who build apps using government data and programming software during hackathons. Rather, these are skilled workers who can generate predictive models or pursue data analysis using new software tools or apps. The technology research firm Gartner predicts that as much as 40 percent of data science tasks will be either automated or conducted by these nonexperts by 2020.In the public sector, citizen data scientists range from volunteers to government workers. Dr. Matt Willis, a public health officer for Marin County, Calif., uses citizen data scientists to tackle a range of problems, from finding better ways to manage the countys emergency services to stemming the exploding opioid epidemic. Hes excited by the potential and says that its increasingly important for governments to provide tools that allow people who are not analysts to conduct analytical research.Marin County has begun using report cards that present data in what Willis calls a storytelling format so that everyone from county workers and government partners to policymakers can better understand the correlations between certain sets of data. Hes hoping its a first step toward encouraging citizen volunteers to begin to do their own analysis using the countys open data and tools.Tom Schenk, Chicagos chief data officer, has similar hopes. He says that with the right planning, the city can get high-quality predictive models using nonexperts and volunteers. Already, the city has used citizen data scientists to predict with a high degree of accuracy when the citys beaches could be affected by an outbreak of E. coli. Another project the city hopes to engage nonexperts on is to accurately gauge how much rainwater runoff goes into the citys sewers and how much can be diverted by more environmentally friendly methods.But some in governments are wary about letting volunteers and nonexperts interpret data using dashboards and other analytical tools. These officials are worried citizen data scientists will see things that government doesnt want them to see. For instance, will a map reveal awkward disparities in how rich and poor neighborhoods receive public funding? They also worry that the correlations and predictions could end up being spurious or distracting. Already theres a cottage industry of unusual and ridiculous correlations. One online meme jokingly notes a correlation between the release of Nicolas Cage movies and the number of swimming pool drownings in the U.S.Mahmud, Willis, Schenk and others think these concerns can be avoided. When government makes sure the data is presented in the proper context and the right parameters are set around the project, the prospect of something going wrong can be minimized, says Willis. I believe we can benefit from the collective wisdom of the community.
Airbnb travelers in South Dakota will pay a little more starting Sept. 1.The company behind the vacation rental website announced Thursday that it's reached an agreement with South Dakota to start collecting and remitting state and local taxes.The taxes  4.5 percent to the state and between 1 and 2 percent to local governments  will be billed when a room or home is booked.The move is a win for officials in South Dakota, which doesn't have an income tax and depends on sales taxes to fund government. Sales tax revenue has been in decline in part from a shift to online spending where tax collection is less consistent.Amazon reached an agreement to collect and remit taxes to the state in January.Meanwhile, South Dakota is locked in a court battle over internet sales tax collections with Overstock.com and other online businesses. The state hopes the lawsuit will force the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a 1992 ruling that online retailers have used to duck taxes outside their home states.
In 2015, Barack Obama became the first sitting president to visit a prison. Since then, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, a former district attorney, has walked the halls of his state's prisons 21 times."Weve got to turn [prisons] from these very dark places that we try to push out of our thought process and have them foremost in our thought process," Malloy said at a conference last week.He was talking about "Face to Face," a new initiative that encourages elected state officials to meet the people affected by their criminal justice policies. Malloy and seven other governors have so far opted to sit down for conversations with inmates, corrections officers and crime victims as part of Face to Face.The initiative was launched this year by the Council of State Governments Justice Center and co-sponsored by the Association of State Correctional Administrators, the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Reentry Resource Center and JustLeadershipUSA -- an organization that trains ex-offenders to become advocates for change."This is a bit of a departure for us," says Suzanne Brown-McBride, acting executive director of the Justice Center.The Justice Center regularly releases data-heavy reports on juvenile justice, recidivism, substance abuse and mental health in states. It also offers trainings and tools for practitioners in the field. While that work is also informed by interviews with people involved in the criminal justice system, Brown-McBride says "this is the first time we've focused so singularly on those voices. We're hoping [governors] keep the voices and experiences of those impacted by the criminal justice system in mind."Last week, Missouri GOP Gov. Eric Greitens worked alongside corrections officers at a prison. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, visited a transitional house for ex-offenders. Nevada's Republican governor, Brian Sandoval, hosted a lunch with former inmates and their families. And Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana toured a women's recovery program in a correctional facility.Behind the statistics are real people, and by meeting face to face, we can gain a greater understanding of how to turn every potential opportunity into a success story," said Bullock The participation of both Republican and Democratic governors reflects the fact thatcriminal justice reform has become a rare bipartisan issue. And when it comes to criminal justice, the power for change lies with states and localities. Proof of that is in the numbers: More than 90 percent of people incarcerated in America are in state prisons and local jails.Later in the year, the Face to Face campaign will engage with other elected state officials, but Brown-McBride says they "wanted to start with governors because they set such a tone and tempo for the work that happens in their states."The Council of State Governments is a national association that counts governors, attorneys general, and state lawmakers among its members. So far, participants in the Face to Face initiative include the governors of Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina and Utah, as well as Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.
The El Paso City Council narrowly voted against creating a municipal identification card program amid concerns that the measure would lead to the border city being perceived as the kind of "sanctuary" jurisdiction that has been the target of President Donald Trump and Texas' Republican leaders.In a 5-4 vote, the council voted down funding the program, which immigrant rights groups and advocates for the poor have called for since 2014 as a way for those unable to obtain a driver's license or other state-issued identification sign up for bank accounts and access city services such as libraries. Applicants would have had to prove they reside in the city to obtain the card.Mayor Dee Margo cast the deciding vote against the measure, explaining that he didnt want El Paso to be perceived as sanctuary city  the common term for a jurisdiction that doesnt enforce state or federal immigration laws.In May, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4, which punishes elected and appointed officials for enacting policies that ignore federal immigration laws. The punishment for doing so could be jail time and the denial of grant funds from the entity in violation. Opponents of the measure have filed a lawsuit to halt the law, which takes effect Sept. 1. A federal judge has yet to rule on that case.The Trump administration has also spoken in recent months about cutting off some federal funds from "sanctuary" jurisdictions.I do not want to give the inference that we are a sanctuary city, as we are not, Margo, a former Republican state representative, said in a statement. Redevelopment grants are critical to the economic development of our community, and we cannot afford to put those funding opportunities in jeopardy.Margo added that the cost of the program was too high when he considered the citys other pressing needs like public safety. The city was debating a potential match of $320,000 with the county for the identification program, according to the city council agenda.In a statement, the Border Network for Human Rights, which launched the petition in support of creating the program in 2014, said the city gave in to political pressure."Fear mongering ran deep in todays discussion. SB 4 was invoked  even though it does nothing to prohibit a Community ID program," BNHR spokesperson Gabriela Castaneda said. "The Council was threatened, intimidated, and bullied by racists, and, ultimately, it worked. This bodes ill for our city."The vote shouldnt be a complete surprise after the council expressed concerns as early as April 2016 over how the ID card would be viewed by state leaders, according to a city report issued then.In the past year, there has been legislation filed at both the state and federal level regarding sanctuary cities. These bills seek to prohibit local government entities from having policies, ordinances, and rules that prohibit or interfere with the enforcement of immigration laws, the citys report states.Proponents of the measure cited similar projects in Oakland and San Francisco as examples of where the municipal ID program has worked. They also made clear that the card wouldnt have the same benefits as a Texas drivers license and couldnt be used for travel or to get through a TSA checkpoint.El Paso County is still considering an ID card for its residents.
(TNS) - Anchorage residents may clamor for speed bumps to slow traffic in neighborhoods, but for firefighters rushing to burning buildings or heart attacks, speed bumps are a headache  sometimes literally."You hit your head even with the seat belt on," said fire marshal Cleo Hill. "It's pretty physically jarring to the staff inside the engine company."In 2016, a change in fire codes gave Hill new authority over speed bumps, which are especially hard on big, fast-moving trucks  and the occupants inside. Hill has been flexing her power on proposed projects. As a result, city traffic engineers say, Anchorage speed bump construction has been halted.Theres also a compromise in the works. Behind an old fire station in the Airport Heights neighborhood, traffic engineers are testing several sets of raised bumps with grooves in the middle that allow a wide-axle fire truck to pass through. Known as a speed cushion, its a design used elsewhere in the United States but hasnt yet reached Anchorage.Traffic engineers hope it will help re-start Anchorage's speed bump projects and ease the longstanding concerns from fire officials over firefighter safety and access for emergency vehicles."Speed humps have a long and tortured history in this town," said Stephanie Mormilo, the city traffic engineer.When Mormilo started her job in 2011, she said, then-Mayor Dan Sullivan had eliminated the city's "traffic calming" program, the term for reducing the speed of cars and trucks in neighborhoods. The program lurched back to life in the next year or two, and Mormilo hired a community engagement director.Anchorage community councils frequently include speed bumps on capital project wish lists submitted annually to the city. Bruce Roberts, the president of the Abbott Loop Community Council, said neighbors complain constantly of cars cutting through surface neighborhood streets to avoid stoplights.At a recent Northeast Community Council meeting in Muldoon, a resident told a vivid story about witnessing a car hitting a neighbor. She pleaded for speed bumps.After receiving such requests, city traffic engineers head out with radar guns and road tubes to count cars, record their speeds and figure out if the street actually has a speeding problem. If the engineers decide the project is necessary, it's given a priority for a grant.Mormilo said engineers avoid recommending speed bumps for streets that see heavy daily traffic, or are the primary routes used by emergency responders to get into neighborhoods.But when it comes neighborhood roads with lower traffic volume, it's less clear-cut, Mormilo said."How often are fire and emergency response having to go down streets, when speeding problems are on the street 365 days a year?" Mormilo said. "It's hard for me to say we should not do something, even if it might have a negative impact on the rare occasion they need to use the road."Rick Irwin, the president of the Northeast Community Council, said he'd rather see fire trucks slow down than all vehicles driving fast.Fire Capt. Tom Wescott, of Fire Station 5 in Spenard, said the opinions about speed bumps vary within the fire department. He said that in his view, poor road conditions, like ruts and potholes, make it tougher on fire crews. Spenard has a lot of speed bumps, but the station's experienced firefighters who drive the trucks are adept at avoiding them by taking alternate routes, Wescott said."It may be a little trade-off for some safety in the neighborhood, the kids and that," Wescott said. "We kind of adjust, make it work."In April 2016, the Anchorage Assembly adopted an updated set of international fire codes. The new fire code said that traffic-calming devices, like speed bumps, needed the approval of the fire marshal.Since then, Hill has vetoed several projects, referencing the new fire code. The code's aim is to encourage speed bump designs that accommodate emergency vehicles, Hill said. Hill also noted firefighters can be jostled when a fire truck drives over traditional speed bumps, though she said she wasn't aware of any worker's compensation claims resulting from a bumpy ride.Hill recalled turning down one proposed project off of Boundary Avenue in Muldoon. Residents of an apartment building asked for speed bumps. But Hill concluded there was no other way for a fire truck to get to the apartments.Mormilo said she understood the problem: Speed bumps translate into anywhere from an eight- to 20-second slowdown for a vehicle."When you're talking about a cardiac event, seconds can mean lives," Mormilo said. "It's a conversation both of impact to equipment, impact to personnel and impacts as far as response times go."The city installed 13 speed bumps last summer in North Anchorage. This year, traffic engineers had planned to install speed bumps in Turnagain and Abbott Loop neighborhoods. Those are now on hold while traffic engineers work with fire officials on the "speed cushion" design, Mormilo said.She noted in other U.S. cities, some traffic engineers, in response to similar conflicts with fire officials, have banned speed bumps outright. Others have adopted new designs, like the speed cushion.Anchorage's speed cushions are expected to cost between $12,500 and $15,000 each, which includes signs and markings. That's a few thousand dollars more than a standard speed bump, according to Kris Langley, traffic safety division manager for the city. But Langley said it's helpful to have another tool for slowing cars, in addition to methods like raised intersections, roundabouts and radar speed signs, that fire officials generally support.If testing goes well, the hope is to resume Anchorage's speed bump projects by next spring, with the new design, Mormilo said.2017 the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska)Visit the Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, Alaska) at www.adn.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) - Torrential rains fell overnight causing historic flooding in south Kansas City, Mo., and leading to water rescues and evacuations. As many as 9 inches of rain fell since Monday.Early Tuesday firefighters rescued a woman stranded in a tree at 103rd Street and Wornall Road when Indian Creek flooded the area. That creek, which saw record flooding last month, set a new record of 28.22 feet overnight.A family of seven were trapped on top of their roof after rushing floodwaters surrounded their home at 155th Street and Kenneth Road. The Overland Park Fire Department have been in contact via phone with the family of three adults and four children and their pets.Because they are not in immediate danger and the water levels around them are receding, crews will allow those water levels to drop to safer levels before evacuating the family. Firefighters said the family is calm.Floodwaters were out of the banks of Indian Creek and over bridges as businesses, apartments and homes were inundated and residents were evacuated. Numerous water rescues were ongoing early Tuesday.Kansas City police and firefighters responded to more than 272 water-related calls since 10 p.m. Monday and into Tuesday morning.Of those calls, 62 were for water rescues. First responders rescued 40 people from the Swope Parkway Industrial Complex.The American Red Cross set up an emergency shelter Tuesday at the Southeast Community Center in Swope Park, where at least two families arrived in the morning after being displaced by flooding along Indian Creek.Shelter manager Terri Layton said the shelter would be open throughout the day. Right now, were providing them with a safe place to rest, to get something to eat, until we can get them home, she said.Emergency responders are closely monitoring the Blue River that is estimated to crest around noon. They were paying close attention to the area near 85th Street and Hickman Road.Around 10:30 a.m. an emergency rescue team with a boat retrieved workers who were trapped in the flooded Dodson Industrial District along the Blue River on 85th Street between Prospect Avenue and Hickman Mills Drive.A half dozen employees at Ryan Lawn and Tree, rescued by the emergency crew, had gone into work around 6 a.m., after the rain had stopped at a time 85th was still clear.They didnt know the river was rising until other workers trying to get to the shop called around 6:30 a.m. and said 85th street was closed and flooded.Thats when we went out and looked, Mark DeDonder said. We couldnt get out.What they saw was flooding at a level they hadnt seen before or ever expected.We never figured it would get this tall, Frank Dobbins said.At the corner of 85th and Hickman Mills Drive, employees at Genesys System Integrator had to unbolt a section of steel fencing and lay down an improvised driveway of pallets and plywood to drive vehicles out as the flood was rising over its parking lot, manufacturing manager David Summa said.Finally, about 10:10 a.m. a bolt marker they had set down and moved at the edge of the water showed that the river crest was finally receding.Staff at Jack Stack Barbecue Catering south of 135th Street on Holmes Road in Martin City drove trucks to safety as water from the Blue River and storm sewers flooded the parking lot and approached its buildings.Its still coming up, said general manager Chris Hayes around 8 a.m.. Hes been with company 12 years and has never seen it do this before.Across the street, Cornerstones of Cares Ozanam School was turning away staff as the road to the campus was overwhelmed in water.The staff and resident students on campus were not in any danger of flooding, and there is a back road in, but only essential staff were being ferried in.No one else can go through here, said Lauren Vincent of Cornerstones of Care, standing at the edge of the flooded road.Any bridges that were covered with floodwaters or where water approached underneath the bridge will remain closed until they have been inspected, police said.At 11 a.m., police said there were seven bridges awaiting inspection or for the water to recede.People were urged to stay out of the areas affected by the overnight floods and not to drive into standing or rushing water.The Kansas City police also asked people to stay out of the areas of 85th Street and Hickman Mills Drive, Gregory Boulevard and Oldham Road and 75th Street and Monroe Avenue.Those areas are flooded or could become flooded until the Blue River crests. Power has also been shut off to the Swope Parkway Industrial Area, which has been evacuated, because of flooding.Kansas City Fire Chief Paul Berardi said via Twitter about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday that people were still driving into water.Do not put yourself or emergency responders at risk, Berardi tweeted.The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill issued a Flash Flood Emergency for the entire Kansas City area and said that many areas had flooding worse than the morning of July 27.Firefighters also rescued a man on top of a floating car in the Blue River near Minor Park early Tuesday.This is the third time in less than a month that heavy rains have dumped more than 6 inches of rain over many parts of the Kansas City area. For some areas, rainfall totals in the last 30 days range between 20 and 25 inches.At one point, the Kansas City Police Department released a list of nearly two dozen roads that were closed or were about to be closed because of flooding.Many of the roads have reopened, but streets along the Blue River and Indian Creek corridors remained closed as of 7 a.m., according to Kansas City police.The exits from westbound Interstate 435 to State Line and Wornall roads were closed because of flooding.Also, Gardner Avenue and North Chouteau Trafficway and North Belmont Boulevard and Chouteau remained flooded as of 5:30 a.m.Raytown Road and Eastern Avenue and Hillcrest and Oldham roads remained closed.In addition to the road closures, several schools  including Harrisonville, Center and Archie  and businesses are closed or are delayed because of the flooding.Other schools were delaying the start of classes  Park Hill, Notre Dame de Sion and Smithville  or were having bus transportation delays  Excelsior Springs and Grandview.Kansas City Power and Light was reporting as of 7:30 a.m. that about 6,600 customer were without power. The areas with the most outages included Clay County, with 1,433 customers without power; Jackson County, 2,199; and Johnson County, 1,040.Independence Power & Light had 1,489 customers without power. The Kansas City, Kan., Board of Public Utility had 232 customers without power.Tony Rizzo contributed to this story.This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.Robert A. Cronkleton: 816-234-4261, @cronkb2017 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) -- Mayor Javier Gonzales wants a study of whether Santa Fe can power all municipal facilities with renewable energy by 2025, a step toward sustainability that would build on previous city moves toward carbon-neutrality and reduced energy consumption in coming years.A Gonzales-sponsored resolution directing City Manager Brian Snyder and staff to develop the feasibility study and report back in 90 days cleared the city Finance Committee on Monday without discussion.Roughly a quarter of the citys energy use comes from renewable resources, primarily solar. Installations at municipal structures  including the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, the Buckman Direct Diversion Project, the Community Convention Center and wastewater treatment plant  collectively use 4.8 megawatts of renewable power. The remainder of city facilities draw power from the Public Service Company of New Mexico.Gonzales is a member of Climate Mayors, a coalition of more than 360 U.S. mayors nationwide who have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the wake of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima has joined as well.Many other municipalities and counties across the U.S. are either committed to achieving a 100-percent renewable-energy target or are working toward one, according to the Ready for 100 campaign of the Sierra Club, the nationwide environmental nonprofit. Among these are a few scattered towns and organizations in Northern New Mexico, including Taos, Angel Fire, Red River, Questa and the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative.Only three years ago, the City Council passed a resolution that declared the citys desire to achieve 50 percent renewable energy by 2025.Gonzales, now hoping to explore the possibility of a full-on renewable-energy portfolio by that year, said the time is right to seek a more aggressive strategy for reducing Santa Fes carbon footprint. He mentioned improved and cheaper solar technology; an uptick in job opportunities in renewable energy industries; and what he said he feels is the city governments imperative to show the way.The city needs to set an ambitious target and really begin to make achieving that target a reality, Gonzales said. If we want to encourage residential homeowners as well as businesses to move towards the consumption of more renewable energy, we need to lead by inspiring the people in our community.The proposed resolution states the city might harness innovations in renewable energy technologies as well as energy storage to reach the 100-percent target. A shift to total clean power use would promote local job and economic growth, the resolution goes on, and would facilitate local control and ownership of the citys energy options.Measures aimed at increasing renewable-energy production at the state level had trouble gaining traction during this years session of the New Mexico Legislature. A proposal from state Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, would have required utility companies in the state to increase their renewable-energy makeup over decades until it comprised the majority of their power. It never came to a floor vote.The mayors resolution would encourage state officials and the Legislature to do everything in their power to achieve 100 percent renewable energy use at state facilities and calls for a reintroduction of Senate Bill 227, which would have required the state to solicit proposals to power 700 state buildings with solar, wind or geothermal energy.That bill, sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, passed both chambers with wide margins during the regular session earlier this year but was vetoed by Gov. Susana Martinez, who wrote in a veto message that it would be impractical and irresponsible to begin issuing requests for proposals before a plan for these renewable energy services is completed.Steinborn did not immediately return a message seeking comment on whether he planned to reintroduce the bill at a future legislative sesssion.The city feasibility study would supplement previous moves toward clean power. The 2014 resolution that set out the citys 50 percent goal for 2025 included a 2040 goal for the city to be carbon neutral, or produce a net zero carbon emissions. And in 2015 the city initiated a 25-year sustainability plan to reach that carbon-neutral goal.Beth Beloff, who chairs the advisory Sustainable Santa Fe Commission, said the group of volunteers had begun to amass a series of recommendations for a comprehensive sustainability plan. Beloff said the commission planned to have a draft of a plan ready for approval by mid-November and was seeking communitywide input so as to better arrange a unified coalition.We need community stakeholders to buy in; we need local renewable-energy companies, nonprofits, even PNM, Beloff said. We need to actively build coalitions with other cities that are moving toward clean energy in the state.According to a city memo, a transition to renewable energy would improve the quality of life in the city through fewer carbon emissions and could possibly reduce the cost of operations of city facilities.The Sierra Club counts five U.S. cities that already use 100 percent clean energy  that is, energy collected from nonpolluting renewable sources. They are Aspen, Colo.; Burlington, Vt.; Greensburg, Kan.; Kodiak Island, Alaska; and Rock Port, Mo.Camilla Feibelman, director of the Sierra Clubs Rio Grande chapter, said Santa Fe could absolutely reach 100 percent renewable energy use by 2025, citing improvements to solar energy technology and storage in recent years. Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a clean-energy data analysis group, has projected solar power might be cheaper than coal on average by 2025.Its more important than ever that cities and counties and states take action where the Trump Administration has refused, Feibelman said, citing President Donald Trumps decision to remove the U.S. from the Paris climate accord and his administrations moves to roll back certain environmental regulations.The full City Council is scheduled to consider the resolution next week. Councilor Peter Ives affixed himself to the resolution as a co-sponsor at Mondays committee meeting.
(TNS)-- Elon Musk urges a ban on AI in weaponsTesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has joined dozens of CEOs of artificial intelligence companies in signing an open letter urging the United Nations to ban the use of AI in weapons before the technology gets out of hand.The U.N.s Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems is due to meet in November to discuss ways to protect civilians from the misuse of automated weapons.Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare, read the letter, which was also signed by the chief executives of Cafe X Technologies and Plus- One Robotics. Once this Pandoras box is opened, it will be hard to close. Therefore we implore the High Contracting Parties to find a way to protect us all from these dangers.J&J hit with $417M verdictJohnson & Johnson was hit with a $417 million verdict yesterday, finding the company liable for failing to warn a 63-year-old woman diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer about the risks of using its talcum products.Its the largest award among suits targeting the companys talc powder. Nearly 5,000 lawsuits are pending in the U.S., alleging the health care giant ignored studies linking its Johnsons Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products to cancer.Plaintiff Eva Echeverria was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007. A surgeon removed a softball-sized tumor, but Echeverria is now near death. She testified by video she had used Johnsons Baby Powder since she was 11.Johnson & Johnson said it will seek to overturn the verdict.
1979 world champion Jody Scheckter says he sees similarities between himself and F1 sensation Max Verstappen.

"Yes, he reminds me of myself in the beginning, although he is perhaps stronger than I was," the South African, who now runs an organic farm, told Italy's La Repubblica.

"I'd also like to say I was like Hamilton, but I had accidents that he never had," the former Ferrari driver added.

"Vettel is very strong now and also earlier when the cars were different, but three years ago Ricciardo beat him.

"As for Alonso, he is good on the track but he behaves incorrectly, such as his year (2007) at McLaren," Scheckter concluded.

(GMM)
Talks about Toro Rosso taking on Honda power for 2018 have fallen through, according to reports in the Italian press.

Prior to the summer break, rumours were rife that the junior Red Bull-owned team could take over from Sauber as a Honda 'customer' for 2018.

"After several weeks, the negotiations have stopped for financial reasons," the Italian source Autosprint claimed.

"It is no mystery that to make the Japanese power unit attractive, it would be about the financial contribution that a manufacturer like Honda could bring."

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera agreed that Toro Rosso has said 'no' to Honda.

"It (the Toro Rosso deal) would also have been a test-bench for a possible change of direction for Red Bull as well, but now everything has collapsed," it said.

"It seems that Red Bull asked for too much money.

"Now, if McLaren leaves, Honda will be automatically out of formula one."

According to former Pirelli F1 chief Paul Hembery, Honda's struggle since returning in 2015 is a reason for the sport to rethink its strategy.

"We have to decide: is F1 a series for manufacturers or for teams?" he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"If we want the manufacturers, they must be competitive rather than afraid of ridicule and damage to their brand.

"At the moment we have two manufacturers having trouble with their engines, which is not good for the sport," said Hembery.

(GMM)
F1 engineers are worried the precise regulations for 'Halo' are arriving too late for 2018.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that the cockpit protection device is not just aesthetically challenging, but will have a major impact on the design of next year's cars in terms of aerodynamics and weight.

"But the precise Halo rules are only available from September," said correspondent Michael Schmidt.

Force India technical boss Andy Green confirmed: "That's too late. In terms of the monocoque, time is running out."

Green's counterpart at Toro Rosso, James Key, explained: "The centre of gravity is going up and the weight distribution moves towards the front.

"Also we have to stiffen the cockpit sides for the load tests, which means a different carbon structure in the corresponding places."

Safety aside, however, one potential upside to the Halo introduction is that it introduces a new area for innovation, with the FIA allowing teams to shape the upper side for aerodynamic purposes.

"This will help to minimise the aero drawbacks," Key agrees.

(GMM)
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Lawyers say AI will not replace them but assist their work

(Chinanews.com/Zhong Xin)

A senior lawyer in Kunming of southwest China's Yunnan province says the emergence of artificial intelligent (AI) will enhance their work.

An intelligent legal services platform was launched in Kunming on Aug. 20, and the system has provided legal services for over 10,000 people since it was put into trial operation in April.

According to statistics, the AI system outperformed human lawyers in terms of the quantity and quality of the cases solved and in the number of good reviews.

It takes a lawyer three days to write a legal report, which could cost 3,000 yuan ($450), while AI can do it in only 3 minutes for free.

Will diligent, tireless AI replace human lawyers? Wu Xia, a senior lawyer in Kunming and the man who developed the technology three years ago, said his intention was not to replace human lawyers but to make them more competitive.

Wu said there are not enough lawyers in China to satisfy rising demand for professional legal services, and many people cannot afford the high price of legal services.

In addition, most of the country's resources for legal services are concentrated in big cities, leaving people in smaller cities and rural areas with little access to high-quality legal assistance.

Since its trial operation, the AI system has been used by over 530,000 times, and more than 80 percent of the people think the reports are professional and useful and more than 91 percent say its consulting services are helpful.

People can use the online service for free as long as they are online, Wu said. The system is built on a massive database of cases and legal knowledge, covering fields such as criminal, labor, marriage, and traffic.

The AI lawyer is installed with an experience store, the more it works, the smarter it will become. "At the beginning, the AI lawyer was not so experienced, but after three months of operation and practice, it becomes a senior lawyer," Wu said. The legal advice the AI lawyer provided for clients has been recognized and praised by many human lawyers.

Although the "AI lawyer" has proved useful, other tasks, such as advising clients, writing legal briefs, negotiating deals, and appearing in court are beyond the reach of computers, said Zhao Yao, chairman of the Kunming Lawyers' Association.

The "AI lawyer" makes lawyers more productive, efficient, and aware about their domain of expertise, Zhao said. The system can provide consulting services, while human lawyers will do more complex tasks.

The coordination of AI technology and human lawyers will greatly improve the quality of legal services and provide the public with more sound, timely, and accurate services, said Sun Yuewen, director of the Kunming Judicial Bureau.
Less than one year since launching the first digital solution to keep cargo flowing efficiently through Americas largest container port, the Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation are expanding the program to include all container terminals and shipping lines at the Port.

Because of the pilots success, the Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation have agreed to new commercial agreements worth up to nearly $12 million and extended their relationship for at least five years. The agreements, subject to review by the Los Angeles City Council, will be far reaching, supporting approximately nine million TEUs (20-foot shipping containers), more than 15,000 truck providers and thousands of cargo importers.

Based on the initial pilot results, the Port of Los Angeles anticipates efficiency gains of between eight and 12 percent as the enhanced solution is rolled out across the Port.

To inform the next phase of the collaboration, the Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation surveyed users involved in the initial pilot. Results were overwhelmingly positive with most respondents agreeing the data in the portal is easy to understand and easy to access.

he Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation have become the global leaders on trying to digitize the supply chain and bring efficiencies to the maritime industry. A trucking dispatcher may visit up to 40 websites a day just to coordinate cargo movement into the port complex. Having a single portal, a single reference point, will create new levels of efficiency that weve been seeking for a long time. Weston LaBar, executive director of the Harbor Trucking Association

The survey also uncovered areas for improvement. For example, users said they would like to see more terminals and shipping lines integrated into the solution, which is reflected in the new commercial agreement. Additional areas for progression include improving the level of detail users can access about each shipment, and increasing their access to shipment data across the supply chain.
About 70 percent of the attendees at Tuesday's hearing in Jamestown ended up in a TV room with sound problems.
The army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday that U.S.-South Korean military drills could result in an outbreak of war.

The DPRK's army said in a statement that more than 17,500 U.S. soldiers and 50,000 South Korean troops, plus soldiers from eight other countries and tens of thousands of South Korean paramilitaries, joined in the "war rehearsal".

"No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch on the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.

The United States and South Korea on Monday kicked off their annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian joint military drill amid high tension on the Korean Peninsula and repeated appeals for restraint on both sides by many countries.

Ulchi-Freedom Guardian is referred to a combined military exercise between the United States and South Korea, which is considered the world's largest computerized command and control operation. The exercise was initiated in 1976 and is held annually during August or September.

The statement said the United States will be "wholly held accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by such reckless aggressive war maneuvers."
The DPRK envoy to China warns US to make the right choice

The DPRK's Envoy to China, Park Myung Ho, held a press conference on Tuesday at the country's embassy in Beijing. He criticized US Vice President Mike Pence's urging of Latin American countries -- Brazil, Chile, Peru and Mexico -- to cut ties with DPRK.

Park stated that the US's actions of separating the DPRK from its Latin American friends are extremely selfish and arrogant. It is not the first time that the US has been forcing countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America to cut ties with Pyongyang. He stresses that the DPRK will continue to develop friendly relations with other countries in line with the principles of peace and independence.

When asked about his take on the current joint military drills between the US and ROK, the official says that the US should make the right choice and immediately stop its provocative acts.

He emphasizes that nobody can guarantee that the troops for the drills will not transform into real battle forces. The US is the culprit that has broken the peace on the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang has already warned Washington to make the right choice, or there will be inevitable revenge and punishment for the US.

The press conference takes place right after the US and South Korea started their joint military exercise on Monday.

The drills are a computerized simulation. About 17,500 US service members are taking part, down from 25,000 last year.

On Monday, the DPRKs central news agency said the US would face merciless revenge for ignoring Pyongyangs warnings over annual military drills with ROK.

The press conference is a part of the pattern of belligerent language used by Washington and Pyongyang in their ongoing tensions. Diplomatic efforts seem to have hit a roadblock, but the two sides have so far prevented another devastating conflict more than six decades after the Korean War.
GREENSBORO  The city displayed its creativity on Tuesday for one of the countrys top champions of the arts.

Jane Chu, chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts, talked with state and local arts leaders at the Van Dyke Performance Space in the downtown Greensboro Cultural Center.

She then visited Elsewhere, the thrift store-turned-living museum and artists residency at 606 S. Elm St.

We are here to see firsthand the great stuff that is going on in North Carolina, Chu said.

Greensboro was among Chus stops on her three-day tour of North Carolina, where she visited with organizations financed by the NEA and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Her visit highlighted how the citys arts scene has benefited from the NEA, an independent agency of the federal government that provides grants for arts projects.

Earlier Tuesday, she visited the N.C. Black Repertory Company in Winston-Salem, which received a grant to support its biennial National Black Theatre Festival.

The states arts organizations receive more than $1 million a year from the NEA, said Wayne Martin, executive director of the state Arts Council. That includes about $950,000 that the arts council redistributes to organizations in 100 counties.

Both Elsewhere and ArtsGreensboro, which manages the Van Dyke Performance Space, are among local organizations that have received NEA grants.

ArtsGreensboro has received $145,000 in the last three years for three projects, said Amy Grossmann, the agencys chief operating officer.

It received a $20,000 NEA grant this year to support program development for the Van Dyke Performance Space, and performances by members of the local Van Dyke Dance Group and the Dance Place in Washington, D.C.

ArtsGreensboro also received $100,000 in 2015 and 2016 to finance The Fabric of Freedom, a festival of multidisciplinary arts programming that celebrated freedom and civil rights. It ran concurrently with the National Folk Festival.

The NEA also provides a grant to the National Council for the Traditional Arts to support the National Folk Festival, which returns for the third year from Sept. 8 to 10.

For several years, the NEA has supported Elsewheres artist residency program, providing a $40,000 grant this year.

Arts leaders have feared that future grants could be in jeopardy. President Trumps original budget proposal called for the NEAs elimination. But in response to a question Tuesday, Chu said she is hopeful that the NEA will continue.

Chu and Laura Scanlan, who oversees the NEAs partnerships with state arts agencies, didnt come to talk about Trumps budget plan. They wanted to learn more about local organizations.

Sharing their stories were the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, Triad Stage, Eastern Music Festival, Dance Project, UNC-Greensboro and its Weatherspoon Art Museum, the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, the Downtown Greenway and the Greensboro Arts Sustainability Task Force.

By any measure, the city of Greensboro is going through a renaissance, said Lawrence Czarda, the Greensboro College president, who chairs ArtsGreensboros board. I think you could make a very reasonable case that much of it is being driven by the arts. Thats about quality of life, and thats about economic development, and that gets us really excited.

A national study released in June by Americans for the Arts found that, in Guilford County, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $162.2 million in annual economic activity through spending by arts organizations and their audiences.

That supports the equivalent of 5,963 full-time jobs and generates nearly $15.6 million in government revenue.

EMF recently finished its annual summer season of training young musicians from around the world and performing public concerts by student and professional musicians.

What energizes me is that I love to watch the audience watch the arts, EMF Executive Director Chris Williams said.

Chu is a pianist by training, with a background in arts administration and philanthropy. President Obama named her to the NEA post in 2014.

She came away from Greensboro impressed with the artists, organizations and how they work together.
Former Rockingham County District Attorney Craig Blitzer has admitted that even before he was elected, he and former Person/Caswell County District Attorney Wallace Bradsher schemed to hire their spouses and allow his wife, Cindy Blitzer, to collect unearned pay.

Attorneys for fired Caswell County DA employee Debra Halbrook on Tuesday filed sworn affidavits from the Blitzers that detailed the scheme that allowed them to collect $48,000 in unearned state money but ultimately cost both district attorneys their jobs and led to criminal charges.

Craig Blitzer pleaded guilty to the crime on July 17 to misdemeanor charges of failure to discharge the duties of his office after State Bureau of Investigation agents discovered that his wife, Cindy Blitzer, was paid that $48,000 while enrolled full-time in nursing classes at South University in High Point.

He awaits sentencing, and similar charges against Bradsher are pending in Wake County Superior Court.

I sincerely regret my actions in connection with this matter, Blitzer said in the affidavit. While my only motivation was the love I have for Cindy, I accept full responsibility.

As part of Blitzers plea deal, he had agreed to serve as a key witness for the pending hearings for the state, the North Carolina State Bar and in a whistleblowers lawsuit filed by Halbrook.

Both Blitzers provided affidavits to Halbrooks attorneys and described how they worked with Wallace Bradsher and his wife, Pamela, to collect the money and stated that Majid Hassan, an employee from the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, tried to help cover up the scheme by tipping off Craig Blitzer that the SBI planned to raid his office and that he needed to wipe his computer clean.

Thomas Walker, an attorney with Alston & Bird, representing Bradsher in the civil case, did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

Information about the yearlong SBI investigation into both mens offices trickled out slowly until Feb. 21, when Halbrook, a former victim-witness legal assistant, filed her lawsuit, alleging that Wallace Bradsher fired her after discovering she reported the Bradshers and Blitzers scheme to the SBI.

Our lawsuit alleges that Wallace Bradsher fired Debbie Halbrook because she was brave enough to step forward and tell the truth about what she saw, said Drew Erteschik, Halbrooks attorney with Poyner Spruill in Raleigh. This sworn affidavit from Mr. Bradshers co-defendant now corroborates our allegations in graphic detail.

The beginning

The idea to hire Cindy Blitzer began long before Craig Blitzer was sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2015.

Blitzer had served as a statewide capital defender with a law practice based in Rockingham County. Cindy Blitzer volunteered as his office manager, focusing on discovery in capital cases while simultaneously taking nursing classes at Forsyth Technical Community College.

At the time, in 2013, Phil Berger Jr. announced he would not run for reelection as Rockingham County DA, and Craig Blitzer filed to run against former Assistant District Attorney Melanie Bridge. He won the Republican primary in May 2014 with nearly 67 percent of the votes and did not face a Democratic challenger.

But Blitzer had a problem: The DAs job came with a salary decrease from private practice, and Cindy Blitzer needed income to make up that money.

Craig Blitzer said he knew Wallace Bradsher, who was finishing his first-term as district attorney, from working on a murder case together.

Before I took office, I met with Mr. Bradsher and told him that I could not afford to leave the private sector and enter public service if my wife could not work, Craig Blitzer said. Mr. Bradsher responded, Its no problem. Pam works for me, and she comes and goes as she pleases. Were the boss. 

Immediately after being sworn in, Craig Blitzer hired his wife to work as a legal assistant for $46,900.

Shortly thereafter, Blitzer received an email from the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts informing him he violated the States Ethics Law, which prevents district attorneys from hiring their wives. N.C. AOC officials encouraged the men to terminate their wives employments.

However, that did not happen.

Instead, Craig and Cindy Blitzer said they met with the Bradshers at Elizabeths Pizza in Wentworth and came up with a different plan.

At the meeting, we decided that I would work for Mr. Bradsher in District 9A, and that Ms. Bradsher would work for Craig in District 17A, Cindy Blitzer said in her affidavit. This transfer was approved by the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts.

School work

The plan might have worked if the Blitzers did not face other problems.

At the meeting at Elizabeths Pizza, I expressed my concern that the office in Caswell County was far from my sons school, Cindy Blitzer said. Mr. Bradsher told me not to worry, however.

The Blitzers son attended Greensboro Day School, a 51-minute trip from the Caswell County Courthouse.

Cindy Blitzer was not ready to give up on nursing school, either. She had dropped out, with one course left, while her husband was running for office. She was told her credit hours would not transfer to another school and that she needed to start from the beginning.

Cindy Blitzer said Wallace Bradsher told her he could use his connections to transfer the credits to Piedmont Community College, but that did not work.

Instead, she enrolled full-time at South University in High Point and took online classes through Forsyth Technical Community College and the University of Phoenix.

At the same time, she was supposed to be working full-time as an investigator for Wallace Bradsher for $48,000 a year.

Wallace Bradsher assigned her to the case involving Steven Shockley, who was charged with first-degree murder out of Rockingham County for killing a 5-month-old baby. Originally, Craig Blitzer served as the defense attorney on the case and transferred it to Wallace Bradsher when he became prosecutor because of the conflict of interest.

Cindy Blitzer said she worked on the Shockley case through March 2016 but then had no other assignments.

I tried to call Mr. Bradsher to discuss this with him, but he did not return my calls, Cindy Blitzer said. I also asked for more work, but he never gave me any or asked the other employees to give me any.

Craig Blitzer got involved.

In April 2016, he and Bradsher rode together to a conference. Craig Blitzer said he asked about Cindy Blitzers lack of work while they rode together.

Mr. Bradsher said that Cindy should just focus on her studies, and that he would take care of it, Craig Blitzer said.

Meanwhile, Craig Blitzer also recruited two of his employees to take classes on his wifes behalf.

I was aware that they did this during their regular work hours, Craig Blitzer said. In hindsight, I regret asking my colleagues to do this.

That request would become part of the SBIs investigation.

The investigation

The Blitzers and Bradshers failed to hide their alleged scheme from employees.

Beginning in December 2015 and into 2016, Halbrook and Rockingham County Assistant District Attorneys Jason Ramey and Spencer Morrow reported their concerns about the prosecutors to the SBI.

Craig Blitzer said he first learned about the investigation through Tyler Henderson, a legal assistant in Wallace Bradshers office.

He said that Henderson drove two hours and met with him at Rockingham Community College to tell him of the SBI matter.

Soon after, Craig Blitzer said, he learned that SBI agents planned to meet with his staff, and he and Bradsher began discussing the investigation.

In one of the conversations, Mr. Bradsher informed me that the SBI was conducting interviews in Person County, Craig Blitzer said. He further stated, We deserve absolute loyalty. What did you tell your staff? 

Craig Blitzer said his attorney recommended he not speak with his staff about the investigation. Craig Blitzer said Wallace Bradsher also said he believed there was a leak and that he would fire that person on the spot.

Craig Blitzer said that was not his plan.

A leak?

Craig Blitzer said he asked his attorney, Michael Grace of Winston-Salem, to meet with his staff and tell them to cooperate with the SBI and tell the truth. Craig Blitzer said he stayed away from the courthouse that day in September 2016.

But Craig Blitzer said he began to believe he had a leak in his office.

In October 2016, the News & Record reported that the SBI had launched an investigation into the two prosecutors offices.

Craig Blitzer said he called Wallace Bradsher and asked if his wife needed to resign. Wallace Bradsher said he would take it to a jury before Cindy Blitzer would resign. He said Wallace Bradsher also told him he would sue the AOC for not training him properly.

After the phone call with Mr. Bradsher, however, the articles from the Greensboro News & Record about the SBI investigation became even more damaging for Cindy and me, Craig Blitzer said. It was clear to me that a member of my staff was giving information to the News & Record, because one of its reporters was showing up on the date of the SBI interviews, so the reporter must have known when they were scheduled.

It is true that the News & Record witnessed SBI Special Agent David Whitley meet with members of Craig Blitzers staff at the Reidsville Library on Sept. 28 and Sept. 30, 2016. However, information about those interviews did not come from anyone on Craig Blitzers staff.

Craig Blitzer said because of the articles Wallace Bradsher called and said he had to fire Cindy Blitzer. He said Wallace Bradsher called again upset about which employees the SBI interviewed and what those employees said.

Loyalty

Craig Blitzer said eventually Wallace Bradsher identified his suspected leak.

It is my understanding that on Jan. 11, 2017, Mr. Bradsher fired Debbie Halbrook, Craig Blitzer said. I did not know this at the time, however, nor did I have any role in Ms. Halbrooks termination.

Conversations began back and forth between the two district attorneys about loyalty, Craig Blitzer said.

Mr. Bradsher asked, Do you not agree that, as elected DAs, we have the right to fire our employees if they are not loyal,  Craig Blitzer said.

Craig Blitzer said Wallace Bradsher was irate during the conversation, and Blitzer said he started to suspect that he was being set up as an alibi witness so, if Halbrook were to sue, he could be called to testify on Bradshers behalf.

Craig Blitzer said Wallace Bradsher then told him he needed to fire his employee Mark Keeney.

Wallace Bradsher told Craig Blitzer a state trooper witnessed Keeney talking with Senate Pro Tem Phil Berger Sr. (R-Rockingham), according to Craig Blitzer.

Mark Keeney was my chief district attorney, and Senator Berger and I have been political adversaries, so Mr. Bradshers comment certainly caught my attention, Craig Blitzer said. I told Mr. Bradsher, I cant fire Mark for this. 

Craig Blitzer said in response Wallace Bradsher told him, I cant tell you what to do, but we have the right to fire anyone who isnt 100 percent loyal. Wouldnt you fire somebody if they were not loyal?

Things got more intense between the two men when Craig Blitzer learned that Wallace Bradsher had found out that Jason Ramey was the one who went to Bergers office and not Mark Keeney.

Shelly Carver, spokeswoman for Berger, said her office did not feel comfortable weighing in on legal proceedings while the cases are pending in court.

Craig Blitzer said when he learned about Wallace Bradshers alleged mistake, his co-defendant told him:

Look, I cant tell you what to do, Craig, but I would fire an employee for not being loyal. I did fire an employee, Debbie Halbrook, for not being loyal when she was telling what was going on in my office to the SBI.

The cover up

Halbrook filed her lawsuit on Feb. 21.

Craig Blitzer said a few weeks later, on March 7, he received a phone call from Majid Hassan, an N.C. AOC Information Technology employee assigned to the Rockingham County Courthouse.

Craig Blitzer said Hassan told him that the SBI was going to execute a search warrant for Craig Blitzers office and that it would be happening the next day.

He further stated, If you want to wipe your computer, now is the time to do it,  Craig Blitzer said.

Craig Blitzer said he did nothing.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said Tuesday that allegations regarding Hassans interference in a criminal investigation remain under investigation and review.

A man who answered the phone number listed for Hassan in the North Carolina employee directory said the number did not belong to Hassan, and Hassan did not immediately return an email requesting comment.

Charles Keller, spokesman for the N.C. AOC said Tuesday that Hassan remains an employee with the state court system but that the N.C. AOC declined to comment about the allegations against Hassan.

The News & Record learned about allegations of the employees having contacted Craig Blitzer on March 9 and the possible involvement of others among Blitzers employees and, through counsel, requested preservation of the employees cell phone records. Lawyers for the News & Record were told no text messages existed between the employees in question.

On March 10, Craig Blitzer resigned from office.
GREENSBORO  A Greensboro Subway worker faces charges Tuesday after being accused of luring two pre-teens into a back office and fondling them.

Police charged Kelvin Jerome Whiteside, 46, of High Point, with two counts of indecent liberties with a child and failure to register as a sex offender, a Greensboro Police news release stated.

Whiteside failed to register as a sex offender in Guilford County when he moved to High Point from New Jersey.

He was working at the Subway at 2910 W. Gate City Boulevard in Greensboro on June 22 when the alleged incident occurred.

Whiteside was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition to Greensboro.
I was looking for a quiet, out-of-the-way spot to view the eclipse, some place away from the mania that had taken hold of millions of people, causing them to load up the car and wait in line to get to a place where the moon completely covered the sun.

I found that quiet spot at the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge in Wadesboro, N.C., though I had to settle for less than totality  97.5 percent.

The wildlife refuge, about 85 miles southwest of Greensboro, is made up of hardwood forests, old farm fields and wetlands. People come here to hunt, but also to photograph the migratory songbirds and waterfowl and the other animals  deer, otters, fox squirrels  that make this place their home.

I had been here several times, mostly in winter and early spring when the sun is gentle and the wetlands havent spent weeks stewing in the summer heat.

The question that brought me here was what will the animals do when the moon slips between the earth and the sun? They rely on the sun to tell them when the day begins and when it ends. What happens when dusk arrives in midafternoon and daybreak occurs a minute later?

I had read that during the total eclipse in Bolivia in 1994, llamas came out and appeared to look at the sky as if wondering what had happened to the sun.

Nothing so dramatic happened here. The sun, even when its almost 98 percent covered, still gives off a lot of light.

In the hour before the eclipse began, I listened to killdeer calling to each other in the field. Young pileated woodpeckers made a bone-chilling sound as they called from a snag of dead trees for their parents to feed them. Dragonflies hovered over the marsh.

I watched through protective glasses as the moon moved in front of the sun. The sun took on the appearance of a quarter moon in the afternoon sky. The temperature at Pee Dee was 93 degrees, the air still. But as the light drained from the sky, a breeze blew off the marsh. Shadows moved across the reeds. The temperature dropped to where it felt comfortable. And the refuge fell silent. The killdeer, which had been raucous an hour earlier, huddled under a tree. The dragonflies landed on the ground at my feet. An egret soared over the cattails and into a tree. The pileated woodpeckers were mute.

I dont know if their behavior was caused by the eclipse. Birds do fall quiet during the day. Egrets do roost in trees on normal days. And often natural areas are silent at least for a few minutes until the cicadas tune up for another song.

This was a kind of dusk I had never seen before. Too quiet, too much like holding your breath. It felt like I was standing at the edge of a prelapsarian landscape.

In little more than a minute, the sun in all of its ferocity returned, heating the ground and the water. The killdeer took off from under the tree, again calling their own name: kill-deer, kill-deer! The woodpeckers began begging for food.

The refuge was back to normal.
The proposed legislative maps for Guilford County are better for House seats than for Senate seats.

They wont necessarily stand. Public hearings across the state at 4 p.m. today  including one at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown  give people an opportunity to weigh in. And the courts, which ordered this redrawing, will get the last word. But the plans released in the last few days hint at how House and Senate leaders are approaching the task.

Very differently, it seems.

The Senate plan likely would weaken Guilford Countys voice in that chamber. It pulls the district of Senate leader Phil Berger, who lives in Eden, out of Guilford County. It attaches much of eastern Guilford County to an Alamance County district represented by Republican Sen. Rick Gunn of Burlington. It grabs most of High Point and sticks that onto a Randolph County district where Republican Sen. Jerry Tillman of Archdale resides. Two districts would remain entirely within Guilford County, one currently represented by Republican Sen. Trudy Wade and the other by Democratic Sen. Gladys Robinson.

Voters in Robinsons proposed district, which covers most of Greensboro, supported Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican Donald Trump, 78 percent to 19 percent, last year. In Wades proposed district, Trump received 52 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Clinton. The Gunn and Tillman districts were more strongly Republican.

On paper, then, it looks as if three of Guilford Countys four senators would be Republicans and two would live in other counties. It seems that Senate Republican leaders aim to continue political gerrymandering to keep their partisan advantage and deny fair representation for Guilford County, which is heavily Democratic and has the states third-largest population.

The proposed House map, which provides six seats for Guilford County, is more balanced. Voters in three districts  those represented by Democrats Pricey Harrison, Amos Quick and Cecil Brockman  strongly preferred Clinton is last years election. Two other districts were carried narrowly by Trump  but also by Democrat Roy Cooper in the governors race.

Republican Rep. John Blust lives in one of those districts. Republican Reps. Jon Hardister and John Faircloth both reside in the second. If that holds up, they would have to run against each other in a GOP primary, and either one then could face a tough battle against a Democrat in the general election.

The final district was won by Trump with 55 percent of the vote and would have no incumbent. It would favor a Republican. Overall, however, Democrats would be assured of winning three House seats and could add one or two more. While the House map could spread Democratic voters more evenly, it doesnt slant the political playing field too much in Republicans favor. Nor did House map-makers appear to put a priority on protecting incumbents, as they double-bunked Faircloth and Hardister. One might have expected them to do that to Democrats, not to Republicans.

Whether the proposed maps will satisfy the objections raised by the courts remains to be seen. In terms of whats good for Guilford County and voters here, the House plan looks much more reasonable than the Senate proposal. It fosters the possibility of competitive elections in more districts than before and doesnt dilute Guilford voting power by grafting parts of it to neighboring counties.

The Senate plan is unacceptable. Thousands of Guilford County voters would be handed off to senators from Alamance and Randolph counties. Most would be minority voices in Republican districts.

Even todays public hearing seems to be stacked against Guilford County voters. Its location, Room 360 of the Medlin Campus Center, has the smallest listed seating capacity  25 to 30 seats  of any of the six hearing sites around the state. The public in Halifax County  population 52,000  is afforded a room with 125 seats. But comments may be made online at http://www.ncleg.net/applications/rfc/Redistricting.aspx?id=23. Guilford residents should speak out and call for fair maps and, going forward, nonpartisan redistricting.
EDEN  The State Bureau of Investigation has named Christopher Raymond Ellison as the man shot by police after a confrontation in the Draper area of Eden on Aug. 17.

Eden police shot Ellison after determining that he matched the description of a suspect in double stabbing that occurred earlier that day.

According to local law enforcement, Eden police officers and Rockingham County Sheriffs deputies responded to an assault at about 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 at Brownstone Commons Apartments.

An assailant stabbed a 44-year-old woman and her 7-year-old child at 1012 Georgia Ave., Apt. 1. When officers arrived, the victims had moved to the Knott Street intersection.

EPD has not released the names of the two victims.

The assailant fled on foot.

Officers set up a perimeter in the surrounding neighborhood in an attempt to locate the suspect, said Capt. John Edwards that day. An individual matching the description given in the stabbing was located near Knott Street and New Street. Officers confronted the suspect, and the suspect was subsequently shot by law enforcement officers during this confrontation.

After the shooting, Ellison was airlifted to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, and the stabbing victims were treated at a local hospital, police said.

According to SBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Williams, SBI will not release the names of the officers involved until they have completed interviews with the state.

They have attorneys so were kind of working on the attorneys schedule, Williams said. We hope to have them all done before this week is over.

Once interviews are complete, SBI will still need to complete the investigation before releasing further information.

We'll do the interviews, put a report together, give it to the DA, he'll make a decision on if the officers were within the law and then after that we can probably answer more questions, Williams said.

Law enforcement is still seeking more information regarding the incident.

We appeal to anyone in the New Street/Knott Street area, in the area of the apartments, if you saw anything pertaining to this incident or if anyone witnessed the officer-involved shooting, to please contact the State Bureau of Investigation, said Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.

The SBI can be reached at 336-256-1362.
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (R) meets with Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 21, 2017.(Xinhua/Li Tao)

Pakistan firmly supports China on issues concerning its core interests, Pakistani Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua said when meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in Beijing Monday.

During their meeting, Yang said it is especially important for China and Pakistan to enhance strategic communication under current global and regional circumstances.

He called on both sides to maintain close high-level contacts, promote the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative, forge ahead cooperation in different areas and intensify coordination in multi-lateral organizations such as the United Nations and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, according to a press release issued after the meeting.

Janjua said Pakistan is committed to building the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and would like to maintain close communication with China on major international and regional issues, the press release said.

Janjua was appointed as Pakistan's foreign secretary in February, becoming the first woman to hold the position in Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Camp No Counselors

This new podcast, Problem Solvers with Jason Feifer, features business owners and CEOs who went through a crippling business problem and came out the other side happy, wealthy, and growing. Feifer, Entrepreneur magazine's editor in chief, spotlights these stories so other business can avoid the same hardships. Listen below.

Every successful entrepreneur will face this problem: You have a vision, turn that vision into a company, and then at some point your company becomes so big that you cant be available to execute that vision the way you used to. In fact, if you keep trying, youll make everything so inefficient that youll literally harm your company.
Misadventures vodka next to its ingredients. Photo: Courtesy of Misadventure & Co.

Those stunt vodka flavors that sound like they belong in the trash (bubblegum, smoked salmon, Cinnabon, etc.) now have an all-natural competitor: Vodka that actually is made from trash. Misadventure & Co., a distillery located in San Diego, has concocted a sustainable version of the liquor that really puts vodkas charcoal filtration process to the test  the thing that makes it neutral, or tasteless  by using food waste as the starch. Once a week, it collects about a thousand pounds of bread products that a local food bank would otherwise throw out, either because its expired stuff or because it wasnt suitable for donation in the first place. We get Twinkies, Ho Hos, French baguettes, crullers, you name it, co-owner Whit Rigali tells NBC San Diego. The whole bakery aisle goes into our vodka.

Because vodka is just sugar from starch that gets fermented and distilled, the process with bread is still relatively straightforward, although the other co-owner, Sam Chereskin, says that when they first hatched the idea, no one thought it was a good one. All of the products are combined into what NBC describes as a giant, warm blender. The blended bread gets mashed into a sweet porridge of a wort, then they add yeast, distill the fermented product down into alcohol, and are left with strong liquor thats essentially juice from a bunch of stale pastries and nuclear holocaustproof Ho Hos.

Distilling with food waste obviously reduces Misadventures production costs as well, giving customers a bottle of vodka that retails for $22. But so far Chereskin and Rigali are marketing its Earth friendliness more  they claim to be the first in the world to produce vodka this way. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest contributor of greenhouse gases behind the United States and China, Chereskin says. In 2014, the amount of food wasted could fill the Empire State Building 90-some times.

Imagine the product theyd have if they joined forces with Stone Brewing, which recently started making a sustainable beer in San Diego from recycled sewage water.
Pasta Flyers lasagna bar. Photo: Bobby Doherty

When Mark Ladner left his post as executive chef at Del Posto in January, a plate of pasta cost between $30 and $40. When he opens Pasta Flyer this fall, hell be charging $9.99 for a spaghetti-and-meatballs combo meal. And while you might be tempted to attribute this downscaling to ineluctable fast-casual market forces, Ladner, who worked for Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich in four restaurants over 20 years, has always gravitated to the more populist segment of the industry. After Otto, I actually planned to go down-market further, he says, but Del Posto intervened.

At Pasta Flyer, aptly situated in the shell of a shuttered Chipotle in Greenwich Village, Ladner will serve five variously shaped and sauced pastas, ranging from $6 to $8, and he considers his true competition, pricewise at least, not Chipotle or Sweetgreen but McDonalds. Of course, many have tried and failed to master fast-food pasta. (Remember Tony Mays PastaBreak?) Ladner has some theories why: Until the recent advent of the salad chain, all fast food was handheld, an ingrained American habit that was hard to break. And pasta, it turns out, is not so easy to cook well and serve superfast, in a matter of seconds (ten, promises Ladner) rather than minutes. But the chef and his Pasta Flyer business partner, Nastassia Lopez, claim to have solved the riddle of the limp noodle by sourcing the best product they can find (Felicetti pasta, made in Trentino from Sicilian- and Puglian-grown durum wheat, and another from the Naples producer Garofalo), precooking and freezing it, and maintaining a precise temperature on the line.

While the brands focus has shifted from early gluten-free pop-ups to a more widely appealing, gluten-full model, Ladner will still offer a celiac-friendly option, as well as such fast-food anomalies as a lentil-dressed tricolore salad, garlic dots made from choux pastry, beer and wine, and a breaded, deep-fried reinvention of his signature Del Posto 100-layer lasagna that he calls a lasagna bar, designed to be eaten with your hands.

Ladners garlic dots are made from choux pastry. Photo: Bobby Doherty

The combo meal will run you $9.99. Photo: Bobby Doherty

Pasta Flyer, 510 Sixth Ave., nr. 13th St.; October.

*This article appears in the August 21, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
Pisellinos drinks and snacks. Photo: Bobby Doherty

Rita and I tend to create places we are longing for, says chef Jody Williams, who opened the West Villages Via Carota three years ago with partner Rita Sodi as an homage to Sodis onetime home outside Florence. The couples next collaboration, Pisellino, celebrates the classic Italian bar, an icon of urbanity that serves so many crucial social and culinary functions with such panache it makes our best watering holes look inept. In Italy, says Sodi, its the first place in your neighborhood that will open, where you go at seven for your first coffee, to meet someone, talk, eat something sweet; for spuntino at lunch, very quick; for a drink before dinner and something to eat. In that spirit, Sodi and Williams are equipping the triangular corner space opposite Via Carota with a central standing bar, two walls of glass windows, and expanses of built-in wood shelving to accommodate display cases of pastry, sandwiches, and snacks. The partners want Pisellino to feel like its been there forever, and they take inspiration from some of Italys most venerable institutions: Romes SantEustachio il Caffe, known for espresso frothed with sugar; Turins Caffe Mulassano, birthplace of the tramezzino sandwich; Procacci in Florence, where locals and tourists flock for truffle panini and glasses of wine; and Florian, the ancient Venetian cafe. Here, as there, staff will don dapper uniforms, and though the space is tiny, sidewalk seating will abound.

Aperol Spritz and olive-oil-and-black-pepper chips. Photo: Bobby Doherty

Cedrata cocktail and panino with scamorza, prosciutto cotto, and roasted tomatoes. Photo: Bobby Doherty

Pisellino, 100 Seventh Ave. S., at Grove St.; December.

*This article appears in the August 21, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
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Watches are not rocket science. Or are they? Watches are not rocket...

Perhaps you dont have a PhD. Well, thats a shame, because with some watches, youll need one to understand how to tell the time. Perhaps you dont have a PhD. Well,...




Haiti - Politics : Moise chairs a high-level meeting 14 days before school begins





Monday at the National Palace, 14 days before the start of the class, President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, brought together all the state actors concerned by the start of classes, scheduled for September 4th.



Josue Agenor Cadet (Education), Max Rudolph Saint-Albin (Interior), Jude Alix Patrick Salomon (Finance), Regine Lamur (Youth), Roosevelt Bellevue (Social), Fritz Caillot (Public Works), the Secretary of State for Public Security Ronsard St Cyr, the Directors of the Metropolitan Service for the Collection of Solid Waste (SMCRS), the Social Assistance Fund (CAS), the National Police of Haiti (PNH), the Director of Traffic and Road Police (DCPR), the Dignite School Transport Service and the Social and Economic Assistance Fund (FAES).



The Head of State reiterated the need to set up for the benefit of parents and students, emergency programs, subsidy strategies and staffing of textbooks and various other initiatives such as the rehabilitation of signage and road infrastructure, opening up and lighting the streets, sanitation, free transportation of students and the provision of a daily hot meal to students as part of the National School Canteen Program (PNCS) .



The President asked all the actors involved in the start of the school year to take all the measures that can guarantee a new school year in a serene and work-friendly atmosphere.



At the end of the meeting, the Minister of National Education, wishing to be reassuring https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21867-haiti-education-at-15-days-of-the-new-school-year-the-ministry-does-not-seem-ready.html Asserting that already 1.3 million textbooks have been subsidized up to 70% (1st and 2nd cycle) and 60% (some third cycle book) for 600 million gourdes and another 500 million are devoted to the payment of textbooks in public schools, which will be totally free for students. He added that the books printed by the editions "Kopi Vit" and "Pedagogies nouvelles" among others are available.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21867-haiti-education-at-15-days-of-the-new-school-year-the-ministry-does-not-seem-ready.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21740-haiti-politics-subsidized-textbooks-still-unavailable.html



HL/ S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Continuation of 6 social subprogrammes

Moisie intends to continue the "KORE PEP" program, which includes 6 social sub-programs implemented by Michel Martelly's administration: "Ti Manman cheri", "Kore Etidyan", "Kore Peyizan", "Kantin Mobil" and "Panye Solidarite" , which will be piloted by the Social and Economic Assistance Fund (FAES), informed Avenide Joseph, Spokesperson for the Presidency, who also reported on the new program called" Credit etudiant" instituted by the team of Jovenel Moise.



Human trafficking in Haiti

On Thursday, a meeting was held between Dr Fils-Lien Ely Thelot, President of the National Committee for the Fight against Human Trafficking (CNLTP) and the Senate Committee on Justice, Security and National Defense on the elimination of the phenomenon of trafficking in Haiti https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17904-haiti-flash-haiti-on-the-blacklist-of-shame.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16846-icihaiti-social-over-200-000-domestic-slaves-under-15-years-in-the-country.html



Deputies ratify the labor bill

The Chamber of Deputies voted the bill on the organization and regulation of work over the 24-hour period divided into three eight-hour blocks. This text, which was already ratified earlier this month by the Senate https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21810-haiti-news-zapping.html will be transmitted shortly to the Executive for publication in the Official Journal "Le Moniteur".



Taking disability into account in risk management

On the occasion of the World Day for Humanitarian Aid (19 August), the Office of the Secretary of State for the Integration of People with Disabilities called on all actors involved in risk management to take account of the special needs of Disabled people before, during, and after natural disasters. Together, let's work for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the management of risks and disasters !



Believing or not believing ?

The Dominican Chancellor Miguel Vargas Maldonado has minimized the negative effects of the sectors that circulated false information suggesting that ill-treatment was being inflicted on Haitians living illegally in Dominican territory. He said relations with Haiti are stronger than ever./b>



157th of the ANH Foundation

Sunday brought back the 157th anniversary of the founding of the National Archives of Haiti (ANH). On this occasion, Jean Wilfrid Bertrand, the Director General of the ANH welcomed his 34 years of service as head of the institution. Founded on 20 August 1860 under the government of President Fabre Nicolas Geffrard, the National Archives is one of the oldest institutions in Haiti. The National Archives, an autonomous agency of the Haitian State, now operate under the Ministry of Culture.



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Wine writers prepare for top Louis Roederer awards

By Michelle Perrett

There are only three weeks to go until the winners of the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards 2017 are unveiled.

The awards, which are the most prestigious within the industry, will take place at the Royal Academy of Arts in London on September 12.

The event will see the hopeful writers fight it out within seven categories for the top accolade within each.

The Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards were founded in 2004. The awards encourage journalists, authors, bloggers, artists and photographers from all over the world to be judged by some of the greatest names in the wine trade.

The shortlist of writers:

Champagne Louis Roederer Artistry of Wine Award 2017

Tim Atkin MW

Johan Berglund

Gretchen Greer

Arpad Pinter

George Rose

Jon Wyand

Champagne Louis Roederer Emerging Wine Writer of the Year 2017

Morgan Dunn

Christian Holthausen

Miquel Hudin

William Kelley

Simon Reilly

Sophie Thorpe

Ramos Pinto Online Communicator 2017

Tim Atkin MW

Julia Harding MW

Richard Hemming MW

Andrew Jefford

Wink Lorch

Ronald Washam

Domaine Faiveley International Wine Book of the Year 2017

American Rhone: How Maverick Winemakers Changed the way Americans Drink Wine  Patrick J. Comiskey

I Taste Red: The Science of Tasting  Jamie Goode

Empire of Booze: British History through the Bottom of a Glass  Henry Jeffreys

Volcanic Wines: Salt, Grit and Power  John Szabo MS

Domaines Ott International Feature Writer of the Year 2017

Jon Bonne

Nina Caplan

Felicity Carter

Alice Feiring

Michael Fridjhon

Rebecca Gibb

William Kelley

Rupert Millar

Margaret Rand

Simon Woolf

Mazzei International Wine Columnist of the Year Award 2017

Tim Atkin MW

Jon Bonne

Nina Caplan

Andrea Frost

Andrew Jefford

Pio Cesare Food and Wine Writer of the Year 2017

Fiona Beckett

Nina Caplan

Natasha Hughes MW

Dan Keeling

Sophie Menin

Matt Walls










Shoukry's visit is part of a three-nation tour taking in Russia, Estonia and Latvia

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in the Estonian capital Tallinn on Tuesday, meeting with his counterpart Sven Mikser in an effort to boost bilateral relations.

Shoukry's visit to Estonia is the first by an Egyptian foreign minister and is part of a three-nation European tour involving Russia, Estonia and Lithuania.

The Egyptian foreign minister is set to meet with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, delivering a message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on enhancing bilateral relations and international cooperation.

Shoukry is also set to meet on Tuesday with Estonia's Prime Minister Juri Ratas and other officials in the country's house of representatives.

During his three-day trip, Shoukry is expected to promote the bid of former minister of family and population Moshira Khattab for the position of Director General of the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Russia, Estonia and Lithuania are executive board members of the UNESCO.

On Monday, Shoukry held a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at which they pointed to progress on the issue of resuming Russian tourist flights to Egypt, which have been suspended since 2015.

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10 Colleges, Universities Selected as First Sites for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Centers

by Rachel Frommer, Washington Free Beacon, August 21, 2017

Ten universities and colleges have been selected as the first sites for "Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Campus Centers," a new program of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) "designed to  break down racial hierarchies and create a positive narrative about race in the community."

Each institution will receive an initial $30,000, through a $520,000 grant from the Newman's Own Foundation and $399,763 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The AAC&U created the program to "unearth and jettison the deeply held, and often unconscious, beliefs created by racismthe main one being the belief in a hierarchy of human value.'"

"This absurd belief, which has fueled racism and conscious and unconscious bias throughout American culture, is the perception of inferiority or superiority based on race, physical characteristics, or place of origin," according to the program description.

The institutions selected for the centers are Austin Community College, Brown University, Duke University, Hamline University, Millsaps College, Rutgers University, Spelman College, The Citadel, University of Hawaii, and University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC).

At Brown, the first initiative will grow a pilot project for "students who identify as black"launched during February 2017's Black History Monthinto a weekly dinner discussion "about issues of identity, race, gender, colorism, classism, dynamics within communities of color," according to a press release.

A similar "conversation group for Muslim women on campus" will be created as well, wrote the university.

Hamline, in Minnesota, announced that the center's "planning committee will work to develop practice spaces focused on creating new narratives and new relationships while naming and honoring the ongoing pain and trauma wrought by belief in racial hierarchy, structural racism, and white privilege."

The program has been in the works since 2016, but AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella and administrators from the selected universities referred to the events earlier this month in Charlottesville, Va., as proof for the need for the centers.

A meeting of representatives from each of the centers will take place next month, and a "Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Institute" will be held in January 2018. The schools will also participate in developing a "guidebook" for the creation of future centers.
Seppala in March announced it has filed for debt re-structuring in order to secure

The District Court of Helsinki on Monday confirmed to the newspaper that a bankruptcy petition has been filed against the loss-making fashion chain, which comprises over 70 shops and employs some 270 people in Finland and Estonia. The bankruptcy petition was filed by the Finnish Tax Administration.

the future of its widely recognised brand and decided to shut down 14 of its most loss-making shops following the expiry of their tenancy agreements.

Taloussanomat was the first news outlet to report about the threat of bankruptcy hanging over Seppala.

Lassi Nyyssonen, the lawyer appointed to oversee the debt re-structuring, said yesterday he requested that the re-structuring process be suspended on Friday. He told Helsingin Sanomat that the decision to suspend the process was made because the business has not developed as expected despite the drastic belt-tightening measures introduced by the management of Seppala.

Seppala was acquired from Stockmann in 2015 by Eveliina and Timo Melentjeff. Eveliina Melentjeff, the managing director of Seppala, said in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat in May, 2015, she felt she had no choice but to try to rescue the fashion chain that had been a fixture of the street scene in Finland since 1930.

Were getting into this with passion, she commented.

Seppala had sunk deep into the red as clothing sales contracted for five consecutive years before a long-awaited turnabout last year. It was too little too late, however, as the ailing retailer reported operating losses of 11.7 million euros on net sales of 33.2 million euros in Finland and losses of 1.2 million euros on net sales of 5.7 million euros in Estonia in 2016.

Melentjeff conceded last spring that the bloated cost structure was the biggest problem for Seppala.

We have to reduce the number of loss-making shops either by adjusting tenancy agreements or by using other measures, she stated to Helsingin Sanomat on 1 March, 2017.

The cold and rainy summer may have been the final blow for Seppala.

Helsingin Sanomat writes that all of the 57 shops in Finland and 14 shops in Estonia operated by Seppala would be shuttered in the event of the bankruptcy. The 270 people employed in the shops are consequently at risk of losing their jobs.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Irene Stachon  Lehtikuva
The tip-off suggested the man seemed radicalised and had shown an interest in extremist thinking. It included no information about a concrete security threat, however.

The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) has confirmed that it was tipped off about about the 18-year-old man who is suspected of carrying out a deadly knife attack in Turku, South-west Finland, on Friday, 18 August.

Supo on Monday revealed in a press release that it has received more than a thousand similar tip-offs over the past couple of years. While the objective is to look into every single tip-off, it added, the tip-offs have to be prioritised based on whether or not they include information about a concrete security threat.

The tip-off in question was forwarded to Supo in early 2017 by the South-west Finland Police Department.

Supo also revealed that the 18-year-old man was not among the 350 individuals targeted in its counter-terrorism efforts due to their activities, radicalisation or links to known terrorists. The number of such people has risen by over 80 per cent over the past couple of years, according to the press release.

Supo currently uses the majority of its counter-terrorism resources to monitor and gather information about the so-called counter-terrorism target individuals.

The National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) on Monday announced that it has issued a detention request for each of the five suspects linked to the rampage in Turku. It is demanding that the main suspect be detained for two counts of murder and eight counts of attempted murder committed with terrorist intent, and the four other suspects for involvement in the said offences.

All five of them are to appear before the District Court of Varsinais-Suomi on Tuesday, according to Helsingin Sanomat. The four secondary suspects have denied their involvement in the attack.

KRP has also issued an international arrest warrant for a sixth suspect.

Information released yesterday by the court confirms that the main suspect is an 18-year-old Moroccan named Abderrahman Mechkah.

Robin Lardot, the director of KRP, confirmed to Helsingin Sanomat on Monday that the main suspect has filed an appeal against a negative asylum decision and that his appeal has yet to be processed by an administrative court.

DW News, the English-language news division of Deutsche Welle, reported that Mechkah is believed to have resided illegally in Germany between late 2015 and early 2016. KRP, in turn, has said he applied for asylum in Finland in the first half of 2016, and resided first at the Pansio Reception Centre in Turku and later in a private residence in Turku.

Information obtained by Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) indicates that two of the four other suspects in custody are known to have resided and committed offences in Germany.

Mechkah is suspected of stabbing a total of ten people in downtown Turku, South-west Finland, on 18 August, 2017. Two Finnish women born in 1951 and 1986 lost their lives in the rampage, according to KRP.

The knife-man was apprehended after being shot in the lower body by the responding police officers at 4.05pm on Friday, only three minutes after the alarm was raised.

Aleksi Teivainen - HT

Photo: Emmi Korhonen  Lehtikuva
ITS been more than a month since Vicky Thornley raced her Henley final, yet she still doesnt know what caused her to lose the race to Germanys Annekatrin Thiele, writes Robert Treharne Jones.

One of the most keenly anticipated finals had given Thornley the chance of becoming only the second British winner in the history of the Princess Royal Challenge Cup.

Thornley, the current European champion, was drawn against the German sculler, Annekatrin Thiele, a gold medallist in the quad scull at the Rio Olympics, who Thornley had beaten by some six seconds at Poznan two weeks earlier.

As Thiele sped off the blocks to establish the early lead Thornley, the taller athlete by some eight inches, began to use her long levers to gather pace at a lower rate.

But approaching the Barrier Thornleys boat veered into the centre of the river as she compensated by pulling harder with her left hand to try and remain on course. Thornley said: I still dont really know  whatever did happen was out of my control. I lost my steering and the boat was being pulled into the centre so obviously that hampered my speed quite a lot.

Thornleys middle race has been her trump card this season, but on that fateful Sunday she had no chance to play to that strength.

It felt like I lost speed due to whatever happened to my boat and thats when I normally start coming through. I couldnt do that because I was basically just rowing with my left blade.

Whether weed on the fin was to blame was never established, but Thiele seized her opportunity, going on to win by an easily verdict, to become the first Germany winner of the trophy since Katrin Rutschow in 1999.

A week later Thornley was able to reverse the result in the Lucerne final, and Britains leading sculler is looking forward with confidence to a podium finish in Florida next month.
Around 400 ministers and officials from Africa and the Middle East will seek to adopt a declaration on fostering civil aviation security in the region

Ministers and aviation experts from Africa and the Middle East gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh on Tuesday at the start of a three-day conference on aviation security.

The Regional Ministerial Conference on Aviation Security in Africa and the Middle East runs from 22 to 24 August, with the participation of some 400 officials involved in aviation and security issues.

Attendees are seeking to adopt a declaration on fostering civil aviation security in Africa and the Middle East, as well as the implementation of international standards pertaining to the security of air transport in participating states.

The event is being held under the slogan "Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP): The Roadmap to Foster Aviation Security in Africa and the Middle East".

Officials from various ministries of the interior and transportation, along with civil aviation authorities and aviation-security officials, will discuss methods of reducing risks and increasing security, particulalry in light of terrorism-related threats.

The conference beings on Tuesday with a two-day Experts' Meeting, followed by a Ministerial Session on 24 August.

Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, the president of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), arrived in Cairo on Sunday to lead the international organization's delegation.

On 31 October 2015, a Russian passenger jet was brought down by an explosion over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people onboard. The terrorist organization Daesh claimed responsiblity for bringing down the plane, which had taken off from the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

After the incident, several nations halted passenger flights to Sharm El-Sheikh, with Egypt's tourism industry suffering massive losses. The governments of Egypt and Russia are still in talks over the return of Russian passenger flights to Egypt, with any resumption depending on Russia's confidence in aviation security arrangements.

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Eight suspects have been released from custody pending investigations into their involvement in clashes between police and residents of Cairo's Warraq Island in mid-July.



The eight, who are accused of "inciting riots", were released on the order of a Giza judge after a hearing on Tuesday.



A ninth defendant was not able to attend Tuesday's session as he was undergoing medical treatment, Al-Ahram Arabic website reported.



The suspects are also facing other charges, including "attacking official employees on duty, resisting authorities, attacking policemen, and possessing weapons," Al-Ahram added.



The clashes erupted on 16 July after the government demolished a number of homes that it claimed were illegal structures and encroachments on state property, but which residents maintain were legally owned.



One civilian was killed and 19 injured in the clashes between residents, police and army forces, while at least 33 policemen were injured, according to the interior ministry.



Thirteen people were arrested for inciting violence against security forces, which added to the tensions between residents and the government.

However, residents claim that the 13 were not responsible for any acts of violence and were arrested at hospital while undergoing treatment for injuries suffered during the clashes.



Similar clashes between security forces and residents of the island took place last year when Egyptian authorities evacuated buildings to construct the Rod El-Farag axis road. Residents were provided either with financial compensation or alternative compensation.



A nationwide campaign against Nile-side encroachments was launched in 2014. Earlier this year, the irrigation and water resources ministry announced that a total of 26,322 violations along the rivers banks had been removed.



The Egyptian parliament is set to vote on a draft law that would re-classify building encroachments on the Nile as a felony, mandating prison sentences for offenders.



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Bullet holes at the scene of the shooting

Two hitmen connected to the deadly Hutch mob are being blamed for the bloodbath in Ballymun which left two innocent victims dead.

Associates of the intended target - Derek 'Bottler' Devoy - have blamed the killings on a north inner city hit team that had been planning to murder the 37-year-old career criminal.

It means his associates do not think the gruesome gun attack was part of the bitter Ballymun feud that saw a number of violent incidents in the 36 hours before the murders.

Gardai

However, gardai think otherwise and continue to link the murders to the feud.

"Bottler's crew firmly believe that the fellas that carried out this are from the north inner city," a source said last night.

"They don't care what the cops think."

The Herald can reveal that, among the two criminals being blamed by Devoy's gang, is the chief suspect for the 2014 slaying of Bottler's brother, Michael 'Mad Mickey' Devoy (41). He was murdered shortly after his release from Portlaoise Prison.

His body was riddled with bullets before it was discovered on the side of the road in Bohernabreena late on the night of January 18, 2014.

The military-trained hitman, aged in his mid-20s, is also a suspect in the Hutch/Kinahan feud murder of Michael Keogh.

He was murdered by the Hutch mob in the capital's north inner city in May.

A senior source told the Herald: "This 'gun for hire' is a heavy hitter in terms of organised crime and he has close links to a number of gangs, including both sides of the feud.

"He is involved in extortion, debt collection and is associated with Provos in the north inner city."

The other suspected hitman has been closely monitored by gardai.

They believe he could be used at a "minute's notice" to carry out the murder of a rival Kinahan cartel member.

Aged in his 40s, he has been out of prison since 2013.

He served a lengthy sentence after being busted following a major surveillance operation by the gardai's Organised Crime Unit.

Shocking

A major garda investigation is continuing into last week's shocking double murder.

The two victims - mum-of-six Antoinette Corbally (48) and her friend Clinton Shannon (30) - were riddled with bullets as the hitmen emptied their magazines into them, the post-mortem examinations established.

Also injured in the gun attack in Balbutcher Drive, Balymun, were an 18-year-old relative and an innocent passer-by.

Armed gardai have been closely monitoring the intended target of the double murder as tensions remain on a knife-edge in the north Dublin suburb.
Eric and Gordana with the last photo taken of Oisin

The number of Irish people who will have drowned in 2017 looks set to reach a record low.

Provisional figures for 2017 show 39 people have died in the water - five of them abroad - compared to 123 last year.

Eight children drowned in 2016 compared to just two so far this year.

However, John Leech, the chief executive of Irish Water Safety (IWS), said the figures are only provisional because some deaths are still to go through the coroner's courts.

"In my 17 years here, 2017 has seen the lowest number of drownings," said Mr Leech.

Boats

The previous lowest number of recorded drownings was in 1936, when 73 people died.

However, there was far less risk of drowning at the time, said Mr Leech.

"The level of water activity was incredibly low back then. There were not so many boats, yachts or dinghies," he said.

About 30pc of drowning victims have consumed alcohol, according to the IWS.

Last year, of the 123 victims, 82 were accidental, 29 were suicide and 12 were undetermined.

Prevention has been a major factor in the drop in numbers, said Mr Leech.

The latest figures come after the parents of tragic teenager Oisin Quigley (13), who died while saving a girl from a river in Maynooth last year, told the Herald he was a hero.

Oisin's father, Eric, said the family intend to honour him with the word "hero" inscribed on his headstone.

"There's going to be a heart on it," said Mr Quigley. Inside the heart will be the words 'Always With Us' in Irish.

"At the bottom of the headstone, we have son, brother, friend, hero."

Both Mr Quigley and Oisin's mother, Gordana, said their son "jumped in without hesitation" to save a friend from the Lyreen river.
Lindsey Fahy is charged with three drugs offences

A Mother-of-four has been accused of trying to smuggle cannabis into a Dublin prison.

Lindsey Fahy (34) allegedly had the drugs on her while she was on her way in to Wheatfield Prison.

The case against her was adjourned when she appeared before Blanchardstown District Court.

Ms Fahy, of Fortlawn Drive, Blanchardstown, is charged with three drugs offences.

She is accused of simple possession of cannabis and heroin at Cloverhill Road, Clondalkin, last October 27.

She is also charged with possession of cannabis while in the vicinity of Wheatfield Prison with intent to commit an offence under Section 15C of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Welfare

The Director of Public Prosecutions directed summary disposal of the case at district court level.

Sgt Maria Callaghan said it was alleged that the accused had a small amount of cannabis hidden on her person as she went to the prison.

Judge David McHugh accepted jurisdiction to deal with the case in the district court after hearing an outline of the allegations.

Defence solicitor Fiona Brennan applied for legal aid, saying the accused was not working and was in receipt of social welfare. A statement of her financial means was handed in.

Judge McHugh granted legal aid after there was no objection from gardai.

He ordered disclosure of prosecution documents to the defence and adjourned the case to a date next month, for the accused to decide on a plea.

Ms Fahy did not address the court during the brief hearing and was remanded on continuing bail.
Salem was originally found guilty of laundering profits from an Egypt-Israel gas deal under former president Hosni Mubarak

Cairo Criminal Court ordered the acquittal on Tuesday of Mubarak-era business tycoon Hussein Salem of money-laundering charges linked to the export of gas to Israel.

His son Khaled and daughter Magda, who were charged in the same case, were also aquitted on Tuesday.

Salem and his offspring were originally convicted in absentia in October 2011 and sentenced to 7 years in prison and over $4 billion in fines. However, he later appealed at the Court of Cassation, which granted him a retrial, the outcome of which was Tuesday's aquittal.

Salem was accused of laundering more than $2 billion in profits he made from the deal, which was agreed between the governments of Egypt and Israel.

Earlier this year, Salems lawyer Mahmoud Kebbiesh, told Ahram Online that the "money laundering charges in connection with the gas export deal represented the last criminal case against Hussein.

Salem had faced various charges relating to the gas deal.

In 2012, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison in absentia after being convicted of corruption in connection with the same Israel gas deal. He was charged of being involved in providing Egyptian natural gas to Israel at prices below the international market price.

He was later acquitted in a retrial in 2015, a ruling the prosecution later appealed. But he was finally acquitted by Cairo Criminal Court in May 2017.

Salem, who was granted Spanish citizenship in 2008, fled to Madrid soon after the 2011 revolution that ousted long-time president Hosni Mubarak. The businessman still resides in Spain, although there has been discussion of his possible return to Egypt.

Since 2011, Salem has been sentenced to several prison terms for corruption, money laundering, seizing state-owned land, bribery, and squandering public funds.

However, in 2013, he filed several requests with the prosecution to reconcile with the Egyptian state by paying large amounts of money in exchange for charges against him and his family members being dropped.

In mid-2016, the Egyptian government agreed to settle with Salem and his family members in three corruption cases, on the condition that he pays EGP 5.3 billion.

In February, an Egyptian court unfroze the assets of Salem and his family.

Salems lawyer Kebbiesh said previously that the businessman had the option of returning from Spain after the reconciliation deal with the government in 2016. However, the lawyer said he had no idea when he would return.

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Russia is set to supply Egypt with 15 Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters by the end of this year, helicopter manufacturer Russian Helicopters told Russian state news agency Sputnik.

The delivery is part of a deal to supply Cairo with 46 Alligators, Andrey Boginsky, CEO of Moscow-based rotorcraft manufacturing company Russian Helicopters, told Sputnik on Tuesday at the Army-2017 forum.

Boginsky said that the first three helicopters have already been delivered.

"In August, we plan on delivering the second batch of three Ka-52s to Egypt," Boginsky said, adding that Egyptian specialists are currently being trained to operate the reconnaissance and combat helicopters.

Egypt and Russia have been in negotiation since last year to supply communication equipment and helicopters for the two Mistral aircraft carriers Egypt bought from France in 2015.

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Related Syrian opposition seeks unified front in Riyadh talks

Kazakhstan said Tuesday that the next talks to try to thrash out a Syria peace plan in its capital Astana may be held in mid-September, after Russia had planned to hold them in late August.

Kazakhstan's foreign ministry wrote on Facebook that the timing of the talks would be set at a meeting this month between experts from Russia, Turkey and Iran and "provisionally, we could be talking about mid-September".

The ministry said it was quoting diplomatic chief Kairat Abdrakhmanov's comments to journalists on the sidelines of a government meeting.

Abdrakhmanov said that the date change was based on "information received from Russia."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists in Moscow on Monday that the expert-level meeting would be held "by the end of the month or right at the start of September."

He did not give a precise date for the full Astana talks. Russia had previously been planning a fresh round of talks in the Kazakh capital in late August.

Earlier peace talks in Astana saw Russia, Turkey and Iran hammer out a plan to establish safe zones across swathes of Syria.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said last week that he hopes to launch "real, substantive" peace talks between the government and a still-to-be-formed unified Syrian opposition in October.

De Mistura has previously hosted seven rounds of largely unsuccessful talks in Geneva, with the fate of President Bashar al-Assad standing out as a main obstacle to progress.

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Qatari and US paratroopers held a joint training exercise in crisis-hit Doha on Tuesday which American officials said reinforced "the enduring military-to-military" partnership between the two countries.

The "Friendship Jump" comes at a time of high political tension in the Gulf, where a boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain has entered its third month.

More than 40 paratroopers took part in the routine exercise, jumping from a C-130 transport aircraft, according to a statement from the US Special Operations Command Control.

The training "is indicative of the strong relationship between our two countries", said Colonel David Keesy, senior defence official for the US Embassy in Qatar.

"This is part of a multi-spectrum, training evolution that is indicative of the mil-to-mil relationships and partnership and cooperation between the US and Qatari militaries."

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties with Qatar on June 5 over accusations of state support for Islamist extremist groups and close ties to Shiite Iran.

Qatar denies the allegations.

The crisis has proved a diplomatic thorn in the side of the United States, which is an ally to all four Gulf nations.

There have been mixed messages from Washington, with President Donald Trump appearing to back the Saudis but with the State and Defence departments being more cautious.

Washington has a huge military base in Qatar and a naval base in Bahrain.

Tuesday's US-Qatari military exercise is the second since the onset of the Gulf crisis, following naval exercises in June.

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Maryland cross country: Hubs' Stine, Leopards girls each finish second

North Hagerstown sophomore Lauren Stine had the top performance by a Washington County athlete, placing second in the Class 3A girls race.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince met senior U.S. officials including presidential adviser Jared Kushner in Jeddah on Tuesday and discussed efforts to bring about peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, Saudi state news agency SPA said.

Mohammed bin Salman also discussed ways to combat terrorist financing with Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, as well as U.S. negotiator Jason Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell, SPA said.

The two sides talked about seeking ways to reach "a real and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians" and ensuring stability in the wider Middle East and beyond, SPA said.

The White House announced the trip earlier this month, saying it was part of a regional tour including meetings with leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The U.S. delegation would meet regional leaders to discuss a "path to substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks", a White House official said at the time.

Kushner was charged with helping to broker a deal between Israelis and Palestinians after Trump took office.

The president went to Saudi Arabia and Israel during his first post-inauguration trip abroad and has expressed a personal commitment to reaching a deal that has eluded his Republican and Democratic predecessors.

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Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, which would remove timelines for withdrawal of remaining foreign troops.

"I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support ... for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism," Ghani said in a statement.

Ghani said the new strategy would increase the capacity of the training mission for Afghan national security forces, including enhancing its fledgling air force and doubling the size of the Afghan special forces.

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit a US-led NATO battalion in Poland on Friday amid concern on the alliance's eastern flank over a huge Russian military exercise in neighbouring Belarus next month.

Stoltenberg will hold talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on Thursday before travelling to the NATO base in the northern village of Orzysz, Tomasz Szatkowski, Poland's deputy defence minister, told local media on Tuesday.

The multinational battalion stationed in Orzysz is one of four deployed by NATO this spring to Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to reassure its easternmost allies, which have been unsettled by Russia's frequent military exercises near the region in the wake of its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

The Orzysz base lies about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and a stone's throw from the Suwalki Gap, a strategically important land corridor critical to the security of the Baltic states.

The gap, a 65-kilometre stretch of border with Lithuania, is sandwiched between Kaliningrad and Belarus.

Military strategists say it is the Achilles' heel of NATO's eastern flank, since its capture would amputate the alliance's three Baltic members and so shatter its credibility.

Formerly Soviet-ruled Baltic states worry they may be next to face pressure from the Kremlin, which is why they are casting a wary eye on September's "Zapad 2017" (West 2017) Russian military drills in Belarus, which borders Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Lithuania's Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis warned in June that Moscow might use the manoeuvres as cover for an aggressive troop buildup on NATO's eastern flank.

"Putin would like to test NATO... and probably the best area for him to test is the Baltics," Karoblis told AFP.

He said his government estimated that 100,000 Russian troops would be involved in the exercise, while official Russian figures quoted in Polish media reports peg the number of troops at 12,700.

Moscow has invited representatives of all three Baltic states to observe the drills.

Stoltenberg said in July that Russian officials had given the alliance figures for the Zapad war games but he declined to make them public, saying it was up to Moscow to do so.

He added that the alliance had held "frank" talks with Moscow on how to avoid dangerous misunderstandings over issues such as exercises.

General Ben Hodges, commander of US ground forces in Europe, said last week that "Poland has become for the United States Army the centre of gravity for everything that we're doing in terms of deterrence" regarding Russia.

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Why IU lost to Ohio St.: Buckeyes too good, but QB Williams not too bad

The result of Indiana's game against No. 2 Ohio State was nothing if not expected. But at least QB Dexter Williams showed some flashes for Hoosiers.
(JTA)-Curious George-that curious little monkey-is beloved by millions of readers around the world. His adventures with the Man With the Yellow Hat impart important life lessons amidst silliness and mayhem.

But many people probably don't know that the children's book character was actually born during very dark times. His two Jewish creators, Margret and H.A. Rey, fled the Nazis in 1940-on homemade bicycles, no less-carrying their unpublished manuscripts with them.

The story of the couple's daring escape is told in the forthcoming documentary "Monkey Business: The Story of Curious George's Creators," which premiered online and on on-demand platforms on Tuesday, Aug. 15. At the same time, in a coincidence of timing, the 2005 children's book "The Journey That Saved Curious George," will be mailed to 8- to 11-year-olds across the country this month through the PJ Library, a non-profit that champions Jewish-themed children's books.

No matter what the format, the story of Curious George's creators is a fascinating one.

Hans Augusto Rey (nee Reyersbach) and Margret Waldstein first met in Hamburg in the 1920s. Margret, who had studied art at the influential Bauhaus school and whose father was a member of the German parliament, left Germany for Brazil in 1935 to escape the rising tide of anti-Semitism. Hans had been working in Rio de Janeiro as a bathtub salesman. The pair, who had met over a decade before in Germany, married that year and moved to Paris.

Hans worked as a cartoon illustrator for a newspaper, and Margret wrote copy. A French publisher was impressed with some of Hans' animal drawings and suggested they work on a children's book. Their first work was "Raphael and the Nine Monkeys," and one of those monkeys would later become George.

By June 1940, the situation in Paris looked grim as Hitler's troops began to close in. Millions of people flocked to trains heading to the south of the country, and the Reys could not get a ticket.

They didn't own a car, so they decided to flee by bike, as Louise Borden explains in "The Journey That Saved Curious George." The only problem: They couldn't find a bike anywhere, either.

Somehow, Hans did something that sounds like a plot point in a children's fantasy book: He made two bikes that night using spare parts. That incredible act likely saved their lives, as well as the future of the monkey that would become Curious George.

Before their escape, Margret rounded up all of their unpublished children's book manuscripts, including one titled "Fifi: The Adventures of a Monkey." The couple biked out of the city 48 hours before the Germans occupied Paris, and slept in barns and restaurants on their journey out of France.

As if in return for being saved, the curious little monkey character helped saved the Reys. As "Monkey Business" director Ema Ryan Yamazaki documents, whenever they were stopped at checkpoints during their escape, the couple brandished the manuscripts and illustrations to prove that they were not dangerous.

"Curious George," First Edition.

They eventually made their way to Lisbon, then back to Brazil, then to New York. Fifi became George, and in 1941, Houghton Mifflin published the first "Curious George" book. Since then over 75 million "Curious George" books have been sold and the series has been translated into 19 languages. (He's also the star of an animated PBS program for kids that premiered in 2006.)

H.A. Rey died in 1977, and Margaret Rey died in 1996.

Yamazaki, who grew up partially in the U.S. and partially in Japan, said she was inspired by the Reys' story of immigrant success.

"With a deepening refugee crisis and inflamed anti-immigrant rhetoric across the globe, the Reys' story has become unexpectedly more relevant in the two years I have been making the documentary," she wrote last year. "The Reys' refugee story has a happy ending, and represents the American dream at its best."
NEW YORK (JTA)-Michelle Reyf isn't really a synagogue-goer. Until recently, the 28-year-old, who works for a Jewish nonprofit, was perfectly happy to get her spiritual fulfillment at Buddhist prayer services and meditation retreats.

Synagogue did not appeal to her for a variety of reasons-she found the crowd to be older and the atmosphere to be impersonal. And as someone who identifies as queer, she felt distanced from the traditional values she encountered in many Jewish spaces.

But in January, a friend invited her to attend Shir HaMaalot, an independent minyan, or prayer community, in Brooklyn. There, Reyf found a place that had some of the very same qualities as the Buddhist community she was a part of and that she had not found in traditional Jewish settings.

"It feels like finding a home, and it feels like I'm not a bad Jew for wanting different things than we're being offered in most synagogues and Jewish communities," said Reyf, a senior digital organizer for the Jewish social justice organization Bend the Arc.

"I thought maybe Judaism isn't for me or maybe I'm just not doing it right or maybe I'm different or there's something wrong with me that I don't feel like I fit in wherever I go. And then I came to Shir HaMaalot and I was like, 'These are my people,'" she told JTA.

Shir HaMaalot-a volunteer-led, nondenominational minyan that defines itself as a "traditional-egalitarian havurah"-meets once a month in Prospect Heights and Crown Heights in Brooklyn, often in space rented and subsidized by a local Reform synagogue, Union Temple of Brooklyn. Following a musical Shabbat service, participants join together for a vegetarian potluck meal. There is no rabbi, and community members take turns leading the services.

Reyf is part of a cohort of millennial Jews finding spiritual fulfillment at independent minyanim rather than in the traditional synagogue. Though the groups vary in prayer style, customs and demographics, many are egalitarian or support increased women's participation in services. They tend to draw a younger crowd than the average synagogue.

Independent minyanim appeal to people looking for a type of religious experience, said Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, the author of a book on independent minyanim and president of Mechon Hadar, a co-educational, egalitarian institution of Jewish learning based in New York.

"In my experience the people who are not going to synagogue it's not because they're anti-synagogue... it's more that they're looking for something-and if the synagogue has it they'll go there, and if the synagogue doesn't they won't. And I think that's where Shir HaMaalot comes in," Kaunfer said.

Kaunfer said Shir HaMaalot, which was founded in 2011, has a reputation for its use of music. In addition, "I think also a place gets its own reputation just by who starts going there, so when people think about 'Where am I going to go on Friday night?' now they know they have an option that's appealing to people in their age demographic, and that can also build on itself."

There are over 100 independent minyanim across the country, and they are especially accessible to millennials who often have yet to make commitments to Jewish institutions, Kaunfer said.

"What it boils down to in large part is people in their 20s and early 30s have more flexibility in terms of their social groups and commitments," he said.

The young crowd at Shir HaMaalot was a draw for Gabriela Geselowitz, a 26-year-old journalist and part time Hebrew school teacher. Geselowitz knew she wanted to be involved in a Jewish community after college but had assumed she would be the only young person there.

"When I moved to Brooklyn, I said I wanted to be near a Conservative shul, because that is generally traditional egalitarian, and I was sort of prepared to be the only young person at things. I did go to local synagogue a couple of times, and I was the only young person," said Geselowitz, who started attending Shir HaMaalot three and a half years ago.

At Shir HaMaalot, Geselowitz found both an age-appropriate crowd and an atmosphere that she enjoys.

"This was even better than Hillel in college in terms of enthusiasm and volume of people and what I'm looking for. I didn't really expect to find a space that would hit all of my buttons in the way that Shir HaMaalot does," said Geselowitz, who lives in Brooklyn.

The mood described by Geselowitz was evident at a recent Friday evening service, which she attended with her husband Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein, a 27-year-old working to launch a media startup.

Around 75 people, mostly young professionals with a few older people and young families sprinkled in, sat in chairs set up in concentric circles around the prayer leader, who alternated between singing slow, soulful melodies and faster, more upbeat ones. At various points throughout the service, when the tempo quickened, a young man started playing a djembe drum and people clapped along to the beat. Afterward they gathered around tables in an adjacent room as they ate the buffet-style potluck and talked.

The majority of Shir HaMaalot attendees are young, said Russ Agdern, one of the minyan's founders and a member of its organizing team.

"It skews towards 20s and 30s, but it's certainly not exclusively that, and that's certainly not our intention," said Agdern, 39, who works as director of recruitment and outreach for the Jewish social justice group Avodah.

Before the minyan was founded in 2011, "there were not really any egalitarian spaces with full Hebrew liturgy in this part of Brooklyn," said Agdern, adding that the founders wanted to create a "community-driven davening space."

The founders were active participants in the National Havurah Committee, a network of nondenominational grassroots Jewish communities The organization has its roots in the havurah, or fellowship, movement, of the late 1960s and 1970s, when an earlier wave of young people sought to create Jewish prayer experiences outside of traditional synagogue settings.

Tobin Belzer, a sociologist of American Jewry at the University of Southern California, believes that the difference between the havurah movement and the independent minyanim is their attitude toward the Jewish mainstream. "Because it was purposely positioned outside of mainstream institutions, the havurah phenomenon was often referred to as the Jewish counterculture. Participants published books and articles criticizing American Judaism," she wrote in a study of the two movements.

By contrast, minyanim represent a subculture, not a counterculture. "Independent minyanim are not outside of the Jewish mainstream; they are on the margins of it," writes Belzer. "In fact, many independent minyanim have strong ties with Jewish institutions. Some receive funding from Jewish foundations, others gather in borrowed spaces in synagogues, and still others use Torah scrolls loaned from area congregations."

Though communities affiliated with the havurah movement vary in terms of practice and affiliation, they are united in the fact that they are egalitarian, mostly volunteer-run and promote wide participation by community members.

Spitzer-Rubenstein likened Shir HaMaalot's atmosphere to that of services at Jewish summer camps.

"I went to Reform summer camp in California, and it was a similar sort of joy and celebration in praying," he said. "I feel like there are a lot of Jewish spaces where praying isn't seen as something that should be fun, and one of the things that I really like about Shir HaMaalot is that people care about and make it something significant."

For Geselowitz, Shir HaMaalot's "energy reminded me a little bit of teenage Jewish youth group."

The participatory aspect of the minyan appeals to Andrea Birnbaum, a 27-year-old medical student who has been attending Shir HaMaalot for four years.

"It's not performative in the sense that sometimes you go to synagogue and there's someone on the bimah [podium] who has the most energy, and they're trying to get the crowd moving but the crowd has a low energy," said Birnbaum. "It's not like that. This is participatory-we rotate every time someone leads the davening, the prayer"

For now, Geselowitz and Spitzer-Rubenstein, who attend other independent minyanim in Brooklyn when Shir HaMaalot doesn't meet, don't feel like they are missing anything by not belonging to a synagogue.

"Shir HaMaalot is free-we're happy to donate to it, but there aren't synagogue dues. At this point in my life I actually like having a lay-led community rather than a single rabbinic authority," Geselowitz said.

Participants are also attracted to Shir HaMaalot's progressive values.

"What also was really cool was that there were a lot of different gender expression, people who weren't necessary [conforming to the gender] binary, and for me as a queer person that was really important to see that it isn't a heteronormative place where the gender binary was being enforced," Reyf said.

On its website, Shir HaMaalot encourages people "to add your preferred pronouns to your name tag."

Pluralism is an important goal for the minyan, said GregOry Frumin, a 35-year-old social worker who serves on the minyan's organizing team.

"One of Shir HaMaalot's core values is inclusive pluralism. We want to create an accessible and welcoming space for people of diverse backgrounds, identities, accessibility needs," he said.

At the potluck dinner after services, food is served on three different tables-vegetarian, vegan and vegetarian cooked in a strictly kosher kitchen. Participants are also asked to list allergens on a spreadsheet prior to services.

"I think it's also important that Shir HaMaalot takes their religious observance seriously while still being welcoming to basically everyone," said Spitzer-Rubenstein.
KANSAS CITY (JTA)-Bronx-born, Queens-bred attorney Victor Bergman has lived in the Kansas City area for more than four decades-and in all that time, he hadn't found a true New York-style bagel. "Boiled first, glossy crust, soft interior-I really missed it a lot," he said.

But here, in a suburban strip mall that shares its parking lot with a Walmart, Bergman's 40 years in the desert may be over: "They've done it," he said, awaiting a fresh-baked dozen. "These are the bagels I grew up with."

Authentic New York bagels in Kansas-sounds crazy, no?

Actually, it's meshuggah-Yiddish for "crazy"-as in Meshuggah Bagels, Kansas City's bagel-and-schmear joint that has been on a holey roll since owners Pete and Janna Linde first set up shop last year.

Meshuggah is the only standalone kosher eatery in Kansas City-a boon for the modest population of observant Jews. It has also become very popular among the city's growing foodie crowd: The bagel bakery will boast three area locations by the fall.

Surveying the line of customers that stretched to the door on a recent Wednesday morning, Pete told JTA that they never expected to start a bagel boom. As a New Jersey native, he just wanted a taste of home. Meanwhile, Janna, a lifelong Kansas Citian, had always thought a bagel was just bread with a hole in it-until that day in Central Park a few years ago, when the couple shared an everything bagel with whitefish salad they had purchased on the Upper West Side.

"I bit into it, and I realized I had never had a bagel-not a real one," Janna recalled. "I looked at Pete, and I said, 'Wow, that is just crazy good.' So even then, we had our name."

For years, the couple joked about opening a bagel bakery, said Pete, whose mechanical engineering career brought him to the area 20 years ago. "It was seemingly ridiculous that Kansas City didn't have a real bagel anywhere," he said.

Long famous for its barbecue, Kansas City's culinary scene has expanded in recent years, boasting homegrown James Beard Award-winners and earning spots on lists of the nation's best food cities.

Yet despite some previous efforts, and the spread of Panera and Einstein Bros., a hole languished where good bagels might have been. Even acclaimed New Yorker writer Calvin Trillin -famous for extolling the virtues of Kansas City-has documented the shortcomings of what he charitably called his hometown's "bagel-shaped objects."

Then there was that time in 2015, as the Royals faced the Mets in the World Series, when Kansas City Symphony music director (and native New Yorker) Michael Stern anted up his town's best barbecue for the prospect of the "finest bagels" in a wager with the New York Philharmonic.

The Royals would deliver on that bet. And at the same time, the Lindes made a gamble of their own.

Pete was three years short of retirement from his job at Ford, and Janna, recovering from a knee injury, was on leave from her job as a district sales manager for Del Monte foods. One evening, she looked up from the couch and said, "We should just do the bagel thing now."

The goal was a modest wholesale business, something Janna could orchestrate through her grocery contacts, while Pete baked in the mornings and evenings. He pulled together a few publicly available recipes and, using their biggest spaghetti pot, boiled and then baked six bagels at a time. "The first few batches were disastrous," he said.

Janna spent long hours networking with equipment suppliers and researching how to build a bagel bakery from scratch. Pete kept tinkering in the kitchen. All and all, it took 73 different recipes. "One night, I took it out of the oven, and it was just great," he said. "We realized we had it."

By then, the couple had invested thousands of dollars in industrial equipment, but their timing was off. It was November, "about the worst time you can approach a grocery store," Pete said. "They're locked and loaded for the holiday season, and nobody wanted to talk to us."

Then the Lindes learned about Bagel Bash, an annual affair for young adults that the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City hosts on Christmas Eve. Bagels were not the party's focus-but they were about to be.

The couple invited the event's organizers for a tour and taste. "I was like, 'Oh my god, this is amazing,'" said Alyssa Dinberg, then a Federation program manager. "I remember telling them, 'if you get your shop kosher, I guarantee this is going to blow up.'"

Among Kansas City's approximately 20,000 Jews, a relatively small core keeps strictly kosher, but it's a growing presence, according to Rabbi Mendel Segal, who was, until recently, the director of the Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City, a kosher supervising organization. "To have a real, kosher bagel in town is something that people have been talking about for a long time," he said.

With only days to go until Bagel Bash, Segal-who is also known to barbecue fans as RaBBi-Q-canceled a trip to help get the bakery kashered in time. The Lindes donated 30 dozen for the party, their first exposure to the public.

Word spread, fans flooded the Meshuggah Facebook page, others kept calling to see where they could buy the bagels. The Lindes started catering Federation meetings and filling weekly orders through the kosher cafe at the JCC, but it wasn't enough. Some would-be patrons even showed up unannounced at their unmarked warehouse, asking to buy bagels onsite.

"Once again, Janna looked at me and said, 'We need to go retail,'" Pete said.

They found an 800-square-foot space in midtown Kansas City, Missouri. Alongside their bagels-plain, poppy, sesame, salt, onion, everything, but never blueberry-the menu features a selection of homemade schmears and a range of smoked fish flown in fresh from Brooklyn, as well as coffee from a local roaster.

When opening day arrived in March 2016, there was a line halfway around the block. The Kansas City Star sent a reporter to cover it. By the end of the first week, they had exceeded anticipated demand by 300 percent.

"After the second weekend was just as crazy as the first, we realized we had drastically underestimated how much Kansas City really wanted this," said Pete.

This June, they opened a second, much larger location in Overland Park, closer to where most Jewish and kosher-keeping Kansas Citians live, minutes from the area's only modern Orthodox synagogue.

"It's very exciting for the community," Segal said. "Besides the bagels, going to a nice, warm, friendly environment where you can sit down with your family or meet a client-it may not seem like much, but it's a big difference."

But the bagel boom is hardly driven by Jewish customers alone On weekends, the line that stretches from their original midtown location is a millennial-heavy collection of hungry folks of all backgrounds. And in September, at the invitation of developers, the Lindes will open their third store in Liberty, Missouri-a small town on the outskirts of the metro area that has approximately zero synagogues.

Meshuggah recently introduced what they believe are Kansas City's first authentic bialys, which often sell out by 10 a.m. Currently, each of their two locations sells about 1,200 bagels a day-and more than double that on the weekends.

"I really love a good East Coast-style bagel and this is the most authentic I have found in Kansas City," said Jasper Mirabile, Jr., chef and owner of Jasper's Italian Restaurant, a local institution, and host of popular weekly radio show, "Live! From Jasper's Kitchen." "The consistency is really something else."

After so many bagel-less years in Kansas City, those who know the Lindes understand why they've been the ones to pull it off. He's Jewish; she's not. She grew up knowing Midwestern tastes and tendencies; he knows what real bagels are supposed to be. He's the planner; she's the go-getter.

"I can't imagine a better couple for this to happen to," Dinberg said. "They are the most genuine, good-hearted, hardworking people. I'm thrilled to see it doing well."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara on their way to Greece for a two-day state official visit, June 14, 2017

(JTA)-He has a firm grip on the government, but a mounting political scandal might bring him down. Officials from his own party have begun to distance themselves from him, but he remains defiant.

Oh, and his son is in trouble, too.

Just one more thing Benjamin Netanyahu has in common with President Donald Trump.

Except there's a difference: While Trump faces one sprawling scandal, the Russia affair, Israel's prime minister is embroiled in at least two. Police are conducting two additional corruption investigations that indirectly involve him. His wife, Sara, will probably be indicted soon in a separate case. And a left-wing NGO just sued his son, Yair.

Netanyahu appeared to be in increasing peril as of last week, when Ari Harow, his American-born former chief of staff, became a state witness. Despite it all, Netanyahu has remained confident. He has accused the Israeli media of peddling "fake news" about the scandals. On Monday, responding to an article predicting his ouster, Netanyahu tweeted two words: "Won't happen."

But will it happen? After winning four Israeli elections, will Netanyahu be done in by his own misdeeds (or is it prosecutorial overreach)? Here's a primer on the string of scandals and what they mean for the prime minister.

Netanyahu is under investigation for receiving gifts and taking bribes.

The two main corruption scandals involving Netanyahu both concern allegations of illicit dealings with rich and powerful men. In the first, called "Case 1000," Netanyahu is accused of receiving expensive gifts from billionaires and then taking action on their behalf. In the second, called "Case 2000," he is accused of striking an illicit deal with a newspaper publisher.

In Case 1000, Netanyahu is alleged to have received tens of thousands of dollars' worth of gifts from Arnon Milchan, an Israeli Hollywood producer, and James Packer, an Australian casino mogul. The gifts include champagne, cigars, flights and hotel rooms.

In return, Netanyahu supposedly helped Milchan obtain a U.S. visa and Packer secure a residency permit in Israel. Netanyahu has acknowledged receiving the gifts but denies they were illegal or constituted bribes.

In Case 2000, Netanyahu is accused of conspiring with Arnon Mozes, the owner of the Israeli daily Yediot Acharonot, to advance legislation hobbling the free and pro-Netanyahu tabloid Israel Hayom bankrolled by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Yediot, which has historically criticized Netanyahu, was to cover him more favorably in return. Although recordings of the conversations exist, Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.

He's mixed up in two other corruption scandals-and his wife and son are in trouble, too.

Now you know about Cases 1000 and 2000. Here's some info on Cases 3000 and 4000, targeting Netanyahu's associates, plus another scandal involving his wife and another his son.

Here's a rundown:

"Case 3000" involves alleged corruption in the sale of German submarines to Israel. Police have accused businessman Michael Ganor of bribing government officials to become the negotiating agent for ThyssenKrupp, the German company that built the subs. In addition, Netanyahu's personal lawyer, David Shimron, was simultaneously acting as Ganor's representative during the negotiations over the sale.

In "Case 4000," the director-general of Israel's Communications Ministry, Shlomo Filber, is accused of illicitly allowing Bezeq, the national telephone company, to buy shares of YES, a satellite cable provider. Filber was appointed by Netanyahu, who also serves as communications minister.

Meanwhile, Sara Netanyahu is likely to be indicted for misusing public funds at the couple's official residences. The Israeli first lady is accused of using government money to pay for private chefs at family events, a caregiver for her father and weekend electrical work at the couple's home in the tony coastal town of Caesarea. The allegations have long dogged Sara Netanyahu, who sometimes comes off in the Israeli media as the country's Marie Antoinette.

Finally Molad, a left-wing Israeli think tank, has sued Yair Netanyahu for libel. Yair, the eldest son of the Netanyahus at 26, wrote a Facebook post last week calling the group a "radical, anti-Zionist organization funded by the Fund for Israel's Destruction" (a reference to the New Israel Fund, a left-wing NGO and bete noire of the Israeli right). Earlier that day, Molad had posted a listicle criticizing Yair Netanyahu's political views and use of public funds.

Netanyahu could be nearing indictment-but might still stay in office.

So what does this all mean for the prime minister, who has governed Israel since the beginning of the Obama administration in his second go-round as prime minister. It depends on two factors: Whether he is indicted, and whether that creates enough pressure to force him to resign.

The fact that police are now working with Ari Harow, a confidant of the prime minister's, means that he may provide information leading to an indictment. The recordings of Netanyahu's conversations with Mozes, for example, were found on Harow's phone.

Harow served two terms as Netanyahu's chief of staff, and founded a consulting company between the two stints. Police have accused him of using his government position to advance his business interests. In return for becoming a state witness, Harow agreed to a plea deal in which he will perform community service and pay a fine rather than serve a prison time.

But even with Harow's testimony, the going will still be slow According to a handy explainer in Haaretz, police are not expected to issue their recommendation until after the High Holidays late next month. If police recommend an indictment, it could still take several months until the attorney general formally indicts Netanyahu. Even then, he isn't legally required to resign.

Which is why the prime minister's fate may come down to pressure from fellow politicians and the public. A poll by Israel's Channel 10 found that 66 percent of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign if indicted. There is intrigue within Netanyahu's Likud party as well, with some ministers openly backing him while another, speaking anonymously, said he should resign if indicted.

(Un)fortunately, there's a precedent for this decision: Nine years ago, facing multiple corruption scandals, centrist Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned even before police recommended an indictment. But stepping down didn't help him, as Olmert was sentenced to prison in 2015 and served 16 months before going free in July.

Nor did resigning help Olmert's Kadima party. His successor, Tzipi Livni, lost the subsequent election in 2009-to Benjamin Netanyahu.
Neda Amin, an Iranian journalist who was granted political asylum in Israel Sunday, landed in the country on Thursday after disappearing for a few days.

Amin, 32, who had been seeking refuge in Turkey over the past three years, was to be extradited to Iran, where she could face the death penalty due to her columns in the Times of Israel Farsi edition.

She was shortly detained and then released by Turkish authorities. Israels embassy purchased a ticket for her, and she finally landed at Ben-Gurion Airport.

Amin was met at the airport by Times of Israel editor David Horovitz.

Thank you, she said, over and over, embracing Horovitz. You saved me.

Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri, who approved the asylum, noted that Amin was facing a real threat to her life solely for writing columns for an Israeli news site.

Under these explicit humanitarian circumstances, I granted her asylum without hesitation, Deri stated.
As North Korea vowed "merciless retaliation" against U.S.-South Korean military drills that it claims are an invasion rehearsal, senior U.S. military commanders on Tuesday dismissed calls to pause or downsize exercises they called crucial to countering a clear threat from Pyongyang.

The heated North Korean rhetoric, along with occasional weapons tests, is standard fare during the spring and summer war games by allies Seoul and Washington, but always uneasy ties between the Koreas are worse than normal this year following weeks of tit-for-tat threats between President Donald Trump and Pyongyang in the wake of the North's two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

There have been calls in both the United States and South Korea to postpone or modify the drills in an attempt to ease hostility on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's threat to lob missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam. But a visiting group of senior U.S. military commanders, including Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the drills are critical for the allies to maintain readiness against an aggressive North Korea.

"A strong diplomatic effort backed by a strong military effort is key because credible combat power should be in support of diplomacy and not the other way around," Harris said during a news conference at the Osan Air Base in South Korea.

Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said the allies should continue the war games until they "have reason not to." ''That reason has not yet emerged," he said.

The U.S. military officials later traveled to the site of a contentious U.S. missile-defense system in South Korea later Tuesday.

North Korea's military said in a statement that it would launch an unspecified "merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment" on the United States over the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills that began Monday for an 11-day run.

Despite the threat, an unprompted direct attack is extremely unlikely because the United States vastly outguns Pyongyang, which values the continuation of its dictatorship above all else. Impoverished North Korea hates the annual drills in part because they force it to respond with expensive military measures of its own.

The North Korean statement accused the United States of deploying unspecified "lethal" weapons for the drills that it says involve a "beheading operation" training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong Un.

"No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch in the Korean Peninsula," the statement said. "Moreover, high-ranking bosses of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces flew into South Korea to hold a war confab. Such huddle is increasing the gravity of the situation."

Sen. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who visited Seoul with other lawmakers, said Tuesday that dialogue would be the best way to defuse the North Korean nuclear standoff, though he argued that the United States and its allies must be ready to respond to potential aggression by North Korea with "overwhelming force."

"Talking with North Korea is not a concession; it is the only way to reach an agreement to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and to reinforce that our military strength is there only to deter aggression and to defend against attack," Markey told a news conference.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono offered a different view, saying pressure, not talks, is needed to push North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. He said Pyongyang had used dialogue in the past to buy time.

The Ulchi drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer, and this year's exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers. No field training like live-fire exercises or tank maneuvering is involved in the drills, in which alliance officers sit at computers to practice how they would engage in battles and hone their decision-making capabilities. The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.

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JFS Orlando was recently awarded $10,000 from the Harper Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. for its Reliable Independent Drivers for the Elderly program. The RIDE program is a transportation assistance program that provides free roundtrip rides to medical appointments or other essential services for low-income seniors and disabled adults in Orlando.

We are so grateful for the long-standing support from the Harper Family Charitable Foundation of our RIDE program, said JFS Orlando Executive Director Eric Geboff. The elderly and disabled population is often a forgotten segment of our community, but with RIDE we are able to increase the access to medical care and provide a level of independence for them.

The $10,000 grant marks the sixth consecutive year that the Harper Family Charitable Foundation has supported the RIDE program. In 2016, RIDE provided a total of 618 roundtrip rides for 108 elderly or disabled individuals. The goal of RIDE is to help vulnerable seniors and disabled adults maintain their health and independence.

The mission of the Harper Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. is for the health, education, maintenance and well-being of disabled children/adults of all ages only in the Central Florida area, wherever the need is found to be the greatest.
A summer camp activity of the "Go Palestine" program, at the Israeli security fence along the border with the disputed territories.

Two prominent U.S. senators are raising questions about an American-funded school in Ramallah that is running an extremist summer camp for Palestinian teens from around the world, many of them Americans.

The controversial summer program, called "Go Palestine," is run by the Ramallah Friends School, a 148-year-old Quaker institution in the Palestinian Authority's de facto capital. Its stated mission is to provide Palestinian teens from abroad with "introductions to Palestinian culture, cuisine, life and work, and the Arabic language."

But in addition to traditional summer camp fare, Go Palestine participants are immersed in anti-Israel films and lectures by militants, some with terrorist connections.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) gave the Ramallah Friends School $800,000 in 2016 to make various improvements to its facilities. USAID also sent the school $700,000 in 2015, $900,000 in 2014 and similar amounts in prior years, through its "American Schools and Hospitals Abroad" program. The school is owned and operated by the Indiana-based Friends United Meeting, one of the major divisions of the Quaker movement.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the evidence gathered by JNS.org concerning Go Palestine is "disturbing" and that USAID "must immediately investigate it." Schumer added, "If true, this school should be cut off because entities that receive USAID should be teaching about democracy and coexistence-not intolerance or extremism."

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is a longtime supporter of USAID's assistance to overseas schools, but "the allegations described are quite concerning" and Cardin "has reached out to USAID for an explanation," a spokesperson for the senator told JNS.org.

Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman and CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told JNS.org, "I endorse the calls by Senators Schumer and Cardin for an investigation to make sure that no U.S. government funds are being used, directly or indirectly, to support a camp that promotes BDS or other anti-Israel extremism."

A USAID spokesperson told JNS.org the agency "has not provided any support to the 'Go Palestine' program." USAID's grants to the Ramallah Friends School, which hosts and operates Go Palestine, were "for construction and durable commodities," including improvements to the buildings on campus. The USAID spokesperson did not address the fact that Go Palestine participants make use of those buildings on various occasions each summer.

Rejecting Israel's existence

The three-week Go Palestine program, which began in the summer of 2011, accepts 40-50 campers each year. It costs $2,150 per camper, plus airfare. Although the camp has not released a complete breakdown of the participants by nationality, the "camper profiles" shown on its website from 2011-2013 indicate Americans were the single-largest contingent. Other campers hailed from the U.K., Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. Several came from what the website calls "Haifa, Palestine."

Haifa is located within pre-1967 Israel, not in the disputed territories. The camp's use of "Haifa, Palestine" is one of the many indications that rejection of Israel's right to exist is an integral part of the camp's ideology.

The camp's own descriptions of each year's activities from 2013-2017 report that the teens are shown films such as "Occupation 101" and "Jerusalem: The East Side Story," which depict Israel as a racist, savage oppressor. A panel on "Youth Activism and Engagement in Palestine" featured representatives of "the Love Under Apartheid Campaign [and] the BDS movement." Officials of a group called "Right to Education" explained to the campers that all Israeli universities should be boycotted, since they are part of "the structure of systemic oppression."

This summer's campers heard "an inspiring lecture from Nasser Ibrahim," whom the camp describes as "a renowned journalist, author, and teacher." Ibrahim has been associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group. He has served as editor of the PFLP weekly publication El Hadaf, and is deputy director of the Palestinian Union of Health Work Committees, which USAID has characterized as a PFLP affiliate.

The 2016 and 2015 campers visited "the monument erected for the Martyrs of Birzeit." The monument, on the campus of Birzeit University near Ramallah, memorializes students who were killed while engaging in violence against Israelis.

The 2015 campers met in Bethlehem with "ex-prisoners," and heard about their "experience in the Israeli occupation jails." Palestinian "ex-prisoners" often are convicted terrorists.

Go Palestine's directors declined to respond to requests from JNS.org to identify the crimes for which those ex-prisoners were jailed, nor did they respond to inquiries concerning other aspects of their summer program.

The online brochure for Go Palestine promises that it "will change your child's life forever," and video blogs on its website illustrate the impact the program has had on its participants. A camper named Nidalia Nazzal, from California, declares, "Now I appreciate all the people fighting for freedom." Sama Sarraj, a teenager from Maryland, pledges that her "top priority" will be to "educate people and raise awareness" about "the situation of the Palestinian people."

Role of the Quakers

The activities of the Go Palestine program could further complicate the already strained relations between the Quaker leadership and the American Jewish community. The Quakers' public policy division, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), has endorsed the BDS movement and sponsors training programs for boycott activists.

Middle East scholar Asaf Romirowsky, who has written extensively about Quaker attitudes toward Israel, told JNS.org it is "hypocritical" for Quaker leaders to claim to be pacifists and advocates of coexistence "while their Ramallah school is training teenagers from around the world to hate Israel and idolize terrorists."

JNS.org asked Shan Cretin, general secretary of AFSC, if Go Palestine's activities are consistent with AFSC's mission statement, which emphasizes "active nonviolence and the transforming power of love." Cretin replied, "There is no connection between AFSC and the Ramallah Friends School," which runs the camp.

According to AFSC's website, however, Cretin will be succeeded next month as general secretary by Joyce Ajlouny, who has been head of the Ramallah Friends School for the past 13 years. Jennifer Berg, the director of AFSC's "Palestine-Israel Program," was formerly a teacher at the school.
WASHINGTON (JTA)In an unusual statement, President Donald Trump called his national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, very pro-Israel, an apparent bid to end a barrage of attacks from the far right that has depicted McMaster as hostile to Israel.

General McMaster and I are working very well together, Trump said in a message relayed to media outlets late Friday. He is a good man and very pro-Israel. I am grateful for the work he continues to do serving our country.

McMaster in recent days has removed from the National Security Council an array of advisers who have ties to the far right, including outlets like Breitbart, the news website helmed until last year by Trumps top strategic adviser, Stephen Bannon, and Conservative Review. Those sites have run anonymously sourced stories depicting McMaster as anti-Israel.

There are a number of reasons for the differences that apparently have spurred the sackings: Many were hired by McMasters predecessor, Mike Flynn, and were still loyal to Flynn, who left when he became a central figure in the scandal engulfing the Trump administration concerning allegations of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

A number also hew to conspiracy theories that would unsettle, if not horrify, traditional conservatives like McMaster. One of those removed, Rich Higgins, had circulated a memo alleging a conspiracy of Maoists and Islamists within and without the government seeking to undermine the Trump agenda.

McMaster and other more establishment figures in the administration, including Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have also counseled caution when it comes to the Iran nuclear deal. Trump wants out of the agreement negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, which trades sanctions relief for Irans rollback of its nuclear activities.

The trio of McMaster, Tillerson and Mattis talked a reluctant Trump into recertifying the deal last month, noting that Iran was abiding by the narrow terms of the agreement while amping up activities in other areas that the West finds troublesome, including missile testing and military adventurism. One argument against pulling out of the nuclear deal abruptly is that it would alienate U.S. allies who are otherwise disposed to confronting Iran in non-nuclear areas. Trump has said he likely wont recertify Iran in three months when it next comes up.

Since then, and perhaps acting on reports that McMaster and Trump do not get along, right-wing media have run reports anonymously quoting current and former administration officials depicting McMaster as hostile to Israel. Conservative Review quoted officials as saying that McMaster had called Israel illegitimate and an occupying power.

Reports, including a lengthy Facebook post by Caroline Glick, a Jerusalem Post columnist, blamed McMaster for not allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join the Trump family for a visit to Jerusalems Western Wall when Trump visited Israel in June.

Mike Cernovich, a far-right provocateur, set up a website called McMasterLeaks to solicit information that could damage McMaster. It at first featured a cartoon depicting McMaster and David Petraeus, a friend and colleague of McMasters from their time in the military, as puppets being manipulated by the billionaire financier George Soros, who in turn was manipulated by a rotting arm labeled Rothschilds.

Soros, a Jewish philanthropist whose giving to leftist causes has made him a bugbear of the right, has no known ties to McMaster. The Anti-Defamation League posted an analysis of the cartoon outlining its typical anti-Semitic tropes, including depicting Jews as puppeteers and the Rothschild family as all controlling.

Cernovich later relabeled the arm as Saudis, telling The Atlantic he didnt want to deal with complaints that the cartoon was anti-Semitic.

The attacks on McMaster have spurred other pro-Israel hawks to come to the national security advisers defense. Mark Dubowitz, the director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, posted on Twitter the results of his research showing McMaster as hawkish on Iran in statements dating back to 2007 when he was a general serving in the Iraq War.

Today I pulled up everything I could find that McMaster has said on Iran dating back to 2007, Dubowitz said, launching a thread of tweets with citations. If he isnt tough-minded, I dont know who is.

While arguing to keep the deal in place, McMaster has said he agrees with Trump that it is a bad deal, allowing Iran too much leeway for disruption in the region.

What we have done is we have crafted a strategy along with a lot of our like-minded nations, allies, partners, to counter Irans destabilizing behavior, McMaster said Saturday in an interview on MSNBC with Hugh Hewitt, a conservative radio show host. While we still aim to prevent by whatever means is necessary to do so, Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
We are now two years into the deeply controversial Iran nuclear agreement that roiled our community. And, like everything connected to the deal and the Mideast, its complicated, as even Jared Kushner would attest.

During the many months leading up to the historic 2015 agreement between Tehran and the U.S. and its P5+1 partnersUnited Kingdom, France, and China, plus GermanyI was deeply critical of President Barack Obamas approach, which I thought was too narrow and timid. I felt the U.S. wasnt acting like the superpower it is in the negotiations, displaying behavior more deferential toward Iran than imposing.

Unfortunately, the deal, which curbed Tehrans nuclear program for 10 years in return for sanctions relief, did not address Irans widespread terror activities, like arming and supporting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of its commitment to rule the region, not to mention its persistent threats to destroy Israel.

Obama felt it was unrealistic to try to extract more from the other side and settled for focusing on Irans nuclear program.

Today, as President Donald Trump signals a strong interest in sabotaging what he called the worst deal hes ever seen, Im not at all sure that canceling it or provoking Iran to walk away from it would be a good idea. And curiously, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was, for two decades, the biggest and most vocal opponent of the Iran deal, torching his relationship with Obama to denounce the agreement at a joint session of the U.S. Congress in March 2015, he has been noticeably silent on the subject of late, at least in public.

Perhaps thats because a number of Israels top military and foreign policy experts acknowledge that the deal is working, for now. They worry about a decade from now, after the pact with Iran expires, but at present they are more concerned about the situation in Syria, fearful of what might happen after ISIS is defeated. (More on that later.)

A number of Israeli and American foreign policy experts assert that pushing Iran by insisting on inspections of its military sites or calling out alleged violations, as Trump seems inclined to do, will cause the mullahs to terminate the agreement and resume their rush to develop nuclear weapons. That would leave the U.S. further isolated diplomatically from its European partners and with little recourse regarding Iran other than military action.

After the State Departments certification to Congress last month that Iran was adhering to the nuclear dealsuch certification is required every 90 daysthe American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), no doubt voicing Jerusalems views, issued a call for tougher U.S. action. The pro-Israel lobby asserted that despite certification, serious concerns remain about Irans compliance. It urged the U.S. to dramatically increase efforts to push back against Irans violations and make sure that the full terms of the deal are strictly enforced.

Any violation of the deal or of the UN resolution endorsing it, no matter how minor, must be met with swift consequences, AIPAC said.

But what should those consequences be, and how far should the U.S. push?

Supporters of the Iran deal point to North Korea as Exhibit A in making their case.

If you like North Koreas nuclear-armed ICBM, wrote Jeffrey Lewis in Foreign Policy, you are going to love America walking away from the nuclear deal with Iran. He calls such a move a terrible idea and notes: The people who are promising you a better deal with Iran have exactly no plan to deal with North Korea. Its the equivalent of repeal and replace, except that stripping 20 million people of health care looks like a walk in the park compared with blundering into a nuclear war.

Press reports indicate that Secretary of Defense James Matis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster managed to dissuade Trump from decertifying the Iran deal last month, but not easily. The fact that the president has chosen his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, a major America-firster, suggests that it is not at all certain to be certified again come October.

For the moment, Israeli officials are deeply worried about Syria, and more specifically with the eastern region of the war-ravaged country. They believe that the U.S. will help defeat ISIS in the northeastern city of Raqqa in the coming months and then leave, paving the way for Iran to establish a lasting presence in Syria,

After meeting with dozens of professionals in the IDF and foreign ministry during a recent trip to Israel, David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, concluded that theyve made peace with the Iran nuclear deal for now. Their biggest fear remains what happens in 10 years, after the deal ends, he told me. But he was struck by how nervous so many senior Israeli officials were about Iran playing an increasingly dangerous role in Syria. The Israelis are skeptical that the recent U.S. cease-fire deal with Russia and Jordan in southern Syria, close to the Golan Heights, will hold. They also fear that, post-ISIS, Iran will fill the vacuum by flooding northeastern Syria with thousands of its Shia forces in the country, according to Makovsky.

The leader of Irans Revolutionary Guard has boasted of plans to establish what he calls a Resistance Highwaya land bridge extending from Iran to Beirut, solidifying an Iranian presence surrounding Israels north. So its really Iran, again, at the root of Israels worries.

Netanyahu has managed skillfully to keep Israel out of the raging war next door, in Syria, for more than six years. But lately he has spoken of maintaining Israels red lines to prevent an entrenched Iranian military presence so close to the homeland. While he may prefer that the U.S. maintain a strong military presence in the region, even if ISIS is defeated, he also understands how reluctant Americans are, after the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars, to have their soldiers involved in yet another overseas military venture.

Many supporters of Israel are hoping the U.S. can toughen the Iran nuclear deal and add provisions to lessen Tehrans influence, through its militant proxies in Syria and Lebanon. But a blend of skillful diplomacy backed by military resolve is required to get Tehran to tamp down its aggressive actions without blowing up the nuclear deal. Whether the Trump administration is up to the challenge remains to be seen.

Gary Rosenblatt is the editor and publisher of The New York Jewish Week. He can be reached at Gary@jewishweek.org.
The Israel angle on McMasters purge of Trump loyalists from the National Security Council is that all of these people are pro-Israel and oppose the Iran nuclear deal, positions that Trump holds.

McMaster in contrast is deeply hostile to Israel and to Trump. According to senior officials aware of his behavior, he constantly refers to Israel as the occupying power and insists falsely and constantly that a country named Palestine existed where Israel is located until 1948 when it was destroyed by the Jews.

Many of you will remember that a few days before Trumps visit to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers were blindsided when the Americans suddenly told them that no Israeli official was allowed to accompany Trump to the Western Wall.

What hasnt been reported is that it was McMaster who pressured Trump to agree not to let Netanyahu accompany him to the Western Wall. At the time, I and other reporters were led to believe that this was the decision of rogue anti-Israel officers at the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem. But it wasnt. It was McMaster.

And even that, it works out wasnt sufficient for McMaster. He pressured Trump to cancel his visit to the Wall and only visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorialala the Islamists who insist that the only reason Israel exists is European guilt over the Holocaust.

In May, Adam Lovinger, a pro-Trump national security strategist on loan from the Pentagons office of net assessment was summarily informed that his security clearance was revoked. He was fired and escorted from the White House like a spy and put on file duty at the Pentagon.

Lovinger is a seasoned strategic analyst who McMaster hated because he supported India over Pakistan, among other things.

Lovinger has not been told the grounds for his sudden loss of clearance but Mike Cernovich reported that the grounds were that he traveled to Israel for a family bar mitzvah. In other words, there were no grounds for dismissal. His boss at the Pentagonunbelievably named James Baker, is an Obama hire who hates Trump and supports Obamas agenda.

As for Iran, well, suffice it to say that McMaster supports the deal and refuses to publish the side deals Obama signed with the Iranians and then hid from the public.

The thing I cant get my arms around in all of this is why in the world this guy hasnt been fired. Mike Flynn was fired essentially for nothing. He was fired because he didnt tell the Vice President everything that transpired in a phone conversation he had with the Russian ambassador. Whoopdy-doo! Flynn had the conversation when he was on a 72-hour vacation with his wife after the election in the Caribbean and could barely hear because the reception was so bad. He found himself flooded with calls and had no one with him except his wife.

And for this he was fired.

McMaster disagrees and actively undermines Trumps agenda on just about every salient issue on his agenda. He fires all of Trumps loyalists and replaces them with Trumps opponents, like Kris Bauman, an Israel hater and Hamas supporter who McMaster hired to work on the Israel-Palestinian desk. He allows anti-Israel, pro-Muslim Brotherhood, pro-Iran Obama people like Robert Malley to walk around the NSC and tell people what to do and think. He has left Ben (reporters know nothing about foreign policy and I lied to sell them the Iran deal) Rhodes and Valerie Jarretts people in place.

And he not only is remaining at his desk. He is given the freedom to fire Trumps most loyal foreign policy advisers from the National Security Council.

One source claims that Trumps political advisers are afraid of how it will look if he fires another national security adviser. But that makes no sense. Trump is being attacked for everything and nothing. Who cares if he gets attacked for doing something that will actually help him to succeed in office? Why should fear of media criticism play a role here or anywhere for this president and this administration?

Finally, there is the issue of how McMaster got there in the first place. Trump interviewed McMaster at Mara Lago for a half an hour. He was under terrible pressure after firing Flynn to find someone.

And who recommended McMaster? You wont believe this.

Senator John McCain. Thats right. The NSA got his job on the basis of a recommendation from the man who just saved Obamacare.

Obviously, at this point, Trump has nothing to lose by angering McCain. I mean what will he do? Vote for Obamacare?

If McMaster isnt fired after all that he has done and all that he will do, were all going to have to reconsider Trumps foreign policy. Because if after everything he has done, and everything that he will certainly do to undermine Trumps stated foreign policy agenda, it will no longer be possible to believe that exiting the nuclear deal or supporting the U.S. alliance with Israel and standing with U.S. allies against U.S. foesnot to mention draining Washingtons cesspoolare Trumps policies. How can they be when Trump stands with a man who opposes all of them and proves his opposition by among other things, firing Trumps advisers who share Trumps agenda?

Caroline Glick is the senior Middle East Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C.; the deputy managing editor of The Jerulsaem Post; and a contributor to the Jewish World Review.
The newly appointed Middle East director at the State Department has a long record of criticizing and pressuring Israel. Isnt anybody at the White House paying attention to whos being hired over at Foggy Bottom?

David Satterfield, who is slated to become assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs next month, played a significant role in U.S. policy and diplomacy concerning Israel and the Palestinians in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A look at some of his comments from that period reveals he repeatedly suggested a moral equivalency between Palestinian terrorism and Israeli counterterrorism.

Consider Satterfields remarks at the Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine (CPAP) Nov. 2, 2001. The date is important. It was the height of the second intifada. There was Palestinian terrorism on a daily basis. In the weeks prior, suicide bombers had struck at the Sbarro Pizzeria in Jerusalem (15 dead, 130 wounded) and the Nahariya train station (three dead, 94 wounded). In the midst of this bloodshed, Satterfield criticized Palestinian terrorismand then proceeded to criticize Israel.

Making the aggressor and the victim appear to be equivalent, Satterfield declared (according to The Associated Press): The intifada, whatever its origin, has become an ongoing process of calculated terror and escalation, reciprocated by actions which all too often by Israel proved inflammatory and provocative. Steps must be taken to bring this to a halt.

And a brief word about Satterfields troubling choice of venue. CPAP is an extreme anti-Israel group that should never be honored with the presence of a U.S. government official. In 2003just to cite a random example to illustrate the centers mindsetthe CPAP winter conference was titled Israels Policy of Apartheid and Ethnic Cleansing. Why would Satterfield to choose to keep that kind of company?

There was more moral equivalency from Satterfield the following year, at the Weinberg Founders Conference of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in October 2002. Satterfield criticized Yasser Arafat, then blasted Israel for encircling Arafats terror headquarters, the Muqata compound in Ramallah. The Israeli action was wholly unhelpful and froze the positive currents of reform and direct pressure placed upon [Arafat] by Palestinian elites, Satterfield declared.

Once again, Satterfield was incapable of criticizing Palestinian terror leaders without simultaneously haranguing Israels self-defense actions.

On March 11, 2004, Satterfield gave the keynote address at the Israel Policy Forums conference in Washington, D.C. Again, note the venue. The Israel Policy Forum was established by the Israeli Labor party. The prime minister of Israel in March 2004 was Ariel Sharon, then leader of the Likud party. Satterfield was choosing to address the American wing of the Israeli opposition. Interesting.

Satterfield once again resorted to moral equivalency. Hope is in very short supply right now, he asserted, evidently referring to the still-raging intifada. Just two weeks earlier, eight Israelis had been massacredand more than 60 wounded, including many schoolchildrenin the Liberty Bell Park bus bombing in downtown Jerusalem.

You would think that would be the cause of hope being in very short supply. But noaccording to Satterfield, there were two reasons that hope was in short supply, not just one. Hope was evaporating in the understandable rage of Israelis suffering through horrible acts of terrorbut hope also is being swallowed up in the deep frustrations, daily humiliations and wounded dignity of Palestinians living under occupation.

Someone who perceives Israels legitimate self-defense actions as inflammatory, provocative and unhelpful, and who thinks that Israel and Palestinian terrorists are equally to blame for the erosion of hope, has a dangerously shallow understanding of Middle East reality. David Satterfields record demonstrates that he does not fully appreciate the difference between Palestinian aggressors and Israeli victims. He does not accept Israels right to take all necessary defensive actions against the stabbers, snipers and suicide bombers who threaten its citizens daily. Satterfields appointment should be rescinded immediately.

Stephen M. Flatow, a vice president of the Religious Zionists of America, is an attorney in New Jersey and the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.
As far as they are concerned, the U.S. Congress is just doing what it always does: pandering to the Israel Lobby. Thats how the foreign policy establishment and the left regard the bipartisan support for the Taylor Force Act, a bill named after a non-Jewish U.S. Army veteran slain in a Palestinian terror attack last year.

The legislation would cut off American aid for the Palestinian Authority (PA) unless the PA stops funding terrorism. The bill passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Aug. 3 in a 17-4 vote, with all the committees Republicans and six of its 10 Democrats supporting its adoption.

The notion that the U.S. would halt aid to the PA merely because it doesnt want to be morally complicit in a pay for slay scheme strikes many on the left as lacking sympathy for the Palestinians as well as self-defeating, since ending the funding might lead to the collapse of the PA. Their assumption is that PA President Mahmoud Abbas means what he says when he and his Fatah party threaten to disband their Ramallah-based government if the foreign money that keeps it afloat is cut off. If true, it would force Israel to reassume full control over all of the disputed territories, which most Israelis think would be a disaster.

It may also be impossible for Abbas. Stopping the payments to terrorists would contradict the basic narrative of Palestinian history in which violence against the Jews is viewed as self-defense as well as a heroic act of resistance that is deserving of praise. Asking Abbas to take such a step would be tantamount to requesting that he commit suicide.

So why do it?

The answer is that those demanding a halt to aid to the PA are not merely venting their outrage at the Palestinians. They are also pointing the way toward the only possible path to peace.

The PA has spent more than $1.1 billion on salaries for terrorists and pensions for their families in just the last four years. In the next fiscal year, it will spend half of all the foreign aid they get on this effort. It has created a set of financial incentives that not only gives Palestinians a reason to commit terror, but emboldens their belief that only by committing a truly serious offense involving the shedding of blood, will they ensure that their families are provided with enough to live comfortably.

Those who rationalize the continuation of the aid point to the security cooperation that the PA offers to Israel as proof the Jewish state has a partner for peace. But while the cooperation has value, it has two main purposes: making sure Abbass Hamas rivals dont gain a foothold in the disputed territories and ensuring the safety of the Fatah leadership against attacks from the Islamists. Thus, when the PA threatens to halt security cooperation, as it did during the recent controversy over the Temple Mount, the biggest potential loser from such an action would be Fatah, not just Israel.

Thats why the talk of a PA collapse that Abbas and his apologists continue to invoke is a bluff.

Fatahs survival depends on its ability to use foreign donations to fund its corrupt practices in the disputed territories. The Palestinian factions obstruction of economic development or any measures that might end the corruption that enriches its leaders has created a situation in which much of the Palestinian population in the territories depends on having no work or no-show jobs that Fatah gives out in exchange for support. Thus, while it is true that ending funding for terror would be deeply unpopular and might boost Hamas, it would also be the end of Fatah.

Nor should we accept the notion that there is any moral equivalence between anger about Western donations rewarding those who slaughter Jews and Palestinian anger about settlements. Even if you accept the dubious argument that settlements are the real obstacle to peace, if you think building a new house in a place Palestinians think should be free of Jews is just as bad as killing people, then all you are doing is making a case that peace between two peoples with such different moral codes is clearly impossible.

Thats why it is imperative that the West force Abbas to choose between giving up power and giving up their gruesome terror-funding scheme. Far from obstructing the chances for peace, as some on the left claim, compelling the Palestinians to reject a culture of violence that ensures the conflict will continue indefinitely is the only hope for its resolution. No matter where your political sympathies lie, its time to realize that opposing the Taylor Force Act undermines any hope for peace.

Jonathan S. Tobin is opinion editor of JNS.org and a contributing writer for National Review. Follow him on Twitter at: @jonathans_tobin.
Is there a way to differentiate between fake news and true news?

It used to be known as propaganda when adversary governments concocted bizarre stories to further their agendas. Tabloid journalism is a lighter version of the same; it goes after overblown gossip and bogus rumours.

Now, in the age of social media, the words disinformation, yellow journalism or better yet fake news have come to life. Hoax stories are created to deceive and intended to mislead, and in the process influence millions.

Grabby headlines, exaggerated and embellished information, and disregard for the truth construe fake news. According to the pundits, on one front, fake news increases readership as it sees higher sharing on Facebook and other social media sites than credible news. On another, it generates revenue through the advertisements it posts.

However, there is more to fake news than meets the eye.

Fake news is manipulative. It instils suspicion and doubt and prompts panic while steering simplistic minds far from the truth.

Today, a murky line exists between fair and square information and deliberately misleading information. This is why we, as receivers of information, must learn to decipher truth from fiction.

First, there are those who create fake news for the mere fun of it, sometimes as a prank or a hoax. Tweets and headlines such as Kate Middleton and Prince William named Queen and King, North Korea experiments on humans, Obama birth secrets revealed, or Rat Meat Sold as Chicken Wings? are hoax stories that are neither here nor there and discredited straightaway.

To the chagrin of many, satire, and what is meant as a joke, fools some into believing it is the truth. With a solemn deadpan attitude, the storyteller fools the receiver into believing that the story is bonafide when it can hardly be so. The problem is that these simplistic folks pass on the information as though it was for real.

In The Onion, a satirical digital publication of wide circulation, humour often depends on presenting mundane, everyday events as newsworthy, surreal, or alarming. Examples are Trump Orders All Flags To Half-Staff In Honor Of American Killed On Episode Of Blue Bloods, or "Scientists Confident Artificially Intelligent Machines Can Be Programmed To Be Lenient Slave Masters.

If well-crafted, even credible news outlets fall for it. Stephen Harper, then prime minister of Canada, was rushed to hospital after he choked on a piece of hash brown while having breakfast with his children. His wife called 911, but his bodyguards thankfully were there to perform first aid. True? Absolutely not; it is a hoax in its entirety  a fictitious story from a highly imaginative prankster. And Canadas CBC picked up the story and went with it as well. Naive readers and viewers, especially when Canadas CBC validated the story, accepted the story without hesitation.

Other fake news, though, is deliberately malice intended to upset the norm. States pursue fake news to promote their own agendas. State-funded sites and networks do the same. Individuals, anonymous and identified, via warped sites, defame and discredit rivals.

Many believe that fake news influenced the outcome of the American 2016 presidential election. As Business Insider relays, some of these fake stories were seen by over 2.2 million people, often relying on fictional content and made up allegations.

No doubt, the same pattern occurs in standard and social media on Egypt.

The headline to Reuters latest article on Egypt reads, Qatar turns down new LNG deals with Egypt: traders. Deliberately misleading, the article aims at making Egyptians fret.

When a tweet by an acclaimed personality reads, Beaches are packed in Alexandria, but entrance fee is 40 pounds, it is soon retweeted, placed on Facebook walls, and forwarded and reposted.

This while, on average, entrance to beaches in Alexandria cost between five to seven pounds with very few at 15 pounds and some totally free. Even if a single beach costs 40 pounds, the tweet generalises leaving the reader under the assumption that all beaches are that heftily priced, deliberately inciting readers.

In a short but easily identified piece of fake news, a digital newspapers headline reads, El-Sisi surprises everyone and wanders secretly around Alexandria in his car. The article alleges imminent changes as El-Sisi was disappointed by what has become of Alexandria.

If secretly, how did the reporter know? And did President El-Sisi inform him of his disappointment? The aim is clear: to gain readership while causing disturbance.

As a single example of Al-Jazeeras manipulative journalism, it published a story on Egyptians from Sinai fleeing into Gaza because their homes in Northern Sinai were destroyed, Egyptians in Gaza: we escaped certain death, citing them as in the hundreds and subsisting on handouts.

I very much doubt these numbers are true, I doubt these are Egyptians from the start, and Im certain that those who headed to Gaza had teamed up with the terrorists in Sinai and were worried that they would be implicated. Unquestionably had these folks been clear of any incrimination, they wouldve headed elsewhere in Egypt, got compensated and housed as thousands others were.

But Al-Jazeera gains from spreading such fake news. It is usually picked up by international publications, which enjoy defaming the Egyptian army while condemning its efforts to clean up northern Sinai of terrorists. And isnt that pleasing for Al-Jazeera?

Can we differentiate between fake and true news? Can we avoid falling victims to hoax news that plants confusion?

To do that we must become sceptical readers and viewers; we have to question the authenticity of every word, photo, and footage unless it is validated, is from an extremely reliable source, cited in a credible source, or, preferably, appearing in more than one credible source.

Even this action is not enough. We must reach a higher level of scepticism or else we will continue to be deceived. I suggest we doubt everything said, realise that most of what is reported is suspiciously incorrect or is subjected to non-objective distortion. We must pause and ponder before we repost, filter the acceptable from the unacceptable, and weed out fictitious hearsay. We must ask ourselves if the reported story can be true and if it is rational or bizarre.

I suggest we become stringent disbelievers before we become promoters of false information.

The writer is an academic, political analyst, and author of Cairo Rewind: the First Two Years of Egypt's Revolution, 2011-2013.

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It took US President Donald Trump months to finally decide on his policy for Afghanistan, Americas longest war. Trumps reluctance to immediately acquiesce to his militarys demands did result, though, in the most careful study of various Afghanistan options undertaken by any US administration  and one that also holds out the promise of transforming South Asias dynamics for the better.

President Trump did well in his speech to justify continued US engagement in Afghanistan, and key to that was the open-ended commitment of troops and the decision not to specify troop numbers. The US military and their civilian counterparts have never had the time horizon to effectively implement measures that could have strengthened the Afghan state or weakened terrorist organisations that continue to maintain region-wide support networks. Afghan security forces have fought bravely but lack adequate air power, leadership, retention rates and coalition support to stem the tide of a resurgent Taliban, which now controls more ground than at any point since 2001. The new, open-ended commitment will also boost the morale of the Afghan security forces, who are engaged in more than two dozen battles against the Taliban across the country.

Just as importantly, by approaching the Afghan strategy as a South Asian one, Washington is recognising again that this is a regional challenge. For the US to have withdrawn from Afghanistan would have prompted the collapse of the state and most likely resulted in greater factional violence. India, Pakistan, Iran and others would have been forced to increase support to their chosen sides in the conflict, exacerbating regional tensions and perhaps setting the scene for a disastrous showdown in the region. Pakistan and its 120 nuclear warheads would have become more vulnerable. Already Iran, Russia and China have been looking to exert greater influence in Afghanistan given Washingtons silence (perceived as absence) thus far.

President Trumps decision to specifically mention India in his speech reflects New Delhis deep ties to Afghanistan. India remains Afghanistans most important regional partner, contributing to the construction of key dams, roads, power infrastructure and even the Afghan parliament building; committing $200mm in small development projects; and providing food aid, educational scholarships and other in-kind support. Its Afghanistan-friendly tariffs have transformed India into one of Afghanistans primary export markets.

At the same time, his mention of Pakistan lays much of the blame on Afghanistans eastern neighbour. The Afghans and international partners cannot prevail unless the Talibans support networks, training camps and safe havens in Pakistan are dealt with. But Washington now needs to match its words with deeds. Through specific publicly and privately communicated conditions  and through delivering on promised consequences  Washington should this time aim to change Pakistans behaviour rather than just its public statements. At the same time, it will have to communicate to Pakistan why, and how, playing a positive role in Afghanistan will not be a threat to Pakistans own national interest.

Taken together, this renewed commitment to Afghanistan and increased engagement of India and Pakistan could have the side benefit  but an enormous one -- of fostering improved relations across the region. If Afghanistan can be used as a cause for all three countries to rally around, there is a real possibility that that cooperation could ease broader tensions between them and potentially result in closer ties.

There are of course other key elements to Trumps strategy. The floundering and deeply unpopular National Unity Government in Afghanistan needs to deal with corruption, broaden its base and earn its legitimacy, as ultimately it relies for its survival on the support of the Afghan people. Trump was right to demand that the Afghans need to do much of the heavy lifting and that US support will not come in the form of a blank cheque. He was also right to not insist on peace talks with the Taliban; their intransigence and continued terrorist attacks reflect their unwillingness to talk. Only a strong government in Kabul coupled with gains in the battlefield will prompt them to seriously consider a settlement.

As announced on Monday, the ultimate goal of US strategy will continue to be the prevention of terrorist groups from using Afghan territory for launching or planning attacks against the US. However, as the President mentioned, this cannot happen in isolation. There are many moving parts to this reset involving the Afghan government, the US and Nato allies. Just as importantly, for the greater good of the region, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan should work together in unison for Afghanistans future.

Saad Mohseni is chairman and CEO of Moby Group, which operates Afghanistans most widely watched media outlets

The views expressed are personal.
As night falls on a square in the village of Mataian, young women cast critical eyes over a dancing circle of men in embroidered skirts and feathered head dresses as part of an ancient match-making ritual.

Known as Lovers Night, it is the grand finale of the annual harvest festival in the settlement which belongs to the Amis tribe, the largest of the 16 recognised indigenous groups in Taiwan. Near the islands rugged east coast, the village is a collection of basic, low-lying houses along meandering streets, located in a valley between two mountain ranges. The harvest festival - which usually runs between June and August, with each village holding it at a different time - is the biggest and most important celebration for the Amis tribe, and in Mataian it culminates with single women taking their pick of eligible bachelors.

Members of the Amis indigenous group dancing during the traditional harvest festival in Hualien, eastern Taiwan. (AFP)

The centuries-old custom is a reflection of the tribes matriarchal system, which sees women make key decisions including managing finances and men marry into their wives families. As the singing and dancing men pick up their pace, the women move in behind their chosen love interest and tug on a multicoloured cloth bag slung on their targets shoulder.

To spark interest, the men wiggle and flex their muscles, the most popular among them accruing a queue of interested women. If a man reciprocates the approach, he will give his bag - known as an alufo -- to the woman, marking the beginning of a courtship. In the past, the ritual would commonly lead to marriage and even now still sparks relationships, but it is also a chance for Amis community members who are working in the cities to return and socialise.

Members of the Amis indigenous group posing for photographs during the traditional harvest festival in Hualien, eastern Taiwan. (AFP)

Lovers Night is to make friends, said Cheng Ying-hsuan, 22. Dressed in a red traditional outfit adorned with green beads and her own sequined alufo, she had returned to the village from the city of Hualien, where she now lives, an hours drive away. When asked if she hoped to find a boyfriend, she laughed and said coyly: Thats also a possibility. Mataian is one of the biggest Amis settlements and is home to around 500 people - mostly elders and children.

- Time to reconnect -

We like the feeling of everyone coming back together and reconnecting. For us this is the most important, said Liao Ching-tung, 28, who lives in the capital Taipei. Each harvest festival, hundreds who have moved away to work or study return to join in the festivities.

The indigenous community - which remains a marginalised group in Taiwanese society - has seen its traditional culture eroded since immigrants started arriving from China centuries ago. Since President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in May 2016, her government has been pushing for greater indigenous rights and preservation of tribal languages and culture. But some groups have criticised Tsai for not going far enough and have clashed with authorities over land rights policy, demanding their ancestral areas be returned.

In Mataian, tradition is alive and kicking. Lamen Panay, 41, who goes by her tribal name, says the matchmaking event is still meaningful to her even though she is no longer single. She has a collection of lovers bags from past harvest festivals, but has since settled down with her long-term boyfriend, living with him in Taipei. The couple are both from the village and Lamen still makes a point of picking him out during the matchmaking ritual. We are both usually very busy with work, she said. Its necessary to rekindle the flames.

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Madhya Pradesh governments tall claims about having achieved open defecation free status earlier this year for Bhopal, the second cleanest city in India, have been exposed with BJP national president Amit Shah having lunch at a tribal hutment in Bhopals ward 26 on Sunday, where no toilet was found.

For a reality check, HT visited different areas of ward 26 on Monday early morning and found that many people were still defecating in the open as they had no toilets at their homes. Overnight the local civic authorities swung into action and damage control mode. They started transporting mobile community toilets into the area near tribal Kamal Singh Uikes house and initiated a fresh house to house survey for knowing the status of the household toilets in the area.

Few dozen metres away from the house of the tribal where Shah had lunch, the civic authorities were bringing community toilets in trolleys and setting them up on the slope of the hillock used by many people for open defecation.

Nearly a year ago, Bhopal Municipal Corporation had put these community toilets here. Elderly women like me, who used to go for open defecation earlier, would use these as they were safe and ensured our privacy. But few months back they were removed from the spot. Surprisingly, this morning they have been brought back there, said 50-plus Parvati Jatav at Sewaniya Gond in ward 26.

People in the two main areas of the ward 26-Suraj Nagar and Sewaniya Gond-told HT that last year following a survey and filing of applications for subsidized toilet construction to Bhopal Municipal Corporation, contractors were used by the civic authorities to get the toilets constructed.

No money was transferred in our accounts. We had to dig the toilet pits on our own. As this area is partly hilly with rock boulders beneath, it took Rs 2000 to Rs 4000 to get these pits dug out. We had to hire labour, said farmer Mahadev Gour from Suraj Nagar.

While moving in ward 26, which has hilly-terrain encircled by lush fields towards the outer boundary, HT found people with water bottles either coming back or going out for open defecation. The construction of my toilet is yet to be completed. So I am going into fields for defecation, said Damodar Chatse at Suraj Nagar

The mood was gloomy at tribal Kamal Singh Uikes house. Uike was visibly shaken. He was giving details to some BMC officials, who were questioning him. His mother told HT that officials had visited them on Sunday late evening and met his son. Uike said officials sought in writing from him why toilet was not constructed in his house.

I wrote that as there was no space in my house, the toilet couldnt be constructed. We use toilet of one of our relatives living in the vicinity. But when HT questioned him why had he then applied for construction of the toilet, he had no satisfactory answer. HT found that many of Uikes relatives living nearby had no toilets, even when they had space.

BMCs assistant health officer Dinesh Pal, who had been sent to ward 26 this morning, told HT that the survey had been initiated to check the status of household toilet construction in the area. In this ward, nearly 1600 toilets have been constructed. There are some who dont have toilets as they either dont have space for its construction or they have not deposited Rs 1375 contributory amount to be deposited upfront before the construction of toilet is approved. Construction of a toilet costs around Rs 13000, he said.
Egypt has changed a lot since the 1950s and 1960s, yet our conceptions of the world and of the country are still shaped by out-dated understandings

Amid the intense and violent debate that engulfs Egypt on every crisis, whether it is economic, political or the result of acts of violence or terror, we can observe this time with that the ongoing discussions arise from mental images regarding Egypt and the region that are not compatible with reality.

It goes back, mostly, to the 1950s and 1960s, when Egypt was living in the heyday of the July Revolution, the nationalisation of the Suez Canal, and had embarked on a promising process towards development and industrialisation. It was also a part of the Non-Alignment Movement, it supported liberation movements in Africa, and played a major role in the founding of the Organisation of African Unity.

Cairos discourse and the calls it issued through its superior media at the time found listening ears in all parts of the Arab world, from the Atlantic Ocean to the compromising Gulf, as it was said at the time. It even reached broader horizons and wider ranges in Africa and the Third World.

Since then lot of water has passed through the river. A world order based on two superpowers and the Cold War between the USA and the USSR has changed. This change has enabled Egypt to manoeuvre and provided it with alternatives. We are now living in the phase of America as the sole superpower.

In the same context, the region and the Arab world changed as the oil flows drew new maps of wealth and influence. Moreover, the Palestinian cause, so often dubbed the central issue of the Arab world, is no longer such.

The maps threatening the Arab world as a regional system or the national interests of each country have been subject to deletion and addition. Sometimes confusion was rife, to the extent that there was no general consensus on who is the enemy and who is the friend.

As for the domestic front, and this is the most important point, the political and also the economic situation and orientation in Egypt changed during the rule of Sadat and Mubarak. This has resulted in much confusion and distortions in the economic structure and the social fabric.

On the international stage, Egypts role began to decline and withdraw, giving space to other rising countries, some of which relied on existent or imaginary foundations, others driven by delusions and the search for stature attempting to play proxy roles on behalf of powers outside the region. Ambition and presence were transformed into a tool of destruction instead of being a support for a nation and its causes.

In this context, it is a duty now to be honest with ourselves. After two big revolutions and after the collapse of the entire confused and mixed-up situation that continued for four decades due to the patience and perseverance of this great people, it is not possible to carry on laying out future plans while our ideas are based on mental images that dont exist in reality. All the circumstances and actors have changed.

Thus, we have to closely look at our situation in order to read it accurately, and to have comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the challenges, threats, and also the available opportunities. This entails redefining our interests correctly and measuring all our steps in an objective and balanced way.

The economic reformation has an exorbitant cost. It is unfair to make the disadvantaged classes bear the cost alone while their back is against the wall. Abroad we shouldnt talk in a haphazard vague way but we have to be courageous enough to accurately redefine our interests. This in turn will result in re-setting of our objectives and as a result our plans of action.

The writer is head of the Nile Basin Studies Department at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.





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Director Milan Luthria is the master of the multi-starrer. After churning out hits such as Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010) and The Dirty Picture (2011), he returns to the silver screen with the action thriller Baadshaho, starring his brother from another mother, actor Ajay Devgn.

Milan is all praise for the 48-year old actor. A very strange thing happened recently, says the director. I gave an interview a couple of days ago, and said that relationships develop and become stronger when the two people involved can comfortably pick up where they left off. Soon after my interview, I was watching an interview of Ajay for Baadshaho, and he said exactly the same thing! Milan adds, This is how it has mostly been  the thought is in my head, and Ajay says it.

The hit duo has collaborated on films such as Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Chori Chori (2003), and Milans directorial debut Kachche Dhaage (1999). Milan recalls how Ajay supported him even before he became a director. He helped me start my first film. Id visit him on the sets of his other films, too, when he was already a big movie star. When were not working on a film together, we might not talk for even a year. But when we meet, its like we just met yesterday, says the director about his bonhomie with the actor.

Ajay plays the role of Bhavaani in Baadshaho, who is a loyal guy and a bit of a badass. Milan reveals that the film has been in the making for almost 15 years now. He says, The idea was discussed when we were working on Kachche Dhaage, and since then, we were waiting for the right time and right cast to execute the film.

Milan adds that the biggest success was getting the casting right. Emraan Hashmi was perfect as the crook, who cant be trusted yet is an extremely resourceful guy; Ileana DCruz as the princess who is a misfit and wants to explore the world; Esha [Gupta] as the sexy and tough girl; Vidyut [Jammwal] as an Army guy with the best physique in town, someone who could take on Ajays and Emraans characters; and Sanjay Mishra as the old, wise guy who has seen the world.

Baadshaho releases on September 1.

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Former chief of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Pahlaj Nihalani has alleged Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani put undue pressure on him when he was in office and targeted him. In an interview to Lehren TV, Pahlaj said, At the I&B Ministry, I was their target number one. It all started when I didnt clear Madhur Bhandarkars Indu Sarkar. She gave me a call asking why I hadnt done so. I said, I was following guidelines and now the film is already with the Tribunal. I told her if she wants she can get it cleared from the Tribunal. I wasnt massaging her ego and it was only a matter of time before I was thrown out, he said.

Pahlaj was removed and lyricist-poet Prasoon Joshi appointed CBFC chief last Friday when the government announced a major rehaul of the CBFC. The new board of members includes actors Vidya Balan and Narendra Kohli, among others.

One of the earliest films that brought Pahlajs infamous scissors under the scanner was Shahid Kapoor-starrer Udta Punjab. The former CBFC chief has blamed the government for all the controversy around the film that also starred Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh.

There was pressure from every side to not clear the film. I cannot tell you how much pressure I was under. Despite that, I cleared the film albeit with cuts (there were over 70 cuts until the Bombay High Court allowed the films release with a single one), he told the channel.

There was a letter from the Home Ministry to not clear Kabir Khans Bajrangi Bhaijaan as it was releasing on Eid and they feared that it could lead to communal problems. I knew the story. It wasnt what they feared. There was miscommunication. I stood by the makers. Yet I was made out to be the villain. Such is the industry, he added.

I dont remember the name of Bajrangi Bhaijaan director (Kabir Khan) because he is useless. If you cannot give a good film with Salman Khan, what is the use of making films, he asked angrily.

Anurag Kashyap has always fought with the CBFC recommended cuts. He has always managed and manipulated the board. Gangs of Wasseypur had all the cuss words. He has always created controversy around small films. He had no issues with Bombay Velvet because it had big stars, he added.

You can watch the entire interview here:

Talking about his own tenure at CBFC, Pahlaj told The Week, We reduced the fees [for producers] by about Rs 20,000. Before I joined, the burden of the expenses incurred during the preview for certification was entirely on the producers. I got that removed. We also have a broker-free CBFC. The middleman was fooling a lot of producers by charging a lot of money. We contained that completely. Now, the producer only has to pay the amount needed for certificationRs 22,000 to Rs 36,000depending on the length of the film. It is more like a corporate office now.

We have certified 82 per cent films without any cuts. Even when it is not just a certification body, we have been giving certificates under the three categoriesU, U/A and A. It is a misconception of the producers, created by the government, which told them that it is a certification body when the entire controversy began. It is a confused body. And it created a problem for me. They [producers] started thinking I am enforcing arbitrary and Hitler-like attitude by making unnecessary cuts. It is a complete lie. They have been blaming me through the media and through board members.... I have been blamed for micromanaging, looking after all the certificates, which means I was watching all the movies. Truth is, I have been acting as per the guidelines. As chairperson, I am not allowed to constitute an examining committee, I cant suggest a member, and I cant even see the film, he added.

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Bollywood actors Kareena Kapoor and Karisma are spending some quality time together these days: A day after flaunting their perfect bods in similar outfits, the sisters had a brand shoot together.

Karisma posted pictures from the shoot late Monday and captioned it: Awesome day shooting with the sis #somethingspecial #comingsoon #brandshoot. The duo is seen wearing similar outfit in different colours.

Awesome day shooting with the sis #somethingspecial#comingsoon#brandshoot A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) on Aug 21, 2017 at 8:59am PDT

She also shared a boomerang video where the sisters are hugging. Fun day at work #sistersforever #loveyou, she wrote along with the post.

Fun day at work #sistersforever#loveyou A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) on Aug 21, 2017 at 9:02am PDT

Earlier this weekend, Karisma shared pictures of Kareena as she was on her way for the look test for Veere Di Wedding. The sisters wore the same dress in the picture.

#twinning#sistergoals#soulsisters#foreverin @sincerelyjules A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) on Aug 18, 2017 at 5:02am PDT

#boomaranging#sisterfun A post shared by KK (@therealkarismakapoor) on Aug 18, 2017 at 5:15am PDT

Kareena is back to work after her pregnancy break and is preparing for her next film, Veere Di Wedding. The film stars Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania. It is co-produced by Rhea Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor.

Veere Di Wedding is the story of four girls, the fun and problems they get involved. Internet series star Sumeet Vyas (of Roommates fame) is likely to star opposite Kareena in the film.

After her divorce with Sunjay Kapur, Karisma is seen in brand shoots but she is yet to do a full-fledged film. She is said to be playing a cameo in Judwaa 2.

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Actor-turned-author Twinkle Khanna has reacted to all the criticism she received for her Twitter post of a man defecating in the open and explained why she posted the picture and captioned it as Toilet Ek Prem Katha 2.

Posting the picture again on Twitter, she wrote, 1. I found the timing ironical with ToiletEPKs release and the OD free certification-If you see the sardonicism in it-fine!If not-so be it.

Twinkle was slammed for sharing the photo of a man taking a dump in the open. She was accused of playing with the dignity of men and was asked to apologise. You are wilfully tweeting an unacceptable image because he is a man n would have not done so if this was a woman. Please remove the photo, said username @devdattab1.

1. I found the timing ironical with ToiletEPK's release and the OD free certification-If you see the sardonicism in it-fine!If not-so be it pic.twitter.com/LH6IoyKeDF  Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) August 22, 2017

She also replied to a few comments criticising her post: He can afford to godrinking with friendsbut cant pay 2use a toilet or buy cup of tea in a place which has one? #GetUrHeadOutOfTheCrapper.

He can afford to go'drinking with friends'but can't pay 2use a toilet or buy cup of tea in a place which has one? #GetUrHeadOutOfTheCrapper https://t.co/fRUqeWXTmk  Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) August 22, 2017

Twinkle was taking her morning stroll on Saturday in Mumbai when she saw a man defecating in the open. She posted a selfie with the man in the background and wrote, Good morning and I guess here is the first scene of Toilet Ek Prem Katha part 2 #WhenYourWalkGoesDownTheToilet.

Good morning and I guess here is the first scene of Toilet Ek Prem Katha part 2 #WhenYourWalkGoesDownTheToilet pic.twitter.com/tfyTQs8BFM  Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) August 19, 2017

The post soon went viral with people accusing Twinkle of playing with the dignity of men and asking her to apologise for sharing the photo.

Making mockery of men & his poverty is so easy. Shame on the person who took this pic & public figure for sharing it 4 promoting a film.  Jatin (@YoursJatin) August 20, 2017

You are willfully tweeting an unacceptable image because he is a man n would have not done so if this was a woman. Please remove the photo.  Blitzkrieg (@devdattab1) August 19, 2017

Akshay Kumars Toilet: Ek Prem Katha is a film with a social message and puts the points out the fault in our society through a romantic story. It also stars Bhumi Pednekar. The film has crossed Rs 100-crore-club and will mark Akshays fifth consecutive hit in the last 20 months. His last film, Jolly LLB 2 too was a huge success.

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The brightly coloured minivan that pulls into Athens food market, drawing a group of refugees around it, is not carrying something edible. The contents  hundreds of books  are there to satisfy a different sort of hunger.

For tens of thousands of refugees stuck in Greece for the past two years after European states shut their borders in rapid succession, survival is no longer an issue. Instead, boredom and creeping despair about their future are their new enemies as they wait for months, even years, for their applications  to relocate elsewhere in Europe  to be processed.

Now, at least two separate initiatives have emerged to help refugees fill the long hours of their day.

One of them is Echo Refugee Library -- a minivan fitted with shelves carrying over 1,000 books that does a weekly round of refugee camps in the greater Athens area, plus poorer districts of the capital where many refugees live in UN-rented flats.

The books -- in English, Greek, French, Arabic, Kurdish and Farsi -- have been provided by benefactors in Greece, Belgium, Britain and Lebanon or purchased with money donated online. (Photo courtesy: Echo Refugee Library Facebook)

The goal of the initiative is to make culture accessible to all, says Esther Ten Zijthoff, 25, the Dutch-American coordinator of the project. The books -- in English, Greek, French, Arabic, Kurdish and Farsi -- have been provided by benefactors in Greece, Belgium, Britain and Lebanon or purchased with money donated online.

Ali, a 26-year-old Syrian, is among those who never misses a delivery at the food market. I really love having something to read. It does me good, he tells AFP, an Agatha Christie novel under his arm.

The English mistress of the whodunit is proving a top draw for refugees, says Zijthoff. The mystery and romance present in her stories are well-liked by Arab speakers. We would like to have her whole collection.

Language dictionaries are also in demand, with many readers borrowing them to photocopy and keep close at hand.

In another part of the city centre, a similar initiative draws Syrian and Afghan refugees to the offices of We Need Books, a volunteer group formed last year that also gives language classes in Arabic and French.

Escape through literature

We Need Books has the largest collection of Farsi books in Athens, including over 150 sent directly from Afghanistan, says co-founder Ioanna Nissiriou. Here, the most popular book is Arabian Nights. The sole copy in Farsi, delivered in June, is already in tatters, she notes with pleasure.

Initially our goal was to help refugees escape through literature. But now we also seek to educate the children and help them integrate, says Nissiriou, a 38-year-old former journalist.

Seated on a brightly-coloured pouffe, 16-year-old Zahra from Afghanistan has just discovered the works of iconic Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek and the Last Temptation of Christ.

I like this book because its a new culture for me, she says, hunched over Nikos Kazantzakiss Odyssey, a sequel to Homers classic opus. But my favourite is the Tales of the Brothers Grimm, which is similar to faerie tales I used to read as a child, the young Afghan says.
Normal banking operations have been hit as public sector bank employees went on a one-day nationwide strike on Tuesday to protest against the governments proposed consolidation move, besides raising other demands.

Services like deposits and withdrawal at bank branches, cheque clearance, NEFT and RTGS transactions are affected.

However, operations at private lenders such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank were almost normal.

The Indian Banks Association (IBA) had already informed customers that functioning of branches and offices may take a hit if the strike takes off. It had also asked banks to take measures in advance to minimise the impact.

The strike has been called by all unions under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU).

The UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including the All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and the National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

Besides, protest against consolidation move of the government, other demands include no write-off policy for non-performing assets (NPAs) of corporate loans, declaring wilful default of loans as criminal offence and implementation of recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on recovery of NPAs, NOBW vice president Ashwini Rana said.

The government should provide overtime for additional work during demonetisation, he said.

The UFBU, which claims membership of nearly 10 lakh across banks, requested the government for cost reimbursement of demonetisation to banks.

As many as 21 public sector banks control 75 per cent of the total banking business.
An Indian-origin former CEO of a penny stock company, charged with making false claims in press releases and engaging in manipulative trading, has been ordered to pay a hefty fine of $294,000.

Adesh Kumar Tyagi was the former CEO, sole director, and majority shareholder of Systems America, subsequently renamed Cloudeeva.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) obtained a final judgment against Tyagi who had been charged with making false claims in press releases and engaging in manipulative trading in company stock.

The final judgment, entered by consent on August 17 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, permanently enjoins Tyagi from violating federal securities regulations and imposes a conduct based injunction.

In addition, the final judgment orders Tyagi to pay approximately $294,000 in disgorgement and interest. The courts entry of judgment against Tyagi resolves this litigation in its entirety.

The SECs complaint had alleged that Tyagi falsely claimed in press releases he issued between July, 2010 and September, 2011 that the company had hundreds of customers and supported customer operations in nearly 20 countries when, in fact, the company had only two main clients in 2010 and did not support operations in any foreign countries in 2010 and 2011.

Tyagi also allegedly falsely claimed in an initial disclosure he published on behalf of Systems America in 2010 that he was not a party to any material litigation. He further claimed that no officer or director of the company had been named as a defendant in a criminal proceeding, when he had been named as a defendant in two pending criminal proceedings.

Tyagi had pleaded guilty in November last year to certain aspects of the misconduct at issue in the SECs complaint.
India has granted Pfizer Inc a patent for its powerful pneumonia vaccine Prevenar 13, in a blow to some health groups that said this would put the treatment out of reach of thousands in poorer nations.

The decision by Indias patent office bars other companies from making cheaper copies of the vaccine and allows Pfizer to exclusively sell it in India until 2026.

Its a big victory for the U.S. drugmaker in a market that has the worlds largest number of pneumonia cases, a lung disease that kills nearly a million children a year globally.

The decision also has international implications, as several poorer nations rely on Indias robust drugs industry to supply cheaper copies of medicines and vaccines.

It also comes at a time of ongoing U.S. pressure on India to tighten its patent laws. The United States Trade Representative expressed concerns about Indias intellectual property laws in a report in June, and listed it among countries whose IP laws unfairly favour local companies.

Pfizers vaccine protects children and adults from 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria, and a full vaccination course costs about $170 on Indias private market.

India started giving out the vaccine for free under its national immunisation program earlier this year, but the rollout like that of most vaccines in the program, is in phases, so only about 2.1 million of the 25 million eligible people in the country will get it this year.

The patent grant means Indian companies wont be able to make the vaccine for domestic use, or exports.

Manufacturers will have to find new routes to develop a non-infringing (pneumonia) vaccine, which may delay the availability of competing products in the pipeline from Indian producers, the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said in a statement. (http://bit.ly/2vU4rUk)

MSF filed an objection to Pfizers patent request last year on the grounds that a patent would deprive many developing nations of cheaper copies. (http://reut.rs/1QJEdXq)

At least one Indian company, Panacea Biotec Ltd, is developing a cheaper form of the vaccine, and had also filed an opposition to Pfizers patent request last year.

A source familiar with the matter said Panacea is considering filing a post-grant opposition. Separately, MSF said it was reviewing its legal options in the matter.

Pfizers patent on the same vaccine was revoked by the European Patent Office last year, and is being challenged in South Korea and the United States, MSF said.

The pharmaceutical giant has made the vaccine available at discounted prices under the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) - an international public-private partnership to improve access to vaccines in the worlds poorest countries. More than 50 countries are eligible to procure the vaccine through GAVI, according to the organizations website.

Following criticism over the high price of Prevenar 13, Pfizer reduced the vaccine price to non-governmental organisations last November, seeking to protect vulnerable people from illness in humanitarian crises.

Pfizer welcomed the granting of the patent, saying Prevenar 13 took two-and-a-half years to produce, and was launched in India in 2010.

Pfizer remains committed towards further enhancing access of this vaccine in India, both in the market as well as through partnership with the Government to expand introduction in the public program, a spokeswoman said.
A little over 72 hours after Vishal Sikka quit as chief executive officer (CEO) of Infosys Ltd, Indias second largest software services firm is yet to officially start the process of finding a successor, amid a broader tussle between the companys board and its founders that has spooked investors and wiped out thousands of crores in market value.

Although Infosys elevated chief operating officer U.B. Pravin Rao as interim CEO to lead the company till Sikkas successor is found or at least until March 2018, the company runs the risk of facing the ire of proxy advisory firms and large investors if the search turns out to be a long-drawn-out affair.

Representatives from at least three global executive search firmsEgon Zehnder, Heidrick and Struggles International and Korn/Ferry Internationalhave reached out to Infosyss co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan, according to two executives familiar with the development. Venkatesan has asked them to wait for now.

The likelihood of Infosyss next CEO being an insider is currently stronger than the company picking another complete outsider like Sikka, according to a third person, who is a board member.

Emails to Egon Zehnder, Heidrick and Struggles and Korn/Ferry International seeking comment remained unanswered.

Nobody likes to have this uncertainty on a new CEO and it gets only more embarrassing that even a mandate to appoint a search firm has not been issued, said the head of a large institutional investor, which holds about 2% shares in Infosys. This person asked not to be identified.

During Infosyss last CEO search, prior to Sikkas appointment in August 2014, Egon Zehnder was mandated to prepare a list of potential external candidates, while Development Dimensions International was tasked with screening internal candidates.

On Friday, Venkatesan conceded in a call with analysts that the search for a CEO would not be easy.

On the plus side, we have Infosys brand we have the momentum. We have a good team. Also, this event has brought together the board in a cohesive way, and any future CEO will possibly draw courage from this (But) the founder issue has to be put to an end.

Infosys did not immediately respond an email seeking comment.

The board has started discussions with Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to help defuse the situation and help put an end to the latest war that broke out last week after Infosys blamed founder N.R. Narayana Murthys continuous assault and misguided campaign as the primary reason for Sikkas exit.

Nilekani is understood to have met Venkatesan on Monday afternoon. He did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Till now, large shareholders have not been asked by either side to mediate. Meanwhile, some investors have cut their holdings in Infosys. Foreign investors, who held about 41% of the firms equity at the end of October, now hold about 37%.

I plan to speak to Mr Murthy during this week to see how we investors can help settle this, said the head of a domestic institutional investor, which holds more than 1% share in Infosys. This person, too, asked not to be identified.

The board is taking time probably as it decides whether it wants an internal or external candidate as the next CEO. If the company wants an internal candidate, then they wont require an external search firm, said Shriram Subramanian, founder and managing director of proxy firm InGovern Research. This probably explains the delay. But let us hope the board is able to come to a decision soon.
A Los Angeles jury on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record $417 million to a hospitalised woman who claimed in a lawsuit that the talc in the companys iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene.

The verdict in the lawsuit brought by the California woman, Eva Echeverria, marks the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in courts around the US.

Echeverria alleged Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers about talcum powders potential cancer risks. She used the companys baby powder on a daily basis beginning in the 1950s until 2016 and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, according to court papers.

Echeverria developed ovarian cancer as a proximate result of the unreasonably dangerous and defective nature of talcum powder, she said in her lawsuit.

Echeverrias attorney, Mark Robinson, said his client is undergoing cancer treatment while hospitalised and told him she hoped the verdict would lead Johnson & Johnson to put additional warnings on its products.

Mrs. Echeverria is dying from this ovarian cancer and she said to me all she wanted to do was to help the other women throughout the whole country who have ovarian cancer for using Johnson & Johnson for 20 and 30 years, Robinson said.

She really didnt want sympathy, he added. She just wanted to get a message out to help these other women.

The jurys award included $68 million in compensatory damages and $340 million in punitive damages, Robinson said. The evidence in the case included internal documents from several decades that showed the jury that Johnson & Johnson knew about the risks of talc and ovarian cancer, Robinson said.

Johnson & Johnson had many warning bells over a 30 year period but failed to warn the women who were buying its product, he said.

Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said in a statement that the company will appeal the jurys decision. She says while the company sympathises with women suffering from ovarian cancer that scientific evidence supports the safety of Johnsons baby powder.

The verdict came after a St. Louis, Missouri jury in May awarded $110.5 million to a Virginia woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012.

She had blamed her illness on her use of the companys talcum powder-containing products for more than 40 years.

Besides that case, three other trials in St. Louis had similar outcomes last year  with juries awarding damages of $72 million, $70.1 million and $55 million, for a combined total of $307.6 million.

Another St. Louis jury in March rejected the claims of a Tennessee woman with ovarian and uterine cancer who blamed talcum powder for her cancers.

Two similar cases in New Jersey were thrown out by a judge who said the plaintiffs lawyers did not presented reliable evidence linking talc to ovarian cancer.

More than 1,000 other people have filed similar lawsuits. Some who won their lawsuits won much lower amounts, illustrating how juries have wide latitude in awarding monetary damages.

Johnson & Johnson is preparing to defend itself and its baby powder at upcoming trials in the US, Goodrich said.
As it targets to more than double its revenues to USD 1 billion by FY20, mid-tier IT firm Synechron said on Tuesday it is looking to hire up to 1,500 in the next 12 months.

We have 7,500 employees at present and are looking to hire 1,000-1,500 more over the next 12 months, its chief executive Faisal Husain told reporters in Pune.

The move by the US-headquartered company, which employs over 5,000 people in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, comes amid growing instances of job cuts in the IT sector facing a slew of challenges, including automation, currency volatilities and rising protectionism in mature markets.

Husain said the company is benefiting because of the moves of its peers, but added the rupee appreciation is taking away the advantages, which may help in staff being hired at lower salaries.

The company clocked a revenue of USD 390 million in FY17 and is targeting to increase it to USD 480 million in FY18, he said, adding right now it is growing faster than the target and tracking a runrate of USD 500 million per year.

The company is able to exceed the 25 per cent revenue growth objective due to the nature of the work it does for the banking, financial services and the insurance sectors,he said.

As many of its peers suffer reverses due to the disappearance of the cost arbitrage work, Synechron has benefited because of its focus on the upcoming areas like digital, artificial intelligence and block-chain technologies, Husain said.

All the work we do is on the change part, rather than the run part, which is leading to troubles elsewhere, he explained.

He said nearly 1,000 people in the fresh hiring will be based here at Pune, which is its single largest development centre, he said.

When asked about the quality of the talent that it is getting, Husain said most of the freshers it hires at reputed engineering colleges are trainable, but sought an overhaul of education system to make it more relevant for the industry.

The company, which launched a facility to showcase its innovations called Finlabs here, is also working with startups who can work out of the campus here, he said, adding it has helped three city-based start-ups till now.

Husain said the 16-year-old company started by him along with two friends wants to work like a start-up despite its growing size.
After the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) clean sweep in the Mira-Bhayandar polls, the Shiv Sena threatened to complain to the state election commission (SEC) about a video showing a Jain leader urging the community to vote for the former to create a meat-free society.

Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Anil Desai, also a lawyer, is preparing the complaint on the video clip by Naypadmasagarji Maharaj, which was released ahead of the Mira-Bhayandar municipal corporation polls on August 20.

According to the Shiv Sena, the video violates the poll code of conduct and also goes against Supreme Court guidelines that disallow garnering of votes on religious grounds.

Pratap Sarnaik, Sena legislator from Thane, said, We lost largely because of the video asking people to vote for the BJP to rid the society of meat. Otherwise, the Shiv Sena has performed well in Marathi, Koli and Agri-dominated areas.

The Shiv Sena won 22 seats though it hoped to win between 45 and 54 seats in the 95-member municipal corporation. The BJP registered a massive victory by winning 61 seats and securing a clear majority.

Prior to the election, the Jain leader also met CM Devendra Fadnavis and asked for meat shops to be closed during the Jain festival of Paryushan, Sena leaders said. The festival started on Friday.

In his video, the Jain leader also highlighted how the BJP in 2015 had decided to impose a meat ban during Paryushan. The Shiv Sena vehemently opposed the decision.
President Trump may have been uncomfortable with his teleprompter, but his speech will have sounded mellifluous to ears in New Delhi, mainly because he went farther than any American President in identifying Pakistan as one of the main causes of Afghanistans problems. This open acknowledgment of reality is long overdue, and most welcome: good not only for Afghanistan, India and the US, but just possibly also for Pakistan, which has needed a bracing reality check for many years.

But what is Delhi to make of Trumps invitation to play a bigger role in Afghanistan? India has many interests in that country, that benefit them both. These have been developed painstakingly, against difficult odds, and for the most part bilaterally. One of the strengths of Indias involvement in Afghanistan is that it is seen unambiguously as INDIAN involvement.

Having developed these ties, India will have to decide whether it wants to be seen as part of the American project. This carries many risks, and potentially quite a few rewards. But any calculation of these has to start with an assessment of Americas long-term commitment to its own project.

India has to trust that Trump will do what Bush nor Obama didnt, and go the distance, sticking to his word on Afghanistan. Let us be under no illusion that his stated goals can be achieved in a couple of years. The history of Afghanistan suggests it will more likely take decades, even with the sustained best efforts of the US and its allies.

Delhis quandary: What if Trump or his successor changes their mind and pulls out in 5/10 years? Even if the task is unfinished, it would be easy for the next occupant of the White House to dismiss the Afghanistan project as Trumps folly, and spin a withdrawal as in Americas interest. Obama did that in Iraq, to his great political gain.

But an American change of heart would leave India badly exposed: unlike the US, India cant simply pull up stakes and leave Afghanistan to the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, the Islamic State, and any other wolves in the pack that Pakistan nurtures. The US may bear the greater share of the cost of Trumps project, but the stakes are higher for India.

So, much as the American President would like India along for the ride in Afghanistan, Delhi has much to ponder before climbing on board.

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Dehradun:

With less than three months left to reopen, the Corbett Tiger Reserve management is worried over the delay in restructuring its official website that is used by tourists to book lodges within the reserve.

Corbett officials said they have written to the National Informatics Centre (NIC)that designs the website-- a number of times, but are yet to get a reply.

The reserve is known to have the highest number of tigers in the country, reopens for tourists on November 15 after closing down for seven months during the monsoon break.

Corbetts website was hacked a number of times in the past. In 2015, the website was redesigned after touts blocked bookings in the forest rest houses within the reserve.

People failed to get their bookings done through the website.

HT in its edition dated May 13, highlighted how tour operators were making online bookings at Corbett for the tourist season. But, the bookings on the website opens only a few days before the gates are reopened for visitors.

The reserve management has receiving complaints from people from across the country, saying that they were unable to making online booking for lodges with the reserve.

When the reserve gates were opened for tourists on November 15 last year, the management detected a case in which an operator had promised sumptuous breakfast to more than 10 tourists near Khinanauli forest rest house.

The reserve does not offer such facility and the management realised that a private tour operator booked the groups visit.

We have little time left for reopening of Corbett and despite writing a number of times to the NIC, it not ensuring safe bookings for tourists on our website, Surendra Mehra, director Corbett, told Hindustan Times.

The online bookings can be made in four forest zones of the reserve--Bijrani, Dhikala, Jhirna and Sona Nadi. Tourists can also make booking for day visits.

Arun Sharma, a scientist at the NIC, Uttarakhand, said the NICs job is to prepare a website and hand it over to the department.

Corbett did a third party review of the website, which means that our job was done. I can recall some communication from them about the issues of website, but the officials need to meet us to discuss issues so that we can resolve the matter, he told HT.

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Dehradun: Like her counterparts in private schools, Deepa, a student of the fifth standard at a government primary school in Mussoorie, would now be able to learn the basics of Science and nuances of spoken English through graphics, animation, sound and visual effects. Learning will transcend blackboards in 41 government schools, including Deepas, spread across five districts of Uttarakhands Garhwal region, with the introduction of e-learning through smart classes.

Students from standards 1 to 10 in these schools, where studies often suffer due to dearth or absenteeism of teachers, will now be able to enjoy e-learning sessions, which is likely to boost academic levels of the students in the long run. The digital education initiative Chetna has been introduced by the Divine Light Trust, a Mussoorie-based philanthropic organization that works for education, medical care and rural development.

On Tuesday, Uttarakhand Governor, K K Paul marked the launch of the initiative by handing over pendrives (carrying smart classes software) to each of the principals of nine primary, five middle and 27 intermediate schools at the Raj Bhawan. We need to provide facilities like private schools to students of government schools for improving the quality of education in which multimedia can play a strong role, said Paul.

Spread across Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Pauri, Tehri and Dehradun districts, the schools were selected by the respective district magistrates after a detailed scrutiny. Under the program, each school is being provided with the required software and hardware including a projector, a screen, a speaker and a mouse along with the licensed teaching content in Hindi medium valid for five years.

Dr Sunil Sanon, chairman of the Trust, hoped that the e-learning program will bring about a mix of tangible and far-reaching intangible advantages besides infusing fresh enthusiasm for learning, especially in the remote, hill areas. The smart classes will not only compensate for the absence of certain teachers, but will also help in keeping students disciplined and interested in learning thus reducing the common practice of bunking classes. We hope that the program will contribute to the rise in the standard of education in the hinterland of Uttarakhand, said Dr Sanon.

The program comes after a similar experiment. We were encouraged (to start the Chetna program) after a qualitative change was witnessed in the academic levels of the students from the lower strata in two government-aided girls schools of Mussoorie where wed set up audio-visual classrooms in 2013, said Dr Venu Sanon, co-founder and education coordinator of the Trust. Teachers from the respective schools have been trained in handling the equipment and social audit teams have also been created to ensure that the e-learning sessions are used effectively.

Facilities like audio-visual classes were a distant dream for our students till now. Theyre very excited (to attend the smart classes)...we hope that it will make a difference in the way they enjoy various subjects, said Urmila Bhatt, an assistant teacher at Government Primary School (Charleville Gate) in Mussoorie which has 35 students on roll from classes 1-5.

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DEHRADUN: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assessed the BJP governments performance at a meeting with chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in Delhi, two Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) leaders will undertake a similar exercise here on Wednesday, sources said.

RSS general secretaries Dattatreya Hosabale and Krishna Gopal will meet Rawat at his official residence here. Sources in the RSS said both the leaders too would assess the Rawat governments performance as part of the BJPs ongoing spadework for the next Lok Sabha polls.

Modi along with BJP chief Amit Shah assessed the progress of some 20-odd centrally funded welfare schemes and projects being implemented in Uttarakhand at the meeting with Rawat in Delhi on Monday. The review was carried out by Modi for the first time since Rawat took charge on March 18.

The Sangh is undertaking such an exercise for the second time. The first took place one month after the chief minister took over. RSS insiders said Hosbale and Gopal would meet Rawat again to have an elaborate discussion on his governments performance. All such assessments of the Rawat governments performance being carried out by us or the prime minister are part of the Sanghs spadework for the Lok Sabha polls due in 2019, a RSS leader said.

According to him, the two RSS leaders would also assess whether the Rawat government was getting along well with the cadres of the Sangh and its affiliates such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

Thats a very important aspect because the cadres being in direct touch with people can make or mar the electoral prospects of any mainstream political party including the BJP, another RSS functionary said, adding the issue was also prominently raised by Sangh leaders in the their last meeting with Rawat.

Rawat, however, dubbed as mere conjectures the reports that Modi carried out the assessment of the centrally funded projects being implemented in the state with an eye on the next Lok Sabha polls. Everybody is free to make conjecturesSo are the media personsThats a good thing.

He added that the Prime Minister met the chief ministers of all the BJP-ruled states, which was a routine affair. Such a meeting is convened by him after every three months . Basically, such meetings are focused on the progress of development and welfare schemes so that their benefits accrue to the common man.



Darshan Singh Rawat, the chief ministers media coordinator, said the latter submitted to the PM the progress report of all the centrally sponsored schemes in the past 17 months.

A BJP insider said Modi was focusing on Uttarakhand because the BJPs stakes in the state are very high as it recorded a landslide win in the assembly elections. To achieve the objective, we are also trying to strengthen our organisational wings by organising a series of training programmes for all levels of our workers besides legislators and ministers.
The Delhi government on Tuesday approved in situ construction of 5,012 houses for the economically weaker section of the society.

The project, estimated to built at a cost of Rs654.33 crore, was approved in the board meeting of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) that was chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

These houses will be built at three locations. The maximum EWS houses (3,780) will be built at Pocket-F Bhalswa, Jahangirpuri, amounting to Rs493.40 crore, a government official said.

Another 784 houses costing Rs102.28 will come up at Karol Baghs Dev Nagar area and 448 other dwelling units worth Rs58.65 crore at Lajpat Nagars Kasturba Niketan. These housing complexes for in-situ rehabilitation of urban slums in Delhi will be 14 storied each. The board will request the Delhi government to allocate Rs500 crore as seed money for taking up the proposed projects, a government official said.

Early Childhood Care & Education Centres

The board also approved setting up of Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE) Centre by allotting 10 Basti Vikas Kendras to Ambedkar University.

These ECCE centres will come up in areas like New Seemapuri, Aruna Nagar Colony, Raghubir Nagar, Narela, Bawana and Kalkaji. DUSIB has signed an MoU with Ambedkar University and these centres will now be set up in association with the Directorate of Higher Education, the official added.

Mohalla Clinics

The city will get 50 more mohalla clinics that will be built in DUSIBs land across Delhi.

The issue of mohalla clinics was raised by the opposition in the monsoon session of Delhi Assembly held earlier this month. At that time, health minister Satyendar Jain said that the government had prepared four Cabinet notes about it and that hurdles are being created in setting up mohalla clinics.

Recently, the L-G had given his approval to it, but there is confusion among officers on whether the L-G has given his go-ahead to all clinics or some such facilities, he said.
An MBA graduate hanged herself from a ceiling fan at her east Delhi home after allegedly being harassed by her husband and in-laws for dowry, police said on Tuesday.

The suicide comes just days after a businessmans daughter was burnt alive in west Delhis Vikaspuri for allegedly refusing to arrange Rs 10 lakh that her husband had been demanding.

The victim in the latest case is 28-year-old Deepensha Sharma who held MBA and MCom degrees and was pursuing BEd as she wanted a teaching job at a government institute. She was the mother of a one-and-a-half year old daughter.

At the time of her marriage in November 2014, Deepensha was an assistant professor at a college in Greater Noida. But, her husband started suspecting her (character) and forced her to quit the job a few months after their marriage, her father Rakesh Sharma said.

Her husband works with the technical team of a news channel. The couple lived with the husbands parents in east Delhis Balbir Nagar.

According to her father, Deepensha was physically and mentally harassed for dowry ever since her marriage. They would beat her if she refused to ask me for cash when they demanded it, said Sharma, an LIC employee.

Read: 715 dowry related deaths in Delhi, but no convictions in last four years

Deepenshas husband allegedly refused to fund her education or provide money for her basic needs. I would keep giving her Rs 20,000-25,000 from time to time. The birth of her daughter around two years ago did not change her husbands behaviour, alleged Sharma.

On Rakshabandhan, Sharma again coughed up Rs 12,000 for a small television set, but Deepenshas family was allegedly not happy with the amount.

On Monday evening, Sharma allegedly received a call from Deepenshas in-laws that she had locked herself in a room and wasnt opening the door. By the time Sharma reached there, she had already hanged herself from the ceiling fan using her chunni.

In Delhis dowry bazaar, everything sells from Audis to kidney and cash

The door was broken open in the presence of the womans father. It was a suicide. No suicide note has been found, said Nupur Prasad, DCP (Shahdara).

She said that since the couple was married for less than seven years, as per law the inquiry into the death will be made by a magistrate. A case under IPC 304B (dowry death) is likely to be registered after that, Prasad added.
A young woman eloping with boyfriend and her mother hot on their heels created a security scare at the Delhi airport on August 15.

The drama unfolded when an alert security officer noticed a non-Muslim name on the boarding card of a burqa-clad woman during the security check.

The mismatch caused an alarm as the Indira Gandhi International Airport was on high alert in view of the Independence Day. The officer quickly alerted her seniors about the suspicious woman.

A team of Delhi Police rushed in and whisked away the suspect to a nearby police station even before the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards airports, could grill her.

She was put on suspicious passenger category. This happened at 6pm. But before we could proceed, a police team took her and the male passenger travelling with her to the police station, a CISF official told Hindustan Times on Monday.

What police found during the questioning was a desperate bid by a young couple to escape the young womans mother, dead set against their relationship.

The woman was travelling to Bangkok with her boyfriend. She hid behind the burqa to throw her mother off their trail, who came all the way to the airport looking for her.

Before she reached the airport, the mother even called police and complained that her minor daughter was being lured away by a boy and they were travelling to Bangkok by a SpiceJet flight.

A police team swooped down on the airport to rescue the young woman.

We brought three of them to police station for verification. We found the woman was 19 and was travelling with her boyfriend on her own volition, said a police officer, who questioned them.

Once they were sure that the woman was not a minor, they allowed her to travel to Bangkok with her boyfriend.

As for the mother, she could only head home.

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Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Monday issued directives for 100 per cent mechanisation of cleaning of sewers and drains in the Capital.

The order was issued during a high-level meeting chaired by the L-G in the wake of the 10 sewer deaths that happened in just a span of five weeks. Baijal also directed the Delhi Jal Board CEO and other departments including the municipal bodies to undertake extensive publicity campaign to highlight the harmful impact of cleaning sewers on the health of workers as well as the illegality committed by the concerned contractors or user agencies.

Read: In Delhi sewer, three deaths in just seven minutes but not one cry for help

Held joint meeting with Honble CM. Directions issued for 100% migration to mechanization for sewers/drains cleaning. Strict regime to be prepared within 7 days. Intensive publicity of laid down norms for observance by contractors. Police to take stringent action against defaulters, Baijal tweeted after the meeting attended by chief minsiter Arvind Kejriwal, PWD minister Satyendar Jain, water minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, chief secretary and other officials in attendance.

Held joint meeting with Hon'ble CM. Directions issued for 100% migration to mechanization for sewers/drains cleaning. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/9kohwOUDxW  LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) August 21, 2017

Strict regime to be prepared within 7 days. Intensive publicity of laid down norms for observance by contractors. (2/3) pic.twitter.com/86GxW3xHzW  LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) August 21, 2017

He directed the DJB CEO to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) in seven days for cases requiring emergency manual intervention.

Speaking about the meeting, water minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said, Anyone found sending a worker down any drain or sewer in the Capital will not be charged under negligence. S/he will now directly be charged under section 304 of the IPC which is culpable homicide.

Read: Vigilance committees to check sewer deaths in Delhi

He added that in 15 days time, the heads of agencies such as the DJB, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and the South MCD will study and submit a plan of action for migrating to mechanised cleaning of sewers.

They will study the technologies available across the world for this and present the best options for us, he said.

Once the plan is finalised, it will be applied to all those involved in sewer cleaning activities including private contractors, group housing society, malls and so on. Besides, the secretary (SC/ST) was directed to upload all the notifications clarifying the legal position on the governments website so that it can be in public domain for the benefit of the contractors as well as the users.

The L-G also said that employers must provide gas masks, safety harness belts, helmets and mechanized equipment. These safety gears are legally mandated for the hazardous work of cleaning clogged underground sewers. Employers must ensure strict compliance of the relevant guidelines and proper arrangements of the safety and security of the workers, a statement from the L-G office read.

The L-G would hold a review meeting on the progress of the directives issued after two weeks.
From balloons to flying parasol, to drones and laser lights, pilots landing at the countrys busiest airport in Delhi are having a tough time dealing with distractions while landing or taking off.

Every month, nearly 6-7 cases of pilots getting distracted by different objects are reported from near the airport.

In most of the cases, pilots tell the location in nautical miles because of which the police could not make a breakthrough in any of the over 100 cases reported in the past two years.

Police say usually, flight movement is not stopped when pilots report such sightings. But when the air traffic controller (ATC) feels, they order suspension of flights.

The pilot gives details of height, altitude and nautical miles and based on that we pinpointed the area over where the plane was flying when laser lights distracted the pilot. In cases of balloon or drone-like objects, the radar does not show anything. Personnel posted at watchtowers have been asked to report if they notice any such object but investigation has hit a dead end. In almost every case, the pilot was five nautical miles away from Delhi, which means the laser light originated from outside the capital, said a Delhi Police official.

On August 15, CISF personnel posted at a watchtower noticed a balloon. When the team reached, they found that it was 80-90 feet away from the ground.

The police have asked traders not to supply such flashy lights at wedding venues near the airport. They have also asked the Union home ministry to prepare guidelines with a provision of punishment for those selling and buying drones illegally.

Under section 144 CrPC, Delhi Police have presently prohibited the use of laser beams by any individual or group or organizers in areas around the airport.

Any person, group of persons, organizers, owners, occupiers, employees contravening these orders shall be liable to be punished in accordance with provisions of section 188 of the IPC , the official said.

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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the South Delhi Municipal Corporation inspect Hauz Khas village to chart out a site plan, indicating the width of the streets, location of restaurants and positioning of exits of restaurants in the popular eating out zone.

The high court also called for status report on a fire that broke out in August last year in one of the buildings,killing a 37-year-old man.

It should be enough that if a fire happen, there is no way to get out of there, the high court said while questioning the feasibility of running a number of restaurants in the area.

The high court said it was concerned about the safety of the people who visit the area.

The court was hearing petitions by social activist Pankaj Sharma and advocate Anuja Kapur, who said there are over 120 restaurants and pubs running in the area without any building plan approval or no objection certificate (NOC) from the authorities, including the fire department.

They alleged unlawful existence of restaurants, pubs, fashion studios, bars serving liquor without licence, art galleries and other buildings in the village.

The petitioners claimed the restaurants posed a grave security risk and fire hazard. And apart from that, the crowd made it impossible for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks to gain access to the restaurants.

The high court said it will consider the owners right to practice profession, which has been guaranteed under the Constitution.

We will balance the rights of every person, including the owners of the properties, but only if one has complied with the building by-laws and the master plan. Violators will have to go, the high court said.

The corporation said they had issued closure notices to 19 restaurant owners who had failed to get mandatory clearances from the agencies and the government.

The Delhi Police informed the court that around 5,000 people visit on weekdays and over 15,000 on weekends.

The police said there are around 45 eateries in Hauz Khas Village, of which 26 have valid licences, eight have applied for renewal and four have fresh licences.

Seven of the restaurants were operating without any licence, the police told the court. The court fixed the matter for further hearing on September 5.
A 34-year-old driver was allegedly stabbed to death with an ice pick by his neighbour in south-east Delhis Ambedkar Nagar police station early on Tuesday.

Anil Kumars wife accused police of ignoring her concerns about her husbands safety and demanded stern action against station personnel.

Within hours, a sub-inspector, who had questioned the two men, and a constable were suspended and the police station in-charge sent to district lines.

An inquiry has been launched and its findings will come out in the next 48 hours, deputy commissioner of police (south-east) Romil Baaniya said.

The quarrel started on Monday night when Anil was seeing off guests who had come for his daughters birthday party at their Dakshinpuri home.

Vishal, 22, who lived a few houses down the lane, walked up to Anil and asked for alcohol as birthday treat, Baaniya said. On being refused, he abused Anil and the two started scuffling.

Anil was seeing off my mother and father when Vishal attacked him with a rod. I stepped in and was injured, wife Lovely told the Hindustan Times on Tuesday. She said Vishal was drunk.

Lovely called police who took the men to the Ambedkar Nagar police station. They were taken to the first floor where sub-inspector Brahm Prakash questioned the two. The sub-inspector had to leave to attend a call and told constable Ashok Kumar to keep an eye on both men, police said.

The constable, too, was called by a senior and on his return he saw Vishal stabbing Anil with an ice pick, which is widely used in police stations across Delhi to punch holes in papers and files.

Kumar and another policeman pulled away Vishal and rushed Anil to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, but he was declared dead.

Anil was stabbed six times, in the neck, chest and the back. Vishal, who is an office boy in a private firm, was arrested on charges of murder.

Lovely was sitting in the reception area of the police station when Anil was attacked. I was worried about Anils safety, she said.

When she saw Prakash leaving the room, she told him not to leave Anil alone with Vishal. Few minutes later, my husband came out of the room. He was drenched in blood and policemen were holding him, she said.
Admitting that there have been lapses on its part, Delhi Police have launched an inquiry after a man was stabbed to death inside one of its police stations in south east Delhi on Tuesday.

Anil (34), a driver by profession, was stabbed to death with an ice pick by his neighbour, Vishal (22), inside Ambedkar Nagar police station in the presence of police personnel around 2.45 am on Tuesday.

The crime took place when both men were inside the investigation officers room on the first floor, where a sub-inspector was questioning them. He went to attend other PCR calls, leaving behind a constable to keep an eye on them. However, the constable left the room for about two minutes for some work. On his return, he saw Vishal stabbing Anil with an ice pick.

The sub-inspector and constable have been suspended. Also, the station house officer (SHO) has been sent to district lines.

Senior police officials said that the victim and the accused should have been taken into the interrogation room for questioning, instead of being taken into a room belonging to an investigation officer.

Also, the constable shouldnt have left the accused and victim alone in the room. Even when he had been called for some other work, the constable should have ensured that there was some other police officer keeping an eye on both the men, said senior police officials.

Admitting to lapses in the police investigation, deputy commissioner of police (south-east) Romil Baaniya stated that the station house officer should have ensured that the investigation officer had interrogated the men in the interrogation room. But that didnt happen, resulting in the incident.

The incident happened suddenly because of a minor lapse. To determine who is responsible and to what extent, an inquiry has been initiated and its findings will come out in the next 48 hours, said Baaniya.

Anils family said that there was negligence on the part of the police. Lovely, Anils wife, said that police knew that Vishal had fought with Anil and was even quarrelling with him inside the police station.

Both the men should have been kept in separate rooms or police officers should not have left my husband alone with the accused. He died inside a police station in the presence of police, which is supposed to protect innocents. He was killed under their watch, said Lovely.

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Seeking to assuage apprehensions of private schools, which have been given show cause notices on excess fee charged from parents, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the government may not have to take action as many have started refunding the extra fee.

Sisodia said taking over of the schools is the last resort with the government.

The government is sending show cause notices to 449 private unaided recognized schools after they failed to return excess fee charged from parents on the pretext of implementing 6th Pay Commission.

A high-court appointed committee found the hike to be unreasonable and recommended that the hiked fee be refunded to parents along with a 9% interest.

We are first sending show cause notices to schools on why the government should not take over them if they dont return the excess fees. We may not even have to take over because schools have already started returning the excess fee and hopefully others will do, too, he said.

Sisodia said this during a Facebook live with Atishi Marlena, his advisor on education matters.

Sisodia said the takeover, anyway, will have no direct impact on students and teachers. The school will function as it is with the teachers, staff, academics and fees being same. Only the management will be under the government and we will handle the finances, he said.

Sisodia said the government has no intention to interfere in the functioning with private schools but they will have to if the schools dont follow rules. Schools can provide all the facilities they want and charge for it. But if you charge for certain facilities but divert the fees to open new schools in other cities, then we will intervene, he said.

Sisodia also alleged the previous governments could not do anything on the issue as politicians held stakes in private schools. Whichever party was in government, the politicians from that party took land and opened private schools. How would they have asked schools to not hike fee, he alleged.
A five-year-old gang-rape victim was found with candles and plastic bottles in her body in April 2013. Four years later, she is still fighting a lonely battle to bring her perpetrators to justice.

The minor, who came to be known as Gudiya, was held captive by a neighbour who raped and brutalised her. Coming on the heels of the infamous December 16 gang-rape of a paramedical student, the incident evoked widespread outrage.

Political leaders such as Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, the then health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, senior BJP leader Vijay Goel, made a beeline for seeing the child battling for her life at AIIMS.

From the archives: Delhi minor rape victims condition improving, say doctors

Initially, we got support from everywhere. But after six months, we were left alone. We have been running from pillar to post to get justice. No compensation was paid and no job was offered despite promises. Somehow, we managed to get Gudiya admitted in a Gurgaon school with the help of a journalist when the government did not help, said Gudiyas father.

Delhi Commission for Women chairperson, Swati Jaihind, promised to look into the case on being asked about what was being done for Gudiya. This is reflective of how the system is working and how a rape survivor has to suffer. We need to build an effective rehabilitation policy for survivors where the state supports the survivor in leading her life, Jaihind said.

Delhi minor rape: unfolding of events

The family complained that despite four years having passed since the incident, the case is still on trial at Karkardooma court and one accused was set free after being in a correction home for some time as he was a juvenile.

We have challenged the court judgment declaring one of the accused as juvenile. The investigating officer is to be examined. The case initially got all the attention. People were standing with us but now we are pursuing the matter alone except some help from Kailash Satyarthis organisation, said Gudiyas paternal uncle.

To strengthen their fight, Gudiyas family has joined hands with relatives of child sexual abuse victims from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Bihar, and Delhi to support Nobel peace laureate Kailash Satyarthis countrywide march  Bharat Yatra. The move aims to create awareness about child rape, sexual harassment, and trafficking.

From the archives: Protests spread as Delhi seethes over minors rape, accused held

The yatra, which starts on September 11 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, will pass through 22 states and cover 15,000 kilometres in about 35 days. It also plans to engage about one crore people and sensitise law enforcement agencies handling such cases.

Satyarthi said his yatra is war against child sexual abuse and trafficking in the country. I refuse to accept that the innocence, smiles and freedom of our children can keep getting stripped and raped. These are not ordinary crimes. This is a moral epidemic haunting our nation, he said.

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Reena Rai, a homemaker living in Patel Nagar, found her best friend about a year back when she met Vippy, a transgender, in her neighbourhood parlour. The friendship was unusual as per the societal norms, but Rai, who had lost a close friend around that time, could only feel happy when the emotional vacuum in her life was filled-up by Vippys presence.

Participants getting their make-up done before the auditions.

We became really good friends and started hanging out together. People used to stare at me whenever I went out with Vippy, but I never cared about it. Vippy used to frequent my home, and my 10-year-old daughter refers to her as massi (mother-like). Gradually, I got to know about her share of problems. Especially when I visited Hijra Habba in Delhi last year, I found that the transgenders have an enormous amount of talent and beauty, which is usually always sidelined, says Rai.

As Rai grew closer to the transgenders, she decided to do something that provides a platform to their talent. And today, shes all set with the 16 finalists, selected from 1500 transgenders, for the contest Trans Queen India 2017. This is the first beauty pageant for transgenders in India, and has been created keeping in mind the need of the transgenders to be able to show what they have got. The highlight for the event is that the winner will represent India at the most prestigious platforms for the community, Miss International Trans Queen in Thailand.

Vippy, Rais friend, today feels proud of having a close mate who saved her life, and is also working for the society. I thought of committing suicide when my parents disowned me at the age of 22. I was shattered and lost. It was Reena di who became my friend and thought of doing something for our community, which is otherwise usually neglected. The beauty context that she has come up with, I have high hopes from it, says Vippy.

The community is excited and posed after the auditions.

This contest will provide opportunity to transgenders from across the country. We have participants from more than 10 states. All of them applied online, adds Rai, who had a tough time shortlisting them. We had planned to hold auditions in seven cities but could only manage three  Mumbai, Delhi and Imphal  due to financial constraints. My husband put in all his savings when I told him that I want to initiate such a project, and work for the benefit of the transgenders. It was his support that made me sail though tough times, even when we were unable to pay our childs school fee and felt so bad that despite all the appreciation, there was no support from anyone who I know, recalls Rai with tears welled up in her eyes.

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Aadhaar will now be mandatory for those appearing for open school exams to ensure there are no proxy candidates appearing on others behalf.

Following approval from the HRD ministry, the National Institute of Open Learning (NIOS) has decided to make Aadhaar mandatory for candidates appearing for the next examination, a senior NIOS official said.

During the exams held in March, the inspection teams had found proxy candidates who were appearing on other students behalf. To check this practice, Aadhaar has been made mandatory.

There will also be scanner machines at examination centres and only those students whose thumb prints match with the existing data be allowed to give exams, the official said.

NIOS, which was set up in 1989, is providing a number of vocational, life enrichment and community oriented courses besides general and academic courses at secondary and senior secondary level.

It also offers elementary level courses through its Open Basic Education Programmes (OBE).

The NIOS has also decided that those schools where CCTV facility is not available will not be made examination centres.

This has been decided to ensure that videography of the entire examination process is possible and the footage can be checked in future if need be, the official added.
A variety of things are on sale along the highway between Delhi and Meerutluxury cars, travel packages, VVIP addressesbut nothing seems to be more in demand on this 80-km stretch than professional degrees. The closer you get to Meerut, the more professional institutes you find every kilometre: Milestone Institute of Professional Studies, Banke Bihari School of Technology, Krishna Institute of Management, Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology, Deewans Institute of Management Studies.

One of north Indias education hubs, the tier-2 city has roughly 80 technical-professional institutes, four universities and 150 colleges of which many offer professional courses.

Professional education makes good business sense in a place like Meerut where a professional degree means upward mobility. So it has been for at least a decade now.

In 2007, when Rahul Bharadwaj graduated from a college in Meerut with a degree in commerce, he went straight for an MBA. I didnt have another option because everyone had a craze of doing MBA, said Bharadwaj who grew up in a family where men traditionally worked for the government. But like every family in his neighbourhood, his too wanted him to get a professional degree. And MBA was on boom.

In a country where the gap between the number of jobs and the number of job seekers makes headlines every day, a professional degree is what university education used to be in a previous era: the differentiator. The perception may or may not actually drive recruitments, but it continues to drive enrolments in thousands of private institutes offering professional degrees across India.

By official estimates, the country has more than 6,000 technical institutes and 5,500 MBA institutes; one doesnt have to travel far to get a degree in hospitality or communication, either.

The explosion has created its own problems. If everyone entering the job market at a certain level is armed with a professional degree, then only a fraction will end up filling the positions. The usual rules of selection apply here, too, from the quality of training to the ranking of the institute. What happens to the leftovers?

After spending two years and 1,50,000 at Deewans Institute of Management Studies on the Delhi-Meerut highway, Bharadwaj was one of the leftovers. With no job, he put his MBA degree to the only use he could think of. He joined another MBA institute as a teacher. He didnt like his job at Ghaziabads Modern Institute of Technology and ManagementI was not getting what I deservedbut he didnt know what else to do.

From the time he got an MBA degree, Bharadwaj has repeatedly tried his luck at government openings. I gave more than 20 exams of different departments. Banking, first for PO (probationary officer) then clerk. Electricity department. Staff Service Commissionstarting with office assistant. None worked out.

After eight years of teaching at professional institutes, where his salary rose by a mere 2,000 over the past three years, he recently decided to look for a corporate job, the kind that was promised when he graduated from Deewans in 2009. Its not easy, he said, looking back to the time of placements.

Placements are a matter of pride for Deewans Institute of Management Studies, says Dr Satish Kumar, who is in charge of operations. The institute promises white-collar jobs in respectable companies to its 120 new management students every year, who come not just from Meerut but Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.

However, the countrys respectable companies are hiring fewer people every year. Indias largest creator of private-sector jobs, the $150 billion Information Technology (IT) industry is struggling to maintain idle employee poolsor bench or invest in training them in emerging skills. Three of the biggest IT firmsTCS, Tech Mahindra and Infosysregistered a decline in their workforce in the quarter that ended on 30 June.

Set off by the 2008 worldwide financial crisis and made worse by every local and global factor impacting the job market  from automation to demonetisation  the countrys private sector hiring is on a downswing that appears irreversible in the near future.

Ultimately, Kumar says, its a students skill set that will see him/her through. Some of those who dont end up at a multinational company work in the citys local industriesautomobile, textileor make do with a call centre job in Delhi or Gurgaon. Almost all of them, he said, try their luck at government jobs. Job security. Perks. Salaries. A government peon makes 25,000 a month. Its the starting salary for a corporate job.

The government, it turns out, is the most common Plan B for students streaming out of Indias professional institutes with a degree in hand. As a Central Pay Commission report recently noted, salaries for a government job are higher than a private sector job for every single level of education. Even the advantages of having a public-sector job have increased over the years, leaving only the highly skilled to prefer a private-sector job. But if one doesnt need a professional degree to apply for a government job, then why is every young man and woman in Meerut headed to a professional institute?

Just to have an edge, says Ankur Raghuvanshi, who left Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology, on the same highway, in 2013 with a degree in Masters of Computers Application (MCA). Raghuvanshi, who comes from a farming background in Muzaffarnagar, says the investment in a professional degreeit cost him more than 3 lakh over three yearsis a gamble. If you get a job after it, then its profit. If you dont, its loss, Raghuvanshi said. His own investment turned into a loss.

Everyone is leaving these institutes with an MBA or MCA degree. The competition has become tough. Earlier, there used to be one MBA or MCA in a village, now every second person is.

Just out of the institute, he took a data-entry job at an IT company in Noida, but left in months because there was no satisfaction. Jobless since, Raghuvanshi has moved back to Muzaffarnagar and hopes to crack the entrance to the sub inspectors position in Uttar Pradesh police one day. What else can you do?

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The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Tamil Nadu government to start counselling for admissions for MBBS and BDS seats in the state based on the NEET merit list and complete the process by September 4.

A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra directed the state government to initiate the admission process after the Centre told the court that it was not in favour of the recent ordinance passed by Tamil Nadu to exempt it from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year.

The apex court was hearing a plea filed by six students seeking a direction to the state government to conduct counselling for the medical seats solely on the basis of the merit list prepared on the basis of NEET marks.

The apex court had on August 17 put on hold till August 22, the counselling for the medical seats in state asking the MCI and the state government to find a balanced solution to deal with the interests of state board students and those who cleared NEET.

The plea had alleged that the Tamil Nadu ministers were bargaining with the central government for presidential assent for their proposed ordinance to exempt the Tamil Nadu students from NEET as a quid pro quo for supporting the NDA candidates for the Presidential and Vice Presidential polls.
A quick sweep of Instagram confirms that mascara is the latest beauty product to get a brightly-coloured makeover, with brands such as LOreal Paris posting images of vibrant teal lashes for a party-friendly look.

The trend is popular editorially too, with fashion photographer Anaimram recently posting a picture she took on a Harpers Bazaar Mexico and Latin America shoot, which shows model Jordan Moon sporting spiky orange lashes. Photographer Christine Itels recent shoot for Scorpio Jin Magazine also featured some striking yellow eyelashes.

The look is the natural evolution of an eye make-up trend that has been brewing on the catwalks for several seasons now. Julys haute couture shows featured rainbow combinations of eye shadow from Chanel, while the Fall/Winter 2017 ready-to-wear shows were awash with the most vibrant shades of turquoise, pink, red and orange, courtesy of several designers including Leonard Paris, Fyodor Golan, Prabal Gurung, FentyxPuma and Versus Versace.

Fun fact, when I'm angry my eyelashes turn orange  A post shared by Jordan Moon  (@jordan.moon) on Jun 5, 2017 at 12:14pm PDT

The look has been a hit with celebrities too, as the red carpet looks at this years Teen Choice Awards in August proved, with Bella Thorne and Rita Ora both incorporating fluorescent hues into their beauty prep. And it isnt just make-up that has seen something of a neon transformation of late  dazzling colours are the latest trend when it comes to hairstyles too.

A post shared by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) on Jul 21, 2017 at 7:42pm PDT

The Rainbow hair craze recently ramped up a level to incorporate even bolder hues, a look backed by Alicia Keys, who unveiled her fabulously vivid hair in summery shades of golden yellow, tangerine and hot pink earlier this summer. With so many options available, theres never been a better time to dabble in a bit of colour.

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Transformers: The Last Knight star Mark Wahlberg has out-muscled Dwayne Johnson to become Hollywoods highest-paid actor in the past year with a transforming income of $68 million, according to Forbes magazine.

The former rapper known as Marky Mark beat out Baywatch star Johnson, with $65 million, and Johnsons The Fate of the Furious co-star Vin Diesel, worth $54.5 million

The rest of the top five, released Tuesday, includes Adam Sandler, flush with a Netflix deal, at No. 4 with $50.5 million and Jackie Chan with $49 million.

The top 10 actors banked a cumulative $488.5 million - nearly three times the $172.5 million combined total of the 10 top-earning women.

All the data is from between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017, before fees and taxes.

The top 10 paid actors this past year, according to Forbes magazine:

1. Mark Wahlberg, $68 million

2. Dwayne Johnson, $65 million

3. Vin Diesel, $54.5 million

4. Adam Sandler, $50.5 million

5. Jackie Chan, $49 million

6. Robert Downey Jr., $48 million

7. Tom Cruise, $43 million

8. Shah Rukh Khan, $38 million

9. Salman Khan, $37 million

10. Akshay Kumar, $35.5 million
As many as 340 bovines, including cows, were rescued from illegal slaughtering by the Nagpur Police in two separate incidents recently.

In the first incident, 175 cows were rescued from a private premises in Gaddigodam area of the city after a raid was conducted by the Sadar Police on Saturday, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The police recovered 500-kg meat and 448 pieces of bovine skins from the premises located near an old school. The police also seized seven four-wheelers from the spot. The total seizure worth around Rs 50 lakh, said DCP, Zone II, Rakesh Ola.

He said nine persons were arrested in this regard.

The officer said the police suspect that the accused were indulged in the illegal slaughtering of bovines at the spot, which were transported from various places.

They were booked under section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle etc.), under Maharashtra Animal Preservation Amended Act 1995, and under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Police sent the samples of the seized meat to the forensic laboratory and are awaiting results.

In another incident on Sunday, police rescued 165 bovines, including cows as well as bulls, from an open place in Mahendra Nagar area under the Pachpaoli police station limits.

Three persons were arrested in this regard, Police Inspector Narendra Hiwre said on Tuesday.
The controversial Islamic divorce practice of instant triple talaq (Talaq-e-Biddat) has been struck down as arbitrary and against the tenets of Islam. The practice was against Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality, the Supreme Court has ruled.

What is instant triple talaq?

There are three forms of talaq (divorce) in Islam: Ahsan, Hasan and Talaq-e-Biddat (triple or instant talaq), explains an article in The Hindu. Ahsan and Hasan are revocable but Biddat is irrevocable. Biddat is considered sinful but is permissible in Islamic law.

Women challenge triple talaq

Shayara Bano, a 35-year-old resident of of Uttarakhand, filed a petition in the Supreme Court in 2015 and sought a ban on the practice after her husband ended their 15-year marriage by sending a letter with the word talaq written thrice. Several other women lined up with their petitions over the following months. Women cannot pronounce triple talaq and are required to move a court for getting divorce under the Sharia Act, 1937.

The law and triple talaq

India has separate sets of personal laws for each religion governing marriage, divorce, succession, adoption and maintenance. While much of the Hindu law overhaul began in the 1950s and continues, activists have long argued that Muslim personal law has remained mostly unchanged.

Triple talaq and Supreme Court

The Supreme Court in June 2016 decided to examine if Islamic laws governing marriage and inheritance violated the fundamental rights of women and take a call on how far it can intervene to modify the existing laws. A multi-faith bench of five judges--a Hindu, a Sikh, a Christian, a Zoroastrian and a Muslim--led by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar is hearing pleas challenging the practice. There is no woman in the triple talaq bench.

Justices Kehar and Abdul Nazeer on Tuesday held that triple talaq should be put on hold for six months, but their minority view will not prevail.

Quote, unquote the court

Can something which is considered abhorrent by religion be validated by law? Justice Kurian Joseph of the Supreme Court has said about triple talaq. Whatever is sinful in the eyes of god, can it be lawful? he said. The court has made it clear that it will not examine the Islamic custom of polygamy and nikah halala. Nikah halala lets a divorced Muslim woman to remarry her husband but after marrying another man and then divorcing the latter. The court said it will hear arguments on these two practices later.

The government on triple talaq

The government has said it will write a new matrimony law for Muslims to fill a legal vacuum should the Supreme Court strike down triple talaq. The government, represented by the attorney general, has argued that triple talaq cannot enjoy protection under Constitutions Article 25 that allows people to practice their faith.

In defence of triple talaq

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), an influential group, defends triple talaq as a matter of faith and it had requested the court to let Muslims find a solution to the issue. It says the practice is protected by the right to religious freedom and courts cannot supplant their interpretations over the text of scriptures. In May, AIMPLB appeared to backing down a bit when it told the court that triple talaq is undesirable and anyone practising it will face social boycott.

Triple talaq is indefensible

A special report by Hindustan Times last year detail how triple talaq had been unjustly used. Let it be understood for once and for all and I repeat, the question of arbitrary talaq is a settled law of the land, wrote Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, an activist and a former member of the Planning Commission of India, in this article for the Hindustan Times.
Sidelined party Deputy General Secretary TTV Dinkaran has dubbed the merger of two factions of the AIADMK as a betrayal of party general secretary VK Sasikala.

Breaking his silence on the sudden developments leading to the merger of the factions led by chief minister K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, Dinakaran, in a series of tweets on Monday night, also questioned the durability of the arrangement.

It is not a merger. It is a commercial agreement reached for self-interest and hunger for positions and to protect posts, he claimed.

Stating that his political journey would continue, he vowed to protect the party and retrieve its Two Leaves symbol which has been frozen by the Election Commission ahead of the now cancelled April 14 byelection to RK Nagar Assembly constituency.

On Tuesday, Dinakaran announced that senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam had been removed from all party posts. Vaithilingam, one of the leaders of the Palaniswami camp, had said after the merger that steps would be taken to expel Sasikala by the General Council, a key demand made by Panneerselvam.

In his tweets on Monday, Dhinakaran, nephew of Sasikala, said he was suffering from sore throat and fever and had been advised rest and would meet the media on Wednesday.

Only god knows how long this (merger) will hold. In 1989, in deference to the wishes of cadres, Amma (late chief minister Jayalalithaa) was accepted as the general secretary and all united under her leadership, he said.

Dinakaran was referring to the then reunification of the party after a split following the death of AIADMK founder and late chief minister MG Ramachandran in December 1987.

The split ensued after Ramachandrans wife Janaki was appointed chief minister and Jayalalithaa claimed the support of the cadres.

But today, the cadres cannot digest the merger which is accompanied with the announcement that steps would be taken to expel the general secretary (Sasikala) who was accepted by themselves, he claimed, adding that it was a betrayal.

Dinakaran claimed not only the AIADMK cadres, but even the public would not forgive those who betrayed the general secretary who made Pannerselvam and Palaniswami the chief ministers after the death of Jayalalithaa.

Charging that it was Panneerselvam who was instrumental in the freezing of the AIADMK symbol, he sought to know how the cadres would accept it.

How can they (Palaniswami camp) join hands with Panneerselvam who till yesterday was branding the regime ruling the state as corrupt, he said.

His tweets came hours after the factions merged and Panneerselvam, who had challenged Sasikalas leadership, was appointed the deputy chief minister and his close aide K Pandiarajan a minister.

On Vaithilingam, AIADMKs Thanjavur (South) district secretary, Dinakaran said his removal from all posts, besides primary membership was for going against the partys policies and bringing disrepute to it.

I request party workers to not to have any truck with him, Dinakaran said in a statement.

He added that the announcement was being made with the approval of Sasikala who is serving her jail term in the disproportionate wealth case in a Bengaluru prison.

Vaithilingam, a former minister, was named party deputy coordinator during the merger event at the AIADMK headquarters.
Days after Indian and Chinese troops engaged in stone-pelting at Ladakhs Pangong lake, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has approved the construction of a standalone road project from Marsimik La to Hot Spring. Marsimik La in Ladakh is about 20 km from the northwest tip of Pangong lake.

Home ministry officials said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has taken over the project after it was cleared by the ministry.

Sources said the BRO, which comes under the ministry of defence, has started mobilisation for the construction of the 32-km road.The project is part of the India-China Border Road-I and was initially proposed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, which guards the India-China border.

Meanwhile, home minister Rajnath Singh will lead a delegation for a high-level meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Kyrgyzstan between August 23 to 25.

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It wasnt a technician who was in charge of the oxygen supply plant at the Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur where three babies died on Sunday allegedly due to a supply snag, but a peon who says he had no training for the job.

The technician of the oxygen supply plant was on leave on Sunday, and Ravi Chandra, a peon, stood in for him. Chandra who was suspended and arrested on Sunday but released on bail on Monday evening denied allegations that he was drunk on duty when the tragedy unfolded.

Chief Minister Raman Singh has ordered a probe into the deaths of the babies who were on ventilators in the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital due to various health complications.

I am innocent. I went asleep but I was not drunk, Chandra told Hindustan Times.

Chandra said that he got the job on compassionate grounds nine months ago after his wife died. My wife was a lab technician and after she died I got appointment as a peon, he said.

When asked about the training to handle the oxygen plant, Chandra said, No training has been given. I learnt everything in the plant only.

Shockingly, there is no formal back up for the lone technician at the oxygen supply plant.

The Congress unit in Chhattisgarh has flagged the appointment of an untrained person for a crucial job.

Why he was made in charge of such an important paramedical post when he was not technically trained. An untrained person who is in the records as chaukidaar (watchman) was deputed at oxygen supply plant. Senior officials are also responsible for this act. They should be behind bars, said Congress spokesperson RP Singh.

Read more: After Gorakhpur, 3 kids die in Raipur hospital; oxygen supplier arrested

The Chhattisgarh government constituted a team of specialist doctors Monday evening to probe the death of the babies.

Director of medical education (DME) AK Chandrakar will head the probe panel.

The other members of the panel are superintendent of the hospital Dr Vivek Chaudhary, assistant medical superintendent Dr Altaf Yusuf Meer and head of the paediatric department Dr Sharja Phooljhale, according to an official press release.

The probe will focus on finding the shortcomings, if any, that led to the incident and how it could have been averted. Besides, negligence, if any, that led to the incident and who were responsible for it, the release said.

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Two sisters, both minors, suffered severe burn injuries after unknown attackers threw acid on them on Tuesday in Tanda area in Nawabganj, Bareilly, police said.

The victims, aged 15 and 17, suffered injuries on their face and eyes and are undergoing treatment at Bareilly district hospital.

Police have registered a complaint and initiated investigation. The incident occurred at Tanda area in Nawabganj (Bareilly). The victims were sleeping together on a cot in the courtyard of their house when the incident took place said Bareillys senior superintendent of police (SSP) Joginder Kumar.

The father of the girls has lodged a police complaint against the attackers, he added.

According to the complaint, the attackers entered the house by scaling the courtyard wall. Though other family members were present when the incident occurred, nobody could not see the attackers. We woke up when the girls started crying, the father told HT.

A local dialled 100 and called for an ambulance.

According to hospital sources, the girls received severe second and third degree burns on their upper bodies.

They have been admitted to the burns care ward and their condition remains critical, they added.

The doctors have asked us to take the girls to Lucknow for better treatment, I dont have any money to take them there, said the father. Earlier this month, two sisters died after they were doused with petrol and set ablaze in the same area.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin in the in the murder case of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan.

The chargesheet against Shahabuddin and six other accused Laddan Mian alias Azharuddin Beg, Rishu Kumar Jaiswal, Rohit Kumar Soni, Vijay Kumar Gupta, Rajesh Kumar and Sonu Kumar Gupta  was filed in a special CBI court at Muzaffarpur, 71 km north of Patna.

The former MP and other accused have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 302 (punishment for murder) as well as section 34 of the Arms Act.

Rajdeo Ranjan, then bureau chief of Hindi daily Hindustan, was shot dead near Siwan railway station on May 13, 2016.

Siwan journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, who was killed on May 13, 2016.

Shahabuddin, at present lodged in high security Tihar jail in New Delhi as per a Supreme Court direction on the appeal of slain journalists wife Asha Ranjan and other complainants, was earlier produced before the CBI court through video conferencing.

Defence lawyer Sharad Sinha said a four-member team of the premier investigating agency reached the court of special CBI judge Anupam Kumari on Tuesday morning and submitted the chargesheet. The CBI team told the court that it had enough evidence against Shahabuddin and other accused, Sinha said.

The CBI officials also mentioned the names of Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Javed, the two other accused who had been granted bail after the probe agency failed to submit chargesheet against them within the stipulated 90 days of their arrest, Sinha said.

The former MPs complicity in the case was alleged by an accused, Mohammad Kaif, during his interrogation in the murder case. The special court had directed the CBI include the name of the former MP as an accused in the case on May 22 this year.

The Bihar government had handed over the probe to the CBI on May 16, 2016, within three days of the murder. The central agency began probe into the case on the intervention of the Supreme Court after the slain journalists wife filed a petition before it on September 23 last year. Asha Ranjan claimed before the top court that the CBI had not even initiated probe into the case due to political influence and fear of Mohammad Shahabuddin.

The top court had directed the CBI to proceed with its probe into the murder and asked the Bihar police to provide protection to Ranjans family, which claimed receiving threats from Shahabuddin.
Over 300 college girls from Government College for women staged a protest and blocked a busy road at Parade Ground here Tuesday morning after they were denied entry into the institution for allegedly not following timings and violating a dress code announced earlier this month.

Infuriated over what the girls claimed misbehaviour by the college teachers including the principal Dr Anita Sudan and watchmen, the girls staged vociferous protests for over two hours.

Subsequently, senior police officers rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the agitating girls who demanded immediate removal of the principal.

The principal, college teachers and the staff at entrance gate misbehaved with us this morning. They tore our uniforms and some amongst us were dragged inside the college gate, said a group of agitating students outside the college.

With veils around their faces they alleged that the watchman at the entrance gate was in the habit of hurling lewd remarks at them and their families.

We are also not allowed to wear plazos and chikan kurtas, said one of them.

The principal also asked us to make two plaits of hairs instead of one. We are not school students anymore and why such restrictions are being thrust upon us when other college students do not face such orders, another girl complained.

However, college Principal Dr Anita Sudan told Hindustan Times over phone that following recent incidents of four students going missing from the college, out of whom one was traced to Allahabad, she asked the disciplinary committee to ensure discipline in the institute.

Accordingly, we decided to ensure timings at the entrance gate and proper college uniform of salwar, kurta and dupatta (barring married girls) but I never said the girls should make two plaits. We also looked into the allegations of lewd remarks by the watchman and I questioned him in front of the girls but they recanted. Even if they are not satisfied, we can replace the gate staff, she said.

The principal further said that being an educational institute, it is indispensable for the college management to ensure fixed timings and proper dress code.

Most of the protesters were in uniform but a college official said that some college girls were in denims and T-shirts.

The official also that the girls, who staged the protest were being manipulated by outsiders.

It has also been learnt that minister of state for education Priya Sethi talked over phone to the College Principal over the entire issue.
The Congress on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Courts verdict setting aside the practice of divorce through talaq-e-bidat among Muslims, saying it was an affirmation of women rights and would give them relief from discrimination.

Chief Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the apex court quashed the practice of instant triple talaq or talaq-e-bidat, which by itself was an aberration and adulteration of talaq.

The top court has recognised the pristine form of religious practice in Islam that abhorred any exploitation, he said.

Even the Muslim Personal Law Board had pleaded before the Supreme Court that the practice of instant triple talaq was per se wrong, he said.

This verdict is an affirmation of the rights of women and gives relief to them against being subjected to discrimination by a practice that had been perverted over the years. We welcome the acceptance of this reality by the court, he said.

The Congress leader said several interveners, including the Amicus Curiae, had pleaded before the Supreme Court against talaq-e-bidat.

The Supreme Courts verdict is a culmination and acceptance of this wider wisdom as also recognition of the rights of the Muslim women, he said.

In a 395-page order, five-judge constitution bench noted, In view of the different opinions recorded by a majority of 3:2, the practice of talaq-e-biddat  triple talaq is set aside.

While Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq and asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit held it as violative of the Constitution.

Surjewala said there was no need for a law now as the suggestion made by the Chief Justice was a minority view.
Hours after 19 AIADMK legislators loyal to ousted deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran withdrew support to Tamil Nadu chief minister Edapaddi Palanisami, DMK working president MK Stalin on Tuesday demanded the immediate convening of an assembly session and a floor test for the government to prove its majority in the house.

The developments came a day after two warring factions of the AIADMK  one led by Palaniswami and the other by former CM O Panneerselvam  merged in a show of strength and indicated they would soon dismiss Dinakarans aunt and party interim chief, VK Sasikala. Dinakarans appointment has already been scrapped and Sasikala is serving a jail term for corruption.

In a letter to governor C Vidyasagar Rao, Stalin cited the SR Bommai judgment and said the current government was reduced to a minority after 22 MLAs withdrew support and as such its continuation was unconstitutional.

The Dinakaran camp MLAs have also urged the governor to change the chief minister, saying they have lost faith and confidence in his corrupt regime. They also asked the governor to start the constitutional process after the government was reduced to a minority.

Stalin told reporters the governor ought to have ordered a floor test after the MLAs formally informed him about withdrawing their support. It is ironic that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about waging war against corruption but was personally engaged in bringing together two of the corrupt politicians in Tamil Nadu together, he said.

Asked if the DMK would bring a no-confidence motion, Stalin said his party will take a view after discussing all aspects of the issue and developments threadbare.

While DMK sensed a chance and moved in for the kill, Dinakaran launched his attack against the EPS-OPS camp by sacking R Vaithialingam, member of parliament from AIADMK, for his assertion that the party general council would soon meet to oust Sasikala from the post of party general secretary.

Viathialingam, in turn, questioned the authority of Dinakaran to sack him. He is nobody to sack me. Dinakaran has already been ousted as the deputy general secretary as his appointment itself was illegal and unacceptable, the MP said.

The political scene in Tamil Nadu only heated up after the merger, allegedly brokered by the BJP, something that is riling the MLAs of the Dinakaran group.

Edapaddi Palanisami must explain as to how and why the traitor, OPS, who sought votes parading the dead body of Amma in RK Nagar constituency for his faction candidate, has been given deputy chief ministership, said Najil Sampath, a close supporter of Dinakaran.

EPS was made CM by Chinnamma and where did he get the confidence to seek out a traitor and give him post, power and respect? questioned V Pugalendi, an MLA outside Dinakarans house.

He was referring to Sasikala.

A person who has joined hands with a traitor has no right to be the chief minister, said Pugalendi, asserting that is why they asked the governor to change the chief minister.

Palanisami must also explain as to why he ignored a group of 20 MLAs and ran after a person who had just 10 MLAs, the MLA said adding that OPS was removed by Chinamma and EPS made the CM in his place.

Senior MLA S Vetrivel justified Vaithialingams sacking, saying that he got what he deserved.

He said Palanisani and Panneerselvam had all prostrated before Sasikala and are now jumping around like monkeys after sending her to jail.

These people, who had submitted to the Election Commission in writing that Sasikala was their leader how can they now say they will oust her? Vetrivel questioned.

The AIADMK has 134 MLAs in the 234-member house but wont reach the majority mark of 118 without the 19 dissidents. A no-confidence motion can be called only by October.

The DMK has already indicated it will move a no-confidence motion in the assembly. Six months have to lapse between two such motions and the last one was in April. But even then, the 19 MLAs risk disqualification if they defy the party whip during the vote under anti-defection laws.

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A militant was killed in an ongoing gunfight between security forces and militants in north Kashmirs Handwara area of Kupwara district on Tuesday, army said.

In a tweet, armys Chinar Corps said that one militant was killed in Handwaras Haphruda and the operation was still in progress.

Police control room Handwara informed that a cordon and search operation was launched in Hangikoot forest area of Wilgam in Handwara in the morning.

Reportedly an encounter has ensued. Since the area is very remote and communication network is very weak, we cant say with surety what is the latest update, an official manning PCR Handwara said.

SP Handwara, Ghulam Jeelani did not pick up his phone.

On August 16, a Lashkar-e-Taiba district commander was killed in a gun fight with security forces in south Kashmirs Pulwama district.

On August 13, three Hizbul Muajhideen militants including the outfits operational commander Yasin Itoo alias Mehmood Ghaznavi were killed in a gunbattle. Two soldiers also died in that encounter.

Kashmir has been witnessing vigorous anti-insurgency operations by security forces in the past few months particularly after increase in militant activities following the killing of HM commander Burhan Wani in July last year.

Since July 30 alone, the security forces have killed 23 militants (excluding todays encounter) in various gun battles including five infiltrators who were gunned down along the LoC by the army in Machil sector on August 7.
Syed Ahmad, a taxi driver from the town of Loni in Ghaziabad, took a break from his profession to distribute sweets on Tuesday to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling on instant triple talaq, saying it was the best thing to have happened to him in a long while.

His two daughters, Imrana, 28, and Mehrana, 25, have had to return home after being divorced by their husbands, who happened to be brothers. Imranas husband gave instant her triple talaq on the phone from Saudi Arabia in December, 2014, while Mehranas husband got it delivered through a fax message some two months later.

The court judgement has come as a balm for people who have to watch their daughters living in daily distress, Ahmad said, in between distributing sweets to friends and neighbours. I am grateful to the court for ruling in favour of Muslim women, he added.

Imrana and Mehrana are as delighted as their father. We are grateful to the women who contested this case and brought to light the plight of women. The government, if it brings in any law, should consider old cases too as women subjected to talaq are suffering and are left to the mercy of their parents, Imrana said.

Mehrana also could not hide her excitement over the ruling. We were constantly following the developments in the case on television and through newspapers. The ruling comes as a huge relief, she said.

The sisters claim their husbands gave them instant divorce as they were eyeing a piece of land that their father owned but refused to give them.

Since the divorce, the sisters have been living with their parents.

Equally happy is Aafreen Rehman, whose husband divorced her via speed post in January last year after being married for a year-and-half. The Jaipur woman, who holds an MBA degree, says she suffered at the hands of her husband and that the top courts verdict will put an end to that.

I am happy with the courts decision. The cruelty that was happening against women in the name of triple talaq, wherein they were thrown out of the house like a pair of shoes, will now end, said Rehman.

Ummeda, a 26-year-old divorced woman living in Kaila Bhatta locality of Ghaziabad, was also pleased with the Supreme Court verdict. Her husband, she claims had pronounced instant triple talaq over a trivial issue, pushing her into a life of penury. Since that day, I and my minor son have been living with my parents and there is no financial support from my husband, she lamented.

Ummeda says that she has completed her 100 days of Iddat - the waiting period - after her husband divorced her in May.

There is no point in going back to the man who kicked my daughter out on streets. She is young and I am considering marrying her now as she has also completed her Iddat, her father Mohammad Sabir said.
The Supreme Court by a majority verdict on Tuesday ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is void, illegal and unconstitutional.

The apex court by 3-2 verdict held that the triple talaq is against the basic tenets of Quran.

While chief justice JS Khehar and justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq, asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman and UU Lalit held it as violative of the Constitution.

Here is a brief profile of the judges:

Chief Justice of India JS Khehar: He is the 44th Chief Justice of India and the first from the Sikh community.

CJI Khehar led a constitution bench that shot down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), a body set up through a constitutional amendment unanimously passed by Parliament, to select judges for the SC and high courts.

He authored the lead judgment in the case, terming the NJAC  of which the law minister was part of the committee to select judges  a threat to the independence of the judiciary.

Justice Khehar also headed another five-judge constitution bench that restored the Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh, scrapping all decisions by the governor that precipitated the fall of the previous administration.

He was also a part of the bench that sent Sahara chief Subrata Roy to jail for default in depositing money for refunding investors.

He is due to retire on August 28, 2017.

Justice Kurian Joseph: A believer in the participation of citizens in the process of governance through proper discharge of their civic duties, justice Kurian Joseph is the second judge in the five-judge constitution bench that will decide on the triple talaq issue.

Justice Joseph is also of the view that there was no threat to anyone from the so-called fundamentalists as long as there was an independent judiciary.

He is part of a bench which is hearing the controversial coal allocation scam case. In a recent verdict, a bench headed by him held that minority educational institutions have absolute right to appoint qualified persons as principal from the community ignoring seniority.

Elevated as a Supreme Court judge in March 2013, justice Joseph has about a year and a half left in his tenure when he retires in November next year.

Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman: Son of the distinguished jurist, Fali Sam Nariman, Justice Rohinton F Nariman is known for his knowledge in comparative religious studies.

When he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in July 2014, he became only the fifth to be elevated directly from the bar.

An ordained priest from Bandra Agiary, Justice Nariman has held a lecture in New York to the Zoroastrian Federation.

An expert in comparative constitutional law and civil law, Justice Nariman is part of the nine-judge Constitution bench that has reserved its verdict over the issue of whether the right to privacy has fundamental constitutional sanctity.

Justice Nariman was part of the bench that scrapped a controversial cyber law which gave police sweeping powers to arrest anyone for posting annoying or offensive comments online, saying it curtailed a citizens constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression.

He was also part of the bench which directed controversial businessman Vijay Mallya to make a detailed disclosure of his assets abroad.

He will hold office until August 2021.

Justice Uday Umesh Lalit: Appointed as a Supreme Court judge in July 2014, justice UU Lalit has expressed an inclination to consider the issue of audio and video recording of proceedings in all courts such as district courts, high courts and the top court.

Justice Lalit was part of a bench that barred the police from making direct arrests in dowry harassment cases without ascertaining the veracity of allegations.

He was also part of the Supreme Court bench that directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into the extrajudicial killings by personnel of the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, and the Manipur police from 2000 to 2012 in Manipur.

Before being appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court, he was the special public prosecutor for the CBI to conduct the trial in all 2G spectrum allocation scam matters under the orders of the top court.

He will hold office till November 2022.

Justice Abdul Nazeer: Elevated to the Supreme Court as a judge in February this year, justice Abdul Nazeer is the lone Muslim judge in the five-judge bench looking at the triple talaq issue.

Justice Nazeer is also part of the bench that is hearing the vexed Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.

He is also part of the nine-judge constitution bench that has reserved its judgment on whether the right to privacy can be considered a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution.
The Supreme Court held triple talaq - the Islamic practice of divorcing women by saying talaq thrice -- unconstitutional and void in a 3-2 verdict on Tuesday

The top court said instant triple talaq, under which women have been divorced in one go even over email, WhatsApp and letters, was against Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality.

The judgment came two years after a woman from Uttarakhand, Shayara Bano, approached the top court after her husband of 15 years sent her a letter with the word talaq written thrice to divorce her.

Heres how politicians, legal luminaries and activists reacted after the verdict:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Judgment of the Honble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment, PM Modi tweeted on Tuesday.

BJP president Amit Shah

I welcome the historic verdict by the Supreme Court on the issue of triple talaq... This is the victory of basic constitutional rights and right to equality of Muslim women, said Shah.

Kapil Sibal, former law minister and Congress leader

We hail the judgement, it protects personal laws and at the same time deprecates the practice of triple talaq, Sibal said.

Congress spokesperson RS Sujrewala

The SC judgement barring triple talaq is a relief to women. We, the Congress Party, welcome it wholeheartedly, INC tweeted quoting Sujrewala.

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi

We have to respect the judgement. It is going to be a great herculean task to implement this on ground.

We have to respect the judgement. It is going to be a great Herculean task to implement this on ground: Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM #TripleTalaq pic.twitter.com/FbWPKmgPwG  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

Maneka Gandhi, Union minister for women and child development

Its a good judgement and its another step towards gender justice and gender equality, Gandhi said.

Shayara Bano, one of the petitioners in the case

I welcome and support the judgment. This is a historic day for Muslim women, Shayara Bano told news agency ANI, adding: Understand the condition of women in Muslim society, accept the judgment and bring a law on it as soon as possible.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board

Our grievances and apprehensions, whether they have been addressed by the judges or not, can be expressed after seeing the judgement... What will happen to those Muslim women who even after judgement will accept talaq, said Z Jilani.

AIMPLD has convened a meeting on September 10 in Bhopal to discuss the SC verdict and chalk out the future strategy on triple talaq.

All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board

AIMWPLB president Shaista Amber welcomed the Supreme Court judgment on triple talaq holding the Islamic practice as unconstitutional.

Former attorney general Soli Sorabjee

I am very happy; it is a good judgement. Now discrimination due to triple talaq will end, said Sorabjee.

Mukul Rohatgi

I can say with satisfaction this was the last case which I did before I decided to quit, said former attorney general.

(With agency inputs)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered its verdict on the validity of triple talaq -- a practice that allows men to divorce their wives by saying talaq thrice -- under the Constitution.

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi supporting womens rights to Congress Kapil Sibal debating the legality of the practice, heres what has been said about triple talaq:

Uttar Pradesh minister Swami Prasad Maurya

These talaq have no basis.... if someone only for satisfying his lust keeps changing his wives and forces his own wife and children to beg on streets... no one will call this right.

BJP stands with Muslim women who have been given talaq unreasonably and arbitrarily... we want to help such victims get respect.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati

From media reports, it does not seem that senior persons associated with the Muslim personal law boards are serious about Muslim women getting justice on the issue of triple talaqwe do not feel that the board will be able to ensure justice for Muslim women soonthe apex court should ensure justice for them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 16

Muslim women are facing difficulties on the issue of triple talaq. We should work for solution at district level.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech

I pay my respects to those women who had to lead miserable lives due to Triple Talaq and then started a movement which created an environment in the whole nation against the practice,

I want to tell them that they will succeed as the whole country supports them in this significant step towards womens empowerment.

Five-judge constitution bench of Supreme Court

(There are) school of thoughts (that) say that triple talaq is legal, but it is the worst and not desirable form for dissolution of marriages among Muslims.

Congress leader Salman Khurshid

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board says triple talaq is sinful yet valid. I personally cannot imagine any religion which can validate a sin. A sin cannot be part of Sharia, which is god ordained. Something which is sinful for the law ordained by god cannot be legal.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal while arguing in the SC

If I have faith that Lord Rama was born at Ayodhya, then its a matter of faith and there is no question of constitutional morality. And why should court interfere? Similar is the case with triple talaq.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath

These days, there is a new debate in the country on a burning issue. Some people are maintaining silence on this issue. This reminds me of the scene in the Mahabharata in which Draupadi is being disrobed and she asks a question to the gathering as to who is responsible for this incident, this sin?

No one uttered even a single word. Only Vidur said people who have committed the crime, the accomplices and those who maintained silence on this issue are equally responsible, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, referring to triple talaq.

All India Shia Personal Law Board spokesperson Maulana Yasoob Abbas

The need of the hour is to enact a strict law against triple talaq in one go that is similar to the anti-sati law to prevent any Muslim woman from getting victimised and ensure that the culprit is punished.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board president Mohammaed Rabey Hasan Nadwi

It is our responsibility to implement it and the best way is to ensure that is following its guidelines. Islamic Sharia gives equal status to men and women. The truth is that talaq was kept to protect women from danger.
Extending an olive branch, the West Bengal government on Tuesday invited the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) for talks on August 29 on the Darjeeling stalemate, but snubbed agitation spearhead Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

I received a letter from the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) last night (August 21) and within 24 hours, we have responded. Doors for a dialogue have to be always kept open, chief minister Mamata Banerjee told a press conference at the state secretariat after returning from a visit to flood-affected areas of north Bengal.

She said the state government accepted the proposal of the GNLF, a constituent of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC), for a dialogue and fixed August 29 for the discussion at the state secretariat.

But Banerjee made no mention of agitation spearhead GJM.

Miffed with the West Bengal government for responding to the GNLFs appeal for talks, GMCC convenor and GJM vice president Kalyan Dewan said a dialogue can only be successful if the main stake holders of the Gorkhaland movement are invited for talks.

Responding to GNLFs appeal is nothing but an effort to undermine the GJM and GMCC, Dewan told PTI.

Describing the request of the GNLF to hold dialogue as a good and constructive gesture, Banerjee said, Major political parties and development boards, which have been involved in development work in the hills, will be invited for the meeting.

The chief minister said, The state government is for development and always open to hold talks to restore peace in the hills.

Banerjee said only the GNLF till now had expressed its willingness for talks to end the indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling.

The agitation entered its 69th day on Tuesday.

A stalemate is continuing in the hills. Any other major political party apart from the GNLF, which is in favour of peace and willing to participate in talks, is welcome. My government is always ready for talks, she said.

Recalling that meetings were earlier held to initiate a dialogue, Banerjee said, I had held a meeting with the chairmen of different (development) boards.

She said, later, state chief secretary Maloy Kumar Dey also held a meeting but not all representatives of various parties participated in it.

Banerjee said there would be discussion on the destruction and vandalism which affected normal life and tourism.

The police and general public have shown restraint. A few people have lost their lives in the current unrest. Many government and private properties in the hills were destroyed during this period. There will be discussions on them also, she said

She said that normalcy was being restored slowly in different parts of Darjeeling and Mirik.

Dewan said, The Gorkhaland movement is led by the GJM and it is the GJM which called the indefinite shutdown over two months back. The GJM is also the main stakeholder of the GMCC. If the state government wants the talks to be fruitful, it has to officially call the GJM and GMCC for talks.

The GNLF may be a constituent of the GMCC but it is not the main stakeholder with whom talks can be held, he said.

Dewan said, Responding to GNLFs appeal is nothing but an effort by the state government to undermine the GJM and GMCC.

On Monday, GJM joint secretary Binay Tamang had requested both the state and central governments to initiate talks at the earliest to restore peace and normalcy in the hills.
The rape and murder of a 16-year-old student in Kotkhai tehsil of Shimla district in the first week of July, rocked the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on the first day of the ongoing session, on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded a discussion on the prevailing law and order situation in state.

Soon after the House paid homage to former Nahan legislator Sadanand Chauhan, BJPs chief whip Suresh Bhardwaj inquired about the adjournment notice moved under rule 67. He demanded a discussion on the Kotkhai rape and murder case and demanded that the House should also discuss the prevailing law and order situation in the state.

In his speech, Bhardwaj repeatedly also referred to the photographs of the youth that were uploaded on the Facebook page of chief minister Virbhadra Singh, presenting them as accused, even though the police said it did not have any evidence to establish the same.

Intervening in matter, parliamentary affairs minister Mukesh Agnihotri mentioned that the case was subjudice and hence it cannot be taken up for discussion in the House. This however did not go down well with the Opposition legislators who later resorted to sloganeering in the House.

Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail informed the House that he did receive a notice from the Opposition and has referred the matter to the government for its consideration. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the matter. You (Opposition legislators) should wait for its results, he said.

Following this, BJP legislators got up from their seats and insisted the speaker to adjourn the House. Health minister Kaul Singh Thakur suggested that Congress and BJP legislators should consider discussing the matter under rule 130.

Arguing that the responsibility to protect the people rests with the government, leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal asked the speaker to facilitate the discussion. He also raised the pendency of various criminal cases in the state. Speaking on the mysterious death of forest guard Hoshiyar Singh in Sundernagar, Dhumal alleged that the investigation in the case has been botched up.

The House was briefly adjourned for 15 minutes. When it reassembled, Dhumal urged the speaker to take up discussion.

However, the proposal was rejected, following which the Opposition marched into the well of the House raising slogans against the government. Amid the sloganeering, the House was adjourned for the day.

Outside the House, Dhumal also blamed the government for the breakdown of law and order in the state. The government has failed to curb murders, rapes, and other heinous crimes in the state, he said.

Meanwhile, the Gudiya Nyay Manch that was constituted to seek justice for the Kotkhai victim will protest outside the Vidhan Sabha tomorrow.

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India on Tuesday released seven Pakistani prisoners and stressed the need to address all humanitarian issues, including early and full consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav and Hamid Nehal Ansari, who are in Pakistans custody.

The External Affairs Ministry in a statement also said that release of 300 Indian prisoners, including 295 fishermen, has been secured during 2017 so far.

Seven Pakistani prisoners, who have completed their sentence and whose nationality has been confirmed by Pakistani authorities, were repatriated to Pakistan via Attari/Wagah, the ministry said.

The government of India attaches highest importance to addressing all humanitarian matters, including early and full consular access to all Indian nationals in Pakistans custody, including Jadhav and Ansari and secure their early release and repatriation, it said.

Jadhav is in Pakistans custody after it claimed to have arrested him last year from the restive Baluchistan region and alleged that he was involved in terror activities.

However, India has been maintaining that the former Navy official was kidnapped from Iran where he had legal business interest.

India has also moved the International Court of Justice against the death sentence given to Jadhav by a Pakistani army court. The court has stayed the execution pending a final verdict by it.
India-US joint defence exercise Yudh Abhyas, set to be held in the US from September 14-27, will focus on anti-terror operations and will also see discussion on strategic issues between experts on both sides, defence sources said on Tuesday.

The exercise comes shortly after India-US-Japan naval exercise Malabar, held in the Bay of Bengal in July, that left China jittery.

The theme of the exercise, 13th in the series, is to build and develop positive military relation and interoperability to conduct counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and regional security operations and Peace Keeping operations under the UN Charter.

The exercise, set to be held at the Joint Base Lewis Mc-Chord in the US, will have troops from an infantry battalion from the Indian Armys Central Command, and 5-20 Infantry Battalion based on Stryker of 1 Corps of US Pacific Command, participating.

Sources said the scope of the exercise will cover various bilateral issues, and it will include a Brigade Headquarter based Command Post Exercise, academic discussions on strategic issues, and combined training.

The sources however did not disclose the nature of strategic issues being discussed.

This will be an excellent platform for troops to share operational experiences, a source said.

Last year, the exercise was held in Chaubattia, Uttarakhand.
India on Tuesday welcomed Donald Trumps new security strategy in Afghanistan and said it was much pleased about the US Presidents strong words against Pakistan providing safe havens to terrorists, without naming the neighbouring country.

We welcome President Trumps determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

But the statement didnt name Pakistan, the country India blames for fostering cross-border terrorism and providing safe haven to terrorists who disrupt peace and stability in the region.

India shares these concerns and objectives, the statement said.

Trump warned Pakistan, its closest ally in South Asia, that Washington will no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, he said.

He also suggested that military and other aid to Washingtons nuclear-armed ally is at stake if it does not clamp down on extremism.

Though US presidents in the past have spoken in a similar vein, Washington often doesnt walk the talk on Pakistan because of reasons of geopolitics and history.

Trump didnt say so but his secretary of state Rex Tillerson said: Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and can be an important partner in our shared goals of peace and stability in the region.

Tillerson spoke to external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Pakistans prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and foreign minister of Afghanistan Salahuddin Rabbani.

India said it is committed to supporting the government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country.

We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people, MEA said.

The statement added India will continue these efforts, including in partnership with other countries, for bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.

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The Madras High Court on Tuesday refrained from granting any relief to former Union minister P Chidambarams son Karti, who sought quashing of the FIR filed by the CBI and its subsequent summonses in the INX Media case.

Justice P Velmurugan directed the court registry to return all the papers in the case to the petitioner so as to enable him approach the Delhi High Court which has superintendence powers in the matter.

The judge had on August 16 reserved orders on maintainability of Kartis petitions seeking to quash the FIR and summons related to the case pending in a CBI special court in Delhi.

Before the verdict was pronounced today, the media was asked to leave the courtroom.

In his order, the judge held that the petitions filed by Karti were maintainable and the high court had territorial jurisdiction.

But, in the interest of justice, and in order to avoid conflicting views in case any of the parties (other accused) moved the Delhi or Bombay High Court, the court held it was inclined to adopt the doctrine of forum of convenience so that parties could move the convenient court.

On May 15, an FIR was registered by CBI against Karti and INX Media along with eight others for alleged irregularities in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to the media house for receiving foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007 when his father was the finance minister.

The probe agency had claimed the FDI proposal of the media house was fallacious but Chidambaram had cleared it.

The CBI had on July 19 issued summons, the second by the agency in the case, asking Karti to appear before it two days later.

Earlier, it had asked Karti and four others to appear for questioning on June 27 and 29. Karti had then informed the CBI through his lawyer that he needed more time to appear.

The agency had alleged that a firm indirectly controlled by Karti had received money from INX Media, run by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea in 2007.

During the hearing of the petitions earlier, the CBI had opposed them arguing they were not maintainable and wanted the court to dismiss them.

In May, the CBI had conducted raids at the premises of Karti, Peter and Indrani at 14 locations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai in connection with the case.

Incidentally, during the pendency of the petition challenging the summons, a look out circular was issued by the government against Karti and subsequently stayed by the high court.

However, the Supreme Court had on August 14 stayed the high court order on an appeal by the Centre after observing that Karti had not joined the investigation in the case.
A 17-year-old girl delivered a baby on a busy street in Jharkhands Chandil town on Tuesday morning, barely 100 steps from the nearest community health centre.

Om Prakash Sharma, a resident out for morning walk around 4am, noticed her on the street with a newborn in her lap, the umbilical cord still attached and her clothes drenched in blood.

She was in a miserable state. She was shivering and unable to lift and cuddle her infant. Heavy vehicles were crossing by but she didnt have strength to move aside, he said.

Eventually, we put roadblocks around her and approached the CHC to take away the mother-child. Their response was irritating.

The medical staff allegedly ignored the exhausted teen mother writhing with her newborn daughter.

According to eyewitnesses, nurses at the health centre declined to move out, saying they need permission from their bosses as well as the girls family before admitting her.

When the people pleaded and plodded them to help, they allegedly said the residents will have to arrange her transportation as the ambulance driver was not available.

The delay and excuses enraged the people. They created a ruckus and called police, prompting Dr Lakhindra Hansda of the hospital to rush out and cut the childs umbilical cord.

People hailed an autorickshaw and took them to the hospital, where they were admitted finally after two hours of dillydallying. Hansda said the mother and child are stable and would be kept under observation for two days.

The people stormed civil surgeon Dr AP Sinhas office over the callous attitude of the hospital staff. He assured action for the carelessness.

The girl is from Ruchab village under Chandil block, around 100km east of Ranchi. She is an unwed mother and her family had driven her out after discovering her pregnancy.

For the past four months, people had noticed her loitering on the streets and surviving on alms.

The girl told reporters that she was in love with a villager but he dumped her when she got pregnant.

Her ordeal worsened when her mother drove her away fearing social stigma and pressure from community leaders. Her father died a few years ago.

Hospital authorities said in case nobody turns up from her family, they will consult NGOs to take care of the mother and child after they are discharged from hospital.
Congratulatory phone calls kept abuzz the cramped military quarters of Iqbal Ahmed on Tuesday after the Supreme Court outlawed triple talaq or Muslim instant divorce on a bunch of petitions, including that of daughter Shayara Bano.

Ahmed is a clerk with a facility rearing military horses in Hempur, located off the Ramnagar-Kashipur highway in Uttarakhand.

I am overwhelmed by the peoples love, he said.

Everybody knows Bano, or at least heard of her, in this cantonment area set amidst crop fields and villages with a spattering of homes.

Ahmed and wife Firoza were watching television news since morning. Their sons, Arhsad and Shakeel, were in New Delhi with their sister. And when the news flashed, the parents jumped for joy.

We always stood by our daughter, Firoza said. I knew the verdict would be in favour of hapless Muslim women suffering at the hands of their husbands.

Banos husband used triple talaq to divorce her in 2015 and she was among six petitioners who approached the top court to ask for a ruling. It was a long and hard fight for her.

She became weak after the triple talaq and torture by her husband. But she stood up to the challenges and filed the case and the learned judges have given a path-breaking verdict, Firoza said.

In her petition, Bano challenged the Muslim husbands right to divorce by uttering talaq thrice in a row is unilateral, unguided, absolute, has no rationale and cannot be identified with Islamic culture.

Besides, she challenged polygamy and nikah halala, which says a woman divorcee seeking to re-wed a former husband must first consummate a marriage with another man.

According to Ahmed, the family faced pressure to withdraw the petition.

An influential cleric called me to Bareilly and put pressure on me to take back the petition, saying it would put Islam in danger, he said.

Also, the family was accused of taking bribe money from people fighting against triple talaq and of being supported by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu nationalist organisation and ideological mentor of the BJP.

I have never met any RSS member nor do I have any links with them. All their allegations were absurd and the court verdict proved it, Ahmed said.

Firoza shared similar information about her daughters fight for justice, saying Hindus supported her cause wholeheartedly. Many Muslims supported us too.

Ahmed wants to take the battle to next level.

We want imposition of a uniform civil code in India, as there should be single law governing marriages. We are against polygamy and would strive for its removal by legal means, he said.
The death of two South Korean soldiers in a K-9 howitzer explosion three days ago has raised doubts about the performance of a Korea-origin artillery gun set to be built in India on the same platform.

The Korean media questioned the reliability of the self-propelled howitzer, a gun meant for firing shells on high trajectories, after the incident occurred during an artillery training session in Gangwon province on Friday. Five others were also injured in the explosion.

Private sector defence major Larsen & Toubro and South Korean firm Hanwha Techwin are in the process of executing a $720-million contract for supplying 100 K9 VAJRA-T guns to the Indian Army. The contract was signed on April 21, and the weaponry will be produced at Talegaon near Pune in Maharashtra. The guns are expected to be delivered in three years.

The Korea Herald reported on Monday that the Army has decided to halt training sessions with K-9 artillery until the exact cause of the explosion is identified. According to a parliamentary inquiry in 2016, there were more than 1,700 reports of K-9 artillery malfunctioning over the past five years, the news report said.

The 155mm/52-calibre tracked self-propelled K-9 gun has a range of 40 km.

A report in the Korea Times said securities firms were rushing to downgrade their outlook for Hanwha Techwin in the aftermath of the explosion. India is the fourth country to opt for the artillery gun, after Turkey, Poland and Finland.

There may be something wrong with the K-9 howitzer. Regardless of the findings, the incident will certainly dampen Hanwhas campaign to sell the weapon to foreign countries, the Korea Times quoted an analyst as saying.

Former Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said the K-9 explosion was a cause of concern because the weaponry meant for the Indian Army would be built on the same platform. But lets be clear: We induct weapons only after rigorous testing in all types of conditions, Kapoor, a former artillery officer, said.

Another Army officer said the K-9 cannot be dismissed as a useless weapon because of a single mishap. He added that the K9 VAJRA-T artillery guns are an improved version of the K-9 howitzer, and have been tailored to meet the Indian Armys requirements.
The Law Commission is set to burn the midnight oil in the coming days to examine the Supreme Court order on triple talaq as it will provide a guideline to the panel in drafting its report on the uniform civil code, a senior functionary said on Tuesday.

The law panel will also ascertain whether the verdict striking down the practice of triple talaq can shed light on what personal law is according to the constitution bench.

It will also seek answers on the issue of religious faith and religious practice in the 400-page order.

Once the report is ready in the coming months, the government will place it before an all-party meeting to decide on the future course of action.

The law panel, which advises the government on complex legal issues, will now involve various stakeholders for discussion to complete its report on the common code. It has already received thousands of written views on the common code.

When the issue of triple talaq was pending in the apex court, it had decided to go slow on its common code report as it believed that the order will be a guideline to the panel in drafting its recommendations.
AIADMK merger: Panneerselvam becomes deputy CM in Palaniswami govt, says no one can separate us

Two factions of Tamil Nadus ruling AIADMK merged on Monday with the induction of O Panneerselvam as the deputy chief minister but a third group threatened to pull down the government in the southern state. The political turmoil that has roiled Tamil Nadu after chief minister J Jayalalithaas death in December doesnt seem to have ended with chief minister Edapaddi Palaniswami and his predecessor Panneerselvam shaking hands at the party headquarters in the afternoon in front of hundreds of cheering workers. No one can separate us, we are all children of Amma, declared Panneerselvam. He may have celebrated too early. Read the story here.

2008 Malegaon blast: Lt Col Purohit, accused of giving RDX to Hindu extremists, gets bail

The Supreme Court granted bail on Monday to army officer Shrikant Prasad Purohit, the main accused in the deadly bombing of a Muslim-majority, textile town in Maharashtra nine years ago. Lt Col Purohit denies he provided the explosives for the September 29, 2008 attack in Malegaon town that killed six people, most of them returning from prayers at a local mosque. The officers bail plea was rejected by the Bombay High Court last year. He has spent almost nine years in judicial custody. The 45-year-old officers bail is also the latest instance of reprieve for suspected Hindu extremists. Read the story here.

Dinakaran loyalists gather at Jayalalithaa memorial after AIADMK merger, DMK ups ante

Within hours of two warring factions of the AIADMK coming together on Monday, fresh trouble was brewing for the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, with 18 MLAs trashing the merger and potentially putting the government at risk. The 18 MLAs, who are close to TTV Dinakaran, the sacked deputy general secretary of the party, in the night visited the J Jayalalithaas memorial and meditated for 15 minutes and left after speaking to media. Dinakaran would call on governor C Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday and make the opposition of his groups MLAs known to him, sources said. Read the story here.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Dy CM O Panneerselvam paying tributes at the memorial of J Jayalalithaa following merger of their factions in Chennai on Monday. (PTI)

Attention homebuyers! Official says 82 Greater Noida housing projects critical

The condition of 82 housing projects in Greater Noida is critical, a top official of the city said on Monday, sending alarm bells ringing for thousands of homebuyers in the wake of issues affecting the real estate sector in the national capital region. Developers of 82 housing projects havent submitted their action plan as of delivery of their respective housing projects, Greater Noida Authority (GNA) chief executive officer Debasish Panda said. We are giving them another deadline and have scheduled a meeting with all builders, including these 82, on August 25. If they fail to submit an action plan by then, they will face legal action, he said. Read the story here.

Indian suicide bomber killed many Kurdistan fighters in Syria: Islamic State

The Islamic State claimed on Monday that an Indian suicide bomber killed a number of people in an attack in Syrias north west Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the terror group. In a statement in Arabic via its Amaq propaganda agency, the IS identified the Indian suicide bomber as Abu Yusuf al- Hindi, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based monitoring firm. The terror group claimed killing and wounding a number of what it described as Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)

apostates in the suicide attack involving the Indian bomber. However, there was no confirmation about the IS claim by the Indian agencies. Read the story here.

Did Sasikala go out of Bengaluru prison? CCTV footage sparks speculation

Senior AIADMK leader VK Sasikala might have walked out of jail while serving a four-year sentence on corruption charges, according to an undated prison surveillance video that surfaced on Monday. The video, whose authenticity could not be verified by Hindustan Times, purportedly showed her walking into the jail in civilian clothes. The Hindu reported that the footage was part of evidence submitted by former Karnataka deputy inspector general of prisons Roopa D Moudgil to the state anti-corruption bureau in July. Moudgil had accused the prison authorities of accepting a bribe to extend special privileges to Sasikala. Read the story here.

Race-related protests spill over to Canada, Indian-origin activist arrested

Race-related agitation spilled over into Canada from the United States on Sunday and led to the arrest of an Indian-origin activist who was at a counter-demonstration. A week after the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, the contagion of race-related protests and counter-protests hit Canadas Quebec City, where a group called Le Meute, or the Wolf Pack, had planned a vigil outside the provincial National Assembly against what they described as illegal immigration. The counter-protests turned violent at one stage. One person, Montreal-based activist Jaggi Singh, was arrested by police. Singh, a prominent social justice activist, told Canadas CTV News earlier that Le Meutes message was one that needs to be confronted. Read the story here.

McDonalds terminates franchise agreement for 169 outlets in north, east India

McDonalds India Pvt. Ltd (MIPL), the local unit of the American fast food chain, on Monday terminated its franchise agreement with Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt. Ltd (CPRL), which runs McDonalds outlets in north and east India, and is now looking for a new partner. CPRL is a joint venture between MIPL and Vikram Bakshi, who is managing director of CPRL. McDonalds cited default in the payment of royalties by CPRL as the primary reason for termination. As a result, CPRL will have to cease using the McDonalds system and its associated intellectual property in relation to these restaurants within 15 days of the termination notice. Read the story here.

A shut McDonald's outlet at Connaught place in New Delhi, India, on Monday, August 21, 2017. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)

Barcelona attack: Spanish police shoot dead suspected driver of killer van

A man thought to be the driver in the Barcelona van attack was shot dead by Spanish police Monday after authorities announced he also was suspected of killing the owner of a hijacked getaway car. The fugitive was wearing a bomb belt, authorities said. Younes Abouyaaqoub was shot when officers confronted him in Subirats, a rural area known for its vineyards about 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of Barcelona, police in Spains Catalonia region said. Abouyaaqoub, 22, had been the target of an international manhunt that had raised fears throughout the region since Thursdays van attack in Barcelona. Read the story here.

Black moon rising: Solar eclipse gives Americans an excuse for outings

The moon blacked out the sun on Monday as the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in the United States in nearly a century began over the West Coast, while millions of Americans looked skyward in wonder through protective glasses, telescopes and cameras. After weeks of anticipation, the sight of the moons silhouette passing directly in front of the sun, blotting out all but a halo-like solar corona and causing a precipitous drop in temperature, drew whoops and cheers from onlookers gathered at Roshambo ArtFarm in Sheridan, Oregon. Read the story here.

The diamond ring affect is seen during the Great American Eclipse on August 21, 2017, at Casper Collage Wyoming. The total eclipse lasted 2 min and 30 sec. (AFP)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday commended Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya for his leadership and wished him the best for his future.

Speaking at Niti Aayogs Champions of Change programme, Modi said the nation will remember Panagariyas service at the helm of the organisation which replaced the erstwhile Planning Commission.

He lived in America for 45 years and had no intention of coming to India with his family also settled there. But on one call from me, he came and ran the Niti Aayog for three years.

He took the organisation to great heights and made a significant contribution to set it apart from the Planning Commission.

The Prime Minister added that even though Panagariya was returning to the US, yet he is working on mission mode with same dedication even today.

There is no dearth of people like him in our country and it is only through their support that we are moving ahead with the dream of a New India by 2022, Modi said.

I wish him the best. He has delivered top-notch work. The nation will remember him and his service.

Panagariya resigned as the Niti Aayog vice chairman on August 1 to return to his academic job at Columbia University.
The last two years have been a tumultuous journey for Shayara Bano.

The 35-year-old Muslim woman from a remote hamlet in Uttarakhand was divorced in a shock letter by her husband in 2015 that contained the letter talaq thrice.

Since then, she has battled threats from her community, attacks by clerics and the glare of national media all for challenging the controversial instant triple talaq practice in the Supreme Court.

Banos two children have been taken away from her and she was forced to leave her hometown because of mounting pressure.

But on Tuesday as Indias top court struck down the controversial custom, there was little sign of the uphill struggle on her. She smiled and said she was happy for the women of her community.

My 11-year-old daughter will not have to face such regressive practices when she grows up. No Muslim women will have to go through the harassment that I suffered, Shayara Bano told HT in Delhi. It is a historic day for Muslim women.

Bano, who holds a masters degree in Sociology, was home in Uttarakhand in October 2015 when her husband Rizwan Ahmed, who lived in Ahmedabad, divorced her.

Within days, he took away their two children -- Irfan (13) and Muskan (11). Her health spiraled, she had a nervous breakdown and had to be treated for depression and other ailments, her mother Feroza Begum and father Iqbal Ahmed said.

My life turned upside down in a minute. Initially my family tried to reach out but my husbands family cut us out. He did not let me meet the children, she told HT.

She married Ahmed in 2002 but had a rocky relationship: She describes several dowry threats and forced abortions that turned her into a lump of flesh.

A distraught Bano rushed to the local cleric for help but was promptly told that the divorce was valid. It was then that she decided to approach the judiciary. A little more than 15 months later, she won.

But Bano says she has several battles ahead of her, primary among them getting custody of her children. I have filed for custody. It has been a painful time for me without my children. I cant be with them when they need me. I am not allowed to meet them, she said.

She has also taken up admission this August in Moradabad University to complete her MBA and looks forward to being economically independent. I want to be self sufficient so that I can provide for my children. Without my familys support, I would not have been able to take up studies again. My brother kept egging me that life is not over, I should not give up, she said.
The Supreme Court banned on Tuesday a controversial Islamic practice of instant divorce as arbitrary and unconstitutional, in a landmark verdict for gender justice that will stop Muslim men calling off a marriage on a whim.

In a split verdict, three of the five all-male judges on the case said the practice of saying talaq, or divorce, three times in one go  sometimes even over email and WhatsApp  violated womens right to equality and was not integral to Islam.

The dissenting note came from Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and justice S Abdul Nazeer, who argued instant talaq should be suspended and the government asked to bring a law to regulate the practice within six months. The majority verdict overrides the minority view.

What is bad in theology is bad in law as well, said justice Kurian Joseph, who was part of the majority view.

Debate over the law had pitted an unlikely coalition of Muslim women, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP which wanted the practice quashed, against some Muslim groups which contended the state had no right to interfere in religious matters.

Tuesdays verdict comes as a shot in the arm of the BJP, which can showcase it to moderate voters as a vindication of the partys stand on gender justice, as well as to counter accusations of Muslim groups that it was backing the issue only to malign Islam.

This is a historic day for Muslim women. No Muslim women will have to go through the harassment that I suffered, Shayara Bano, a 35-year-old divorced Muslim woman whose petition two years ago helped end instant talaq, told Hindustan Times.

I am happy that my 11-year-old daughter will not have to face such regressive practice when she grows up.

Progressive, secular judgment

Muslim men in India can still divorce using two other forms of talaq that have a three-month cooling off period. Muslim women usually divorce using a practice called Khula. Instant talaq, or talaq-e-biddat, is banned in 22 Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, for being sinful and arbitrary.

Tuesdays bench of five judges were from Indias major faiths -- Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

In rare agreement, top political and religious groups welcomed Tuesdays verdict, which was described by Prime Minister Modi as historic and a powerful measure for women empowerment.

The opposition Congress called it a progressive, secular judgment for equal rights of Muslim women in India.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a non-governmental body that lobbies for the application of Islamic civil laws and opposes any ban on triple talaq, also welcomed the verdict, saying it accords protection to Muslim personal laws.

As far as talaq-e-biddat is concerned we had already submitted to the court that the practice, though has basis in religious texts and belief, is not the best way of pronouncing talaq, the board said in a statement.

The Supreme Court verdict cannot be misused by the government to try to interfere with personal laws through legislation.

Former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, who had represented the government in the case, said the verdict will go a long way in ensuring justice to Muslim women. Rohatgi had asked the court to scrap all forms of triple talaq.
A ban on the entry of Dalits into the Ram Janki temple in Maudaha area of Hamirpur district has sparked tension.

The temple priest, Kunwar Bahadur Singh forced all the Dalits, who came to attend the Akhand Ramayan path, out of the temple premises.

Many among them were children who had come to recite the Ramayana at the temple in Garha village, some 10 km away from Maudaha.

Maudaha SDM Suresh Mishra said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident. I am waiting for the report from the revenue department. Only then the action will be taken, he said.

But Bahadur Singh remains steadfast that he will not allow Dalits into the temple. The temple belongs to my family, I will not allow Dalits to enter the temple, he said.

The temple has been holding the daily recital of the Ramayana for the last two weeks.

Uma Shankar Shrivas said they were shocked to see the board on the temple gate which reads Dalits are not allowed inside. My nephew and his friend went to the temple for the path this morning, the priest stopped them from getting inside, he said.

The priest eventually took down the board under pressure but made it clear that Dalits would no longer have access. The people then approached the SDM who sent local authorities to inquire. The SDM also asked Silosar police to be alert as tension continues to simmer.

The village headman Ram Sajeevan said he was shocked about the announcement. It has happened for the first time. This act of priest has brought a bad name to the entire village, he said. The village has a population of 5,000 and 30% are Dalits.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the apex body of Muslim clerics that opposes the ban on triple talaq, welcomed Tuesdays Supreme Court judgement saying it accords protection to Muslim personal laws.

The top court struck down the controversial Islamic instant divorce law as arbitrary and unconstitutional on Tuesday.

 We as a representative body, welcome the judgement of Supreme Court since it accords the protection to Muslim personal law and says that personal laws cannot be tested on the grounds of violation of fundamental rights. The majority (comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and justice Abdul Nazeer with Justice Kurian Joseph agreeing) has accorded personal laws the status of fundamental rights being protected under the right to practice religion contained in Article 25, the Board said in an official statement.

This is a huge victory for us as the judgement vindicates our stand and ensures that fundamental rights of citizens of this country to freely practice and profess their religious beliefs, it said.

As far as talaq-e-biddat is concerned we had already submitted to the court that the practice, though has basis in religious texts and belief, is not the best way of pronouncing talaq, the board said.

We ourselves have taken steps to discourage this practice through reform programmes and model form of Nikahnama issued by the Board, it said.

AIMPLB had on May 22, 2017 informed the court that about issuing instructions to clerics (who solemnise the marriage) to include the provision of excluding the triple-talaq in one sitting (tala-e-biddat) in the nikahnama (contract) at the time of wedding. It had also launched a signature campaign seeking non-interference in Muslim personal law. The Board said in the morning that it will meet in Bhopal on September 10 to discuss the Supreme Court verdict striking down instant triple talaq and chalk out its strategy

The Supreme Court verdict cannot be misused by the government to try to interfere with personal laws through legislation, the statement said.

AIMPLBs womens wing says triple talaq judgement contradictory, fractured

The womens wing of the AIMPLB termed as contradictory and fractured the judgement of the Supreme Court.

Asma Zehra, the chief organiser of the womens wing, told IANS in Hyderabad that the judgement is confusing.

She said that while they respect the judgement, they do not appreciate interference in the Muslim personal law as right to religious freedom is a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution.

She said she also believed that the legislation on the issue could open doors for interference in the Muslim personal law.

Noting that the practice was already vanishing in the Muslim community, she said the judgement will have very little impact on society.

Zehra claimed that triple talaq does not always work against women. Many a time it is an exit mechanism to relieve women from unsuccessful and troublesome marriages.

Talaq is a non-issue and divorce rate is the least in the Muslim community. Muslims have divorce rate of only 0.5% whereas it is 1.64% in the Hindu community, she said.

Condemning politicisation of the issue, she said: The ruling party, the fringe elements and the so-called Muslim women organisations who had initiated this media campaign and movement against triple talaq couldnt get much out of the judgement.

According to her, the first part of the judgement is in favour and supportive of Muslim personal law while in the second part, two judges stated that this practice cannot be protected under Article 25.

She said Chief Justice Khehar and Justice Nazeer stated that only the issue of talaq-e-biddat needs re-examination.

Article 25 is a fundamental right and it cannot be set aside on ground of judicial morality. International convention and practices of other countries are of no avail as practice of triple talaq is protected by Article 25, Zehra said quoting the two judges.

(With agency inputs)
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will meet in Bhopal on September 10 to discuss the Supreme Court verdict striking down instant triple talaq and chalk out its strategy, it said on Tuesday even as the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board hailed the top courts judgement.

It would not be appropriate to comment on the verdict at the moment as we have not gone through the full text of the judgment. The Board has convened a meeting in Bhopal where we would examine the issue and plan the steps, if any, that will be taken next, AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Wali Rahmani told HT over phone.

The Board, which deals with Muslim personal laws in India, had opposed teh move to ban triple talaq. In April this year, it issued an eight-point code of conduct to prevent the misuse of the practice and other Islamic laws (Shariah) to pre-empt an adverse verdict from the apex court.

It had also launched a signature campaign seeking non-interference in Muslim personal law. In the strongest ever censure against the practice, the Board had also called for social boycott of the person who divorces his wife by pronouncing triple talaq in one sitting.

President of All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board Shaista Amber who has been waging a relentless battle against triple talaq welcomed the judgment.

The apex courts verdict has come as a big relief for Muslim women who have been at the receiving end of this practice, Shaista Amber told HT after the apex courts verdict on triple talaq.

Our stand on triple talaq has been vindicated. This judgment has also safeguarded young Muslim women who will get married in the near future, she added.

Shaista Amber met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on August 9 and presented a memorandum related with problems of Muslim women.

Muslim clerics have reacted cautiously to the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq, saying they were consulting legal and Islamic experts on the issue.

Naib mohtamim (deputy vice-chancellor) of Darul Uloom Deoband Maulana Abdul Khaliq Sambhali said, In my opinion, no one has the right to change the Shariat. A formal statement will, however, be issued by the mohtamim (head) of the seminary.

State president of the All-India Imam Association Mufti Zulfikar said they were studying the Supreme Courts order and would form an opinion on the advice of Islamic and legal experts.

Mufti Mehboob Bulandshahri from the fatwa department of Darul Uloom refused to comment on the apex courts verdict.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the controversial Islamic divorce practice of instant triple talaq saying it was arbitrary and against the tenets of Islam.

(With inputs from M Tariq Khan and Pawan Dixit in Lucknow and S Raju in Meerut)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside the controversial Islamic divorce practice of instant triple talaq, or the Talaq-e-Biddat.

In a 3-2 verdict, the top court said instant triple talaq -- under which women have been divorced in one go even over email, WhatsApp and letters -- was against Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality. (LIVE updates)

The bench, comprising five judges of different faiths, deliberated for three months before issuing its order.

The judgement, which is being hailed as historic, came two years after Shayara Bano, a Muslim woman from Uttarakhand, approached the apex court after her husband of 15 years sent her a letter the word talaq written thrice before leaving her.

The court later tagged the petitions of four other women, with similar cases, with Banos petition.

Here are the parties to the case:

Shayara Bano, 36

It was Shayara Bano who challenged the controversial practice before Indias top court. Shayara, who holds a degree in MA Sociology, was divorced by her husband, Rizwan Ahmed, by pronouncing the word talaq thrice through a letter sent to her on October 15, 2015 when she was visiting her parents house.

Shayara, who hails from Uttarakhands Hempur Daya in Kashipur, filed a petition against triple talaq, halala and polygamy in the Supreme Court on February 23, 2016.

After divorcing her, Rizwan, a property dealer in Allahabad, took away her two kids-- Irfan , 13, and Muskan, 11, due to which she suffered from depression for many months. She alleged her in-laws also forced her to undergo abortions six times, mainly with the intention of killing her. A distraught Shayara even consulted a local cleric. But he told her that the talaq was valid.

I welcome and support the judgment. This is a historic day for Muslim women, Bano said after the verdict.

Gulshan Parween, 30

Gulshan Parveen of Rampur in Uttar Pradesh filed a petition in Supreme Court asking for abolishing triple talaq. In 2015, she alleged her husband sent her a talaqnama on a Rs 10 stamp paper when she was at her parents home. The English literature postgraduate said she was subjected to domestic violence by him for dowry for over two years.

My husband felt like it one fine day and suddenly both my two-year-old son Ridan and I were homeless, Parween was quoted as saying by NDTV. She refused to accept it, following which her husband approached a Rampur family court asking for dissolution of the marriage based on the talaqnama.

Gulshan, the youngest of six, married in April 2013. Her husband was arrested in 2015 on charges of dowry harassment and criminal intimidation.

Aafreen Rehman, 28

Afreen Rehman got married in 2014 after finding a match through a matrimonial portal. However, after a couple of months, she alleged, her in-laws started mentally harassing her for dowry. Later, they even started beating her and in September 2015 they asked her to leave their house, she alleged.

She went back to her parents home and received a letter via speed post announcing talaq in January 2016.

Its a beginning towards the abolition of triple talaq in the country. A law against triple talaq is what we wanted and the court has directed the government to do the same...The cruelty that was happening against women in the name of triple talaq, wherein they were thrown out of the house like a pair of shoes, will now end, said the MBA hailing from Jaipur.

Ishrat Jahan in Kolkata on Tuesday. (Samir Jana/HT)

Ishrat Jahan, 31

A resident of Howrah in West Bengal, Ishrat Jahan was divorced by her husband Murtaza through a phone call from Dubai.

In April 2015, her husband of 15 years, Murtaza, called and uttered the talaq word thrice before hanging up. Murtaza had allegedly married another woman and took away their four children with him.

I am very happy at the judgement. The apex court issued the right directive. Now I hope to get justice. I have been fighting for the past two years, said Jaha. She added that she is not against divorce, but wants the process to be fair.

She and Murtaza both hailed from Bihar. The couple moved to Howrah from Bihar in 2000, the year when they got married. The relationship between the couple got bitter after they had three daughters.

Murtaza wanted to get married once gain in the hope that the new wife will bear him a son, and though he and Ishrat had a son in 2010, the relationship never improved.

Atiya Sabri, 28

Atiya Sabri, a resident of Sahranpur in Western Uttar Pradesh is the last petitioner in the case.

Her husband Wajid Ali  they were married in 2012 -- sent her a piece of paper announcing he was divorcing her. It was sent to her brothers office in November 2015.

She approached the Supreme Court in January this year challenging the divorce and said that triple talaq violates fundamental rights of women.

She has two daughters, aged four and three. She alleged that after her second daughter, her in-laws tried to poison her and she had to be hospitalised. Her husband was arrested later and a trial is on.

The verdict of the Apex Court will end the agony of Muslim women who have fallen victim of triple talaq for none of their fault, she said.

Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolans co-founder Zakia Soman outside Supreme Court on Tuesday. (PTI)

Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA)

The top court made the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) a party in the case after taking cognisance of a survey which said 92% of Muslim women want abolition of triple talaq.

Led by Zakia Soman, the Mumbai-based autonomous body has been fighting for citizenship rights of Muslims since it was formed in January 2007. The organisation claims it has over 30,000 members in 15 states.

Its a good and balanced decision. Now we hope and expect the government to make a law against triple talaq the soonest, said Naseem Akhtar, the Jaipur convener of the organisation.

(With inputs from Salik Ahmad in Jaipur, S Raju in Meerut and Tanmay Chatterjee in Kolkata)

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Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday led the party in welcoming the SCs verdict on triple talaq even as AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi maintained that implementing the judgment would prove to be an herculean task.

Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant #TripleTalaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice, tweeted Gandhi.

The Congress hailed the verdict as historic, saying it was an affirmation of the rights of the Muslim women .

The instant talaq in itself was an aberration. (The ruling) recognises the pristine form of religious practice in Islam that abhors any exploitation, partys chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who represented the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) in the Supreme Court, also welcomed the verdict.

But that decision where triple talaq is administered in one sitting is different from the decision in law which by majority says that personal laws cant be tested on the anvil of Part III of Constitution. They cannot be tested on grounds of violation of Article 14 or 25, he said.

Hailing the order, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said his party had always opposed the instant triple talaq while Mayawati called for the enactment of a law in this regard.

For his part, Owaisi claimed that the judges had ruled that personal laws could not be challenged as they fall under the ambit of fundamental rights. We have to respect the judgment. But various practical difficulties will arise. It is going to be a herculean task to implement it on the ground, he said.
The Supreme Court will on Tuesday pronounce judgment on the controversial Muslim divorce practice of triple talaq.

Uttarakhand resident Shayra Bano approached the top court in 2015 after her husband of 15 years sent her a letter with word talaq written thrice, divorcing her.

The custom of men uttering the word talaq thrice in a go to end the marriage discriminated against women, she told the court, demanding scrapping of the divorce ritual practised by Sunni Muslims.

Subsequently, several women and organisations petitioned the court to declare the practice unconstitutional, saying men were pronouncing talaq even through emails and WhatsApp messages.

The hearing in the case started in May this year when the countrys top judges decided to forgo their summer break for a day-to-day hearing that lasted six days.

The Muslim personal law board has opposed judicial interference in matters of Muslim faith. The government says triple talaq should go as it violates the constitution and strips women of dignity.

Here are some of their arguments:

All India Muslim personal law board

1 Personal laws cannot be challenged for violating fundamental rights nor can they be re-written in the name of social reform.

2 The Constitution only envisages a uniform civil code and that too as a directive principle of state policy which is not enforceable.

3 Triple talaq is protected by the right to religious freedom and courts cannot supplant their interpretations over the text of scriptures.

4 Muslim Personal Law provides for the practices to be followed on the issues of marriage, divorce and maintenance and these are based on scriptures

5 Sharia grants men the right to divorce because they have greater power of decision making and were emotionally more stable.

6 In case of a discord, divorce is a better option available to a Muslim man than him resorting to criminal ways of getting rid of her (wife) by murdering her.

7 Triple talaq is being practised for 1,400 years and is a matter of faith just like Ram Lallas birthplace is for Hindus.

The government

1 Gender equality is part of the basic structure of the Constitution and is non-negotiable.

2 Any practice by which women are left socially, financially or emotionally vulnerable or subject to the whims men is incompatible with the Constitution.

3 Even theocratic states have undergone reforms, reinforcing that the practice cannot be considered an integral part of Islam.

4 No undesirable practice can be elevated to the status of an essential religious practice.

5 Almost 90 million Muslim women will be affected by this judgment.

6 The government will bring in a divorce law for Muslims to fill a legal gap if triple talaq, which is now the only way men from the community can end a marriage, is struck down.
The Supreme Court judgment on Tuesday, striking down the Islamic divorce practice of instant triple talaq, comes as a shot in the arm for the BJP-led NDA government ahead of assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh in November.

The BJP is likely to celebrate the verdict as a vindication of its stand against triple talaq as a practice that violates the principles of gender justice and equality. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and many senior BJP leaders were quick to welcome the court ruling, terming it as a victory for gender justice and dignity.

While BJP leaders were at pains to explain that the SC judgement should not be linked with religion, RSS leader Indresh Kumars comment gave it away. It should be celebrated as Islam-saved-from-orthodoxy day, he said, indicating how the Sangh Parivar plans to showcase what the ruling dispensation portrays as a gender justice issue.

Another indication of how the BJP could encash it politically came from Union law minister Ravishankar Prasad who said that India of 2017 is not that of 1987, in an indirect reference to the Rajiv Gandhi government that had brought legislation to overturn the apex court ruling about alimony to divorced Muslim women in the famous Shah Bano case. Leadership of PM Modi is not leadership of Rajiv Gandhi who will buckle under pressure, said Prasad, virtually laying down the script for the BJP to politically encash in the forthcoming assembly elections.

The BJPs stand on triple talaq is expected to appeal to the liberal intelligentsia within the Muslim community as also to the right-wing elements who have berated the Congress for allegedly indulging in minority appeasement.

In October, the NDA government had opposed the practice in court, triggering a political debate that resonated in the ensuing Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. After the Uttar Pradesh elections, BJP leaders claimed that a large number of Muslim women, who were aggrieved by triple talaq, voted for the party.

Professor Badri Nayaran of the GB Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, said the SC verdict would benefit the BJP electorally: The BJP had got its benefit in the UP elections. Its a big issue in the Muslim community and could affect their voting pattern. The BJP will certainly gain from it.

Opinions are, however, divided on whether the triple talaq verdict would benefit the BJP. Not more than 8-10 per cent of Muslims vote for the BJP. I dont see the party getting any political mileage out of it (apex court ruling).This will go down with people as a verdict of the court. Though there were talks about Muslim women voting for the BJP in UP elections because of its stand on triple talaq, our research showed no such inclination among Muslim women, Professor Sanjay Kumar, director at the Centre for the Study of Developing Society, a Delhi-based think tank, told HT.

BJP sources were, however, confident that the NDA governments unequivocal stand against triple talaq would go down well with Muslim women and also put the Congress on the back foot. Since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has been guarded in its reaction to issues concerning the minority community. Senior Congress leaders were of the view that their political rivals were successful in projecting the Congress as a pro-minority party that cost it dearly in elections. Opposition party strategists have been at their wits end to counter the BJPs electoral narrative, dominated by a blend of soft Hindutva and development.

During the Congress regime (in Gujarat), there were riots every six months. Our government talks about 6.5 crore Gujaratis. We work for everyones interest: appeasement for none, justice for all. We are not in the politics of appeasement, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani told HT on Monday. He was responding to a query whether the shadow of post-Godhra riots on Gujarat elections could finally be receding after 15 years.

In Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh, corruption charges against chief minister Virbhadra Singh and a dismal law and order situation in the state highlighted by the rape-murder of a minor student on the outskirts of Shimla recentlyhave given a big handle to the BJP to beat the ruling Congress with.

The issue of triple talaq is now likely to feed into the prevailing narrative of the opposition party. The BJPs youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, has started a monthly event to have a dialogue on social issues. We start with a debate on triple talaq, said BJYM chief Poonam Mahajan.

The Congress, which had earlier cautioned against politicising the issue, welcomed the apex court verdict on Tuesday.

It is a constructive, progressive decision that must be welcomed by all right thinkers, said party spokesman Manish Tewari. The principal opposition party has maintained that if a religious practice is contrary to modern times, effort should be made to eliminate it with their (the communitys) consent.

With the BJP running away with the electorally potent issue, the Congress seems to be in a damage-control mode, especially after the party faced many questions over senior leader Kapil Sibal representing in court the All India Muslim Personal Law Board which had defended triple talaq as a matter of faith.

The grand old party will, however, need to do much more to establish its progressive credentials that took a hit following the Rajiv Gandhi governments decision to dilute the Supreme Court judgment in the Shah Bano case.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the practice of instant triple talaq (Talaq-e-Biddat), saying it was arbitrary and against the tenets of Islam.

A bench, made up of judges from different religious communities -- Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Hindu and Muslim, had heard seven pleas, including five separate petitions filed by Muslim women challenging the prevalent practice of triple talaq in the community.

Muslim women, who had filed the petitions, challenged the practice of triple talaq in which the husband can divorce a woman by pronouncing talaq thrice, sometimes even by phone or a text message. The petitioners claim the practice is unconstitutional.

Heres a timeline of the case:

October 16, 2015: SC bench asks Chief Justice of India to set up a bench to examine if Muslim women face gender discrimination in cases of divorce while dealing with a case of Hindu succession.

February 5, 2016: SC asks attorney general Mukul Rohatgi to assist it on the pleas challenging constitutional validity of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy.

March 28, 2016: SC asks Centre to file a copy of the report of a high-level panel on women and the law: An assessment of family laws with focus on laws relating to marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance and succession.

June 29, 2016: SC says triple talaq among the Muslims will be tested on touchstone of constitutional framework.

October 7, 2016: For the first time in Indias constitutional history, Centre opposes in SC these practices and favours a relook on grounds like gender equality and secularism.

December 9, 2016: The Allahabad high court stops short of calling the practice of triple talaq under Muslim law unconstitutional but observed that personal laws cant override constitutionally guaranteed rights of individuals.

February 16, 2016: SC says a five-judge constitution bench will be set up to hear and decide the challenge on triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy.

March 27, 2017: All India Muslim Personal Law Board tells SC that these pleas were not maintainable as the issues fall outside judiciarys realm.

April 11, 2017: The Centre has told the SC that the practices of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy impact the social status and dignity of Muslim women and deny them fundamental rights.

April 16, 2017: Raising the triple talaq issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says justice should be done to Muslim women.

April 17, 2016: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath says politicians maintaining silence on the issue of triple talaq are equally responsible as those practising it.

April 18, 2017: Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi says triple talaq should not be allowed as women have as much right as men and cannot be treated on a lower pedestal.

April 21, 2017: The Delhi high court dismisses a plea seeking to stop the practice of triple talaq on Hindu women married to Muslim men.

April 29, 2017: The opposition charges PM Modi with politicising the triple talaq issue for electoral mileage even as BJP minister Swami Prasad Maurya says Muslim men use it to change wives and satisfy lust.

May 3, 2017: SC allows Salman Khurshid as amicus curiae in hearing of pleas challenging constitutional validity of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy.

March 30, 2017: SC says these issues are very important and involve sentiments and says a constitution bench would start hearing the matter from May 11.

May 11, 2017: SC says it will determine if triple talaq is in line with the Constitution and fundamental to Islam.

May 12, 2017: SC says the practice of triple talaq is the worst and not desirable form of dissolution of marriages among Muslims, even though there were schools of thought that termed it as legal.

May 15, 2017: Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi tells the Supreme Court that the Centre will bring in a new law to regulate and marriage divorce among Muslims if the practice of triple talaq is declared unconstitutional.

May 16, 2017: All India Muslim Personal Law Board says triple talaq is a 1,400-year-old practice, and constitutional morality and equity cannot arise when a matter of faith is concerned.

May 17, 2017: SC asks the All India Muslim Personal Law Board whether a woman can be given an option of saying no to triple talaq at the time of execution of nikahnama (Islamic marriage contract).

May 18, 2017: SC reserves verdict on batch of petitions challenging constitutional validity of triple talaq practice among Muslims.

August 15, 2017: In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praises Muslim women starting a movement against the practice of triple talaq, adding that the entire country supports them.
The Supreme Court delivered its verdict on triple talaq on Tuesday, one of its most keenly awaited judgments in recent history. In its verdict, the apex court quashed instant triple talaq and asked the government to bring in a divorce law.

On social media, most people welcomed the courts decision as a decisive victory for gender justice and equality. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the judgment historic and a powerful measure for women empowerment.

Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2017

Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant #TripleTalaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 22, 2017

Many Muslim commentators commended the courts decision, calling it balanced and fair.

I welcome the Supreme Court judgement on instant Triple Talaq. Its a victory 4 brave Muslim women who hve waged battle against it for years  Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) August 22, 2017

The terming of #TripleTalaq as unconstitutional is not only a victory for gender justice but also Islam (which gave women unheard of rights)  Rana Safvi   (@iamrana) August 22, 2017

Welcome decision by Supreme Court to declare #TripleTalaq unconstitutional. Will give Muslim women security. Gender justice is much needed  Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) August 22, 2017

SC verdict looks sensible. It is instant triple talaq which is an absurd innovation and has been legitimised in India by many clerics.  S l Habib (@irfhabib) August 22, 2017

All in all, Twitter hailed the judgment as a welcome step in ensuring womens rights.

Hurrah. Finally, some clarity- and Feminism Trumps Faith. As it should. #TripleTalaq is gone. Reason over Religion. Shah Bano shadow lifts https://t.co/2lWjlTyqwk  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) August 22, 2017

The verdict curried favour across the political divide, as many leaders expressed their appreciation for the courts judgment, calling it a progressive judgment.

If the Supreme Court puts the onus on scrapping triple Talaq on Parliament, it is hoped that the political class will rise to the occasion.  Swapan Dasgupta (@swapan55) August 22, 2017

Welcome 3.2 verdict of SC striking down #TripleTalaq. It is a constructive,progressive decision that must be welcomed by all right thinkers  Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) August 22, 2017

1/n SC Verdict on #InstantTripleTalaq is victory of Muslim women's struggle not triumph of Sanghi UCC agenda or defeat of Muslims  Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) August 22, 2017

Triple talaq was a distortion of original Quranic legal principles. Good it has been declared unconstitutional.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 22, 2017

Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen called for the abolishment of Sharia law completely. In a series of tweets, the writer said that religious laws were misogynistic by nature and should go.

India's progressive ppl waiting to see Triple Talaq is abolished. Why only Triple Talaq? Whole Islamic law or sharia law should be abolished  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) August 22, 2017

All religious laws should be abolished for the sake of humanity. Religions including religious laws and rituals are anti-women. Period.  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) August 22, 2017

'Triple Talaq is not in the Quran'--- is it the reason for it to go? There're many injustices & inequalities in the Quran. Should they stay?  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) August 22, 2017
A 60-year old man was kidnapped in Udaipur on Monday for failing to clear a debt of Rs 20 lakh from a finance company in Banswara. The crime was recorded on the CCTV that showed how three men dragged the man into a car without a registration number. Banswara police arrested two of the kidnappers six hours after the crime and rescued the man. The third kidnapper was arrested on Tuesday morning.

Police said Suraj Narayan Sharma of Nava Naroda of Ahmedabad was picked up from outside a hotel in the Udaipol area of Udaipur on Monday evening. CCTV footage of the hotel showed the crime while passers-by were busy recording the incident on their mobile phones. Some of them were even mute spectators. Police launched a manhunt for the kidnappers on the basis of the footage. They identified one of the kidnappers as Shahid Mansuri and traced his location to Banswara.

Sharma, a Gujarati businessman, bought trucks seized by the excise department during raids and sold them for a profit. Such trucks are auctioned at the excise commissioners office in Udaipur. Sharma often visited the lake city for this. This time, Sharma had come to Udaipur on August 19 and was staying in Hotel Sarv Ritu Vilas, said the police.

The arrested accused said that Sharma had allegedly taken a loan of Rs 20 lakh from a finance company ten years ago. Mansuri, who is an employee of the company, planned his kidnap when the businessman failed to repay the debt. He had planned the abduction with two of his friends, Abhishek Paliwal and Manoj Bharti. All three of them are in the police custody and have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation is on.
Small-built and soft-spoken, Ishrat Jahan found little reason to cheer in the three years since her husband pronounced a telephonic triple-talaq from Dubai in April 2014. It was only on Tuesday, when the Supreme Court ruled against the practice, that the 31-year-old woman finally allowed herself a burkha-obscured smile.

I am very happy with the judgment. The apex court has issued the right directive. Now I can hope to get justice in a legal battle I have been fighting for the last two years, said Jahan, a resident of Howrah, a couple of hours after the apex court verdict was delivered.

While Jahan isnt completely against the idea of divorce, she wants the process to be fair towards women. One should not be allowed to issue talaqs through telephone, Whatsapp or e-mail. Even if a person wants to divorce his partner in the Shariat way, it should follow a process akin to that of the nikah (marriage), she said.

Ironically, the divorce Jahan underwent was so informal that she cannot even remember the exact date her husband, Murtaza, delivered it. The days that followed were spent in utter misery. Jahans room in Howrah doesnt even have an electricity connection, and the meagre monetary aid provided by her siblings is the only thing that keeps the wolf from her door. I have three sisters and two brothers. They supported me all along, she said.

It was with dread that Jahan recalled the telephone call that changed her life. My husband just muttered talaq three times before disconnecting the line, she said.

Like most lower-middle class women caught in such situations, Jahan approached the police and courts. They, however, couldnt do much to help. Nearly a year had passed before she finally managed to lodge a formal complaint against Murtaza  with whom she was married for 15 years.

The couple had moved from Bihar to Howrah in 2001, the year they were married. Their relationship turned sour after she bore him three daughters, and Murtaza suggested marrying again in the hope of getting a son.

Though the two had a male child in 2010, their marriage remained turbulent. Murtaza later left for Dubai, and finally  five years later  he decided to end their marital relationship by uttering the dreaded T-word three times over the phone.

Jahan has sought the custody of all their children  three daughters and a son  besides maintenance costs. Murtaza sent two children to stay with her in the year that followed the registration of her case.

A year ago, my son and my eldest daughter came to live with me. With them, joy returned to my life, said Jahan. My condition did not improve, though. My sister-in-law, with whom I stay, quarrels with me every day. Last year, she disconnected the electricity connection to my room. Since then, I have been living with my children without any of the basic comforts that we have taken for granted.

So, does she expect any assistance from the Trinamool Congress government that claims to have improved the living conditions of Muslims in Bengal? I want the government to aid not just me but every woman who is going through a similar plight, said Jahan.

She has also indicated her willingness to move into a new home if the state government or any NGO comes forward to help.

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At least 400 villages have been marooned by flood water in the district as the Rapti, the Rohini, the Ghaghra and the Gorra rivers continue to wreak havoc. Besides, flood waters have submerged several villages in adjoining Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar and Sant Kabir Nagar districts.

Nine flood-related deaths have been reported in Gorakhpur Basti division so far. Many others are stranded despite the fact that rescue and relief operations are in progress on a war footing. Huge loss of crops and livestock has also been reported due to the calamity.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit areas of Gorakhpur on Sunday, directed officials to provide relief material to affected people and speed up rescue operations.

Meanwhile, movement of vehicles and trains has been disrupted on Gorakhpur-Lucknow highway, Gorakhpur-Deoria and Gorakhpur- Maharajganj Nepal route. In view of the flood, the Gorakhpur district administration has ordered closure of schools and colleges till August 23.

On Sunday afternoon, pressure exerted by overflowing Rapti and Rohini rivers eroded 30 km stretch of Barhi dam in Jangha and 25 km stretch of Nekwar dam. This led the flood waters to enter 52 villages located in the vicinity.

So far, 13 of total 69 dams have been eroded while the rest are at a risk in the wake of overflowing rivers.

A total of 1200 villages have been hit in Gorakhpur alone, leading to huge loss to crops and livestock. Over 1.5 lakh people are affected due to flood in the district.

District magistrate Rajeev Rautela said relief and rescue operations were being conducted on a war footing. Control rooms with emergency number 0551 2336005, 2202205 have been set up.

River Rapti is rising at the pace of one centimetre per hour. On Sunday night, it was flowing at 77.130 metres-- 2.15 cm above the danger mark of 74.98. During 1998 floods, it had touched the mark of 77.540 m. Rohini is also flowing above danger mark of 82.84m at 85.17 metres.

Moreover, possibility of rain in the next two days could hamper rescue and relief operations.

Upper air circulation noticed for the last three days could result in medium to high rain fall between Tuesday and Wednesday in Maharajganj and bordering area of Nepal, said metrological department official KK Pandey.

RELIEF OPERATIONS ON AT MASSIVE SCALE

The administration has set up 24 relief camps where over 25,000 flood-hit people are getting shelter.

Besides army, and the Indian Air Force personnel, five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been pressed into service for relief and rescue work.

Over 250 boats and 16 motorboats are working round the clock. Also, 16 divers have been deployed to save people. Eighty-four flood posts have also been set up.

DRINKING BOILED FLOOD WATER

Despite massive relief and rescue operations, hundreds of people are still struggling to get food and water. As water is neck deep, many of them have taken shelters at high places. Unavailability of potable water has forced many to boil the flood water and drink it. People of four villages namely Sonbarsa, Siktaur, Rahmatnagar and Jamunia were facing such hardships. Ram Nath of Sonbarsa village who climbed his rooftop with his wife and kids told HT that he got access to drinking water only after an NDRF team spotted him. He was later shifted to a relief camp.

One Ashwani Chaubey of the same village said it was the worst flood in Gorakhpur since 1998.

ELDERLY SPENT TWO DAYS ON TREE WITH GRAND-DAUGHTERS

Among those rescued by NDRF and army teams is 60-year-old Tara Devi of Pipiganj who spent two days on a mango tree with her two granddaughters till rescue teams reached her on Sunday evening. Both Tara Devi and her granddaughters are healthy but were taken to a hospital for a check-up.

I took the girls and climbed the rooftop when lower portion of my house submerged on Friday last. Later, when the upper portion too started marooning, I took the girls on my back and climbed the mango tree whose branches pass through the terrace, she shared.
Chances of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national president Mayawati attending an anti-NDA rally called by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at Patna on August 27 are dim.

A senior BSP leader said Lalu Yadav called on behanji (Mayawati) on Sunday to urge her to participate in the rally. Lalu also told her to play a leading role in the formation of the anti-NDA alliance. She did not commit and might depute a senior leader to attend the rally, he said.

Earlier, Lalu had offered Mayawati a Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar.

A poster in which Mayawati calls for opposition unity was uploaded on micro blogging site Twitter on Sunday. In a press release on Monday, Mayawati said, BSP does not have a Twitter account. She rebutted reports carried in a section of media that she was joining the Congress led grand alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Terming her poster with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav as mischievous, Mayawati said, Reports carried in media on the basis of the poster uploaded on Twitter were wrong.

After three consecutive defeats - 2012 assembly election, 2014 Lok Sabha election and 2017 assembly election, Mayawati is striving hard to regain her lost base. The rise of Bhim Army in West UP and inroad made by the saffron brigade in her vote bank are giving the BSP camp the jitters. To counter the strategy of the rival political parties she plans to start early preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said a political observer AK Mishra.

Though she has extended support to UPA presidential candidate Meira Kumar and vice- presidential candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi, she gave indication that she was not keen on the joining the anti-BJP front at a meeting of the party leaders held in the first week of August. She is also battling opinion of senior leaders in the party who are divided over joining the Congress-RJD alliance.

In the 2017 assembly election though BSP bagged merely 19 seats but it polled over 20% votes. Her resignation from the Rajya Sabha on July 18 for not being allowed to speak on Dalit atrocities has generated sympathy among the Dalit community.

She is of the view that rather than the BSP the alliance partners always benefitted in the election. She gives example of the 1993 alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and 1996 alliance with the Congress and says while both parties gained the BSP failed to get desired seats in the assembly election.

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With the Mira-Bhayander satellite city under its belt, the BJP won the 12th of the 17 civic body elections held this year.

Heres a look at five reasons why the BJP has emerged the face of urban mandate in Maharashtra

1. Winning streak in cities

Of the 22 civic polls to big cities held since 2015, the Bharatiya Janata Party managed to gain control over 12 on its own. It controls the other two with its ally-turned rival Shiv Sena.

2. Force to reckon with in Mumbai

The partys biggest win has been in the countrys richest civic body, where it won 82 seats just two short of Shiv Sena. While the BJP did not contest mayoral election and conceded victory to Sena, it is now in a position to challenge the tigers bastion for the past three decades. Of the 36 legislators in Mumbai, the biggest representation is shared between BJP (15 legislators) and Sena (14 legislators). By strengthening presence in city, the BJP is now in position to gain more seats at the cost of Sena.

3. The largest party in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region

The BJP has emerged the single largest party in the MMR, the states biggest urban agglomeration including Mumbai and its eight satellite cities. The party controls three cities on its own, including Panvel, Ulhasnagar and Mira Bhayander and runs the Kalyan-Dombivili corporation along with then Sena. The partys presence in Mumbai has more than doubled. The Congress-NCP only has control over one civic body each in the MMR  Bhiwandi-Nizampur corporation and the Navi Mumbai corporation. The MMR votes in nearly 57 legislators in the state Assembly and BJPs position in cities now gives it advantage in 2019 Assembly polls.

4. Congress-NCPs bastions taken over

In the recently held polls, the BJP managed to win the Oppositions strongholds including Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nasik, Solapur marginalising their hold in big cities. The victory after demonetisation showed that Modi factor continues to have reasonance even three years after the BJP win in 2014. Political observers say the Opposition has failed to build counter narrative post 2014 and CM Devendra Fadnavis development agenda along with his clean image has proved to be a success

5. Stepping on the tigers tail and sidelining it

The Sena was seen as a party with large urban following, but recent elections show the BJP has grown at the cost of its ally and despite Senas consistent barbs. On ground, the BJPs election machinery has defeated Sena repeatedly in cities. This also shows that Senas strategy of trying to occupy Oppositions space even as it shares power in the state is not working on ground.

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The strike called by nationalised banks made it difficult for medical aspirants, whose names appeared in the third list, to get demand drafts made on Tuesday, delaying the admission process.

Public sector banks went on strike to press for various demands, including accountability of top executives in view of mounting bad loans in the banking sector.

We have less than three days for confirmation of admissions. Those students who have already been placed in other colleges need to withdraw their admissions to confirm a seat in the new college. This delay will cost us dear, said Sudha Shenoy, a parent.

What made it worse was the delay in releasing the third list. The directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) released the list on Tuesday morning, a day later than expected, because of incomplete forms filled by new applicants.

We received 800 new applications for the third round, of which 10 forms were incomplete. On Monday night, we contacted those students for the remaining information and then released the list after 2am, said Dr Pravin Shingare, director, DMER.

He said the more than 300 applicants got seats in the third round -- 160 from the state quota in government-run and private state medical and dental institutes, and 140 seats from the all-India quota (AIQ) which were handed over to the state government by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Shingare had told us that not a single seat was vacant in government and private medical and dental institutes after two rounds. Suddenly, 160 seats are vacant. Many students didnt re-apply because of misrepresentation of facts by the DMER, said one of the parents.

Some parents were also angry that officials from state Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell refused to respond to their queries on vacant seats in government-run institutes in the state. We had sent them a list of seats that were left vacant due to withdrawal of admissions in many government institutes, but we didnt got any response. Many students are upset because of this, said Mahendra Chaudhari, a parent.

The DMER also released a list of 211 names from NRI quota. Of the 292 seats in the NRI quota, only 36 students confirmed admissions. We then announced another list after pushing the vacant seats to Indian quota. Another 46 students confirmed their admissions in that round. Now the remaining 210 seats will be once again allotted to students from Maharashtra, said Dr Shingare.

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Underlining its dominance in urban and semi-urban Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party decimated all opposition to sweep the elections to the Mira-Bhayander civic body bagging 61 of the 95 seats in results declared on Monday. It is now the single largest party in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which accounts for 57 assembly seats spread across Mumbai and eight satellite cities.

In Mira-Bhayander, the Shiv Sena, which ruled the civic body with the BJP but decided to contest separately this time, came a poor second with 22 seats though it was a marginal increase over the previous elections tally of 14. The Congress ended up with just 10 seats and the NCP couldnt win even one, a steep fall from 27 seats in 2012. The gainer was the BJP, which more than doubled its tally of 29 seats in 2012.

The Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP in the state has now gained control over 12 of the 17 cities that went to the polls this year. The BJP controls two other civic corporations with the Shiv Sena, Kalyan-Dombivili and Aurangabad, which were among five corporations that went to the polls in 2015.

Our victory in Mira-Bhayandar is because of the wave of `vishwas and vikas created by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and efforts of Team BJP. I promise speedy development. We will live up to the expectations of the people, said Fadnavis.

The BJPs growth in the MMR is particularly worrisome for the Sena, which sees the region as its bastion. The Sena has barely managed to hold on to Mumbai, getting just two more seats than the BJP, which did not contest the mayors post.

The two parties are in an alliance in Marathi manoos-dominated Kalyan-Dombivli and the Sena has power on its own only in Thane. The BJP on its own runs three civic bodies in the region -- Ulhasnagar, Panvel and now Mira-Bhayander

The Shiv Sena blamed its failure in Mira-Bhayander on the religious propoganda by the BJP with Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik saying the party would lodge a complaint with the Election Commission. We could not reach the tally we expected (45 to 54 seats) largely because of religious propaganda in favour of the BJP and indirectly against us. There was a video that went viral where a Jain leader openly advocated voting for the BJP and in favour of vegetarianism.

The Jain leader had also highlighted how the BJP in 2015 had decided to impose a meat ban during the communitys festival of Paryushan. The Shiv Sena vehemently opposed the decision.

Sarnaik said the Sena lost in Gujarati-speaking and Hindi-speaking areas and won in Marathi-speaking Koli and Agri dominated wards. The Sena had similarly blamed the polarisation of communities for the results in the Mumbai civic elections with party chief Uddhav Thackeray lamenting that while Marathis stood behind his party, other Hindus failed to do the same.

The Sena will get increasingly marginalised as the BJP is growing at its cost especially in cities. Even though Uddhav Thackeray is trying to occupy the Opposition space he is not successful in taking this opposition to its strategic conclusion whether in the legislature or the government, said political analyst Prakash Bal.

But, more than the polarisation of votes between the saffron parties and beyond the election management of the BJP, its winning streak is also a direct result of the lack of a credible Opposition.

The opposition has failed to build a counter narrative to that of Modi in 2014. This means even if the BJP falls short on governance or its many promises, the Opposition has not been able to shed its own negative image to take advantage of the same. The lack of a credible Opposition gives the BJP its biggest advantage, added Bal.

(With inputs from Manasi Phadke)

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The Congress has demanded that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis should come clear on the probe into the allegations of irregularities by housing minister Prakash Mehta. The probe by Lokayukta was announced by the government on the last day of the legislative session that ended on August 11.

Congress general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant said on Tuesday that though Fadnavis had himself said that the Lokayukta will be given additional powers to enable him to call chief minister for the inquiry, he should clarify about the existing legal aspects. There is no provision in Maharashtra Lokayukt and Up-Lokayukt Act 1971 to call the chief minister for inquiry. CM has said that he wishes to empower the Lokayukta and keen to face the probe, but he should clarify if the legal opinion was in the favour of such empowerment, he said.

Sawant said that since no such empowerment was possible, the government should come out with and ordinance amending the Act. Section 17(1) has the provision additional power to the Lokayukta by the Governor, but this empowerement does not mean inclusion of chief minister in the ambit of the Act. The empowerment is related only to the inquiry. Section 7 (1) has the provision of summoning ministers, bureacrats and other public servants for the probe. The CM himself should clear the air about this confusion, he added.

Mehta had issued orders in June this year allowing a developer to use building originally sanctioned for a Slum Rehabilitation project. The developer reportedly would have got the windfall of Rs800 crore Since Mehta had remarked on the file of approval that the CM had been informed about the proposal, the latter also becomes the subject to the probe.
The four men who were arrested for allegedly leaking the fourth episode of Game of Thrones season seven used Skype  an instant messaging app that provides online text messages and video chat services  to stay in touch, said police. The cyber police have seized their mobile phones and laptops. They are in the process of ascertaining how the episode was leaked and what role each of the accused played.

The accused were produced before a magistrate court on Monday and remanded in police custody till August 24.

Three of them  Bhaskar Joshi, Alok Sharma and Abhishek Ghadiyal  work for the private firm that airs the show in India. The fourth, Mohamad Suhail, is a former employee of that company.

The private firm came under fire after the low-quality episode, which leaked in the first week of August, was found to be bearing its watermark.

Soon after, the firm initiated an internal inquiry and asked police to file a case. The four men were arrested on August 14.

Cyber police said there were three possible motives behind the leak and will question the accused to find out which it was. We are in the process of gathering evidence against the accused. We are also interrogating them to find out why they leaked the episode. As of now, we see three possible motives. Either they did it to gain monetary rewards, out of sheer excitement to watch the episode exclusively before its release or to tarnish the image of their firm and cause it financial harm, said a crime branch official monitoring the investigations.
Did the girlfriend of an accused leak an episode of the popular TV series Game of Thrones on the web?

Investigations into the leak have moved to this direction, after the Mumbai crime branchs cyber police officials found one of the employees of Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) Alok Sharma had showed the episode to his girlfriend.

A cyber police official monitoring the probe told HT, Its true that one of the accused showed the episode to his friend. We are probing if she circulated it to others.

The accused used to keep in touch with each other using Skype  an internetbased Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) App.

Earlier, the crime branch was questioning the four accused arrested to establish if they did it out of sheer excitement to watch the episode exclusively before it was released, or if they did it to earn money.

The crime branch is also checking if they did it to tarnish the image of Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), which has been tasked with storing and processing the episode of the popular HBO television series for Hotstar.

On August 4, 2017, a link to the downloaded episode appeared online which led Prime Focus Technologies to initiate a forensic investigation and later register an FIR with the Mumbai police to investigate three current employees in Bhaskar Joshi, Alok Sharma and Abhishek Ghadiyal and one former employee Mohamad Suhail.

Crime branch sources said that Mohamad Suhail, an ex-employee of PFT, was the first to access the episode which was later shared. Investigations are on to figure out how Suhail managed to access the secure system and the involvement of the three PFT employees.

All four have been remanded in police custody till August 24, and cybercrime officials are carefully examining all their gadgets, including mobile phones and laptops to gather evidence.

Prime Focus Technologies, in a media release, said it was appreciative of the speed and rigor with which the Mumbai Police has moved on the investigation. PFT is working closely with its client and co-operating whole-heartedly with the police to take the investigation to its logical conclusion at the earliest and bring to book the perpetrators of this crime, said the release.

The press release went on to explain that it was not a system hack but a malicious offence by four miscreants, three of whom worked for the company. It is painful to note that in spite of constant efforts to sensitize employees on the critical need to adhere to ethical practices and highest protocols of content security, full time serving employees of the company have colluded to commit a crime that can destabilize not only the organizations involved but thousands of livelihoods, read the release.
The great American solar eclipse that crossed the entire US continent for the first time in 99 years on August 21 has given India reasons to cheer.

Indian solar scientists said images of the total solar eclipse closely correlate with predictions on the structure of the corona  the halo of the sun  and underlying magnetic field. Knowing the magnetic field structure in the corona will help Indian scientists to predict space weather, and solar storms that can affect the earths magnetosphere where many satellites such as telecommunication, GPS navigation are located.

The correlation means the Indian group has got the main structure of the corona and the underlying magnetic field right. This doesnt mean that the structure of the plumes of the corona that releases charged particles has to be exact. Whats important is where in the sun they are coming out from and their appearance, said Somak Raychaudhary, director, Inter-Universty Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, told HT.

Apart from the Centre for Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI) at the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, Kolkata (IISER-K), the only other group that made predictions is US-based Predictive Sciences Inc. Even though the images dont match line by line, what is important is to get the basic outlay correct. Results from the India group are better than the US group, said Raychaudhary.

Refusing to comment on the outcome of their predictions, the CESSI team said, We are encouraged by the results.

With this, Indias homegrown effort to build indigenous space weather prediction models and make technologies safe in space has got a fillip. At present, India relies on calculation and models provided by international space agencies particularly NASA.

These results will also help when India sends its first satellite to study the sun  Aditya L1  scheduled for 2020. We can make operational space weather forecasting from India, and use these computer models to understand what is being seen by the satellite. Most importantly, we wont need to depend on foreign countries to make our technologies safe in space, said a scientist involved in the mission.

Based on computer modelling and simulations, scientists at CESSI had on August 18 predicted four flower petal like structures in the southern and northern hemispheres of the sun.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE PREDICTION MADE BY THE INDIAN TEAM The lotus petal-like structure on the lower-left edge of the sun (as viewed from the earth) was closer to the Suns equator than predicted. However, the teams prediction that the upper-left edge of the Sun will be the least active was correct. The lotus petal-like structure on the lower-right edge of the sun (as viewed from the earth) was correct. A third, narrow elongated lotus petal-like structure on the upper-right edge of the sun was correct. These predictions have all been largely verified, said Niruj Mohan, Chair of the Astronomy Society of Indias Committee on Public Outreach and Education.

Before predicting, the team ensured all the observed features of the sun were fed into their indigenous models before forward-running them to August 21.

We are new kids on the block, and therefore not expecting everything to be right, said Dibyendu Nandi, CESSI and department of physical sciences, IISER-K, who heads the team. About two weeks we felt our models were ready to be tested with the observation of the eclipse. These models have to be run with some observational data, and therefore predictions made too far back in time can go wrong because the observed magnetic structures of the sun change too much.

The suns corona and the underlying magnetic field structures is important primarily because they determine the environment in space and around the earth, particularly solar storms. These solar storms which originate in the coronas magnetic field carry large amounts of charged particles and move towards inter-planetary space. They can sometimes come towards the earth, and hit our outer environment called magnetosphere that has a lot of satellites including those from India, said Nandi.

Many modern day technologies including telecommunication, GPS navigation satellites, electric power grids, air-traffic on polar routes are dependent on space-reliant technologies and satellite operations are affected and impacted by solar storms.

With technology parked in space, we need to have scientific ways either through theoretical models or observation of the sun to predict solar storms and space weather, said Nandi, also associate at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune.

It was in early 2016 that the IISER-K team in collaboration with Durham University, UK, started working on theoretical models to predict space-weather based on the modelling of solar magnetic fields. The August 21 solar eclipse provided a very good opportunity to test and refine the computer models that have been built for the sun to predict the storms.

On regular days, one cannot see the corona very well because the disc of the sun is much brighter, and the corona is very faint because it is low density gas. During an eclipse, however, the bright disc is blocked out and good telescopes help in seeing the corona.

Both the US and India-UK teams predicted flower petal-like structures in the left and right side of the southern hemisphere of the suns corona, with only a slight difference in the location of the structures. Theirs is close to the equator; ours slightly higher in the latitude towards the pole, said Nandi.

The Indian team solely predicted another structure on the right side of the northern hemisphere. On the left side, their models saw a more diffused structure.

So we predicted some magnetic field structures in all the quadrants  left and right of both southern and northern hemispheres. For the US team, only two petals on the left and right side of the southern hemisphere is more prominent, said Nandi.

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Seema Khubchandani, 53, a resident of Jai Bharat Society in Khar, had to pick up her mother from Bandras Pali Hill on Sunday. But, rain water had flooded the area. She could not get out of her house till late in the evening after the water receded.

Around 400 people live in the housing colony which has of 65 buildings.

My husband kept calling the ward office and disaster management team. He wanted to ask them if they could provide us a jeep so that I could get out of the area and reach my mother, who is a senior citizen. But, we didnt receive any assistance, said Khubchandani.

The housing colony has been facing this problem during monsoon ever since the 2005 deluge.

They said that as the storm water drain passes through railway track, the civic body and the railway authorities keep shifting responsibility of maintaining the drainage system.

On Sunday, there was waterlogging in our area for almost 10 hours though there was no high tide around that time nor did we receive heavy rainfall, said Rahul Pai, secretary, Jai Bharat Society.

Speaking about the issue at a residents meeting, MLA Ashish Shelar said that he had pitched for contour mapping, which could solve issues of residents living in lowlying areas.

I have proposed this for the entire city. As per the process, a builder will have to ensure that he begins construction on sea level. This will help Jai Bharat Society when it goes for redevelopment, Shelar said.

H-west ward officer Sharad Ughade claimed that the BMC is working to find a solution. The society is in a low-lying area. Water from Pali Hill and Linking Road flows to the area, flooding it. The solid waste department is inspecting the area. The Chanliwadi nullah would have to be widened, Ughade said.

A resident and a civil engineer, Surindra Khubchandani blamed the civic body for its failure to find a solution to the decade-old problem. People from Linking Road and SV Road dump waste, which clogs our drains. If the BMC diverts the flow of water to Worli side, there may not be flooding in our housing society, he said.
Documents accessed through a right-to-information (RTI) query revealed that alternate locations in the city had been identified for the construction of a car shed for the Metro-3 project. However, metro authorities decided to stick to Aarey.

Environmentalists from NGO Vanshakti wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday alleging that the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporations (MMRC) intention to build a car shed for Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ), spread across 30 hectares at Aarey, was with an intention to open up the area for real estate development.

The NGO submitted two documents  a government resolution (GR) from 2010 that showed that the state had handed over land at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, for the car shed and the 1991 development plan, currently in force, designated reservation of land at Backbay in south Mumbai.

MMRDA had requested the state to modify the existing land use at the racecourse nd reserve it for a Metro car depot. However, owing to the very high cost of construction, maintenance of an underground car depot, existing stabling lines required to adopt stipulated procedure for construction to ensure their reinstatement, this land was found unsuitable, read a March 2012 letter, adding that the alternative location would be a vacant land at Aarey Milk Colony as most suitable.

Over the past three years, environmentalists have been at loggerheads with the MMRC, regarding the construction of a car shed at Aarey, which the former considers a forest. While activists said they are not against the metro, they do not want the no-development zone tag to be removed from Aarey and opened up for construction.

Members of Vanashakti said when two options were already there for the car shed, there was no need to acquire land at Aarey. The need for depot land could also be met at Kalina, Bandra Kurla Complex, Kanjurmarg, Sariput Nagar, Mumbai Port Trust land as well, the NGO said.

Horse racing is not as important as having pure air to breathe. We wrote to the CM highlight that he had promised us that only 350 trees would be hacked in Aarey but the car shed construction now comes with the loss of 3,400 full grown trees at this forest, said Stalin D, director, NGO Vanashakti. Real estate profit making is the only reason for coming into Aarey.

While MMRC refused to comment since the NGOs letter was addressed to the CM. On Monday, MMRC published an advertisement in daily newspapers highlighting details about the car shed at Aarey. State government had handed over the 30 ha land required for the car depot in Aarey on August 22, 2014. On December 30, 2016, the state approved to adopt modified option of car depot at Aarey in 5 ha green cover is retained, the details read.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued its winning streak this year by registering a stunning and thumping win in the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) elections on Monday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party won a whopping 61 seats, more than double its tally of 29 seats in 2012, in the 95-member civic body elections that were held on Sunday.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) did not win a single seat. It had won 26 in the 2012 elections, while the Shiv Sena and Congress won 22 and 10 seats respectively. The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena could not win even a single seat.

The BJP win has been a major setback for the Sena, which has been thrown out of the power it shared jointly with the former in this satellite city. The Sena was counting on Gilbert Mendonsa, a local leader it had poached from the NCP. But, according to observers, a lack of coordination and infighting among the key leaders threw the party out of power.

What also cost the Sena is the BJPs successful mobilisation of Gujarati, Marwari, north Indian voters, who accounted for more than 40% of total voters of 12 lakh,in its favour. Political observers said that this countered the Marathi vote bank, which voted largely in favour of the Shiv Sena.

Muslim voters, which account for more than 2 lakh, were allegedly divided among various parties, according to the observers.

The failure of the Opposition came in most handy for the BJP.

The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) failed to fight the elections with their full strength, and seemed to have accepted that it was a losing battle long before the elections were announced. Though the state chief of Congress Ashok Chavan held two meetings in the elections, the responsibility was mainly on the shoulders of partys former MLC Muzaffar Hussain. He restricted himself to limited areas, which led to the defeat of the party even its support areas such as Shanti Nagar and Sheetal Nagar. NCP did not bother to even not bother to distribute basic election material such as party flags, badges and scarf.

The NCP and Congress had been in the power in MBMC for two and half years after 2012 elections, but the Bharatiya Janata Party unit headed by its local MLA Narendra Mehta ensured the defection of a few Congress corporators to their fold. This helped the BJP in claiming the post of mayor, with the help of the Sena and rule the civic body for the past two and half years.

Like in other municipal corporations, in MBMC too, the party put around its entire weight in the elections. Besides union ministers, our party ensured that MPs, including Manoj Tiwari, state ministers and local MLAs participated actively in campaign. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held two public meetings, but personally monitored the election procedure very closely, said a BJP leader .

Fadnavis attributed the victory to the credible development started by his party. The voters have shown trust in the development work began by the government in Mira and Bhayander. We will continue to fulfill the expectations and hopes of the voters from the twin cities, he said in Delhi.

This has proved that though the Modi wave has waned, his aura still continues to play its magic. The opposition has failed to put up alternative narrative before the voters, while on the other hand, the BJP is using all the means to win the elections including attracting strong leaders from other parties and spending huge amount of money in the elections, said Prakash Bal, political analyst.

The battle between the BJP and Sena was far from fair or clean with both Mehta and Mendonca, who spear headed their election efforts, facing criminal cases. Mendonca had spent 9 months in jail in a land-grabbing case and was recently released on bail by the Thane court. Though the final decision will be taken by the BJP parliamentary board, the BJP is likely to elect Dimple Mehta, a winner from Ward 12 B as its mayoral candidate as the mayors post is reserved for OBC candidate this time. Dimple is the sister-in-law of Narendra Mehta.

(with inputs by Manasi Phadke)
A special court for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act recently sentenced a 23-year-old to three years in jail for molesting a girl in a subway while she was on her way to college.

He has also been asked to pay Rs10,000 to the girl as compensation.

According to the prosecution, the man approached the girl on August 10, 2015, when she got off the bus. He grabbed her and insisted she love him. When she tried to free herself, he abused her and hit her on the back.

The girl alleged the accused threatened to kill her if she did not agree to marry him. The girl somehow managed to rescue herself and ran towards the market, where she narrated the incident to her aunt.

On seeing her aunt, the accused fled the spot.

The girl alleged the accused, who was around 20 years old at the time of the incident, lived in the same area.

The prosecution examined three witnesses, including the investigating officer, the victim and her mother.

The defence claimed no such incident took place and the girl was trying to falsely implicate the man.

The court discarded the plea of the defence and sentenced the man on the basis of the testimony of the girl.
Even with a month to go for the monsoon to get over, lakes supplying water to the city are 94.93% full.

As of Monday, the lakes have 13.73 lakh million litres, 73,000 litres lesser than the citys needs of 14.47 lakh million litres.

By the end of September, the city requires 14.47 lakh million litres to go without water cuts, according to civic officials estimates for the city.

The weekend showers of more than 60mm increased the useful content significantly.

Three of the lakes  Tansa, Modak Sagar and Tulsi  have already started overflowing.

The Bhatsa lake which caters to almost 50% of the citys potable water needs is also 93% full.

The current lake levels are the highest in three years.

In 2015, the lakes had 9.36 lakh million litres, compared to 2016 when the lakes had 12.98 lakh million litres during the same period.
In the wake of ISIS terror attacks using vehicles in crowded places across Europe, the Mumbai police have approached the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Maharashtra government, asking them to secure Marine Drive.

Thousands visit the spot in the morning and evening.

The rush could make the spot a potential target for vehicle attacks -- a strategy adopted by the ISIS of late -- say the police. The most recent was the attack in Barcelona, where a van mowed down pedestrians, killing at least 13 people.

The police want the BMC to either raise the height of the Marine Drive promenade, which would make it difficult for a vehicle to climb on it or to install bollards to cut the speed of the incoming vehicle.

A senior official of the Mumbai police said, We have made certain recommendations and the process to secure Marine Drive is on.

As a part of securing crowded places ahead of Ganpati, the police have increased patrolling at Marine Drive.

An official of Marine drive police station said people come to visit the spot even at night. We dont want to discourage them. We have made arrangements to ensure their safety, said the official, adding that south Mumbai has always been a target of terror attacks.

Last year during Ganpati, the Mumbai police conducted checks on truck drivers after a terror attack in Nice, France. ISIS had claimed responsibility of the Nice attack last July, when a truck killed 86 people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France.
After finding love at a Mumbai sex-change clinic, the trans-sexual couple wants to help others who are suffering from gender identity disorder (GID), or gender dysphoria.

Gender dysphoria is a condition where there is a conflict between a persons physical or assigned gender and the gender with which they identify.

Aarav Appukuttan, 46, a woman who is now a man, and Sukanyeah Krishna, 21, who was born a man and is now a woman, met each at the Mumbai hospital they approached for surgeries to change their gender. Their casual friendship eventually blossomed into love.

The couple now plans to now start an organisation, through which they plan to counsel young children with GID and educate their parents about the issue.

Those suffering with GID feel trapped in their gender and have strong feelings of identification with the opposite sex, leading to emotional and mental trauma. Patients, who can undergo a gender reassignment surgery, also need psychological, psychiatric help. In the absence of psychiatric help, they face pressure from their families to go for therapies against their will.

Parents usually dont understand the problem. They need to be sensitised to help their child, instead of making them feel like there is a problem with them, she said.

Recounting her childhood, Krishna said she had a tough time telling her parents what she was going through.

My mother took me to a doctor who injected male hormones. The therapy broadened my shoulders and led to hair loss, which was traumatising. I felt like I was trapped in a mans body, she says.

Krishna says people with gender identity crisis often contemplate suicide as they have no outlet to express their feelings. To reach out to such people, the couple has started a close-knit Facebook group where people can reach out to each other.

She said people can join the group only through an invitation. The group has doctors, and around 2000 people who are going through some sort of gender-related problems. Also, there are a lot of quacks who offer illegal means of gender change surgeries such as castration. We want to prevent people from exploring these options and go about with the transition in a correct way, through certified doctors and centres, she said
Around 800 farmers of Greater Noida west on Tuesday staged a protest outside the Greater Noida authoritys administrative building in Knowledge Park-IV area demanding residential plots proportional to 10% of the area of land acquired from them.

The authority is currently allotting plots equal to 6% of the total area.

Farmers from around 40 villages in SUVs, tractor-trolleys and bullock carts reached the office building around 12:30pm and raised slogans against the government. The authority had to call a force of around 100 policemen to control the agitated farmers. The protesters forcefully entered the authority building as well and ended their protest at 4.30pm after additional chief executive officer Bal Krishan Tripathi assured that their demands will be heard.

The farmers protested a day after the Greater Noida authority chief executive officer Debasish Panda prepared 2,353 residential plot allotment letters to farmers in lieu of their land acquired for urbanisation.

The authority is fooling us by allotting plots equal to 6% of the area. As per Allahabad high court order on October 21, 2011, the authority is supposed to give 10% residential plots against the total land acquired by the government, along with 64% hiked land compensation. The Supreme Court had on May 14, 2015, upheld the HC order. On May 11, 2016, the authority in its board meeting approved a decision to give 10%. Why is the authority trying to fool us now? said Manvir Bhati, leader of Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, who led the protest.

Greater Noida authority chairman Rahul Bhatnagar, chief executive officer Debasish Panda and Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate BN Singh are scheduled to meet farmers at 10.30am on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

If the authority does not have adequate land, it can give us money for the plots like the Noida authority. We will accept money instead of 4% land. If they do not give us 10% plot or money, we will stage an indefinite protest, said Ajay Chaudhary, a farmer.

Greater Noida west has around 3.5 lakh under-construction housing units, of which around 40,000 are occupied at present. In 2009-10, farmers had opposed the land acquisition for setting up industries.However, the UP government allotted group housing plots to builders instead of setting up industries. Farmers had then moved the Allahabad high court.

The Greater Noida authority is facing a financial crisis and is not in a position to give additional 4% of land or money at present.

We will talk to them and discuss their issues. We have already processed their allotment letters for 6% plots and have been working for their welfare. Now they should understand our limitations and cooperate with us for development, said Panda.

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They thought it was a lucrative job that could earn them some good bucks. Until they realised they had been fooled.

The Ghaziabad polices crime branch on Tuesday arrested five members of a gang that allegedly cheated hundreds of men on the pretext of providing them jobs of male escort for women customers.

The young men, the officials said, applied from as far as Tamil Nadu and Kerala apart from NCR and eastern Uttar Pradesh. In a bid to lure them, they were sent pictures of young women for tie-ups.

The crime branch also busted a call centre being run by one Ashu Chaudhary from a flat in Shastri Nagar. Officials said Ashu studied BBA and teamed up with four others to lure young men for the job.

They duped nearly 1,000 persons who paid processing fees. Once the amount was credited to their online wallet, they would send pictures of young women to the applicants and ask them to select one of them. The photos were downloaded from profiles of women on social networking sites, said Akash Tomar, superintendent of police (SP city).

The police are verifying if the gang had access to any such women customers.

The gang used to hired space on a classified booking website and invited applications from interested young men.

The gang would tell the men that services included accompanying women on demand, body massage and other things as demanded, an official said.

Apart from Ashu, the police arrested Himanshu Sharan, Harsh Chaudhary, Virat Chaudhary and Mohit Chaudhary in connection with an FIR lodged at Kavi Nagar police station by a complainant.

The case was lodged under sections of cheating and provisions of The Information Technology Act.

The crime branch received over a dozen complaints from such applicants. Sources in the crime branch said Ashu had gone to Rajasthan two years ago and paid Rs 50,000 to a man who gave him some tricks of the trade.

The applicants were told to go to the gym for fitness exercises before being sent to the women. In between, the gang would block the applicants numbers. We got in touch with a number of people but they were not ready to come forward as their families would know they were interested in such a job. But nearly a dozen complaints arrived and we started investigation, the official said.

The applicants were asked to deposit Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 as processing fees.

They told us about an account where nearly Rs 10 lakh is expected to be deposited. They hired bank accounts of two men and paid them commission, the official said.

Tomar said the police will move to freeze the bank account and will recommend provisions of the Gangster Act against the five accused. The police recovered laptops, mobiles, ATM cards and different mobile SIM cards from the suspects.

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A brother, sister duo, students of class V and VI at a school in East Delhi, pooled their pocket money and fled their home in Vaishali, Ghaziabad before landing up at a hotel in Uttarakhand, nearly 520km away at Munsiyari.

The two were fearful after they hid the schedule of the parent-teacher meeting and

also fared poorly in their examination.

On Saturday evening, the two children pooled their pocket money, nearly 850, and hurriedly bundled some clothes in their bags before they hired an auto and reached Anand Vihar ISBT. From there, they boarded a bus to Uttarakhand and told the conductor that they dont have enough money to pay for the journey.

The father of the children said, The conductor somehow gave them a seat. The boy had also bought a watch for 100 to keep track of time and both had gone out in slippers.

On Sunday, they reached a hotel where we stayed two months ago during a holiday. The two told the hotel owner that there had been an accident and their parents asked them to reach the hotel, he added.

The hotel owner got suspicious and checked the register and called me up immediately. Once he informed us, I told him to not allow both children to move out. He then also informed local police station from where two constables in civil dress were sent to stay with children at the hotel room. Next day, the station house officer from Munsiyari took both children to his house and made them stay at with his wife. She took proper care of both, he added.

Later, the mother found that there was a parent-teacher meeting scheduled and the children had not told her.

After she attended the meeting, she also found that the two had secured less marks than they anticipated in their examination.

Our team will be reaching Ghaziabad along with the two children. Both children are safe and we properly coordinated with Uttarakhand police. Once the children reach here, we will counsel them and also their parents so that such incident is not repeated, said SC Dubey, station house officer, Indirapuram police station.

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Three weeks after class 4 student Arman Sehgal died in GD Goenka school complex, his parents and a delegation of local leaders met Ghaziabad police but were not apprised of any progress in the case. The Sehgals said that they have been making rounds of police stations but have failed to get any information.

After Arman died of a fall on the second-floor corridor of the school on August 1, his parents lodged a case under the sections of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence against school officials.

Each time we approach the police, they tell us that the case is under investigation. They are not telling us the progress and not even giving any definite assurance. In the earlier meetings, they asked us to give some time but now, they are failing to provide any details. It feels as if we are the accused in the case, said Gulshan Sehgal, Armans father.

A couple of days ago, senior superintendent of police (SSP) HN Singh had said that a second forensic team visited the incident site in school and will submit its report. Their findings will be a part of the police report that will be submitted to the high court, Singh had said.

After an FIR, the school authorities moved a petition at the Allahabad high court and requested quashing of the FIR. The high court on May 11 directed no coercive action against petitioners (five school officials) till August 28.

It seems that Ghaziabad police will submit its report to the court and not divulge anything to us. Their lax attitude allowed the school officials to approach the court. After meeting Ghaziabad SSP on Tuesday, we approached the district magistrate. The administration officials said that the magisterial inquiry is in progress and it will end soon. We asked them to incorporate a report of the previous inspection by additional district magistrate (city) who inspected the school premises on the day of the incident. Her findings will be crucial, he said.

The magisterial inquiry ordered by Ghaziabad district magistrate is headed by Rajesh Kumar Yadav, additional district magistrate (finance & revenue). The inquiry ended on August 22.

We have recorded the statements of school officials and Armans parents and relatives. Now, I have written to ADM (city) to submit a copy of her school inspection report. I have also written to the police to submit copies of CCTV footage essential to the case. After receiving these, I will finalise the inquiry and submit a report to the district magistrate, Yadav said.

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Syed Ahmad, a taxi driver from the town of Loni in Ghaziabad, took a break from his profession to distribute sweets on Tuesday to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling on instant triple talaq, saying it was the best thing to have happened to him in a long while.

His two daughters, Imrana, 28, and Mehrana, 25, have had to return home after being divorced by their husbands, who happened to be brothers. Imranas husband gave instant her triple talaq on the phone from Saudi Arabia in December, 2014, while Mehranas husband got it delivered through a fax message some two months later.

The court judgement has come as a balm for people who have to watch their daughters living in daily distress, Ahmad said, in between distributing sweets to friends and neighbours. I am grateful to the court for ruling in favour of Muslim women, he added.

Imrana and Mehrana are as delighted as their father. We are grateful to the women who contested this case and brought to light the plight of women. The government, if it brings in any law, should consider old cases too as women subjected to talaq are suffering and are left to the mercy of their parents, Imrana said.

Mehrana also could not hide her excitement over the ruling. We were constantly following the developments in the case on television and through newspapers. The ruling comes as a huge relief, she said.

The sisters claim their husbands gave them instant divorce as they were eyeing a piece of land that their father owned but refused to give them.

Since the divorce, the sisters have been living with their parents.

Ummeda, a 26-year-old divorced woman living in Kaila Bhatta locality of Ghaziabad, was also pleased with the Supreme Court verdict. Her husband, she claims had pronounced instant triple talaq over a trivial issue, pushing her into a life of penury. Since that day, I and my minor son have been living with my parents and there is no financial support from my husband, she lamented.

Ummeda says that she has completed her 100 days of Iddat - the waiting period - after her husband divorced her in May.

There is no point in going back to the man who kicked my daughter out on streets. She is young and I am considering marrying her off as she has also completed her Iddat, her father Mohammad Sabir said.

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The Gautam Budh Nagar health department began its second round of crackdown against breeding grounds for mosquitoes to avoid spreading of dengue,chikungunya and other vector borne diseases.

Post monsoon, the chances of mosquitoes breeding has increased and last year, thousands of people had flocked to the district hospital at sector 30 complaining of high fever and rashes. To avoid such a scenario this year, the health department has been issuing notices to various bodies including police, Noida authority, schools, colleges and RWAs for their alleged failure to curb breeding of mosquitoes.

On Monday, the district malaria officer Rajesh Sharma issued notices to residential societies and a hospital for their failure to curb breeding of mosquitoes.

On Monday, notices were issued to Gulshan Vivante, Paramount Flora Villa, Paras Tiara, Daffodil and Felix Hospital after breeding grounds were spotted inside their premises. The bodies have been given notices asking them to get rid of these breeding grounds or else the health department staff will themselves do it and levy heavy fine on them, said Rajesh Sharma, District Malaria Officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.

Aedes aegyptia mosquitoes that causes vector borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya breed in still water that is kept in old tyres, discarded vases and objects, utensils and coolers.

The GB Nagar health department has also started receiving samples of suspected dengue patients. However, there hasnt been any positive case of dengue in the district yet.

Till now, we have checked 246 samples for dengue and all have turned out to be negative. Out of these 246 samples, 171 were tested by NS1 technique and 75 were tested by elisa test, said Sharma.

At Ghaziabad, the health department has also been issuing notices to various government and private bodies for their failure to curb breeding spots.

Till now, we have served notice to 30 bodies in the past 2 months. These bodies get one day time to destroy the breeding spots. We have also asked the municipality of Ghaziabad town to conduct cleaning of drains regularly and efficient disposal of liquid waste. We are also conducting fogging and spraying, said GK Mishra, district malaria officer, Ghaziabad.

The Ghaziabad health department has also tested 80 samples of suspected dengue and all have turned out to be negative, announced the DMO.

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After Supreme Court (SC) gave its verdict against the practice of instant triple talaq, deeming it to be against the right to equality, Muslim women in Noida welcomed the move and called it revolutionary.

The SC on Tuesday adjudged the practice of instant triple talaq to be against Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality. The bench, comprising five judges of different faiths, deliberated for three months before issuing its order.

Welcoming the verdict, Uzma Parveen, a homemaker, said, Even in the Quran, it is mentioned that triple talaq should be given with a notice period so that there is a chance of reconciliation. Allah has never liked divorce.

Dr Zeenat Ansari, who runs a cultural organisation  Alfallah Humanity Council  said that the verdict will empower Muslim women who earlier had to face mental torture from their husbands.

We are extremely pleased with the decision. Muslim women can now feel secure and empowered. Many women are not aware of the intricacies of the Islamic law and due to this, they were abused by their husbands. At least now, they know their rights and can fight for them, Dr Ansari said.

Muslim clerics also welcomed the move and said that the Supreme Court decision will free Islam from the clutches of regressive thinking scholars.

India is a secular country in which people of all faiths live together in harmony. So Indian Muslims should exhibit Indian culture and do away with the regressive custom of triple talaq. It was the Muslim Personal Law Board and Wakf Board that insulted Islam by misinterpreting it. Due to this, Muslim women were being exploited for the last 40 years. Neither triple talaq nor polygamy is part of Islam that we believe in, said Kader Khan, a social activist from Dankaur.

However, the Imam of Jama Masjid, Mufti Mohammad Rashid Kazmi, said that though he accepts SC verdict, the final call will be taken after a meeting. We respect the courts decision but we will also have to consider our Islamic law. The final decision will be taken after a meeting with Muslim personal law board and Wakf board, said Kazmi.

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The Uttar Pradesh Government has set up a three-member panel to study the traffic chaos and problems of the National Capital Region (NCR). According to a government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma, the committee included ministers Suresh Khanna, Suresh Rana and Satish Mahana.

The panel members would camp for two three days in Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida to make an on the spot assessment of the traffic problem in the region and then submit a report to the State Government, he said.

Sharma said that complaints had also been received regarding ongoing dispute between homebuyers and real estate developers in the region. The issue, he said, was discussed and appropriate instructions were being issued to the authorities concerned to take immediate remedial steps and resolve the grievances of the buyers.

Meanwhile, the Greater Noida authoritys chief executive officer (CEO) Debasish Panda has decided to hire a private agency for preparing a traffic management plan, to streamline traffic movement and reduce congestion.

Officials said that the objective of hiring a private agency is to improve traffic management and ensure that motorists do not face congestion at busy intersections.

Many intersections such as Pari Chowk, Kisan Chowk, Surajpur T-point in Greater Noida west are congested, particularly during the morning and evening peak hour. In view of such a situation persisting when the city is not even filled to capacity, we want to be ready, well in advance, to handle the increase in the number of vehicles on roads when all residential areas are occupied, Panda said.

Greater Noida was established as a planned industrial town in 1992 on 40,000 hectares of agricultural land, double the area of neighbouring Noida. As per the Greater Noida authoritys estimate, the city has an urban population of around 2 lakh.

The Uttar Pradesh sub regional plan approved by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) includes a proposal to develop Greater Noida Extension (as per 2031 master plan) to accommodate a population of 17 lakh. The total estimated population of Greater Noida Phases 1 and 2 is estimated to be about 29 lakh by 2031.

It means that the population of Greater Noida will increase manifold in future. Once the 30km metro link between Noida and Greater Noida becomes operational next year, the population is expected to increase, which will also lead to increased traffic on roads thereby, leading to traffic congestion, an official of Greater Noida authority said.

The authority aims to redesign traffic intersections, T-points, U-turns and also widen roads to ensure smooth flow of traffic on arterial roads.

The redesign will be done on the basis of the survey to be conducted by the private agency. We will select an expert agency for conducting a survey and reporting, in detail, ways to decongest roads and streamline traffic management, said Panda.

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The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a three-member panel to study the traffic chaos and problems of the National Capital Region (NCR). According to a government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma, the committee included ministers Suresh Khanna, Suresh Rana and Satish Mahana.

The panel members would camp for two to three days in Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida to make an on-the-spot assessment of traffic problems in the region and then submit a report to the state government, he said.

Meanwhile, to decongest arterial roads in the city, the Noida authority chief executive officer Amit Mohan Prasad has directed the traffic cell to free the left turns at busy traffic intersections so that motorists do not face problems.

Citys arterial roads, including Udyog Marg, MP-I, MP-II, MP-III and DSC Road mostly remain congested. Most of the traffic intersections in Noida also remain congested on daily basis. The traffic congestion worsens during peak hours.

The CEO was to conduct an inspection on some arterial roads including Udyog Marg, Master Plan-I, II, III and Surajpur-Dadri-Surajpur (DSC) on Tuesday to understand the reason for traffic congestion. But due to rain he could not conduct an inspection. He will conduct the inspection some other day. He wants all left turns to be free so that motorists do not face inconvenience, said a Noida authority official.

The challenge before the Noida authoritys traffic cell and the police is to ensure that the motorists follow traffic norms to maintain order on roads.

Due to the absence of proper slip roads near intersections on various arterial roads, the traffic taking a left near the crossing gets stuck as vehicles heading straight block the passage for those taking a left turn.

Many motorists block left turns at each traffic intersection. It troubles those, who need to take a left turn. The traffic police should ensure that the left turn is not blocked at any of the traffic intersections, said Neeraj Aggarwal, a resident of Sector 49.

The Noida authority has constructed left turns at many intersections but the motorists are unable to use them as these remain blocked.

The left turns at many places are too close to the intersections that most commuters in a bid to get closer to the traffic signal block them.

The islands at several intersections are also not carved out as per traffic engineering, making it difficult for commuters to take left turn.

The Gijhod (sector 52/33) traffic intersection, Atta (sector 27/18), sector 18/28 and sector 71/51 remain blocked causing traffic congestion

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Natural mishaps have an uncanny way to expose all that is wrong with Indias urban planning and infrastructure. Mondays unusually heavy rains, heaviest in 16 years, starkly did that reality check at an unlikeliest of places: Chandigarh, the countrys first and, arguably the most, well-planned city since Independence.

A 115-mm downpour in just three hours morphed the much-acclaimed City Beautiful into an ugly chaos that its denizens had scarcely ever imagined.

In no time, the swirling, muddy waters turned wide, leafy avenues into pools, choked main arteries and well-manicured roundabouts and swamped the upscale sectors. The peak-hour Monsoon misery wreaked the worst traffic gridlocks that Le Corbusiers designer city had not seen in its living memory.

If alive today, the French genius would have been aghast to see the flood-like emergency in his famed masterpiece and co-capital of Punjab and Haryana. The rain-induced mess in the Union Territory was no less worse in its immediate neighbours  Mohali and Panchkula, the satellite towns built on the same grid as Chandigarh as showpiece counter-magnets by two states respectively.

The Monsoon mess glaringly laid bare the shortcomings in futuristic planning and upgrade of the tricitys drainage system that was put in place for a much-smaller population base years ago. Chandigarhs natural storm water channel, the Northern Choe, for instance, hasnt been cleaned up for last two decades.

In Mohali, on a lower gradient than Chandigarh, a project to replace the inadequate storm water pipes with ones with more carrying capacity has been a hanging fire for five years.

A pre-monsoon audit, extensively reported by Hindustan Times in June, had revealed major gaps and missed deadlines even in such basic annual preparedness as cleaning up of the road gullies. In Mohali, more than half of the gullies were left clogged, officials admit now. The harried residents whose homes were deluged out of the blue are now suing the municipal corporation for compensation.

Not that their civic bodies face scarcity of funds. Rather they are flush with money as evident from crores of rupees of unspent budget of the Chandigarh municipal year after year, thanks, largely to bureaucratic sloth. In fact, the failure to utilise the funds for capital creation led to a slash of Rs 170 crore in its current plan.

The unprecedented water-logging shines light, decidedly poor, on the governance deficit in Chandigarh and Mohali, both billed as the smart cities in the making.

Paradoxically, these planned, and pampered, urban centres with a better infrastructure than other cities in the region, synonymous with squalor, are under a growing population pressure due to their high livability index. Chandigarh, originally built for half a million, is now teeming with 1.5 million. This has spurred rapid-fire urbanisation in its periphery, much of it haphazard, blocking the natural drainage and thus making the city and suburbs prone to water-logging of a rising scale.

Faced with a swell of public outcry, civic officials first reaction to the monsoon mayhem was to water it down by blaming it all on the weather gods for pouring too much rain in too short a time span. But, its a wake-up call they can ill-afford to ignore. Even the best planned city needs to smarten up its governance and put its act together to justify the tag of Smart City.

ramesh.vinayak@hindustantimes.com

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Unabated illegal sand mining in river beds is now being cited as the major cause for the flood havoc, which claimed over 60 lives in East and West Champaran districts of north Bihar.

Disaster management department officials said rampant illegal sand mining weakened the embankments at many places along Gandak river, which collapsed in the face of steady build-up of water in the rain catchment areas.

They said the floods had already affected 35 lakh people in the two districts and the situation still remained grim.

Officials said there had been extensive damage to embankments at Sikta, Mainatand and Gaunaha areas where illegal sand mining was rampant, while the protection bunds along Kartaha, Masan, Dohram, Oraiya, Birha, Bhangaha- Gadiyani and Pandooi rivers had caved in. Hundreds of villages still lie totally submerged and the damage to homes, infrastructure and crops have been extensive at places such as at Majhaulia, they added.

In Bagaha, the Masan is said to have washed away standing crops and countless homes, rendering hundreds homeless.

Mohiuddin of Sheikwa Tola in Ramnagar and Mohammad Ekbal of Raybahuary village in Bagaha block said the floods had destroyed everything they had. Many have had no food for days, they said.

Mahesh Tiwari of Bahuary village said hundreds of families were stranded on the embankment of Masan. The havoc this time was unprecedented, he said.

In Areraj area of East Champaran, a pregnant women, Kusum Devi, 28, of Sakhwa Toke village in Malahi police station area died because of lack of care. The nearest primary health centre was inaccessible due to strong currents all around.

At Raxaul on India-Nepal border, officials reported that 124 small and major roads had been destroyed, cutting off access to a large area. All roads to Dhaka and Patahi, meanwhile, remain submerged, making it difficult to reach relief to the marooned.

Meanwhile, there were reports of violence by people in distress in areas of Ramnagar and Yogapatti , where people attacked relief convoys and locked up the offices of the circle officer and the block development officer.
The Congress government in Punjab has completed six months, but the promise to write off farm loans remains on paper despite much talk. Farmer unions have, meanwhile, upped the ante and last week laid siege to local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhus house in Amritsar.

Amid this simmering unrest, the government led by Capt Amarinder Singh is hoping that the central government bails it out. The chief minister has already met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on August 8 for relaxation in the borrowing limit under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003, so that the state is able to raise a Rs 10,000-crore loan to provide relief to at least the 10.25 lakh marginal and small farmers.

We will do all that we can to honour our promise. Even the Centre may announce a waiver for farmers close to the 2019 general elections.

But the Centre has so far refused to oblige. Because, not only can setting such a precedent lead to clamour among other states for similar concessions, but it will also ruffle the feathers of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the BJPs ally in the state and at the Centre. The SAD-BJP combine in the state has made the absence of debt waiver so far as its prime ammunition against the Congress government. It must be recalled that Amarinder had often mocked his predecessor, SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal over his going to the then PM Manmohan Singh with bouquets and a begging bowl.

Though state finance minister Manpreet Badal contends the Centre is sympathetic towards Punjabs demand, he claims the government also has a Plan B to raise the money. He refuses to divulge the other options, but imposing fresh taxes may not be one of them after rollout of the Goods and Services (GST) Act. Anyway, the government cannot afford to antagonise urban voters before the municipal elections expected late this year.

We will do all that we can to honour our promise, Manpreet says, adding, Even the Centre may announce a waiver for farmers close to the 2019 general elections.

Manpreet says the Rs 10,000-crore loan will add another Rs 800 crore annually on account of interest payments. According to the white paper and budget presented by the government in June, interest payments for 2016-17 will amount to Rs 10,098 crore, which is likely to increase by more than 30% in 2017-18 on account of concealed liabilities.

It is these concealed liabilities that Manpreet blames for not knowing the real extent of Punjabs debt before the party made the waiver promise. We knew that the state was under a huge debt. But we were not aware that Rs 31,000 discrepancy in cash credit limit (CCL) too has been converted into a loan a day before counting of votes. And that another Rs 16,000 crore have been raised through UDAY bonds for settling dues of the state power corporation. The previous government also left us pending bills of Rs 13,000 crore. In less than two weeks of taking over, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stopped payments to the Punjab government for defaulting on overdraft, Manpreet says.

But the Congress manifesto, drafted by him, had highlighted the cash crunch. Punjab has been living under state of fiscal emergency. It does not even have money to pay for salaries and pensions. The party promises to restore states fiscal honour and end its indebtedness, it read. Yet it promised voters the moon. The contradictions have now come to haunt the Congress despite winning elections with a thumping majority.

SYL hanging fire too: Hearing on Sept 7, no talks yet

The Congress government is racing against time to honour not only its debt waiver promise to farmers but also defer implementation of the Supreme Courts order on construction of the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. On July 12, the SC was told by Punjabs lawyer AK Ganguly during a hearing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana to iron our differences.

Attorney general KK Venugopal had then said he was not told about such a meeting. I was not informed by the water resources secretary about any such meeting; but if it is happening, it is good.

The Punjab CM had welcomed the Centres intervention to initiate talks with Haryana. The court gave two more months to enable the Centre to negotiate with the states while fixing September 7 as the next date of hearing. But the talks have yet to take place.

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A day after the police busted a gang involved in with the arrest of five people, including a scribe of a local vernacular and a web channel, investigators claim that the banks have been duped of at least Rs 1 crore.

Police also claim that Rs 15 lakh have been lying in the accuseds bank accounts and the department has asked banks to freeze these accounts. The accused had been carrying out the crime for five years and used to close the bank account after three-four transactions.

The police had arrested Pankaj Kumar of Chander Nagar, Johny Goyal of New Chander Nagar, Satish Aggarwal of Shakti Vihar of Haibowal Kalan, Vijay Garg alias Vicky of Durga Puri of haibowal, Rajesh Kumar alias Rakesh of Luxmi Nagar of Jassiyan road. The police have recovered there identification cards of Press of a vernacular newspaper and web channel. Johny Goyal claimed to be scribe of various vernacular newspaper and web channel.

Modus operandi

The accused used to open accounts in different banks in names of their relatives and friends and deposit cash in the accounts. Once they got the debit card, they used to withdraw cash using debit cards from ATMs. Immediately after the ATM machine dispensed the cash, the accused used to switch off the machine. The withdrawn cash did not get into the record of the bank. The accused then used complain to the bank about failed transaction and the banks used to deposit cash in their account.They used to withdraw money from ATMs to go unnoticed by banks and the police.

The accused used to open accounts in the name of their relatives and friends and used to give them Rs. 2,000 per month. The police have also recovered 641 debit cards of 18 different banks, 166 cheque books, 117 pass books, Rs 3 lakh in cash besides, a revolver, 12 bullets, three cars and 8 mobile phones from their possession.

Investigating officer ASI Gurmeet Singh said interrogation from the accused was expected to lead to more information on the case.
Monday morning turned out to be a nightmare for residents of Mohali as rainwater entered their houses, and turned the roads into pools. Three hours of heavy rains brought the city to its knees. Later in the evening, resident welfare association of Sector 4 vowed to move court to seek compensation from an errant municipal corporation that had failed to fortify the citys crumbling drainage system despite multiple warnings.

Residents of Phase 1, 2, 4, 3BI, 3B2, 5, 6, 71, 70 had a harrowing time as water entered their houses. Many of them are now planning to move court to seek compensation from administration for loss of their furniture and appliances. Many cars also got damaged after they were submerged for hours.

Traffic management virtually collapsed and vehicles were stranded on roads for several hours under 4-5 feet of rainwater. The 200-foot-wide airport express road was the worst hit and the water did not recede even hours after the rainfall got over.

Nearly half of the middle income group houses suffered huge losses as rainwater entered our houses and destroyed household items. We will not sit silent and move court for adequate compensation as it is because of MCs lethargy that the drainage system collapsed, fumed NS Kalsi, president of HM welfare association, Sector 4.

Phase 5 RWA president, SS Lehal, said most of the 10-marla houses in his sector were inundated. I have been living in Mohali for the last two decades, but have never seen such a disaster. So massive was the impact of todays rainfall that one could only see the roofs of vehicles, he lamented.

The situation in Phase 1s HL/HE block was similar with over 70 houses under two to three feet of water. Is it for this day that we pay house tax to the Municipal Corporation? fumed PL Verma, owner of House No 189 (Phase 1), telling you how the beds, refrigerator and washing machine in his house got damaged. Another resident, Amarjit Kaur, said she felt sad living in a city touted as the California of Punjab.

At most places, dirty water mixed with rainwater, compounding the woes of residents. Industrial areas in Phase 7 and 8 were also hit hard with water entering several factories.

Councillor of 3B2, Kuljeet Singh Bedi, said rainwater entered at least 100 houses in his sector, causing a loss of several lakhs. We never expected it as the GMADA had only recently spent one core on rainwater storage, which did not work at all. I demand a probe into this huge waste of public money, he said

Davendra Sharma, an agriculture scientist living in Phase 2, said he woke up with water around him. If a few hours of rainfall can derail the entire system, I wonder what will happen to the city if it rains for a day, he asked, wondering how MOhali and Chandigarh can be called smart cities.

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Marriage is not the only factor that unites Sudhakaran and Nilima.

A recent police poster that called out 12 Maoist leaders in Jharkhand featured the couple right on top, alongside a number of other gun-toting extremists. While Sudhakaran, a central committee member of the banned Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), commanded a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh, Nilima  a special committee member with the outfit  had a price of Rs 10 lakh on her head.

A life of hiding from the law has forced several aliases on the couple. Sudhakaran is also referred to as Kiran or Sharad, depending on requirement, while his wife answers to anything from Padma to Jaya. Though the two hail from Telangana, their current field of operation is the tri-junction of Latehar, Lohardaga and Gumla districts in Jharkhand.

It was with the intention of reviving a faltering PLGA  hit hard by successive arrests and encounter killings by the authorities  that the couple moved east from Chhattisgarh around two years ago. According to police, Sudhakaran is an expert at guerilla warfare and tactics. Under him, the local unit of the PLGA has made great strides in organisational management, recruitment and training in planting improvised explosive devices. Today, Sudhakar seems well on his way to replacing Arvind Kumar and Misir Besra  two top leaders struggling with old age and illness  and taking total control of the groups operations.

However, Lohardaga superintendent of police Karthik Sen claimed the two havent been able to undertake any particularly disastrous mission in the state so far on account of a relentless offensive by security forces. From the intelligence we have, they are hiding somewhere in Gumla. But our men are confident of tracking and neutralising Sudhakar and Nilima unless they surrender soon, he said.

Through our poster, we asked insurgents to lay down arms, leave their world of bloodshed behind, and join the mainstream by availing the benefits of the states lucrative surrender policy.

The other extremists mentioned on the poster are PLGA zonal commanders Ravindra Ganjhu, Deepak Oraon, Bhushan Oraon, Balram Oraon and Muneshwar Oraon (with a price of Rs 10 lakh on their heads) and sub-zonal commanders Ugeshwar Yadav, Aghnu Ganjhu and Balak Ganjhu (commanding a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh). Two area commanders  Anil Turi and Govind Birjiya  also figure in the poster.

Jharkhand police have arrested over 1,400 Left extremists  including 30 top leaders  in the last three years. They also busted six bunkers, raided seven mini-gun factories and seized Rs 1 crore in levies, forcing at least 62 rebels to lay down arms during this period.

While there were 54 extremist attacks across Jharkhand in 2011, the number came down to 17 in 2016. No major incident has been reported from any part of the state so far this year.

The PLGA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
Are you enthusiastic and hardworking? Do you have a good sense of humour? Do you have excellent communication skills? And most importantly, do you fiddle with sex toys? If yes, you can land a job in the UK for a whopping salary of  28,000 (Rs 23 lakhs approx) per annum.

LoveWoo, a leading UK adult store is in hunt for a candidate who can review their products that range from sex toys, lingerie and games. The worker will be tasked with deciding why the product is hot, what could make it hotter and giving personal recommendations.

Sex toys range from simple to risque, and as a responsible provider of a huge catalogue of sex toys, [we] feel it necessary to both have and share a good understanding of all products, and be able to inform the public about all perks and pitfalls, a spokesperson of the company told BBC.

The post is a full time job with the employee requiring to work from home two days a week and three days a week at office. The employee will also be entitled to time off on their birthday, private healthcare, discounted gym membership, and an annual staff retreat.

If you are good at something, never do it for free. High time you realized that. The applications close on September 15. So hurry up!
Afghanistan on Tuesday lauded President Donald Trump for breaking Americas silence on Pakistan providing sanctuaries to terrorists and embracing a strategy that gives the war-torn country what it needs.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end Americas longest war.

He also warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Reacting to Trumps address, Afghanistans Ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib thanked president Trump for breaking Americas silence on Pakistan, which has been harbouring terrorists for attacks against its neighbours.

We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account both our countries needs and considerations. This is the first time a focus has been put on what Afghanistan must have to succeed, and we are grateful for this outcome, Mohib said after Trump concluded his speech on Afghanistan and South Asia.

Mohib said Trump has embraced a strategy that gives Afghanistan what it needs, specifically a shift away from talking about timetables and numbers to letting conditions on the ground determine military strategy.

He also lauded the decision to integrate Americas military, economic and political power to achieve shared goals.

The strategy also expands authority to move swiftly against terrorist activities and criminal networks in place of micromanagement from Washington and a breaking of the silence over Pakistans shelters and sanctuaries for terrorists, the Afghan Ambassador said.

Like America, Afghanistan also wants an honourable and enduring outcome to this fight, for all the Afghan, US, and NATO soldiers who have served and sacrificed to advance the cause of peace, Mohib said.

In his address, Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, Trump said.

Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists, he said, in an apparent warning to Pakistan.

In his speech, Trump came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying Islamabad receives billions in aid from the US but continues to harbour terrorists.

In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices, Trump said.

But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people, he added.

Trump noted that the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars but it continues to house the very terrorists that America is fighting.

But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace, Trump said.
Afghanistan Tuesday welcomed President Donald Trumps move to commit thousands more troops to Americas longest war, reversing earlier pledges to pull out, but Taliban insurgents vowed to make the country a graveyard for US forces.

President Ashraf Ghani, speaking to troops in southern Kandahar, birthplace of the Taliban, said Trumps first formal address as commander-in-chief late Monday showed that America was with us, without any time limit.

You cannot win this war, Ghani told the Taliban, calling on them to join talks and saying his country wants peace with neighbouring Pakistan, long accused of fuelling the insurgency.

Trump pilloried Pakistan in his speech for offering safe haven to agents of chaos -- words welcomed by Islamabads arch-enemy India but rejected by its ally China.

For its part, Pakistan released a carefully worded Foreign Office statement late Tuesday in which it called for peace in Afghanistan and pledged to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism.

The US president also discarded his previous criticism of the nearly 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from behind the desk in the Oval Office.

My instinct was to pull out, Trump said as he spoke of his frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.

But following months of deliberation, Trump said he had concluded a rapid exit would predictably create an unacceptable vacuum which terrorists would instantly fill.

He refused to offer detailed troop numbers, but senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Trump warned that security assistance to Afghanistan was not a blank cheque, adding: We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

In response, the Taliban vowed to make the country a graveyard for the US and said it would continue its jihad as long as American troops remained in the country.

- Pakistans double game -

The US has grown increasingly weary of the conflict that began in October 2001 as a hunt for the 9/11 attackers and has turned into a vexed effort to keep Afghanistans divided and corruption-plagued democracy alive amid a brutal Taliban insurgency.

The fatigue extends to its dealings with Pakistan, criticised by successive US administrations for links with the Taliban and for harbouring leading jihadists -- like Osama bin Laden.

We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, Trump said, warning that vital aid could be cut. That will have to change and that will change immediately.

We want peace from Pakistan, they cannot provide safe havens to anyone anymore, Ghani said in Kandahar, as Afghan civilians who spoke to AFP praised Trump for illuminating the double game which they said Islamabad was playing in their country.

The Indian foreign ministry said it welcomed Trumps effort to confront Pakistan. India has vied with Pakistan for influence in Afghanistan, and Islamabads policies in the country are driven by its desire to keep New Delhi at bay.

But China, which is investing around $50 billion in Pakistan, said its South Asian neighbour deserves the international communitys support after the great sacrifices it has made in fighting extremism.

- About face -

Trump for the first time also left the door open to an eventual political deal with the Taliban.

Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said.

But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen, he added.

The Trump administration had originally promised a new Afghan plan by mid-July, but the president was said to be dissatisfied by initial proposals to deploy a few thousand more troops.

His new policy will raise questions about what, if anything, can be achieved by making further deployments, or repeating the demands of previous administrations in more forceful terms.

In 2010 the United States had upwards of 100,000 US military personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Today that figure is around 8,400 US troops and the situation is as deadly as ever.

Trumps announcement comes amid a month of turmoil for his administration, which has seen several top White House officials fired and revelations that members of Trumps campaign are being investigated by a federal grand jury.

He sought in his address to convince Americans weary of his controversial off-the-cuff remarks of his seriousness.

I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle, he said -- though his effort was undermined when he later referred to Afghanistans non-existent Prime Minister.
The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become a graveyard for the United States Tuesday after President Donald Trump cleared the way for thousands more American troops to be sent to the war-torn country.

If America doesnt withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century, Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

He added that America should think of an exit strategy instead of continuing the war.

As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale will continue our jihad, Mujahid said.

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end Americas longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief late Monday, though he did not offer specifics.

He said he had concluded the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable, leaving a vacuum that terrorists would instantly fill.

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Earlier Mujahid had dismissed the strategy as vague and nothing new.

For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear, he told AFP.

A senior Taliban commander told AFP that Trump was just perpetuating the arrogant behaviour of previous presidents such as George W Bush.

He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything. For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath, he told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He added that the statement proved the current Afghan government is a US puppet.

The insurgents signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the US embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack late Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the citys diplomatic quarter, with no casualties reported.

Trump also lambasted US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to agents of chaos.

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistans shadowy military establishment, told AFP that Trump has proved its a Crusade.

His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community), he said.

Prior to Trumps announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Sixteen years of US warfare in Afghanistan have left the insurgents as strong as ever and the nations future precarious. Facing a quagmire, President Donald Trump on Monday outlined his strategy for victory in a country that has historically snared great powers and defied easy solutions.

Americas longest-running war began well as US-led forces quickly toppled the Taliban government and disrupted al Qaeda leaders who plotted the Sept 11, 2001, attacks from Afghan soil. But the fighting never ended.

In recent years, security has gradually worsened as Taliban insurgents, enjoying sanctuary in Pakistan, have gained a foothold across the country. Afghanistans rampant heroin trade, official corruption and infighting among the nations elite have only compounded problems.

Trump is the third US president to grapple with the Afghan challenge. A look at the phases of the US involvement to date:

Regime change

Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, a massive US air campaign targets al Qaeda fighters and Taliban troops, training camps and air defences. Anti-Taliban forces of the Northern Alliance enter Kabul as the Taliban flee.

By December 2001, Afghan groups agree on a deal in Bonn, Germany, for an interim government.

With Afghanistan liberated from Taliban control, the US military force grows to 2,500 as troops scour the mountainous Tora Bora region looking for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. He eludes capture. Although President George W Bush remains leery of supporting nation-building efforts in Afghanistan, the US expands its counterterrorism operations. By the end of 2002, there are 9,700 US troops in the country.

Democracy and distraction

In November 2004, Hamid Karzai, who had served two years as interim leader, is the clear winner in Afghanistans first direct election for president. The Bush administration hails the vote as a key step in the nations transformation. Millions of girls return to school after being barred under the Taliban. As the country opens up, Western aid helps the economy grow, at least in urban areas.

But the Taliban, enjoying sanctuary in Pakistan, show signs of re-emergence, launching sporadic attacks on government forces in eastern Afghanistan. Although Karzai is an ethnic Pashtun, which comprise the bulk of Taliban recruits, his government alienates what is Afghanistans main ethnic group. Karzais administration is dominated by former commanders of the Northern Alliance.

US troop numbers swell to 20,000, but Washingtons attention increasingly turns to Iraq. The US invades in March 2003, toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. It struggles with the aftermath. Soon Iraq is gripped by an explosion of sectarian violence that preoccupies Bush until he leaves office.

More western troops, more violence

In 2006, NATO assumes responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan, pumping troops into Taliban heartlands in the south of the country.

The US ups its forces in the country to 30,000. Britain, Canada and others boost their contributions. But the violence and lawlessness worsens.

Production of opium, the raw material of heroin, soars to a record high, funding the insurgency and fuelling official corruption. Tensions grow between Afghanistan and Pakistan over cross-border Taliban attacks.

In the fall of 2008, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen concedes, Im not sure were winning.

Surge

President Barack Obama, vowing to refocus US efforts in Afghanistan, enters office in 2009 endorsing shifts to a counterinsurgency strategy designed to protect Afghan civilians rather than hunt down Taliban.

He quickly sends in 21,000 more forces. After a prolonged policy review, Obama orders an additional surge, bringing troop levels to a high of 100,000 by August 2010. He says the US will begin withdrawing forces by 2011. Critics say the drawdown date diminishes the incentive for the Taliban to negotiate for peace.

Bin Laden is killed in a US special operations raid in Pakistan in March 2011.

Obama then presses ahead with plans to hand over security responsibilities to Afghanistan by 2014. By the end of that year, NATO ends its combat mission in the country. US relations with Karzai, however, deteriorate. A contested election to replace Karzai introduces a more pro-US leader in Ashraf Ghani, but his government is bitterly divided.

No withdrawal

With violence reaching post-2001 highs and Afghan security forces taking heavy casualties, Obama backtracks on plans to virtually withdraw all US forces by the end of 2016.

He leaves office with 8,400 troops still in the country.

The US kills new Taliban leader Mullah Mansour in a drone attack in Pakistan in May 2016, derailing peace talks. But on the battlefield, the Taliban are in the ascendant and threaten provincial capitals in both the north and south. The Islamic State group gains a foothold in eastern Afghanistan.

Enter Trump

Trump says little about Afghanistan during his first seven months in office, while the military grows antsy.

The Pentagon proposes sending in nearly 4,000 more US troops to increase training of Afghan forces and counterterrorism operations, but the administration is divided on strategy. Nearly everyone considers the fight a stalemate, and some in Trumps administration even propose withdrawing or handing over the entire American effort to private security contractors.

Among Afghans, anti-Western sentiment grows over deteriorating security, even in the capital, Kabul. The economy also suffers, partly as a result of a drawdown in foreign forces. As Trump is poised to announce his plan, Afghanistans government controls only about half of the country.

After months of debate, Trump finally unveils his strategy in a prime-time television address.

He says the US will win in the end, defeating al Qaeda and IS fighters, and ensuring the government doesnt fall to the Taliban. He refuses to provide troop increase numbers or timelines, saying military assistance would be determined by results and the cooperation of Afghanistans beleaguered government.
Three Bahraini human rights groups accused the Gulf Arab monarchys National Security Agency on Tuesday of systematic use of torture, and a security official said it would investigate their allegations.

The NSA has for decades been central to the Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdoms efforts to overcome protests and occasional violence by members of the countrys Shia Muslim majority.

The Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights and Salam for Democracy and Human Rights accused the NSA of employing excessive force from its predecessor agencys founding in 1966 to the present.

Giving examples, the report by the three groups entitled Chambers of Death alleged that female rights activist Ebtisam Alsaegh was subjected to torture and sexual assault during an interrogation by the NSA in May this year.

It accused the NSA of having arrested an opposition party official Adel Marzooq in the same month, stripping him of clothes, pouring cold water several times on him, threatening him with rape, forcing him to repeat the slogans I am a traitor to the homeland and forcing him to quit his legal activism.

The rights organisations recommended that the NSA be relegated to gathering intelligence and be stripped of a role in arrests and law enforcement.

A Bahraini security adviser said the government took allegations of wrongdoing seriously and would investigate any violations.

The NSA is committed to protecting and preserving Bahrains national security whilst upholding domestic and international law. We therefore take very seriously any allegations of wrongdoing by NSA staff, said the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

We will be examining the report in detail and will provide a full response when we have looked into these allegations.

In 2011, Bahrain put down an uprising by pro-democracy activists, many of them Shiites. The monarchy believes the opposition seeks to overthrow it by force and accuses Iran of aiding in deadly militant attacks on security forces.

Home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Bahrain denies opposition claims that it marginalises Shiites economically and in government representation. But U.S. President Donald Trumps administration reiterated concerns about Bahrain this month.

In Bahrain, the government continued to question, detain, and arrest Shiite clerics, community members, and opposition politicians, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said with respect to an annual report on global religious freedom.

Bahrain said Tillersons remarks were inappropriate and showed a deep misunderstanding of the facts.
Britain on Tuesday welcomed a commitment by US President Donald Trump to step up the military campaign against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

President Trump committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan on Monday night, reversing course from his campaign pledges.

Britain along with other European allies pledged more troops to support Afghanistans military in June, with US secretary of defence James Mattis saying at the time that troop numbers in the country had been reduced too rapidly.

The US commitment is very welcome, British defence secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement.

In my call with Secretary Mattis yesterday we agreed that despite the challenges, we have to stay the course in Afghanistan to help build up its fragile democracy and reduce the terrorist threat to the West.

Its in all our interests that Afghanistan becomes more prosperous and safer: thats why we announced our own troop increase back in June.
After initially following an order from China to block more than 315 research articles on issues such as the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, the University of Cambridge has reinstated the blocked content on the ground of academic freedom.

The Cambridge University Press had blocked the articles in The China Quarterly, a leading journal of Chinese studies. The block led to protests, an online petition and calls for boycotting the university from academics in the West and other countries, including India.

On Monday, a university spokesperson told Hindustan Times: Following a clear order from its Chinese importer, Cambridge University Press reluctantly took the decision to block, within China, 315 articles in The China Quarterly.

This decision was taken as a temporary measure pending discussion with the academic leadership of the University of Cambridge, and pending a scheduled meeting with the Chinese importer in Beijing. The academic leadership of the University has now reviewed this action

The spokesperson added, Academic freedom is the overriding principle on which the University of Cambridge is based. Therefore, while this temporary decision was taken in order to protect short-term access in China to the vast majority of the Presss journal articles, the universitys academic leadership and the Press have agreed to reinstate the blocked content, with immediate effect, so as to uphold the principle of academic freedom on which the universitys work is founded.

Academics welcomed the rebuff to Beijing by the university, but reports from China suggested the decision to reinstate the block content has not been circulated within the country.

The university faced allegations of censorship in February, when its academic, Priyamvada Gopal, accused it of censoring her views on Jammu and Kashmir in her article in the universitys alumni magazine.

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China on Tuesday said there will be chaos in the region if it follows Indias ridiculous logic and enters Indian territory to disrupt construction projects along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that Beijing perceives as a security threat.

Beijing has blamed New Delhi for the military standoff at Doklam or Donglang near the Sikkim border  now into its third month - and accused Indian soldiers of trespass and preventing Chinese soldiers from building a road in the region, which is claimed by Bhutan.

If we tolerate Indias ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbours home can break into his neighbours house, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a news briefing.

She added: Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure in the border area is posing a threat, it can enter Indias territory? Wouldnt that be utter chaos?

China wants India to withdraw its troops from Doklam before the two sides open talks. New Delhi says the road, if built, will alter the status quo.

The Indian government has also said China's road construction activity has serious security implications and highlighted the geographic proximity of the proposed road to its vulnerable "chicken's neck", the narrow stretch of land connecting the mainland to the remote northeastern states.

Chinese state media has accused India of double standards since the country is going ahead with many construction projects along the LAC while talking about its security concerns related to Chinese projects.

Hua described the reasons given by India for its actions as ridiculous and said the facts are clear.

So the only prerequisite condition for the settlement (of the standoff) is to withdraw the personnel and equipment by the Indian side, she said.

So the fact is that the Indian side has illegally trespassed the boundary and violated the agreement on the boundary that has been recognised and abided by (for) over 130 years. So we urge the Indian side to take concrete actions and make positive moves to correct its wrongdoing, she added.

China loves peace and firmly upholds peace. At the same time we will safeguard our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We allow no country or any individual to infringe upon Chinas territorial sovereignty, Hua said.

On Monday, China had blamed India for a skirmish between troops of the two sides in Ladakh last week, saying Indian forces triggered the scuffle in which some Chinese soldiers were injured.

The foreign ministry said China has lodged its serious concerns over the incident, which occurred along the LAC.

The Chinese side has verified that on August 15, the normal patrol conducted by the Chinese border troops in the Chinese side of the LAC near Pangong Lake in the western part of the China-India boundary was obstructed by the Indian border troops. The Indian side took some violent actions to collide and scuffle with the Chinese side, which injured the Chinese personnel, the ministry said.

India's action, it added, had violated the consensus on upholding peace and tranquillity in border areas and endangered the situation of the western part of the boundary.
A city council meeting in Charlottesville, Virginia briefly dissolved into an angry protest on Monday as activists and residents demanded answers from officials regarding the response from police during a deadly rally held by white supremacists.

About 100 activists and residents crowded into the council meeting, the first since the violent demonstrations two weekends ago, and shouted Shame and Shut it down toward council members and the mayor, forcing them to briefly end the meeting and leave the chambers, according to the New York Times.

As Mayor Mike Signer and council members left the room, two people held a sign that read Blood On Your Hands, the Times reported.

No one was injured and three people were issued citations for disorderly conduct before the meeting resumed, the Times reported.

Activists and residents at the council meeting questioned the response from police during the violent weekend and criticized city leaders for not heeding warnings about the rally, the Times reported.

We tried really hard, Signer said, according to the New York Times, after the meeting resumed, saying that a federal judge forced the city to allow the rally downtown.

Mondays protest came after hundreds of white supremacists descended on Charlottesville on August 11 and marched with tiki torches through the campus of the University of Virginia, in a display that critics called reminiscent of a Ku Klux Klan rally, before they fought with counter-protesters.

The next day, white supremacists opposed to plans of removing a statue of Robert E. Lee, commander of the pro-slavery Confederate army in the American Civil War, clashed with anti-racism demonstrators before a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters and killed a 32-year-old woman.

The events on August 11 and 12 highlight a persistent debate in the US South over the display of the Confederate battle flag and other symbols of the rebel side in the Civil War, fought over the issue of slavery.
China defended its ally Pakistan on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said the United States could no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for militants and warned it had much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists.

Trump on Monday committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signalling he would dispatch more troops to Americas longest war and vowing a fight to win.

Trump insisted that others - the Afghan government, Pakistan, India and NATO allies - step up their own commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict, but he saved his sharpest words for Pakistan.

Senior U.S. officials warned security assistance for Pakistan could be reduced unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperated more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil.

Critics say Pakistan sees militants such as the Taliban as useful tools to limit the influence of old rival India. Pakistan denies allowing militants refuge on its territory, saying it takes action against all groups.

Asked about Trumps speech, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Pakistan was on the front line in the struggle against terrorism and had made great sacrifices and important contributions in the fight.

We believe that the international community should fully recognise Pakistans anti-terrorism, she told a daily news briefing.

We are happy to see Pakistan and the United States carry out anti-terror cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, and work together for security and stability in the region and world.

China and Pakistan consider each other all-weather friends and have close diplomatic, economic and security ties.

China has its own security concerns in the region, in particular any links between militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Islamist groups China blames for violence in its far western region of Xinjiang.

We hope the relevant US policies can help promote the security, stability and development of Afghanistan and the region, Hua said.
Reversing course from his campaign pledges, US President Donald Trump on Monday committed US to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan and singled out Pakistan for providing safe haven to militants.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens, Trump said, adding that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically.

Trump promised to boost US strategic partnership with India to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan and called on New Delhi to provide more economic assistance to the war-torn country.

Here are the top quotes from Trumps speech:

Why the decision to remain involved in Afghanistan

Trump said that although he shared Americans frustration over the US foreign policy, he feared exiting Afghanistan immediately could be unpredictable:

... the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists.

A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda, would instantly fill just as happened before Sept. 11.

Pakistan will have to change

Trump came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying the country receives billions in US aid but continues to harbour militants.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.

The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices... But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars. At the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting.

But that will have to change. And that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order and to peace.

Increased cooperation with India

Trump warned about the threat of conflict between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan if terrorism wasnt thwarted and said America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India.

Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India, the worlds largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate Indias important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.

Attack we will: Warning to terrorists

The US President strongly denounced terrorism and warned militant groups of the American might.

We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out.

I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

Hinting at political settlement with elements of Taliban?

Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power  diplomatic, economic, and military  toward a successful outcome. Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan. But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen.

On Trumps record-breaking success

Trump claimed the US had achieved record-breaking success fighting terrorism against the Islamic State under his presidency.

Were already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.

Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror.

America First

The US President remained true to his campaign promises and said that America will focus on its interests instead of ensuring establishment of democracies in other nations:

But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests.

Taking potshots at Obama?

Since assuming charge, Trump has often attacked the Obama administration for inheriting a mess. At home and abroad.

No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan and South Asia. But we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became president, I was given a bad and very complex hand. But I fully knew what I was getting into, big and intricate problems.

But one way or another, these problems will be solved. Im a problem solver. And in the end, we will win.

(With agency inputs)
President Donald Trump warned Pakistan on Monday that Washington will no longer tolerate Pakistan offering safe havens to extremists.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, Trump declared, outlining a new US security strategy in South Asia.

Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists.

Going further, Trump suggested that military and other aid to Washingtons nuclear-armed ally is at stake if it does not clamp down on extremism.

We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, he said.

That will have to change and that will change immediately, he said.

It is time for Pakistan to dedicate to civilization and order and peace.
Traditional Chinese practitioners believe acupuncture which involves inserting long, fine needles at specific places known as meridians of the body can stimulate blood circulation to promote healing and relieve some aches and pains.On its website, the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society said acupuncture has been used in veterinary practice in China for thousands of years to treat many ailments.

A cat receives treatment at a neurology and acupuncture animal health centre which specialises in acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for animals in Shanghai, China. (Aly Song/REUTERS)

In a new trend, pet owners in China are turning to acupuncture to help soothe the aches and pains of their beloved cats and dogs. An increasing number of pet owners are now opting for acupuncture to treat pets suffering from ailments ranging from arthritis to paralysis among other medical conditions that result in loss of movement.

Acupuncture needles are seen at an Animal Health Centre which specialises in acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for animals in Shanghai, China. (Aly Song/REUTERS)

Jin Rishan, a specialist at the Shanghai TCM Neurology and Acupuncture Animal Health Center, said they have treated more than 2,000 cats and dogs since the clinic opened four years ago.

Surgical removal of the tumour leads to other complications. Acupuncture helps in stimulating the weakened organs helping them function better. (Aly Song /REUTERS)

Wang Xijuan, 74, took her cat to a session at a Shanghai clinic and said, China is famous for acupuncture. I took the cat here immediately to have a try. A single session costs 260 yuan ($39) and last for about 45 minutes.

During the process pressure points are identified with physical examination and electrical stimulation is given to the animal which helps the pets to recover. (Aly Song /REUTERS)

According to Chinas National Bureau of Statistics, about 7% of Chinese urban households now have a dog while nearly 2% have a cat prompting strong growth in the local pet industry in recent years.

A cat receives treatment at Shanghai at an animal health centre in Sanghai,China. (Aly Song /REUTERS)

With increasingly busy lifestyles and growing stress at work and home, more and more consumers are adopting pets as companions as a means of relief. According to research firm Euromonitor, the pet healthcare industry is expected to grow by more than 50% by 2019.

A dog walks with a wheelchair attached outside an animal health centre in Shanghai, China. (Aly Song /REUTERS)

Jin said about 80 percent of their patients have shown some improvement after treatment while adding,Making a paralysed and dependent dog stand up is our ultimate goal.
Iraqi forces on Tuesday recaptured from the Islamic State group the first two districts of jihadist bastion Tal Afar, as the Pentagon chief visited Baghdad in a show of support.

The United Nations said thousands of civilians have fled Tal Afar in the two days since the start of the broad offensive backed by the US-led coalition fighting IS.

In remarks before meeting in Baghdad with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said he wanted to keep the spotlight on eradicating the jihadists.

Right now our focus is on defeating ISIS inside Iraq, restoring Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Pentagon chief, using an alternative acronym for IS.

Iraqi troops, supported by the forces of a US-led international coalition, routed IS in Mosul in July after a gruelling nine-month fight for Iraqs second city.

They launched the offensive on Sunday to recapture Tal Afar, once a key IS supply hub between Mosul -- around 70 kilometres to the east -- and the Syrian border.

The jihadists inside Tal Afar, estimated to number around 1,000, responded with artillery fire today as the Iraqi forces massed outside the city.

Army, police and units of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition later took full control of Al-Kifah and Al-Nur districts in Tal Afar, the Hashed said.

The Iraqi forces had encircled the city despite what Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi described as intense fighting. He said the fighting for the city would likely last weeks.

The International Organization for Migration said its teams were responding to thousands of civilians fleeing Tal Afar since the launch of the military campaign.

Since Friday, more than 3,000 people had arrived at two IOM emergency sites, many with just the clothes on their back, said the UN agency.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it had received some 9,000 people at the Hamman Al Alil transit centre in the past week, and it was preparing to accommodate nearly 30,000 more.

Mattis declined to make any predictions on the battle.

ISISs days are certainly numbered, but its not over yet and its not going to be over anytime soon, he said.

Iraqi forces had fought like the dickens in Mosul, (it) cost them over 6,000 wounded, somewhere over 1,200 killed, he noted.

Yet that comeback restored the confidence of the Iraqi forces after their shock loss of Mosul to IS in 2014.

Mattis stressed that retaking Mosul would not have happened without... Abadis steady hand but also thanks to extensive US support.

The future of that support still must be settled, and there would be resistance from Shiite militia and Iranians, said Nicholas Heras, Middle East Security Fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

Mattis will also meet in Arbil with Massud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

Mattis had said his discussions in Iraq would focus on the way ahead, including how to keep the country from again politically fragmenting or falling further under Irans influence.

Secretary Mattis is going to be very much focused on a pathway for the United States to continue to have to a residual force in Iraq to continue to train Iraqi security forces and avoiding a successor from IS rising up, said Heras.

A key issue is Iraqi Kurdistans plan for an independence referendum on September 25, strongly opposed by the US as an event that could undermine Abadi and distract from the fight against IS.

A referendum at this time would be potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign, said Brett McGurk, the White House envoy to the anti-IS coalition.

Its not just the United States; every member of our coalition believes that now is not the time to hold this referendum.

McGurk said the initial push on the outskirts of Tal Afar was going well, with 235 square kilometres cleared in the first 24 hours.

Iraqi and US forces were moving faster, more effectively, more efficiently, he said, in part due to US President Donald Trump having given Mattis more authority to decide on tactics and resources needed.

Mattis, who is on a five-day swing through Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Ukraine, said he would also talk about reconstruction and resettlement of hundreds of thousand of Iraqis driven from their homes and towns by the fighting, especially Mosul.

Its not going to happen overnight. Its going to be a heavy lift for them going forward.

But Heras said Mattis, whom he said has earned firm trust among Iraqis, needs to help Abadi further build his power as a moderate for the post-war, with elections looming for next year.

That will be a political pickle that Mattis will have to work Abadi through, he said.
The Islamic State has said a fighter using the assumed name Abu Yusuf al-Hindi carried out a suicide attack in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the first time the terror group has acknowledged an Indian-origin fighters involvement in such an assault.

The kunya (nom de guerre) of Abu Yusuf al-Hindi is also used by Mohammad Shafi Armar, who was designated a global terrorist by the US in June and is the main IS recruiter in India. It could not immediately be ascertained whether Armar was the terrorist involved in the suicide attack in Raqqa.

In an Arabic statement issued through its Amaq news agency late on Monday, the IS said Abu Yusuf al-Hindi killed and wounded a number of apostates from the PPK or Kurdistan Workers Party in the attack, according to SITE Intelligence Group which monitors the online activities of jihadi groups.

There was no official word on the claim from Indian security agencies.

In its statement in June naming Armar as a specially designated global terrorist, the US state department described him as a leader and head recruiter in India for the IS. He was the first Indian-origin IS leader to be sanctioned by the US.

He has cultivated a group of dozens of ISIS sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps, the statement said.

Experts who track IS activities expressed doubts about whether the group would use such a high-profile terrorist responsible for recruitment and other activities for carrying out a suicide attack.

But one expert noted that there arent too many Indian fighters in the Raqqa area and that the kunya given by IS for the suicide bomber was the same as that of Armar.

Armar, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka who is believed to be about 30 years old, used other aliases such as Chhote Maula and Anjan Bhai. He is also the subject of an Interpol Red Corner notice.

He is believed to have fled to Pakistan with his elder brother Abdul Khader Sultan Armar after a crackdown on members of the Indian Mujahideen. Following a clash with the Bhatkal brothers, the driving force behind the Indian Mujahideen, Armar is believed to have created Ansar-ul-Tawhid, which pledged allegiance to the IS.

Abdul Khader Sultan Armar was reported to have died fighting for the IS at Kobane in Syria in early 2015.

Armar has also been blamed for recruiting for the IS in neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Pakistans former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been diagnosed with throat cancer, doctors in the United Kingdom told a news channel on Tuesday.

Kulsoom has filed nomination papers to contest elections on the seat that fell vacant after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court on July 28. According to Geo News, Kulsoom abruptly left for London for a medical checkup while her nomination papers were being scrutinised.

Doctors treating the former premiers wife have said that her cancer can be treated and that her treatment will begin in a few days.

Kulsoom was expected to actively contest the elections but it is now believed that their daughter Maryam will campaign for her mother instead.

The news comes as a setback to the Sharif family  after the 1999 coup by Pervez Musharraf, she had led the PML-N party while husband was placed under arrest by the military..
North Koreas military on Tuesday greeted the start of annual US-South Korean military drills with its standard fiery threats, vowing merciless retaliation for exercises Pyongyang claims are an invasion rehearsal.

North Korea routinely issues such warlike rhetoric or conducts weapons tests to respond to the US-South Korean exercises. Tuesdays threat came as top US generals, including Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of US forces in the Pacific, visited South Korea. Ties between the Koreas are almost always fraught, but anxiety is higher than normal following weeks of tit-for-tat threats between President Donald Trump and Pyongyang in the wake of the Norths two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

The US generals were to travel to the site of a contentious US missile-defense system in South Korea later Tuesday.

The Norths military statement said it will launch an unspecified merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment on the United States over the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills that began Monday for an 11-day run.

Despite the threat, an unprompted direct attack is extremely unlikely because the United States vastly outguns Pyongyang, which values the continuation of its dictatorship above all else. Impoverished North Korea hates the drills in part because they force it to respond with expensive military measures of its own.

The North Korean statement accused the United States of deploying unspecified lethal weapons for the drills that it says involve a beheading operation training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong Un.

No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch in the Korean Peninsula, the statement said. Moreover, high-ranking bosses of the US imperialist aggressor forces flew into South Korea to hold a war confab. Such huddle is increasing the gravity of the situation.

Sen. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who visited Seoul with other lawmakers, said Tuesday that a dialogue would be the best way to defuse the North Korean nuclear standoff though he argues the United States and its allies must be ready to respond to potential aggression by North Korea with overwhelming force.

Talking with North Korea is not a concession, it is the only way to reach an agreement to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and to reinforce that our military strength is there only to deter aggression and to defend against attack, Markey told a news conference.

Last month North Korea test-launched two ICBMs at highly lofted angles, and outside experts say those missiles can reach Alaska, Los Angeles or Chicago if fired at normal, flattened trajectories. Analysts say it will be only a matter of time for the North to achieve its long-stated goal of acquiring a nuclear missile that can strike anywhere in the United States.

Earlier this month, Trump pledged to answer North Korean aggression with fire and fury and later said a military solution was locked and loaded. North Korea, for its part, threatened to launch missiles toward the American territory of Guam before Kim Jong Un said he would first watch how Washington acts before going ahead with the missile launch plan.

The Ulchi drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer, and this years exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers.

No field training like live-fire exercises or tank maneuvering is involved in the Ulchi drills, in which alliance officers sit at computers to practice how they would engage in battles and hone their decision-making capabilities. The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.
A prominent journalist of Indian-descent has been fired as the editor of the Los Angeles Times after serving 28 years at the news organisation, as part of a significant shake-up of the American dailys top management.

Davan Maharaj, who served as both editor and publisher since 2016, was terminated along with other senior editors of the daily.

Maharaj was terminated along with a handful of other senior editors, including Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, Deputy Managing Editor for Digital Megan Garvey and Assistant Managing Editor of Investigations Matt Doig, a report in the LA Times said.

A native of Trinidad, Maharaj began his journey at the paper as a summer intern in 1989 and worked as a reporter in Orange County, Los Angeles and East Africa. He had later served as assistant foreign editor, business editor and managing editor. A six-part series Living on Pennies done by Maharaj in collaboration with photographer Francine Orr, won the 2005 Ernie Pyle Award for Human Interest Writing and prompted readers to donate tens of thousands of dollars to support aid agencies in Africa.

While Maharaj was editor, The Times won three Pulitizer Prizes, including for breaking news reporting of the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino.

During the last 28 years, it has been an honour working with the best journalists in a great American newsroom, Maharaj said in an email, quoted in the LA Times report.

They are indomitable, and I wish them well in their continued fight to serve our community. Im proud of the work weve done, he added.

Ross Levinsohn, a veteran media executive who worked at Fox and had served as interim chief of Yahoo, was named publisher and chief executive of the 135-year-old LA Times.

Jim Kirk, who was publisher and editor of the Chicago Sun-Times until last week, was named interim editor.

The move was announced by Justin C Dearborn, chief executive of Tronc, the parent company of The Times and eight other daily newspapers as part the organisations plans to invest more resources towards ushering it into the digital age.

The report added that the shake-up came just one month after an investigative report was published in The Times that revealed that the former dean of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine had partied with a prostitute and drug dealers, including on campus.

Some reporters who had worked on the project approached senior corporate management to express concern that Maharaj and Duvoisin had delayed the story for fear of upsetting USC, which hosts the newspapers annual Festival of Books.

Maharaj and Duvoisin had defended the handling of the story, noting that sensitive and complicated articles take months to report, edit and legally review, the report added.
A row between Gulf states Qatar and Saudi Arabia over the transport of hajj pilgrims to Mecca escalated on Monday as Doha denounced current arrangements as illogical.

A strongly worded statement from Dohas foreign ministry said it was surprised that Riyadh had decided to restrict the transport of pilgrims from Qatar to Saudi Arabian Airlines only.

Limiting the transfer of Qatari pilgrims to Saudi Arabian Airlines only is unprecedented, illogical, surprising and contravenes the teachings of Islam, said the statement from the ministrys information office director, Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Rumaihi.

It was the second statement of the day from Qatar on an increasingly contentious issue.

Earlier, Doha had denied a claim from Saudi Arabian Airlines accusing Qatari authorities of refusing to allow one of its flights to land at Hamad International Airport.

An official source in the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority said the claim was baseless, according to a report carried on the state-run QNA news agency.

The Saudi accusation of the flight being blocked was made on Sunday.

Qatari authorities have not allowed the aircraft to land as it did not have the right paperwork, although the paperwork was filed days ago, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

Qatar said the paperwork had been filed to the wrong ministry.

The flight is one of a select few that will allow Qataris to land in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh decided last week to temporarily reopen its borders to pilgrims from the emirate.

That decision came more than two months into a diplomatic crisis that has seen Saudi Arabia cut all ties and close its border with Qatar.

The hajj to Mecca, the most revered site in Islam, is a pilgrimage that Muslims must perform at least once.

This years hajj at the start of September is expected to draw some two million Muslims from around the world.

The pilgrimage has turned into the latest front in an ongoing diplomatic crisis that has seen Saudi Arabia and its allies cut all ties with Doha over accusations of state support for Islamist extremist groups and close ties to Shiite Iran.

Qatar denies the allegations.

Saudi Arabia has said Qatari pilgrims would be allowed to enter the kingdom for this years hajj but imposed several travel restrictions, including flying in only on airlines approved by Riyadh.

The move sparked a backlash in Doha, where authorities said the pilgrimage had been used as political ammunition.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5 in what has become the worst political crisis to grip the Gulf region in decades.
Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadrs visit to Saudi Arabia at the end of July signalled the Gulf Sunni powerhouses ambition to distance its Iranian foe from policy-making in Baghdad.

In the wake of former dictator Saddam Husseins August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Riyadh severed relations with Baghdad and closed its border posts with its northern neighbour.

Ties have remained strained even after Saddams ouster in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, since when successive Shiite-dominated governments in Baghdad have stayed close to Tehran.

But Sadrs rare visit to Saudi Arabia came at the invitation of Riyadh, which played up his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Two weeks later, Sadr followed up by holding talks in Abu Dhabi with its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, strongman of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and close ally of his counterpart in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Hosting Sadr in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi shows regional rivals and particularly Iran that KSA/UAE are capable of tapping into and influencing intra-Shia politics in Iraq, said Fanar Haddad, a research fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

For the Gulf monarchies, Sadr would be a prize catch: authentically Shia-Iraqi, distrustful if not disdainful of Iran and with a genuinely organic and loyal grassroots following.

- Pulling the strings -

The pro-Western Arab states of the Gulf aim to show that Iran no longer holds a monopoly on influencing policy in Baghdad, according to Iraqi political scientist Hashem al-Hashemi.

Tehran prided itself on pulling all the strings among the Shiites (of Iraq) but it seems that several strings are now beyond its grasp, like that of the Sadrists, Hashemi said.

In June, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, also a Shiite, held meetings in Saudi Arabia, four months after a visit to Baghdad by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, a first of its kind since 2003.

For Michael Knights, a researcher at the Washington Institute, such interaction with Riyadh could come at a price.

Tehran will view the Saudi Arabian engagement by Abadi and Sadr as another reason that Abadi must be displaced as premier in the 2018 elections, said Knights.

And Iran will work hard behind the scenes with money, media and weapons to make that happen.

But at the same time, Haddad warned that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi should not count too heavily on Sadr to restore their influence in Baghdad at the expense of Tehran.

They should moderate their expectations as to how much he will be willing to deliver, he cautioned.

Tehran has played a major political, economic and military role in Baghdad since the end of Saddams rule, during which Shiites were barred from powerful posts and Shiite-majority Iraq fought a 1980-1988 war against Shiite but non-Arab Iran.

According to the Carnegie Middle East Center, Iranian exports, not including fuel, tripled between 2008 and 2015 to reach $6.2 billion.

Apart from military advisers on the ground in Iraq, Iran also sponsors several armed groups, in particular the paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi units that are playing a key role in fighting the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

On his return from Saudi Arabia, Sadr renewed calls for the dismantling of armed groups, a stance which makes him particularly attractive to KSA/UAE, said Haddad.

But the firebrand cleric, whose own armed supporters fought fierce battles against US and government forces in the wake of the invasion, has steered clear of openly condemning Hashed al-Shaabi, which was set up at the request of the Shiite religious hierarchy in post-Saddam Iraq.

- Arar starting point -

Furthermore, Haddad stressed, a warming in ties between Riyadh and Sadr cannot be compared to close relations between two states.

Were still a long way from Iraqi-Saudi relations coming anywhere near the depth or complexity of Iraqi-Iranian ties, he said.

But in a first decisive step, Riyadh and Baghdad have announced plans to reopen the Arar desert crossing, their main border post and a potential alternative to Iraqs posts with Iran that are used for most of its imports.

The border has been shut for most of the past three decades to all travellers except Iraqi Muslim pilgrims heading to and from Mecca in western Saudi Arabia.

The announcement was made during a joint inspection of the Arar post by Iraqi and Saudi officials as well as Brett McGurk, the senior US envoy to the international coalition fighting IS.
The four remaining suspected members of a 12-member cell that carried out deadly twin attacks in Spain were charged on Tuesday with terror offences.

Here is what we know about the men, many of them brothers, who are thought to have planned and carried out the vehicle rampages in Barcelona and the seaside resort of Cambrils that left 15 dead and over 100 injured.

None were known to police for terror-related acts, though some had been involved in petty crime.

- DETAINED, IN COURT -

Driss Oukabir

Moroccan, in his late 20s. He was arrested Thursday in Ripoll, a town in northern Catalonia where many of the suspects grew up.

His passport was found by police in the van that ploughed into crowds in Barcelona, leaving 13 dead in its wake. He says his ID was stolen.

Mohamed Aallaa

Moroccan, 27, also arrested in Ripoll. Owns the Audi A3 used in the Cambrils attack. His father told AFP he used to lend it to his younger brother Said, who was killed in Cambrils.

Mohamed Houli Chemlal

A Spaniard born in Melilla, a Spanish territory in northern Morocco, thought to be 21.

He was injured in an explosion believed to have been accidentally detonated by the suspects themselves in their makeshift bomb factory in the seaside town of Alcanar.

Salh El Karib

Moroccan, in his 30s. He was also arrested in Ripoll. A friend of Driss, he manages a store that allows people to make calls abroad.

- DEAD -

Younes Abouyaaqoub

For several days the 22-year-old Moroccan became Spains most wanted man as the on-the-run driver of the van that ploughed through crowds in Barcelona, killing 13 people.

He is also suspected of having stabbed to death 34-year-old Pau Perez after hijacking his car to make a getaway.

Abouyaaqoub was shot dead by police on Monday after he was sighted in a village not far from Barcelona.

Abdelbaki Es Satty

An imam in Ripoll, 44-years-old. He is suspected of having radicalised the young men in the terror cell.

He died in the explosion in Alcanar, police have confirmed.

He had been in jail for drug trafficking from 2010 to 2014, police said.

He also spent time in the Brussels suburb of Machelen between January and March 2016.

Described by those who knew him as a discreet and religious man, he had recently asked for a holiday from the mosque he was preaching in, apparently to return to Morocco for personal business.

Moussa Oukabir

Initially thought to be the Barcelona attacker, the 17-year-old Moroccan was killed by police in Cambrils after the car he was in hit pedestrians before one suspect jumped out and stabbed a woman, killing her.

Mohamed Hichamy

Moroccan, 24-years-old. He was also killed in Cambrils.

Omar Hichamy

Mohameds brother, he was also shot in Cambrils. His age has not been released.

Said Aallaa

Moroccan, 18-years-old, one of the men killed in Cambrils. It would have been his birthday on August 25.

A friend apparently called him on Thursday at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) and he went out for a drive, Yasmila, a neighbour in Ripoll, told AFP. The Barcelona attack took place at 4:50 pm.

Houssein Abouyaaqoub

The younger brother of Younes, the Barcelona attacker.

An adept climber and skier according to pictures on social media published by Spains La Sexta television, he too was probably radicalised.

He was also killed by police in Cambrils.

Youssef Aallaa

He has been confirmed dead by police.

It is still unclear how he died but he is believed to have been killed in the explosion in Alcanar.
At least 42 civilians were killed Monday in a barrage of US-led air strikes on Islamic State group territory in the Syrian city of Raqa, a monitor said.

Nineteen children and 12 women were among those killed in the raids, which hit several neighbourhoods in the northern city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP on Tuesday.

The toll marked the second consecutive day of ferocious bombardment on Raqa, more than half of which has been captured by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces battling IS.

The latest figures for Mondays raids take to 167 the number of civilians killed in coalition strikes since August 14, after the Observatory said at least 27 were killed on Sunday.

The tolls are high because the air strikes are hitting neighbourhoods in the city centre that are densely packed with civilians, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

There are buildings full of civilians that are trying to get away from the front lines.

Coalition air strikes are targeting any building where any kind of Daesh movements are being detected, he told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The United Nations estimates there are up to 25,000 civilians trapped inside the city, with food and fuel supplies short and prohibitively expensive.

The UNs humanitarian pointman for Syria, Jan Egeland, has said IS-held territory in Raqa city is now the worst place in the war-torn country.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syrias conflict, which began with anti-government protests in 2011 but has since mushroomed into all-out war drawing in world powers.

The US-led coalition, which operates in both Syria and neighbouring Iraq, says it takes all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties.

In August, it acknowledged the deaths of 624 civilians in its strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014, but rights groups say the number is much higher.

mjg/dv
The Pakistani military on Tuesday expressed disappointment at US President Donald Trumps remarks denouncing the country for harbouring terrorists even as foreign minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad will continue to work with the world community to eliminate terrorism.

Some political leaders criticised the new American strategy for Afghanistan, saying the US administration is working under pressure from India.

The chief military spokesman, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, during an interview with Geo News channel, said the army had registered major gains against terrorist groups operating along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"We are not harbouring any terrorists," said Ghafoor, adding the armys operations against terrorism over the years made him confident that there would be no resurgence of terrorist groups in coming years.

During a meeting with US envoy David Hale, foreign minister Asif highlighted sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and underlined Pakistans continued desire to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism, said a statement from the Foreign Office.

Hale met Asif to brief him on Trumps policy review for South Asia and Afghanistan. The statement did not say whether Asif had reacted to Trumps accusations but quoted the foreign minister as reiterating Pakistans perspective and desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Unnamed Foreign Office officials were quoted by the media as saying that consultations were underway to prepare a detailed response to Trumps remarks.

There is nothing new in President Trumps speech, a senior unnamed government official told The Express Tribune newspaper. Pakistan has destroyed and eliminated the terror infrastructure from its soil, therefore repeating the demand of do more is not going to work.

Several political leaders and commentators condemned Trumps remarks and some accused the US administration of working under pressure from India.

PML-Q leader Mushahid Hussain Syed, the chairman of the Senates standing committee on defence, said the Trump administration was continuing the old US policy of putting pressure on Pakistan.

Trumps policy is a repetition of old mistakes and his call for greater Indian involvement in Afghanistan could lead to a proxy war between Pakistan and India on Afghan soil, Syed said.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, in a series of tweets, criticised the US for blaming Pakistan for its own deeply flawed and failed policy on Afghanistan.

Just as India blames Pak for the indigenous Kashmiri uprisings when these are a result of its own failed policy of (military) repression in (Jammu and Kashmir)...So the US again blames Pak for its deeply flawed & failed Afghan policy stretching over a decade, he tweeted. He added that Pakistan had fought two wars in Afghanistan at the behest of the US.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rehman, a former ambassador to the US, also criticised Trumps speech, saying the US policy for the Afghan war had been affected by numerous U-turns. The (US) has given no timeline, no numbers. Yet, their statement is getting more and more (hostile) towards the region, she told the media.

In his speech at a military facility near Washington, Trump said a pillar of the new US strategy for Afghanistan would be a change in the approach towards Pakistan.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists, he said.

Though the Pakistani people had suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism, the country has sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people, he added.

We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately...It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace, Trump said.
President Donald Trump signaled Monday key elements of his new strategy for Afghanistan will be a marked toughening of US position on Pakistan for its safe havens for terrorist organizations, along with an appeal to India, promoting its position as a factor, to do more in economic assistance.

The core pillar of the strategy, which he unveiled in remarks from a military facility outside DC, he said, was a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. He refused to talk about troop levels and other military plans saying he had long held such announcements to be counter-productive.

A new approach to Pakistan, the president said, was the next pillar of the new strategy. We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, Trump said in his first public rebuke of Pakistans counter-terrorism record.

Watch the speech:

He went on to warn Pakistan that though it had much to gain from partnering with US in Afghanistan, it has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting, the president said, venting his frustration that he has privately expressed to many. That will have to change and that will change immediately, he said.

What if it didnt? What is the administration actually willing to do about Pakistan? asked Ashley Tellis, a former US diplomat and Asia expert with Carnegie, making a broader point about a policy he approved clearly broad thrust of the policy is admirable but the devil will be in the details.

Pakistan has received $14 billion from the United States since 2002 under a budgetary head called Coalition Support Fund as compensation providing logistical support to the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan. It also gets financial assistance under other heads for civilian use and purposes.

India, on the other hand, will be expected by Trump to provide more economic assistance to Afghanistan. Trump put it in his own transactional manner. Calling India a key security and economic partner of the United States, the president said, We appreciate Indias important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.

The message, and the underlying threat, if any, was: India has a a big trade surplus in its bilateral trade with the United States  $24 billion  and it might want to do more in Afghanistan to escape drastic measures the Trump administration was considering against countries with trade surpluses with the US.

New Delhi had not reacted to the new expectation till the filing of this report, but it probably knew of it before the announcement was made. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson called external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, and the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, ahead of the presidents speech.

Alyssa Ayers, who formerly headed the India desk at the state department and who is now with Council on Foreign Relations, said Trumps expectation from India was a good sign. For me, the one major departure was the elevation of India to a more prominent role as a partner in this long-running conflict. Weve earlier heard more about diplomacy with NATO allies obviously, with China, with Russia. But despite the US-India-Afghanistan trilateral, India hasnt been top of mind in working through the challenges in Afghanistan. That may be poised to change, which is in my view a positive step given Indias capabilities.
Sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America on Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century.

Millions of die-hard eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 113-kilometre wide swath cutting through 14 US states, where the Moon briefly blocked out all light from the Sun.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times.

On the sidelines of the celestial event, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump caught the attention of social media after photos emerged of the pair looking at the eclipse from the White House in Washington without glasses on.

From awe and tears to mocking Trump, heres how Twitter users reacted:

North Koreas state media too found time to mock Trump and call out to US peasants:

Donald Trump, squinting at partially eclipsed sun without protective lenses, proves himself to be an utter incompetent, jackass, and fool. pic.twitter.com/fG9iosnok1  DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) August 21, 2017

Weeping United States peasants leave crops untended, as they urinate upon themselves in terror at Marshal Kim Jong-Un Solar Shade technology pic.twitter.com/9KmDMMhDFH  DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) August 21, 2017

TRUMP SUPPORTERS: you've been told that you need special glasses to see the upcoming solar eclipse, but DO NOT FALL FOR THIS LIBERAL LIE  Born Miserable (@bornmiserable) August 19, 2017

i want someone to look at me the way Trump looks at the eclipse pic.twitter.com/15pfqYpkFy  oneyun da prophet (@oneyun) August 21, 2017

Someone shouts "don't look" as Pres. Trump looks up without eclipse glasses on as solar eclipse passes over D.C. https://t.co/5ft70fm30R pic.twitter.com/0lAkuzF9RZ  ABC News (@ABC) August 21, 2017

When your President thinks all news is fake so he doesn't listen and stares at a solar eclipse. #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/27w3nAfzkF  AlwaysWithHer (@DisavowTrump16) August 21, 2017

Mexico might have a laugh:

"See that, Melania? We should make this permanent and have the moon pay for it." #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/5kmA23y0Fq  Norm Kelly (@norm) August 21, 2017

Tonight, Trumps addressing the nation. Everyone should keep their eclipse glasses to protect eyes from the giant, orange ball of gas.  Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) August 21, 2017

When you'd rather go blind than see the man you're married to... #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/W3ngoj45DA  Alex Aferiat (@aaferiat) August 21, 2017

Tomorrow's headline: "86% Of Trump Voters Stared At Eclipse And Went Blind, But Don't Regret Their Decision."  Eric Haywood (@EricHaywood) August 21, 2017

In fairness, looking directly into the sun, despite all the warnings, pretty much captures the Trump presidency https://t.co/cc69yhwTNf  Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 21, 2017

AIDE: You need to wear eclipse glasses.

TRUMP: Did Obama wear them?

AIDE: Yes - it's a safety issue.

TRUMP: Then it's settled. No glasses. pic.twitter.com/gXQrDat96l  Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) August 21, 2017

Even Superman had to shield himself.

(PS: Donald Trump didnt)

NASA Moon had something to say to the Sun. But Darth Vader jumped in with a warning

HA HA HA Ive blocked the Sun! Make way for the Moon. #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/nZCoqBlSTe  NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) August 21, 2017

Dear Earth,



Just a warning, Alderaan thought they were just seeing an eclipse too.



Sincerely,



The Empire.  Darth Vader (@DepressedDarth) August 21, 2017

Still, lets remember it was a spellbinding celestial rarity:

PHOTO: TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 from Green River Lake, WY. I truly think I had the most beautiful spot in the whole path. More photos soon. pic.twitter.com/jLDBMHJJU4  Ben Cooper (@LaunchPhoto) August 21, 2017

Heres what the 2017 solar eclipse looked like from spacehttps://t.co/sL22nVAbxk pic.twitter.com/ynWx8GSK3p  The Verge (@verge) August 21, 2017

The best images from across the U.S. of the 2017 total solar eclipse are pouring in and they look epic pic.twitter.com/7tXAzB69gl  Mashable (@mashable) August 22, 2017

Unforgettable moments from the 2017 solar eclipse pic.twitter.com/96D2gWOr8D  NBC News (@NBCNews) August 22, 2017
Pakistan has been put on notice by President Donald Trump whose get-tough approach could potentially include sanctioning Pakistani government officials with ties to terrorist groups such as Haqqani Network, a top White House official said on Tuesday.

National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton also said that with Pakistan the business as usual as it has been up to now is over.

The important takeaway for the Pakistani government last night is that, you know, they should understand that theyre on notice from this president, from this administration, Anton was quoted as saying by Politico.

The US has been really patient with Pakistan for a really long time. We havent been getting a good deal from them, he added.

Anton said the US could conceivably impose sanctions on terrorist groups including the Haqqani network, which has links to elements in the Pakistani government, as well as on any Pakistani officials who are tied to these kinds of groups.

The official said that the onus for improving the relationship is now on Pakistan.

Anton said the president had benefited from an outsiders perspective on the US-Pakistan relationship, eschewing the conventional wisdom that however much the Pakistanis double- deal you and lie to you and dont cooperate, you have no choice but to just keep the status quo.

How do we get the Pakistan to behave better? The answer is we have leverage points over Pakistan that the strategy contemplates we will use. Ultimately whether they behave better or not is completely up to them, Anton said.

They may calculate that its more important to remain allied with terrorists, its more important to give terrorists safe haven, its more important to do all the nasty things that theyve been doing that we dont like than it is to have a good relationship with the US, he continued.

If so, thats a choice that they will make and then we will make choices based on their choice, Anton said.

Observing that the US gives the Pakistani government substantial security aid, Anton said, and in return receive, at best, indifference to border crossing and terrorist safe havens and sanctuaries in Pakistans tribal regions along the Afghan border.

In the worst case, Anton said, the Pakistani government has been guilty of active direct support for terrorist groups, the media outlet reported. PTI LKJ ZH
The United States on Tuesday slapped sanctions on 16 Chinese and Russian individuals and companies, accusing them of supporting North Koreas nuclear program and attempting to evade US sanctions.

It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region, treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The Treasury Department, which oversees US sanctions programs, said those targeted by the sanctions had helped people known to support the Norths nuclear and ballistic missile programs, or had traded in North Korean energy, exploited its workers or acted as a conduit to the international financial system.

The move follows a war of words between Washington and Pyongyang over recent missile tests that show North Korea is capable of reaching the US mainland.

The sanctions effectively block their targets from accessing much of the global financial system, as well as freezing any US assets.

Among those hit by the sanctions was the Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and his Moscow-based company Gefest-M LLC, which the Treasury Department accuses of procuring metals for a sanctions-barred company involved in North Koreas nuclear weapons program, Korean Tangun Trading Corp.

Also targeted is Chinas Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co. Ltd., which the United States says has acted on behalf of North Koreas General Bureau of Atomic Energy -- responsible for the Norths nuclear program -- and has facilitated prohibited North Korean exports of vanadium ore, the department said.

A third company, Mingzheng International Trading Limited, which maintains offices in Hong Kong and on mainland China, was in fact a front for Foreign Trade Bank, North Koreas main foreign exchange bank, the Treasury Department said.
US President Donald Trump has said that he wants to further develop strategic partnership with India to achieve countrys goals in Afghanistan, saying American troops will fight to win and from now on victory will have a clear definition.

We appreciate Indias important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade from the United States, and we want them to help us war with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development, Trump said on Tuesday.

Trump on Tuesday detailed several of the USs goals in Afghanistan, including obliterating IS, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and strengthen Afghan security forces.

He noted that the stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do.

The US President also vowed to change the countrys approach to dealing with Pakistan, promising to crack down on Pakistans harbouring of terrorist and militant groups.

Trump promised that Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with the US, but also warned it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists.

They are housing the very terrorists we are fighting, Trump said, noting that the US gives Pakistan billions of dollars.

That will have to change and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harbouring of terrorists.

Trump also said the US would pressure India to increase its support for Afghan economic development.

Trumps plan involves a modest increase of several thousand troops.

According to Pentagon, additional troops, above current levels of about 8,500, would serve very specific purposes, including boosting training, capacity-building and allowing advisers to work more closely with Afghan soldiers along the front lines.

The increase was effectively approved in June, when Trump gave defence secretary James Mattis the go-ahead to boost levels by as many as 3,900 troops.

US commanders would bring in additional advisers to support Afghan special forces, the Afghan air force and the Afghan army and police professional schools, such as the infantry and artillery schools, the report said.
Outnumbered rebels staged a desperate defense at Petersburgs fort Gregg on April 2, 1865

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n the evening of April 1, 1865, battleworn Tar Heels of Brig. Gen. James Lanes Brigade and Georgians of Brig. Gen. Edward Thomas Brigade stood 5 to 10 paces apart to cover General Robert E. Lees depleted outer defense line southwest of Petersburg. The two brigades belonged to Maj. Gen. Cadmus M. Wilcoxs Division. Their swampy, wooded position was part of Lt. Gen. A.P. Hills Third Corps sector. At about 10 p.m. the ground shook as Union artillery unleashed a tremendous fusillade designed to soften up the Confederate defenses. Confederate cannons roared to life in response. Under the cover of shrieking shells, 14,000 Federal soldiers in Maj. Gen. Horatio G. Wrights VI Corps sneaked forward from their main line, located between Union Forts Welch and Fisher. As they approached their picket line, the soldiers dropped to the cold ground and awaited the inevitable orders to attack the Confederate position only a short distance away. Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant believed a massive infantry assault along the entire Petersburg line would quickly locate Lees weak points, and many of his men knew this attack represented their best hope to end the war in the Eastern Theater. These soldiers also realized what an assault against the heavily fortified Rebel works really meantmany of them would not live to see their next meal. The artillery barrage stopped, and an eerie stillness fell over the lines.

At 4:40 a.m., a lone blast from a cannon manned by the 3rd Vermont Light Artillery signaled the attack. Chilled and shivering Union soldiers pushed themselves off the ground and moved toward the Confederate line. Their predawn thrust quickly shattered the North Carolina position. Exuberant Union infantrymen rolled east into the Georgia flank. Private John Andrews, 14th Georgia, described the difficult scene at first light: The whole country was blue with them as far as we could see and I lost hope right then and there. Fear-stricken Georgians and North Carolinians bolted toward Fort Gregg.

Union prisoner details escorted captured Confederates away while the remaining VI Corps troops replenished their cartridge boxes. Most of Wrights Federals then turned southwest, away from Petersburg, and moved along the outer Confederate line toward Hatchers Run to mop up remaining Rebel units. This development would later give Wilcox time to unscramble the chaos and launch a counterattack from the Fort Gregg area.

[quote style=boxed float=left]Confederate officers raced about trying to rally their demoralized men[/quote]

A chaotic scene surrounded Fort Gregg as Confederate officers raced about trying to rally their demoralized men. Another bastion, Fort Whitworth, sat about 600 yards north of Gregg. Both stood atop a ridge about 2 miles west of Petersburg and just north of the Boydton Plank Road. The crescent-shaped Fort Gregg faced south overlooking the road. The steep-angled earthen walls of Gregg towered 15 feet over a rain-filled moat. The ground beyond the moat gently sloped down to the Boydton Plank Road. An unfinished trench jutted away from the northwest parapet but ended after only 30 yards. Engineers had planned to run this trench all the way to Fort Whitworth.

Confederate engineers had built both forts in October 1864. The sister forts purpose was simple: to protect the inner Confederate line, one mile east of the forts, in the event that the outer line was broken. The inner line was referred to as the Dimmock Line because Confederate engineer Captain Charles H. Dimmock had led the 1862 effort to ring Petersburg with a stout defensive line interspersed with numerous artillery redoubts.

When General Wilcox arrived at Fort Gregg he found Lane and Thomas and ordered them to assemble their brigades to launch a counterattack to reclaim some of the lost outer line. Lane was incredulous and disagreed with the plan. I was opposed to a forward movement, and wanted to abandon the detached forts [Gregg and Whitworth] and fall back at once to the interior lines.

Wilcox overrode Lanes objections. Lane also strongly disagreed with the last part of Wilcoxs order, which would have serious consequences for soldiers from both sides. Wilcox told Lane that when he was forced to fall back, his men should retire to occupy the ramparts of Fort Gregg. Lane knew this would be a death sentence for his men.

A short time later, some 600 men from the North Carolina and Georgia brigades formed into line of battle west of Fort Gregg and marched southwest toward a collision with the oncoming Union XXIV Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. John Gibbon.

Soldiers from Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Harris Mississippi brigade soon arrived at Fort Gregg to aid the piecemeal defense. The Mississippians had received an emergency summons at 1 a.m. while manning their own lines at Bermuda Hundred. Harris had hustled his men toward Petersburg and the growing sound of guns. Shortly after leading his men across the Appomattox River, Harris received orders from General Lee to report to Gen Wilcox, near the Newman House on the Boydton plank road.

The Mississippi brigadier led 400 men from the 12th, 16th, 19th and 48th Mississippi Infantry at the double quick southwest toward the Newman House, which stood just west of Fort Gregg. Harris rode ahead and found Wilcox, who ordered the Mississippians to catch up and form on the right flank of the GeorgiaNorth Carolina counterattack line. Wilcox urged Harris not to allow his men to become engaged, but simply to delay the forward movement of the enemy as much as possible to buy time for reinforcements from Maj. Gen. Charles Fields Division en route from Richmond.

A short time later, the Confederate counterattackers bumped into the lead elements of General Gibbons corps. Gibbons men had spent the previous few days manning Union lines near Hatchers Run. Just before 7 a.m. orders reached the former Iron Brigade commander instructing him to move his two divisions commanded by Brig. Gens. Robert S. Foster and John W. Turner northeast toward Petersburg to assist the VI Corps.

The men in the undermanned counterattack soon retreated in the face of Gibbons overwhelming force, and hustled back toward Fort Gregg. Frustrated Confederate officers tried to rally the men at Fort Gregg, but many disgruntled Rebels kept moving toward the relative safety of the inner line and the beckoning Petersburg church spires farther to the east.

Many of the Southerners, however, did enter the sally port along the wooden rear palisade wall of Fort Gregg. These men dragged extra ammunition and weapons to their firing positions along the parapets. Two artillery crews from the 4th Maryland Artillery and the Washington Artillery added some needed firepower. Best estimates placed the Fort Gregg garrison at just more than 300 men. Lieutenant Colonel James H. Duncan, 19th Mississippi, soon arrived there to be the senior Confederate officer. About 150 men in the 12th and 16th Mississippi regiments entered the small fort and manned the rear and northwest wall. They joined about 80 North Carolinians mostly from the 33rd and 37th Infantry and about 40 more men from the 14th, 35th, 45th and 49th Georgia. Another handful of Confederate artillerists armed with rifles rounded out the Fort Gregg garrison. They would soon face nearly 5,000 soldiers from five Union brigades.

[quote style=boxed float=left]Best estimates placed the Fort Gregg garrison at just more than 300 men[/quote]

General Wilcox rode into the fort to rally the men and told them that they held the safety of Lees army in their hands and urged them to hold to the last man. Their gift of time would allow reinforcements to reach Petersburg. Wilcox and his small staff then departed Fort Gregg. Members of the garrison turned their attention to the southwest.

Some 800 yards away, several blue battle lines stretched toward the horizon. Sunlight glinted off thousands of bayonets as the various regiments maneuvered into position to attack Fort Gregg. The Federal infantrymen nervously waited for their own artillery fire to stop and the inevitable orders to charge.

Two Union brigades, commanded by Colonels Thomas O. Osborn and George B. Dandy, stood in the first line. Osborns men waited about 500 yards south of Fort Gregg on a hill occupied by Fort Owen and the outer Confederate line. The 199th Pennsylvania, 67th Ohio and 39th Illinois lined up in a gentle arc from right to left. The 62nd Ohio stood just to their front in a skirmish line. A small contingent from the 85th Pennsylvanian squeezed into the line between the 67th Ohio and the 39th Illinois. Dandys 3rd Brigade soldiers connected the arc on the left of the 39th Illinois with the 10th Connecticut and the 100th New York in order. Sergeant Michael Wetzel of the 39th Illinois later recalled, The fort [Gregg] was as full of men as ever a dog was of fleas.

At about 1 p.m., thousands of Union soldiers stepped from the wood line. As the enemy came into range, Confederate small arms fire accompanied by canister belched forth. Longer-range Rebel artillery at Battery 45 enfiladed the blue infantry when it reached the Boydton Plank Road. Through the sheer weight of numbers, the Union line continued forward and those first soldiers who approached the fort discovered the moat filled with waist-to-shoulder-deep water. They sloshed into the water and clawed and scaled Fort Greggs walls. One Georgian remembered the first Yank he was sure he killed. I got ready to shoot through a port hole and as I raised my gun to shoot a Yank stuck his face in the hole. I fired in his face and he fell.

A Brave, Lucky Tar Heel Color corporal James W. Atkinson of the 33rd North Carolina took advantage of the chaos as Union troops entered Fort Gregg. The 20-year-old soldier, wounded an incredible five times during the war, clutched the staff of his beloved battle flag, dropped his musket and made his escape. Once clear of the fort, he sprinted with his colors toward the safety of the inner line. Several Federal soldiers noticed Atkinsons bold flight and yelled at him to halt. Their bullets soon followed his trail. Two gave chase, but they halted when several artillery shells from Battery 45 landed nearby. Atkinson, with his chest heaving, then stopped and looked back toward Fort Gregg. He defiantly waved the 33rd North Carolinas flag back and forth over his head. More bullets flew toward him as he shouted obscenities at the Yankees, but a roar of support erupted from the Southerners along the inner line for the brave corporal who somehow made good his escapeunscratched. J.J.F.

Exhausted Federal troops stuck bayonets into the walls for footholds so they could clamber upward. Some soldiers climbed up the backs of their comrades to try to reach the top. The 199th Pennsylvanias adjutant Lieutenant Horace Evans grimly recalled, The men all the time dropping down dead into the ditch as the brave fellows would mount the parapet and try to get inside the fort.

The 199th, on the right flank, suffered the second highest number of Union casualties for the day with 16 killed and 65 wounded. The young commander of the 100th New York, Major James H. Dandy, brother of the brigade commander, died as he led his men across the unfinished trench toward the forts rear. Lieutenant Colonel Ellsworth D.S. Goodyear, commanding the 10th Connecticut, fell in front of the moat with two severe wounds. The wounded Goodyear recalled: Now commenced one of the savagest hand to hand, muzzle to muzzle, fights, which it was my lot to witness during the war. Union officers screamed for reinforcements as the Confederate guns from Forts Gregg, Whitworth and Battery 45 pinned down some 2,000 Union soldiers in the first attack wave.

Soon Colonel Harrison Fairchild received orders to send his brigade into the fray. The 89th New York moved forward, followed by the 158th New York on their left flank. They rushed ahead in a second attack wave toward Fort Greggs west wall. Soon after beginning this charge, Major Frank Tremain fell dead at the head of the 89th New York. The New Yorkers stormed on over the connecting trench toward the northwest parapet wall. Several officers led their men to the forts rear palisade wall constructed of thick pine logs. The 158th New York lost three of its color corporals in this area.

A third line of Union infantry entered the fray. Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Potter maneuvered his brigade, composed of the 116th Ohio and 34th Massachusetts, to hit the fort from the south. The other brigade, commanded by Colonel William B. Curtis, moved on Potters left flank. This brigade comprised the 12th West Virginia, 54th Pennsylvania and 23rd Illinois.

Sergeant James P. Ryan, the 54th Pennsylvanias color sergeant, fell dead as he planted his flag on the parapet. Major Nathan Davis, also of the 54th Pennsylvania, received severe wounds in the charge, but he refused to leave his men. Confederate fire finally killed Davis as he struggled across the top of the wall. Lieutenant Joseph Caldwell, 12th West Virginia, was the third member of his regiment to die with the units flagstaff clutched in his hands atop the wall. The West Virginia banner then fell over inside the fort.

A huge melee erupted atop the southwest wall as Lieutenant Josiah Curtis, Corporal Andrew Apple and Private Joseph McCauslin jumped into a group of Confederates to retrieve their flag. These three West Virginians hauled the flag away and replanted it on the wall. They later received the Medal of Honor for their bravery.

The numerous reinforcements Gibbon called on to aid the attack were a luxury the defenders inside Fort Gregg lacked. Wounded Confederates loaded rifles and passed them to their colleagues. Only one cannon now remained operable as the small crew from the Washington Artillery worked with precision. About 2:45 p.m., after nearly two hours of fighting, the almost-empty Confederate ammunition boxes signaled another problem for the stubborn defenders. The unequal balance finally tilted toward the Federals.

Angry Union soldiers broke open the sally port along the north side. Throngs of Northerners poured through the opening while others swarmed over the walls. Twenty-five more minutes of the most desperate kind of fighting ensued.

An unforgettable scene greeted the Union soldiers who entered Fort Greggbodies and pools of blood everywhere. These weary attackers from 15 regiments must have wondered how much more fight the Southern survivors could give, because they encountered a stiff resolve among most of the cornered defenders.

A Statistic Corporal David M. Jones attacked Fort Gregg with the rest of his comrades in the 199th Pennsylvania and was one of the 65 men from his regiment wounded in the attack. He was lucky, however, that he wasnt one of the 16 Keystoners killed as canister, shot, and minie bullets tore through the ranks, recalled Colonel James C. Briscoe. Jones probably wears a heart-shaped XXIV Corps badge on his hat.

Sergeant James Howard, 158th New York, grabbed the flagstaff out of the dying hands of the third color-bearer shot down that day. He planted the staff on the parapet. The wooden pole immediately splinteredshot in half. Howard snatched the stub to keep the flag up. He later received the Medal of Honor for his efforts.

Amid the chaos, Fort Greggs south-wall gun crew continued to ram double charges of canister into the muzzle of their cannon. Twenty-one-year-old Private Lawrence Berry held one end of the lanyard in his sweaty, dirt-caked hands. Suddenly a group of Union soldiers appeared upon the parapet, leveled their guns at Berry and shouted, Dont fire that gun; drop the lanyard or well shoot! Berry hollered back, Shoot and be damned!, and yanked the lanyard. Every Yankee in front of the gun was swept off the wall by the blast. Berry then fell dead, shot numerous times.

Mississippi Captain Archibald Jones believed the nastiness at Fort Gregg surpassed his experience a year before at Spotsylvanias Bloody Angle. He gave a grim description of the ghastly stage that greeted the final Union charge: The noise outside was fearful, frightful and indescribable, the curses and groaning of frenzied men could be heard over and above the din of our musketry. Savage men, ravenous beasts.

Pockets of Rebels, faced with the inevitable, finally held their hands up to surrender. Some exasperated Union infantrymen began shooting and bayoneting the Confederate survivors on the spot. Union officers fired into the air or threatened their own men to stop them. The 16th Mississippis Franklin Riley recalled, Had it not been for the Union Officers, so angry were their soldiers, most of us would have been killed.

Cadmus Wilcox adamantly praised the beleaguered garrison when he wrote, The heroism displayed by the defenders of Battery Gregg has not been exaggerated by those attempting to describe it. A mere handful of men, they beat back repeatedly the overwhelming numbers assailing them on all sides.

Shortly after 3 p.m., the surviving members of the Fort Gregg garrison had dropped their weapons. Corporal William L. Norton of the 10th Connecticut shook his head at the gruesome carnage. Union and rebel soldiers were found dead in each others grasp, he would say. Thirteen rebels were found inside the fort killed by bayonet thrusts, and scores were wounded by the same weapon.

Gibbon said of the attack on Fort Gregg: This assault, certainly one of the most desperate of the war, succeeded by the obstinate courage of our troops, but at a fearful cost. Gibbons men found the parapet and grounds inside Gregg littered with the dead, bloody bodies of 57 defenders and another 243 wounded. Only 33 Rebels surrendered unscathed. Another 85 defenders were killed or captured at Fort Whitworth as the 19th and 48th Mississippi regiments raced toward Petersburg as Fort Gregg felGibbons own casualty figures were simply staggering. He reported his losses at 122 killed with another 592 wounded; however, this number would climb to more than 800 dead and wounded as unit adjutants revised their casualty numbers.

Fort Greggs defenders sacrificed themselves, but they gave Lee the time for Longstreets reinforcements to reach Petersburg and shore up the inner line. The garrisons desperate last stand blocked easy access to Petersburg for Grant, thus robbing him of time, energy and soldiers. Without the heroic effort, Lee might have had his army trapped inside Petersburg. The Army of Northern Virginia escaped that night under the cover of darkness. This momentary reprieve enabled Lees grizzled veterans to fight again until the inevitable showdown and surrender one week later at another famous Virginia siteAppomattox Court House.

Historian and author John J. Fox III lives in Winchester, Va. ngle Valley Press released his book Stuarts Finest Hour: The Ride Around McClellan, June 1862, in 2013 and The Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburgs Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865, in 2010.
For every P-38 Lightning lost to enemy action in Burma, the 459th Fighter Squadron claimed more than 12 Japanese fighters.

The twin-engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning provided the U long-range fighter, but its frontline allocation during World War II reflected the United States priorities. In consequence, while P-38s were appearing in substantial and growing numbers in North Africa, New Guinea and .S. Army Air Forces with a remarkably fast and potent the Solomon Islands, American squadrons in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater had to make do with what they hadprimarily Curtiss P-40sto hold the line against Japanese forces.

The Allied victory in North Africa in May 1943 gave the USAAF a small surplus of Lightnings that allowed it to respond to repeated pleas from Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chennault by diverting some P-38Gs and pilots drawn from that theater to his Fourteenth Air Force in China. Initially called Squadron X, the China-based 449th Fighter Squadron began operations in August 1943, protecting vital supply routes over the Humpthe Himalayasand attacking Japanese ground targets formerly beyond the striking range of Chennaults fighters.

On September 1, a second P-38-equipped unit, the 459th Fighter Squadron, was organized in India to support the Tenth Air Force over Burma. Known as the Twin Dragons, the 459th was unusual in that it was formed overseas and dissolved at the end of the war, having never served on American soil.

New P-38Hs sent to the 459th flew their first sorties on November 20, 1943, escorting B-25 Mitchells against targets in central Burma. Within days they were guarding B-24 Liberators en route to targets in Rangoon, missions that showcased the Lightnings long reach. Equipped with external fuel tanks, the Twin Dragons frequently ranged as far as 700 miles from base, striking airfields jammed with fighters that the Japanese had previously considered safe havens. The Lightning pilots typically used their external tanks until they reached the target, fought with any defending fighters for roughly 20 minutes, then shot up ground targets and made their exit, hoping to get back to base with whatever fuel they had left. Some airplanes reportedly landed on fumes, then had to be towed off the runway.

Japanese airfields in Burma were well equipped with Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar fighters, which had a top speed of 325 mph and a range of almost 1,100 miles. The 459ths Lightnings occasionally tangled with as many as 40 to 50 Oscars in the course of a sortie.

On May 10, 1944, the 459th was tasked with a long-range mission to hit a major airfield at Kangaung, in Burma. The strike force, operating from a base at Chittagong, India, would be divided into two sections. The first wave, eight P-38s led by Captain Walter Duke, launched around 0830 hours. The second, led by Captain Maxwell Glenn, passed the first strike force as it was returning to base. Dukes first objective was to catch a group of roughly 40 Japanese aircraft returning to Kangaung from a mission around Imphal, India. The P-38s destroyed many of those planes on the ground just after they had landed, as well as a couple that were still in the air. Then the Twin Dragons went after fuel storage tanks and vehicles. Glenns flight surprised the enemy while the base was trying to recover from the earlier attack, claiming a few more aircraft on the ground. One Oscar that did manage to get airborne was destroyed within seconds. By the end of the day, the 459ths tally stood at 101 kills.

Soon the Lightnings were involved in air-to-ground missions, carrying bombs and putting the fighters formidable firepowera 20mm cannon and four .50-caliber machine gunsto work. The Americans took a lot of groundfire, and a few were shot down. Lieutenant William M. Behrns, who flew several bombing strikes with the 459th, recalled a memorable mission on October 13, 1944, that didnt turn out quite as planned: We were assigned some targets around Mawdauk in support of ground troops who were having a tough time subduing a Japanese force of about 25,000 that were in that immediate area. Our main target was a bunker position, which required that we load up with two 1,000-pound bombs that would be capable of destroying it. I was given the lead position in the four-plane flight, with another four following close behind. I was not flying in my assigned Lightning, which was named the San Joaquin Siren.

Behrns decided to approach the bunker by flying slightly to the south, hoping to deceive enemy observers about where he was headed. Since Allied intelligence had warned that the target area was heavily defended, he thought a bit of deception might give the strike force a better chance of surviving. The Lightnings increased speed to 360 mph and dropped down to 14,000 feet to set up their bomb run.When the city of Mawdauk passed beneath my left wing, I turned my plane on her side, did a wingover and pushed down into a 60-degree dive with the throttles on War Emergency Power, Behrns said. I was gaining speed fast as I approached my release point of approximately 6,000 feet. I was doing better than 550 mph, and the ground was coming up quickly, including a lot of anti-aircraft fire.

Behrns P-38 must have been aimed straight down the barrel of one of the enemy guns, because a round hit his Lightning before he could release the bombs, shutting down all the electric-powered equipment in the cockpit. As his fighter plunged toward the ground, Behrns first thought was to jettison his payload, so he used the manual override handles to release the two bombs. He had no problem in getting the bombs off, but given the airplanes speed and angle, they were continuing down along the same path as the Lightning, just a few feet away from the planeand its pilot. Behrns recalled:

I had to get away by creating some space between the rapidly approaching two explosions and my aircraft! Luckily, the Lightnings avionics were manual and not dependent on electrical power, so I was still able to control the path of my flight as long as I had momentum to carry me. I eased my half-dead plane away from the bombs, and when I reached 400 feet, I pulled hard and brought her out of the dive and set a course for friendly territory near the Burma Road. It was a distance of several miles before I would be over a safe area, so I concentrated on making a good glide and getting as far from our target as I could without power. It was a hectic ride while it lasted, but there was one comforting thing I remember and that was the fact that my squadron mates finished their bomb runs and promptly joined up on my wings to escort me as far as my ride would go. Gradually I lost speed and started preparing myself mentally for a low-altitude bailout.

In the distance Behrns spotted a straight and level gray streak in the middle of a green expanse of junglethe Burma Roadwhich meant he was going in the right direction. The Burma Road was the only cleared space in the seemingly endless jungle. Easing his P-38 down, he managed to land in a soft, sandy stretch of road. The only damage was a bent prop. His landing kicked up a huge cloud of dust, covering his escape into the jungle. Behrns was eventually rescued. Theoretically, he had been shot down, but had lived to tell about it.

Late in the spring of 1944, when Colonel Philip Cochran and his 1st Air Commando Group were at Assam, the Japanese were inflicting heavy damage on the American airfield with relentless attacks. Some of the Air Commandos P-51A Mustangs had managed to get airborne and defend the base, even though there was no warning for most strikes. Still, the enemys hit-and-run raids caused significant damage in just a few minutes time. Cochran asked the 459th for four P-38s to come and stand alert with his Air Commandos, since the Lightnings could climb faster and higher than the P-51As.

Behrns, who was part of the group that reported to Assam, recalled: We had to take our crew chiefs with us, which was kind of difficult. Normally, the pilot sits on his parachute with the harness hooked, to enable bailing out. When a second person rides, its necessary for one person to sit on the lap of the other, or the easier position of side by side. In my case, my crew chief was too tall, so we had to sit side by side. Each of us sat on one half of the parachute, with the other half of our backsides pinned to the sides of the cockpit. The chute could not be used by either of us on our flight over to Assam.

On the field at Assam, the crew chiefs would warm up the fighters engines every half hour, to keep them ready for takeoff. Evidently word got back to the Japanese that some P-38s were sitting on ready alert. The enemy planes would edge closer to the base each day, then abruptly turn back before the Lightnings could get off the ground. After a week of this cat-and-mouse game, the 459th fighters were sent back to Chittagong, a memorable trip for Behrns: It took me longer to get my lanky crew chief settled in the cockpit, and consequently the other three took off and climbed up to 10,000 feet and waited for me to join them. This put me in the Tail-End Charlie position. The P-38 does not have torque because of its counterrotating props. This enables it to fly 12 to 18 inches from another aircraft. In extremely close formation with wings just inches apart, but slightly back and line astern (the left wing of one plane just inches behind the right wing of the other plane), we dived down for a high-speed buzz of the Air Commandos mess hall. They were standing outside waiting for us.

Captain Glenn was leading the tight formation. The mess hall was bracketed by two tall pine trees, and the plan was to fly between them, right over the roof. As they approached, Glenn judged the distance between the trees as too narrow, so he gave slightly to his right, toward his wingman. This caused that pilot to move farther to the right into the next aircraft, which in turn moved toward the fourth one. Behrns, flying in the no. 4 position, remembered what happened next:

I had to move a greater distance out, and only then could I take my eyes off the plane next to me and look aheadright into the top of a pine tree! I pulled my wheel back sharply and added right rudderall to no avail. I hit the tree halfway up with my port engine, causing the tree to snap in half and fly over the back of my plane. My port prop was bent and the center spinner was smashed, causing all of the dzus fasteners to come loose, allowing the engine cover to flap. The plane vibrated badly, and my crew chiefs face turned whiter than mine. There was no parachute to use in case we went down. I shut the port engine down, trimmed up and flew two hours over extremely dense jungle back to our base!

The 459th routinely flew long distances to strike busy Japanese bases. Before the P-38s arrival, those airfields had been relatively immune to attack, but now the enemy began keeping large numbers of Oscars in the air for protection. The Twin Dragons would sometimes be greeted by as many as 50 enemy fighters at their targets.

On May 23, 1944, Captain Glenn led a flight of Lightnings to a base at Meiktila. The plan was to drop down to low altitude, with each pilot in line astern and a good distance between aircraft when they got close to the target. That way the pilots could look for targets of opportunity without worrying about how close they were to each other. This tactic proved to be hazardous, however, since enemy gunners on the ground could concentrate on each plane as it came within range.

Behrns, an element leader, wasnt hit by groundfire when he made his strafing pass, but he soon faced a bigger problem: a swarm of Oscars. Throwing his P-38 into a series of violent turns, he broke free of the pack, then immediately turned back into the melee and locked onto one enemys tail. He fired a short burst at close range, and the Oscar exploded. In total, the flight downed two enemy planes and destroyed three on the ground that day, with no losses of their own.

In addition to the many awards and decorations the 459th received during its stint in Burma, its men destroyed 132 Japanese aircraft in a three-month periodan impressive kill rate. By the end of the squadrons combat tour, unit records stated that for every P-38 lost to enemy action, the 459th claimed more than 12 enemy fighters. Tragically, the units top ace, Captain Walter Duke (10 aerial kills and nine on the ground), failed to return from a mission on June 6, 1944, and a second ace, Lieutenant Burdette Goodrich (5.5 victories), was also shot down, dying in captivity. Behrns was one of several 459th pilots who received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Warren E. Thompson has been writing about military aviation for more than 40 years. Additional reading: The San Joaquin Siren: An American Ace in WWIIs CBI, by William M. Behrns with Kenneth Moore; and P-38 Lightning Aces of the Pacific and CBI, by John Stanaway.

Originally published in the September 2012 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here.
Nothing conjures the romance of travel on Americas rivers like the riverboat. Whether by reading the works of Mark Twain or simply watching the musical Showboat, we picture the elegantly trimmed snow-white vessel, its smokestacks billowing, whistle blowing, and paddlewheels churning, as the visual representation of the glamour of river travel in the 19th century. After the Civil Wars outset in 1861, however, control of the rivers became vital to Union victory in the West, and a trio of graceful river steamers was modified into inelegant tools for the support of Federal operations. Among those selected to undergo a radical sea change was the four-year-old Cincinnati-built commercial steamboat A.O. Tyler. Over the next four years, it would serve Northern forces well, earn distinction for itself and its crew in a number of battles, and end active service in a desperate rescue operation on the Mississippi.

Early in the war, the Union Army and Navy frantically cast about for craft that were suitable for river warfare. These vessels would have to be well-armed, and have the shallow draft required to negotiate the uneven depths of fickle Southern rivers. They also needed a thick outer shielding for protection against enemy fire.

Just two months after the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861, the Armywith Navy inputpaid $62,000 for three sidewheel steamers, including A.O. Tyler. Although the riverboats were built with shallow draft specifically to navigate shoals, and had the capacity to mount artillery, their skintoo thin to withstand shot and shellrequired serious modification.

[quote style=boxed float=left]There in a Pinch The converted riverboat Tyler, above left during the fighting at Shiloh, proved to be one of Ulysses Grants most reliable and valuable assets throughout the war.[/quote]

Along with its sister vessels, Tyler was re-conformed as a Federal gunship. Six 8-inch guns and a 32-pounder were mounted, the engines and boiler were retrofitted, and the entire boat was sheathed in 5-inch-thick white oak planks. The modifications did nothing for its looksthe vessel was variously described as a wood crate and a clumsy bargebut afforded some protection from Confederate fire. Its armaments delivered significant firepower.

Tyler was the largest of the three so-called timberclads. After the retrofitting, it ran 180 feet in length, with a 45-foot beam, and drew 6 feet of water. Although it weighed around 575 tons, its two high-pressure steam engines helped it achieve speeds up to 8 knots, not inconsiderable. By late August, Tyler was pronounced combat-ready as a member of the newly formed Western Gunboat Flotilla, the so-called brown-water force operating on the Western rivers. Tyler steamed to Cairo, Ill., at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, where it deployed along with fellow timberclads Conestoga and Lexington to support Union reconnaissance operations.

Almost immediately, Tyler saw action. Off Hickman, Ky., on September 4, 1861, it and Lexington engaged CSS Jackson, a side-wheel river tug retrofitted for service in the Confederate Navy. During the brief and inconclusive exchange, the two Union timberclads found themselves under fire from Rebel shore batteries as well as Jackson, and withdrew.

Two months later, when Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant attempted to wrest Belmont, Mo., from Rebel hands, Tyler was one of two gunboats that supported the assault, firing consistently at the enemy, and covering the withdrawal of Grants troops. Although this attempt failed, Grant recognized the value of timberclads in amphibious operations.

Over the next several months, Tyler participated in operations on the Upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers, playing a significant role in helping capture Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson. It was in early April 1862, however, that the gunboat performed its greatest service to Grant. Along with Lexington, Tyler successfully protected Grants flank at Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., during the Battle of Shiloh. When Rebel troops attempted to anchor their right flank at the river, the timberclads intense all-night barrage drove them back, enabling Union forces to mount a successful advance. After the battle, Grant acknowledged that his victory was in large part due to the presence of the gunboats.

In mid-June, Tylerin the company of two other vesselswas attacked by the Rebel ironclad Arkansas on the Yazoo River near Vicksburg, Miss. After one of the Union ships was disabled and the other fled for the safety of the Federal fleet, Tyler was left to fight Arkansas on its ownan unequal battle, in the ironclads favor, from the start. Tylers shells simply bounced off the Rebel crafts thick railroad-iron sides. The wooden-sheathed Tyler, in return, was severely damaged, but finally managed to escape, injured but intact.

Along with the rest of the squadron, Tyler was transferred to the Navy in October 1862, and three 30-pounder Parrott guns were added. Shortly, it mounted another four 24-pounders, and for landing duty, a 12-pounder howitzer, making it the most heavily armed timberclad of the war.

Tyler participated in the siege and eventual capture of Vicksburg, Miss., and was instrumental in opening up Arkansas to Union invasion. It patrolled the lower Mississippi and White rivers for the duration of the conflict, exchanging fire with Confederate batteries on several occasions.

On April 27, 1865, Tyler participated in rescuing survivors after boilers on the river steamer Sultana exploded near Memphis, Tenn. Of 2,500 passengers, most of them recently released Union POWs, only about 550 survived.

In August 1865, the Navy sold off Tyler, along with most of the Mississippi Squadrons vessels. According to the Hampton Roads Maritime Museum, For all practical purposes the Tyler and her timberclad sisters were limited ersatz warships built in a period of emergency. With many river miles and battles recorded in the logbook, the Tyler turned out a rather useful warship despite this.

Ron Soodalter, a regular contributor to Americas Civil War, is the author of Hanging Captain Gordon.
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30  7 p.m.

Orr Area EMS Open House

Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.

Orr Fire Hall

4540 Lake St., Orr

Tuesday, October 25, 12  6 p.m.

Essentia Health Job Fair

Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.

901 9th St. N., Virginia
Rappers usually manage to attract controversy as readily, if not sooner than they attract fans. Nowadays you look around the internet and it isnt always the rapper who keeps themselves musically hot these days, as much as its the ones who keep their names in the headlines , or trending on social media. The way the Internet Age has affected rap, its hard to think of popular rappers who dont have a constant undercurrent of controversy during their peak years, rather than simply being noticed for establishing a consistently good, or great body of work.

Kodak Black is in many ways both the embodiment and the antithesis of this. For all of the successes that his debut Painting Pictures may have given him, the past two years of his rise are not necessarily noted by his relentless grind, but by jail time, and charges ranging from weapons and drugs to sexual assault. Any time he was allowed back in the public spotlight, Kodak seemed eager to be the provocateur, constantly turning to social media to get himself further and further into trouble. All of this only helped convert his fame into infamy. With hysteria seemingly subdued as the result of Kodak being locked down on house arrest for a year, hes found the time to drop the sequel to his debut mixtape from 2013, Project Baby, not even half a year after his first studio album.

In the wake of so much hand-wringing and debate, it would be nice to say that Kodak has turned to a much more positive outlook, which could potentially redeem himself after being the source of endless turmoil and scathing critique. Thats a nice idea, but it seems the antithesis of Kodaks goals, who instead of apologizing and trying to redeem himself, seems to thrive off the negativity and fuel his music to even darker degrees. Everything that has been seemingly decided about Kodak by the public instead becomes material he uses, serving a sort of toxic symbiosis that only furthers just how enthralling and disturbing he can manage to be all at once. On Project Baby 2s opener Versatile, Kodak aggressively pivots off a straightforward recollection of struggle and pain to move into gleefully bragging about playing mind games with women, only to yet again switch up into a potential scammers anthem, portraying himself as complex but unrepentantly vicious (as well as reflect his song title quite accurately), while producer Helluvas nimble piano line continuously builds tension. Over Murda Beatzs 8-bit nightmare for Unexplainable, Kodak seems to shrug off the idea of accountability and expectation, sneering at social media and fuming at legal obligations. On the surly Roll In Peace, it feels all too ironic that while London on Da Tracks horn loop lingers in the background, Kodak gets to duet with yet another heat-magnet for outrage and fellow Floridian, XXXtentacion, who manages to sound both complimentary to Kodaks negative excesses, and cartoonishly obnoxious in vocal contrast.

The fact of the matter is that while Painting Pictures seemingly depended too much on run-of-the-mill punchlines, Project Baby 2 is startlingly barefaced in content and speaks to the leaps and bounds that Kodaks rapping has improved. Hooks are concise, and while melodic, never feel quite as mealy-mouthed as hes tends to, and verses dont feel like a bunch of rhymes done just for the sake of rapping. Instead, the approach manages to sound evocative and attention-grabbing, as Kodak dishes out details with little-to-no filter (no matter how much some of us might plead for one). Although, in terms of the public sphere, his evolution as a person might not be as visible, as a writer, and daresay as a lyricist, hes managed to push forward and develop past his current years. Collaborators and peers such as Jackboy and John Wicks, who appear on the mournful My Klik to good effect, dont admit to keeping their exes in their mind as lingering idealizations (First Love), lash out at loved ones over emotional abandonment in prison (Versatile, again) or deliberately ignore medication (Misunderstood). Its downright chilling to hear the a young man begging his friends to allow him back into their lives on Pride, with the same young man later considering killing his cousin to avoid implication in crimes on No CoDefendant. Frankly, even established rappers like Migos Offset, who delivered an A+ performance on Built My Legacy, feel comparatively slight to the dimensions of subject matter available to Kodak.

What especially helps with making Project Baby 2 feel so compelling is the production, which finds Kodak moving away from the generic expectations of the industry for so-called trap artists, into a strange niche of evocative orchestral loops. Much of the production here is established by Kodaks home production team, typically led by Ben Billions, but featuring associates like Rex Kudo and Dyryk who manage to have perfected the style that seems to inspire Kodak the most. Whether its the mournful strings on Change My Ways, the James Ferraro-like office ambience touches on First Love, or the plaintive guitar loop on Pride, they truly manage to understand how to get Kodak at his strongest in a way some have struggled with. Elsewhere, more seasoned producers like Murda Beatz and London, have provided more than a few choice offerings, but its also the relatively unknown names such as Skip on Da Beat and C-Clip Beatz that work hard to keep the moody nature of the mixtape so effective at complimenting Kodak, even when his own words betray himself. Arguably the biggest irony might be C-Clip revisiting the Isaac Hayes loop previously popularized by southern rap icons the Geto Boys on Mind Playing Tricks On Me for the punchy Transportin. Then again, as much as Scarfaces depth might appeal to Kodak, his morbid sensibilities lean much closer to Bushwick Bill than anything.

Overall, Project Baby 2 is about as complex and confounding as the man who recorded it. Kodak Black is seemingly veering further into his own direction, as if hes challenging the notion that he has to change to be a success story. Its an uncompromising listen which will no doubt continue to infuriate those whove come to despise Kodak, and that only seems to be working to suit his needs both as an artist and as someone who enjoys being a public figure of ill reputation. However, given the various troubles thats been plaguing him, one hopes that someone with the recognizable talents as a rapper manages to turn his life around. As much creativity as hes displayed up to this point, theres an ominous feeling that eventually all of his chaos could one day catch up to him and turn his story into a tragedy.
You finally have a decent chunk of time off after a year of pretty much non-stop gigging with Bruce Springsteen who considers himself to be a lazy ass son of a what have you if the sets you and him are playing clock in at under three hours. Do you: A). Jet off to the Bahamas with the family for some quality R&R? B). Flop onto the couch with a six-pack and the remote and refuse to budge until youve caught up with all those Netflix and Amazon Prime box-sets? Or C). Immediately go into the studio to record your debut solo album?

The other options were tempting, but having a decades-long itch that really needed scratching, I went for C). which has brought me back to the scene of so many amazing Bruce gigs, smiles the E Street Band-er of 35 years standing, Garry Tallent, as he gazes out over the Liffey. Ive been threatening to make my own album for a long time  Ive been stockpiling songs since the 80s!  but was put off by the, Heres $200,000, go make a top 10 hit, nature of the record business before it stopped being a business.

Whilst I fully appreciate how tough it is for artists starting out, I find not having to worry about money  because there isnt any!  liberating. With there being zero commercial considerations, the focus was 100% on the music, which, thanks to iTunes, you dont even have to press up anymore.
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Union workers at Wyman-Gordon went on strike Monday to protest proposed pay and benefit cuts at the aerospace and energy manufacturing facility in northwest Houston.

Formal contract negotiations between management and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers began during the first week of August. After the contract expired on Sunday, 271 union members set up a picket line at midnight.

Wyman-Gordon could not be reached for comment, but a union representative said Wyman-Gordon pushed reductions in disability benefits, shorter break times and lower wages for entry-level workers, among other things.

Byron Williams, District 37 president and directing business representative, said the strike is aimed in part to help the next generation of workers by "giving them a fair, equitable start to take care of their families, have a hope for retirement and send their kids to college."

Williams said the proposed contract would reduce pay for short- and long-term disability by 10 percent and would limit employees to six months on short-term disability and then 18 months on long-term. Currently, employees can stay on long-term disability until age 65.

The company was also seeking to reduce breaks to 15 minutes from 20 minutes, which concerns union members because they work in a building without air conditioning.

Finally, the contract would pay entry-level employees significantly less and freeze their wage increases for three years.

"The new guys, I'd love for them to have just as good a life as I've got," said Kenny Stevens, 58, who inspects parts at the Houston facility.

Stevens was walking the picket line from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Michael Black, 64, who makes the tools used to forge products at the facility.

Wyman-Gordon's Houston facility manufactures aircraft engine components including blades, fans and motors. It also manufactures seamless pipes for the energy industry.

There were 30 to 35 employees on the picket line when the strike began at midnight. During the day, five to 10 people walked the line in four-hour shifts.

Effect on older workers

Black said the proposed contract also would hurt older workers.

"Some of the contract language, I believe, is unfair to the guys who are in their 50s and 60s," he said, citing proposals like the one to cut disability benefits.

He said establishing a different pay scale for new employees would be unfair to younger workers and could create a division among hourly employees doing the same work for different pay. He said it could affect the union's ability to attract new members in a right-to-work state.

"How can you ask someone to join your union, and you've accepted a double standard?" he asked.

This is Black's fourth strike in his 43 years with the company, which has gone through some name changes during that time.

That many strikes in one company is high for this region, said Scott McLaughlin, labor and employment partner in the Houston office of the Jackson Walker law firm. Strikes are pretty rare locally, he said.

"I think our labor relations down here are a little less contentious than some other parts of the country," he said.

John Jansonius, Dallas-based partner at Jackson Walker, said that, by casual observation, it seems the machinists and aerospace union is involved in more strikes than other major labor organizations.

Jansonius speculated it could be harder to replace skilled machinists, the union could have better strike reserves to help employees financially or the union simply has a culture that leans toward striking.

"The Machinists is probably more willing to call a strike and engage in work stoppage than a lot of other unions," he said.

Williams, with District 37, said the union does not pursue a strike every time a new contract is negotiated. Employees get a new contract every three years.

Clashes over benefits

Jansonius said benefits are often a centerpiece of negotiations. McLaughlin said in his experience it is no longer common for manufacturers to offer long-term disability until age 65.

"I would characterize that as something maybe that used to exist industry-wide many years ago," he said, "but something that's very uncommon now."

Benefits are costing management more at both union and nonunion workplaces, McLaughlin said, so reducing benefits and pay is becoming more common.

"I suspect that economic conditions are driving the management position," he said. "And similarly, I suspect that economic positions are driving the union."

On the picket line Monday, some of the striking workers took time out for the celestial event that seemed to have the entire nation's attention. Stevens turned his sign into a pinhole projector and watched the solar eclipse on the concrete. Some of his colleagues brought eclipse glasses.

"Mother Nature doing her best," Stevens said.
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The next time a Chicken Little fires up a slide deck to explain why a commodities shortage will wreak havoc on a market, don't trust them.

Acres of newsprint and hours of television times are spent on various Mr. and Ms. Littles proclaiming that some critical ingredient in a major industrial process will soon run out, or become so expensive, that an entire industry is in danger. Oftentimes, these experts know exactly how you can profit, if you'll listen to them.

The problem is that real business people, authentic innovators, usually get to work solving the problem by finding new resource or developing alternatives, thereby defusing the crisis.

RELATED: Fracturing is an unsung hero in fighting climate change

For the latest example, look no further than the shale oil industry, which was facing a dramatic shortage of sand to hydraulically fracture wells in the Permian Basin. The price of sand was going to skyrocket and squeeze the Texas drilling industry, The Wall Street Journal reported in March.

Imagine that, a shortage of sand.

Here we are five months later, and sand miners are hard at work in the Permian Basin, which is basically one giant sandbox, according to my colleague Colin Eaton. Turns out that white sand from Wisconsin wasn't so special after all.

Using local sand also lowers the cost by 40 percent, and now drillers say there will be plenty of sand for everyone. Lower costs, by the way, mean more oil at lower per barrel prices, so consumers will share in the savings.

Remember when everyone was saying that old fashioned vertical oil wells were a thing of the past? Well, The Wall Street Journal reports today that conventional well operators are bringing down costs in established oil fields to outperform the fancy horizontal wells.

Smart business people make their fortunes solving problems for a reasonable price. The key is innovation.

RELATED: Why lower crude prices are good for the oil industry

Remember when U.S. natural gas cost $11 for a million BTUs? Companies including Cheniere told investors that America would need to import liquefied natural gas and spent billions on an import facility.

George Mitchell looked at Texas shale and realized he could fracture it and remove the embedded gas much cheaper than importing gas from overseas. Hydraulic fracturing is now used to produce cheap oil and natural gas, while Cheniere's regasification plant sits idle and the company is now exporting gas.

Name a commodity that some analyst said would run out, and then show me how me where business people didn't adapt. If there is money to be made, someone will find away.

Unfortunately, when a commodity's price goes up, dozens if not hundreds of people rush to find more of it. And when they all begin producing at the same time, the price collapses. Hence the boom-bust cycle of commodities markets.

The busts, ironically enough, are a sign of business success.

Fear is a powerful emotion that helped humans survive on African savannas alongside lions. Unfortunately, hucksters know how to use fear to exploit people and their decision making.

So the next time someone is predicting catastrophe, think about all of the people out there who are working to prevent it. They deserve your attention more than the fear mongers.
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We are not ISIS, are we?

Not that an early-20th-century Confederate monument occupies the same moral ground as the ancient Assyrian site at Ashur destroyed in 2015 by rampaging extremists. But Andrew Schneck's alleged attempt to blow up the Dick Dowling monument in Hermann Park Saturday night was no valiant act of protest.

Nor were the "paint-bombings" of Houston's statues of Christopher Columbus and Martin Luther King, Jr. last week.

Historical monuments have always seemed problematic as public art. The best of them may become landmarks, but they are still symbols mired in the circumstances of their time, easily forgotten by the next generation and not nearly as inspiring in that open-to-interpretation way as, say, Barnett Newman's "Broken Obelisk" positioned outside the Rothko Chapel.

So I'm not defending their value as fine art.

But in a city famous for its historical amnesia, monuments must be worth something.

WHEN THE national conversation about Confederate monuments boiled over last week in the wake of the death and injuries from protests in Charlottesville, the "Destroy the Confederacy" protesters didn't choose the Dowling statue as their rallying point. They chose "Spirit of the Confederacy," in Sam Houston Park.

Until then, I never thought much about that brooding, earthbound statue, even though I've seen it from afar  mostly while driving by  my entire adult life. Never bothered to look at its name.

But now it strikes me that downtown Houston is bookended by winged sculptures from two vastly different points in time.

How beautifully ironic that the droopy-winged angel of "Spirit" looks eastward, toward sunrise. This means that, for the time being, at least, it faces the direction of the massive new "Wings Over Water," the kinetic sculpture that has hovered since last December over a fountain outside the George R. Brown Convention Center.

"Wings Over Water" looks like giant wings in flight, with feathers aflutter but no body at the center, so it could represent a bird, a human or an angel. Whatever suits the viewer's imagination.

Michael Ciaglo/Staff

In spite of mechanical issues  the joints malfunctioned and are all being replaced  people linger under the gigantic sculpture's glow at night, dwarfed by its scale and entranced by the dazzling light and splashing water, as if they are at Disney World.

Even without the added kinetic rush, "Wings Over Water" can make an ordinary evening feel celebratory.

This is what public art aspires to in the 21st century.

There was never any danger that it would offend people. Nothing gets admitted to the public realm these days  be it statues or park amenities or bike lanes  without public comment.

When "Spirit of the Confederacy" was unveiled in 1908, of course, the city's African-American population had no voice at all.

A decade later, 13 African-American soldiers were hanged without an appeals process, and many more imprisoned for years, after a riot that swept from Camp Logan toward the edge of town, not far from the statue. Maybe that event needs to be memorialized somehow, now.

"SPIRIT OF the Confederacy" was made by the Italian immigrant sculptor Louis Amateis, who didn't carry Civil War baggage of his own  though he clearly profited from it.

Amateis arrived in the U.S. in 1883; founded the architecture and fine arts school at what would become George Washington University; and happened to be good with bronze during some frenzied decades of monument-building when Southern whites could claim they were defending more than racist attitudes.

At the unveiling of "Spirit of the Confederacy," he told the Chronicle his angel was looking to the horizon, "thoughtful of the future of his country."

At least he got the forward-thinking part about Houston right.

Michael Ciaglo/Staff

Amateis told a reporter that he envisioned ivy growing over the statue's pedestal, and he wanted the whole area around it covered with cactus (he didn't know Houston, obviously) and shrubs. A poetic thought. The growth would also have covered the plaque, with its ode to "heroes of the South who fought for the principles of states rights."

Perhaps Amateis was sensitive to the offensive message. Maybe he even felt he'd sold his soul.

Would he have been thrilled or mortified if he could have been there Sunday, when about 500 people gathered to demand the statue's removal, separated by police and barricades from a few dozen counterprotesters?

It's really the plaque, not the figure of the naked angel, that seems most problematic now. Except, of course, that we now understand the monument's intent, so the whole thing is tainted. We can't ignore it.

Houston, no more than any other city in the nation, cannot condone oppression. And as innocuous as they might have seemed during all those years when we forgot them, our Confederate statues have reached a point of no-return as symbols of white supremacist attitudes. It's like murderous half-siblings have surfaced from the murky depths of the bayou and want to come live with us.

What we do with these objects will say much about Houston as a forward-thinking city.

Maybe they could be put into context somehow with several other, now iconic, outdoor sculptures that were once controversial.

CONFEDERATE SPIRITS were still running the city when John and Dominique de Menil offered to match a federal grant to bring Newman's precarious-looking "Broken Obelisk" to the City Hall reflection pond in 1969.

The Menils, deeply invested in human rights issues, insisted that Newman's masterpiece would honor the late Martin Luther King, Jr. In a moment that now seems as shameful as the era of "Spirit of the Confederacy," Mayor Louie Welch and members of City Council forfeited the grant and rejected the offer.

Now, "Broken Obelisk" is not technically public: It sits on the private, hallowed ground of the Rothko Chapel, visited annually by pilgrims from around the world.

Molly Glentzer

By 1980, the power at City Hall had shifted, and Houston funded another controversial statue, Luis Jimenez's "Vaquero," through its Art in Public Places Program, with an assist from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Some of Houston's Mexican-American community felt Jimenez's colorful, glazed-fiberglass sculpture of a rowdy, gun-wielding Mexican cowboy atop a bucking horse was the wrong piece at the wrong place at the wrong time. Tensions hadn't fully settled after the police killing of Vietnam veteran Jose Campos Torres in 1977 and the ensuing Moody Park Riots of 1978.

Several hundred members of the Northside community petitioned to have Jimenez' statue removed, fearing that it glorified violence and drunken stereotypes. But others wanted to keep it, and Jimenez was alive to defend himself.

So the statue stayed and survived to become a signature piece of Houston's public art collection.

Our reckoning with Confederate objects and names is not over, and it won't be easy.

First, a driving tour may be in order, with stops at "Broken Obelisk" and "Vaquero" as well as "Spirit of the Confederacy" and "Wings Over Water," to contemplate where we've been, what's next and how we soar past all of this ugly, divisive business.

Forward is always the way to go. Let's put the explosives in our words, but keep it peaceful.

Bookmark Gray Matters. It's visited annually by pilgrims from around the world.
Thousands of people in Portsmouth, Virginia, are hoping to replace a Confederate monument with a more contemporary person.

A Change.org petition is asking the city's mayor and council members to erect a statue of rapper Missy Elliot where a Confederate statue now stands. The organizers of the petition chose Elliott because Portsmouth is her hometown.

NEWS FROM THE CAPITOL: Lawmaker wants Confederate symbols removed from Texas Capitol

"Who better to encapsulate the culture and spirit of the city enshrined in a new monument than Grammy Award winning rapper, dancer, and record producer Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott?" the petition asks. "Before she was 'Missy Misdemeanor' she was Melissa Arnette Elliott, born on July 1, 1971 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Hailing from humble beginnings as the only child of a power company dispatcher and a welder at Portsmouth's lauded naval shipyard, she rose to become a platinum recording artist with over 30 million albums sold. All this without even once owning a slave."

As of Monday, the petition has attracted 25,053 supporters.

"Getting this statue put up will be a lot of work and you may ask yourself is it worth it?" the petition asks. "I say yes and ask you to join me in letting us work it. Together we can put white supremacy down, flip it and reverse it."

The petition has gained traction from rap enthusiasts online, including Elliott herself.

RENAMING: UH to rename Calhoun Lofts after violence in Charlottesville

The petition comes at a time when protests to remove Confederate monuments have swept across the nation. This past weekend, the University of Texas took down a Confederate statue on campus. In Houston, officials plan to review the city's public art collection and may remove a Confederate statue.
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Keith laid across the curb and concrete. Then he stood and walked over by the trees and looked up. Then he turned to his left, and to his right. The young elementary student did everything he possibly could to take in a historical moment as he joined millions across the country gazing at the first solar eclipse in almost four decades.

"I'm having fun," little Keith Vollert told the Dayton News. "This is really cool!"

He arrived early for the eclipse at Liberty Middle School and when everyone else had left to go inside, Keith was still outside gazing up. He wasn't missing a single thing with the eclipse.

His mom was parked just a few feet away in front of the school allowing the youngster to experience everything his little mind could absorb.

It was one of those beautiful teachable moments that warmed the heart of LMS principal Rhonda Smith.

In her seventh year at the school and 26th year in the district, Smith was overwhelmed.

"This was spectacular!" she said. "And to have shared it with 1,000 members of our community was special."

Students weren't even in school at Liberty at the time, but it was a rare teachable moment with a solar eclipse party at the school.

"This started out kind of small only involving our campus," she said. "We don't start back until tomorrow and so this is a teacher workday getting ready for their students."

Last week, Smith's brain went into overdrive and thought teachers should have a Total Eclipse of the Heart luncheon, a take on the Bonnie Tyler song.

"I decided that we'd have a video with the staff with stats on the solar eclipse," she said.

Then for lunch, the staff was treated to crescent chicken salad sandwiches, sun chips, moon pies, and sun tea.

On her invitation list, of course, was LISD Superintendent Dr. Cody Abshier, who listened to Smith explain her idea and he thought it was so genius he ordered 1,000 pairs of glasses that were distributed to faculty members at all the campuses and shared with community members and students who wanted them.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in a press release, the partial eclipse duration in the Houston and Liberty County areas lasted approximately 2 hours, 59 minutes, reaching its maximum level of 70 percent at 1:16 p.m. CDT.

The umbra, the moon's shadow, passed over the earth at a rate of speed of 3,000 miles per hour racing across the nation's heartland in a 70-mile swath.

In the lead-up to a total solar eclipse, most of the attention is on the sun, but Earth's moon also has a starring role.

"A total eclipse is a dance with three partners: the moon, the sun and Earth," said Richard Vondrak, a lunar scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It can only happen when there is an exquisite alignment of the moon and the sun in our sky."

In the press release, Vondrak said during this type of eclipse, the moon completely hides the face of the sun for a few minutes, offering a rare opportunity to glimpse the pearly white halo of the solar corona, or faint outer atmosphere. This requires nearly perfect alignment of the moon and the sun, and the apparent size of the moon in the sky must match the apparent size of the sun.

On average, a total solar eclipse occurs about every 18 months somewhere on Earth, although at any particular location, it happens much less often.

The path of totality crossed 14 states only in the continental U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina.

"It was a fun day," the principal said. "We had a family who drove over from Huffman to watch with us and they had heard about it on social media."

From retired teachers to current faculty, community members, students and even a city councilwoman from Dayton, the event attracted a number of folks to join in with the millions around the country to enjoy the unique astronomical event.

"Knowing that tomorrow we start school and our faculty and kids were able to experience something so rare, I'm sure tomorrow our science department will be showing their photos to students," she said.

While students endure first day jitters and getting to a class late here and there, Smith said the faculty will use Monday's experience as a conversation starter to relieve any cold starts and get students engaged immediately with their teachers.

"If they didn't watch it, we'll share the videos and photos that were taken," she said.

Smith also enjoyed the day for another reason.

"I was happy to see so many from the community here," the principal said proudly. "We need more activities to bring our community together and this was special," she said.

Smith was so touched to see LES student Keith on her campus enjoying the event.

"It would be so awesome if this was a spark for him to become an astronomer," she said.

Keith and a few millions of his eclipse buddies won't have to wait long for a repeat performance.

On April 8, 2024, another solar eclipse will run through Mexico up through Texas to the west of the Houston area. Scientists at NASA say the path of totality will likely run through the San Antonio and Austin areas in a northeastern pattern out of the state.

What makes these such gifts to the American public?

NASA says in the very distant future, the spectacular shows put on by total solar eclipses will cease. That's because the moon is, on average, slowly receding from Earth at a rate of about 1-1/2 inches, or 4 centimeters, per year. Once the moon moves far enough away, its apparent size in the sky will be too small to cover the sun completely.

"Over time, the number and frequency of total solar eclipses will decrease," said Vondrak. "About 600 million years from now, Earth will experience the beauty and drama of a total solar eclipse for the last time."

With that knowledge, who can blame little Keith for taking in as much as he can.
On the eastern edge of the Greater Heights, in the historic district of Norhill, the whir of buzz saws and the smell of fresh paint being slathered on centuries-old siding fills the mid-day air and is sign of homeowners who are invested in keeping the small neighborhood appealing to residents and visitors alike.

And the sprucing up is just in time for one special visitor to the area who will make an appearance at the Norhill Neighborhood Association meeting August 29.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, the first Democrat elected to the position in decades, will be the guest speaker at the civic meeting which is held on the last Tuesday of every month. Since taking office in January she's made headlines by lowering the punishment for marijuana possession, as well as her efforts on bond reform. And it seems she will be met with a warm welcome by residents at the meeting, who say they approve of the job she's doing so far. But they do admit that they aren't experiencing the level of crime that other Heights neighborhoods are.

Sara Richey owns one home in Norhill and in Houston Heights, an area west of Norhill between Shepherd Drive and Studewood Street. The criminal attorney has lived in the area for 11 years and has heard people in Norhill mention going the route of private patrols that home owners would pay for. Residents of Houston Heights, where Richey lives, have done that with Harris County Constable's Office Precinct 1 who is contracted to provide extra security to the area that's in Houston Police Department's jurisdiction.

"I don't think it's needed here," she said of Norhill. "I know it's a lot of petty crime that takes place here. I've never felt unsafe."

At least two other homeowners in Norhill said last week that they don't see crime as a major problem, but acknowledged that petty theft is an ongoing issue.

The crime and safety chair on the Norhill Neighborhood Council said that although major crimes are rare, "It seems like every day someone is posting on the Heights Nextdoor site about something being stolen right off their front porch."

Nextdoor, the webiste that limits members to a specific region so that neighbors can communicate privately, has become a go-to for victims of crimes to share their experience.

Norhill is composed of around 700 homes and is a part Houston's Super Neighborhood 15 - Greater Heights. Super Neighborhoods are sections of town that City of Houston has specified in order to allow for more local representation at the city level.

With renters making up almost 50 percent of all occupants in the Greater Heights, according to City of Houston's latest demographic report in 2012, involvement in neighborhood councils can be a challenge. One renter in Houston Heights is starting to pay attention, though, after she and her boyfriend suffered three break-ins at their rental home in three months this year.

Tricia Bakonyi didn't know that Constable Alan Rosen's office was even an option to call when she came home from work to find one of the windows shattered in their home at Studewood and 12th Street.

Thieves had broken in and stolen two bikes worth $400 each and smashed their television. After calling the police, she took to Nexrdoor to share what happened to her too.

Bakonyi and her boyfriend, Josh Hanks, attended a recent Greater Heights meeting hoping to find out what was being done about crime in the area.

"Crime has been increasing in the area I didn't know there was a different office to call," she said. "I'm not a homeowner."

But civic meetings are open to renters, and Bakonyi and Hanks say they'll start attending so they can have more input on issues like crime prevention.

It's unknown what Ogg's exact topic of discussion will be at the meeting, but organizers say there is usually a question-and-answer portion at their meetings.

The Norhill Neighborhood Association meeting will take place August 29, 6:30 p.m. at Proctor Plaza Community Center, 803 West Temple.
Courtesy of Kristina Franco

The Spanish Schoolhouse in Kingwood celebrates their new preschool, opened Feb. 1, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

Read about the Spanish Schoolhouse at http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/kingwood/news/article/Kingwood-preschool-teaches-children-Spanish-11200771.php.
President Donald Trump's decision to continue military operations in Afghanistan, with a probably modest increase in U.S. troops, is an incremental shift in strategy that may help hold the line against a resurgent Taliban, but isn't likely to change the course of the United States' longest war.

In a televised address to the nation Monday, Trump said that his "original instinct was to pull out," but that the "consequences of a rapid exit are predictable and unacceptable."

He said he would "not talk about numbers of troops" he would sanction, but promised that "in the end, we will win." Senior military leaders have asked for several thousand more troops to advise Afghan forces in their fight against the Taliban and intensify the waves of U.S. airstrikes aimed at the militant group. Trump also said the new strategy would involve pressuring Pakistan, long accused of harboring terrorists, to support U.S. goals.

Trump's decision is a middle path that does not hew to either of the main foreign policy themes he articulated as a candidate: to stay out of expensive overseas quagmires, and to decisively win any conflict worth entering.

It followed months of deliberations within the new administration, which swung from a bold stroke to yank U.S. forces after nearly 16 years of war to options that would sprinkle more U.S. trainers and Special Operations troops around the vast country in hopes of forcing the Taliban to the table and preventing the formation of another terrorist haven.

By tweaking a course set by President Barack Obama, Trump suggests that he, like Obama and President George W. Bush before him, is facing the bleak reality of Afghanistan: There is no fast or politically palatable way to win, but losing quickly isn't an acceptable option, either.

"I think mush is what we have, and unfortunately I fear it's where we're headed," said Vikram Singh, a former senior adviser on South Asia at the Pentagon and the State Department who is now a vice president at the liberal Center for American Progress.

Military strategists, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, have long argued that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, and that the goal should be to convince the Taliban that they have more to gain from talking than fighting.

No military or diplomatic strategy has shown the homegrown insurgency that such a tipping point was at hand.

Trump set no time limit on how long the United States will remain.

"I've said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations," the president said.

In 2014, the military shifted from its combat mission in Afghanistan to two primary supporting roles: advising the Afghan security forces and going after terrorist groups in the country - al-Qaida and later, the Islamic State.

The Obama White House had wanted to end its time in office with a minimal number of forces in Afghanistan, mostly relegated to Kabul. Yet as U.S. troops left and the Taliban began regaining territory, Obama decided against a total drawdown, and in June 2016 bolstered the advisory role and approved more aggressive airstrikes against the Taliban.

Trump will stick to that hedge, neither agreeing to pull out entirely nor attempting a major surge, as was seen in Iraq in 2007 and in Afghanistan in 2009.

"What are just a few thousand more troops going to do that hundreds of thousands couldn't do before?" asked Doug Ollivant, a senior national security studies fellow at the New America Foundation and a former Army officer. "It's the same forever war."

Afghan government forces and the militants remain locked in a stalemate, and the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction recently assessed that the Taliban again control nearly half the country.

"We see this as a long-term campaign," said one U.S. military official in Kabul, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be frank. By sending more troops and investing in the war, he said, the United States and its NATO allies will be able to chart a way forward well into the 2020s when, the Pentagon hopes, the Afghan Air Force will be nearly self sufficient and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's four-year road map toward government and military reform will be complete.

As a private citizen, Trump seemed to favor a more radical approach.

"We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. Their government has zero appreciation. Let's get out!" he tweeted in November 2013.

Once in office, Trump put off any announcement of a strategy reboot, apparently frustrated that his advisers were not presenting him with options that could win the war.

The Pentagon has been pushing for more troops for months to add to the 8,500 U.S. forces there alongside 5,000 soldiers from NATO countries. At the Pentagon, officials think the United States and NATO reduced its troops in Afghanistan "too far and too fast" after the end of combat operations in 2014.

In June, Trump gave Mattis the authority to add the troops he needed, after a request for more forces by Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. But Mattis held off, instead pushing Trump to own a long-term plan for the war.

Trump's announcement also zeroed in on Pakistan, long understood to harbor and support some of the militant groups, such as the Haqqani network and the Pakistani Taliban, that have trickled over the border and sown widespread violence in Afghanistan's provinces.

Pakistan has frequently denied harboring militants and has accused Afghanistan of harboring anti-Pakistani militants, even going so far as to propose a fence along its porous border. Last month, Mattis said that the United States would withhold $50 million in defense funding from the country for not cracking down on Haqqani militants.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said. "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists."

For U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the years of bloody battling - periods that included large combat operations and daily firefights - are in the past. U.S. casualties are a fraction of what they were at the height of Obama's war - 11 this year as compared with nearly 500 in 2010.

"What we're seeing right now is the war we're fighting," said Marine Capt. Brian Hubert, an officer who helps run a Marine command center in Helmand province, one of Afghanistan's most volatile regions.

U.S. Special Operations forces run counterterrorism missions, and other American and NATO troops try to help the Afghans hold territory through training effective troops, intelligence and planning for offensive operations, and calling in airstrikes.

Longtime diplomat Jim Dobbins, a special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan under Obama, called Trump's decision prudent.

"The choices come down to losing and not losing," he said.

"It would be nice to have an option that allows you to win in a 'War is Over' way, but that's been tried and found to be too expensive, was not sustainable and in the current circumstances, it's not politically feasible"
A Montgomery man found guilty of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old on several occasions was handed a life sentence Friday, a decision, prosecutors said, that was highly influenced by the amount of self-imposed cuts the victim had as a result of the emotional trauma from the assault.

Jeffrey Michael McDonough, 46, met the young girl when he and the girl's mother started dating in summer 2014, according to a release from the District Attorney's Office. He moved in with the mother and daughter the following spring.

McDonough began sexually assaulting the young girl on many different occasions, the release states. One of the girl's teachers testified during trial that she noticed a big change in the girl, reportedly going from a happy, giving and friendly in the fall 2014 semester to an angry, reserved and unfriendly person the following semester, prosecutors said.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Man accused of posting photos of girl he sexually assaulted

The victim's mother noticed similar changes, including sleeplessness and nightmares. The girl eventually asked if she could live with her father in Dallas, which is when she told her family that she had been raped, prosecutors said.

The girl told investigators with Children's Safe Harbor that the sexual assaults lasted for about four months and happened at her home while her mother was at work.

At some point, the girl began to cut herself in response to the abuse, prosecutors said. One nurse testified that she had never seen a more severe case of self-mutilation on a victim.

PROSTITUTION STING: Former Brazoria County prosecutor among 250 arrested

The jury found McDonough guilty following three hours after hearing testimony from the victim herself.

Prosecutor George Napier said during their closing statements in the sentencing phase that McDonough deserved a year in prison for every cut on his victim's body. Napier told the jury that once they could no longer count the cuts, they should "stop counting and give him life."

The jury agreed.

"I am so proud of that little girl for taking the stand, facing the man who violated her in the worst way an adult can violate a child, and telling her truth to the jury," Napier said. "She's braver than most adults I know. She's an inspiration to me."

Under Texas law, McDonough will be eligible for parole in 30 years, or possibly less with good time credit.
Police swarmed Hermann Park early Tuesday after thieves tried to nab an ATM from the Miller Outdoor Theatre.

The thieves - described only as four men - drove up to the theater about 4 a.m., said John Cannon, a spokesman with the Houston Police Department.
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AUSTIN - The state's top three officials huddled behind closed doors for well over an hour a week ago, just two days before a special legislative session was to end, trying to overcome a key difference and salvage property tax reform legislation.

Would the percentage at which voters would get a say on proposed tax hikes be 4 percent, as Patrick and the Senate wanted? Or would it be 6 percent, as the House demanded?

No deal was struck in Gov. Greg Abbott's office, in a meeting that one attendee said seemed like negotiations "between two people who didn't want a consensus" - political archrivals Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus - but top House officials the following afternoon tried again in a meeting in the lieutenant governor's office.

Patrick offered 5 percent. The House said no.

Just 24 hours later, a day before the session was supposed to end, the House adjourned and went home. And the one issue that Patrick had wanted passed for more than a decade before he came to Austin as an elected official, was dead.

In the days since, he has ramped up his angry public rhetoric against Straus and Republican House leaders for killing what he has called "the most important bill of the special session," more significant than even the controversial bathroom bill or school choice, which he also championed as "must pass" issues.

On Monday, as the accusations continued to fly, the battle lines in the 2018 GOP primary elections began to firm up in an escalating civil war between the moderate Straus wing and the Abbott-Patrick far right flank of the state's Republican Party that promises to alter the future of Texas politics in coming years.

Does Patrick, the take-no-prisoners conservative Republican who rammed Abbott's 20-issue agenda through the Senate in short order but ended not getting his ultimate prize, have any regrets?

"Absolutely not," he said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. "I was not going to pass a phony-baloney bill that did nothing  I was not about to go home and tell our voters that we had passed a bill that would give them relief when we didn't."

For their part, House leaders counter that the Senate-passed rate would have done little - as Straus spokesman Jason Embry tweeted on Monday: "By (Senate bill sponsor Paul) Bettencourt's own admission his plan saved homeowners about $3 to $9 per month."

"Joe Straus is trying to protect Democrats  Joe Straus stays in power because of 55 Democrats' votes. Joe Straus is a big-spending liberal Republican," Patrick said, insisting that the failure to reform property taxes in Texas will hurt the state's economy "in a big way" because businesses cannot afford to continue paying more and more in taxes.

"What I find most repulsive is that even 5 percent would have been a step in the right direction," Patrick said. "We (the Senate) would have agreed to 5 percent. There were 52 votes in the House for 4 percent, and probably 85 to 95 for 5 percent. Joe Straus personally killed that bill."

It takes 76 votes to pass a bill in the House.

"The House voted overwhelmingly to put another $1.5 billion into public schools in the special session. Lieutenant Governor Patrick and the Senate blocked that effort, choosing instead to do the bare minimum for education and push more of the burden onto local property taxpayers," Jason Embry said in response to Patrick's tirade against his boss.

As for the House's unwillingness to go lower than 6 percent, Straus and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dennis Bonnen, the House sponsor of the measure, "told the LtGov that Members did not want to go below 6 percent. Spkr listened to Members," Embry tweeted.

Compromise attempts

For his part, Bonnen told reporters after the session ended that the House tried its best to reach a compromise and could not. Other House members complained that the Senate would not compromise enough on property-tax reform and other measures, enough to gain approval in the House.

"We have made our efforts, so I don't want there to be in any way a suggestion that we have not, will not, would not work with the Senate on such an important issue," he said.

Just as both Patrick and Abbott have continued to blame Straus and the House for derailing passage of several key issues - the bathroom bill, limits on city regulations, banning union deductions from government payroll checks, banning local abortion funding and setting spending caps - by most estimates Patrick himself was a key to the outcome of the special session.

Both for better and worse.

In many ways, the controversy over the bathroom bill championed by Patrick galvanized the transgender community in Texas like never before, and widened a growing split between big business interests and the state's GOP leadership with which it had worked in lock-step for decades.

Patrick's push for the Senate to quickly approve new restrictions on local governments' ability to regulate development, annexation and growth angered numerous cities and counties, some already at odds with the state over the Legislature's passage of a controversial ban on sanctuary cities last spring that they opposed - and many are now fighting in court.

Jeff Moseley, CEO of the influential Texas Association of Business, the state's largest business lobbying organization, has made it clear that business executives will be watching for - and will oppose - any future proposals like the bathroom bill that could hurt business.

"The question is whether business will shy away from the increasingly right-wing conservative views of Dan Patrick and Greg Abbott, and whether more moderate Republicans could, too," said Will Folkes, a Houston business investor who organized local opposition to the bathroom bill. "Only time will tell whether we have reached that point."

Blames the House

But Don Parker, a Central Texas rancher and tea-party activist who is a staunch supporter of the conservative agenda championed by Abbott and Patrick, said most Texans agree with those issues.

"This special session made it clear where the problem is at the state Capitol, and that's not in the Senate," he said. "The Republican primary next spring will be an opportunity to make some changes that are needed in Austin."

For a politician who is alternatively criticized as a divisive partisan crusader or a conservative straight-shooter, there is little argument that the onetime Houston radio talk-show host has changed the Senate since he was elected to the top post in 2015, after serving as a Houston senator.

Fulfilling a campaign promise, Patrick got the conservative Republican majority to repeal the so-called "two-thirds" rule that gave Democrats clout in determining which bills came to a vote and quickly established himself as a strong presiding officer, the strongest since the legendary Democrat Bob Bullock ran the Senate two decades ago.

Even so, Bullock, a blunt and mercurial politician who was elected to be Texas' No. 2 elected official from 1991 until 1999, served in an era when Texas politics was less partisan blood sport, when consensus was still required on key issues and when the top leaders in the House and Senate got along.

"Patrick's hold on the Senate is much firmer that Bob Bullock's was," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political scientist who has studied Senate governance patterns in Texas. "Party-line votes are clearer now and the lack of two-thirds rule has changed the Senate so that Dan Patrick and the Republicans can prevail on ideological positions they stake out. That is much different than the Texas House, and that's where the conflict comes into play."

Longtime political observers and lawmakers say that Patrick also gains power because of the large number of freshmen and sophomore senators - 15 of the 19 Republicans have come into office since 2013 - that are politically aligned with his hard-line tea-party views. And unlike Straus, who is elected by House members, Patrick is elected statewide by voters, which gives him additional clout to implement his platform.

For his part, Patrick said he simply puts senators first, the same as Straus says his decisions represent the wishes of the 150 House members.

"It's not that I'm in control of the Senate, it's that the views of a majority of the senators in agreement on most of these issues that are important to Texans," he said.

Focus on own campaign

While Abbott has pledged to help campaign against House Republicans who do not support his conservative agenda that the lieutenant governor also ascribes to, Patrick insists that he intends to focus on his re-election campaign and that of the 12 senators who will have their names on the ballot next year.

"My focus is not on Joe Straus  It is not personal at all," he said.

Even so, Patrick said if as he campaigns across Texas during the next year, he plans to point out to local voters the House members who voted against property-tax reform.

"These members are against privacy and are against lowering property taxes," he said of his spiel, invoking the revered battle of the Alamo to make his point.

"What people celebrate about the Alamo is they didn't fail, they didn't quit, they stayed with it," he said. "That's what we're doing."
Houston was abuzz Monday for the long-awaited solar eclipse, where the moon partially blocked out the sun.

The partial eclipse began in Houston at 11:46 a.m. and ended around 2:45 p.m.

Crowds of starry-eyed families flocked to the Children's Museum of Houston Monday morning to get a lesson in planetary science ahead of the eclipse.

More on the Great American Eclipse

Pin-holed postcards that show the shadow of the sun were passed out to encourage safe viewing.

Manning the "Interstellar Research Hub," Briana Falls, 24, demonstrated the eclipse with a globe, moon and flashlight, and fielded questions from a gathering of puzzled tots.

"Is the Earth going to crash into the Sun?" asked a curiously confused Ivy Flint. The 4-year-old was sporting a pair of patriotic sunglasses.

Sylvia Marcantel, 11, tested the museum's makeshift cardboard viewing boxes, placing the helmet over her head to get a glimpse of the shadow through a hole in the back.

More than 2000 Houstonians converged on Levy Park in Upper Kirby for an artsy viewing event hosted by the Lunar and Planetary Institute.

"It's kind of overwhelming to see what seems like all of Houston here," said Natalye Appel, 59, the architect who designed the newly built Upper Kirby park. "If you've never seen an eclipse, it's like falling in love, you should do it at least once."

Organizers quickly ran out of the 1,800 viewing glasses, but volunteers, like Katie Robinson, found a way to improvise. The post-doctoral student, who studies moon rocks at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, began handing out makeshift pinholes with spare paper.

"Nothing replaces seeing the eclipse in person, seeing the bite taken out of the sun," Robinson said, wearing a blouse covered with cartoon planets and slippers with a crescent moon design.

Omar and Elynor Soto also dressed festively for the eclipse, each wearing black solar eclipse T-shirts they purchased online. The duo were present for a total solar eclipse in Venezuela in 1998.
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The park ranger spotted him kneeling in the bushes by the 112-year-old Confederate statue, explosives in hand.

Was he trying to harm the statue? she asked.

Yes, he said. He didn't like the guy.

The late-night confrontation at the statue of Confederate Lt. Dick Dowling  detailed in court records by a federal agent  led to the arrest of 25-year-old Andrew Schneck, setting off a two-day operation by law enforcement that forced the evacuation of the tony Rice University neighborhood where Schneck lives with his parents.

BACKGROUND: FBI, ATF, Houston Police swarm street near Museum District

Now Playing: FOX 26 News reporter Lindsey Henry Video: Brandpoint

Bomb squad experts detonated a cache of high-powered explosives found on the property Monday afternoon as residents waited to return to their homes.

The arrest marked the latest chapter in a growing fight over Confederate statues that has sparked protests across the country, punctuated by a deadly clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters Aug. 12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Schneck, charged Monday with attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property, was ordered into federal custody pending a court hearing later this week. If convicted, he could face up to 40 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

It is the second time Schneck has run afoul of federal law enforcement. He was convicted in 2014 of storing explosives at another of his parents' properties and sentenced to five years probation, but was released early last year.

Lawyers for Schneck offered few details about the case.

"This is an evolving situation, with an ongoing investigation," said Philip Hilder, who is representing Schneck and who represented him in the previous case. "It would be premature to comment at this time since we have not seen the evidence."

The white marble statue of Dowling, an Irish immigrant who lived in Houston and fought for the Confederacy, was erected in 1905 to honor rebel soldiers who died at the Battle of Sabine Pass. A street named for Dowling was changed earlier this year to Emancipation Avenue.

Schneck's arrest about 11 p.m. Saturday followed a day of protests and counter-protests over another controversial statue, the Spirit of the Confederacy, in Sam Houston Park. The "Destroy the Confederacy" protest drew hundreds but ended without incident.

Park Ranger Tamara Curtis, who was not allowed to speak to the media Monday, found Schneck near the base of the Dowling statue with two boxes filled with a homemade detonator, a timer, wiring, a battery, a bottle of nitroglycerin and an explosive organic compound known as HMTD, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, according to the sworn statement by Federal Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Patrick Hutchinson.

After being confronted, he tried to drink some of the liquid explosives but "immediately spit the liquid on the ground ... then proceeded to pour the contents of the bottle on the ground next to him," according to the statement.

"Nitroclycerin is highly dangerous to transport or use," Hutchinson wrote. "ln its undiluted form, it is one of the world's most powerful explosives."

Schneck told law enforcement he had other chemicals at his home on Albans Road, sending a swarm of local and federal agents to the tree-lined street just north of Rice University.

The searches Monday followed an all-night "enforcement operation" led by the FBI.

Deron Ogletree, an assistant special-agent-in-charge in the FBI's Houston office, said experts came in from the national training center at Quantico, Virginia, as well as other FBI offices in Dallas and New Orleans.

"We've been working long hours since Saturday evening," Ogletree said Monday.

By 9:15 a.m. Monday, FBI agents had set up a blue tent on the front lawn, as hazardous materials experts and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched the property.

"There's a significant amount of material," said Larry Satterwhite, an assistant Houston police chief who oversees the Homeland Security Command. "Some very hazardous materials were found."

Satterwhite didn't say what type of explosives investigators found.

OCT. 4, 2013: Feds raid Houston homes over purchase of chemical used in gas creation

OCT. 5, 2013: FBI blows up possibly 'volatile substance' at house

OCT. 6, 2013: FBI raid of dangerous chemical includes Michigan homes

Federal agents first raided the Schneck home in the 2000 block of Albans Road in 2013, when another multi-agency team stormed the property owned by his parents, Houston arts consultant Cecily E. Horton and her husband, Andrew Edward Schneck.

Agents also searched other properties in 2013 owned by the couple, including a Memorial-area home and a condo in Bryan.

Officials initially said the younger Schneck was believed to have chemicals that could be used to make nerve gas or tear gas. They eventually found a military-grade explosive called picric acid at the Memorial area home on Fall River.

The following year, the then 22-year-old Schneck pleaded guilty in federal court to knowingly storing explosives and was sentenced to five years probation. A judge released him last year ahead of schedule.

At the time, his lawyers noted his "'exemplary character," saying he'd "matured and his focus is no longer concentrated on high-risk activities," court documents show.

While on probation, he completed a bachelor's degree at Austin College, where he majored in chemistry. He expressed interest in attending graduate school to study chemical reactions using "cutting-edge computer learning software," according to court documents.

He adhered to the probation stipulations and paid off more than $150,000 in restitution.

"Schneck is not a risk to public safety nor is there a history of violence," his lawyers argued.

Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle

School acquaintances described him as an awkward loner who struggled with social interactions.

"I can't even think of a single friend he had, to be perfectly honest," said one former classmate at Memorial High School, where he was known as "Ace" for his initials.

During their senior year of high school, the former classmate said, Schneck wrote a "manifesto" dedicated to some of the school's popular girls, decrying how their boyfriends treated them and saying he could have done better.

After high school graduation in 2010, the two lost touch and Schneck's classmate didn't hear news of him again until charges were filed against him several years ago.

"None of this is surprising," the former classmate said. "He seems a bit disconnected from reality."

Dowling's statue  the city's first publicly financed monument  has prompted discussion for years.

A 1958 Houston Chronicle article acknowledged that "there probably are only a few Houstonians who have more than a hazy idea about Dick Dowling's contribution to Texas history."

"Shouldn't the city of his adoption revere the memory of such a daring young man and his exploits sufficiently to display the statue and keep it in good repair?" a front-page piece asked.

Dowling, a Houston businessman, is credited with helping found the Houston Fire Department and start the city's first street car company.

In recent weeks, protesters of Confederate statues tore down one such monument in Durham, North Carolina. Elsewhere, authorities in Baltimore and on the University of Texas at Austin campus removed public statues quietly in the night.

Critics here have also called for the removal of such statues but condemned Schneck's actions.

"If someone wants to take the initiative and take it down and face the consequences, I'm good with that," said Ashton Woods, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Houston. "But it becomes another thing if you have explosives enough to blow up your neighborhood and take them to a public park. I completely condemn that. You don't put people in danger to further your ideology."

Margaret Kadifa, John D. Harden, Lindsay Ellis and James Pinkerton contributed to this story.
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The University of Houston announced on Monday it will rename its Calhoun Lofts dormitory, joining other Texas colleges and universities in a nationwide recoil against statues and other monuments to slavery and white supremacy.

The dorm - named after the nearby street that bears the moniker of former U.S. Vice President John Calhoun, who advocated for slavery and was an avowed white supremacist - will be called University Lofts, a spokesman said on Monday.

"While the residence hall was not named in recognition of John C. Calhoun, in the wake of recent events - and out of sensitivity to our diverse student community - the university has decided to change the name to University Lofts," the university said in a statement. "The change will be made as soon as practical."

Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University both pledged on Monday to review artifacts linked to the Confederacy, while the University of Texas took down four statues overnight on Sunday.

The actions follow a backlash on college campuses after protests to preserve a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee turned deadly near the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Aug. 12.

UT removed life-size bronze figures of Lee, Albert Sidney Johnston, John Reagan and James Stephen Hogg, culminating a decades-long debate at the state flagship university.

"The horrific displays of hatred at the University of Virginia and in Charlottesville shocked and saddened the nation," UT president Gregory Fenves said in a letter announcing his decision. "These events make it clear, now more than ever, that Confederate monuments have become symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism."

Fenves' decision was cheered among some alumni, current students and even UT's Chancellor William McRaven, but it drew sharp criticism from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

At Texas A&M, president Michael Young said a statue of Confederate general and former Texas A&M president Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross would stay, but the university would examine other historical artifacts to assess their consistency with the school's core values. Other universities in the A&M System would also examine their artifacts, chancellor John Sharp said in a statement.

Texas Tech officials said they would reconsider the display of two Confederate generals on the north side of an administrative building.

In Houston, officials with UH, Rice University, the University of St. Thomas and Texas Southern University said they have no statues or monuments honoring Confederate leaders.

Supporters of removing Confederate monuments say that it's wrong to honor a rebel army that broke away from the U.S. to preserve slavery. But two surveys this month show that a significant group of Americans believe the statues should remain.

'Where does it stop?'

On Monday, the Texas lieutenant government criticized UT for removing the statues in the "middle of the night."

In a radio interview, Patrick said, while he does not tolerate racism, tearing down statues sends "a poor message."

"I thought universities were where we were supposed to have robust discussions about our history," Patrick said. "Where does it stop?"

He also criticized the university for giving "no notice" on its plans to remove the statutes, which University of Texas spokesman J.B. Bird said was to minimize disruption and to ensure public safety.

UT officials said on Sunday that statues of Lee, Johnston and Reagan will be placed in the Briscoe Center, a research space with exhibits on the American South. The representation of Hogg, the former Texas governor, may be placed elsewhere on campus, Fenves said.

Historian and author Kevin Levin, who focuses on the Civil War, said it's no surprise that universities can relocate monuments more quickly than cities can. UT's statues are among at least a dozen to be moved since the clash in Charlottesville, he said.

"For universities with the resources, and also the mandate to educate, it makes sense that these monuments can find a place in a museum setting where they can be properly interpreted," he said. "The argument that taking down these monuments is erasing history, you can't say that about UT-Austin. If anything, they're providing more information."

The death of a woman protester in Charlottesville and rising racial divisions have galvanized local institutions to take action, he said.

"This is a moment of racial tension, on a national level," he said. "I think this is playing out as part of that."

Decades of debate

Confederate statues at UT have divided the university for decades. The pieces were commissioned in 1916 by Major George W. Littlefield, a former UT regent, donor and Confederate veteran.

Like the monuments at UT, many statues and other symbols were erected years after the Civil War had concluded, during a period of white "Lost Cause" nostalgia for the Confederacy, according to the university.

More statues were erected as the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s took hold.

Since at least 1989, debate raged in editorials in UT's alumni magazine, according to a 2015 report by a university task force that evaluated whether the statues should remain on campus.

That group assembled shortly after a white supremacist killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina. The University of Texas later announced it would move a statue of Confederate president Jefferson Davis to a museum.

At the time, Fenves said the other statues could stay because of the subjects' connections to Texas. His statement on Sunday reversed that decision.

"We do not choose our history, but we choose what we honor and celebrate on our campus," Fenves wrote in a letter explaining his decision. "As UT students return in the coming week, I look forward to welcoming them here for a new academic year with a recommitment to an open, positive and inclusive learning environment for all."

Calls for removal

Texas joined the nationwide debate this month after the protests in Charlottesville, when some state lawmakers called for the removal of monuments, plaques and other memorials from the State Capitol in Austin.

In Houston, several hundred people turned out to demand removal of the Spirit of the Confederacy statue in Sam Houston Park over the weekend while a few dozen counter-protesters showed up to oppose their efforts.

And a Houston man was charged on Monday with trying to plant explosives at the statue of Confederate officer Dick Dowling in Hermann Park, federal officials said.

Despite UT's decision, A&M said the statue of Ross will remain in the Academic Plaza on campus.

Ross, a Confederate general, was a former A&M president and helped create Texas' first public historically black university, Prairie View A&M University. Sul Ross University in Alpine is also named for him.

"Lawrence Sullivan 'Sul' Ross is honored on our campus as a former president of the school. Without Sul Ross, neither Texas A&M University nor Prairie View A&M University would likely exist today," Young said in a statement. "He saved our school and Prairie View through his consistent advocacy in the face of those who persistently wanted to close us down."

Alejandra Matos contributed to this report
President Donald Trump on Monday sought to rally the nation in support of a new strategy for the U.S. war in Afghanistan, taking greater ownership of a protracted conflict that he had long dismissed as a waste of time and resources.

Trump's plan involves a modest increase of several thousand troops and the president said success would be determined by conditions on the ground and not dictated by a specific timeline. The change in policy laid out during a prime-time address from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va., is the result of a lengthy policy review within his administration over how to proceed in the nation's longest war.

"Our troops will fight to win," he said. "From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaida, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

The president's decision to endorse a Pentagon plan to boost troop levels reflects mounting concerns among military leadership that battlefield setbacks for Afghan government forces against the Taliban and al-Qaida have led to a rapidly deteriorating security situation.

Trump's plans were finalized during a presidential retreat with top advisers at Camp David on Friday.

"Many decisions made, including on Afghanistan," Trump wrote on Twitter after the meeting.

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Trump did not specify how many more troops will be sent to Afghanistan, but congressional officials said the administration has told them it will be about 4,000.

An increase in the 8,500 U.S. service members currently in Afghanistan represents a bow to reality for a president who, before taking office, called for a "speedy withdrawal" from a war that began in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. As a candidate, Trump denounced Afghanistan as a "total disaster" and railed that the costly conflict in Central Asia drained enormous resources at a time of more pressing needs at home for American taxpayers.

In his speech, Trump said his calculus as president is different than it was as a candidate.

"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts," Trump said. "But all my life, I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office."

Delegating troop levels

After taking office, Trump announced that he would delegate authority to the Pentagon to set troop levels. That raised fears among some lawmakers and foreign policy analysts that even a modest initial increase could escalate rapidly and plunge the United States more deeply back into a conflict that already has resulted in the deaths of 2,403 Americans.

Though President Barack Obama fell short of fulfilling his campaign pledge to end the war, his administration vastly decreased troop levels from a high of more than 100,000 and shifted the remaining U.S. forces to a less dangerous training and advisory role.

Inside the administration, Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have advocated for the Pentagon plan to add troops, along with broader diplomatic and economic pressure on regional players, especially Pakistan.

"There's no easy answers in Afghanistan and no perfect solution," Andrew Wilder, an Afghanistan and Pakistan expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said before the speech. "What I hope to hear tonight is not just a focus on troops but more importantly a political strategy guiding our security strategy. The key focus must be how do we shift from winning the war against the Taliban to winning the peace?"

Trump's task Monday night was magnified by his need to persuade his core supporters, many of whom responded to his campaign calls to put "America first" by reducing foreign interventionism in the Middle East and Central Asia. His speech was taking place days after the departure from the White House of chief strategist Steve Bannon, who had advocated replacing U.S. troops with private security contractors.

The president has framed his decisions to use military force - including Tomahawk missile strikes on an air base in Syria in April after President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons - around his pledge to be tough on terrorism and direct threats to American security.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement Monday noting the fourth anniversary of a previous chemical weapons attack by Assad. In that instance, Obama decided not to follow through on his pledge to strike the regime for violating a "red line."

"We must speak with one voice and act with one purpose to ensure that the Syrian regime, and any other actor contemplating the use of chemical weapons, understands that doing so will result in serious consequences," the statement said.

But foreign policy analysts said Trump's decision on Afghanistan is tricky because the strategy he presented does not represent a radical departure from the past.

"To be honest, it's probably pretty close to what a Hillary Clinton would do," said Derek Chollet, an assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration who now serves as a defense analyst at the German Marshall Fund.

Chollet added that for a president who has measured success by decisive and dramatic action, the Afghanistan strategy "is about incremental success, if any. What's required in the speech tonight is a president who is going to acknowledge why he's willing to take this risk  and asking the American people to have patience in a strategy that might not succeed."

Long a skeptic

Even before his presidential campaign, Trump was skeptical about the war. "When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan?" he tweeted in 2011. "We must rebuild our country first."

As a candidate, Trump argued for a more isolationist approach to foreign policy.

Recent foreign wars, he told his supporters, had drained America of blood and treasure at the expense of efforts such as education and infrastructure at home.

"So we're on track now to spend, listen to this, $6 trillion - could have rebuilt our country twice - all together, on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Middle East," Trump said during a speech in Cleveland during the campaign. " Meanwhile, massive portions of our country are in a state of total disrepair."

The argument was a departure from the Republican Party's hawkish stance on military engagement and the two post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq that began under President George W. Bush.

Trump's stance helped him appeal to some Democratic-leaning voters who were skeptical of the wars and perceived Clinton as more hawkish than many in her party.

Within the White House, Bannon's opposition to sending more troops to Afghanistan helped fuel strife with other Trump aides, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who supported the modest troop surge.

Bannon had advocated for a proposal to replace U.S. troops with private security contractors, an idea floated by Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Military leaders largely opposed the idea, and the White House ruled it out.

Analysts said Trump's decision to deliver his remarks in prime time at a military installation followed in the path of his predecessors, who used such settings to emphasize the gravitas of their decisions and help galvanize public support.

Yet they cautioned that Trump has shown a tendency to stray from prepared remarks and ad-lib more inflammatory statements aimed at pleasing his base.

Bannon has returned to his previous post as the head of the conservative news site Breitbart, which could attack Trump's decision.

"This is Trump's war now," Chollet said.

"Putting 50 percent more troops in Afghanistan - that's ownership. And it's not something he can blame on his predecessor."
A long running controversy came to a quiet culmination at the University of Texas at Austin Sunday night as workers removed three Confederate statues from their pedestals on the campus of our state's flagship university.

The move was a surprise. Only a couple of dozen people watched. A few bystanders argued with each other, but the work attracted no organized protests, no fanfare, no violence. The statues were gone by dawn.

It's about time. More than a century has passed since a former Confederate officer, Major George W. Littlefield, specified in his will that he wanted life-size likenesses of Confederate war leaders positioned around the campus. As a university task force report noted in 2015, their construction in the early 20th century paralleled the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and an era of discrimination and violence against people of color. Generations of Texas students seeking a higher education have since been subjected to these monuments honoring men who committed an act of treason in defense of slavery. What happened in Charlottesville earlier this month finally provided the impetus for an action that was long overdue.

The statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston as well as Confederate Postmaster John Reagan won't be destroyed. Instead, they will be moved to the Briscoe Center for American History on campus, the same place where the university decided to move a statue of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis in 2015. That's an altogether appropriate locale for likenesses of men whose movement was long ago consigned to the dustbin of history.

UT President Greg Fenves has set a fine example that our state's elected leaders should follow. The Texas Capitol features at least a dozen tributes to the Confederacy, including three large statues prominently displayed on the capitol grounds. We need to have a serious discussion about what Texas should do with these Confederate monuments.

It's disgraceful that our state lawmakers and other Texans visiting the capitol - especially African-Americans - have had to walk past monuments to a cause that defended slavery. Perhaps the worst of them all is a plaque near the rotunda promoting the preposterous myth that slavery was not the underlying cause of the Civil War, a piece of revisionist history that directly contradicts the state's declaration of secession. (https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/secession/2feb1861.html)

The University of Texas has led the way. Just as Fenves figured out what to do with those statues at UT, we need to figure out what to do with the tributes to the Confederacy on the grounds of our state capitol.
There is much to dislike in President Trump's trade agenda, but he is correct on one subject: China's relentless quest to extort American "intellectual property" - technologies, business methods, patents. Trump took a swipe last week at China's policies by ordering his top trade officials to investigate. Whether he can alter China's behavior is unclear, but he is right to try, even at the risk of a trade war.

China has high economic ambitions, write David Dollar and Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution. Its industrial policy, called "Made in China 2025," envisions the country becoming the global leader in 10 crucial sectors: information technologies; machine tools and robotics; aerospace equipment; rail transport; maritime equipment; new energy vehicles; power equipment; agricultural equipment; new materials; and advanced medical products.

"These sectors will be supported by financing from state-owned [banks and] institutions and protected from open competition," say Dollar and Hass on the website of Fortune magazine.

To get to the top, China also needs advanced know-how. Here's where foreign companies make a bargain with the devil. The Chinese require them to surrender technology in return for the right to invest and sell in China. There are many mechanisms: joint ventures with Chinese firms; China-based research and development centers; licensing agreements made at bargain basement rates.

Again, Dollar and Hass: "American companies agree to these technology transfers because it's the only way they can access the second-largest market in the world. ... The list of companies operating in such ventures is essentially the roll call of top American technology firms. Intel has agreements with two Chinese chipmakers in order to get access to the market for smartphones and tablets. IBM and Advanced Micro Devices have both licensed chip technology to Chinese partners. Qualcomm has a similar partnership. Automakers have to share their technology with local partners in order to produce and sell there."

To this legalized technology extortion must be added an indeterminant amount of illegal cybertheft of business secrets. Whatever the source, the consequences hurt Americans - and Europeans, Japanese and workers in other advanced countries. All their high-technology industries face a slow eclipse by China's favored firms. The aim is to substitute their production for other countries', says Rob Atkinson of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation. He says that the government plans to spend $160 billion to expand its semiconductor industry.

The danger of global over-investment, driven by China's subsidies, is obvious. "To put it plainly, China could do to semiconductors, artificial intelligence and pharmaceuticals what it has done to steel and aluminum," writes Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic & International Studies in a report. If global gluts of production capacity emerge - as they have in steel and aluminum - and China protects its producers, then losses will fall heaviest on non-Chinese firms.

Finally, there's national security. Writing last week in The New York Times, former Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and former National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander argued that the mounting pillage of American intellectual property poses a threat to national security as well as the economy. "Chinese agents have gone after the United States' most significant weapons, such as the F-35 Lightning," they wrote.

The case for doing something is compelling; the ability to make progress is much less. Trump acted under Section 301 of the trade laws, an obscure provision that hasn't been used extensively for several decades. It authorizes the U.S. special trade representative to investigate allegedly unfair trade practices, which could lead the president to order sanctions, including high tariffs, against offending countries.

Sounds simple. We'll just hit China with higher tariffs until it ceases its offensive practices. Sorry, that's not reality. The trouble is that the sanctions permitted by domestic law (Section 301) may violate U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization. China could retaliate and probably would. Boeing, Apple and U.S. soybeans are mentioned as potential targets. Down this path lies a trade war. A further complication is that, although many of China's extortionary practices contravene the WTO's spirit, they are not illegal under WTO rules.

Atkinson calls the Chinese system "innovation mercantilism." He thinks that if all the other advanced societies - the United States, the European Union, Japan, South Korea and some others - protest in unison against some of Beijing's egregious practices, the Chinese night retreat. Dollar and Hass are dubious. They fear "a trade war, which will be 'lose-lose.'"

The larger question involves how the new world order operates. Ideally, the United States and China would cooperate on many issues where they have similar interests. These would include a viable world trading system and the nuclear future of North Korea. So far, there's scant evidence of this enlightened collaboration.

Samuelson is a Washington Post columnist.
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The United States and South Korea will go ahead with joint military drills next week, the top U.S. military official said on Thursday, resisting pressure from North Korea and its ally China to halt the contentious exercises.

North Korea's rapid progress in developing nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland has fueled a rise in tensions in recent months.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned North Korea last week it would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States, prompting North Korea to say it was considering plans to fire missiles at the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.

Annual military drills involving tens of thousands of U.S. and South Korean troops are due to begin on Monday. North Korea views such exercises as preparations to invade it.

China, North Korea's main ally and trading partner, has urged the United States and South Korea to scrap the drills in exchange for North Korea calling a halt to its weapons programs.

Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the exercises were "not currently on the table as part of the negotiation at any level."

"My advice to our leadership is that we not dial back our exercises. The exercises are very important to maintaining the ability of the alliance to defend itself," Dunford told reporters in Beijing after meeting his Chinese counterparts. "As long as the threat in North Korea exists, we need to maintain a high state of readiness to respond to that threat," he said.

Fan Changlong, a vice chairman of China's powerful Central Military Commission, told Dunford that China believed the only effective way to resolve the issue was through talks. "China believes that dialogue and consultations are the only effective avenue to resolve the peninsula issue, and that military means cannot become an option," China's Defense Ministry cited Fan as saying.

Asked to respond to the criticism that China's "dual suspension" proposal to halt the U.S. military drills with South Korea and the North's missile tests made a false equivalence between the two, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it was the most realistic and achievable solution.

"To ease the tense situation created by tit-for-tat escalations, to halt this vicious cycle, there is a need to put aside the dispute over who goes first and who goes second," she said, speaking at a regular briefing.

North Korea has in the past fired missiles and taken other steps in response to exercises. Arriving in Tokyo on Thursday, the new U.S. ambassador to Japan, William Hagerty, said America's ability to defend itself and its allies against North Korea was "beyond question." He reaffirmed Washington's commitment to its alliance with Tokyo, a security pact he described as "ironclad."


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Voting for the bill to go to select committee to get straightened out is not good enough,

she said. It needs to be roundly rejected in order to send the message that women want progress on equal pay, not more stumbling blocks.

Erin Polaczuk, national secretary of the PSA, also agreed and said the legislation was not about pay equity but rather trying to shut it down.

The bill as it stands has cherry-picked the positive notes from the Joint Working Groups recommendations and spun them alongside law changes that actually limit womens ability to achieve pay free from discrimination, she said.

Its completely incompatible with the actual recommendations of the JWG, and if it was already law, the care and support settlement for historically undervalued workers like Kristine Bartlett never could have come about.

Michael Woodhouse, however, insisted the legislation was nothing of the sort and said the bill was actually drafted with the hope of making the claims process easier.
It's no secret that, in the 21st century, we take a lot for granted. We've come to rely on technologies and services that even a decade ago didn't exist. Smartphones and internet-based apps are obvious examples here, but I want to draw your attention to another service that is often less considered. It's an innovation that has literally transformed the world as we know it, and most of us use one every single day. In fact, there are more than 12 million in operation around the world. I'm talking, of course, about the hero of our cities: the humble elevator.

When many of us enter an elevator, it's like we enter a mode of non-thinking. We let the floors pass us by, until we reach our own destination. Either that, or we spend the time actively avoiding eye contact with our co-riders! But while we all have these experiences, we rarely stop to consider exactly how important elevators have been - not just as a mode of transport, but as a key facilitator of the skyscraper movement. According to Office Museum, before the dawn of the elevator 160 years ago six storeys was the typical maximum height anyone would consider building to, as residents were unwilling to climb stairs any further. But when elevators entered our lives, that height limitation disappeared, and in time skyscrapers were born. If you think in this way, then the technology that began as an unassuming box is actually responsible for the impressive city skylines that are admired around the world.

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In recent decades, cities have grown rapidly, and building heights have skyrocketed. The Burj Khalifa stands at 648m tall (830m to the very tip), but the 'height race' is alive and kicking. Saudi Arabia's Jeddah tower, set to be completed in 2020, will be 1008m tall, and the first building to break the kilometre barrier. The challenge now is developing the right elevator services to keep up with this pace of growth and take people to these ever-lofty heights.

Current elevator models can only reach heights of around 500m max, as after that point the cables become too heavy to support their own weight, let alone the weight of cabins. This is why some buildings have 'sky lobbies', where you're forced to leave one elevator, transfer to a new shaft, and then take another elevator for the rest of your ascent. It's all about resetting the height/weight limitation.

Another issue is that tall buildings need much more robust elevator equipment and loading mechanics, which take up more space. Even in a building that is 300m tall (a relatively short height in our modern cities), elevators and their shafts occupy more than 40% of the floor space! When you think about how expensive property rents are now, this is a huge amount of wasted space.

But all is not lost. I said at the beginning of this post that the elevator is the hero of our cities, and modern developments in the elevator field are reinforcing this once again. Advanced technology and innovation is enhancing elevator services beyond their current capabilities, and finding new ways to get us to the very top floors of the skyscrapers around us - and all in one journey, without having to change!

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The key, is removing the rope. Rope-less elevators, use magnets in place of cables, and enable us to have elevator shafts of unrestricted length. They also free up space to install multiple cabins in a loop. It sounds like one of Willy Wonka's wacky inventions, but this new breed of elevators can move upwards, downwards and side to side - making transport around a building so much smoother and simpler than ever before. For people in the elevator industry like me, this is really exciting because it allows us to transport people to heights well beyond the kilometre mark. But for the general public it's also major news: in time, you could technically step into an elevator and step out in the clouds. And just think how nice an apartment in the clouds would be!

These horizontal/vertical elevators are also providing fresh hope and inspiration for ever-complex building designs, which while often considered 'quite cool', are often wholly impractical in terms of people moving around them. The horseshoe-shaped building proposed for the New York skyline by design studio Oiio is one example. Envisioned as the world's 'longest' building at 4,000ft, the task for the elevator isn't reaching a great height - it is being able to navigate the bent loop structure. The conventional elevator would struggle with such a task, but rope-less elevators are able to navigate buildings in different ways. The Petronas Towers in Malaysia could also make use of a rope-less elevator, to move people vertically up the buildings but also across the interconnected bridge too.
Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Children in Shamlapur settlement

The plight of the marginalised Rohingya people of Myanmar has sporadically hit the headlines over recent years but the desperation of their situation is still not widely known. It is estimated that up to half a million undocumented Myanmar nationals have crossed the shared border into Bangladesh. I recently had the opportunity to visit and witness how Unicef is supporting the children and families who have arrived in Chittagong, in the south of the country.

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Some 33,000 Rohingya people have been registered in Bangladesh and live in official refugee camps but many more are not registered at all and live in in makeshift settlements adjacent to the camps or in host communities. Provision of water and sanitation is poor and child malnutrition rates in the affected districts are at 12.5%, amongst the highest in Bangladesh. Access to education among the host communities is also below national average, with more than 1 in 4 primary age children out of school and education for unregistered arrivals from Myanmar has until recently been non-existent.

A health worker testing children for malnutrition - 12.5% of local children are affected.

My Unicef colleagues in Bangladesh are working around the clock to respond to the needs of children and their families, but ongoing and fresh challenges are making their task more difficult. While meeting with our staff, I learned that an influx of approximately 74,000 people (60% women and children) in early 2017 resulted in rapid growth of existing and new makeshift camps in the Cox's Bazar district of South Eastern Chittagong. Unicef mounted a rapid response to provide the essential nutrition support, child protection services and early education activities which the children urgently need. Now there are 140 learning centres benefitting more than 10,000 children, with plans to reach 20,000 children by the end of 2017, and 3 child friendly spaces servicing more than 8,500 children. I visited the Shamlapur settlement in Teknaf to see the vital work that Unicef funds for children's development in their early years.

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Mark meeting boys in the Child Friendly Space, Shamlapur

The local communities, themselves poor, have welcomed Unicef's interventions and made space available for the construction of what we call 'Child Friendly Spaces', where children have a chance to learn and play and be children when they otherwise might not. In a short space of time, the facilities have found their place at the heart of these makeshift settlements and have provided access to education for some Rohingya families for the very first time - something that was denied to some of them in Myanmar due to the marginalisation of their community status.

Girls drawing in the safe environment of a Unicef Child Friendly Space

Abdullah, a father of seven children described how his family had left Myanmar because of the constant threat of violence and told me that "our lives had no value there". A statement borne out by reported claims of torture and exploitation by some Rohingyas. He was happy that his children could now be educated and looked on proudly as his two teenage girls told of their aspiration to become teachers. The Rohingya and local people seem to be reasonably integrated in Shamlapur, with the men and boys gaining work with local fishermen in their distinctive sickle-shaped sea boats. More recent sudden influxes have resulted in fragile encampments in Kutupalong and Balukhai with little resilience to weather conditions, as demonstrated when Cyclone Mora demolished many recently constructed dwellings in late May.

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Young boys often work with adults on the fishing boats.

It was clear to me from my time in the country that the Rohingya are a resilient and stoic people, who have left their homes in Myanmar under duress and are living in very fragile subsistence circumstances amongst an already poor Bangladeshi community. Unicef's efforts in providing nutrition support, child protection and education are vital to protect the lives and rights of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable. Early marriage is a risk to girls, as poor living conditions make families anxious to secure their daughters' futures, whilst both boys and girls are often engaged in child labour, with the boys working with adults on the fishing boats to provide much needed economic support to families living on the breadline. The situation is precarious and Unicef's immediate funding requirement of $2m is so far 59% unmet. Without greater support now and going forward, I fear that Abdullah, his children and the many other Rohingya families seeking refuge in Bangladesh will face further insecurity and uncertainty for their futures. Alternatively, if the education work Unicef has initiated can be sustained and developed, his girls and others may be able to realise their ambitions and in turn help other children meet their full potential.
ullstein bild via Getty Images

With the report on the importance of maintaining family ties being the topic of debate recently, I have decided to write something I have been considering for a while, but putting off due to being overwhelmed with emotion when I recall my experiences of life in prison as a mother and rebuilding the relationship with my daughter upon my release.

Before I am anything else, I am a mother. My daughter is my pride and joy. She is beautiful inside and out, a huge animal lover, a comedian, only child who is spoilt rotten but would give her favourite toy or teddy to anyone who is less fortunate than she is. Throughout her school years she has always gained excellent reports in all aspects of her education and she has a great social life and is always the life of any party or family gathering.

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Let me give you just a couple of funny examples to explain what kind of girl she is. A few years ago my sister and daughter visited me while I was at work, My daughter was 6 years old at this time. I went to my handbag and gave her 10 to spend while she was out shopping with my sister. They left my place of work to go about their day shopping. When I returned home my sister told me they had walked past an animal charity event on the high street where they had a donkey to pet for a donation. My daughter had asked my sister for some money to give to the animal charity but my sister didn't have any change so my daughter said, 'Mummy just gave me 10 let's give them that." My sister said no, we aren't giving them 10 and my daughter replied with "Well, Aunty Soph, at least rip it half and give them 5".

On another occasion, my daughter asked me, "Mummy, if I do the washing up and clean my room please can I have some pocket money". This was strange as she was 7 and had never asked for pocket money before so I asked her what did she want money for. She said, "Well my school teachers are going to Tanzania to visit a school and I wanted to buy some school supplies for the children there because in Tanzania they don't have as much as we have at school".

She is so selfless. Any family birthday she always insists on making cards and gifts because in her words 'making stuff is nicer than spending money'.

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Having been sent to prison when she was only just 4 years old, it really broke my heart and the guilt I feel still is hard to shake off no matter how much self-forgiveness I can practice. I missed her first day at primary school and that is still horrible to think about. Looking at her photos with her hair in pigtails, her rucksack was bigger than her back and she was so tiny and looked so excited. I have the pictures of her first day at school up in my kitchen. Missing birthdays and Christmases were hard, but this day is a day that I will never ever get back. The biggest milestone in her life and I missed it because I was in prison. My sisters and my mum took her to school on her first day, and all cried their eyes out waving her off. How was our baby starting school already and how was her mum missing it....

I missed her 5th and 6th birthday and two Christmases. I was sent to prison in November so the first Christmas was horrible. Nobody expected me to go to prison on the day that I was sentenced, with no pre-sentence report and no regard or questioning as to what measures I had in place to care for my child, which at the point I was sent to prison, were none. Five minutes before sentencing me to two years in prison, was when the judge found out I was a mother. I had dropped my daughter off at nursery on the morning I was sent to prison, headed off to court with all expectation on returning home that day. I didn't return home for two years. My daughter at 4 years old, had no idea what had happened. Thankfully, my mum took her in without even a second thought and cared for her during my time inside.

I called home on Christmas day 2011, holding back the tears I briefly spoke to my mum and sisters telling them how shit my morning was so far, then I spoke to my daughter, trying not to cry. I asked her a few questions and asked what did she get for Christmas, she named a few toys and items she had received and then she said "But Mummy, why aren't you here because all I really wanted was you."

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I hung up on her because I couldn't talk through tears. I was hysterical. I went back to my cell where I remained, in tears for the rest of Christmas Day. Even just recalling that phone call has made me cry now. I still feel bad that I put the phone down on my daughter, but I didn't want her to hear me crying because she would have been upset hearing that.

The second Christmas I was applying for a home leave to be able to spend Christmas at home. My probation officer had approved my home leave, contacted my mum and said she had approved it and that I would be home. Then the bombshell that she upped my risk from medium risk to the public, to high risk to the public, knowing full well that regardless of her approving my home leave (yes, that's right my probation officer approved a home leave for a person she considered to be a high risk to the public) that prison wouldn't let out a high risk prisoner. The prison had no idea why she had done it and neither did I. I took me weeks to get an answer in writing, gather evidence to disprove her, complain to her manager and get her ridiculous decision overturned. Which I did do, but again, that meant I spent Christmas 2012 in prison too.

Throughout my two years in prison I had steady contact with my family on a daily basis. Letters, emails, phone calls and visits. In my last 8 months I was going out on day release at the weekends and spent 4-5 days at home on temporary licence. On these days I would take my daughter to school and collect her. While I was at home she would sometimes say 'mummy' and my mum would answer her. For a period of her life, I witnessed my daughter mistaking her nan for her mum. Whilst I completely know my mum did everything she could to care for my daughter it was still horrible to know that my child thought my mum was her mum.

In two years in prison I benefitted from TWO family days visits. Where my mum and daughter could come and spend the day in the visits hall for a few more hours than normal visiting times. They had a few games, lunch was provided and we spent the day making stuff with arts and craft material. In my opinion and experience, a lot more could and should be done for parents in prison to keep their bond and connection with their children.

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Living without her mother for two years, I am sure has had a lasting impact on my daughter. For a year or so since my release she was always ok and happy with staying at my mum's, staying at her dad's and having sleep overs at friends' and family's houses. She never really 'missed me' so to speak. And she was used to living with my mum so she still used to go there quite often to stay, even when I was home. In more recent times I am seeing such a change in dynamic. She is very clingy, very anxious about me working, asking what time will I be home, how long will I be away, how long does she have to stay at nanny's for? Whenever she is not in my care, for whatever reason, I am always receiving phone calls and texts saying she is upset and asking when I will be home. She can't stand to be away from me now.

I am still appalled by the judge who sent me to prison, for not allowing a pre-sentence report, it was my first time in custody and I was a mother of a young child. As I previously stated, the judge found out I was a mother and sole carer of a 4-year-old daughter five minutes before he sentenced me to two years in prison.

My relationship with my daughter now is great. She is happy that I am about to start university, and despite giving up my full time job to pursue education, she says we may have less money but at least we have more time 'to do fun stuff together'.

Before I am a student, a bar maid, a sister or a daughter, I am a mother. I was a mother in prison and now I am a mother living on the outside. My role as a protector, a friend and a supporter never changed, only my location did. My daughter has a shoe box full of all the cards and letters I sent to her while I was in prison and she has kept them and sometimes reads them. I asked her if we could get rid of them (I want to) and she said no, "I am keeping them in case anyone every says you just left me".

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I would never leave my child. Judges sentencing mothers to a prison sentence need to ensure that there is really no other option and that the woman can arrange and put in place measures for her child to be cared for during the time of incarceration. Thankfully, my mum was ready and willing to do so. But the judge didn't know that. I guess I cannot change the past, all I can do is concentrate on the future and be the best mother I can be, regardless of my past.
In the last decade, the range of communication channels have flourished.

In particular, social media has grown into a phenomenon and it's now easier than ever before for people to connect and share experiences with each other.

As well as making the world feel like a smaller place, it has enabled individuals and organisations to share ideas and develop faster than previously possible.

Whilst these advances can definitely have a positive impact, it's not been equal for all parts of society.

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In particular, the UK's older generation can sometimes find that technology makes communicating more difficult, even with their closest friends and family.

Stannah's latest Silver Census polled the UK's pensioners to understand how much contact they have with their families and how they manage to stay in touch with them.

Sadly, the research revealed that despite a clear willingness to embrace technology, too many pensioners remain isolated.

In fact, one in five pensioners have completely lost touch with at least one member of their immediate family and one in ten only speak with their families once a month or less.

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This is despite the fact that almost half of those aged 65+ acknowledge the internet as an important tool for maintaining contact with their families.

We called on The Silver Line, a helpline for millions of older people in the UK, to understand more from their users about the difficulties they face in using technology to communicate.

Leslie aged 90, who calls The Silver Line every day, explained:

"The internet is a mixed blessing. In a curious way it gives you a way to communicate but this can lead to disappointment and a kind of loneliness of its own. With technology becoming more and more popular it also means that people do not call on a landline or talk face-to-face."

Coupled with living alone, which is the case for one in three people aged 65 or over in the UK, it's far too easy for our older generation to become isolated.

Only five per cent of people would choose to live with relatives if they required care, hinting at a worrying fragmentation within UK families.

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Nina Gopal, Director of Fundraising for The Silver Line, argues that technology hasn't been universally adopted by all over 65s in the UK.

"There is still a large proportion of over 65s - and among some of the most isolated and vulnerable members of our society - who rely on the phone (or letters) to communicate with the outside world. Most of our callers are over 70 and over half of them speak to no one else.

"The 'stiff upper lip generation' often tell us they don't want to bother their busy children or be a burden. So when the text comes ''R U OK?'' mum or dad just text back a ''Yes''.

"So while we would always encourage older people to use technology to keep in touch with their nearest and dearest when they can - we would also urge their friends and family to make time for a proper chat. It's better to spend 30 minutes on the phone to mum and dad once or twice a week than just text every day."
"It's chilling, it's cool, it's a life experience," said Gregg Toland, who traveled from Palatine, Illinois, to the airport in Perryville, Missouri, to see the eclipse in the path of totality through his telescope. "It's something you'll never forget," he told VOA.

More than 100,000 people gathered in Madras, a town in Oregon with a population of 7,000 and one of the first places to witness the celestial event. According to the Los Angeles Times, the National Guard had to be called in to assist with traffic jams in Madras because so many people wanted to view the eclipse there.

Cities, towns and parks across the path had prepared for an influx of people with telescopes, cameras and protective glasses to watch what NASA said it expected to be the most watched and documented eclipse in history.

The eclipse began Monday morning in the Western state of Oregon, causing the temperature to drop significantly as the moon covered the sun. An estimated 200 million people were within a day's drive of Monday's path of totality, which stretched from Oregon's Pacific Coast, across the U.S. heartland, all the way to South Carolina's Atlantic Coast.

Millions of people across the United States watched a rare total solar eclipse which darkened the skies from the Pacific to the Atlantic for the first time in 99 years.

The path of totality, where the moon's shadow completely covered the sun, was a band about 100 km wide, which cut diagonally across the country. Those outside that narrow band could still see a partial eclipse, extending up to Canada and down to the top of South America.

Observers at Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory gathered to witness the partial eclipse. "Seeing it in person was actually pretty cool because I was watching videos on YouTube. Seeing it in YouTube and seeing it real life is a whole different thing," Jason Salamanca told VOA.

"When you see it on TV, you see it through other people's eyes, but when you see it with your own eyes, it's like a very different experience. It's something I've never seen before," said Angie Salamanca at the Griffith Observatory.

Hundreds of people waited in a line outside the National Air and Space Museum in Washington to see the moon cover more than 80 percent of the sun over the nation's capital.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Shawdi, who watched the partial eclipse outside the museum, told VOA. "Who knows when the next total eclipse will be, so it's just great sharing this memory with everyone," she said.

The first city to enter totality was Lincoln Beach, Oregon, at 10:16 a.m. Pacific time and the last city to exit the totality was Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:48 p.m. Eastern time.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun and completely blots out the sun's light, except for the corona of its outer atmosphere.

From Earth, the moon appeared to be the same size as the sun. This was possible because while the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun in diameter, it is also 400 times closer to Earth than the sun. When the two lined up exactly, the skies went dark.

The next total solar eclipse to touch the United States won't be for another seven years. Outside of the United States, the next eclipse will occur in 2019 and will be visible from the South Pacific, Chile and Argentina.


Did Steve Bannon jump or was he pushed? Bannon's opponents spoke of a firing, while his allies - and Bannon himself - said he had planned to resign for weeks. Turns out both sides were right. But that is only the start of a tale in which the final chapters are not yet written.

Within hours of leaving his post, Bannon was back as executive chairman of Breitbart. Staff at the right-wing publication, including senior editor Joel Pollak, had already declared "#WAR" on the White House as soon as their boss's departure was announced.

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A Bannon friend said: "Steve's unchained. Fully unchained." Another said: "It's now a Democrat White House".

At a staff meeting, Bannon refined the blunt declarations. The line that Trump himself would not be attacked was repackaged as a "war for Trump". That war would be against Trump's enemies - but not the counter-protesters at Charlottesville or even the "fake media". The war would be waged on those considered the president's foes within the White House.

Breitbart has already lined up its first target: national security adviser H R McMaster. The hard right had been set against McMaster since the spring, when he pushed Bannon off a key committee of the National Security Council. Then, with leverage from the appointment of Kelly as chief of staff, McMaster removed four of Bannon's allies from the council. This tussle led Bannon's camp to counter-attack on social media, calling for "McMasterOut".

On the Sunday immediately following Bannon's departure from the White House, Breitbart led with an article: "HR McMaster Endorsed Book That Advocates Quran-Kissing Apology Ceremonies." The next day the site was blaming McMaster for Trump's response to the deaths of ten sailors aboard the USS John McCain in a collision near Singapore. According to the article, McMaster failed to brief the president properly, which is why the commander in chief initially reacted to the news by saying "that's too bad".

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Bannon and his allies had been whipping up an electronic and social media campaign against McMaster for some time. They tried to rally opposition to a review of Afghanistan policy, with Bannon pushing for a privatisation of the US intervention.

The prelude to the war came after Charlottesville when Bannon supported Trump in his message that both sides were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville -- thereby tacitly supporting the white supremacists, even while other advisers warned him against such statements.

Kelly hit back. His allies spread stories that Trump disliked Bannon's leaking, especially about White House in-fighting, and the books and articles portraying the chief strategist as the power in the executive. Bannon also helped design his own demise - unwittingly or deliberately - by committing "suicide by journalist". Piqued by a story in The American Prospect about North Korea, he called up the journalist to complain about the government's approach - which he blamed on generals like McMaster. The enemy, he said, was China in an economic war. He also boasted about his influence, claiming he could have people fired in the government.

The article was quickly presented to Trump. On Friday morning, in a staff meeting, the president said his right-hand ideologue would be leaving that day.

The beginning of the end

The Bannon-Breitbart campaign to vanquish McMaster, and then maybe National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, and then maybe Kelly, and then maybe even Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump will get the publicity accorded to a dramatic story.

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Framed as a valiant fight against the "deep state", it will have its vocal partners. We'll hear from alt-right polemicist Mike Cernovich, who accused McMaster of manipulating intelligence reports to Trump. We'll also get insight from "Pizzagate" agitator Jack Posobiec, InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ("McMaster's sold out"), and even ex-KKK grand wizard David Duke.

It is unlikely to succeed. The retired generals in the White House have succeeded in containing the machinery around Trump, even if the president cannot be restrained on Twitter. They will have the power of executive agencies behind them. Most of the media will have no desire to aid and abet Bannon. Posobiec may appeal to the wonders of social media and InfoWars but, as Charlottesville showed, the alt-right is discovering that it may not even have a secure position on that battleground.

Still, the campaign will be a most unwelcome flank attack as Trump finds himself surrounded on all sides: the Russia investigation, the failure to pass a single major piece of legislation since January, the questions over ethics and conflicts of interests, the looming deadline for adoption of the federal government's budget, and the white supremacy spectre.

Once upon a time - even last week - the mantra "Trump still has his base" was being invoked to minimise the threat to the president. Now even that base is fragmenting.

For the occupant of the White House, it is now Total #WAR.
Although cryptocurrencies have been studied and argued for a long time, they are just now becoming known as financial tools t
The administrative team, from left: high school Principal Jeremiah Ames and Vice Principal Colleen Byrd; elementary Principal Michelle Colvin and Dean of Students Patricia Misiuk; and middle school Dean of Students Elizabeth Namislo and Principal Christopher Sposato.

Adams-Cheshire Ready For First Day of School



The School Committee meets at Cheshire School, which although closed, is being leased from the town for administrative use. CHESHIRE, Mass.  Despite a slight shake up in the administrative team, Adams Cheshire Regional School District is ready for the new school year to begin, say officials.

Peter Bachli's departure this week to lead Morris Elementary School in Lenox has caused some more shifting around as the school district consolidates its grades from three schools to two.

"There have been changes, and the world doesn't always go the way you think it is going to go and I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce the new team," Superintendent Robert Putnam told the School Committee on Monday. "I want to thank them for their flexibility and for rising to meet the challenge."

Bachli was to transition as principal of the now closed Cheshire School to the newly named Hoosac Valley Elementary. He had been at Cheshire since 2009.

Michelle Colvin, who had been principal of C.T. Plunkett (now Hoosac Valley Elementary) for nearly five years, will return to her post leading that building.

"We are substantially ready. we could open our doors now and I don't say that lightly," Colvin said. "You should have seen the boxes and all of the moving that had to be sorted out ... but everything has been moved, painted and refreshed. We are ready for kids."

Hoosac Valley Elementary will now contain pre-K through Grade 3 elementary pupils from both Cheshire and Adams. Grades 4 and 5 will attend the expanded middle school program at Hoosac Valley High School.

Colvin thanked Bachli for his preparation that made it easier to step back into her former position.

Christopher Sposato, assistant principal at Hoosac Valley, will take over as the interim middle school principal with Elizabeth Namislo, a special education reading teacher, as dean.

"I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to serve the district in this capacity," Sposato said. "I relish the opportunity to be before staff, students and the community and have that interaction and best meet our students' needs. There is a lot of enthusiasm ... and we are in really good shape."

Hoosac Valley Principal Jeremiah Ames added that he, too, is ready for the new school year.

"We are in good shape at the high school although we had far less to move over than the other grade levels," he said. "One of the big changes on our side of the building is that we have a lot of new faces and a lot of familiar faces in new roles."

He said staff has been trained in Project Lead The Way and that the district plans to roll out more coding programs in conjunction with the middle school.

Putnam thanked the entire staff for "stepping up to the occasion" during the move.

"The reconfiguring of the district was a monumental task and the people sitting in front of you have been diligently at work to secure its success," Putnam said. "But what else is important is the amount of work the teachers and staff put in ... there has been a great deal of sacrifices from all of our staff."

School starts Wednesday, Aug. 30.

In other business, the School Committee voted to form a 10-member regional agreement amendment committee.

Cheshire Selectman and recent School Committee member Edmund St. John IV said he had motioned to start this process when he was on the committee and has held meetings with his Adams counterparts and the School Committee.

"This is something that has come to light in recent events and it exposes that this really hasn't been substantially changed since its inception," he said.

Cheshire, in particular, has been interested in reviewing the decades-old agreement when the town found it had little recourse in the decision earlier this year to close Cheshire School.

St. John said the amendment panel would have one School Committee member from each town, one financial committee member from each town, one selectman from each town, one resident from each town, the superintendent and the business manager.

The School Committee also voted to bring on the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools for guidance.

"The importance of having them at these meetings is they will be able to look at the issues that come up and help us streamline them and make sure they pass muster," Chairman Paul Butler said.

Putnam said the group will work with the committee for an hourly fee until it hits the $10,000 mark. If this amount is met, the School Committee can extend MARS' contract.

School Committee members Adam Emerson and Paul Butler volunteered to serve on the committee.

St. John said any amendment would have to be submitted and approved by the state Department of Education before it goes to town meeting.

He said this could be voted on at the next annual town meeting.

The district also has finalized the lease agreement with the town of Cheshire for use of Cheshire School as its central office. The district will pay $10,000 for this school year and some of the utilities and the town will handle maintenance.
The U.S. Navy has ordered an immediate, worldwide "operational pause" after a guided-missile destroyer collided with a merchant ship Monday east of Singapore, the second such collision in as many months.

Ten American sailors are reported missing and five injured, with the USS John S. McCain sustaining "significant damage" as a result of the incident near the Strait of Malacca, according to a statement from the U.S. 7th Fleet.

The chief of naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, has ordered an immediate operational pause for all U.S. fleets, along with a broader investigation in the root causes of what he described as a "series of incidents in the Pacific Theater."

"This requires urgent action," Richardson said in a video statement. "I want our fleet commanders to get together with their leaders and their commands to ensure we're taking all appropriate immediate cautions to ensure safe and effective operations."

Richardson said the broader investigation will look at training and operational tempo as well as at equipment and maintenance. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters while traveling in Jordan he "fully supports" Navy Admiral John Richardson's probe that "will look into all related accidents at sea."

"Once we have those facts, we'll share them with you," Mattis said. The commander of the U.S. Pacific fleet, Admiral Scott Swift, is enroute to Singapore to take charge of operations involving the damaged USS McCain.
Earlier, authorities said they had been searching for Abouyaaqoub as the last member of a 12-person cell still at large.

Police say a bomb disposal robot was dispatched to approach the man's body after the shooting to check the apparent suicide belt.

Catalan interior minister Joaquim Forn told Catalunya radio that "everything indicates" Younes Abouyaaqoub was behind the wheel of the van during Thursday's Barcelona attack that killed 15 people.

"We confirm that the man shot dead in #subirats is Younes Abouyaaqoub, author of the terrorist attack in #barcelona," police tweeted on Monday.

Ending a massive manhunt, police killed Younes Abouyaaqoub after confronting him Monday in a rural area known for its vineyards about 45 kilometers west of Barcelona. Authorities say they shot the fugitive after he held up what appeared to be a bomb belt, which they later discovered was fake.

Police in Spain have shot dead a man they believe was the driver of Thursday's deadly van attack in Barcelona.

 Islamic Connections

Police have arrested four of the suspects in the 12-man cell, while the rest were either killed by police or died in an accidental explosion at their bomb-making facility on the day before the attack. Many of the suspects had connections to the northeastern town of Ripoll, one of the places where police have focused their investigation.

Authorities say Abouyaaqoub, who was born in Morocco and has Spanish residency, also is suspected of carjacking a man and stabbing him to death as he made his getaway from the Barcelona attack.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack along with another vehicle attack on Friday in which a car crashed into people in the resort town of Cambrils, Spain, and the attackers then got out and tried to stab people. One person was killed and several people were wounded. Authorities believe both attacks were carried out by the same terrorist cell.

Authorities are also looking for an imam named Abdelbaki Es Satty, whom they believe may have radicalized some of those who carried out the attack in Barcelona and the later attack in Cambrils.

 Arrests May Have Prevented More Attacks

Deakin University professor of global Islamic politics Greg Barton told VOA that Spain's previous arrests of terrorism suspects could explain why it has not dealt with the same number of attacks as other countries in Europe, such as France and Belgium, in recent years.

"Spain is not immune from these problems, particularly Catalonia, where there are links with northern Morocco," Barton said. "But Spain up until now has been able to keep on top of the problem, whereas France and Belgium have been struggling."

Barton also said there does not seem to be any particular link between the influx of migrants to Europe and these attacks.

"The individuals being recruited have largely grown up in the countries where they're recruited and they launch attacks in neighborhoods familiar to them," he said.
South Korea and the U.S. kicked off annual joint exercises on Monday aimed at checking the civilian, government, and military emergency preparedness.

"The exercises are defensive drills conducted annually. We have no intention at all of increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula," President Moon Jae-in said in a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. He warned that the North should not "distort our efforts to keep peace" or "use the exercises as a pretext for aggravating the situation."

Last year, the North test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile two days before the exercises started. As usual, it warned the exercises will "worsen the situation just like adding fuel to fire."

"The door is always open to dialogue for a peaceful solution," Moon said. "We hope that the North will stop further provocations and participate in the process of keeping peace on the Korean Peninsula."

He added, "The North must realize that it is because of its repeated provocations that South Korea and the U.S. have to conduct joint defensive drills, which in turn keeps the vicious cycle going."


Russia doubled its oil product shipments to North Korea in the first half of this year over the same period last year, the Sankei Shimbun reported on Monday.

Russia has been a gaping loophole in international sanctions against the North.

Russia exported 4,304 tons of gasoline, diesel and other oil products to the North in the first half, which are valued at US$2.4 million, according to Russian customs statistics. The figure is about double the 2,171 tons it sent to the North in the first six months of last year.

There is speculation that the actual volume is much larger than the customs data reveal. Prof. Artyom Lukin of Russia's Far Eastern Federal University told the Japanese daily that Russia is estimated to be selling 200,000 to 300,000 tons of oil products to the North annually taking into account shipments sent via China.

He said Russian conglomerates may be ostensibly reluctant to do business with the North because of the U.S.-led international sanctions, but small firms will continue transactions.

Russia has so far blocked international efforts to cut off fuel supplies to the North.


Paik Seung-ho of FC Barcelona's reserve team, Barca B moved to Girona FC, his agency said Monday. Girona recently joined La Liga, Spain's top division.

Paik joined Barcelona's youth team in 2010 and turned professional in 2016. However, he barely got any playing time and his chances became even slimmer when Barca B joined the second-tier league this season.

Meanwhile, Barca's Lee Seung-woo is reportedly considering offers from top-tier leagues in Italy and Germany.


Transcend Information, Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, is proud to introduce its bidirectional transmission and storage solution for iOS device users. Transcends Lightning offerings, crafted for use with iOS devices, include flash drives for immediate storage expansion, a smart card ready for instant file transfer between Apple devices and memory cards, and exclusive Apps help these devices go far beyond the expected.

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Choi added the amount of fipronil found in eggs over the course of the widening contamination scandal here was just a fraction of the amount found in some Belgian and Dutch eggs. "We consulted numerous experts and they all said the eggs here do not pose significant concerns," he added.

Vice Minister Choi Sung-rak said, "People who have eaten contaminated eggs need not worry too much as they do not stay in the body and the organs excrete them."

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Monday said eating around two-and-a-half eggs a day contaminated with up to 0.0763 mg/kg of the pesticide fipronil is safe.

Meanwhile, health officials have tracked the customers of eggs sold from 49 farms where traces of insecticides were found in eggs. Around of the 350,000 eggs had been used to make baked goods that were already sold.

The government seized most of 4.51 million eggs from farms and distributors, another 292,129 from retail store shelves, 21,060 from food manufacturers and 15,271 from restaurants.

Health officials said three more farms out of the 420 that were inspected for traces of insecticide had contaminated eggs, raising the total number of affected farms to 52. Their eggs will also be seized.

The contamination scare has seen customers in restaurants across the nation ask chefs not to use eggs, while school cafeterias took them off of their menus. The panic was largely fueled by the government's hasty response.

President Moon Jae-in apologized for the debacle as soon as the ministry's inspection results were announced. "I feel deeply sorry for causing concern to citizens due to the insecticide-tainted egg scandal," he said.

No modern food is perfectly free of chemicals. Tap water contains minute traces of carcinogens, while small amounts of antibiotics and other chemicals have been detected in produce. Kwon Hoon-jung at Seoul National University said, "There is no need to panic just because they can contain dangerous substances. What's important is how much has been consumed."
Imperial Valley News Center

Endangered Okapi Born at the San Diego Zoo

San Diego, California - The San Diego Zoo is welcoming a new resident this month, after okapi mom Mbaya gave birth to her first calf, adding one more individual to a population that is in steady decline worldwide. Only a few zoos in the United States house the endangered okapi, and 3-week-old Mosi, standing on wobbly legs and with an evident sense of curiosity, became the first okapi to be born at the San Diego Zoo in four years.

Animal care staff said Mosi, which is Swahili for first-born is a robust little guy who exhibits many of the same personality traits as his mom, including a calm and easygoing demeanor. They said because of both okapis relaxed temperaments, staff is able to successfully provide necessary care, and the opportunity for both mom and baby to thrive.

This is her first calf, and she is allowing us to interact with this calf because she trusts us, said John Michel, senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo. It was a relationship we had developed over a long period of time prior to this calf being born. And so, the relationship we have with her is the same relationship we have with the calfvery trusting.

The okapi, the only living relative of the giraffe, is a large animal that lives in the Ituri Foresta dense rain forest in central Africa, located in the northeast region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). Its zebra-like white-and-black striped hindquarters and front legs give the okapi added camouflage in the partial sunlight that filters through its rain forest habitat. The species is very cautious, and okapis use their highly developed hearing to alert them before humans can get close. In fact, while natives of the Ituri Forest knew of okapis, scientists did not know of the animal until 1900. Today, the Okapi is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, due to hunting and continued habitat loss.

San Diego Zoo Global, and other zoos and conservation organizations, work with local residents to protect and support this rare and unusual forest dweller in its native habitat. In 1992, one-fifth of the okapi habitat in the Ituri Forest was protected to create the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a World Heritage Site providing the species a place removed from most human interference.

Okapis first came to the San Diego Zoo in 1956, and since then, there have been more than 60 births at both the Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Zoo guests can visit Mosi, his mom and the other okapis in their habitat along Hippo Trail in Lost Forest. Their exhibit is designed to let guests enjoy a good look at these beautiful animals without disturbing them.

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in childrens hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.




This Isnt Our Last Love Letter



Dear Don Don,

Way back in 92



I walked into the room and knew



Never felt this way before



I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes



And the feeling grew



As I took a seat I knew



A love that would have my heart



Forever



I knew



Way back in 92





They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true



We were the exception to that rule



Our love had no where to hide



A spark set fire



As if this is how the universe started





I never doubted our love or what we could do



Together we grew



Forming a bond everlasting



That became our glue



My euphoria was YOU



Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared



For how fortunate we were :



to have and to hold

through sickness and in health

Til death do us part



Until we are together again



This isnt our last love letter



I love you with all my heart and soul



Yours forever,



Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)





Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.









A True American Hero

I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.



I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.



I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.

But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.

In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.



Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.

I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.

I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.

No one will ever do what he did.

I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO





David Jurist

IMUS IN THE MORNING

FIRST DAY BACK!
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The funniest jokes at this years Edinburgh Fringe have been revealed, with comedian Ken Cheng emerging as the 2017 victor.

British-born professional poker player Cheng became the 10th winner of Daves Funniest Joke Of The Fringe award with the quip: Im not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change.

The joke was taken from his comedy show Ken Cheng: Chinese Comedian.

After winning the prize, Cheng  whose big break came when he reached the final of the 2015 BBC Radio New Comedy Award  said: I am very proud to have won. As a tribute, I will name my firstborn son after this award and call him Joke of the Fringe.

The top 15 was comprised of many standout comics including Alexei Sayle, Angela Barnes, Ed Byrne and former two-time winner Tim Vine.

In second place was Scottish comic Frankie Boyle with the line: Trumps nothing like Hitler. Theres no way he could write a book.

Daves poll is voted for by 2,000 members of the public  here are the top 15 one-liners with the percentage of votes polled.

1. Im not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change. Ken Cheng (above)  33%

2. Trumps nothing like Hitler. Theres no way he could write a book. Frankie Boyle  30%

3. Ive given up asking rhetorical questions. Whats the point? Alexei Sayle  29%

4. Im looking for the girl next door type. Im just gonna keep moving house till I find her. Lew Fitz  28%

5. I like to imagine the guy who invented the umbrella was going to call it the brella. But he hesitated. Andy Field  27%

6. Combine Harvesters. And youll have a really big restaurant. Mark Simmons  27%

7. Im rubbish with names. Its not my fault, its a condition. Theres a name for it... Jimeoin  26%

8. I have two boys, 5 and 6. Were no good at naming things in our house. Ed Byrne  24%

9. I wasnt particularly close to my dad before he died... which was lucky, because he trod on a land mine. Olaf Falafel  24%

10. Whenever someone says, I dont believe in coincidences. I say, Oh my God, me neither! Alasdair Beckett-King  23%

11. A friend tricked me into going to Wimbledon by telling me it was a mens singles event. Angela Barnes  20%

12. As a vegan, I think people who sell meat are disgusting; but apparently people who sell fruit and veg are grocer. Adele Cliff  20%

13. For me dying is a lot like going camping. I dont want to do it. Phil Wang  20%

14. I wonder how many chameleons snuck onto the Ark. Adam Hess  18%

15. I went to a Pretenders gig. It was a tribute act. Tim Vine  18%
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A British company is selling lead fuel additives  banned because of their catastrophic effects on human health  to the last remaining country in the world where they are still legal.

The Cheshire-based firm Innospec Ltd is believed to be the last place on the planet that still makes tetraethyl lead, or TEL, which has been linked to an array of severe health problems, including premature death and brain damage.

Greenpeace, which highlighted the firms continued production of the toxic additive, called for the Government to ban its sale, saying allowing the export of such a dangerous substance was unacceptable.

In 2014, two Innospec executives were convicted of plotting to make regular cash inducements to Indonesian officials between 2002 and 2008 to smooth sales of TEL in the country.

TEL was banned in Europe and North America in 2000 following evidence that it causes damage to the brain and nervous system, particularly in children. The ban has been linked to a subsequent fall in violent crime in many countries because peoples brains are no longer being damaged by lead pollution in the air.

A spokesperson for Innospec, a subsidiary of a US firm, told The Independent it had been working with countries to gradually phase out use of TEL in fuel and now only Algeria was left. He said they were unclear at what stage the process had reached in Algeria and appealed for information.

Rebecca Newsom, a senior political advisor at Greenpeace, said campaigners had been asking the UK Government to urgently stop dangerous lead exports since 2013.

So it is deeply concerning that this is taking so long to end, she said.

British businesses should be held to the same safety standards for all their products  wherever they are sold.

Allowing the export of this dangerous substance, despite having rules at home to protect our own children, is unacceptable.

As we approach post-Brexit trade negotiations, we need reassurance from the Government that it takes chemical and environmental regulations seriously  at home and abroad.

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

Professor Alastair Hay, an environmental toxicologist at Leeds University, said the biggest concern about leaded fuel was the effect on childrens brains.

The evidence for the effect of lead on cognition is overwhelming and robust. And lead in fuel is the largest contributor to lead in air. This is why leaded petrol was phased out in many countries, he said.

There is a direct causative link between lead in blood and decrements in childrens cognitive abilities. And if it is vehicle emissions contributing to the air lead concentrations how do you avoid exposure? It gets everywhere and even into your home.

Lead is a substance with fantastic properties, hence its continued use in batteries and many other applications. But with so much evidence about the health effects of lead in children it is quite wrong in my view to contribute, in any way, to lead entering the air in an uncontrolled way as happens through fuel combustion.

Innospecs website says it is the worlds only manufacturer of tetraethyl lead products, although a company spokesperson said it was possible it was still made in China.

TEL was designed to increase octane quality of gasolines, deliver superior engine performance and reduce engine maintenance, Innospec says.

It remains essential in aviation gasoline, and is still used in a small number of countries in motor gasoline where it provides refineries with an economic means of improving the quality of gasoline.

With over 60 years heritage of producing octane boosters, our knowledge of these products is unrivalled.

The firms spokesperson told The Independent that it had been working with countries as they shifted to unleaded fuel over the years.

He said only Algeria was left and added: We are a little mystified as to where their programme is. The communications are not good.

We are just waiting until the final changeover happens.

The spokesperson said if the company stopped selling TEL to Algeria, vehicles there would grind to a halt.

All we do is we respond to their request if they send us an order and the money, he said.

We try to get in contact with them to find out if they need any more or if thats it. We want to plan for the scale-down of that plant.

In 2002, an editorial in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation described the worldwide problem of lead in petrol, saying it had been a catastrophe for public health.

Lead is toxic to multiple organ systems; even at low levels previously considered safe, it has been shown  to produce adverse effects, the article said.

The nervous system of the foetus and infant is especially susceptible to lead, which can cross the placenta and penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Lead interferes with neuronal migration, cell proliferation and synapse formation during critical periods of early vulnerability.

The consequences are loss of intelligence and disruption of behaviour. Because the brain has little capacity for repair, these effects are permanent and untreatable.

The Government did not respond to a request for comment.
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We trust that you're a highly competent person. But it's normal to sometimes feel inadequate, especially when you're in a challenging work environment.

When those situations arise, it can help to have a few tricks up your sleeve to make yourself look more competent than you feel at the moment.

Business Insider dug into the scientific literature and pulled out some of the most creative strategies for making yourself appear competent, confident, and professional. Try the ones you like, and see which work for you.

Speak quickly

If you've got something to say, say it fast.

In one 1975 study, published in the journal Language and Speech, Brigham Young University researchers had 28 university students listen to recordings of six people whose voices had been manipulated to sound slower or faster than normal.

The student volunteers rated the speakers most competent when their voices had been sped up and least competent when their voices had been slowed down.

More recent research suggests that speaking quickly is also a sneaky way to win an argument  at least in the US. One 1991 study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests that's because people will have less time to think critically about your position.

If youre a woman, consider wearing makeup

(Getty) (Getty Images)

In 2011, Nancy Etcoff at Harvard University led a study in which more than 250 adults looked at photographs of 25 women with different types of makeup.

One-quarter of them wore no makeup; one quarter were made to look natural (some makeup); one quarter were made to look professional (a bit more makeup than the natural group); and one quarter were made look glamorous (the most makeup).

As it turns out, judges rated the glamorous women the most competent and the barefaced women the least competent.

Ask for advice ...

You might fear that asking for help will make you look stupid.

2015 research from Harvard Business School, published in the journal Management Science, suggests that asking for advice can instead make you seem more competent.

In one experiment, 170 university students worked on a series of computer tasks and were told they'd be matched with a partner who would complete the same tasks. (The partner was really a computer simulation.) When they'd finished the tasks, the partner either said, I hope it went well or I hope it went well. Do you have any advice?

As it turns out, students who'd been asked for advice rated their partner more competent than those who hadn't been asked for advice.

The researchers explain that when you ask for advice, you're validating the person's intelligence and experience, so they feel good about you in turn.

... but maybe not if you're a man in a leadership position

While soliciting advice can generally help you look more competent, a 2015 study, published in The Leadership Quarterly, found that asking for help might make male leaders in particular seem less competent.

Researchers recruited 65 business students to answer questions about their experiences in leadership ventures, in which they participated in challenges like mountaineering in Antarctica and climbing a volcano in Ecuador. Students took turns acting as the leader of the day.

The researchers asked students to reflect on the behaviour of the leader of the day: Some students answered questions about how often the leader sought help, while others answered questions about how competent that same leader seemed.

As it turns out, male leaders who reportedly asked for help a lot were rated less competent than male leaders who asked less often.

Act a little cold

We tend to judge people on two main traits when we first meet them: warmth and competence. But is it possible to be rated highly on both?

A 2009 study, published in the journal Experimental Social Psychology and led by Belgian and American psychologists, suggests that groups of people who are warmer are also judged as less competent.

About 80 undergrads at an American university read descriptions of two different groups. Each group fell into one of four categories: high on competence and high on warmth; high on competence and low on warmth; low on competence and high on warmth; or low on competence and low on warmth.

The participants weren't told that the groups were competent or warm  instead they received descriptions of each group that implied these traits.

Participants were then asked to rate each group on a number of traits. Results showed that high-competence groups were seen as more competent if they were also low on warmth.

Post a profile photo taken from a distance

If you're choosing a Facebook or LinkedIn pic, consider selecting one where you're standing a few feet from the camera. That's according to 2012 research published in the journal PLOS ONE.

In multiple experiments with hundreds of participants, researchers found that a group of 18 white men were repeatedly considered more competent, trustworthy, and attractive when they were photographed from about 4.5 feet away, as opposed to about 1.5 feet away.

Make your face look slightly wider

Research from New York University and the University of Connecticut, published in 2015 in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, suggests that it's not so easy to make yourself look more competent.

That's because perceptions of competence  at least when it comes to physical ability  depend largely on your facial structure.

In the study, participants looked at male faces whose proportions had been digitally altered, so that some looked wider than others. They were asked to choose which man they thought would win a weightlifting competition. (Presumably, they were choosing based on physical ability, or competence.)

Sure enough, men with wider faces were considered more likely to win the weightlifting competition.

While you can't physically alter your facial structure (without getting cosmetic surgery), you can probably work a little Photoshop magic to make your face look slightly wider than it really is  or just face the camera directly instead of at an angle.

Don't send professional emails with smiling emoticons

(Getty/iStockphoto) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

That's according to a 2017 study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Researchers conducted multiple experiments with a total of more than 500 participants in 29 countries and learned that hypothetical employees who included smiling emoticons in professional emails were perceived as less competent than those who sent the same emails without the smiley face.

The researchers learned that the decrease in competence had to do with the fact that participants saw the smiling emoticons as inappropriate in formal contexts.

Tell a joke  but only if you're sure it's appropriate for your audience

In 2016, researchers at the Wharton School and Harvard Business School published a paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that found telling a successful, appropriate joke at work can make you seem more competent.

But telling an inappropriate joke can make you seem less competent.

In one experiment from the study, researchers asked 274 participants to imagine a job candidate interviewing with a manager. The manager asks the candidate, Where do you see yourself in five years?

The participants read that the candidate gives one of two responses: Continuing to work in this field in a role like this one (serious) or Celebrating the fifth anniversary of you asking me this question (joke). Among the participants who read the joke, some read that the manager laughs and others read that the manager sits in silence.

As it turns out, the candidate who told a joke  even a failed joke  was rated as more competent and confident than the candidate who gave a serious response.

Writing in The Harvard Business Review, the study authors remind readers: Dont be afraid of a flop. Bad jokes  as long as they are appropriate  wont harm your social standing or affect how competent people think you are. They may even increase how confident you seem.

 Inside the daily routine of billionaire Bill Gates

 The 50 most violent cities in the world

 What US intelligence knew about Adolf Hitler in 1943

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2017. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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Criminals are stealing peoples money by taking control of their phone numbers behind their backs, a new report says.

Theyre managing to persuade agents at mobile networks to transfer control of targets phone numbers to their own devices.

The technique isnt brand new, but is growing increasingly popular, according to the New York Times.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Show all 11 1 /11 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Labs Labs is a testing ground for a number of experimental Gmail features that arent quite ready to be rolled out properly. Most of them are really useful, and its worth checking them out and enabling the ones you like by going to Settings and hitting the Labs tab. At the time of writing, one of them shows you how many unread messages you have in the Gmail tab on your browser, and another lets you add handy shortcut buttons. The catch is that they can disappear at any moment. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Unsend messages You can unsend sent messages with Gmail, and you dont even need an add-on. Just go to Settings and check the Enable Undo Send option. You can choose between five, 10, 20 and 30 seconds as your cancellation period. After its over, theres no getting that message back. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Colourful stars The Starred messages feature is already really handy, but you can make it even better. In Settings, scroll down to the Stars section and choose which colour you want to use - you can switch the default golden one for orange, red, purple, blue or green. In fact, you dont need to use a star at all. Boxes with icons are also available, and you can have lots of them in use at once. It may seem like little more than visual fun, but you can actually make your life easier by using different colours or icons for different types of message, as you can search for each of them individually. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Shortcuts You can see the entire list of Gmails shortcuts by going to Settings and scrolling down to the Keyboard Shortcuts section. Learn More will take you to a page with all of the shortcuts on Android, iOS and the desktop. Or, if youre already on a computer, just open Gmail and hit Shift and /. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Hide categories Gmail automatically sorts your messages into distinct categories, including Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums. However, you can hide the ones you dont need by going to Settings, hitting the Labels tab and scrolling down to Categories. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Search properly Dont be fooled by Gmails simple-looking search bar. Click the down arrow just left of the search button to access a load of additional options that make it much easier to sort through your messages. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Add other accounts If you use Gmail and other email providers, like Yahoo, Exchange and Outlook, you can make your life easier by managing all of your messages from one place. In the app, tap the menu button, add an account by hitting the down arrow and pick the type of account you want to add. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Smart Replies You can reply to messages quickly by selecting one of three smart reply options Gmail offers. It uses machine learning technology to formulate them, to ensure theyre applicable to the message youre responding to and sound like something youd write. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Mute threads Like group conversations on WhatsApp, email threads can get annoying. Fortunately, you can mute them. Open the message, click the More button above it and select Mute. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Block annoying people You can block users you dont want to hear from anymore by opening an email youve received from them, hitting the down arrow next to the reply button (in the top right-hand corner of the message) and selecting Block. 11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed Inbox If youre feeling inquisitive, its worth trying out Googles Inbox (by Gmail) app. It takes a slightly different approach to Gmail, focusing on de-cluttering your inbox.

It reports that identity thieves often call agents multiple times, to request the transfer of a particular phone number, with sob stories about made-up emergencies commonly used.

Even if their request for the number is turned down repeatedly, their hope is that theyll eventually get to speak to an agent that falls for the scam.

Once they succeed, they can break into any accounts that use the number as a security backup, by resetting the passwords.

This can give them access to valuable information, such as bank account details, and also enable them to blackmail their intended target, by threatening to leak personal information.

However, the New York Times says criminals have started targeting investors in digital currencies  such as bitcoin  and venture capitalists, often finding them through social media.

This is largely because digital currency transactions are irreversible, leaving victims completely helpless.

Recommended Facebook knows what millions of people are doing on their phones

Earlier this year, a security researcher discovered a gaping hole in Facebook that lets anyone easily break into an account.

The problem stems from the fact that Facebook allows you to link multiple phone numbers to your account, and doesnt force you to remove old ones once youve stopped using them.

Therefore, anyone who inherits your old number could easily reset your password and lock you out of your own account.


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Mia: Daughters of Fortune is a play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe about a young woman who falls pregnant. The actors ask the audience to call out the things that are normally said when we hear this kind of news. They shout things like Congratulations!, Is it a boy or a girl? and You must be so happy.

In Mias case, however, none of this applies. This is because she has a learning disability. When women like Mia get pregnant, what follows is a long way from a baby shower. The priority is an assessment by the authorities to determine whether the child will be at risk after they are born. In about half of all cases, the child is taken away.

Mia: Daughters of Fortune is a production by the Mind the Gap theatre company from Bradford in England, the biggest theatre company for actors with learning disabilities in the UK. Within the opening scene, the play touches on an area of great stigma and taboo: the idea that people with learning disabilities have and want sex. Despite this reality, particularly for those in special education services, they are often excluded from sex and relationship educational programmes.

When the topic of sex is raised for people with learning disabilities, it is usually accompanied by the word risk. This, too, often leads to a flurry of assessments and investigations, with a number of people suddenly declaring a vested interest in what happens between someone elses sheets. All the while, the person in question is expressing entirely normal and appropriate feelings that they were entitled to be taught about and to experience but werent and arent.

Raising a taboo subject (Mind the Gap)

Mia explores this reality through a variety of techniques, including dance, movement, live camera work, recorded video and an interactive gameshow called Dont Drop the Baby. It is based on the lived experiences of the sister of Alison Short, one of the principal cast members. The sister and her partner both have autism spectrum disorder.

Reality check

The play makes a convincing job of exploring the feelings of powerlessness that accompany pregnancy for people with learning disabilities. The range of professionals who get involved all have the best of intentions, but the audience is continually reminded that their presence is only felt and known because of who Mia is.

The onus in such cases is effectively on the parents to prove that the child will not be at risk, and that they are prepared for childbirth and the responsibilities of raising a child. They are often disempowered and disproportionately disadvantaged and the unborn baby is seen as a risk rather than a chance.

In one revealing scene, Mia asks the social worker carrying out the assessment whether she herself had to undergo any tests before she could have a baby. It is startling to hear something articulated that so often goes unsaid. The social workers embarrassed answer that theres no equivalent highlights perfectly the power imbalance that exists between professional services and the people they are supposed to support.

Though the play is very much told from the point of view of the pregnant woman, it doesnt say anything about learning disability nurses  the one group who are trained specifically at undergraduate level to support people with learning disabilities.

Mia struggles to adjust to motherhood (Mind the Gap)

In the context of someone like Mia, such nurses would have a vital role in supporting the woman to overcome any skills deficits and address anything she doesnt know about caring for the child or herself. They are trained to always focus on increasing independence and reducing the need for any service-level interventions. This isnt reflected in the play.

What to change

But Mia: Daughters of Fortune is nevertheless an intelligent, touching and incredibly witty and warm piece of theatre. The cast members make an excellent job of educating the audience about an uncomfortable subject, prompting questions about how we approach sex and relationships with people with learning disabilities, both through professional bodies and society as a whole. It explores relationships for these kinds of people in the broadest sense, including friendship, family and love.

To improve the status quo, we need to give people with learning disabilities access to the same sex and relationship education as everyone else. This would be the best way to encourage them to have children within a stable, happy family environment.

If they do get pregnant, it is obviously right that the safety and wellbeing of the child is the top priority. Unfortunately, assessment is therefore necessary. But the authorities need to move away from the starting assumption that the child will be at risk.

They need to adopt an approach that concentrates on the strengths of the couple and supports them to stay together as a family, with a view to avoiding the trauma of removing a child. Mia: Daughters of Fortune, which will tour the UK once it closes in Edinburgh, is a timely reminder that, when it comes to people with learning disabilities getting pregnant, we need to think again.

Sam Abdulla is a lecturer in nursing science at Edinburgh Napier University. This article was originally published on The Conversation (www.theconversation.com)
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A woman has shared a warning in which she claims that finding a black line down your nail could be a sign of cancer.

According to Jean Skinner, who says she's a beauty technician from Uckfield, East Sussex, a client came in asking for a nail colour dark enough to cover the black line on her nail.

Skinner urged her to visit the doctor about it, and she claims the woman then found out she had melanoma.

Writing on Facebook, Skinner describes the client as having a straight dark vertical stripe down her nail, which, she says, many people had told her was due to lack of calcium, hereditary or a blood blister.

This is melanoma!!! Skinner wrote. I did not want to frighten her but I told her she needed to see her doctor immediately! She called me today to tell me that yes it was a very aggressive melanoma that has already spread to her lymph nodes!! Her prognosis is not good!

Skinner is now urging people to pay attention to abnormalities in their nail beds, even though, she points out, odd changes in your nails can very likely be nothing to worry about.

The Facebook post has been widely shared, with people commenting on how scary the warning is.

But according to official NHS guidelines, dark stripes running down the nails (linear melanonychia) are fairly common in black people over 20 years of age, and in most cases it's perfectly normal.

They do advise, however, that dark stripes on nails shouldn't be ignored because they could in fact be a sign of subungal melanoma, a form of skin cancer that affects the nail bed. If you find a dark line, you should see your doctor to check it isnt melanoma.

Subungual melanoma usually only affects one nail, the NHS explains. It will also cause the stripe to change in appearance  for example, it may become wider or darker over time and the pigmentation may also affect the surrounding skin (the nail fold).

Melanoma makes up four per cent of total cancers in the UK and it has become 119 per cent more common since the early 1990s, according to Cancer Research UK.

Symptoms can occur in various places of the body, including under fingernails, between your toes or on your scalp.

Symptoms of melanoma under your nails include dark areas or marks, Professor Sanchia Aranda, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, told 7 News.

Elsewhere on your skin, as well as keeping an eye out for new moles or spots, look for moles or spots that change colour, have a variety of colours, are getting bigger or have an uneven border or develop a lump within them.
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If the Pensions Regulator is frightened of landing the whale, I suppose going after the sprat is the next best thing, said a frustrated Frank Field, the chair of the Parliamentary Work and Pensions Committee.

He was speaking after the watchdog announced its decision to prosecute Dominic Chappell, the serial former bankrupt who bought BHS for 1 from Sir Philip Green, before overseeing the retailers collapse.

Sir Philip settled with the watchdog after it had issued a warning notice in the wake of its investigation into the operation of the companys deficit laden pension scheme, by pumping 363m into it.

Mr Chappell, by contrast, will have to appear before Brighton magistrates to answer charges of failing to comply with three notices requiring information that were issued under Section 72 of the Pensions Act 2004 during the course of the probe.

The settlement achieved with Sir Philip was unsatisfactory in that the same benefits that scheme members would have got had BHS been a going concern, or had its pension scheme been fully funded when it went pop, will not be available to them going forward.

But it was still a lot better than the alternative. If the scheme had fallen into the Pension Protection Fund, members would have faced a chunky upfront haircut to their interests, in addition to a reduction in their future returns.

Pursuing Sir Philip through the courts would have been difficult, time consuming, and expensive, with no guarantee of a better outcome at the end.

That said, Mr Fields frustration is still understandable and his point is still valid, all the more so because the sprats so often find themselves hooked while the whales swim serenely on.

Take the Libor rigging scandal, for example. Some traders have been prosecuted, and Tom Hayes, nicknamed King Libor, was even convicted of fraud. But none of the bosses who were supposed to be supervising them, and arguably benefited from their actions, have ever seen the inside of a courtroom. And nor will they.

As for the foreign exchange rigging scandal that followed it, the Serious Fraud Office passed the buck, leaving the Financial Conduct Authority to pursue civil actions. Again, you shouldnt expect to see any bosses in the firing line.

Then there was the financial crisis, which nearly wrecked the British economy, but has seen no prosecutions whatsoever. A couple of executives, one at HBOS, one at Royal Bank of Scotland, received regulatory sanctions, one of which was a voluntarily agreed to ban from the city, but that was about it.

The British legal system is, by international standards, stronger than most. Its impartiality and relative consistency actually serve as selling points when it comes to attracting companies to these shores.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

It surely, however, cant hurt that for those purposes a notable area of weakness is that its very much a case of one law for the rich, one law for the, shall we say, less rich, and if youre poor would you just hold your hands out for the handcuffs? There you go!

The plankton are doomed. The sprats have to watch their backs. The whales neednt worry overly if their moneys good.

Its not just Mr Field who finds that infuriating. Lots of people do. But theres precious little sign of any Government willing to entertain changing it. So well be here again before too long.
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The Metropolitan Police will reportedly ask for more money for its investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

In April the force said it was investigating "significant" leads that Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley described as "very worthwhile".

But the force is now seeking more funds to pursue one final line of enquiry in the 11m Operation Grange, according to Sky News.

"It is complicated and not as straightforward as we had hoped, but it is worth doing," a source told the broadcaster.

A Met spokesman said: "Funding is in place until the end of September, and any details about future funding will be released when appropriate."

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Office has provided the Metropolitan Police with the funding required to continue Operation Grange until the end of September 2017.

"The level of funding provided is a reflection of the wide-ranging and complex nature of the investigation which the police have deemed necessary to undertake.

"The Home Office has not received any further application for funding, but any future request will be considered carefully.

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

Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on 3 May, 2007.

Her disappearance sparked one of the most high-profile, and costly, police investigations of recent times.

Scotland Yard's investigation has been active since 2011, but the number of detectives working on the case was cut from 29 to four in 2015.
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The Metropolitan Police has prompted anger after linking a kilo of heroin seized in south east London to Notting Hill Carnival, an event due to take place 12 miles away on the other side of the capital.

Officers announced early on Tuesday that they had seized what was believed to be a kilo of heroin in Catford as part of a pan-London response to violence and knife crime launched last Friday in the run up to the carnival.

But the force has been accused of demonising the event by linking it to the incident on Twitter, despite the drugs being found more than 12 miles from the Notting Hill site and there being no indication that heroin has been used widely at the carnival in previous years.

A tweet posted by the Met Police on Tuesday morning read: In the run up to #NottingHillCarnival, officers have this morning seized what is believed to be a kilo of uncut heroin in #Catford.

A spokesperson for the force told The Independent the link was made because the raids had been carried out to target offences that could impact on the safety of the weekend, but said there was no indication that the seized heroin was in any way linked to the carnival.

Jarelle Francis, Green Party candidate for Tottenham in the General Election and Greens of Colour representative, told The Independent the tweet was "indicative of the institutional and insidious racism black music events and communities still face," and urged the Met to consider wording its social media output "more wisely" in future.

Recommended Tory minister wants to move Notting Hill Carnival after Grenfell

Every year many people feel the Metropolitan Police and media collude together to denigrate Notting Hill Carnival, which is a fantastic showpiece of the wonderful plural society we have in London and the UK," he said.

"This latest tweet by the Met linking carnival to the bust of a non-party drug Heroin, in Catford which is 12 miles from Notting Hill, is risible. But it is also unfortunately indicative of the institutional and insidious racism black music events and communities still face.

"This year especially is going to be more poignant because we are celebrating our culture whilst remembering the victims of Grenfell. The Met should really consider their words and tweets more wisely."

Social media users also responded to the tweet with anger. One person commented: Catford is about 12 miles away from Notting Hill, in a different borough and takes about an hour to get to on the tube? So the link is? while another asked: Wheres the correlation? Explain.

Another user claimed the force was trying so hard to demonise Notting Hill Carnival, accusing it of including a hashtag of the carnival when there is no correlation between the event and this incident.

In a statement issued following the raids, Superintendent Tara McGovern, Lewisham borough, said: The warrants we have executed today have been a culmination of several months work. So far we have arrested 11 people with a substantial amount of Class A drugs recovered.

We have been targeting people we know to be gang members and habitual knife carriers, identifying and arresting people in the run up to the Notting Hill carnival who may look to cause harm.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA 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 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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

Today's operation conducted with the help of British Transport Police and City of London Police in the lead up to the carnival has been a success, we all want to ensure Notting Hill Carnival is safe from harm.

The Met Police released an adjoining statement which read: "As part of the Met's pan-London response to violence and knife crime, and in the run up to Notting Hill Carnival, officers across the Capital have been engaged in proactive operations since Friday, 11 August, targeting and disrupting gang crime, drug supply, knife crime and other offences that could impact on the safety of the weekend."

It added that prior to the mornings activity, officers had made over 290 arrests for a range of offences recovering 190 knives and 18 firearms, and said the activity would continue during the week.
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A former producer on ITVs This Morning who was left brain damaged after a severe nut allergy has appeared on the programme she used to work on.

Amy May Shead, 29, suffered a cardiac arrest while eating on holiday in Budapest in 2014.

Her family are now trying to raise awareness of the dangers of nut allergies.

Ms Shead had alerted a restaurant she and friends were eating in of her severe nut allergy with a translated note.

Recommended Girl died of nut allergy after boyfriend ate peanut butter sandwich

Despite being assured all her food was free of nuts, she ate just one mouthful of a chicken dish and suffered a severe anaphylactic shock.

Two EpiPen injections were unable to halt the reaction.

Ms Shead was starved of oxygen for six minutes, before being revived by medics.

Doctors gave her a small chance of surviving.

Her mother, Sue Shead, said: They sat us down to prepare us before we saw her in the hospital, and she was on life support.

They didnt think shed survive the week.

Amy was left wheelchair bound and unable to communicate with others.

The shows presenters, Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, are now campaigning for nuts to be banned on flights.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 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

It follows the severe allergic reaction of a young boy on a Singapore Airlines flight last month.

Marcus Daley became ill after other passengers on the flight opened packets of nuts nearby but survived.

The carrier said it had suspended sales of food with nuts but was unable to control passengers eating their own food on board.
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British officials have admitted it will become much harder to recover children abducted and taken out of the country by a parent, if no Brexit deal is struck with the EU.

They also accepted that a failure to reach an agreement on cooperation between civil courts will mean longer and more costly legal cases for British firms.

Speaking as the Government published its latest Brexit paper, the officials said the current system of civil court cooperation is more effective and faster than anything that would take its place if no deal is reached.

As a result the Governments paper on Tuesday called for a post-Brexit system of cooperation almost exactly the same as the one that currently exists and argued the EU should agree to it because it was also in Europes interests.

It comes as Brexit Secretary David Davis heads into a further round of Brexit talks next week, with EU politicians threatening to delay talks if more progress is not made on terms of the withdrawal including the divorce bill.

Asked what would happen in a no deal scenario in a family civil case where a parent has abducted a child and taken them to another country, officials said lawyers would have to fall back on other international agreements such as the Hague Conventions.

A civil servant said: The thing you get at the moment, that you wouldnt get under alternatives is a discussion between the courts.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

He went on: There are a range of international agreements, many of those pre-date the EUs arrangements, but they are not as sophisticated. They are not as effective it would be much more difficult  you have a range of, for example time limits, that come with the EU measures which arent necessarily there with some of the other agreements we are talking about.

Asked whether businesses could also be impacted by a failure to reach a deal mirroring existing arrangements, another official told The Independent: There are Hague conventions that help in this respect, particularly in terms of choice of jurisdiction, the choice of court, the choice of law.

The fact is none of these systems are as effective, as speedy, as quick, as easy, as certainly the current arrangements that we have with the EU, and indeed the future arrangements that we want to agree.

Under the proposals being put forward by the Department for Exiting the EU, the Government says it is aiming for a close and comprehensive framework of civil judicial cooperation with the EU.

It concludes that a post-Brexit system should mirror closely the current EU system and would provide a clear legal basis to support cross-border activities after the UKs withdrawal.

The paper also goes into some detail as to what would happen if no deal is reached, suggesting that legal cases started before Brexit day would still be subject to EU rules even if judgements come afterwards.

 Brexit Secretary: UK wants temporary EU customs deal

Officials also hinted that even if the UK does get the deal it wants, with a system of civil court cooperation mimicking the existing one, then it may be possible some cases involving British litigants end up in front of the European Court of Justice  despite Theresa May having pledged to end the bodys power in the UK. A further paper on ECJ jurisdiction is expected to bring clarity on Wednesday.

Tuesdays paper also calls for an interim period between the existing and new civil court cooperation system, although officials said it may not be necessary if the EU agrees to one broadly similar to the current one.

 Conservatives will never win power again after Brexit 'disaster', former Tory government adviser says

Asked why the EU would agree to the Governments proposals, an official said: That goes to the mutual benefits for the UK and for the EU given the level of cross-border family issues between countries and particularly the level of contract about trade, small business and big business.

There is a lot to be had both for the UK and the EU in reaching this deal.

EU officials have warned that withdrawal terms must be agreed before any discussion of future relations begin, with the Prime Minister of Slovenia saying this week that talks on a future UK-EU trade deal will be delayed because the first phase of negotiations will take longer than planned.
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Theresa May appears to be paving the way for a climb-down on her strict opposition to the European Court of Justices role in UK cases after Brexit.

Plans to be published on Wednesday will say Britain wants a deal with Brussels that only ends the direct jurisdiction of the court, as opposed to halting its influence outright as previously promised.

The subtle change in language leaves room for ECJ decisions to have more sway in British courts after Brexit and for the court itself to have an indirect role in some cases, even after any transition period is complete.

Recommended No Brexit deal would make it harder to return abducted children to UK

A Tory MP told The Independent the change is a case of reality bites for Ms May, opponents branded it a climb-down and shifting the goalposts, while European sources suggested it was long-expected in Brussels because her previous stance had been untenable.

The issue is particularly dangerous for the Prime Minister, who knows she will face anger from Brexiteers if any deal she agrees does not sufficiently banish the European Courts influence from post-Brexit Britain.

In January, Ms May pledged in her Lancaster House speech: We will take back control of our laws and bring an end to the jurisdiction of the [ECJ] in Britain.

Leaving the European Union will mean that our laws will be made in Westminster... and those laws will be interpreted by judges not in Luxembourg but in courts across this country.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Despite the absolute promise, Ms Mays ministers had told The Independent weeks earlier they feared it would be impossible to avoid European judges still taking decision in British cases after Brexit.

The document now being published on Wednesday appears to speak to their concerns, only saying the UK will seek to end the courts direct jurisdiction.

A briefing note ahead of publication mentioned the phrase six times, saying the paper will make it clear that it is not necessary or appropriate for the [ECJ] to have direct jurisdiction over a non-member state.

The Independent understands that officials already accept that in some civil cases British litigants could potentially find decisions in their cases being taken by the ECJ after Brexit.

On a positive note for the Prime Minister, a prominent Brexit-backing MP told The Independent that while Ms May had to be careful, she did have some space for manoeuvre on the issue.

The senior individual said: There is room for pragmatism as long as the basic principle of ending the courts role in British law-making is kept.

But another Conservative MP was dismayed at Ms Mays handling of negotiations, saying: Its a case of reality bites.

 EU set to block UK's temporary customs union plea to stop Brexit border chaos, warns former commissioner

They marched everybody up the hill towards hard Brexit at Lancaster House because they hadnt done the detailed work in 2016.

Now we see the influence of the likes of [Deputy PM] Damian Green, [Justice Secretary] David Lidington and [Chief of Staff] Gavin Barwell bringing some balance, because Mays former aides wouldnt let anyone else have a say.

In Brussels the move was not unexpected, with one source saying: Its not surprising May has weakened her position, because her position was untenable and would have ruled out any withdrawal agreement.

One wonders what the thinking was behind her Lancaster House speech.

 Sir Simon Fraser: Brexit talks damaged by Cabinet splits which leave UK without a coherent strategy

Labours Shadow Brexit Secretary, Keir Starmer, said the Prime Ministers previous ideological insistence that there could be no future role for the ECJ had risked blocking a final deal.

He said: The repeated reference to ending the direct jurisdiction of the ECJ is potentially significant.

This appears to contradict the red line laid out in the Prime Ministers Lancaster House speech and the Governments white paper, which stated there could be no future role of the ECJ and that all laws will be interpreted by judges in this country.

Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable said he welcomed a sensible and long overdue climbdown, adding: The Government seems to have belatedly accepted it wont be possible to end the EU court's influence in the UK without damaging our free trade and security cooperation with Europe.

Brexit Secretary David Davis will take the UK into a fresh round of Brexit talks next week (PA)

Leading supporter of the Open Britain campaign Chuka Umunna, said: Their sudden shifting of the goalposts to ending only the direct jurisdiction of the ECJ suggests they are paving the way for some sort of climbdown.

Nothing the Government says it wants to deliver from Brexit  be it on trade, citizens rights, or judicial cooperation  can be achieved without a dispute resolution system involving some role for European judges.

Officials said the paper would set out guiding principles and reinforce the message that after Brexit, the UK will take back control of its laws.

Recommended May to publish five new Brexit papers amid fears of trade talks delay

It is also expected to provide examples of existing ways of resolving disputes in international agreements, without the ECJ having direct jurisdiction.

Ahead of the publication of the paper, a UK Government spokesperson said: We have long been clear that in leaving the EU we will bring an end to the direct jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the UK.

It is in the interests of both the UK and the EU, and of our citizens and businesses, that the rights and obligations agreed between us can be relied upon and enforced in appropriate ways.

They added: This paper takes the next steps as we prepare to engage constructively to negotiate our approach to this. 
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There has been a fourfold increase in the number of children used as bombers in northeast Nigeria this year, the United Nations Childrens Agency (Unicef) has said.

Since the start of the year at least 83 children have been used as "human bombs" in attacks on civilians and Nigerian military checkpoints, the agency said, with most incidences claimed by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Of these, 55 were girls, 27 were boys, and one was a baby strapped to a girl. Most of the girls were under 15.

Military officials in northeast Nigeria say the children are often encouraged to go to busy areas, including markets, while the explosives they carry are sometimes triggered from a distance. Occasionally, children get scared approaching checkpoints and detonate the bombs without injuring anyone else.

Aid workers prefer to describe such incidents as the use of "human bombs" rather than referring to the children as suicide bombers. "Children used as human bombs are, above all, victims, not perpetrators," Unicef said in a statement on Tuesday.

The latest figures show a huge rise from 2016, when Unicef documented 19 cases where children were used as bombers in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Of these, 15 were girls and four were boys.

Teenagers who've escaped the group have reported being paid as little as 50p to carry out attacks by militants who promise they will go directly to heaven afterwards.

Since its insurgency began in 2009, Boko Haram has aimed to carve out a caliphate in Nigerias northeast and neighbouring countries. More than two million people have been displaced as the group has gained and lost territory across the region.

While the insurgents once controlled an area of land roughly the size of Belgium, a Nigerian military push in 2015 forced them back to camps in rural areas including the Sambisa Forest. This loss of territory has been accompanied by an increase in guerilla tactics and bombing designed to terrorise civilians.

In February, Kashim Shettima, the governor of Borno State, one of the worst affected areas, put the death toll from the eight-year conflict at almost 100,000.

Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Show all 16 1 /16 Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Fifteen year old Nigerian refugee Fati, hugs her mother Mariam while carrying her sister, at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Fifteen year old Nigerian refugee Fati, carry her eight month old sister, who she last seen when she was 3 months old, at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon. She was abducted by Boko Haram and spend four months in captivity. She was given to a man and forced to be his wife. She was eventually freed by Cameroonian soldiers and have been reunited with her family in a refugee camp in Cameroon UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Nigerian refugee's at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon. The conflict in North-East Nigeria prompted by Boko Haram has led to widespread displacement, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, protection risks and a severe humanitarian crisis. This is one of the fastest growing displacement crisis in Africa  one of the worlds most forgotten emergencies, with little attention from the donor community UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Nigerian refugee children at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Nigerian refugees line up to receive food aid at the Minawao refugee camp in Northern Cameroon UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Didja Damna (26) with her daughter, 17 month old Ngarvounsia, as she gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Didja Damna (26) with her daughter , 17 month old Ngarvounsia, as she gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon. Didja have four other children and had her first child when she was sixteen. Ngarvounsia lost weight and have been treated for three day's in hospital and is recovering UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Fadi ,the wife of internally displaced Alagi Dubji feed her daughter, Ina Petal( 13 months) a peanut butter supplement, at their home in Maroua in Northern Cameroon. Ina received treatment for malnourishment and is doing well after she was discharged from the hospital. Alagi and his family had to flee from his village near Maroua after Boko Haram fighters burned down his house.Alagi had 40 children with 26 still alive UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram A malnourished girl gets treatment at the Maroua hospital in Northern Cameroon UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram More than 135 displacement sites have been noted along the border with Nigeria UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Temporary schools in the refugee camp of Kabelewa, counts eight classrooms for 549 pupils. Out of those 549 children, only 12 had already been to school before UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram As the river continues to dry up in April and May, we expect to see an increase in violence in the Diffa region. Both refugees and internally displaced people are affected by the insecurity, fleeing attacks and also fleeing to safer locations ahead of attacks. Generally noticed is a movement from locations near the border towards the inland area along the main road where spontaneous new sites are being created and host villages' population increasing UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Forced displacement in the region of Diffa is becoming regular and is linked to the volatile security situation in the region. Diffa, the Niger's poorest region, has been affected by the consequences of the increased acts of violence in Nigeria, conducted by the armed group Boko Haram, increasingly expanding and targeting the civilian population in Niger - and Diffa region in particular. With water levels starting to fall, the Nigeria-based armed group is seizing the opportunity to cross over the Komadougou River, into Niger from Nigeria UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Fatima Abubakar, 13, in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. Fatima lost five family members during the attack of her small village in Nigeria, in the shores of the lake Chad. She now lives in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, in Chad, with her father, mother and 3 siblings, "The table was all set and we were just about to have our breakfast together when the gunshots started outside. We immediately left in panic. I escaped with my mother. We left in two pirogues. My mothers pirogue had a whole and they put a cloth to stop the water from entering. But they had to come back to shore. I thought I would be forever alone and that my parents were dead. I cried for days. When I met them both days later in Ngouboua (an island in Chad) I couldnt be happier. I sometimes think about our table, where the breakfast was served, and how the house would be now" UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Hafsa Mohammed sews in the UNICEF-supported child friendly space in Dar Es Salam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. Every childs future starts with a dream and Hafsa Mohammed, 16, has a very clear idea of what she wants to become. She wants to be a successful businesswoman and own a notions store. She now lives in Daresalam refugee camp, Lake region of Chad. I have started again to sew. I used to do it back in Nigeria. My parents encouraged me to do it. It will be useful for me to start my own business and I would be happy to teach others as well, explains Hafsa UNICEF Beyond Chibok: Report shows alarming trends in countries affected by Boko Haram Salta Bintou Hassan is 11. She lost her arm after an suicide attack on Bagasola market in October 2015. After spending two months in the hospital of N'Djamena, she is back with her family. Yet, her life will never be the same UNICEF

More than 10,000 children have gone missing over that period, according to Unicef, while officials say around 40,000 children are now orphans.

Speaking to The Independent in June, Commissioner of Higher Education for Borno State Ahmed Jaha warned that if orphans are left on the streets and aren't given any schooling "they'll be a disaster that is going to consume everyone."

In its statement, Unicef said Boko Haram's use of children as bombers also has an impact on minors who have been released, rescued or escaped from Boko Haram. Many children who have managed to get away from captivity face rejection when they try to reintegrate into their communities, compounding their suffering."

All of this is taking place in the context of a massive displacement and malnutrition crisis  a combination that is also deadly for children.

Alongside the brutal conflict, northeast Nigeria is experiencing a major humanitarian crisis. Some 450,000 children are expected to suffer from life-threatening malnutrition this year alone.
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A newly formed militia may be the reason why the number of migrants arriving in Italy from Libya has plummeted over the past month.

Sources told Reuters a "former mafia boss" is leading a group of several hundred policemen, army officials and civilians as part of a "very strong campaign" to stop boats taking off from Sabratha, an ancient city 45 miles west of Libyas capital, Tripoli.

The number of arrivals in Italy has dropped by more than 50 per cent since mid-July in what is usually a surge period, when smugglers encourage Mediterranean crossings before winter approaches and the sea gets rougher.

Since 2015, Sabratha has been the most regular departure point for migrants and refugees attempting to reach Europe.

Migrants coming from across Africa told The Independent they usually pay smugglers between $1,700 (1,300) and $2,200 (1,700) for the dangerous sea journey from Libya to Italy. However, many are captured by militias inside Libya, some of whom hold them hostage while demanding more money from their families.

Simon McMahon, a University of Conventry research fellow who has written extensively about the migration crisis, told The Independent that the latest reports highlight some of the complexities European countries face when it comes to working with the government in Tripoli.

"These groups may be trying to get access to funds for migration control coming from Europe or trying to position themselves as legitimate partners for future developments. Whether they will continue to play this role, face competition from others who wish to restore smuggling routes or will change their minds and take part in facilitating smuggling, rather than preventing it, is something we will have to wait to see."

The central Mediterranean route is currently the deadliest way to Europe. So far in 2017, more than 2,400 people have drowned or gone missing while crossing the Mediterranean, mostly while travelling from Libya.

Around 600,000 migrants and refugees have made the journey since 2014, while around 12,000 have died on the way. Italy has repeatedly asked for help from other EU countries in managing the burden caused by the migrants and refugees who do arrive.

On 14 July, 5,115 migrants arrived to Italy within one day, the highest number so far in 2017, but there hasnt been a major spike since.

Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said he was thankful for the drop in arrivals, calling it a "light at the end of the tunnel".

Politicians in Italy - who face elections early next year - are under pressure domestically to reduce migration.

As part of their efforts, Italy has been trying to discourage nongovernmental organisations from running search-and-rescue missions off the Libyan coast, and has attempted to cement a formal deal with Libya to stop departures.

Italy and the EU have also been providing training and resources for the Libyan coastguard in a bid to encourage them to intercept boats.

Human rights groups and humanitarian workers have condemned the attempts, pointing out that Libya has no stable government, and is instead governed by rogue militias guilty of abusing and profiteering from migrants.

A recent report by British charity Oxfam found that 84 percent of refugees and migrants who have come through Libya suffered inhuman or degrading treatment, extreme violence or torture there. Some 80 percent were regularly denied food and water, while 70 percent said they had been tied up.

A 2016 UN report documented sexual abuse, beatings, forced labour and malnutrition inside Libyan immigration detention centres.

"I'm not so naive as to not understand the situation there," Mr Minniti told journalists in March. "But we cannot remain immobile and wait for the country to stabilise."
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A teenage babysitter has been arrested for allegedly forcing a four-year-old boy to perform sex acts on her while he was in her care.

Esmeralda Marie Medellin was arrested at the child's home in the Texan city of San Antonio, after he told his mother about the incident, which allegedly took place in late March.

The 18-year-old, who has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, denies the allegation.

Investigators decided to charge her after she underwent a sexual assault examination at a local hospital.

The police affidavit states that the boys DNA was found on the 18-year-olds breasts and male DNA was also found on the teenagers genitals.

However, that sample was not substantial enough to be matched to the boy.

Medellin is being held in prison on a $75,000 bond (58,500).
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A Catholic priest has stepped down after revealing that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan before joining the church.

William Aitcheson, a priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, announced his leave of absence in an editorial for the Arlington Catholic Herald.

When I think back on burning crosses, a threatening letter, and so on, I feel as though I am speaking of somebody else, he wrote. "Its hard to believe that was me.

The 62-year-old said he had joined the Klan as an impressionable young man who was in no way practising my faith.

According to the Washington Post, Mr Aitcheson was a leader of the Robert E Lee Lodge of the Maryland Knights of the KKK in the 1970s.

The group, which boasted about a dozen members, was allegedly planning to bomb the homes of black people and the offices of the NAACP in Prince George's, Maryland.

Police officers who searched Mr Aitchesons home at the time found nine pounds of black powder, weapons and bomb parts.

While 40 years have passed, I must say this: Im sorry, Mr Aitcheson wrote. To anyone who has been subjected to racism or bigotry, I am sorry. I have no excuse, but I hope you will forgive me.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

Mr Aitcheson credited his change of heart to a lot of soul searching" and a return to Catholicism. He was ordained in 1988 and served at churches in Nevada, Maryland, and Virginia, according to church officials. He most recently worked as an assistant to the pastor at St Leo the Great in Fairfax City.

We must condemn, at every opportunity, the hatred and vile beliefs of the KKK and other white supremacist organisations, he wrote on Monday. What they believe directly contradicts what we believe as Americans and what we, as Catholics, hold dear.

The priests admission comes on the heels of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where members of the KKK and other hate groups rallied to protest the removal of a Confederate statue. Three people were killed and dozens were injured in connection with the event.

Mr Aitcheson said the rally reminded him of his time in the KKK  a time he would have preferred to forget. But he warned readers against erasing past mistakes from their memories.

[W]hile I firmly believe God forgave me  as he forgives anyone who repents and asks for forgiveness  forgetting what I did would be a mistake, he wrote. Those mistakes have emboldened me in my journey to follow the God who yearns to give us his grace and redemption.
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Donald Trump is ready to use the full range of US capabilities in response to North Korea, according to a US envoy.

Robert Wood, the countrys disarmament ambassador, said responding to missile tests by Kim Jong-un's regime was Mr Trumps top priority.

It comes amid mounting tensions between the two states after the secretive communist state carried out several intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) tests, prompting fears that parts of the US could now be within range of a nuclear strike.

In response, Mr Trump warned North Korea it would face fire and fury the like of which the world has never seen if the tests continued.

Mr Kims government then announced it was putting together a plan to fire four missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.

While the war of words has eased somewhat in recent days, Mr Wood told a United Nations conference on disarmament that the US is considering all options for dealing with the growing threat posed by North Korea.

"North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes pose grave threats to the entire world," he told the meeting in Geneva. "Its recent ICBM tests are another example of the dangerous, reckless behaviour of the North that is destabilising the region and beyond.

In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour Show all 39 1 /39 In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud arriving for a reception ahead of a banquet at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud being welcomed at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a welcome ceremony with traditional sword dancers at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with US President Donald J. Trump and wife Melania during a welcome ceremony at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump adjusts the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal, after it was bestowed upon him by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud presents U.S. President Donald Trump with the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 Palestinians print posters depicting US President Donald Trump in preparations for his planned visit, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, before delivering his remarks to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump looks on as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef exchange a memorandum of understanding Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump shares a laugh with a child during a visit to the American International School in the Saudi capital Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers rest during preparations ahead of President Trump's landing in Tel Aviv, Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump makes her way to board Air Force One in Riyadh as she heads with her husband the US President to Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump board Air Force One for Israel, the next stop in Trump's international tour, at King Khalid International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers wait for the arrival ceremony of US President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive aboard Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump disembark Air Force One on arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump and his wife, US First Lady Melania Trump are welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, in Lod outside Tel Aviv, Israel EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit during welcome ceremony in Tel Aviv AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump chats wife Sara Netanyahu as US President Donald Trump chats to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a welcoming ceremony to welcome Trump at Ben Gurion International Airport Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump delivers a speech upon his arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump gestures during a press conference with Israel's President at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump watches as First Lady Melania Trump signs the guest book at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalems Old City Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump stands next to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz at the plaza in front of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner leave notes at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Ivanka Trump, assistant and daughter of US President Donald J. Trump, touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump arrives in a vehicle to Saint Damaso's Court for a private audience with Pope Francis in Vatican City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis walks past Ivanka Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the occasion of the private audience with President Donald Trump, at the Vatican AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis exchanges gifts with US President Donald Trump during a private audience at the Vatican Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis meets US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania during a private audience at the Vatican Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis with US President Donald J. Trump EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis gets into is car after meeting with US President Donald Trump AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 President Donald Trump and his wife Melania look at the frescoed ceilings during their visit to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump security vehicles are seen in front of Air Force One before take off from Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to reporters before boarding the Air Force One to Brussels, at the end of a 2-day visit to Italy including a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, at Rome's Fiumicino international airport AP

"My President's top priority remains protecting the homeland, US territories and our allies against North Korean aggression. We remain prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against the growing threat from North Korea."

North Korean representative Ju Yong Chol was present at the time but did not immediately respond.

The Pentagon has previously confirmed it is developing military options as a possible response to North Korea.

Last month, Marine General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was not unimaginable that there would be a war between the two countries.

"Many people have talked about military options with words like 'unimaginable,'" he said. "I would probably shift that slightly and say it would be horrific, and it would be a loss of life unlike any we have experienced in our lifetimes, and I mean anyone who's been alive since the Second World War has never seen the loss of life that could occur if there's a conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

"But as I've told my counterparts, both friend and foe, it is not unimaginable to have military options to respond to North Korean nuclear capability. What's unimaginable to me is allowing a capability that would allow a nuclear weapon to land in Denver, Colorado. That's unimaginable to me. So my job will be to develop military options to make sure that doesn't happen."
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House hunters touring a home in rural Florida have discovered the body of a possible murder victim in the back yard.

The Lake County Sheriffs Office said they received a call around 6 p.m. from a realtor who had been showing off a property to several interested buyers. The nearly 5-acre property is heavily wooded, with a small, two-bedroom home on one side, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

While touring the property, the realtor said, he and the house hunters discovered a dead body buried in a shallow grave in the back yard.

Recommended Girl found murdered after texting mum about someone knocking at door

Responding officers discovered the human remains in a grave 30 to 40 feet behind the residence, Lieutenant John Herrell told WFTV9.

Deputies later identified the victim as 23-year-old Essence Owens, of Orlando, Florida. Ms Owens was reported missing to the Orlando Police Department on 15 August of this year. The young woman had been working in the sex trade and family members were concerned for her safety, according to News 6 Orlando.

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

Officials said whoever buried her body must have known the property well, as it located in a remote area. They added that the property had been abandoned for years. The owner reportedly lives in North Florida.

Officials are unsure how Ms Owens was killed, or how she ended up on the property.

Definitely very strange, Mr Herrell told WFTV9. Were glad that they found the remains and now were just hopeful that we can bring some closure to the case.
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George and Amal Clooney, will reportedly donate $1 million to an organisation that tracks hate groups.

In a statement to People, which reported the move, actor Clooney said helping to fund the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) dealt a blow in the "ongoing fight for equality."

There are no two sides to bigotry and hate," Mr Clooney said.

Founded in 1971, the SPLC has seen its profile rise in recent months as the hate groups it tracks have increasingly flexed their muscles - most recently at a 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that involved white supremacist groups and the KKK and spiralled into violence before a car rammed into counter-protesters.

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and at least 19 others were injured when the driver rammed into the crowd. A man has been charged with second-degree murder and a number of other offences over the incident.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The SPLC has become a popular outlet for prominent figures hoping to combat bigotry. In a note to employees following the Charlottesville demonstration, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company would send $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center and pledged to match employee donations - joining with other Silicon Valley executives who rushed to condemn the violence and take countermeasures.

The SPLC keeps an active list of hundreds of designated hate groups, a category that encompasses the Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalist groups, black separatists and organizations that promote heavier restrictions on immigration.
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US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's wife Louise Linton boasted of flying on a government plane with her husband to Kentucky on Monday and then named the numerous fashion brands she wore on the trip in an unusual social media post that only became more bizarre minutes later.

When someone posted a comment on Linton's Instagram picture that criticised the way Linton touted the trip, the Treasury Secretary's wife swung back hard, mentioning the extreme wealth she and her husband control.

Did you think this was a personal trip?! Linton wrote on her Instagram page, responding to the person who had written glad we could pay for your little getaway.

(Linton's Instagram account was later made private so that it could not be publicly seen).

Linton continued in her response to the critic: Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day 'trip' than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours.

Linton added, You're adorably out of touch... Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute.

The fashion companies Linton tagged in her Instagram post were Hermes, Roland Mouret, Tom Ford and Valentino.

Recommended Donald Trump stares into solar eclipse without safety glasses

Mnuchin and Linton have been married for two months. Mnuchin is a Hollywood producer and former banker.

The bizarre exchange came the day Mnuchin flew to Louisville to try and make the case for Congress to overhaul the tax code. He particularly stressed how the tax changes would help middle class Americans, though Democrats have alleged the Trump administration wants to pass large tax cuts that benefit the wealthy and multinational corporations.

Typically, US Treasury secretaries only fly government planes when they go on international trips. They usually fly on domestic carriers when they are travelling inside the country.

Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Show all 22 1 /22 Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump talk as they leave the Army Museum at Les Invalides in Paris AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in May 2017 Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Mr Trump was pressed on the subject at the G7 summit in Italy Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump gives a speeech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is seen to the right of Donald Trump at a Nato summit in Brussels REUTERS Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis meeting with US President Donald J. Trump EPA Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis poses with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump arrives at Palazzo del Quirinale ahead of the meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Ufficio Stampa Presidenza della via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is seen during a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets US President Donald Trump PPO via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump prior to the President's departure GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech at the Israel Museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch on during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump takes his seat before his speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump look at a display of Saudi modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips King Salman presents Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace on 20 May AP Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn prior to their first foreign trip Getty Images

Mnuchin and Linton recently returned from their honeymoon, though they have not revealed where they went. Linton is a Scottish actress and has raised eyebrows within the White House for accompanying Mnuchin to congressional hearings and on other trips that spouses don't often travel to.

A Treasury Department spokesman said Monday's flight was cleared by appropriate government channels, and that the Mnuchins covered the cost of Linton's travel. The spokesman added that Linton did not receive any financial compensation for mentioning the specific fashion brands that she tagged in her Instagram post.

The Washington Post
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Missouri Governor Eric Geitens has delayed the execution of Marcellus Williams after DNA evidence has come to light in the murder case of Lisha Gayle.

He was scheduled to be killed by lethal injection at 6pm on Tuesday (12am GMT).

The Missouri Supreme Court had delayed his execution in 2015 to allow for further DNA testing, but the state was planning to proceed with it despite the new evidence.

Recommended Missouri set to execute death row inmate despite new evidence

His attorneys have now appealed Mr Williams case to the US Supreme Court to either get a new hearing taking into account the DNA evidence or a commutation of his life sentence.

Ms Gayle, a former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who became a social worker, was killed during an 11 August 1998 robbery at her home in a gated community in a suburb of St Louis.

Genetic testing done in December 2016, not available at the time of death, showed an unknown third person's DNA on the murder weapon other than that of Mr Williams and Ms Gayle.

Lawyer Kent Gipson also cited previous DNA testing of hairs found from Gayle's shirt and fingernails that also excluded Williams, and said footprints at the scene did not match Williams.

The conviction was based on the testimony of two convicted felons - Henry Cole and Laura Asaro - who were set to receive $10,000 as a reward from the victim's family for information on the case, according to Mr Gipson.

Ms Asaro was Mr Williams' former girlfriend who said she saw scratches on the back of his neck following Ms Gayle's death. She also said she saw Ms Gayle's driver's licence with Mr Williams, however that document was found by police among items in Ms Gayle's home.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Cole was a former cellmate from when Mr Williams was first taken into police custody on suspicion of his role in Ms Gayle's death. He said Mr Williams had confessed the murder to him.

"There is no physical evidence, no eyewitnesses that directly connect Williams to the murder, the DNA on the weapon wasn't his, the bloody footprint at the murder scene wasn't from Williams' shoe and was a different size, and the hair fibres found weren't his," he told Al Jazeera.

In addition to the murder conviction, Mr Williams is also serving consecutive terms of life in prison for robbery and 30 years each for burglary and weapons crimes.

St Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch has said that there is "zero possibility" that Mr Williams is innocent.

He claimed the DNA evidence Mr Gipson and his team have cited is inconclusive.

After several years of being among the states with the highest number of executions, the pace in Missouri has slowed considerably. The only execution in this state this year was in January, when Mark Christeson was put to death for killing a woman and her two children.

Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and Missouri NAACP officials had delivered copies of more than 185,000 signatures ahead of Mr Greitens' decision.

Agencies have contributed to this report.
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A death row inmate in the US state of Missouri is about to be executed  despite new DNA evidence suggesting he is innocent.

Marcellus Williams, now 48, was found guilty of the August 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, 42, at home in St Louis. He was convicted and sentenced to death three years later.

He is scheduled to be killed by lethal injection at 6pm on Tuesday (12am GMT).

However, new evidence suggests Williams may be innocent, as DNA found on the knife used to kill Ms Gayle does not match his.

Prosecutors claim Williams was burgling his victims home when she discovered him and he stabbed her repeatedly. He has always maintained his innocence.

Williams lawyers have now asked the US Supreme Court to intervene in a desperate final bid to stop his execution. They are also appealing to Missouris Republican governor, Eric Greitens, to grant him clemency.

His legal team says technology not available during the initial investigation shows DNA found on the murder weapon matches that of an unknown male and not Williams.

His lawyer, Kent Gipson, told Al Jazeera: "We petitioned the court to look at the new evidence on August 14th, and less than 24 hours later they decided based on the court files that the execution should go ahead anyway. This is unprecedented.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

"There is no physical evidence, no eyewitnesses that directly connect Williams to the murder, the DNA on the weapon wasn't his, the bloody footprint at the murder scene wasn't from Williams' shoe and was a different size, and the hair fibres found weren't his.

It was someone else that killed Gayle, not Williams."

Supporters have also argued that Williams lawyer during his initial trial was inundated with work and did not have enough time to prepare their case  something the attorney himself has admitted. He asked for the trial to be postponed but the court denied the request.

In 2015 the Missouri Supreme Court delayed Williams execution to allow for further DNA testing, but despite the new evidence it ruled last week that the killing should go ahead. Williams legal team is requesting a new hearing or for his sentence to be reduced to life in prison.

The case will now be heard by US Supreme Court judge Neil Gorsuch, who was nominated by Donald Trump in January and serves as the judge for the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Missouri.

Missouri prosecutors say they have enough evidence to show Williams is guilty of murdering Ms Gayle, a former journalist who later moved into voluntary work. They say he sold her laptop after the killing and confessed to the murder to two different people.

Recommended Innocent man who survived 22 years on death row speaks out

These two witnesses formed the core of the case against Williams but his lawyers say the pair  one a cell mate and the other a crack-addicted prostitute who had a relationship with Williams - were motivated by a financial reward offered by Ms Gayles family to anyone with information leading to a conviction. Both reportedly received money after the trial.

Williams supporters also highlight the racial inequality in the US that means black defendants are much more likely to be sentenced to death than white defendants, especially if the victim is white, as Ms Gayle was.

The pool of possible jurors in Williams trial included seven African Americas but all but one were blocked by the prosecution, leaving a jury that consisted of 11 white people and just one black one, despite almost half of St Louis inhabitants being black.
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Noam Chomsky has criticised the anti-fascist movement and argued its actions are wrong in principle and it is a major gift to the right.

The eminent intellectual, who is described as the father of modern linguistics, argued the movement was self-destructive and constituted a tiny faction on the periphery of the left.

Antifa, shorthand for anti-fascist organisations, refers to a loose coalition of militant, decentralised, grassroots groups which are opposed to the far-right.

The movement, which was founded in Europe in the 1920s, has dominated headlines in the wake of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville earlier this month. Neo-Nazis, KKK members and alt-right supporters clashed with anti-fascists and a woman was left dead after a car ploughed into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters.

In the wake of the deadly violence, President Donald Trump has prompted anger for drawing a moral parity between white supremacists and anti-fascists, saying counter-protesters were as violent as the far-right and the "alt-right" groups included some "very fine" people.

Chomsky, a leading voice on the left who is famed for his critique of US foreign policy, neoliberalism and the mainstream media, has now criticised Antifa.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

"As for Antifa, it's a minuscule fringe of the Left, just as its predecessors were," the linguist and political philosopher told the Washington Examiner. "It's a major gift to the right, including the militant right, who are exuberant."

"What they do is often wrong in principle  like blocking talks  and [the movement] is generally self-destructive, the 88-year-old told the conservative paper.

He added: "When confrontation shifts to the arena of violence, it's the toughest and most brutal who win  and we know who that is. That's quite apart from the opportunity costs  the loss of the opportunity for education, organising, and serious and constructive activism."

While many only associate the anti-fascist movement with militant direct action, it is worth noting it adopts a wide variety of tactics. This includes union organisation, migrant solidarity, public education programmes, ousting white supremacists and neo-Nazis to their neighbours and employers, and urging venues to cancel far-right events.

Chomsky has previously stated he is against the shutting down of far-right meetings, arguing it is tacitly self-destructive and the emphasis needs to instead be on education.

Chomsky, who recently left his post as Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to become a laureate professor at the University of Arizona, has prompted criticism for his assessment of Antifa.

Eleanor Penny, who has written extensively on fascism and the far-right, told The Independent: "Chomsky treats the battle against fascism as a battle for moral purity than can be won when the left remain respectful, polite, and deferent."

She added: "But fascists have no interest in winning that battle. They don't care about respecting free speech or the right to a fair trial; they've openly declared their murderous intent towards people of colour (and other undesirables) and they'll pursue that goal by any means necessary. In this context, physical resistance is a duty, an act of self-defence, not an unsightly outpost of leftist moral decline."

"What's more - it works. From the Battle of Cable Street in 1936 to similar confrontations in Lewisham and Wood Green in London in 1977, physical resistance has time and again protected local populations from racist violence, and prevented a gathering caucus of fascists from making further inroads into mainstream politics."

Critics on social media argued Chomsky, who is one of the most cited scholars in history, had become less left wing in his old age and the remarks meant he had become irrelevant.

Asa Winstanley, a journalist, said: Sad: Chomsky comes close to Trump blaming 'both sides'; says Antifa is 'a major gift to the Right'".

Can u believe we live in a world where Mitt Romney is left of Noam Chomsky on Antifa, said another user.

The anti-fascist movement, which is in favour of popular grassroots opposition to fascism rather than reliance on the police or the state, is not a homogenous centralised organisation. It has a long and varied history which dates back to fighting Benito Mussolinis Blackshirts in the 1920s and then Adolf Hitlers Brownshirts in the taverns of Munich.

In the UK, anti-fascists mobilised against Blackshirts led by Oswald Moseley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists, in Cable Street in East London in the 1930s and in many other instances.

Chomsky has previously warned against conflating the rise of fascism in Europe and the situation in America today. He has also argued that tactics need to be reassessed in the light of the current context.
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A 15-year-old girl pled guilty to repeatedly stabbing a classmate in order to appease the fictional character known as Slender Man.

Anissa Weier admitted to plotting the sacrificial killing of her friend with an accomplice after reading horror stories about the character online.

The teenager and schoolfriend Morgan Geyser played hide and seek with Payton Leutner, before knifing her 19 times in a forest near their home in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

All three girls were 12-years-old at the time.

Recommended Slender Man stabbing suspect to plead not guilty over mental health

One of girls held down their classmate while the other stabbed her on 31 May, 2014.

The victim managed to drag herself out of the woodland and after being found by a passing cyclist, named her attackers before being taken to hospital. She underwent emergency surgery and has since recovered and returned to school.

Police found Geyser and Weier walking nearby, with a knife in one of their rucksacks. Both were charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Weier admitted the lesser charge of attempted second-degree murder as a party to a crime with use of a deadly weapon.

I believed that if I didnt go through with it, Slender Man would come and attack and kill myself, my friends and my family," she told Waukesha County Court. Those I cared about the most,

An example of the Slender Man character, said to have inspired the stabbing

Slender Man started with an online post in 2009 in which a mysterious spectre was photo-shopped into everyday images of children at play.

He is typically depicted as a spidery figure in a black suit with a featureless white face and regarded alternately as a sinister force and an avenging angel.

Despite her guilty plea, Weier still faces a trial next month. It is expected to focus on whether her mental health absolves her of legal responsibility for the crime.

The teenager could face 10 years in prison if she is found guilty. She will spend three years in a mental hospital if she is found not to be legally responsible.

Geyer pleaded not guilty to attempted first-degree murder last year and is due stand trial on 16 October.

At a preliminary hearing earlier this week, Weier told the court she had not wanted to harm Miss Leutner and told Geyer she could not bring herself to stab her.

Circuit judge Michael Bohren asked the teen for her account of the attack to ensure she understood her guilty plea.

"I told [Geyer] that I couldnt do it, Weier said, adding that her co-defendant asked me whether or not she should do it when they were in the woods.

And I just wanted it to be over with so I said, Go do what you have to do, and Peyton was then hurt, Weier said.

The judge asked: How was she hurt?

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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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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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. 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Morgan jumped on top of her and stabbed her repeatedly, Weier said.

Hours after Weiers plea, Geyser also appeared court for a preliminary hearing that focused on scheduling issues ahead of her trial.

Geysers lawyer, Anthony Cotton, said he and his client planned to proceed to trial. He declined comment on Weiers plea, saying it would be inappropriate to do so.

Mr Cotton said he and his team had been holding weekly mock trials.

We have continued to gather crucial information from the focus groups weve been convening repeatedly, he said, adding he was "confident in our approach.
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Nine per cent of Americans say holding neo-Nazi or white supremacist views is acceptable, according to a new poll.

The Washington Post ABC poll was carried out in the wake of the deadly racially-charged violence which erupted at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville earlier this month. If extrapolated to the entire US population, nine per cent would equate to 22 million people.

According to the survey, 83 per cent of Americans think holding neo-Nazi views is unacceptable.

Thirty-nine per cent said they believe the alt-right holds white supremacist or neo-Nazi views whereas 21 per cent believe they do not. On the other hand, thirty-nine per cent of those surveyed said they had no opinion on the matter.

The survey, which found President Donald Trumps overall approval rating of 37 per cent was not substantially different to his 36 per cent mark in July, was conducted from 16-20 August and from speaking to 1,014 adults across the United States.

President Trumps response to the ugly clashes between Neo-Nazis, KKK members and alt-right supporters and anti-fascists at Charlottesville, which culminated in Heather Heyer being killed after a car ploughed into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters, has led to him being condemned by members of Congress, leading business executives and military leaders.

President Trump pointed blame at both sides for the violence, drawing a moral equivalence between white supremacists and anti-fascists.

While the problem of white supremacy has gained increasing attention in the wake of Charlottesville, it has of course been an ongoing and persistant problem in the states. The murder of Ms Heyer, the 32-year-old anti-fascist protester who was killed, is the most recent in a spate of killings which have raised the spectre of far-right violence.

In February, an Indian-born engineer was shot dead in a Kansas bar, with witnesses telling reporters the gunman shouted go back to your country before opening fire.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

In May, Jeremy Joseph Christian spewed anti-Muslim hate speech to a young woman wearing a hijab on a train and her friend. After other passengers intervened, he pulled out a knife and slashed their throats, with two people left killed and a third seriously injured.

He was charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon and intimidation but sought to defend his actions in court. He shouted slogans such as: "You call it terrorism. I call it patriotism and could also be heard shouting "Death to the enemies of America".

"Leave this country if you hate our freedom, death to Antifa," he also said, referring to the commonly used shorthand for the anti-fascist movement.

The so-called alt-right movement has gained increasing attention since Donald Trumps presidential bid and his time in the White House. While President Trump has sought to distance himself from the movement - which has been accused of racism, antisemitism and misogyny - its members have rallied behind him and hailed him as their leader.

Steve Bannon, the former executive chair of far-right online publication Breitbart News which he described as the platform for the alt-right last year, was fired as President Trumps White House Chief Strategist at the end of last week.

Since becoming the latest top Trump aide to leave their post, Mr Bannon has returned straight to be the head of Breitbart. In the hours after his departure from the Trump administration became public, Breitbart proclaimed the return of their populist hero on its homepage.

Ive got my hands back on my weapons, Mr Bannon told the Weekly Standard. I built a f***ing machine at Breitbart. And now Im about to go back, knowing what I know, and were about to rev that machine up. And rev it up we will do.
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The largest anti-Muslim group in the US is cancelling dozens of planned rallies having witnessed the number of anti-right wing protesters who gathered in Boston to demonstrate against white nationalists.

ACT for America was scheduled to hold 67 rallies in 36 states on September 9 to show its support for the common sense America First policies proposed by Donald Trump. The group claims the policies prioritise real protection over political correctness, and celebrate American exceptionalism.

But after thousands of people turned out to protest against white nationalism and white supremacy in Boston last weekend - a show of strength that led the organisers of the so-called free speech rally to cut short the event - ACT has said it is calling off its own rallies and will hold an online day of action instead.

ACT, whose leader Brigitte Gabriel whose long issued statements denouncing Islam and claiming devout Muslims cannot be loyal Americans, announced its decision in the aftermath of neo-Nazi-led violence in Charlottesville that left one young woman dead and up to 20 people injured.

While there was violence committed by both the white supremacists and their opponents, most reports suggest the worst of the aggression was committed by the white supremacists, who had marched through the Virginia college town with semi-automatic weapons and tactical gear.

Donald Trump found himself at the centre of controversy after saying there was blame on many sides and defended some of those protesting over the planned removal of a statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee.

 Hundreds gather for Charlottesville vigil

A 20-year-old man from Ohio, who was said to have been an admirer of Adolf Hitler, has been charged with murder, after he allegedly drove his car into a group of people. A 32-year-old paralegal, Heather Heyer, was killed.

Yet ACT said it was cancelling the events because of the purported threat of violence from anti-right protesters.

ACT for America is deeply saddened that in todays divisive climate, citizens cannot peacefully express their opinion without risk of physical harm from terror groups domestic and international, it said in a statement, first reported by Breitbart News.

In recent weeks, extremist and radical organisations in the United States and abroad have overrun peaceful events in order to advance their own agendas, and in many cases, violence has been the result.

The group did not immediately respond to inquiries. The Southern Poverty Law Centre, an Alabama-based research group that monitors extremism, said since ACTs founding it had grown into far and away the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in America.

It said that ACT had worked to advance anti-Muslim legislation at the local and federal level while flooding the American public with wild hate speech demonising Muslims.

The group quoted a comment made by Ms Gabriel in 2015, in which she said: Europe will no longer be Europe by 2050. Europe has already become Eurabia. Europe is Eurabia right now.
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Donald Trumps former right-hand man Steve Bannon has already begun attacking his former colleagues less than a week after he was ousted from the White House.

The former White House chief strategist returned to Breitbart, the far-right website, where he had been executive chairman before joining the Trump campaign, on Friday.

Just two days later the website launched an attack on National Security Adviser HR McMaster as soft on Islamist extremism and terrorism.

Mr Bannons reign in the White House was marked by the discord and distrust between him and his senior colleagues  particularly with serving Lieutenant General McMaster, who is considered a moderate while Mr Bannon is a self-declared economic nationalist.

In an interview days before Mr Bannon left, Lt Gen McMaster was evasive about whether he was willing to work with him, saying he was ready to work with anybody...to advance the Presidents agenda and the advance the security, prosperity of the American people.

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

Now Mr Bannon is firmly on the attack once again with a Breitbart article headlined: HR McMaster Endorsed Book That Advocates Quran-Kissing Apology Ceremonies.

It said Lt Gen McMaster supported a call for military personnel serving in the Middle East to avoid desecrating the Quran to improve relations with local Muslim communities  thus making them less likely to support radicalism.
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A Republican state legislator from Idaho is being slammed for sharing a conspiracy theory that accuses former President Barack Obama of helping to organise the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville as part of a plot to sabotage Donald Trump.

Idaho Representative Bryan Zollinger posted a story on Facebook that suggested that other top Democrats including billionaire George Soros and Terry McAuliffe, the governor of Virginia, may have also helped orchestrate the violent rally that led to the death of a young woman earlier this month.

I'm not saying it is true, but I am suggesting that it is completely plausible, Mr Zollinger wrote on Facebook.

Mr Trump has received widespread bipartisan backlash for his comments appearing to equate white supremacists and new-Nazis with the left-wing demonstrators who opposed them at the rally. One Democrat even launched an effort to impeach the President over his response to the violence.

Patricia McCarthy, the author of the conspiracy theory, begins her post by asserting that the ridiculous campaign by virtually every media outlet, every Democrat and far too many squishy Republicans to label Trump some kind of racist and Nazi sympathizer is beginning to have the stink of an orchestrated smear.

She goes on to recite a widely debunked claim that Mr Obama set up a war room in his DC home to plan and execute resistance to the Trump administration.

Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Show all 10 1 /10 Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images

So were the events of Saturday the result of a despicable plan to further undermine Trump? Ms McCarthy concludes after attempting to make the case that the Charlottesville rally could have been staged.

There was plenty of time and Charlottesville is the capital of resistance. If it was, it was evil and deadly and the people involved need to be prosecuted. Or is this a wild conspiracy theory? Perhaps. But the pieces fit.

Mr Zollinger told the Post Register, a daily newspaper in Idaho Falls, that he hadnt meant to offend anyone by posting Ms McCarthys theory on Facebook.

On further reflection, its claims are probably wrong, Mr Zollinger said, but he continued to describe the claims as plausible, the newspaper said.

In hindsight, maybe it was a mistake to post it, Mr Zollinger said. I didnt mean for it to ruffle any feathers.
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Donald Trump has made more than 1,000 false claims since he entered the White House, it has been reported.

They included numerous suggestions that the Affordable Care ActObamacarewas on its last legs and his repeated assertion that he played a key role in reducing the price of a batch of F-35 fighter jets.

The billionaire's bombastic style and frequent Twitter tirades have steered him into untruth a total of 1,057 times since taking office on 20 January, according to the Washington Post's fact-checking team.

 Almost every big claim Trump made at address to Congress was false

It means he makes an average of nearly five incorrect statements per day, the Post said. He has repeated more than 30 misleading claims at least three times.

Famously, the President started early by claiming several times that the crowd at his inauguration was the biggest ever, when images showed it to be markedly smaller than that at Barack Obama's in 2009.

After only two days in office, Mr Trump's administration became inextricably tied to the phrase "alternative facts", which adviser Kellyanne Conway used to describe the inauguration claims Sean Spicer, then press secretary, had been ordered to make at his first briefing.

More recently, Mr Trump used Twitter to dredge up the long-debunked tale of US General John Pershing, who it was claimed executed 50 Muslim terrorists after dipping the bullets in pig's blood. "There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!" the President said.

The F-35 claim saw Mr Trump take credit for shaving hundreds of millions of dollars off the price of a batch of the next-generation Joint Strike Fighter, which is to be flown from the Royal Navy's new HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, as well as her US counterparts.

 All the false claims Donald Trump made after his inauguration

The President said: "On 90 planes I saved $725m. It's actually a little bit more than that, but it's $725m. And the reason they cutsame planes, same everythingwas because of me. I mean, because that's what I do."

But a reduction in price had been announced in December 2016, a month before Mr Trump met with Lockheed chief executive Marillyn Hewson.
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Donald Trump vowed to maintain America's military commitment in Afghanistan, sustaining America's longest war and reversing his previously staunch resistance to the US engagement there.

In his first first nationally-televised prime-time address since January, the President laid out a vision short on concrete details, but strong on rhetoric - saying that US troops "will fight to win" in Afghanistan, as well as putting pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorist sanctuaries near its borders and calling for further help from India.

While multiple reports earlier in the day that Mr Trump was ready to commit as many as 4,000 more troops to the country, the President pointedly declined to state specific details about troop totals. But he made it clear that he planned to keep troops in Afghanistan as a bulwark against violence, even as he said "the American people are weary of war without victory".

"Terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children," Mr Trump said.

Saying Americas strategy will change dramatically in Afghanistan, Mr Trump vowed to delegate more authority to military commanders, saying micromanagement from Washington, DC does not win battles. He also sought to define the limits of Americas involvement approach, saying its future in Afghanistan would shift to a time-based approach to one based on conditions.

Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on, Mr Trump said, before underscoring his wariness of a prolonged intervention.

We are not nation building again, Mr Trump said, invoking a term he has consistently rejected as a basis for American foreign policy. We are killing terrorists.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Before he entered the political arena Mr Trump frequently blasted the conflict as a lost cause and a drain on America, and he has built his foreign policy on resistance to overextending American forces abroad. But in past weeks military officials have warned that the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan imperils American gains, setting off a debate within the administration over how to proceed.

Mr Trump referenced that hesitation in his speech, saying my original instinct was to pull out but that he was dissuaded by the risk of terrorist groups rushing into a security vacuum, saying Afghanistan and Pakistan have the highest concentration of terror groups of any region of the world.

"We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq," Mr Trump said, referencing the rise of Isis after the departure of American troops from that country.

The decision also hinted at the dynamics of a White House without Steve Bannon. The former top strategist, who departed last week, was a leading non-interventionist voice opposing an Afghanistan escalation.

Some in the Trump administration, such as Vice President Mike Pence and Defence Secretary James Mattis have pushed for an escalation in troops and a push to put more diplomatic pressure on regional powers such as Pakistan and India.

Mr Trump laid out a tougher approach to US policy toward Pakistan and senior U.S. officials warned he could reduce security assistance for Pakistan unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperates more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens, Trump said. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists.

 US drops 'Mother Of All Bombs' on Islamic State cave system in Afghanistan

Mr Trump also said the United States wanted India to help more with Afghanistan, especially in the areas of economic assistance and development. He also made clear his patience had limits in support of the Afghanistan government, saying Kabul needed to increase its cooperation in order to justify a continued American commitment. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the US stands ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban "without pre-conditions" and that India would become an "important partner" in ensuring regional stability.

The seemingly staunch shift from Pakistan to India within Mr Trump's speech could test an already strained relationship with Pakistan, with its ally status being called into question a number of times in recent years. Diplomacy could also be difficult, with Mr Trump's administration still without key officials in their embassy in Kabul, the Afghan capital and and with Washington having scrapped the office of the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghanistan scarcely figured in Mr Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Without specifically articulating a vision for Americas role in the war-convulsed country, Mr Trumps foreign policy emphasised scaling back involvement in conflicts abroad and curbing the spread of Islamic extremism. His first major speech on the subject rejected nation-building, and in accepting the Republican nomination he warned that the situation [in the Middle East] is worse than it has ever been before despite years of costly American intervention.

We don't want to have a depleted military, because we're all over the place fighting in areas that just we shouldn't be fighting in, Mr Trump said in a December speech after winning the election. We have spent, at last count, $6 trillion in the Middle East, and our roads have potholes all over. Our highways are falling apart. Our bridges are falling.

But Mr Trump and his advisers have said in recent weeks that the turbulent situation in Afghanistan requires a response. Mr Mattis flatly told Congress in June we are not winning in Afghanistan, echoing the concerns of military officials who had told legislators they needed more troops, and Mr Trump told reporters earlier this month that I took over a mess and were going to make it a lot less messy.

In the years leading up to his presidential run, Mr Trump frequently assailed Americas presence in Afghanistan for squandering lives and money. He repeatedly said on Twitter that America should get out of Afghanistan, writing in early 2013 that the departure should happen immediately.

Once he became a contender for the 2016 nomination, Mr Trump moderated that stance. While he called the decision to invade Afghanistan a terrible mistake in 2015 - a criticism he disavowed late that month - he supported keeping troops in Afghanistan to prevent a collapse.

I think it's important, number one, that we keep a presence there and ideally a presence of pretty much what they're talking about - 5,000 soldiers, Mr Trump said at the time. During his national address he said that U.S. enemies in Afghanistan need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms.

Multiple presidents have struggled with Americas protracted entanglement with Afghanistan. After first committing tens of thousands of additional service members in an effort to stabilise the country, Barack Obama pledged to slim Americas commitment there to 5,500 troops by the end of his term. But he backed off that pledge and retained 8,400 service members there to try and ensure the Taliban and other groups could not make gains.
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Donald Trump travelled to Arizona for a tour of the border and a campaign-style rally, looking for a boost in a red state where Republican elected officials have turned against him, the mayor of Phoenix has urged him to stay away, and he is facing a sizeable number of protesters.

Mr Trump's first stop was a Marine Corps base in Yuma that is a hub of operations for the US Border Patrol, reflecting Mr Trumps central vow of shoring up border security, though he has yet to secure funding for a promised border wall.

Administration officials briefing on the trip said the area had seen a 46 per cent drop in apprehensions of people attempting to illegally enter the US between 1 January and 31 July, compared with the same period in 2016. In fact, migrant traffic around Yuma has dramatically slowed over the past dozen years. Once a hotbed for illegal immigration, the Border Patrol sector covering Yuma now ranks among the lowest in the Southwest for apprehensions and drug seizures.

During the visit, Mr Trump reviewed equipment used by the US Customs and Border Patrol including a Predator drone, a helicopter and a boat. He later greeted troops at a Marine Corps base amid sweltering 41C heat, signing caps and posing for selfies yards away from Marine One

But Mr Trump has faced heat from elected officials of both parties in Arizona, where he is due to thank voters who decisively handed him the state, but where activists have also greeted the president with multiple protests. The pushback has intensified since Mr Trump provoked a national furore by equating white supremacists with leftist protesters following the violence at a rally to save a Confederate statue in Charlottesville last weekend that left one woman dead when a car was driven into a crowd of counter-protesters.

The rally is supposed to be an attempt to help recapture the fervor that sent Mr Trump to the White House, with the President also seeing it as the most effective way of spreading his message. However, the mayor of Phoenix has urged the President to postpone his rally, writing in an op-ed that America is hurting because Mr Trump has doused racial tensions with gasoline.

With his planned visit to Phoenix, I fear the President may be looking to light a match, Mayor Greg Stanton, a Democrat, wrote. Thats why I asked the President to delay his visit. Its time to let cooler heads prevail and begin the healing process.

One person who was staying away is Governor Doug Ducey, a Trump supporter. Mr Ducey was expected to greet Mr Trump upon his arrival in Phoenix, but will not attend the rally to focus on safety needs, his spokesman said.

Mr Stanton also upbraided the President for floating the idea of pardoning former Maricopa County Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, a deeply divisive immigration hardliner who was convicted of criminal contempt for ignoring a court order to stop detaining suspects based on their potential immigration status. In saying he might pardon Mr Arpaio, the President praised the sheriff  who voters ousted in November  as a great American patriot who has done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration.

However, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said a pardon was off the table for the time being.

There will be no discussion of that today at any point, and no action will be taken on that front at any point today, Ms Sanders said.

As for the rally, and the protests, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said in a statement that her force will have maximum staffing during the visit. While Mr Stanton said the city is committed to keeping everyone inside and outside the arena safe.

The Phoenix police is always professional and the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have been great about coordinating with local law enforcement, former Arizona GOP Chairman Robert Graham told The Hill.

While Mr Stantons rebuke of Mr Trump might be expected from a Democrat, Arizonas Republican senators have been among the Presidents most prominent critics in the GOP. Sen John McCain has consistently questioned the Presidents judgment and cast the decisive vote to derail an attempt to repeal the federal healthcare law, and Sen Jeff Flake has become an outright adversary after writing a book critiquing the President. That opposition has spurred a furious response from Mr Trump, who has backed an electoral challenge to Mr Flake.

The President tweeted last week: Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!

Ms Ward planned to attend Mr Trump's rally, sparking talk that the President could take the politically extraordinary step of endorsing her from the stage over an incumbent Republican senator.

In a modest but telling swipe at Ms Ward and, by extension, at Mr Trump, the Senate Leadership Fund, a political committee closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, is spending $10,000 on digital ads that say of her, Not conservative, just crazy ideas.

However, Vice President Mike Pence, when asked about the rally by Fox News Channel on Tuesday, said Mr Trump was completely focused on his agenda for the country.

He's also going to call on the Congress to get ready to come back when they arrive on Sep 5th and go straight to work to make America safe again, make America prosperous again, and in his words, to make America great again, said Mr Pence.
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Donald Trumps Department of the Interior has told the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to stop studying the effects of coal mining on health.

A branch of the interior department  the office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement  was funding an inquiry into the potential correlation between increased human health risks and living near surface coal mine sites in Central Appalachia.

Coal mining in Central Appalachia, where the committees work is focused, includes mountaintop removal in which peaks have been blasted off. Scientists have asserted that the practice is so harmful to the environment that the government should put an end to it.

Recommended Trump jilted the Paris Accord but America may yet do its part

According to a statement by the academy, the Trump administration told the organisation last week that it should cease all work on the study, as the interior department has begun an agency-wide review of its grants and cooperative agreements in excess of $100,000. The review was prompted largely by the departments changing budget situation, the statement said.

The White House has proposed slashing the interior departments budget by 13 per cent, or $1.6bn, including 4,000 staff positions. The academy was going to conduct the $1m study over a two-year period.

While many scientists have determined that coal mining is destructive to the environment and health, Mr Trump has declared that he is a friend of the coal miners. In May, the President made the controversial decision to pull out of the Paris climate deal, saying that US coal companies are among those that would be disadvantaged by efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

However, coal consumption in America has declined, largely because of competition from cheap shale gas.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Despite the interior deparments order that the organisation halt its study, the academy said it would carry on with open meetings this week in Hazard and Lexington, Kentucky.

The National Academies believes this is an important study and we stand ready to resume it as soon as the Department of the Interior review is completed, the organisation said.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine.
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The top Republican in the Senate is said to be privately questioning whether Donald Trump can salvage his administration and has reportedly not spoken to the President for weeks.

The cold relationship between Mr Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could threaten the Republican legislative agenda, which is already months behind schedule.

Members of the party face several urgent deadlines when they return to Washington next month, and Mr Trump has still not secured a major legislative victory since being inaugurated in January.

Recommended Trump lashes out over criticism from Senate leader Mitch McConnell

Relations between Mr Trump and Mr McConnell appeared to frost earlier this month after the majority leader failed to get enough support for a bill that would have dismantled Obamacare, otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act. Less than two weeks after the Republicans' colossal defeat, Mr McConnell contended that the President's excessive expectations about the speed of the democratic process.

Senator Mitch McConnell said I had excessive expectations, but I don't think so, Mr Trump fired back on Twitter. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?

The President continued to berate Mr McConnell on the social media platform and, according to the New York Times, got into a profane shouting match with the senator during a phone call on 9 August.

Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Show all 10 1 /10 Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images

The newspaper reported that Mr McConnell has expressed anger and frustration over Mr Trump's regular threats against fellow Republicans and criticism of Senate rules.

The majority leader has apparently also mused over whether the President will be in a position to lead the Republican party during the 2018 midterm elections and beyond, the Times said, citing people who have spoken to Mr McConnell directly.

The issue is complicated by the face that McConnells wife, Elaine Chao, is in Mr Trumps cabinet serving as his Secretary of Transportation.

When asked last week what she thought of her boss's criticism of her husband, Ms Chao told reporters, I stand by my man  both of them.
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The White House was placed on lockdown after the Secret Service said it was investigating an unattended package near one of the gates.

@SecretService & @DCPoliceDept responding to an unattended package near the North Fence of the @WhiteHouse Complex, the agency tweeted.

Donald Trump is not at home. He is en route to Arizona for a rally.

Secret Service cleared the White House's North Lawn and sent journalists and construction workers in the area into the West Wing.

The agency also closed off certain areas next to the complex to pedestrians.

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

Pedestrian traffic along Penn Ave between 15th & 17th and the area of LaFayette Park is restricted due to law enforcement activity, the Secret Service wrote on Twitter.

The lockdown was later lifted without incident after both the Secret Service and Washington DC police said they had cleared the package.
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India's Supreme Court has ruled a controversial Muslim divorce law is unconstitutional, a decision which could herald the end of a law Muslim women have long argued violates their right to equality.

The law allows Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word talaq three times.

Muslim women say they have been left destitute by husbands divorcing them through triple talaq, including by Skype and WhatsApp.

Three of the five judges hearing a case questioning the legality of triple talaq ruled it as unconstitutional.

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

"This is a sensitive case where sentiments are involved. We are directing the Union of India to consider appropriate legislation in this regard," Justice J S Khehar said, while announcing a six-month suspension on the practice of the divorce law.

The government should find a way to frame new laws, the three judges said in their ruling, which overruled the other two judges.

Asmita Basu, Programmes Director at Amnesty International India, said: "We welcome the Supreme Court judgment. Triple talaq is a discriminatory practice that violates womens right to equality, and has devastated the lives of many Muslim women.

The Supreme Courts bar on this regressive practice is a step forward for womens rights in India. We urge the government to repeal all religious family laws that violate womens right to equality, without exception.

More than 20 Muslim countries, including neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned the practice. But in India, it has continued with the protection of laws allowing Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities to follow religious law in matters like marriage.

Debate over the law has pitted an unlikely coalition of Muslim women, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Hindu nationalist party, against some Muslim groups which say the state has no right to interfere in religious matters.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Five decades after a 21-year-old soldier from Richmond, Virginia, named James Joseph Dresnok sprinted through the demilitarised zone and began his new life as a propaganda tool for North Korea, his Pyongyang-born sons have announced his death.

Dresnok's health had been failing for years, and his sons said he died of a stroke in November. He was 74 and had spent two-thirds of his life espousing the virtues of the country he ran to on that summer day in 1962. The death of the man thought to have outlived or outlasted the other US defectors to North Korea had been rumoured, but his sons recently confirmed it on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, according to the Guardian.

I have never regretted coming to the People's Republic of North Korea, Dresnok said in a 2006 BBC documentary. I feel at home. I really feel at home. I was just a regular soldier. And when I gave it up and came over, I wouldn't trade it for nothing.

But like most things the man known as Comrade Joe said publicly after defecting, it was impossible to suss out which statements were genuine and which were parroted propaganda.

As his health failed, Dresnok's Korean-speaking sons spoke on their father's behalf. But their words, too, were heavily scripted and overwhelmingly supportive of North Korea and its policies.

I want to advise the US to drop its hostile policy against North Korea. They've done enough wrong, and now it's time for them to wake up from their delusions, Ted Dresnok, the oldest son, said in a video published online in 2006 by the pro-Pyongyang news service Minjok Tongshin.

Those words were spoken amid escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea that have worsened under President Donald Trump, who has promised that the isolationist country would be met with fire and fury if it doesn't stop threatening the United States.

Dresnok and other Army defectors - including Private Larry Abshier, Sergeant Robert Jenkins and Specialist Jerry Parrish - were seen as propaganda victories for North Korea.

Comrade Joe even played an evil American in North Korean propaganda movies. And his disembodied voice was broadcast across the demilitarised zone to entice US troops with promises of better food rations and beautiful women.

It was a world away from what Dresnok described as a humble and tumultuous childhood in Virginia's capital. His parents were in constant conflict and, later, estranged. They died when he was a child. He was briefly raised by relatives and spent time in foster care.

My father was a worker, my mother was a housewife. And they fought like cats and dogs, he told the BBC documentary. She stayed in the bars and on the streets day and night. We slept, ate and drank everything in the back seat of a car.

He joined the Army the day after his 17th birthday, according to the Guardian, but Army life - and regular life - quickly soured.

On a trip home from deployment, he discovered that his wife had run away with another man. Despondent during the ensuing divorce, he put in for Army service in the most dangerous place he could think of: near the demilitarised zone. One night in South Korea, he left base without permission to be with a woman. Soon, he found himself facing a court-martial.

I was fed up with my childhood, my marriage, my military life, everything. I was finished, he told the documentary makers. There's only one place to go. On August 15th, at noon in broad daylight, when everybody was eating lunch, I hit the road. Yes, I was afraid. Am I gonna live or die? And when I stepped into the minefield and I seen it with my own eyes, I started sweating. I crossed over, looking for my new life.

He was interrogated in the North Korean capital but was ultimately embraced, along with other defectors.

It was not an easy fit at first. Four years after defecting, he and other former US soldiers went to the Soviet Embassy, trying to find a way back to the United States, the Guardian reported. The Soviets handed them back to the North Koreans.

That's when Dresnok said he vowed to try to fit in.

Resigned to his new life in North Korea, he learned to speak Korean and taught English, according to The Washington Post's Anna Fifield. He married a Romanian woman, Doina Bumbea, who reportedly had been abducted by North Korea and died of cancer in 1997. They had two children, Ted and James. Ted goes by the Korean name Hong Sun Chol. His younger brother goes by the name Hong Chol.

James Dresnok Sr later fathered a third son with his third wife - the daughter of a Korean woman and an African diplomat.

Comrade Joe lived a simple life in North Korea, drinking, fishing and smoking three packs of cigarettes a day. He'd gained some acclaim from the films. People on the street stopped and stared at the large white man from the movies.

His adopted country provided him with a monthly stipend and a small apartment. But in the capital, blackouts were frequent, as were moments when there was no running water. Every home was equipped with a built-in radio that played propaganda and could not be turned off.

In 2008, in an interview with the Guardian, he discussed how he viewed his decision to turn his back on the United States.

I don't consider myself a traitor, he said. I love my country. I love my town.

Inside the daily life in North Korea Show all 19 1 /19 Inside the daily life in North Korea Inside the daily life in North Korea People reading a newspaper at the metro station Inside the daily life in North Korea Thoughts of the leaders on the tram. They have about a dozen of these on every tram, all with different thoughts Inside the daily life in North Korea Young people training for a big upcoming festival Inside the daily life in North Korea People at the Pyongyang's annual marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea Many stars on one of the trolleys in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea An intimidating poster in a primary school in North Korea. Inside the daily life in North Korea Solar panels installed on a street lamp. Inside the daily life in North Korea A poster on the window next to one of the venues we visited in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Kids playing football next to the Arch of Triumph. After a while tourists were allowed to join, so some of us did Inside the daily life in North Korea Class in an educational center in Pyongyang (where people over 17 years old can attend any classes they choose after school, for free) Inside the daily life in North Korea People waving at me during the Pyongyang marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea People having a great time dancing at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea A metro driver in a metro station in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Fireworks to mark the birthday of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung on our last night in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea My wonderful tour guide at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea One of the parks in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea A person rowing some boats for the day at a river in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea The National War Museum Inside the daily life in North Korea Public park in Pyongyang

But he said he considered himself a citizen of Pyongyang.

I call it my country because I have been here for 46 years. My life is here. Enough? The government will take care of me until my dying breath.

The Washington Post
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Two North Korean shipments to a Syrian government agency responsible for the countrys chemical weapons programme have been intercepted in the last six-months, a United Nations report has revealed.

Compiled by an independent panel of experts who said they were investigating evidence of arms cooperation, it was submitted to the UN Security Council in August.

It was not immediately clear where the weapons were intercepted, but the report suggests possible collusion between the two countries on weapons programmes.

The panel is investigating reported prohibited chemical, ballistic missile and conventional arms cooperation between Syria and the DPRK (North Korea), the experts wrote in the 37-page report.

Two member states interdicted shipments destined for Syria. Another member state informed the panel that it had reasons to believe that the goods were part of a KOMID contract with Syria.

KOMID refers to the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation that was blacklisted by the Council in 2009 and described as North Koreas key arms dealer and exporter of equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons.

Two KOMID representatives in Syria were also blacklisted by the council in 2016.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The consignees were Syrian entities designated by the EU and the US as front companies for Syrias Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC), a Syrian entity identified by the Panel as cooperating with KOMID in previous prohibited item transfers, the report states.

SSRC has been responsible for Syrias chemical weapons programme since the 1970s.

It comes on the anniversary of the deadly East Ghouta chemical attack four years ago that killed up to 1,700 people.

Residents were hit with Sarin in an air raid and thousands of people in the besieged rebel district of the countrys capital Damascus were rushed to hospital with symptoms such as convulsions, suffocation, coughing up blood and foaming at the mouth.

It is unclear how many died but estimates range from between 281 to 1,729.

In April, President Bashar al-Assads regime also dropped chemical weapons on the town of Khan Shaykhun, killing 74 people.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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As North Korea vowed merciless retaliation against US-South Korean military drills that it claims are an invasion rehearsal, senior US military commanders have dismissed calls to pause or downsize exercises they called crucial to countering a clear threat from Pyongyang.

The heated North Korean rhetoric, along with occasional weapons tests, is standard fare during the spring and summer war games by allies Seoul and Washington, but always uneasy ties between the Koreas are worse than normal this year following weeks of tit-for-tat threats between President Donald Trump and Pyongyang in the wake of the North's two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month.

There have been calls in both the United States and South Korea to postpone or modify the drills in an attempt to ease hostility on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's threat to lob missiles toward the US territory of Guam. But a visiting group of senior US military commanders, including Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of US forces in the Pacific, said the drills are critical for the allies to maintain readiness against an aggressive North Korea.

A strong diplomatic effort backed by a strong military effort is key because credible combat power should be in support of diplomacy and not the other way around, Harris said during a news conference at South Korea's Osan Air Base.

Vincent Brooks, commander of US Forces Korea, said the allies should continue the war games until they have reason not to. ''That reason has not yet emerged, he said.

The US military officials were to travel to the site of a contentious US missile-defence system in South Korea later on Tuesday.

North Korea's military said in a statement that it would launch an unspecified merciless retaliation and unsparing punishment on the United States over the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills that began Monday for an 11-day run.

Despite the threat, an unprompted direct attack is extremely unlikely because the United States vastly outguns Pyongyang, which values the continuation of its dictatorship above all else. Impoverished North Korea hates the annual drills in part because they force it to respond with expensive military measures of its own.

The North Korean statement accused the United States of deploying unspecified lethal weapons for the drills that it says involve a beheading operation training aimed at removing absolute ruler Kim Jong-un.

No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch in the Korean Peninsula, the statement said. Moreover, high-ranking bosses of the US imperialist aggressor forces flew into South Korea to hold a war confab. Such huddle is increasing the gravity of the situation.

Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who visited Seoul with other lawmakers, said Tuesday that dialogue would be the best way to defuse the North Korean nuclear standoff, though he argued that the United States and its allies must be ready to respond to potential aggression by North Korea with overwhelming force.

Talking with North Korea is not a concession; it is the only way to reach an agreement to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula and to reinforce that our military strength is there only to deter aggression and to defend against attack, Markey told a news conference.

In pictures: North Korea military drill Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: North Korea military drill In pictures: North Korea military drill North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watches a military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono offered a different view, saying pressure, not talks, is needed to push North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. He said Pyongyang had used dialogue in the past to buy time.

The Ulchi drills are largely computer-simulated war games held every summer, and this year's exercise involves 17,500 American troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers. No field training like live-fire exercises or tank manoeuvring is involved in the drills, in which alliance officers sit at computers to practice how they would engage in battles and hone their decision-making capabilities. The allies have said the drills are defensive in nature.

AP
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Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte has been urged to end his war on drugs amid widespread anger at police over a schoolboy's brutal killing.

Allegations of a cover-up in the death of Kian Loyd delos Santos has caused rare outrage among the public in the Philippines, which largely supports Mr Duterte's campaign, which has seen more than 90 people killed in three nights of intensified police operations last week.

The 17-year-old student was killed in a rundown area of Manila and according to a forensic expert who conducted an autopsy, Mr Delos Santos was shot in the back of the head and ears while on the floor, suggesting there was no gunfight, contrary to an official police report.

The victim's family reject police allegations he was a drug courier.

 Rodrigo Duterte says he 'doesn't give a s*** about human rights' as 3,500 killed in war on drugs

Mr Duterte has resolutely defended police on the front lines of his war on drugs, but he said the three officers involved in the teenager's killing should be punished if found to have broken the law.

The President said he had seen the CCTV footage acquired by media which showed plain clothes police dragging Mr Delos Santos to a location where he was later found dead.

CCTV footage appearing to show Kian Loyd delos Santos being dragged by plain-clothed police past a basketball court in Caloocan City Barangay, Philippines (Reuters)

Opposition Senator Leila de Lima, a detained critic of Mr Duterte, challenged the President to order the police to stop killing.

"I dare you, Mr President, to issue a clear and categorical order to the entire police force to stop the killings now," De Lima said in a handwritten note from a detention facility, where she is being held on charges of involvement in drugs trade inside jails, which she denies.

"Just say it. Do it now, please."

The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Show all 9 1 /9 The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On killing drug addicts These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, dont go into that, even if youre a policeman, because I will really kill you. If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Message to China I will go there on my own with a Jet Ski, bringing along with me a [Phillipino] flag and a pole, and once I disembark, I will plant the flag on the runway and tell the Chinese authorities, Kill me  AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Christmas message to law-breakers If you do not want to stop, and just continue committing crimes, then this would be your last Merry Christmas AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On sex life I was separated from my wife. Im not impotent. What am I supposed to do? Let this hang forever? When I take Viagra, it stands up AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On the drugs trade None of my children are into illegal drugs. But my order is, even if it is a member of my family, kill him'" AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting the Pope We were affected by the traffic. It took us five hours. I asked why, they said it was closed. I asked who is coming. They answered, the pope. I wanted to call him: Pope, son of a wh**e, go home. Do not visit us again AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Joke about rape I saw her face and I thought, 'What a pity... they raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first AFP/Getty The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting Barack Obama "Mr Obama should be respectful and refrain from throwing questions at me about the killings, or son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum" REUTERS The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants "If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you. If you annoy me to the fullest... I will eat you alive. Raw" EPA

Another senator, Risa Hontiveros, told the house Mr Duterte had blood on his hands and "reveled in the deaths of drug addicts", inspiring a culture of impunity and killing.

Filipinos tired of crime and drugs and supportive of the president had woken up to what was happening, she said.

"You had no choice but to confront his death because his narrative was compelling," she said of Mr Delos Santos.

"You felt stirred into action because you could no longer ignore the growing outrage ... there were thousands of deaths before him and that you allowed it to happen.

Social media users, politicians of all sides and Catholic bishops have called for an impartial investigation into the surge in killings by police, which stopped when news of the teenager's death surfaced.

The Senate will on hold an inquiry into last week's bloodshed later this week.

Protesters wearing masks depicting the victims of extra judicial killings taking part in a demonstration against the killings of suspected drug users allegedly by police during anti-drugs raids in Manila (TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images)

Since Mr Duterte took office, more than 12,500 people, many small-time drug users and dealers, have been killed.

Police said around 3,500 of those were killed in gunfights with drug suspects who had resisted arrest and were shot by officers in self defence.

But human rights monitors believe many of the remaining two thirds were killed by assassins operating with police backing or by police disguised as vigilantes - a charge the police deny.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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For a number of decades, Afghanistan was not a nation under threat from Isis or the Taliban, but a place of stability, tolerance and even moderation.

From the 1930s to the late 1970s, some termed this nation that has long been a pawn in the struggles of the great powers, the Paris of Central Asia. Whats more - some women even wore short skirts.

This week, after Donald Trump admitted to having changed his mind on sending troops to Afghanistan and committed to dispatching extra forces - the additional troops will probably total around 4,000 - it was reported one of the ways his advisors persuaded him to engage was to show him a photograph of women wearing such skirts.

For many years, Mr Trump said on twitter that he believed Afghanistan was was a lost cause and that Barack Obama was wrong to send additional troops there, as he did in 2009.

A number of senior military US officers - including those former officers now in the White House, support sending extra soldiers to Afghanistan. The Washington Post said Mr Trump's national security advisor, HR McMaster, a former general, had persuaded Mr Trump to commit to sending those troops by placing a strking image in front of the President.

He presented Trump with a black-and-white snapshot from 1972 of Afghan women in miniskirts walking through Kabul, to show him that Western norms had existed there before and could return, said the newspaper.

 Donald Trump's ever-changing views on Afghanistan

Some historians have suggested the idea of Kabuls golden age has been somewhat overstated and that such Western-style dress was adopted only by a very small elite, during a period of rule by King Mohammed Zahir Shah.

Horia Mosadiq, an Afghan who works as a researcher for Amnesty International, said in a 2013 report: As a girl, I remember my mother wearing miniskirts and taking us to the cinema. My aunt went to university in Kabul.

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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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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. 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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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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

Elizabeth Gould, co-author of Invisible History: Afghanistans Untold Story, said several years ago that a US diplomat visiting Afghanistan in the early 1970s said its citizens were so passionate about democracy that he saw them debate their constitutional rights in the streets.

The years after World War II, in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, were the golden years, said Ms Gould.

The king was deposed in a coup in 1973 and went into an exile that lasted 29 years. In December 1979, Soviet forces invaded the country and were not forced out until February 1989.

The Taliban seized control of large parts of the country, including Kabul, in 1996 and held the capital until the US and UK invasion of 2002. That same year, the former king returned to oversee the holding of a loya jirga, or meeting to select a new government.
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A Danish Prince was reportedly turned away from an Australian bar because he did not have ID.

Crown Prince Frederik had hoped to wet his whistle at Brisbane's Jade Buddha bar, but he was initially denied entry because of strict alcohol laws in the state of Queensland, which require establishments to verify the identity of all patrons after 10pm.

The 49-year-old royal, who is married to Australian-born Princess Mary, was only let in when the state police's dignitary protection unit convinced security they could permit him to enter without breaking the law.

The bar's co-owner Phil Hogan said he feared he could be fined over the affair for allowing the prince inside, despite his staff following strict protocol.

He told the Brisbane Courier Mail the new rules were a "nightmare" and that despite having "plenty of evidence" to support his version of events, he worried he would be found in breach of the strict law.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg with the prince. It's happening all the time with normal people," he said of the incident, which has been described in some media reports as an "international embarrassment for the Queensland Government".

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart later denied that the prince had been refused entry and insisted that the identification issue was resolved during two earlier meetings involving the royal's entourage.

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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Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

"The Prince at no time was party to those conversations and wasn't even present when the security personnel made those arrangements," he told reporters.

The incident has nonetheless provoked a fresh wave of criticism over the state's strict lockout laws, introduced in July.

Anyone entering a venue that serves alcohol after 10pm in designated Safe Night Precincts has to have their ID, such as a driver's licence or passport, scanned.

The minimum drinking age in Australia is 18, but the law applies to everyone, even those who appear much older than the legal limit.
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Suspects in the Spanish terror attack investigation have admitted a bigger attack was planned and blamed a dead imam for the outrage, according to court sources.

Appearing in court for the first time, Mohamed Houli Chemlal, said the Islamist terror cell was planning to use homemade explosives to kill hundreds more people at landmarks in the city, including the historic Sagrada Familia cathedral.

A total of 15 people were killed in two vehicle ramming attacks and a car-jacking in Catalonia last week, and 130 were injured. Police now believe all the attack suspects have either been killed or captured.

Chemlal, 21 and Driss Oukabir, 27, both appeared for hearings in Spains High Court on Tuesday, though Oukabir denied involvement in the atrocity.

 Spanish swimmer stays in his blocks in tribute to Barcelona attack victims

Two other suspects also appeared in court: Sahal el Karib, 34, and Mohammed Aalla, 27. All hearings took place behind closed doors in line with Spanish law.

Prosecutors had asked for the four to be sent to prison without bail on preliminary charges of being part of a terrorist organisation, homicide, causing havoc and dealing with explosives.

But on Monday evening, a judge ordered two of the four surviving suspects to be held without bail, another to be detained for 72 more hours and one freed.

National Court Judge Fernando Andreu said there was enough evidence to hold Chemlal and Oukabir on preliminary charges of causing homicides and injuries of a terrorist nature and of belonging to a terror organisation.

Sahl El Karib, the owner of a cybercafe in Ripoll, the Pyrenees hometown to most of the members of the cell, will remain in custody under arrest for at least 72 more hours while police inquiries continue.

The judged ruled the evidence to keep holding suspect Mohamed Aalla, whose car was used in the Cambrils attack, was "not solid enough", and he will be freed.

Chemlal was the first suspect to testify and admitted in court that the group planned a bigger attack using explosives against Barcelonas monuments at the height of the summer tourist season, sources said. He is the only suspect to have conceded being part of the cell.

The terrorists broader plans are believed to have failed after a stockpile of gas canisters, to be used in an attack, blew up their safe house in Alcanar.

Imam Abdelbaki Es Satty, 45, is believed to have been killed in the accidental explosion.

He was accused by two unnamed suspects of organising the plot and wanted to blow himself up in the attack, Chemlal said, according to a court official.

Satty is suspected of having radicalised the terror cell responsible for the outrages.

Chemlal survived the explosion and was arrested in Alcanar, 120 miles south of Barcelona, a day before the ramming attacks.

Traces of a high explosive, triacetone triperoxide, were said to have been found in the house, along with the remains of two bodies and Isis documents, according to Judge Andreu. The same substance was used in suicide bombings in Manchester, Brussels and Paris.

Driss Oukabir, 27, who was the first suspect named in the hours after Thursdays attack, also appeared in a closed session in court and denied being part of the terrorist cell. In a break from his original story, he admitted renting the vans used in the attacks but said he thought they were going to be used for a house move, according to a source speaking with AP. Oukabir, who was arrested in the town of Ripoll, said he changed his initial story out of fear.

Barcelona Attack Show all 30 1 /30 Barcelona Attack Barcelona Attack Police officers patrol on Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack Getty Images Barcelona Attack Tourists and locals walk along Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack. Getty Images Barcelona Attack Police officers patrol on Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack. Getty Images Barcelona Attack People leave a fastfood with hands up as asked by policemen after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing two persons and injuring several others on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least two people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack" and a police source said one suspect had left the scene and was "holed up in a bar". The police source said they were hunting for a total of two suspects AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack Police officers tell members of the public to leave the scene in a street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district, injuring several people. AP Barcelona Attack Injured people react after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack AP Barcelona Attack REUTERS Barcelona Attack AP Barcelona Attack People move from the scene after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue Reuters Barcelona Attack A policeman stands next to an ambulance after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Reuters Barcelona Attack Firefighters stands outside an evacuated mall after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Policemen stand next to vehicles in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Plain-clothes policemen phone as they walk past police cars in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack A policemen and a medical staff member stand past police cars and an ambulance in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack A person is stretched out of a mall by medical staff members in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona said they were dealing with a "terrorist attack" after a vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on the city's famous Las Ramblas boulevard on August 17, 2017. Police were clearing the area after the incident, which has left a number of people injured. AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Children, some in tears, are escorted down a road in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona say a white van has mounted a sidewalk, struck several people in the city's Las Ramblas district. AP Barcelona Attack Mossos d'Esquadra Police officers and emergency service workers move an injured man, after a van crashes into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack Mossos d'Esquadra Police officers attend injured people after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack Injured people react after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack A police officer cordon off a street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district, injuring several people. AP Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images

He previously claimed his documents were stolen by his 17-year-old brother, Moussa, to rent the vehicle which killed 13 people in the busy Las Ramblas district. The alleged driver of the van, Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, remained at large for four days before being shot by police in the town of Subirats yesterday.

Moussa was among five other suspects killed by police after attempting a second vehicle ramming in the coastal town of Cambrils hours after the atrocity in Barcelona, which left one woman dead. The other dead men were named as Said Aalla, 18, Houssaine Abouyaaqoub, 19, Omar Hychami, 21 and Mohamed Hychami, 24.

The suspects bought knives and an axe just minutes before the rampage, court documents showed.

Also on Tuesday, the French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb revealed the Audi car used in the Cambrils attack was photographed in Paris some time before the attack.

Mr Collomb said: This group came to Paris but it was a quick arrival and departure.

The significance of the France visit is not yet known but the cell is believed to have been exclusively Spanish.

Additional reporting by agencies.
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The European Union (EU) is confused and puzzled about Britains post-Brexit trade plans, Irelands Taoiseach or prime minister said, as he accused the UK Government of having unrealistic demands.

Leo Varadkar, who took office in June, was speaking during a trip to Canada where he met with the country's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and visited the countrys border with the US as part of a fact-finding mission to look at options for the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit.

I think Id be right to say on behalf of the European governments that were not satisfied with the progress that has been made so far, he told Bloomberg. However, well continue with the talks.

We hope that more progress can be made and that that progress will be sufficient when we meet in October to allow the talks to continue to the next phase, but to date the progress has not been sufficient.

The Irish leader also called on the UK Government to clarify what kind of trade deal it hopes to reach with the EU and said the lack of clarity was delaying talks.

Where were confused and puzzled is...on what trade agreement the United Kingdom wants with the European Union, he said.

At the moment they have the best trade deal possible  the best one imaginable  which is a customs union and access to the European Single Market and the European Economic Area.

What they seem to have been suggesting for the last 14 months is that they want to have all the advantages of being in the EU but none of the responsibilities and costs. Thats not a realistic position, so were waiting to see what they would like to see.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

He added: Its not clear to us what the deals are that the British Government really wants from Europe and from other countries, and I think some more clarity in that area would be very helpful.

Mr Varadkhar said EU states were also keen to know what will happen to EU citizens who want to move to live with relatives in the UK. The British Government has refused to give concrete guarantees about the rights of EU citizens.

Another sticking point during talks has been the size of the Brexit bill that Britain will pay when it leaves the EU.

Theres no agreement yet on the amount of money that Britain will be paying, Mr Varadkar said. It does have outstanding legal obligations, for example pensions paid to European civil servants, many of whom are British.

Despite the delays, he said he was satisfied with proposals to allow British and Irish citizens to move freely between the two countries after Brexit and reassured by the UKs commitment to the peace process in Northern Ireland.

There must not be a trade border introduced on the island, he added.
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A Moroccan asylum seeker has admitted to stabbing two women to death in the Finnish city of Turku.

But Abderrahman Mechkah denied murder and said there was no terror motive to the attack, which also left eight people injured.

A regional court in Turku earlier ruled that the 18-year-old should be remanded in custody after the stabbing last Friday.

Mechkah appeared in court via video link from hospital. He was shot in the leg by police following the stabbings in the main market place in Turku, on Finland's southwest coast, 100 miles from Helsinki.

He is being held on suspicion of terrorist crimes. Three alleged associates were named as accomplices in assisting and planning the attack. They have denied any involvement.

The court said they were suspected of "participation in the murders and attempted murders, committed with terrorist intent."

Police investigators are exploring possible links to last week's extremist attacks in Spain in which most of the perpetrators and suspects are reported to be Moroccans.

A fifth Moroccan, who had been under arrest since Friday, was released, the court said.

It also emerged that Mechkah had his application for asylum rejected before the attack.

 Fatal stabbings in Finland probed as murder with possible terror motive

Lawyer Kaarle Gummerus told Reuters: [My client] admits manslaughter and injuries ... But what the investigator has brought up this far may not be enough to classify this as a terrorist crime.

Mechkah, who had been living in a Red Cross immigrant reception centre in Turku since coming to Finland in spring 2016, had been appealing against the result of his asylum application at the time of the attack.

"He has received the result of his asylum application and he has appealed it. He is still in the (asylum) process," said a spokeswoman from the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation.

Applications for asylum of at least two of three other suspects who had been arrested were also being processed, the Red Cross said.

Additional reporting agencies
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Danish Police have said the size of a headless female torso found in water in Copenhagen suggested it could be that of a Swedish journalist who died after taking a submarine ride with the vessel's inventor.

Police said divers were still searching the area and they were investigating reports of other body parts that may have been spotted in Copenhagen harbour.

Danish inventor Peter Madsen has been charged with killing Kim Wall in his home-made submarine.

Recommended Body found after submarine inventor charged with killing journalist

"We're dealing with a torso where arms, legs and head were cut off deliberately. The length of the torso doesn't speak against it being Kim Wall, but we still don't know," Copenhagen police spokesman Jens Moller said in a video statement.

Mr Madsen told a court she had died in an accident on board the submarine and that he had buried her at sea, changing his earlier statement that he dropped her off alive in Copenhagen.

Police are conducting DNA tests to identify the torso - found on Monday by a passing cyclist - and the results are due on Wednesday morning, Mr Moller said.

The bizarre case has dominated Danish and Swedish media, and drawn interest from around the world.

Mr Madsen has been charged with the manslaughter of Ms Wall, who has been missing since he took her out to sea in his 17-metre (56 feet) submarine on 10 August. He denies the charge.

He was rescued a day later after his UC3 Nautilus sank in the narrow strait between Denmark and Sweden. Police found nobody else in the wreck.

Mr Madsen, an entrepreneur, artist, submarine builder and aerospace engineer, went before a judge on Saturday for preliminary questioning. The case is closed to the public in order to protect further investigations, police said.

Reuters
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In a blow to Russia's contemporary arts scene, investigators have detained one of the country's most prominent directors and are pressing embezzlement charges against him.

Kirill Serebrennikov, known for bold productions that poke fun at Russia's growing social conservatism under Vladimir Putin, is one of Russia's most venerated theatre and film directors whose work spans from drama to opera. His movie, The Student, won the Francois Chalais prize at the Cannes film festival last year.

Serebrennikov is suspected of embezzling 68 million rubles (897,367) of government funds that were earmarked for a production at his theatre, the Investigative Committee, which looks into high-profile crimes, said in a statement.

The RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday quoted Serebrennikov's lawyer Dmitry Kharitonov as saying that his client was detained in St Petersburg where he was shooting a movie about a Soviet rock star and escorted to Moscow.

The 47-year-old director was briefly detained and questioned in May but the investigators stopped short of saying they suspect he was involved. The theatre's accountant and one senior manager are in custody and another manager is under house arrest pending the probe. Russia media reported earlier this month that the accountant had testified against the director.

Serebrennikov has denied any wrongdoing. His supporters have dismissed the investigation as payback from the Kremlin's conservative circles for his pithy satire of Russian officialdom.

Serebrennikov's productions have been sold out for years. While he was known to enjoy support and protection of liberal-leaning government officials, he has often been the target of conservative activists and politicians.

In July, the legendary Bolshoi Theatre cancelled a much anticipated ballet directed by Serebrennikov just three days before the opening night, a development that got many in Moscow's art scene to speak of a return to censorship. The Bolshoi denied reports that the show had been scrapped because of its frank portrayal of the protagonist dancer's gay relationships.

The detention of one of Russia's most sought-after directors has shocked the art community.

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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Film director Pavel Lungin compared Russia's law enforcement agencies to a Biblical beast and said on Ekho Moskvy radio station that arresting Serebrennikov doesn't make sense because he isn't a dangerous criminal.

A court is expected to rule within the next 48 hours whether to keep Serebrennikov in custody or not.

AP
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Russia has placed the Jehovah's Witnesses on its register of banned "extremist" organisations.

The Christian sect's administrative centre near St Petersburg and 395 local organisations were added to the list by the justice ministry on Thursday.

Believers can now be charged for proselytising or gathering together.

Human rights attacks around the world Show all 10 1 /10 Human rights attacks around the world Human rights attacks around the world China Escalating crackdown against human rights activists including mass arrests of lawyers and a series of sweeping laws in the name of national security. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Egypt The arrest of thousands, including peaceful critics, in a ruthless crackdown in the name of national security, the prolonged detention of hundreds without charge or trial and the sentencing of hundreds of others to death. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Gambia Torture, enforced disappearances and the criminalisation of LGBTI people; and utter refusal to co-operate with the UN and regional human rights mechanisms on issues including freedom of expression, enforced disappearance and the death penalty. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Hungary Sealing off its borders to thousands of refugees in dire need; and obstructing collective regional attempts to help them. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Israel Maintaining its military blockade of Gaza and therefore collective punishment of the 1.8 million inhabitants there, as well as failing, like Palestine, to comply with a UN call to conduct credible investigations into war crimes committed during the 2014 Gaza conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Kenya Extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and discrimination against refugees in its counter-terrorism operations; and attempts to undermine the International Criminal Court and its ability to pursue justice. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Pakistan The severe human rights failings of its response to the horrific Peshawar school massacre including its relentless use of the death penalty; and its policy on international NGOs giving authorities the power to monitor them and close them down if they are considered to be against the interests of the country. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Russia Repressive use of vague national security and anti-extremism legislation and its concerted attempts to silence civil society in the country; its shameful refusal to acknowledge civilian killings in Syria and its callous moves to block Security Council action on Syria. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Saudi Arabia Brutally cracking down on those who dared to advocate reform or criticise the authorities; and committing war crimes in the bombing campaign it has led in Yemen (pictured) while obstructing the establishment of a UN-led inquiry into violations by all sides in the conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Syria Killing thousands of civilians in direct and indiscriminate attacks with barrel bombs and other weaponry and through acts of torture in detention; and enforcing lengthy sieges of civilian areas, blocking international aid from reaching starving civilians. Getty Images

In April, Russia's Supreme Court decided in favour of the justice ministry's characterisation of members of the Jehovah's Witnesses as posing "a threat to the rights of the citizens, public order and public security."

The denomination's properties, known as Kingdom Halls, will also be seized by the state.

The Jehovah's Witnesses are expected to appeal the ban at the European Court of Human Rights.

The British Government previously said it was "alarmed" by the ban and launched an appeal for Vladimir Putin to uphold religious freedom in Russia.

Jehovah's Witnesses, who are known for their door-to-door preaching and distribution of literature, reject some of mainstream Christianity's core beliefs.

The US-based group, which has more than 8.3 million adherents around the world, has generated controversy for its stances including the rejection of blood transfusion and opposition to military service.
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A womans body has been found on the shores of Copenhagen hours after a Danish inventor was charged with killing a journalist on his home-made submarine.

The headless torso was spotted by a passer-by in the Baltic Sea, where Swedish journalist Kim Wall is believed to have died onboard Peter Madsens privately built vessel.

The inventor initially claimed to have dropped the 30-year-old off alive in the Danish capital following a trip on the submarine on 10 August, but has since told police he dumped her body in the sea after she died in an accident.

Detectives said it was too early to say if the womans body, also missing legs and arms, was that of Ms Wall. The remains were sent for forensic analysis as divers continued to search the area where they were found by a passing cyclist.

It is clear that the police, like the media and everybody else, is speculating whether this female body is Kim Wall. But it is way too soon to tell, Copenhagen police spokesman Jens Moller said.

Mr Madsen, 46, was arrested in connection with Ms Walls disappearance after being rescued from his sinking submarine off Denmarks eastern coast.

Police said they suspected the inventor deliberately sank the vessel.

The UC3 Nautilus submarine is lifted from a salvage ship in Copenhagens harbour (EPA)

Mr Madsen has been charged with the manslaughter of Ms Wall, who was researching the inventor for a feature.

The journalist was reported missing by her boyfriend after she did not return from a test run of the 18-metre UC3 Nautilus, which was the largest privately built submarine in the world when it was first launched in 2008.

She was last seen atop the vessel before embarking on what was intended to be a brief ride.

Peter Madsen, right, talks to a police officer after being rescued from his sinking submarine (AFP/Getty Images) (AFP/Getty)

Ms Walls family said she had worked in many dangerous places as a journalist and it was unimaginable something could happen ... just a few miles from the childhood home.

The International Womens Media Foundation said it was deeply saddened to receive confirmation she had died.

She was dogged in her pursuit of important and sometimes quirky stories. She was adored by those who knew her, the organisation said in a statement.

Before his arrest, Mr Madsen appeared on Danish television to speak of the submarines sinking and his rescue. Nobody else was rescued or found in the wreck.

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

Danish and Swedish maritime authorities have been using divers, sonar and helicopters in the search for Ms Wall in Koge Bay, south of Copenhagen, where the inventor said he had dumped her body.

Mr Madsen, an entrepreneur, artist and aerospace engineer, appeared before a judge on Saturday for preliminary questioning.

The case is not open to the public for the sake of further investigation, police have said.
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Iran could be in a position to create highly enriched uranium within five days if the US ends a major agreement on nuclear proliferation, the countrys atomic programme head has warned.

Ali Akbar Salehi, one of Irans vice presidents, made the comments on state TV in apparent reaction to increased sanctions imposed by America this month.

He suggested the country could achieve 20-per cent enriched uranium in "at most" five days - a level at which it could then quickly be processed further into weapons-grade nuclear material.

Definitely, we are not interested in such a thing happening, Mr Salehi said. We have not achieved the deal easily to let it go easily. We are committed to the deal and we are loyal to it.

Mr Salehi said the US would be surprised by how quickly Iran could rebuild its stocks if the 2015 nuclear deal was dropped.

If we make the determination, we are able to resume 20 per cent-enrichment in at most five days, he said. Irans permitted uranium enrichment is currently capped at five per cent.

President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who began his second term earlier this month, has also warned of the speed with which Iran could increase its nuclear capabilities. Last week he said US threats and sanctions would give Iran reason to build up nuclear resources.

In an hour and a day, Iran could return to a more advanced level than at the beginning of the negotiations he said.

Criticising the US as not a good partner, Mr Rouhani added: "Those who are trying to go back to the language of threats and sanctions are prisoners of their past hallucinations They deprive themselves of the advantages of peace."

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

During his US presidential campaign, Donald Trump dismissed the 2015 nuclear agreement as the worst deal ever.

The leader has since accused Iran of violating the spirit of the nuclear deal, which the countries entered into along with five other world powers - France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany.

This month, his administration introduced new economic sanctions against Irans Revolutionary Guard and people involved in its ballistic missile programme, after Iran conducted missile tests.

Last week, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Iran could not use the nuclear deal to hold the world hostage, adding: Iran, under no circumstances, can ever be allowed to have nuclear weapons.

Update: An earlier version of this story suggested Iran had warned it could have nuclear weapons within five days. This has been amended to clarify that the country's atomic chief was referring to highly-enriched uranium, not nuclear weapons
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Expelled from their main stronghold in northern Iraq, Isis militants are now trapped in a military vice that will squeeze them on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border, the US Defence Secretary has said.

General James Mattis arrived in the Iraqi capital on an unannounced visit today just hours after President Donald Trump outlined a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Afghanistan. Mr Trump has also vowed to take a more aggressive approach against Isis in Iraq and Syria, but he has yet to unveil a strategy for the conflict that differs greatly from his predecessors.

In Baghdad, General Mattis was meeting with senior Iraqi government leaders and with US commanders. He also planned to meet Massoud Barzani, leader of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region that has helped fight Isis, in Irbil. The US Defence Secretary told reporters before departing from neighbouring Jordan that the so-called Middle Euphrates River Valley  roughly from the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim to the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor  will be liberated, as Isis gets hit from both ends of the valley that bisects Iraq and Syria.

You see, Isis is now caught in between converging forces, he said. So Isiss days are certainly numbered, but its not over yet and its not going to be over any time soon.

General Mattis referred to this area as Isiss last stand.

Recommended This is why young European Muslims are joining Isis

Unlike the war in Afghanistan, Iraq offers a more positive narrative for the White House, at least for now. Having helped Iraqi government forces to reclaim Isiss prized possession of Mosul in July, the US military effort is showing tangible progress and the Pentagon can credibly assert that momentum is on Iraqs side.

Brigadier General Andrew A Croft, of the US air force, said that over the past couple of months Isis has lost much of its ability to command and control its forces.

Its less coordinated than it was before, he said. It appears more fractured  flimsy is the word I would use.

Brett McGurk, the USs special envoy to the counter-Isis coalition, credits the Trump administration for having accelerated gains against the militants. He said on Monday that about one-third of all territory regained in Iraq and Syria since 2014 has been retaken in the last six or seven months.

I think thats quite significant and partially due to the fact were moving faster, more effectively, as a result of Mr Trumps delegation of battlefield authorities to commanders in the field, Mr McGurk said. He said this has really made a difference on the ground. I have seen that with my own eyes.

It seems probable that in coming months Mr Trump may be in position to declare a victory of sorts in Iraq as Isis fighters are marginalised and they lose their claim to be running a caliphate inside Iraqs borders. Syria, on the other hand, is a murkier problem, even as Isis loses ground there against US-supported local fighters and Russian-backed Syrian government forces.

The US role in Iraq parallels Afghanistan in some ways, starting with the basic tenet of enabling local government forces to fight rather than having US troops do the fighting for them. That is unlikely to change in either country. Although the Taliban is the main opposition force in Afghanistan, an Isis affiliate has emerged there, too. In both countries, US air power is playing an important role in support of local forces, and in both countries the Pentagon is trying to facilitate the development of potent local air forces.

In Iraq, the political outlook is clouded by the same sectarian and ethnic divisions between Sunni, Shia and Kurdish factions that have repeatedly undercut, and in some cases reversed, security gains following the toppling of Saddam Husseins regime in 2003.

An immediate worry is a Kurdish independence referendum to be held on 25 September, which, if successful, could upset a delicate political balance in Iraq and enflame tensions with Turkey, whose own Kurdish population has fought an insurgency against the central government for decades. Mr McGurk reiterated US opposition to holding the Iraqi Kurdish referendum.

We believe these issues should be resolved through dialogue under the constitutional framework, and that a referendum at this time would be really potentially catastrophic to the counter-Isis campaign, Mr McGurk told reporters in a joint appearance with General Mattis before they flew to Iraq.

In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Isis' weapons factories In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A mortar round fin manufactured by Isis in Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis rocket components discovered in Gogjali, Mosul, Iraq in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis mortars discovered near Karamlais, Iraq, in November 2016 CAR In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis rocket launch frame in Qaraqosh, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A memo from Isis' COSQC on quality control at a manufacturing facility in Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Electrically-operated initiators manufactured by Isis in forces Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis mortar tubes at a manufacturing facility in Karamlais, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis mortar production facility discovered in Gogjali, Mosul, in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis weapons manufacturing facilities near Mosul in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Stocks of French-manufactured Sorbitol, Latvian potassium nitrate and Lebanese sugar at an Isis weapons factory in Iraq Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A destroyed Isis weapons facility in Qaraqosh, Iraq, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research

With the Iraqi militarys campaign to retake the northern city of Tal Afar now under way, General Mattis has refused to predict victory. He says generals and senior officials should just go silent when troops are entering battle.

Id prefer just to let the reality come home. Theres nothing to be gained by forecasting something thats fundamentally unpredictable, he said at the weekend.

AP
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The Lebanese army says it has recaptured an area of land from Isis and raised a Spanish flag in honour of the victims of last weeks terrorist attack in Barcelona.

Fourteen people were killed in the Catalan city and one in the nearby town of Cambrils when attackers used vehicles to ram into pedestrians. Isis claimed responsibility for the attack, although it remains unclear how much interaction the perpetrators had with the militant group.

Two days after the attack, the Lebanese army launched an offensive near the town of Ras Baalbeck in north-east Lebanon and captured a third of an area that has been held by Isis since 2014.

Recommended Isis claims responsbility for Barcelona attack

Six hundred Isis militants are believed to be in the mountainous area, of which around 20 were killed and 10 injured in the latest battle.

An image posted on the Lebanese army website showed troops waving both a Lebanese flag and a Spanish flag. The image was captioned: A salute from our troops fighting Isis in the mountains of Ras Baalbek to the victims of Spain and the whole world.

Isis claimed responsibility for the attacks in Catalonia within hours of a van being driven into crowds of people on the busy Las Ramblas street in central Barcelona.

Barcelona Attack Show all 30 1 /30 Barcelona Attack Barcelona Attack Police officers patrol on Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack Getty Images Barcelona Attack Tourists and locals walk along Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack. Getty Images Barcelona Attack Police officers patrol on Las Ramblas following yesterday's terrorist attack, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured when a van hit crowds in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona on Thursday. Spanish police have also killed five suspected terrorists in the town of Cambrils to stop a second terrorist attack. Getty Images Barcelona Attack People leave a fastfood with hands up as asked by policemen after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing two persons and injuring several others on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. A driver deliberately rammed a van into a crowd on Barcelona's most popular street on August 17, 2017 killing at least two people before fleeing to a nearby bar, police said. Officers in Spain's second-largest city said the ramming on Las Ramblas was a "terrorist attack" and a police source said one suspect had left the scene and was "holed up in a bar". The police source said they were hunting for a total of two suspects AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack Police officers tell members of the public to leave the scene in a street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district, injuring several people. AP Barcelona Attack Injured people react after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack AP Barcelona Attack REUTERS Barcelona Attack AP Barcelona Attack People move from the scene after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue Reuters Barcelona Attack A policeman stands next to an ambulance after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Reuters Barcelona Attack Firefighters stands outside an evacuated mall after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Policemen stand next to vehicles in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Plain-clothes policemen phone as they walk past police cars in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack A policemen and a medical staff member stand past police cars and an ambulance in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack A person is stretched out of a mall by medical staff members in a cordoned off area after a van ploughed into the crowd, injuring several persons on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona said they were dealing with a "terrorist attack" after a vehicle ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on the city's famous Las Ramblas boulevard on August 17, 2017. Police were clearing the area after the incident, which has left a number of people injured. AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack Children, some in tears, are escorted down a road in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in Barcelona say a white van has mounted a sidewalk, struck several people in the city's Las Ramblas district. AP Barcelona Attack Mossos d'Esquadra Police officers and emergency service workers move an injured man, after a van crashes into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack Mossos d'Esquadra Police officers attend injured people after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack Injured people react after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA Barcelona Attack A police officer cordon off a street in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Police in the northern Spanish city of Barcelona say a white van has jumped the sidewalk in the city's historic Las Ramblas district, injuring several people. AP Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images Barcelona Attack AFP/Getty Images

A statement released through the groups Amaq news agency said: The perpetrators of the Barcelona attack are [Isis] soldiers and carried out the operation in response to appeals targeting coalition countries.

Isis-affiliated social media accounts posted messages celebrating the attack. One wrote: To all the Spaniards, now is the time to pay for everything that your governments have done to our countries."

Isis has lost ground across the Middle East in recent months, having been all but forced out of Iraq and at risk of losing its strongholds in Syria.
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Two Israeli soldiers were beaten after being mistaken for "Arabs", it has been reported.

The pair were on leave and spending time in a public park when they were attacked with a shisha pipe and other objects.

They were taken to the Hillel Yaffe medical centre for treatment after suffering facial injuries, according to Israeli media.

Their attackers reportedly confronted them and shouted "You are Arabs!" during the assault in the Pardes Hanna district.

Both soldiers were Jewish Israelis, from the Golani and Kfir brigades, local media said.

The attackers are also though to be Jewish, according to police spokeswoman Luba Samri.

A teenager has been arrested, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The father of one of the soldiers told YNet: "Soldiers go on vacation and are attacked by criminals just because they look like Arabs. Its a disgrace."

Police are also investigating whether the row erupted over the woman who was with the soldiers, it was reported.
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US-led coalition air strikes killed at least 42 civilians after targeting densely-populated neighbourhoods of the Isis-controlled Syrian city of Raqqa, a monitoring group has said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included 19 children and 12 women.

The activist-run group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently said 32 people were killed in air strikes on one neighbourhood alone.

Syrian state media said the air strikes killed dozens.

They all blamed the US-led coalition.

 US backed fighters make progress in driving Isis out of Raqqa

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its civilian casualty team would assess the allegations.

A spokesperson for CENTCOM told The Independent: "The Coalition takes all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and assesses all credible allegations of possible civilian casualties. Coalition forces work diligently and deliberately to be precise in our airstrikes.

"Coalition forces comply with the law of armed conflict and take all reasonable precautions during the planning and execution of airstrikes to reduce the risk of harm to civilians."

They added: "The Coalition respects human life and is assisting partner forces in their effort to liberate their land from Isis while safeguarding civilians. Our goal is always for zero civilian casualties."

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

Isis is taking heavy losses in Syria, where Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the US-led coalition have captured swathes of its territory in the north and are assaulting its former "capital" of Raqqa.

Brett McGurk, the US special envoy to the coalition against Isis, said around 2,000 Isis fighters remained in Raqqa and as much as 60 per cent of the city had been retaken.

An estimated 25,000 civilians remain in the city and are at risk of being used as human shields by Isis.

The jihadi group is now falling back deeper into the Euphrates valley region of eastern Syria.

US officials said Isis had 40,000 foreign fighters from 110 countries across Syria and Iraq in 2014, but since then they are believed to have lost 70,000 square kilometers of territory - 78 per cent of the territory they used to hold in Iraq, and 58 per cent of the territory they used to hold in Syria.
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Donald Trumps divisive ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries has sparked a debate about not only the security implications of immigration but also its economic impact.

A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows refugees provide a net contribution to the economy through the taxes they pay over time, countering the notion that they are a drag on the economy due to a reliance on social benefits.

Trump's ban initially faced stiff legal challenges, but was later upheld by the Supreme Court for a narrower group of immigrants.

Under Trump's plan, the maximum number of refugees allowed into the US in fiscal 2017 will likely decline from 110,000 to 50,000, according to Pew Research. About 3 million refugees have been resettled in the US since Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980, Pew estimates.

The report from Notre Dame economists William Evans and Daniel Fitzgerald finds that over their first 20 years in the United States, refugees who arrived as adults aged 18-45 contributed more in taxes than they received in relocation benefits and other public assistance. The Notre Dame study drew on State Department data to create a sample of 20,000 refugees who entered the country between 1990 and 2014.

The authors also find that the younger the refugees were when they resettled in America, the more likely they were to catch up with their native-born peers educationally and economically.

This chart captures their findings, showing that refugees on average cross the threshold from net beneficiaries to net contributors around the 9th year after migration.

The research also found that refugees who arrived before the age of 14 had, by ages 19-24, graduated from high school at the same rates as American youth. By ages 23-28, those refugees displayed the same college graduation rates as the US-born population.

Refugees who arrived as children of any age have much higher school enrolment rates than US-born respondents of the same age, the research finds.

The US spends an average of $15,148 in relocation costs and $92,217 in social benefits over an adult refugee's first 20 years here, the NBER said, citing the Notre Dame report. Over that period, the average adult refugee pays $128,689 in taxes  $21,324 more than the benefits received.

And thats just the economics of it. Trumps case for a Muslim-ban during the campaign

 Inside the daily routine of billionaire Bill Gates

 The 50 most violent cities in the world

 What US intelligence knew about Adolf Hitler in 1943

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2017. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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The main square of Malmos alternative Mollevangen district bursts with colour on Saturdays. The open-air market is in full force; fulsome purple aubergines are stacked proudly next to emerald fronds of coriander and stallholders complain about the weather with friends in foreign tongues. This cosmopolitan corner of Malmo has transformed in recent years from a working class area to a radically multicultural district, where hipsters and refugees rub shoulders. Its also a hub for some of the most authentic Syrian food outside of Syria.

In 2015, at the peak of the crisis in Syria, Sweden took in more Syrian refugees per capita than any other European country. Of the 163,000 refugees who arrived there in 2015, 32,000 were granted asylum and many of those chose to come to Malmo, where there was already a growing Middle Eastern population.

Shamiat was the first Syrian restaurant in Malmo, founded on 1 October 2013. I visit the branch in Bergsgatan, five minutes from the square. Inside, owner Maurice Salloum twirls the ends of his handlebar moustache ruminatively as his staff lay out a feast of mezze. Salloum arrived in Malmo in 2012, at the start of the civil war, and it took him 18 days to get to Sweden from his home in Damascus. Last year Shamiat was named best Middle Eastern restaurant by a local newspaper. It was the cementing of Salloums place in this new city.

I was feeling fantastic, he says. I was very happy and proud that the Swedish people have accepted me to be here in this country. But he still worries that not all Swedes have accepted the migrant population. There was a terrorist attack in Stockholm in April, perpetrated by a rejected asylum seeker from Uzbekistan who announced his sympathy with Isis. This made me very sad, says Salloum, I baked bread that day and went out there to give the bread away for free.

Sadoo Iskandarani owns Laziza (Emily Jupp)

Salloum decided to open his restaurant because he saw a gap in the market. The name of the restaurant means Damascene, and is also a name for a dish which is only found in Damascus.

Before we came, there was no Damascene food available in Malmo, so we work hard to give customers something special and unique, he adds.

I try the fattoush, a salad of roughly chopped leaves, pepper wedges, olives and fried flatbread, drenched in pomegranate syrup. Its a very nice, typical dish, a bit like tabbouleh, says Salloum. It is sharp and sweet and rustic  and nothing like tabbouleh.

The trend for Middle Eastern cuisine was first brought to Malmo by Lebanese and Turkish immigrants, who created the foundations of a food scene that, in turn, helped the Syrian restaurants to flourish here.

Middle Eastern food has caught on in Malmo thanks to refugees (Emily Jupp)

Down the road on Baltzarsgatan 21 is Laziza, a modern Lebanese restaurant whose bountiful buffet food attracts 300 customers a day. The owner, Sadoo Iskandarani, says his grandfather opened up the very first falafel place in Malmo.

He was my idol, he says. He was good with bread and falafel. In the Nineties he started a cart selling falafel in Helsingborg and people loved it. The teachers came to eat there and the police officers came, then maybe 20 bikers would come and stand in line, queuing for falafel.

I think Malmo has the best of all the cultures that live here and that food is building the bridges between the cultures.

The most recent addition to Malmos Syrian restaurant scene is Ayam Dimashq, which roughly translates as Days of our life in Damascus. Its north of Mollevangen, on the borders of the Varnhem and Carolikvarteren districts, on Ostra Forstadsgatan.

Laziza is a modern Lebanese restaurant (Emily Jupp)

Chef-owner Huni Awwad opened it just nine months ago. He came to Sweden four years ago, when he was 39. Unlike many of the younger men who move to Sweden from Syria, Huni was already well-established with his own large, successful restaurant back in Damascus, called Peacebird.

Ayam is beautifully designed, with a modern, geometric logo and tapestries depicting landmarks and streets in Damascus, with small details picked out in gold thread.

Everythings coming together fast here, says Huni. In my country everything is a little bit slower, but I come here, open a restaurant, get married and have a boy  and I have another boy on the way  all in four years!

He came here by boat; it took him five attempts.

I dont know why I made it on the fifth attempt but I thought to myself, I cant turn back this time. I might die, but I cant turn back. Luckily I am here, so its good.

Refugees have flourished in the hip and happening district of Mollevagen (Emily Jupp)

His fattah is a warm blend of pureed chickpeas, yoghurt and sesame, with soft pieces of flatbread melting underneath. Its topped with toasted cashews, pomegranate seeds, fried strips of flatbread, pine nuts and sprinkled with sumac. The flavours are beautiful.

Awwads life seems to have fallen into place here, but the move from Syria was a necessity, not a choice. He works a long day; its Ramadan and Midsummer, so hell stay open until 4am for his Muslim customers to break their fast.

It is very hard when you change your whole life, he says. It is a good life here, very good, people are very nice and I think my life here resembles my life in Damascus  but it is not my life. My heart is in Damascus. He looks up at the wall-hanging depicting a winding cobbled street lined with ancient buildings. I hope one day to walk these streets again, and taste the food of home.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Norwegian (norwegian.com) flies from London Gatwick to Malmo in four hours and 20 minutes; from about 58, one-way.

Staying there

Comfort Hotel Malmo (00 46 40 33 04 40; comfort-hotel-malmo.hotelsinmalmo.com) is the funkiest affordable hotel in town. Its gym is located in an old ballroom, complete with chandelier. Doubles from 72, room only.

More information

The best way to get around is on two wheels; bike hire costs about 12 per day.

malmotown.com
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The 21 August 2017 total solar eclipse will go down in astronomical history as the most viewed, with seven million-plus people estimated to have watched the event as it swept across the US from Oregon to South Carolina.

But thanks to the cosmological clockwork of the solar system, the exact track and timing of future eclipses can be predicted with remarkable accuracy.

The cosmic coincidence of the moon blotting out the earth happens most years. The key variables when deciding whether to travel to a total solar eclipse are the difficulties and cost of getting to the right part of the world; the chances of a good experience during the event; and the opportunities for rewarding travel in the region before or after the eclipse itself.

For the next five total solar eclipses, The Independent has assigned a reward/cost score from one to five stars.

South America

2 July 2019

Reward/cost: *

It will be midwinter in the Southern Hemisphere when the line of totality begins in the South Pacific and races east to the coast of Chile. While it will be experienced in the Pitcairn Islands, most of its track passes over the ocean; it will be late in the day when it makes landfall in Chile.

Weather records indicate that the only reliable place to view the eclipse without cloud cover will be inland from La Serena in Chile. Finding accommodation and reaching a suitable viewing site is likely to be expensive and difficult. Furthermore, it will be cold, and July is the most sub-optimal month to be in South America.

South America

14 December 2020

Reward/cost: ****

Recommended British tourists trek to rural Wyoming to watch the solar eclipse

The track of this event is very similar to the previous years total solar eclipse, only shifted hundreds of miles south, but it is likely to prove a much happier experience. It will be midsummer in Chile and Argentina, and Patagonia will be at its best. The eclipse could be part of a great South American adventure, taking in Santiago and Buenos Aires  and even Antarctica, given the proximity to the main departure point for expedition vessels, Ushuaia. But air fares are likely to be high if you return over Christmas or New Year; delay your homebound trip to later in January to keep the flight costs low.

Antarctica

4 December 2021

Reward/cost: **

Expedition vessels are likely to incorporate this hard-to-reach event into their summer schedules, but Dr John Mason  who has been leading eclipse tours for decades  plans to be in the hard-to-reach South Shetland Islands.

I dont like observing eclipses from ships, he told The Independent. Ive always seen them from land, and I like to find out-of-the-way places.

Such a trip can include much wider travels in South America, where it is early summer.

North America

8 April 2024

Reward/cost: ****

For the second time in seven years, the US will be visited by a total eclipse that covers a large swathe of the nation. This one will also include Mexico  where the weather is likely to be finest  and Canada, where there is a much higher likelihood of cloud cover. Key cities in the line of totality include Dallas and Montreal, with Niagara Falls also within the stripe of darkness.

With Easter early (31 March) in 2024, the eclipse will provide a great opportunity for families with school aged children to see an eclipse.

Europe

12 August 2026

Reward/cost: *****

Another prime summer eclipse, which begins in the Arctic and crosses Greenland and Iceland before arriving in the northern half of Spain. The line of totality crosses the great cities of Bilbao, Valencia and Palma de Mallorca, all of which are very easy to reach from the UK  and, between them, will have several million holidaymakers.

The weather prospects for the Mediterranean locations are better than for Atlantic Spain, but the area around Zaragoza is likely to be best of all.

Dr Mason, though, is contemplating a trip to Greenland.
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The Foreign Office is warning British travellers not to travel to North Korea, because of the instability in the region and the unpredictability of the regime in Pyongyang.

The new advice says: "Tensions are high on the Korean peninsula following a series of North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile tests in 2016 and 2017; there remains a threat of further missile or nuclear tests, which could lead to further instability in the region."

A spokesperson for the FCO said: The situation on the ground in Pyongyang remains calm, but because the security situation could change without warning and with little or no notice of the possible actions of the North Korean authorities, such indicators do not offer the same degree of reassurance to British nationals as would be the case in other countries.

The Government advice has the effect of invalidating travel insurance, except for people who are already there, and triggering the cancellation of planned trips by UK tour operators.

Recommended Why you should never visit North Korea

The travel advice also warns: In the event of instability or a worsening of the security situation, the ability of the British Embassy to provide consular assistance could be significantly reduced.

Only a handful of British travellers visit the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea each year, almost all of them on organised tours.

For those who continue to travel, the Foreign Office warns: You should follow the advice of your tour group and the local authorities when in North Korea. Failure to do so could put your personal safety at risk and lead to a severe punishment from the local authorities.

Offences that would be considered trivial in other countries can incur very severe penalties in North Korea, particularly actions the authorities deem to be disrespectful towards the North Korean leadership or government.

On 16 March 2016 a US national was sentenced to 15 years hard labour after a conviction for crimes against the state. He was alleged to have attempted to steal a political slogan from the staff quarters of a main tourist hotel. On 13 June 2017, he was released and returned to the US in a coma. He died on 19 June 2017.
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"Spontaneous dancing" is still illegal in Sweden, a year after the government promised to stop prosecuting people under the bizarre law.

In April 2016, the Riksdag, Sweden's national legislature, voted to drop the rule that forced bars and pubs to have a licence in order for people to dance in them, a law that dated back to the 1970s.

But 17 months on, police are still cracking down on bar owners for the crime of dancing customers and the punishments are harsh  ranging from the removal of other permits, to harsh fines or even prison.

Dance permits were introduced as a way for Swedish police to prevent public disorder which led to riots.

Recommended 48 hours in Stockholm

Industry organisation Visita says that bar owners have told them they are still being visited by police when they hear reports of dancing at the premises.

Eva Ostling, CEO of Visita, said: "The government has to do something about it. Its not fair that we have police doing this as part of their work. Its ridiculous, thinking about the societal problems that actually exist and they should be focusing resources on.

"The entire world, at least all of Europe, is laughing at us."

She told the Independent: "Luckily the law has no effect on, or for, visitors coming to Sweden. It is not criminal to dance for customers, but it is of course ridiculous and plain stupid that restaurant and bar owners can be charged for 'illegal dancing' in the year 2017. We need the police for more urgent and important matters."

Campaigners had hoped the law would be removed by the end of 2016. Visita has pressed the government about the delay but had not yet had a response.
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Why is this Polynesian paradise the least visited place in the world?

Tucked away in the South Pacific, Tuvalu is a picture-perfect collection of nine islands, sitting about halfway between Hawaii and Australia.

But according to a new report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Tuvalu was the least visited place on the planet in 2016. It welcomed 2,000 tourists over 12 months, despite having a warm tropical climate and low crime.

Its nearest neighbour Kiribati had more than double the visitors in 2016, totalling 5,000.

Recommended The best undiscovered beaches in the world

What Tuvalu lacks in architectural splendour, it makes up for in empty, palm tree-fringed beaches. The islands are not built up and the population of 10,000 is thinly spread. But there is a strong traditional local culture, kept alive by the people of Tuvalu. You can watch traditional dancing, basket weaving and woodcarving by local people.

The main island is Funafuti, and on its western side you can find the Funafuti Conservation Area, which has some of the best reefs and a gorgeous lagoon. Its diverse habitat makes it an ideal place for scuba diving or snorkelling to spot marine life.

Tuvalu has drawn attention recently due to climate change. The UN included the islands in a list of places that could completely disappear due to rising sea levels in the next century. Which gives potential visitors an even more compelling reason to book soon.

Fiji Airways flies from Suva, the capital of Fiji, to Funafuti from 499 return, and accommodation on the islands ranges from guesthouses to self-catering apartments.
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Savour it with every fibre of your being, because such events come seldom and are usually over in minutes. And dont stare directly at it: the flash of hope could cauterise the retina. But for the moment at least, the madness of the Trump presidency has been partially eclipsed.

This is not to suggest that Mondays speech about increasing troop deployment to Afghanistan and US policy in South Asia was dazzlingly impressive in itself. Despite being one of those rare autocue-obedient recitals that tempt the willfully gullible to imagine he is becoming presidential, it had its absurdist flourishes. You had to smile at I studied Afghanistan in great detail, and from every conceivable angle. An hour earlier, he almost certainly thought Afghanistan was Jennifer Anistons younger sister, Afgh.

Among other proofs of his copious studies, he said that Americas longest war has been going on for 17 years (rather than not quite 16), and that the failed state is led by a prime minister (rather than a president). But beyond the default bombast and ignoramus howlers, the speech offered encouragement in what would, until a few months ago, have been the unlikeliest way.

With Afghanistan, Trump has had two opposing voices screaming at him. In one ear, the America First far right, as represented by his own instincts and the lovable likes of Ann Coulter and Steve Bannon, demanded the complete withdrawal of US troops. In the other, the Generals insisted this would leave Afghanistan to the tender mercies of the Taliban and even less gentlemanly Islamist outfits; that more troops, rather than less or none, was the way to go.

In narrowly military terms, the detail he announced on Monday seems irrelevant gesturing. He gave no firm detail at all, in fact, though it is believed that the current US deployment of some 8,000 troops has been boosted to 12,000. Afghanistan was an anarchic hellhole with 100,000 US soldiers on its soil. An extra 4,000 in a country as large and chaotic is purely symbolic. (Even the proposed deployment of an extra 85 British troops might not tip the balance.)

But it is as symbolism that the speech was so reassuring. Here was Trump gesturing grudgingly that he has surrendered to the military. His Generals  chief of staff John Kelly, who hung his head while Trump equivocated between Nazis and anti-Nazis; James Mad Dog Mattis, the Secretary of Defence; and HR McMaster, the National Security Advisor  hold him hostage.

 Donald Trump looking directly at the sun during eclipse 'is most impressive thing any presidents ever done, says Fox News host Tucker Carlson

For more than a half a century, the prospect of a president falling into the clutches of the military was among the more petrifying available to humanity. In 1961, Dwight Eisenhower warned against it with the special insight and authority of a president who had once been the most powerful soldier on earth. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex, he said. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

It still exists and will persist. But all things are relative. The power misplaced in Trump and his potential to abuse it by deploying nuclear weapons as a diversionary tactic from his domestic difficulties is a greater threat than any other facing the planet. So long as the Generals are executing this genteel version of a military coup, we can assume that there will be no fighting in the war room, and that Kim Jong-uns capacity to taunt Trump into summoning the codes will be nullified.

Trumps speech confirmed that his weakness goes beyond the familiar presidential difficulty of getting contentious legislation through Congress. He is now so enfeebled that the Generals and Admirals are not just emboldened to ignore his orders with contempt (not a blind bit of notice was taken of his ban on transgender people in the military). They are dictating foreign policy even when it directly undermines the support of Trumps base.

The reaction of his most slavish fans to the Afghanistan speech was instant and predictable. On Bannons Breitbart, the white supremacist sweethearts drenched the comment threads with anguished sobs of treachery. Given that isolationism was a central plank of Trumps campaign, they had good reason. Ann Coulter, the effortlessly poisonous puff adder of nationalist spite, who a few days ago rejoiced at Trumps insinuation that neo-Nazis and anti-Nazis are as bad as each other, rued his impotence on Twitter.

With his approval ratings in the mid-30s, the adoration of Breitbartians and users of similar sites is the last effective defence Trump has left. The more transparent he is as the dummy perched on the hands of ventriloquist Generals who are effectively continuing the policies of his predecessor, the more of that evaporates. The closer his approval rating slides towards 30 per cent, the more vulnerable to impeachment or removal under the 25th Amendment he becomes.

God knows what Trump was thinking when he stared into the heart of a star during the eclipse. Perhaps he was looking for a medical excuse to avoid giving that humiliating speech a few hours later. But if he was looking to the heavens for a hopeful omen, he will have been disappointed. The sun is going down fast on this abomination of a presidency, and the odds against it rising again diminish all the time.
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The sending of more troops to Afghanistan by Donald Trump was not, in the end, unexpected. It was, however, a decision of significance showing that the military commanders have won a highly important battle in the White House. A concerted attempt to privatise Americas wars has been seen off and the vestiges of Steve Bannons shaping of foreign policy have been swept away.

Trump now has a different stance on Afghanistan than before, but that is hardly surprising in someone who has changed his position on so many issues. What has unfolded does, however, reinforce the lesson that no president will find it easy to abandon the longest war in American history.

There can be no illusions about the cost of ignoring Afghanistan. That is what the US and UK did after organising an international Islamist brigade to fight the Russians in the 1980s. The country was then left to flounder, the Taliban seizing control and al-Qaeda moving in to plan 9/11 and bring jihad to the West.

 Breitbart's senior-editor-at-large Joel Pollak: With Bannon gone, Trump's presidency could fail

This time we will not walk away, said Tony Blair after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. But that is precisely what happened. Two years later British and American forces needed to stabilise the country were sent off to Iraq. The Taliban, fed and watered in Pakistan, crossed the border to take advantage of the security vacuum.

American and British troops, part of an international force, were sent back in 2006 for what turned into years of ferocious conflict. They left in 2014, with a contingent remaining and the declaration that Afghan forces were now fully capable of defending their country.

Those of us who had been covering the war knew this was not true. The insurgents, the Taliban and the Haqqani network, have since taken over swathes of the country, attacking the capital, Kabul, seemingly at will.

This is the situation Donald Trump inherited, and his first instinct was to get out of Afghanistan, keeping to the timetable for full withdrawal of the remaining US forces. In this he was keeping to his words in a tweet of February 2012 when he was first musing about running for the Presidency: We are building roads and schools for people that hate us. It is not in our national interests. A few months later it was, Why are we continuing to train these Afghans who then shoot our soldiers in the back?

Once in the White House Trump was urged by Steve Bannon to pull out and not get further tangled in Afghanistan. The Presidents chief strategist, like others in the alt-right, have been against the Iraq and Afghan wars, blaming them on the neocons, orchestrated, some of them held, by Jewish big business.

Bannon, who claims to know about military strategy after spending a brief time as a lieutenant in the US navy, advocated a CIA anti-terrorist war instead. Afghanistan became one of the key points of the bitter feud between him and Lieutenant General HR McMaster, who succeeded the disgraced Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as Trumps national security adviser, and had advised sending large numbers of additional troops.

The CIAs new chief, Mike Pompeo was not keen to get involved in prolonged covert operations which could turn messy and have possible legal pitfalls. Bannon then found two allies who wanted the conflict sub-contracted to their private security companies. One was Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, the other Stephen Feinberg, co-founder of Cerberus Capital Management.

Blackwater gained a highly controversial reputation in Iraq following the war. I was present during one of the most notorious episodes involving the company in 2007 when its guards opened fire in Nisour Square in Baghdad killing 17 people and injuring 20 others. It was an unnerving experience. There were five investigations into what happened: one by the FBI found that 14 of those killed were shot for no reason.

Prince spoke to a number of media outlets to promote the proposal. Bannon took the case for privatisation to General James Mattis, the Defence Secretary, who rejected it. Bannon then lobbied Trump and claimed that the President was coming around to the idea.

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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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. 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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. 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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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But Bannon was by then on borrowed time. A campaign by him and his supporters to get Lt-Gen McMaster sacked, conducted through right-wing media, especially Breitbart, the right-wing website Bannon started, had failed. There was little doubt inside the White House where the responsibility for the vilification lied. Reince Priebus, the chief of staff, advised Bannon: Get people to stop writing this shit, because people know its you.

Priebus left the White House in the churn that has been one of the characteristics of this extraordinary presidency. He was replaced by General John Kelly, the former head of Homeland Security, one of an unusual number of former armed-forces commanders who Trump, a Vietnam draft dodger, has gathered in his administration.

It was Bannons turn to go and the military was now firmly in charge of Afghan policy. Afghanistan, Trump was told, could not be ignored. The situation was getting so precarious, it was feared, that Ashraf Ghani, the President may not survive. These were echoes of Syria, where Vladimir Putin had intervened in autumn of 2015 amid the prospect of Bashar al-Assads regime falling.

The US military is hardly proposing a Russian-style deployment in Syria. It will be around 4,000 additional troops to join 10,000 already there, enabling more to be deployed in combat alongside Afghan forces, provide extra resources for special operations, synchronise air support and monitor the Pakistani border more closely.

This was the request of General John Nicholson, the head of US forces in Afghanistan and one of the best commanders of his generation. No one is pretending it will bring victory. It is a stopgap while a broader strategy is worked out, a difficult process.

In his speech Trump declared, We are not nation building again, we are killing terrorists. In reality that is what Barack Obama, another president who was desperate to bring the troops home was doing. He had authorised a surge reaching almost 100,000, but after their withdrawal the focus was almost entirely on counterterrorism. Drone strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan rose markedly under him from those under the Bush administration.

Trump has refused to set further timetables for the mission, which is also the correct policy. The 2014 withdrawal was long telescoped which meant the insurgents could just wait. Youve got the watch; we have got the time became an oft-repeated Taliban adage. The training period for the Afghan forces was drastically shortened  young men being effectively sent off to be slaughtered as a result  so that that Americans and British could keep to the timetable.

Trump wants to set tougher conditions on the Afghan government and he is right to do so. One of the reasons for the current wave of terror in Afghanistan is that after coming into office President Ghani courted the Pakistani military and secret police, ISI, in the hope that they would rein in their Taliban clients. He dismantled security measures at Pakistans request. But not only was there no respite, but the attacks multiplied.

Trump also said he is going to be tougher on Pakistan on harbouring Islamist extremists. Successive US Presidents have used this mantra without much being achieved. But US officials point out that his administration has already taken some steps, among them designating a Pakistani sponsored insurgent group in Kashmir as terrorists. Drone strikes are expected to be extended to more of the Haqqani network, a group particularly close to the Pakistani ISI.

One certainty is that Trump, like his predecessors in the White House, will face criticism over Afghanistan. And some of it will come from his support base on the right. Breitbart, with Bannon once again running it, is already openly deriding Trump with one piece headlined His McMasters Voice: Is Trumps Afghanistan policy that different from Obamas?

There was also an interview headlined Erik Prince: Trump will roll over and accept same failed strategy on Afghanistan, in which the founder of Blackwater rued the lost opportunity to privatise war. The presidency by its nature lives in a bubble, he complained. When you fill it with former general officers, youre going to get that stream of advice.
Andy caramelised fruit into syrup in front of the judges

An Irish barman whose poitin cocktails are a hit at parties swapped it for tequila in Mexico as he bids to be crowned a world champion with the shaker.

Andy Ferreira, 40, is normally gearing up for blackberry-foraging at this time of year to supply his Cask cocktail bar in Cork.

But this week Ireland's leading barman deserted the harvest season for the heat and colour of Latin America during the World Class competition in Mexico City.

He said: "I feel passionate about nature, I feel passionate about using local suppliers and rather than just saying those things we are trying to work that ethos into our drinks and cocktails."

The pub owner has worked in India and Indonesia, the style of drinks-making there influencing his own cosmopolitan creations.

In a nod to the deepening relationship between food and drink, he took up a saucepan as he caramelised fruit into syrup in front of expert judges in Mexico.

The businessman organises pop-up bars at weddings and other events in Ireland as another sideline in his relationship with cocktails.

Among the successful themes he has pursued in the past was recreating the illicit shebeen atmosphere of years gone by with cocktails inspired by poitin.

He started organising small events with his wife in 2009 and his business has grown to the extent that he was crowned Ireland's finest bartender in a heat for this week's global tournament in Mexico.

A typical day at home could involve foraging in the abundant gorse or picking blackberries.

He takes the family picking fruit at nearby Ballymaloe, home of the famed cookery school, as he searches for sustainable ingredients.

He said: "This is a subject really close to my heart."

The bartending expert launched an initiative where customers at Cask will be given bracelets with lemon basil seeds in them, to be planted, to get people involved in the sustainability movement.

Matt Preston, a judge from London at World Class this week, rates food on the Australian version of Masterchef and said there were strong links between cooking and cocktail-making.

He said: "I spent three weeks in Japan this year.

"That sushi chef precision and the balletic ability of a great sushi chef using the knife, forming the rice, brushing on some reduced soy or mustard, how they dab the wasabi on the rice or the mustard on a fish.

"It is very similar to when you are watching a great cocktail waiter in terms of stirring the drink and how he uses all those bar accoutrements.

"There is a kind of a beauty to it that you maybe don't get if you go to the local food joint with their mound of melting cheese on the burger to put in their brioche bun."
European leaders will not allow the Brexit negotiations to move to the next phase unless Ireland is happy with progress made on the future of the Border, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

The Taoiseach has warned the UK his Government would stall talks if a satisfactory deal on Northern Ireland was not reached.

His comments, while on an official visit to Canada, are likely to stoke tensions with Britain, which wants the negotiators to start discussing the future relationship between the EU and UK.

Mr Varadkar rejected the idea that Ireland could become a pawn in the talks, saying that we would have a major say in how Brexit develops.

"We will decide whether the UK has made sufficient progress when it comes to citizens' rights, the financial settlement and issues pertaining to Ireland and only if we are satisfied that sufficient progress has been made on those three areas will we then give the go-ahead to talk about trade.

"I think that puts us in a strong position so I doubt our European colleagues would come to the view that sufficient progress had been made if we didn't think so," he said.

Mr Varadkar will today embark on a "fact-finding mission" along the US-Canadian border which some Brexit supporters have said is an example of how the EU/UK Border on the island of Ireland could operate.

"I have heard them describe it as a soft border, I wonder if that is the case?

"There are people who have told me it's not.

"There are passport checks and customs checks and when I flew in from the US I had to fill in a customs form.

"If we are going to have those debates and discussions in the months ahead, it's an advantage to have actually seen some of these borders in operation, it's very much a fact-finding mission," the Taoiseach said.

Mr Varadkar also hit out at Brexit supporters who had argued that the EU was an impediment to trade, saying they were "wrong-headed".

"There's a view among people in the UK, particularly those who promote Brexit, that the EU is holding them back and making it harder for them to strike deals with Canada, Japan and the rest of the world.

"Actually, that is not true, the EU is a facilitator of global trade," he said.

The Taoiseach was speaking as the UK released two more policy papers on goods and on confidentiality.

Britain set out proposals to ensure that goods and services currently approved for sale across the UK and EU can continue to be traded after Brexit.

It urged the European Union yesterday not to separate goods from their services in Brexit talks, further outlining its negotiating stance to try to nudge discussions forward towards a second phase on future relations.

Brexit Minister David Davis said the proposals were designed to smooth the way to "the freest and most frictionless trade possible".

The second paper set out the UK's position on future co-operation with civil courts in the EU, stating that families, businesses and individuals need "certainty" about how their cases will be dealt with following Britain's withdrawal from the EU.

Britain is calling for a new reciprocal framework for civil law based on commitments to build on existing co-operation and to continue collaboration across borders.

Meanwhile, in a further sign that negotiations will be protracted, Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar said: "I think that the process will definitely take more time than we expected at the start of the negotiations.

"There are so many difficult topics on the table, difficult issues there, that one cannot expect all those issues will be solved according to the schedule made in the first place," he added.

But Downing Street said that it remained "confident" of making enough progress on the issues, including Ireland, for the European Council to give the green light to the second phase of Brexit negotiations when it meets in Brussels in October.
Farmers are looking at pre-ordering tags to avoid the 38c Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) levy, cattle tagging companies have confirmed.

There has been a mostly positive reaction to the agreement to reinstate the charge to support the breeding body for the dairy and beef industry.

However, Ursula Kelly from Galway-based Cormac Tagging, said farmers' reaction was dependent on the perceived benefits from the ICBF.

"When it resonates with farmers they are 100pc happy to pay the money. That is across the division between beef and dairy sectors," she said after discussing the issue with farmers at Tullamore Show.

"Where we are based it is mostly smaller suckler herds and they might not see as much benefit in contributing to the ICBF. There are 8,000 herds in Galway - 50pc have less 25 cows."

Ms Kelly said some orders had been lodged early with others inquiring about pre-ordering tags before November 1.

Liam Egan from the Eurotags division of Mullinahone Co-op, originally the sole provider of cattle tags, said the level of early orders was low but some did inquire at the show if they could pre-order. He reported little or no reaction overall. "We're near the end of the tag year and we've issued 2.1 million for the current year," he said. "We just have to work hard at it and give a good service to our customers. We always try to do that."

Datamars Richard Nolan said they have had little reaction but have a certain number of orders for tags at the moment.

"We've dealt with larger dairy farmers and they have paid the levy as they saw the benefit of it," he said.

However, a number of logistical issues are expected to arise this winter as farmers change over from using old voluntary levy forms to the new forms.

Sean Coughlan of the ICBF, which received around 850,000 in funding from the levy, said they have encountered little reaction and any feedback has "been positive".

On early ordering of tags, he said "that's an individual choice for each farmer.

"At the end of the day, it translates to around 6/year for the average suckler farmer, and around 30/year for the average dairy farmer.

"We take the long-term view that it is in farmers' best interest to retain ownership and control of ICBF.

"We are thankful to farmers and to the Minister for supporting that view."
Ireland is at a critical point in its energy and climate history, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment Denis Naughten has said, but warned that Ireland faces real challenges in meeting its climate objectives and EU obligations.

He said Ireland is a country playing catch-up on our obligations in relation to climate change but this obligation, is an opportunity as much as an obligation.

"In any event I believe it is a moral necessity and a vital national interest."

Naughten told the Energy in Agriculture event today in Gurteen Agricultural College, that the National Climate Mitigation Plan was agreed by government and published in July and it sets out what we are doing and planning to do to move to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050.

"Energy efficiency is central to the plan."

He said that the long-term vision for Irish agriculture, forestry and land-use is based on an approach to carbon neutrality over the long term, which will enhance Ireland's capacity for sustainable food production.



"I recognise, as does the whole of Government, the economic, employment and social importance of this sector, but Agriculture is also the largest single contributor to Irelands greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions.

"The simple reality is that it is one of the most challenging and complex sectors as we try to reduce our emissions and make progress towards our own long-term objectives as well as our near term EU greenhouse gas and clean air level targets."

The Minister also said that the lower mitigation potential and complex natural processes that contribute to emissions must be balanced with multiple objectives for the sector, such as food production.

"Achieving our aims will mean using increasing amounts of renewable energy on farms; encouraging farmers to adopt measures to increase their energy efficiency and incentivizing a growth in the domestic bioenergy sector."
Wealth manager Rathbone Brothers has confirmed it is in exclusive talks with UK-based financial services provider Smith & Williamson over a possible all-share merger.

The Irish Independent understands that if a deal is agreed it will happen quickly, with negotiations likely to conclude within a fortnight.

The tie-up would create a major new institution with, 50bn under management and around 3,000 staff.

Smith & Williamson has pushed into Ireland in recent years. In 2008 it merged with Oliver Freaney Accountants in Dublin. In 2011 the UK business, which traces its origins back to 1881, lured a number of stockbrokers from Goodbodys to establish a new Irish advisory services and investment management firm.

The venture, led by Cedric Cruess Callaghan, targets well-to-do clients and charities and now has over 500m under management.

The Irish arm of Smith & Williamson snapped up Bloxham Stockbrokers private clients book in 2012. Mr Cruess Callaghan said the business here is performing very well.

While he declined to comment on the status of negotiations between Rathbone and Smith & Williamson, he said the organisations were very similar, culturally. He predicted a merger, if agreed, would prove seamless. He claimed the potential merger, the latest in a string of tie-ups in the sector, reflected rising compliance costs, and the need to capture greater efficiencies in the face of mounting competition from passive funds such as Vanguard and BlackRock.

The Irish arm of Smith & Williamson, which also includes a pensions business and private bank, is performing very well, said Mr Cruess Callaghan.

Smith & Williamson manages more than 19bn for clients.

While the company is majority owned by employees, Canadian investor AGF controls a 30pc slice and has reportedly explored efforts to exit in recent months.

Whilst these discussions have been under way for some time and the boards of both Rathbones and Smith & Williamson are confident that the combination would bring meaningful benefits for the stakeholders of both businesses, discussions are ongoing and there can be no certainty any transaction will be agreed, Rathbone said in a statement yesterday.

However, if agreed, any such transaction will be subject to the approval of shareholders.

Earlier Sky News reported the 2bn merger would be structured as a takeover by Rathbone and attributed a valuation of close to 600m to Smith and Williamson.

The deal, which would bring together two firms employing about 3,000 people, would see Smith and Williamson hand shares in the combined group to its employees who own the

majority of the company, Sky said.

Rathbone said a further announcement would be made as and when appropriate.

Last month Rathbone posted a 16.7pc rise in first-half pre-tax profit to 26.6m, boosted by market gains and a rise in assets under management.

In London, City brokers welcomed the potential deal. Peel Hunt analyst Stuart Duncan said excitement was likely to be tempered by challenges in completing a mega-merger.

For Rathbones and Smith & Williamson, a merger is seen as a way to grow in this environment rather than to slash costs, one source said.

As well as managing around 19bn of funds, Smith & Williamson is also one of Britains largest accounting firms, meaning a deal would hand Rathbones access to a new pool of advisers. (Additional reporting Daily Telegraph)
Damien McLoughlin, Professor of Marketing, UCD Smurfit School; Orlagh Nevin director of sales, marketing and service, Open Eir; Breege ODonoghue, former executive director at Penneys/Primark; and Irish Independent Business Editor Donal ODonovan, chairman BJAI.

UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School has called for entries to its 11th Annual Business Journalist Awards, in association with Open Eir, to recognise excellence in Irish business journalism. The awards are run in conjunction with the Business Journalist Association of Ireland (BJAI).

This year's categories, which are open to journalists throughout the island of Ireland, are: Business News Story of the Year - Economic Commentator of the Year/Business Analyst of the Year - Specialist Business Reporter of the Year - Business Interview of the Year - Upcoming Journalist of the Year - Technology Reporter of the Year - Business Feature of the Year.

Broadcast, print and online business journalists are invited to submit entries via www.smurfitschool.ie/bja, before the closing date of Wednesday, September 13. The winners will be honoured at an awards ceremony lunch on Monday, December 4 2017 and will receive a 1,000 prize.

Pictured are Damien McLoughlin, Professor of Marketing, UCD Smurfit School; Orlagh Nevin director of sales, marketing and service, Open Eir; Breege O'Donoghue, former executive director at Penneys/Primark; and Irish Independent Business Editor Donal O'Donovan, chairman BJAI.
Irish-born Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has urged Australians to vote in favour of same-sex in an upcoming vote.

The airline boss vowed to press charges in May after he was hit in the face with a lemon meringue pie by a protester unhappy with his support for same-sex marriage.

Mr Joyce has also faced criticism from Australian politicians who have said he should not use the national carriers brand to campaign on the issue.

But on Monday he said Qantas would be "active out there and supporting a Yes vote," ABC News reported.

"I believe we have to get behind it and make sure that we have a Yes vote and certainly I will be out there strongly campaigning for a Yes vote."

"I think it is very important for our employees, customers and our shareholders, and that is why Qantas is a supporter of marriage equality and a supporter of gender equality and a supporter of indigenous rights."

Read more: London to Sydney non-stop flights could be possible by 2020

He added: "We believe the social issues are very important [for] all of your stakeholders and are very important for this country."

Australians are set to vote via post next month on whether they think gay marriage should be legalised in the country.

If voters back the change, MPs will then hold their own vote, though they are not bound by the publics decision.

The topic has the source of heated public exchanges in Australia. In March, Mr Joyce was one of 20 high-profile company bosses who, in a letter to Prime MInister Malcolm Turnbull, threw their weight behind a change to the law.

That drew a stinging rebuke from Immigration Minister Peter Dutton. The minister singled out Mr Joyce, who is gay, for particular criticism.

"It is unacceptable that people would use companies and the money of publicly listed companies to throw their weight around," he said.

"If Alan Joyce and any other CEO wants to campaign on this or any other issue in their own time and on their own dime, good luck to them.

"Don't use an iconic brand and the might of a multi-billion-dollar business on issues best left to the judgements of individuals and elected decision-makers.

In May, Tony Overheu, a 67-year-old Christian, approached Mr Joyce from behind during a public address in Australia and smashed a lemon meringue pie into the airline boss face before fleeing.

In a statement, Mr Overheu accused Qantas and other companies that support marriage equality of "corporate bullying aimed at social engineering".

After the attack, Mr Overheu reportedly sent Mr Joyce an email apologising.
Infosys begins the search for a new CEO this week with a tough set of requirements for any candidate: the person must be capable of leading a 200,000 employee organisation, willing to tackle sweeping changes in the outsourcing industry and brave enough to drop in the middle of open warfare between the companys board and co-founders.

The bedlam cost the company its current CEO, Vishal Sikka, who said on Friday he would step aside after escalating criticism from the co-founders over his compensation and strategy.

The board defended Sikka and took the highly unusual step of pointing the finger at ex-chairman Narayana Murthy for what they called his inappropriate demands. The billionaire responded with a warning that he would respond in the right manner in future .

The hostilities will make it difficult to draw top candidates from outside the company and are likely to increase the chances an internal executive will be elevated to CEO. The Bangalore-based company, Indias second-largest outsourcer with more than $10bn in revenue, also faces deep business challenges, from slowing growth and automation to hostility from the Trump administration.

Shares fell as much as 4.6pc yesterday, after dropping 13pc on Friday and wiping out $3.5bn of market value when Sikkas departure was announced. (Bloomberg)
A UK lotto millionaire accused of defilement of an under-age Irish teenage girl was further remanded in custody today pending directions from the Directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The British man, who is in his late twenties, was arrested in Dublin five weeks ago after he travelled to Ireland to speak to the teens mother about his relationship with her daughter whom he allegedly met through an internet chat-room.

The wealthy businessman was charged last month with four counts of engaging in a sexual act with a child under the age of 17 years on dates in 2016 and this year.

Bail with a range of strict conditions was set at 200,000 and he was remanded in custody. He faced his fourth hearing on Tuesday when he appeared before Judge Kathryn Hutton at Cloverhill District Court.

The defendant has not yet taken up bail. Garda Stephen Faulkner asked for the case to be put back for another four weeks for the DPPs directions to be obtained.

Defence solicitor Paula Egan told the court today that there was consent to a two week adjournment only. The defendant was further remanded in custody to appear again at the same court on a date in September.

The alleged offences are under Section Three of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006, which can carry jail terms of up to five years. Earlier this month the High Court refused to reduce the bail.

At his first hearing last month, Garda Faulkner objected to bail alleging the man frequently travelled over from the UK by ferry to meet the girl for sex and gardai have recovered videos of sexual activity from the defendants phone.

He had said a complaint was made by the teens mother in January that her daughter, who is in her mid-teens, and the man were in a sexual relationship.

The alleged injured party outlined that she met him through a named online chat-room in 2015, the bail hearing was told. Garda Faulkner said the girl was subscribed to the under-17s category of the website.

It was alleged they exchanged details and then communicated through Snapchat and WhatsApp.

Garda Faulkner had said it was alleged the man first came to Ireland to meet her last year.

It was alleged they stayed in a hotel in Dublin and had sexual intercourse. She was aged 15 at the time and had told the accused, the court heard.

Garda Faulkner alleged that the man came back by ferry every four to six weeks.

It was alleged the girls mother alerted gardai and an investigation began. CCTV evidence allegedly shows the girl in his company at a number of locations.

Gardai identified phone messenger WhatsApp as the main point of contact.

The court was also told that gardai allegedly recovered images and videos of sexual activity taking place and some recording during the course of sexual activity.

Last year he bought her a designer ring worth 2,500 telling the shop assistant it was an engagement ring, the district court has heard.

His bank accounts showed he won a substantial amount in the UK lotto, the garda said.

Analysis of his phone was conducted allegedly showing 69 images and five videos of the accused and the girl, the court was told. One image of the girl in her school uniform was taken when she was aged 15, it was alleged.

Bail has been set in the mans own bond of 100,000 which has to be lodged. He also needs two independent sureties, each in the sums of 50,000, to be approved by the court.

In the event that bail is taken up he cannot have any contact directly or indirectly with the girl or her family, the judge ordered.

The other conditions of bail state he has to reside at an address in Ireland agreed by gardai, sign on twice daily at his local garda station from 9am until 12pm and 5pm until 8pm; maintain a 11pm to 8am curfew at his address and be available to gardai calling to his residence during those hours; surrender his passport and not apply for other travel documents; have a mobile phone which must be switched on 24 hours a day and he has to stay out of certain areas.
Mohammed Azim Ansari (23) moved to Dublin in September 2016 and struggled to find accommodation

A foreign student living in Ireland has told how some of his college friends had to return home because they couldn't find accommodation here.

Mohammed Azim Ansari (23) from Mumbai, India is currently studying a masters in engineering management at University College Dublin.

After months of living in substandard housing in Dublin, the masters student decided to move outside the capital.

He eventually found nice, affordable accommodation in Bray, Co Wicklow and commutes by train to college every day.

Mohammed said his "dreadful" search for somewhere to live made him feel "miserable."

"Two of my college mates went back to India because they couldn't find anywhere. I had to live in shared temporary accommodation as I was not able to get a house in Dublin. It was a very difficult time and I was feeling miserable."

Mohammed said a lot of landlords rejected him because he was a student.

He claimed some property letting agents asked for double deposits, bank statements and security clearance letters.

"It was an unpleasant time. I love Ireland as a country and I'm glad to have a roof over my head. It was a lot cheaper and easier to find accommodation in another county."

He now rents a two-bed apartment for 600 each month.

During his shared accommodation days, he was paying nearly the same price to sleep in a room with two other people.

Students from across Ireland and abroad have been scrambling to try find housing since they received their CAO offers on Monday.

Rents have risen nationwide by almost 12pc and the supply of accommodation is at an all-time low for the 50,000 students accepting college places, according to Daft.ie's latest report.

Home-hunters are now facing an average monthly rent nationwide of 1,159. This is up 122 a month since last year.
It's that time of year again - the annual scramble for a half-acceptable room that students will call their accommodation for the year.

It's a financial squeeze even in the best of times and this year is no different. Across all of our major cities, rental costs have hit a new high - for the fifth quarter in a row.

Rents have risen nationwide by almost 12pc in the year to June 2017.

Home-hunters are now facing an average monthly rent nationwide of 1,159. This is up 122 a month since last year.

Meanwhile, there is also a chronic shortage of rental accommodation as the supply of accommodation is at an all-time low for the 50,000 students who are accepting college places nationwide.

If you're thinking of getting a house-share with friends, and saying no to the student accommodation or digs option, here's the best you can get for the average rent price around the country:

CARLOW: Institute of Technology Carlow

The average monthly rent in Carlow is 794. This has risen 11.4pc in the past year.

At that average, there are no available properties in Carlow town. However, landlords on property websites are selling their rooms on a room-by room basis. Prices range from 425 per room in a four-bed housed, to 200 a month for a box room close to the college.

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CORK: University College Cork, Cork Institute of Technology

The average monthly rent for a property in Cork is now 1,122. This number has risen 6.8pc in the last year. So, what bang for your buck can you get if you're opting to live off campus?

If you opt to live in the city, within walking distance of UCC, you can get a two-bed apartment on Hanover Street for 1,150. The apartment comes fully furnished. If shared by two people, the monthly cost would come to almost 600 each, not including bills. Another property in the city clocks in at 1,100 for a two-bed apartment. Sparsely furnished, the apartment is a 10-minute walk from the city centre and close to the university too.

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And, it's unlucky news for those going to CIT. Not one property search online (on three different property websites) yielded a result for the average monthly rent for a house-share in the Bishopstown area. However, landlords are selling rooms on a room-by-room basis. They include 430 a month for a six-bed house in Bishopstown to 520 a month for a bedroom in a five-bed apartment.

DONEGAL: Letterkenny Institute of Technology

The average monthly rent in Donegal has risen 11.5pc in just one year. It now stands at 595. If you're opting for Letterkenny to pursue your third-level education, the rent is very low in comparison to the capital.

If you're budget-savvy, a three-bedroom house in Letterkenny is on the market for a monthly rent of 600. The house is comprised of one single bedroom and two double bedrooms. It has two bathrooms. Rent would work out at just 200 per room.

It is on the opposite side of Letterkenny to the IT, but is promised to be in a "convenient location" and on public transport routes.

There is also a wide choice of two-bed apartments in Letterkenny centre, all for approximately 520 each.

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DUBLIN: University College Dublin, Trinity, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Design and Technology

Dublin's city centre rent average now stands at 1,741 for a property. It has gone up 15.7pc since last year.

If you're looking to get a house-share in Dublin, you need to be on the ball and may need to split into smaller groups. There is a host of one-bed studios and apartments available, and a few two-beds available on the market too. Most landlords in Dublin are also advertising on a room-by-room basis to suit the student market.

In Kimmage, there is a four-bed house on the rental market for 1,591. It is unfurnished, so may require a trip to IKEA, but it will fit all the friends.

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However, in Tallaght, there are a selection of two and three-bed houses and apartments up for rent for the average price and below.

KERRY: Tralee Institute of Technology

Ah, the Kingdom. For those moving to the south-west of the country or looking for accommodation around Tralee, there are a few more options than in other areas of the country.

The average monthly rent in Kerry now stands at 704, it has risen 9.3pc since June of last year.

On offer for the 704 price range in Kerry is the option of a two-bed apartment in the town, a three bed house in a residential area, a two bed house in the older part of the town and a three-bed semi-detached home in the town centre, among others. There is also a four-bed house for 700 in a "quiet residential area", which is located on the main road to the ITT north campus.

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KILDARE: Maynooth University

The average rent in Kildare now stands at 1,156, up 11.5pc since last year.

If you're looking to house-share with friends in Maynooth, you may need to think again. Not one house-share for the average rental price or below appears on any of three property websites.

GALWAY: National University Galway, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology

Galway, home to two of the west's third-level education colleges, has seen its average monthly rent rise by 10pc in the past 14 months. The average monthly rent in the City of Tribes now stands at 1,026. One property website yielded just four search results after a search of rental accommodation in Galway city and county between 1,000 and 1,050 a month.

They include two two-bed apartments, one with two double bedrooms (1,040), and the other with one double and one single (1,000). If you're up for a 40-minute commute, Loughrea boasts a four-bed apartment for 1,000 a month.

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LIMERICK: University Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology, Mary Immaculate College

Limerick now has an average monthly rent of 722, up 8.7pc since June 2016. The city is host to three colleges, including University of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology and Mary Immaculate College. If you're saying no to the on-campus option and would prefer to rent a place with friends, there aren't many options at the average rent price.

On property website yields just one search; a one-bed basement apartment in Limerick city for 750 a month. Another property rental website yielded no results for, or below, the average rent price in any area near any of the three colleges.

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SLIGO: Institute Technology Sligo

The average rent in Sligo now sites at 658, up 11.9pc since June 2016. The good news? Sligo has a few more options than other third-level centres. Up for grabs are a two-bed apartment for 650, a one-bed apartment for 525 and a one-bed apartment for 550.

A few landlords in Sligo are appealing to the student by posting their accommodation online with a weekly rent price. One six-bed house, consisting of four double rooms and two twin rooms will cost students 65 a week, which works out at 260 a month.

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WATERFORD: Waterford Institute of Technology

The average rent in Waterford is 746, with rent prices rising to 772 in the city centre.

There are 22 houses in Waterford City available for between 680 and 800 a month.

Options range from a stunning one bed apartment for 680 to a four bedroom house for 800 a month.

Three students can share a three-bedroom house for 720 a month, with two double rooms, one single room and two bathrooms. The house is just a 11 minute walk to Waterford IT.

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WESTMEATH: Athlone Institute of Technology

The average rent price in Westmeath is 787 per month.

Students going to Athlone IT have a choice of seven houses to rent between 700 and 800 a month.

Options range from a two-bedroom apartment for 800 a month, paying 400 each for a double room and your own bathroom. The apartment is in the heart of Athlone town.

Students also have the option of a three bedroom house for 750 a month or 250 a month each per room.

The house is 20 minutes by bus from Athlone IT or a 45 minute walk.
She told the media she just wants to lead a normal life and has not decided on whether to stay in Chennai or live with her daughter in London.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has rejected the idea of using the US Canadian border as a template for Ireland saying "make no mistake, it's a hard border."

Mr Varadkar was speaking at the border between Canada and the US, having wrapped up his official tour of Canada.

"It was a very interesting visit but it certainly left me in little doubt that the US Canada model would not be desirable on the island of Ireland," he said .

Mr Varadkar paid a visit to the border earlier today near Niagara Falls, saying: "There are Armed guards, dogs, flags and checkpoints."He said it was very interesting to get a detailed briefing from the Canadian Border Service and described it as a highly complex operation which costs a lot of money - around a billion Euro a year.

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He earlier described it as a fact-finding mission to see if it could be considered as an option for Ireland post-Brexit, adding that he had heard it described as a soft border though others had told him this is not the case.

His last official engagement in Canada was to turn the sod on a new famine memorial in the middle of downtown Toronto  the site of a long-forgotten fever hospital used to treat victims of the Great Famine who had crossed the Atlantic from Ireland amid desperation.

Having survived the journey across the Atlantic during the summer of Black 47, more than 38,000 wretched victims  many suffering from typhus had swamped Toronto  a city then of just 20,000 people.

A wealthy doctor, George Grassett risked all to help them  dying six weeks later himself in the process.

In a way you could call him the first Medecins Sans Frontieres doctor in Canada. He knew he would die helping these people, explained Robert Kearns, Chairman of the Ireland Park Foundation in Toronto.

892 people had died, with 10 local medical staff lost their lives tending them. Theirs had been the untold story, said Mr Kearns.

The Taoiseach said the famine was a chapter of our national story we would never forget and which still defines who we are.

The arrival of those migrants must have seemed like an impossible challenge at times, he commented  but said the park would serve as a fitting tribute for the generous and courageous response of the medical community in Toronto.

As a doctor he knew full well the risks he was taking, he said of Dr Grassett, adding that his story was one of a generosity of spirit and intrinsically Canadian.

Meanwhile the Taoiseach spoke of his delight that Toronto Dominion Bank has now decided to move its post-Brexit EU hub to Ireland, describing it as a big one.

Its one of the biggest banks in Canada, its one of the top 20 banks in the world with a balance sheet of over a trillion dollars, he said, explaining that they had wanted to wind down their operations in Dublin but as a consequence of Brexit, have decided to scale up their operations in Dublin and make Ireland their home post-Brexit.

Its one of the upsides if you like of Brexit that Ireland is somewhere now that people can invest and be sure about policy into the future what our tax rates are going to be, that were going to remain at the heart of the European Union, in the euro, he added.

The bank had previously met with his predecessor Enda Kenny as Taoiseach and having met them himself yesterday, said it was nice to be able to confirm the announcement while he was there.
The scene of the collision on Adelaide Road Photo: Robin Schiller

The scene of the crash at Adelaide Road/Earlsford Terrace Pic: Colin O'Riordan

One of the people injured in this evening's road traffic collision is in a serious condition in hospital.

The other five casualties are described as having "non-serious injuries."

Their genders and ages have not yet been released and they are being treated at a number of hospitals in the capital.

The crash took place at the junction of Earlsfort Terrace and Adelaide Road at around 6.16pm.

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A garda spokesman said "it appears from initial investigations that a number of pedestrians were struck by a car."

He added: "This is not a hit and run incident."

Senior sources confirmed the incident is not terror-related.

Six people were hospitalised following the collision.

Five ambulances and four fire engines attended the scene.

An eye-witness said a vehicle was on its roof and a number of people had suffered injuries.

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Road closures are in place at Adelaide Rd and Leeson Street Lower. Drivers are being advised to use alternative routes.

A spokesman for Dublin Fire Brigade confirmed that two fire tenders from Donnybrook as well as one from both Tara St and Donnybrook were at the scene.

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DFB tweeted from their official account: "We are dealing with a major RTC [Road traffic collision] on Adelaide Road, 4 Fire engines & 5 ambo IA [in attendance]."

Gardai have confirmed that no arrests have been made and investigations are continuing.
An innocent family has been forced out of their home and into emergency accommodation after their house was torched by a local drugs gang.

The property in Crumlin was attacked following a number of serious threats against the family, which are the result of a local dispute with a young family member.

Gardai are investigating if a young criminal gang with close links to Kinahan cartel member Liam Byrne are responsible for the attack earlier this month.

The thugs previously warned that the family would be burned out of their home.

It is understood that the threats were issued because of a dispute with a young family member, but sources have described the family as "completely innocent".

They left their home following the threats, and the arson attack was carried out since then.

On the night of August 12, a gang of young men broke into the vacant property and trashed a number of rooms before setting fire to the kitchen.

The gang then fled the house and emergency services were alerted.

However, an eyewitness noticed the fire and ran into the house, extinguishing the flames before more damage was caused.

A source said last night that, despite "no significant" damage to the house being caused, the homeowners are too terrified to return.

"They're currently living in homeless accommodation and are too afraid to go back to their home in case another attack is carried out," said the source.

"The family are decent people but they're so afraid that they're not assisting gardai over fear of reprisal attacks."

Daithi de Roiste, chair of Dublin City Council's Joint Policing Committee, said the situation was "devastating" for the family.

"To see good, innocent people being targeted as collateral damage is simply not good enough," he said.

"It's devastating to think that a family would have to leave their own home after being intimidated and subjected to such attacks.

"I call on Dublin City Council and the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive to ensure that they are treated with the utmost of urgency."

A garda spokesman confirmed that officers at Sundrive Road Garda Station were investigating a fire at the property, which happened at about 10pm on August 12.

"No arrests have yet been made and inquiries are continuing," the spokesman said.

The young suspects have strong links to Crumlin mobster Liam Byrne, whose brother David (33) was shot dead in the Regency Hotel attack in February last year.

They are suspected of working as drug couriers for Byrne and even had mopeds bought for them to help ferry drugs around the south Dublin suburb.

Some of the teenagers and young men were also present at the Regency Hotel on the day of the murder.

"The fact that they were with the Byrne brothers at an event where Daniel Kinahan was present just shows how highly regarded they are by the cartel, and gardai believe they could be the next generation of lieutenants," a source has said.

Some were even flown to Las Vegas for a Conor McGregor fight, with tens of thousands of euro believed to have been spent on the group trip.
A Garda stops a motorist who had turned right on to OConnell Bridge from the north quays yesterday. Photo: Kyran OBrien

Motorists have been warned to expect a huge increase in traffic after the holidays following a revamp of Dublin city's road system yesterday,

AA Roadwatch said that the city could expect "significant changes" in traffic as holidaymakers returned to the country.

Private motorists were barred from taking a right turn across O'Connell Bridge from the quays from yesterday. General traffic has also been reduced to one lane from Upper Ormond Quay to Eden Quay on the northside, and from the Rosie Hackett Bridge to Wellington Quay on the southside.

A member of An Garda Siochana managed traffic at the junction on Monday morning, informing drivers of the changes.

A Garda spokesperson said they were "monitoring the new system as they would any other new traffic layout" but "nothing unusual" had resulted from the new plan.

Conor Faughnan, director of consumer affairs at AA Roadwatch, said that although traffic was minimal yesterday, "we will only truly know what the impact will be in the autumn".

Despite no big change to the level of traffic on the quays, Mr Faughnan said there was a "higher than usual level of traffic" on the North Circular Road which may have been caused by the revamp.

"We're just coming up to the end of August now and when people will come back from holidays and that, we will see the real impact," he said.

A spokesperson for Dublin City Council's Traffic Department said bus journeys had been reduced 40pc as a result of the new system.

The city council said the changes were being introduced to reduce delays experienced by public transport users, and to ensure that Luas Cross City would be subject to minimal delays.

Head of technical services Brendan O'Brien said the changes would allow freer movement of public transport.

"Additional bus lanes will alleviate the difficulties faced by public transport on the quays, where the worst delays for buses in the city are experienced," he said. "At the peak morning time of 8am to 9am, over 7,000 people travel along the north quays on buses."
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin blessing the Icon at the launch of the one-year countdown to the World Meeting of Families 2018. Photo: John McElroy

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has acknowledged that some women who have had children with Catholic priests have "not been treated properly" and that the priests involved must shoulder their responsibilities.

Speaking to the Irish Independent at the launch of the year-long preparation programme for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin next August and a visit by Pope Francis, Dr Martin said the responsibilities of a priest who fathers a child were "no different to any other person's".

He said that while every situation was different, the clerics "must take responsibility" for their children.

Referring to new guidelines recently produced by the Irish bishops on this issue and published on the website www.copinginternational.com, an organisation set up by 44-year-old Vincent Doyle, the son of Irish priest Fr JJ Doyle, Archbishop Martin highlighted that he had paid for the website.

Referring to his meeting with some children of priests, he said: "You have to understand they are going through the normal search about their own identity and the need to know something about their own personal identity.

"Pope Francis himself has said that the natural right of a child to know his father is more important than the positive law of celibacy," the archbishop, who is President of the World Meeting of Families, said.

Of Pope Francis's visit to Ireland next year for the closing Mass on August 26, 2018 at the World Meeting of Families, the Archbishop said the Argentinian pontiff had told him of his wish to come to Dublin.

But he stressed that the visit would be very different to the last papal visit in 1979.

Hope

"When Pope John Paul came to Ireland he was 60; when Pope Francis comes, he will be over 80. So, I think we have to look at a very different style and scale."

He also stressed that Pope Francis "will come to a very different Ireland than Pope John Paul".

Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe said there was a "buzz" at the Fleadh in Ennis at the weekend as people were very aware of the World Meeting of Families because of "the hope that the Pope will be here for it".

Dublin was personally chosen by Pope Francis to host the international Catholic gathering from August 21 to 26, 2018, the theme of which will be 'The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World'. The three-day congress will include exhibitions, musical performances and liturgical events around Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland.

The highpoint is a solemn Eucharistic celebration which will be presided over by Pope Francis and attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims from Ireland and around the world.

More than 1,000 volunteers have already signed up to help with the organisation of the international gathering which is expected to see more than 5,000 families travel from around the world.

For the first time, those under the age of 18 will be able to participate for free.
Belfast actor Michael Patrick says he can now laugh about the 'absolutely ridiculous' time in his youth when he ignored his swollen testicle. Photo: Gerry Mooney

For teenage boys, puberty is often a source of great embarrassment. With truckloads of hormones arriving by the day, 14-year-olds are used to finding unexpected swellings in their trousers, but for Michael Patrick, from Belfast, it was a different story.

"I had a swelling in my left testicle. I first noticed it when I was 14 or 15, and I didn't tell a soul about it," he recalls. His father, Michael, had died from Motor Neurone Disease when he was just eight years old, and he didn't want to worry his mother, Patricia, who had her hands full raising four children on her own.

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"I didn't have any sort of father figure to talk to, so I just ignored it and hoped it would go away on its own. It didn't, and it just got bigger and bigger and bigger," he explains. "I was terrified about it, but I just put it to the back of my brain and ignored it. I nearly told my mum so many times, then ended up telling myself it would go away or sort itself out."

Michael, now 26 and working as an actor, describes his teenage self as "a bit of a nerd, but a loud nerd". He loved science, and went on to study physics at Cambridge University, but wasn't interested in sport, and says he was a bit heavier in school.

Although he would share just about everything with his friends (still his close friends today), he felt this was one thing he could never raise, and instead spent his nights silently panicking about what it might be.

The swelling, meanwhile, continued to grow, and began to interfere with his daily routine in rather awkward ways.

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"Running was difficult, it would swing about quite a lot. We did this thing in PE where one person would sprint and another person would sprint behind them. My mate was behind me and my ball swung out of my PE shorts," he laughs, cringing at the memory.

"Things like that, or trying to go the swimming pool, were very embarrassing, or if I was on my feet for a long time I'd feel it getting heavy and there'd be an ache from the dragging nature of it."

What Michael wouldn't learn for three years was that it was a hydrocele testis, a harmless build-up of fluid around the testicle that causes the scrotum to swell. In a desperate attempt to treat it without alerting his mum, Michael resorted to a series of foolhardy home remedies.

"In my head, it was tied up with masturbation. Maybe it was Catholic guilt, but at that age you're exploring your body and learning about all these changes, so I thought it must be something to do with that. So I tried 'fasting' for a long time, then I tried doing it too much, I tried squeezing it, I tried every cream that was sitting in the medicine cupboard, I tried cold showers, hot baths, anything I thought would make it go away. It didn't, of course."

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Belfast actor Michael Patrick says he can now laugh about the 'absolutely ridiculous' time in his youth when he ignored his swollen testicle. Photo: Gerry Mooney My Left Nut is a Show In A Bag production for Dublin Fringe Festival 2017. Photo: Cait Fahey / Facebook

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Whatsapp Belfast actor Michael Patrick says he can now laugh about the 'absolutely ridiculous' time in his youth when he ignored his swollen testicle. Photo: Gerry Mooney

While hydroceles are quite common and benign, as the years passed he became convinced it was something far more sinister.

"My dad died from a sickness, so going through this potentially life-threatening illness really made me think of my dad again. It brought up memories I didn't want to think about - I thought, 'if this is testicular cancer, I'll have to go through all those things my dad went through'."

Just before his 18th birthday, Michael says his testicle had grown to the size and shape of a "giant avocado", and he decided he couldn't put it out of his mind any longer.

"It was getting sore, and people could see it through my trousers, I was trying to hide it and I wasn't able to hide it. At that stage, I eventually did tell my mother and we went to the doctor," he explains.

"The doctors' reaction was 'wow, look at the size of that thing! Why have you not come in sooner?' They were shocked, and that worries you a bit - doctors shouldn't be shocked, they should know what's going on.

"I got fast-tracked through a lot of stuff because it was so big, and that made us all so worried. I had to go for an ultrasound on a Saturday, and you never get an ultrasound on a Saturday with the NHS, you have to wait, so that made us think it was something really serious."

After a gruelling weekend, Michael's results came back, and he was told it was a hydrocele. The doctors explained that the testis is generally surrounded by lubricating fluid, and excess fluid is absorbed by an outer membrane, but that the membrane had stopped working.

They would have to drain the fluid, either through needle aspiration or a surgical procedure, which reduced the chances of the hydrocele recurring. Michael opted for the surgery.

"They drained 400ml from it - less than a pint, more than a can of Coke. They stitch your testicle directly to the inside of your scrotum, so that's what I have now.

"My left testicle is no longer floating around freely, it's stuck firmly to the wall of the scrotum and that performs the draining function. There were stitches to deal with, but then it was fine.

"If I'd left it any longer, there was a risk of it bursting - the skin was stretched pretty taut by the time I went in. I was very lucky, it could have been a lot worse. Now the skin is a bit loose, it's a bit dangly, but I can live with it!"

Michael, working with his friend and co-founder of the Pan Narrans theatre company Oisin Kearney, has drawn on the experience for a one-man show, My Left Nut, premiering at the Dublin Fringe Festival next month.

"This is the first time I've ever written anything. It was petrifying, if it hadn't been accepted to the festival, there's no way I ever would have written it.

"I've never had the same feeling I had when I was studying for exams until I had to write this play. But now I'm very happy with what's come out of it," he says.

"I didn't have any hang-ups in terms of feeling too frightened to share stuff, I wanted to share the story with people. They say write what you know and I've written exactly what I know about this period of my life."

While he kept a tight lid on what was going on at the time, Michael now sees the humour in it and looks back on that time as "absolutely ridiculous". "What was I so worried about? I was embarrassed about wanking? The doctors aren't going to care!"

He explains that despite the show being largely comic in tone, it also tackles his family's grief and why he was so reluctant to seek help.

Before he started writing the play, Michael interviewed his mother about her memories of the time and about his father: "She was embarrassed as well, she had to raise two boys without having a husband to talk to, and she was as awkward as I was.

"She beat herself up a bit about it - I remember when the doctor asked me how long I had it for, I said three years and my mum just put her head in her hands. I felt so guilty."

The play has also prompted him to reassess his father's death and how it affected his childhood.

"My dad and I were very close, but I was so young when he died that I didn't really fully accept his death. Even when I'm writing this, I'm still processing his death more and more. I don't think it's something you ever fully come to terms with," he says.

Michael has since read the play to his family, and while his mother was a bit concerned about the "cruder elements" about teenage boys' antics behind closed doors, they are happy the story is being told. He describes it as "my thank you letter to them: I went through this horrible period in my life, because I was an idiot, and you were there for me the whole way through".

As for the audience, Michael hopes it will prompt men to take their health issues seriously and not put things off in a misguided attempt to appear 'manly'.

"When it comes to doctors, men tend to think 'ah it'll be alright, I don't want to bother them, it'll be grand'. It's such a cliche, but I would hope this play would help people to open up and share their problems. I've written a play about it and I still don't talk to people enough.

"I was in a very loving, supportive family with a lot of close friends around me, and I still didn't open up. You can have all the support in the world, but it doesn't matter if you're not willing to make the first step.

"Don't bottle it up like a complete fool, because you think it's manly to sort it out yourself. You can't be manly if you're dead."

* My Left Nut is a Show In A Bag production for Dublin Fringe Festival 2017 and runs at Bewleys Cafe Theatre from September 11 to 23. For more details or booking, see fringefest.com

WHAT IS HYDROCELE TESTIS?

Hydrocele testis is "an accumulation of fluid within the layers around the testicle itself", explains Robert Flynn, consultant urologist at the Beacon Hospital. The cause of most hydroceles is unknown, but in some cases it can occur after infection, trauma or very rarely in association with testicular tumours.

Hydrocele testis is quite common, especially in men over 40, but can affect men of any age, including infants and children. "I would see one a week on average," says Dr Dermot Lanigan, urologist at Bon Secours Cork. Hydroceles are typically benign and not painful, although it can be uncomfortable and the dragging feeling can cause an ache.

"A painless swelling is the only symptom, and they can progress slowly in size," adds Dr Lanigan. "But they are completely harmless in themselves. They don't have any effect on testicular function, sexual function or sperm count. The main reason someone would come to see a specialist is either worry or because they're awkward and they're unsightly."

Most hydroceles are quite small and do not need treatment, but if they continue to grow, the fluid can be removed with a surgical procedure. "In surgery, you drain the fluid out and you open the outer layer of the sac, invert it and stitch it behind the testis so that the fluid that collects in between the layers can't reaccumulate," explains Dr Flynn.

It is a day case procedure, and Dr Lanigan notes that it is not as painful as men may imagine. "I tell patients they'll be walking funny for a day or two, and tender maybe for a week or 10 days after, but the wound is small, the situres dissolve, they tend to heal up well."

The fluid makes it more difficult to feel the testicle, and in men under 40, there is a risk there may be an underlying tumour.

"The big thing men worry about when they feel any swelling is of testicular cancer, but this is normally a smooth swelling of the whole sac rather than a hard little lump on the testis. We can normally distinguish the two, but occasionally a hydrocele might mask a tumour or an epididymal cyst at the back of the testis, rather than the hydrocele which is at the front," says Dr Flynn.

"Men are great at burying their heads in the sand when it comes to their own health," he adds. "Men are slow, even young men delay in presenting with scrotal swellings, and with young men it's a higher likelihood that it might be something sinister. If they are worried they should seek professional advice from the GP."
A beauty blogger has been criticised by two leading plastic surgeons in the UK after deciding to stream her breast augmentation live on Instagram.

Texas-based beauty blogger Ashley Devonna went under the knife for a breast augmentation on Friday and in true social media star style, the YouTube sensation chose to stream the entire operation online.

In a bid to connect more with her 220,000 followers on YouTube, Devonna says that the decision  which was approved by her plastic surgeon, Dr Farah Khan  gave her the opportunity to be honest and open with her fans.

Im going to get a breast augmentation, but not just that, were going to stream it live on Dr. Khans Instagram page, she told her followers before the procedure.

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And, while Dr Khan understands that this isnt for everyone, she insisted that was the right thing for her patient.

Its a new experience, she told Pix11.

Nowadays we live our lives on social media and I think especially the younger generation, thats how they communicate and they want to be open with their friends, their family, their followers.

However, the operation came under fire by other experts in the cosmetic industry.

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As surgeons we use live streaming for training purposes all the time but something like this doesnt give the whole picture and the magnitude of the surgery and risks associated with implants, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and BAAPs Council Member Afshin Mesahebi told The Independent.

Unfortunately most of these patients are given freebies and surgeons are simply doing it for nothing more than marketing purposes.

Video of the Day

Award-winning cosmetic doctor, Dr Esho, of the ESHO Clinic agreed, adding, For millennials, the main source of information today is social media platforms.

Tools like this can therefore be invaluable in delivering important information to these young individuals, but that information needs to be handled responsibly.

If it is presented in a form which shows the benefits as well as the risks, if it is informative in terms of educating the patient and those who are interested in the procedure, then it is a very useful tool.

However, if the individuals intention is to sensationalise and simply create a buzz for themselves, this is trivialising a serious procedure which can potentially put many people at risk.
Irish rugby star Tommy Bowe has shared a sweet photo of his daughter Emma at her 'first game.'

The Ulster wing shared a photo to Instagram on Sunday of four-month-old Emma and his wife Lucy Whitehouse smiling from the sidelines at the Ulster vs Wasps pre-season friendly on Thursday.

"Emma's first game," he wrote in the caption.

Bowe (33) and his wife of two years welcomed their first daughter in April.

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Bowe and Whitehouse, a former Miss Wales who now works as a nurse, live together in Belfast.

While the couple prefer to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, the former British and Irish Lion has never been shy about praising his other half, whom he first met in 2011 when he was playing for Ospreys in Wales.

"Marriage didnt change anything between us. We have remained the same people. And Lucy is from near Cardiff, so shes settled in to Belfast very well because its very similar," he explained.

"People are very friendly up here and shes made lots of friends at work, which is what you have to do when you move away."

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Infidelity is murky territory. Does a one-night stand at a bachelor party count? How about an emotional entanglement with a close friend that doesn't involve anything physical?

Psychologists and relationship experts have spent years studying the science of infidelity, turning up surprising insights into what different couples consider cheating, how they react to cheating, and how they bounce back after someone strays.

We looked into some of that research and pulled out the most compelling results. Read on to see what we found -- and how you can apply these findings to your own relationship.

If you're economically dependent on your spouse, you're more likely to cheat on them

A 2015 study of about 2,800 people between ages 18 and 32, published in the American Sociological Review, suggests that a person who is completely economically dependent on their spouse is more likely to be unfaithful.

That's especially true for a man who relies financially on a woman. Fifteen percent of men who are completely financially dependent on their wives cheat, compared to 5% of dependent women.

Here's the really interesting part: Men are less likely to cheat the more money they make relative to their spouse -- until they bring in 70% of the household income, at which point they become more likely to cheat again.

Women are also less likely to cheat the more money they make relative to their spouse -- but their cheating rates don't seem to go up at any point.

Men and women react differently to flirting outside their relationship

A 2008 study published in the journal Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes found that after men flirted with an attractive person of the opposite sex, they were less tolerant of their partner's transgressions. Women, on the other hand, were more so.

Video of the Day

The study also found that men could be taught to write down a strategy to protect their relationship from tempting alternatives. In fact, after developing their strategy, men were just as likely as women to protect their partnership, as measured through a virtual-reality game.

We feel differently based on the sex of the person our partner cheats with

For a 2015 study, published in the journal Personal Relationships, men and women read about hypothetical scenarios in which their partner had sex with someone of a different sex or the same sex.

When researchers asked participants how they would feel about it, the men were more likely to be angry and more inclined to end a relationship if their partner cheated with someone of a different sex. But they were more likely to be aroused if their partner cheated with someone of the same sex.

Women also said they'd feel more negatively if their partner cheated with someone of a different sex. But they'd be more inclined to end the relationship if their partner cheated with someone of the same sex.

We think everyone is cheating -- except our partner

Relationships are bound to disintegrate -- but not yours, of course!

In a 2015 study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, university students estimated that the average person of the opposite sex has about a 42% chance of cheating on their partner.

But when it came to their own partners, participants estimated that there was about a 5% chance that their partner had already cheated on them and about an 8% chance that they would cheat on them in the future.

As it turns out, 9% of participants said they'd really strayed.

Straight men are more distressed by sexual infidelity; straight women are more distressed by emotional infidelity

2013 research published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology found that most heterosexual men say they'd be more upset if their partner was having a sexual relationship with someone else but hadn't fallen in love with that person.

Most women, on the other hand, say they'd be more upset if their partner had fallen in love with someone else but hadn't had sex with that person.

Men are more likely to cheat when they have a milestone birthday coming up

In 2014, researchers looked at activity on Ashley Madison, a dating site for people who are already in relationships. They came to a fascinating conclusion, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The men studied were more likely to seek extramarital affairs when their age ends in the number nine.

In other words, right before they hit the big 4-0 or 5-0, they have a greater chance of trying to find meaning in life by having a relationship with someone who isn't their partner.

The researchers observed a similar, but smaller, effect among women, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Your genes may influence how likely you are to stray

A growing body of research suggests that certain people are more likely to be unfaithful, depending on their biology.

For example, one study from the University of Queensland, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, found that infidelity was more common among people who had specific types of oxytocin and vasopressin receptor genes.

As Richard Friedman, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, explained in The New York Times, vasopressin is a hormone related to social behaviors including trust, empathy, and sexual bonding.

According to the results of that study, a whopping 40% of instances of infidelity in women and 62% in men had to do with genetics.

It's possible to repair a relationship after someone's cheated

M. Gary Neuman, who developed the "Creating Your Best Marriage" video program, told Business Insider that it is possible to save your relationship after one partner's been unfaithful.

But there are certain guidelines to follow after the infidelity's been discovered, according to Neuman, including:

1. The cheater has to feel some remorse and want to change their life

2. The victim has to make sure the cheater has completely stopped cheating

3. The victim probably shouldn't ask sensitive questions about what exactly went on between the cheater and the other person

Women are now just as likely to cheat as men are

New York Magazine recently reported that, while infidelity was once men's domain, it's now about equally likely among men and women.

For example, New York cites a 2011 study, published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, which found that about 23% of men and 19% of women in heterosexual relationships reported having cheated on their partner.

Younger Americans are now less likely to cheat than older Americans

An analysis by Nicholas Wolfinger at the Institute for Family Studies found that Americans aged 55 and older are now more likely to report having extramarital sex than Americans under 55.

That's the opposite of what was happening as recently as the year 2000, when older Americans reported having less extramarital sex in the annual General Social Survey. The GSS is a survey that has been administered regularly to Americans since 1972 by the research institute NORC at the University of Chicago.

Wolfinger submits a number of potential reasons for this growing trend. For one, people now in their 50s and 60s came of age during the sexual revolution. Older Americans have also become less disapproving of sex outside of marriage.

That said, it's impossible to explain these findings with absolute certainty.

Emotional affairs are becoming increasingly common

INSIDER's Kristin Salaky reports that emotional infidelity is becoming more common even than physical infidelity.

Salaky points to research from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, which found that about 45% of men and 35% of women have admitted to having an emotional affair. That's a lot more than the 20% of people who admit to having a physical affair.

An emotional affair is hard to define, but if you suspect your partner might be having one, there are some red flags to watch out for. In her 2012 book, "Chatting or Cheating," licensed marriage and family therapist Sheri Meyers outlines some. For example, when you argue, your partner's fallback position is about your relationship ending. Or, when you ask your partner about their friendship with another person, they get defensive or evasive.

Morality is the main factor keeping married people from cheating

For a 2017 study published in the Journal of Sex Research, researchers asked participants to indicate the most important reasons why a person wouldn't be unfaithful to their partner.

A total of about 400 people living in Israel were surveyed, ranging in age from 24 to 60 years old. All had been married for at least one year and had at least one child.

The top four reasons to emerge were morality, the effects on children, fear of remaining alone, and effects on other people (especially the extramarital sex partner).

Interestingly, religious participants were more likely to cite morality and concern for other people as reasons for staying faithful; secular participants were more likely to cite the fear of being alone.

You're more likely to cheat if you've cheated before

Business Insider's Lindsay Dodgson reports that the old adage "once a cheater, always a cheater" could be based in truth.

A 2017 study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior followed nearly 500 adults through two mixed-gender romantic relationships. Researchers asked participants to report their own infidelity and whether they knew or suspected that their partner had been unfaithful.

As it turned out, participants who had reported being unfaithful in the first relationship were three times more likely to report being unfaithful in the second, compared to people who hadn't reported infidelity.

Interestingly, participants who had reported that their first partner had cheated on them were twice as likely to report that their second partner had cheated on them.
I'm often asked in surgery how much sex in a relationship is normal? And I give my stock reply; "There is no normal. There's just whatever you're happy with - be that twice a day or once a month - it's irrelevant. Unless you want more or less than your partner, which, of course, can be an issue. But provided you're on the same page, it doesn't matter how much that is." And largely I think that's true. Although I believe that relationships where sex has fallen off the agenda altogether can struggle to maintain intimacy.

I do suspect when people ask me that, though, it's because there is a mismatch in desire between them and they're trying to work out if they're the one who's normal, whatever that is.

It reminds me of that great scene from Annie Hall; where Woody Allen and Diane Keaton are in their respective shrinks' offices discussing their sex lives and they're both asked "How often do you have sex?" Annie replies "Oh, constantly - three times a week!", while Woody says, "Hardly ever - about three times a week!"

That's the perception; that men are always angling for sex while women are trying to wriggle out of it. However, I'm not sure that holds water. Far more women complain to me about their partner having no interest in sex, than men. And the number complaining isn't small. Now that could be because I'm a female GP, although studies suggest men feel better able to confide in female doctors than male ones. But this isn't just my impression.

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz wrote recently in The Guardian how he'd spent the last four years analysing Google searches - what we actually look up on the internet as opposed to what we say we look up. Google searches can be done alone, in private, so they tell us what we actually think, feel and are worried about rather than what we aspire or pretend to be interested in. And it's very revealing. There are twice as many online searches for 'My boyfriend won't have sex with me' as for 'My girlfriend won't have sex with me'. And the word 'gay' is 10pc more likely to complete searches that begin with 'Is my husband...?' than the word 'cheating', indicating that far from women suspecting their man is constantly trying to score, they're more concerned that he's not.

While that doesn't prove anything either, it's food for thought. And it indicates that men aren't all as horny as hell while their womenfolk are grudging participants. It certainly means a far greater number of men are disinterested in sex than society would have you believe.

What interests me about this is how it makes people feel. I've spoken to rakes of women over the years who feel awful because their partner has no interest in sex - in part, because their own sexual needs aren't being met - but also in large part because the whole world is conspiring to tell them that men want sex day and night and when their man doesn't, they feel it's a reflection on them. The accepted notion that 'all men constantly want sex but my man doesn't want sex with me' creates insidious insecurity.

Perversely, because so many stereotypes exist about women trying to avoid or disliking sex, eg, the old 1970s' cliche where the wife says "I have a headache" and the husband says plaintively "but it's Saturday night!", many women feel there's something a bit wrong with them when they have a healthy sex drive. And that coupled with having to overcome societal programming about it being bad to be 'slutty' means many women don't really become sexually confident until their middle years - right when their partner's sex drive is waning...

Either way, there's a large cohort of women dissatisfied about the amount of sex they're getting and also feeling confused and rejected by their partner who's not interested. These women seem unaware that they aren't the only ones in this boat and I can only imagine the pressure that the men feel - being constantly told how horny they're supposed to be. I'm starting to feel it's a great unspoken truth - our sexual stereotypes are wide of the mark and I suspect very hard on both sexes. Lack of libido isn't a one-way street.

@ciarakellydoc
South Korean and US forces began computer-simulated military exercises yesterday amid tension over North Korea's weapons programmes, while a report Pyongyang has earned millions of dollars in exports is likely to raise doubts about the impact of sanctions.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the joint drills, called Ulchi Freedom Guardian, were purely defensive and did not aim to increase tension on the peninsula, but North Korea denounced the exercises as preparation for war.

"There is no intent at all to heighten military tension on the Korean peninsula as these drills are held annually and are of a defensive nature," Mr Moon told cabinet ministers.

"North Korea should not exaggerate our efforts to keep peace nor should they engage in provocations that would worsen the situation, using (the exercise) as an excuse," he said.

The joint US-South Korean drills last until August 31 and involve computer simulations designed to prepare for war with a nuclear-capable North Korea.

The United States also describes them as "defensive in nature", a term North Korean state media has dismissed as a "deceptive mask".

"It's to prepare if something big were to occur and we needed to protect ROK," said Michelle Thomas, a US military spokeswoman, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

Anger

North Korea views such exercises as preparations for invasion and has fired missiles and taken other actions to show its anger over military drills in the past.

"This is aimed to ignite a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula at any cost," the North's KCNA news agency said.

"The situation on the Korean peninsula has plunged into a critical phase due to the reckless north-targeted war racket of the war maniacs."

North and South Korea are technically still at war after the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.

North Korea's rapid progress in developing nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the US mainland has fuelled a surge in regional tension and UN-led sanctions appear to have failed to bite deeply enough to change its behaviour.

China, North Korea's main ally and trading partner, has urged the United States and South Korea to scrap the exercises. Russia has also asked for the drills to stop, but the United States has not backed down.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said North and South Korea and the United States all needed to make more effort to ease tension.

"We think that South Korea and the United States holding joint drills is not beneficial to easing current tensions or efforts by all sides to promote talks," she told a daily news briefing.
Tugboats from Singapore assist the destroyer USS John S McCain following a collision with the oil tanker Alnic MC (Joshua Fulton/US Navy/AP)

The damaged hull of the USS John S McCain is visible at Singapore's Changi naval base (AP)

A number of bodies have been found on a flooded US warship after 10 sailors went missing when it collided with an oil tanker in south-east Asian waters, the US Pacific Fleet said.

Navy and Marine Corps divers entered flooded compartments on the USS John S McCain after the collision happened east of Singapore at daybreak on Monday.

The collision tore a gaping hole in the McCain's left rear hull and flooded compartments including crew berths and machinery and communication rooms.

The warship is now docked at Singapore's naval base.

It was the second major collision in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet and the navy has ordered a broad investigation into its performance and readiness.

Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

Admiral Scott Swift said: "The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today.

"We will continue the search and rescue operations until the probability of discovering sailors is exhausted."

There were two lesser-known incidents in the first half of the year. In January, the USS Antietam guided missile cruiser ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th Fleet, and in May another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain from the Navy's 3rd Fleet, had a minor collision with a South Korean fishing boat.

"While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation," Adm Swift said.

He said the navy would conduct an investigation "to find out if there is a common cause ... and if so, how do we solve that".

Earlier on Tuesday, the 7th Fleet said the sea search by aircraft and ships from the US, Singapore and Malaysian navies would continue east of Singapore where the McCain and the tanker collided.

Navy Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, on Monday ordered a pause in 7th Fleet operations for the next few days to allow commanders to get together with leaders, sailors and command officials and identify any immediate steps that need to be taken to ensure safety.

A broader US Navy review will look at the 7th Fleet's performance, including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers.

Adm Richardson said the review will be conducted with the help of the navy's office of the inspector general, the safety centre and private companies that make equipment used by sailors.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea.

China seized on the McCain collision to accuse the navy of endangering maritime navigation in the region.

The McCain and the Alnic MC oil tanker collided about 4.5 nautical miles from Malaysia's coast at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the busy Singapore Strait.

AP
Bill Cosby wants a judge to approve a swap that will give him a fresh legal team, which includes the high-profile lawyer who won an acquittal in pop superstar Michael Jackson's child molestation case, before his sexual assault retrial.

The veteran entertainer is expected in court in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday as the lawyers who fought to a deadlock in his June trial ask to be let off the case.

Cosby, 80, who faces a retrial in November, is accused of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand at his home in the Philadelphia suburbs in 2004. He has said it was consensual.

A Cosby spokesman announced on Monday that a new team, which includes Jackson lawyer Tom Mesereau, had been hired.

AP
A teenager has been sexually assaulted twice and by two different men while on a train returning home from a music festival.

The 17-year-old was on board the train travelling from Newquay to Plymouth on her way back from the Boardmasters festival in Cornwall.

When she boarded the train at Newquay station, a man approached her and asked her if she wanted help with her luggage.

He then sat next to her and asked her if she wanted a kiss before tickling her and trying to take her phone.

The teenager moved to a different seat where she was assaulted again.

She was approached by another man and she explained to him what had just happened.

The second man then started sexually assaulting her by kissing her and touching her and himself inappropriately.

British Transport Police (BTP) is urging any witnesses on the Great Western Railway service between 8.45pm and 9pm on 12 August to come forward.

The first suspect is a white man with pale skin and ginger hair. He was wearing a white shirt with a palm tree on it, blue shorts and a novelty shark hat.

The second man said his name was Lance. He is described as white with mousey hair and pronounced sideburns. He was wearing a white polo shirt and camouflage shorts.

DC Matt Grieve, who is investigating, described the incident as "deeply upsetting and shocking".

"If you were on board this train and witnessed what happened, or saw two men acting suspiciously, then I would urge you to get in touch.

"Your information could prove vital in our enquiries to understand what happened and who is responsible."

Anyone with information can contact the BTP by sending a text to 61016 or calling 0800405040 quoting reference number 423 on 16/08/2017. Alternatively, you can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111.
The Metropolitan Police will reportedly ask for more money for its investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

In April the force said it was investigating "significant" leads that Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley described as "very worthwhile".

But the force is now seeking more funds to pursue one final line of enquiry in the 11m Operation Grange, according to Sky News.

"It is complicated and not as straightforward as we had hoped, but it is worth doing," a source told the broadcaster.

A Met spokesman said: "Funding is in place until the end of September, and any details about future funding will be released when appropriate."

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Office has provided the Metropolitan Police with the funding required to continue Operation Grange until the end of September 2017.

"The level of funding provided is a reflection of the wide-ranging and complex nature of the investigation which the police have deemed necessary to undertake.

"The Home Office has not received any further application for funding, but any future request will be considered carefully.

Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on 3 May, 2007.

Her disappearance sparked one of the most high-profile, and costly, police investigations of recent times.

Scotland Yard's investigation has been active since 2011, but the number of detectives working on the case was cut from 29 to four in 2015.
The mother of Manchester Arena bombing victim Martyn Hett has said "the tears are never far away" following his death.

Figen Murray, who had been a therapist for more than 20 years, told the BBC she has been unable to work following the attack.

Expand Close Mourners including Kym Marsh, Helen Worth and Kate Oates leave the funeral service of Martyn Hett / Facebook

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Whatsapp Mourners including Kym Marsh, Helen Worth and Kate Oates leave the funeral service of Martyn Hett

Her son, a 29-year-old PR manager and Coronation Street superfan, was one of 22 people killed when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a device as crowds left an Ariana Grande concert.

Speaking three months on from the atrocity, Ms Murray said: "The tears are never far away really.

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"Suddenly you catch yourself thinking 'Oh my gosh, Martyn would have loved this - oh, it's a shame he isn't there'."

Ms Murray said she is "damaged" by the events of May 22 and, while she has now decided to seek mental health support, she feels she will never be able to return to work as a therapist.

She said: "I don't think with what happened to me that I'll ever be in a position to offer psychological support to anybody else because I think I'm so damaged through this."
The home-made submarine "UC3 Nautilus", built by Danish inventor Peter Madsen, who is charged with killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall in his submarine, sails in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Thompson

The home-made submarine "UC3 Nautilus", built by Danish inventor Peter Madsen, who is charged with killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall in his submarine, sails in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Thompson

The Danish navy's ship 'Fyrholmen' in Koge Bay, South of Copenhagen, during the continuing search for Swedish journalist Kim Wall, Monday, Aug. 21. 2017. (Per Rasmussen/Ritzau Foto via AP)

This is a Dec. 28, 2015 handout photo portrait of the Swedish journalist Kim Wall taken in Trelleborg, Sweden. (Tom Wall via AP)

A headless female torso was found on Monday in the water's edge in Copenhagen, hours after a Danish inventor charged with killing a journalist in his home-made submarine told a court she died on board, police said.

Here is everything we know so far about the case of missing journalist Kim Wall.

What happened?

Kim Wall (30), a well-known journalist who wrote for several international publications, was first reported missing by her boyfriend after she failed to return from a job on August 10.

Ms Wall had had been researching a feature about inventor Peter Madsen and his 40-tonne submarine, which at one stage was the largest privately-made vessel of its kind.

Expand Close The home-made submarine "UC3 Nautilus", built by Danish inventor Peter Madsen, who is charged with killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall in his submarine, sails in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Thompson / Facebook

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Whatsapp The home-made submarine "UC3 Nautilus", built by Danish inventor Peter Madsen, who is charged with killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall in his submarine, sails in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Thompson

The meeting that evening should have been a short trip on the UC3 Nautilus submarine, but Kim failed to return home.

What did Peter Madsen say happened?

Mr Madsen initially told police he dropped Ms Wall off after dark, close to where they had met earlier. However, police later said he had given them a new account of events, which was not made public at the time due to the Danish judicial system.

Police believe the submarine was deliberately sunk by Mr Madsen, who was rescued before being arrested.

Peter Madsen later told the court that Swedish journalist Kim Wall had died in an accident and he had buried her at sea, changing his earlier statement the he dropped her off alive in Copenhagen.

What are police saying now?

Police have told a press conference that it was still too early to identify the body - missing its head, legs and arms - that was found by a passing cyclist.

"It is clear that the police, like the media and everybody else, is speculating whether this female body is Kim Wall, but it is way too soon to tell," Copenhagen police spokesman Jens Moller said.

Expand Close The home-made submarine "UC3 Nautilus", built by Danish inventor Peter Madsen, who is charged with killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall in his submarine, sails in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Thompson / Facebook

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Whatsapp The home-made submarine "UC3 Nautilus", built by Danish inventor Peter Madsen, who is charged with killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall in his submarine, sails in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, August 10, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Thompson

The case is being followed particularly closely by Danish and Swedish media but has drawn interest from around the world.

What happens now?

The body has been sent for forensic analysis while divers continue to search the area where it was found.

Expand Close The Danish navy's ship 'Fyrholmen' in Koge Bay, South of Copenhagen, during the continuing search for Swedish journalist Kim Wall, Monday, Aug. 21. 2017. (Per Rasmussen/Ritzau Foto via AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Danish navy's ship 'Fyrholmen' in Koge Bay, South of Copenhagen, during the continuing search for Swedish journalist Kim Wall, Monday, Aug. 21. 2017. (Per Rasmussen/Ritzau Foto via AP)

Danish and Swedish maritime authorities are using divers, sonar and helicopters in the continued search for the body in Koge Bay, south of the city, and in the Oresund Strait between the two countries.

Madsen was charged with the manslaughter of Wall just hours before the remains were discovered. He denies the charge.

Madsen, an entrepreneur, artist, submarine builder and aerospace engineer, went before a judge on Saturday for preliminary questioning. The case is not open to the public to protect further investigation, police said.

Where is the submarine?

Madsen was rescued a day later after his UC3 Nautilus submarine sank, which police believe he did deliberately.

Police said they found nobody else in the wreck.

Anything else?

The Danish inventor is known for financing his submarine project through crowdfunding. The first launch of his 40-ton, nearly 18-meter-long UC3 Nautilus in 2008 made international headlines. He is also known to supposedly having a 'fetish' for German submarines, after one guest said the minute the submarine went under water, he would only speak German. One Danish journalist said he is known as an "eccentric" character.

Have the Wall family said anything?

Wall's family earlier told The Associated Press that Kim worked in many dangerous places as a journalist, but it was unimaginable that "something could happen ... just a few miles from the childhood home".
This Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 photo, shows people standing near a collapsed building following an earthquake in Casamicciola on the Italian resort island of Ischia. An earthquake rattled the island at the peak of tourist season Monday night. (@percy80 via AP)

Firefighters and rescuers pull out a boy, Mattias, from the collapsed building in Casamicciola, on the island of Ischia, near Naples, Italy, a day after a 4.0-magnitude quake hit the Italian resort island, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. irefighters freed a 7-month-old baby and an older brother from rubble of a house some seven hours after the quake, and are continuing work on rescuing another brother who remained trapped. (Italian Carabinieri, HO/ANSA via AP)

AN earthquake hit the tourist-packed holiday island of Ischia on Monday night, killing two people, injuring dozens and trapping three young brothers who survived for up to 16 hours before being rescued.

Tourists and residents on the island off the coast of Naples ran out onto the narrow streets after the quake wrecked a church and several buildings. Fearing aftershocks, many decided to leave the island early.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A woman is helped out of debris and rubble after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, Italy August 21, 2017 in this still image taken from video. Photo: REUTERS/Vincenzo Precisano People remove debris after an earthquake hit Ischia island, near Naples, Southern Italy, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (Serenella Mattera/ANSA via AP) People view damage after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, Italy August 21, 2017. Photo: Massimo Bottiglieri/Handout via Reuters People walk on a street after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, Italy August 21, 2017. Photo: @totoriellos/Handout via Reuters Debris lie on a road after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, near Naples, Southern Italy, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. A 3.6-magnitude earthquake has rattled the Italian resort island of Ischia, damaging some buildings, cutting electricity and sending panicked residents and tourists into the streets. (Vigili del Fuoco via AP) People take to the street after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, near Naples, Southern Italy, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. A 3.6-magnitude earthquake has rattled the Italian resort island of Ischia, damaging some buildings, cutting electricity and sending panicked residents and tourists into the streets. (Serenella Mattera/ANSA via AP) People remove debris after an earthquake hit Ischia island, near Naples, Southern Italy, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (Serenella Mattera/ANSA via AP) This Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 photo, shows people standing near a collapsed building following an earthquake in Casamicciola on the Italian resort island of Ischia. An earthquake rattled the island at the peak of tourist season Monday night. (@percy80 via AP) REFILE - ADDITIONAL CAPTION INFORMATION People view damage after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, Italy August 21, 2017 in this still image taken from video. MANDATORY CREDIT Massimo Bottiglieri/Handout via Reuters / Facebook

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Whatsapp A woman is helped out of debris and rubble after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, Italy August 21, 2017 in this still image taken from video. Photo: REUTERS/Vincenzo Precisano

Rescuers found a baby boy called Pasquale in the wreckage and pulled him out alive in his nappy early on Tuesday, seven hours after the shock. There was a hush followed by loud applause.

Fire crews found his brothers Mattia and Ciro, aged seven and 11, stuck under a bed nearby. They kept talking to them and fed water to them through a tube.

The Italian fire brigade rescued a baby from rubble after an earthquake struck the island of Ischia last night pic.twitter.com/c5uOKrqfvl  RTE News (@rtenews) August 22, 2017

"I promised them that after this was all over we would all go get a pizza together," one emergency worker said on Italian television.

They freed Mattia late on Tuesday morning and later extracted Ciro more than 16 hours after the quake hit. The parents were safe because they were in another room.

Expand Close Rescue workers carry a child after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, in Naples, Italy August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca / Facebook

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Whatsapp Rescue workers carry a child after an earthquake hit the island of Ischia, in Naples, Italy August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

They said Ciro had probably saved his brother's life by shoving him under the bed when the quake struck.

"The rescuers were great. We really have to thank God for this miracle," said the island's bishop, Pietro Lagnese.

About six buildings in the town of Casamicciola, including a church, collapsed in the quake, which hit at 8:57 p.m. (1857 GMT) on Monday. The walls of one were ripped open, exposing a kitchen with a table still set for dinner.

Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology put the magnitude at 4.0, revising it up from an initial 3.6, but both the U.S. Geological Survey and the European quake agency estimated it at 4.3.

It struck three days before the first anniversary of a major quake that killed nearly 300 people in central Italy, most of them in the town of Amatrice.

FALLING MASONRY

The director of the island's hospital said two women were killed and about 40 injured. One of the victims was hit by falling masonry from the church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, the Civil Protection Department in Rome said.

The church was rebuilt after it, like most of Casamicciola, was destroyed by an earthquake that killed about 2,000 people in 1883.

Most of the damage was in the high part of the volcanic island. Hotels and residences on the coast did not appear to suffer serious damage but fire brigades were checking to see if they were still habitable.

The island has a year-round population of about 63,000, which swells to more than 200,000 in summer, with many people from the mainland owning holiday homes.

Civil Protection Department head Angelo Borrelli said about 2,600 people could not re-enter their homes, pending checks.

Helicopters and a ferry boat brought in more rescue workers from the mainland. Some civil protection squads were already on the island because of brushfires.

Three extra ferries were provided during the night for about 1,000 residents and tourists who wanted to leave. As daylight broke, dozens of people went to the island's ports, having decided to end their vacations early.

Many who were due to take ferries from Naples on the mainland to start their vacations cancelled their plans, local officials said.

Ischia, about a one-hour ride from Naples, is popular with German tourists, and Chancellor Angela Merkel has stayed there often.
Suspects leave a Civil Guard base on the outskirts of Madrid before appearing in court (AP)

A judge ordered two of the four surviving suspects in the extremist attacks in Spain held without bail, another detained for 72 more hours and one freed with restrictions on Tuesday after the men appeared in court to answer questions about the events that killed 15 people.

National Court Judge Fernando Andreu issued his orders after quizzing the four about the vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, as well as about the fatal explosion at a bomb-making workshop that police said scuttled the group's plot to carry out a more deadly attack at unspecified Barcelona monuments.

The judge said there was enough evidence to hold Mohamed Houli Chemlal, 21, and Driss Oukabir, 28, on preliminary charges of causing homicides and injuries of a terrorist nature and of belonging to a terrorism organisation.

Houli Chemlal also has an additional charge of dealing with explosives.

However, the judge ruled the evidence was "not solid enough" to keep holding suspect Mohamed Aalla, who was freed on the conditions he appear in court weekly, relinquish his passport and not leave Spain.

The owner of a cybercafe in Ripoll, the Pyrenees hometown to most of 12 men originally identified as being members of the extremist cell behind the attacks, will remain in custody for at least 72 more hours while police inquiries continue, the judge said.

The questioning the four men underwent during their initial court appearances provided new details about the scope of the cell's activities and the events leading up to the attacks in and around Barcelona Thursday and early Friday.

Two of the suspects identified a Ripoll imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, as the ideological leader of the group, according to a judicial official who heard Tuesday's interrogations.

One said the bombs were being made to target a Barcelona monument where the imam planned to blow himself up as well, the court official said.

Instead, Es Satty and another man accidentally blew themselves up while preparing explosives in the home workshop in Alcanar, a coastal town south of Barcelona, police have said.

Five others were shot dead by police during the vehicle and knife attack in Cambrils.

One, the suspected driver of the van that mowed down pedestrians in Barcelona's Las Ramblas promenade, was shot and killed in a vineyard not far from the city on Monday.

Houli Chemlal, the only survivor of the Alcanar blast, told the court he was alive because he was on the ground floor of the house washing dishes after dinner.

He spoke from a wheelchair without lifting his eyes up from the ground, according to the court official.

Oukabir gave evidence that he rented the vans used in the attacks but thought they were going to be used for a house move.

His brother was one of the five men shot dead Friday by police in Cambrils.

According to another person who attended Tuesday's hearings, Oukabir said he initially lied out of fear and told police his brother had stolen his ID to rent the vehicles.

Aalla, who said an Audi A3 used in the attack in Cambrils was registered under his name but used by a sibling, had one brother killed in Cambrils and another who is believed to be a second casualty of the Alcanar house blast.

Ripoll cybercafe owner Sahl El Karib told the judge he was only trying to make a profit when he bought at least two plane tickets for two alleged members of the cell.

Police raided the cybercafe on Tuesday, as well as a farmhouse in another town, searching for more evidence.

The lone fugitive from the cell, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub, was shot to death on Monday west of Barcelona after a massive manhunt.

Police say he flashed what turned out to be a fake suicide belt at two officers who confronted him in a vineyard.

The judge's document said Abouyaaqoub drove the van that barrelled through the Las Ramblas promenade, zig-zagging to hit as many people as possible.

Abouyaaqoub's brother and friends made up the rest of the 12-man extremist cell.

Police said, with Abouyaaqoub's death, the group's members were all dead or in custody.

Chemlal was born in Melilla, one of Spain's two North African coastal enclaves that have borders with Morocco.

Spanish media say the other 11 suspects are all reportedly Moroccans who lived in Spain.

AP
The Supreme Court deliberated for three months before issuing its order in response to petitions from seven Muslim women (AP)

India's Supreme Court has struck down a Muslim practice that allows men to instantly divorce their wives as unconstitutional.

The bench, comprising five senior judges of different faiths, deliberated for three months before issuing its order in response to petitions from seven Muslim women who had been divorced through the practice known as triple talaq.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on NDTV that since the court deemed the practice unconstitutional there is no need for further legislative action by the government.

The decision was widely praised by women's rights activists as a step towards granting Muslim women greater equality and justice.

"It's a very happy day for us. It's a historic day," said Zakia Soman, co-founder of the Indian Muslim Women's Movement, which was part of the legal battle to end triple talaq.

"We, the Muslim women, are entitled to justice from the courts as well as the legislature," she said.

More than 20 Muslim countries, including neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, have already banned the practice, but in India, triple talaq has continued with the protection of laws that allow Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities to follow religious law in matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption.

While most Hindu personal laws have been overhauled and codified over the years, Muslim laws have been left to religious authorities and left largely untouched.

Most of the 170 million Muslims in India are Sunnis governed by Muslim Personal Law for family matters and disputes.

Those laws include allowing men to divorce their wives by simply saying the Arabic word "talaq", or divorce, three times - and not necessarily consecutively, but at any time, and by any medium, including telephone, text message or social media post.

India's Muslim Law Board had told the court that while it considered the practice wrong, it opposed court intervention and asked that the matter be left to the community to tackle.

But several progressive Muslim activists criticised the law board.

"This is the demand of ordinary Muslim women for over 70 years and it's time for this country to hear their voices," activist Feroze Mithiborwala told NDTV.

The government supports an end to the practice. Prime minister Narendra Modi has said in many public addresses that the practice oppresses Muslim women and needs to be ended.

On Tuesday, he hailed the "historic" judgment, adding: "It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment."

AP
Jared Kushner is expected to meet Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday (AP)

White House adviser Jared Kushner is leading a delegation of Trump administration officials to the Middle East to discuss the possibility of resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The White House said Mr Kushner left the US on Sunday for the Middle East with envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell.

They are expected to be in Israel on Wednesday and to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas separately on Thursday.

The three are also expected to meet leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt during their trip.

Palestinians are hoping for some clear answers on key disputes with Israel from Mr Kushner.

They have shown increasing signs of impatience in recent days, saying that after more than six months in office, the US president has still not laid out a vision for peace in the region.

Ahmad Majdalani, a senior aide to Mr Abbas, said the Palestinians asked Mr Kushner for the US position on two key issues - Israeli settlements and support for Palestinian independence - during his last visit to the region in June.

"Since then we didn't hear from them," he said.

"We hope they bring clear answers this time. If not, then the peace process cannot be resumed because we cannot negotiate from scratch."

The Palestinians are seeking a freeze in Israeli settlement construction and a US endorsement of Palestinian independence as part of a two-state solution with Israel.

The Palestinians say that continued Israeli construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem - captured territories sought by the Palestinians for their state - undermines their dream of independence.

Mr Kushner, the president's son-in-law, is expected to meet Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday as he tries to restart talks. The last round broke down over three years ago.

Mr Trump has cast the elusive pursuit of peace between Israelis and Palestinians as the "ultimate deal", but he has given few indications of how he plans to reach it.

With his administration still coping with the fallout from his handling of the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Mr Netanyahu facing a growing police investigation into possible bribery and corruption, the odds of any major breakthroughs on this trip seem low.

Mr Trump has not explicitly endorsed the two-state solution, the cornerstone of US policy for nearly two decades and the international community's preferred outcome.

He has urged Israel to show restraint in settlement construction, but not demanded a freeze, disappointing the Palestinians.

He also has backed away from a campaign pledge to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel had welcomed the promise, while the Palestinians strongly opposed it.

Israel claims east Jerusalem, home to sensitive religious sites, as part of its capital. The Palestinians want the area, captured by Israel in 1967, as the capital of their future state.

AP
Don't give up on Trump just yet. That's not a moral judgment: he's had a bad few weeks because he is doing badly at his job, but he's still the real deal. Trump is far closer to America as it actually is than the America his critics want it to be.

Consider the row over historical monuments. Folks in Charlottesville, Virginia, wanted to pull down a statue of Confederate war hero Robert E Lee. A protest by white supremacists turned violent; an anti-fascist was killed. Any other president since the 1960s would have condemned the racists and called for national healing. Trump said both sides were as bad as each other and asked why the statue had to come down anyway - triggering a cycle of events that has become utterly predictable:

1. Trump says something outrageous. 2. The media says he's been exposed as a Nazi and his presidency will probably end next week. 3. A poll shows most Americans agree with Trump.

According to the pollster Marist, 62pc of voters back keeping the statues. At the same time as protesters and mayors are toppling dozens of Robert E Lees, 65pc of Latinos and 44pc of African-Americans think they should stay where they are.

This speaks to a serious problem in our democracy: the enormous gulf between the cultural values of, on one side, most journalists, educators, business leaders and politicians and, on the other side of the canyon, ordinary people. Just look at my own country. If all you knew of Brexit was what you saw on TV, you'd imagine it's going horribly wrong and everyone hates it. It's been called impossible, irresponsible, suicidal and Dunkirk without the happy ending. Last Sunday at church, my priest referred to it as a "trauma".

Then I see a poll that says two-thirds of Britons would rather walk away from the EU without a deal than with a bad one. It was conducted by the LSE, which, as far as most of its academics are probably concerned, stands for Let's Stay in Europe.

This is why Brexit was a surprise and Trump was a shock: they shattered an old order. Memories of that order are absurdly rosy. When people say "things have never been this bad", remind them that Nixon resigned from office and Bill Clinton was impeached. That Gore and Bush fought each other in the courts for the White House. Or that a right-wing extremist blew up the FBI building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people.

The old order did, however, soften its edges with nice rhetoric. Barack Obama saw himself as the teacher-in-chief, nudging Americans along his "arc of progress" towards a fairer world.

But what Obama said and what life was actually like were very different things. Remember the terror attacks? The school shootings? The black kids getting gunned down by trigger-happy cops? The riots?

Yes, Trump exploited all of that. But he didn't start it. He was elected to stop it. Everything Trump is condemned for saying as president, he said on the campaign trail - and people still voted for him. Why? Because Obama might have been a good man but he was an ineffectual president. Trump beat the Democrats not on a pledge to be a moral example or to end racism, but to run the country better.

Of course, there's a distinction between being frank and being a loudmouth, and Trump's personality now functions like a constitutional check on his own agenda. It's stopping him getting things done; energy is wasted on unwinnable battles.

There is an America beyond the university campus or the TV studio that appreciates a statesman who doesn't recite a script that became tired and unconvincing years ago.

If only this president - elected without any pretence to sugary idealism - was able to get on with what he was elected to do. Create jobs, Mr President. Create jobs and kill terrorists. ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is seen after a collision, in Singapore waters. Photo: Reuters

Ten US sailors were missing after a US destroyer collided with an oil tanker in southeast Asia, the second serious accident involving American navy ships in the region in little more than two months.

Returning to the White House, President Donald Trump responded to reporters' questions about the accident by saying: "That's too bad."

Expand Close Donald Trump. Photo: AP / Facebook

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Strongly criticised on social media for his response, he later tweeted: "Thoughts & prayers are w/our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway."

The USS John S McCain was involved in a collision with the Alnic MC east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement.

The collision with the tanker happened at 5.24am local time as the guided-missile destroyer was heading to Singapore for a routine visit.

"There are currently 10 sailors missing and five injured," the Japan-based 7th Fleet said.

Four of the injured were airlifted to a Singapore hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The fifth injured sailor did not require further medical attention.

"Our first priority is determining the safety of the ship and crew," Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, wrote on Twitter. "As more information is learned, we will share it."

In addition to US navy aircraft, Singaporean ships, helicopters and tug boats were in the area to help conduct search and rescue efforts after the warship suffered damage to the port side aft, or left rear.

"The extent of damage and personnel injuries is being determined," it said, adding that the incident was being investigated.

Malaysia's navy chief Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin tweeted that two ships as well as aircraft from its navy and air force had also been deployed to help look for the missing US sailors.

The destroyer was sailing under its own power and heading to port.

Senator John McCain, a war hero who is now being treated for brain cancer, tweeted: "Cindy [his wife] & I are keeping America's sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight - appreciate the work of search & rescue crews."

The vessel was named in honour of the senator's grandfather and father, who were US admirals.

Based at the fleet's home port of Yokosuka, Japan, the USS John S McCain has a crew of 23 officers, 24 chief petty officers and 291 enlisted sailors, according to the navy's website.

The ship it hit, the Liberian-flagged Alnic MC, is a 183-metre long oil tanker with a deadweight of more than 50,000 tonnes, according to the Marine Traffic website.

The vessel was carrying nearly 12,000 tonnes of fuel oil, but there was no oil spill, a crew member said. "We were carrying fuel oil from Taiwan to discharge to Singapore ," the crew member, who did not want to be identified, said.

"We are proceeding to Raffles Reserved Anchorage where the owners will investigate the matter.

"There was some damage to the valve."

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) lists the Raffles Reserved Anchorage, to the south of Bukom Island, to be reserved for "vessels requiring emergency repairs and damaged vessels or as directed by the Port Master".

The MPA said that no oil pollution had been reported and traffic in the busy Strait was not affected.

A family assistance centre has been established to help family members of sailors on board the USS McCain.

The waterways around Singapore are some of the busiest and most important in the world, carrying around a quarter of the world's trade in goods and oil.

The accident comes two months after seven US sailors died when a US destroyer collided with a merchant ship off the Japanese coast. ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Donald Trump has said he is confident that Nato allies such as Britain will increase troops and funding for the war in Afghanistan "in line with our own".

But the third US president to oversee what is America's longest war remained secretive over what the increases will be during an address to the nation from Fort Myer, near Washington DC, on Monday night.

Mr Trump, who made repeated calls for the nearly 16-year war to end ahead of his election, said sudden withdrawal would have "predictable and unacceptable" results.

His announcement appeared to support a Pentagon plan to shore up the Afghanistan government and end a stalemate with the Taliban by sending more forces.

In a speech evoking the 9/11 attack in 2001 which drew the US into the war, as well as the recent terror in Barcelona, Mr Trump said he believed allies would back increases.

Read More

"From now on victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating Isis, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge," he said.

"We will ask our Nato allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own - we are confident they will."

US defence secretary Jim Mattis said in a statement that he would consult with Nato and other allies, adding that "several" had already committed to increasing troop numbers.

Before his election, Mr Trump made repeated calls for the US to withdraw, saying lives and money were being "wasted".

But Monday's announcement came after discussions with top Pentagon advisers and the intelligence community as well as vice president Mike Pence and Mr Mattis.

Mr Trump said he would not put a timescale on the end of the war but would instead wait for certain conditions to be met on the ground.

He declined to discuss further details on troop numbers, saying: "America's enemies must never know our plans."

He also addressed his reversal in opinion which he said comes after studying Afghanistan from "every conceivable angle".

"My original instinct was to pull out and historically I like following my instincts, but all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office," Mr Trump said.

He also issued a warning to Pakistan, urging it to stop providing "safe havens" for terrorist groups.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan, it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists," he said.

Read More

Then-president George W Bush sent troops into Afghanistan after the 9/11 attack and while his successor, Barack Obama, increased the military presence to over 100,000 and failed to bring it to a close as he had planned.

Currently there are around 8,400 US troops in the country and Pentagon officials had proposed sending in a further 4,000 to train Afghan forces and fight the Taliban and an affiliate of terror group Islamic State.

There are also about 500 British troops there and around a further 85 had been promised in non-combat roles.
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has commended North Korea for recent restraint that he said could point the way to possible dialogue with America.

Mr Tillerson said North Korea has not launched missiles or other provocations since the UN Security Council adopted a resolution against weapons development on August 5.

He told reporters that demonstrated "a level of restraint that we have not seen in the past".

Mr Tillerson expressed hope that it could signal a North Korean willingness to lessen tensions and that, "perhaps we are seeing our pathway" to a dialogue in the near future.

He added, however: "We need to see more on their part."

Tensions were running high after the UN adopted new sanctions and after recent threats by the two nations' leaders.

Earlier, North Korea condemned President Donald Trump as a leader who frequently tweets "weird articles of his ego-driven thoughts" and "spouts rubbish" to give his assistants a hard time.

The official Korean Central News Agency made the comments in response to tough talk in Washington and Seoul over threats posed by the North's nuclear and missile programmes.

It criticised South Korea's "puppy-like" defence minister, who it said was "running wild" while relying on the "master of the White House".

The KCNA statement came hours after North Korea's military issued its standard fiery threats in response to war games involving US and South Korean troops, vowing "merciless retaliation" for the exercises which it views as a rehearsal for an invasion.

US military commanders earlier dismissed calls for Washington and Seoul to pause or downsize the joint military exercises to tamp down the tension created by North Korean threats to fire missiles towards Guam, saying the drills are critical for maintaining military readiness against Pyongyang.

Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US forces in the Pacific, told reporters on a visit to South Korea that while a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear problem is the priority, diplomacy must be backed with "credible combat power".

Vincent Brooks, commander of US Forces Korea, said the allies should continue the war games until they "have reason not to".

KCNA wrote: "Trump spouted rubbish that if a war breaks out, it would be on the Korean Peninsula, and if thousands of people die, they would be only Koreans and Americans may sleep a sound sleep."

The agency also ridiculed South Korea's defence minister Song Young-moo for "pinning hope on that mad guy", after he ordered troops to be prepared to "immediately and sternly punish" any provocation by North Korea.

Pyongyang has previously unleashed personal attacks on past Washington and Seoul leaders, calling former US president Barack Obama a monkey and ex-South Korean president Park Geun-hye a prostitute.

Mr Trump was previously described in North Korean state media as "going senile" and a "war maniac bereft of reason".

He has used Twitter to launch his own insults at North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un. On August 11, he tweeted that military solutions were "fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely" amid the stand-off between Washington and Pyongyang over the Guam missile threat.

But he complimented Mr Kim five days later for making a "very wise and well reasoned decision" after Pyongyang walked away from the threat.

After a July missile test by North Korea, Mr Trump went on Twitter to ask whether Mr Kim had "anything better to do with his life?"

''Hard to believe that South Korea ... and Japan will put up with this much longer. Perhaps China will put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!"

AP
Firefighters pull a boy from a collapsed building in Casamicciola on the island of Ischia (Vigili del Fuoco/AP)

Rescuers pull a boy from a collapsed building in Casamicciola, on the island of Ischia (Ansa/AP)

Italian firefighters have freed a seven-month-old baby and then his two older brothers from the rubble of their home after it collapsed when a 4.0-magnitude earthquake struck the resort island of Ischia.

At least two people were killed in the quake, while 39 were injured and 2,600 left homeless.

The fatalities were an elderly woman who was struck by masonry falling from a church and a second woman who was inside a building that collapsed.

In the hard-hit town of Casamicciola, dozens of firefighters worked for 14 hours to dig the Toscano brothers out of their home, where they were trapped alone after their father was rescued and their pregnant mother managed to escape.

Cheers went up with each rescue, which firefighters confirmed with exclamation mark-punctuated tweets. The first was baby Pasquale, who was shown on a video appearing alert as he was passed to safety.

It took another seven hours to free the middle brother, eight-year-old Matthias, who was covered with cement dust as he was loaded on to a stretcher and into an ambulance, and two more hours to free the eldest, 11-year-old Ciro, who was credited with helping save Matthias.

Their parents were waiting for Ciro at the hospital's emergency room, his mother sitting in a wheelchair next to his father Alessandro, whose hands were bandaged from a fracture.

"It was a terrible night. I don't have words to explain it," Mr Toscano told RAI state television while rescuers were working to free the older two boys. "The entire second floor of the house collapsed, and the firefighters pulled me out. They were great."

He said his wife was in the bathroom and managed to escape through the window, but the older boys were in the bedroom in the family home while the baby was in a playpen in the kitchen.

Hospital officials said all three boys were doing well, with the older two being treated for dehydration and the oldest for a fracture to his right foot.

"For three children saved from the rubble, we have witnessed a true miracle. They are miraculously healthy," said Virginia Scarfato, director of the Rizzoli hospital in Ischia.

The head of the financial police on the island said Ciro helped save Matthias by pushing him under the bed.

"The gesture surely saved them both," said Andrea Gentile. "Then with the handle of a broom he knocked against the rubble, making them heard by rescuers."

Firefighters' spokesman Luca Cari said they maintained voice contact with the two boys to keep them calm during the complex rescue operation to create an opening through the collapsed ceiling. The boys were given bottles of water and a flashlight.

The quake hit during the height of the tourist season, with the island's population of 64,000 ballooning by another 150,000 at the time the quake struck.

Italian television showed many visitors taking refuge in parks and sleeping under blankets in the aftermath while authorities began organising ferries to take them back to the mainland.

Tourism officials said the damage was localised in two towns, and said much of the island was business as usual on Tuesday.

Together with the nearby island of Capri, Ischia - in the Gulf of Naples - is a favourite island getaway for the European jet set, famed in particular for its thermal waters.

Casamicciola was the epicentre of an 1883 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people.

Images from the latest quake zone show many buildings collapsed into rubble, while others show signs of structural damage with deep cracks in exterior walls, and cars overturned.

The extent of the damage for a relatively light quake raised questions about the quality of construction on the island in the seismically active area off Naples and the active volcano Vesuvius, and the prevalence of illegally built structures.

AP
An Indian court has granted a woman permission to divorce her husband after he consistently refused to build a toilet in their home, forcing her to relieve herself in the open.

Family court judge Rajendra Kumar Sharma in Indias western Rajasthan state ruled on 18 August that a toilet was a necessity in every home and defecating in the open was disgraceful for society and torture for women.

In villages women have to wait until sunset to answer nature's call. This is not only physical cruelty, but also outraging the modesty of a woman the judge ruled.

People spend money buying tobacco, alcohol and mobile phones, but are unwilling to construct toilets to protect the dignity of their family, he added.

The womans counsel said she was married in 2011 to a labourer and filed for divorce four years later citing cruelty by her husband, as he was unable to provide the couple a separate room or a toilet.

Divorce under Indian law is granted once proof of cruelty, violence or undue financial demands are proven in a family court.

Media reports from Rajasthans Bhilwara district, where the woman lives, said she would now formally file for divorce.

This is not the first time that a toilet has played a decisive role in a marriage in India.

In June a wife refused to return home to her husband in northern Uttar Pradesh state until he built a toilet in their home. It came a few months after another woman in the same province refused to marry until a loo was installed in her bridal home.

Over 60 per cent of Indias 1.25 billion people still defecate in the open, posing a significant risk of rape and sexual assualt to women, in addition to the exposure to infection.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi launched a nationwide crusade to build toilets after assuming office in May 2014, but little progress has been made.

And even where toilets have been built, studies show that the majority were not been used because they are not linked to a water supply, unconnected to proper sewage lines and are unbearably putrid.

According to a recent government survey, more Indians owned a mobile telephone than had access to a toilet.

Tens of millions of people relieving themselves in the open each morning, particularly along railway tracks, is a common sight across India and one highlighted by social and environmental activists.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Concords newest mixed-use community is right around the corner.

Developers and city officials helped break ground Monday, Aug. 21, on the 23-acre Odell Commons commercial and townhome development off of Davidson Highway in Concord. A Circle K and Bojangles will help anchor the 101-townhouse neighborhood, and a 3-acre portion will act as something of a commercial district with anything from restaurants to shops to doctors offices.

Youve got 100 townhomes and people back there; theres got to be some walkability, Justin Mueller of Sherwood Development Group, developer on the project. So they can say, I need to take my kid to the dentist or get my hair cut or get a bagel in the morning or get a sandwich for lunch. 

The neighborhood, located at 8825 Davidson Highway, was a long time in coming. Cliff Sult with Sherwood Development said his co-workers had been working for several years to tie up all the loose ends.

This lands been sitting here for forever, and it just took a lot of work, Sult said. We had several homeowners involved and old farmers, and trust me there was some paperwork. There were some deeds that didnt even exist so we had to go find people. It was interesting.

The mixed-use development will give future residents access to a whole array of commercial opportunities right outside their front doors.

Its real exciting, Paul Christenbury with Sherwood Development said. Weve had a lot of interest in this and a lot of different things being talked about on that 3 acres that are left. I think the way that the planning department and everybody is moving and has been is that it works because it gives life into the development.

Barbi Jones, executive director of the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce, said she hoped thats exactly what this neighborhood would do.

I drive by this land probably four or five times a week, and every time Ive thought wouldnt it be a cool place for a development and wouldnt it be really cool to be able to have townhouses in this area, she said. This is one of our fastest growing sections in Cabarrus County. We have amazing schools, one of which is right across the street, so were just very excited to see this land put to such great use that will be of much benefit to the business community and also to the families that will be living here.

Christenbury said the company would begin grading by the end of the week and should finish up site work and infrastructure in early spring. The townhomes themselves should be finished near the end of 2019

Im so happy that you have decided to build here in Concord, Ella Mae Small, mayor pro tem of the Concord City Council, said. As long as we have people who are coming in and businesses who are building structures here, we know that we must be doing something right. We appreciate all that you do.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 17, 2017  Twenty-two nurses from Carolinas HealthCare System have been selected for the Great 100 Nurses in North Carolina award, including one from the Concord-based NorthEast hospital.

Kathy Benton, who works at Carolinas HealthCare System NorthEast, was one of the almost two dozen CHS nurses selected for the award. The Great 100 Nurses are nominated by their peers for demonstrating excellence in practice and commitment to their profession.

These nurses work at hospitals across the region, including Carolinas Medical Center, Levine Childrens Hospital, Carolinas HealthCare System Cleveland, Carolinas HealthCare System NorthEast and Carolinas HealthCare System Pineville.

Carolinas HealthCare System is one of the largest employers in the area, employing more than 35,000 employees, including more than 5,000 nurses.

The Carolinas HealthCare System nurses selected are:

Carolinas Medical Center

Melissa Bullen, BSN, RN

Carla Davis, BSN, RN

Lisa Fry, BSN, RN

Nancy Gardner, MSN, BSN, RN

Tiffany Kiker, BSN, RN

Nicholas Leary, BSN, RN

Andrea Linthicum, BSN, RN

Karrie Love, BSN, RN

Veronica Rankin, MSN, RN

Courtney Rosenthal, BSN, RN

Valerie Short, MSN, RN

Michaeline Sliwinski, BSN, RN

Heidi Snider, RN

Kendra Tezber, BSN, RN

Kathy Williams, RN

Levine Children's Hospital

Cheryl Gibson, RN

Jonni VanderBrink, MSN, RN

Carolinas HealthCare System Cleveland

Katie Sparks, BSN, RN

Carolinas HealthCare System Northeast

Kathy Benton, MHA, BSN, RN

Carolinas HealthCare System Pineville

Lisa Foster, MSN, RN

Carrianne McLauchlin, BSN, RN

Carolinas Simulation Center

Crystal Bencken, MSN, RN
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
With the tensions on the border showing no signs of slowing down, China has said there will be "utter chaos" if its troops entered India on the pretext that Indian border infrastructure posed a threat to Beijing.

reuters/representational image

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said India's logic that Chinese road building in Doklam on the border posed a threat to New Delhi was "ridiculous and vicious".

Also Read: Amid Standoff With India In Sikkim, China Puts Its Military Might On Display To Mark PLA's 90th Anniversary

It said China would in no way allow any country or individual to infringe upon its territorial sovereignty.

"The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of ... Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and facts are clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

reuters/representational image

"You may think about it. If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour's home can break into its neighbour's house.

Also Read: With An Eye On China, India Has Already Constructed 27 Of The 73 Roads Along The Border

"Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?"

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked since June in a stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border.

This is the longest stand-off between the two armies since 1987 when they faced a similar situation at Somordong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

afp/representational image

It all began when Indian troops stopped Chinese troops from building a road in Doklam, citing the disputed status of the territory.

Also Read: Amid Standoff, Govt Planning Two Tunnels Through Arunachal's Sela Pass Up To China Border

Doklam is claimed by Bhutan, which has protested against Chinese road building.

China says the construction of the road is just since Doklam has been Chinese territory since ancient times.
In a landmark judgement, the Indian Supreme Court has held that the practice of triple talaq among a section of Indian Muslims is unconstitutional.

BCCL/ Representational Image

Triple talaq, or verbal (triple) divorce, is practiced by some in the Muslim community to instantly divorce their wives by saying talaq three times.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice JS Khare has asked the parliament to pass a new law in this regard. If the law doesn't come into force in six months, then the injunction on Triple Talaq will continue.

AFP/ Representational Image

The apex court also expresses hope the Centre's legislation will take into account concerns of Muslim bodies and Sharia law. The verdict came in a host of cases filed by various rights groups and individuals challenging the controversial practice.

The petitioners claimed that the practice was against women's rights and regressive. Many Muslim women who were given triple talaq on trivial issues had also approached the court seeking a ban on the practice, something that is outlawed even in Islamic countries.

AFP

Islamic organization like the All India Muslim Personal Law Board had vehemently opposed any move to abolish the practice, citing constitutionality. Narendra Modi and his BJP had extensively campaigned against the practice, especially during the UP elections.
The Supreme Court has, in a majority decision, ruled that Triple Talaq is unconstitutional and asked the government to form a new law. However, this wisdom is yet to reach other parts of the world. Although Saudi Arabia does not allow instant talaq like India, a man has divorced his wife for walking ahead of him despite repeated warnings, a media report said.

BBC/Representational Image

The man, who was not identified, gave his wife repeated warnings to keep a step behind him, but she kept walking ahead of him after which, he divorced her, The Gulf News quoted the Saudi daily Al Watan as saying.

In another case, a Saudi man divorced his wife after she forgot to put the sheep head -- "the most important part of the dinner" -- on the main dish presented by her husband as he hosted his friends for dinner, the report said.

Representational Image

The woman said that after the guests left, her angry husband accused her of embarrassing him by forgetting to present the most important part of the dinner to his guests.

In another case, a husband divorced his wife during their honeymoon for wearing foot bangles.

Humood Al Shimmari, an official who conducts marriages, said that there has been a spurt in divorce cases in the last two years.

Arab News/Representational Image

He said that while there are many reasons including evolving views towards traditions and social norms, modern technology was the key culprit.

Lateefa Hamid, a social consultant in Saudi Arabia, said: "Families should educate their young men and women and encourage them to engage in psychological, social and religious awareness and education programmes that will protect future spouses from family problems".
The magnificent eclipse from yesterday has, for sure, left the entire world in awe. As the moon's shadow slowly took over areas that fall around Oregon and South Carolina, everyone began basking in the glorious eclipse, touted to be one of the harshest.

For over an hour and a half, everyone took a break from whatever they were doing and took it to the streets with their gears on. Millions got outside to watch this eclipse and even a million more witness it online, making it one of the most-watched in history.

nasa

The eclipse was partially visible across all 50 states, but it was the clearest from a 70-mile-wide sliver of 14 states. This eclipse was a totality, a rare event that hasn't happened since 1979 and a coast-to-coast eclipse for almost over a century.

Natural phenomenon appreciation hour on the South Lawn. pic.twitter.com/aeXgCuqZUz  Ted Mann (@TMannWSJ) August 21, 2017

So just in case, you missed it, here are some of the most dramatic images from this spectacular event.

1.

Here are just a few of the amazing images from #Eclipse2017 via @nasahqphoto. See what the public shared with us! https://t.co/jUglqZOaQP pic.twitter.com/xal2Ry5a7Z  NASA Goddard Images (@NASAGoddardPix) August 21, 2017

2.

In the middle of totality. I could see the solar flares with my naked eye. Amazing detail for a handheld shot. #NatGeoEclipse #eclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/mMPzgkakYu  Terry Virts (@AstroTerry) August 22, 2017

3.

Millions of people saw #Eclipse2017 but only six people saw the umbra, or the moon's shadow, over the United States from space today. pic.twitter.com/hMgMC5MgRh  Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 21, 2017

4.

5.

A total Eclipse of the sun in Oregon. Photo created by photographer @JasmanMander.

I can't get over this #Eclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/IvxWyqE8vc  Emily Thomas (@emitoms) August 22, 2017

6.

NASA

7.

NASA

8.

NASA

9.

NASA

10.

Thanks to Neal Henshaw, who is a #VirginiaTech Library staff member, we get these awesome #Eclipse2017 photos. #Hokieclipse pic.twitter.com/jvSsTU6qBc  Virginia Tech (@virginia_tech) August 22, 2017

11.

12.

WOW! Kirsten Jorgensen in Lewiston, ID was about to pack up & go inside then saw the plane. She ran to the camera & click!#Eclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/6RxcXURrl3  Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) August 22, 2017

13.

Best picture of the #Eclipse2017 that I have seen! pic.twitter.com/8xyoaTWHES  Lexie Miller (@TheRealLexieM) August 22, 2017

And well, here's Donald Trump for you! He literally did look in the sky, without any glasses on and twitter is having a ball trolling him.

As he did this, someone in a crowd of aides below shouted "Don't look." pic.twitter.com/dtfSLEzcAZ  Ted Mann (@TMannWSJ) August 21, 2017

Weeks ago, NASA issued a safety guide for everyone who's looking forward to the eclipse. They even specifically urged people not to look at with naked eyes, as it could leave you with a serious problem.

There's literally one rule with the eclipse- don't look at it with naked eyes, and well, Trump!
From shaking a leg to some good old Bhangra to doing the nagin step and of course pulling of the kurta with absolute suave, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has an undying love for all things Indian.

Reuters

More recently, Trudeau attended an India Day parade in his constituency of Papineau in Montreal, Quebec wearing a traditional kurta-pyjama on Sunday.

"Home in my riding of Papineau for Indian Independence Day celebrations! Long live the friendship between our two countries," Mr Trudeau tweeted from his personal Twitter handle.

Home in my riding of Papineau for Indian Independence Day celebrations! Long live the friendship between our two countries. pic.twitter.com/FYdodH2Kwg  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 20 August 2017

PM Trudeau celebrates Indias 71st Independence Day by participating in the India Day Parade in Papineau, Quebec. pic.twitter.com/RbjRvgh5fb  CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) 20 August 2017

After India celebrated 70 years of independence on August 15, Montreal celebrated Indias Independence Day on the first Sunday after August 15.

And clad in his stunning purple kurta at the event, Trudeau ended his speech with Jai Hind.

PM @JustinTrudeau also gave a fabulous speech. Spoke of the special partnership between #Canada & #India and ended with a rousing #JaiHind! pic.twitter.com/MpirFhulK7  Vikas Swarup (@VikasSwarup) 21 August 2017

India's High Commissioner to Canada Vikas Swarup also attended the India Day parade.

Celebrating India. Delighted to join the Indian Community in Ottawa for the 2nd #IndiaDayParade pic.twitter.com/iKvs3s73nD  Vikas Swarup (@VikasSwarup) 20 August 2017

And as usual Indian Twitterati couldn't keep calm. Take a look at some of the reactions below:

#1

Thanks for making me smile , Once AGAIN.  Jennifer J. Ferreira (@jjer4wise1) 20 August 2017

#2

#3

You are such a great & wonderful leader  hat's of to you  Manju Murukanandan (@manjunandan) 21 August 2017

#4

#5

The reason why everyone loves you.  Amandeep Shokeen (@AmandeepShokeen) 22 August 2017

#6 This sums it all up
Ever since astronomers discovered in 1998 that our universe is expanding faster as time goes by the idea has captivated researchers across the world. The idea is that this acceleration in the rate its expanding because of dark energy, the mysterious gravitational force spread throughout our universe.

A concept render of what the LSST facility will eventually look like

Now, scientists from dozens of institutions across 23 countries have come together to work on a new telescope they believe can shed light on dark matter. Called the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), its a gigantic digital camera to be mounted on Earth, which will capture images from galaxies millions of light years away.

All the existing telescopes with cameras were built before the discovery of dark energy, Paul OConnor, a senior scientist from Brookhaven National Laboratory told Atlas Obscura. We expect the LSST to map the entire sky and find out where all that dark matter has been hiding. OConnor has been working on the project for over ten years and he believes it could completely change how we understand the workings of the universe.

The LSST's 3.5 metre wide mirror cells, part of its camera assembly

The LSST would serve to capture images of galaxies much further away than our current technology allows. The cameras field of view when pointed at the sky would be just ten square degrees, but it would still be able to spot around a million distant galaxies in that area. It'll also be outfitted with a 3,200 megapixel sensor being developed by O'Connor at Brookhaven, able to capture light from stars 100 million times dimmer than those visible to the naked eye.

About the size of a small SUV car, "the LSST camera is the largest camera ever constructed for astronomy."

It is a large-aperture, wide-field optical camera that is capable of viewing light from the near ultraviolet to near infrared wavelengths. It's 3 metre long, 1.65 metre high, weighs 2800 kg, and has a pixel count of 3200 megapixel -- several times better, more precise than even the best smartphone cameras out there.

When the LSST begins operations in 2020, in the mountains of Chile, it will be tasked with scanning regions of the sky over and over for the next 10 years. Its expected to capture each patch of sky a thousand times, over the course of 3,000 nights. Were really going to be making a movie of the universe, OConnor said.

The camera assembly of the LSST compared with a human

With that data, astronomers hope to better understand dark energy by looking at how it interacts with objects in the universe. Studying how these far-flung galaxies are shooting away from us could bring new discoveries in the field of astrophysics that weve never even thought
Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham formerly known as Toyin Aimakhu has revealed the real reasons behind the sudden change of name.

The actress who has had so many controversial issues, from her broken marriage to having a boyfriend who is thief, said, changing her name was to have a fresh start in life, in other news, to give herself a second chance. Away from the negative vibes and stories that surrounds the name Aimakhu.

Speaking in an interview she disclosed, Yes, changing my name signified a fresh start. Initially, it was a family decision to change the name but Abraham resisted because of her brand.

With the controversial events associated with her in the recent past, she finally made the decision to go with the family change. Whats different now? Toyin Abraham is a different and better brand and Im here to stay and break new grounds.

Toyin Abraham revealed that her journey to stardom started in 2003 when Bukky Wright scouted her in Ibadan, while she was helping out on set, and she eventually had to fill in for a missing actress.
Maverick entertainer and good governance advocate, Charles Oputa, also known Charly Boy has thrown his weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue of Nigerias unity.

President Buhari, in his nationwide address Monday, reiterated his administrations zero tolerance for secessionist agitations by some irresponsible elements.

Reacting to the speech, Charly Boy, who penultimate week led protesters on daily sit-outs at the Unity Fountain in Abuja demanding Buhari either resumes duty or resigns his position, said that he shares similar thoughts with the President on the Nigerian project.

According to him, there is a good reason for all Nigerians to believe in the unity of the country if the fundamental issues of our value erosion are addressed. He also said that Igbos agitating for an independent Biafra state over perceived marginalization by the government at the centre of the federation are missing a fundamental point; which is sitting round with other ethnic nationalities to dialogue and fashion a way forward for a better Nigeria for all.

He told Vanguard when asked his opinion on the issue of Nigerias unity as espoused by the President: A lot of my Southern brothers are asking why I should believe in Nigeria. My answer is why not if we can solve the fundamental problem bedeviling the nation which is the fact that our values have been eroded.

The youths are learning from their elders who are the political leaders. So far, we have seen elders and leaders who are enmeshed in corruption. Who are basically riff-raffs who are running around, who have managed to corner government. These are not the kind of people to move the country forward.

I want to see a better environment for all Nigerians. In fact, its painful that some of our children abroad no longer wish to return to Nigeria. Even, the ones in Nigeria want to leave the country.

If we push hard enough, Nigeria might just get better or something more positive than the present situation might happen, because we cant continue to exist like this.

I am an Igbo man. Even my people are yabbing me and asking me why break a sweat over Nigeria. Lets face Biafra instead. But I say to them; I may be a dreamer but I still believe in Nigeria.

It is the same fight Our Mumu Don Do movement and what the pro-Biafra agitators are struggling for. It is almost the same fight. Biafra people are saying that they have been marginalized and that is true. Nnamdi Kanu has brought Biafra and put on the table and exposed the marginalization of the Igbos which is right.

But ask me; Biafra or death? No, I dont believe in that. But let us sit around a table and discuss Biafra. Yes, I believe in dialogue. That is what we need to do.

That is why Our Mumu Don Do is telling young people please go and be part of this nation building and dont leave it to the old people; otherwise you will have no future in Nigeria.
As condemnation continued to trail the public holiday declared by the Kogi state government over the return of President Muhammadu Buhari, the government said the holiday was to celebrate the coming back of Mr President alive.

The director general, media and publicity to the governor, Kingsley Fanwo, said the holiday also afforded the people of the state the opportunity to pray and fast for the progress of Nigeria and for Buhari to keep waxing stronger for the task ahead.

This is just as the Igala Consultative Forum on Monday condemned the decision of the Kogi state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to declare a public holiday over the return of Buhari from medical vacation.

The national secretary of the forum, Sam Ugbede, said it was surprised at the action ofthe governor.

He said, The ill health of our president was of great concern to all Nigerians, and across all religions, and we all remained eternally grateful to God for answering our collective prayer, by granting our leader with abundant health, the Buhari we saw, we are all happy but our surprise is the declaration of public holiday by the government of Kogi state suddenly, what is it for?

He came back during the weekend, which is traditional public rest period, why extending it to Monday again? When Mondays are usually busy day, we did not see any reason or meaning for such restriction.

The lacuna this unthinkable decision is enough to cost Kogi economy colossal amount and lives of innocent patient who are scheduled for various medical services today.

There is no how this accidental holiday will not cost someone somewhere in Kogi his or herlife, dont be surprise that more lives could go.

We view this decision of the Kogi governor as immaturity of the highest order and uncalled for!

Buhari was on sick holiday for about 104 days, more than same period our Kogi was on holiday as the government under this man was brought to a halt, the activities of Kogi inparticular has been grounded for almost 18 months now, because since the beginning of this administration of Bello, nothing seems to be working.

As we are talking, our citadel of learning are under lock and key, the civil service is in disarray, our economy is the state of decadence paralysis, our state of being is at the mercy of God, complete breakdown of law and order, lawlessness everywhere, the state is under siege by terrorists.

But the government said it was unfortunate that those condemning it choose to take Panadol for our headache.

They should join us to celebrate the Lion of Africa and stop politicizing an act of patriotism on the part of the Governor.

The Governor had a health and celebratory walk today and visited the Specialist Hospital where he declared free medical care for all patients on admission. To the beneficial families, it was a great day.

God forbids, if Mr. President had died, many states would have declared many days of mourning. But Kogi only declared one day to thank God for saving our Presidents life. Are some people angry that Mr President is back, hale and hearty to continue to fight corruption?

 Tribune
A man who was caught with human flesh has made a shocking confession that has left many people completely flustered.

According to Daily Sun SA, a man who was found in possession of human parts allegedly told Escourt cops he was tired of eating human flesh.

Escort Cops spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the suspect walked into the Estcourt cop shop on Friday night and confessed to the cops on duty.

When he was questioned, he produced part of a human leg and a hand. Further investigation led police to a house in the Rensburgdrift area in Estcourt where police were met with a foul smell, and more human remains were found.

A second suspect was also arrested in Estcourt. A third suspect, who is a Sangoma (herbalist), was arrested in Amangwe area where more body parts were found.

It is alleged that the suspects raped, killed and cut up the body of a woman, which they then ate. The allegations by the suspect are that they would rape and kill the victims before they could cut them into pieces and eat their parts, said Mbhele.

She said police were still investigating if there are other people who had died at the hands of the suspects.

We urge those who have family relatives missing to come forward so that samples can be taken to perform DNA tests, she said.

A source said there were suspicions that the three may have violated graves as well.

They face rape, murder and charges relating to possession of human tissue, said Mbhele.

Ward councillor Mthembeni Majola said he could not believe his eyes when one of the suspects led community members and police to where the body of a women was buried.

It was buried under big rocks and we had to call a TLB machine to remove the rocks. They showed us the body parts in one of the houses. They admitted that they were waiting for the body parts to attract maggots. Apparently maggots collect money for them.

He said a community meeting had been called for today.

There had been a lot of rumours that foreign nationals were the ones killing people. None of those arrested is a foreign national. As community members we need to discuss how we are going to deal with this. We have also called izinyanga to the meeting. They need to distance themselves from this, he said.

Majola said the meeting will be held at Esigodlweni community hall.

Three suspects are expected to appear in the Estcourt Magistrates Court on Monday for being in possession of human remains.
4 South African men, including an ANC Ward Councilor who appeared at the Estcourt Magistrates Court Monday, are now facing cannibalism charges after one of them reportedly walked into a police station, to confess hes tired of eating human flesh.

Upon questioning, he produced part of a human leg and hand, and then led to Police to a house in KwaZulu-Natal where more body parts were found. It was also gathered that apart from the cannibalism charge, two of them traditional healers, were arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy to murder.

Though the Police is still investigating claims of, Police Spokesperson alleged that the four young men, aged between 22 and 32 years old, are part of a bigger syndicate, as they further urged people whose relatives have disappeared in the vicinity of Estcourt to come forward while a team of forensic experts has been called in to identify the remains, as it is not clear whether the body parts belong to one or several victims.
Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has reacted to claims by APC that he said that he will commit suicide if Buhari returns alive from his medical vacation.

Idowu Adelusi, Fayoses Chief Press Secretary, yesterday denied the statement in an interview with Premium Times. Adelusi said the statement was a creation of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the state.
The General Overseer of Christian Central Chapel International and National Publicity Secretary of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop (Dr) Emma Gospel Isong has blasted political elites and other Nigerians jubilating over the arrival of President Mohammed Buhari after spending over 100 days outside Nigeria for medical treatment.

According to him, the return of the President does not call for celebration as he called the act another mere political sychophancy by jobless people.

Speaking with Daily Post, he said: the President has simply returned back. I don know why people are making noise about Presidents return, to me, it is very primitive and the man is the President of Nigeria, he is back to his job after his medical leave.

He said We shouldnt spend one minute discussing anything about this man; he is only back to his job. That is not the first time he had gone out for medical leave. My Prayers is, let no International community listen to us. Father(God) dont let America, Europe, Germany and many others listen or watch what we are doing here over the return of President Buhari, in Jesus Name, Amen.

May they not hear that we beat drums and danced just to welcome our President that came back from London for medical treatment. If I was to step out of my house to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for medical treatment and when I came back, my children and everyone started queuing up, playing drums to welcome me, no, no no that is not it.

We do not need pomp and pageantry for a man who we employed in 2015. People should allow Mr President to rest, to focus, there is too much distraction on that man, there is too much political sycophancy, if we dont have what to do, we should all go out for farm and stop laziness; it is one form of primitiveness and laziness that is affecting us.

We like making a noise, but not much is done after the noise, nothing, this is not the first time we had changed mantra, we had green revolution mantra, we had operation feed the nation mantra, I dont get excited, we are going fashionable politically and socially, fashionable without being economically reasonable, we are not translating English to practical approach that can put food on the table of Nigerians.


National Chairman, National Conscience Party, Mr. Yunusa Tanko, has said that there was a rumour that President Muhammadu Buhari was poisoned through AC (Air Condition).

The president has almost spent a cummulative period of 6 months battling an ailment in London, United Kingdom and he has failed to make any public disclosure on the nature of the sickness. This has led to all manners of speculations in the alternative media especially in a period of a tough competition between the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition party in Nigeria  Peoples Democratic Party.

Tanko went further to say he was happy that Buhari came back safe and sound. He also said he was happy on how Buhari responded to the issue of Biafra agitation.

Tanko who featured on Channels TVs Sunrise Daily however said that the National Assembly is responsible for several agitations for restructuring in the country.

Watch the video of his interview below:
riGarba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant, SSA on Media mata to President Muhammadu Buhari say rodents don damage di President office and dis na why im dey work from home.

After im no dey for office for about three months, rodents don cause plenty damage for di furniture and air conditioning units wey dey for im office and dis na why e dey work from home for now, Shehu tell BBC.

Shehu tell BBC say dis na one of di reason why dem dey clean and renovate di office now.

After over 100 days in London where im dey on medical vacation, President Buhari return to Nigeria on Saturday, August 19. Im address di nation on Monday morning, come send letter to di National Assembly say im don resume work.

But, on Monday, di President still work from home and people come dey ask wetin cause this one.

Shehu say dem just dey clean di office and dis na why di President dey work from di office wey im get for di residential area of Aso Rock villa, wey bi seat of government for Nigeria.

Source: BBC Pidgin
The United Nations Childrens Fund on Tuesday, said about eighty-three children have been used as human bombs in terror attacks in Nigeria this year.

The children, including 55 girls, were reportedly induced to commit suicide bombings after being abducted from their families by the terror group Boko Haram.

The figure represents a rapid escalation of the horrific practice and is already four times higher than the whole of 2016, UNICEF said.

Thousands of children have been abducted by Boko Haram since the group launched a violent campaign in 2009 to form a state based on its interpretation of Islamic law in eastern Nigeria, many of which have been sent back into the surrounding community as suicide bombers.

The militants have waged a campaign of abductions, assassinations and bombings against those it considers non-believers, including the government of Nigeria and other muslims, especially in the region of Borno and the regional capital Maiduguri.

I was in Maiduguri in July, and the frequency of the attacks is incredible, UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado told VICE News by phone from Geneva. I was there for eight days, and there were five incidents involving two boys and four girls. The level of stress ordinary people are living through is extraordinary.

Most of the children forced to become suicide bombers are under 15 years old, UNICEF said. The report specified that in one gruesome incident, a victim included a baby that had been strapped to a girl.

A previous report released in April by UNICEF said the groups exact technique for inducing children to participate in suicide bombings remains uncertain, including whether the children are lied to or promised entry into heaven.

It is unclear whether some of these children are even aware of what they are being asked to do, the report said. It has been difficult to ascertain if some of these children are being used to transport the devices to other locations and other active combatants or if they are being forced into a perverse death mission in exchange for promised redemption and martyrdom.

The terror groups use of abducted children as suicide bombers reverberates beyond the threat of another attack. Children who are released or escape from the group are normally stigmatized, facing suspicion and rejection when they return home, according to UNICEF.

Boko Harams fundamentalist ideology preaches the rejection of all types of western culture, from democratic elections to clothing. The word haram means forbidden, and the groups name translates loosely as western education is forbidden.

The use of children as suicide bombers has expanded dramatically in recent years, from an initial 4 cases during 2014, to reach a total of 125 children, 95 of whom were girls.

The figures released Tuesday by UNICEF dont include attacks in the surrounding countries of Chad, Niger or Cameroon, which would push the figures even higher, Mercado said.
A pastor who was sexually assaulting his own church member, has been exposed after the woman got pregnant.

According to a The Hearld report, a popular Five Fold Ministries pastor in Zimbabwe allegedly r*ped a congregant, who is now pregnant, on five occasions.

The pastor, Admire Maurukira (29), reportedly committed the offence with the help of his friend, Kudakwashe Rwodzi, who is also a pastor.

This was after Rwodzi locked the two inside a house in Chitungwiza, resulting in Maurukira r*ping the complainant.

Maurukira has since appeared before Chitungwiza regional magistrate Ms Estere Chivasa, facing five counts of rape.

Ms Chivasa has remanded Maurukira out of custody to August 25 on $200 bail.

The prosecutor, Mr Tendai Mukariri, alleged that on the date unknown to him in August last year, the complainant (21) was under attack by evil spirits, when she was taken to Maurukiras house in Zengeza 1. Maurukira allegedly prayed for her and she was delivered.

After a week, Maurukira allegedly called her father to come and collect anointing oil for her.

Instead, the father sent her and upon arrival, was prayed for by Maurukira.

After a few minutes, Maurukiras friend, Rwodzi, arrived and he allegedly promised to accompany the two upon leaving.

They went to board a commuter omnibus, when Maurukira reportedly begged the pair to pass through his other house in St Marys.

When they arrived, the complainant set on a chair before Rwodzi locked the door from outside, promising to come back.

Maurukira allegedly took advantage of the situation and allegedly instructed her to comply as he was going to end her spiritual problems.

Maurukira allegedly lifted the complainant and placed her on the bed, where he raped her while gagging her mouth.

After committing the offence, Maurukira told her not to reveal it to anyone. His friend returned to unlock the door and later released the complainant.

Maurukira also raped the complainant four times from December last year to April this year.

She fell pregnant and Maurukira advised her to abort, but she refused.

The matter came to light in July when complainants aunt was alerted by their neighbour, a nurse, who observed that she was pregnant.

The matter was reported to the police leading to Maurukiras arrest.
On Tuesday, August 15, the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello urged NYSC members to stay patriotic and faithful. He beseeched them to play the most possible active role in making Nigeria firm and unified nation.

This governor`s appeal has already become one of the most important Kogi news of the week. Yahaya Bello declaimed his speech at the closing ceremony at the NYSC camp in Asaya, in front of the 1,725 group members.

The governor also strongly recommended the corps members to react devotedly and altruistically to the clarion call to make the constructive impact in the project of national integration and further development.

Additionally, Yahaya Bello highly praised the corps members for their perfect conduct, flexibility and strong focus all through the training period. He noted that the training would undoubtedly unlock new prospects and challenge to all of them.

You must never take the path of corruption and crime. Conversely, I want you to adhere to the war against corruption as soon as possible. Our country urgently needs all of you! Let the change in Nigeria start with you! Let the change begin with you, summarized the governor of Kogi State.

Moreover, Yahaya Bello guaranteed the corps members that he personally and his administration would do their best to make the favorable environment to allow them rendering efficient services to all the people of Kogi State.

Sometime earlier, Mrs. Ngozi Nwatarali, the Coordinator of Kogi State, advised the corps members to become an example to follow for their home communities. She also urged them to do their best to make the people independent and economically happy.

You are the future of our country. We expect you to turn into the generation of real leaders and achievers who would be unquestionably dedicated to noble service to their communities and Nigeria at large.

The Administrator of Ijumu Government Area, Mr. Taofiq Isa, wished the NYSC corps members to be hard-working, patriotic, faithful, and modest.
Copper Nears Important Area Taurus Trading LLC - Sat Nov 12, 11:33AM CST Watch price action between 3.9615 and 4.1167.

Elections, inflation and crop reports bring volatility Sidwell Strategies - Sat Nov 12, 11:28AM CST Black Sea Corridor Renewal ahead

Americans Are Saving Less. Heres How to Save More. Young & The Invested - Sat Nov 12, 6:00AM CST Several recent data studies show that Americans, after saving heavily during the pandemic, are starting to pull money from those savings. We discuss how to maintain healthy savings habits.

Hog Prices Closed Mixed Barchart - Fri Nov 11, 4:21PM CST Lean hog prices were mixed on Friday with 12 to 52 cent losses through the April contract. The deferred contracts closed 10 to 15 cents in the black with May UNCH. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price... HEZ22 : 84.350s (-0.62%) HEJ23 : 94.100s (-0.13%) KMZ22 : 94.900s (-0.63%)

Friday Cotton Closes Triple Digits Higher Barchart - Fri Nov 11, 4:21PM CST Cotton added 116 to 182 points to the upside on Friday after a brief pause for the WASDE numbers. That kept the board under the high on Tuesday, but ended as a weekly gain of 253 points. USDAs FAS... CTZ22 : 88.20s (+2.11%) CTH23 : 86.33s (+2.09%) CTK23 : 85.56s (+1.89%)
Pogoda Cos., a Farmington Hills, Mich.-based self-storage operator that also provides third-party management services to fellow facility owners, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Founded by Maurice Pogoda and his wife, Lori, in 1987, the company that began as a one-man brokerage firm now boasts more than 90 employees. It owns or manages 35 facilities in Michigan and Ohio.

When I started, no one knew what self-storage was. Today, it is on every real estate investors wish list, Pogoda said. As the industry changed, so did we. It was a natural progression to add third-party management and get involved as equity owners and developers.

The firm has brokered the sale of 150 properties with a market value of more than $500 million, according to a press release. Since its inception, it has managed or owned 75-plus facilities comprising more than 4.5 million rentable square feet of storage space. In addition, the company has built or renovated 22 storage properties.

Ive had the good fortune of leading a talented and dedicated group of real estate professionals. Without their diverse backgrounds and skillsets, we wouldnt have had the steady growth that has been our hallmark in good times and bad, Pogoda said.

The business has garnered local and national attention, and received industry recognition and accolades, the release stated. Pogoda has been a featured speaker at industry events, and has written or been quoted in industry trade publications.

Pogoda was instrumental in the founding of the Self Storage Association of Michigan and served as vice president for its first seven years. He also presented key testimony in legislative hearings that led to significant changes to the Michigan self-storage lien act. Pogoda currently serves on the Self Storage Association Foundation Board of Governors as well as other charitable boards. He and his wife support local and national charities through their personal foundation, the Lori and Maurice Pogoda Philanthropic Fund.

I like to think that my contributions have had some small hand in helping the industry grow to where it is today, Pogoda said.

Pogoda Cos. operates approximately 2.5 million square feet of self-storage space. The firm provides brokerage, management and investment services to the self-storage industry through the Pogoda Group Inc. and Pogoda Management Co. divisions.
SAUBLE BEACH, Ont.  August 22, 2017  Andrew Gresel led 80 laps and dominated the back half of the second-annual Outlaw Super Late Model Gold Rush 100 at Flamboro Speedway to score the $5,000 winners payday for the second straight year.

It was only Gresels second night this season behind the wheel of the London Recreational Racing/CUSW/Gallinger Ford No.81 Ford Fusion Super Late Model.

Its awesome, Gresel said. Two years in a row to be able to win this race down here is phenomenal. The car was really good tonight and it held on pretty much the whole 100 laps. Near the end it got a little bit tight, but otherwise we were really good. I was really happy with it.

Gresel time trialed fifth-quickest of the 21 cars in attendance, but held the fourth starting position after American Tyler Roahrig surrendered the pole to start at the rear of the field. Gresel quickly moved up into third position and made a pass for second just before a lap 20 caution that put him in prime position on the following restart.

The car wanted to stay down low, Gresel said. It was digging hard, but it didnt in until about 15 laps in then it started turning for me. Its nice to drive once everything gets heated up and it comes into you.

Gresel used the restart to power around the outside of Pete Shepherd III and take the lead. He never looked back from there and paced the remaining 80 laps to score the win. While Gresel was successful in getting to the front early, he was surprised at the pace over the first 20 laps.

I go into it wanting to set a nice consistent pace, but once again I got shown that it doesnt happen, Gresel said. Its really up to the guys up front. If they want to push the car as hard as they want to. Some guys dont have a choice. If youre side-by-side with a guy and he wants to run hard, its hard to give up the spot. Thats kind of how this race started  they were running hard right off the bat.

After running the first 20 laps behind the leaders and amongst lapped traffic, Gresel felt his car improve immediately when he was able to race in clean air after taking the lead.

It was like night and day, Gresel said of the difference. I was basically following those guys off the corner and they were coming up so high they were missing the wall by a half or quarter of an inch and a lot of the time I was hitting in it. I think I hit it about three times, so that wasnt working out for us at all.

The big event victory is a major confidence boost for Gresel and his Sauble Falls Racing team heading into another big event, the Rankin Construction Late Model Summer Shootout at Jukasa Motor Speedway next weekend. Twin 75-lap Features are scheduled for the APC United Late Model Series and 75 laps for Outlaw Super Late Models. Gresel is set to tackle all 225 laps.

Weve been running half decent, but we havent been as good as we were last year or the years before, Gresel said. This is a big confidence boost. We still have a few races coming up. With the Pro Late, were going to have to work pretty hard on it because we were a little bit behind in testing at Jukasa.

I think the Supers going to do really well. Hopefully we can apply some of the stuff were learning with the Super back to the Pro Late. We have lots of time there on the weekend coming up to make changes. We want to make sure that we have just as good a run there as we did here.

Qualifying will take place on Saturday, August 26 before a pair of APC United Late Model Series 75-lap Features and a 75-lap Outlaw Super Late Model event on Sunday, August 27. For additional information, visit www.jukasamotorspeedway.com.

SEASON STATS

Pro Late Model  7 Starts: 0 Wins, 6 Top-5s, 7 Top-10s

Super Late Model  3 Starts: 2 Wins, 3 Top-5s, 3 Top-10s

SAUBLE FALLS RACING MEDIA

Website: www.saublefallsracing.com

Facebook: facebook.com/saublefallsracing

Twitter: @SaubleFalls81

Andrew Gresel and the Sauble Falls Racing team are proud to partner with several dedicated marketing partners for the 2017 race season, including McRobert Fuels, Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Park, CUSW  Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, Hy-Grade Roofing, London Recreational, Gallinger Ford Lincoln, F1 Freight Systems, Ron OBrien Remax, Barrys Construction and Raden Givari at Ehomes.
The European Unions top court has struck down Allstates application to register its Drivewise software as an EU trademark.Allstate filed the application before the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in November, 2014. About four months later, an examiner rejected the registration outlining that Drivewise did not meet the characteristics of a trademark as set forth by EU law as it is too generic  devoid of any distinct character.The insurance giant lodged a case with the EU Court of Justice last year, and asked it to annul the EUIPOs decision. The judicial bodys General Court dismissed Allstates request and ruled in favour of the regulator. It also ordered the insurer to pay all costs connected to the pleadings.On its US website, Allstate says the software is aimed at rewarding drivers with safe motoring habits. It collects data on driving behaviour including hard braking, high speeds, and at what times theyre behind the wheel. Allstate called for reconsideration, but the regulators Board of Appeal shot it down.According to the Courts ruling, Allstate argued that the EUIPOs Board of Appeal disregarded the unusual and fanciful character of the combination of the terms drive and wise.In the case of Drivewise, it said that a mark consisting of a neologism or of a word composed of elements, each of which is descriptive of characteristics of the goods or services in respect of which registration is sought, is itself descriptive of the characteristics of those goods or services, unless there is a perceptible difference between the neologism or the word and the mere sum of its parts.It added that Drivewise can immediately be understood by the relevant public as the grammatically correct expression drive safely.Drivewise is currently trademarked in the US  but the Court said this should not be taken into account, as the EU trademark system is independent and made up of a body of rules specific to it.
Specialist insurer Hiscox and technology start-up Digital Fineprint have teamed up to look into how small businessess social media data could help in understanding specific risks and the appropriate covers for the underinsured sector.With many small firms operating either without any cover or with unsuitable policies, they become vulnerable to risks and costs  not to mention confused as to what and how much of it they need in particular. Hiscox said there is no one-size-fits-all approach.Digital Fineprints social media analytics expertise will complement the insurers personalised service provided to small businesses, with the two organisations coming up with a tool to turn the data into insights as to what covers would be relevant.Many of our customers are one-man bands and micro businesses who are busy driving their companies forwards without the time to fully understand their insurance needs, said Steven Wilkins, head of underwriting insight at Hiscox.He continued: Were excited to investigate the role that social media could play in providing a more personalised service to these customers and help them make a more informed decision.According to the Hiscoxs DNA of an Entrepreneur Report 2016, 18% of respondents had no cover at all against a list of 11 common types of insurance. Meanwhile, 36% of small business owners and managers said they see no barrier to using social media in their business.Erik Abrahamsson, Digital Fineprint chief executive, commented: Hiscoxs collaborative approach to innovation provides the perfect environment for us to develop our solution in partnership with one of the leading SME insurers in the market, and we are looking forward to helping UK SMEs ensure they are adequately covered.Hiscox will fund the project, as well as dedicate a team of underwriters to work closely with Digital Fineprint.
Three specialist insurance brands are taking the lead to bring the international diversity and inclusion festival Dive In to Melbourne for the first time.SURA, a group of specialist underwriting agencies, insurance law firm Wotton + Kearney, and Liberty International Underwriters have joined forces to deliver the first Melbourne Dive In Festival, themed Tackling Unconscious Bias.The event, designed to raise awareness and facilitate discussion and participation about unconscious bias, will be held as an interactive world cafe-style session on Sept. 27. It will feature Tracey Spicer, a diversity advocate and journalist, as MC, and Jan Cooper, renowned Women's AFL trailblazer and an expert in unconscious bias.Angie Zissis, SURA managing director, said diversity and inclusion will position the insurance industry around the world as a true progressive business force.Enhanced diversity and inclusion in Australias insurance industry will position us all for a robust and resilient business future, by encouraging insight and contribution from all our great people, Zissis said. David Kearney , Wotton + Kearney chief executive partner, stressed the responsibility of organisations in helping their industry get fit for the future, and improved diversity and inclusion can be beneficial for all.By taking the issue directly to the local community in Melbourne in an engaging and inspirational event with exceptional subject-matter experts and guest speakers, we are looking forward to playing a key role in supporting the insurance industry take further practical steps towards understanding and improving diversity and inclusion, Kearney said.John McCabe, Liberty International Underwriters senior vice president, said there is a need for the industry to attract and retain the best talent in order to boost its reputation for boldness and innovation.People today are drawn to and thrive in inclusive workplaces. Inclusion creates better productivity and team performance, lays the groundwork for inspiring innovation, and reflects the values of our global customer base, McCabe said. In Melbourne we will show diverse and inclusive workplaces are becoming a business fundamental, not a discretionary addition.The Dive In Festival was launched in London in 2015. This year, the international, sector-wide event will be held in 32 cities in Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, China, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, USA, and the UK.
Some library workers in Maryland are learning how to administer an opioid overdose antidote.

The Baltimore Sun reports that library systems in Harford, Carroll and Anne Arundel counties have begun offering training to staff in administering naloxone, commonly known as Narcan.

Carroll County libraries Director Lynn Wheeler says 121 of her employees have participated in the optional training. She says her staff wants to be prepared to help people in whatever way they need.

Harford County library system CEO Mary Hastler says it has offered naloxone training since 2015. She says staff members have not yet had to administer the drug.

The Anne Arundel system held its first staff training session this month. Spokeswoman Christine Seldmann says staff members see customers as family and want to help them in emergencies.

Information from: The Baltimore Sun

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Training Development Maryland
The Connecticut Supreme Court in August supported a jurys decision to award $41.7 million in damages to a student permanently disabled by a tick bite while on a school field trip in China, stating that schools in Connecticut are obligated to warn students and parents about risk exposures for field trips.

The court also addressed concerns brought about by its decision that this would lead to a chilling effect on educational travel abroad or an increase in similar litigation.

This comes after plaintiff Cara L. Munn, a student at the defendant private boarding school, The Hotchkiss School, brought a negligence action in federal court to recover damages resulting from injuries she sustained after contracting tick-borne encephalitis, a viral infectious disease that attacks the central nervous system, on a school field trip to China.

Munn claimed Hotchkiss was negligent by failing to warn students and their parents of the risk of exposure to tick-borne encephalitis and failing to ensure the students took protective measures against insect bites.

The jury awarded Munn $41.75 million in damages, of which $31.5 million constituted noneconomic damages, and the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut rendered judgment for Munn. Hotchkiss appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which decided there was sufficient evidence presented at trial for the jury to find Munns illness was foreseeable.

The Second Circuit then referred two questions to the Supreme Court regarding whether Connecticut public policy supports imposing a duty on a school to warn or protect against the foreseeable risk of a serious insect-borne disease when it organizes a trip abroad, and whether the damages awarded in this case were considered excessive. The Supreme Court affirmed that schools in Connecticut have a duty to warn students and parents of serious risk exposures regarding field trips and rejected the notion that the damages were considered excessive.

Trip Background

In June and July of 2007, Munn joined other Hotchkiss students and faculty on a trip to China. In July, she contracted tick-borne encephalitis after being bitten by an infected tick during a hike on Mount Panshan. As a result, she suffered permanent brain damage that is expected to impact her for the rest of her life, according to the Supreme Court opinion document.

Prior to the trip in the spring of 2007, Jean Yu, the director of Hotchkiss Chinese language and culture program and the leader of the trip, and David Thompson, the director of its international programs, gave the students traveling to China information about the trip, including a list of places the students would visit and an itinerary that did not indicate the students would visit a forested area, according to the opinion document.

Students and parents also received written medical advice for the trip in an email, including a hyperlink to a United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website that incorrectly sent users to a page addressing Central America rather than China. The same document, as well as a pre-departure manual produced by Thompsons office, indicated Hotchkiss infirmary could serve as a travel clinic, although the infirmary was not qualified to provide travel-related medical advice, the opinion document said.

Finally, a packing list provided to the students going on the China trip included bug spray, which was listed under the heading miscellaneous items, the document said.

Ahead of the trip, the opinion document also said Thompson viewed the page on the CDC website directed at travelers to China. The page listed tick-borne encephalitis as a risk and provided instructions on prevention methods. At trial, Thompson admitted seeing this information at the time of the trip. No one on behalf of Hotchkiss, including Thompson, warned students or their parents about the presence of tick-borne encephalitis in forested regions of northeastern China or the need to protect against it, however, according to the opinion.

While on the field trip, the group of students, chaperones and faculty ascended Mount Panshan together on a paved pathway, dressed in shorts and T-shirts or tank tops, but they split up for the descent. While most students, teachers and chaperones rode a cable car down the mountain, Munn and some other students were permitted to walk down the mountain by themselves. On the way down, Munn and her fellow students left the paved pathway and became lost, walking on narrow dirt trails, among trees and through brush before eventually rejoining the rest of the group. Along the way, Munn received many insect bites and soon developed an itchy welt. Ten days later, she began to experience the first symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis.

She subsequently became partially paralyzed and semicomatose, but her condition eventually stabilized and improved. As a result of her illness, Munn cannot speak, has limited dexterity in her hands and has limited control over her facial muscles. Although she remains intelligent, she has compromised brain functioning that inhibits her ability to utilize her intelligence, the courts opinion said.

Case Analysis

Although public policy in Connecticut does not impose a duty on a school to warn about or protect against the risk of a serious insect-borne disease when organizing a trip abroad, it is widely recognized that schools are generally obligated to exercise reasonable care to protect students in their care from foreseeable harms, and there was no compelling reason to create an exception in this case, the Supreme Court found in its opinion.

Hotchkiss argued, however, that there should be no duty to warn or protect in the circumstances of this case because the chances of the plaintiff contracting tick-borne encephalitis were remote.

Although we agree that tick-borne encephalitis is not a widespread illness, when it strikes, the results can be devastating, the opinion document stated. both the likelihood and the gravity of potential harm should be taken into consideration, as well as the burden of taking adequate precautions to prevent that harm from occurring.

Hotchkiss also challenged the amount in damages awarded, seeking a remittitur of the noneconomic portion. Although it did not claim there was any jury impropriety, it argued that the award was excessive as a matter of law. The District Court, however, rejected this claim and declined to order a remittitur. The Supreme Court concluded that the award, although sizeable, fell within the necessarily uncertain limits of just damages, the opinion document stated.

Although the District Court concluded Munn is normal in other ways, can still experience the world as a person without a brain injury would and was able to finish high school and enroll in college at the time of trial, the court also surveyed other, similar cases in which large damages were awarded.

It concluded the injuries in those cases, when considered together, provided a fair benchmark and an assurance that the award in this case was not excessive. Specifically, when the plaintiffs award and those from the case law were broken down into annual rates of compensation, on the basis of each injured partys remaining life expectancy, Munns award actually fell on the lower end of the resulting range of values, the opinion document said, adding that Munns life expectancy was approximately 66 years.

Additional Concerns

In its opinion, the Supreme Court also addressed concerns brought about by this lawsuit that the decision could have a chilling effect on educational travel abroad or could lead to a flood of similar litigation.

It noted that recognizing a schools general duty to protect its students, including the responsibility to take reasonable measures to warn and protect against serious insect-borne diseases, will serve to promote safety by ensuring unnecessary risks are eliminated or reduced.

Travel, of course, will always entail certain risks, some of which cannot be eliminated or reduced, the court document said. The elimination of unnecessary risks, i.e., those that can be minimized with little effort, however, should encourage, rather than dampen, enthusiasm for traveling abroad.

The court also noted its skepticism that this recognition will lead to a substantial increase in litigation, arguing it would only allow students the opportunity to prove negligence when necessary, and it would not create a new cause of action.

The case remains on appeal at the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Topics USA China Connecticut
For years, Kai-Fu Lee would share his venture capital firms office space in Beijing with startups he was backing so they could get advice and collaborate with each other. But about three months ago, the last of the startups packed up and moved out. The desks were promptly taken over by employees of Sinovation Ventures latest growing endeavor, an in-house AI Institute.

It makes more sense to have our AI team together in the office  theres more synergy, says Lee, a veteran of both Google and Microsoft Corp. in China, during an interview at his headquarters in the citys Haidian District. The AI Institute now has about 30 full-time employees with plans to grow headcount to about a hundred within the year.

Chinas government has declared its ambition to lead the world in artificial intelligence by 2030. That ambition, set forth in state plan issued in July, creates a hospitable environment for AI entrepreneurs and investors. Lees first aim is not world domination, but more pragmatic. About 80 percent of his shops funding and attention is now focused on achieving practical business efficiencies, with the other 20 percent lavished on potentially more disruptive if speculative AI-related technologies.

While flashy AI-related projects like driverless cars tend to grab the most headlines, Lee says hes first focused on the low-hanging fruit of improving the back-ends of many business and industrial operations. The trick is convincing Chinas lumbering state-run industrial giants, not typically seen as on the leading technology edge, that their operations can benefit significantly from AI.

Were first taking whats known, whats been proven in the academic research, and applying it to areas where huge amounts of data exist and are accurately and objectively labeled, says Lee. Every bank, insurance company, every loan company, every e-commerce site has longitudinal customer data. Tailored algorithms can help loan officers improve risk assessment, help banks detect fraudulent credit-card activities, and help sales agents narrow down lists of potential customers to determine which ones youll apply tele-sales prospects.

One of the firms investments is a startup called SmartFinance, which uses AI to help determine how to make loans over the internet. The companys app uses as many as 1,200 data points collected by its smartphone app to assign credit ratings for would-be customers.

While Chinas leading internet companies  Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and others  all have significant in-house AI teams, Lee recognizes that state-run insurance companies, investment firms, logistics managers, and others wont necessarily have the reputation, swanky offices, or high salaries to attract top-notch AI scientists, whose numbers remain scarce in China. So hes configuring his AI Institute to provide solutions or services directly, like a high-tech consultancy.

Were building an AI solutions team to talk to big businesses about designing customized recommendation engines, risk management tools, etc., explains Lee.

The goal is to design reusable AI toolkits, says John Woo, a vice president at the AI Institute. He and Lee expect the financial industry in China will be among the first to be radically transformed by the application of AI. For picking stocks, the future of mutual funds will all be made this way, by algorithms, says Lee. Today you have all these Morningstar ratings of funds  but AI will replace all these one day.

On the August morning that Bloomberg News visited Sinovation Ventures offices in northern Beijing, about three dozen students from universities in the U.S. and China were putting final tweaks on their summer camp projects. The inaugural class of DeeCamp students  ranging from undergrads to PhD candidates  had been selected from more than 1,000 applicants, says Woo. The objective is to get more students interested in AI, especially in China, and perhaps identify Sinovations future interns or employees.

One student team designed a buggy out of parts ordered on Amazon and Taobao, which uses a spinning lidar sensor mounted on top to develop a map of the office layout. It recognizes ceiling pipes and doorways, although it has more trouble recognizing feet and other obstacles directly in front of it. Still, for about five weeks labor, its an impressive effort. It reminds me of a small child, says Woo, who has two children. It is still teaching itself about the world.

Lee set up the summer camp because of the talent shortage in the industry. He anticipates bringing in such student groups multiple times a year in the future, and will probably end up hiring some because he needs the brainpower. AI is the most important part of our investment portfolio, he says.

By Christina Larson

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics InsurTech China Funding Data Driven
Old, fat and ugly is what Yevgeniya Magurina jokingly calls a group of flight attendants for Russias flagship airline Aeroflot who she claims have been sidelined in an apparent drive to make the cabin crew younger and more physically attractive.

A Moscow court is due to rule on today in Magurinas lawsuit against Aeroflot, the first of two possible appeals against a previous ruling rejecting her claim that she was taken off sought-after long-haul international flights because of her looks. The stewardess action has triggered a wave of support as well condemnation, putting the spotlight on how women in modern Russia are still often judged by their physical appearance.

The first warning for Magurina, 42, came last summer when she went to pick up a new uniform and discovered that Aeroflot no longer stocks any above Russian size 48 (U.S. size 10.) Magurina, who says size 48 fits her hips but not her chest, used to order a larger size and get it tailored.

Then, all flight attendants were ordered to be weighed and photographed as part of a contest to staff a special business class crew. Several months later, Magurina, who had typically worked as senior attendant, arrived at the Sheremetyevo airport for her flight only to see she was assigned a junior role: You scan your pass, the names of the crew light up and you see your position. No one has even told me.

Magurina says a sympathetic manager leaked her documents showing that some 600 of Aeroflots 7,000 cabin crew staff, mostly women, were re-assigned to lesser flights without bonus pay because they were considered too old, fat and ugly. The Associated Press could not verify the numbers.

No one cares about professionalism  you have to be young, slim and pretty, she said. But local courts in April dismissed her lawsuit as well as a similar claim by another flight attendant, Irina Ierusalimskaya, saying it lacked evidence of discrimination.

Vladimir Alexandrov, Aeroflots deputy CEO for legal matters, says Magurina and Ierusalimskayas lawsuits are a routine employee vs. employer dispute that has been deliberately inflated to the scale of a public campaign aimed at tarnishing the airlines reputation.

Magurina is seeking 500,000 rubles ($8,500) in damages and wants the court to rule the companys regulations on clothing sizes discriminatory. The pay slips she submitted show that she stopped receiving bonus pay, roughly 20 percent, after she asked for a size 52 uniform, and that she was no longer assigned the role of senior steward. Magurina and Ierusalimskaya claim that the downgrading was part of a wider move against hundreds of others who faced pay cuts and were taken off the prestigious long-haul flights. The two lawsuits are individual actions, and the two women say they are the only ones taking Aeroflot to court.

Aeroflot denied the claims of discrimination in court, arguing that the company had no obligation to pay bonuses. It also insisted its preference for slimmer staff has objective reasons: Overweight attendants could also pose a safety risk by blocking emergency exits, and require more costly fuel to transport.

The company has been pushing to transform itself from a drab post-Soviet airline into a rival of worlds best airlines on comfort and efficiency. Its most recent efforts included a five-year partnership deal with FC Manchester United, as well as enlisting prominent chefs to create menus for business class passengers.

The Skytrax consultancy recently rated it four out of five stars, and Aeroflot has entered the worlds top 20 airlines by the number of passengers carried.

But there has been controversy, too.

An online forum of flight attendants in 2010 published what appeared to be a calendar with a nude woman wearing a flight attendants red hat and white gloves posing by an Aeroflot plane and inside the cabin. The company promptly denied that it had commissioned the shoot.

When asked whether the company has stopped stocking XL uniforms for female cabin crew staff, Alexandrov told the Associated Press that Aeroflot does not disclose its internal rules and regulations.

The two womens court battle with Russias biggest airline has attracted support from some and condemnation from others  at an April news conference, a member of Aeroflots advisory board argued it was quite acceptable to pay for good looks.

Aeroflot is a premium airline, and the staffs looks is definitely one of the things the clients pay for, said Pavel Danilin, himself an overweight man.

Aeroflot told the AP its advisory board members do not speak on the companys behalf.

Ksenia Sobchak, a socialite turned prominent journalist who doesnt shy from voicing common but unpleasant opinions, said she understands why Aeroflot would want to get rid of older and less physically attractive women.

If you build a beautiful company, you have the right to demand that your staff look good, Sobchak said on the Dozhd television channel after the April ruling. Why would you become a flight attendant if your butt is this big?

Yulia Zakharova, a Moscow-based clinical psychologist, said the public reaction to the trial shows that Russia is still a largely patriarchal society despite decades of Communist gender-equality slogans.

In Soviet times women were equal in a sense that she was to go and get a job but then she would come home and make dinner. These expectations are still there, Zakharova said.

The fact that the female flight attendants are reportedly expected to stay well below size L while men are allowed wear XL shows how underprivileged women are in Russia.

Society judges women with the eyes of a young man, Zakharova said.

Magurina, who keeps two sets of size-48 uniforms in her closet, laments that a few inches could undermine her decade of work as a stewardess and seven years with Aeroflot.

Right now theres a policy that a flight attendant has to be sexually attractive, she says. But our role onboard is different: Its to ensure safety, not to be an object of sexual desire. This is wrong and hurtful.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Russia Aviation
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has reached a $4.5 million settlement with an Arizona-based pharmaceutical company that her office sued for deceptive marketing of an opioid drug meant for cancer patients.

Madigan said Insys Therapeutics Inc. pushed a highly addictive opioid in complete disregard for patients health to increase company profits.

The lawsuit she filed last year accused Insys of selling Subsys, a drug significantly more powerful than morphine, to treat a wide variety of pain such as back and neck pain. The drug was not approved for those uses.

Insys officials didnt respond to phone messages left by the Associated Press at the companys Phoenix-area office. The company has previously said the marketing of Subsys was appropriate.

Madigan says the $4.5 million will fund drug treatment programs.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Illinois Drugs
In a first-of-its-kind review of court documents, police reports, other public records and news accounts, Reuters compiled the most comprehensive public accounting to date of deaths and litigation that followed police use of Tasers.

In all, reporters documented 1,005 people who have died in the United States following encounters with police in which Tasers were used either on their own or, more often, as part of a larger mosaic of force. In at least 153 of those cases, Reuters found, coroners or medical examiners cited the Taser as a cause or contributing factor in the death.

Among the 1,000-plus fatalities, Reuters found that wrongful death lawsuits were filed in at least 442 of the incidents. Nearly all the suits  435  were filed against police and the municipalities that employ them. Taser International, the manufacturer, was named as a defendant in 128 cases. There were three lawsuits, from 1983 to 1987, against Taser Industries Inc, a business Taser International acquired in 2003. The company recently changed its name to Axon Enterprise Inc.

Reuters conducted hundreds of interviews with current and former police officials, lawyers involved in lawsuits involving Tasers, academics and other independent experts, relatives of people who died and Taser International.

Here are the sources of information and the methodologies behind the projects key findings:

Deaths following Taser shocks:

To identify these cases, Reuters examined thousands of court records, police reports and news stories from 1983, the earliest mention of a fatality identified in a police encounter where a Taser was used, through July 31, 2017. Legal records were searched using Westlaw, a database of legal filings owned by Thomson Reuters, as well as Lexis and Pacer, two other databases of legal documents. Reuters also researched news accounts nationwide.

The news agency reviewed reports by other organizations that tracked deaths in incidents where Tasers were used, including the human rights group Amnesty International, and advocacy websites Truth Not Tasers and Fatal Encounters. Reuters used stricter criteria than those organizations to decide which cases to count, so our tally does not include more than three dozen deaths those organizations identified. Nevertheless, Reuters listing of 1,005 deaths is 44 percent larger than the 700 reported by Amnesty at the end of 2016.

Among the cases Reuters opted not to include were those in which a person was shot with a firearm after being stunned by a Taser. The only exceptions were six cases in which the Taser use was cited in a wrongful death lawsuit or an autopsy specifically ruled out the gunshot as the primary cause of death. Reuters also counted only those deaths in which it could identify the victim and confirm through court documents, police reports, other public records or credible media accounts that a Taser was used. If Reuters was unable to confirm Taser use, the incident wasnt counted. For example, some lists of fatalities involving Tasers include Mark Lee, who died in a 2006 encounter with police in Rochester, New York. News reports said police disputed the familys assertion that a Taser was used. Reuters omitted the case after contacting the familys lawyer, who said the Lees were ultimately unable to prove definitively a Taser was used.

Reuters included 17 cases in which people died from choking on bags of drugs while being stunned. The news agency surveyed a number of pathologists on whether a Taser shock would increase the likelihood of choking under those circumstances. They offered no clear consensus but most suggested it was possible.

Taser said the only deaths that can be attributed to its stun guns involve 24 cases in which the person died from secondary injuries, such as falls or fires caused by the Taser.

Taser International also tracks deaths in police incidents where its weapons were used and catalogs that information in a database of in-custody deaths proximal to Taser use, according to court testimony from company officials. The company declined to share the data with Reuters.

Seventeen of the deaths on the Reuters list occurred before Taser International acquired the technology from its inventor in 1993 and began marketing its first version of the weapons.

Autopsy findings:

Taser International has long argued that its weapons are almost never to blame when someone dies after being stunned. Reuters sought autopsy results and cause-of-death rulings for all the 1,000-plus deaths. Many states restrict access to autopsy records and do not release them publicly.

But Reuters was able to collect official cause-of-death rulings for more than 70 percent of the deaths it identified  712 cases. Tasers were listed as a cause of death or a contributing factor or condition in 153 of those cases. Most of the other autopsies cited a combination of heart and medical conditions, drug use and various forms of trauma.

Many of the autopsies reviewed by Reuters listed the cause of death as multi-factorial. The autopsies that cited a Taser shock often included it as one of several components of their ruling.

To collect the autopsies, Reuters filed public records requests in dozens of states and scores of counties. In 278 cases, Reuters obtained full autopsies. In 348 others, medical examiners, coroners or other local officials provided the cause-of-death findings, often with contributing factors or conditions, in writing or by reciting the information over the phone.

In 86 cases, Reuters obtained cause of death information through other official records, such as reports from state investigations or court documents.

Wrongful death lawsuits:

Reuters set out to identify all wrongful death suits filed in cases where someone died after being stunned with a Taser during a police encounter. The process involved constructing a series of queries using different parameters to search Westlaw, Lexis and Pacer. Reuters also combed through state court filings in dozens of states to find lawsuits. Those searches yielded several thousand suits in which a stun gun was mentioned.

Reporters then reviewed all the search results and identified 442 cases in which Tasers factored into a wrongful death claim, sifting out injury suits and the vast majority of suits in which the subject was shot with a firearm. In 120 of the 442 cases, or 27 percent, the Taser was the only force alleged in the claim; in the remaining 322 cases, the stun guns were alleged to have been part of a broader array of police force.

Most of those cases were filed in federal court. Because not all state courts are included in Westlaw and other legal databases, the 442 figure likely omits some state cases.

Settlements and awards:

More than three-fifths of the 366 concluded lawsuits against governments, or 232, resulted in judgments or settlements for the plaintiffs: 220 settlements and 12 judgments. Reuters was able to determine the payouts in 193 cases, totaling $172 million paid by cities and their insurers. That dollar figure does not include three dozen cases in which settlements remained confidential or were unavailable.

The settlement and judgment totals were obtained by filing public records requests with dozens of municipalities. In some cases, government agencies declined or did not respond to requests for data. In some of those instances, Reuters was able to confirm settlement amounts through court records, lawyers or media reports.

Because Reuters was not able to identify settlement amounts in dozens of cases where terms werent disclosed, the actual total of payouts by local governments and their insurers is certainly higher than $172 million.

Taser declined to share detailed information on which cases it has settled and how much it has paid to satisfy those settlements.

(Editing by Ronnie Greene and Michael Williams)

Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement
Louisianas flood recovery board agreed on Aug. 18 to Gov. John Bel Edwards plan to widen eligibility for a homeowner aid program by including those whose flood insurance proceeds didnt cover their rebuilding costs.

Grant amounts for some homeowners without flood insurance who already had been eligible for limited rebuilding aid also will be boosted, under program changes unanimously backed by the Restore Louisiana Task Force.

The $1.3 billion homeowner aid program was created with federal recovery dollars to help those with damage from the March and August 2016 floods.

Of those with flood insurance, only elderly and disabled, low- to moderate-income homeowners had been eligible for the program. But Edwards administration determined it can broaden eligibility based on applications received so far.

Its clear that there should be enough funds to meet additional unmet needs of affected households, Pat Forbes, executive director of the states recovery agency, said in a statement.

About $16 million in grants have been awarded to more than 550 homeowners so far.

More than 40,000 people have taken the survey that is the first step to determining eligibility. The Edwards administration has been trying to encourage more people to fill it out, knowing that about 100,000 homes were estimated to have been damaged by the floods.

Some of the approved adjustments will require approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees the federal recovery block grant money. Edwards office expects to easily get the necessary support.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana Flood Homeowners
Oklahomas workers compensation system seems to have benefited from reforms that were initiated in 2013, at least in terms of premium costs for businesses.

By the end of 2016, employers in Oklahoma had seen a 30 percent reduction in workers compensation premium costs and the state had recorded a nearly $300 million reduction in workers comp premium written, according to the 2016 annual report of the Oklahoma Workers Compensation Commission, which was released in late June 2017.

The OWCC attributes the improvements to the workers compensation reforms that began in 2013 with the passage of SB 1062. As a result of those reforms, workers comp premium written in Oklahoma dropped from $961 million in 2013 to $673 million in 2016. The bill established the Administrative Workers Compensation Act (Act) and created the Workers Compensation Commission (OWCC) to govern the workers comp system in the state. It became fully operational on Feb. 1, 2014.

The OWCC replaced the former Oklahoma Workers Compensation Court, which heard workers compensation claims disputes prior to Feb. 1, 2014. Cases filed before that date now go before the Oklahoma Workers Compensation Court of Existing Claims; cases filed after Feb. 1, 2014, are heard by the commission.

The workers comp reform package of 2013 also created the Oklahoma Employee Injury Benefit Act, or Opt Out Act, which allowed qualified employers to opt out of the Oklahoma workers comp system by establishing an Employee Benefit Plan (Plan) under the provisions of federal law, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

That act was subsequently struck down by the state supreme court which found it to be an unconstitutional special law in a ruling in Vasquez v. Dillards in September 2016.

With certain exceptions, businesses in the state are required to maintain workers compensation insurance coverage and the OWCC has created an online system for coverage verification based on policy data reported to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI).

The compliance division of the OWCC conducts investigations, issues proposed judgments, and collects penalties for failure to secure compensation under the Administrative Workers Compensation Act, the annual report states. Last year, the compliance division conducted 309 investigations and issued 75 proposed judgments.

Combined, the broad categories of slip, fall and trip injuries (26.85 percent), and miscellaneous causes (20.22 percent) represented nearly half of all workplace injury claims, which totaled 7,705 in 2016.

Overall, men reported nearly twice as many injuries from all causes than women, with 4,980 filings for men compared with 2,725 for women.

The 45  54 age group filed the highest percentage of claims, 30.1 percent, for a total of 2,319 claims filed.

The commissions docketing division, which sets hearings and prehearing conferences, and manages administrative dockets, in 2016 scheduled:

7,045 Hearings

23,078 Prehearing Conferences

103 Appeals

36 Compliance Cases

100 Form 19 (Medical Fee Dispute Resolution) Hearings

In terms of premium written, the top five workers comp insurers in Oklahoma are:

Company 2016 Premium Written % Market Share Compsource Mutual Ins. Co. $205,628,805 30.56% National American Ins. Co. $23,508,022 3.49% Zurich American Ins. Co. $18,725,013 2.78% Stonetrust Commercial Ins. Co $16,044,609 2.38% Travelers Indemnity Co. of America $14,163,952 2.10%

Topics Trends Workers' Compensation Oklahoma
An investigation led by the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) Bureau of Insurance Fraud has led to the arrest of a Miami insurance agent for attempting to evade a higher insurance premium for his assisted living facility (ALF) client.

According to Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and DFS, an investigation found insurance agent Claudia Estevez aided Ariel Mora by helping him submit a fictitious insurance application, allowing Mora to fraudulently obtain a less expensive, inadequate insurance policy.

Investigators allege Mora completed a residential homeowners insurance application indicating the structure he was insuring was not being used for business or commercial purposes. Estevez authorized the application allowing Mora to purchase a home owners insurance policy instead of obtaining a commercial insurance policy for his ALF, as required by Florida law.

DFS said the investigation found Estevez knew the property was intended to be an ALF and was attempting to help Mora obtain a lower insurance premium. As a result of Estevezs actions, Citizens Property Insurance lost $1,536 in underpaid premiums. In addition, any future claims against Moras ALF policy would have been denied due to inadequate insurance coverage.

Investigators arrested Estevez Aug. 9, 2017 and charged her with insurance fraud, grand theft and organized scheme to defraud. Estevez was transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without incident and is being held with a $15,000 bond. If convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison.

Investigators arrested Mora May 24, 2017 and charged him with insurance fraud and grand theft. Mora was transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and is being held with a $10,000 bond.

These cases will be prosecuted by the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

ALFs are long-term care residences that offer various services such as health and medicine management, transportation and meal services in an effort to support seniors and developmentally or physically disabled members of our local communities.

Source: Florida Department of Financial Services

Topics Florida Agencies Fraud
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) is a global leader in defense-related products. Formed after a merger of Lockheed Corp. and Martin Marietta in 1995, the company's largest customer is the U.S. government, which in 2021 represented 71% of net sales. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., the company employs roughly 114,000 workers and generates almost $67 billion in revenue annually.

Lockheed Martin makes the F-35 fighter jet, with the U.S. government being the largest contract. Several other countries have also lined up to place orders. On June 18, 2017, Reuters reported that Lockheed reached a $37 billion deal with 11 different countries (including the U.S.) for sales of 440 F-35 fighter jets. In late August of that year, it was awarded a long term contract worth up to $8 billion with the U.S. government.

Key Takeaways Lockheed Martin is a defense company with substantial contracts with the U.S. military.

71% of Lockheed's revenue comes from the U.S. government.

In addition to fighter jets, the company makes cargo jets, hypersonic missiles that travel one mile per second, and space capsules for NASA.

Lockheed's main competitors include Boeing, BAE Systems, General Dynamics, and Raytheon.

Beyond fighter jets, Lockheed Martin is also experiencing increased orders for its C-130 cargo planes. With its $9 billion purchase of Sikorsky Aircraft from United Technologies Corporation (UTX) in 2015, Lockheed Martin also witnessed an increase in sales of its Black Hawk helicopters.  In 2018, it received two large orders ($928 million and $480 million) for hypersonic missiles from the Air Force. It received a $4.6 billion order for Orion space capsules from NASA in 2019.

Lockheed Martin competes with several other aerospace and defense companies at home and abroad.

Boeing Company

Boeing Company (BA) generates more than twice Lockheed Martin's revenue, but just over one-third comes from defense contracts. The century-old aerospace company is one the worlds largest, and a leading manufacturer of commercial and government aircraft. It is also heavily involved in advanced technology solutions for defense, space, and national security. On the defense side, it manufactures fighter jets, helicopters, and the B-52 bomber.

BAE Systems Plc.

BAE Systems Plc. (BA.L) is a British defense contractor that generates more than $20 billion in annual revenue, of which the vast majority comes from defense contracts. The company manufacturers naval ships and submarines for governments around the world. It produces military aircraft and guided weapons systems as well.

Raytheon Co.

As the worlds premier missile builder, Raytheon Co. (RTN) is one of the biggest beneficiary of increased tensions around the world. Countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe are ramping up their defenses with Raytheons Patriot missile system, but domestic sales are growing as well. The company also builds a variety of other types of air-to-air, air-to-surface, and surface-to-surface missiles.

General Dynamics Corporation

General Dynamics Corporations (GD) history dates back to the late 19th century as a naval producer for the United States and a variety of other countries. The company is considered a diversified manufacturer of defense systems, technology, aircraft, and marine systems. Although it stopped production of F-16 jet fighters, the company's fighter-bomber is still considered the workhorse of air forces around the world. The company is also one of the largest contractors for the Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine and Zumwalt-class destroyers.
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Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) Facial and Body Recognition Patent Application Received a Notice of Allowance

San Diego, CA - November 9, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) with GBT Tokenize Corp. ("GBT/Tokenize") received a notice of allowance for its facial and body recognition non-provisional patent application.

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Breaking EV Stock News: Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Enters into Agreement with Newgate Motor Group, one of Ireland's most Recognized Auto Groups, to Distribute the Mullen I-GOTM in Ireland and United Kingdom

BREA, Calif. - November 9, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle manufacturer, announces today that it has entered into an agreement to appoint Newgate Motor Group, one of Ireland's most recognized dealership groups, as marketing, sales, distribution and servicing agent for the Mullen I-GO in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

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Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) AI Driven Financial Technology Patent Application Received a Notice of Publication

San Diego, CA - November 3, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) received a notice of publication for its financial software patent application.

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Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer

NEW YORK, NY - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, announces the hiring of Euan King, an experienced and respected Insurtech industry leader as Chief Revenue Officer for insurance technology-focused subsidiary Intellagents.

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A comprehensive approach

Guaranteeing the right to abortion isnt enough. We know that economic, cultural, religious, and systemic barriers prevent many people from accessing abortion care even where its legal and available.

Our solution: We work across institutions and communities to build sustainable abortion ecosystems. In such an ecosystem, people have the information they need to make decisions about reproductive health, theres community and health-system support for human rights and abortion access, and laws and policies support full bodily autonomy.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently completed his voyage to Southeast Asia, after attending the August 2017 ASEAN Forum in the Philippines and thereafter visiting Malaysia and Thailand. Tillersons trip to Southeast Asia signified the importance of the region to the US and President Donald Trumps commitment to outreach to the region.

Before Trump was sworn in as President, his predecessor Barack Obama had made the largest number of visits to the Southeast Asia countries of all US Presidents 13 times to be exact  including even former adversaries Myanmar and Laos. Obama was also the first to travel to Malaysia in more than four decades. Despite withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and watering down some aspects of the Obamas Pivot to Asia policy after assuming the presidency, President Trump has continued to strengthen US relations with ASEAN.

In April, US Vice-President Mike Pence made his first trip to Indonesia  the most populous Southeast Asia country  to celebrate ASEANs 50th anniversary and to reinforce the bilateral relations between the US and Indonesia. This was the first trip by a US high official to Southeast Asia under the Trump administration. In May 2017, Tillerson hosted the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN in commemorating the 40th anniversary of US-ASEAN relations. It is expected that President Trump will attend the US-ASEAN Summit, the East Asia Summit, and the APEC Leaders Meeting in Vietnam and the Philippines this coming November.

There are a few reasons why the region has become increasingly important to the US in a globalized world. While Obamas Pivot to Asia policy can be seen as a strategic rebalance of US influence in the Asia-Pacific region, Trumps attempt to engage Southeast Asia is driven by security concerns, the top three of which are: East Asia, terrorism, and the South China Sea.

As the North Korean nuclear tensions escalate with the launch of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, President Trump has vowed to make the authoritarian regime pay if it threatens the United States. In view of the imminent conflict, the top priority of Tillersons trip to Southeast Asia in August was to canvass support for international sanctions against North Korea and to urge Southeast Asian countries to do more to help cut funding streams for North Korea. As Lee Sung Yoon opined, The more united ASEAN countries are in enforcing sanctions, the better positioned the US will be in negotiating with North Korea.

Besides attending the ASEAN Forum in Manila, Tillerson also made trips to Thailand and Malaysia, which both have established special relations with North Korea. In 2016, Thailand was reported to be the fourth largest trade partner of North Korea, with official bilateral trade worth USD 53 million. George McLeod, a Thailand-based political risk consultant, said in an interview that Thailand and North Korea have fairly robust, unreported trade ties. Among the goods exported from Thailand to North Korea, stainless steel and electronic circuits are potentially or actually within the range of the UN sanctions imposed on North Korean imports, and can be used for North Koreas missile program.

In addition, North Korean businesses and enterprises have a presence in Thailand, and are believed to serve as financial means for the communist regime. Thailand has also been the main destination for North Korean refugees since 2004. Defectors from North Korea enter Thailand through the overland route which crosses the North Korea-China border, and then crossing from China into north-eastern Thailand, near the Golden Triangle through Laos.

Secretary Tillerson also visited Malaysia which has a troubled relationship with North Korea following the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in Kuala Lumpur. The US has identified Malaysia as the crucial player to rein in and isolate North Korea, as US intelligence-gathering has spotlighted Malaysia as a favoured location for North Korea and its proxies to hold secret meetings, do business to generate much-needed foreign currency and treat its ports and airports as transit points for its defence-related shipments.

Apart from the North Korea issue, during his trip in Malaysia, Tillerson also shared US views on how terrorism and extremism should be monitored, especially in social media, to curb the menace. While Southeast Asian countries house around 15 percent of the worlds Muslim population, Indonesia and Malaysia contribute more than 85 percent to the Muslim population in the region. Malaysia thus plays an important role in countering the threats of rising radicalism and terrorism.

Three countries that Tillerson visited have all tilted away from the US towards China in their foreign policies, economic ties, and they all are undergoing gigantic infrastructure investment plans. Tillersons visits to these three countries thus holds the important significance of expanding the US sphere of influence to draw them closer to the US amid heightened security tensions in the region. However, this intention has become the secondary concern of the US as security concerns prevail over foreign influence and geopolitics under Trumps inward-looking and domestic-oriented approaches.

The US Pivot to Asia trajectory has shifted to emphasize the shaping and crafting of security strategies and calling for concerted efforts to tackle security threats through cooperation as the upsurge in global terror attacks, radicalism, and nuclear threats unnerves and rattles regional players.
Students have had a total of 38 Leaving Cert results permanently withheld over suspected cheating.

Under exam rules, students cant bring in mobile phones or notes into their tests.

The State Examinations Commission declined to say how many students were involved.

It also said that it wants to protect the pupils' privacy and will not reveal what subjects they were doing or where they were taking the exams.

According to The Irish Times, a further 34 results are being 'provisionally' held back while an investigation is carried out.
Update - 3.05pm: Three young brothers rescued from the rubble of their home after a 4.0-magnitude earthquake are doing well, according to hospital officials on the Italian resort island of Ischia.

The three boys - seven-month-old Pasquale, eight-year-old Mattias and 11-year-old Ciro - were brought to safety in a 14-hour operation.

Hospital officials said the boys are expected to be released on Wednesday.

Only Ciro suffered injuries with a minor fracture on his right foot. He is credited with helping save Mattias by pushing him under a bed, and drawing rescuers' attention by banging a broom handle on the rubble.

At least two people were killed in the quake while 39 were injured and 2,600 left homeless.

The fatalities were an elderly woman who was in a church that crumbled in the quake, and a second person who has been located in the rubble but not yet extracted.

Update 1.32pm: Firefighters in Italy have freed three young brothers from rubble after a 4.0-magnitude earthquake hit the resort island of Ischia.

At least two people were killed in the quake while 39 were injured and 2,600 left homeless.

The fatalities were an elderly woman who was in a church that crumbled in the quake, and a second person who has been located in the rubble but not yet extracted.

Video released by firefighters showed rescuers passing a seven-month-old baby out of the collapsed structure in hardest-hit Casamicciola.

The Ansa news agency said cries of joy went up in the crowd of rescuers and onlookers and the boys' mother ran to take him.

The baby's two older brothers were rescued hours later.

The children's father told RAI state television the boys were in a bedroom when the quake struck, while he and his wife were elsewhere in the house.

The mother, who Italian media said is heavily pregnant, escaped through a window while rescuers helped the father.

Firefighters' spokesman Luca Cari said they maintained voice contact with the two older boys during the complex rescue operation to create an opening through the collapsed ceiling. The boys had been given bottles of water and a flashlight.

The quake hit during the height of the tourist season, and Italian television showed many visitors taking refuge in parks following the quake. Authorities began organising ferries to take tourists back to the mainland.

Update 11.44am: Two children have been pulled from the rubble on the Italian resort island of Ischia, 14 hours after a 4.0-magnitude quake toppled buildings and killed at least one person, reports say.

Firefighters rescued a seven-month-old boy, who appeared alert on video as he was passed to safety, and later freed one of two older brothers.

Crews are continuing work to release the third boy.

Spokesman Luca Cari said the work to free the boys was complicated, but rescuers were maintaining voice contact with them.

The father told RAI state television that the boys were in their bedroom when the quake struck, while he and his wife were elsewhere in the house.

She managed to escape through a window while rescuers reached the father first.

Earlier:

At least one person has died and six others are trapped under the rubble of their homes after an earthquake hit the Italian resort island of Ischia at the peak of its tourist season.

Police said all but one of those known to be trapped, including three children, were responding to rescuers and expected to be brought out alive.

One person, however, was not communicating, raising fears the death toll could increase, said Giovanni Salerno of the financial police.

Italy's national volcanology institute said the temblor struck a few minutes before 9pm local time on Monday, when many people were having dinner.

The hardest-hit area was Casamicciola, on the northern part of the island.

There were great discrepancies in the magnitude reported.

Italy's volcanology agency put the initial magnitude at 3.6, but later revised it to a 4.0 sustained magnitude, and put the epicentre in the waters just off the island and a depth of three miles.

The US Geological Survey and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre gave it a 4.3 magnitude, with a depth of six miles.

While such discrepancies and revisions are common, Italian officials complained that the Italian agency's initial low 3.6-magnitude greatly underestimated the power of the temblor.

At least one hotel and parts of a hospital were evacuated.

Roberto Allocca, a doctor at the Rizzoli hospital, told Sky TG24 that 26 people were being treated for minor injuries at a makeshift emergency room set up on the hospital grounds.

He said the situation was calm and under control.

Mr Salerno said one woman was killed by falling masonry from a church.

At least three people were pulled from the rubble alive, the civil protection authority said, adding that the island had sustained at least 14 aftershocks.

Civil protection crews, already on the island in force to fight the forest fires that have been ravaging southern Italy, were checking the status of the buildings that suffered damage.

Other rescue crews, as well as dogs trained to search for people under rubble, were arriving on ferries from the mainland.

Together with the nearby island of Capri, Ischia is a favourite island getaway for the European jet set, famed in particular for its thermal waters.

Casamicciola was the epicentre of an 1883 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people.

The quake came just two days before the one-year anniversary of a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake that devastated several towns in central Italy.

That temblor last August killed more than 250 people in Amatrice and beyond and set off a months-long series of powerful aftershocks that emptied many towns and hamlets of their people.
The ratings agency upgraded Greeces long-term foreign-currency issuer default ratings to B- from CCC late on Friday, citing reduced political risk and sustained economic growth.

Short-dated Greek government bond yields hit 3.25% at one stage, close to their lowest since 2009, a level hit earlier this month.

The yield on Greeces 10-year government bond dropped five basis points in early trade to 5.58% before trading flat.

Greece is still a credit that is risky and volatile, but at least its now not one step away from default but two steps away, said DZ Bank strategist Daniel Lenz.

I think an upgrade was largely priced in so you wont see a huge amount of spread tightening  but still, its possible that some high-yield investors would consider a small investment in Greece now.

S&P upgraded the country to B- a month ago. Moodys still has a Caa2 rating on the country.

While Greece has been grappling with gargantuan levels of debt and has had to put stringent austerity measures in place in exchange for EU funds, the country was given a boost in June when eurozone governments agreed to release 8bn in aid.

In addition, Greece regained bond market access last month after a three-year hiatus, selling 3bn of five-year bonds.

The Greece upgrade also boosted sentiment towards the eurozones other lower-rated bond markets, pushing Portuguese yields to fresh one-year lows at 2.74%.

Other south European government bonds also outperformed the rest of the market yesterday, with Italian and Spanish 10-year borrowing costs dropping one-to-two basis points.

The yield on Germanys 10-year government bond, the benchmark for the region, was unchanged at 0.4%.

Bond investors are focused on Thursdays meeting of central bankers at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, despite ECB chief Mario Draghi unlikely to deliver a new policy message.

Reuters
Health technology, also known as medtech, is said to encompass any technology that is used to treat and save human lives. It incorporates diagnosing, treating and monitoring of patients ranging from hearing aids to body scanners and pacemakers.

The Irish Medtech Association (the Ibec group that represents the sector), Enterprise Ireland, and IDA Ireland are hosting a conference on medtech potential in December, and said Irelands position as one of the main arteries of medtech in the world meant further opportunities had to be explored.
Lufthansa is already an aviation champion  its position can be strengthened further though, she was quoted saying by German daily Handelsblatt yesterday. There are many interested parties. But for competition reasons, no single airline can buy Air Berlin.

Lufthansa, Germanys top carrier, cannot buy all of Air Berlin because it would give it a dominant position in Germany. However, Lufthansa was first in line for the talks, ahead of other potential bidders. Ryanair boss Michael OLeary has already complained that the process is going too quickly to give others a chance to bid.
The 14-member group has agreed to cut output by about 1.2m barrels a day until March 2018 to cut inventories and support prices.

Compliance with the deal has been high so far but Opec production hit a 2017 peak in July, in part on increased output from Libya and Nigeria, which were exempted from the pact due to production-sapping unrest.
The plans published by Brexit Secretary David Davis were welcomed by business leaders as an improvement on EU proposals which would require separate regulatory processes on either side of the English Channel from the day after UK withdrawal.

Mr Davis said the UK was now ready to begin a formal dialogue on elements of the future UK-EU trade relationship, such as customs.

However, Brussels has indicated it will continue to resist UK pressure to bring forward trade talks, saying they must wait until after sufficient progress has been made on the divorce deal  something which one EU leader said could drag on beyond the autumn.

However, Downing St said it remained confident of making enough progress on the issues of citizens rights, the financial settlement and borders for the European Council to give the green light to the second phase of Brexit negotiations when it meets in Brussels in October.

Mr Daviss new position paper comes ahead of the third round of formal negotiations in the Belgian capital next week and is expected to be followed in the coming days by further documents on issues like post-Brexit judicial co-operation, dispute resolution, and data protection.

Meanwhile, the UKs current account deficit, the largest of any major economy last year, was even bigger in 2015 than previously thought, according to new estimates from the countrys Office for National Statistics. The current account deficit has been in the spotlight since last years Brexit vote, and although it has narrowed recently, it is not far off levels that would trigger a currency crisis in a less developed economy.

The statistics office said yesterday it now estimated the current account deficit was 98bn (107bn) in 2015, equivalent to 5.2% of GDP, compared with its previous estimate of 80bn or 4.3% of GDP.

Separate figures show the squeeze on British households financial situation has eased this month as slowing inflation and greater job security improved conditions from a three-year low recorded in July.

IHS Markit said its monthly household finance index rose to 43.5 from a three-year low of 41.6 seen in July.

Both figures are well above the surveys average reading of 40.4 since it began during the depths of the financial crisis in 2009, but are below the 50 mark that would indicate households felt richer.

PA and Reuters
Rejecting suggestions that efforts to extend the city boundary is a land and rates grab, officials have warned that Cork City risks becoming a third- or fourth- tier city without a substantial boundary extension  its first since 1965.

City council chief executive Ann Doherty said the council has always asserted that Cork has a vital national role to play as Irelands second city, and that its potential to fill this role is highlighted by the MacKinnon report.

However, she said, that hinges on the city having the capacity, authority, and governance independence to grow and drive sustainable economic and population growth.

She said the Mackinnon report signals the opportunity to turn the rhetoric around Corks growth ambitions into reality but warned that other city regions in Ireland are making conscious preparations to grow, develop, and respond to new opportunities.

They could potentially challenge Corks place as the natural location to act as a counter-balance to the Dublin area and the eastern seaboard, she said.

The city pointed to the hard data and European thinking considered by the Mackinnon group that supports the scale of its planned boundary extension.

Pending the release of 2016 Census data later this month, the Mackinnon report shows that, of the total workforce in Ballincollig, 81% commutes to the city daily for work; in Blarney, the figure is 62.5%; and, in Carrigtwohill, the figure is 58.7%.

The report says Ballincollig, as a metropolitan town and a major centre for population and employment growth in close proximity to Cork City, combined with the high density development of its town centre, reflects a more urban development pattern compared to county towns.

Regional planning guidelines have also identified a corridor for high quality rapid transit to link Ballincollig, the city centre, docklands, and Mahon.

Generally, similar considerations can be said to apply to other suburban towns such as Blarney and Carrigtwohill, in that both have been subject to planned development as metropolitan towns in close proximity to the city, and both can be said to form part of the east-west corridor for Cork city, said the Mackinnon report.

Thus the group feel that there are compelling grounds based on both housing density and commuting patterns for considering towns such as Ballincollig, Blarney, and Carrigtwohill as forming an integral part of the de facto urbanised city area.

The group considered the CSOs definition of suburbs or environs of a distinct population cluster as a basis for including those populations within defined urban environments.

Ms Doherty also warned that Cork City is not currently not acknowledged as a global city.

Belfast is so defined and therefore is at a competitive advantage relative to Cork, she said.

Belfast currently has a population of approx 338,000 and is projected to grow to approximately 427,000 by 2035.

This growth can be comfortably accommodated within the existing development capacity available to the city, with scope for further growth for decades beyond 2035.

In the proposal put forward by the county council [which has since been rejected], the population proposed for Cork city would be no more than approx 283,000 [one sixth less than the current population of Belfast].

In island of Ireland terms, Cork would considerably fall behind both Dublin and Belfast on the basis of the projections submitted in the Cork County Council proposal.

Cork City would be closer to Limerick in scale than to Belfast by 2035, and in that context from a policy perspective the City could conceivably fall from being the second city of the Republic to being a third-tier/fourth-tier city on the island.

Ms Doherty said the relegation of the status of the city would undermine the region, as well as government policies in the National Planning Framework document, due for publication next month.
Movie star Jeremy Irons this week launches a colourful book detailing the mammoth collection of public art which has been donated to Cork University Hospital over two decades.

The CUH art collection began some 20 years ago when acclaimed Sherkin Island-based artist Majella ONeill-Collins donated some of her paintings to the hospital, and encouraged other artists to do the same.

My brother Ronan had been in a serious accident and spent some three months in CUH, she recalls, adding that during her regular visits to his bedside, she was struck by the lack of art on the walls of the hospital.

The walls were blank, and I felt I should put something on the walls.

Over the years, I have regularly asked people to donate pieces of art to the hospital and nobody has ever refused.

It was the generosity of the artists which have brought this collection to what it is today.

The collection has now become what is probably the largest public art collection in Ireland.

Currently, there are about 280 works of art displayed throughout the hospital.

However, the full collection also includes around

60 more pieces which were recently donated, bringing the overall total of artworks to more than 300.

Of these, 185 are carefully detailed in a full-colour 128-page hardback catalogue, The Collection.

The volume, which will be on sale for 49 online, will be launched on Thursday at CUH by Oscar-winning film star Jeremy Irons, who lives in West Cork.

Specialised digital archivists were engaged to photograph the works of art.

The artworks range from the contemporary art of William Crozier to the sculptures of Cecily Brennan, the healing garden of Cork University Maternity Hospital donated by Michael Flatley and Joy Gerards Flow installation.

The collection was launched in 1998 by then-President Mary McAleese, when it numbered some 70 pieces.

People have continued to donate art, and we now have a very high-quality art collection, said CUH Group CEO Tony McNamara.

He explained that the idea of a book detailing 185 pieces from the overall collection originated in the hospitals voluntary nine-member art committee, which has maintained and preserved the collection over the years.

The art committee has been working on that catalogue for three years now, he said.

It is a comprehensive and beautifully produced book, which chronicles the story of the collection and gives detailed information about the different works of art.

Second and third editions of the catalogue are expected to be published in the coming years as the collection continues to grow.

The collection is all voluntary, said Mr McNamara. It is important that this artistic endeavour is fostered and supported.

We are thrilled and grateful that Mr Irons is taking time out of his incredibly busy schedule to launch this catalogue and lend his support to the art committee in the hospital.

People have given their time to the creation of these pieces of art, which they then donate to us free of charge, and I would like to expressly thank the donating artists and to say we would love to see this ethos continue.

The collection, Ms ONeill-Collins pointed out, is a unique gift to the Irish public.

It is a gift, it is unique, and it will always be there for the people in the years to come.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is calling for more publicly supplied, purpose-built student accommodation and better protections for tenants in private accommodation.

More than three quarters of the 3,600 students who responded to USIs survey were living away from home.

Although they represent just 1% of the survey group, 38 students told USI they had no accommodation and were sleeping on friends couches, floors, in libraries, or even in cars. Another 10% were uncertain of their future in present accommodation when they were surveyed.

Around one third of students were in purpose-built facilities, nearly half of them being owned by colleges. Another third were in private rented accommodation, but less than half of these had a written agreement with their landlords.

Over a fifth had experience of an unexpected rent increase, including one in seven whose rents were increased by landlords before moving in, and another 9% who had it increased outside the agreed or allowed period.

Nearly a quarter of those in paid accommodation had associated costs of 500 to 750 a month when bills were included, and another 7% paid more again. Although accommodation costs were below 500 for 70% of paying students, nearly 80% said their income  if any  was under 500, highlighting the large proportion of students entire incomes going on accommodation.

Although three quarters expressed satisfaction with their accommodation, many reported serious deficiencies. One in 10 did not have a bath or shower with hot water, and nearly a quarter had sanitary facilities with no separate ventilation.

Nearly a quarter of students experienced mould in rented accommodation, more than 20% had damp, and the same number had inadequate heating. Almost 90% had been inconvenienced by such matters, or by lack of maintenance, lack of natural light, dirtiness, flooding, burglary, or appliances being permanently defective.

USI said these students are at risk of higher overall costs, and possible deterioration to physical and mental health. It said, for example, that students in places with poor insulation and damp have to spend more on heating to keep living space warm or to dry clothes.

Nearly a quarter of students had moved into their accommodation because they could find nothing else, and time pressure was behind the choice of 4% of students.

The crux of the issue is the lack of adequate or available accommodation for students, either dedicated or offered in the open, private rented market, USI said.

Consequently, the present level of insecurity and lack of accommodation puts students health at risk, and may force them to drop out or impact their academic performance, states the report.

USI said the finding that most of those not living at home wanted to be in purpose-built student accommodation shows the need to accelerate supply.

Apart from the efforts to attract private investors, USI strongly believes that publicly supplied, affordable student accommodation is the most sustainable solution, it said.

It also wants a legal obligation for written lease agreements to be provided for student tenancies, and increases in student grants to reflect the real costs of attending college, including accommodation.

USI said the 45km distance that a students college has to be from their home in order to qualify for a higher grant must be reduced. The union said it clearly impacts students from outside major urban areas who may have limited access to commuter transport.
The Rose of Tralee Festival has given San Francisco Rose Amanda Donohue plenty food for thought, not least how she might use her experience of being bullied to good effect.

Amanda mentioned suffering during her teen years at the hands of bullies in a radio interview with Ryan Tubridy. She subsequently received a letter from the mother of a young girl who was going through a similar ordeal. Ellen asked whether Amanda could

mentor her daughter.

I was so touched and, honestly, a bit shocked with it, she said. I was sitting in my room and had a solid cry and its something I found absolutely phenomenal because something as simple as me writing a letter for young girls could be a life or death thing so its definitely something I will be following up.

Amanda, 20, who lost her sister and a cousin in the Berkeley balcony collapse two years ago, also spoke again about how the festival has been monumental to the healing process.

The physics student at the University of Nevada was one of the last on stage at The Dome last night where she spoke bravely about the loss of her sister Ashley, 22, and her cousin Olivia Burke, 21.

She spoke of how being

selected as the San Francisco Rose had brought light into the lives of her family.

I think its been very, very good for us, she said. It has definitely brought a huge light to our life and I do want to say we are in a better place as a family, extended and immediate.

Weve gotten more out of it than I would have ever hoped. Its been monumental to the healing process, I would like to say.

Amanda showed off her artistic flair with a drawing of host Daithi O Ses late father.

Preparing for the Rose of Tralee means getting leaner, fitter and stronger, and losing a stone  and thats just t Daithi, who had an early alarm call in son Micheal Og, waking at 4am and shouting: Its time to go to the hotel.

But when your job entails having a go at an aerial hoop, limbo dancing, yoga, sparring with a boxing partner and even cracking the whip, fitness is key.

I dont like rehearsing any of those party pieces because that should be more spontaneous and part of the craic, said Daithi, whos hosting his eighth show. I dont like rehearsing in general, but thats part of it and you have to for timing.

The easy part is the broadcasting. The only time I get nervous is when Im

unprepared  and youre so prepared for this.

Chicago Rose and Kerry Group research scientist Teresa Daly gives Daithi O Se a blind taste test.

Daithi said security had been beefed up this year, so he and the Roses dont have to share the stage with any intruders.

And after last years calls by Sydney Rose Brianna Parkins for the repeal of the eighth amendment, fears of another outspoken Rose were mostly unfounded  Fermanagh Rose Stephanie Maguires discussion of domestic violence in Ireland was as political as it got.

Donegal Rose Amy Callaghan gave an aerial hoop performance  a skill she learned doing a circus-style workshop while studying dance  to the haunting soundtrack of Clannads Theme from Harrys Game.

Viewers were treated to a display of limbo dancing by Toronto Rose Colombe Nadeau OShea, who encouraged the host to have a go.

Hong Kongs first ever Rose, Clarissa Langley Coleman, performed Danny Boy as never heard before in The Dome  in Cantonese.

Chicago Rose Teresa Daly, who grew up in Kanturk, is based in Beloit, Wisconsin, and worksm as a research and development scientist with Kerry Group. She made the host blind taste some well-known Irish foods.

She looked stunning on stage last night, but Louth Rose Aoife Heffron revealed she used to feel ugly due to hair loss, a condition she writes openly about on her blog, and the anxiety she suffered as a result. She says its just as difficult for men as it is for women, yet theyre expected to be able to handle it.

Im a magician when it comes to doing my hair and Ive learned how to disguise it, said Aoife, whose hair extensions were sponsored by Peter Mark.

Tonight it will be the turn of the remaining 14 finalists to be prepped and preened for their moment in the spotlight.
During a visit to Canada, he said EU partners were unlikely to give the green light for such talks unless Ireland is happy with the progress made.

It comes as Britain today issues a paper pledging that cross-border disputes and even divorce or child custody battles will be settled in a sensible way after Brexit.

Mr Varadkar, speaking in Toronto, said Ireland wants Britain to maintain a customs union with the EU after Brexit, a position which would lessen the likelihood of a hard border.

It is absolutely the case that when the UK leaves the European Union, they will leave the customs union but it will still be possible for them to enter into a [fresh] customs union with the EU, said Mr Varadkar, adding that

this had at least been suggested by the UK for the transition period after Brexit.

Mr Varadkar was asked about suggestions Britain is using the sensitive position of the Norths border as a pawn to strengthen its negotiating position on a future trade deal with the bloc.

EU leaders agreed before the summer that three contentious issues, including the border question, must be progressed sufficiently by October before the next stage in Brexit talks begins.

The UKs Brexit minister, David Davis, this week said early discussions on a trade deal would help progress the Irish border issue.

Mr Varadkar said yesterday: We will make a decision in October, the 27 heads of government, prime ministers, and presidents will meet in Brussels in October. We will decide if Britain has made sufficient progress on citizens rights, the financial settlement, and issues pertaining to Ireland.

And only if we are satisfied that sufficient progress has been made on those three areas will we then give the go-ahead to talk about trade, so I think that puts us in a strong position and I doubt our European colleagues would come to the view that sufficient progress had been made if we didnt think so.

Cross-border commercial disputes and divorce or child custody battles will be settled in a clear and sensible way after Britain leaves the EU, Brexit officials will say today.

Future co-operation on civil justice matters for EU citizens living in Britain and British citizens living in EU member states is unknown.

The department will propose today that close co-operation with EU members regarding civil disputes should be maintained after Brexit, so that families, businesses, and individuals can be assured of certainty.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney is expected to discuss the Brexit papers with the Norths secretary James Brokenshire today. Both will also discuss continued efforts to resume power-sharing in the North.
Speaking in Toronto, Canada, where he pledged to also grow the 2.7bn trade between the nations, Mr Varadkar though was forced to defend his visit and insist he was not swanning around.

The Taoiseach set out how the Government will unveil a plan to double Irelands global footprint by 2025 in a bid to lure businesses here.

The plan, which is being put together by Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, will see a doubling of agency strength in some diplomatic areas, he said, adding:

I intend to double the Team Ireland footprint overseas by 2025, Mr Varadkar told an Enterprise Ireland event in Toronto. :This means new and augmented diplomatic missions and as well as significantly increased resources for our investment, tourism, cultural and food agencies overseas.

Mr Varadkar highlighted how Ireland was under-represented in major economies and regions globally. This included not having a full embassy in New Zealand and no permanent consulates in Los Angeles or Mumbai in India. There was also no IDA office in Canada, he said.

Mr Varadkar said the move to ramp up Irelands presence in new regions was partially a response to Brexit but also global demographic changes.

During his speech, he told business leaders in Canada: Enterprise Ireland client exports reached 21.6bn in 2016, up more than 6% year on year. Notwithstanding our strong competitiveness and vigorous economic growth, Ireland today faces undoubtedly the greatest set of political and economic challenges in a generation, as a result of Brexit. Now is the time to plan ahead with ambition.

Mr Varadkar is exploring ways to boost links between Canada and Ireland this during his three-day visit there, which included a meeting with prime minister Justin Trudeau.

At the end of 2016, IDA Ireland had 28 Canadian companies here employing over 3,100 people. Canadian investment here is estimated today at C$14nn while one in seven Canadians claim Irish ancestry, a higher percentage than the US.

Mr Varadkars visit attracted criticism from Newstalk pundit George Hook. The radio host said Mr Varadkar had become a public relations creation and questioned why he was participating in events, including Montreals Pride parade, when he should be at home solving problems.

I think he should be attending a homeless march, said Mr Hook. I think he should be attending a balanced budget march and I think he should be attending a security march so that we would actually have some government.

Mr Varadkar tweeted back, defending his trip, saying: George. Not swanning around Canada. 4 meetings & 4 public events today. Business. Tourism. Media. Irish community. Jobs. Trade.
WHEN David Ben-Gurion, the leader of the Jewish community in Palestine, stood up in Museum Hall in Tel Aviv to proclaim the establishment of the state of Israel on 14 May 1948, the Irish government expected that a request for the official recognition of the new state would soon follow.

The government at the time, the first inter-party coalition, was headed by John A Costello, with Sean MacBride as minister for external affairs (the department wasnt renamed as Foreign Affairs until 1971).

On May 28, 1948, a telegram arrived from Moshe Shertok, the foreign secretary of the provisional government of Israel, requesting Eire to grant official recognition to the State of Israel and its provisional government.

The United States, immediately after Ben-Gurions announcement, had already granted de facto recognition.

David Ben Gurion: The leader of the Jewish community in Palestine proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948.

In Washington, as the White House prepared its statement recognising the Jewish state, news was brought in that the name was Israel.

In the official US statement, Truman himself crossed out the words Jewish state and inserted Israel, according to Ahron Bregman and Jihan El-Tahri in their book The Fifty Years War.

President Truman had made a promise to the Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann (who would become the first president of Israel) on November 19, 1947, that such recognition would be forthcoming.

But he had to overcome stern resistance from US secretary of state, General George Marshall, who had argued that, from the point of view of US national interests, America should support the Arab camp because it held the key to the most vital natural resource  oil.

The proclamation of the new state took place against a background of armed conflict between Arabs and Jews, and controversies over ethnic cleansing.

Between 29 November 1947  the date of the UN partition vote  and 15 May 1948  the date the ruling British departed from Palestine  Palestine was a disaster waiting to happen, according to Bregman and El-Tahri.

British rule dwindled into powerlessness. The tension that had been mounting for years between Arabs and Jews swelled into civil war.

The Arabs had grown increasingly alarmed at the growth of Zionism and the implications of the Balfour Declaration.

Zionism is a political movement that started in the late 19th century, dedicated to the establishment of a national homeland for Jews in Palestine.

Later it was concerned with the development of the modern state of Israel. The name is derived from Zion, the hill on which the city of Jerusalem stands.

The background to all of this goes back to the San Remo conference of April 1920, a meeting of the four principal post-First World War Allied powers. The conference decided that Britain should be granted the mandate to administer Palestine (this was endorsed in 1922 by the League of Nations).

But in February 1947, Britain declared that, since it didnt have the power to award the country to either the Arabs or the Jews, it would pass the problem to the judgment of the United Nations. At the same time, Britain announced its forces would be withdrawn from Palestine on May 15, 1948.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 is regarded by scholars as the seed that led to the founding of the Israeli state. It was in November 1917 that the British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour sent his famous letter to Lord Rothschild, leader of the British Zionists.

The letter contained this paragraph: Her Majestys government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people . ..

In an article in the Guardian on the 84th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, David Pallister wrote: In 1922, when the League of Nations agreed that Britain should administer the mandate over Palestine, the declaration was included in the preamble. At the time Arabs constituted 92% of the population and owned 98% of the land. Neither Arab nor Jew was happy, since Britain resisted Arab demands for the prohibition of land sales to Jews and Jewish demands for increased immigration.

The Nazis changed all that. In 1942 a Zionist conference in New York demanded that the gates of Palestine be opened . . . and that Palestine be established as a Jewish Commonwealth.

Britain tried to prevent fleeing European Jews entering the territory. It was not successful. By 1946 the Jewish population had increased to about 650,000, two-fifths of the total.

But force of arms and acts of terror won the day. The mandate became ungovernable and Britain handed the crisis over to the UN. It proposed partitioning Palestine, leaving Jerusalem as a UN-administered zone for the three main faiths. Neither side would agree and the resulting unrest, leaving 1,700 people dead, ended when Israeli forces launched a full-scale offensive, and 400,000 Arabs fled to neighbouring states.

The acts of terror included the bombing on 22 July, 1946 of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the British administrative HQ, by the Irgun, a militant Zionist underground organisation led by Menachem Begin (a future prime minister). The bombing left 91 dead.

And on September 17, 1948  four months after Israeli independence  the Stern Gang, another Zionist paramilitary organisation, assassinated Count Folke Bernadotte, a Swedish diplomat who had gone to Palestine as a UN mediator and who had been working on a plan for Jerusalem and the Holy Places, a plan that included a new partitioning of Palestine. His murder provoked considerable outrage within the international community.

No example of state creation in the 20th century is more emotionally charged than the case of Israel, says Paula Wylie in her essay on Irelands attitude to Israels recognition in Irish Foreign Policy 1919-1966.

Chaim Weizmanns statement to the Peel Commission in 1936  Have we the right to live?  highlighted the plight of European Jews trying to emigrate to Palestine before World War II. Although Theodor Herzl and others demanded a Jewish state during the first World Zionist Congress in 1897, the imperative gained critical mass only after 1945 as a means of assuaging the collective guilt of Western civilisation for the atrocities of the Holocaust.

If there were divisions at the highest level in Washington over the recognition of Israel, in Dublin there was hesitation in government circles.

People Before Profit Cllr John Lyons and Fatin al Tamimi, chairperson of Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), outside Dublins City Hall in May to mark the raising of the Palestinian flag. Picture: RollingnNews.ie

A memorandum from the Department of External Affairs recommended that Ireland grant the virtual minimum of recognition. When Shertoks cable was discussed, the cabinet decided to approve a recommendation from Sean MacBride that no action be taken on the telegram apart from the appropriate acknowledgement.

According to Paula Wylie, who lectures in international relations and history at the University of North Carolina (she did a PhD thesis in modern history at UCC), the adoption of an attitude of non-recognition endured as a policy in deference to the diplomatic wishes of the Holy See.

The Vatican wanted no recognition of Israel until it guaranteed the internationalisation of Jerusalem and the protection of, and free access to, the Holy Places throughout Palestine.

Ireland chose the position of the Holy See as a basis for its policy towards Israel, says Ms Wylie.

Not only did the Holy Places argument win prestige for Ireland from the Holy See, but placing such a condition on recognition meant that Ireland would not be entering into diplomatic relations with Israel in the immediate future. One may even argue that the unspoken aim of the policy was to prohibit Jewish infiltration into Ireland.

She pointed out that Irelands long-term policy of de facto recognition was, in effect, non-recognition. It persisted until 1963 when, in a streamlined effort to establish a more consistent international position, Ireland recognised Israel de jure.

According to the Penguin Dictionary of International Relations, de facto normally refers to provisional recognition that a particular government exercises factual sovereignty, whereas de jure implies recognises both factual and legal sovereignty. De jure therefore implies complete diplomatic acceptance of the new state or government.

What remained unstated in Dublin for many years was the key explanation of why de jure recognition was delayed for so long  once granted, a request from Israel for a diplomatic mission in Ireland would follow. Which is, of course, what happened.

Irelands policy of non-recognition towards Israel was sustained by the Department of External Affairs from 1949 to 1963 as a unilateral foreign policy, writes Ms Wylie. To date, historians have accepted the thesis that Ireland refused de jure recognition to protest Israels lack of regard for the Holy Places in and around Jerusalem. The archival materials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Taoiseachs Department, though, suggest that the policy was also motivated by the desire to delay a request for the establishment of normal diplomatic relations, including the diplomatic presence of Israel in Dublin.

The departmental files also show that the Vatican was approached and informed the Irish government that there would be no objection to the granting of full recognition to Israel, but the Holy See would be pleased if due care were taken by the government not to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Interestingly, Ms Wylies research revealed that Israels foreign minister, Golda Meir (who would later become prime minister) was to be informed without publicity of the governments decision to grant full recognition. It was left to the New York Times to report Irelands de jure recognition of Israel in January 1964  just after Pope Paul VIs historic visit to Israel and the Holy Places.

The Holy See formally recognised Israel on December 30, 1993 when diplomatic relations were established. On January 19, 1994, a nunciature was opened in Israel and an embassy in Rome.

The Holy See had accorded de facto recognition of Palestine since 2012. In June 2015, the Holy See recognised a state of Palestine, and backed a two-state solution.

At the time, the Palestinian foreign minister Riad Al-Malki said he hoped it would help bring recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, freedom and dignity in an independent state of their own, free from the shackles of occupation.

In the years since the establishment of Israel, the pivotal event has been the Six Day War in June 1967. That war was a real game-changer. In May 1967, as Nasser deployed his troops in Sinai, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol initially resisted pressure to go to war.

But on June 5 Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against the Egyptian Air Force. Once the fighting had begun, Israel also turned its guns on Jordan and Syria. In six days, Israel won a military victory that changed the face of the Middle East, explained Bregman and El-Tahri.

Israel was now in possession of large territories  West Bank, Golan Heights, the Sinai, Gaza and Jerusalem. All talk of a two-state solution since has been premised on the expectation that that Israel would trade territory for peace. For years the consensus view in the West supported the establishment of a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines, with the Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.

In a recently published book entitled The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine, Nathan Thrall says that the reason the possibility of a lasting peace seems further away than ever is because, for Israel, the cost of making a deal is much higher than the cost of making no deal.

This has to change, says Thrall, who is a Jerusalem-based senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.

He makes the point that while the US and Europe draw a sharp distinction between Israel and the occupied territories  refusing to recognise Israeli sovereignty beyond the pre-1967 lines  this differentiation just creates an illusion.

Israel vehemently protests against this policy of so-called differentiation between Israel and the occupied territories, believing that it delegitimizes the settlements and the state. But differentiation only creates an illusion of US castigation, because in reality it insulates Israel from answering for its actions in the occupied territories, by assuring that only settlements and not the government that creates them will suffer consequences for repeated violations of international law.

It is in this sense, he says, that the policy of differentiation, of which Europeans and US liberals are quite proud, does not so much constitute pressure on Israel as serve as a substitute for it, thereby helping to prolong an occupation it is ostensibly meant to bring to an end.

Thrall argues that until the US and Europe formulate a strategy to make Israels circumstances less desirable than the concessions it would make to a peace agreement, they will shoulder responsibility for the oppressive military regime they continue to preserve and fund.

The reality, he emphasises, is that the United States has consistently sheltered Israel from accountability for its policies in the West Bank.

And under President Trump and his administration, this will continue to be the case. He has appointed a man who is pro-settlements as his ambassador in Israel, and said he would move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. So far, he has held off on this.

As for a two-state agreement, Trump appears indifferent to this. Im looking at two states and one state. I can live with either one, he said recently.

Where is Irish policy on this? Ten or 20 years from now, what will the files from the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs tell us about Irelands attitude to recognition of Palestine?

Will they reveal procrastination, uncertainty, or a fear of annoying Israel? Or will they reveal that the Irish government, drawing on our own painful history of occupation and dispossession, felt a moral imperative to act on behalf of the beleaguered Palestinian people? It is time for the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, to act.

In April a group of 89 leading artists, academics, writers, trade unionists and former ambassadors signed a letter to the then taoiseach, Enda Kenny, urging the Government to formally recognise the state of Palestine.

The letter, whose signatories included former US ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, former SDLP leader John Hume, actor Stephen Rea and musician Christy Moore, said the Government should move towards recognition without delay.

Acting now would strengthen the case for a two-state solution and help to provide parity of esteem between Palestine and Israel, which is essential for any lasting peace settlement, the letter stated.

The signatories included three retired diplomats who served as Irelands representative to the Palestinian Authority  Niall Holohan, Isolde Moylan and James Carroll.

The letter pointed to the political and financial support which successive Irish governments have given the Palestinian people, and noted with pride that Ireland was the first EU state to call for the creation of a Palestinian state.

It is our belief that the principal international legal criteria for the recognition of a Palestinian state have already been met. We hold that further official recognition of Palestine by EU member states will strengthen the case for acceptance of the two-state solution . . .

How much longer will Ireland postpone this formal recognition of the State of Palestine? With the two-state solution imperilled  not least because of the attitude of President Trump, and with the right-wing regime of Benjamin Netanyahu determined to press ahead with further settlements  it is time now for the Irish Government to act.

Recognition at this stage may only be symbolic, but there are times when symbolism is very important.
THERES 80,000 of you out there. I hope by now youre happy, or reasonably happy. Most of you have spent the last two years working as hard as you possibly can to get a decent Leaving Cert, and a good number of you are mature students, giving it another go. On last nights news, there were loads of shots of smiling happy faces. A few tears, but in the main, it seemed, most of you got what you wanted. Or as close as dammit anyway.

All I can say is bloody well done. I know if I were trying to do what you have done now  even as a more than mature student  Id be really struggling. In my day, we didnt have the work ethos you have  and we didnt need it. We had to attain a minimum standard, and once we got there, we were on our way.

The reward youve been after  the only thing youre looking for  is a place in higher education. Youve not only had to work hard, but youve been subjected to a form of cruel and unusual punishment: The rationing process known as the CAO points system.

I have spent the greater part of my life in immediate contemplation of the most grotesque and horrible of the English inventions for the debasement of Ireland. I mean their education system. Its object is the precise contrary of the object of an education system. Education should foster; this education is meant to repress. Education should inspire; this education is meant to tame. Education should harden; this education is meant to enervate. The English are too wise a people to attempt to educate the Irish, in any worthy sense ... The education system here was designed by our masters in order to make us willing or at least manageable slaves.

That last paragraph wasnt me talking. It was Padraig Pearse, in his famous essay known as The Murder Machine. Mr Pearse, a teacher himself of course, had strong views on all aspects of education. But particular ire was reserved in his essay for the school leaving exams, whose immediate abolition he called for. Good men will curse it in its passing, he said. It is the most evil thing that Ireland has ever known. He wanted the relevant boards sent straight to hell, where as far as he was concerned they could design competitive exams for the underworld.

Theres strong rhetoric here, of course. But I suspect if Padraig were still around today  more than a hundred years after he coined the famous phrase about cherishing all the children of the nation equally  it would be worth reading what he had to say about the points system.

Everyone knows that the points system has nothing whatsoever to do with quality in education. The president of one of our universities  a decent honest man  helpfully let it slip a few years ago that every third level college in Ireland keeps the points for a number of their courses artificially high, in order to create an illusion of prestige. He also admitted that the points system is nothing more than a rationing process. It mediates between supply and demand.

Every now and again I get a text from a golf shop near me. Amazing offers, it says. Whole sets of golf clubs with their prices cut in half. Golf balls being given away for practically nothing. Canny retailers know that theres a new season coming, when golf addicts will fall for the latest gimmick in clubs. So theyll be left with the stock they have unless they sell it off cheap.

Thats the law of supply and demand. And we apply it brutally to the third level education system. If a lot of people want to do a course, the points will be high. If theres less demand, the points will drop.

So every year, thousands of young people are systematically tortured to get these points, judged as failures if they dont get enough of them. It has nothing to do with equipping young people for the rest of their lives, or with building the confidence theyll need to cope with adversity. Pearse called it a factory system, and a hundred years later thats exactly what it is.

The specialists and experts will tell you that it has to be that way, because we dont fund third level education enough. And there is no doubt that, in the worst years of our economic crisis public, spending on third-level education in Ireland fell as a proportion of our national wealth. Up to then, according to the OECD, third-level had been the best-funded sector in our country, and pre-school by far the worst.

The other thing the OECD figures tell us is that the main reason the state investment in third level and second level education is so high is because teaching salaries in those levels are high  and also because people who work academically in third level spend so much of their time teaching (this is a point made again and again in OECD reports.) On the other hand, the main reason investment in pre-school is so low is because the vast majority of the people who work in that sector live on or near the minimum wage, irrespective of their qualifications.

Ive always believe that a good teacher, at any level, is worth his or her weight in gold. So Im not criticising higher salaries. I do think its long past time that we had an in-depth look at salary structures in the higher education sectors, however. There are huge disparities between really highly-paid and secure people at the top, and highly qualified younger academics with short-term contracts and miserable salaries at the bottom.

For me, though, the bottom line is that we spend the OECD average, as a proportion of our national wealth, on educating our children, on equipping them for their futures, on enabling them to keep our economy strong. Its a little over 5% of our national wealth, and a third of it goes on higher education.

Frankly, I wouldnt want to see more spent on higher education  at least not without thorough-going reform. And I certainly dont believe there is any case for making entry to third-level even more forbidding through the introduction of higher fees or student loans.

AS we all know, there is a huge lobby to pour more money into third level education, and the principal apologists for that lobby keep insisting that putting students into debt to enable them to pay more is the way to go. It isnt. Its just another way to encourage elitism back into the third level system.

We should be doing the opposite. Education is an investment we essentially make in ourselves and our own future. We should be working harder to make it more accessible to more people.

The last thing we should be doing is subjecting our young people to the cruelty and brutality of a rationing system. And then telling them, if they make it through that, theyre going to have to mortgage their futures to pay for their hard-won place in third-level education.
His tacit support for dark, evil forces is of great value in one context, though  it reminds America and the world of how bad things might be, or once were, before values, loosely described as the universal rights of man, shaped the West.

Mr Trumps ambiguity on racism is, however, far from his greatest crime  his refusal to work with the civilised world on climate change is. In selfish terms, his indulgence of the Neanderthals is essentially an American problem. However, his willful ignorance on climate, and that his position is driven by the extractive industries  drill, baby, drill, as his supporters chant  is a far greater threat to humanity than his saber-rattling with North Korea.

The evidence is undeniable, as it has been for decades. The Global Footprint Network (GFN), which calculates sustainability, has published data which shows that if everyone lived like the average American we would need five planets to survive. We cannot be at all sanctimonious. If everyone lived like the average Irish person, we would need four. That this puts us on what might be called the Trump trajectory on climate change is shameful. We are becoming, if we have not already, deaf and blind lemmings. Were we all to live like Chad, Afghanistan, or Cambodia, and what a grim prospect that would be, we might survive with less than one planet. That comparison underlines the bill for our way of life.

Chillingly, the GFN published an even more sobering metric. Less than three weeks ago, on August 2, the Earth hit its sustainability overshoot date for this year. This process measures how, through overfishing, overharvesting forests, overgrazing, and relentless carbon emissions, we have used more than our planet can renew in a year. Just 17 years ago, the deficit date was September 17, showing we have learned nothing. None of the myriad indications showing we are destroying our world have convinced us to change our ways.

Just yesterday, Biodiversity Ireland (BI) published details of species whose populations have collapsed because of human behaviour. BI warns that, of the 40,000 species on this island, 20% are threatened. There has been a 97% decline in curlew numbers in 20 years; only 130 breeding pairs remain. Salmon, a species once so abundant that the numbers were almost beyond comprehension, have declined by 60% in 40 years. European seabird populations are in freefall because, it is believed, they can no longer find food in our plundered seas. How can we continue to ignore these canary-in-the-mine ultimatums from nature?

An outrage being contemplated by Mr Trump is allowing mining and timber industries into national parks. As this is another battlefield in Americas culture wars, opposition is organised. One opponent, Dave Willis of the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, has advocated that we should love where you live, defend what you love. We certainly do the first but the opportunity to do the second is slipping away every day. Our indifference is likely to be fatal.
Tuesday, August 22nd, 2017 (8:52 am) - Score 2,741

The little known ISP Bogons Limited, which owns a unique 150k data centre that sits inside of an old nuclear bunker near Comrie and a website that looks as if it hails from the 90s, appears to have acquired part of AB Internets fixed wireless broadband network from the administrators.

Lincolnshire-based AB Internet shocked subscribers in May 2017 by announcing that the company had been forced to go into administration after running into financial difficulty (here), which meant that they were unable to pay their suppliers (BT, TalkTalk and KCOM). The administrators  Turpin Barker Armstrong  stepped in to stop the service from being switched off and then set about trying to sell AB Internets assets as a going concern.

Earlier this month ISPreview.co.uk published a detailed summary of AB Internets financial predicament (here). As part of that we also revealed that a sale of the companys remaining network assets had been agreed with two unconnected and unnamed third parties.

The sale itself would cover both the ISPs Forest Holidays network for around 65,000 and also their remaining 4 networks + other assets for 200,000, which includes their networks in North and South Wales, Loch Tay and the Black Isle (the latter two are both in Scotland).

At the time credible sources were informing us that Bogons had snapped up the bulk of AB Internets remaining network, although officially nobody would confirm because an agreement had yet to be signed. However this week some of the affected customers have been in contact to say that theyve been called by the administrators who have now confirmed the sale. A related email has also been received.

Email to Customers from Turpin Barker Armstrong As discussed, the sale of the remaining networks and assets of the Company was completed on 16th August 2017. If you have any queries regarding your service please contact the purchaser, Bogons Limited, who can be contacted via: Email: support@bogons.net (preferred)

Telephone  Support: 0330 088 1041

Telephone  General: 0330 088 1040

Naturally some customers have expressed concern about Bogons apparent lack of experience in the field of running fixed wireless access networks and are keen to know what plans the ISP is developing (the ISP appears to be in good financial health and has been around for a long time). We have put those questions to Bogons and are awaiting a reply.

In the meantime AB Internets website no longer seems to be loading. Hopefully Bogons will quickly work to give subscribers some certainty about their future.
Happy Eclipse Day! My location will only see a 76 percent eclipse  that is, if the skies stay clear. Its beginning to look a bit cloudy out there right now. Over the past few days, Ive heard countless news rebroadcasts from 1979 telling us that the next total eclipse in the United States will be on August 21, 2017. I feel a little deja vu from 1979, when I was a teenager and studied the instructions on how to watch the eclipse without damaging my eyes. I also have to admit, Im a little in awe by the pinpointed prediction of the event 38 years ago.

If only such precise predictions worked in cybersecurity. The best we can do is look at the past to get a better understanding of the future. Thats what Optivs Cyber Threat Intelligence Estimate 2017 attempts to do. The study looked at what happened in 2016 and then used that analysis to get a better understanding of what we might see in the coming months.

According to the report, the top recurring concerns in security from 2016 included:

1. Criminals are becoming increasingly specialized in a particular field and commodifying their services.

2. The traditional understanding of threat actors is becoming blurred as actors perform attacks typically associated with other roles.

3. The main driver behind malicious activity remains to be for financial gain.

However, if there was an overarching theme to 2016, the report said it is the facilitation of social action through cyber methods. For that reason, it wasnt surprising to see that the top tools and techniques used by threat actors involved social engineering. Phishing is a problem for every type of industry vertical; ransomware was most problematic for the financial and health care industries; and targeting third parties as a means of attack were most common in financial, health care, and professional businesses.

What does the report show for the future? I think the final two attack vectors may provide a clue. The past year saw hackers taking advantage of a widening attack surface, thanks to the rise of the IoT. As you probably remember, IoT devices led to one of the largest DDoS attacks weve seen. Based on last year, the study predicted that botnets and DDoS attacks involving the IoT will become more commonplace and that IoT security vulnerabilities could lead to other types of attacks like cryptocurrency mining and SPAM email generation.

The other attack vector was a little more surprising and may be the tool we need to keep an eye on. It was cryptography and blockchain technology, which, like IoT attacks, involved manufacturing, health care, tech, media, and telecommunications, and utilities and energy most often. As we move forward, the report said:

Cryptocurrencies will remain a highly volatile currency option when compared to the fluctuations seen in more traditional currencies. Technical hurdles involved with getting and using cryptocurrencies will continue to hamper their mass market acceptance. The success of applications built upon block chain technologies ultimately depend on the rigorous examination of their models. Poorly tested and analyzed applications create new risks.

Unlike an eclipse, we dont know exactly whats coming in cybersecurity. But based on the past, we know enough that we can take the precautions to limit any lasting damage.

Sue Marquette Poremba has been writing about network security since 2008. In addition to her coverage of security issues for IT Business Edge, her security articles have been published at various sites such as Forbes, Midsize Insider and Toms Guide. You can reach Sue via Twitter: @sueporemba
Samsung will release the Galaxy Note 8 on September 15, according to the reliable source Evan Blass. The latest leak also claims that flagship phablet will be available to pre-order a day after it's announced on Wednesday, September 23.

Following rumors that the Samsung Galaxy Note8 will be available in the US a day after its unveiling, tipster Evan Blass has confirmed that August 24 will be the date for the pre-orders of Galaxy Note 8. For the sales of the device he claims that it will kick off as early as September 15, GSM Arena reported.

With the pre-order of Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the buyer will be able to choose between a convertible wireless charger and the Samsung Gear 360 as a pre-order bonus. However, no matter which of these you choose, all pre-orders will also say to come with a free 256GB microSD card. Evan also claims that the pre-order gift for European purchaser is a DeX dock, according to the 9to5Google.

Samsung had debuted the Galaxy 8 and Galaxy S8+ phones on March 29 and the shipments of these phones had started on April 21. Therefore, the Galaxy Note 8 pre-orders may run for a few weeks and shipments date for September 15 might be true. In South Korea, the pre-orders of the Galaxy Note 8 expected to run from September 1 to 10. However, the shipping of Galaxy Note 8 is said to run between September 11 and 14 in the home country.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 sales are expected to first start in the U.S., the U.K., and South Korea in the next month. The upcoming Note 8 would be coming to other markets in October. The device is said to arrive in color variants, which are Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Gray and Deep Sea Blue. The U.S. is rumored to get Snapdragon 835 edition of the Note 8, while other markets are said to receive Exynos 8895 chipset.

Previous leaks suggest that Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will feature a 6.3-inch QUD+ AMOLED display, a dual-camera system with a f/1.7 aperture and 2x optical zoom, IP68 dust, and water resistance. Note 8 is said to come with 6GB of RAM and display technology similar to Apple's Force Touch
The much hyped Apple Watch 3 is set to launch this fall with LTE support for the first time. However, the latest report shows that the wearable device is unlikely to support phone calls.

A recent forecast from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities suggesting a third-generation of Apple Watch will come with an embedded electronic LTE sim in some models is well-known. However, according to the latest statement from Kuo suggests that LTE support will not make the Apple watch a phone.

According to Kuo, while a voice service that replaces the iPhone's calling functionality is feasible, he claims that Apple must first work on improving the "user experience of data transmission." As a result of the Apple Watch probably won't support traditional phone calls, as reported by MacRumors.

The Watch 3 is going to have LTE sim but unfortunately, it will not turn the Watch into a phone. KGI had already predicted that the e-sim would be LTE, not 3G, which limits the markets that can use it.

Even though it will not support phone calls on cellular LTE network, Apple Watch 3 will support VoIP with LTE signals to do calls via Skype, Facebook, What's App, FaceTime etc. The FaceTime audio calling is already supported on current Apple Watch models, as reported by Forbes.

Rumors have already claimed that the major carriers in the United States, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, will support and sell the upcoming LTE Apple Watch 3. However, Apple is currently involved in an ongoing patent dispute with Qualcomm; Kuo suggests that Apple will use Qualcomm chips in the Apple Watch because Qualcomm's technology is superior as compared to Intel's with smaller chips that consume less power.

Kuo has also predicted that Apple has no intention of developing an Android app for the Apple Watch at this time. The third-generation Apple Watch is said to be launched in September alongside new iPhones.
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.
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Close
A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit alleging that Kernersville Town Manager Curtis Swisher violated the rights of a firefighter appealing his termination. The lawsuit accused Swisher of refusing to turn over unredacted documents that the firefighter said he needed to fight his firing.

According to online court records, attorneys for both sides notified the court system on Nov. 3 that they had reached a settlement at mediation. Online court records said that a stipulation of dismissal of the lawsuit has to be filed by Dec. 3.

Former firefighter Kevin Bray initially filed the lawsuit in Forsyth Superior Court. It was later transferred to U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.

Diana Nobile, one of Brays attorneys, said Tuesday that the parties havent signed any agreement and the dismissal stipulation hasnt been filed. Bray has disputed that the lawsuit had been settled.

Patrick Flanagan, a private attorney representing the town of Kernersville and Swisher, said Wednesday that there has been a resolution in the matter but declined further comment.

Swisher fired Kevin Bray on June 4, 2015. Bray had been with the Kernersville Fire Department for 171/2 years. He was promoted to captain in 2010. Bray appealed his firing and asked for documents he believed Swisher had relied on in making his decision. Town officials initially refused to turn over those documents and later gave Bray heavily redacted versions of the documents, according to court papers. After a July 28, 2015, grievance hearing, Swisher upheld his decision.

In the federal lawsuit, Bray alleges that he was fired as retaliation for raising health and safety concerns about the department, including such things as training, equipment and mold at a fire station. Bray had been a member of the Kernersville Professional Fire Fighters Association, a voluntary, unincorporated labor association representing Kernersville firefighters.

According to the lawsuit, Bray was representing the group when he raised the concerns. Bray met with Swisher and Ray Smith, the towns human resources director, on May 12, 2015, to discuss the concerns. The lawsuit alleges that after the meeting, Swisher conducted an investigation in which he interviewed 15 to 20 employees and officials with the fire department.

Then on June 4, 2015, Swisher fired Bray. Bray has alleged that notes Swisher took during his interviews may have been the basis for his firing. But when Bray asked for documents, he got heavily redacted copies, the lawsuit alleged. According to the lawsuit, Bray wanted the documents so that he could prepare for his grievance hearing to appeal his termination.

Swisher said in the termination letter that Bray was fired for violating the towns personnel policy. Bray was accused of participating in any action that would in any way seriously disrupt the normal operation of the department or cause disharmony or strife in the department.

According to the lawsuit, up until that point, Bray had received positive evaluations.

In a May 2016 hearing in Forsyth Superior Court, W. Andrew Kelly, an attorney for the town, argued that Swisher had an obligation to protect personnel files of Kernersville employees and that Swisher had determined Bray had created disharmony within the fire department. Judge Richard Doughton of Forsyth Superior Court ruled that Swisher should turn over unredacted copies.

Attorneys for Swisher and the town appealed the case to the N.C. Court of Appeals, which upheld Doughtons ruling. The N.C. Supreme Court denied the towns petition to review the lower courts decision.
FOUNTAIN INN, S.C.  About an hour before the eclipse, excitement was building in this small town south of Greenville.

Hundreds of people gathered in the towns Woodside Park, unfolding lawn chairs, pitching tents and laying out blankets.

Like many communities in the path of totality  or outside it, for that matter  the eclipse was a good excuse to throw a party. Children ran around playing. A little girl with a NASA T-shirt seemed particularly excited.

On the edges of the park, commemorative T-shirts were being sold, bounce houses were set up and a dunking booth was in full gear, first with the mayor and then a local pastor. Considering the heat, they were lucky.

Vendors sold BBQ and turkey legs  and gave away free Moon Pies and Sunkist.

Cars in the crowded parking lot beside the park had plates from New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. A T-shirt vendor said she had had one customer from Arizona.

The suns kind of looking like Pac-Man right now, check it out! the announcer declared with one hour to go, shortly before the sun went behind some clouds.

The clouds came and went, with a little less sun visible  through the approved eclipse glasses, of course  each time.

Oh my God, Im blinded! a woman joked as she looked around with the glasses on. Theres always a comedian.

As the half-hour mark came, music blared and a few people danced, though most were lounging and occasionally glancing up at the sky.

Some folks claimed Bigfoots and Lizard Men would emerge during the eclipse, but apparently they opted to stay hidden.

By this point, the sun was a reverse crescent moon, about three-fourths covered. The light had an odd cast to it  not fully dimmed, but noticably different, even with 15 minutes to go.

The DJ began playing Total Eclipse of the Heart, followed by Spirit in the Sky and then, as totality approached, Also Spach Zarathustra, known to many as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Someone flew a drone overhead; I almost looked up at it without my eclipse glasses, but fortunately realized that would be a mistake.

It grew darker. Attendees put on their glasses and looked skyward. The clouds finally went away completely, leaving only a tiny sliver of sun in the sky.

Yall, its getting dark! a kid cried out.

And then, it got even darker, like a few minutes after dusk has settled. People broke into applause. After a brilliant diamond ring effect, the crowd was told it was safe to take off their glasses and observe the corona, visible around the black dot where the sun had previously been. It only lasted two mesmerizing minutes, then the announcer told everyone to put their glasses back on.

After it was over, a man declared Lets load up and go somewhere and see it again!
Former conservative congressman J.C. Watts, appearing on Meet the Press, reminded the audience that after Charlottesville, two of the presidents business advisory councils disbanded. He noted that you saw the exodus of many people on the business council, who resigned, who said those are not my personal values, those are not our corporate values, and those  we dont believe  are the values of our country. He noted that when it came to President Trumps faith council, only pastor A.R. Bernard resigned. Watts said candidly that he was quite disappointed  that we didnt have more.

Lack of principle, however, has been par for the course for the vast number of politically active Christian conservatives who endorsed and defended Trump, rationalized every outlandish, hateful statement (on Mexicans, POWs, a federal judge, Access Hollywood, etc.) and gave a pass to a thrice-married, dishonest narcissist who displays no religious sensibilities or ethical principles. They have continued to vouch for him, acting as a political shield, not as a spiritual force. They are mute when Trump measures success purely in monetary terms (just billionaires and generals in his Cabinet, thank you) and omits any mention of Jews from an International Holocaust Remembrance Day statement. They rejoice when he enacts a religiously bigoted travel ban and wants to throw honorably serving transgender people out of the military.

Watts would have been even more horrified had he seen Jerry Falwell Jr., who had this exchange with ABC Newss Martha Raddatz:

RADDATZ: On Twitter this week, you praised what you called the presidents bold, truthful statement about Charlottesville saying you were so proud of Donald Trump. But the president said Tuesday, there were quote very fine people on both sides. Who were those very fine people marching with the neo-Nazis?

JERRY FALWELL JR., PRESIDENT, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: The bold and truthful statements I was referring to were his willingness to call evil and terrorism by its name, to identify the groups, the Nazis, the KKK, the white supremacists. And thats something a leader should do. And I admire him for that. . . .

RADDATZ: Well, let me tell you what he said, though, lets go back to this. He said, there were very fine people on both sides. Do you believe there were very fine people on both sides?

FALWELL: He has inside information that I dont have. I dont know if there were historical purists there who were trying to preserve some statues. I dont know.

But he had information I didnt have. And I believe that he spoke what was

RADDATZ: What made you think he knew that

FALWELL: I think he saw videos of who was there. I think he was talking about what he had seen, information that he had that I dont have.

All I know is it was pure evil. The media has tried to paint this as Republican versus Democrat, black versus white, Jew versus gentile, but its just pure evil versus good. And thats what we all need to unite behind. We all need to unite behind stopping evil, whether its Timothy McVeigh who is the terrorist in Oklahoma City, or its Muslim terrorists in Barcelona, or its somebody flying a plane into the World Trade Center, its all evil.

RADDATZ: But when you say things like that, when you say its all evil, but you say youre so proud of Donald Trump, thats the message that resonated. It didnt resonate that you think he might have some information.

Falwell continued to dodge and weave, but Raddatz persisted:

RADDATZ: So, would you say, given what you know, there were no very fine people on that side, that other  the side of the neo-Nazis?

FALWELL: I dont have that information. All I know is those people are pure evil. And theres no moral equivalency  the secretary of the Treasury said this morning that Donald Trump does not believe there is any moral equivalency ...

RADDATZ: The president also said there is blame on both sides. Susan Bro, the mother of the woman killed in the car attack, Heather Heyer, said she wouldnt talk to the president, as we heard there, because he equated counter protesters with the KKK.

Raddatz confronted Falwell with the fact that a growing number of Liberty University graduates are preparing to return their diplomas to protest his support for Trump. (One student explained that Falwell was making himself  [and] the university he represents, complicit.) Falwell insisted that his support for Trump stemmed from the presidents bold and truthful willingness to call terrorist groups by their names, and thats something we havent seen in presidents in recent years. (This is a religious perspective?) Raddatz questioned why he is not applying the same standard to Trump, who has refused to call the neo-Nazis domestic terrorists, as he did to President Barack Obama. Falwell pronounced himself confused by this point and refused to criticize Trump.

Robert P. Jones, author of The End of White Christian America observes, I think Falwell, Jr.s defense of President Trumps recent remarks is unsurprising. If theres anything surprising about Trumps Evangelical Advisory Council over the last week, its that anyone resigned. He explains that like most things in the Trump orbit, the committee is mostly constituted as a Trump fan club rather than a group that broadly represents the major entities in the evangelical world and who might be conduits of concern on these issues. Loyalty, not moral guidance or prophetic voice, is the coin of the realm. Even worse, he reminds us, Given white evangelicals own checkered past supporting segregation and remaining silent about white supremacy groups (something I covered in my book), there may in fact be widespread agreement with Trumps remarks.

Falwells intellectual dishonesty  the president must know something we dont!  and refusal to apply religious (or even secular) values to Trumps ratcheting up of racial tension would be something youd expect from a sleazy politician, not a religious or academic leader. (But at least hes not politically correct; hes not so concerned about rehearsing and focus grouping every statement he makes and thats one of the reasons I supported him.) The debasement of so many Christian conservatives, who could call for Trump to practice self-reflection on matters of tolerance and national unity, may be one of Trumps lasting legacies. Quite simply, whos going to take these people seriously in the future?

David French, an evangelical Christian, veteran of the Iraq war, constitutional litigator and columnist, sees a familiar pattern. At this point nothing surprises me from Falwell, he told me. Remember, this is the guy who posed with the grin and thumbs-up right in front of Trumps Playboy cover. French observed, Like many of Trumps most zealous Evangelical supporters, hes not making arguments. Hes just offering an unconditional, mindless defense  and grounding it all in opposition to political correctness.

The decision to pursue access and power, to act as political advocates for Trump rather than as spiritual leaders, has stripped the religious right of any claim to the moral high ground. Instead of amplifying the worst traits in our political debate  rapid partisanship, angry populism, tribalism and blind xenophobia  they might consider challenging, not defending, the purveyor in chief of racial animosity and xenophobia.
ISAIAH FLETCHER, Winston-Salem

Support the Dreamers

In North Carolina, more than 27,000 young immigrants are able to go to school and pursue their careers thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA, as its commonly known, is a program that was put into place five years ago to allow these young men and women equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream. Thats why DACA recipients are often referred to as Dreamers.

Now, because of political disagreements that do not reflect the feelings of most Americans, the programs fate is uncertain. Congress must pass legislation that permanently prevents Dreamers from being uprooted from their homes and families. I work with these folks every day in an immigration law practice. They are Americans in every way but immigration status. Our limited law enforcement resources would be better spent catching criminals, not deporting Dreamers.

The DREAM Act, which has been introduced in each Congress since 2000, would provide certainty for Dreamers and their families. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis should throw their support behind this important piece of legislation.

Dreamers and DACA-eligible immigrants contribute over $63 million in state and local taxes annually. They work in our farms, factories, schools, hospitals and tech businesses. Some even form companies of their own, creating jobs for American citizens. Ending DACA and purging these people from our workforce would hurt North Carolinas economy for years to come.

Congress needs to fix this mess before it gets worse. Its time for the DREAM Act to become reality.

******

RON PARDUE, Clemmons

The Confederate statue downtown

I am a white Southerner and I think it is time to remove the Confederate statue from the downtown area and put it in a more appropriate place.

Symbols change over time, or at least our understanding of them does, and I am no longer comfortable with it where it is. I believe we should foster an inclusive society and support all the members of our community.

More and more the Confederate battle flag is being flown next to the Nazi flag and I find that abhorrent.

When the Civil War ended, 331,059 people, 28 percent of our population of North Carolina, were liberated. I do not know the figures for Forsyth County. I think we should do something to recognize these people who were lifted from bondage.

JANICE JENNINGS, Winston-Salem

Join together

I write to beg my representatives in Congress to say how they feel about what President Trump has said about white-supremacist hate groups. The same goes for my local politicians, Sen. Joyce Krawiec and Rep. Julia Howard.

We must remove monuments that glorify the Confederacy. We live in the present, in a nation founded before 1861, and based on a declaration that all men are created equal. We cannot simultaneously believe in equality for all and support monuments that glorify an ugly something else.

In Forsyth County, a monument recognizes the Confederate dead. My great-great-grandfather has a plaque on his grave that says he fought in the Civil War with the 26th NC. Thats memorial enough for me. As an aside, he left the South after the war and never returned. His descendants have fought for this nation, the one he lost to, in every war since.

Our elected officials in Congress need to join together and work for the nation our president is incapable of leading. Together they should speak on matters of great consequence, pass legislation that benefits all Americans, and override a presidential veto if necessary. Trump may well claim in the future that he knew his behavior would cause Congress to unite against him to achieve great things, and that it was his great, secret plan all along. Yes, this does sound crazy. That said, I think it sounds better than the totally public, and very bad, theatre of the absurd we currently live in.

******

RANDY T. BURGESS, Winston-Salem

A privileged class

Thank you for printing the Aug. 11 column Affirmative action has overstayed its welcome by conservative Ruben Navarrette. I dont necessarily agree with his conclusion, but I like that hes not trying to pretend that the purpose of affirmative action was to discriminate against white people. So many conservatives today have fallen for that argument, thanks to the Fox News propaganda channel and some prominent aggrieved conservatives who claim that being the most privileged class in the country somehow puts them at a disadvantage.

Please print Navarrette more often. Please print more conservatives who base their arguments on facts rather than on myths.

Please submit letters online to Letters@wsjournal.com or mail letters to: The Readers Forum, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Letters are subject to editing and are limited to 250 words. For more guidelines and advice on writing letters, go to journalnow.com/opinion/submit_a_letter.
#World University Games Chuncheong named host of 2027 World University Games The South Korean central region of Chungcheong was named the host of the 2027 Summer World University Games on Saturday, bringing the biennial event to the country for the fourth t...

#first lady First lady visits home of Cambodian child with heart disease First lady Kim Keon-hee visited the home of a Cambodian child with a heart disease Saturday and comforted the family, urging them not to give up under any circumstances, the presid...
KEARNEY  Sarah Focke started watching the skies about 8:30 a.m. Monday when she began volunteering for the University of Nebraska at Kearney watch party at Foster Field.

It was enthusiastic, she said. With all the students around, they were cheering and whooping and hollering. They had the UNK Drumline playing, leading up to totality. That was kind of neat.

Focke, the tourism and convention sales manager for the Kearney Visitors Bureau, described the 2017 Great American Eclipse at 12:57 p.m. as far beyond her expectations.

There were at least 6,000 in attendance at UNK and things were seamless, she said. We had staff from our office at other locations. We had people at the Viaero Center, the Buffalo County Fairgrounds and Yanney Park.

Those organized viewing locations each had about 300 people watching as the moon, timed to the fraction of a second, crossed completely in front of the sun and threw a dark shadow across Hub Territory.

Mark Meyer traveled from Kalamazoo, Mich., to watch the eclipse in Kearney.

My sister-in-law and her husband live near here, he said while watching the sun through a 5-inch solar telescope at the Kearney RV Park in southeast Kearney. We figured it would be a good place to get together, meet, get a campsite and watch the eclipse.

In addition to the telescope mounted on a tripod with a motorized tracking system, Meyer and the other people in his group used solar viewing binoculars, standard binoculars fitted with solar filters, solar viewing glasses, a welders helmet and a pinhole camera to watch the progress of the eclipse.

This is kind of a low-end hobby, Meyer said. By which I mean, sporadic. We like to get out this stuff and come and look at different events.

Meyer could distinguish sunspots with his solar telescope.

On the other end of the spectrum, the welders helmet offered good protection.

A welders helmet is safe if you have a strong enough filter, Meyer said. Basically it takes a really dark filter thats designed for arc welding. A standard welding filter is not good enough for protection.

Groups of people throughout Kearney gathered on front lawns to watch the eclipse.

After Focke finished her day at the UNK Viewing Party, she reflected on how the people of central Nebraska welcomed visitors for this special event.

I think the community pulled together very well and pulled off a great event, a once-in-a-lifetime event, she said. As far as I know, all went smoothly.

Focke expects to meet one more time with members of the eclipse planning committee to see how things went during the event.

I know the Nebraska Tourism Office is conducting an economic impact study that will probably be released in October, she said. That will be interesting to see the results of that.

The next total solar eclipse in the United States happens in seven years on April 8, 2024. One place where the path this time and the path in 2024 intersect is Carbondale, Ill.

Carbondale will get this again in 2024, Focke said. Their community is about 26,000 people, and it grew to a quarter of a million people today. That could have been Kearney. I dont know if we had that many but I do know that our hotels remained strong with reservations. We saw people from Switzerland, Washington, D.C., Kansas, Omaha, northern Nebraska  we saw people from everywhere.

The number of people at the pre-eclipse events also impressed Focke.

I was just blown away by the attendance at the SUNday Sounds concert at the Museum of Nebraska Art, she said. Tabatha Boyajians talk at the Merryman Performing Arts Center was outstanding. I went to the Night Market on Sunday where I talked to a couple vendors. They said they had steady business throughout the evening. I was just really thrilled with the attendance at those events.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, file photo, then Treasury Secretary-designate Stephen Mnuchin and his then-fiancee, Louise Linton, arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington, for the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. Linton offered a condescending response to a social media critic on Aug. 21, 2017, telling a mother of three that that she was Auadorably out of touch.Au Mnuchin and Linton were married in June. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Canada's newest astronauts Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey acknowledge the crowd during Canada 150 celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Saturday, July 1, 2017. Canada's two newest astronauts are already looking beyond the International Space Station as they begin two years of intense basic training. Kutryk points out that Canada is committed to the space station until 2024 along with its international partners. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Sean Kilpatrick
Quebec Premier Rene Levesque attends a meeting in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 1979. A group that defends the French language is urging the Quebec government to do more to enforce Bill 101 as the 40th anniversary of the landmark language law approaches. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP
A black bear attempts to chew on a patio door as it tries to get into a home in Gibsons, B.C., in this August 19, 2017 handout photo. Police say a black bear has been put down after it broke into a home and terrified a family in Gibsons, B.C. Sunshine Coast RCMP say Elery Froude was home with her two sons and a family friend on Saturday evening when an adult male bear wandered in through the sliding glass door. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - RCMP
Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, adjusts his headdress at a meeting of Atlantic MPs and First Nations chiefs in Wolfville, N.S. on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde says it will be important to work with Indigenous Peoples south of the border to garner support as Canada looks for a chapter of NAFTA focused on Aboriginal rights. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
Lying in a hospital bed at Aurora Medical Center, John Bush, 17, had an empty stomach with a bag of saline next to him, waiting for his colonoscopy.

He looked at his mom, Laura Bush, who seemed to be hiding her worry as they waited.

John was supposed to be studying for his three college-level classes at Bradford High School. He should have been reviewing lyrics for choir or helping the student government club. But a series of health problems  stomach pains, stiff muscles, extreme flu-like symptoms, bloody feces and losing 20 pounds  had him in that hospital room.

An hour before the procedure, the doctor entered the prep room.

The blood test we took showed you do have Lyme, he said.

John didnt understand. He didnt remember being bitten by a tick  the common carrier of Lyme disease.

Most dont.

Defining the disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection commonly transmitted by the deer tick, but recent research shows it can come from any tick, said Dr. Debra Muth, a Lyme-literate doctor with Serenity Health Care Center in Waukesha.

Chances of being bitten are greater this summer because of Wisconsins warm winter, said Pringle Nature Center naturalist Valerie Mann.

More of (the ticks) were able to survive, she said. Winter usually kills most of them.

About 50 percent of all ticks carry Lyme disease. It only takes about 10 minutes of bite-to-skin contact for the disease to spread, Muth said.

The signs, diagnostic tests and treatment options for Lyme have varying degrees of success.

A bulls-eye rash on the infected area used to be considered the warning of Lyme disease, but fewer than 20 percent of those infected get that rash, Muth said.

Those who are promptly tested for Lyme have a 50 percent chance of receiving a false negative result, Muth said.

Treatment variations

Traditional doctors prescribe up to 21 days of antibiotics to eradicate the bacteria, while Lyme-literate doctors treat it for up to three years.

Muth compares Lyme disease to syphilis, a sexually-transmitted disease that requires constant treatment.

That is the same mindset that a Lyme-literate doctor has, she said.

Muth uses a combination of antibiotics, herbal treatments and alternative medicine for treatment.

Lyme-literate doctors treat co-infections in addition to the bacteria that causes Lyme. Co-infections include bartonella, which can cause neurological disorders, to Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Lyme disease can be hard to cure if other infections are not treated at the same time, according to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public and doctors about Lyme treatment.

Sometimes, antibiotics are not able to rid the body of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease to persist.

The bacterium changes from its original corkscrew shape into alternative shapes, making it hard to reach with antibiotics, Muth said. A protective cyst also grows around the bacterium, literally blocking the treatment, she said.

Until recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasnt seen Lyme as a major problem, Muth said. The CDC estimates there are 300,000 new cases each year.

Wisconsin had 46 cases in 2015, eight in Kenosha County, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health.

That could all be under-reported, Muth said, especially given the likelihood that Lyme disease is misdiagnosed and mistreated.

Misdiagnosis

When the disease isnt treated properly, the consequences are staggering.

Extreme mishandled cases of Lyme have been misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis  an unpredictable, disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the body, often leaving its victims paralyzed, Muth said.

Two patients came to her in wheelchairs, unable to walk long distances. Two years of treatment restored full mobility, Muth said.

That misdiagnosis is caused when an MRI scan shows signs of multiple sclerosis when, in reality, its truly Lyme disease, Muth said.

A spinal tap is used to differentiate between Lyme and MS, but most patients never receive one.

Muths patients were shocked when they found out their health problems plaguing them for years were Lyme all along.

Most of them are extremely frustrated that no one thought of that before, Muth said.
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I had a great day in the office today. Not that I came up with any brilliant diagnosis nor cured anyone. I was able to just be a physician. No time wasted on the phone with insurance companies. No prior authorizations to do. It was a reminder of how much I love my job. I love my actual job  the one I trained for  being a physician. Listening to patients  I do find it a privilege to be part of their lives  to hear their stories as I start to work the puzzle of the possible diagnosis in my head and create the plan. Examining, looking for cues, asking more questions. Labs ordered, medications tried, procedures to do.

I am reassured that I still am happy with my career choice 22 years after graduating medical school.

Now how do I keep this joy every day?

With medicine ripped from the hands of physicians and taken over by corporate greed in the form of insurance companies this is not an easy question. Every day the rules change. Every day another hoop to jump through. If it were one set of rules, it would almost be tolerable. But alas with a number of insurers each with assorted plans there is a byzantine array of rules that is ever changing.

Imagine if you will, working hard through high school to get into college where you worked hard and studied to get into medical school. In medical school, you studied long hours, were often sleep deprived learning all you could about the human body and its various disease states. After graduating, you pursued from 3 to 11 years of post-graduate training (residency) where for pittance of pay you worked longer hours with less sleep and learned as much as you could so you would make the right decisions. Then you take board exams, apply for state licensing, hospital privileges  mountains of forms and bureaucracy. Finally, you can practice the craft you studied.

Now, as a practicing physician, your expert opinion is overruled by someone on the phone who maybe has a high school diploma. They are reading from a set of rules. But you see my patients illness has not read the rules. Just as medicine will not be taken over by computers, it takes an expert human to interpret what to do. It is cheaper for insurance companies to continue to deny claims, find ways to justify those denials than to allow those of us who trained long and hard to decide on treatment. I could understand if they were reigning in doctors who indiscriminately order imaging, but they apply the same draconian measures to all of us.

Of course to the detriment of patients.

Instead of my days spent being a physician, the majority of my days are mired in prior authorizations, different medication lists, and of course trying to get paid.

Our noble profession is being batted about by legislators and administrators. They have created this mess. A morass of huge expenditure that mostly does not got to actual care. The middle men have to go. It is up to us as a profession to take back control. First, do no harm.

Cathleen London is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
A young man who suffered serious stab wounds in Castlecomer on Saturday evening has been transferred to a Dublin hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Jamie Hennessy received a number of wounds, including a wound to his neck, when he stabbed at Love Lane at approximately 7pm. Emergency services attended the scene and the critically injured man was brought to St Luke's Hospital. It is understood that he was transferred to the Mater Hospital on Monday evening.

Gardai are continuing their investigations and an incident room has been set up at Kilkenny Garda Station. They are appealing to anyone present in the Love Lane area of town on Saturday between 5pm and 7pm to contact them.

Jamie's mother Sandra has posted on social networking site, Facebook to thank people for their kindness and ask them to pray for her son.

"Jamie has stopped at the crossroad he doesn't know if he is to turn back to us or going to his brother. Only way I can explain to you all so please pray that he turns back to us thank you all

This is not the first time the family have been hit by tragedy. In 1998 Jamie's older brother John and his cousin Paul were killed when their car hit a tree in foggy conditions on the Portlaoise to Abbeyleix Road. Jamie's sister, Amanda was seriously injured in the collision.

Three men (two aged in their 30s and one 40s) were arrested in connection to the stabbing of the 22-year-old. They were subsequently released without charge and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

One of the men arrested is understood to be a suspect in the cold-case murder of Gerry Nolan. Mr. Nolan died following a fire at his home on July 24, 2006. The matter was fully investigated and five people were arrested. No charges were preferred.

The case was reviewed in 2014 and a murder investigation was launched. Last November two men, aged 27 and 30, and originally from Kilkenny were arrrested in relation to the murder. They were subsequently released without charge.

Gardai are also appealing to members of the public, particularly to those living in the Castlecomer area, for any information that they might have that might assist into the circumstances that surrounded Gerry Nolans death.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Kilkenny Garda Station on 056-7775000, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

A garda spokesman confirmed that Jamie Hennessy is in no way connected to the investigation into the murder of Gerry Nolan.
Bollards in Kilkenny - used in areas throughout the city - are not designed to withstand deliberate ramming and are there for aesthetic reasons.

The Kilkenny People made the query in light of terror attacks in other EU cities where pedestrians have been targeted and killed.

Just last week in Barcelona terrorists killed 13 people at the popular tourist spot of Las Ramblas and injured over 100 others in a van attack.

There was a similar terror incident in Sweden in April of this year like Ireland, a neutral state with a low threat assessment.

A stolen lorry was driven into a large crowd in its capital city of Stockholm which left five people dead and 15 injured.

A senior engineer in Kilkenny County Council says the bollards in Kilkenny City are "installed for aesthetic reasons and to prevent illegal parking".

He added: The bollards are not designed to be ram proof.

The chairperson of the Joint Policing Committee in Kilkenny, Cllr Fidelis Doherty, says the bollards in the city may need to be looked at from a perspective of public safety in light of the terrible events happening in other areas of high population.

For more on the story, pick up this week's Kilkenny People.
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Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. Much cooler. High 58F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A clear sky. Low 34F. Winds light and variable.
MANILA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The Philippines may issue its maiden panda bonds around October or November this year, its finance secretary said on Tuesday. The government was still looking at raising $200 million from the issue, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez told reporters. Panda bonds are yuan-denominated debt sold in China by foreign firms or governments. Dominguez also said the government would probably issue global bonds next year to help finance its proposed 3.77 trillion peso ($73.25 billion) budget, but the size would not be significant. ($1 = 51.4650 Philippine pesos)

(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
BEIJING, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Cooler weather and ample supplies pushed China's thermal coal prices lower on Tuesday, spurring speculation that tapering demand may threaten the months-long rally even as concerns linger about slower output as Beijing cracks down on safety.

Prices shot to record highs last week, reaching 603 yuan a tonne ($90.62) amid concern about tightening output as the government launched sweeping safety checks across major producing province Shanxi after a fatal accident at a mine. Investors have pushed prices up 50 percent this year, piling into the market with bullish bets as hotter than usual weather scorched the north, increasing electricity demand for air conditioning and hence demand for China's favourite fuel.

Now, as the heat wave passes and long-range forecasts point to a warmer than average winter in the world's top consumer of the fuel, analysts and sources at utilities and miners are speculating over whether pressure on prices will increase.

China's most actively trade thermal coal futures for delivery in January inched down 0.9 percent on Tuesday to close at 595.6 yuan a tonne.

"We see increasing risks of a correction in the thermal coal market, due to lower consumption from power companies and cooling temperature," said Zhang Min, analyst at China Sublime Information Group.

The forward structure of the thermal futures curve shows investors are betting on prices peaking in October before falling steadily until August 2018. October's premium over August was 73 yuan a tonne ($10.97).

Reflecting reduced appetite from power producers, inventories at China's largest coal trading port Qinhuangdao have been stable at about 600 million tonnes in August, up from critically low levels of 400 million tonnes in March.

That's double the level this time last year and above the average of recent years.

"Weak appetite from utilities and growth in hydropower production has dampened purchases of thermal coal," China Coal Industry Association said in a report on Monday. "Declining freight rates for seaborne coal also indicate weakening demand."

The uncertain outlook may unsettle large rival producers such as Australia and Russia, which have sold more coal to China over the past year and benefited from higher prices.

Still prices may not fall too far before finding support from falling output as China's government clamps down on safety. Coal output in July fell to its lowest since October. A trader with one of China's top miners believes that prices will hover in their current range between 560 and 590 yuan.

"In the near term, coal prices are supported by limited production," Zhang said. $1 = 6.6543 Chinese yuan renminbi)

HI for urgent questions please call Meng Meng -86-15010182697 or Email meng.meng@thomsonreuters.com

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Temperatures in China seen trending more towards normal, cooling demand for thermal coal ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Meng Meng and Josephine Mason; Editing by David Goodman)
(Corrects table to indicate that SJC Gold prices are buy and sell rates, not a price range)

HANOI, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Following is a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates as of 0447 GMT.

August 22 USD/VND mid-point 22,448 USD/VND interbank 22,727/22,729 USD/VND unofficial 22,720/22,740 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.26/36.48

Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.5-1.2

1 week 0.6-1.3

1 month 1.4-1.8

3 months 3.0-3.5

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; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)
PRAGUE, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Tuesday.

ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA==========================

Real-time economic data releases.................... Summary of economic data and forecasts........... Recently released economic data.................. Previous stories on Czech data............. **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: =========================NEWS===================================

ANALYSIS: Emerging economies' debt in euros has shot to record highs thanks to European Central Bank largesse, and yet an approaching end to this generosity won't necessarily inflict the kind of pain that markets once suffered at the hands of the U.S. Fed.

Story: Related stories: ISSUANCE: The Czech Finance Ministry will offer up to 16 billion crowns ($721.89 million) worth of domestic government bonds in five primary auctions taking place in September but no treasury bills to replace maturing short-term paper, the ministry said on Monday.

Story: Related stories: EUROZONE: The Czech Republic may try to get an observer seat at the euro group of euro zone finance ministers if its decision-making powers are boosted under plans to reshape the European Union, the foreign minister said on Monday.

Story: Related stories: WAGES: The Czech centre-left government approved an 11 percent rise in the minimum wage on Monday, the sixth increase in as many years, as it aims to boost pay amid strong economic growth and ahead of elections due in October.

Story: Related stories: CEE MARKETS: The forint eased on Monday, while most central European currencies were treading water, amid some expectations that the Hungarian central bank (NBH) could try to weaken the currency in the statement it issues after a rate-setting meeting on Tuesday.

Story: Related stories: ========================PRESS DIGEST========================

DAIMLER: Daimler will build a logistics centre in the Czech Republic for its spare parts distribution throughout Europe. The carmaker will employ more than 900 people at the site, which should be operational in three years.

E15, page 1

(Reuters has not verified the stories, nor does it vouch for their accuracy.)

For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX For updates on CEE currencies TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets Prague Newsroom: +420 224 190 477

E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com

(Reporting by Prague Newsroom)
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.

(Kitco News) - Gold prices are moderately lower in early U.S. trading Tuesday. Some mild profit-taking pressure is featured after recent price gains that saw the yellow metal hit a multi-month high last week. December Comex gold was last down $5.90 an ounce at $1,290.70. September Comex silver was last down $0.005 at $17.005 an ounce.

World stock markets were mostly up Tuesday, on corrective bounces from recent selling pressure. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward firmer openings when the New York day session begins. The gains in world stock markets are also a daily negative for the safe-haven gold market. Still, many of the world stock indexes, including those from the U.S., are down overall for the month of August.

The highlight of the trading week is the annual central bankers meeting held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Thursday through Saturday. Highlights of central bank speakers from around the world include Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi. The marketplace will closely examine the Jackson Hole speeches for clues on future monetary policy moves by the worlds major central banks. In recent years the Jackson Hole central bankers confab has significantly moved the markets.

In overnight news, the closely watched German ZEW economic expectations index for August came in at 10.0 versus 17.5 in July. The August reading was well below market expectations.

The key outside markets early Tuesday see the U.S. dollar index higher, which is also a daily negative for the precious metals markets. The greenback has been trending higher during the month of August, but in a choppy fashion. Meantime, Nymex crude oil futures are weaker. Trading in oil has also been choppy recently.

U.S. economic data due for release Tuesday includes the weekly Goldman Sachs and Johnson Redbook retail sales reports, the house price indexes, and the Richmond Fed business survey.

Technically, December gold futures bulls still have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. A steep six-week-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Bulls next upside technical objective is pushing prices above chart resistance at the April high of $1,307.00. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is closing prices below solid technical support at last weeks low of $1,272.70. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,298.10 and then at $1,300.00. First support is seen at Mondays low of $1,286.20 and then at $1,280.00. Wyckoffs Market Rating: 7.0

September silver bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. Silver prices are in a six-week-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. The next upside price breakout objective is closing futures prices above solid technical resistance at $18.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the August low of $16.095. First resistance is seen at last weeks high of $17.32 and then at $17.50. Next support is seen at Mondays low of $16.83 and then at last weeks low of $16.56. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0.
JAKARTA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Indonesia's central bank cut its outlook for 2017 loan growth by banks to 8-10 percent from an initial forecast of 10-12 percent after weak lending growth in June.

In June, loan growth fell to 7.7 percent from a year earlier, the weakest expansion in eight months.

Bank Indonesia on Tuesday cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.50 percent to support credit and economic growth. It sees loan growth rising to 10-12 percent next year.

Although economic growth in the second quarter disappointed at 5.01 percent, the cental bank maintained its outlook for 2017 full-year growth at 5.0-5.4 percent, and 2018 expansion of 5.1-5.5 percent.

(Reporting by Nilufar Rizki, Hidayat Setiaji, Gayatri Suroyo and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
* S.Korea-U.S. military exercises keep tensions on the boil

* Volume, turnover at multi-month lows

* Rallying industrial metal prices lift metal-related shares

(Updates to close)

By Ayai Tomisawa and Shinichi Saoshiro

TOKYO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Japanese stocks inched down on Tuesday to cap their fifth straight day in the red amid lingering tensions on the Korean peninsula, though a strong rally in metals-linked shares helped steady the broader market.

The Nikkei share average inched down 0.05 percent to 19,383.84 after traversing negative and positive territory. The index fell for the fifth day to mark its longest losing streak since April 2016.

The broader Topix , however, added 0.06 percent to 1,596.12.

Investors were cautious as the United States and South Korea began long-planned joint military exercises on Monday, heightening tensions with North Korea which called the drills a "reckless" step toward nuclear conflict. Volume of the broader market hit a three-month low of 1.315 billion shares, while turnover dropped to a four-month low of 1.714 trillion yen.

"Investors are staying on the sidelines amid geopolitical uncertainty. I don't think the market will see a sharp sell-off for now, but the mood is tense," said Isao Kubo, equity strategist at Nissay Asset Management.

Furthermore, Kubo said investors are holding their bets as they look for monetary policy insights from this week's meeting of global central banks at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is due to speak. Tokyo's non-ferrous metals sub-sector was up 1.1 percent with prices of copper having hit a near three-year peak and other industrial metals like zinc and nickel also buoyant.

Smelters Mitsubishi Materials Corp and DOWA Holdings Co added 1.6 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Toho Titanium climbed 2 percent.

Sumitomo Metal Mining rose as much as 4 percent to more than a 2-year high after the company said that it plans to install verification facilities for the mass production of high-purity nickel oxide powder to be used in fuel cell electrodes.

Demand for components related to fuel cell batteries are expected to increase along with the popularity of electric vehicles.

With iron ore prices soaring to multi-month highs the iron and steel subsector climbed 1.5 percent.

Major ferro-alloy maker Nippon Denko Co climbed 4.3 percent. Kogi Corp , a manufacturer of steel ingot moulds and steel rolling products, rose 2.3 percent. Komatsu Ltd , which produces iron ore-hauling trucks, rose 1.1 percent.

Elsewhere, real estate shares advanced, with Mitsui Fudosan rising 0.7 percent, while Mitsubishi Estate gained 0.6 percent.

(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa and Shinichi Saoshiro; Editing by Eric Meijer & Shri Navaratnam)
ISTANBUL, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Tuesday.

The lira stood at 3.4980 against the U.S. dollar at 0511 GMT, compared with 3.4964 at Monday's close.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 10.74 percent in spot trade on Monday and fell to 10.64 percent in Tuesday-dated trade.

The main BIST 100 share index rose 1.32 percent to 108,614.87 points on Monday.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian shares rose on Tuesday after modest gains on Wall Street, while robust metals prices underpinned some regional markets even as investors remained wary ahead of the annual central banking conference in Jackson Hole later this week. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan extended early gains and rose 0.7 percent. ERDOGAN

President Tayyip Erdogan will make the 39th of his speeches at the presidential palace to neighbourhood administrators from across Turkey (0900 GMT).

YILDIRIM

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim completes his visit to Singapore and travels to Vietnam.

CIVIL SERVANTS' SALARY INCREASES

The government and unions have reached agreement on civil servants' salary increases, agreeing on 2018 hikes of 4 percent in the first half and 3.5 percent in the second half and on 2019 hikes of 4 percent for the first half and 5 percent for the second half, the labour ministry said in a statement. The collective agreement will be signed at the ministry at 11 am (0800 GMT).

TREASURY AUCTIONS

The Treasury will tap its 2-year benchmark bond, maturing on May 15, 2019 and issue a new 10-year benchmark bond, maturing on Aug, 11, 2027.

ASSOCIATION OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Turkey's Association of Financial Institutions will hold a meeting (0730 GMT).

For other related news, double click on:

Turkish politics Turkish equities Turkish money Turkish debt Turkish hot stocks Forex news All emerging market news All Turkish news For real-time quotes, double click on:

Istanbul National-100 stock index , interbank lira trading , lira bond trading (Writing by Daren Butler)
* Underlying net profit jumps to $6.7 bln from $1.2 bln

* Misses forecasts for $7.4 bln underlying net profit

* Final dividend rises to $0.43 from $0.14

* Cuts net debt by $9.8 bln to $16.3 bln

* Says "actively pursuing" exit from U.S. shale business

(Adds CFO comment on potash, shale sale deadline, updates share price)

By James Regan

SYDNEY, Aug 22 (Reuters) - BHP Billiton , the world's largest miner, reported a surge in underlying full-year profit on Tuesday and said it would exit its underperforming U.S. shale oil and gas business, pleasing disgruntled shareholders who called for a sale.

The Anglo-Australian mining giant, which is under pressure from U.S. hedge fund Elliott Management to rethink its investment in oil and boost shareholder returns, was buoyed by a recovery in industrial commodities markets.

It generated more cash than even in some years of the mining boom, slashed net debt by nearly $10 billion to $16.3 billion and tripled its final dividend to $0.43 a share.

Underlying profit of $6.7 billion was below expectations for $7.4 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, but the market focused on the lower debt and the company's determination to exit U.S. shale, pushing its London-listed shares up 2.4 percent by 1354 GMT.

"Net debt looks very impressive ... so the cash looks like it was applied to deleveraging versus extra dividends," Shaw and Partners analyst Peter O'Connor said.

BHP joined other miners that have boosted payouts in the current earnings season to reward shareholders following a resurgence in commodity prices. Rio Tinto and iron ore miner Fortescue Metals both paid record dividends, while Anglo American reinstated its dividend.

Facing calls from some shareholders to dispose of the shale business it acquired at the height of the oil boom, the miner said it was working on an exit over the next two years.

Chief Executive Andrew Mackenzie said the preference would be a small number of trade sales. Other options could include a demerger or asset swaps.

"We certainly have plenty of people interested in taking a look," Mackenzie said on a media call. "Our determination to exit means that we have other ways to exit that do not necessarily depend on ... a competitive set of willing buyers."

Fund managers including Elliott and Tribeca have been agitating for shale's divestment, along with higher shareholder returns and the elimination of dual-structured Australia and London stock listings. Tribeca welcomed BHP's comments that shale was no longer core to the company.

"That was our approach. We didn't see it fitting strategically in BHP. We think they can realise value ahead of market expectations for the U.S. onshore business," Tribeca analyst James Eginton said.

Elliott, which last week raised its stake in the miner's London-listed arm to 5 percent, declined to comment. COMMODITY SURGE

BHP's underlying profit surged from $1.2 billion a year ago as it benefited from a 32 percent rise in iron ore pricing in fiscal 2017, owing to greater demand from Chinese steelmakers, which buy the bulk of its ore.

Prices for copper, oil, coal, nickel and other commodities were also up, with only liquefied natural gas weaker.

"Strong momentum will be carried into the 2018 financial year, with volume growth of 7 percent and further productivity gains expected," Mackenzie said.

He reiterated BHP's commitment to its conventional petroleum business that includes operations in the Gulf of Mexico, saying there were opportunities to make money over the next couple of decades.

In response to disappointment from some analysts at the size of the dividend, Chief Financial Officer Peter Beaven said BHP's bias was towards further strengthening the balance sheet, but any further accumulation of cash, once a target of cutting debt to $10 billion-$15 billion was met, would go to shareholders.

Capital expenditure would be no more than $8 billion per year, he said.

At the bottom line, BHP swung to an attributable profit of $5.89 billion from a record loss of $6.39 billion a year ago.

In fiscal 2016, the bottom line was hit by $7.7 billion in write-downs, with Mackenzie vowing they would not be repeated in 2017. Elliott's other criticisms have focused on BHP's development of its Jansen potash mine in Canada. "It's no different from any other asset. It needs to pass through our capital allocation framework. In other words, the risk return needs to be sufficiently attractive," CFO Beaven said. "Until it passes that, it won't go forward."

(Reporting by James Regan,; Additional reporting by Barbara Lewis in London, Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Anusha Ravindranath in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin and David Evans)
SHANGHAI - Chinese tourists spent about 153,000 room nights in Sweden in the first half of this year, up 19.9 percent year on year, according to Li Chunmei, chief representative of Visit Sweden in China.

China is one of Sweden's fastest-growing sources of tourists, Li said on Monday. "Stockholm, Skane, West Sweden and Lapland are the most popular destinations," Li said.

More Chinese visitors are turning from traditional sightseeing to in-depth traveling, seeking to experience the local lifestyle, she said.

Visit Sweden released a three-episode mini-film last week to showcase the authentic Swedish lifestyle.

Since 2016, Visit Sweden has introduced "soft adventure" for Chinese tourists, including biking, car hire and parent-child products.
'Deep-rooted evils' in public institutions urged to step down





Former KOGAS CEO Lee Seung-hoon Former Korail CEO Hong Soon-man

By Park Jae-hyuk

All eyes are on heads of public institutions close to former President Park Geun-hye, amid a series of recent resignations of those who were put in office under the previous administration.

Those who have stepped down from their posts since the inauguration of President Moon Jae-in include KOGAS CEO Lee Seung-hoon, Korea Gas Safety Corp. CEO Park Ki-dong, Korail CEO Hong Soon-man and Korea Expressway Corp. CEO Kim Hak-song.

Korea Consumer Agency President Han Kyeon-pyo and Korea Exchange Chairman Jeong Chan-woo also added their names to the list last week.

Han, a former prosecutor, was named as a chief of the agency in October 2015, after supporting former President Park's election campaign in 2012. However, he has been embroiled in controversy because of his connections with Park.

The launch of the Moon administration seems to have made him decide to step down 14 months before the completion of his term, according to industry sources.

Jeong, a close financial aide to Park, has been suspected of having intervened in the promotion of KEB Hana Bank senior executives involved in the corruption scandal that led to her downfall. He was questioned by prosecutors in February.

Amid a growing controversy over his lack of experience in the capital market, Jeong tendered his resignation two years before the end of his term. This sparks expectations of the "retirement" of Korea Development Bank Chairman Lee Dong-geol, who was also considered a "Pro-Park" individual.

Before Han and Jeong's departure, Daewoo Engineering & Construction CEO Park Chang-min also announced his resignation amid growing suspicions he was recommended by Choi Soon-sil, the confidant of former President Park.

However, there still remain heads of public enterprises related to Park.

Last month, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions announced a list of 10 chiefs of public institutions they deemed should resign.

Defining the 10 as "the deep-rooted evils," the nation's two largest umbrella unions said they actively collaborated with those who illegally meddled in state affairs.

Among them, the KOGAS and Korail CEOs have already left office.

The remaining eight are Korail Retail CEO Yu Jae-bock, Korea National Oil Corp. CEO Kim Jung-rae, Korea Labor Institute head Phang Ha-nam, Korea Veterans Health Service Chairwoman Kim Ok-yi, Seoul National University Hospital President Suh Chang-suk, Korea East-West Power Corp. CEO Park Hee-sung, Korea Fisheries Resources Agency CEO Chung Young-hoon and Korea Legal Aid Corp. chief Lee Heon.

If these executives categorized as pro-Park decide on early retirement, the number of public enterprises facing leadership vacancies later this year will grow further. Among the nation's 300 public enterprises, 100 firms are expected to do so.
By Park Hyong-ki



The government will press ahead with the plan to impose taxes on clergy members beginning next year. Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon told lawmakers that the government will implement a revision to tax code that will enable it to levy income taxes of between 6 percent and 38 percent on churches, temples and other religious organizations beginning next year.



Kim said he will meet with leaders of religious groups to minimize confusion and ensure fair taxation.



"The government will take all preparatory steps before implementing taxation on religious groups," Kim said.



He said the National Tax Service (NTS) is establishing the necessary infrastructure for levying taxes on religious figures.



Some religious groups are against the government's move, saying that it would only cause more confusion and conflict.



"We express concern as there is a lack of preparation from the tax authority, and this could cause side effects and confusion," the Communion of Churches in Korea (CCIK) said in a press statement.



It also said that its task force met with government officials, but only confirmed differences on the matter.



Last week, the CCIK welcomed the move by some lawmakers led by Rep. Kim Jin-pyo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to postpone the implementation of the controversial taxation for another two years because he said the NTS is not ready for it.



Rep. Kim, head of President Moon Jae-in's de-facto transition team, is leading a group of 23 lawmakers from four political parties to further push back taxation on the churches.



As the public started raising opposition to Rep. Kim's move, stressing that it was against the Korean Constitution, the DPK lawmaker recently said that if this country begins levying taxes on religious practitioners and groups, the NTS should not audit them.



His remarks have further caused public outrage, with 90 percent of those surveyed saying that the country should levy taxes on priests and monks.



The government is looking to reach out to the religious groups through next month and issue guidelines on taxation by October.



The religious community finds itself divided as some groups such as the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) said that clergy figures have to not only serve God, but also they must carry out their social duties by paying taxes.



The issue of taxation first came up in 1968 when then NTS chief Lee Nak-sun officially said the country needed to start collecting income taxes from priests and monks.



But governments continued to hold off on this especially ahead of or during the election season, even despite being the only economy in the OECD to not levy taxes on the clergy.



The issue has gained attention as Korea is becoming a rapidly aging society, while facing a shortage of capital resources to finance its growing social costs.




By Kim Jae-kyoung

SINGAPORE  The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held in Manila this month showed ASEAN's commitment to helping resolve the North Korean nuclear issue but it also exposed limitations in its role and capacity.

Although ASEAN members united on North Korea's aggression, there was no meaningful and detailed discussion on curbing diplomatic exchanges with the reclusive country and whether to exclude it from the regional security forum.

In other words, there was an improvement in rhetoric but little progress in action on how to play its part in reining in the outcast country.

Ahead of the ARF, a platform for dialogue and cooperation on regional security, ASEAN foreign ministers issued a joint statement expressing grave concern over rising tension on the Korean peninsula triggered by North Korea's tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"These developments seriously threaten peace, security and stability in the region and the world," the ministers said, strongly calling for Pyongyang to comply fully with its obligations under all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions.

During the ARF, an ASEAN-led forum that groups the U.S., the two Koreas and 24 other countries, most ASEAN members, except for the Philippines, chair of the forum this year, refused to have bilateral talks with the North.

ASEAN's determined statement might have sent a message that if North Korea continues provocations, it will damage diplomatic ties with the 10-member bloc, which still maintains friendly relations with the rogue state.

However, many argue that now is time to act rather than talk to increase pressure on Pyongyang.

Against this backdrop, the U.S. strongly called for ASEAN and its allies to downgrade diplomatic exchanges and suspend the isolated country from the forum prior to this year's gathering.

Should North Korea be kicked out? Regardless of growing demand, it is pretty unlikely that ASEAN nations will either sever bilateral ties with the North or reach a consensus to discharge it from the security forum.

"I don't think cutting bilateral ties with North Korea is an option on the table for ASEAN member states now or in the foreseeable future even at this rate of continued provocations by North Korea," said Hoang Thi Ha, lead researcher at the ASEAN Studies Center at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

"North Korea's provocations, while being progressively dangerous and disturbing, do not pose an existential security threat to ASEAN countries."

Expelling North Korea from ARF is also unlikely as it is not likely to build actual pressure on the Kim Jong-un regime because its participation in the forum has only marginal benefits for both the region and the North.

"Expulsion would of course have a strong symbolic impact, but I do not believe doing so will shame the North into changing its behavior," Balbina Hwang, a visiting professor at Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies, said.

"If anything, it will only inflame its hostility, and it may choose to lash out at the region."

What makes it more difficult is that such a move contrasts with ASEAN's mission to promote security and stability in the region.

"Discharging North Korea from the ARF is not a viable alternative at this stage. Procedurally, there are no provisions on ARF member expulsion, but essentially, there will be no ASEAN consensus to do so," Ha said.

"Furthermore, this extreme act goes against ASEAN's DNA which pursues dialogue and engagement instead of isolation and marginalization."

So setting aside the idea of expulsion, ASEAN should focus on forging a consensus to take a strong, unified stance against North Korea by fully implementing the UNSC resolutions, particularly on sanctions against the communist regime.

At the same time, they should step up efforts to crack down on Pyongyang's illicit trade and activities aimed at evading sanctions and earning hard currency, while strengthening monitoring of North Koreans' entry into their countries.
A "peace flash mob" of civic activists gathered in front of Seoul City Hall Monday, demanding that the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian military drills by South Korean and U.S. forces be stopped. The exercises, which began on Aug. 21 and will last until 31, involve 17,500 U.S. servicemen and about 50,000 South Korean personnel. North Korea has denounced the drills as a rehearsal for an invasion, and on Tuesday threatened to retaliate. / Yonhap



North Korea's military threatened Tuesday that it is ready to stage ruthless retaliation against South Korea and the United States over their ongoing joint military exercises.

North Korea's military stationed at the truce village of Panmunjom said that the U.S. has ignored its warning to make the right choice, warranting Pyongyang's merciless punishment, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The U.S. should take the whole responsibility for catastrophic results from its reckless war game as it choose to make a military confrontation with us," its spokesman said in a statement.

South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off their 10-day joint military drills on Monday, involving some 17,500 U.S. servicemen and about 50,000 South Korean forces.

Pyongyang has denounced the drills as a rehearsal for invasion despite reassurances by Seoul and Washington that they are defensive in nature.

North Korea routinely issued warnings before and during the allies' drills, but this year it came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Pyongyang following exchanges of bellicose rhetoric.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week held off on missile threats toward the U.S. territory of Guam after U.S. officials dismissed the risk of an imminent war with the North.

But he vowed to make an "important" decision if the U.S. continues its "extremely dangerous reckless actions" on the Korean Peninsula, apparently referring to the military exercises. (Yonhap)
By John Redmond



A photo exhibition by Korean expat nurses from Germany is on display at the Seoul Museum of History in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. The event will run through Sept. 3.



Titled the "Women Who Transcended Boundaries Exhibition," the exhibition depicts Korean nurses who left their country for Germany in the 1960s to seek a better future for themselves and their families.



The event also features stories about their lives as nurses and also as first generation Korean emigrants in a then divided nation as well as their reflections on current Korean modern society.



The nurses, who went to Germany during the 1960s to 70s, formed the first Korean community in the country. Germany successfully revitalized its economy after the country was defeated and collapsed after World War II.



"Germany recruited nurses from abroad as the country was suffering from a manpower shortage upon the improvement of the social security system and many nurses in Korea chose to go to Germany for the stabilization of their family and personal development," the event organizers say on the museum website.



"This will be an opportunity to ruminate on the modern history of Korea through the lives of Korean nurses who crossed cultural and political boundaries by moving from one divided country to another divided country, Germany, starting their careers as nurses at hospitals particularly in the divided city of Berlin, and becoming part of their society after taking root in the foreign country."



Admission is free and times are weekdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Mondays.



The Seoul Museum of History is at 55 Saemunnan-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul.



To get there, take the subway metro to Gwanghwamun Station, leave at exit 7 and walk about 10 minutes. The museum is on the opposite corner from the "Man with Hammer" sculpture. It is the building with a streetcar outside.



For more information, call (02) 724-0274 or visit http://eng.museum.seoul.kr/eng/board/NR_boardView.




Seoul Metro held a counter-terrorist exercise at Sadang station in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



By Chyung Eun-ju



Seoul Metro ran a counter-terrorist training course involving law enforcers and emergency workers at Sadang station on Tuesday.



The exercise used a scenario where poison gas was released in a subway car leaving from Dongjak station on Line 4 at 2:05 p.m. and heading to Sadang station, two stations south.

In the exercise, terrorists raided the passengers' waiting room on the second basement level of Sadang station.



A subway employee informed the Central Control Center and put a radio call for people to evacuate the station.



Police and military chemical specialists were deployed at Sadang station in Dongjak-gu, southern Seoul, to rescue passengers affected by the gas. Police cordoned off the area.



The task force is responsible for extinguishing fires, removing explosives, treating emergency patients and apprehending terrorists.



Technical engineers worked to restore facilities, returning the subway service to normal.



About 200 members of the Seoul Metro, police, fire department, military and Seoul District Office Health Center as well as 60 citizens were mobilized in the exercise, which lasted less than 30 minutes.



With the exercise delaying subway operations, Seoul Metro head of operations Choi Sung-soon asked for customers' understanding and cooperation.
By Chyung Eun-ju

Mexico has sent a diplomat back to Korea for a police investigation of alleged sexual harassment on a Korean employee.

The diplomat had previously tried to dodge an investigation, claiming immunity.

"The involved officer is in Korea with the willingness to cooperate with local authorities toward resolution of the case," the Mexican Embassy said in a press statement Monday.

"Mexican authorities will monitor the situation closely in coordination with their Korean counterparts."

On July 27, a female Korean-Paraguayan employee at the embassy filed a suit against the diplomat claiming he intentionally touched her thighs and buttocks several times.

After the suit was filed, Jongno Police Station requested the diplomat's presence on Aug. 3. The diplomat said he would comply.

But he did not attend and left for Mexico on Aug. 4.

On Aug. 10, Korea's foreign affairs ministry sent an official request for the Mexican embassy's cooperation, highlighting Mexico's obligation to follow Korean investigative laws.

A diplomatic source said that by not allowing the diplomat to claim immunity and sending him back to Korea, the embassy had shown a willingness to co-operate.
By Jung Min-ho

Sex offenders in prisons freely watch and share sexually explicit videos, including child porn, according to reports by SBS.

Speaking to the local broadcaster, a prisoner at the Gyeongbuk Correctional Institution said there are dozens of memory cards containing such content, as well as adult comic books, in the facility.

The prisoner said many inmates use electronic dictionaries with a video playback function to watch such material.

The prisoner said he repeatedly raised the issue with prison officials but they did nothing to address it.

The problem is not unique to that facility. SBS reported that former prisoners said they also had access to such content while serving time in other facilities.

The Ministry of Justice said prisoners are legally allowed to have adult content unless it was illegal (such as child porn). It said it will investigate whether any violations of the laws occurred in prisons and find ways to resolve the issue through a law revision if necessary.
By Lee Seong-hyon





Last time, we examined why China has never officially proposed to abolish or abandon its alliance with North Korea, since 1961. We also looked at why China also makes pains not to draw attention to it. When comparing the China-North Korea alliance with the South Korea-U.S. alliance, one also finds, surprisingly, that the North Korea-China alliance was "designed," from the beginning, to be very difficult to break than the alliance between South Korea and the U.S.

In the case of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, the treaty would be simply terminated if either side makes notifications of such intentions one year in advance. However, the North Korea-China alliance is more complex. "Unless there is an agreement between the two parties, the treaty shall continue to remain in force," Article 7 states. This is like when a couple wants to divorce, both parties, not just one side, must agree to separate, only then can a divorce be filed. On the contrary, the South Korea-U.S. alliance can be terminated without fuss when either of them decides to separate. In keeping with the spirit of the treaty, if China wants to terminate its alliance but North Korea refuses it, the couple has no choice but to continue to be bedfellows. It's because they designed the marriage contract that way.

Second, most importantly, the North Korea-China alliance has the "compulsory intervention clause," which is absent in the South Korea-U.S. alliance. This is the key difference between the two alliances. Article 2 of the North Korea-China alliance states that "when either party of the treaty is physically invaded and is involved in a state of war, the other party will provide, with all its might, military and other assistance without delay."

On the contrary, Article 2 of the South Korea- U.S. alliance states that "the parties will consult each other whenever either of them is threatened by external armed attack." In other words, the South Korea-U.S. treaty says they will merely "consult" when one of them is under attack, while the North Korea-China treaty stipulates that they are obligated to help each other "without delay." So, the two treaties are clearly different in terms of the degree of obligation and the immediacy of providing aid.

Third, the North Korea-China alliance uses the very unusual phrase, "brotherly friendly" (xiongdi ban de youhao) to describe the relationship. That expression is not common in alliance treaties. The "brotherly friendly" relationship is an expression that does not exist in the South Korea-U.S. alliance or other treaties. It is also an expression not found in the alliance treaty China made with the Soviet Union (1950), the first ally of China and the most important ally at that time.

Xi Jinping visited North Korea in 2008. It was his first foreign visit after he was minted as the vice president of China. As he was laying a flower basket on the statue of Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founder, he said: "Our two nations are connected by mountains and water, and our friendship has been founded and developed by our two generations of revolutionaries." At that time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, "We will strengthen the friendship between the two countries and promote cooperation and friendly relations in each field."

In 2013, Xi became the president of China. Since then, he has not visited North Korea. A bilateral summit has yet to take place. Based on this, and amid China's growing frustration with North Korea over the latter's nuclear program, many pundits have characterized the China-North Korea relationship as at its "worst." Some media outlets in Hong Kong even said the treaty was just a piece of paper that has lost its relevance today.

What is interesting is that the North Korea-China alliance is still, quietly, intact. Further, when China is pushed to state its stance on North Korea at critical junctures, Beijing drops the usual "low-key" mode and forcefully articulates its protective cover for Pyongyang. For instance, when asked whether the murder of Kim Jong-nam would have a "negative impact" on Sino-North Korea relations, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "China and North Korea are friendly neighbors and the two nations maintain the friendly tradition." It may not be a coincidence that the term "friendly" was mentioned twice in one sentence.

Lee Seong-hyon, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Sejong Institute. Reach him at sunnybbsfs@gmail.com
Britain is known to be liberal and open to foreign trade and investment. But these days in the British media we see another picture  a confusing mixture of paranoia about so-called threats of Chinese investment to UK's national security, of exaggerations about China's appetite to buy out Britain, and of talks about protection against investment from China. All these are both groundless and harmful.

First, the Chinese investment in the UK is mutually beneficial and win-win for both countries. So far, $18 billion of Chinese non-financial investment has come into a wide range of sectors here in this country. From infrastructure and equipment manufacturing to hi-tech, new energy and financial services, Chinese investment is creating new jobs, generating green, low carbon growth and bringing economic prosperity and stability.

The Hinkley Point project partly financed by the Chinese company CGN, for example, is expected to create 26,000 jobs and, upon completion, reduce nine million tons of carbon emission every year. The 250-million-pound auto plant in Coventry built by China's Geely Group will roll out a new generation of zero-emission cabs onto the streets of London by 2018.

The ABP Royal Albert Dock project brings in1.7 billion pounds of Chinese investment. This urban complex of offices, homes and retail commerce will give London its third business and financial district and drive the development of east London. Other major Chinese investors, such as Huawei and Wanda, are increasing their investment here and, in doing so, casting a vote of confidence in UK's future.

Second, the UK's unchanged commitment to staying open is key to boosting the confidence of foreign investors. Charles Dickens wrote: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". At this turning point for Britain, these words ring true. How the UK will choose between being more open and embracing the world, and lowering the portcullis and pulling up the drawbridge not only matters to Britain's own future but concerns its global partners. As the Brexit negotiations continue and the ensuing uncertainties and negative impacts unfold, for Britain and for foreign investors, confidence is more valuable than gold.

After the Brexit Referendum, the British Government reiterated its commitment to free trade and its opposition to protectionism. The vow was to strengthen business ties outside the EU and build a truly global Britain". Now is the time for Britain to reaffirm its commitment, to shore up confidence and certainties for its global partners rather than to needlessly tighten up reviews and leave them in doubts and hesitation.

Third, being open and inclusive has been one of the keys to Britain's continued success. These qualities have over many years enabled this country of 240,000sq km and 65 million people to remain globally visible and wield considerable influence in international politics, economy, science, technology and culture.

One case in point is the City, the "square mile" that is not only the heart of London and the soul of the British economy but also a centre of global finance. This could not have been possible without the kind of openness to business and inclusive regulatory environment the City has long hold on to. The UK on its way to building a "Global Britain" needs to live up to such spirit and welcome international investors, as this is how Britain passes on its success story to future generations.

Fourth, investment from China will not and can not pose a threat to the UK's national security. Chinese investment in Britain is made through fair and transparent procedures, and mainly focuses on civil and livelihood-related areas. In key infrastructure projects such as communication and nuclear plants, Chinese investors have been widely recognized to have strictly adhered to British laws and regulations in environment, health and security, and fulfilled their corporate social responsibility.

The UK's inspection and monitoring system regarding foreign acquisitions, underpinned by the UK Company Law, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and other laws, should be a source of confidence.

People who know little about Chinese companies operating internationally often point at their state-owned background or potential security risks. But the fact is many state-owned enterprises in China are listed companies. Their operation is similar to that of European or American multinationals and their business performances are completely open and transparent.

Normal project assessment, security review or environmental evaluation on acquisition cases is understandable. But in carrying out these procedures, Britain should make the right decision and maintain its confidence rather than being swayed by protectionism or looking at Chinese investment through Cold War-tinted spectacles. Chinese investors came here for cooperation and win-win results, and they look for a business friendly and welcoming environment.

I hope they will find what they look for. I hope facts will show they have made a right decision by investing in the UK.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos early this year, President Xi Jinping called for "developing global free trade and investment, promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation through opening-up and saying no to protectionism."

China and Britain should join hands to advance economic globalization, to increase trade liberalization and to enhance investment facilitation so as to build an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive global economy.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of ambassadorial diplomatic ties between China and Britain. It is also a year for consolidating the China-UK golden era. The two countries should treat each other as equals and with respect so that their cooperation on trade and investment could further deepen and bear more golden fruits and deliver more benefit to the Chinese and British people.

The author is the Chinese Ambassador to Britain.
By Kang Seung-woo





NEW YORK  Samsung Electronics' Bixby voice assistant has reached more than 200 countries, the company said, Tuesday. Samsung said the service, available in Korean and English, provides millions of consumers with opportunities to experience a smarter way to interact with their smartphones.

Those countries include the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and South Africa.

Samsung began supporting the Korean language in May and the long-awaited English-language version of the intelligent interface became available in July.

"Now millions of customers worldwide have access to a new and intelligent way of interacting with their phone," said Rhee In-jong, head of Samsung's R&D for software and services.

"The expansion of Bixby's voice capabilities is an initial step in the continued rollout of Bixby functionality. In the future, Bixby will have the learning power to offer more intelligent and personalized interactions and seamless connections across more devices."

The expansion came as Samsung is scheduled to unveil its Galaxy Note 8 smartphone, which is expected to include Bixby.

Samsung debuted the artificial intelligence service aboard the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in March with much expectation that it will be a strong competitor to Apple's Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa.

According to Samsung, the voice-activated digital assistant has enhanced smartphone productivity and personalization through "Quick Commands." It refers to a feature that allows a user to easily create a custom voice command to use in place of a sequence of one or more commands.

"For example, you can use the command good night' as a shortcut for turn on the do-not-disturb mode, set an alarm for 6 a.m. and turn on the blue light filter,'" a Samsung official said.

Samsung plans to continue expanding Bixby's voice capabilities for additional countries, languages, devices, features and third-party applications. By further enhancing its mobile experience and solutions offerings, the firm expects that even more users can interact with their device and manage their apps and services more seamlessly and instinctively.

Voice capabilities for Bixby can be activated by pushing a dedicated button on the side of the phone or by simply saying "Hi, Bixby."

Meanwhile, the number of users of the Korean-language version has surpassed 1.3 million, with the voice assistant executing 250 million commands, Samsung said.
People watch Samsung Electronics' lifestyle TV, The Frame. Samsung said the TV will assist the Galaxy Note 8's debut at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Kang Seung-woo

NEW YORK  The Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 8 will join forces with the firm's new lifestyle TV for the unveiling of the smartphone.

According to Samsung, Tuesday, the recently launched The Frame TV will be used at the "unpacked" event, Wednesday, showing off various "artworks" drawn with the S Pen stylus. The event will take place at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. The S Pen is a writing tool that accompanies Samsung's Note phone series.

A nonprofit institute is in charge of the Park Avenue Armory where a variety of cultural and artistic exhibitions and performances take place. Built in 1880, the building boasts exquisite antique interiors.

Samsung, which has conducted surprising events when taking the wraps off its new flagship smartphones, plans to take advantage of the ambiance of a high-class gallery by setting up the lifestyle TVs in line with visitors' routes.

Samsung said a total of 54 drawings by 13 painters from PEN.UP, a community based on Pen generated images, will be on display.

To this end, Samsung will take advantage of its two advanced technologies  SmartView and an "art mode" feature of The Frame.

The former lets users enjoy multimedia content from their mobile and PC on their Samsung Smart TV. The latter allows the TV's screen to display exclusive works of art ranging from paintings to images from personal photo libraries.

In particularly, Samsung said the art mode, when powered on, can express accurate color and achieves 100 percent color volume, delivering optimal brightness levels and stunning visual experiences, making it a great fit for the Note 8 release event.

The Frame won the Best Innovation Award at CES 2017 in January in Las Vegas. CES is the world's largest consumer technology show.

In The Frame's line-up are 55-inch and 65-inch models that utilize brightness sensors to seamlessly adjust to ambient lighting and blend into the interior.





Watertight security against leaks

Meanwhile, with two days to go before the official launch of the Note 8, Samsung is still keeping the details of its new jumbo phone a secret to prevent further leaks about it.

Leading up to the launch event, a lot of specs pertaining to the Note 8 have been revealed.

While Samsung officials were busy preparing for the event at the Park Avenue Armory, they declined to comment on it.

Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile business division, and other executives had a rehearsal on Tuesday.

By contrast, Samsung is lightening the mood for the upcoming phone here as many large billboards near Times Square are advertising the handset with its catchphrase of "Do bigger things."
Tina Lam, Michael Cheng bought the street in auction. [Provided to China Daily]

A Chinese-American couple said they will stand by the city of San Francisco and defend their ownership of a street in one of the city's richest neighborhoods, where the homeowners want the purchase negated.

Michael Cheng and Tina Lam, both real estate investors based in San Jose, bought Presidio Terrace, a private oval street, for $90,100 in 2015, when the city put it up for auction because the homeowners association failed to pay property tax bills for three decades.

After learning of the sale of the street and sidewalks, the homeowners sued the city. They petitioned the city Board of Supervisors for a hearing to rescind the sale. A hearing is scheduled for Sept 5.

"We are going to ... stand by the city because they did everything correctly and we did everything correctly, according to the law," said Cheng, who was born in Taiwan and has lived in the Bay Area for 34 years.

The couple were named in the lawsuit but are not directly being sued. "It's them (homeowners) against the city," Cheng said.

The gated street is lined by 35 multimillion-dollar mansions. Past homeowners have included US Senator Dianne Feinstein, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and the late mayor Joseph Alioto.

Homes at the exclusive Presidio Terrace used to be sold to whites only until racial covenants were banned in 1948.

Cheng and Lam found the racial language in the original covenants when they were doing research two years ago.

"It didn't feel good that people like me were racially bullied, because they specifically didn't want Chinese or Japanese people in that community," Cheng said.

"Owning a piece in that community now is particularly satisfying," he said. "I want to continue to stand up for all Chinese people, that we have the right to own this piece that was properly purchased."
Jiang Tianyong, a Beijing lawyer, went on trial for alleged subversion in a local court in Hunan province on Tuesday.

Live footage of the trial of 46-year-old Jiang was broadcast on the official account of Changsha Intermediate People's Court on Sina Weibo, the Chinese twitter-like service.

The hearing is open to reporters from domestic and foreign media organizations.
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Yayoi Kusama is known for her use of vivid color in her works that often depict polka dots and spotted pumpkins. [Photo/Agencies]

World famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, known as "the queen of polka dots", will open a museum exhibiting her works in Tokyo in October, an official says.

Kusama, 88, is known for her use of vivid color in her works that often depict polka dots and spotted pumpkins. She often appears in a wheelchair and sporting her trademark red hair.

The museum will hold exhibitions twice a year to "spread the message of world peace and love that Kusama has called for to the world in her works", the Yayoi Kusama Foundation says in a statement.

The first exhibition at the museum, which begins on Oct 1, will feature her large painting series titled My Eternal Soul.

"Ms Kusama had a strong wish to open her own museum," says Akira Tatehata, director of the new facility.

"We hope as many people as possible come to see her works," Tatehata says, adding that the building will be located in Tokyo's Shinjuku district near her atelier.

The announcement comes after Kusama held two major exhibitions in Japan and the United States this year.

"More than 500,000 people came to the exhibition at Tokyo's National Art Centre and the exhibition in Washington also attracted a lot of visitors," Tatehata says.

Born in 1929 in central Japan's Nagano prefecture, Kusama, who suffered from psychological trauma due to feuding between her parents, was already drawing dots and nets as a child based on her hallucinatory experiences.

After moving to the United States in 1957 at age 28, Kusama became a fixture in the pop and minimalism art movements of the 1960s.

During a 16-year stint in New York, she staged Happenings at the height of the sexual liberation movement where people stripped naked and had their bodies painted with polka dots on Wall Street or Central Park.

By the time Kusama returned to Japan in 1973, however, she was burned out and voluntarily checked into a psychiatric ward where she has lived ever since.

It was not until the 1990s that Kusama was "rediscovered," her polka dots and pumpkins a perfect find for a highly commercialised art market, with collectors drawn to her instantly recognisable style.

Her commercial success was highlighted when she collaborated with Louis Vuitton in 2012 and she was named the world's most popular artist in 2014 by the Art Newspaper.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The 24th Beijing International Book Fair to be held at the new Beijing International Exhibition Center from Aug 23 to 27. [Photo provided to China Daily]

As an ambassador of reading, writer Liu Zhenyun will be the "torchbearer" for the 24th Beijing International Book Fair to be held at the new Beijing International Exhibition Center from Aug 23 to 27.

"Books are torches that light up human ideas and thoughts. Book fairs distribute the torches and stimulate exchanges," he says.

Liu says he has been visiting many international book fairs and he's glad to see the Beijing one growing bigger. It's now the world's second largest as others shrink in scale.

He will talk about literature creation and translation with French publisher Genevieve Imbot-Bichet, Israeli translator Kobi Levi, and Czech writer Iva Pekarkova during the fair.

This year, the fair will be held together with the 15th Beijing International Book Festival.

Lin Liying from China National Publications and Import & Export (Group) Corporation says the combined events will "highlight international copyright trade with professionals as well as promote the delight of reading among general readers".

The 2017 fair covers an area of about 92,700 square meters, the largest in its history.

Lin says about 2,500 publishing organizations from 89 countries and regions will attend the literary feast. Publishers from Oman, Azerbaijan and Ukraine are to attend for the first time.

Among the 300,000 titles on exhibition, 10,000 have been selected for a special showcasing books with high quality and far-reaching influences that were published in the last five years in Chinese and foreign languages.

The selected books also represent the Party's governing philosophy, the country's progress in multiple areas, and how Chinese titles are read by a more global audience. Xi Jinping: Telling the Stories, published by People's Publishing House, is one such publication.
OK, time to talk about the elephant in the room, lack of health care reform.

I understand that by the time this goes to print the elephant may have left the room and a new one came in. But at the time I wrote this column I understand health care to be the elephant.

I have not talked about the lack of health care reform under President Donald Trump for one simple fact, every Wisconsin Republican in the House and Senate has voted to repeal and replace Obamacare. Since Wisconsins elected Republicans in Washington voted to repeal and replace I saw no need to defend them. They voted as they promised  to repeal and replace.

Paul Ryan, Jim Sensenbrenner, Glenn Grothman, Mike Gallagher, Sean Duffy and Ron Johnson all voted to end the disaster known as Obamacare. Wisconsins congressional delegation in Washington DC are fulfilling their promise to you and they have not given up.

So why do I bring this up now?

Because like so many of my fellow Republicans and conservatives I am frustrated! I am frustrated that after seven years and more than 60 ceremonial votes to repeal we get nothing! Heck, they even got a bill through the House and Senate and on Obamas desk! But when it came time to deliver when it really counted, other congressmen and senators caved. It seems they refused to honor their earlier votes. They refused to fulfill their popular campaign promise which appears to have turned out to be nothing more than a slogan for some: Repeal and Replace.

But Wisconsin has stood true and strong to the promise. Wisconsins Republican delegation is fighting for reforms!

The way I see it there is nothing you or I can do to change how congressmen and senators from Kentucky, Arizona, Maine, or Alaska vote.

They have to answer to their constituents. We waste our breath and ink trying to change them.

I think there are several things we here in Wisconsin can and should do and here are a few:

First  stand with and support our legislators who have done what they said they were going to do at both the state and federal level. Support our Wisconsin legislators both in Washington and Madison who continue to fight for Republican reforms. Stop lumping the elected delegation from Wisconsin in with the John McCains and Mitch McConnells. Our elected do not belong there.

Second  Take time to look up the bills and legislation that have been passed by congress and President Donald Trump has signed into law.

There are some huge pieces of legislation that are now law and there is even a greater number passed by the House awaiting a senate vote. Stop relying on snippets, emotions, or social media headlines. Take time to read the article and be smart enough to analyze what youre reading. Is the piece full of supposition and innuendo, or is it hard, truthful, and accurate facts? Lots of stuff on social media is all supposition and no substance, know and understand the difference please.

Third  if you want to take out your frustrations take them out on Tammy Baldwin, Ron Kind, Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan! They are the obstructionists from Wisconsin. Contact their offices, chew on them for awhile.

After all, those Democrats are the ones who brought you Obamacare and continue to support it as it caves in on the American people. They are responsible for the high and higher premiums. They are the party that misrepresented the benefits of Obamacare. We have counties in Wisconsin because of the Democrats obstructionism that have either no or only one health insurance choice.

We know our Republican congressional delegates offices are jammed with calls and letters from people opposing any Republican reforms. I think its long overdue we conservatives repay the favor. Its long overdue we inundate the Wisconsin Democrats offices with phone calls, emails, and letters.

OK, three deep breaths here.

I am confident we will see health care reform yet this calendar year.

Please be patient, regardless of which elephant is in the room, vent your frustrations on the real Wisconsin obstructionists of the presidents agenda; Tammy Baldwin, Ron Kind, Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan.

Chris Goebel is the Chairman of the Republican Party of Walworth County.
PRESS RELEASE

The Kiev Regime Is Escalating Tensions with Russia

Aug. 21, 2017 (EIRNA)Germanys second-largest national news daily, Suddeutsche Zeitung, leaks today that according to information from Berlin, which is based on, among other things, reports by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's mission in eastern Ukraine (Liev), the Ukrainian military is currently trying to move the front line to its advantage. It is apparent that the Kiev forces are also risking an increase of tensions, Berlin government circles say. The German government, the news daily adds, very clearly, and with growing concern, is also taking note that the (Kiev) Ukrainian side of the conflict is increasingly to blame.

The governments concern is that in any possible scenario, Kievs calculation would cause counterproductive consequences. Suddeutsche Zeitung writes: "Trump could ease the sanctions independently based on the situation at the line of contact. And then Kiev would suffer double damage: an improvement of the situation for Russia, and an escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine at the same time."
The 2017 Sino-Foreign Literature Translation and Publishing Workshop opens in Beijing on Aug. 21, 2017. [Photo/China.org.cn]

The 2017 Sino-Foreign Literature Translation and Publishing Workshop opened in Beijing on Aug. 21, 2017.

A total of 46 foreign writers, translators, publishers and critics in related fields will discuss with their Chinese peers ways to improve Chinese literature translation and publishing during the workshop.

We hope to encourage more in-depth communication between Chinese and foreign professionals and institutions in the field of literature, publishing and translation, help them understand the dynamics of Chinese literature and publishing industries, and to find better ways to show Chinese culture to the world, said Zhu Qi, deputy director of Bureau for External Cultural Relations, Ministry of Culture, during his opening speech.

According to Jiang Haoshu, head of Translation Affairs at the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Culture, practicality will be one of the four features for this years workshop.

This years forum is more results-oriented, Jiang said. We will arrange publishers from specific publishing groups, like China Publishing Group Corporation (CPG), to communicate with writers and translators on specific book projects.

With the booming of internet related industries in China, a symposium on the overseas translation and publishing of Chinese network literature works will be another new feature for this years workshop.

The workshop pays great attention to local level cooperation between China and other countries. Jiang said there will also be a session during which diplomats from different countries and regions will be invited to introduce their countries policies on overseas translation and publication of Chinese literature.

Huang Youyi, executive vice president of the Translators Association of China, speaks at the Topic Speech session during the opening ceremony of the 2017 Sino-Foreign Literature Translation and Publishing Workshop. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Huang Youyi, executive vice president of the Translators Association of China, praised the timing of the workshop.

The Belt and Road Initiative has brought tremendous opportunities to Chinas translation industry. The increasing need for translation facing Chinas translators makes the participation of foreign peers more important than ever. To my great pleasure, as for seminars like today, we have invited more foreign translators, and give them an opportunity to participate in the development of China's translation industry.

A new report by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in late 2016 pointed out that the total value of China's cultural exports stood at US$60.1 billion, more than double that of the United States' 27.9 billion dollars.

During the 8-day-long workshop, there will be a book launch of the English version of Jia Pingwas book Happy. Jia is a well-known Chinese contemporary writer famous for his book The Abandoned Capital.

The workshop is jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture of China, Chinas State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) and the China Writers Association.
PRESS RELEASE

Opium Production Funds Terrorism in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Ministry Reminds Trump, NATO

Aug. 21, 2017 (EIRNS)The Russian Foreign Ministrys Information and Press Department called attention in an Aug. 18 "Comment on the Drug Situation in Afghanistan," to the recent recommendation by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, John Sopko, that the U.S. develop a U.S. anti-drug strategy for Afghanistan. Sopkos recommendation is relevant, the Foreign Ministry noted, given that "drug production in Afghanistan is breaking records."

President Trump is announcing a "new" strategy for Afghanistan in a televised address Monday night.

The statement elaborated this worsening reality:

"According to expert estimates, a sharp increase in drug production is expected in 2017. The areas under drug crops in Afghanistan have already exceeded last years figures, and about a third of the countrys population is involved in the cultivation of opium poppy. "The volume of Afghan drug trafficking is not decreasing, while its geography has expanded, in particular, to African countries. The so-called Balkan route (Pakistan-Iran-Turkey-Europe) has been intensified. A growing number of narcotic substances from Afghanistan are supplied to Europe via Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine. "At the same time, tons of precursors for the manufacture of narcotic substances are illegally imported to Afghanistan each year. Moreover, according to information from Afghan sources, such countries as Italy, France and the Netherlands are among the main suppliers. "In this context, the U.S. and NATO forces unwillingness or inability, despite their many years of presence in Afghanistan, to provide effective assistance to the Afghan Government in curbing drug production, which is known to be a key source of terrorism financing, causes bewilderment. According to UN estimates, the drug economy accounts for about half of the revenues of illegal armed groups in Afghanistan, estimated at $400 million,"

the statement notes.
Netflix Inc. wants subscribers to know its looking out for them.

For instance, the average Netflix subscriber might not guess that its dark superhero drama Jessica Jones might strike similar chords as the zany hijinks of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Netflix is happy to help you make the connection.

Much of the attention showered on the streaming-video giant in recent years has focused on its appetite for original content and for creators to produce it.

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We want to appeal to as many different people as possible, and appeal to the many moods that each person has, said Netflixs vice president of product innovation, Todd Yellin. The more diverse our content, the more likely that someone, at their moment of truth about what theyre going to watch, will choose to go to Netflix.

But the San Francisco companys multibillion-dollar annual outlay for new programming leads to another challenge: helping each program get discovered by the subscribers most likely to enjoy it. Four out of five shows watched on Netflix were found by its subscribers thanks to recommendations the service offered them, Netflix said.

Those suggested new favorites are much more customized for each subscriber than might be evident from a glance at the Netflix home page.

Most every row of program suggestions (even generic-seeming categories such as comedies and dramas) is tailored for each subscriber, Yellin said. And how the rows are arranged vertically on the home page is a function of the subscribers demonstrated genre preferences.

You might have comedies as your fifth row, said Yellin, and for another person it might be 25th. And someone else might not get a comedy row at all.

So your Netflix is different from everybody elses. But where do these tips come from?

Its very important that the titles most relevant to each person bubble up to the top of the catalog, Yellin said. And we want those relevant titles to be diverse. We dont want to make the amateur mistake of getting caught in an echo chamber, such as: Just because you watched one horror title, slapping in front of you nothing but more horror titles.

Yellin likens the process of providing bespoke TV for each customer to a three-way collaboration.

First, a legion of Netflix taggers screens every program, tagging elements that compose it. This data is crunched and continuously refined by the companys secret algorithm. Viewer habits gathered by Netflix from its 100 million accounts worldwide add more grist to the mill.

Thus can Netflix take a gateway show and point the viewer to unexpected or unknown fare with presumably similar appeal.

Consider Ozark, which viewers might be led to from any of several directions, Yellin explained.

Ozark is a recently released original drama series starring Jason Bateman as a money-laundering family man whos seriously jammed up with the Mexican drug cartel he works for.

Weve found that people who tend to watch Blacklist and House of Cards tend to like Ozark, Yellin said. But another kind of person who will find he likes Ozark is a fan of Narcos and El Chapo and other drug-cartel-oriented dramas and documentaries.

But wait, theres yet another taste community rallying to Ozark, said Yellin: fans of the 2015 film The Big Short, which deals with Wall Street dirty tricks, have been found to respond to the money monkeyshines that animate Ozark.

Its not like we could have guessed this ahead of time, Yellin said. We just track which shows tend to cluster together. Who would have thought that Jessica Jones and Kimmy Schmidt would cluster together? As well as  no kidding  Making a Murderer and a John Mulaney stand-up concert.
Poland Spring, the countrys bestselling bottled water, is a colossal fraud, according to a class-action lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed last week in Connecticut, alleges that instead of spring water, parent company Nestle Waters North America has been selling billions of gallons of groundwater to its customers.

Not one drop of Poland Spring Water emanates from a water source that complies with the Food and Drug Administration definition of spring water, the lawsuit says.

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And, it goes on: the famous Poland Spring in Poland Spring, Maine, which defendants labels claim is a source of Poland Spring Water, ran dry nearly 50 years ago.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, spring water must come from an underground source and flow naturally to the earths surface. But spring water doesnt have to be literally collected at the spring  it can be pumped out from a hole in the ground. A spokeswoman for Nestle Waters North America said its water meets all federal and state guidelines for spring water.

Poland Spring is 100% spring water, the spokeswoman said in an email. The claims made in the lawsuit are without merit and an obvious attempt to manipulate the legal system for personal gain.

The lawsuit, which comes as Nestle expands its operations in Maine, is the latest in a string of legal actions against bottled-water companies. In 2003, Nestle agreed to pay $10 million to charity to settle a similar class-action lawsuit that alleged it falsely advertised Poland Spring water. But the company maintained that it had not been deceptive in its practices, and it did not change the way it sources its water.

Most of Nestles waters are pumped from the ground, but the bigger issue [is] that the regulatory definition of what really counts as spring water is really weak, said Peter Gleick, a scientist and president emeritus of the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit policy research center in Oakland. No one is really looking over the shoulders of the bottled-water companies.

Bottled-water sales have soared to record highs in recent years as Americans cut back on sugary drinks. Annual sales of bottled water grew 10% last year to $16 billion, surpassing sales of carbonated sodas for the first time, according to Beverage Marketing Corp., a New York research and consulting firm.

Nestle has expanded its water business. The Swiss company  which recently moved its U.S. headquarters to the Washington, D.C., area from Glendale  oversees a dozen brands of still and sparkling water, including Deer Park, Acqua Panna, Perrier and San Pellegrino.

Poland Spring, its website says, comes from some pretty incredible springs  eight of them to be exact. The site includes a map of the appropriately named sites, including Cold Spring, Clear Spring and Evergreen Spring. We carefully select each spring source in Maine based on such things as geologic formation, mineral composition, quality and taste, it says.

The lawsuit, however, alleges that there is not any historical evidence for six of [Nestles] alleged springs, and two are former springs that no longer exist.

Instead, the suit says, the labels depict pristine scenes of water flowing down a verdant hillside or a forest pond when, in fact, the vast bulk of the water is drawn from wells in low-lying populated areas near potential sources of contamination.

Nestles six groundwater collection sites in Maine, the suit says, are near a present or former human waste dump, landfill, fish hatchery or toxic petroleum dump site.

The class-action lawsuit has 11 plaintiffs and is led by Vermont resident Mark Patane, who says he has spent hundreds of dollars buying Poland Spring water since 2003.

Had he known that Poland Spring Water was ordinary groundwater, the complaint says, he would have consumed lower-cost bottled water products or filtered tap water.

Bhattarai writes for the Washington Post.
Healthcare, tax reform and the debt ceiling probably will be among the highest-profile issues when Congress returns from a monthlong recess Sept. 5.

But Democratic lawmakers and consumer advocates already have served notice that theyre also going to keep a spotlight on protecting peoples right to sue nursing homes for neglect or abuse of elderly patients.

The Trump administration, through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced in June its intent to roll back legal rights for consumers put in place under the Obama administration.

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Those rights include prohibiting any nursing home that receives federal funding  which is most of them  from requiring that disputes be addressed through mandatory arbitration rather than the legal system.

Thirty-one senators have written to CMS Administrator Seema Verma during the August recess calling on her to abandon plans to once again allow nursing homes to include mandatory arbitration provisions in their contracts.

Forced arbitration clauses in nursing home agreements stack the deck against residents and their families who face a wide range of potential harms, including physical abuse and neglect, sexual assault and even wrongful death at the hands of those working in and managing long-term care facilities, the lawmakers said.

These clauses prevent many of our countrys most vulnerable individuals from seeking justice in a court of law, and instead funnel all types of legal claims, no matter how egregious, into a privatized dispute resolution system that is often biased toward the nursing home.

In a separate letter, three dozen consumer groups and social justice organizations called the proposed change cruel and said it was a disturbing new direction for CMS, which should be protecting patients, not making it easier for facilities to harm them and cover it up.

Placing a parent or loved one in a nursing home is already one of the most difficult things anyone will ever have to do in life, they said. But forcing the patient or family member to then sign something that violates the residents legal rights should they suffer future abuse or serious neglect is a horrific thing to do to families.

The attorneys general of California and 15 other states, along with the District of Columbia, also submitted opinions this month calling on CMS to maintain the right to sue as a crucial means of holding nursing homes accountable for the welfare of residents.

A CMS spokesman, requesting anonymity for no particularly good reason, told me the agency stopped accepting feedback on the matter as of Aug. 7 after receiving over 1,000 public comments.

He noted that, under federal law, CMS has three years from release of the proposed change in June to issue a final rule, though a decision could come at any time.

The nursing-home industry is by no means alone in preferring arbitration for dispute resolution and denying people their day in court. Mandatory arbitration is a routine feature of contracts for telecom companies, credit card issuers and numerous other businesses.

Companies argue that consumers benefit from faster, cheaper arbitration proceedings, rather than having cases tied up in courts for possibly years and sharing any monetary awards with lawyers.

Yet with exquisite irony, the American Health Care Assn., a nursing-home industry group, took its case to court before the Obama administrations rule could take effect in November. A federal court granted the associations request for an injunction so the industrys lawyers could litigate the matter.

Mark Parkinson, chief executive of the association, said at the time that study after study shows that arbitration is fair and speeds judgments in a cost-effective manner that benefits those injured more than anyone else.

In fact, study after study shows that consumers typically get the short end of the stick in arbitration. The advocacy group Public Citizen found that over a four-year period, arbitrators ruled in favor of banks and credit card companies 94% of the time in disputes with California consumers.

A 2015 study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that in grievances with financial-services firms, class actions provide a more effective means for consumers to challenge problematic practices by these companies.

One key reason: Arbitrators fees usually are paid by the business, not the consumer. If an arbitrator wants more cases, he or she has a strong incentive to make the company happy.

You could argue that nursing homes are the last places you want to keep disputes under wraps. Such secrecy clearly does little to promote safety and accountability.

Just as important, litigation provides a public record that other families can use in making their own decisions. Ask yourself: Would you be comfortable placing your parent in a facility that settled a lawsuit over patient abuse?

As of 2014, there were nearly 16,000 nursing homes nationwide with 1.4 million residents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A report that year by the Department of Health and Human Services found that 33% of nursing-home residents experienced adverse events or temporary harm. Investigators attributed much of the harm to substandard treatment, inadequate resident monitoring, and failure or delay of necessary care.

The Department of Justice determined that most adverse events in nursing homes  due largely to inadequate treatment, care and understaffing  lead to preventable harm and $2.8 billion per year in Medicare hospital costs alone.

Such shameful stats are why the nursing-home industry is fighting so aggressively to block residents and their families from being able to sue. It has spent about $8 million on lobbying activities over the last two years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Its also what the Trump administration is talking about when it says  as it did in June  that restoring mandatory arbitration would reduce unnecessary provider burden.

Thats a pretty cold-hearted way of saying youre going to look after the financial interests of an industry that may be abusing hundreds of thousands of seniors annually.

I suspect most nursing-home residents and their kin would say this in response: These companies would have nothing to worry about if they did an adequate job of keeping people safe.

Thats not too much to ask.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
Los Angeles has been good to Daniel Bjarnason. In April, the Icelandic composer and conductor co-curated the Reykjavik Festival for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. On Tuesday night, Bjarnasons Violin Concerto receives its world premiere at the Hollywood Bowl, with Gustavo Dudamel leading the L.A. Phil in a program with Gustav Holsts The Planets.

Dudamel has conducted several premieres by the 38-year-old Bjarnason, including Blow Bright, a work partly inspired by the composers reactions to the Pacific Ocean. Dudamel performed the piece on the orchestras North American tour in 2014, a career boost Bjarnason gladly acknowledges.

The relationship with the L.A. Philharmonic really got the ball rolling, Bjarnason said by phone from Iceland. After my 2010 album `Processions came out, that changed a lot for me, because it caught the attention of Chad Smith, the Phils VP of artistic planning at the time, and creative chair John Adams.

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Meanwhile, commissions and invitations for Bjarnason to conduct show no sign of abating. His brooding and ethereal new album on the Sono Luminus label shows the artist as a vibrant advocate of music from his homeland. The release features him conducting his own score, Emergence, for piano, synthesizer and orchestra, as well as four other works by Icelandic composers.

Bjarnasons Violin Concerto, co-commissioned by the L.A. Phil and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, was planned as part of the Reykjavik Festival but delayed because Bjarnason also was working on his first opera, Brothers, which had its premiere in Denmark last week.

The concerto will feature Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, a longtime friend of Bjarnasons. The composer said the piece was inspired by the violinists curiosity and playfulness.

Its just something that happens, the composer said. Ive seen Pekka play all kinds of music, from Tchaikovsky and Sibelius, to folk music-slash-standup in a bar in Finland. Hes very improvisatory, always looking for new angles.

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One new angle, suggested by Kuusisto, was detuning the violin with the lowest string tuned a fourth down. Thats a lot, Bjarnason said. Usually they are tuned by a half-tone or whole tone. Its one of the things Pekka showed me when I started to write the concerto. It gives a certain resonance that I tried to exploit in the piece. Theres something macabre about the violin dropping down into viola territory.

For Kuusisto, the customized tuning allows him to create harmonies that are not normally available to the instrument. Performed without a break, the concerto is in three sections, set off by two completely improvised cadenzas.

Daniel is taking a massive risk, Kuusisto said of the total freedom the musician has in the cadenzas. Even more than usual, each performance will be different. I try to make it match Daniels language in my own way. Its like having a theater role written for you with two big scenes and you have to think of something that increases the power of the piece.

Kuusisto has performed at the Bowl twice before: the Sibelius concerto in 1999, conducted by Leif Segerstam, and a salsa-style version of Vivaldis Four Seasons in 2006. Bjarnasons been to the venue only once, to watch experimental rock band Sigur Ros perform in 2016.

Its a fantastic test for Daniels score to be put in an outdoor arena like this, Kuusisto said. The Bowls vibe is so unique. Its a really good source of energy, so if you manage to tap into the slightly surreal aspect of being in front of that audience, youll be able to dive in and enjoy the ride.

Bjarnason said hes curious to see how his concerto pairs with Holsts Planets on the programs second half, but Kuusisto is confident it will hold its own in such mighty company. Theres a fairly large beast inside Daniels piece that will defend itself, Kuusisto said.

After being away from home for a month because of his new opera, and now being here in Los Angeles for the premiere of his concerto, Bjarnason said he needs a rest.

Its been a hectic year, he said. Ill be taking a bit of downtime, compositionally speaking, and doing more conducting in the fall.

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WordTheatre founder Cedering Fox traveled to Wyoming with her father and 19-year-old daughter to experience the total eclipse of the sun, a phenomenal display of astronomical majesty that occurred the same week that Fox will stage her biggest show yet, In the Cosmos: Where we Come From, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going at the Ford Amphitheater on Saturday.

Fourteen actors including Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us), Darren Criss (Glee), Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey), Bellamy Young (Scandal) and Stephen Tobolowsky (Silicon Valley) will read the writing of great thinkers, philosophers, poets, explorers and scientists, including Carl Sagan, Maya Angelou, Aristotle, Isaac Newton, Jacques Cousteau and Sally Ride. The spoken word will be accompanied by orchestration by prominent film-composers Jonathan Sacks and Starr Parodi, and musical performances by Inna Faliks, Wayne Bergeron, Page Hamilton and others.

The happy accident of timing was not lost on Fox as she talked over the phone about how the eclipse brought her to tears.

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I just keep looking up into the cosmos and saying, Thank You, she said of the scripts trajectory to the stage, which she describes as magical.

This is a literary, musical, philosophical, scientific exploration, Fox said of the project, which came to be after months of investigation. Fox and her assistants checked out more than 100 books from libraries in New York and L.A. and ended up with more than 1,000 pages of research that Fox crafted into a script that runs almost two hours, including intermission.

The script reads like a mash-up of creation myths, poetic descriptions of all things star dust-related and penetrating thoughts about the mystery of the universe and our place in it.

The moral is that human beings all have so much more in common than what is different, said Fox, who founded WordTheatre in 2003 and is also an accomplished voice-over actor. It is such a privilege to be alive on this planet. We have to take care of it, and we have to take care of each other.

The actors working with WordTheatre tend to be big believers in Foxs message of love and unity, which is why they donate their time to her when she calls.

Tobolowsky, who plays Action Jack Barker in HBOs Silicon Valley, wrote by email to say hes a big Cedering fan. He added that he met her the day she moved to L.A., when she came to a party at his house as an aspiring actor. Since then he has watched WordTheatre become her passion.

Of her latest project, Tobolowsky wrote: From ancient myth, to modern poetry, to the gentle wisdom of Albert Einstein, shaken and stirred by the humor of Douglas Adams, and wrapped in the beauty of the music of Bach and Ravel, In the Cosmos aims to touch the heart and mind and leave the viewer with the same gift Carl Sagan brought to us: the joy of wonder.

         

In the Cosmos: Where We Come From, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going

Where: John Anson Ford Theatres, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Tickets: $35 and up

Info: (323) 461-3673, FordTheatres.org or www.WordTheatre.com

jessica.gelt@latimes.com

@jessicagelt

ALSO:

Meet Aaron Burr: Why Hamilton brings actor Joshua Henry to tears

A critics take on why Hamilton matters more than ever

How a YouTube video went on to change theater history
True Detective season three, starring Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, is officially confirmed at HBO By Sarah Rodman Mahershala Ali accepting his Oscar for Moonlight. The actor will star in the third season of the HBO drama True Detective (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) During the HBO executive session at the summer edition of the Television Critics Assn. press tour, programming president Casey Bloys confirmed reports that Moonlight Oscar winner Mahershala Ali would star in a third season of True Detective. Although he was mum at the time on when it might happen, he did say that he had read five scripts and thought they were terrific. Thursday night, the premium pay cabler released a statement officially confirming that the series will indeed return for a third installment. While no episode count or premiere date was included in the release, an enclosed synopsis stated that the next iteration of the show tells the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods. Ali will star as Wayne Hays, a state police detective from northwest Arkansas. (Ali follows in the footsteps of season one stars, and continuing executive producers, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and season twos Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn. No word yet on whether hell have a partner.) The show will once again be helmed by creator Nic Pizzolatto, who penned all the episodes of the upcoming series, save the fourth, which he co-wrote with David Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blue). He will share directing duties with fellow executive producer Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin.) Im tremendously thrilled to be working with artists at the level of Mahershala and Jeremy, said Pizzolatto in a statement. I hope the material can do justice to their talents, and were all very excited to tell this story. Bloys noted that Nic has written truly remarkable scripts. With his ambitious vision and Mahershala Ali and Jeremy Saulnier aboard, we are excited to embark on the next installment of True Detective.  Facebook

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Newly reopened Angels Flight has long been a popular L.A. shooting location By Mark Olsen Its among the more unusual landmarks in Los Angeles, a short, steep railway that gets people up and down a single hill. So it makes sense that Angels Flight has been featured in many movies and television shows over the years. Angels Flight resumed regular service Thursday after being closed since 2013 (it did operate for one day of shooting on La La Land). It remains to be seen if it starts to appear again in movies and television shows. (Not that it ever really stopped.) Speaking to The Times at last years Toronto International Film Festival, La La Land star Ryan Gosling reflected on the use of historic locations in the movie. This was an opportunity to show an L.A. thats still there.... Youve got to squint your eyes a little, but there are still places in L.A. that are still part of the golden years of Los Angeles when Hollywood was in its heyday, Gosling said. I lived around the corner for a long time from Angels Flight and Grand Central Market, although I never got to ride Angels Flight because it had been shut down, Gosling added. Those places are still there... these gems that are there, and we were able to shoot them one by one. Angels Flight reopened on Thursday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) The small piece of land next to the top of Angels Flight, known as Angels Knoll, was also prominently featured in (500) Days of Summer. The location has appeared in a wide variety of movies over the years, as early as 1916s Good Night, Nurse, 1918s Up She Goes and 1920s All Jazzed Up. It has also had high-profile cameos in Act of Violence (1949), M (1951), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Exiles (1961), The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1963) -- all the way up to to 2011s The Muppets and last years La La Land. And on television, Angels Flight has been seen on Perry Mason, Dragnet and the recent series Bosch. READ MORE: Angels Flight: How it works and what its been through in its 100-year history Facebook

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Jamie Foxx announces telethon for Harvey relief By Libby Hill (Andrew Krech / News & Record via Associated Press) A new stream of celebrity support for victims of Hurricane Harvey opened Wednesday, as Jamie Foxx announced that a telethon fundraiser is in the works. In an Instagram post where the actor revealed his own donation of $25,000 to GlobalGiving, Foxx also shared preliminary plans for the upcoming benefit. From a fellow Texan, my heart goes out. My prayers go out, Foxx, from Terrell east of Dallas, said. September 12 we have a telethon that were doing. Well give you more details, so we can raise as much money as we can for everybody down there. View Instagram post Scooter Braun, talent manager and mastermind of One Love Manchester, is helming the event along with rapper and Houston native Bun B. TMZ reported that Foxx, Reese Witherspoon, Blake Shelton, Hilary Duff and Michael Strahan are all involved with the project, with commitments from the four major broadcast networks to air the special for an hour on Sept. 12. In an interview with TMZ, Bun B said that fellow Houston natives Beyonce and Jim Parsons are high on his wish list for the telethon. The outlet also reported that Bun B would only want President Trumps presence if it was via a show of unity with other former presidents. Solange also announced Wednesday that she will be holding a benefit show at Bostons Orpheum Theatre on Sept. 28. Featuring the Sun Ra Arkestra, the performance is titled Orions Rise and all proceeds will go to Hurricane Harvey relief. View Instagram post Facebook

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Gwyneth Paltrows love life? Yeah, she admits shes screwed up plenty of relationships By Libby Hill Gwyneth Paltrow takes full responsibility for her romantic failings. She admitted as much in a recent interview with the podcast Girlboss Radio, during which Paltrow went deep on some of her lost loves. Oh, my god, Ive [screwed] up so many relationships, so many, Paltrow said. Im actually a pretty good friend and a good sister and a daughter and a mother, but I am at my potentially most vulnerable  in the romantic slice of the pie. So its taken me a lot of work to get to the place where I have a good romantic relationship. Paltrow consciously uncoupled from ex-husband Chris Martin in 2014 after 10 years of marriage and has been romantically linked to American Horror Story creator Brad Falchuk for the past three years. On Girlboss Radio, Paltrow sent a shout-out to former beau Brad Pitt, whom she dated from 1994 through 1997, and was at one point engaged to. I [screwed] that up, Brad, Paltrow said. Paltrow also delved into her experiences as founder and CEO of her lifestyle brand Goop, sharing that once shes in the boardroom with investors, no one cares if shes a celebrity. I go into the room, and for the first 90 seconds, Im Gwyneth Paltrow, she said. And theyre like, Oh, my god, my wife loves you .... And then, about 90 seconds later, Im just getting grilled like anyone else. But she doesnt get offended; she relishes the challenge. It was such a beautiful chapter of my life when I started raising [venture capital financing], because it knocked me down so many pegs. I was like, Oh, Im, like, no one. Im nothing. This [stuff] is real. I have to know the most granular aspects of my business and be able to defend it. The celebrity just completely drains out of the room. Its irrelevant, she said. Paltrows full conversation with Sophia Amoruso can be streamed at Girlboss. Facebook

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Longtime Simpsons composer Alf Clausen fired from the show after 27 years By Randall Roberts When the 29th season of The Simpsons premieres in the fall, it will, for the first time in decades, be doing so without its longtime musical contributor, Alf Clausen. Clausen, who composed the Fox animated shows incidental music, was told that the show was looking for a different kind of music moving forward, according to Variety. Clausen confirmed his firing via Twitter. Thank you for all of the support...unfortunately, the news is true... https://t.co/jBQH0b40cz  Alf Clausen (@TheAlfClausen) August 31, 2017 The composers orchestral scores supported the familys foibles since the shows primitively drawn early days. And although The Simpsons theme song was penned by Danny Elfman, the sonic feel of the series has been defined by Clausens grandiose, often epic productions. Hes responsible for scoring Mr. Burns breakout See My Vest moment and crafted the tunes for the Springfield musical theater companys A Streetcar Named Desire adaptation. Ditto The Planet of the Apes musical. In short, nearly every classic music moment of The Simpsons has featured Clausens fingerprints. On Twitter, fans thanked Clausen for his work while expressing outrage at the circumstances surrounding his departure. Fired over the phone, yet, wrote one user. Clausen quickly corrected him with a one-word reply: Email ... On Thursday, producers for The Simpsons issued a statement to Variety. It stressed that Clausen will continue to contribute to the series: We tremendously value Alf Clausens contributions to The Simpsons and he will continue to have an ongoing role in the show. We remain committed to the finest in music for The Simpsons, absolutely including orchestral. The statement concluded: This is the part where we would make a joke but neither Alfs work nor the music of The Simpsons is treated as anything but seriously by us. Update, 1:16 p.m.: This story was updated with a statement from The Simpsons. Facebook

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Instead of statues, Trevor Noah and Roy Wood Jr. have another idea for honoring Confederate history By Chris Barton With the country still reeling from the harrowing impact of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Wednesday nights Daily Show looked at one of the summers ongoing controversies: Confederate monuments. Occasionally setting aside the shows usual comedic tone, Trevor Noah enlisted correspondent Roy Wood Jr. to consider whether these statues honor Southern heritage, as their supporters claim, or the nations history and lingering problem with racism. After showing a montage of guests on network news shows who reminded viewers that these statues were erected during the Jim Crow era, decades after the Civil War, Wood equated slavery to another tragedy. Its like if a woman got out of an abusive relationship and then she had to keep pictures of her ex up in her house to remember the time, a straight-faced Wood explained. No, I dont need pictures to remember pain. People say, We want to remember the history of the Civil War, Noah added. Theres an easier way to remember what happened in the Civil War: Just walk around in the South. And if you see free black people, then you know what happened. Watch the segment above. Facebook

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Gloria Gaynor sings to Texas Harvey victims: You will survive By Christie DZurilla (Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images) Gloria Gaynor wants people affected by Harvey to know they will survive, and shes communicating that message through a new version of the song that has defined her career. Gaynor, whose I Will Survive became an anthem over the years, rewrote the 1978 disco hit to reach out to victims in Texas and posted her rendition on social media Wednesday. Hi, my neighbors in Texas, she said in a video shot while she sat at a piano she was about to play. This is Gloria Gaynor with a song that hopefully will cheer you up just a little bit. @SylvesterTurner @rashivats @SallyMacFox26 @TheRitaGarcia @kaitlinmonte @ChrisdyannUribe @MsCoCoDominguez @JMartinFOX26 TX WILL SURVIVE  pic.twitter.com/FCNOnDr85o  Gloria Gaynor (@gloriagaynor) August 30, 2017 Here are the tweaked lyrics, for those who dont want to hit play with the sound on. First we were afraid

We were petrified

Thinking Texas couldnt live

With floodwaters this high

We know you spent plenty of time

Preparing for this hurricane

Who couldve known that it would come

With so much devastating rain

But we will strive

And youll survive

With all our love and help and prayers

We will stay strongly by your side

We are your neighbors tried and true

Well do all we can for you

And youll survive

You will survive, you will survive Similarly on Monday night, Coldplay unleashed a new original song written after the band was forced to cancel its Friday show in Houston with Hurricane Harvey bearing down. This is a new song, and well never play it again, frontman Chris Martin told an audience in Miami. Its a once-off. Its called Houston. Were going to sing it in Miami for everybody here, and then were going to send it over there to everyone who missed the show. Facebook

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Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation donates $1 million to Harvey recovery By Christie DZurilla (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) Leonardo DiCaprio has stepped up with a $1-million donation to aid the victims of Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, which has dumped historic levels of rain on the Gulf Coast over the last several days. United Way Worldwide announced Wednesday that it has started the United Way Harvey Recovery Fund with a seven-figure donation from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The money  100% of it, according to the charity  will go to help victims of flooding with mid- and long-term recovery over the coming years. There are 23 United Ways that operate in the path of the storm, which made landfall Aug. 24. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation, United Way Worldwide President and CEO Brian Gallagher said in a statement. Responding to Hurricane Harvey requires the best of all of us  and thats what this gift represents. DiCaprio has been urging support of the United Way and American Red Cross this week on his Twitter account and retweeting stories talking about Harvey and climate change. Di Caprios foundation has been committed to climate-related issues and environmental projects since 1998, Terry Tamminen, president and CEO of the foundation, said in a statement. We support efforts to build climate resilient communities and protect vulnerable wildlife and ecosystems across the planet, and have supported disaster relief and victim funds in the past. We hope others will step up and support the United Way and other organizations. Earlier this week, Sandra Bullock, who has a home in Texas, gave $1 million to the American Red Cross, repeating the lump-sum generosity she showed after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. Ellen DeGeneres was also in the seven-figure donation tier. The comic and talk-show host dropped $1 million in the relief bucket on Wednesday via J.J. Watts foundation. The effort by the Houston Texans star player topped $10 million on Thursday, with Watt chronicling its progress all week via videos on social media. Update, 8:50 a.m.: This post was updated with information about DeGeneres donation to Watts fund. Facebook

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A Star Is Born: Chris Tucker turns 45 today By Los Angeles Times Staff (Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times) I had a dream as a kid: I wanted to be big, big like Richard [Pryor] and Eddie [Murphy]. I imagined it. I studied it. I had a passion.  Chris Tucker, 2001 FROM THE ARCHIVES: In a Big Rush Facebook

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Springsteen on Broadway was born to run, is extended through February By Libby Hill Bruce Springsteens solo shows on Broadway have been extended through February, just hours after the original run sold out. (Greg Allen / Invision/Associated Press) Good news for Bruce Springsteen fans who were locked out of purchasing tickets Wednesday morning for his upcoming run of shows on Broadway. Ticketmaster announced that Springsteen on Broadway, an intimate stage experience that launches in October and features the rock legend performing solo, will be extending for 10 additional weeks. Originally scheduled to close in November, the show was extended through February after the original block of tickets sold out in a matter of minutes Wednesday. "#SpringsteenBroadway has been EXTENDED! the ticket outlet tweeted, with a follow-up tweet explaining that fans who had previously registered to purchase tickets will not have to register again. #SpringsteenBroadway has been EXTENDED!

More information coming today.

There will NOT be any additional codes released for today's onsale. pic.twitter.com/xGY3rj3Yrl  Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) August 30, 2017 #SpringsteenBroadway extended run information 

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER AGAIN!

NEW #VerifiedFan registration: https://t.co/2xNBBhcVES pic.twitter.com/FT3mLaTLPV  Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) August 30, 2017 Springsteen will be performing at New York Citys Walter Kerr Theater, which houses fewer than 1,000 seats. To curtail ticket scalping, Ticketmaster relied on its Verified Fan program. The program forces fans to register to even have an opportunity to purchase tickets and are limited to two tickets per purchase. For all of Ticketmasters efforts, resale sites already are flooded with Springsteen on Broadway tickets, with some reaching $10,000 apiece. Fans interested in trying their luck for the second batch of performance dates will need to register with Ticketmaster Verified Fan by Sept. 3 (at 7 p.m. Pacific). Tickets will be available for purchase 10 a.m. Pacific on Sept. 7. Facebook

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Sandra Bullock donates $1 million to Harvey relief efforts By Libby Hill Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to the American Red Cross for storm relief. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) With the Gulf Coast still battling the aftereffects of Tropical Storm Harvey, celebrities continue to come forward to help with relief efforts for the humanitarian crisis. Sandra Bullock, who has a home in Texas, donated $1 million to the American Red Cross emergency efforts, the organization confirmed to The Times on Wednesday. We are so thankful for the overwhelming and generous response from those who want to help those affected by this devastating storm, Elizabeth Penniman, vice president of communications for American Red Cross national headquarters, said in an email. Massive disasters like Hurricane Harvey create many critical and immediate needs, so we are heartened by donations like this  which allow us to provide immediate shelter, food and comfort to thousands in need, Penniman continued. The entertainment community has been so supportive to the Red Cross in response to this devastating disaster, and we are so grateful. Bullock is just the latest star who has donated to recovery efforts in Texas. The Kardashian family pledged $500,000 to the Salvation Army and Red Cross on Tuesday. Kevin Hart also spearheaded a celebrity-driven fundraising campaign on Crowdrise that has brought in more than $1 million for the Red Cross. Facebook

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Corinne Olympios wants DeMario Jackson to know she doesnt blame him for anything By Christie DZurilla Corinne Olympios doesnt have any hard feelings toward DeMario Jackson, the fellow Bachelor in Paradise cast member who was with her at the center of a scandal that shut down production on the reality TV series in June. I dont blame DeMario. I never pointed fingers at DeMario. I never said a bad word about DeMario, the 25-year-old told host Chris Harrison in an early-August taped interview that aired Tuesday night on ABC. She and Jackson havent spoken since production was halted after allegations of misconduct were made by a producer, leading to an investigation of what happened during a period when, Olympios now says, she was blacked out. I was almost a little bit nervous to talk to [DeMario], because he did run to the media and I didnt want to add fuel to the fire, she said. Before she had a chance to collect her thoughts, he was out there and so on the defensive, she said. He was doing his thing and I didnt want to get messed up in that. ... I cant help but feel like maybe he felt like I thought he did something to me. Jackson did not do anything bad, she insisted. Seeing him start crying in a clip from his own interview with Harrison, which had aired on the show last week, Olympios welled up a bit too. It was hard for me to go through something like that. I know exactly how he feels. The media wants to paint you a certain way that you know youre just not, she said. Olympios told Harrison the same things she had said in a Tuesday morning interview with Good Morning America about blacking out from drinking too much and mixing alcohol with medication. However, she didnt directly address her I am a victim statement that was released at the height of the scandal. On GMA, she said she meant she was a victim of the media. Regarding Bachelor in Paradise with Harrison, she simply talked about how awful it was to have so many people acting like they had been there or were suddenly experts on her life. To even get up and go get eggs at the grocery store ... my face was all over every magazine and I had to check out and everyones staring, Olympios said. Youre looking at them and its like, Im not what youre thinking right now. Then, near the end of the interview, she shared one big wish. Obviously hindsight is 20/20, she said, and I wish it could have been handled differently. Facebook

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Tomi Lahren finds new home at Fox News By Libby Hill Conservative firebrand Tomi Lahren is again gainfully employed after being fired from Glenn Becks The Blaze in March. On Wednesday, Lahren announced via her Facebook page that she is joining the Fox News team as a contributor. This exciting new step will allow me to give voice to all the America-loving patriots who have had my back since day one, Lahren wrote. I will remain a solid and passionate advocate for you. Though 25-year-old Lahren has made television appearances before -- including a contentious appearance on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah -- much of her career has been in digital media. She hosted On Point With Tomi Lahren for One America News Network, and her Final Thought videos have garnered her over 4.4 million Facebook followers. In addition to her role as a contributor, Lahren will also have a signature role on a Fox News digital product in development, according to a press release issued by the network. Lahren makes her debut on Wednesdays edition of Hannity at 7 p.m. PDT. Facebook

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Trevor Noah is shocked  shocked  by the latest revelations about Trump and Moscow By Robert Lloyd Even as the Earth offers humanity another taste of its weather future  and President Trump keeps Sheriff Joe Arpaio out of jail and North Korean missiles fly over Japan  late-night TV hosts have disappeared from their chairs as if it were August in France. Trevor Noah is on the job, though, hosting The Daily Show. Tuesday night, he had some mirthful words about the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaigns Russian affairs. Specifically, he reflected on the revelation of a letter of intent, signed by POTUS himself, to build a Trump Tower skyscraper in Moscow  and make it the tallest building in the world  despite Trumps repeated claims to have no business, no interests, no nothing in Russia. How can one person lie so big? HOW? Noah asked, amazedly. Its like if your friend said he had never heard of Mumford and Sons and then one day you see the album cover and youre like, wait a minute, youre Mumford. Were those connections strictly business, or were they getting out on the votey-votey action? Thats not clear yet, he said. What was clear is that a typically dubious character was at the center of it  namely Felix Sater, a Russian-born real estate developer once convicted of stabbing a man in the neck and face with the stem of a broken margarita glass. Of all the glasses to stab someone with, a margarita glass is the worst, Noah said. Youre literally putting salt into the wounds. There was also a conviction for Saters involvement in a $40-million stock fraud, Noah added, which came as no surprise to the host. You never trust someone with a cat name. If a human goes by Felix or Whiskers or Mittens, you should probably just stay away. There were emails, of course; there are always emails. Buddy, our boy can become President of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, Sater wrote to Trumps personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen. This buddy boy email may not be the smoking gun for Trump, Noah concluded, but what it could end up being is the broken taillight  the thing that gives law enforcement the excuse they need to look into Trumps trunk. And we all know, he said, as a picture of the golfing presidents derriere appeared over his shoulder, hes got a lot of junk in that trunk. Facebook

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Jury president Annette Bening addresses lack of female representation at Venice Film Festival By Nardine Saad (Claudio Onorati / Associated Press) Though there arent as many women represented at this years Venice Film Festival as she would like, jury president Annette Bening believes things are changing. The four-time Oscar nominee, whose film credits include American Beauty, The Kids Are All Right, 20th Century Women and Bugsy, addressed the lack of female directors Wednesday during the 74th annual Venice Film Festivals opening press conference. (Only one of the 21 films in competition is directed by a woman this year.) As women, we have to be sharp, shrewd and creative in what we choose to make. Sexism does exist and there is no question about it. But things are changing, the actress said at the opening press conference, according to Variety. The more we can make films that speak to everybody, the more we will be regarded as filmmakers, she added. Bening, the first woman to chair the jury in more than a decade, said she knew of both veteran and rookie filmmakers struggling to get their movies made whether they are men or women. She said the industry has a long way to go, in terms of parity but was confident that the direction were going is positive. Facebook

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A Star Is Born: Lisa Ling turns 44 today By Los Angeles Times Staff (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) [People have said to me], When you were in the worlds largest slum [in India], you could almost smell what it was like by your expression.' Its not that Im trying to force myself on the viewer. Im just their eyes and ears. I think our work is quite pure.  Lisa Ling, 1997 FROM THE ARCHIVES: Taking news personally Facebook

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In wake of Charlottesville strife, Virginia Film Festival to host director Spike Lee as special guest By Josh Rottenberg Director Spike Lee photographed in 2015. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times) As the city of Charlottesville, Va., and the nation as a whole continues to grapple with the violent racial strife that erupted earlier this month, the Virginia Film Festival announced on Tuesday that it will host filmmaker Spike Lee as a special guest at the upcoming festival as part of a program around the legacy of slavery. Lee, who has tackled thorny issues of race throughout his career, will present his Oscar-nominated documentary 4 Little Girls about the 1963 bombing of a Baptist church in Birmingham, Ala., that claimed the lives of four African American girls, an act of white supremacist terrorism that marked a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. We have for many years been interested in bringing Spike Lee to the Virginia Film Festival as he remains one of the most talented, innovative, and socially conscious filmmakers in our world today, said Jody Kielbasa, director of the film festival and vice provost for the arts at the University of Virginia. We first reached out to Mr. Lee in the spring to include him in our upcoming collaboration with Montpelier, and of course, the recent events in Charlottesville have made his participation more compelling, relevant and vital. The festival program will also include a short film titled I Cant Breathe that combines footage of the 2014 chokehold death of Eric Garner during his arrest by a New York City police officer with footage of the death of Radio Raheem under similar circumstances in Lees 1989 film Do the Right Thing. The program is part of a larger collaboration with Montpelier, the Virginia plantation of President James Madison, who owned more than 100 slaves, that will explore both how the legacy of slavery continues to affect the lives of African Americans and how they are depicted in film and other media. The 30th annual Virginia Film Festival will run from Nov. 9 to 12 in Charlottesville. Facebook

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Jerry Seinfeld recaps childhood in Netflixs first Jerry Before Seinfeld trailer By Nardine Saad The first trailer for Netflixs stand-up special Jerry Before Seinfeld has arrived, and its a madcap recap of Jerry Seinfelds humble beginnings, quirky family dynamics and bits of everyday observations. The teaser opens with Johnny Carson introducing the iconic comic in 1981 during his debut on The Tonight Show. Then it showcases the sitcom star back at the mike at the Comic Strip, the famous New York comedy club where he launched his career. Throwback photos, videos and interviews with Seinfeld are woven throughout. Hes back where he began, the title reads, doing what he loves. The original comedy special is the first of two stand-up specials Seinfeld will deliver in his massive deal with the streaming giant. (The deal also includes the entirety of his Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee catalog and 24 new episodes of the Emmy-nominated talk show, which will launch later this year.) Seinfeld and Netflix teased to the special last week with several clips posted on Instagram and a close-up look at the numerous legal pads scrawled with handwritten jokes hes kept from the 1970s. Jerry Before Seinfeld begins streaming Sept. 19. Facebook

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Kermit the Frog finds his new voice in Matt Vogel By Nardine Saad The new Kermit the Frog has arrived and hes following his dreams -- literally. New Muppeteer Matt Vogel made his vocal debut as the iconic frog on Monday in a Muppet Thought of the Week video posted on YouTube. Dreams are how we figure out where we want to go. Life is how we get there, he says in the brief clip. Im headed this way. The veteran voice actor has worked on Sesame Street and also operates the Muppets Floyd, Constantine and Sweetums. He is only the third puppeteer to take on Kermit the Frog full time since the character was created in 1955. He replaced former puppeteer Steve Whitmire, who began work on The Muppet Show in 1978 and inherited the role of Kermit when creator Jim Henson died in 1990. Whitmire was dismissed over concerns about his repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years and he consistently failed to address the feedback, the Muppets Studio said at the time. Whitmire claimed he was fired in October 2016 and kept quiet about it until Vogel was announced as his replacement in July. It was his opinionated communication style that earned him his walking papers, he said. Facebook

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Trevor Noah says Trumps pardon of Sheriff Arpaio renders courts powerless By Nardine Saad The Daily Show host Trevor Noah broke down former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaios presidential pardon on Monday, explaining how President Trumps decision undermines the judicial branch of government. The controversial Maricopa County lawman, who was convicted of criminal contempt of court for violating Latinos rights, earned himself a thuggish reputation as a sheriff, Noah said, citing his agencys use of tent cities, stun guns, jail overcrowding and numerous cases of inmate deaths and police brutality. But those were just his extracurriculars, Noah said. It turns out his full-time job is racism. The 85-year-old Arpaio was found guilty in July of defying a 2011 court order barring officers from stopping and detaining Latino motorists to check their immigration status. As much as Sheriff Arpaio presented himself as anti-illegal immigrants, it turned out really he was just anti being a decent human being, Noah said. When the president of the United States steps in and pardons someones contempt conviction, hes essentially rendering the courts powerless.  Daily Show host Trevor Noah His abuses hurt inmates and taxpayers, costing the state $142 million in legal fees, settlements and compliance costs, Noah said. Other things they could have spent that money on? Schools, roads or they could have just paid Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather to just punch Arpaio in the face. But Noah made the point that Trumps decision completely undercut the judiciary. Remember how the three branches of government are supposed to be equal? Well, convicting someone of contempt is the one and only way the judicial branch can put muscle behind its decisions. So when the president of the United States steps in and pardons someones contempt conviction, hes essentially rendering the courts powerless, he said. Watch the full segment above. Facebook

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Watch Coldplay dedicate new song to Harvey victims -- and vow never to play it again By Randall Roberts (Jens Meyer / Associated Press) On Monday night in Miami, Coldplays Chris Martin drew attention to the victims of Tropical Storm Harvey by unveiling a new song called Houston -- and then vowed never to play it again. The band, which was forced to cancel its Houston show days earlier due to the storm, wrote the song as the region was enduring historic flooding. After acknowledging that he and the band all grew up loving country music, and, of course, thats kind of what we think of when we go to Texas, Martin asked the crowd to bear with them. This is a new song, and well never play it again, Martin said. Its a once-off. Its called Houston. Were going to sing it in Miami for everybody here and then were going to send it over there to everyone who missed the show. Vowing to return to Houston, Martin and band huddled and tentatively started a twangy little number. Im dreaming of when I get back to Houston, sang Martin, replete with a touch of Johnny Cash-ian twang. Describing it as that city where they send you into space, Martin crooned of Corpus Christi, Harris County, Galveston, of a harmony that hums down there in Houston, and urged the region to keep on keeping on. Merle Haggard it wasnt (and everyones a critic), but the performance drew huge applause from fans and went viral on Tuesday morning. Coldplays quick-turnaround ditty is hardly the first to document such deluges. Johnny Cashs Three Feet High and Rising occurred in real time as a family struggled to keep dry. In Charley Pattons High Water Everywhere, the country blues singer recalled the lives lost in the Great Flood of 1927, which consumed the Mississippi Delta and spawned dozens of songs: Oh, Lordy, women is groaning down / Oh, Lordy, women and children sinking down, Patton sang. I couldnt see nobody home, and was no one to be found. Below is another song about the flood of 27: Bessie Smiths Backwater Blues. Facebook

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Corinne Olympios on Bachelor in Paradise scandal: I was really a victim of the media By Christie DZurilla (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images) Corinne Olympios says medication, the booze and the media were key players in Junes production-stopping Bachelor in Paradise scandal and its aftermath. Calling the situation just really unfortunate, she said Tuesday on Good Morning America that she doesnt remember anything that happened. Seeing video of what transpired on the first day of production on the looking-for-love reality show was like watching not-me, she said. Im watching someone else. On that day, Olympios and fellow cast member DeMario Jackson allegedly wound up in the pool or hot tub together in a situation that a producer thought went too far. Allegations of misconduct were made, and production shut down the next day for an investigation that ultimately determined nothing untoward had happened. The show, sans Corinne and DeMario, premiered its fourth season Aug. 14, a week later than originally planned. I did drink, too much, I definitely understand that, Olympios said. But I was also on a medication that severely blacks you out and impairs your judgment and messes with your balance, that I didnt know you were not supposed to not drink on, and so it really just caused a horrible, horrible blackout. It was like I went under like anesthesia and then just like woke up. Shes now weaning off the medication, she said, and cutting down on her drinking. But in explaining her provocative official statement that she was a victim living out her worst nightmare, Olympios revealed her specific definition of victimhood, which had little or nothing to do with consent, which was a hot topic throughout the scandal. I was really a victim of the media, Olympios said. It was just, all of a sudden people became an expert on the situation and on what happened, and it was like, Im still trying to figure out exactly what happened. It was just horrible to deal with. It got really, really bad. ..., she added. The things people say are just insane. When the remaining Paradise cast met as a whole on the first episode of the season, their sympathies seemed to lie with Jackson as they worried about the long-term effects the scandal would have on him and any future career opportunities, especially given the lingering racial issues of alleged misconduct between a white woman and a black man. However, they were quick to say they were not slut-shaming Olympios either. Jackson spoke last week on Bachelor in Paradise, sitting down with host Chris Harrison to give his take on what happened. Heres a taste of that, courtesy of GMA: Facebook

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Victorias Secret Fashion Show heads to Shanghai this year By Nardine Saad Angels will fly over the Great Wall of China in November as the Victorias Secret Fashion Show heads to Shanghai for the first time. Supermodels Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Behati Prinsloo, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge and more will strut their stuff for the annual lingerie extravaganza, Victorias Secret and CBS said in a statement on Tuesday. The iconic pre-holiday show  replete with teensy underwear and massive angel wings  is usually filmed in New York, but Miami, Los Angeles and London have also hosted the scantily clad runway walk. The broadcast will air on CBS on Nov. 28 and will be shown in more than 190 countries. Models Elsa Hosk, Jasmine Tookes, Josephine Skriver, Lais Ribeiro, Martha Hunt, Romee Strijd, Sara Sampaio, Stella Maxwell and Taylor Hill will also walk in this years show. Musical performers will be announced at a later date, the statement said. Ni hao, China! This year's #VSFashionShow is headed to Shanghai. Watch it Nov 28, 10/9C on @CBS. Learn more: https://t.co/AHWHWjKOCI pic.twitter.com/tgIVJs7Lsr  Victoria's Secret (@VictoriasSecret) August 29, 2017 Facebook

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A Star Is Born: William Friedkin turns 82 today By Los Angeles Times Staff (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) I love the experience of making films. I love the mud. I love the dirt. I love all the inconveniences. Thats why you do it. If you do it because youre looking to be the Great American film maker, youre liable to experience disappointment.  William Friedkin, 1989 FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Exorcisms of William Friedkin Facebook

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Taylor Swifts Look What You Made Me Do video bashes another YouTube record By Randy Lewis Taylor Swifts official video for her first new music in three years, Look What You Made Me Do, has blasted through the existing YouTube record for most views tallied during its first 24 hours of release. The clip logged 43.2 million views since the video was posted Sunday evening. That far surpasses the record set in 2013 by Korean pop star Psys Gentleman, which racked up 36 million views in its first day. It also hasnt slowed interest in Swifts previously released lyric video for the same song, which set a record for lyric video viewership by drawing 19 million views in the first 24 hours. That version has now surpassed 47 million views in less than four days. Both videos have generated flurries of debate and analysis among Swifts fans and her dissenters, the former seemingly outnumbering the latter by a margin of nearly 5 to 1. Likes have surpassed the 1 million mark, while dislikes stood at 232,000 at the 24-hour mark. The song is the first single from her forthcoming album Reputation, due Nov. 10. It will be Swifts sixth studio album. Each of her last three albums sold more than 1 million copies during the first week of release. Swift is the only artist with that achievement to her credit. Update Aug. 29, 10:30 a.m.: This post has been updated with the finalized 24-hour viewer total. Facebook

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Watch the Game of Thrones cast and crew break down some of Season 7s best scenes By Tracy Brown Game of Thrones Season 7 may have concluded Sunday, but there is still plenty left for fans to unpack before Thrones"-withdrawal sets in. Along with all the burning questions left in the wake of the season finale, HBO has left us with some behind-the-scenes videos from this seasons most epic moments. The production magic of Game of Thrones is undeniable and it extends to beyond special effects dragons. From Arya donning Walder Freys face to dole out her brand of vengeance to Daenerys walking into Dragonstone for the first time, there is plenty to explore from just the first episode alone. The video above dives deep into what it took to craft the Season 7 premiere, including how Cerseis fancy new giant map came to be. Of course, plenty of fans are probably still contemplating the latest episode and what Jon and Danys new level of intimacy means going into the final season. Can this be how the actual prince that was promised is conceived? And if you were a bit squicked out by the pairs developing relationship, youre not alone. Unlike Jon and Daenerys, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington are definitely aware that they are both Targaryens. For us as actors its just weird, said Clarke in a video about the coupling. The reality of what they are to each other. In fact, the actors had more facial expressions and sound effects to convey their feelings about this union than words. Watch in the video below. Facebook

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Ed Skrein leaves Hellboy after whitewashing furor By Christie DZurilla (Jordan Strauss / Associated Press) Ed Skrein will not play Maj. Ben Daimio in a reboot of Hellboy, the English actor said Monday, noting that when he accepted the role he didnt know that in the comics the character was of mixed Asian descent. Just a week ago, Skrein had tweeted his excitement over taking on the role. Backlash  in the form of whitewashing allegations  ensued. It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the Arts, the 34-year-old Deadpool actor said in a statement announcing that he had changed his mind about portraying Daimio. Calling it a moral decision, he said he was sad to leave the movie but hoped his action would make a difference in making equal representation in the arts a reality. David Harbour, the Stranger Things actor slated to play Hellboy, tweeted, Hey internet. Thank you for your voices. An injustice was done and will be corrected. Many thanks to @edskrein for doing what is right. Mike Mignola, who created the Hellboy comics, also thanked Skrein on Monday and said the move was very nicely done. Hey internet. Thank you for your voices.



An injustice was done and will be corrected.



Many thanks to @edskrein for doing what is right. https://t.co/tUvP6YibgG  David Harbour (@DavidKHarbour) August 28, 2017 In addition to Harbour, the 2018 version of the story so far stars Milla Jovovich as Nimue, Ian McShane as Professor Broom and Alice Monaghan as Sasha Lane, according to IMDb. Neil Marshall, who among other things has helmed episodes of Game of Thrones and Westworld, is set to direct. The Daimio character didnt appear in the 2004 or 2008 Guillermo del Toro films based on the Hellboy comics. Heres Skreins full explanation: pic.twitter.com/8WoSsHXDFO  Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 28, 2017 Updated, 2:39 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from Harbour and Mignola. Facebook

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Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper are super-friends no more By Libby Hill Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin (Rob Kim / Getty Images) What began as a tasteless joke at the expense of President Trump continues to have real-life consequences for comedian Kathy Griffin. In an extensive interview with The Cut, Griffin admitted that her 17-year friendship with Anderson Cooper, with whom she co-hosted CNNs New Years Eve gig for a decade, ended in the wake of the Trump controversy. In May, Griffin publicized a photo shoot that featured her holding a bloodied imitation severed head bearing a strong resemblance to the president. The backlash was immediate and largely bipartisan, as many saw the images as glorifying violence and furthering political division. Griffin quickly apologized for the misstep but the damage had been done, with condemnation from the White House, investigation by the Secret Service and the loss of several jobs, including her CNN gig. On May 30, Cooper tweeted his disapproval of Griffins artistic expression, calling it disgusting and completely inappropriate, and Griffin admitted at a June 2 news conference that Coopers comments hurt her. For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.  Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) May 31, 2017 In July, Cooper appeared on Bravos Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and stated that he and Griffin were still friends. Yeah, were still friends, and look I said what I said about  I didnt think what she said was appropriate, but I wish her the best and I hope she bounces back, he stated. But Griffin claimed that at that point, nearly two months after the fact, she had yet to hear from Cooper privately. In reality, it wasnt until Aug. 10 that Cooper finally reached out to Griffin in a series of text messages, CNN confirmed to The Cut  at which point Griffin informed him that their friendship was over. Facebook

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In One Mississippi Season 2 trailer, Tig Notaro prays for the gay to stay By Christie DZurilla Tig Notaros One Mississippi is coming back for a second season, one in which her character is getting used to life back in her small Mississippi hometown. Season 1 of the Amazon Prime Video series took viewers through a fictionalized series of events that echoed Notaros own life: a potentially deadly intestinal illness, breast cancer, a double mastectomy, the unexpected death of her beloved mother and a romantic breakup. Yup, its a dark comedy. In Season 2, L.A. transplant Tig is navigating her new environs, including strategizing about how to proceed with a crush on Straight Kate and dealing with some well-meaning, pray-the-gay-away critics of her radio show. Plus, theres her stepfathers whole dishwasher drill to contend with, not to mention the story line that has to do with sexual assault. The new season of One Mississippi starts streaming Sept. 8. Facebook

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Watch Frank Oceans lyric video for new song Provider By Randall Roberts As is his wont these days, R&B superstar Frank Ocean unveiled a new song, Provider, his own way: during the newest installment of Blonded Radio, the Apple Music/Beats 1 radio show he hosts and curates. The ballads a meditation that name-checks Aphex Twin, shoegaze, Talking Heads, Jaws, Patagonia sportswear and Stanley Kubrick, and moves through verses without much regard for structure. Immediately following the Sunday premiere, Ocean dropped the lyric video on his website. Featuring a souped-up mini-boombox retrofitted with bigger speaker cones and a Velcro-attached machete, the clip suggests an owner getting ready to hunt prey while using Provider as the lure. Ocean hasnt uploaded the clip to YouTube, but you can listen and watch on his blonded.co website. Facebook

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Gone With the Wind, deemed insensitive, has been pulled from a Memphis theater By Christie DZurilla Gone With the Wind will not be shown in the future by a Tennessee theater that decided it was insensitive to many in the local community. The 1939 movie, which marked the first Oscar win by a black actor, depicts a romanticized view of slavery and life on a Southern plantation before, during and after the Civil War. Gone With the Wind, which won 10 Academy Awards in 1940, including for best picture, had been shown by the Orpheum Theatre Group for years as part of an annual Summer Movie Series, according to Memphis Commercial-Appeal. At times, it was screened more than once a year, the paper said. This year, however, a different climate prevailed. The recent screening of Gone With the Wind at the Orpheum on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, generated numerous comments, Brett Batterson, president of the theater group, said Friday in a statement (via the New York Times). The Orpheum carefully reviewed all of them. As an organization whose stated mission is to entertain, educate and enlighten the communities it serves, the Orpheum cannot show a film that is insensitive to a large segment of its local population. The majority of Memphis residents are black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The screening happened, coincidentally, on the day before a rally of white nationalists that turned violent in Charlottesville, Va.  a rally that has been followed by a national conversation about whether to purge monuments to Civil War generals and soldiers from public spaces. In an interview with the Commercial-Appeal, Batterson said the appropriateness of screening Gone With the Wind had been discussed every year, but the social media storm this year really brought it home. By Monday, comments on social media, including on the Facebook post announcing the screening, had shifted in large part to defense of Gone With the Wind as a product of its time that, despite its romanticized portrayal of the Old South and of slavery, was still part of movie history and worth showing on a big screen. The Orpheum did not respond Monday to The Times requests for comment. Hattie McDaniels Oscar win for supporting actress was a significant first but was also loaded with a lot of political and racial issues given that the film was the classic archetype of the Mammy, said Adilifu Nama, associate professor of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University, speaking to The Times in 2014. McDaniels role of Mammy is fundamentally a subservient role and is part of a film that is a Southern racial fantasy, Nama said. Facebook

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Taylor Swift gets petty and Pink talks pretty in the must-see moments from MTVs Video Music Awards By Libby Hill Were you too busy watching [spoiler] revealed as [spoiler] on Sunday nights Game of Thrones finale to watch MTVs Video Music Awards? Fear not! Weve gathered up four must-see moments from the socially conscious affair (and one lackluster video debut from Taylor Swift) to keep you in the loop. Pinks PowerPoint presentation It was a banner night for singer Pink, who received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her body of work and used the occasion to share an anecdote about her daughter Willow. Recently, Pink stated, her daughter referred to herself as the ugliest person she knew and complained that she looked like a boy with long hair. At first, the Raise Your Glass singer was taken aback by her daughters words but soon swung into action, compiling an elaborate PowerPoint presentation about the history of androgynous rock stars, including Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Annie Lennox. Pink relayed a simple sentiment that most of us could learn a lot from: So, baby, girl, we dont change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. Logic talks emotions Plenty of artists used the VMAs stage to speak passionately about issues they care about, but few did so as extensively as rapper Logic. After his performance of 1-800-273-8255" with Khalid and Alessia Cara, the title of which is the phone number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Logic talked about mental health and equality. Beginning at 3:50 in the above video, Logic first thanked the audience for giving him a platform to discuss the important issue of mental health. He then quickly pivoted to other pressing social issues including discrimination, sexism and domestic violence. I dont give a damn if youre black, white or any color in between, Logic said. I dont care if youre Christian, youre Muslim, youre gay, youre straight, I am gonna fight for your equality because I believe that we are all born equal, but we are not treated equally and that is why we must fight. Jared Leto honors Chester Bennington Logics performance and subsequent speech were particularly moving given the past years loss of two rock musicians to suicide  Linkin Parks Chester Bennington and Soundgardens Chris Cornell. Jared Leto, an Academy Award winner and frontman of Thirty Seconds to Mars, spoke about both men at Sundays ceremony. MTV asked me to come here to say a few words about Chester and the late, great, Chris Cornell, two artists I had the absolute pleasure of touring with, Leto said of the two singers who were also close friends. Chester said of Chris, Your voice was joy and pain and anger and forgiveness, love and heartache, all wrapped up into one, Leto recalled. Leto also recounted his own memories of Bennington. I think about his heart, Leto said. And I remember his voice. At once ferocious and delicate, that voice will live forever. Fifth Harmony gets shady Despite the pleas for equality and the heartfelt speeches, there was still plenty of time for pettiness at the VMAs, as evidenced by Fifth Harmonys performance. As the group took the stage to perform its latest single, Angel, a mystery fifth member appeared in the lineup before being unceremoniously yanked offstage as the song began. What appeared as an inexplicable stunt to the uninitiated was likely a shady reference to former Fifth Harmony frontwoman Camila Cabello, who exited the group in December to pursue a solo career. It wasnt so much that Cabellos departure stung her former colleagues but that she reportedly failed to inform them of her decision before announcing it to the world. Oops. Also Taylor Swift Unless you were in a coma for the whole of last week, you probably heard that Taylor Swift announced the release date for her upcoming album, Reputation, as well as releasing the first single, Look What You Made Me Do. Its fine. Sunday night, Swift debuted the video for Look What You Made Me Do. It is also fine. This has been your daily Taylor Swift update. Facebook

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Kevin Hart, Beyonce and Drake lead charge for Hurricane Harvey flood relief By Nardine Saad (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times) As Harvey lashed southeastern Texas over the weekend, celebrities rallied for the relief effort. Comedian Kevin Hart led the charge Sunday night, donating $25,000 and challenging his celebrity friends to donate to the Red Cross amid catastrophic flooding in the Lone Star State. I think weve participated in a lot of challenges on the Internet, some meaningful, some meaningless, but weve all done them. Ive been a person thats partaken in several of them, Hart said in an Instagram video. At this point, this is a serious matter, he continued. I think the people are in bad shape and they need help. Im going to lead the charge and step up in this way. The Jumanji star called on his co-star Dwayne Johnson, comics Steve Harvey, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as musicians Jay-Z, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake to make donations and tag someone else to do the same. At that point, Houston native Beyonce and Kelly Rowland of Destinys Child had already posted notes about their hometown on Instagram, sending thoughts and prayers to the state that launched their careers. View Instagram post View Instagram post The deluge of support continued with country star Chris Young. The Man I Want to Be singer posted an emotional YouTube video about his certainty that his Texas home was destroyed and concern for his friends and family in the state. He donated $100,000 to relief efforts to a GoFundMe campaign to benefit the Red Cross. Harvey, one of the worst natural disasters in the states history, slammed onshore Friday as a Category 4 hurricane, then weakened to a tropical storm on Saturday, dropping up to 24 inches of rain on Houston in 24 hours. The National Weather Service reported that at least five people had died as of Sunday evening, but that number was expected to increase as the floodwaters recede. More than 30,000 people across the Gulf Coast are likely to seek temporary shelter as the tropical storm continues to drench southeastern Texas and Louisiana with heavy rains and surging floodwaters, The Times reported. Toronto native Drake, who has lived in Houston for the last eight years, said that he and DJ Future the Prince are working with local relief groups to aid and assist the people of Texas in anyway we can and in the most immediate way possible. I also want to thank all the men and women of service and volunteers for their courageous efforts to help people in need, the rapper said on Instagram. I encourage everyone to do what they can to assist the people of Texas knowing whatever effort you can make to help will go a long way. View Instagram post Also, during the MTV Video Music Awards Awards on Sunday, host Katy Perry touched upon the catastrophic event. She too urged viewers to donate to the Red Cross. All of us here at the VMAs are sending love to the people of southeastern Texas and everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey right now, Perry said onstage. Were praying for your safety in the days to come and we stand with you as you rebuild because were all in this together. According to the Houston Chronicle, more than 15 inches of rain could fall on several more southeastern Texas cities. Corpus Christi, where Harvey first made landfall, saw upward of 20 inches of rain in two days. By Monday morning, up to 40 inches of rain had fallen on northeast Houston. Another 20 inches were expected Monday before Tropical Storm Harvey travels farther east. Facebook

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Susan Bro, mother of slain Charlottesville protester Heather Heyer, announces anti-hate foundation at the MTV VMAs By Randall Roberts (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) During an evening filled with defiant messages against racism, homophobia and body shaming, the mother of Heather Heyer announced some concrete actions to further the cause. Susan Bro, whose daughter was killed two weeks ago during protests in Charlottesville, Va., has worked through her grief by speaking out against racism, and took a further step by creating the Heather Heyer Foundation. Describing it as a nonprofit organization that will provide scholarships to help more people to join Heathers fight against hatred, Bro requested that viewers visit the new site to help me make Heathers death count. Added Bro: Heather never marched alone. She was always joined by people from every race and every background in this country. Bro was introduced by Robert Lee IV -- a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee -- who said his ancestor has became of idol of white supremacy and hate. Lee went on to describe racism as Americas original sin. He went on to ask all of those with privilege to confront white supremacy and racism head-on. Watch his speech below. I call on all of us with privilege and power to confront racism and white supremacy head-on" - Robert Lee IV #VMAs pic.twitter.com/ko4SM9VnaU  MTV (@MTV) August 28, 2017 Facebook

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Watch Pinks inspiring MTV VMA speech to individuality By Randall Roberts In receiving her Video Vanguard award at the MTV VMAs on Sunday at the Forum -- the shows equivalent of a lifetime achievement trophy -- the pop star Pink told a story about a conversation shed recently had with her young daughter. They were driving to school and her daughter said, Mama, Im the ugliest girl I know. Pink replied, Huh? And she was like, Yeah, I look like a boy with long hair. Pink said that she immediately thought, My god, youre 6. Where is this coming from? The artist and mom didnt lecture her daughter. Instead, said Pink: I went home and made a PowerPoint presentation for her, and in that presentation were androgynous rock stars and artists that live their truth; are probably made fun of every day of their lives and carry on and wave their flag; and inspire the rest of us. These are artists like Michael Jackson and David Bowie and Freddie Mercury and Annie Lennox and Prince and Janis Joplin and George Michael, Elton John, so many artists. Pink said that her daughters eyes glazed over, but Pink pressed her about why she felt that way about herself. What do you think I look like? She said, Youre beautiful. The pop singer explained that she gets critiqued, too. They say I look like a boy or Im too masculine or Im too -- I have too many opinions. My body is too strong. I said to her, Do you see me growing my hair? She said No Mama. I said, Do you see me changing my body? She said, No Mama. Do you see me changing the way I present myself to the world? No Mama. Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world. Yes Mama. OK baby girl. We dont change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. And we help other people to change so that they can see more kinds of beauty. Added Pink in closing: To all the artists here, Im so inspired by you. Thank you for being your true selves and for lighting the way for us. Facebook

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Watch Jared Leto offer touching tribute to Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington at the MTV VMAs By Randall Roberts In a moving tribute to two fallen musicians, the actor and musician Jared Leto honored the lives of Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park at the MTV VMAs on Sunday. Cornell and Bennington committed suicide in 2017, and Leto was friends with both. In 1976 in Phoenix, Ariz., a child was born. He was precocious, full of life, and determined, and grew up to become the singer of one of the greatest rock bands in the history of music, Leto said. His name was Chester Bennington, and the band is Linkin Park. Leto added that MTV asked him to say a few words about Bennington and Cornell, who he described as two artists that I had the absolute pleasure of touring with. They were close friends with one another -- Chester even singing the cover of the classic Hallelujah at Chris funeral. Recalling Benningtons words at Cornells funeral service, Leto said: Chester said of Chris, Your voice was joy and pain and anger and forgiveness, love and heartache all wrapped up into one. Just weeks later, Chester himself was gone. Chester was my friend. As he was to so many. Witnessing his life taught me important things -- especially about working relentlessly, pursuing dreams and being kind and caring while doing it. Facebook

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Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert and more steal the MTV VMA spotlight By Gerrick Kennedy Kodak Black arriving at the MTV VMAs. (Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press) The line near a concession stand inside the Forum minutes before the MTV VMAs kicked off on Sunday was lengthy, but no one was waiting on food or drinks. Instead, a dozen or so folks waited patiently to get a selfie with Kodak Black, who high-fived and posed with as fans fumbled with smartphones. The VMAs are typically rife with heavyweights (Kendrick Lamar, Katy Perry, etc.) but this years ceremony looked to tap into the wide scene of rising acts that have been dominating streaming services and social media all summer. Before the telecast even began Lil Uzi Vert clinched a major win, taking the trophy for song of summer for XO Tour Llif3" and he later joined Ed Sheeran for the tune, no doubt the nights most surprising collaboration. Meanwhile, Khalids pre-show medley could have easily anchored the main show while reality star turned breakout rap sensation Cardi B was another highlight of the pre-show festivities. Her viral hit Bodak Yellow rattled throughout the Forum during nearly every commercial break. Fifth Harmony later made its debut at the VMAs with an explosive main stage performance of Down, a song that also won the award for pop video. Facebook

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Jack Antonoff is living his best life at the MTV VMAs By Mikael Wood Jack Antonoff performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show. (Joshua Blanchard / Getty Images) Has anyone at MTVs Video Music Awards had more screen time so far than Jack Antonoff? First the A-list producer and songwriter turned up on the nights pre-show ceremony for a performance with his band Bleachers. Then he introduced Lorde by noting that hed seen her eat gas-station sushi during the two years they spent together working on her album Melodrama. He also accepted the award for best collaboration  for Taylor Swift and Zayns I Dont Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker), which he helped create  because the singers couldnt be there. But Antonoffs best moment? Obviously the candid reaction shot in which he was shown casually eating a banana, as his girlfriend, Lena Dunham, described it on Twitter. My boyfriend just casually eating a banana at the VMAs is a good reminder of why we've been at it half a decade  Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 28, 2017 Facebook

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Watch Taylor Swifts bold Look What You Made Me Do video, which premiered during the MTV VMAs By Randall Roberts Taylor Swifts new video for Look What You Made Me Do, which premiered during the 2017 MTV VMAs on Sunday night, features her dressed as a zombie, a diamond-drenched queen, a red-dressed seductress, a car-crash victim, a bird in a cage, a kitty-masked thief with a baseball bat, a biker chick wearing studded leather and a whip-snapping dominatrix. As she poses and pretends, Swift makes a not-so-veiled reference to her ongoing feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, getting all combative behind the microphone as a feather-light melody jumps behind her. The video premiered during a ceremony hosted by pop star and avowed Swift nemesis Katy Perry. Perry didnt introduce the clip, a hint that the two probably still arent besties. Inside the Forum, the video premiered on multiple big screen TVs rose that from the stage, and Perry was nowhere in sight. As the clip seems to be winding down, the music fades. But Swift hasnt fully made her point. In its final moments arrive a dozen-odd versions of Swift standing in front of a black private jet with the name of her new album, Reputation, scrawled on it. The many Swifts start bickering and referencing the various criticisms that have been lobbied at her over the years. Stop making that face, its so annoying, the zombie Swift says, a nod to what some believe is the exaggerated excitement the artist shows when she wins awards. A young version of Swift interrupts with an innocent Yall! but is shot down by an embittered Swift: Oh stop acting like youre so nice. Youre so fake! Standing in the center of the line is Swift seemingly dressed as she was at the 2009 VMAs, when West interrupted her victory speech to decry Beyonce's loss. Holding her VMA trophy, she says, Id like very much to be excluded from this narrative, both a nod to to the musical Hamilton and a repeat of a phrase Swift posted on social media in wake of controversy resulting from Wests song Famous. In that 2016 tune, he he boasted that I made that [profanity] famous and, therefore, that he and Swift might still have sex. The other Swifts reply in unison: Oh shut up! Facebook

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Kendrick Lamar opens 2017 VMAs with fiery performances of DNA and Humble By Randall Roberts Wearing a red scarf on his head and a poofy winter coat onstage, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar opened the 2017 MTV VMAs needing neither. Within a few minutes of launching with DNA a dancer center stage burst into flames. You could almost feel the heat simmering through the screen. I was born like this, since one like this, Lamar rapped. Immaculate conception/I transform like this, perform like this. Perform he did, moving into a second track, Humble, from his recent album Damn. Shedding the coat, he stood in front of a fiery backdrop grid that burned as dancers scaled it. As they did so, Lamar rapped, My left stroke just went viral/Right stroke put lil baby in a spiral. It was the opening shot of a VMAs in which politics and protest may end up taking center stage. Indeed, moments later presenter Paris Jackson drew a rousing applause when she denounced the racism and hatred propogated by white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Facebook

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Heidi Klum, Jack Antonoff and others stand in support of transgender military service members at VMAs By Randall Roberts View Instagram post As the 2017 Video Music Awards were approaching, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) was out in full force at the Forum. Its president and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, walked the red carpet along with her invited guests: six transgender members of the military. The action came in the wake of President Donald Trumps direction to the Pentagon on Friday, as reported in The Times, to return to the long-standing policy and practice barring military service by transgender individuals. Praising MTV as a pioneering advocate for the LGBTQ community, Ellis said in a statement, Throughout all the tweets, memos, and speculation, brave transgender Americans are still serving their country and defending the freedoms of this nation while meeting the same rigorous standards of their peers. We are proud to stand with them. Posing in support: musicians and celebrities including Jack Antonoff (Bleachers), supermodel Heidi Klum, actor-comedian Billy Eichner and others, who stood alongside transgender service members including Jennifer Peace, Logan Ireland, Sterling James Crutcher and Akira Wyatt, as well as trans veterans Laila Ireland and Brynn Tannehil. Also joining them was LGBTQ philanthropist August Getty, who in his other life is a fashion designer responsible for Miley Cyruss red carpet dress. Facebook

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MTV VMAs return to Southern California with an overwhelmingly impressive setup By Gerrick Kennedy Cardi B performing at the pre-show for the MTV VMAs. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press) After heading to the East Coast last year, the MTV VMAs have returned to Southern California. And tonight at the Forum in Inglewood, it was clear that the network decided to go big  huge really. Upon arrival to the venue it appeared that the scale of this years show was unlike anything MTV had done in recent history. A structure that looked like a space shuttle swallowed the lot in front of the venue, and stars such as Cardi B and Big Freedia could be seen pumping through the red carpet (its a deep shade of blue this year). Inside the Forum, the stage took up the entirety of the venues ground floor. The imprint of the stage was impressive, even overwhelming in size as a maze of catwalks and secondary stages traced the floor, all of which was outlined by hundreds of glowing triangles and projection screens. It made for a futuristic playground of geometric glowing shapes that show opener Kendrick Lamar put to use immediately as he emerged from the center of the venue for the explosive DNA, strutting through half of the venue before making it to the main stage. Facebook

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Taylor Swift breaks YouTube record with Look What You Made Me Do video By Randy Lewis Taylor Swift set a YouTube record with the lyric video for her new single Look What You Made Me Do, tallying 19 million views in just the first 24 hours. Thats more than double the previous first-day record for a lyric video, which was set in February by the lyric video for the Chainsmokers Something Just Like This featuring Coldplay, which registered 9 million views upon its release. Its also the best 24-hour figure Swift has logged, besting the first-day result for her 2015 official video for Bad Blood, which attracted 17 million views, and has since totaled more than 1.1 billion views. As of Sunday morning, the tally for Look What You Made Me Do had surpassed 35 million. It sets the stage for the premiere tonight of Swifts official video for the new single, which will be introduced during the MTV Video Music Awards Ceremony, taking place at the Forum in Inglewood. The overall record for viewership in the first 24 hours for any music video belongs to Adele, who registered 27.7 million views in 2015 at the premiere of the official video for her song Hello. Facebook

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Why William Friedkin called Tobe Hoopers Texas Chain Saw Massacre an Umami Burger of a movie By Mark Olsen Director Tobe Hooper, who died in Los Angeles on Saturday at age 74, created many movies and TV shows during his long career  including stepping to helm the filming of Poltergeist when Steven Spielberg was contractually banned from directing other films during the production of ET: The Extra Terrestrial. Hoopers most admired film, of course, was 1974s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In 2014, on the occasion of the films 40th anniversary, The Exorcist director William Friedkin interviewed Hooper before an overflow audience at Los Angeles Vista theater. During the engaging conversation, Friedkin called Hooper one of the sweetest, nicest guys Ive ever known. And then added, So I often wonder where this stuff comes from. Hooper talked about purposely pitting his actors against each other to keep the on-screen tension high, how an unlikely pair of albums  Elton Johns Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Lou Reeds Berlin  inspired him during the writing of the screenplay, and about how damn strong women are, referring to the resilent character played by Marilyn Burns. Shes just not going to die. At one point, Friedkin provocatively asked, Do you think this is a work of art? Hooper first asked, Should I be modest? before responding with a salty confirmation, Its a ... work of art. The Times Mark Olsen was there for the interview. At the end of his article, theres this affirmation of the film from Friedkin: No 3-D, no CGI, welcome to this Umami Burger of a movie. Read on to find his reasoning. Read More Facebook

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Cinefamily suspends all activities in wake of sexual misconduct allegations By Sonaiya Kelley The Cinefamily on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) Following the resignations Tuesday of two leadership figures at Cinefamily, the Los Angeles independent film venue has announced that it is temporarily suspending all activities to allow for the investigation and necessary restructure of management and the board. Recently, claims were made alleging improper behavior by one of more members of the organization, reads a release posted on the organizations website and social media pages. The Board of Directors of The Cinefamily has no tolerance for any form of behavior that does not conform to the high standards demanded by our members and staff and that of common human decency. The letter also says that Cinefamily is bringing on an independent third party, Giles Miller at Lynx Insights & Investigations, to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations. View Twitter post A spokesperson for the theater could not immediately be reached for comment. The announcement comes in the wake of two high profile exits: co-founder and executive creative director, Hadrian Belove, and vice president of its board of directors, Shadie Elnashai, resigned on Tuesday following allegations of sexual misconduct. The exits were announced in postings on Cinefamilys social media accounts. In light of recent events, Shadie Elnashai has resigned from Cinefamilys Board of Directors and Hadrian Belove has resigned as the Executive Creative Director of Cinefamily, read the statement. Addressing the anonymous allegations in a post to his personal Facebook account following his resignation, Belove described the emails contents as demonstrable lies and half-truths, and allegations without known victims. It is not clear whether screenings currently scheduled will still run, and there has been grumbling by monthly billed members as to whether or not automated charges will be suspended or cancelled. Facebook

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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper dies in Los Angeles at 74 By Associated Press Tobe Hooper, the horror-movie pioneer whose low-budget sensation The Texas Chain Saw Massacre took a buzz saw to audiences with its brutally frightful vision, has died. He was 74. The Los Angeles County coroners office says Hooper died Saturday in Sherman Oaks. It was reported as a natural death. Hooper and contemporaries like George Romero crafted some of the scariest nightmares that ever haunted moviegoers. He directed 1982s Poltergeist from a script by Steven Spielberg and was behind the 1979 miniseries Salems Lot, based on the Stephen King novel. Read More Facebook

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Is Taylor Swift trying to turn off her listeners? By Mikael Wood We can skip the rundown of Taylor Swifts feud with Kanye West, right? Less than 24 hours after the worlds biggest pop star unleashed her new single on a waiting commentariat, Im already exhausted by the idea of having to read (let alone write) yet another rehash of this deeply tiresome conflict. But you know whos not over it? Taylor Swift. In Look What You Made Me Do  released online Thursday night as the lead single from a new album, Reputation, due in November  the singer sounds positively fired up as she takes whack after brutal whack at the rapper who once interrupted her at an awards show. (Swift doesnt name West, to be clear, but with her reference to a tilted stage, she doesnt need to.) I dont like your perfect crime / How you laugh when you lie, she seethes over a throbbing electronic groove, You said the gun was mine / Isnt cool  no, I dont like you. Later in the tune, which Swift created with Jack Antonoff, she pretends to answer a phone call from someone evidently looking for the old Taylor  the sucker, you presume, who mightve let bygones be bygones. But she cant come to the phone, Swift tells the caller. Why? she adds. Oh, cause shes dead. Whats surprising about Look What You Made Me Do  beyond the harsh industrial production that makes it feel like Swifts response to her enemys Yeezus  is that it suggests the singer no longer cares (or is no longer able to tell) what pop fans want. Swift rose to superstardom by anticipating listeners desires; she knew just when to pivot from acoustic guitars to sleek synthesizers, from the fairy-tale romance of early hits like Love Story to the more grown-up depiction found on her last album, 2014s smash 1989. On tour behind that record, she spent a good portion of her show every night telling the members of her audience how closely shed been paying attention to them. But dredging up Taylor v. Kanye again? I mean, I cant be the only one whos sick of this topic  something Swift wouldve known a few years ago without even having to think about it. OK, so she hardly lacks for company among A-listers eager to cook expired beef. Earlier this summer Katy Perry revived her ancient tussle with Swift  I believe it had something to do with backup dancers?  for Swish Swish. But Perrys song takes delight in its own pettiness, whereas Look What You Made Me Do just makes me think of President Trump whining endlessly about fake news. (Crediting Right Said Fred for the songs supposed debt to Im Too Sexy is funny in writing, but the inspiration adds little humor to the dour music.) Maybe Swift isnt aiming for me, though. Maybe this polarizing song is meant to galvanize her base  which, sure enough, is rhapsodizing about the track on social media  even at the expense of the wider world shes dominated for much of the last decade. If thats her play, its a wild one, especially coming after her powerful testimony during the recent trial regarding her alleged sexual assault at the hands of a Denver radio DJ. In court, Swift appeared driven to speak with a voice loud enough for others. Now, just days later, she seems uninterested in that job. Have we ever seen a pop star so happily give up a portion of her following? Thats an idea Im not tired of considering. Maybe Reputation will take it up. Facebook

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Concerts by Coldplay, other acts canceled as Hurricane Harvey nears Texas By August Brown Coldplay performs at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in 2016. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) As the potentially devastating Hurricane Harvey approaches the Texas coast, major acts including Coldplay, Lady Antebellum and Mary J. Blige have canceled or rescheduled their Houston-area concerts. Coldplay on Friday postponed a show scheduled for NRG Stadium in Houston. We really wanted to play tonight, but sitting here all together watching the news about the storm, we feel that we cant ask anyone to put their safety at risk. So, sadly, we will have to postpone, the band wrote. Live Nation Houston said ticket-holders would be updated when there was further information. We urge all fans in the area to stay safe, it said. A makeup date has not yet been scheduled. The country trio Lady Antebellum canceled its Sunday show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands, citing the storm. Blige postponed her Friday show at the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land. The venue announced that the concert had been rescheduled to Sept. 19. The Category 3 storm, which would be the first major hurricane to hit the United States since 2005, is expected to make landfall in coastal Texas on Saturday morning, bringing 100-mph winds and up to 35 inches of rain in some areas. Facebook

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Bachelor couple Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi break off their engagement By Christie DZurilla (Leon Bennett / Getty Images) Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi, who got engaged on the most recent season of The Bachelor, have  with a great amount of heartbreak  called the whole thing off. We gave this relationship our all and we are saddened that we did not get the fairytale ending we hoped for, they said Friday in a statement to E! News. The relationship lasted five months after the proposal aired on the Season 21 finale of The Bachelor in March. The two said in their statement that theyre parting with love and admiration for one another. The silver lining to what they called a difficult decision? This means Nick is potentially available for yet another TV stint in the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise. That as-yet-imaginary gig would be his fifth ride on the looking-for-love roller coaster. In Bachelor Nation, its always good to dream. Facebook

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Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher settle lawsuit over websites photos of their kids By Nardine Saad (Michael Nelson / EPA) Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis legal battle with British website MailOnline has been settled. The Two and a Half Men actor, the Bad Moms actress and the outlet have reached a satisfactory resolution of their legal action regarding the publication of photos of their children, their legal representatives said in a joint statement to The Times on Friday. The couple, who starred in That 70s Show together years before they began dating, took the websites publisher, Associated Newspapers, to Londons High Court in July 2015 over two articles featuring their daughter, who was 1 at the time. The U.K.'s MailOnline.com published images of Wyatt taken during a private family outing to the beach. A paparazzo used a long-lens camera to obtain the images, and the couple said they were unaware the photos were being taken. They claimed that the photos breached the Data Protection Act and were used for the unauthorized promotion of clothing on the website. [T]hey have reached a satisfactory resolution of their legal action, which includes an agreement to pixelate photographs of their daughter, Wyatt, their son, Dimitri, and any future children they should have together.  Joint statement from Kutcher, Kunis and the MailOnline announcing their lawsuit settlement Per the agreement announced Friday, the outlet will pixelate photographs of Kutchers and Kunis daughter, Wyatt, their son, Dimitri, and any future children they should have together. The settlement is the latest legal blow to MailOnline and its associated newspaper, the Daily Mail. (The U.S. version of the website, DailyMail.com, is run by a separate news team.) In April, the tabloids parent company settled a libel suit with First Lady Melania Trump over an article it ran in the paper and online that suggested she may have once worked as an escort. In July 2014, George Clooney lambasted the Daily Mail in a USA Today op-ed that accused it of making up stories in the wake of an article it published about his mother-in-law. He got an apology and an acknowledgement that the story was inaccurate. That same month, Angelina Jolie reportedly threatened to take legal action after it published a video that claimed to show her under the influence of heroin in the 1990s. Facebook

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Taylor Swifts Look What You Made Me Do lyrics: Let the analysis begin By Randy Lewis As if there were any doubt as to the level of interest in Taylor Swifts first new music in three years, her first single from her forthcoming album, Reputation, has been blowing up since it premiered Thursday night. The lyric video for Look What You Made Me Do had logged more than 7 million views as of 9:30 a.m. Friday. Additionally, Swift tweeted that the official video for the song will premiere Sunday during the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. For those who want to dig in and attempt to decode what and to whom the I dont like you references might refer, here are the full lyrics to the song: Look What You Made Me Do FIRST VERSE I dont like your little games Dont like your tilted stage The role you made me play Of the fool, no, I dont like you I dont like your perfect crime How you laugh when you lie You said the gun was mine Isnt cool, no, I dont like you PRE-CHORUS But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time Ive got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined I check it once, then I check it twice, oh! CHORUS Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look What you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do SECOND VERSE I dont like your kingdom keys They once belonged to me You ask for a place to sleep Locked me out and threw a feast (what?) The world goes on, another day, another drama, drama But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma And then the world moves on, but one things for sure Baby, I got mine, but youll all get yours PRE CHORUS REPEATS But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time Ive got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined I check it once, then I check it twice, oh! CHORUS REPEATS Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do THIRD VERSE I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me Ill be the actress starring in your bad dreams I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me Ill be the actress starring in your bad dreams I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me Ill be the actress starring in your bad dreams I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me Ill be the actress starring in your bad dreams (Look what you made me do) (Look what you made me do) ANSWERING MACHINE INTERLUDE Im sorry, the old Taylor cant come to the phone right now. Why? Oh cause shes dead! CHORUS REPEATS Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Facebook

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Patty Jenkins isnt surprised James Cameron doesnt get Wonder Woman By Tracy Brown Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has some words about James Camerons comments on the Amazonian warrior goddess: Of course he doesnt get it. Following the Avatar directors claims that Wonder Woman is a step backwards for women, Jenkins responded in a tweet that Camerons thoughts are unsurprising because he is not a woman. In an interview with the Guardian, Cameron threw some shade on Wonder Womans success by trying to compare Diana Prince to Sarah Connor from his Terminator franchise. "[Sarah Connor] was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit, Cameron said. Nothing like the objectified beauty icon he considers Wonder Woman to be. Jenkins points out that Camerons narrow qualifications for what makes a good female hero are restrictive and not at all progressive. If women have to always be hard, tough and troubled to be strong, and we arent free to be multidimensional or celebrate an icon of women everywhere because she is attractive and loving, then we havent come very far have we, Jenkins wrote. Jenkins also insisted that there should be room for all types of female lead characters and that women themselves should be the judge of these icons of progress. There is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman, she wrote. Read Jenkins full statement below. pic.twitter.com/8zkJXHLCJW  Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) August 25, 2017 Facebook

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James Cameron thinks Wonder Womans success is misguided: Shes an objectified icon By Nardine Saad (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times) James Cameron isnt here for Wonder Womans blockbuster success. In fact, the moviemaker calls the much-loved superhero flick (Wonder Woman is currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes) a step back from the female heroes he created in the 80s and 90s. It appears that the Titanic and Terminator 2" director, whose films often put tough women at the center of the action, doesnt think that Gal Gadots character was complicated or groundbreaking enough to merit so much acclaim -- $800 million at the worldwide box office aside. All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywoods been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. Shes an objectified icon, and its just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! Cameron said in an interview with the Guardian. All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywoods been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. Shes an objectified icon, and its just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!  Filmmaker James Cameron on Wonder Woman The director, who was cast in the article as softened and evolved from his bone-crushing early movie-making days, believes that Wonder Woman was a step backwards. (Dont get him wrong, he did like Patty Jenkins summer blockbuster -- the first-ever feature-film incarnation of the DC Comics heroine and the highest-grossing live-action film directed by a woman -- just not enough to let it pass without throwing a little shade Diana Princes way.) Backwards in comparison with Camerons complex Sarah Connor character from the Terminator franchise. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female! Cameron said. The three-time Oscar wi


Children present Hada to the honorable guests. [Photo/CGTN]

Up in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, north China, where the famed horses of the local people race across the landscape and time seems to stand still, an event is taking place - the modern day incarnation of a tradition that stretches back thousands of years.

This is Nadam, the traditional harvest festival of the country's ethnic Mongolians, and thousands of them have travelled from far and wide to gather here in Tian Shan county, in the southeast part of the autonomous region.

Its a coming of age for some, a test of strength and skill for others, and a chance to come together and celebrate community and culture, for everyone.

All the traditional arts, many of them competitive, are on display: archery, traditional wrestling, and dancing among them.

But the main event amongst those people who once conquered half the known world on horseback, is not hard to guess. The famed horsemanship and steeds of the Mongolians rode their way into history in the 13th Century under the banner of the conqueror Genghis Khan and his sons.

Today, horses and riding remain kings of the culture, and trainers, jockeys, and their magnificent mounts have come from all over to compete in the Nadam race, as Inner Mongolia seeks to preserve its ancient traditional culture in rapidly developing China.
In 2009, during the financial crisis, the tiny Altadena-based independent publishing house Prospect Park Books put out the cookbook Celebrating with Julienne. It was written by Susan Campoy, the beloved local chef-owner of Julienne, a French-inspired bistro on Mission Street in nearby San Marino, with Colleen Dunn Bates, Prospect Parks founder.

Bates only previous experience with cookbooks consisted of, in 2007, distributing Amelia Saltsmans self-produced The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbook. But otherwise the titles at her company consisted mainly of regional guide books and fiction penned by Southern California authors. Campoy, who died when her cookbook was still in the bound galley phase, had a thing against corporate booksellers, and left instructions forbidding sales of Celebrating with Julienne via Amazon, Borders and Barnes & Noble. Sales soared anyway.

The book cost $40. Nobody was buying anything then. But people were buying stacks of 10 as gifts, says Bates of a cookbook that would end up winning the nonfiction book prize from the Southern California Independent Booksellers Assn. that year. We sold 8,000 copies in six months with no publicity, no nothing.

Bates decided it was time to branch out. Today, Prospect Park is L.A.s only independent publisher of cookbooks, with seven titles total, including Little Flower: Recipes from the Cafe by Christine Moore, Theresa Wahls The Auntie Ems Cookbook and Das Cookbook by Hans Rockenwagner. Their latest, L.A. Mexicano, Bill Esparzas collection of profiles and recipes of important Los Angeles-based Mexican restaurant owners, chefs and vendors, was released in mid-June.

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Having meticulously analyzed what made Celebrating with Julienne a success, Bates hews closely to her business model: She leaves comprehensive, cinder-block-sized tomes (The Encyclopedia of ...) to major cookbook publishers such as Phaidon and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. While her non-fiction and fiction catalogue expanded from two to 13 titles annually, she publishes only one cookbook a year, always by a local chef (or, in the case of L.A. Mexicano, multiple chefs) with a following.

A small press only has certain niches available  and my niche is that Ive lived in L.A. my whole life. I know people in the food world, I know the retailers, I know the media, I know the bloggers, says Bates, a sixth-generation Southern Californian who as a child was an exasperatingly picky eater but evolved into  much to the amusement of her family  LA Styles restaurant critic, a post she held for seven years.

Whatever Prospect Park lacks in national reach and support staff  Batess copy editors, recipe testers and almost everyone else are freelance  Bates tries to make up for it with unbending dedication. We stick with a book for months, or even years, says Bates.

Bates began Prospect Park Books after a pivotal experience laid bare for her the perils of working in the cutthroat world of New York imprints: In 2002, after two weeks of slapdash attempts to promote Storybook Travels, a family vacation guide book shed co-written with her friend, Susan LaTempa, their publisher, Crown, stopped taking their calls.

It was the typical experience of a non-famous author, and I had the hubris to believe that I could do it better, says Bates, who operated out of her house until, realizing that her husband and teenagers were being crowded out by stacks of inventory, moved to an office.

Prospect Parks first stab at publishing a cookbook, from idea to completion, came about with classic Batesian flair. A regular at Little Flower, a popular cafe and bakery in Pasadena, Bates chipped away at chef-owner Christine Moore until she agreed to write a cookbook. Moore never submitted a proposal and, refusing to hire an agent or attorney to negotiate terms, insisted their contract be condensed into a single page. She also wanted cover approval.

A big publisher would have been, like, Shut up. Go away. But shes good and I wanted her to be happy, says Bates, who, during the photography stage, would often make the seven-minute drive from her narrow Lincoln Avenue office to Moores cafe to weigh in on the process. It was an amazing voyage  and Ive learned it was pretty rare, says Moore, who remembers key editorial advice that Bates offered when it was time to come up with the books luminous, genuinely moving I-am-everywoman introduction.

Colleen said to me, Are you going to cry when you write it? and I said, Yes, and she said, OK, then I know it will be good. In the end, Moores 144-page hardback was touted as one of the top cookbooks of 2012 by community site Food52 and, along with Moores 2016 follow-up Little Flower Baking, are two of Prospect Parks bestselling cookbooks.

These days, Bates is eager to get started on Prospect Parks next cookbook, First We Surf, Then We Eat: Recipes from a Lifetime of Surf Travel, a cookbook by Jim Kempton, the former editor of Surfer magazine and a dedicated foodist. Kempton and his agent were hoping to end up with an East Coast publishing house, but Bates, who happens to be waves-obsessed, won them over.

Turns out we have millions of mutual friends, says Bates, who grew up surfing. New York publishers dont know a thing about the surf world. But I do.

food@latimes.com

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The Iraqi army, backed by U.S. airstrikes and special operations commandos, punched through an outer ring of Islamic State defenses Tuesday in a 3-day-old push to reclaim Tall Afar, the militants last major stronghold in northern Iraq.

Fighting in oven-like temperatures, Iraqi tanks and armored vehicles stormed across the desert and Iraqi special forces moving in from the northeast breached a thick city wall, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

U.S. commanders say the offensive against the estimated 2,500 militants in and around Tall Afar will be grinding because Islamic State fighters built extensive defenses. Among them: They lined up derelict vehicles to push invading forces into a kill zone strewn with booby traps.

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Recapturing Tall Afar would cut off one of Islamic States last routes to move supplies and fighters to and from Syria, about 60 miles farther west, and mark a milestone in the bitter three-year effort to defeat the group that once controlled a third of Iraq.

The fighting is tough but the momentum is with our partners, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. general in Iraq, said in Baghdad.

Townsend met Tuesday with Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who arrived on a previously unannounced visit to consult with U.S. commanders, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi and Defense Minister Arfan Hayali. Mattis also met with Massoud Barzani, president of the semiautonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.

The Tall Afar offensive follows a successful but grueling nine-month campaign to retake Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city and crown jewel of Islamic States self-declared caliphate.

Many Islamic State leaders fled Mosul during the fighting. The whereabouts of several senior commanders, including founder and leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi, is not known.

Islamic State is on the run and they have been shown to be unable to stand up to our team, have not retaken one inch of ground, Mattis told reporters.

Mattis cited the progress in Iraq and the U.S.-backed operation in Syria to retake Raqqah, the capital of Islamic States self-declared caliphate.

Brig. Gen. Andrew A. Croft, who leads the air campaign in Iraq, said the militants have shown less ability to defend their ground and launch counterattacks over the last three months.

It appears more fractured, less robust, and sort of flimsy, is the word I would use, Croft said. It is sporadic.

U.S. special operations forces are helping direct airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Tall Afar. U.S.-led coalition warplanes have launched about 150 airstrikes in and around the city to help Iraqi forces advance against vehicle-borne bombs, militant snipers and mortar teams.

Michael Knights, Iraq analyst at the nonpartisan Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Iraqi security forces are experienced in urban combat but exhausted after their hard-won victory in Mosul. He predicted the battle for Tall Afar, which is just one-tenth the size of Mosul, will take about four months.

Right now we can expect about 15 brigades  totaling about 15,000 to 22,000 troops  to take part, which is sufficient to crack Tall Afar by December, he said.

Iraqs army divisions, its counter-terrorism service and federal police are supporting the multi-pronged operation. There are also militia fighters under the umbrella of the Shiite-dominated Popular Mobilization Forces advancing toward the city.

The Shiite militias were barred from participating in the Mosul offensive because of objections from Turkey, the United States and other countries who see the Popular Mobilization Forces as undisciplined and loyal to Iran.

Tall Afar had a population of about 200,000, chiefly Sunni Arabs and Turkmens, before Islamic State captured it in 2014.

Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has warned against heavy-handed tactics by Popular Mobilization Forces in Tall Afar, which he called an entirely Turkmen town, a legacy from the Ottoman Empire.

An estimated 30,000 civilians fled the city before the battle but an estimated 20,000 civilians remain trapped there.

Asked about concerns that U.S. airstrikes had caused civilian casualties, Mattis replied that no military in the worlds history has paid more attention to limiting civilian casualties.

He had nothing but scorn for Islamic State.

An enemy that hides behind women and children  [is] violating every standard of decency and fills us with conviction [for] what we have to do, Mattis said.

Ive seen people fleeing to [Iraqi security forces] and feeling safe when they get to them, he added. We are the good guys and the innocent people in the battlefield know the difference.

william.hennigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @wjhenn

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Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino wants more development in his San Pedro seaside district  new hotels, restaurants and apartment towers to lure visitors and attract residents.

The recent construction boom transforming L.A. has largely skipped this former fishing village, despite its ocean views and proximity to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Now, Buscaino worries Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettis proposed linkage fee  a levy on new construction  would further slow development in San Pedro by driving up building costs. The councilman wants a lower fee in his district than in other parts of the city, including the affluent Westside.

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San Pedro and several other Los Angeles neighborhoods are at the center of a new debate over a plan for a citywide construction fee. The fee would raise funds to build affordable housing and comes as L.A. faces a crippling housing crisis.

City Hall leaders are grappling with whether  and how  to charge a linkage fee, a proposal made more complicated in economically diverse Los Angeles.

As currently proposed, the citywide fee would apply to new homes, office buildings, apartment towers and other construction  charging $5 per square foot for commercial development and $12 for residential. Residential projects with five or fewer units would be charged $1 per square foot.

Several types of development, including some grocery stores, smaller homes, and affordable housing projects, are exempted.

In cases in which a home or building is torn down and replaced with a larger one, the proposed fee applies to the amount of increased square footage.

As city leaders debate the fee, some council members are questioning the one-size-fits-all approach.

Buscaino pointed to an economic report on San Pedro development released last year that found that market rents are generally unable to cover the substantial new development costs of proposed mid-rise and high-rise residential apartments in his district.

We cant get projects to pencil given current market conditions, Buscaino said. What could possibly justify adding another fee?

Economists warn that charging different fees is fraught with risks because neighborhoods and market conditions can rapidly change in a short amount of time.

Its a razor-thin line between whats hot and whats not, said Lee Huang, principal of Econsult Solutions, a Philadelphia-based consulting firm that has studied linkage fees across the country.

For example, a developer last year won rights to transform an old radio tower site at La Cienega and Jefferson boulevards into an upscale high-rise, a project expected to reshape the area.

Some business groups oppose any form of linkage fee, with critics arguing it would slow development as builders go elsewhere. Others question whether the fee will raise enough money for affordable housing to justify the charge.

Supporters argue that the development community would adjust, and point to other cities that have similar fees.

Ahead of a Tuesday hearing on the fee, a new city report outlined options for a fee based on geography and market conditions, including caveats about the different proposals.

A geographic-based fee could unintentionally lead to unanticipated changes throughout the development timeline, creating uncertainty for developers, the report said.

At the same time, it said, a citywide fee could lead to lost revenue potential in stronger market areas or negative impacts to development in cooler market areas.

Linkage fees or similar programs in larger cities are typically based on the type of development or neighborhood, or both.

Larger cities also often have a mix of programs to help raise money for affordable housing.

Seattle, for instance, charges $5 to $32.75 a square foot, depending on the neighborhood and whether the project is commercial or multi-family. Fees are higher in the Capitol Hill neighborhood because that area has a range of restaurants, bars and stores and can command higher rents.

San Jose charges $17.41 a square foot for rental development. At the same time, the city exempts downtown rental high-rise projects from the charge to encourage such construction.

Chicago imposes affordable housing requirements for projects with 10 or more units that get a zoning change or some other form of city assistance. In downtown, builders seeking zoning changes to add density must pay into a fund targeting underserved commercial corridors throughout the city.

A linkage fee study commissioned by city of L.A., released last year, warned that charging a citywide $5 commercial fee  as proposed now  may not be feasible in some neighborhoods with lower rents or housing prices.

Developers may find that their projects wont bring in enough returns, the report stated. Those low-market neighborhoods include areas in South L.A. and the San Fernando Valley, principal city planner Ken Bernstein said in an interview last week.

City planners still suggested that fee, Bernstein said, after studying the history of building permits. Nearly half of the projects in low-market neighborhoods over the last five years would have been exempt or subject to the lowest residential fee.

If passed, the linkage fee would join a separate affordable housing program already in place in Los Angeles. Voters last year passed Measure JJJ, which imposes affordable housing requirements on developers who seek zoning changes or other major alterations to city planning rules.

The city report to be heard Tuesday suggests other options for the fee, including phasing it in over a three-year period and exempting manufacturing and industrial development.

dakota.smith@latimes.com

Twitter: @dakotacdsmith
A 53-year-old woman has died after a boulder hit her as she was hiking in Southern California.

The Ventura County coroner said Monday that Toni Large of Ojai died at a hospital.

Sheriffs officials told the Ventura County Star that Large was with a group when the boulder hit her in the Los Padres National Forest on Sunday evening.

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The county fire department was summoned to find an injured hiker in the area, but could not find her.

Authorities later said she had been taken to a hospital in a private vehicle.

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Authorities are investigating the death of a male infant or fetus found floating in a canal in central Bakersfield.

Officers removed the body from the Mill Creek Canal after responding to a call just before 2 p.m. on Aug. 14, said Sgt. Ryan Kroeker, spokesman for the Bakersfield Police Department.

Its a terrible situation, Kroeker said.

The Kern County coroners office said the body was of a baby, but said its age must still be determined during an autopsy, which has yet to be performed.

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Kroeker said detectives have interviewed witnesses in the area.

Detectives were hoping the autopsy will provide more details about the infants identity as well as a cause of death, he said.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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Authorities in Plumas County have arrested a 36-year-old Quincy resident on suspicion of starting several fires in the surrounding forest, including one blaze that threatened homes, officials said.

Jeffery Cameron Schmidt was taken into custody Sunday on suspicion of setting the Minerva fire on July 29 about three miles southwest of Quincy, the Plumas County Sheriffs Office said.



For the record: A previous version of this article said that Schmidt had been freed on bail. He remains in custody.

The Minerva fire burned for more than two weeks and chewed through 4,310 acres of the Plumas National Forest, authorities said. The flames spread dangerously close to Schmidts own town of Quincy in the fires first days.

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More than 1,800 firefighters were brought in to fight the blaze in the Gold Rush town, in an area with a population of about 4,200 and buildings dating back to the 19th century.

After the town was saved, the marquee at the local movie theater read, THANK YOU FIREFIGHTERS, and thank you posters printed in the Feather River Bulletin newspaper hung in business and home windows. A church sign asked God to bless the firefighters.

Schmidt remains in custody.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

Staff writer Hailey Branson-Potts contributed to this report.

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The city of Los Angeles sought Tuesday to join a legal battle against President Trumps Department of Justice over conditions requiring police to cooperate with immigration enforcement officials in order to qualify for anti-crime funding.

City Atty. Mike Feuer filed papers in U.S. District Court asking the judge hearing a lawsuit brought earlier this month by San Francisco city officials to let Los Angeles quickly into that fray.

In its lawsuit, San Francisco is seeking to strike down rules U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions announced last month for Justice Department funds that have long been dispersed to local law enforcement agencies to bolster efforts to fight violent and gang crime. Going forward, Sessions said at the time, police agencies that want a piece of the funding would have to first demonstrate that they are willing to help immigration officials identify and detain people in local jails who are suspected of being in the country illegally.

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Specifically, Sessions said police would be required to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers access to local jails and to notify ICE 48 hours before releasing from their jail someone tagged by federal authorities as possibly being in the country illegally.

The conditions imposed by Sessions, Feuer argued, violate the separation of powers laid out in the countrys Constitution, which give Congress, not the executive branch, control of government purse strings. Feuer said the money has been used in Los Angeles largely to fund a long-running city program in which police, city attorneys, the district attorneys office and probation officials collaborate to target the citys worst gang neighborhoods.

The Trump administration is overreaching, and were going to fight it, Feuer said at a City Hall news conference. Were going to fight because the administration would put Los Angeles to the untenable choice of risking a key public safety grant or making the LAPD an arm of federal immigration policy.

The Justice Department awards the grant money to states and cities annually. In the past, the amount cities receive has been calculated based on population and crime statistics. In each of the last 20 years, Los Angeles has received more than $1 million, including $1.8 million for the 2016 fiscal year, Feuer said. This year, L.A. would be eligible to receive $1.9 million, to be shared between the city and the county, according to city figures.

Feuer wrote in court papers that it was important for Los Angeles to join the San Francisco case in order to permit the court to consider DOJs conditions in light of differing local policies.

He wrote that San Francisco, for example, has a policy generally prohibiting city officials from even responding to an ICE request for advance notification of an inmates release, but no such policy existed in Los Angeles. Instead, Feuer said, his objection to the notification requirement was rooted in concerns it would force the LAPD to prolong the time inmates would otherwise remain behind bars, which several courts have ruled unconstitutional.

Regarding access to jails, LAPDs policy does not allow ICE unfettered access, although immigration officers can interview an inmate who consents to it.

In his comments Tuesday, Feuer presented the new funding conditions as a threat to public safety in Los Angeles. The LAPD restricts its cooperation with ICE, he said, as part of a broader effort to build trust with the citys immigrant communities and assure people living here illegally that they will not be at risk of being deported if they come forward to report a crime as a victim or witness.

Justice Department officials fired back, criticizing the move by Los Angeles and arguing that the funding requirements would, in fact, increase safety in the city.

Citing an increase in crime rates in Los Angeles in recent years, department spokesman Devin OMalley said in a statement, It is so baffling that the city would challenge policies designed to keep residents of L.A. safer.  Reversing sanctuary city policies is about more than just enforcing federal immigration law by detaining criminals here illegally  its about reestablishing a culture of law and order, where crimes are punished and people are deterred from committing them.

The legal challenge is the latest response to threats by the Trump administration to cut funds to so-called sanctuary cities. Chicago fired the first volley over the current funding requirements when it filed a lawsuit earlier this month. Then last week California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra announced the state was also filing a lawsuit in conjunction with San Franciscos.

In an earlier challenge to the presidents executive order on immigration, San Francisco and Santa Clara County won a nationwide injunction that blocked the administration from withholding all sources of federal funding  not just law enforcement grants controlled by the Justice Department  to cities it deemed to be sanctuaries. Seattle, along with others, followed with similar lawsuits.

joel.rubin@latimes.com

Follow @joelrubin on Twitter

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UPDATES:

4:20 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from Feuer.

2:30 p.m.: This article has been updated with comments from Feuer and a Justice Department spokesman as well as background about the legal dispute.

This article was originally published at 11:05 a.m.
Over the decades, the concept of nation-building has been in and out of favor with successive American administrations. President Trump says he wants no part of it in Afghanistan.

But past presidents have found that when it comes to foreign interventions, its very difficult to achieve and sustain military gains in the absence of a stable, functioning government and the institutions that go along with it. Thats one of the main arguments in favor of nation-building  or state-building, as some, including President George W. Bushs Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chose to call it.

Heres a look at where broad assistance has worked and where it hasnt, and some of the lessons about why.

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Are there nation-building success stories?

Yes. After World War II, the United States embarked on a breathtakingly ambitious initiative known as the Marshall Plan, named for then-Secretary of State George Marshall, to rebuild the ruined economies of Western Europe  including that of vanquished foe Germany. A similarly wide-ranging reconstruction effort was undertaken in defeated Japan. Historians regard this assistance as a resounding success, and the U.S. now counts the recipients, including Germany and Japan, among its closest allies.

A more recent example came in Colombia, where multifaceted assistance was dispensed over more than a decade aimed at curbing the raging violence associated with drug trafficking, and winding down a half-century-long civil war. Broad-based U.S. aid was also extended, with a reasonable degree of efficacy, in the former Yugoslavia after the shattering Balkan wars of the 1990s.

When did the notion of nation-building fall into disrepute, and why?

As a policy concept, its had a bad odor for at least 15 years, mainly because of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, said Daniel Runde of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. In the U.S., general disillusionment with the aims and course of the Iraq conflict melded with anger over the expense and difficulties encountered in the rebuilding of the institutions of a nation of 25 million people  necessitated by the disastrous decision to essentially deconstruct its state apparatus.

It was never going to succeed, Adil Shamoo, a Baghdad-born analyst at the left-leaning Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, said of the multibillion-dollar reconstruction effort. You had resistance to foreign occupiers telling people what to do, and as time passes, an underground movement evolves out of a sense of nationalism, and then everything has backfired.

What about nation-building in Afghanistan?

In Afghanistan, the picture is more complicated. The wreckage of the Twin Towers was still smoldering when the U.S.-led military intervention began in 2001. The swift toppling of the Taliban movement, which had given haven to Osama bin Laden as Al Qaeda plotted the Sept. 11 attacks, ultimately bogged down in continuing insurgency, becoming the United States longest war. The nearly 16-year conflict is now widely viewed by the U.S. public as a quagmire and recently was characterized as a stalemate by its American commander.

In part because of the medieval cruelty of prewar Taliban rule, particularly its systematic oppression of girls and women, there was strong support on the part of U.S. allies and the American public for rebuilding roads, schools and clinics, but also creating, almost from scratch, institutions such as the courts and the military. All that took place alongside a U.S. military presence that reached a peak of 100,000 troops under President Obama before the drawdown that left about 8,500 in place today.

As the years passed and the Afghan wars unpopularity grew, support waned for aid programs because of brazen graft, massive and well-documented waste of funds, and deteriorating security for development projects as the Taliban regrouped. Doubts about the Afghanistan reconstruction effort were exploited by Donald Trump as he began cultivating his political base, years before the businessman and reality show star became a presidential candidate.

So did Trump mean what he said in his address?

Yes and no, analysts say. When Trump declared that we are not nation-building. We are killing terrorists, those were words likely meant to immunize him against disappointment among supporters who had reveled in his staunchly noninterventionist campaign rhetoric and were unhappy about committing more troops to the conflict.

As a practical matter, though, Afghanistans international partners, including the United States, have committed themselves through 2020 to spending about $3 billion annually for development assistance, analyst Runde said. Most of that is for programs that would fit neatly into the old nation-building template.

Its fine to oppose nation-building, but you cant have it both ways, tweeted Brookings Institution senior analyst Shadi Hamid, coauthor of a forthcoming book about governance in conflict areas. Theres no way to defeat the Taliban without much-improved governance.

Even if Trumps repudiation of nation-building was largely for show, there may have been some some harsh ground truth in the presidents assertion that we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands.

He presumably doesnt want to see the Afghan governments authority deteriorate to the point that it becomes a failed state and a terrorist haven. But he also signaled indifference as to whether Afghanistans fragile democracy survives, so long as the government doesnt fall apart completely, analysts said.

That might include a political role for the Taliban, Trump acknowledged in his address Monday night.

What hes saying is that hes not interested in values and principles on which Afghanistans system of governance is based, said Harris Mylonas, associate dean for research at George Washington Universitys Elliott School of International Affairs and the author of The Politics of Nation-Building.

The message from the White House, Mylonas said, is a stark one: We dont care on what basis you build a functioning state.

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

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President Trumps son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner arrives in Israel on Wednesday in the latest U.S. effort to revive long-stalled Middle East peace talks, but at a time when progress may be more elusive than ever.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trumps closest ally in the region, faces at least two criminal investigations by Israeli law enforcement, which are examining possible corruption charges, and that could limit his room for negotiations.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also faces severe political challenges likely to make compromises difficult.

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And while Trump remains popular in Israel, his praise last week for very fine people among the neo-Nazis who clashed with protesters in Charlottesville, Va., outraged many Jews in Israel.

Trump has spoken of forging the ultimate deal to end a conflict that has persisted for more than half a century. In a statement, the White House said achieving an enduring Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement will be difficult but [Trump] remains optimistic that peace is possible.

Trump has assigned the job to Kushner, special envoy Jason Greenblatt and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. All have ties to the controversial settler movement that builds Jewish towns in West Bank territory claimed by the Palestinians.

Kushner, Greenblatt and Dina Powell, an Egyptian-born deputy national security advisor for strategy, have spent the last two days in the region meeting leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to the White House.

They will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders separately Thursday. A Middle East expert with close ties to the White House described the visit as a temperature taking, and said the parties dont expect to make an announcement out of the visit.

It is Kushners third trip to the region. He accompanied Trump to Jerusalem during the presidents first foreign trip in May, and then returned briefly in June.

According to the White House, the discussions will focus on the path to substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, combating extremism, strengthening relations with U.S. partners, easing humanitarian concerns in the Gaza Strip, and reviewing economic steps that help create conditions for a peace deal.

The State Department, which would normally lead the search for a diplomatic solution, has taken a back seat to the Kushner missions.

We provide backup assistance to them and attend meetings with them, said Heather Nauert, the State Department spokeswoman. And then upon their return we do a debrief and have conversations about what they learned and where things stand.

Analysts say the prospects for progress are dim given intransigence by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders and Trumps multiple problems at home.

Trump, Netanyahu and Abbas are facing extraordinarily complicated circumstances, veteran Mideast peace envoy Aaron David Miller said, and are fundamentally constrained from making the concessions a peace accord would entail.

Perhaps earlier than expected, it has become clear in recent days that whatever faint hopes there were of a breakthrough, or even renewed talks, are beyond reach for now, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro wrote in Foreign Policy magazine.

Trump administration officials said they saw a possible opening for diplomacy after a crisis erupted involving Palestinian access to Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem last month.

Kushners diplomacy was credited after Israels security Cabinet agreed to remove metal detectors and security cameras from the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, that were installed after two Israeli policemen were killed by Israeli Arabs.

Generally, participants have sought to tamp down expectations.

A spokesman for Abbas, Nabil abu Rudaineh, said the Palestinians wanted a clear commitment from the Trump administration to a two-state solution, which calls for the creation of a Palestinian state that would coexist with Israel in peace.

For more than two decades, that proposal has served as the internationally accepted cornerstone for solving the conflict. The White House batted back suggestions that Trump has not fully supported it.

Trump has publicly and privately expressed his concerns regarding settlements and the administration has made clear that unrestrained settlement activity does not advance the prospect for peace, said a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity. At the same time the administration recognizes that past demands for a settlement freeze have not helped advance peace talks.

That ambiguity has angered the Palestinians.

Its now or never, said Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Authority ambassador to Washington. This is the time and this is the opportunity. We really expect clarity.

Abbas was quoted by Israeli newspapers last weekend questioning why talks are being held at all given the chaos in the [Trump] administration.

Netanyahus tenuous position atop his government will make it difficult to buck his hard-right coalition. He thus is unlikely to make concessions to the Palestinians or crack down on settlement expansion, limiting his ability to maneuver in negotiations.

Now 82, Abbas is in poor health and struggling to stay politically relevant after 12 years in office that failed to make progress toward Palestinian statehood. The Palestinian Authority is broke.

Abbas is at his lowest level of popularity, while the other half of a future Palestine, the Gaza Strip, remains under control of the militant organization Hamas, a rival of Abbas Fatah movement.

Given these problems, Abbas may be as risk averse as Netanyahu, experts said.

These are not Anwar Sadat and Yitzhak Rabin, guys who were willing to take the big risks, said Ilan Goldenberg, director of the Middle East Security program at the Center for a New American Security, a think tank in Washington.

He was referring to the leaders of Egypt and Israel who won the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1978 and 1994, respectively, for furthering regional peace. Both were later assassinated for their efforts.

Miller, now at the Wilson Center think tank, said the last time three leaders appeared willing to make peace was 17 years ago this summer, when President Clinton hosted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat at Camp David.

And still, it failed.

Many in the foreign policy establishment were chagrined at Kushners comments to a group of congressional interns on July 31. He seemed to dismiss the importance of history in negotiating with the Israelis and Palestinians.

Everyone finds an issue that, You have to understand what they did then, and You have to understand that they did this, Kushner said in comments later leaked to the press.

But how does that help us get peace? Lets not focus on that. We dont want a history lesson. Weve read enough books.

Times staff writer Brian Bennett contributed to this report.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter:@Noahbierman

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A regional rail train crashed into a parked train at a suburban Philadelphia terminal early Tuesday morning, injuring dozens of passengers and the trains operator, a regional rail spokeswoman said.

Rail spokeswoman Heather Redfern said none of the 42 people hurt in the crash suffered life-threatening injuries. Some were considered walking wounded, she said.

An inbound Norristown High Speed train crashed into an unoccupied train at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday. Redfern said hours later that the train operator had been treated at a hospital and released.

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A passenger, Raymond Woodard, told WPVI-TV, that he was riding home from work when the train crashed.

I heard the train going real fast ... like, super-fast, Woodard said. And I looked up, and I saw that were at 69th Street and said, Why are we going so fast? And then we just hit the train. Boom! I fell out of my chair, glass from the window shattered, I hit my head. Everybody was on the floor.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority officials are investigating the cause.

Redfern said Norristown trains resumed normal operation but no express trains were running. She said commuters could expect some delays.

In an earlier news briefing, Upper Darby Mayor Nicholas Micozzie said the injured were taken to local hospitals.

One passenger told reporters that the operator of the train was all banged up and the scene was bloody.

In February, four people were injured in a crash near the 69th Street Terminal involving three out-of-service commuter trains. At the time, SEPTA said one train rear-ended another on a loop where trains turn around to get back into service. Cars from that accident derailed and hit a third train on nearby tracks.

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Aug. 22, 5:14 a.m.: Updated with additional background and a rider account.

This story was originally published Aug. 21 at 11:15 p.m.
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Tuesday, Aug. 22, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Suns out ...

All around California, huge crowds gathered to watch the Great American Eclipse as it moved across the sky. Hundreds of people swarmed the grassy lawn outside the Griffith Observatory, occasionally peering up at the sky. I think its a beautiful, great experience, sky gazer Brennis Branch said. I am getting up in age and Im not going to have another chance. Im glad my son brought me. Los Angeles Times

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Plus: A major corruption trial in San Bernardino was put on hold for 45 minutes so the jurors could witness this rare occurrence. The Press-Enterprise

They fled Venezuelas turmoil for L.A.

The pictures out of Venezuela have been graphic, and the stories of food shortages and public dissent have been sad. A record number of Venezuelans have fled a spiraling humanitarian crisis in their home country to seek refuge in the United States. Some asylum seekers, like Eleazar Saldivia, who was a federal judge and now is an Uber driver, have landed in Los Angeles, where they join a small but active Venezuelan community that has created social media videos, held rallies, and organized electoral campaigns to support anti-government protests. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Gustavo Dudamel has long been reluctant to speak out about politics in his home country, but now he finds himself the target of criticism from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Los Angeles Times

News on the homefront

In a dramatic shakeup at the Los Angeles Times, the papers Chicago-based parent company has installed new leadership and plans to invest more resources in the news organization to move it more quickly into the digital age. Ross Levinsohn, 54, a veteran media executive who worked at Fox and served as interim chief of Yahoo, was named publisher and chief executive of the 135-year-old news organization. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Big-money verdict: A Los Angeles jury issued a $417-million verdict Monday against Johnson & Johnson, finding the company liable for failing to warn a 63-year-old woman diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer about the risks of using its talcum products. The verdict marks the largest award yet in a number of suits claiming that the companys talc powder causes ovarian cancer. Los Angeles Times

A death on the train: A fatal heart attack on Metrolink has prompted calls for defibrillators to be placed on commuter trains. Los Angeles Times

Tough words: Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne weighs in on the new $700-million USC Village: Its precisely the Villages misreading of the architectural history of the USC campus  and the cultural history of Los Angeles  that leaves it looking so undernourished and out of place. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Recall revamp proposed: Democrats in the California Legislature pushed again Monday to revamp the rules covering recall elections, their second attempt to potentially delay an effort aimed at removing an Orange County state senator. Los Angeles Times

Still in charge: An attempt to oust Chad Mayes as Assembly Republican leader fell short Monday, but another vote is scheduled for next week. Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) has been facing calls for his ouster after he worked with Democrats to extend Californias key initiative for fighting climate change. Los Angeles Times

ICYMI: San Fernando Valley Rep. Brad Sherman received an overwhelming endorsement from constituents Sunday for his decision to introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump. Los Angeles Times

Hearings scheduled: The California Senate will hold a series of public hearings next month to explore the rise of white supremacy in California and to ensure that the state is prepared to deal with race-driven rallies in the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Sergeant charged: A Los Angeles County sheriffs sergeant is accused of fondling a deputy he supervised and forcing her to provide sexual favors in their workplace in exchange for his approving her time-off request, according to a district attorneys memorandum. Los Angeles Times

Suicidal man arrested: A man who was possibly armed and told Los Angeles police he was suicidal was arrested early Monday morning after a nearly eight-hour standoff with officers near Lake Balboa, according to a department spokeswoman. Los Angeles Times

New bill alert! California law enforcement officers will be prohibited from detaining crime victims or witnesses on immigration violations under a state bill headed to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. Los Angeles Times

Barber convicted: An Orange County jury on Monday swiftly found a 79-year-old retired barber guilty of fatally shooting a urologist inside the doctors Newport Beach office in 2013. The Daily Pilot

THE ENVIRONMENT

Speaking out: Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Assemblywoman Laura Friedman have come out against a plan to build a pipeline on a railroad right of way and pump groundwater from the Mojave to Los Angeles County and beyond. Los Angeles Times

We survived! California relies on solar energy more than any other state. The states power grid survived the eclipse unscathed. Washington Post

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Trouble in paradise: In the neighborhood around the brand-new Apple campus, some residents have said that life has been hell. The Mercury News

Winning isnt everything: The Little League team from Rancho Santa Margarita weathered a solar eclipse and a 76-minute rain delay Monday. But it couldnt overcome one bad inning in its game with Jackson, N.J., which scored nine times in the third to knock Rancho out of the Little League World Series, 12-9. Los Angeles Times

Scary stuff: This Orange County social media stunt has bicyclists on edge. Orange County Register

Bey has a mortgage: Jay-Z and Beyonce may be worth more than a billion dollars combined, but the couple ultimately used conventional financing to purchase their first Los Angeles-area home. How much? $52.8 million. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: sunny Tuesday, partly cloudy Wednesday. San Diego and San Francisco area: partly cloudy Tuesday and Wednesday. Sacramento: partly cloudy Tuesday, sunny Wednesday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Kim Criswell:

In the early 80s, driving the 101 South near Ventura, my boyfriend (whod never been to L.A. before) began freaking out. Look at the moon! I knew L.A. was notorious for its smog, but had no idea it was that bad! The closer we got to the Valley, the more the full moon disappeared behind a dark shadow. Now, Id seen plenty of smog growing up in L.A., and it had never blocked the light of the moon. But my PhD boyfriend insisted: It had to be smog. Eventually, the car radio played the news. Wed been watching a lunar eclipse.

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.
It is disappointing that Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar wants a long-delayed housing development in Boyle Heights for poor and homeless people to be delayed even further while an extensive environmental report is prepared. This looks less like an attempt to ensure that the site is safe than an attempt to slow down  and derail  a well-designed project that could offer housing to Angelenos who desperately need it.

The project, which is being developed by a highly respected nonprofit organization, would sit at East 1st and Lorena streets  next door to the popular El Mercado shopping mall and restaurant. It would create 49 units of housing, including 24 for mentally ill homeless people, and 10,000 square feet of commercial space. In a city with roughly 34,000 homeless people, such housing cant be created fast enough. So the idea that a promising project for which the land has already been provided could be slowed down for an additional year by a requirement to do a full environmental impact report is quite worrisome  both for the immediate project at hand and for future projects that require City Council approval.

The full environmental report Huizar recommended last week is simply unnecessary. The projects developer, A Community of Friends, had already submitted an environmental study  and the citys own planning department had signed off on it. At issue, Huizar says, is the impact of an abandoned oil well deep underground at the site. In fact, there are thousands of oil wells buried in Los Angeles, and developers deal with contamination all the time by mitigating the soil before starting construction.

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The projects environmental consultants did an initial study of the site that showed the risk to public health from soil contamination was low. The consultants did recommend a second (or Phase 2) study to determine, with certainty, if there was any contaminated soil and how to clean it up. This is not uncommon and doesnt require a project to be held up for long periods. Bottom line, the consultants said that they expected no significant contamination hazards.

If a viable, reasonable project to create two dozen units of housing faces major hurdles, how is L.A. going to get 10,000 units of housing built?

Nevertheless, at last weeks Planning and Land Use Committee hearing, Huizar pounced on the fact that the developer had not done a Phase 2 study yet. In fact, the developers consultants never said the study needed to be done right away. The work could be done closer to construction.

Its bad enough that Dora Gallo, the chief executive of A Community of Friends, has had to go through this tortured process to build badly needed housing on what is now a vacant lot surrounded by a cemetery, a Pizza Hut and a shopping mall and restaurant. Even more troubling is the difficulty it may presage for all the other homeless housing projects the city needs so badly.

Last year, city voters approved $1.2 billion in bonds to build as many as 10,000 units of housing, mostly for homeless people, over the next decade. Developers already are proposing projects, and the city is preparing to fund them.

But consider whats going on in Boyle Heights: A respected nonprofit that has built  and manages  about 40 buildings with supportive services for formerly homeless people has spent the last four years shepherding this Lorena Street project through community forums and government agencies, making significant adjustments to the design to satisfy the communitys concerns. The project has the support of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the site, the city planning department, the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council, the United Way and the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, among others. City Atty. Mike Feuer sent out an email voicing his full support for the project.

The opposition comes from some residential neighbors in the area, as well as from El Mercado and Huizar, who has said repeatedly that he is upset that the project got approved by the Metro board four years ago even though there were elements that had not been run by him first.

If these are the hurdles that face a viable, reasonable project to create a mere two dozen units of housing for the homeless, how in the world is this city going to get 10,000 units built? There will always be neighbors who oppose a project, there will always be officials annoyed at someone who disrespected them, there will always be an environmental concern of one sort or another that can be exploited.

Huizar has adamantly said that his opposition is not about NIMBYism. OK, then he should show us that. Why not sit down with Gallo and hammer out a compromise plan that he and the developer can live with? Huizar may never convince the naysayers  including the owners of El Mercado  that this is a good project. But that should not stop him from supporting it. That kind of leadership is what we are looking for from the entire council and other city elected officials as we embark on this ambitious building project over the next 10 years.

When all the members of the City Council hear this issue Aug. 29, they should deny the El Mercado appeal and let this project finally move forward.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Candidate Donald Trump once called U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan a total disaster. Now president, Trump told the nation on Monday that, after studying the issue, he had reconsidered his original instinct to pull U.S. forces out of that country.

Administration officials say he has approved a plan to send thousands more American trainers, advisors and specialists to Afghanistan to deal with a resurgent Taliban and other violent groups, including Islamic State.

The presidents second thoughts may be warranted, but we understand why it took him so long to accede to his advisors recommendation. U.S. involvement in Afghanistan has dragged on for far too long, and the government it helped erect now controls little more than half of the nations districts.

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In a nationally televised speech, Trump said that U.S. strategy under his leadership will change dramatically. Yet despite the new packaging and more muscular rhetoric, much of the policy he outlined seems like more of the same: using U.S. forces to prevent the Taliban and other insurgent groups from toppling the U.S.-supported government, but with no guarantee of either a decisive victory or military gains significant enough to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Its depressing that 16 years after the U.S. intervened in Afghanistan, the Taliban is not only still alive, but ascendant.

This doesnt mean Trump is making the wrong decision or that he should revert to the glib advice he offered as a private citizen in a 2013 tweet: We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. Their government has zero appreciation. Lets get out!

Much as the U.S. may wish that the Afghan military and police forces were able to neutralize the Taliban without outside assistance, a hasty withdrawal would, as Trump recognized, create a security crisis for the Afghan government  and increase the possibility that the country again would become a haven for terrorists who would export violence to the U.S. Thats the very problem that drew the U.S.-led coalition into war in Afghanistan in the first place.

Trump has decisively rejected a total withdrawal. He also has properly rebuffed hare-brained suggestions  advanced by former strategist Steve Bannon  that he entrust much of the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan to private contractors. Instead, the U.S. will use American troops  to be increased from 8,400 to approximately 12,000  to train and assist Afghan forces while pressing Pakistan to deny shelter to fighters from the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

In its broad outlines, the policy announced by Trump is not very different from that pursued by President Obama at the end of his administration. Obama originally had hoped to reduce the number of U.S. troops to about a thousand, stationed at the U.S. embassy in Kabul. But on the recommendation of his military advisors, he twice modified planned troop reductions to leave more Americans in deployment.

One arguably new element was Trumps suggestion that he would put pressure on Pakistan to stop providing a safe haven for the Taliban and associated groups. Noting that the U.S. has been paying Pakistan billions of dollars, he said that country had much to lose if it continued to harbor terrorists. He also suggested that, unlike the Obama administration, his goal in Afghanistan was to kill terrorists, not engage in nation-building. (That is actually less of a distinction between the two administrations policies than Trump suggests.)

Finally, Trump suggested that the U.S. was open to the idea of peace negotiations in the future with elements of the Taliban. But in the meantime, Trump has concluded, as President Obama did before him, that the U.S. must continue to be engaged militarily in Afghanistan. Even if that is the least bad decision, its depressing that 16 years after the U.S. intervened in Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks  at an eventual cost of 2,400 American lives  the Taliban is not only still alive but ascendant, corruption remains rife, and political consensus seems elusive.

Given the alternative, Trump is right to try to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. But its hard to be optimistic about where that will lead.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
With President Trumps Monday night speech, prospects for ending the Afghanistan war anytime soon have vanished. Whether that bodes well for U.S. national security is another matter.

Nearly 16 years after U.S. forces first entered Afghanistan, there they remain. Success, narrowly defined as creating Afghan institutions capable of preventing that nation from once more becoming a haven for terrorists, has proved elusive. Among those noting that absence of success was Trump himself. Prior to becoming president, he denounced the war as a terrible mistake, a total disaster, and a complete waste. In 2013, he tweeted that We should leave Afghanistan immediately.

Now in the most important foreign policy decision of his presidency so far, he has chosen to perpetuate and to expand the war. Acknowledging that Americans are weary of war without victory, Trump promised to press on. In the end, he insisted, we will win. His commitment to that goal is unambiguous, even if his strategy for achieving it is devoid of specifics. Yet from this point forward, blaming President Obama for whatever happens in Kabul or Kandahar or the Hindu Kush wont work. Afghanistan is Trumps war now.

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Furthermore, given the presidents pronounced aversion to admitting error, his embrace of the Afghanistan conflict is almost certainly irreversible. Apparently, he will support a request from his field commander to send a few thousand additional U.S. troops into battle. Yet barring the prospect that a handful of reinforcements will suddenly turn the tide and win an outcome that at this point only the naive or the gullible will expect  Americas war in Afghanistan is almost certain to continue for the duration of Trumps presidency. He will bequeath to his successor a conflict that is already the longest in our nations history.

From this point forward, blaming President Obama for whatever happens in Kabul or Kandahar or the Hindu Kush wont work.

Trumps supporters will likely applaud his move. So too will the foreign policy establishment he once ridiculed. The establishments success in turning Trump around on Afghanistan has implications that go far beyond that particular country.

At least implicitly, Trump now endorses the twin assumptions that since 9/11 have formed the basis for the larger war on terrorism: First, that sustained U.S. military action provides the most effective means of defeating terrorism; second, that the physical presence of U.S. forces in vulnerable Muslim-majority countries provides a means to render them inhospitable to terrorist entities.

In short, if we keep killing bad guys and persist in nation-building (an effort Trump derides at the same time he implicitly endorses it), the problem will eventually solve itself.

Little evidence exists to support those propositions. Indeed, the post-9/11 U.S. military experience not only in Afghanistan but also in Iraq and elsewhere points to precisely the opposite conclusion: The principal effect of the ongoing war on terrorism has been to exacerbate the problem that it purports to solve. The entire enterprise has been what Trump once understood it to be: a terrible mistake, a total disaster and a complete waste. Now, in effect, he has recanted.

A decision to stay the course in Afghanistan tells us nothing about what Trump may do next week or next month with regard to China or North Korea or Russia, not to mention truly momentous matters such as the threat posed by climate change. He remains utterly unpredictable. Yet his decision on Afghanistan does tell us one thing: Trump has abandoned what once ostensibly formed the foundation of his presidency  a commitment to America first.

Whoever or whatever benefits by prolonging the war in Afghanistan, it certainly wont be the United States.

Andrew J. Bacevich is the author of Americas War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
Listening to President Trumps speech Monday night on Afghanistan, it was pretty easy to figure out how his military advisors had convinced him to endorse what is essentially a continuation of the policy he inherited from Barack Obama: using U.S. troops to train and advise Afghan security forces and engage in counter-terrorism operations, while pressing Pakistan to stop providing a haven for the Taliban and other insurgents.

The key was to package a policy largely characterized by continuity as a dramatic departure from the approach followed by Obama. Thus Trump told the nation that U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Asia will change dramatically.

(Ironically, he failed to mention the most significant departure from Obamas legacy: Trumps approval of the Pentagons request to dispatch a few thousand more U.S. military personnel to Afghanistan. That information was communicated to the press and Congress off-camera by administration officials.)

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Trumps case for dramatic change rested principally on two supposed differences with Obama policy. The first, he said was a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. He said the administration will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities. Conditions on the ground  not arbitrary timetables  will guide our strategy from now on.

This is an exaggeration. Its true that Obama set deadlines for withdrawal of U.S. forces, at one point proposing to leave no more than 1,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan at the end of his second term. But he developed second thoughts about those timetables, and left office with 8,400 troops still deployed in Afghanistan in a noncombat role.

As for Trumps claim that the administration will not talk about numbers of troops, thats also misleading. Trump may not have mentioned the 4,000 reinforcements in his speech, but his aides have been plenty talkative about those numbers. Theres a reason why John McCain and Lindsey Graham were so pleased with the outcome of Trumps policy review.

A more egregious exaggeration of the difference between the Obama and Trump approaches came in a passage in which Trump said that we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Elsewhere in the speech Trump said: We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

The implication was that the touchy-feely Obama administration was sending U.S. troops to Afghanistan to do social work, while Trump will be asking them to fight. But it was the Republican George W. Bush, not Obama, who  overcoming his distaste for nation-building as a candidate in 2000  couched the U.S. mission in Afghanistan in terms of democracy promotion.

In a 2004 address to Congress, Bush boasted that Afghanistan has a new constitution guaranteeing free elections and full participation by women. Businesses are opening. Healthcare centers are being established, and the boys and girls of Afghanistan are back in school. With the help from the new Afghan army, our coalition is leading aggressive raids against the surviving members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation that is free and proud and fighting terror, and America is honored to be their friend.

Compare that effusive description of nation-building to this comment by Obama in a 2011 speech: The goal that we seek is achievable, and can be expressed simply: No safe haven from which Al Qaeda or its affiliates can launch attacks against our homeland or our allies. We wont try to make Afghanistan a perfect place. In the same speech he said: America, it is time to focus on nation-building here at home.

Four years later, according to the New York Times, Obama had a message for a meeting of the National Security Council convened to discuss Afghanistan. Were no longer in nation-building mode, Obama said. But he added that the counter-terrorism challenges are real.

Or, as Trump would say more pithily on Monday, we are killing terrorists.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
In a speech to the nation Monday night, President Trump committed to keeping American troops fighting in Afghanistan for an indefinite time to come, thereby abandoning one of his longest-held political positions.

As a private citizen and as a presidential candidate, Trump repeatedly said it was time to end U.S. involvement in a war that began less than a month after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Commenting on Twitter in 2012, he said, Afghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come home! In 2013, he tweeted, I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan. We should have a speedy withdrawal.

Now, though, after what he described as months of consultation with generals and Cabinet members, the president has reversed his position and intends to keep U.S. forces on the battlefields of Afghanistan until the enemy is defeated.

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Our troops will fight to win, Trump said in his speech. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition. Attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

Trump insisted the approach he has adopted is sharply different from that of his predecessors in the White House and, in some ways, it is. He was unusually critical of Americas nominal ally Pakistan for allowing havens for the Taliban within its territory, and he broached the very provocative idea of bringing Pakistans mortal enemy India into an economic development plan for Afghanistan.

Trump also declared the U.S. was finished with trying to turn foreign countries into Western-style democracies.

We are not nation-building again, he said. We are killing terrorists.

Some of the ideas he presented as new, however, were anything but novel. He made a big deal out of a shift toward a policy based on conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables. His administration will not be the first to take that approach; it mirrors the stance taken by President George W. Bush and is not much different from the policy President Obama adopted toward the end of his time in office.

Trump also said a fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power  diplomatic, economic, and military  toward a successful outcome. Both Bush and Obama gave that a try. Trumps ability to do it better is highly questionable, given that he has hollowed out the State Department with staff reductions, failures to fill key positions and a proposed 30% budget cut.

Whether Trump has put together a coherent strategy or not, the remarkable thing is how quickly this supposed swamp-cleaning, anti-establishment, quasi-isolationist outsider has chosen to adopt a strategy that should please the neoconservative foreign policy experts who, for decades, have held significant sway over the American role in international affairs. Anyone who voted for Trump believing he would bring the troops home and avoid entanglements in distant lands will be deeply disappointed.

With his new position on Afghanistan, Trump is falling in line behind past presidents of both parties who have discovered it is not easy for the leader of a superpower to escape from participation in the worlds conflicts. And, like Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, he may have already learned that it is politically less risky to keep a war going than to acknowledge that victory is impossible.

One day, perhaps, Americans and their leaders will stop pretending that every war is World War II with a clear enemy and an ultimate day of triumph. The conflicts of our current era are not like that. They are shadowy battles against shifting adversaries who use unconventional tactics and conceive of their struggle not in years, but in generations. In this kind of battle, a final victory is not the realistic objective. American troops in Afghanistan are like the ancient Roman soldiers stationed along the Rhine and the Danube. Their job is all about holding the line and keeping the barbarians as far from the empires heart as possible.

Against his own instincts, Donald Trump has chosen to defend a distant line with American blood and treasure. Afghanistan is now his war to win or lose or perpetuate until another president comes along.

David.Horsey@latimes.com

Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter
May you die in pain: California GOP congressman gets an earful at town hall

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) kicks off his Monday morning town hall in Chico. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times)

May you die in pain.

That was the nastiest moment of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfas early morning town hall in the Northern California town of Chico on Monday.

The wish was uttered by an older man who criticized LaMalfa for voting for the House GOP plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. He was also holding a pink sign that read Lackey for the Rich!

ALSO: LaMalfa says the Russia investigation is a bunch of crap

The open hostility and intransigence inside the Chico Elks Lodge came as the political divide in the country has grown more inflamed, with Trumps election unleashing a wave of both liberal activism and conservative empowerment.

As a result, Washingtons deeply partisan fights over issues such as health care, immigration and environmental protections have followed members of Congress home, turning once sedate town halls into in-your-face venting sessions that in left-leaning California have Republican House members on the defensive.

LaMalfa stood his ground on stage as person after person ripped into him for his votes and positions on healthcare and climate change, as well as for his unyielding support for President Trump.

A few speakers asked LaMalfa to resign, including one dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West Coast.

Heather Calun dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West Coast in protest. She wants LaMalfa to resign over his vote to repeal Obamacare. pic.twitter.com/rBZXAnjd2l  Phil Willon (@philwillon) August 7, 2017

Most comments and questions during the hour-long town hall were fairly cordial, although they were laced with plenty of boos and catcalls.

Norma Wilcox, a retired nurse who lives in Chico, also questioned LaMalfas healthcare vote. Wilcox told LaMalfa the House plan would take away healthcare for millions of Americans while providing tax breaks to the rich.

I am open to new ideas, LaMalfa told her, describing the House GOP bill as a placeholder that everyone expected to be improved during negotiations with the Senate. (The Senates healthcare efforts now appear dead.)

But the Richvale congressman, who represents Californias massive 1st Congressional District in the northeast corner of the state, said he will support only a new healthcare program that provides affordable coverage to middle-class Americans.

LaMalfa said Obamacare is quickly become unaffordable and unsustainable, with premium costs rising and the number of insurance companies offering coverage declining.

People across the board are being hurt by this, LaMalfa said.

When shouts and boos rained down on him, he chastised the crowd saying, I have the mic folks. Yep, boo away.

Ann Sisney of Chico told LaMalfa that her son, William, died of an opioid overdose two years ago. She held up a picture of the 19-year-old, asked the congressman to take it, and told him more people will die if GOP leadership in Congress gets its way on healthcare.

These are life-and-death decisions that you are making, Sisney told him.

LaMalfa assured her that Congress was working to find funds to address the nationwide opioid epidemic.

The Republican congressman also raised the ire of the crowd when he was asked about climate change and the degraded air quality in this stretch of Northern California.

I dont buy the idea that man-made activity is responsible, LaMalfa said bluntly.

The crowd of several hundred did include some LaMalfa supporters, though most stayed silent.

Ron Jones, 67, of Paradise said hes been to a few of LaMalfas town halls and all have been dominated by his critics.

Most of the time people want to ... complain, said Jones, a self-described conservative, after the event ended. The people who support him are quietly in the background.

LaMalfa does indeed have a lot of support in the district that also overwhelmingly voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton in last years presidential election. LaMalfa won his last election by almost 15%, and though he has attracted a few Democratic challengers, the district is not considered a battleground for 2018.

Unlike many California Republican members of Congress, LaMalfa hasnt shied away from holding town halls, though its rarely a pleasant experience for him. He held one in Nevada City in March and another in April in Oroville. No other California Republicans are scheduled to hold town halls during their August recess.

Near the end of Mondays town hall, a woman criticized LaMalfa for inviting only Christian pastors to provide invocations at his town halls and other events, and urged him to include religious leaders of all faiths.

If you want to have your own town hall, you can invite whoever you like, LaMalfa told her.
As protesters massed on the streets of Phoenix, President Trump on Tuesday unleashed a vitriolic, 76-minute speech mocking those who considered his response to the Charlottesville white supremacist march racist, adopting racially charged language and hinting that he would pardon former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, long accused of brutality against Latinos.

He re-read for more than 16 minutes the remarks he had uttered after violence in Virginia claimed the life of a woman protesting the white supremacists, omitting the remarks in which he said that both sides were to blame and occupied the same plane in his view.

The words were perfect, he said.

But even as he sought to dismiss one racially fraught controversy, he ignited another with words that seemed to promise a pardon to Arpaio, who last month was convicted of contempt of court for refusing to halt his habit of stopping Latinos based solely on a suspicion that they might be living in the United States without proper papers.

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Do the people in this room like Sheriff Joe? Trump asked a crowd of thousands in the Phoenix Convention Center of Arpaio, who served 24 years as Maricopa County sheriff before being defeated in November. So was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job?

Ill make a prediction: I think hes going to be just fine, Trump said, eliciting a roar. But I wont do it tonight because I dont want to cause any controversy. He added that Arpaio should feel good.

Trumps defense of his own words and his repeated suggestion that it was time to return to law and order carried the whiff of past campaigns, such as those carried out by George Wallace, the late segregationist presidential candidate and governor of Alabama.

Trump suggested it was folly for Republicans to wish for the one thing many keenly wanted  for him to revert to the moderate, sober president who only 24 hours earlier had acknowledged the need to change his mind on Afghanistan with a patient speech.

It was clear Tuesday, in both Trumps rhetoric and his freewheeling, far more enthusiastic visage, that the man who came to office tossing jaw-dropping assertions at voters would continue to favor that approach as president.

He saved his greatest criticism for the media, whom he blamed for misconstruing his remarks after Charlottesville. His supporters backed him up by screaming at reporters at the rally.

Its time to expose the media  for their role in fomenting divisions in the country, he declared.

They are trying to take away our history and heritage  were smart people and these are truly dishonest people.

He added: I really think they dont like our country. The only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself.

For all the mockery and bluster, however, there was a subtext of political fear.

1 / 22 Police fire tear gas at protesters outside the convention center where President Trump is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 22 Police fire tear gas at protesters outside the convention center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 22 Press photographer Jeffrey Brown is washed down after police fired tear gas to dispearse the crowd outside the convention center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 22 Protestors kick away a tear gas canister fired by police. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 22 An injured protester is carried away after police fired tear gas to dispearse the crowd outside the convention center where Trump is speaking. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 22 Police fire tear gas at protesters. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 22 Protesters, left, yell as a Trump supporter leaves the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 22 Protestors march outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 22 President Trump gives a thumbs up to a crowd of supporters at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Ralph Freso / Getty Images) 10 / 22 A Trump supporter stands outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 22 A couple of Trump supporters sit outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 22 Protestors gather outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 22 Protestors gather outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 22 Protestors yell at a Trump supporter outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 22 President Trump reacts to a song as he arrives at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) 16 / 22 Protesters outside the Phoenix Convention Center during a rally by President Trump. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 22 Trump arrives at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) 18 / 22 Protestors gather around a Trump supporter outside the convention center Tuesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 22 Protesters rip a Confederate flag outside the convention center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 22 Supporters cheer as President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) 21 / 22 Protesters gather around a Trump supporter outside the convention center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 22 President Donald Trump stands before speaking at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Alex Brandon / AP)

Recent polls have indicated that even among Republicans, Trump is losing strength. He was introduced Tuesday with a bevy of friends  Vice President Mike Pence, preacher Franklin Graham, Martin Luther King Jr.s niece Alveda King and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

Their multiracial tableau seemed intended to bolster Trumps image. When he took the stage, he took pains to try to recreate the silent majority who he has long said delivered him the presidency.

The media can attack me, but where I draw the line is where they attack you, he said, after almost half an hour of defending himself.

He described his supporters as honest, hard-working, taxpaying Americans whose dreams he shared. You always understood what Washington, D.C., did not  our movement is a movement built on love, he said.

The protests that greeted Trump in Phoenix were largely peaceful, although later in the night the actions grew more violent and tear gas was fired.

Still, the signs of division were many. When Trump arrived in Phoenix after stopping at an immigration facility in Yuma, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey greeted him at the airport. But he did not attend the rally.

Gov. Duceys focus has been working with law enforcement toward a safe event in downtown Phoenix, his spokesman said in a written statement to the Arizona Republic.

Trump did his best to sow division elsewhere in the states politics.

Besides the possibility that he might pardon Arpaio, Republicans feared Trump would use the occasion to endorse a challenger to GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, a longtime nemesis. Trump also has fought recently with the states senior senator, John McCain, even after the Republicans recent diagnosis of brain cancer.

Trump last week praised the sole GOP challenger at the moment, former state Sen. Kelli Ward, and many Republicans here worried he would ignite an internal party conflagration that would deliver the Senate seat to Democrats.

He did not endorse Ward  or any others considering the race  but mocked the two senators from his party.

Raising the subject of the failed GOP effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, Trump repeatedly noted that the Senate fell just one vote away from victory after seven years of everyone proclaiming repeal and replace. One vote, he said, referring to McCain.

At that, a member of the audience screamed Traitor, seemingly referring to the Navy veteran who spent years as a Vietnam War prisoner before going into politics.

Trump, in a sarcastic tone, characterized Flake as an inconsequential senator.

Nobody wants me to talk about him, Trump said. Nobody knows who the hell he is.... See, I havent mentioned any names and now everyone is happy.

The president arrived in Arizona, which he won handily nine months ago, with his administration reeling, most recently at his own hand.

The president, top aides and family members remain embroiled in a special prosecutors investigation into Russian influence in the November election. Unified Republican control of Washington has led to few if any major legislative victories, although he claimed again Tuesday to be the most successful president considering his first six months.

A poll released in Arizona this week said 74% of Republicans supported Trump, meaning he has lost a significant quarter of his own party base.

For any previous president, that would have meant buckling down and working with Republican leaders in the Senate and the House.

Instead, true to form, Trump on Tuesday criticized the GOP leaders on Capitol Hill, obliquely. He also did something worse: Not until more than an hour into his speech did he mention with any detail his own partys prime goal this fall  tax reform.

It was a passage replete with the Trump approach. First he blasted a threatened Republican senator, Flake  whose loss would give Republicans only 51 seats, the thinnest majority  and then he suggested that Capitol Hill do his bidding.

We need the help of Congress, he said. Providing no details, he added, Were giving you the biggest tax cut in the history of the country.

Times staff writer Kurtis Lee contributed to this report from Phoenix.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

@cathleendecker

The latest from Washington

Updates on California politics

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Outside Trumps rally, thousands take to the streets in mostly peaceful protests

UPDATES:

9:50 p.m.: The article was updated with details from Trumps rally in Phoenix.

3:25 p.m.: The article was expanded and updated with additional details of Trumps visit to Arizona.

The story was first published at 9:30 a.m.
Thousands of protesters gathered Tuesday outside a campaign-style rally here by President Trump, engaging his supporters in shouting matches over whether Trump harbors racist views.

The demonstrations remained peaceful until the end of the rally, when some protesters tried to break through barricades near an entrance to the convention center where Trump was finishing his speech. Police, who said some protesters had thrown rocks and bottles at them, used tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Hanging over the city all day was the shadow of Charlottesville, Va., and Trumps recent assessment that both sides were to blame for the violence at a recent rally there by white nationalists and his comments that some very fine people were marching alongside neo-Nazis.

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In an effort to prevent the Phoenix demonstrations from turning violent, authorities called in extra officers and put the National Guard on the ready.

Barricades were erected to separate Trump supporters and opponents outside the Phoenix Convention Center, where afternoon temperatures climbed past 100 degrees and the growing crowd sought shelter under mesquite trees lining the sidewalks.

Build that wall! Build that wall! Trump supporters shouted as the barricades went up.

This is a country for everyone! yelled a counter-protester.

For Ubaldo Cruz, the arrival of Trump in Phoenix was an opportunity.

I dont want to regret not speaking up, Cruz, who does accounting work, said as the sun slipped behind downtown office buildings, moments before Trump strolled onto the stage at the convention center. Its one thing to complain with friends.... I wanted to show up and speak up.

The anti-Trump protests in Phoenix consisted of several marches downtown that converged at the convention center.

Nearly 4,000 people indicated on Facebook that they would attend an anti-Trump rally at the Herberger Theater Center, less than a block from the convention center. In a separate post, about 3,000 people said they planned to attend a White Supremacy Will Not Be Pardoned event downtown organized by the Puente Human Rights Movement, a local immigrant rights group. No official crowd totals were released by law enforcement officials.

Among those to arrive about four hours before the rally was Wolf Schneiter, 62, who held an Alt-right delete sign to protest the far-right movement that has backed Trump.

1 / 22 Police fire tear gas at protesters outside the convention center where President Trump is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 22 Police fire tear gas at protesters outside the convention center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 22 Press photographer Jeffrey Brown is washed down after police fired tear gas to dispearse the crowd outside the convention center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 22 Protestors kick away a tear gas canister fired by police. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 22 An injured protester is carried away after police fired tear gas to dispearse the crowd outside the convention center where Trump is speaking. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 22 Police fire tear gas at protesters. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 22 Protesters, left, yell as a Trump supporter leaves the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 22 Protestors march outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 22 President Trump gives a thumbs up to a crowd of supporters at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Ralph Freso / Getty Images) 10 / 22 A Trump supporter stands outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 22 A couple of Trump supporters sit outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 22 Protestors gather outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 22 Protestors gather outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 22 Protestors yell at a Trump supporter outside the convention center where the president is speaking in Phoenix. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 22 President Trump reacts to a song as he arrives at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) 16 / 22 Protesters outside the Phoenix Convention Center during a rally by President Trump. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 22 Trump arrives at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) 18 / 22 Protestors gather around a Trump supporter outside the convention center Tuesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 22 Protesters rip a Confederate flag outside the convention center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 22 Supporters cheer as President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) 21 / 22 Protesters gather around a Trump supporter outside the convention center. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 22 President Donald Trump stands before speaking at a rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. (Alex Brandon / AP)

I used to protest in the 70s and 80s, but I took a little time off, he said. Now its time to get back in the game.

Schneiter, who has fibromyalgia and receives federal disability payments, said he was dismayed by Trumps comments about both sides being to blame for the violence in Charlottesville.

What was that about?  Im beyond words that weve come to this, he said. You cant even condemn bigots? Unreal.

Kim Aimes, 64, marched alongside members of the Puente Human Rights Movement.

Aimes, a social worker from Prescott, about 100 miles north of here, is a member of Indivisible Group, a national network resisting the Trump administration.

He wants to come west, so, well, well bring it, Aimes said. Well bring the fight to him.

Aimes held a sign that read, Hate Never Made a Great Nation.

I just think this country is not moving ahead , she said. Were talking about Nazis and the KKK. Thats not normal.

Not far from where Aimes stood, three members of the Southern Arizona Militia wore sunglasses and held AR-15 rifles.

Yall Nazis?an anti-Trump protester asked the men.

They did not move.

Yall Nazis? he asked again.

Just here to keep the peace, one of the men finally replied.

Wolf Schneiter joined protests against President Trump on Tuesday in Phoenix. (Kurtis Lee / Los Angeles Times)

Ross Hubbard of Phoenix held his navy blue Make America great again hat as he fanned his face with a leaflet while waiting in line for the rally.

This is America right here  a great day  what a time to be alive, Hubbard, 45, said. This will be the greatest show on Earth tonight.

Sharon Miller, 62, traveled from her home a short drive east in Mesa, Ariz., to cheer on Trump.

Im so tired of everyone acting like theyre doing something so brave by standing up to our president. Theyre not, she said.

Trump supporters lining up early in Phoenix. Some have a message for McCain: pic.twitter.com/HwB4hfJ3aK  Kurtis Lee (@kurtisalee) August 22, 2017

In addition to division over Trumps response to violence in Charlottesville, controversy has also erupted over Trumps hint that he was considering offering a pardon to former Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, recently convicted on federal contempt charges.

The former sheriffs aggressive immigration enforcement tactics have made him a lightning rod for both sides of the immigration debate. Arpaio, who did not receive a pardon Tuesday, was not at the rally.

Even so, protesters carried a variety of signs mocking the former sheriff, some in which he was handcuffed and wore prison strips.

Once Trump took the stage, many of the protesters began to head for their cars in temperatures still hovering near 100 degrees. Other stayed until the end  and the clash with police that filled the air with tear gas. Some people in the crowd began fighting and throwing rocks and bottles at police, said Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Jonathan Howard.

This is crazy, so crazy, said Mira Ramirez, a 20-year-old Phoenix resident who was there to protest the president. Everything was great until the end.

Times staff writer Lee reported from Phoenix and Kaleem from Los Angeles.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

@kurtisalee

jaweed.kaleem@latimes.com

@jaweedkaleem

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UPDATES:

9:23 p.m.: This article was updated to include the use of tear gas by police to disperse the crowd as well as interviews with protesters.

4:15 p.m.: This article was updated with interviews with protesters who arrived ahead of Trumps really.

This article was originally published at 12:15 p.m.
How many false statements did Trump make in his interview with the Wall Street Journal? We count at least five

(Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

The Wall Street Journal didnt release the full transcript of the interview its reporters and editors had last week with President Trump, but when Politico obtained a copy and published it, the interview quickly drew attention for several false statements Trump made.

The one that immediately gained notoriety was Trumps claim that after his speech at the Boy Scout Jamboree last week, I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them.

On Wednesday, the Boy Scouts of America released a statement saying we are unaware of any such call. The Scouts specifically said that neither the organizations president, AT&T chairman Randall Stephenson, nor its chief executive, Mike Surbaugh, had made such a call.

In fact, Surbaugh last week issued an unprecedented apology for a presidential speech  Scouts have heard from presidents back to Franklin D. Roosevelt  saying he was sorry that some members of the scouting community had been offended by Trumps partisanship, language and tone.

In the daily White House press briefing, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that other Boy Scout leaders, whom she did not name, had complimented Trump after his speech.

That wasnt the only call to come into question recently. A few days after the Journal interview, Trump said that Mexicos president, Enrique Pena Nieto, had paid him the ultimate compliment by calling and telling him that their southern border, very few people are coming because they know theyre not going to get through our border.

The Mexican government press office issued a statement Wednesday denying that.

Pena Nieto has not had recent telephone communication with President Donald Trump, the statement said.

Sanders said that Pena Nieto did compliment Trump, but in a personal conversation, not a telephone call.

I wouldnt say it was a lie, she said of Trumps statements.

Other false statements involved broader factual matters.

Were the highest-taxed nation in the world, Trump said  a statement that he has repeatedly made and which has repeatedly been debunked. Whether measured by the top tax rate or the overall percentage of national income which is taxed, the U.S. has lower taxes than most of its chief economic competitors.

Trump may have been thinking about the U.S. corporate tax rate, which is higher than most developed countries, although not the highest. Yet few companies actually pay that top rate given various tax deductions, credits and exemptions.

Trump also said I honestly believe for six months, I have done more than just about any other president when you look at all of the bills that were passed, 42, 43.

Thats untrue. Many of Trumps predecessors had signed more legislation, and nearly all recent ones had signed more significant measures by this point in their tenures.

Jimmy Carter had signed 70 bills into law by this point, Bill Clinton 50. Franklin D. Roosevelt had 76 in just his first 100 days.

About one-third of the bills Trump has signed have been ceremonial measures, such as renaming courthouses.

Referring to his top economic advisor, Gary Cohn, Trump said Gary wrote a check for $200 million when he entered the government. He had to pay $200 million in tax.

Trump has said that before, including in a speech in June. Its false.

Cohn owned about $220 million in Goldman Sachs stock when he resigned as the banks president to become the head of Trumps National Economic Council. He sold the stock to minimize conflicts of interest, as most appointees do. But he certainly didnt have to pay $200 million in tax on that sale.

In fact, its likely Cohn hasnt paid any tax so far. He may never have to.

Federal law allows appointees to government positions to defer any tax they owe on assets that they sell to avoid conflicts. The law requires that they put the proceeds of the sale into neutral investments such as Treasury securities. If his securities go up in value, Cohn might have to pay tax on that gain. The top tax rate on capital gains is 20%.

Trump also repeated a false claim about his defeated rival from the election, Hillary Clinton.

Real crimes are what Hillary did with 33,000 emails, where she deleted them and bleached them after getting a subpoena.

Trump made that claim more than once during the campaign, and more recently on Twitter.

He is correct that Clinton deleted 33,000 emails from the private server she used for her messages while she was secretary of State. She says that all of those deleted emails were personal and that she had no obligation to keep them. No one has come up with evidence to the contrary.

The evidence from the FBIs investigation of the emails shows that in December 2014, after she turned over about 30,000 work-related emails to the State Department, Clintons aides told the company that managed the server to delete the rest of the emails. The emails were subpoenaed about three months later, on March 4.

The company didnt actually do the deletion until later in March, but theres been no evidence that Clinton knew about the delay at the time or that the company knew the messages were under subpoena.

In any case, the FBI declined to recommend prosecution, contrary to Trumps assertion that Clinton committed real crimes.

A poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University asked Americans if they believe Trump is honest. By 62% to 34%, a majority said no.

12:30 p.m.: This article was updated with comments by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The Huntington Beach City Council unanimously approved a new zoning amendment Monday prohibiting the sale and distribution of non-medical marijuana by businesses.

The amendment also regulates the cultivation of recreational marijuana.

Some council members said allowing recreational marijuana sales and distribution may be viable in the future, but they would rather watch and analyze how other cities deal with implementing Proposition 64, which allows people 21 and older to use and cultivate non-medical marijuana. The proposition, approved by voters in November, has stipulations granting local governments the ability to ban recreational marijuana businesses and regulate cultivation.

Councilwoman Jill Hardy said other cities may glean some tax revenue from marijuana sales, but Huntington Beach should take the time to learn from others.

Its prudent on us to see how the industry performs in other cities, added Councilman Erik Peterson, echoing Hardys sentiment. I dont see us as a laboratory.

The Police Department contends that non-medical marijuana businesses and deliveries could have negative effects, such as an increase in robberies, thefts and burglaries, a city staff report states.

The department says cities that have non-medical marijuana businesses have seen increases in arrests related to driving under the influence, according to the report.

Under the Huntington Beach amendment, outdoor cultivation of recreational marijuana is illegal. Indoor cultivation is restricted to private residences in an enclosed area.

Several members of the public showed up to voice their opinions on the amendment.

Henry Carey said he wasnt in favor of the ban, citing marijuanas health benefits. He said its substantially helped treat his epilepsy.

Eric Lucas said the tax revenue from recreational sales could be beneficial to the city.

The Planning Commission voted 6-1 in late July to recommend approval, with Commissioner Dan Kalmick dissenting on grounds that he believes the city is devoting a large amount of resources to regulating a boogeyman.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot
Heads across Southern California tilted skyward Monday morning as thousands of eclipse-watchers spied a partially shrouded sun through highly coveted viewing glasses that made destinations like Pasadenas Kidspace Museum ground zero for would-be astronomers.

A special event featuring telescope viewing sessions with specialists from La Canadas Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a livestream display of the total solar eclipse in Nashville, along with a constellation of eclipse-themed events and projects, drew nearly 2,000 visitors to the childrens museum before noon.

Among them was Sierra Madre mom Cheryl Allen, who came with her daughters, sister Cathy Schulz and several neighborhood friends, despite the fact it was a school day.

I thought this would be a great opportunity for them to see it, Allen said of the eclipse, which reached about 62% occlusion, or coverage, from Pasadena. It was pretty amazing.

JPL public outreach specialist Heather Doyle showed children and parents the shadow of the eclipse on a white piece of paper through a telescope that had been repurposed into a pinhole viewer. The crowd used glasses, solar telescopes and improvised devices to catch a glimpse of the celestial event, which reportedly lasted from about 9:05 a.m. to 11:44 a.m, with maximum occlusion arriving at 10:21 a.m.

The dark circle is the moon going into the bright circle, which is the sun. The moon is going in between us and the sun, Doyle explained to the younger audience members, warning them, Never look at the sun without your special glasses  unless you dont like your eyeballs.

Viewing glasses became a hot commodity leading up to Mondays partial eclipse, with many locations running out of inventory. Kidspace chief executive Michael Shanklin said the museum ordered about 300 pairs for Mondays special event, which science specialist Jenna Ervin had begun planning about a year and a half in advance. JPL brought additional pairs to pass out among families, all of whom were asked to share.

The scarcity of glasses made viewing parties like that at Kidspace hot-ticket events. Shanklin said there was a line out the door when the staff showed up this morning well in advance of the museums 9:30 a.m. opening.

Our phones were ringing off the hook in the week leading up to the event  we knew we would be busy, he said. Theres been so much hype about the eclipse, this was the perfect platform for us to deliver some fun programs.

In addition to make-your-own pinhole projectors and an inflatable planetarium showing different angles of the eclipse across America in real time, participants enjoyed all the regular activities Kidspace has to offer. But for 9-year-old Jocelyn Allen, the real draw Monday was the main event.

I liked looking at the moon, she said. It was really cool.

Jesus Garber, who traveled from Hollywood to watch the eclipse with 10-year-old son Atticus, agreed the Great American Eclipse was definitely not to be missed.

This is history today, he said.

sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine
It feels like a lifetime ago, but it was just in November, weeks after his election, that then-President-elect Trump was lavishing praise on Pakistan, calling it a fantastic place  doing amazing work.

But as Trump said in outlining his new strategy in South Asia, things look different from behind a desk in the Oval Office, and his views toward Pakistan seem to have changed since that strange phone call with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Sharif is gone, having resigned last month in the wake of a corruption scandal, leaving Pakistans military as unquestionably the most powerful force in the country. But that military  one of the United States most troublesome allies and the recipient of billions of dollars in U.S. aid  now finds itself on the defensive as Trump demands it change immediately its policy of harboring the Taliban and other militant groups carrying out attacks in Afghanistan.

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Trumps tough talk signaled a possible shift as the U.S. tries to restart its failing 16-year war in Afghanistan. Many Afghans on Tuesday praised Trumps blunt assessment of Pakistan and expressed hope that more American troops could reverse Taliban insurgents momentum and stem the mounting casualties suffered by Afghan security forces and civilians.

With the Taliban holding more territory than at any point since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, Trumps announcement of a fight to win strategy  though lacking in specifics  soothed Afghans who worried the United States was abandoning its longest war as it had settled into a bloody stalemate.

I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement.

The Afghan government welcomes renewed U.S. emphasis on seeing security in Afghanistan as part of a wider regional package.

Pakistan scrambled to respond to the criticism. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif met with the U.S. ambassador in Islamabad and underlined Pakistans continued desire to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism.

Late Tuesday, following a two-hour Cabinet meeting, Pakistans government issued a statement saying it had taken note of Trumps Monday night address and rejected his false narrative that it provided safe havens to militant groups.

No country in the world has done more than Pakistan to counter the menace of terrorism. No country in the world has suffered more than Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism, often perpetrated from outside our borders, the statement said.

It is therefore disappointing that the U.S. policy statement ignores the enormous sacrifices rendered by the Pakistani nation in this effort.

Pakistani officials were particularly stung by Trumps embrace of its rival India, which the U.S. has not often included in its Afghan strategy despite its being the largest country in the region.

Trump has given a negative message to Pakistan, said Sherry Rehman, a Pakistani lawmaker and former ambassador to Washington. The best possible way forward is to promote peace and harmony in the region instead of dividing Pakistan and India.

Opposition leader Imran Khan lashed out on Twitter, saying Pakistan had lost tens of thousands of lives to terrorism and was being made scapegoats for the policy failures of the U.S. and India.

This shd teach Pak once and for all a valuable lesson: never to fight others wars for the lure of dollars. https://t.co/YUIih5kXEU  Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 22, 2017

Pakistans military  which denies allegations that it nurtures terror groups who attack India and Afghanistan  appeared to anticipate Trumps criticism, holding a news conference on Monday to trumpet the success of Zarb-e-Azb, a years-long operation involving around 200,000 troops to eliminate militant havens in the northern tribal areas.

In between slides showing statistics  officials say around 3,500 militants have been killed and thousands arrested  the military played short films set to dramatic music showing Pakistani troops in the remote region.

Pakistan has carried out dozens of such offensives and been accused of picking and choosing which militant groups it confronts. The Haqqani network, which U.S. officials blame for some of the deadliest attacks against its forces in Afghanistan, has largely escaped the effect of more than a decade of Pakistani military operations.

But Pakistani officials insist this time is different. They argue that terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan have fallen by about half since 2014. They blame several high-profile terror attacks on militants who, they say, enjoy safe havens in Afghanistan and the backing of Indian intelligence agencies.

A militant resurgence is now out of the question, Pakistani military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor told reporters Tuesday. They want to regain lost influence, but it wont happen. Its too late for that.

Congress already has reduced funding for the Pakistani army and denied it the chance to purchase U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets at subsidized prices. But because U.S. strategic planners fear that Pakistans nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of militants, Washington has been reluctant to exert too much pressure on the Pakistani security establishment.

Anyone who thinks this shift in Pakistan strategy will be easy to implement, remember: Pakistan negotiates with a gun to its own head, tweeted Vipin Narang, an MIT political science professor who studies South Asia.

Anyone who thinks this shift in Pakistan strategy will be easy to implement, remember: Pakistan negotiates with a gun to its *own* head.  Vipin Narang (@NarangVipin) August 22, 2017

Many Afghans said they hoped U.S. pressure would force Pakistan to bring Taliban leaders to the negotiating table and curtail their ability to direct attacks from across the border.

I believe the U.S. has seen Pakistan in a better light than Afghanistan, so I would be optimistic and support the new strategy of the United States if it implements it honestly, said Nasir Karimi, a 22-year-old psychology student at Kabul University.

Still, Karimi added, I cant trust that the U.S. will be honest.

Afghans wariness is rooted in a history of U.S. inconsistency in the country. U.S. forces quickly ousted the Taliban government from power in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but then diverted troops and focus to the Iraq war, allowing Taliban fighters to stream back into the country.

President Obama announced a troop increase in 2009 but, in the view of many Afghans, undermined the strategy by setting a withdrawal deadline that reassured the Taliban that it could simply lie in wait. Trump, too, once advocated for bringing all U.S. troops home before saying in his Monday night address that he had changed his mind after months of consultations with Cabinet and military officials.

As the U.S. troop presence dwindled from more than 100,000 to 8,400 today, the Taliban has regained control of large chunks of northern and southern Afghanistan while the government holds just 60% of the countrys 407 districts, according to the most recent assessment by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Trump did not specify how many additional U.S. troops would be deployed, but Pentagon officials have said the number is expected to be about 4,000. They will be focused on killing terrorists, Trump said, including the Taliban, Islamic State loyalists and remnants of Al Qaeda.

President Trump has embraced a strategy that gives Afghanistan what it needs, said the Afghan ambassador to Washington, Hamdullah Mohib, including a shift away from talking about timetables and numbers to letting conditions on the ground determine military strategy.

Newspapers hang for sale at a stand carrying headlines with photo of the U.S. President Donald Trump in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. Reversing his past calls for a speedy exit, Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan Monday night, declaring U.S. troops must fight to win. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (Rahmat Gul / AP)

In his speech, Trump said that 20 organizations designated by the United States as terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world. Some observers noted that neither country is subject to Trumps travel ban on citizens from countries deemed prone to terrorism.

Trumps speech provoked mixed reactions in India, where officials welcomed the promise to be tougher on Pakistan but questioned his call for New Delhi to play a greater role in building Afghanistans economy.

The Indian foreign ministry issued a statement saying India has been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan, which has included hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and constructing a new parliament building.

And Indian analysts chafed at Trumps reference to the U.S. trade deficit with India when he said that because India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, it should help us more with Afghanistan. Indian investment in Afghanistan is based on its own regional security and should not be tied to demands from Washington, said Kabir Taneja, associate fellow at Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

I think President Trump needs to understand, or someone needs to explain to him, that everything cannot be equated to trade data, Taneja said.

New Delhi does not act at Americas behest on its Afghanistan policy. It knows better, he added. Attaching possibilities of better joint cooperation over security in Afghanistan to some sort of trade [spreadsheet] is a self-defeating act for Washington.

Special correspondent Sahi reported from Islamabad and Times staff writer Bengali from New Delhi. Special correspondents Sultan Faizy in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Umar Farooq in Islamabad contributed to this report. Farooqs reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

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UPDATES:

1:30 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from the Pakistani Cabinet and a shift in focus to Pakistan.

This article was originally published at 8:10 a.m.
Indias Supreme Court on Tuesday banned a rare form of instant divorce sanctioned in its most conservative Muslim communities, saying men could no longer dissolve a marriage simply by stating it three times.

The controversial practice known as instant triple talaq  in which a man tells a woman I divorce you three times in succession  is observed in only a handful of countries, including Saudi Arabia.

By a 3-2 judgment, Indias highest court said the practice was un-Islamic and violated Indias constitution, and ordered Parliament to pass a law on the issue within six months.

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The decision was hailed as a victory for womens rights advocates led by Shayara Bano, who filed suit in 2016 after her husband ended their 15-year marriage by writing the word talaq, or I divorce you, three times in a letter sent to her parents house.

I welcome the Supreme Court judgement on instant Triple Talaq. Its a victory 4 brave Muslim women who hve waged battle against it for years  Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) August 22, 2017

All personal laws of all Faiths unjust to women. #TripleTalaq verdict should be basis for divorcing Religions from Law. #FeminismOverFaith  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) August 22, 2017

Other plaintiffs later joined the case, including a woman whose husband divorced her in a letter sent by express mail.

The case generated intense interest in India as other women came forward with stories of how their husbands had dissolved their marriages via text message or, in one case, by placing a newspaper ad.

I welcome and support the judgment, Bano told the ANI news agency. This is a historic day for Muslim women.

Religious scholars say that according to Islamic law, a divorce must be spread over three months, giving a couple the chance to reconcile. More than a dozen Muslim-majority countries have banned triple talaq, including Iran and Pakistan, but it has persisted in India because there is no uniform set of laws governing marriage, inheritance and divorce.

The two dissenting judges said India could not outlaw triple talaq because it would infringe on individual freedoms.

S. Irfan Habib, a historian, called the practice hideous, oppressive and gender insensitive but said it had persisted for centuries because of convenience and the patriarchal views of conservative Muslim societies.

The instances of instant triple talaq are very few. But why should even a few women suffer? Habib said. No decent, sensible man would indulge in instant triple talaq. Whoever does it is not even a good human being, forget a good husband. The practice should have been outlawed long ago.

India is home to nearly 200 million Muslims  the largest minority in a Hindu-majority country of 1.3 billion people. Some clerics have defended practices such as triple talaq on the grounds that they form part of Islamic personal law that cannot be touched under the secularism enshrined in Indias constitution.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which has opposed a uniform civil code that would subject all Indians to the same marriage and divorce laws, said that triple talaq was extremely rare and that clerics discouraged the practice.

In a statement Tuesday, the group said it would abide by the Supreme Courts ruling but said it should not be misused by the government to try to interfere with personal laws through legislation.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the verdict, calling it a powerful measure for womens empowerment.

Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.  Chowkidar Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2017

Others noted that women in India still faced serious disadvantages before the law  including in the Supreme Court.

Last week, the court stunned many observers when it failed to issue a ruling in the case of a woman in southern India whose Hindu family blocked her marriage to a Muslim man. The court ordered federal anti-terrorism investigators to launch an inquiry into whether the woman converted to Islam freely  as she testified  or whether her husband forced her to do so.

Prominent supporters of Modis Hindu nationalist government have alleged without evidence that Muslims are conspiring to convert Hindu women  a practice they dub love jihad.

Parth M.N. is a special correspondent.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

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The U.S. State Department has warned its citizens about traveling to Cancun and Los Cabos, two of Mexicos most popular tourist destinations, after a surge in violence in those regions.

A travel advisory issued Tuesday upgraded the warnings for two states, Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur, saying turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime and shootings in which innocent bystanders have been killed.

For years, both regions were largely insulated from the drug war violence that has engulfed other parts of Mexico, but this year they have each seen a major uptick in killings.

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There have been deadly gun battles in downtown Cancun, and in January, five people were killed at a nightclub in nearby Playa del Carmen. In Los Cabos, a municipality on the Pacific Coast that includes the cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, three people were shot to death this month at the entrance to a popular beach.

The travel warning could deliver a major blow to Mexicos $20-billion-a-year tourism industry, which represents about 7% of the countrys gross domestic product.

This is a very bad news for Mexico, said Rafael Fernandez de Castro, director for the Center for U.S.-Mexican studies at UC San Diego, who said recent growth in Mexicos tourism industry has been a rare bright spot in an economy that quaked after President Trumps threats to tear up free trade agreements and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

But the rapid increase in development, especially in Los Cabos, may have helped contribute to the violence, Fernandez de Castro said, as migrants from around the country came to build new hotel rooms and resorts.

The growth of Los Cabos has been way too accelerated in the last two years, he said. Its creating a little bit of social chaos.

The State Departments decision to warn residents about travel to the resort cities is a reality check for the booming towns and economy of Mexico, he said.

Mexican officials have gone to lengths to portray the countrys beach resorts as family friendly and safe. Violent incidents are extremely rare among the millions of international tourists who visit Riviera Maya each year, and the entire tourism industry works to ensure the safety and satisfaction of all visitors, reads a statement on the website of the Assn. of Riviera Maya Hotels.

But 10 years into the countrys military-led drug war, violence is surging across the nation. This year, Mexico is on track to record more homicides than in any year in the last two decades.

Rising demand for heroin in the U.S. and power struggles among the countrys top drug cartels, authorities say, have led to an increase in killings in 27 of Mexicos 32 states.

In Quintana Roo, the state where Cancun is located, 169 killings were reported from January to July, more than twice as many as during the same period last year.

In Baja California Sur, home to Los Cabos and Cabo San Lucas, 232 slayings have been reported this year, nearly four times as many as during the same period last year.

Although tourism from the U.S. dropped off about five years ago during another period of high violence in Mexico, it has substantially recovered, with the number of American visitors increasing 12% from 2015 to 2016, according to the World Tourism Organization. Mexico recently surpassed Turkey to become the eighth most popular travel destination in the world, drawing 35 million international visitors last year.

Tourism officials in the Riviera Maya, the long stretch of Caribbean coastline that includes Cancun as well as Playa del Carmen and Tulum, have already been on the defensive this year after reports that a young woman died after drinking tainted alcohol at a resort.

The State Department also issued a warning in response to those reports, cautioning vacationers to drink alcohol in moderation and seek medical help if they begin to feel ill.

Cecilia Sanchez in The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

Twitter: @katelinthicum

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As Mexico debates giving the military more power, a judge asks why soldiers gunned down 22 people

UPDATES:

4:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments and details about the violence.

This article was originally published at 1:30 p.m.
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
Apart from hosting and possible maintenance costs, there are not exactly downsides to having your own website. Even if its just a personal blog it can always become more useful down the line, if you utilize it in the right manner. In other words, more
A Lower Saucon Township man was jailed Tuesday in two months-old Bethlehem area incidents, one a robbery of a bicyclist and the other for marijuana possession, according to court records.

Anthony Rosario (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Anthony Rosario, 23, of the 3200 block of Flint Hill Road, was arraigned in both cases Tuesday morning before District Judge Richard Yetter III and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of a combined $100,000 bail.

In the robbery, the victim reported to Bethlehem Township police he was riding his bicycle about 12:55 p.m. June 11 in the area of Ritter Avenue when he was struck by a white vehicle. He knew the driver only as Anthony, police said.

The driver and a second, unknown male exited the vehicle and began to strike and kick the victim in the face and body, township police said.

They then stole $50 from the victim's pockets and put his bicycle into the back seat before fleeing, according to police.

Through social media, the victim identified the driver as Rosario, and police confirmed the identity through a criminal database, court records say.

Rosario is charged with three counts of felony robbery; one felony count of aggravated assault; misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, simple assault and fleeing an accident involving injury; and summary harassment. Yetter set bail at $85,000.

Rosario was originally charged via summons in the marijuana case, stemming from a traffic stop about 5:10 p.m. April 26 in Bethlehem. He was arraigned Tuesday after a certified summons went unclaimed June 13, court records say.

Bethlehem police stopped Rosario behind the wheel of a black Audi A6 headed north in the 300 block of Hayes Street with a brake light out and tinted windows, records say.

The officer smelled marijuana inside the car, and Rosario said he had "roaches" in the vehicle, police said; Rosario produced the car's center ash tray containing the burnt butts of marijuana cigars, or blunts.

A search turned up 34 of the burnt blunts, one unsmoked blunt, a glass smoking pipe, grinder for breaking down marijuana, four marijuana wrappers, an Arizona Iced Tea can with hidden storage containing marijuana, packet of Sunset Sherbet marijuana concentrate and nine doses of the sedative alprazolam, according to police.

The charges against Rosario from April are possession of a small amount of marijuana, drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with unsafe equipment.

Yetter set bail at $15,000 and tentatively scheduled preliminary hearings in the robbery case for Sept. 5 before District Judge Patricia Broscius and in the marijuana case on Sept. 5 before District Judge Nancy Matos Gonzalez.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
"People Power" can keep more windfarms out of Laois, according to an Offaly councillor.

Leader of the RENUA Ireland party, Cllr John Leahy has criticised the government's 'double standards' over windfarm zoning in Laois.

The councillor is critical of the Environment Minister for stepping in to prevent Laois councillors from banning new wind turbines.

Ministers do have the power to set aside county plans if they are against the public interest. Resistance to the wholesale wind-power though is in the public interest and the interests of the environment," Cllr Leahy has stated.

It is an example of people power in action where the people have declared they want to exclude

any further failed wind-power technology from Laois, said Cllr Leahy from Edenderry.

The Draft Ministerial Direction was recently issued to the Laois County Development Plan by Environment Minister Eoghan Murphy.

Laois councillors had voted for a setback of 1.5km, and also removed every area zoned 'open to consideration for wind" from the map of Laois. The Minister intervened saying both went against national policies on renewable energy,and that the councillors had not given sufficient reasons for their decision. Read full story here.



Mr Leahy said that intervention contradicts Energy Minister Denis Naughten, who has said in the Dail that the current 2006 wind planning guidelines are not fit for purpose.

Astonishingly, Minister Murphy wants Laois County Council to change its County Development Plan to comply with these unfit for purpose illegal guidelines. This is the opposite of joined up Government and in the process the democratically mandated Laois councillors are being brushed aside and ignored," Cllr Leahy said.

Laois people are being treated like second class citizens when compared to other counties," he said.

He notes that Donegal County Council has adopted an effective set back distance of 1.5km to 1.75km, and Westmeath has set-back distances ranging from 500 metres to 2,000 metres.

Based on these variations, the ministerial direction to Laois is at least inconsistent if not illegal and should be reversed by Minister Murphy," claimed Cllr Leahy.

"If he doesnt Laois is being treated inconsistently with other counties, without any good grounds

based in planning or policy. This in turn could expose the Minister and his Department to legal

challenge," he warned.

Minister Murphy is young and inexperienced but even he must know it is a sign of bad legislation

that it is legally vulnerable and inconsistent. People-power has already chased wind-farms out of

Laois before. If necessary we will ensure people power triumphs again in this instance," he said.

Cllr Leahy intends to run for election in the proposed new Laois Offaly constituency.
If you have a car and free time on a Thursday, you can help cancer patients in Laois.

The Cuisle Centre for Cancer Support in Portlaoise is asking for volunteers to drive Laois patients to and from their centre, to access free support and therapies.

The 'Staying Well At Home Programme' runs every Thursday from September to December, and is available free to people with cancer who are currently living at home.

If they can get to the centre, they can avail of a complimentary therapy, group counselling, art classes, and a cuppa and a chat with other patients, all part of the programme sponsored by Laois Hospice.

"Just getting out of the house, and mixing with people at a similar stage in their treatment, is beneficial. It is good for their families too, it gives them a little break," said Mary Ruddy, a complimentary therapist at the Cuisle Centre.

However more drivers are needed to bring patients who may not be well enough to drive.

The times are around 9.30 to 10.30 in the morning, and between 2pm and 3pm, to drive to routes in Portlaoise and surrounding towns.

To volunteer, call Hillary at The Cuisle Centre, 057 8681492.
A young Laois filmmaker has returned to Irish soil with her first short film after garnering international acclaim, with the film screening last week as part of the Still Voices Short Film Festival in Longford.

Katherine Cantys January Hymn tells the story of Clara, who returns home for the first anniversary of her fathers death.

Katherine started developing the script after she graduated from the Manchester School of Art in 2013, and in early 2015 the project was awarded funding by the Irish Film Board.

Taking the form of a fractured narrative, the film considers how Claras experience of grief shapes her poetic relationship to a home which has been forever altered by loss.

January Hymn is all-female led, featuring stalwarts of the Irish screen such as Niamh Algar (From the Dark, Without Name), Ally Ni Chiarain (Glassland, My Name is Emily), Aisling McLaughlin (Love/Hate, Fair City), Joe Mullins (Pilgrim Hill), and Gina Moxley (The Butcher Boy).

January Hymn has recently returned from screening at The Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto, and this was its first appearance in a Midlands-based festival.
As Leaving Certificate students mull over their CAO offers, they can take heart that the majority of third level students are now highly optimistic about their future job prospects. A new survey, commissioned by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), has examined the attitudes and concerns of 474 third level students and 539 parents of college-going students.

What the Students Say;

75% of students expect to find work in Ireland when they finish third level, compared with just 39% in 2011 at the height of the economic recession.

Less than a third of students (30%) expect to have to emigrate to find work, compared with a huge 75% in 2011. 10% of students now say they will actively look for a job overseas  down significantly from 32% six years ago. Over two thirds of students (65%) say they are looking forward to a bright future in Ireland  compared with just 21% in 2011.

In 2011, two thirds of students (64%) said their biggest concern was not finding a job  that figure has dropped considerably with just over one third (35%) now reporting this to be their biggest worry.

Money concerns

While confidence levels have improved hugely and the outlook in 2017 is largely optimistic, the attitude towards college-related finance and money issues has remained broadly the same. Students continue to struggle to cope with the pressure of third level costs - with two thirds (66%) saying financial worries are negatively impacting their overall college experience in 2017. This is almost on a par with 67% at the height of the recession in 2011. Almost six in ten students (59%) say that finance and debt is their biggest concern in 2017, a fall of just 9% on 2011 figures (68%).

There has been a notable increase in the numbers saying they have to work throughout the college term to help make ends meet. Two thirds (66%) now say they are working compared with 55% in 2011. Students are also working longer hours in 2017  reporting an average of 21 hours a week for a weekly wage of 231, compared with 14.5 hours per week for a wage of 145 in 2011. Almost a quarter of students who work in 2017 say they are skipping lectures to do so (22%).

Accommodation issues

Accommodation is a source of major concern for students in 2017 with rental costs the main obstacle in finding somewhere suitable to live. Four in ten had not yet sourced accommodation at the time of the survey (July 2017). Of these, 68% said they were worried that they may not be able to find accommodation for the coming college year. Over half of the same group (54%) said it was because accommodation was too expensive, while well over a quarter (29%) said it was because they were unable to find anything suitable

Of all students surveyed, nine in ten view rental costs as being extremely or very high. 58% plan on living at home for the approaching college term in 2017, rising to 66% for the 2018 college term.

What The Parents Say;

The survey found that parents are also more optimistic about the prospects of employment for their children after college. In 2011, 41% of parents said their child finding a job was this was their biggest worry, this figure has almost halved to 20% in 2017.

Money concerns

However, on a less positive note, the numbers saying that money issues are their biggest worry has risen considerably. In 2011, 25% of parents reported this to be their greatest college-related concern, now one third of parents (33%) say it is their biggest worry. It comes in well ahead of worrying about misuse of drugs and alcohol (15%) and their children passing exams (14%).Previous increases in college registration fees (to a maximum rate of 3,000) could be one of the reasons why money is now the biggest worry for third level parents.

Indeed, when asked about the effect of the increased registration fees, 75% said family budgets had been adversely impacted by this. Almost eight in ten parents surveyed in 2017 (79%) said they will struggle to cover the cost of their childs third level education.

Accommodation issues

Parents are also finding accommodation a significant worry with 56% saying they are particularly stressed about rental costs. Just 9% believe there is an adequate supply of rental accommodation for students.

Financial support

The numbers of parents supporting their children with college related costs has increased slightly since 2011 with 92% now saying they financially support their children through third level, up from 90%. More parents are now in a position to help finance third level costs through their savings and monthly income than in 2011. The most common method of funding third level is now savings (43%) up from 38% in 2011. 42% of parents are using their monthly income, up from 39% in 2011.
The Manorhamilton and District Historical Society is promoting a unique exhibition, which opens on this Friday, August 25 at 7.30pm in the Leitrim Sculpture Centre, to mark the closure of the Sligo Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway (SL&NCR) on September 30, 1957.

Margaret Connolly will speak on the SL&NCR on Friday night , which will run daily until Saturday September 3.

In a statement on the SL&NCR former Historical Society Chairman, Oliver Haslette gives an interesting insight into the its powerful effect on the lives of the people in Manorhamilton and its surrounds.

Exhibitions of a town's past are especially interesting events. They tell the story of former days. How things were made work then. How people made a living. What made them happy and what made them sad. How all of the 'goings on' impacted on their children. What legacy remains today.

In the forthcoming railway exhibition Manorhamilton will have just such an experience. The Sligo Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway also termed the Sligo Leitrim train, in the course of its existence, made so many things happen in the town, it can never be forgotten.

The Historical Society in representing it, sixty years since its closure are now making that call. It kept the whole town alive in a vibrant way. The ease of travel it provided, gave its people a culture that other towns did not have. Business trips, shopping sprees, holidays, sporting events were there on a  go to, come from whenever  basis. Accessibility was taken for granted, unlike today.

But conditions of the times impacted also. Large families were the order of the day then in Leitrim, just as throughout Ireland. As a consequence, during late teenage and early adult years people had to leave in order to live. Thousands did from the local station, many never to be seen again.

Those final waves from the carriage window to distraught families on the platform were regular, heart wrenching but very common events and few families were spared. Today, as a consequence, North Leitrim's vast diaspora spans the world.

However, those were the downside bits but what of the next train. Oft times, this train would be hauling sixteen, maybe seventeen wagons of fine healthy, locally reared cattle, heading northwards to their export market.

Similarly, other trains would follow with a variety of other locally produced agricultural products and manufactured goods from Armstrong's and Haslett's plants in the town to various parts  in the rest of Ireland and England, all of this maintaining sustainability and support and keeping things alive on the home front.

Certainly a major tribute to the energy and initiative of the farming community and the people of the time. So much then for the old days, but what of the present. Can we identify the legacy that the The Sligo, Leitrim Railway has left us today?

Clearly we can. The strong farming foundation laid down then, continued to grow, expand and remain very much family focused. No stronger assertion of this could be better displayed than at the superb agricultural show recently held in the Bee Park, the same venue were the same event was proudly held in the days of the railway.

Other energies of those times are very much still alive and well also. Direct employment in the town hinged somewhere around two hundred and fifty peoplewith up to 100 of those full time at the Railway Station in servicing and maintainence.

Today that employment figure has well passed through the one thousand mark and growing. This employment level is well above similar towns of its size in The West of Ireland. It's factories are now exporting specialised goods all over the world with large trucks leaving town daily with products made in Manorhamilton for destinations to 'God knows where'.

But this is where fluid transportation is missed and is greatly increasing the cost factor for the fine efforts that are being made by all in the town. Sixty years later our infrastructure is still seriously underdeveloped and unlike then, safe and trouble-free travel is a restricting factor.

We know the railway will not work now, but the infrastructure to compensate in North Leitrim has not and is not happening. Unless fairness instead of influence is allowed to control infrastructural spending in the West of Ireland, specifically the past will return before the future brightens.

Will we ever see the R280 properly upgraded to properly service all of the County of Leitrim? But looking forward to the future, has the railway still a part to play? What of those people who waved farewell to family and town in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Their descendants are now spread all over the world, possibly one million or more children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of Manorhamilton and North Leitrim.

They all have one thing in common....their forebears left on the SL&NCR. Maybe many would like to see where it all began. Could this be made happen? What a huge economic boost to the town and what a 'welcome home ' party it would be !!!

See you at the exhibition Oliver says in conclusion.






Just under half of parents (49%) say they have made no financial preparations to meet the cost of putting their children through third level education.

Thats according to Avivas Cost of Education Report, which shows that, on average, parents expect to pay out 5,122 a year to send a child to a third level college or university. If the student has to move away from home to go to college, the expected cost is almost double, at 10,125.

The research for the Report, found considerable openness and some support for the idea of a student loan system with repayment to be contingent on the income earned by graduates. This is one of the options for funding third level education contained in the Cassells Report, Investing in National Ambition  A Strategy for Funding Higher Education.

Three out of four parents intending to send their children to college or university thought a student loan system was at least worth exploring as a funding option. A quarter thought it was a great idea while 2% said it was the only way their children could afford to go to college or university. Overall, just over a fifth of parents were opposed to the idea. Opposition was higher among students, at 35% but a clear majority (59%) felt it was an option at least worth exploring. One in four students thought it was a great idea.

The survey found that over a quarter of Irish parents (27%) are currently saving for their childrens education. Most families have made some provision for the cost of primary and secondary school. But funding third level education continues to be a financially daunting prospect for the majority of parents, although there are signs that families may be getting to grips with this major financial challenge. Last October, Avivas Family Finances research found that 41% had made some preparations of the cost of higher education. This latest survey, completed in May, shows that number has improved by 10 points to 51%.

Overall, 41% are either currently paying or intending to pay for their children to go to college or university and the majority said they expected to meet the cost from a combination of regular savings, salary or other income. One in two expects to get a third level grant for their children while 18% said they would rely on help from grandparents or other family members.

Over a third (35%) has a savings account specifically earmarked to cover the cost of third level education.
A record 52,374 students across the county received first round offers of college places from the CAO on Monday.

Nationally, the number of CAO points required for entry into more than half of all honours degree college has dropped. The trend indicates that changes to the Leaving Certificate grading system, and the introduction of a new CAO Common Points Scale may be helping to take some of the heat out of the points race.

The categories in which highest proportions of courses saw points drop include teaching degrees, and there were lower entry requirements this year for over three-quarters of nursing degrees. Despite dips in demand, nearly half of engineering and technology level 8 degrees have higher points, and the small number of architecture and construction degrees have more courses with higher points.

IT Sligo has made more offers in round one this year as it bids to grow the Institutes student numbers. 3,126 students have received an offer of a college place, up from 2,917 in 2016. There has been strong interest in IT Sligos new programmes in English & Psychology, Sociology & Politics and Writing & Literature.

If you have received a CAO offer for IT Sligo this week, congratulations. Dont worry if you are unfamiliar with the course or college, there is plenty of help at hand.

Getting to know your new college

You can start by downloading IT Sligos new CampusConnect App, which is a great way of connecting with IT Sligo and with other new students to the Institute. Its free to download and is available for both iOS andandroid devices. Download the new IT Sligo App here.

Important dates & deadlines

The deadline for acceptance of CAO Round 1 offers is next Monday, August 28, at 5.15pm. If you dont accept your offer by next Monday, the offer lapses and cannot be retrieved.

Candidates who have received an offer from IT Sligo will receive their Induction pack in the post this week containing important information about starting college and they will also receive an invitation to Induction which will be held on September 11/12 next.

Applications for the CAOs Available Places open on Tuesday, August 22, at 12pm. The Available Places facility provides a list of college courses in the various third level institutions which still have college places. Students can apply directly for these courses using the CAO website (www.cao.ie).

Whatever course you accept this week. It will have no effect on your entitlement to accept an offer of a course higher up on your CAO list if it becomes available to you in a later round. The CAO will make you an offer of a place even if it becomes available in mid-October.

It will then be up to you to stay with the course you first accepted or to switch to the new course offered.

Round 2 offers will be released on August 31.

Accommodation

When you accept your college offer, the student accommodation hunt will be one of your first challenges as you prepare to make your college move. While the cost of rent is soaring in the larger urban centres such as Dublin, Cork and Galway, Sligo is fortunate to have an abundance of high quality affordable accommodation, much of it within walking distance of the IT Sligo campus.

The Accommodation Service at IT Sligo is located in the Student Services Centre. Phone (071) 9141887.

If you dont receive a college place

Dont panic, there are other options open to you. IT Sligo has a number of available places on the following courses:

Students will be able to apply for places on these courses from Tuesday August 22nd. Visit itsligo.ie/availableplaces for more info.
Week by week the countdown to March 2019 looms closer. The chances of stopping a disastrous hard Brexit are slim, but there is a small window of opportunity if we go about it in the right way.

As Vince Cable and Nick Clegg emphasise, it all rests on building a coalition of moderates with the courage to break out of the extreme Brexit groupthink. This means that we need a Brexit position which is decisive, but also respects those who are resigned to the prospect of Brexit  for now  and reaches out. A clear majority of constituencies voted for Brexit, so for Parliament to block it, or at least soften it, we are going to need to bring people together.

That is why Im very concerned by the motion being proposed for Autumn Conference, in which it is being suggested that we should play an all-or-nothing game of Russian roulette with peoples livelihoods. The motion suggests that we should retreat into stubborn rejection of the referendum, without securing a clear mandate against Brexit. The tide is slowly turning against a hard Brexit, but time is running out to stop it all together. That should still be our main aim, but it would be an act of gross neglect to take a gamble on suddenly halting Brexit in its tracks and lose.

Thats why we must consider very carefully how we would feel waking up in Hard Brexit Britain in 2019. With investment receding and jobs in freefall, our idealism and anti-Brexit fervour would be in vain. I know I would be thinking about what could have been. We could have had a soft Brexit. We could even have stopped it all. This could all have been less painful.

Even if you endorse this anti-Brexit gamble with our economy, you have to ask how best we can realistically build a coalition to stop Brexit. Surely the answer isnt to retreat into introverted Europhilia, but to reach out to those sceptical about Brexit and make the case? If the tide of public opinion turns, this is how we stop Brexit  by giving the people the final say in a referendum. This is a realistic and democratic position which can appeal to Releavers and soft Leavers alike once the dangers of Brexit become clearer.

I could not forgive myself if I wake up in Hard Brexit Britain in March 2019 knowing it didnt have to be like this. We can stop this disastrous hard Brexit. We can remain at the heart of Europe. But we can only do this is we reach out to moderates and Brexit sceptics. There is disquiet with a hard Brexit, but a Europhile position which is too extreme risks alienating those who we need to mobilise. We must continue to press for a referendum on the final Brexit deal. Thats the surest way to mobilise the Releavers and regretful Leave voters we need to stop this damaging Brexit.

* A Liberal in Leeds is the pseudonym for a Lib Dem member. His identity is known to the LDV team.
Trigger warning for child abuse.

There are kind of rules  good rules that are there for good reasons  governing how we talk about racial issues, when we must. Properly contextualise. Look for similarities rather than differences. Dont make or appear to make generalisations about groups of people.

When I was at school we had leaflets thrown over the school fence with the faces of white people who had been killed by black people. The object of the leaflet was to encourage racially motivated violence to even up the score using crimes that, if they happened at all, probably werent racially motivated. Accuracy is not a defence here.

Racists, even when they dont break these rules will seek to test the boundaries, to dog whistle, and the natural and proper reaction is to apply the rules strongly and without exceptions.

It is pretty clear that Sarah Champion MP broke these rules with her article in the Sun, and breaking these rules is something that you will normally, and rightly be resigned from something for doing.

Predictably, the right wing press is hysterical that political correctness is censoring an important debate.

And it is an important debate. Champions constituency includes a great many victims and their families who she represented when other members of her party were telling her that the CSE crisis was all BNP smears. That is to her credit. It makes her a good person to ask for comment when the Sun reports on the conviction of an Asian grooming gang in Newcastle.

While Champions views were put bluntly, and the Sun has sensationalised the issue in defiance of the rules as you would expect, there clearly is a pattern of crime with a racial characteristic. I am not sure it is possible to talk about this entirely within the rules.

The Drew report (pdf) into South Yorkshire Police provides figures for CSE crimes referred to the police in 2014-15.

Ethnicity of suspects

White, North European 65.1%

White, South European 2.4%

Black 3.7%

Asian 19.1%

Other 4.3%

Not known or recorded 5.3%

This is a very different picture to the Sun headline but is not actually inconsistent. A wide range of offences is covered, not just grooming and exploitation by gangs, and the figure for Asian suspects is higher than the 3.4% of the population in South Yorkshire as a whole.

What other patterns exist? Drew:

For example, the view that child sexual exploitation was about red light areas, and was about gangs of men principally of Pakistani heritage, led not only the force but also probably the whole partnership to look for signs of exploitation in the wrong places. One superintendent, describing the exploitation challenge today in his area, characterised the local problem of revolving around white European males, in their mid 40s, making extensive use of the internet for initial grooming, often of boys, and not operating as gangs at all. This is a very different profile.

Have I now contextualised enough to meet the rules? I hope so. I dont feel as if I have just thrown racist leaflets over the school fence.

Do read Drews chapter 5 judgements on what went wrong in South Yorkshire Police. He analyses 5 causes

a lack of understanding about child sexual exploitation;

too narrow a definition of child sexual exploitation;

the distorting impact of national priorities which did not include child sexual exploitation;

the impact of a top down culture combined with a lack of professional curiosity; and

attitudes to young people.

This is followed by two speculations: corruption, and political correctness.

The right wing press will present the least of these problems as the greatest, and the left will shoot the messenger as they have Champion.

I dont really care whether Champion is on the Labour front bench or not, the important thing is that the message is heard  that we are able to debate this problem openly and honestly including the racial dimension. No Asian man in South Yorkshire I have spoken to about this wants any less; they have been wrongly tainted by the polices failure.

Sack the odd politician if we must but lets focus on supporting victims and convicting criminals.

* Joe Otten was the candidate for Sheffield Heeley in June 2017 and Doncaster North in December 2019 and is a councillor in Sheffield.
Aug 22, 2017, 11 AM

By Denise McCarty

Great Britains Royal Mail celebrates classic toys from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century on 10 new stamps.

The stamps were issued Aug. 22 in two strips of five with the designs se-tenant (side-by-side).

All of the stamps are nondenominated. The 1st beside the silhouette of Queen Elizabeth II indicates that the stamps pay the basic domestic rate (currently 65 pence).

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The first strip of five features a Merrythought bear, the Sindy doll, Spirograph, Stickle Bricks, and toy figures made by the William Britain Company.

Shown on the second strip are a Spacehopper, Fuzzy-Felt, Meccano, an Action Man figure, and Hornby Dublo model trains.

In announcing the stamps, Royal Mail said, The heyday of the British toy industry remains a magical era, one that shaped childhoods across the generations.

After more than eight decades, the Merrythought Company is still in existence, making bears and other stuffed animals.

Merrythought said: Merrythought has been hand-making the quintessential English teddy bear in the World Heritage Site of Ironbridge, Shropshire, since 1930 and is now the last remaining British teddy bear manufacturer. The company is a fourth generation family business founded by Mr. W.G. Holmes in 1930 as a diversification from his mohair mill in Yorkshire.

Considered the British answer to Barbie, the Sindy doll was created by Pedigree Toys and launched Sept. 6, 1963, with a television commercial.

On the stamp, Sindy is wearing her Weekender outfit of jeans and a sweater with red, white, and blue stripes.

Susan Brewer, in British Dolls of the 1960, wrote: Sindys innocent, natural looks meant that she gave full rein to a childs imagination and could be whatever age a child wanted  friend, sister, mother or the girl next door. Her casual clothes were the kind of clothes they would wear, too.

British mechanical engineer and inventor Denys Fisher developed the geometric drawing tool called Spirograph and exhibited it for the first time at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair in 1965.

In January 1966, Kenner Toys purchased the right to sell it to customers in the United States. According to the red box it was packaged in, the Spirograph was a simple and fascinating way to DRAW a million marvelous patterns.

A few years later, in 1969, Fisher invented Stickle Bricks, a construction toy for toddlers. The stamp depicts a house made from these plastic bricks. They have small fingers on one or more sides that make it easier to put them together and pull them apart.

William Britain, also known as W. Britain or Britain, began producing metal toy soldiers in 1893. For the most part, the process stayed the same until the 1950s when other firms started making plastic figures. One of these firms, Herald, was purchased by W. Britain in 1959.

According to the new-issue announcement from Royal Mail, the United States cavalry, cowboys and Indians, and Greek warriors were among the most popular characters of W. Britains new plastic figures.

Two Trojan warrior figures are depicted on the stamp.

The Spacehopper was developed by Aquilino Cosani in Italy. In a 2014 interview with Dave Simpson of the Guardian newspaper, Cosani said he was inspired by watching a documentary about kangaroos.

I realised that children never look as happy as when theyre jumping, Cosani said, So I decided to make a toy that let them bounce around like kangaroos.

Mettoy manufactured the British version of this ball, which became a huge hit in the 1970s. In the United States, a similar ball was sold under the name Hoppity Hop.

Louis Allen created Fuzzy-Felt for children in 1950.

In an article celebrating this fabric toys 50th anniversary in 2010, Leo Benedictus of the Daily Mail explained how it got started: Like so many great inventions, Fuzzy-Felt was a by-product of the military-industrial complex. It was discovered during the second world war when Lois Allan, whose outbuildings were being used to manufacture felt gaskets for sealing tank components, noticed how the workers children enjoyed sticking cast-off shapes on to the fuzzy backs of her table mats.

The stamp shows a Fuzzy Felt farm scene of a farmer on a tractor, animals, and a fence.

On Jan. 9, 1901, Frank Hornby of Liverpool patented Mechanics Made Easy, a toy he had created for his sons. In 1907, it was renamed Meccano, and is still sold under that name today.

Illustrated on the stamp is a boy and a Meccano Ferris wheel assembled by Ralph Laughton.

American toymaker Hasbro introduced G.I. Joe, an action figure for boys, in 1964. A couple of years later, the British company Palitoy started its own line  Action Man, which includes the Red Devil parachutist shown on the stamp.

After the success of Meccano, Hornby began manufacturing toy trains in 1920 that were 0 gauge in size. Another system about half of this size (00 gauge), introduced in 1938, was called Hornby Dublo.

A boy is shown playing with a Hornby Dublo train set in the background of the stamp. Pictured in the foreground is a Hornby Dublo version of a Royal Mail Traveling Post Office mail car.

The design agency Interabang designed the stamps, using photographs of the toys taken by John Ross.

International Security Printers printed the stamps by offset in sheets of 50 that are sold in panes of 25 at most postal outlets.

The stamps are square, 35 millimeters by 35mm, and are perforated gauge 14.5.

Royal Mails other products for this Classic Toys set include first-day covers, 10 postcards reproducing the designs of the stamps, and a presentation pack with mint examples of the stamps and stories about the toys.

Ordering information is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.

Royal Mails two agencies in the United States are Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557; and the British Stamp Service in North America, 1 Unicover Center, Cheyenne, WY 82008.
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Photos by Katrina Lat

Portlands Portugal. The Man established right off the bat that they would let the projections on the screen that formed a backdrop do the talking for them at their second appearance at Toronto this summer.

Torontos Partner kicked off the evening with a short set that had a definite 90s feel to it. They paid tribute to Canadian actress Ellen Page with a song that shared her namesake. The band made up for the lack of between banter during the headliners set and led the sizable crowd in a sing-along for one song.

Portugal. The Man took to the stage to Unchained Melody and jammed for the first few minutes, riffing on Metallicas Enter Sandman at one point and Pink Floyds Another Brick in the Wall in the other. When they finally got down to business, they played Easy Tiger from their latest release Woodstock.

The projections provided trippy images that were perfectly suited to their psych-rock. They went back to their 2013 effort Evil Friends for Modern Jesus. Though their set did lean a bit heavily on the psych theyre known for, a couple songs had a definite 80s/90s vibe to them.

Though they may not have spoken, the messages showed that the band has a definite sense of humor. Admittedly, the psych-rock did seem to blend together after a while and the band could have cut down on the jamming given their 90 minute set time but they still played a competent set that the audience seemed to love.

They teased the audience slightly by playing a slightly altered opening to their current single Feel It Still and led the crowd in a sing-along of Oasis Dont Look Back in Anger before the two song encore.
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Australian mining conglomerate BHP Billiton Corp., under pressure from activist investors, is getting out of U.S. shale, looking to sell holdings in the Permian Basin and Haynesville plays, among others, the company said Tuesday. Analysts said the acreage could be worth as much as $10 billion.

BHP, whose fiscal year ended June 30, reported earnings of $5.9 billion on the year, a huge turnaround after posting losses of almost $6.4 billion last year, in large part due to a $7 billion write-down after crude prices tanked.

RELATED: BHP cutting U.S. shale drilling by 40%

But analysts report that the company is getting pressure from investors to dump U.S. shale assets; it recently held more than 800,000 acres in the Eagle Ford, Permian, Haynesville and Fayetteville plays in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Prominent hedge fund Elliott Management has pushed for changes after upping its ownership stake.

The company confirmed on Tuesday it would begin looking for buyers, calling its U.S. shale assets non-core. U.S. operations had already begun returning cash to the company, but not in quantities expected.

We have determined that our onshore U.S. assets are non-core and we are actively pursuing options to exit these assets for value, the company said in its earnings release.

BHP has already begun selling land in the Eagle Ford, and could close on 50,000 acres in the third quarter, analysts said.

The company spent billions in U.S. assets at the height of the shale boom, and promoted its brand around Houston, sponsoring the Houston Dynamo and building a 600,000-square-foot office tower with cafes, custom conference rooms, sleek common spaces, an outdoor terrace and even a library.

RELATED: BHP's uptown digs unfold in 30 employee-friendly floors

The shale acquisitions were poorly timed, CEO Andrew Mackenzie said on the companys year-end earnings call on Tuesday. We paid too much, and the rapid pace of early development was not optimal.

BHP holds more than 100,000 acres in the Permians hot Delaware Basin, 200,000 in Haynesville, and a large position in Arkansas Fayetteville shale, according to Houston energy banking firm Tudor Pickering Holt.

BHP executives said on Tuesday, however, that the company was not rushing out of the plays, and is considering trades and even splitting off the shale assets into a new company.
Pharr-based Lone Star National Bank, which has five San Antonio locations, is in the clear with federal banking regulators more than two years after it was sanctioned for critical deficiencies in preventing money laundering.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency recently terminated a 2015 formal agreement that designated Lone Star National Bank as being in troubled condition, citing unsafe and unsound banking practices. The regulator separately slapped it with a $1 million fine over lax money laundering policies.

That followed a 2012 consent order that highlighted weaknesses in how the bank dealt with anti-money laundering laws, including the Bank Secrecy Act. The OCC terminated the consent order on July 27, the same day it ended the 2015 agreement.

Federal prosecutors accused the bank in 2013 of being used to launder Mexican cartel money in South Texas in unrelated criminal cases.

A bank spokeswoman couldnt immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. OCC spokesman William Grassano said it does comment on specific banks.

The OCC first discovered weaknesses in the banks internal controls before 2010. The following year, the OCC noted significant deficiencies at the bank, including problems identifying and reporting suspicious activity.

Nine months later, in July 2012, the OCC and the bank entered into a consent order to address the banks compliance program. The OCC cited the banks failure to file suspicious activity reports. Financial institutions are required to file report suspected violations of law or suspicious activity.

In October 2014, the OCC determined the bank had still not achieved compliance with the 2012 consent order. A month later, the bank filed 157 new suspicious activity reports.

Apparently frustrated by Lone Star National Banks failure to comply with the 2012 consent order, the OCC socked the bank with the $1 million civil penalty and entered into the formal agreement.

The San Antonio Express-News has previously reported that Lone Star National Bank was one of several banks that federal prosecutors say was used by corrupt Mexican politicians and business owners to launder drug cartel money in South Texas.

In a 2013 plea hearing of a Mexican businessman who admitted laundering money, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hampton said some of the banks customers have been identified as politically exposed persons, and there is nothing indicating that Lone Star National Bank conducted additional customer due diligence regarding the tracking of those millions of dollars. It couldnt be determined if the consent order had anything to do with the Texas court cases.

Lone Star National Bank had more than $2.2 billion in assets as of June 30. It reported almost $1.9 billion in deposits and $1.2 billion in loans. The bank generated $6.7 million in net income in the first half of the year, compared with $6.1 million in the same period last year. It paid $7 million in dividends to shareholders in the first half of 2017, down from $10 million in the first six months of last year.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.s website shows the banks San Antonio branches had about $35.4 million in combined deposits as of June 30, 2016, giving the bank a less than half a percent market share in Bexar County.

Lone Star National Bank is not related to San Antonios Lone Star Capital Bank. Lone Star National Bank received a two-star rating, defined as problematic, from Coral Gables, Floridas BauerFinancial Inc. The rating was based on financial results as of March 31.

Earlier this year, Lone Star National Bank closed its branch at 10000 San Pedro Ave., blaming ongoing losses. But the number of San Antonio branches was expected to return to five at some point with the opening of a branch at 3424 Paesanos Parkway, where it has operated a loan production office.

pdanner@express-news.net
A man accused of fatally shooting a probationary Oakland firefighter and injuring another outside a brewery in San Jose was charged with murder and attempted murder, prosecutors said Monday.

Oliver Juinio, 27, of San Jose, is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on charges connected to the attack that killed 30-year-old Jake P. Walter and wounded his colleague.

The off-duty firefighters were enjoying a night out when Juinio allegedly opened fire on them outside Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. in San Joses Japantown at 9:37 p.m. Thursday, police said.

Walter was taken to a hospital, where he died. A 26-year-old firefighter, whose name was not released, was treated in the intensive care unit at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, and is recovering, officials said.

The two firefighters graduated from the Oakland Fire Department Academy on April 22, but had been serving at different stations on a rotating basis during their probationary period, officials said.

The night of the shooting, they had gone out with three other firefighters from their academy class, investigators said. They were confronted by two or more men on the sidewalk during the Taylor Street Night Market, and gunfire erupted apparently without warning, witnesses said.

According to court records, Juinio was convicted of burglary and attempted burglary in 2010 and drunk driving in 2015, all in Santa Clara County.

His prior felony record counts as two strikes under the states three strikes law, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorneys office, meaning he will face significantly more prison time if he is convicted.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: VHo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
During Sunday night's nail-biter "Game of Thrones" episode, Jon Snow nearly died not once but twice. As usual, he managed to escape (somewhat) unscathed.

That's kind of his M.O., isn't it? He narrowly escapes death when someone or something swoops in at just the right moment to rescue him. The guy is lucky to have some friends with great timing. It probably doesn't hurt that the Lord of Light appears to be on his side, too.

In honor of his most recent brushes with death, here's a look at all the times he nearly kicked the bucket - and the one time he actually did - ranked from least to most dicey.

- That time the acting Lord Commander wanted to execute him

Saved by: Aemon Targaryen

When Jon returned to the Night's Watch after working as an undercover spy embedded with the wildlings, those in charge at Castle Black questioned his allegiance. He had, after all, killed his brother in arms, Qhorin Halfhand - though that was Halfhand's idea - and he also "lay with a wildling girl." So he'd broken his vows.

"The law is the law," the weaselly Janos Slynt commanded. "The boy must die."

But Maester Aemon, ever the voice of reason, piped up, "If we beheaded every ranger who lay with a girl, the Wall would be manned by headless men."

Acting Lord Commander Alliser Thorne said there was a difference between going to a brothel and getting busy with the enemy. Jon responded with a rousing speech about the wildling threat - riddled with a few well-placed Janos Slynt put-downs - and then asked if he'd be executed. But before Ser Alliser could respond, Maester Aemon jumped in and said that Jon would live to see another day (not to mention the executions of both Slynt and Thorne).

- That time he tried to pull a fast one on Mance Rayder

Saved by: Stannis Baratheon

After the Battle of Castle Black, Jon ventured north for a bargaining session with Mance Rayder - at least that's what he said. Really, he planned to assassinate the King Beyond the Wall. Mance is no dummy, though, and when Jon kept glancing at a knife across the room, the wildling saw through the scheme. Now Jon was in a precarious place, alone and far from Castle Black, surrounded by wildlings with a knife at his throat. And just then: the sound of a bugle in the distance.

What do you know? Stannis Baratheon had arrived to break up the party. Outnumbered, Mance was forced to surrender, and Stannis escorted Jon back to the Wall.

- That time he was outnumbered by wights

Saved by: Daenerys Targaryen and Drogon

The only plan more ill-advised than wandering north of the Wall unarmed to slay the King Beyond the Wall was wandering north of the Wall with only a dozen men to try to kidnap a wight. And yet that's what Jon did Sunday night. As expected, his crew ended up surrounded by the undead and desperate for an escape hatch.

Luckily, when the attack began, Jon had the presence of mind to send Gendry to the Wall and alert those at Dragonstone. Somehow, Gendry managed to sprint back and send a raven, then Daenerys had time to hop on Drogon and fly north and still have a few milliseconds to spare before the men were toast. Even though Jon didn't end up airborne with the rest of the survivors, Daenerys did beat back the wights enough to save Jon momentarily from the onslaught - until he fell through the ice and slipped beneath the water.

- That time he was hypothermic - but also outnumbered by wights

Saved by: Benjen Stark,

Jon managed to pull himself out of the freezing water, grab his sword Longclaw - which was conveniently waiting for him on the ice ledge - and start limp-jogging toward safety. He wasn't going to make it far, though, what with all the wights that had noticed him and were headed his way.

Just when it seemed hopeless, Jon's half-dead uncle and frequent Stark-kid savior Benjen appeared with a flaming ball and chain. He put Jon on his horse and sent them south to Eastwatch before going back into the fray where he most likely became at least one-third more dead.

- That time a White Walker singled him out

Saved by: Longclaw

Hardhome was a battle to remember. It was the first time Jon saw the Night King raise people from the dead, not to mention the first time he came face to face with a White Walker. Jon made yet another questionable decision that day - to double back to the town hall for a cache of Dragonglass despite an onslaught of wights - and almost immediately regretted it. Inside the building, he met a terrifying White Walker who seemed invincible. The first sword Jon picked up disintegrated the moment it made contact with the enemy.

Wounded, Jon managed to limp outside where he retrieved his Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw. When he swung it, both he and his opponent were shocked that it stayed intact when it struck the Walker's ice sword. Better yet, when it struck the undead man himself, the White Walker shattered into pieces.

- That time Ygritte shot him with three arrows

Saved by: The Night's Watch (and one fast horse)

When Jon's wildling girlfriend Ygritte found out he was still loyal to the Night's Watch, she was not pleased. Jon assumed his favorite plucky warrior was going to let him go back to Castle Black, anyway.

"I know you won't hurt me," he said, which she answered with her usual refrain: "You know nothing, Jon Snow."

The moment he turned to leave, Ygritte shot him in the back with an arrow. He was shocked for a moment before regaining his wits, which he was going to need since she was quickly reloading her bow. He managed to hop on his horse and start riding away but not before Ygritte tearfully landed a couple more shots. He was on the brink of death by the time his horse magically delivered him to the gates of Castle Black where the Night's Watch nursed him back to health between seasons.

- That time he led his army into a trap

Saved by: Sansa and the Knights of the Vale with the help of - hate to admit it - Littlefinger

For a king, Jon makes a lot of terrible decisions. One was taking Ramsay Bolton's bait during the Battle of the Bastards. After Ramsay made a show of murdering Rickon Stark, Jon lost his temper - even though Sansa had just warned him about Ramsay's treacherous mind games - and charged the Bolton army by himself. It didn't take long for his horse to get hit by arrows, leaving him standing alone in a field with an enemy army storming toward him. Luckily (for him, anyway) his army followed and caught up just in time. That was the first time he almost died that day.

Later, the Stark forces became trapped. On one side, they were hemmed in by a pile of bodies, while a horseshoe-shaped phalanx of Bolton men with shields and spears slowly closed in. During a chaotic stampede, Jon ended up suffocating under a pile bodies, both living and dead. He managed to claw his way out just in time to survey his stunning defeat. But just then - hey, what's that sound?

Why it's the Knights of the Vale, arriving just in time to turn the tides. Thanks, little sis!

- That time he was stabbed by his own men

Saved by: Melisandre with an assist from the Lord of Light

Ser Alliser Thorne, the man who once wanted to execute Jon Snow, eventually got his wish. He was part of a mutiny that rose up after Jon, as Lord Commander, allowed wildlings south of the Wall. After Thorne lured Jon outside, a parade of men (and one boy) took turns stabbing him and saying, "for the Watch." There was no mistaking the final image of the episode - unless you were desperately looking for some glimmer of hope. Jon, laying in a pool of blood with eyes wide open, was dead.

But he didn't stay dead long. Ser Davos asked Melisandre if she knew of any magic that might help bring Jon back to life. She was reluctant, having entirely screwed up her prophecies about Stannis Baratheon being the next king.

"Everything I believed, the great victory I saw in the flames, all of it was a lie," she said. Besides, she didn't have the gift to reanimate a corpse.

"Have you ever tried?" Ser Davos asked.

With that, she went to the room where Jon's lifeless body rested on a wooden table for a couple episodes and performed her ritual. It worked. With the snap of his eyelids and a giant gasp, the Lord Commander lurched back to life. You'd think his beyond-death experience would inspire him to take some extra precautions, but you'd be wrong. He can't seem to help himself.
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Montrose's Yucatan Taco Stand, 3407 Montrose, is reportedly closed.

Houston Press food editor, Gwendolyn Knapp snapped a photo of a sign posted to the restaurant's storfront that reads:

Yucatan Taco Stand Montrose regrets to inform you that we have officially closed our Montrose location. We have enjoyed being in this areas, and hope that you come and visit us out in the Woodlands when you are around. Thank you for your loyalty and we wish you the best.

The phone number for the Montrose location is down, and our request for comment via email and by phone were not immediately returned.

BIG-NAME CHEF HAPPENINGS: State of Grace's Ford Fry to debut Tex-Mex place Superica in the Heights

Yucatan Taco Stand's Montrose location replaced a Berryhill Baja Grill location, which closed in January 2015.

The Latin fusion restaurant serves some dishes that are typical of the Yucatan region of Mexico, along with some Tex-Mex offerings and an extensive, tequila-focused drinks menu. There are already Yucatan Taco Stand locations in The Woodlands, Fort Worth, Dallas and Oklahoma City.

Yucatan Taco Stand is a small chain launched by the late founder of Fuzzy's Tacos, Paul Willis.
New whiskeys, bourbon, gin and brandy made with near-extinct varieties of corn, rye, wheat, barley as well as regionally-grown fruit are coming to Houston by way of a new, Houston-born distilling company.

Morgan Weber, co-owner and beverage director of Agricole Hospitality (Revival Market, Coltivare, Eight Row Flint), has launched Indianola Distilling Company to create spirits that have agricultural significance thanks to distinct regional products. The new Houston-based company will work with farmers and agricultural experts to source unconventional grains to produce high-quality spirits. For example: Texas gourdseed, a variety of corn brought into the Galveston area in the mid-1800s, will be used to produce Hogshead Texas Bourbon; heirloom sorghum from a family farm in Yoakum will go into making Heirloom Sorghum Whiskey; and Texas grapes are the source of a brandy that will be distilled into Texas High Plains Gin.

Indianola spirits are currently under production at Gulf Coast Distillery in Houston and at Castle & Key Distillery in Millville, Ky. Weber has partnered with master distiller Dave Pickerell, formely of Maker's Mark, who will act as Indianola's master distiller. Each spirit made will use products that have geographical significance to a particular region.

Weber said he has been working on the project for several years. He said he was inspired by a trip to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky in 2013 when sourcing a barrel for Coltivare. "The first time I walked into a real distillery that was working on a product I truly respected, I thought to myself I have got to be able to do this one day," he said. "I didn't know how it was going to happen or where it was going to happen but I knew I had to do this."

The launch of Indianola Distilling Company comes at a time when Weber and his Agricole Hospitality partner, chef Ryan Pera, are preparing to open three new concepts in EaDo before the end of the year.

For Indianola, Weber has surrounded himself with experts in his project research, including Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills and David Shields of the University of South Carolina.

"The sheer amount of agricultural and historical knowledge between these two collectively is mind-blowing," said Weber. "They helped me identify and locate seed-stock/growers for the grains that would have been used decades and centuries ago before monocultures took over and genetic diversity was thrown out the window."

Small batches of nearly every spirit in the Indianola portfolio have already been produced and tested; some are still in research phase; some are already put up and resting. All the spirits made will be available at Agricole Hospitality concepts in early 2018. Other restaurants and retail stores in Houston and Austin will aslo be part of the early limited distribution.

Here are the spirits in production (notes on spirits from Indianola Distilling Company):

In Houston at Gulf Coast Distillery, Houston, Texas:

Hogshead Texas Bourbon

Grain: Texas Gourdseed

2017: Barrels laid down for aging

2021: Available for consumption

Indianola tracked down a variety of corn brought into the Galveston area by the Oglethorpe family in the mid-1800s. According to Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills: "Texas Gourdseed was the go-to masa corn for the Hispanic cultures in Central Texas, as well as Italian and Cajun moonshine/whiskey makers in East Texas. One of the most interesting things to note about Texas Gourdseed is that it was so good that even the pre-Columbian cultures in Texas adopted it. A cousin to the Carolina and Virginia Gourdseeds, the Texas variety grew extremely well in the climate of the Gulf Coast. It was extremely easy to mill, it hydrated beautifully, and was naturally very sweetall of these characteristics made it famous among local whiskey makers. To my knowledge, this is the first commercial growing of Texas Gourdseed that has existed in modern agriculture. We are very excited."

Texas Heirloom Sorghum Whiskey

Base: Anderle Family Sweet Sorghum

Release Date: Early 2018

Sweet Sorghum was popular as a distilled spirit in America until World War II, albeit mostly in moonshine communities across the South. The Anderle family in Yoakum, Texas has been making sorghum syrup from their family's heirloom variety of sorghum since the early 1900s. The distilled spirit, while more akin to a rum or aguardiente, must legally be called a whiskey (per the U.S. government), as rum can only be made from sugar cane.

Bright, grassy, and floral, Indianola's Heirloom Sorghum Whiskey is indeed one of the most interesting and unique offerings in the portfolio.

Texas High Plains Gin

Base: Texas grapes/brandy

Release Date: Early 2018

It would be relatively simple to approach Indianola's gin in a similar manner to which most craft gins are produced today: infusing grain neutral spirits with botanicals, re-distilling it and calling it a day. Instead, Weber wanted to start with a brandy made from Texas wine grapes from the High Plains as a base instead.

"Brandy makes an absolutely beautiful base spirit on which to build a fine gin," said Weber. "Gin is not an afterthought at Indianola. We want it to stand out as an exceptional spirit." To accomplish this, Weber worked with wine growers in the Texas High Plains to secure wine grapes suitable for distilling into brandy. Indianola gin is relatively simple beyond that. Six botanicals develop a clean gin that finds itself at home in a variety of settings; Martini's, Sours, or Gin & Tonics, Indianola Gin works perfectly in all.

Ivy Mountain Appalachian American Whiskey

Grain: Heirloom Appalachian Hickory Cane Corn, rye, malted barley and malted corn

Release Date: Early 2018 (limited supply)

In late 2016, Weber and Pickerell were fortunate to meet the Lovell family from Mount Airy, Georgia. Carlos Lovell produced his family's whiskey (third generation to do so) until an untimely illness forced him to step aside at age 87. Made from a mashbill of heirloom Hickory Cane corn, rye, malted barley and malted corn (an almost-extinct process specific to Appalachian whiskey-making traditions), Indianola was able to acquire the entirety of the Lovells' inventory. It is one of the most interesting American Whiskeys that Weber has tried. It is in extremely limited supply and will be released in allocations seasonally. Aged for six summers in American Oak, Indianola will be holding back reserves of this whiskey for longer-aged releases in the coming years.

Ivy Mountain Georgia Belle Peach Brandy

Base: 100% Georgia Belle Peaches

Release Date: Early 2018

Peach brandy is inarguably the first spirit produced in Colonial America. Texas, in addition to Georgia, produced massive quantities of peach brandy, with notable mentions in the Galveston Gazette Newspaper and Weatherford Harold in the late 1800s. In addition to the Appalachian Whiskey, Mr. Lovell in 2012 produced one batch of peach brandy made from North Georgia, "Georgia Belle" peachesin the style of French Calvados. Indianola worked with Speyside Cooperage to produce barrels specifically to highlight the nuance of the brandy. Hand-toasted and lightly charred, the first of this nine-barrel lot of America's native spirit will be released in early 2017.

Special Release: Peach Cask American Whiskey

Twice-yearly, Indianola will release a half-barrel of Ivy Mountain Whiskey, finished in the Georgia Belle Peach Brandy casks. To our knowledge this experimental cask finish has never been done.

Kentucky Bourbon Production at Castle & Key Distillery, Woodford County, Kentucky:

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Grain: Boone's County White

2021: Available for consumption

Weber's obsession with antique bourbon (bourbon produced during the period before Prohibition until the 1980s) led Indianola down the path of trying to recreate a style of bourbon that is missing from most of the modern industry. In 2014, after nearly forty years of abandonment, the original Old Taylor Distillery (built in the 1870s by the father of modern bourbon, Col. E.H. Taylor) was purchased for renovation by a passionate group of people determined to bring it back to its Old Taylor glory days.

Led by Kentucky's first female master distiller Marianne Barnes, Castle & Key was a natural fit for a partnership to produce Indianola's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Again working with farmers in Southern Kentucky, Indianola began by growing Col. Taylor's preferred white dent corn variety, Boone's County White, to produce a rye-flavored bourbon in the same style as his originala mashbill high in corn and malted barley, balanced with the spice of rye. Using Northern White Oak from Wisconsin, Speyside Cooperage again air-dries and hand-toasts all of Indianola's barrels before they are lightly charred. Filled barrels are then aged in Warehouse B, a legend among Kentucky rickhouses, designed and built by Taylor, and meticulously brought back to life by the Castle and Key team. This bourbon will be first-released on its fourth birthday in accordance with all of the Bottled-in-Bond stipulations that Col. Taylor worked so hard to put in place. A number of barrels will be held back annually for further aging.
The Texas Association of School Administrators announced Monday that six outstanding educators from across Texas have been chosen as finalists in the 2018 Texas Teacher of the Year Award.

United ISD's own Andrea Garza is a finalist for this award. Garza teaches 10th grade world history at United South High School and is the most recent recipient of both United ISD's Secondary Teacher of the Year and Region One District Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Garza has been an educator for the past 11 years.

"I believe in the power of education and the potential of every student," said Garza, who also serves as the social studies department chair. "Like many educators, I want to motivate. I want to impact and reach students in a way that encourages a love for lifelong learning.

"I want my students to appreciate the complexity of the human experience to develop a global perspective, to view difference with empathy and compassion, and to intrinsically strive for more knowledge. These skills are fundamental to becoming civic leaders and competent civic actors. These skills are necessary to change the world."

READ MORE: Records: Laredo-area schools with the most drug-related incidents

The finalists were chosen by a panel of judges composed of representatives of Texas Teacher Associations. Finalists were selected from 40 Texas Regional Teachers of the Year  one elementary and one secondary teacher from each of the 20 Texas Education Service Center regions was selected.

"Today we recognize six Texas educators who show true dedication to their students," said Johnny L. Veselka, executive director of the association, which has coordinated the Texas Teacher of the Year Program since 2011. "They represent the thousands of devoted educators across our state who inspire students to excel both in and beyond the classroom."

The six finalists will be invited to Austin in September for interviews before a panel of judges composed of representatives of educational leadership associations, community and business leaders, a member of the State Board for Educator Certification, a member of the State Board of Education and prior Texas Teachers of the Year.

The panel will select two state-level winners  Elementary Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year  and designate one to represent Texas in the National Teacher of the Year program. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony Sept. 15 at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, where the 40 Regional Teachers of the Year will also be recognized.

RELATED: Records: Nearly 1,000 students disciplined for fighting at Laredo-area schools

The Texas Teacher of the Year Program has honored excellence in classroom education since 1969. The program, facilitated by the Texas Association of School Administrators since 2011, annually recognizes and rewards teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching. To learn more more about this program, visit tasanet.org/texasTOY.

The Texas Association of School Administrators is the professional association for Texas school administrators, providing networking and professional learning opportunities, legislative advocacy and targeted communications to support the work of superintendents and other school leaders. The program's mission is to promote, provide and develop leaders who create and sustain student-centered schools and develop future-ready students.
ST. LOUIS  Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens on Tuesday halted the scheduled execution of condemned inmate Marcellus Williams after DNA testing raised questions about whether he actually killed.

Just hours before Williams was to be put to death, the Republican governor said in an email that he was issuing a stay of execution. Williams was convicted of fatally stabbing former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Lisha Gayle during a 1998 burglary at her suburban St. Louis home. Williams execution had been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The governors decision comes after Williams attorneys cited DNA evidence found on the murder weapon that matched another unknown person, but not Williams. But St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said there was ample other evidence to convict Williams, and that theres zero possibility hes innocent.

A sentence of death is the ultimate, permanent punishment, Greitens said in his statement. To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt.

Greitens said he will appoint a five-member board of inquiry made up of retired judges with subpoena power. The board will make a recommendation to the governor concerning whether the 48-year-old Williams should be executed. No timetable has been set.

Williams attorney, Kent Gipson, who had asked Greitens for clemency, said the stay of execution was the appropriate thing to do. He believes large-scale opposition to the execution was a factor in the governors decision.

The people have spoken, Gipson said. This online petition had a quarter of a million signatures. The case has generated a lot of outrage all over the country and the world.

Gipson also had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court over concerns raised by DNA testing of the knife conducted in December using techniques that were not available at the time of the killing. He also cited previous DNA testing of hairs from Gayles shirt and fingernails that also excluded Williams, and said footprints at the scene did not match Williams.

But McCulloch on Tuesday said the DNA tests were inconclusive and can neither include or exclude Williams as the killer.

He is the one who committed this murder, McCulloch said. He made his decision 20 years ago to stay in that house. He heard Lisha Gayle walk down the stairs, and all he had to do was leave. He didnt. And now he has to live with that decision  die with that decision.

Outside Greitens office in Jefferson City, execution protesters broke into a dance to celebrate the stay.

Zeke Johnson, senior director of programs at Amnesty International USA, said the Williams case is further evidence that the death penalty should be abolished.

No human being should pay the ultimate price for a cruel and inhumane system so capable of error, Johnson said.

Death penalty supporters say there is no evidence that an innocent person has ever been executed in the U.S. But the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago cites at least 39 executions carried out despite what it calls compelling evidence of innocence or serious doubt about guilt.

Jim Salter is an Associated Press writer.
Aug. 7

At 4:40 p.m., Officer Delgado was patrolling the 6000 block of IH 610 ESR in front of a white 2012 Chevy Silverado. Officer Delgado conducted a traffic stop for failure to display a front license plate on this vehicle. Officer Delgado made contact with the driver who provided his Texas Identification Card but was unable to provide any proof of financial responsibility. Officer Delgado conducted a computer inquiry on the TXID and the return showed the driver to possess a Texas Driver License. Through computer inquiry, the driver was shown to have a suspended Texas Driver License. The driver was placed in custody for driving while license invalid enhanced and transported to the Bellaire Police Department Jail for booking and processing.

Between 6:48 and 6:51 p.m., an unknown suspect(s) opened the unsecured passenger front door to the victim's Ford Expedition and stole the victim's purse while she was fueling her vehicle. The suspect vehicle fled the area and was last seen southbound in the 6000 block of IH 610 West Service Road.

At 5:01 p.m., Officers Lysack and Salinas responded to a suspicious vehicle call in the 4600 block of Mimosa St. Officers Lysack and Salinas located the suspect vehicle that was being followed by the reportee. Officer Lysack also observed the white GMC Envoy make an improper turn, as it failed to turn onto the far most left lane as it exited the U-Turn in the 7500 block of IH 610 West Service Road. Officer Salinas subsequently placed the driver in custody for driving while license invalid-enhanced.

At 9:47 p.m., Officers Lysack, Clawson, Delgado, and Sgt. Hefferin were dispatched to the 5100 block of Aspen Street in reference to a family disturbance. After further investigation, the Harris County District Attorney's Office declined charges against both parties. Both parties were separated for the night.

Aug. 8

At 11:10 a.m., Officer D, Rocha was dispatched to the 10 block of Prospect Place in reference to a burglary of habitation. Upon arrival about 11:16 a.m., Rocha met with the residents/victim who stated while he and his wife went out for the morning unknown suspect(s) forced entry through the back door.

At 11:45 a.m., Bellaire Police Officer H. Lopez was dispatched to 5 Azalea Trail in reference to a theft of miscellaneous jewelry and gifts.

At 3:57 p.m., Officer Younger initiated a traffic stop in the 4400 block of Bellaire Boulevard on a white 2008 Chevrolet Silverado for showing expired registration. Officer Younger identified the driver of the Silverado and found him to be driving while license suspended with previous convictions and no proof of financial responsibility. The suspect was placed into custody and transported to the Bellaire Jail to be processed.

At 7:44 p.m., Officer Lysack initiated a traffic stop in the 6700 block of I 610 West Service Road on a white Chrysler 300 for failing to signal multiple lane changes. Upon further investigation the suspect was placed into custody for driving while license invalid enhanced and for a warrant out of Bexar County for issuance of a bad check.

At 2:42 p.m., Officer Younger was dispatched to the 4600 block of Cedar Oaks Lane in regards to a burglary of habitation. Officer Younger arrived at approximately 1503 hours and made contact with the reportee who advised an unknown suspect made entry into the residence under construction.

At 3:05 p.m., Officer Delgado was dispatched to 4650 Bissonnet Street in reference to burglary of a motor vehicle. Upon arrival, Officer Delgado made contact with the victim who stated an unknown suspect(s) entered his vehicle through the unsecured driver side door and stole his wallet.

At 11:34 p.m., Officer Proctor was patrolling the 4500 block of Bissonnet Street E/B when he observed a red Mazda bearing a temporary license plate traveling in front of him. Officer Proctor noticed spelling errors printed on the temporary tag. Officer Proctor initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and the driver was unable to provide a Texas driver's license or any proof of financial responsibility or insurance. After further investigation, Officer Proctor determined the temporary tag was fictitious. At 12:02 a.m., Officer Proctor placed the driver into custody for displaying a fictitious or altered license plate and transported him to Bellaire Jail for Booking.

Aug. 9

At 12:22 p.m., officers were dispatched to Starbucks Coffee Shop at 6600 S. Rice in reference to a subject causing a disturbance. Upon arrival, the manager advised she had asked the subject to leave who then locked himself in the men's restroom. The manager unlocked the restroom where the officers made contact with the subject. Initially the subject refused to leave. Upon getting the subject outside, the suspect refused to provide his identifying information. Officers attempted to arrest the suspect for failure to identify. During the course of the arrest, the suspect resisted, attempting to pull away from officers and was handcuffed under force. The suspect was charged with resisting arrest.

Aug. 10

At 9:21 a.m., Officer D.Rocha conducted a traffic stop in the 5400 block of Bellaire Boulevard on a white Honda two door vehicle for unconfirmed insurance. The driver was identified by her Texas Identification number which she presented. The driver was subsequently found to have an invalid Texas driver's license. The driver was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while her Texas Driver's License was currently suspended.

At 10:29 a.m., Officer Trujillo was dispatched to the 5000 block of Jessamine Street in reference to a theft call. Upon the officers' arrival, he spoke to the victim who stated between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Aug. 9, an unknown person(s) took the victim's wallet from her purse. The victim stated her purse was located in the employee cubicle.

At 1:15 p.m., a Hispanic male suspect walked into a business at 5130 Bellaire Blvd., stole two beers, and walked past the last point of purchase. Officers located the suspect at the metro bus station and placed him under arrest.

At 2:42 p.m., Officer Younger was dispatched to the Bellaire Police Department to an identity theft.

At 6:29 p.m., Officer D. Clawson of the Bellaire Police Department was driving south in the area of 7400 IH 610 southbound and observed a suspect operating a motor vehicle in a public place while his Texas driver's license was actively suspended and without insurance. The defendant was subsequently arrested and charged with driving while license invalid, a class B misdemeanor.

Aug. 11

At 1:16 a.m., Officer Proctor was patrolling the 4700 block of Bellaire Blvd when he noticed a black Infinity traveling beside him with no front license plate. Officer Proctor initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and made contact with the driver. Officer Proctor detected the odor of Marijuana from inside the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, Officer Proctor located brass knuckles in the center console area. At 1:48 a.m., Proctor placed the driver into custody for possession of a prohibited weapon and transported him to Bellaire Jail for booking.

At 11:22 a.m., Officer Guerra was patrolling the 8200 block of IH 610 West Service Road and observed a vehicle with expired registration 06/2017. Officer Guerra conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and conducted an interview with the driver. During the interview, the driver was found to have a suspended driver's license and no proof of financial responsibility. The driver was taken into custody for driving while license invalid- enhanced and taken to the Bellaire Police Department for booking and processing.

At 3:20 p.m., Officer Carson was dispatched to 4903 Bissonnet St. in regards to a stolen bicycle. The victim of the stolen bicycle called Bellaire Police to report his stolen bicycle was online for sale at the Ez-Pawn shop. Officer Carson recovered the stolen bicycle from Ez-Pawn shop and returned to the owner.

At 7:22 p.m., Officer D. Clawson conducted a traffic stop on a maroon 2012 Nissan Altima for no front license plate in the 5200 block of Bellaire Blvd. During the traffic investigation it was determined the defendant was in possession of marijuana. The defendant was subsequently arrested and processed for the Harris County Misdemeanor Marijuana Diversion program.

Aug. 12

At 2:43 a.m., Officer C. Barber was dispatched to a motor vehicle crash in the moving lanes of the 7500 block of IH-610, south bound. Traffic was heavy due to vehicles being directed off the freeway by other officers due to a fatality crash on the freeway. The suspect had not wanted to wait in the line of traffic and tried to merge back into the traffic lane and struck another vehicle while doing so. The driver exhibited signs of intoxication. Standardized Field Sobriety Test's (SFST's) were conducted at the scene and the driver was arrested for suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).

At 4:24 a.m., Officer Leon Davis with the South Side Place Police Department arrived at the Bellaire Police Department with a suspect in a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) crash. The driver was driving west in the 4700 block of Fournace Place, departed the main lanes to the north and struck a speed limit sign. The driver then drove to the Chervron Headquarters parking lot, pulled in and parked. She was observed by two Chevron security officers. The driver exhibited signs of intoxication. Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST's) were conducted. The driver provided breath samples. The driver was charged with DWI.

At 6:52 a.m., Officer Clawson was flagged down by passersby stating there was a vehicle blocking a moving lane of traffic in the 7000 block of IH 610 South. Officer Andrade arrived on location and observed two males passed out behind the wheel. The driver was placed in custody for class b misdemeanor driving while intoxicated with an open alcoholic container and the passenger was placed in custody for class c misdemeanor public intoxication.

At 2:18 a.m., Bellaire Police Department was dispatched to a motor vehicle crash in the 7800 block of West Loop South. Upon arrival, Officer Carson was advised by on-duty supervisor Cpl. Porter a pick-up truck driving north in the south bound lanes struck an SUV head on. Cpl. Porter advised Officer Carson the night shift patrol officer was investigating the driver (lone occupant) of the pick-up truck for driving while intoxicated. Officer Carson also was informed the driver of the SUV (lone occupant) was deceased at the scene. After further investigation it was determined the driver of the pick-up truck was found to be impaired and arrested for second-degree felony of intoxication manslaughter.

Aug. 13

At 4:08 a.m., Officer Clisham initiated a traffic stop in the 4500 block of Teas for the offense of having a defective right headlight (headlight was not lit). After making contact with the driver and further investigation, Officer Clisham located approximately three grams of a green leafy substance in the vehicle. The driver was placed into custody and charged with possession of marijuana, a class b misdemeanor.

At 1:30 p.m., Officer Guerra was dispatched to the 4900 block of Bellaire Boulevard in reference to a theft which occurred between 9 a.m. Aug. 6 and 1 p.m. Aug. 13. The victim advised Officer Guerra his bicycle was stolen from his garage.

At 7:48 p.m., Officer Liccketto was dispatched to the 4500 block of Mayfair in reference to criminal mischief of a 2017 White BMW X1. Upon investigation the driver side window had been broken by an unknown object. There was no other damage to the vehicle.
Williams Tower opens new tenant amenity

Hines, the international real estate firm, and Invesco Real Estate, a global real estate investment manager, have announced a new tenant amenity which recently opened at Williams Tower, the 64-story office building owned by Invesco Real Estate in Uptown Houston.

The Fitness Center at Williams Tower, a members-only fitness facility serving the tenants of Williams Tower, opened in May and offers private and group personal training sessions, group exercise classes, complimentary fitness assessment for all new members, Wi-Fi access, spa-level locker room amenities, on-site certified personal trainers and an on-site licensed massage therapist.

The fitness and wellness program is Invesco Real Estate and Hines' first offering of a broader amenity program being launched to meet the evolving needs of today's tenants.

The Hines property management and engineering team managed the project, which was designed by Kirksey. Trophy Fitness, who now manages the fitness center and is on-site during the hours of operation, provided design consulting and equipment procurement. Harvey Construction served as the general contractor.

Williams Tower is a 1.5 million-square-foot, 64-story office building that was developed by Hines in 1982 and has been managed by Hines since. Designed by Philip Johnson/John Burgee, the tower's familiar silhouette on the Houston sky recalls the art deco style. Clad in silver gray reflective glass and anodized aluminum, the sleek tower is accented by columns of bay windows of non-reflective glass and podium setbacks on two lower floors and four higher levels. Williams Tower is leased to a number of world-class companies, including: Williams, Hines, Rowan Companies, Quanta Services, CBRE and Ryan LLC, among others.

Transactions

Steven S. Toeppich & Associates, a law firm serving the oil and gas industry, has leased 24,076 square feet in Total Plaza, 1201 Louisiana. Anthony Squillante and Josh Morrow with Stream Realty Partners represented the tenant. Jon Dutton and Clint Bawcom with Brookfield represented the landlord, Brookfield. The firm will relocate to downtown from 2777 Allen Parkway in American General Center.

Names in the news

Z Resorts Management has appointed Ian Bush as general manager for Hotel ZaZa Memorial City, a 159-room hotel scheduled to open in December.

Jason Fuller has been promoted to vice president of the Houston region at Manhattan Construction Co.

Michael Shaw has joined Jackson Walker as a partner. His practice is focused on real estate, finance and energy matters.

Rayanne F. Darensbourg has been named chief operating officer of The Neuhaus Education Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting reading success.

Read Hammond has joined AmTrust Title Insurance Co. as senior vice president/southwest regional manager.

Chris Taylor has joined TNT Crane & Rigging as vice president of finance focused on acquisitions, capital expenditures and information technology.

John Baguley has been appointed chief operating officer of LNG Limited. Baguley will oversee the company's Magnolia LNG and Bear Head LNG projects.

Micah Hirschfield has joined LNG Limited as senior manager, communications and investor relations.

Hazem Ahmed, executive vice president at Integrity Bank, has been elected chairman of leadership division the Independent Bankers Association of Texas.

Michael J. Guthrie has joined Blank Rome as an associate in the intellectual property and technology group.

Adrian Patterson, a partner at Andrews Kurth Kenyon, has been reappointed to the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System Board of Trustees for a three-year term.

Tina Nguyen, new owner of full-service strategic marketing agency Keystone Resources, has been hired to craft and execute a new strategy for the business, which will offer new services such as a print division.
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More than 100 law enforcement officers gathered from across Texas to walk Kevin Will from his house to Willow Creek Elementary School in Tomball ISD Tuesday where he would start his first of kindergarten. Joe Gamaldi, second vice president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, said he and his fellow officers wanted Will to know his blue family would be there for him after his Will's father, Kevin Will, a Houston police officer, was killed in 2011 while on duty.

"There wasn't a dry eye in the house," Gamaldi said. "The first day of kindergarten is a very special day."
The Army has suspended its search for five soldiers missing since their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the ocean off Hawaii last week.

After five days, "operations have now shifted to recovery and salvage efforts," Army officials said in a news release issued Monday. The missing were identified as:
The question of whether Robert Menendez will remain one of the most powerful Democrats in the U.S. Senate or go to prison could turn on whether favors he did for a large donor are deemed "official acts."

The trial, set to start Sept. 6, is expected to feature dry discussions about Medicare reimbursement policy as well as tawdry testimony about how Salomon Melgen, a married Florida eye doctor, sought visas for girlfriends from Brazil, Ukraine and the Dominican Republic. Melgen is accused of bribing Menendez for his help with the visas and other government disputes.

Prosecutors say Menendez, a U.S. senator from New Jersey since 2006, engaged in "official acts" to help Melgen. Defense lawyers say Menendez's phone calls and meetings on Melgen's behalf were not official acts -- but rather a longtime friend helping another out.

The U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the definition of official acts last year when it set aside the conviction of former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell. The high court ruled that prosecutors must prove how a public official engaged in a corrupt "quid pro quo," saying they must take specific acts in exchange for things of value.

"It's harder today for the government to prove what constitutes an official act," said Adam Lurie, a former federal prosecutor. "They have to prove that what the senator did is something he actually had control over. The McDonnell case has really muddied the water."

Jury selection began with written questionnaires in June, and the final phase is scheduled to begin Tuesday with lawyers interviewing potential panelists in Newark, New Jersey. Once the trial gets underway, it is expected to last about two months.

"I'm looking forward to picking a good jury," Menendez said as he walked into the courthouse. "As I've said all along, I expect to be exonerated."

Court security officers barred entry to the courtroom for almost two hours on Tuesday morning while Menendez and lawyers on the case were inside. When Menendez departed, lawyers said he was arraigned on a revised indictment and pleaded not guilty. Lawyers said that other procedural matters were discussed.

No explanation was provided on why U.S. District Judge William Walls sealed the courtroom. Arraignments are nearly always public proceedings. A group of potential jurors were brought to the courtroom for questioning by the lawyers. A handful of reporters were allowed into the courtroom. Court officials said there wasn't enough room for others.

Prosecutors say Melgen gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to support Menendez, as well as trips on private jets and a three-night stay at a Paris hotel valued at $4,934. They allege Menendez received a "stream of benefits" and acted on behalf of Melgen "as opportunities arose," including in a Medicare overbilling dispute, a contract standoff with the Dominican Republic, and visa applications for the girlfriends.

Menendez and Melgen are charged with conspiracy, bribery, honest-services fraud and violating the Travel Act, which prohibits foreign travel for the purpose of committing crimes. Menendez is also accused of making false statements by failing to disclose Melgen's gifts on ethics forms.

The outcome could have important implications for the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Republicans hold a narrow 52-seat majority, with Democrats controlling 46 seats and counting on two independents who caucus with them.

If Menendez is convicted and resigns, appointing a replacement falls to the New Jersey governor. Republican Chris Christie leaves office on Jan. 16, and a Democrat is strongly favored in the race to succeed him.

"The big thing is whether this would play out sooner than that, giving Republicans one more seat with which to work," says Bruce Oppenheimer, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University.

In all likelihood, Menendez's seat will remain in Democratic hands. If he's convicted, two-thirds of the Senate would still have to vote to expel him. That would require at least a dozen Democrats to vote for his ouster -- a remote possibility in the divided Senate. If Menendez were to resign, he could also try to delay it until a Democrat takes office.

In the governor's race, Democrat Philip Murphy is leading Republican Kim Guadagno by 54 percent to 33 percent, according to an NBC 4 New York/Marist Poll last month.

If the Republicans manage to replace Menendez, it could have a profound impact on possible votes over the tax code and infrastructure. Senate Republicans are still stinging from their failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, when three of their members sided with Democrats.

The Menendez case has already spawned legal skirmishes, including accusations that the Justice Department engaged in prosecutorial misconduct. FBI agents interviewed more than 200 witnesses, including three girlfriends of Menendez and three of Melgen. U.S. District Judge William Walls ruled that prosecutors and agents acted properly.

Walls hasn't ruled on whether Menendez's actions constituted official acts and may leave that question to the jury. Defense lawyers say Menendez didn't engage in a "formal exercise of governmental power" as defined by the Supreme Court.

"Simply meeting with Executive Branch officials to inquire about an issue or advocate that they do something, or working with his staff to prepare for such meetings would not qualify as an 'official act,'" the lawyers wrote in an Aug. 2 filing.

But prosecutors said the Supreme Court requires them to pass a two-step test: showing that a cause or controversy comes before a public official who then engages in an action or decision.

"Under the defendants' flawed interpretation of 'official act,' a member of Congress can never be prosecuted for bribery if he accepts things of value in exchange for pressuring executive branch officials," prosecutors wrote.

After his 2015 indictment, Menendez said that he and Melgen had been friends for decades and never made a corrupt agreement to break the law.

"We celebrate holidays together, have been there for family weddings and funerals, and have given each other birthday, holiday and wedding presents - just as friends do," Menendez told reporters.

Melgen was convicted in April of Medicare fraud in a separate trial in Florida and is awaiting sentencing. One key question for the upcoming trial is whether Melgen will plead guilty and testify against Menendez in a bid for leniency.

---

Voreacos reports from federal court in Newark, New Jersey; Weinberg is based in New York.
Willis Independent School District parents  upset over new bus routes and pick-up/drop-off locations  are urging the district to abandon the changes.

While the district says it is listening to parent safety concerns and open to some compromise, it has no plans of making major switches now that the school year has started. Parents are complaining about the distance children must walk to catch the bus; that the students much walk in the pitch dark; and that the roads the children are walking to catch or awaiting the bus are too dangerous.

"I don't think that is acceptable when you have parents who work two jobs, have one car, can't get to the bus stop and kids walking one or two miles," said Willis ISD parent Holly Dorris, who created a Willis ISD Transportation Transformation Facebook page Friday. "It's not about my son; it's about everybody."

However, as of Saturday night, Willis ISD Communications Director Jamie Fails provided an update from Superintendent Tim Harkrider and Transportation Director James Ringo.

"They are with people and have made some changes to add a stop where there wasn't and are working with people to shorten some distances," she said.

Willis ISD does not currently have a policy for bus stop walking distances. In 2011, Conroe ISD approved distances for students by age group with 600 feet for pre-K through fourth grade and fifth to sixth grade; 1200 feet for seventh and eighth grade; and 2400 feet for ninth through 12th grade. State law does not specify school bus stop to walk distances.

As of Friday, nearly 400 people had joined the Facebook page created by Dorris, who lives on Ike White Road, to protest the changes with safety concerns, including dangerous intersections, animals, sex predators and student health.

About 40-50 percent of the stops for about 5,000 students the district transports were cut this year, including Point Aquarius that dropped from 35 to 14 stops, according to an estimate by Superintendent Tim Harkrider.

The school district, which started school Thursday, sent a letter in May notifying parents of the changes that would start this school year. The change follows a 15-minute later start and end time for secondary campuses, which was passed by school board members under the District of Innovation waiver option passed by the board last school year.

Harkrider told The Courier the change was prompted by feedback over the years regarding adjusting the secondary campus start time. He partnered with Transportation Department Director James Ringo whose team conducted a months-long audit, ran the routes, and evaluated the stops with consideration to the time change and a rule of thumb keeping walking distances to about two-tenths of a mile in most cases. Other factors considered in the change included student safety, a need for bus drivers, road conditions, route lengths, number of stops, according to Willis ISD Communications Director Jamie Fails.

"Student safety obviously is our number one priority and it will continue to be," Harkrider said. "Now that doesn't mean everyone will agree with where our stop is. But in our mind we are doing it in the best interest and safety of all students."

The district is keeping a record of parent concerns, which will be evaluated over the next few weeks of school and have already made some tweaks to some stops, he said.

"Our routes, as far as how they are set and major routes, they are set," Harkrider said last week. "But there may be stops and adjustments on where those particular stops are ..."

Willis ISD parent John Gay said Friday afternoon that a car nearly crashed into a school bus at the FM 1484 and Ike White Road stop Thursday, the new stop where he believes a child could have been hit. He said the eight students' parents drove their children to school due to safety concerns related to the traffic at the intersection.

"Safety of kids is not what they are thinking about," Gay said. "They do not care about the safety of our children."

Fails confirmed Friday the district has received more feedback from parents and bus drivers on the routes and school officials are listening to concern, and still evaluating. She added the district is looking to hire several additional drivers. But no major route changes are anticipated.

Harkrider has reached out to Precinct 1 Commission Mike Meador to assist the district with signage and bus stops on county roads. Meador confirmed Friday he was in communication with the district.

"I am aware of the change in the bus route policy," he said. "I think it may have to do with them not having enough bus drivers. ... We will do all we can to help, in some cases we can and some cases we can't. Signage at the bus stop we can have the next day; that will happen very quickly, but bus stops and parent parking is a bigger and different issue (due to right of way space)."

View bus stops for your address at the following web address: http://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=WI4HJJ9ADC5. For more information visit willisisd.org.
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Does a cold slab of ice cream sandwiched between two warm, gooey cookies sound good?

If it does, an event this week in San Antonio will hit the spot. Tiff's Treats, a cookie-delivery company, is hosting a block party on the Northwest Side.

"The summer is winding down, but we are still partying," reads the cookie shop's Facebook event.

RELATED: Texas woman wanted in Girl Scout cash and cookie caper

To receive a Tiffwich, the ice cream sandwich, attendees must be in line by 8:30 p.m. and no advance orders will be allowed. Chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, peanut butter and M&M cookies will be available to choose from.

The event will be held at 11745 IH-10 West #140, San Antonio, TX 78230 at 6:30 p.m.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
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SAN ANTONIO  A major collision on Texas 16 between Bexar and Medina counties shut down the roadway for at least two hours as authorities investigated the incident.

Bandera County Sheriffs Office posted an alert on social media at about 2 p.m. saying there was a serious collision on Texas 16 South between Timbercreek Road and Park Road 37 in Medina County.
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A San Antonio police officer did in fact hit a 14-year-old girl with either his hand or fist after the minor allegedly did the same, according to a report released Monday by the city of San Antonio.

Officer Gary Tulis supervisor found he was justified in using force against the girl, who the San Antonio Express-News is not identifying because she is minor who has not been convicted of a crime.

A brief video of the altercation, which happened late in the evening May 20 in the parking lot of the Crown Palace Event Center on the Northeast Side, went viral on the Internet, capturing the attention of some national media outlets.

The 39-second video is blurry, unsteady and shot from a distance at night, which led some to speculate if the officer did in fact hit the girl.

After the altercation, the Express-News requested, under the state open records law, the use-of-force report, body camera footage and dashcam video of the incident. The city forwarded the request to the Texas Attorney Generals Office, arguing that the information was exempt from the states public records law because it was a confidential law enforcement record that depicted a minor.

The Attorney Generals Office ruled that the use-of-force report was an administrative record, therefore it had to be released. It said the bodycam and dashcam videos may not be publicly disclosed.

In the video shot by a bystander, one officer can be seen talking to two men in the parking lot. As the camera pans to the left, an officer lunges toward the girl, her head whips around and she falls backward.

More officers jump in and for nine seconds, they attempt to restrain the girl, grabbing at her from behind as the whole group stumbles across the pavement. They eventually move behind a vehicle, out of view.

The girls mother, in a white dress, can be seen trying to get to her daughter and pleading with officers to stop while she is also restrained.

No! No! No! No! she cries, as officers hold her arms from behind. Let her go!

According to the report, the officer used de-escalation techniques and verbally tried to stop the girl before using force, which included hands, arm, a fist or a punch.

The girl did not sustain any injuries during the altercation, according to the report, though her lawyer indicated she did. The officer had a bruise or abrasion afterward, the report states.

After the video surfaced online, drawing ire from local activists, Police Chief William McManus and former Mayor Ivy Taylor issued statements ensuring the public that an investigation was being conducted.

According to the report, a police supervisor went to the Crown Palace Event Center parking lot after the altercation. Based on a review of use of force procedures, the supervisor found that Tuli didnt break department policies or need additional training. The report was also signed by a director.

The departments policy states that an officer can use physical force or an intermediate weapon if a suspect is actively being resistant. It goes on: If circumstances allow, officers should attempt to de-escalate tense situations through advisements, warnings, verbal persuasion, and other tactics to reduce the need for force.

Romana Lopez, a police spokeswoman, said on Monday that the department had no further comment about why the officers actions were justified.

After the incident, the girl was arrested and police said they intended to charge her with assaulting a public servant, a third-degree felony. She remained in the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center for a day and a half before she was released by a judge because she didnt have a history of violence.

On Monday, Karen Corby, one of the girls lawyers, said that to her knowledge, the Bexar County District Attorneys Office hadnt formally filed charges against the girl. She was not sure if the office intended to.

A spokeswoman for the District Attorneys office said the case has been turned over to the office and is currently under review.

eeaton@express-news.net
Law enforcement agencies across the country will soon be searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a child in San Marcos.

Jesus "Jesse" Delgado, 56, is expected to be added to the U.S. Marshal's Service Most Wanted List. No information about his alleged crime, aside from the charge, was immediately available.
A federal court temporarily blocked Houston from enforcing its fledgling ban on public encampments Tuesday, dealing a blow to city efforts to minimize homeless camps that have drawn residents' ire in recent months.

The three-month-old law outlaws the unauthorized use of temporary structures for "human habitation" and empowers police officers to arrest violators if a series of diversion tactics prove unsuccessful.

Enforcing that prohibition could, U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt wrote, violate the homeless plaintiffs' Eighth Amendment right to avoid cruel and unusual punishment.

"The plaintiffs have demonstrated that they are subject to a credible threat of being

arrested, booked, prosecuted and jailed for violating the city of Houston's ban on sheltering in

public," Hoyt said. "The evidence is conclusive that they are involuntarily in public, harmlessly attempting to shelter themselves  an act they cannot realistically forgo, and that is integral to their status as unsheltered homeless individuals."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, which is representing the homeless plaintiffs, welcomed Hoyt's temporary restraining order.

"We're delighted the court recognized that homelessness is not and should not be a crime," Trisha Trigilio, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement. "Seeking shelter is not only a right; it's also a fundamental human necessity. We call on the city to stop enforcing ordinances that criminalize such a basic human need and seek more compassionate and effective methods for solving Houston's homelessness problem."

Mayor Sylvester Turner called the order disappointing.

"The intent of the ordinance is to take our most vulnerable Houstonians from the streets and place them in permanent supportive housing," he said in a statement. "It is our hope that the court will ultimately conclude that the city of Houston has the right to manage public space by regulating what can be erected there, especially when items impede on the space and pose risks."
AUSTIN -- Angela Paxton is known for singing political jingles at campaign events for her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, but now she's thinking she wants to be the candidate, sources close to her say.

Angela Paxton, wife of the high-ranking tea party Republican, is considering a run for state Senate District 8, which is now held by outgoing Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano. Taylor plans to vacate that seat and run for Congress.

It's the same Senate seat her husband was elected to in 2012 before advancing during the next election cycle to the attorney general's office in 2014.

Angela Paxton, a guidance counselor at Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco, grabbed attention in 2015 with a song she wrote and performed that included the line, "I'm a pistol packin' momma and my husband sues Obama."

Jordan Berry, a campaign strategist and close friend of the Paxtons, confirmed her interest in running, but said she has not announced her candidacy. He said he has not been hired onto any potential campaign for her, but said she was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Phillip Huffines, a Highland Park businessman and chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party, has said he'll run for the open seat, although he will have to move into Collin County. He, too, has family serving in state government -- his brother is Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas.

Angela Paxton is considered one of her husband's closest political advisers, shares his conservative values and is involved in Republican circles.

Ken Paxton is also expected to be on the ballot in 2018 in an expected bid for re-election to the attorney general's office. He is currently under indictment for securities fraud and is expected to face trial in December.

Andrea Zelinski covers politics and education for the Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Send her tips at andrea.zelinski@chron.com.
By and large, efforts championed by Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to undercut local governments failed. For this  and for the demise of that hideous transgender bathroom bill  Texans can thank Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio and his House colleagues.

It could have been worse. We know; thats faint praise. But weve come to recognize this is the best that can be expected from the Texas Legislature. In other words, when measures fail these days, this is good news for Texans, who can reasonably wonder why some bills were created in the first place.

The bathroom bill falls squarely into this category. It made the state a target of derision for its intolerance. It unnecessarily threatened the states tourism industry and the very effort still tarnishes its attractiveness for companies looking to relocate. Mandating which bathrooms transgender Texans can use took up way too much valuable time and energy in both the regular and special session. Sad, not only because it targeted an already marginalized population, it was a solution in search of a problem.

Legislators approved more abortion restrictions for a state already highly restrictive on this issue. There is a bill that requires women to pay a separate premium for health plans that cover non-emergency abortions. We wonder how the men in the Legislature would feel if the same were true of vasectomies and other male reproductive medical matters.

The Legislature also passed more reporting requirements for abortion providers  clearly a means to overburden, deter and harass these medical professionals.

While local control remained mostly intact during this special session, the Legislature approved a measure that allows residents to vote on whether their unincorporated areas could be annexed by cities. On the surface, this sounds fair, but the reality is that these residents use city services across a wide range without having to pay the freight. Nonetheless, this bill comes under the couldve-been-worse category because the Legislature created five-mile buffers around military bases. Urban encroachment on bases could lead to closures if there is a next round for a base closure commission.

The Legislature approved a watered-down limit on local tree ordinances  in the end, this law allows property owners to plant new trees to offset tree-removal fees.

But Texans dodged a number of bullets.

The Senate and House failed to agree on a threshold for when a local jurisdictions revenue increases would trigger an election  the Senate wanting 4 percent over the previous years revenue, the House 6 percent. No compromise was reached and this measure deservedly died. Caps on local government spending also died.

The ordinances of local jurisdictions with stiffer laws than the states on texting while driving are still intact. And the Legislature thankfully failed to approve a measure that would have prohibited local governments from contracting with Planned Parenthood, part of the states continuing campaign to drive the provider of health care for low-income women from Texas.

Also dying was a nasty bit of favoritism  a bill that would have prohibited local school districts from deducting union dues from paychecks if employee request that, while sparing police and firefighter unions. Guess which labor organizations have more clout at the Legislature?

But speaking of school districts, the Legislature agreed on a measure that provides some extra funding, but well short of the $1.5 billion favored by the House. Importantly, however, the Legislature also approved creation of a commission to come up with a permanent solution to the continuing problem of underfunded public schools.

We note that this come after decades of court challenges, broad and longstanding understanding that students in low-property wealth districts are particularly harmed, and a state Supreme Court ruling that upheld state funding as constitutional but nonetheless faulted the state for insufficient funding.

Speaker Straus and the House are the heroes in the drama that was this special session. The problem was that much of this was needless drama, as with the bathroom bill.

It could have been much worse  and well settle for that.
A federal appeals court on Monday reinstated a San Francisco lawsuit by environmental groups challenging the construction of a relocated U.S. Marine Corps air base on the Japanese island of Okinawa, a controversy that has been brewing for more than two decades.

The suit says construction would threaten one of the few remaining populations of dugong, an endangered marine mammal important to the culture of Okinawa. It was filed in 2003 by the Center for Biological Diversity, international and Japanese environmental groups and three Japanese citizens.

Acting under court order after extensive litigation, the Defense Department declared in 2014 that the base, relocated from a populous city to an area near the dugongs habitat, would not harm the creature. Opponents challenge to that finding were dismissed by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen, who said the construction was a political decision by the executive branch of government, affecting U.S. relations with Japan, that was beyond courts authority to review.

But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Monday that Congress had also made a decision  passing the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, requiring governmental review and public input on projects with historic and cultural impact  that courts can enforce at home and abroad.

Enforcing that law does not intrude on foreign policy judgment, Judge Mary Murguia said in a 3-0 ruling that returns the case to Chen for consideration of the governments compliance with the law. Judicial scrutiny to enforce the obligations of binding domestic law is unlikely to alter or damage our nations long-standing bond with Japan.

Murguia cautioned that, even if the Defense Department has violated the law, national security interests of the government are likely to outweigh environmental concerns and allow construction to continue unimpeded. But at this point, she said, establishing the possibility of an injunction against the project expresses respect for Congress rather than a lack of respect for the executive branch.

Martin Wagner, a lawyer for the environmental groups, said the court was fulfilling the laws purpose to ensure that the government doesnt take shortcuts that would risk the survival of an endangered species that is of great cultural importance to the Japanese people. Even if the new base is built, he said, the Defense Department could impose restrictions to protect the dugong, which is similar to Floridas manatee.

The existing Marine base, in the city of Ginowan, has been a target of protests for many decades, particularly after the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. servicemen, who pleaded guilty in a Japanese court. U.S. and Japanese government officials agreed in 1996 to relocate the base to the northern fishing village of Henoko, but the project has been slowed by legal and political objections to the remaining presence of a base anywhere on Japans southernmost island.

While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe favors keeping a Marine base on Okinawa, the islands government filed its own lawsuit last month, accusing Abes government of violating Japans environmental laws.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
Gavin Mitchell of Mitchell Meats, Drumlish, was celebrating recently, after being named winner of the Northern Region in the National Sausage and Pudding Competition hosted by the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland.

Gavin Mitchell of Mitchell Meats, Drumlish, was celebrating recently, after being named winner of the Northern Region in the National Sausage and Pudding Competition hosted by the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland.

A native of Gortletteragh, Co Leitrim, Gavin entered the competition for the first time last year, when he was crowned runner up in the same category.

Delighted to have made it to the final, which will take place next month in the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, Gavin worked on last years recipe to produce the winning product. Stating that the sausages have proven to be a hit with customers, Gavin added that they are particularly popular in breakfast rolls, which are made at the shops Deli counter, which was added after renovations earlier this year.

Revealing that he had topped the competition by four points, Gavin said, Everything is fresh, its Irish, thats what theyre looking for in this game.

Gavin also reveals that the pork is sourced from Green Pasture Meats, located just up the road from his own shop, while beef is supplied from Gavins farm, ensuring total traceability.
As over 500 Longford Leaving Certificate students mull over their CAO offers, they can take heart that the majority of third level students are now highly optimistic about their future job prospects.

A new survey, commissioned by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), has examined the attitudes and concerns of 474 third level students and 539 parents of college-going students.

75% of students expect to find work in Ireland when they finish third level, compared with just 39% in 2011 at the height of the economic recession.

Less than a third of students (30%) expect to have to emigrate to find work, compared with a huge 75% in 2011. 10% of students now say they will actively look for a job overseas  down significantly from 32% six years ago. Over two thirds of students (65%) say they are looking forward to a bright future in Ireland  compared with just 21% in 2011.

In 2011, two thirds of students (64%) said their biggest concern was not finding a job  that figure has dropped considerably with just over one third (35%) now reporting this to be their biggest worry.

While confidence levels have improved hugely and the outlook in 2017 is largely optimistic, the attitude towards college-related finance and money issues has remained broadly the same.

Students continue to struggle to cope with the pressure of third level costs - with two thirds (66%) saying financial worries are negatively impacting their overall college experience in 2017.

This is almost on a par with 67% at the height of the recession in 2011. Almost six in ten students (59%) say that finance and debt is their biggest concern in 2017, a fall of just 9% on 2011 figures (68%).

There has been a notable increase in the numbers saying they have to work throughout the college term to help make ends meet. Two thirds (66%) now say they are working compared with 55% in 2011.

Students are also working longer hours in 2017  reporting an average of 21 hours a week for a weekly wage of 231, compared with 14.5 hours per week for a wage of 145 in 2011. Almost a quarter of students who work in 2017 say they are skipping lectures to do so (22%).

Accommodation is a source of major concern for students in 2017 with rental costs the main obstacle in finding somewhere suitable to live. Four in ten had not yet sourced accommodation at the time of the survey (July 2017).

Of these, 68% said they were worried that they may not be able to find accommodation for the coming college year. Over half of the same group (54%) said it was because accommodation was too expensive, while well over a quarter (29%) said it was because they were unable to find anything suitable

Of all students surveyed, nine in ten view rental costs as being extremely or very high. 58% plan on living at home for the approaching college term in 2017, rising to 66% for the 2018 college term.

The survey found that parents are also more optimistic about the prospects of employment for their children after college. In 2011, 41% of parents said their child finding a job was this was their biggest worry, this figure has almost halved to 20% in 2017.

However, on a less positive note, the numbers saying that money issues are their biggest worry has risen considerably. In 2011, 25% of parents reported this to be their greatest college-related concern, now one third of parents (33%) say it is their biggest worry.

It comes in well ahead of worrying about misuse of drugs and alcohol (15%) and their children passing exams (14%).Previous increases in college registration fees (to a maximum rate of 3,000) could be one of the reasons why money is now the biggest worry for third level parents.

Indeed, when asked about the effect of the increased registration fees, 75% said family budgets had been adversely impacted by this. Almost eight in ten parents surveyed in 2017 (79%) said they will struggle to cover the cost of their childs third level education.

Parents are also finding accommodation a significant worry with 56% saying they are particularly stressed about rental costs. Just 9% believe there is an adequate supply of rental accommodation for students.

The numbers of parents supporting their children with college related costs has increased slightly since 2011 with 92% now saying they financially support their children through third level, up from 90%.

More parents are now in a position to help finance third level costs through their savings and monthly income than in 2011. The most common method of funding third level is now savings (43%) up from 38% in 2011. 42% of parents are using their monthly income, up from 39% in 2011.

Commenting on the findings, ILCU Head of Marketing and Communications Emmet Oliver said: Its very heartening to see such optimism for the future amongst our younger generations. It remains clear however that the day-to-day reality of coping with the cost of third level is putting a significant strain on students with such large numbers reporting that it negatively impacts their college experience and with many having to work and skip lectures to help make ends meet.

We would encourage all students, and their parents, who may need financial support for third level, or who simply need some advice with finance, to seek assistance. We would like to reassure them that they are always welcome to contact their local credit union to avail of guidance with budgeting and personal finance. Credit unions also offer some of the most competitive student and education loans on the market.

You may also be interested in reading:

Longford students ready for college as CAO points drop for more than half of courses

Enrolment now open for Repeat Leaving Cert in Mullingar
Spirit Clothing, Dublin Street, Longford are delighted to announce the completion of their newly extended suit department at their Longford branch on Dublin street.

Established over 20 years now, Spirit Clothing have become one of Ireland's top menswear stores.

Starting from humble beginnings the store has become a one stop shop for all men's clothing needs. Originally Spirit Clothing was established to cater for the younger men they now can cater for all age groups in all style categories and are stockists for the most sought after brands while still offering really good value and exceptional customer service.

Over the last few years Spirit Clothing's suit department has developed by offering their loyal customers the complete one stop shop for any occasion from graduations to black tie events but the most exciting part of the last few years has been the growth in the wedding business.

Peter Dolan explained: "men getting married these days are now deciding to actually buy their suits rather than just hire them out".

In fact, he explained how with certain deals such as their "groom goes free" campaign, it could work out cheaper to buy rather than just hire a suit. But if you want to hire, Spirit have started a complete hire service with a mix & match service and unbeatable deals.

Spirit Clothing are delighted to extend their long relationship with the clothing brand Benetti, an Irish designed menswear clothing brand now grown to be a desired product supplying a fully comprehensive collection, with a primary focus on a fashion forward range of tailoring, casual menswear, footwear and accessories.

Benetti have worked closely with the guys in Spirit for the past six months, making sure the new suit department will be leaving nothing to chance.

One of the main features of spirit clothing's new suit department is their new wedding fitting room. This luxurious area with natural stone walls and exposed wooden ceiling is the perfect environment for a wedding party or any group to try on suits for their big day.

Spirit offer professional and knowledgeable staff members for fittings with an alteration service in store.

Spirit Clothing has always been very proud of Longford and are very proud of their association with the many different charitable and sporting organisations they have worked with over the past 20 years.

Peter & Joe feel very lucky to have served the people of Longford and surrounding counties for the past 20 years and look forward to the next 20 years with a new look store that Longford can be proud of.

Spirit Clothing - Stockists of Superdry, Jack Jones, 11 Degrees, Sik Silk, 6th Sense, Benetti, Gibson, Enzo Jeans, Eto Jeans, Vans and many more.
A newly released documentary has claimed General Sean MacEoin may have been involved in attempting to cover up the alleged murder of a Leitrim doctor over 100 years ago.

The story revolves around the part played by Fr Edward Ryans, a curate from Mohill, in the shooting dead of Dr Paddy Muldoon in March 1923.

Dr Muldoon was killed as he walked with a friend, Edward Geelan, a month after Fr Ryans had been arrested with his housekeeper on a charge of abandoning a baby on the doorstep of a house in Dublin's north inner city.

The documentary, dubbed 'An Unholy Trinity', suggests the young doctor may have been killed over his knowledge of the suspected involvement of Fr Ryans in the birth and subsequent abandonment of the child.

The subsequent investigation into the murder of Dr Muldoon was led by General MacEoin.

"An initial army report by General Mac Eoin puts Fr Ryans right in the frame," programme maker Tim Desmond says.

On a number of occasions, the documentary tells of several exchanges the pair had as Fr Ryans awaited trial for the abandonment charge.

Fr Ryans was not convicted but spent the remainder of 1923 in custody.

No charges were ever brought against Fr Ryans for the murder of Dr Muldoon either despite a later IRA intelligence report accusing Fr Ryans of both charges .

"There was a feeling that this individual had done bad things, but rather than prosecute him, there was an agreement that he would go away," Desmond says.

There were claims too of a suspected cover up on behalf of the Church with then Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Joseph Hoare telling Minister for Home Affairs Kevin O'Higgins not to "disgrace the Catholic religion" by vowing to "deal with him (Fr Ryans)" personally.

As it transpired, Fr Ryans emigrated to America in October 1925, spending time in both the US and UK where he later died in 1964.

The purported involvement of the Ballinalee War of Independence hero in the broader Fr Ryans saga is one which is likely to spark plenty of intrigue locally.

"Evidence suggests that General MacEoin was acting at least, in part, on higher instructions," says Desmond when addressing claims of a suspected cover up involving church, state and rebel factions.

To listen to the documentary log on to: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2017/0802/894706-an-unholy-trinity/
Met Eireann has issued a nationwide thunder warning, which could up the volume in county Longford this afternoon and evening.

We've been swimming in rain all day, but things might get interesting later this afternoon or evening as the nationwide thunder warning may affect parts of Longford.

The warning was issued this morning and will be in place from noon to midnight. It details "widespread thundery activity expected this afternoon and evening".

Today will remain mostly dark and cloudy with showery outbreaks of rain - heavy and thundery at times, with mist and fog on hills.

It will be warm and humid, though, with highest temperatures of 19 to 21 degrees in light to moderate south-easterly winds.

There is a risk of flooding, which doesn't come as a surprise, considering the amount of rain we've had so far.

Tonight there will be some further rain or showers for a time. The rain will clear eastwards after midnight, and it will be dry then overnight. Lowest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees.

Tomorrow, Wednesday will be a bright fresh day with sunny spells and scattered showers. Highest temperatures of 19 to 21 degrees in light to moderate south-westerly winds.
A Longford man is behind new guidelines that have been established by the Catholic Church in relation to supporting children whose fathers are priests.

Entitled Principles of Responsibility regarding priests who father children while in ministry the guidelines are expected to be published within weeks.

Vincent Doyle (34) who hails from Longford town is the son of Fr JJ Doyle who served in Ardagh and Edgeworthstown throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Fr Doyle died from lung cancer in 1995.

But it wasnt until 2011 that Vincent discovered that Fr Doyle was his dad.

He was 28-years-old and the news came as a shock, especially as he knew the priest very well.

It was then that he realised there was no mechanisms in place to support people who found themselves in situations similar to his own.

So, Vincent decided to do something and in 2012 he established a website - copinginternational.com. The website was subsequently funded by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

I began thinking a lot about the children of priests and how many there were, he told the Leader this week.

And one thing that that copinginternational.com has done is, that is has extrapolated a lot of data in relation to this.

The former St Mels College student says to date people from 175 countries have visited the website.

According to Vincent, 1.6% of the hits centre around one question put into the search bar - I am pregnant and the father is a Catholic priest.

This means that priests fathering children is an ongoing issue and not just an historic one, he added, before pointing to the importance of the site.

Really it is a stepping stone for a woman who is pregnant and the father of her child is a priest; it helps with the mental health of the person as there are a number of sections including safeguarding as well as letters from the Archbishop, the UN and the Holy See.

From there, the new guidelines were developed and Vincent says they will be published shortly and placed on copinginternational.com. Ahead of their publication, Vincents story was covered in the Boston Globe as part of an investigative series into the issue earlier this week.

The new guidelines emphasise that the needs of the child should be given first priority.

In the case of a child fathered by a Catholic priest, it follows that a priest, as any new father, should face up to his responsibilities  legal, moral and financial, it states.

At a minimum, no priest should walk away from his responsibilities. His relevant church authority (bishop or religious superior) should also direct such a priest in addressing his responsibilities.

Unlike many in his situation, Vincent knew his father and spent a lot of time with him when he was growing up.

He was a good man; a kind man, he smiled before pointing to the many influences his father had on his life.

Vincent initially attended Maynooth University where he studied Theology, Philosophy and English.

From there he took a Masters Degree in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care at Mater Dei and spent a year at Seminary in Spain before deciding that the priesthood wasnt for him.

He is now a Psychotherapist and engaged to be married.
Entitled Principles of Responsibility regarding priests who father children while in ministry the guidelines are expected to be published within weeks.

Vincent Doyle (34) who hails from Longford town is the son of Fr JJ Doyle who served in Ardagh and Edgeworthstown throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Fr Doyle died from lung cancer in 1995.

But it wasnt until 2011 that Vincent discovered that Fr Doyle was his dad.

He was 28-years-old and the news came as a shock, especially as he knew the priest very well.

It was then that he realised there was no mechanisms in place to support people who found themselves in situations similar to his own.

So, Vincent decided to do something and in 2012 he established a website - copinginternational.com. The website was subsequently funded by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

I began thinking a lot about the children of priests and how many there were, he told the Leader this week.

And one thing that that copinginternational.com has done is, that is has extrapolated a lot of data in relation to this.

The former St Mels College student says to date people from 175 countries have visited the website. According to Vincent, 1.6% of the hits centre around one question put into the search bar - I am pregnant and the father is a Catholic priest.

This means that priests fathering children is an ongoing issue and not just an historic one, he added, before pointing to the importance of the site.

Really it is a stepping stone for a woman who is pregnant and the father of her child is a priest; it helps with the mental health of the person as there are a number of sections including safeguarding as well as letters from the Archbishop, the UN and the Holy See.

From there, the new guidelines were developed and Vincent says they will be published shortly and placed on copinginternational.com. Ahead of their publication, Vincents story was covered in the Boston Globe as part of an investigative series into the issue earlier this week.

The new guidelines emphasise that the needs of the child should be given first priority.

In the case of a child fathered by a Catholic priest, it follows that a priest, as any new father, should face up to his responsibilities  legal, moral and financial, it states.

At a minimum, no priest should walk away from his responsibilities. His relevant church authority (bishop or religious superior) should also direct such a priest in addressing his responsibilities.

Unlike many in his situation, Vincent knew his father and spent a lot of time with him when he was growing up.

He was a good man; a kind man, he smiled before pointing to the many influences his father had on his life.

Vincent initially attended Maynooth University where he studied Theology, Philosophy and English.

From there he took a Masters Degree in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care at Mater Dei and spent a year at Seminary in Spain before deciding that the priesthood wasnt for him.

He is now a Psychotherapist and engaged to be married.
By Long Island News & PR Published: August 22 2017

Op-ed Written by Congressman Lee Zeldin (NY-01).

Shoreham , NY - August 22, 2017 - Built upon historic grounds in Built upon historic grounds in Shoreham , New York, by one of the most brilliant minds ever known, the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe is an inspirational museum on the verge of a rebirth that not only holds a rich history, but also great potential. Serving as the home for both Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory , Long Island is a thriving community for science and technology, and supporting the Centers mission is vital to continuing this great tradition.

Understanding the history behind this site and its creator is an important part of comprehending the need to support its mission. Nikola Tesla was one of the most brilliant scientists and inventors in human history whose legacy is sadly unknown by far too many. Tesla revolutionized the way we use electricity, making possible many of the basic necessities we take for granted every single day. His work has resulted in incredible advancements in radar and X-ray technology, energy, remote control and so much more. To continue these groundbreaking achievements, Tesla built the Wardenclyffe laboratory in 1901. Sadly, financial hardships and patent issues prevented this visionary from being able to conduct significant testing before much of the equipment was confiscated by creditors, forcing Tesla to abandon the project altogether, unrealized in its potential.

Multiple companies came to own the grounds in the years to follow, but it was ultimately left dormant in 1987, with some believing it would be demolished. However, Friends of Science East, Inc. saw an opportunity to make proper use of the site and began talks with Suffolk County, Shoreham Village, and other entities in an effort to acquire the property. In 2012, an internet fundraising campaign, which raised $1.37 million, resulted in a successful purchase of this amazing property. Recognizing that Tesla never received the respect he had more than earned, this campaign sought to embrace this pioneers legacy and give him his long overdue recognition.

Now, over a century later, we have the opportunity to follow through on this untapped potential and turn these grounds into a site of scientific exploration and discovery once again. This effort will convert these grounds into a science and technology museum that features a number of programs and exhibits, including lectures from visiting professors and experts, mentoring for children, an exhibit dedicated to highlighting the accomplishments of Tesla himself, and even possible incubator space. An education firmly rooted in the sciences has become essential in the 21st century, and encouraging Americans to pursue the paths which lead to high paying jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields begins with supporting facilities like this one.

In April, I had the pleasure of visiting the Center to tour the facility and meet with its leaders. Last month, I also attended a great summer exhibit for the Center in Stony Brook. Enriching scientific discovery in our district should be an all hands on deck community effort. Just as we must support STEM majors for university students, allowing our youth to gain an interest in the sciences from a young age is absolutely crucial, and the Tesla Science Center will provide this critical resource.

The Center holds so much potential for Long Island and our scientific community, and we now have the opportunity to revive this site so that it may serve our district for generations to come. Nikola Tesla revolutionized society as we know it, and now, in 2017, we have the ability to fulfill his unrealized legacy at a time when education in the sciences is all the more imperative. I am proud to do my part in Congress to secure science funding for our district. We must never allow our children to lose their love of learning, and aiding the Tesla Science Center to become a hotspot for scientific exploration must be front and center in this mission.
Tech & Science, Local News, Travel & Local Attractions, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 22 2017

Multi-Agency Effort to Help Mitigate High Traffic Volumes, Make Parking More Efficient.

Albany, NY - August 22, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that state-owned drones will be used for the first time to monitor weekend traffic conditions at the 2017 Great New York State Fair. Weekends are traditionally the highest attended days of the 13-day extravaganza, often with heavy traffic volumes and near-capacity parking lots. The new drone technology will help the New York State Police and the State Department of Transportation better monitor traffic and parking lot capacity, allowing them do their jobs more effectively and reduce delays for fairgoers.

"The New York State Fair attracts visitors from all corners of the state and beyond, and we want fairgoers to enjoy all that the Fair has to offer," Governor Cuomo said. "By using state-of-the-art drone technology, we will be able to better respond to changing traffic conditions and ensure a smoother travel experience for visitors. Investments in the State Fair led to record-breaking attendance last year, and we are committed to making this year's Fair even better."

The drone technology is a joint effort between NYSDOT, the State Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York State Police. Operating under FAA guidelines by line of sight rules, with a range of approximately one mile, they will help provide enhanced situational awareness to assist with traffic management. NYSDOT will also direct traffic as needed through the use of Variable Message Signs on Interstate 690, State Route 690, Interstate 81 and Interstate 481. The New York State Thruway Authority will broadcast updates on their variable message sign network.

Drone industry investment also complements a larger initiative to boost economic growth as a crucial part of the Central NY Rising plan. Drone research, development and manufacturing were key to the region's winning $500 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative plan.

"As a lifelong resident of Central New York, I know how much the Fair means to the people in this area," said incoming Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew Driscoll. "We are using every tool at our disposal to make getting to and from the Fair as seamless as possible in 2017 and help Central New York continue to rise. This new drone technology will help give us a brand new perspective on up-to-the-minute traffic conditions and parking lot capacity."

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "As we continue to use cutting edge technology like drones to improve our emergency response and environmental management efforts, DEC is always available to assist our sister state agencies in helping to ensure public safety at events like the Great New York State fair. In addition to helping with traffic safety, this mission provides an important training opportunity for our staff."

New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said, "This collaboration with our partners at DOT and DEC provides a new tool to monitor traffic conditions and make adjustments as needed. Our priority is to ensure a safe and steady flow of traffic, and the best possible experience for those visiting the Fair."

Acting New York State Fair Director Troy Waffner said, "We appreciate the hard work of our partners at DOT, Centro and the New York State Police to help ensure a smooth traffic and parking effort. Fairgoers should be assured that we have learned a lot from last year's surprising surge in visitors and we worked hard to open up hundreds more parking spaces to assure the maximum convenience for fairgoers. However, we urge fairgoers to take advantage if they can of the ultimate convenience of being dropped off and picked up at the gate by bus."

Accelerating Central NY Rising

Today's announcement complements "Central NY Rising," the region's comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State has already invested nearly $3 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for the plan - capitalizing on global market opportunities, strengthening entrepreneurship and creating an inclusive economy. Today, unemployment is down to the lowest levels since before the Great Recession; personal and corporate income taxes are down; and businesses are choosing places like Syracuse, Oswego and Auburn as a destination to grow and invest in.

Now, the region is accelerating Central NY Rising with a $500 million State investment through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, announced by Governor Cuomo in December 2015. The State's $500 million investment will incentivize private business to invest well over $2.5 billion - and the region's plan, as submitted, projects up to 5,900 new jobs. More information is available here
Local News, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 22 2017

Matthew Driscoll will be nominated Executive Director of the Thruway Authority and Cathy Calhoun will serve as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Transportation.

Albany, NY - August 22, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced Matthew Driscoll will be nominated Executive Director of the Thruway Authority and Cathy Calhoun will serve as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Transportation. Governor Cuomo thanked Bill Finch for his service as Executive Director of the Thruway Authority.

"Matthew Driscoll and Cathy Calhoun are both dedicated public servants who exemplify what it means to serve the people of New York, and I am proud they will continue their service in these new leadership positions," Governor Cuomo said. "The Thruway Authority and Department of Transportation are critical to improving infrastructure in every corner of this state, and as they transition to their new roles, I look forward to working alongside these experienced leaders to ensure the safety and stability of New York infrastructure for generations to come."

"I am grateful to Governor Cuomo for his leadership on transportation issues and am honored to become executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority," said former Department of Transportation Commissioner Matthew Driscoll. "I look forward to working with the very capable men and women of the authority in implementing the Governor's vision for reimagining transportation infrastructure across New York State."

Cathy Calhoun said, "Under Governor Cuomo's leadership, the Department of Transportation has invested in historic infrastructure projects across New York to support the future strength and vitality of the entire state. I look forward to working with the Governor to build on this success and continue to move New York's infrastructure forward."

Matthew Driscoll will be nominated to serve as Executive Director of the Thruway Authority. Mr. Driscoll previously served as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation where he helped launch the Governor's historic $100 billion, five-year plan to renew New York's aging infrastructure. Prior to that, Mr. Driscoll served as President and CEO of the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, where he implemented new business models which have resulted in record-setting investments in New York's clean water infrastructure. Mr. Driscoll has also held a number of cabinet positions in Governor Cuomo's administration, including Co-Chair of the New York State Storm Recovery Task Force, member of the Strategic Implementation Assessment Team to assist in the progress of the Regional Economic Development Council, and board member of the Financial Restructuring Board, which delivers targeted restructuring solutions to assist New York municipalities under fiscal stress. Prior to these roles, Mr. Driscoll was twice elected mayor of the City of Syracuse, where he earned Syracuse national recognition for energy conservation, sustainability initiatives and environmental protection efforts. He also instituted a performance-based accountability program for city government, called SyraStat, which saved millions of dollars for city taxpayers. The Thruway Board of Directors will meet to name Matthew Driscoll Acting Executive Director of the Thruway Authority. He will be nominated for official Senate confirmation in January.
The Taliban claimed it overran the district center and surrounding security outposts in the remote northern district of Khamab in Jawzjan province. The district has gone back and forth between Taliban and government control over the past several years.

The Taliban claim of control was made on Voice of Jihad, its official website:

Al-Emarah News says district of Kham Aab along with its posts have slipped from the governments control and fallen to the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate. Today, the Mujahideen combatants took over Khamab district in the northern province of Jowzjan after hours of fighting. Similarly, Mujahideen chased the enemy out of a large swathe of land, clearing the enemy of 17 huge villages in the mentioned district. Furthermore, Mujahideen seized from the enemy various kinds of arms ammunition and military equipment.

The Afghan military and police have had difficulty with retaining control of Khamab since late 2014, when it first fell under Taliban control.

Khamab is the second district to fall to the Taliban in the past week. On Aug. 14, the Taliban overran Ghormach in Faryab province.

Over the past month, the Taliban has overrun the districts of Jani Khel in Paktia province, Pusht Koh in Farah, Taiwara in Ghor in central Afghanistan, and Kohistan (or Lolash) in Faryab, and Guzargah in Baghlan. Afghan forces have since retaken Kohistan and Taiwara, however these districts remain contested.

The Taliban continues to demonstrate that it can conduct concurrent operations across the country, while Afghan forces largely remain on the defensive.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
The Afghan Taliban, through spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, responded to President Donald Trumps policy speech on Afghanistan and the greater South Asia region. Predictably, Mujahid denounced Trumps decision to remain engaged in Afghanistan and said that Taliban fighters will sustain our Jihad.

Mujahid also repeated the canard that the Taliban is not a threat to anyone and neither has anyone been harmed from our soil. This lie has been debunked numerous times here at FDDs Long War Journal; see Taliban propagandists release open letter to President Trump for the latest summary of evidence that shows the Taliban does indeed remain allied with al Qaeda.

Full text of Mujahids statement, entitled Remarks by spokesman of Islamic Emirate concerning Trumps Strategy, which was published on Voice of Jihad today:

Finally the American president Trump announced his strategy and has called for continued presence of occupying forces while labeling Afghanistan as a threat to America. It seems America is not yet ready to end the longest war in its history. Instead of trying to understand ground realities, they still arrogantly believe in their force and might. However the Afghans have been tested by the American forces over the past sixteen years. So long as a single American soldier remains in our homeland and American leaders continue treading the path of war, we shall also sustain our Jihad against them with lofty spirits, absolute determination and additional firmness. Freeing the land of Afghanistan from the American occupation is our religious obligation and national duty. We shall remain true to this duty so long as souls remain in our bodies. America should have thought about withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan instead of continuing the war. As Trump stated Americans are weary of the long war in Afghanistan, we shall cast further worry into them and force American officials to accept realities. The Afghan Mujahid nation is neither tired nor will it ever get tired in pursuit of winning their freedom and establishing an Islamic system. If America does not withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, the day will not be far when Afghanistan shall transform into a graveyard for the American Empire and the American leaders can understand this concept. Afghanistan is not a threat to anyone and neither has anyone been harmed from our soil. Baseless allegations and falling under the influence of propaganda by intelligence agencies is in itself the source of all misery and war.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
In his speech outlining US strategy in Afghanistan and the wider region, President Donald Trump called out Pakistan for harboring and supporting terrorist groups that target and kill US citizens, and said there would be a radical change in policy toward the South Asian nation.

Trumps public acknowledgement of Pakistans ties to terrorist groups, including the Taliban, was unprecedented for a US Commander in Chief. While lower level US officials, such as Chairman of the Joint Chief of State Admiral Mullen, have previously pointed out Pakistans support of the Taliban and its powerful subgroup, the Haqqani Network, Presidents Bush and Obama have taken a softer line in the hopes that Pakistan would moderate its support for terrorist organizations in the region.

Trump said the US will work to increase ties with India, Pakistans neighbor and greatest enemy, as part of the change in approach in how to deal with Pakistan.

Trump noted 20 US-designated foreign terrorist organizations are currently active in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and said Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, Trump said.

While acknowledging that the US and Pakistan have worked together against common enemies and that the Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism, Trump said Pakistan has repaid the US by supporting terrorist groups that kill Americans.

We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices [of Pakistanis who have been killed in terrorist attack], but Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars, at the same time they are housing the same terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change. And that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.

In what must have sent shockwaves all the way to Islamabad and Rawalpindi  the home of Pakistans military and intelligence service  Trump followed up his harsh words for Pakistan with a call for greater American cooperation with India.

Trump said the US will seek to develop its strategic partnership with India and described the country as a key security and economic harbor of the United States. He called for India to play a greater role in Afghanistan especially in the area of economic assistance and development.

A US shift from Pakistan to India as a key ally in South Asia is sure to both enrage as well as frighten Pakistani elites. But an attempt to change Pakistans behavior and end its support for jihadist groups will be exceedingly difficult and may test the resolve of the US to see just how serious it is.

Previous US administrations have incentivized the Pakistani government to continue its policies that have allowed the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other jihadist groups to survive and thrive in the region. Instead of making Pakistan pay for its policy, the US has transferred billions of dollars to Pakistan in a failed attempt to influence its behavior. Pakistan will likely have to pay a heavy price to stop supporting jihadists and end its policy of relying on the Taliban for strategic depth.

Since its founding in 1947, Pakistan has been unable to achieve victory on conventional battlefields against India, which has remained an enemy since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 in which Pakistan attempted to gain control of the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir.

To compensate for this, Pakistan implemented its own version of strategic depth in Afghanistan. Pakistan has supported groups in Afghanistan in order to deny India influence in its backyard, as well as to allow the nation to serve as a fallback in case of an Indian invasion. Over time, Pakistan began raising and supporting terrorist groups to wage a guerrilla war against Indian forces in the state.

Pakistan capitalized on the chaos in post-Soviet Afghanistan and hunted for a group that would serve its purposes. With the rise of Mullah Omars Taliban faction in the early 1990s, Pakistan military and intelligence officers assigned to implement strategic depth saw the perfect partner: a powerful jihadist political movement that was gaining popularity throughout the country and was capable of sustaining military advances. Pakistan provided military and financial support to Omars faction, which successfully established the Islamic Emirate of the Taliban in 1996 and controlled upwards of 90 percent of the country until the US invasion in 2001.

In addition to securing a friendly government in Afghanistan, Pakistan has used the country as both a training and a recruiting ground for a host of jihadist groups that fight in Kashmir.

A US-Indian alliance could provide India with advanced weaponry that could give it a qualitative edge over Pakistans military. Additionally, closer US and Indian ties could further erode US and Pakistani ties, which has benefited Pakistan during previous wars with India.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Download Image: Web

In his exhibit, With Justice and Freedom For all, Wiconi Win Wakan (All Life is Sacred), John Williss photography prompts viewers to look at the inequality faced by indigenous people within their own homeland, while also asking viewers to recognize what can be learned from indigenous values and customs. The exhibition will be featured in the Lycoming College Art Gallery from Sept. 15 through Oct. 14. A reception will be held Sept. 15 from 4-8 p.m. with a talk by the artist at 5:30 p.m. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

The work presented in this exhibit combines pieces from two of Williss projects that developed as a result of his time spent within two indigenous communities. For more than 25 years, Willis has built a relationship with the Oglala Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where he says the traditions of the Oglala Lakota people continually humbled him. More recently, in 2016, Willis spent several weeks at the Oceti Sakowin Camp in North Dakota, near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. At the Oceti Sakowin Camp, Willis devoted his time and talents to assisting the camp media group, an experience that steered him toward joining in the Indigenous-led, prayerful movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Willis is the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and has also received artist fellowships from the Vermont Council on the Arts and the Vermont Arts Endowment. His work is displayed both nationally and internationally in the permanent collections of the Corcoran Gallery of Art; the Whitney Museum of American Art; the George Eastman House Museum; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Houston Museum of Fine Arts; The Portland Museum of Art; The National Museum of Native Americans; The Bibliotheque Nationale de France and The Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.

Willis has shown his work in solo exhibitions at the Stark Gallery, the Blue Sky Gallery, the Photographic Resource Center and at Oglala Lakota College. His book, Views From the Reservation, was published by Columbia College and the Center for American Places.

Willis earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is currently professor of photography at Marlboro College, and is co-founder of The In-Sight Photography Project, a teaching facility that offers photography courses to youth throughout Southern Vermont, regardless of their ability to pay. He also co-founded the Exposures Cross Cultural Youth Photography Program, bringing together youth with a wide variety of backgrounds from Vermont, the Navajo Nation, Chicago, New York and the Oglala Lakota Tribe, to share photography lessons and life stories.

The Lycoming College Art Gallery, located in downtown Williamsport at 25 W. Fourth St., contributes to the citys arts culture and provides a way for the College to become more involved with the community surrounding it. Lycoming art students have the opportunity to interact with visiting artists, as well as learn first-hand the inner workings of a gallery.

The Lycoming College Art Gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 4  8 p.m., and Saturdays 11 a.m.  2 p.m. and 5  9 p.m. For more information, please visit the gallery online at https://www.lycoming.edu /art /gallery.html or send an email to dirocco@lycoming.edu.
Santos has been at Grau & Angulo since the very beginning. Before joining the firm in 2003, she worked as a general practice lawyer where she developed a passion for trade marks. Santos went on to join Alejandro Angulos IP team at another firm before teaming up with him later to establish Grau & Angulo.

According to Santos, who made partner at the firm in 2008, opportunities for professional women are increasing: The market is prepared for women in high positions in companies and law firms. All we need is confidence.

Trade mark reform in Spain

While the majority of her experience is in trade marks, Santos has handled several unfair competition, copyright and science-related cases. In Spain, practitioners await the enforcement of a new trade mark law. In May, a draft bill on the Spanish Trade Marks Act 17/2001 was published to incorporate trade mark law reforms proposed by the European Commission.

In preparation, local judges and IP practitioners have met on a number of occasions to discuss the proposed amendments. Santos says: One of the key things that we are not so confident about is, they want to give more relevance to the Spanish Trade Mark Office. Now in Spain, if you want to cancel or request a trade mark, you have to go to court.

In other European countries and if it is a European trade mark, you can actually request it before the corresponding trade mark office. This is one of the big changes that would be implemented in Spain.

At present, cancellation and nullity actions must be filed before civil courts in judicial proceedings. Santos explains: In many cases, although now its not necessary, you can file an infringement claim without requesting the nullity of the later trade mark. Usually, its very convenient to do both things at the same time because the evidence you use for the infringement can be also useful to support the nullity request.

Its all about time

There are doubts about whether the national trade mark office is competent to decide on cancellation and nullity actions in administrative proceedings. Santos says: The Spanish Trade Mark Office is not used to dealing with this kind of evidence. For many years, they have been deciding on a paper basis, comparing one file with another. They were not really getting into the way the sign is used in the market  the kind of issues that civil courts are used to right now.

It also unknown how long the average request might take after the trade mark bill is amended. For now the only option is to wait: Its all about time. There is a lot of case law that they can work with, but they have to get their own practice and own case law, in a way.

With the new law, it may happen in the same way that its happening at the EUIPO right now, that you can get an infringement action and a third party can request a nullity of the same trade mark that you are invoking in civil proceedings at the same time. Many practitioners fear that this change may produce a problem, says Santos, as it means that civil proceedings will be suspended until a decision on the validity of the trade mark is issued by the Trade Mark Office.

We discussed this recently at a conference with judges from the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal of Alicante - the one hearing all cases related to European trade marks. They are also quite concerned.

The future of EU trade mark protection

Initially, the Brexit announcement caused some chaos but, this has since calmed down, Santos says. The full impact of Brexit on the EUTM system is not known: Were all in the same situation, Santos says. Not even UK lawyers know what is going to happen, but Santos advises trade mark owners to keep their national trade mark as well as their local trade mark to secure double protection.

Trade mark owners are becoming increasingly aware about the benefits of IP protection. She explains: The appearance of the products is getting more and more important nowadays. Now, the consumer does not only look for something useful and practical, consumers are getting more into the design.

Santos also notes an increase in registering and enforcing designs, particularly in the fashion sector: Designs are a very valuable asset for the clients but still, of course, trade marks are most important for them because it identifies them in the market. I think that clients are more worried about what will happen with their trade marks than designs, because they will always have them in Europe regardless.

Distinctiveness versus well-known character

Recently, the importance of brand distinction has been highlighted by a number of cases involving unconventional marks. Earlier this year, KISS rock artist Gene Simmons filed an application to protect what many recognise as the rock on or devil horns hand gesture. Simmons later withdrew this application. In February, Hasbro filed a trade mark application to protect the smell of its well-known putty product, Play-Doh. Kit Kat suffered a blow in May when the Court of Appeal in the UK ruled that the chocolate bars four-finger design held no inherent distinctiveness, inciting additional confusion about the definition of distinctive character.

On the enforcement of 3D and unconventional marks, Santos says: The first thing we will have to overcome, everyone knows, is the lack of distinctive character. We will be using surveys. Its the only way of proving distinctive character. When it comes to unusual trade marks, such as those of a three-dimensional nature, Santos observes: From my point of view, I think that the courts and the Trade Mark Office are mixing two completely different things: distinctiveness and well-known character because they ask that you prove the distinctiveness of a 3D trade mark with a survey.

We are talking about 70% of consumers recognising the owner of the product by the state of it. 70% is a huge number. Its extremely high. If the trade mark is recognised by 70% of respondents, in my opinion, it is not because its distinctive, its because its well-known. Santos argues that the purpose of the trade mark is to identify the owner of the goods meaning, if survey respondents are able to do that, this should prove the distinctiveness of a mark. Regarding the required percentage of recognition, Santos says: 50% should be more than enough.

Know the market: beating infringers

Consumer surveys are a huge investment and there is no certainty that the result will be the one you are expecting, says Santos. She adds: Infringers have become more sophisticated. They know more, so cases are not so clear cut. Infringements have become more borderline. Its not so easy to make an assessment of the situation and chances of success.

For well-known brand owners, this is one of biggest challenges right now. Like surveys, expert reports can be useful when defending a trade mark. Ultimately, anticipating the behaviour of the opposition is the most effective tool: We know the type of infringer that we are dealing with so we advise the client not to extend negotiations more than necessary. If you dont reach an agreement in three to four months and they are not replying to your cease and desist use letters - no matter how long you try, probably, you will not get anywhere.
Obligatory partial eclipse photo. Unlike celestial events, stock markets do not follow set schedules. Photo by Elisabeth Dellinger.

"The past 30 days have been the least volatile of any 30-day period in more than two decades. Only five days during the most recent stretch saw the S&P 500 move by more than 0.5% in either direction, the lowest since the fall of 1995. ... The quiet market, measured by the realized volatility-a measure of how much share prices move around-of the S&P 500, has led some to worry that a market storm may be brewing, as peaceful periods in the past have frequently ended in sharp corrections."

So said a Wall Street Journal article published 363 days ago. Since then, the S&P 500 has gained 13.2%, with low volatility persisting and no "market storm" or "sharp correction."[i] But that hasn't swayed the Calm-Before-the-Storm crowd from its Chicken Little mentality:

"The S&P 500 hasn't suffered a downturn of 5% or more since June 26, 2016. That's 402 calendar days -- the longest streak since May 1996, according to Bespoke Investment Group. ... The lack of market craziness is a relief to many Americans, but some are wondering whether Wall Street is due for a drop. They worry that the market has become a little too quiet -- especially considering the relentless noise from Washington and global hot spots like North Korea."

That snippet comes from CNN on August 3. The fine folks at MarketWatch were only slightly more upbeat a week later: "The S&P hasn't had a daily move of at least 0.5% in 13 sessions, an abnormally long time. That is a sign that while investors aren't broadly seeing the kind of risk that could lead to a correction, they're also finding few reasons to keep pushing shares meaningfully higher from current levels."

Our opinion on low volatility and associated chatter hasn't changed since last August 25, when the low-vol jitters inspired us to post a piece called "Searching for Meaning in 'Quiet' Times":

"To us, stocks are stocks and there is pretty much always something interesting, but we'll grant that narratives about stocks can be boring. And news in August tends to hit a bit of a lull as families fit in that last vacation before school begins. That said, some pundits argue boredom will soon beget excitement of a bad sort, claiming stocks' historic sleepy streak portends trouble for markets soon. For investors, beware reading too much into short-term market movement: Recent stock bounciness (or lack thereof) means nothing for future direction."

The only thing that has changed since we wrote that is the passage of time. Stocks are still stocks. Past performance still isn't predictive. Volatility still isn't predictive. Corrections and pullbacks still don't operate on schedules. Nothing about the relatively calm year tells us what comes next. Nor do the S&P 500's twin -1.5-ish percent drops the past two Thursdays, which somehow didn't break the low-volatility narrative.

Corrections-sharp, sudden, sentiment-driven drops of around -10% or worse-happen for any or no reason. They come without warning, at seemingly random intervals. Since this bull market began in March 2009, we've had six: two in 2010, two in 2011, one in 2012 and one in 2015-2016.[ii] The most recent ended February 11, 2016. Eighteen months later, we are not any more "due" for one than we are "not due" for one. Just as there is no law saying David Lynch must tie up loose ends when Twin Peaks: The Return wraps in two weeks,[iii] there is no law saying markets must revert to the mean. Corrections are not eclipses. You cannot time them.

Heck, we could already be in one. Through Friday's close, the S&P 500 was down -2.1% from its most recent high, notched August 2.[iv] But what if you sold now, anticipating another -8% or worse, and instead we got a rally? That's the trouble with corrections being so random. Trying to avoid them opens you to new risks. If you ride a correction down and back up, you still have market-like returns-the ticket to most long-term investors' goals. If you sit out while stocks rise 10, 20, 30%, you have ground to make up. In our view, this makes staying put the wisest move.

Unless, that is, a bear market is forming. Unlike corrections, bear markets are identifiable, making them possible for investors to partially evade. For one, they are longer and deeper, giving you more time to assess the fundamental landscape and consider your options. Bear markets usually fall about -20% or worse, so if you determine after -10% or so that you're in one, getting out can still add value. They also result from visible, fundamental negatives. Sometimes, euphoric investors overlook deteriorating economic drivers. Other times, a huge, largely overlooked negative wipes out trillions in economic activity and wallops the market. None of this makes bear markets foreseeable, so getting out at the precise peak is an unrealistic goal. But if you can identify one in its opening months, you can probably get out while more downside is ahead of you than behind you, as bear markets' most brutal declines typically happen in the final third or so.

While no one can know if we're in a correction, we don't believe a bear market is dawning. Investors are nowhere near euphoric. Some fear complacency, but that would still involve investors overlooking a weakening economic landscape or big regulatory risk. Neither appears to be the case today. The global economy is growing, corporate earnings are rising, and Leading Economic Indexes suggest more fun lies in store. Politics are full of drama, but that drama brings gridlock, which reduces legislative risk-fodder for bull markets. We're always watchful for wallops, but none of today's potential negatives appear big, likely or underappreciated enough to knock this bull market off course. They just seem like bricks in the wall of worry bull markets climb.

So stay cool and don't overthink short-term wiggles (or a lack thereof). They're all part of stocks' jagged march higher, as stocks eclipse prior highs. Sorry.
MARTINSVILLERicky Wayne Hairston is mentally ill. That was the ruling by both a psychiatrist and a psychologist at Mondays review hearing, with both arguing the Martinsville man needs to be hospitalized for treatment.

In April, the 65-year-old Hairston was found not guilty by reason of insanity of aggravated malicious wounding of his wife, maliciously discharging a firearm into an occupied building, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony (aggravated malicious wounding) and reckless handling of a firearm so as to cause injury to another. At that time, Judge G. Carter Greer ordered that Hairston be turned over to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services for an official evaluation.

According to testimony at the trial, on June 27, 2016, Hairston's wife and her sister were working at Pams Beauty Shop at 61 Fayette Street. At around 6:17 p.m., Rickey Hairston walked up to the front glass door and pulled out a gun, shooting through the door. Bullets struck Hairston's wife in the right leg, right arm and the right side of her back.

Her sister shoved Hairston's wife into the bathroom as Rickey continued to shoot into the business. He then walked away as Martinsville officers responded to the scene. They found the front door had been shattered and there were four shell casings in the floor, with one on a chair in the shop. They also found the two women in the bathroom.

Hairston's wife was transported to Memorial Hospital in Martinsville and then to a hospital in Roanoke, where she was treated for her wounds. The bullets that struck her arm and back exited, but the bullet that struck her in the leg still was lodged in the lateral soft tissues of her right leg, causing her to suffer permanent and significant physical impairment.

During the trial in April, psychologist Dr. Jennifer Melerski, who did the evaluation for the defense, concluded that there is sufficient evidence showing that at the time of the alleged offenses, Mr. Rickey Hairston was experiencing symptoms of major mental illness, either alcohol-induced bipolar disorder or alcohol-induced psychosis. Collateral information provides clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Hairstons behavior at the time of the alleged offenses appear to have been driven by his manic state and psychosis.

Melerski also concluded that Rickey Hairstons behavior at the time of the alleged offenses was the product of an irresistible impulse due to acute symptoms of his major mental illness.

At the April trial, Judge Greer noted that psychologist Dr. Colin Barron, who did the evaluation for the prosecution, also concluded that Rickey Hairston was not capable of restraining an impulse to commit the alleged offenses.

At the court hearing Monday, Judge Greer said he had received a report by Dr. Tosha Asumah dated June 28 and a report by Dr. Ann Walling dated June 16. Martinsville Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Paula Bowen told the Bulletin that Asumah is a psychologist at Southern Virginia Mental Health Institute and Walling is a psychiatrist at Western State Hospital.

According to a Virginia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services document, if a judge finds a defendant not guilty by reason of insanity, the defendant is acquitted of criminal charges and there typically is a court-ordered treatment component.

The insanity plea was developed to protect individuals who are morally blameless, the document states. The insanity defense is a compromise; it reflects societys belief that the law should not punish defendants who, for reasons beyond their control (as a direct result of mental disease or defect), committed a criminal act.

If a defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he initially is committed to a psychiatric hospital for an evaluation, and then, if recommended by the hospital, the court could order that he be released with conditions, released without conditions, or continue to be confined in a state psychiatric hospital, with a review every year for five years and after that a review every two years until he is released.

Judge Greer ruled Monday that Hairston is mentally ill and in need of hospitalization, adding that he will order for Hairston to be committed to the custody of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Greer set a review hearing for Aug. 21, 2018, at 9 a.m.
BASSETT A band of brothers bonded over hamburgers and hotdogs on Friday at Philpott Lake. United States veterans told stories and shared experiences while enjoying a cookout-style meal.

Veterans from Harmony Hall, an assisted living facility in Bassett, attended the luncheon, sponsored by Chapter 52 of the Disabled American Veterans.

Ural Harris, local DAV treasurer, said its something the chapter likes to do every year at the Philpott Dam picnic area across from the visitors center.

We get the veterans together and we bring them up here for a picnic, Harris said.

Harris, who served in the air force, said it gives the residents a chance to venture out of the facility and experience a change of scenery.

It gives them a chance to get out in a different environment and get outside for a picnic, Harris said. They only get to do it once each year if their families dont do it and a lot of them dont have families.

Individual members of the DAV purchased goods for the cookout, including potato salad, chips, drinks, hamburgers, hotdogs and all the goodies to go on them, Harris said, making the event free of charge for the residents of Harmony Hall.

Seeing the residents enjoying the relaxed environment over a freshly prepared meal brought a smile to Harriss face.

I enjoy it because its other veterans, Harris said. Its nice to be with other veterans. Its just a certain bond you have once youve been in there.

Even though not everyone served in the same branch of the military or fought on the same lands, there was camaraderie between the former troops.

Nobodys really talking about politics. Its just different people coming together, said army veteran Marc Thomas, commander of Chapter 52. Its so much good going on here, we havent got time to worry about the bad.

Navy veteran and B.G.H. Sportsmen for Veterans founder Fred Russ Russell was passing through the area when he heard about the picnic. Every so often, he brings a group of active duty and combat wounded veterans from the Newport News area to Bassett to partake in recreational activities  all free of charge.

They do a lot of stuff for their veterans, Russell said about the local DAV.

Matt Filer, a member of the DAV who served in the army, related to many of the stories the Harmony Hall members told about combat.

They know what were going through, Filer said. I was in combat most of my time, so its all about brotherhood for me.

DAV vice-commander and army veteran William Wright noted the conversation-filled atmosphere of the outdoor picnic.

This is to help the veterans and also the people that are in the community to socialize with the veterans, Wright said.

The DAV invited others to the picnic as well, including staff at Philpott Lake.

Craig Rockwell, retired operations project manager at Philpott Lake, enjoyed the fellowship.

I try to support veterans in any way I can, so I love coming, Rockwell said.

While the event was well-attended by park rangers, military wives and members of the DAV, at its core the picnic provided a chance for Harmony Hall residents to get out, Thomas said. Theyre kind of like some of the forgotten veterans and were trying not to leave anyone behind.

Amie Knowles reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. She can be reached at
MARTINSVILLE  There are currently six people whove stepped up to take on the role of mentor in the Martinsville-Henry County community through the YMCAs Reach and Rise program  and while program director Terri Hairston is thankful for the half dozen, she said it doesnt fill the need in the area.

Having a strong mentor in a childs life helps build self-esteem and communication skills. It also gives kids an adult to confide within besides a parent.

Parents are juggling all types of things these day, Hairston said, and having an extra ear and an additional eye can help a child reach his or her full potential.

Being a mentor isnt a huge time commitment. In fact, a Reach and Rise mentor only promises to spend one day a week with a child for two to three hours  though some elect to spend more.

While it doesnt seem like much, Hairston said that showing interest in a childs life one day a week can drastically impact a kids future.

Its very important, Hairston said. Theyre taught morals and values. Its just amazing and much-needed.

Even though theres a definite need in the Martinsville-Henry County area  with as many as 20 school-referred children expressing interest in the program  there doesnt seem to be an overwhelming willingness from adults to fill the gap.

Appealing to area church congregations, Hairston said if each of the over 300 churches  or half, or even as little as 10 percent  had a single member interested in becoming a mentor, shed have a waiting list of mentors as opposed to the current waiting list of mentees.

The church is the foundation that serves our community, Hairston said. If I had one servant from each church, it would exceed my goal. I need the churches to help me and work with me.

While there are plenty of excuses adults give as to why they cant mentor children  from time restraints to work schedules  Jesus himself certainly didnt let a busy day impair his ability to spend time with the youth.

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, much to the surprise of the adults around him.

Nicholas Hull, senior pastor of Christ Episcopal Church in uptown Martinsville, spoke about the scenario found in the first book of the New Testament.

I think theres a religious imperative that children should be well cared for and loved, emotionally and physically, Hull said.

A member of Hulls church volunteers as a mentor in the local Reach and Rise program. Through her commitment, Hulls noticed a bond forming between the mentor and mentee  all because the mentor didnt come up with an excuse for not participating.

It tears down barriers, Hull said.

The child often attends services with the mentor, as well as free meals provided by the church.

Its great to see the child talking with everyone, Hull said. Through that child, were expanding our community.

When those practicing the Christian faith consult the Bible on childrearing, a verse that often comes to mind is Proverbs 22:6, which reads, Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Noel Naff, senior pastor at Mt. Herman Church of the Brethren in Bassett, referred to the verse  and also to Psalms 1:1  as instances where its important for children to gain wise council from elders, a trait hes witnessed between his churchs mentor and mentee.

Mentors provide the opportunity for children to come and receive council from those who might not tell them what they want to hear, but who might be wise and see it in a different way, Naff said. It teaches children to see goodness and righteousness and understand right from wrong. It gives kids the courage to stand up and not be a clog in the system.

Another Bible verse often associated with raising children occurs in 1 Samuel 16:7, which reads, For the LORD does not see as man sees; for a man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

Richard Street, associate pastor at Mt. Herman Church of the Brethren spoke of the verse as it relates to character building, a trait Reach and Rise mentors encourage.

So often we look at things kids are involved in and we judge based on that, Street said. Mentoring gives many kids a basic structure to be the best kids they possibly can be and to grow and to live up to the highest potential they can.

Street viewed the Reach and Rise program as an opportunity for people in the area to engage in a childs life.

Sometimes parents dont have time to truly engage, Street said. Mentors are able to get out there with the kids and get them involved in meaningful things theyve never been able to experience. Its a chance to make an impact in a life that will hopefully stay there.

Even though the YMCA is a Christian organization and Hairston said shes appealing to area churches because of the numbers, she noted that someone doesnt have to be associated with a church  or practice Christianity  to become a mentor.

Im targeting anyone who has a heart to volunteer as a mentor, Hairston said.

From area church members to elected officials  like current mentors Jennifer Bowles and Efigenia Cienca  people from all walks of life are encouraged to attend a set of five mentor training sessions held through the Reach and Rise program at the New College Institute.

It can generally turn a childs life around, Hairston said.

To learn more about the Reach and Rise program and how to become a mentor, contact Hairston at the YMCA at (276) 632-1772
NORRISTOWN, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania judge has delayed Bill Cosby's criminal retrial on sexual assault charges until early 2018, according to Philly.com.

The comedian, now 80, was to have been retried in November.

In May a Pennsylvania jury was unable to reach a verdict in the Cosby case. The judge declared a mistrial and prosecutors vowed to try the case again.

This week, Cosby, Shelburne resident, hired Michael Jackson's former lawyer to represent him. That attorney, Tom Mesereau, will lead a retooled defense team, according to NBC News.

Lawyers from the first trial said they did not want to work on the retrial.

Tom Mesereau won an acquittal for Jackson during his 2005 child molestation trial.

Mesereau will be joined by former federal prosecutor Kathleen Bliss and Philadelphia attorney Sam Silver, according to published reports.

Cosby is accused of sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former administrator at his alma mater Temple University, at his Philadelphia-area home in 2004.

He faces more than 10 years in prison if found guilty on three felony charges of second-degree aggravated indecent assault.

Cosby has denied wrongdoing, saying any sexual contact he may have had with his accusers was consensual.

Cosby still faces civil litigation in federal court in Springfield and in California state courts filed by women who say he sexually abused them and then defamed them by denying the accusations once the women went public.

More than 50 women stepped forward in the last few years accusing Cosby of sexual misconduct in incidents dating back decades.

Cosby bought his Shelburne property on Bardwells Ferry Road in 1971 and over the years acquired hundreds of acres for conservation and privacy.
SPRINGFIELD -- The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission urges towns and cities to apply now for federal disaster preparedness money before an emergency strikes.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has $90 million available across the country for Pre-Disaster Mitigation programs. An additional $160 million is available nationally for Flood Mitigation Assistance, according to a news release from the PVPC.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is accepting applications, which are due by Oct. 16.

"We often wait for a disaster to seek federal funding to rebuild damaged infrastructure or install a back-up generator after a serious power failure at a critical facility," said PVPC Senior Planner Emily Slotnick. "PDM and FMA grants are annual and accessible in non-disaster times, which is when we really should be thinking about getting mitigation projects done."

Limited funding is also available to provide local communities with technical assistance from the PVPC. Municipal officials should contact Slotnick at the PVPC at eslotnick@pvpc.org.

The flood assistance funding can only be used by local governments for flood-related hazards mitigation. The disaster mitigation funding is available to prepare for seismic, wildfire, landslide, wind, drought and flood events.

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission said it has worked with 41 of its regions 43 member municipalities to develop such hazard mitigation plans, which ensures a vast majority of Hampden and Hampshire county communities are eligible.

.
Members of the Boston Landmarks Commission will meet on Tuesday to discuss several upcoming changes to Faneuil Hall.

The commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday to discuss the eight new outdoor seating areas and energy-saving glass canopies planned for installation around Quincy Market.

The project, by Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., seeks to add moveable glass canopies, overhead heaters, new sitting spaces and several upgrades to outdoor patios at existing restaurants that border the corners of Faneuil Hall.

The meeting comes less than a week after a political group requested the name of the historic marketplace be changed. It is unclear if the commission will discuss a potential name change.

Kevin Peterson, member of political group "The New Democracy Coalition," told reporters last Wednesday that the marketplace named for Peter Faneuil, an 18th-century slave-trader and slave owner, is "an embarrassment" to Boston.

Boston's Yawkey Way, named for Red Sox executive Tom Yawkey, as well as a separate landmark honoring Confederate soldiers on Boston's Georges Island, were also subjects of debate last week.
A woman who works for the city of Boston has reportedly filed a sexual harassment complaint against Felix G. Arroyo, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's health and human services chief.

The Boston Globe obtained the complaint, which the newspaper said the woman filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination last week.

Arroyo has been on paid administrative leave since July 28. An internal City Hall investigation is currently underway.

The woman has been moved to another job in the administration, according to the Globe.

A message left with Arroyo's spokesperson was not immediately returned.

A spokesman for the commission said he could not verify whether the complaint had been filed until parties had been served with the complaint.

"These allegations are intolerable and disturbing," Laura Oggeri, a Walsh administration spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement.

"We take the safety and well-being of our employees very seriously and we are working to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible," she added.

The Globe reported the woman said in her complaint that since she started her city job in 2015, Arroyo would remark about a "tight" dress she was wearing and make other comments. He "grabbed my bottom on several occasions and spanked it frequently," the Globe reported the complaint saying.

Arroyo, a former city councilor at-large and the son of Felix D. Arroyo, ran for mayor in 2013, after Thomas Menino said he would not seek another term. Arroyo went on to lose the preliminary and later endorsed Walsh over John Connolly in the final election.

His father is the Suffolk Register of Probate and also a former city councilor.

This was updated with comment from Boston City Hall.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he remains "quite confident" in Luis Ramirez, the incoming general manager of the MBTA, as the company Ramirez once led is dealing with a shareholder lawsuit and a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.

Luis Manuel Ramirez worked as the president and CEO of the Global Power Equipment Group from July 2012 to March 2015, and has touted his tenure there as evidence of his expertise in turnarounds.

Investors filed a federal lawsuit after he left, alleging he and other defendants "made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects." The company, which had to restate its financials after Ramirez left, has asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed since it includes a "series of vague allegations that add nothing."

WBUR, which reviewed the company's recent financial documents, reported on Tuesday afternoon that the company could be facing bankruptcy.

"I'm quite confident in Luis's ability to both do the job and to succeed mightily in doing it," Baker told reporters earlier on Tuesday. "He went through a rigorous search process as part of this initiative and he brings exactly what the MBTA needs."

The investors' lawsuit isn't going to be a distraction, Baker said in audio of the scrum with reporters, provided by an administration spokesman. "In fact, I think he's really looking forward to moving up here and getting started and so are we," Baker said after an unrelated event.

"The MBTA has had a lot of people who had plenty of transit experience there over the years," Baker said, in an apparent reference to other public transit leaders, including Beverly Scott, who abruptly resigned as MBTA general manager in 2015 after a series of winter storms shut down the MBTA. She previously worked for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

"What [the MBTA] didn't have was somebody who'd been a leading manager in a major corporation, heavy industry corporation, who could do the work that's associated with what I would call proactive planning and investing in the system," Baker said Tuesday. "And that's what really we need at this point going forward."

Baker said during the search process his administration spoke with officials from Siemens AG and General Electric, where Ramirez had held top posts.

They all said the same thing, according to Baker: "Luis is one of those guys who knows how to get down on the ground with the folks who are doing the work, figure out what's important with respect to the organization's ability to succeed and then leading the transformation that's required to get from here to there."

Ramirez is slated to start at the MBTA on Sept. 12.

The chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party pointed to WBUR's report on Global power potentially looking at a bankruptcy.

"The more we learn about Ramirez, the worse Governor Baker's judgment looks," Gus Bickford, the chairman, said in a statement. "Today, we learned that the company Ramirez led as CEO faces bankruptcy and was forced to lay off hundreds of employees because of his financial mismanagement."

Adding that Baker made a mistake and calling him to rescind the hiring of Ramirez, Bickford added, "Massachusetts residents and businesses deserve an MBTA General Manager with world-class transit experience, not a failed CEO with no idea of how to run a system millions rely on."
BELCHERTOWN -- The Board of Selectmen is seeking the public's help finding the town's most senior citizen, and plans to present that individual with a replica of an antique cane that the municipality has possessed since 1909.

According to selectmen, records show one resident with a birthday of June 4, 1917, but the board said it wants to be sure the honor is bestowed accurately.

Anyone with information on any older individual may contact the selectmen's office at 413-323-0403 or by mail at The Finnerty House, 1 South Main St., P.O. Box 670, Belchertown, MA 01007. The deadline is noon on Sept. 20.

"The Boston Post presented the Town of Belchertown with the gold-headed cane in 1909, for the sole purpose of passing it on to the Town's oldest resident," the board said in a statement. "The gold cane is showing its own age and is displayed in Lawrence Memorial Hall for all the public to see."

"The cane is a finely crafted one that was manufactured by J.F. Fradley & Company of New York, of carefully selected Gaboon ebony from the Congo, Africa. The head is made of rolled 14 karat gold."

According to Chineseargent.com, J.F. Fradley was in business from 1884 to 1936.
The Boston Police Fugitive Unit traveled to Alabama this week to arrest a Hyde Park man accused of fatally shooting 29-year-old Jorrell Browne in Mattapan earlier this summer.

The fugitive unit traveled to Atmore, Alabama, on Monday and arrested 34-year-old Andre Henderson, Boston police said in a statement.

Henderson had been placed in custody by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Task Force as a Fugitive from Justice. He is scheduled to be arraigned on a murder charge in Dorchester District Court.

Police responded to a report of a shooting in the area of 1357 Blue Hill Ave. on June 26, the statement said. Officers found Browne suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

"This suspect thought he could avoid facing justice by hiding out of state - but you can't escape the reach of the U.S. Marshals or the Boston Police Department," Commissioner William Evans said. "I want to commend my officers and our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts which led to this arrest."
HOLYOKE -- Construction of the $6.2 million MGM Resorts HCC Center for Culinary Arts is on schedule and tours of the downtown site will be offered during the Celebrate Holyoke festival on Aug. 26.

"This is an exciting program," Jeffrey P. Hayden, vice president for business and community services at Holyoke Community College (HCC), said on Friday.

The facility will occupy the first two floors of The Cubit building at Race and Appleton streets. It will provide training to become cooks, waiters and waitresses, bartenders, hosts and hostesses, hotel workers, restaurant owners and bakery proprietors, he said.

Noncredit classes will begin in December and credit courses will get going in late January, he said.

On Aug. 26, during the three-day Celebrate Holyoke festival, a short program will be held outside The Cubit at noon. Tours of the culinary center will be offered every half hour from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., a press release said.

The culinary center arose from meetings held by the "kitchen cabinet" of city and state officials, business owners and others related to the Holyoke Innovation District, Mayor Alex B. Morse said. The district consists of the downtown blocks around the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC), which is an academic research facility between Cabot and Appleton streets overlooking the first-level canal.

The culinary center is an example of how such officials and business people have worked to leverage the computing center for spin-off development, Morse said.

"The center will help us train hundreds of Holyoke residents over the years and help us fill the gap in the ever expanding job market in culinary and hospitality. This is an exciting and transformative project -- one that helps promote workforce and economic development, but also one that will make our downtown a more vibrant place to live, work and have fun," he said.

Construction of the culinary center is on schedule to be done by fall and programming in the facility will begin in November, Hayden said.

The first floor of the culinary center will have a teaching kitchen, bakery kitchen, production kitchen, dining room and a classroom with a demonstration kitchen, all fitted with the most modern equipment, the press release said.

The second floor will have two classrooms, a hotel laboratory, or teaching area, a teaching kitchen for workforce training programs, men's and women's changing rooms, a student lounge, conference space and faculty and staff offices, the press release said.

"We're going to have the latest and greatest of everything," said Warren Leigh, a chef and HCC culinary arts professor. "It's going to be the finest, free-standing community college hospitality and culinary arts education and training center in New England -- nearly 20,000 square feet. That's exciting."

The facility will offer associate degree and credit certificate programs, noncredit professional development certificates such as ServSafe and TiPS, "personal enrichment classes" such as gourmet cooking and job training. The facility also has room to expand such as for students seeking two-year degrees, the press release said.

Construction is scheduled to be done by late Septembeer. W.J. Mountford Co., of South Windsor, Connecticut is the general contractor, the press release said.

Funding has come from the Massachusetts Executive office of Housing and Economic Development, $1.75 million; the U.S. Economic Development Administration, $1.55 million; HCC reserves and the HCC Foundation, $2.4 million; the city of Holyoke, $400,000; and MGM Resorts, $100,000, the press release said.

Morse negotiated a deal with MGM Springfield to provide free training for Holyokers who attend the culinary center. MGM is building a $950 million casino resort in Springfield's south end.

Holyoke will get $400,000 of the $1.28 million in neighboring community impact payments Morse negotiated to receive from MGM over the course of 15 years. The city has an agreement to turn over the $400,000 to HCC to help in funding the culinary arts program so long as 50 Holyoke students each year get to attend job-training in the culinary program for free.
More than a year after General Electric chose Boston as the place to put its new world headquarters, Massachusetts economic development officials were faced with another Connecticut-based company potentially moving to the Bay State: Insurance company Aetna.

According to documents MassLive obtained through a public records request, they referred to their effort to woo Aetna as "Project X."

And they initially looked at offering up to $16 million in incentives or grants to the company to relocate. They would later rework the figure.

The company wasn't just looking to leave Connecticut. Earlier this year, the company said it was leaving Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges in 2018, citing uncertainty surrounding the marketplaces.

On March 29, Mike Kennealy, the assistant secretary for business growth, sent an email to an assistant to Gov. Charlie Baker providing an overview of the pursuit. Baker was set to connect with Aetna's CEO, Mark Bertolini.

"We believe that the competition is down to Mass. and New York," Kennealy wrote.

"In Mass. they are only looking in Boston and seem particularly interested in the Seaport," he added. "Similar to GE, they view a HQ move not just as an opportunity to relocate to a more favorable business climate but also an opportunity to rebrand/reposition the company."

Aetna is seeking to move from a "health insurance" company to a more innovative and broader "healthcare company," Kennealy continued.

Roughly two months later, Baker's economic development chief Jay Ash sent a letter detailing an "enhanced" proposal.

The original proposal had a $10 million award through the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP), an infrastructure grant of up to $5 million and $1 million in workforce training funds.

"We understand that this combination might not be fully accessible by the company; thus we will provide additional flexibility for you to fully take advantage of the Commonwealth's incentives by offering a $16 million EDIP award," Ash wrote in a letter to Brian O'Linn, the deputy chief of staff to Aetna's CEO.

He also noted the state has 58 community health centers, and as an example, there was one in the South End of Boston that offers integrated behavioral and physical health care and could benefit from a partnership with Aetna.

"In addition to having reached out to measure the interest by community health centers, we have also had general and generic discussions with Boston's world-renowned medical institutions which has also led to expressions of interest in pursuing partnerships," Ash added.

The letter said state and city officials would work with the company to identify "high profile branding/sponsorship opportunities" for Aetna.

On June 29, a top aide in the governor's office, Michael Vallarelli forwarded an email alert from the Boston Business Journal to Ash and Baker's chief of staff Steven Kadish: "Breaking News: Aetna chooses New York over Boston for new headquarters."

Aetna is moving into a building on Ninth Avenue, bringing 250 employees and receiving $24 million in state tax breaks over the next ten years, the New York Times reported. A city agency is kicking in an additional $10 million.

"Many of the roles in our new office will be filled by innovators from the area's deep talent pool, which will be an invaluable resource as we consider additional investments in the city going forward," Bertolini said in a statement when the decision was announced.

In a release, Aetna said its consumer health and services division will stay in Wellesley, Mass.

Ash said in an interview with MassLive that Aetna's consideration of the Bay State was a "great opportunity to bring a great employer to Massachusetts."

His office is focused on bringing larger employers with hundreds if not thousands of jobs, he said.

"Sometimes it's easier to get one big employer than a whole bunch of small employers. Not that we're not focused on smaller employers," he added. "But there are certain prizes you go after and Aetna was one of those we went after. We were fortunate with GE. We scored well with Aetna from what we understand but they ultimately made the decision to go with New York."

Ash sounded a positive note about Aetna electing to move to New York instead.

"It just means the corporate headquarters is not going to be here. There's still plenty of other business to talk about with Aetna," he said.
A highway administrator in Massachusetts went before town officials Monday evening to apologize for making a racist remark.

"I never should have let my emotions get the best of me. Sitting in my home on a Monday night at 9:30 the furthest thing from my mind was I was acting in the capacity of a town employee." Daniel W. Gion, highway superintendent in Dudley, told the town Board of Selectmen, as reported by the Telegram & Gazette.

Gion posted a racial slur to CNN's Facebook page after watching a political debate broadcast on the network.

A discussion about violence in Charlottesville between former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Symone Sanders became heated on air Monday morning. After Sanders - who worked for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during his presidential campaign - interrupted Cuccinelli several times, the former attorney general asked the political commentator to be quiet.

"Can I finish, Symone?" Cuccinelli said. "Will you just shut up for a minute and let me finish?"

Of Sanders, Gion wrote "Stupid porch monkey!!" in the comments on the video.

A screenshot of the comment was soon shared with town officials by another social media user in the discussion.

Gion was placed on paid leave last week, Town Administrator Greg L. Balukonis told the Telegram, pending the decision by the board on Monday. Following the public session of the meeting, the Telegram reports members went into executive session to meet with Gion.

"I understand that the comment I made wasn't right. It certainly brought a negative light to the good town of Dudley and upset a lot of people, especially African-Americans," Gion told board members, as reported by the Telegram. "My apology is from the heart and totally sincere. I should have been more professional and thought of what I was saying before I posted it."
After the federal-level acquittal of the four Teamsters who allegedly threatened "Top Chef" star Padma Lakshmi and tossed racial and sexist remarks at production staffers, don't expect any state-level criminal charges, Attorney General Maura Healey said Tuesday.

Healey made her comments during an appearance on WGBH's "Boston Public Radio" show.

"This is not normal union activity and yet they essentially got away with it," co-host Margery Eagan said.

Healey said the trial involved a federal case and the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.

Four members of the Teamsters Local 25 were on trial for alleged extortion. Federal prosecutors alleged the four Teamsters were attempting to get no-show jobs from the non-union production company behind the popular "Top Chef" cooking show, but a jury came back with not guilty verdicts.

"Well look, a decision was made by the feds, years ago now, I mean, this actually happened a few years ago, to handle the case, to prosecute the case," Healey told WGBH.

"But many people of course say it should never have been a federal case, it should have been a state case," Egan said.

"That's not my call to make," Healey responded. "So you know a decision was made to bring that case by federal authorities, and when they do we respect that. And they tried their case and they got the verdict they got."

Healey continued: "But I want to be clear, I denounce that behavior."

"It's not for my office to go back now years to have a look at something when there hasn't been as I understand a report or a complaint that was never issued," she added.

"The conduct that was alleged in this case is unacceptable, whether it's occurring on a union picket line or elsewhere, it's unacceptable and we need to continue to denounce activity and I should say actions, conduct like that," Healey said.

Healey, a Democrat who lives in Charlestown, where the union is based, also defended the Teamsters as an organization.

"As for the Teamsters, I do separate the actions and acts of individuals from an organization," she said. "I know that Teamsters Local 25 in particular has worked really hard in the community, does a ton for kids with disabilities, people with autism. I just see them out in the community day after day."
New Hampshire's two largest cities may join litigation that accuses drug companies of knowingly helping to create the nation's addiction and overdose crisis.

The lawsuits seek to recoup costs associated with opioid overdoses and other drug-related problems, and funds to address the issue moving forward, according to Joseph L. Ciaccio, an attorney with the Napoli Shkolnik law firm.

Manchester has already agreed to pursue legal action, and Nashua is exploring the idea. The New York-based attorneys, already representing clients in Ohio and New York, will work on contingency basis.

Many opioid manufacturers "were so intent on selling as much product as possible, that they either turned a blind eye towards, or intentionally buried, reports that these drugs were highly addictive and potentially deadly," said law partner Paul Napoli in an online statement.

Drug makers and distributors made billions by flooding the country with opioids, according to the law firm, which says the companies knew about the danger of the pills, but pushed them anyway. The firm alleges that pharmaceutical distributors were also remiss in their duties.

State, local and county governments have borne significant costs in dealing with overdoses and addiction. Costs include fire calls, first responder training, police investigations, social services and welfare, and treatment costs.

New Hampshire has one of the highest overdose rates in the country, and also has a high rate of painkiller prescriptions, according to US News and World Report.

Public health studies show that many heroin addicts started with prescription pills. Overprescription prompted the CDC to release new prescription guidelines last year.

All ten fire stations in Manchester are now open 24 hours a day to anyone seeking treatment. In its first year, the program drew nearly 1,650 people. In 2016 there were 332 drug overdoses reported in Nashua, including 44 fatalities.

Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50. New threats on the street include fentanyl and carfentanil, drugs that are far more potent than heroin.

The state of New Hampshire recently sued OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, accusing the company of deceptive marketing practices and downplaying the risk of addiction, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.
SPRINGFIELD -- The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to issue a resolution in support of Charlottesville, Virginia, and denouncing bigotry and hate following violence at rallies in that city on Aug. 12.

At-Large Councilor Justin Hurst, the lead sponsor, said he was proud "that every last one of my colleagues" supported the resolution.

"I wanted to make sure that everybody in the City of Charlottesville and our residents of Springfield know that we stand in solidarity with them in light of the most recent events that occurred," Hurst said. "I think this council is more unified than ever before."

The resolution follows a white supremecist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville that turned violent and deadly. There were clashes between the rally group and counter protesters, with many injuries.

A car driven into a group of counter-protesters killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injured many others. In addition, two Virginia state police officers were killed in a helicopter crash while aiding with efforts to monitor the rally.

The Springfield City Council resolution will be sent to the Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer and that city's council.

The resolution states in part that the Springfield council "stands in solidarity with the City of Charlottesville, America and the World in defiance of bigotry, hatred and terror."

The Springfield council further states that it "denounces the KKK, neo-nazis and all other white supremacist groups."

There have been rallies in Springfield and elsewhere denouncing violence and racism in the aftermath of the Charlottesville rally.

The resolution further states that "terrorism, foreign and domestic must be confronted with unflinching resolve."

Hurst said the responses from all his council colleagues was overwhelmingly behind the resolution, including at-large councilor Kateri Walsh -- who, he said, responded that "hate has no place in or country and certainly no place in Springfield."

Councilor Adam Gomez, during Monday's meeting, said there are people who have seen such hate "many years ago... and it seems like it's coming back."

Councilor Kenneth Shea said history shows atrocities occur as a result of hatred and will continue to occur until "everyday citizens" speak out against it.
SPRINGFIELD -- A Springfield woman is being held without right to bail following an alleged knife attack that left two victims, including the father of her child, with severe intestinal injuries.

Priscilla L. Martinez, 25, was denied bail Monday after a prosecutor said a gruesome double stabbing on Aug. 14 showed she was too dangerous to be released before trial.

Assistant District Attorney Clarissa Wright asked for the defendant to be held for 120 days to protect the alleged victims and the community.

"She stabbed one person and his guts were coming out of him," Wright said, adding the second victim suffered a similar injury.

Martinez was charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon during her arraignment last week. At a prosecutor's request, she was held for a so-called dangerousness hearing Monday.

Responding to a 911 call for a Fort Pleasant Avenue apartment, Springfield police found a man on the first floor landing bleeding profusely from an abdominal wound, said Patrolman Timothy Shink, one of three officers who testified during the session.

When Shink lifted the man's shirt, about 2 feet of the victim's intestines spilled out, he told Judge William Hadley.

"He just moaned in pain," the officer said.

On the second floor, police found a woman with an abdominal stab wound that left part of her intestines exposed, Patrolman Jeffrey Bienvenue testified.

"Her breathing was very shallow, like she was going into shock," he said.

Neither victim was able to speak, much less identify their assailant, police said. But Martinez later called Massachusetts State Police to admit to the stabbings, and she flagged down a city police cruiser sent to pick her up, officers testified.

"She said 'I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry,'" Patrolman Dennis Borrero said. After she was handcuffed, Martinez turned to a friend and, speaking in Spanish, said, "I killed them, I killed them," Borrero said.

The male victim is the father of Martinez's child, and the child may have witnessed the stabbing, the prosecutor said.

Defense lawyer Jonathan Elliott said the prosecution offered no evidence of a motive or description of events leading up to the stabbings.

"The question isn't whether these stabbings occurred, but how and why," said Elliott, adding that Martinez suffered cuts and bruises to her face.

"Something happened to her," Elliott said, adding there is "no evidence that she was the aggressor."

A single parent who works two jobs to support her son, Martinez has family ties to the area and poses no risk of flight, Elliot said.

Indeed, she called police to report the stabbing, Elliott said. "She is not someone who is trying to evade the police or prosecutors," he added.

He asked the judge to order Martinez to stay away from the victims and require her to submit to GPS monitoring, if necessary.

Instead, Hadley ordered the defendant held for 120 days and continued the case for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 20.
Massachusetts dive teams continue to search Ashland State Park Tuesday morning, four days after a Sherborn man went missing.

Authorities are looking for 20-year-old Alexander Barberio, of Sherborn, whose family reported the man missing last Saturday, on August 19.

On Monday, Ashland Police Chief Craig Davis said dive teams were searching for a t-shirt, not a drowning victim, because they believed Barberio might have changed his clothes by the water, according to MetroWest Daily News.

A shirt reportedly discovered in waters at Hopkinton State Park on Monday did not belong to Barberio.

Authorities describe the 20-year-old as a 5-foot, 10 inches tall white male with brown hair and brown eyes, who could be wearing glasses.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Sherborn Police Department at 1-508-653-2424.
For a family in Massachusetts to get into an emergency shelter, in many cases they must first spend a night in a car, emergency room, bus station or another place "not meant for human habitation."

"It shocks me to say it out loud," said State Rep. Marjorie Decker, D-Cambridge. "This is no way for government to even think about dealing with homelessness."

Decker is the primary sponsor of a bill that would change the regulation, which today limits eligibility for emergency shelter to families who have already spent a night homeless.

There are other ways a family can enter a shelter -- for example, if they were a victim of domestic violence, were evicted or suffered a natural disaster. But for a family to qualify under a rule meant to prevent children from living in unsafe situations, they must have spent a night in an unsafe place.

Decker and other advocates for homeless families say the current policy is inhumane, since it forces families to spend a night in a car or emergency room before they can get into a shelter. Advocates are pushing for a bill, H.659, that would let families into state-funded shelters if they have no other feasible housing alternative, even if they have not spent a night in an unsafe place. The families would still have to meet all the other requirements, such as income eligibility.

"Families really suffer under this policy, putting children into unsafe conditions," said Kelly Turley, associate director at Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

The rule was put in place in 2012 under former Gov. Deval Patrick as a way to lower shelter costs. It has been kept in place by Gov. Charlie Baker.

A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development declined to take a position on the bill. "The administration will carefully review any legislation reaching the governor's desk," said Samantha Kaufman of the Department of Housing and Community Development.

In June, there were 60 families placed in shelter after spending a night in a place not fit for human habitation, according to the Department of Housing and Community Development. There were 604 families placed in shelter in the fiscal year that ended in June.

Turley estimates that it would cost the state an extra $100,000 to $300,000 a year to house these families before they spend a night in an unsafe place.

The administration could change the rule unilaterally, but Decker said she turned to the Legislature since neither of the last two administrations was willing to change it.

Asked for the administration's position on the rule, Kaufman instead stressed the work the Baker administration has done preventing homelessness - reducing the number of people staying in hotels or motels from 1,500 to 45 since 2015 and working with families to meet their needs on a case-by-case basis, such as providing transportation arrangements and access to medical services.

There are currently 3,500 people in the state shelter system, a reduction of 23 percent since Baker took office, and the administration has reduced shelter caseloads by working with families before they become homeless to provide services like rental vouchers.

"Massachusetts is the only state in the nation that offers homeless children a right to shelter and the administration has worked collaboratively to re-house and re-shelter thousands of homeless children into more sustainable living situations based on the needs of their families," Kaufman said.

Previous attempts at getting a policy change inserted into the state budget have failed.

Liz Bewsee, housing and economic justice organizer for Arise for Social Justice in Springfield, said often families end up in cars or in a tent in a friend's backyard. She said security officers at the Springfield bus station may chase out homeless people, while emergency rooms can threaten to call the Department of Children and Families.

"I heard one mother referring to going camping again with her 10-year-old daughter, after living in a car for a week and a half," Bewsee said.

The bill has 42 co-sponsors. The Joint Committee on Housing will hold a hearing on the bill Tuesday.
Contending that she has decided to put "people over party," state Rep. Susannah Whipps, of Athol, announced Tuesday that she has officially left the Republican Party and changed her voter registration to "unenrolled," or independent.

Whipps, who noted that about two-thirds of the voters in her district are not affiliated with any major political party, said her exit from the GOP will help her more effectively serve constituents on Beacon Hill.

"Serving as state representative while not affiliating with either major political party will allow me to more effectively utilize the relationships I have developed with the members and leadership on both sides of the aisle, and will allow me to better serve all of the people of my district, without the obligation of toeing any particular party line," she said in a statement posted on her website.

Whipps added that she wanted her party affiliation to reflect her approach of being an "independent voice" for her constituents.

Contending that she spent a great deal of time making the decision to change her party affiliation, the Athol representative said she looks forward to being able to support colleagues and candidates regardless of their political ties.

Whipps stressed that she decided to become politically independent "to avoid partisan bickering and politics as usual."

"I will not engage in any commentary that suggests blame, reaction to any particular person or incident, or anything other than professional growth and a desire to best align with and serve the people of my district," she said.

Massachusetts Republican Party spokesman Terry MacCormack would not comment directly on Whipps' decision to leave the GOP, but pointed to the state party's successes in recent years.

"Since 2013, the MassGOP has elected over a dozen new Republican legislators and had our best presidential election year in 32 years," he said in an email. "That success will continue in the 2018 election cycle."

Whipps, who noted that leadership now has the authority to change her committee assignments, said she has asked to remain on the Joint Committees of Higher Education and Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery -- areas which she said are important to the people of the 2nd Franklin District.

The second-term representative's district includes Athol, part of Belchertown, Erving, Gill, New Salem, Orange, petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Templeton, Warwick and Wendell.
Students at Montana State University http://www.montana.edu/ this year may feel theyre in something of a time machine.

The university will focus a lot of attention looking back at its 125-year history, holding events all year long to celebrate its founding back in 1893 in a Bozeman roller rink.

At the same time, MSU will pay a lot of attention to planning its future. Faculty, students, administrators and staff will work to update MSUs strategic plan and write goals for the next five years, including a plan to expand diversity.

By Gail Schontzler Chronicle Staff Writer

Full Story: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/montana_state_university/in-th-year-msu-looks-to-its-past-and-its/article_dbff5c79-584b-58f3-be89-bd9faf562695.html
After years of planning, the next several months are when Tim Sylvester will get the chance to start testing out what hes been telling people for years: roads can pay for themselves.

by Ben Miller

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/biz/Roads-that-Pay-for-Themselves-Startup-Nears-Two-Smart-Pavement-Pilot-Project-Contracts.html
There is broad public concern about the status of transportation infrastructure in the United States. On election night the future President said, "We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals." This report ("A Roadmap to Job-Creating Transportation Infrastructure: Doing the Right Things Right") examines the condition of the nations infrastructure and makes recommendations to improve federal efforts in supporting ground transport.

by Wendell Cox

Full Story: http://www.newgeography.com/content/005718-a-roadmap-job-creating-transportation-infrastructure-doing-right-things-right
Bullock thanks Japanese flour milling company for continued investments in Montana

Governor Steve Bullock today met with Hiroshi Sawada, Chairman and CEO of Nippon Flour Mills, to celebrate Montana and Japans trade relationship and to thank Mr. Sawada for continued investments in Montana agriculture. Nippon, the 2nd largest flour milling company in Japan, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pasta Montana in Great Falls.

"Japanese consumers demand the highest quality food in the world, and Montanas producers have been proud to answer that call for generations," said Governor Bullock. "Pasta Montana is a great example of how we can process world-class grain into world-class food right here in Montana. We are grateful to Mr. Sawada and Nippon for their continued investments and faith in Montanas producers."

Full Story: http://governor.mt.gov/Newsroom/governor-bullock-celebrates-montana-trade-relationship-with-japan

***

Japanese businessman saw great pasta-bilities in Montana

Hiroshi Sawada wasnt telling tall tales to Gov. Steve Bullock on Monday when he said he first came to Montana 50 years ago.

And he produced irrefutable proof to back up his claim.

"I brought evidence today," the chairman and chief executive officer of Tokyo-based Nippon Flour Mills Co. said as he showed a June 20, 1967, Great Falls Tribune article about that very visit, bringing some laughter from those in attendance.

Phil Drake, [email protected]

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2017/08/21/japanese-businessman-saw-great-pasta-bilities-montana/588214001/
Researchers examined a class of chemical compounds called indoles and found that they have potential for extending vitality in our fellow mammals, mice. The findings could pave the way for a drug that could one day help humans to live better for longer.

Share on Pinterest Genetically, the findings reveal a Dorian Gray-like effect, say the authors of the new research, as the chemical compounds known as indoles combat the adverse effects of aging.

Indoles is the parent name given to a range of chemicals found in nature. The compound occurs in some flowers, such as jasmine and orange blossom, but it can also be found in fecal matter.

Some of indoles chemical versions, such as Indole-3-carbinol, can be found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, and other cruciferous vegetables.

Indoles are also produced in our gut by many kinds of bacteria that break down tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid.

New research  led by Daniel Kalman, Ph.D., a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA  examines the effect of indoles on improving the healthspan of various organisms, ranging from fruit flies to mice.

The term healthspan is used by the authors to mean the proportion of time that an animal remains healthy and free of age-related infirmities.

We need a better understanding of healthspan, says Prof. Kalman. With medical advances, people are living longer; but you might not really want to live longer if it means spending those extra years frail and infirm.

Given our rapidly aging world population, the researcher adds, the health and economic burden that age-related diseases will put on the healthcare system is predicted to skyrocket in the next few decades.

The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The brains reward center tends to be at its most active in the morning and evening, new research shows. This could account for the energy dip that people tend to feel in the afternoon. The findings may have implications for bipolar disorder, depression, and sleep disturbances.

Share on Pinterest A new study shows that the brains reward processing center (shown here) may be to blame for midday energy dips.

A research team from Swinburnes Centre for Mental Health at Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) in Melbourne, Australia, has found a link between a brain area that processes rewards and the afternoon drop in energy levels so familiar to many of us.

The first author of the study is Jamie Byrne, a Ph.D. candidate at SUT, who conducted the study as part of her research under the supervision of corresponding study author Greg Murray, a professor in SUTs Department of Psychology.

The findings were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Byrne and colleagues started from the hypothesis that the brains reward circuits  or the neural pathways that are active when we process any kind of reward for our work, be it a delicious dessert, a financial bonus, or a word of praise  would vary during the day.

Additionally, the researchers hypothesized that the times of these variations could be accurately predicted. The underlying assumption is that the brains body clock regulates these reward pathways.

The brains body clock is a tiny cluster of cells in an area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This control hub is responsible for regulating our circadian rhythms  that is, our diurnal/nocturnal behavior and other mental and physical processes that are aligned to a 24-hour cycle.

The reward-processing area the researchers examined is the putamen, which is a large part of the forebrain. Research in monkeys has shown that the brains reward circuits and areas are highly active when mammals receive an unexpected reward and are at their lowest when they do not receive the reward that they expect.

Afternoon slumps, the study suggests, may occur at a specific time every day because the brains putamen is expecting a reward around that time but does not get it.
A new study has found that there is a three-way relationship between a type of gut bacteria, cortisol, and brain metabolites. This relationship, the researchers hypothesize, may potentially lead to further insight into autism, but more in-depth studies are needed. Share on Pinterest A new study has found that gut bacteria influence changes in the brain through serum cortisol. Research previously covered by Medical News Today suggested that there might be a link between bacteria found in the gut and the development of autistic behavior. Recent studies continue to establish links between the gut microbiome and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the exact way in which gut microbes might influence brain development is still subject to debates and further studies. Now, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that there may be a three-way mechanism of communication between gut microbes and brain metabolites, involving cortisol as the channel through which the message is transmitted. First study author Austin Mudd, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois, explains that brain metabolites can have a strong impact on the development of infants, and that these could be influenced by the gut microbiome. Changes in neurometabolites during infancy can have profound effects on brain development, and it is possible that the microbiome  or collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses inhabiting our gut  plays a role in this process, he says. It was this mysterious interaction between the brain and the gut that motivated the researchers to investigate the mechanism at play. The researchers findings were published in the journal Gut Microbes and are available online.

Gut bacteria predict brain metabolites In this study, the scientists used 1-month-old piglets, since they are the animals with most similarities to human infants when it comes to the development of the brain and the gut microbiome. Using the piglet as a translatable animal model for human infants provides a unique opportunity for studying aspects of development which are sometimes more difficult or ethically challenging to collect data on in human infants, explains Mudd. For example, in this study we wanted to see if we could find bacteria in the feces of piglets that might predict concentrations of compounds in the blood and brain, both of which are more difficult to characterize in infants, he adds. First, the researchers found that the Bacteroides and Clostridium bacteria, identified in the animals feces, predicted higher levels of myo-inositol, which is a substance that plays a role in cell signaling. Bacteroides could also predict higher quantities of creatine  an amino acid-like compound  in the brain. The scientists also noticed that Butyricimonas bacteria could positively predict n-acetylaspartate (NAA), an amino acid found in the brain. At the same time, they found that an abundance of Ruminococcus bacteria in the feces correlated with lower concentrations of NAA in the brain. Mudd highlights the fact that previous research had already suggested a link between abnormal NAA and the development of ASD, but so far, nothing had led scientists to note correlations between gut bacteria and NAA. These brain metabolites have been found in altered states in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder [], yet no previous studies have identified specific links between bacterial genera and these particular metabolites. Austin Mudd
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The research team combined WHO's latest cholera data with data that mapped areas of government and rebel control, and found that the cholera outbreak disproportionately affects areas controlled by Houthi rebels.They found that 77.7 percent of cholera cases (339,061 of 436,625) and 80.7 percent of deaths from cholera (1,545 of 1,915) occurred in Houthi-controlled governorates, compared to 15.4 percent of cases and 10.4 percent of deaths in government-controlled governorates.1.8 percent of the population in Houthi-controlled areas have contracted cholera, compared to 1.0 percent in government-controlled areas. 0.46 percent of those who contracted cholera died in Houthi-controlled areas, compared to 0.30 percent in government-controlled areas.Jonathan Kennedy, Andrew Harmer and David McCoy from QMUL write: "Both sides have been accused of disregarding the wellbeing of civilians and breaching international humanitarian law. But the government and Saudi-led coalition that supports it command far greater resources."As a result, Houthi-controlled areas have been disproportionately affected by the conflict, which has created conditions conducive to the spread of cholera.Saudi-led airstrikes have destroyed vital infrastructure, including hospitals and public water systems, hit civilian areas, and displaced people into crowded and insanitary conditions. A Saudi-enforced blockade of imports has caused shortages of, among other things, food, medical supplies, fuel and chlorine, and restricted humanitarian access."As the Saudi-led coalition has played a key role in the collapse of health, water, and sanitation systems in rebel-controlled areas, it is bizarre that UNICEF recently published a press release welcoming Saudi Arabian 'generosity' after the Kingdom donated US$67 million to the cholera response in Yemen."Jonathan Kennedy from QMUL added: "Saudi Arabia is an ally of the UK and USA. American and British companies supply Saudi Arabia with huge amounts of military equipment and their armed forces provide logistical support and intelligence. This backing has made the Saudi-led airstrikes and blockade possible, and therefore the UK and USA have played a crucial role in creating conditions conducive to the spread of cholera."In June 2017, UNICEF and WHO released a statement declaring that Yemen is "facing the worst cholera outbreak in the world". While they acknowledged the outbreak was caused by the civil war that began in 2015, they did not suggest that one party is more responsible than another or that one side is more affected by the outbreak, stating "cholera has spread to almost every governorate".The new analysis is published as the UN marks World Humanitarian Day, a yearly tribute to aid workers, and aimed to rally support for people affected by crises around the world. Yemen has been described as the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time.Source: Eurekalert
Orhan Pamuk is one of those seasoned authors who knows exactly how to stir the soul through his words and riveting plots. His storytelling is the work of legends in the making and there's no guessing that his latest release is going to capture your heart, yet again!

The Nobel Prize winning author announced his newly released book, titled The Red-Haired Woman this week. The novel is a fable of fathers and sons and the desires that come between them. Set in mid 1980s' Turkey, the book is a beguiling mystery tale of family and romance, of East and West, tradition and modernity, by one of the great storytellers of our time.

 Penguin Random House India

So The Story Goes

On the outskirts of a town thirty miles from Istanbul, a master well digger and his young apprentice are hired to find water on a barren plain. As they struggle in the summer heat, excavating meter by meter without luck, the two will develop a filial bond neither has known beforenot the poor middle-aged bachelor nor the middle-class boy whose father disappeared after being arrested for politically subversive activities. The pair will come to depend on each other and exchange stories reflecting disparate views of the world. But in the nearby town, where they buy provisions and take their evening break, the boy will find an irresistible diversion. The Red-Haired Woman, an alluring member of a traveling theatre company, catches his eye and seems as fascinated by him as he is by her. The young man's wildest dream will be realized, but when, in his distraction, a horrible accident befalls the well digger, the boy will flee, returning to Istanbul. Only years later will he discover whether he was in fact responsible for his master's death and who the red-headed enchantress was.

 The Daily Beast

This is Pamuk's latest work, published by Penguin Random House India. The Turkish author who is famed for titles, like Snow'; My Name Is Red' and The Museum of Innocence' has won awards and titles throughout his career; from the 2003 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award to the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006. Pamuk remains one of the most celebrated contemporary authors in the world. There aren't many of his caliber who can weave a story as magically as he does.

For fans of the author, this is just what you've been waiting for. For avid readers who have always wanted to know more about Pamuk, this is his latest work and is well worth a read. I know I can't wait to get my hands in this one.

And, in case you're waiting for a more detailed and fleshed out review, we should have that for you, soon enough.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's love for India is nothing new. Be it his dapper look in a Kurta or showing off his killer Bhangra moves, time and again Trudeau has impressed us with his desi swag. While we celebrated our 70th Independence Day on August 15, with much joy and fervour; Trudeau wasn't far behind with the celebrations and these pictures are proof of how colourful and grand the affair was. Canada celebrated India's Independence Day as India Day on Sunday and it was definitely a visual treat for people as they saw the PM parading down the streets and enjoying the day in traditional Kurta-Pyjama.

Home in my riding of Papineau for Indian Independence Day celebrations! Long live the friendship between our two countries. pic.twitter.com/FYdodH2Kwg  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 20 August 2017

He tweeted saying, Home in my riding of Papineau for Indian Independence Day celebrations! Long live the friendship between our two countries. The India Day parade happened in Papineau, Montreal in Quebec. Reportedly, at the event, he concluded his speech with Jai Hind and garnered love and applause of the audience. This isn't the first time that Trudeau is attending Independence Day celebrations, but this was his first time as PM.

PM Trudeau celebrates India's 71st Independence Day by participating in the India Day Parade in Papineau, Quebec. pic.twitter.com/RbjRvgh5fb  CanadianPM (@CanadianPM) 20 August 2017

In fact, along with Trudeau, India's High Commissioner to Canada, Vikas Swarup too was present at the event.

And it was truly wonderful to have PM @JustinTrudeau participate in the #IndiaDayParade & spend so much time with members of the community. pic.twitter.com/LhTHHIl38M  Vikas Swarup (@VikasSwarup) 21 August 2017

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, he said It was wonderful to have the Prime Minister of Canada participate in an India Day Parade, spend the good part of almost two hours with the community, speak in very positive terms about the contributions Indo-Canadians are making to Canada and end his speech with Jai Hind'. And he seems to have a fabulous collection of Indian kurtas.

#GreatIndianWelcome This is what happens when a sitting Prime Minister attends an #IndiaDayParade in his own constituency. @JustinTrudeau pic.twitter.com/0cUczrwBM2  Vikas Swarup (@VikasSwarup) 21 August 2017

Twitter too was in awe of this sweet gesture of Trudeau.

Mr. Trudeau, you are the BOMB, in the most positive sense of the word. Please adopt us! pic.twitter.com/3NJsDr646S  Liza Vasquez (@LifeCoachLiza) 21 August 2017

The reason why everyone loves you.  Amandeep Shokeen (@AmandeepShokeen) 22 August 2017
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Taipei, Aug. 22 (CNA) The number of international visitors to Taiwan fell almost 6 percent in the first six months of the year, due mainly to a drop in arrivals from China, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
Georgia and Uzbekistan intensify cooperation in Tourism

By Mariam Chanishvili

Georgia's National Tourism Administration was offered to participate in the Tashkent International Tourism Fair, which will be held in early October.The Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Development of Uzbekistan, Aziz Abdukhakimov and the Ambassador of Georgia to the Republic of Uzbekistan, Konstantin Zhenti have discussed issues about the development of tourism and cooperation.Tashkent International Tourism Fair will be held 3-5 October, 2017.It is a three - day event held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This event showcases products providing participants and visitors with all necessary information about different types of activities and new tourist routes in the region.The Fair sums up the summer tourist season, emerging trends for the next year, and opens the possibility of the next tourist season.The State Committee for Tourism Development, a state body, formed in 1992 by a Presidential Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan, carries out the state program on the development of international and domestic tourism.The State Committee for Tourism Development of Uzbekistan is planning to organize trips to Georgia. In 2017, approx. 11 200 Uzbek citizens have visited Georgia.Georgia and Uzbekistan established diplomatic relations in August 1994. Countries develop and deepen cooperation in the fields of politics, economy and humanity.Tbilisi and Tashkent are closely cooperating with international organizations, such as UN and OSCE.
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Taipei, Aug. 22 (CNA) After eggs from three farms in Changhua County were found to contain excessive levels of the highly toxic insecticide fipronil, an animal disease control official in Changhua County said on Tuesday that the owners of all three farms denied using the chemical.
TenPenny said: Yeah, the corruption is in your mind. If you're that scared of rainbows, you need to kill yourself. Click to expand...

Exactly. A rainbow's a rainbow.I remember a friend telling me how one winter, his mother decided to put up a red light bulb on the front porch for two reasons:1. She liked the colour red (though that was the secondary reason), and2. So her son could find his way home among rows of townhouses that all looked alike.She was unaware of any meaning attributed to a red light bulb on a front porch. When her husband got home, he was embarrassed and infuriated, but once he realized the neighbours had accepted it with humour, he mellowed out and accepted it with equal humour.The point is, different things mean different things to different people. If a person likes rainbows but doesn't care for its association with the LGBT movement, then he's free to use it for his purposes. Just as prostitutes don't hold a exclusive rights to red light bulbs, the LGBT community does not hold exclusive rights to rainbows and Nazis don't hold a monopoly on swastikas.
living in North Korea after

James Joseph Dresnok

North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last US defector in the country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave.



Our father was in the arms of the republic and received only the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74, said Ted Dresnok, the elder of the two.



In the video, Dresnok and his brother wore a Korean Peoples army uniform, adorned with a badge depicting the Norths founder Kim Il-sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-il



Both men were born in North Korea and spoke Korean with a heavy northern accent.

Meet Charles Robert Jenkins, an American detained by North Korea for 40 years

Subaru through Sado Islands rice paddies and sleepy villages. Aint nobody live good in North Korea. Nothing to eat. No running

news carries a constant drumbeat of stories: Pyongyangs increasingly advanced missile tests, and nuclear threats; the death of Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old American college student, after 17 months in North Korean custody; the assassination of ruler Kim Jong Uns half-brother

The only US soldier known to still bedefecting more than five decades ago died last year, pledging his loyalty to the great leader Kim Jong-un, his sons have saidwas among a handful of American servicemen to desert following the Korean war, crossing the heavily fortified demilitarised zone in 1962.He went on to appear inmoreharles Robert Jenkins deserted the U.S. Army on a freezing night in January 1965. He pounded 10 beers to quiet his nerves, and abandoned his patrol unit along the border dividing South and North Korea  a 160-mile-long, 2.5-mile-wide strip of mine-ridden no mans land.He unloaded his M-16 rifle to show the enemy he meant no harm; he raised his knees high to avoid triggering tripwires. Several hours later, he crossed into North Korea.He didnt leave for nearly 40 yearsNow, Jenkins  77 but looking much older, with a deep-lined face and distant expression  lives a quiet life on Sado, a small, pastoral island in the Sea of Japan. He speaks in the thick Southern accent of his North Carolina childhood, and the stories he tells, 13 years after the end of his North Korean adventure, recall decades of solitude, deprivation and torture.In North Korea, I lived a dogs life, he said in a rare interview, as he drove his boxywater. No electricity. In the wintertime you freeze  in my bedroom, the walls were covered in ice.Jenkins works now as a greeter in Mano Park, a placid tourist attraction on the Japanese island, selling, a type of rice cracker. Tourists see him and squeal with delight  Jenkins-san!  as he passively poses for photos.But North Korea somehow feels as close as ever. The televisionin a Malaysian airport.They all carry echoes of the one incontrovertible lesson he learned as a guest of the North Korean government for 40 years. I don't put nothing past North Korea, Jenkins says. North Korea could to do anything. North Korea dont care.Six American soldiers defected to North Korea after the Korean war. Most were unhappy in the Army; most had troubled pasts.In 1965, Jenkins was a U.S. Army sergeant posted to South Korea. But he was unhappy with his assignment and worried it could get worse. He feared his units nighttime patrols along the border were too provocative and would get them killed; he feared hed be sent to die in Vietnam. He got depressed, began drinking heavily and made a decision that hed regret for the rest of his life: to go AWOL.more
The nation is reeling after a second Navy destroyer sustained major damage in a collision with another ship in the span of three months, and theories abound about what caused the most recent incident early Monday morning.

But the chief of Naval Operations told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday that, in the case of the collision of the USS John S. McCain with a Liberian-flagged merchant ship, there was so far no evidence that external or unfriendly forces played a role.

"That's certainly something we are giving full consideration to, but we have no indication that that's the case yet," Adm. John Richardson said. "But we're looking at every possibility, so we're not leaving anything to chance."

Richardson said a wide-ranging investigation into the incident would also consider the possibility of cyber attacks.

But in the meantime, the Navy is moving ahead with an aggressive review of its own practices, procedures and training to determine whether organizational failures contributed to the crash at sea. Earlier today, Richardson announced that all Navy fleets across the globe would observe an operational pause to assess procedures and areas for improvement.

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In June, seven sailors were killed when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship southwest of Tokyo. Earlier this year, in separate high-profile incidents the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain collided with a Korean fishing vessel and the cruiser USS Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay.

In his brief to reporters, he offered more details, saying fleet commanders would have a week to put together individual region-specific plans for how to observe the halt in operations. Each operational pause will likely last one to two days, Richardson said, though commanders will have broad latitude to determine the specifics.

"My hope is that we will learn, continue to improve in the short term, validating that we are sound on the fundamentals," Richardson said. "And if not, we will take action to correct that, and then we'll look at broader, more systemic issues."

An additional aggressive and wide-ranging review of safety, training and current Navy practices will focus on identifying trends that could contribute to the series of recent high-profile mishaps involving ships in the Pacific.

"This will be a broader effort looking at a number of things, one being, what is the situation out in Japan with our forward-deployed naval forces out there, how are they executing their business," Richardson said. "I just want to understand that more deeply in terms of training, generating that readiness that we ask them to achieve, and then certifying that readiness, making sure that it meets standards."

While Richardson said he hasn't set a deadline for the completion of this review, he said it would be finished in roughly a few months, enabling the Navy to take any necessary corrective actions as quickly as possible.

These steps come as lawmakers express dismay at the series of mishaps and call for oversight. In a statement, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Republican from Texas, called on Congress to provide any additional support that the Navy might need.

"We ask a lot of our men and women in the Navy. The time they spend at sea is increasing, while their ships age and their funding gets cut," he said. "These are just the conditions that can lead to an increase in the kinds of accidents we are witnessing.

The congressman added, "Congress has a duty to provide our Sailors with the additional resources they so clearly need, and to do so immediately. To do any less, while these Sailors are doing so much for us, would be immoral."

Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a Navy veteran -- for whose father and grandfather the USS McCain is named -- voiced his support for the Navy's decision to execute an operational pause.

"I agree with Admiral Richardson that more forceful action is urgently needed to identify and correct the causes of the recent ship collisions," the Arizona Republican said. "Our sailors who risk their lives every day, in combat and in training, deserve no less. I expect full transparency and accountability from the Navy leaders as they conduct the associated investigations and reviews."

Meanwhile, search-and-rescue efforts continue for 10 sailors who still remain missing 24 hours after the McCain collision, which took place east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore around 6:24 a.m. local time Monday. Officials with the Navy's 7th fleet said four sailors were medically evacuated from the ship with relatively minor injuries, and a fifth was injured but did not require additional medical attention.

The ship arrived at Changi Naval base in Singapore under its own power hours after the collision. Photos of the McCain show significant damage to the hull on the port side, and officials said some crew berthing as well as machinery and communications rooms were flooded as a result.

The effort to recover the missing sailors includes ships and aircraft from the Royal Malaysian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy, as well as aid from the amphibious assault ship USS America, which is also providing berthing and food for displaced McCain sailors.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go.

Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune...
The U.S. Army will hold a preliminary hearing to determine if a retired Army major general will stand trial for allegedly raping a minor on multiple occasions in the 1980s.

The Article 32 hearing of retired Maj. Gen. James Grazioplene will be held on Saturday at Fort Meade, Maryland, according to a U.S. Army Military District of Washington press release.

Grazioplene, who retired in 2005, is charged with a "violation of Article 120 of Uniform Code of Military Justice with six specifications of rape of a minor on multiple occasions between 1983 and 1989," according to the release.

As a retiree, in accordance with UMCJ, Article 2, Grazioplene is subject to the UCMJ for the alleged offense. There is no current plan for the U.S. Army to recall him to active-duty during the course of the legal proceedings, Army officials maintain.

Related Content:

Grazioplene, who lives in Gainesville, Va., joined the Army in March 1972 as an armor officer. He was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., a Ranger and was decorated for his service, according to an article by USA Today.

If convicted of all charges, Grazioplene could face a maximum punishment of confinement for life with the possibility of parole, the release states.

Article 32 of the UCMJ requires the completion of a pre-trial investigation before a case may be referred to trial, according to the release. The hearing is intended for the investigating officer to inquire into "the truth of the matters set forth in the charges, and makes a recommendation to the commander as to disposition of the charges."

An Article 32 hearing is similar to a civilian grand jury, with additional rights afforded to the accused. Some of those additional rights include the right to be present during the investigation; the right to cross-examine prosecution witnesses; and the right to have evidence within the control of military authorities produced at the investigation, the release states.

"The U.S. Army takes all allegations of criminal or inappropriate misconduct seriously and is committed to ensuring all soldiers live up to the Army Values and adhere to the UCMJ and standards of conduct," the release states.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker. Follow him on Twitter@JosephVMicallef.

The last several weeks have seen significant developments in the continuing crisis over North Korea's development of nuclear armed missiles. On July 4 and July 28, North Korea tested two new Hwasong 14/ KN 20 missiles.

Subsequently, North Korea's "Supreme Leader" Kim Jong-un made several announcements concerning Pyongyang's intent to either launch a missile attack on Guam or to test additional missiles that would splash down near Guam.

His comments brought a quick rebuke from President Donald Trump who warned Pyongyang that any attack on U.S. soil would bring "fire and fury" raining down on North Korea. In the meantime, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other senior U.S. government officials kept emphasizing the need for a diplomatic solution.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford also emphasized the desirability of a diplomatic solution while at the same time making it clear than an attack on U.S. soil would bring a quick and devastating response to North Korea.

In the meantime, several U.S. intelligence agencies announced that that had revised their assessment on the state of Pyongyang's nuclear development program and that they now believe North Korea has successfully developed a miniaturized atomic device capable of being fitted on a ballistic missile. Concurrently, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution imposing trade sanctions on approximately one billion dollars of North Korean exports of coal, iron and seafood, among others.

Related content:

What comes next? To answer that we must answer three questions. First, how likely is it that North Korea has been able to develop a warhead capable of being carried on a ballistic missile that has the range to strike the United States? Secondly, is a diplomatic solution possible and thirdly, what would a diplomatic solution look like?

North Korea tested its latest intercontinental range missile, a Hwasong-14 /KN 20 on July 28. An earlier test of the same missile occurred on July 4. The missile, launched from the launch facility at Mup'yong-ni, was airborne for approximately 47 minutes, covering a distance of about 600 miles and reached an apogee of approximately 2,200 miles.

Based on its flight time and apogee, intelligence analysts have estimated that the missile would have a range of approximately 6,000 to 6,500 miles; sufficient range to strike the east coast of the United States. It's not clear whether the missile carried any kind of a payload or its weight or how its range would be reduced if it carried a nuclear warhead. At the very least, however, this missile would be able to strike a significant portion of the American mainland.

While it was only a question of time until North Korea developed missiles with sufficient range to hit the U.S. mainland, this development occurred several years earlier than expected. Michael Elleman, an expert on Russian missile technology at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, suggested that North Korea may have obtained rocket engines from a plant in Ukraine that was once part of the Soviet and later Russian missile programs. The Yuzhmash factory in Dnipro, Ukraine specialized in building engines for intercontinental range ballistic missiles.

Mup'yong-ni is a weapons manufacturing facility and is approximately 75 miles away from the usual launch facility at Kusong (Banghyon airfield). This was the first time a missile launch had occurred at Mup'yong-ni and was likely meant to show that Pyongyang has multiple sites available from which to launch missiles.

The test occurred at night under conditions intended to mimic operational use. The Hwasong 14 is a liquid fuel rocket mounted on a TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher). A road mobile ICBM is harder to find and presumably therefore harder to destroy. However, TEL launched missiles are usually solid fuel rockets since, in the opinion of most analysts, the fuel tanks of liquid fueled rockets would likely suffer damage while being moved over roadways.

This would be especially true for North Korea's road system. North Korea does have a TEL mounted solid fuel rocket -- the Pukkuksong 2/KN 15. This missile, however, only has an intermediate range of about 1,200 miles.

Interestingly, prior to the July 28 launch, Western intelligence agencies observed the presence of a Hwasong 14 TEL at the missile launch facility at Kusong. It's not clear if that was the missile ultimately fired at Mup'yong-ni. It's possible that Pyongyang was sending a subtle signal to the U.S. that its road mobile Hwasong 14s could in fact take the beating of being moved over North Korea's roads.

On March 9, 2017, the North Korean News Agency (KCNA) announced that Pyongyang had successfully developed a miniaturized warhead and published pictures of Kim Jong-un standing next to what appeared to be the casing of a warhead designed to fit on a nuclear missile. There was no way of knowing whether the casing contained a miniaturized atomic device or whether it was empty.

At the time, most Western intelligence agencies dismissed the claim as premature, although most acknowledged that it was only a matter of time until North Korea reached that threshold. In recent weeks the Defense Intelligence Agency, among others, has concluded that Pyongyang has achieved that objective or will do so shortly. On what basis was that assessment changed?

If that is true, then North Korea now poses a distinct nuclear threat to South Korea and Japan, both important U.S. allies, and likely has between 100 and 200 missiles, across several different types, capable of being deployed.

While Pyongyang lacks sufficient nuclear warheads to arm that many missiles and while not all its missile types could be fitted with a nuclear device, a mass launch of a mix of conventional, chemical and nuclear armed missiles would test Japan and Korea's anti-missile defenses and it is likely that some missiles would get through to their intended targets.

It's possible that new information was obtained that confirmed the North Korean announcement. If so, it's understandable that such information would not be made public for fear of disclosing the "sources and methods" used to obtain it. Alternatively, it might simply indicate that intelligence analysts are being more cautious, especially considering the notable progress that North Korea has been making in developing its nuclear missile technology.

These kinds of intelligence assessments are as much an art form as they are a factual-based brief. Moreover, unlike what is typically portrayed in films and thrillers, they are rarely the product of a single brilliant analyst, but usually the result of a multi-person, deliberative committee with all the compromise and lowest common denominator that a committee-based, decision-making process implies. There is probably a certain amount of CYA that's also taking place here.

If North Korea has been able to develop a missile-ready warhead and intelligence agencies fail to spot it, then the development becomes a colossal intelligence failure. If on the other hand, the intelligence community announces that North Korea has reached that milestone or will do shortly, there is little downside if the announcement turns out to be slightly premature. Assuming of course, that the assessment doesn't become a pretext for launching a military strike. The circumstantial evidence, admittedly scanty, points to the latter conclusion.

Significantly, the reassessment has come primarily from American intelligence agencies. Allied intelligence agencies do not seem to have altered their assessment of North Korea's nuclear progress. To be fair, among the U.S. and its allies, Washington generally has the best intelligence on Pyongyang's nuclear activities.

On the other hand, if new information about North Korea's nuclear program had emerged, it is likely that the U.S. would have shared it with its key allies. The fact that the reassessments are predominantly American suggests they reflect a greater caution on the part of intelligence analysts rather than credible new information.

In addition, the Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that even though the reentry vehicle carried by the Hwasong missile in the July 28 test broke up on reentry into the atmosphere, it would have likely survived its reentry under a normal, minimum energy trajectory. The test also demonstrated that North Kores has made significant progress in being able to control the trajectory of a reentry vehicle.

Regardless of the status of North Korea's nuclear missile program, the fact remains that even if Pyongyang has not yet crossed the miniaturized warhead threshold, it is only a matter of time until it does. Likewise, in the next few years, if it hasn't reached that point already, North Korea will have missiles capable of hitting targets throughout North America.

Either way, North Korea's nuclear weapons program is highly destabilizing to regional security and it is a problem for the United States and its Asian allies. The only question is the immediacy of the threat. Whether Pyongyang can reliably hit the U.S. mainland or not, there is no question that it already has missiles with sufficient range to threaten Japan and South Korea.

That begs the second question, is there a diplomatic solution or is an outbreak of hostilities between the U.S. and North Korea inevitable? Sanctions are on the dividing line between diplomacy and military confrontation. They can be an aggressive act but stop short of military conflict. In that sense, they can be part of a diplomatic solution or at least add teeth to such a solution that, while significant, stops short of outright war.

The UN Security Council has move resolutely, with Russian and Chinese support, to impose tough new sanctions on North Korea. The sanctions cover between a third and a half, around a billion dollars, of Pyongyang's exports. It does not, however, include petroleum imports, most of which come from China. Significantly, over 80 percent of these exports go to China.

China voted in favor of the sanctions and has announced it is in the process of terminating these imports from North Korea. If Beijing follows through, then these new sanctions will represent a crippling blow to North Korea's economy.

The new sanctions represent the seventh sanctions resolution imposed on North Korea over the last eleven years. As with past resolutions, the resolution calls on Pyongyang to rejoin the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (North Korea signed the treaty in 1985 but withdrew in 2003), and restart the Six Party Talks (North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia, China and the U.S.) over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

In the past, China has announced the implementation of sanctions against North Korea only to later backpaddle. Whether these sanctions are crippling enough to induce Pyongyang to change its behavior will depend largely on China's willingness to enforce them. Even if Beijing does enforce the sanctions, it's possible that Russia might move to further assist Pyongyang.

North Korea does not pose a threat to Russia, the Kremlin may see an opportunity in the Korean crisis to leverage its own agenda. Even then, it's highly unlikely that Russian aid could make up the trade shortfall created by China's enforcement of the sanctions.

The U.S. has disclosed that it has been conducting secret talks with North Korea. Clearly, once disclosed they are no longer a secret. In this case, their disclosure is a good indication that the talks themselves were going nowhere and by announcing them Washington could demonstrate that it has been serious about seeking a diplomatic solution.

Both China and Russia have offered a compromise diplomatic solution that would see the U.S. scale back or eliminate its military presence in South Korea in return for North Korea shutting down or limiting its nuclear program. Where that would leave Pyongyang's nuclear ambition is unclear. In any case the proposal is moot as it has been categorically rejected by the U.S.

South Korea's president Moon Jae-in has floated several diplomatic proposals designed to ease the tension over North Korea's nuclear program, but these have all been rebuffed by the North.

Understandably, the South Korean government is justifiably worried that Seoul, South Korea's capital and a city of some 30 million inhabitants just 30 miles from the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two countries, is hostage to any kind of North Korean attack, even if it did not include nuclear weapons. The damage in lives and property that would befall Seoul in the advent of war would be catastrophic.

In recent weeks, there has been some debate in Washington over whether the U.S. has any military options regarding North Korea. Former White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to the President, Steve Bannon, famously announced that the U.S. did not have any military options with respect to North Korea and that Kim Jong-un had "already won."

Of course, the U.S. has military options in dealing with Pyongyang. That's a given when you have the world's strongest military. The issue is not whether Washington has a military option, the issue is who will pay the price if Washington exercises military force and would such force be sufficient to neutralize the threat posed by a nuclear armed North Korea?

Clearly, the brunt of the consequences of a military attack would fall on South Korea, and Seoul in particular. Japan would also be at significant risk. Even if the U.S. was successful in eliminating North Korea's first strike nuclear capability it could not be certain of eliminating its mobile, intermediate range second strike missiles. A capacity that will grow even less secure in the future. Moreover, a heavily armed Pyongyang would still have plenty of firepower, both conventional and chemical, to rain death and destruction on South Korea.

It's unlikely that effort could be sustained for any length of time, but even a short window would be sufficient to inflict considerable damage in both lives and property. In that sense, Seoul remains a hostage to North Korea's military capabilities and to any possible U.S. military response. That's why Seoul has insisted that the U.S. not undertake any military strikes against North Korea without first obtaining agreement from the South Korean government.

The most recent round of economic sanctions may prove crippling enough to bring Pyongyang to the bargaining table over its nuclear ambitions. Although North Korea has a long history of surviving and maneuvering around past sanctions.

Those sanctions, combined with ongoing diplomatic engagement, may resolve the current crisis without precipitating a military confrontation. Alternatively, it might precipitate regime change in Pyongyang in search of a face saving solution to end those sanctions and eliminate the danger of a military clash. That's highly unlikely, but possible. On the other hand, a cornered Kim Jong-un might well seek a military confrontation in an ultimate bluff if he feels he has nothing left to lose.

What would a diplomatic solution, short of regime change, look like? The likelihood that Kim Jong-un would dismantle his nuclear missile program, the principal U.S. demand, is very low. Likewise, the likelihood that the U.S. withdraw its military forces from South Korea as a precondition of shutting down North Korea's nuclear program is equally unlikely.

The more likely outcome is that Pyongyang would agree to limiting its future tests of atomic weapons and missile development and restart talks over its nuclear program in return for an easing of those sanctions and possibly some kind of food aid or financial assistance.

Such an outcome would likely be preceded by Pyongyang's announcement that it had achieved its objective of developing nuclear missiles capable of striking the U.S. and that further testing or development was not necessary or only minimally required.

That compromise would not solve the long-term problem posed by North Korea's nuclear ambitions or the threat it poses to America's allies in East Asia or ultimately the U.S. itself. Nor would that outcome be acceptable to the United States. It's China's position that is paramount here, however, not Washington's. Such a diplomatic compromise might be sufficient for China to roll back some or all the economic sanctions against Pyongyang and give the Kim Jong-un regime some breathing room.

The question is what would Washington do under those circumstances? Would a promise by North Korea to slow down its nuclear program be sufficient to forestall a U.S. military response? Would it still be willing to act unilaterally against North Korea or would it feel sufficiently constrained to defer military action? Would Washington consider a military response even if either Seoul or Tokyo are against a military solution?

Indeed, the frenzy with which Pyongyang has been pushing its nuclear development program may well reflect its belief that it will likely have to accept some constraints on the program in the future; hence the need to push its development as fast as possible and present the world with a fait accompli. It may also reflect Kim Jong-un's belief that he can successfully bluff his way through a confrontation with the U.S. just as his father did.

From Washington's perspective, the longer the North Korean nuclear program continues the harder it will be for military action to eliminate it. At the very least, the scale of any military action will increase proportionately with the passage of time.

Simply put, it is highly unlikely there is a diplomatic solution that will permanently resolve the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons program. At best, a diplomatic solution will only result in a deferral of any U.S. military action in return for having North Korea slow down its nuclear weapons program.

Much as the U.S. and its allies did with Iran's weapons program, this will not solve the long-term problem posed by the ongoing nuclear proliferation of rogue regimes, it will simply put off the problem in the hope, probably vain, that by the time those regimes do perfect their nuclear weapons they will be easier to deal with. In other words, if you give a bully what he wants, albeit slowly, over time they will become less of a bully. If only that was true. Human history suggests the opposite conclusion.

There is one other wild card in the North Korean standoff -- Iran. The two countries have a long-standing cooperation in nuclear weapon and missile development. A cash strapped North Korea might be more willing to sell its nuclear technology to Iran, although it's likely that Pyongyang, at some point, will make such technology available to Tehran regardless of its economic condition.

It's also possible that Tehran will move more aggressively to support the North Korean regime, although it is unlikely that it can do so at a level sufficient to counter the impact of China's enforcement of the latest sanctions. What is clear, however, is that given Tehran's and Pyongyang's long-standing cooperation on nuclear weapons development, any attempt at limiting proliferation must consider both countries' nuclear weapons program in tandem.

It has been almost three-quarters of a century since the first atomic device was exploded. It is quite remarkable how successful the world community has been in limiting nuclear proliferation. But such limits could never be absolute. At best, they could slow down what would eventually become inevitable. We are now well past that threshold. The likelihood that rogue regimes will be able to not only obtain nuclear weapons but build an arsenal of such weapons is a 21st century reality.

While the U.S. could destroy, or at the very least severely cripple North Korea's nuclear development program, it can only do so by putting South Korea at a significant risk of loss of lives and property. There is a good chance that a diplomatic solution could be found that would, at least for the short-term, eliminate the likelihood of a military clash between the U.S. and North Korea.

Such a solution, however, will not end the long-term problem posed by Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. It will simply push the problem into the future for someone else to deal with.

Long-term, the only likely way to deal with the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear ambition is regime change in Pyongyang. The question is will that regime change come because of U.S. military action, Chinese sponsored political intrigue or from the economic chaos created by ever tighter sanctions?

The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com.

-- If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.
Remains of some of the Navy sailors who went missing after a collision between USS John S. McCain and a tanker near Singapore were found in a compartment aboard the destroyer, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. Scott Swift said Tuesday.

Swift said "some remains" were found in sealed compartments during their search on Tuesday and Malaysian officials said they found one body, but were still in the process of identifying it.

"We will continue the search and rescue operations until the probability of discovering sailors is exhausted," Swift said, adding that it was "premature to say how many" bodies were discovered at this time.

Related content:

"We are in the process of gaining possession of those remains [from Malaysia], so we are in the process of identifying," Swift said.

The Monday collision between USS John S. McCain and the 600-foot Alnic MC, an oil and chemical tanker, left five sailors injured and 10 others missing. U.S. Navy officials told Fox News hours after the incident that diving operations were being carried out in the flooded compartments. The U.S., Singapore and Malaysian navies joined the sea search from Monday into Tuesday.

The crash tore a gaping hole in the destroyer's left rear hull and flooded adjacent compartments. Swift said the USS John S. McCain suffered "significant damage" and the flooding into the destroyer had been controlled. He praised the "tough and resilient" crew for its damage control efforts.

"It is premature to discuss what the outcome will be, but the naval command is sending a team here to do the assessment," Swift said. "They will assess the damage...and determine what repairs are necessary. We are very grateful for the support we're receiving from Singapore."

A full investigation into the incident will be conducted.

The identities of the missing have not been disclosed but Megan Partlow of Ohio said her fiance's parents were in touch with the Navy's family assistance center. Partlow, who said her fiance was on board the McCain, told The Associated Press in a Facebook message that they last communicated on Sunday and she was losing hope of seeing him again.

"My last text to him was 'be safe,' which is the same way we end every conversation. I'm just ready for answers," she said.

The collision was the second major incident in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet and the fourth major mishap in the Pacific. In June, seven sailors died when USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in the waters off Japan. The Navy ordered a pause in 7th Fleet operations to conduct a "broader investigation" into its performance and readiness on Monday.

"While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation," Swift said.

He added the Navy would conduct an investigation "to find out if there is a common cause ... and if so, how do we solve that."

--The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump agreed with his generals Monday night to send more troops to Afghanistan but kept under wraps the number to be deployed.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," he said in unveiling a new strategy for the 16-year-old war in a primetime address to the nation from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall next to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Troops levels in Afghanistan will be based on conditions on the ground -- and the war effort against the Taliban and the offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria called Islamic State-Khorasan province, or IS-K, will be significantly stepped up, the president said.

"I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will," he said. "The American people deserve a plan for victory," he added, and "in the end we will win."

In not announcing the number of troops in Afghanistan, the president could be applying a policy similar to that already being used in Iraq and Syria, where the so-called Force Management Levels, or numbers of troops officially deployed in the countries, are published by the Pentagon but those on so-called "temporary" assignment are not disclosed.

In the long deliberations on a new strategy for Afghanistan, Trump acknowledged that "my original instinct was to pull out" and abandon the effort that has cost the U.S. nearly $1 trillion and the lives of more than 2,250 troops.

However, Trump said he had come to realize that a "hasty withdrawal" would allow Afghanistan to return to being a sanctuary for terrorists to plot attacks against the U.S. homeland and repeat the mistakes of the Obama administration in withdrawing from Iraq, a strategic misstep that many say resulted in the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

"We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistakes our leaders made in Iraq," the president said.

"Nearly 16 years after the Sept. 11 (2001) attacks, the American people are weary of war without victory," he said. "Nowhere is this more evident than in the war in Afghanistan. I share the American people's frustration."

Trump also said he would also loosen the rules of engagement. The new strategy would renew focus on air power and a determined effort to get Pakistan -- a country he repeatedly mentioned during his speech -- to move against Taliban safe havens in the northwestern provinces.

"Pakistan has much to gain with partnering with our effort in Afghanistan," the president said, and "it has much to lose" in harboring the Taliban. "That will have to change and that will change immediately," he said.

The speech appeared to represent a long-term commitment by Trump to a war in Afghanistan that he had criticized before becoming a candidate as not worth the effort.

The president rarely mentioned Afghanistan during the campaign and prior to that he was highly critical of the money and effort being spent on a seemingly endless war.

In 2013, as he considered running for president, Trump tweeted, "We should have a speedy withdrawal" from Afghanistan. "Why should we keep wasting our money -- rebuild the U.S.!"

The previous year, he tweeted, "It is time to get out of Afghanistan. We are building roads and schools for people that hate us. It is not in our national interests."

The prime-time speech was Trump's first nationally televised address since he spoke before Congress in January and followed a week of controversy over his reaction to the racially-charged violence in Charlottesville, Va., in which he appeared to equivocate on condemning white supremacists.

Trump's revised strategy for Afghanistan was the result of a drawn-out process that began in February with the prodding of Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan and the NATO Resolute Support mission.

Nicholson told Congress that the war was at a "stalemate" against the Taliban and a new threat from an offshoot of ISIS called the Islamic State-Khorasan province.

The Army general said he needed a "few thousand" more troops to bolster the counter-terror raids of U.S forces and their train, advise and assist role in shaping the Afghan National Defense Security Forces. Nicholson's request for troops was believed to be in the range of 3,000-5,000.

Currently, about 8,500 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, along with about 4,500 NATO and coalition troops.

According to a recent report to Congress by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, only 57 percent of the districts in the country were under the Afghan government's control as of November 2016 -- a 15 percent decrease from the previous year.

In response to Nicholson's request, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who had already been granted authority by Trump to set troop levels in Afghanistan, began drawing up a plan that he said would be delivered by mid-July.

Mattis reportedly was working on a strategy that included about 3,800 more troops, increased air power and a regional approach that would pressure Pakistan into taking action against Taliban safe havens.

After Trump's speech, the defense secretary said the president's strategic guidance followed "a rigorous interagency review."

"I have directed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make preparations to carry out the president's strategy," he said in a statement. "I will be in consultation with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies -- several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers. Together, we will assist the Afghan Security forces to destroy the terrorist hub."

Nicholson had already greatly increased the use of airpower in Afghanistan. In April, he approved the use of the Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, bomb -- the largest non-nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal -- against IS-K in the Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province.

Overall in April, the U.S. warplanes dropped 460 weapons across Afghanistan, more than the two previous months combined.

Despite the urgency in Nicholson's request, Mattis mid-July timeframe for delivery of the plan kept slipping as Trump wrestled with top White House aides on whether to make a new American commitment to shoring up an Afghan government riddled with corruption and led by President Ashraf Ghani.

At one point last month, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who left the administration last week, went to Mattis at the Pentagon with a proposal from Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater security firm, to turn over much of the war effort to mercenaries.

Over the weekend, Mattis told reporters traveling with him in the Mideast that using private contractors to fight the Taliban was under consideration, but he gave no endorsement.

During the White House deliberations on the strategy, including a meeting of top advisors at the presidential retreat at Camp David in rural Maryland over the weekend, Mattis stressed the need for a long-term commitment from Trump.

Mattis reportedly told Trump: "Mr. President, we haven't fought a 16-year war so much as we have fought a one-year war 16 times."

"There were several options" discussed in the White House and at Camp David, Mattis told reporters traveling with him. "The reason we had to get back together was he (Trump) kept asking questions on all of them."

Trump was careful to avoid setting deadlines for the actions by the Afghan government or potential withdrawals of American troops in the future to avoid comparisons with the administration of former President Barack Obama, but a top former Obama administration official made the comparison for him.

Retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, the former CIA Director and director of the National Security Agency, told CNN earlier Monday that he expected Trump's strategy to be "adding a force there to stabilize the situation. This is probably a decision President Obama would have made."

Retired Army Col. Steve Warren, who was on Mattis' staff until recently, also told CNN that "there is value to us committing to stabilize Afghanistan" to avoid having it once again become a base for terrorists to attack the U.S. "The alternative could be much worse," Warren said.

Trump's frustration with Afghanistan mirrored that of President Obama and President George W. Bush before him, and the numerous generals who have been in charge of the war effort, including retired Army Gens. David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal, and current Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford.

-- Oriana Pawlyk contributed to this report.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
When I was in third grade, I had a friend named Phillip Brown. My birthday party was nearing, and it was common at the time to invite all the boys in the class to a party. And I did invite everyone, including Phillip, who was a particularly special friend. The party was at a roller skating rink. As I was opening presents, my father came up to me and whispered in my ear, Jeffrey, is Phillip a black boy? I said, Yes. Then I didnt think about it anymore.

On the following Monday at school, I saw Phillip. I was somewhat hurt because he had not come to my birthday party. I asked him, Phillip, why didnt you come? He said, I did. They wouldnt let me in.

I was eight years old. The year was 1968. It turns out that my father had to go outside, talk to Phillips father and awkwardly explain to him that this particular establishment was apparently a disturbing remnant of the old ways. Black children were not allowed in.

After business concludes each day in Congress, there is a dedicated period when representatives from each side of the political aisle take time to speak. Democrats can speak and then Republicans, or vice versa. Each side takes turns. One evening, Congressman Al Green, an African-American representative from Houston, was speaking about Black History Month. Congressman Green spoke extensively of both his difficult times as a young lawyer facing a segregated courthouse, and about important progress on civil rights that had been made in the country, adding that there was still the need for more understanding.

As I was preparing my thoughts for my own address next, listening closely as Congressman Green was wrapping up his speech, I kept thinking about Phillip. The thought occurred to me to ask if the Congressman would yielda courteous way of seeking time to interject something. In this circumstance, it would be unusual, but I couldnt let the thought go. I decided, Yes, this is important, and said, Will the gentleman yield? A bit startled at first, Congressman Green said, I would be happy to yield to the gentleman.

So, I thanked him for his words and told the story of Phillip Brownbut with one new detail: the reaction of my own children when I told them of this event from my childhood. You could see the anguish on their faces. My children were aghast that such a hurtful thing could happen. They said, Daddy, you have to find Phillip.

In the meanwhile, another representative from Texas named Ted Poe had come onto the floor of the House to get ready for his speech, and he began to listen. Congressman Poe then asked, Will the gentleman yield? And he began to talk about similar memories of the segregation at the courthouse, and his sentiments about the progress made. He said to me, Jeff, youve got to find Phillip.

I had occasion recently to go back to the little school that I attended (an all-white school in my time, except, as I recall, for the Brown family). I met the principal, who is an African-American woman. It is now a school for children with special talents in which most of the students are African-American. She was kind enough to take me on a little tour. Some things had been added like air conditioning, but much was the same. I walked into one of my old classrooms. Memories flooded over me. It even smelled the same! I asked the principal, Will you look in the records? Will you help me find Phillip Brown?
Britain Ford

Ford cars displayed at a Ford car dealership in London, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. A Ford emblem is seen on a car at a store in London, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017. Car manufacturer Ford is offering car buyers in Britain a 2,000-pound (US dlrs 2,570) incentive to trade in older vehicles for new, less polluting models.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

(Frank Augstein)

Ford in Britain is offering car shoppers a $2,570 (2,000-pound) incentive for scrapping in an old Ford model for a more fuel economy friendly one.

The automaker says people will receive between $2,570 (2,000-pounds and 4,950 pounds) and around $6,000 for trading in a Ford registered prior to Dec. 31, 2009, for a new one, and even more for commercial vehicles. To check out a list of the vehicles and the trade-in incentive attached, click here.

Ford says on its website "there has never been a better time to join Ford in reducing your vehicle's CO2 emissions and improving your fuel economy." Andy Barratt, the automaker's managing director in Britain, told the Associated Press that "removing generations of the most polluting vehicles will have the most immediate positive effect on our air quality."

A.P. reports Ford's scrappage program comes as the government cracks down on air pollution and the sale of diesel engines.

Back in early July, France announced it planned to outlaw the sale of petrol or diesel vehicles by 2040. This move came a day removed from Volvo announcing it would only make electric or hybrid models starting in 2019.

France was the first country to truly lay out a plan for the shunning of petrol and diesels, as the Netherlands talked about a 2025 ban and some talk in Germany eyeing 2030. India is also looking at stopping the sale of diesel and petrol cars by 2030.

With its announcement, Volvo became the first major automaker to skip traditional engines and produce only hybrid and electric motors.

The automaker said the measure will mark "the historic end of cars that only have an internal combustion engine and placing electrification at the core of its future business."

Starting in 2019 and 2021, Volvo will launch five fully electric cars. Three of these will be Volvo models, and the other two will be "high performance electrified cars" from Polestar.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A federal magistrate says lawyers for Tesla Motors, Inc. may look at some of the records of two state legislators behind the 2014 law that prevented the electric car maker from bypassing a dealers network and selling directly to customers.

The Aug. 21 ruling by Magistrate Ellen Carmody gives Tesla's lawyers limited access to records for State Sen. Joe Hune, R-Gregory, and State Rep. Jason Sheppard, R-Temperance for one year prior to the passage of the legislation and six months after its passage.

The state ban on direct sales to consumers is unconstitutional, according to Tesla's lawsuit against the Gov. Rick Snyder, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson and Attorney General Bill Schuette.

If the legislators claim some of their records fall under legislative or attorney-client privilege, Carmody said she will review them to determine whether they are admissible in the case.

Tesla has asked for communications from Hune, who received contributions from the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association. His wife's firm lobbies for auto dealers, the lawsuit said.

Tesla says Hune on Oct. 1, 2014, added language to a bill that had gone unchanged for months.

"Just one day later - with no debate or public scrutiny, the Legislature passed what is commonly called the Anti-Tesla Amendment," Caledonia attorney John Bursch wrote in his request for the records.

Schuette's office, which is representing the legislators and state, has not disclosed if it intends to appeal Carmody's ruling to U.S. District Judge Janet Neff, who is presiding over the case.
UPDATE:The building was cleared and employees were being allowed to renenter about 1:40 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, MI - Police are responding after a Jewish services center in Ann Arbor received a bomb threat on the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 22.

At about 11:25 a.m. Tuesday, a caller to the Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County said there would be an explosion in the building in 20 minutes, Ann Arbor police Detective Lt. Matthew Lige said.

The caller did not make any further specific threats and did not make derogatory statements about the Jewish community, he said.

The service center, which provides services including refugee resettlement, career services and volunteer services, is located in the McKinley Executive Centre office building at 2245 S. State Street in Ann Arbor.

Lige said precautions were taken, no explosion occurred when the 20 minutes passed, and no bombs had been located as of noon Tuesday. The Michigan State Police bomb squad is responding to search the building further.

He said the efforts were in an "overabundance of caution."

This is the second bomb threat made to a Jewish community center in Ann Arbor this year.

On Feb. 27, a caller told an employee at the Hebrew Day School, located at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor, that there was a bomb in a backpack that would be detonated. No bomb was found.

The February incident occurred as threats were called into Jewish community centers across the country. The center also received a similar threat in 2016.
SOUTH LYON, MI - With no mayoral candidates on the November ballot, voters in one Michigan city will decide who leads their town the old-fashioned way - in handwriting.

South Lyon is accepting write-in mayoral candidate forms ahead of the November 7 election. Forms are due by 4 p.m. October 27 at the City Clerk's office.

To qualify, candidates must be a city resident for at least six months ahead of the election, not including township residents with South Lyon mailing addresses.

The small Oakland County community about 15 miles northeast of Ann Arbor is governed by a seven-member city council, including the mayor.

The original deadline to register for a spot on the ballot was July 25. At least two people have so far filed as write-in candidates. They'll compete for a term that runs two years and comes with an hourly wage of $5 for attending regular and special meetings of city council.

Four people have filed for three city council seats, which carry four-year terms and hourly wages of $4.

The South Lyon City Council has often been entangled in tense conversation on day-to-day city issues like budgeting and employment policies, and the squabbles that often derail monthly public meetings are captured and published on South Lyon's YouTube channel.

Council Member Mary Parisien told the Ann Arbor News in July that she's watched tensions rise over the last two years.

"I've noticed that no one wants to work with the City of South Lyon," said Parisien, who was elected in November 2015, along with Council members Margaret Kurtzweil and Joe Ryzyi.

"Businesses don't want to work with City Council, no one wants to run for mayor. City Council itself is just so contentious. In 2016, it got pretty ugly, and in 2017, it got that much worse. A matter that should take an hour to discuss will take four hours to discuss, with council members fighting tooth and nail."

While a lack of a mayoral candidates is not normal in South Lyon, South Lyon Deputy Clerk Judy Pieper said she hasn't received many phone calls from residents about the situation.

Three people have filed and met the deadline to be put on the ballot for council positions - Joyce Clohosey, Rose Walton and Carl Richards- along with incumbent Glen Kivell, who is seeking another term.

Council members Harvey Wedell, who also serves as mayor pro tem, and Mike Kramer are not seeking reelection.

Anyone interested in launching a write-in campaign must visit the South Lyon City Hall, 335 S. Warren Street, and fill out the appropriate paperwork to be a valid candidate, Pieper said.
MILFORD, MI - A Detroit area man is among the sailors reported missing after guided-missile destroyer USS John McCain crashed with a merchant ship near Singapore on Aug. 21, according to media reports.

Kenneth Smith, 22, was reported missing to his mother, April Brandon of Milford, by naval officers, according to the reports.

At least 10 sailors were missing and five others were injured when the USS John McCain collided with the Alnic MC east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca about 6:24 a.m. Japan Standard Time, according to a release by the U.S. Navy.

Brandon told WXYZ that her son was following in the footsteps of other family members who were in the Navy, and she hopes he will be located soon.

Remains of missing sailors had been located as of Tuesday, Aug. 22, though it was not clear who or how many of the missing sailors were found, according to a report from The New York Times.

It's the second U.S. warship to be damaged this summer.

The USS Fitzgerald's senior officer was relieved of command and others are facing punishment after a crash with a container ship near Japan left seven dead in June, according to the Chicago Tribune.
TROY, MI - Police are investigating whether a drag race and drunken driving were involved in a fatal crash on Saturday, Aug. 19 on I-75 in Troy, according to a report by Click On Detroit.

Two vehicles may have been slowing down to begin a race on southbound I-75 when one was struck by a suspected drunken driver in a pickup truck, according to the report.

Cassandra Hunter, 27, of Ontario, was killed in the crash and the driver in her vehicle was seriously injured, according to the report. The two had attended the Woodward Dream Cruise that day.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Police plan to work with federal investigators to identify the source of a bomb threat at a Jewish community services organization in Ann Arbor.

In a phone call placed about 11:25 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, the anonymous caller told a receptionist at Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County, 2245 S. State St., that an explosion would occur in 20 minutes.

The entire office building was evacuated, Ann Arbor police Detective Lt. Matthew Lige said.

No explosion occurred. By 1:40 p.m., the Michigan State Police bomb squad had determined there were no explosives in the building and cleared it for entry, police said.

Officials will now work to identify the caller, who was described as having a male voice, Lige said.

They will also evaluate whether there could be any connection to a bomb threat made on Feb. 27 against the Hebrew Day School at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor, 2937 Birch Hollow Drive. The center also received a similar threat in 2016.

With the threat made earlier this year and similar threats made across the country, Jewish Family Services Executive Director Anya Abramzon said the incident Tuesday was unfortunate, but unsurprising.

"I hope this is an isolated incident so we can continue our mission and do what we do best, which is serving people," she said.

Jewish Family Services is a nonprofit that offers assistance with refugee resettlement, career services, volunteer services and other forms of aid.

The organization serves about 9,000 people a year, and more than 100 clients and staff were in the office when the receptionist received the call Tuesday, Abramzon said.

"It's just incredibly traumatizing and disruptive," Abramzon said.

She said she's thankful for the swift response of the nonprofit's security team and police.

Still, the incident caused concern for clients, including 58-year-old Terri Wallace-McGoughy of Ann Arbor, who was at the organization's food pantry with her grandchildren and great nieces and nephews when she was asked to evacuate.

"It brings tears to my eyes to think this could happen here or anywhere else," she said.

Wallace-McGoughy said she was distraught when asked to evacuate and scared for the lives of the children.

She wondered how the caller would feel if it was their own family that was threatened.

"This isn't a game. These are lives," she said. "It's a terrible thought that you would think this type of situation is funny or hilarious."

Seth Goodell, an employee at IT service company Dynamic Edge Inc., who was also evacuated from the building also questioned what the caller was trying to accomplish with a fake bomb threat.

It only served to scare people and interrupt work, he said, though he noted another Dynamic Edge office was able to fill in while he and his colleagues waited to be allowed back in the building.

"It's really unfair," he said. "I wish it didn't seem like a bigger pattern with what's going on (with similar threats.)"
Its one hairy situation Andy Anderson can appreciate.

While in town for the John C. Fremont Days festival, Anderson stopped by Backstage Revue for a haircut.

But not just any type of haircut. The former Fremonter was getting a cut so she could donate 15 inches of her long, dark hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children who have cancer and are undergoing cancer treatment.

Thus far, shes donated a total of 45 inches of her hair to the cause.

I have such long hair and it grows so quickly, said Anderson, who lives in Clay Center, Kansas.

Anderson began donating her hair five years ago as a way to help kids and as a tribute to her grandmother who had cancer.

I wanted to honor her by doing this, she said.

Steve Cobb, owner of Backstage Revue, said an average of 10 to 15 girls come into the business a year to get their hair cut for the organization.

Most people its just kind of a once in a lifetime thing. They dont make a point like Andy where shes growing it out longer so she can cut it again and turn that hair in, he said.

Anderson lived in Fremont for about a dozen years.

In 2008, she was featured in a Tribune story for her monetary donation to a mission project. Anderson had gone to a Youth Club meeting at The Presbyterian Church of Fremont, where she learned about starving people in Zimbabwe. After she found out a $15 gift would feed an entire family for a month, the then-12-year-old girl donated the $15 her grandmother gave to her for her birthday.

Anderson and her mom, Chris, eventually moved to Clay Center, Kansas. Chris Anderson is a former Fremont Public Schools art teacher.

The two Andersons were in Fremont during the annual festival last month.

Andy wore her Fremont Middle School Tigers Class of 2015 shirt during her haircut. She later put the hair in a padded envelope and mailed it to the Locks of Love organization.

Cobb, who cut Andersons hair, is pleased to see folks help one another.

Its great theres people out there willing to step up and help others, he said. There are other people everywhere that need that help.

Anderson continues to help people through her job as a certified nursing assistant at Medicalodge in Clay Center.

A junior in college, she will start classes at Manhattan Area Technical College this week. She took most of her nursing courses at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas, and plans to become a licensed practical nurse.

On Monday, Anderson and her mom were among thousands of people viewing the solar eclipse at Homestead Monument in Beatrice  where trying to get Internet service became kind of a hairy deal.

That, too, was one hairy deal Anderson could live with.

Anderson encourages others to consider donating when they have at least 10 inches of untreated hair to Locks of Love, 234 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, Florida 33405 or 12 inches of hair, untreated, to Wigs for Kids, 24231 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, Ohio, 44145.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's wife Louise Linton apologized Tuesday after sustained backlash for a now-deleted Instagram post touting her wealth and her subsequent reply belittling a commenter.

"I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive," Linton said in a statement from her publicist.

Monday's post began with a glamorous photo of Linton stepping off an official government plane on a trip to Kentucky with her husband, who was there to discuss tax reform with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and visit Fort Knox.

Dressed in all white and carrying a handbag and silk scarf, the Scottish-born actress and producer tagged a series of luxury designers, including Hermes, Roland Mouret, Tom Ford and Valentino.

"Great #daytrip to #Kentucky! #nicest #people #beautiful #countryside #usa," she wrote.

Instagram user Jenni Miller, a mother of three from Oregon, took issue with the post, commenting, "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable"

Linton fired back in a sarcastic tone.

"@jennimiller29 cute! Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol," she wrote in a response peppered with kiss emojis.

Her reply escalated further as she touted her family's wealth and personal "sacrifice."

"Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day 'trip' than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours," she wrote, calling Miller "adorably out of touch."

Linton said Miller's "life looks cute" and told her to "have a pleasant evening" and "chill out."

The post was deleted late Monday evening and Linton's account was set to private, but not before multiple screengrabs were taken.

'Incredibly offensive'

Miller told CNN she found Linton's original post "incredibly offensive."

"She went to a state where one in five people lives in poverty and many children don't know where their next meal is coming from. Instead of helping in some way, she chose to brag about her outlandishly expensive clothes. It's more than tone-deaf, it's deplorable," Miller said.

In an interview on CNN "Newsroom," Miller said, "If I had any respect for her, it probably would have been hurtful."

Reached for comment, a Treasury spokesperson said: "The Mnuchins are reimbursing the government for her travel, and she does not receive compensation for products she mentions."

Miller called this step a "good outcome" and said she was trying to redirect the new followers she had received on Instagram from the now-viral exchange toward a fundraiser for a friend who suffered a stroke.

"A lot of people are donating to that," Miller said. "And so I'm trying to make some good out of this situation."

It's not the first time Linton has come under fire on social media. After self-publishing a book in 2016 on a year abroad in Zambia, Linton was sharply criticized for the book's inaccuracies and misleading description of the political climate, with the Washington Post slamming its "white savior" narrative. She described herself as a "skinny white muzungu with long angel hair."

A description of the book on Amazon calls it an "inspiring memoir of an intrepid teenager who abandoned her privileged life in Scotland to travel to Zambia as a gap year student where she found herself inadvertently caught up in the fringe of the Congolese War."

Linton pulled the book from Amazon a few months later and issued an apology on a now-private Twitter account.

The Telegraph, which published an article excerpt of the book, said in a statement that Linton's work "mistakenly implied that the conflicts in Congo and Rwanda had spilled over into Zambia, that Zambia was a war-torn country in 1999 and that armed rebels had crossed Lake Tanganyika to Zambia that year. Other claims of inaccuracy were also made."

Linton is no stranger to the luxurious lifestyle. She grew up spending weekends at her family's castle, which she used as the backdrop in a 2015 horror film.

"I spent the weekends at Melville Castle. It was an idyllic childhood spent mostly outdoors with all the animals. My siblings and I zoomed around on little motorbikes, kayaked, and fished," she told Daily Record at the time.

In June, Linton did an interview with Town & Country magazine for an online story about the diamonds she would wear to her lavish June wedding to Mnuchin.

She discussed a pair of her earrings, saying, "These date back to the 1920s. They're starburst and reminiscent of Old Hollywood glamour. I love to think about who wore them over the generations... I can imagine them on Eva Marie Saint, or Ava Gardner, or Lauren Bacall. Where did they go from there? What did they signify to the women who wore them before me? Who will own them in the future? You never really own a diamond. You just get to keep it for a while before it begins a new journey with someone else."

Linton married Mnuchin in a Washington, D.C., ceremony that was attended by the President and First Lady Melania Trump and officiated by Vice President Mike Pence. During the reception, guests were treated to a private ballet performance and bagpipers. The couple lives in a multimillion-dollar mansion in the Massachusetts Avenue neighborhood of Washington.

Her film credits include parts in "Lions for Lambs," "Intruder" and "Rules Don't Apply." A graduate of Pepperdine University, Linton also has a law degree from University of West Los Angeles.

CNN's Eli Watkins and Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.
Belle Isle: Ethan Stanton wanted to give back instead of just wandering through the woods. Photo by Imad Hassan

At a recent workday at Highland Recreation Area in White Lake, Laurel Malvitz-Draper led a team of volunteers in pulling garlic mustard, a non-native invasive plant from Europe, out of the ground in wooded areas. The plant threatens native plant species, and, she says, one garlic mustard plant can spread thousands of seeds which can remain viable for up to 12 years in the seed bank (where they are stored in the soil).



Garlic mustard is allelopathic, meaning it secretes a chemical into the soil through its root system that hinders other plants from growingincluding native wildflowers and other plants that serve as food for native insects and animals.



Invasive species like garlic mustard are a major problem in Michigan. That's why, at 20 state parks and recreation areas across southern Michigan, groups of volunteer stewards regularly roll up their sleeves to help protect and restore natural areas. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Volunteer Steward Program puts volunteers to work, typically removing invasive species, planting native species, and collecting native seed. The program holds about 200 workdays per year.

"In Michigan, we have a lot of really nice, high-quality natural areas within our state parks," says Malvitz-Draper, the DNR natural resource steward who manages the program in southeast Michigan. "When an invasive plant moves in, it really disrupts the balance of an ecosystem."



Invasive plants can outcompete native plants for nutrients and moisture in the soil, which causes "ripple effects to insects, birds, and animals," she says. "By removing invasive plants, we seek to restore balance to ecosystems so they can provide their normal functions or ecosystem services and habitat for a diverse array of native flora and fauna."

Malvitz-Draper says that keeping invasive species in check preserves and enhances Michigan's natural areas, making them more enjoyable for visitors. But in a broader sense, the work is saving these ecosystems.

"Simply put, species depend on one another for survival," Malvitz-Draper says. "Maintaining ecosystems like wetlands is really important for filtering the water we need to survive and for water storage in the event of storms or severe weather. These are things we take for granted until those ecosystem 'services' are no longer available."

On the west side of the state, the stewardship program manages a critical dune habitat. Those areas are magnets for tourism. According to Heidi Frei, a natural resource steward who manages the program in southwest Michigan, the land "is part of the local economy and what locals depend on," making it vital to those areas.

A cadre of volunteers

Volunteers are trained on their tasks for each three-hour workday. They get to learn about local ecosystems, play a part in protecting them, and enjoy fresh air and exercise while they're at it. Bill Burpee and his wife are regular volunteers who initially got involved "as a way of giving back," he says. "Then we found out that being out in the woods is very pretty."



Belle Isle: Volunteers looking up at oak trees to identify Oak Wilt. Photo by Imad Hassan.

The Stewardship Unit is part of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, and funded through user fees (like camping fees) and the state's Recreation Passport. Frei notes that the DNR is responsible for close to 300,000 acres.

"There's not enough staff to do this work on every acre of land that we manage, so volunteer participation is critical to help get this work done," Malvitz-Draper says, noting that park staff often are focused on maintaining and running facilities such as campgrounds.

The program also helps educate the public about these issues. "Having volunteers engaged in this sort of activity," says Malvitz-Draper, "is a win-win in terms of getting some hands-on work done in the field, as well as educating our citizens about some of the concerns or impacts to our natural areas.

"Plus, it's fun," Frei says. "Volunteers enjoy working in these areas, and they get to know the park in an entirely different way." The volunteer stewards are, she continues, "this legion of people that really care, and that we can call upon to assist us."

The workdays usually bring in 10 to 20 volunteers, about half of whom are regulars and the rest less experienced. After being trained, some volunteers may also work independentlymonitoring forests for diseases, surveying birds, redistributing beetles, monitoring insects, planting native plants, collecting native seed, and mapping invasive species.

The program, as it exists today, began in 2006, and has seen noticeable progress since then, Malvitz-Draper says. "Having worked in some of these sites for 10-plus years, it's really exciting to see the impact and progress we've madeto know that we're getting ahead of the seed bank and we're really able to protect habitat for our native species."



Volunteers pull garlic mustard. Photo by Allison Torres Burtka.

That's especially true with garlic mustard. "Patches that used to take us several workdays now will just take us part of one workday." She attributes this success to the consistency of the effort from year to year."

Park visitors might not know much about invasive plants, but they can tell the difference between a nicely managed area and one overrun with invasive species. When the native species are protected and the natural areas are well managed, says Frei, "people want to recreate more."

It's important to safeguard these areas because "it's just kind of our job," says Nicole Timmreck, a forestry major at Michigan State University who volunteered at the Highland workday. "In Michigan, we pride ourselves on our resources and natural areas. Why not take care of them?"

Find out more at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Volunteer Steward Program website

.

This story is a part of a statewide Community Impact Series edited by Nina Ignaczak. Support for this series is provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Tata Motors is betting big on automated manual transmission (AMT) to boost sales of its passenger vehicles (PVs), expecting 50 percent of the product portfolio to have the technology in future, according to a senior company official.

The company has introduced the AMT technology on mid-end variant of its popular hatchback Tiago priced at Rs 4.79 lakh to add to the existing top-end variant of the model.

Besides, Tata Motors plans to launch AMT-equipped version of compact sedan Tigor in the next three to four months, while upcoming compact SUV Nexon will have it before the end of the ongoing fiscal.

"When we launched AMT variant of Tiago on top-end variant earlier this year, there was a substantial jump in sales of the model. Over 15 percent of total Tiago booked today are AMT variant," Tata Motors Head Marketing Passenger Vehicle Business Unit Vivek Srivatsa told PTI.

He said the company is working towards making AMT even more affordable to its customers by introducing it at the mid-end variant of Tiago.

"We expect around 10 percent increase in overall sales of Tiago after the introduction of AMT in the mid-end variant," he said.

Tiago is currently clocking wholesales of around 5,000 units a month on an average with a waiting period of 15-40 days depending on variants, he added.

When asked if Tata Motors planned to introduce AMT in other models, Srivatsa said, "It will come in Tigor in another three to four months."

Tigor is selling around 2,500 units a month and is expected to go up over 3,000 by around Diwali, he added.

While the company is expected to launch compact SUV Nexon next month, he said the model would have AMT in both petrol and diesel engine options by the end of the ongoing fiscal.

Bullish on the AMT technology, Srivatsa said considering the evolving customer aspirations, Tata Motors expects 50 percent of its product portfolio to have it in future. "AMT is going to be a key part of our growth strategy," he said.

It has found good acceptance in India mainly due to ease of driving especially in traffic conditions, fuel efficiency and is not so expensive unlike the proper automatic transmission technology, he added.

When asked about sales outlook, Srivatsa said: "The industry grew 7.3 percent in April-July this fiscal whereas Tata Motors was able to clock 10.5 per cent. With the AMT variants coming up and new model lined up, we should be able to grow in double digits this fiscal.
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In compliance with Regulation 30 of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 read with Para A of Part A of Schedule III of said Regulations, we are enclosing herewith Notice convening the 22nd Annual General Meeting of the Company scheduled to be held on Tuesday, 26th September, 2017 at 03.00 P.M at GIA House, I.D.C. Mehrauli Road, Opp. Sector 14, Gurugram  122 001, Haryana.Source : BSE

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Less than two months after rolling out a flat hierarchy model, the countrys largest automobile maker Tata Motors has decided to pull the plug on it. After some employees voiced their concerns about the new system, Tata Motors returned designations. However, human resource experts are of the view that India is not mature enough to completely dispense with employee designations.

One overriding reason why employees still prefer a clear title on their business cards is because Indian organisations are still hierarchy-led. There is a clear pecking order g from a trainee, junior manager to senior manager and vice president, stretching all the way to the top management. The client interactions, daily workflow, appraisals and external perceptions are all based on the designations that are attached to individuals.

In India, people celebrate designations and roles. People go mindlessly after degrees; even though they (these designations) may not lead to a job, there is a social signaling value to it. An organisation doing away with designations will take a long time to take off in India, said Rituparna Chakraborty, Executive Vice President, TeamLease Services.

As reported by Moneycontrol, Guenter Butschek, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Tata Motors, said that it was important to work on a business turnaround plan rather than get entangled in employee designations. Similar to the caste system which is still followed in many pockets in the country, a certain value and perception is attached to the exact designation which is given to a person.

Especially, in the case of client-facing roles, a designation is a good way for a person to be differentiated -- and noticed. Chakraborty said that a lot of people believe that clients will be forthcoming to meet with them if they share a similar rank or title.

Industry sources said that apart from Tata Motors, a few technology startups did undertake some pilot studies to see if companies could function without clear designations. Result: Employees were found to want a specific title.

Above all, investors would like to know the exact designation and the particular role of a person in the hierarchy. A simple designation gives us a clear idea about what position a person holds in a company. Despite globalisation, India is not yet ready for this drastic change, said an industry official.

At Tata Motors, the flattening of hierarchy resulted in getting the reporting levels to just five from 14 earlier. Here, designations in the level of Senior Vice-President and President were scrapped. Designations of individuals who had a team reporting to them were changed to just head.

Sunil Global, Managing Director, GlobalHunt, explained that in the Indian market, individuals measure their roles in terms of their designation and where they fit in the hierarchy of a particular organisation. However, globally, in companies, he said that professionals are called specialists in their particular areas. For example, a finance specialist or recruitment specialist. Unlike other markets, since India does not have a wide prevalence of a flat structure, there is also bound to be confusion if benchmarks are not set.

Goel said that in markets abroad, even if there may not be a designation, individuals often mention the designations that their current positions/roles would be closest to. For instance, an individual could be a recruitment specialist in a company but his actual market designation could be Vice President-Human Resources.

Since India does not have such practices in place yet, for prospective recruiters it could become a task to prove the exact position one is at.
Infosys_Vishal_Sikka1

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Learn to walk away, as you had promised when handing the reins to Vishal, Omkar Goswami, Infosys former board member and a current member of its business process outsourcing (BPO) unit has said in an open letter to founder NR Narayana Murthy.

In an open letter Goswami penned for The Economic Times, he tells Murthy: Your actions have de-facto created a crisis that has forced the exit of a CEO, led to a stupendous 9.6 percent drop in the share price, and a loss in market capitalisation of over Rs 22,600 crore in one trading day, and initiated the process of class-action suits in the US. Despite my friendship with you and the tradition that most directors strive to follow where board matters remain within the board, I have finally decided to come out in the open."

Goswami, an Infosys Board member from 2000-2015, then goes on to briefly explain the events that led to the resignation of Chief Executive Vishal Sikka on August 18.

He also takes a jibe at former Chief Financial Officer V Balakrishnan and former heard of human resources Mohandas Pai, saying that each ex-independent director of the board was deeply upset by their and Murthys public conduct.

In a letter filed to the exchanges on the day of Sikkas resignation, the board blamed Murthys continuous assault as the primary reason for Infosys first non-co-founder CEO in its history. The letter also said that Sikka had the Boards full support.

Goswami explains how the Board agreed to most of Murthys demands over the last year -- freezing former CFO Rajiv Bansals huge severance pay at 30 percent of the agreed amount, appointing DN Prahlad, an ex-Infoscian a relative of Murthys, to the Board, investigating the USD 200 million acquisition of Israeli software firm Panaya, and appointing Ravi Venkatesan as Co-Chairman of the Board.

The Panaya report absolved the management of wrongdoings, and its basic conclusions were disseminated to the public. My first question: would you have posted the full report if you were running Infosys? You wouldnt, as you didnt in instances that needed detailed investigation.

You then wanted a Co-chairman who met with your approval. Here, too, the board complied by elevating Ravi Venkatesan. By accommodating you, it created a fiduciary eccentricity of three different people at the top: a chair, a co-chair and a managing director and CEO, Goswami says.

He further says that all these actions will affect the high regard for the governance standards of Infosys, and that Murthy would lose respect of the board members and former board directors.

Enough is enough. You have drawn first blood. Do not mortally wound the organisation by persisting in your actions. Let Infosys get on with its business, heal itself from the injuries that you have inflicted and again grow shareholder value. Learn to walk away, as you had promised when handing the reins to Vishal. The corporate governance halo that was conferred upon you is shrinking. Let it not disappear, he added.
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Indian Patent Office granted patent to Pfizers pneumonia vaccine PCV13 marketed as Prevnar13.

The patent granted to Pfizer on August 11 came into the public eye today. It involves the method of conjugating (assembling) together serotypes of streptococcus pneumonia into a single carrier.

The approval comes over a decade after the company applied for the patent in the country.

Prevenar 13 is approved to prevent pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal diseases caused by 13 strains of streptococcus pneumonia, according to Pfizer.

The vaccine is also the costliest pediatric vaccine provides the broadest serotype coverage of any pneumonia.

The blockbuster vaccine contributes about USD 6 billion to Pfizer.

Pfizer application for patent was met with opposition from Indian vaccine maker Panacea Biotec and Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF), a Paris-based international humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization on grounds that Pfizer is seeking patent for mere addition of serotypes to the already established 7 valent vaccine and does not meet the inventive step requirement.

Panacea Biotech is developing its own version of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) which is currently under clinical trials.

MSF said it filed a pre-grant opposition so more affordable versions can become available to developing countries and humanitarian organisations.

MSF criticised Indian government's decision to grant patent to Pfizers pneumonia vaccine.

Its unfair and unacceptable that almost a million children die each year from pneumonia, even though a life-saving vaccine is available. Children everywhere have a right to be protected from pneumonia, but many governments cant afford the prices set by Pfizer, said Dr Prince Mathew, Asia Regional Coordinator for MSF.

We urgently need additional manufacturers to rapidly introduce competition with the aim of lowering vaccine prices.

The granting of this patent would block other manufacturers in India from supplying this vaccine - which protects against 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria (PCV-13) - to those who need it most.

According to Leena Menghaney, South Asia Head for MSFs Access Campaign, The method Pfizer is trying to patent is too obvious to deserve a patent under Indian law, and is just a way to guarantee an extended market monopoly for the corporation for many years to come.

In 2016, MSF challenged Pfizers patent claims in India, after the same patent was revoked by the European Patent Office (EPO). The patent is also being legally challenged in South Korea and before the US Patent Trademark Appeal Board.

India has the worlds highest burden of pneumonia, accounting for nearly 20 percent of global pneumonia deaths in children under the age of five.

In India, PCV had until recently been available solely in the private market with out-of-pocket price tags beyond the reach of not only vulnerable children and impoverished parents but also the Health Ministry.

At present, only two pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are registered by CDSCO and imported into India: Pfizers Prevnar13 (PCV13) and GSKs Synflorix (PCV10) which are very expensively priced at approximately INR 3,800/dose (approximately USD 59 per dose, with three doses needed for full vaccination) and Rs 1,800/dose (approximately USD 28 per dose, with three doses needed for full vaccination) respectively in the private market.

No pneumococcal vaccine has been registered from an Indian manufacturer and made available to provide competition to Pfizer and GSK who currently dominate the market internationally and India.

The pneumonia vaccine is now being introduced into Indias Universal Immunization Program (UIP) with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Yet, at more than USD 9 per child, or USD 3 per dose for each of the three doses needed for full vaccination. The high price of the vaccine forced the government to do limited roll-outs of the PCV vaccine in Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Infosys

In order to calm institutional investors after the uproar caused by former CEO Vishal Sikka's recent exit, senior management and board members of Infosys are likely to reach out to investors in an effort to put their concerns to bed.

"We have evidence that Mr Murthy is contemplating to talk to investors... We also know he wants to talk about the alleged governance lapses, in particular about the Panaya investigation, which again is his right," Chairman R Seshasayee said in Friday's press conference.

According to a report by Economic Times , the move is aimed at averting a possible attack against the board by company founder NR Narayana Murthy.

Seshasayee added that Murthy's actions would likely result in additional confusion, which will have to be separately addressed.

Infosys' market capitalization has declined by Rs 33,900 crore in last two trading sessions. Two teams have been formed to reach out to US and Asia-based investors, company officials were quoted as saying.

Seshasayee and Sikka will be touring the US, while a group of senior-most CXOs will join co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan in reaching out to foreign institutional investors in Singapore and Hong Kong. Separate meetings will be held with Indian investors as well, the officials said.

Among the institutions invested in Infosys, FIIs collectively own 37.53 percent, mutual funds own another 8.95 percent and around 11 percent is owned by insurance companies. In all, these institutions have lost approximately Rs 20,000 crore since Sikka announced his decision to step down as CEO.

Investors have been nervous about the information technology major's leadership issues, resignations, and delays in steering the company towards newer technologies for some time now.

Oppenheimer Funds, which held a 2.46 percent stake in the company at the end of the March quarter, reduced their stake by 0.3 percent in the April-June quarter. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and the Government of Singapore too cut their stake in the company in the June quarter.

In all, foreign portfolio investors reduced their stake in Infosys from 38.31 percent to 37.53 percent in the quarter ended June.
business Sikka exits: What next for Infosys? Last four days have been turbulent for technology giant Infosys. The firm's MD and CEO Vishal Sikka quit on Friday, which was followed by a war of words between the company's board and its founder, NRN Murthy. Then came the announcement of a Rs 13,000 crore buyback and that announcement coincided with the news that some US based law firms are investigating alleged violation of US laws by either Infosys or its officials.
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Bank unions have sought to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the morcha it plans to hold on September 15, to put forth their concerns over the consolidation and merger of public sector banks.

The nationwide strike called upon by nine bank unions on Tuesday saw major participation of nearly 10 lakh employees and officers of public sector banks across 10,300 branches in the country.

All cheque clearing operations, financial and cash transactions and other routine daily banking services were stopped due to the strike. Though ATMs were operational, some ran out of cash by noon as there were no replenishments.

Government treasury, foreign exchange, remittances, import and export bill transactions and sanction of loans among other services were also impacted.

CH Venkatachalam, General Secretary, AIBEA (All India Banks Employees Association) said, We were happy to see more young officers also participate in the protest and that helped us put forth the message. The present political culture has ignored the bank unions views but there will be a long term confrontation on the same. We plan to meet the Prime Minister Modi post the September 15 morcha to put forth our points.

The unions plan to hold a rally in New Delhi with the help of around one lakh employees and officers.

"Normally in the three clearing grids functioning from South, West and North - Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi - on an average about 40 lakh cheques and instruments worth about Rs 22,000 crore are transacted per day. This has been affected in a big way as a result of the employees' stir," Venkatachalam said.

New private sector banks including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank skipped participation in the strike while old private sector lenders such as Federal bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank, South Indian bank and Tamilnad Mercantile Bank among others, participated in the strike.

Among the 17-point charter of unions demands, the major ones include government's denial of adequate capital to public sector banks, thus creating conditions for privatization, merger and consolidation of banks and problem of resolution of large bad loans.
The Cabinet will likely approve a proposal on Wednesday to promulgate an ordinance that will allow hiking the cap on cess of SUVs, large, mid-sized and luxury cars to 25 percent from 15 percent now, a senior government official told Moneycontrol.

The ordinance would come into effect after it receives Presidential assent, which will enable amendments in the GST (Compensation to State) Act, 2017.

Under GST, the states will receive provisional compensation from Centre for loss of revenue due to abolition of taxes such as VAT (value added tax), octroi and implementation of GST. The Council had decided that the compensation would be met through levy of a 'GST Compensation Cess' on luxury items and sin goods like tobacco, for the first five years.

Earlier this month, finance minister Arun Jaitley-headed GST (Goods and Services Tax) Council had recommended hiking the cap on cess on luxury cars and some SUVs, a decision that automobile companies fear would raise the price of these class of vehicles.

However, the finance ministry's indirect tax policy making body CBEC (Central Board of Excise and Customs) has maintained that the change in cap was being made to keep the incidence of taxation similar to the pre-GST regime.

After introduction of GST, the total tax incidence on motor vehicles [GST + Compensation Cess] has come down vis-a-vis the total tax incidence in pre-GST regime. The Council...recommended that Central Government may move legislative amendments required for increase the maximum ceiling of cess leviable on motor vehicles falling under headings 8702 and 8703 to 25 percent instead of present 15 percent, the finance ministry had said in a statement on August 7.

The decision on when to raise the actual cess will be taken by the GST Council in the near future. The higher cess is unlikely to come into effect before September 9, the next date for the GST Councils meeting in Hyderabad.

In May, the Council decided to keep all cars in the highest tax slab of 28 percent. However, it was decided that a 15 percent ad valorem cess over and above the tax rate will be levied on large motor vehicles, SUVs, mid-segment, large, hybrid cars and hybrid motor vehicles. The revenue from the cess would then ultimately go to the compensation kitty of the states.
Agriculture

The US has asked India to liberalise a larger share of the agricultural market. US suggested that India should adopt better biotechnological mechanisms, such as GM (genetically modified) crops, to fuel its economy.

The Indian market is restrained by trade barriers, blanket bans for certain commodities, stringent technical requirements, high tariffs on agri-based imports, according to a senior US government official on Monday, as reported by Business Standard.

India has fallen behind other Asian nations such as Vietnam, Bangladesh or China because it has a sceptical approach towards GM adoption, the official added.

Even on the trade front, India has been accused of not having open agricultural markets. Other progressive economies which have accused India are currently fighting World Trade Organization (WTO) over the issue of poultry imports from the US to India.

The cases decision will be made by the next month. The US suggests that the trade policy should be renovated in this case.

We understand the trade policy is meant to protect farmers from cheaper imports, but it doesnt work, the official was quoted as saying.

India is fighting the US, apart from the European Union, Australia and the United Kingdom at the WTO. This fight is over farm issues, safeguard mechanism over farmers and the right to public stockholding of the agricultural produce.

These issues will be discussed at the WTO ministerial talks in Argentina later this year.
Flipkart products will now be available globally through its partnership with ecommerce website eBay, as reported by the Economic Times.

Flipkart has launched a global project that allows its sellers to sell products accross the world via eBay. Flipkart recently completed its acquisition of eBay India.

The programme  Flipkart Global  is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' push. Flipkart will cater sell Indian made goods to non-resident Indians accross the world.

Anil Goteti, who has recently appointed by Flipkart to lead eBay India, told that the program would try to make available made in India goods to non-resident Indians (NRIs). They will be offering products across various categoriesfrom saris to handricrafts to lifestyle products.

The global program will let Indian sellers on Flipkart to reach out to 171 million active customer base across 190 markets through the global ecommerce giant eBay.

The shopping will be done through eBays platform, but Flipkart will be responsible to fulfill those select orders and deliver them. For this, they will pull the connection eBay India has with India Post.

But the products will not have any specific tag of being provided by Flipkart.

According to the report, the homegrown ecommerce entity will offer the program for its Gold category sellers at first and then, they will take the restqualifying for global accessunder its fold.
A driver gets off a loading vehicle at local businessman Sun Meng's small coal depot near a coal mine of the state-owned Longmay Group on the outskirts of Jixi, in Heilongjiang province, China, October 23, 2015. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo - RTX2P9VV

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The meeting between the Coal India management and unions over a wage hike ended without a decision being taken as the company said it wasn't in a position to meet the demands, as per a report published in The Economic Times.

The unions did not accept the companys argument that it did not have sufficient funds because it had paid excess dividend and fund transfer to the government under the buyback scheme.

The company management said that it is only in a position to give 15 percent hike, whereas the unions were demanding a 21 percent hike, down from the 50 percent hike it originally demanded.

The report states that salaries account for nearly 52 percent of the cost of production and the company spent Rs 33,000 crore on salaries for the year 2016-17.

The unions and the management negotiate salary hikes after every five years.
Infosys co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan on Tuesday met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley amid the uncertainty surrounding the company following the sudden resignation of its CEO Vishal Sikka.

According to sources, Venkatesan met the minister and is believed to have apprised him of the developments at Infosys as also the steps being taken to keep the shareholders informed.

Infosys was not available for comment.

Last Friday, the first non-founder CEO of Infosys, Sikka resigned from the company following months of acrimony with high-profile founders, led by NR Narayana Murthy, citing "malicious" and "personal attacks" on him.

While Sikka did not name Murthy for his exit, the Board of the USD 10 billion firm blamed the founder for "continuous assault" through "factually inaccurate" and "already-disproved rumours" for the resignation of the CEO.

Murthy, however, maintained that his only concerns are the lapses in corporate governance standards, something that Infosys was admired for at one point.

However, the developments of the day (August 18) sent the company's stocks plummeting nearly 10 per cent, with its market valuation falling by over Rs 22,518 crore in a single day.

Once the poster boy of Indian IT success story and considered a bellwether among Indian tech stocks, Infosys has had to battle challenges like an uncertain business environment, senior level exits and increased visa scrutiny in key markets like the US and the UK.

Troubles mounted for Infosys when an anonymous letter was sent to the market regulators in February this year, alleging that its acquisition of Panaya was overvalued and that some Infosys executives may have benefited from the deal.

While an independent probe absolved the board of any wrong doing, Murthy kept insisting that the company goes public with the full contents of the investigation report. Infosys has so far refused to make it public.
Brokerages are under scanner of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Income Tax Department for helping shell companies to launder money by compromising the KYC (know your customer) norms, reports Livemint.

The report said that shell companies have laundered Rs 16,000 crore in connivance with brokerage firms.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had identified 331 companies as shell entities. It had arrived at this number from a larger figure of 16,794 shell companies list prepared by the government with input from all investigative agencies.

More than 13,000 shell companies were identified by the investigative agencies post demonetisation for helping wealthy clients evade taxes through fake long term capital gains. Around 400 stock and commodity broking firms had allegedly played a role in helping shell companies.

The SEBI board will meet on September 18 to discuss developments related to alleged shell companies listed on stock exchanges.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on July 21 said that 162,000 shell firms have been deregistered in its campaign against black money. These firms do not have any genuine trade and are used for the purpose of tax evasion and money laundering.

In March CBDT Chairman Sushil Chandra said that several companies were being probed to check if they are legitimate entities or were operated as shell companies at an event organised by Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).
Edelweiss India Conference is hosting a 3 day conference in Singapore and Hong Kong starting today. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Vikas Khemani, President & CEO of Edelweiss Securities spoke at length about the conference and shared his views on the market.

Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview:

Surabhi: The conference is taking place at an interesting time; India is falling along with some of the other global markets. What is the first impression that you get, are investors still keeping the faith in India?

A: Absolutely, there is a lot of interest in India in exploring new ideas, new companies, new opportunities, there is no doubt on that. There is no question in anyone's mind that India is a long-term structural story. Obviously there are certain concerns about short-term movement of the market given the recent rally and events in the global markets. So those kinds of things do happen but the idea of the event which we are doing is to familiarise the investors with the possible investment opportunities in Indian corporate and that is what we present to them. From the interaction the interest remains as high as ever. There is a lot of interest in exploring new ideas, new opportunities because India is a market which offers such a good width of opportunities in sectors and companies. Investors always like to explore and understand and that is the attempt of this kind of event. So there is a lot of interest.

Prashant: Is the interest to validate what people already hold because Q1 just went passed, a lot of goods and services (GST) related hiccups but numbers generally were also quite subdued. So are people looking for validation from companies etc, that they will meet at your conference or is the hunt for new ideas. I know it will be a combination of both but primarily which one is it?

A: It's always a combination of both because the companies which we have here almost 25 of them, many of them are old companies, they have been coming here and meeting with the investors, there are a lot of institutional investors already invested into them, so everybody is kind of exploring into them in terms of what is happening given the recent incidents, what is the progress on the ground but at the same time new set of investors are coming, who are also meeting those same set of companies for the first time. So it is always a combination of both. However, what is interesting is that the number of investor looking at India, have been going up consistently and that creates the width of the investors and that creates a lot more interest in the market. So this kind of an event provides an opportunity for investors to do dipstick in what is happening and explore new ideas.

Surabhi: I want to focus on the companies that are attending the conference and a lot of non banking financial companies (NBFC) names like L&T Finance Holdings, Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL), Capital First, Repco Home Finance and even Max India. What is the sense you get from investors because this has been one of the most loved part of the market. Are people happy with the kind of earnings that we have seen, what is the more nuanced approach now in buying NBFCs at current levels?

A: Financial remains one of the most favoured sectors by the investors given the fact that post demonetisation huge amount of surge has happened in financial savings and we have seen significant uptick in the credit growth also. So there is a huge amount of width which is there in financials as well from NBFCs, focus into consumer to housing finance to banking companies, fee based income, insurance companies. So we have seen the width into financials building which was earlier, in some sense, only banks and as the Indian economy grows fairly large from here you will see financials will end up doing a fairly large of it. It is almost more than 33 percent of the market capitalisation and that will remain strong. If Indian economy were to grow, financial wealth creation will have to happen and investors would like to participate in that and this is one of the sector where the capital requirement is also going to be consistent. Hence it is very important that both investors and companies keep the dialogue going on and there is a lot of interest from the investors in terms of assessing in terms of is the credit growth going to be real, it is going to stay for long, what kind of credit cost are building because one of the worry investors have that is there some laxity happening on the credit cost side or credit assessment side which can eventually result into credit cost. So those kinds of worries keep on coming into investors' mind and they are genuine worries. So every time this kind of interaction helps them to get nuances into the company's strategy insight and execution and from there investors make their decision and this is the reason why we have lot of financials representing in this conference.

Prashant: Edelweiss as a house was early and right big time on Reliance Industries. What is the view there? It is the large heavyweight stock?

A: We continue to remain positive on that. We think Reliance can do very well from here as well and there are many pillars to that. One, the entire capex cycle is almost coming to an end and that is going to generate the profitability which so far was not reflecting to the return ratios. So that will be good earnings growth driver. Second, we remain believers in the Jio story, while it is a disruptive phase and hence you will not see earnings and profitability in the early part but you will see eventually significant amount of value creation given their subscribers target and value proposition to the customer. So we think there will be good value creation including even from the retail side. So there are many possibilities in Reliance.

However, for long the stock has not generated any return except last one year. So we remain very positive even from here. Our analyst has a report on that with more than Rs 2,000 target.

Disclosure: Reliance Industries, the parent company of Reliance Jio, owns Network 18 that publishes Moneycontrol.com.
At a time when the market seems to be in a consolidation or corrective phase, several experts point to the times when they had flagged concerns of overvaluation in the market.

HSBC Global Asset Management Company (AMC) is sticking to its plan to stay invested in the market, but will keep evaluating segments where valuations are higher.

Choosing an alternative is also dependent on the investor you are. One could look at the rate of return, the risk and market volatility. Check for allocation of your portfolio and take bets off the areas where an investor feels the allocation is higher, Tushar Pradhan, CIO, HSBC Global Asset Management (India) told CNBC-TV18 in an interview.

Speaking on sectors, Pradhan does not agree with the notion that NBFC is an overcrowded space. In fact, it is in an expansion mode.

Each of these companies addresses different parts of the economy. Earlier, the credit delivery was through banks, but now through them, they are becoming diversified financials, he added. In other words, they are able to establish credit usage due to multiple platforms available for a customer.

Talking about stressed assets, Pradhan recommends being aware of the risks that exist and one must do the due diligence that is required. Having said that, there are always opportunities for the risk you take, he added. There is an increasing tendency for companies to acknowledge the problem and have haircuts on both ends. Overall, he does not think the solution is going to happen in a hurry.
National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is finding it difficult to get qualified judges to meet the growing demand of bad loan resolution cases filed by bankers and corporates.

The NCLT is adding new Benches and interviewing more judges to keep pace with the cases being admitted. But yes, it is becoming more challenging to get qualified judges. Though, we will be adding four judicial and eight technical members soon, a senior member of the NCLT said.

With the avalanche of insolvency cases and shortage of staff, it has become challenging for the corporate tribunal to deal with the resolution process.

In the existing two courts at the Mumbai NCLT, over 100 cases are listed to be heard every day. This has risen by almost five times since a year back, before the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) was passed.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has set up 11 Benches since NCLTs were set up in June 2016  one Principal Bench at New Delhi and one each Regional Benches at New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

These Benches are headed by a President, 16 Judicial Members and nine Technical Members at different locations.

At present, there are two benches at Mumbai NCLT courts which include four member-judges -BSV Prakash Kumar (judicial), V Nallasenapathy (technical), MK Shrawat (judicial) and Bhaskara Pantula Mohan.

By October-end, this will be increased to three benches and six judges. The interviews for the judges is in process, MK Shrawat, member of the NCLT said on the sidelines of a national conference on insolvency and bankruptcy.

According to a report in January, the NCLT may not be fully ready to handle 25,000 cases pending cases pointing out that the current weak staff strength will take more than seven years to clear the backlog.

The NCLT is also recruiting more administration staff either through contractual or full-time basis.

Traditionally, New Delhi and Mumbai have been witnessing most number of insolvency cases as company or lenders' are based largely in the metros and bigger cities.

Under the IBC, National Company Law Tribunals are required to dispose of insolvency cases within 180 days, a period which can be extended by 90 days.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday ensured that efforts are being made to spruce up the necessary infrastructure at the NCLTs.

"We are making special effort to ensure that the infrastructure at NCLT...is also strengthened and brought in consonance with the requirement of the law, Jaitley said.

Speaking at the same conference, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India chairman M S Sahoo said the Board is planning to start a national insolvency professional examination for those who want to become insolvency professionals. This would increase more expert professionals to deal with the large bad loan cases.

As many as 250 cases, including 11 of the dozen large corporate defaulters identified by the Reserve Bank of India, have been admitted to various NCLTs so far, and one has completed full cycle after the Hyderabad bench approved a resolution plan this month, Sahoo said.
Dynamic Levels' Market Outlook:

Nifty crucial support at 9740, further rally if it sustains above it

Indian Market Outlook:

Nifty broke its previous day's low of 9837 and closed at 9754 after making low of 9740. The Index fell after IT major Infosys fell 5.4 percent. This was a second day biggest fall, after Infosys Managing Director

Dr. Vishal Sikkh stepped down.

Bank Nifty Index closed at 23937 after making a low of 23882. The Index opened at 24141 and made a high of 24259. Except ICICI Bank and Axis Banks all other 10 stocks in the Index closed in negative territory. Biggest loser in the Index were Bank of Baroda which fell 3.46 percent, PNB decline by 3.20 percent and Federal Bank was down by 2.35 percent.

The Cash Market Benchmark Index Small Cap was down by 1.47 percent, the Index closed at 7409 after making low of 7399. The Index opened at 7544 and made a high of 7575.

Nifty to open gap up by 46 points at 9810 against yesterdays close of 9764 as per SGX Nifty.

: The views and investment tips 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.
With 50 hours left to file their claims, 40,000 home buyers stuck in incomplete projects floated by Jaypee Infratech, against which the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) recently started insolvency proceedings, have three options before them.

Even if they miss the August 24 deadline, the buyers need not press the panic button as the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process For Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 clearly state that claims can be filed until the resolution professional submits a resolution plan.



The first option is to simply go ahead and file the claim forms by August 24, 2017. For this the buyers have to email their claims by filling Form F to IRPJIL@bsraffiliates.com or send them by post to Anuj Jain, C/o BSRR & CO., Chartered Accountants, 8th Floor, Building No. 10, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon, 122002.There is no need for them to go and submit these claims at the above-mentioned address in person. Last week the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) issued a Form F for creditors other than financial and operational creditors to file a claim. This can be obtained by clicking on this link.



Listed below are the options home buyers have to file their claims.

Earlier, buyers were filling claims in Form C under financial creditors.

2) The second option is to wait for a clarification or a notification from the corporate affairs ministry or IBBI or an advisory by the insolvency resolution professional (IRP) (in this case Anuj Jain, a chartered accountant who has been appointed by the National Company Law Tribunal as the Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) stating that home buyers are not required to fill any form.

In a meeting attended by Jaypee Infratech MD Manoj Gaur, the NCLT appointed insolvency professional Anuj Jain and CEO of Jaypee Infratech, corporate affairs ministry officials and home buyers yesterday, it was decided that home buyers may not have to submit any claim documents.

We are much relieved as we do not have to file any claim forms by August 24 now. Jaypee Infratech will obtain statements of accounts of payments made by home buyers from its records and send these to each homebuyer to check for any discrepancy, said SK Nagrath, a retired army official and president of Jaypee Aman Flat Buyers' Association.

3) In case the buyers decide not to file claims or fail to submit their proof of claim by Thursday, there is third option they have under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Insolvency Resolution Process For Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016. Section 12 titled Submission of Proof of claims clearly states that a creditor, who failed to submit proof of claim within the time stipulated in the public announcement, may submit such proof to the interim resolution professional or the resolution professional, as the case may be, till the approval of a resolution plan by the committee.

Forms had emerged as a major area of concern for Jaypee home buyers. Last week the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) added a new form to enable homebuyers, such as those who have invested in Jaypee projects, to make their claims, recognising the problem that the existing forms were meant only for banks, creditors and employees.

Earlier, There were three categories of claimants and three separate forms: Form B for operational creditors, Form C for financial creditors and Form D for workmen and employees of Jaypee Infratech that were to be filled.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted IDBIs plea for initiating insolvency proceedings against Jaypee Infratech for defaulting on a Rs 526-crore loan earlier this month. NCLT appointed insolvency professional Anuj Jain as CEO of Jaypee Infratech.

Jain has been given six months to revive the company. This period is extendable by another three months. In the meantime, homebuyers have been given two weeks (until August 24) to raise claims related to their investment in the Jaypee projects.
After Jayee Infratech, another reality firm is likely to face insolvency trouble. Three companies of the Amrapali Group could face legal action under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) on Bank of Baroda's request, the Times of India reported.

Bank of Baroda had gone to National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to initiate insolvency proceedings against the three group companies  Noidas Silicon city, Greater Noidas Ultra Home Construction and Amrapali Infrastructure  for defaulting on loans.

A bank official told TOI that the principal bench of NCLT is holding back its verdict, which is expected soon.

Amrapali director Shiv Priya recently told PTI that Amrapali owes Bank of Baroda about Rs 175 crore. Oriental Bank of Commerce and Bank of Maharashtra have also lent money to the developer, which is also in debt of the Noida and Greater Noida development authorities.

The developer has failed to deliver at least 10 housing projects on time where construction has been stalled. Earlier in July, buyers of the Noida property had taken to the streets to protest against the developer.

The company has asked Noida and Greater Noidas authorities to allow co-developers to participate in the 10 delayed projects. The company has extra land bank of 35 million sq ft in the projects.

Recently, Moneycontrol reported that the buyers have also written to the authorities, seeking state-owned companies like Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO) and NBCC Ltd, to step in and help finish the pending projects of Jaypee Infra and Amrapali. Jaypee is also facing an insolvency case.

Amrapali plans to get the co-developers to fund the completion of stalled projects and help in meeting loan liabilities.

As per PTI, Shiv Priya said that the company had launched 11,000 units in Noida, of which 8,500 have been delivered and 2,500 are still pending.
Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com told CNBC-TV18, "Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) is a sell with a stop loss of Rs 35 and target of Rs 29. Suzlon Energy is a sell with a stop loss of Rs 17 and target of Rs 14.50. BHEL is a sell with a stop los of Rs 128 and target of Rs 116."

"Punjab National Bank (PNB) is a sell with a stop loss of Rs 140 and target of Rs 132. "
Mitessh Thakkar of miteshthacker.com told CNBC-TV18, "Axis Bank is something which I have been looking at with a lot of interest. I think it has on multiple occasions bottomed out around Rs 485-480 mark and if it starts getting past Rs 500-503, we might get a reversal. Conversely, if it eventually breaks Rs 480, I think then we are in for some kind of stronger decline which could see the stock decline by 10 percent or more."

"I think DHFL and Grasim Industries look positively biased on the charts and Fortis Healthcare I think continues to decline and still remains as a negative chart. So, I would trade there on the short side while Grasim would be on the long side."

"I have one buy and one sell. The buy is on Avenue Supermart. If it gets past Rs 950, buy with a stop loss at Rs 930 for target of around Rs 1,000."
Bull's Eye, CNBC-TV18's popular game show, where market experts come together to dish out trading strategies for you to make your week more exciting and compete with each other to see whose portfolio is the strongest.

Remember these are midcap ideas not just for the day, but stocks that look attractive in the medium-term as well.

This week, Jay Thakkar, Sumeet Jain and Gaurav Ratnaparkhi battle it out for top honours.

Below their top stock picks and analysis:

Jay Thakkar of Anand Rathi Securities

Sell Jubilant Foodworks with a stoploss at Rs 1419 and target of Rs 1309

Sell Havells India Future with a stoploss at Rs 464 and target of Rs 451

Sell India Cements Future with a stoploss at Rs 180.50 and target of Rs 166.50

Buy Aegis Logistics with a stoploss at Rs 187 and target of Rs 199

Sumeet Jain of Destimoney Securities

Buy Welspun Corp with a stoploss at Rs 136 and target of Rs 122

Sell Glenmark Pharma Future with a stoploss at Rs 604 and target of Rs 565

Sell Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) Future with a stoploss at Rs 1010 and target of Rs 955

Sell Wockhardt with a stoploss at Rs 546 and target of Rs 508

Gaurav Ratnaparkhi of Sharekhan

Buy Century Plyboards with a stoploss at Rs 247.50 and target of Rs 263.40

Sell Muthoot Finance Future with a stoploss at Rs 464.20 and target of Rs 435.50

Sell Piramal Enterprises Future with a stoploss at Rs 2676 and target of Rs 2512

Sell Hindalco Industries Future with a stoploss at Rs 230.40 and target of Rs 216.20
Shares of oil marketing companies (OMCs), ONGC and HPCL gained between 1.5 and 4.5 percent intraday, respectively, on Tuesday as investors cheered the M&A developments around the firm.

The Board of ONGC on Tuesday gave an approval to buy governments stake in the company, according to reports on CNBC-TV18.

For the same, HPCLs asset valuation will be done by a separate entity and an advisor has been appointed to evaluate the stake sale, he told the channel.

HPCLs management told the channel that the company will continue to be listed as a separate independent entity.

Further, the management informed that the government plans to complete the deal by the FY18.

At 13:10 hrs Hindustan Petroleum Corporation was quoting at Rs 448.00, up Rs 13.85, or 3.19 percent on the BSE. Meanwhile, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation was quoting at Rs 159.70, up Rs 2.15, or 1.36 percent.
Ramco Systems | In FY21 so far, the stock has gained 516 percent to Rs 444.65 on November 23, 2020, from Rs 72.20 on March 31, 2020. Whereas in FY20, it had fallen 70 percent to Rs 72.20 from Rs 239.50 on March 29, 2019.

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Ramco Systems shares surged 6.6 percent intraday Tuesday on signing contract with aircraft manufacturer for its China operations.

"After entering the Greater Chinese Aviation market with Far Eastern Air Transport in 2016 followed by Bedek-Lingyun (Belinco), and China Southern Airlines General Aviation, Ramco has secured an order from one of the global top 5 aircraft original equipment manufacturers for its joint venture in China," the global aviation software provider said in its filing.

Ramco will help the China based manufacturing centre to embrace latest technology offerings to automate its maintenance & engineering (M&E), supply chain, finance, HCM and payroll functions on a unified platform.

"With this win, we now have 2 of the top 5 global aircraft OEMs as our client," Virender Aggarwal, CEO said.

Ramco's ability to address the end-to-end needs of the aviation industry with a comprehensive offering and experience with existing customers in the Chinese region played a key role in winning this strategic deal, he added.

At 13:26 hours IST, the stock price was quoting at Rs 360.25, up Rs 16.55, or 4.82 percent on the BSE.
book-education-student

The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test cell today informed the Bombay High Court that it has decided to extend to August 31 the deadline for applying to the Mumbai University's law courses.

The commissioner of the Common Entrance Test (CET) cell apprised the high court that the decision to extend the deadline was taken as no response was received from the varsity on the announcement of examination results of undergraduate students.

He, however, added that "any further extension of the deadline would be difficult".

Initially, the CET had fixed August 5 as the deadline to complete the online application formalities. In light of the delay in announcement of results, it had extended the same to August 18, and then to August 24.

Today's announcement about the extension of deadline in the HC came as a major relief to the thousands of students who made it to the merit list of the law CET conducted earlier this year, but were unable to secure admissions to colleges of their choice in the absence of their undergraduate mark sheets.

The university, meanwhile, told the high court that it was tackling the delay on a "war footing".

It, however, failed to inform the court of the exact date by which the results of all undergraduate courses would be declared.

Rui Rodrigues, who was representing the varsity in the court, sought time till August 24 to give a clear picture of the likely date of the announcement of results.

Rodrigues told a bench of Justices Anoop V Mohta and Bharati Dangre that the delay had been caused primarily due to the technological glitches in the varsity's new online assessment system.

"These glitches, however, are being resolved. We have cancelled the leaves of all the teachers and asked them to concentrate only on assessing the answer sheets for now," Rodrigues said.

The university's decision to implement the online assessment system was a "well meaning" one, he mentioned.

He said the university had completed the assessment of the answer papers of over 14,000 students enrolled in the various arts, sciences, and commerce undergraduate courses, and that the remaining papers will be "assessed soon".

The state government, meanwhile, said the varsity's chancellor and the acting vice-chancellor were "personally supervising the assessment process," and that a new controller of examinations had also been appointed.

The bench has now directed the university to inform the court on August 24, the next date of hearing, of the likely date of announcement of results.

It has also asked the university to submit details of the number of answer papers remaining to be assessed for all undergraduate and final year LLB courses.

The court has been hearing a bench of petitions filed by students affected by the delay, and another petition by a teachers' association opposing the online assessment system.
rice_94549396

Basmati rice has regained its position as the top commodity export from India. The famed rice variety replaced buffalo meat to become the top most export for the April-June quarter.

Basmati rice had been countries key export commodity for years. But since 2014-15 financial year, buffalo meat had surpassed the former, thus becoming the top export commodity.

A report in the Business Standard says, this happened after Iran, which consumes over a quarter of India's Basmati exports to the world had suspended all new orders earlier.

Iran usually suspends import orders during its harvesting season. As per reports, this year the traders in Iran have continued importing Basmati even during the harvesting season.

As per the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) estimates, the Basmati exports increased from Rs 6,196 crore from last year's April-June quarter to Rs 8168 crore in the same quarter this year.

source: Insight 18

Another factor behind Basmati grabbing the top spot in exports is the decline in the export of buffalo meat. Despite the decline in buffalo meat exports, the revenue earned from its exports increased nominally from last years Rs 5445 crore to Rs 5473 crore in present years April-June quarter.

While the short lived ban on the sale of cattle in mandis hit the buffalo trade adversely the recent government actions in the export market has had a contrary effect on basmati trade.

Indian exporters used to execute orders on 'documents against acceptance', which was stopped by the government because overseas buyers re-negotiated terms after shipments reached them. So there were corrections in export of basmati rice over the last few years. Now overseas buyers are purchasing commodities on spot cash, said an official from Apeda.
Rajnath Singh

China said on Tuesday that the only way to end the standoff in Doklam was for India to unconditionally withdraw its troops from the area, a day after Home Minister Rajnath Singh hoped Beijing would soon make a "positive" move.

Singh yesterday had hoped that a solution to the standoff in Doklam would be found soon and said India never attacked a nation nor did it harbour any expansionist behaviour. In a speech, he had also expressed hope that China will undertake a positive initiative to resolve the standoff.

But China responded with its standard propaganda attack by repeating its accusation that Indian troops "illegally crossed the boundary".

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said India's reasons to stop the Chinese road building activity in Doklam area was "ridiculous". "So the only prerequisite and condition of this incident is unconditional withdrawal of the Indian troops and equipment," Hua told reporters.

India and China have been locked in a standoff for more than two months in Doklam near the Sikkim sector. The faceoff began after Indian troops stopped Chinese military from building a road India believes would allow Beijing to cut its access to the northeastern states.

Bhutan says Doklam belongs to it but China claims sovereignty over the area.

China's state media has written shrill commentaries over the standoff and has even released a video which portrayed Indians in a very poor taste.

In a separate incident on August 15, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in stone pelting in Ladakh region that resulted in minor injuries to soldiers on both the sides.

Hua said China "loves peace and firmly upholds peace". "At the same time we will safeguard our territorial sovereignty and integrity".

"We will not allow any country or any individual to infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty," she said.
Law professionals | Corporate lawyer- Rs 6,10,000 | Senior attorney- Rs 9,50,000 | Interpreting and using the rule of the law to win arguments in favour of the client is a lucrative profession. The best lawyers earn several lakhs, even crores for a case. So much so that lawyers give up offers to become a judge so that they can maintain their incomes as lawyers! Being a lawyer requires a high level of patience, education and communication skills.

Security forces today conducted flag marches in many parts of Haryana and Punjab in the wake of upcoming court verdict in the sexual exploitation case against Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Senior administrative officials reviewed the security arrangements in the two states, officials said. Police along with paramilitary forces, the CRPF and Rapid Action Force (RAF), SSB held the flag marches, officials said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh warned against any attempts to disrupt the state's law and order in view of the upcoming judgement by Panchkula court on August 25. "All steps were being taken to ensure that law and order is not disturbed in any way in the wake of the court orders", the chief minister said. Appealing to all to maintain peace, Amarinder said that people should accept the court judgement. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also reviewed security arrangements with top brass of state police today.

Punjab DGP Suresh Arora personally visited the sensitive areas and put fool-proof security network in place to prevent any untoward incident, officials said. The DGP visited Bathinda and other sensitive districts bordering Haryana today for a first-hand assessment of the security arrangements, they said. Arora reviewed the arrangements in the district and instructed all police personnel to remain alert to any attempt to disturb the harmony of the state. Besides Bhatinda, the DGP also visited Mansa, Moga, Patiala, Ludhiana Rural, Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali. "The DGP has been provided with the Punjab government chopper to conduct aerial survey of the sensitive areas," Amarinder said.

The chief minister has held high-level meetings with top security, intelligence and administrative officials in the state to take inputs on the situation on the ground. He has directed all officials to act with an iron hand against any elements found indulging in rumour mongering or resorting to provocative statements or acts, officials said. However, at several places the followers of Dera known as 'premis' are camping at different locations in the two states.

Officials said that six each RAF companies have been deployed in Punjab, Haryana and union territory of Chandigarh.

While Punjab had received 75 companies of central forces, Haryana got 35 companies to maintain security. Haryana government has also sought more central forces from the Centre. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had large followers in Haryana and Punjab. Punjab ADGP (law and order) Hardeep Singh Dhillon said "all appropriate steps are being taken to maintain law and order situation."

Tight security arrangements have been made in the district court complex in Panchkula. A ban on the vehicular movement has already been announce for August 24 and 25 around the complex.

Security agencies have been keeping a strict watch on suspicious persons who could create law and order problem ahead of the court verdict.

Sirsa headquartered sect head has also been asked to appear in person before the court on the same day. The sexual exploitation case was registered against Dera chief in 2002 by the CBI on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two 'Sadhvis' (female followers) by Gurmeet Ram Rahim. However, Dera Chief has denied these charges.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Tamil Nadu government to start counselling for admissions for MBBS and BDS seats in the state based on the NEET merit list and complete the process by September 4.

A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra directed the state government to initiate the admission process after the Centre told the court that it was not in favour of the recent ordinance passed by Tamil Nadu to exempt it from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year.

The apex court was hearing a plea filed by six students seeking a direction to the state government to conduct counselling for the medical seats solely on the basis of the merit list prepared on the basis of NEET marks.

The apex court had on August 17 put on hold until Tuesday, the counselling for the medical seats in state asking the MCI and the state government to find a balanced solution to deal with the interests of state board students and those who cleared NEET.

The plea had alleged that the Tamil Nadu ministers were bargaining with the central government for presidential assent for their proposed ordinance to exempt the Tamil Nadu students from NEET as a "quid pro quo" for supporting the NDA candidates for the Presidential and Vice Presidential polls.
Pakistan today said that it wants peace in Afghanistan and pledged to work to eliminate terrorism, hours after US President Donald Trump's stern warning to Islamabad over providing safe havens to terrorists.

A Foreign Office spokesman said US Ambassador David Hale met Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif this afternoon and briefed him about President Trump's latest statement on the US policy review on South Asia and Afghanistan.

"The Foreign Minister reiterated Pakistan's perspective and desire for peace and stability in Afghanistan," said the carefully worded statement from the Foreign Office.

Highlighting Pakistan's sacrifices in the enduring fight against terrorism, Foreign Minister Asif underlined Pakistan's continued desire to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

He also slammed Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

During his meeting, Asif said that he had accepted US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's invitation to visit the US and looked forward to his early interactions in Washington.

Hale conveyed that Tillerson looked forward to meeting the foreign minister in the next few days to have an in-depth discussion on the state of play in the bilateral relationship as well as the new US policy on South Asia.
REFILE - CORRECTING DATE Forensic police officers search for clues near the area where a van crashed into pedestrians at Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, August 18, 2017. REUTERS/Sergio Perez - RTS1C8VZ

An alleged member of the terror cell that unleashed carnage in Spain last week admitted to a judge today that he and other suspects had planned a bigger attack, a judicial source said.

Mohamed Houli Chemlal, 21, was the first of four surviving suspects to be questioned in Madrid's National Court, which deals with terror-related cases, over the attacks in Barcelona and a seaside resort that claimed 15 lives and wounded more than 100 people.

The Spaniard was injured in an accidental explosion at a makeshift bomb factory on Wednesday evening that killed an imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, thought to have radicalised him and other young suspects.

Police had previously revealed that the suspected jihadists had been preparing bombs for "one or more attacks in Barcelona".

Josep Lluis Trapero, head of police in Catalonia, said 120 gas canisters and traces of TATP components -- a homemade explosive that is a hallmark of the Islamic State group that claimed the attacks -- had been found at their bomb factory.

The accidental explosion in the house in Alcanar, south of Barcelona, may have forced the suspects to modify their plans.

The questioning of the four suspects caps five days of angst following the vehicle ramming attacks in Barcelona and the seaside resort of Cambrils.

Spanish police shot dead Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected Barcelona van driver, on Monday in a dramatic end to the manhunt for the Moroccan national, who shouted "God is greatest" when he was killed.

He was the last fugitive member of a 12-man cell suspected of plotting the attacks.

Besides the four men detained, the rest were killed, either by police or in the explosion in Alcanar.

While Catalan police say the cell has been dismantled, investigators are trying to determine if it had logistical or other forms of support from other individuals.

Questions are also arising about the group's possible international connections.

In Belgium, the mayor of the Vilvorde region told AFP that Satty spent time in the Brussels suburb of Machelen -- next to the city's airport -- between January and March 2016.

On the other side of Brussels, the Molenbeek suburb has gained notoriety as a hotbed of international jihadists after the Brussels bombings in March 2016 and the Paris attacks in November 2015.

And in France, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told BFMTV that the Audi used to mow down people in Cambrils had been detected by speed cameras in the Paris region while making "a very rapid return trip" days before the Spanish attacks.

Collomb is due to host Spanish counterpart Juan Ignacio Zoido on Wednesday for talks due to include anti-terrorism cooperation.

At least one of the suspects also spent a night in Zurich in December, according to Swiss police, which said it was too early to speculate about any connections with Switzerland.

The four suspects in court included Driss Oukabir, the older brother of Moussa who was killed by police in Cambrils on Friday along with four other suspects.

The others were Mohamed Aallaa, one of three brothers allegedly involved, and Salh El Karib, who manages a store that allows people to make calls abroad.

Chemlal, dressed in hospital patient clothing and with his right hand bandaged, was brought in after a doctor determined that he was fit for interrogation, a court spokesman told AFP.

Veteran magistrate Fernando Andreu is due to determine which charges to file against the four men and what role they may have played in the terror plot.

Five days on, a clearer picture is emerging of the events that unfolded last week.

Abouyaaqoub used a vehicle to smash into crowds on Barcelona's famous Las Ramblas boulevard, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100.

While on the run, the 22-year-old stabbed to death the driver of a car he hijacked to get away.

Several hours later, a similar vehicle attack in Cambrils saw a car run into pedestrians, with one occupant jumping out and stabbing a woman, who later died.
The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become "a graveyard" for the United States today after President Donald Trump cleared the way for thousands more American troops to be sent to the war-torn country.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

He added that America should think of an exit strategy "instead of continuing the war".

"As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale will continue our jihad," Mujahid said.

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief late Monday, though he did not offer specifics.

He said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable", leaving a vacuum that terrorists "would instantly fill".

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Earlier Mujahid had dismissed the strategy as vague and "nothing new".

"For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear," he told AFP.

A senior Taliban commander told AFP that Trump was just perpetuating the "arrogant behaviour" of previous presidents such as George W Bush.

"He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

"For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath," he told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He added that the statement proved the current Afghan government "is a US puppet".

The insurgents signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the US embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack late Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the city's diplomatic quarter, with no casualties reported.

Trump also lambasted US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistan's shadowy military establishment, told AFP that Trump "has proved it's a Crusade".

"His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community)," he said.

Prior to Trump's announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump is mentioned in more number of news items about hate crimes and bias incidents than any other personality or place in the last two months. Moreover, Donald Trump has always been among the top ten mentions in the news pertaining to hate crimes and bias since February.

Moreover, Donald Trump has always been among the top ten mentions in the news pertaining to hate crimes and bias since February.

A ProPublica project named Documenting Hate in partnership with Google News Lab has collected and indexed all media reports from the US appearing on Google News about hate crimes since February 13, 2017. The list shows that keywords associated with the US presidentDonald Trump, Trump, Donald J Trumphave appeared more number of times in such news than any other personality.

The US has seen a surge in incidents of hate crimes since Donald Trump took charge at the White House. Most recently, a white supremacist rally was held in Charlottesville with torches and Nazi flags in hand. During the rally, one woman was also killed.

White supremacists, neo-Nazis and KKK: Meet the US right-wing groups at heart of Charlottesville controversy

Trump was heavily criticised in the media for his response to the incident where instead of condemning it he had blamed both sides for the violence.

Before that, in the first week of August, a mosque in Minnesota was attacked which Trump did not condemn.

According to a report by Council on American-Islamic Relations, between April and June 2017, there were 946 reports of potential bias incidents targeting Muslims, that is, more than 10 incidents per day. The reports further states that 75 percent of the incidents for which triggers were identified, the reason was related to religion or nationality.

The septuagenarian businessman turned president holds a conservative viewpoint and has been facing flak for his policies towards racial and religious minorities. He, soon after assuming the presidency, had enacted a travel ban on citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The decision was taken to the courts.

According to FiveThirtyEight which has collated various approval ratings, Trump enjoys 37.1 percent approval and 56.5 percent disapproval. Such dismal rates are among the lowest for a sitting president.
Talking tough while laying out his Afghanistan strategy, President Donald Trump today hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" and warned that Islamabad has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying the country receives billions in US aid but continues to harbour militants.

"For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen," Trump said.

He said after a "comprehensive review", it was decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically.

Trump said he has arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America's core interests in Afghanistan.

"Our nation must seek an honourable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made," Trump said.

"Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable...A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists -- including ISIS and al-Qaeda - would instantly fill, just as happened before September Eleventh," he said.

Trump said the next pillar of his new strategy is a change in America's approach to Pakistan.

In his speech, Trump slammed Islamabad for harbouring militants who target US service members.

"But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace.

"In the past, Trump noted that the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars but it continues to house the very terrorists that America is fighting," he said.

Trump, however, noted that Pakistan has been a valued partner and the militaries of the two countries have worked together against common enemies.

"The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices," Trump said.

"But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people," he added.

In a statement following Trump's address, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson echoed the president's views on enhanced role for India in the new South Asia strategy.

"India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region, and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan's political and economic modernisation," he said.

Tillerson also urged Pakistan to take decisive action against terror groups.

"Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and can be an important partner in our shared goals of peace and stability in the region," he said.

"We look to Pakistan to take decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan that are a threat to the region. It is vital to US interests that Afghanistan and Pakistan prevent terrorist sanctuaries," Tillerson said.
Jarrett Coleman goes from school board to statehouse with win in 16th Senate District race
Letter to editor: Voting is necessary to protect democracy
August 22, 2017

The U.S. Can Not Be Trusted - Case XXXIV: Trump Cheats On China Sanction Deal

During the ramp up to new UN sanctions on North Korea the Trump administration threaten to sanction China if it would not commit to further pressure. Trade measures against China were held back while the discussions about the resolution were ongoing:

An opportunity to hit North Korea with new United Nations sanctions has sidelined President Donald Trumps bid to punish China for its alleged unfair trade practice.

...

[O]n Thursday afternoon, senior administration aides postponed the announcement [of trade measures against China] at the urging of United Nations and State Department officials, who are in the sensitive final stages of convincing China to sign on to a U.N. resolution that would impose new sanctions on North Korea. U.N. and State Department officials warned that the trade announcement could kill their chances of winning Beijings buy-in, according to the officials.

Trump himself implied that he was willing to go for a quid pro quo:

While past presidents have tried at least ostensibly to keep security and economic issues on separate tracks in their dealings with China, Mr. Trump has explicitly linked the two, suggesting he would back off from a trade war against Beijing if it does more to pressure North Korea. If China helps us, I feel a lot differently toward trade, a lot differently toward trade, he told reporters...

A deal was made and the UN Resolution 2371 passed. China immediately implemented the relevant measures:

In an unprecedented move against North Korea, China on Monday issued an order to carry out the United Nations sanctions imposed on the rogue regime earlier this month.

China did its part of the deal. It helped pass the UN resolution against North Korea and it immediately implemented it even while that causes a significant loss for Chinese companies which trade with North Korea.

Now Trump is back at sanctioning Chinese (and Russian) companies:

The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on 16 mainly Chinese and Russian companies and people for assisting North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and helping the North make money to support those programs.

...

Among those sanctioned are six Chinese companies, including three coal companies; two Singapore-based companies that sell oil to North Korea and three Russians that work with them; a Russian company that deals in North Korean metals and its Russian director; a construction company based in Namibia; a second Namibia-based company, and its North Korean director, that supplies North Korean workers to build statues overseas to generate income for the North.

These are "secondary sanctions" which block financial transactions and make it nearly impossible for those companies and people to run an international business. Moreover - China had already banned all coal imports from North Korea. It had sent back North Korean coal ships and instead bought coal from the United States. Now Chinese companies get sanctioned over North Korean coal they no longer buy? Furthermore selling fuel oil to North Korea is explicitly allowed under the new UN sanctions. There is no reason to sanction any company over it.

The Chinese feel cheated:

Reuters World @ReutersWorld - 7:12pm  22 Aug 2017 JUST IN: China urges U.S. to 'immediately correct its mistake' of sanctioning Chinese firms over North Korea - embassy spokesman

If the Trump administration insist of holding up these sanction China and Russia will obviously become negligent in controlling the sanctions imposed on North Korea. Why should they hold to their side of the deal, at great costs, when the U.S. does not hold up its side?

They will also stop at making any further deals with the Trump administration. It has now proven to be just as lying and cheating as the Obama administration has been. The U.S. can forget about ANY further action or sanctions at the UN.

This as extremely shortsighted and stupid way of handling international relations.

How does the U.S. hope to win anything in the long run when it behaves in such untrustworthy ways?

Posted by b on August 22, 2017 at 18:41 UTC | Permalink

Comments
Did you miss out on the Pop Quiz this week? It's time to catch up and get ready for next week!
The sounds of creaking swing sets and shuffling feet filled the air as children climbed, jumped and slid around the Catawba Meadows playground Monday.

Against the will of children too young to understand the magnitude of a solar eclipse, parents ordered their tots and teens to stop playing.

Trust me, this will be the coolest thing that happens all day, one parent told his son.

And it was cool, or at least cooler, than the rest of the day, as the temperature dropped a noticeable amount. And as children stopped to put on their spectacles to witness the spectacular event, the sound of creaking cicadas took the place of the swings.

Madison Brown was one of the young children reluctant to stop playing. She even asked her father, Jamie Brown, if she and her brother could continue playing when the eclipse was over.

But Jamie said he was happy to find that his daughter enjoyed the eclipse, especially the frowny face that formed when the moon moved completely in front of and just slightly lower than the sun.

I wasnt expecting a total eclipse, but it was something you dont hardly ever get to see, Jamie said. I just wanted to enjoy it with my kids.

But although people were aware Morganton would not experience a total eclipse, some mentioned they expected more.

Rob McKay came to Morganton from Ohio to visit his sister and brother-in-law for the eclipse.

It was good, McKay said. But there was a tiny bit of me that thought it would be darker.

The eclipse began in Morganton at 1:10 p.m. and reached the maximum of 97.6 percent totality around 2:34 p.m. The eclipse officially ended around 4 p.m.

The next solar eclipse expected to hit North Carolina will happen in 2045.
RALEIGH  In 1948, a 38-year-old North Carolinian and English professor at the University of Chicago coined a memorable phrase: ideas have consequences.

Richard Weaver, a traditionalist conservative from the Asheville area who briefly taught at North Carolina State University before landing his Chicago job, was making a philosophical point in his provocative book (SET ITAL) Ideas Have Consequences (END ITAL) about the nature of truth and implications of denying its universality. But his famous phrase has been applied much more broadly  and immediately came to my mind when I saw the coverage of the Charlottesville protests.

The revolting white supremacist who drove his car into a counter-protesting crowd, killing one and critically injuring several more, produced only the latest in a series of killings and attempted killings motivated by political, ideological or racial animus.

In May, for example, an Oregon bigot yelled epithets at two young women, one wearing a hijab, and then stabbed to death two of three heroic men who intervened to protect the women. In June, a left-wing extremist attempted to assassinate Republican congressmen and staffers at a Virginia park. Among the victims was the critically wounded Steve Scalise, majority whip in the U.S. House.

In these cases, and more I could list, personal problems, social isolation, and mental illness may have helped to precipitate the action. People who express differing opinions on issues are not necessarily morally responsible when others who share their opinions engage in violence. Indeed, the vast majority of people who hold even radical positions in politics do not become would-be killers or terrorists.

If you thought the federal government too often encroaches on the constitutional powers of states or the constitutional rights of individuals, that didnt make you a co-conspirator with Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing. If you expressed concerns about environmental degradation, corporate power, and the adverse effects of industrialization and technology on human societies, that didnt make you a co-conspirator with Ted Kaczynski in his Unabomber attacks.

None of which is to say that sharing certain ideas cant make you partially responsible for whatever horrendous consequences might result. The easy examples are direct exhortations to violence. Almost as easy are examples of the ideologies of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Adolph Hitler, all of which condone and require revolutionary violence.

Marx, scribbling his dangerous idiocies from the relative safety and security of 19th century London, may well be responsible for more human suffering and misery than any other single person in history. Yet he did not himself kill, torture, or enslave anyone.

The harder case to accept, but one that we must grapple with in the aftermath of recent events, is that when people in positions of power or influence abandon the norms of civil discourse and representative government, they arent just expressing a political opinion. They are implicitly endorsing a recourse to violence.

You see, politics is at its root a search for ways to accommodate strongly divergent points of view. If you dont like a certain business, charity, church, or private group, you can just disassociate yourself from it. Governments are different. They produce coercive policies and collect coercive taxes. If your view of what government should do doesnt prevail, the only way to disassociate yourself from it is to leave the locality, state, or nation in question.

Because people will never see their views prevail all the time, they have to be willing to live under policies they dislike if they want to continue living in their communities. But when their heads are pumped full of conspiracy theories, bigotries, and revolutionary ideologies, some come to believe that they shouldnt have to either tolerate difference or exit  that there must be a third alternative.

This is a dangerous moment. I can see it in my hate mail. Over three decades of column writing, Ive always received critical comments. But one recent, unhinged reader called me the false prophet and expressed the hope that someone will silence my voice.

There is an idea here. Its consequences are hideous.

John Hood is chairman of the John Locke Foundation and appears on the talk show NC SPIN. You can follow him @JohnHoodNC.
Power of Attorney Changes by State; Tweak LIBOR Rather Than Eliminate?

From LOs to investors, no matter the real estate market, the story is the same: Loosen up the credit guidelines all you want, but if theres no inventory of houses for sale or being built, then Ill merely have 20 prequals on my desk instead of the 10 I have now.

State-Level Power of Attorney News

Yes, California has 20 million people more living in it than New York. The Census Bureau reports the top 10 largest states in population in 2016 are: CA (39.2mm), TX (27.9mm), FL (20.6mm), NY (19.8mm), IL (12.8mm), PA (12.8mm), OH (11.6mm), GA (10.3mm) and NC (10.2mm). All told, this group of states represents 51% of the US population.

What does California have in store for housing? Due up soon: "The package of housing bills, the statement said, will include ongoing funding for low-income development, a bond on the 2018 statewide ballot and regulatory changes to make it easier to build housing." Homeownership in California has dropped to 1940s levels. And rents have skyrocketed. Among the top 10 least affordable counties in the nation, seven of them are in California, and six of those clustered around San Francisco.

New Hampshire enacted provisions concerning its Uniform Power of Attorney Act. These provisions are effective on January 1, 2018. Under the Act, a power of attorney is a writing or other record that grants authority to an agent to act in the place of the principal. When a power of attorney is created under chapter 564-E:102(15), it will be durable unless expressly provided that it is terminated by incapacity. A power of attorney is effective when it is executed, unless the principal provides in the power of attorney otherwise.

At that time in NH to execute a general power of attorney, the principal must sign (not electronically) and it must be acknowledged before a notary public. An Affixation must accompany to the power of attorney that includes specific language regarding facts. A principal may designate two or more persons to act as co-agents under the power of attorney. Additionally, a principal may designate one or more successor agents. Duties of the agent under a power of attorney include acting in accordance with the principal's reasonable expectations, acting in the principal's best interest, acting in good faith, and acting only within the scope of authority granted in the power of attorney.

North Carolina recently enacted the Uniform Power of Attorney Act (the Act), effective January 1, 2018. The Act amends the North Carolina General Statues by adding Chapter 32C, cited as the North Carolina Uniform Power of Attorney Act. Power of Attorney is defined as "a writing or other record that grants authority to an agent to act in the place of the principal, whether the term power of attorney is used."

Article 1 of the Act outlines definitions and general provisions, including applicability, durability, execution, and validity of the power of attorney. A power of attorney created pursuant to Chapter 32C is durable unless the instrument expressly provides that it is terminated by the incapacity of the principal. Article 2 of the Act includes provisions regarding the general and specific authority that a principal may give an agent in a power of attorney, such as authority involving real property, tangible personal property, and stocks and bonds. Article 3 provides statutory forms.

Effective as of August 31, 2018, North Carolina House Bill 584 serves to clarify the process for correcting nonmaterial errors in recorded instruments of title, creates a curative procedure for obvious description errors in documents of title, and creates a seven-year curative provision for certain defects in recorded instruments of title.

Notice of a nonmaterial typographical or other minor error in a deed or other recorded instrument may now be given by recording a corrective notice affidavit. Prior to recording a curative affidavit, the authorized attorney will serve a notice of intent and a copy of the unsigned proposed curative affidavit to individuals as set forth in the bill. The act provides a recommended form for the curative affidavit, and specifies that "no particular phrasing is required for the curative affidavit." Additionally, an instrument conveying or purporting to convey an interest in real property that contains a defect, irregularity, or omission shall be deemed effective to vest title as stated therein and to the same extent as though the instrument had not contained the afore mentioned if two specified conditions are met.

Effective October 31, 2017, Alaska has enacted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act as Title 13, Chapter 63 of the Alaska Statutes. The Act addresses four common types of fiduciaries: executors or administrators of estates, guardians or conservators, agents acting under a power of attorney, and trustees of a trust. The Act allows a fiduciary, in accordance with a user's estate plan, to compel the disclosure of digital assets stored by a custodian. The Act only applies to a custodian if the user resides in the state of Alaska or resided in the state of Alaska at the time of the user's death. The Act does not apply to the digital assets of an employer used by an employee in the ordinary course of business.



Capital Markets

Most lenders are focused on debt, not equity. This debt and its corresponding receivable, of course, is often securitized - think mortgage-backed securities, for example. But the overall level of debt is raising some eyebrows: Household debt rose for the 12th straight quarter in Q2 of 2017, and is $12.8 trillion, a record. But our economy has grown: the Q2 level amounts to 67% of GDP, compared to 87% in 08Q3, when household debt last peaked. But credit card and auto loan delinquencies are rising despite debt service payments being just 10% of disposable income, a near all-time low, and household savings is 3.8%, a near decade low. Not ideal, huh?

A big chunk of this debt is tied to LIBOR, and amending the structure of the London Interbank Offered Rate, which is due for termination in 2021, might be simpler and cheaper than replacing it with an interest-rate benchmark that has yet to be established. This author suggests adjusting Libor to embrace data from real-time transactions, such as bond-clearing prices, credit default swaps and commercial paper.

Is it quiet out there, or what? U.S. Treasuries started the week on a modestly higher note, but activity was on the light side. Longer-dated issues finished the day near their overnight highs while the 2-yr note climbed into the close. The benchmark 10-yr yield hit 2.18% and settled at its lowest level since June 26. The 2s10s spread ticked up to 89 bps from 88 bps on Friday. Agency MBS prices roughly unchanged. Blah blah blah.

Today we've had the Philly Fed's Non-Manufacturing Indices for August; coming up are weekly chain store sales from Redbook, the FHFA Home Price Index for June, and some forgettable Richmond Fed release. In the early going we find our friend the 10-year yielding 2.21% and agency MBS prices worse an .125.



Jobs, Personnel, and Company News

Pacific Union Financial, LLC continues its expansion of the West Division with the hiring of Dennis Waller as the new Regional Wholesale/Non-Delegated Correspondent Sales Manager for the Northwest and Rocky Mountain States. Mr. Waller is an industry veteran who brings years of experience leading Sales. "I am very excited to join the Pacific Union Financial Wholesale and Non-Delegated Correspondent Division. The West Division team is truly providing the best experience for our Broker and Non-Delegated partners and their borrowers. My goal is to attract like-minded sales professionals and continue to aggressively grow our footprint in these markets," Waller said. Mr. Waller is looking to build a strong team of Account Executives and will be hiring in WA, CO, OR, UT, ID, MT, WY and AK. If you are an experienced Wholesale or Non-Delegated Account Executive and interested in joining a company that is financially strong with competitive products and pricing, please contact Dennis Waller or Susan Trejo, Corporate Recruiter.

Get your complimentary whitepaper from XINNIX, "Source, Train, and Assimilate New Loan Officers." Written by XINNIX CEO Casey Cunningham and featured in The Mortgage Professional's Handbook, this resource shares powerful strategies you can use to bring incredible new talent onto your team and empower them to reach their full potential! Click here to download your free copy today!

"Did you know that LendingQB has a fully integrated AUS that can support non-QM loans better than any pricing engine? In fact, LendingQB's AUS is one of the few systems that can dissect an entire credit report for non-QM loan eligibility analysis - a tremendous value for any lender providing non-QM loans. Just another example of how LendingQB keeps you ahead of the curve. For more information, visit LendingQB. LendingQB stands out from the competition. Request a demo TODAY! Call 1.888.285.3912.

I'm confident in the future of non-bank lenders. Tech companies provide low-effort deployment of digital mortgage solutions for them to compete. Maxwell, who recently shared that LendingQB joined their Connected Apps platform, is a great example. Maxwell is the leading digital mortgage solution for independent mortgage companies and TPOs alike. They're scaling quickly, having facilitated $5B in origination volume in the last year. It's incredible to see how a user-friendly experience can take the industry by storm! Automated doc collection, verifications, smart 1003, text and email notifications, Realtor updates, dynamic team collaboration, and more. I almost wonder how we lived without a tool like this! As lenders, you should expect digital mortgage platforms to be deployed quickly, with minimal effort. The team at Maxwell has told me they are closing mortgages 45% faster than the industry average, substantially boosting production for their clients. The industry standard has already moved to the digital mortgage. Learn more about it here.

No starter homes? One reason is that big companies are buying them up for rentals. More and more companies buying up single-family homes to rent out to American families that cannot own a home on their own. Recently 2 of the largest companies in this space merged to create a stock jump for each company - Blackstone's Invitation Homes (INVH) and Starwood Waypoint Homes - and accounts for almost 100,000 homes nationwide.
MASON CITY | The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday morning easements for two local bridge projects at its public meeting.

County engineer Mary Kelly described the projects to the board, the first of which is on 300th Court, north of Mason City. Kelly said a new two-lane bridge needs to be built for contractors and others due to its location near a quarry. Construction should start in the next year, she added.

The county is seeking to fund the project on 300th Court with 80 percent federal dollars, Kelly said.

The second project, located on Grouse Avenue near Ingebretson Park in Thorton, requires a two-lane bridge to be replaced because of its old age, Kelly said. She added that project should start next summer.

Supervisor Tim Latham said it's too early to determine how much each new bridge would cost, but added the work is necessary.

"A lot of our bridges are old," Latham said. "And over the years, we haven't had the money to maintain them ... it's something we've been trying to look at more recently."

According to the state's bridge condition index  which measures load carrying capacity, structural condition and other similar factors  both bridges are in "fair" condition. The site at 300th Court, built in 1975, has an index of 58.2. The bridge in Thorton, constructed in 1913, has an index of 41.9.

The board also approved an environmental covenant concerning wells near Lime Creek Nature Center, along with reclassifying 240th Street east of Jonquil Avenue from Level B to Level C.
Legislators in California are set to vote on a package of bills that aim to tackle the states housing problems that are causing increasing prices and a high rate of homelessness, the Associated Press reported.Gov. Jerry Brown and leaders of Democratic lawmakers have promised to work on a set of bills including regulatory reforms and low-income housing funding in their finals weeks of work in the year. With more than a dozen bills on the table, lawmakers have until Sept. 15 to pass legislation before they leave for another recess."We need to take up this housing package as soon as we can," said Assemblyman David Chiu (D), who chairs the housing committee. "The fact that the governor, our speaker, and the Senate president have committed to a comprehensive housing package is indicative of how committed we are to getting this done this year."The final legislative package will include a bond, continuous funding for affordable housing, regulatory reform, and tax credits.The housing bond under consideration would raise $3 billion in funding for affordable housing, which would have to be paid back with interest over time. The bond would need to be approved by voters in 2018.Under SB2, the funding scheme proposed by state Sen. Toni Atkins, real estate transaction documents such as deeds and notices would be charged a $75 fee, with a $225 cap per transaction. The expected annual revenue of $200 million to $300 million from the scheme will be used for affordable housing projects. Although documents related to property sales transactions would be exempted, mortgage refinances are covered by the bill.Other bills in the package under consideration include a bill by San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener (D) that eliminates certain local development restrictions for communities that lag on their housing goals, tax credits related to affordable housing, and schemes that would encourage communities to comply with current laws on housing production planning.
Steve Gonzales/Staff

Most of the new crude oil produced in West Texas' Permian Basin during the next few years will be shipped from Gulf Coast ports to growing nations in Asia and other regions, according to analytics firm IHS Markit.

So while domestic oil consumption is rising only slightly, the foreign demand for U.S. oil is booming, spurred by the 2015 end to a decades-old ban on crude exports. The U.S. today ships out almost 1 million barrels of oil each day compared with about 520,000 barrels in 2016.
An Odessa woman was arrested Sunday after allegedly endangering a child, according to court documents.

Jeanene Marie Smith, 39, was being held Monday on a $10,000 bond for a state felony charge of abandonment/endangerment of a child with intent to return.

Midland police were dispatched in reference to a check person call.

Police observed a woman -- later identified as Smith -- standing outside of a hotel. When asked where she was staying at she was unable to provide a specific room number, according to the affidavit.

Smith stated she needed to get back to her room because her 8-month-old baby was alone, according to the arrest affidavit.

The officers observed she was disoriented and found out she had been drinking earlier in the day and taken sleep medication, according to the affidavit.

When police located Smiths room, they found a baby sleeping on the floor.

If convicted, Smith could face up to two years in prison for the state felony charge.






Early childhood learning was the focus of a group of partnerships announced this summer. As the academic year starts, those involved said the collaborations were a step toward preparing incoming students for school.

Last month, First 5 Permian Basin at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, with support from the Abell-Hanger Foundation, held the inaugural Midland Kinder College Summer Camp. The camp previously was held in Ector County.

The camp introduced the children to a classroom setting, said Beth Meyerson Sterkel, director of First 5.

Children starting kindergarten in the fall  later this month  who have not necessarily been in a classroom setting (experienced) that, and it makes them better prepared, she said.

The free, weeklong camp at Bunche Elementary introduced some future kindergartners to a school setting for the first time, according to Della Frye, director of early childhood for Midland ISD. She thinks the participants will be leaders this school year.

I think theyre going to enter that kindergarten classroom being comfortable and confident, Frye said.

Teachers worked in classrooms to introduce children to fundamentals, including writing their names, standing in lines and sharing with others.

It was so awesome we were able to have kindergarten teachers teach the camp because they were able to mirror what the first few days of kindergarten look like, Frye said.

The camp was one collaboration Educate Midland announced this summer related to preparing children for school. Educate Midland has also formed an Early Childhood Action Network with groups working at that education level.

Theyre strategizing things they can do in the community, really from birth to age 8, said Pervis Evans, executive director of Educate Midland.

An Educate Midland leadership team identified early childhood learning as its first major focus area, and it plans to concentrate on others in the future.

One focal point this summer was literacy. Through partnerships, First 5 and Midland Need to Read added three new Little Free Library locations in Midland. The project placed boxes at Kamiposi, Midland WIC Clinic and Museum of the Southwest to serve as places where people can take or leave books.

Evans said reading at grade level early on is an indicator of a students future success. Educate Midland partnered with organizations offering summer programs, and Evans said theres potential to track participants reading progress with approval from parents.

A lot of times you would find over the summer students lose what they learn during the school year, Evans said.
FOREST CITY | Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said the violence committed by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month was just like domestic terrorism.

"It ought to be pretty obvious to everybody that Nazism and World War II and all the history that's there and all the hatred that was involved with it or white nationalists and the KKK is not American," Grassley said during a visit to Forest City Monday.

He said their right to freedom of speech may be American, "but what they stand for is not very American."

Grassley said he sent a tweet calling the violence in Charlottesville "homegrown terrorism" before President Donald Trump said anything about the situation, which resulted in the death of a counter-protester and injuries to many others.

Trump has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for his remarks about Charlottesville, in which he said both sides were responsible for the violence and called some of those marching with the KKK, neo-Nazi groups and white nationalists "very fine people."

Grassley was in Forest City to visit with officers and staff at MBT Bank.

During the meeting as well as during question and answer time with the media afterwards, Grassley addressed questions about the recent failure by Republican senators to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

"Health care is the most embarrassing thing you could bring up to me," he said, noting he was "demoralized" by the defeat.

Grassley said the GOP promised for seven years to repeal and replace Obamacare.

"We have run out of excuses," he said.

All the Democrats in the Senate, as well as three Republicans -- Sen. John McCain, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins -- voted against the latest repeal and replace bill in late July, leading to it fail by just one vote.

Grassley said although he wished the three GOP senators who voted against the bill thought differently, they are all "people of deep thought."

He also thinks there still might be a chance for a bipartisan solution to health care.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, who is also a medical doctor, has been working on a bill since before Christmas that would give more money to the states for health care coverage and allow them authority on how it is handled, according to Grassley.

He said the Cassidy bill didn't get much attention before, but it is now "picking up steam" in the wake of the latest GOP failure to repeal and replace the ACA.

If the bill is voted on with reconciliation, only 50 votes will be needed in the Senate to pass it, according to Grassley.

However, if there's no reconciliation, 60 votes will be required, which is a tougher hurdle, he said.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, is also working on a health care bill.

Grassley said a provision in this bill to lower premiums and deductibles for low-income individuals could garner support by Democrats, but he questions what the GOP would get in return as far as more flexibility for states and getting rid of the employer and individual mandate.

Grassley said the Alexander bill has a better chance of passing the Senate than the Cassidy bill, but less of a chance in the House of Representatives.

As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley has a key role in the investigation into Russian interference in last year's U.S. Presidential election.

Grassley said he hopes when the Senate re-convenes after the August recess, the committee will have interviews set up with Donald Trump Jr., former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and others.

He said the initial questioning of these individuals will be in private, with thorough transcription.

If the committee decides to do questioning in a hearing that's open to the public, Grassley expects it will be done shortly after the closed sessions.
MASON CITY - The Mason City Community School District Board of Education looks to "change the way things are done" after receiving the results of the state re-audit, according to the board president.

The district learned a lot from the re-audit, School Board President Janna Arndt said in a board meeting Monday night. Arndt said the district will make the appropriate changes as outlined in the board's responses to the audit.

"It's the school board's responsibility to know where the money's going," Arndt said.

State Auditor Mary Mosiman released results of a re-audit report for the period July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015 Monday morning.

Mosiman found $109,073 of improper disbursements by Mason City Community School District including four issues for the period and provided suggestions to the district.

"It's not something we're proud of," Arndt said.

The board is confident that changes will prevent this from happening again. The district is working with the Cerro Gordo County Attorney's office to make changes and to recuperate some of the lost funds.

Arndt said that it is her understanding that the district might be eligible to get back all or some of those funds.

The board took public questions about the re-audit in the public forum section of the meeting.

When asked why they might not be able to get all of the funds back, board member Lorrie Lala said that it's in the hands of the county attorney.

"It was improper, not illegal," board member Scott Warren said.

Board member Brent Seaton applauded Arndt in her ability with the board to make difficult decisions throughout this process. The re-audit investigation began in May 2016.

"Doing this job is difficult," Seaton said.

Lala noted that it was a fine line to walk with transparency and "evaluating someone publicly" referring to former business manager John Berg.

"It may at times look like it might be secret but it's not," Lala said.

Arndt expressed her frustration with the improper disbursements.

"As the board was dealing with this, we're just as mad," Arndt said.

Arndt said that the board was told "this is the way we do things" and questioned those procedures which lead to calling for the re-audit.

"I would like for us to move forward," board member Jodi Draper said.

Draper emailed the state office with concerns which led to the re-audit.

Arndt referred to staffing cuts a few years ago and said it's frustrating to know that the money was there.

"Makes me sick to think about it," Arndt said.

Through the re-audit, additional concerns were brought to light for years prior to 2015-17 and a separate special investigation report will be issued.

Arndt said that investigation would cover years 2012-13 in a separate audit. The state auditors will be back in Mason City in September. If an investigation is conducted, the outcome would be a public report.
MASON CITY | For Joyce Blum of Hampton, the sight of her fifth eclipse was as memorable as those before.

Blum was one of six North Iowans who left on a charter flight, arranged by Loren Toomsen of Clear Lake, from Mason City to St. Joseph, Missouri, early Monday morning to view the historic event with thousands of others. St. Joseph was expected to be one of the best places in the country to view the eclipse.

It was a joy to be there all day, she said.

90-year-old Hampton woman excited to see her fifth eclipse HAMPTON | If there is such a thing as a veteran "eclipse watcher," 90-year-old Joyce Blum of

The charter flight landed in Missouri before 8 a.m., and the group returned shortly after 3 p.m.

Toomsen, who experienced his first total solar eclipse Monday, said the weather wasnt at all conducive to the eclipse, but they were able to see the progress of it as the clouds shifted through.

It added drama that most wouldnt have seen, he said.

As the eclipse occurred, fireworks were set off in St. Joseph, Blum said.

Id never had that happen before, she said.

This eclipse was unlike her previous viewings of it, but it was just as enjoyable.

It was a joyful experience, Blum said.
AUSTIN  For the first time since dove conservation measures were established in Texas nearly a century ago, hunters statewide will have an opportunity to pursue the popular game birds during the first weekend of September.

While the traditional Sept. 1 opener will still be limited to Texas North and Central Dove Zones, hunters in the southern region of the state will be able to join in the action the following afternoon thanks to an expansion of the Special White-winged Dove Area across the entire South Dove Zone. Previously, these early four days of dove hunting were restricted to an area roughly west and south of San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

The expansion of early white-winged dove hunting during the first two weekends in September, in effect, create early September hunting opportunities statewide for the first time ever, said Dave Morrison, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Division deputy director.

The regular season opening day in the South Dove Zone will be Sept. 22, the earliest date possible this year under federal guidelines.

Roughly 15 percent of the nations 300 million mourning dove reside in Texas, along with about 15 million white-winged doves at the beginning of September. Each fall, over 300,000 Texas dove hunters take to the field in pursuit of these acrobatic, fast-flying game birds. Based on field observations by TPWD wildlife biologists, prospects for the 2017-18 hunting season are fair to excellent across the state as habitat conditions vary depending on scattered precipitation and timing of plants seeding out.

Texas had above average mourning dove production early in the spring with continued good production where precipitation occurred through the spring and summer, said Shaun Oldenburger, TPWD Dove Program Leader. Good croton, sunflower, ragweed, and other highly-selected dove foods were found statewide this year. Where good water conditions and timing of seeding in these plants coincide, hunters should find good hunting in September for mourning doves.

White-winged doves were observed flocking in late July in urban areas across the state with good numbers starting to move to more rural areas in early August, according to Oldenburger. Mourning dove populations are concentrated around water and food resources in August during the traditional hottest part of the year. See the Youtube link at https://youtu.be/hB9WcubkAcg for more dove hunting season details.

2017-18 Dove Season Calendar

North Zone: Sept. 1  Nov. 12 and Dec. 15-31.

Central Zone: Sept. 1  Nov. 5 and Dec. 15  Jan. 7, 2018.

Special White-winged Dove Days (entire South Zone): Sept. 2-3, 9-10.

South Zone: Sept. 22  Nov. 8 and Dec. 15  Jan. 21, 2018.

The daily bag limit for doves statewide is 15 and the possession limit 45.

During the early two weekends for the Special White-winged Dove Days (in the South Zone), hunting is allowed only from noon to sunset and the daily bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves. During the general season in the South Zone, the aggregate bag limit is 15 with no more than two white-tipped doves.

Hunters are reminded that licenses went on sale Aug. 15 for the 2017-18 hunting seasons and can be purchased through the agencys 28 field offices, at more than 50 state parks and over 1,700 retailers across the state. Licenses may also be purchased online through the TPWD website or by phone at (800) 895-4248. Call center hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and there is a required $5 administrative fee for each phone or online transaction. The online transaction system is available 24/7.

Hunting and fishing regulations for the new season can be found in the 2017-2018 Outdoor Annual, available in print form at license retailers, online and in the free Outdoor Annual mobile app available for Apple and Android devices.

In addition to a hunting license, anyone born after Sept. 1, 1971, must successfully complete a hunter education training course. Those under 17 and those 17 and older who purchase a one-time deferral license may hunt legally in Texas if accompanied by a licensed hunter 17 years or older who has passed hunter education or who is otherwise exempt. Accompanied means being within normal voice control. The TPWD Hunter Education certification is valid for life and is honored in all other states and provinces. More information on hunter education certification is available online.

A Migratory Game Bird endorsement and Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification are also required to hunt dove. HIP certification involves a brief survey of previous years migratory bird hunting success and is conducted at the time licenses are purchased.
Aug. 23, 1937: The Rev. Tilden Gaddis will wear the costume of a shepherd tonight when he leads services at a camp meeting in progress at a tent at Sixth and Baltimore.

--Balloting was slow at the three Plainview polling places today as residents voted on six amendments to the Texas Constitution.

--Capt. Winfield Holbrook, vice president of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, hosted a kickoff breakfast for the Salvation Army Fund Drive.

Aug. 23, 1947: The years sharpest rise in infantile paralysis cases occurred last week with increased noted in 32 states, but the 1947 total remains the lowest since 1942.

--Plainview Jaycees will present Frankie Masters and his orchestra for dancing at the City Auditorium on Saturday. A remote broadcast will be carried by KVOP Radio.

--White Food Store, 510 Ash, is preparing to double the size of that location. In operation at the same site for 41 years, the White Store will expand with an additional 25-foot front with construction of a building to the south.

Aug. 23, 1967: Mr. and Mrs. Harold LaFont and daughter, Mrs. Jimmy Dalton, have returned from a 2 1/2-week trip to London, Paris, Rome and Florence as members of the Texas Trial Lawyers Tour.

--The Plainview squadron of the Civil Air Patrol will have an open house at its headquarters at the Hale County Airport.

--Ike Graves and David Armstrong of Hart received the Tres Ritos Hikers Award for completing a 32-mile hike to the mountain peak during a weeklong Boy Scout camping trip.

Aug. 23, 1987: Sharon Hardesty Morgan was featured in an Applause column in Lifestyles. She is owner of Plainview Newcomer Greeters and is a city hostess.

--Central Plains Regional Hospital provided a feature on Dr. Carl Weidenbach.

--Lucille Davis received the Outstanding Service Award on Tuesday during the annual meeting of the American Cancer Society. Her award is for public education, leadership and fundraising.
MASON CITY | The Iowa Office of Auditor found $109,073 of improper disbursements by Mason City Community School District, according to documents released Monday. It also announced it will conduct another audit on the district's finances and practices.

Auditor Mary Mosiman released results of a re-audit report for the period July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015. The review also covered items applicable to the years ended June 30, 2016 and June 30, 2017.

The re-audit was performed at the request of a School Board member Jodi Draper.

The re-audit found four issues for the period and provided suggestions to the district. The board accepted and responded to each with future policy changes.

The issues include:

Vacation payouts and policy.

Superintendent resignation package.

Approval of service contracts and salary increases.

Use of electronic signatures.

The $109,073 of improper disbursements included $68,678 of improper vacation payout costs. The improper vacation payouts identified were issued to five former employees.

The total also includes $40,395 of improper salary costs for payments made to the Districts former business manager and former human resources director during the fiscal years ending 2016 and 2017.

Mason City School Board says re-audit results are 'not something we're proud of' MASON CITY - The Mason City Community School District Board of Education looks to "change the way things are done" after receiving the results

The improper payments were a result of unauthorized salary increases, improper salary amounts, and related benefits, the report said.

There were four separate instances where service contracts and salary increases were not presented to the school board but contained an electronic signature of approval for the board president.

The board approves all service contracts and salary increases for the district.

Because the additional concerns were outside the scope of the re-audit, a separate special investigation report will be issued pending the outcome of additional procedures performed, the report said.

Mosiman, the auditor, declined comment on the scope of the investigation. The new investigation would not cover 2015-17.

Were precluded by law to discuss open cases, Mosiman said.

Mosiman was able to say that they will return to Mason City and conduct procedures. If an investigation is conducted, the outcome would be a public report.

Business manager

In June 2015, the board approved a service contract for John Berg, the former business manager and Board secretary, with an annual salary of $65,000.

The former Superintendent Anita Micich made a retroactive contract adjustment without board approval to increase Bergs salary to $75,000.00 annually, a 15.38 percent increase, on Jan. 7, 2016.

The district provided a copy of an updated service contract signed by the Board President on January 8, 2017; however, according to our discussion with the Board President, she was not aware of the contract adjustment and did not physically sign the amended contract, the report said. We determined the Business Office had an electronic signature for the Board President on file.

On June 20, 2016, the Board approved a 3 percent raise for non-bargaining staff, including administrative personnel, for the 2016-2017 school year.

In the 2016-2017 service contract for Berg, his annual salary was $82,250.

As a result, he received a 26.54 percent increase from his previously approved salary of $65,000 which is well above the approved three percent increase, the report said.

That contract was not presented to the board for approval, according to the report. The contract contained Board President Janna Arndts signature, she was not aware of it and did not physically sign this contract, the report said.

HR director

Human Resources Director Jodie Anderson was hired at a starting annual salary of $80,000 for the 2015-2016 school year, which was to be prorated to $76,000 because she started on July 20, 2015.

Again, the contract was not presented to the board for approval and the electronic signature for the board president was used to sign this contract, according to the report.

For the 2016-2017 school year, Andersons service contract was increased to $87,750.00 annually, a 9.69 percent increase from the previous year.

We are unable to determine who applied the electronic signature to the contracts, the report said.

The Auditor recommended that all service contracts should be presented to the board for approval and should be physically signed by the board president, not an electronic signature. The district should also ensure salary increases are applied consistently across all service contracts, the report said.

According to the Board President, she was only aware of the electronic signature used for payroll and other checks (warrants) , the report said.

Vacation

The State Auditor found additional concerns which were presented after completion of the re-audit, which related to prior fiscal years.

The district provides annual vacation to administrative employees under terms defined in their service contracts and certain employee service contracts included a provision for paying out vacation upon resignation, while most service contracts did not include such a provision.

When an administrative employee resigned, the district routinely paid out the unused vacation balance without determining whether the employees service contract included a vacation payout provision, the report said.

The district would pay the employee for his or her accrued vacation balance at the hourly rate.

Because these payments were processed through payroll, they were not included with the listing of bills provided to the board for review, the report said. The payouts were handled by the business manager.

Effective Jan. 1, 2016, a policy was implemented to define the amount of vacation earned each year based on the employees years of service and set a maximum vacation balance to be carried over to the next fiscal year. There was no policy before. The new policy does not cover payout of an employees vacation balance when he the employee leaves employment with the district.

The re-audit identified seven vacation payouts issued to five employees during the period reviewed totaling $114,844. Of the five employees, two each received two payouts. None of the payouts were approved by the board.

Based on our review of the seven vacation payouts, we identified 6 improper vacation payouts which totaled $68,678.26, the report said.

There were several improper totals. One vacation payout used an incorrect hourly rate, resulting in an overpayment of $2,178.

We also determined four of the seven vacation payouts issued to two employees were initiated and approved by the former Superintendent and were not reviewed or approved by payroll staff or the Business Managers Office prior to payment, the report said.

The auditor recommended that the district review policies regarding accrued vacation and include specific terms relating to payout of vacation balances upon termination.

Micich settlement

Another issue found by the re-audit involves former Superintendent Anita Micichs resignation settlement.

On May 11, 2016, the Board approved a resignation agreement with Micich which was effective June 29, 2016. She was placed on administrative leave effective June 6, 2016 and the District chose to terminate her service contract effective June 29, 2016.

Dr. Micichs service contract did not include provisions regarding any financial issues related to early termination of the contract, the report said.

The resignation agreement included provisions for salary payouts, vacation payouts, early retirement incentives, health and dental insurance payments and life insurance payments totaling $292,956.

The public purpose of paying out the fiscal year 2017 amounts was not documented by the Board when approving the agreement, the report said.

The auditor recommended ensuring the public purpose of any future resignation agreements is clearly documented.

The district will include provisions for financial issues as related to early termination of a service contract in the superintendents service contract to ensure the public purpose of any future resignation agreements is clearly documented, the district responded.

District response

The District responded favorably to the recommendations included in the re-audit, according to the report.

Draper emailed the state office with concerns Superintendent Anita Micich could have approved funds via purchase order for two outgoing administrators last year that fell outside of their contracts and were completed without board approval, according to an email forwarded to board members on May 17, 2016.

Draper's concerns appear to center on per-diem payments totaling $68,178 for vacation pay to former Assistant Superintendent Hal Minear and Business Manager Ramona Jeffrey in July and September 2015.

In the email, Draper questions a $35,178 payment for 60 vacation days to Minear authorized by Micich via purchase order on July 27, 2015.

She also raised concerns about two additional payments to both Jeffrey and Minear for $16,500 each by Micich for 30 additional days of vacation pay authorized on Sept. 11, 2015.

Jeffrey's last two-year contract, signed in June 2014, gave her 30 days paid vacation per year with the option to forward a maximum of 60 unused days to cash out when leaving the district.

Minear's final two-year contract provided 30 days of vacation per year, but unlike Jeffrey's contract has no language restricting how much vacation time he could carry over to cash out when he left his position.

Jeffrey and Minear both left in December 2015 after 27 and 25 years, respectively, in the district, according to their early retirement contracts.

The Mason City Community School District Board of Education was scheduled to meet Monday evening to discuss the report.
Mason City Administrator Brent Trout is heading to Kansas, after he was named the new city administrator for Topeka.

The Topeka Capital-Journal first reported Tuesday afternoon that Topeka's City Council unanimously elected Trout to the position. He starts Oct. 30, and will make $195,000 for leading the city's day-to-day operations.

Trout was interviewed by Topeka's City Council on July 22, along with four other candidates. He has served as Mason City's city administrator for the past 10 years.

He has been praised by area politicians for helping to improve economic development in Mason City, including the area's involvement in the statewide program Vision Iowa.

The city was really the linchpin in that whole thing, president and CEO of the Mason City Area Chamber of Commerce Robin Anderson told the Capital-Journal. There was quite a lot to manage at a time when he was also just getting his feet wet in a new job.

Trout previously told the Globe Gazette the job's proximity to relatives was a key reason he chose to pursue the position in Kansas' capital.

"It's a great opportunity to pursue. It's the right kind of opportunity for me, so I thought I'd give it a shot," he said.
Another promotional products-maker and its top executive have agreed to plead guilty for conspiring to fix prices of merchandise sold online, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

The guilty plea from Custom Wristbands of Burbank, Calif., and its owner and CEO Christopher Angeles comes one week after a Sugar Land company admitted using social media platforms and encrypted messaging applications to fix prices for its customized products, including wristbands.
One of the biggest players in the South Texas oil patch says it wants to exit shale drilling  entirely  across the U.S.

BHP Billiton Petroleum, the Houston-based oil and gas arm of the Australian mining giant, said Tuesday that it plans to sell its shale assets in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

BHP at the end of June had nearly 1,000 net wells producing in the Eagle Ford Shale, the 400-mile-long oil field in South Texas, according to corporate reports.

In the early boom days of the field, it was among the most active drillers in the region. BHP had 42 drilling rigs working in South Texas in 2012. In 2014, it spent $3 billion in the Eagle Ford, accounting for 10 percent of the industrys total oil- and gas-related investment in the field that year.

At the end of June, though, it had one drilling rig working in its Black Hawk field around DeWitt County, part of an area considered the sweet spot of the Eagle Ford.

BHP entered South Texas in 2011 when it bought Petrohawk Energy Corp. in a $12.1 billion deal, which gave it acreage in the Eagle Ford Shale and Permian Basin in Texas, and the Haynesville Shale in Louisiana. That deal was for around 1 million acres in both states.

Also in 2011, BHP paid $4.8 billion to buy all of Chesapeake Energy Corp.s interests in the Fayetteville Shale formation in Arkansas, a natural gas field.

Altogether, it invested $20 billion in U.S. shale.

The company later came under fire from investors for over-paying for its assets, especially those in natural gas fields after natural gas prices fell. It has been under pressure from activist investors to get out of shale altogether by selling or spinning off a new company.

BHP said the nature of shale, which requires companies keep drilling to maintain production, is problematic. The phenomenon is called the Red Queen, named after the character in Lewis Carrolls Through the Looking-Glass who tells Alice she must run, Faster! Faster!

Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place, the Red Queen says. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!

But one of the features of shale, which weve grown to like a bit less with time and see it a bit more of a curse, is that the investments that are demanded there are quite pro-cyclical. You have to continue to invest to actually maintain the value of those businesses, CEO Andrew Mackenzie told analysts in a conference call.

BHP said it plans to sell its shale assets, but said it would consider other options such as an initial public offering that would create a separate shale company. I dont want to eliminate other ways in which we could exit these businesses... Mackenzie said.

In March, BHP agreed to partner with state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos, known as Pemex, to develop the Trion field in the southern Gulf of Mexico.

jhiller@express-news.net

Twitter: @Jennifer_Hiller
Opponents of confined animal feeding operations, of CAFOs, are once again making noise locally and on the state level.

Some North Iowa residents are urging county supervisors to oppose any CAFO construction.

Meanwhile the Des Moines-based advocacy group Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement has petitioned the states Environmental Protection Commission to suspend CAFO construction while adopting more stringent environmental guidelines for future permit applications.

Activists rhetoric is occasionally over-the-top and the evils of CAFOs sometimes exaggerated, yet most arguments for strengthening regulations are based on legitimate health and environmental concerns.

That said, I raise two points of order.

First, CAFO opponents usually begin by citing the number of impaired waterways in the state and the size of the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, both of which are caused by excess nutrients attributable largely to runoff from row-crop agriculture.

While CAFOs are one source of those nutrients, they arent the only source.

Nearly all Iowa crop producers fertilize to increase yields. While some use manure from CAFOs, other dry, liquid and gaseous fertilizers are available and capable of leaching into waterways.

If every CAFO disappeared tomorrow, farmers would turn to other fertilizers. The net impact on water quality and the dead zone would be limited.

Water-quality advocates must not become fixated on CAFOs while neglecting to champion proven conservation strategies such as reduced tillage, cover crops, buffer and filter strips, restored wetlands, etc.

Second, those slinging stones at Iowas Department of Natural Resources and its Environmental Protection Commission are fighting the wrong giant.

While the EPC technically makes the final call on approving CAFO permits, the criteria they are to use in doing so are outlined in a master matrix created by the state legislature in 2002.

Opponents argue the matrix is outdated and inadequate, and they may have a point. As such, they want the DNR/EPC to unilaterally suspend permit approvals and strengthen the matrix.

This would 1) bypass the constitutional separation of powers, 2) probably be illegal, 3) almost certainly trigger costly litigation, and 4) likely draw legislative intervention.

Legislative bodies make laws, and executive bodies enforce them. Thats Government 101.

With the legislature having provided clear direction through the master matrix, DNR has an equally clear duty to enforce it as written, like it or not.

Those who find the matrix inadequate should target state legislators, the people who have the power to amend it or preferably rescind it and defer environmental regulatory decisions to experts at DNR.

Many (but not all) corporate farmers, agricultural suppliers and producer membership organizations are lobbying legislators to maintain the status quo.

Until environmental advocates stop scapegoating DNR and turn up the heat on state legislators, lawmakers will remain quite comfortable continuing to do so.

Don't feed the trolls

Its disheartening that in 2017 America still has a vibrant community of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, etc.

Its pathetic our president thinks some of them are good people and their opponents share the blame for recent violence.

And its maddening when a handful of those opponents provide him even a modicum of cover.

Recent alt-right rallies have drawn sizable crowds of counter-protesters. While most have been well behaved, some have armed themselves with clubs, chased and threatened opponents and disrupted peaceful assemblies.

This only gives credence to the narrative that traditional Americans are under siege, which in turn helps hate groups recruit members and raise funds.

Probably the best response to white supremacists and their demonstrations would be to treat them as too insignificant to be worthy of notice.

Those who feel obligated to counter-demonstrate should do so legally, peacefully and with deportment indicative of the higher ground theyre defending.

Come on, folks: dont feed the trolls.
CHESHIRE >> The merger of three Roman Catholic churches in town has hit a roadblock, thanks to an appeal filed by a parishioner at one of the closed parishes.

Maria Zone, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Hartford, said Monday that the merger of the Church of the Epiphany into St. Thomas Beckett and St. Bridget is the subject of what is known in canonical language as a recourse or appeal. Church of the Epiphany, located on Huckins Road, closed in June as part of a merger with St. Thomas Beckett and St. Bridget.

The merger created a single parish, St. Bridget of Sweden. St. Thomas Beckett remains open for some services, but masses are no longer said at Church of the Epiphany.

The merger of the Cheshire parishes was part of a diocese-wide consolidation driven by a variety of factors including a decline in the number of parishioners a shortage of priests.

Zone did not identify the parishioner who sought the recourse, but did say it was a woman who made the appeal.

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Parishioners at St. Bridget of Sweden were informed of the appeal by the Rev. Jeffrey Romans during a service at the church earlier this month. Romans was not available for comment Monday on the appeal, but urged members of the congregation in the Aug. 13 parish bulletin to pray for the success of those involved in our merger process.

Church law requires that a decision regarding the appeal be rendered within 90 days of its receipt. But according to Michael W. Higgins, a Distinguished Professor of Catholic Thought at Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport, such appeals are a lengthy process that can wind up in Rome.

Higgins said parishioners of Church of the Epiphany arent doing anything wrong in appealing the ruling of the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese is the first step in the appeal process, even though the decision to close Church of the Epiphany came from that level of the churchs hierarchy. If the Archdiocese refuses to overturn its decision, Higgins said the appeal will at some point be reviewed by the Papal Nuncio, the Catholic Churchs ambassador to the United States, Higgins said.

Both sides will probably consult the Papal Nuncio because they have a great deal of expertise in canonical law, he said.

Higgins said closing churches is a very bad strategy.

Closings always produce a lot of negativity, which is understandable, he said.

One alternative to closing churches, Higgins said, is being tried in Germany. Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and a member of the churchs College of Cardinals, has authorized a broader use of lay people in the day-to-day operations and ceremonies of the Archdioceses churches, he said.

Its a good way to keep the parishes open and gives members of the congregation a greater sense of involvement, Higgins said.

Call Luther Turmelle at 203-680-9388.
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The Only Living Boy in New York, in which a misunderstood millennial man falls for his rich fathers mistress, is a misfire in Manhattan, and there is nothing that its appealing cast can do to save it.

The story begins as recent college graduate Thomas (Callum Turner) is wondering what to do with his life, though money is clearly not an issue: His biggest crisis seems to be deciding whether he should live in the Lower or Upper East Side of Manhattan. There is girl trouble, too, but fortunately a wise alcoholic stranger (Jeff Bridges) has just moved in upstairs, and within seconds, Thomas has someone to confide in.

Thats a good thing for our lad in distress, because he discovers that his father (Pierce Brosnan) is having an affair with the beautiful Johanna (Kate Beckinsale). Thomas stalks her, and for reasons that escape us, Beckinsale responds by basically inviting Thomas to bed. We briefly hold out hope that this relationship might turn into something interesting, but Turner and Beckinsale have zero chemistry, mainly because they have nothing to work with.

Indeed, most of the problems can be traced to the script, which is filled with silly dialogue and embarrassing narration that attempts to explain the nonsensical actions of people we care less and less about as the story moves along. The screenplay seems like it came from Woody Allens reject pile  20 years ago.

The actors are game, but its difficult for them to engage when theres nothing on the page. The pointlessness of the project becomes painfully evident in the third act, when we are treated to a plot twist that seems thrown in to divert us from the fact that the older woman-younger man relationship offers nothing in the way of insight.

The best thing about Living Boy is the performance of Cynthia Nixon, who plays Thomas emotionally unstable mother. Creating a character out of thin air, Nixon provides another reminder that she has been building an interesting body of work since Sex and the City.

More Information The Only Living Boy in New York * Quick take: 'The Graduate' this isn't See More Collapse

This is a movie that borrows from many other movies  Manhattan and The Graduate, just to name a few  and there is nothing wrong with that. But director Marc Webb and writer Allan Loeb dont bring anything new to the proceedings, and worse, neither the dramatic nor the occasional comic beats hit their notes. All in all, Living Boy just doesnt have any life.

Running time: 88 minutes

MPAA rating: R (profanity, drug material)
Snapshot: Tucked away in the nucleus of a shopping center off Broadway, Hanzo is a gastropub that dishes up Japanese-style appetizers and drinks with unexpected cultural and flavor twists.

Who goes there? Members of the 09ers club; groups of lady friends looking for a relaxing perch
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BRIDGEPORT  It has been nearly two years since the citys police union helped usher in the second Joe Ganim era, with the law enforcers endorsing the formerly imprisoned ex-mayor during his successful 2015 comeback campaign.

And for just over a year, Bridgeports Finest have been securing the city under Ganim without a contract.

That appears unlikely to change soon.

Police union head Sgt. Chuck Paris said Tuesday negotiations are at a standstill and are heading for arbitration before a state board. The city and union will each be represented and there will be a neutral third member weighing the sides last, best offers.

We met with the city and we just havent agreed on any contract, Paris said. Theyre looking for certain things were not willing to give. Were in a holding pattern right now.

Asked for more specifics about where the parties are at odds, Paris said, Its everything.

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Larry Dorman, a spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in Connecticut, which includes the Bridgeport police, said arbitration is a time-consuming process.

Dorman called Bridgeports officers a group of dedicated public servants who care about the city and protecting neighborhoods, residents and businesses and hoped for an outcome that honors and respects the work they do.

A once-close relationship

It took the police and former Mayor Bill Finch  whom Ganim ousted in the 2015 Democratic primary with the help of Paris and other allies in blue  three years to finally reach their last new labor pact. That contract, voted on in March 2015, was retroactive until 2012 and expired in July of last year.

So, the fact the Ganim administration and the union are at an impasse after 14 months is not necessarily unusual.

It is, however, understandable some might have expected a quicker resolution, given the mayors alliance with the police. They helped his credibility when Ganim, convicted in 2003 of corruption, asked voters for a second chance.

He initially returned the favor in a number of ways. Ganim installed a new acting chief  well-liked Armando Perez. The mayor terminated disliked overtime watchdog Assistant Police Chief James Nardozzi (who has since filed a lawsuit).

Ganim hired three new classes of officers; and allowed Paris greater access to the mayors office.

Obviously, we put a lot of time and effort into helping the mayor get elected, Paris said Tuesday. We expected to have an open door to him and were hoping the negotiations would go smoothly. That has not been the case.

Ganims communications director, Rowena White, said, It is the practice of this administration not to openly discuss union contract negotiations with the press or in the media.

Looking for savings

City Councilman Scott Burns, a Budget Committee chairman, said Ganim does have a reputation as a tough negotiator.

I hope the fact that the police and city do not have a contract yet says something about the city wanting to get a pretty fair deal and not just give in to the police and whatever they want, Burns said.

Ganim and the City Council agreed in 2016 to a new municipal budget that was balanced with $4 million worth of labor concessions, and the administration promised it would not play favorites, particularly with the cops.

We need to get the savings and we are looking for those from every union, Av Harris, a Ganim aide, said at the time.

When the 2016-17 fiscal year concluded on July 1, less than half of that $4 million in savings had been achieved, with the police one of the unions that had not made concessions.

While the city is now operating under a new budget, Burns said the police should not be off the hook.

These are tough times for the city, and its not like things are getting a lot easier, Burns said, noting Bridgeport stands to lose significant state aid because of Connecticuts fiscal woes. We need concessions from everybody.

While Paris did not offer specific contract issues over which the police and City Hall are at odds, one likely bet is overtime. Though he fired Nardozzi  whom Finch had hired to crack down on rising overtime budgets  Ganim and the council have been pressuring Perez to rein in the costs.

Ganim did not stand in the way when the council passed a new budget that, over Perezs protests, cut the mayors proposed police overtime budget from $6.2 million to $5.2 million.

Although the police union would have to accept the ultimate order of the state arbitration board, it would still need to be voted on by the City Council.
NORTH CANAAN  A 22-year-old man was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexually assaulting a minor.

Taiel Gookool, of Prospect Street, Greenwich, was charged with second-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor and providing alcohol to a minor, police said.

On Nov. 12, 2016, state troopers were notified that a 14-year-old girl was an alleged victim of a sexual assault incident at a North Canaan home. The victims father reported the assault after he overheard his daughter tell a family member during a phone call, police said.

When the father asked his daughter about the phone conversation, she said a man named Tai had sexually assaulted her, the arrest warrant states.

The victim said she was staying at her friends house during the summer of 2016, and Tai was a friend of a friend. One night Tai and another male friend snuck into her friends house at night and brought alcohol, according to police.

The victim told police Tai wanted her to go into a bathroom with him, and he later sexually assaulted her.

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After the incident, the victim alleged Tai contacted her through texts, asking her if she wanted to hang out. The victims friend confronted Tai about the incident, but he denied it, according to police.

The juvenile friends mother awoke around 4 a.m. and found all four of the people sleeping. The mother got upset and called 911, but said she had not seen any alcohol or drugs, according to the affidavit.

The two girls convinced her they had invited the boys over, the mother told police. She said she did not know what happened until the victims father told her, according to the affidavit.

When police questioned Gookool, he initially claimed not to know the victim or her friend but eventually asserted he knew the girls through social media. After he was told about the allegations and witness statements, Gookool allegedly replied, [s]o I raped her then and added, Ive been in this situation before.

Gookool was charged with sexual assault in two separate cases in 2015, according to the Greenwich Time.

This week, Gookool allegedly refused to submit fingerprinting when he was arrested and was also charged with refusal to submit to fingerprinting, police said. Bail is set at $100,000.

This article was first published in the New Haven Register, a Hearst Connecticut Media company.
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The annual State of the County Luncheon presented by Generation Park will be held at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, at Kingwood Country Club.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett will speak at the event, which will share insight with community members and leaders about Harris County.
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Nominations are now being accepted for the 2017 FamilyTime Women of Achievement awards in the following categories: the Arts, Business, Community Activist, Education, Entrepreneur, Homemaker, Human Services, Medical, Women's Advocate, Visionary, Volunteer and Special Recognition.

The 2017 FamilyTime Women of Achievement Honorees will be recognized at a gala dinner event Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Hyatt Regency downtown Houston.

"Nominate a family member, a neighbor, your co-worker  anyone who makes a difference in your life and others," said Susan Meinholz, FamilyTime Women of Achievement Gala chairwoman. "The FamilyTime Hearts of Gold Gala is a wonderful opportunity to recognize women who give their hearts and countless hours to make our community a better place to live, raise our children, work and play."

To nominate a woman for this year's Women of Achievement, visit the events section of the FamilyTime website at www.familytimeccc.org/events.html to download the nomination form or e-mail gala@familytimeccc.org. Nominations must be received no later than Oct. 17. Previous winners are not eligible for an award. A list of previous winners is available on the website.

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"The FamilyTime Women of Achievement honorees are role models to the many women FamilyTime serves. By contributing to the gala, individuals and businesses are supporting the FamilyTime Crisis and Counseling Center and helping these women find the strength to make a new life for themselves and their children," Meinholz said.

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, FamilyTime will again host The Purple Ribbon Luncheon at the Kingwood Country Club on Oct. 13. All former Women of Achievement will be recognized. A candlelight vigil and Open House will be held Wednesday, Oct. 18.

Details on both events may be found at www.familytimeccc.org.
Aug. 14 unofficially might be called Katy Fire Department's day.

The department received thanks and praise from Christine Reyna of Katyland for saving the life of her husband, Manuel; thanks for raising funds for Special Olympics Texas and a pat on the back for its successful application for a three-year staffing grant from the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency.

At the public comment portion of the Katy City Council meeting, Christine, with her husband by her side, told of the 911 call she made at 4 a.m. June 20 after her husband had what she thought was a heart attack. The EMS team "quickly responded," she said, taking her husband to Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital. After telling what happened and sharing the odds of successfully surviving a ruptured aneurism, she said, "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Fire Chief Russell Wilson identified crew members and said "as good a job as these folks did, that's the kind of service delivered by every single man and woman of the Katy Fire Department."

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Thanks also came from Special Olympics Texas because department members participated on July 28 in the second annual "Tip a Firefighter" at Los Cucos Mexican Cafe in Katy.

The event raised $6,710 in donations, surpassing last year's total of $6,000.

Katy Wolf Pack, with more than 200 athletes and one of the largest teams of Special Olympics athletes in the Houston area, participated in the fundraiser and attended the Council meeting.

Council accepted the three-year staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant at the meeting, too, and Wilson said he had already hired the first of 16 new firefighters funded by the grant. They will man the department's second fire station to be built near Katy Mills mall.

City officials credit U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, for his help in the grant application process. As a condition of the $2.2 million award, the city is required to contribute a match in the amount of approximately $1.4 million.

Thanking the EMS, fire department and police department, Councilman Steve Pierson talked of "great leadership, a great family and a great team."

"Every time I hear a siren, I say a prayer for those going out to help someone," he said.

"Thank you guys for doing what you do," added Councilman Durran Dowdle.

And Councilman J. Gary Jones congratulated the fire chief and his department for their efforts to win the grant and for their time spent raising funds for Special Olympics Texas.

In separate action, council authorized the fire department to apply for a Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Grant Program up to $50,000 for fire prevention and safety materials and emergency management preparedness materials and education. The grant application is accompanied by an exhibit about Freddie the Fire Truck Robot and other educational materials produced by Robotronics.

Council also approved a new ambulance software package at an initial cost of $14,935 with ESO Solutions Inc. and a three-year agreement with McKesson as the new ambulance billing/collections provider for the fire department to eliminate manual copying and processing of claims with payment of fees based on accounts receivable.

City officials said it will improve the efficiency of the billing process and could result in higher collection of revenue.
Lone Star College-Kingwood's Career Services Department invites job seekers to attend its first Job Fair for fall 2017.

The free event is Tuesday, Sept. 12, from 12-2 p.m. in the Student Conference Center (SCC) atrium. Companies will be on-site to recruit for a variety of entry-level positions, such as business administration, teachers and childcare, customer service representatives, restaurant and banquet staff, police officer cadets, firefighters/EMTs, bus drivers and lifeguards.

"The purpose of this Job Fair is to connect local area businesses with our students as well as other community members to benefit the Houston economy," said Donna Washington, career services program manager.

LSC-Kingwood's Career Services department hosts two job fairs each semester and provides free resources to students and the business community. Career services is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and is in the SCC room 205. For more information, call 281-312-1624 or email Kingwood.CareerServices@LoneStar.edu.
Athletes from around the world gathered at Kings Harbor on Saturday, Aug. 19 for the eighth annual Lake Houston 10K 5K race.

After departing from Kings Harbor, the 10K course led runners on a scenic route across the McKay Bridge over Lake Houston, and through Kingwood. Participants in the 5K traversed the bridge and then returned to Kings Harbor.
Texas has a lot of monuments to fallen heroes. There are many monuments to great Texans who led the state toward independence from Mexico, toward its own republic and finally toward statehood.

But recently, much focus has been put on Texas' monuments to Civil War figures - particularly between those who would have them removed and those who want them to stay right where they are. Even Gov. Greg Abbott has chimed in.

"We must remember that our history isn't perfect," Abbott said in a statement. "If we do not learn from our history, we are doomed to repeat it. Instead of trying to bury our past, we must learn from it and ensure it doesn't happen again. Tearing down monuments won't erase our nation's past, and it doesn't advance our nation's future."

Uh-huh.

It will be difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate Civil War monuments in Texas. Some sources report there are more than 180 spaces dedicated to the Confederacy in Texas that residents pay for or support in one way or the other.

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But when there is something so divisive as a painting of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in the Texas State Senate chambers or the granite monument to Civil War soldiers topped with a bronze statue of Davis on the Capitol grounds, reason would indicate they should be removed. Davis, by the way, was never a Texan. He was from Mississippi. Texas even celebrates Confederate Heroes Day, which was held on Jan. 19.

Also, there are misguided people who would have monument to Sam Houston removed in Texas because he was a slave owner.

Yes, Houston owned slaves. He was a landowner and in the mid 1800s, that is what white landowners did. He also opposed the secession of Texas from the Union leading up to the Civil War. The Texas Legislature kicked him out of office March 16, 1861, when he refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy.

I dare say, few modern politicians would make a similar stand.

Anyone who says the Civil War was not about slavery is misguided. There were other issues, like states rights, but slavery was the biggest difference between the North and the South.

Get the monuments and place them in a museum. There are museums dedicated to worse atrocities. Everyone should visit the Houston Holocaust Museum at least once to learn from one of the biggest atrocities in history.

The Civil War pitted countrymen against each other and in other cases, family members against each other. The Crittenden brothers brigadier generals George Bibb Crittenden for the south and Thomas Leonidas Crittenden with the north; the Terrill brothers, brigadier generals on opposite sides with James Barbour Terrill for the South and William Rufus Terrill with the north; and Union Navy Commander Percival Drayton battling Confederate forces led by his brother Gen. Thomas F. Drayton are a few examples.

That shows the war itself was divisive and things have not changed since.

Many of Texas' monuments to the Civil War commemorate battles held many states away. They many times honor people who never set foot in Texas.

It is time to remove monuments that people find offensive and are divisive to the state as a whole. Create a museum. Educate people. Heal the populace of the most diverse city in America and an incredibly diverse state.
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After becoming aware that children in Richmond and Rosenberg were going hungry, Adriane Gray created Lunches of Love.

From serving 150 lunches during Christmas break in 2009, LOL has been providing 4,000 lunches a weekday this summer.

Between 9 and 11 a.m. weekdays, the Education Building/Fellowship Hall at First United Methodist Church Rosenberg bustles as assembly lines of volunteers make sandwiches, prepare snack bags and put items in lunch kits before they are delivered along six routes. While the shift remains the same as when the program started as a ministry of the church, the number of volunteers now totals 108 every day, she said.

LOL became a nonprofit in 2012, though it's still based at the church, and recently distributed its 2 millionth lunch. Two years and one month earlier, the nonprofit distributed its one millionth lunch. What's happened during the 25 months is growth.

Gray said a committee is studying a possible capital campaign this fall that would allow LOL to have a building of its own so that it can continue to grow. The program is maxed out in terms of the number of volunteers and lunches at its current site, she said.

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The program that initially served Bowie Elementary in the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District now serves 17 schools in the district as well as four in Fort Bend Independent School District. A second host site is based at The Harvest in Sienna Plantation.

The all-volunteer organization serves lunches during extended school breaks and weekends at a cost of 75 cents each. Initially, the cost was 54 cents per lunch, and Gray said the volunteer-driven agency keeps costs low with money dedicated to lunches, and in some cases, breakfasts, too.

More Information Want to Help? What: Lunches of Love will host its seventh annual Walk of Love When: 9:30 a.m.-noon Nov. 11 Where: Seabourne Creek Nature Park, 3831 Texas 36 S., Rosenberg Contact: lunchesoflove@att.net or 832-586-6995 or visit the group's site on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lunchesoflove/ See More Collapse

Lunch can include a sandwich, snack, fruit/yogurt and juice/water and the agency feeds everyone in a household 18 and younger.

Gray said the program also provides food to designated schoolchildren delivered to their campuses on Thursdays so that Fridays they can fill their backpacks and have food for the weekend.

Campuses are selected for the program based on the percentage of Title 1 students - those that are low-income, said Gray.

Gray said the community has embraced the program. "No one wants to see a child go hungry," she said.

That community support includes volunteers and funding.

Volunteers have contributed toward the 600-gift goal for the annual Christmas program sponsored by the nonprofit and organized by Elizabeth Fairfield, for ages newborn to teen. Fairfield wants to be involved to help her sister, Gray, and to give back to others.

Sugar Land's Louise McEvoy and her husband, Robert, selected as one of their priorities as parents to have their children learn to give back to the community. Their children range in age from 5-11.

"Lunches of Love is a great opportunity for children to see and do things with their hands; they're actually part of the solution part of the system to help peers they might never meet. Not all nonprofits have an opportunity for kids to get involved," she said.

McEvoy's youngest likes to visit the drawing room to decorate lunch bags, which is a special attraction for lunch recipients. Gray talked of one family who saved their decorated bags to reread special messages and look at the designs when they needed to put a smile on their faces.

"It means the world to kids to think someone made a bag especially for them," said Gray, adding that volunteers can decorate bags at home and drop them off or mail them to the church after they're done.

Volunteering at Lunches of Love is a family affair, too, for Heather Carroll, a six-year volunteer. Her three children ages 10, 11 and 13, all help. While her children have the essentials of life, she said, she wants them to recognize that others don't. In addition to being a shift leader, she also serves on the LOL board of directors and knows Gray because they attended the same high school.

Gray said she grew up in the Rosenberg/Richmond area and at FUM-Rosenberg. "I guess I had blinders on. Unless you live it or know someone who is struggling, you don't think about hunger," she said.

Gray describes the need as eye-opening. She shares stories about the youths she's met including a nine-year-old who walked five miles and crossed a busy highway to pick up lunches for him and his younger siblings and then stretched each lunch to last for two meals.

Lunches of Love receives no government funding, she said. It's supported by grants and the community. One of the two main fundraisers is the Nov. 11 Walk of Love which will be at Seabourne Creek Nature Park. Visit https://www.facebook.com/Lunchesoflove/ for information.

It all started when Gray as a participant in a Bible study class listened as teachers talked of the lack of food affecting students' ability to function well in school. That surprised her because of the common perception of Fort Bend as a fast-growing and affluent county.

Concluding her research she determined that children going hungry was a very real problem. That need remains.
On Monday, President Donald Trump made it sound like America is revving up its war with Afghanistan, by an untold number of troops delivering "overwhelming force" over an untold amount of time.

"Our troops will fight to win," he said in his first major speech on Afghanistan. "From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaida, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

Except, he's going to need Congress's help to do that. And it's not immediately clear how much of it he will get from them.

Constitutional experts say the president can decide to escalate or de-escalate U.S. troops' fighting in Afghanistan whenever he wants, since Congress authorized the executive branch to use military force in Afghanistan immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

There's no such thing as a free war, and Congress is the one that will authorize money for Trump's to-be-determined troop increase. Though Trump didn't specify how many troops would join the 8,500 serving in the region, congressional officials say the administration pegged the increase at about 4,000 additional troops.

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"If Trump wants to deploy more troops to Afghanistan, someone has to pay for it - and that's Congress," said Cornell Law Dean Jens David Ohlin.

Congress has a track record of being skeptical of giving a president an open check on conflict-driven foreign policy. They threatened to pull the plug on funding for the Vietnam War to force President Richard Nixon to draw down. They never gave Obama a new authorization of military force for Syria in 2013, and they didn't give him any money to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, forcing him to leave one of his earliest campaign promises unfilled.

It's not too hard to see lawmakers putting Trump - a new commander in chief who used his Twitter account to spike tensions with a nuclear North Korea - under the microscope before they hand him billions of dollars for Afghanistan for an untold number of troops.

"Congress has a legitimate ability to review every aspect of any commitment to combat forces," said Anthony Cordesman, a foreign policy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

That's not to say Congress unilaterally opposes the broad outlines of what Trump wants to do.

Republican hawks like Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have been waiting for a president who will surge troops, not draw them down like President Barack Obama did. And some military generals have said it's a good idea not to telegraph a timeline of when the United States will leave Afghanistan, again like Obama did.

But other lawmakers are skeptical about ramping up a war that has been going on for 16 years, killed more than 2,400 American troops and now upward of 60 percent of Americans oppose escalating. Trump didn't assuage their concerns when he failed to back up his war-drum rhetoric with basic specifics, like how many troops he'd send, when, for how long and in what capacity.

"When President Trump says there will be no ceiling on the number of troops and no timeline for withdrawal," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in a statement, "he is declaring an open-ended commitment of American lives with no accountability to the American people."

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., is a good test case for where Congress could fall on this. He worked in the building across from the White House on 9/11 and said he's "more patient than others" on how long this war will last. But that doesn't mean he's okay with giving the president the go-ahead to pour unlimited troops into the country.

"Just give me something that's sustainable and realistic," he said Monday, before being briefed on Trump's plan, "and that I'm comfortable as a member supporting and being willing to ask young men and women to go to a dangerous place. But you gotta believe somehow there's something other than just an endless war."

Congress doesn't just decide to fund or defund a president's war. The constitution also gives them the power to declare war. Except, many security and constitutional experts argue that over the decades, Congress has abdicated its constitutional authority to be the branch that declares war in the first place.

Most members of Congress today weren't even in Congress when they passed a 2001 and 2002 authorization for use of military force in Iraq and Afghanistan that is being used today by Obama - and now Trump - to justify fighting there. They're not even seriously considering passing a new one, despite pressure from senators like Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to write one specifically for the Islamic State.

"We've been at war now for nearly 17 years and Congress has never insisted on even a costing of the conflict," Cordesman said.

There are a lot of reasons Congress has shied away from its duties. Authorizing war is not a politically fun vote to take; just ask Hillary Clinton, who voted to authorize force in Iraq and spent the next eight years explaining her "mistake."

But if Congress wants a say in this next phase of the war in Afghanistan beyond signing the check for troop levels, they may have to take that vote, sooner rather than later.
JetBlue flight makes an emergency landing

RALEIGH, N.C.  JetBlue says one of its commercial jets made an emergency landing at a North Carolina airport due to mechanical issues.

The company released a statement saying a mechanical issue forced the flight from New York to Palm Beach, Fla., to land at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Monday morning. The statement didn't elaborate.

Tracking service Flightaware identified the jet as an Airbus A320, which JetBlue notes on its website has about 160 seats. Flightaware says the plane landed at 9:15 a.m.

Wake County EMS spokesman Jeffrey Hammerstein said six people were evaluated at the scene by medics, and two others were taken to a hospital. He said there were no life-threatening injuries, but some passengers complained of headaches or a burning sensation in their eyes.

Police investigating fatal shooting of boy, 9

SYRACUSE  Police say they're investigating the fatal shooting of a 9-year-old boy.

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Police officials say officers responded at around 2:35 a.m. Monday to a report of a shooting at a home in Syracuse. Responding officers found the 9-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound.

Officials say the boy died a short time later. His name hasn't been released.

Police say the weapon has been recovered, but no other details are being released yet. Officials say there's no ongoing threat to the neighborhood.

7-year-old girl dies in weekend house fire

NIAGARA FALLS  Fire officials say a 7-year-old girl has died in a fire that damaged a house over the weekend.

Crews responded to the house fire in Niagara Falls around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Authorities say two adults and 13 children made it out of the burning home safely. Niagara Falls police say a 7-year-old girl died in the blaze.

The home was badly damaged. Firefighters say the blaze was caused by cooking that was left unattended.

 Associated Press
As a former eighth grade U.S. History teacher, it is distressing to read the misunderstanding of the Civil War events. It was the Confederate states who declared war on the United States by bombarding Fort Sumter, South Carolina in 1861. This act of treason was responded to with the forces of the U.S. army.

During the Civil War, there were over 600,000 casualties, which exceeds the nations loss in all its other wars. Prisoner of war camps claimed over 55,000 emaciated prisoners who perished. To deter future generations, it would have been better to preserve the prison camps that could have been compared to the Nazi prison camps without the ovens.

In 1846, Iowa joined the United States as a free state. No other state had a higher percentage of its male population serve in the U.S. military during the Civil War. Iowans fought valiantly in many major battles. Republicans and Democrats alike shed their blood in defense of the United States.

President Lincoln himself in 1863 identified a list of top Confederate generals who deserved to be imprisoned for treason. General Grant convinced President Johnson that by convicting Confederate leaders of treason it would make them martyrs. Several decades later, it happened anyway with the erection of monuments making the traitors look like heroes.

Julie Stewart Ziesman, Waukee

Sayles: General Robert E. Lee is my hero I am a Northerner by birth, but being Iowan is not really the definition of being a Yankee. 
Anxious to remake the federal government, the Trump administration is cracking down on employees who break the rules, taking action in some instances in disciplinary cases that had languished under former president Barack Obama.

The White House in April instructed agencies to "remove poor performers" as they construct plans to shrink the workforce as part of a federal downsizing. Trump vowed during the campaign to shake up a government awash in "waste, fraud and abuse" - and the new administration has been vocal about its strategy.

Budget director Mick Mulvaneylaid out detailed mandates to ensure that poor conduct be handled swiftly and poor performers monitored closely or given "appropriate discipline."

After years criticizing the Obama administration for going easy on cases involving problem employees, Republicans are taking a hard line against misconduct at several troubled agencies.

Veterans Affairs, still recovering from criticism in 2014 that employee misconduct led to manipulated patient waiting lists at its medical centers, in July began publishing disciplinary actions online, including 525 firings since Trump took office. With 350,000 employees, VA in June became the model for a broader job protections shake-up sought by conservatives when Trump signed a bill creating a quick path for Secretary David Shulkin to fire employees who fail to meet conduct or performance standards.

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At Homeland Security, the inspector general is conducting an agencywide review of misconduct actions. Employees were asked in a July survey whether the sprawling department created after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has "sufficient processes and procedures to address conduct issues."

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is asking career officials at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to explain how they have handled improper time and attendance reporting, an agency official familiar with the inquiry said. Investigators and congressional Republicans say the problems related to time and attendance tracking have gone unaddressed for years.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has vowed zero tolerance for sexual harassers. This month the Yellowstone National Park superintendent went public with disciplinary actions he is taking against a dozen employees involved in a harassment case.

But in its efforts to fulfill the president's campaign promise to "drain the swamp"of entrenched federal workers, the new political leadership in Washington is meeting resistance from powerful federal employee unions and finding that maneuvering around long-guaranteed civil service protections is not easy.

This month an administrative board ordered a stay of VA's firing of the former director of the Washington D.C. hospital, who had been removed from his post to an administrative job in April. An inspector general's probe revealed that patient health was endangered by managerial dysfunction.

Brian Hawkins was fired for a "failure to provide effective leadership," VA officials said. He claimed wrongful termination and is back at work while his case is independently reviewed. In a test of the new law, which offers fewer protections for employees, Shulkin plans to remove Hawkins again based on another inspector general's investigation, VA officials said. That inquiry found that he violated agency rules by sharing sensitive information about employees with his wife on their personal email accounts. Hawkins did not respond to a request for comment

Even cases that Trump officials inherited from the Obama administration have been challenging. The Census Bureau took over litigation that sprang from an inspector general's findings two years ago that employees in its hiring office gamed the system to improperly collected $1.1 million in salaries. It is still unresolved, an agency spokesman said.

A case now playing out at the small patent and trademark office shows the complexities of carrying out Trump's mandate.

After a three-year investigation, the office has moved recently to fire or suspend 18of about two dozen employees in a clerical support unit that dockets trademark applications, according to current and former agency staff and other government officials familiar with the case. One worker has been fired.

Agency officials conducted an internal inquiry and the findings were shared with The Washington Post, showing that the employees improperly charged the government hundreds of thousands of dollars over a years-long period.In the most egregious cases, officials found that some employees worked two hours a day but billed taxpayers for eight, plus two more overtime hours.

A union official denied any impropriety, saying his members "were available to work" but often finished their tasks quickly and awaited more assignments, a practice that went on foras long as a decade.

"My employees are not in the wrong," said Harold Ross, president of Local 243 of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents the unit. "They produce fast. They're available for the whole time. All of a sudden, management wants to come against them."

Patent office spokesman Paul Rosenthal said in an email that the agency does not comment on specific personnel cases.

"More broadly, the USPTO has always taken its time and attendance policies seriously," he wrote. "Employees must accurately record their time worked. And the overwhelming majority of our employees do just that. But employees who falsify their work records or work hours . . . will continue to be held accountable."

In another sign of the Trump administration's efforts to more forcefully address employee misconduct, Rosenthal cited an agreement -- signed by the union representing patent examiners - to allow supervisors to monitor staff work habits with tracking software that indicates if employees are at their computers. Labor had resisted these changes, which the union signed the day before Trump took office.

Timecard abuse has been documented over several years in reports by the inspector general at Commerce, the patent office's parent agency. The office has been praised for its flexible work hours and telework policies.

The Post reported in 2014 that an internal investigation found patent examiners repeatedly misrepresented their hours and received unsubstantiated overtime pay and bonuses. Top agency officials removed the most damaging revelations from material turned over to the inspector general, documents provided to the Post showed. Commerce officials said at the time the material was in draft form.

At the time, Obama officials pledged to hold employees accountable. But critics said few patent examiners were punished or paid restitution.

Commerce's then-acting inspector general, Dave Smith, opened an investigation into the trademark employees, according to government sources. But top patent officials prevailed after asking that they be allowed to conduct their own inquiry.

Last fall, Smith released a computer analysis showing discrepancies between the time claimed by patent examiners and hours worked. But privacy laws prevented the agency from acting against 415 employees identified as the worst offenders. Under a new law, management is now allowed to pursue administrative or criminal enforcement in such cases. It is unclear if the patent office plans to act.

Republicans' frustration with patent officials and the unions boiled over at a House hearing after Trump's election last December. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C), chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's panel on government operations, dressed down the agency's No. 2 Obama appointee, Russell Slifer, and the head of the patent examiners' union for tolerating abuses.

The agency had long suspected timecard abuses in the trademark division, where jobs have been outpaced by automation. But managers could not document it until 2013, when they installed tracking software.

"We had never seen anything like it," recalled Bill House, who retired in late 2015 from the employee relations office, which investigates misconduct. The number of cases, the money allegedly bilked and the hours the employees spent not working "was so bad they pulled other [employee relations] specialists to work on it," House recalled.

The NTEU is fighting the proposed discipline, said union and management officials who requested anonymity to discuss. An arbitrator is scheduled in October to hear the first case, of the sole employee who has been fired.

Tim Hannapel, the NTEU's national counsel, said the tracking software detects only part of the work employees are asked to do - tasks that include emails, phone calls and monitoring rules and regulations.

"It's substantive stuff, but there isn't a code that tracks this work."

The union has turned down management's offers to allow employees to resign with clean records if they reimburse taxpayers for unearned compensation, according to union officials and others familiar with the discussions. The employees, who are paid $59,693-a-year on average, remain on the payroll.

NTEU also is charging disparate racial treatment because almost all of the employees are African American. The union argues that relatively few higher-paid white patent examiners have been disciplined for similar alleged misconduct.

The agency did not comment on the settlement negotiations or the discrimination claim.

"They turned a blind eye to the other employees," Ross, the local union president, said of patent examiners.

Slifer, now an intellectual property attorney in Boise, said that when he and the unions worked together to respond to Congress's accountability requests, it was clear that the relationship with the Trump administration would be different.

"The recognition that having a GOP majority in Congress and in the White House certainly put the unions on notice that they don't necessarily enjoy the same support from Republicans as they have from Democrats," he said.

He said employee accountability is more complicated than saying "if someone isn't putting in their 80 hours [every two weeks] they need to be canned. It is important that you provide all employees due process and make sure they understand their responsibilities."
Police and parents have long worried about the dangers of drugs designed to look like candy. The fear, somewhat debunked, is that children would mistakenly get their hands on, say, meth that looks much like a lollipop.

No matter how slim the chances of drugmakers marketing to kids, authorities encouraged parents to warn their children.

But what do you tell children, or anyone, really, about an ecstasy pill that looks like President Donald Trump?

On Saturday, police in Osnabruck, a city in the northwest German state of Lower Saxony, came across 5,000 of the tablets shaped like the head of the leader of the free world.

Officers had stopped a Peugeot 307 hatchback with suspect license plates.

The 51-year-old man in the car and his 17-year-old son said they were returning from an unsuccessful trip to Austria to buy a vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Suspicious, police searched the car. They found, secreted inside, $12,000 worth of ecstasy pills bearing the face and the name of the 45th U.S. president.

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The front of each pill has Trump's coifed hair and pursed lips. The back bears a resemblance to his campaign signs, with five stars in a line across the top and the word "Trump" in the middle.

The pills don't bear the phrase "Make America Great Again," but they do happen to be a deep shade of orange.

The man and his son were arrested and made their first court appearance Sunday.

According to the British newspaper Metro, the Trump ecstasy tablets, known to have high levels of MDMA, have been spreading around Europe, selling for more than $10 a pill.

It's part of a decades-long history intertwining political imagery and illegal drugs.

Politically themed artwork -- such as images of Che Guevara, stylized images of Uncle Sam and antiwar messages -- has appeared since the 1960s on blotter paper used for LSD doses, according to HuffPost.

Mark McCloud has collected "Blotter Art" since the 1960s, according to Vice News. His collection has more than 33,000 tabs, which include images of a fish playing a banjo in an Uncle Sam hat.

And drugmakers haven't limited their executive branch ecstasy to just the 45th president.

In 2009, according to CBS News, police in Palmview, Texas, stopped a car whose driver was carrying black tar heroin, cocaine and ecstasy pills shaped to look like President Barack Obama.
A Catholic priest in Arlington, Virginia, is temporarily stepping down after revealing he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and burned crosses more than 40 years ago before joining the clergy.

In an editorial published Monday in the Arlington Catholic Herald, the Rev. William Aitcheson described himself as "an impressionable young man" when he became a member of the hate group. He wrote that images from the deadly white supremacist and white nationalist rally in Charlottesville "brought back memories of a bleak period in my life that I would have preferred to forget."

"My actions were despicable," wrote Aitcheson, 62. "When I think back on burning crosses, a threatening letter, and so on, I feel as though I am speaking of somebody else. It's hard to believe that was me."

In a statement, Catholic Diocese of Arlington Bishop Michael F. Burbidge called Aitcheson's past with the Ku Klux Klan "sad and deeply troubling."

Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

Aitcheson served with the Catholic church in Nevada before being transferred to Arlington, where he is originally from, church officials said in a statement. He was ordained in 1988 and has served in a variety of positions at parishes in Nevada; Arlington; Fredericksburg, Virginia; and Woodstock, Maryland. His latest assignment was as parochial vicar, or assistant to the pastor, at St. Leo the Great in Fairfax City.

The Arlington diocese said Aitcheson would not be available for comment. Attempts to reach him Tuesday were unsuccessful.

According to a March 1977 story in The Washington Post, Aitcheson, then a 23-year-old University of Maryland student, was identified as an "exalted cyclops" of a KKK lodge. He was charged in several cross-burnings in Prince George's County, Maryland, and other counts, including making bomb threats and manufacturing pipe bombs.

According to the 1977 Post story, state police in Maryland said Aitcheson was a leader of the Robert E. Lee Lodge of the Maryland Knights of the KKK, which had planned to recruit people to blow up facilities at Fort Meade near Laurel.

When officers searched his home in the 1970s, they found nine pounds of black powder, weapons and bomb parts in Aitcheson's bedroom and basement. His parents told authorities they didn't know the explosives and weapons were in their home.

At the time of his arrest, Aitcheson's father, William W. Aitcheson, said his son was a member of the hate group, adding, "My son, along with others, are just caught up in it. . . . I don't know what their thoughts are."

Aitcheson pleaded guilty to several cross burnings, including one in the front yard of an African American family in the College Park Woods neighborhood and others at B'nai B'rith Hillel at the University of Maryland and the Beth Torah Congregation in Hyattsville. He was convicted and sentenced to 90 days, and ordered to pay a judgment of about $20,000.

The African American couple, who were newlyweds at the time of the incident, declined to talk Tuesday about the burning cross from 40 years ago. A woman who answered the door at their home said it was so long ago, and thinking about it would bring back difficult memories.

Five years after Aitcheson's involvement in the cross-burning incident at their home, President Ronald Reagan visited the couple and their young daughter, saying the incident "is not something that should have happened in America," according to a May 4, 1982, article in the Post.

Aitcheson also pleaded guilty to charges that he threatened to kill Coretta King, the widow of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. He told a U.S. District Court judge that he wrote to King in February 1976, telling her to "stay off the University of Maryland campus or you will die." According to a Post story, investigators said he wrote "Africa or death by lynching, take your pick, the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan." He was a U-Md. student studying broadcasting at the time.

Aitcheson was described in a 1977 Post article as "speaking calmly, with his head bowed slightly" at a hearing on the King case. He told a judge he was pleading guilty because "well, ah, because I'm guilty." He also faced charges in Maryland's Howard and Carroll counties of illegal possession of firearms and manufacturing explosives.

He was convicted in U.S. District Court in Baltimore of mailing threatening communications. A judge sentenced him to 60 days in prison and four years of probation.

In his editorial published this week, Aitcheson apologized and said the recent violence in Charlottesville prompted him to share information about his past. He called the images from Charlottesville "embarrassing," adding that "for those who have repented from a damaging and destructive past, the images should bring us to our knees in prayer."

Aitcheson went on: "Racists have polluted minds, twisted by an ideology that reinforces the false belief that they are superior to others." Aitcheson also wrote that "the irony that" he "left an anti-Catholic hate group to rejoin the Catholic Church is not lost on me."

"It is a reminder of the radical transformation possible through Jesus Christ in his mercy," he wrote.

Billy Atwell, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, said the diocese had received information about Aitcheson's history when he was accepted for ministry under Bishop John Keating. He didn't provide details on what information was known.

Aitcheson attended seminary at the North American College in Rome from 1984 to 1988, according to the diocese.

Atwell said he didn't know if a criminal-background check was conducted when Aitcheson came to the Arlington diocese in 1993, although he said more in-depth background reviews have been done routinely on staff and priests since the mid-2000s.

Since the mid-2000's "all staff and clergy have had in-depth background checks" under policies of the Virginia State Police, according to Atwell. The checks are also done using a national criminal check system of the FBI and fingerprinting tracking databases. It wasn't clear if his criminal record would have eliminated his ability to become a priest, either in Nevada or Virginia.

Atwell said Tuesday that Aitcheson's "story of repentance is authentic."

Al Leightley, head usher at Saint Leo the Great, said Aitcheson never discussed his past involvement with the KKK. Leightley found out about his past Tuesday morning, but said Aitcheson repented appropriately in his Monday letter.

"He is a very good priest, very dedicated to his profession," he said. "It's hard to see all the commotion going on with the gentleman."

Some public Catholic figures began speaking out on Aitcheson on Tuesday, including conservative legal scholar Matthew Franck, a Princeton University lecturer.

"I hope this evidently good man returns to active ministry," Franck tweeted. "He could do important work, especially with his history."

On the diocese's Facebook page, multiple supporters of the priest praised his decision to go public, and called him a gifted pastor. "A true story of redemption. May God continue to work in and through Fr. Aitcheson," one wrote.

In a phone interview, Franck said, "Sometimes people get involved in a hate group and then have been reborn, and have an interesting story to tell . . . It would be a loss for him to just vanish."

A note at the bottom of Aitcheson's editorial on Monday said he had "voluntarily asked to step away from public ministry, for the well being of the Church and parish community."

Burbidge said "there have been no accusations of racism or bigotry against [Aitcheson] at the Arlington diocese during his time." He said Aitcheson's request to step away from public ministry was approved.

- - -

Peter Hermann, Ellie Silverman, Justin Jouvenal and Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.
Last week, as Baltimore and other places took steps to avoid Charlottesville-style confrontations by removing Confederate monuments, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his indignation at the "history and culture of our great country being ripped apart."

"The beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed," the former real estate mogul tweeted, "and never able to be comparably replaced!"

"Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments. You....."

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2017

"...can't change history, but you can learn from it. Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson - who's next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish! Also..."

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2017

"...the beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!"

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- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2017

Many statues of the Confederate soldiers that the president now mourns are cookie-cutter models, created by New England companies and sold to towns both north and south of the Mason Dixon line, as The Washington Post's Marc Fisher has reported.

And Trump has not always had a reputation as a defender of the arts.

"I don't think Trump had much of an interest in art," said Barbara Res, who worked for Trump for 18 years as a construction executive. Res joined Trump's team soon after one of his earliest and most controversial forays into Manhattan real estate, which was labeled an act of "esthetic vandalism" in a New York Times editorial.

In 1980, the brash 33-year-old developer instructed workers to destroy two giant Art Deco bas-relief friezes of nearly naked dancing figures and to remove a 20-by-30-foot geometric grille built into the doorway of the Bonwit Teller building, which Trump was razing to construct his namesake tower.

Trump bought the building in 1979 and could do what he liked with the pieces, Res noted.

But that didn't stop outrage in the art world. The works were "extremely significant," recalled Penelope Hunter-Stiebel, an expert in the history of design who said she negotiated with Trump's representative, Louise Sunshine, and met with Trump himself to acquire them for the Metropolitan Museum of Art before watching in disbelief as the sculptures were "jackhammered to smithereens."

The bas-reliefs were prime examples of French Art Deco, she said. The metalwork grille, designed by architect Ely Jacques Kahn, represented a new American model, which was more modernistic, abstract and geometric. Together they represented a "stylistic shift," Hunter-Stiebel said, that would echo in architectural design across the country.

Hunter-Stiebel thought she had arranged a "sweetheart deal" - a win-win for the art world and the upstart developer that could act as a model for combining conservation and new construction. She arranged with Robert Miller, who owned a gallery opposite the site, to value the artwork, while she pursued the public-relations benefits: Based on Miller's evaluation of $200,000, the developer would receive a tax deduction for his donation; the Met would get the works.

Then, without warning, the deal - reportedly contingent on the removal process not being too costly to Trump - fell apart.

First, the grille disappeared,

"When I called in distress," Hunter-Stiebel said, "I was told the grille was sent to a salvage yard in New Jersey." The Met sent a truck to retrieve it, she said, but no trace of it could be found.

Then workers took jackhammers to the limestone sculptures.

"It was a big surprise," said Hunter-Stiebel, remembering the call from Miller telling her what was going on. "We saw it happen." Nine months pregnant, she left the Met in a taxi, and, after she was held up by traffic, ran for 10 city blocks, hoping to preserve the iconic works. Miller even tried to offer "a wad of cash," she said, to save the works and was told by workers they had to be demolished because a "stupid woman" from a museum was intervening.

Sunshine, the Trump Organization negotiator, did not return recent calls for comment about how the decision was reached.

What ensued was a public battle over the aesthetic and financial value of the pieces, with Trump rep "John Barron" (a pseudonym Trump sometimes used to represent himself) declaring that appraisers had dismissed them as "without artistic merit" and that saving them would cause construction delays and be too costly.

"Can you imagine the museum accepting them if they were not of artistic merit?" Ashton Hawkins, secretary of the Met's Board of Trustees, told The New York Times. A spokesman for then-mayor Ed Koch argued the developer had a "moral responsibility to consider the interests of the people of the city."

John P. Barie, the architect who led the Trump Tower design team, recalled a conversation with Trump about saving things deemed "of value" from the Bonwit Teller building and also said he believed Trump worked with a salvage company. Although there were rumors Trump had used the Kahn metalwork in Trump Tower, Barie said it "was NOT incorporated into the design."

So the ultimate fate of the giant decorative grille remains a mystery.

As for the bas-reliefs, Res - who said Trump later told her "no one was willing to work with him" on saving the pieces - wonders whether they could have been taken down intact by what she called the "many undocumented and not-so-good workers doing the demo."

Although Trump never showed much interest in art, Res said he did get involved in the finishes of his new buildings: "Hence the abundance of mirror and brass."

But at least one member of the Trump's old team took an interest in the artwork. Sunshine, with whom Hunter-Stiebel said she negotiated, rescued the head of one of the dancing figures.

She put it on display at her Miami Beach apartment.
President Donald Trump outlined a revised vision for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Monday, pledging to end a strategy of "nation-building" and instead institute a policy aimed more squarely at addressing the terrorist threat that emanates from the region.

"I share the American people's frustration," he said. "I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money - and, most importantly, lives - trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations."

But Trump provided few specifics about his policy and how much the U.S. military commitment in the region would increase as a result, insisting that conditions on the ground would determine troop levels and strategy.

Trump's decision to further commit to the nation's longest war, rather than withdraw, reflects a significant shift in his approach to Afghanistan since taking office and marks a new willingness to take greater ownership of a protracted conflict that he had long dismissed as a waste of time and resources. As a candidate, Trump denounced Afghanistan as a "total disaster" and railed that the costly conflict in Central Asia drained enormous resources at a time of more pressing needs at home for American taxpayers.

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"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like to follow my instincts," Trump said in his first prime-time address, delivered from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Virginia. "I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk of the Oval Office."

Trump's new approach to Afghanistan is the result of a long policy review within his administration that was finalized during a presidential retreat with top advisers at Camp David on Friday.

His decision to endorse a Pentagon plan to boost troop levels reflects mounting concern among military leaders that battlefield setbacks for Afghan government forces against the Taliban and al-Qaida have led to a rapidly deteriorating security situation.

Although Trump did not specify how many more troops will be sent to Afghanistan, congressional officials said the administration has told them it will be about 4,000 more than the 8,500 U.S. service members currently in the region.

In his speech Monday, Trump laid out a strategy that included pressuring Pakistan to do more to stop terrorists from finding safe haven within its borders. He also said that India would play a greater role in providing economic and developmental support.

Trump acknowledged that his approach is a departure from his campaign rhetoric, but he said he would prioritize American security over attempting to "dictate" to the Afghan people how to live.

He called his approach "principled realism" and portrayed it as in keeping with the "America First" approach of his administration. He pledged that U.S. troops would have a clear definition of victory in Afghanistan, but offered only a broad outline of what that would mean.

"Our troops will fight to win," Trump said. "From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaida, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan's ambassador to Washington, said Trump's message was "exactly what we wanted" because it "takes into account our country's needs and constraints. We did not want it to be about troop numbers or time lines, but to conditions on the ground," he said while visiting Kabul. "We welcome this strategy that integrates American military power into achieving our shared goals."

Davood Moradian, executive director of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies, said the "tone and narrative" of Trump's speech was "reassuring and uplifting for many of us, because it projects the confidence and resolve which are necessary for our besieged population and exhausted security forces."

He said Trump was "right in being clear and resolute about Pakistan," but he also cautioned that having a "legitimate, functioning" government in Kabul, now facing serious internal divisions and external challenges, will be the "key to implementing" a successful new Washington policy.

After taking office, Trump announced that he would delegate authority to the Pentagon to set troop levels. That raised fears among some lawmakers and foreign policy analysts that even a modest initial increase could escalate rapidly and plunge the United States more deeply back into a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of 2,403 Americans.

"After the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory," Trump said. "Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan."

Although President Barack Obama did not fulfill his campaign pledge to end the conflict, his administration vastly decreased troop levels from a high of more than 100,000, and shifted remaining forces to a less dangerous training and advisory role.

Vice President Pence and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have advocated for the Pentagon plan to add troops, along with broader diplomatic and economic pressure on regional players, especially Pakistan.

Pence began briefing members of Congress about the strategy hours before Trump's speech.

Republican leaders praised the strategy and the deliberate nature of Trump's thought process.

"I'm actually pleased with the way he went about making this decision," House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., said at a town hall meeting televised by CNN that began immediately after Trump's remarks. "We have had a convoluted approach to Afghanistan and I think it's high time we had a comprehensive approach."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has urged Trump to articulate a new strategy for the region, called the speech "long overdue." But he praised Trump for shifting the nation away from the Obama administration's approach.

"I believe the President is now moving us well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of merely postponing defeat," McCain said in a statement. "It is especially important that the newly announced strategy gives no timeline for withdrawal, rather ensures that any decision to reduce our commitment in the future will be based on conditions on the ground."

Trump's task Monday night was magnified by his need to convince his core supporters, many of whom responded to his campaign calls to put "America first" by reducing foreign interventionism in the Middle East and Central Asia. His speech came just days after the departure of chief strategist Stephen Bannon, who had advocated for replacing U.S. troops with private security contractors.

In a nod to concerns among his supporters that his decision marks a retrenchment in Afghanistan, Trump insisted that the United States would not provide "unlimited" support and resources.

"Our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check," Trump said. "The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden."

But the strategy Trump described Monday night amounted to an open-ended approach, which is likely to worry voters who supported him, in part, because of his promise to scale back the United States' commitments abroad.

It is not the first time Trump has shifted away from his campaign rhetoric about foreign entanglements in his actions as president.

He has framed his decisions to use military force - including Tomahawk missile strikes on an air base in Syria in April after President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons - around his pledge to be tough on terrorism and direct threats to American security. But before serving as president, he criticized Obama for contemplating military action in Syria in response to Assad's chemical weapons use.

Trump has been acutely aware of the limited options he faces and has blamed his predecessors - principally Obama - for leaving him what he described Monday as a "bad and very complex hand."

Citing Obama's decision to withdraw from Iraq in 2011, Trump said he would not consider such a strategy in Afghanistan.

"A hasty withdrawal will create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al-Qaeda, would instantly fill," he said. "We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq."

Even before his campaign, Trump was skeptical about the war. "When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan?" he tweeted in 2011. "We must rebuild our country first."

As a candidate, he argued for a more isolationist approach to foreign policy. Recent foreign wars, he told his supporters, had drained the United States of blood and treasure at the expense of efforts such as education and infrastructure at home.

"So we're on track now to spend, listen to this, $6 trillion - could have rebuilt our country twice - altogether, on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Middle East," Trump said during a speech in Cleveland during the campaign. "Meanwhile, massive portions of our country are in a state of total disrepair."

This argument was a departure from the Republican Party's hawkish stance on military engagement and the two post-Sept. 11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq that began under President George W. Bush. Trump's stance helped him appeal to some Democratic-leaning voters who were skeptical of the wars and perceived Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as more hawkish than many in her party.

As president, Trump has used bellicose rhetoric to describe his military objectives, even as he has resisted being specific about his plans and objectives. He repeated that pattern in laying out his vision for U.S. engagement in Afghanistan.

"Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables will guide our actions from now on," he said. "I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will."

Within the White House, Bannon's opposition to sending more troops to Afghanistan helped fuel strife with other Trump aides, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who supported the modest troop surge.

Bannon had advocated for a proposal to replace U.S. troops with private security contractors, an idea floated by Erik Prince, the founder of the controversial contracting firm Blackwater USA and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Military leaders largely opposed the idea, and the White House ruled it out.

But foreign policy analysts said Trump's decision on Afghanistan is tricky because his strategy does not represent a radical departure from the past.

"To be honest, it's probably pretty close to what a Hillary Clinton would do," said Derek Chollet, an assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration who now serves as a defense analyst at the German Marshall Fund.

- - -

The Washington Post's Pamela Constable, Ed O'Keefe and Adam Entous contributed to this report.
Faced with a resurgent Taliban and the growing threat from Islamic State, Afghan watchers have little confidence President Donald Trump's new approach to the 16-year conflict in Afghanistan will do much to alter the dynamics of America's longest war.

Pledging more troops, increasing pressure on Pakistan to stop providing a "safe haven for terrorists" and renewing diplomatic outreach to the Taliban, Trump late Monday announced an open-ended commitment to fighting the war in Afghanistan. "We are not nation building again," he said. "We are killing terrorists."

Trump's commitment to Afghanistan bolsters Kabul as it faces renewed violence and could eventually build capacity in the Afghan security forces -- particularly the air force and special forces that are crucial to securing the country and overcoming terrorist groups. However, his pledge of additional U.S. troops does not fundamentally differ from the approach of his predecessors and is unlikely to change the course of the 16-year conflict.

"Militarization is a recipe for more bloodshed and destruction," said Abdul Basit, an associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, adding that a "surge of few thousand troops will not change the strategic reality" of the longstanding conflict. "The strategic stalemate will persist for the foreseeable future."

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Responding to Trump's announcement, the Taliban threatened to transform Afghanistan "into a graveyard for the American empire" if the U.S. does not withdraw its troops, the group's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said in a statement.

The Taliban now controls or contests 40 percent of Afghanistan, or more than 400 Afghan districts, according to U.S. estimates, and there has long been acknowledgment that Taliban fighters could not have made such advances without significant support from Pakistan.

Islamabad has been accused of arming and supplying groups, including the Haqqani Network and Taliban, in a bid to assert geopolitical goals using proxy forces. Pakistan's military in turn has blamed Afghanistan of harboring insurgents.

But after a series of bombings in Kabul, including the deadliest attack on the capital in 16 years on May 31, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani openly accused Pakistan of instigating "undeclared war of aggression" against his nation.

For that reason, Trump's focus on Pakistan was welcomed.

"President Trump has acknowledged what Americans have known for some time," said Husain Haqqani, a former ambassador of Pakistan to the U.S. and director of South and Central Asia at the Washington-based Hudson Institute.

"Pakistan's regional goals as identified by its powerful military are at variance with America's interests," he said. "Trump has clearly decided that he will not let Pakistan block peace and stability in Afghanistan, and endanger itself in the process, while retaining its status as a U.S. ally."

Pakistan's military and its foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment, although Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan's second-largest opposition party, noted the heavy human and economic cost of the country's support for the U.S. wars in Afghanistan. "Our economy suffered over $100 billion in losses," he tweeted. "In addition, there were intangible costs on our society."

In Afghanistan, the government welcomed the U.S. decision to abandon it's deadline for troop withdrawal.

"The specification of a withdrawal date gave a signal to the Taliban and their sponsors," M. Ashraf Haidari, director general for policy and strategy and Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a phone interview. "And so they exercised strategic patience."

Training and capacity building in the Afghan air force and a new special forces corps was particularly crucial, Haidari said. "We need this process to continue so that our air force is completely operational and on their feet," he said. "We need capacity building and equipment to build a bigger special forces corps to fight the Taliban and ISIS."

And he urged patience. "Development takes time," Haidari said. "Sixteen years sounds like a lot of time. But in terms of development, it's not much."

Trump singled out India as a key player in bringing stability to the region.

"We want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," he said of India.

His comments reflect the deepening U.S.-India strategic partnership, said Shailesh Kumar, a Washington-based senior Asia analyst at Eurasia Group. "India wants to ensure that Islamabad does not gain a foothold or influence in the country," Kumar said.

India's foreign ministry welcomed Trump's new strategy and the attempt to confront "safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists" -- a clear reference to Pakistan. New Delhi also said it would continue offering development assistance to Afghanistan.

India's government has long been involved in Afghanistan. Since 2001, New Delhi has spent nearly $2 billion in Afghanistan -- a huge sum for a developing country such as India -- on projects including dams, roads and the new Afghan parliament building.

At the same time, Trump's call for deeper Indian engagement in Afghanistan is likely to fuel long-held suspicions in Islamabad that arch-rival India is using its diplomatic and economic presence in Afghanistan to destabilize Pakistan.

"He is upping the Indian role in Afghanistan, which basically means upping the ante on Pakistan," said Imtiaz Gul, executive director at the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. "That will only mean continuation of hostilities in Afghanistan and instability with little prospect for peace."

---

Bloomberg's Ismail Dilawar and Kamran Haider contributed.
There are significant things to be learned if we compare the disposal of human waste with that of the disposal of hog waste from CAFOs. A 2,499-hog CAFO produces as much raw sewage as a town of 8,000-10,000 people. For Iowa as a whole, that is well over 1 billion gallons of raw sewage per year.

From a Scientific American article from Dec. 1, 2016: Antibiotics are used more heavily in farm animals than in people. This may be the largest source of antibiotic resistant bacteria. ... The agriculture industry say fears are exaggerated, whereas researchers say companies are endangering public health.

An important example of this has also been highlighted the May 27, 2016 issue of Scientific American: Researchers at the Department of Defense issued warnings due to the case of a Pennsylvania woman who nearly died because she contracted a super bug for which there were no antibiotics that specifically addressed the infection.

Current infections in humans are becoming increasingly difficult to treat because of the overuse of antibiotics as growth promotants in hogs.

Human waste must be treated in a long treatment process before is disposed of. We are putting untreated raw sewage on 500 acres of Worth County soil for every 2,499-hog CAFO that has been approved. This means that the five new CAFOs will be spreading untreated sewage on 2,500 acres in Worth County. Infections spread by the proliferation of flies from the sewage which becomes a major concern for the citizens of Worth County.

This is one reason why we need to put a moratorium on new CAFOs until the DNR has revised the Master Matrix. Do we want five CAFOs to spread the sewage comparable to a town of 50,000 people on the soil in Worth County? I think not.

Paul Norland, Northwood
Recently, in an article printed in the Globe Gazette , some residents of Worth County were accused of "overreacting" to the CAFOs or factory farms being built in our neighborhoods. However, I associate "overreacting" with not knowing the facts about an issue, and I can assure you of one thing...we know the facts about factory farms.

We know that they are major polluters of our land, air and water. We know that they are a breeding ground for super-bugs. We know that they are an unnatural and inhumane environment for animals. We know that many are backed by out of state corporate ag interests. And we know that if you yourself research this topic, you too will discover that the negatives about factory farms are overwhelming and that the positives are almost non existent.
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Anyone who drives in San Antonio has probably complained about the quality of its streets.

The city of San Antonio is trying to address that by putting $99 million toward street repair and upkeep in the next year's budget. But the city plans to focus on those parts of town where street quality is particularly bad, based on a rating system called a pavement condition index, or PCI score.

RELATED: Report: These are the most dangerous intersections in San Antonio

San Antonio, ideally, wants all of its streets rated A or B - those with a score 70 and above.

Today, more than 17,500 street segments in San Antonio are rated C or below - that's about 41 percent of the street segments for which the city has PCI scores (some segments have not yet been rated).

RELATED: Charging stations, traffic sensors and 8 other new technologies that make life in S.A. easier

About 3,700 street segments are rated F - a PCI score of 40 or below.

"F streets are quite expensive to repair," said Anthony Chukwudolue, the city's assistant director of Transportation and Capital Improvements. These are streets that may need total reconstruction.

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To reconstruct one 30-foot-wide street costs $2 million a mile, Chukwudolue said.

Right now, the city is focused on doing as much as it can with available resources: that means fixing some F streets but not all of them. Much of the money is going to be spent on pavement preservation and rehabilitation.

RELATED: San Antonio's bus service slated to get faster after $4.3 million in improvements

With the proposed FY 2018 budget, the city is trying to address council districts where the need for street repairs is greatest - specifically, Districts 1 (central city), 2 (East and Northeast Side), 3 (South and Southeast Side), 5 (West Side), and 10 (North/Northeast Side). Cumulatively, those districts had more streets with PCI scores of C and below than the other council districts.

That doesn't mean streets in other council districts won't get repaired, but additional funds are proposed for these districts in particular.

Generally speaking, older streets are those inside Loop 410. But, soil quality also can affect a street's lifespan. The highly expansive soil in District 10, for example, means many of those streets deteriorate faster, Chukwudolue said.

Click on the slideshow to see which 15 'principal arterial' street segments have the worst PCI scores in the city. Principal arterial streets are considered "main movement" streets, which see a lot of traffic and can connect major population areas within a city.

vdavila@express-news.net

@viannadavila
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Texans love to remember the Alamo.

We're definitely great at it.

Copious numbers of visitors filter through the fortress every summer on family or camp trips. Schools from far and wide bring students to get a taste of Texas history and the historical battle is evoked in speeches locally and nationally. It's a mainstay of San Antonio tourism.

But, one writer thinks Texans are doing it all wrong.

In a piece for the Texas Observer, Daniel Pena writes that as the country wrestles with what to do with its Confederate monuments, the Alamo should be included in the conversation.

RELATED: Davy Crockett to give tours of Alamo in new augmented reality app

Pena does not think the Alamo should be torn down. But he does say there needs to be more context given when discussing the battle.

"But it should be noted that the mythology we've built around the Alamo isn't only widely skewed by omission of historical facts largely unexamined or untaught," he said. "It's also designed to celebrate and revere some of the darkest ideologies that have shaped our American fabric: anti-federalism as linked to white terrorism, white supremacy, and the destruction of brown bodies at all costs."

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In a recent radio interview, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick discussed the recent decision to relocate Confederate statues at the University of Texas-Austin by citing the Alamo. He asked, "Where does it stop?"

"At the Alamo, remember: Col. Travis had slaves, Jim Bowie had a slave were they fighting at the Alamo because of slavery? I don't think any Texan believes we should tear down those statues, of our founding fathers..." he said, according to a transcript by the Dallas Morning News.

Read the full Texas Observer article here.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
A day at the horse track turned tragic after a man and his nephew were ejected from their car during a rollover wreck in San Antonio, authorities said. The nephew was killed.

Now, the uncle is in jail facing charges of intoxication manslaughter. Jose Luis Gonzalez-Montiel, 31, was arrested Sunday on a $75,000 bond.

On May 28, officers responded to the crash in the 10900 block of Applewhite Road. A silver Ford Explorer Sport Trac had rolled over and both occupants had been ejected, officials said.

RELATED: Police: 6 arrested after SAPD sting where 2 officers posed as prostitutes

Now Playing: 4 videos to watch this week Video: San Antonio Express-News

The nephew, 23-year-old Armando Palafox-Gonzalez, was found unconscious in the field, while Gonzalez-Montiel was yelling for help while he was pinned under the car, according to an arrest affidavit.

Officers noted Gonzalez-Montiel smelled like alcohol and had glassy and bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. They also found several beer cans scattered throughout the field near the car, according to the affidavit.

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RELATED: Father accused of leaving children in hot car during meeting at probation department

In the hospital, the Gonzalez-Montiel told police they spent nearly four hours at the horse track, and that he drank six to eight cans of beer before driving.

Palafox-Gonzalez died of his injuries on June 10, nearly two weeks after the crash. The nephew's relatives reportedly told police Gonzalez-Montiel went to the memorial service for his nephew and apologized for what happened.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

fsabawi@mysa.com

Twitter: @FaresInSA
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A San Antonio man was sentenced last week to life in prison, plus an 20 additional years, for a 2013 robbery and attempted aggravated sexual assault.

And he's still awaiting trial on other charges.

Juan G. Rodriguez, 32, asked for forgiveness and mercy during the punishment hearing, according to a news release from the Bexar County District Attorney's Office.

He also admitted he did what he was accused of on Sept. 28, 2013 in an apartment in the 8900 block of Datapoint Drive.

RELATED: Details released on how police linked man to sex offenses

Authorities said Rodriguez broke in the home, stealing a TV, a wallet, a backpack and a laptop.

Then, Rodriguez returned to confront a woman that was sleeping in the apartment, police said.

The woman testified Rodriguez woke her up with a gun pointed at her and pulled the trigger. The gun didn't fire, but Rodriguez told her if she didn't cooperate with him then the gun would fire next time, according to a press release.

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The victim said Rodriguez forced her to help him collect more items from around the apartment but she was able to talk him out of sexually assaulting her.

Instead, he forced the woman to take all of her clothes off and he took pictures of her, before instructing her to get in bed and put a blanket over her so he could flee, authorities said.

Rodriguez was arrested days later in Victoria and extradited back to San Antonio.

Police believe Rodriguez was responsible for a month-long crime spree, which led San Antonio Police Chief William McManus to describe Rodriguez as "brazen and dangerous," according to the release.

Rodriguez is awaiting trial for other crimes, according to the release. The cases include burglary, aggravated robbery and aggravated sexual assault.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com



fsabawi@mysa.com



Twitter: @FaresInSA
SAN ANTONIO  A man arrested Monday is accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl then posting photos of her on social media when she made an outcry to family.

Mario Benavidez Rojas, 31, faces a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

He shook his head while looking down when reporters asked if he had anything to say about the allegations against him Monday night at the Public Safety Headquarters.

San Antonio Police Department Sgt. Robert Vara said Rojas, who is related to the victim, was allowed to move in with the family.

"He betrayed their trust," Vara said.

He repeatedly sexually assaulted her starting in August 2016, Vara said.

"Once the victim started (distancing herself) from the suspect he became irate," Vara said. "During that time he started making threatening messages ... saying he was going to post pictures on social media."

Rojas followed through and posted naked photos of the teen, investigators said.

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Police became alerted to the case via relatives and started investigating Rojas in May this year.

Vara said they are still investigating the case and that Rojas could face more charges.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), will support Northrop Grumman, which was recently awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force for the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) phase of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) acquisition program. The GBSD program aims to develop a replacement for the current Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system that was first deployed in the 1970s.



Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion systems have flown on every U.S. ICBM ever fielded, said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. Propulsion is our core business. We are advancing technologies for a variety of applications and will offer those that best meet GBSD requirements for performance and affordability.



Aerojet Rocketdyne long supported Northrop Grumman as the prime contractor in charge of sustaining Minuteman III. In its capacity as the Original Equipment Manufacturer for the post boost propulsion system, Aerojet Rocketdyne completed a life extension under Northrop Grumman in 2014 and continues to provide engineering support for that system to the U.S. Air Force today.



The recent award to Northrop Grumman for the TMRR phase of the GBSD acquisition program will last approximately three years and will culminate in a weapon system preliminary design. During that period, Aerojet Rocketdyne will evaluate multiple propulsion options and provide early designs that meet specific prime contractor ICBM configurations.



Over the last decade, Aerojet Rocketdyne has supported U.S. Air Force strategic propulsion research and development activities that were focused on advancing technology and keeping sharp the engineering and manufacturing skills associated with designing propulsion systems, most notably large solid rocket motors, added Drake. In conjunction with these investments that have direct applicability to GBSD, we are well positioned to provide the most reliable and most affordable propulsion system solutions to Northrop Grumman.



Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.
Near Northside residents want to expand the parts of their neighborhood in which rules barring sitting, lying or sleeping on sidewalks during daytime can be enforced.

Residents won City Council approval last fall to apply those "civility" rules to a western portion of their area, and now are seeking to designate a larger area east of the light rail line along Main Street under the same regime.

Those involved have acknowledged the restrictions alone cannot address civic leaders' concerns about transients undermining the area's safety or quality of life, however.

Neighbors took up a petition last summer after the May 17, 2016, murder of a local boy, Josue Flores, who was stabbed to death on his way home from school, allegedly by a man police say had been staying at a Salvation Army outpost in the area.

That 300-bed shelter, which has operated on North Main for four decades, has combined with other bunk houses and free feeding sites and the neighborhood's three-year-old light rail line, residents say, to flood their neighborhood with vagrants.

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Shopkeepers say they witness open-air sex acts and drug deals on the sidewalks and have demanded action from City Hall. One way to get results, they decided last summer, was to circulate the petition required to extend the city's "civility" rules to their area.

The rules, as they would be in the new section east of Main, are effective between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.

The civility ordinance has been in effect in the Central Business District, Midtown, Old Sixth Ward, Avondale and Greater Hyde Park since 2002, and in 2011 was extended to the east downtown area. South Post Oak was added this spring.

Here is a map comparing the current northside zone to the proposed one:

The neighborhood also has coalesced around solutions other than the civility rules.

Since Flores' death, dozens of mothers have organized a volunteer patrol that became Safe Walk Home Northside. City, county, rail and Houston ISD law enforcement started coordinating, andHouston police created a bike squad whose members spend most of their time in the area. HPD's central division officers also started meeting monthly with residents.

Local civic leaders lobbied to ensure their area was designated one of Mayor Sylvester Turner's five "Complete Communities" targeted for more investment and resources.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Standard Wallet, established in 2005, is a leading provider of innovative payout solutions and prepaid cards to consumers. ASW is a Financial Technology (FinTech) company planning to provide the prepaid cards mainly to the non-bankable and un-bankable Mexican workers presiding in the United States and the Latino community to eliminate high cash checking fees, and money order purchase fees. Prepaid cards also facilitate direct deposit and bill pay services to save consumers time and money.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d755b9d-d389-4f02-84b6-2c3890374afb

Our company is also planning a cross-border remittance network to Mexico through the American Standard Wallet prepaid card system. This will enable millions of un-banked or self-banked Mexican-American consumers to transfer money card to card, from U.S.A. to Mexico in real time, on any technological device-- including a computer or a mobile phone.

The ASW mobile platform is available for IOS (Apple), Android (Google), Windows (Microsoft).

Eventually, ASW plans to expand its card to card remittance program by launching it in the Philippines and in South Korea. After launching this program, numerous Filipinos and South Koreans currently residing in the U.S. will be able to transfer money card to card instantly and with ease.

The ASW Master cards are soon to be accepted to a growing number of 30 million merchants and at over 1 million ATM machines worldwide, or wherever a Master card is accepted. The ASW Master card is the most secure card currently in the world, as it possesses quality features such as the lock and unlock card access, and the dynamic CVV technology. The ASW Master cards have zero liability, and are FDIC insured, thus making it reliable and safer than cash. Chairman James Koh believes that this will be the revolutionary turning point of FinTech.

For additional call Willie Seo at 800-210-9755.
I am confused and disturbed by the Mayors published reaction to the state Department of Transportations Finding of No Significant Impact on the Walk Bridge project.

Last fall, under the direction of the City Corporation Counsel, a major effort was made to prevent such a conclusion from being reached. It involved many city departments testifying at a public hearing, followed by a 109-page report to the DOT Commissioner asking the state transportation officials to study the project further before moving forward with the next step in the review process.

At the time, he wrote: while the city understands the importance of this project, its significance should not overshadow the magnitude of the temporary and permanent impacts and losses. Given the multi-year construction window and all the projects proposed, the city will bear the burden of the impacts disproportionately. More work needs to be done and answers provided during this EA/EIE stage before that could reasonably be a basis to render a Finding of No Significant Impact.

The purpose of the report was to prevent the DOT from issuing a Finding of No Significant Impact. Yet when the state issued that finding recently, Mayor Rilling was quoted in The Norwalk Hour brushing it off.

He said: This determination is only the first phase of the Walk Bridge replacement project. While the FTA uses the term Finding of No Significant Impact to describe the end of the first phase, the finding does not mean that Norwalk will not be impacted by the project  it is a term that means that working together there are things that can be done to mitigate the short and long term effects of the project.

So which is it???

Is it something worthy of a 109-page report compiled by our city departments over several weeks through intensive work OR just a meaningless step in the project timetable?

I believe that the Corporation Counsel was correct last fall in being deeply concerned that a Finding of No Significant Impact would weaken the citys position in the future. The Mayors brushing it off in his comments afterwards is just another indication of a failure to protect the city and its citizens.

Dave Davidson

Norwalk
CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) announced today the recipients of its annual awards program. The program recognizes innovators and leaders who are supporting the enrichment and advancement of women in the engineering community from industry to education. SWE award recipients include professionals and collegiates from influential businesses, corporations and universities across the globe.



The men and women recognized this year have made significant contributions to the engineering community, said Jonna Gerken, president of SWE. They are leaders, inspiring the current and future generation of STEM professionals, and paving the way to empowerment for women engineers everywhere.

This years award recipients will be recognized at WE17, the worlds largest conference and career fair for women engineers, Oct. 26-28, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The conference gathers over 11,000 professional and collegiate men and women for professional development, education and networking.

The awards recipients are as follows:

Achievement Award  The highest award given by SWE, bestowed for an outstanding technical contribution for at least 20 years in the field of engineering.

Frances H. Arnold, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology

Advocating Women in Engineering Award  Honors individuals who have demonstrated professional excellence in their chosen STEM fields and have proven to be an advocate of women in engineering and SWEs objectives.

Andrew Alleyne, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Imelda G. Castro, Intel Corporation

Heidi Millard Kenkel, John Deere

Corlis D. Murray, Abbott

Cynthia S. Reid, P.E., LORD Corporation

Distinguished Engineering Educator Award Presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to the engineering profession through education.

Deborah J. OBannon, P.E., Ph.D., F.SWE, F.ASCE, University of Missouri  Kansas City

Distinguished Service Award  Recognizes a SWE member or associate member who has made a significant contribution(s) to SWE for at least 20 years, especially at the local and regional levels or on Society-level committees.

Susan Thomas Schlett, Sikorsky Aircraft/Trinity College

Janet Williams, F.SWE, Sandia National Laboratories

Emerging Leader Award  Honors individuals who have been actively engaged in an engineering or technology profession, and have demonstrated outstanding technical excellence as an individual resulting in significant accomplishments.

Nikki Bishop, Siemens

Erin M. Carroll, Intel Corporation

Jill A. Entner, Torrance Refining Company, LLC, a subsidiary of PBF Energy Inc.

Kelly D. Hahn, Sandia National Laboratories

Christine M. Predaina, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Jennifer Reich, Honeywell Aerospace

Moushumi Shome, The Boeing Company

Shannon Vittur, Medtronic

Justyna Zander, Ph.D., NVIDIA Corporation

Kira Zdunek, Caterpillar Inc.

Fellow Grade  Honor conferred on SWE members in recognition of continuous service to the advancement of women in the engineering profession.

Cecilia (Ceal) D. Craig, Ph.D., Druai Education Research

Jude Garzolini, Boise State University

Kim ORourke, The Boeing Company

Global Leadership Award  Honors an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the field of engineering and/or technical management in an international setting.

Maryann Combs, General Motors

Karen Ramsey-Idem, Ph.D., Cummins Inc.

Liz Ruetsch, BSEE, MBA, Keysight Technologies

Global Team Leadership Award  Presented to a team with women in technical leadership roles that meet or exceed project objectives while demonstrating innovative thinking to overcome global challenges.

Intel Global Water Conservation Team led by Irina Belozerova, Ph.D., Intel Corporation

Outstanding Collegiate Member Award  Bestowed upon SWE collegiate members who have made an outstanding contribution to SWE, the engineering community and their campus.

Erin Baumgartner, Chico State University

Paige Bowling, Colorado School of Mines

Kelsey A. Harper, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Emily E. Hoffman, Ph.D., Northwestern University

Iris Jing, The University of Texas at Austin

Genevieve A. Kane, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Jeannie Marshall, The University of Alabama

Catherine Martsolf, EIT, LEED GA, Temple University

Holly McTaggart, University of Louisville

Sarah Watzman, The Ohio State University

Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award  Celebrates an outstanding contribution by a SWE advisor to a SWE collegiate section.

Diane L. Peters, P.E., Ph.D., F.SWE, Kettering University

Outstanding SWE Counselor Award  Bestowed upon a member who has made an outstanding contribution to a SWE collegiate section as a Counselor.

Casey Waggy, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation

Prism Award  Recognizes an individual who has charted her own path in the STEM fields by demonstrating a variety of outstanding career leadership activities in a technical field, as well as leadership in professional organizations and the community.

Joan Chinnery, P.E., The Boeing Company

Lisa Depew, McAfee

Colleen M. Layman, P.E., HDR, Inc.

Leslie M. Phinney, Ph.D. Sandia National Laboratories

Anna Prakash, Ph.D., Intel Corporation

Resnik Challenger Medal Award  Established in 1986 to honor SWEs Dr. Judith A. Resnik, NASA Mission Specialist on the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle flight on January 28, 1986. Acknowledges a specific engineering breakthrough or achievement that has expanded the horizons of space exploration.

Terri Taylor, Honeywell Aerospace

Rodney D. Chipp Memorial Award  Celebrates the work of a man or company who has made a significant contribution to the acceptance and advancement of women in engineering.

Mark W. Albers, ExxonMobil Corporation

Doug Roberts, John Deere

Spark Award  Honors an individual who has contributed to the advancement of women by mentoring those around them.

Marie S. Cole, IBM Corporation

Mary Driver, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Beverly Louie, Ph.D., University of Colorado - Boulder

Lynn Mortensen, Raytheon Company (Retired)

Heather Savage-Erickson, Medtronic

Suzanne Jenniches Upward Mobility Award Celebrating an individuals rise to success and contribution to the decision-making process within their organization.

Denise Johnson, Caterpillar Inc.

SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award  Honors women engineers who have been actively engaged in engineering in the first 10 years of their careers.

Maria Cecilia de Castro Breda, John Deere

Stephanie W. Chin, Intel Corporation

Stephanie DeCotiis, P.E., H2M architects + engineers

Jenna Harpole, John Deere

Cassi Janakos, Healthy Horizons

Melissa Peskin, P.E., Dominion Voltage, Inc.

Sadaf Qazi, Raytheon

Erika D. Rodriguez, Ph.D., Jacobs Technology at NASA Ames Research Center

Kate Hull, Spire Consulting Group, LLC

Jennifer Tullai, GE Transportation

Work/Life Integration Award  Celebrates an individual who has worked to create programs that help women engineers and other employees balance the commitments of career, life and family.

Cindy Hoover, Spirit AeroSystems

For more information about the Society of Women Engineers, visit www.swe.org. For more information about WE17, visit we17.swe.org.

About SWE

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is the worlds largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. The not-for-profit educational and service organization is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. To ensure SWE members reach their full potential as engineers and leaders, the Society offers unique opportunities to network, provides professional development, shapes public policy and provides recognition for the life-changing contributions and achievements of women engineers. As a champion of diversity, SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in their personal and professional lives. For more information about the Society, please visit www.swe.org or call 312.596.5223.
THE South African All Truck Drivers Forum (ATDF) has called for abolition of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) in a bid to bar all foreign truck drivers from working in the neighbouring country.

The ATDF is now demanding that the ZEP grace period for renewal of permits, which expires on December 31, 2022 be abolished.

Zimbabwe Community in South Africa chairman, Nqabutho Mabhena yesterday said the ATDF must be guided by the South African governments decision to offer a grace period to ZEP holders.

The truckers have the right to raise the issues affecting them, but we remain guided by the position taken by the SA government on November 24, 2021 that ZEP holders will have a grace period of 12 months to stay in that country, Mabhena said.

The SA Labour minister Thulas Nxesi was clear that the rights of migrants must be protected and we expect the State to protect migrants who are in South Africa.

Mabhena said foreign drivers were still allowed to work in neighbouring South Africa.

If the South Africa government bans migrants from working in the trucking industry that would be a different issue, but currently those with permits are allowed to work in the trucking industry, he said.

Groups of truck drivers marched through the streets of Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg on Monday to hand over a memorandum of demands to the offices of the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry.

The ATDF said its demands for the ZEP grace period to be abolished were in line with its stance on foreign truck drivers. It has been protesting through road shutdowns and highway blockades, calling for foreign truck drivers to be barred from the road freight industry, arguing that truck driving should be reserved for South Africans because its not a scarce skill.

ATDF general-secretary Sifiso Nyathi said the call to abolish the ZEP permits would be directed to Nxesi and the Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi.

This is not a matter for the bargaining council but one that needs the urgent attention of [ministers] Nxesi and Motsoaledi, Nyathi said.

In November 2021, the South African Cabinet decided not to renew the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits. About 182 000 Zimbabweans hold the permits and they were given 12 months to apply so that they can migrate to other visa regimes suitable to their individual circumstances.

The decision to cancel the permits sparked outrage among their holders and rights groups who unsuccessfully took the government to court over the matter.

Recently, Zimbabwean students in South Africa suffered a major blow after Pretoria withdrew a waiver allowing them to apply for permanent residence permits.

 NewsDay

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Millennials are as interested in good food as they are in inexpensive costs.

NEW YORK CITY  Major oil companies are being pushed out of the U.S. retail gasoline business, where filling up your stomach is as important as filling your gas tank, according to Bloomberg. Once upon a time, American road trippers would look for Exxons Tony Tiger or the Texaco star, but they are now in search of the Buc-ees beaver or Wawas Canadian goose.

Now the two models are coming together, combining the strength of fuel brand recognition with new consumer preferences for a broader buying experience, and boosting profits in the volatile, competitive business of selling fuel to U.S. drivers.

Irrespective of the operating model, the key to our growth plans is the brand, Istvan Kapitany, executive vice president of retail for Royal Dutch Shell Plc, told the news source.

In the U.S., Shell has partnered with Alimentation Couche-Tards Circle K, allowing it to expand the market for its Shell-branded gasoline by pairing its loyalty rewards program with the second-largest convenience-store operator in North America. Exxon Mobil has similar arrangements with Circle K and 7-Eleven.

According to NACS data, the five largest oil companies owned 0.4% of U.S gasoline stations in 2014, down from 1.9% in 2008. The majority of filling stations bearing the logos of iconic companies such as Exxon, Chevron and BP actually are owned by individual entrepreneurs or c-store chains that have long-term supply contracts with one of the major oil companies.

As a result, convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Sheetz pumped more than 80% of U.S. gasoline purchased in 2015, up from 59% in 1997, according to NACS data. Stores like Kroger, Walmart and Costco sold much of the rest.

Theres a shift in people buying gas based on the quality of the sandwich as opposed to getting a sandwich based on the price of gas, said Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives for NACS.

The percentage of people who say gasoline price determines where they refuel has fallen by 6 points since 2015, to 51%, according to NACS research. Millennials split equally at 45% on the gas price versus food quality question, Lenard said.

You cant just have good gas prices, Billy Milam, president of RaceTrac Petroleum Inc., a Georgia-based convenience store, told Bloomberg. Back 20 years, wed rarely talk about what wed sell in stores, but its really taken root over the past 10 to 12 years and we had to reshape our business to make that possible.
Quantum ruler for biomolecules

(Nanowerk News) Even though vitamins play a central role in biology, their gas phase physical properties are still less well studied. The potential of quantum-based methods in biomolecular studies, has now been explored at the University of Vienna ("Quantum-Assisted Metrology of Neutral Vitamins in the Gas Phase").

For that purpose, Lukas Mairhofer, Sandra Eibenberger and colleagues in the research group around Markus Arndt at the University of Vienna, prepared molecular beams of (pro) vitamins A, E und K1, that is -Carotin, -Tocopherol und Phylloquinon. These molecules fly then in high vacuum through an arrangement of three nanogratings. The first grating forces every molecule through one of about a thousand slits, each of them only 110 nanometers wide.

This artist's view of the experiment illustrates that naturally occurring vitamins can be prepared in specific quantum states that facilitate the measurement of the molecular electronic properties. (Image: Christian Knobloch, QNP Group, Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna)

According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, this constriction of the molecular position entails an indeterminacy of the molecular direction of flight -- the molecule is spatially "delocalized". This prepares the motional state of every single molecule such that it becomes impossible, even in principle, to follow the molecule's path through the experiment.

The second grating is realized with a green high-power laser beam that is retro-reflected at a mirror inside the vacuum. A standing light wave is formed, i.e. a periodic array of regions of high and low light intensity. When they arrive at this second grating every molecule is already delocalized such that their wave functions covers several bright and dark regions -- even though these are more than hundred times further separated than the size of each molecule. Within the bright and dark zones, the molecules are more or less accelerated. This modulates the extended quantum wave front.

Since the molecules do not follow a well-defined path but rather a superposition of possible paths through the machine, an interference pattern emerges: this is a periodic distribution of probabilities to find a molecule at a given location. This pattern is then compared with the third grating, which is a copy of the first silicon nitride grating.

Quantum ruler for biomolecules

The ultra-fine structured interference pattern is used as a quantum ruler to read out nanometric deflections of the molecular beam, which are hard to measure by established methods. The modulation and position of the interference pattern then allows extracting information about the interaction of the biomolecules with external fields.

This includes the interaction with the diffracting laser beam as well as with a controlled electric field that shifts the molecular density pattern. The researchers use this to determine electronic and optical properties of biologically relevant molecules, here the (pro)vitamins A, E und K1. Pro-vitamin A, for example, plays an important role in photosynthesis.

Lukas Mairhofer, the lead author of this study, is happy: "We have a universal tool for improved measurements of biomolecular properties".

Comparison with molecular simulations

The experimental results were compared with simulations. For that purpose, classical molecular dynamics simulations describe the time evolution of the molecular structure and are combined with density functional theory to assess the electronic properties.
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.
I welcome President Trumps new, conditions-based approach to Afghanistan and the region. NATO remains fully committed to Afghanistan and I am looking forward to discussing the way ahead with Secretary Mattis and our Allies and international partners.

NATO Allies and partners have already committed to increasing our presence in Afghanistan. NATO currently has over 12,000 troops in the country. In recent weeks, more than fifteen nations have pledged additional contributions to our Resolute Support Mission. We place special emphasis on continuing the development of Afghan Special Forces, Air Forces and improving command and control.

Our presence in Afghanistan is a direct consequence of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, when the Alliance first invoked our collective defence clause, Article 5. Hundreds of thousands of troops from Europe, Canada and partner countries have served side-by-side with American forces, and over a thousand have paid the ultimate price. With NATOs support, Afghanistan now has professional security forces of around 350,000 soldiers and police. In 2014, we successfully transferred full responsibility for security to them. Today, we continue to train, advise and assist them, and provide them with financial support. Our aim remains to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who would attack our own countries.

We encourage all Afghans to work towards a negotiated political settlement and a sustainable peace. At the same time, we urge all countries in the region to do their utmost to shut down sanctuaries for extremist groups, support peace and reconciliation, and contribute to a stable and secure Afghanistan.
(Natural News) One of the main reasons why voters gave Republicans control of the House, Senate and White House was their promise to repeal and replace the disastrous Affordable Care Act, also known derisively as Obamacare.

But six months into President Donald J. Trumps first term, the GOP has failed miserably to deliver on its promise.

Some believe that too many Republican establishment types just dont want to see Trump  who made repeal-and-replace a cornerstone of his campaign  succeed, so theyre withholding support for repealing a law they all voted in unison to replace just a few years ago.

Other political commentators have observed that deep down, a number of Republicans share the same view held by their Democratic colleagues who gave us Obamacare in the first place: That the federal government ought to control all our healthcare, and hence our personal behavior, because theyre really closet authoritarians deep down.

Still, others think that a number of Republicans are just political cowards who, when given the opportunity to do the bold thing and actually follow through on a campaign promise dont have the guts to do so.

Either way, there is a growing group of House conservatives who not only believe repeal and replace is still possible, but that it should be done and can be done.

One of them is Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who told The Daily Signal it was time to put the screws to GOP lawmakers who have been promising to get rid of the most destruct public health policy in the history of our country.

We certainly cant give up, he said.

The website noted further:

Gaetz was explaining why he decided to back a small caucus of House conservatives in its strategy to force a floor vote on a bill mirroring the Obamacare repeal passed in December 2015.

The House Freedom Caucus announced Friday its plan to collect the 218 signatures required on a discharge petition to pull that legislation out of committee.

Gaetz told The Daily Signal how he stands on that strategy.

I signed the discharge petition because the things we have done so far to appease moderates in our party havent worked, Gaetz, who is not a Freedom Caucus member, said. So, maybe we should take a conservative approach going forward. We certainly cant give up.

In 2015 bill passed the GOP-controlled House and Senate in 2015 but, naturally, was vetoed by President Obama. The bill contained language repealing several key aspects of the ACA, including the expansion of Medicaid to Americans who really make enough money they dont need a subsidy, and nearly all of the laws tax increases.

In addition, the legislation called for abolishing Obamacares insurance mandates for both employers and individuals  requiring them to offer and carry health insurance, respectively  and for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, an abortion-providing organization that rakes in $500 million in taxpayer funding annually, forcing tens of millions of taxpayers to support an organization they dont agree with.

But because all House and Senate Republicans voted in 2015 to repeal Obamacare, Gaetz says theres no reason for them not to do so today, when they know that Trump would sign the bill into law.

There is this theory both in the House and in the Senate that the legislation that everyone has previously voted for to repeal Obamacare would not get the votes on the floor of either body, he told The Daily Signal. Its my view that the I was for it before I was against it political narrative has proven to be unsuccessful. And so I want to put the screws to the members of my party who seem to only want to support repealing Obamacare when they dont think it will actually happen.

Still, he acknowledged the difficulty in getting a bill to the president, but not because of his chamber. (Related: Memo from WE THE PEOPLE to Congress: Get rid of Obamacare and pass tax reform or lose your seats in 2018.)

These days its reasonable to be skeptical that a Mothers Day resolution could pass the Senate, he said.

The good news is that there are members of Congress still dedicated to getting rid of a health care law Democrats and President Obama lied repeatedly to pass in the first place.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

DailySignal.com

TheNationalSentinel.com
San Diego, CA, Aug. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Two of Karl Strauss Brewing Companys medal-winning small batch beers will be making a much anticipated return this September. Queen of Tarts Dark Sour Ale will be released on draft, and Liquid A/C English Summer Ale will hit the market on draft as well as in cans. Both brews were awarded medals at last years Great American Beer Festival.

The 2016 Great American Beer Festival marked a huge milestone for Karl Strauss. Not only did the company take home 4 medals at the competition, but they were also honored with the coveted Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year award.

While two of the four beers that medaled  Mosaic Session IPA and Windansea Wheat  are year-round offerings in the Karl Strauss portfolio, the other two medal-winners were limited releases brewed out of the companys small batch program. Queen of Tarts, a barrel-aged Dark Sour brewed with Michigan tart cherries, took home gold in the highly competitive American-style Sour Ale category. Liquid A/C, brewed at the companys satellite brewery in La Jolla, was awarded a bronze in the English-style Summer Ale category.

After the Great American Beer Festival last year everyone wanted to try these beers, but as with all limited releases, they were gone rather quickly. Ever-rotating brews are part of the beauty of our small batch program, but it also means that many people didnt get the chance to try Queen of Tarts or Liquid A/C. So as we prepare for this years GABF, we felt it was the perfect time to bring back some of our favorites in celebration of last years wins. Matt Johnson, Brewmaster, Karl Strauss Brewing Company





After the success of Liquid A/Cs draft-only release earlier this summer, Karl Strauss decided to brew another batch of this crisp, refreshing brew and release it in cans just in time for Labor Day. The Queen of Tarts release has been in the works for a while, as the brew has been aging in American Oak barrels for 6 months now. This new batch has aged to perfection and shes finally ready to make her post-gold medal debut.

With both of these limited release beers back on the KARL line-up at the same time, the company will be offering specialty 2016 GABF Flights over Labor Day weekend starting Friday, September 1st so fans can enjoy all 4 winners from last years competition.

To sample these medal-winning beers, stop by the Karl Strauss Tasting Room or visit your local Karl Strauss Brewpub. You can also check out the companys beer finder tool at www.karlstrauss.com to see where you can buy KARL beers at retailers, bars, and restaurants throughout California.

About Karl Strauss Brewing Company

Karl Strauss Brewing Company has been proudly independent since 1989, pioneering the craft beer scene with innovative beer releases like Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Queen of Tarts Dark Sour, and Wreck Alley Imperial Stout. The brewery has won 104 medals since 2009 and was recently honored with the 2016 Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year award at the Great American Beer Festival. For more information visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739. Share it. Cheers.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eb0aa8a9-5b1b-438f-be03-a1d7665c7318

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e52edb65-dcbe-4060-9c5e-5392400760b5
Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic legislative leaders have promised to tackle California's affordable housing crisis in their final weeks of work this year by pushing a package that includes regulatory reforms and money for low-income housing.

But some moderate Assembly Democrats are resisting pieces of the deal, particularly a new fee on real estate transaction documents to generate housing dollars.

There's widespread agreement that a variety of solutions are needed to address the housing shortage, which lawmakers say impacts millions throughout the state at nearly all income levels. Not enough housing is being built to accommodate the growing population and, as a result, California has higher housing prices and higher rates of homelessness than most parts of the United States.

More than a dozen bills are in play, and votes on them could start coming this week. Lawmakers' opportunity to pass legislation this year ends Sept. 15, when they leave for another recess.

"We need to take up this housing package as soon as we can," said Assemblyman David Chiu, a San Francisco Democrat who chairs the Assembly's housing committee. "The fact that the governor, our speaker and the Senate president have committed to a comprehensive housing package is indicative of how committed we are to getting this done this year."

Brown, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon said last month that the final plan will include a bond and an ongoing funding source for affordable housing.

Theresa Winkler, 54, has lived in subsidized housing in Los Angeles for about seven years and said she thinks the government needs to fund developments like the one she lives in. Winkler, who was homeless for much of her life and now works to raise awareness of mental illness and homelessness, said she wouldn't have been able to stabilize her life without access to housing.

"I understand that recovery centers and halfway housing costs money, but graveyards and hospital beds cost money too, which the taxpayers end up paying anyway," she said. "If a person is already destitute or at the bottom of the barrel, you can't just tell them to climb to the top. People need help"

The housing bond currently on the table would provide $3 billion to fund affordable housing. The money would have to be paid back with interest over time and would require voter approval in 2018.

A "heavier lift" will be establishing an ongoing funding source, said Tom Collishaw, who runs an affordable housing development organization in the Central Valley. He said he has spoken with lawmakers who are undecided about parts of the deal.

The main funding proposal on the table, SB2 by state Sen. Toni Atkins, would impose a $75 fee on real estate transaction documents such as deeds and notices, with a cap of $225 per transaction. It's expected to generate between $200 million and $300 million annually for affordable housing projects.

"Some of the moderate Democrats are wary of another funding bill that could be perceived as a tax," Collishaw said. "(But) putting a bond before the voters is probably going to be OK with them."

Atkins' bill would exempt documents related to property sales, but would apply to other transactions such as refinancing a mortgage.

Opponents argue it will increase costs for middle-class homeowners.

Some moderate Democrats are reluctant to vote for the new fee after already having to vote on two other big measures that will drive up prices for consumers: a gas tax hike and an extension of the cap-and-trade program that charges polluters, Collishaw said.

Atkins, a San Diego Democrat, said she has been speaking with lawmakers on the fence about her bill after the gas tax and cap-and-trade votes to try to assuage their concerns.

A spokeswoman for Merced Assemblyman Adam Gray, who leads the informal caucus of moderate Assembly Democrats, didn't respond to a request for comment.

The bill has already passed the Senate but requires a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, meaning if any Democrat votes against the bill, it will need Republican support to pass.

Leadership has promised the housing package will also include efforts to reduce burdensome regulations on housing construction. The main bill on the table to streamline regulations, by San Francisco Democrat Sen. Scott Wiener, would eliminate some local development restrictions in communities that fall behind on their housing goals.

The package could also include tax credits related to affordable housing and measures to pressure communities to comply with existing laws that require them to plan for housing production.

The bills on the table won't fix the housing shortage, advocates say, but they represent a critical step

"We have a deep and growing housing crisis in many parts of California where people just can't afford to live. They can't afford housing," Wiener said. "It has to be a high priority."
A message of hate posted on flyers throughout the city of Alameda had police on high alert and residents of the East Bay community pushing back Monday.

The flyer features an Islamic woman and a swastika and comes less than a week after a synagogue was vandalized. On Monday night, dozens of people gathered at the Islamic Center for a rally.

The 3-by-5-inch flyer Neil Crawford found on the sidewalk near his house Sunday portrays a swastika and a woman wearing a hijab with the words: "Help me kill you stupid." At the bottom, it says: "The new counterculture."

"I was sad," Crawford said. "I was disappointed that something like that would be in our community, that would be in our country and our world."

When Crawford found a second flyer near his house, just blocks from the Islamic Center of Alameda, he called police. An officer found a third flyer.

"The majority of hate crimes and hate incidents go unreported, so we knew it was important to stand up and be counted," said Lindsey Crawford.

The incident follows last week's vandalism of Alameda's Temple Israel, where rocks were thrown and windows were shattered. Alameda police consider it a hate crime.

Neighbors on Monday night rallied at the Islamic center, some carrying signs in response to the recent words and actions.

"Everyone is outraged, scared," said Carla Lopez. "I want to stand up against it. We don't want hate here. We're diverse, and we like being diverse."

Neighbor Christine Vauer agreed.

"We've had a lot of these things happening and escalating, and I don't think that's OK," Vauer said. "I don't think it's OK to ignore it. I think we have to stand up."

Alameda police were still trying to identify those responsible for both incidents. They have surveillance video of the synagogue vandalism but did not release it Monday.
The city of Berkeley once again is gearing up for what could be another showdown between the right and left with rallies this weekend and in September, including a possible appearance by conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulos.

The rallies will focus on free speech, and while city and UC Berkeley leaders are not welcoming hate speech, they are allowing the rallies in the name of the First Amendment.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee and other city and county leaders are expected to speak Tuesday morning at Berkeley City Hall to make it clear to hate groups that they are not welcome in the city.

The city of Berkeley once again is gearing up for what could be another showdown between the right and left with rallies this weekend and in September, including a possible appearance by conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulos.

So-called alt-right ralliers plan to demonstrate on Berkeley's streets this weekend, and residents are concerned about violence and destruction similar to what occurred in February, before a planned Yiannopoulos speech was canceled.

"They're not alt-right; they're Nazis," resident Taye Taye said. "They're racists. They're not welcome."

UC Berkeley students also are concerned about what will happen this weekend and in September, when Yiannopoulos and other controversial alt-right speakers say they will be on campus.

"There is such a thing as too far left and too far right, so i think it's going to be a little dangerous around campus during that time," student Cindy Kreck said.

Still, the university says it will allow all speech on campus, even if it's filled with hate.

"We contest speech that we don't like with more speech, and the best disinfectant is sunlight," UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said.

Mogulof said the school will spend a lot of money on security to keep people safe.

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said the alt-right groups expected this weekend are not welcome but they will not be turned away if they remain peaceful.

"We as a community stand for free speech," Arreguin said. "We are the birthplace of the free speech movement, and we really can't dictate based on the content of the speech."

Leaders suggest that people stay away from the activity in Berkeley this weekend to be on the safe side.
The organizer of an upcoming Berkeley rally showed up unexpectedly at a Tuesday news conference and refuted Bay Area leaders' condemnation of her event's alleged ties to white nationalists.

Amber Cummings, who identifies as a transgender female, emphasized that white nationalists are not welcome at her anti-Marxism rally Sunday at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, which has been the backdrop of bloody protests in the past.

Asked to comment on being lumped with hate groups, she responded: "I do not support white supremacy. White supremacy is not allowed at our rally. We do not want racists there. We do not want hateful people there. We do not want violent people there. If anybody is coming with the intent of violence, do not come to my rally."

Along with a repudiation of hatred and violence, Cummings, who wore sunglasses and covered her face with a bandana, pointed out that Sunday's gathering had been created in June, months before a destructive rally in Charlottesville, Va. drew Klu Klux Klan members, white supremacists and neo-Nazis and led to three deaths.

At Tuesday's news conference, however, Rep. Barbara Lee, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, Sen. Nancy Skinner, assemblymen Rob Bonta and Tony Thurmond, and Supervisor Keith Carson decried bigotry, racism and intolerance.

"This is the home of the peace movement," Lee said. "Let us be peaceful. This is one of the most diverse communities in the country. Let us show that strength in our diversity."

Despite Cummings' impassioned explanation otherwise, they continued to refer to Sunday's rally as a white nationalist event.

When asked why, Arreguin replied: "From what were seeing, people like Richard Spencer and Kyle Chapman  very sort of 'alt-right leaders'  that have been in Berkeley have said that they intend to come this weekend. We dont know how many people are going to come, we just have to be prepared as a community and keep our community safe and well do that this weekend."

According to Cummings, an estimated 300 people plan to rally Sunday.

However, Suzanne Fraser, who lives a block away from the rally site, issued a plea Tuesday.

"I would really appreciate you people not showing up because it's terrifying our children and the community that lives here," she said. "We see blood. We see weapons."

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, at least three protests in Berkeley have led to fights and vandalism in the neighborhood. One such instance was a "Patriots Day" free speech rally on April 15 during which Trump supporters faced off with protesters. More than a dozen people were arrested after fistfights broke out.

Fraser said she has had enough.

"We see ... men, but there are women too, in masks and armor of all different sorts, some with blood all over them, weapons and police in front of our house," she recounted.

Although the event isn't permitted by the city, it is expected to go on as planned in the name of the First Amendment. That isn't stopping Berkeley officials from encouraging people to avoid the area due to concerns about outbreaks of violence and destruction, similar to what the city has seen multiple times this year.

Officials have asked protesters to gather in a park more than two city blocks away from the pro-Trump-cum-Free Speech rally.

"Then they have no one to incite violence against, so those of us who do not want to see the violence, we will ignore them as they legitimately should be ignored," Skinner said.

Some groups, including Antifa and self-proclaimed anti-fascists, have promised to take to the fight to those who attend the rally.

"Ignoring Nazis will not work, especially when the president amplifies them," said a woman identified only as Reiko.

Others, however, plan to honor the community's request and stay at a park at University of California, Berkeley.

Students, meanwhile, are on edge because Milo Yiannopoulos, a controversial "alt-right" speaker, is expected back on campus in September. His scheduled appearance in February was canceled after it led to fiery, destructive protests.

"There is such a thing as too far left and too far right, so I think it's going to be a little dangerous around campus during that time," student Cindy Kreck said.

Still, the university says it will allow all speech on campus, even if it's filled with hate.

"We contest speech that we don't like with more speech, and the best disinfectant is sunlight," university spokesman Dan Mogulof said.

Mogulof said UC Berkeley officials will do the needful to keep people safe.

NBC Bay Area's Rhea Mahbubani contributed to this report.
After an eight-year absence, a California sea lion has returned to the Los Angeles Zoo's Sea Life Cliffs exhibit, it was announced Monday.

Buddy, a blind, 10-year-old, 700-pound sea lion, arrived at the zoo on May 24 after being rescued and rehabilitated by the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles.

"Buddy has definitely brought a new sense of excitement to Sea Life Cliffs," said Jennifer Kuypers, senior animal keeper at the Los Angeles Zoo.

"Being from the wild, he came to us without any trained behaviors, and as we work with him we're learning about him as an individual. Buddy is a confident, smart sea lion who is adapting well to his new environment."

Jamie Pham

Buddy was malnourished and emaciated when he was found in Manhattan Beach on July 15, 2016, and because of his blindness, cannot hunt, forage or defend himself.

"This California sea lion was deemed non-releasable due to his injuries and blindness," said Jeff Cozad, executive director of the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles. "That's when the Los Angeles Zoo stepped in. They felt our patient would enhance their Sea Life Cliffs exhibit and found him to be a perfect fit. We couldn't be happier that he was placed locally where MMCC L.A. visitors and volunteers can still visit him often."

[NATL] Adorable Zoo Babies: White Lion Cubs Nala and Simba Born in France

It's the second animal rescued off the coast of Southern California that the zoo has added to Sea Life Cliffs in the last year. Ziggy, an 18-month-old female Pacific harbor seal, was brought to the zoo on Nov. 1 after being rescued and rehabilitated by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.
Those behind the campaign striving to recall embattled Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky  the judge at the center of the controversial Brock Turner trial  say state election officials are siding with them in a legal dispute over the ballot.

Persky has been on the hot seat almost from the moment he sentenced Turner, a former Stanford University student-athlete, to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. Critics blasted the sentence as being too lenient.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Tuesday is expected to intervene in the recall effort surrounding Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, the judge at the center of the controversial Brock Turner trial. Kris Sanchez reports.

The recall effort was in full swing until recently when Persky filed a lawsuit arguing that superior court judges are state officers and that their recall should be handled by the state. Since that filing, the campaign has been barred from gathering signatures to put the issue on the ballot.

Recall campaign leaders on Tuesday said that the secretary of state supports their position that the recall should be managed by Santa Clara County elections officials and not the state.

That jurisdiction decision must ultimately be handed down by a judge, and local judges have recused themselves from the case.

While the recall effort remains on hold, Michele Dauber and those behind the movement continue to remain committed to their goal.

"Its not going to work. Were going to collect our signatures," Dauber said. "Hes going to face the voters. Hes going to be recalled.



"Judge Persky has hired Donald Trumps Arizona state director to manage his campaign and that tells you everything you need to know about Judge Perskys bias against women and his views on sexual assault," Dauber added.

Judge Persky's attorney said his legal team will have further comment when a decision regarding the recall is reached.

For now, they will wait for a judge to rule.

"Our role here today is to make sure Judge Persky is treated fairly during these recall proceedings," attorney Christine Peek said.

Those carrying out the recall effort said they need 90,000 signatures to get the issue on the ballot. They hope to have those signatures in time for the June 2018 ballot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
California state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, is proposing a bill urging law enforcement officers to treat white supremacists as terrorists, said Skinner's office Monday.

"Racist terrorism as expressed by these white nationalist groups is not welcome in California," Skinner said in a statement. "Taking these actions, California will ensure that racist and hateful groups can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Senate Bill 630 would also expand the existing hate crime statute to strengthen protections for people acting in support or defense of protected groups. This would include activists like Heather Heyer, who was killed earlier this month when a man allegedly drove a car into a group of protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Heather Heyer's killer could not be charged with a hate crime because Heather herself does not fall within the law's definition of a protected class," Skinner said. "SB 630 addresses this ambiguity to ensure that those who commit a hate act, regardless of the status of the victim, can be prosecuted fully and appropriately."

Skinner is also introducing two resolutions, SR 55 and SJR 13, urging law enforcement to use "all legal options, including laws relating to terrorism and hate crimes," as well as anti-gang laws in cases against white nationalists and neo-Nazis suspected of committing violent or destructive acts.

Senators Jim Beall, Scott Wiener, Steve Bradford, Cathleen Galgiani, Ricardo Lara, Connie Leyva, Bill Monning and Henry Stern have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill and resolutions.
At least seven people were displaced Monday night after a fire broke out at a home in San Francisco's Merced Heights neighborhood, according to fire officials.

The blaze occurred at 614-608 Garfield St., fire officials said on social media at 7:50 p.m.

Firefighters were able to quickly contain the fire. No injures were reported.

The displaced residents, all adults, are being assisted by the American Red Cross as well as city services, according to fire officials.
Booster, GasNinjas and Filld are a few of the on-demand gas fueling businesses that have emerged in recent years, each promising to make life more convenient than the convenience store itself.

A few clicks on an app telling them your preferred time of delivery, location and car details  and voila. The gas man appears.

Whether it was fueling stations' rising real estate and operation costs, lack of innovation or its inability to scale-up, Filld's president and CEO Michal Buhr said there were a number of reasons for a disruption to the automobile industry.

"The average consumer goes to the gas station every seven to eight days, and they dont do it because they want to," Buhr said. "They do it because they have to. We have the ability here to completely remove that stress and do it in a far more convenient and cost effective way than you can today."



The company announced $9.65 million in new funding Tuesday, more than doubling its total budget in preparation for a major expansion.

Some of its expansion will be finalizing partnerships with car dealerships. The company says it is envisioning a one-time gas purchase, similar to a warranty, which would come with the purchase of a new car.

Skeptics Weigh In

However, Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives at the National Association of Convenience and Fuel Retailing is skeptical of a disruption on a mass scale. The association represents some of the roughly 150,000 fueling stations presently operating in the country.

"There are roughly 39 million fill-ups happening daily across the nation," Lenard said. "To disrupt the fueling industry, it would take something massive."

And he says the money just isnt there yet  for the company or for the consumer.

"[Mobile fueling] is certainly more convenient," Lenard said. "The question is how can you make it affordable?"

Fueling stations make just a portion of their profits from fuel sales, according to Lenard. They also bring in revenue from food, car washes, cigarettes, liquor and other grocery items.

Mobile fueling companies don't sell those products. Instead, they charge a delivery fee, which Lenard says is keeping the service relatively exclusive to wealthy customers.

"If people will drive past convenience stores looking to save an extra one or two cents per gallon, they won't pay an extra $6 delivery fee each time they need to fuel gasoline," Lenard said.

However, he notes the high interest coming out of Silicon Valley may change things in the coming years.

Making it Profitable

In Silicon Valley, there are a few ways companies have tried reducing its delivery fee and operating costs.

By offering it to tech campuses and other dense, commercially-zoned areas, Booster has been able to market its service as a company perk. It saves money by accessing many customers at once and in close proximity to one another.

Filld, which charges a $3 delivery fee per order, has been developing its routing technology similar to car-sharing services. It sends its drivers on a route optimized to reduce travel costs and says the more places it expands, the more it has saved.



"[Gas stations are] limited to the geography that theyre in and theyre limited to the number of consumers that can access that location, therefore they dont get the economy of scale buying," Buhr said. "That limits their buying power and their ability to negotiate better fuel rates from the refinery that theyre buying from."

The company is currently working with Bentley Motors, Volvo, Car2go and Enterprise Rent-A-Car and expects greater buying power to come from future expansion.

Fueling Services Nationwide

The company says it wants to be the nations leading retail fuel provider and is eyeing the changing fueling market nationwide.

"In the last 10 years, the number of gas stations is down by 25 percent, but when you look at the major metros, like even San Francisco, theyre down by almost 40 percent," Buhr said. "And thats just going to continue."

The company has already expanded into areas like downtown Vancouver, Canada, which saw its second to last gas station disappear earlier this year to a new housing development. And he says they're exploring options in other areas where access to gas stations remains tricky.

"Youll see us in the more densely populated areas first, but we absolutely see it spreading out to even more rural areas," Buhr said. "Probably not in the next year, but two years from now? Absolutely."



If its expansion proves convenient for the masses  and profitable  the automobile industry may be listening.

"If this evolves, its not like were opposed, Buhr said. "Convenience stores sell convenience. If someone does convenience better, its worth looking at adapting the business model."
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Southern Lithium Corp. (TSX-V:SNL) (FSE:SL5) (OTC:SLLTF) ("Southern" or "the Company") ") is pleased to announce that it has received initial data detailing the Brine density from the first hole (CREX 1701) of the Phase One exploration at its Cruz Property in the Pocitos Salar Basin in Salta Province, Argentina.



The brine aquifers were sampled using a drive-point sampler at key formational changes. The double packer system is designed to collect depth-specific samples.

The 11 brine samples were taken from various depths between 96 to 475 m, and their densities range from 1.222 g/cm3 to 1.225 g/cm3.

Larry Segerstrom, President of Southern, states The densities of the 11 samples indicate the presence of brine throughout the section. Density is only an indirect measure of brine lithium content, but based on past work in the area, we are very encouraged. We are looking forward to the lithium assay results and to report them as they are received.

Sampling is being conducted in accordance with CIM guidelines and an appropriate QA/QC program for ensuring accuracy and repeatability of the analytical results.

Alex Stewart Laboratories of Mendoza, Argentina has been engaged as the primary analytical provider. The laboratory has extensive experience with lithium brine analyses and is certified under ISO 17025, and in Alex Stewarts case, specifically for determination of lithium and potassium in liquid brines by use of ICP-OES.

The program is being managed in Argentina through its joint venture partner Millennial Lithium Corp. Millennial has engaged HIDROTEC S.R.L., a Salta-based drilling company with extensive experience in drilling and testing salar-hosted lithium brines. Millennial has engaged Mike Rosko of Montgomery and Associates, Inc. a US-based hydrogeological consultancy to provide program guidance and act as the Company's qualified person for reporting results.

About the Cruz Property

The Company has executed a formal option agreement with Proyecto Pastos Grandes S.A. (PPG SA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSX.V:ML) (FSE:A3N2) (OTCQB:MLNLF), through the option Southern Lithium can earn up to an eighty percent (80%) interest in the PPG SAs Cruz Property in the Pocitos Salar Basin in Salta Province, Argentina.

The Cruz Property is located in South Americas Lithium Triangle (northern Chile, northwestern Argentina and southwest Bolivia). The property encompasses 9,027 hectares (22,306 acres) in the Pocitos Salar Basin in Salta Province, Argentina.

The Cruz Property is in the northern end of the Pocitos Salar Basin and contiguous to the southern end of the Salar del Rincon Basin, where ADY Resources Limited is extracting lithium brine. Both properties lie along the structural belt that hosts the important lithium resources of the region, and at the junction of a large north-south fault system and the northwest-southeast megastructure along which lies the Rincon volcano, the possible source of the lithium brine in both salar basins. The 60-kilometre long Pocitos salar basin has previously only been drill tested with a shallow 12-hole program in the 1970s by an Argentinean government agency Direccion General de Fabricaciones Militares. To date, this is the only confirmed exploration drilling conducted in the Pocitos basin. The hole that produced the best results is near the southeast edge of the Cruz property boundary, and averaged 417 parts per million lithium. Although these results are considered historical and have not been verified by the Company's QP, the Company considers these results relevant to the future exploration of the Cruz property.

About Southern Lithium Corp (TSX-V:SNL) (FSE:SL5)

Southern Lithium Corp. is a resource exploration company engaged in the business of acquiring and exploring minerals properties. Southern Lithium Corp. has assembled an experienced management team with a strategy to develop a portfolio of technically superior Lithium projects. The Companys main objective is to add shareholder value through successful exploration and development of high quality resources through strategic acquisitions, combined with cost-effective financial management. With the potential acquisition of the Cruz property, Southern Lithium intends to establish its presence in the Pocitos basin and further deliver on its mission to secure lithium projects. The Company is only focusing on projects of the highest technical merit in favorable geopolitical jurisdictions.

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Larry Segerstrom, M.Sc. (Geology), P.Geo., a Director of the Company, who is a "Qualified Person" as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Clive H. Massey

Chief Executive Officer

Further information about the Company is available on our website at www.southernlithiumcorp.com or under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within it, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, other than as required pursuant to applicable securities laws.
A man accused of shooting two off-duty Oakland firefighters, killing one, in San Jose on Thursday has been charged with murder and attempted murder, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

Oliver Juinio, 27, will make his first court appearance Tuesday in the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose. He is accused of shooting the firefighters in the 300 block of East Taylor Street at 9:37 p.m. Thursday.

Oakland firefighter Jake Walter, 30, died of his injuries at a hospital. Another Oakland firefighter was taken to the hospital and was listed in stable condition on Friday.

The Oakland Firefighters IAFF Local 55 union said on Twitter on Friday that at least five firefighters had been out in San Jose when the shooting happened, and they described it as "unprovoked."

The firefighters who were not injured rendered aid to the two victims, union officials said.

Oakland city officials said both victims had been recent graduates of the fire academy, both graduating in the same class on April 22.

San Jose police spokesman Officer Albert Morales said last week their department stands strongly behind the victims.

Police ask anyone with information on the case to contact Detective Sgt. John Barg or Detective Wayne Smith (408) 277-5283. Those wishing to leave anonymous tips can call the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (408) 947-7867.
Camp Manitou in Oakland, Maine, appears to be your typical summer camp, until you learn why each camper is there.

Each summer, for one week, the camp hosts an Experience Camp, which is a free program for boys ages 9-16. Every camper at the experience camp shares a common, and painful bond: they have lost a loved one.

They have the opportunity to just be with kids who get it, said Sara Deren, the camps executive director.

Some of the campers have lost parents, others have lost siblings or grandparents.

Its fun coming back year after year, and even the parts where were talking and its sad, people are there for you, said Dylan Grantham, a 15-year-old camper from Nashua, New Hampshire. He started coming to the Experience Camp when he was 12 years old, just after his father died.

It was really soon after he died, and I was still a mess when I came, he said. But learning to cope and live with it, and seeing these kids, it gave me hope to live my life.

The campers do all the traditional activities: from water sports, to archery, to singing songs and having campfires. But they also do meaningful, emotional work together. Every day, campers either complete bereavement activities, or gather in sharing circles, where they share pictures and stories about the person they have lost.

Its cool to know that you can know people who are suffering through the same pain that you are, said Liam Ramsey, a 9-year-old camper from Warwick, Rhode Island. Its his first year at the Experience Camp, and he is learning how to cope with the death of his father and grandparents.

It helps me by getting all of my feelings out, he said.

Some of the boys find it easier to open up to their peers, than a therapist or counselor.

Boys need to play before they can talk, said Deren. The boys are bit slower to warm up, so giving them this type of environment, where they can integrate play and grief is so powerful for them.

Experience camps are also held in New York, California, and Georgia. Deren said they are looking to add a site in the Midwest, and offer a program for girls at a camp in Smithfield, Maine next year.
A provocative political cartoon from the Illinois Policy Institute, the conservative think tank Gov. Bruce Rauner used to fill key positions during his recent staff overhaul, has sparked headlines and backlash as the governor has continually refused to say not only whether he believes it is racist - but if he has even seen it.

The cartoon depicts a black child begging on the street, holding a sign reading "Need money 4 school" as a white man says, "Sorry kid, I'm broke," showing him an empty pocket as the other appears stuffed with wads of cash marked "TIF $." [[441312313, C]]

The IPI has maintained that the cartoon was meant to be a commentary on TIF, or tax increment financing, districts in Chicago, which have become an issue in the ongoing school funding battle in Springfield.

Rauners amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1, the measure to move Illinois to an evidence-based model of education funding on which all state aid to schools hinges, included changes to the way property values are factored into the funding formula  accounting for growth in TIF districts (that schools cant tax) which would subsequently reduce the amount of state aid Chicago receives.

Regardless of their side on the school funding debate, several state lawmakers were among those calling the cartoon offensive in a heated and emotional discussion on the House floor last week, with members of both parties standing to denounce it and call on the IPI to apologize. [[441313223, C]]

The cartoon was removed from the IPI's website, though the group refused to offer an apology, instead choosing to acknowledge their critique but ultimately stand by the image.

We have taken down the cartoon, not because we think it is racist, but because it is a distraction from another truth  the failure of political leaders to address the root cause of our struggling education system, IPI CEO John Tillman said in a statement, adding, what we find sad, and frankly offensive, is that in a world where so much real, harmful racism exists, political leaders are using the false charge of racism in an attempt to smear policy opponents and distract the people of Illinois from politicians failures.

But several elected officials maintained that the cartoon is shameful, particularly amid heightened racial tensions in the wake of deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and called on Rauner to speak out against the message from the group with which he has been closely aligned.

At the same time the President of the United States is throwing his arms around neo-Nazis and Klansmen, Governor Rauners brain trust at the Illinois Policy Institute weighed in on the SB1 debate by publishing an unambiguously racist cartoon, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Public Schools' CEO Forrest Claypool and Chief Education Officer Janice Jackson said in a joint statement.

Wed call upon the Governor to use his influence as IPIs largest funder and alumni-employer to demand this tasteless cartoon be taken down, but whats the point? Instead, it provides a useful window into his outlook and determination to continue punishing poor and minority children instead of grasping the opportunity in front of him to right decades of unfair and unequal funding for school districts across Illinois. What a disgrace, their statement ended.

But as pressure mounts on Rauner to weigh in, he has refused to join the conversation, with his office saying Friday that he had not seen the cartoon at the center of the debate.

He doesn't have time to worry about political cartoons when we don't have an agreement on K12 funding. His priorities are where they should be, Rauners spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said Sunday, again declining to say if the governor had seen it.
Charges were filed Tuesday against the driver in a crash that killed a pregnant mother and her three young sons near their northern Illinois home, officials announced.

Sean B. Woulfe, 25, was charged with 16 counts of reckless homicide, including two counts of reckless homicide of an unborn child, the Will County States Attorneys Office and the Will County Sheriffs Department announced.

Woulfe, of the 300 block of West 7th Street in Manteno, was driving in excess of 20 mph over the posted speed limit of 55 mph at the time of the crash on July 24, authorities said.

Lindsey Schmidt, 29, of Beecher and her sons, 6-year-old Owen, 4-year-old Weston and 19-month-old Kaleb were on their way to bible classes at Trinity Lutheran Church just after 8:30 a.m. when police said Woulfe blew a stop sign in his pickup truck and struck their sport utility vehicle near the intersection of Yates and Corning.

Schmidt, who was pregnant, and her youngest son Kaleb were pronounced dead at the scene. Weston died at Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago the following evening, while Owen succumbed to his injuries two days later.

Authorities said Woulfe received a traffic citation that was dismissed earlier this month. Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said at the time the case remained under investigation and told the Chicago Tribune a resolution on the traffic citation could have prompted double jeopardy issues should more serious charges be filed later.

The warrant for Woulfe's arrest was signed Tuesday morning, authorities said, and Woulfe was taken into custody at his residence without incident at around 10:30 a.m.

"This is one of the toughest cases with children and whatnot to handle," Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley said at a news conference. "Ive been in this business 29 years and it doesnt get any easier. Were talking about three small children and a mother and it just doesnt get easy, no matter how many years you put in."



Each of the reckless homicide charges are Class 3 felonies, with several of the counts making Woulfe eligible for an extended term of up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

"This is an unspeakable tragedy... because all the victims were from one family. I dont think Mike and I have ever seen anything like this," Glasgow said, adding that prosecutors will be seeking an extended term "where it's appropriate."

Glasgow also praised the children's father for his handling of the tragedy, saying, "He's a god-fearing man and he has taken this as stoically as I imagine any father could do and he deserves tremendous credit for that."

"It's not something you ever even want to imagine," he added.

Officials said there was no evidence of the involvement of illegal drugs or alcohol in the crash, and Woulfe had no significant driving record prior to the crash as far as they knew.

Woulfe is currently being held at the Will County Adult Detention facility, officials said, with bond set at $1 million. He was expected to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
An Illinois man is among the sailors reported missing after a high-tech U.S. Navy destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore early Monday.

Third Class Petty Officer Logan Palmer, from Niantic, Illinois, is one of the ten sailors unaccounted for after the USS John S. McCain collided with the oil tanker, ripping a gaping hole in the warships hull.

Five sailors were injured in the incident, and divers recovered the remains of some of the missing sailors in a flooded compartment of the ship, though the number of bodies found and the identities of the deceased were not released.

Meanwhile, Palmers family  and seemingly his entire community in the small town just outside Decatur  waits for an update, hoping for the best.

Palmer enlisted in the Navy as a Communications Electrician Third Class Petty Officer in April 2016. Prior to joining the military, he was an Eagle Scout for Troop 43, where Chaplain Tim Lee described him as a leader whose legacy in the scouts endured after he left town.

"He definitely was a role model," Lee said. "He was one that the younger boys looked at, you know, and said, 'I wanna be like Logan, I wanna do that.'"

Palmer may have been sleeping in one of the berths, or in one of the communications rooms at the time of the collision, officials said, as search and rescue operations continued.

In his small hometown of under 700 people, Lee said there is a prayer chain that stretches beyond their village, extending hope and faith that Palmers family can find closure and even peace.

"We want to hope for the best, Lee said. But you know, probably realizing that Logan has been called home, if you will."

As families and loved ones of the missing wait for news, Navy officials ordered a pause in operations worldwide for the next couple of days for a global safety check, and have said a full investigation into the collision  the second in two months  will be conducted.
An Italian family of five was "reborn" after all three children buried in the rubble of their home by a 4.0-magnitude quake were pulled to safety Tuesday in a painstaking 16-hour rescue operation on the popular Mediterranean resort island of Ischia.

The Toscano family's happy ending brought cheers from the dozens of firefighters who worked through the night to extricate the two boys and their infant brother, trapped alone for hours after their father was rescued and their pregnant mother managed to free herself from their collapsed apartment in the hard-hit town of Casamicciola.

"I don't know how to define it if not a miracle," the boys' grandmother, Erasma De Simone, said after the family was reunited at a hospital. "We were all dead, and we are reborn."

Though relatively minor in magnitude, the quake Monday night killed two people, injured another 39 and displaced some 2,600 people in Casamicciola and the neighboring town of Lacco Ameno on the northern end of the island.

The damage in Ischia focused attention on two recurring themes in quake-prone Italy: seismically outdated old buildings and illegal new construction with shoddy materials. One woman was killed by falling masonry from a church that had suffered damage in a quake centered in Casamicciola in 1883 that killed more than 2,000 people. Another died in the same apartment complex where the family was saved.

Rescuers hailed the courage of the older boys, who spent 14 and 16 hours respectively waiting to be freed, talking with firefighters all the while, eventually receiving water and a flashlight. One official credited the older boy, 11-year-old Ciro, with helping save his 8-year-old brother, Mattias, by pushing him out of harm's way under a bed.

The boys' grandmother described Ciro as shaken by the ordeal. While Mattias was scared, he also "was sorry because he lost the money in his piggy bank, and lost his toys," she told the ANSA news agency.

When the quake struck just before 9 p.m. Monday, the boys' father, Alessandro Toscano, said he was in the kitchen while his wife, Alessia, was in the bathroom and his two older sons in their bedroom.

His wife managed to free herself through the bathroom window, Toscano told RAI state television, while he was rescued soon afterward by firefighters. But the three boys remained trapped when the upper story of the building collapsed.

In their bedroom, 11-year-old Ciro pushing Mattias under the bed.

"The gesture surely saved them both," said Andrea Gentile of the Italian police. "Then with the handle of a broom he knocked against the rubble, making them heard by rescuers."

The baby, 7-month-old Pasquale, was in the kitchen in a playpen, and the first to be rescued around 4 a.m., seven hours after the quake struck. He cried as rescuers passed him to safety, but looked alert in his still-white onesie.

Firefighters said reaching the two older boys was more delicate, requiring them to create a hole in the collapsed ceiling without destabilizing the structure.

Mattias was extricated first, emerging seven hours after his baby brother, covered in cement dust in his underwear as he clung to firefighters. He was quickly strapped onto a stretcher and whisked into an ambulance.

Finally came Ciro, who rescuers said kept the conversation going throughout the ordeal even though one of his legs was immobilized by the rubble. At the hospital emergency room entrance, his parents awaited his arrival, his mother, who is five months pregnant, sitting in a wheel chair alongside his father, whose hand was bandaged from a fracture.

"It was a terrible night. I don't have words to explain it," Alessandro Toscano told RAI television.

Despite their ordeal, hospital officials say the three children were in remarkably good condition. The two older boys were being treated for dehydration and Ciro for a fracture to his right foot. They were expected to be discharged from the hospital Wednesday.

"For three children saved from the rubble, we have witnessed a true miracle. They are miraculously healthy," said Virginia Scafarto, director of the island's Rizzoli hospital.

The quake struck just two days shy of the one-year anniversary of a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake that devastated several towns in central Italy, killing more than 250.

The Ischia quake hit the resort island famed for its thermal waters during the height of the tourist season, with its population of 64,000 swelled by another 150,000. Many visitors took refuge in parks, sleeping under blankets in the aftermath while authorities began organizing ferries to bring tourists back to the mainland. By late Tuesday, some 11,000 had left for Naples.

Tourism officials said that the damage was localized to Casamicciola and Lacco Ameno, with much of the island business as usual by Tuesday. According to Ermanno Mennella of the Federablberghi hoteliers association in Ischia, just 10 of the island's 310 hotels were impacted by the quake and only three or four were closed for inspection.

Together with the nearby island of Capri, Ischia is a favorite island getaway for the European jet set and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been known to visit at Easter.

The extent of the damage for a relatively light quake raised questions about the prevalence of illegally built structures, often with shoddy materials, on the island in the seismically active area off Naples and the active volcano Vesuvius.

Fabrizio Pistolesi, the head of Italy's national architecture advisory board, told SKY television that many buildings on the island were built before seismic codes were adopted. He also cited the high incidence of illegal construction on Ischia and generally in the Campagna region that includes both the resort island and Naples.

"We know well that in Campagna, more than 200,000 homes were illegally constructed We are talking about homes constructed in absolute scorn of seismic norms," he told Sky TG24.

Former Naples prosecutor Aldo De Chiara said most of the recently constructed buildings on Ischia were built without necessary permits, and many with poor quality cement.

"We warned about the risk of collapses also in the case of not particularly serious temblors," De Chiara told Corriere della Sera newspaper. "Unfortunately, what we had denounced happened last night."
A high-speed train barreled into a parked train at one of SEPTA's busiest terminals overnight, injuring more than 30 people and causing what one passenger described as a bloody scene.

SEPTA officials say the Norristown High Speed Line train 155 was arriving at the 69th Street Transportation Center on Market Street in Upper Darby around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday when it crashed into a train 148 rail car that was unoccupied and sitting in the terminal.



"I stood up to get off to get ready to get to my bus on time and smack, it hit the other trolley, parked," Ronnie, a passenger who asked us only to use his first name, told NBC10.

SEPTA officials initially said 42 people were injured in the crash. During a press conference at 5 p.m. however, Ruben Payan, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said that while 42 people were on board the train, 33 people  including the conductor  were hurt in the crash. While four of the victims are in critical condition, all of the victims are expected to survive.



It's not clear how fast the train was traveling when the crash happened, but passengers described a violent collision. Upper Darby Mayor Thomas Micozzie said the train came into the station "hot."



A passenger who was on a train that crashed into another train that was parked at the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby spoke to NBC10. At least 42 people were injured in the crash.

"My face hit the wall, put a big hole in the wall and I went straight down and I blacked out," Ronnie said. "There was blood everywhere. The driver is all banged up and there was this one girl bleeding out of her face pretty bad."

Three of the victims were taken to the Lankenau Medical Center and the conductor was taken to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. He was treated and later released, according to SEPTA.



The other victims were taken to other area hospitals including Delaware County Memorial Hospital, Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Misericordia Community Hospital, Springfield Hospital and Taylor Hospital.

PHOTOS: 33 Hurt After Train Crashes in Upper Darby

Ronnie claimed that prior to the crash, the train had twice overshot stops during the trip.

"I was waiting at Gulph Mills. The train came by, it blew past us about three or four train lengths, stopped, backed up, picked us up," Ronnie said. "The same thing happened at Bryn Mawr."

SEPTA officials have not confirmed the allegations. NTSB officials arrived at the terminal Tuesday around 7 a.m. to start an investigation. More officials will arrive Tuesday night.

"The NTSB has brought in an eight-member go team. Each team member is an expert in different fields," Payan said. "They will be collecting evidence in their specific disciplines which include mechanical operation, signal and train control, crashworthiness, emergency response and human performance."



Payan said that onboard video recordings from the two trains involved in the crash were downloaded and will be sent to the NTSB vehicle recorder lab in Washington, DC for further analysis.

"Throughout the next few days NTSB investigators will work on scene to gather the details of this accident," Payan said. "Our mission during this accident investigation is to understand not just what happened but why. Why it happened and to recommend changes to prevent it from occurring again."



This is the second major train incident at the 69th Street Terminal this year.

In February, an out-of-service Market-Frankford El train collided with two others on a loop track. The impact caused several cars to derail and tip to the side. Four people were hurt in that incident.

Micozzie said he's concerned about safety at the terminal. He plans to call U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the Philadelphia Democrat, Tuesday and ask for help in improving track safety.



SEPTA spokeswoman Heather Redfern said the Norristown High-Speed Line uses Automatic Train Control, a safety system that's been deployed on rail lines nationwide for decades.

With ATC, a train operator will get an in-cab warning when they violate a speed limit. If they fail to slow the train within a few seconds, the system takes over.

Experts say ATC is an effective technology for preventing crashes, but Amtrak has said it's not as advanced as a newer technology called Positive Train Control (PTC).

PTC can halt a train when it fails to comply with a stop signal and prevent derailments at curves, the rail service wrote in the wake of the 2015 derailment of Amtrak 188 in Northeast Philadelphia.

The Amtrak line Train 188 was traveling on didn't have ATC activated when the derailment happened. PTC was not yet installed on the line. It's since been deployed.



In May, U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan, a Republican, and Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey announced nearly $6 million in federal funding for SEPTA to improve regional rail  SEPTA's commuter train lines  including the enhancement of PTC on those lines.



Norristown High Speed Line service between 69th Street and Norristown resumed as regularly scheduled at 4:20 a.m. Tuesday. One of the tracks is not operational however so passengers should expect delays. Express service is also shut down for the day.
A substance that prompted a hazmat situation in New Haven appears to be just water, but testing is underway to be sure, fire officials said.

New Haven's fire chief told NBC Connecticut that the department responded to a wellness check at a house on Rosettee Street between Arthur and Button streets.

The fire chief said the man in the home was allegedly threatening to hurt himself, but the man was not home when crews responded to the scene.

When crews walked into the home they found potentially concerning liquid on the second floor and called for hazmat crews to respond. However, later the fire chief said the barrels are filled with what appears to be water and they will be testing to confirm.

The man returned to the home while crews were at the scene and is being interviewed.
Connecticut State Police have arrested a Greenwich man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in North Canaan, and this is not the first time the suspect has been charged with sexual assault.

Twenty-two-year-old Taiel Gookool was charged with second-degree sexual assault, risk of injury, and providing alcohol to a minor on Tuesday. He was previously arrested in November 2015 on sexual assault charges out of Greenwich, according to court records.

According to the arrest warrant for the more recent case, the incident was first reported by the victims father on Nov. 12, 2016. The father reported to police that his younger daughter told him shed been raped by someone named Ty while at a friends house in North Canaan in July or August of 2016.

The victim told police that she knew the suspect as Tai and that he forced her to have sex one night when she was staying at a friends house in North Canaan. The victim told police that Tai and another boy came over and that Tai brought vodka for everyone to drink. The victim said that "Tai" raped her and that after it happened, her friends mother caught the boys in the room and kicked them out.

According to the arrest warrant, when police spoke to the victims friend she told police that shed met Tai through Instagram and provided his username.

Police identified Gookool as the suspect through the Instagram account. Police found that Gookool had been talking to other underage girls through his Instagram account. According to an interview noted in the arrest warrant, Gookool denied using the account and said he'd given it away, but there were recent pictures of him posted on it.

Gookool was charged and appeared in court Tuesday in this case. His bond was set at $100,000 in this case.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the November 2015 case.
A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for forcing a 17-year-old girl into prostitution at motels in southern Connecticut.

Brandon Williams, 37, pleaded guilty in March to sex trafficking of a minor.

Authorities said Williams bought the girl from another pimp for $500 and advertised her for sex on websites. A news released from the U.S. Department of Justice says the advertisements were on Backpage and Cityvibe.

Police said they found the girl with a tattoo of a dollar sign on her face and another of Williams' nickname, "14K," on her neck.

Officials say the prostitution occurred at motels in Bridgeport, Milford, Stratford and the Bronx in New York.

Williams' lawyer says in court documents that Williams is remorseful and wants to better himself.

The judge ordered Williams to pay $1,980 in restitution to the victim.
PEMBROKE, Bermuda, Aug. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Endurance Specialty Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:ENH-PC), a wholly-owned Bermuda-based property and casualty insurance and reinsurance subsidiary of Sompo Holdings, Inc. and a member of the Sompo International group of companies, today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $396.875 per share payable on its 6.35% Non-Cumulative Preferred Shares, Series C (the Series C Preferred Shares). The dividend on the Series C Preferred Shares equals $0.396875 per depositary share, each of which represents a 1/1,000th interest in a share of the Series C Preferred Shares (the Series C Depositary Shares).



The dividend on Endurances Series C Depositary Shares will be payable on September 15, 2017 to the shareholders of record of Series C Depositary Shares on September 5, 2017.

About Sompo International

Sompo International is a global specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, headquartered in Bermuda. Through its operating subsidiaries Sompo International writes agriculture, professional lines, property, marine and energy, and casualty and other specialty lines of insurance and catastrophe, property, casualty, professional lines and specialty lines of reinsurance. We maintain excellent financial strength as evidenced by the ratings of A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best (XV size category), A (Strong) from Standard and Poors and A2 from Moodys on our principal operating subsidiaries. Sompo Internationals headquarters are located at Waterloo House, 100 Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke HM 08, Bermuda and its mailing address is Sompo International, Suite No. 784, No. 48 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda. For more information about Sompo International, please visit www.sompo-intl.com.
A New York man suspected of robbing banks in Westport, Darien, Waterbury and Pawtucket, Rhode Island was arrested after a traffic stop in New York.

Alpha Jalloh, 34, of Bronx, New York, was arrested Monday, according to Westport Police.

They said he is suspected in the bank robbery at TD Bank, at 1111 Post Road in Westport, just before 1 p.m. on July 2. Hes accused of passing a note to the teller, stating a robbery was occurring and he had a gun.

When investigators looked at surveillance video, they saw a 2006 to 2008 Lincoln MKZ or Zephyr enter the parking lot right before the robbery and leave right after.

Police also determined that the description of the robber matched the description of the man who robbed the Citizens Bank at 454 Post Road in Darien on June 13, as well as a Citizens Bank in Pawtucket, R.I. and a TD Bank at 1254 West Main St. in Waterbury, police said.

Darien police identified Jalloh as a suspect, according to Westport police.

On July 27, the New York Police Department Fugitive Task Force Team stopped the Lincoln MKZ Jalloh was driving and took him into custody based on warrants out of Darien and Waterbury.

Jalloh admitted to the robbery and the 24-year-old passenger in his car admitted to driving Jalloh to Westport with the intention of committing the robbery, police said.

Jalloh was charged with second-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery and third-degree larceny.

He was held on $100,000 bond.

Charges for his alleged accomplice are pending.
While most college students choose to live on campus or in an off-campus apartment with their friends, Quinnipiac students Kevin Currie and Sarah Cullen are opting to live at Masonicare Ashlar Village, an assisted-living home, with senior citizens in Wallingford.

They arrived at their new home Tuesday morning, greeted by Masonicare staff, and residents hand them the keys to their rooms.

For the next year, Kevin and Sarah will be living at the senior and retirement community, providing care for at least eight hours a week to residents.

Masonicare Coordinator Grace Giannini said this is about breaking the stigma of ageism and showing how similar people can be, despite their age difference.

Whether youre an elder living here in this community, or youre a college student coming in for the first time, its just people meeting people and getting along, Giannini said.

This is the second year of Quinnipiacs Students-In-Residence Program - a collaboration between the school and Masonicare.

The goal is to help students like Sarah and Kevin prepare for careers in elder care by providing an experience they cant find in any classroom.

Sarah, a rising junior studying occupational therapy, has been waiting for this move-in date all summer.

Im just excited to hopefully make a difference here and put some smiles on some faces, she said.

Kevin Currie, a graduate student studying for his MBA, is hoping this experience in eldercare will give him a better perspective of the aging community.

In this country, we seem to forget these folks and I think thats really sad because we can learn a lot from them, he said.

Residents, like Alice Leighner, are just as excited to learn from their new neighbors.

They bring a new perspective, Leighner said, and just fresh ideas. Keep us young. I think were just very lucky to have such nice people because they both are very lovely.
Connecticut U.S. Senator Chris Murphy shot back after President Donald Trump's announcement on his new Afghanistan strategy on Monday night.

"The only new strategy announced tonight was that strategy will no longer be announced," Murphy tweeted on his official account following the president's speech.

In a prime-time address billed as the unveiling of his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said the U.S. would shift away from a "time-based" approach, instead linking its assistance to results and to cooperation from the beleaguered Afghan government, Pakistan and others.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said. "Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on."

Murphy fired back by tweeting that an announcement can't be made if "you're firing all the diplomats".

"You can't announce a strategy that relies on complicated diplomacy with Pakistan/India/Afghanistan when you're firing all the diplomats," Murphy said.

Trump said his "original instinct was to pull out," alluding to his long-expressed view before becoming president that Afghanistan was an unsolvable quagmire requiring a fast U.S. withdrawal. Since taking office, Trump said, he'd determined that approach could create a vacuum that terrorists including al-Qaida and the Islamic State could "instantly fill."

The Connecticut senator, however, said Trump "rehashed a lie" about ISIS and other terrorist groups.

"Trump rehashed the 'U.S. pullout from Iraq created ISIS' lie tonight. The U.S. invasion created ISIS. They just rebranded in 2013," Murphy said.

Trump's speech concluded a months-long internal debate within his administration over whether to pull back from the Afghanistan conflict, as he and a few advisers were inclined to do, or to embroil the U.S. further in a war that has eluded American solutions for the past 16 years. Several times, officials predicted he was nearing a decision to adopt his commanders' recommendations, only to see the final judgment delayed.

The Pentagon has argued the U.S. must stay engaged to ensure terrorists can't again use the territory to threaten America. Afghan military commanders have agreed, making clear they want and expect continued U.S. military help. But elected officials in the U.S. have been mixed, with many advocating against sending more troops.

As a candidate, Trump criticized the war and said the U.S. should quickly pull out, but he also campaigned on a vow to start winning wars. Exiting now, with the Taliban resurgent, would be impossible to sell as victory.

"I think there's a relative certainty that the Afghan government would eventually fall," said Mark Jacobson, an Army veteran and NATO's former deputy representative in Kabul.

And while Trump has pledged to put "America First," keeping U.S. interests above any others, his national security advisers have warned that the Afghan forces are still far too weak to succeed without help. That is especially important as the Taliban advance and a squeezed Islamic State group looks for new havens beyond Syria and Iraq. Even now, Afghan's government controls just half the country.

As officers advocated for the troop increase, the Pentagon did not claim it would end the conflict. But military officials maintained it could help stabilize the Afghan government and break a stalemate with the Taliban.

The setting for Monday night's speech, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, sits alongside Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for many Americans who have died in the war.
Our team of meteorologists have issued a First Alert for strong to severe thunderstorms tonight.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Litchfield, Fairfield, Hartford, and Tolland counties until midnight.

Just after 11 p.m., a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Litchfield County until midnight.

UPDATE: Severe T-Storm Watch expanded in to Fairfield county as well #nbcct #FirstAlertCT pic.twitter.com/wDFXxW7xOz  Kaitlyn McGrath (@KaitMcGrathNBC) August 23, 2017

The line of thunderstorms will move east into central portions of the state by 11 p.m.

Any thunderstorm that does move into the state could become strong to even severe. Severe storms are expected to bring damaging winds, frequent lightning and heavy rain. There is also a slight chance of a small tornado especially for areas of western Connecticut.
A North Texas teen has been added to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list and a reward is now being offered to anyone who can help find him.

Christopher Ricardo Gonzalez, 18, is wanted for aggravated robbery and organized crime, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety news release.

The DPS statement said Gonzalez has ties to the Bloods gang in the South Dallas area, and has allegedly been involved in a string of local home invasions between Oct. 2016 and Feb. 2017. His criminal history also includes unlawful carrying of a weapon, terroristic threats and evading arrest, according to the DPS.



Gonzalez is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds. He may be known as "Little Chris," officials said.

Texas Crime Stoppers offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest and indictment of Gonzalez. All Crime Stoppers tips are anonymous.

To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the five following methods:

 Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477)

 Text the letters DPS  followed by your tip  to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cellphone

 Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about, and then clicking on the link under their picture

 Submit a Facebook tip

 Submit a tip through the DPS Mobile App. The app is currently available for iPhone users on the Apple App Store and for Android users on Google Play.


What to Know Molly Matheson was killed April 10. Megan Getrum killed April 14, the same day detectives interviewed Kimbro about Matheson's death.

Reginald Kimbro indicted on two charges of capital murder, one in Tarrant County and one in Dallas County.

Reginald Gerard Kimbro, the man accused of sexually assaulting and murdering two North Texas women and raping a third, has been indicted on a second capital murder charge.

Kimbro, 24, is accused of killing both 36-year-old Megan Getrum, of Plano, and 22-year-old Molly Matheson, a former college girlfriend who lived in Fort Worth, within days of each other.

Matheson's body was found in her Fort Worth garage apartment by her mother on April 10. Detectives learned Matheson and Kimbro previously dated in 2014 while both were students at the University of Arkansas.

Matheson Family

In an interview with detectives four days after Matheson's death, Kimbro told police he and Molly were no longer dating but had kept in touch. He admitted to being at her apartment the night she died but said he left after a few hours and had nothing to do with her death.

That same day, April 14, was the last time anyone saw Getrum alive. She is believed to have disappeared from the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano, not far from where she lived. Getrum's body was found in Lake Ray Hubbard April 15, but not identified until days later after her family reported her missing.

The man arrested and charged in the murder of a 22-year-old woman found dead in her garage apartment near Texas Christian University last month was twice before accused of sexual assault, according to his arrest warrant.

Authorities said an autopsy report revealed Getrum's death was the result of a "blunt injury" to the back of her neck. She had also been strangled and sexually assaulted. An arrest warrant indicated that detectives found Kimbro's DNA on Getrum's body during an autopsy. Authorities said they matched it with his DNA found earlier on the body of Matheson, who had also been sexually assaulted.

Getrum Family

Given that the two deaths occurred in two different counties, they are being prosecuted separately by two different district attorneys. Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson announced Aug. 10 she was seeking the death penalty in the Matheson capital murder case while Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson is seeking either the death penalty or a life sentence in the the Getrum case, whose body was found in Dallas County.

"We continue to pray for Megan Getrum's family. We also continue to pray for the family of Molly Matheson of Fort Worth, as Reginald Kimbro is also being charged with Capital Murder in connection to her death. We believe that justice will be served in both of these cases," Johnson said Tuesday.

Police said they arrested a man  charged with killing a Fort Worth woman  in connection with the death of a woman found in Lake Ray Hubbard in April.

With a charge of capital murder, a guilty verdict automatically carries a death sentence or mandatory life in prison without parole.

Kimbro was twice before accused of sexual assault, though no charges were filed in either case. The first assault allegedly took place in September 2012 where a woman reported Kimbro sexually assaulted her in Plano. Kimbro was never arrested in this case and the arrest warrant affidavit does not say why prosecutors declined to pursue the case.



The second assault allegedly took place in March 2014 at a resort on South Padre Island. In that incident, Kimbro claimed the sex was consensual and the charges were dismissed. However, in June 2017, the Cameron County District Attorney indicted Kimbro on an aggravated sexual assault charge from the 2014 incident. Officials did not say why, now, they were pursuing the case.



In both cases, police said Kimbro knew the women and strangled them during the assault. While Kimbro's connection to Matheson is clear, investigators have not said if Kimbro knew Getrum.



Kimbro is currently being held at the Tarrant County Lon Evans Correction Center on a $2.1 million bond. Officials have not said when they expect the trials to begin.



Online jail records do not indicate an attorney for him.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has asked the Small Business Administration to declare a panhandle county a disaster area due to recent storms.



Hockley County, west of Lubbock, was devastated by severe thunderstorms that brought heavy rain, wind, hail and flooding to the area between June 30 and July 4.



"As a result of this devastating weather, many homes and businesses were affected in the area creating an economic emergency for the residents of the county," Abbott said in a statement released Tuesday.



Abbott asked the SBA to declare the county a disaster area so that long-term, low interest loans could be made to business owners in the county trying to recover from, or hold off, economic disaster.



"Although Texans affected by these storms have suffered a great deal, I am confident they will face their challenges head on in the aftermath of this disaster," said Abbott. "Rebuilding is never an easy process but the State of Texas is prepared to do everything in its power to assist the Hockley County Community. I ask that the Small Business Administration grant my request quickly so that these Texans have everything they need to get their lives and businesses back on track."

If approved, the loans will allow business owners in the county, and adjacent counties, to rebuild.


A former guard at a federal prison in Southeast Texas must serve 18 months behind bars for smuggling cellphone-capable watches to inmates.

Anqunett Vernetta Lewis of Houston was sentenced Monday in Beaumont. The 34-year-old Lewis in March pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official.

Prosecutors said Lewis was working at the Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, during 2015 and 2016, when she was paid to smuggle watches with cellular capabilities into the lockup.

Inmates are barred from having phones, watches or other devices that can be linked to cellular service.

Investigators said Lewis acknowledged smuggling numerous watches into the prison and was paid by inmates, or on their behalf, via wire transfer.

Lewis, who had faced up to five years in federal prison, must also forfeit $1,700.


A federal judge who has been a frequent target of President Donald Trump's scorn on Tuesday urged a quick trial for a Mexican man who had been shielded from being deported from the U.S. and claims he was wrongly expelled.

Juan Manuel Montes, 23, is the first known participant in the five-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to be deported under Trump, according to supporters.

The government has approved nearly 1.8 million DACA permits, including renewals, since President Barack Obama introduced them in 2012 for immigrants who came to the country as young children and performed well.

The administration says Montes left the U.S. voluntarily, causing the loss of his protected status.

Montes' case doesn't address the program's legal or policy merits, focusing instead on a dispute about what happened to Montes on the night of Feb. 18.

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel made clear from the outset that the crux of the case was whether agents wrongly captured and deported him or if he left on his own.

Montes said he finished dinner with a friend and was seeking a ride home in the California border town of Calexico when a Border Patrol agent stopped him.

When Montes failed to produce identification, he says agents questioned him for two hours in a building and drove him after midnight to the border with orders to walk into neighboring Mexicali, Mexico, without giving him any paperwork.

Both sides agree on what happened next: Montes tried to return to the United States the following night by jumping the border fence in Calexico, was caught by Border Patrol agents and deported to Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security said it has no record that authorities deported Montes two nights earlier and insists that he crossed into Mexico voluntarily, violating a provision of the protective program that requires advanced permission to leave the country.

The judge proposed a trial in four to six weeks, a highly ambitious schedule that appeared to catch attorneys from both sides off guard. Curiel said he anticipated that Montes would be paroled into the United States for the trial and that it would be important to see the Mexican man's "demeanor" in court.

Montes' attorneys said they would be interested in interviewing Border Patrol agents and witnesses and reviewing any surveillance video before trial. A government attorney said he wanted to interview Montes.

Curiel ordered the two sides to return to his courtroom Wednesday to discuss how to get the case to trial.

Curiel previously approved a settlement in a separate case for Trump to pay $25 million to end lawsuits alleging fraud at his now-defunct Trump University. As the Republican presidential front-runner last year, Trump suggested that the Indiana-born jurist's Mexican heritage prevented him from being impartial.

Montes, who came to the United States when he was 9, graduated from high school in 2013 and pursued a welding degree at a community college, according to his lawsuit. He then worked two years picking crops in California and Arizona.

He qualified for the DACA program in 2014 and renewed his status for two years in 2016. He currently lives in Mexico.

The Trump administration has sent mixed signals on DACA's future, allowing the program to continue but saying its fate is undecided. Several state attorneys general are threatening a legal challenge.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VANC Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("VANC") announced today that it has filed and mailed its notice of meeting and management information circular ("Circular") for its annual general and special shareholders' meeting to be held on September 15, 2017 (the "Meeting").



At the Meeting, VANC is facing a proxy contest from "Union Venture Trading SA" ("Union"), a private BVI company, that, with only about 5% stated ownership of our shares, is looking to control 100% of our board.

The VANC board believes that Union is not acting independently, but is controlled by Mahmoud S. Aziz ("Aziz"), who, for years, had de facto control of VANC under previous management. Your VANC board believes that Aziz has launched, through Union, the current proxy contest to reassert control of VANC. The interests of Aziz and his affiliates are not aligned with those of other shareholders . Once in control, the VANC board believes that Union's nominees intend to deploy VANC's resources for the benefit of Aziz and his affiliates.

At the Meeting, we are asking shareholders to vote FOR the election of our four highly qualified director nominees, Messrs. Bob Sukhwinder S. Rai, David Hall, Alan Arnstein and Sherif Guorgui , all of whom are current directors.

We encourage shareholders to read in full our Circular, which includes our letter to shareholders, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. In the coming days, VANC will also add materials and information related to the proxy contest on its' website at www.vancpharm.com. We encourage shareholders to regularly visit our website to stay fully informed about the proxy contest and the progress your VANC board is making to stop the Aziz Group's takeover attempt.

A summary of our letter to shareholders, a full copy of which is contained in our Circular, follows:

VOTE FOR VANC'S NOMINEES FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS

The VANC board has a clear strategy to create and maximize long-term shareholder value.

VANC's management has been working hard to put in place an exciting strategy to position VANC for considerable success in 2017 and beyond. We believe that it is not enough to simply be another low cost alternative generic to the pharmaceutical industry. To this end, VANC's strategy for value creation centers on repositioning VANC to become a health solutions provider for pharmacies by focusing on premium over-the-counter products, generic prescription drugs and point-of-care technologies. In the first quarter of 2017, we refreshed our sales team and refined our strategy. We believe that our refined strategy is beginning to yield results, as demonstrated by our significant sales growth in the second quarter of 2017.

Our proposed nominees are highly qualified, and will operate VANC without conflict for the benefit of all shareholders.

Our four highly qualified nominees are Bob Sukhwinder S. Rai, David Hall, Alan Arnstein and Sherif Guorgui , all of whom are current directors. All of our nominees have expertise and experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and, unlike Union's nominees, are free of any conflicts of interest . Each of our nominees is well respected in the pharmaceutical industry, understands and appreciates VANC's business strategy and goals and is committed to using his independent business judgement, gained over decades of collective business leadership and experience, to act in the best interests of VANC. Unlike the dissident's nominees, the interests of our nominees are aligned with shareholders.

VOTE AGAINST THE DISSIDENT'S NOMINEES FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS

Union is an offshore company and the identity of its principals has been kept secret.

Union, a private company domiciled offshore in the British Virgin Islands, has not provided any information about its principals, except that they are domiciled in Hong Kong. Ask yourself why Union would keep the identity of its principals secret. The VANC board believes that Union is controlled by Aziz through, or together with, its secret principals. The links between Union, Aziz and Canagen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company controlled by Aziz ("Canagen", and with Union and Aziz, the "Aziz Group"), are too numerous to be a mere coincidence.

Union has offered no business plans, ideas or strategies for VANC.

Union has not offered any strategy or plan for building shareholder value, nor has it provided any business plans or strategies for VANC following the Meeting. It is not in the best interest of the shareholders to install a new board that has not disclosed its plans.

In December 2016, Union issued a news release in which it indicated that it was requisitioning a shareholders' meeting to remove the VANC board. Union made no prior efforts to communicate with VANC's management. If Union was truly concerned about VANC's future, it would have engaged in meaningful and comprehensive discussions with VANC's management. Attempts by the VANC board to constructively resolve the current dispute were rejected by Union. Your VANC board believes that Union has failed to put forward a business plan for VANC because its only plan following the Meeting is to raid VANC's assets for the benefit of the Aziz Group.

Canagen, a company controlled by Aziz, has a sordid history with VANC.

Canagen is a private British Columbia company controlled by Aziz. Canagen has a lengthy, sordid history with VANC. This history is intertwined with a series of related party transactions involving the Aziz Group. We have discovered that Aziz and his affiliates took hundreds of thousands of dollars from VANC's treasury between June 2012 and June 2015 in a number of largely unreported related party transactions, including payments under an office lease and a "consulting" agreement, repayment of an outstanding loan and payments of finder's fees. Canagen's nominees were also paid additional cash compensation during this time. During this same period, VANC's total revenue was minimal, meaning payments to the Aziz Group represented a significant portion of VANC's total expenses.

Union is a nominee of Aziz, and the Aziz Group unlawfully circumvented Canadian securities laws in acquiring de facto control of VANC under previous management.

We believe that the Aziz Group has committed numerous egregious and ongoing violations of Canadian securities laws. In 2012, Canagen became a de facto control person and "insider" of VANC, but it purposely obfuscated its share ownership by registering its holdings in the names of various nominees in violation of applicable "insider", "early warning" and "takeover bid" laws in Canada.

As compared to Union's approximately 5% stated ownership in VANC, Union is seeking the appointment of 100% of the VANC board. In most acquisitions of control, shareholders receive a significant premium to the current share price in exchange for such control. Union is offering no compensation to shareholders whatsoever . If Union is interested in controlling VANC, it should make a premium offer on the open market, instead of attempting to gain control through back channels.

The interests of Union's nominees are not aligned with the interest of VANC's shareholders. If Union is successful, the Aziz Group will operate VANC for its Benefit, which will have material adverse consequences on shareholders' investment and VANC's business.

The VANC board believes that the interests of Union's nominees are not aligned with the interests of VANC's shareholders. When Canagen had de facto control of Vanc, it completed a number of related party transactions favourable to itself. Your VANC board is concerned that if Union is successful, its nominees will conduct a series of related party transactions to benefit the Aziz Group at the expense of all other VANC shareholders:

If Union is successful, your VANC board believes that Union's nominees will settle Canagen's outstanding dispute with VANC in Canagen's favour. Canagen is currently demanding more than $500,000 from VANC.





from VANC. Your VANC board expects that if Union's nominees are elected, they will force VANC to cover all of the Aziz Group's proxy fight and litigation expenses, which will likely be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.





If Union is successful, VANC believes that Union's nominees will dismiss VANC's existing action against Aziz and Canagen for defamation, in which VANC is claiming damages of at least $2 million. Your VANC board also believes that the Aziz Group will sweep its blatant breaches of securities laws under the rug.





A change of control of VANC could seriously jeopardize VANC's pending acquisition of HealthTab Inc., which we believe will be a significant accretive acquisition for VANC. Union's proxy contest has also jeopardized other ongoing negotiations regarding separate accretive transactions being explored by VANC.





If Union's nominees are elected, management and other key employees have indicated that they plan to resign from their current positions, which could have a material adverse impact on VANC's business, operations and future prospects.





Union's slate is grossly inexperienced and unqualified.

Union has assembled a patchwork team of nominees who are individually and collectively unsuitable for the VANC board, and who possess little or no relevant operational expertise. VANC's shareholders should question why Union nominated this particular group of directors, instead of a more qualified team, to run VANC. The VANC board believes that the nominees were chosen by Union specifically because they could act as nominees for the Aziz Group. Shareholders are entitled to openness and transparency. By trying to keep their conflicts of interest hidden, the dissident's nominees have shown that they cannot be trusted.

Compared to Union's nominees, VANC's nominees are a much more prudent choice. VANC's nominees will work for the benefit of all shareholders, have a clear strategy and possess the collective experience to build long-term value for shareholders. Shareholders are encouraged to vote their PINK proxy today to stop Union from taking control.

On behalf of:

VANC Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Bob Sukhwinder S. Rai

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves VANCs expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. VANC generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," "future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming," and similar expressions to help identify forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements include projected increases and revenues and the benefits derived therefrom, VANC's nominees' and management's ability to create long term value, the anticipated impact of point of care technologies, potential regulatory approval of VANC's products, the benefits of proposed acquisitions, the actions of the Aziz Group and its nominees and their effects on shareholders, the benefits of the anticipated actions of VANC's nominees, the effects of the replacement of VANC's nominees on the VANC board by Union's nominees, the intention of Union's nominees and VANC's strategy for value creation. Forward-looking statements reflect the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts of our management. Because forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which are difficult to predict, our actual results, performance or achievements or the actual results or performance of the industries and markets in which we operate and intend to operate may be materially different from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant uncertainties and risks, should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be an accurate indication of whether or not such results will be achieved. The forward-looking statements and information are made as of the date of this news release and are based on understandings and reasonable assumptions, beliefs, opinions and expectations of the board of directors at the time they were made. These assumptions, which include VANC's current expectations, estimates and assumptions about its business and the markets VANC operates in or is planning to operate in, the North American economic environment, the market for over-the-counter and generic drugs and point-of-care technologies in Canada, VANC's ability to obtain financing, VANC's ability to implement its business strategies and complete proposed acquisitions, VANC's ability to manage its assets and operating costs, and the voting results at the meeting, may prove to be incorrect. Readers are also cautioned to consult VANC's public filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, which outline additional risks and assumptions. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results. There can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which these forward-looking statements and information are based will occur. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits VANC will obtain from them.

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There are more than 200 public charter schools in South Florida. Many of them are high-performing, excellent alternatives to traditional public schools. In fact, driven by competition from charters, weve seen an explosion of innovation in the Miami-Dade and Broward public school district classrooms over the past few years. The superintendents from both counties say, bring it on, weve got the goods.

This is a district driven by choice, driven by innovation, driven by parent demand, said Alberto Carvalho, Miami-Dade Public Schools superintendent. I think choice competition is a good thing, let parents make a choice, I think we have a superior product for them to choose from.

I no longer refer to Broward County public schools as traditional, all of our schools are innovative schools, said Robert Runcie, superintendent of the Broward County School District. There are opportunities for every kid.

The local school districts are practically in a race to create more options available to students. Theyve added hundreds of magnet and choice programs over the past five or six years. In just one example of many, Broward went all-in on debate, expanding it to every high school, every middle schools, and now even into some elementary schools. The county now leads the nation in access to debate programs.

Debate is one of those great skills that our students need to have in terms of looking at information, analyzing facts, being able to communicate effectively, Runcie said, explaining the reasoning behind the emphasis on debate.

Both districts have International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, arts magnet programs and STEM magnets. With specialized schools such as Design and Architecture Senior High, iPrep Academy, the New World School of the Arts, and MAST Academy, Miami-Dade has a unique smorgasbord of possibilities.

Were the fourth largest school system in America but we have the strongest choice portfolio of any school system of any size in the United States, not just in numbers but in terms of quality, we have the highest rated magnet programs anywhere in the country, boasted Carvalho.

Both districts strategically place choice options at schools which face the most competition from charter schools. Broward has reversed a trend which saw it losing thousands of students. Their enrollment numbers are going up now.

Were glad to see that trend and I think that trend is an example of the fact that were working very hard to meet the needs of our students in our communities, Runcie said.

We are extremely competitive and to a certain extent, the choice movement forced us to become better, but i think now we out-perform it, said Carvalho.

Parents, if youre not sure what to do, investigate your options on the web sites of the Miami-Dade and Broward school districts. You will find public school programs for every interest. In fact, a new state law allows students to cross county lines to go to school.

The days of having to live in a particular district to attend school there are over. So as the superintendents say, if you cant find what youre looking for, youre not looking hard enough.
President Donald Trump's plan to end America's longest war and eliminate Afghanistan's rising extremist threat involves sending up to 3,900 additional U.S. troops, senior officials said Tuesday. The first deployments could take place within days.

In a national address Monday night, Trump reversed his past calls for a speedy exit and recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old conflict, saying U.S. troops must "fight to win." He warned against repeating what he said were mistakes in Iraq, where an American military withdrawal led to a vacuum that the Islamic State group quickly filled.

Trump would not confirm how many more service members he plans to send to Afghanistan, which may be the public's most pressing question about his strategy. In interviews with television networks Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence similarly wouldn't give any clear answer, but he cited Pentagon plans from June calling for 3,900 more troops.

"The troop levels are significant, and we'll listen to our military commanders about that," Pence said.

Although the Pentagon's plans are based on 3,900 additional troops, the exact number will vary as conditions change, senior U.S. officials said. Those officials weren't authorized to speak publicly on the figures and demanded anonymity.

They said the Pentagon has told Trump it needs the increase, on top of the roughly 8,400 Americans now in the country, to accomplish Trump's objectives. Those goals, he said Monday night, include "obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaida, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge."

Speaking to reporters in Iraq, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis declined to confirm a precise number Tuesday, saying he was waiting for more input from Gen. Joseph Dunford, America's top military official. Mattis said he will "reorganize" some U.S. troops in Afghanistan to reflect the new strategy.

Meanwhile, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East said he expects the first reinforcements to arrive "pretty quickly," within days or weeks.

"What's most important for us now is to get some capabilities in to have an impact on the current fighting season," Gen. Joseph Votel, who spent last weekend in Afghanistan, told reporters traveling with him to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Most of the new forces will train and advise Afghan forces to improve their combat abilities, or provide security for American adviser teams in the field, Votel said. U.S. counterterror forces will make up a smaller portion, as will other support forces and medical personnel.

About 460 of the total troops will help the U.S. train more Afghan special commandos in more locations, said U.S. Maj. Gen. James Linder, commander of U.S. and NATO special operations forces in Afghanistan.

Before he was a presidential candidate, Trump argued for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan and called the war a massive waste of U.S. "blood and treasure." On Monday, he suggested an open-ended commitment rather than a "time-based" approach.

"Conditions on the ground  not arbitrary timetables  will guide our strategy from now on," Trump said.

At its peak involvement in 2010-2011, the U.S. had roughly 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama then started bringing them home, drawing criticism for the public timetables he provided for his planned drawdown and ultimate withdrawal of forces.

Trump was among those who argued that Obama was aiding the enemy by telegraphing U.S. intentions. On Monday, Trump said he wouldn't discuss troop numbers, military tactics or timetables. "America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out," he said.

However, the American public may insist on knowing how many of its citizens are waging a war overseas.

The administration invariably will have to provide updates to Congress, which pays the military's bills, and to key U.S. allies, whose troop contributions it seeks.

Obama, too, had reversed himself on withdrawing from Afghanistan as security worsened. Taliban militants have made gains, and the fractious Afghan government currently controls about half the country.

Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government welcomed Trump's strategy, with President Ashraf Ghani saying it will help stabilize the region.

Allies responded positively, too.

Germany, which contributes 950 troops in northern Afghanistan, approved the U.S. readiness for a "long-term commitment" and agreed the military's continued deployment should be "linked to the conditions on the ground."

Trump offered few specifics of how his strategy would be implemented. He didn't say how the U.S. would get Pakistan to crack down on militant sanctuaries on its soil  long a point of contention that has led Washington to restrict aid to the country.

Insisting that the U.S. was intent on "killing terrorists" rather than "nation building," Trump gave little indication of how the U.S. would use other instruments of American power to end the conflict.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that after an effective military effort, a political settlement including some Taliban might be possible, echoing language of the Obama years. He said the U.S. would support peace talks with the Taliban "without preconditions."

On Pakistan, Tillerson said Tuesday that the U.S. could consider sanctions or cutting off Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally if it doesn't crack down on the Taliban and other extremist groups.

U.S. lawmakers reflected the division among Americans about whether to press on with the Afghan conflict or pull back.

Republican John McCain of Arizona, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman who'd criticized Trump for delays in presenting a plan, said Trump was "now moving us well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of merely postponing defeat."

Maryland's Ben Cardin, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's top Democrat, said he failed to see how another "surge" of forces in Afghanistan would turn the tide on the insurgency. He expressed concern that Trump was ceding significant responsibility to his defense secretary.

Baldor reported from Muscat, Oman, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Associated Press writers Robert Burns in Baghdad, Kathy Gannon in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.
Dozens of people gathered outside the statue of former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo late Monday afternoon as debate continues over whether or not it should be removed.

Previously planned demonstrations from groups both against and in favor of the statue's removal were planned for 4 p.m. Monday. They were postponed however after both groups announced they were meeting with current Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney to discuss the issue. Joe Mirarchi didn't attend the meeting with Kenney but is working with the pro-Rizzo group that did.

"There were so many people that wanted to come out today for this rally in support of Frank Rizzo," Mirarchi said. "Not just his statue but his legacy."



Despite the announcement that Monday's demonstrations were postponed, around 100 people still gathered at Thomas Paine Plaza Monday outside the statue which remains protected by barricades and police officers. The majority of the crowd appeared to be advocating for the statue's removal, including Anthony Smith, a member of the Philly Coalition for R.E.A.L. Justice.

"A lot of my elders say when they walk past city hall they remember when they were younger and Frank Rizzo's police force used to patrol the area and drag women by their hair out of their homes," Smith said.



Monday's rally briefly shut down traffic around city hall and caught the attention of David Sarfatti who was driving through Center City. Sarfatti believes the Rizzo statue should stay.

"These are historical monuments," Sarfatti said. "Frank Rizzo I know is controversial. No doubt about it. But so is Franklin Delano Roosevelt."

The debate over Rizzo was reignited after Philly councilwoman-at-Large Helen Gym called for its removal.



"There will be a City-led public process for moving the Rizzo statue to a location better reflective of its complicated history," she said in her latest statement released Monday. "Monuments are not about permanence; they move and change as cities evolve.

A spokesperson for Mayor Kenney told NBC10 that if a decision is made to move the statue, city policy dictates that there must be a public forum before it's moved.

Over the weekend, Gym took to Twitter and renewed her call to have the Rizzo statue removed from Philadelphia property after a week of vandalism targeted imagery of the former mayor.

When it comes to public space, they must reflect values of the welcoming/ inclusive Philadelphia we aspire to be -- no matter how imperfect, Gym tweeted hours after vandals threw paint on an Italian Market mural of Rizzo in South Philadelphia.

The mural vandalism came after a series of eggings, protests and the spray-painting of Black Power onto Rizzos statue outside the Municipal Services Building in Center City.

My call is and has always been for a respectful public process to move the statue to a better location, Gym said. I'm committed to that.

The string of vandalism follows renewed calls for the removal of public images in cities around the country in the wake of the deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month, and national discussion over how to handle statues and monuments linked to racism and other emotionally-charged issues.

Driven by Gym, there is growing support for removing tributes to Rizzo, who died of a heart attack in 1991. Some call the statue and mural reminders of Rizzo's strained history with the African-American and gay communities during the late 1960s and 1970s.

Rizzo, a hard-charging, big-mouthed icon of head-cracking law enforcement in Philadelphia, served as police commissioner for four years before serving two terms as the citys mayor from 1972 to 1980. His friends, family and fans remember him as a devoted public servant unafraid to speak his mind. Thousands of people signed a recent online petition to keep the statue in place.

Frank Rizzo means many things to many people, Gym said. He was known & loved by those who knew & loved him. Moving the statue doesn't take that away. The hatred and violence I and others have received also points to a legacy of racism/violence by those who profess to honor his memory.

Gym claims the vandalism is nothing new.

The statue and mural have long been the most vandalized in the city. It is not new and points to how divisive his legacy remains," she said.



Groups have spent parts of the last year calling for Rizzos statue to be removed and the mural in South Philly was targeted in May and back in 2012.

Lowlights from Rizzo's time as police commissioner include an incident in 1970 of officers raiding the Philadelphia headquarters of the Black Panthers and forcing the men to strip in public.

Supporters of Rizzo claim he wasn't a racist however, citing the fact that he integrated police cars with African American and white officers during his time as mayor.


The suspect wanted in the shooting death of a man outside an apartment building in Haverford Township has been arrested by U.S. Marshals in Georgia, Haverford police said.

Derrick Rollins had been on the run since allegedly shooting John Le, 29, outside a row of three-story apartment houses July 29 in the 2300 block of Haverford Avenue.

A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals confirmed the arrest. Rollins was spotted at Valley Apartments in Decatur, outside of Atlanta. He allegedly fled in the apartment complex, but was eventually captured.

He is being held at the DeKalb County Prison while awaiting extradition. That process could take a few days, the U.S. Marshals spokesman said.

Le's cousin described the Temple University graduate and Trader Joe's employee as "his mom's baby." He was the youngest of three boys. Le's mother had been praying inside a nearby Catholic church during the shooting and walked out just in time to see the ambulance rush by, the family said.

She didn't realize until later that her son was inside.

Several witnesses saw a man dressed in a red hoodie fleeing along Haverford Avenue immediately after the gunfire. The busy road is a mix of residences and commercial properties and the shooting happened early Saturday evening during a busy time for pedestrians in the normally quiet Delaware County town.

Check back for more details as they become available.

Police have identified the suspect in a Haverford Township murder and continue to search for him. NBC10s Brandon Hudson has the details.
Windtree Therapeutics Inc. announced Friday it will receive a $3.9 million loan from a Hong Kong-based investment holding firm as part of the Bucks County biotech company's financial restructuring plans.

The deal makes good on a goal of Windtree CEO Craig Fraser, who told the Business Journal in May he wanted to enter a partnership before the end of 2017 that would help the Warrington-based firm's Aerosurf product get to market.

Aerosurf is Windtree's lead drug-device combination and it's being developed to prevent respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants.

The $3.9 million loan from Lee's Pharmaceutical (HK) Limited, according to Windtree, will be dispersed in three equal monthly installments beginning with the first portion that was received on Aug. 15.



To read the full story, click here.

For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal.
Reversing his past calls for a speedy exit, President Donald Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan Monday night, declaring U.S. troops must "fight to win." He pointedly declined to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched to wage America's longest war.

In a prime-time address to unveil his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said the U.S. would shift away from a "time-based" approach, instead linking its assistance to results and to cooperation from the beleaguered Afghan government, Pakistan and others. He insisted it would be a "regional" strategy that addressed the roles played by other South Asian nations  especially Pakistan's harboring of elements of the Taliban.

"America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress," Trump said. "However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check."

Still, Trump offered few details about how progress would be measured. Nor did he explain how his approach would differ substantively from what two presidents before him tried unsuccessfully over the past 16 years.

Although Trump insisted he would "not talk about numbers of troops" or telegraph military moves in advance, he hinted that he'd embraced the Pentagon's proposal to boost troop numbers by nearly 4,000, augmenting the roughly 8,400 Americans there now.

Before becoming a candidate, Trump had ardently argued for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling the war a massive waste of U.S. "blood and treasure" and declaring on Twitter, "Let's get out!" Seven months into his presidency, he said Monday night that though his "original instinct was to pull out," he'd since determined that approach could create a vacuum that terrorists including al-Qaida and the Islamic State would "instantly fill."

"We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy, with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will," Trump said in comments echoed by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Earlier this year, Trump announced he was entrusting Mattis and the military with the decision about how many troops would be needed. In talking points sent Monday to congressional Republicans and supportive groups, the White House affirmed that the troop numbers were up to Mattis and added that the administration wasn't seeking more money from Congress for the strategy in the current fiscal year, which concludes at the end of next month.

While Trump stressed his strategy was about more than just the military, he was vague on other "instruments of American power" he said would be deployed in full force to lead Afghanistan toward peace, such as economic development or new engagement with Pakistan and India. Absent military specifics, it was difficult to assess how his plan might dissolve the stalemate between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

On one point  the definition of victory  Trump was unequivocal. He said American troops would "fight to win" by attacking enemies, "crushing" al-Qaida, preventing terror attacks against Americans and "obliterating" the Islamic State group, whose affiliate has gained a foothold in Afghanistan as the U.S. squeezes the extremists in Syria and Iraq.

Trump's definition of a win notably did not include defeating the Taliban, the group whose harboring of al-Qaida led the U.S. to war in Afghanistan in the days after the 9/11 attacks. Like President Barack Obama before him, Trump conceded that any solution that brings peace to Afghanistan may well involve the Taliban's participation.

"Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan," Trump said. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in a statement after the speech, said the U.S. was ready to support peace talks with the Taliban "without preconditions."

Talk of future Taliban reconciliation was one of several echoes of Obama woven into Trump's plan. Like Trump, Obama insisted near the start of his presidency that the "days of providing a blank check are over," urged a regional approach and said U.S. assistance would be based on performance.

Still, Trump was intent on differentiating his approach from his predecessors  at least in rhetoric. He emphasized there would be no timelines, no hamstringing of the military and no divorcing of Afghanistan from the region's broader problems.

One step being considered to further squeeze Pakistan is to cut foreign aid programs unless Islamabad clamps down on the Taliban and an associated group known as the Haqqani network, senior administration officials told reporters ahead of Trump's speech. Using civilian and military aid as a pressure lever with the Pakistanis has been tried for years.

Trump's speech concluded a months-long internal debate within his administration over whether to pull back from the Afghanistan conflict, as he and a few advisers were inclined to do, or to embroil the U.S. further in a war that has eluded American solutions for the past 16 years. Several times, officials predicted he was nearing a decision to adopt his commanders' recommendations, only to see the final judgment delayed.

And while Trump has pledged to put "America First," keeping U.S. interests above any others, his national security advisers have warned that the Afghan forces are still far too weak to succeed without help. Even now, Afghan's government controls just half the country.

In Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid dismissed Trump's speech as "old" and his policy as "unclear." But the plan was cheered by Afghanistan's government. Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan envoy to Washington, called it a "10 out of 10."

"We heard exactly what we needed to," Mohib said in a phone interview. "The focus on the numbers has taken away the real focus on what should have been: what conditions are required and what kind of support is necessary."

Among U.S. elected officials, the reception was equally mixed, reflecting the deep divisions among Americans about whether to lean into the conflict or pull back.

John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman who'd criticized Trump for delays in presenting a plan, said the president was "now moving us well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of merely postponing defeat." House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the speech was "low on details but raises serious questions."

"Tonight, the president said he knew what he was getting into and had a plan to go forward. Clearly, he did not," said Pelosi, D-Calif.

At its peak, the U.S. had roughly 100,000 in Afghanistan, under the Obama administration in 2010-2011. The residual forces have been focused on advising and training Afghan forces and on counterterror operations  missions that aren't expected to dramatically change under Trump's plan.

"I share the America people's frustration," Trump said. But he insisted, "In the end, we will win."
President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military will increase troop support in Afghanistan during a national address Monday.

Trump said he hopes to avoid the mistakes made in the past with a hasty withdrawal from Iraq.

America will continue support of the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field, said Trump in his national address.

In June, Defense Secretary James Mattis received confirmation to send approximately 3,900 troops to Afghanistan to help advise Afghan forces.

However, some in San Diego are concerned about what will be done with the troops.

U.S. Marine veteran Aaron Brooks of the Truman National Security Project, a nation-wide organization that came together after the Sept. 11 terror attacks to help shape national security, said he wanted to hear more than just hard defense from the president.

We need to see diplomacy, democracy, and defense implemented in ways that involve partnering with other nations in the region, said Brooks.

Brooks said he and other veterans in the San Diego community know that war is not a game with pieces on the board, but there has to be a strategic end to the combat.

According to Trumps national address, his strategy consists of an enduring outcome without the sacrifice of lives, not allowing the terrorist groups in the Afghan region to flourish, and alleviating tensions between Pakistan and India.

I am a problem-solver, and in the end, we will win, Trump said.
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.

No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.

Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.

Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
The U.S. Department of State issued an updated travel advisory for citizens traveling to Mexico, expanding a Dec. 8 warning to include the state of Quintana Roo, home to several resorts popular with American tourists.

The advisory issued Tuesday hits at the heart of Mexico's tourism industry. Quintana Roo, which includes resort towns of Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, and Tulum, has seen a rise in homicide rates, according to the State Department.

"While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted criminal organization assassinations, turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens. Shooting incidents, in which innocent bystanders have been injured or killed, have occurred," the advisory warned.

In a state-by-state assessment, the department reiterated the dangers of traveling in the northern state of Baja California, which includes Cabo San Lucas, Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, Tecate and Mexicali, and advised citizens to exercise caution.

"Criminal activity and violence, including homicide, remain an issue throughout the state," according to the State Department. Homicides rates this year have increased compared to the same period in 2016, according to the Secretary of Public Security for the State of Baja Calif.

The State Department noted there is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens based on their nationality. However, shooting incidents involving criminal organization assassinations and turf battles between criminal groups, have occurred during daylight hours in areas frequented by U.S. citizens.

Innocent bystanders have been injured in the ongoing public acts of violence between rival criminal organizations, officials said.

Mexico City, Hidalgo, Guanajuato (includes San Miguel de Allende and Leon), Campeche, Puebla, Queretaro, Tabasco (includes Villahermosa), Tlaxcala and Yucatan (includes Merida and Chichen Itza) do not have advisories in effect.

U.S. citizens can contact the nearest U.S. embassy or Consulate in Mexico at +52-55-5080- 2000 x4440, (5080-2000 for calls in Mexico City, 01-55-5080-2000 for long distance calls in Mexico) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT. In case of an emergency, the after-hours number for U.S. citizens is +52-55-5080-2000.


Veterans and their families listened carefully and attentively Monday to President Donald Trump's address when he announced more troops will be sent to Afghanistan--some in support but still left with unanswered questions.

"I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia," explained President Trump during his address. "One way or another, these problems will be solved. I'm a problem-solver. In the end, we will win."

Trump did not say how many more troops would be deployed nor when but did say the threat from terrorists is still very real.

Jean Jensen, the mother of a Sergeant once deployed in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, said she agreed terrorism was a threat.

"We still have to protect and fight ISIS because it's obvious what's happening with Barcelona and Finland, and everything else that's been going on in the last few days--they're not going to give up," Jensen said.

Jensen's whole family has served, including her husband and two sons.

She told NBC 7 she knows firsthand the sacrifices families make and uncertainty during deployment.

"Very scared, because I knew my son was out in the field. He was a combat medic. He had to shoot, defend and bring in wounded soldiers on both sides," she said.

Trump has flip-flopped on the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan over recent years.

In 2013, he tweeted out, "we should leave Afghanistan immediately."

The war in Afghanistan will near 16 years come October, making it by far the longest war our nation has fought.
The Virginia Department of Education formally asked almost 100 child protective service agencies in the state to ensure theyre properly reporting cases of sex abuse by public school teachers.

The superintendent of public instruction wrote and released the memo days after a News4 I-Team investigation revealed a failure by Arlington County Child Protective Services.

The I-Team found the agency failed to notify state officials to revoke the license of a former Arlington Public Schools teacher whom they investigated for sexually abusing a former third grade student. The teacher was able to work as an assistant principal in the Prince Georges County Public Schools district for years because of the error.

In his memo to child protective service agencies statewide, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven P. Staples said, Without such notice, an individual who is the subject of a founded case of child abuse or neglect may continue to hold a teaching license in Virginia and possibly secure licensure and/or employment in another state.

According to state education records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, a September 2013 investigation by Arlington County Child Protective Services found former Claremont Elementary School teacher Zevlin Staten sexually abused a third grade student in 2006. The state records said the abuse occurred inside a classroom closet and continued in successive years when the girl was in the fourth and fifth grades.

Police investigated Staten but said it didnt have evidence to recommend criminal charges. Staten was not prosecuted. The records show he has denied the accusations from the outset. Staten maintains his innocence, according to his attorney. He declined to be interviewed by the I-Team.

The I-Team investigation also revealed Staten was better able to keep teaching, despite the finding of child abuse, because of a loophole in Virginia state law. The law allows teachers who appeal findings of sex abuse to maintain their teaching licenses and be removed from a state child abuse registry for the duration of their appeals. Statens appeal lasted almost two years.

State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-Arlington) formally requested the Virginia Department of Social Services review its regulations to patch the loophole.

I found your report very disturbing on multiple levels, Favola said. I think school systems need full information before they hire somebody.

Favola said a child safety commission for which she serves as chairwoman will stage a formal hearing into the issue in September.

Individuals are entitled to a due process procedure, Favola said. I certainly dont want to violate that. But I want to provide as much information as possible to people who are hiring people who will be role models and leaders for children in our schools.

Arlington County Department of Human Services officials, who oversee the countys Child Protective Services agency, said they are not allowed to comment on the handling of specific cases. The county will look into and address any report that a required notification was not received and also ensure that its protocols are updated, an agency spokesman said in a statement to the I-Team.

The Arlington County Department of Human Services said it would support efforts to close any loophole in state child safety regulations.

Arlington County is committed to the health, safety and well-being of children, and would be supportive of any effort to improve and strengthen protections for them, a spokesman said. This would include pursuing regulatory changes, better information sharing by state agencies, or, if necessary, advocating for legislative action at the state level.

Statens case was discovered languishing in October 2016 by Arlington Public Schools. A school district spokeswoman said officials became aware Staten was teaching in Prince Georges County and began an inquiry.

Staten resigned his position as an assistant principal at Thomas Johnson Middle School in Prince Georges County Public Schools in January 2017.

Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Steve Jones.


A Virginia priest took a leave of absence on Monday after he admitted that he was previously a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Father William Aitcheson, a priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington, burned a cross on an African-American couple's lawn in College Park, Maryland, in the 1970s.

Aitcheson, 62, wrote about his past Klan affiliation Monday in The Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocese's newspaper. He currently is an associate pastor at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia.

The images from Charlottesville brought back memories of a bleak period in my life that I would have preferred to forget. The reality is, we cannot forget, we should not forget," he wrote in The Arlington Catholic Herald. To anyone who has been subjected to racism or bigotry, I am sorry. I have no excuse, but I hope you will forgive me.

Aitcheson wrote in the essay that images from violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, inspired him to speak out. But a reporter's inquiry may have played a role.

The diocese said in a statement issued Wednesday that a "freelance reporter, who introduced herself as a parishioner" contacted the diocese and said she knew that Aitcheson's name matched that of the man convicted of cross-burnings.

"Fr. Aitcheson was approached about this, he acknowledged his past and saw the opportunity to tell his story in the hopes that others would see the possibility of conversion and repentance, especially given the context of what occurred in Charlottesville,' the statement says.

Information was not released immediately on when the reporter contacted the diocese.

Aitcheson wrote in the essay that his involvement with the KKK ended 40 years ago, and he denounced some of his activities with the white supremacist group, including burning crosses. However, he did not publicize details of his time leading the Robert E. Lee Lodge of the Maryland Knights of the KKK, which was active in Prince George's County.

The priest's public statement did not list many details of his time with the KKK, including that he was charged with several crimes in 1977 after police accused him of burning crosses and building pipe bombs and Molotov Cocktails in his home, News4's Mark Segraves learned from Aitcheson's FBI files.

Aitcheson was convicted on criminal charges in 1977 after the cross-burnings, one of which drew a response from President Ronald Reagan years later.

Reagan paid a visit in 1982 to the home of Phillip and Barbara Butler, the victims of a cross-burning after they moved to a mostly white neighborhood in College Park, Maryland. Reagan's visit came a week after a judge ordered Aitcheson to pay the Butlers $23,000 in damages.

On Tuesday, Barbara Butler said she never got any money. She said she and her husband are retired and could use the money.

The diocese just learned about the civil suit over the weekend and said it is working with Aitcheson to make restitution.

Aitcheson also was sentenced to 90 days in jail in 1977 after a series of criminal charges involving allegations that he was involved in multiple cross-burnings, including the Butlers' home, and had threatened to kill Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.

According to a 1977 Washington Post article, Aitcheson was charged with six cross burnings, one count of making bomb threats and two counts of manufacturing pipe bombs.

At the time of Aitcheson's arrest, the Washington Post reported that Aitcheson's group planned to bomb homes of African-Americans and the offices of the NAACP in Prince George's County.

Aitcheson credited religion for helping him move past racism and bigotry.

My actions were despicable. When I think back on burning crosses, a threatening letter, and so on, I feel as though I am speaking of somebody else. Its hard to believe that was me, he wrote.

"If there are any white supremacists reading this, I have a message for you. You will find no fulfillment in this ideology. Your hate will never be satisfied, and your anger will never subside," he continued.

In his article, Aitcheson wrote that his membership in the Klan is public information but rarely comes up.

Aitcheson also was sentenced to 90 days in jail in 1977 after a series of criminal charges involving allegations that he was involved in multiple cross-burnings, including the Butlers' home, and had threatened to kill Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr.

He was ordained in 1984 in Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas, Nevada, and came to Arlington in 1993.

"At the time he began ministry here in 1993, the diocese learned of his past as well as his sincere conversion of heart," a spokesman for the diocese said in an email. "His conversion is evidenced, in part, by the fact that we have had no accusation of racism while ministering in the Diocese of Arlington."



His first assignment in the Arlington Diocese was with St. Elizabeth Church in Colonial Beach. He also worked at churches in Fredericksburg, Woodstock, Warrenton, Chantilly and Fairfax City.

While Fr. Aitchesons past with the Ku Klux Klan is sad and deeply troubling, I pray that in our current political and social climate his message will reach those who support hate and division, and inspire them to a conversion of heart, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge wrote in a statement.

Aitcheson also announced he would take a temporary leave of absence from parish duties.
A spokesman for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said a federal funding agreement for a 16-mile light rail project in the traffic-choked suburbs of the nation's capital is expected to be signed "in the very near future."

Doug Mayer, the governor's spokesman, said the agreement would free up $325 million in federal funds already appropriated and a total of $900 million over the life of agreement.

He said Hogan spoke with U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao earlier in the day, as well as on Friday.

Mayer is calling the development "a major win for the state and local communities."

The Purple Line will run through Montgomery and Prince George's counties, two suburbs of Washington, D.C.
It was a glam shot that got ugly.

The wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin dove headlong into a social media skirmish this week, blasting a critic of her Instagram post highlighting her high fashion choices. Calling the commenter "adorably out of touch," Louise Linton suggested she and Mnuchin contributed more to the U.S. economy and paid more in taxes than did her critic.

After a day of mounting criticism, the Scottish actress issued an apology Tuesday. But she had already assumed a starring role in the continuing story of the Trump administration's enormous wealth.

"I think spouses of political appointees are usually not fair game for critics, but with Trump, tensions are heightened," said Republican political consultant Alex Conant.

The drama began Monday when Linton posted a photo of herself getting off a government plane in Kentucky with Mnuchin. In her post, Linton mentioned several designer labels for her white ensemble, including Tom Ford and Valentino.

Commenter Jenni Miller responded from Oregon: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton shot back, defending herself and Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive and hedge fund investor.

"Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours," Linton wrote. She went on to call Miller's response "passive aggressive" and "nasty" before ending her retort with a suggestion that Miller "go chill out and watch the new game of thrones."

Miller told CNN she found Linton's original post "incredibly offensive," saying Linton went to a state with high poverty and "chose to brag about her outlandishly expensive clothes. It's more than tone-deaf, it's deplorable."

In her apology, Linton said: "I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive."

Norm Eisen, President Barack Obama's chief ethics attorney, called Linton a "Marie Antoinette for our age." In an email, he added that in the Bush or Obama administrations, a spouse of an official who replied that way and the official "would have been counseled."

The White House referred questions about Linton to the Treasury Department, which said Mnuchin and Linton are reimbursing the government for Linton's travel and that Linton received no compensation from the fashion labels mentioned in her post.

Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff for former first lady Laura Bush, said people in high-level government jobs and their spouses must be careful about their public statements.

"Fairly or unfairly, you are held to a higher standard on how to respond and what kind of dialogue you should engage in," she said. "Don't take the bait."

In a Cabinet with plenty of wealth, Mnuchin is among the richest members. He worked for Goldman Sachs for nearly two decades and later founding a successful hedge fund. He also ran a company that invested in Hollywood movies including such blockbuster hits as Avatar. He married Linton, who has had small roles in television shows and movies, in a lavish Washington wedding in June. Trump attended the wedding and Vice President Mike Pence officiated.

Before the wedding, Linton gave an interview to "Town and Country" magazine to talk about her jewelry, a lavish collection of diamonds and pearls.

Like the businessman president, Trump's team is packed with high rollers, including Education Secretary Betsy Devos, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, as well as daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both senior advisers.

This isn't the first time their wealth has drawn attention. The president has chosen his lavish Florida vacation home as a place to host foreign dignitaries. During the transition, Ivanka Trump displayed a high-end bracelet on "60 Minutes." The Washington hangout of choice for staffers and hangers-on is the opulent Trump International Hotel.

Still, Trump has always promoted his image as a wealthy mogul, unlike politicians who have tried to downplay their riches. Said Conant: "It has always been part of Trump's brand and it's extended to his cabinet."

Mnuchin was visiting Kentucky on Monday for an appearance with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a tour of Fort Knox. Treasury secretaries typically travel on commercial flights for domestic trips. The department did not answer questions about why the couple was using a government plane.

It's not the first time Linton has raised eyebrows. Last year she apologized after being criticized for a self-published memoir of a year she spent in Africa as a teen, and withdrew the book. Critics deemed the book inaccurate in its depiction of life on the continent. An excerpt was published online by The Telegraph, but taken down by the British newspaper "in light of the concerns raised by readers."
Authorities said a New Hampshire man is facing an attempted murder charge after running over a person.

Bow police say they responded to its Irving Station on Route 3A Monday for a report of a person who was run over by a vehicle. When they got there, they found that witnesses had lifted the vehicle and removed the victim, who was laying on the ground, and that the driver had fled the scene.

Concord Fire's ambulance took the victim to a local hospital for serious injuries, and witnesses provided a description of the suspect. Police would not provide further details about the victim, describing the incident as domestic in nature.

The suspect, identified later as 28-year-old Laconia resident Jason Alleyne, was seen running across I-93 toward Concord, and was eventually arrested by both Bow and Concord police.

Alleyne was booked on multiple charges, including attempted murder, vehicular assault, first-degree assault and stalking.

He's due to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in Merrimack County Superior Court. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

The investigation is ongoing.
Police in East Providence, Rhode Island, say a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run Monday night and that the suspect has turned himself in.

Officers responded to 911 calls for a pedestrian struck on Newport Avenue around 8 p.m. Witnesses said the vehicle, a red SUV, fled the scene.

The female victim was found unconscious on the ground and was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where she later died. The woman was an East Providence resident in her 40s and her name has not been released.

During investigation, one of the witnesses was able to provide a registration number of the vehicle, which revealed it to be a rental. The rental vehicle had already been returned and another vehicle was taken out by the suspect.

Police made contact with the suspect, identified as 53-year-old Jackson, Florida, resident Paul Newman, who turned himself in a short time later.

He is set to be arraigned Tuesday morning. Its not clear if he has an attorney.
Massachusetts police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing man last seen in Sherborn on Sunday.

Police said there is an active search for 20-year-old Alexander Barberio in the area of Hopkinton State Park.

Barberio's family told police he walked away from home after testing positive for Lyme disease and while showing significant cognitive problems.

Barberio is described as 5' 10", 115 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He also wears glasses. Police said he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, tan khakis and brown shoes at the time of his disappearance. He may also be carrying a backpack with a change of clothes and a bible.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Sherborn Police at 508-653-2424.
A Rhode Island woman was arrested on a DUI charge after crashing her car into a liquor store in North Stonington, according to Connecticut State Police.

State Police said that 48-year-old Katrina Oliver, of West Kingston, Rhode Island, crashed her vehicle into the Cork and Barrel Liquor store at 270 Clarks Falls Road around 3:50 p.m. Saturday. No injuries were reported.

According to police, Oliver failed field sobriety tests and was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of drugs/alcohol.

Oliver was issued a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 5.
A convicted sex offender is due in court after being arrested again in Lowell, Massachusetts, for allegedly raping a woman.

Vincent Lucas, 54, is accused of raping and strangling a woman near the Concord River last week.

The victim was able to escape.

Police say Lucas has a long criminal history, including a 2011 conviction for indecent assault.

A judge will decide whether Lucas is too dangerous to be released on bail, pending trial.
Police in Watertown, Massachusetts, are searching for a suspect after a vehicle was stolen Tuesday morning and crashed.

A tow truck operator witnessed the 2013 black Volkswagen being stolen in the area of 330 Arsenal St. just before 2 a.m.

The vehicle was located on Western Avenue in Brighton, where it had crashed into an object.

The suspect could not be found at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
War veteran's bid to launch new business scuppered by Monster's claim

A NEWBURY man and his start-up drinks company are going head-to-head with international, multi-billion-dollar giant Monster Energy in a trademark battle for the right to name itself Thirsty Beasts.

Thirsty Beasts was developed in 2015 by Iraq War veteran Daniel Smith, from Newbury, who wanted to provide a range of low sugar and caffeine-free drinks for adults and children.

Thirsty Beasts aims to quench your thirst and keep you healthy.

It was started by Mr Smith as he believed that there was a lack of healthy drinks available at venues and stores, and he wanted a healthy option available for his two daughters.

However, days away from the launch of his first drink in 2016, he was forced to abort his plans when the drinks giant opposed his trademark application, implying their customers would confuse their brand with his.

Monster Energy has opposed the application owing to the inclusion of the words Monster or Beast, considering it too close to its Unleash the Beast or Rehab the Beast slogans found on the reverse of some cans and it claims consumers could confuse the two.

Mr Smith said: I would be extremely surprised if any regular or new customer of Monster Energy would confuse the brands as there are distinct differences between them.

Consumers are clever enough to know the difference between a healthy drink and an energy drink.

We dont believe Thirsty Beasts is similar to their branding at all.

Mr Smith has funded the entire start-up himself, building the website, developing branding and trialling many drinks variations along the way.

He added: I am already a year into an emotionally stressful and financially debilitating process.

Monster is hell-bent on ensuring Thirsty Beasts is stopped dead in its tracks.

Mr Smith says he has had to take out money from his savings and divert money that would have otherwise been used on his family and personal life just to try and keep the business afloat.

He has also been putting all the money that should have been going into the business into legal issues, which prevent him from progressing his ideas.

Mr Smith said: Its true I could have chosen the easy route and dropped this at the beginning, picked a new name and started all over again.

But I had already committed so much time, effort and my own money into my passion that I simply could not turn my back on this.

Its also a matter of pure principle  why should they tell me or any company start-up that we dont have the right to exist?

Mr Smith and his representative European trademark and design attorney, Dale Campbell, have submitted their final rebuttal, before a decision is set to be made by the Intellectual Property Office.

The Newbury Weekly News contacted Monster Energy for a comment, but no response was given by the time this paper went to press.
Hungerford "sparkle of light celebrates milestone birthday

A HUNGERFORD woman has celebrated her 100th birthday with a fun-filled event surrounded by her family and friends, .

When Mary Maisie Ronan was born on July 28, 1917, the Russian Revolution was underway and David Lloyd George was British Prime Minister during the First World War.

Maisies centenary celebrations were organised by the staff at Hungerford Care Home, where she has lived for more than three years.

She has been living locally since 1947 after emigrating from Dublin.

In 1947, she married Michael  a carpenter at Newbury Racecourse  at St Josephs Roman Catholic Church in Newbury.

She has two children, Vinny and Paul, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren  with a fourth on the way.

Her hobbies range from group activities to singing, to being an active member of the womens club.

Maisies son, Vinny, said his mother was a very relaxed and laid- back person who takes each day as it comes.

Many of her family were there to share her special day with her.

Staff at the care home said Maisie was overjoyed to see everyone and was thrilled when she received her congratulatory letter from the Queen.

Bella Balaci, the manager of the home, described Maisie as a sparkle of light who has been an energetic presence for a few years.

She said: Her charisma bounces off the other residents of the home and she has a smile that is contagious.

We felt privileged to celebrate Maisies birthday with her.

What an amazing person Maisie is.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today restrained Vodafone Group's arbitration proceeding against India, under a treaty with the United Kingdom, in connection with a Rs 11,000 crore tax demand raised against the company in relation to its USD 11 billion deal acquiring stake of Hutchinson Telecom.

Justice Manmohan restrained Vodafone or its subsidiaries from going ahead with arbitration under the India-UK Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA) as the telecom major had initiated similar proceedings on the same issue under the the India-Netherlands BIPA.

"This court is of the prima facie view that in the present case, there is duplication of the parties and the issues. In fact, the reliefs sought by the defendants under the India-UK BIPA and by the Vodafone International Holdings BV (VIHBV), the subsidiary of defendants (Vodafone group), under the India-Netherlands BIPA are virtually identical."

This court is further of the prima facie view that there is a risk of parallel proceedings and inconsistent decisions by two separate arbitral tribunals in the present case. In the prima facie opinion of this Court, it would be inequitable, unfair and unjust to permit the defendants to prosecute the foreign arbitration," the court said in an interim order. It also issued notice to Vodafone and sought its response by October 26 on the central government's plea seeking a permanent injunction against the telecom major from proceeding with the arbitration under the India-UK BIPA.

In its interim order, the court was also of the prima facie view that "India constitutes the natural forum for the litigation of the defendants' (Vodafone and its subsidiaries) claim against the plaintiff (Centre)". The court noted that government was of the view that the USD 11 billion acquisition of stake of Hutchinson Telecommunications International Limited (HTIL) in Hutchinson Essar Limited (HEL) by Vodafone was liable for tax deduction at source (TDS) under the Income Tax Act.

As Vodafone had not deducted the tax at source, the government had raised the demand of Rs 11,000 crore which was subsequently quashed by the Supreme Court on January 20, 2012, the high court said. Thereafter, the government made a retrospective amendment to the Income Tax Act which re-fastened the liability on Vodafone, the high court order noted.

Aggrieved by the imposition of tax, VIHBV invoked the arbitration clause under the BIPA between India and Netherlands through a notice of dispute of April 17, 2012 and notice of arbitration of April 17, 2014, the 10 page order said. While the proceedings under the India-Netherlands BIPA was pending, Vodafone initiated arbitration under the India-UK BIPA on January 24 this year.

Challenging the second arbitration, the government, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, has said the two claims are based on the same cause of action and seek identical reliefs but from two different tribunals constituted under two different investment treaties against the same host state.

The ASG, assisted by central government standing counsel Sanjeev Narula, argued before the high court that the arbitration proceedings initiated under the India-UK BIPA was an abuse of the process of law. The government lawyers argued that disputes encompassing tax demands raised by a host state are beyond the scope of arbitration provided under the bilateral investment treaty as taxation is a sovereign function and the same can only be agitated before a constitutional court of the host state. They also contended that laws passed by the Parliament cannot be adjudicated by an arbitral tribunal and do not fall within the ambit of BIPA or any other international treaty.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today restrained Vodafone Group's arbitration proceeding against India, under a treaty with the United Kingdom, in connection with a Rs 11,000 crore tax demand raised against the company in relation to its USD 11 billion deal acquiring stake of Hutchinson Telecom. Justice Manmohan restrained Vodafone or its subsidiaries from going ahead with arbitration under the India-UK Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA) as the telecom major had initiated similar proceedings on the same issue under the the India-Netherlands BIPA. "This court is of the prima facie view that in the present case, there is duplication of the parties and the issues. In fact, the reliefs sought by the defendants under the India-UK BIPA and by the Vodafone International Holdings BV (VIHBV), the subsidiary of defendants (Vodafone group), under the India-Netherlands BIPA are virtually identical." This court is further of the prima facie view that there is a risk of parallel proceedings and inconsistent decisions by two separate arbitral tribunals in the present case. In the prima facie opinion of this Court, it would be inequitable, unfair and unjust to permit the defendants to prosecute the foreign arbitration," the court said in an interim order. It also issued notice to Vodafone and sought its response by October 26 on the central government's plea seeking a permanent injunction against the telecom major from proceeding with the arbitration under the India-UK BIPA. In its interim order, the court was also of the prima facie view that "India constitutes the natural forum for the litigation of the defendants' (Vodafone and its subsidiaries) claim against the plaintiff (Centre)". The court noted that government was of the view that the USD 11 billion acquisition of stake of Hutchinson Telecommunications International Limited (HTIL) in Hutchinson Essar Limited (HEL) by Vodafone was liable for tax deduction at source (TDS) under the Income Tax Act. As Vodafone had not deducted the tax at source, the government had raised the demand of Rs 11,000 crore which was subsequently quashed by the Supreme Court on January 20, 2012, the high court said. Thereafter, the government made a retrospective amendment to the Income Tax Act which re-fastened the liability on Vodafone, the high court order noted. Aggrieved by the imposition of tax, VIHBV invoked the arbitration clause under the BIPA between India and Netherlands through a notice of dispute of April 17, 2012 and notice of arbitration of April 17, 2014, the 10 page order said. While the proceedings under the India-Netherlands BIPA was pending, Vodafone initiated arbitration under the India-UK BIPA on January 24 this year. Challenging the second arbitration, the government, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, has said the two claims are based on the same cause of action and seek identical reliefs but from two different tribunals constituted under two different investment treaties against the same host state. The ASG, assisted by central government standing counsel Sanjeev Narula, argued before the high court that the arbitration proceedings initiated under the India-UK BIPA was an abuse of the process of law. The government lawyers argued that disputes encompassing tax demands raised by a host state are beyond the scope of arbitration provided under the bilateral investment treaty as taxation is a sovereign function and the same can only be agitated before a constitutional court of the host state. They also contended that laws passed by the Parliament cannot be adjudicated by an arbitral tribunal and do not fall within the ambit of BIPA or any other international treaty.
While most New Yorkers could simply step outside and see the Great American Eclipse from rooftops or sidewalks, thousands headed to Central Park seeking a little more space to spread out and enjoy the celestial event. "The Sheep Meadow is our favorite place," Talia Barrington explained.

Barrington, 29, and Jordan Cowan, 27, headed to the 15-acre expanse with their homemade pinhole camera, which they made earlier that morning. "We realized we wouldn't be able to get glasses so we bought this six dollar tube from FedEx," he said, adding, "The foil came pretty easily."

The four-foot tube attracted the curious, and Cowan said that was part of the plan, "We figured [the pinhole camera] could be our bartering chip to ask people to use their glasses."

Over at Bethesda Terrace, the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York set up six telescopes for the public to view the eclipse, resulting in a huge line that circled around the fountain. The group set up at 12:15 p.m. and president, Marcelo Cabrera, said that they'd seen 500 people per hour.



Marcelo Cabrera, president of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York, holds up a solar viewer (Sai Mohktari / Gothamist)

They also distributed binoculars, solar glasses and portable solar viewers for parkgoers to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. Cabrera has seen two solar eclipseone in Egypt and a cloudy one in China. "I didn't go to the path of totality [this time] because I thought it would be selfish," he explained. "I have all this equipment, so I thought I should stay here and let everyone enjoy it."

As the peak partial eclipse (71%) neared at 2:44 p.m., clouds drifted over the sun and moon, prompting cheers when they'd momentarily clear. Cabrera believed that in spite of the huge hype for the Great American Eclipse, there was something very human in our desire to gather for it: "We're so used to seeing something with technology or photos from the Hubble Space Telescope. But this is something we can see with our own eyes."
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Infosys former CFO V Balakrishnan has said the company should have increased the size of its buyback plan to boost investor confidence amid the uncertainties at the firm, but maintained that the probe by the US law firms will have no bearing on the offer.

Terming the timing of up to Rs 13,000-crore buyback as "unusual", the former executive said while the pricing of Rs 1,150 apiece is "reasonably good", the board could have been more "forceful" in setting the price target for the buyback. "They could have done with a larger corpus and maybe price of Rs 1,200 which would create enough confidence for investors," he told PTI.

A day after Vishal Sikka, Infosys' first non-founder CEO resigned, the board of the IT giant approved the buyback of 11.3 crore shares at Rs 1,150 apiece. The price was set up at almost 25 per cent premium to the closing price of Rs 923.10 on August 18, the day when Sikka resigned.

Infosys shares had dropped by over 5 per cent yesterday as the company's share buyback announcement failed to cheer investors.

"Just announcing a buyback without saying anything when there is a lot of uncertainty like the CEO moving away and the spat with the founders not coming to an end... I think the buyback somewhere loses its sheen," Balakrishnan said. He plans to participate in the buyback programme as well.

Asked if the response to buyback offer would be impacted by the ongoing investigations by four law firms in the US, Balakrishnan answered in the negative. He said the law firms are investigating whether they can file a class action suit and have to undergo the stipulated processes and find support before proceeding with any lawsuit.

"It is sometime away. I don't think it will have any impact on the buyback," he said.

Sikka resigned last week citing slander by founders. The board, which has blamed co-founder Narayana Murthy for the CEO's resignation, has said it will find a replacement latest by March 31, 2018.

Balakrishnan, whose views mirror those of Murthy, has also demanded that chairman and co-chair as also heads of the audit and renumeration committees step down to address charges of corporate governance lapses. He stressed that the re-constitution of the board is a must, before the company commences its search for a new CEO.

Interestingly, Omkar Goswami, a former member of the Infosys board (2000-15), has written a public letter in an economic daily suggesting that Murthy should walk away before further destroying his reputation and debilitating Infosys.

"Your actions have de facto created a crisis that has forced the exit of a CEO, led to a stupendous 9.6 per cent drop in the share price, and a loss in market capitalisation of over Rs 22,600 crore in one trading day, and initiated the process of class-action suits in the US," he wrote.

NEW DELHI: Infosys former CFO V Balakrishnan has said the company should have increased the size of its buyback plan to boost investor confidence amid the uncertainties at the firm, but maintained that the probe by the US law firms will have no bearing on the offer. Terming the timing of up to Rs 13,000-crore buyback as "unusual", the former executive said while the pricing of Rs 1,150 apiece is "reasonably good", the board could have been more "forceful" in setting the price target for the buyback. "They could have done with a larger corpus and maybe price of Rs 1,200 which would create enough confidence for investors," he told PTI. A day after Vishal Sikka, Infosys' first non-founder CEO resigned, the board of the IT giant approved the buyback of 11.3 crore shares at Rs 1,150 apiece. The price was set up at almost 25 per cent premium to the closing price of Rs 923.10 on August 18, the day when Sikka resigned. Infosys shares had dropped by over 5 per cent yesterday as the company's share buyback announcement failed to cheer investors. "Just announcing a buyback without saying anything when there is a lot of uncertainty like the CEO moving away and the spat with the founders not coming to an end... I think the buyback somewhere loses its sheen," Balakrishnan said. He plans to participate in the buyback programme as well. Asked if the response to buyback offer would be impacted by the ongoing investigations by four law firms in the US, Balakrishnan answered in the negative. He said the law firms are investigating whether they can file a class action suit and have to undergo the stipulated processes and find support before proceeding with any lawsuit. "It is sometime away. I don't think it will have any impact on the buyback," he said. Sikka resigned last week citing slander by founders. The board, which has blamed co-founder Narayana Murthy for the CEO's resignation, has said it will find a replacement latest by March 31, 2018. Balakrishnan, whose views mirror those of Murthy, has also demanded that chairman and co-chair as also heads of the audit and renumeration committees step down to address charges of corporate governance lapses. He stressed that the re-constitution of the board is a must, before the company commences its search for a new CEO. Interestingly, Omkar Goswami, a former member of the Infosys board (2000-15), has written a public letter in an economic daily suggesting that Murthy should walk away before further destroying his reputation and debilitating Infosys. "Your actions have de facto created a crisis that has forced the exit of a CEO, led to a stupendous 9.6 per cent drop in the share price, and a loss in market capitalisation of over Rs 22,600 crore in one trading day, and initiated the process of class-action suits in the US," he wrote.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The inter-ministerial group set up to look into the financial stress in the telecom sector may suggest extending the timeline for deferred spectrum payment by telcos, as this was among the proposals on which the panel reached a "consensus", an official said.

The drafting of report will take a day or two and the panel will "try" to meet this week again.

"The IMG will attempt to finalise its report by August 27. There is consensus on various issues, including increasing the time for deferred spectrum payment and shifting from PLR to MCLR for interest and penalty payments with regard to licence fee and spectrum charges," the IMG member said.

The inter-ministerial group, constituted to suggest measures to ease the financial stress in the telecom sector, held its meeting here today.

The Telecom Commission is slated to meet on September 1 and IMG report could be placed before the Commission during that meeting.

The IMG which comprises senior officials from the ministries of finance and communications last met on August 11 and deliberated on various proposals that can be taken to address the financial woes of the industry.

The inter-ministerial panel is learnt to be favourably considering measures, including increasing period of deferred spectrum payment to 16 years, a proposal that would improve the cash flow of telecom companies.

At the last meeting, some members felt that large-scale policy intervention may not be required as green shoots have become visible in the sector during the first quarter.

Currently, a portion of spectrum auction amount is taken as upfront payment by the Department of Telecom (DoT) and the balance after a two-year moratorium is paid out every year in 10 instalments.

There are indications that the telcos could be given 16 years instead of 10 years for such deferred spectrum payment. The other proposals being discussed include convergence between DoT and RBI guidelines on the issue of allowing spectrum as collateral.

The IMG is also considering a proposal to shift from PLR to MCLR for interest and penalty payments, pertaining to licence fee and spectrum usage charges.

The inter-ministerial group in June had held extensive discussions with all telecom players and large banks on the industry's financial difficulties.

Established telecom operators have been flagging pressure on profitability and revenue, and have blamed competition intensified by the entry of Reliance Jio for their woes.

The industry has a debt of over Rs 4.6 lakh crore and has been seeking sops to overcome the crisis.

NEW DELHI: The inter-ministerial group set up to look into the financial stress in the telecom sector may suggest extending the timeline for deferred spectrum payment by telcos, as this was among the proposals on which the panel reached a "consensus", an official said. The drafting of report will take a day or two and the panel will "try" to meet this week again. "The IMG will attempt to finalise its report by August 27. There is consensus on various issues, including increasing the time for deferred spectrum payment and shifting from PLR to MCLR for interest and penalty payments with regard to licence fee and spectrum charges," the IMG member said. The inter-ministerial group, constituted to suggest measures to ease the financial stress in the telecom sector, held its meeting here today. The Telecom Commission is slated to meet on September 1 and IMG report could be placed before the Commission during that meeting. The IMG which comprises senior officials from the ministries of finance and communications last met on August 11 and deliberated on various proposals that can be taken to address the financial woes of the industry. The inter-ministerial panel is learnt to be favourably considering measures, including increasing period of deferred spectrum payment to 16 years, a proposal that would improve the cash flow of telecom companies. At the last meeting, some members felt that large-scale policy intervention may not be required as green shoots have become visible in the sector during the first quarter. Currently, a portion of spectrum auction amount is taken as upfront payment by the Department of Telecom (DoT) and the balance after a two-year moratorium is paid out every year in 10 instalments. There are indications that the telcos could be given 16 years instead of 10 years for such deferred spectrum payment. The other proposals being discussed include convergence between DoT and RBI guidelines on the issue of allowing spectrum as collateral. The IMG is also considering a proposal to shift from PLR to MCLR for interest and penalty payments, pertaining to licence fee and spectrum usage charges. The inter-ministerial group in June had held extensive discussions with all telecom players and large banks on the industry's financial difficulties. Established telecom operators have been flagging pressure on profitability and revenue, and have blamed competition intensified by the entry of Reliance Jio for their woes. The industry has a debt of over Rs 4.6 lakh crore and has been seeking sops to overcome the crisis.
By PTI

BENGALURU: Amid the uncertainty surrounding IT major Infosys following the sudden resignation of Vishal Sikka, Interim CEO and MD U B Pravin Rao has assured employees that the company will "stay the course".

In an e-mail to staffers, Rao acknowledged that the road ahead will not always be easy, but asked them to stay focused. "This wont always be easy in the days ahead. Not with the intense attention on us. This can be unsettling. But only if we let it. And that we must not," Rao said.

Pointing out that this was not the first time Infosys has been up against a tough challenge -- be it rough economic conditions, near-impossible projects or leadership exists -- he said, "We have seen it all. And there hasn't been a single occasion  not even one  from which we did not emerge stronger, wiser and most importantly still together as one team Infosys."

"We can do it again and we will. Helping each other, when it is needed, to stay focused on what matters - our commitments, our clients, our vision of who we really are," he added. Rao, who was COO of Infosys, was appointed the Interim- Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, following Sikkas resignation.

Last Friday, Sikka, the first non-founder CEO of Infosys, resigned from the company following months of acrimony with high-profile founders, led by N R Narayana Murthy, citing "malicious" and "personal attacks" on him. Noting that he wants Infosys to stay the course, Rao sought support from the employees to weather the crisis.

"Having learned so much, having done so much, having come so far, we can clearly see the road ahead lies long and winding but leads to greatness," he said. "I want for us to stay the course. I know you want it too, for yourself and for your Infosys. Thats why I know I can rely on your continued support. And you in turn can rely on your leadership, and on my personal support," Rao added.

Asserting that Infosys will continue to execute on the strategy that has been laid out, Rao pointed out how new services are gaining traction, the embrace of automation is helping the company become more productive and how it is creating more and more opportunities to focus towards innovation.

"In fact, you have achieved so much over the past several quarters. Strengthened by movements like Zero Distance, you have begun an exciting journey of innovation relying on your creative confidence. "You must continue the incredible work. We must all continue the work we do to create the value our clients are counting on us to deliver," he said. Calling it a huge responsibility, he added, "...thats why there can be no disruptions to the work we set out to do every day. As has always been, the foundation for this will continue to be our culture, our values  especially our ability to learn, and do more  much more to create real value - than simply execute the jobs we are handed."

BENGALURU: Amid the uncertainty surrounding IT major Infosys following the sudden resignation of Vishal Sikka, Interim CEO and MD U B Pravin Rao has assured employees that the company will "stay the course". In an e-mail to staffers, Rao acknowledged that the road ahead will not always be easy, but asked them to stay focused. "This wont always be easy in the days ahead. Not with the intense attention on us. This can be unsettling. But only if we let it. And that we must not," Rao said. Pointing out that this was not the first time Infosys has been up against a tough challenge -- be it rough economic conditions, near-impossible projects or leadership exists -- he said, "We have seen it all. And there hasn't been a single occasion  not even one  from which we did not emerge stronger, wiser and most importantly still together as one team Infosys." "We can do it again and we will. Helping each other, when it is needed, to stay focused on what matters - our commitments, our clients, our vision of who we really are," he added. Rao, who was COO of Infosys, was appointed the Interim- Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, following Sikkas resignation. Last Friday, Sikka, the first non-founder CEO of Infosys, resigned from the company following months of acrimony with high-profile founders, led by N R Narayana Murthy, citing "malicious" and "personal attacks" on him. Noting that he wants Infosys to stay the course, Rao sought support from the employees to weather the crisis. "Having learned so much, having done so much, having come so far, we can clearly see the road ahead lies long and winding but leads to greatness," he said. "I want for us to stay the course. I know you want it too, for yourself and for your Infosys. Thats why I know I can rely on your continued support. And you in turn can rely on your leadership, and on my personal support," Rao added. Asserting that Infosys will continue to execute on the strategy that has been laid out, Rao pointed out how new services are gaining traction, the embrace of automation is helping the company become more productive and how it is creating more and more opportunities to focus towards innovation. "In fact, you have achieved so much over the past several quarters. Strengthened by movements like Zero Distance, you have begun an exciting journey of innovation relying on your creative confidence. "You must continue the incredible work. We must all continue the work we do to create the value our clients are counting on us to deliver," he said. Calling it a huge responsibility, he added, "...thats why there can be no disruptions to the work we set out to do every day. As has always been, the foundation for this will continue to be our culture, our values  especially our ability to learn, and do more  much more to create real value - than simply execute the jobs we are handed."
Thushara Ann Mathew By

Express News Service

Lipsmacking dishes that use healthy ingredients, available at reasonable prices. No, this is not a Utopian fantasy.Tucked away in the bylanes of Burma Bazaar are 10-12 stalls that have been serving piping hot Burmese cuisine.

CHENNAI: As you walk down the busy streets of Burma Bazaar around dusk, one thing that is sure to catch your attention is a line-up of food stalls selling dishes with funny names. Atho, Bejo, Mohinga, etc. are all some popular Burmese food items that have become quite a rage among the city's foodies. I am a huge foodie and I am always exploring different cuisines and varieties of food. It was during my college days that a friend told me about Burmese food at Burma bazaar. That was when I first tried atho  Burmese noodles, recalls Alex K Jose, a software engineer.

The narrow streets have about 10 to 12 stalls and they're almost always overflowing with customers digging into their plates of atho. Most of the owners of these stalls have been in the city for over 40 years; they were set up by Tamil refugees who fled Myanmar and settled down in the city. We started doing business almost 30 years ago. It was my grandfather who started this stall right here and we are still doing a fair business. We get more customers around weekends and that usually goes up to 20 or 30 customers a day at times,explains Hussain Basha, one of the stall owners.

Most of the stalls sell a similar menu which includes dishes such as atho, bejo, mohinga, khowsuey and some egg dishes. Atho, the most popular among the Burmese cuisine is noodles that is cooked with a lot of shredded cabbage, fried onion, tamarind, chilli powder, lemon juice and is tossed in garlic oil. Mohinga, a dish specially made for the noodle soup lovers, is made of plantain stem soup and is mixed with deep fried noodles (Bejo). Bejo is prepared out of rice powder and Bengal gram and is mixed with sauces and vegetables. Khowsuey, yet another favourite, is also referred to as coconut milk noodles and is another kind of noodle soup, made out of coconut milk, lemon and noodles.

Shahul Ahmed, who owns a food stall and has been in the field from childhood says that he has trained many people in this cuisine. In earlier days, you would find Burmese food only in Burma Bazar, but nowadays you get it even in malls. I have had a couple of people who wanted to train under me for a few months, learn how to cook the basic dishes and now they run their own little hotels and restaurants, smiles Shahul.

Though there are restaurants that serve Burmese food, there seem to be more customers at these little stalls than at bigger hotels. My family has been running this stall for over 20 years, and even today, we are serving the same set of dishes, at prices ranging from Rs 50-100. Our customers have only increased day by day. If we start a restaurant, that means, the prices will increase, rent will be more and so people will be sceptical about buying from there. That's why we are happy with these stalls. This is where it all began from, and so we want to stick to the basics, he smiles.

Vaishnavi Raju, a solution design consultant, agrees with Shahul Ahmed. I have always eaten Burmese food from these little stalls and I feel that is where you get to taste the authentic flavours at such a reasonable price.

With the number of stalls going up day by day, you would find stalls in many corners around the city. Though originally started by the Burmese, today, a majority of the stalls are owned by non-Burmese, who have learnt cooking from fellow Burmese. Radhakrishnan is one such person. I set up my stall 15 years ago and am running it successfully today. The best thing about Burmese food is that it is healthy and natural, he says.

Since most dishes are made from fresh vegetables and ingredients like plantain stem, it also has a lot of health benefits like preventing diabetics, aiding digestion, etc. Everybody wants to eat healthy and people have become extremely conscious about their body and health. Burmese food is ideal in that aspect and also taste great at the same time. That's why a lot of people prefer this, he claims.

How they came to TN

The Tamil Chola Empire had trade relations with Burma.

During the colonial era, many people of Tamil ethnicity migrated to Myanmar to earn a living.

It was after the Second World War that a majority of these Tamil people came back to India.

Burma Bazaar was initially set up in the 1960s by the Myanmar Tamil Refugees.

The government provided them a place to stay but many remained unemployed.

Many then started their own business, with a lot starting food stalls selling Burmese food.

Today, the stalls have flourished so much, and can be found in many parts of the city.

Lipsmacking dishes that use healthy ingredients, available at reasonable prices. No, this is not a Utopian fantasy.Tucked away in the bylanes of Burma Bazaar are 10-12 stalls that have been serving piping hot Burmese cuisine. CHENNAI: As you walk down the busy streets of Burma Bazaar around dusk, one thing that is sure to catch your attention is a line-up of food stalls selling dishes with funny names. Atho, Bejo, Mohinga, etc. are all some popular Burmese food items that have become quite a rage among the city's foodies. I am a huge foodie and I am always exploring different cuisines and varieties of food. It was during my college days that a friend told me about Burmese food at Burma bazaar. That was when I first tried atho  Burmese noodles, recalls Alex K Jose, a software engineer. The narrow streets have about 10 to 12 stalls and they're almost always overflowing with customers digging into their plates of atho. Most of the owners of these stalls have been in the city for over 40 years; they were set up by Tamil refugees who fled Myanmar and settled down in the city. We started doing business almost 30 years ago. It was my grandfather who started this stall right here and we are still doing a fair business. We get more customers around weekends and that usually goes up to 20 or 30 customers a day at times,explains Hussain Basha, one of the stall owners. Most of the stalls sell a similar menu which includes dishes such as atho, bejo, mohinga, khowsuey and some egg dishes. Atho, the most popular among the Burmese cuisine is noodles that is cooked with a lot of shredded cabbage, fried onion, tamarind, chilli powder, lemon juice and is tossed in garlic oil. Mohinga, a dish specially made for the noodle soup lovers, is made of plantain stem soup and is mixed with deep fried noodles (Bejo). Bejo is prepared out of rice powder and Bengal gram and is mixed with sauces and vegetables. Khowsuey, yet another favourite, is also referred to as coconut milk noodles and is another kind of noodle soup, made out of coconut milk, lemon and noodles. Shahul Ahmed, who owns a food stall and has been in the field from childhood says that he has trained many people in this cuisine. In earlier days, you would find Burmese food only in Burma Bazar, but nowadays you get it even in malls. I have had a couple of people who wanted to train under me for a few months, learn how to cook the basic dishes and now they run their own little hotels and restaurants, smiles Shahul. Though there are restaurants that serve Burmese food, there seem to be more customers at these little stalls than at bigger hotels. My family has been running this stall for over 20 years, and even today, we are serving the same set of dishes, at prices ranging from Rs 50-100. Our customers have only increased day by day. If we start a restaurant, that means, the prices will increase, rent will be more and so people will be sceptical about buying from there. That's why we are happy with these stalls. This is where it all began from, and so we want to stick to the basics, he smiles. Vaishnavi Raju, a solution design consultant, agrees with Shahul Ahmed. I have always eaten Burmese food from these little stalls and I feel that is where you get to taste the authentic flavours at such a reasonable price. With the number of stalls going up day by day, you would find stalls in many corners around the city. Though originally started by the Burmese, today, a majority of the stalls are owned by non-Burmese, who have learnt cooking from fellow Burmese. Radhakrishnan is one such person. I set up my stall 15 years ago and am running it successfully today. The best thing about Burmese food is that it is healthy and natural, he says. Since most dishes are made from fresh vegetables and ingredients like plantain stem, it also has a lot of health benefits like preventing diabetics, aiding digestion, etc. Everybody wants to eat healthy and people have become extremely conscious about their body and health. Burmese food is ideal in that aspect and also taste great at the same time. That's why a lot of people prefer this, he claims. How they came to TN The Tamil Chola Empire had trade relations with Burma. During the colonial era, many people of Tamil ethnicity migrated to Myanmar to earn a living. It was after the Second World War that a majority of these Tamil people came back to India. Burma Bazaar was initially set up in the 1960s by the Myanmar Tamil Refugees. The government provided them a place to stay but many remained unemployed. Many then started their own business, with a lot starting food stalls selling Burmese food. Today, the stalls have flourished so much, and can be found in many parts of the city.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry today constituted a 40-member 'preview committee'with filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri as its convenor to select movies for the international film festival at Goa.

Other members of the new committee include Agnihotri's wife and actress Pallavi Joshi, author and Padma Shri-awardee Narendra Kohli and actress Hrishitaa Bhatt, an official statement said.

The move came after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry recently postponed a meeting of the previous preview committee comprising around 20 members who were nominated when M Venkaiah Naidu was the information and broadcasting minister.

Film editor Aarti Bajaj, film critic and screenwriter Khalid Mohamed, and film director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury are among the other members of the newly-constituted committee.

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be held in Goa from November 20 to 28.

"The (dissolved) committee was cleared by M Venkaiah Naidu in second week of July. The process was already started and we have seen 150 films so far. We don't know whether they will be seen again or not," a member of the dissolved committee said.

Film critic Saibal Chatterjee is the only member of the earlier committee who has been been retained in the new committee, the member, who wished not to be named, said.

Vivek Agnihotri told PTI over phone, "I am very passionate about such film festivals.

"I and all the members will try and do a good job. I think what Smriti Irani ji is trying to do is bring in more professionals. All of us want one thing - the film industry should grow and these are small steps."

He said that he is currently in the US and was not aware that his wife Pallavi was also a part of the committee.

Other members of the committee include Padma Shri-awardee Naresh Chander Lal, actor Abhimanyu Singh, journalist Bhawana Somaaya, South film actress Jeevitha Rajasekhar and Gautami Tadimalla, 'Dangal' film director Nitesh Tiwari, and 'Airlift' director Raja Krishna Menon, documentary maker Siddharth Kak, and producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sister Bela Segal.

Paediatrician-cum-movie director Santwana Bordoloi, Noida-based filmmaker Bhaskar Hazarika, documentary filmmakers from the northeast Dominic Megam Sangma, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) Member Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi, Malayalam film actress Parvathi Menon, and film director Sangee Dorjee Thongdok are also selected in the new committee.

Those members who have been dropped included Rekha Gupta, a prominent BJP member and a member linked to Sanskar Bharti Praveen Arya, a former member said, on condition of anonymity.

Last week, the I and B Ministry had constituted the steering committee and the technical committee for the IFFI.

Filmmaker Jahnu Barua was appointed as the convener of the new 13-member steering committee, while filmmaker and screenwriter Nagesh Kukunoor was made the head of the 12 member technical committee

NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry today constituted a 40-member 'preview committee'with filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri as its convenor to select movies for the international film festival at Goa. Other members of the new committee include Agnihotri's wife and actress Pallavi Joshi, author and Padma Shri-awardee Narendra Kohli and actress Hrishitaa Bhatt, an official statement said. The move came after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry recently postponed a meeting of the previous preview committee comprising around 20 members who were nominated when M Venkaiah Naidu was the information and broadcasting minister. Film editor Aarti Bajaj, film critic and screenwriter Khalid Mohamed, and film director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury are among the other members of the newly-constituted committee. The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be held in Goa from November 20 to 28. "The (dissolved) committee was cleared by M Venkaiah Naidu in second week of July. The process was already started and we have seen 150 films so far. We don't know whether they will be seen again or not," a member of the dissolved committee said. Film critic Saibal Chatterjee is the only member of the earlier committee who has been been retained in the new committee, the member, who wished not to be named, said. Vivek Agnihotri told PTI over phone, "I am very passionate about such film festivals. "I and all the members will try and do a good job. I think what Smriti Irani ji is trying to do is bring in more professionals. All of us want one thing - the film industry should grow and these are small steps." He said that he is currently in the US and was not aware that his wife Pallavi was also a part of the committee. Other members of the committee include Padma Shri-awardee Naresh Chander Lal, actor Abhimanyu Singh, journalist Bhawana Somaaya, South film actress Jeevitha Rajasekhar and Gautami Tadimalla, 'Dangal' film director Nitesh Tiwari, and 'Airlift' director Raja Krishna Menon, documentary maker Siddharth Kak, and producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sister Bela Segal. Paediatrician-cum-movie director Santwana Bordoloi, Noida-based filmmaker Bhaskar Hazarika, documentary filmmakers from the northeast Dominic Megam Sangma, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) Member Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi, Malayalam film actress Parvathi Menon, and film director Sangee Dorjee Thongdok are also selected in the new committee. Those members who have been dropped included Rekha Gupta, a prominent BJP member and a member linked to Sanskar Bharti Praveen Arya, a former member said, on condition of anonymity. Last week, the I and B Ministry had constituted the steering committee and the technical committee for the IFFI. Filmmaker Jahnu Barua was appointed as the convener of the new 13-member steering committee, while filmmaker and screenwriter Nagesh Kukunoor was made the head of the 12 member technical committee
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI/BEIJING/PORT BLAIR:India and China on Monday continued showcasing their different approaches to the two-month-long standoff at Dokalam in the Sikkim arc of the Sino-Indian border: While New Delhis approach, articulated by Union home minister Rajnath Singh signaled Indias openness to dialogue while asserting resolve to stand its ground, Chinas response, vocalised by its Foreign Ministry spokesperson, continued to be tetchy.

Rajnath Singhs remarks came at an event organised by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the force guarding the Dokalam plateau, where Indian forces blocked Chinese engineers attempting to build a road on territory that is claimed by Bhutan. The standoff would be resolved soon, the minister said, and hoped Beijing would make a positive move in that direction.

The statement comes a week after another incident along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh where Indian and Chinese troops exchanged blows and pelted stones at each other.

There is a deadlock going on at Dokalam between India and China, the minister said. I believe there will be a solution soon. I hope China will undertake a positive initiative (to resolve the standoff).

Rajnath added, We have never wanted to expand our borders... but I can say that our security forces and defence forces possess all the might to protect our borders. There is no world power that can threaten India.

The ongoing eyeball-to-eyeball between India and China is the longest in three decades and has been marked by unusually hot rhetoric from Beijings state-run media as well as statements from its Foreign Ministry.While China is adamant on unconditional and unilateral withdrawal by Indian troops, New Delhi insists on simultaneous removal of soldiers from the area.

Rajnath Singhs statement assumes importance as the government does not want political rhetoric to fuel tensions between the two Asian giants, senior Home Ministry officials said.

However, official signals from Beijing showed no signs that the country is now reorienting itself to a face-saving aspect. Its Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Monday said it was violent action by Indian soldiers against a Chinese border patrol which led to scuffling and stone pelting between troopers of the two countries at Pangong Lake in Ladakh on August 15.

This is much the same narrative used by Beijing to explain the standoff at Dokalam.

Hua claimed the Pangong incident occurred when Chinese border troops were conducting a regular patrol on the Chinese side of the LAC around the lake. During this process, the Indian side took some violent action and injured the Chinese border personnel, she claimed. China is extremely dissatisfied with this and lodged solemn representations with India, Hua said.

Indias Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that the incident in Ladakh took place. Sources said some of the Chinese soldiers carried iron rods and stones, and troops on both sides suffered minor injuries in the melee.Footage, purportedly of the scuffle, taken on a mobile phone, posted by a retired army officer, showed a stone-throwing and shoving match by soldiers on both sides.

Coast Guard finds Chinese buoy off Andamans

A team of Coast Guard and Andamans Police Marine Force (PMF) personnel has located a Chinese data buoy at the remote Kamorta Island of Nicobar district. The Coast Guard believes the buoy had drifted to the Kamorta Island. According to INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information), Hyderabad, the data buoy was deployed near the equator and has drifted towards the Andaman & Nicobar Islands after breaking free of its moorings. [READ HERE]

On receipt of information regarding the adrift buoy, the Coast Guard undertook a search operations along with the PMF for locating the buoy. The yellow data buoy was located by a search party off the Dring Harbour on the northwestern side of Kamorta Island, commandant Dalip Singh, public relations officer of Andaman and Nicobar Command, said Monday. The Coast Guard is coordinating with NIOT, Chennai, to ascertain details of the buoy which is said to be of Chinese origin, Singh said.

Denying possibility of any foul play, the Coast Guard commandant added that once the buoy is recovered, the INCOIS has to decide what it would do with it.

NEW DELHI/BEIJING/PORT BLAIR:India and China on Monday continued showcasing their different approaches to the two-month-long standoff at Dokalam in the Sikkim arc of the Sino-Indian border: While New Delhis approach, articulated by Union home minister Rajnath Singh signaled Indias openness to dialogue while asserting resolve to stand its ground, Chinas response, vocalised by its Foreign Ministry spokesperson, continued to be tetchy. Rajnath Singhs remarks came at an event organised by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the force guarding the Dokalam plateau, where Indian forces blocked Chinese engineers attempting to build a road on territory that is claimed by Bhutan. The standoff would be resolved soon, the minister said, and hoped Beijing would make a positive move in that direction. The statement comes a week after another incident along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh where Indian and Chinese troops exchanged blows and pelted stones at each other. There is a deadlock going on at Dokalam between India and China, the minister said. I believe there will be a solution soon. I hope China will undertake a positive initiative (to resolve the standoff). Rajnath added, We have never wanted to expand our borders... but I can say that our security forces and defence forces possess all the might to protect our borders. There is no world power that can threaten India. The ongoing eyeball-to-eyeball between India and China is the longest in three decades and has been marked by unusually hot rhetoric from Beijings state-run media as well as statements from its Foreign Ministry.While China is adamant on unconditional and unilateral withdrawal by Indian troops, New Delhi insists on simultaneous removal of soldiers from the area. Rajnath Singhs statement assumes importance as the government does not want political rhetoric to fuel tensions between the two Asian giants, senior Home Ministry officials said. However, official signals from Beijing showed no signs that the country is now reorienting itself to a face-saving aspect. Its Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Monday said it was violent action by Indian soldiers against a Chinese border patrol which led to scuffling and stone pelting between troopers of the two countries at Pangong Lake in Ladakh on August 15. This is much the same narrative used by Beijing to explain the standoff at Dokalam. Hua claimed the Pangong incident occurred when Chinese border troops were conducting a regular patrol on the Chinese side of the LAC around the lake. During this process, the Indian side took some violent action and injured the Chinese border personnel, she claimed. China is extremely dissatisfied with this and lodged solemn representations with India, Hua said. Indias Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that the incident in Ladakh took place. Sources said some of the Chinese soldiers carried iron rods and stones, and troops on both sides suffered minor injuries in the melee.Footage, purportedly of the scuffle, taken on a mobile phone, posted by a retired army officer, showed a stone-throwing and shoving match by soldiers on both sides. Coast Guard finds Chinese buoy off Andamans A team of Coast Guard and Andamans Police Marine Force (PMF) personnel has located a Chinese data buoy at the remote Kamorta Island of Nicobar district. The Coast Guard believes the buoy had drifted to the Kamorta Island. According to INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information), Hyderabad, the data buoy was deployed near the equator and has drifted towards the Andaman & Nicobar Islands after breaking free of its moorings. [READ HERE] On receipt of information regarding the adrift buoy, the Coast Guard undertook a search operations along with the PMF for locating the buoy. The yellow data buoy was located by a search party off the Dring Harbour on the northwestern side of Kamorta Island, commandant Dalip Singh, public relations officer of Andaman and Nicobar Command, said Monday. The Coast Guard is coordinating with NIOT, Chennai, to ascertain details of the buoy which is said to be of Chinese origin, Singh said. Denying possibility of any foul play, the Coast Guard commandant added that once the buoy is recovered, the INCOIS has to decide what it would do with it.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Though the BJP claimed its chief Amit Shah deferred his visit to Tamil Nadu on account of the AIADMK merger, speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle were rife in the national capital. Shahs meetings with Union Ministers Birendra Singh, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Upendra Kushwaha on Monday morning fuelled these speculations.

BJP sources hinted at an expansion of the council of ministers by the end of the month, to include members of newly-inducted ally JD(U) and likely partner AIADMK.

The BJP chief had to postpone his Tamil Nadu visit over the political developments in the State. Now that the two factions are united, the path is clear for their induction into the NDA, said a senior party functionary. This will have to be reflected in the partys representation at the Centre.

Kushwaha, chief of the RLSP, who met Shah separately, has been cold with the BJP in the recent times, claimed sources. This might be due to the BJP-JD(U) alliance. Besides, the JD(U) is set to bag at least one Cabinet berth though it has just two Lok Sabha MPs. The RLSP also has two Lok Sabha MPs.

NEW DELHI: Though the BJP claimed its chief Amit Shah deferred his visit to Tamil Nadu on account of the AIADMK merger, speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle were rife in the national capital. Shahs meetings with Union Ministers Birendra Singh, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Upendra Kushwaha on Monday morning fuelled these speculations. BJP sources hinted at an expansion of the council of ministers by the end of the month, to include members of newly-inducted ally JD(U) and likely partner AIADMK. The BJP chief had to postpone his Tamil Nadu visit over the political developments in the State. Now that the two factions are united, the path is clear for their induction into the NDA, said a senior party functionary. This will have to be reflected in the partys representation at the Centre. Kushwaha, chief of the RLSP, who met Shah separately, has been cold with the BJP in the recent times, claimed sources. This might be due to the BJP-JD(U) alliance. Besides, the JD(U) is set to bag at least one Cabinet berth though it has just two Lok Sabha MPs. The RLSP also has two Lok Sabha MPs.
By PTI

PATNA: Both Houses of Bihar Legislature were today rocked by the NGO scam case in Bhagalpur with the opposition RJD creating a ruckus and demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

As soon as the assembly sat for the day, former Finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui drew the attention of Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary towards adjournment notice given by his party over the NGO scam and urged him to take up the issue by suspending question hour.

But quoting rules, the Speaker said that the adjournment would be allowed at the proper time and urged the agitating members to allow the House to function.

RJD members then trooped to the well of the house and started raising slogans demanding resignation of Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi in the case showing their photographs at a function of the NGO "Srijan" at Bhagalpur.

The opposition alleged that government money was fraudulently transferred into the account of the NGO by a well-oiled racket comprising government employees and those from banks.

Nitish Kumar was not in the House at the time as he has gone to Araria to take stock of flood situation there.

When all persuasion failed, the Speaker adjourned the house till 2 pm.

As the assembly sat after the recess, RJD members again raised the issue and insisted that it should be taken up first and created ruckus in the house forcing the speaker to adjourn the house for the day.

While, RJD legislators were on their feet, those of its ally Congress did not join them and remained seated . Congress Legislature party leader Sadanand Singh, hailing from Bhagalpur district, has also given separate adjournment notice in the scam case.

In the Legislative Council, the matter was raised by RJD forcing adjournment of the house till 1 pm.

RJD Legislative party leader Rabri Devi, while talking to reporters outside the Upper House, demanded resignation of CM and his Deputy in the case.

But, Sushil Modi trashed the charge.

"They should show documentary evidence in support of the charge against me or the CM. Merely shouting by showing some photographs of some events showing our participation does not mean our involvement in the scam," Sushil Modi told reporters.

"If leaders are prosecuted on the basis of photographs, RJD President Lalu Prasad would have to spend life in jail for 100 years as he has wonderful pictures in the company with Mohammad Shahabuddin and many a scamsters," the senior BJP leader said.

On RJD's statement that the NGO scam was even bigger than multi-crore fodder scam case in which Lalu Prasad is facing court cases, Sushil Modi, who was one of the petitioner in the fodder scam case in the Patna High Court in the past, said the "the two cannot be compared."

"In the fodder scam case, the kingpin of the scam S B Sinha was given several extensions in service by RJD government at that time and Sinha was also made local guardian of one of his daughter studying in a Ranchi school at that time," Modi said.

"The nexus between kingpin and Lalu Prasad was not limited to mere photos but much deeper as it surfaced on the basis of clear-cut evidences in the CBI probe, " he said.

On the NGO scam, Sushil Modi asked, "Money of Health department was fradulently withdrawn by the racket in November last year, can the then Health minister Tej Pratap Yadav be held as an accused for it?"

Modi also pointed our that the the first hint of the NGO's illegal activity had surfaced in 2002 and 2003 when RJD was ruling Bihar.

On Lalu Prasad's demand for CBI probe into NGO scam case under supervision of the Supreme Court, Sushil Modi, who is the Finance minister of Bihar, said if the court thinks so we have no problem.

State police chief P K Thakur had yesterday said that investigators have so far detected Rs 870.88 crore in the scam in which 18 accused have been arrested so far.

PATNA: Both Houses of Bihar Legislature were today rocked by the NGO scam case in Bhagalpur with the opposition RJD creating a ruckus and demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi. As soon as the assembly sat for the day, former Finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui drew the attention of Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary towards adjournment notice given by his party over the NGO scam and urged him to take up the issue by suspending question hour. But quoting rules, the Speaker said that the adjournment would be allowed at the proper time and urged the agitating members to allow the House to function. RJD members then trooped to the well of the house and started raising slogans demanding resignation of Nitish Kumar and Sushil Kumar Modi in the case showing their photographs at a function of the NGO "Srijan" at Bhagalpur. The opposition alleged that government money was fraudulently transferred into the account of the NGO by a well-oiled racket comprising government employees and those from banks. Nitish Kumar was not in the House at the time as he has gone to Araria to take stock of flood situation there. When all persuasion failed, the Speaker adjourned the house till 2 pm. As the assembly sat after the recess, RJD members again raised the issue and insisted that it should be taken up first and created ruckus in the house forcing the speaker to adjourn the house for the day. While, RJD legislators were on their feet, those of its ally Congress did not join them and remained seated . Congress Legislature party leader Sadanand Singh, hailing from Bhagalpur district, has also given separate adjournment notice in the scam case. In the Legislative Council, the matter was raised by RJD forcing adjournment of the house till 1 pm. RJD Legislative party leader Rabri Devi, while talking to reporters outside the Upper House, demanded resignation of CM and his Deputy in the case. But, Sushil Modi trashed the charge. "They should show documentary evidence in support of the charge against me or the CM. Merely shouting by showing some photographs of some events showing our participation does not mean our involvement in the scam," Sushil Modi told reporters. "If leaders are prosecuted on the basis of photographs, RJD President Lalu Prasad would have to spend life in jail for 100 years as he has wonderful pictures in the company with Mohammad Shahabuddin and many a scamsters," the senior BJP leader said. On RJD's statement that the NGO scam was even bigger than multi-crore fodder scam case in which Lalu Prasad is facing court cases, Sushil Modi, who was one of the petitioner in the fodder scam case in the Patna High Court in the past, said the "the two cannot be compared." "In the fodder scam case, the kingpin of the scam S B Sinha was given several extensions in service by RJD government at that time and Sinha was also made local guardian of one of his daughter studying in a Ranchi school at that time," Modi said. "The nexus between kingpin and Lalu Prasad was not limited to mere photos but much deeper as it surfaced on the basis of clear-cut evidences in the CBI probe, " he said. On the NGO scam, Sushil Modi asked, "Money of Health department was fradulently withdrawn by the racket in November last year, can the then Health minister Tej Pratap Yadav be held as an accused for it?" Modi also pointed our that the the first hint of the NGO's illegal activity had surfaced in 2002 and 2003 when RJD was ruling Bihar. On Lalu Prasad's demand for CBI probe into NGO scam case under supervision of the Supreme Court, Sushil Modi, who is the Finance minister of Bihar, said if the court thinks so we have no problem. State police chief P K Thakur had yesterday said that investigators have so far detected Rs 870.88 crore in the scam in which 18 accused have been arrested so far.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Supreme Courts historic verdict scrapping instant triple talaq seemed to have almost melted political, social and communal differences as was visible from how nearly all quarters of society welcomed the judgment.

Reactions of Politicians

Most politicians including Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the verdict should not be linked to any faith. Soon after the judgment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi also hailed the judgment in a tweet which stated, Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant #TripleTalaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice.

This historic decision of the court was welcomed by politicians of a different spectrum. BSP chief Mayawati came out in support of the judgment, saying BSP welcomes the verdict. It would have been good if the Muslim Personal Law Board acted in the matter, but they didnt. Asaduddin Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) said, We have to respect the judgment. It is going to be a great herculean task to implement this on ground.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the verdict was an indication of an emerging new India and hailed Muslim women for taking up the legal battle. Talking to journalists, Prasad said, There is a great sense of personal fulfillment. But we need to salute the Muslim women today who fought for it. I have to compliment their courage. This indicates the emergence of New India. This is not the matter of any religion. The point here is about the gender equality, gender justice and gender dignity. This is the victory of Indias constitutional values.

Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the instant triple talaq issue should not be looked at as a matter of religion but as a matter of social reform. He said, We should not adopt a rigid attitude, but choose a reformist approach towards social evil. The central government will talk to all the political parties on framing a law on this issue. The verdict was also welcomed by Naqvis sister Farhat, who was divorced by her husband for allegedly giving birth to a girl child and now runs a non-political voluntary organisation for the welfare of the victims of triple talaq and domestic violence. She said, This is the first-ever verdict in favour of Muslim women.

Others who hailed the verdict included Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, BJP President Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and many of his state ministers. Shah said, This verdict is historic, its not about anyones win or loss. I welcome this on behalf of the party. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, while welcoming the judgment also appealed the Central government to bring in a new law for triple talaq. Chauhan said, Welcome SCs judgment, request Central Govt to bring in a legislation soon, said MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Reactions of scholars and other intellectuals

Among the many historians who praised the verdict were historians Irfan Habib and Ramachandra Guha. Habib termed the verdict sensible and said, SC verdict looks sensible. It is instant triple talaq which is an absurd innovation and has been legitimised in India by many clerics. Triple talaq in itself is a complicated process, which can't be easily misused. That is why some mullahs legitimised instant triple talaq. All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMLB) should go along the verdict and work seriously for its enforcement. SC did something which AIMPLB should have done long back. Guha praised the verdict, saying, The Supreme Court has done absolutely the right thing by declaring triple talaq illegal and unconstitutional. It is an obnoxious practice.

Former Chief Information Officer Wajahat Habibullah and former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi were also the eminent personalities who were all praised for the verdict. Quraishi, however, said, AIMLB lost an opportunity to introduce the reform itself. Habibullah termed it a very good decision but said if the government decides to make a law for this as recommended by the SC, government should decide to hold consultations not just with AIMLB but also Muslim intellectuals like lawyers and professors and then frame a law based on Quranic principles.

Constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap said the judgment was long overdue. This judgment should we welcomed by all-well meaning individuals across communities. All these years, several fundamental rights of Muslim women were being violated in the name of the Personal law. The verdict has shown the Personal law is not supreme, the Constitution of India is supreme. Renowned actor Shabana Azmi tweeted,  I welcome the Supreme Court judgment on instant triple talaq. Its a victory for brave Muslim women who have waged battle against it for years.

Reactions from Muslim Organisations

General Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Wali Rehmani said, We have mixed reaction on the verdict. The verdict is contradictory. At one place, it states that personal laws are protected and wont be interfered with but then it has ruled that triple talaq wont be allowed. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has convened a meeting on September 10 in Bhopal to discuss the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq and chalk out the future strategy on the issue.

Spokesperson of Shia Personal Law Board Maulana Yasoob Abbas said, Shia Personal Law Board has been fighting against instant triple talaq since 2007. We welcome this verdict. It is a great step to empower women.

President of All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board Shaista Amber said, The Supreme Court decision is historic, it is the victory of women in the country. But more than that, it is the victory of Islam.The apex courts verdict has come as a big relief for Muslim women who have been at the receiving end of this practice.

NEW DELHI: Supreme Courts historic verdict scrapping instant triple talaq seemed to have almost melted political, social and communal differences as was visible from how nearly all quarters of society welcomed the judgment. Reactions of Politicians Most politicians including Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the verdict should not be linked to any faith. Soon after the judgment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi also hailed the judgment in a tweet which stated, Welcome the Supreme Court decision setting aside instant #TripleTalaq. I congratulate the women who fought for justice. This historic decision of the court was welcomed by politicians of a different spectrum. BSP chief Mayawati came out in support of the judgment, saying BSP welcomes the verdict. It would have been good if the Muslim Personal Law Board acted in the matter, but they didnt. Asaduddin Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) said, We have to respect the judgment. It is going to be a great herculean task to implement this on ground. Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the verdict was an indication of an emerging new India and hailed Muslim women for taking up the legal battle. Talking to journalists, Prasad said, There is a great sense of personal fulfillment. But we need to salute the Muslim women today who fought for it. I have to compliment their courage. This indicates the emergence of New India. This is not the matter of any religion. The point here is about the gender equality, gender justice and gender dignity. This is the victory of Indias constitutional values. Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the instant triple talaq issue should not be looked at as a matter of religion but as a matter of social reform. He said, We should not adopt a rigid attitude, but choose a reformist approach towards social evil. The central government will talk to all the political parties on framing a law on this issue. The verdict was also welcomed by Naqvis sister Farhat, who was divorced by her husband for allegedly giving birth to a girl child and now runs a non-political voluntary organisation for the welfare of the victims of triple talaq and domestic violence. She said, This is the first-ever verdict in favour of Muslim women. Others who hailed the verdict included Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, BJP President Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and many of his state ministers. Shah said, This verdict is historic, its not about anyones win or loss. I welcome this on behalf of the party. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, while welcoming the judgment also appealed the Central government to bring in a new law for triple talaq. Chauhan said, Welcome SCs judgment, request Central Govt to bring in a legislation soon, said MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Reactions of scholars and other intellectuals Among the many historians who praised the verdict were historians Irfan Habib and Ramachandra Guha. Habib termed the verdict sensible and said, SC verdict looks sensible. It is instant triple talaq which is an absurd innovation and has been legitimised in India by many clerics. Triple talaq in itself is a complicated process, which can't be easily misused. That is why some mullahs legitimised instant triple talaq. All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMLB) should go along the verdict and work seriously for its enforcement. SC did something which AIMPLB should have done long back. Guha praised the verdict, saying, The Supreme Court has done absolutely the right thing by declaring triple talaq illegal and unconstitutional. It is an obnoxious practice. Former Chief Information Officer Wajahat Habibullah and former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi were also the eminent personalities who were all praised for the verdict. Quraishi, however, said, AIMLB lost an opportunity to introduce the reform itself. Habibullah termed it a very good decision but said if the government decides to make a law for this as recommended by the SC, government should decide to hold consultations not just with AIMLB but also Muslim intellectuals like lawyers and professors and then frame a law based on Quranic principles. Constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap said the judgment was long overdue. This judgment should we welcomed by all-well meaning individuals across communities. All these years, several fundamental rights of Muslim women were being violated in the name of the Personal law. The verdict has shown the Personal law is not supreme, the Constitution of India is supreme. Renowned actor Shabana Azmi tweeted,  I welcome the Supreme Court judgment on instant triple talaq. Its a victory for brave Muslim women who have waged battle against it for years. Reactions from Muslim Organisations General Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Wali Rehmani said, We have mixed reaction on the verdict. The verdict is contradictory. At one place, it states that personal laws are protected and wont be interfered with but then it has ruled that triple talaq wont be allowed. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has convened a meeting on September 10 in Bhopal to discuss the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq and chalk out the future strategy on the issue. Spokesperson of Shia Personal Law Board Maulana Yasoob Abbas said, Shia Personal Law Board has been fighting against instant triple talaq since 2007. We welcome this verdict. It is a great step to empower women. President of All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board Shaista Amber said, The Supreme Court decision is historic, it is the victory of women in the country. But more than that, it is the victory of Islam.The apex courts verdict has come as a big relief for Muslim women who have been at the receiving end of this practice.
By PTI

DARJEELING: As the West Bengal government invited the GNLF for talks, a miffed GJM, which is spearheading the Gorkhaland stir, today alleged it was an attempt to undermine it and the GMCC and said a dialogue can only be successful if the main stakeholders are included.

The GJM-led Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) comprising 30 hill parties including the GNLF is carrying out an indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling which entered its 69th day.

"Responding to GNLF's appeal is nothing but an effort to undermine GJM and GMCC," GJM vice-president Kalyan Dewan told PTI.

He is also the convenor of GMCC.

"The Gorkhaland movement is led by GJM and it is GJM which has called the indefinite shutdown in the hills on for the last over two months. the GJM is also the main stakeholder of GMCC.

"So if the state government wants the talks to be fruitful, then it has to officially call GJM and GMCC for talks. GNLF may be a constituent of GMCC but it is not the main stake holder with whom talks can be held," he said.

Quickly responding to a Gorkha National Liberation Front(GNLF) proposal for talks to end the Darjeeling impasse, where the indefinite shutdown entered its 69th day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today invited it for a discussion on August 29.

"We have accepted the GNLF proposal for talks and called a meeting on August 29 at the state secretariat. We welcome all major political parties and development boards in the hills to the discussion for restoration of peace," Banerjee said.

The development comes a day after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is spearheading the agitation in the hills for a separate state, requested the Centre and the West Bengal government to initiate talks at the earliest to restore peace in the area.

This was the first time that the GJM expressed its willingness to hold talks with the state government along with the Centre.

Reacting to the question whether the GNLF had tried to bypass the GMCC by writing to the state government on its own, Dewan said "GNLF did not discuss the matter in our GMCC meeting".

When contacted, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri expressed his displeasure over "GJM being bypassed by GNLF".

"We will let you know whether we will attend the meeting or not in the next 24 hours," he said.

The GMCC was formed on June 20 to chalk out the future course of action to achieve the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.

Meanwhile the situation in the hills remained incident free during the day. The GJM took out rallies in various parts of the hills demanding restoration of the internet services, which remain banned in the hills since June 18, and an immediate withdrawal of police forces from Darjeeling.

Some political party activists dressed in traditional attire also took out rallies and raised slogans in support of Gorkhaland.

The GJM activists and NGOs were seen distributing food among the local people like other days as food supply has been severely hit in the prolonged shutdown.

Barring medicine shops, all other shops, business establishments, schools and colleges continue to be closed.

DARJEELING: As the West Bengal government invited the GNLF for talks, a miffed GJM, which is spearheading the Gorkhaland stir, today alleged it was an attempt to undermine it and the GMCC and said a dialogue can only be successful if the main stakeholders are included. The GJM-led Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) comprising 30 hill parties including the GNLF is carrying out an indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling which entered its 69th day. "Responding to GNLF's appeal is nothing but an effort to undermine GJM and GMCC," GJM vice-president Kalyan Dewan told PTI. He is also the convenor of GMCC. "The Gorkhaland movement is led by GJM and it is GJM which has called the indefinite shutdown in the hills on for the last over two months. the GJM is also the main stakeholder of GMCC. "So if the state government wants the talks to be fruitful, then it has to officially call GJM and GMCC for talks. GNLF may be a constituent of GMCC but it is not the main stake holder with whom talks can be held," he said. Quickly responding to a Gorkha National Liberation Front(GNLF) proposal for talks to end the Darjeeling impasse, where the indefinite shutdown entered its 69th day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today invited it for a discussion on August 29. "We have accepted the GNLF proposal for talks and called a meeting on August 29 at the state secretariat. We welcome all major political parties and development boards in the hills to the discussion for restoration of peace," Banerjee said. The development comes a day after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is spearheading the agitation in the hills for a separate state, requested the Centre and the West Bengal government to initiate talks at the earliest to restore peace in the area. This was the first time that the GJM expressed its willingness to hold talks with the state government along with the Centre. Reacting to the question whether the GNLF had tried to bypass the GMCC by writing to the state government on its own, Dewan said "GNLF did not discuss the matter in our GMCC meeting". When contacted, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri expressed his displeasure over "GJM being bypassed by GNLF". "We will let you know whether we will attend the meeting or not in the next 24 hours," he said. The GMCC was formed on June 20 to chalk out the future course of action to achieve the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state. Meanwhile the situation in the hills remained incident free during the day. The GJM took out rallies in various parts of the hills demanding restoration of the internet services, which remain banned in the hills since June 18, and an immediate withdrawal of police forces from Darjeeling. Some political party activists dressed in traditional attire also took out rallies and raised slogans in support of Gorkhaland. The GJM activists and NGOs were seen distributing food among the local people like other days as food supply has been severely hit in the prolonged shutdown. Barring medicine shops, all other shops, business establishments, schools and colleges continue to be closed.
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By PTI

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court today posted for October 3 the hearing on petitions filed by two lifers in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeking premature release.

A division bench, comprising Justice A Selvam and Justice Pon Kalaiyarasan, posted the matter for next hearing after the state government submitted that a similar plea was pending before the Supreme Court.

The state government's decision of 2014 to set free all seven convicts in the case was opposed by the Central government and the matter is pending in the Supreme Court.

The matter relates to petitions filed by a Sri Lankan national B Robert Payas and Jayakumar, both convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

In their petitions, filed years ago, the duo have sought inclusion of their names in a list of prisoners prepared by the state government proposing their premature release and the matter is pending.

During the previous hearing on August 18, Additional Public Prosecutor V M R Rajendran had submitted that the government will submit a fresh counter affidavit detailing its present stand.

Today, when the matter came up, the government said an identical plea seeking premature release was pending before the apex court.

In a previous hearing, the Centre too had argued against the premature release of both Payas and Jayakumar.

It had cited the apex court's ruling that life sentence meant imprisonment for the entire life of a person.

The Union government had also referred to the state government's proposal to remit the life sentences and release all seven convicts, including the two petitioners.

It had challenged it and the matter was pending in the top court.

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court today posted for October 3 the hearing on petitions filed by two lifers in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeking premature release. A division bench, comprising Justice A Selvam and Justice Pon Kalaiyarasan, posted the matter for next hearing after the state government submitted that a similar plea was pending before the Supreme Court. The state government's decision of 2014 to set free all seven convicts in the case was opposed by the Central government and the matter is pending in the Supreme Court. The matter relates to petitions filed by a Sri Lankan national B Robert Payas and Jayakumar, both convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. In their petitions, filed years ago, the duo have sought inclusion of their names in a list of prisoners prepared by the state government proposing their premature release and the matter is pending. During the previous hearing on August 18, Additional Public Prosecutor V M R Rajendran had submitted that the government will submit a fresh counter affidavit detailing its present stand. Today, when the matter came up, the government said an identical plea seeking premature release was pending before the apex court. In a previous hearing, the Centre too had argued against the premature release of both Payas and Jayakumar. It had cited the apex court's ruling that life sentence meant imprisonment for the entire life of a person. The Union government had also referred to the state government's proposal to remit the life sentences and release all seven convicts, including the two petitioners. It had challenged it and the matter was pending in the top court.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The birthday celebration of a 12-year-old girl went horribly wrong after her father was allegedly killed by a neighbour inside southeast Delhi's Ambedkar Nagar police station in the early hours today for not treating him with alcohol.

Following the incident, the station house officer of the police station has been sent to the district lines, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Romil Baaniya said.

A sub-inspector and a constable posted there have been suspended and directed to report to district lines, he said.

The administrative action was taken against the personnel for failing to prevent the killing inside the police station and for allowing both the parties to enter inside the investigating officer's room which is not allowed, the police said.

Vishal (22) had asked Anil (34) to treat him with liquor since it was the birthday of the latter's child. But when Anil refused, it let to a quarrel between them, the DCP said.

The police were informed about the incident and the quarrelling duo was brought to Ambedkar Nagar police station.

Once inside the investigating officer's room in the police station, the duo again started quarrelling. The police personnel intervened but in the melee Vishal assaulted Anil with a file clip, the officer said.

Vishal was arrested from the spot while Anil was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where the doctors declared him "brought dead", the police said.

The victim's brother Jawahar said that Anil had organised the party for his eldest daughter's 12th birthday last night.

Jawahar, who stays a lane away from Anil's house, could not go to the party since he has a limp.

Anil worked as a driver and had three children -- two daughters and a son.

Jawahar said that when Anil went to see off his guests, Vishal, who was in an inebriated state, asked Anil why he was not invited to the party and insisted that he should be treated with a liquor party.

But when Anil did not pay heed to him and tried to go inside his house, Vishal got enraged and attacked Anil with a rod, the deceased's brother said.

Anil and his wife Lovely, who intervened, sustained injuries, he said.

Lovely informed the police and the duo was taken to the police station around 1 am. Anil's family members and Vishal's uncle also accompanied the duo to the police station.

Jawahar said that they were waiting outside while Anil and Vishal were taken to a room upstairs in the police station.

After an hour or so, they were informed that Vishal and Anil had attacked each other and both were injured, he said.

"However, Anil was the only one who was injured. Vishal did not sustain any injuries," Jawahar alleged.

"After an hour my brother was attacked at the police station he was taken to the hospital. Had they taken him to a hospital in time, he might have been saved," he said.

The police said that these allegations are also being probed and a report is expected in the matter in the next 48 hours.

Alleging that Vishal would always pick up quarrels with people in the locality, Jawahar said that they never expected a small quarrel would lead to his brother's death.

"We were hoping that Vishal and Anil would reach a compromise and the matter would be resolved at the police station. Never did we imagine that we would see Anil dead," he said.

NEW DELHI: The birthday celebration of a 12-year-old girl went horribly wrong after her father was allegedly killed by a neighbour inside southeast Delhi's Ambedkar Nagar police station in the early hours today for not treating him with alcohol. Following the incident, the station house officer of the police station has been sent to the district lines, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Romil Baaniya said. A sub-inspector and a constable posted there have been suspended and directed to report to district lines, he said. The administrative action was taken against the personnel for failing to prevent the killing inside the police station and for allowing both the parties to enter inside the investigating officer's room which is not allowed, the police said. Vishal (22) had asked Anil (34) to treat him with liquor since it was the birthday of the latter's child. But when Anil refused, it let to a quarrel between them, the DCP said. The police were informed about the incident and the quarrelling duo was brought to Ambedkar Nagar police station. Once inside the investigating officer's room in the police station, the duo again started quarrelling. The police personnel intervened but in the melee Vishal assaulted Anil with a file clip, the officer said. Vishal was arrested from the spot while Anil was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where the doctors declared him "brought dead", the police said. The victim's brother Jawahar said that Anil had organised the party for his eldest daughter's 12th birthday last night. Jawahar, who stays a lane away from Anil's house, could not go to the party since he has a limp. Anil worked as a driver and had three children -- two daughters and a son. Jawahar said that when Anil went to see off his guests, Vishal, who was in an inebriated state, asked Anil why he was not invited to the party and insisted that he should be treated with a liquor party. But when Anil did not pay heed to him and tried to go inside his house, Vishal got enraged and attacked Anil with a rod, the deceased's brother said. Anil and his wife Lovely, who intervened, sustained injuries, he said. Lovely informed the police and the duo was taken to the police station around 1 am. Anil's family members and Vishal's uncle also accompanied the duo to the police station. Jawahar said that they were waiting outside while Anil and Vishal were taken to a room upstairs in the police station. After an hour or so, they were informed that Vishal and Anil had attacked each other and both were injured, he said. "However, Anil was the only one who was injured. Vishal did not sustain any injuries," Jawahar alleged. "After an hour my brother was attacked at the police station he was taken to the hospital. Had they taken him to a hospital in time, he might have been saved," he said. The police said that these allegations are also being probed and a report is expected in the matter in the next 48 hours. Alleging that Vishal would always pick up quarrels with people in the locality, Jawahar said that they never expected a small quarrel would lead to his brother's death. "We were hoping that Vishal and Anil would reach a compromise and the matter would be resolved at the police station. Never did we imagine that we would see Anil dead," he said.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a major relief to Muslim women across India, the five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday held that the practice of Triple Talaq is unconstitutional and is violative of Articles 14 and 15 and termed it as arbitrary and against the tenets of Islam.

The five-judge multi-faith bench gave a split verdict of 3:2, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit held that the practice was unconstitutional, whereas Chief Justice of India J S Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer dissented.

Though CJI penned down a separate judgment it is in minority and asked the government to bring out legislation in six months time and till that time the practice of triple talaq is barred.

The final verdict overrides the minority view.

Here is the full verdict

Justice R F Nariman in his majority judgement said, Triple talaq is manifestly arbitrary and whimsical in nature and must be struck as void.

The court also referred to abolition of triple talalq in Islamic countries and asks why independent India cant get rid of it and observes, Instant triple talaq violates constitutional morality and public order. The practice is manifestly arbitrary and allows a man to divorce his wife whimsically and capriciously, Justice Nariman noted.

The bench also states that triple talaq violates fundamental right of Muslim women as it irrevocably ends marriage without any chance of reconciliation between the two.

Justice Kurian Joseph also states, Triple Talaq is not recognised by Quran and hence it couldn't be a practice to be protected as right to religion. Triple Talaq is bad in theology and bad in law, Justice Joseph observed.

The judges have heard seven pleas, including five separate petitions filed by Muslim women challenging the prevalent practice of 'triple talaq' in the community.

NEW DELHI: In a major relief to Muslim women across India, the five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday held that the practice of Triple Talaq is unconstitutional and is violative of Articles 14 and 15 and termed it as arbitrary and against the tenets of Islam. The five-judge multi-faith bench gave a split verdict of 3:2, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit held that the practice was unconstitutional, whereas Chief Justice of India J S Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer dissented. Though CJI penned down a separate judgment it is in minority and asked the government to bring out legislation in six months time and till that time the practice of triple talaq is barred. The final verdict overrides the minority view. Here is the full verdict Justice R F Nariman in his majority judgement said, Triple talaq is manifestly arbitrary and whimsical in nature and must be struck as void. The court also referred to abolition of triple talalq in Islamic countries and asks why independent India cant get rid of it and observes, Instant triple talaq violates constitutional morality and public order. The practice is manifestly arbitrary and allows a man to divorce his wife whimsically and capriciously, Justice Nariman noted. The bench also states that triple talaq violates fundamental right of Muslim women as it irrevocably ends marriage without any chance of reconciliation between the two. Justice Kurian Joseph also states, Triple Talaq is not recognised by Quran and hence it couldn't be a practice to be protected as right to religion. Triple Talaq is bad in theology and bad in law, Justice Joseph observed. The judges have heard seven pleas, including five separate petitions filed by Muslim women challenging the prevalent practice of 'triple talaq' in the community.
By PTI

LUCKNOW: The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and the All India Shia Personal Law Board today welcomed the Supreme Court judgement on triple talaq, terming it as a victory of Islam and Muslim women in the country.

The decision, they said, has given new hope to Muslim women.

"The Supreme Court decision is historic, it is the victory of women in the country. But more than that, it is the victory of Islam," said President of the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board Shaista Amber, who has been fighting for the rights of Muslim women.

"We hope that triple talaq will be banned once and for all in times to come," she said, adding it causes immense hardships to Muslim women even though "there is no provision of triple talaq in Islam".

"This discriminatory arrangement is made by so-called religious leaders and it has harmed the lives of lakhs of women...the decision has given new hope to Muslim women," she said.

The Supreme Court by a majority verdict today ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional" and held that it is against the basic tenets of Quran.

Asking the government to enact a new law without harming the Sharia, she hoped that a new legislation will be brought without any pressure to ensure welfare and prosperity of Muslim women.

The All India Shia Personal Law Board spokesperson Maulana Yasoob Abbas too welcomed the decision, saying it will help end harassment of Muslim women in the name of triple talaq.

"There was no arrangement of triple talaq in the times of Holy Prophet...We want a strong legislation against triple talaq...A law similar to the one against the practice of Sati," he said.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board General secretary Maulana Wali Rehmani, however, refused to comment on the verdict saying, the board will sit together and decide on the future steps in this matter.

LUCKNOW: The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and the All India Shia Personal Law Board today welcomed the Supreme Court judgement on triple talaq, terming it as a victory of Islam and Muslim women in the country. The decision, they said, has given new hope to Muslim women. "The Supreme Court decision is historic, it is the victory of women in the country. But more than that, it is the victory of Islam," said President of the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board Shaista Amber, who has been fighting for the rights of Muslim women. "We hope that triple talaq will be banned once and for all in times to come," she said, adding it causes immense hardships to Muslim women even though "there is no provision of triple talaq in Islam". "This discriminatory arrangement is made by so-called religious leaders and it has harmed the lives of lakhs of women...the decision has given new hope to Muslim women," she said. The Supreme Court by a majority verdict today ruled that the practice of divorce through triple talaq among Muslims is "void", "illegal" and "unconstitutional" and held that it is against the basic tenets of Quran. Asking the government to enact a new law without harming the Sharia, she hoped that a new legislation will be brought without any pressure to ensure welfare and prosperity of Muslim women. The All India Shia Personal Law Board spokesperson Maulana Yasoob Abbas too welcomed the decision, saying it will help end harassment of Muslim women in the name of triple talaq. "There was no arrangement of triple talaq in the times of Holy Prophet...We want a strong legislation against triple talaq...A law similar to the one against the practice of Sati," he said. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board General secretary Maulana Wali Rehmani, however, refused to comment on the verdict saying, the board will sit together and decide on the future steps in this matter.
R Sivakumar By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Beginning an unexpected, dramatic rebellion at the burial place of the late Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, on the sands of the serene Marina on February 8, O Panneerselvam led a vociferous bandwagon blaring two key demands.

One was to order a high-level probe by a Central agency into the mysterious death of Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016, following more than two months of hospitalisation. The second demand was to purge the party of the clutches of VK Sasikala and her family members.

The rebels were successful in frustrating the official faction by challenging the validity of Sasikalas nomination to the post of interim general secretary and freezing the Two Leaves symbol. Moreover, Panneerselvam and his army of generals succeeded in dashing TTV Dhinakarans MLA dreams by making the authorities concerned call off the RK Nagar by-polls.Running short of ideas and finding only a few to fund the expenses to run the breakaway outfit, AIADMK-PTA chief felt the heat.

The olive branch the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami-led faction extended seemed to have disappeared as the talks for merger remained a non-starter months ago. The recent defection of VC Arukutty, MLA, and signs of some others following him left Panneerselvam thinking over the future.

The commands coming from Delhi and the fear of TTV Dhinakaran rocking the boat with the help of the principal opposition party, DMK, hastened the things for OPS to make a compromise, by giving an impression of hammering out the differences within his camp.

As things unfolded on Monday, OPS stands to gain very little from the rebellion and the subsequent mission he launched, to seek justice for the death of his mentor and completely expel the Sasikala family. He couldnt even successfully bargain for more berths in the Cabinet.

The reunion appears to be nothing but a marriage of convenience for reasons better known to the leaders of both sides. They are fully committed to power and driven by future concerns, observes Prof Ramu Manivannan, Head of Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Madras.

Despite the rhetoric on removal of Sasikala from the party, it is easier said than done, he says. Only because of the fear of backlash, they dont want to go back to Sasikala, he adds.

Referring to OPS getting back to the Cabinet, Ramu Manivannan feels, If he is far more committed to values and ideals of the party, he should not have taken any position in the government.

However, a senior leader of the erstwhile rebel faction says they could achieve their goals by forcing the official faction to order a judicial inquiry and initiating robust steps to oust Sasikala from the party.

We deem it a victory for our cause. We are able to make them justify our demands, he said.

Yet, the days ahead would surely be challenging as Dhinakaran is considered a potential weapon to trouble the government. TTV Dhinakaran will not take things in a laid-down manner. He will push the government to the edge, Manivannan forewarns.

People wont forgive duo: Dhinakaran

TTV Dhinakaran, breaking his silence in late night tweets, said: Not only the party cadre but also the people, would not forgive Panneerselvam and Palaniswami who had betrayed the general secretary of the party who had made them chief ministers.

Palaniswamis hunger for power had eclipsed his senses to the extent to join hands with Panneerselvam who was responsible for freezing the Two Leaves symbol.

How can these betrayers can redeem the symbol ? How could Palaniswami join hands with Panneerselvam who alleged that the State government was corruption-ridden? he added.

CHENNAI: Beginning an unexpected, dramatic rebellion at the burial place of the late Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, on the sands of the serene Marina on February 8, O Panneerselvam led a vociferous bandwagon blaring two key demands. One was to order a high-level probe by a Central agency into the mysterious death of Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016, following more than two months of hospitalisation. The second demand was to purge the party of the clutches of VK Sasikala and her family members. The rebels were successful in frustrating the official faction by challenging the validity of Sasikalas nomination to the post of interim general secretary and freezing the Two Leaves symbol. Moreover, Panneerselvam and his army of generals succeeded in dashing TTV Dhinakarans MLA dreams by making the authorities concerned call off the RK Nagar by-polls.Running short of ideas and finding only a few to fund the expenses to run the breakaway outfit, AIADMK-PTA chief felt the heat. The olive branch the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami-led faction extended seemed to have disappeared as the talks for merger remained a non-starter months ago. The recent defection of VC Arukutty, MLA, and signs of some others following him left Panneerselvam thinking over the future. The commands coming from Delhi and the fear of TTV Dhinakaran rocking the boat with the help of the principal opposition party, DMK, hastened the things for OPS to make a compromise, by giving an impression of hammering out the differences within his camp. As things unfolded on Monday, OPS stands to gain very little from the rebellion and the subsequent mission he launched, to seek justice for the death of his mentor and completely expel the Sasikala family. He couldnt even successfully bargain for more berths in the Cabinet. The reunion appears to be nothing but a marriage of convenience for reasons better known to the leaders of both sides. They are fully committed to power and driven by future concerns, observes Prof Ramu Manivannan, Head of Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Madras. Despite the rhetoric on removal of Sasikala from the party, it is easier said than done, he says. Only because of the fear of backlash, they dont want to go back to Sasikala, he adds. Referring to OPS getting back to the Cabinet, Ramu Manivannan feels, If he is far more committed to values and ideals of the party, he should not have taken any position in the government. However, a senior leader of the erstwhile rebel faction says they could achieve their goals by forcing the official faction to order a judicial inquiry and initiating robust steps to oust Sasikala from the party. We deem it a victory for our cause. We are able to make them justify our demands, he said. Yet, the days ahead would surely be challenging as Dhinakaran is considered a potential weapon to trouble the government. TTV Dhinakaran will not take things in a laid-down manner. He will push the government to the edge, Manivannan forewarns. People wont forgive duo: Dhinakaran TTV Dhinakaran, breaking his silence in late night tweets, said: Not only the party cadre but also the people, would not forgive Panneerselvam and Palaniswami who had betrayed the general secretary of the party who had made them chief ministers. Palaniswamis hunger for power had eclipsed his senses to the extent to join hands with Panneerselvam who was responsible for freezing the Two Leaves symbol. How can these betrayers can redeem the symbol ? How could Palaniswami join hands with Panneerselvam who alleged that the State government was corruption-ridden? he added.
JR Prasad By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Even as the Mangala Vayidyam (the auspicious clarinet) was being blown, amid Vedic chants, two Telugu Biddas  M Venkaiah Naidu and K Chandrasekhar Rao, who made their mark in the contemporary political history of Telugus with the gift of the gab and ability to mesmerize masses by hurling power-packed dialogues, enthralled the audience at Raj Bhavan here with their silver-tongue.

While Vice President Venkaiah Naidu preferred Hyderabad for embarking on his first official tour, given his 40-year-old association with the City of Pearls as a politico, CM Rao captivated Naidu by hosting a rousing civic reception on Monday for the veteran leader with Telugu flavour that too in Telangana style.Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor ESL Narasimhan, reverberated with the reciting of ancient Telugu poems, whose syntax is unique for the language, known as Italian of the East.

None other than CM Rao, a postgraduate in Telugu literature, chanted some of the finest poems in the language to explain how oratorical prowess will help any demagogue in striking a chord with the plebeian.Rao, who is considered as an eloquent and persuasive orator in Telugu after TDP founder NT Rama Rao, took the opportunity to explain the crowd how good Venkaiah Naidu is in delivering pun-filled dialogues not only in Telugu but also in Hindi and English. We all should be proud that our Telugu Bidda has attained a second highest constitutional position in the country, Rao said and recalled how NTR had brought recognition for Telugus at national level earlier.

KCR further added, At a time when there was a feeling among the North Indians that South Indians could not speak Hindi, Naidu mastered the language and scaled new heights. A Telugu man becoming the national president of a national party is not a childs play. Later, while thanking KCR for organising a grand reception for him, Vice President Naidu said, I am extremely delighted that the felicitation is organised in Telugu tradition. Further more, this occasion provided me an opportunity to hear Telugu poems, which are being forgotten by the younger generation.

Telangana land is a symbol of Telugu literature and continuous struggles. CM KCR is a good orator and I am a fan of his speeches, which are laced with native Telugu words, Naidu said.

The veteran leader made an appeal to the CMs of the two Telugu-speaking states  KCR and N Chandrababu Naidu, to take steps to protect the Telugu language. Telugu is on the verge of extinction as English is eating into it. I dont say that Telugu should be made the medium of instruction in education. But, it should be made compulsory at all levels of education. Governments of the two states should take measures to conduct all transactions in the administration in Telugu language, he suggested.

The felicitation, organised in the presence of Governor Narasmihan, Union Labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya, other dignitaries and film personalities, experienced the Telugu flavour on every front, even as Vedic verses were recited by pandits.Rao, clad in spick-and-span white attire, felicitated the Vice President, who was in his trademark white lungi and white shirt, by wrapping a silk shawl around the Veepees shoulders. Later, Rao hosted lunch to Venkaiah with Telangana cuisine.

New position, new problems!

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said he was feeling a little uncomfortable in his new position as he could no longer interact with people as he had done as a politico. My post is a big one. Likewise, there are many restrictions on me. Due to protocol issues, I cant mingle with people, he remarked. He said he had asked his officers to study the rules to find out ways to overcome these protocol problems.

Piece of advice for two CMs

Vice president Naidu suggested Chief Ministers of TS and AP  K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu, to bury their hatchet and work together for the prosperity of the two Telugu-speaking states.

Congress skips felicitation

Leaders of the main Opposition party (Congress), did not attend the reception hosted for the VP as they were in Delhi on Monday to attend the dharna organised by TJAC in Delhi. TDP leaders alleged that they too could not attend as they were not invited by the government.

HYDERABAD: Even as the Mangala Vayidyam (the auspicious clarinet) was being blown, amid Vedic chants, two Telugu Biddas  M Venkaiah Naidu and K Chandrasekhar Rao, who made their mark in the contemporary political history of Telugus with the gift of the gab and ability to mesmerize masses by hurling power-packed dialogues, enthralled the audience at Raj Bhavan here with their silver-tongue. While Vice President Venkaiah Naidu preferred Hyderabad for embarking on his first official tour, given his 40-year-old association with the City of Pearls as a politico, CM Rao captivated Naidu by hosting a rousing civic reception on Monday for the veteran leader with Telugu flavour that too in Telangana style.Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor ESL Narasimhan, reverberated with the reciting of ancient Telugu poems, whose syntax is unique for the language, known as Italian of the East. None other than CM Rao, a postgraduate in Telugu literature, chanted some of the finest poems in the language to explain how oratorical prowess will help any demagogue in striking a chord with the plebeian.Rao, who is considered as an eloquent and persuasive orator in Telugu after TDP founder NT Rama Rao, took the opportunity to explain the crowd how good Venkaiah Naidu is in delivering pun-filled dialogues not only in Telugu but also in Hindi and English. We all should be proud that our Telugu Bidda has attained a second highest constitutional position in the country, Rao said and recalled how NTR had brought recognition for Telugus at national level earlier. KCR further added, At a time when there was a feeling among the North Indians that South Indians could not speak Hindi, Naidu mastered the language and scaled new heights. A Telugu man becoming the national president of a national party is not a childs play. Later, while thanking KCR for organising a grand reception for him, Vice President Naidu said, I am extremely delighted that the felicitation is organised in Telugu tradition. Further more, this occasion provided me an opportunity to hear Telugu poems, which are being forgotten by the younger generation. Telangana land is a symbol of Telugu literature and continuous struggles. CM KCR is a good orator and I am a fan of his speeches, which are laced with native Telugu words, Naidu said. The veteran leader made an appeal to the CMs of the two Telugu-speaking states  KCR and N Chandrababu Naidu, to take steps to protect the Telugu language. Telugu is on the verge of extinction as English is eating into it. I dont say that Telugu should be made the medium of instruction in education. But, it should be made compulsory at all levels of education. Governments of the two states should take measures to conduct all transactions in the administration in Telugu language, he suggested. The felicitation, organised in the presence of Governor Narasmihan, Union Labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya, other dignitaries and film personalities, experienced the Telugu flavour on every front, even as Vedic verses were recited by pandits.Rao, clad in spick-and-span white attire, felicitated the Vice President, who was in his trademark white lungi and white shirt, by wrapping a silk shawl around the Veepees shoulders. Later, Rao hosted lunch to Venkaiah with Telangana cuisine. New position, new problems! Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said he was feeling a little uncomfortable in his new position as he could no longer interact with people as he had done as a politico. My post is a big one. Likewise, there are many restrictions on me. Due to protocol issues, I cant mingle with people, he remarked. He said he had asked his officers to study the rules to find out ways to overcome these protocol problems.Piece of advice for two CMs Vice president Naidu suggested Chief Ministers of TS and AP  K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu, to bury their hatchet and work together for the prosperity of the two Telugu-speaking states. Congress skips felicitation Leaders of the main Opposition party (Congress), did not attend the reception hosted for the VP as they were in Delhi on Monday to attend the dharna organised by TJAC in Delhi. TDP leaders alleged that they too could not attend as they were not invited by the government.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Taking a view of the allegations of torture of youth belonging to SC community by the Nerella police for setting ablaze sand lorries, National Commission for Scheduled Castes had asked Telangana State Chief Secretary and DGP to submit information on the action taken into the allegations of torture of the SC youth.The report should have details of the action taken under the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 2015 and the Rules, 2016, thereof, NCSC asked the CS and DGP.

The NCSC want the report to be sent by fax. In case the commission does not receive from you within stipulated time, Commission may exercise powers of Civil Courts conferred on it under Article 338 of Constitution of India and issue a summons for your appearance in person or by a representative before Commission, notice said. Meanwhile, a division bench of Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday will hear the case regarding the alleged torture of youth, based on the letter written by former judge of high court.

The bench comprising ACJ Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice J Uma Devi treated the letter written by Justice Chandra Kumar as a PIL case.

Justice Chandra Kumar, in his letter to the Chief Justice, sought courts intervention to do justice to the victims. He requested the court to direct the government to pay `10 lakh as compensation to victims.

In a related development, Rajanna Sircilla SP Vishwajit Kampati, who is facing allegations of being responsible for the torture of Nerella youth, was nominated by Union Ministry of Home Affairs for annual visit of police party to Hot Springs in Ladakh for one month from August 24. In his absence, Karimnagar police commissioner V B Kamalasan Reddy will be the incharge SP of Rajanna Sircilla.

HYDERABAD: Taking a view of the allegations of torture of youth belonging to SC community by the Nerella police for setting ablaze sand lorries, National Commission for Scheduled Castes had asked Telangana State Chief Secretary and DGP to submit information on the action taken into the allegations of torture of the SC youth.The report should have details of the action taken under the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 2015 and the Rules, 2016, thereof, NCSC asked the CS and DGP. The NCSC want the report to be sent by fax. In case the commission does not receive from you within stipulated time, Commission may exercise powers of Civil Courts conferred on it under Article 338 of Constitution of India and issue a summons for your appearance in person or by a representative before Commission, notice said. Meanwhile, a division bench of Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday will hear the case regarding the alleged torture of youth, based on the letter written by former judge of high court. The bench comprising ACJ Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice J Uma Devi treated the letter written by Justice Chandra Kumar as a PIL case. Justice Chandra Kumar, in his letter to the Chief Justice, sought courts intervention to do justice to the victims. He requested the court to direct the government to pay `10 lakh as compensation to victims. In a related development, Rajanna Sircilla SP Vishwajit Kampati, who is facing allegations of being responsible for the torture of Nerella youth, was nominated by Union Ministry of Home Affairs for annual visit of police party to Hot Springs in Ladakh for one month from August 24. In his absence, Karimnagar police commissioner V B Kamalasan Reddy will be the incharge SP of Rajanna Sircilla.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump wants to fire General John Nicholson, his top commander in Afghanistan, as he believes Taliban is increasingly gaining ground in the war-torn country, a media report said.

Frustrated over the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, Trump at a White House meeting on July 19 "repeatedly suggested" that Defence Secretary James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Joseph Dunford replace Gen Nicholson, because he is "not winning the war", the NBC News reported yesterday, quoting unnamed officials in the White House.

The Afghan review lasted for about two hours, during which the president apparently asked for return on investment in Afghanistan.

According to officials, Trump inquired about the United States getting a piece of Afghan's mineral wealth and repeatedly said the top US general there should be fired, NBC news said.

Notably, Trump is yet to meet General Nicholson, who was appointed to this position by his predecessor. Trump is the third US President to be grappling with the Afghan war, which began in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when the then US President George W Bush sent troops to overthrow the Taliban rulers, who had sheltered Al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden.

"We aren't winning," Trump complained, according to the officials.

"We are losing," NBC News quoted the official as saying what Trump felt over the situation in Afghanistan.

Another official said Trump pointed to maps showing the Taliban gaining ground, and that Mattis responded to the president by saying the US is losing because it doesn't have the strategy it needs, the news channel reported.

The White House declined to comment on internal deliberations.

"That strategy has been worked carefully in the interagency process and while no decision has been made the president's team continues to develop options for him that address threats and opportunities to America arising from this vital region," Michael Anton, spokesman of the National Security Council told the news channel.

According to media reports, Trump has been unhappy with the options bring presented to him. The Afghan policy review, which was of late scheduled to come up mid-July has been postponed for the time being. An inter-agency process is still working on it, after Trump sent the plan to the drawing board.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump wants to fire General John Nicholson, his top commander in Afghanistan, as he believes Taliban is increasingly gaining ground in the war-torn country, a media report said. Frustrated over the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, Trump at a White House meeting on July 19 "repeatedly suggested" that Defence Secretary James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Joseph Dunford replace Gen Nicholson, because he is "not winning the war", the NBC News reported yesterday, quoting unnamed officials in the White House. The Afghan review lasted for about two hours, during which the president apparently asked for return on investment in Afghanistan. According to officials, Trump inquired about the United States getting a piece of Afghan's mineral wealth and repeatedly said the top US general there should be fired, NBC news said. Notably, Trump is yet to meet General Nicholson, who was appointed to this position by his predecessor. Trump is the third US President to be grappling with the Afghan war, which began in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when the then US President George W Bush sent troops to overthrow the Taliban rulers, who had sheltered Al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden. "We aren't winning," Trump complained, according to the officials. "We are losing," NBC News quoted the official as saying what Trump felt over the situation in Afghanistan. Another official said Trump pointed to maps showing the Taliban gaining ground, and that Mattis responded to the president by saying the US is losing because it doesn't have the strategy it needs, the news channel reported. The White House declined to comment on internal deliberations. "That strategy has been worked carefully in the interagency process and while no decision has been made the president's team continues to develop options for him that address threats and opportunities to America arising from this vital region," Michael Anton, spokesman of the National Security Council told the news channel. According to media reports, Trump has been unhappy with the options bring presented to him. The Afghan policy review, which was of late scheduled to come up mid-July has been postponed for the time being. An inter-agency process is still working on it, after Trump sent the plan to the drawing board.
By IANS

BEIJING: China on Tuesday said there will be "utter chaos" if its troops entered India on the pretext that Indian border infrastructure posed a threat to Beijing.



The Chinese Foreign Ministry said India's logic that Chinese road building in Doklam on the border posed a threat to New Delhi was "ridiculous and vicious".



It said China would in no way allow any country or individual to infringe upon its territorial sovereignty.



"The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of ... Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and facts are clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.



"You may think about it. If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour's home can break into its neighbour's house.



"Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?"



To Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh's remark that India had never been an aggressor and has had no ambitions to expand its border, Hua responded: "China loves peace and firmly upholds peace. At the same time, we will safeguard our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We allow no country or any individual to infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty."



She asked India to pull back troops from Doklam to resolve the crisis.



"We have said many times that prerequisite basis for the settlement of the trespass is the unconditional withdrawal of the personnel and equipment from the Indian side.



"So we urge the Indian side to take concrete actions and make positive moves to correct its wrongdoing."



Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a stand-off since June at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border.



This is the longest stand-off between the two armies since 1987 when they faced a similar situation at Somordong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.



It all began when Indian troops stopped Chinese troops from building a road in Doklam, citing the disputed status of the territory.



Doklam is claimed by Bhutan, which has protested against Chinese road building.



China says the construction of the road is just since Doklam has been Chinese territory since ancient times.



New Delhi backs Bhutan's claims and sees a Chinese road in Doklam as a threat because the region is very close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects India's northeast with the rest of the country.

BEIJING: China on Tuesday said there will be "utter chaos" if its troops entered India on the pretext that Indian border infrastructure posed a threat to Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said India's logic that Chinese road building in Doklam on the border posed a threat to New Delhi was "ridiculous and vicious". It said China would in no way allow any country or individual to infringe upon its territorial sovereignty. "The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of ... Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and facts are clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. "You may think about it. If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour's home can break into its neighbour's house. "Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?" To Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh's remark that India had never been an aggressor and has had no ambitions to expand its border, Hua responded: "China loves peace and firmly upholds peace. At the same time, we will safeguard our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We allow no country or any individual to infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty." She asked India to pull back troops from Doklam to resolve the crisis. "We have said many times that prerequisite basis for the settlement of the trespass is the unconditional withdrawal of the personnel and equipment from the Indian side. "So we urge the Indian side to take concrete actions and make positive moves to correct its wrongdoing." Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a stand-off since June at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border. This is the longest stand-off between the two armies since 1987 when they faced a similar situation at Somordong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. It all began when Indian troops stopped Chinese troops from building a road in Doklam, citing the disputed status of the territory. Doklam is claimed by Bhutan, which has protested against Chinese road building. China says the construction of the road is just since Doklam has been Chinese territory since ancient times. New Delhi backs Bhutan's claims and sees a Chinese road in Doklam as a threat because the region is very close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects India's northeast with the rest of the country.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan Monday, backtracking from his promise to swiftly end America's longest war, while pillorying ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos."

In his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump discarded his previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from "behind the desk in the Oval Office."

"My instinct was to pull out" Trump admitted as he spoke of frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars.

But following months of discussion, Trump said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable" and leaving a "vacuum" that terrorists "would instantly fill."

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorized his defense secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

A conflict that began in October 2001 as a hunt for the 9/11 attackers has turned into a vexed effort to keep Afghanistan's divided and corruption-hindered democracy alive amid a brutal Taliban insurgency.

Trump warned that the approach would now be more pragmatic than idealistic. Security assistance to Afghanistan was "not a blank check" he said, warning he would not send the military to "construct democracies in faraway lands or create democracies in our own image."

"We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists."

Trump indicated that single-minded approach would extend to US relations with troubled ally Pakistan, which consecutive US administrations have criticized for links with the Taliban and for harboring leading jihadists -- like Osama bin Laden.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations," he said warning that vital aid could be cut.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," he said. "That will have to change and that will change immediately."

Ahead of the speech Pakistan's military brushed off speculation that Trump could signal a stronger line against Islamabad, insisting the country has done all it can to tackle militancy.

"Let it come," army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters, referring to Trump's decision. "Even if it comes... Pakistan shall do whatever is best in the national interest."

About face

Trump for the first time also left the door open to an eventual political deal with the Taliban.

"Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan," he said.

"But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen," he added, before vowing that "America will continue its support for the Afghan government and military as they confront the Taliban in the field."

While wary of international entanglements, Trump has also been eager to show success and steel in the realm of national security.

As president, he has surrounded himself with military generals -- from his national security advisor to his chief of staff to his defense secretary -- who have urged him to stay the course.

The Trump administration had originally promised a new Afghan plan by mid-July, but Trump was said to be dissatisfied by initial proposals to deploy a few thousand more troops.

His new policy will raise questions about what, if anything, can be achieved by making further deployments, or repeating the demands of previous administrations in more forceful terms.

In 2010, the United States had upwards of 100,000 US military personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Today that figure is around 8,400 US troops and the situation is as deadly as ever.

More than 2,500 Afghan police and troops have been killed already this year.

"The Afghan government remains divided and weak, its security forces will take years of expensive US and allied support to become fully effective, and they may still lose even with such support," said Anthony Cordesman of The Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Hours before Trump's remarks there was a stark reminder of the Taliban's reach, when a missile landed on a field in Kabul's heavily fortified diplomatic zone.

Wants India to help with Afghanistan

The US President reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said.

'Rigorous debate'

Trump's announcement comes amid a month of serious turmoil for his administration, which has seen several top White House officials fired and revelations that members of Trump's campaign are being investigated by a federal grand jury.

He sought in his address to convince Americans who have wearied of his controversial off-the-cuff remarks.

"I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle," he said, hoping to show he has sufficiently pondered the decision to send more young Americans into mortal danger.

The decision on Afghanistan could have wide-ranging political repercussions for Trump, who faces a backlash from his base for reversing his pledge not to deepen military entanglements on foreign soil.

One of the main voices arguing for withdrawal, Trump's nationalistic chief strategist Steve Bannon, was removed from his post on Friday.

Among the advisors present at Camp David was new White House chief of staff John Kelly, a former Marine Corps general whose son died in Afghanistan in 2010.

(With inputs from PTI)

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan Monday, backtracking from his promise to swiftly end America's longest war, while pillorying ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos." In his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump discarded his previous criticism of the 16-year-old war as a waste of time and money, admitting things looked different from "behind the desk in the Oval Office." "My instinct was to pull out" Trump admitted as he spoke of frustration with a war that has killed thousands of US troops and cost US taxpayers trillions of dollars. But following months of discussion, Trump said he had concluded "the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable" and leaving a "vacuum" that terrorists "would instantly fill." While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorized his defense secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan. A conflict that began in October 2001 as a hunt for the 9/11 attackers has turned into a vexed effort to keep Afghanistan's divided and corruption-hindered democracy alive amid a brutal Taliban insurgency. Trump warned that the approach would now be more pragmatic than idealistic. Security assistance to Afghanistan was "not a blank check" he said, warning he would not send the military to "construct democracies in faraway lands or create democracies in our own image." "We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists." Trump indicated that single-minded approach would extend to US relations with troubled ally Pakistan, which consecutive US administrations have criticized for links with the Taliban and for harboring leading jihadists -- like Osama bin Laden. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations," he said warning that vital aid could be cut. "We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," he said. "That will have to change and that will change immediately." Ahead of the speech Pakistan's military brushed off speculation that Trump could signal a stronger line against Islamabad, insisting the country has done all it can to tackle militancy. "Let it come," army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters, referring to Trump's decision. "Even if it comes... Pakistan shall do whatever is best in the national interest." About face Trump for the first time also left the door open to an eventual political deal with the Taliban. "Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan," he said. "But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen," he added, before vowing that "America will continue its support for the Afghan government and military as they confront the Taliban in the field." While wary of international entanglements, Trump has also been eager to show success and steel in the realm of national security. As president, he has surrounded himself with military generals -- from his national security advisor to his chief of staff to his defense secretary -- who have urged him to stay the course. The Trump administration had originally promised a new Afghan plan by mid-July, but Trump was said to be dissatisfied by initial proposals to deploy a few thousand more troops. His new policy will raise questions about what, if anything, can be achieved by making further deployments, or repeating the demands of previous administrations in more forceful terms. In 2010, the United States had upwards of 100,000 US military personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Today that figure is around 8,400 US troops and the situation is as deadly as ever. More than 2,500 Afghan police and troops have been killed already this year. "The Afghan government remains divided and weak, its security forces will take years of expensive US and allied support to become fully effective, and they may still lose even with such support," said Anthony Cordesman of The Center for Strategic and International Studies. Hours before Trump's remarks there was a stark reminder of the Taliban's reach, when a missile landed on a field in Kabul's heavily fortified diplomatic zone. Wants India to help with Afghanistan The US President reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said. "We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said. 'Rigorous debate' Trump's announcement comes amid a month of serious turmoil for his administration, which has seen several top White House officials fired and revelations that members of Trump's campaign are being investigated by a federal grand jury. He sought in his address to convince Americans who have wearied of his controversial off-the-cuff remarks. "I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle," he said, hoping to show he has sufficiently pondered the decision to send more young Americans into mortal danger. The decision on Afghanistan could have wide-ranging political repercussions for Trump, who faces a backlash from his base for reversing his pledge not to deepen military entanglements on foreign soil. One of the main voices arguing for withdrawal, Trump's nationalistic chief strategist Steve Bannon, was removed from his post on Friday. Among the advisors present at Camp David was new White House chief of staff John Kelly, a former Marine Corps general whose son died in Afghanistan in 2010. (With inputs from PTI)
By PTI

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron embarks on a three-country tour of central and southeast Europe today, hoping to drum up support for his ambitious EU reform agenda as his ratings falter at home.

The main focus of the trip to Austria, Romania and Bulgaria will be his push to change a controversial EU regulation allowing companies to send workers to other members states without paying local social charges. Macron, elected in May, has promised to overhaul the so- called Posted Workers Directive because it is used by eastern Europe companies to undercut their rivals in wealthier members such as France.

For example, it enables a Polish firm to win a contract in France and then send Polish workers to carry out the work without having to pay French social charges, which are higher than in Poland. "It's a sensitive issue in all our countries, particularly in France but not only there," said a French diplomat on condition of anonymity.

"It's about how people perceive economic competition in Europe." Foreign companies competing unfairly with French ones are seen by Macron as a driver of anti-EU sentiment which helped the eurosceptic far-right and far-left to record scores in France's elections earlier this year. "Do you think I can explain to the French middle classes that companies are closing in France to relocate to Poland because it's cheaper there and that here (in France) construction companies are employing Polish workers because they are less expensive? This system doesn't work," Macron said in June.

Reforming the directive is one part of the 39-year-old centrist's broader push to create a new "protective Europe" that helps shield citizens from the effects of cut-throat international competition. He is also pushing for a new mechanism to screen non-EU investments, particularly from China, into strategic areas of the European economy, as well as tougher measures to block the dumping of cheap imports on the continent.

Other strands include creating a "Buy European Act", which would oblige EU governments to buy more from companies that manufacture inside the bloc. Pierre Vimont, a former French diplomat and senior fellow at the Carnegie Europe think tank, called changing the Posted Workers Directive "a symbolic case" for the president. "Macron needs to deliver for French public opinion," he added.

A recent survey showed only 37 percent of people were happy with Macron's performance in office so far. Macron will meet the leaders of Austria, Romania and Bulgaria as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Austria backs Macron but the others will need to be convinced of his proposals for posted workers to be limited to jobs lasting 12 months, half the period proposed by the European Commission. France also wants greater efforts to fight the fraudulent use of the directive, which was used to employ 286,000 people in the country in 2015.

Notably absent from the French president's tour are meetings with the hard-right and conservative leaders of Hungary and Poland, with whom Macron has clashed repeatedly. Poland is the country that benefits most from the Posted Workers Directive, with an estimated 500,000 of its nationals employed by Polish companies in other EU members. Macron will host his counterparts from western Europe in the coming weeks.

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron embarks on a three-country tour of central and southeast Europe today, hoping to drum up support for his ambitious EU reform agenda as his ratings falter at home. The main focus of the trip to Austria, Romania and Bulgaria will be his push to change a controversial EU regulation allowing companies to send workers to other members states without paying local social charges. Macron, elected in May, has promised to overhaul the so- called Posted Workers Directive because it is used by eastern Europe companies to undercut their rivals in wealthier members such as France. For example, it enables a Polish firm to win a contract in France and then send Polish workers to carry out the work without having to pay French social charges, which are higher than in Poland. "It's a sensitive issue in all our countries, particularly in France but not only there," said a French diplomat on condition of anonymity. "It's about how people perceive economic competition in Europe." Foreign companies competing unfairly with French ones are seen by Macron as a driver of anti-EU sentiment which helped the eurosceptic far-right and far-left to record scores in France's elections earlier this year. "Do you think I can explain to the French middle classes that companies are closing in France to relocate to Poland because it's cheaper there and that here (in France) construction companies are employing Polish workers because they are less expensive? This system doesn't work," Macron said in June. Reforming the directive is one part of the 39-year-old centrist's broader push to create a new "protective Europe" that helps shield citizens from the effects of cut-throat international competition. He is also pushing for a new mechanism to screen non-EU investments, particularly from China, into strategic areas of the European economy, as well as tougher measures to block the dumping of cheap imports on the continent. Other strands include creating a "Buy European Act", which would oblige EU governments to buy more from companies that manufacture inside the bloc. Pierre Vimont, a former French diplomat and senior fellow at the Carnegie Europe think tank, called changing the Posted Workers Directive "a symbolic case" for the president. "Macron needs to deliver for French public opinion," he added. A recent survey showed only 37 percent of people were happy with Macron's performance in office so far. Macron will meet the leaders of Austria, Romania and Bulgaria as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Austria backs Macron but the others will need to be convinced of his proposals for posted workers to be limited to jobs lasting 12 months, half the period proposed by the European Commission. France also wants greater efforts to fight the fraudulent use of the directive, which was used to employ 286,000 people in the country in 2015. Notably absent from the French president's tour are meetings with the hard-right and conservative leaders of Hungary and Poland, with whom Macron has clashed repeatedly. Poland is the country that benefits most from the Posted Workers Directive, with an estimated 500,000 of its nationals employed by Polish companies in other EU members. Macron will host his counterparts from western Europe in the coming weeks.
By PTI

TEHRAN: Iran's new communications minister said today that negotiations were underway with Twitter to unblock the service, which has been banned for years despite being used even by the country's supreme leader.

The micro-blogging platform was barred at the time of mass anti-regime protests in 2009 that followed allegations of massive rigging in the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"(Twitter) has announced that it is prepared to negotiate to resolve problems," Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi told the Iran daily newspaper.

"Considering the current situation there are grounds for such negotiation and interaction. Twitter is not an immoral environment needing to be blocked," he added.

The 36-year-old Jahromi became Iran's youngest-ever minister this week, and the first to be born after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

His selection has been criticised by rights groups over his involvement in surveillance during and after the mass anti-regime protests of 2009.

He rejected the criticism in a meeting with lawmakers this week, saying: "I wasn't responsible for surveillance -- I was in charge of the technical infrastructure for the surveillance industry, and I consider it an honour."

But Jahromi is also seen as a critic of online censorship in Iran, where platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter remain banned even if millions use them daily through easily available privacy software.

He said officials were also looking at ways to unblock YouTube while still censoring "immoral content" on the video sharing service, and that a pilot project would allow universities to access the site.

There was no immediate response from Twitter or YouTube.

Jahromi added that the final decision on unblocking sites lay with Supreme Council for Cyberspace, which includes members of the hardline judiciary.

The 2009 protests were considered the first time that Twitter and social media were widely used to organise protests -- a model replicated when the Arab Spring movement erupted across the region the following year.

"At that time and based on remarks made by the director of this network, Iran's government believed they had interfered in the country's internal affairs and for this reason, Twitter was filtered," said Jahromi, who has more than 4,000 followers on the service.

TEHRAN: Iran's new communications minister said today that negotiations were underway with Twitter to unblock the service, which has been banned for years despite being used even by the country's supreme leader. The micro-blogging platform was barred at the time of mass anti-regime protests in 2009 that followed allegations of massive rigging in the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "(Twitter) has announced that it is prepared to negotiate to resolve problems," Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi told the Iran daily newspaper. "Considering the current situation there are grounds for such negotiation and interaction. Twitter is not an immoral environment needing to be blocked," he added. The 36-year-old Jahromi became Iran's youngest-ever minister this week, and the first to be born after the 1979 Islamic revolution. His selection has been criticised by rights groups over his involvement in surveillance during and after the mass anti-regime protests of 2009. He rejected the criticism in a meeting with lawmakers this week, saying: "I wasn't responsible for surveillance -- I was in charge of the technical infrastructure for the surveillance industry, and I consider it an honour." But Jahromi is also seen as a critic of online censorship in Iran, where platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter remain banned even if millions use them daily through easily available privacy software. He said officials were also looking at ways to unblock YouTube while still censoring "immoral content" on the video sharing service, and that a pilot project would allow universities to access the site. There was no immediate response from Twitter or YouTube. Jahromi added that the final decision on unblocking sites lay with Supreme Council for Cyberspace, which includes members of the hardline judiciary. The 2009 protests were considered the first time that Twitter and social media were widely used to organise protests -- a model replicated when the Arab Spring movement erupted across the region the following year. "At that time and based on remarks made by the director of this network, Iran's government believed they had interfered in the country's internal affairs and for this reason, Twitter was filtered," said Jahromi, who has more than 4,000 followers on the service.
By PTI

PESHAWAR: At least seven persons have died and over 1,500 affected after dengue outbreak in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said today.

This is the first time since dengue's outbreak in the province that any official data has been released. A total of 1,547 were tested positive for the virus since, of which 560 were admitted to different hospitals in the provincial capital, according to statistics released by the Deputy Commissioner's Office, the Dawn reported.

The document said 242 patients are still being treated. Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak and Health Minister Shahram Tarakai visited the affected areas and announced Rs 500,000 compensation for each of the deceased.

The recent dengue outbreak in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw has become an alarming situation for the authorities and residents. The first case of dengue outbreak this year was reported from Peshawar on June 14 this year. Pakistan has experienced many dengue outbreaks since the first observed in 1994.

Two major outbreaks were reported over the last two decades: one in 2005, in which over 6,000 cases and 52 deaths were reported in Karachi, and in 2011 when more than 21,000 cases and 350 deaths were reported from Lahore.

PESHAWAR: At least seven persons have died and over 1,500 affected after dengue outbreak in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said today. This is the first time since dengue's outbreak in the province that any official data has been released. A total of 1,547 were tested positive for the virus since, of which 560 were admitted to different hospitals in the provincial capital, according to statistics released by the Deputy Commissioner's Office, the Dawn reported. The document said 242 patients are still being treated. Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak and Health Minister Shahram Tarakai visited the affected areas and announced Rs 500,000 compensation for each of the deceased. The recent dengue outbreak in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw has become an alarming situation for the authorities and residents. The first case of dengue outbreak this year was reported from Peshawar on June 14 this year. Pakistan has experienced many dengue outbreaks since the first observed in 1994. Two major outbreaks were reported over the last two decades: one in 2005, in which over 6,000 cases and 52 deaths were reported in Karachi, and in 2011 when more than 21,000 cases and 350 deaths were reported from Lahore.
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's ruling party has urged President Maithripala Sirisena to sack Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe for criticising the government's USD 1.1 billion deal with China to develop the strategic Hambantota port.

Sri Lanka on July 29 signed the deal to sell a 70-per cent stake in the port to a state-run Chinese firm, a move that could raise security concerns in India.

Rajapakshe was accused of violating collective responsibility at the United National Party (UNP) working committee meeting held last week.

He was asked to correct his statement which was critical of the government's deal with China, but he did not respond positively to the request.

Rajapakshe was quoted as saying that the port deal was the betrayal of the country's sovereignty and he would make sure that the port is taken back from China.

UNP general secretary Kabir Hashim said the UNP has requested Sirisena to remove Rajapakshe form the Cabinet.

Under the 99-year lease agreement, China's state-run conglomerate China Merchant Port Holdings is to invest up to USD 1.1 billion in the port and marine-related activities.

The accumulated loss from the port was more than USD 300 million and the money realised from deal will set off the debts owed to China, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had said.

Rajapakshe, who is also the minister in charge of the Buddhist order, was previously accused of aiding and abetting an extremist Buddhist monk who was promoting violence against the Muslim minority.

The UNP has also charged that Rajapakshe as the Minister of Justice had hampered the investigations against the family of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose nearly a decadelong rule was ended by Sirisena in 2015.

The UNP said that investigations against former strongman Rajapaksa and his followers on alleged misdeeds had taken over two and a half years, and Rajapakshe was responsible for deliberate slowing down of investigations.

Rajapakshe denied the accusation, saying it was not proper for the government to interfere in the judiciary.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's ruling party has urged President Maithripala Sirisena to sack Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe for criticising the government's USD 1.1 billion deal with China to develop the strategic Hambantota port. Sri Lanka on July 29 signed the deal to sell a 70-per cent stake in the port to a state-run Chinese firm, a move that could raise security concerns in India. Rajapakshe was accused of violating collective responsibility at the United National Party (UNP) working committee meeting held last week. He was asked to correct his statement which was critical of the government's deal with China, but he did not respond positively to the request. Rajapakshe was quoted as saying that the port deal was the betrayal of the country's sovereignty and he would make sure that the port is taken back from China. UNP general secretary Kabir Hashim said the UNP has requested Sirisena to remove Rajapakshe form the Cabinet. Under the 99-year lease agreement, China's state-run conglomerate China Merchant Port Holdings is to invest up to USD 1.1 billion in the port and marine-related activities. The accumulated loss from the port was more than USD 300 million and the money realised from deal will set off the debts owed to China, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had said. Rajapakshe, who is also the minister in charge of the Buddhist order, was previously accused of aiding and abetting an extremist Buddhist monk who was promoting violence against the Muslim minority. The UNP has also charged that Rajapakshe as the Minister of Justice had hampered the investigations against the family of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose nearly a decadelong rule was ended by Sirisena in 2015. The UNP said that investigations against former strongman Rajapaksa and his followers on alleged misdeeds had taken over two and a half years, and Rajapakshe was responsible for deliberate slowing down of investigations. Rajapakshe denied the accusation, saying it was not proper for the government to interfere in the judiciary.
By ANI

WASHINGTON: The United States has asked the Assad regime to cease its use of chemical weapons and fully declare all its chemical weapons stockpiles.

A statement issued by the U.S. Department of State read, The Assad regime must cease its use of chemical weapons, fully declare all of its chemical weapons stockpiles, and cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fact-Finding Mission and the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM).



This came in light of the fourth Anniversary of the 2013 Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack which killed more than 1,400 Syrians, many of who were children.



Throwing the flak at the chemical attacks, the U.S. also reiterated the call for all countries to stand together and leave no doubt that the use of chemical weapons will not be tolerated.



We condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons anywhere, by anyone, under any circumstances. We reiterate our commitment to not tolerate such use and to ensure that those responsible face serious consequences, read the statement.



Four years ago today, the Syrian regime launched a horrific chemical attack with the nerve agent sarin on the opposition-controlled suburb of Ghouta in Damascus .



This tragic event precipitated an international effort that led to the destruction of more than 1,000 metric tons of Syrian chemical weapons.]

WASHINGTON: The United States has asked the Assad regime to cease its use of chemical weapons and fully declare all its chemical weapons stockpiles. A statement issued by the U.S. Department of State read, The Assad regime must cease its use of chemical weapons, fully declare all of its chemical weapons stockpiles, and cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fact-Finding Mission and the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM). This came in light of the fourth Anniversary of the 2013 Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack which killed more than 1,400 Syrians, many of who were children. Throwing the flak at the chemical attacks, the U.S. also reiterated the call for all countries to stand together and leave no doubt that the use of chemical weapons will not be tolerated. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons anywhere, by anyone, under any circumstances. We reiterate our commitment to not tolerate such use and to ensure that those responsible face serious consequences, read the statement. Four years ago today, the Syrian regime launched a horrific chemical attack with the nerve agent sarin on the opposition-controlled suburb of Ghouta in Damascus . This tragic event precipitated an international effort that led to the destruction of more than 1,000 metric tons of Syrian chemical weapons.]
Portsmouth, Middletown headed to Super Bowls. How they did it.

While Portsmouth and Middletown will play for championships, Rogers will be left out following semifinal loss.
The Danish inventor suspected of deliberately sinking a home-built submarine and killing freelance journalist and recent Columbia University graduate Kim Wall has allegedly told authorities that he dumped Wall's body overboard after she died in an accident, Danish police revealed Monday.

Wall, 30, was last seen on August 10th boarding the UC3 Nautilus submarine with Peter Madsen, a well-known Danish inventor and the subject of her latest piece. When Wall's boyfriend reported her missing the next morning, Madsen was arrested, and his submarinedescribed as "the worlds [sic] biggest amateur built submarine" on a crowdfunding websitewas found sunk in a bay about 30 miles south of Copenhagen.

At the time, Madsen claimed that he'd dropped Wall off at a nearby island hours before the vessel sank. But he later admitted that "there was an accident on board which caused Kim Wall's death and that he consequently buried her at sea," Copenhagen police said in a statement released Monday.

On Monday evening, authorities also said that a headless body had been found off the coast of an island just south of Copenhagen. "It is clear that the police, like the media and everybody else, are speculating whether this female body is Kim Wall, but it is way too soon to tell," Copenhagen police spokesman Jens Moller said, according to the BBC. A preliminary investigation suggests that Madsen may have deliberately sunk the vessel.

The body has been sent for forensic analysis, and police said they could not offer any further information at this time. Madsen is being held on charges of involuntary manslaughter, and is cooperating, according to his attorney Betina Hald Engmark.

"My client has not confessed to anything, my client still pleads not guilty to the charges against him," she said. She did not elaborate on why Madsen provided a "different explanation"as police put itfor the passenger's death.

Wall, a freelance journalist born in Sweden, graduated from Columbia University with a masters degree in journalism in 2013, and previously studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris and the London School of Economics, according to the Washington Post. Shed written for the New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Harpers, the South China Morning Post and Vice Magazine.

Friends told the New York Times that she was planning on moving to China with her boyfriend, and had just signed a lease on a studio apartment in Beijing.

"It is with a great concern that we, her family, received the news that Kim is missing after an interview with Peter Madsen in Denmark, Walls family wrote in a statement to the Committee to Protect Journalists. We sincerely hope that she will be found and that she is well."
The all-new 2017 Hyundai Verna has been launched in India at an introductory price tag of Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Interestingly, the company says that this pricing is applicable only for the first 20,000 customers in India, after which there will be a price revision and the Verna could get more expensive. The model was first unveiled globally in China last year and has been one of the most anticipated models ever since. The new Hyundai Verna gets a host of new features as compared to the outgoing model and according to the South Korean manufacturer, they are looking at sales of about 4,500 units per month and is aiming to deliver about 10,000 units of the Hyundai Verna before Diwali.

Based on the K2 platform, the new Hyundai Verna takes design inspiration from its older sibling  the Hyundai Elantra, which was launched in India last year. The front-end of the car comea with projector headlamps and LED daytime running lights, giving the new Verna a bolder look. In terms of what is under the hood, the 2017 Hyundai Verna is powered by a choice of two engine options  a 1.6-litre Dual VTVT petrol engine that churns out 123 PS of power and a 1.6-litre U2 CRDi VGT diesel engine that punches out 128 PS of power. Transmission duties are handled by either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission, depending on the variant. As per the company, the new drivetrain has been tuned to provide high fuel efficiency.

Here are the live updates from the launch of the Hyundai Verna.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
German carmaker Mercedes-Benz today said the prices of luxury cars in India may go up by 5 percent as compared to pre-GST era if the government hikes cess on such vehicles to 25 percent. The luxury car industry can contribute a lot in terms of job creation in the country on the back of "sustainable direction" on part of the government as far as prices are concerned, it said. "In the worst case scenario prices will be higher than the pre-GST ear and all announcements that the GST will be a benefit to the people won't be true," Mercedes-Benz MD & CEO Roland Folger told PTI.When asked by how much the prices can go up, he added: "They can go up as high as 5 percent as compared to pre GST prices and in this case around the country." Folger said that the impact of price hike would be across the country due to "big alignment" of taxes across the states. "If you apply the new 10 percent plus, you are basically boosting everybody up by ten percent so in some states it would mean significant increase," he added. He said the company is currently in a "wait and watch" mode, a situation that has been the "central running theme for them" in the past two years.Under the GST regime, large cars with engine capacity greater than 1,500 cc and SUVs with length more than 4 metres and engine greater than 1,500 cc attract cess of 15 percent in addition to the top tax rate of 28 percent. The overall tax incidence on locally-assembled luxury cars has come down from around 55 percent earlier to 43 percent in the Goods and Services Tax regime, which kicked in from July 1.Several luxury car makers, including Mercedes, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover, have already reduced prices to pass on the benefit to customers. The GST Council has now approved a proposal to hike cess on them from 15 percent to 25 percent. The decision on when to raise the actual cess leviable on the same will be taken by the council in due course. Folger said the continued changes in policy is making it difficult for the company to discuss future business plans with its headquarters in Germany."It would (increase in cess) make our discussion with Germany very difficult because the business case won't work anymore and that's a shame because we have the potential to significantly increase jobs in this country," he added. Doubling company's workforce in India is not out of question but it needs to have sustainable direction as far as prices are concerned, Folger noted. "India has huge potential to create jobs in the luxury car segment...these jobs are not getting created...so if we only stare at issues like how much taxes can we make it is very very short sighted view unfortunately," he added.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday filed three FIRs related to the death of children allegedly due to the lack of oxygen supply in Gorakhpurs BRD Medical College.



The FIRs were filed in at a police station in Lucknows Hazratganj area.



The first FIR deals with corruption charges, the second about negligence leading up to the deaths while the third FIR is about doctors in the hospital having private practices.



This comes after the high-power committee probing the Gorakhpur hospital tragedy submitted its report to the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday. The committee was headed by chief secretary Rajiv Kumar.



Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had formed the committee on August 12 to probe the incident, a day after deaths of scores of children in the state-run BRD Medical College was reported.



UP Medical Education minister Ashutosh Tandon had said that action would be taken against those found guilty in the probe.



As the first action, the government had suspended the college principal Dr Rajiv Mishra, who subsequently put in his papers accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy.



A three-member team of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has charged the administration with negligence, saying no alert was issued regarding shortage of oxygen.



The treating doctors should have been alerted seven days in advance that oxygen supply was not being received, the IMA had said on August 18.



A total of 60 infants admitted to the government-run facility had died in a span of 48 hours, allegedly because of the disruption in oxygen supply due to pending payments to the supplier, a charge stoutly refuted by the state government.



The government has maintained that the children died due to different illnesses, including Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and there was no shortage of oxygen.



(With PTI Inputs)
New Delhi: Three judges, by a majority, struck down the practice of triple talaq as being unconstitutional but on completely different grounds.



Authored by Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rohinton F Nariman, for himself and for Justice Uday U Lalit, these two judgments arrived at the same conclusion but the judges treaded diverse paths. The first judgment in the majority held it to be un-Islamic whereas the other declared triple talaq to be unconstitutional.



Of the 395-page verdict, Justice Joseph used only 26 pages to hold that triple talaq is against the basic tenets of the Holy Quran and consequently, it violates Shariat.



He cited the judgment by a two-judge bench in Shamim Ara Vs State of Uttar Pradesh, in which it was held that instantaneous triple talaq lacks legal sanctity. But Justice Joseph was in disagreement with Justices Nariman and Lalit that 1937 Shariat Act regulated triple talaq.



Instead, Justice Joseph charted the course of reading from Quran in the wake of the arguments that the holy book sanctified all forms of talaq. Islam cannot be anti-Quran, maintained the judge as he held that Quran had to be the primary source of Islamic law and that hadith, ijma or qiyas (discretions of Prophet Muhammad as described by his followers) were to only supplement Quran.



I make an attempt to see what the Quran states on talaq, said Justice Joseph in his verdict while citing from the three chapters in the Quran (Suras) that talks about talaq.



The judge then went on to rule as: The Holy Quran has attributed sanctity and permanence to matrimony. However, in extremely unavoidable situations, talaq is permissible. But an attempt for reconciliation and if it succeeds, then revocation are the Quranic essential steps before talaq attains finality. In triple talaq, this door is closed, hence, triple talaq is against the basic tenets of the Holy Quran and consequently, it violates Shariat.



Justice Joseph said that to freely profess, practice and propagate religion of ones choice is a fundamental right guaranteed under the Indian Constitution but anything which is against the tenets of Quran could not be accorded protection of the law.



Merely because a practice has continued for long, that by itself cannot make it valid if it has been expressly declared to be impermissiblethere cannot be any Constitutional protection to such a practice. What is held to be bad in the Holy Quran cannot be good in Shariat and, in that sense, what is bad in theology is bad in law as well, held Justice Joseph.



In his judgment, Justice Joseph however agreed with the views of the two other judges in the majority that the practice of triple talaq cannot be considered integral to the religious denomination in question.



Justices Nariman and Lalit, in their scrutiny of the argument that triple talaq forms an essential religious practice, quoted from Hanafi school of jurisprudence, followed by the majority of Sunni Muslims in India. Shia Muslims do not have the practice of triple talaq. They reached the conclusion that even Hanafi jurisprudence castigates triple talaq as being sinful and therefore, it forms no part of Article 25(1) as an essential religious practice.



The two judges said that there is no need to ask the Parliament to legislate on triple talaq since it is not an integral part of the religion but it is just a practice which is itself considered to be something innovative. Such a practice, the judges held, must pass the musters of Article 13, whereby all laws in derogation to the fundamental right are to be declared bad.



Justices Nariman and Lalit said that triple talaq in one go is manifestly arbitrary in the sense that the marital tie can be broken capriciously and whimsically by a Muslim man without any attempt at reconciliation so as to save it.



They hence held: This form of talaq must, therefore, be held to be violative of the fundamental right contained under Article 14 (equality) of the Constitution of India. In our opinion, therefore, the 1937 Act, insofar as it seeks to recognize and enforce triple talaq, is within the meaning of the expression laws in force in Article 13(1) and must be struck down as being void to the extent that it recognizes and enforces triple talaq.



Therefore, these two judges tested the validity of triple talaq chiefly on the basis that Shariat Act recognizes and enforce triple talaq a proposition Justice Joseph did not accept.



But all three agreed with the ratio in 2002 Shamim Ara judgment, thereby granting it more force, that no form of divorce could be valid under the Quran if it is not for a reasonable cause and attempts of reconciliation are not made.
Mumbai: An Indian couple who fell in love after meeting at a gender-reassignment clinic in Mumbai announced Tuesday they were engaged and planning a traditional wedding.



Aarav Appukuttan, who was born a woman, met Sukanyeah Krishna, who was born a man, in the waiting room of the clinic three years ago where both were undergoing surgery to change their genders.



The couple exchanged numbers after "realising we both cared deeply for one another", and the relationship flourished from there, Appukutan told AFP.



"I just want to spend my entire life with Sukanyeah after our legal marriage," said the 46-year-old, who spent three decades questioning his gender before undergoing surgery to become a man.



"We are awaiting changes to our official documents from the government... after which we plan to get married in Kerala," he added, referring to the southern Indian state.



The couple are aware of no legal obstacles to their marriage, but they are concerned over how it will received by the public.



"Everyone in the transgender community including hijras are abused and face attacks everyday. Families are worried about how society will perceive their trans children, but the society needs to reform," said Krishna.



"Hijras", as they are locally known, are considered a third gender but stigma is rife in India's conservative society. Transgender Indians are often banished to the margins, where they beg or engage in prostitution.



Appukutan has struggled to find work since his surgery, and was denied a visa to Dubai.



21-year-old Krishna, whose parents gave her hormone injections when she expressed a desire to become a woman, said their relationship had attracted criticism, but they were not deterred.



"We receive eviscerating responses from people, and they try to criticise us, so we are trying to set an example for society and younger trans-people by telling our stories," said Krishna.



The couple is planning a traditional Hindu wedding, and wants to adopt a child once their marriage is legally solemnised.



"We want a child in our life despite our biological limitations, so we will adopt. All our lives will be changed for the better and we will be a complete family," said Appukuttan.


Bhopal: After the Supreme Court's landmark judgment, declaring instant triple talaq as unconstitutional, the focus now shifts to Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal where the next meeting of All India Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will take place on September 10.



The working committee meeting will decide on the future course of action on the apex court's verdict on triple talaq, board's working committee member Zafaryab Jilani said.



A senior counsel, Jilani, claimed that other issues will also be discussed, but the verdict will feature prominently.



Arif Masood, another AIMPLB member, said the board accepted SC's verdict but will discuss the matter after having a detailed look at the judgment, adding that preparations for the September 10 meeting had begun.



Earlier in the day, a five-judge constitution bench of Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, had delivered a historical verdict, terming triple talaq as unconstitutional.




New Delhi: Hours after the Supreme Court declared the practice of instant Islamic divorce as constitutionally invalid, government sources said there was no plan to enact any legislation.



We would only be considering making some amendments to the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, a top government source told News18.



There is no need to pass legislation on triple talaq. The majority judgment has already made it clear that triple talaq is unconstitutional and illegal. This means if someone says triple talaq to a Muslim woman, it will not lead to divorce. Women can report for harassment or atrocities under existing laws. Some amendments will be made in Shariat law of 1937 as this law covers the Muslim marriages, said the source.



This seems to be in contrast to the governments stand in the court in May this year while the case was being argued.



The question on legislation rose for the first time when the then Attorney General of India, Mukul Rohatgi, while arguing on behalf of Union of India stated that all forms of talaq must be abolished and if such a thing is done by the court then the government will indeed enact a legislation to regulate Muslim divorces.



In the minority verdict delivered by Chief Justice of India, JS Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer, the bench has exercised its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution and has directed the Union of India to bring out a legislation with reference to Talaq-e-Biddat.



We hope and expect that the contemplated legislation will also take into consideration advances in Muslim personal law  Shariat, as have been corrected by legislation the world over, even by theocratic Islamic States. When the British rulers in India provided succor to Muslims by legislation, and when remedial measures have been adopted by the Muslim world, we find no reason, for an independent India, to lag behind, reads the verdict by CJI Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer.



However, this view finds no mention in the majority verdict. In fact Justice Kurian Joseph, a part of the majority bench, has gone to the extent in stating that, it is not for the Courts to direct for any legislation.



When issues of such nature come to the forefront, the discourse often takes the form of pitting religion against other constitutional rights. I believe that reconciliation between the same is possible, but the process of harmonizing different interests is within the powers of the legislature. Of course, this power has to be exercised within the constitutional parameters without curbing the religious freedom guaranteed under the Constitution of India. However, it is not for the Courts to direct for any legislation, reads the verdict by Justice Kurian Joseph.
New Delhi: The All India Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday said that Supreme Court's verdict, invalidating instant triple talaq, was a victory for the board as the judgment "accorded protection to the Muslim Personal Law."



The apex court struck down triple talaq, terming it "unconstitutional", and a practice that was against the tenets of the Quran.



The AIMPLB, a respondent in the case, had batted for the practice and had, in May 2017, submitted that the court must not venture into personal laws, saying they were protected under article 25 of the Constitution.



Kapil Sibal, while arguing for AIMPLB in the case, had stated that personal laws were a matter of faith that cannot be judged by the court of law.



We welcome the judgment of the Supreme Court of India since it accords protection to Muslim personal law and says that personal laws cannot be tested by the courts on the grounds of violation of fundamental rights. Chief justice of India, JS Khehar, Justice Abdul Nazeer and Justice Kurian Joseph have accorded Personal laws the status of fundamental rights being protected under Article 25 of the constitution, reads a statement by the board.



J.S Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer stated in the verdict that, the Constitution allows the followers of every religion, to follow their beliefs and religious traditions. The Constitution assures believers of all faiths, that their way of life, is guaranteed, and would not be subjected to any challenge, even though they may seem to others (-and even rationalists, practicing the same faith) unacceptable, in todays world and age. The Constitution extends this guarantee, because faith constitutes the religious consciousness, of the followers.



The board has also said that this verdict would now ensure non-interference by courts in the matter of religion and their faith or beliefs, or from practices emanating from religious texts and belief systems of different communities.



However, AIMPLB cited the affidavit it had submitted before the apex court on May 22, and said that the board was ready to make instant talaq optional in the marriage certificate.



We have always said Talaq-e-Biddat is not a desirable form of divorce, and hence, we submitted the affidavit on May 22, 2017, asking it to be optional in a Nikahnama for the wife. We accept the verdict and will work to see how it is implemented, reads the AIMPLB statement.



The board has made it clear that the reference to parliament by CJI Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer to address the issue of Talaq e Biddat was inconsequential being the minority view on this point.



AIMPLB further cautioned that the Supreme Court verdict cannot be misused by the government to try to interfere with personal laws through legislation.


New Delhi: As the five judges on the Constitution Bench assembled on Tuesday morning at 10.30 in the first court, all eyes were on the Chief Justice of India, who being the first among the equals, was requested by his companion judges to start reading out the verdict.



Lawyers on both sides stood up in attention to be able to hear every word of what was to come next. CJI J S Khehar started reading out the verdict and concluded in the next 8 minutes that triple talaq was a matter of personal law, and thus, it had the constitutional protection.



But the CJI did not clarify whether he was reading out a unanimous view of all five on the Bench; or a majority view or that he was speaking in minority. He ended reading out the verdict and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who had argued for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board defending this practice, looked pleased. And why not, since the CJI is usually the one holding out the majority view.



Sitting to the CJIs right was Justice Kurian Joseph  the second senior-most judge on the Bench. Since we are ruling on triple talaq, we also have a triple judgment, quipped Justice Joseph as he opened his judgment.



The next few sentences that he read out from his verdict, however, could not clear the air. Justice Joseph started by saying he has endorsed a 2002-judgment, which had said triple talaq lacks legal sanctity. But, next, the judge said he agreed with the CJIs view that the freedom of religion under the Constitution of India is absolute. Justice Kurian again supported the CJIs view that the 1937 Shariat Act does not regulate talaq for Muslims. By this time, there was already an impression in the courtroom that the CJI perhaps enjoyed the majority.



But Justice Joseph finished his judgment by saying he disagrees with the CJIs view that triple talaq is integral to the religion. And his last sentence was: What is held to be bad in the Holy Quran cannot be good in Shariat and, in that sense, what is bad in theology is bad in law as well.



With Justice Joseph eventually deciding against the CJIs view in the 18th minute of the proceeding, eyeballs quickly shifted to Justice Rohinton F Nariman. Sitting left to the CJI, Justice Nariman opened his written judgment, but he never looked at it. He seemed to have remembered everything that he had penned down.



Justice Nariman began by making one thing clear  he disagrees with the CJI. He went ahead to hand out reasons for his verdict. Justice Nariman called the practice of triple talaq retrograde and that this practice cannot be a facet of fundamental right to practice religion.



The judge further made it clear that the Supreme Court is not expected to hold its hands when aggrieved women come to it complaining about violation of their fundamental rights. This Court must decide whether such a practice is valid or not, said Justice Nariman. Interestingly, his written judgment does not specifically talk about duty of a court in such circumstances and it appears that Justice Nariman was expressing his mind freely on the issue.



Justice Nariman then jumped to the conclusions of his verdict and said triple talaq is manifestly arbitrary and violative of the fundamental right to equality. The numbers, however, still remained unclear.



In the 25th minute, Justice Nariman said what everyone had been waiting for. He said what he read just now was the view taken by him and Justice Uday U Lalit, whereas the CJIs view was supported by Justice S A Nazeer. Since Justice Kurian had already read out his verdict, the numbers tilted in favour of the three who denounced and struck down triple talaq  although on different reasons.




Supreme Court's verdict on #TripleTalaq, historic judgement, a relief to muslim women exploited in the hide of this practice

 mahin khan (@mahin18tweet) August 22, 2017



#TripleTalaq A great decision . Again the Supreme Court installs our faith in judiciary. Rights of a mass saved.



 Shubam Bharti (@ShubamBharti) August 22, 2017





India gives #TripleTalaq to #TripleTalaq! Historic win for Muslim women!

 Roopal (@roopal01) August 22, 2017

Like Pakistan, Egypt, Tunisia, etc, India bans #TripleTalaq and rightly so. Better late than never. (Before outraging - READ jurisprudence!)  Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) August 22, 2017

Three judges of #Supreme Court have said Talaq Talaq Talaq to #TripleTalaq  Chethan B (@chethan4545) August 22, 2017



Great to see the verdict declaring #TripleTalaq as illegal.



But why oh why are there no women on that judicial committee of 5 men.



 Deepa (@dcitis) August 22, 2017



Justice Nariman- Talaq

Justice Kurian- Talaq

Justice Lalit- Talaq#TripleTalaq Se Talaq    (@VinayTripaathi) August 22, 2017

Even as the Supreme Court struck down instant talaq, social media was exploding with opinions on different aspects. Here is a snap shot of reactions from Twitter.Mahin Khan (@Mahin18tweet) called it a historic judgment and relief to Muslim womenShubam Bharti (@ShubamBharti) said it reaffirmed faith in the judiciary.Roopal (@Roopal01) hailed the verdict as a victory for Muslim womenJunaid Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) said that India had followed other Islamic nations in banning instant triple talaqChethan B (@Chethan4545)But why were there no women on bench Deepa (@dcitis) wonderedVinay Tripaathi (@VinayTripaathi)
Beijing: China on Tuesday said there will be utter chaos if its troops entered India on the pretext that Indian border infrastructure posed a threat to Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Indias logic that Chinese road building in Doklam on the border posed a threat to New Delhi was ridiculous and vicious.



It said China would in no way allow any country or individual to infringe upon its territorial sovereignty. The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of  Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and facts are clear, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.



You may think about it. If we tolerate Indias ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbours home can break into its neighbours house."



Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldnt that be utter chaos?



Indian and Chinese troops have been locked since June in a stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border.



This is the longest stand-off between the two armies since 1987 when they faced a similar situation at Somordong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.



It all began when Indian troops stopped Chinese troops from building a road in Doklam, citing the disputed status of the territory. Doklam is claimed by Bhutan, which has protested against Chinese road building.



China says the construction of the road is just since Doklam has been Chinese territory since ancient times. New Delhi backs Bhutans claims and sees a Chinese road in Doklam as a threat because the region is very close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects Indias northeast with the rest of the country.
New Delhi: The Islamic State on Tuesday claimed that an Indian suicide bomber killed a "number" of people in an attack in Syria's north-west Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the terror group.



In a statement in Arabic via its Amaq propaganda agency, the IS identified the Indian suicide bomber as Abu Yusuf al-Hindi, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based monitoring firm.



The terror group claimed to have killed and wounded a "number" of what it described as "Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) apostates" in the suicide attack involving the Indian bomber.



However, there was no confirmation about the IS claim by the Indian agencies.



Abu Yusuf al-Hindi was the fugitive chief recruiter for the ISIS in the Indian subcontinent and was known as Mohammed Shafi Armar, who had many aliases like 'Chhote Maula' and 'Anjan Bhai'.



The 30-year-old was named 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' by the US in June, becoming the first Indian leader of the dreaded terror outfit against whom America slammed sanctions. An Interpol Red Corner notice was also pending against him.



Al-Hindi, a native of Bhatkal in Karnataka, was a leader and head recruiter in India for the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, ISIS, according to the US State Department.



While announcing sanctions, it had said that he cultivated a group of dozens of ISIS sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps.



He was said to have left for Pakistan along with his elder brother after a crackdown on Indian Mujahideen cadres.



There have been many reports of him having been dead in a drone attack or crackdown by the allied forces. However, every time intelligence agencies began giving credence to such reports, his name or voice cropped up in intercepts.



Tech savvy al-Hindi has been operating on Facebook and other personal messenger services to contact, brainwash and recruit youths from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.



His links to the ISIS were also the highlight of the interrogation of Yasin Bhatkal, who was arrested near the Nepal border in 2013.
In a major relief to the students, Mumbai University has declared the Third Year Bachelor of Arts (B.A) results for semester Five and Six on its official website - mu.ac.in A large number of students had appeared for the examination in the month of March/April 2017 and after much delay the university has been able to upload results for Bachelor of Arts students.The candidates who had appeared for BA Third year exams can check the MU TYBA Result 2017 from the official website by following the instructions given below:Step 1: Visit the official website - mu.ac.in Step 2: Click on the link Exams & ResultsStep 3: Click on the link TYBA ResultsStep 4: Enter your Seat number or Roll numberStep 5: Download the result and Take a printout for further referenceResults are not uploaded for 100% students and some candidates will find difficulty in searching their exam results. As per the official statement, Mumbai University is releasing exam results of the streams where 90% results have been checked.The University has already declared the results of 374 out of 477 examinations held in the first half of the year. The examinations were conducted in the month of March and April and the results were expected by June however due to the transition of Manual Checking to Online Marking System, Mumbai University has failed release results on time.As per the reports the results of some more law papers are yet to be released and are expected by Wednesday, followed by result declaration for Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (B.Sc. IT) and Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS).
New Delhi: The Government has officially asked the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) to look into the feasibility of executing the idea" of setting up a museum on all Indian prime ministers. NMML will now have to oversee all aspects of possibility of setting up such a museum and smooth execution of this idea.



The proposal was cleared at the general meeting of the memorial chaired by the Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the Vice Chairman of the Society.



Among others who attended the meeting included Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar and Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Mallikarjun Kharge and Karan Singh along with Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta.



The source in NMML society who attended the meeting said that land and heritage laws will are issues which need to be settled before the society makes any concrete recommendations.



Since it is imagined to be permanent museum of past and future prime ministers, NMML is going to work on aspects that can make a museum of the future. says a member of the society.



The basic idea is to have in one place  whether within the NMML or outside, a museum to showcase anything and everything associated with the leaders of the country who headed the political executive.



Other suggestions given to NMML at the AGM were on holding more programs on the Jan Sangh founder SP Mukerji and on the founder of Banaras Hindu University and two time president of Indian National Congress, Madan Mohan Malviya,



NMML was also told to print books, offer fellowships and hold program that promote Indian languages. The source said, At the meeting there were suggestions made for NMML to do more work in Indian languages.
It is about all my sisters across the country, it is about future generations, said Arshad Ali, brother of Shayara Bano who was one of the three petitioners in the Triple Talaq case.



The future has been spelled out finally after months of deliberations. Much has been said, discussed and debated over the Triple Talaq case.



In May this year, we saw heavyweight names joining the fray at the Supreme Courts hearing comprising of a multi-religious bench.



With the Chief Justice himself chairing the bench, we heard comments from eminent lawyers like Indira Jaisingh, Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid and Anand Grover amongst others. Today, the historic judgment is in. And instant Triple Talaq is out.



At the outset of the hearing in May, Chief Justice of India JS Khehar asked the question whether 'triple talaq' was fundamental to Islam.



On day two of the hearing, Justice Kurian Joseph asked, Can something which is considered abhorrent by religion be validated by law?" These questions set the right tone and in itself answered many others.



If one is to really read the Quran we would know that although the right to divorce or talaq is given, it is also considered the most despicable of things in the eyes of God. At the same time, the Quran does recognize the need of a procedure for divorce if a marriage falls apart for any reason.



Of course, this so-called 'instant Triple Talaq' has been done away in several countries where Islamic law prevails.



In the court, senior counsel Amit Singh Chadha told the Constitution bench that if Islamic countries can do away with it then surely it is not an essential part of Muslim religion.



Assailing the practice of Triple Talaq, senior counsel Indira Jaising said during the hearing that if the free informed consent of the woman was imperative for the union of two people in marriage, then how the unilateral act of divorce could survive. The Islamic marriage is a civil contract between consenting adults.



The nikahanama that stipulates the terms of this contract and has two witnesses for the same, should ideally also include terms of divorce, maintenance, child custody. Many nikahanama also include provisions for respect of each others career ambition and disallows polygamy.



Unfortunately very few Muslim women, even if educated, are aware of their rights in inserting these clause into the nikahnama. Indian Muslim women often have the worst combination of Indian and Arabian cultures in their daily lives. Only in our subcontinent, do the Muslim girls and their families have to bend over backwards to please boys.



Nowhere else does a woman pay a man to marry her! Dowry is unique to us. Islam instead had Mehr which has been reduced to nothing in India and is often seen as an insult if it is anything substantive.



Societal constructs of sharam and haya keep women from exercising their rights and it's further compounded by the boys club who act as the custodian of Islam from educating women of their rights. So while Islam empowers us, the patriarchy dis-empowers us. And this is the essence of the fight on Triple Talaq.



Towards the end of the Supreme Courts hearings on Triple Talaq, CJI Khehar asked if a woman can exclude Triple Talaq clause in the marriage contract.



This question set off an important dialogue that was missing from Muslim circles. Many of us had been talking about the nikahnama being a contract drawn out between consenting adults and thereby by the very nature of a civil contract, it can have clauses inserted that both parties mutually agree to. The clauses can be to spell out the procedure for divorce, child custody, property, mehr, etc.



When I discussed the Triple Talaq outcomes with elderly women from the community, I was met with resistance as they said, Kaun shaadi karega (who will marry) if the girl's side is so demanding? This statement was a mirror to reality of our society. The massive social engineering that goes into silencing a woman is fundamental to understanding the crux of this problem.



Therefore this ruling from the Supreme Court comes as a welcome relief and probably a burden off many heads and hearts.



The actual cases of Triple Talaq itself are a minuscule percentage of the Muslim population. The Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy (CRDDP) survey this year shows that the incidence of this form of divorce among Muslims was less than even 1 in 100. But the fear from the threat of an instant Talaq always loomed around.



Today, Muslim women are free from this threat. They are free from their life decisions being governed by this threat.



Their individuality is free from being crushed under arbitrary or whimsical ideas. This freedom has come through some tough stands, some tough dialogues and at the cost of a lot of negative portrayals of the Muslim man done through this and related issues as part of the larger stereotyping of the community.



It is now upto us to also save the communitys image. We need to revive the images of Hazrat Khadija (the first wife of Prophet Muhammad PBUH) who was one of the biggest traders of her time and employed many men, including the Prophet, in her business empire. We need to revive traditions of Hazrat Ayesha or Bibi Zanab who always fearlessly voiced themselves.



We need to use that voice and our agency as free, fearless women of the community, to break through the oppressive patriarchy as well as the oppressive stereotyping that corners us. Let's keep up the good fight.



(Nazia Erum is a TEDx speaker and author of 'Mothering a Muslim' by Juggernaut Books. She can be reached at @nazia_e. Views are personal)
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Mumbai: Shyamvar Rai, accused-turned prosecution witness in the Sheena Bora murder case, on Tuesday told the trial court here he felt a little scared when Indrani told him about the murder plan.



Rai, an accused who has turned approver, is currently being cross-examined by the defence lawyers. When Indrani's lawyer asked him if he didn't feel any fear, Rai answered: 'Thoda dar laga' (I felt a little afraid).



Rai also told the special CBI judge J C Jagdale that he did not demand any money for helping Indrani with her plans.



Rai had told the court earlier that Indrani had spoken to him on Skype sometime in 2012, and told him that she planned to eliminate Sheena, her daughter.



He told the court today that he spoke to Indrani five-six times via Skype prior to the murder in April 2012.



The murder came to light three years later when Rai was arrested by the Mumbai police in another case and he spilled the beans.



The CBI, which took over the case later, claimed that financial dispute was the reason for Indrani to hatch the conspiracy to murder Sheena.



Rai's examination would continue on September 4.
New Delhi: He is a graphic designer by day and a thief by night. Meet Siddharth Mehrotra, who would break into the houses of politicians and bureaucrats in the night.



Mehrotra, who hails from a well-to-do family, was arrested along with two other accomplices along with the stolen booty which includes a luxury sedan, expensive watches and cash money.



In the past few months, there was a rise in the incidents of house burglaries in Vasant Kunj area and a police team was formed to identify the burglars.



During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage of the area and statements of people who were arrested earlier on similar charges.



After conducting a recce in Vasant Kunj, the accused realized that there is no way the residents can communicate with the security guards in the residential blocks as there is no intercom system. Also, vehicles entering the blocks are not checked, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ishwar Singh.



Mehrotra, along with his associate Anurag Singh, would enter the blocks and park his car. They used to target the houses belong to politicians, bureaucrats and senior officers by reading the nameplate on the main door, the DCP said.



Mehrotra would ring the door bell and if someone came out, he would say that he had rung the bell by mistake. If there was no response, he would break into the house, while Singh would stand outside to keep watch.



Finally, police stumbled upon some crucial information about Mehrotra on Google. The team found that an officers son, Siddharth Mehrotra, was arrested by Noida Police in 2015, the police said.



His Facebook photos showed his face and body structure to be quite similar to the burglar seen in CCTV footages procured from various houses in south Delhi, where he had allegedly committed burglaries. One of these photos on Facebook also showed Mehrotra posing in a car in Ladakh on July 30. Police traced the car to his friend, Vikas Kumar and finally nabbed the accused on August 15.



During interrogation, he revealed that he and his associates used to sell the stolen items to a man identified as Jitender (29), who was later nabbed from near the Red Fort.



Anurag Singh was also arrested and the police also recovered a Chevrolet Cruze car used in the crime, 11 stolen gold chains, four rings, eight pairs of earrings, two gold bangles, USD 200, one lakh Indonesian Rupiah, 20 Nepali rupees, one LED TV, Sony Play Station, VR Player, a laptop and Tissot Watch were recovered, the police said.



The police officer said the accused were fond of living a luxurious life and buying branded clothes and also spend the money on high-end gadgets. Mehrotra belongs to a well-educated family and his father is a retired bank official. He holds a diploma in Animation. He had even bought a Chevrolet Cruze from the loot money.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered a historic verdict, invalidating the Islamic practice of instant Triple Talaq, by which Muslim men can divorce their wives verbally. While womens rights groups across India celebrated this judgment as a major victory, it was not the only legal fight that they are fighting. Here are some other misogynistic traditions and laws that womens groups would like to see struck down.



Marital Rape



Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code defines rape as a crime and section 376 lays out the punishment for it. However, there is one notable exception to rape  sexual intercourse between a man and a woman cannot be considered rape if the two are married and if the woman is over 15 years of age. This, many believe, is a gaping flaw in the law since according to one study women are 40 times more likely to be sexually assaulted by their husbands rather than strangers. According to the study, 94% of the rapes in India are committed by people known to the woman. In 2015, a woman approached the Supreme Court claiming she had been raped and abused by her husband. Her petition was rejected by the apex court on the grounds that law cant be changed on the basis of one persons personal experiences.



Polygamy



In 1860, the Indian Penal Code prohibited polygamy among Christians. In 1955, the Hindu Marriage Act did so for Hindus, except Hindus in the state of Goa, where polygamy continues to be legal. Muslim men, however, have the right to marry four women. However, women are not accorded the same rights in any community. Under the Hindu Marriage Act, if a man marries a second woman, she may be considered a mistress but not a wife. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that a woman in a live-in relationship may be considered a wife, unless it can be proven otherwise. In October 2015, the SC had said that it was considering banning polygamy.



Nikah Halala



Nikah Halala is a practice which states that if a Muslim divorcee has to remarry her husband, she must first marry another man, consummate the second marriage and then either get her new husband to divorce her or wait for him to die. In April 2017, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) came out with a Code of Conduct, which said that a man can rejoin with his wife in three months after single talaq and can remarry after three months without the woman having to go through nikah halala.



Wage gap



According to one estimate, women earn 24.81% less money than their male counterparts for similar work. The state with the lowest wage gap is Uttarakhand with 9% while Bihar is the worst off with a 63% wage disparity between men and women. In 1976, India passed the Equal Remuneration Act, which gave women the freedom to demand equal pay and also demand parity in recruitment promotions and transfers. However, the law does not apply to a situation where a woman is attempting to comply with the requirements of laws giving women special treatment and is being accorded special treatment on account of the birth of a child, or the terms and conditions relating to retirement, marriage or death.



Child Marriage



One of Indias oldest traditions is that of child marriages and child brides. According to some accounts, this practice dates back over a thousand years. The first law to restrict child marriage was brought back in 1922. Any man above the age of 18, who enters into a marriage with a minor, can be punished. The legal age for marriage is 18 for women and 21 for men. While the practice is illegal, it persists in many corners of India. Moreover, the law does not automatically annul child marriages that have taken place anyway. Both boys and girls, who are forced into child marriages, have the option of annulling their child marriage till after two years of reaching adulthood. Indias law on child marriage further complicates anti-rape laws too. While the age of consent for women is 16, forced sexual intercourse between a man and his wife (marital rape) is not considered rape if the wife is above the age of 15.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down instant triple talaq terming it unconstitutional. The constitution bench, headed by the Chief Justice JS Khehar, delivered a spilt verdict (3:2) invalidating the practice as part of the Muslim Personal Law. The majority judgment came from three judges  Justice Rohinton Nariman, Justice Kurien Joseph and Justice UU Lalit. CJI JS Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer wrote the minority judgment.

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New Delhi: Thirty-three years after the famous Shah Bano verdict, it was for the first time that the Supreme Court had ventured into the territory of Muslim personal laws. This case was more significant as it was result of a public interest litigation and with the SC taking suo motu cognizance of the issue.



With SC now declaring the practice of triple talaq as invalid, there are questions left unanswered around the verdict and its applicability. News18 tries to dissect a few:



So what has the verdict actually spoken about?

The 395-page verdict, divided in three parts, has the majority verdict as well as the minority judgment. The first part has the minority verdict by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer. The second part is the lone verdict which forms a part of the majority by Justice Kurian Joseph and the last part has the verdict by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice UU Lalit.



The majority verdict has ruled that triple talaq in one sitting is not constitutional and must be struck down. The majority has put an end to the practice of instantaneous triple talaq and has called it 'manifestly arbitrary' in the sense that marriage can be easily severed whenever a man wishes to do so. The judges have also noted that this severance of ties can happen most of the times without attempting any reconciliation. Hence the verdict held the practice to be violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India. The three judges have also noted that Talaq-e-Biddat has no sanction in Quran, and hence, is not a part of Islam. So, essentially, it is only Talaq-e-biddat or Instant Talaq which has been struck down and Talaq e Hasan or Ehsan as a whole which mandates a gap of nine months before pronouncing the third talaq has been kept safe, untouched.



On the other hand, the minority verdict by CJI Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer rests on the fact that the practice of instant talaq forms a part of the 1400-year old faith of Muslims. The court has noted that triple talaq does not violate Article 25 of the Constitution and since it is a "component" of personal law, it has the constitutional protection. The court has also refrained to enter into the domain of personal laws as it is a "matter of faith."



Who all are covered under this verdict?

All the Muslims come under the ambit of this verdict. Every Muslim marriage is a contract and is based on offer and acceptance on both the sides. Hence, whoever contracts a Muslim marriage will come under the purview of this verdict.



Can a man still pronounce triple talaq and divorce a wife?

Nikah (Marriage), Talaq (Divorce) are still issues which are personal in nature. Now, if a man pronounces three talaqs in one sitting to his wife, then there are two repercussions.



First, wife can choose to ignore the utterance and continue living in the matrimonial house as the wife and claim benefits as the verdict rules that what is bad in theology cannot be good in law. Hence, the wife can opt to say that triple talaq in one sitting is no more valid and thus the matrimonial bond remains intact.



Second, if the woman is thrown out of the house or maltreated after the husband pronounces the three talaqs, the woman can very well file a criminal complaint against the husband under the sections of domestic violence and harassment. But if the crux is divorce, then the action of the husband can be challenged in the court where this judgment by the constitution bench would weigh in heavily in the favour of the aggrieved wife.



Hence, in essence, the man can still pronounce triple talaq in one sitting, but if one decides to challenge it in the court, then this verdict will favour the victim.



Why can't a husband be penalized if he pronounces the instant talaq, after all it's a Supreme Court judgment?

Is it the first time that the Supreme Court has ventured into the territory of Muslim Personal law, especially relating to triple talaq? No. It is not. Earlier in the Shamim Ara verdict, too, the Supreme Court had ruled that triple talaq in one sitting was unconstitutional. However, in that case, the judgment was an obiter (not the one that was prayed for) but in this case, the court had taken suo motu cognizance of the matter.



So, just a verdict cannot penalize the man for pronouncing triple talaq, but a legislation can. Here comes the suggestion of the minority verdict that the Union of India bring in a law to regulate the practice of triple talaq within six months. But this suggestion is not binding on the government as it is not a part of the majority verdict. However, if a law is ushered in, thereby, making pronouncing triple talaq a penal offence, just the way polygamy is a penal offence under Hindu Marriage Act, then only the verdict will translate into proper penalty without the woman having to approach the court to claim her rights as a married woman.



A law would also instill a sense of fear in a Muslim man to refrain from pronouncing triple talaq in one sitting and disassociating himself from the woman as her husband.



Why did the Chief justice dissent? What was the basis of his verdict?

It is rare for a Chief Justice to give a dissenting verdict in a landmark constitutional case.



CJI JS Khehar first stated that practices like polygamy, devadasi system, and Sati were outlawed by way of legislation and not by the judiciary, and hence, does make a valid comparison the issue of instant talaq at hand. Second, it is stated that triple talaq has been in "vogue" since the last 1400 years and that the practice was a valid practice in law. CJI has considered the practice to be an integral part of the Sunni faith of Islam and has held it not to be violative of the exceptions to Article 25 of the constitution, which is namely, Public order and morality.



Triple talaq has also been explicitly held a part of Muslim personal law. "We are of the view that the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' has had the sanction and approval of the religious denomination which practiced it, and as such, there can be no doubt that the practice is a part of their 'personal law'," reads the verdict by CJI Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer.



Was the verdict based purely on law or did it have religious connotations as well?

One of the primary reasons why the verdict is being talked about is because even though the case rests on the pedestal of constitutional rights and morality, the majority verdict has been comfortably beefed up with texts from not only the Quran but also hadiths (prophetic sayings) and its on the basis of this, the court has called the practice not only unconstitutional but also un-Quranic.



Firstly, Justice Kurian Joseph has quoted Surah-at-Talaq at a number of places in his verdict. It is worth remembering that Arif Mohammad Khan, while making representations for one the petitioners, had passionately argued on the basis of the Quran that the practice of triple talaq had no legal validity.



Justice Joseph has given reference to talaq in three Surahs, which are Surah II - dealing with social life of the community, then in Surah IV - dealing with decencies of family life and in Surah LXV - dealing explicitly with talaq. The verdict also cites hadiths and it is after a detailed enumeration of these sources that Justice Joseph comes to the conclusion that what is bad in theology cannot be good in law.



Even Justice Nariman and Justice UU Lalit noted that this practice has no sanction in the Islamic law, especially the Quran, and hence, deserve to be struck down. The verdict has made a comparison between the various sources of Islamic law and accorded Quran, a status higher than that of the Hadiths, Ijma, etc.



But disagreeing with this approach, the minority verdict judges have refrained to indulge into the arena of hadiths and examination of religious texts stating that it was a domain for religious scholars to ponder upon and not the judiciary.



Is it mandatory for the government to enact a law on Talaq within 6 months?

No, it is not. Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer have suggested that the government bring in a legislation to regulate triple talaq within six months, and until then, an injunction or a stay on talaq-e-biddat would be in place. However, since such a recommendation finds no mention in the majority verdict, it is not mandatory for the government to follow the SC diktat.



However, there are high chances that the government could bring a law to regulate the practice, since the then Attorney General, Mukul Rohatgi, on the instruction of the government, had submitted before the court, in May, this year, that if triple talaq was abolished, the government will be happy to bring a law that would ensure gender justice.



Some Common Question Answered on the Religious Aspect of Talaq and several kinds of it



Question: What is triple talaq?

Answer: First, before understanding what triple talaq is, we must understand what a 'Nikah' (Marriage) stands for in Islam. Nikah is essentially a contract laid down in a Nikahnama drawn between the husband and the wife. This contract can have conditions and has a compulsory 'consideration' (Meher) to be paid at the time of the marriage. This consideration is paid by the man to the wife, and can be at times waived off by the woman as per her own will. So, the basic difference between a Hindu Marriage and a Muslim Marriage is that for Hindus, marriage is a divine sacrament whereas for Muslims, it is contract drawn between the husband and the wife.



So to explore the question of triple talaq, one must understand that in Islam, everything is followed as per Sunnah (Deeds of the prophet). Hence, most Muslim women bodies opposing 'triple talaq' want the Muslim bodies to adopt 'Talaq-e-Sunnah' (Divorce as per the Prophet's sayings and Quranic dictation) and discard 'Talaq-e-Biddah' (Divorce as per a later formed mode of divorce which propagates instant divorce).



Question: What is Talaq- e-Sunnah?

Answer: According to the Prophets sayings, giving talaq to a wife in a fit of rage or anger is strictly prohibited. The Quran advises the husband to settle the differences through a mutual conversation as the first step. This step is known as the Fa'izu Hunna. If the differences continue between the husband and the wife, the parties should refrain from any conjugal acts till they settle their dispute. This step of physical separation known as the Wahjuru Hunna is prescribed so that the couple re-unites. However, even if this second step fails, it is recommended that the husband must attempt to talk to the wife, make peace with her and talk about the gravity of the situation. This third step is known as the Wazribu Hunna. However, Quran advises that even if the third step fails, the fourth step of 'arbitration' must be followed. In this step, a member from each of the spouses' family is present and the parties try to make amends in the strained relationship.



It is only after all these four steps have failed that a husband pronounces the first talaq. The husband has to compulsorily wait for a wife's iddah (menses) to complete before pronouncing another talaq. Not more than two talaqs can be pronounced during the course of iddah. Iddahs are considered to be the three monthly courses. During these three month cycles, a man cannot give his third talaq. This had been envisaged so that the couple sorts out their differences in this period. Quran prescribes that if a woman has attained the age of menopause then the period of iddah is three months, whereas if a woman is pregnant, then the period of Iddah would be till the child is born or the termination of pregnancy.



If the differences still persists then the third talaq is pronounced, after which the relations between the husband and the wife are severed. Hence, the women groups who are claiming to revive this practice are only vouching for the fact that they get the maximum time to sort out their differences which is often not possible in an 'instant talaq'.



Question: What exactly is this 'instant talaq'? How is it different from Talaq-e-Sunnah?



Answer: This instant talaq is essentially 'Talaq-e-Biddah'. 'Biddah' means innovation and essentially all Muslims are advised against introducing 'biddahs' in their religion. This practice of talaq was first promoted by Caliph Umar, and is staunchly opposed by all the petitioners who have approached the Supreme Court for a reform in the case of triple talaq. However, the Muslim Personal Law Board has not still spoken up on the issue and claims that this can be sorted out internally. Dr. Asma Zehra, an executive member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, was questioned about this during a recent press conference and said, "We have left it for our Ulema (scholars) to decide what is best for us." However, this answer is far from the truth, as something which is not mentioned in the Quran or is a part of the Sunnah can never be justified as a lawful act by a Muslim.



Question: Can a man marry his wife after pronouncing the third talaq?



Answer: No. After the third talaq, a woman is supposed to marry another man, consummate the relationship, and only after following the original procedure of Talaq-e-Sunnah, will she be able to marry the former husband again. This practice is known as the Nikah Halala, and many Muslim women have condemned this practice as barbaric and it assumes more importance, in case the talaq is given as Talaq-e-Biddah. Women have often described it as a barbaric practice and there are demands to abolish this practice.



Question: Do the women have any right to divorce the husband in Islam?



Answer: There are broadly two methods under which a wife can claim divorce. One is Talaq-e-Tafweez and the other is Talaq-e-Khula. Under Tafweez, the husband may delegate his power to give talaq to his wife or any third party. This right has to be in the form of a contract with conditions, like, if a man marries again then there can be a divorce, etc. But a contract will not be without conditions or be absolute.



The second one is Khula. This is a divorce which is at the 'request' of the wife. In this case the woman has to make an offer of divorce to the man. The man must accept the offer with consideration, which often means the woman, has to give back the Meher taken during marriage. After these two steps, a Khula is granted. The woman often approaches a qazi-court as well to demand a Khula from the man. There needs to be an execution of a Khulanama.



But something which needs to be broadly observed is that in both the cases, it's only a request or a husband's wish to draw up a contract to give the wife an option to divorce him. Thereby, putting the husbands first, and somehow lacking in achieving gender equality in this regard.



It is only after all these four steps have failed that a husband pronounces the first talaq. The husband has to compulsorily wait for a wife's iddah (menses) to complete before pronouncing another talaq. Not more than two talaqs can be pronounced during the course of iddah. Iddahs are considered to be the three monthly courses. During these three month cycles, a man cannot give his third talaq. This had been envisaged so that the couple is able to sort out their differences in this period. Quran prescribes that if a woman has attained the age of menopause then the period of iddah is three months, whereas if a woman is pregnant, then the period of Iddah would be till the child is born or the termination of pregnancy.



If the differences still persist then the third talaq is pronounced, after which the relations between the husband and the wife are severed. Hence, the women groups who are claiming to revive this practice are only vouching for the fact that they get the maximum time to sort out their differences which is often not possible in an 'instant talaq'.



Question: What exactly is this 'instant talaq'? How is it different from Talaq-e-Sunnah?

Answer: This instant talaq is essentially 'Talaq-e-Biddah'. Biddah means innovation and essentially all Muslims are advised against introducing biddah in their religion. This practice of talaq was first promoted by Caliph Umar, and is staunchly opposed by all the petitioners who have approached the Supreme Court for a reform in the case of triple talaq. However, the Muslim Personal Law Board has not still spoken up on the issue and claims that this can be sorted out internally. Dr. Asma Zehra, an executive member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, was questioned about this during a recent press conference said, We have left it for our Ulema (scholars) to decide what is best for us. However, this answer is far from the truth, as something which is not mentioned in the Quran or is a part of the Sunnah can never be justified as a lawful act by a Muslim.



Question: Can a man marry his wife after pronouncing the third talaq?

Answer: No. After the third talaq, a woman is supposed to marry another man, consummate the relationship, and only after following the original procedure of Talaq-e-Sunnah, will she be able to marry the former husband again. This practice is known as the Nikah Halala, and many Muslim women have condemned this practice as barbaric and it assumes more importance, in case the talaq is given as Talaq-e-Biddah. Women have often described it as a barbaric practice and there are demands to abolish this practice.



Question: Do the women have any right to divorce the husband in Islam?

Answer: There are broadly two methods under which a wife can claim divorce. One is Talaq-e-Tafweez and the other is Talaq-e-Khula. Under Tafweez, the husband 'may' delegate his power to give talaq to his wife or any third party. This right has to be in the form of a contract with conditions, like, if a man marries again then there can be a divorce, etc. But a contract will not be without conditions or be absolute.



The second one is Khula. This is a divorce which is at the 'request' of the wife. In this case the woman has to make an offer of divorce to the man. The man must accept the offer with consideration, which often means the woman, has to give back the Meher taken during marriage. After these two steps, a Khula is granted. The woman often approaches a qazi-court as well to demand a Khula from the man. There needs to be an execution of a Khulanama.



But something which needs to be broadly observed is that in both the cases, it's only a request or a husband's wish to draw up a contract to give the wife an option to divorce him. Thereby, putting the husbands first, and somehow lacking in achieving gender equality in this regard.



Question: Are there any other Islamic countries which have taken reforms in the mode of talaq?

Answer: Let's begin with our neighbour Pakistan. Pakistan in 1961 had passed the 'The Muslim Family Laws Ordinance'. According to this law, if a man wishes to divorce his wife, he will pronounce talaq and approach the Chairman of the Union Council which is appointed by the state, and give him a written notice and forward the same to his wife. Within 30 days of the receipt of the notice, the Chairman will set up an Arbitration Council which shall consist of himself, a representative of each of the spouse, and the board would try to bring reconciliation. If any individual tries to bypass this legislation then they will be punished with simple imprisonment for a year or a fine which may extend to Rs 5,000 or both.



Another example is Morocco, which has a majority population of Islam. They have the Moroccan Family Code (Moudawana) passed in 2004. The code aims at putting both husband and wife on an equal footing, thereby prohibiting the man from pronouncing divorce unilaterally except when the procedure is being supervised by someone. The code also attempts to bring arbitration and conciliation between the parties concerned. The code further states that if a man chooses to still divorce a wife, then a divorce can only be granted only if the husband pays off all the due rights held by the wife and the children. Like Morocco, Algeria, Indonesia, Iran and Tunisia have similar legislations which do not recognise a divorce given by a husband unilaterally, and compel the parties to resort to a court of law.
The Supreme Court, in its landmark Shayara Bano Vs Union of India judgement on Tuesday, struck down talaq-e-biddat, or instant talaq. It also referred to the legal status of the practice in other Muslim majority nations.Here's a look at the status in other Muslim majority countries:A theocratic state which declares Islam as its official religion. Muslims of the Sunni sect make the majority. On triple talaq, it ruled in 1984, that divorce cannot be established except by a judgment of the court, preceded by an attempt at reconciliation for a period not exceeding three months.A secular state where Sunni Muslims are a majority. Egypts Law of Personal Status, 1929, ruled that Talaq pronounced under the effect of intoxication or compulsion shall not be effective; A conditional talaq which is not meant to take effect immediately shall have no effect if it is used as an inducement to do some act or to abstain from it; A talaq accompanied by a number, expressly or impliedly, shall not be effective except as a single revocable divorce; Symbolic expressions of talaq, i.e., words which may or may not bear the implication of a divorce, shall not effect a divorce unless the husband actually intended it.A theocratic state with Islam as the official religion and a majority Shia population. It has enacted the following legislation: Code of Personal Status 1959, as amended in 1987. It declares, No divorce shall be effective when pronounced by (a) one who is intoxicated, insane or imbecile, under duress, or not in his senses due to anger, sudden calamity, old age or sickness; (b) a person in death-sickness or in a condition which in all probabilities is fatal and of which he actually dies, survived by his wife.Is a theocratic state. Sunni Muslims form the majority. It states, Whoever divorces his wife by Talaq must petition the court for permission to register it with the Public Notaries of the area where the matrimonial home is situate, or where the wife resides, or where the marriage took place.If a husband divorces his wife after consummation of a valid marriage by his unilateral action and without any move for divorce from her side, she will be entitled to compensation besides maintenance for Iddat. The Kazi may decree the compensation.Are both theocratic States, wherein Islam is the official religion. In both countries Muslims of the Sunni sect constitute the majority. On the issue at hand Pakistan legislated in 1961, which was emulated by Bangladesh, that: Any man who wishes to divorce his wife shall, as soon as may be after the pronouncement of Talaq in any form whatsoever, give the Chairman a notice in writing of his having done so, and shall supply a copy thereof to the wife; Whoever contravenes the provision shall be punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.Sunni muslims form a majority, but the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. On talaq-e-biddat it says: A divorce shall be effected only in the court and the court shall not permit a divorce before attempting reconciliation between the parties. Divorce shall be permissible only for sufficient reasons indicating breakdown of marriage.Islam is the official religion of the country, but other religions are permitted to be practiced in peace and harmony. On instant triple talaq the law states, A husband or a wife who desires a divorce shall present an application for divorce to the court in the prescribed form accompanied by a statutory declaration. Where the other party does not consent to the divorce or it appears to the court that there is reasonable possibility of reconciliation between the parties, the court shall as soon as possible appoint a Conciliatory Committee.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the practice of instant triple talaq by a 3:2 majority on Tuesday. A five-judge bench heard the seven petitions challenging the 1,400-year-old practice and termed it unconstitutional.

We take a look at the Constitution Bench comprising of judges from five faiths and what they judges said in their verdict:

Chief Justice JS Khehar (Sikh): The first Chief Justice of India from the Sikh Community. He had been involved in major judgments in the past few years, including the 2G spectrum scam and the case against Sahara chief Subrata Roy. Khehar has been the CJI since January 2017. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on 13 September 2011, prior to which he served as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

Justice Kurian Joseph (Christian): He began his legal career in 1979 in the Kerala High Court. He became a government pleader in 1987 before becoming the Additional Advocate-General in 1994. In 2000, Joseph was elevated as a judge of the Kerala High Court. Joseph became the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2010 and continued to remain in the position till 2013. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on 8 March 2013.

RF Nariman (Parsi): He is the son of distinguished jurist Fali S Nariman. He was a senior counsel at the Supreme Court of India before being elevated as a judge in the apex court on 7 July 2014. Notably, Nariman also served as India's solicitor-general between 27 July 2011 and 4 February 2013. Beginning his legal career in 1979, the 60-year-old jurist became a senior counsel in the Supreme Court in 1993. He is also known as a scholar on the Zoroastrian faith.

UU Lalit (Hindu): Justice Lalit, who hails from Maharashtra, was appointed as a judge in the apex court in July 2014. He had famously represented Amit Shah in the Tulsi Prajapati encounter case in the Supreme Court. He was also a special prosecutor in the 2G spectrum allocation case. He also represented the government for opposing Dr Binayak Sen's bail plea when he was held on sedition charges. He has represented Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh in a corruption case as well as his cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu in a culpable homicide case.

Abdul Nazeer (Muslim): He was born in 1958 in Karnataka's Moodbidri. According to Udayavani, a Kannada newspaper, Nazeer completed his B.Com degree at Mahaveera College in Moodbidri before obtaining a law degree from SDM Law College. He enrolled as an advocate in 1983 before being elevated as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2003. He became a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court on 24 September 2004. Nazeer was elevated to the Supreme Court in February 2017.
New Delhi: It is a historic verdict and I honestly feel that none of us can make a realistic assessment of the positive impact that this judgment is going to have on the Muslim community.

It will not only liberate Muslim women but also provide them with a sense of equality. It will provide them with a sense of empowerment.

This verdict will bring about a paradigm shift and I foresee a changed scenario in the days when women will no longer accept instant talaq as a fait accompli. Empowered by the Supreme Court verdict, they will answer and retort back.

They will tell their spouse that This triple talaq is unconstitutional. I am not going to leave the house, you can leave the house.

Muslim women will seek protection from the police and other authorities. They can, like any other citizen of the country, report the case of mental torture and the husbands who pronounce unconstitutional triple talaq will be arrested.

Four to five such cases will set the precedent and send a strong message to the whole community.

This is going to be a game-changer for Muslim women. This verdict is not just about divorce but about giving a sense of equality of status and empowerment to all women.

Even the non-Muslim women, wherever and whenever they feel they are being subjected to injustice or being suppressed or being treated unequally, they will take inspiration from this judgment that Muslim women under such heavy and adverse situation and circumstances could successfully fight this unjust practice and win. It is a great milestone.

Our society is dynamic, it is changing and evolving. In 1986, when the Shah Bano Case happened, nobody was ready to speak. Even those who had submitted the petition to the then Prime Minister against the stand of the Personal Law Board never spoke in public. But Rajiv Gandhi government decided to enact a law to negate the apex court order in the Shah Bano case. The same set of petitioners who had earlier endorsed my stand later came up to me, requesting not to drag the matter any further.

I was told that I was up against a set of very powerful people.

There has been a sea change in the last two decades. In 1986 nobody was willing speaking. Everybody was scared of them. Not today. The women are now speaking freely. Women are more aware and this change has come because of education.

Also, today the All India Muslim Personal Law Board knows very well that its stand is unacceptable.

I dont look at this as a victory or triumph of any one person or party. This is a great achievement for the women of India and not just Muslim women. This is not the end of the battle. In fact, the real battle has just begun. It is a battle for securing equality at home, workspace, politics, judiciary, business and every walk of life.

(Arif Mohammad Khan is a senior lawyer who argued on behalf of petitioners in triple talaq case. Former Union minister, he has advocated abolishing of All India Muslim Personal Law Board)

(As told to Eram Agha)
New Delhi: For the BJP, does the road to 2019 begin with Supreme Court quashing triple talaq in a majority judgment? And does the historic verdict give BJP that one elusive opening in the community which was considered out of the partys catchment area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has on multiple occasions come out in support of Muslim women, terming his stand against triple talaq a matter of women empowerment. Within hours of the SC reading out the order, BJP President Amit Shah hailed the decision as the beginning of a new era of equality for Muslim women.

The BJP sees todays order as a step towards a determined New India, Shah said in a statement.

It is precisely this constituency, within the minorities, that the BJP would be targeting in the days ahead as it would attempt to make inroads in areas once considered out of bounds.

BJPs support for triple talaq is also rooted in partys larger attempt to rake up issues which would bring out political conflict or paradox in its ideological opponents. Especially, the Congress and the liberal Left.

The Left is liberal and so is Congress. They have all these years survived on the minority support. But issues like triple talaq are the ones when they are on the back-foot and bring out the inherent contradictions within these parties, says a BJP leader.

Not surprisingly, within minutes of Amit Shahs press conference at Delhi headquarters, Congress had to follow the suit, welcoming the SC order.

It is not that there has been no communication between the RSS-BJP on one side and the Muslims as a large social-political block on the other. In the run-up to the general elections in 2014, a senior BJP leader was invited to attend a closed-door meeting of leaders from the Muslim community.

Strong and powerful speeches were made, recalls the leader who attended. And most speakers insisted on one point that BJP as a national party cant ignore a large minority community like Muslims if it aimed to come to power on its own. The import of 2014 victory for the BJP lies as much in winning a complete majority, but also shattering this notion. Uttar Pradesh in 2017 reinforced the idea.

Minorities losing representation and participation in government will trigger a rethink and recalibration in the policy. You cant keep a large electoral group eternally away from the BJP, said another BJP leader.

In Uttar Pradesh elections, though there was no empirical proof to back these claims, party leaders in off-the-record conversations attributed BJPs victory in high minority density areas to a section of Muslim women voting for the party. During the multi-phased campaign, the party had tactically raked up the issue. And triple talaq, as it appears, is probably just the beginning of BJPs larger attempt to disrupt the political status quo. In the run-up to the 2019 general elections, issues core to partys ideology may find resonance in the political discourse once again.

Its opposition to Article 370  along with 35(A)  for instance, is being heard by the SC. It is an issue well entrenched in the party ideology since Jan Sangh days. Opposing Nehrus Kashmir policy, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee coined the slogan Ek vihdan, ek nishaan and ek Pradhan.

Decades later, trying to find its feet again after the massive drubbing in 1984 general elections, BJP at its historic Palampur National Executive in Himachal Pradesh passed a resolution seeking disputed land in Ayodhya be handed over to the Hindus for the construction of a grand Ram Temple. BJP, since then has called it aastha ka sawaal  a matter of faith. The matter is again before the apex court.

The third feature which BJP underscored as part of its distinct agenda has been the Uniform Civil Code. Law Commission has already issued a questioner on UCC and is in the process of tabulating over 40,000 responses received so far.

Put these three together, and BJP would metamorphose to what LK Advani would often call as a party with a difference. And the cadre, he said, should not be apologetic about its ideological moorings.
Ceramics, carpentry, calligraphy and gem cutting: centuries of Afghan craftsmanship honed on the ancient Silk Road are being preserved in Kabul, a rare success story for an aid project in the war-torn country that organizers are now hoping to replicate with refugees from Syria.



In the sixteen years since the fall of the Taliban, the Turquoise Mountain foundation has found some of Afghanistan's best artisans and helped them preserve and pass on their skills, as well helping them showcase their work in international markets.



A painstakingly restored caravanserai -- a roadside inn -- in Kabul's oldest district is once again a hub for exquisite woodwork carvers, potters making traditionally-glazed ceramics, Islamic calligraphers, and goldsmiths. "When we started, there were very few artisans living in Kabul. Most of them were out of the country," said Abdul Wahid Khalili, the nonprofit's director. "We had to start with the few old artisans we had, it was a very difficult start," he said.



Kabul, a key stop on the silk road, was once renowned for its craftwork, but when Turquoise Mountain began work in 2006 in Kabul's oldest district Mourad Khani, they had to excavate the caravanserai from tons of rubbish. "For more than 50 years the rubbish had piled up in the yard," said Kalili, adding that they also immediately began training students. "The idea was to restore the (caravanserai) and train the new generation," he said.



Slowly more and more Afghan artisans joined the collective, preserving priceless skills that many feared would disappear altogether due to decades of war -- a problem that many Syrian craftsmen, who are fleeing their country in droves, now face.



First started by British diplomat Rory Stewart, the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, which is supported by Britain's Prince Charles, the British Council, and USAID, says it has now worked with some 5,000 artisans.



Their efforts have breathed new life into Murad Khani's ancient silver bazaar, with hundreds travelling every day to the restored cedar paneled courtyard to learn and teach woodwork, calligraphy, ceramics, jewelry and miniature painting. Staff at Turquoise Mountain began by combing Kabul's streets and knocking on doors in the villages trying to find artisans and students to enroll.



The foundation now employs 30 Afghan masters, who are given retraining and support from the organization, and then help teach new apprentices in their craft. Wakil Abdul Aqi Ahmani, 64, is one of the institute's founding fathers. "It's my heritage, it's important because we have to preserve the culture of our country," he says, as he leans over his student's cedar wood panels and explains the art of Jali carving.



Turquoise Mountain's selection process is now more rigorous: more than 500 candidates apply each year, Khalili said, with just 50 taken on, both girls and boys. "They show what they learned with their family, in the shops, at the bazaar, with the elders," said Abasin Bahand, who is in charge of the entry exams, adding, "They are all trained, but they are not professional - anyone can apply."



The three years of their training are free, the students are fed and housed if they come from the provinces. They are also given a small monthly stipend to cover transport costs. They leave with a double certifications -- Afghan and British. "Eighty percent of our graduates have moved to their own business or are working for other business in the craft they chose," said Nathan Stroupe, the director of the Turquoise Mountain foundation in Afghanistan.



Some of their carpentry students have decorated palaces in London and the Emirates, and jewelers have received commissions for New York Fashion Week. "We have a business incubation process to support our students for three years," Stroupe said.



"Some of the craftsmen had worked for the King," he said, referring to Mohammed Zaher Shah, who was deposed in 1973.



But the process is still a race against time.



"For Jali and Nuristani carving, we had teachers who were the last in Afghanistan, they passed away. If we were not able to preserve these arts, they would have been lost," said Khalili. "Already there are specific areas we lost -- there are no copper makers left, no bronze makers. Now we are documenting all those areas, we want to spread (knowledge) all over the country, the idea is to transfer it to community... if not it will be lost again," he said.



After its successes in Afghanistan, the foundation is looking at wartorn Syria, which is also seeing ancient traditions threatened by an exodus of artisans. "We have already met Syrian artisans in Jordan," said Scott Riddle, a project director who will start work in September. "Some people in Amman have already managed to set up small ateliers. We're researching in the refugee camp in Azraq, in the desert in the country's northeast," he added.



After Jordan, Turquoise Mountain is looking to work with refugee artisans from Libya.


Mumbai: An Insignificant Man -- a film documenting the journey of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal -- will get a U/A certificate by the censor board on instructions from the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT). The makers are overwhelmed.



The decision was made over the weekend, Vinay Shukla, who has co-directed the movie with Khushboo Ranka, said on Monday.



"The FCAT order is out and it is overwhelmingly in our favour. This is very rare for a political film like ours," read a statement issued on behalf of the film's makers.



Shukla and Ranka were in a fix after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), under the leadership of Pahlaj Nihalani, asked them to get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit and Kejriwal himself, to get a go-ahead for release.



Thereafter, they applied to the FCAT.



"The Tribunal has held that the requirement of seeking an NOC from political personages and others as a pre-condition for certification of the documentary is wholly unsustainable and not permissible by law.



"The Tribunal has clearly emphasised that we don't need need to mute the names of Congress or BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) from the film," the statement read further.



The makers are happy that FCAT noted that "public interest is best served in upholding the Right to Freedom of Expression rather than protecting an undeserved reputation".



As for the NOC, the Tribunal said that "there is considerable merit in the submission of the Appellant that requiring NOC from public personalities would cull the documentary cinema, rather render the making of a documentary on political scenario" almost impossible.



"The Appellant in the documentary has inter alia quoted and reproduced/excerpts from speeches and/or taken from record events and information that is available in public domain.



"In these circumstances, requiring a filmmaker to obtain NOC from the affected parties or characters in the film to whom references are made, tantamounts to CBFC abdicating its statutory functions. This is neither desirable nor permissible at law."



An Insignificant Man has been to various film festivals, including the BFI London Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival.
Chennai: In a blow to the AIADMK merger architects, E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, 19 MLAs owing allegiance to sidelined party leader TTV Dinakaran told Governor Vidyasagar Rao on Tuesday that they dont support the EPS government.



Now, 16 of the 19 MLAs supporting Dinakaran are being moved out of Chennai, most probably to a resort, in order to prevent them from defecting to the other side.



The MLAs asked the governor to intervene as the government is technically in a minority without their support. It is not clear if they have conveyed their intention to bring in a no-confidence motion against the government in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.



The MLAs had visited the Amma memorial on Monday evening and meditated for an hour. They raised pro-Sasikala slogans, while announcing that they will meet the governor at 10.00 am on Tuesday.



The simple majority in the 234member (effective strength) House requires 117 MLAs to form the government. While the AIADMK has 134 members, without the 19 with Dinakaran, the remaining strength, of the ruling faction goes down to 115.



Meanwhile, DMK Working President M K Stalin has written to the governor asking for a floor test to be called saying that 22 MLAs have withdrawn support to the government.



Interestingly, EPS had won a floor test on February 18. This means a no-trust vote can be moved against him now, after the completion of six months.



While the EPS and OPS factions of AIADMK came together on Monday, in a major show of strength, AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala is likely to be ousted from the party as this was one of the key demands of the OPS faction to join EPS government.



Dinakaran and his MLAs have maintained that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister-elect Panneerselvam do not have the powers to evict Sasikala from the party.



The political turmoil in Tamil Nadu, which seemed to have come to an end on Monday, with the dramatic merger of EPS and OPS factions, has taken a new turn with Tuesdays development. Dinakaran has the exact number of MLAs needed to topple the AIADMK government in the state. All that they have to do is move a no-confidence motion against the government.


Patna: Many may believe Nitish Kumar's decision to embrace the BJP was in the works for weeks, if not months, but the Bihar chief minister insists he himself had no inkling he would return to the NDA fold until the saffron party offered support to him the day he resigned after walking out of the Grand Alliance.



Kumar, who jettisoned Lalu Prasad's RJD and Congress on July 26 and put in his papers, also claimed attempts were being made to engineer defections in his party. "I know none of you would believe me that I had no previous thinking of joining hands with the BJP after tendering my resignation to the Governor on July 26.



"After I resigned, when an offer came to us from BJP that day, I placed it before my legislators who had gathered at my Anne Marg residence for the legislature party meeting and they decided that the offer should be accepted," Kumar told reporters on Monday, insisting everything happened in "quick time".



He said BJP legislators and those of its allies immediately joined the meeting of JD(U) lawmakers where he was chosen the leader of their joint legislature party after which he staked claim to form the government.



Kumar claimed, before the quick-paced developments plunged Bihar into a political turmoil, a "behind the scene game" was being played out where JD(U) MLAs were being "lured" to defect.



"Many JD(U) MLAs were being lured to defect from the party ... my MLAs refused all allurements and told me who came with huge offers to them," he said without naming any party or individual. However, his statement was being seen as directed at RJD.



Kumar, also the JD(U) president, warned that rebel veteran leader Sharad Yadav, who is upset over the split in the 3-party Grand Alliance in Bihar, would lose his Rajya Sabha seat if he were to attend the RJD's August 27 rally in Patna, in violation of a party directive.



The Bihar chief minister said he had challenged his detractors to break the party at the open session after the JD(U) national executive meeting last Saturday. "I repeat my challenge today," he said.



Kumar said rules provided for expulsion of a member if he participates in the political programme of another party against the party line, he said.



"If you go into the technicality of this provision...if somebody even sends a photograph of a party leader sharing platform of another party to the president of the party to which the leader belongs, it would amount to that person giving up the membership of the party on his own," he said, and cited instance of former Bihar MP (Capt. Jai Narain Nishad) who lost his membership on that ground.



Kumar, however, did not elaborate whether the provision existed in the JD(U) constitution or the Anti-Defection Law. JD(U) principal general secretary K C Tyagi had on Saturday said that if Sharad Yadav crosses the 'Lakshman rekha' and attends RJD's rally, the party would initiate action against him.
New Delhi: The Congress may have shied away from taking any clear line on the triple talaq issue, but some of the arguments made by senior leader and ace legal brain Kapil Sibal while arguing in favour of the practice may embarrass the party.



Sibal represented the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) in the triple talaq case in the Supreme Court. In fact, he had equated the issue of triple talaq with the belief that Lord Rama was born in Ayodhya, arguing that these were matters of faith which cannot be put to test on grounds of constitutional morality.



In fact, the Congress army of lawyer-leaders has put the grand old party on a spot many times.



Earlier, Sibal had also defended Trinamool Congress in the Saradha Scam at a time when the Congress was stitching together an alliance with the Left Front ahead of West Bengal polls last year.



Sibal had also extended his legal services to former BCCI president Anurag Thakur in the perjury case in the apex court. Thakur is also an active youth leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).



His colleague and former law minister Salman Khurshid defended Tehelka founder and editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal, who is facing trial for sexually assaulting his junior colleague. Khurshid also put the Congress in a spot of bother when he appeared for self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who is cooling his heels in jail on charges of sexual abuse and murder.



Another senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for industrialist Naveen Jindal in coal scam.



Singhvi also defended lottery operators in Kerala, defying the party state units stand, when the Congress had put the then ruling Left Front government on a mat on the issue of undue favours to lottery operators. Eventually, he withdrew from the case after drawing flak for crossing the party line.


Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called an all-party meeting on August 29 to restore peace in the Darjeeling hill districts.



This came a day after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) issued a similar appeal.



Banerjees decision to issue a call for talks came after she received a letter from the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) with a similar request.



Speaking to the media, Banerjee said, I am happy to receive a letter from GNLF and I have asked all parties to meet on August 29 to end the deadlock in Darjeeling at the earliest. It will be an unconditional.



We are in favour of peace, normalcy and development. We are ready to talk to anyone who is in favour of peace and normalcy. I had myself chaired a meeting with all the chairpersons of the development boards, she said.



We want development of the Hills. I appeal to my brothers and sisters in the hills to cooperate with us to restore peace and normalcy there. Working together is essential for the development of the hills and of the state as a whole, she added.



Banerjee, without specifically naming the GJM, said, The meeting will be held in the state secretariat - Nabanna. It is a constructive steps. Since beginning, I was requesting them to sit for a talk. I am happy that they agree for a dialogue.



When asked whether GJM will participate in the meeting, she said, All major political hill parties are welcome to participate in the meeting.



On Monday, the GJM had requested for a tripartite meet to end the deadlock in the Hills. GJM Joint Secretary (Central Committee), Binoy Tamang said, "The onus of ensuring peace in Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars is not only the responsibility of the people living there but also that of the Centre as well as the West Bengal government. We, therefore, request the governments to initiate talks at the earliest so that peace and normalcy could be restored in our region."



The GJM had called for an indefinite strike in Darjeeling hills on June 12 demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland.
New Delhi: The CPI(M) on Tuesday hit out at BJP president Amit Shah over his "New India" remarks relating to the Supreme Court's judgment quashing triple talaq, alleging a "post-truth society" was being created in the country and "all understand" that Muslims were the target.



Post-truth, the Oxford dictionary word of the year for 2016, is defined as 'relating to/denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief'.



Shah said the apex court's judgment on triple talaq was a beginning of a new epoch of self-respect and equality for Muslim women and that the BJP saw it as "a resolute step towards a New India".



The CPI(M) had earlier in the day welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict treating "arbitrary and instant" triple talaq as unconstitutional. It, however, sought to wait till it went through the detailed judgement before responding properly on the issue.



Addressing a public discussion in New Delhi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, without naming any party, alleged that superstition was being misused for political intention in the country.



He claimed that the intention of those doing so was to replace the secular democratic republic of the country into a "Hindu Rashtra or Hindu Pakistan" for political gains. "BJP chief Amit Shah today talked about 'New India' while speaking on triple talaq. He congratulated (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi Sahab.



"What has Modi Sahab got to do on this? But he is being congratulated," Yechury said at the discussion. The discussion was organised by the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti and the Delhi Andhavishwas Unmulan Samiti in New Delhi.



Yechury added, "They (BJP) are saying India is becoming forward. Who is the target? All understand. Triple talaq is related to Muslims. The judgement has come against Muslims, target the community, that is, the country is moving forward. The post-truth is being created."



Yechury though said he was yet to read the entire judgement.



The Marxist leader alleged Modi was following the logic of late Bollywood filmmaker Manmohan Desai who, he said, was of the view that a film should be such that it did not give people time to think of anything else.



Similarly, Yechury alleged, Modi was not giving people time to think about anything else and doling out schemes such as 'Make in India'.



He described rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, who was killed four years ago, as a "leading light" in the battle against unreason.



Speaking at the event, CPI national secretary D Raja said intolerance was allegedly growing in the country and that such an atmosphere had to be fought to take the country forward. RJD leader Manoj Jha, Swami Agnivesh, Delhi University professor Apoorvanand and scientist Gauhar Raza also addressed the event.
Ford Motor Company said on Tuesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese firm Anhui Zotye Automobile Co to explore establishing a joint venture to build electric passenger vehicles in China. It said in an emailed statement that the vehicles produced would be sold under a brand owned by the new joint venture in which both companies would hold a 50-50 stake.Zotye, which Ford described as the market leader in China's all-electric small vehicle segment, sold more than 16,000 all-electric vehicles this year through July, representing a year-on-year growth of 56 percent, it said. Back in April, Ford had announced its plans to invest Can$500 million (US$376 million) in Canada to create 300 research and engineering jobs amid its drive to connect cars to the internet.
Washington: Afghanistan on Tuesday lauded President Donald Trump for breaking America's "silence" on Pakistan providing sanctuaries to terrorists and embracing a strategy that gives the war-torn country what it needs.



Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end America's longest war.



He also warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.



Reacting to Trump's address, Afghanistan's Ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib thanked president Trump for breaking America's silence on Pakistan, which has been harbouring terrorists for attacks against its neighbours.



"We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account both our countries' needs and considerations. This is the first time a focus has been put on what Afghanistan must have to succeed, and we are grateful for this outcome," Mohib said after Trump concluded his speech on Afghanistan and South Asia.



Mohib said Trump has embraced a strategy that gives Afghanistan what it needs, specifically a shift away from talking about timetables and numbers to letting conditions on the ground determine military strategy.



He also lauded the decision to integrate America's military, economic and political power to achieve shared goals.



The strategy also expands "authority to move swiftly against terrorist activities and criminal networks in place of micromanagement from Washington" and "a breaking of the silence over Pakistan's shelters and sanctuaries for terrorists", the Afghan Ambassador said.



"Like America, Afghanistan also wants an honourable and enduring outcome" to this fight, for all the Afghan, US, and NATO soldiers who have served and sacrificed to advance the cause of peace, Mohib said.



In his address, Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.



"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.



"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in an apparent warning to Pakistan.



In his speech, Trump came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying Islamabad receives billions in aid from the US but continues to harbour terrorists.



"In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices," Trump said.



"But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people," he added.



Trump noted that the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars but it continues to house the very terrorists that America is fighting.



"But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace," Trump said.
Manila: China recently deployed navy and coast guard ships in a cluster of uninhabited sandbars in the disputed South China Sea amid concerns that the Philippines may build structures on them, two Filipino security officials said Tuesday. The government, however, said the issue was quickly resolved amid the Asian neighbors' friendlier ties.



Two senior Philippine security officials told The Associated Press that three Chinese navy ships, a coast guard vessel and 10 fishing boats began keeping watch on Sandy Cay on August 12 after a group of Filipino fishermen were spotted on the sandbars. The Filipinos eventually left but the Chinese stayed on.



The two spoke on condition of anonymity, saying only the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila has been authorized to publicly discuss issues related to the country's territorial disputes with China. The foreign affairs department, however, has in recent days refused to divulge details of the situation at Sandy Cay, a cluster of three sandbars.



A senior Philippine diplomat, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the issue publicly, said China "is concerned that we will build" structures on the sandbars. Chinese and Philippine officials have quietly worked to resolve the issue in recent days, said the diplomat, who is involved in the talks.



A government security report seen by the AP says Chinese navy ships with bow numbers 504, 545 and 168, a Chinese coast guard ship with bow number 46115, and 10 Chinese fishing vessels took positions off Sandy Cay. Its nearest sandbar is about 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 kilometers) from Philippine-occupied Thitu Island.



On Aug. 15, a blue Chinese helicopter flew low off Thitu's southwest coast, the report said.



Philippine troops and villagers based at Thitu call it Pag-asa Tagalog for hope  while the Chinese call the island Zhongye Dao.



The Chinese military presence near Thitu sparked concerns in Manila.



Philippine Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who has studied the disputes extensively, said the Chinese navy ships and other vessels encroached in the Philippine island's 12-nautical mile (22-kilometer) territorial waters.



"In short, Sandy Cay is a Philippine land territory that is being seized, to put it mildly, or being invaded, to put it frankly, by China," Carpio said in a statement over the weekend.



He said President Rodrigo Duterte and Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano have the constitutional duty to defend and protect Philippine territory.



"The very least that they could do now is to vigorously protest this invasion of Philippine territory by China," Carpio said. "If both are courageous, they should send a Philippine navy ship to guard Sandy Cay and if the Chinese navy ships attack the Philippine navy vessel, they should invoke the Philippine-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty."



The 1951 treaty binds the allies to come to the aid of each other when attacked.



Cayetano, however, told reporters Tuesday that the issue has been diplomatically resolved and denied that China has invaded Sandy Cay.



"Let me assure you, there is no more problem in that area," Cayetano told reporters, declining to provide details. "But it is not true that there was an attempt to invade or seize it."



Much-friendlier ties between Manila and Beijing under Duterte have allowed both governments to manage their disputes better. "If our relationship with our neighbors isn't this good, the situation in the West Philippine Sea will be much, much worse," Cayetano said, using the Philippine name for the South China Sea.



Duterte told reporters over dinner late Monday that he has been assured by China's ambassador in Manila, Zhao Jianhua, and the Chinese foreign ministry that Beijing has no plans to occupy or build structures on Sandy Cay.



"They're not invading," ABS-CBN TV network quoted Duterte as saying. "They are just there but they are not claiming anything."



One of the Philippine security officials said the military has been monitoring the Chinese presence at Sandy Cay but added it was difficult to check if Beijing's ships were still there due to bad weather in the remote offshore region.
Ohio: A gunman shot and wounded a judge in an ambush outside an Ohio courthouse on Monday before the assailant was fatally shot by a probation officer, authorities and local media said.



Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. was flown by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital where his condition was described as stable after the attack at the Jefferson County Courthouse in the city of Steubenville, the WKYC-TV news station reported.



Police took into custody a second man believed to have been in a car with the suspected shooter, according to WKYC-TV. Officials closed the courthouse for the rest of the day.



Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said in a statement that teams from the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation had begun a probe into the shooting.
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Pakistan for providing safe havens to agents of chaos and terror. He also touched upon the strategic relationship with India and said that the US would like India to help them in Afghanistan, especially in the economic sector.



In a sharp criticism of Islamabads strategy of using terror as a tool, he said, Pakistan often gives safe havens to agents of chaos, violence and terror. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond."



Trump, in a prime-time televised address, announced Americas decision on the way forward in Afghanistan.



The President slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.



Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists. A core pillar of our new strategy in Afghanistan is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions, he added.



Top government sources told News 18 that the US President has vindicated India's stand that Pakistan is sponsoring and supporting terrorism in the world in the name of religion.



The authorities added that the world should step up against Pakistan and stop them from sheltering terrorists, who end up destabilizing the nation. "They sheltered Osama Bin Laden and other designated terrorists. They are not only staying there but also attending open public meetings in Pakistan," the source added.



Referring to Jamaat ud Daawa chief Hafiz Saeed's newly launched political party, Milli Muslim League, the government official said, "Now, with the help of Pakistani agencies, these terrorists have launched a political party. Pakistan should take firm action and hand them over."



On the issue of US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Trump argued against a hasty withdrawal. The President said his new approach was aimed at preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants bent on attacking the United States.



"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said as he announced his South Asia policy in front of about 2,000 people from all five services and top officials of his administration.



My original instinct was to pull out, he said in his speech, but added that he was convinced by his national security advisers to strengthen the US ability to prevent the Taliban from ousting the US-backed government in Kabul.



Trump did not say how many US troops would be sent, but Defence Secretary James Mattis has plans on the table to send about 4,000 more to add to the 8,400 deployed in Afghanistan currently.



Seeking a bigger role for India in war-torn Afghanistan, the President said, "We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development."
Dubai: Qatar's government deposited nearly $7 billion in the local banking system during July to offset a pull-out of funds by banks from other Arab states due to the region's diplomatic crisis, Qatari central bank data showed on Tuesday.



Foreign customers' deposits at banks in Qatar - the vast majority in the form of foreign-currency deposits - shrank to 157.2 billion riyals ($43.2 billion) last month from 170.6 billion riyals in June. The rate of decline was roughly the same as in June, when the crisis began.



But total deposits at banks in Qatar rose during July, to 772.5 billion riyals from 770.7 billion riyals, because of a $6.9 billion jump in the Qatari public sector's foreign currency deposits, the data showed. That followed a $10.9 billion injection by the government in June.



Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing terrorism, which Doha denies.



Banks and other institutions from the four countries quickly began pulling deposits from Qatar - a threat to the stability of the banking system, which has relied heavily on foreign money to fuel its rapid growth in the last few years.



Doha responded by having its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), deposit fresh funds in its banks - a strategy which seems to be working as interbank money rates, which jumped half a percentage point in the initial weeks of the crisis, have now stabilised.



Fund outflows could continue into next year as Arab banks pull out maturing time deposits, bankers believe. Fifty-five percent of cross-border deposits in Qatar's banks last year were from other nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council.



This implies around 50 billion riyals of remaining Saudi, UAE and Bahraini deposits may flow out in coming months, in addition to a smaller amount of cross-border loans; Qatari banks have been borrowing more from Europe than from the GCC.



Qatar looks likely to be able to cope with such outflows. The QIA's liquid assets are estimated at around $180 billion or more, and its banks can replace some of the lost money with deposits or loans from Asia - a big consumer of Qatar's natural gas exports - and Turkey, a diplomatic ally.



Nevertheless, the crisis appears to be causing Qatari banks to rein in their business abroad. Their claims on banks outside the country shrank to 83.9 billion riyals in July from 93.8 billion riyals in June and 102.2 billion riyals in May.



A unit of Qatar's Doha Bank is seeking to sell some of its assets in the UAE, banking sources told Reuters in early August, a sign that Qatari lenders are reducing exposure to the Gulf's main financial centre because of the political uncertainty.



So far, however, Qatari banks do not appear to be cutting their domestic business. Total domestic credit facilities extended by the banks rose to 795.8 billion riyals last month from 779.7 billion riyals.
Washington: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday spoke with Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani to discuss how they can help in shaping President Donald Trump's new South Asia strategy.



Trump is set to announce America's new strategy in Afghanistan, amid reports that his administration could be mulling a role for India in ending the brutal and costly conflict, the US' longest war.



He will make his first prime-time broadcast to the nation as president at 9 pm (6:30 am IST, Tuesday) to unveil his new plan after a lengthy period of deliberations to end nearly 16 years long war in Afghanistan.



Notable to the Presidents forthcoming remarks to the nation on South Asia, the Secretary of State spoke over the phone with Pakistani Prime Minister Abbasi, Indian Foreign Minister Swaraj and Afghan Foreign Minister Rabbani, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.



"The topic was how the United States would like to work with each country to stabilise South Asia through a new, integrated regional strategy," she said.
US President Donald Trumps speech on his new AfPak policy took more than six months coming, but he did not disappoint both in tone and tenor. This marks a significant shift in US policy for this region, for more than one reason.



For starters, no US President, neither Obama nor George W Bush, explicitly mentioned India in a speech concerning AfPak policy. Not only did Trump mention India, he also made it clear that he expects India to do more in Afghanistan. Just like on the climate change issue, on Afghanistan too, Trump linked Indias flourishing trade with the US to demand a greater pound of flesh in Afghanistan.



India makes billions of dollars from us in trade, so we expect them to play a greater role in Afghanistan, especially in economic and development assistance, he said.



Trump has an annoying and frankly naive habit of linking everything with trade. When he announced that the US was pulling out of the Paris climate accord, again he wrongly accused both India and China of ripping the US off billions of dollars in trade. He is using the same trade analogy here.



Not only is this patently wrong, it makes for a bad sales pitch. If he expects India to play a greater role in Afghanistan, his first words cannot be, Hey India, you are ripping us off, so India trades more than 65 billion dollars of goods with the US every year. But thats not some American benevolence. Its a two-way street.



Coming back to Afghanistan, India already contributes 2 billion dollars to Afghanistan in Development Partnership Assistance, which is the single largest outlay for any third country. Recently, a proposal to up that by another billion dollars has been approved. Itll be difficult for India to further increase its contribution.



India also helps build roads in Afghanistan through the Border Roads Organisation. It recently finished building a massive dam and hydro-electric project in Herat and also helped with the construction of Afghanistans new Parliament building. India is already doing for Afghanistan more than what it does in any other country. Too expect more from New Delhi would be stretching it too thin.



Trumps speech only talks about economic and development assistance. But if he were to expect India to become a net security provider, that would be a really slippery slope to go down on. The last thing the Afghans want is a Hindu Army in the Hindukush. Thats enough for ISIS and Al Qaeda to directly target Indian interests and people, both at home and abroad. It would an invitation for disaster and India must refrain from any temptation to play a military role in Afghanistan.



The last time India played a military role in a foreign country was in the Sri Lankan civil war with the IPKF. That was a disaster and we would be ill-advised to go down that same road.
New Delhi: Shaida Mohammad Abdali, the Afghanistan ambassador to India, on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's strategy to continue fighting in the war-torn country, saying it was a "comprehensive one".



Abdali suggested that the new strategy involved all aspects - from security to defence.



On Trump's "no blank cheque" remark, Abdali said that there has to be accountability in cooperation and goals have to be met.



Trump has now ended "uncertainty", he said. Donald Trump, in a prime-time address to the nation on Monday evening, accused Pakistan of giving "safe havens to agents of chaos, violence and terror". Abdali also appreciated Trump for stating that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan will depend on ground-zero condition.



Abdali was glad that Trump called out Pakistan, saying the strategy was not only Afghan-centric, and "took the entire region into consideration".



Abdali once again asserted that Afghanistan, "for the longest time", said: "terrorism was not Aghanistan's doing." "The whole region should participate in fighting terrorism."



He expressed concerns about the state of modern-day Afghanistan, saying his country was a "victim of terrorism" emanating from across the border. "We will have to fight the sanctuaries of terror and it couldn't have been more clearly spelt out."



Lauding India's constructive role in Afghanistan, Abdali said that Trump called on India because he leans towards India for peace and stability in the region. "India is an excellent example of partnering with responsibility towards peace."



Donald Trump said the US wanted India to help more with Afghanistan, particularly in the areas of "economic assistance and development".




More than 170 civilians have been killed by US-led strikes on Islamic State in Raqqa city in the past week, a spike in casualties since an offensive to oust the terrorists began more than two months ago, a war monitor and sources said.



The US-led coalition against Islamic State said attacks on militant targets were conducted routinely and the allegation had been sent to their teams for assessment.



The monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 42 people, including 19 children and 12 women, were killed on Monday in strikes that destroyed buildings where families were sheltering.



The Britain-based Observatory said that was the single largest daily death toll since the US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias, began their assault on Raqqa last June after a long campaign to isolate Islamic State inside the city.



Former Raqqa residents in touch with relatives still in the city echoed this view to Reuters.



The US-led coalition says it is careful to avoid civilian casualties in its bombing runs against Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq, and investigates any allegations.



"The Coalition respects human life and is assisting partner forces in their effort to liberate their land from ISIS while safeguarding civilians. Our goal is always for zero civilian casualties," a statement sent to Reuters by the Pentagon said



The Observatory said bombs that hit the al-Sakhani and Harat al-Bado districts on Monday were close to a multi-storey residential building that had been bombed the day before, killing at least 27 civilians, including seven children.



Former Raqqa residents in touch with relatives gave a higher death toll, saying many bodies were still under rubble.



The SDF alliance, spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG militia, has been waging fierce battles inside the Old City area of Raqqa since last month. Fighting is now intensifying near the city centre as the US-backed forces close in on Islamic State.



Footage of the Old City released by activists showed extensive damage to buildings around the historic Old Mosque.



Amaq, an Islamic State-affiliated news agency, released a video on Monday showing at least a dozen corpses, many of them children, lying on the floor. It claimed the video was shot in Raqqa on Monday and showed victims of coalition air strikes, as well as extensive damage to residential areas.



Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the video.



An activist-run group "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently" said it had documented at least 946 civilian deaths since the Raqqa offensive began in June.



The United Nations says at least 200,000 people have fled Raqqa in recent months and that up to 20,000 civilians remain trapped inside.



The plight of civilians left in the city has worsened, with water cut off for over two months and shortages of food, leaving many of those remaining living on canned foods.
Washington: The US on Tuesday slapped sanctions on 10 Russian and Chinese companies and six individuals for helping in advancing North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programme by conducting business with the reclusive nation.



As a result of Tuesday's action, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of US persons or within the United States must be blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.



The sanctions target third-country companies and individuals that assist already-designated persons who support North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, deal in the North Korean energy trade, facilitate its exportation of workers, andenable sanctioned North Korean entities to access US and international financial systems.



"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," said Treasury Secretary Steven T Mnuchin.



Some of the prominent companies and individuals slapped with sanctions are China-based Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co, Moscow-based Gefest-M LLC and its director, Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and China and Hong Kong-based Mingzheng International Trading Limited.



"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilise the region," Mnuchin said.



"We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activityin the future," he said.



The Treasury also designated three Chinese coal companies collectively responsible for importing nearly half a billion dollars' worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.
Indian movie star and parade grand marshal Rana Daggubati, top left, stands on a float behind a figure of Mahatma Gandhi, during the India Day parade, celebrating the 71st independence day of India, Sunday Aug. 20, 2017, in New York. (Image: AP)
A Lynchburg man who was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after an Aug. 16 assault now faces multiple charges, police said Tuesday.

Jhonathan DShawn Reynolds, 26, is charged with malicious wounding and malicious wounding by mob.

He was being treated at Lynchburg General Hospital with life-threatening injuries following an assault in the early morning hours of Aug. 16, according to a release from the Lynchburg Police Department.

Police responded to the Old Forest Road Walmart at 1:42 a.m. Aug. 16 and spoke with Anthony David Eagle, 30, of Lynchburg.

Eagle told officers he was assaulted by three black men while walking on the 3200 block of Forest Brook Road. He defended himself with a knife and ran. Officers didnt charge him.

Two Lynchburg men, Thomas Edward Tanner, 25, and Dominique Lavert Saunders, 28, both were charged with malicious wounding and malicious wounding by mob.

Saunders was not injured in the incident. Tanner suffered a non-life-threatening stab wound to the shoulder, police said.

All three men are held at the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center without bond.
A UNITED Kingdom-based leader of a new opposition party, the Zimbabwe Economic Freedom Fighters (ZEFF), was arrested for allegedly violating immigration laws after addressing journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club.



Innocent Ndibali (38), who is the interim president of ZEFF and a holder of a British passport, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya yesterday facing charges of failing to comply with his visa conditions in contravention of Section 36 (1) of the Immigration Act.



He was remanded to today to allow the State to make written submissions on its refusal to have Ndibali placed off remand.





Ndibali, who is in the country to drum up support for his party, was arrested by police officers last Friday.





Prosecuting, Mr Nkathazo Dlodlo said on August 11 this year, Ndibali entered the country through Joshua Mqabuko International Airport in Bulawayo.





The court heard that on arrival at the airport, the accused person tendered his passport to immigration officers and he was issued with a 14-day holiday visa.





On August 18 at around 7PM, Ndibali allegedly held a Press conference at a city hotel to market his partys manifesto ahead of next years harmonised elections. The event was attended by 35 journalists.





The accused person, by doing so, failed to comply with the conditions under which he was granted visa to enter the country, said Mr Dlodlo.

He said Ndibali was supposed to solely be on holiday and not conduct any other business in the country. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Ndibali and subsequently confiscated his passport.





Ndibali through his lawyer Mr Jabulani Mhlanga of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights argued that there was no evidence to sustain the charge levelled against him.





The evidence does not sustain the charge. The State outline does not establish facts linking the accused person to the alleged offence, said Mr Mhlanga.





The lawyer said the arrest of his client was a violation of his Constitutional right as a Zimbabwean citizen.





Although my client holds a British passport, he is a Zimbabwean who has a right in terms of the Constitution to address a Press conference. He was merely invited to make his remarks, said Mr Mhlanga.





He further argued that the visa granted to Ndibali did not state conditions. chronicle
Controversial businessman Frank Buyanga has been appointed as chief executive of House of Mandela African Royal Mint (HoM-ARM)  a medallion and related products manufacturing company founded by the late South African president Nelson Mandelas daughter Makaziwe in 2014.



The development also comes as the flamboyant entrepreneur's African Medallion Group (AMG) has purchased R10 million worth of bullion from Rand Refinery to further its special coins initiative and the tokens have continued to rise in value since they were launched early this year.



HoM-ARM is a unique private mint, which specialises in the production of fine precious and non-precious products, and our aim to be a pioneer of African-inspired gold, silver and platinum-based mementos, clothing accessories and other related products, Buyanga said in a telephone interview last week.



As strong believers in the philosophy of continental citizens being their own agents for their stories and journey, HoM-ARM is focussed on beneficiating Africas minerals through internally designed, and minted products, he said.



Through the latest partnership, Buyangas AMG has launched a $10 and gold-backed Pan-African Mandela Medallion, which promoters say is fully redeemable  at its trading price  and as one of their products or services to help people preserve their wealth.



Apart from these, the youthful businessman has launched three other sets of medallions, which are tradeable in seven countries, including Zimbabwe, Britain, South Africa and the United States.



Based in Kyalami, Johannesburg, HoM-ARM was founded on the basis or need to celebrate Thembu values and South African national pride.



This is not about Mandela, its about the house. Our story has been observed through the limited small prism of Tata. We are saying we are Mandelas, but at the same time, we are abaThembu and we are South Africans with strong values, Makaziwe told a South African publication recently, adding the venture was started from the ashes yellow metals distributor Global Gold.

We are showing that he was a man, a family man, a grandfather and not just a statesman or a politician. He said I am made by traditions, customs and values of my ancestors. That is what we are celebrating with this business. We are a luxury, but an African inspired brand, the ex-Steward Bank director said.



Among the items that the mint makes are silver and bronze jewellery products such as necklaces, embellished beads, cufflinks, bangles, medals and trophies, metal finish pieces and even wines.



Married to Ghanaian businessman Kamwe Amuah, the 63 year-old daughter of the late anti-apartheid and struggle icon says HoM-ARM was not only founded to recognise African traditions, but to celebrate the continents spirit of hospitality, warmth and oneness.



With interests in the micro finance, construction, property investment, insurance and assurance sectors, Buyanga has also shot to fame with his associations with former and serving presidents such as Malawi's Bakili Muluzi and Teodore Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.



About two years ago, the flashy millionaire was recognised  along telecommunications mogul Strive Masiyiwa  for flying Zimbabwes flag high after being listed among Africas most influential under 40 millionaires.



A year later, Buyanga was elected as a small-to-medium enterprise strategy director for the Pan African Business Forum and where they have also tried to push for reforms of the continents governance outlook.



Through his AMG souvenir initiatives, the Hamilton Property Holdings founders projects have not only been punted as a future currency by analysts, but said to have appreciated in value by over 2 000 percent since launch early this year.



Apart from trading on the London Metals Exchange, Buyangas special coins company also has links to Visa International in a deal meant to facilitate trade in its products. daily news
ACTING Prosecutor-General Ray Goba yesterday struggled to fend off his previous conviction on charges of obstruction of justice in Namibia in 2002 and prove to the interview panel that he was suitable for the vacant post.

Goba was among seven candidates interviewed yesterday by the Judicial Service Commission to replace Johannes Tomana, who was fired by President Robert Mugabe in June for incompetence and misconduct.

The other six are Charles Chinyama, Misheck Hogwe, Wilson Manase, Tecler Mapota, Peter Mafunda and Florence Ziyambi.

Goba said the conviction was an unfortunate incident that should not have happened in the first place and was never regarded as serious by the Namibian authorities, who kept him on his job as director of public prosecutions.

I cannot judge for myself how much weight the conviction should be accorded, he said.

The conviction arose out of a minor road traffic offence and the Namibian authorities did not consider it serious, as they did not dismiss me from employment, but went on to promote me not once, but twice after the conviction.

Chief Justice Luke Malaba, Justice Happious Zhou and commissioner Lloyd Mhishi were not satisfied and continued with that line of questioning.

How do you think the commission should decide on you being a fit and proper person to be the Prosecutor-General after this conviction? Justice Malaba questioned.

Goba responded: I believe that a reasonable person would look at the matter in a reasonable manner and not with an armchair view.

It is a blot on my white piece of paper. I was a victim of a grave injustice.

He described himself as an experienced lawyer with a great vision for the National Prosecuting Authority.
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Kirk Miller, president of Helenas Headwaters Chapter of the conservation group Pheasants Forever, knows first-hand the importance of habitat for pheasants.

Ive been walking through a corn field once and looked down and literally three feet behind me there was a pheasant hunkered down, Miller says. Theyll just let you walk by.

Like other upland birds, pheasants require the cover of brush to hide from hunters and other predators. Cover also provides birds with shelter from extreme weather, as well as a place to nest and raise their broods. In addition to cover, uplands birds need a balance of grassland, cropland and wetlands to find food and thrive.

During the 2017-2018 hunting season, Miller and other observers are hopeful that ongoing efforts to improve habitat for upland birds will help offset the effects a cold winter and a wet spring may have had on pheasant, turkey, grouse and partridge populations.

The wet, cold spring we had did a number on the nest success, says Vanna Boccadori, a Butte-based wildlife biologist for Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Out in the field, Boccadori says shes been seeing single birds but not any broods. As a result, she expects an average year, is all, for upland-bird hunters.

Miller, however, is somewhat more optimistic.

The spring moisture was probably good for the birds, Millers says. Vegetative cover helps during the hatch, helps protect from predators. And, also, that spring moisture and grass helps with insect populations. Insects are food for upland birds. As a result, Miller believes the spring conditions will probably overcome any loss that might have happened because of the cold winter.

Whatever the precise effect of recent weather, Miller says theres a natural ebb and flow in bird numbers: Pheasant populations and other upland birds are pretty cyclical. They get hammered by weather, but then they bounce back. The key is having good habitat.

To that end, Pheasants Forever is involved in a range of projects designed to help birds thrive, including partnering with FWP on a long-term habitat-improvement project at the Canyon Ferry Wildlife Management Area near Helena. The ongoing work at Canyon Ferry is one part of a much broader effort by Montana FWP to improve upland-bird hunting. Through its Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program, FWP has conserved hundreds of thousands of acres of upland-bird habitat, helped open private land to hunters and released pen-reared pheasants to boost bird populations, among other initiatives.

Despite this years uncertain outlook, FWP population predictions are not low enough to warrant a change in upland-bird bag limits or the length of hunting seasons, Boccadori says. Grouse, partridge, and turkey seasons open Sept. 1 and end Jan. 1, with one exception: sage grouse season ends early, on Sept. 30. Pheasant season opens Oct. 7, though youth ages 12 to 17 will have an early opportunity to take pheasant the weekend of Sept. 23-24. Pheasant season also ends on New Years Day.

Miller will be among the bird hunters out in the field this year with his dogs, a German shorthaired pointer and an English setter, trying to flush pheasants out of the cover his group has helped to enhance. Whatever prognostication proves correct and however many birds he finds, Miller is sage about enjoying his time in the field.

Even those days where you dont hardly see any birds, Miller says, its just a lot of fun to see those dogs work and figure out problems and also see how smart pheasant are to find ways to avoid the dogs and humans. Thats probably what I enjoy the most. And then its just nice country. Its a long walk.
The more than 25,000 people who've signed a viral online petition so far don't just want a Confederate monument in Portsmouth, Virginia, removedthey want it replaced with a monument to Missy Elliott. The idea isn't as random as it might seem; the iconic rapper hails from Portsmouth, BuzzFeed reports. Virginia resident Nathan Coflin came up with the idea to replace the Confederate statuebuilt in the late 1800s to memorialize the area's Confederate deadwith a statue of Elliott, and his Change.org petition soon drummed up quite a bit of attention. "Together we can put white supremacy down, flip it and reverse it," Coflin writes.

Twitter got behind that idea, with users hailing the petition as "the most important petition you will ever sign," among other things. Elliott herself has weighed in, saying she's humbled by the support for the idea. Coflin, 27, tells the Washington Post, "Unfortunately history is kind of a mixed bag of bad and good. I wanna show we can honor the positivity thats happening today in Portsmouth and I think no one better suits that than Missy Elliott." The petition will be sent to the Portsmouth City Council, along with the city's mayor and vice mayor, for consideration. Separately, the Portsmouth mayor called last week for the monument to be moved to a nearby cemetery. (Read more Missy Elliott stories.)
Environmentalists have a new bone to pick with the Trump administration, this time over bottled water. A six-year-old policy that encouraged national parks not to sell bottled water has been overturned by Trump, reports the Guardian. Per NPR, the Obama-era policy put in place to reduce waste and pollution wasnt exactly a ban, but a guideline adopted by 23 national parks including Grand Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. In 2011, the National Parks service began encouraging parks to enact the policy to act as an exemplar of sustainability. Parks that stopped the sale of bottled water had to provide water filling stations and information to visitors on where to find them. Per the Guardian, plastic bottles can make up the majority of a parks litter and trashat the Grand Canyon alone, they comprised 20% of waste before water sales ended.

Critics say overturning this policy favors the bottled water industry, which has been lobbying against it. (The International Bottled Water Association has spent $80,000 arguing against the "bottle ban" since Trump took office.) But others say the original policy was flawed since it still allowed the sale of other bottled drinks, like sodawhile eliminating sales of the healthiest drinking option. It should be up to our visitors to decide how best to keep themselves and their families hydrated during a visit to a national park, particularly during hot summer visitation periods, acting National Park Service director Michael Reynolds said in a press release; he added that parks would still encourage visitors to use the free water filling stations as appropriate. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
The self-described CEO of Purple Drank will be operating out of a new office: federal prison. According to the Washington Post, a judge has sentenced Harrison Garcia, also known as Cuban Harry and Muhammad_a_Lean, to 30 years after the 27-year-old was found guilty of armed drug trafficking. The Miami Herald reports that federal agents began monitoring Garcia, who had ties to stars like Lil Wayne and Chris Brown, after suspecting he was the supplier of "purple drank" to the South Florida music scene. Also known as sizzurp or lean, the concoction mixes soda and Jolly Rancher candies with prescription-strength cough syrup, typically at doses above the medically recommended amount. Posts bragging about his exploits were often relayed to his 34,000 Instagram followers, and Garcias ostentatious social media personality became the cornerstone of the investigation.

Per a law enforcement affidavit, officials monitored Garcia's page and obtained a search warrant to access his account, where they found messages sent and received by Garcia in which Garcia negotiated with customers for the sale of promethazine with codeine, marijuana, and other controlled substances. Among Garcias crimes? Coordinating armed robberies of drugstores to up his supply of cough syrup containing promethazine with codeine. Though Garcias defense team originally chalked up his Instagram persona as, in his words, an image to portray, to boost up my followers, Garcia took a more pensive position in court after receiving his sentence, saying: I want to briefly apologize to my parents and your honor. Hopefully, I learn from this. (Read more Purple Drank stories.)
The opioid epidemic may have claimed two wholly innocent victims. Police say the 17-year-old who killed two sisters after the car she was driving crashed into the girls' Frankfort, Ind., home in July was high on opiates. RTV6 describes a harrowing lead-up to the crash, citing detectives who say Alia Sierra was driving her 2007 Honda Accord at a speed of 107mph when she left the road and careened through a field and ditch before slamming into the home. She had four teen and pre-teen passengers in the car with her; one told police he asked Sierra to let him out of what she called "the beast" because the speeds were scaring him.

Sierra faces 10 felony charges, including two counts of reckless homicide in connection with the deaths of Haleigh Fullerton, 17, and sister Callie, 8. People reports the girls had been watching TV on the couch; the Journal & Courier says the car entered their home with such force it nearly exited the other side of the living room. Sierra has been charged as an adult and entered a preliminary plea of not guilty on Friday. Her lawyer plans to appeal the adult classification in a bid to get her case pushed back to juvenile court. (This teen who livestreamed a fatal crash says "everybody does it.")
President Trump made a rare formal address to the nation Monday night to reaffirm the US commitment in Afghanistan, but he declined to talk about troop numbers or deadlines. Those factors will be based on "conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables," he said, adding that he doesn't think it makes sense to tip off the enemy to specific plans. The US currently has about 8,400 non-combat troops in the country, and the president had been expected to green-light another 4,000 or so for the 16-year-old war. "I'm a problem-solver," said Trump after outlining the situation he inherited in Afghanistan and Southeast Asia and faulting the decisions of his predecessors. But "in the end, we will win."

Trump, speaking at Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va., acknowledged that his "original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts," reports the New York Times. But he said he changed his mind after a long review and advice from his military advisers. He said the US cannot repeat what he views as the mistake of its "hasty" exit from Iraq in 2011, which he said allowed ISIS to gain a foothold, per USA Today. Trump also called out Pakistan and said the US will "no longer be silent" as that nation provides "safe haven" for terrorists. And he also warned that the Afghan government would be held accountable as a partner. "We are not nation-building again," he said. "We are killing terrorists." (Read more Afghanistan war stories.)
The body of a woman has been found in the Baltic Sea near where a missing Swedish journalist is believed to have died on a privately built submarine, Danish police said late Monday. A female torso without legs, arms, or a head was found by a passer-by, said the head of the investigation, Jens Moller Jensen. "We have recovered the body ... It is the torso of a woman," Jensen told reporters. "An inquest will be conducted." He said it was "too early" to say if the body was that of 30-year-old Swedish reporter Kim Wall, who went missing more than a week ago after a trip on the submarine owned by 46-year-old Peter Madsen, a Danish inventor. Jensen said the body was discovered hours after Madsen told authorities that Wall had died onboard in an accident and that he buried her at sea at an unspecified location, the AP reports.

Madsen was arrested in connection with Wall's disappearance after his submarine sank off Denmark's eastern coast, an event police said they suspected the inventor caused on purpose. He denied any wrongdoing and initially told authorities he had dropped the reporter off on a redeveloped island in Copenhagen's harbor about 3 hours into a nighttime trip Aug. 10. Madsen will continue to be held on preliminary manslaughter charges, police said. They declined to provide further details about the new information he had provided. Wall was last seen atop the Nautilus submarine on Aug. 10, about to embark on a brief ride in the vessel for a profile about its Danish inventor. (Read more Denmark stories.)
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin flew to Louisville, Ky., to push for changes to the tax code on Monday, and if that sounds like a potential opportunity to plug #valentinorockstudheels, well, you'd be surprised. Mnuchin's wife of two months, the Scottish actress Louise Linton, accompanied her husband on the trip, and posted a glam Instagram photo (her account is now private, but you can see a screenshot of the post here) of her deplaning from a military jet that includes a slew of tags for the luxury items she was apparently wearing. Among them: those Valentino pumps, #rolandmouret pants, #tomford sunnies, and #hermesscarf. It spurred what HuffPost is calling her "let them eat cake moment," after an Instagram user's take on the photo didn't sit well with Linton.

A woman the New York Times identifies as Oregon mother-of-three Jenni Miller had this to say: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable." A portion of Linton's lengthy reply:

"@Jennimiller29 cute!....Aw!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? Im pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day 'trip' than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than youd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours. Youre adorably out of touch. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute."

The Washington Post notes that Linton has "raised eyebrows" in the White House for tagging along with her husband in a way atypical of spouses. A Treasury Department rep says the couple paid for Linton's portion of the travel, and that Linton didn't get anything from the fashion brands she endorsed. It's not Linton's first brush with controversy, notes the Post in a second piece that resurfaces "last year's Zambia memoir debacle." (Read more Steven Mnuchin stories.)
It appears that at least some of the 10 missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain never made it off the ship. Divers searching compartments of the damaged Navy destroyer have located human remains and were working to retrieve them, reports CBS News. Navy officials also said that a Malaysian search team had located an unidentified body elsewhere, reports the AP. The Navy vessel collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore on Monday in one of the most congested shipping lanes in the world, the latest in a string of Navy accidents that has prompted an "operational pause" to assess safety.

China, meanwhile, is using the latest accident to criticize the US naval presence in the region. The US "is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian waters," declared the official China Daily newspaper. "The US Navy, which likes to claim its presence can help safeguard 'freedom of navigation' in the South China Sea, is proving to be an increasing hindrance to ships sailing in Asian waters," said the editorial. The USS McCain had been returning from a patrol in the South China Sea, during which it sailed close to one of China's controversial man-made islands, when the collision occurred. The cause remains under investigation. (Read more USS John S. McCain stories.)
A younger member of the Kennedy clan got busted over the weekend for disorderly conduct while hosting a loud party in Hyannis Port. But don't worry, she won't get in trouble with her folksDad was busted along with her. Police arrested 52-year-old Max Kennedy, son of Robert, and one of his daughters, 22-year-old Caroline Rose Kennedy, about 1am Sunday after getting numerous complaints about loud music coming from their home, reports CapeCod.com.

Both were bailed out of jail hours later, reports the Boston Herald. Cops say the Kennedys were arrested after refusing a request to turn down the music. The fireworks allegedly set off at the party probably didn't help. For the record, their house is near, but not part of, the famous Kennedy compound. Max Kennedy is an attorney and an author, and he once wrote a best-seller whose title doesn't seem in keeping with the weekend bash: Make Gentle the Life of This: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy. (Read more Kennedy family stories.)
George and Amal Clooney's Clooney Foundation for Justice has given a $1 million grant to the Southern Poverty Law Center to combat hate groups in the US, the Los Angeles Times reports. "What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate," the Clooneys said in a statement. The couple also included a subtle dig at President Trump. "There are no two sides to bigotry and hate," the Hollywood Reporter quotes George Clooney as saying. The SPLC is a nonprofit that tracks domestic hate groups and extremists. (Read more George Clooney stories.)
A Catholic priest in Virginia has stepped down from his duties, at least temporarily, after publicly revealing his position as a "grand cyclops" in the Ku Klux Klan 40 years ago, the Washington Post reports. Rev. William Aitcheson wrote about his "despicable" role with the KKK in an editorial published Monday in the Arlington Catholic Herald. He says he was "an impressionable young man" at the time and has since been transformed through Jesus' mercy. The 62-year-old Aitcheson writes that the events in Charlottesville brought back memories of a bleak period in my life that I would have preferred to forget. But he adds: "We cannot forget, we should not forget."

In 1977, when Aitcheson was a 23-year-old college student, he was charged with burning six crosses, making bomb threats, and manufacturing pipe bombs in Maryland. The AP reports Aitcheson, who served 90 day in jail, also threatened to kill Coretta Scott King. He now says racists have polluted minds, twisted by an ideology that reinforces the false belief that they are superior to others. Aitcheson became a priest in 1988, and the diocese in Arlington says it knew about his KKK past when he arrived in 1993. However, Bishop Michael Burbidge now calls Aitcheson's involvement with the KKK "sad and deeply troubling." The diocese notes Aitcheson "voluntarily" agreed to take a break from public ministry following his editorial. (Read more Ku Klux Klan stories.)
With only hours to spare, the execution of a convicted murderer was stayed by the governor of Missouri, CNN reports. According to the Washington Post, 48-year-old Marcellus Williams was convicted in 2001 of the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, who was stabbed 43 times in her home. But attorneys for Williams say new evidencenamely DNA found on the murder weaponprovides conclusive scientific evidence that another man committed this crime. On Tuesday, Gov. Eric Greitens issued a stay of execution and formed a five-person Board of Inquiry to look into the matter. "A sentence of death is the ultimate, permanent punishment," Greitens says. "To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt."

The decision was celebrated by a group of protesters at the Missouri Capitol, the AP reports. And a lawyer for the Innocence Project says they are "relieved and grateful." Attorneys for Williams say DNA on the murder weapon doesn't match Williams but belongs to an unidentified person. Regardless, the Missouri Attorney General's Office had been pushing for the execution to go ahead as planned, stating the DNA evidence isn't enough to prove Williams' innocence in the face of other evidence, including testimonies from Williams' girlfriend and a man he was imprisoned with. St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch says there is "zero possibility" that Williams is not responsible for Gayle's murder. (Read more execution stories.)
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Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun this morning, then some snow showers this afternoon. High 26F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 50%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers. Low near 20F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 60%. About one inch of snow expected.
New Delhi:

Vodafone India, countrys second largest telecom operator, has announced to offer 1GB data per day and unlimited voice calls to any network at just Rs. 344 for every user across the country on Tuesday.

The telecom operator will be available for a limited time period.

Earlier Vodafone used to offer the same plane but it was for selected users only. Though the company is offering the plan in all circles but the price will differ from circle to circle.

Vodafone unlike it competitor Reliance Jio is not offering completely unlimited calls. The company is just offering 1200 minutes per week and 300 minutes per day.

Vodafone customers who drain their minutes will be charged 10 paise per minute for both local and STD calls.

The company also offers a plan of Rs 244 tariff plan which gives 1GB data per day and unlimited Vodafone to Vodafone voice calls.
New Delhi:

In an incident of rage, a man was stabbed to death in Ambedkar Nagar area of Delhi on late Monday night. According to relatives of the victim, the incident happened inside the police station.

According to victim's wife, after celebrating their daughter's birthday she went to see off the guests with her husband Anil. For unknown reasons, Anil was involved in a fight with an unknown person.

Anil's wife called PCR after the incident and they were taken to Ambedkar Nagar police station. After which the family of the victim alleged that Anil was killed with a sharp weapon by the accused inside the police station.

The police, however, denied that victim was killed inside the police station and said that the entire incident took place outside somewhere in Ambedkar Nagar locality.

As of now, the police is investigating the matter further.
Less than a week after directing the city manager to remove the Confederate fountain from Hill Park, the Helena City Commission on Monday passed an emergency ordinance suspending a review process for historic structures so the monument could be taken down immediately for safety reasons.

The commissions abrupt decision last week to remove the Confederate monument without taking a formal vote has left some questions about whether the proper procedures were followed.

A group of Native American lawmakers in Montana called on the city to remove the granite fountain from Hill Park in downtown Helena on Aug. 15, and the commission directed the city manager to make that happen as soon as possible during an administrative meeting the next day. City staff removed the monument from its pedestal and took it to an undisclosed location Friday.

Commissioners cited the recent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and violence including the death of a counter-protester, for their quick action on the fountain.

Since the fountain is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Lewis and Clark County Heritage Preservation Officer Pam Attardo said it is subject to a city ordinance that requires a special review process for historic structures.

According to the city code, No historic structure shall be demolished without obtaining a demolition permit from the director of building and safety. The historic preservation commission is then required to conduct a public meeting and make a recommendation to the city commission, which must then decide whether to grant the permit.

The same city ordinance was cited in a recent lawsuit seeking to prevent the planned demolition of historic Central School. However, district Judge Michael McMahon ruled that Helena Public Schools is not subject to the ordinance and has exclusive and sole authority over its property as a government entity.

The city as a government entity is also not subject to its own historic preservation ordinance, according to the citys legal analysis, although historic reviews are typically done.

After noting the commissions opinion that the presence of the fountain presented a public safety concern, Mondays ordinance suspends the city code requiring historic review for the sole purpose of facilitating the removal, without delay, of the Daughters of the Confederacy Fountain.

Mayor Jim Smith said Monday he believed deputy city attorney Iryna OConnor, who attended last weeks meeting as legal counsel, would have advised the commission if we were treading on ground that was not legally sound.

In an interview before Mondays commission meeting, city manager Ron Alles said the safety ordinance aimed to clear up legal questions about the removal, but emphasized that the commission chose to act quickly in the interest of public safety.

They werent going to allow folks to use that as a lightning rod in Helena, Montana, he said.

Commissioner Robert Farris-Olsen challenged the ordinances language that the Helena City Commission heard numerous public safety comments expressing public safety concerns, saying that the majority of comments he heard centered on the monument's Confederate status.

Commissioner Dan Ellison disagreed, saying he felt comments did express a public safety concern.

The only public commenter Monday was Gerald Hutch, who delivered scathing remarks to the commission, in part telling them that he believed they dishonored all the veterans in this country with their actions.

City attorney Thomas Jodoin said the safety ordinance would button up any legal arguments otherwise as to why the commission and the city removed the fountain without the full review process. While the city is not required to follow its own historic preservation code, the code, as a zoning regulation, does have state public hearing requirements. Those state requirements were addressed when the commission took public comment last Wednesday and the city moved for its stated reason of public safety, he said.

Jodoin also said that he did not believe there was a public notice issue with how the commission acted either last week or Monday night.

Neither one of the commission's two discussions about the fountain in the last week was posted on an official meeting agenda.

Helena attorney Mike Meloy, who specializes in open government issues, told the Independent Record he believes the commission "technically" violated open meeting law by leaving the fountain issue off of the agenda last week. However, he said news reports announcing the meeting could ward off any potential legal claims regarding the absence of a formal notice.

Alles cited the same news reports and attendance and public comment at last Wednesdays meeting when asked about the agenda. The agenda had already been posted before the events in Virginia, and commissioners can bring up issues of interest on their own outside of the agenda, he added.

Any commissioner can discuss any topic at that time, OConnor told the Independent Record. Different types of items require different legal notices, such as land use regulations, while others are more general.

But Wednesdays direction by the commission was a departure from the procedure commissioners followed last time they took up the Confederate fountain, although that decision did not include a public safety component.

In 2015, the commission asked the Lewis and Clark County Heritage Tourism Council to draft language for an interpretive sign to accompany the memorial. The commission then voted at a later commission meeting to approve language recommended by the council.

When asked why the commission voted on language for an interpretive sign but not removal of the fountain, Alles indicated that the commission in the first case used discretion to vote, but he felt it was optional.

Answering the same question, Ellison said commission members do not vote during administrative meetings, but on issues of consensus that dont require a resolution of intention they give direction to the city on more of an operational running of the city kind of matter.

Smith said he was unsure about the proper procedure, but felt the commission acted in the face of what it thought was a critical public safety need.
New Delhi:

Supreme Court on Tuesday has directed all the medical colleges in Tamil Nadu to use National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) as the only basis for admission across the state. It has also asked the state government to start counselling immediately and finish the same by September 4, 2017.

"SC says medical colleges in Tamil Nadu will have to use National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) as the only basis for admissions," news agency ANI twweted a couple of minutes back.

"Supreme Court asks the Tamil Nadu government to start counselling immediately & finish by 4th September," ANI tweeted further.

Earlier, the Supreme Court on Thursday put the counselling process on hold till August 22 and asked MCI and the state government to find a "balanced" solution to deal with the interests of state board students and those who cleared NEET.

Also Read| NEET illegalities: HC seeks Centre and police response on probe plea

Tamil Nadu, which had initially sought permanent exemption from NEET by passing two Bills in the Assembly, later made efforts to be out of its ambit for at least a year or two.

SC says medical colleges in Tamil Nadu will have to use National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) as the only basis for admissions. pic.twitter.com/lE7wBxYjjI  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017
New Delhi:

After creating much of buzz and drooling people over its power-packed and entertaining episodes one after another Big Boass Tamil is under spotlight yet another time. Latest media report suggests that a criminal defamation complaint was filed against actor Kamal Haasan on Monday alleging that he had humiliated a particular community in the July14 episode of the famous reality show which he hosts.

The complaint was filed in the metropolitan magistrate court on Tuesday. The judge posted to September 1 hearing on the complaint. Stating that 'Nadaswaram', a musical instrument, which is treated like god by the Isai Vellalar community, its president K R Kuhesh, submitted that in one of the episodes, actor Sakthi was seen throwing it from one hand to the other in a cavalier manner.

The petitioner also contended that the instrument was kept on the dining table as the Bigg Boss participants were having their food, which was insulting and damaged the mindset of the Isai Vellalar community.

The show is being telecast on Vijay TV since June 24. Contending that Vijay TV, Haasan, actor Sakthi and Bigg Boss producers Endemol India Private Limited knew well that the act of insulting 'Nadaswaram' would hurt sentiments of the community, the petitioner alleged that Haasan had not sought any apology. He also alleged they had intentionally insulted the 'Nadaswaram' with the motive of attracting viewers and thereby caused defamation, liable to be prosecuted and punished.

Also Read: Kamal Haasan responds to HMK's demand on 'Tamil Big Boss' ban

Meanwhile, in the latest episode of the show, host Kamal Haasan had surprisingly asked the audience to question Gayathri, the evicted contestant. Until now, Kamal would engage the contestant in a customary chat questioning, critiquing and appreciating the contestant about their journey as when and needed. But the veteran actor also explained why he chose to make this deviation.

"There were comments that I have been partial to Gayathri as she was from my caste. I had to quell this notion and hence, this direct conversation," clarified Kamal.

Also taking a strong stand against casteism, Kamal further said "We have had a lot of talk about inappropriate language on the show. But, caste is a bad word that is ruining our lives. Please do not use that".

Previously, Hindu Makkal Katchi, a Hindu outfit has filed a complaint against actor and filmmaker Kamal Haasan back in July and wanted police to ban the show.

Also Read|Bigg Boss Tamil: Bindhu Madhavi enters as Wild Card contestant

According to HMK the Tamil show has allegedly hurted the sentiments and culture of 7 crore people in the state after the "Invocation to Tamil mother (Tamil Thaai Vazhthu)" was ridiculed in the programme.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

A special TADA court would pronounce the quantum of sentence against all convicts including Abu Salem in connection with 1993 Mumbai blast case on September 7.

The court had already convicted six persons including mastermind Mustafa Dossa and extradited gangster Abu Salem in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, 24 years after the attacks left 257 people dead.

The court, however, had let off one accused  Abdul Quayyum  for want of evidence.

All the seven accused were facing multiple charges which included criminal conspiracy, waging war against the Government of India and murder. In the first leg of the trial that concluded in 2007, the TADA court had convicted 100 accused in the case, while 23 people were acquitted.

1993 Mumbai blast case: Special TADA court to pronounce quantum of sentence to all convicts including Abu Salem on 7th September pic.twitter.com/pHImoDHE9X  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

The trial of the seven accused  Salem, Dossa, Karimullah Khan, Firoz Abdul Rashid Khan, Riyaz Siddiqui, Tahir Merchant and Quayyum  was separated from the main case as they were arrested at the time of conclusion of the main trial.

The dastardly attacks had also left 713 seriously injured and destroyed properties worth Rs27 crore.

Also Read | 1993 Mumbai blast case: Abu Salem, Mustafa Dossa, Firoz and Tahir Merchant found guilty of murder and conspiracy

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Bhartiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Tuesday addressed press conference after the Supreme Courts verdict by declaring instant triple talaq as unconstitutional and void.

Shah congratulated Muslim women on the historic judgement. He said that he appreciated the Supreme Courts judgement.

The Supreme Courts decision is a new beginning for Muslim women where they will be equal to men.

"This verdict is historic, it is not about anyone's win or loss. I welcome this on behalf of the party," said Amit Shah.

Shah said that the BJP is looking at SCs decision as a step towards new India.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Indias logic on road construction by China in Doklam on the border posed a threat to New Delhi was ridiculous and vicious, said Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

The ministry also said that there will be utter chaos if Chinese troops entered India on pretext that Indian border infrastructure posed a threat to Beijing.

IANS quoting Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying wrote, The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of ... Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and facts are clear."

The IANS further writes, "You may think about it. If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour's home can break into its neighbour's house. Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?"

Also Read| Doklam standoff: Flag meeting remains inconclusive between India, China



Indian and Chinese troops have been locked since June in a stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border.

The lock between the nations begun after Indian troops stopped Chinese troops from building a road in Doklam.

Also Read|Doklam standoff: India pushes more troops along China border in Sikkim, Arunachal; caution level increased



Bhutan protested against Chinese road building in Doklam claiming the area to be their territory. India backs Bhutans claim and sees a construction of road by China in the area as a threat in the region.

While, China claims Doklam part to be part of Chinese territory since ancient times.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

Indias bid for a permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council (UNSC) and in other multilateral institutions like the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) got a backing from US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met Trump at the White House in the United States, has thanked the president for his support.



President Trump reaffirmed the support of the United States for Indias permanent membership on a reformed UN Security Council, said a joint India-US statement after the meeting between Modi and Trump.



As global non-proliferation partners, the United States expressed strong support for Indias early membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Australia Group, the joint statement said.



Modi said, Were extremely grateful for the continued support of the United States for Indias membership of international institutions and regimes. We truly appreciate the support because this is also in the interest of both our nations.



India has been making diplomatic efforts to ensure expansion of the permanent as well as non-permanent membership of the UNSC.

ALSO READ | PM Modi, President Trump skip discussion on contentious H-1B visa issue



China objects to Indias membership bid in the NSG  a 48-member elite group which controls the nuclear trade  and says there is no change in its stance on the admission of non-NPT states into the grouping. India is not a signatory to the NPT.

ALSO READ | Modi Trump meet: Terrorism, Afghanistan, trade, social media and friendship  5 highlights of their joint statement



(With inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Aarav Appukuttam, born a woman, met Sukanyeah Krishna, born a man, met at a doctors clinic while waiting they waited for consultation for gender reassignment.

The three-hour wait at the clinic instigated a conversation, which turned into friendship soon. Overtime the two started small talks over the phone which turned to long conversations and finally they fell in love. Now the duo have decided to marry each other.

What made them come closer was humiliation and mockery from strangers for not fully embracing the gender they were born with.

Aarav now 46-year-old man from Kerala and Sukanyeah a 22-year-old woman shared the same history while growing up.

According to Hindustan Times Aarav felt uncomfortable in his own body. He had long hairs and was surrounded by girls in class.

He told the daily newspaper that he felt uncomfortable sitting beside girls and attraction towards them.

He also told the newspaper that his gender identity disorder (GID) got worse after he lost his mother and had to take care of his siblings.

The newspaper quoting Aarav wrote, I had to restrain myself and keep my feelings in control for 45 years. I had to behave as everything was normal.

However, things were bit difficult for Sukanyeah. She told the media that she was taken to a doctor who treated her with male hormone therapy.

She told the English daily that no one understood what she faced within.

According to a report published in MidDay the two initially talked about their surgeries and treatment process.

She told the tabloid that initially they talked over the phone once a week, then the frequency increased and soon they started talking daily.
New Delhi:

The chief recruiter of terrorist regime Islamic State in India has been reportedly killed in Syria.

Shafi Armar aka Yousuf al-Hindi, who was named in the list of global terrorists by the US treasury department two months ago, was believed to be part of casualties in an attack on IS by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Raqqa recently.



IS released a message on Monday, saying the terrorist group had lost "Indian Al Hindi" along with an Australian fighter, Abu Fahad, during a battle with Kurdistan Workers' Party. The message was released in Arabic through IS mouthpiece 'Amaq'.

Read | Kerala youth, suspected to have joined ISIS, dead; parents informed through text message



Armar, who hails from Bhatkal in Karnataka, had been operating with different aliases like al-Hindi, Anjan Bhai, Chote Maula and Safi. These IDs were used by several recruiters in touch with at least 600-700 Indian youngsters on closed social media groups.



He is believed to have radicalised at least three dozen youths in the country.



Armar's brother Sultan was killed in a US air strike in Syria last year.



PKK is the combat module of its US-backed Kurdish People's Defence Force (YPG), and is considered a vital force fighting IS in Syria.

Also read:

We consider that all 39 Indians who went missing in Mosul 3 years ago are alive: Foreign Minister of Iraq

Rajasthan ATS detains a suspected ISIS handler in Chennai

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New Delhi:

An encounter breaks out between security forces and terrorists in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. 2-3 terrorists are believed to be trapped in the encounter.

More details are awaited on this.

Earlier on Wednesday, an encounter between security forces and terrorists broke out on Wednesday in Kakpora's Banderpora in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. LeT commander Ayub Lelhari was killed in the encounter.

Earlier on Sunday, at least three terrorists including chief operations commander of Hizbul Mujahideen Yaseen Itoo were killed in an encounter with security forces in Awneera village of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed more than 200 youth CEOs and Start ups summit at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi.

Prime Minister said they are always thinking about where the nation will reach through their work. He said every citizen must have a feeling that this country belongs to him and he has to work for the country. He said a citizen must have a feeling that he wants to add something towards growth.

The prime minister said, "Every person wanted India to be free but Gandhi ji did something unique. He made every person feel he or she is working for the nation."

Modi said that in a similar spirit as what Mahatma Gandhi did for the freedom struggle, people also need to make India's development a mass movement.

When we work together, we can solve several problems the country faces: PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/XegQH8sIhT  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

Modi said," We can solve several problems if we work together." The prime minister asked young CEOs that should think what they can do more about the poorest of the poor.

#WATCH: PM Narendra Modi addresses CEOs and Start ups at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra. https://t.co/G8WBOaKb4O  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

"As industry leaders, think what more you can do for the poorest of the poor," he said. Modi said that there should be no question of compromising on the quality of their product.

Also Read | Champions of Change event: Important to integrate the strengths of society with our systems: PM Modi

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A brother and sister were arrested from Mumbai on Tuesday for allegedly stealing a service pistol and ammunitions from the house of a Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad constable on July 30.

Police said, the arrested siblings have been identified as Kamaljeeet Singh, 19, and his sister Gurpreet Kaur, 23.

Mumbai Police said that the arrested siblings had allegedly stolen the 9mm pistol, 30 rounds of bullet and 300 grams of jewellery from the residence of the ATS constable Nilesh Mohite in Byculla residence.

The alleged burglary was conducted by the brother and sister while the ATS constable was out of town.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone IX, Paramjit Singh told the media, An investigation was instigated by Mumbai Crime Branch, Byculla Police and ATS after a complaint was filed by the Mohite.

The police officer added that a raid was carried out by Mumbai Police at the brother-sisters residence in Vashi in Navi Mumbai.

Police have recovered the duty pistol of the constable and 27 rounds of bullet, said Singh.

Police added that the sibling are part of a gang of burglars. Kaur has at least 18 cases of burglary pending against her at various police stations in Mumbai and its suburbs.

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New Delhi:

Rarely do a movie and real life circumstances get juxtaposed as in the case of Triple Talaq, the issue that has rocked the Muslim community in India.



Nikah, the hard-hitting and forthright 1982 blockbuster produced and directed by BR Chopra, in which Chopra questions manipulation of the Sharia law on divorce and its misuse in terms of instant Talaq in Indian Muslim society, viz. practice of Talaq, Talaq, Talaq!



It must be acknowledged that Chopra handled the very sensitive and controversial issue in his own, unique deft manner, highlighting the social evil regarding practice of triple talaq or divorce in the Muslim community. And coming as it did over three decades ago, the issue raised by Chopra touched a million hearts and a raw nerve among the fundamentalists.



When BR Chopra almost ruined lakhs of marriages



Not many know Chopras Nikaah was originally titled Talaq, Talaq, Talaq by BR himself. But it so happened that by chance one of his Muslim friends came to know about it and sent an SOS to BR. Both met where the friend told the film maker what hell would be unleashed if the film is released with the delegated title.



Presume a married Muslim man goes to see the movie and back home his wife asks him where he was then he will reply that he went to see Talaq, Talaq, Talaq!



Or he gets tickets to the movie and wife asks which movie he will reply Talaq, Talaq, Talaq!



That is when BR Chopra changed the title to Nikah. The movie with the renewed title was a runaway hit and won Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue.



Nikah synopsis



Salma Agha plays the central character of Nilofar, a university student. Her classmate Haider, played by Raj Babbar is madly in love which is an unrequited one since Nilofar is engaged to and married to Wasim, played by Deepak Parashar.



Theirs is not a happy marriage, and the husband is the culprit here throughout for making her life hell, and just one heated argument between the two is enough for Wasim to utter the dreadful T word three times. This means that Wasim has rendered Nilofar Haram for himself in just a few moments by saying Talaq three times, without fulfilling the very strict and fundamental conditions set up by the Islamic sharia.



This happened within a year of the marriage, in fact on the occasion of their first marriage anniversary.



Nilofar marries Haider and Wasim realizes the blunder he has made and wants Nilofer back but it wont be possible since she has remarried. He consults a Qazi (Muslim scholar) who gives him the solution which is nothing less than melted lead being poured down his ears.



Son, you got to pay the price for the gaffe and ignorance of the Islamic laws which you so convincingly abused to throw your lawfully wedded wife out of your life.



It is not an easy solution, it is Halala, which requires the divorced woman to marry another man, consummate the marriage and then her second husband divorces her so that her first husband can remarry her, all this to be in the proper ambit of the law.



The message of the movie is loud and clear; men, you cant get rid of your wives merely by uttering Talaq, talaq, talaq and for this stupendous and bold experiment BR Chopra deserves many accolades.



Majority of the audience were burqa-clad Muslim women, and not surprisingly they completely identified with the protagonist who thundered like a tigress when she was wronged and questioned the practice of Talaq Talaq Talaq served on a thorny platter.



When Haider offers, or rather asks Nilofer to go back to Waseem, Nilofers retort cuts like a scalpel, stabs like a poniard, How conveniently you men accept and reject, marry and divorce, love and abhor, use and throw a woman as if she is not a living being. Is woman mans property?



She, on their behalf, also put both her previous and current husbands in the dock and questions them until both admitted that they have wronged the woman in their own sweet sour ways.



Reference to the Shah Bano Case of 1986



The Shah Bano case rocked the social and political fabric of India in the mid-80s. The case is considered a milestone as far as Muslim women's search for justice is concerned.



Shah Bano, a 60-year-old woman approaches the court asking for maintenance from her husband who had divorced her. The court ruled that Shah Bano was entitled to maintenance from her ex-husband under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (with an upper limit of Rs. 500 a month) like any other Indian woman.



Fearing backlash from the Muslim community, the then Congress government enacted the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 under immense pressure from Muslim bodies. The Act was seen as discriminatory as it denied divorced Muslim women the right to basic maintenance which women of other faiths had recourse to under secular law.

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New Delhi:

The 'Shah Bano case' was a landmark in the Muslim women's fight for justice. It seen as one of the most controversial maintenance suits in India, as a 60-year-old mother for five from Indore knocked the doors of the court asking for alimony from her husband who had divorced her in 1978.

The Supreme Court ruled in favour of granting Shah Bano maintenance from her ex-husband under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code, with an upper limit of Rs. 500 per month.

However, this judgement was reversed due to pressure from Islamic orthodoxy and caused the Congress government to pass the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, which diluted the judgement marked by the Supreme Court and gave a Muslim woman the right to maintenance for the period of 90 days or iddat after the divorce.

Read more: Triple Talaq judgment: All you need to know about hearings

The reponsibilty of maintenance is later shifted to her relatives or in case the woman has no means to support herself, a magistrate can order the state WAKF board to provide sustainable support to the woman and any dependent children.

The case remains a ground-breaking one in personal law.

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New Delhi:

After the merger of both AIADMK factions-O Panneerselvam and E Palaniswami camps- in Tamil Nadu, a political crisis erupted on Tuesday in the state when 19 MLAs came out in support of TTV Dhinakaran (relative of jailed party general secretary V K Sasikala) and met governor C Vidyasagar Rao. The MLAs said that they have lost their confidence in Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami.

Thanga Tamil Selvan, AIADMK MLA, told media that they have no confidence in Tamil Nadu chief minister and conveyed the same to the Governor.

Around 10-15 MLAs have sent to a resort in Pududcherry. P.Vetriivel, MLA of Dinakaran-Sasikala camp said there priority is party. He said, govtmay come and go but we have to safeguard party.

We(Dinakaran supporting 19 MLAs) have no confidence in TN CM, want a trust vote.Conveyed this to Governor: Thanga Tamil Selvan,AIADMK MLA pic.twitter.com/7AUlnIkf2X  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

When asked that MLAs have been sent to Puducherry, Vetriivel said, What is the problem? Let them go to Pondicherry.

What is the problem? Let them go to Pondicherry!: P.Vetriivel,Dinakaran-Sasikala camp on question of MLAs being moved to a Puducherry resort pic.twitter.com/Wc2B0XWVCb  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

TTV Dhinakaran has sacked party MP Vaithilingam after the latter had said that Sasikala will be removed from the party.

TTV Dinkaran sacks AIADMK MP Vaithilingam, he had yesterday said that #Sasikala will be removed from the party (file pic) pic.twitter.com/B1sQsR5qmt  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

On the other hand, DMK leader MK Stalin wrote a letter to Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao requesting him to direct Edappadi K Palaniswami to prove his majority in the assembly immediately.

My information is that 3 more #AIADMK MLAs have also withdrawn support,that makes it 22 MLAs in total.We demand a trust vote:MK Stalin pic.twitter.com/tbGJwhKS6f  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

While talking to media, Satalin said, My information is that 3 more AIADMK MLAs have also withdrawn support, that makes it 22 MLAs in total. We demand a trust vote.

Also Read | AIADMK merger announced: PM Modi congratulates Palaniswami & Panneerselvam, assures all support for growth of TN

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New Delhi:

The US Navy has announced a worldwide pause in its operations after U.S. warship was damaged after colliding with a merchant vessel east of Singapore on Monday.

This was the second collision involving a US warship in just over two months. In addition to the 10 missing sailors, the Navy said five were injured in the collision

As you know this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theater, Richardson said.

This trend demands more forceful action. As such I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis, on a visit to Jordan, said Richardsons broader enquiry will look at all related accidents, incidents at sea, that sort of thing. He is going to look at all factors, not just the immediate one.

However, there was no official word on how long the disruption to the worlds most powerful navy, active in all of the worlds oceans, might last.

Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship hit each other in waters off Japan.

Singaporean ships and helicopters were also responding, the Navy said.

Ten US sailors were still missing after the John McCain collided with a tanker, tearing a large hole in its hull.

The badly damaged destroyer limped into port in the city-state of Singapore in the afternoon under escort after the dramatic pre-dawn accident, which sent water flooding into the vessel.

The US Navy said there was significant damage to the hull of the warship in the latest collision, which led to flooding of crew sleeping areas, machinery and communications rooms.

Damage control efforts by the crew halted further flooding, they said in a statement after the John S. McCain arrived at Changi Naval Base in the city-state.

The vessel is named after US Senator John McCains father and grandfather, who were both admirals in the US navy. McCain himself, who as a naval pilot was shot down during the Vietnam War and held prisoner, welcomed the review.

I agree with Admiral Richardson that more forceful action is urgently needed to identify and correct the causes of the recent ship collisions, he said.

I expect full transparency and accountability from the Navy leaders as they conduct the associated investigations and reviews.

Are they doing too much within this region with North Korea, and Japan and then now in the South China Sea?

Singapore, Malaysia and US ships and aircraft were all involved in the hunt for the missing sailors.

President Donald Trump tweeted: Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway.

The commander of a US Navy ship that collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship off Japan,killing seven American seamen, will be relieved of duty and several other sailors face punishment, a senior admiral said.

Among those being disciplined from the crew of the USS Fitzgerald are its commanding officer, executive officer and senior enlisted sailor, who will all be relieved of their duties aboard the ship, said Admiral Bill Moran, the vice chief of naval operations.

"They will be detached from the ship for cause, which (means) we've lost trust and confidence for their ability to lead in those positions and they will not return to the ship," Moran told reporters.

Seven sailors drowned in their sleeping berth when the USS Fitzgerald collided with the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal in a busy shipping channel off Japan's coast early on June 17.

Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, who heads the Navy's 7th Fleet, based in Yokosuka, Japan has notified one sailor of his or her punishment and the rest would likely be informed. About a dozen sailors are expected to be disciplined in total.

"If it's clear to (Aucoin) that some members of that crew should no longer be doing this line of work, it's time to move them on, it's time to take accountability actions," Moran said.

Also Read: Warship collides with merchant ship, 10 sailors missing: US Navy

Moran said the sailors could face further punishments later one, depending on the outcome of various ongoing probes. "I'm not telling they will or they won't. It's just we are not done with the investigation," Moran said. Aged 19 to 37, the drowned seamen were found by divers in flooded sleeping quarters a day after the collision tore a huge gash in the side of the Fitzgerald.

Moran spoke to Pentagon reporters just as the Navy released findings from a preliminary inquiry into what happened in the immediate aftermath of the crash.

The report found that all seven victims died in the line of duty and their deaths were not due to any misconduct on their part. Investigators praised the quick-thinking and "heroic" actions of sailors who worked to save shipmates, one of whom had to be dragged from his bunk in a flooding sleeping area as waters quickly rose.

One sailor who was rescued moments before he would have drowned reported that "when taking his final breath before being saved, he was already submerged and breathed in water."

Additionally, the report describes how the ship's commanding officer was injured when the merchant ship Crystal struck his cabin, trapping him inside. Fellow sailors had to smash and pry his door open before retrieving the commander, who was "hanging from the side of the ship.

The officer was eventually medically evacuated by helicopter. Moran praised the actions of the drowned sailors. The last of them to be buried was laid to rest on Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington.

With PTI Inputs

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New Delhi:

The United States President's residential place and office White House was put under lockdown for a brief period on Tuesday night (IST) after a suspicious package was spotted. The Secret Service cleared the package within 30 mins.A

Meanwhile, reporters were urged to wait in the James S Brady briefing room while the security threat was investigated, local media said.A



President Trump was not in the building having just left Washington for a rally in Arizona Tuesday night.

UPDATESA



#11:44 PM:

@SecretService and @DCPoliceDept have cleared the unattended package near the north fence line of the @WhiteHouse Complex a U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) August 22, 2017

#11:24 PM: Fox News reporter Chad Pergram tweeted that a man has been arrested for "unlawful entry" on the steps of the Capitol. At this time it is unclear if the man under arrest is the suspect connected to the suspicious package.



@SecretService & @DCPoliceDept responding to an unattended package near the North Fence of the @WhiteHouse Complex. a U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) August 22, 2017





Pedestrian traffic along Penn Ave between 15th & 17th and the area of LaFayette Park is restricted due to law enforcement activity. a U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) August 22, 2017

#11:22 PM:

US Secret Service & DC Police Dept responding to an unattended package near North Fence of White House Complex: US Secret Service

All press cleared off White House North Lawn positions. Secret Service telling reporters & construction crews to go inside immediately. a Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) August 22, 2017







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DECATUR  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is scheduled to speak in Decatur during next week's Farm Progress Show.

Perdue is scheduled to attend The Next Farm Bill, Conversations in the Field. A listening session will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, at Shilling Auditorium on the Richland Community College campus, near the event site.

Archer Daniels Midland Co., the Illinois Farm Bureau and Tate & Lyle are also hosting an event with Perdue at 11 a.m. Wednesday at ADM's James R. Randall Research Center, according to an ADM spokesperson. The event will include 75 to 100 invited guests, as well as state directors of agriculture from Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Michigan.

Perdue, a former governor of Georgia, has owned several agricultural businesses. He isn't related to or affiliated with the food company Perdue or the poultry producer Perdue Farms.

Earlier this month, he met with farmers in Chenoa as part of a five-state tour of the Midwest.
The U.S. Marine Corps' MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft made its first night flights in the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido on Monday as part of an ongoing joint military exercise.

Two MV-22 Ospreys arrived in Hokkaido after leaving the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force's Misawa base in Aomori Prefecture at around 7 p.m. (10 a.m. GMT).

The Ospreys belong to the Marine Corps' Futenma base in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.

The ongoing drill of the Ground SDF and the Marine Corps is taking place at such locations as a large-scale training area in the city of Eniwa and other municipalities in Hokkaido.
DECATUR  Clouds did little to interrupt the cosmic ballet as thousands gathered around Decatur on Monday to watch the first total solar eclipse visible in the United States in nearly 40 years.

The eclipse event in Decatur started at 11:52 a.m and reached its peak  95 percent moon coverage of the visible sun  at 1:19 p.m.

While dark clouds loomed overhead in the morning, they cleared up enough to give those attending viewing parties a peek at the moon as it covered the midday sun.

"The clouds held off just enough to get a view, which was just phenomenal," said James Rauff, a mathematics professor at Millikin University who helped to coordinate the campus' viewing party.

Millions of Americans took part in watching the eclipse, though those with the best view fell into the so-called path of totality that spanned 2,600 miles across the country from Oregon to South Carolina. In Illinois, that path fell about 130 miles south of Decatur.

More than 100 students, faculty and others came to the Millikin campus for what became a communal viewing event. A shipment of 500 glasses necessary to view the eclipse without causing eye damage did not arrive on time, leading to a common refrain of "want to borrow my glasses to take a look?" heard throughout the quad.

Luckily for Louise Haun, she came prepared with her own pair of goggles courtesy of an overnight shipment from her son in Ohio.

I tried to purchase some at Menards last week, but the person in front of me got the last glasses, she said. Im thankful my son was able to send me these (glasses).

Though Decatur and many other cities experienced a shortage of protective glasses, no eye-related injuries had been reported as a result of the eclipse at either Decatur Memorial Hospital or HSHS St. Mary's Hospital on Monday evening, according to spokespeople. The Decatur Police Department also said no vehicle accidents appeared to have been caused by distractions during the event.

Haun said she has always been intrigued by astronomy, so there was no question about whether she would come out to watch the eclipse.

Chicago-area residents Derise Tolliver Atta, Hunter Havlin Adams and Osofo Atta decided on Sunday to go the extra mile to take a look. The group chose Decatur because they wanted to avoid the traffic congestion in Southern Illinois, and Adams was familiar with the Decatur area after having given a lecture at Millikin several years ago.

We wanted to have a clear view of the eclipse, as well as where there is more totality, Derise Tolliver Atta said. Besides, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime event since the next one isn't for many years. It made it even more important to take part in this.

Across the city, a crowd started to fill into the Beach House restaurant, as eclipse-themed cocktail orders from the patio were dominating the bar.

I must've already made 40 margaritas, General Manager Barb Kraeger said. That's Dark Side of the Moon Margaritas, which featured cocoa-flavored tequila.

The Beach House patio proved an ideal spot with the sun sitting directly across Lake Decatur.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing I'll always remember, I think, said Jan Dare, a retiree who came with her husband Terry and dog Pilot. It's like a big party here, I'm seeing people I know, she said.

Beach House co-owner Angie Mason said the restaurant ordered 100 sunglasses anticipating so many people for a Monday lunch shift, but an hour before the height of the eclipse, they had already run out.

At Phoenix Academy, middle school students and faculty were outside the classroom in an adjacent parking lot off Eldorado Street with eclipse glasses.

To see something like this is cool, because you will never get a chance to see something like this, said seventh-grader Qwantavies Bradford.

Near the peak of the eclipse, students and stylists were in front of Reflections Academy of Beauty at Main Street downtown, grouped near the street to catch a view of the sun, slowly getting covered by thicker clouds.

I think it's pretty unique how things like this can bring people together. It doesn't have to be something that's tragedy for once, but this is something that's interesting and fun, said Jose Harris, an instructor at Reflections.

Trisha Hale, an administrator at Wabash Associates, walked by the onlookers with a T-shirt showing a picture of an eclipse above the words, My birthday present from the universe.

You don't get much better than a present from the universe, Hale said. Our boss bought us all glasses, and we watched it until it got to the smallest point, and now I'm going to get something to eat.

At Mary W. French Academy, teachers and students prepared for the event by participating in eclipse-related activities for the entire day. Students in fifth and sixth grades traveled to Carbondale, where tens of thousands of people had converged to see the eclipse from the path of totality.

Katie Dilbeck, a first-grade teacher at the school, said her class acted out what would happen during the eclipse using masks and props. Many of her students were aware of the eclipse weeks in advance after learning about it through Camp Connections, a summer program created through a collaboration between the Decatur Park District and the Decatur School District.

While the knowledge they gained was valuable, Dilbeck said it doesnt match up to the experience of witnessing the eclipse firsthand.

A lot of them didnt really understand what the eclipse was all about at first, but after seeing it for themselves, thats when it all came together for them, she said. They were blown away by it.

Donning their special, colorful glasses, the students at French looked up at the sky and marveled throughout the duration of the event. When it was time to go back inside, their excitement still buzzed through the hallways.
SINGAPORE  The fate of a Sangamon Valley High School graduate aboard the USS John S. McCain remained unknown Tuesday, a day after his family confirmed he was among those reported missing in a collision between the warship and an oil tanker.

Navy divers searching a flooded compartment of the ship on Tuesday found remains of some of the 10 sailors missing, the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said, promising a full investigation. Adm. Scott Swift also said at a news conference in Singapore, where the McCain is now docked, that Malaysian officials had found one body, but it had yet to be identified and it was unknown whether it was a crew member.

Sangamon Valley graduate Logan Palmer is among those reported missing. Palmer is a third class petty officer interior communications electrician who joined the Navy in April 2016.

On Monday, Palmer's family released a statement through the Navy, thanking those who had expressed concern and requesting privacy.

Palmer's brother, Austin, told Herald & Review media partner WCIA that he always had big dreams of serving his country. Palmer's first love was with the Air Force, but after an injury to his eye his next choice and newfound love was on the waters, seeing the world.

The Palmer family attends Life Fouresquare Church in Decatur. The church was alerted as soon as Navy officers visited the family home Monday morning to deliver the news that Logan Palmer was missing, according to lead pastor the Rev. Mark Cooper.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said he has spoken with the Palmer family, which was seeking information, and Davis, whose district includes Macon County, spoke with Palmer's mother, Theresa Palmer.

The collision before dawn on Monday near Singapore tore a gaping hole in the McCain's left rear hull and flooded adjacent compartments including crew berths and machinery and communication rooms. Five sailors were injured.

"The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today," Swift said, adding that it was "premature to say how many and what the status of recovery of those bodies is."

"We will continue the search and rescue operations until the probability of discovering sailors is exhausted," Swift said.

He would not say where in the destroyer the bodies were found.

It was the second major collision in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet, and the Navy has ordered a broad investigation into its performance and readiness. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan. There were two lesser-known incidents in the first half of the year. In January, the USS Antietam guided missile cruiser ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th Fleet, and in May another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain from the Navy's 3rd Fleet, had a minor collision with a South Korean fishing boat.

"While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation," Swift said.

He said the Navy would conduct an investigation "to find out if there is a common cause ... and if so, how do we solve that."

He said he had heard some reports speculating that the Navy could have been a victim of a cyberattack. "We've seen no indications of that as yet, but ... we are not taking any consideration off the table," he said.

Earlier Tuesday, the 7th Fleet said the sea search by aircraft and ships from the U.S., Singapore and Malaysian navies would continue east of Singapore where the McCain and the tanker collided.

Megan Partlow of Ohio, who said her fiance was on board the McCain, told The Associated Press in a Facebook message that they last communicated on Sunday and she was losing hope of seeing him again.

"My last text to him was 'be safe,' which is the same way we end every conversation. I'm just ready for answers," she said. The identities of the missing have not been disclosed but Partlow said her fiance's parents were in touch with the Navy's family assistance center.

April Brandon of Michigan said her son, Ken Smith, 22, is among the missing sailors. Brandon told Detroit-area TV stations that she was visited by two officers Monday at her home.

Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, on Monday ordered a pause in 7th Fleet operations for the next few days to allow commanders to get together with leaders, sailors and command officials and identify any immediate steps that need to be taken to ensure safety.

A broader U.S. Navy review will look at the 7th Fleet's performance, including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers. Richardson said the review will be conducted with the help of the Navy's office of the inspector general, the safety center and private companies that make equipment used by sailors.

"Make no mistake," Swift said Tuesday, "our sailors on these ships are doing critical work at sea. And for more than 70 years, the U.S. Navy has helped guarantee the security and stability of the western Pacific. ... We owe it to the sailors that man the 7th Fleet and their families to answer the questions that flow from the uncertainty of what happened, how could it happen, and what can be done to prevent such occurrences in the future."

Swift also lauded the crew for righting the listing ship quickly as they tended to the injured. He said sailors set up watertight boundaries and shored up the ship's internal structure, and were able to begin evacuating sailors by helicopter within an hour or two of the collision.

He said it was "quite extraordinary" for the McCain to be "up and running as an operational ship almost immediately after the collision."

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea.

China, Washington's main rival for influence in the Asia-Pacific, seized on the McCain collision to accuse the Navy of endangering maritime navigation in the region. This year's string of accidents shows the U.S. Navy "is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian waters," the official China Daily newspaper said in its online edition.

The McCain and the Alnic MC oil tanker collided about 4.5 nautical miles from Malaysia's coast at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the busy Singapore Strait.

There was no immediate explanation for the collision. Singapore, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the world's busiest ports and a U.S. ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships.

The Singapore government said no crew were injured on the Liberian-flagged Alnic, which sustained damage to a compartment at the starboard, or right, side at the front of the ship some 23 feet above its waterline. The ship had a partial load of fuel oil, according to the Greek owner of the tanker, Stealth Maritime Corp. S.A., but no apparent spill.

Several safety violations were recorded for the oil tanker at its last port inspection in July, one fire safety deficiency and two safety-of-navigation problems. The official database for ports in Asia doesn't go into details and the problems apparently were not serious enough for the tanker to be detained.
Connecticuts hospitals still havent received expected state funding this summer because of the ongoing budget impasse in Hartford.

The hospitals expected to get up to $30 million in August, but the Connecticut Hospital Association said those payments have not been made while the state operates under Gov. Dannel P. Malloys executive order.

Hospital officials are also worried because the end of the fiscal year is approaching on Sept. 30.

Now they are confronted with closing their books without knowing in fact if those payments are going to be made, said Stephen Frayne, the hospital associations senior vice president of health policy.

Running a complex, 24/7 community health operation such as Stamford Hospital is measurably harder when promised payments, which we count on to insure the highest level of patient care, are not made, said hospital spokesman Craig Andrews. We continue to work with the legislature to provide relief to hospitals.

Frayne said hospital officials remain hopeful and optimistic that the payments will come through once the governor and the Legislature agree on a budget, now nearly two months late.

Each year, the state collects taxes from the hospitals and returns part of the proceeds, along with some federal funds, in quarterly supplemental payments. Last year, the state collected about $556 million in taxes and returned about $118 million.

Budget or no budget, the hospitals will owe the state about $139 million in taxes in October, since the tax is set by statute and cannot change under executive authority.

The tax was originally assessed as a way for the state to generate the funds needed to obtain matching federal grants, which would then be redistributed to the hospitals. In 2012, the hospitals paid about $350 million in taxes and received about $400 million in state and federal funds.

But in recent years, as Connecticuts budget situation worsened, the state started collecting more in taxes than it was returning to the hospitals. In November 2015, the hospital association and several hospitals filed documents with the state departments of revenue and social services asserting that the tax violates state and federal laws, as well as the state and federal constitutions.

The filings requested that the two agencies issue declaratory rulings that the tax is invalid and unenforceable. The state rejected that request last September.

About two months later, the hospital association asked a state Superior Court to toss out the tax. They also filed a petition with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, arguing that the states reimbursement and tax schemes violates the federal Medicaid Act.

This spring, the state and CHA confirmed that settlement talks had begun.

Connecticut hospital officials and advocates have repeatedly said the hospital tax costs them millions of dollars and forced hospitals to cut services and staff.

The state has countered by saying that Medicaid payments to hospitals have increased over the last decade, and that hospitals see fewer patients without coverage because of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's wife Louise Linton is facing a backlash for an Instagram post -- later deleted -- that touted the couple's wealth.

The post began with a glamorous photo of Linton stepping off an official government plane on a trip to Kentucky with her husband, who was there to discuss tax reform with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and visit Fort Knox.

Dressed in all white and carrying a handbag and silk scarf, the Scottish-born actress and producer tagged a series of luxury designers, including Hermes, Roland Mouret, Tom Ford and Valentino.

"Great #daytrip to #Kentucky! #nicest #people #beautiful #countryside #usa," she wrote.

Instagram user Jenni Miller, a mother of three from Oregon, took issue with the post, commenting, "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable"

Linton fired back in a sarcastic tone.

"@jennimiller29 cute! Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol," she wrote in a response peppered with kiss emojis.

Her reply escalated further as she touted her family's wealth and personal "sacrifice."

"Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day 'trip' than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours," she wrote, calling Miller "adorably out of touch."

Linton said Miller's "life looks cute" and told her to "have a pleasant evening" and "chill out."

The post was deleted late Monday evening and Linton's account was set to private, but not before multiple screengrabs were taken.

Linton did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

Miller told CNN she found Linton's original post "incredibly offensive."

"She went to a state where one in five people lives in poverty and many children don't know where their next meal is coming from. Instead of helping in some way, she chose to brag about her outlandishly expensive clothes. It's more than tone-deaf, it's deplorable," Miller said.

The Treasury Department has not yet responded to CNN's request for comment.

It's not the first time Linton has come under fire on social media. After self-publishing a book in 2016 on a year abroad in Zambia, Linton was sharply criticized for the book's inaccuracies and misleading description of the political climate, with the Washington Post slamming its "white savior" narrative. She described herself as a "skinny white muzungu with long angel hair."

A description of the book on Amazon calls it an "inspiring memoir of an intrepid teenager who abandoned her privileged life in Scotland to travel to Zambia as a gap year student where she found herself inadvertently caught up in the fringe of the Congolese War."

Linton pulled the book from Amazon a few months later and issued an apology on a now-private Twitter account.

The Telegraph, which published an article excerpt of the book, said in a statement that Linton's work "mistakenly implied that the conflicts in Congo and Rwanda had spilled over into Zambia, that Zambia was a war-torn country in 1999 and that armed rebels had crossed Lake Tanganyika to Zambia that year. Other claims of inaccuracy were also made."

Linton is no stranger to the luxurious lifestyle. She grew up spending weekends at her family's castle, which she used as the backdrop in a 2015 horror film.

"I spent the weekends at Melville Castle. It was an idyllic childhood spent mostly outdoors with all the animals. My siblings and I zoomed around on little motorbikes, kayaked, and fished," she told Daily Record at the time.

In June, Linton did an interview with Town & Country magazine for an online story about the diamonds she would wear to her lavish June wedding to Mnuchin.

She discussed a pair of her earrings, saying, "These date back to the 1920s. They're starburst and reminiscent of Old Hollywood glamour. I love to think about who wore them over the generations... I can imagine them on Eva Marie Saint, or Ava Gardner, or Lauren Bacall. Where did they go from there? What did they signify to the women who wore them before me? Who will own them in the future? You never really own a diamond. You just get to keep it for a while before it begins a new journey with someone else."

Linton married Mnuchin in a Washington, D.C., ceremony that was attended by the President and First Lady Melania Trump and officiated by Vice President Mike Pence. During the reception, guests were treated to a private ballet performance and bagpipers. The couple lives in a multimillion-dollar mansion in the Massachusetts Avenue neighborhood of Washington.

Her film credits include parts in "Lions for Lambs," "Intruder" and "Rules Don't Apply." A graduate of Pepperdine University, Linton also has a law degree from University of West Los Angeles.
To all Connecticut Senators and Representatives:

Certainly by now you have received tons of urgent emails from Connecticut school superintendents regarding the governors unilateral decision to cut Education Cost Sharing (i.e. ECS grants) state-wide. As chairman of Bethels Board of Education, I would like you to hear a boards take on the concerns and extremely important issues raised by superintendents in these emails and phone calls.

We are just one week away from the start of the new school year. The problem the governor has created in his Executive Order of Aug. 2 and his unbelievable announcement Friday to cut all ECS from all school districts except the 30 Alliance Districts is unconscionable. DRG D Districts like Bethel and our neighbor New Milford both face, for the first time, monumental cuts in state education support.

Schools will open on Aug. 30 in total confusion, and with parents very upset with the Legislatures delay and inaction in constructing a fair and reasonable approach to continuing state educational support. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike unanimously believe this is an obligation that should not be so easily dismissed in a state that has always prided itself on the quality of educational opportunities it has fostered and expected for decades.

Both of our districts in western Connecticut will have to cut upwards of a quarter (25 percent) of their teaching and support staffs (e.g. upwards of 120 positions in Bethel and significantly more is probable in New Milford). Larger class sizes at every grade level are imminent. Intervention support for children that need this additional help to learn, grow in achievement, and eventually become productive members of society will be seriously reduced or eliminated entirely. Extracurricular activities that round-out a students socio-emotional behavioral skills will have to be looked at  everything will be on the table for consideration.

Meanwhile, Alliance Districts will have more money thrown at them, and according to OPM Budget Director Ben Barnes, these additional ECS funds might not have to be used on education if the municipality decides the funds are needed elsewhere.

Alliance Districts have been infused with tens of millions of dollars over the last five years starting with Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor. It is common knowledge that remedial programs take time to work effectively and efficiently. ECS money taken from districts like Bethel and New Milford eventually might have a positive impact, but not for many years as history has demonstrated. In the meantime the losing districts will have their educational quality reduced, perhaps even down to the level Alliance Districts are attempting to correct. This makes no sense whatsoever. Money does not fix all ills, Governor Malloy.

The governors indefensible manipulation of ECS funds is a sorry ploy to force Legislators to meet and draft a budget the governor can support. No financial support will dramatically damage what Bethel has been able to achieve over the years in the education of our school children. The damage will effect generations of students. Our schools will unnecessarily be forced to take a huge step backwards; I believe this is in violation of the states Constitutional dictate that says Connecticut is obligated to provide good public education to ALL of Connecticuts children.

It may be easy for some Legislators to say this is not my issue  I have no kids or grandchildren in elementary or secondary school. Neither do I, but I know Connecticuts historic success has always been based on quality. The quality that resides in our institutions of learning, and the graduates who leave prepared like no others to take on the challenges of the 20th and now the 21st Century.

Both sides of the aisle need to get back to work NOW, collaborate, and do what you were elected to do. Call a special meeting as soon as possible and get a budget done for the well-being of Connecticut. And please, please do not do this on the backs or the future of our school children.

Larry Craybas is chairman of the Bethel Board of Education.
foodora is offering three lucky students a chance to win free food for the school year

TORONTO, Aug. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - It's time to get nostalgic: foodora, the on-demand food delivery service, is launching new 'Back to School Specials' that put a twist on Canadians' childhood lunchtime classics. foodora worked collaboratively with three select restaurant partners in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, and beginning today until September 20, invites customers to take a walk down memory lane by ordering new menu items that bring old favourites into 2017. In addition to the new menu items, foodora is launching its 'Win foodora for the School Year'* contest in each market, eligible for students currently enrolled at a Canadian College or University.

"We love offering customers access to special dishes at foodora, and there's something about timeless old school lunches that makes your mouth water," said David Albert, foodora Canada's managing director. "We brainstormed some of our favourites, and worked with top restaurant partners to take lunchtime to a whole new level - whether you're a student or a busy professional looking to reminisce."

From grilled cheese to pizza pockets, to popular pastas and lunch kits, foodora worked with restaurant partners to craft thought-out menu items reminiscent of lunchbox favourites that customers may have enjoyed in their childhood. foodora customers can order from three select restaurant partners in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

Participating restaurants and menu options in each market include:

Toronto, ON

Charidise - Crispy Chicken Wafflewich ($11.99)

Crispy chicken, fresh greens and 100% real cheddar cheese cradled between two fluffy Charidise waffles. Comes with a side of maple syrup.

Crispy chicken, fresh greens and 100% real cheddar cheese cradled between two fluffy Charidise waffles. Comes with a side of maple syrup. Schmaltz Appetizing - Schmaltz Sack ($11.00)

Tuna, whitefish or salmon salad with your choice of bagel, a bag o' chips, and special soda. Don't forget the pickle.**

Tuna, whitefish or salmon salad with your choice of bagel, a bag o' chips, and special soda. Don't forget the pickle.** Saku Sushi - Make Your Own Sushi Pizza Lunch Kit ($11.00)

Four pieces of crispy deep fried sushi rice, topped with chopped salmon or tuna & crunchy tempura bits. Garnish with potato, chopped pickled ginger & micro greens. Enjoy with with soy sauce, spicy mayo or teriyaki sauce.

Montreal, QC

Kinka Izakaya - Karaage Teishoku Lunchbox ($9.80)

Deep-fried soy sauce marinated chicken with garlic mayo, served with miso soup, mini salad and rice.

Deep-fried soy sauce marinated chicken with garlic mayo, served with miso soup, mini salad and rice. Notre-Boeuf-de-Grace - The Grilled Columbian ($9.00)

Chimichurri, jalapeno, bacon, grilled cheese curds and cheddar, in between two slices of challah. Vegetarian option sans bacon also available for $8.00 .

Chimichurri, jalapeno, bacon, grilled cheese curds and cheddar, in between two slices of challah. Vegetarian option sans bacon also available for . Brigade Pizzeria Napolitaine - The Brooklyn Pizza Pouch ($13.45)

Sesame seed crust, pepperoni, ricotta and mozzarella, folded into a pocket.

Vancouver, BC

Basil Pasta Bar (Kitsilano location only) - ABC & Meatballs ($11.95)

A combination of alphabet pasta, parsley, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, meatballs and marinara sauce.

A combination of alphabet pasta, parsley, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, meatballs and marinara sauce. Dunn's Famous - Dunn's Melt ($10.00)

Juicy smoked meat, coleslaw and cheddar cheese held together by classic white bread - and then grilled.

Famous - Melt Juicy smoked meat, coleslaw and cheddar cheese held together by classic white bread - and then grilled. Assembli - Cali Pesto Pocket ($7.99)

Sundried tomatoes, artichoke, daiya vegan cheese and basil and arugula pesto. A non-vegan option is also available and made with goat cheese.

To order foodora's 'Back to School Specials,' customers can simply place their order between August 22 and September 20 via the foodora iOS or Android apps, or visit the website, and choose the delivery or pick-up option. Each special menu option is exclusive to foodora and can only be ordered through the website and iOS or Android apps. To enter to win foodora for a school year, simply type FREEFOOD in the 'have a voucher' section at checkout. Three lucky winners (one from each market) will be selected on September 21, 2017.

*Free foodora for a year is the equivalent of one (1) $15 foodora voucher per week for a total of 8 months during the academic school year from September 21, 2017 through to April 30, 2018.

**Schmaltz Appetizing will begin offering its 'Back to School Specials' menu item on August 23, 2017.

Links

Website: www.foodora.ca

Twitter: twitter.com/foodora_ca

Facebook: facebook.com/foodora.ca

Instagram: instagram.com/foodora_ca

Download foodora for your phone: iOS and Google Play Store

About foodora

foodora was launched in Germany in October 2014, backed by Rocket Internet in April 2015 and merged with Delivery Hero in September 2015. The on-demand delivery service currently connects high-quality restaurants and foodies in 10 countries and is changing the way food delivery is viewed and experienced globally.

How it works

Through the foodora website or via the new iOS and Android apps, customers can enter their postal code and view a curated list of restaurants serving their neighborhood. Once they have found their meal of choice, they can place the order in the comfort of their home or office, paying online through foodora's secure platform. The order is then carefully prepared by the restaurant and brought directly to the customer by the foodora logistics team or picked up by the customer using foodora's new pick-up feature.

SOURCE foodora Canada

For further information: or for interview requests, please contact: Eighty-Eight, Hafsa Pathan, PR Executive, [email protected], Office 416-944-2722
CALGARY, Aug. 21, 2017 /CNW/ - The CP Canada 150 train has completed its cross-country tour, connecting thousands of Canadians with the history of Canada and Canadian Pacific, while delivering an epic community block party at each of the 13 whistle stops.

The August 20 show in Ottawa marked the final event of the train tour, a journey that brought thousands of Canadians together to enjoy a free concert to celebrate the country's 150th anniversary of confederation and the role the railway played in connecting Canada more than 130 years ago.

"CP and this country share a remarkable legacy," said Keith Creel, CP President and CEO. "I was honoured to be on the train, connecting with Canadians and CP employees. We look forward to the next 150 years of connecting Canada with the world and thank all those who came to an event, or followed our progress online."



Incorporated in 1881, CP completed Canada's first transcontinental railway link on November 7, 1885 with the Last Spike. CP is credited with establishing no fewer than 800 communities and town sites across Canada and today the railway operates in more than 1,100 communities across North America.

Support for the train came from all levels of leadership across the country, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who joined the train with his daughter, Ella-Grace, from Revelstoke, B.C. to Calgary. Indigenous leaders, mayors, councilors, MLAs, MPs and MPPs also joined CP officials on stage, and a lucky few got to sound a special train whistle that made a similar journey a half-century ago to celebrate Canada's centennial. The whistle, on loan to CP from the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa, played O Canada at the touch of a button.





The CP Canada 150 train featured beautifully restored locomotives built in the 1950s and passenger railcars constructed during the first half of the last century. While the train itself brought cheers from the crowd, the world-class musicians got the crowd singing and dancing.

"On this tour, I saw Canadians express gratitude for what we have, and a hope for the future that truly inspired me," said award-winning country artist Dean Brody, who headlined the 13 performances. "Taking into account CP's role in Canada's history, this was an incredible way to celebrate our 150th birthday and see new parts of our vast country."

Community members at each event were treated to a free concert, crafts for kids and a walk through CP's archives. CP's quarter-scale mini-train, The Little General, also appeared at most events, offering kids the opportunity to play conductor. The tour also featured the Spirit of Tomorrow car, which now carries with it thousands of stickers on which Canadians wrote their dreams for the future. This car will be featured as part of this year's CP Holiday Train. The schedule for this year's Holiday Train will be online at www.cpr.ca in mid-October.

"Performing aboard CP's Canada 150 train gave me the opportunity to connect with thousands of Canadians, and to see them connect with each other," said Dallas Arcand, world champion hoop dancer and Canada 150 train performer. "The train tour is something I will always remember, and I hope people from all across this country who attended feel the same."

The theme song of the CP Canada 150 train, The Spirit of Tomorrow, performed by Kelly Prescott, is available for free download here.

For more on CP's role in connecting Canada, visit www.cpconnectingcanada.ca and engage on social media @CanadianPacific using #ConnectingCanada. For a video re-cap of the 13-stop tour, click here.

About Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to eight major ports, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP.

SOURCE Canadian Pacific

For further information: Media: Jeremy Berry, 403-319-6227, [email protected], [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.cpr.ca


Survey Reveals Hunger Drastically Affects Kids Both Emotionally and Academically;

New Award Celebrates Volunteers Who Make a Difference

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Aug. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - As children prepare for back-to-school, a crisis is emerging in Canadian classrooms. New research reveals that hunger not only impacts a child's ability to learn, but also affects the social interactions of the one in five children in Canada who start each school day hungry because there isn't enough to eat at home.1 Teachers say this emotional stress can affect the entire classroom, raising the importance of ensuring every child starts the school day well nourished. Across Canada, breakfast clubs play an important role in setting up students for success, and this year, a new award will recognize the volunteers who make a difference through these vital school programs.

The facts around hunger in Canadian classrooms are alarming, according to the fourth annual Kellogg's Breakfasts for Better Days Survey of Canadian school teachers. A startling 95 per cent of Canadian teachers surveyed agree that children who start the school day without eating breakfast, on average, engage less and perform worse academically than those who have had breakfast.2 And 87 per cent of surveyed teachers also agree that children who don't eat breakfast are more reserved and less interactive with other children in school.2

"For teachers in the classroom, it's not hard to see the negative impact hunger has on kids," explains Paul Jones, Radio Voice of the Toronto Raptors and a former Elementary School Teacher and Principal. "I remember kids who were hungry had a tough time connecting with others and they were generally more disruptive. We saw that kids who ate breakfast often came to class happier and more eager to learn. Ask any teacher: the positive effects of eating breakfast on a child's academic and social experience are obvious."

KELLOGG'S BREAKFASTS FOR BETTER DAYS SURVEY OF CANADIAN TEACHERS: RESULTS

Experts recognize that hunger can affect concentration and learning. This year's annual survey raises new concerns beyond academic performance. When kids are hungry it can result in troublesome behavioural issues:

93 per cent of teachers agree that hungry children are more irritable and disruptive in the classroom 2 ;

; On average, teachers estimated that children who come to school hungry lose up to two hours a day due to lack of productivity  that's one-third of the school day or almost four months in a school year. 2 This equates to more than four years of a child's school career from Kindergarten to Grade 12!;

This equates to more than four years of a child's school career from Kindergarten to Grade 12!; 86 per cent said students who are hungry are more likely to engage in bullying than their peers 3 ;

; Two-thirds of surveyed teachers observed that hungry students struggle to make friends3.

"This is not just someone else's problem," continues Mr. Jones. "Hunger makes students disruptive, which makes it more difficult for teachers to teach. Lost productivity can become an issue for every single student in the class. Ultimately, it's in everyone's best interest to ensure all students start their school day ready to learn. That's why school breakfast clubs are so crucial."

THE Kellogg CANADA Feeding Better Days Award

The survey results emphasize the vital role that breakfast clubs play in the success of students. Among teachers surveyed who are working in a school with a breakfast program, nearly all (98 per cent) said that it delivers positive results.3

Most breakfast programs in Canada rely on generous volunteers who give their time to run breakfast clubs across the country to help make a positive difference in the lives of students, inside and outside the classroom. To recognize and reward these community heroes, Kellogg is introducing The Kellogg Canada Feeding Better Days Award and is calling on Canadians to nominate someone who has positively impacted the lives of students as a Breakfast Club volunteer.

The winner will be recognized with a $10,000 donation to enhance the school breakfast program where they volunteer. The contest is open from August 22 to September 15, 2017 and entries can be submitted through www.KelloggsFeedingBetterDaysAward.com. Entrants will be asked to share how their nominee goes above and beyond. Do they bring creativity to the breakfast meals? Do they encourage fun to help the students socialize? Do they help build confidence and self-esteem among the students?

"At Kellogg, we're passionate about fighting hunger and feeding the potential of children and youth," says Lores Tome, Director, Communications and Corporate Affairs, Kellogg Canada Inc. "As a long-standing supporter of breakfast clubs, we are honoured to introduce The Kellogg Canada Feeding Better Days Award to recognize the passion, dedication and hard work of the volunteers making a difference in the lives of Canadian students every single day."

As part of the program, the company is encouraging Canadians to get social and share its #FeedingBetterDays Infographic to show their support and further raise awareness of the issue of childhood hunger.

"This back-to-school season, think about the real difference school breakfast programs and its volunteers make in the lives of kids," concludes Mr. Jones. "If you can, donate time or money to a local initiative to help those in your community. And nominate an outstanding volunteer for this new award. In addition to recognizing their hard work, their school may receive $10,000 to invest in their breakfast club facility to help young people succeed, whether that's buying more equipment or expanding their space. Talk about a win-win!"

ABOUT KELLOGG CANADA INC.

Driven to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter, Kellogg Canada is the leading producer of ready-to-eat cereal in Canada. Every day, our beloved brands nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. These include All-Bran*, Kellogg's Corn Flakes*, Corn Pops*, Eggo*, Froot Loops*, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes*, Kashi*, Kellogg's* Two Scoops* Raisin Bran, Mini-Wheats*, Nutri-Grain*, Pop-Tarts*, Pringles*, Rice Krispies*, Special K* and Vector*. And we're a company with a heart and soul, committing to help create 3 billion Better Days by 2025 through our Breakfasts for Better Days global purpose platform. To learn more about our responsible business leadership, foods that delight and how we strive to make a difference in our communities around the world, visit www.kelloggcompany.com. To learn more about Kellogg Canada's efforts in these areas, please visit www.kelloggs.ca.

*  2017, Trademark of Kellogg Company used under licence by Kellogg Canada Inc.

1Let's Do This  Let's End Child Poverty for Good: Campaign 2000 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada. Campaign 2000. Toronto, Canada. 2015 *http://www.campaign2000.ca/reportCards/2015RepCards/NationalReportCardEn2015.pdf

2ABOUT THE KELLOGG'S BREAKFASTS FOR BETTER DAYS SURVEY From July 25th to July 28th, 2017 an online survey was conducted among 405 randomly selected Canadian elementary, middle and high school teachers who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

3ABOUT THE KELLOGG'S BREAKFASTS FOR BETTER DAYS STUDY From July 18th to July 22nd, 2016 an online survey was conducted among 403 randomly selected Canadian elementary, middle and high school teachers. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

SOURCE Kellogg Canada Inc.

For further information: Natasha Townsend, Strategic Objectives, 416.366.7735 x 243, [email protected]
An official Government of Canada delegation attended the closing ceremony in Ottawa after returning from their journey in France commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.

OTTAWA, Aug. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - Canada's Veterans and those who gave their lives in service deserve our greatest recognition and appreciation. Today, we reflect on the courage and bravery shown by those who fought in the Dieppe Raid, and the contributions of Canadians during the Second World War.

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, joined the Government of Canada delegation, led by The Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, for a closing ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

The Canadian delegation returning to Canada from France included Veterans, representatives of Indigenous peoples and communities, representatives of Veterans' associations, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian youth and parliamentarians. A contingent of the Canadian Armed Forces, composed of regiments and units involved in the Raid, was also part of the delegation.

In Dieppe, France, Veterans participated in a number of commemorative events, such as wreath layings and ceremonies. While there, they had the opportunity to interact and share their stories with youth delegates who accompanied them on their journey, as well as the local population. Youth from Canada and France also had the chance to interact. The participation of the youth delegates ensures that the torch of remembrance will be passed on.

Quick Facts

The Dieppe Raid began before dawn on August 19, 1942 . The operation was intended to test German defences, practise Allied assault techniques, force the enemy to divert military resources from the Eastern Front and acquire valuable intelligence. Supported by British and other Allied forces, almost 5,000 Canadian soldiers took part in the attack on the occupied French port of Dieppe . Sadly, it would prove to be the bloodiest single day of the entire Second World War for Canada and more than 3,350 of our men were killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

. The operation was intended to test German defences, practise Allied assault techniques, force the enemy to divert military resources from the Eastern Front and acquire valuable intelligence. Supported by British and other Allied forces, almost 5,000 Canadian soldiers took part in the attack on the occupied French port of . Sadly, it would prove to be the bloodiest single day of the entire Second World War for and more than 3,350 of our men were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. More than one million Canadians served in uniform during the Second World War. Sadly, over 45,000 Canadians lost their lives and another 55,000 were wounded in the conflict.

Two Canadians, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Cecil Merritt and Honorary Captain John Weir Foote , were awarded the Victoria Cross for their heroic actions during the Dieppe Raid.

and Honorary Captain , were awarded the for their heroic actions during the Dieppe Raid. On August 19, 2017 , the King's Own Calgary Regiment unveiled a new monument on the Esplanade in Dieppe , France , to honour past members of its regiment who fought in the Dieppe Raid.

, the King's Own Calgary Regiment unveiled a new monument on the Esplanade in , , to honour past members of its regiment who fought in the Dieppe Raid. 2017 is a special year of commemoration for Canada , including the Canada 150 celebrations, the 100th anniversaries of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the Battle of Passchendaele, and the 75th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid.

Quotes

"Seventy-five years ago, Canadian and Allied soldiers fought courageously in the Dieppe Raid, coming ashore against a well-entrenched enemy. It is a true honour for me to attend this ceremony. Their story of bravery and gallantry teaches us that our finest moments are often about overcoming challenges and defeats, rather than easy victories."

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada,

"On August 19, 1942, the Canadian and Allied servicemen who took part in the Dieppe Raid showed great bravery as they suffered heavy casualties. The sacrifices they made in the attempt to help end a terrible conflict will never be forgotten. We must ensure the memory of their courage and service endures."

The Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

Associated Links

For more information on the 75 th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, visit veterans.gc.ca/Dieppe75

anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, visit veterans.gc.ca/Dieppe75 Share your thoughts at facebook.com/CanadaRemembers

SOURCE Veterans Affairs Canada

For further information: Media Relations, Veterans Affairs Canada, 613-992-7468, [email protected]; Rob Rosenfeld, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs, 613-996-4649

Related Links

www.veterans.gc.ca


The body of Captain Andranik Mkrtchyan (born 1991), serving in the Armenian army, was found yesterday, in his office at an undisclosed military base, with a bullet wound to the chin.

Today, the countrys Investigative Committee labeled the incident as a suicide.

This is the third such suicide reported in the Armenian army in one month. The body of conscript soldier Vardan Melkonyan was discovered on July 23. The body of Abas Sloyan was found on August 14. Both were found in a hanging position.

Yearly, on average, there are ten deaths of military personnel in Armenia and Artsakh that are labelled suicide.

News of the suicides are immediately reported by the defense ministries of the two countries. Soon afterwards, however, these same ministries create illegal obstacles for media outlets wishing to dig a bit deeper into such cases.

Keeping names of soldiers committing suicide a secret is illegal, says attorney

To collect more details about suicides in the army during the past five years, Hetq wrote to various state agencies including the Ministry of Defense, Investigative Committee, Police and Prosecutors Office.

Our requests for information were denied on the basis that such data was either a state or personal secret. We were denied any information about the criminal cases launched or the places of residence of soldiers who were said to have committed suicide. We werent even provided the names of soldiers said to have committed suicide.

Law enforcement agencies told Hetq that names of soldiers could only be provided with the permission of their parents (next of kin). This is somewhat ironic given that Hetq wanted the names to find the parents of the soldiers in order to write the stories of those soldiers, as well as the findings of the criminal investigations.

The Prosecutors Office, which has the names of soldiers committing suicide and information on their criminal cases, thus creates obstacles for reporters by citing the Secrecy of Personal Information Law.

That same law, however, says that personal data can be gathered without next of kin permission if such data includes the name, gender, dates of birth and death of the person in question. Thus, the Prosecutors Office, by referring to this law, could only have withheld the place of residence and information on the court case, but not the soldiers names.

Ara Ghazaryan (Davit Khachaturyan/Facebook)

Attorney Ara Ghazaryan argues that the Prosecutors Office must also consider the objective of media outlet requesting such information and whether dissemination of such data is in the public interest.

The attorney says that law enforcement mustnt deny such requests for information outright, without considering why a particular news outlet is requesting it.

Ghazaryan says that the public wants to know why soldiers serving in the army are killing themselves and that information into the causes of the suicides, even if the next of kin are opposed, can be divulged.

State secret  how many army suicides?

Hetq also asked how many suicides had taken place in the last five years in the armies of Armenia and Artsakh.

The Investigative Committee, the agency conducting the preliminary investigation, responded that the data had been transferred to the Police Information Center on April 2016. When Hetq contacted the Police, we were told that such matters were out of their purview. The Police advised us to contact the Investigative Committee. Then, when we mentioned that Committee had originally advised us to contact the Police, they told us to contact the defense ministry.

Armenias Ministry of Defense requested that we wait four weeks for an answer. Additional research was needed, they claimed. Ten days later, the ministry wrote back saying our request was being denied. The ministry argued that the number of army suicides was a state secret.

Hetq then forwarded the same request to the Prosecutor Generals Office.

They responded that 53 criminal cases of suicide were launched between 2012 and 2016 involving personnel serving in the Armenia and Artsakh militaries.

19 of the 53 cases were sent to the courts. The others were dropped.

Attorney Ghazaryan argues that once a state agency, in this case the Prosecutors Office, releases that data, it can no longer be considered a state secret.

The attorney says that the response of the defense ministry is illegal for two other reasons.

In the first place, the ministry issues a press release whenever a soldier dies, thus declaring that the news isnt a state secret. Then again, there are certain news outlets where one can find information about such incidents.

Dont the papers write that from January to June this many soldiers have died, of which this many were killed in combat? So, its not a state secret. Otherwise, they couldnt write such things. This is why the defense ministrys response is invalid, Ghazaryan says.
Minister Philpott visits Laval University to meet with top researchers who have joined forces in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases

QUEBEC CITY, Aug. 21, 2017 /CNW/ - Researchers from Laval University and from across the country are working hard to create new scientific knowledge and tackle some of today's most pressing health issues that affect Canadians.

Today, the honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, was at the CHU de Quebec  Laval University Research Centre, to highlight a total investment of over $21M in cutting-edge research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Twelve researchers, including two from Laval University, received $2.9M to undertake innovative biomedical and clinical HIV vaccine research projects. Furthermore, Dr. Gary Kobinger, renowned for his work on the world's first effective vaccine against the Ebola virus, received a $3.9M grant to work on a vaccine to prevent HIV. The Minister took the opportunity to commend a further 18 researchers from Laval University who received a total of $14.4M in funding to tackle conditions such as heart disease, asthma and cancer.

The Minister was joined by her Parliamentary Secretary, Joel Lightbound. During their visit, they had an opportunity to meet with researchers to learn about their projects, and participate in a lab tour.

Quotes

"It's always a great experience to meet with researchers who are at the forefront of creating the new scientific knowledge needed to treat illnesses, eradicate viruses like HIV, and improve quality of life. The researchers working at Laval University are a source of great inspiration to Canadians. We all benefit from their hard work."

Jane Philpott

Minister of Health

"The brilliant researchers working at the CHU de Quebec  Laval University Research Centre have helped put Laval University on the international stage for leading-edge scientific research. The projects funded through CIHR will improve the human condition by tackling some of the most devastating health issues of our time. The researchers being celebrated today should be very proud of what they are accomplishing."

Joel Lightbound

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

Member of Parliament for Louis-Hebert



"I wish to congratulate the most recent recipients of CIHR funding working at CHU de Quebec  Laval University Research Centre. Each of your projects shows tremendous potential for adding to the scientific knowledge we have about conditions such as asthma, heart disease, cancer and HIV/AIDS. Thank you for your contributions to health research and to building a healthier Canada."

Dr. Marc Ouellette

Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity

Quick Facts

CIHR has provided 12 grants in the area of biomedical and clinical HIV/AIDS research for a total investment of $2.9M . These grants are designed to support cutting-edge biomedical and clinical research related to the development of an HIV vaccine.

. These grants are designed to support cutting-edge biomedical and clinical research related to the development of an HIV vaccine. CIHR has awarded a grant of $3.9M to Laval University's Dr. Gary Kobinger to work towards developing a safe and effective HIV vaccine.

to Dr. to work towards developing a safe and effective HIV vaccine. Today's announced research projects are partly funded by the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative, which is the research arm of the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada . It invests $21 million each year to support research, capacity building and knowledge translation activities in four key areas: Biomedical and clinical research; Health services and population health research; Community-Based Research; and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN).

. It invests each year to support research, capacity building and knowledge translation activities in four key areas: Biomedical and clinical research; Health services and population health research; Community-Based Research; and the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN). Project Grants are designed to support researchers at any career stage build and conduct health research and knowledge translation projects covering a range of areas, from discovery science and clinical research to strengthening the health care system and examining the social determinants of health. In the most recent Project Grant competition, CIHR provided $14.4M to support 18 researchers affiliated at Laval University .

Related Products

Backgrounder  Biomedical and clinical HIV/AIDS research grants

Backgrounder  Operating Grant: Optimizing the VSV Vector towards an HIV Vaccine

Backgrounder  Project Grants

Backgrounder  Dr. Kobinger's research

CIHR HIV/AIDS Initiative

Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada

At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.

Backgrounder

Operating Grant: Innovative Biomedical and Clinical HIV/AIDS Research

Through new CIHR funding, researchers will undertake innovative biomedical and clinical HIV vaccine research projects in new areas of investigation or take previous discoveries in new directions; promote the development and testing of novel HIV vaccine research tools and methodologies; and support high-risk HIV vaccine research projects with the potential for high impact, breakthrough and/or transformative advances.

A total of ten researchers and two new investigators from across the country were awarded $2.9M dollars for the following projects:

Researcher Institution Project Title Amount Dr. Petronela Ancuta Centre hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal (CHUM) Targeting mTOR to restore mucosal immunity toward remission in HIV-infected individuals $250,000 Dr. Eric Arts University of Western Ontario Developing the ACT-VEC as an HIV therapeutic vaccine and cure approach $250,000 Dr. Dimitrios Dikeakos University of Western Ontario Nef Inhibitors as Adjuvants Towards a Cure $247,755 Dr. Jerome Estaquier Universite Laval Role of follicular CD8 T cells in the control of HIV/SIV mucosal immunity. $250,000 Dr. Daniel E Kaufmann Centre hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal (CHUM) Influence of pre-existing HIV cross-reactive CD4 T cells on vaccine responses to new Env immunogens $249,994 Dr. Charu Kaushic McMaster University Improving vaginal health to decrease biological risk of HIV-1 infection in Canadian ACB women $250,000 Dr. Denis Leclerc Universite Laval Adjuvantization of SIV antigens using a novel toll like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist: A proof of concept in non-human primate. $250,000 Dr. Lyle R Mckinnon University of Manitoba Impact of Vedolizumab on immune cell homing to the female reproductive and gastrointestinal mucosa $249,460 Dr. Mario A Ostrowski University of Toronto Developing a Novel Modular Nanoparticle Vaccine Strategy to Induce Durable Systemic and Mucosal HIV Envelope Specific Antibodies $250,000 Dr. Jean-Pierre Routy Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre Locking out HIV from CD4 T cells: A pilot study of the impact of anti a4b7 antibody (vedolizumab) on viral control following analytical treatment interruption $247,650 Adam Burgener University of Manitoba Mechanisms of metaproteome factors in HIV infection risk in young women $249,888 Ruey-Chyi University of Manitoba Elucidating the role of cell homing pathways in controlling endothelial cell-mediated enhancement of resting CD4+ T cell infection by HIV $206,600

Backgrounder

Operating Grant: Optimizing the VSV Vector towards an HIV Vaccine

Researcher Institution Project Title Amount Dr. Gary Kobinger Laval University Development of a safe, effective and clinically acceptable VSV-based HIV vaccine $3,997, 503

Backgrounder

Project Grants

Project Grants are designed to support researchers at any career stage build and conduct health research and knowledge translation projects covering a range of areas, from discovery science and clinical research to strengthening the health care system and examining the social determinants of health.

In the most recent Project Grants competition, CIHR provided $14.4M to support 18 researchers at Laval University.

Researcher Project Funding Amount Dr. Patrick Archambault

Supporting the creation of a LEARNing INteGrated health system to mobilize context-adapted knowledge with a Wiki platform to Improve the transitions of frail Seniors from from hospitals and emergency Departments to the cOMmunity: the LEARNING WISDOM Phase II scale-up project $1.47M Dr. Jean-Francois Bilodeau

Isoprostanes and phospholipases A2: Roles in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia $662,000 Dr. Elyse Bissonnette

CD200 dysregulation in asthma: potential for therapy? $643,000 Dr. Mohamed Chahine

Investigating the role of gating pore current in cardiac arrhythmias associated with dilated cardiomyopathy $1.03M Dr. Paul De Koninck

Optical nanoscopy of cytoskeletal and synaptic remodeling in neurons $784,000 Dr. Sabine Elowe Towards a comprehensive model of Spindle Assembly Checkpoint silencing $536,000 Dr. Amelie Fradet-Turcotte Defining the molecular basis of chemoradiation sensitivity in HPV+ head and neck cancers. $696,000 Dr. Chantal Guillemette Function of the glucuronosyltransferase pathway in chronic lymphocytic leukemia $639,000 Dr. Samer Hussein The role of long non-coding RNAs in defining pluripotent stem cell states $799,000 Dr. Mathieu Laplante Molecular mechanisms of adipose tissue development $696,000 Dr. Jean-Yves Masson Roles of the tumor suppressor PALB2 at the crossroads of DNA double-strand break repair and synthetic lethal strategies $968,000 Dr. Donald Poirier Developpement d'un traitement selectif de l'endometriose : Etude du potentiel du premier inhibiteur irreversible de la 17beta-HSD1 chez le primate $363,000 Dr. Armen Saghatelyan Deciphering the role of autophagy in neuronal migration and maturation $991,000 Dr. Francois Gros-Louis Pathogenic Pathways and in-vitro modelization of Intracranial Aneurysms in populations of Inuit and French Canadian descent $952,425 Dr. Sebastien Hebert microRNA-132: from underlying mechanism of neurodegeneration to therapeutic application in Huntington's disease $573,750 Dr. Michel G Maziade Intercepting the "childhood risk syndrome" of schizophrenia and mood disorders along the developmental trajectory: A preclinical staging of children and adolescents at genetic risk $852,975 Dr. Thomas Moss Mechanism of Ribosomal RNA Gene Silencing and Its Roles in Pluripotency and Cancer $1,074,060 Dr. Martin Parent La modulation des ganglions de la base par les afferences neurochimiques du tronc cerebral: implication dans la physiopathologie des troubles du mouvement $738,225

SOURCE Canadian Institutes of Health Research

For further information: Andrew MacKendrick, Office of the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Media Relations, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 613-941-4563, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca


OTTAWA, Aug. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - The Vancouver Community Network (VCN) has launched StreetMessenger.ca, which leverages SMS technology to send messages to the cell phones of homeless and street-involved youth with program information, life-saving alerts and real-time updates on available shelter beds displayed on Google maps. Work on this program started in 2014 in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Leveraging that success, StreetMessenger is now open to every community in Canada thanks to support from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), Employment and Social Development Canada, as well as Canadian philanthropists Bob Rennie and Peter Wall.

With the live-launch of StreetMessenger, VCN is working with community organizations in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto to register cellphone carrying at-risk street and marginalized individuals in their communities.

"We know that more than 67 per cent of people under 30 experiencing homelessness have cellphones. And text messaging is the best outreach tool given posters aren't seen and more than half of emails are never read," said Tracey Axelsson, VCN's executive director. "The reaction has been very positive here in Vancouver and we want cities across the country to know it is available in their communities as well."

Vancouver's homeless count has increased by 30 per cent since 2014. With homelessness on the rise, better access to interventions is needed to reduce these numbers and get people housed. StreetMessenger has been well-received by users in Vancouver. In fact, 97 per cent of people approached by VCN enrolled immediately to receive messages about services offered in their community.

StreetMessenger is an outreach tool that sends time-sensitive alerts on available program information for job skills and training sessions, pop-up health clinics, messages about where a mobile unit is or will be, emergency alerts that can save lives including bad batches of drugs in the community, as well as instantly distributing information about missing persons. The system can send messages in any language.

"When VCN applied to CIRA's Community Investment Program to develop this project we immediately recognized the reach and impact it could have on so many people," said Byron Holland, CIRA's president and CEO. "We believe in supporting initiatives that harness the power of technology to change lives for the better. VCN is linking simple but powerful technologies with smart and passionate people to solve real-world problems. I'm incredibly proud to support this as part of CIRA's commitment to building a better online Canada."

"The work done by the Vancouver Community Network is essential in addressing unique problems associated with the chronically and episodically homeless populations. This organization is taking innovative measures to address enduring social issues with the ultimate goal of having more positive outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. The Government of Canada is proud to support projects like this one in order to help prevent and reduce homelessness," said the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.

The final phase of development for StreetMessenger was completed in January and included a process that allows frontline shelter administrators to send the number of beds available via text to StreetMessenger, which then displays it on the Google map icon showing the shelter's location.

Frontline workers tell VCN they spend two or more hours a night responding to calls for bed availability or trying to find a place for someone. This system will let them get back to doing what they do best -- supporting people in their shelter.

StreetMessenger is live and already making a difference in Vancouver. It is certain to have a positive impact on street-involved individuals in Calgary, Toronto and beyond. Clients can enroll themselves by sending a text to 778-819-6826 or visit streetmessenger.ca to learn more.

About the Vancouver Community Network

The Vancouver Community Network (VCN) owns, operates and promotes a free, publicly accessible, non-commercial, computer utility in Metro Vancouver. VCN enhances communities and organizations, using information technology to create positive social change. VCN works to create social equality and opportunity by empowering individuals and the organizations working to support them through access to information technology communication (ITC) with free dial-up Internet, free/low cost technical and website support, computer training, and web hosting.

About the Employment and Social Development Canada's Innovative Solutions to Homelessness Funding

This funding stream of ESDC supports projects that develop innovative and effective best practices or innovatively build capacity to prevent or reduce homelessness in Canada. The aim of these projects will be to demonstrate the effectiveness of current practices or to develop, test and evaluate a new practice. The Innovative Solutions to Homelessness funding stream is delivered nationally and supports the development of innovative approaches to reducing homelessness.

About CIRA's Community Investment Program

CIRA is building a better online Canada through the Community Investment Program by funding innovative projects led by charities, not-for-profits and academic institutions that are making the Internet better for all Canadians. CIRA is best known for our role managing the .CA domain on behalf of all Canadians. While this remains our primary mandate, as a member-based not-for-profit ourselves, we have a much broader goal to strengthen Canada's Internet. The Community Investment Program is one of our most valuable contributions toward this goal and funds projects in digital literacy, online services, research and infrastructure. Every .CA domain name registered or renewed contributes to this program. To date CIRA has supported 100 projects with over $4.2 million in contributions.

SOURCE Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)

For further information: Media Contacts: Tracey Axelsson, Executive Director, VCN, 604-831-3793, [email protected]; Alison Gareau, Communication Manager, CIRA, [email protected], 613-237-5335, ext. 234; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, [email protected], 819-994-5559

Related Links

http://cira.ca/


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WEST HAVEN >> People who miss getting their old-fashioned milk shakes, ice cream sodas, burgers, hot dogs and fries just off the Interstate 95 Sawmill Road exit are in luck  again  although you might want to think about ordering a root beer float this time around.

Stewarts All American  as in Stewarts Root Beer  has signed a lease to open its first Connecticut restaurant in the former Friendlys that more recently, and fairly briefly, was the A-1 Diner.

We feel theres a void in the market created by the exit of Friendlys, said Gerry Pelissier, vice president of development and marketing for Stewarts All American, based in Rutherford, New Jersey, which has new ownership and plans to go public and expand well beyond its existing 32 locations primarily in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The company was purchased several years ago by three new owners who have experience in franchising to go with their ambitious plans, Pelissier said.

Among other changes, theyre starting to offer beer and wine in locations where its feasible and are developing a barbecue section of the menu, Pelissier said. Stewarts All American already is a place to get everything from a juicy, prime 1/2-pound burger or 1/3-pound burger to a Philly cheesteak, he said.

The West Haven location will be a full-service restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, Pelissier said. And while most of Stewarts existing locations are left over from the car hop drive-ins that the company  which has been around since 1924  opened in the 1950s, the newer ones are based on a new design and concept, he said.

The Sawmill Road location was one that Stewarts strongly wanted to get into in large part because of its visibility from Interstate 95 and the accompanying 100-foot pylon sign that comes with it, which is very visible from both travel directions.

The lease is one of five corporate leases the company has signed over the past four weeks or so, he said.

Were doing that in key locations, Pelissier said.

The company now will go out and find a franchisee who wants to own and run it, he said. The future West Haven restaurant is one of about 10 locations with signed leases that currently are in the process of development, he said. Stewarts is looking to open 25 locations during 2018, Pelissier said.

Because Stewarts also is in the process of going public, which is expected to happen by the end of year, it probably wont get to nailing down the franchise deal until next year, so its likely the restaurant will see a February or March opening, he said.

One thing Stewarts also hopes to do by going public is to buy the other half of the original company  the half that makes and bottles Stewarts soda, which is still owned by the former owner of the restaurant, Pelissier said.

The location is adjacent to the relatively new development that includes a Starbucks, a Chipotle Mexican Grill and an Aspen Dental office on the former site of the American Steakhouse and was recently purchased by an affiliate of Tartaglia Commercial Properties, owned by the family that used to own the steakhouse.

I guess they felt so strong about the West Haven market that they bought the diner, which formerly was owned by a California-based real estate investment trust, said Joseph Riccio Jr., the citys commissioner of planning and development.

The Tartaglias informed the city Friday that they had signed the lease, Riccio said.

So the whole corridor is filling up, he said. Certainly it adds to the tax rolls and it gives people another choice for dining. ... Any time a vacant building is filled, I think its good news for West Haven.

Lorraine Tartaglia of Tartaglia Commercial Properties said what Stewarts offers is a new and exciting concept, which is always a great thing.

The traffic on that highway, the traffic counts are unbelievable, she said. The Stewarts name is going to have a lot of notoriety and will be a big attraction  a place to stop in West Haven.

The deal was brought to the table by real estate broker William Cafero of Charter Development in Westport, she said.

You should probably know what a diffferent economic development environment West Haven is than in years past, which has contributed to the success of Tartaglias development, she said.

While Stewarts All American Grill is a new concept, Stewarts restaurants have been around since 1924, when Frank Stewart set out to create the worlds creamiest, best tasting root beer, working with a chemist, blending 20 different extracts of roots, herbs, and berries, according to a company history on the Stewarts website.

To supplement his teachers salary, Frank opened his first restaurant in Mansfield, OH and over the years, juicy hamburgers, frankfurters, tasty french fries with toppings, local specialties and desserts were added to the menu, it says.
The presidents of Armenia and Russia are scheduled to meet in Sochi tomorrow and will discuss matters related to greater cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Armenian President Sargsyan and Russian President Putin will also discuss regional matters, including the Karabakh conflict, this according to Sargsyans press office.
Christine Stuart / ctnewsjunkie

HARTFORD >> U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and the rest of Connecticuts Congressional delegation sent a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price asking the administration to maintain the Obamacare subsidies through 2018.

The subsidies are called cost-sharing reduction payments or CSRs. The payments go to insurance companies to lower deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance for low-income individuals. The CSR, which is paid on a monthly basis to insurers, was made Monday, but Republican President Donald Trump and his administration have refused to say whether he would continue them through the end of the year.
NEW HAVEN >> Gov. Dannel P. Malloy explains the lack of a state budget with one word: placation.

Monday was the 54th day Connecticut has gone without a budget as Democrats, Republicans and the governor remain at odds with one another on how to close a $1.6 billion deficit in the next fiscal year, left over after a $700 million savings from the unions,

I think the legislature has become fond of giving everyone a veto to the budget. The unions have a veto. The local governments have a veto. The hospitals have a veto. Everybody else has a veto, which makes getting their job done very hard. We need to undo that, Malloy said in an interview with the editorial board of the New Haven Register.

In good times, no one has to make hard decisions, which is what ruled my predecessors and quite frankly prior legislators approaches to their job. But these arent good times, Malloy said.

The governor said he was referring to both Democrats and Republicans.

Malloy on Friday told lawmakers that he plans to cut money to school districts by 38 percent in October if there is still no biennial budget in place.

He promised to end all Education Cost Sharing funds for 85 school districts and cut it to 54 districts based on those communities ability to pay and their dropping enrollment. PILOT (payments in lieu of taxes) would also be held up; municipal revenue property tax relief grants would be cut to $40.6 million rather than the $303 million issued last fall.

Malloy has been running the state by executive order since July 1, in lieu of a budget. Fridays announcement was an update of the original cuts he put into effect.

He is not cutting the expected ECS payments to the states 30 Alliance Districts where the majority of low-income students live. The governor also said he will release $40 million of the $100 million he had held up for the large number of nonprofits that provide social services for state residents.

Malloy said he is discouraged with the lack of progress by the legislature, but facing the drastic cuts set for October might get it to move on a bipartisan solution.

With the impending absence of payments to not-for-profits, community providers, municipalities, maybe that will focus them. I hope, he said. I hope everyone wakes up at the same time.

He said if they had adopted the mini-budget he proposed, he wouldnt have had to take unilateral action. I gave them a way out, he said.

The governor said it makes no sense to continue to pay school districts the same amount if their student population is dropping.

You dont need to be a rocket scientist or for that matter a member of the legislature to tell that doesnt work, he said.

Some examples of decreased enrollment include: Bethany, down 22.5 percent; Branford, a 8.23 percent drop; Cinton, 9.44 percent down; Madison, 12.64 percent decline; North Branford, 13.63 percent. The measure was from 2011 to 2016.

There is this incongruity, an inconsistency to the arguments that Republicans make. By the way, I am just as hard on Democrats. They have made a lot of mistakes, as well. At least they are honest about theirs, he said.

Senate Republican President Len Fasano, R-North Haven, on Monday asked Attorney General George Jespen to determine whether Malloys amended executive order is constitutional.

He argues that the reduction in the Excess Cost grant for special education and the Municipal Revenue Sharing program would need legislative action.

Malloy said if they have to litigate it, they will. He added, if a budget is in place, things will change.

The governor asked how the GOP can decry cuts to municipalities when you have never supported a budget that sent any money to municapalities. Malloy said the last time the Republicans voted on a budget was in 2007.

It makes me so angry that he misrepresents the facts, Fasano responded.

He conceded that 2007 was the last time they agreed with a budget plan as there was a surplus and no tax increase.

Fasano said his caucus will not vote on a bad budget, one that increases taxes and doesnt deal with structural changes.

As far as taking into account the drop in student population in the state, the Republican leader said his caucus is the only one that made a proposal on how to fund education earlier in 2017.

He said Malloys cuts dont adhere to any formula, but rather exacerbate the system that the courts have determined is unconstitutional.

You cant go cold turkey, Fasano said of funding changes for the towns. He said their proposal would add more money for English language speakers and poverty and phase in the changes over 10 years. Fasano said it has been praised by the Connecticut Education Association and others.

Malloy said the sales tax increase proposed by the House Democrats from 6.35 percent to 6.99 percent wont be enough to raise revenues to cover all that they have on the table. He estimated they would need to raise nearly $1 billion to do so. It is not something he would sign.

He said they cant lead with taxes, but rather have to constrain spending. Malloy said he senses a growing frustration on the part of the public who want lawmakers to accept reality.

Malloy was asked whether, if the Democrats are the only ones voting for a tax increase, would that be a defining issue for the 2018 election?

The governor said he feels President Donald Trump will be the biggest factor, particularly the lack of criticism from Connecticut Republican leaders to Trump equating neo-Nazi and white supremicist protesters at Charlottsville, Virginia, with the counterprotesters.

Not a single Republican leader in the state condemned that statement. I wont forget that. Hopefully other people wont forget that, either, Malloy said.

Fasano said he was approached by a high ranking Democrat to issue a joint statement of unity against racism soon after the violent rally in Charlottsvile and he agreed. He said it ultimately was pulled by the Democrats because of politics.

He accused Malloy of being divisive. He has divided the state. He lives off adversity, Fasano said.

Fasano said he and Senate Democratic President Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, were recognized by the Jewish Federation for passing the most comprehensive legislation protecting people against bigotry.

People know where I stand. I feel comfortable in my skin, he said.
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DERBY >> With Labor Day weekend fast approaching, St. Judes Church is inviting everyone to savor those last few lazy, hazy days of summer.

The church will host its 9th annual Labor Day Family Festival and Picnic from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 4 on the church grounds, 71 Pleasant View Road. The festival will be held rain or shine. Admission is free.

For many people, the popular festival is the perfect way to celebrate the end of summer with great food, live music, crafts, games and more. Last years festival drew more than 1,000 visitors to the church grounds.

Headlining the festival this year is Connecticuts premier R&B, funk, soul and eclectic dance and show band, The Bernadettes, scheduled to play from noon to 4 p.m. The band, according to its website, is known for its high-energy performances, and its line-up can run the gamut from classic dance grooves to smooth ballads, mixed in with some classic rock and old school rhythm and blues.

A lineup of summertime fare will be featured to please any palate, according to Janis Yakimovich, festival chairwoman. The menu will feature both traditional Polish and Italian foods, along with summertime classics including fried dough, hot dogs, hamburgers, fresh cut french fries, sausage and peppers, Philly cheesesteaks, porchetta, fresh baked pies, ice cream, fried Oreos and more. Beverages, including beer, wine and soft drinks, also will be available.

The festival will feature a variety of vendors peddling everything from jewelry to fall crafts and wooden toys. To keep the kids entertained, there will be moon bounce, snow cones, Mr. Softy ice cream and a variety of childrens games, activities and face-painting.

In addition, a giant tag sale, beginning at 8 a.m. and running until the end of the festival, will take place inside the church basement.

According to Yakimovich, the festival serves as the churchs annual fundraiser. Proceeds are used for day-to-day operating expenses, and for miscellaneous repairs to the church, rectory, and church grounds.

Yakimovich encouraged visitors to bring their blankets and chairs to enjoy the day-long, unofficial sendoff of summer.
Beardsley Zoo / Beardsley Zoo

BRIDGEPORT  Connecticuts Beardsley Zoo has reached its challenge goal to build a new home for Rochan, the Red panda, thanks to a donation from Bob and Helen Natt of Easton, and a matching grant for monies raised by supporter donations from the Werth Family Foundation.

A groundbreaking Tuesday was attended by the Natts, Debbie Werth-Bachard from the Werth Family Foundation, Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim, and other city and zoo officials. The new habitat will be located next to the Pronghorn exhibit, where the donors lifted their golden shovels in a ceremony to kick off the beginning of construction.
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Author Anthony Tambakis grew up in Fairfield and spent his summer days cliff jumping at Devils Glen Park in Weston. He said those days inspired the title of his novel, Swimming with Bridgeport Girls.

Tambakis, 51, said his grandmother grew up in Bridgeport and he lived in Fairfield with his family until he was in his late teenage years. His family still lives in Fairfield and he said he occasionally comes back to visit.

Devils Glen was the first place we ever really hung out with girls, Tambakis said.

He and his high school friends would also hang out at Jennings or Penfield beaches in Fairfield.

That was every day in the summer, Tambakis said.

His debut novel, Swimming with Bridgeport Girls was released in July and follows the protagonist Ray Parisi, a fictional former ESPN anchor, during his journey to try to win back his ex-wife.

Its a fast, fun summer read thats also really about something, Tambakis said. Its humorous and heartbreaking at the same time. I think theres something in it for everyone.

He said the story is centered around a love story, but its a book that manages to be feminine and masculine, appealing to a greater audience.

Tambakis said most of his first novel was written and edited at the Fairfield University Library, where he would spend up to 16 hours a day.

I dont even know if they  the library  knows that, he said with a laugh.

He said he started working on the novel in the fall of 2003.

It took me over a decade to get it right, Tambakis said. It was a long journey.

After working as a professor in Atlanta, Tambakis said, he moved to Hollywood about 10 years ago and started screenwriting.

Tambakis is known for his work on Warrior, Jane Got a Gun and The Karate Kid 2, among other titles. He said hes also working on a television show with Toby MaGuire.

Tambakis lives in Austin, Texas, with his golden retriever named after Joni Mitchell, as he works on his next book.

He said he likes to move to different cities, but he also couldnt see himself writing a novel while living in Los Angeles.

I was burned out on L.A., Tambakis said. You can only deal with the movie business so much. To write literature, you need to be away. I couldnt see writing this next book in L.A.

He said his love for writing came at a young age.

I just wanted to be a writer since I was a kid, Tambakis said.

At the age of 11 or 12, Tambakis said, he hitchhiked to the Fairfield train station and took the train into Grand Central Terminal to read there.

I thought it was incredible that a stranger could speak to you through their writing, he said.

Three books that he said he revisits every summer  and that have inspired his passion for writing  are F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye and Ernest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises.

Tambakis said whenever he is back with family in Fairfield, they always stop at Duchess or Rawleys Drive-In.

As for his hobbies, Tambakis said there isnt too much time for them while working on a novel.

Music and dogs, he said. But theres not time for a lot of hobbies. If youre not physically writing, youre always thinking about writing.
HAMDEN >> Salman Hamids students have jokingly told him throughout the years he should be mayor. Having never been involved with politics, but always heavily invested in giving back to his community, he is taking their tease seriously.

When he introduces himself as the Republican candidate for mayor, people are surprised because he doesnt fit a traditional Republican mold. They are also refreshed to see a new face in politics, Hamid said. He is a political outsider of sorts, which he sees as a strength.

As he meets with residents, they might not know how to say his name (pronounced Sal-men Hameed), but they remember his actions. He gets recognized as their brothers teacher or the guy who helped clean up the walking trail. Hamid taught at Hamden High School for eight years and now is the K-12 District-wide Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator at ACES Wintergreen Magnet School.

Hamid said once people learn who he is, theyre happy to hear his ideas for the town.

They say, I cant believe I might be voting Republican, Hamid said.

Hamid immigrated to the U.S. with his family from Pakistan when he was 3 years old. He has lived in Hamden for 24 years and has long looked for ways to give back to the community. He became a teacher for that reason, he said, and now is running for mayor to have a bigger impact.

This is an opportunity for me to give back even more to the town that I love, he said.

His plans for improving the town include transitioning to a Social Security-based wage payment system for all town employees and adjusting health insurance benefits to more closely model private-sector plans.

Hamid also wants to improve communication between town government and residents. One point of his plan is to establish a citizens advisory council to help engage residents with the government and to ensure the mayor is informed on the varying issues and perspectives throughout the town.

Ron Gambardella, Hamids campaign manager, said their platform is about citizen participation.

(Government) is a closed system the way it is now, Gambardella said. The power is too focused. There hasnt been an effective candidate on the Republican side. We do now have an effective candidate who can bridge the gap, can reach out to the minority community and bring everyone together.

Mayor Curt Leng welcomed Hamid to the race.

(Hamid) has mentioned some nice ideas, such as discussing regionalization and a regional Animal Shelter, Leng said. Regionalization of certain services has potential to keep the high quality services Hamden residents have come to expect while controlling costs. Of course, we will always keep our guardian services, police and fire, under local control.

According to Hamids former student at Hamden High School Lisa DeCrescente, Hamid naturally reaches out and is interested in people.

I know he cares about the town and he listens to everybody, DeCrescente said. He really tried to get to know his students. He was different from other teachers in that way who just stand at the front of the class.

One of her favorite high school memories is when Hamid volunteered for DeCrescentes dance team fundraiser, Dancing with the Staff. He was so willing to embarrass himself to make money for the fundraiser, she said.

Wherever Hamid goes, he gets a lot of hugs, Gambardella said, but Hamid also hears complaints again and again from residents about high taxes, struggling schools and what can be done to beautify the town.

These are all individuals I see in town that have been saying this common thread, he said, and its not healthy when you have individuals saying the same thing over and over. It strikes me as very odd that no one has addressed these.

Leng said he is keenly award of Hamdens tax rate and wants it lowered. Concerning schools, The majority of our schools meet and exceed the state average for test scores, and offer extracurricular activities that exceed many surrounding schools, with plans for even more, Leng said.

Hamids plans for improving the town include getting landscape companies to sponsor ballfields and building an animal shelter where residents could buy a brick in memoriam to their pet to help pay for the facility. Hamid also wants to revise the pension plan for town employees, adopting a 403(b) plan with matching contributions.

Gambardella said whoever is in charge needs to run things differently and this plan would reduce the financial liability of the town going forward.

As Hamid moves along the campaign trail, he is planning meet-and-greets throughout town, talking with voters at community events, and hopes to organize a debate with Leng at the high school for students to ask questions of both candidates.

The things people know about me are Im honest and sincere, probably the wrong guy for politics, he joked.
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In a dark classroom at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica School, third-graders watched as their teacher held an Oreo cookie in front of a projector, simulating the moon's path across the sun during Monday's eclipse.

The students happily chewed Eclipse-brand gum and drew pictures of the astronomical phenomenon, but teacher Laura Smith's lesson didn't hold a candle to the real deal, which they had just witnessed outside.

"My favorite was when we all got to lay on the ground on the concrete and look up," said Chiamaka Nwaobi. "It was special."

Through the welding glasses her parents sent her to school with, Nwaobi said the sliver of visible sun looked bright green.

All but the youngest students at the Beaumont school watched the eclipse, principal Felicia

Andrews-Runnels said, a decision made to keep the first- and second-graders' eyes safe.

Instead, those students watched a NASA livestream, she said.

It was the same live feed watched by students in several other districts, where administrators said they didn't want to risk sending kids out to stare at the sun, even through protective lenses.

"Please ask teachers and staff to be aware of the dangerous consequences associated with the direct viewing of the solar eclipse and ask them to discourage students from viewing the eclipse, even if they have acquired glasses for this purpose," Port Neches-Groves Interim Superintendent Jimmy Creel wrote in a memo to principals last week.

"While this is a teachable moment, it is not an occasion worthy of risking one's eyesight."

Instead, he suggested the students "wait until the evening news presents a video of the eclipse."

Warren ISD Superintendent Brad McEachern said the district decided to show the NASA livestream rather than watch Southeast Texas' partial view of the solar eclipse "to ensure the safety of our students."

The story was the same at Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, where Madelyn Messina, director of Recruitment and Admissions, said the school did not provide protective eyewear because of liability concerns.

"You can get the glasses, but there's no guarantee they'll wear them," Messina said, leaving too much up to chance.

Jim Jordan, chair of Lamar University's Earth and Space Sciences department, said allowing students to watch live videos was "a reasonable way to see the eclipse."

"It's certainly a safe way to get this experience," said Jordan, who was rushing Monday morning to get outside and view the eclipse through a telescope in front of a geology room.

Although Buna ISD schools were not open on Monday, science teacher Eric Ford showed some faculty members and their children the eclipse through a reflector telescope at the junior high.

If students had been in class, "I would have taken them out there," he said. "It opens up a whole topic of conversation about the moon and the sun. It's the perfect way to sort of segue into the motion of our solar system."

Ford said people "get carried away" by fear of the eclipse burning their eyes. "People have common sense. Even a child isn't going to stare at it too long," he said.

Administrators at some local schools, including St. Anthony, decided the reward outweighed the risk.

Colmesneil ISD, which started classes Monday, purchased more than 500 pairs of eclipse glasses so all students and staff could watch, according to a notice on the district's website.

"While the first day of school is already an action-packed day, this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students and staff to experience such a thrilling phenomenon," the notice said.

"It's the experience of a lifetime," said St. Anthony's Andrews-Runnels.

The school provided eclipse glasses for students, like Alyse Guillory, who described the moon moving slowly across the sun.

"The clouds kept covering the sun and the moon," said Guillory, a student in Smith's third grade class.

Smith said she prepared her students ahead of time by demonstrating the movement of the sun and moon using globes and a flashlight and by watching a video from NASA explaining the event.

"I was scared that it would hurt my eyes," third-grader Gabriella Blankenship said. "But then I was excited. All you could see through the glasses was the shape of the eclipse."

Rain washed out other districts' plans.

Bridge City ISD Superintendent Todd Lintzen said middle and high school science classes had to cancel their planned activities outside during the eclipse.

"The middle schoolers were going to be able to track it outside, not necessarily look at it directly, and the high schoolers had some activities with welding helmets that were the right tint," he said. "But those got rained out."

Like administrators at St. Anthony, Lintzen said Bridge City officials decided to keep the youngest students inside, afraid they'd look up without protective glasses.

"Just because of their age, it's the same as saying, 'Don't touch that, it's hot,' and then they have to touch it. I can relate to that as a kid growing up," he said.

Teachers talked about the phenomenon with their students inside the classroom, he said.

Monday's solar eclipse was the first seen in the contiguous United States since 1979, and the first visible from coast-to-coast since 1918.

Students who missed out this week will have another chance in seven years, when a total eclipse will pass "through the heart of Texas" in April 2024.

Buna's Ford is looking forward to that eclipse, when the path of totality will run through Austin and Dallas, with peaks of 41/2 minutes, twice as long as Monday's.

"I want to go to Austin, and livestream, so I can talk to my kids from there and show them totality," he said. "We're already talking about that."

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/LizTeitz
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Summer may be coming to a close, but some people just can't stop flaunting their posh, extravagant lives.

The Rich Kids of Dubai spent some time causally taking photos in lavish pools, expensive cars, yachts and boats. There are lots and lots of bikinis.

EXTREME NUPTIALS: Russian oligarch, model fiancee tie the knot in multimillion-dollar wedding

An article on CNN called Dubai and the United Arab Emirates one of the most 'socially-engaged countries in the world," so it's no surprise that these young people are sharing their ridiculously luxurious lives on social media.

In fact, one of the country's biggest Instagram stars is a 15-year-old kid named Rashed Belhasa, who has a custom Ferrari he can't even drive yet.

He is the son of billionaire businessman Saif Ahmed Belhasa, and is chaperoned by rapper Fat Joe when he visits New York. He has even posted photos with celebrities like Rihanna.

Belhasa was able to launch a sneaker and urbanwear via his Instagram and YouTube, and now has a collection of rare, exclusive shoes most people won't even get to see in their lifetime.

While we may not be able to afford even thinking about the kind of over-the-top lives these young people have, there is no harm in living vicariously through their Instagram posts.

Take a look through the gallery above to see the luxurious and seemingly-perpetual vacation lives of the Rich Kids of Dubai.
" " U.S. combat soldiers read of the death of Adolf Hitler in an 'Extra' edition of Stars and Stripes on May 2, 1945. Photo12/UIG/Getty Images

April 1945. The Battle of Seelow Heights is underway. The Allied armies are closing in on Berlin, and the German army has failed to push back both the Soviet and the Allied fronts. Adolf Hitler, locked in his Fuhrerbunker, knows the war is lost. He decides to marry his mistress, Eva Braun, enjoy a Champagne breakfast, write out his last will and testament, and then commit suicide with his new wife. Their bodies are then burned in accordance with their wishes, and the world breathes a collective sigh of relief.

But not everyone believes this official line about Hitler's end. That's why Matt Frederick, Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown tackle the history and intrigue behind What Happened to Hitler? in this episode of the Stuff They Don't Want You To Know podcast.

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One of history's greatest villains, Hitler was responsible for creating a brutally fascist and racist regime in Germany that led to World War II and numerous atrocities like the Holocaust. It's understandable that his death was eagerly anticipated the world over, as many thought that the end of the man would mean the end of the war. Hitler's bodyguard reported that he had seen Hitler's and Braun's bodies before they were taken to the chancellery and burned. But the lack of bodies sparked rumors that they actually escaped during the last hours of the war.

It's certainly possible  as many as 9,000 Nazis escaped to South America and lived to ripe old ages, including the "Angel of Death" Dr. Josef Mengele. That's because Juan Peron, president of Argentina, ran a fascist-leaning government sympathetic to the Reich's aims and maintained neutrality throughout the war. Peron also helped establish "ratlines," ports through which Nazis could be smuggled out of Europe by way of Italy and Spain.

Did Adolf Hitler and his new wife use the ratlines to get on a boat in Spain and escape to Argentina or Brazil? Some people think so, and that he lived as long as 1978. The FBI maintained files in which Hitler sightings are reported, although never verified, and didn't declare Hitler officially dead until 1956. In June 2017, a trove of Nazi artifacts were discovered behind a hidden wall in a home in Buenos Aires, Argentina and breathed new life into this theory.

It's also been theorized that Hitler and a number of his SS men escaped to the secret fortress in Antarctica called Base 221. The Germans claimed they created the base in 1938 when a Nazi expedition discovered a huge underground cave where they made contact with aliens or unearthed alien technologies that allowed them to build advanced weapons systems. Perhaps Hitler escaped to that cold and desolate place to rebuild his vision for humanity, with alien tech to help? Though this tale seems a lot more unlikely than warm and sunny South America.

A lot of the misinformation swirling around Hitler's whereabouts is due in part to Russian propaganda after the war. Josef Stalin was obsessed with making sure that Hitler was dead, and ordered his Soviet armies to exhume any remains they could find. The soldiers preserved ashes and some jawbone fragments identified as Hitler's, but Stalin was happy to let the Allies think he might still be out there somewhere.

Those preserved bone fragments have now been tested and the secret Russian files released, so if you want to know what Matt, Ben and Noel think happened to Hitler (and about his alleged opioid addiction) tune in to this episode of Stuff They Don't Want You to Know.
President Donald Trump's Afghanistan policy in a nutshell? Something old, nothing new, something borrowed, a big switcheroo.

From the flip-flopper in chief, in his own words (as compiled by the Democratic National Committee):

April 2011.

Bill O'Reilly: "You would withdraw U.S. troops out of Afghanistan?" Trump: "Yes I would."

December 2011.

Trump: "I would get out quickly. It's just - it's never going to be good. It's never going to be good."

February 2012.

Trump: "It is time to get out of Afghanistan."

March 2012.

Trump: "Let's get with it. Get out of Afghanistan."

August 2012.

Trump: "Afghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come home!"

November 2012.

Trump: "It is time to get out and rebuild our own nation."

December 2012.

Trump: "Get out now and re-build U.S."

January 2013.

Trump: "I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan. We should have a speedy withdrawal."

March 2013.

Trump: "We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives."

November 2013.

Trump: "We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. . . . Let's get out!"

Comes now Trump's Monday night Afghanistan backward handspring: "The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. . . . A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al-Qaida, would instantly fill . . . The security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense."

Ta-da, the Trump policy: Stay in Afghanistan, up the ante with more troops, but if asked, don't tell how many or for how long. And add a rhetorical flourish: "I'm a problem-solver. . . .We will win."

Nothing new here, folks.

Trump even took a page out of former president Barack Obama's playbook to debut his policy. Obama chose an assembly of West Point cadets in December 2009 to announce his escalation of the Afghanistan war effort. Trump stayed closer to home, using as a backdrop a military gathering at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia.

Trump's message, however, stripped and unadorned, was just about the same as his predecessor's.

Obama served up the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan as "the epicenter of violent extremism" and an enduring test for the United States. Trump, as did Obama before him, described the region in a similar way and adopted the Obama goal of denying al-Qaeda a haven, reversing the Taliban's momentum and strengthening the capacity of Afghan security forces to defend and protect their own country.

Trump, as did Obama before him, heard the pleas of the rulers of Afghanistan: Just give us a little more time - along with your money and warm, well-armed American bodies -and one day down the road, we'll be able to evolve into a corruption-free country with local chieftains and warlords joyfully helping us fend for ourselves - which we cannot now do. Obama fell for it. So has Trump.

Same old, same old.

So, Trump administration, let's get on with it: Float more bonds to pay for that war. Make way for more lost American limbs, broken bodies and wounded minds. All in the name of Making America Great Again, and in hope of making Trump look good.
Sixty two-year-old Joao Lourenco steps into the shadow of Africas second longest-running leader Jose Eduardo Dos Santos who is not running for president of the country but retains control of the powerful ruling party.Lourenco will face Dos Santos long-time rival, leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), Isaias Samakuva.UNITA won just 18% in the last election in 2012 and the Peoples Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) won a landslide 72%.With Angola in the midst of an economic crisis caused by a fall in oil prices, the opposition is hoping to improve its tally, though a lack of credible polling in the country makes the result unpredictable.Samakuva has said he is willing to form a coalition government with other opposition parties after elections next Wednesday if MPLA loses power for the first time since independence in 1975.UNITA is campaigning on a broad platform for change, promising to increase spending on education and health, combat corruption and open the economy to more foreign investment.Dos Santos led an oil-backed economic boom and the reconstruction of infrastructure devastated by a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002.Mismanagement of oil wealthThen the country slipped into recession last year with the economy contracting 3.6%, according to government data that was published online in April but later removed.Unemployment is over 20%Critics accuse Dos Santos of mismanaging Angolas oil wealth and making an elite, mainly his family and political allies, vastly rich in a country ranked amongst the worlds most corrupt.Angolans in the streets of the capital Luanda are cautiously optimistic of the prospects of life under a new president for the first time in nearly four decades.My opinion is that we need to have a free and fair election so we can have better education systems and healthcare. I do not care who wins, I just want better living conditions for all of us. This is the most important. Angolans should not live as foreigners in their own country, said one resident.The European Union has scrapped plans to observe the elections after Luanda failed to agree to a package of conditions, including access to all parts of the country during the poll, it said in July.Samakuva said UNITA would have party members at every polling station to monitor the count.
In 2003, the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu visited me in Daura. Over 2 days we discussed Nigeria's problems extensively, & came to one conclusion. pic.twitter.com/RJJjzwgKwL  Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) August 21, 2017

President Muhammadu Buhari has posted a short clip of him meeting with Chief Emeka Ojukwu.The video has been uploaded via Buharis official Twitter page, as arguments started all over social media, after he mentioned that he met Ojukwu in 2003.In the clip, the two men are seen shaking hands, during the meeting that took place in the Presidents hometown of Daura.In 2003 after I joined partisan politics, the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu came and stayed as my guest in my hometown Daura. Over two days we discussed in great depth till late into the night and analyzed the problems of Nigeria. We both came to the conclusion that the country must remain one and united.Nigerias unity is settled and not negotiable. We shall not allow irresponsible elements to start trouble and when things get bad they run away and saddle others with the responsibility of bringing back order, if necessary with their blood, Buhari had said during his nationwide broadcast on Monday.Some Nigerians were not convinced the meeting happened and felt it was all propaganda.
Within days of his election victory in April, President Muhammadu Buhari called President Jacob Zuma to explain that his government wanted to build a far stronger relationship between their two countries. And the two had face-to-face meetings both at Buharis inauguration in May and the African Union summit in June.This new chapter starts from a low base. The bi-national commission between the two countries turned 16 years old in October, but a plethora of bureaucratic irritants still snag the relationship. Only halting progress has been made towards a free trade zone.Part of the problem is the commercial imbalance. There are more than 100 substantial South African companies in Nigeria but only two significant Nigerian investments in South Africa. Bilateral trade hit about $3bn in 2012, but most of that was Nigerias oil shipments to South Africa.A rebalancing of ties could increase cooperation with incentives for small and medium-sized Nigerian companies to invest in South Africa, financial backing for technology transfers and more intellectual exchanges.To corral support for the free trade area, a few high-profile and job-creating joint ventures would speed things up. Building successful joint projects would dissipate some of the antipathy towards big South African suppliers of goods and services.For now, there is a weird double standard under which Nigerians complain about imports of goods and services from South Africa but not those from Europe or Asia. The underlying problem was the near collapse of Nigerian manufacturing in the 1980s.This years start up of a Ford assembly plant just south of Abuja, which will import South African components, could revitalise the two countries trading and technical relationship. Other companies such as Toyota, Kia and Peugeot are planning similar regional tie-ups.Both governments could provide incentives for additional deals. Two of Buharis economic priorities  expanding Nigerian manufacturing and processing and clamping down on illicit financial outflows  would greatly benefit from cooperation with South Africa. Lessons could be learned from South Africas Motor Industry Development Programme: it has created about 280,000 jobs in its auto and component industry.One of Africas fastest-urbanising countries, Nigeria has to create hundreds of thousands of jobs around its cities. There could be benefits for both sides if South Africa developed more partnerships and joint ventures instead of shipping finished goods to Nigeria.The volume of trade would grow as would the number of jobs in both countries. Both governments could offer advantages on tariffs and state procurement to such companies. Building African manufacturing capacity and creating jobs is exactly the foundation that enthusiasts for strong bilateral ties need when they make their case in the corridors of power and beyond.
Leader of the Biafra Zionists Federation, Barr. Benjamin Onwuka, on Tuesday described President Muhammadu Buharis nationwide broadcast as a compendium of lies.Onwuka, who spoke to journalists in Enugu, said the Presidents statement that late Biafra leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu disowned Biafra was false.DAILY POST reports that Onwuka, who had few weeks back declared himself the President of Biafra, challenged Buhari to provide an audio and transcript evidence of the said meeting between him (Buhari) and Ojukwu.Recall that Buhari, in a nationwide broadcast, marking his return to the country said he sat with the former warlord in 2003 and they both agreed that the unity of Nigeria was not negotiable.But Onwuka, while disputing the statement, said, We are speaking today in response to the broadcast said to have been made by Buhari. We want to let the world know that Buhari is wasting his time; he has been defeated.He didnt start failing today; he supported Hillary Clinton during the US election, but they all failed; he knows it.So, his broadcast is a waste of time; a compendium of lies; Biafrans challenge him, let him produce the transcript; we saw what they posted on his twitter handle and called it a video. This is very comedic. When has a picture become a video. Where is the voice, where is the motion; where is the transcript? What he has dished out is a far-cry; we are asking for a video evidence, with the audio, the transcript of that meeting. Let us see what they agreed on.Above all, I dont believe what he is saying; if that is what happened, let him come up with evidence. Odumegwu Ojukwu, I believe will never compromise on Biafras independence. He was the one that led us to war, except that he made mistake of not accepting offer from Russia. Thats what the Zionists have done by seeking support from US.The broadcast he made, Ojukwu could never have compromised; let his provide the evidence and what Ojukwu said. Even if it is what Ojukwu said, Ojukwu is not speaking for Biafra; Biafrans are a nation; a nation is more important than one person.So, Ojukwu can never betray Biafra. Why didnt he say this when Ojukwu was alive? He should have told us then. When that meeting held, he should have given us an opportunity, where two of them would have come out and told us, we believe in one Nigeria.Why now, because the man has died, you are now coming up with allegations against him, because the grave cannot speak? So, whatever he said Ojukwu told him, we dont buy into it.Biafra has come to stay with the backing of US. Our matter is right now at the desk of the US President. So, Buhari is wasting his time.He is even calling us irresponsible because he is benefiting form our oil. Where in the world are people agitating for freedom called irresponsible people?What will he call Boko Haram members? The only reason is that he he is feeding from our oil, allocating oil blocks and all that. Without the oil, there will be no Nigeria. He can say whatever he likes.On Buharis stance on Biafra agitators, Onwuka added: We also want to let him know that since he said unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable, the restoration of Biafra is also non-negotiable.When asked to comment on an interim government he claimed to have formed few weeks back, he said, Im not claiming to be president on my own; United States under Obama recognized Biafra on 15th Ocober, 2014. The zionists believe in international diplomacy.Let me assure those people appointed that the interim government stands until we hear from the White House. So, the interim government and our announcement on Biafra, they are still intact; we are waiting to get reply from US but the government we formed is intact, upon the return of Trump from vacation, Biafra will take off. Obama and Trump will make Biafra to be a reality.My cabinet members have reacted, some negative, but I know they will come around; the interim government is alive but we cannot activate it until we get a signal from the White House. But I know that all those saying no now, they will later come around.Those we appointed from the Middle belt are part of us; the Middle belt belongs to us, including Southern Kaduna. We are going to give Southern Kaduna a State and that State shall be called Gurara State.We shall also restore peace between Cross River and Ebonyi. The boundary dispute is a result of weak government. They dont care that we are killing ourselves so long as they are taking our oil. But Biafra will not allow any form of boundary crisis, that we can assure our people; there will be absolute peace.
Happy New Month Nigeria! Welcome to the month of June. As the world searches for a respite from all its troubles since 2020 began, one can ...
Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar

Yoruba, Igbo and Niger Delta monarchs have called on the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar not to go against the will of the people on restructuring.

First-class traditional rulers across the southern parts of Nigeria have denounced the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakars stance on restructuring, saying that it is unfair for a monarch of his stature to speak against the wish of the people.

While speaking to Sunday Punch, the monarch said the position of the Sultan was born out of the interests of the North. Last Monday, the Sultan had called on Nigerians to focus on the devolution of the economy, rather than the restructuring of Nigeria, while speaking at the Niger State Investment Submit in Minna.





Rather than the clamour for restructuring of the country, the Federal Government should be called upon to release dams across the country to state governments for massive participation of Nigerians in all-year farming seasons.





We have the ability and technical knowledge to feed the continent with what we can produce, with the required political commitment, through the provision of modern farming implements for our teeming farmers, he had said.

Rather than economic restructuring, the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, stated that it was mind-boggling that the Sultan was not in tune with the masses.

If the people of Nigeria want the country to be restructured, as traditional leaders, we are not in a position to oppose it. We are closer to the people, so we must lead by example. It is important to find a way of addressing the yearning of our people.





Without the people, there cannot be a leader. We can see clearly what is wrong with the present system. The people and all the major political parties are calling for restructuring. We should allow people to develop at their own pace. It is the only way out of a potential crisis. That is how we can address all the agitations across the country. We support the restructuring of the nation, the monarch, who spoke through his Director, Media and Public Affairs, Adeola Oloko, said.

Another first-class traditional ruler from Eket, Akwa Ibom State, Obong Etim Abia, noted that reforming the countrys economic policies to make it more buoyant was not the focus of the call for restructuring.

I think the general opinion is that, as Nigerians, we all need to come together, sit down and discuss how we want this country to be governed. This is the only country in the world that people have to go to the centre and share money. Things cannot continue like that  that is why some people insist on resource control.





To say the country should not be restructured and that we should leave it to what the military decided to make it  with the military all from one side of the country  is unfair and unrealistic. We must agree on resource control in which every state will control its own resources and give a percentage, even if it is 50 per cent, to the centre, Abia said.

Also weighing in on the matter, the paramount ruler of Aburemi Kingdom, Ogbia, Bayelsa State, King Collins Daniel, told SUNDAY PUNCH that he disagreed with the Sultan, arguing that only restructuring would address the perennial problems of the country.

Daniel, a first-class monarch, said he did not buy into the idea of building dams across the country as the solution to the restructuring Nigerians were calling for.





The man (Sultan) who is talking about building dams across the nation is talking in respect of the Sahel region. You know this country is divided into different geographical regions. You have the savannah; you have the Sahel, the forest and the swamps. You will find out that most of the Niger Delta states are in the swamps, lowlands; the South-East and the South-West are in the forest region. The Middle Belt is in the savannah and the North-East and the North-West are in the Sahel region. Now the problem of someone that is in the North-East or North-West cannot be the same problem of the people in the swamp region; it cannot be the same with the people in the forest region.





So, what is the significance of dams? What will dams do? Dams are for those who dont get enough rains. The northerners dont have enough water, so they need dams. So, if that is the solution to their problem, that cannot be the solution of Nigeria. There is always a unifying force for people to say, Let there be restructuring. People should be able to negotiate on this structure that we have, so that a section of the country does not have undue advantage over other sections of the country, the Ogbia monarch said.

For the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo, a paramount ruler in Ondo State, there are many imbalances in the Nigerian system and only restructuring can correct them. He told our correspondent that no monarch should ignore restructuring demands.

I must say that we cannot shy away from the restructuring of this country. Remember that we are talking about an equitable society where we will all see ourselves as one and not a lopsided situation as we currently have. We need to restructure the political frame of the country; the fiscal federalism must equally be addressed.





We must, therefore, look for a way to discuss these challenges and the best way to overcome them is by the restructuring of Nigeria, the Deji of Akure said.

Similarly, an Ekiti monarch, the Ajero of Ijero, Oba Adebayo Adewole, argued that, contrary to the view of the Sultan, the country would not progress without political restructuring.

Oba Adewole said, I believe strongly in restructuring. There is no need for a region to be dragging another region behind. Each state should develop at its pace and control its resources.





This is why the Niger Delta people are agitating; they feel they are the ones generating the wealth of the nation and their region is not developed. If Nigeria is restructured, the economic and security challenges will go away.

Similarly, a first-class traditional ruler from Imo State, Obi of Ihim, Eze Oliver Ohanwe, noted that the northern monarchs preference for economic restructuring would not bring about equity, fairness and justice that Nigerians are clamouring for. He asserted that anything aside full restructuring would continue to undermine the unity of the country.

I do not agree with the Sultan of Sokoto with his take on restructuring. We need to restructure the country. Agitations for the restructuring of the country did not start today. They started during the amalgamation in 1914  most Nigerians support restructuring of the country.

In the same vein, the Okirika-Ama, Umuokirika in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of the state, Eze Dom Okoro (Eze Okirika I) told SUNDAY PUNCH that he was not surprised that the Sultan did not throw his weight being the restructuring that many Nigerians wanted.

He said, I say this because they (northerners) are beneficiaries of the current distortions in the country. By that campaign from the Sultan, they want the existing imbalance and cheating in the country to continue.





His view was shared by another paramount ruler, Dr. Ikechukwu Okoligwe, (Okukoro II) of Awo-Idemili in Orsu Local Government Area, Imo State.





The monarch said, Many Nigerians are calling for restructuring for us to have equity and fairness in the country. If we fail to do that, we would be deceiving ourselves.
The umbrella body of civil society groups, Coalition of Civil Society organisations of Nigeria, COSON and Operation Sanitize Nigeria, OSAN have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to begin grooming his successor if his health condition remains uncertain in 2019. They also called on him to douse the tension in the country by engaging all agitators and voices of dissent rather than use of brute force by Nigerian security agents.The CSOs spoke as an All Progressives Congress chieftain and presidential aspirant in the forthcoming election, Chief Charles Udeogaranya described as a thing of great joy, the return of the president to the country.The civil society coalition is the umbrella body of more than two hundred groups in Nigeria.The president of the groups, Chuks Ibegbu and the Secretary General, Aminu Mohammed called on all Nigerians to close ranks to move the country forward but insisted on justice , equity and fairplay by the ruling class in Nigeria.They also believe the 2014 Confab report should be re-visited so that the critical decisions in the document will be implemented for the future of the country.The coalition and the Operation Sanitize Nigeria hope to visit Mr President very soon to present their template for a better Nigeria and solutions to the various agitations in the country.Commenting on the Presidents early morning broadcast,Chief Udeogaranya said the doubting Thomases have seen that our president is not incapacitated.For the umpteenth time, I am still pleading with Nigerians to give our president a free hand to run his government, regardless of location. This campaign of unnecessary close-marking on the person of the President is unhealthy for the country and for anyone within the age of Mr President.Left for me, I would advise President Buhari to return back to London as soon as possible, where he can have access to a better healthcare facility.All these voices that chanted return, return, return, would be the first to laugh at him, if any mishap befalls him, but God forbid, as his well-being is critically necessary to the nation.Meantime, a cross section of Imo people, who reacted yesterday to President Muhammadu Buharis broadcast, were unanimous that he should conduct in depth research to conclusively determine the remote causes of the noticeable challenges facing the country before issuing warnings.In his own reaction, Apostle Ejike Emereonye said the five minutes broadcast was only to show that he is alive and back home.Apart from a scanty mention of Nigerias unity, all the other more contentious issues, which could even threaten the unity, were completely and carefully avoided. In short, he is yet to broadcast to Nigerians. I can bet that no professional input was made into that speech. A painstaking research could have been done to ascertain how Nigeria came to where we are, before making the broadcast, Emereonye said.For Madu Chinemerem, the President only issued subtle and advance declaration of intention against the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Ndigbo in general.What are his plans to rebalance the unprecedentedly lopsided and hegemonic political, security and economic appointments he has hoisted on us? All the strategic security and economic posts are manned by his kindred men, Chinemerem fumed.While wondering why the President did not make reference to such issues, Chinemerem also urged President Buhari to conduct in depth research to determine the remote causes of the challenges before issuing warnings.In his own reaction, Mr. Ken Agbim said the Presidents broadcast did not offer any hope to Nigerians.The Presidents broadcast this morning (yesterday), didnt offer us any hope. It was practically empty. He should have made a five-minute speech at the airport on arrival, Agbim said.Chief Sylvanus Ozoemena said he was aligning himself with the President on governments stand that people were free to live and do their legitimate businesses in any part of the country.Ndigbo have huge investments in every part of Nigeria. No other ethnic group has the same level of investment in other lands like Ndigbo, Ozoemena said.Answering a question, Chief Ozoemena said it was most regrettable that Igbo entrepreneurs chose to industrialize other lands and left their home empty.I am happy that the President did not back the elements that issued quit notice to Ndigbo. He should please look into the causes of these agitations, Ozoemena pleaded.
The newly appointed Secretary of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Prof. Musa Abubakar, on Monday assumed office in line with the directive of the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.However, it was learnt that Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, had yet to assume office as the ICPC chairman.One of our correspondents, who visited the ICPC on Monday, learnt that the outgoing Chairman of the ICPC, Ekpo Nta, who has since been redeployed to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, had not yet handed over to Owasanoye.It was learnt that rather than hand over to Owasanoye in line with Osinbajos directive, Nta travelled to Vienna to attend a United Nations event on anti-corruption which is also being attended by the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.A source at the ICPC said, Prof. Owasanoye is expected to assume duty this week. The outgoing chairman had been booked for the event before the Vice-Presidents directive so he did not defy anybody.The newly-appointed Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Dr. Muhammad Isah, and other members of the bureau, did not resume office on Monday as earlier directed on Friday by Osinbajo who was then the Acting President.The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation had in a statement indicated that Osinbajo directed that the appointees should assume office in acting capacities pending their confirmation by the Senate.Newly-appointed chairmen and members of the National Pension Commission, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission were also said to have been directed to take over in acting capacities by Osinbajo.Some officials of the CCB confided in one of our correspondents on Monday, that the newly-appointed chairman and members of the bureau were being expected by the heads of various units of the bureau on Monday but none of them showed up in office.Top officers of the bureau were expecting the new appointees at the head office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja. But as of 3pm, the new acting chairman and other members of the bureau had yet to resume, one of the sources, who pleaded to remain anonymous told one of our correspondents.The Head of Press and Public Relations of the CCB, Mr. Idris Mohammed, confirmed to one of our correspondents that the acting chairman, Isah, and others had not resumed.They did not resume today (Monday). But they will resume soon, Mohammed said.Other newly-appointed acting members are, Murtala Kankia, Emmanuel E. Attah, Danjuma Sado, UboloI. Okpanachi, Ken Madaki, Alkali, Prof.S. F Ogundare, Mr. Ganiyu Hamzat, Saad A. Abubakar and Vincent Nwanli.Investigations by one of our correspondents at the headquarters of the National Pension Commission showed that the newly-appointed Director General, Funso Doherty, had yet to assume duties at the commissionAttempts to get comments from the spokesperson for the commission, Mr. Emeka Onuora, were not successful as calls sent to him did not go though while a text message sent to his mobile phone had yet to be responded to.
Leader of Biafra Independence Movement, BIM, and founder of Movement for Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has dismissed President Buharis stand on Nigerias unity.Buhari had in his broadcast, shortly on his return from a medical trip in London, said Nigerias unity is not negotiable, adding that every Nigerian is free to reside in any part of the country of his or her choice.But in a reaction to the broadcast, Uwazuruike, who spoke through Biafra Director of Information, Mazi Chris Mocha, yesterday, at BIMs Regional office, Umueri in Anambra East Local Government Area said nobody can stop Gods plan for granting Biafra an independence from Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari is holding a meeting with service chiefs at his residence in AbujaAccording to reports, the Chief of Defence, Maj. Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibot-Ete Ibas are at the meeting.Buhari returned from 104 days medical vacation in London, United Kingdom on Saturday.In an address to Nigerians on Monday, the president had vowed to tackle the problem of insecurity, while insisting Nigerias unity is unnegotiable.
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday assured the people of South East that his administration will give them their fair share in appointments and allocation of projects.President Buhari gave this assurance on Tuesday when he received a coalition of southeast youths group who were at the Presidential Villa gate to declare support for him.The President who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina when he received the youth group said the president would do everything possible to keep the nation together.Leader of the group, Steve Anyata, said they visited to declare support for Buharis administration.He thanked God for bringing the president back home safely from his medical vacation in London.Also Security Chiefs meet in a closed-door with President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence, Presidential Villa, Abuja.The meeting which started around 11am has in attendance the National Security Adviser, NSA, the Chief of Staff to the President, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Defence as well as the Inspector General of Police, IGP, and Director General, Department of State Security Service, DSS.Also at the meeting are the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff.Although the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, it may not be unconnected with the renewed onslaught by the Boko Haram sect in the North East and other security challenges in the country.It is also an opportunity by the security egg-heads to brief the President on security situations in the country since he traveled out of the country for medical attention.Recall that President Buhari left the country on 7th May for medical vacation in London, the United Kingdom and came back on 19th August about 104 days out of the country.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, Monday, held a closed-door meeting with the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in his official home at th...

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, Monday, held a closed-door meeting with the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in his official home at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.The President who resumed work after his medical vacation that lasted about 104 days in London, the United Kingdom, operated from his official residence where he received visitors including some governors that visited him. The Personal Assistant to the president on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, had in his twitter handle disclosed that Julius Berger Construction Company was carrying out renovation work in the President office which had made it imperative for him to operate from his residence pending when the renovations would be through.Ahmad, in his twitter handle, handle@BashirAhmaad, twitted, Some renovations are ongoing at the office. His fully equipped office in his residence. Hell be back to the main office after the works. It was gathered that the Vice President, Prof. Osinbajo, on his return from Lagos where he had earlier attended a conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, proceeded to Buharis residence a few minutes after 3pm where they both held a closed door.
By Jude Ndukwe President Muhammadu Buharis 103 days absence from Nigeria based on medical reasons, left Nigeria drifting further apa...

By Jude Ndukwe





President Muhammadu Buharis 103 days absence from Nigeria based on medical reasons, left Nigeria drifting further apart away from what a nation should look like. There were palpable tensions everywhere, sharp divisions among the people, rise in police brutality against the citizens as epitomized by the treatment meted out to the Resume or Resign protesters, increase in the general feeling of insecurity with Boko Haram terrorists becoming even more daring than ever before etc.





All these agitated the minds of Nigerians leading to very strong suspicions that the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, was being limited in the exercise of his powers as Acting President by the infamous cabal touted to call the shot at the Villa no matter who is Head of Government.





It is strongly believed that most of these grave afflictions currently affecting Nigeria were seeds sown by the president himself and some members of his government through their speeches and actions before and since the APC administration came to power in May 2015. One would therefore have expected that the period of his illness would have served as a third opportunity divinely provided him to deeply reflect on ways to weed out every seed of discord and division he and his government have sown among the people and reverse his anti-democratic credential baggage with which he moved into Aso Rock.





But Buhari does not seem to be a man ready to learn and make amends for his shortcomings and excesses even if given a hundredth opportunity.





Having returned from London after so much time in near-solitary confinement, Buhari seemed to have come back with no ointment but more venom that neither does his health any good nor the nation any better. He still carries on in a fashion that typically depicts him as a dictator that he was in his first coming as a military ruler.





For example, in his 6-minute post London speech to the nation, what should have been used as nerve-soothing opportunity to turn the negative vibes in the polity into positive ones, bandage every wounded citizen, nurse the country with words of hope, courage and vision of a bright future, Buhari addressed the nation like a man hungry to avenge whatever wrong he perceives the citizens have done him simply because they criticize his government, and rightly so, and demand good governance from him. He sees the citizens as conquered fellows who should not dare question his authority or actions. To Buhari and his managers, Nigeria is a conquered State and the citizens are nothing but sub-humans that must be threatened, cowed, commanded, ordered and destroyed.





Yes, Buhari said criminals should be destroyed relentlessly. Such a statement emboldens security agents to act with impunity just like most of them have continued to do under this administration. Buhari should know that we have processes of dealing with criminals. There are laws for such elements in our society. In destroying criminals relentlessly as Buhari ordered, it is possible to also destroy innocent Nigerians in the process. Nigeria is not a jungle!





Buhari set the tone for a speech that immediately tells the citizens their place in the eyes of the president right from the opening statement, My dear citizens. Truth is that we are not Buharis citizens. We are citizens of Nigeria, and Buhari is not Nigeria and can never be Nigeria. By that opening statement, it is obvious what Buhari thinks of us as Nigerians: his citizens.





Are we then surprised that almost every of his words and actions are directed at us like a conquered people, a people who belong to no country but to him. Not even the late General Sani Abacha, as dictatorial as he was in one of the darkest eras of our history addressed us as My dear citizens. Even he was courteous enough to start his addresses with a more polite line like Fellow Nigerians or Compatriots. But to Buhari, we are his citizens, his property!





It was at that point I knew the speech was not only going to be drab and uninspiring but that it would also be a disaster!





And what was that about him hosting the late Dim Emeka Ojukwu in his Daura home where they both discussed in great depth till late into the night and analyzed the problems of Nigeria and came to the conclusion that the country must remain one and united?





The import of this in the speech is lost on Nigerians because one would wonder if Buhari had taken to heart his discussion with Ojukwu on those two nights, he would not have made such a calamitous mistake of dividing the nation along 97% vs 5% lines in one of his latter pronouncements. He would have brought to justice those trigger happy military officers who mowed down harmless Igbo in the name of a crackdown on IPOB members. He would have brought to justice those army officers and personnel who wantonly massacred members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (Shiites) over a period of two days in Zaria and he would have taken firm actions against Fulani herdsmen terrorists who murdered fellow Nigerians in Agatu, Enugu, Nasarawa, Taraba, Abia, Ondo etc.





Surely Ojukwu being a man who would not stand injustice would not have told Buhari in that their now famous discussion that his actions of today encourage oneness and unity of the country.





To say that Nigerians who ask one form of question or the other concerning our collective existence as a nation have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation is a step too far is another pointer to the presidents unrepentant brashness. Everywhere in the world, in UK, Spain, etc, people are raising questions about their collective existence. As it is in those other places, it is not the questioning that is the issue but the handling of such questioning.





While the UK, Spain and other places are subjecting such questionings to democratic processes, in Nigeria, those who dare ask similar pertinent questions are criminalized and issued with official threats.





The truth is that we are not deterred! Buhari and his team can go ahead and threaten us with whatever is at their disposal, we will continue to speak and ask questions. That is within our rights. Whatever is Buharis reactions to them is entirely his own decision. If we could preserve our rights under Abacha and overcame his excesses, we would not give up our rights for Buhari no matter how hard he tries for us to do so.





Rather than empathise with Nigerians for the failed promises and untold hardship visited on them by his administration, Buhari squandered the golden opportunity presented by his illness to court the support and cooperation of Nigerians and decided to further alienate himself from the masses.

Every group has a grievance. But the beauty and attraction of a federation is that it allows different groups to air their grievances and work out a mode of co-existence but that is not when you criminalise and threaten such groups who have expressed their grievances without taking up arms against the State.





That speech was a bad dream. To save us from its misfortune, let us all just pretend it did not happen and that Buhari would address us in a nationwide broadcast tomorrow!





jtndukwe@yahoo.co.uk; Twitter: Stjudendukwe
Leader of the Biafra Zionists Federation, Barr. Benjamin Onwuka, on Tuesday described President Muhammadu Buharis nationwide broadcast as...

Leader of the Biafra Zionists Federation, Barr. Benjamin Onwuka, on Tuesday described President Muhammadu Buharis nationwide broadcast as a compendium of lies.

Onwuka, who spoke to journalists in Enugu, said the Presidents statement that late Biafra leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu disowned Biafra was false.





Onwuka, who had few weeks back declared himself the President of Biafra, challenged Buhari to provide an audio and transcript evidence of the said meeting between him (Buhari) and Ojukwu.





Recall that Buhari, in a nationwide broadcast, marking his return to the country said he sat with the former warlord in 2003 and they both agreed that the unity of Nigeria was not negotiable.





But Onwuka, while disputing the statement, said, We are speaking today in response to the broadcast said to have been made by Buhari. We want to let the world know that Buhari is wasting his time; he has been defeated.





He didnt start failing today; he supported Hillary Clinton during the US election, but they all failed; he knows it.





So, his broadcast is a waste of time; a compendium of lies; Biafrans challenge him, let him produce the transcript; we saw what they posted on his twitter handle and called it a video. This is very comedic. When has a picture become a video. Where is the voice, where is the motion; where is the transcript? What he has dished out is a far-cry; we are asking for a video evidence, with the audio, the transcript of that meeting. Let us see what they agreed on.





Above all, I dont believe what he is saying; if that is what happened, let him come up with evidence. Odumegwu Ojukwu, I believe will never compromise on Biafras independence. He was the one that led us to war, except that he made mistake of not accepting offer from Russia. Thats what the Zionists have done by seeking support from US.





The broadcast he made, Ojukwu could never have compromised; let his provide the evidence and what Ojukwu said. Even if it is what Ojukwu said, Ojukwu is not speaking for Biafra; Biafrans are a nation; a nation is more important than one person.





So, Ojukwu can never betray Biafra. Why didnt he say this when Ojukwu was alive? He should have told us then. When that meeting held, he should have given us an opportunity, where two of them would have come out and told us, we believe in one Nigeria.





Why now, because the man has died, you are now coming up with allegations against him, because the grave cannot speak? So, whatever he said Ojukwu told him, we dont buy into it.





Biafra has come to stay with the backing of US. Our matter is right now at the desk of the US President. So, Buhari is wasting his time.





He is even calling us irresponsible because he is benefiting form our oil. Where in the world are people agitating for freedom called irresponsible people?





What will he call Boko Haram members? The only reason is that he he is feeding from our oil, allocating oil blocks and all that. Without the oil, there will be no Nigeria. He can say whatever he likes.





On Buharis stance on Biafra agitators, Onwuka added: We also want to let him know that since he said unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable, the restoration of Biafra is also non-negotiable.





When asked to comment on an interim government he claimed to have formed few weeks back, he said, Im not claiming to be president on my own; United States under Obama recognized Biafra on 15th October, 2014. The zionists believe in international diplomacy.





Let me assure those people appointed that the interim government stands until we hear from the White House. So, the interim government and our announcement on Biafra, they are still intact; we are waiting to get reply from US but the government we formed is intact, upon the return of Trump from vacation, Biafra will take off. Obama and Trump will make Biafra to be a reality.





My cabinet members have reacted, some negative, but I know they will come around; the interim government is alive but we cannot activate it until we get a signal from the White House. But I know that all those saying no now, they will later come around.





Those we appointed from the Middle belt are part of us; the Middle belt belongs to us, including Southern Kaduna. We are going to give Southern Kaduna a State and that State shall be called Gurara State.





We shall also restore peace between Cross River and Ebonyi. The boundary dispute is a result of weak government. They dont care that we are killing ourselves so long as they are taking our oil. But Biafra will not allow any form of boundary crisis, that we can assure our people; there will be absolute peace.
One of the fastest growing and most important pieces of the American economy is also often one of the most overlooked. Despite accounting for an estimated $324 billion in GDP in 2012 -- over 2% of the total economy -- growing at annual clips that exceed 10%, and accounting for over 5% of the total economy's growth from 2007 to 2012, the biotech sector doesn't get the policy attention it deserves.

While Uncle Sam has taken a hands-off approach to nurturing one of its prized economic drivers, the tiny Netherlands is doing things quite a bit differently. I recently had the chance to meet with representatives and entrepreneurs from Holland at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in Montreal to learn more. Turns out, the United States could learn a thing or two.

Europe vs. Uncle Sam

The biotech sector, or bioeconomy, is defined as all revenue generated from genetically modified microbes, plants, and cell lines. Although the word "biotech" is often used interchangeably with "biopharma", that's an insult to the power of biology. And in fact, biopharma is the smallest part of the biotech sector!

The bioeconomy spans biopharmaceuticals, agriculture, and industrial chemicals and materials, which contributed an estimated $91 billion, $128 billion, and $105 billion, respectively, to American GDP in 2012.

The numbers show that the United States is clearly doing something right, which is supported by the fact that it boasts leading global companies in each subsector:

Company Market Cap 1H 2017 Sales Dividend Yield Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) $123.6 billion $11.3 billion 2.7% Monsanto (NYSE: MON) $51.2 billion $9.4 billion 1.8% DuPont (NYSE: DD) $70.3 billion $763 million* 1.9%

But the Netherlands -- with an economy that is one-20th the size of America's -- punches well above its weight class. It's home to leading biobased chemical companies such as Avantium, Corbion (which just scooped up Silicon Valley's TerraVia out of bankruptcy), and Royal DSM.

Company Market Cap 1H 2017 Sales Dividend Yield Royal DSM $13.4 billion $5.1 billion 2.9% Corbion $1.8 billion $546.2 million 4.1%

Royal DSM is actually a great example of the country's dedication to the bioeconomy. While it's impressive that it tops DuPont as the leading industrial biotech company in the world today in terms of revenue, it's even more so when you consider its former focus: coal mining. "DSM" literally stands for "Dutch State Mines." Today, it's entirely focused on biobased chemicals production.

The crown jewel of Holland's bioeconomy is helping to drive success, but there are many other attractive characteristics that make Holland a great location for a world-leading bioeconomy:

The Netherlands is home to 19 of the top 25 chemical companies in the world including Dow Chemical , Neste, and Royal Dutch Shell .

, Neste, and . The country is also home to the Port of Rotterdam, which is the world's third-largest port and leading processor of petrochemical products for Western Europe.

Northern Europe is home to the lowest cost sugar (the primary input for biobased chemical manufacturing) in the world. While the industry has raced to America's Corn Belt and Brazilian sugarcane, a Deloitte report concluded they're actually more expensive than sugar beets from the Netherlands.

So, what is the tiny European country doing to nurture its biotech sector specifically? Creating industrial complexes that have all the amenities a chemical manufacturing start-up needs to get off the ground.

From idea to scale-up, entrepreneurs have access to government funding, leading academics, and technical know-how from some of the world's leading chemical manufacturers -- all in one place. There's nothing quite like it in the United States (more on that below).

Start-ups can work in research and development labs for proof of concept, move to pilot-scale facilities to begin working on manufacturing processes, and work with government and industry leaders to ultimately commercialize new biotechnologies. It could prove to be a huge long-term advantage.

What America can learn from the Netherlands

Put another way, Holland is investing to create biotechnology ecosystems. That's a lot easier to do with the Port of Rotterdam, cheap sugar, and top companies. Then again, the United States isn't lacking in those areas.

To be fair, Uncle Sam's way of doing business isn't completely misguided. DARPA is the world's leading investor in synthetic biology. The United States has a network of national labs investigating various scientific questions. And several large biotech companies have established their own venture capital funds to fund new start-ups.

But it could be even better with a government- and industry-supported industrial complex or two (or 10). After all, the timelines of industrial entrepreneurs and venture capitalists -- who too often decide the fate of American hard tech start-ups -- are rarely aligned. It takes significantly more time and money to be successful in manufacturing than it does with an app. Just ask Elon Musk.

At the end of the day, there is no national policy that acknowledges the importance of the American bioeconomy and encourages investment and innovation in the sector. We don't even track its contribution to the economy -- all numbers provided here were from one individual who's taken on that mammoth task.

That means the United States -- and investors -- are missing out on some big opportunities, even though biotech revenue rivals other huge economic sectors such as mining and semiconductors. Thanks to new biotech tools and platforms, there's no reason the bioeconomy can't continue growing at 10% per annum for the foreseeable future. That's especially true as biology can and will be used to make everything from DNA-powered data centers to metallic nanoparticles for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. But these new technologies will be severely delayed -- or developed in other countries -- if the United States continues with neglect as the status quo.

The Netherlands understands that innovation can be bolstered with intelligent policies that involves all stakeholders. Uncle Sam would be wise to learn that.

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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described as an aberration, yesterdays public holiday declared by Kogi State government in honour of the return of President Muhammadu Buhari.The partys State Director for Research and Documentation, Achadu Dickson, in a statement yesterday in Lokoja, said: While governance in the state has drifted and at its lowest ebb in the last 17 months, with workers owed salaries and pension, the heavy indebtedness by the state to commercial banks to the tune of N35 billion, with nothing to show in terms of infrastructure, leaves much to be desired by the declaration of a public holiday yesterday.PDP shares in the health recovery of Mr. President, and has always joined in the prayers for his quick recovery.But loss of man hours with the public holiday is an indication that we have reached the lowest ebb in terms of governance.The governments action shows that we have entered a one chance in which the ship of state is heading to no direction.PDP said citizens should pray for God to heal the state, saying the state has lost focus.
The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, has described the Presidents speech as a missed opportunity to reconnect with Nigerians.The party said the speech, which was aimed at intimidating Nigerians, did not address pertinent issues the citizens expected their President to tackle.The statement, which was signed by the Head of Administration of the party, Chinwe Nnorom, said Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief when their President arrived in the country after more than three months in London.It said, When last Friday the Presidency issued a statement intimating the people of the imminent return of President Buhari to the country after his more than three-month medical vacation in London with, not a few Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief, thanking God for delivering our President and expectantly looked forward to a robust speech that would boost the confidence of the people in the capacity of the government to continue to take on the huge challenges of governance.However, rather than rekindle that hope and confidence, that speech can most charitably be described as a monumental anticlimax.The President and his handlers missed a golden opportunity to reconnect with the people through addressing issues that have direct bearing on their well-being and those of their children and dependents.Indeed, the Presidents speech did not contain anything new. The PDP had had cause to commend the then Acting President for going round the country to engage with relevant stakeholders, which certainly was a better approach.The party added that its believed that rather than rehashing the worn-out cliches about Nigerias unity not being negotiable, Nigerians would have loved to hear their President come out definitively to tell them what realistic measures his government intended to take to uproot the causes of the perennial agitations that were becoming a recurring decimal in the national discourse.The statement added, The casual mention of elements of Boko Haram, kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes, among others, was also somewhat on the perfunctory side and does not imbue confidence.President Buhari returned to the country in a week that saw the closure of all our public universities as a result of the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.Yet, not even a whimper from our President. Has the future of the future leaders of our country sunk so low in the estimation of our current leaders that the issue was considered not important enough to command a mention in the Presidents address?
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reacted to the presidential broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reacted to the presidential broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari.





Its position was issued in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital, through national publicity secretary, Prince Achi Okpaga.





On hate speeches, he stated that the APC were responsible for such, advising them to first purge themselves before accusing others.





I join other well-meaning Nigerians in thanking God for the Presidents miraculous recovery.





It is however pertinent for the government to get on with business and start implementing the budget to the fullest.





This administration has less than two years to prove its mettle, in all ramifications, to Nigerians.





I am tempted to observe that the achievement the government is crediting to itself is a mere political choreography, he said.





Meanwhile, Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has said it is hypocritical of President Muhammadu Buhari to believe in one Nigeria.





MASSOB leader, Uchenna Madu said this while disagreeing with the Presidents remark on the unity of Nigeria.





Buhari in his address to the nation, following his return from London, where he spent over 100-days had harped on the unity of Nigeria.





However, Madu, in a statement said: We the people of Biafra can never be deceived by a man fully blooded with religious, ethnic sentimental and hatred against the people of Biafra.





Buhari in his inner sense of reasoning believes that with his kinsmen occupying the military positions of service chiefs, including all the most senior military offices/positions, he will easily crush Biafra.





Maybe with his intimidating tendencies over Igbo governors, National Assembly members, religious/opinion/ political leaders, he still thinks he can crush Biafra.
Following the nationwide broadcast on Monday by President Muhammadu Buhari, scores of Nigerians have barred their minds on the speech, w...

Following the nationwide broadcast on Monday by President Muhammadu Buhari, scores of Nigerians have barred their minds on the speech, with many describing same as disappointing.In his reaction, former Minister of Aviation and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Femi Fani-Kayode described the broadcast as uninspiring, noting that the Commander-in-Chief ought to apologize to Nigerians over the incompetence of his administration since its inauguration in over two years ago.During his thoroughly uninspiring six minute broadcast this morning (yesterday), instead of appealing to Nigerians for patience and understanding and instead of apologizing to them for the ineptitude and sheer incompetence that his government has displayed over the last 2 years, President Muhammadu Buhari has returned home after 105 days on his sick bed in the United Kingdom and not only insulted Nigerians but also threatened them.He made no attempt to reach out to the people, to build bridges and to calm the troubled waters in what is clearly a traumatized and divided nation and instead he sought to intimidate and talk down on our people and his perceived enemies, he wrote on his blog. Not done, the former Minister expressed dismay over the inability of the first citizen to realize that times have indeed changed and that imposition of ones will on others is no longer tenable. He further said that in order to enhance national unity; there must be a clear understanding and closer relationship between him (Buhari) and Nigerians. The President appears to have failed to appreciate the fact that times have changed and that he cannot impose his will on others.If he wants to enhance national unity, which is of course a noble and righteous venture, and if he really wants Nigeria to remain one, then he must desist from his dangerous and provocative rhetoric; he must treat all Nigerians like human beings and as equals; he must exhibit a much higher degree of sobriety and accommodation of contrary and dissenting views and he must display far more sensitivity, understanding and restraint in his interactions and discourse with the opposition and those that do not agree with him.Failing that and without a quick recourse to the devolution of power from the centre and the neat and timely restructuring of what is essentially a fake pseudo-federation and a functional unitary state, the agitation for emancipation will become more pronounced, the various ethnic nationalities in this country will eventually exercise their right of self-determination and our nation will eventually break, he wrote, adding that what the President is unable to grasp and fails to comprehend is this: we are not children, we are not animals and we refuse to be second class citizens. Fani-Kayode also decried the Presidents refusal to order the arrest of those who issued quit notice to a section of the country.Worse of all, other than saying that every Nigerian has the right to live in any part of the country, which in itself is undoubtedly a welcome and gratifying assertion, he refused to order the arrest or threaten to cage and bring to justice those that gave the Igbo people a chilling quit notice and that have promised to unleash genocide, ethnic cleansing and mass murder on them if they refused to abide by it and leave the north by October 1st. This strange omission and instructive refusal by Mr. President is unacceptable and it feeds into the narrative that there may well be some kind of frightful hidden agenda unfolding.It was also a missed opportunity to allay the legitimate fears and genuine concerns of many Igbo and southerners that live in the north, he added.
As Nigerians continue to react to the Monday morning presidential address by Muhammadu Buhari following his return from the United K...





As Nigerians continue to react to the Monday morning presidential address by Muhammadu Buhari following his return from the United Kingdom, there are pressing issues Nigerians expected President Buhari to address, but he was silent about them, creating doubts and fears in the minds of many, especially in the social media.

The President addressed Nigeria on Monday following his return to the country from London after spending over 100 days on medical vacation.





While some Nigerians have applauded the president for the speech and termed it a summary of what is expected in few days, some Nigerians have on the other end rated the speech low following his inability to provide details of action-plan.





Analysts have, however, pointed out that they expected President Buhari to give more details about his intention, whether good or bad, especially if he has a clean bill of health.





But his media aides, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu have since defended the speech, saying, Nigerians are already aware of all that have gone wrong while the president was away, and that going into the nitty-gritty was unnecessary. They said that in a couple of days, it would become visibly clear what Buhari will do, now that he is back.





Here, we take a look at five key issues the President failed to address in his nationwide speech.





1. The President did not mention anything on his health status as Nigerians need to know the status and whether Buhari will go for another follow up. Recall that in his address after the first medical vacation, the president had made it clear that he would return for further treatment as advised by his doctor.





2. The President failed to give hope to the striking Academic Staff Union of University  ASUU. The university lecturers have been on strike for over a week now.





3. President Buhari did not discuss the Nigerian economy, on whether its recovering or still stagnant. He also failed to say if Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has carried on well or not.





4. During his stay in the United Kingdom, the attention of Nigerians was drawn to certain hyenas and jackals in the Presidency by Aisha Buhari and Senator Shehu Sani, where wife of the President promised that his husband will return and remove them from the government, but Buhari did not speak on the cabals.





5. We also understand that there have been speculations of cabinet reshuffle in various quarters, but the President was silent on that during his address. Garba Shehu had while addressing same, said the president did not announce his cabinet in a national broadcast, hence the announcement will come on its own, and not during the national address.





culled: Daily Post
Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has said it is hypocritical of President Muhammadu Buhari to beli...

Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has said it is hypocritical of President Muhammadu Buhari to believe in one Nigeria.

MASSOB leader, Uchenna Madu said this while disagreeing with the Presidents remark on the unity of Nigeria.





Buhari in his address to the nation, following his return from London, where he spent over 100-days had harped on the unity of Nigeria.





However, Madu, in a statement said: We the people of Biafra can never be deceived by a man fully blooded with religious, ethnic sentimental and hatred against the people of Biafra.





Buhari in his inner sense of reasoning believes that with his kinsmen occupying the military positions of service chiefs, including all the most senior military offices/positions, he will easily crush Biafra.





Maybe with his intimidating tendencies over Igbo governors, National Assembly members, religious/opinion/ political leaders, he still thinks he can crush Biafra.
Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose, yesterday, challenged President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressives Congress, APC, to face governance squarely and deliver the gains of democracy to Nigerians, saying the people are hungry not only for food but also for development.Speaking after a brief meeting at Asaba International Airport with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Secretary, PDP Caretaker Committee, Senator Ben Obi, enroute Anambra State for the PDP governorship primaries, Fayose said: We are happy that President Buhari is back, it is a welcome development but Nigerians are hungry, they need food, they need development.We in PDP know what is right for Nigerians and we know that democracy is strengthened by opposition. APC should face governance squarely and give Nigerians democratic dividends, he said, congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari on his return from medical leave.On the Anambra State guber primaries, he assured members of the party of fairness, transparency and justice in the partys affairs, adding that the leadership of the party was re-strategizing to ensure success in future elections.Expressing optimism that the unity and reconciliation of party members will bring political gains in 2019, Fayose said: This is a new beginning for our party, it is part of the efforts of our party to ensure due process and that everybody gets justice. With the calibre of men in our national committee, you can be rest assured of transparency, justice and fairness.He added that governors elected on the platform of the PDP were committed to working together with the party leadership with a view to repositioning the party and eventually winning the 2019 national election.
Former Vice President and a chieftain of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Atiku Abubakar, has charged Nigerians to assist President Muhammadu Buhari succeed in the onerous task of national development rather than focusing on needless distractions.Welcoming the President back home after his medical leave in the United Kingdom, the Wazirin Adamawa in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said every well meaning Nigerian should be happy with the recovery of the President.According to him, a healthy and stronger Buhari will be able to concentrate more vigorously on the task of implementing his campaign promises to Nigerians.He explained that President Buharis recovery was good news for the country and Nigerians because It would reduce the needless conspiracy theories surrounding his health and long absence.Atiku advised Nigerians to help the President succeed by focusing on issues that unite us rather than those that divide us, and, thereby, distract the President from attending to the tasks at hand.Meanwhile, former chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council IPAC and national chairman, National Conscience Party NCP, Dr Tanko Yusuf, has picked holes in yesterdays presidential broadcast, saying the President should have given Nigerians a peep into his health status, if only to dispel rumours that he was poisoned.He said: Ab initio, I was one of those who said Mr President should help in declaring the status of his health, not for anything but because Nigerians need to know, so that we will be able to address issues properly so that it the rumour that he was poisoned.he has to dispel that particular rumour.Also, national chairman of the United Democratic Party UDP, Barr. Godson Okoye, said: Buhari is the President of the country and he said what he was expected to say to reassure Nigerians. Of course, he would tell people to calm down, that things will be alright. He has not been in the country for a while and I am sure he is being briefed about what has been going on in the country.Reacting to the broadcast, national chairman of African Democratic Congress ADC, Chief Okey Nwosu, described it as depressing.He said: We have to thank God that our President came back healthy and strong but I must say that the Presidents speech is very depressing. And this goes to show the nature of people around him.On its part, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, faulted the President for not taking a position on the vexed issue of restructuring, but however commended him for his resolve to frontally tackle security and economic challenges.
In furtherance to the agitation for local government autonomy, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has joined Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, in calling on the National Assembly and states Assemblies to speedily pass the bill into law.Labour made the call, yesterday, during a rally in Calabar, Cross River State, to support local government autonomy.State Chairman of NLC, Mr. John Ushie, stated that the 1999 Constitution guarantees local government autonomy, but that the right has been denied them over time.According to him, this has rendered local governments incapacitated and made them unable to deliver their statutory services to the masses.Also speaking, President of NULGE in the state, Mr. Godwin Ayendi, described local government autonomy as real and practical in a democracy.Receiving the unions petition, Speaker of the states House, Mr. John Lebo, said the cry for local government autonomy is not only NULGEs, but of the lawmakers and that the House will do everything possible for its actualisation.
Governor Yahaya Bello declared Monday, August 21st a public holiday to celebrate the safe return of President Buhari from the UK.

Governor Yahaya Bello declared Monday, August 21st a public holiday to celebrate the safe return of President Buhari from the UK.

The state governor, his commissioners and civil servants took to the street to dance and express their joy at President Buhari's return. See more photos below:




















The National Chairman, Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Chief Peter Ameh, said President Muhammadu Buharis broadcast on Monday would strengthen Nigerias unity.Ameh stated this in an interview with the Newsmen in Abuja while reacting to the broadcast.He said that he particularly appreciated guide on indivisibility of the country provided by the meeting between Buhari and the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu as recalled by the president.He said that he had no problem with the president spending over 100 days outside the country on medical vacation but that there was need to strengthen the countrys health institutions.The only problem we have as an opposition party is that our medical institutions should have been strengthened enough.In the 21st century, putting your president in the hands of another country is not safe, because if they have something against us they can harm him.You see the high level of investigation that people are doing in the world, America having 750 spies in Russia, and Russia having the same thing.You can imagine how much they have here and we are talking about the health of our president and the state, because it is also connected with the future of our country.Let our educational system be strong; let people not go for education tourism. Let our health system be strong and let our president not go for medical tourism.Buhari has gone on medical tourism, but let the person coming after him not go. Let him be able to establish structures that will address medical tourism outside.I hope that the leadership of the country will use this as a force to develop health institutions in the country, Ameh said.On why the president did not speak on the state of his health, he said that Buhari may have decided to make it personal as no constitutional provision compelled him to make it public.Maybe he has his reservations but transparency should be brought to the process and Nigeria should keep praying for him.I dont belong to his party, I dont share the idea of his party but I do not wish him dead, he said.The PPA chairman prayed for full recovery of the president to enable concentrate on the governance of the country and make Nigerians to benefit from the resources that God gave to the country.We need somebody that will be able to pilot the affairs of the country in a way that everybody will be happy.
Saudi Arabia has apologised to the Federal Government of Nigeria over an alleged maltreatment of two pilgrims by its security agents in Medina.The Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Mohammad Albijawi, gave the apology on behalf of the Royal leaders of the Kingdom when he visited the victims at Wefada Al Zahra Hotel on Al Salam Street Markazziya, in Medina.He expressed regret over the unfortunate incident and assured that it would not happen again.The Deputy Minister said Saudi authorities would never tolerate such kind of embarrassment of pilgrims and would take measures to ensure all those who participated in maltreatment of pilgrims were brought to book.He added that Saudi would continue to ensure better handling of pilgrims, particularly while in the Kingdom.He said that the Kingdom was committed to delivering the needed service to Nigerian pilgrims and others around the world.He said  we shall continue to provide effective service to pilgrims. What brought us here today is the issue of the two pilgrims that were maltreated somehow by our security agents. We are here to say sorry and regret the issue and assure you that such things will never happen again. On behalf of the King, the Governor of Madina and all the royal leaders in this kingdom, we are here to once again express our apology to you for what has happened and to assure you that the Kingdom will never allow such a thing happen again.The Deputy Minister restated the determination of the government to provide the needed services to the pilgrims, adding that the responsibilities of the Kingdom would continue to be upheld.He said the authority cherished all pilgrims and would continue to serve them by ensuring they stayed in peace throughout the period of Hajj.Amb. Umar Salisu, Charge d Affairs, Embassy of Nigeria in Saudi Arabia, said the governor of Medina informed him about the type of punishment that would be given to the perpetrators of the incident. We really appreciate the action taken by the Saudi Authority to bring those people to book and continue to allow Nigerian pilgrims to perform their hajj rites without any fear of harassment, molestation and maltreatment. According to Saudi Authority, this is happening for the first time and it will be the last,  Salisu said.Two pilgrims from Nasarawa State were allegedly detained and manhandled on arrival at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina on Aug. 19.It took the intervention of the Secretary of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON ), Dr. Bello Tambuwal, before they were released.Tambuwal, who is also the Coordinator of Medina Hajj Operation, petitioned the Saudi Ministry for Hajj Affairs over the issue and demanded immediate action on the perpetrators.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, the umbrella body of Fulani Herdsmen, on Monday warned the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fay...

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, the umbrella body of Fulani Herdsmen, on Monday warned the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose to tender an unreserved apology to President Muhammadu Buhari over his disparaging comments on the Presidents health.





The National Coordinator of the body, Alhaji Garus Gololo, warned that should Fayose fail to apologise to Buhari, the body will drag him to court.





Speaking in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, Gololo said rather than execute his constitutional duty of providing good governance which he was elected for, Fayose chose to attack Buhari while on a hospital bed.





According to Gololo, We MACBA have met at our level here and resolved that the Ekiti State governor should publicly apologise to Nigerias President who he had mocked and made several comments he is not morally and professionally supposed to.





We know that while other Nigerians were praying for PMB quick recovery, Fayose was praying for Mr. President to die. He even went ahead asking people to begin to address him as the next president of Nigeria while Buhari is still alive, but thank God, Buhari did not die.





So, our president is back to the country to continue with the governance of Nigeria. It is now our turn to demand Fayose to apologize or we will go after him legally.
Workers in Ondo state yesterday agreed to sheath their sword following the states resolve to pay the 20 percent balance of salary arrears for September 2016.Earlier, government had paid 80 percent of the arrears of the months salary inherited from the immediate past administration which left seven months salaries unpaid.On assumption of office the present administration paid the August salary in full but on receipt of the latest N7billion Paris club refund paid just 80 percent for the outstanding September salaries.This made the organised labour in the state to kick insisting that it is either 100 percent or nothing.Sensing that the workers were spoiling for war, the state government met with the leaders of the unions and after three hours meeting at the governors office, both agreed to a truce on the payment of remaining 20 percent salary arrears for the month.Addressing newsmen, the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Bosede Daramola, said government has agreed to pay the remainder of 20 percent.Other labour leaders at the meeting included her Trade Union Congress, TUC, counterpart, Soladoye Ekundayo and Sunday Adeleye of Joint Negotiation Council, JNC.Daramola said  We have met with government representatives headed by the deputy governor and we want to appreciate the deputy governor for his role in the negotiation.He equally told us that the August 2017 salary will be paid in full and that the balance of the September 2016 salary would be paid very soon which to us is good news.He also assured us that all other outstanding arrears will be paid between now and few months after the release of the October Paris Club loan refund and we are expecting that between now and October, government should be able to clear the arrearsWe want to appeal to all our workers to remain calm since there has been a commitment from the government of the state towards the welfare of workers in the stateGovernment again has shown understandings that before the end of this year those who are due for promotion will be promoted without any hesitation.Also speaking the deputy governor Hon Agboola Ajayi said; Let me thank the labour leaders, we met to resolve issues. Issues were raised and we were able to resolve all the pending issues.The main issue is the salary of the September 2016 salary which we paid from the Paris Club and we did promise that we will pay the balance of the money. l appreciate them, they showed understanding and I want to assure them that our words is our commitment which we consider to be a bond.
FOLSOM -- A woman from Williamstown was killed Monday evening when a car struck her along Route 322, New Jersey State Police said.

Sgt. Jeff Flynn said Kelly Coffey, 28, was walking in the road heading east when a Chevrolet Cruze hit her just before 8:30 p.m.

Coffey was pronounced dead at the scene, Flynn said.

The driver from Egg Harbor Township has not been charged, he added. The crash is under investigation.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
-- Police are searching for the person responsible for a machete attack on Monday, according to a report.

A man in his 60s was stabbed multiple times around 6 p.m. Monday, according to 6abc.com.

The man was taken to an area hospital but his condition was not disclosed, the report said.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WAYNE--The president of William Paterson University will step down at the end of the 2017-18 school year after serving as head of the state university since 2010.

Kathleen Waldron, who has been at the helm of the university for seven years, announced her retirement on Tuesday, citing her age as one of the reasons for her stepping down.

"I will turn 70 years old in September 2018 and have had the great honor of being an academic administrator for 20 years," Waldron said in a statement released by the school. "The last seven years at William Paterson University have been the best of my career."

The Board of Trustees has begun the search for Waldron's replacement, university officials said Tuesday.

The resignation comes a few months after the school's faculty senate passed a vote of no confidence against the president for failing to bring needed improvements to the school.

But Waldron told NJ Advance Media that her retirement was planned well before the vote was held and that it hasn't influenced her decision.

Waldron took over as president in 2010, when William Paterson, like most public universities, was struggling financially. Her resume boasted more than a decade as in a leadership position as a Citibank executive.

She also had a doctorate degree and had served as president of Baruch College, part of the City University of New York system. Waldron was the first new president at William Paterson in a quarter-century.

When she started, The Star-Ledger reported that Waldron's long-term plans for William Paterson included increasing the size of the student body and offering more online classes.

In its statement, the university credited her with starting the school's first fully online bachelor's degree program. She also oversaw a multimillion-dollar campus expansion and renovations project.

"We have been very lucky to have someone as skilled as Kathy Waldron to be a part of the journey of this institution," said Fred Gruel, chair of the university's Board of Trustees, in a statement. "She established an ambitious agenda for William Paterson University upon her arrival in August 2010."

"Faculty and professional staff members expressed strong feelings that this was the appropriate action to take, especially since President Waldron has consistently failed to meet Board of Trustee enrollment benchmarks, even when they have been lowered by the board," Arlene Holpp Scala, the senate chairwoman said at the time. "This has had a negative effect on student tuition. While the president has made the university more visible, she has failed to improve its reputation."

Holpp Scala said Tuesday that she thinks Waldron's upcoming retirement will benefit both parties.

"I think it's time for a change for William Paterson and for President Waldron," Holpp Scala said.

When the faculty voted earlier this year, they did not call for Waldron's dismissal, but said she needed to improve relationships with educators, NJ Advance Media reported.

Waldron, who will officially step down on June 30, 2018, said she counts improving the student experience as her biggest accomplishment as president of William Paterson.

"It's easy to be remembered for building buildings, but I'm more proud of what we've done for students," she said.

Payton Guion may be reached at PGuion@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaytonGuion. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Gov. Scott Walker's cowardice in refusing to call out President Donald Trump for his support of white supremacists is an embarrassment to Wisconsin. At the time of the Civil War, Wisconsin's Republican governors made it crystal clear that they stood against the sin of slavery and against the apologists for human bondage. PHOTO BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alexandr Solzhenitsyn Article

by Stig Fredrikson*

How I helped Alexandr Solzhenitsyn smuggle his Nobel Lecture from the USSR

A controversial Nobel Prize

When Alexandr Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, he was already an outcast in his native country, the Soviet Union. After the novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and a few short stories he had not been permitted to publish anything. He had been expelled from the Writers Union, and the harassment from the Communist Party and the KGB, the Committee for State Security, had made him isolated and exposed him to condemnation from the official media.

The Nobel Prize gave his enemies more ammunition. Solzhenitsyn was said to have been rewarded for his anti-Soviet writings. He decided not to go to Stockholm in December 1970 to receive the Prize. He feared that he would be deprived of his Soviet citizenship and prevented from coming back if he went to Stockholm. He could not imagine being cut off from Russia where, in secrecy, he was writing several new works. And in Moscow his new wife Natalya was expecting their first child.

For a while there was talk of handing over the Nobel Prize to Solzhenitsyn at the Swedish Embassy in Moscow. However, the conditions that the Swedish ambassador, Gunnar Jarring, and the Swedish government under Olof Palme put up were unacceptable to Solzhenitsyn. The Swedes proposed a private transaction. They excluded a public ceremony open to all the friends and other guests that Solzhenitsyn wanted to invite and a public lecture by Solzhenitsyn. The Laureate answered that the conditions were an insult to the Nobel Prize itself and wondered if the Prize was something to be ashamed of, something to be concealed from the people. This experience left Solzhenitsyn with a deep sense of humiliation, both from the condescending way he was received when he twice visited the embassy to seek advice, and by the cowardly way a prize ceremony at the embassy was to be handled.

A foreign correspondent in Moscow

I came to Moscow in early 1972 to work as a correspondent for TT, the Swedish News Agency, and the news agencies in Finland, Denmark and Norway. With my wife Ingrid I moved into an apartment in the foreigners compound at Kutuzovsky Prospect where one room was used as my office. I had learned Russian at the Swedish Army Language School.

Soon after my arrival I was informed from Stockholm that the Swedish Academy planned to arrange a ceremony in Moscow. The permanent secretary, Karl Ragnar Gierow, was to hand over the Prize to Solzhenitsyn in his new wifes apartment. The information came from my editor at TT, Hans Bjorkegren, who was also Solzhenitsyns Swedish translator. It was therefore natural for the Academy to turn to Bjorkegren with a question about the Solzhenitsyn familys practical arrangements for the ceremony. Bjorkegren passed the question  and Solzhenitsyns then secret address  on to me. I went to Natalyass apartment  Solzhenitsyn himself had been denied permission to register as a resident in Moscow  on Gorky Street and met her and her husband Alexandr Isayevich. I then transmitted in innocent words the message to Stockholm.

The Prize Ceremony was planned for April 9, 1972, the Russian Orthodox Easter Sunday. But Karl Ragnar Gierow was refused a visa to go to Moscow, and Solzhenitsyn had to cancel the ceremony. In an angry letter that he released to the press Solzhenitsyn asked the Swedish Academy to keep the Nobel insignia for an indefinite period.

If I do not live long enough myself, I bequeath the task of receiving them to my son, he said. But he was still determined to deliver his Nobel Lecture to Stockholm.

A Nobel Lecture happily arrives in Stockholm

During our meeting at Natalyas apartment Solzhenitsyn and I had arranged to try to meet once again, in the underground passage at the Belorussian railway station. In the enlarged version of his literary memoir The Oak and the Calf, which was published in Moscow in 1996, Solzhenitsyn describes the meeting:

I had in my pocket a film containing the text of the Nobel speech. We had failed to find any other way of sending it out, and once again, its destination was Sweden. I was standing in an inconspicuous spot; he and his wife Ingrid came strolling along arm in arm: I followed, keeping a gap between us, and Alya came behind me, after first watching out for a while from a different spot to make sure that no one was tailing us. Everything turned out fine, so we caught up with them and the four of us set off at a leisurely pace down the Leningrad Prospect. As we talked, I asked Stig if he would take the film, and he agreed. I handed it over in a dark courtyard. Folk wisdom has it that seeing a pregnant woman means your plans will come to fruition. Well, we had two of them, both our wives were pregnant.

That evening in late April 1972 was when my career as a secret courier to Solzhenitsyn started. It was to last for almost two years, until Solzhenitsyn was arrested and deported into exile in February 1974. During that time I had some twenty secret meetings with him when he handed over material destined for the West, while I gave him letters sent to him mostly from his lawyer Fritz Heeb in Zurich. On a couple of occasions Ingrid met, in addition, with Natalya. They strolled along a boulevard with their baby carriages, and when they bent down to look at the babies, they also exchanged small packages.

When I came back to the apartment after that first meeting I looked at what Solzhenitsyn had given me. He had photographed the manuscript of his Nobel Lecture; I had received nine black and white negatives wrapped in a paper envelope. I took a small transistor radio, unscrewed the back, took out the batteries, and in the empty space I placed the negatives. I had cut the negatives into strips, wrapped them up in plastic and put the roll in an empty tube of headache tablets. The tin tube fitted nicely in the battery space. I put the radio in my suitcase and took the train to Helsinki for a conference with my editors. Everything went smoothly at the border, and in Helsinki I could tell my editor Hans Bjorkegren that I have mail for you from Moscow.

We decided to continue to Stockholm where we delivered the Nobel Lecture to the Swedish Academy. The lecture was published in the Swedish and international press in August 1972 and printed in the Nobel Foundations publication Les Prix Nobel 1971. It was a very powerful text, which caused a sensation when it came out, and was quoted all over the world. It was the first time that Solzhenitsyn mentioned and made known the name The Gulag Archipelago, where, as he said, it was my fate to survive, while others  perhaps with a greater gift and stronger than I  have perished.

My work as Solzhenitsyns secret courier

The successful delivery of the Nobel Lecture encouraged Solzhenitsyn to entrust me with new missions. I took out one or two things more for him personally but soon decided that I would have to find some other way. It was becoming too dangerous! I risked being caught at the border crossing sooner rather than later, and besides, I left Moscow only a couple of times every year. The volume of the mail from and to Solzhenitsyn rapidly increased. I turned to the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow. They let me use their diplomatic pouch for Solzhenitsyns deliveries, since they considered me, a Swede, to be a Norwegian correspondent, representing the Norwegian news agency. I never bothered to ask the Swedish embassy, they didnt allow the Swedish correspondents to send even a personal letter out through them. The Norwegians, of course, were fully informed of the contents of the letters and envelopes I delivered to them, as were my editors at the news agencies, who were informed of my secret meetings with Solzhenitsyn.

Solzhenitsyn called this channel the GNR, The Great Northern Route. He described our secret meetings fondly in his memoir:

Gradually I became aware that these meetings were indispensable to me. I could not live without them. How could I have existed for nine years without any direct personal contact with anyone from the West? It gave me an unprecedented degree of maneuverability and a rapid means of getting materials abroad; each time we met, there was always something that needed sending or something passed on to me. There were little rolls of film, new works, and new variants of existing ones.

Why did I say yes that April evening when Solzhenitsyn asked me if I could get his Nobel Lecture out? Why did I decide to become his secret courier? I have been pondering these questions many times  but at the time when it happened, I dont think it took much reflection on my part. I felt that I didnt have much of a choice. It was exciting that he asked me, and I felt that if I could help him, I wanted to do so. He was so isolated, so persecuted. He was leading a one man struggle against an overwhelming enemy with the enormous resources of the totalitarian state in its determination to silence him. I came from a country where we take our human rights for granted and where, for example, the right to a private correspondence is a natural thing. If I could help him enjoy at least a small part of our privileges, I felt it was my duty to do so. But I dont deny at all that what drove me on was also a strong sense of adventure. He was the most admired, the most coveted among the dissidents for interviews by the foreign correspondents in Moscow, and for almost two years I had this exclusive access to him. He is also a man with a strong charm and charisma. It is evident throughout his career that he has been able to get friends to help him. He is not a man to whom you say no easily.

On the other hand, I didnt agree to become Solzhenitsyns secret courier in order to have a good story to tell later. It is important to stress that while this went on, and later, I thought that I would never be able to tell my story. The four and a half years we lived in Moscow did not prepare me at all for what happened in 1991. We experienced a strong monolithic state where the Communist party, the KGB and the military seemed to be able to control Soviet society. I expected the Soviet Union to exist during my lifetime, and therefore, it would be impossible to reveal my secret dealings with Solzhenitsyn. Everybody involved had to be protected. Maybe, I thought after we had moved back to Stockholm, I ought to write down what Ingrid and I had been through, to document it, and put it in a sealed envelope for the future.

By becoming a courier for Solzhenitsyn I also stepped out of my role as a foreign correspondent in Moscow. A journalist is supposed to report about events, not become an actor himself and create events. My solution to this dilemma was to decide that my news agencies should never miss any news story where Solzhenitsyn was involved. But I decided, in agreement with Stockholm, that I would never have any first exclusive news about him. In practice this meant that when I met Solzhenitsyn and he gave me a new statement protesting this or that in the Soviet state, I gave it first to one of my colleagues, usually a news agency like the AP or Reuters. They would give out a flash news telegram, TT would also give out a short version in Swedish, but they knew that I would deliver a longer version of the story an hour or so later. In this way, my agencies would also get the Solzhenitsyn news from their own correspondent in Moscow, but not the very first short version. To have an exclusive with Solzhenitsyn was too dangerous; it would reveal me as the direct source of statements from Solzhenitsyn, and it would have jeopardized the future of the GNR. Not to have a scoop involving Solzhenitsyn was the price I decided to pay to be able to continue as Alexandrs courier.

How we fooled the KGB

Why were we never caught? I have no convincing answer. We were up against the most formidable opponent. I always thought that if there was one single Soviet citizen that the KGB should keep absolute control over, that would be Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. During those years he was probably considered the Soviet Unions enemy number one. I knew that Solzhenitsyn took elaborate precautions when he had a meeting with me in the evening. He would board a commuter train from the village outside Moscow where he stayed in the garage at Mstislav Rostropovichs dacha. He would get off the train, hop on to another and later switch to the Metro where he could ride for hours, changing trains and platforms until he had convinced himself that no one followed him. I would leave our apartment in the foreigners compound either in my car or by foot and walk around for an hour or two before meeting him. And I suppose it helped that I never publicly associated myself with Solzhenitsyn in my reporting. But still, in view of the enormous resources that the KGB had at its disposal for surveillance, how could we go unnoticed? Much later, in 1993 when Alexandr Isayevich agreed to a first long interview for Swedish Television, I asked him: Why did we get away with it?

His answer was that even in the most perfect organization there are bunglers. They missed us. Besides, we were cunning.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and after the archives had been opened, I tried to find out how much, if anything, the KGB had known about us. I asked Vadim Bakatin who became head of the KGB after the coup against Gorbachev in August 1991. Bakatin told me that Gorbachev had asked him, probably in the autumn of 1991, to find out what the KGB archives contained about the persecution against Solzhenitsyn. After an internal search Bakatin came back with the sad news that nothing had been found. Bakatin had discovered a decision from July 1990 ordering all materials about Solzhenitsyn to be destroyed. 105 volumes about Solzhenitsyn in the KGB archives, enough to fill a small truck, were burned, Bakatin told me. His explanation was that the KGB leadership in the summer of 1990 saw the democratization and reforms moving towards them with great speed and decided to wipe out all traces of the harassment of the Soviet Unions best known critic. Nobody was going to be held responsible.

The story of my secret meetings with Solzhenitsyn has ingredients of a spy thriller. We had to act like secret agents. But in contrast to the novels, everything was true. Nothing was ever written down between us, all the arrangements about time and place for the meetings were kept in our heads. We had alternate dates, and reserve dates for the alternates, if something made it impossible for one of us to show up. I had also thought of the possibility that he might need an urgent meeting with me; normally there were a few weeks between our meetings. I proposed that he call me on my telephone in the office early in the morning before my Soviet secretary arrived at nine. But wasnt the telephone tapped? Yes, but I told Solzhenitsyn to pretend to make a wrong call. Call my number and ask: Hello, is this the dry-cleaners? or Is this the home delivery service of the Gastronom? People made wrong calls in Moscow all the time, it happened almost daily, and when it happened you just said youve got the wrong number and slammed the receiver down. If Solzhenitsyn made a wrong call to me, the KGB might not react. But I would immediately recognize his voice, even he only asked for the dry-cleaners, and it would be the signal. It meant that something has happened and we had to meet at once.

The publication of The Gulag Archipelago

The call came one morning in early September 1973. By then we had switched from the Belorussian station to the Kiev railway station and the streets around it, and we had also met a couple of times in the morning, in broad daylight. This had given me a chance to take some pictures of Solzhenitsyn, for the first time. But after the alarm call, we met that evening.

Solzhenitsyn told me then that the KGB had gotten hold of a copy of the manuscript of The Gulag Archipelago. He had written it in secret and he had seen to it that copies of the manuscript were already in the West. People were busy translating it to English, French and German, but Solzhenitsyn had planned to wait to have it published. He had also hidden copies of the manuscript with trusted friends in the Soviet Union. A woman in Leningrad, had one copy. She had buried it in the ground, but somehow the KGB found out. They interrogated her for days and nights until she confessed where she had hidden it. She was then released but went home and hanged herself. She felt that she had betrayed Solzhenitsyns confidence in her.

Now Solzhenitsyn feared that the KGB would use the manuscript to somehow discredit him. He decided to act before them. He gave me a letter with an order to speed up the translations and have the first volume of The Gulag Archipelago published in several countries in the West as soon as possible, and in Paris also in Russian. He also gave me a press release, a small typewritten statement, where he revealed the existence of the till then unknown book, a documentary study in several volumes about the Soviet prison camps in the years 1918-1956, based on evidence from more than 200 people who on different occasions spent time in the camps.

The Gulag Archipelago started coming out in late 1973, also in Sweden. Hans Bjorkegren was one of the translators that had had early access to the manuscript. It became a sensation all over the world, and Solzhenitsyn forever changed the way not least intellectuals in Western Europe looked at the Soviet Union. What was most damaging was that he proved that the labor camps were a result of a decision by Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, and not a deviation perpetrated by Stalin.

After a few weeks of international reporting negative to the Soviet Union, the authorities decided to act. My last secret meeting with Solzhenitsyn was on January 14, 1974. That day Pravda, the party newspaper, had printed a furious attack on Solzhenitsyn and called him a traitor. Solzhenitsyn impressed me with his calm and balance, although he was in the eye of a hurricane. He was so cheerful, he had not read Pravda today, I wrote later. How can he be so glad, how can he joke and laugh, show such poise, he was convinced that they had not yet reached a decision at the top about what to do with him.

But on February 12, 1974, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn was arrested at Natalyas apartment on Gorky Street. The next day he was deprived of his Soviet citizenship, put on a plane to West Germany and sent into an exile that was to last until the summer of 1994.

He moved back to Russia, after 18 years in Vermont, USA. He has since then been living with his family in a house in a small village, Troitske-Lykovo, a half hours drive west of Moscow. On December 10, 1974, he finally received his Nobel insignia at the traditional Prize Award ceremony in Stockholm.

Alexandr Isayevich and I had planned our next meeting for February 14, two days after his arrest. When I now look at my notes I can see that I had planned to give him, among other things, baby food at that meeting. At the time of Solzhenitsyns arrest, he and Natalya had three small sons. The family could leave Moscow six weeks later and reunite with Alexandr Isayevich in Zurich.

Solzhenitsyn and I have maintained our personal friendship although we soon discovered, after he had been sent into exile, that we had serious political differences of opinion, not least about the West. In September 2004, after I had published my book Alexandrs courier*, I was able to hand him a copy when I visited him in Moscow. He was visibly aged physically, and when I showed him a book of his that I had bought in a Moscow bookstore, he wrote in it:

Dear Stig, at this, maybe our last, meeting  in unfailing grateful memory.

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

* Published in Swedish. Alexanders kurir: Ett journalistliv i skuggan av det kalla kriget, Carlsson Bokforlag, Stockholm, 2004.

Stig Fredrikson has been covering and commenting on foreign news for Swedish Television (SVT) for more than 25 years. After his years as a correspondent in Moscow he worked for the national Swedish radio, as a foreign news reporter covering mostly Eastern Europe. In 1979 he became foreign news editor at the Aktuellt news programme of SVT, and he has been with them since then. For four years in the 1980s he was a correspondent in Washington, D.C., USA, and from 1993-2001 the editor-in-chief of Aktuellt.

Stig Fredrikson was invited to spend a year as a guest professor in journalism at the Goteborg University, Sweden (2001-2002). At present he is also president of the Swedish National Press Club (Publicistklubben), founded in 1874.

First published 22 February 2006

To cite this section

MLA style: How I helped Alexandr Solzhenitsyn smuggle his Nobel Lecture from the USSR. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Sun. 13 Nov 2022. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1970/solzhenitsyn/article/>
Wislawa Szymborska Article

A Domestication of Death: The Poetic Universe of Wisawa Szymborska

by Malgorzata Anna Packalen*

Strong relativism and openness are well known to be important dimensions in the temporal sphere at the basis of Wisawa Szymborskas poetry. The way in which she links the past with the present, the present with what is to come and the event/experience of a moment with the weightless dimension of eternity is what gives this poetry its greatest strength.

This and the ever present existential questions are leitmotifs in Szymborskas poetry. The poems describe with the same gravity both empirical reality and the non-existing, the potential  that which is best described by its absence, a kind of quasi-reality. The constant balancing act on the border between being and non-being is very strong in all sides of the poems variety and idea world. Szymborska does not attempt to go deep to find a code for the secret of being but rather tries to make us aware of its nature. Her anti-Platonic attitude also becomes stronger over the years, as she writes with obvious irony:

For unclear reasons

under unknown circumstances,

the Ideal Being has ceased to be enough for itself. It could be and be without an end []

why did it immediately hunt for impressions

in the bad company of materia? Why did it need worthless

imitators, unlucky creatures

without prospects of eternity? [] Plato or why? in: Chwila, Krakow 2002, translated by Janet Vesterlund

No Respect for Eternity

The bad company of materia is focused upon here because it is just through this materia that the being is continuously re-created, instead of being and being without end. The material sphere encloses elements of the perfect world of ideas. Concrete objects, despite their transient nature according to the philosophical doctrine of Plato, should be a necessary means for achieving eternal moralistic values. Szymborska has no respect for eternity, however  quite the opposite: it is the moment that  even brief and transient as clouds in the sky (an important metaphor in this context, to which I will return later)  gives our lives meaning. As the lyric subject says: Life lasts as long as a few signs scratched by a claw in the sand. At the same time we are reassured that:

Theres no life

that couldnt be immortal

if only for a moment. On Death, without Exaggeration in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems1

The mortal and the immortal  it all holds together with the recurring question of being and/or non-being. The death motif has two important dimensions in this poetry. The poems about the deeply human have a very suggestive message: the chilling feeling and indifference toward others suffering. Her poem Still is especially expressive in this context, where she creates in the very first lines an almost anguished expressionistic situation: a train is on its way somewhere but no one steps off because the freight cars are hermetically sealed and the passengers  symbolically represented by Jewish names  can not determine the direction of the trip:

In sealed box cars travel

names across the land,

and how far they will travel so,

and will they ever get out,

dont ask, I wont say, I dont know. The name Nathan strikes fist against wall,

the name Isaac, demented, sings,

the name Sarah calls out for water for

the name Aaron thats dying of thirst [] Still in: Poems2

The poem can be interpreted on several levels but what can be felt especially strongly is the universally human meaning, here having both an existential and a deeply ethical dimension. Szymborska writes with particular consistency about the moral aspects of human history, which of course includes a long series of examples of spiritual imprisonment and different crimes against human rights  crimes that give all too clear evidence that people neither can nor wish to draw obviously correct conclusions about historys cruel experiences. For that very reason, hatred, or sooner its leitmotif  the impeccable executioner / towering over its soiled victim, such as in the poem of the same title, Hatred, is one of our own centurys leitmotifs. It is hate that most often leads to war and to totally unnecessary suffering and death.

Conquering the Unconquerable

Szymborska shows a further dimension of the death motif. This has to do with common deaths, so to speak, results of the laws of nature. The death that 

In our planning for tomorrow,

it has the final word,

which is always beside the point. On Death, without Exaggeration in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

It is this death, seen with intellectual valor and melancholy, that in some way is a constant part of Szymborskas poetry. Stripped of all visible pathos, such as [] cant take a joke, it is many times 

Preoccupied with killing,

it does the job awkwardly,

without system or skill.

as though each of us were its first kill. On Death, without Exaggeration in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

Awkward or not, death can not be stopped. Yet, it is not only a victor: the mystery of death is the equal of another mystery  mans human creativity that helps him to conquer the unconquerable:

In vain it tugs at the knob

of the invisible door.

As far as youve come

cant be undone. On Death, without Exaggeration in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

At the same time it is the unassailable privilege of each of us to make the choice between rejecting or keeping silent:

Non omnis moriar  a premature worry.

But am I entirely alive and is that enough.

It never was, and now less than ever. []

I cant tell you how much I pass over in silence. A Large Number in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

But this choice also brings with it the sadness that knowledge of rejected possibilities creates, that is a premature worry, for nothing is given, nothing can be taken for granted, everything can be questioned and we can likewise create everything through the power of our artistic creativity. This Horatian non omnis moriar is according to Szymborska, of course, one of humankinds greatest gifts: what a person has created during his lifetime can make him immortal. It is not simply a gift, however, but also one of human beings burdens. Not to refute non omnis moriar, but  as Krystyna Pietrych very rightly points out  from the perspective of death, man is but a plaything in the hands of chance that sometimes passes beyond into fate itself.3 Chance  another key word in Szymborskas dialectic poetic world  not only applies to the miracle of being or existence but also means that because of the very arbitrariness of life, it may be able to escape from death, as in the poem Could Have:

You were saved because you were the first.

You were saved because you were the last.

Alone. With others. On the right. The left.

Because it was raining. Because of the shade.

Because the day was sunny. []

As a result, because, although, despite. Could Have in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

Elegant Linguistic Playfulness

Here, there is also another aspect of Szymborskas paradise lost of probability: chance in her poetry is a specific link between free choice and necessity. No one has true control over death, but it is not less one of mans ancient doings and privileges to conjure a spell against death by continuously questioning the reality that is. Szymborskas conjurations in this respect are expressed in a quite elegant linguistic playfulness, such as in the poem Funeral, which consists simply of a series of phrases snatched from the conversation between people during a funeral:

so suddenly, who could have seen it coming

stress and smoking, I kept telling him

not bad, thanks, and you

these flowers need to be unwrapped

his brothers heart gave out, too, it runs in the family

Id never know you in the beard

he was asking for it, always mixed up in something [] Funeral in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

The first minutes of the funeral conversation expectedly have to do with the dead man, but life shortly takes over and the lines have more and more to do with the survivors quite undramatic, not to say banal, everyday lives and worries:

you were smart, you brought the only umbrella []

two egg yolks and a tablespoon of sugar

none of his business, what was in it for him

only in blue and just small sizes []

give my best to the widow, Ive got to run []

give me a call

which bus goes downtown

Im going this way

were not Funeral in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

The author studiedly double codes the text in a kind of linguistic mimicry: as used as we are to seeing death in all its frightening character, we do not think about the obvious fact that, as death grips life, life also intervenes in death. Both grip each other with the same intensity. Everyday life can easily be taken over by a pathos that in turn just as easily yields to everyday life. Death is de facto not more frightening than life. And  paradoxically  it is in fact, more problematic for the living than for the dead. It is the living who demand guarantees about existence from some kind of higher power, about the meaning of life, about the unavoidability of fate.

The Survivors Dilemma

The confrontation with death not only encompasses mans ancient anguish for himself but also belongs together with the survivors dilemma: someone elses death can also affect the survivor in a strong and personal way. Much has been written about Szymborskas lost partner and her elegies after his death. One in particular is Szymborskas elegy Cat in an empty apartment. Regardless of whether the reader believes or does not believe that the event described is real, this particular poem is probably one of the most remarkable that has been written in the genre of a lamentation since Kochanowski wrote his Treny [Lament] in 1581. At the same time, it is probably only Szymborska who can describe a great personal loss from the perspective of an abandoned cat:

Die  you cant do that to a cat.

Since what can a cat do

in an empty apartment?

Climb the walls?

Rub up against the furniture?

Nothing seems different here,

But nothing is the same. [] Something doesnt start

at its usual time.

Something doesnt happen

as it should.

Someone was always, always here,

then suddenly disappeared

and stubbornly stays disappeared. Cat in an Empty Apartment in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

If the cat could read, he would surely have recognized Kochanowskis verse:

Your flight, my dearest, caused

This vast emptiness in my house. We are a crowd yet no ones here:

One tiny soul and so much is gone. Tren VIII, translated by Adam Czerniawski, in: Jan Kochanowski, Treny, edited by Piotr Wilczek, Katowice 1996

This vast emptiness in my house that is how it also feels for the living creature whose master stubbornly stays disappeared. The mourning that is reserved in some ancient human tradition for people has been permitted a cat. But the cat can not verbalize its feelings, nor can it hold a dialogue with the dead, or even less, ask questions about them in the lyrical duet in that way that the lyric I does in the poem Plotting with the Dead. The cat is not even aware of the death itself, the funeral, etc. It is only aware of the sudden emptiness. It does not even know  fortunately  that death can neither be stopped nor persuaded, that it is everyones unavoidable fate, the only one that  as Szymborska ironically reminds us  is statistically completely proven:

Out of every hundred people []

Mortal:

one hundred out of one hundred 

a figure that has never varied yet. A word on statistics in: Chwila, Krakow 2002, translated by Joanna Trzeciak

The acceptance of the power of fate is a fact that everyone sooner or later must face, must submit to and must reconcile himself with. In protest against fate however the lyric I defies the power of death with the small, insignificant means that it has at hand  such as in the poem Parting with the View, that is by refusing a beautiful and beloved place that the survivor used to visit with the loved friend, now gone, its presence:

I know that my grief

will not stop the green. [] I take note of the fact

that the shore of a certain lake

is still  as if you were living 

as lovely as before. [] Theres one thing I wont agree to:

my own return.

The privilege of presence 

I give it up. [] Parting with the View in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

At the same time, Szymborska writes in her poem Clouds:

People may do what they want,

then they die, all of them, one after another,

for them  the clouds  theres

nothing particularly

strange about that. Clouds in: Chwila, Krakow 2002, translated by Janet Vesterlund

Impressionistic View

Here can be seen a glimpse of Szymborskas very special life philosophy. As Anna Legezynska points out, the existential time in Szymborskas poetry is the present.4 What happens here and now is just exactly what a person can try to capture for a short moment. Everything else exists as a hypothesis, either reconstructed from memory (the past) or as a product of speculations about the future. The clouds, a key word in Szymborska, not only in her latest collection of poems, aptly symbolizes the transitoriness and fickleness of life, of the moment. It makes one aware of the complex nature of being and non being, about the natures of life and death in all their dimensions. It also reflects the lyric Is impressionistic view of life: that everything after a fraction of the moment stops [] being this and starts being that. A small change of light, perspective and mood is enough for us to be able to both capture and re-evaluate these short moments in life 

A forest that looks like a forest, forever and ever amen,

and over the forest birds in flight that play being birds in flight. As far as the eye can see this moment reigns supreme.

One of the moments on earth

that was asked to be enduring. Moment in: Chwila, Krakow 2002, translated by Janet Vesterlund

Here, of course, we can hear the echo  as many researchers have noted  of Goethes words Verweile doch! Du bist so schon!, with which Faust signed the contract on his soul, here however in Szymborskas sarcastic tones. In Faust man is encouraged to constantly strive to give his life meaning. This is also what makes it possible for the powers of the heavens to save Fausts soul from the claws of Mephistopheles: He who fails not to try / it is he we can save. Wer sich immer strebend bemuht, den konnen wir erlosen. The lyric subject in Szymborskas poem Advertisement consciously defies this classic literary line with the words:

Sell me your soul.

There are no other takers. There is no other devil anymore. Advertisement in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

These reflections about death demonstrate no theological arguments, however, and One of the moments on earth / that was asked to be enduring is not said to a religious purpose. On the contrary  Szymborskas poetic credo and firm conviction of faith are strongly marked by stoicism: seizing the moment, this Verweile doch privilege, is mans only means of being able, for a moment, to challenge, and even deny, death, of being able in that way to defy the worlds rational understanding of its surroundings.

This poetic and metaphysical sphere, somewhere between memento mori and carpe diem, is the space that is at our disposal during our lifetimes, when we are all of us to a greater or lesser extent at the mercy of chance. This space coincides with eternity. Our own short time on earth is in any case only a fragment wrested from the storm, because life must not be shadowed by mans masochistic memento mori that meets the reader, such as in baroque poetry. We are confronted every day with the wonders of existence and all the potential possibilities there are.

Of these, death is only the last of our human existences constantly passing and constantly changing forms. Our relations with other people belong here as well. As William Morris wrote in 1888 in his work A Dream of John Ball:

Fellowship is heaven, and lack of fellowship is hell:

fellowship is life, and lack of fellowship is death []

A lack of human contact is here compared with death. The same message is found in Szymborskas poems. These relations between human beings are among the fundamental aspects of human existence/life. The entire civilized world represses death and, with this, also the freedom to decide over our time on earth. Knowledge of death and acceptance of it give us the freedom to love and to do so with a gravity that only the given limit can allow. Flight from death is also a flight from life itself, from love. Because love is that which is each persons specific non omnis moriar-capital and  as the lyric I in one of the poems says 

They say

the first love is the most important.

Thats very romantic

but its not the case with me. [] Other loves

still breathe deeply within me.

This one lacks the breath to sigh. But still, just the way it is,

it can do what the rest are not yet able to do:

unremembered

not even dreamt of

it accustoms me to death. First Love in: Chwila, Krakow 2002, translated by Joanna Trzeciak

Time and Timelessness

In this way death is domesticated in Szymborskas poetic universe: by seizing the moment with the force of emotion, just at this line between time and timelessness. Szymborskas lyric subject takes the role of a kind of late modern writer of didactic verse, teaching morals through poetry, although often in the disguise of unconventionality or irony. From the perspective of other beings in the universe our human world often seems full of cruelty and foolishness. What separates us from the other beings in this evolutionary chain, however, is our ability both to feel and show emotions, to think and to remember. In spite of the fact that the natural cycle reduces each existence to a link in this chain, every human being has something that is not included in this circle: a soul. The natural biological cycle is in this way complemented with its metaphysical dimension. Here, Szymborskas philosophical tendency lies close to Descartes dualism. Man has long known that death as a biological fact and physical decay can be the subject of scientific observation and analysis. What happens to our brains or souls after death is still a factor of faith and an object of speculation.

It is hardly possible to find confirmation of a religious or non-religious position in Szymborskas poems. God is not explicitly named, but the Christian tradition is present with its third dimension: the immortal soul, our promise of safety in the face of the frightening abyss of eternity, even if Nobody has one all the time / or forever. Therefore the living and the dead, human and non-human, large and small, known and unknown, present and absent move around one another in Szymborskas poems and populate the poetic cosmos which is also the timeless universe of being.

The inherent lyric subject in Szymborskas poetic universe would thus be able to say  as though these were his very last words  that which Descartes himself was said to say on his deathbed: Ca mon ame, il faut partir (Thus my soul, it is time to go), although of course with the relating-reflecting-self-ironic complement so typical of Szymborska:

Life, however long, will always be short.

Too short for anything to be added. Our Ancestors short lives in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems

1. Wisawa Szymborska, On Death, without Exaggeration in: Nothing Twice. Selected Poems. Selected and translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh, Krakow 1997.

2. Wisawa Szymborska, Poems. Selections, translations and afterword by Magnus J. Krynski, Robert A. Maguire, Krakow 1989.

3. Krystyna Pietrych, Pytania o trascendencje, O wierszach Wisawy Szymborskiej, ed. Jacek Brzozowski, Lodz 1996, pp. 116-117.

4. Anna Legezynska, Wisawa Szymborska, Poznan 1996, p. 54.

* Professor Malgorzata Anna Packalens essay was her contribution to the International Conference on Wisawa Szymborskas Poetry (Stockholm, 23-24 May 2003), organized by the Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities in collaboration with the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Stockholm University and the Department of Slavic Languages, Uppsala University, supported by the Embassy of the Polish Republic and the Polish Institute in Stockholm.

Malgorzata Anna Packalen (nee Szulc) was born in Poznan, Poland. She obtained her Bachelor Degree in Polish and Swedish Philology at Adam-Mickiewicz University, Poznan, where she also received her Masters Degree in 1977. She was a recipient of the Swedish Institutes scholarship program in Sweden in 1975-76.

Packalen has been affiliated to the Department of Modern Languages at Uppsala University since 1979. Here she did research studies in Slavic languages in 1982-87 and received her Ph.D. in Slavic languages in 1987. She was holder of Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Department of Slavic Languages at Uppsala University in 1989-91, Research Fellow at The Swedish Research Council (HSFR) in 1991-92 and has been a researcher and Senior Lecturer in Polish since 1993. She became an Associate Professor at Uppsala University in 1997 and Professor in Polish in 2000.

M.A. Packalen has published a monograph on contemporary Polish poetry Pokolenie 68. Studium o poezji polskiej lat siedemdziesiatych (The Generation of 68, Studies in Polish Poetry of the 70s., 1987, second ed. 1997), a comparative study of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Polish and Swedish literature Under tva kulturers ok (Under the Yoke of Two Cultures, 2001). She is co-editor of an anthology Swedish-Polish Modernism. Literature  Language Culture (2003). Her publications include articles on Polish language, poetry and prose, as well as cultural and gender studies. She was also author of numerous articles on Polish literature for the Swedish National Encyclopedia, Nationalencyklopedin (1990-1999).

First published 26 February 2004

To cite this section

MLA style: A Domestication of Death: The Poetic Universe of Wisawa Szymborska. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Sun. 13 Nov 2022. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1996/szymborska/article/>
Santiago Ramon y Cajal Article

Life and discoveries of Santiago Ramon y Cajal

by Marina Bentivoglio

Biographical sketch

Santiago Ramon y Cajal was born in May 1852 in the village of Petilla, in the region of Aragon in northeast Spain. His father was at that time the village surgeon (later on, in 1870, his father was appointed as Professor of Dissection at the University of Zaragoza). Cajal was a rebellious teenager, and his father apprenticed him for a while to a shoemaker and to a barber. Cajal, however, had decided to become an artist. His passion for drawing, his sensitivity to visual esthetics and his talent in converting visual images into drawings remained the hallmarks of his future scientific activity. Finally enrolled in the medical school at Zaragoza, as a young student, Cajal, seized by a graphic mania, was very fond of philosophy and gymnastics, restless, energetic, shy and solitary. He graduated in medicine at the University of Zaragoza in 1873. Shortly after his degree he was drafted into the army and dispatched to Cuba, at that time under Spanish rule, as a medical officer. Cajal returned to Spain very sick (he had contracted malaria in Cuba, and then tuberculosis), and at the end of 1875 he started his academic career as Auxiliary Professor of Anatomy at the University of Zaragoza.

In 1879 he married Silveria Fananas Garcia, a non-educated young woman, who stood at his side for the rest of their lives (she died in 1930). They had seven children (two of them died in their childhood).

In Zaragoza, Cajal purchased in 1877 with his own funds (using every peseta saved from the service in Cuba), an old-fashioned microscope and started his scientific activity. His first studies were devoted to inflammation and to the structure of muscle fibers. In 1883, Cajal was appointed to the chair of Anatomy in Valencia. In 1885, during his tenure as Professor at the University of Valencia, the Provincial Government of Zaragoza, in recognition of his labor during a cholera epidemic, awarded him with a modern Zeiss microscope. At the end of 1887 Cajal moved to Barcelona, where he accepted the chair of Normal and Pathological Histology, and in 1892 he was appointed Professor of Histology and Pathological Anatomy at the University of Madrid. Cajal continued to work productively in Madrid until his death in 1934.

A Flash of Lightning

The key event for Cajals scientific career and for the development of modern neuroscience took place in Madrid in 1887, when Cajal was 35 years old. In this year, Luis Simarro Lacabra, a brilliant psychiatrist interested in histological research, showed to Cajal, who had traveled from Valencia to get an update on technological advances, material impregnated with the Golgi staining. Dr. Simarro had just returned from Paris, and had brought specimens stained by the new technique of silver impregnation (the reazione nera), that had been discovered 14 years earlier by Camillo Golgi but still had a very limited diffusion. Cajal wrote in his autobiography it was there, in the house of Dr. Simarro  that for the first time I had an opportunity to admire  those famous sections of the brain impregnated by the silver method of the Savant of Pavia.

At the time, Cajal had only been studying the nervous system for one year, mainly to collect suitable illustrations for a book of histological techniques, and he had realized how inadequate the ordinary methods were to study the nervous tissue. The observation of preparations impregnated by the Golgi stain was a flash of lightning: a look was enough and Cajal was enraptured. Nerve cells appeared coloured brownish black even to their finest branchlets, standing out with unsurpassable clarity upon a transparent yellow background. All was sharp as a sketch with Chinese ink, Cajal wrote in his autobiography. In a feverish burst of activity (as new facts appeared in my preparations, ideas boiled up and jostled each other in my mind. A fever for publication devoured me), Cajal worked on the retina, the cerebellum and the spinal cord, applying to the tissue the Golgi stain, of which he worked out some modifications.

An Indefatigable and Creative Scholar

In October 1889, Cajal who had never traveled outside Spain except for his service in Cuba, went to Berlin, to the Congress of the German Anatomical Society, to show his slides to the leading authorities in the field, in order to convince them of the importance of his observations. On this occasion, he obtained the recognition of several qualified professors, including the eminent Swiss histologist Rudolf Albert von Kolliker (1817-1905), who from there on became a supporter of Cajal and of the neuron doctrine, which would be officially enunciated by Wilhelm Waldeyer (1836-1921) in 1891.

Cajal was fiercely opposed to the idea that the nervous system was made up a network of continuous elements, as it had been stated by Joseph von Gerlach (1820-1896) and supported by Golgi himself. Camillo Golgi had believed to have found in his own preparations the demonstration that the nervous system was made of a widespread network of filaments in continuity one with the other (the rete nervosa diffusa, diffuse neural network). On the contrary, since the first observations and in his subsequent studies, Cajals imagination was fired by the idea that the nervous system is made up of billions of separate nerve cells. Cajals work led to the conclusion that the basic units of the nervous system were represented by individual cellular elements (which Waldeyer christened as neurons in 1891). This conclusion is the modern basic principle of the organization of the nervous system.

Cajals opus Textura del Sistema Nervioso del Hombre y los Vertebrados (1894-1904), was made available to the international scientific community in its French translation, Histologie du Systeme Nerveux de lHomme et des Vertebres, (translated by L. Azoulay, published in 1911 by Maloine, Paris; the English translation, by N. and L.W. Swanson, was published in 1994 by Oxford University Press). Cajals opus provided the foundation of modern neuroanatomy, with a detailed description of nerve cell organization in the central and peripheral nervous system of many different animal species, and was illustrated by Cajals renowned drawings, which for decades (and even nowadays) have been reproduced in neuroscience textbooks.

In addition, Cajal defined the law of dynamic polarization, stating that the nerve cells are polarized, receiving information on their cell bodies and dendrites, and conducting information to distant locations through axons, which turned out to be a basic principle of the functioning of neural connections. Cajal also made fundamental observations on the development of the nervous system and its reaction to injuries (his volume Degeneration and Regeneration of the Nervous System translated and edited by R. M. May, London, Oxford University Press, 1928, has been re-edited by J. DeFelipe and E.G. Jones, Oxford University Press, 1991).

Golgi and Cajal, who shared the Nobel Prize in 1906 for their studies on the nervous system, met only in Stockholm, to receive the award. Golgi gave his Nobel lecture first, in which he tied to his belief in reticular neural networks, which was entirely contradicted by Cajals Nobel lecture. Cajal, a strenuous supporter of the contiguity (and not the continuity) of individual cells representing the basic units of the nervous system, fought for his ideas until his death.

Golgi and Cajal certainly shared the same passion for science and dedication to science but their personalities were very different. Cajal, impetuous, burning with enthusiasm, dedicated his life to the study of the organization of the nervous system, on which he made fundamental discoveries with his peculiar talent and intuition. Golgi, a cooler academic, discovered the tool used by Cajal in his studies and provided outstanding contributions in many fields of cell biology and of pathology, and important contributions also on the structure of the nervous system (such, for example, the description of branches given off by the axon, of different types of neurons, of glial cells). However, Golgi misinterpreted the overall view of the structural organization of the nervous system, which instead has been worked out by Cajal.

Extremely productive, Cajal was also an accomplished photographer (his photographs of Spain, villages, friends, faces, are kept at the Cajal Museum in Madrid), and he wrote several books destined to a not strictly scientific wide audience, including his autobiography Recollections of My Life (Recuerdos de mi vida, translated by E.H. Craigie with the assistance of J. Cano, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1989), a small volume of aphorisms (thoughts, anecdotes and confidences, as stated in the subtitle) entitled Coffee Chatters (Charlas de Cafe), The world seen at 80 years (El mundo visto a los ochenta anos, with the ironic subtitle of Impresiones de un Arteriosclerotico).

Credits

Cajals four drawings from Histologie du Systeme Nerveux de lHomme et des Vertebres were reproduced by the permission of Dr. Ricardo Martinez-Murillo, Director of the Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid. The portrait and self-portraits of Cajal were taken from the book Santiago Ramon y Cajal o la Pasion de Espana by Agustin Albarracin, published by Editorial Labor, S.A. (1982).

First published 20 April 1998

To cite this section

MLA style: Life and Discoveries of Santiago Ramon y Cajal. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Sun. 13 Nov 2022. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1906/cajal/article/>
A student at St. Anthony School on Milwaukee's south side works on an assignment. The school is part of the voucher program.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing to return home to find so much gone. Grief can run the gamut from frequent tears to utter despair. The Lee County medical examiner says two men in their 70s even took their own lives a day apart after viewing their losses. Experts say suicides climb after disasters and more funding for mental health should be provided as climate change makes storms and fires more frequent and devastating.
JUNEAU  Dylan Graf, a 17-year-old Beaver Dam boy, pleaded no contest Friday to charges in a threatened school shooting at Beaver Dam High School.

Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Steven Bauer found Graf guilty of a felony count of party to a crime of terrorist threats and a misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of a computerized communication system.

Bauer followed a plea agreement and placed him on a deferred prosecution agreement for the terrorist threat charge and sentenced him to a year of probation for the computer charge.

As conditions of Grafs probation, Graf must perform 25 hours of community service, maintain full-time employment or attend school full time, and pay court costs.

Graf is also not allowed to have contact with Beaver Dam Unified School District properties.

Graf and two other boys sent a Beaver Dam High School assistant principal an email that said in part, I plan to enter the proximity of your board of education tomorrow with hatred within my grasp. With a pistol in one hand, and the button that shall set off several explosive materials in the other. I hate all of youDont try and stop me; theres no way to find out who I am. I advise you to be prepared tomorrow. Ill be executing my plan during the fifth period. So long and goodnight.

The threat resulted in the entire school district being closed May 5.

Graf was charged along with two 15-year-old boys, one from Beaver Dam and another from Las Vegas. The juveniles cases are being handled in the juvenile court systems of Wisconsin and Nevada. Juvenile proceedings are not public.

Beaver Dam Schools will address threats with future students during orientation at the school, Dodge County District Attorney Kurt Klomberg said.

This incident will be an example of why it is important not to do something like this, Klomberg said.

The school district held expulsion hearings for both local boys in May.

Klomberg consulted with Superintendent Steve Vessey about possible outcomes for the offenders. Klomberg praised Vesseys decision to close the schools on the day of the threat.

The No. 1 priority of our schools is to keep students safe, Klomberg said. When it comes to the safety of our childre,n we err on the side of caution.

Defense attorney Sylvie Dahnert Dahnert said Graf never met the boy from Nevada before and encouraged the others not to go through with the plan before hanging up.

The other two boys kept calling back and calling back, and he answered the phone, Dahnert said. This is a way that he will pay back to the community, have a criminal conviction, conditions to follow for a year, but at least he wont have the lifelong stain on his record of being a convicted felon at the age of 17.

Graf made a short statement to the court, saying, I am sorry I did this to Beaver Dam schools.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, left, and his wife, Scottish actor Louise Linton, right, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, second from left, and his wife Hilary Geary, second from right, wait for President Donald Trump on the South Portico of the White House in Washington, on July 29, 2017. (Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta, The Associated Press archive)
Foxconn Technology Group will build three assembly plants in Wisconsin before constructing the high-tech liquid-crystal display panel factory that is the centerpiece of a $10 billion investment it has promised in exchange for a large package of tax incentives, the company said Tuesday.

In a published report Monday, a Foxconn official said a trio of assembly plants would be built as early as next year.

Assembly operations would be up and running before construction is completed on the projects mainstay  the first U.S. manufacturing plant for LCD screens for televisions and other devices, the Taiwan-based electronics giant said.

It will take about four years to build the multibillion-dollar LCD screen plant, Foxconn said Tuesday.

An industry analyst said the construction schedule for the LCD factory is longer than typical for such facilities, possibly because of a bottleneck that has developed in availability of specialized manufacturing equipment the plant will need.

Foxconns plans are contingent on a $3 billion package of tax subsidies and environmental permitting exemptions proposed by Gov. Scott Walker.

Walker has said Foxconn would invest $10 billion by 2020 to create a 1,000-acre campus in southeastern Wisconsin and up to 13,000 jobs.

Foxconn declined to say how many workers the assembly plants would employ. Reuters on Monday quoted a Foxconn official saying the investment would be less than $1 billion of the total.

In a statement Tuesday, the company said the assembly plants may use LCD screens imported from overseas until the Wisconsin LCD manufacturing facility was running.

We may ship panels from other Foxconn fabs (factories) to Wisconsin, the company said through a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman, Ellin Choy.

The imports would end after the Wisconsin LCD screen plant began its own production, the company said.

Perhaps an early test

Early construction of the assembly plants could make business sense for the Taiwan-based corporation, industry analyst Bob OBrien said.

If you wanted to make a statement of having a modest investment and start testing out some automated assembly lines on small scale, that could make a certain amount of sense, said OBrien, president of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Display Supply Chain Consultants.

But OBrien cautioned that Foxconn has made other jobs announcements that never panned out.

Foxconns Wisconsin plans were announced last month at a White House event by President Donald Trump and Foxconn chairman Terry Gou.

Walker, who took part in the event and who has been pushing the state Legislature to approve tax subsidies and environmental exemptions, didnt respond to a request for comment.

The state Assembly approved the incentives package Thursday, but state Senate leaders have said they still have questions about a Legislative Fiscal Bureau analysis showing it would take at least 25 years for the state to begin to recoup the money it would pay Foxconn in tax credits.

Lawmakers on Tuesday conducted a public hearing on the plan for southeastern Wisconsin, where Foxconn is seeking a site. Meanwhile, Walker scheduled three events across the state to talk about the potential for local businesses to become Foxconn suppliers.

Trump said the company would create a minimum of 3,000 jobs, an employment figure that would be realistic for the LCD panel factory The other 10,000 jobs would come from full-scale assembly facilities where lighting and electrical components were installed on the panels and where exterior casing and controls were added to make finished televisions, OBrien said.

A potential obstacle to operating labor-intensive assembly plants in the U.S. is that wage levels are higher than in China and other places where much of that work is done now.

But Chinese wages have been rising, and the taxpayer subsidy being offered by Walker could make a difference, OBrien said. In addition, there has been political pressure on manufacturers to invest in jobs in the U.S.

While assembly operations can be labor-intensive, Gou has talked about wanting to pioneer more highly automated assembly operations, which could also reduce costs, OBrien said.

Foxconn said Tuesday it remains committed to leading the industrys drive toward more automation and robotics and using that technology in Wisconsin.

However, the new facilities will deploy a large workforce, including extensive numbers of high-value and high-skilled labor in all aspects of the operations, the company said.

Two phases planned for construction

While Walker has said Foxconn would invest $10 billion in Wisconsin by 2020, the memorandum of understanding between the company and state officials calls for a six-year construction schedule consisting of a four-year first phase and a two-year second phase.

OBrien said the four-year timetable Foxconn cited Tuesday could reflect a bottleneck in specialized equipment the plant will need: Currently, there is only one supplier of the lithography tools needed to add electronic circuitry to glass panels of the size Foxconn plans for the Wisconsin plant, OBrien said.

The panels  called Gen 10.5 and measuring about 10 feet wide by 11 feet long  will be the largest ever manufactured. About a dozen Gen 10.5 plants are in various stages of planning or construction by Foxconn and its competitors, OBrien said.

The screens are made in a largely automated process in sanitized clean rooms to keep dust particles from creating imperfections in circuitry that is applied to sheets of half-millimeter-thick glass. Each screen is made of two sheets with LCD material sandwiched in between.

The finished panels can be cut into a variety of sizes for shipping to plants where they are assembled into screens for phones, computers, televisions or other devices.

Typically, there is a two-part assembly process. In the first phase, a lighting source and electrical power equipment are added to complete what is referred to as an LCD module. The next phase involves installing the module into the outer shell to make the finished device.

Foxconn said the three facilities it plans for 2018 would assemble back-end package liquid crystal display modules, molding and tool and die processes involved in the production of high-precision housing and frames for display modules, and final assembly.
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
The study looks at two smaller-scale projects that are in some ways predecessors to the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, the $2 billion plan to slow land loss erasing Louisiana's coast. Construction on that project could begin as early as next year, while a similar one on the opposite side of the river known as the Mid-Breton Diversion could follow.
In the Crescent City, New Orleanians watch the sun become a sliver
Dan Koenig, president and CEO of the San Angelo, Texas, Chamber of Commerce has been named president and CEO of the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce.

Koenig will replace former Chamber President and CEO Bob Mundt who resigned after 25 years of service in April to accept a similar position with the Fox Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Dan brings extensive chamber management, community development and leadership skills to the Chambers top staff position, Chamber Board of Director Chairman James Watson said in a release. After a four-month nationwide search, interviews and research, it became clear that Dan has the right skills and fit for the chamber. We are excited to welcome Dan and his family back to Council Bluffs and look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.

Im absolutely pleased that Dan accepted our offer, Watson added. I really believe hes the right person to lead our chamber. Having a person with local knowledge as well as his broader knowledge will be invaluable.

Watson said the chamber received 36 applications for the position and interviewed six individuals before selecting Koenig.

The thing that most impressed me during the interview process was Dans ability to build coalitions, bringing people together to accomplish a goal, Watson said.

A native of Omaha, Koenig is no stranger to Council Bluffs and the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce, having previously served as executive vice president of the Council Bluffs Area Chamber from 1989 to 1993. Prior to joining the chamber staff, he worked as a photographer for the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil from 1983 to 1989.

Since leaving the Bluffs Chamber, Koenig has served as President and CEO of the Bellevue, Nebraska, Chamber and the Overland Park, Kansas, Chamber. Prior to relocating to San Angelo just over a year ago to assume leadership of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, Koenig served more than 10 years as the parish administrator for a 2,200-member church and school in Leawood, Kansas.

The San Angelo Chamber serves a county-wide population of 120,000 and more than 1,100 business members. The chamber offers programs and services for businesses and manages economic development and tourism services and marketing through the Chambers Economic Development Council and Convention and Visitors Bureau.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve and assist with the growth and development of the Council Bluffs area, Koenig said. There are a lot of good things happening in Council Bluffs, and Im excited to help continue that momentum forward. Im very excited about coming back to Council Bluffs. Its a community where I have a history and some knowledge and an unbiased perspective.

Koenig holds a communications degree and minor in business management from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is a graduate of the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management program, a five-year comprehensive course in non-profit and chamber management.

Additionally, he is a 2004 graduate of the Ewing Kauffman Foundation New Ventures Entrepreneur Development program.

Although he was not part of the selection process, Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh said he sat in on the second interviews with finalists for the chamber position.

Dan presented well and was very organized, Walsh said. He has an extensive background that I think will be beneficial to the chamber. Im excited to get him in here and get him started and build some relationships. Its been quite a number of years since he lived and worked here and Council Bluffs has changed a lot since he left, but his family is still in the area so he should be able to adapt quickly. I think hell do a good job.

Chuck Shore, chairman of the San Angelo Chambers Board of Directors, said we are disappointed to see him go.

Dans done a great job for the chamber  added a lot of value, Shore said. Im very happy for Dan and his family, knowing he gets the opportunity to be closer to family and do the work he loves.

Shore was joined by others from San Angelo in praising Koenig.

Dan has been a breath of fresh air whos taken steps to make our chamber a more vibrant chamber, said Del Velasquez, executive director of San Angelos Downtown Inc./Main Street. We are so sad ... heartbroken ... to lose him. He wasnt here very long, but Ive seen the impact hes had. Were definitely going to miss him.

Dan did an outstanding job of refocusing the chamber on its mission and strategizing a way to bring more value to chamber members, said San Angelo Mayor Brenda Gunter. He developed a strategy to bring multiple people to the table to create a common mission, he reviewed areas financially to ensure money is being spent wisely. He is a great manager, strategist and great at building partnerships.

We certainly hate to lose Dan, but its difficult to fault a man who has made a decision he feels will be beneficial to his career and to his family, said Tom Green County Board Judge (chairman) Steve Floyd.

Dan has renewed city and county government energy to work together to move forward positively, Floyd said. Dan has arranged meetings to promote common goals, and hes provided the leadership.

Hes been great. Hes faced several significant challenges, and hes handled them professionally and successfully, he added. I hope we can find someone as capable as Dan with Dans leadership abilities.

Watson said hes happy to have Koenig ready to come on board.

It was a pleasure to work with the search committee, and we were fortunate to attract some very good candidates, Watson said. The committee was dedicated to the process and determined to find the most suitable candidate. And now we are excited to welcome Dan to the Chamber.

Koenig and his wife, Mary, have three daughters ages 16, 19 and 20. The new president and CEO will assume his duties with the Council Bluffs Area Chamber in mid-September.
Look! Up in the sky  its a bird, its a plane.

No, it was a total solar eclipse that an estimated 175 people marveled at through special glasses in a small section of southwest Iowa on Monday.

And, their experience seemed to be super.

Its pretty amazing, said Elena Rasmussen, a University of Northern Iowa, who came with two others from Cedar Falls.

It was worth the five-and-a-half our drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic, added fellow student Josh Fiedler.

While most of Iowa experienced a partial, almost total, eclipse, it was the area around Hamburg that saw the totality in its darkened mid-day splendor.

Many saw the eclipse at Waubonsie State Park, north of Hamburg. Most of the crowd drove themselves or were shuttled in from Hamburg and Sidney to the small portion of state-owned land near the Missouri River.

Leave it to a total solar eclipse to bring people together from near and far.

I live in Jersey City, New Jersey, said Colleen Frank as she waited for the big event with friends. Ive never experienced a total eclipse before.

Another of those attending was Lisa Roller, who lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Its something different, something new for me to do, she said.

A severe thunderstorm didnt stop Christine Goertz from driving six hours from Oskaloosa.

I left at 6 a.m. and drove through horrendous thunderstorms and lightning and rain, Goertz said. Its once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The first shuttle buses arrived at the ground  sometimes called Hamburg Bend around 11:15 a.m. Many who came on their own had already by then setup key spots for the viewing.

During the wait, one man played his guitar, while children ran about, dogs beckoned for attention and a few put finishing touches on their telescopes.

Jim Stearns, of Des Moines, was checking the sun filter on his telescope.

It removes 99.99 percent of sunlight, he said.

Cade Arries, a doctor in Minneapolis, waited for the big moment with friends.

I heard it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so we decided to come, Arries said.

Free hot dogs and bottled water kept hunger pains to a minimum.

It was around noon when the moon began making its presence seen in the suns upper right hand corner. Immediately, folks began gazing at the historic sight through protective glasses as the moon slowly moved in front of the sun. Just before the climax at 1:05 p.m., something perhaps nobody expected appeared in the sky  an upside down rainbow.

Have you ever seen an upside down rainbow in your life? Rasmussen asked Fiedler.

Fiedler hadnt.

But, at 1:05 p.m., the real show began as an eerily dark, almost calming scene overtook the landscape with the crowd cheering as one. Then, in less than a minute, the sun began making its slow reappearance.

It was quiet looking, almost like a sunset in the distance, Frank said.

Lisa Mills of Massena, said, It was phenomenal, absolutely amazing.

Her grandson, Deegan Flathers of Anita, totally agreed.

It was phenomenal, he said.

Perhaps Frank said it best upon leaving.

I will remember it, she said.
In ancient times, an eclipse was an event that provoked awe and fear. In our modern mastery of the heavenly domain that was once an untouchable sky, people laid on the grass in Bayliss Park with $5 sunglasses to watch the moon devour the sun.

Meanwhile, within the steel walls and dungeon-like atmosphere of the Squirrel Cage Jail, a thermal imaging camera tucked away from the celestial wonderment outside sat recording, waiting for ethereal beings to pronounce themselves.

Angie Oehler, a member of August Night Paranormal and a volunteer at the historic house of correction, was going to find out.

While the paranormal group has been hunting ghosts and the like for three years, Oehler has been at it for 35 years. She said the energy bleeding away from peoples curiosity could serve as a catalyst for some otherworldly activity during the eclipse.

Once it gets to the true darkness, the ghosts here may come out, she said as the eclipses shadows began to lengthen outside.

City employees and residents stood with necks craned upward as the sun slowly evaporated behind the blackened Moon until a sliver of light was all that was left to behold (afterall, Council Bluffs was not in the path of totality).

I told employees to keep one eye closed while looking, just in case, Mayor Matt Walsh said while standing outside City Hall during the darkest point of the day. Nearby, city employees took turns looking skyward with their solar glasses or through the visors of welding masks.

Outside the Pottawattamie County Courthouse, Merri Christensen of Council Bluffs, said she was excited to see the momentous event. She added that the $5 she paid for her sunglasses was worth it.

I dont think anything weird will happen. Maybe some people will get crazy, but no zombie apocalypse, Christensen said with a laugh.

As of Monday afternoon, the dead remained interred, it would seem (the Zombie Walk was held in Bayliss on Saturday, see photos here).

But did a ghost manifest, conjured by the swirling energies of the ther brought about from the strange occurrence?

Oehler said she heard footsteps while alone on the fourth floor of the jail which was once the living quarters.

Ill have to review the footage to be certain, she said.

On the green grass of Baylis Park, Ron Wilkes of Elk River, Minnesota, and friends, Ruth and Pat Hudson of Elk Lake, Minnesota, laid back and watched the show unfold.

We drove six hours to get here, most of it through rain in Iowa. We were going to go to St. Joseph, Missouri, but decided this was even better, Wilkes said. Oh wow!

They had their glasses and a welders helmet.

It was worth the trip, Ruth Hudson said.

The next opportunity to seek the profound or the metaphysical energy from a solar eclipse in the U.S. will be April 8, 2024.
Its been a long time coming, but Iowa officials and residents have finally selected a replacement for the states aging license plate. The new plate design will be available sometime next year.

Earlier this month, Gov. Kim Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg and Iowa DOT Director Mark Lowe revealed three potential plate designs at the start of the Iowa State Fair. The public voted for their favorite design through an online poll and at the Iowa DOTs state fair booth throughout the fair.

The City and Country Reboot design won the public vote with 113,299 of the polls 291,095 total votes. There was a big push late Sunday that brought Flying Our Colors to a close second with 110,352 votes. In third place was The Great Wide Open, which tallied 67,444 votes.

Iowans made their voices heard in the selection process for our states next license plate design, Reynolds said in a release. Im glad so many were able to help select a meaningful design that should serve as a point of pride for our state and showcase our unique culture to the rest of the country.

Im pleased we were able to include the public in the selection process, Lowe said. People lined up at our booth to vote throughout the fair, and many more people voted online. It was fun and gratifying to see so many people positively engage, and Im happy that the end result is a colorful, positive design thats still easy to read and meets its public safety purpose. Many people commented that this design represented everyone in the state, and we know Iowa is a great place wherever you choose to live.

Plates with the new designs will be issued to vehicle owners whenever they add or change vehicles and obtain new county standard plates or whenever they replace lost, stolen, or damaged county standard plates. To avoid unnecessary cost, Iowans who currently have county standard plates will receive replacement plates with the new design when their current plate reaches the end of its 10-year replacement cycle. Vehicle owners who want a new plate sooner may purchase a set from their local county treasurers office for $5.

Iowas current license plate  with its rural-meets-urban motif showing a farm scene in the foreground and the shape of a city skyline at the back, the states first graphic plate  was first issued more than two decades ago in 1996.

In the ensuing years, there have been changes in production methods but, unfortunately, no change in the basic design. The design has become dated and, in a word, boring.

We agree with Reynolds that the new plate will serve as a point of pride showcasing Iowas unique culture to the rest of the country.

The change was a long time coming, but we think Iowans will find it worth the wait.
Unraveling of marriage and families

The unraveling of marriage/family in the U.S. has resulted in approximately 20 million Americans under the age of 18 without a Dad in the home.

The cold, hard statistics:

1. A 2013 Department of Human Services report found that fatherless children were five times more likely to grow up in poverty than children from married-couple households. Ninety percent of all homeless/runaway children are fatherless.

2. A 1993 DHS report found that, without fatherly guidance, children are 10 times more likely to use alcohol/drugs, and 71 percent of all adolescent chemical users come from fatherless homes.

3. According to a Canadian university study, children from fatherless homes generally score lower in reading, math and thinking skills. They are more likely to skip school, are nine times more likely to drop out of school around age 16 and thus are less likely to attain academic and professional qualifications in adulthood.

4. A 2005 Journal of Marriage and Family study found that children from single-parent families were 20 times more likely to experience incarceration and 11 times more likely to manifest violent tendencies. Seventy percent of incarcerated adolescents and 60 percent of rapists were raised in fatherless homes.

5. A 2005 study by the Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that middle-schoolers not living with their natural parents were more likely to suffer from a psychiatric mood disorder (i.e. ADHD) and were twice as likely to commit suicide. Eighty percent of adolescents in psychiatric hositals come from fatherless homes.

6. A 2004 study from the Journal of Family Issues found that children raised in a single mom household increases the likelihood of teenage pregnancy and are nine times more likely to experience rape or sexual misuse. Seventy percent of teen pregnancies happen in fatherless homes.

Used from Dismantle the Family, Ruin the Nation, on TheTrumpet.com.

Wendell E. Carr, Ottumwa

______________________________

Tax reform should be a top priority

With Sens. Grassley, Ernst and Rep. Young on their August recess from Washington, I hope they take the time to hear from their constituents. I know theyll hear a lot about an issue concerning all Americans, and especially Iowans  tax reform.

Recently, while Congress as a whole got cold feet on fulfilling their promise on Obamacare, Iowas Republican federal delegation stood by their word. Its important that our leadership hold true on tax reform as well. Many legislators in Washington got cold feet about the healthcare repeal because it would create uncertainty, but uncertainty is a daily fact of life for American families and businesses when it comes to the tax code.

Families are uncertain on how to navigate through the 75,000-page tax code and if theyll be able to afford expensive consulting from tax experts. Small businesses are uncertain if theyll be able to make ends meet with the 35 percent tax rate in the United States, which is the highest in the developed world. In fact, with pass-through taxes they can pay as high as 40 percent.

These are folks who, in many cases, are struggling to make a profit, and all of their resources already go straight back into their business. Fortunately, the House GOP has been hard at work developing a plan for tax reform. Passing tax reform would add $5,284 to household median incomes in the state and create 18,397 Iowa jobs.

We need to tell our Iowa leadership in Washington to get on it!

Duane Harris, Red Oak

______________________________

Follow the money

Follow the money. In the Senate primaries, consider who donates to the candidate. Big money wants legislation, regulation, funding and tax considerations favorable to them and burdensome to their competition. For example, health insurance, pharmaceutical and hospital interests want to keep decision-making with a few politicians in Congress. All they have to do is elect 30 senators to control legislation.

In contrast, in free-markets the big corporations have to contend with millions of decision-making consumers. The same dynamic is in play for most government spending. Drain the swamp by supporting free market candidates.

Michael F. McCarthy, Hayward, California
"It happened as if it was a dream," says Gabriel Fattah Manga, recalling the day his world came tumbling down around him, and his life changed forever.

Early last Monday morning Manga, 25, was preparing to head to work as a carpenter in the Regent area of Freetown, Sierra Leone, when he realized something was badly wrong

"The land was trembling and the whole area was trembling with me," he tells CNN, his eyes still red-rimmed with emotion. "I came out to see what was happening. I saw water going down ... When I moved up to three meters, I saw this whole mountain coming."

A massive mudslide, sparked by heavy rains and flooding in an area that has suffered years of deforestation, was speeding down the slopes of Mount Sugar Loaf, towards his home in one of the makeshift shanty towns that dotted the hillside.

Manga survived, but an entire generation of his family was swept away in the devastation.

"I lost my mother Kumba, who I love so much," he says. "I lost my brother John -- I was in love with my brother. I lost his wife Jeneba, their baby Daniel, who is five months old. My elder brother also lost his two children."

Manga now sleeps on a bench outside the single-story brown building his surviving family members call home. Pasted on the wall above the bench is a picture of his mother and the members of his family he has lost.

"I lost my family, I lost my people. I lost my place," he says, a weary, resigned look on his face. "All has gone."

Hundreds still missing

Manga is far from alone. According to the latest death toll, 499 people, including more than 150 children, were killed in the Regent mudslide.

Hundreds more remain missing, and relatives are losing hope that their loved ones will be found alive.

Mariama Koroma, 23, sits across the street from Manga's home, outside the small building where she and some 50 other women and children are sheltering, clutching a photograph of her five-month-old niece Mariatu.

Mariatu and her mother, Koroma's older sister Fanta, 35, have been missing since a tide of sodden red earth swept away their home. The family has been unable to find any sign of them where their house used to stand.

"When I go there, I didn't see her house. We've driven everywhere and we can't find her body," she says. "The bodies are under there. My mother is now unconscious. I'm worried that she will not make it."

Inside the dark, cramped shelter, Wuiatu Kondeh sits on a still-wrapped mattress. Clutching her two-year-old daughter, she weeps as she tells of how she escaped from the mudslide, only to realize she couldn't find her husband, Lansana, 25, a motorbike taxi driver.

"We saw the hill coming down and we ran away," she says, remembering fragments and details of that day. "Someone carried my child. I didn't have my slippers."

"Later, I looked for my husband and I didn't see him," she says, sobbing quietly, her face etched with pain. "I didn't see my uncle ... my sister, she lost two of her children. I didn't see her again."

Kondeh and her husband had only moved to the Mount Sugar Loaf area in June, after saving up to rent a home there. With that home destroyed, she and her baby daughter are left to sleep on the floor of this shared building.

Outside, the search continues, with rescue workers digging through the dirt for bodies, the stench of decomposing remains hanging in the air.

Pleas for help, support

Sierra Leone faces a steep road to recovery. A small nation of 7.4 million people, it has been beset with more than its fair share of tragedies in the past.

It now has 20,000 displaced people -- around 5,000 of whom are children -- to care for and rehouse, according to presidential spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay.

For now, some are being looked after by aid agencies such as Unicef.

Inside one of the NGO's tents in Regent, children play, seemingly as carefree as kids the world over, but look closer, and they bear the scars and scabs that tell of their struggle to survive the mudslides.

Bayraytay has appealed for more international aid -- medical supplies, shelters, blankets -- to help Freetown recover.

He warns there's a high risk of cholera as people are still living in the devastated areas, without clean water and sanitation, and says the country cannot manage on its own.

"We are overstretched," he says. "We are just on the verge of recuperating after Ebola and the civil war. We are overwhelmed.

"Sierra Leone is a small country with a small economy and we cannot do this alone ... we appeal very passionately to the world to come to (our) aid."

That's a plea echoed by Gabriel Fattah Manga, who says those like him who lost so many loved ones in the mudslide are struggling to know how to cope.

"I have cried a lot. I have nothing to do more because they are gone," he says. "I will now look to what God will do for me.

"For now, I'm in the street. I have nowhere to go. We need people to help us. If they can hear us, let them help us."

CNN's Laura Smith-Spark, Caroline Paterson and Hilary McGann contributed to this report.
Gary has lost four pharmacies in recent years, and now the city is in talks with three of the nation's largest pharmacy chains about bringing back service.

Walgreens shuttered three of its four Gary locations, including the Miller pharmacy in July. CVS announced last week it purchased Fagen Pharmacy and would close the Miller location, leaving only the pharmacy on Broadway in Midtown open. Fagen itself pulled out of downtown Gary a few years ago, making it more difficult for seniors living in nearby residential towers who had walked there and often lacked other means of transportation.

"Our concern is we want to make sure every neighborhood in the city of Gary, every community, is serviced," Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said. "There are serious concerns."

She and other city officials have been in talks with CVS and Rite Aid about opening new locations, and with Walgreens about potentially allowing another pharmacy to come in and rent the now-shuttered location at 801 Lake St. it operated for a decade, which it usually doesn't do.

"We've actually been discussing that with Walgreens," she said. "They've indicated their willingness to work with us. They're not going to be as hard-and-fast on the property."

City officials are especially concerned about the potential impact to seniors and the disabled.

"It's extremely important to our seniors because they don't have as much opportunity to travel, to get medicine," Freeman-Wilson said. "They don't have as much access to transportation. Not only our seniors, but our disabled. Fagen Pharmacy had been in walking distance of a number of members of the disabled community."

Eric Reaves, vice president of the Miller Citizens Corp., said he learned after a discussion with Walgreens about saving the Miller location that a thorny issue was that there weren't enough prescriptions covered by private health insurance plans in the neighborhood. He said he believed more market-value housing in Miller could help bring national corporate chains like Walgreens back.

Freeman-Wilson said a number of options were possible to restore pharmacy service to the city of about 80,000 residents.

"At this juncture there are a lot of possibilities because nothing's been determined yet," Freeman-Wilson said. "One of the things we've discussed is an independent pharmacy. We're reaching out to Rite Aid now that Walgreens and Ride Aid aren't doing that merger."
Casual Male XL in Hobart is no more; now comes DXL Men's Apparel.

The big-and-tall menswear store Casual Male closed its longtime location across from Southlake Mall at 2217A E. 80th Ave. in the Merrillville Plaza shopping center, which is actually in Hobart because of an annexation during the 1970s.

It was rebranded as DXL and moved a half mile west on U.S. 30 in a new location at 1580 E. 81st Ave., Building 2 in Southlake Pointe, across the municipal border in Merrillville. It's located next to the new Outback Steakhouse, which also relocated a short distance into the newer shopping center that includes Ashley Homestore, American Sale and La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries.

DXL is a specialty retailer owned by suburban Boston-based Destination XL Group that caters to larger men, carrying clothing sizes of XL and up. It stocks pants with waist sizes of 38 or more and shoes of at least size 10.

The company is in the process of rebranding all its Casual Male stores as DXL.

"The transformation to the Destination XL concept provides the company with an exciting opportunity for growth," David Levin, president and CEO, said in a press release. "We are confident that this transformation will accelerate our long-term sales and profitability."

The store carries more than 100 brands, including Polo Ralph Lauren, Levi's and Kenneth Cole. It also carries sportswear in big and tall sizes from brands including Under Armour and Reebok.

DXL in Merrillville is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 219-769-5154.
Great Lakes steel production rose to 679,000 tons last week, a negligible increase of 1,000 tons.

Steel mills in the Great Lakes region made 678,000 tons of metal the previous week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Most of the steel made in the Great Lakes region is produced in Lake and Porter counties.

So far this year, U.S. steelmakers have produced 57.4 million tons of steel, about 3 percent more than the same period in 2016. Steel mills this year have been running at 74.6 percent capacity, up from 72.2 percent through the same time last year.

Domestic steelmakers used about 75.6 percent of their steelmaking capacity in the week ending Aug. 19, down from 76.4 percent the previous week but up from 70.8 percent at the same time a year earlier, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Some analysts say steelmaking capacity utilization of about 90 percent would be considered healthy for an industry that's been besieged by imports and idled mills in recent years.

Overall, U.S. national steel output declined by 17,000 tons last week to 1.76 million tons, a decrease of nearly 1 percent, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Production in the Southern District, nearly always the country's second-largest steel-producing region, which spans mini-mills across the South, fell to 638,000 tons last week, down from 650,000 tons the previous week.
INDIANAPOLIS  The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that an alert by a drug-sniffing dog is not sufficient evidence for police to seize cash they claim is tied to drug trafficking.

In 2015, an Indianapolis detective who was visually inspecting packages at a local shipping company grew suspicious of two parcels, one sent from Illinois, the other from Indiana that both were addressed to the same California recipient, heavily taped and set for priority overnight delivery.

A drug-sniffing dog alerted on both parcels indicating an odor of controlled substances. That, plus his claim California is known as a place where controlled substances are imported and exported, prompted the detective to obtain search warrants for both parcels.

According to court records, the warrants authorized police to open and search the parcels "for controlled substances, records of drug trafficking and proceeds of drug trafficking."

Police found $15,000 cash in one package and $15,300 cash in the other, but no controlled substances or records of drug trafficking in either.

Court records show neither of the individuals who shipped the packages ever were charged with a crime, or even investigated for a crime in connection with the packages.

Nevertheless, police seized the $30,300 as drug trafficking proceeds and sought to turn it over to the federal government, which would have returned most of it to the local police department.

Marion Superior Judge Marc Rothenberg affirmed the seizure and approved the police request to turn the cash over to the federal government, pending appeal.

In their appeal, the shippers and receivers of the money argued that police went beyond the scope of their search warrant by seizing the cash, since the police could not demonstrate it was derived, either directly or indirectly, from drug trafficking.

The appellate court, in a 3-0 decision, agreed.

Judge John Baker, writing for the court, said if all heavily taped parcels containing money and shipped to California via priority overnight delivery could be seized as drug trafficking proceeds, then "many last-minute gift recipients at holiday and birthday time would be sorely disappointed (and surprised)."

Baker acknowledged that the police K-9 unit did alert on both parcels.

But he said that only indicates someone who handled the parcels at some point in time transferred the odor of controlled substances to the packages.

"Any of those individuals could conceivably have possessed and/or used the unidentified controlled substance, either legally or illegally, with or without an intent to commit drug trafficking," Baker said.

He also noted that studies show up to 90 percent of U.S. currency is contaminated by drug residue  "leading us to place even less credence on a positive alert from a K-9 unit alone with absolutely no other evidence suggesting drug trafficking."

As a result, the court found that "no reasonable person would conclude, based on these facts, that the currency was the proceeds of drug trafficking," ruled its seizure unlawful and ordered the money be returned.

It's now up to Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill to decide whether to ask the Indiana Supreme Court to review the appellate ruling.
LAPORTE  The City Council here has reaffirmed its support for a tax on motor vehicle registrations being used to get streets back into shape.

Monday night's unanimous decision to include the city's wheel tax ordinance in the city's transportation asset management plan was adopted.

City Attorney Rebecca Meyer-McCuaig said the council faced a Sept. 1 deadline to include the plan's date of approval, as required by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, for the wheel tax to remain in effect locally for 2018.

"It's already active. We had to add this for this to stay active," McCuaig said.

The city's transportation plan was approved in September 2016, three months after the $15 wheel tax on passenger vehicles was adopted over the objections of many citizens.

Semi trucks are taxed $40 and motorcycles $15.

The charge is assessed at the time vehicle registrations are renewed, officials said.

About $500,000 a year is generated in LaPorte by the wheel tax. That amount is used to leverage another $500,000 in road money from the state each year.

To qualify for the matching dollars, municipalities in Indiana must have a transportation asset management plan in place.

In LaPorte, the plan rates the condition of every street to guide which should be repaired first. It also contains maintenance strategies for extending the life of streets once repaired.

The City Council has the option of rescinding the wheel tax, but it could be some time given the strings attached by the state for receiving more road dollars and the many streets in dire need of fixing.

"Who wants to pay a wheel tax? I don't. You got to have street money. Hopefully, someday we can get rid of it, but I don't know when," Councilman Roger Galloway said.

For the past three years, state matching dollars and other revenue sources from the city have created over $2 million annually for street repairs in LaPorte. Previously, the amount was often under $1 million.

As a result, close to 40 percent of the city's streets in need of repair should be fixed by the end of this year.

"Everybody let it go for so long. Now we're trying to get it done," Galloway said.
Valparaiso police Officer John Cordova and his K-9 partner, Saber, visited the Banta Senior Center on Friday afternoon.

Cordova talked to the seniors about his relationship with his German shepherd partner while Saber played with a ball and watched Cordova's every move. The 67-pound dog, who was originally from Poland, lives with Cordova and his family and goes to work with Cordova every day.

"He rides with me in the car, and we respond to all types of cases," Cordova said. "We will respond to calls that are in progress and building searches when they are looking for people or drugs. Saber has gotten a lot of apprehensions already."

Saber is also used as a locating tool when trying to find people, especially in buildings or various other locations. And sometimes he even helps calm down children who are in distress. Saber is one of five dogs on the Valparaiso police force.
Recent events in Charlottesville finally alerted my colleagues in the Legislature, as well as Gov. Eric Holcomb, to the possibility hate crimes legislation is needed in Indiana. For the past five years, I have advocated for increased penalties for crimes committed on the basis of bias toward another person. My friend and colleague, state Rep. Greg Porter, also has been advocating on behalf of this same legislation for many more years.

So why now do Republicans in Indiana feel the increased need for hate crimes legislation in Indiana? Why does it take events outside of Indiana involving non-Hoosiers for Speaker Bosma and others to reconsider this proposal? I venture to say my Republican counterparts feel the need because of President Donald Trumps divisive and dangerous rhetoric, and I wish that they would come out and denounce his words.

As of today, Indiana is one of just five states that does not have some version of hate crimes legislation on the books. Though I respect Speaker Brian Bosma and his recent denunciation of the events and message of the recent attack, there has been ample time to study and implement legislation that could protect vulnerable Hoosiers from hatred and bigotry.

Bosma has argued that hate crime legislation is unnecessary because a judge already can apply a maximum sentence for any reason. That is true, but it does not change the fact Indiana needs to send a strong message that hate will not be tolerated. That is why I have supported recent legislation specifying that judges should consider bias motivated crimes an aggravating circumstance, allowing judges to impose a maximum statutory sentence for bias motivated offenses.

Contrary to what has been discussed in the media, during the 2017 session the Senate had the opportunity to vote on Amendment 21 to the budget bill that would insert bias crimes protections. This language failed on a party line vote of 39-9.

Now that Hoosiers have the attention of their leaders in the House and governors office, I believe the only answer for Indiana is to implement legislation that would enhance the penalty for hate crimes. I will be proposing legislation that will allow a court to impose an additional fixed term of imprisonment if the court finds that an individual committed a bias motivated offense.

Enhancing the penalty for hate crimes is just one part of what I believe should be comprehensive hate crimes reform legislation. In 2003, the Legislature authorized a measure requiring local law enforcement agencies to report any and all hate crimes to the Indiana State Police. As of last year, only four local police departments in Indiana reported any hate crimes. Those departments included Indianapolis and Bloomington. At face value, this looks like Indiana may not have a hate crimes issue.

But, do any of us really believe there are not more hate crimes occurring throughout the state?

The lack of reported hate crimes is not due to the absence of crime, but rather the lack of training in our local police departments to understand and recognize hate motivated crimes. Therefore, along with legislation that will enhance the penalty for hate motivated crimes, I will seek legislation that fosters education for our local police forces in identifying hate crimes.

Seeking strong legislation that is not watered down and enhances the punishment for hate crimes cannot succeed if any person is left out of the legislation. It will be critical to the success of this bill for all people to be protected regardless of their perceived race, color, creed, disability, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.
EAST CHICAGO  EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is expected to announce in mid-September whether the USS Lead Superfund site in the city's Calumet section makes his new Top 10 list for Superfund sites, one of his senior advisers said.

Albert Kelly, chairman of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Task Force and senior adviser to Pruitt, said during a meeting Saturday in East Chicago that the decision is Pruitt's and it would be premature for Kelly to comment.

However, Pruitt's first visit to a Superfund site as administrator was East Chicago, and Kelly noted he personally has visited the city four times. When Pruitt announced the Top 10 list of Superfund sites in July, he repeatedly mentioned the East Chicago site, The Washington Post reported.

Kelly also attended a community meeting last month called in opposition to a proposed permit for the Army Corps of Engineers to dispose of the most highly contaminated sediments dredged from the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal at a confined disposal facility at 3500 Indianapolis Blvd. EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management have not yet issued a decision on that risk-based permit application.

Kelly said there are no metrics for determining which 10 Superfund sites make the list.

"It's his decision," Kelly said.

Pruitt will receive weekly updates on the sites named to the list. He already has been receiving weekly updates from Kelly about the site in East Chicago, Kelly said.

Critics have said a Top 10 list will do little to speed cleanups at some 1,300 other Superfund sites around the U.S. The problem is not a lack of attention from the administrator, but a lack of funding since Congress allowed a tax on companies that once funded cleanup to expire in the mid-1990s, they say.

In announcing the Top 10 list, EPA said Pruitt also would retain authority previously delegated to employees to select cleanup plans for Superfund sites where costs are estimated to be $50 million or more.

As of last month, EPA had incurred about $35 million in costs at the USS Lead Superfund site and was seeking another second consent decree to secure money for nonpriority cleanups in zone 2, where work might not be completed until 2020.

EPA shelved excavation plans in zone 1 after the city ordered the West Calumet Housing Complex vacated and demolished, and EPA currently has no projected total cost for competition of the cleanup across all three residential zones, a spokeswoman said. Costs have far exceeded a 2012 estimate of $28.9 million to complete the project.

The EPA's next community meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 16 at the old Carrie Gosch Elementary School, 455 E. 148th St.

EPA officials said they were planning to present more information about the DuPont site, which sits to the southeast of the Superfund site and has been subject to a cleanup under EPA's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act program.

Concerns have been raised about whether groundwater, which flows from the DuPont site north through zone 3 of the Superfund site, could recontaminate basements and soil around homes during heavy rainfall and flooding.
If you believe health care is a right and not a privilege, then you must be willing to accept more socialism as the solution. I do not believe
President Trump will lay out a new plan for the war in Afghanistan during a formal address to the nation tonight  his first since taking office.

He'll be speaking from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia.

Defense Secretary James Mattis says the president and his national security team came up with a new strategy after a retreat at Camp David Friday.

But he didn't offer any specific information.

Trump gave Mattis the green light months ago to deploy more troops to Afghanistan.

Right now, there are about 8,400 service members stationed there.

NY1 will carry the President's address live.

You can see it here beginning at 9 p.m.
Stripe, a global tech company, has launched into the New Zealand market offering a global reach and faster access to payments technology.



According to a report from the NZ Herald, Stripe has been beta testing its products in New Zealand since the start of the year and has already signed up Kiwi start-up company Xero.



Stripe Australia and New Zealand head of growth, Mac Wang, told the NZ Herald that the company was attracted to the NZ market for its strong economy and the number of new tech companies that were looking to go global quickly.



Wang will visit start-up business incubators Icehouse, BizDojo and Creative HQ this week, the NZ Herald said.



Wang said Stripe also liked the high smartphone penetration in New Zealand and its largely cashless society.



Wang said that despite internet being around for more than 20 years, e-commerce is still in its infancy, which he puts down to the lack of infrastructure and tools available to online businesses.



Traditionally it would take weeks for companies, gateway provider and banks to set up online payments, but Wang told the NZ Herald Stripe could hook businesses up on the same day.



The company also allows businesses to customise payments for a particular market, such as payments via Alipay for the Chinese market.



Stripe, a global business worth US$9.2bn, was started by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison in 2010. The brothers are credited with a code which allows businesses to plug into websites and apps and connect with credit cards and banking systems which allows payments of more than 135 currencies.


A collective roar of oohs and aahs swept across UW-Madisons Memorial Union Terrace about 12:30 pm Monday as the clouds parted to reveal the emerging solar eclipse.

For the next two hours, the nearly 2,200 visitors to the Terrace donned their special glasses to steal a glimpse of the first total solar eclipse since 1979 to traverse the length of the contiguous United States.

It was amazing, said Mary Hurley, a campus payroll and benefits specialist.

Courtney Byelich, music committee adviser for the Wisconsin Union Directorate, called the eclipse probably the biggest astrophysics event out here since Neil deGrasse Tyson, the prominent astrophysicist who gave a talk at the terrace in 2012.

Other viewers across Madison set up their cameras on State Street, while shoppers peeked their heads out into the open air to catch a glimpse under still gloomy skies.

North Side resident Bill Gaydon watched the eclipses reflection through a drainage ditch at Warner Park, which produced an image as good as I saw on TV, he said.

He gathered on a bridge with about 15 other people, watching the sun glow off of stagnant water, sans glasses. Gaydon called the experience remarkable.

Madison is a few hundred miles from the path of totality  where the moon completely obscured the sun. But local viewers could still witness the sun about 85 percent obscured at the local 1:15 p.m. eclipse peak.

At the Terrace, several viewers were initially disappointed as thick clouds covered the sky during the first 45 minutes of potential viewing in the area.

Michael Leidig, an astronomy major at UW-Madison, was kinda bummed.

Leidig, sitting on a picnic table with his roommates, Jacob Struve and Michael Mussar, pointed to clear blue sky across the lake, hoping for the best.

We dont have anything else to do, Leidig said.

The trio were lucky to score a few sets of glasses. Over the past few days, spiking demand for the glasses caused prices to skyrocket, with some outlets selling them for as much as $20. The glasses allowed viewers to watch the eclipse without incurring permanent eye damage.

As of Monday afternoon, no eye-related injuries or vision problems have been reported by emergency rooms or eye vision doctors, hospital officials said. But they noted it could take a day or even a few days for people to experience symptoms of damage to their retinas.

Ben Pierce, the Unions special events intern who planned the pop-up event, handed out 250 pairs of glasses for free at about 11:00 a.m. They were claimed in about 10 minutes.

Viewers got their break at 12:30 p.m. as the cloud cover scattered and revealed the sun.

They cheered, reaching for their eclipse glasses or pinhole viewers  homemade devices made to view the suns shadow. Several people attempted to take photos through the glasses dark frames, catching just a sliver of orange light. Others took photos of themselves staring at the sun, capturing a moment that wont return again till 2024  the next scheduled total solar eclipse in the United States.

Barbara Chatterton, whose son sent her several pictures of the path of totality in the state of Oregon, excitedly shared her glasses with other visitors who didnt have a pair. Chatterton was initially disappointed by the cloudy weather, but was enjoying the delayed appearance.

The birds didnt stop singing, Chatterton said, referencing the strange behavior described among animals during eclipses.

Leo Rubinkowski, an assistant music adviser for the Wisconsin Union Directorate, made a camera obscura for the event  a large cardboard camera that can focus on the sun, but doesnt betray much of the eclipses shape. Rubinkowski and several other Union employees sat at a table on the Terrace stage shortly after the peak, chatting and watching the crowd.

Rubinkowski, who studied physics as an undergraduate, was underwhelmed.

You know, the world turns, he said.

State Journal reporter David Wahlberg contributed to this report.
The East Alabama Mental Healths Prevention Services department will hold a community chat tonight to discuss underage drinking and the prevalence of substance abuse in the community.

The meeting will be at 5 p.m. at the Lewis Cooper Jr. Memorial Library in Opelika.

Jason Flowers, prevention specialist at East Alabama Mental Healths Prevention Services department, said the meeting will be an open discussion that will have 10 questions and last for 45 minutes.

We just need everybodys support, because we want to get everybodys feedback on this, and well use this to see what programs are needed here and just how we can better suit the community in Lee County, Flowers said.

Flowers said there will be more of these discussions in the future.

We look forward to continuing this strand of focus groups, Flowers said. Its all part of our media campaign that weve been running. And were going to continue to run this media campaign in the future, and well use the data to help us.

For more information, contact Prevention Services at 334-742-2112.
Three children not wearing seat belts were seriously injured Monday night when the car they were passengers in rolled over multiple times in Sauk County.

The crash happened at about 9 p.m. on Highway 113 in the town of Merrimac, the Sheriff's Office said.

The investigation showed Jesse Ontiveros, 31, of Baraboo, was driving south on Highway 113 when he swerved to avoid hitting a deer, sending his car into a ditch and down an embankment, the car coming to a stop on its roof after rolling multiple times.

Jesse Ontiveros refused medical treatment, while Fernando Ontiveros, 34, of Reedsburg, a passenger in the front seat, was not injured.

The three children in the back seat, ages 7, 9 and 16, were also from the Baraboo-Reedsburg area, and were taken to UW Hospital in Madison for treatment of their injuries.

Alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the crash.
Across the border in Kenya, calm is slowly returning after days of tension following the disputed elections that saw Uhuru Kenyatta win a second term.

So, as the country awaits the swear-in on August 29, a key turning point in the build-up to the polls just cannot go away. Chris Msando, the tech wiz of the Kenyan electoral commission, died in what many have described as a murder most foul.

The world had barely started to mourn him and ask the definitive questions when news came that alongside him, a 21-year-old lady had lost her life.

Her family confirmed this. She had last spoken to her sister on the fateful day when the couple was last seen. She told her she was going out with her friend Msando.

The night went down and by sunrise, neither their known contacts were on and this created a panic that sparked off a lost person search and lo and behold, only to find her remains in a city morgue.

This new development, or call it an addition to a prominent government officials death, brings a new twist to the homicide. What was initially seen as a politically-motivated murder soon took the shape and form of a crime of passion.

After all, social media profiling portrayed the girl as engaged, and she was certainly not engaged to the married Msando. Her fiancee or his jilted wife could have been behind this murder with as much venom and interest as the accused political actors.

And here is the gist of the matter, geezers. Do you ever realise your enemy always lurks in the shadows waiting to pounce at your most vulnerable time?

I mean, this was not a case of kidnap as was touted. The eulogies had to tread a cautious path. You cant go out lambasting a rouge regime for the death of a good man who was last seen alive in the cozy company of a 21-year-old babe while his wife was home building the family.

Something from a moral pedestal does not add up. And many of us have in the past met our death or major downfall during a moment of bliss.

You do not have to be reminded of a prominent politician here in Uganda who, in the wee hours of the night, got an accident en route to his village home but with a young lady who, unfortunately, died.

Story is told that when he recovered from the coma in hospital, the first thing he saw was his wife menacingly walking about in the ICU section. He literally asked for the Lord to take him, but wapi!

Then came traditional hurdles set by the girls family that he had to jump, including bride price as a ritual for her to rest in peace.

Truth is, this guy will never command the same clout he did. And yet, had this accident been without the lady, it could easily have passed for a politically-instigated one and political clout earned in millions of kilograms.

Former Nigeria president, Sani Abacha, may have been a butcher, but being felled in the company of a couple wenches just made his image worse than the pariah it was.

I dont want to sound like a moralist, but like you, Im wondering why bad things happen when a geezer has this compromising situation. Perhaps all this is about fate. Bad fate!
Mobile telecommunications companies have appealed for the extension of Simcard verification deadline from August 30, instead blaming the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) for the plodding exercise.



The deadline for Simcard verification using the national identity (ID) card was this year extended from May 19 to August 30 in order to allow more time for telecoms to complete the verification exercise of subscribers who had not yet applied for or received their national ID details from NIRA.



The telecoms, however say the verification process has been hampered by lack of an application programming interface (API) that can update the subscriber information in real time.



Appearing before parliament's committee on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), the telecoms including MTN, Airtel, Africell, K2 among others, expressed discontentment with the failure on part of government to provide real time access to NIRAs systems for real time verification.



The committee chaired by the Tororo North MP Annet Nyakecho was directed last week by the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to assess the progress of the Simcard verification exercise.



Denis Kakonge, Airtel Uganda's director of legal and regulatory affairs cited a need to gain access to NIRA data so that photographs of subscribers, their names and National Identity Numbers (NINs) are verified instantly.



Kakonge says that the absence of the application-programming interface (API) is a failure by NIRA to live up to its promise it made in April during a meeting with UCC and security agencies.



Whereas it was agreed in April when we met with Uganda Communications Commission, the security agencies and all other stakeholders and NIRA, that by the 30th of July 2017, NIRA would put in place an application programming interface, which, I would refer to as API that would allow real time verification of national ID details, this API has to date 21st of August not yet been established. Neither has NIRA granted telecom operators access to the API test environment to enable telecom operators to procure the necessary resources to integrate with their API because the systems need to speak with each other, said Kakonge.



Kakonge assured the MPs that the move would not constitute a security risk since they would only require the name and NIN of the subscriber.





MTN Uganda's chief executive officer (CEO) Wim Vanhelleputte also raised similar concerns, noting that it takes up 3-5 working days, to use the current manual system of verification where a subscriber's information is passed on to UCC, which then remits it to NIRA for verification.



He said that it would be good if they can have real time access so that they know immediately that genuine NINs have been submitted.



Up to now, we dont have access [to NIRA system], which is, as such not really a problem because within 3-4 to sometimes five working days were getting the feedback from NIRA in terms of the compliance of those NINs that were submitting. But going forward when we get new subscribers, it would be good if we can have real time access so that we can know immediately when somebody subscribes, Wim said.



Airtel appealed to the MPs to extend the deadline and leave unverified Simcards on until January next year when NIRA will have achieved a 98 per cent registration status of all citizens.



The MPs led by Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko asked Airtel to identify the areas of the country that have been the most affected in terms of customers being unable to update their details.



Maruzi county MP Maxwell Akora asked Airtel officials whether they had taken concrete steps to ensure that pre-activated Simcards were deactivated and pulled from the streets. He said some of these illegal Simcards were still being sold in shops and the streets.



Kakonge stated that all Airtel Simcards leave their warehouse when blocked and that the telecom had taken steps to ensure that such agents were reported to police.



"We bar them, we report them to police, we have been working with police to make sure they are picked up and reported for prosecution." said Kakonge.



Airtel says up to 26 per cent of its subscriber base translating into nearly Shs 30 billion in revenue to government will be switched off if the verification deadline of August 30 is not extended.



The telecom said that a huge portion of its subscriber base has not been able to access their NINs and will be denied the right to communication if the deadline is not extended.



Kakonge further said that Airtel has seen a 17 per cent drop in uptake of its services since the verification exercise began in April this year.



On the other hand, MTN's Wim told MPs that his telecom has about 700,000 subscribers who were not compliant out of a total active subscriber base of 9.5 million. He said that this represented about 2.5 percent of its revenue.



MTN said that it intends to start switching off unverified Simcards starting August 26 if the deadline of August 30 is to be adhered to. This, MTN says is owed to the complex nature of the switch off exercise and the huge number of commands that need to be executed.



We have to switch off 788,000 customers. That cannot be done in a few seconds. That takes hours and hours before all those commands are left to run on our systems before they are fully executed. We inform the committee, that, in order for us to be compliant by 30th of August midnight, we have to start the process 2-3 days in advance - which means that certain customers will not be compliant and will have some kind of interrupted service starting maybe on Monday or Tuesday 28th or 29th so that by 30th midnight were fully compliant. Wim said.



However MPs including Samia Bugwe North's Gideon Onyango, Kampala Central MP Nsereko and Rubaga South MP Kato Lubwama described MTN's planned move as an illegality questioning where the telecom company was getting the mandate to act contrary to the government set deadline.
A group of vendors from Kafumbe Mukasa market and surrounding areas have launched a campaign code-named "Tutereze" to push for the removal of the presidential age limit in the Constitution.

The vendors want article 102 (b) of the Constitution amended to allow people below 35 years and those above 75 years to contest for the highest political office in the country. Under the current Constitution, those particular persons can't stand for presidency.

A similar campaign was also launched at Paya Gardens in Nankulabye yesterday

While launching the campaign at Nakivubo Blue Primary School on Monday afternoon, Florence Nakayiwa, the chairperson of Kafumbe Mukasa market, said they don't see the need for article 102 (b) clause of the Ugandan constitution of Uganda, which restricts the presidential age limit.

"Age is just a number. This article needs to be corrected to allow every eligible Ugandan above 18 years to stand for the position", said Nakayiwa.

She says those who don't want President Yoweri Museveni to contest in the 2021 polls because he will be above the 75-year age limit imposed by the Constitution should also introduce age restrictions for Members of Parliament as well.

Ely Mulangira Wasajja, one of the vendors says given the fact that Uganda is a democratic country people shouldn't be restricted from competing for political office because of their age.

Speaking to URN, Florence Mayanja, a political mobiliser of the ruling National Resistance Movement in Kampala, said Museveni deserves another term in office given the fact that he has served well.

"Let him stand again and then it's up to Ugandans to decide," she said.



Although government is yet to present a proposal to amend article 102 (b) of the Constitution, speculation is high that it will do so anytime soon.



Museveni, who is now 73-years-old, will be 77 years old in 2021 and therefore ineligible to run again under the current law.
The serial murders targeting young women in Nansana and Entebbe municipalities in Wakiso district are orchestrated by the same criminal gang, the Inspector General of Police, Kale Kayihura has revealed.



The murders have so far claimed the lives of 11 women in Entebbe and 6 others in Nansana municipality over the past one month. Each of the victims was first gang-raped before being killed.



Now, Kayihura, says there is a connection between the murders.

"We have established that there is a connection between the murders in Nansana and in Entebbe. We are however still investigating this matter," Kayihura told a news conference this afternoon.

IGP Kale Kayihura

A police report released in connection to the murders in Nansana, shows that police are holding more than 8 suspects including boyfriends, husbands and friends of four deceased women.



One of the suspects has been identified as Kaweesi who was allegedly hired by unidentified businessman in Nansana to kill young women and collect their blood.



"That Kaweesi is a criminal who had just been released from Luzira after serving a 10-year sentence for murder," Kayihura said.

While no new murder has been reported in Nansana in the last three weeks, the murders in Entebbe have increased with at least one woman being killed every four days.

According to police, the number of those raped and murdered in the same way includes 11 sex workers, 4 married women, 1 chapatti seller and one student.



The latest victim of the murder is 35-year-old Aisha Nakasinde whose body was found in a bush a few meters from Kasenyi barracks in Nkumba Kavundira village in Katabi town council on Friday morning.



It is believed that Nakasinde was first gang raped before sticks were inserted in her private parts and throat. According to police, 8 sex workers were killed in Nansana by the same man, who has "confessed that he was hired by another man" to carry out the murders.
Continuing its aggressive acquisition spree, Meltwater has acquired Cosmify, a knowledge discovery platform that employs advanced machine learning technology to analyze corporate data sets.

Jorn Lyseggen

Cosmifys advanced discovery, clustering, and classification capabilities will enhance Meltwaters ability to connect the dots between a wide range of data types from internal and external data and ultimately help business leaders make more informed decisions, said a statement from Jorn Lyseggen, CEO/founder of Meltwater.

The San Francisco-based media intelligence and analytics firm has acquired five firms during the past 18 months.

In June, Meltwater scooped up Infomart, media monitoring arm of Canadas Postmedia Network and Klarity, Hong Kong-headquartered data solutions outfit.

Meltwater employs more than 1,500 staffers in a 55-office network. It claims to serve half of the Fortune 500 roster of companies, as clients.
U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday he will not support a resolution to censure President Donald Trump over his comments following the white supremacist march in Virginia, even though he believes Trump messed up by saying both sides were to blame for violence and that there were very fine people among those marching to protect Confederate statues.

Ryan was asked at a town hall organized by CNN in his southern Wisconsin congressional district whether he would back the resolution that comes following Trumps comments about the Charlottesville, Virginia, rally. The question came from Rabbi Dena Feingold, the sister of former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who like Ryan grew up in Janesville.

Ryan said censuring Trump would be counterproductive.

If we descend this issue into some partisan hack-fest, bickering between one another ... what good does that do to unify this country? Ryan said, adding that it would be the worst thing we could do.

While Ryan said he wouldnt support censuring Trump, he gave his sharpest criticism to date of the presidents comments in the wake of the rally where a woman protesting against the white supremacists was killed by a man identified as a neo-Nazi supporter. Ryan had previously spoken out against the violence, both on Twitter and in a statement earlier Monday, but he hadnt previously addressed Trumps comments directly.

I do believe he messed up on his comments on Tuesday, Ryan said, referring to Trump asserting there were good people on both sides of the Charlottesville incident. Youre not a good person if youre there, its so very clear.

The Ryan town hall began 30 minutes later than originally planned to accommodate Trumps nationwide address where he outlined a new strategy for troops in Afghanistan. Trump vowed to keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan, despite his earlier inclination to withdraw.

Ryan said he was pleased with what he heard from Trump and that it represented a more comprehensive strategy than what had been in place under former President Barack Obama.

Ryan said hes pleased that Trump is moving away from having a timetable for withdrawing from Afghanistan and wants to prevent creating a safe haven for terrorists.

We cant afford to allow that to happen again, Ryan said.

CNN extended invitations to people from Ryans district and selected the questions that were asked. That has led to criticism from Democrats who say the Republican Ryan has been hiding from Wisconsin voters since he hasnt held a town hall open to everyone since October 2015.

Ryans Democratic challenger, Randy Bryce, said he did not receive a ticket to the event. Instead, he raised money to run a pair of television ads during the broadcast, including one where he poses three questions for Ryan to answer about health insurance, Trump and equal pay legislation.

Ryan has held numerous events in Wisconsin, but hes only taken questions from the public in controlled environments such as private businesses.

Hopefully the media event that occurred tonight will convince Paul Ryan that talking to his constituents is a good idea, said U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth. In the remaining weeks when Paul is home, he might want to schedule a real town hall or two and explain his health care bill that drops tens of millions of peoples coverage, as well as discuss his tax preferences that would give the top 1 percent more tax breaks while working Americans continue to struggle.

The Ryan town hall event was in Racine, near where global electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group has said it plans to build a factory that could employ thousands.

Ryan helped in negotiations with the Taiwanese company and has joined with Trump, Gov. Scott Walker and others in touting the news as transformational for Wisconsins economy.

Ryan reiterated in the town hall that hes committed to passing tax reform this year.
KEARNEY, Neb.  Fear of heights doesnt stop students from climbing the 30-foot rock wall at the University of Nebraska at Kearneys Wellness Center.

Jacob McCann, outdoor adventure and climbing wall coordinator, organizes a bouldering league each year for students to participate in to build their skills and meet other climbers. Bouldering is scaling a rock wall, limited to 10-12 feet at UNK to ensure safety, without ropes and harnesses. Crash pads are used to protect the climbers from falls.

We get people who come in and climb (for league) who dont normally climb, McCann said.

McCann said there are three divisions of climbers: beginner, intermediate and advanced. For each division, there are three new climbing problems every week of league.

The league is beginner-friendly.

It is just a cool way to get started and to meet people, McCann said.

Even though the league features team competition, individual scores are also kept. Those who dont have a team can still compete, but they will be placed on the free-agents team.

At the end of the league season, a team winner and male and female winners are determined.

Ultimately, the goal of league isnt to win, but to compete against yourself, have fun and meet new people, McCann said.

McCann said the league meets for about an hour per week for 10 weeks.

In the past, the league has taken place during the spring semester, but McCann said it will likely be on Wednesdays during the fall semester.

In addition to being a fun atmosphere, McCann said, climbing is a great full-body workout.

You wont get ripped by any means, but you will get fairly toned, McCann said.

Currently, the climbing wall is open only to students.

McCann said there were 41 participants last year, and he hopes for even more this year.

Most people have a fear of heights. ... By confronting that (fear), you realize that fear is a state of mind, McCann said.
The State of Iowa submitted its official request to change the rules for individual health insurance next year in an effort to keep middle-income Iowans buying health plans one more year.

Keeping those people from dropping their insurance is vital to making plans available to lower-income people who receive federal subsidies, Iowa Insurance Director Doug Ommen said Tuesday.

The prices have gotten so shocky that there will be people who will make those choices, Ommen said during a conference call.

Iowas stopgap measure is up for approval by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, designed to be in effect when enrollment for 2018 starts on Nov. 1. Federal officials have not said when they would act on the request.

The stopgap measure would guarantee coverage and include the ACAs essential health benefits. Consumers would buy a standard health plan with available subsidies directly from insurance companies instead of through the ACA exchange.

The plan also would set up a reinsurance program for large health claims so that more companies would be willing to sell health plans in the state.

Ommen said 72,000 Iowans get their health plans through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Of those, 28,000 pay for their coverage, and the rest qualify for federal subsidies that reduce their monthly premiums substantially.

Without the changes, he said, between 18,000 and 22,000 people who pay for the insurance will decide to drop it next year, according to an independent study of the plan. People with serious illnesses would be more likely to buy coverage, Ommen said.

The stopgap measure, Ommen said, makes it affordable at a time when the Affordable Care Act has made it largely unaffordable for most people in the middle class.

Without it, he said, insurance companies also would be unwilling to come back into the Iowa market.

So far, only Medica Health of Minnetonka, Minnesota, plans to offer the ACA plans in Iowa next year, at monthly premiums 57 percent higher than it is charging this year.

People who qualify for subsidies would pay about the same, but people who have moderate incomes and pay their own premiums would bear the entire brunt of the increases, Ommen said. For example, a 55-year-old couple with an income of $65,000 a year would face annual premiums of $33,000.

Ommen said his office is talking with multiple carriers about offering coverage in 2018 if the stopgap measure is approved.

Nebraska has not applied for a waiver from the ACA rules. The plans discussed Tuesday by Ommen do not affect Iowans insured through their employers, government-sponsored plans such as Medicare or individual plans that have been grandfathered in since the ACA took effect.

The stopgap measure would not help Iowas health plans in 2019, he said, so Congress needs to act to stabilize the health insurance markets.

As for Iowa next year, he said, without the changes, it cant work.
A third-grader was struck by a car and killed Monday afternoon near 45th and Grover Streets.

Omaha police identified the boy as 8-year-old Jalen Duncan.

At the Omaha Public Schools board meeting Monday night, Superintendent Mark Evans said that he had spent about 40 minutes earlier in the evening at the hospital with Jalens family.

Well be reaching out to the family more and the schools that are involved, Evans said.

He bowed his head and asked for a moment of silence.

According to police, a Mini Cooper heading east on Grover Street hit the third-grader after he darted into the street just east of 45th Street at 4:19 p.m.

A girl who lives in the neighborhood said she and some other children were walking home from Jefferson Elementary when Jalen was hit.

Ive never seen this before in my life, said 11-year-old Aracely Abrego. It was hard for me because I recognized him and he was very nice to me.

Jalen was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center with a critical head injury and CPR in progress. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A developer is proposing to demolish or move four Downtown Madison homes to make way for an extended-stay hotel.

The five-story hotel would include about 50 to 60 units, some commercial space and about 20 parking stalls. But before it can be built, nine residential units in four houses at 502 and 506 E. Washington Ave. and 11 and 7 N. Franklin St. would have to be demolished, raising concerns from some neighborhood residents over the loss of affordable and potentially historic housing.

The location was chosen for its proximity to Downtown and UW-Madison, and attractions like Monona Terrace and Capitol Square, said Michael Metzger, development director of the McGrath Property Group, which is the projects developer.

Its really a great, walkable location, he said. Were really about getting people out there to explore the amenities that Madison has, and were thinking this is a great location for that.

While the design isnt finalized, the hotel would include rooms around 500 square-feet  larger than a standard 325-square-foot hotel room  for stays of up to 27 days, Metzger said.

The design of the hotel would be high-tech, hip and modern, he said.

Preliminary plans presented at a neighborhood information meeting Monday night called for the building to be made from metals, hardwood and panels with lots of windows.

But at Mondays meeting at St. Johns Lutheran Church, attendees raised concerns like a lack of parking included in the plan, the loss of affordable housing and losing homes with historic value, among others.

Ald. Ledell Zellers, who represents the district where the hotel would sit, shared those concerns and said that the developers timeline is too ambitious.

Theyre trying to push it through really fast, which bothers me, she said. I think youve got too many things to think about and try to work out. From where Im sitting, I think the next step should be a steering committee meeting.

While none of the four houses that would be demolished are on historic registers, she said that at least one of the houses  the one at 506 E. Washington Ave.  is likely tied to Leonard Farwell, Wisconsins second governor.

Metzger said Monday that McGrath would try to move the house at 502 E. Washington Ave., which was built in the late 19th century, to another location.

If approved, developers hope to complete the project in 2019.

Metzger declined to disclose the cost of the project Monday.

An Urban Design Commission informational meeting is scheduled for Sept. 6, with a presentation on Nov. 8. The Plan Commission is scheduled to address the proposal on Nov. 20.
More than 800 people  mostly students  packed a church at Creighton University on Monday evening to pray, comfort each other and mourn after one student was killed and three others were injured in a traffic collision earlier in the day.

Joan R. Ocampo-Yambing, 19, of Rosemount, Minnesota, was killed in four-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 that injured five others.

Ocampo-Yambing was a computer science major who would have started her sophomore year this week. She boasted last week on Twitter about self-publishing a book of her poetry. She was a deans fellow at the university, a cream of the crop student, said Cindy Workman, a Creighton spokeswoman. The 19-year-old also was involved in campus ministry, helping to tend to students spiritual and religious needs.

Ethan OHair of Kansas City, who is starting his sophomore year at Creighton, said he knew Ocampo-Yambing through mutual friends.

She was amazing, always smiling, he said. She was such a joy to be around.

Speaking at the vigil Monday night, the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, Creighton Universitys president, encouraged those gathered to look for hope, healing and mercy.

As surely as I know this campus and this community, we will find a way to come to that healing, that mercy, he said.

The university is offering grief counseling and spiritual and pastoral care to students.

Workman said that two of the other Creighton students involved were hospitalized with bleeding on the brain, with one in a medically induced coma.

The crash, just before 10 a.m. Monday, involved two semis and two cars on westbound I-80 near 84th Street.

According to a news release from police:

A trailerless 2015 Peterbilt semi truck was westbound on Interstate 80 just west of the 84th Street underpass. Its driver, Robert J. Richmond, 69, failed to notice that traffic had started to slow, and it rear-ended a white 2013 Toyota Prius with four Creighton students.

It then hit the rear end of a 2008 Chrysler Sebring convertible and came to rest on top of the Chrysler. The Chrysler was pushed into the rear end of a trailer being pulled by a 2017 Freightliner.

Two women in the Sebring were pinned inside, underneath the Peterbilt, until a tow crew could hoist it off and the Omaha Fire Department could get them out of the car.

Ambulances took both women in the Sebring and all four students in the Prius to Omaha hospitals for injuries ranging from serious to critical.

Ocampo-Yambing was a back-seat passenger in the Prius. None of the other injuries was believed to be life-threatening.

The others involved are:

 Demetra N. Arvanitakis, 19, of Overland Park, Kansas, who was being treated at the Nebraska Medical Center for skull fractures, a severe concussion and a back injury. Arvanitakis was driving the Prius. She was listed in fair condition Tuesday.

 Madalene L. Steichen, 19, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the front-seat passenger of the Prius, was being treated at the Nebraska Medical Center for a facial fracture and a cut on the head. She was listed in fair condition Tuesday.

 William L. Tavis, 19, of St. Louis was the other rear-seat passenger of the Prius. He was being treated at Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy for facial fractures and lacerations.

 Kimberly J. Davlin, 54, of Omaha, the driver of the Chrysler, was being treated at the Nebraska Medical Center for an injury to her left arm.

 Joyce M. Cramer, 76, of Omaha, the passenger in the Chrysler, was being treated at the Nebraska Medical Center for internal injuries. She was listed in critical condition Tuesday.

Richmond and the driver of the 2017 Freightliner, Lucius J. Hageman, 33, of Lincoln, were uninjured.
The City of Ralston has four final candidates for its new city administrator position.

Ralston Mayor Don Groesser released the names of the finalists to The World-Herald late last week. The city received 14 applications for the position, which was created by the City Council on July 5.

Ralston is the only Nebraska city with a population of more than 5,000 without a city administrator.

But some City Council members were reluctant to create the position, which will pay between $100,000 and $125,000, citing concerns about funding it.

Groesser said Friday that money will come from an economic development director position that wont be filled and personnel adjustments at the city. He declined to elaborate on what those personnel adjustments would mean.

Thatll take care of the majority of the money for the position, he said.

Groesser and a search team interviewed the final candidates Aug. 16 and 17. That team included City Council President Jerry Krause, councilman Michael Sanchez, Bellevue City Administrator Joe Mangiamelli and Central City City Administrator Chris Anderson.

Groesser said he hoped to name the new city administrator before the Sept. 5 City Council meeting.

The finalists:

 Tony Schultz, general manager at Conestoga Mall in Grand Island, Nebraska, since 2002. Previously, he was security director at the mall.

 Dan Freshman, Ralstons Public Works director. Freshman has worked for the city for 26 years, 20 of those as Public Works director. Before he took a job at the city, Freshman owned a construction firm in Ralston.

 David Forrest, interim congregational life coordinator at Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church in Omaha. Forrest previously held city administrator positions in Canandaigua, New York, and Norristown, Pennsylvania. He has more than 20 years of experience in local government management in Pennsylvania. Forrest moved to Omaha in 2016 to be closer to family.

 Dale Shotkoski, an attorney for the Nebraska Department of Labor. Before that, Shotkoski was the city administrator in Fremont from 2011 until his resignation in June 2016. He worked as Fremonts city attorney and interim city administrator before becoming city administrator. He was also city attorney and interim city administrator in Grand Island. Additionally, he served as Merrick County Attorney from 1987 to 1996.
NEW YORK (AP)  The Confederate flags had been in a Manhattan apartment window for over a year. And then, in a matter of days last week, they were met with hurled rocks, a punched-out window, a tarp hung over them and legal action.

By Monday, the lighted flags were no more to be found in the seventh-floor windows in the East Village neighborhood, where the Confederate symbol had been displayed alongside an Israeli flag and a colonial-era American one.

Theyd attracted new attention after an Aug. 12 white nationalist rally to preserve a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, spiraled into violence that left a counter-protester dead and stirred debate over where or whether Confederate statues and symbols belong in 21st-century America.

A man lobbed rocks at the building last week while he and others yelled for the Confederate flags to be taken down, according to video made by a bystander and posted on local news site DNAInfo.

Another man, Darren Keen, put a fist through one of the flag-flyers windows Friday night after getting to his fire escape from an adjoining roof, according to police, who arrested him on a disorderly conduct charge.

I just lost my temper when I saw that Confederate flag, Keen said Monday. To the Nebraska-born DJ, the flag symbolizes hatred and intolerance, and it galled him to see the banner displayed across the street from an organization that mentors and educates disadvantaged, largely minority girls from the neighborhood, where funky-chic cafes and pricey condos blend with public housing.

Still, the 34-year-old said he hoped anyone else who feels the same way would make a sign  dont break out a window.

The flag-flyer, William Green, didnt immediately respond to an email message Monday, and a possible phone number for him rang unanswered. But he has noted that hed had the banners up for more than a year.

I find all the alleged commotion while Im on vacation a little suspicious, he wrote in an email that the landlord attached when filing a lawsuit against him Saturday. Whatever the drama, this too shall pass.

The suit asked a court to force the flags removal, saying Green had violated his lease and rent-stabilization laws by creating an anti-social nuisance that was causing fear, civil commotion, violence, protests and unpredictable behavior.

Other tenants had barraged the landlord with complaints about being accosted and accused by people who wanted the flags gone, the suit said. It was withdrawn Monday.

Meanwhile, the areas city councilwoman, Rosie Mendez, cautioned residents in an open letter Thursday that flying a flag isnt illegal in itself and warned them not to break laws in response.

Still, the Democrat asked the flags owner to take down a symbol that is so offensive to the surrounding community.

Amid the flap, the flags and their top-floor windows were obscured Friday by a massive tarp hung from the roof, prompting the city to send building inspectors out to make sure the drape didnt endanger the public. The inspectors found the tarp was safely secured, Buildings Department spokesman Andrew Rudansky said.

The tarp, and the flags, then disappeared, though its not clear how. A message left at the landlords office wasnt immediately answered Monday.








Harvy on the left of the screen.

In the middle hard to see is 92L









Harvey now at 100%

Watches and warnings are being wondered on now.

Soon we will have something put out by the NHC.





Below is 92L

Harder to see but it's still there.





















Rainfall projection:









The models are making people nervous.

And for good reason...

... get a plan.









As for 92L









So what do we think and what to we do? If you live in the path of the projected track of Harvey you take it seriously and don't expect nothing because it looks weak now and like nothing. Ever hear of "getting a hurricane plan?" Do it. And again understand this isn't about a big huge hurricane (tho hurricane strength is being forecast) it's about flooding and flooding by any name for any reason is a big pain to deal with and can be life threatening.









I'll update later with more track information when the NHC puts one out. Til then, if you live near the cone.. think seriously on what you need to do as time is ticking and running out fast.





As for 92L it amps up the rainfall in South Florida and most likely up the Florida coast. As it moves or rather wanders over the warm waters of the Gulfstream... it can develop. Even if it doesn't develop, it WILL add to the rain totals shown at the top of this post.









My gut tells me everyone from Galveston to Houston..

San Antonio

Sabine River can get rain

Rain can form everywhere...

...and go nowhere.

Just sit there and rain

92L isn't set in stone.

But it's there..













Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter for faster in real time discussion.









As for the Eclipse it's in the rear view mirror. On the right is after the eclipse began and well into it, on the right is how it looked in Raleigh at 92%. Pretty impressive.





I'm putting up some thoughts here and expecting to write a longer discussion later as the NHC is expected to upgrade the Ex Harvey Wave Invest in some fashion in a little while. I've had a lot of questions regarding Texas and Harvey and Florida and 92L and it gets tiring saying "watch and wait" but in truth that is where we are at regarding both systems.Harvey is in better condition, obviously, as it has a 100% chance of developing according to the NHC. They took measurements using the Gulfstream Jet and hopefully the next full set of model runs will have better information in them and they will therefore give us a better output. Because the models are a bit over the top this morning. After refusing to develop Harvey they take it near hurricane strength close in along the Upper Gulf of Mexico Coast. Rainfall projections in the path of Harvey are huge and a similar set up to Matthew last year with regard to North Carolina are fresh in mind. Let's put it this way, Harvey has been traveling since Africa towards this destination and it has moisture and potential to keep rolling that moisture far to the North INLAND of it's probable landfall. Landfall is not the end game for tropical systems, it is only a step in the process. It's a matter of the "finish line" however in most of our heads. No, it's just a step onto land and then the question is where does Harvey go or in this case not go so fast. When the steering currents are weak, sometimes they pick a system up and then kind of leave it alone a while until the next steering current comes along. And when that happens we usually get a huge flood threat that goes far inland, in this case possibly past I 20 vs I 10. So listen up areas that will be in the cone of Harvey... pay attention to what happens AFTER landfall.
VALENTINE, Neb. (AP)  Authorities say two people have been killed in a northern Nebraska highway collision.

Valentine radio station KVSH reported that the collision occurred around 7:25 a.m. Monday, about 2 miles west of Valentine on U.S. Highway 20.

Cherry County Sheriff Rusty Osburn said the driver of an eastbound vehicle and one of two people in a westbound vehicle were killed in the crash. A second person in the westbound vehicle was taken to Cherry County Hospital in Valentine.

The crash remains under investigation, the Sheriffs Office said.

The names of those involved have not been released, authorities said.

Copyright 2017, the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Will government hike minimum pay?

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asked some officials whether the minimum pay had improved. However officials pointed towards a note sent out by the employees' union which sought for an increase in the minimum pay. The Finance Minister had made it clear that the final recommendations would not be tinkered with which has led central government employees to wonder why the minister was asking about it then. Some officials have expressed concern that the ministry does not show any interest in the hike in minimum pay.

NJAC note on minimum pay

The National Joint Council of Action (NJAC) in its note had requested the ministry to hike the minimum pay in the pay structure of a central government employee. The cabinet had recently cleared the pay panel's recommendations which had fixed the minimum basic pay at Rs 18,000 with a maximum pay of Rs 2.50 lakh per month. The NJAC has however demanded for a hike in in minimum pay Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000, which is now under consideration by the National Anomaly Committee.

Finance Ministry's response

In its reply, the ministry said that it was under the impression that under the pay panel's recommendation the minimum pay did not change the pay structure. In a note to the National Anomaly Committee, the ministry has written, " please discuss."

7th Pay Commission lowered pay gap

The NJAC has told the ministry that the 7th Pay Commission made the pay gap of lower paid employees and top bureaucrats higher about to 1:14 ratio from 1:12 in the previous pay structure. In last year, when the new pay scale was given nod by the cabinet, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had assured unions leaders of central government employees in the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's house that the pay gap should be minimized.
A new era of equality, dignity has begun for Muslim women: Amit Shah

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Hailing the Supreme Court's decision to strike down instant triple talaq or talaq-biddat while declaring it unconstitutional, BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday said the apex court has granted right to Muslim women to live with equality and dignity.

Follow OneIndia's exhaustive coverage on triple talaq here:

The BJP president said in a statement that triple talaq is not in existence in many Muslim nations, adding that the decision comes as a relief to crores of Muslim women.

"I welcome the Supreme Court's historic decision on triple talaq matter. This is a victory of fundamental Constitutional rights of Muslim women. The Supreme Court has granted right to Muslim women to live with dignity and equality," Shah's statement posted on his Twitter handle said.

"I would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government for putting forth this matter before the court," he added.

He said a new era has begun for Muslim women in which they can live with equality and self-esteem.

In a 3:2 majority verdict the court held that the practice was unconstitutional and it violates fundamental rights of a woman as it irrevocably ends a marriage without any scope of reconciliation.

The CJI and Justice Abdul Nazeer had said that the practice could not be barred. It had directed the centre to come up with a legislation within six months. However, the other three judges on the Bench Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit declared the practice as unconstitutional. The practice of triple talaq is now held unconstitutional due to a 3:2 majority.

''Its a small step from Supreme Court, a giant step for women, It is a very, very important judgment. This makes women equal, as they are entitled to be under the Constitution,'' Union Minister Maneka Gandhi said on the judgement.

[SC strikes down instant triple talaq, tells Centre to make law in 6 months]

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the decision historic and welcomed it.

"It is a historic judgement, it provides not only justice but empowerment also. Welcome it," he said.

The majority observed that triple talaq violates fundamental rights of a woman as it irrevocably ends the marriage without any scope of reconciliation. Justice Nariman while dissenting with the CJI said triple talaq is a disapproved form of divorce.

Justice Kurian Joseph who also dissented with the CJI said that there are four sources of Islamic law. Only the Quran is the first source of law, therefore sources other than the Quran are supplement to what is in it. Therefore, there can be nothing more than what is written in the Quran.

OneIndia News
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

For triple talaq victims, judicial verdict in favor but social verdict still against them!

UP: Muslim woman agrees to Nikah Halal, instead gets gangraped by ex-husband, his brother

After SCs historic verdict, now, onus lies on Modi govt to bring new law on triple talaq

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, August 22: On Tuesday, India witnessed a landmark judgement on women's rights after the Supreme Court banned the practice of instant triple talaq prevalent among the Muslim community.

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq verdict: PM Modi welcomes Supreme Court decision | Oneindia News

The apex court struck down the practice of triple talaq calling it unconstitutional and in violation of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, which provides for equality before the law. The five-member bench was divided 3-2 on the matter, with the majority verdict striking the practice down.

The verdict on triple talaq case was given by the five-member bench comprising of Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman, UU Lalit and Abdul Nazeer.

Along with the CJI, Justice Nazeer wrote a dissenting opinion in the matter. The other three judges favoured a ban on the practice, which allowed Muslim men to unilaterally divorce their wives by uttering the word talaq (divorce) three times.

CJI Khehar in his judgment on triple talaq asked Parliament to frame a law on the matter within six months. Thus the current Narendra Modi government at the Centre has to frame a law banning the triple talaq within six months to uphold the judgement of the apex court.

The Modi government which backed the petitioners--mostly Muslim women who filed a slew of petitions against triple talaq to declare it "unconstitutional and unlawful" in the Supreme Court--had earlier told the apex court that the government could bring a new legislation against triple talaq once it gives its judgement banning the practice.

Since the Modi government enjoys majority both in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha now, thus a law in this regard is likely to have a smooth sailing in Parliament.

The verdict on triple talaq is also seen as a major victory for the PM and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as they have been consistently supporting the ban on triple talaq as it is against the rights of Muslim women.

Moreover, Modi had on several previous occasions spoke against triple talaq and had hailed the fighting spirit of Muslim women against the practice.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 13:28 [IST]
As Stalin seeks floor test in TN, TTV carts MLAs to resort in Puducherry

India

oi-Anusha

After the T T V Dinakaran faction decided to withdraw support to the E Palanisami government, 19 MLAs have been moved to a resort in Puducherry. Reports suggest that they have booked two resorts and the MLAs would be kept there until a floor test is held.

Earlier, 19 MLAs of the party supporting TTV Dinakaran made a representation to Tamil Nadu governor Vidhyasagar Rao. In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, all 19 MLAs have withdrawn their support to Edappadi Palanisamy government and have sought a new Chief Minister. This while, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam made preparations to assume office at the Tamil Nadu secretariat.

A day after two factions of the AIADMK merged, working president of DMK M K Stalin has asked Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy to prove his majority. Stalin, in a letter to Governor Vidhyasagar Rao, has asked for a floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly alleging that 22 MLAs from the AIADMK have withdrawn their support to the current government.

19 MLAs submitted a memorandum that Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy forfeited their confidence.

Here are the key highlights of the memorandum

Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy forfeited my confidence and that of the public.

I withdraw my earlier support given to Palanisamy

In February, I had supported Palanisamy at the time of floor test in order to prove majority

Slowly, I got disillusioned with the functioning of Palanisamy government

There is abuse of power, favouritism, misuse of government machinery and corruption

Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisami is corrupt Panneerselvam called the government corrupt but is now inducted into it

I express lack of confidence on Edappadi Palanisamy

I have not given up membership of AIADMK but am exposing abuse and misuse of the constitutional provision

The dream and vision of Jayalalithaa is totally ignored

I cannot support Palanisamy and seek your interference

With the support of 19 MLAs and one MP, TTV Dinakaran poses a threat to the Edappadi Palanisamy government. DMK's M K Stalin on Tuesday said that two more MLAs were on the verge of withdrawing their support to Palanisamy threatening his government further.

Dinakaran despite having solid support has refused to speak to the media till Wednesday when the AIADMK has called for a general body meeting. A resolution against Sasikala Natrajan is expected to be adopted at the meeting.

Dinakaran will react depending on the decision taken at the General council meet. Sasikala Natarajan can only, according to party by-laws, be expelled from the party through the resolution route by the general council.

OneIndia News
Bank Strike on 16 and 17 December: List of Banks which are closed

Bank Strike on 28 and 29 March | Bank Strike Date and Time: List of Banks Which Are Closed

Bank strike likely on June 27, operations may be affected for three straight days

Bank strike today: SBI, PSU banks to be affected, which services will be hit

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The bank strike today is likely to disrupt the functioning of 21 public sector banks including State Bank of India and IDBI. Banks are on a nation wide strike today, August 22 to protest the government's move to privatise public sector banks.

There is a possibility that most banks will remain closed today. According to M S Jaishankar, the president of the All India SBI Officers' Coordination Committee no work will take place in public sector banks. Nearly 10 lakh employees of banks from across the nation will take part in the strike.

Bank strike today: Services to be hit

Private sector banks such as ICICI, HDFC, Axis and Kotak Mahindra are likely to function as normal. However cheque clearances are likely to be delayed.

Most banks have already informed their customers that functioning of branches and offices will be impacted if the strike takes off.

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) is an umbrella body of nine unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

"As the conciliation meeting before the Chief Labour Commissioner failed, unions are left with no other option but to go on strike. There was no assurance from the government and the management of banks," AIBOC General Secretary D T Franco said.

All attempts to hammer out solutions to the demands raised by the unions bore no fruit and hence, UFBU decided to proceed with the proposed strike on August 22, he said.

Other demands include no write-off policy for non-performing assets (NPAs) of corporate loans, declaring wilful default of loans as criminal offence and implementation of recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on recovery of NPAs, AIBEA General Secretary C H Venkatchalam said.

He also suggested that banks should not pass on the burden of corporate NPAs on bank customers by hiking charges. Venkatchalam said the government should abolish the Banks Board Bureau and ensure stringent measures to recover bad loans and accountability of top executives.

UFBU, which claims membership of nearly 10 lakh across banks, also requested the government for cost reimbursement of demonetisation to banks.

OneIndia News
Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000

Bihar's Gopalganj by-poll to see a tough fight between BJP and RJD

Bihar: Fire breaks out amid Chhath Puja celebrations in Aurangabad; many critical

Bihar: Over 200 students sick, claim they saw 'dead lizard' in mid-day meal

Bihar floods: Deaths toll rises to 341

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The flood situation in Bihar remained grim with the death toll reaching 341 on Tuesday.

146.19 lakh people are battling the deluge in 19 districts of the state. The figure of flood fatalities rose by three each in Assam and Uttar Pradesh. However, life in the deluge-ravaged areas of West Bengal slowly limped back to normalcy, with the water level of rivers receding.

Around 7.34 lakh people in Bihar have been shifted to safer areas. Close to 3.27 lakh people are putting up in 1,346 relief camps.

Araria district accounted for 71 deaths alone, Sitamarhi (34), West Champaran (29), Katihar (26), Madhubani (22), East Champaran (19), Darbhanga (19), Madhepura (15), Supual (13), Kisanganj (11), Gopalganj (9), Purnea (9) Muzaffarpur (7), Khagaria (6), Saran (6) and Saharsa (4), Sheohar (4).

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a high-level ministerial meeting to take stock of the flood situation.

Principal Secretary in the Disaster Management Department Pratyay Amrit said food packets were being airdropped in the inundated areas on war footing. The CM ordered that damaged roads be restored at the earliest.

Meanwhile, train services continued to be affected as floodwaters have overtopped tracks. An East Central Railways statement said train services have resumed on some sections under the Samastipur division with speed restriction.

Chief Public Relations Officer of the ECR Rajesh Kumar said 11 trains have been cancelled for Tuesday. These include 15549 Jaynagar-Patna Intercity Express, 25909 Link Express, 15211 Darbhanga-Amritsar Express and 15212 Amritsar-Darbhanga Express, he said.

OneIndia News
Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000

Bihar: Rabri Devi alleges denial of opposition leader status to her in legislative council

India

oi-PTI

Patna, August 22: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rabri Devi Tuesday attacked the new JD(U)-BJP government in Bihar for denying her the status of leader of opposition in the legislative council under the "cover of rules" that RJD does not have the required number of MLCs needed for the post.

"They wish to suppress the voice of opposition by doing this out of political considerations," Rabri Devi, wife of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, told reporters outside the legislative council.

"Earlier, the status of leader of the opposition was given to the then RJD leader Gulam Gaus even when the party's strength was 4-5 in the council. But, now they (JD(U)-BJP) are taking the cover of rules," she said. "Let them deny the post (to RJD), we are the leader of masses."

The Bihar legislative council had in the first week of this August month rejected RJD's request to appoint Rabri Devi as the leader of opposition in the upper house stating that the party did not have the required number of MLCs needed for the post.

A strength of nine MLCs is required for the post of leader of opposition in the legislative counicl but RJD at present has only seven.

Hence, its application was not in conformity with the rules, deputy chairman of Bihar state legislative council Harun Rashid had said while turning down the request.

JD(U) spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar took a swipe at Devi on the issue. "She and her family cannot live without facilities," he told reporters outside the legislative council.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Sushil Kumar Modi are both members of the legislative council at present.

Rabri Devi was chosen as member of legislative council for the second time in 2012 and her tenure will end in 2018.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 17:04 [IST]
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

For triple talaq victims, judicial verdict in favor but social verdict still against them!

UP: Muslim woman agrees to Nikah Halal, instead gets gangraped by ex-husband, his brother

Can politics over triple talaq be ignored?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, August 22: The controversial practice of triple talaq has never been bereft of politics. Be it the studied silence of the Congress over large-scale discrimination of Muslim women as Muslim men under the garb of religious and constitutional sanctity are unilaterally divorcing their wives or the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) solid support to abolish triple talaq, political parties have always played "politics" over the issue, rather than taking a strong stand on the women's rights subject without hoping for any political mileage.

As the Supreme Court is all set to give its verdict on the constitutional validity of triple talaq on Tuesday, the question over politics over the practice has been widely discussed.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged leaders not to politicise the issue, but unfortunately triple talaq has been already politicised to a great extent, both by the BJP, the Congress and other parties.

Recommended Video

Triple talaq verdict: Is Supreme Court decision of banishing it correct? | Oneindia News

While the Congress leaders like Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid maintain that "it's a matter of faith and the court should not interfere" and that the "practice is sinful, but legal", the BJP leaders have used the issue to target the minority community.

Sibal, who appeared for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), had earlier told the apex court that triple talaq was a matter of faith and the court should not interfere.

Former Union Minister Khurshid, who was allowed by the court to assist it as amicus curiae, said that the system of instant triple talaq "cannot be justified or given legal validity". He said the practice "was sinful but legal".

Modi as recently as on Independence Day celebrated, on August 15, hailed Muslim women for fighting against the practice of triple talaq and said the entire country was with them in their endeavour to get their rights.

"I pay my regards to the women who had to lead a pitiable life due to triple talaq and have started a movement which has created an environment in the entire country against the practice."

In April, Modi urged Muslims to keep the debate over triple talaq away from politics.

"I am sure enlightened people will emerge from among Muslims and come forward to end this practice, liberating our Muslim daughters and mothers from the scourge."

"Come out and find a solution. That solution will have its own majesty and generations will remember you," Modi said.

He called upon India's Muslims to show the "path of modernity" to Muslims across the world. "That is the kind of power and energy this land gives to all of us."

BJP's Swami Prasad Maurya said a few months ago that Muslims use triple talaq to satisfy their "lust". The Hindu right wing group and the ideological head of the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has been vocal in calling for an end to the practice of triple talaq.

The BJP and the RSS want to do away with the idea of personal laws and replace them with a Uniform Civil Code. The controversial proposal of the BJP and the RSS for implementation of a Uniform Civil Code has been opposed by the Muslim community tooth and nail.

Ahead of the apex court's verdict, the AIMPLB said that the constitution of India has given a right to everyone to follow their religion, adding that triple talaq is part of the Shariat.

Member of AIMPLB and Muslim cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali said that he hopes that the apex court would not interfere with the Muslim Personal law.

Even activist have spoken about the political side of triple talaq. Flavia Agnes, a prominent women's rights lawyer, said triple talaq has become typical low-lying fruit that everybody can write on.

Speaking at a seminar at Aliah University in Kolkata earlier, Agnes said that illiteracy and lack of awareness were the biggest problems when it came to women rights.

"Talaq does not extinguish her economic rights, [the ban] is not a magic wand that will solve all her problems. We have created an image that Muslim women have no rights because husbands can pronounce triple talaq," she said.

The Muslim Women's Act of 1986 Act has a provision for "fair and reasonable settlement after divorce", she said.

"The whole debate is skewed and political, catering to the ruling government's Muslim bashing agenda, and media is a prime player in this."

No matter, what political parties have to say, one thing is clear, a large-section of Muslim women wants an abolition of triple talaq. That is why several Muslim women and organisations have filed a clutch of petitions in the Supreme Court which have challenged the practice of triple talaq as "unlawful and unconstitutional".

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 10:25 [IST]
In Col Purohit's case, UPA tried to project a Right Wing conspiracy

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Malegaon blast case in which Lt Col Purohit was made an accused took several turns. On Monday in a major relief to Purohit, the Supreme Court granted him bail. He will walk out of jail today after spending nearly 9 years.

Lt Col Purohit was accused of floating Abhinav Bharat, a right-wing group that was allegedly involved the twin blasts that killed seven people in Malegaon, a textile town 270 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008. Lt Col Purohit is also accused of collecting huge funds and using them to procure arms and explosives and organising meetings, where the Malegaon attack was planned.

Recommended Video

Malegaon Blast accused Colonel Purohit: All you need to know | Oneindia News

Arguing for Purohit, his lawyers said that it was the previous UPA government which is responsible for these sorry state of affairs. The UPA wanted to project a Right Wing conspiracy and hence such a case was built up. They also said that questions of political influences had damaged the case for several years now.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, who represented Lt Col Purohit, said the case should be judged on its merits and politics should not be allowed to overshadow it. "Let us analyse the facts instead of saying so and so government and so and so agency," he said. Salve further pointed to the anomalies in the chargesheet. He said that the witnesses were forced to give statements and evidence such as the "RDX had been planted intentionally."

Further it was pointed out that Purohit had all along pleaded that he was assigned by the military to infiltrate into various terror groups. He said that he had kept his seniors informed about the same.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 8:17 [IST]
Russian embassy takes up with MEA detention of its ship in Cochin

MEA responds to Pak withdrawing from Chess Olympiad despite their team reaching India

Two Indians missing in Kenya since July; govt in touch with Kenyan authorities: MEA

'India committed towards Afghanistan's reconstruction, development': MEA

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Welcoming US President Donald Trump's statement on Afghanistan, the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday said India is committed to supporting Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace and stability in the country.

Trump had earlier slammed Pakistan for providing safe haven to the terrorists and urged India to do more to help Afghanistan.

The MEA, in a statement, said India shares US' concerns and objectives, adding that New Delhi has always been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan.

"We welcome President Trump's determination to enhance efforts to overcome challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives," the statement said.

"We are committed to supporting government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country," it added.

Afghanistan Envoy to US Hamdullah Mohib earlier on Tuesday welcomed US President's new policy towards Afghanistan and for breaking silence on Pakistan's shelter of terrorists.

"We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account about our countries' needs and considerations," Mohib said in a statement.

Donald Trump has announced he will prolong the US military intervention in Afghanistan, which he had once described as a "complete waste".

Trump acknowledged that his "instincts" told him to pull out troops from Afghanistan.

"Historically, I like following my instincts," Trump said. "A hasty withdrawal," Trump said, would create a "vacuum" for terrorists.

He also said that a hasty exit would create a vacuum which ISIS and al-Qaeda would instantly like to fill as it happened before 9/11

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 12:55 [IST]
Inside story of how Modi's 2014 interview "finally' made it to Doordarshan

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In the year 2014 when Narendra Modi was in the running for the post for Prime Minister, Doordarshan decided to conduct an interview with him. What was significant about this interview was not that Doordarshan was speaking to a prime ministerial candidate, but the fact that the national broadcaster had decided to telecast Modi after a ten year ban.

At a time when a few formers from Doordarshan are trying to take the high moral ground and speaking about the journalistic freedom, it is important to note here the Modi interview finally went up after a lot of twists, turns and more importantly edits. Here is the complete inside story on how the originally 56 minute Narendra Modi interview went up on DD after being reduced to 28 minutes.

The ban on Narendra Modi:

Narendra Modi had said in one interview that he has been banned on Doordarshan. He also said that he was responsible for giving so much revenue to DD in Gujarat, despite which he remained blacked out.

The very same person who speak about journalistic freedom were at the helm of affairs for four years during the ten year ban on Modi on DD. Many within DD felt the need to do a Modi interview considering his surge in popularity during the campaign.

However many were unsure if they could raise this topic due to the ban in place. However as the election heat was raised a few journalists discussed the interview in detail. Finally the DG was approached and told that an interview could be done. The DG in turn gave the go ahead, but also stated that a letter stating that an interview would be needed could not be given.

The interview:

When Modi's office was approached, they were taken aback and said that DD never airs him. However the interview was done in Ahmedabad. The feed was sent to Delhi, but the interview did not run that day.

Sources in the know of things tell OneIndia that officials at DD decided to first preview the interview and then take a decision on whether to air it or not. Finally it was decided that portions of the interview would be edited and only then be aired. Only a few persons were allowed into the editing room and some other were asked to stay out. However a while later, it was decided that the interview would not be aired.

What changed in DD then?

This issue made it to the social media and instantly was discussed and debated in length. The then CEO of the Prasar Bharti, Jawahar Sircar was tagged in a couple of tweets and the issue became embarrassing.

It was then decided that the interview would be run. Sources say that it had also become about one upmanship for the then CEO who was allegedly having trouble with the then minister in charge.

Interestingly the interview was telecast. However probably for the first time in the history of Doordarshan there were no promos leading up to the interview. Some people decided to post on their social media about the interview which gave it the required publicity.

The editing controversy:

The interview was heavily edited and brought down to 28 minutes from 56. The controversy was regarding a quote by Modi on Priyanka Gandhi. The interviewer asks Modi about the Congress. He was also asked about the daily criticism being meted out to him by Priyanka Gandhi.

To this Modi said he would not say anything about her. She is speaking against me to help her brother as a sister. She is speaking against me to help her mother as a daughter in the elections, Modi replied.

Sources say that some within the Prasar Bharti felt that Modi would have a upper hand morally if this portion was played out in the interview. These portions were clipped and then the interview played.

However there was more confusion added when a newspaper misreported the interview. It said that in the interview Modi had called Priyanka Gandhi his daughter and this portion was edited by DD. When reporters sought a reaction from Priyanka, she said, " My father is Rajeev Gandhi." The CEO could have stepped in and clarified, but he did not do so.

Finally the issue was put to rest when Modi's team who had the footage of the complete interview put the same out in public domain.

OneIndia News
J&K: Encounter breaks out at Kupwara, 2 terrorists trapped

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

An encounter is underway in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara. Security forces are engaging with 2 or 3 terrorists.

The encounter broke out early this morning. 2 to 3 terrorists are said to be trapped.

Earlier this month, the Indian Army foiled an infiltration bid by killing a militant in North Kashmir's Machhal Sector.

The government recently released statistics which suggested that 132 terrorists have been killed in the Valley so far. The data revealed that there were still around 68 more terrorists remaining in the Valley and they would be cleaned up by the turn of the winter. The security forces were able to achieve such a high rate of success owing to coordination with the local agencies and the Intelligence Bureau.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 7:55 [IST]
Malegaon blast: Col Purohit likely to be released today at 10 AM

India

oi-Madhuri

Colonel Shrikant Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast who was granted bail by the Supreme Court will be released on Wednesday at 10 AM, sources said. Although he is attached to an Army unit, he will remain under suspension from service.

Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court granted bail to Lt Col Purohit in the Malegaon blasts case. His bail was granted after Purohit had spent more than eight years in jail. The court said that Purohit should cooperate with the investigations. He should not tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses the court also said.

Lt Col Purohit was accused of floating Abhinav Bharat, a right-wing group that was allegedly involved the twin blasts that killed seven people in Malegaon, a textile town 270 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008. Lt Col Purohit is also accused of collecting huge funds and using them to procure arms and explosives and organising meetings, where the Malegaon attack was planned.

He was arrested along with Hindu leader Sadhi Pragya Thakur, who was given clean chit by the NIA earlier this year.

Seven people were killed in a bomb blast in 2008 in Malegaon town Malegaon in the Nasik district of northern Maharashtra.

OneIndia News
Mumbai University Results 2017: Bombay HC livid over delay, seeks govt response

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Bombay High Court pulled up the government over the delay in declaring the Mumbai University Results 2017. The court asked the state government and the Mumbai University what steps it was taking to tackle the situation.

The court was hearing a batch of petitions relating to the inconvenience caused because of the delay in declaration of results due to the new on-screen marking system.

A bench headed by Justice Anoop V Mohta was hearing petitions related to the matter, including one filed by law students seeking compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the loss of educational and employment opportunities because of the inordinate delay by the university in declaring results. According to the petitioners, statutory rules mandate that the university must declare the result of any exam within 45 days of its completion and that all new academic sessions commence latest by August 1 each year.

Appearing for a student who wants to apply to an LLB course, senior counsel M M Vashi said the results have not been declared till date. The university has now said it will declare the complete assessment by Thursday. "Seats in all good law colleges will be filed up and students from here will have to apply for admissions in the third round," he said.

The court said that the presumption is that everything works properly. But the situation is beyond the control of anyone. Give notice to the state government and Mumbai University. They must come forward and will have to tackle the situation."

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 6:45 [IST]
Mumbai University TYBA March/April results 2017 declared

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Mumbai University TYBA March/April results 2017 for semesters five and six have been declared. The results are available on the official website of the board.

The university is also expected to declare the results for the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science in information technology (BSc IT) and bachelor of management studies (BMS) soon. According to a report by HT, "even after the results are uploaded on the website, some of the students may not be able to access their results. This is because, according to a varsity official, a few results are not ready. The results are available on mu.ac.in.

How to check the Mumbai University TYBA March/April results 2017:

Go to mu.ac.in

Click on TYBA results

Enter roll number

Submit

View your results

Take a printout

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 8:07 [IST]
WCD says mothers should continue to breastfeed infants even if they are COVID-19 positive

Offices will soon become breastfeeding friendly. Heres all you need to know

India

oi-Shreya

By Shreya

The movement to break the taboo around breastfeeding has gained momentum around the world, and India will soon join the revolution - with BabyChakra (India's largest platform for parents) and RoundGlass Blossom (India's premier child wellness ecosystem).

Now, this is good news for all the working, breastfeeding mothers, who until now had to frantically scout for a safe and private place to either breastfeed or pump breast milk.

Corporate offices might soon take the pledge to become breastfeeding friendly with well-equipped lactation rooms.

The idea which is first of its kind in India - is an initiative by Naiyya Saggi, BabyChakra and RoundGlass Blossom. The duo came together and decided to push the agenda to make offices more friendly and sensitive towards lactating mothers, especially after the Maternity leave was extended to 26 weeks in India.

The movement as explained by Naiyya Saggi of BabyChakra aims at making it easier for new mothers to return to work, without having to neglect their children, which is only possible if workplaces are well equipped to support lactating mothers to breastfeed and pump breast milk and store it in an appropriate temperature to carry it back home.

By taking a pledge to become breastfeeding friendly, corporate organisations would have proper lactation rooms for mothers to not only breastfeed their kids but also pump and store breast milk at proper intervals to not disrupt the breast milk supply.

Dr Parag Patel, Paediatrician (US), Partner, RoundGlass Blossom pointed out how India is lagging behind in its facilities for lactating mothers at workplaces, he referred to Section 7(r) of the Fair Labor Standards Act - Break Time for Nursing Mothers Provision in the US, which allows enough time to mothers to cater to the needs of their children without having to stay away from work.

In India, due to the lack of breastfeeding friendly space at workplace, most of the lactating mothers are left with no other options than leaving work or compromising on breastfeeding their children, which in turn adversely affects the emotional and physical well-being of both the mother and the child.

It's only a few days back that Actress Lisa Haydon was trolled - slut shamed, when she posted a picture of herself breastfeeding her child to honour Word Breastfeeding week, and this is where sensitization is needed so that providing nutrition to a child does not become a hectic task for a mother.

Naiyya pointed, "The taboo around such a natural and important aspect of mother-child bonding and child nutrition has to go away, breastfeeding should not be considered vulgar for the sexual connotation of breasts and corporate organisations must talk about this openly and extend their support,"

"By 2018 we plan to have 300 corporate companies on board to sign a pledge to become Breast Feeding Friendly," she added.

Pre and Post Natal Consultant, Dr Rolly Sapru elaborated on how workplaces have to a pivotal role in helping working moms in maintaining balance between work and catering to the needs of the child and how it helps to increase productivity of a mother who has just given birth.

She stressed the importance of breastfeeding and said that breast milk helps in the child's IQ building and that breast milk is the only food that a child will never say no to.

Sapru said that it should be a give-and-take process where the organisations will help a breastfeeding-mother to cater to the needs of her child, and in turn, the mother will give her best to the organisation out of gratitude.

Celebrity Mom, Kamal Sidhu, Miss India - Canada 1991, Partner of RoundGlass Blossom said, "I think there is a real problem with prioritising a child's nutritional needs versus society's insecurities of sexualising the breast as opposed to recognising it for what it actually is, which is a nutritional source for the day at a time it is required."

OneIndia also approached working moms and dads for their thoughts, and this is what they had to say:

Shreyosi, Corporate Lawyer: Suckling is healthy for a babys physical health, of course, but it is immensely important for the mothers emotional health. Working mothers who are forced to opt for alternative methods, like breast pumps etc, suffer from a lifetimes guilt. Societal norms of good & bad add to her woes.

Gauri Kulkarni, Practicing Lawyer: Suckling is mother's satisfaction. She is not only feeding she is imparting her love, warmth to the child.

Joyanto Mukherjee, Founder, Tutored and Trained: It's for the time when a new mother is expected to be in office and the child cannot be left alone -- so are our workplaces equipped to take care and provide support. Answer is no. And it should be done proper, about time.

Monalisa Roy, Software Engineer: While working and away from the child, she sometimes has to throw it away or pump and store. Apart from the questionability of nutritional value of such 'pumped' milk, a mother's heart aches as she misses caressing and loving the baby while feeding.

BabyChakra and RoundGlass Blossom celebrated the International Breast Feeding Week - Breast Is Best: Nourish to Flourish on August 10, 2017 at J W Marriott, International Airport, Mumbai, and over 250 expecting and new moms attended the event, including celeb moms.

The event conducted a Panel Discussion on "Breastfeeding away from Home" and explored if the present policy in organisations allow new moms to breastfeed het child even at work, which eventually led to the conception of the idea of breastfeeding friendly offices.

Breastfeeding is the most important and the start of the parenting journey, during which a mother has to overcome various obstacles to meet the requirements of her child, especially if she is working. Apart from corporate organisations, each and every citizen of the country must join the movement to make not only offices but the entire nation breast feeding friendly.

OneIndia News
Recalling what Modi said about triple talaq in 2017

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Supreme Court today by a 3:2 majority struck down triple talaq. While the CJI and Justice Nazeer were in favour of the practise the other three judges observed that the practise was unconstitutional. The court held that triple talaq is manifestly arbitrary.

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq verdict: PM Modi welcomes Supreme Court decision | Oneindia News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached out to Muslim community many a time earlier on the triple talaq and social justice. Let's take a look at what, when and where Modi talked about triple talaq.

August 15, 2017: Independence Day speech, New Delhi

PM Modi today hailed the women fighting the practice of 'triple talaq' and said the entire country is with them in their endeavour to get their rights.

"I pay my regards to the women who had to lead a pitiable life due to 'triple talaq' and have started a movement which has created an environment in the entire country against the practice."

April 29, 2017: During International Basava Convention inauguration , New Delhi

PM Modi urged Muslims to keep the debate over triple talaq away from politics.

"I am sure enlightened people will emerge from among Muslims and come forward to end this practice, liberating our Muslim daughters and mothers from the scourge."

"Come out and find a solution. That solution will have its own majesty and generations will remember you," Modi said.

He called upon India's Muslims to show the "path of modernity" to Muslims across the world. "That is the kind of power and energy this land gives to all of us."

April 17, 2017: National Executive Meet, Bhubaneshwar

In his address at the BJP national executive here, Modi spoke on triple talaq. "There are backward in the Muslim community also. We must reach out to them. These welfare initiatives are for those who have been deprived of benefits of government policies," Modi said during a discussion on a resolution on constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes.

"The PM dwelt on social justice and said our Muslim sisters should be saved from injustice. However, there should be no division in the community and it should be done amicably," highways minister Nitin Gadkari said.

OneIndia News
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

For triple talaq victims, judicial verdict in favor but social verdict still against them!

UP: Muslim woman agrees to Nikah Halal, instead gets gangraped by ex-husband, his brother

Verdict on triple talaq late by 70 years says Zakia Soman

India

oi-Shreya

By Shreya

In a historic judgment the Supreme Court of India on August 22, 2017, by a majority of 3:2, granted a massive relief to Muslim women in the country by striking down Triple Talaq - in one sitting.

Follow OneIndia's exhaustive coverage on triple talaq here:

The Apex Court called the practice a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, which ensures every citizen equality before the law and also held the practice against the teaching of Islam.

Zakia Soman, Founding Member of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, one of the petitioners in the fight against instant Triple Talaq, said to OneIndia, "It is a historic judgment; we have worked very hard for this."

"This is a victory for all the Indian women who have struggled really hard for this day," she added.

When asked if this should have happened much earlier, she said, "Yes, we are late by 70 years."

The Supreme Court's judgment is being hailed as one of the most crucial and progressive steps towards women empowerment, which restores power to women to defend their rights.

Prior to this, women were victimised by the regressive practice of Triple Talaq, in which the husband could divorce the wife arbitrarily.

Several women in the past have been divorced over phones, emails, speed posts and WhatsApp messages and because the practice did not allow women to defend their rights, these women were left to fend for themselves.

Women's rights activists around the country are elated with this judgement, Trupti Desai, Women's Rights activist, told OneIndia, "The practice of instant triple talaq had been a matter of immense pain and worry in the life of Muslim women, and today after the Supreme Court's judgement, Muslim women across the country can live without the fear of abandonment."

She further added that no party should oppose to this ruling as it's a unanimous demand of women for justice and there is no religious discrimination about it.

However, Shehzaad Poonawalla, Secretary, Maharashtra Congress, though welcomed the judgment, questioned if it was driven by the motive of ensuring equal rights to women or has a hidden political agenda.

He said, "I welcome the Supreme Court verdict because triple talaq in one sitting has no sanctions in Islam and Quran, but I would also like to ask the PM why he is not looking into Khap Panchayats, which is equally regressive?"

Refuting Poonawala's statements, RSS ideologue Ratan Sharda, while speaking to OneIndia said, "If someone has a problem with something, he or she should move the court and not continue with making vague comments."

Supporting the Supreme Court verdict Ratan Sharda said, "This is a landmark judgement by the Supreme Court in favour of women's rights."

BJP Spokesperson Shazia Ilmi, who had been fighting for the cause called

Supreme Court's verdict "the dawn of Azaadi for our Muslim sisters, who for so long have lived their life under the perpetual fear of abandonment."

She said, "This is the first time minorities, within the minorities, have been had been served justice, the hope and happiness of Muslim women have been restored."

Reiterating Ilmi's thoughts BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma said, "We really welcome this historic judgment which marks the end of an age old regressive practice, and people who are questioning this should get their priorities in place,"

Bombay High Court Lawyer and Activist Abha Singh also welcomed the move and called it a "Brilliant Judgement." She said, "Today's judgment helped establish the true democracy that we are.

She added, 'Triple talaq is a religious practice and the Supreme Court recognised equality before religious practice today,"

Women's Rights Activists Ranjana Kumari also spoke to OneIndia and said, "We have supported this cause for a long time and welcome the Supreme Court's judgment to end discrimination, the Supreme Court has today established the supremacy of the Constitution."

While the Apex Court has struck down instant triple talaq, it has also asked the Government to form a new legislation within 6 months to govern marriage and divorce.

OneIndia News
SC sets aside Allahabad HC order granting bail to two accused in Owaisi car attack case

SC verdict on triple talaq is historic, says Modi

India

oi-Madhuri

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict striking down instant triple talaq.

Follow OneIndia's exhaustive coverage on triple talaq here:

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq verdict: PM Modi welcomes Supreme Court decision | Oneindia News

Modi tweeted,''Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on triple talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.''

Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2017

Earlier during his Independence Day speech, Modi said,"I pay my respects to those women who had to lead miserable lives due to Triple Talaq and then started a movement which created an environment in the whole nation against the practice,"

Recalling what Modi said about triple talaq in 2017

He further said,"I want to tell them that they will succeed as the whole country supports them in this significant step towards women's empowerment."

The Supreme Court on Tuesday banned the practice of triple talaq, or instant divorce, practised by some in the Muslim community, saying it was unconstitutional. The court in a 3:2 verdict struck down talaq-e-biddat and directed the centre to come up with a law to govern Muslim marriages and divorces.

Triple talaq is the practice under which a Muslim man can divorce his wife by simply uttering "talaq" three times. It is prevalent among India's Muslim community majority of whom follow the Hanafi Islamic school of law.

OneIndia News
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

The Shah Bano case, Rajiv Gandhi's capitulation, SC's verdicts

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

New Delhi, August 22: In a historic judgment, Supreme Court on Monday struck down triple talak and said the practice is unconstitutional. While this comes as a huge relief to millions of women across the country, what seems to be interesting is how one case in 1985, became a milestone verdict for Muslim women rights. The 1985 case was seen as one of the most controversial maintenance suits in India.

A mother of five from Indore, Shah Bano knocked the doors of the court asking for alimony from her husband who had divorced her in 1978. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of granting Shah Bano maintenance from her ex-husband under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code, with an upper limit of Rs. 500 per month.

The then chief justice of India, YV Chandrachud while reading out the judgment had said; " This is the moral edict of the law and morality cannot be clubbed with religion.''

In the Shah Bano case, the bench headed by Chief Justice Chandrachud took a secular stand. It invoked a provision in The Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 which is a secular legislation to order maintenance compensation to the divorced Muslim woman.

However, this judgement was reversed due to pressure from Islamic orthodoxy and pushed the Congress government led by Rajiv Gandhi to pass the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, which diluted the secular judgement marked by the Supreme Court and gave a Muslim woman the right to maintenance for the period of 90 days or iddat after the divorce.

He was said to be under pressure from his ministers - and gave in to the Muslim Personal Law Board's (MPLB) campaign against the judgment. The Muslim Women Act in 1986, pitted women's individual rights against the rights of a minority group.

Consequently, Arif Mohammad Khan who was a minister of state in Rajiv Gandhi government quit as he opposed the stand taken by the government on Shah Bano case in 1986. He defended Supreme Court judgment on Shah Bano case in Parliament. Arif opposed triple talaq and said that it should be punishable with three years in jail. Today, he is actively involved in policymaking and Islam reformation.

While the fight for women's right continues, the 1985 case remains a ground-breaking one in personal law.

OneIndia News
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

These victims-turned-crusaders tell why triple talaq should be banned

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, August 22: They are no celebrities, politicians or activists, but are ordinary women who have taken up an extraordinary fight to ban the practice of triple talaq and end violation of rights of Muslim women across the country.

Muslim women like Shayara Bano (36) from Kashipur, Uttarakhand, and Ishrat Jahan (30) from Howrah, West Bengal, are a few examples--who along with other individuals and organisations--have taken up the battle against triple talaq to the Supreme Court.

Tuesday holds great importance for millions of Muslim women and Indian women at large, when the apex court is going to give its verdict on the closely-observed case of triple talaq.

The verdict on the triple talaq case--by the bench comprising of Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman, UU Lalit and Abdul Nazeer set to be pronounced at 10.30 am--is going to make or break the lives of thousands of Muslim women who are divorced by their husbands unilaterally without ever hearing out their side of the story.

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq verdict: The struggle of Shayara Bano | Oneindia News

Women like Shayara and Ishrat, who are divorced by their husbands through the practice of triple talaq, strongly feel that wrongs done to Muslim women in India since ages because of the prevalence of triple talaq should end to give them their rightful place in society.

Shayara, who is battling multiple ailments because of several abortions she had to undergo, was sent a talaqnama (divorce) by post by her husband of 15 years, while she was with her parents at their home in Kashipur.

Similarly, Ishrat's husband uttered talaq three times over phone and allegedly took away her four children, leaving her at the mercy of her extended family in Howrah.

Joining the fight of Shayara, Ishrat and other women like them is the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) which has signed a letter containing a petition titled--Muslim Women's Quest for Equality.

The apex court has earlier taken a suo motu cognisance of the petition filed by the BMMA.

In fact, on Tuesday, the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court will give its ruling on a clutch of petitions which have challenged the practice of triple talaq as "unlawful and unconstitutional".

Most of the petitioners are hopeful that the apex court will give a verdict in their favour. What makes the fight against triple talaq by these women unique is that most of the petitioners against the practice are poor and destitute women. Fortunately, a few of the women have the support of their paternal families or non-profit organisations. Others are fighting individual battles.

Sharaya and her family members, who are likely to attend the Supreme Court procedure on Tuesday, told The Indian Express that it was a fight for the future generations of India.

Sharaya's brother Arshad Ali said, "It is not just about my sister. It is about all my sisters across the country, it is about future generations,"

Speaking to The Indian Express, Zakia Soman of the BMMA said, "We are hopeful that the verdict will be in favour of women. Triple talaq should not have been allowed in the first place. It is high time that this huge anomaly that has gone on for seven decades be addressed. The legal process really is a small part of the much longer process of social reform but it will be a beginning. Our petition, Muslim Women's Quest for Equality, was taken suo motu cognizance by the bench of Justice (Anil R) Dave and Justice (Adarsh Kumar) Goel and now we are one of the petitioners in the case. We have also submitted our triple talaq case studies to the court."

"We have reproduced verses from the Quran about talaq, negotiations and how it should happen over a minimum period of 90 days. The second argument is about gender justice. There is no ambiguity in the Constitution of India about all citizens having equal rights," Soman added.

If the apex court decides to abolish triple talaq on Tuesday, India will join other countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Egypt--all Islamic nations, which do not recognise the husband's right to unilaterally divorce through triple talaq. Earlier, Sri Lanka, a non-Islamic country, too had banned triple talaq.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 7:20 [IST]
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

For triple talaq victims, judicial verdict in favor but social verdict still against them!

UP: Muslim woman agrees to Nikah Halal, instead gets gangraped by ex-husband, his brother

Triple talaq: AIMPLB to study SC judgment, to meet on September 10 in Bhopal

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

After the Supreme Court bench struck down the Islamic practice of Triple Talaq, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) counsel Zafaryab Jilani on Tuesday said that their legal committee will study the judgment and advise the executive of the Muslim law board accordingly.

Follow OneIndia's exhaustive coverage on triple talaq here:

Zafaryab Jilani, told ANI: ''Have respected SC's judgements in past, today's judgement on triple talaq will also be considered by us.''

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq Ban : Supreme court advocate reacts on historic judgment, Watch | Oneindia News

Have respected SC's judgements in past, today's judgement on #TripleTalaq will also be considered by us: Z Jilani, member, AIMPLB pic.twitter.com/whhVOxnp9z  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

AIMPLB has decided to hold its first meeting after triple talaq judgment on September 10th, in Bhopal

However, he asked what would happen to those Muslim women who even after the judgement continue accept the 'talaq'.

Jilani further said that whether AIMPLB's grievances and apprehensions have been addressed by the judges or not can be said only after seeing the judgement.

A woman AIMPLB member, Shaista Amber said: "I am thankful to the Supreme Court for this judgement that a law is to be made immediately in this issue. I hope that the top court will monitor this issue and provide security to the Muslim women until a law is made. The victims should get relief from this malpractice.''

Maulana Yasoob Abbas, Shia Cleric of Shia Personal Law Board hailed the SC verdict as '' a great step''. He said he had been fighting against triple talaq since 2007.

Shia Personal Law Board has been fighting against #TripleTalaq since 2007, welcome this. Great first step: Maulana Yasoob Abbas,Shia Cleric pic.twitter.com/hJRrBM1ufJ  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

Earlier, the Supreme Court by a 3:2 majority struck down triple talaq. While the CJI and Justice Nazeer were in favour of the practise the other three judges observed that the practise was unconstitutional. The court held that triple talaq is manifestly arbitrary.

The multi-religion constitution bench comprises of Chief Justice J S Khehar - a Sikh, Justices Kurian Joseph - a Christian, RF Nariman- a Parsi, UU Lalit- a Hindu and Abdul Nazeer - a Muslim. The bench had begun the hearing on May 11. The bench had heard the issue for six days during which various parties including the Centre, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and various others made the submissions.

OneIndia News
UP: Woman accuses husband for giving her triple talaq over dowry

Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

For triple talaq victims, judicial verdict in favor but social verdict still against them!

Case against man for giving instant triple talaq to wife

UP: Muslim woman agrees to Nikah Halal, instead gets gangraped by ex-husband, his brother

Triple talaq case: Timeline of events

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, August 22: Following is the chronology of events leading to the Supreme Court verdict on Tuesday that declared triple talaq was void, illegal and unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court today by a 3:2 majority struck down triple talaq. While the CJI and Justice Nazeer were in favour of the practice the other three judges observed that the practice was unconstitutional. The court held that triple talaq is manifestly arbitrary.

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq verdict: Public opinion on supreme court decision | Oneindia News

Oct 16, 2015: SC bench asks chief justice of India to set up an appropriate bench to examine if Muslim women face gender discrimination in divorce cases while dealing with a case of Hindu succession.

Feb 5, 2016: SC asks then Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to assist it on the pleas challenging constitutional validity of 'triple talaq', 'nikah halala' and polygamy.

Mar 28: SC asks Centre to file report of a high-level panel on 'Women and the law: An assessment of family laws with focus on laws relating to marriage, divorce, custody, inheritence and succession'.

SC impleads various organisations, including All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), as parties in the suo motu matter.

Jun 29: SC says 'triple talaq' among Muslims will be tested on "touchstone of constitutional framework".

Oct 7: For the first time in India's constitutional history, Centre opposes in SC these practises and favours a relook on grounds like gender equality and secularism.

Feb 14, 2017: SC allows various interlocutory pleas to be tagged along with the main matter.

Feb 16: SC says a five-judge constitution bench would be set up to hear and decide the challenge to 'triple talaq', 'nikah halala' and polygamy.

Mar 27: AIMPLB tells SC pleas were not maintainable as the issues fall outside judiciary's realm.

Mar 30: SC says these issues are "very important" and involve "sentiments" and says a constitution bench would start hearing it from May 11.

May 11: SC says it would examine whether the practise of triple talaq among Muslims is fundamental to their religion.

May 12: SC says the practise of triple talaq was the "worst" and "not desirable" form of dissolution of marriages among Muslims.

May 15: Centre tells SC that it will bring new law to regulate marriage and divorce among the Muslim community if triple talaq struck down.

SC says it would examine whether triple talaq was an essential part of religion under Article 25 of Constitution.

May 16: AIMPLB tells SC that matters of faith cannot be tested on grounds of constitutional morality, says triple talaq a matter of faith for last 1,400 years.

Equates the issue of triple talaq with the belief that Lord Rama was born in Ayodhya.

May 17: SC asks AIMPLB whether a woman can be given an option of saying 'no' to triple talaq at the time of execution of 'nikahnama'.

Centre tells SC triple talaq is neither integral to Islam nor a "majority versus minority" issue but rather an "intra-community tussle" between Muslim men and deprived women.

May 18: SC reserves verdict on triple talaq.

May 22: AIMPLB files affidavit in SC saying it would issue an advisory to 'Qazis' to tell bridegrooms that they will not resort to triple talaq to annul their marriage.

AIMPLB lists out in SC guidelines for married couples.

These include "social boycott" of those Muslims who resort to triple talaq and the appointment of an arbitrator to settle marital disputes.

Aug 22: SC by a majority verdict of 3:2 rules that divorce through triple talaq is void, illegal and unconstitutional and against basic tenets of Quran.

PTI
'Triple Talaq is part of Shariat, hope court will not interfere': AIMPLB

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

With the Supreme Court set to pronounce its historic judgment on the constitutional validity of triple talaq, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has said that the Constitution of India has given a right to everyone to follow their religion, adding that triple talaq is part of the Shariat.

Member of AIMPLB and Muslim cleric Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali told news agency ANI that he hopes that the apex court would not interfere with the Muslim Personal law.

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq Ban : Supreme court advocate reacts on historic judgment, Watch | Oneindia News

"We have put forth our view in light of Quran and we are confident enough that whatever will be the judgement of the court, it will naturally be in the light of the Constitution of our country," he said.

The multi-religion constitution bench comprises of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices Kurian Joseph, RF Nariman, UU Lalit and Abdul Nazeer. The bench had begun the hearing on May 11.

It would either declare the practice as valid or unconstitutional or let the government take a decision on the matter.

Triple Talaq is a form of divorce practised in India, whereby a Muslim man can legally divorce his wife by pronouncing talaq three times. The pronouncement can be oral or written, or, in recent times, delivered by electronic means such as telephone, SMS, email or social media.

The bench had made it clear that it would examine whether the practice of triple talaq among Muslims is fundamental to their religion and had also said for the time being it will not deliberate upon the issue of polygamy and 'nikah halala'.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 9:31 [IST]
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

Triple talaq struck down: Who consented and who dissented in SC

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In a major victory for women's rights, the Supreme Court of India struck down triple talaq while declaring it unconstitutional. In a 3:2 majority verdict the court held that the practise was unconstitutional and it violates fundamental rights of a woman as it irrevocably ends marriage without any scope of reconciliation.

The Chief Justice of India J S Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer had refused to strike down the practise of triple talaq. They had said that triple talaq is a fundamental right and hence cannot be struck down. Instead they directed the centre to come up with a law within six months.

What is triple talaq: A brief explainer

The judges who dissented and struck down triple talaq were Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit.

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq Ban : Supreme court advocate reacts on historic judgment, Watch | Oneindia News

CJI Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer:

Justice Khehar observed that practise cannot be abolished hastily. It needs to be carefully observed, the court also said. The court held that Talaq-e-biddat is not in violation of articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. The court said Talaq-e-biddat is an integral part of the Sunni community and has been practiced since 1000s of years.

If the centre wants the same banned then it would need to come up with a legislation.

Despite Rashid Ahmed decision by privy council the issue needs fresh examination. All parties were unanimous that triple talaq is a heinous practice. It won't be appropriate for the court to observed whether practice is valid as per hadith due to variations in the school, Chief Justice of India, J S Khehar observed.

Justices Kurian, Nariman and Lalit:

Even Hanafi law says triple talaq is sinful. 1937 Act recognizes triple talaq and therefore does not violate Article 13...Triple Talaq won't fall within confines of Article 13(1)...It is not possible for court to fold his hands when petitioners come to court. Court has to declare whether practice is legal or not said Justice Nariman.

Justice Kurian Joseph who also dissented with the CJI said, that there are four sources of Islamic law. Only the Quran is the first source of law, therefore sources other than the Quran are supplement to what is in it. Therefore, there can be nothing more than what is written in the Quran.

Quran attributes permanence to matrimony. Triple talaq is against tenets of Quran, therefore, violates Shariat. As held in Shamimara, talaq must be after having tried to resolve issues.

Triple talaq not a part of sharia. Freedom of religion is absolute. However, triple talaq being a part of religion is what I disagree with. After 1937 Act, no practice deviating from Quran is valid. I expressly endorse and uphold the law in Shamimara. What is bad in theology is bad in law. What is bad in Quran can't be good in Shariat, Justice Kurian also said.

OneIndia News
International news brief: Floods trap many in Florida; Royal Mint unveils first coins and more

Unlike Modi, Nitish, Mamata gives a skip to aerial survey, wades through floodwaters in WB

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Kolkata, August 22: Call it her way of showing her empathy towards the flood victims or a "smart move" to score a few political brownie points, on Monday images of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wading through ankle-deep water while inspecting flood-hit Malda district definitely attracted several eyeballs.

All these days, as states after states have been inundated by floodwaters, we saw politicians right from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia, conducting aerial survey to take stock of flood situation in Gujarat, Bihar and Rajasthan respectively.

While victims of floods struggle to survive, the widely-circulated images of politicians sitting comfortably inside a chopper hovering over floodwaters are being criticised as "luxurious and crude" attempts to understand the plight of people.

Nonetheless, if a politician of Modi's reputation skips an aerial survey of Assam, then there are also demands for a one to be immediately conducted as he had flown over the floodwaters of Gujarat.

Politics over floods and aerial survey is nothing new, but this year we will see more of it as more than a 1,000 people had already died due to floods in Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Odisha to name a few states, where floods have created havoc since June.

On Monday, while Mamata was on a recce to flood-affected areas in three north Bengal districts amid growing protests by flood victims for ignoring their plight by the state, the CM did an impromptu attempt to gauge the ferocity of floodwaters by standing on ankle-deep water.

If her supporters are calling it a noble gesture by the firebrand leader to reach out to the victims by being in their shoes for a few minutes, opposition leaders have lambasted her for what they call it nothing, but photo-op.

At least 152 people have died and 1.5 crore hit by the floods in the state till now. The CM demanded a central government package for her flood-hit state, on the lines of the grants given to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Assam and Gujarat.

"The Centre has given a package of Rs 2,000 crore to flood-hit Assam, also a package has been given to Gujarat. I have no objection. I want all states to get central help. But fury of the floods is no less in Bengal than in Gujarat and Assam.

"We will also send a detailed report. We want we be given whatever is our due," she said in Malda.

Mamata alleged that she had earlier written to Modi a multiple times on the issue of the Ganga river erosion in parts of the state, but the Central government did not act.

Hitting out at the Centre, she said it should undertake proper dredging of barrages.

"But there was no proper dredging of the Farakka barrage, same with the Damodar Valley Corporation barrages," she said.

Mamata went on alleging that the fresh wave of floods in the northern Bengal was caused after an embankment in Bihar's Purnea district was "broken". The state government has lodged an official complaint.

"In Purnea, an embankment was broken. I didn't know about this. One district magistrate told me. We have lodged an official complaint," she said.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 8:58 [IST]
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

For triple talaq victims, judicial verdict in favor but social verdict still against them!

UP: Muslim woman agrees to Nikah Halal, instead gets gangraped by ex-husband, his brother

Instigation by parents or relatives leads to triple talaq: Survey

India

oi-Madhuri

The Supreme Court on Tuesday banned the practice of triple talaq, or instant divorce, practised by some in the Muslim community, saying it was unconstitutional. The court in a 3:2 verdict struck down talaq-e-biddat and directed the centre to come up with a law to govern Muslim marriages and divorces.

Follow OneIndia's exhaustive coverage on triple talaq here:

According to the survey by Delhi-based Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy, the top reasons behind Muslim men opting for triple talaq (divorce) are:

13.27% instigated by parents/relatives

8.41% did not meet their dowry demands

7.96 % husband having extra marital affair

7.08% Because women could not become pregnant

4.42% sexual incompatibility

3.54% husband does not like the wife

0.44% spur of the moment temper

0.88% Husband pronounced talaq under the influence of alcohol

37.61% other reasons

OneIndia News
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

For triple talaq victims, judicial verdict in favor but social verdict still against them!

UP: Muslim woman agrees to Nikah Halal, instead gets gangraped by ex-husband, his brother

What is triple talaq: A brief explainer

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Supreme Court is set to pronounce a historic judgment on triple talaq today. It would either declare the practise as valid or unconstitutional or let the government take a decision on the matter.

What is triple talaq?

Triple Talaq is a form of divorce practiced in India, whereby a Muslim man can legally divorce his wife by pronouncing talaq three times. The pronouncement can be oral or written, or, in recent times, delivered by electronic means such as telephone, SMS, email or social media.

Recommended Video

Triple Talaq practice : What is this Muslim practice, Why India still follow this | Oneindia News

The man need not cite any cause for the divorce and the wife need not be present at the time of pronouncement. After a period of iddat, during which it is ascertained whether the wife is pregnant with a child, the divorce becomes irrevocable.

In the recommended practice, a waiting period is required before each pronouncement of talaq, during which reconciliation is attempted. However, it has become common to make all three pronouncements in one sitting. While the practice is frowned upon, it is not prohibited.

A divorced woman may not remarry her divorced husband unless she first marries another man, a practice called Nikah Halala. Until she remarries, she retains the custody of male toddlers and pre-pubertal female children. Beyond those restrictions, the children come under the guardianship of the father.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), has told the Supreme Court that women can also pronounce triple talaq, and can execute nikahnamas that stipulate conditions so that the husbands cannot pronounce triple talaq.

OneIndia News
Who is Abu Yusuf al-Hindi alias Shafi Armar, Bhatkal's ISIS man killed in Syria

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Islamic State declared that Abu Yusuf al-Hindi alias Shafi Armar a resident of Bhatkal was killed in Syria's Raqqa area. While Indian Intelligence agencies are yet to confirm the news of his death, a similar incident has been reported a few months back.

For India, Armar, the brother of Sultan Armar who was also killed in Syria is a prized catch. He is the recruiter-in-chief for the ISIS in India. He was recently declared a global terrorist by the United States of America.

The state department described Armar as a "leader and head recruiter in India for the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, ISIS".

He became the chief recruiter in India after his brother Sultan Armar died in March 2015. The state department also listed his numerous aliases, including Anjan Bhai, Chote Maula and Yousouf al-Hindi.

"He has cultivated a group of dozens of ISIS sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps," said a statement from the state department.

Who is Shafi Armar?

Shafi Armar is the second among the three children of a family that hails from the coastal town of Bhatkal in Karnataka. His elder brother Sultan Armar is said to have taken him along with him and together they had joined the Indian Mujahideen.

Hailing from the same place, both Shafi and Sultan were taken into the IM by Riyaz Bhatkal. While Sultan was active in IM operations, Shafi was more of a second in command for the operations undertaken by his brother. Shafi does not have any record of taking part in terrorist activities in the real sense.

His activities were online and he was in charge of the media operations. A lot of literature concerning the ISIS posted on the Ansar site were said to be the handiwork of Shafi.

His family members in Bhatkal say that he and Sultan left home around 5 years back and they have no idea about their whereabouts.

How the modules were set up:

When for the first time, Riyaz Bhatkal had roped in the Armar brothers, they were called to Pakistan. At Pakistan it was decided that the Armar brothers would go to Oman set up a base and then focus on Indian recruitments.

However an argument broke out over certain issues relating to Iqbal, the elder brother of Riyaz Bhatkal.

The Armar brothers found that a sum of Rs 60 crore given to the Bhatkal brothers to carry out terror activities was misappropriated and not being put to the right use.

Further the Armar brothers also raised objections about Iqbal being involved in an illicit affair. They felt that this was anti Islam and objected to the same. A fight broke out and the Armar brothers decided to split. These incidents have been narrated to the police by Yasin Bhatkal who is presently in jail.

The Armar brothers then spoke with Yasin who was in India and told him about their intentions of breaking up with the IM. They said that they would want to shift loyalties to either the Al-Qaeda or the ISIS which had real concern about the religious cause.

The journey into the ISIS:

After breaking away from the IM, the Armar brothers decided to join the Al-Qaeda. However at that point in time, the ISIS was growing fast and they felt that this outfit was a better bet.

Also the fading prospects of the Al-Qaeda was another reason for them to consider the ISIS. Both the brothers then went up online and began posting literature for the ISIS.

They managed to get the attention of the top rung of the ISIS and one fine day as the Global Islamic Council was announced the Armar brothers became the choice for the ISIS. The Ansar-ul-Tawhid was floated and while Sultan decided that he wanted to battle along with the ISIS, Shafi decided to carry out activities online.

Recent investigations:

Shafi's name cropped up in Indian investigations for the first time when a module in Rajasthan was busted in 2014. Shafi's name had cropped up briefly and the NIA felt that it was he who had carried out these recruitments.

When the module at Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh was busted in 2015, Shafi's name cropped up prominently. The members of the module headed by Irfan Khan said that he was in touch with Shafi and it is together that they planned a series of attacks in India.

The intention was to launch the first dedicated module in India for the ISIS. All these days the ISIS has only been recruiting out of India, but by setting up a dedicated module, they felt that they could boost up the recruitment drive. According to Shafi, the module would provide the right platform for those youth who believed in the ISIS ideology but did not wish to travel to either Iraq or Syria.

Intelligence Bureau officials feel that Shafi has taken the mantle from his brother Sultan who was killed May 2017 in a combat at Kobane in Syria.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 9:12 [IST]
Explained: What the SC said and how is Talaq-e-Hasan different from triple talaq

Can Centre pass a bill in Parliament to ban triple talaq? Do they have the numbers

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

While the historic judgment in Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down triple talaq terming the practice of instant divorce among Muslims as "void, illegal and unconstitutional, a 3:2 split verdict, the 5-judge bench of the apex court also asked Parliament to legislate against triple talaq.

Follow OneIndia's exhaustive coverage on triple talaq here:

The number game

Now, the onus to pass a bill banning triple talaq lies on the Centre. A bill banning triple talaq will be easily passed in the Lok Sabha as the ruling BJP-led NDA enjoys absolute majority in the house. In the 545-member lower house, the BJP, with 280 seats, alone has more than half of the majority figure.

However, the ruling NDA may have to bank on the support of the Opposition, particularly the rival Congress, to get the law against triple talaq passed in the 245-member Rajya Sabha. As numbers stand today, though NDA has 88 members (with BJP having 57 members) it still does not enjoy majority. It falls short of 36 seats.

But the merger of the two AIADMK factions in Tamil Nadu, chances of the party becoming an NDA ally, the Centre may get additional RS numbers. AIADMK has 11 members in the Rajya Sabha. With their support, NDA's number would swell to 99, still 25 behind the majority mark.

On the other hand, the Congress has 57 members and the UPA it leads has 72 members. Here, the Congress party too hailed the Supreme Court order on triple talaq. So the NDA may expect to get Congress' support in the Rajya Sabha.

If Congress supports the bill,BJP would not need the backing of any other party to ensure the passage of the Bill on triple talaq.

Despite Congress' support, there are parties in UPA which may not support the Bill on triple talaq. They are DMK (4), RJD (3) and Indian Union Muslim League (1). Minus AIADMK, the strength of other parties is 71. Some such as Samajwadi Party (18), TMC (13) and BSP (5) may also not support the Bill on triple talaq. All these parties may vote against the Bill on triple talaq or may boycott it. In both the cases, the Bill will easily get passed in the Rajya Sabha and will become a law.

Advantage BJP

Despite these numbers, if the bill fails to get the final nod in Rajya Sabha, the other option available to the BJP is to promulgate an ordinance banning triple talaq. However, this may be seen as a rash step.

Whether or not the Bill on triple talaq is passed in Parliament, now it is advantage BJP as it will win the sympathy of the Muslim women and can improve its tally in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP can derive political mileage out of it.

OneIndia News
Women from the community including victims of triple talaq speak out about SC's verdict

India

oi-Anusha

Women from the Muslim community across the country are celebrating the Supreme Court's verdict on triple talaq. Women including victims have welcomed the verdict and hope that the law gives women from the community strength and the will to fight back. Some have hailed the Narendra Modi government for the historic verdict and fighting for the cause while others have opined that the sanctity of the religion should not be compromised.

"I am very happy with today's verdict. I am thankful to the Modi government to have ensured justice to Muslim women. One step of this government has come to the rescue of crores of Muslim women suffering because of triple talaq. Husbands should understand that their wives are not weak. I would appeal to all men to respect their wives. This verdict will bring justice to many women but more importantly, it will stop men from cheating women in the name of religion. Triple Talaq is unislamic and now women know that. This judgement gives us the will and strength both mental and legal to fight against it," said Zeenath, a victim of

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Triple Talaq verdict: The struggle of Shayara Bano | Oneindia News

Zeenath a resident of New Delhi became a victim of triple talaq in 2015 when her in-laws asked her to leave the house and never return. The husband re-married another woman within days of divorcing Zeenath.

SC strikes down instant triple talaq, tells Centre to make law in 6 months

Huma Hanni from Bengaluru has welcomed the verdict but hopes that it does not tamper with the sanctity of Islam. "I am a devout Muslim and I do not want to oppose the religion. I am very happy with the Supreme Court's verdict because it will stop men from misusing triple talaq. My husband married me when I was 16-years-old and I have only been tortured all my married life. He killed my handicapped son and started abusing my daughter. I had no choice but to seek help but because I sought someone else's help to solve the crisis, he divorced me. He said talaq thrice in public and my life was over," recalled Huma Hanni.

Some victims have raised questions about how the verdict will help them? Can it be applied in retrograde is a big concern. "The verdict is good news for many women like me but what about me? Will I get justice? My husband divorced me through a newspaper advertisement and now lives in Saudi. Will be punished? Who will bring him back and punish him for his crimes? Yes, I am happy that other women will not suffer anymore but what about me and many like me," asked Ayesha, a resident of Hyderabad. She was divorced for seeking help from an NGO after being abandoned by her husband who now lives outside the country.

Many women from the community who are not victims of triple talaq but consider it a social evil nonetheless want to wait and watch how the legislation will handle the scenario. "I am not a victim of triple talaq but I see this judgement as very progressive. While maintaining the sanctity of a religion, the judiciary has also upheld the rights of Muslim women as human beings. Let there be a legislation to protect our rights. It is painful to see women suffer because of a few men's misunderstanding of a religion," said Ishrat, a resident of Bengaluru and a women rights activist.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 12:56 [IST]
Trump likely to announce bid for presidency next week

Afghan envoy welcomes new Donald Trump's new policy

International

oi-Madhuri

Afghanistan Envoy to US Hamdullah Mohib on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's new policy towards Afghanistan and for breaking silence on Pakistan's shelter of terrorists.

We welcome @realDonaldTrump decision for a strong Afghan-US partnership in the fight against terrorism towards a peaceful & eduring outcome  Hamdullah Mohib (@hmohib) August 22, 2017

"We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account bot our countries' needs and considerations," Hamdullah Mohib said in a statement.

Trump emphasized the need for Pakistan to stop harboring the Taliban. Mohib said Afghanistan has made progress and is committed to pursuing reforms to show it merits continuing help from the US.

Earlier today, US President Donald Trump says the US "can no longer be silent" about terrorist safe havens in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan often gives sanctuary to "agents of chaos, violence and terror," and says the Taliban and other groups there pose a threat to the region and beyond.

OneIndia News
At UNSC, US calls on world to tell Russia to stop its nuclear threats

Trump urges love for all after racially tinged strife

International

oi-PTI

US President Donald Trump urged Americans of all backgrounds to unite on Monday after his response to racially-fraught protests drew widespread criticism.

"Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts there's no place for bigotry and no tolerance for hate," he said.

"The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home."

His comments, made during an address to the nation on his Afghan strategy, came with America still reeling less than two weeks after bloodshed at a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump faced fierce blowback -- including from his own Republican party -- after he said "both sides" were to blame for the clashes, which saw one woman die after an avowed white supremacist plowed his car into a group of anti-racism counter-protestors there.

He again made ambiguous remarks on the deadly violence when he said the white nationalist rally included "very fine people, on both sides."

Trump's comments set off a political firestorm, triggering widespread rebuke from lawmakers and prompting senior business executives to quit his economic advisory councils.

PTI
Authorities step up security checks after US state dept warns of terror attack in Barcelona

Barcelona attacks: 4 suspects to testify in court

International

oi-PTI

Madrid, August 22: A day after the last missing member of the cell was gunned down by police near Barcelona, four alleged members of a terror cell accused of killing 15 people in attacks in Barcelona and a Spanish resort appeared in court Tuesday.

The four men were arrested last week for their alleged involvement in the planning or execution of attacks in Barcelona on Thursday and the northeastern resort town of Cambrils early Friday.

They were to testify before National Court Judge Fernando Andreu in Madrid. The judge will decide whether they should be jailed preventively or released, with or without conditions.

Spanish media have named the suspects as Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Aalla, Salh el Karib and Mohamed Houli Chemal but these names have not yet been confirmed by police.

The four were arrested following the attacks: Three in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll and another in Alcanar, south of Barcelona, where a house that was accidentally blown apart turned out to be a botched bomb-making workshop.

The lone fugitive from the cell was shot to death Monday after he flashed what turned out to be a fake suicide belt at two troopers who confronted him in a vineyard not far from the city he terrorized.

Police said they had "scientific evidence" that the fugitive Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, drove the van that barreled through Barcelona's crowded Las Ramblas promenade, killing 13 people Thursday, then hijacked a car and fatally stabbed its driver while making his getaway.

Abouyaaqoub's brother and friends made up the rest of the 12-man extremist cell, along with an imam who was one of two people killed in the Alcanar house.

Police said that with Abouyaaqoub's death, the group responsible for last week's fatal van attacks has now been broken.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for both the Cambrils and Barcelona attacks. Five of the 12 suspects were shot dead by police in the seaside town of Cambrils, where a second van attack left one pedestrian dead hours after the Barcelona van attack.

PTI

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 16:25 [IST]
China backs Pak after Trump's warning on terror safe havens

International

pti-PTI

Beijing, Aug 22: China on Tuesday jumped to the defence of its all-weather ally Pakistan in the wake of US President Donald Trump's stern warning to it over providing safe havens to terrorists, saying that Islamabad is at the frontline of combating terrorism.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harbouring terrorists.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, while reacting to Trump's comments on Pakistan, said, "Hope the relevant policy decision by US side will be conducive to promoting security, stability of the relevant region." "President Trump's remarks on Pakistan, I should say that Pakistan is at the frontline of fighting terrorism, has made sacrifices in fighting terrorism, making an important contribution to upholding peace and stability," Hua said, strongly defending Beijing's all-weather friend.

Trump slams Pakistan

Trump, in his address, slammed Pakistan for its support to terror groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so. Hua, in response to Trump's scathing criticism of Pakistan's support to terror groups, said, "I think the international community should truly affirm" the efforts by Pakistan in combating terrorism. "We are pleased to see US and Pakistan to conduct cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts on the basis of mutual respect and contribute to the global peace and stability," she said.

On Trump indicating deepening ties with India, Hua said China is happy to see the development of normal and friendly relations between the two countries as long as such a relationship does not harm other countries and is conducive to regional development. "So we are pleased to see sound and normal relations between US and India," she said, hoping that the two sides will play a more constructive role promoting regional peace and development.

Hua skirted a direct answer to a question on whether China's policies like blocking India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and efforts to get Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar banned by the UN had created more space for the US to develop closer ties with India, saying its bilateral ties with India or with the US will not be targeted at a third party.

India's action criticised

Hua also criticised India's action to block China's road building in Doklam region where the two sides are involved in a standoff. India's move at Doklam has a negative impact in the eyes of the Chinese people, she said. India should match its words with deeds, Hua said while calling for unconditional withdrawal of Indian troops and equipment.

Asked about the impact of Trump's decision to follow a more proactive policy in Afghanistan on China, Hua said, the "Chinese side will uphold the objective and unbiased principle to promote friendly relations with other countries, based on the merits of the matter itself". "We hope that the Trump administration's policy adjustment will be conducive to promoting peace and stability in South Asia," she said.

"China closely follows Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. We think the stable relations between the two countries will also be helpful," Hua said.

On Afgan trip

Referring to recent trip made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Afghanistan and Pakistan amid Kabul's allegations that Islamabad was not cracking down on the Taliban, Hua said Wang's visit was aimed at mediating for better relations between the two countries.

During the visit, Afghanistan and Pakistan sent out goodwill messages to each other, especially in the establishment of crisis management mechanism which China is trying to operationalise, she said. "We also appreciate and applaud the dialogue between the two countries. During the process, as a friend of these two countries, China will, within its capacity, play a constructive role," she said.

PTI
Doklam standoff: China undertakes live fire drill, says India is in awe

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Chinese have shown a five minute video of a military drill involving 10 PLA units to keep the Doklam standoff in an aggravated state. The Doklam standoff has entered into the second month and there has been no respite.

On Monday the Chinese foreign ministry said that India was to blame for the stone pelting that took place at Ladakh last week. On the other hand the Global Times while quoting experts said that the People's Liberation Army was conducting live fire drills in the western sector to strike awe in India.

Indian officials that OneIndia spoke with could not confirm the live fire drills. It may be an outdated footage, an official said. The official however added that the Chinese are trying to keep the standoff in an aggravated state and hence is putting out such propaganda material.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, Chinese border forces were carrying out "normal" patrols on the Chinese side of the Pangong Lake located in Ladakh in the western Himalayas.

"During this time they were obstructed by Indian border forces and the Indian side took fierce actions, colliding with the Chinese personnel and having contact with their bodies, injuring the Chinese border personnel," she told a daily news briefing. What India did went against the two countries' consensus to keep the peace on the border and it endangered the situation there, she added, stating, "China is extremely dissatisfied with this".

Rajnath Singh said that a solution would come out soon. China will take a positive step from its side, the home minister said while addressing Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Monday. "We want to maintain good relations with our neighbours. We don't want conflict, we want peace," he also said.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 7:18 [IST]
12-year-old Indian in Guinness World Record for identifying most aeroplane tails in UAE

Watch: Four Indian women racially abused in Texas in most horrific manner

Indian IS recruiter Abu Yusuf al-Hindi killed in Syria

International

oi-PTI

The official media channel of Islamic State, Amaq Agency claimed that an Indian suicide bomber Abu Yusuf al-Hindi killed many Kurdistan fighters in an attack in Syria's Raqqa area.

In a statement in Arabic via its Amaq propaganda agency, the IS identified the Indian suicide bomber as Abu Yusuf al- Hindi, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based monitoring firm.

The terror group claimed killing and wounding a "number" of what it described as "Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) apostates" in the suicide attack involving the Indian bomber.

However, there was no confirmation about the IS claim by the Indian agencies.

Abu Yusuf al-Hindi was the fugitive chief recruiter for the IS in the Indian subcontinent and was known as Mohammed Shafi Armar, who had many aliases like 'Chhote Maula' and 'Anjan Bhai'.

The 30-year-old was named a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' by the US in June, becoming the first Indian leader of the dreaded terror outfit against whom America slammed sanctions. An Interpol Red Corner notice was also pending against him.

Al-Hindi, a native of Bhatkal in Karnataka, was a leader and head recruiter in India for the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, ISIS, according to the US State Department.

While announcing sanctions, it had said that he cultivated a group of dozens of ISIS sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps.

He was said to have left for Pakistan along with his elder brother after crackdown on Indian Mujahideen cadres.

There have been many reports of him having been dead in a drone attack or crackdown by the allied forces. However, every time intelligence agencies began giving credence to such reports, his name or voice cropped up in intercepts.

Tech savvy al-Hindi has been operating on Facebook and other personal messenger services to contact, brainwash and recruit youths from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

His links to the ISIS were also the highlight of the interrogation of Yasin Bhatkal, who was arrested near the Nepal border in 2013.

PTI

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 8:03 [IST]
Relief to Adani group, Australian court dismisses appeal against its coal mine project

International

pti-PTI

Melbourne, Aug 22: In a major relief to the Adani group, an Australian Court has dismissed the appeal filed by indigenous group against 16.5 billion dollar coal mine project.

Carmichael coal mine project, one of the world's largest, will start construction this year after being given the green light by the federal and Queensland state governments. The project involves dredging 1.1 million cubic metres of soil near the iconic Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which will then be disposed of on land.

Despite being targeted by several political and environmental groups from time to time, the Adani group has reaffirmed its commitment for the project and promised to create economic prosperity, including creating thousands of jobs for the people in Queensland.

In May this year, the lawyers of Wangan and Jagalingou group, who have a native title claim over the proposed site of the mine in the Galilee basin, argued in the court that the issuing of the mining leases to Adani were unlawful as they had not been given adequate opportunity to address the state government on native title issues relating to the proposed Carmichael site.

However, Adani and the state government argued that the traditional owners had never made a proper objection to the mine under the terms set out by the Mineral Resources Act 1989.

Responding to today's decision, senior spokesperson for the W&J Traditional Owners Council, Adrian Burragubba, said, "Where there is mining there is no justice for Traditional Owners. We are not done yet. We will exhaust all legal avenues in our fight to for our rights and to protect our country".

"Adani cannot move on the critical infrastructure for the mine until they can get us out of the way," he said.

Meanwhile, the Adani group welcomed the court's decision and said, "it represents yet another independent judicial decision upholding nearly eight years of development planning and rigorous approvals, and dismisses activist claims to the contrary".

It is also another legal rebuff to activists' use of the courts to seek to delay a project, the company said claiming that the project will inject 22 billion dollars in royalties and charges into the State coffers to be reinvested back into the community. The company is expected to kick off the pre-construction work in September quarter of this year following Adani chairman Gautam Adani announcing the signing off on the project.

PTI
Top Yemen diplomat slams Iran, says Tehran 'part of the problem, not solution'

International

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United Nations, Aug 22: Yemen's Foreign Minister Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi has said that Iran, which is accused of supporting Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen, "is part of the problem, not the solution".

"Iran is the cause of the problem, Iran continues to support the Huthis, Iranian arms are smuggled. Iran is part of the problem, not the solution," Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi said when asked if Tehran could contribute to a political solution in Yemen.

He was speaking at UN headquarters after a major luncheon hosted by Yemen and Saudi Arabia with the majority of diplomatic missions to the United Nations.

"Iran has no role to play in the region," echoed the Saudi ambassador to the United Nations, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi.

Saudi humanitarian aid to Yemen is estimated to top 8.2 billion dollars. The Saudi-led military coalition largely controls the country's airspace, although US drones also carry out strikes on suspected Al-Qaeda bases there.

More than 8,300 people have been killed and 44,000 wounded since the Saudi-led coalition entered the Yemen war in 2015. Close to 2,000 Yemenis have also died of cholera since April and another 600,000 are expected to contract the infection this year.

The Yemeni Crisis began with the 2011-12 revolution against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had led Yemen for more than two decades. After Saleh left office in early 2012 as part of a mediated agreement between the Yemeni government and opposition groups, the government led by Saleh's former vice president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, struggled to unite the fractious political landscape of the country and fend off threats both from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Houthi militants that had been waging a protracted insurgency in the north for years.

PTI
You will pay for harbouring terrorists, Trump warns Pakistan

International

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By Vicky

US President Donald Trump hit out at Pakistan and said that the country gives a safe haven to agents of chaos. "Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos," he said, noting that there is nuclear-powered tensions between Pakistan and its neighbor India.

Trump called terrorists "nothing but thugs and criminals and, that's right, losers."

India makes billions of dollars with the United States in trade. We want them to help us more in Afghanistan, the President of the United States also said.

We will develop a deeper strategic partnership with India, but we want them to help us more in Afghanistan, he also said. Pakistani people have suffered from terror, but at same time Pakistan has been safe haven for terrorists, he further stated.

Pakistan has much to gain from partnering in our effort in Afghanistan, but it has much to lose as it harbours terrorists and criminals, Trump further stated.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops," Trump said. "I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will," he added. "We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists," he said.

When one part of America hurts, we all hurt," Trump said, adding, "Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another." Trump added that US troops fighting wars abroad "deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home."

Trump acknowledged that his "instincts" told him to pull out troops from Afghanistan.

"Historically, I like following my instincts," Trump said. "A hasty withdrawal," Trump said, would create a "vacuum" for terrorists.

Trump lamented the 20 terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the "highest concentration in any region, anywhere in the world," he said.

"Conditions on the ground," not public timetables, will determine the US' strategy, he said.

He said that Afghanistan had to carry the burden in this conflict- politically, economically and military. "Our patience is not unlimited," Trump said. "We will keep our eyes wide open."

He said a quick withdraw from Afghanistan would create a vacuum that terrorists would fill. He called terrorists "thugs" and "losers."

"They are nothing but thugs and criminals and predators and, that's right, losers," Trump said. "We will defeat them and defeat them handily."

Trump said his"original instinct was to pull out" of Afghanistan. "Historically I like following my instincts, but all of my life I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office," he said. The President added that he studied Afghanistan "in great detail and from every angle."

He also said that a hasty exit would create a vacuum which ISIS and al-Qaeda would instantly like to fill as it happened before 9/11, he also said.

OneIndia News
US slaps sanctions on Chinese, Russians over N Korea support

International

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The United States is targeting Chinese and Russian entities and individuals with new sanctions in its push to pressure North Korea to back off its nuclear ambitions.

As a result of Tuesday's action, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of US persons or within the United States must be blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.

The sanctions target third-country companies and individuals that assist already-designated persons who support North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, deal in the North Korean energy trade, facilitate its exportation of workers, andenable sanctioned North Korean entities to access US and international financial systems.

"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," said Treasury Secretary Steven T Mnuchin.

Some of the prominent companies and individuals slapped with sanctions are China-based Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co, Moscow-based Gefest-M LLC and its director, Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and China and Hong Kong-based Mingzheng International Trading Limited.

"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilise the region," Mnuchin said.

"We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activityin the future," he said.

The Treasury also designated three Chinese coal companies collectively responsible for importing nearly half a billion dollars' worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.

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HCL Leaching High Purity Alumina Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 20162024

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High purity alumina characterized with minimum concentration of 99.99% is high end form of aluminum oxide. Owing to its superior properties such as high purity, corrosion resistance and hardness, HCL leaching high purity alumina is extensively used as an essential material in LEDs and artificial sapphire glass. High purity alumina is produced by two methods namely hydrolysis and by leaching with hydrochloric acid. In hydrolysis method, aluminum oxide is produced from aluminum and alcohol. The aluminum oxide formed, further undergoes hydrolysis and calcination to obtain high purity alumina. The significance of this method is that the acid used in the process can be recovered and reused. Hydrochloric acid leaching method is on the verge of commercialization. With the success of HCL leaching method, the production cost of high purity alumina is expected to reduce significantly.Request Sample of HCL Leaching High Purity Alumina Market:Demand for HCL leaching high purity alumina is expected to increase due to increasing adoption of LED products, smart watches, sapphire glass, and lithium-ion batteries. High purity alumina is also used in protective coatings for aircraft, aircraft engine, farm machinery, cars, and fuel cell. It is also used in production of scratch resistant semiconductor wafers, which are the basis of any electronic device. High purity alumina ceramic is also used in production of luminous tubes that are resistant to reaction with high temperature sodium vapor.HCL Leaching High Purity Alumina Market TaxonomyOn the basis of application, the global market is classified into:LEDSapphirePhosphorSemiconductorOn the basis of end use industry, the global market is segmented into:Electrical and electronicsMedicalAerospaceOthersRequest To View The Table of content:On the basis of application, LED and sapphire segments are expected to collectively account for the highest share in terms of volume in the global HCL leaching high purity alumina market through 2024. This is due to increase in demand for synthetic single crystal sapphire, which is used as a substrate in manufacture of LEDs. Various schemes by the government in emerging countries to promote LED industry development is expected to prove as a significant factor in fueling the growth of HCL leaching high purity alumina market. One such initiative started by the Indian government is UJALA, in which the government is keen on replacing all inefficient bulbs with high energy efficient bulbs. HCL leaching high purity alumina is also used in medical and aerospace industry for high-end applications such as coating of aircraft and its engine parts in which purity is of paramount priority.HCL Leaching High Purity Alumina Market Outlook  Shift of Trend towards LED has Propelled Demand for HCL Leaching High Purity AluminaAsia Pacific is the largest contributor in the HCL leaching high purity alumina market. This is mainly attributed to the swiftly growing urbanization and electronics industry in emerging economies in this region. According to India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF)a trust by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India12% of the total LED lighting systems worldwide are sold in India. In addition to this, easy availability of raw materials and cheap labor has led to shift of manufacturing hubs to Asia Pacific region. This trend is expected to further gain traction over the forecast period. North America and Europe are amongst the emerging markets for the HCL leaching high purity alumina market.Advancements in energy efficient lighting solution has propelled the HCL leaching high purity alumina market growth. High raw material cost is projected to prove to be one of the restraining factors for market growth. Major players are focusing on extensive research and development activities in order to differentiate their product offerings, entering into strategic acquisitions and joint ventures with local players, and expanding their productions facilities to enhance their market share. Some of the major companies operating in the global HCL leaching high purity alumina industry are Alcoa Inc., Bukowski, Orbite Technologies Inc., Altech Chemicals Limited, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Xuancheng Jingrui New Material Co., Ltd., Nippon Light Metal Company Ltd., Dalian Hiland Photoelectric Material Co., Ltd., Sasol, and Rusal.Check The Trending Report of HCL Leaching High Purity Alumina Market:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Carprolactam Market Surpass US$ 17.31 Billion By 2025, Buoyed By Rampant Growth Of Automobile Industry

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Caprolactam  Resins and Fibers that hold the World TogetherNylon 6 fiber and nylon 6 resin have wide applications in automotive and textile industry due to their high tensile strength and superior elasticity. Automakers are focusing on light weighting of vehicles in order to improve fuel efficiency and performance. Thus, metallic parts of automobile are being rapidly replaced by polyamide 6 and nylon 6 due to high temperature and chemical resistance. For instance, door handles, air bag containers, radiator grilles, relay boxes, air intake manifold and engine cover, among others are manufactured from polyamide 6 or nylon 6. Also, nylon 6 have wide applications in electrical and electronic equipment industry due to high electrical insulation and low weight as compared to metal tubes, which includes circuit breakers, voltage switchgears, contactors, tubes for wiring & cables protection, connectors, among others. Also, increasing number of women in the workforce, growing westernization, increasing disposable income and growing demand for convenience food across the globe, is expected to fuel demand for specialty films for packing. Nylon 6 is a key constituent in specialty films. The market is expected to gain traction in Asia Pacific due to burgeoning growth of various end-use industries in China and India. As per Coherent Market Insights, the nylon 6 fibers segment accounted for 52.94% revenue share in 2016.Request Sample of Global Carprolactam Market:Plummeting costs of caprolactam due to increasing production capacity and oversupply is expected to be the key challenge for caprolactam market. As a result, from 2011, continuous caprolactam production capacity reduction are taking place to provide stability in supply and price. On September 12, 2016, BASF SE announced plans to reduce caprolactam production at its Ludwigshafen plant by 100,000 MT over the following 18 months. Moreover, DSM Chemicals plans to cease operations at its caprolactam plant in the U.S. by the end of 2017. Furthermore, according to Coherent Market Insights analysis, due to continuing oversupply of caprolactam by China, some existing caprolactam plants are expected to shut down during the forecast period.The global caprolactam market size is estimated at US$ 11,453.48 million (revenue) and 5,747.09 kilo tons (volume) in 2016 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% in terms of revenue and 2.7% in terms of volume from 2017  2025.Request To View The Table of content:Asia Pacific, followed by Europe and North America accounted for major share in the global Caprolactam market both in terms of revenue and volume in 2016 and the trend is estimated to remain the same over the forecast period. In 2016, Asia Pacific held a share of 64.71% in terms of volume, followed by Europe (13.67%). The increasing sales for automobile in Asia Pacific due to growing population, increased urbanization and growing export of automobiles is expected to drive growth of the global caprolactam market over the forecast period. For instance, in 2016, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Indian automobiles exports for FY2016 totaled 3,641,212 units. According to the stats by Coherent Market Insights, the global nylon 6 fiber market is expected to witness a CAGR of 4.5% from 2017-2025 in terms of revenue, which is expected to fuel the global Caprolactam market.Multinational players need to maintain the supply and price, as the market for caprolactam is fragmented in Asia Pacific.Major players in the global Caprolactam market include BASF SE, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, China Petrochemical Development Corporation, Honeywell International Inc., KuibyshevAzot OJSC, Royal DSM N.V., UBE Industries, SINOPEC among others.Check The Trending Report of Global Carprolactam Market:About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Global Ethylene Market to Surpass US $230 Billion by 2025,

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The Global Ethylene Market was estimated at US$ 121.07 Billion and 146.6 million metric tons in 2016, according to a new report published by Coherent Market Insights. Ethylene is a colorless, flammable gas with sweet and musky odor, having molecular formula C2H4. Ethylene is widely used in the manufacturing of various derivative such as polyethylene, ethylene oxide, ethylene dichloride and others. Ethylene is also used in agriculture industry as a natural plant hormone, which helps in ripening of fruits. Manufacturing industry uses various processes in the manufacture of ethylene, which includes, steam cracking of hydrocarbons followed by compression and distillation. There are various feedstocks which are used in the production of ethylene includes naphtha, ethane, butane, propane, coal, and others (Methanol to olefins (MTO), gasoil).Request Sample of Global Ethylene Market:Ethylene is mainly used in the production of polyethylene, which finds wide applications in packaging industry, automobiles, construction and manufacturing units. These are mainly attributed due to its high tensile strength, resistance to chemicals and heat.Key Feedstock Trends and Analysis of the Ethylene market:Naphtha feedstock segment dominated the ethylene market in 2016, according to the stats provided by Coherent Market Insights. Naphtha is the largest feedstock used in the Asia-Pacific, and Western Europe regions. Ethane is the dominant feedstock used in North America, and Middle East regions. The production cost of ethylene is comparatively low with ethane as a feedstock compared to naphtha.In North America, the boom in exploiting shale gas reserves has led in producing low cost ethane gas, hence lowering the production cost of ethylene to 60% on comparing with naphtha as a feedstock. Furthermore, the boom in exploiting shale gas reserves for the production of ethane in North America has led to a lot of capacity expansions in ethylene plants. The region has witnessed over 2 million MT/Year of ethylene capacity addition during the past four years and over 620,000 MT/ year ethylene production is expected to add by 2017.Saudi Arabia being one of the largest producer of oil and gas in Middle East region is able to produce ethylene in just approximately US$ 50 per metric ton with ethane as a feedstock, which in turn is leading to the high capacity addition in the region. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries contributed 11% of global petrochemical-capacity growth over the past ten years and are now a leading global producer and supplier to world markets of ethylene and its derivatives. There are many projects which are under construction or at the planning stage in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and Oman would be able to add a further 34 million tons of annual capacity over the following years, which in turn will increase the GCCs share of global ethylene production from 18% to 21% by 2025.The regions such as Middle East, and North America are also using propane, butane and MTO as a feedstock to produce ethylene at a low cost on comparing with naphtha. Currently, North America and Middle East are the dominant regions for consuming propane and butane as a feedstock for producing ethylene in much lower cost than naphtha.In Asia-Pacific, China is the largest coal consuming country in developing energy has started using coal and MTO as a feedstock to produce ethylene from its coal to olefins (CTO) and methanol to olefins (MTO) plants. This has lowered the cost of producing ethylene at a much higher rate in the country, which in turn has led to lot of capacity expansions of ethylene in China. Furthermore, the ethylene capacity in India for fiscal year 2016-17 is projected at 4.8 MMT which includes Reliance J3 expansion as well as ONGC Petro additions Limited (OPAL) having commissioned its mega petrochemical complex at Dahej. The total ethylene capacity in India is projected to be 7.2 MMT during fiscal year 2017-18.Hence, the feedstock cost trends are largely driving consumption growth between geographic regions. The growing consumption of ethane, propane, butane and coal for the low cost of production of ethylene is the major factor for the robust growth in the ethylene market during the forecast period.Key takeaways of the market:Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the market in 2016 and the trend is expected to remain the same during 2017-2025. The increasing demand of ethylene derivatives in various end-use industries such as packaging, automobile, and construction industry, and continuous capacity addition of ethylene in China and India over following years are the major driving force to position Asia-Pacific as the largest and fastest-growing region in the global ethylene market. Moreover, North America is expected to experience a second highest CAGR of 5.6% in terms of volume, during the forecast period. This is due to the shale gas boom in the country is leading to the huge growth in the natural gas production which in turn is allowing North America for the huge capacity addition in the following years.The market in Middle East is expected to register a significant growth rate over the forecast period. Capacity addition coupled with cheap raw material price are expected to create lucrative growth opportunities for the market in this region. For instance, Sadara Chemical Company announced to increase their ethylene production capacity by 1500 thousand metric tons per year in Saudi Arabia.Polyethylene industry is one of the key industries for the use of Ethylene. Polyethylene are widely used in the manufacture of high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), crosslinked polyethylene (PEX), and many more which finds wide applications in various food & non-food packaging, shrink & elastic films, extruded pipes, and molding. For instance, The Dow Chemical Company has a 250,000 MT/year polyethylene expansion at its Louisiana Operations complex in Plaquemine set for completion by end-2017, is expected to boost the market for polyethylene, which in turn is driving the ethylene market during the forecast period. Also, in 2016, Gail India Ltd. has commissioned a new processing line for polyethylene at its Pata petrochemical facility in Uttar Pradesh (UP) increasing its PE capacity by 400,000 tonnes per annum (TPA).Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Exxon Mobil Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, Royal Dutch Shell plc, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec Corporation), Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC, Total S.A., LyondellBasell Industries, National Petrochemical Company (NPC), and INEOS Group AG, and others are few of the key players in global ethylene market.To Get Discount On This Report:There are various organic, and inorganic growth strategies which are being followed by the leading market players in the market. Capacity expansion is leading to the key driver in the acquisition and joint ventures. For instance, Mexichem had signed a 50/50% co-investment agreement with OxyChem to build a 550 thousand ton annual capacity ethylene cracker, investing close to US$1.5 billion, and is expected to start operation in 2017. Also, there are lot of capacity expansions is been done in Asia-Pacific region from both domestic and international market players includes Jiangsu Sailboat (China - 320 thousand tons per year), KPIC (Korea - 330 thousand tons per year), Shenhua Ningmei (China - 430 thousand tons per year), Changzhou Fund (China - 130 thousand tons per year), Zhongtian Hechuang No2 (China - 300 thousand tons per year), Reliance Jamnagar (India  1,365 thousand tons per year), CNOOC Shell (China - 1000 thousand tons per year), Lotte Titan (Malaysia  92 thousand tons per year), and Shaanxi Yanchang (China - 300 thousand tons per year).About Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact UsMr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Artificial Lift Systems Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% over the forecast timeline

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Rising demand for energy across the globe is expected to propel global artificial lift systems market growth over the forecast timeframe. Rapid industrialization as well as infrastructure development in emerging economies such as India and China is expected to fuel energy demand. Factors such as growing population and improved standard of living will also favorably impact revenue.The industrial sector accounts for significant share in distributed energy consumption. The need to meet growing energy demand has instigated high usage of renewable energy sources. However, the world may still depend on considerable percentage of fossil fuels to satiate the ever-growing energy needs.Increase in requirement for energy efficient products allowing manufacturers to invest in R&D to provide advanced solutions. Presently, artificial lift systems have the lowest penetration across Middle East & Africa; however, escalating drilling activities and oil & natural gas production provide huge growth opportunities.Request for a sample of this research report @The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) mentioned that the production of shale gas has reached a highest level in 2013, which is also expected to increase over the forecast timeframe. The U.S. economy which is an oil importer has been dramatically affected by increasing oil prices. U.S. has increased oil & gas production with the aim of minimizing oil imports. Increasing shale gas production would help to meet rising natural gas demand in the country.Artificial lift systems market manufacturers distribute their machinery directly to their end-users, including oil & natural gas companies. Companies maintain their relation with dealers through standard sales and service agreements. Several customers enter into long-term, fixed pricing contracts with manufacturers.Innovative technologies such as web-based monitoring services and multiphase gas-handling pumps are expected to drive global artificial lift systems market growth from 2016 to 2023. Web-based monitoring services minimize the intervention cost and optimize production. Multiphase gas-handling pumps are mainly deployed to condense free gas into homogenous fluid.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Key insights from the report include:Electrical submersible pumps industry was valued at over USD 8.5 billion in 2015, and is expected to surpass USD 17 billion by 2023. This product offers higher efficiency, low maintenance and low space requirements.Rod lifts accounted for more than 20% of the artificial lift systems market share in 2015. It provides optimization controls, reduced corrosion concerns and high efficiency. Manufacturers are offering advanced rod lift systems in less complex designs together with increased extraction rate of hydrocarbons.North America artificial lift systems market size was worth over USD 6 billion in 2015. This high growth is due to rising production of shale gas across the region.To access sample pages or view this report titled, Artificial Lift Systems Market Size By Product (Progressive Cavity Pumps, Electrical Submersible Pumps, Gas Lift, Rod Lift, Hydraulic Pumps), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 - 2023 in detail along with the table of contents, please click on the link below:Asia Pacific industry revenue is forecast to continue occupying more than 22% of the overall share by 2023. This can be attributed to high demand and consumption of oil & gas in countries such as India, China, and Japan. Saudi Arabia is also increasing drilling activities to meet the increasing energy demand.Key players include Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, General Electric, Weatherford International and Cameron International. Manufacturers emphasize on achieving product differentiation on the basis of quality. For instance, Baker Hughes introduced VisiTrak geospatial navigation to improve drilling efficiency in 2015.About 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:
Vocab Tunes Focuses on Fun Workbooks for Improving Kids English Vocab

Vocab Tunes: Learning to Read 100,000 words in 21 days

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Hey Kids! Improve English scores by learning new words with the help of Vocab Tunes K8 Grade workbooksSouthgate, Michigan  Aug 21, 2017: Vocabulary plays a huge role when you are learning any language, especially English. As time goes by, new words come into existence, and hence, it becomes important for kids to learn those new words. But learning should never be forced; it should be something that is fun-filled and easy to grasp.Check out the products from Vocab Tunes that will help K-8 students to learn new English vocab words. Visit here:Comprising workbooks and CDs, Vocab Tunes products are specifically meant for K-8 grade students. These workbooks have 21 educative songs based on different root words derived from Latin and Greek sources and affixes. Being musically aesthetic, the kids can enjoy the songs as well as learn vocab words at the same time.Check out Vocab Tunes root word videos here:After reading the report released by US Education Department about the growing decline of vocabulary knowledge among school kids, education reformer Manisha Shelley Kaura decided to address this issue. Along with her physician father, she started to conduct different researches to know the real cause of this continuous downfall. She found that the lack of root words knowledge was among the main causes. Therefore, the father-daughter duo developed a well-structured K-8 vocabulary program for helping kids to learn vocabulary words fast.A Xavier University, Cincinnati alumnus Manisha believes, Singing and dancing is a whole mind/body experience, also students are more interested in learning through music and songs other than monotonous classroom activities. Therefore, while preparing our Vocab Tunes programs we focused on making it a melodious learning activity.About Vocab Tunes:A father-daughter duo initiative, Vocab Tunes, aims at making learning root words an easy and fun activity for schoolchildren. An advocate for educational reformer in Michigan and Ohio, Manisha Shelly Kaura along with her physician father Dr. Sita Ram Kaura started this online learning program to help kids stock new words and expand their vocabulary through singing and dancing.###Vocab Tunes, a father-daughter duo S.R. Kaura and Manisha kaura initiative, helps kids enrich vocabulary through fun activities such as singing and dancing.Vocab Tunes, Inc.14797 Dix Toledo Rd.Suit A Southgate, MI 48195Call: 1-734-855-5987Website:Email: monika@vocabtunes.com
Raise the performance of your App with Mobile App testing services

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Texas (USA), Canada (Toronto) & India (Business Network) : Mobile App testing services raise the performance of your app by 4X. Users will have downloaded 270 billion apps by the year 2017, says Tech Target. Users find mobiles more reliable and efficient than personal computers. According to Flurry analytics, 90% of consumers mobile time is spent on apps. Apps are developed to raise the ease of use for users and a bugged app can lose customers and spoil the brands image if any negative ranking and review is posted. Since this transparency is increased, no user will download without going through the reviews. Hence, it is very important for all App development companies to test their apps thoroughly.Apps can be tested in-house but that is not enough. Professional testers uses different advanced tools to test and clear all bugs and errors in your app. Outsourcing testing work to professional testers will increase the performance of your app and is even cost-effective.Compatibility issuesDeveloping an app, installing it in your phone and testing all functionalists is not sufficient. Professional app testers will run the app on various types of phones under all the major operating systems.Prova Solutions Mobile Application Testing services provide a wide range of testing solutions to USA. These includeUX- user experienceConnectivity, installationUser scenariosDevice settingMobile interruptionsSD card and SIM cardWe have developed capabilities for Android, Windows and iOS Apps testing. Prova Solutions uses both manual and automation testing. Our mobile app services are cost and time efficient and speed up your software launch.About Prova Solutions:Prova Solutions has an expert team for app testing and our services are up-to-date with the rapidly changing mobile technology in order to deliver best results.Prova Solutions is a leader in providing mobile app testing services to companies across the globe. Prova Solutions has successfully performed Mobile App Testing for Ecommerce, BFSI, Healthcare, Retail and Logistics companies. Prova has designed and developed 360-degree frameworks for Android, Windows and iOS apps testing. With Provas mobile app testing services, organisations have been able to enhance security and performance of their apps and deliver superior customer experience.Name- Richard SmithCall : +1 281-886-8528Email : info@provasolutions.com7880 San Felipe Street, Ste 120, Houston TX
Banasthali School of Neuroscience in collaboration with International Brain Research Organization IBRO APRC Inauguration

Banasthali School of Neuroscience in collaboration with International Brain Research Organization IBRO APRC Inauguration

http://www.banasthali.org

http://www.banasthali.org

www.facebook.com/Banasthali.org

IBRO is the global federation of neuroscience organizations that aims to promote and support neuroscience training, teaching, collaborative research and advocacy around the world.Neurological and psychiatric disorders affect a growing number of individuals which is nearly one in five Americans in a given year and more than two billion people worldwide. With changing health patterns among Indians, mental, behavioral and substance use disorders are coming to the fore in health care delivery systems. The National Mental Health Survey NMHS 2015-16 reveals that nearly 15% of Indian adults (those above 18 years) are in need of active interventions for one or more mental health issues.Furthermore, the scope of neuroscience is vastranging from the most basic cellular-level research to translational medicineand many unanswered questions remain. Interesting niche areas have emerged in neuroscience research such as neuroeconomics, neuromarketing, and neural networks. Together, these factors make neuroscience one of the more exciting and opportunity loaded fields in which to pursue a scientific career.According to Dr Thomas Insel, Director of the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Psychiatric disorders are in fact brain disorders that involve abnormal activity in brain circuits, so having researchers who understand the brain in a deep and integrated way is going to be critical for the future. Prof Lars Olsen, past chair of the Department of Neuroscience, at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden opines that evidence keeps coming that there are genetic causes or risk factors for most if not all neurological diseases.The first session for Banasthali School of Neuroscience is spread over 6 days Monday 21 Aug 2017 to Saturday 26 Aug 2017 with focus on Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation  Molecular Basis to Pathogenesis and Management. The session brings a galaxy of experts in the area from different parts of India but also from various countries across the world which include USA, UK, Srilanka, Oman and Saudi Arabia.In a colourful function held at Gyan Mandir Auditorium on 21 Aug 2017, the Banasthali School of Neuroscience took off with lamp lighting by dignitaries and Saraswati Vandana by students of Banasthali Music School. The Chief Guest for the inauguration was Dr Christopher R McCurdy Professor of Medicinal Chemistry University of Florida USA who is also President Elect American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), Director, UF Translational Drug Development Core and Member, United States Pharmacopiea (USP). Prof Sarvesh Paliwal Head, Department of Pharmacy at Banasthali in his welcome address gave a brief about the university, department and got a thunderous applause when he mentioned that the 2008 established pharmacy department is already among top 20 in 2017 NIRF - National Institutional Ranking Framework.Prof Aditya Shastri Vice Chancellor Banasthali in his speech said that knowledge cannot be compartmentalized and cognitive science and neuroscience which have evolved over the years have recently started to overlap bringing in interdisciplinary focus. To another round of thunderous applause Prof Aditya Shastri said that Banasthali already has diversified over the years into Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Earth Sciences etc and time indeed has come to step into challenging and unusual areas like Neurosciences.In the keynote address by Prof Christopher R McCurdy University of Florida USA expressed that he was highly impressed by the infrastructure and dynamism of Banasthali University and presented details of research on Sigma receptor ligands from discovery to clinical translation. It was interesting indeed to know that chaperone protein Sigma1 receptors have a pathological association with Alzheimer, Parkinson, depression, drug addiction, Schizophrenia, Stroke, multiple sclerosis, cancer etc.Dr Monika Jain from Home Science Department anchored the proceedings. Prof. Vinay Sharma Dean, Faculty of Science & Technology Banasthali proposed the vote of thanks.For more details seeAbout Banasthali: The Institution which is also the largest fully residential womens university in the world has played a big role in revolutionizing womens education in the country for the last eight decades with a belief that there is a tremendous role of higher education in empowering the women. Banasthali has scripted numerous success stories in a wide range of fields, and stands tall among the citadels of learning in India today. Team Banasthali with Vice Chancellor J C Bose Memorial Award for eminent scientist recipient Prof Aditya Shastri a highly acclaimed alumnus of BITS Pilani, SUNY State University of New York Stony Brook and MIT USA is indeed racing forward to be the very best among global women universities. Proud to be Banasthali alumni who call themselves as Banasthalites can be found in all latitudes, longitudes and altitudes in all walks of life across the globe.Banasthali UniversityP.O. Banasthali VidyapithRajasthan  304022Phone 91 1438 228456 / 228341Email: info@banasthali.ac.inWebsite:Facebook:
Make your Business More Inbound with Creative HubSpot COS Design & Development Services

https://www.esparkinfo.com/hubsopt-cos-development.html

https://plus.google.com/115291378359324327072

https://twitter.com/esparkbiz

https://www.linkedin.com/company/esparkinfo

https://www.pinterest.com/esparkbiz/

The eSparkBiz Technologies Pvt. Ltd is a leading Custom HubSpot COS Design & Development Company. Since 2008, eSparkBiz has been on a target to make Business more inbound.The commitment, expertise and quality-driven approach completely separate eSparkBiz development team from other web development firms. That is way, over the years we have increased our client's list. We providing complete, professional and affordable services in Custom Hubspot COS Web Designing and Development.Our company motto is only and only "Where Affordability Meets Professionalism".We provide a Specialist Certified HubSpot COS Designer in the field of HubSpot COS Templates Design, Custom HubSpot COS development, PSD To COS Development Services, Email Marketing and Blog Creation and HubSpot portal management for Inbound Marketing agencies, marketing teams, and business owners.Our HubSpot COS Web Designer Provide Various HubSpot Services include :1.)HubSpot COS TemplatesOur HubSpot templates are easy-to-use, customizable, and responsive. Choose from our marketplace of professional templates for your business or blog.2.)Responsive Website DesignResponsive design means your content is automatically optimized for every device, be it desktop or mobile.3.)Email MarketingWe help you to design email & newsletter templates which you can use to build strong email marketing campaigns & Improve your Firm ROI.4.)Blog CreationWe can help you to build a fully functional blog template with necessary features. You can then publish lots of meaningful content to generate leads related to your business and blog can represent your company in a positive light.5.)Landing PagesOur professionals are keen to support you in this case and transform your landing pages into a converting machine. This Factor definitely helps in Grow your Business.6.)PSD To HubSpot COS DevelopmentPSD to HubSpot COS development by Certified HubSpot designer can help you to redesign your site.7.)PSD To COS8.)PSD To HubSpot Templates9.)PSD To HubSpot COS10.)Content Management11.)Inbound Marketing12.)AnalyticsIn collaboration with our Custom HubSpot COS Development Company and certified HubSpot Designer will give you an advantage. Give you access to the most advanced practices related to promotion and sales in the virtual world.All of our HubSpot design work is knitted into the HubSpot platform, which allows marketers to get maximum benefit from HubSpots marketing and sales platforms.In our firm, by us HubSpot certified Employee, we solve you're all web services and lead generation problems by implementing a customized inbound marketing strategy.For More Information & Connect with social our sites visit:WebSite:Google Plus:Twitter:Linked In:Pinterest:eSparkBiz, the Top Website Design Company in India & USA provides all Web Designing solutions & HubSpot COS Services that are affordable, professional, brand-focused and future proof. We provide Web Design and Development Services for the Hubspot COS System.Address :eSparkBiz Technologies Pvt. Ltd101/102, Shanti Mall,Sattadhar X Roads,Sola Road,Ghatlodia,Ahmedabad,Gujarat 380061
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eSentire Announces Growth Equity Investment from Warburg Pincus

eSentire Company Logo

www.esentire.com

www.warburgpincus.com

eSentire Announces Growth Equity Investment from Warburg PincusInvestment to accelerate growth for leading Managed Detection and Response (MDR) firmCAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO and NEW YORK  August 21, 2017  eSentire, Inc., (eSentire or the Company) the largest pure-play Managed Detection And Response (MDR) provider, today announced that funds affiliated with Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing, have made a significant equity investment into the Company. The investment will be used to accelerate eSentires growth by expanding its technology services to existing clients and its outreach to more clients in new markets, as well as to provide liquidity to existing shareholders. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.eSentire is regarded as the pioneer in managed cybersecurity services that detect and contain advanced threats that have bypassed all other security controls. The Company began operations serving the demanding financial services market and has expanded rapidly to support other sectors including insurance, legal, healthcare, biopharma, engineering, technology, manufacturing and government agencies. eSentires best-in-class MDR solution leverages purpose-built technology, and highly trained security analysts to detect, investigate and rapidly resolve cyber threats in customers internal and cloud environments before they become business-impacting events.eSentire has established itself as the leading provider of managed detection and response within the competitive cybersecurity market, as evidenced by 26 consecutive quarters of growth, said J.Paul Haynes, CEO of eSentire. Our leadership team recognized that in order to enhance our leading position, we needed a partner that shared in our vision. I am pleased to say that we could not have found a better partner than Warburg Pincus, whose global reach, access to industry experts and extensive network will serve as a great catalyst for our future growth. We are excited that this investment will allow us to help more organizations mitigate the risks associated with cyberattacks.With the ever-increasing complexity around cybersecurity and scarcity of security talent, more companies are seeking comprehensive managed services that proactively detect and respond to cyber threats in real time, said Cary J. Davis, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. eSentire provides the most complete suite of technologies and services in the MDR market and has experienced industry-leading growth and impressive customer satisfaction. We are excited to partner with management to support the Companys continued expansion and help them serve the complex cybersecurity needs of their customers.Evercore acted as exclusive financial advisor to eSentire. The transaction is expected to close in September following various approvals.About eSentireeSentire is the largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service provider, keeping organizations safe from constantly evolving cyber-attacks that technology alone cannot prevent. Its 24x7 security operations center (SOC), staffed by elite security analysts, hunts, investigates, and responds in real-time to known and unknown threats before they become business disrupting events. Protecting more than $5.7 trillion in corporate assets, eSentire absorbs the complexity of cybersecurity, delivering enterprise-grade protection and the ability to comply with growing regulatory requirements. In 2016, eSentire was named Best SME Cybersecurity Solution by SC magazine, and was included on Deloittes Technology Fast 500tm list. eSentire was included in Gartners 2017 Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services  a list of service providers that can support organizations seeking to improve their threat detection and incident response capabilities. For more information, visitand follow @eSentire.About Warburg PincusWarburg Pincus LLC is a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The firm has more than $44 billion in private equity assets under management. The firms active portfolio of more than 140 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 16 private equity funds which have invested more than $60 billion in over 780 companies in more than 40 countries. Warburg Pincus has been an active investor in cybersecurity companies, with investments including CrowdStrike, the leader in cloud-delivered endpoint protection, and Zimperium, a global leader in mobile threat defense.The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information, please visitContactseSentire: Mandy Bachus, 519-651-2200 x5226, mandy.bachus@esentire.comWarburg Pincus: Mary Armstrong/Christopher Beattie, 212-878-9201, christopher.beattie@warburgpincus.comGartner Disclaimer:Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.Products, service names, and company logos mentioned herein may be the registered trademarks of their respective owners. All rights reserved.Angela Tuzzo732-758-1100atuzzo@mrb-pr.comMRB Public Relations2 East Main Street3rd FloorFreehold, NJ 07728
Hitachi's new Twin Nozzle Model helps to manage the increasing tracability requirements

https://www.codingsolutions.hitachi-industrial.eu

The traceability requirements of packaging creates a need for more and more information, which has to be tagged - best before date, use-by date or date of filling. Codes for fish and meat which includes freezing period and fishing zone pose a challenge for printers.Hitachi's Continuous Ink Jet Printer with innovative Twin nozzle can print multiple lines of code to match traceabilityrequirements without production line complexity or speed reduction. The Twin Jet contains a circulatory system to provide two nozzles at the same time. The result is outstanding, high-speed printing underlining Hitachi's commitment to quality.Hitachi offers unique ink drop management ensuring all information is clearly printed. Both nozzles can be operated independently. Print settings and various font sizes can be adjusted optionally. Due to the high quantity of available dots per sign, there are many new possibilities to design logos and fonts. The Twin Jet is ideal for customers with high standards in multiline printing at high-speed and complex codes with text, logo and barcode. The high-speed UX twin series with its uptime benefits and clean operation is also ideal for the dairy industry where short shelf life and focus on hygiene creates additional pressure on packaging requirements.For more information, please visit:Follow Us:facebook.com/hitachicodingsolutionstwitter.com/ICEGeuropeAbout Hitachi Europe:Hitachi Europe, a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., is headquartered in Maidenhead, UK. The company is focused on its Social Innovation Business  delivering innovations that answer societys challenges. Hitachi Europe and its subsidiary companies offer a broad range of information & telecommunication systems; rail systems, power and industrial systems; industrial components & equipment; automotive systems, financial services; digital media & consumer products and others with operations and research & development Laboratories across EMEA.Hitachi Europe GmbHMarketingAm Seestern 1840547 Dusseldorf0049(0)211 5283-0
Insights from 1000+ Industrial and Scientific Cameras

DISTRIBUTION OF CAMERAS BY RESOLUTION AND FRAME RATE

www.Imaging.market

The online product selector Imaging.market has crossed the 1000-camera line. This is a major milestone on its mission to support faster development of better imaging systems at lower cost. The aggregated portfolio of 11 camera manufacturers constitutes a comprehensive cross section of the global market, which allows vision system developers to find a range of cameras from different suppliers for almost every requirement specification. At the same time, this portfolio allows for insightful analysis of the camera market, which shows a leading position of CMOS Global Shutter sensors, a 50% share of Sony sensors, and just 8% lag of USB 3.0 behind GigE.Imaging.market is now hosting close to 1100 area scan, line scan and smart cameras as well as camera modules from the manufacturers Baumer, FLIR Systems (formerly Point Grey), Kaya Instruments, Lumenera, Matrix Vision, Mikrotron, Pixelink, Smartek Vision, Sony, Tamron and Tattile.The cameras are presented with their individual user benefits, specifications, descriptions, user manuals, educational content, videos, and matching accessories like lenses, cables, and frame grabbers. Each of the 1000 area scan cameras is characterized by a standardized, extensive set of technical and commercial attributes, which has been specifically developed by machine vision experts.This does not only allow users to filter the portfolio according to their requirements and to compare selected products side by side  it also allows for insightful statistics on the current camera market.When Sony introduced their first Pregius CMOS sensor IMX174 with global shutter (GS) late 2013, experts realized that the ubiquitous CCD technology would widely fade away in the long run. The long run, however, turned out to be quite short: Today, more cameras with CMOS global shutter sensors are promoted than with any other sensor technology. Out of Imaging.markets 1000 area scan cameras, 613 are CMOS based.Thanks to the pixel architecture with integrated digitization, CMOS sensors can be read out much faster and it is easier to scale their size with less detrimental effects on the image quality compared to analog CCD sensors. Therefore, much more cameras with high frame rates and high resolution enrich modern camera portfolios. The figure shows the distribution of cameras over resolution and frame rate. Each bubble stands for a set of cameras with the same characteristics, while the size of the bubble indicates the number of cameras in the set.One cluster of 112 cameras with both, CCD and CMOS sensors, features resolutions around 0.4 megapixels (VGA). CMOS cameras of this resolution reach frame rates of up to 400 fps. The majority of 470 cameras however provides resolutions between 1.2 and 3 megapixels, most with frame rates between 25 and 60 fps. Thanks to advances in high-speed CMOS sensors, as provided by Alexima, Full HD resolution can be recorded at 2400 fps, e.g. with the KAYA JetCam 19.With the widely adopted 5MP CCD sensors ICX625 and ICX655 as well as e.g. the CMOS GS sensors CMV4000 from Cmosis, Python 5000 from ON Semi, and Sonys first sensors of the second Pregius generation IMX250 / IMX264, the 4 to 5.5 MP range is well covered at rates between 7 and up to 563 fps.Close to 50% of industrial and scientific area scan cameras on Imaging.market utilize image sensors from Sony, 133 of them CMOS GS sensors of the Pregius series. ON Semiconductor (including Aptina) branded sensors can be found in 35% of the cameras, where 131 are CMOS GS based. Cmosis has a share of 11%.On Imaging.market, users can also filter their cameras by the sensor format as this is often decisive for the optical design of a vision system. The cameras are almost evenly distributed over four major categories, today.Especially, image sensors larger than 2/3 are much more common and accepted in the age of CMOS GS, where high resolutions are required but pixels need to maintain a certain size for high sensitivity and wide dynamic range.The trend towards higher resolution and frame rate also affects the distribution of camera interfaces. While Gigabit Ethernet is still leading, the bandwidth requirements of most CMOS GS models require at least USB 3.0 to achieve their maximum performance. Thus, USB 3.0 can now already be found with 29% of the cameras. Yet, for high-speed sensors from Sony (e.g. IMX250, IMX252), ON Semiconductor (e.g. Python 5000, Python 25k), Cmosis (e.g. CMV2000, CMV4000, CMV12000, CMV20000) and Alexima (e.g. LUX19HS, AM41), interfaces like CoaXPress, Camera Link, 10 GigE, or proprietary technologies as the KAYA Optical Fiber interface are required. So far, these interfaces can be found at 48 cameras out of 1000.These statistical analyses and much more detailed statistics beyond are made possible by the continued effort of Imaging.market and its suppliers to unify the specification of cameras, lenses, frame grabbers, and other accessories in a standardized set of technical and commercial attributes.Besides market studies, these efforts primarily support vision system developers, purchasers and other users of imaging components with their challenge, of finding, selecting and purchasing the right vision products for their applications. Users of the free-of-charge online platformcan quickly filter the competitive portfolio for products, which fulfill their requirements. Hence, it is easy to compare the features of selected products side by side, thanks to the standardized specification. Beyond all, platform users can request best-price quotations from each manufacturer of their selected vision products with few clicks and thus speed up their entire development and purchasing processes.Imaging.market is an online platform, designed to simplify and accelerate the product selection process for vision system developers, product managers and purchasers in imaging. Thanks to rich product data, unified specification by detailed technical and commercial product attributes and modern user interface features, platform users can quickly identify and compare products, which fulfill their requirements. Hence, they can request more information and a quotation from each manufacturer of the selected products with a single click and free of charge. To constantly increase the value for customers and suppliers, the team of Imaging.market is continuously adding new products and usability features to the platform.Ganghoferstr. 1382291 MammendorfGermany
International Oncology Summit

Allied Academies invites all the participants from all over the world to attend 'International Oncology Summit during November 27-28, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA which includes prompt keynote presentations, Poster presentations and Exhibitions. This Summit has the platform to fulfill the prevailing gaps in the transformation of this science of hope, to serve promptly with solutions to all in the need.Allied Academies was founded by Jim and JoAnn Carland and the headquarters is located in North Carolina in United States of America. It conducts several academic conferences each year in different locations with internet participation possibilities for those who are physically unable to attend the conferences. Conference registrants are eligible for the Accelerated Journal Review. To provide you with maximum outlets for your research, Allied Business Academies holds joint meetings of all its member academies. In 1994 they launched the Journal of the International Academy of Case Studies, which has become a leader in publishing classroom teaching cases in business.85 Great Portland St, Marylebone, London W1W 7LT, UK
Rocky Mountain ADA Center's Staff to Attend:Americans with Disabilities Act 2017 Update Conference

http://www.adapacific.org/

http://www.krdo.com/news/colorado-springs/is-a-boa-constrictor-a-service-animal/590372297

http://www.adapacific.org/2017SoCalConference/

http://www.adapacific.org/2017NoCalConference/

http://www.mtc-inc.com/

http://www.rockymountainada.org

The Rocky Mountain ADA Center staff and leadership will travel to San Francisco on September 21-22 to attend The Americans with Disabilities Act 2017 Update Conference hosted by the Pacific ADA Center ().The conference will bring several thought leaders from across the United States to participate in the event to discuss: ADA-related information from attorneys within The U.S. Department of Justice Updates on recent regulations and settlements under the ADA Tools for effective Communication in Health Care Information on Title II Requirements for State and Local Governments Information on accessibility of buildings, recreation and housing ADA and California employment law updates ADA Topics making local, regional and national news such as: difference between service animals and emotional support animals ( Website accessibility Much More!In addition to the San Francisco Conference, The Pacific ADA Center will host a similar event in Los Angeles from September 18-19 at the Los Angeles Renaissance Airport Hotel. To register for either event:Los Angeles  To Register (Monday and Tuesday, September 18  19, 2017Los Angeles Renaissance Airport HotelSan Francisco  To Register (Thursday and Friday, September 21  22, 2017InterContinental Hotel, San Francisco"We are thrilled once again to have an opportunity to share time with our friends at The Pacific ADA Center and the entire ADA National Network; an amazing group of people that do so much important work within each state in our country," said Kent Kelley, interim director of the Rocky Mountain ADA Center. "These conferences will provide information and tools to increase each attendee's thought leadership and I personally encourage everyone in the Pacific region including California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Basin and across the nation to join us at this year's conferences."Requests for accommodation must be received by September 1, 2017 for Los Angeles, and September 7, 2017 for San Francisco. Each conference has over 12 hours of credits available for AIA Architects, ADA Coordinators and CASps.About The Rocky Mountain ADA Center: The Rocky Mountain ADA Center, operated by Meeting the Challenge, Inc. (), is funded under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DP0094-01-00) to provide technical assistance, training, and materials to Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming on the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information:About The ADA National Network: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life. Through its ten regional centers, the ADA National Network provides information, guidance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Their services are tailored to meet the needs of business, government, and individuals at local, regional and national levels.Rocky Mountain ADA Center3630 Sinton Road, Suite 103Colorado Springs, CO, 80907Joshua Steinfeld - Press Contact339-225-1581
The Agents of Mirth are getting SOAKed in Palm Bay!

The Agents of Mirth bring joy to local children.

http://agentsofmirth.com

http://goo.gl/4ycw8t

www.getsoakedforautism.com

www.SOAKFamilies.com

www.getsoakedforautism.com

www.SOAKFamilies.com

http://agentsofmirth.com

http://goo.gl/4ycw8t

Contact: Tim DahnCompany: The Agents of MirthAddress: 3380 S. TROPICAL TRAIL, MERRITT ISLAND, FL 32952Telephone: (321) 446-6105Email: heros@agentsofmirth.comURL:VIDEOS:Palm Bay, Florida, 2-Sept-2017  The Agents of Mirth will be getting SOAKed this September to put smiles on faces and raise awareness of SOAKs mission  to connect those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families with critical resources, support, and assistance they need. The Agents will be at SOAKs second annual Get SOAKed for Autism event at Space Coast Harley Davidson in Palm Bay dressed as super heroes, mascots, and other costumed characters interacting with children and families. Have no fear, the Agents of Mirth are a non-profit organization that takes safety seriously  each agent is required to pass a tier 1 fingerprint State and FBI investigation before they are allowed to make appearances at events!The Agents of Mirth are a registered non-profit organization founded on the principle of bringing about joy by random acts of mirth and goodwill. Inspired by the Baltimore Batman  Leonard B. Robinson, who brought smiles to ill children in Baltimore area hospitals  Tim Dahn founded the Agents of Mirth to help bring happiness and joy to the world around him. An avid geek and cosplayer (someone who likes to dress up as fictional characters for having fun at events), Tim envisioned a world where other cosplayers would join him in random acts of goodwill, like the Baltimore Batman, to help make the world a better place.Many cosplayers spend days and weeks working on costumes only to wear them for a few moments, said Tim, Why not unite these cosplayers to use their hard work for good? Thats what the Agents try to do, we use our hard work to bring these characters to the aid of established charities, and other good causes.To date, the Agents of Mirth have supported the Azan Shrine Hospitals, the National Sea Turtle festival, Brevard Parks and Recreation, and the Space Coast Early Intervention Center. Their next mission is to support SOAK. SOAK (Supporting Our ASD Kids, Inc) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping those with ASD and related disabilities, and their families by providing resources, education, and assistance. Their goal is to promote Autism awareness and acceptance. You can find out more atand. The Get SOAKed for Autism event will be a day of family fun, featuring games, water slides, face painting, music, and more.For More Information on The Agents of MirthPlease contact Tim Dahn (information above)For More Information on SOAK and Get SOAKed for AutismPlease contact SOAK at: soakfamilies@gmail.com or call (321) 626-8742 & (321) 634-4464Or visit them on the web at:andThe Agents of Mirth are a registered non-profit organization founded on the principle of bringing about joy by random acts of mirth and goodwill. Inspired by the Baltimore Batman  Leonard B. Robinson, who brought smiles to ill children in Baltimore area hospitals  Tim Dahn founded the Agents of Mirth to help bring happiness and joy to the world around him. An avid geek and cosplayer (someone who likes to dress up as fictional characters for having fun at events), Tim envisioned a world where other cosplayers would join him in random acts of goodwill, like the Baltimore Batman, to help make the world a better place.Contact: Tim DahnCompany: The Agents of MirthAddress: 3380 S. TROPICAL TRAIL, MERRITT ISLAND, FL 32952Telephone: (321) 446-6105Email: heros@agentsofmirth.comURL:VIDEOS:
Fire Damper Global Market Outlook 2017-2022 Aldes, ALNOR Ventilation, Flammer, Greenheck, Imeksan Hvac

Fire Damper Market

http://bit.ly/2tW3IxC

http://bit.ly/2fYE75X

Fire Damper Market Research ReportA market study  Global Fire Damper Market  examines the performance of the Fire Damper market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Fire Damper market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Fire Damper market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Fire Damper Market 2017 report includes Fire Damper market Size, Revenue, market Share, Fire Damper industry volume, market Trends, Fire Damper Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Fire Damper Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Fire Damper Market 2017:AldesALNOR Ventilation SystemsFlammerGreenheckImeksan HvacKeller Lufttechnik GmbHMAICO VentilatorenSystemairTROXFire Damper Market : Type AnalysisAluminum AlloyCarbon SteelGalvanizedSteelFire Damper Market : Application AnalysisHigh-Rise BuildingsPapermaking PlantHouseholdChemical PlantFirstly, the report covers the top Fire Damper manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Fire Damper report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Fire Damper industry, Fire Damper industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Fire Damper Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Fire Damper 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 Fire Damper market revenue worldwide.Finally, Fire Damper 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
Fresh Food Vending Machines Global Market Outlook 2017-2022 N&W Global Vending S.p.A., HUMAN Healthy Vending LLC., Advantage Food & Beverage

Fresh Food Vending Machines Market

http://bit.ly/2vRWcIv

http://bit.ly/2vhfpjj

Fresh Food Vending Machines Market Research ReportA market study  Global Fresh Food Vending Machines Market  examines the performance of the Fresh Food Vending Machines market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Fresh Food Vending Machines market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Fresh Food Vending Machines market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Fresh Food Vending Machines Market 2017 report includes Fresh Food Vending Machines market Size, Revenue, market Share, Fresh Food Vending Machines industry volume, market Trends, Fresh Food Vending Machines Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Fresh Food Vending Machines Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Fresh Food Vending Machines Market 2017:N&W Global Vending S.p.A.HUMAN Healthy Vending LLC.Advantage Food & BeverageFresh Healthy Vending International Inc.Biocom VendingCanteen VendingFresh Food Vending Machines Market : Type AnalysisCold food productsHot food productsFresh Food Vending Machines Market : Application AnalysisHospitalsUniversitiesSchoolsFirstly, the report covers the top Fresh Food Vending Machines manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Fresh Food Vending Machines report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Fresh Food Vending Machines industry, Fresh Food Vending Machines industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Fresh Food Vending Machines Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Fresh Food Vending Machines 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 Fresh Food Vending Machines market revenue worldwide.Finally, Fresh Food Vending Machines 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
Home Use Hair Dye Global Market Outlook 2017-2022 LOreal Paris, Garnier, Henkel, Liese

Home Use Hair Dye Market

http://bit.ly/2wwtXj1

http://bit.ly/2v6NNxX

Home Use Hair Dye Market Research ReportA market study  Global Home Use Hair Dye Market  examines the performance of the Home Use Hair Dye market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Home Use Hair Dye market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Home Use Hair Dye market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Home Use Hair Dye Market 2017 report includes Home Use Hair Dye market Size, Revenue, market Share, Home Use Hair Dye industry volume, market Trends, Home Use Hair Dye Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Home Use Hair Dye Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Home Use Hair Dye Market 2017:LOreal ParisGarnierHenkelLieseGoldwellWellaClairolHOYUShiseidoGodrejHome Use Hair Dye Market : Type AnalysisPowder Type Hair DyeCream Type Hair DyeSpray Type Hair DyeHome Use Hair Dye Market : Application AnalysisMenWomenFirstly, the report covers the top Home Use Hair Dye manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Home Use Hair Dye report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Home Use Hair Dye industry, Home Use Hair Dye industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Home Use Hair Dye Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Home Use Hair Dye 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 Home Use Hair Dye market revenue worldwide.Finally, Home Use Hair Dye 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
Household Ice Maker Global Market Outlook 2017-2022 Hoshizaki, Ice-O-Matic, Manitowoc, SCOTSMAN

Household Ice Market

http://bit.ly/2fYqXpn

http://bit.ly/2vSyonL

Household Ice Maker Market Research ReportA market study  Global Household Ice Maker Market  examines the performance of the Household Ice Maker market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Household Ice Maker market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Household Ice Maker market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Household Ice Maker Market 2017 report includes Household Ice Maker market Size, Revenue, market Share, Household Ice Maker industry volume, market Trends, Household Ice Maker Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Household Ice Maker Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Household Ice Maker Market 2017:HoshizakiIce-O-MaticManitowocSCOTSMANCorneliusMaxxIceHousehold Ice Maker Market : Type AnalysisType IType IIHousehold Ice Maker Market : Application AnalysisApplication 1Application 2Firstly, the report covers the top Household Ice Maker manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Household Ice Maker report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Household Ice Maker industry, Household Ice Maker industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Household Ice Maker Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Household Ice Maker 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 Household Ice Maker market revenue worldwide.Finally, Household Ice Maker 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
. To do so, first type the original number into the text box. Then click on the "Scientific Notation" option located at the top of the floating window. Finally, click on the "Standard" button found beneath the text box to display your result. This program is useful for scientists and engineers working with decimal-based numbers. It provides easy access to those who need to convert those numbers into more compact forms without having to do heavy math calculations first.

Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers. It is used in physics, chemistry and other fields where large numbers are common. Those numbers are written as a power of 10 followed by a number with an exponent. For example, 1,000,000 (one million) is written as 1  103. The exponent shows how many zeros are after the first digit. For example, 1,000,001 is written as 1  102. Scientific notation is a useful tool for making calculations easier. You can use it to write down very big or very small numbers in one step instead of writing out both the large and small numbers separately. You can also use it to express large or small numbers in terms of other units like centimeters or millimeters.

Scientific notation solver is an online tool that can be used to convert any number into scientific notation. Simply enter any number to the left of the decimal point and it will automatically convert it into a scientific notation equivalent. This web tool can be very helpful when you need to convert a large number into scientific notation. However, please note that this online tool can only convert numbers that are in scientific format. For example, it cannot convert a non-scientific number like "1,085" into a scientific notation equivalent. It is also important to keep in mind that this web tool only works when converting numbers from one particular format to another. For example, if you want to change a non-scientific number like "1,085" into standard format, then you will have to use another online tool like NumberFormatting.com.
Industrial Machinery Global Market Outlook 2017-2022 Atlas Copco, Caterpillar, Sandvik, Hitachi

Industrial Machinery Market

http://bit.ly/2fYshsl

http://bit.ly/2x5Dyv0

Industrial Machinery Market Research ReportA market study  Global Industrial Machinery Market  examines the performance of the Industrial Machinery market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Industrial Machinery market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Industrial Machinery market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Industrial Machinery Market 2017 report includes Industrial Machinery market Size, Revenue, market Share, Industrial Machinery industry volume, market Trends, Industrial Machinery Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Industrial Machinery Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Industrial Machinery Market 2017:Atlas CopcoCaterpillarSandvikHitachiKomatsuTerexIndustrial Machinery Market : Type AnalysisAgriculture MachineryConstruction MachineryIndustrial Machinery Market : Application AnalysisAgricultureConstructionPackagingFood ProcessingMiningSemiconductor ManufacturingFirstly, the report covers the top Industrial Machinery manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Industrial Machinery report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Industrial Machinery industry, Industrial Machinery industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Industrial Machinery Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Industrial Machinery 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 Industrial Machinery market revenue worldwide.Finally, Industrial Machinery 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
Inverter Drives Global Market Outlook 2017-2022 ABB, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Danfoss, Rockwell Automation

Inverter Drives Market

http://bit.ly/2x5Hyfl

http://bit.ly/2wweNud

Inverter Drives Market Research ReportA market study  Global Inverter Drives Market  examines the performance of the Inverter Drives market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Inverter Drives market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Inverter Drives market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Request For Sample Report:The Global Inverter Drives Market 2017 report includes Inverter Drives market Size, Revenue, market Share, Inverter Drives industry volume, market Trends, Inverter Drives Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Inverter Drives Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Inverter Drives Market 2017:ABBSiemensSchneider ElectricDanfossRockwell AutomationMitsubishi ElectricYaskawa ElectricFuji ElectricDelta ElectronicsInovance TechnologyINVT?EURA DRIVESSlanvertHiconicsSTEP Electric CorporationInverter Drives Market : Type AnalysisMedium-voltage InverterLow-voltage InverterInverter Drives Market : Application AnalysisTextile IndustryOil & Gas IndustryMing IndustryHoisting MachineryFirstly, the report covers the top Inverter Drives manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Enquiry for More Info@Further, the Inverter Drives report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Inverter Drives industry, Inverter Drives industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Inverter Drives Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.The Inverter Drives 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 Inverter Drives market revenue worldwide.Finally, Inverter Drives 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
Adjuno joins Australasian Supply Chain Institute (ASCI) as Corporate Sponsor

https://www.asci.org.au/news/july-2017-newsletter

www.adjuno.com

In July 2017, Adjuno joined ASCIs corporate sponsor programme. Adjuno is excited to be a part of ASCI family. They look forward to working with its members to improve sourcing, product lifecycle management (PLM) and supply chain management (SCM) in the Australian supply chain and logistics communityAdjuno develops, delivers, and supports cloud-based PLM and SCM software solutions that revolutionises the way their customers operate. They believe it starts with connecting entire trading communities through a central cloud platform. They have more than 20 years experience in providing cloud-based software to a global client base spanning across America, Europe, South Africa, and Australasia. They have worked with companies of all sizes and are trusted by over 150 retailers, brands, manufacturers and logistics companies.According to Bashir Mourad, APICS facilitator, who attended Adjuno product demonstration, the Adjuno solution is an end to end supply chain offering which is quite rare and impressive in its design and depth.According to Dr. Pieter Nagel, CEO, ASCI, Adjuno will add value to ASCI members by offering practical and necessary technical knowledge.Solution Design Director at Adjuno, Paul De Guingand, commented...What sets the Adjuno solution apart is that our modules commence well prior to the Purchase Order or the container booking. Our systems manage Vendor performance  Sourcing Procuring  Bid Quote  Purchasing  right through to Supply Chain Management, Adjuno covers all aspects of product lifecycle management (PLM), logistics management, vendor management, and landed costing. Adjuno provides a complete Concept to Cash solution.Read more about this strategic alliance atFor more information, please contact:Paul de GuingandSolution Design DirectorT: +61 03 9377 4720M: +61 04 5981 9392E: Paul.DeGuingand@adjuno.comLevel 2, Suite 1A, 902 Mt Alexander RoadEssendon, Vic 3040AustraliaAt Adjuno, we develop, deliver and support cloud based supply chain management software that improves your business processes. Specialising in supply chain visibility and product lifecycle management, we can revolutionise the way you operate. This is achieved by connecting your entire trading community through a central cloud solution. Our experience spans working with organisations of all sizes across retail, insurance, logistics and manufacturing industries.Level 2, Suite 1A, 902 Mt Alexander RoadEssendon, Vic 3040Australia
EGW Capital Inc. To Buy Into Indian Listed Equities

EGW Capital Is Planning For A NASDAQ Listing

http://www.otcpremarkets.com

EGW Capital Inc. has planned to invest into the listed equity space in India. The company is focusing to invest in the infrastructure and metals space.EGW Capital Inc. the leading financial institution which is just few weeks shy of filing for its Regulation A+ IPO, planning to raise a total of US $43 million, may soon begin accumulating the Indian listed equity shares to diversify its global investment portfolio.The board of EGW Capital met last week and has finalized metals and infrastructure space for the medium to long term investment in India, however, the company has refused to share the details of its investment appetite.Under such investments, the company will directly acquire shares from the open market with or without the involvement of the promoter group and will act as a medium to long term investor. The company may target dividend paying companies with a strong track record and a potential to create substantial value for its investors.The company is planning to acquire minority stakes in the leading listed Indian companies and will hold onto the shares for a minimum of 24-36 months.India is a really interesting market and we are focused on investing in the stable listed entities. We may not buy into the startups as of now due to unstable market trends, however, we will make ourselves count as one of the strong supporter of the stable dividend paying companies, saidEGW Capital Inc. has started to trade on the OTC Pre-Markets () for the valuation and price discovery. The valuation of the company has peaked to US $520 million as of August 22, 2017.About UsWe are a private equity firm specializing in growth companies. We acquire or build portfolio companies in high growth industries, deploying a proprietary crowdfunding platform and other direct to market capital formation strategies to provide growth financing for our portfolio holdings, and decades of experienced corporate management experience to maximize value for our shareholders.We look to own companies in high growth industries, with disruptive technologies or significant market advantages, a top flight management team and a compelling strategy for exponential growth. We look for special opportunity wherever it can be found, and we bring a full array of services to our portfolio companies, including strategic growth and marketing, technology, management and long term strategic planning initiatives, grooming our companies for ultimate IPO or other liquidity event. We never stop looking for the next great opportunity, and we work tirelessly for our shareholders.Company Name: EGW Capital Inc.Contact: James LawAddress: 1100 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30309Phone: 619-284-5893Email: office@egwmails.com
Carotenoid Market to Record Sturdy Growth by 2021

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4369

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4369

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

The major carotenoid types include beta-carotene, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, and annatto. Beta-carotene dominated the carotenoid market in 2013, followed by astaxanthin. Beta-carotene is used in various types of food and supplements to prevent or cure certain diseases and disorders such as heart diseases, cataracts, elderly muscular degeneration, Alzheimers disease, depression, heartburn, epilepsy, infertility, and high blood pressure. There has been a significant increase in the number of synthetic and algae-derived beta-carotenes which has raised competition in the market and consequently, led to a reduction in the prices of beta-carotenes. Astaxanthin is used to add pigments to fish and shrimps. The market for astaxanthin products manufactured through fermentation process is being overtaken by those manufactured with algae.A sample of this report is available upon request @Canthaxanthin is used to add a reddish tone to the egg yolks, fish, and shrimp. However, due to increasing competition among manufacturers, the canthaxanthin manufacturers have also started promoting their products to the food supplement industry in order to check their declining profitability. Annatto is a reddish condiment and food coloring extracted from the achiote tree which imparts yellow and orange coloring to foods; however, sometimes it is also used in order to add flavor and aroma. Annatto is prominently used in the manufacturing of British cheese, and industrial food coloring. Annatto is also widely used in the traditional cuisine of Latin America.There are several other types of carotenoids such as lycopene and lutein. Lycopene is extracted from tomatoes and has antioxidant properties which help prevent prostate cancer. Lutein is extracted from plant and animal sources and finds its application in several sectors such as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, pet food, and animal and fish feed.Factors such as rising middle-class population and increasing demand for milk and meat products are leading to the growth of carotenoid end-user industries and consequently, expansion of the carotenoid market. Changing consumer preferences such as switching to the natural sources of nutrition have been emerging as a restraint for the carotenoid market. Increasing competition, which has been eroding the profit margins of manufacturers, has been another key concern for the global carotenoid market.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @North America and Europe were the largest carotenoid markets in 2013, followed by Asia Pacific. However, the market share of Asia Pacific is expanding at a swift pace due to advancement in lifestyles and food culture. The major companies in the global carotenoid market include Allied Biotech Corporation, BASF SE, Carotech Berhad, Chr. Hansen A/S, Cyanotech Corporation, D.D. Williamson & Co., Inc, Dohler Group, DSM N.V., FMC Corporation, and Kemin Industries, Inc.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:
2017 Global door Access Control Solution Market Share Analysis,Trends and Dynamics Outlooks

https://www.reportsmonitor.com/request-sample/?post=274296

https://www.reportsmonitor.com/global-door-access-control-solution-market-size-status-and-forecast-2022/

http://www.reportsmonitor.com

ReportsMonitor.com has added Global Door Access Control Solution Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 Report Title to its database of market research reports.This report studies the global Door Access Control Solution market, analyzes and researches the Door Access Control Solution development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeTycoBoschCansec Systems Ltd.KintronicsHoneywellADTIDenticard SystemsProtection 1BrivoStanley SecurityKisiVanderbiltISONASRequest a Free Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaView Entire Report @Market segment by Type, Door Access Control Solution can be split intoFingerprintDigitalMerchanicalOthersMarket segment by Application, Door Access Control Solution can be split intoHospital and HotelOffice Building and GovernmentSchool and UniversityOthersSome Points From Table Of Contents:1 Industry Overview of Door Access Control Solution1.1 Door Access Control Solution Market Overview1.1.1 Door Access Control Solution Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Door Access Control Solution Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Door Access Control Solution Market by Type1.3.1 Fingerprint1.3.2 Digital1.3.3 Merchanical1.3.4 Others1.4 Door Access Control Solution Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Hospital and Hotel1.4.2 Office Building and Government1.4.3 School and University1.4.4 OthersReports 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.Jay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Power Boilers Market 2017 - Siemens AG, Babcock & Wilcox, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power System, AMEC Foster Wheeler

Power Boilers Market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1795

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1795

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/power-boilers-market

Market Scenario:Power Boiler is basically a closed vessel into which water is heated until the water is converted to steam. The steam produced by the power boiler, transferred through piping to number of applications. In developing countries, due to rapid industrialization & urbanization, demand for the power is increases considerably. To meet this demand, government is heavily investing in new power plants which will drive the Power Boiler market. In developed countries, government is constructing the power plants using cleaner energy such as biomass, biogas which is another driving factor for the Power Boiler Market.Request a Sample Report @Thus the Power Boiler Market is expected to register a CAGR of about 4%.Key Players:The leading players in the Power boiler markets are Siemens AG, Babcock & Wilcox, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power System, AMEC Foster Wheeler, Thermax Ltd, Harbin Electric, Hangzhou Boiler Group, and Alstom.Study Objectives of Power boiler Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 6 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Power boiler Market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To Analyze the Global Power boiler Market based on various factors such as supply chain analysis, and Porters five force analysis To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to regions and their respective key countries To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by Type, by Technology, and by Fuel Type. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Power boiler MarketMake an Enquiry before Buying @Intended Audience: Power boilers manufacturers Distributer & Supplier companies Power sector consultants and Investment bankers Energy & Power Associations Government as well as Independent Regulatory AuthoritiesGeographic Analysis: Geographical analysis across 21 countriesCompany Information: Profiling of key market players SWOT analysis, and strategy information of top five profile players in the report Competitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companiesKey Points from Table of Contents:10. Company Profile10.1. Siemens Ag10.1.1. Company Overview10.1.2. Business Segment Overview10.1.3. Financial Updates10.1.4. Key Developments10.2. Babcock & Wilcox10.2.1. Company Overview10.2.2. Business Segment Overview10.2.3. Financial Updates10.2.4. Key Developments10.3. Alstom10.3.1. Company Overview10.3.2. Business Segment Overview10.3.3. Financial Updates10.3.4. Key Developments10.4. Mitsubishi Hitachi Power System10.4.1. Company Overview10.4.2. Business Segment Overview10.4.3. Financial Updates10.4.4. Key DevelopmentsBrowse Full Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com
United States Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market 2022 : Technologies, Markets and Segments, Application

Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM)

http://www.globalinforeports.com/request-sample/250640

http://www.globalinforeports.com/report/united-states-cyclohexane-dimethanol-chdm-market-by-manufacturers-states-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022

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http://www.globalinforeports.com

Global Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022A new and latest research report proposed by Global Info Reports renders a market summary of the Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market industry. This widespread analysis comprises of market potentials and challenges, scope of product, sales volume, market revenue, estimates and rate of growth. The report also digs into all the major market players across the globe.Get Free Sample Copy of this Report @Chemical industry segment has a crucial role in accomplishing daily requirements of the common man. It is one of the most former industries which attributes substantially to not just economic but industrial growth as well. Nearly, each and every industry segment such as oil and gas, retail, manufacturing, agriculture and many others, depends heavily on the chemical industry. In the recent years, the global Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market industry has experienced an astonishing change structure-wise such as enhancements in technology, increasing raw material costs, manufacturing base been channeled to Asian countries,novel promising growth markets, etc.The report highlights crucial dynamics and in-depth analysis of the market segment with concentrating on factual data, present industry activities, growth opportunities, new product inventions, and market forecast for the anticipated frame of time along with leading market players, market study based on several regions, and extensive product. The Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market report assists in determining the projection in this meticulous industry by rendering precise potential demand prognoses. These prognoses will aid the market players to take vital decisions and take hold of the untapped regions and new entrants.This research report incorporates the current market size of this industry. It also distinguishes and assesses complex value chains across the globe such as primary factors, market growth restrains, and propelling strategies. This latest market report examines the Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market by several segments such as regions, applications, companies, and for the proposed time frame. The report gives a complete insight of this industry consisting the qualitative and quantitative analysis provided for this market industry along with prime development trends, competitive analysis, and vital factors that are predominant in the Concrete Seale Market.Market Scope:Various aspects are considered in this all-inclusive market research report and it inspects the global Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market industry from an all axis perspective. It gives in-depth information on the future viewpoint, key developments, market dynamics and growth, latest trends in the market, and potential investment segment.Browse complete summary of this report @The report furnishes: An in-depth widespread market analysis of the global Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market Analysis of global market trends, forecasts for 2017, and predictions of CAGRs through proposed time frame. Thorough analysis of applications Mentioning of market players with their complete profile description Researches the vital market trends and novel developmentstechnologically in the Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) MarketThe research report comprises of markets comprehensive analysis geographically on several important regions such as:1. North America (Mexico, USA, and Canada)2. Asia-Pacific (India, China, Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia)3. Europe (UK, Germany, Italy, France and Russia)4. Africa, South America, and the Middle EastThe leading industry players across the globe are explored in detail in this report. It demonstrates product overview, company summary, and manufacturing cost, capacity, and market shares for most of the participants. The report portrays the complete overview of Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market across the world including its cost/profit, demand/supply, import/export, capacity, production value, etc. The research report also prognosticates trends in the development of this industrys market. It cloaks current market analysis dynamically, downstream requirements as well as the upstream raw materials. Lastly, the report also segregates vital market figures which represent the market condition of Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Market manufacturers. The report can function as an assistive reference point for helping individuals as well as businesses from this segment.Get Discount on This Report @Some Point From TOC:Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Cis/Trans Ratio: 30:701.2.2 Cis/Trans Ratio: 25:751.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Polyester Materials1.3.2 Coating Materials1.3.3 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)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Eastman2.1.1 Profile2.1.2 Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Eastman Cyclohexane Dimethanol (CHDM) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.1.4 Business Overview2.1.5 Eastman News2.2 SK NJC2.2.1 ProfileEnquiry Before Buying @About Us: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-
2017-2022 Global Hesperidins Market Analysis : Monteloeder, Bolise Co., Limited, Castle Malting S.A, Xi'an App-Chem Bio

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Worldwide Hesperidins Market 2017 presents a widespread and fundamental study of Hesperidins industry along with the analysis of subjective aspects which will provide key business insights to the readers. Global Hesperidins Market 2017 research report offers the analytical view of the industry by studying different factors like Hesperidins market growth, consumption volume, market trends and Hesperidins industry cost structures during the forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Hesperidins market studies the competitive landscape view of the industry. The Hesperidins report also includes development plans and policies along with manufacturing processes. The major regions involved in Hesperidins Market are (United States, EU, China, and Japan).For Sample Copy Of The Report Click Here:Leading Manufacturers Analysis in Global Hesperidins Market 2017:1 Monteloeder2 Bolise Co., Limited3 Castle Malting S.A4 Xi'an App-Chem Bio5 Kingherbs Limited6 Hawk-bio...Hesperidins Market: Type Segment AnalysisReagent GradeFood GradeChemical GradeOthersHesperidins Market: Applications Segment AnalysisFood&SupplimentMedicineOthersThe Hesperidins report does the thorough study of the key industry players to understand their business strategies, annual revenue, company profile and their contribution to the global Hesperidins market share. Diverse factors of the Hesperidins industry like the supply chain scenario, industry standards, import/export details are also mentioned in Global Hesperidins Market 2017 report.Key Highlights of the Hesperidins Market:A Clear understanding of the Hesperidins market based on growth, constraints, opportunities, feasibility study.Concise Hesperidins Market study based on major geographical regions.Analysis of evolving market segments as well as a complete study of existing Hesperidins market segments.Discover More About Report Here:Furthermore, distinct aspects of Hesperidins market like the technological development, economic factors, opportunities and threats to the growth of Hesperidins market are covered in depth in this report. The performance of Hesperidins market during 2017 to 2022 is being forecasted in this report.In conclusion, Global Hesperidins market 2017 report presents the descriptive analysis of the parent market based on elite players, present, past and futuristic data which will serve as a profitable guide for all the Hesperidins industry competitors.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News-
Flooring Market 2017 - Gerflor Group (France), LG Hausys, Ltd. (Korea), Flowcrete Group Ltd. (U.K), Polyfloor Inc. (U.K.)

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Market Scenario:Flooring is the permanent covering of a floor. Rapid growth in construction industry across the globe is primarily driving the Global Flooring Market. Additionally, rise in home improvement and renovation projects are also fueling the growth of the market. However, effective disposal of flooring waste may hamper the growth of Global Flooring Market. A considerable amount of flooring waste is generated by both new installations and replacement procedures, leading to monetary losses for the consumers. Global Flooring Market is expected to grow at CAGR of 5% by 2022.Request a Sample Report @Key Players:The key players of Global Flooring Market are Gerflor Group (France), LG Hausys, Ltd. (Korea), Flowcrete Group Ltd. (U.K), Polyfloor Inc. (U.K.), Forbo Holding AG. (Switzerland), Tarkett Company (France), Floorworld LLC (Dubai), Mohawk Industries Inc. (U.S.), Shaw Industries, Inc. (U.S.) and Mannington Mills Inc. (U.S.).Study Objectives of Global Flooring Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next five years of various segments and sub-segments of the Global Flooring Market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the global flooring market based on various tools such as Price Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis, Porters Five Force Analysis. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, APAC, 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 segmented by Materials, by Types, by Applications, and by Regions. To provide strategic profiling of the key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the flooring market.Make an Enquiry before Buying @Target Audience: Manufacturing Organizations Distributors & Suppliers Environmental Associations Research Institute / Education Institute Potential InvestorsProduct Analysis: Product matrix which gives a detailed comparison of the market for different recycled product typesAdditional Information: Regulatory Landscape Pricing Analysis Macroeconomic IndicatorsKey Points from Table of Contents:8 Competitive Analysis8.1 Introduction8.2 Competitive Scenario8.2.1 Market Share Analysis8.2.2 Market Development Analysis8.2.3 Product/Service Benchmarking8.3 Gerflor Group8.3.1 Overview8.3.2 Product/Service Offering8.3.3 Strategy8.4 LG Hausys Ltd.8.4.1 Overview8.4.2 Product/Service Offering8.4.3 StrategyBrowse Full Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com
Governor Rauner, consider the case of Elvira Arellano before signing SB 31, a case that has drained hundreds of thousands of dollars in Chicago, Canadian and Federal resources.

Elvira Arellano came to the United States illegally from Mexico in 1997. She was 22 years old and was shortly thereafter apprehended by ICE and deported back to Mexico.

Days later, she returned and migrated up to the State of Oregon where she lived for three years. She had a son there named Saul, and refused to identify his father. My guess is that he was here illegally as well. Saul is the glue that held her to the US, because he is an American citizen.

In 2000, she migrated to Chicago and got a job working behind the secure areas of OHare Airport. Shortly after 911, Homeland Security was established and it was important for them to check the backgrounds of people who worked behind secure areas in airports and major US transportation systems.

Not only do terrorists like to have connections behind secure areas, so do the cartels.

Elvira had stolen a social security number to get the job at OHare and HLS caught her. She was charged with identity theft and given another deportation order sending her back to Mexico.

She took residence in a Methodist Church in the Humboldt area of Chicago in 2006, and stayed a resident in that church for over a year. Congress members Bobby Rush and Louis Gutierrez took on her case for leniency. Then-US Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin were also complicit.

Unfortunately for Elvira, her notoriety called her to Los Angeles to speak at La Rasa-sponsored events on the weekends, thinking no one would track her. ICE apprehended her there and deported her and her son Saul back to Mexico. Understandably so, ICE referred to her as the Church Lady.

In Mexico, President Senior Fox, a pro-open borders advocate, invited Elvira and Saul to appear in front of the Mexican Congress to emphasize the importance of Mexico to stand up for her rights to remain in the US and the Mexican governments resolve to put pressure on America in such cases.

Arellano had another son, Mexican born this time, and her next move was to enter the US from Canada. Canadian border officials refused their entry, so it was back to the drawing board for Elvira.

She worked closely with the Mexican Consulate in San Diego and in 2010 she and her two sons boarded the trolley from Tijuana and got off in San Diego, CA. Coincidentally, she was greeted with cameras and press to give an interview. Elvira had been in the US for over ten years and still could not speak English. She had no intention of assimilating to the American culture.

Her two talking points floored many people. One of her statements was "the United States is the one who broke the law first by letting people cross over [the border] without documents. This was followed by Mexico is not a safe place to raise her sons.

Elvira moved back to Chicago in the open face of the Obama Administration without delay. After all, sanctuary status had already been established there.

She was seen in 2017 outside of ICE Headquarters in Chicago with Congressman Gutierrez, participating in a protest against ICE. Gutierrez was handcuffed and removed because the group had a good old fashioned sit-in inside of ICE headquarters.

Elvira was confronted by ICE once again, and brought before a judge in Chicago to be deported. She claimed that her life was in danger in Mexico even though she was a predominate witness in the Mexican Congress. She had no proof that her life in Mexico was in danger, but the Obama-appointed judge delayed her deportation and required her to appear on a monthly basis back in court.

She is back living in the Church again with her American son Saul and her Mexican son, as well. Imagine the resources used in the justice system when a judge has to see her once a month.

Also, imagine the Churches, Public Schools, and DMVs that have to bear the involvement when Chicago places them as the go to safe haven for illegal immigrants. Of course, they involve all of these agencies to protect the illegal population but refuse to allow their police force to get involved with the apprehension of illegal felons (aliens that have committed a felony).

Police are even restricted from calling ICE when they know the perpetrator of a crime is in the US illegally. It doesnt take a lot of time to make a phone call at a minimum to an ICE representative, but Chicago refuses to do so.

Elvira has a part time job now delivering newspapers and working in a Puerto Rican restaurant, a job that was surely secured by Rep. Gutierrez, a Puerto Rican National and US citizen.

Governor Rauner admits that the immigration system is broken. However, who perpetrates this sort of cooperation with illegal immigrants? The City of Chicago is home to 230-250 thousand illegals with special rules written just for them.

I would say, Stop the music, Governor! Do not sign SB 31, or there will be more services rendered for people like Elvira than Illinois has dollars to spend.
Global Glass Mold Market Research Report- Segment, outlook, By Region, Forecast 2022

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Glass Mold Market report provides key statistics on the market status of the Glass Mold Manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the Glass Mold Industry. The Glass Mold Market report delivers a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Also, the Glass Mold Industry report explores the international Major Market players in detail.Glass molds are important forming tools used in the production of glass bottles and utensils. The mold has a direct effect on the final shape of the container. Molds need to be replaced after a certain number of times, which allows market demand to continue to grow.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Glass Mold in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Buy the complete Glass Mold report with Comprehensive table of contents @The research methodology used to estimate and forecast the Glass Mold market involves a primary and a secondary research. A systematic procedure has been used to arrive at the global size of the Glass Mold market and present revenue of key players in the market. Accurate data has been collected by conducting extensive interviews with people holding key decision making positions in the industry such as CEOs, VPs, directors, and executives.Inquire for discount for this report @Industry chain analysis covering upstream raw materials and equipments of Glass Mold market, their suppliers' information as well as analysis of downstream major consumers for Glass Mold is provided to understand the complete industry chain structure. Overall market analyzed in this report is divided by regions, types and manufacturers/companies. The research estimates 2017-2022 Glass Mold market development trends covering capacity, production and revenue forecasts as well as regional supply consumption forecasts.Towards the end, this report includes a feasibility analysis of New Project Investment covering SWOT analysis of Glass Mold OR marketing strategy analysis and market effect factor analysis. Overall, the report provides factual insights collected and analyzed with detailed primary and secondary research on Glass Mold market.The research compiles profiles of small and big Glass Mold market companies covering their product details as well as important statistics on production, capacity, price and more. These active companies' numbers are supported with information on marketing traders and/or distributors of the Glass Mold industry along with their contact information. This data gives valuable industry insights and direction to individuals and/or companies that are new entrants, eyeing to enter or grow in the Glass Mold market. Some of the Key vendors profiled in this research include: Omco International Ross International Jianhua Mould Jinggong Mould ORI Mould Weiheng Mould UniMould JCL Engineering Pte Ltd RongTai mould Xinzhi Industry Donghai Glass Mould Co. Changshu Fuchang Glass Mould Factory Changshu Ruifeng Mould TOYO GLASS MACHINERY TETA Glass Mould Steloy Castings Hunprenco Precision Engineers Busellato Glass Moulds Dameron Alloy Foundries FUSO MACHINE & MOLD MFG.CO.LTD HEBEI ANDY MOULD CO.,LTD(China)Partial list of Tables and Figures for this report include:Figure India Glass Mold Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Southeast Asia Glass Mold Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Brazil Glass Mold Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Egypt Glass Mold Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Saudi Arabia Glass Mold Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure South Africa Glass Mold Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Nigeria Glass Mold Revenue (Value) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Table Omco International Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and CompetitorsTable Omco International Glass Mold Type and ApplicationsTable Omco International Glass Mold Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)Table Ross International Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and CompetitorsTable Ross International Glass Mold Type and ApplicationsTable Ross International Glass Mold Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)Table Jianhua Mould Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and CompetitorsTable Jianhua Mould Glass Mold Type and ApplicationsTable Jianhua Mould Glass Mold Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)About Us:eMarketOrg.com aims to provide businesses and organizations market intelligence products and services that help in making smart, instant and crucial decisions. Our database offers access to insights from industry leaders, experts and influencers on global and regional sectors, market trends, user behaviour, for companies as well as products. With data and information from reputable and trusted private and public sources, our clients are never short of statistics and analysis that are up to date.Contact Details:Ronald Aldensales@emarketorg.cominfo@emarketorg.comeMarketOrg.com aims to provide businesses and organizations market intelligence products and services that help in making smart, instant and crucial decisions. Our database offers access to insights from industry leaders, experts and influencers on global and regional sectors, market trends, user behaviour, for companies as well as products. 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Nuclear Radiation Detectors Market Trends and 2017 Forecast

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This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringCanberraThermofisherMirion TechnologyAMETEK (Ortec)LeidosCorey, GermanyShanghai new manBeijing in Chile nuclear securityCNNC Beijing nuclear instrumentXi'an Nuclear Instrument FactoryFor more information about this report atBy types, the market can be split intoGas Ionization DetectorsSemiconductor DetectorsScintillation DetectorsBy Application, the market can be split intoHospitalsResearch InstitutesAirportsPolice and Fire DepartmentsOthersBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaRequest a sample copy atTable of Content1 Industry Overview of Nuclear Radiation Detectors2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Nuclear Radiation Detectors3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Nuclear Radiation Detectors4 Global Nuclear Radiation Detectors Overall Market Overview5 Nuclear Radiation Detectors Regional Market Analysis6 Global 2011-2017E Nuclear Radiation Detectors Segment Market Analysis (by Type)7 Global 2011-2017E Nuclear Radiation Detectors Segment Market Analysis (by Application)8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Nuclear Radiation Detectors8.1 Canberra8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 Canberra 2016 Nuclear Radiation Detectors Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 Canberra 2016 Nuclear Radiation Detectors Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Thermofisher8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 Thermofisher 2016 Nuclear Radiation Detectors Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Thermofisher 2016 Nuclear Radiation Detectors Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Mirion Technology8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Mirion Technology 2016 Nuclear Radiation Detectors Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Mirion Technology 2016 Nuclear Radiation Detectors Business Region Distribution Analysis9 Development Trend of Analysis of Nuclear Radiation Detectors Market10 Nuclear Radiation Detectors Marketing Type Analysis11 Consumers Analysis of Nuclear Radiation Detectors12 Conclusion of the Global Nuclear Radiation Detectors Market Professional Survey Report 2017Purchase Complete Report atAnd get,Discount on report purchase atContact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb 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.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Bluetooth In Automotive Market Revenue Is Forecast To Reach USD 1, 09,979.0 Million By 2023

Bluetooth in Automotive Market

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Market Highlights:Bluetooth is wireless communication standard, which allows electronic devices to connect and interact with each other. It can be found in a range of gadgets such as smartphones, loudspeakers, laptops and cars. The automotive industry is a steadily growing market for Bluetooth technology. Devices that are Bluetooth compatible should be in close proximity to each other and they can take part in wireless, two way communication. Bluetooth in automotive allows users to access their cell phones through the in car infotainment system. Evidently, in recent years, global major automakers are offering Bluetooth as a factory installed feature. Using Bluetooth in infotainment systems would allow passengers and drivers to listen to music and information while driving. In addition to that, once connected to Bluetooth, drivers can use apps to navigate, check traffic, view latest weather report, and look for information such as movie times and restaurant locations. Overall, the use of Bluetooth technology improves driving experience.Request for a Sample Copy @Key Players:The major player operating in the market of global bluetooth in automotive are Nordic Semiconductor, Texas instruments, QUALCOMM Incorporated, Broadcom Corporation, MediaTek Inc, Pioneer Corporation, Fihonest Communication Co., Ltd, Hosiden Corporation, Silicon Laboratories, IVT Corporation and others.Market Research Future Analysis:The global Bluetooth in automotive market is a very dynamic and is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. The growth of the Bluetooth in automotive market is majorly influenced by the growing demand for smartphone features in cars and other vehicles. Furthermore, the use of Bluetooth enables analysis of vehicle diagnostics, which enhances the safety of vehicles. However, the limitations of coverage and slow data transfer of Bluetooth technology coupled with poor security of Bluetooth operations, are hindering the growth of Bluetooth in automotive market.Currently, Asia-Pacific is dominating the market with increasing vehicle production in countries such as India and China and the increasing production capacity. The market in the developing countries is largely driven by economic growth and ongoing industrialization, which is likely to lead to considerable production of motor vehicles and other manufacturing output.Access Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Technologies and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Laminate Flooring Market Expected to Reach a Volume of more than 1,000 Million Sq. Meters by 2022

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The various benefits of laminate flooring such as durability, affordability, and ease of installation and maintenance have made it a popular flooring option for both commercial and residential applications. As a result, the global laminate flooring market is currently witnessing a steady growth.Request sample report @IMARC Groups recently published report titled, Laminate Flooring Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2017-2022, finds that the global laminate flooring market reached a volume of around 800 Million Sq. Metres in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 5.5% during 2009-2016. Laminate flooring is used to cover the floor structure of a building and consists of different layers that are sealed together. There are four major layers, namely, design layer, inner core, backing layer and wear layer. The top layer is made up of melamine and aluminium oxide which make the surface resistant to scratches and stains, and also gives a premium look to the flooring. Easy to install and clean, laminate flooring is ideal for semi-moist areas like kitchens. Over the years, it has gained popularity due to certain advantages over conventional flooring such as durability, affordability and ease of maintenance.Highlights of the global laminate flooring market:Rapid growth of the construction industry is the major driver for the market growth.The commercial sector is the biggest application segment, accounting for the majority of the market share.Asia Pacific represents the largest market for laminate flooring driven by rising income levels and urbanization.The laminate flooring market is experiencing a healthy growth due to a rise in the construction activities in various regions. Owing to rapid urbanization, there has been a surge in housing projects, particularly in the developing regions, which has been driving the residential flooring market. Increasing disposable incomes have also led to higher spending in the real-estate sector which is rapidly fueling the industry growth. Additionally, as a result of its ability to sustain high traffic, laminate flooring has become a preferred choice for commercial applications in sectors such as healthcare, retail and corporate. Moreover, changing lifestyles and consumer preferences have encouraged the manufacturers to introduce innovative and diverse designs in their product lines. According to the report, the market is further expected to reach a volume of more than 1,000 Million Sq. Meters by 2022.Read full report with TOC @The market has been segmented on the basis of product type covering HDF laminates and MDF laminates. Based on the application, the commercial sector accounts for the majority of the market share. Regionally, the global laminate flooring market has been segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. As a result of rapid urbanization and rising income levels, Asia Pacific represents the largest market. On analysing the competitive landscape, it is found that the major players are Mohawk Industries Inc., Tarkett, Armstrong World Industries, Inc., Shaw Industries Inc., Mannington Mills Inc. and Beaulieu International Group.The report by IMARC Group has examined the global laminate flooring market on the basis of:Product type:HDF laminatesMDF laminatesSector:ResidentialCommercialRegion:Asia PacificNorth AmericaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaKey plyers:Mohawk Industries Inc.TarkettArmstrong World Industries Inc.Shaw Industries Inc.Mannington Mills Inc.Beaulieu International GroupBrowse related reports :Vinyl Flooring Market @Laminated Veneer Lumber Market @About usIMARC Group is a leading market research company that offers management strategy and market research worldwide. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses.IMARCs information products include major market, scientific, economic and technological developments for business leaders in pharmaceutical, industrial, and high technology organizations. Market forecasts and industry analysis for biotechnology, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, travel and tourism, nanotechnology and novel processing methods are at the top of the companys expertise.Contact usIMARC Group309 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11215, USAWebsite:Email: sales@imarcgroup.comUSA: +1-631-791-1145Follow us on twitter: @imarcglobal
Global Grippers Market 2017 Industry, Analysis, Research, Share, Growth, Sales, Trends, Supply, Forecast to 2022

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Grippers Market 2017 Industry, Analysis, Research, Share, Growth, Sales, Trends, Supply, Forecast to 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.The Grippers report is a professional study of the global Grippers industry that scrutinizes vital indicators relevant to the progression of the said market for the period between 2017 and 2022. The market study on the global Grippers market examines historical statistics, based on which projections are presented herein. The report studies regional segments of the global Grippers market, with a further analysis of major national markets in these regions.The report is presented in a chapter-wise layout followed by an annex section. It report begins with a prelude of the global market for Grippers, progressing into terms and terminologies, categorizations, and prime applications. It presents an analysis of the Grippers industry by examining industry chain, product categorization, industry plans, manufacturing chain, cost structure, and so on. The regional segments are analyzed with respect to demand and supply logistics, product pricing and profit, import/export behavior, and production capacity and its maximum utilization.Get Report Sample and Customization:With the help of analytical tools for the feasibility and profitability of new investments, the report presents market attractiveness for the aforementioned forecast period. The SWOT analysis of key players in the Grippers market presents insights into their winning strategies and the competitive hierarchy. These results obtained using analytical tools help to understand the changing competitive hierarchy of the global Grippers market right from historical years until the end of the forecast period. This helps to understand the winning imperatives for key markets players to gain competitive advantage in the Grippers market in the upcoming years.The major players in global Grippers market include SCHUNK, SMC, Destaco, IAI, Parker Hannifin, Festo, Yamaha Motor, SMAC, Gimatic, PHD, HIWIN, Camozzi, Zimmer, Sichuan DongjuTable of Contents1 Grippers Market Overview11.1 Product Overview and Scope of Grippers11.2 Grippers Segment by Types (Product Category)11.2.1 Global Grippers Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate (%) Comparison by Types (2016-2022)11.2.2 Global Grippers Production Market Share (%) by Types in 201621.2.3 Electric Grippers31.2.4 Pneumatic Grippers4Complete report with detailed table of content is available at:1.3 Global Grippers Segment by Applications41.3.1 Global Grippers Consumption (K Unit) Comparison by Applications (2012-2022)41.3.2 Automotive Manufacturing61.3.3 Electonics/Electrical72 Global Grippers Market Competition by Manufacturers192.1 Global Grippers Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)192.2 Global Grippers Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)212.3 Global Grippers Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)222.4 Manufacturers Grippers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area242.5 Grippers Market Competitive Situation and Trends253 Global Grippers Production by Regions (2012-2017)273.1 Global Grippers Production (K Unit) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)273.2 Global Grippers Revenue and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)293.3 Global Grippers Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)323.4 North America Grippers Production (2012-2017)333.4.1 North America Grippers Production (K Unit) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)333.4.2 North America Grippers Production (K Unit), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)333.5 Europe Grippers Production (2012-2017)343.5.1 Europe Grippers Production (K Unit) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)34To Get Discount Of This Report Click here @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Product Picture of Grippers1Table Global Grippers Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate (%) Comparison by Types (2016-2022)1Figure Global Grippers Production Market Share (%) by Types in 20162Figure Product Picture of Electric Grippers3Figure China Grippers Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)14Figure Europe Grippers Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)15Figure Japan Grippers Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)16Figure Global Grippers Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)17Figure Global Grippers Production (K Unit) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)18Table Global Grippers Production (K Unit) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)19Table Global Grippers Production Share (%) by Manufacturers (2012-2017)19About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Size - Industry Report 2017

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"The Latest Research Report Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Research Report 2017 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials MarketIn this report, the global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingCollagen Matrix IncMedtronicAdvanced BioMatrix IncKyeron B.V.Collagen MatrixCollagen Solutions PlcCollPlant LtdFraunhofer-GesellschaftGENOSS Co., LtdMaxigen Biotech IncGet Sample copy of this Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBovinePorcineMarineChickenOthersOn 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 Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials for each application, includingOrthopedicWound CareOthersIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of ContentsGlobal Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Research Report 20171 Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials1.2 Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Bovine1.2.4 Porcine1.2.5 Marine1.2.6 Chicken1.2.7 Others1.3 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Segment by Application1.3.1 Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Orthopedic1.3.3 Wound Care1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)View Sample PDF @1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)Send An Enquiry Request @3.7 China Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Tissue Engineered Collagen Biomaterials Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)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.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Safety Footwear Market 2017 : Rahman Group, Simon Corporation, Liberty Group, Vijay Shoes Pvt. Ltd. and Bata Industrials

Safety Footwear

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This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering- JAL Group France SAS- Dunlop Boots- COFRA S.r.l.- Honeywell International, Inc.- Hewats Edinburgh- Rahman Group- Rock Fall Ltd.- Uvex Group- V.F. Corporation- WOLVERINE- Bova Safety Footwear- Gabri Safety Shoes- Simon CorporationThe survey report by Market Research Store is an overview of the global Safety Footwear market. It covers all the recent trends including key developments in the global market in present and in future. Analyses of the global Safety Footwear market trends along with the projections of CAGRs (compound annual growth rates) are provided in the research report.Further, an evaluation of the history of the global market and the basic information of the global market is included in the report. A developmental perspective of the industry is also documented in the report. Competitive profiles of the key players in the industry are also discussed.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The research report provides both an assessment of recent developments in the industry along with forecasts examining the industry from the perspective of major competitors, present players and prospective end users in the Safety Footwear market.Forecasts are generated on the basis of region, type, product, supply, demand, and other vital factors of the global market. The research report analyzed the major factors driving the global Safety Footwear market in various countries with a satisfactory and manufacturing and structure of the global market. Forecasts are also provided region-wise in the research report.The research report comprises several chapters, tables, figures, graphs, and various other presentations formats so as to provide a precise overview of the market. The sequence of the report is maintained in such a way that highlights the overall flow of the global market. Recent developments in the global market are further described in the research report. The report also summarizes latest trends along with abstracts of the Safety Footwear market. Major competitors of the global market including commercial and non-commercial participants in the global market are also covered in the report.Inquiry For Bying @Thus, the research report provides in-depth analysis covering all the major regions, competitors, and vital aspects of the Safety Footwear industry.About Us: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.Contact US: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 Hand Soldering Sales Market Report 2017

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The Global Hand Soldering Sales Market Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Hand Soldering industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Hand Soldering market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Hand Soldering industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Global Hand Soldering market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Hand Soldering sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingHakkoWellerMetcalJBCErsaEasy BraidGOOTUNIXPACEEDSYNESICO?TRITONHEXACONQuickATTENGJCT BRANDNanjing Huaxia......Ask a complete & professional report sample, please send message to tinaning@qyresearch.com or visit atTable of contents:1 Hand Soldering Market Overview2 Global Hand Soldering Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application3 United States Hand Soldering (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 China Hand Soldering (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 Europe Hand Soldering (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6 Japan Hand Soldering (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 Southeast Asia Hand Soldering (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 India Hand Soldering (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Global Hand Soldering Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data10 Hand Soldering Maufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Hand Soldering Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixRelated Reports:Europe Hand Soldering Sales Market Report 2017China Hand Soldering Sales Market Report 2017USA Hand Soldering Sales Market Report 2017Korea Hand Soldering Sales Market Report 2017Japan Hand Soldering Sales Market Report 2017India Hand Soldering Sales Market Report 2017Contact Details:Company Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITED | focus on Market Survey and ResearchTina| Sales ManagersEmail: tinaning@qyresearch.com Tel: 0086-20-22093278(CN)Web:QYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business.Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe District
Bitumen Market Set to Surge Significantly During 2017 - 2025

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Global Bitumen Market: SnapshotThe bitumen market is indirectly related to the GDP due to its widespread usage in road construction, industrial applications, and waterproofing. Robust growth of the construction sector primarily owing to government initiatives to improve infrastructure is positively impacting the bitumen market. This is because bitumen possess certain properties that are inbuilt at the time of its manufacture. Bitumen as a raw material in flexible road construction and bitumen as a mix offers several advantages that account for its wide usage in road construction.Bitumen is also used as an adhesive and as a sealant. Some other applications of bitumen include water proofing of ships and boats due to its water insoluble characteristics. Bitumen is used in the construction of water tanks, dams, and bridges.Bitumen is a mixture of black organic liquids that are highly sticky, viscous, and entirely soluble in carbon disulfide. Crude bitumen is so thick that it must be heated to make it flowing. Refined bitumen is the residual obtained by the fractional distillation of crude oil. Naturally available crude bitumen is the key feedstock for petroleum production from tar sands that is currently under development in Canada.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Some of the crucial factors responsible for the extensive usage of bitumen are its economical means of production, versatility due to its physical and rheological properties, low melting point, recyclable, adhesive properties, and color variety.On the other hand, climate change concerns due to greenhouses gases has led to the introduction of bitumen alternatives that are eco-friendly and are less toxic.Global Bitumen Market: OverviewBitumen is a mixture of hydrocarbons, which are highly viscous and black, obtained naturally or as a byproduct of petroleum distillation. It is extensively used for surfacing in the road construction. It provides excellent water resistance along with high stickiness and viscosity. The commonly available types of bitumen are paving grade, cutback, polymer modified, bitumen emulsion, and oxidized. Other than road construction, they find application in insulations, adhesives, waterproofing, and paints.Request TOC of the Report @Global Bitumen Market: Key TrendsThe increasing government measures for road development across the world are augmenting the global bitumen market. In addition, the rising road traffic is creating a dire need for wider roads, which is consequently boosting the global demand for bitumen. Moreover, the booming construction industry worldwide is favoring the growth of the market. The growing investments by governments in the upgradation of public infrastructure and rising disposable income of people around the world are leading to the greater construction activities. The robust growth of the paint and coatings sector is also supplementing the growth of the market. Paints manufactured using bitumen provide excellent weatherproofing and corrosion traits.On the flip side, the stringent regulatory environment for the manufacturing and application of bitumen is adversely affecting the growth of the market. Furthermore, bitumen manufacturing includes fractional distillation of crude oil. Thus, the protean prices of raw material are negatively impacting the growth of the market.Global Bitumen Market: Market PotentialTransportation of bitumen is a major concern for players in the market, as any accident can lead to environmentally damaging spills and high-profile explosions. As a result, bitumen manufacturers and transport authorities are focusing towards developing safer transport option. One such effort that could be a game changer is being taken by the Canadian National Railway Co. In February 2017, the company filed a patent for a novel technology that turns bitumen into mostly solid dry packets that would not leak, explode, or sink in water. It is still a bleeding edge technology, however, with constant efforts the technology is estimated to emerge niche alternative to traditional shipping methods. Such innovations are expected to provide a significant boost to the growth of the market.Get Discount @Global Bitumen Market: Geographical SegmentationThe key segments methodically examined based on geography are North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America will be a prominent destination for global players during the review period. The increasing initiatives taken by governments towards the repair and redevelopment of existing roads are driving the demand for bitumen in the region. The growing residential remodeling practices, especially in the U.S., is also fuelling the growth of the region.Developing regions are expected to progress at a noteworthy CAGR in the forthcoming years. The growth of Asia Pacific can be attributed to the growing number of cities and increasing consumer disposable income, which is leading to the rising construction activities and sales of vehicles. China, Japan, and India will be sights of high growth rate in the region. The increasing infrastructure development will propel the growth of the market in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.Global Bitumen Market: Competitive LandscapeThe presence of a large number of regional players has rendered the global bitumen market highly fragmented. The majority of players are operating throughout the supply chain of the market. Companies are focusing towards enhancing their visibility in the market by introducing advanced technologies that cater to the requirements of end users. Some of the prominent global participants in the bitumen are Total S.A., British Petroleum, Indian Oil Corporation, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, Chevron Texaco Corporation, Total S.A., Royal Dutch Shell Plc., NuStar Energy, and Exxon Mobil Corporation.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Data Center Construction Market 2017 - Aceco TI, AECOM, Turner Construction, Equinix, Fluor, DPR Construction

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A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. It generally includes redundant or backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioning, fire suppression) and various security devices. Large data centers are industrial scale operations using as much electricity as a small town.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Data Center Construction in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Request For Sample Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversAceco TIAECOMTurner ConstructionEquinixFluorDPR ConstructionConstructora Sudamericana S.A.Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFinanceInternetTelecommunicationsGovernmentOthersAccess Full Report With TOC @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Data Center Construction market.Chapter 1, to describe Data Center Construction Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Data Center Construction, with sales, revenue, and price of Data Center Construction, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Data Center Construction, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Data Center Construction market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Data Center Construction sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.About Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
The above meme is circulating the internet, encouraging calls to the governor's office to veto SB 31.

Governor Rauner said in a nationally-televised cable news interview that he welcomed hearing from those on both sides of the issue, but has been more recently quoted as siding with former Exelon executive John Rowe - who served on Rauner's gubernatorial campaign advisory committee - and a group of county sheriffs that are pushing the sanctuary bill.

Fox News' Bret Baier asked Rauner in the interview:

BAIER: There are some families who say theyve lost loved ones because of sanctuary status or policy and theyre trying to meet with you. Do you want to hear that point of view?

RAUNER: I want to hear everybodys point of view. I work for everybody in the state of Illinois. Our immigration system is broken and we need to have a system that keeps the people of Illinois safe, the people of America safe. Weve got to put that as the first priority.

BAIER: So Im still trying to get, do you agree with the president or not that sanctuary cities are a problem  yes or no?

RAUNER: Well, Id tell you this; what Id say is immigration in America is broken. We make illegal immigration easy and we make legal immigration almost impossible. We need dramatic immigration reform.
Global Wholesale Carriers Market 2017 Top Players - Windstream, Wayfair, XO Communications, Liquid Telecom, Gartner Inc.

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The report titled Wholesale Carriers is an in-depth and a professional document that provides a comprehensive overview of the global Wholesale Carriers market.The report provides an executive-level blueprint of the Wholesale Carriers market beginning with the definition of the market dynamics. The analysis classifies the Wholesale Carriers market in terms of products, application, and key geographic regions. Presenting a detailed value chain analysis, the study evaluates the set of region-specific approaches forged by the industry. To determine the market potential for Wholesale Carriers in the international scenario, the study delves into the competitive landscape and development landscape exhibited by the key geographic regions.Download Free Sample Report @The reports analysis is based on technical data and industry figures sourced from the most reputable databases. Other aspects that will prove especially beneficial to readers of the report are: investment feasibility analysis, recommendations for growth, investment return analysis, trends analysis, opportunity analysis, and SWOT analyses of competing companies. With the help of inputs and insights from technical and marketing experts, the report presents an objective assessment of the Wholesale Carriers market.This report also presents product specification, manufacturing process, and product cost structure etc. Production is separated by regions, technology and applications. Analysis also covers upstream raw materials, equipment, Downstream client survey, Marketing channels, Industry development trend and proposals. In the end, the report includes Wholesale Carriers new project SWOT analysis, Investment feasibility analysis, Investment return analysis, and Development trend analysis. In conclusion, it is a deep research report on Global Wholesale Carriers industry. Here, we express our thanks for the support and assistance from Wholesale Carriers industry chain related technical experts and marketing engineers during Research Teams survey and interviews.Access Full Report @Other important aspects that have been meticulously studied in the Wholesale Carriers market report are: Demand and supply dynamics, import and export scenario, industry processes and cost structures, and major R&D initiatives. The new opportunities they present to market players have been mentioned in the report.If you have any special requirements, please contact to our sales team : sales@fiormarkets.comAbout Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerOffice-102, Sanskriti AspirationsBaner Road, Pune,MH 411045IndiaPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Passenger Information System Market Forecast 2017-2022 Hitachi, Siemens Ag, Alstom, Cisco

Passenger Information System

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Passenger Information System MarketRecently published a detailed market study on the "Passenger Information System Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report on the global Passenger Information System market uses the top-down and bottom-up approaches to define, analyze, and describe the Passenger Information System market trends for the next five years. The Passenger Information System market report further provides production, capacity, Passenger Information System market price per region, gross margin, Passenger Information System production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in Passenger Information System report.The Global Passenger Information System Market 2017 report includes Passenger Information System market Revenue, market Share, Passenger Information System industry volume, market Trends, Passenger Information System Growth aspects. The Passenger Information System Market research report analyses and provides the Passenger Information System historical data along with current performance of the global Passenger Information System industry, and estimates the future trend of Passenger Information System market on the basis of this detailed study. Passenger Information System Market also focuses on the Passenger Information System market growth drivers and restraints for the Passenger Information System key market players during the forecast period.Ask For Sample :Top key Playes In Passenger Information System Market :HitachiSiemens AgAlstomCiscoAdvantech CorporationCubic CorporationGe TransportationHuawei TechnologiesTE ConnectivityThales GroupThe Passenger Information System market is divided into five major geographical segments :1. Passenger Information System North America.2. Passenger Information System Europe.3. Passenger Information System Asia Pacific.4. Passenger Information System Middle East.5. Passenger Information System Africa.6. Passenger Information System Latin America.Get Full Report :The competitive landscape of Passenger Information System global market is determined by assessing the major industry participants, Passenger Information System market production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Passenger Information System market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and Passenger Information System revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Passenger Information System market globally.The Passenger Information System Market report provides upstream and downstream analysis of Passenger Information System market that covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Passenger Information System along with detailed manufacturing sources. Passenger Information System report Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with Passenger Information System manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report.About UsMarketsResearch.Biz is a leading market intelligence team which making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Global Near Field Communication Systems Market Professional Survey Report 2017

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This report studies Near Field Communication Systems 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, coveringNXP SemiconductorsBroadcomGemaltoMediaTekTexas InstrumentsSTMicroelectronics NVInfineon TechnologiesInside SecureRenesas Electronics CorporationSamsung Electronics CorporationDownload Sample Report Copy From Here:On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPrinciple ProductsAuxiliary ProductsBy Application, the market can be split intoPayment MakingData SharingBanking OperationsOthersBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of ContentsGlobal Near Field Communication Systems Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Near Field Communication Systems1.1 Definition and Specifications of Near Field Communication Systems1.1.1 Definition of Near Field Communication Systems1.1.2 Specifications of Near Field Communication Systems1.2 Classification of Near Field Communication Systems1.2.1 Principle Products1.2.2 Auxiliary Products1.3 Applications of Near Field Communication Systems1.3.1 Payment Making1.3.2 Data Sharing1.3.3 Banking Operations1.3.4 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 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Near Field Communication Systems2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Near Field Communication Systems2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Near Field Communication Systems2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Near Field Communication Systems3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Near Field Communication Systems3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Near Field Communication Systems Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Near Field Communication Systems Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Near Field Communication Systems Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Near Field Communication Systems Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Near Field Communication Systems Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Near Field Communication Systems Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Near Field Communication Systems Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 Near Field Communication Systems Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Near Field Communication Systems Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Near Field Communication Systems Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Market Share Analysis5.2 China Near Field Communication Systems Market Analysis5.2.1 China Near Field Communication Systems Market Overview5.2.2 China 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe Near Field Communication Systems Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe Near Field Communication Systems Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Market Share Analysis5.4 Southeast Asia Near Field Communication Systems Market Analysis5.4.1 Southeast Asia Near Field Communication Systems Market Overview5.4.2 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 Southeast Asia 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan Near Field Communication Systems Market Analysis5.5.1 Japan Near Field Communication Systems Market Overview5.5.2 Japan 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.5.3 Japan 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price Analysis5.5.4 Japan 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Market Share Analysis5.6 India Near Field Communication Systems Market Analysis5.6.1 India Near Field Communication Systems Market Overview5.6.2 India 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.6.3 India 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price Analysis5.6.4 India 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Market Share Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of Near Field Communication Systems Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of Near Field Communication Systems Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 Principle Products of Near Field Communication Systems Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 Auxiliary Products of Near Field Communication Systems Growth Driving Factor Analysis7 Global 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Segment Market Analysis (by Application)7.1 Global 2012-2017E Near Field Communication Systems Consumption by Application7.2 Different Application of Near Field Communication Systems Product Interview Price Analysis7.3 Different Application of Near Field Communication Systems Product Driving Factors Analysis7.3.1 Payment Making of Near Field Communication Systems Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.2 Data Sharing of Near Field Communication Systems Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.3 Banking Operations of Near Field Communication Systems Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.4 Others of Near Field Communication Systems Growth Driving Factor Analysis8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Near Field Communication Systems8.1 NXP Semiconductors8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.2.1 Product A8.1.2.2 Product B8.1.3 NXP Semiconductors 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.1.4 NXP Semiconductors 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.2 Broadcom8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.2.1 Product A8.2.2.2 Product B8.2.3 Broadcom 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.2.4 Broadcom 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.3 Gemalto8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.2.1 Product A8.3.2.2 Product B8.3.3 Gemalto 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.3.4 Gemalto 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.4 MediaTek8.4.1 Company Profile8.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.4.2.1 Product A8.4.2.2 Product B8.4.3 MediaTek 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.4.4 MediaTek 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.5 Texas Instruments8.5.1 Company Profile8.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.5.2.1 Product A8.5.2.2 Product B8.5.3 Texas Instruments 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.5.4 Texas Instruments 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.6 STMicroelectronics NV8.6.1 Company Profile8.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.6.2.1 Product A8.6.2.2 Product B8.6.3 STMicroelectronics NV 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.6.4 STMicroelectronics NV 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.7 Infineon Technologies8.7.1 Company Profile8.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.7.2.1 Product A8.7.2.2 Product B8.7.3 Infineon Technologies 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.7.4 Infineon Technologies 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.8 Inside Secure8.8.1 Company Profile8.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.8.2.1 Product A8.8.2.2 Product B8.8.3 Inside Secure 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.8.4 Inside Secure 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.9 Renesas Electronics Corporation8.9.1 Company Profile8.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.9.2.1 Product A8.9.2.2 Product B8.9.3 Renesas Electronics Corporation 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.9.4 Renesas Electronics Corporation 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis8.10 Samsung Electronics Corporation8.10.1 Company Profile8.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.10.2.1 Product A8.10.2.2 Product B8.10.3 Samsung Electronics Corporation 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Sales, Ex-factory Price, Revenue, Gross Margin Analysis8.10.4 Samsung Electronics Corporation 2016 Near Field Communication Systems Business Region Distribution Analysis9 Development Trend of Analysis of Near Field Communication Systems Market9.1 Global Near Field Communication Systems Market Trend Analysis9.1.1 Global 2017-2022 Near Field Communication Systems Market Size (Volume and Value) Forecast9.1.2 Global 2017-2022 Near Field Communication Systems Sales Price Forecast9.2 Near Field Communication Systems Regional Market Trend9.2.1 North America 2017-2022 Near Field Communication Systems Consumption Forecast9.2.2 China 2017-2022 Near Field Communication Systems Consumption Forecast9.2.3 Europe 2017-2022 Near Field Communication Systems Consumption Forecast9.2.4 Southeast Asia 2017-2022 Near Field Communication Systems Consumption Forecast9.2.5 Japan 2017-2022 Near Field Communication Systems Consumption Forecast9.2.6 India 2017-2022 Near Field Communication Systems Consumption Forecast9.3 Near Field Communication Systems Market Trend (Product Type)9.4 Near Field Communication Systems Market Trend (Application)10 Near Field Communication Systems Marketing Type Analysis10.1 Near Field Communication Systems Regional Marketing Type Analysis10.2 Near Field Communication Systems International Trade Type Analysis10.3 Traders or Distributors with Contact Information of Near Field Communication Systems by Region10.4 Near Field Communication Systems Supply Chain Analysis11 Consumers Analysis of Near Field Communication Systems11.1 Consumer 1 Analysis11.2 Consumer 2 Analysis11.3 Consumer 3 Analysis11.4 Consumer 4 Analysis12 Conclusion of the Global Near Field Communication Systems Market Professional Survey Report 2017MethodologyAnalyst IntroductionData SourceBuy This Report Now:Global QYResearch() is the one 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Global PVC Coated Fabrics Market 2017 : Omnovo Solutions Inc, Seaman Corporation, Serge Ferrari Group and Sioen Industries NV

PVC Coated Fabrics

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This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering- TMI, LLC- Attwoolls Manufacturing- Mafatlal Gujarat Industries- Stafford Textiles Limited- Shreeji Textiles- Colmant Cuvelier- Ajy Tech India- Naizil Canad- Omnovo Solutions IncThe survey report by Market Research Store is an overview of the global PVC Coated Fabrics market. It covers all the recent trends including key developments in the global market in present and in future. Analyses of the global PVC Coated Fabrics market trends along with the projections of CAGRs (compound annual growth rates) are provided in the research report.Further, an evaluation of the history of the global market and the basic information of the global market is included in the report. A developmental perspective of the industry is also documented in the report. Competitive profiles of the key players in the industry are also discussed.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The research report provides both an assessment of recent developments in the industry along with forecasts examining the industry from the perspective of major competitors, present players and prospective end users in the PVC Coated Fabrics market.Forecasts are generated on the basis of region, type, product, supply, demand, and other vital factors of the global market. The research report analyzed the major factors driving the global PVC Coated Fabrics market in various countries with a satisfactory and manufacturing and structure of the global market. Forecasts are also provided region-wise in the research report.The research report comprises several chapters, tables, figures, graphs, and various other presentations formats so as to provide a precise overview of the market. The sequence of the report is maintained in such a way that highlights the overall flow of the global market. Recent developments in the global market are further described in the research report. The report also summarizes latest trends along with abstracts of the PVC Coated Fabrics market. Major competitors of the global market including commercial and non-commercial participants in the global market are also covered in the report.Inquiry For Bying @Thus, the research report provides in-depth analysis covering all the major regions, competitors, and vital aspects of the PVC Coated Fabrics industry.About Us: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.Contact US:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Fishing tackle Market Forecast 2012-2022: Beilun Haibo, Pokee Fishing, Humminbird, Eagle Claw, Tiemco

Fishing tackle

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http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-fishing-tackle-market-2017-demand-insights-key-players-segmentation-and-forecast-to-2022

Fishing tackle Market Research 2017A market study  Global Fishing tackle Market  examines the performance of the Fishing tackle market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Fishing tackle market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Fishing tackle market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Fishing tackle Market 2017 report includes Fishing tackle market Revenue, market Share, Fishing tackle industry volume, market Trends, Fishing tackle Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Fishing tackle Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Fishing tackle Market 2017 :1. Newell (Jarden Corporation)2. Globeride(Daiwa)3. Shimano4. Rapala VMC Corporation5. Weihai Guangwei Group6. Dongmi Fishing7. RYOBI8. Pokee Fishing9. Cabelas Inc.10. Eagle Claw11. Humminbird12. St. Croix Rods13. Gamakatsu14. Tica Fishing15. DUEL(YO-ZURI)16. Tiemco17. Preston Innovations18. Beilun Haibo19. AFTCO Mfg.20. O. Mustad & SonFishing tackle Market : By Application Freshwater Fishing Saltwater FishingFishing tackle Market : By Type Line, Leaders Lures, Files, Baits Terminal Tackle ElectronicsFirstly, the report covers the top Fishing tackle manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Fishing tackle report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Fishing tackle industry, Fishing tackle industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Fishing tackle Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Fishing tackle 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 Fishing tackle market revenue worldwide.Finally, Fishing tackle 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
Global Optical Storage Media Market Research Report 2017 - Moserbaer, Oyster Technologies, Microlite Corporation, Traxdata

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The market research report on the global Optical Storage Media market analyzes the prominent trends and technologies in the global Optical Storage Media market that are expected to play a key role in the overall development and future growth prospects of the market. The report highlights the key drivers, challenges, and opportunities that are expected to have a sizeable influence on the markets growth prospects over the period between 2017 and 2024.The report includes exhaustive and in-depth market-related data to present the reader a detailed outline of the global Optical Storage Media market. The report includes data that has been gathered with an investigative approach to examine the prominence of crucial market elements that are expected to affect its development over the next few years.Global Optical Storage Media market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingMoserbaerOyster TechnologiesMicrolite CorporationTraxdataBook a Sample Copy of this Report @The report presents an eloquent an easy-to-comprehend analysis of the global Optical Storage Media market, which is supported by numerous tables, bar and pie charts, and other graphic data elements in the report. The report presents data pertaining to the basic industry-specific definitions of key market elements, segmentation, and characteristics of the key aspects related to the global Optical Storage Media market.The report presents a thorough outline of the global Optical Storage Media market in a way that allows the reader to easily understand the crucial factors that will have a major impact on the development of the market, including the applications and the end-users. The vast data included in the report has been congregated with the help of a variety of primary and secondary research methodologies.The report presents a thorough overview of the competitive landscape of the global Optical Storage Media market with the help of detailed business profiles of key companies in the market. Along with vast details regarding the companies in terms of finances, product portfolios, revenues, and other aspects, detailed SWOT analysis of the key companies operating in the market has also been included in the report.Explore Full Report with TOC @Table of Contents1 Optical Storage Media Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Optical Storage Media1.2 Optical Storage Media Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.3 CD1.2.4 DVD1.2.5 USB1.3 Global Optical Storage Media Segment by Application1.3.1 Optical Storage Media Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Electronics1.3.3 Aerospace1.3.4 Automotive1.3.5 Others1.4 Global Optical Storage Media Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Optical Storage Media Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)QYResearch offers Latest Press & News @QYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Asia Pacific Bio Composites Market size and Key Trends in terms of volume and value 2014-2020

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Bio composites or green composites are formed by a biopolymer matrix and reinforcement of natural fibres. Someare degradable materials, but this is rare.Increasing concerns for the environment is a major driver of the bio composite market. Need for green composites is driven by depleting natural resources like crude oil (crude oil is a major component of non-bio composites), focus on reducing environmental pollution levels and utilization of agricultural waste. Natural fibres used in bio composites include natural fibres like Jute,wood flour, sugarcane bagasse, oil palm fibre,rice husk etc.Natural fibre reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites have gained popularity for commercial use in the automotive industry. The advantages of natural fibres over manmade glass fibre include reduced cost, low density, distinct mechanical properties, less energy consumption etc. Automakers are currently shifting towards bio composites as natural fibres like hempare tougher than steel and is also cost-effective in terms of production. Bio composites are also used in the construction and marine sectors as it is easily mouldable and rigid in nature.Request Report Sample@In terms of revenue, the global polymer market was estimated to be US$ 250 billion in 2013. Projections suggest that the market will reach US$450 billion by 2025. On the other hand, globalmarket of bio-based polymer is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10% - 11.5%. Increase in demand for bio composites is expected from regions of Asia Pacific, due to increasing construction, manufacturing and automotive sectors. Asia-Pacific is also estimated to be the largest automotive composite market with total share of around 43% globally. Asia-Pacific is turning into a hub for bio composite manufactures and is expected to report a high demand for bio composites over the coming years.Commercial and residential construction industry in APAC is flourishing and bio composite is preffered for manufacturing are used industry is assured to play a major role in it due to increasing environmental concerns, stringent government regulations and as a social responsibility.The key players in the market are divided into two groups which are bio composite manufacturers and bio composite suppliers. The main producers of natural fibre composites in the market are Flexform Technologies, Technaro GmbH, Procotex S.A. Corporation NV and Greengran B.V. The prominent suppliersof natural fibre composites are Stemergy, Bast Fibers, LLC and Crailar.Many companies offering bio composites are aggressively trying to enhance their product portfolio to meet customer requirements and explore untapped markets. The bio composite market in APAC is highly fragmented and existing players try to develop partnership agreements amongst themselves and with smaller companies.Visit For TOC@After a decade of extraordinary developments with regard to artificial fibres, bio composites have garnered high interest from the automotive sector, especially for interior and exteriors of automobiles. Social concerns, depleting carbon resources and ecological regulations have initiated the search for new products and processes that are environment friendly. The combination of natural fibres and composites can reduce dependence on petroleum-based composite material. Bio composites could ultimately replace petroleum-based composite material in various applications areas such as automotive and construction. This could also offer new manufacturing and environmental benefits. Increasing use of bio composites can help maintain CO2 balance in Earths atmosphere. Awareness with regard to the environment and new government regulations like CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy), new national and state emission standards will catalyze increased research for eco-friendly products in the application industry. As bio composites are produced from renewable sources such as wood pulp, jute fibers, cellulose fiber etc., it is imperative that the cost of raw materials will be stable in coming years. In addition to this high volume production of bio composites will also minimize the production cost, thus market prices of bio composites.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Food Wrap Film Market - Industry Shares, Market Strategies And Key Players

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Global Food Wrap Film Market: SnapshotThe global food wrap film market is foreseen to earn profitable growth opportunities on the back of various products such as shrink and stretch films. As a usual purpose, shrink food wrap film could be used for bundling several products. More often as retail packaging, shrink film could mainly be engaged for protecting individual products. After the contents of a product are wrapped and sealed around with shrink film, heat is applied using either heat tunnel or gun. The air is then evacuated, which causes the film to tightly shrink around the contents. Polyolefin films could possess an up to 20-30% of higher shrinkage capability. Furthermore, such films could create attractive retail packages.For more information on this report, fill the form @Stretch film is expected to offer great stability to products during shipping. Applicable either by machine or hand, it could be stretched up to a 200-300% for efficient usage. One of the best properties of such films is that they could return to their original size, which is anticipated to make a secure and tight load for shipping. Stretch film could be engaged for improving the material handling of a load within a factory while providing protection from pilferage, dust, and moisture.The rising food and beverage sector is projected to augur well for the growth of the demand for food wrap film. Besides being used for display purpose, polyolefin film could be employed because of its thermoplastic nature making it recyclable. The need to protect food products from biodegradation and environmental contamination is predicted to be another powerful factor augmenting the growth of the global food wrap film market.Food packaging plays an important role in keeping the food quality safe while handling and transportation. Food wrapping film is one of the most commonly available and preferred solution for food packaging. It is referred to by various names, such as saran wrap, plastic film and cling film. These films are mostly used to seal food items inside the container, in order to keep them fresh for a longer period. It protects the food products from contamination caused by microorganisms, air, and moisture, and helps prevent food spilling and leakage.The Dow Chemicals developed the first plastic wrap in 1933 and the company commercialized the product as saran plastic wrap in 1949. Initially, food wrap films were made of polyvinyl chloride; however, now, there are number of alternative materials available for the manufacturing of this film. Currently, majority of the consumers are increasingly focusing on using food wrap films, which are approved by the government-authorized bodies such as FDA, for food contact. The most commonly used raw materials for the production of food wrap films are polyolefin, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. Besides, there has been a significant rise in the usage of biodegradable materials for food packaging. Researchers and manufacturers, in collaboration, are trying to modify conventional plastic and innovate new materials for ensuring and maintaining safe and hygienic food packaging practices. Food wrap films made out of these new materials are ideal for direct food contact, in view of their various beneficial features, such as they offer resistance to external environment, are suited for freezer and cold storage use, are smoke and odor free, and are also durable.Obtain Report Details @Evolving life style of consumers, increasing health and environmental awareness, and supportive environmental policies implemented by various governments across the globe are the major factors responsible for the increasing global demand for food wrap films and, thereby, their market growth. Owing to its value added applications, right from protection of food products to their safe distribution and transportation, the market for food wrap films is expected to witness new investments and growth opportunities, especially in the developing countries. Besides, the food wrap films market is expected to continue to grow steadily in developed nations, wherein consumers need the product regularly for garbage storage and handling. The main growth drivers for the market are private consumers, retailers, and local packaging firms, which are focusing more on delivering the product in the local market.However, presence of big and small retailers and increasing consumer preference for using cheap local products has created a highly competitive environment for big brands in the food wrap films market.The global food wrap film market is segmented based on material type, product type and end user. By material, the global food wrap film market is segmented into conventional plastic and biodegradable plastic. By type, the market is segmented into shrink film, stretch film, coated film, non-coated film, and others. By end user,the market is segmented into private consumers and industrial consumers.By geography, the global food wrap film market has been classified into seven key regions, namely North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, the Middle East & Africa, and Japan. The global food wrap film market is anticipated to expand at a double digit CAGR over the forecast period. Asia Pacific market is expected to be the most attractive market for food wrap film packaging due to rise in end use applications of the packaging type in the region. As of 2016, China is the largest food wrap film market in Asia Pacific, followed by India, and the market in these countries is expected to grow rapidly in the near future. North America, followed by Western Europe, are the other prominent regions projected to hold a promising future growth potential in the food wrap film market by the end of 2026.Some of the key players in the global food wrap film market are US Packaging and Wrapping LCC, DM Packaging, Jhaveri Flexo India Ltd., Specialty Polyfilms Pvt. Ltd., Xiongxian Liya Packing Material Co., Ltd., Suzhou Innovation Packaging Materials Co. Ltd., Ricken Technos Corp., Mpact Limited, CeDo Ltd., and PrintPac Inc.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Chinas Laptop Market Trends, Production, Revenue and Growth Forecast Until 2026

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Market Research Hub (MRH) added a new research report to its vast database titled Chinas Laptop Market Report 2017 which provides extensive and highly detailed information on the key markets in the current Laptop industry. This report shows the deep research on Chinas Laptop industry and gives the comprehensive insights of this highly growing technology sector.Request Free Sample Report @This study focuses on Chinas Laptops market trends. In the two past decades, the market has been growing at a fast pace. The dramatic expansions of the manufacturing capabilities and rising consumer consumptions in China have transformed Chinas society and economy. China is one of the worlds major producers for industrial and consumer products. Far outpacing other economies in the world, China is the worlds fastest growing market for the consumptions of goods and services. The Chinese economy maintains a high speed growth which has been stimulated by the consecutive increases of industrial output, imports & exports, consumer consumption and capital investment for over two decades. Rapid consolidation between medium and large players is anticipated since the Chinese government has been encouraging industry consolidation with an effort to regulate the industry and to improve competitiveness in the world market.Although China has enjoyed the benefits of an expanding market for production and distribution, the industry is suffering from minimal innovation and investment in R&D and new product development. The sectors economies of scale have yet to be achieved. Most domestic manufacturers lack the autonomic intellectual property and financial resources to develop their own brand name products.This new study focuses on market trends and forecasts with historical data (2006, 2011 and 2016) and long-term forecasts through 2021 and 2026 are presented.The primary and secondary research is done in China in order to access up-to-date government regulations, market information and industry data. Data were collected from the Chinese government publications, Chinese language newspapers and magazines, industry associations, local governments industry bureaus, industry publications, and our in-house databases.Browse Full Report with TOC @Table of Content:I. INTRODUCTIONReport Scope and MethodologyExecutive SummaryII. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTEconomic OutlookKey Economic IndicatorsIndustrial OutputPopulation and LaborForeign InvestmentForeign TradeFinancial and Tax RegulationsBanking System and RegulationsForeign ExchangeTaxes, Tariff and Custom DutiesMarket TrendsTechnology DevelopmentMarket DevelopmentMajor Industry DevelopmentRegional DevelopmentEnterprise DevelopmentLabor Market DevelopmentIII. LAPTOPS MARKET TRENDSLaptops Market TrendsCurrent Market AnalysesMarket Development TrendsMarket ChallengesMajor ProducersChinese Retail Market TrendsConsumer Income TrendsConsumer Spending Trends by RegionNortheastNorthSoutheastCentralSouthwestNorthwestIV. MARKETING STRATEGIESChina Market Entry OverviewChinas Distribution SystemDistribution ChannelsTransportation and Freight InfrastructureCommunicationsChinas Market EntryExporting to ChinaLicenseFranchisingE-CommerceTrading Companies and Local AgentsRepresentative Offices and SubsidiariesJoint VenturesWholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise.continueMake an Enquiry @About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of semiconductors market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients and customers.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News at -
APAC Solid State Transformers Market size and Key Trends in terms of volume and value 2014-2020

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With the increase in use of renewable energy and distributed energy sources, use of traditional transformers has increased the complexity of the electrical power grids. In order to overcome this complexity, there is need to adopt newer technologies to ensure better control and more reliable operation of the grid. Transformers are fundamental components of any power distribution system. However, this system does have certain drawbacks such as voltage drop under load, sensitivity to harmonics and performance degradation under system disruptions and overload. The need to cope with these disadvantages is gaining importance as supply of quality power is one of the major issues in todays scenario. A solid state transformers (SST)is considered a key enabler for power grids, as they provide better control over the system, with high load handling capacity as well as efficient bi-directional power flow.A SST is capable of easily replacing a conventional transformer in an electrical system. Major applications of SST include locomotive and other traction systems, offshore energy generation systems (wind, tidal or any other source) and smart (power) grids. SSTs are able to deliver power at 400 Hz and can also be used as three-phase power system from a single phase line, which is difficult to obtain from conventional transformers. Depending upon its topologies, SSTs can be classified as:AC to AC buck converterSST with and without a DC linkThree-stage SSTRequest Report Sample@The SST market is in its nascent stage. It has huge market potential in the distribution network of power grids. The overall market is expected to grow at a double-digit CAGR between 2012 and 2020.The APAC region is estimated to account for the highest market share by 2020.Smart grids is expected to be the largest segment among the aforementioned applications. The expenditure on smart grids is highest in Asia Pacific, especially in China, which occupies largest share in the region.Major energy storage capacity additions, installation of renewable energy generation capacities, investments into power transmission and distribution infrastructure are the chief drivers of the solid state transformers market globally. Manufacturers are now engaging into major research and development efforts to bring SSTs into commercial installation and deployment however, cost-competitiveness will be a major challenge for the manufacturers..Some of the major players in the market for solid state transformers technology are ABB (Switzerland), Siemens AG (Germany), Alstom (France), Schneider Electric SA (France), Avago Technologies Limited (U.S.), Bombardier, Inc. (Canada),Cooper Power Systems (U.S.), SPX Transformers (U.S.), GE (U.S.), Duke Energy (U.S.), Plasmatechnics, Inc. (U.S.), Selco (U.S.), Varentec (U.S.) and Gridco Systems (U.S.). The leading components manufacturing companies in the field of SST technology are CREE, Inc. (U.S.), STMicroelectronics (U.S.), Infineon Technologies (Germany) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan).SSTs are being tested majorly in Europe and North America.Visit For TOC@SSTs ideally solve problems such as saturation of core of nonlinear load, poor voltage regulations and bulky systems, and they also serve as an energy router for smart grid energy network, thus improving scope of its application areas. The solid state transformer does not utilize any hazardous liquid dielectrics, thus giving it an edge over conventional transformers. Smart grid and traction transformers offer substantial market opportunity to solid state transformers. Commercialization for SST is low currently, but this is expected to increase over the next two years owing to research and development efforts by companies and add-on benefits.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Aircraft MRO Market Is Expected To Reach USD 95 Billion By 2023

Aircraft MRO Market

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Market Highlights:The increased focus of OEMs on aircraft MRO services is a key factor driving the global aircraft MRO market. In 2013, aircraft OEMs generated 50% of their revenue by providing MRO services and the rest by manufacturing engines. For example, Airbus, a major developer of aircraft, also provides the aircraft MRO services, worldwide. Similarly, Pratt & Whitney, a key manufacturer of advanced aircraft engines, also provides engine and line maintenance on a wide range of its engines. This brings a good opportunity for the third-party companies to partner with these OEMs and establish MRO service centers in those areas.Request a Sample Copy @Asia had the largest share of the global aircraft MRO market in 2016. It is an emerging region in the long-haul international market and it relies heavily on small and medium wide-body aircraft. As a result, a number of such airlines have been entering into service, recently such as Indigo, Tigerair Singapore, Tigerair Australia, and Air Asia. Moreover, Asia-Pacific is home to major MRO service providers such as HAECO, GMF AeroAsia, and ST Aerospace, and is projected to witness the highest growth rate, during the forecast period. In addition, due to the low labor rates, North American airlines outsource 60% of their heavy maintenance and airframe MRO, to Asia, where it is a major source of income.Global Aircraft MRO Market:Air travel in emerging countries is growing, thus increasing the demand for aircraft MRO services. Numerous new MRO service centers have been setup in many countries in recent years. This increases the participation of regional companies (tier-II or tier-III suppliers) in the field of aircraft MRO. Moreover, the growing international trade between countries have increased frequencies of cargo planes. Thus, it is essential to conduct timely checks or repairs on airplanes to ensure efficient performance and safe air travel. The market is driven by various factors such as increased focus of OEMs on aircraft MRO service and rapid aircraft fleet expansion. Also, the increased need for proper maintenance of engines & components, is driving the growth of the aircraft MRO market. The global aircraft MRO market is expected to surpass USD 95 billion, by 2023, growing at a CAGR of more than 5%, during the forecast period.Key Players:The key players of the global aircraft MRO market are Airbus Group, Air France KLM Engineering & Maintenance, Air Works, Delta TechOps, HAECO, Honeywell International, GMF AeroAsia, Lufthansa Technik, Jet Maintenance Solutions, and ST Aerospace. In 2016, Airbus Group, Air France KLM Engineering & Maintenance, Lufthansa Technik, and ST Aerospace accounted for over 35% of the global market.Access Report Details @Market Research Analysis:Aircraft MRO is one of the key areas, where every country focuses upon. These services are essential in ensuring smooth operation of an aircraft. The rapid aircraft fleet expansion along with the increased focus on providing aircraft MRO services by OEMs, are expected to result in an increase in aircraft MRO expenses and as well as it is expected to add to the growth of the market.However, the environmental hazards along with the increased retirement of maintenance-intensive aircraft may restrict the growth of the global aircraft MRO market.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Delivery Saver Schemes UK Market 2017 - Entry Exit of Key Players, Identify Opportunities and Challenges

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Summary"Delivery Saver Schemes in the UK - 2017", report looks at delivery saver schemes offered by food & grocery and non-food retailers in the UK. Delivery saver schemes are increasingly being offered by retailers such as Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Amazon and ASOS as a way to boost loyalty and drive up order frequency. In this report, we look at penetration and profile of food & grocery and non-food delivery saver scheme subscribers as well as penetration and profile of subscribers, by retailer. We also cover the drivers and views of subscribers and non-subscribers and look at how the different food & grocery and non-food delivery schemes compare.The Delivery saver schemes report offers comprehensive insight and analysis of delivery saver schemes in the UK.GET SAMPLE REPORT @The report provides in-depth analysis of the following for food & grocery delivery saver schemes and non-food delivery saver schemes -- Who subscribes by demographic- Who subscribes by type of scheme- Who subscribes by retailer- How people shop- Why people shop- Delivery saver scheme specificationsScopeFood & grocery delivery saver schemes -- 43.1% of non-subscribers stated that saving money on groceries through discount codes or vouchers would encourage them to sign up for a delivery saver scheme. Grocers should offer exclusive discounts on food & grocery products to attract new subscribers. Discounts would be particularly attractive to non-subscribers considering food & grocery prices are expected to continue rising due to the weak pound.- Though Tesco has the highest penetration with 32.6% of all food & grocery delivery saver scheme subscribers using the Tesco delivery saver scheme, only 30.5% of Tesco subscribers stated that they shop more since signing up. The grocer should widen the perks it offers, for example offering a complimentary bottle of wine when subscribers spend over a certain limit, to boost spend and order frequency.Non- food delivery saver schemes -- Amazon Prime accounts of 82.0% of all non-food delivery saver scheme subscriptions. The e-commerce giant offers free next day delivery on a vast amount of items and same day delivery for selected items in certain postcodes. Aside from the fulfilment benefits, subscribers also have access to extra add-on services, such as Prime Instant Video and Prime Music. Retailers who offer a delivery scheme should also offer extra services to their consumers, for example, early access to seasonal Sales, to further encourage uptake and spending.- 34.1% of online shoppers aged 25-34 are subscribed to a non-food delivery saver scheme compared to only 9.0% of online shoppers aged 55-64.This is widely driven by fashion retailers, such as ASOS, in which 70.6% of subscribers are within the 15-34 age group.Reasons to buy- Understand the overall penetration and profile of subscribers for both food & grocery and non-food delivery saver schemes, by demographic.- Understand the profile of subscribers for both food & grocery and non-food delivery saver schemes per retailer by demographic, to comprehend which type of consumers competing retailers strongly resonate with.- Review drivers of subscriptions for both food & grocery and non-food delivery saver schemes for subscribers and non-subscribers, in order to better target consumers and boost shopper conversion levels.- Review food & grocery and non-food delivery saver scheme specifications per retailer, to gain a greater insight in relation to schemes that are currently offered by competitors.Table of Content: Key PointsFood & grocery delivery saver schemesWho subscribes by retailerWho subscribes by type of schemeHow people shopWhy people shopFood & grocery delivery saver scheme specificationsNon-food delivery saver schemesWho subscribes by retailerHow people shopWhy people shopNon-food delivery saver scheme specificationsMethodologyContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017

Global Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017

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The Global Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Methylcyclohexane industry.Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The Methylcyclohexane market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status.Secondly, development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. Whats more, the Methylcyclohexane industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Global Methylcyclohexane market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Methylcyclohexane sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingChevron Philips ChemcalTotalHuntsmanSANKYO CHEMICALMaruzen PetrochemicalSKTASCOJiangsu YangnongChangde Chemical......Ask a complete & professional report sample, please send message to tinaning@qyresearch.com or visit atTable of contents:1 Methylcyclohexane Market Overview2 Global Methylcyclohexane Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application3 United States Methylcyclohexane (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 China Methylcyclohexane (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 Europe Methylcyclohexane (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6 Japan Methylcyclohexane (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 Southeast Asia Methylcyclohexane (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 India Methylcyclohexane (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Global Methylcyclohexane Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data10 Methylcyclohexane Maufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Methylcyclohexane Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 AppendixRelated Reports:Europe Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017China Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017USA Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017Korea Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017Japan Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017India Methylcyclohexane Sales Market Report 2017Contact Details:Company Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITED | focus on Market Survey and ResearchTina| Sales ManagersEmail: tinaning@qyresearch.com Tel: 0086-20-22093278(CN)Web:QYResearch focus on Market Survey and ResearchQYResearch established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc industries experts who own more than 10 years experiences on marketing or R&D), professional survey team (the team member with more than 3 years market survey experience and more than 2 years depth expert interview experience),Excellent data analysis team (SPSS statistics and PPT graphics process team); QYResearch has always pursuit product quality, adhere to the quality is the soul of business.Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe District
Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption Market Research Report 2016 -2021

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The recently published report titled Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption Industry 2016 Market Research Report is an in depth study providing complete analysis of the industry for the period 2016 a 2021. It provides complete overview of Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption market considering all the major industry trends, market dynamics and competitive scenario.The Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption Industry Report 2016 is an in depth study analyzing the current state of the Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption market. It provides brief overview of the market focusing on definitions, market segmentation, end-use applications and industry chain analysis. The study on Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption market provides analysis of market covering the industry trends, recent developments in the market and competitive landscape. Competitive analysis includes competitive information of leading players in market, their company profiles, product portfolio, capacity, production, and company financials. In addition, report also provides upstream raw material analysis and downstream demand analysis along with the key development trends and sales channel analysis. Research study on Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption market also discusses the opportunity areas for investors.With 153 tables and figures, the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Download Sample Report Copy From Here:Reasons to Buy this ReportThe research report will enrich your decision-making capability by helping you to aDesign and improve your product development and sales strategies and enhancing your marketing activitiesDevelop business strategies by understanding the market dynamics and developments driving the Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption marketDevelop market-entry strategies and effective ways to sustain competitionCreate merger and acquisition opportunities by identifying the market players with the most innovative pipelinesIdentify the regional market potential which would further help in designing regional market strategiesUnderstand the competitive scenario in the Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption marketTake more informed business decisions by relying on the insightful opinions from industry expertsWhy Global QY Research ?Technically acclaimed Analysts with complete industry know howRobust research methodology followed by our publishers to arrive at market estimatesFocus on technology trendsExtensive repository of market research reports to meet our clientas needsBased on extensive research, we provide clear view of real market scenario and help clients with making informed business decisionsTable of Contents1 Industry Overview of Retail E-commerce Software1.1 Definition and Specifications of Retail E-commerce Software1.1.1 Definition of Retail E-commerce Software1.1.2 Specifications of Retail E-commerce Software1.2 Classification of Retail E-commerce Software1.3 Applications of Retail E-commerce Software1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Retail E-commerce Software1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Retail E-commerce Software1.5.1 Industry Overview of Retail E-commerce Software1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Retail E-commerce Software1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software1.7 Industry News Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software3 3 Global Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales and Sale Price Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software3.1 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20163.2 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Regions 2011-20163.3 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20163.4 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20163.5 Global Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20163.6 Global Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Regions 2011-20163.7 Global Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20163.8 Global Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20163.9 Global Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20164 USA Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software4.1 USA Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20164.2 USA Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20164.3 USA Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20164.4 USA Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20164.5 USA Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20164.6 USA Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20164.7 USA Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20164.8 USA Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20164.9 USA End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications5 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software5.1 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20165.2 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20165.3 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20165.4 Europe Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20165.5 Europe Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20165.6 Europe Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20165.7 Europe Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20165.8 Europe Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20165.9 Europe End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications6 China Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software6.1 China Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20166.2 China Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20166.3 China Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20166.4 China Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20166.5 China Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20166.6 China Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20166.7 China Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20166.8 China Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20166.9 China End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications7 Japan Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software7.1 Japan Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20167.2 Japan Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20167.3 Japan Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20167.4 Japan Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20167.5 Japan Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2011-20167.6 Japan Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2011-20167.7 Japan Sale Price of Retail E-commerce Software by Companies 2011-20167.8 Japan Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Retail E-commerce Software 2011-20167.9 Japan End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software8.1 Oracle8.1.1 Company Profile8.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.1.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.1.4 Contact Information8.2 IBM8.2.1 Company Profile8.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.2.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.2.4 Contact Information8.3 Hybris Software8.3.1 Company Profile8.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.3.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.3.4 Contact Information8.4 Adobe Systems Incorporated8.4.1 Company Profile8.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.4.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.4.4 Contact Information8.5 WooCommerce8.5.1 Company Profile8.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.5.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.5.4 Contact Information8.6 Shopify8.6.1 Company Profile8.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.6.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.6.4 Contact Information8.7 PrestaShop8.7.1 Company Profile8.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.7.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.7.4 Contact Information8.8 Intershop8.8.1 Company Profile8.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.8.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.8.4 Contact Information8.9 Sitecore8.9.1 Company Profile8.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.9.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.9.4 Contact Information8.10 Jagged Peak8.10.1 Company Profile8.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.10.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.10.4 Contact Information8.11 Elastic Path Software8.11.1 Company Profile8.11.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.11.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.11.4 Contact Information8.12 Squarespace8.12.1 Company Profile8.12.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.12.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.12.4 Contact Information8.13 Evision8.13.1 Company Profile8.13.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.13.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.13.4 Contact Information8.14 JDA Software8.14.1 Company Profile8.14.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.14.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.14.4 Contact Information8.15 CenturyLink8.15.1 Company Profile8.15.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.15.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.15.4 Contact Information8.16 Insite Software8.16.1 Company Profile8.16.2 Product Picture and Specifications8.16.3 Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price and Gross Margin8.16.4 Contact Information...9 Global Production Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software by Regions9.1 Global Production of Retail E-commerce Software by Regions 2011-20169.2 Global Production Market Share of Retail E-commerce Software by Regions 2011-201610 Global and Major Regions Market Size (Volume and Value) Forecast of Retail E-commerce Software10.1 Global and Major Regions Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Retail E-commerce Software 2016-202110.2 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Regions 2016-202110.3 Global and Major Regions Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Types 2016-202110.4 Global and Major Regions Market Size (Volume and Value) of Retail E-commerce Software by Applications 2016-202111 Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software11.1 Marketing Channels Status of Retail E-commerce Software11.2 Traders or Distributors with Contact Information of Retail E-commerce Software by Regions11.3 Regional Import, Export and Trade Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software12 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software12.1 New Project SWOT Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software12.2 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Retail E-commerce Software13 Conclusion of the Global Retail E-commerce Software Consumption 2016 Market Research ReportBuy Now This Report From Here:Global QYResearch() is the one spot destination for all your research needs. Global QYResearch holds the repository of quality research reports from numerous publishers across the globe. Our inventory of research reports caters to various industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. With the complete information about the publishers and the industries they cater to for developing market research reports, we help our clients in making purchase decision by understanding their requirements and suggesting best possible collection matching their needs.Unit 1, 26 Cleveland Road, South Woodford, London,E182AN, United KingdomCall: +44 20 3239 2407sales@globalqyresearch.com
Industrial Valve Market: Global Industry Analysis (20122016) and Opportunity Assessment (2017-2027)

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The demand for Petroleum Products has skyrocketed across the globe, both in developed and emerging economies. With the introduction of newer technologies, there has been growth in subsea oil and shale gas extraction in diverse regions such as North America and Europe. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's International Energy Outlook 2016 (IEO2016) and Annual Energy Outlook 2016, shale gas production comprised more than 50% of natural gas production in the country and it is anticipated to double by the year 2040 to 79 bcf/d by the year 2040. An increasing number of projects in the global Oil & Gas industry should bring about rapid momentum in the pipeline installation and construction industry. These pipelines are laid down over extremely long distances and fitted with a number of valves from the industrial valve market to regulate hydrocarbon flow.Request for Sample Report:Increased exploration activities for new sources of Oil & Gas to boost sector growthThere has been a noticeable spike in oil & gas exploration activities both offshore and onshore to cater to the ever-increasing need for oil & gas production. New refineries have been built while existing ones have been upgraded or modernised and this is expected to boost demand in the global industrial valve market. Countries in Latin America such as Argentina, Brazil, and Peru, in particular, have seen a massive boost in offshore O&G exploration activities. The industrial valve market growth is directly connected to these upstream and downstream activities. For e.g., Total SA has pledged to spend half a billion dollars over a period of 4 years to develop a shale gas field in Argentina as the national government has promised investors a minimum price.Greater subsea activities to be a major driver of the industrial valve marketEuropean nations such as Russia and Poland have been investing substantially in subsea exploration. Russia has also looked to the Arctic Circle to extract precious natural resources. The installation of such subsea stations and the processing of minerals along with the installation of temporary setups is predicted to fuel the growth of the global industrial valve market. According to a PennWell Corporation report, Nord Stream 2 AG contracted Allseas in 2016 for the Nord Stream 2 natural gas offshore pipeline in the Baltic Sea. These pipelines are forecast to expand the capacity along the Baltic route from Germany to Russia.Decline in oil prices to be a key challenge for the Oil & Gas industryThe glut in oil prices has brought about an element of uncertainty in the Oil & Gas industry, leading to a pause in innovations and R&D activities. This directly impacts the industrial valve market, as Oil & Gas is the largest end-user of the industrial valve market. For the next few years, the chance of new projects being approved across different countries appears quite slim. This will likely hamper the profitable growth of the global industrial valve market.Browse Full Report with TOC:Rapid economic growth and rising disposable income has led to improved infrastructure and the need for personal mobility in the APEJ region. This should definitely help the APEJ industrial valve market. The Oil & Gas end use industry segment in the APEJ industrial valve market is anticipated to grow 1.6X over the forecast period. From a market valuation of around US$ 7.6 Bn in 2016, the Oil & Gas end use industry segment in the APEJ industrial valve market is forecast to rise to nearly US$ 12.7 Bn by the end of 2027, registering a CAGR of 4.7%. In terms of volume, it should be just below 89,000,000 pieces by the end of the forecast period from approximately 54,550,000 pieces in 2016 with a CAGR of 4.5%.About UsMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comFollow Us on LinkedIn-Follow Us On Twitter-
Coal Bed Methane Market Dynamics, Forecast, Analysis and Supply Demand 2014-2020

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Under the purview of energy, coal bed methane primarily refers to the natural gas or methane recovery from un-mined coal seams and adjacent sandstones. Such methane recovery usually occurs prior to mining, whereas in some cases, coal seams remain un-mined and methane recovery from such sites is known as virgin coal bed methane. Coal bed methane recovery from un-mined coal mines is of strategic importance as absolute or maximum drainage of the methane seam is necessary to avoid the risk of explosion as well as mitigate the emission of methane in the atmosphere from coal mining operations. From the estimated global coal bed methane reserve of about 4,000 Tcf to 5,000 Tcf, about 20% to 25% is recoverable.The fact that the coal in some sites is at a greater depth, makes it not feasible to extract it on account of the associated safety. This and other environmental and economic considerations serve as the drivers for the global coal bed methane market. Further, the shifting focus towards the use of unconventional energy sources serves as another factor for the growth of global coal bed methane market. The constraints of the coal bed methane are dependent on the accessibility of coal seams. Major constraints of the global coal bed methane market include environmental, regulatory, technical and economic challenges. Among these, environmental constraints include risk associated with greenhouse gas emission. The economical challenges associated with the global coal bed methane market are more prevalent in the early stages of the recovery, when large quantities of water are pumped in with minimal recovery of revenue producing gas. This dewatering and produced water disposal cost is of significant importance for any carbon bed methane project. Although the development cost for the coal bed methane project is relatively lower, it is always a challenge to keep it within minimal range to achieve profitability. The technical constraints of the coal bed methane market depend on the well completion and optimization design to achieve maximum production with optimum number, spacing and location of wells. Also, handling and disposal of water at a minimal cost alongwith the efficient reservoir characterisation are other key technical restraints for global coal bed methane market. Also, coal bed methane requires a low pressure pipeline system which acts as an economical constraint. However, the potential of carbon bed methane to serve as a supplement for conventional natural gas supply and its contribution towards the global energy mix will act as an opportunity for global coal bed methane market. However, the market expansion of the global coal bed methane will be dependent upon the growth of newer technology and development.Request Report Sample@Market segmentation of global coal bed methane can be done on the basis of application, technology and geography. On the basis of application, the global carbon methane market includes commercial application, industrial application, power generation, residential application, and transportation. On the basis of technology, the global carbon bed methane market includes fracturing techniques including hydro-fracturing, proppant-based fracturing and chemical additive based fracturing, exploration, and drilling. Among these, fracturing techniques have been utilised most frequently for coal bed methane recovery. On the basis of geography, the global coal bed methane market includes North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Japan, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Among these, the largest carbon bed methane resource bases are found in Canada, China, US, Soviet Union and Australia, with Canada accounting for the maximum share followed by the Soviet Union, China, Australia and US. On a broader level, any country with abundant coal reserves and population, and high energy demand will serve as a potential market for carbon bed methane development at a global level. The demand for coal bed methane gas is evident alongwith the demand for natural gas in China and other Asian countries. Associated exploration in the US has been active in the past few years whereas Canada witnessed lower exploration and the development offewer extraction technologies pertaining to global coal bed methane market.Visit For TOC@Some of the prominent players of the global coal bed methane market include Santos, Quick Silver Resources Inc, Baker Hughes Incorporated, BG Group, Arrow Energy, Blue Energy Limited, Halliburton, Dart Energy Ltd., Fortune Oil PLC, ConocoPhillips and Metgasco Limited.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
High Temperature Ceramics Market Volume Forecast and Value Chain Analysis 2014-2020

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Ceramics are covalent compounds containing metal and non-metal atoms primarily held in covalent and ionic bonds. Generally, ceramics are made by taking mixtures of earth elements, powders, water and clay. This mixture is shaped into the desired form and is then fired in a high temperature oven. Ceramics are then painted with glazes which are waterproof and decorative. At elevated temperature, ceramics have high hardness, high melting points, excellent chemical corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties. Some ceramics are good dielectrics or insulators, whereas others are good electrical or thermal conductors. Ceramics are widely used in our daily life. Glass, plates, bricks, tiles and sanitary ware are some examples of the ceramics we see every day. Ceramics can also be found in products like automobiles (sparkplug), phone lines and watches. They are even used in space shuttles and aircrafts. Ceramics can be broadly classified into two categories: traditional and advanced. Traditional ceramics include clay products such as cement and glass, whereas advanced ceramics consist of pure oxides, nitrides, carbides and many others.Advanced ceramics are widely used in industrial applications where the operating temperature is generally high or which require hard substances that can withstand great pressure. Ceramics offer various advantages compared to other materials. Ceramics are more corrosion and heat resistant than polymers or metals, stiffer and harder than steel, and have a lower density than most alloys and metals. Raw material for advance ceramics materials are plentiful, inexpensive and display wide range of properties. For automotive applications, they are used in various applications like airbag sensors, spark plugs, valves, vibration sensors, pressure sensors, oxygen sensors, thermistors, catalytic converters, ceramic rotors, ceramic filters piston rings and safety glass windshields.Request Report Sample@The different types of high temperature ceramics include ceramic matrix composites and ultrahigh temperature ceramic coatings. Advanced high temperature materials are key components in the emerging material technologies, which are giving impetus to many industries. The global high temperature ceramics market is driven by several factors like replacement of materials for the sake of creating cost effective solutions, the growing demand for energy conservation across various industries, and government regulations to reduce greenhouse emissions.The global high temperature ceramics market is led by AsiaPacific (APAC) which accounts for over 40-45% of the total consumption by volume. The cost of high temperature ceramics in APAC is lesser than that in Europe, North America or Latin America. In terms of revenue, North America is the largest market followed by APAC and Europe. The cost of high temperature ceramics is expected to remain low for the next few years in the APAC region. Due to government regulations and incentives offered for sustainability and energy conservation, North America and Europe are expected to offer significant growth opportunities for the high temperature ceramics market.On the basis of industry applications, the global high temperature ceramics market is segmented into automotive, aerospace, chemical processing, metallurgical, power generation and others. Some of the most common applications of high temperature ceramics are afterburners, boilers, castings, exhaust stacks, flanges, furnaces, headers, incinerators, manifolds, molds and dies, ovens, heat exchangers, pumps, blowers, pipingand ducting. In the aerospace industry, high temperature ceramics are used in cutting edge applications, which require structural and chemical stability at extremely high operating temperatures. On the basis of composition, the high temperature ceramics are segmented into oxides (alumina, zirconia), non-oxides (carbides, nitrides) and composites (combination of oxides and non-oxides).Visit For TOC@There are many global and regional players operating in the high temperature ceramics market especially in APAC. Some of the key participants are Morgan Thermal Ceramics, ZIRCAR Ceramics, Inc., Skamol A/S, Promat International, IBIDEN Company Ltd., Rath Incorporated, General Insulation Europe Ltd., Unifrax Corporation, and Shandong Luyang Share Co. Ltd.In future, the understanding and controlling behavior of the microstructures and properties of high temperature ceramics are expected to be key elements in research activities. This research will further increase the operating temperature limits of existing high temperature ceramics.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Phototherapy Treatment Market for Acne and Psoriasis North America and Europe Industry Analysis 2012 - 2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017 - 2027

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In Canada, the majority of the psoriasis patients are mainly diagnosed by family physicians rather than by dermatologists. The reason behind this is the lack of dermatologists and related services in Canada. For instance, according to a report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Canada had less than 2 dermatologists per 100,000 individuals in 2015, which is very less when compared with European countries. It has also been observed that family physicians typically prefer topical therapies than biologics/phototherapy to treat psoriasis conditions, while dermatologists prefer phototherapy more than the other available therapies/medications. This recent trend is boosting the Phototherapy Market. While in the U.S. the growing population of adult women suffering from acne and psoriasis is an important factor driving revenue growth of the phototherapy segment. The population of adult women is rising with higher rates in North America than in European countries such as Germany, Italy, France and Spain. The growth in women adult acne conditions in North America is mainly due to increase in male hormonal (androgens) levels in females.Request for Sample Report:Complementary therapies such as balneotherapy along with UV radiation is quite popular in Western European countries. Balneotherapy is the oldest treatment method available to treat the psoriasis condition. In this treatment, the patient undergoes a bath in high mineralized brine, which causes a mechanical removal of skin scales and increases the sensitivity of skin to UV radiation. Combination therapies are set to witness high potential in austerity driven markets in Europe as noted by many clinic managers. Faltering out-of-pocket expenses for a service that is considered as a desire or luxury coupled with a tricky pricing of combination treatments involving a device and a drug are factors successfully helping in generating revenue in the market. This trend is very prominent in countries such as the U.K. and Spain.Approved by the FDA to treat acne and psoriasis, blue light therapy dominates the North America and Europe phototherapy treatment marketBy phototherapy type, blue light therapy dominated the North America and Europe phototherapy treatment market for psoriasis and acne, and is expected to be the most lucrative segment over the forecast period, with a market attractiveness index of 3.3. By the end of 2027, the blue light phototherapy segment is projected to reach more than US$ 1,000 Mn, expanding at a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period. Revenue from the Narrowband UVB phototherapy segment in the North America and Europe phototherapy treatment market for psoriasis and acne is expected to grow 1.9x by 2027 end as compared to that in 2017. The Red Light Phototherapy and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Phototherapy segments represent the lowest market attractiveness index of 0.3 each.Browse Full Report with TOC:Various treatments are currently available in the market to treat acne and psoriasis conditions. For instance, to treat acne conditions various drugs are available in the market such as topical/oral antibiotics and retinoid and chemical peels, among others. Due to a lot of available treatment options, physicians prescribe different treatments according to the patients skin nature and availability of drugs. Owing to the many treatment options, very few physicians prescribe phototherapy to patients. Furthermore, availability of non-office based treatments to treat acne and psoriasis conditions has a negative impact on the growth of the phototherapy segment. Furthermore, the decline of reimbursement pay and lack of adequate phototherapy units in the market are projected to hamper revenue growth of the phototherapy segment over the forecast period.About UsMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.ContactState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comFollow Us on LinkedIn-Follow Us On Twitter-
Global Above the Neck PPE Deep Research on Industrial and Market studies 2017-2021

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"Global Above the Neck PPE Market 2017-2021" The Report covers current Industries Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.Description-About Above the Neck PPEAbove the neck PPE is an essential part of the overall personal protective equipment (PPE) market. Above the neck PPE mainly consists of head protection, face protection, hearing protection, respiratory protection, and eye protection equipment. PPE comprises products that are worn by workers to protect themselves from occupational hazards. PPE is used in several industries such as manufacturing, construction, chemical, oil and gas, food processing, pharmaceuticals. PPE is used across these end-user industries to prevent life-threatening injuries that can result from factors such as low visibility, explosions, noise, chemicals, cuts, airborne particles, abrasions, and fire.Technavios analysts forecast the global above the neck PPE market to grow at a CAGR of 4.55% during the period 2017-2021.Get Sample Report With TOC @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global above the neck PPE market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers demand for different types of above the neck PPE among various end-users.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Above the neck PPE 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 vendors3MHoneywell InternationalKimberly-ClarkMSA SafetyOther prominent vendorsArmstrong productsBolle SafetyCenturion Safety EUCompass ApparelDelta Plus GroupJoseph LeslieJSPKARAMMallcom IndiaNAFFCOProfessional Protection SystemsSafecoScott SafetySure SafetySwiss One SafetyMarket driverContinuous design innovationsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeLow consumer complianceFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendAnti-fogging safety eyewearFor 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?Full Report @ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Researchmoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Hughes to explore ground segment innovations for milsatcom

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SMi Groups 19th Global MilSatCom Conference will highlight the importance of ground segment innovations for military satellite communications.Ground segment continues to play a crucial role, as the importance of enabling secure mission-critical connectivity anywhere at any time continues to grow for defence forces around the globe. In line with this, SMi's Global MilSatCom Conference & Exhibition will present an exclusive interactive panel discussion on this timely topic, where key experts will explore ground segment innovations ensuring effective end-to-end secured satellite communications.This session will provide a platform for industry representatives and decision makers to discuss challenges facing the ground segment, and solutions they can provide, as the end users' demand for flexibility and increased bandwidth continues to grow. Highlights will include: R&D progress and how this can benefit military users Applications and implications for SatCom-on-the-Move Ground systems for HTS satellites The importance of interoperability and flexibility in ground terminals An in-depth outline of key considerations and challenges as well as how the industry looks to overcome these.Panelists include: Peter de Selding, Co-Founder, Editor, Space Intel Report (Moderator) Panel Member to be confirmed, Airbus Rick Lober, VP and General Manager Defence & Intelligence Systems Division, Hughes Network Systems Stuart Daughtridge, Vice President of Advanced Technology, Kratos Technology and Training Solutions Panel Member to be confirmed, Lockheed Martin Brian Rodriguez, Director Business Development and Strategy, Protected Communication Systems, Integrated Communication Systems, Space and Airborne Systems, Raytheon Gary Echo, Business Development Manager, ViaSatMore information can be found onSMi Groups Global MilSatCom 2017, which takes place on 7-9 November 2017 will bring together 500 international senior military and key industry representatives to network, benchmark, and learn about the latest developments and issues in SatCom technology. Key themes will include the GovSatCom initiative, the Wideband Analysis of Alternatives, satcom-on-the-move, addressing commercial challenges, and updates on future military capabilities.Esteemed speakers this year will include a high calibre of military representatives from nations including Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Nigeria, New Zealand, Spain, UK and USA.The event will also see the presence of senior decision makers within the industry including SES, Advantech Wireless, Aerospace Corporation, Boeing, ComTech, Cubic|GATR Technologies, ETL Systems, Eutelsat, GovSat, IAI Elta, Inmarsat, Inster, Intelsat, L3 Technologies, Newtec, Northrop Grumman, Scisys, Thales, Unique Broadband Systems, XTAR and more.The full roster of speakers and exhibitors for Global MilSatCom 2017 can be found onThose interested in attending are advised to register on the event website, or contact SMi Group to secure participation.19th Global MilSatCom Conference and Exhibition7-9 November 2017Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London, UKContact Information:For queries on military bookings, contact James Hitchen on jhitchen@smi-online.co.uk. For sponsorship and exhibition details, contact Alia Malick on amalick@smi-online.co.uk. For media enquiries contact Honey de Gracia on hdegracia@smi-online.co.uk.About SMi Group:Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the worlds most forward thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at1 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XW
Cold Storage Worldwide Market Application and Forecast 2021

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Publisher's Cold Storage market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.The Players mentioned in our reportAmeriColdVersaColdSwire Cold StoragePreferred Freezer ServicesNichireiTIPPMANNMUKNordic Cold StorageInland Cold StorageMillardGlobal Cold Storage Market: Product Segment AnalysisStores with unit coolersPrefabricated Cold StoresOthersFor More Information About This Report:Global Cold Storage Market: Application Segment AnalysisFood IndustryIndustrial ManufacturingGlobal Cold Storage Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaRequest Sample Copy At:Table of ContentChapter 1 About the Cold Storage IndustryChapter 2 World Market Competition LandscapeChapter 3 World Cold Storage Market shareChapter 4 Supply Chain AnalysisChapter 5 Company ProfilesChapter 6 Globalization & TradeChapter 7 Distributors and CustomersChapter 8 Import, Export, Consumption and Consumption Value by Major CountriesChapter 9 World Cold Storage Market forecast through 2021Chapter 10 Key success factors and Market OverviewInquire For This Report At:Contact 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
Illuminated By New Report Of Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024

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"The Report Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"This report provides forecast and analysis of the medical microbiology testing technologies market on the global and regional levels. It provides historical data of 2015 along with forecast from 2016 to 2024 in terms of revenue (US$ Mn). The report also includes macroeconomic indicators along with an outlook on medical microbiology testing technologies globally. It includes drivers and restraints of the medical microbiology testing technologies market and their impact on each region during the forecast period. The report also comprises the study of current issue and opportunities for medical microbiology testing manufacturers.View Sample PDF :In order to provide users of this report with comprehensive view of the market, we have included detailed competitiveness analysis and company players. The dashboard provides detailed comparison of medical microbiology testing manufacturers on parameters such as operating margin, unique selling propositions, collective market share, and geographic concentration. The study encompasses market attractiveness analysis, by indication, type, technology type, application type, end user type and region.Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: SegmentationThe report includes usage of Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies and the revenue generated from sales of medical microbiology testing technologies in all regions and important countries in these regions. By indication, the global medical microbiology testing technologies market has been segmented into respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, infectious diseases and others. By technology, the market is segmented into Cell Culture, Microscopy and Serology. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into Diagnostic and Treatment Monitoring. On the basis of end user, the market is segmented into Hospital Labs, Pathology Labs, Research Institutes and others.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Market numbers have been estimated based on average consumption and weighted average pricing of medical microbiology testing technologies and the revenue is derived through regional pricing trends and the epidemiology of specific diseases. Market size and forecast for each segment have been provided in the context of global and regional markets. The Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies market has been analyzed based on expected demand. All key end users have been considered and potential applications have been estimated on the basis of secondary sources and feedback from primary respondents. Regional demand patterns have been considered while estimating the market for various end users of Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies in different regions. Top down approach has been used to estimate the Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies market by regions. Market numbers for indication, technology, application, and end user segments have been derived using the top-down approach, which is cumulative of each regions demand. Company-level market share has been derived on the basis of revenues reported by key manufacturers. The market has been forecast based on constant currency rates.Send An Enquiry Request :Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: Competitive LandscapeA number of primary and secondary sources were consulted during the course of the study. Secondary sources include FACTIVA, NCBI, Google Books, company websites, journals, press releases, Morningstar, Hoovers, and company annual reports and publications.The report provides detailed competitive and company profiles of key participants operating in the global market. Key players in the global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies market include Agilent Technologies Inc., Becton, Dickinson & Company, Beckman Coulter Inc. (A Danaher Company), Biomerieux SA, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Roche Holding AG, among others.The market has been segmented as below:Global Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By IndicationRespiratory DiseasesNeurological DiseasesInfectious DiseasesOthersGlobal Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By TechnologyCell CultureMicroscopySerologyGlobal Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By ApplicationDiagnosticTreatment MonitoringGlobal Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By End UserHospital LabsPathology LabsResearch InstitutesOthersGlobal Medical Microbiology Testing Technologies Market  By RegionNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaEuropeGermanyUKFranceItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)ChinaIndiaJapanAustraliaNew ZealandRest of Asia PacificMiddle East and Africa (MEA)Saudi ArabiaUAEAbout 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.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
IT Software and Services Industry Review, Development Trends and Outlook to 2022

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global IT Software and Services Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 The report focuses on major leading players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.This report studies the global IT Software and Services market, analyzes and researches the IT Software and Services development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, like Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, SAP SE, IBM Corporation, IBS Group, Hewlett-Packard Company, LANIT Group and Compulink Group.Get free sample copy of report atMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. Market segment by Application, IT Software and Services can be split into Governments, Banks, Enterprise and Others.Browse complete report atTable of Content1 Industry Overview of IT Software and Services2 Global IT Software and Services Competition Analysis by Players3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Microsoft Corporation3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 IT Software and Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Oracle Corporation3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 IT Software and Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 SAP SE3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 IT Software and Services Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 IBM Corporation3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and SolutionsGet discount on Purchase report at4 Global IT Software and Services Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)5 United States IT Software and Services Development Status and Outlook6 EU IT Software and Services Development Status and Outlook7 Japan IT Software and Services Development Status and Outlook8 China IT Software and Services Development Status and Outlook9 India IT Software and Services Development Status and Outlook10 Southeast Asia IT Software and Services Development Status and Outlook11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)12 IT Software and Services Market Dynamics13 Market Effect Factors AnalysisPurchase complete report atContact 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
Switchgears Market Analysis, Segments, Growth and Value Chain 2014-2020

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High-intensity fault currents can damage the electricalequipment and devices of the circuit and to minimize these failures and mitigate the aftereffects, switchgear or fuses are employed. Fuses need to be replaced after every disconnection in the circuit as they dont provide re-closure functions, in such cases where setting up the circuit in its normal functioning, switchgears are employed which provide the re-closure functioning at various operating levels (High/low voltages). As the automation of process is booming across all the industries, the global switchgear market is witnessing the tremendous growth opportunities.On the basis of product types, switchgear market can be broadly categorized as conventional switchgear and modular/integrated switchgear. The conventional switchgear system comprises various components such as transformers, circuit breakers and dis connectors, which needs more space for installation and comparatively more costly than that of modular switch gear. To overcome these issues modular type of switchgear are used by integrating these functions into one breaking chamber of circuit breaker. With the trend of shifting from conventional switchgear to modular/integrated the global switchgear market is projected to grow with double digit CAGR.The global switchgear market is geographically segmented into seven key regions which are, North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East & Africa.Asia-Pacific holds the major share in global switchgear market, followed by North America South America, and Europe respectively. Asia-Pacific switchgear market is expected to maintain its dominance in global switchgear market during the forecast period. Emerging countries like India and China in Asia-Pacific region are extensively up grading and installing new transmission lines and distribution networksto uphold the infrastructural developments, which is expected to be major driving factor of global switchgear market. On country level, China dominates in the global switchgear market with more than 18-20% of share. Against the dynamic economic conditions, the Eastern and Western Europe switchgear market are also expected to contribute significant amount of share inglobal switchgear market during the forecast period due to the increasing infrastructure development for renewable energy sources. North America switchgear market is also expected to contribute significant amount of shares during forecast period due to various factors like growing market for grid modernization, replacement of old installations along with capacity enhancement.Request Report Sample@On the basis of operating voltage rating, the global switchgear market is segmented into three categories which are global low voltage switchgear market, global medium voltage switchgear market and global high voltage switchgear market. Rapid growth in industrialization of small and medium scales in developing countries like China, India and developed countries like Japan is expected to be prominent countries for low and medium voltage switchgear market. In terms of market shares medium voltage switchgear market segment dominates the global switchgear market, whilst in terms of growth rate low voltage switchgear market is projected to offer double digit CAGR, higher than that of other voltage sub-segments.The keyparticipants in global switchgear market focus on introducing new technology and innovative products at competitive prices together with new application in order to distinguish themselves from that of the competitors. Major players reigning over the global switchgear market include Schneider Electric SA, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Siemens AG, ABB Ltd, Powell Industries Inc., Eaton Corporation and General Electric Company, amongst other.Visit For TOC@Some of the recent technological developments in switchgears market such as magnetic actuation and arc-resistance technology have been undertaken by OEMs focusing upon enhancing efficiency and reliability of switchgear equipment. In future such technological up gradation will add value and spur the demand in global switchgear market.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Home Healthcare Market by Product and Service - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast to 2025

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Home Healthcare Market Overview:With an increasing number of consumers investing in physical well-being, personal care or home healthcare medical devices are witnessing a huge surge in terms of demand and sales. Reduced service time or shorter hospital stays can considerably reduce the overall expenditure on healthcare by the patients. The traditionally prevalent doctor-patient monitoring system is one of the major cost factors associated with healthcare expenditure adding a huge financial burden on the patients and their families. For instance, after a patient has undergone a surgery, he can be shifted to his home which is a much low cost treatment environment and mobile health devices such as home monitors of different kinds can be used to monitor his health parameters. This can considerably reduce the financial burden on the patients and their families. With the formal healthcare system becoming increasingly stressed, patients are being discharged from healthcare facilities while still needing some amount of care. Home care medical devices prove immensely helpful in such cases where patients can efficiently manage their own health in non-institutional settings.Browse Full Research Report @Medical devices used in home care settings need to be appropriate for the environment in which they are used and for the people using them. These people may be layperson or professional caregivers or the recipients themselves. These people may have distinct cognitive, sensory, physical, and emotional characteristics. Environments may vary in terms of accessibility of utilities, amount of available space, humidity and temperature levels and noise and light levels. All these factors have to be considered in order to ensure that the medical devices are effective and safe for the people receiving home care. The most common home healthcare devices are first aid equipment including thermometers, bandages, heating pads and ace bandages. Users of medical devices in home healthcare are a diverse set of people. Some are professional care-givers such as nurses, physicians, occupational therapists and homecare aides. They are typically associated with homecare organizations or may operate as independent providers. Others are amateur care-givers who may be family members or friends of the patients receiving care. Some recipients may operate the devices themselves.The key factors responsible for the growth of home healthcare market are the growing geriatric population, increasing cases of chronic disorders, and increased demand for affordable healthcare owing to ever increasing costs of institutional healthcare. According to a 2015 report by World Health Organization, the elderly population over the age of 60 is expected to double by 2050. With increased life expectancy the risk of suffering from chronic diseases also increases considerably. As elder people require more time to recover from an illness, the home healthcare alternative is favorable for providing care to these patients. Also, rising consumer expectations about the convenience of medical treatment have resulted in an increased demand for home care medical devices and equipment. However, factors such as safety concerns related to patients and limited insurance coverage are expected to hamper the growth of home healthcare market.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @Developing healthcare devices which can be easily and efficiently operated in home care settings and which ensure patient safety in such environments, holds favorable future prospects for the home healthcare market. With rising demand for effective yet low cost home healthcare devices by the patients, providers are aggressively investing time and resources in product advancement and development.The key players in the home healthcare market focus on product development aided by technological advancements to develop more sophisticated and patient centric home healthcare products in order to capture a larger share of the market. For instance, in November 2014, Intel-GE Care Innovations, LLC (a joint venture between Intel and General Electric) launched the telehealth technology system Health Harmony. This advanced platform enables clinicians, family care givers, and patients to collaborate in order to improve the level of healthcare being provided to the patient.Some of the major players in the home healthcare market are Abbott, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Sunrise Medical GmbH, Medtronic plc., 3M Health Care, Cardinal Health Inc., Arcadia Healthcare Solutions, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Bayer AG, NxStage Medical, Inc., Amedisys, Inc., ARKRAY Inc., Odyssey Healthcare Inc., Becton Dickinson and Company, and National Healthcare Corporation.Make an inquiry @About Crystal Market ResearchCrystal Market Research is a U.S. based market research and business intelligence company. Crystal offers one stop solution for market research, business intelligence, and consulting services to help clients make more informed decisions. It provides both syndicated as well as customized research studies for its customers spread across the globe. The company offers market intelligence reports across a broad range of industries including healthcare, chemicals & materials, technology, automotive, and energy.Contact:Judy304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesToll Free: +1-888-213-4282Email: sales@crystalmarketresearch.comBlog:Website:Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Wood Adhesives and Binders Market is Considered as One of the Rapidly Growing Dynamic Markets 2025

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Global Wood Adhesives and Binders Market: OverviewWood adhesives and binders are used to bind two or more wooden surfaces together to create panels. They are known for their high bond strength, thermal and chemical resistance, and durability, which provides customers with cost-effective end results. These adhesives and binders are used for various industrial and consumer applications such as in flooring, plywood, windows and doors, furniture and subcomponents, and cabinets. Melamine-urea-formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, isocyanates, phenol-formaldehyde, soy-based, epoxy, silicone, and ethyl vinyl acetate are some of the commonly available product types.Global Wood Adhesives and Binders Market: Key TrendsThe robust growth of the construction industry is providing a significant boost to the growth of the global wood adhesives and binders market. The rising disposable income of people around the world is leading to an increasing spending on the interior designing of homes and offices, which in turn is translating into the greater uptake of wood adhesives and binders. However, the turbulent prices of petrochemical feedstock, which acts as raw materials, is creating a bottleneck in the development of the global market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Moreover, stringent government regulations against volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions are hampering the growth of the market. VOC emissions during commercial and industrial applications of these adhesives have serious environmental and health implications. On the other hand, the birthing of bio-based products is unfolding tremendous growth opportunities for the market.Global Wood Adhesives and Binders Market: Market PotentialTo enable the transition from polymer-derived adhesives and binders to bio-based products, it is imperative that the adhesive properties in terms of bond strength and heat and water resistance are similar and that the alternatives can compete in terms of pricing. As a result, manufacturers and researchers are strongly focusing towards research and development activities to introduce reliable solutions. In June 2015, Swedish researchers suggested the use of xylan dispersions, with the addition of dispersing agents such as polyvinyl alcohol and crosslinkers, as a wood adhesive.Request TOC of the Report @In January 2017, researchers from the Kansas State University patented the first plant-based resin, which is made up of corn, soybean, and other plant oils. According to researchers, this resin can be used for labels, tapes, and other adhesive uses and can also provide shiny coatings. Such innovations are likely to revolutionize the global wood adhesives and binders market in the near future.Global Wood Adhesives and Binders Market: Geographical SegmentationNorth America will represent a substantial share in the market throughout the forecast period. The growing emphasis on interior remodeling due to upgrading consumer lifestyles is facilitating the growth of the market in the region. The rebound of the construction industry after the economic downturn in 2008 is further supplementing the growth of the market. The U.S. will be a major revenue contributor to the growth of North America.Asia Pacific is expected to progress at a remarkable CAGR during the same period. The booming construction industry and the rising disposable income of the populace are bolstering the growth of the region. The growth of the Latin America wood adhesives and binders market can be attributed to the increasing construction activities in the residential sector.Get Discount @Global Wood Adhesives and Binders Market: Competitive LandscapeSeveral players in the global wood adhesives and binders market exhibit a high degree of integration throughout the value chain. Prominent participants are focusing towards business expansion through mergers and acquisitions. Some of the key players in the market are 3M Company, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, H.B Fuller Company, BASF SE, Avery Dennison Corporation, Huntsman Corporation, and Dow Chemical Company.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Aromatic Solvents Market to Witness Robust Expansion Throughout the Forecast Period 2017 - 2025

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Global Aromatic Solvents Market: OverviewAn aromatic solvent is one that contains an aromatic hydrocarbon such as xylene, naptha, ethane, propane, or toluene. It is an organic chemical meant to dissolve solid materials to form a homogenous solution. It is produced mainly via distillation of crude petroleum stock in the oil refining industry and primarily finds application as thinners and diluents in coatings, paints, adhesives, and cleaners to speed up the drying process. An aromatic solvent is also used to thwart corrosion in the oil and gas industry. Further, these aromatic solvents are used in the production of other intermediate chemicals such as cumene, ethyl benzene, phthalic anhydride, naphthalene, and maleic anhydride.Global Aromatic Solvents Market: Key TrendsAt the forefront of driving growth in the aromatic solvents market is the booming paints and coatings industry. Aromatic solvents dissolve or disperse various components such as binders, additives, pigments, and extenders that find application in manufacture of paints and coatings. In addition, high solvency rates aid in forming an enhanced homogenous solution in comparison to other solvents.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Another factor driving growth in the market is the continued growth in the automotive industry which has pushed up demand for adhesives and sealants, manufactured from aromatic solvents. These solvents help maintain the right evaporation rate of adhesives, which in turn brings about perfect setting of adhesive polymer on the base surface. Countering the growth in the global aromatic solvents market is the strict environmental regulations imposed on VOC emissions and the preference for non-aromatic and biobased solvents.Global Aromatic Solvents Market: Market PotentialDepending upon the types of products, toluene presents maximum opportunity to the manufacturers because of its spike in applications in adhesives, paints and coatings, inks, pharmaceuticals, and other chemical formulations. Xylene is another product that spells profits for savvy companies as those solvents are used in the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients and to clean pharmaceutical equipment. They are mostly used in the rubber, artificial leather, glue, and rotogravure printing industry.Request TOC of the Report @Some of the important end-user industry for aromatic solvents are automotive, pharmaceuticals, paints and coatings, and oilfield chemicals. Crude oil and natural gas, for example, carry a lot of impurities and corrosive products such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and free water that deteriorates the inner walls of wells and pipelines. Continued oil and gas extraction can result in the internal surface of pipelines to corrode. Aromatic solvents can thwart it while performing fractional distillation in the oil and gas industry.Global Aromatic Solvents Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the key segments of the global aromatic solvents market are Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World. Among them, Asia Pacific dominates the market in terms of volume on account of the high growth in the chemical industry. Latin America too is expected to witness some degree of growth in the aromatic solvents powered by the demand from Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina.Get Discount @The markets in North America and Europe are slated to see lackluster growth in the years to come owing to stringent environmental regulations. Middle East and Africa (MEA) is another region that will see slow growth due to the economic transition in the region at present.Global Aromatic Solvents Market: Competitive AnalysisThe global market for aromatic solvents is fragmented in nature. To assess the competition in the market, the report profiles important market participants such as Exxon Mobil Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell plc, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, BASF SE, Celanese Corporation, and Eastman Chemical Company.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Sweet Orange Oil Market Driven by Rise in Demand for Sweet Orange Oil in the food & beverages Industries

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Sweet orange oil, sometimes also known as orange oil or orange essential oil, is an essential oil primarily consisting of limonene (up to 93%). It is widely used in aromatherapy and herbal medicines, as it possess several properties such as antiseptic, anti-acne, anti-inflammatory, and antidepressant. Due to its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, sweet orange oil is used for treating constipation, gastrointestinal ailments, and ulcers. The oil also exhibits cancer prevention properties. Sweet orange oil has sweet and pleasant aroma, which enlightens mood; hence, it can be used as mood booster. Furthermore, its versatile blending properties make it a safer and organic solvent. Sweet orange oil is obtained from orange, especially orange rind via the cold pressing process. The rich content of vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants present in the oil helps in prevention of strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. The oil is also used in food and beverages as a natural preservative and flavoring agent.Browse Market Research Report @Rise in demand for sweet orange oil in the food & beverages industries is a key driver of the sweet orange oil market. Its versatile properties coupled with natural source makes it a perfect ingredient for Ayurveda and homeopathic medicine. Increasing use of sweet orange oil in cosmetics for flavor, preservatives, and skin benefits are also propelling the market. Sturdy growth in food & beverages and cosmetics industries is primarily boosting the demand for sweet orange oil. The body care industry also uses sweet orange oil for stress relieving, massages, vapor therapy, aromatherapy, and other similar procedures. The oil is also generally used as a freshening agent in bath water, cloth freshener, floor cleaner, etc. However, it is known to cause irritation, nausea, inflammation, or in extreme cases dermatitis if used in excess quantities. Furthermore, exposure of sweet orange oil to sunlight (UV rays) leads to oxidation of the oil and may induce photo-toxicity, converting it into a potential toxin. The oil is flammable as well. These factors along with the presence of other alternatives such as Amyris oil, lemon oil, dill oil, and anise oil are key restraints of the sweet orange oil market.Sweet orange oil is used in various applications. Thus, based on end-user, the sweet orange oil market can be segmented into pharmaceuticals, food & beverages, flavor & fragrances, cosmetics, body care, chemical industry, and others. Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics segments are expected to be key end-users of the sweet orange oil market. The flavor & fragrance segment is also anticipated to account for substantial share, as sweet orange oil is primarily used for its flavor and aroma. Based on grade, the sweet orange oil market can be divided into food grade sweet orange oil, pharmaceutical grade sweet orange oil, and others. Food grade sweet orange oil is used in food and beverages to add flavor and color to citrus juices, confectioneries, and other related products. The pharmaceutical grade sweet orange oil is used in the manufacture of medicines and supplements. Other grades are used in insecticides, herbicides, furniture preservatives, etc.Enter your information below to receive a sample copy of this report @In terms of geography, the sweet orange oil market can be segregated into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Europe and North America are the key regions of the for sweet orange oil market, due to the rising demand from food & beverages, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. Furthermore, the rise in population and growth in personal and body care industries in countries such as Germany, France, the U.S., and Italy are fuelling the demand for sweet orange oil in Europe and North America. The sweet orange market in Asia Pacific and Latin America is also expanding rapidly due to the increase in standard of living and high consumer spending on personal and body care products in these regions.Prominent players operating in the global sweet orange oil market are Heritage Oils, Aura Cacia, DoTerra, and Mountain Rose Herbs.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
ASEAN Cosmetic Chemicals Market Size to Grow at a Steady Rate During Forecast Period (2014-2020)

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The growing beauty products market has been increasing the demand for value-enriched cosmetics. The market is flooded with various cosmetic chemicals. Cosmetic chemicals are the basic ingredients found in cosmetic products including soap, shampoo, lipstick, mascara, deodorants and other beauty products (excluding the products listed under therapeutic goods). At present, various cosmetic business enterprises use more than 5000 different chemical compositions to offer selected cosmetic products. Based on its end use applications, cosmetic chemical have been further divided into surfactants, emollients, conditioning polymers, and UV absorbers. These chemical-based products contain preservatives which hinder microbial growth and thereby offer longer shell life to the cosmetics. In addition, these chemicals contain a variety of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, herbs, hormones, and fragrances. This vast range of cosmetic chemicals allows business cosmetics to deliver different types of cosmetics in the market, thereby offering a vibrant market to cosmetic industries.Their use is widely found in personal care products. A wide range of applications ranging from anti-ageing cream to shampoo is driving the cosmetic chemical market to its zenith. Companies these days are focusing on organic grade cosmetic chemicals as they are considered to be a healthier option when compared to commodity surfactants and petroleum oils. The cosmetic chemicals market has been segmented into skin care products, make up products, hair care products and fragrance products. Among all its market segments, cleaning agents and foaming agents are the enduse applications that account for the largest percentage of the market. Skin care products accounted for 31% of global cosmetic market in year 2013. Though cosmetic chemicals offer many options to formulate cosmetics depending on different skin types, the market is shifting towards natural surfactants primarily because of the rising safety concerns of sulfate-based surfactants.Request For Report Sample@Globally, North America is the largest market for cosmetic product consumption. It accounted for 21.2% of global market share in 2012. USA with US$ 54.89 billion in 2012 is the biggest cosmetic market. However, with the rising dominance of non-western beauty culture in Eastern region, the market share is set to shift towards ASEAN region. Ethnic and cultural diversity in APAC, and particularly in ASEAN region,are driving the cosmetics market vertically upwards. Growing consumer class in ASEAN region from 67 million population to 125 million population by 2025 will offer a lucrative market for various business cosmetic business channels. A large consumer base, ample natural resources, availability of cheap labor and easing of policies such as FDI by government, are the main driving factors for the cosmetic chemicals market in ASEAN markets.In the ASEAN region, the cosmetic market has been witnessing a double digit growth every 5 years. GDP at the constant price shows a vertically upwards trend in these regions. The rise in the middle class population in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Philippines is the major driving factor for the growth of this sector, while in Malaysia and Singapore, wealthy segments contribute largely to it. Skin care products are set to witness exponential growth in the ASEAN market, thereby offering lucrative business opportunities in the cosmetic chemicals market.There is a flood of suppliers in cosmetic chemicals which results in a fragmented market. However, the demand for premium personal care products has led to consolidation of the market, thus leading to high competitiveness among the dominant players in this market. The prominent players of cosmetic chemicals market include Dow Chemical Company, BASF SE, Bayer AG, Givaudan SA, Merck KGaA, Shell Chemical and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.Visit For TOC@With the new emerging markets such as ASEAN, BRIC, and MEA, the future seems optimistic for cosmetic chemicals companies. Together, these regions offer a large market owing to the high population of youth in the age group of 15-39 years. Though the market seems promising in the long run, companies have to spend lump sum amounts on R&D to comply with the governments regulatory demands.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:
2-shot Injection Molding Market: Inexpensiveness with Two Component Parts Produced in Single Operation Magnetizes Demand

2-shot Injection Molding Market

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The global 2-shot injection molding market has been prognosticated to demonstrate a vastly fragmented character. This could be on account of a substantial number of industry players operating in the market. A report prepared by Transparency Market Research (TMR) has envisaged a stiff competition to take shape in the market, owing to a small share held by each player.By the end of 2024, the global 2-shot injection molding market could arrive at a valuation of around US$11.5 bn from US$6.6 bn in 2015, according to TMR. Between 2016 and 2024, the market could expand at a 6.5% CAGR. As per application analysis, the medical market for 2-shot injection molding has been envisioned to rise with an approximate 25.8% share by the concluding forecast year after having acquired a dominant share in 2015. Geographically, Europe could be at the helm of the market with a 33.9% share expected to be achieved by the same year.Among top players, Gemini Group, Inc., Paragon Rapid Technologies Limited, Nyloncraft, Inc., and Rogan Corporation could secure a leading position in the global 2-shot injection molding market. As per the analysis of the reports lead author, players have been projected to take to improving their production volume for staying relevant in the market. Moreover, there could a high focus on shortening the lead time to showcase competitiveness.Browse Market Research Report @Accurate Repeatability, Precise Production Using Single Tool Enhance AdoptionThe production of remarkably precise parts could be ensured with the implementation of 2-shot injection molding warranting exact repeatability using merely a single tool. With this advantage in view, 2-shot injection molding could prove to be vital for encouraging original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to design and develop an increasingly more count of products. As a result, there could be an augmenting adoption of the process across the world. The growth of the world 2-shot injection molding market has been forecasted to be boosted significantly on the back of another advantage, i.e. cost reduction. This could be achieved with execution of a single operation for producing two component parts.Expensive Equipment Cost, Initial Investments Dampen DemandOne of the main impediments of growth in the international 2-shot injection molding market has been anticipated to be the exorbitant cost of tools and equipment in comparison with that of those used in conventional molding. Furthermore, manufacturers could be discouraged to adopt 2-shot injection molding in their production processes due to considerably extortionate initial investment costs. The restricted choices of material pairs that could be used for 2-shot injection molding have been predicted to stymie the market.Enter your information below to receive a sample copy of this report @However, the analysts have expected some unswerving prospects to show face in the international 2-shot injection molding market. These could be in the form of rising government pressure to recycle plastics. OEMs could be encouraged to increase the adoption of 2-shot injection molding as tight government regulations compel industries to recycle materials. A chief advantage of implementing 2-shot injection molding is that the core of any two component parts could be derived from recycled plastic while doing away with any change in its property or appearance. In this regard, the elevating uptake of recycled plastic has been prophesied to bode well for the market.About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers.We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers and Consultants, who 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.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Rapid Advancements will boost Cloud-RAN (Radio Access Network) Market Size Further

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Cloud-RAN,orCentralized-RAN (C-RAN) is an advanced cellular network architecture for mobile network infrastructure that can support 2G, 3G and 4G system and meet wireless communication benchmarks. Cloud-RAN is outpacing traditional cellular network system as it doesnt require RF (radio frequency) equipment, antenna, BTS (baseband unit) and digital processor to be deployed in the cell site. Traditional cellular network architecture demands more power, space, additional big cell towers and directional antennae to support new air interface technologies such as LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and multi-frequency bands. Moreover, enhancement of traditional cellular network in a wireless network to support data traffic demand becomes economically unsustainable. In contrast, Cloud-RAN enhances mobile communications and helps cellular network operators in delivering qualitative and effective mobile communication services at a reasonable cost.Cloud-RAN ensures centralization of baseband processing in one location. To connect to RRH (remote radio heads), fibre optical cables are required.Cloud-RAN is based on new technologies,viz. cloud computing thatcan take advantage of advanced remote antennae or radio head techniques and SDN (software-defined network) approaches.Request For Report Sample@Cloud-RAN offers various benefits like reduction in cost of network operations. The three types of cost reductions are energy consumption, site rental expenses and operational & maintenance cost of network. These savings can be balanced against cost incurred on fibre optical cables required to meet fronthaul capacity and latency requirements. Cloud-RAN also enhances capacity due to coordinated multipoint and ensures speedy performance. Aforementioned benefits of Cloud-RAN architecture automatically increase the value of service to end-users. However, initial high investment required to deploy Cloud-RAN architecture acts as one of the major challengesfor the growth of Cloud-RAN market.The Cloud-RAN market can be categorizedinto component, services and geography.The market is segmented on the basis of thenatureof its components, which includes six major categories -BBU (Baseband Units), RRU (Remote Radio Units), optical transport network, servers, processors and measurement device. On the basis of services segment, the Cloud-RAN market can be categorized into network services, custom services and system integration services. The market can also be segmented on the basis of major geographies, into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Eastern Europe and Middle East & Africa.Cloud-RAN is a global multi-billion dollar market which is expected to exhibit a considerable growth in CAGR, from 2014 to 2020. The key drivers include need to reduce increasing data traffic and Capex&Opexexpenditure, which are the biggest revenue generators for the Cloud-RANmarket. The key restraint to this market is high initial cost of deployment and dependency on availability of fibre. Major players in Cloud-RAN market focuses on partnerships, joint ventures, and acquisition &merger strategies in order to outperform their competitors. For instance, in 2013 Intel Corp. acquired Mindspeed Technologies and extended its offerings with new mobile system services i.e. Cloud-RAN.Visit For TOC@Some of the key players identified in the Cloud-RAN market are Ceragon Networks Ltd.,Actix Ltd., Aricent Technologies, JDSU, 6WIND, MTI Radiocomp, Altera Corp., Mindspeed Technologies, Inc., Intel Corporation, VitesseSemiconductor, Telco Systems, VPI Systems, Telco Systems and TEOCO among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Calcium Chloride Market: Use in De-icing and Dust Control to Drive Demand

Calcium Chloride Market

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The global calcium chloride market is extremely consolidated and the leading players OxyChem, B .J Services, and TETRA Chemicals accounted for 69.1% of the market in 2015, states Transparency Market Research (TMR) in its latest report. These key players have expanded their production facilities by taking continuous efforts in setting up their business in different geographies.The companies have thus increased their sales and widened their distribution channels so as to continue being in their leading positions. The growing manufacturing of products suited for various applications is a key strategy adopted by leading companies.Browse Market Research Report @According to the TMR report, the global calcium chloride market is expected to be worth US$ 1.52 bn by 2024, expanding at a 4.2% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. On the basis of application, the market is expected to be led by the drilling fluids segment and this segment is estimated to account for 24.9% of the calcium chloride market by 2024. The demand for calcium chloride is increasing for the production of completion fluids and this is projected to be a key factor boosting the drilling fluids segment within the market.On the basis of geography, the market is anticipated to be led by North America, which is estimated to account for of 46% of the market. The growing demand for calcium chloride for developing products that treat water and several other applications are anticipated to be key factors fueling the growth of this market in North America.For more information on this report, fill the form @De-icing to Drive Demand in Countries Where Snowfall gets UnmanageableThe global calcium chloride market is growing on account of it being the key chemical used in de-icing. Thus, in countries where the after effects of heavy snowfall are difficult to manage, calcium chloride is used. Some of the countries making use of calcium chloride are Japan, the U.S., and Canada. Dust control is another application for which the demand for calcium chloride is increasing. As calcium chloride retains moisture for exceptionally long period, it is used on unpaved roads for suppressing dust.The cost-effectiveness of calcium chloride is a key reason for their use in on road surfaces. The growing demand for cement on account of the flourishing growth of the construction industry will drive the growth prospects of the global calcium chloride market. Calcium chloride is used as a concentrate accelerator for speeding up the curing rate of cement.The growth of this market is expected to be restricted by the reduced profit margins on account of an oversupply of cheap materials in the market, as calcium chloride can be produced using multiple methods. Another factor hampering the growth of the market is the corrosive nature of calcium chloride.About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers.We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers and Consultants, who 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.Contact Us:-Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
SD-WAN Culture Media Industry Analysis, Technological Advancement, Market Size, Share, Landscape, and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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"The Report Culture Media Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Global Culture Media Market: OverviewThe research is a combination of primary and secondary research, conducted for understanding and arriving at trends, used to forecast the expected revenue of the culture media market in the near future. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts with information collected from in-depth interviews and discussions with a number of key industry experts and opinion leaders. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, investor presentations, analyst presentation and various international and national databases.View Sample PDF :The report provides estimated market size in terms of US$ Mn for each by media type, end user, and geography for the period 2015 to 2025, considering the macro and micro environmental factors. The revenue generated from each product was calculated by considering number of products used in the procedures and their market demand as per their use, prevalence rate of infectious disease, annual revenue generated by products of each sub segment, trends in industry, end user trend, and adoption rate across all the geographies.The market report comprises an elaborated executive summary, which includes market snapshot that provides information about various segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the market with respect to market segments based on media type, end-user, and geography. The market overview section of the report analyzes market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities that influences the culture media market in the current and future scenario.Download Sample copy of this Report at :Market share analysis among the market players is analyzed to signify the contribution of these players in the market in terms of percentage share. All these factors will help the market players to decide about the business strategies and plans to strengthen their positions in the global market. Based on geography, the market has been analyzed for major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. The study also covers detailed country analysis contributing majorly in the culture media market.Global Culture Media Market: Market SegmentationThe global culture media market is segmented by media type, end users and geography. Culture media are used in the diagnosis of diseases caused by microorganisms through isolation procedure. Culture media can be solid or semi  solid depending the microorganisms species. Culture media contain all the components required for the growth and maintenance of bacteria in the laboratory environment. By media type the global culture media market is further segmented into dehydrated culture media, prepared culture media and chromogenic culture media. By end users the market is segmented into hospitals, diagnostic centers and academic and research institute. In terms of geography the global culture media market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa.Global Culture Media Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also profiles the major players in the market and provides various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Major players operating in the culture media market are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Merck KGaA (Merck Millipore), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., bioMerieux SA, Becton, Dickinson and Company, HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., EIKEN CHEMICAL CO., LTD., NEOGEN CORPORATION, Scharlab, S.L. and others.The culture media market has been segmented as follows:Culture Media Market, by Media TypeDehydrated Culture MediaPrepared Culture MediaChromogenic Culture MediaCulture Media Market, by End UsersHospitalsDiagnostic CentersAcademic and Research InstitutesCulture Media Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeU.K.GermanyFranceSpainItalyRest of EuropeAsia PacificJapanChinaIndiaAustraliaRest of Asia PacificLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaSouth AfricaSaudi ArabiaU.A.E.Rest of Middle East and AfricaSend An Enquiry Request :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.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Wireless Charging Market Size Estimated to Observe Significant Growth During (2014-2020)

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Wireless charging is the process of recharging batteries of electrical devices without using physically connected electric cables. The communication between transmitter (power source) and receiver (device) is generally by microwave or electromagnetic induction. With the emergence of wireless chargeable devices, the need to carry multiple chargers for various devices will become obsolete. Chargeable devices such as mobile phones, and tablets need to be handier. Wireless charging technologies are revolutionizing the current electronic devices market to meet the demand for more efficient, standardized,safe and portable power recharging options.Wireless charging is more applicable to charge smartphones, tablets and other small handheld devices and wearable technologies. The obvious benefits associated with the use of wireless charging includes efficiency of handling, protection from electric shocks, safe charging option for devices that need to be waterproof, no need formaintenance of charging cables and associated sockets. On the other hand, wireless charging technology is comparatively less efficient, slow, and expensive. Most devices also radiate heat during the charging process.Request For Report Sample@The global wireless charging market recently reported its development, due to continuous updation in phones. The demand for sealed devices, increasing demand for powerfor devices and inconvenience associated with carrying multiple chargers are the key drivers behind growth of wireless charging technologies. The key restrains behind wireless charging are lack of standardization and expensive infrastructure to pursue technological developments.Many advanced products are still in experimental phase but on the other hand these products have a bright future opportunity.Wireless charging can be broadly categorized into two types depending upon proximity of distance between transmitter and receiverand range of devices. Further, these two types can be sub-segmented into six sub categories such as radio charging, inductive charging and resonance charging are included under proximity of distance between transmitter and receiver and high range, mid-range and low range are included under range of devices. On the basis of application,the global wireless charging market is segmented intoconsumer electronics, medical healthcare, automobile & aerospace, defence and industrial automation. On the basis of geographical target market, itis segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Japan, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Middle East & Africa.Companies engagedin the development of wireless charging technologies are in the process of resolving compatibility issues associated with charger and charging points. Manufacturers of different handheld devices, prominently HTC, Nokia and LG, are already in the process of manufacturing wireless chargeable smartphones and tablets. The market experts are focusing on the development of standard wireless charging technology, which will be commonly useful for the advanced devices of various applications such as medical, and semiconductors.Visit For TOC@Some of the global key players in the wireless charging market include Convenient Power HK Ltd., Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Integrated Device Technology, Inc., Texas Instruments, Inc., Duracell Powermat, Oregon Scientific, WiTricity Corporation and Energizer Holdings, Inc.Most of these companies are interested to enter into the wireless charging market with the plan to establish a brand name. The wireless charging market of North America appears to be comparatively mature than Asian market, in terms of infrastructural development. Countries with lower GDP may face economic issues to generate the demand.High price is one of the major challenges of this market and it should be taken care of.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:
Military Augmented Reality (AR) Headgear Market 2021: Growth & Opportunities

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In military training, AR is used to treat post-traumatic stress disorders. Soldiers suffering from battlefield trauma and other psychological conditions can be treated with the help of AR technology by making them accustomed to deal with their symptoms in a safe environment. The idea of AR technology in the military is to expose trainees to the virtual battlefield environments and gradually adjust to real-time scenarios. This reduces trainees' symptoms, enabling them to cope with new or unexpected situations.Know more about Report:global military augmented reality headgear market to grow at a CAGR of 11.35% during the period 2017-2021.The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global military augmented reality headgear market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers new procurements and developments in the market.Ask for Report Sample:The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEAGlobal Military Augmented Reality Headgear 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 vendorsApplied Research Associates (ARA)BAE SystemsElbit SystemsRockwell CollinsTable of ContentsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportPART 03: Research MethodologyPART 04: IntroductionMarket outlinePART 05: Market landscapeMarket overviewGlobal military AR headgear marketFive forces analysisPART 06: Market segmentation by applicationGlobal military AR headgear market by applicationGlobal military flight AR headgear marketEnquire about Report before Purchasing:About Company: Big Market ResearchWith the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Big Market Research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.With the window of opportunity getting open and shut at a speed of light, it has become very important to survive in the market and only the fittest and competent enough can do so. So, we try and provide with latest changes in the market that can suit your needs and help you take decision accordingly.Contact Us:5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesDirect : +1-971-202-1575Toll Free : + 1-800-910-6452Email: help@bigmarketresearch.comWeb:
Furfuryl Alcohol Market Dynamics, Forecast, Analysis and Supply Demand 2015-2025

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Furfuryl alcohol is an organic compound manufactured by catalytic reduction of furfuran. It is used in a wide range of applications such as solvents, foundry resins, plastics, wetting agents, adhesives and in gas hardening processes among others. The raw material furfuran is obtained from sugarcane bagasse, corn cobs, wheat bran and oats among others. It has application in rocketry as a hypergolic fuel which ignites readily in presence of fuming nitric acid and red fuming nitric acid.Increasing demand for bio-based products owing to increasing awareness among consumers coupled with rising environmental regulations is expected to drive the market. This alcohol finds application in plastic industry. Increasing demand for plastics in the construction and paints industry is anticipated to drive the furfuryl market over the next few years. Bio-based resins and paints are gaining demand from developed countries due to the presence of strict environmental regulations. However, the safety issues regarding transportation and export rules of different developing countries are expected to restrain the market growth. Research and development in the field of rocketry is expected to provide immense opportunities for manufacturers of furfuryl alcohol in the near future.Request Report Sample@Asia Pacific was the largest producer and consumer of furfuryl alcohol in which China contributes to the highest consumption. Proximity to raw material and increasing applications in plastics and resins are expected to drive the market. Europe follows Asia Pacific in consumption owing to increase in the application area of furfuryl alcohol. Research activities in the field of rocketry fuel are expected to provide opportunity for furfuryl alcohol market in this region. North America is expected to grow at a faster pace owing to increase in availability of raw materials and rising demand from construction and paints industry.Visit For TOC@Key players in this market include DynaChem Inc., The Chemical Company, Hongye Chemical Co. Ltd, Penn A Kem LLC, Nova Molecular technologies, Continetal Industries Group Inc., Shenzhen Shu Hang Industrial Development Co. Ltd., SolvChem Inc., NeuChem Inc., SweetLake Chemical Ltd., Ideal Chemical & Supply Company, Novasynorganics, International Process Plants among others.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Sodium Stearyl Fumarate Market Revenue is Expected to Grow at a Rapid Growth Rate

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Sodium stearyl fumarate is a monoester of fumaric acid used as a water soluble lubricant in the development of various products such as tablets, food products, and personal care products. Sodium stearyl fumarate is used similarly as magnesium stearate with a same lubrication efficiency. However, due to less hardness, and insufficient tablets stability provided by conventional lubricating agents, sodium stearyl fumarate come into demand. It has good compatibility with APIs such as fluvoxamine, and a perfect lubricant for high-performance formulations. Sodium stearyl fumarate is used in various application such as wet granulation, dry granulation, and direct compression. Some of the properties of sodium stearyl fumarate include anti-adherent, hydrophilic, control particle size, lamellar structure, less sensitivity to blending time, high consistency compared to magnesium stearate.Browse Market Research Report @Sodium Stearyl Fumarate Market: Drivers and RestraintsSodium stearyl fumarate market is witnessing maximum growth owing to its lower hydrophobicity property which does not increase tablet disintegration time, reduce friction, high melting point, compatibility, solubility and an alternative to magnesium stearate. Moreover, sodium stearyl fumarate improved drug stability, harder tablets, faster formulation development, and faster dissolution rates, provide protection from over blending, and enhanced lubrication efficiency is some of the factors that can boost the demand for sodium stearyl fumarate over the forecast period. However, rising safety standards, clinical trials are time-consuming coupled with significant capital investment may hamper the growth of sodium stearyl fumarate market in near future.Sodium Stearyl Fumarate Market: SegmentationThe sodium stearyl fumarate market has been classified on the basis of application, and end user.Based on application, the sodium stearyl fumarate market is segmented into the following:Tablets & CapsulesOral DosagesBath ProductsHair & Skin Care ProductsFood AdditiveOthersFor more information on this report, fill the form @Based on the end user, the sodium stearyl fumarate market is segmented into the following:Pharmaceutical IndustryFood & Beverages IndustryCosmetics & Personal Care IndustryOthersSodium Stearyl Fumarate Market: OverviewSodium stearyl fumarate market revenue is expected to grow at a rapid growth rate, over the forecast period. The market is anticipated to perform well in the near future owing to rising demand for sodium stearyl fumarate from pharmaceutical industry mainly from APAC, and Latin America region. Moreover, sodium stearyl fumarate used for dough conditioner, oxidant, wheat flour treatment agent, and offer various advantages such as high degree of API compatibility, no adverse effect on bioavailability, robustness to over lubrication are some of the factors that can accelerate the market revenue growth of sodium stearyl fumarate during the forecast period. Based on the end user, pharmaceutical industry segment is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period attributed to use as a lubricant in the development of capsules, tablets and other oral dosage forms.Sodium Stearyl Fumarate Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on the geographic region, sodium stearyl fumarate market is divided into seven key regions: North America, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Western Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. North America held the largest revenue share in sodium stearyl fumarate market followed by Europe, and Japan owing to advanced technology, developed infrastructure, availability of raw materials, and rapid organic growth by key players in these regions. The developing nations in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa hold huge potential for growth in the sodium stearyl fumarate market rising disposable income, expanding pharmaceutical industry in developing countries such as India, and presence of numerous small companies in these regions are some of the factors which strengthen the growth of sodium stearyl fumarate market throughout the forecast period.Sodium Stearyl Fumarate Market: Key PlayersSome players of sodium stearyl fumarate market are FMC Health & Nutrition, JRS PHARMA GmbH & Co. KG, Fuji Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Maruti Chemicals, TCI Chemicals (India) Pvt. Ltd., Apollo Scientific Ltd., Gustav Parmentier GmbH, Hefei TNJ Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., Taizhou TianRui Pharmaceutical Chemical Co., Ltd., Technoco Co., Ltd., and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Bariatric Surgery Devices Market Regulations and Competitive Landscape Outlook to 2025

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Market OverviewUndertaking a bariatric surgery has become relatively necessary for the majority of the global population, especially the obese and the overweight demographic. The fact that obesity is one of the most prevalent and endangering health disorders has increased the awareness about bariatric surgery and devices. The demand for bariatric surgery devices has registered a considerable surge by the virtue of growing preference for less-invasive bariatric surgeries. Additionally, the rising expenditure on weight loss procedures has promoted the sales of bariatric surgery devices at the individual level. Regional government initiatives are also influencing the growth of the global market for bariatric surgery devices.Demand for Bariatric Surgery Devices: Drivers & RestraintsThe high occurrence of obesity cases is regarded as the primary driver of the global bariatric surgery devices market. The growing awareness among the obsess population is expected to fuel the demand for bariatric surgery devices. Apart from that, the other factors driving the growth of the bariatric surgery devices market include,Request Report Sample@Availability of surgeons specialised in bariatric surgical techniquesSince bariatric surgeries are gaining demand, the existing as well as the new medical surgeons are developing and qualifying their surgical skills accordingly. As a result, the demand for bariatric surgery devices is experience a positive impact.Prevention of weight-related risksIncidence of diabetes, hypertension, gastric reflux disorders and blood pressure complications are at a higher risks among obese patients. As the surgeries intend on preventing occurrence of such diseases, the demand for bariatric surgery devices has surged extensively.Less-incisive methodsBariatric surgeries such as the sleeve gastrectomy require lower incision, which helps the patients adopt the surgeries without apprehension. This results more consumption of bariatric surgery devices by hospitals and weight-loss clinics.However, the implications arriving post-surgery are posing to be the major challenge in the global market for bariatric surgery devices. Since the surgical procedures are operated on the stomach and the intestines of the patient, there is a high risk of acquiring infections. Gastrointestinal ulcers, internal bleeding, small bowel obstruction, gastric band slippage, and hernias are some of the common implications that lower the use of bariatric surgery devices.Market Segmentation & Regional OutlookThe global market for bariatric surgery devices can be segmented on the basis the type of bariatric surgery and the device used.Based on the different kinds of bariatric surgery procedures, the market is classified into,Gastric Bypass SurgerySleeve Gastrectomy SurgeryGastric Banding SurgeryOthersBy device-type, the global market is further segmented into,Stapling DevicesGastric BandsGastric BalloonsBased on the regional segmentation, North America is expected to lead the global bariatric surgery devices market on the account of the high obesity levels in the US and Canada. Subsequently, the higher risks of diabetes and blood pressure disorders are equally inciting the demand for bariatric surgery devices. Asia Pacific & Japan are anticipated to expand at a remarkable CAGR, owing to the rising expenditure on weight-loss treatments in APEJ countries.Visit For TOC@Key PlayersJohnson & Johnson, Covidien Plc, Cousin Biotech, and Pare Surgical, Inc., among others are the some of the key companies in the global bariatric surgery devices market. Pharmaceutical and medical devices leaders such as Medtronic has launched flagship devices for sleeve gastrectomy, indicating the positive expansion of the global market. The government funding is also playing a major role in providing manufacturers with the capital required to produce enhanced devices for bariatric surgeries.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Magnetic Materials Market Growth with Worldwide Industry Analysis to 2025

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Magnetic material are objects that can be magnetized or naturally hold magnetic properties. According to the ease of magnetization, magnetic materials can be classified into hard and soft. Hard magnetic materials retain their magnetism even in the absence of an applied magnetic field. Hard magnetic materials are difficult to magnetize and demagnetize. On the other hand, soft magnetic materials can be easily magnetized and demagnetized. They lose their magnetism when an external magnetic field is removed.Demand for effective utilization of electricity and faster transmission of data, and decreasing size of technological devices have provided an impetus to the magnetic material market.Request Report Sample@Magnetic Materials Market: Drivers & RestraintsEnvironmental concerns, government support & incentives, increasing demand from end use industries, such as demand in automotive industry for electric vehicles, demand in medical devices for body scanners and others are the driving factors for the growth of the magnetic material market. Additionally, rapid industrialization, specifically in emerging economies and demand for alternative power sources, such as water turbine and wind mill are also driving the demand for magnetic material market. However, the variation in the price of raw material can be a restraining factor in the growth of the magnetic material market.Magnetic Materials Market: SegmentationOn the basis of types, the global magnetic material can be broadly segmented into soft magnetic material and hard or permanent magnet. In 2014, permanent magnet accounted for more than fifty percent of market share of the global magnetic materials market in terms of volume.On the basis of application, the global magnetic material market has largest applications in automotive, industrial and electronics segment. The automotive segment is projected to have the highest growth rate during the forecast period.Magnetic Materials Market: Region-wise OutlookIn terms of region, Asia Pacific is anticipated to have an attractive growth for magnetic material market as various multinational companies shifting their manufacturing set-ups to this region. China has the highest automobile production rate according to the 2014 automobile production rate of OICA which, in turn, is a factor behind the growing demand of magnetic material market. China and India are projected to be the dominant countries for the global magnetic material market.Visit For TOC@Magnetic Materials Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players for magnetic material market are Arnold Magnetic Technologies, Hitachi Metals Ltd., Molycorp Inc., Electron Energy Corporation, Lynas Corporation Ltd., Tengam Engineering Inc. and many others.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Collaborative Robots Market: Industry Growth Factors, Drivers, Competitive Landscape, Dynamics & Forecast 2024

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Collaborative Robots Market: OverviewRecently, a new type of industrial robot has come to the front position in a business, varying all the defined beliefs about robotics. Their most important characteristic is the capability to work securely alongside with humans. As a result, a human-robot partnership is the latest wanted feature for robots.Up to now, robots in business have always been huge, tough and robust equipment that work on definite tasks intended for them. They were enclosed by barriers and guards for security purposes. Their vivid colors were used to caution the nearby employees about the threat they symbolize. A lot of encoding skills were also essential to install these robots. Collaborative robots are exactly the reverse of the industrial robots, which actually came before them. They are solid, lightweight and agile.Request Free Sample Report @Collaborative Robots Market: Growth FactorsCollaborative robots are devices planned and developed for mechanizing tasks and making the job easier for humans. The constant expansion in the automation business is anticipated to improve the development of the global collaborative robot market in the future. The security of these robots has augmented their popularity in a variety of customer industries are they can rightly work on a bike with the human workers.The collaborative robot market is anticipated to be motivated by the broad range of collaborative robots that have permitted automation companies the prospect to choose the ideal product. In addition to this, the capabilities of these machines to work with other workers without intrusion and without any strict needs for security are also expanding the demand for collaborative robots. The activities of these robots can be effortlessly programmed throughout logical procedures that contain intuitive tools.Collaborative Robots Market: SegmentationThe collaborative robot market is segmented on the basis of applications, the payload capabilities, and the industries where the cobots hold most important applications. Among the three segments, above 10 kg capability segment is projected to see the highest growth over the anticipated time. The popularity of the segment can be attributed to the necessity arising from the industrial jobs which require heavy payload capabilities.In addition to this, the most important applications of the collaborative robots comprise handling, assembling, packaging, picking & dropping, gluing and welding. Handling application segment is anticipated to grasp the highest market share in the past years and is anticipated to uphold the domination in the coming years. The fast development of these segments can be recognized to the expansion being seen by the food & packaging and automotive sectors. The popularity for the collaborative robots for performing a variety of tasks across the businesses is projected to be an outstanding feature for driving the market.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Collaborative Robots Market: Regional AnalysisBased on geography, the global collaborative robot market is divided into Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. In the past, Europe has dominated the global market in terms of revenue. The firm concentration on automation has kept the popularity for collaborative robots in the province at an all-time higher rate.Analysts expect that North America will pursue the lead in terms of returns as the regions financial system climbs back to a normal rate after the slouch. Asia Pacific is also anticipated to tender numerous profitable opportunities to the market in the coming future as the manufacturing activities put on momentum.Browse detail report @Collaborative Robots Market: Competitive playersMajor players in the global collaborative robots market include ABB Ltd., KUKA AG, Teradyne Inc., Robert Bosch GmbH, Nachi Robotic Systems, Fanuc Corporation, Rethink Robots, Energid Technologies, F & P Robotics AG, Inc., and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inquire more before buying this report @About Us: Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristically, cutting-edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, a company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with Vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from Cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Our Blog:
Sirens Market Size & Share to See Modest Growth Through 2024

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Global Sirens Market: OverviewIn the home security system, motorized sirens are installed while long range sirens are deployed in the applications such as mining and industries. When there is no power supply and backup is used then hand operated sirens prove to be useful. In the factories or the plants air driven or hydraulic or air driven sirens are used. The modernly developed sirens exhibit various latest technologies thus finding applications in civil defense, security systems, emergency vehicles, and others. Typically, sirens are prepared from aluminum, stainless steel, or UV stabilized polycarbonate.Request Free Sample Report @Global Sirens Market: SegmentationThe global sirens market is fragmented into product type, application, and installation type. Based on the product type, the global market is segregated into electro-mechanical, single/dual toned, electronic, rotating, and omnidirectional. Based on the application, the market is categorized into civil defense, emergency vehicles, security/warning systems, home/vehicle safety, military use, industrial signaling, and others. Based on the installation type, the market is divided into the waterproof connector, wall mounting, and self-standing.Global Sirens Market: Growth FactorsThe need for the security solutions has increased significantly owing to the rapid growth in the population and the urbanization. The opportunities for the global sirens market has increased due to the increased implementation of security solutions that are electronic. These products are in high demand as they are durable, easy to install, and have high voltage capacity. The global sirens market will experience a good growth in the coming years due to the increased end-user applications, such as industrial warning systems, campus alert systems, community warning systems, and military mass warning systems. The market for the sirens has surged due to the rise in the demand for the security solutions, which has in turn improved the trend of using personal protective equipment. The development in the communication technology is expected to hamper the sirens market. The other disadvantages of the sirens are getting damaged due to the striking of the lightning or the malfunctioning of the equipment affects the growth of the market negatively.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Sirens Market: Regional AnalysisThe market for sirens is geographically diversified into Western Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, Eastern Europe, North America, and Latin America. The sirens market holds a good hold in every region. Across the world, the countries that hold the dominant market share are the U.S., China, India, Japan, Germany, Singapore, Australia, and the UAE. The factor that contributes to this market share is the growing demand for the security solutions both in developing and in developed economies. In the coming year, the market growth will be significant.Browse detail report @Global Sirens Market: Competitive PlayersThe key market players that are involved in the sirens market include Sentry Siren Inc., Whelen Engineering Co. Inc., B & M Siren Manufacturing Co., Phoenix Contact, Qlight USA Inc., Acoustic Technology Inc., MA Safety Signal Co. Ltd., Federal Signal Corporation, Projects Unlimited Inc., and Mallory Sonalert Products.Inquire more before buying this report @About Us: Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristically, cutting-edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, a company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with Vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from Cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Our Blog:
Auxiliary Power Unit Market Competitive Dynamics & Global Outlook 2024

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Auxiliary Power Unit Market: OverviewThe auxiliary power units are used in the versatile frameworks as a source of electrical power so that it can work freely from the fundamental motor. The versatile frameworks include transports, airplane, traveler autos, and distinctive sorts of trucks. The airship helper control units consist of the articulation APU, which are parts that are turbine-based.Request Free Sample Report @Auxiliary Power Unit Market: SegmentationThe global market for the auxiliary power unit is fragmented into the military aircraft, commercial aircraft, military land vehicle, and application. Based on the military aircraft, the global market is segregated into UAV and fighter. Based on the commercial aircraft, the market is categorized into VLA, WBA, and NBA. Based on the military land vehicle, the market is divided into armored vehicles and MBT. Based on the application, the market is bifurcated into military and marine.Auxiliary Power Unit Market: Growth FactorsThe competition among the global market players and the rapid technological development are the factors that are expected to drive the demand of the auxiliary power unit market. The auxiliary power unit is widely used in the whole deal trucks which will propel the market to grow in the coming years. The unit is used in the end-use industries such as aircraft manufacturing companies, freight companies, and the truck manufacturing companies. The major factors that will contribute to the market growth are an increased rate of technological innovations, growing e-commerce activities, declining rates of fuel, increase in the air travel, and the requirement for the electric aircraft.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Auxiliary Power Unit Market: Regional AnalysisOn the basis of the regional segmentation, the global auxiliary power unit market includes regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Western Europe. The regions such as North America and Europe are contributing a good share in the auxiliary power unit market. The factors that are favoring the growth of the market in these regions are the growing hostile acquisitions owing to the maturing markets and the increase in the consumer acceptance along with growing business will drive the market demand. The factors that are supporting the growth of the auxiliary power unit market are the speedy policy implementation, the rise in the personal consumption, and the rise in the inbound FDI. Certain factors are limiting the growth of the market in Asia Pacific region which includes the absence of the technological advancements and the lack of skilled labor and capital.Browse detail report @Auxiliary Power Unit Market: Competitive PlayersThe key market players that are involved in the auxiliary power unit market include Hamilton Sundstrand, Microturbo, The Marvin Group, Falck Schmidt, Eaton Fuel Systems Division, Hutchinson Aerospace & Industry, Honeywell International Inc., Jenoptik AGh, Kinetics Ltd., Dewey Electronics Corporation, Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH., and Exotic Metals Forming Company LLC.Inquire more before buying this report @About Us: Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristically, cutting-edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, a company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with Vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from Cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Our Blog:
Enoki Mushroom Market Comprehensive and in-depth Research Report Mentioning Key Vendors Greenpeace Green Co. (Greenco.), Shanghai Xuerong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Tianshui Zhongxing Bio-technology Co Ltd

Enoki Mushroom Market

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A new research document with title 'Global Enoki Mushroom Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 covering detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East, Africa and important players/vendors such as Greenpeace Green Co. (Greenco.), Shanghai Xuerong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Tianshui Zhongxing Bio-technology Co Ltd etc. The report will help user gain market insights, future trends and growth prospects for forecast period of 2017-2022.Request a sample report @This report studies the Enoki Mushroom market, Enoki mushrooms are recognized by their almost pure white color and long stems topped with petite, convex caps. They are also grown in bouquets and fitted with a tight collar at their base to encourage the growth of their signature long, thin delicate stems which can grow up to five inches in length. Their texture is tender yet firm with a crunchy bite and mild, reDirectly Edibleing flavor. Wild Enoki mushrooms are significantly different in appearance from the cultivated form as they have larger caps and shorter stems and their coloring is orange to brown.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Enoki Mushroom in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversGreenpeace Green Co. (Greenco.)Shanghai Xuerong Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Tianshui Zhongxing Bio-technology Co LtdGuangdong Xinghe Biotechnology Company LimitedHampyeong Chon Ji Mushroom Agricultural Union Corporation (HCMA)Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversWild TypeCultivated TypeBuy this report @Market Segment by Applications, can be divided intoFreshDriedFood Processing IndustryThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Enoki Mushroom market.Chapter 1, to describe Enoki Mushroom Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Enoki Mushroom, with sales, revenue, and price of Enoki Mushroom, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Enoki Mushroom, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Enoki Mushroom market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Enoki Mushroom sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceGet customization & check discount for report @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Enoki Mushroom Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Wild Type1.2.2 Cultivated Type1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Fresh1.3.2 Dried1.3.3 Food Processing Industry1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force....ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact Us:HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road, Edison, NJ USA - 08837sales@htfmarketreport.comPh: +1 (206) 317 1218
Global Application Delivery Network Market 2017 - A10 Networks, Citrix Systems, Radware, Array Network, Synercomm

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The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. Whats more, the Application Delivery Network industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.The recent report on Application Delivery Network market offers insightful information about the present scenario of the market across the global. The report, titled Application Delivery Network points out the key factors affecting the growth of the market. Latest market trends as well as the future growth opportunities have been mentioned in the report. The report takes into account the various micro- and macro-economic factors governing the overall growth of the Application Delivery Network market and assesses the valuation and size of the market in the coming years.Download Free Sample Report @The report talks about the distinct traits of the Application Delivery Network market and provides in-depth study of the various segments of the market. The report especially focuses on the development of the Application Delivery Network market in China owing to the increased demand from the region which has attracted the attention of the key manufacturers. Various regulations directly or indirectly affecting the Application Delivery Network market in the region have been discussed in the report. The report takes note of the present state of the global economy, which after witnessing double-digit growth for three decades, is slowing down. Governments efforts to push the econo my is expected to positively affect the various sectors and increase demand from the market.The report discusses the competitive vendor landscape of the Application Delivery Network market in the globe. Some of the key players in the market have been profiled in the report and crucial information about them such as their business overview, revenue segmentation, and product segmentation have been mentioned in the report. The report takes note of the market share held by the key players and estimates their future growth through SWOT analysis. It serves as a useful guide for the new entrants in the Application Delivery Network market.Access Full Report @Several analytical tools such as market attractiveness analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis are employed to study the global Application Delivery Network market, whereas SWOT analysis and Porters five forces analysis are utilized to evaluate the major players in the Application Delivery Network market in this report.This report not only provides a complete picture of the overall condition of the Application Delivery Network market, but also assists the players in this market to create profitable market strategies in order to gain a competitive edge.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Automotive Piston System Market : Potential and Niche Segments, Geographical regions and Trends 2025

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The increasing demand for automobile, especially in emerging economies, is expected to drive the global Automotive Piston Systems Market in the coming decade. As a piston is an essential part of an internal combustion engine, the demand for pistons is directly coupled with the automobile production. Owing to the continuous developments, the automobile sector is witnessing increased demand for lightweight pistons, which is expected to result in push for the global automotive piston system market.A piston is a key component of automobile internal combustion engine, which reciprocates within the cylinder, delivering energy to the crankshaft after each power stroke during an engine cycle.Automotive Piston System Market: Drivers & ConstraintsThe global automotive piston system market is expected to grow on account of increasing sales of automobiles across various segments such as two wheelers, four wheeler, and other automobile segments. With increasing demand for automobiles, especially two wheeler segment in emerging economies such as India, demand for pistons is expected to increase further thereby positively impacting the global automotive piston system market.Request Report Sample@Furthermore, the two wheelers is increasingly moving towards double cylinder engines as opposed to conventional single cylinder engines, particularly in the high end bikes segment. A double engine cylinder requires two pistons as compared to a single cylinder, wherein only one piston is used, hence with increasing production of high end bikes, the global automotive piston system market is expected to grow as well. Demand for passenger car, light & heavy commercial vehicle is also expected to contribute towards the growth in global automotive piston system market in coming years.Additionally, due to burgeoning fuel costs across the globe, the automobile industry is in continuous phase of research & development in order to increase fuel efficiency. The global automotive piston system market is hence witnessing an increased demand for light weight pistons across the globe.One of the key constraints for the global automotive piston market can be attributed to the increasing penetration of electric vehicles, which do not use pistons. Yet another constraint in the global automotive piston system market is the downsizing of engines in order to reduce weight and fuel increase efficiency. Using technologies such as turbocharger, automobile manufacturers have been able to downsize engines by reducing number of cylinders, without compromising on power of the engine.Automotive Piston System Market: SegmentationThe automotive piston system market has been segmented on the basis of types of vehicle such as two wheelers, passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, and heavy commercial vehicles. On the basis of piston material, the market has been segment as aluminium & steel piston. Increasing demand for lightweight aluminium piston is expected to have a positive impact on the global automotive piston system market in coming years.In terms of geography, the global automotive piston system has been divided in to seven key regions including North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa and Japan. Within these regions, the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) and Japan can be attributed as the largest contributing regions towards the global automotive piston system market, in terms of volume. The North American region is follows the aforementioned regions in the global automotive piston system market.Visit For TOC@Automotive Piston System Market: Key PlayersThe global automotive piston system witnesses key players such as Rheinmetall AG, Aisin-Seiki Co. Ltd., Mahle GmbH, Federal-Mogul Corporation, and Hitachi Ltd.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Anti-Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Packaging Market forecast to witness phenomenal growth opportunities by 2024

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Anti-Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Packaging technology has emerged as one of the best ways to prevent forged good manufacturing in the cosmetics. Emerging technologies that includes authentication, RFID and serialization has encouraged the anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market. Imitation can be done in the product, container, labelling or packing. It can apply both on generic as well as branded products.Anti-Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Packaging Market size will witness a substantial growth due to increasing awareness among consumers and manufacturers towards the side effects of fake goods. Growth in international free trade and inadequate drug regulation has led to an expansion of counterfeit drugs globally. Technologies including track and trace have been launched to avoid imitation of the products.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @The government regulation against forged goods is driving the demand for anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market. Stringent government regulations regarding usage of barcodes and advance packing by manufacturers is projected to fuel industry demand.The supply chain of anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market begins from medicine and cosmetic product manufacturers. The security of the products can be strengthened by innovative packing and removal of intermediaries. The anti-counterfeit measures include methods, techniques and devices that aid to the protection of product while moving it from factories to the final customer.The challenges that the anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market is facing includes poor regulation, higher number of intermediaries and lack of awareness. High cost of the technology, and impact on the products supply chain are some the factors that is restraining the growth of the technology. The changing trend in the beautifying industry from branded products to monotonous skin care products that are sold across the native places has increased the risk of imitated goods.Browse key industry insights from the report Anti-Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Packaging Market in detail along with the table of contents:The anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging is available in several forms based on the technology used, that includes, track and trace, RFID, serialization, authentication and barcodes. On the basis of application, the technology is used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.Asia Pacific, led by India, China and Japan will witness descent growth in anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market. According to the notice issued by directorate general of foreign trade, all the exported goods in India will be tracked and traced using barcodes. This will help in identification of forged material in the slot.MEA is the fastest growing economy for anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market in beauty and personal care products. Rise in the beauty and personal care industry will increase the chances of forged goods that will help the anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market to grow.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @North America, led by the U.S. will witness subsequent growth in the anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market. Increase in the pharmaceutical industry will drive the demand for the technology as the region alone holds over 40% of the market worldwide. It is hosting major companies that includes Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Merck. Besides, this region has always been a pioneer in medical research and development that will provide support to the product demand.Key players in the anti-counterfeit pharmaceuticals and cosmetics packaging market includes Alien Technology, AlpVision, Flint Group, Pharma Secure, Sicapa, Authentix, Zebra Technology, Inksure, Impinj, Bayer and Avery Dennison. In July 2016, AlpVision signed a distribution contract for its cryptoglyph technology with a Japanese IT firm, ISID. The agreement is for packing of goods. In the partnership, the companies not only hope to respond to the increasing number of forged products, but even for fake medicine, particularly those sold on the websites that are operated by foreign drug vendors located in Singapore and Hong Kong. The companies are even planning to expand their share and brand image in other countries of the world.Browse Related Reports:Pharmaceutical Filtration Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, Italy, France, China, India, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, UAE), Application Development Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  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:
Dimethyl Ether (DME) Market Global Research and Analysis 2025

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Dimethyl Ether (DME) Market: SnapshotMajority of the DME manufactured these days is an end-product of two-step process where the first step involves methanol generation with the help of natural gas or coal being used a feedstock. And the second step involves dehydration of methanol for the production of DME. Dimethyl Ether has the potential of replacing diesel in the conventional engines with small modifications that need to be made in the fuel injecting systems. The market potential of DME as a fuel for transport is huge as consumption of diesel in growing at a great pace because of the boom in the transportation sector.Among the variety of applications of DME, blending of LPG is considered to be the biggest market for dimethyl ether. Scarcity of LPG is a great cause of concern in the nations that have small gas reserves and thus have a very limited options of using natural gas instead of LPG. DME has proven to be a trustworthy source in such nations to cut down their imports of LPG by combining a prescribed amount of dimethyl ether in LPG without altering the current infrastructure. DME can also be used as a propellant of aerosol under the category of liquefied gas propellants. The numerous other applications of DME includes its utilization in the form of solvent, refrigerant, chemical feedstock, and for brazing and welding operations. Some of the prominent companies in the global DME market include names such as Azko Nobel N.V., Mitsubishi Corporation, Jiutai Energy Group, and Zagros Petrochemical Company among others.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Dimethyl Ether (DME) Market: OverviewDimethyl ether (DME), also known as methoxymethane, is the simplest ether which has widespread applications in chemicals industry and is extensively used as aerosol propellant. DME can be produced using a variety of feedstock such as biomass, methanol, and fossil fuels. The most prominent feedstock are natural gas, particularly in North America, or coal, especially in various Asian countries. The compound has several properties similar to LPG and is therefore extensively used as an excellent substitute for traditional fuels. In addition, various characteristic fuel properties of DME, particularly high cetane number and energy efficiency, make it attractive to be used in several diesel engines. Other popular applications of DME are as transportation fuel, power generation fuel, and domestic gas, thus it forms a crucial element stimulating the growth of transportation, agriculture, and construction industries.The largest producer and consumer of DME is China, where it is produced commercially. In countries such as in Japan, Korea, Egypt, and Brazil, DME has been a key energy source for decades.Request TOC of the Report @Global Dimethyl Ether (DME) Market: TrendsThe widespread use of dimethyl ether as a non-petroleum based alternative fuel is propelling the market. Since it is considered as a clean and high-performance compression ignition fuel, it can be extensively used in diesel engines; its use eliminates particulate exhaust emissions of automobiles and can significantly save the high cost of diesel particulate filters. This has spurred the demand for DME across transportation sector, especially in the North America.Most frequently, DME is blended with LPG, usually in equal proportion, to be used in domestic cooking and heating applications. Currently, more than 65% DME produced globally is blended with LPG. Blending offers many benefits in terms of its use as ultra-clean fuel for several domestic applications. China has upped the production of DME blended with LPG by using methanol as feedstock; commercial production of DME has helped China reduce the reliance on LPG-based fuel. Dehydrating methanol enhances the combustion efficiency of DME and hence is used as cost-effective fuel alternatives in heavy-duty trucks and ships. These trends are offering lucrative avenues for the market players to capitalize on.Global Dimethyl Ether (DME) Market: Market PotentialConcurrent applications of DME as transportation fuel in several regions such as in Europe, Japan, and North America, portend well for the market. The use of DME, either standalone or blended with LPG, is proliferating in large number of automobiles in industrialized nations as they are considered as cleaner energy. This has in turn increasingly reduced the dependency on LPG to fuel their economies. Various performance evaluation plans are underway, especially in North America, to assess the viability of DME as alternative fuel in large commercial vehicles and urban fleets. Producers of DME source the raw materials from natural organic waste found in urban landfills, which is expected to considerably reduce the carbon footprint in the coming years. Led by these promising developments, Oberon Fuels, a producer of the Dimethyl Ether (DME) fuel, has recently announced the start of a customer demonstration of a Pinnacle-series heavy duty trucks from Mack Trucks. Oberon has partnered with the American truck manufacturing company and they are working with the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to test the vehicle operation at the Fresh Kills Landfill to evaluate fuel performance and viability. If this drives become successful, DME will expectedly reduce GHC emissions by as much as 80% by 2050. Initiatives such as these expand the potential of the market in developed and emerging nations.Get a discount @Global Dimethyl Ether (DME) Market: Regional OutlookCurrently, Asia Pacific is a major market for DME where it is primarily used for blending with LPG and as aerosol propellant. Advancement in infrastructure for providing domestic fuel supply to several Asian countries coupled with the surge in demand for cost-effective, clean, and alternative fuels in transportation sector have stimulated the use of DME fuels. Increasing R&D activities related to DME production in advanced nations of Asia Pacific along with increasing production capacity in Japan and China are anticipated to boost the regional market.North America market is poised to show impressive growth over the forecast period. The increasing adoption of bio-based fuel in automobiles and continued improvements in vehicular emission technology have led to the wide demand for DME as a viable alternative. Increasing R&D investment by several automobile manufacturers have contributed to the growth momentum.Global Dimethyl Ether (DME) Market: Competitive AnalysisKey automakers and fuel producers are making substantial investments in various programs meant for evaluating the viability of DME as a cost-effective and environmental-friendly fuel. Out of large number of companies exploring lucrative avenues in the DME market, major players include Akzo Nobel NV, Korea Gas Corporation, China Energy Ltd., Royal Dutch Shell plc, Mitsubishi Corporation, Oberon Fuels, Inc., Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group Co., Ltd., Fuel DME Production Co., Ltd., and Grillo-Werke AG.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Geographic Information Systems Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth and Applications 2017  2021

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Global Geographic Information Systems Market Research Report provides information on Products, Services, Trends, Top Companies, Verticals, Countries, Material, Application, and Geography globally. This report will help the viewer in Better Decision Making ,offers by OrbisResearch.comDescription:Geographic Information Systems Report by Material, Application, and Geography  Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).The report firstly introduced the Geographic Information Systems basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Request a sample of Global Geographic Information Systems Market Research Report @The report includes six parts, dealing with: Basic information The Asia Geographic Information Systems Market The North American Geographic Information Systems Market The European Geographic Information Systems Market Market entry and investment feasibility The report conclusionBrowse the full Global Geographic Information Systems Industry Research Report @Some of the points from table of content:Part I Geographic Information Systems Industry OverviewChapter One Geographic Information Systems Industry Overview1.1 Geographic Information Systems Definition1.2 Geographic Information Systems Classification Analysis1.2.1 Geographic Information Systems Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Geographic Information Systems Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Geographic Information Systems Application Analysis1.3.1 Geographic Information Systems Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Geographic Information Systems Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Geographic Information Systems Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Geographic Information Systems Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Geographic Information Systems Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Geographic Information Systems Product Market Development Overview1.6 Geographic Information Systems Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Geographic Information Systems Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Geographic Information Systems Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Geographic Information Systems Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Geographic Information Systems Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Geographic Information Systems Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Geographic Information Systems Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisPart II Asia Geographic Information Systems Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Geographic Information Systems Market Analysis3.1 Asia Geographic Information Systems Product Development History3.2 Asia Geographic Information Systems Competitive Landscape Analysis3.3 Asia Geographic Information Systems Market Development TrendChapter Four 2012-2017 Asia Geographic Information Systems Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast4.1 2012-2017 Geographic Information Systems Capacity Production Overview4.2 2012-2017 Geographic Information Systems Production Market Share Analysis4.3 2012-2017 Geographic Information Systems Demand Overview4.4 2012-2017 Geographic Information Systems Supply Demand and Shortage4.5 2012-2017 Geographic Information Systems Import Export Consumption4.6 2012-2017 Geographic Information Systems Cost Price Production Value Gross MarginThe Report Contains: 165 Pages.Make an enquire of this report @About Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Follow Us on LinkedIn:Follow us on Twitter:Follow us on G+ :
Anti-Corrosion Coatings Market in Global Industry : Demands, Insights, Research and Forecast 2017-2025

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Global Anti-Corrosion Coatings Market: OverviewAnti-corrosion coatings protect various metal components from oxidation, exposure to industrial and environmental chemicals, moisture, and salt sprays. Preventing contact between corrosive materials and chemical compounds, these coatings might also feature nonstick properties. As rust and corrosion prevention is a key concern of a number of industries that have high humidity, salt, water, and mist, the global market for anti-corrosion coatings market is expected to soar.Global Anti-Corrosion Coatings Market: Key TrendsWidespread usage in oil and gas equipment such as drill pipes and oil storage tanks is fuelling the demand for anti-corrosion coatings. As these equipment are exposed to underground water and marshy land, they need to be protected from corrosion from moisture. Moreover, the increasing demand for energy generation via oil sands, tar sands, shale gas, and oil shale is likely to further provide an impetus to the market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The polyurethane coatings segment has been exhibiting significant growth thanks to the availability of a wide range of colors and glossy finish that attracts consumers. These products can endure temperatures up to 110 degrees Celsius. By application, the solvent based coatings might emerge at the fore due to government regulations emphasizing the use of low volatile organic compounds in products.Global Anti-Corrosion Coatings Market: Market PotentialIn February 2017, NEI Corporation announced that the patent and trademark regulatory body of the U.S. has issued allowance for two patent applications of the firm. These two products possess hydrophobic coatings, displaying high corrosion resistance, apart from their excellent adhesive properties.In the same month, Guntner launched a new coil protector designed for the food industry. The product possesses powder coating that is highly resistant to corrosion apart from being food safe.Request TOC of the Report @U.S.-based manufacturer of grapheme, Applied Graphene Materials (AGM) has been aiding James Briggs Ltd, a paints manufacturer, in the development of anti-corrosion grapheme coatings.A group of engineers and scientists has developed a hexagonal boron nitride monolayer that exhibits exceptional resistance to corrosion. Although this product needs to be developed further for it to be introduced in the commercial market, the future potential for it is immense, experts believe. Both anodic and cathodic currents were found to be unsuccessful at penetrating the automatically thin layer coating.Global Anti-Corrosion Coatings Market: Regional OutlookNorth America dominates the anti-corrosion coatings market, which is supported by rising volume of military investment. The U.S., flaunting one of the worlds largest fleet bases, is likely to represent maximum share of the anti-corrosion coatings market in North America.Get a discount @Asia Pacific is likely to emerge as a leading regional market owing to the foreign investments that have been pouring in. The extensive growth of the end-use industries such as oil and gas, power and energy, marine, tanks and pipes, and construction are responsible for increasing demand for anti-corrosion coatings in the developing countries of this region such as India, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, and China. China is slated to emerge at the fore, as a vast population, immense production base, and growing volume of foreign investments propel its expansion.Global Anti-Corrosion Coatings Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the leading companies operating in the global anti-corrosion coatings market are Hempel, The Sherwin-Williams Company, BASF, RPM International, PPG Industries, Chugoku Marine Paints, AICA Kogyo, Jotun, Axalta Coating, Kansai Paints, Ashland, Tnemec, Akzonobel, Sokema, Valspar, Nippon Paints, and AnCatt.Japan-based Kansai Paint is planning to acquire Sadolin Tanzania, Sadolin Kenya, and Sadolin Uganda, with a view to tap the vast potential of the market in this region.Several companies are also making sure that they improve their production capabilities. For example, PPG Industries completed a new production line at Wuhu, China. The plant produces highly efficient high solids and waterborne coatings.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Metalworking Fluids Market 2017: Worldwide Industry Production, Sales, Share, Future Trends and Forecast 2025

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Global Metalworking Fluids Market: OverviewMetalworking fluids is a term used for a range of fluids such as oils that are used for reducing fiction and heat, apart from removing metal particles in industrial processes. Primarily used as lubricity bases in formulation of water-soluble grinding and cutting fluids, metalworking fluids are deployed in forming operations such as rolling, stamping, and drawing. These fluids can be mixtures of anti-weld agents, oils, corrosion inhibitors, emulsifiers, biocides, extreme pressure additives and buffers.Global Metalworking Fluid s Market: Key TrendsThe usage of metalworking fluids in several end-use industries such as appliances, aerospace, machinery and automotive are likely to result in increased demand. Presently, there has been a rising preference for synthetic fluids. As against conventional fluids, synthetic fluids possess advanced functions and forms, providing precise concentration measurements and reducing the chances of oil contamination. The growing demand for these metalworking fluids is expected to accelerate the market expansion.Request Sample Copy of the Report @On the other hand, the occupational and environmental hazards posed by these fluids are considered key factors restricting the growth of the market. Workers who are exposed to these fluids might develop respiratory disorders such as asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and chronic bronchitis apart from skin related conditions.However, the negative impact of these deterrents can be counterbalanced by the introduction of bio-based metalworking fluids. These are obtained from natural materials such as plant oil and animal fats. As bio-based metalworking fluids are not only cost-efficient, but also environment friendly and safe for workers, this segment is slated for stupendous growth.Global Metalworking Fluids Market: Market PotentialA number of product innovations in the field of metalworking fluids have cropped up over the last few years. For example, in February 2017, TRIM MicroSol 590XT, a new metalworking fluid launched by Master Chemical Corporation, received the approval of Boeing, a leading aerospace company. The product is to be used in the making of aircraft families such as 767, 737, and 777.Request TOC of the Report @In the same month, a nitrate-free acid mixture possessing extraordinary resistance to ferrous corrosion was launched by Verdezyne Inc., in partnership with Aceto Corporation. This product can be used in the production of metalworking fluids.Similarly, Milacron Holdings Corp. announced the launch of CIMPERIAL 35-880, a highly efficient emulsion fluid designed for heavy-duty machine operations, in early February 2017. Aimed at catering to the needs of aerospace sector, the product can also be used in automotive and industrial applications. The product claims to have high resistance to corrosion, apart from boasting CimShield technology.Global Metalworking Fluids Market: Regional OutlookThe metalworking fluids market in North America is expected to display tremendous growth. Benefitted by the increasing opportunities in the U.S., this region is likely to emerge at the fore of the global landscape. Steady recovery of the automotive manufacturing and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) from economic downturn is likely to aid expansion. Europe might also witness considerable growth, driven by the presence of leading automotive manufacturers in Germany.Get a discount @Asia Pacific promises great potential for further expansion owing to the flourishing automotive sector, large scale industrialization, growing infrastructural development, and beneficial policies of the governments. The Asian countries such as India, China, Indonesia, and Japan are likely to emerge as the key contributors.Global Metalworking Fluids Market: Competitive AnalysisIn terms of competition, the market appears to be highly fragmented, with smaller players catering to a majority of end users. Some of the major companies operating in the global market for metalworking fluids are Castrol Limited, FUCHS, The Lubrizol Corporation, Apar Industries Ltd, Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Lukoil Oil Company, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP, Total S.A., and Chem Arrow Corporation.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Flexographic Printing Inks Market in Global Industry : Demands, Insights, Research and Forecast 2017-2025

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Global Flexographic Printing Inks Market: SnapshotThe growing demand of direct relief printing processes for packing materials has largely led to the evolution of flexographic printing inks market. Popular types of packaging solutions that use flexographic printing inks include cardboard boxes, corrugated cardboard, plastic bags, food packaging, catalogues, and newspapers. Flexographic printing is based on conventional letterpress printing process. It has gained popularity for printing a large number of packing materials, since the inks used in the process is suitable for a variety of substrates. The high-quality printing method uses flexographic inks, which can be primarily of three types: water based, solvent-based and UV curable. The suitability of any particular type is dependent on the choice of the substrates. The accelerated demand for environmental-friendly, pollution-free, and low-cost printing is providing a robust fillip to the adoption of flexographic printing inks.Although, solvent-based flexographic printing inks have extensive applications driven by the high rate of printing and superior quality they offer, in recent years, the adoption of water-based inks has picked up pace. Intensifying regulatory norms about the emission of volatile organic compounds in many solvent-based inks has triggered the demand for alternatives that are safe to users in terms of flammability and toxicity. For instance, pollution prevention regulations by agencies such as the United States Environmental and Hazardous waste regulations (RCRA) by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has catalyzed the adoption of water-based inks as suitable candidates in developed nations. These inks substantially limit the emission of volatile organic compounds and are safe to users in terms of flammability and toxicity. While water-based flexographic inks were naturally found suitable for various paper and paperboard substrates, their application on films and foils offered some difficulty and consequently required special treatments. This may be a key factor hindering its uptake in several developing economies in the forthcoming years.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Flexographic Printing Inks Market: OverviewFlexographic printing has had a long-time growth experience, owing to its marketability on the basis of compatibility with a range of substrates and many other features. It is a popular flexible packaging printing technique which uses inks offering an enhanced printing rate with the help of their high drying characteristics. The flexographic printing inks market is expected to see a trending growth with an important application in the high-speed printing process. Water-based flexographic printing inks are projected to witness a high growth as consumers demand for non-volatile organic compound-based inks. Solvent-based flexographic printing inks are mainly adopted for their superior printing rate and scratch resistance characteristics.Global Flexographic Printing Inks Market: Key TrendsThe world flexographic printing inks market is prophesied to gain momentum from increased consumer spending in growing industries such as personal care, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food and beverage. Since packaging is a vital marketing instrument which drives the interest and attention of buyers, vendors belonging to different industries are foreseen to dedicate an augmented focus on graphical and print features. This is envisioned to draw in a massive demand for flexographic printing inks.Request TOC of the Report @With flexible packaging doing rounds of a higher growth till date, the positive growth indicator observed on the part of the packaging sector is foretold to help the global flexographic printing inks market gain traction. Much of the demand for flexible packaging is due to its long range of applications in the consumer goods industry.Global Flexographic Printing Inks Market: Market PotentialMergers and acquisitions are a part of the business strategies practiced in most industries. However, the introduction of novel products and technologies is deemed to have penned down the future of the world flexographic printing inks market.The TRESU Group has offered a solution for digitally printed folding cartons requiring non-stop application of high-gloss metallic finishes. The TRESU Flexo Kit metallic ink unit is capable of separately supplying uncontaminated special-effect coating finishes, including aerodyne, silver, and gold. The unit allows ink application at a speed that is parallel to that of coaters and printers, i.e. approximately 4,600 sheets per hour.Siegwerk is looking to enhance its status in the global flexographic printing inks market as a full-range provider with the acquisition of Hi-Tech Products Ltd.Get a discount @Global Flexographic Printing Inks Market: Regional OutlookThe major aspects of growth prevalent in the flexographic printing inks market of Europe are prognosticated to include the healthy consumption rate in countries such as Germany and France and impregnable cosmetic manufacturing. As a result, Europe is expected to showcase steady gains during the forecast period.The U.S. is anticipated to be mainly driven by the demand in North America on account of a kings share in the world packaged food market.Food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other end-user industries in Asia Pacific are predicted to attract a propelling growth on the back of certain dynamics such as changing consumer lifestyle.Global Flexographic Printing Inks Market: Competitive LandscapeGlobal players in the flexographic printing inks market are envisaged to rely on strategies such as new product development for securing a telling share and extending their customer base. Some of the prominent brands in the business are INX International Corporation, T&K TOKA Co. Ltd., Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG, RUCO Druckfarben A.M. Ramp & Co GmbH, and TOYO Ink Group. Industry players are also focusing on compliance with volatile organic compound (VOC) regulations by governments and the production and promotion of eco-friendly offerings.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Nanosensors Market 2017- Optics11, Nanowear, Agilent, Oxonica, Texas Instruments

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Nanosensors Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Nanosensors 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 Nanosensors industry, and estimates the future trend of Nanosensors market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Nanosensors Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportAnalog devices IncHoneywell InternationalOmron CorporationTexas InstrumentsIBMLockheed Martin CorporationSamsung ElectronicsOptics11NanowearAgilentOxonicaThe market research report explores the Nanosensors market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Nanosensors 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 Nanosensors market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Nanosensors. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Nanosensors 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 Nanosensors is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Nanosensors market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Nanosensors market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Nanosensors market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Nanosensors production volume, data pertaining to demand and Nanosensors supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Nanosensors 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 Nanosensors 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
C-Reactive Protein Test Market 2017 Global Market analysis and Industry Forecast 2022

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C-Reactive Protein Test MarketC-reactive protein (CRP) is an annular (ring-shaped), pentameric protein found in blood plasma, whose levels rise in response to inflammation. C - Reactive Protein Test(CRP) is the C- reactive protein (CRP) assay kit which is used for research and for diagnostic. It can detect the C-reactive protein in human serum and plasma samples.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) in North America market, especially in United States, Canada and Mexico. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, countries, type and application.Browse Full Table of Contents and Report Description @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Beckman Coulter Roche Siemens Healthcare Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Boditech FUJIFILM KANTO CHEMICAL Kehua Group Wondfo Beijing Strong Biotechnologies Getein Biotech Randox Laboratories Spinreact BioSino Leadman BiochemistryMarket Segment by Countries, covering United States Canada MexicoMarket Segment by Type, covers ELISA Immunoturbidimetric CLIA OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Hospitals Diagnostic Laboratories OthersFor Requesting a Sample Copy of This Report, Please Visit @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the North America C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) market.Chapter 1, to describe C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by countries, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP), 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 profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the North America market by countries, covering United States, Canada and Mexico, with sales, revenue and market share of C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP), for each country, 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 and 9, to analyze the segment market in United States, Canada and Mexico, by manufacturers, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and market share by manufacturers, types and applications;Chapter 10, C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) market forecast, by countries, type and application, with sales, price and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 11, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 12, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 13, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 14 and 15, to describe C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data sourceTable of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 ELISA1.2.2 Immunoturbidimetric1.2.3 CLIA1.2.4 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Hospitals1.3.2 Diagnostic Laboratories1.3.3 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Countries1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Mexico Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Canada Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Beckman Coulter2.1.1 Profile2.1.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Beckman Coulter C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.1.4 Business Overview2.1.5 Beckman Coulter News2.2 Roche2.2.1 Profile2.2.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Roche C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2.4 Business Overview2.2.5 Roche News2.3 Siemens Healthcare2.3.1 Profile2.3.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Siemens Healthcare C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3.4 Business Overview2.3.5 Siemens Healthcare News2.4 Ortho Clinical Diagnostics2.4.1 Profile2.4.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Ortho Clinical Diagnostics C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4.4 Business Overview2.4.5 Ortho Clinical Diagnostics News2.5 Boditech2.5.1 Profile2.5.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 Boditech C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5.4 Business Overview2.5.5 Boditech News2.6 FUJIFILM2.6.1 Profile2.6.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 FUJIFILM C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6.4 Business Overview2.6.5 FUJIFILM News2.7 KANTO CHEMICAL2.7.1 Profile2.7.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 KANTO CHEMICAL C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7.4 Business Overview2.7.5 KANTO CHEMICAL News2.8 Kehua Group2.8.1 Profile2.8.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Kehua Group C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8.4 Business Overview2.8.5 Kehua Group News2.9 Wondfo2.9.1 Profile2.9.2 C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 Wondfo C-Reactive Protein Test (CRP) Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9.4 Business Overview2.9.5 Wondfo NewsAbout UsReports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform to meet the 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. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Contact UsJay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Welding Consumables Market will Register a Value CAGR of 5.5% through 2016-2026

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The extensive use of arc welding and oxy-fuel welding processes in the manufacturing of automobiles and machinery has generated considerable demand for flux and filler metals as welding consumables. As a result, the global market for welding consumables is expected to witness a significant growth in 2016, reaching the market value of US$ 11,835.8 Mn at a y-o-y growth rate of 5.4% over 2015. Furthermore, the global demand for welding consumables will also be influenced by the rising trend of automating welding processes in automobile and construction industries.The lack of skilled labour for fabrication welding processes is expected to trigger the need for welding automation technology and generate mounting demand for welding consumables. The growth of the global welding consumables market is also expected to be driven by the rapid industrialisation, the surging real estate sector and the rising number of end-use welding applications. On the contrary, the stagnant adoption levels of advanced welding technologies in developing countries is anticipated to curb the overall growth of the global welding consumable market.Based on the type of welding consumables, the global market is anticipating a stellar growth by the stick electrodes consumables. The stick electrode segment will continue the dominance in terms of the global market share and account for over 40% by the end of 2016. However, the segment is expect to contend with stiff competition from flux-cored wires and solid wires due to their cost-effectiveness.Fill the Form for an Exclusive Sample of this Report@Based on the welding techniques, the arc welding segment will continue to dominate the global market and account for US$ 8,256.4 Mn revenues by 2016-end. On the other hand, the booming automotive industry and the growing production of multipart machineries will incite the use of resistance welding and oxy-fuel welding in 2016 and beyond.By applications, the use of welding consumables will be elevated in the building & construction industries and the automotive& transportation sector. Also, the soaring consumption of welding consumables in marine applications is anticipated to develop additional growth opportunities for the global welding consumables market.In 2016, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) is projected to be the most lucrative region for the growth of the global welding consumables market and will exhibit more than 30% of the global market share. The booming real estate sector in APEJ countries such as China and India will drive the demand for welding consumables in the construction industries. North America and Latin America are also expected to favour the growth of the welding consumables market, owing to the rising adoption of advanced welding technologies in manufacturing industries.Send An Enquiry@The increasing need for automating the welding processes has influenced the business expansion of major welding consumable manufacturers. Hyundai Welding Co., Panasonic Corporation, Fronius International GmbH, The Lincoln Electric Company, Denyo Co. Ltd., Kemppi Oy, Tianjin Bridge Welding Materials Co. Ltd., Colfax Corporation, Air Liquide, voestalpine AG, Arcon Welding Equipment, and Illinois Tool Works Inc., among others, represent the key players of the global market for welding consumables.Long-term Outlook: In terms of market value, the global welding consumables market is forecasted to register a 5.5% CAGR and generate absolute $ opportunity of US$ 8,295.4 Mn during the forecast period 2016-2026. APEJ region will continue to be the most lucrative region, expanding at a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite :
2017 Global Botox Industry Environment Development Trend & Forecast Report

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BotoxBotox is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and related species in the reproduction process. Botox is a polypeptide which molecular weight is 150kD and is also one of the most poisonous natural proteins. It is so easy to be produced, purified and refined due to its stable property that Botox is used widely in Experimental Research and Clinical Application at the early stage.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Botox in United States market, to split the market based on manufacturers, states, type and application.Browse Full Table of Contents and Report Description @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Allergan Ipsen Merz Pharmaceuticals Medytox US World Meds LIBPMarket Segment by States, covering California Texas New York Florida IllinoisMarket Segment by Type, covers 50U 100U OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Medical CosmeticThere are 17 Chapters to deeply display the United States Botox market.Chapter 1, to describe Botox 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 Botox, 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 Botox, 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, Botox 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 Botox Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source.For Requesting a Sample Copy of This Report, Please Visit @Table of ContentTable of Contents Market Overview1.1 Botox Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 50U1.2.2 100U1.2.3 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Medical1.3.2 Cosmetic1.4 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)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Allergan2.1.1 Profile2.1.2 Botox Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Allergan Botox Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.1.4 Business Overview2.1.5 Allergan News2.2 Ipsen2.2.1 Profile2.2.2 Botox Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Ipsen Botox Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2.4 Business Overview2.2.5 Ipsen News2.3 Merz Pharmaceuticals2.3.1 Profile2.3.2 Botox Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Merz Pharmaceuticals Botox Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3.4 Business Overview2.3.5 Merz Pharmaceuticals News2.4 Medytox2.4.1 Profile2.4.2 Botox Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Medytox Botox Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4.4 Business Overview2.4.5 Medytox News2.5 US World Meds2.5.1 Profile2.5.2 Botox Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 US World Meds Botox Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5.4 Business Overview2.5.5 US World Meds News2.6 LIBP2.6.1 Profile2.6.2 Botox Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 LIBP Botox Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6.4 Business Overview2.6.5 LIBP News3 United States Botox Market Competition, by Manufacturer3.1 United States Botox Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)3.2 United States Botox Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2016-2017)3.3 United States Botox Price by Manufacturers (2016-2017)3.4 Market Concentration Rate3.4.1 Top 3 Botox Manufacturer Market Share3.4.2 Top 5 Botox Manufacturer Market Share3.5 Market Competition TrendAbout UsReports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform to meet the 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. Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Contact UsJay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Online Higher Education Market in the US to Grow at a CAGR Of 19.85% During the Period 2017-2021

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Companies Mentioned: American Public Education, Apollo Education Group, Capella Education Company, Grand Canyon Education, Bridgepoint Education, Career Education Corporation, Adtalem Global Education, Graham Holdings Company, ITT Educational Services, and moreAbout Online Higher Education, Higher education or post-secondary education is the final stage of formal learning after the successful completion of K-12 education. Students attain higher education by attending full-time degree courses in various institutions including universities, colleges, academies, technology institutes, vocational schools, trade schools, and other institutions offering professional certifications. Certain non-degree courses are also witnessing hikes in enrollments due to the increasing interests of working professionals to pursue further education. Increasing demand for employability skills including like teamwork, critical thinking, analytical reasoning, ethical judgment, problem-solving, language skills, information literacy, and others has resulted in an overall increase in the volume and variety of course offerings in the higher education market over the last few years. With the rapid adoption of education technology, increasing focus on experiential or collaboration-based learning has led to many business schools and colleges offering courses, certifications, diplomas in innovative disciplines.Analysts forecast the Online Higher Education Market in the US to Grow at a CAGR Of 19.85% During the Period 2017-2021.Limited Period Offer Get Discount on this Report.Check for Discount on Online Higher Education Market in US Report@Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the online higher education market in the US for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the retail selling price as the average selling price of the product.Online Higher Education Market in the US 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.Browse Full Report with TOC:Key vendors Key vendors American Public Education Apollo Education Group Capella Education Company Grand Canyon EducationOther prominent vendors Bridgepoint Education Career Education Corporation Adtalem Global Education Graham Holdings Company ITT Educational Services Lincoln Educational Services Strayer Education Universal Technical Institute Education Management Corporation National American Universities HoldingsPlace Purchase Order for this Report@If you have any query please feel free to contact us@ enquiry@orbisresearch.comMarket driver Cost-effectivenessMarket challenge Security threats from cyber attacksMarket trend Increasing popularity of visual technologiesKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Table of ContentsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportPART 03: Research MethodologyPART 04: IntroductionGlobal higher education marketPART 05: Market landscapeOnline higher education market in the USFive forces analysisPART 06: Market segmentation by coursesOnline higher education market in the US by coursesNon-degree coursesDegree coursesPART 07: Market segmentation by subjectsOnline higher education market in the US by subjectsCommerce and managementSTEMArtsOthersPART 08: Decision frameworkPART 09: Drivers and challengesMarket driversMarket challengesPART 10: Market trendsIncreasing popularity of visual technologiesAwareness of nanodegrees or micro-credentialsGrowing adoption of competency-based learningOnline degrees in specialized disciplinesPopularity of big data and learning analyticsPART 11: Vendor landscapeCompetitive scenarioCompetitive benchmarkingGrowth strategyPART 12: Key vendor analysisAmerican Public EducationApollo Education GroupCapella Education CompanyGrand Canyon EducationPART 13: Other prominent vendorsPART 14: AppendixOrbis Research is a single point aid for all your Market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customised reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialisation. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required Market research study for our clients.Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Email ID: sales@orbisresearch.com
Global Microgrid Technology Market Research Report 2017 - Echelon, Siemens, Sunverge Energy, Toshiba, Moixa

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Microgrid Technology Market Research Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The global Microgrid Technology market is being molded by various factors, an in-depth assessment of which has been provided in the report. The research study classifies those as growth drivers and restraints. It analysis their effect on the growth-path of the market from 2017 to 2022. It also glances at the recent trends in the market.The report also uses popular analytical tools, namely Porters Five Forces and SWOT analysis to gauge the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers and the threat from substitution and new entrants. All these helps to provide an accurate picture of the prevalent competition in the global Microgrid Technology market.Order a copy of complete Research Report @The team of analysts behind preparing the report understand that it is important for companies to chart their marketing strategies carefully. To that end, they have collated pertinent information in the form of charts and tables and also furnished helpful suggestions to enable companies beat competition. The report is a repository of exhaustive information aimed at providing insight into the global Microgrid Technology market to its stakeholders.In addition, the report also studies the effect of latest domestic and international policies on the global Microgrid Technology market. It divides the market based upon parameters. Factors impacting the growth across the segments are analyzed thoroughly and opportunities are reviewed.To study the vendor landscape in the global market for Microgrid Technology, the report lists and scrutinizes some of the prominent participants. It throws lights on their product offerings, sales, revenues, strategies, and growth trajectories.To Get Discount Of This Report Click here @Table of Contents1 Microgrid Technology Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Microgrid Technology1.2 Microgrid Technology Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Microgrid Technology Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Microgrid Technology Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Grid-Tied Type Microgrid2 Global Microgrid Technology Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Microgrid Technology Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Microgrid Technology Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Microgrid Technology Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)3 Global Microgrid Technology Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Microgrid Technology Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Microgrid Technology Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Microgrid Technology Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Microgrid Technology Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Microgrid Technology Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Microgrid Technology Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Microgrid Technology Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Microgrid Technology Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Microgrid Technology Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)Browse Complete Report with TOC @List of Tables and FiguresFigure China Microgrid Technology Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Japan Microgrid Technology Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Southeast Asia Microgrid Technology Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure India Microgrid Technology Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Global Microgrid Technology Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Microgrid Technology Capacity, Production (K Units) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Microgrid Technology Major Players Product Capacity (K Units) (2012-2017)Table Global Microgrid Technology Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table Global Microgrid Technology Capacity Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Overview Of Marine Power (Wave and Tidal) Market - Installed Capacity, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Profiles of Technology Developers and Key Country Analysis to 2030

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ResearchMoz presents this most up-to-date research on "Overview Of Marine Power (Wave and Tidal) Market - Installed Capacity, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Profiles of Technology Developers and Key Country Analysis to 2030".Marine Power (Wave and Tidal) Installed Capacity, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Profiles of Technology Developers and Key Country Analysis to 2030 is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the marine energy industry. The report provides clear understanding of the global marine power market.The report provides an overview of various marine energy technologies such as wave energy, tidal energy, ocean thermal energy and energy from salinity gradient. The report covers information on requirements for development of a marine energy project and information on distribution of marine projects (wave and tidal) across various major countries. Further, the report covers cost break-up for wave and tidal projects, profiles of major technology providers and installed capacity forecasts to 2030. Countries covered in the report include the US, Canada, the UK, Portugal, Republic of Korea and Australia. Information such as technology potential, power projects in demonstration and development stage and policy support for the industry is covered in detail. Companies covered in the report include Ocean Renewable Power Company, Aquamarine Power, AWS Ocean Energy, Carnegie Wave Energy Limited, Marine Current Turbines Limited, Ocean Power Technologies, Oceanlinx Limited, OpenHydro Group Limited, Pelamis Wave Power, Pulse Tidal, Verdant Power, Voith Hydro Wavegen Limited, BioPower Systems Pty, Tidal Generation Limited, Wavebob and Wello OY.The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, and in-house analysis by GlobalDatas Team of industry experts.ScopeThe report analyzes the global marine energy market and its scope includesData on the installed capacity, split by key countries, cost analysis with LCOE comparison with other renewable sources, drivers and restraints impacting the global marine energy market.The report provides market insights on the major markets such as the US, Canada, the UK, Portugal, Australia and Republic of Korea (South Korea).Wave and tidal energy potential, project list of marine power and policy support for marine energy in major countries.Company profiles of major technology developers such as Ocean Renewable Power Company, Aquamarine Power, AWS Ocean Energy, Carnegie Wave Energy Limited, Marine Current Turbines Limited, Ocean Power Technologies, Oceanlinx Limited, OpenHydro Group Limited, Pelamis Wave Power, Pulse Tidal, Verdant Power, Voith Hydro Wavegen Limited, BioPower Systems Pty, Tidal Generation Limited, Wavebob and Wello OY are covered in detail.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Reasons to buyThe report will enhance your decision making capability. It will allow you toFacilitate decision making based on strong historic and forecast data for the marine energy market.Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events.Position yourself to maximize potential in the growth of the market.Identify key partners and business development avenues.Respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 31.1 List of Tables 61.2 List of Figures 72 Introduction 82.1 Marine Energy Market, Overview 82.2 Marine Energy Market, Technology Overview 92.2.1 Tidal Technologies 92.2.2 Wave Technology 102.2.3 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion 122.2.4 Salinity Gradient 122.3 Marine Energy Market, Global, Development Requirements of the Marine Technology 132.4 Report Guidance 153 Marine Energy Market, Global 163.1 Marine Energy Market, Global, Overview 163.2 Marine Energy Market, Global, Distribution of Projects 173.2.1 Tidal Energy Market, Global, Distribution of Projects 173.2.2 Wave Energy Market, Global, Distribution of Projects 18Browse More Details @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Ethoxylates Market To Grow At A CAGR Of 3.20% During The Period 2017-2021 Key Vendors - BASF, Clariant, Huntsman, Solvay, The Dow Chemical Company

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Ethoxylates Market 2017-2021" to its huge collection of research reports.Ethoxylates are organic compounds that are made by the treatment of alcohol with ethylene oxide (EO) in the presence of catalysts like potassium hydroxide. Ethoxylates are used as intermediates in the production of surface cleaners, detergents, cosmetics, and paints. The textile processing, paints and coatings, agriculture, pulp and paper, and personal care industries are some of the major end-users of ethoxylates. Ethoxylates are used widely in various industrial applications because of their excellent properties such as high-water solubility, low toxicity, good formulation, and excellent wetting ability. Furthermore, ethoxylates are used as emulsion stabilizers during the processing of emulsion polymers, floor polish, and wax because they rapidly dissolve and provide ionic stability to the emulsion.Technavios analysts forecast the global ethoxylates market to grow at a CAGR of 3.20% during the period 2017-2021.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global ethoxylates market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of ethoxylates from various types across various segments.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:APACEuropeNorth AmericaROWGlobal Ethoxylates 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 vendorsBASFClariantHuntsmanSolvayThe Dow Chemical CompanyBrowse Detail Report With Full TOC @Other prominent vendorsDONGNAMEMCO DyestuffIndia GlycolsJ.C. EnterprisesLAFFANS PetrochemicalsNikko ChemicalsOmni Impex GoaP&G ChemicalsRoyal Dutch ShellSaibaba SurfactantsStepanTRISTAR INTERMEDIATESTriveni ChemicalsVenus EthoxyethersWuhan Oxiran Special ChemicalsMarket driverIncreasing use of alcohol ethoxylatesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeFluctuating crude oil pricesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendNew product developmentsFor 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?Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Smirnoff Cider 2017 Global Market Challenge, Driver, Trends & Forecast to 2021

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Pune, India, 22nd August 2017: WiseGuyReports announced addition of new report, titled Success Case Study: Smirnoff Cider - Fusing categories and flavors to widen cider's appeal.SummarySmirnoff Cider was launched in 2016 off the back of Diageo's prior success with Pimm's Cider Top. It marries fruit cider with interesting flavor combinations to the brand's core vodka, to offer a less sweet but widely palatable drink.Cider continues to be a key market in the UK drinks scene, with producers looking for ever-greater differentiation as mainstream products become less attractive to experimental consumers.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- Cider is, like beer, experiencing a move towards craft and premium products, and away from the basic mainstream cider product.- At the same time, flavored cider offers big brands a route to compete in a buoyant segment not necessarily dependent on craft credentials, but one where premiumization and differentiation can be established through flavor innovation.- A key part of flavored ciders appeal is its relative accessibility and palatability for a wider range of consumers. This is combined with the widespread popularity of vodka as a mixer spirit.- The fruity and sweet flavor preference among female consumers suggests more potential for enhancing appeal among that demographic with interesting/creative fruit flavors or fusions that pair cider with other fruit-derived categories/segments.Reasons to buy- Use selection of successful and failed product launches and marketing campaigns from across the globe to inspire innovation.- Reduce the risk of failure by learning from brands/products that have under-performed: failed innovation can severely impact profit and reputation.- Understand the relevant consumer trends and attitudes that drive and support innovation success.- Obtain a broader appreciation of the fast-moving consumer goods industry by gaining insights from both within and outside of your sector.Table of Content: Key PointsTable of ContentsAbout Successes & Failures Case StudiesSummary: Smirnoff CiderWhat?Why?Take-outAppendixContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Tongkat Ali Powder Market Analysis by Application, Product Types and Regions with Forecast to 2022

Global Tongkat Ali Powder Market Research Report 2017

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Global Tongkat Ali Powder Market Research Report 2017 contains historic data that spans 2012 to 2016, and then continues to forecast to 2022. That makes this report so invaluable, resources, for the leaders as well as the new entrants in the IndustryGlobal Tongkat Ali Powder Market report is replete with detailed analysis from a thorough research, especially on questions that border on market size, development environment, futuristic developments, operation situation, pathways and trend of Tongkat Ali Powder. All these are offshoots of understanding the current situation that the industry is in, especially in 2017. The will chart the course for a more comprehensive organization and discernment of the competition situation in the Tongkat Ali Powder market. As this will help manufacturers and investors alike, to have a better understanding of the direction in which the Tongkat Ali Powder Market is headed. Access complete report at:With this Tongkat Ali Powder Market report, one is sure to keep up with information on the dogged competition for market share and control, between elite manufacturers. It also features, price, production, and revenue. It is where you will understand the politics and tussle of gaining control of a huge chunk of the market share. As long as you are in search of key Industry data and information that can readily be accessed, you can rest assured that this report got them covered. Key companies profiled in this report are Cambodia Moringa Leaf Powder(Kampuchea), Changsha Herbway Biotech Co., Ltd(Cn), Masmani Sdn Bhd(Malaysia), Sweet Heart Food Industries Sdn Bhd(Malaysia), Shanghai Greensail Biotechnology Co., Ltd.(Cn), Gcm Products(Malaysia), Nutra Green Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.(Cn), Xi'an Pincredit Bio-Tech Co., Ltd.(Cn), Apex Biotechnol(India), Nanjing Nutriherb Biotech Co.,Ltd(Cn) and others. Purchase a copy of this report at:When taking a good look at this report, based on the product, it is evident that the report shows the rate of production, price, revenue, and market share as well as of the growth of each product type. And emphasis is laid on the end users, as well as on the applications of the product. It is one report that hasn't shied away from taking a critical look at the current status and future outlook for the consumption/sales of these products, by the end users and applications. Not forgetting the market share control and growth rate of Tongkat Ali Powder Industry, per application. All the queries about this report can be asked at:List of Chapters:1 Tongkat Ali Powder Market Overview2 Global Tongkat Ali Powder Market Competitions by Manufacturers3 Global Tongkat Ali Powder Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Tongkat Ali Powder Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Tongkat Ali Powder Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Tongkat Ali Powder Market Analysis by Application7 Global Tongkat Ali Powder Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Tongkat Ali Powder Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Tongkat Ali Powder Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixThe Market ReportsWe at, The Market Reports aiming to provide the best industry and market reports to a seeker. We are looking forward to a place where we are the one stop destination for all the report seekers irrespective of any country, category, domain, etc.The Market ReportsSF-29, North Block,Sacred World, Wanawadi,Pune, 411040 (India)Phone: +1-631-407-1315, +91-750-729-1479
Global Semiconductor Inspection Market Key Players 2017: Ultratech, Nikon Metrology, Rudolph Technologies, Hermes Microvision, Lasertec

Global Semiconductor Inspection Market

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The up-to-date research report on Global Semiconductor Inspection Market portrays a detailed fundamental market overview which is fueled by deep research to acquaint the users with latest Semiconductor Inspection market trends, current market overview and Semiconductor Inspection market development status expected during the forecast period from 2017-2022. Global Semiconductor Inspection Report offers a thorough analysis of different Semiconductor Inspection market segments like dominant key players their visions which will help the readers in analysing the Semiconductor Inspection growth opportunities. The report provides concise knowledge of the Semiconductor Inspection market on a global scale based on the past-present size and Semiconductor Inspection market forecast scenario in the form of graphs, tables, pie-charts to help all the existing as well as new Semiconductor Inspection market players in making decisions which will favour the growth of Semiconductor Inspection industry.Global Semiconductor Inspection report is divided into different portions on basis of Semiconductor Inspection product category, numerous product applications, and key regions which contribute greatly to the Semiconductor Inspection market share. The in-depth analysis of the Semiconductor Inspection market to know growth opportunities, potholes to the market development in a segmented manner will help in studying the market development scenario. Global Semiconductor Inspection report portrays the fundamental details of the dominant market players elaborating their business profiles, Semiconductor Inspection market revenue, sales volume, press releases, technical developments taking place in this industry.Do Inquiry Before Accessing 2017-2022 Global Semiconductor Inspection Market Report atGlobal Semiconductor Inspection Market report is segmented into different parts as below:Global Semiconductor Inspection Market Details Based On Key Players:KLA-TencorHitachi High-TechnologiesApplied MaterialsRudolph TechnologiesHermes MicrovisionLasertecNanometricsUeno SeikiUltratechSCREEN Semiconductor SolutionsNikon MetrologyCamtekMicrotronicToray EngineeringGlobal Semiconductor Inspection Market Details Based on Product Category:Wafer InspectionPackage InspectionChip InspectionGlobal Semiconductor Inspection Market Details Based On Key Product Applications:Wafer InspectionPackage InspectionChip InspectionGlobal Semiconductor Inspection Market Details Based On Regions Semiconductor Inspection Market in North America (USA, Canada and Mexico). Europe Semiconductor Inspection Market(Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy). Semiconductor Inspection Market in Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and South-east Asia). Latin America Semiconductor Inspection Market, Middle and Africa.Request for Sample Report atThe first part of the report portrays the information related to the basic Semiconductor Inspection introduction, key market players, their company profiles, sales ratio, demand and supply volume, Semiconductor Inspection market gains during 2016 and 2017. The second part of the Semiconductor Inspection report extracts more details stating the sales revenue of each Semiconductor Inspection industry player, the business strategies followed by them. The third part of the report displays the competitive scenario of all the Semiconductor Inspection market players on basis of the revenue gains.The fourth part of the report enlists the Semiconductor Inspection details based on key producing regions and Semiconductor Inspection market gains during the period from 2012 to 2017. Fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth part of the Semiconductor Inspection report enlists the major countries within the regions and the Semiconductor Inspection revenue generated during the period from 2012 to 2017. Tenth and eleventh part of the Semiconductor Inspection report mentions the variety of Semiconductor Inspection product applications, Semiconductor Inspection statistics during 2012 to 2017.Part number twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen provides information regarding the futuristic Semiconductor Inspection market trends expected during the forecast period from 2017 to 2022, Semiconductor Inspection marketing strategies, Semiconductor Inspection market vendors, facts and figures of the Semiconductor Inspection market and vital Semiconductor Inspection business conclusion along with data collection sources and appendix.What Global Semiconductor Inspection Market Report Contributes?In short the report is a relevant guide for understanding the Semiconductor Inspection industry breakthroughs in terms of all vital aspects like In-depth insight of the major players and contributors impacting the Semiconductor Inspection market. The study also focuses on current Semiconductor Inspection market outlook, sales margin, details of the Semiconductor Inspection market dynamics.Growth expected during the forecast periods along with the present and historical data of Semiconductor Inspection industry is deeply disscussed in the Semiconductor Inspection report. The overall report helps the new aspirants to inspect the forthcoming opportunities in the Semiconductor Inspection market.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the worlds most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS. no. 51/14 First Floor,Office No. 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, Pune.Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog:
Discover New Business Factors on Western Blotting Market Industry Growth Opportunities & Investment Research Report 2024

Global Western Blotting Market - Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024

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According to Data Bridge Market Research upcoming report Western Blotting Market, By Product Type (Instruments, Consumables), Application (Biomedical & Biochemical Research, Disease Diagnostics), End User (Academic & Research Institutes, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies), Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa)  Trends and Forecast to 2024, the western blotting market accounted to USD 728.3 million in 2016 at a CAGR of 5.10% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024.For a Free Sample of the Report @Western Blotting Market  Market Segmentation:The western blotting market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, end-user, and geography.Browse Full Report @On the basis of product type, western blotting market is segmented into instruments and consumables. In 2016, consumable segment was leading the market share and is expected to grow in the forecast period due to increase in R&D activities in coming period.On the basis of application, western blotting market is segmented into biomedical & biochemical research and disease diagnostics. Due to vast expenditure by government in proteomics research, biomedical & biochemical research has contributed towards the largest share in 2016.On the basis of end users, western blotting market is segmented into academic & research institutes, and pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies. In 2016, academic & research institutes dominated the market owing to growing number of research activities conducted by educational institutions supported by government funding. However pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are expected to grow at a significant CAGR over the forecast period due to increasing R&D spending by such companies.For an Analyst Call:Western Blotting Market  Geographical Segmentation:On the basis of geography, western blotting market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies namely North America & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. In 2017, North America is expected to dominate the market.Western Blotting Market  Competitive Landscape:Some of the major players operating in this market are: Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.) Advansta, Inc. (U.S.) Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.) GE Healthcare (U.S.) LI-COR Inc. (U.S.) Merck KGaA (Germany) PerkinElmer, Inc. (U.S.) Danaher (U.S.) Lumigen, Inc.(U.S.) F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland) Bio-Techne (U.S.) Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. (U.S.) Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (U.S.) EMD Millipore Corporation Proteinsimple (U.S.)Inquiry before Buying @Related ReportEurope Western Blotting Market, By Product Type, End User, Country (Germany , France , United Kingdom , Italy, Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Rest of Europe)Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Ankit SinghData Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: Sales@databridgemarketresearch.comInvestor: investors@databridgemarketresearch.comVisit BlogFollow us on LinkedIn:
United States Geodetic Measuring Devices Market 2017 - Industry Analysis, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast from 2012-2022

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The United States Geodetic Measuring Devices Market 2017 research report mainly focuses on the current scenario of Geodetic Measuring Devices market along with the future plan of actions. It also examines the state of the Geodetic Measuring Devices market along with competing landscapes all over the United States. The Geodetic Measuring Devices report characterizes industry judgment from experts. The report also throws a light on the emerging areas and growth stats of Geodetic Measuring Devices market.Geodetic Measuring Devices industry report covers the major market of United States including regions like The West, New England, The South, The Middle Atlantic, The Mid-West and The Southwest. The report includes following key players in the Geodetic Measuring Devices industry from different parts of the United States.To Get Sample Report Click Here:United States Geodetic Measuring Devices Market 2017: Competitive Regions and Key Vendors1 Geotechnical Instrumentation2 RST Instruments3 Roctest4 Sherborne Sensors5 GaiaComm6 Geosense7 3D Laser Mapping8 Fugro N.V9 Keller Group10 Geokon11 Incorporated12 Durham Geo Slope Indicator13 Nova Metrix14 Geocomp Corporation15 Sisgeo16 COWI A/S17 Measurand18 Marmota Engineering19 Canary Systems20 Soldata21 Mine Design TechnologiesGeodetic Measuring Devices Market 2017: Type Segment AnalysisTotal stationsLevelsInSAROthersGeodetic Measuring Devices Market 2017: Application Segment AnalysisCivil EngineeringMechanical EngineeringConstructionGeologyOthersThe United States Geodetic Measuring Devices report is categorized on the basis of Geodetic Measuring Devices top manufacturers, region-wise classification, various end user applications and different product types included in Geodetic Measuring Devices industry. The Geodetic Measuring Devices research report gives the information about different market segments, cost, different categories of the product along with Geodetic Measuring Devices market revenue.It also gives vital contact information about the company along with company profile, rules and regulations of Geodetic Measuring Devices industry in the United States. It also examines the Geodetic Measuring Devices industry report by dividing it according to the basic overview of Geodetic Measuring Devices market.The middle part of the report focuses on various types of product classified according to the Geodetic Measuring Devices market share and market applications in Geodetic Measuring Devices industry. It also lights up the core part of the Geodetic Measuring Devices industry such as import/export details, usage figures and industry chain supply of Geodetic Measuring Devices market.Purchase Complete Report Here (To Get Instant Access):Later, the United States Geodetic Measuring Devices Market 2017 report displays the tactful decisions that the customers should take. It gives you various business approaches required for Geodetic Measuring Devices industry, the customer's experiences and benefits they got after using the Geodetic Measuring Devices research report.It includes the list of dealers, distributors, and traders involved in Geodetic Measuring Devices industry. Lastly, it gives the brief summary of the entire Geodetic Measuring Devices report including the results, conclusion, the attached appendix and the source of data.Market Analysis Research Report on United States Geodetic Measuring Devices Market 2017 Industry Growth, Size, Trends, Opportunities and Forecast 2012-2022.QY Market Research is the terminal where all industrial, commercial and profitmaking venture will get the best research reports of the market in all sectors like automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, food and beverages etc.We provide you the important and necessary information to identify and analyze the need of market and the market size.Read More-News Network:-S no. 51/14 First Floor, Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade, Near Navale Lawns, Pune, Maharashtra, India 411041Telephone Numbers:+1(857)2390696+91 9130855334Email ID: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest Market News-
Global Ozone Technology Market Waste Water Treatment Segment to Create Promising Opportunities Over 2014-2020 - Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Market Study on Ozone Technology: Waste Water Treatment Segment to Create Promising Opportunities over 2014-2020" to its huge collection of research reports.The ozone technology market is thriving due to a number of emerging applications in government as well as commercial sectors worldwide. The global ozone technology market is estimated at a healthy CAGR by Persistence Market Research. PMRs recent report on the global market for ozone technology is an extensive study of the ozone technology market, the factors associated with its growth, current status, and forecast position on a global level. The forecast period considered for this report is 2014-2020, considering 2013 as the base year for calculation of all the market values.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report offers an overview of the ozone technology and its typical end-users in order to craft the overall scope for the technology and its growing application base. It further discusses key factors influencing directly or indirectly influencing the market movements in a favorable or unfavorable manner. The market evolves with changing consumer trends, which are precisely covered in the reports next part. Apart from this, it also provides valuable data on the biggest upcoming opportunities.In the next section, the ozone technology market report elaborates various segments of the market on the basis of technology. Regional analysis features all the four key regional markets and growth pattern estimates for each. This part of the report helps to identify potential growth opportunities in different geographical regions and all the aspects that need to be considered while looking at the expansion of a particular market.The next section, key market players, profiles the leading companies competing in the global market for ozone technology. The competitive landscape section maps the competitive position of key companies based on maturity and growth of the market in several regions. Company profiles are included at the end of the report, offering the company overview, products and services portfolio, financial overview, and recent developments of the companies. The report provides historic, present, and forecasted market size, analysis, share, and growth prospects. The report also provides porters five forces analysis of the market.Browse Detail Report With Full TOC @Research MethodologyTo deduce the global ozone technology market size, the report considers various aspects based on secondary research. Furthermore, key data points such as region-wise split and market split by product type, vehicle type, and distribution channel; and qualitative inputs from primary respondents have been incorporated to arrive at appropriate market estimates. The forecast presented in the report assesses the total revenue generated and expected revenue contribution in the global ozone technology market.The report begins with sizing the market in terms of value and volume for the base year, which forms the basis for forecasting how the market is anticipated to take shape in the near future. Given the characteristics of the market, gathered data is triangulated via different analysis based on supply side and demand side drivers and other key dynamics of the global ozone technology market. To develop the market forecast, Persistence Market Research has also conducted a factor analysis to understand the impact of various forces/factors on the target market. The report provides forecasts not only in terms of CAGR but also presents a detailed analysis based on key parameters such as Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth to understand market predictability and to identify the right opportunities.Another key feature of this report is an analysis of the global ozone technology market and the corresponding revenue forecast in terms of absolute dollar opportunity, usually overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify potential resources from a sales perspective in the global ozone technology market. Further, to understand key segments in terms of their growth and overall global ozone technology market performance, Persistence Market Research has developed a market attractiveness index to help providers identify existing market opportunities in the global ozone technology market.Company Profiles:- BWT Group.- MKS Instruments, Inc.- Xylem Inc.- ClearWater Tech, LLC.- OZOMAX Inc.- OZONIA.- EBARA CORPORATION.- DEL Ozone.- Norland International, Inc.- Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.- Other.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Forecast on Uncooled Thermal Imaging Market for the Period (2016-2026)

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Thermal imaging is a technology, which is invented specially for military operation in 1950, but it has been implemented in other applications as well due to realized benefits. Cameras based in thermal imaging technologies are able to capture clearer image even in dark surrounding. They dont need any light to operate in darkest of night and allow seeing objects without making itself visible. Thermal imaging cameras can see object even in fog and smoke that is why it is more preferable for military operations in battleground. In short, thermal imaging technology is used to observe the objects in dark environment or in unfavorable atmospheric condition with the help of some parameters like temperature difference in the human body, electrical appliances, mechanical equipment and many other assets. The key component used in thermal imaging camera is the detecting material (detector) that detects change in temperature and helps to create an image. On the basis of nature of detector, thermal imaging technique is segmented into cooled thermal imaging technique and uncooled thermal imaging technique. Those devices which use thermal imaging technique with mechanism to cool down temperature of sensor is termed as cooled thermal imaging systems and those devices which make use of thermal imaging technology without any necessity of cooling down the sensor is termed as uncooled thermal imaging system.Uncooled thermal imaging market has been witnessed a tremendous growth of double digit in 2014 and is expected to grow with a substantial CAGR over forecast period.Request Report Sample@Uncooled Thermal Imaging: Market Drivers and RestraintThe key trend of global uncooled thermal imaging has been recorded for past some years is that the different vendors are launching the integration of uncooled imaging technology with smart phones and tablets (consumer goods). The key growth drivers of global uncooled thermal imaging market are increasing demand in industrial and commercial application because of its low price as compare to cooled thermal imaging system, also the increasing adoption in military application under soldier modernization programs help in driving the growth of global uncooled thermal imaging market. On the other hand there is also some factors which are deterring the growth of global uncooled thermal imaging market as availability of advanced technology with clearer image quality, which suppresses the growth of global uncooled thermal imaging market.Uncooled Thermal Imaging: SegmentationSegmentation of uncooled thermal imaging market is done on the basis of spectrum range, application, vertical & Geography. On the basis of spectrum range, global uncooled thermal imaging market is segmented as short wave IR, mid wave IR and long wave IR. On the basis of application, global uncooled thermal imaging market is segmented as building surveillance, night vision camera, firefighting, military, mapping & surveying and others.By vertical, global uncooled thermal imaging market is industrial, medical, automotive, test and measurement, maritime, research & development, commercial, security and surveillance, test & measurement, maritime and others.Uncooled Thermal Imaging Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, uncooled thermal imaging is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among all the regions North America is the highest contributor in term of revenue in global uncooled thermal imaging market followed by Asia Pacific and it is expected that same trend is being followed in near future as well.Visit For TOC@Uncooled Thermal Imaging Market: Key PlayersThe key players of global uncooled thermal imaging market are FLIR systems, Inc., Bosch security systems, Axis communications AB, Infrared Integrated Systems Ltd, Safran Group, Danaher Corporation and others.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Hospital Furniture Industry 2017, Trends and Forecast Report basics: Definitions, Classifications, Applications and Market Overview

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Global Hospital Furniture Industry 2017, Trends and Forecast Report " to it's Large Report database.Hospital Furniture Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).The report firstly introduced the Hospital Furniture basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Hospital Furniture Market;3.) the North American Hospital Furniture Market;4.) the European Hospital Furniture Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.Table of ContentsPart I Hospital Furniture Industry OverviewChapter One Hospital Furniture Industry Overview1.1 Hospital Furniture Definition1.2 Hospital Furniture Classification Analysis1.2.1 Hospital Furniture Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Hospital Furniture Main Classification Share AnalysisBrowse more details @1.3 Hospital Furniture Application Analysis1.3.1 Hospital Furniture Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Hospital Furniture Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Hospital Furniture Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Hospital Furniture Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Hospital Furniture Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Hospital Furniture Product Market Development Overview1.6 Hospital Furniture Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Hospital Furniture Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Hospital Furniture Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Hospital Furniture Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Hospital Furniture Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Hospital Furniture Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Hospital Furniture Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
Global Breakfast Cereals Market Revenues to Cross US$ 43 bn by 2019, North America to Lose Top Market Position to APAC | Latest Research Report

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Market Study on Breakfast Cereals: Global Revenues to Cross US$ 43 Bn by 2019, North America to Lose Top Market Position to APAC" to its huge collection of research reports.Persistence Market Researchs recently published report on the global breakfast cereals market is a study of the global market for breakfast cereals in terms of global production, shipment, segments, growth rate, key regions, and present and forecast dynamics over a five-year period, 2014-2019. The report offers an overview of breakfast cereals and proceeds with the key factors that are the most likely to influence the market condition during the forecast period.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The drivers section discusses all the key factors impacting the market growth, changing consumer tastes, and latest trends in the industry. The next part focuses on the restraints that may affect the market position by 2019 end. There are multiple low impact and high impact factors, which are extensively analyzed in both the section of the report. The next portion of the report includes key trends and opportunities that prompt at the upcoming chances of growth for the breakfast cereals market. It helps manufacturers to understand what trends to follow and which opportunities to capitalize on.In the next section, the report illustrates the two key segments of the global breakfast cereals market, based on the form. Both of the segments are extensively studied and analyzed for estimated market values. Regional analysis of the market includes the four key geographies that hold remarkable shares in the global revenues. The report individually throws light on each of the regional market and its growth prospects.The next section provides valuable insights into the key market players, which elaborates companies planning and strategies for growth, including their investment plans and new product launches. The report includes a competitive landscape section to map the competitive position of companies based on maturity and growth of the breakfast cereals market in several regions. Company profiles are included at the end of the report. These cover company overview, product and services, financial overview and the latest strategic developments of the company.Browse Detail Report With Full TOC @Research MethodologyTo deduce the global breakfast cereals market size, the report considers various aspects based on secondary research. Furthermore, key data points such as region-wise split and market split by product type, vehicle type, and distribution channel; and qualitative inputs from primary respondents have been incorporated to arrive at appropriate market estimates. The forecast presented in the report assesses the total revenue generated and expected revenue contribution in the global breakfast cereals market.The report begins with sizing the market in terms of value and volume for the base year, which forms the basis for forecasting how the market is anticipated to take shape in the near future. Given the characteristics of the market, gathered data is triangulated via different analysis based on supply side and demand side drivers and other key dynamics of the global breakfast cereals market. To develop the market forecast, Persistence Market Research has also conducted a factor analysis to understand the impact of various forces/factors on the target market. The report provides forecasts not only in terms of CAGR but also presents a detailed analysis based on key parameters such as Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth to understand market predictability and to identify the right opportunities.Another key feature of this report is an analysis of the global breakfast cereals market and the corresponding revenue forecast in terms of absolute dollar opportunity, usually overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify potential resources from a sales perspective in the global breakfast cereals market. Further, to understand key segments in terms of their growth and overall global breakfast cereals market performance, Persistence Market Research has developed a market attractiveness index to help providers identify existing market opportunities in the global breakfast cereals market.Company Profiles:- Kellogg Co.- General Mills.- PepsiCo.- Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW).- Post Holdings.- The Weetabix Food Company.- OtherMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market Key Players 2017: Sinochem Lantian, Sanmei Chemical, Honeywell, Yingguang Chemical

Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market

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The up-to-date research report on Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market portrays a detailed fundamental market overview which is fueled by deep research to acquaint the users with latest Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market trends, current market overview and Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market development status expected during the forecast period from 2017-2022. Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Report offers a thorough analysis of different Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market segments like dominant key players their visions which will help the readers in analysing the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride growth opportunities. The report provides concise knowledge of the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market on a global scale based on the past-present size and Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market forecast scenario in the form of graphs, tables, pie-charts to help all the existing as well as new Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market players in making decisions which will favour the growth of Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride industry.Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride report is divided into different portions on basis of Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride product category, numerous product applications, and key regions which contribute greatly to the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market share. The in-depth analysis of the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market to know growth opportunities, potholes to the market development in a segmented manner will help in studying the market development scenario. Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride report portrays the fundamental details of the dominant market players elaborating their business profiles, Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market revenue, sales volume, press releases, technical developments taking place in this industry.Do Inquiry Before Accessing 2017-2022 Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market Report atGlobal Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market report is segmented into different parts as below:Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market Details Based On Key Players:HoneywellSolvayIneosDerivados del Fl?orSinochem LantianSanmei ChemicalYingpeng ChemicalDo-Fluoride ChemicalsDongyue GroupFujian Shaowu Yongfei ChemicalShaowu Huaxin ChemicalJuhua GroupJiangxi Chinafluorine ChemicalFujian YongfuJiangxi TianxingHunan Youse3FFubao GroupTiancheng ChemicalLuoyang Fluorine Potassium TechnologyChina StarfYingguang ChemicalGlobal Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market Details Based on Product Category:Chemical IndustryMining IndustryGlobal Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market Details Based On Key Product Applications:Chemical IndustryMining IndustryGlobal Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market Details Based On Regions Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market in North America (USA, Canada and Mexico). Europe Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market(Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy). Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market in Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and South-east Asia). Latin America Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market, Middle and Africa.Request for Sample Report atThe first part of the report portrays the information related to the basic Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride introduction, key market players, their company profiles, sales ratio, demand and supply volume, Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market gains during 2016 and 2017. The second part of the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride report extracts more details stating the sales revenue of each Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride industry player, the business strategies followed by them. The third part of the report displays the competitive scenario of all the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market players on basis of the revenue gains.The fourth part of the report enlists the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride details based on key producing regions and Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market gains during the period from 2012 to 2017. Fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth part of the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride report enlists the major countries within the regions and the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride revenue generated during the period from 2012 to 2017. Tenth and eleventh part of the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride report mentions the variety of Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride product applications, Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride statistics during 2012 to 2017.Part number twelve, thirteen, fourteen and fifteen provides information regarding the futuristic Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market trends expected during the forecast period from 2017 to 2022, Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride marketing strategies, Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market vendors, facts and figures of the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market and vital Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride business conclusion along with data collection sources and appendix.What Global Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride Market Report Contributes?In short the report is a relevant guide for understanding the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride industry breakthroughs in terms of all vital aspects like In-depth insight of the major players and contributors impacting the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market. The study also focuses on current Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market outlook, sales margin, details of the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market dynamics.Growth expected during the forecast periods along with the present and historical data of Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride industry is deeply disscussed in the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride report. The overall report helps the new aspirants to inspect the forthcoming opportunities in the Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride market.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Market.Biz has access to the worlds most comprehensive and up-to-date databases in your business sector, including countless market reports that can provide you with valuable data relating to your business. We understand the needs of our clients, and keep our reports updated as market requirement changes.Contact US:GlobeMetrixJames JohnsonS. no. 51/14 First Floor,Office No. 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, Pune.Tel: +1(857)2390696Email: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Blog:
Global Mobile Payment Transaction Industry 2017, Trends and Forecast Report - Competitive Landscape, Technology and Pipeline Insights

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Global Mobile Payment Transaction Industry 2017, Trends and Forecast Report " to it's Large Report database.Mobile Payment Transaction Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2021 is a professional and in-depth research report on the world's major regional market conditions, focusing on the main regions (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific) and the main countries (United States, Germany, united Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China).The report firstly introduced the Mobile Payment Transaction basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:The report includes six parts, dealing with:1.) basic information;2.) the Asia Mobile Payment Transaction Market;3.) the North American Mobile Payment Transaction Market;4.) the European Mobile Payment Transaction Market;5.) market entry and investment feasibility;6.) the report conclusion.Table of ContentsPart I Mobile Payment Transaction Industry OverviewChapter One Mobile Payment Transaction Industry Overview1.1 Mobile Payment Transaction Definition1.2 Mobile Payment Transaction Classification Analysis1.2.1 Mobile Payment Transaction Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Mobile Payment Transaction Main Classification Share AnalysisBrowse more details @1.3 Mobile Payment Transaction Application Analysis1.3.1 Mobile Payment Transaction Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Mobile Payment Transaction Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Mobile Payment Transaction Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Mobile Payment Transaction Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Mobile Payment Transaction Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Mobile Payment Transaction Product Market Development Overview1.6 Mobile Payment Transaction Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Mobile Payment Transaction Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Mobile Payment Transaction Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Mobile Payment Transaction Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Mobile Payment Transaction Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Mobile Payment Transaction Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Mobile Payment Transaction Up and Down Stream Industry Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Materials Analysis2.1.1 Upstream Raw Materials Price Analysis2.1.2 Upstream Raw Materials Market Analysis2.1.3 Upstream Raw Materials Market Trend2.2 Down Stream Market Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
Global Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines Market 2017 Industry Analysis, Market Key Trends, Growth, Shares, Current and Future Players

Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines Market

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Global Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines Market 2017 explore Economic Impact in International Industries Manufactures Development Challenges and Opportunities till 2022The MRS Research Group report by QY Research Global Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines Market 2017-2022 provides an essential information and statistically evaluated data about the Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines . The research report provides a detailed study of the Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines market, enlightening the major areas such as future market scenario, market growth factors, market growth restraints, and others. The advanced technological trends and various new opportunities are also provided in this research report.Research Report Analysis by Important Manufacturers in Global Market Include:Lachenmeier, TechnoWrapp, Muller LCS, Schneider Packaging Equipment, Orion Packaging Systems, Lantech, Accutek Packaging, Fromm-pack, Discount Packing Depot, Rongxing Packaging Machinery, Zhejiang Dingye MachineryRead Complete Report with TOC @The research report provides the Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines markets classification in detail. The Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines market is bifurcated into a number of segments on the basis of materials,types,applications,and end-users. The geographical analysis of the global Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines market is also coveredin the report. The vital information mentioned in the research report helps in significantly predicting the future scope of the global market.The various segmentation of the global market is based on the overall product profit, costing, global market growth, and manufacturing processes. The report covers a region-wise analysis which provides the customer with different market studies that give a detailed analysis of the product and its impact on the global market. The Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines report also highlights the growth statistics depending on the supply and demand in the different regions.Get Free Sample Copy Of Report @The Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines report covers the precisely studied and evaluated data of the global market players and their scope in the market using a number of analytical tools. The analytical tools such asinvestment return analysies, SWOT analysis and feasibility studyare used to analyze the keyglobal market players growth in the Plastic Packaging Pallet Stretch Wrap Machines industry.Abou Us: MRS Research Group provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Prof Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
Global Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane Market 2017 Industry Analysis, Market Key Trends, Growth, Shares, Current and Future Players

Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane Market

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Global Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane Market 2017 explore Economic Impact in International Industries Manufactures Development Challenges and Opportunities till 2022The MRS Research Group report by QY Research Global Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane Market 2017-2022 provides an essential information and statistically evaluated data about the Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane . The research report provides a detailed study of the Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane market, enlightening the major areas such as future market scenario, market growth factors, market growth restraints, and others. The advanced technological trends and various new opportunities are also provided in this research report.Research Report Analysis by Important Manufacturers in Global Market Include:Konecranes, Anupam Industries Limited, SANY Group, TNT Crane & Rigging, Liebherr, Mi-Jack Products, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., Doosan Heavy Industries Vietnam Co., Terex Corporation, Macchine Operatrici Portuali s.r.lRead Complete Report with TOC @The research report provides the Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane markets classification in detail. The Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane market is bifurcated into a number of segments on the basis of materials,types,applications,and end-users. The geographical analysis of the global Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane market is also coveredin the report. The vital information mentioned in the research report helps in significantly predicting the future scope of the global market.The various segmentation of the global market is based on the overall product profit, costing, global market growth, and manufacturing processes. The report covers a region-wise analysis which provides the customer with different market studies that give a detailed analysis of the product and its impact on the global market. The Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane report also highlights the growth statistics depending on the supply and demand in the different regions.Get Free Sample Copy Of Report @The Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane report covers the precisely studied and evaluated data of the global market players and their scope in the market using a number of analytical tools. The analytical tools such asinvestment return analysies, SWOT analysis and feasibility studyare used to analyze the keyglobal market players growth in the Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) Crane industry.Abou Us: MRS Research Group provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Prof Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
Global Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes Market 2017 Industry Analysis, Market Key Trends, Growth, Shares, Current and Future Players

Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes Market

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Global Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes Market 2017 explore Economic Impact in International Industries Manufactures Development Challenges and Opportunities till 2022The MRS Research Group report by QY Research Global Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes Market 2017-2022 provides an essential information and statistically evaluated data about the Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes . The research report provides a detailed study of the Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes market, enlightening the major areas such as future market scenario, market growth factors, market growth restraints, and others. The advanced technological trends and various new opportunities are also provided in this research report.Research Report Analysis by Important Manufacturers in Global Market Include:Kalmar, Konecranes, Liebherr, Mi-Jack Products, Reva Industries Ltd., Anupam Industries Limited, ElectroMech Material Handling Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., SANY Group, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., TNT Crane & RiggingRead Complete Report with TOC @The research report provides the Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes markets classification in detail. The Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes market is bifurcated into a number of segments on the basis of materials,types,applications,and end-users. The geographical analysis of the global Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes market is also coveredin the report. The vital information mentioned in the research report helps in significantly predicting the future scope of the global market.The various segmentation of the global market is based on the overall product profit, costing, global market growth, and manufacturing processes. The report covers a region-wise analysis which provides the customer with different market studies that give a detailed analysis of the product and its impact on the global market. The Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes report also highlights the growth statistics depending on the supply and demand in the different regions.Get Free Sample Copy Of Report @The Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes report covers the precisely studied and evaluated data of the global market players and their scope in the market using a number of analytical tools. The analytical tools such asinvestment return analysies, SWOT analysis and feasibility studyare used to analyze the keyglobal market players growth in the Rubber Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes industry.Abou Us: MRS Research Group provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Prof Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
Robotic Vision Market Intelligence and Analysis for Period (2016-2026)

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Robotic vision comprises of vision algorithm, calibration, temperature software & cameras that are used to identify and determine the position of all the objects in robot workplace. Apart from identification and navigation, robotic vision also facilitate robots to analyse, interpret, extract and characterize the image information and to make description accordingly. Robotic vision technology provides several benefits including improvement in quality, reliability, safety and productivity. Performance of robotic vision depends on the effective communication between robot system & application and control over the environment.Robotic Vision Market: Drivers and RestraintIntelligent homes are specifically designed for the ageing population, where robots are capable to assists the elderly people in day-to-day tasks. The demand for intelligent homes is continuously increasing, as the ageing population is growing with significant rate across the globe. Increase in demand for intelligent homes, government regulations about sanitation in food processing industry and rising need of precise, safe and reliable vision guided robots in different verticals are major driving factors of the robotic vision market.Request Report Sample@However, high initial investment and lack of global standards for robotic implementation are some of the major challenges for the robot vision market.Robotic Vision Market: SegmentationRobotic Vision market can be classified on the basis of component, application and type.On the basis of component, the market can be bifurcated into hardware and software. Hardware segment consists of camera, sensors, lightning, and optics. Camera, sensors, lightning and optics incorporate with each other in order to facilitate the collapsible free movement of robot in environment. Camera, lightning and optics are used to capture the images while sensors allows obstacle free movement of robots. Software segment is composed of object tracking and image processing software.Robotic vision has high demand in wide range of industries including food processing, automotive and aerospace for several applications. On the basis of applications, the robotic vision market is segmented into inspection & testing, material handling, manufacturing, assembling and packaging. Manufacturing and packaging are the dominating segments in the category, as the governments across the major countries maintain stringent sanitation standards in food processing & packaging industry.On the basis of type, the market can be categorised in to 3D and 2D. 3D vision is more precise and capable of providing accurate dimensional data of an object. Currently, 3D robotic vision systems are more expensive than 2D and restricted for specialised operations.Segmentation on basis of Region:Robotic Vision Market is segmented into 7 key regions- North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East & Africa.Robotic Vision Market: Region-wise OutlookNorth America was the largest market of robotic vision in terms of consumption in 2015. US was the leading market in the region, as there was significant growth in rate of deployment of reliable and precise vision guided robot systems in food and manufacturing industries in 2015.By the end of year 2015, Asia Pacific was the fastest growing market for robotic vision, due to significant growth in demand for industrial robots in manufacturing and automotive industries in the region. China, South Korea and Japan were the leading regional markets in Asia Pacific.Robot vision market in Europe is driven by the metal, automotive and food & beverage industry. Germany was the largest market in the region in terms of volume consumption in 2015.Visit For TOC@Robotic Vision Market: Key PlayersOmron Adept Technologies, Inc (US),? ComauS.p.A.(Italy), MVTec Software GmbH (Germany), Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd. (Canada), ABB Ltd (Switzerland), Point Grey Research, Inc. (US),Cognex Corporation (US), Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd (Canada), Keyence Corporation (Japan), IVISYS (Sweden).About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Metalworking Fluids Market Outlook: Escalating growth in the automotive industry to generate heavy demand, Industry Trends- 2015-2024

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Metalworking Fluids Market has become a billion-value industry due to high demand for the cutting fluids in the automotive sector. The growth in the automobile industry will positively impact the metalworking fluids industry trends, as metals are broadly used in automobiles for providing the physical and molecular strength.According to Global Market Insights, Inc., Metalworking Fluids Market size worth USD 9.85 billion in 2015, is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.6% over the period of 2015-2024. Metalworking fluids are used as coolants or lubricants in workshop machining process like turning, drilling, metal forming, metal treating & protecting, etc. performing crucial tasks of cooling down metalworking assemblies and enhancing the vehicles life by increasing lubrication and reducing thermal deformation.Request for a sample of this report @Changing consumer preferences and strict regulations will bring a fundamental shift in metalworking fluids market. Stringent regulations intended to minimize the health and environmental risk associated with the use of metalworking fluids will bring a paradigm shift from the use of synthetic metalworking fluids towards the applications of bio-based metalworking fluids. Over the years, metalworking fluid technology has witnessed considerable advancements witnessing a wide range of applications in machining processes. Specific types of metalworking fluids are being deployed across various machining operations to enhance its efficiency or productivity.The metalworking fluids are widely used for applications such as metal removal, protecting, treating, and forming. The metal protecting cutting fluid forms a thin film on the surface of the metal, thus protecting the metal from corrosion-forming particles thereby, increasing its use in fabrication and manufacturing industry. The global metalworking fluids industry size in protecting applications was worth USD 1.2 billion in 2015. The treating applications is anticipated to grow at over 2.5% CAGR over the period of 2015-2024, owing to its wide use in controlling temperatures across metal fabrication and automotive industries.The flourishing automotive industry in Asia Pacific region has generated a heavy demand for metalworking fluids. China, India, Japan and Indonesia have made significant contributions in the global metalworking fluids market in 2015, and have now emerged as major regions in the global market due to rapid expansion of industries and rising government support to enlarge the manufacturing business. The accelerated rise in regional automotive sector coupled with sustainable policies in these emerging economies will boom the metalworking fluids market regional trends.Other than automotive industry, other end-use industries such as metal fabrication, steel, and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) will also participate noticeably in the metalworking fluids industry. Metalworking fluids market size in metal & steel fabrication sector is anticipated to surpass 2.3 billion tons by 2024.North America metalworking fluids industry will attain a substantial growth over the coming timeframe, driven by expanding automotive industry and growth of OEMs across this region. Europe, with major automotive manufacturing base in Germany, is expected to grow at a rate of 4% over the period of 2015-2024.Global metalworking fluids market is highly fragmented and fairly competitive. The players are making huge investments in the R&D for product innovations and to meet the latest global legislation in order to protect workers health and environment. The notable industry participants include Castrol Limited, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP, Apar Industries, ExxonMobil Corporation, Lubrizol Corporation, FUCHS, etc.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Health Ingredients Market 2017: Consumption Analysis, Business Overview and Upcoming Global Trends Forecast by 2022

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In our aim to provide our erudite clients with the best research material with absolute in-depth information of the market, our new report on Global Health Ingredients Market is confident in meeting their needs and expectations. The 2017 market research report on Global Health Ingredients Market is an in-depth study and analysis of the market by our industry experts with unparalleled domain knowledge. The report will shed light on many critical points and trends of the industry which are useful for our esteemed clients. The report covers a vast expanse of information including an overview, comprehensive analysis, definitions and classifications, applications, and expert opinions, among others. With the extent of information filled in the report, the presentation and style of the Global Health Ingredients Market report is a noteworthy.Request a sample of this report @The Global Health Ingredients Industry report provides key information about the industry, including invaluable facts and figures, expert opinions, and the latest developments across the globe. Not only does the report cover a holistic view of the industry from a global standpoint, but it also covers individual regions and their development. The Global Health Ingredients Industry report showcases the latest trends in the global and regional markets on all critical parameters which include technology, supplies, capacity, production, profit, price, and competition.The key players covered in the report provide a detailed analysis of the competition and their developments in the Global Health Ingredients Industry. Accurate forecasts and expert opinion from credible sources, and the recent R&D development in the industry is also a mainstay of the Health Ingredients Market report.Browse the complete report @Global Health Ingredients market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including Archer, Daniels Midland Company, Associated British Foods PLC, Du Pont, Kerry Group PLC, Koninklijke Dsm N.V., BASF SE, Cargill, Ingredion Incorporated, Arla Foods Amba, Tate & Lyle PLC, Lonza Group Ltd., Royal Frieslandcampina N.V.The report also focuses on the significance of industry chain analysis and all variables, both upstream and downstream. These include equipment and raw materials, client surveys, marketing channels, and industry trends and proposals. Other significant information covering consumption, key regions and distributors, and raw material suppliers are also a covered in this report.Finally, the Health Ingredients Market report ends with a detailed SWOT analysis of the market, investment feasibility and returns, and development trends and forecasts. As with every report on Orbis Research, the Health Ingredients Industry is the holy grail of information which serious knowledge seekers can benefit from. The report which is the result of ultimate dedication of pedigree professionals has a wealth of information which can benefit anyone, irrespective of their commercial or academic interest.Place a purchase order of this report @Major Points from Table of Content:Chapter One: Health Ingredients Market OverviewChapter Two: Global Health Ingredients Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter Three: Global Health Ingredients Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)Chapter Four: Global Health Ingredients Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)Chapter Five: Global Health Ingredients Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter Six: Global Health Ingredients Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter Seven: Global Health Ingredients Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisChapter Eight: Health Ingredients Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter Nine: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter Ten: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter Eleven: Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter Twelve: Global Health Ingredients Market Forecast (2017-2022)Chapter Thirteen: Research Findings and ConclusionChapter Fourteen: AppendixAbout Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019
Fleet Management Solution Market exhibit an exponential CAGR of 22.6% during period 2017 to 2025 - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast

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"The Report Fleet Management Solution Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Global Fleet Management Solution Market: OverviewThis report on the global Fleet Management Solution market provides analysis for the period 20152025, wherein 2016 is the base year and the period from 2017 to 2025 is the forecast period. Data for 2015 has been included as historical information.Get Sample Copy Of This Report @ The report covers market dynamics including drivers, restraints opportunities, and trends expected to influence the global Fleet Management Solution market growth during the said period. Technologies that are playing a major role in driving the global Fleet Management Solution market have also been covered in the study. The study provides a comprehensive analysis on market growth throughout the above forecast period in terms of value estimates (in US$ Bn), across different geographies.Global Fleet Management Solution Market: SegmentationThe Fleet Management Solution market has been segmented on the basis of deployment, type, end-use industry and geography. Based on deployment, the market has been divided into cloud and on-premise. Based on the solution type, the market has been divided into vehicle management, driver management and operations management. Based on the end-use industry the market has been divided into Transportation & Logistics, Automotive, Retail, Government and Shipping.Cloud based deployment could be defined as delivery of hosted services over the internet. Cloud based deployment model can include Public, Private and Hybrid Cloud whereas On-Premise deployment model would refer to the computation that is located within the physical confines of an organization.Vehicle Management Solutions would refer to a system that provides management functions which allow organizations to manage vehicles fuel consumption, services etc. while Driver Management Solutions would refer to a system that provides management functions which allow organizations to manage drivers behavior, driving habits etc. to ensure safety. Moreover, Operations Management Solutions would refer to a system that provides management functions which allow organizations to the operations of the fleet. These solutions are necessary as organizations try to cut the costs of the operations while complying with the regulations.On the basis of end-use industry the global fleet management solution market can be segmented into Transportation & Logistics, Automotive, Retail, Government and Shipping.Geographically, the report classifies the global Fleet Management Solution market into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America; the regions are analyzed in terms of market revenue. Furthermore, region wise prominent countries covered in the report include the following - the U.S, Canada, Germany, France, the U.K., China, India, Japan, South Africa, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Argentina.Global Fleet Management Solution Market: Scope of the ReportThe report also includes key developments in the Fleet Management Solution market. Porter Five Force analysis is also included in the report. The report also covers segment wise comparison matrix, market attractiveness analysis and market share analysis for all regions covered in the scope of study.Comparison matrix includes segment growth matrix, 2015 - 2025 (%), segment value share contribution, 2015 - 2025 (%), and segment compounded growth matrix (CAGR %). Market attractiveness identifies and compares segments market attractiveness on the basis of CAGR and market share index.View Sample PDF Of Report @ Global Fleet Management Solution Market: Competitive DynamicsThe report also includes competition landscape which include competition matrix, market share analysis of major players in the global Fleet Management Solution market based on their projected value share, and business profiling of major players. The Competition Matrix benchmarks leading players on the basis of their capabilities and potential to grow. Factors including market position, offerings and R&D focus are attributed to companys capabilities. Factors including top line growth, market share, segment growth, infrastructure facilities and future outlook are attributed to companys potential to grow. This section also identifies and includes various recent developments carried out by the leading players.Company profiling includes company overview, major business strategies adopted and SWOT analysis. Major players in the Fleet Management Solution Market include Trimble Inc., Element Fleet Management Corp., Daimler Fleet Management GmbH, JDA Software Group, Inc., Wheels, Inc., MiX Telematics Ltd., TomTom Telematics BV. , Magellan Navigation, Inc., Emkay, Inc. And Telogis, Inc.The global Fleet Management Solution Market is segmented as below:Global Fleet Management Solution Market, By DeploymentCloudOn-PremiseGlobal Fleet Management Solution Market, By TypeVehicle ManagementDriver ManagementOperations ManagementGlobal Fleet Management Solution Market, By End-Use IndustryTransportation & LogisticsAutomotiveRetailGovernmentShippingGlobal Fleet Management Solution Market, By GeographyNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaEuropeThe U.KGermanyFranceRest of EuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)IndiaJapanChinaRest of APACMiddle East and Africa (MEA)Saudi ArabiaUAESouth AfricaRest of MEASouth AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaBrowse more ICT Market Research Reports @Table of Content1. Preface1.1. Report Scope and Market Segmentation1.2. Research Highlights2. Assumptions and Research Methodology3. Executive Summary : Global Fleet Management Solution Market4. Market Overview4.1. Market Dynamics4.1.1. Drivers4.1.2. Restraints4.1.3. Opportunities4.2. Key Trends4.3. Global Fleet Management Solution Market Analysis and Forecasts, (2015  2025)4.4. Porters Five Forces Analysis4.5. Market OutlookRequest for Enquiry @ 5. Global Fleet Management Solution Market Analysis and Forecasts, By Deployment5.1. Introduction & Definitions5.2. Fleet Management Solution Market Size (US$ Bn) Forecast By Deployment, 2015 - 20255.2.1. Cloud5.2.2. On-Premise5.3. Deployment Comparison Matrix5.4. Market Attractiveness By Deployment6. Global Fleet Management Solution Market Analysis and Forecasts, By Type6.1. Introduction & Definitions6.2. Fleet Management Solution Market Size (US$ Bn) Forecast By Type, 2015 - 20256.2.1. Vehicle Management6.2.2. Driver Management6.2.3. Operations Management6.3. Type Comparison Matrix6.4. Market Attractiveness By TypeAbout 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 usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Smart Contact Lens Market Forecast and Analysis by Future Market Insights 2016-2026

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The smart contact lens contains a wireless chip and miniaturized sensor for monitoring of physiological parameters such as glucose levels in tears of a diabetic patient or intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients. These sensors are embedded inside the two layers of soft lenses and a tiny hole in the outer layer allows the tear to flow into the sensor which measures the necessary parameters and data is transmitted to the wireless device for storage, via hair-this antenna. U.S. FDA has recently approved a smart contact lens to continuously monitor intraocular pressure in patients of glaucoma, which is the major cause of irreversible blindness. Triggerfish smart contact lens is a single use lens worn for 24 hours by glaucoma patients. According to Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, U.S., 60.5 Mn people across the world are affected with glaucoma and the number is expected to increase to 79.6 Mn by 2020. Advances in ophthalmology and contact lens technology would thus be beneficial for glaucoma patients and also to the manufacturers of innovative products such as smart contact lens. Currently many companies are working on the smart contact lens technology to apply it in various health aspects. Google Inc. is developing a smart contact lens with Alcon, an eye care division of Novartis AG, which can detect the blood glucose levels from the tears and is expected to launch in the global market in next 5-6 years.Smart Contact Lens Market: Drivers and RestraintsAdvances in ophthalmology and growing demand for the more efficient and revolutionary glaucoma management approaches are the factors expected to drive the growth of global smart contact lens market. Increasing prevalence of glaucoma, increasing cases of diabetes related complications such as eye disorders, cataract and blindness, expanding aging demographics with presbyopia (long-sightedness), rising demand for user-friendly and self-monitoring devices are some other factors expected to fuel the growth of global smart contact lens market. According to American Diabetes Association, diabetes patients are 40% more susceptible to the glaucoma and 60% more likely to develop cataract than people without diabetes and the susceptibility to diabetes related glaucoma increases with age.Request Report Sample@Smart Contact Lens: SegmentationThe global smart contact lens market has been classified on the basis of application, end user and geography.Based on application, the global smart contact lens market is divided into following:Continuous Glucose MonitoringIntraocular Pressure MonitoringBased on the end user type, the global smart contact lens market is divided into following:Home Care SettingsClinicsSmart Contact Lens: OverviewIntraocular Pressure Monitoring application type segment would constitute the global market for smart contact lens in 2016. In March 2016, United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Triggerfish Sensor which helps ophthalmologists to identify the best time to measure the intraocular pressure, which can eventually damage the vision of a patient. Triggerfish is the only FDA approved smart contact lens so far while Googles smart lens technology for continuous glucose monitoring and correction of presbyopia is under clinical investigation and would launch in the global market. The technology is expected to transform the way of management of chronic diseases such as diabetes and glaucoma. For instance, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea is involved in the development of a combination of smart contact lens and eyeglass which can be used to monitor a diabetes and dispensing of medication on-demand.Smart Contact Lens: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the global smart contact lens market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa.North America leads the global smart contact lens market followed by Europe. The clinical trials for Triggerfish Sensor have been conducted in countries such as France, Denmark, India, Canada, Spain, Israel, Germany, Belgium, Poland and Switzerland.Visit For TOC@Smart Contact Lens: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global smart contact lens market are Sensimed AG, Google Inc., Novartis AG, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Innovega Inc. and others.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Jump Starter Market 2017 - BOLTPOWER, CARKU, China AGA, Newsmy and BESTEK

Jump Starter

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Global Jump Starter MarketA market study based on the " Jump Starter " across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Jump Starter Market 2017'. The Research report by QY Research Group is a market-oriented, technical, and commercial research analysis of the Jump Starter market. The analysis is completed using a wide range of secondary sources, databases and directories in order to identify and assemble market data. Primary sources included for the analysis include preferred suppliers, industry experts from core and associated industries, manufacturers, service providers, distributors, and organizations allied to the entire segments of the industry supply chain.CLICK HERE to FREE Sample Report @:Global Jump Starter Market key Manufactures are:1. BOLTPOWER2. CARKU3. China AGA4. Newsmy5. Shenzhen NianLun Electronic6. KAYO MAXTAR7. BESTEK8. Ki-PowerAnalyses of the global Jump Starter market trends along with the projections of CAGRs (compound annual growth rates) are provided in the research report. To estimate the overall market size of Jump Starter, its application, and regionsin terms of value and volumethe bottom-up approach is followed. On the other hand, to corroborate the overall Jump Starter market sizeagain in terms of value and volumethe top-down approach is followed. Following the method of data triangulation and data validation via primaries, the precise values of the parent market and individual market in terms of size are calculated and established in the report.This market research report provides the client with comprehensive market analysis of the Jump Starter market over the forecast period. In addition, it also furnishes a general idea of the challenges, drivers, and restraints that have direct or indirect impact on the industry. It further highlights the market, the industry, and latest technology trends currently existing in the Jump Starter market. All this precise, accurate and comprehensive data will help the clients to make appropriate and practical decisions so as to gain maximum profit in the global market.The research report analyzes, tracks, and presents the global market size of the major players in every region around the world. Furthermore, the report provides data of the leading market players in the Jump Starter market.Inquiry Here @:Overall, the report is a one-stop destination and a valuation report to grab all the necessary information regarding the global Jump Starter market.About Us:QYResearch Group is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. QYResearch Group also carries the capability to assist you with your customized market research requirements including in-depth market surveys, primary interviews, competitive landscaping, and company profiles. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics. QYResearch Group is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,United StatesTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651
Current Sense Transformers Market Trends and 2022 Forecast

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Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD) , market share and growth rate of Current Sense Transformers in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast) , coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanFor more information about this report atGlobal Current Sense Transformers market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingTDKLEMMurataEatonNewavaPhoenixCR MagneticsAcme ElectricAmgisBournsKemetLittelfusePulse ElectronicsRed LionTalemaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoMutual Inductance Measuring CurrentProtective Current TransformerOn 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 Current Sense Transformers for each application, includingElectronics IndustryPower PlantsFactoryOtherRequest a sample copy atTable of Content1 Current Sense Transformers Market Overview2 Global Current Sense Transformers Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Current Sense Transformers Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Current Sense Transformers Supply (Production) , Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Current Sense Transformers Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 United States Current Sense Transformers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 EU Current Sense Transformers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Current Sense Transformers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Current Sense Transformers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 South Korea Current Sense Transformers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 Taiwan Current Sense Transformers Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Current Sense Transformers Production, Revenue (Value) , Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Current Sense Transformers Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Current Sense Transformers Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Current Sense Transformers Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Current Sense Transformers Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Current Sense Transformers Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Current Sense Transformers Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Current Sense Transformers Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/Countries7 Global Current Sense Transformers Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 TDK7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Current Sense Transformers Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 TDK Current Sense Transformers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 LEM7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Current Sense Transformers Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 LEM Current Sense Transformers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Murata7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Current Sense Transformers Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Murata Current Sense Transformers Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 Current Sense Transformers Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Current Sense Transformers Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase Complete Report at. And get,Discount on report purchase atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb 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.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
GIS Market  Evolving Countries, Type , Application & Manufacturers ALSTOM, CG, GE, Mitsubishi Forecast to 2022

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A new research document with title 'Global GIS Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022' covering detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like North & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and important players/vendors such as ALSTOM, CG, GE, Mitsubishi. The report will help user gain market insights, future trends and growth prospects for forecast period of 2022GIS is a kind of metal enclosed switchgear. That means, all the equipment of the electrical switchgear are enclosed by gas tight metal enclosure and SF6 gas is used as insulation between live parts of the equipment and earthed metal enclosure. For establishing electrical substation in very limited place this type of SF6 insulated electrical switchgear plays the major role.Request a sample report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the GIS in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversABBSiemensALSTOMCGGEMitsubishiFuji ElectricSchneiderHyundaiNHVSCHINT GroupMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversUp to 38 KV38 KV-72KV72 KV-150KVAbove 150 KVMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoPower TransmissionIntegration of Renewable Power Generation Units to the GridIndustry ApplicationsBuy this report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global GIS market.Chapter 1, to describe GIS Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of GIS, with sales, revenue, and price of GIS, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of GIS, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, GIS market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe GIS sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceGet customization & check discount for report @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 GIS Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Up to 38 KV1.2.2 38 KV-72KV1.2.3 72 KV-150KV1.2.4 Above 150 KV1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Power Transmission1.3.2 Integration of Renewable Power Generation Units to the Grid1.3.3 Industry Applications1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force....ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Nidhi Bhavsar (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Benefits and Key Coverage Of Global Osteosarcoma Market: Insights, Epidemiology and Industry Forecast Overview, 2023

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Osteosarcoma-Market Insights, Epidemiology and Market Forecast-2023 " to it's Large Report database.DelveInsights Osteosarcoma - Market Insights, Epidemiology and Market Forecast-2023 Reports provides an overview of the disease and global market trends of the Osteosarcoma for the seven major markets ie: United States, EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK) and Japan. The Report covers the therapeutics market revenue; average cost of therapy, treatment practice and Osteosarcoma forecasted market share for ten years to 2023 segmented by seven major markets. In addition, the report also includes global forecast of epidemiology of Osteosarcoma till 2023.Key Coverage and BenefitsThe report will help in developing business strategies by understanding the trends shaping and driving the global Osteosarcoma market.Identifying patient populations in the global Osteosarcoma market to improve product design, pricing, and launch plans.Organize sales and marketing efforts by identifying the best opportunities for Osteosarcoma therapeutics in each of the markets covered.To understand the future market competition in the global Osteosarcoma therapeutics market and Insightful review of the key market drivers and barriers.Request for Sample PDF of Premium Research Report with TOC:ScopeReport covers the disease overview including etiology, path physiology, symptoms, diagnosis, disease management, and current treatment options.Marketed information including available prescription drugs, its patent and exclusivity details followed by drug sales till 2018.The Report also covers the detailed global historical and forecasted epidemiological data covering United States, EU5, Japan and rest of the word from 2013-2023.It also provides Osteosarcoma for United States, EU5 and Japan from 2013 and forecasted Market to 2023.Table of ContentsOsteosarcoma overviewPathophysiologySymptoms of diseaseEtiology of diseaseDiagnosis of diseaseBrowse more details @Treatment of diseaseOverview of Marketed drugsDrug DescriptionMechanism of ActionPharmacokinetics PropertiesMarketed DetailsPatent InformationPatent Exclusivity Expiry Assessment United States (US)Patents DetailsHistorical and Forecasted sales of marketed molecules in the Global Osteosarcoma MarketGlobal Epidemiology of Osteosarcoma Forecasted to 2023Global Market (2013-2015)Global Forecasted Market (2016-2023)Global Market by GeographyMarket of US (2013-2015)Forecasted Market of US (2016-2023)Market of EuropeMarket of Germany (2013-2015)Forecasted Market of Germany (2016-2023)Market of United Kingdom (2013-2015)Forecasted Market of United Kingdom (2016-2023)Market of France (2013-2015)Forecasted Market of France (2016-2023)About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. Nachiket Ghumare90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
Medical Image Analysis Software Market to expand at an 8.10% CAGR between 2016 and 2024- Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast

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"The Report Medical Image Analysis Software Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Volume, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market: OverviewMedical imaging is a process and technique for creating visual representations of the anatomical and physiological functions taking place inside the human body. Depending on the technique used the analysis of bones, muscles and organs.Get Sample copy of this Report @Along with the anatomical and physiological functions of the body the study of tumor growth, its movement and other abnormalities can also be detected with the help of medical imaging. The software used in these devices for analyzing and creating an image is of utmost important.The research is a combination of primary and secondary research, conducted for understanding and arriving at trends, used to forecast the expected revenue of the medical image analysis software market in the near future. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts with information collected from in-depth interviews and discussions with a number of key industry experts and opinion leaders. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, investor presentations, analyst presentation and various international and national databases.The report provides estimated market size in terms of US$ Mn for each by software type, imaging type, modality, application, end user, and geography for the period 2014 to 2024, considering the macro and micro environmental factors. The revenue generated from each product was calculated by considering number of products used in the procedures and their market demand as per their use, prevalence rate of disease, number of product launched, annual revenue generated by products of each sub segment, trends in industry, end user trend, and adoption rate across all the geographies.Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market: SegmentationThe global medical image analysis software market is segmented by software type, imaging type, modality, application, end users and geography. By software type the medical image analysis software market is segmented into integrated software and standalone software, by imaging type the medical image analysis software market is segmented into 2D imaging, 3D imaging and 4D imaging. In terms of modality the medical image analysis software market is segmented into CT, MRI, PET, SPECT, Ultrasound, Radiographic imaging and other modalities.By application the medical image analysis software market is segmented into cardiology, orthopedic, oncology, neurology, nephrology, dental, gynecology and others. In terms of end users the medical image analysis software market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, research and academic institutions, diagnostic centers and ambulatory surgical centers. According to geography the medical image analysis software market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa.The market report comprises an elaborated executive summary, which includes market snapshot that provides information about various segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the market with respect to market segments based on modality, technology, end-user, and geography. The market overview section of the report analyzes market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities that influences the medical image analysis software market in the current and future scenario.View Sample PDF Of Report @ Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market: Competitive AnalysisMarket share analysis among the market players is analyzed to signify the contribution of these players in the market in terms of percentage share. All these factors will help the market players to decide about the business strategies and plans to strengthen their positions in the global market. Based on geography, the market has been analyzed for major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. The study also covers detailed country analysis contributing majorly in the medical image analysis software market.The report also profiles the major players in the market and provides various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Major companies profiled in the medical image analysis software market are GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, Agfa-Gevaert N.V., Hologic Inc., Pie Medical Imaging, Media Cybernetics, Inc., AQUILAB, MIM Software Inc., Merge Healthcare Incorporated., ScienceSoft USA Corp., and others.The medical image analysis software market has been segmented as follows:By Software TypeIntegratedStandaloneBy Imaging Type2D imaging3D imaging4D imagingBy ModalityCTMRIPETSPECTUltrasoundRadiographic imagingOther ModalitiesBy ApplicationCardiologyOrthopedicOncologyNeurologyNephrologyDentalGynecologyOthersBy End UsersHospitalsClinicsResearch and academic institutesDiagnostic centersAmbulatory Surgical CentersBy GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaEuropeU.K.GermanySpainItalyFranceRest of EuropeAsia PacificIndiaJapanChinaAustraliaNew ZealandRest of Asia PacificMiddle East and AfricaSouth AfricaSaudi ArabiaU.A.E.Rest of MEABrowse more Software Market Research Reports @ Table of Content1. Preface1.1. Market Definition and Scope1.2. Market Segmentation1.3. Key Research Objectives1.4. Research Highlights2. Assumptions and Research Methodology3. Executive Summary: Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market4. Market Overview4.1. Introduction4.1.1. Software type Definition4.1.2. Industry Evolution / Developments4.2. Overview4.3. Key Market Indicators4.3.1. Region/Country Specific4.3.2. Product/Application/Modality Specific4.3.3. Target Market Specific  Global Scenario4.4. Market Dynamics4.4.1. Drivers4.4.2. Restraints4.4.3. Opportunity4.5. Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market Analysis and Forecasts, 201420244.5.1. Market Revenue Projections (US$ Mn)4.6. Medical Image Analysis Software Market - Global Supply Demand Scenario4.7. Porters Five Force Analysis4.8. Value Chain Analysis4.9. Market OutlookRequest for Enquiry @5. Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market Analysis and Forecasts, By Software type5.1. Introduction & Definition5.2. Key Findings / Developments5.3. Key Trends5.4. Market Value Forecast by Software type, 201420245.4.1. Integrated5.4.2. Standalone5.5. Market Attractiveness by Software type6. Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market Analysis and Forecasts, by imaging type6.1. Introduction & Definition6.2. Key Findings / Developments6.3. Key Trends6.4. Market Value Forecast by imaging type, 201420246.4.1. 2D imaging6.4.2. 3D imaging6.4.3. 4D imaging6.5. Market Attractiveness by imaging typeAbout 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 usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
World Optical Fiber Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast to 2025

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Worldwide Optical Fiber Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the Optical Fiber industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global Optical Fiber market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global Optical Fiber market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Optical Fiber players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.Request a Sample Report atOptical Fiber Market Players:Corning Inc.Prysmian SpAYangtze Optical Fiber and Cable Co Ltd.Fujikura LimitedSterlite TechnologiesFinolex Cable LimitedOFS Fitel, LLCAlcatel LucentBroadcom LimitedAmphenol CorporationThe report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global Optical Fiber market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall Optical Fiber market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM), which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions.Inquire before Buying atAlso, key Optical Fiber market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years.Reason to Buy- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Optical Fiber market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.View Complete Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Gamma Rays Collimator Market 2017: focus top players Plansee, METRITEC GmbH, Gilligan Engineering Services Ltd

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The Gamma Rays Collimator Market 2017 inspects the execution of the Gamma Rays Collimator advertise, encasing a high to bottom judgment of the Gamma Rays Collimator showcase state and also the aggressive scene comprehensively. This report breaks down the aptitude of Gamma Rays Collimator market within the gift and additionally the long run prospects from completely different points thoroughly.Read Complete Report with TOC @The Global Gamma Rays Collimator Market 2017 report incorporates Gamma Rays Collimator business volume, piece of the business, showcase Trends, Gamma Rays Collimator Growth angles, an in depth style of uses, Utilization proportion, offer and request investigation, fabricating limit, Gamma Rays Collimator worth amid the Forecast timeframe from 2017 to 2022.In this report, the EMEA Gamma Rays Collimator market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split EMEA into Europe, the Middle East and Africa, With sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Gamma Rays Collimator for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast)Europe: Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Benelux;Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran;Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria.Inquiry Before Buying Report Here @EMEA Gamma Rays Collimator market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Gamma Rays Collimator sales volume (K Units), price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingPlanseeGilligan Engineering Services LtdMETRITEC GmbHMARKET RESEARCH EXPLORE is a huge market research platform which provides market intelligence reports and consulting services. It includes latest industrial reports by reputed publishers. MRE covers public and private industries such as chemicals & materials, technology, food & beverages, consumer goods, electronics, pharmaceutical, healthcare and others. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and we daily update our database to provide updated reports to our clients. MRE continuously track emerging trends and events to fulfill clients needs.500N Michigan Avenue,#600, Chicago, IL 60611
Industrial Biomass Boiler Market Trends Global Industry Analysis, Top Manufacturers, Share, Growth, Statistics, Opportunities & Forecast to 2022

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Market Study Report Add New Global Industrial Biomass Boiler Market Research Report 2017 that shows the growth of the market is rising at a Steady CAGR to 2022.This report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global Industrial Biomass Boiler market for 2017-2022. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from the sales of Industrial Biomass Boiler Market.Get Sample Copy on this Report:In this report, the global Industrial Biomass Boiler market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Industrial Biomass Boiler in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India.Global Industrial Biomass Boiler market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including GE & Alstom Energy (US), Babcock & Wilcox (US), Hurst Boiler and Welding Company (US), Aalborg Energie Technik (DK), AFS Energy Systems (US), Andritz AG (AT), Baxi (UK), Byworth Boilers (UK), Clyde Bergemann Power Group (US), Dongfang Boiler Group (CN), Enertime (FR), ISGEC Heavy Engineering Ltd. (IN), Thermax (IN), Treco (UK), VYNCKE N.V. (BE), ZBG Industries (CN)Get Discount on this Report:Based on product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into:By Capacity Type2-10 MW, 10-25 MW, 25-50 MWBy Feedstock TypeWood Deliverable, Landfill Residues, Agricultural ResiduesOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Industrial Biomass Boiler for each application, including Pulp & Paper Industry, Brewery Industry, Sawmill Industry, CHP Production, Power Generation, OthersRelated Report:Global Boiler Market Analysis & Forecast, 2017 -2024Global Boiler Market size will exceed USD 50 billion by 2024, as reported in the latest study. Supportive policies toward installation of energy efficient heating systems coupled with shifting trend towards adoption of zero emission buildings will drive the global boiler market size. In November 2016, Government of Germany approved Climate Protection Plan 2050 with an aim to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from various sources including energy, industries, commercial buildings, transport and agriculture.About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News:
Global Speciality Paper Market,Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2017-2027

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The global speciality paper market is estimated to be valued at nearly US$ 31 Bn in 2017 and is projected to reach approximately US$ 54 Bn by the end of forecast period. The global speciality paper market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period (20172027) in terms of value. Western Europe and North America are the global leaders, both in terms of consumption as well as production of speciality paper, and the regions together are estimated to account for more than half of the global speciality paper market. In terms of volume, the global speciality paper market is estimated to register a CAGR of 5.2% over the forecast period.Request For Sample Report :Adoption of light weight glassine paper resistant to grease and water is boosting the speciality paper market in Western EuropeThe key role of packaging is marketing besides its primary function of protection and transportation. Non-rigid packaging solutions promote visual impressions conveyed by the package. Speciality paper helps provide better performance, lower weight and less scope of contamination, increasing the shelf life of a product and also enabling seamless transportation handling. A wide range of applications such as pouches, bags, wrapping and paper based flexible packaging is a major factor boosting the growth of the speciality paper market in Western Europe. Moreover, the presence of major players and new technology also drives the speciality paper market in this region.Packaging tea bag demand growing in Western Europe, despite low market shareEurope is one of those regions that has a high consumption of tea. This high demand for tea is fuelled by packet tea. Although tea bags have a low market share in the region, the demand for tea bags is growing at a rapid rate due to tea bags made of speciality paper and the fact that speciality paper is biodegradable acts as an advantage to the growth of the speciality paper market in the region.Dampening growth of speciality paper in traditional outlets hampering market growth in Western EuropeDairy products, confectionary items, and snack foods use plastic as a material for packaging. The packaging through chemical coating provided by manufacturers in plastic packaging for dairy products and other packed items is gaining more demand in Western Europe, which may hamper the market of speciality paper in the region. However, the use of glassine paper is shifting the trend with the use of new items such as foil and other plastic wraps.Labels with informative function, security systems and NFC technology to boost speciality paper market in Western EuropeThe application of electronic labels such as QR code and NFC technology is attracting demand in Europe as it enables security and anti-counterfeit functions by authentication. Such kind of applications of labels are getting the attention of brand owners and merchants that help them to get protection from counterfeit goods and with the use of mobile applications, it helps consumers perform quick scans to avoid purchase of imitation goods. Such labels are made of speciality paper and this is helping fuel the market growth of this product in the region.Browse Full Report With TOC :Global Speciality Paper Market Attractiveness Analysis, by RegionAmong all regions, North America is estimated to account for 28.7% value share in the global speciality paper market by 2017 end, followed by Western Europe with 27.2% value share. North America is projected to exhibit a higher growth compared to Western Europe due to a downfall in the paper industry and the economic turmoil of BREXIT that has affected Western Europe. North America is also anticipated to show a higher incremental value during the forecast period compared to other regions. APEJ is projected to register a value CAGR of 7.3% over the forecast period and account for 13.9% value share by 2017 end. Japan is projected to account for 14.3% value share in the global speciality paper market by 2017 end. The market in Japan will register a CAGR of 6.6% in terms of value over the forecast period.Sustainable improvement in speciality paper such as water-based barrier coating and lightweight and special performance coating is on the rise due to constant research and development in the enhancement of speciality paper. Likewise, high performance composites, biodegradability and nano-materials are poised to give rise to new markets in the foreseeable future and will continue to boost global market growth. The availability of customisable speciality paper products with specific properties according to end-user preference is an advantage driving the global speciality paper market.Enquiry About This Report :Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comGoogle+:Linked in:Twitter:
Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Rebars Market to exhibit significant growth prospects over 2016-2024.

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Rising end-user preference for lightweight, anti-corrosive, non-abrasive, and robust reinforcements will upswing FRP Rebars Market development. Regional governments have been spending huge capital on construction & renovation activities. In addition, swift infrastructural developments to enhance the urban landscape and promote regional tourism will majorly boost FRP rebars industry trends. For instance, Japan invested more than USD 738 billion in construction projects in 2015, while China allotted funds of over 1.7 trillion for infrastructural growth during that year. According to Global Market Insights, Inc., Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) rebars industry, worth USD 590 million in 2015, is expected to hit a targeted revenue of over USD 1.25 billion by 2024.Global Market Insights has a new study based report titled " Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Rebars Market Size By Resin (Polyester, Vinyl Ester), By Product (Glass Fiber Composites, Aramid Fiber Composites, Basalt Fiber Composites, Carbon Fiber Composites), By Application (Marine Structures & Waterfronts, Highways, Bridges & Buildings, Water Treatment Plants, MRI Rooms), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S, Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024".Request for sample pages of this report@FRP rebars find extensive applications in MRI rooms, bridges & buildings, marine structures & waterfronts, water treatment plants, and highways. FRP rebars market size in the marine structures & waterfronts sector is predicted to grow at a cumulative rate of more than 7% over the coming timeline. An increase in the number of projects for constructing waterfronts and ports near seas and rivers along with the development of waterways as an effective mode of goods transport facility will contribute toward the business expansion.FRP rebars industry revenue across water treatment plants sector, which was estimated at more than USD 50 million in 2015, is expected to witness a high surge over the coming years. Rise in the number of desalination plant projects and surge in the waste & water treatment plant constructions will impel the segment growth.The report offers all-inclusive analysis of:1 Market structure2 Factors restraining market growth3 Market growth drivers4 Opportunities and challenges5 Market estimations and forecast for projected periodFRP rebars market share in MRI rooms sector is projected to record significant gains of more than 6.5% over the period from 2016 to 2024. Favorable features such as heat resistance, magnetic transparency, and electric resistance will boost the product demand.Considering the geographical landscape, North America FRP rebars industry is anticipated to record a CAGR of more than 7% over the coming seven years. Escalated spending on building new structures along with beneficial legislations supporting infrastructure growth will enlarge the business scope across the region. U.S. FRP rebars industry, which contributed USD 270 million toward North America FRP rebars industry revenue in 2015, is expected to make notable contributions toward the regional share in the future. The country had spent more than USD 1 trillion on construction ventures during 2015.The Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Rebars Market Report Consists of,1. Methodology and Scope2. Executive Summary3. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Rebars Market Industry Insights3.1 Industry segmentation3.2. Industry size, forecast and growth expectations, 2016 - 20243.3. Industry ecosystem analysis3.4. Raw material insights3.5. Technology insightsBrowse Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Rebars Market report summary@3.6. Regulatory framework3.7. Industry dynamics3.8. Key growth opportunities3.9. Porter's analysis3.10. Company market share, 20153.11. PESTEL analysis3.14. Regional price trends4. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Rebars Market InsightsGlass fiber composites FRP rebar market dominates the overall industry catering for more than 85% in 2015. Lightweight, ease in handling along with reduced chances for alkali and acid attacks are the significant properties driving the FRP rebar market growth. Production capacity limitation imposed by China on glass fiber will result in to high FRP rebar market price trend. However, emergence of low cost substitute including basalt due to its large availability and easy extraction will open new avenues in the industry.Basalt fiber composites FRP rebar market will CAGR around 9 % up to 2024. Less price, high penetration and substantial properties including lightweight, magnetic transparency and resistance to hostile environment are the key factors positively influencing industry growth. The composite being the latest technology will witness increased consumption in construction of earthquake resistant buildings.5. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Rebars Market Application InsightsHighways, bridges & buildings were worth over USD 460 million for the 2015 FRP rebar market. Rising demand for restoration and strengthening of the existing deficient structures will drive the industry growth. Increasing transportation accompanied by rapid urbanization and industrialization in the emerging economies have positively influenced the product penetration in highways, bridges & buildings.Water treatment plants are subjected to a continuous exposure of chloride content in water causing steel corrosion. Corrosion resistant FRP rebar are broadly used in the water treatment plants including potable water tanks, refinery reservoirs, sewage treatment facilities, acid ponds, and gold & salt mines. The products, unlike corroded reinforcement, prevent harmful materials leaching into soil and groundwater.6. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Rebars Market Regional InsightsU.S FRP rebar market size generated over USD 270 million business in 2015. Increasing construction spending due to rapid infrastructure development will drive the industry growth. The country observed over USD 1 trillion construction spending in 2015.Stable growth is observed in Europe FRP rebar market, owing to potential outlook in MRI rooms, marine structures, waterfronts and electrical isolation applications. High government spending on infrastructure development, for instance the construction of the world's tallest road bridge: the Millau Viaduct in France has supported the product consumption in this region.Asia Pacific will witness growth over 8% up to 2024. High tensile strength and lightweight properties have resulted in increasing product consumption in construction of earthquake resistant buildings and restoration of old structures particularly in Japan. Construction industry expansion coupled with the stimulating properties including corrosion resistance, lightness and high strength will trigger the demand.MEA FRP rebar market will witness CAGR over 8.5% up to 2024. High infrastructure development in the recent years particularly in UAE with significant projects has enhanced the product penetration. Government initiatives for advanced infrastructure with enhanced safety regulations will create notable opportunities for industry growth.Inquire About to purchase this research report@7. Competitor ProfilesProduct development, product portfolio expansions and supply agreements are the major strategies adopted by the key players to expand geographical coverage. Other manufacturing companies include Schock international, Pultrall Inc., Neuvokas Corp, Composite Rebar Technologies (CRT), Technobasalt Invest LLC, Sireg Geotech Srl, and Fibrolux GmbH.About Global Market Insights, Inc.: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:
Biodegradable Paper and Plastic Packaging Market Expected to Witness a Steady Growth by 2024

Biodegradable Paper and Plastic Packaging Market

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Global Biodegradable Paper and Plastic Packaging Market: OverviewPackaging is one of the major industrial sectors in the world. The biodegradable packaging is a natural and easily degradable protection method for packaging. There are various advantages of using biodegradable packaging which is not provided by the conventional non-biodegradable packaging. There is no requirement of an external catalyst for the degradation of the biodegradable packaging; it degrades easily and quickly. Usually, the biodegradable materials are landfilled as compared to the non-biodegradable materials. The packaging attributes, appearance, and other properties vary according to the materials that are used for the biodegradable packaging. The packaging industry is a huge industrial sector but the biodegradable packaging sector is a small segment in it. In the recent years, the global biodegradable packaging has made development and has become more advanced. In the coming years, the biodegradable packaging will become an integral part of the packaging industry.Request Free Sample Report @Global Biodegradable Paper and Plastic Packaging Market: SegmentationThe global biodegradable paper and plastic packaging market are segmented on the basis of applications, type, and regions. On the basis of the application, the global biodegradable paper, and plastic packaging market is categorized into beverage packaging, personal and home care packaging, electronic appliance packaging, food packaging, pharmaceuticals packaging and others. Based on the type of packaging, the market is divided into two materials paper and plastic. The regions where the global biodegradable paper and plastic packaging market is diversified are Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and Rest of the World.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Global Biodegradable Paper and Plastic Packaging Market: Growth FactorsEnvironmental concerns are the primary factor that is contributing to the market growth. The biodegradable materials easily degrade, hence there are fewer chances of the environment getting polluted. The major packaging industries are increasing the usage of the biodegradable packaging in order to achieve the customer satisfaction. Many manufacturers are now shifting focus from the conventional packaging methods to biodegradable packaging in order to differentiate their products in the market. The food packaging and beverage packaging industry play a vital role in driving the global biodegradable paper and plastic market. Boxboard and the corrugated board will dominate the biodegradable paper packaging market. The biodegradable plastics are consumed on a large scale in the textiles, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods industry.Global Biodegradable Paper and Plastic Packaging Market: Regional AnalysisNorth America and Europe dominate the global pharmaceutical packaging market. In the North American region, the U.S. is the largest consumer of the biodegradable packaging materials. In the Asia Pacific region, the countries such as China, Malaysia, India, and Thailand fuel the market growth owing to the rise in consumer awareness toward the biodegradable plastic and paper packaging products. The pharmaceuticals packaging industry is growing in the Asia-Pacific region, which in turn is propelling the market growth. In the Latin American region, Brazil is the largest market holder owing to the increasing disposable income and the economic development.Global Biodegradable Paper and Plastic Packaging Market: Competitive PlayersSome of the key market players in the biodegradable paper and plastic packaging market are Smurfit Kappa Group, Rocktenn, BASF, Mondi Group, Stora Enso, Reynolds Group Holding Limited, Clearwater Paper Corporation, Novamont S.P.A., Amcor, Kruger Inc., Rocktenn, Smurfit Kappa Group, and International Corp. Other players in the global market include Be Green Packaging LLC, Georgia-Pacific LLC, Tetra Laval, Natureworks LLC, Mondi Group, Biopac UK Ltd., Berkley International Packaging and Ranpak Corp.Browse detail report @Our value reports provide full, in-depth analysis of the parent market including most significant changes in market dynamics; the report also presents the detailed overview on segmentation of this market. We managed to present as many important pieces of information in essential form  thanks to our report You will learn more about former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value, assessment of niche industry developments and Market share analysis. We have not forgotten to present key strategies for major players, emerging segments and regional markets and last but not least, testimonials to companies in order to fortify their foothold in the market.Inquire more before buying this report @About Us: Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristically, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, a company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with Vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from Cardinal Industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.Contact Us:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll-Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Our Blog:
Global Kidney Cancer Drugs Market is Expected to Rise at a Remarkable CAGR During 2020

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The global kidney cancer drugs market is dominated by a few global giants, namely F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Bayer AG, Novartis AG, GlaxoSmithKline plc, and Pfizer, Inc. This makes the competitive landscape highly consolidated in nature. Competition among the players is stiff too.Biopharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer, Inc., among them, led the global market for kidney cancer drugs with maximum share in 2013 on the back of Sunitinib and Axitinib, two of the main drugs used for treating kidney cancer. Other big names in the industry, such as Novartis and GSK too are adopting other strategies to increase their geographical outreach. They are focusing on bolstering their distribution networks in the relatively underserved markets in the emerging nations that are seeing an increasing prevalence of kidney cancer cases.This 82 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the kidney cancer drugs market. Browse through 05 data tables and 31 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:A report by Transparency Market Research predicts the global market for kidney cancer drugs to expand at a 6.6% CAGR during the period between 2014 and 2020.North America Market Leads on the Back of Commercial Availability of Drugs from Prominent BrandsDepending upon the prominent brands of drugs, the global market for kidney cancer drugs can be segmented into Avastin (Bevacizumab), Afinitor (Everolimus), Inlyta (Axitinib), Torisel (Temsirolimus), Nexavar (Sorafenib), Sutent (Sunitinib), Proleukin (Aldesleukin/Interleukin-2), and Votrient (Pazopanib). Of them, Sutent, which is the marketed version of Sunitinib  Pfizers drug in the global kidney cancer drugs market, raked in maximum revenue in 2013. This is because Sutent is mainly prescribed as the first-line of treatment against kidney cancer. Sutent is also among the most studied drugs in its class for multiple indications, as it targets multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs).Geography-wise, the key segments of the global market for kidney cancer drugs are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America, among them, accounts for maximum market share owing to most prominent brands of kidney cancer treatment drugs being commercially available. In addition, a substantial number of patients and a solid healthcare system tailor-made for the pharmaceutical industry is also majorly fuelling the market in the region. North America accounted for 45% of market share in 2013.Rising Population of Geriatrics Highly Susceptible to Kidney Cancer Driving MarketThe global market for kidney cancer drugs is predicted to clock steady growth in the upcoming years because of an increasing geriatric population and higher prevalence of kidney cancer. As per the American Cancer Society, those afflicted with kidney cancer are mostly in the higher age bracket. The average age of people diagnosed with the malady is 64. Kidney cancer is very uncommon in people under the age of 45. The organization also finds that kidney cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in both men and women.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving kidney cancer drugs market during 2014 - 2020:Approval of novel drug molecules is also serving to catalyze growth in the global kidney cancer drugs market. Posing a challenge to the market, on the contrary, is the growing sales of generic drug variants on account of expensiveness of branded cancer drugs.A trend noticed in the global market for kidney cancer drugs is the manufacturers shifting their gaze towards developing economies to bring about sales growth.This review is based on the findings of a TMR report, titled, Kidney Cancer Drugs Market (Major Drugs: Afinitor (Everolimus), Avastin (Bevacizumab), Inlyta (Axitinib), Nexavar (Sorafenib), Proleukin (Aldesleukin), Sutent (Sunitinib), Torisel (Temsirolimus), Votrient (Pazopanib)) - Global Industry Analysis, Pipeline Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2014 - 2020.The report segments the global kidney cancer drugs market as follows:Kidney Cancer Drugs Market, by Major Branded DrugsSutent (Sunitinib)Nexavar (Sorafenib)Afinitor (Everolimus)Votrient (Pazopanib)Inlyta (Axitinib)Avastin (Bevacizumab)Torisel (Temsirolimus)Proleukin (Aldesleukin)Kidney Cancer Drugs Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of the World (RoW)Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
By PTI: Patna, Aug 21 (PTI) Five policemen, including two Inspector rank officials, were today suspended for dereliction of duty as supporters of senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav had tried to enter the Chief Ministers residence on Saturday waving belts and sticks.

Station House Officer of Sachivalay police station, under which CMs residence comes, a Sergeant Major of police line, two Sub Inspectors and one Assistant Sub-Inspector have been put under suspension on the charge of dereliction of duty, Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj told PTI.

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The suspension was ordered by Patna zone Inspector General of Police N H Khan on the basis of the report of the SSP.

Riding two-wheelers without helmets, Sharad Yadavs supporters who were escorting him from the airport to the S K Memorial Hall, the venue of their Jan Adalat programme, on Saturday had suddenly stopped outside the chief ministers residence on the way and shouted slogans and tried to enter inside CMs house waving belts and sticks.

Despite deployment, many policemen were not present on duty at the time to prevent the ugly incident.

Some supporters of Nitish Kumar who had gathered there as National Executive committee was in progress at that time had latter chased Yadavs supporters after a minor clash.

Meanwhile, Patna police has arrested more than a dozen after identifying them from CCTV cameras installed at the venue which also houses Raj Bhawan.

The Patna SSP said majority of those arrested are members of notorious Bikers gang active in the state capital.

During interrogation they admitted "being hired on payment" by two notorious Bikers gang leaders Vinod Kumar and Rahul Kumar for "a pre-planned violence" that day, Maharaj said.

Police had registered a case at Schivalay police station regarding the incident on the statement of a magistrate on duty at the venue that day and made arrest after identifying them from CCTV camera footage. PTI SNS RG

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Nurse Call Systems Market: Increased Healthcare Budget and Government Support Driving Demand

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Global Nurse Call Systems Market: SnapshotThe demand in the global nurse call systems market is projected to expand at a strong CAGR of 10.9% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025, and estimated to reach a valuation of US$2,665.98 mn by the end of 2025. This market is gaining traction from a number of factors, such as escalating geriatric population, increased healthcare budget in both developed and developing countries, technological advancements that have added the efficiency of these systems, and prevalence of chronic diseases. On the other hand, high cost of implementation, strict government regulations, and the lack of trained professionals of healthcare and IT are a few hindrances obstructing the global nurse call systems market from achieving its true potential.Obtain Report Details:IP-Based Nurse Call Systems Profitable Equipment-type SegmentOn the basis of equipment-type, the global nurse call systems market has been segmented into digital nurse call systems, IP-based nurse call systems, nurse call intercoms, basic audio/visual nurse call systems, and nurse call mobile systems. In 2016, the IP-based nurse call systems segment accounted for maximum demand, owing to its flexible nature of being installed in phases. Moreover, the growing demand for installation of these systems would aid the market growth. For instance, in August 2016, Azure Healthcare Ltd received a US$ 1.1 mn purchase order from a hospital in North America for the supply of Internet protocol (IP) based Tacera nurse call system.Based on communication technology, the market has been segmented into wireless communication and wired communication. Wired communication is anticipated to record significant growth during the forecast period, owing to the existence of traditional wired systems and various government regulations mandating wired infrastructure in acute care settings. In terms of end-users, hospitals provide the maximum chunk of demand in the global nurse call systems market, considerably more than other end-user categories, viz. assisted living centers, nursing homes, and clinics.North America Leads, but Asia Pacific Projected for Better Growth RateFill the form for an exclusive sample of this report:Geographically, the report studies the potential of nurse call systems market in the regions of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Owing to rapidly increasing geriatric population and and increased demand for assisted living centers, North America region dominated the market in 2016 and is anticipated to remain dominant in the forecast period. As per the Population Reference Bureau, the number of people in America aged 65 years and older is projected to increase more than double from 46 million in 2016 to 98 million by 2060. In addition to that, the technological advances, and the ability of these nurse call systems to reduce the amount of redundant nursing activities such as regular manual check-ups, would also contribute to the positive growth of the nurse call systems market. Asia Pacific region is anticipated to grow at a significantly high CAGR in the forecast period, owing to higher adoption of reliable and secure wired nurse call solutions in acute care and skilled nursing facilities. Improving healthcare infrastructure and improved access, mobility, and flexible nature of wireless communication and the rising awareness on the benefits of IP nurse call systems are anticipated to drive the nurse call systems market growth in Asia Pacific.Some of the key companies currently operating in the global nurse call systems market are: Azure Healthcare Ltd., Cornell Communications, Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., Ascom Holding AG, TekTone Sound & Signal Mfg., Inc., Tyco SimplexGrinnell, Jeron Electronic Systems, Inc., STANLEY Healthcare, Vigil Health Solutions, Inc., and Rauland-Borg Corporation.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
GaN Semiconductor Devices Market 2017: Business Overview, Products Offered by players like RF Micro Devices Incorporated, Toshiba Corp., Fujitsu

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Progressive Markets has published a report, titled, Global GaN Semiconductor Devices Market - Size, Trend, Share, Opportunity Analysis & Forecast, 20142025. As per the report, the global GaN semiconductor devices market is expected to register a CAGR of 27.2% from 2017 to 2025. The report provides insights on key segments, discusses changing market dynamics, outlines recent developments, and highlights lucrative opportunities in coming years. Market players are able to gain exceptional results with the help of insights presented in the study. Moreover, it helps investors to gain improved profitability on investments. The research is helpful to provide detailed understanding of the global scenario, plan for growth, and gain impressive asset base in the global industry.Continue to Report Description and Full ToC:An executive summary of the global GaN semiconductor devices market is provided in the report to help leading market players, new entrants, and investors determine a market overview and take steps for growth in the future. Key findings are offered in the study in terms of key investment pockets & top winning strategies. Market attractiveness is highlighted on the basis of short-term and long-term strategies to gain maximum profitability. Current market trends are discussed in the study along with development status of the industry. Competitive landscape of the global industry is provided to assist market players gain detailed information on competitive intensity in the market and devise strategies to gain competitive advantage. Research methodology is offered in the research in terms of primary and secondary research methods used to gather data.Market landscape of the global GaN semiconductor devices industry is offered based on drivers and restraints. More efficient operation in applications at existing frequencies over other semiconductor devices, increase in demand for electric vehicle, and rise in need for high voltage operating devices are factors that fuel growth in the industry. Preference of silicon carbide (Sic) in high-voltage semiconductor applications limit growth in the global market. Porters Five Forces Analysis (PFFA) is provided in the research based on bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat from substitutes, threat of new entrants, and industrial rivalry. This analysis is helpful to develop strategies for business to reach recurring growth and determine competitive level.Inquire About Report:The report offers detailed segmentation of the global GaN semiconductor devices market based on type, application, devices, and geography. Based on type, the market is classified into power semiconductor and opto semiconductor. Based on application, the market is segmented into medical, automotive, aerospace, defense, and consumer electronics. Based on devices, the market is divided into rectifier, transistor, diodes, and power IC. Geographically, it is divided across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. In-depth analysis of market share for each segment is offered for the historic period, 20142016 and the forecast period, 20172025 using tables and figures. Moreover, revenue generated by each segment is offered in the research with the help of tabular and graphical format.The research offers a detailed analysis of key manufacturers operating in the global GaN semiconductor devices industry. An overview of business of each manufacturer is provided in the research to help market players, investors, new entrants, and stakeholders to determine further steps to be taken to achieve growth in the future along with investment feasibility. Financial and business segments of each market player are explored in the study. Moreover, recent developments are highlighted in the report. Key market players analyzed in the research include RF Micro Devices Incorporated, Toshiba Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., Cree Incorporated, Texas Instruments Inc., Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Aixtron SE, GaN Systems Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., and Epigan NV. This information assist them to determine level of competition in the global market and adopt strategies for growth including agreements, partnerships, collaborations, mergers & acquisitions, and others to make the mark across the world.Get Customized Report:Table of Content for GaN Semiconductor Devices Industry1. Executive summary1.1. Key Findings1.2. Market Attractiveness and Trend analysis1.3. Competitive Landscape and recent industry development analysis2. Introduction2.1. Report Description2.2. Scope and Definitions2.3. Research Methodology3. Market landscape3.1. Growth Drivers3.1.1. Impact Analysis3.2. Restrains and Challenges3.2.1. Impact Analysis3.3. Porters Analysis3.3.1. Bargaining power of buyers3.3.2. Bargaining power of suppliers3.3.3. Threat of substitutes3.3.4. Industry rivalry3.3.5. Threat of new entrants3.4. Global GaN Semiconductor Devices Market Shares Analysis, 2014-20253.4.1. Global GaN Semiconductor Devices Market Share by technology, 2014-2025ContinuedList of TablesContain 41 TablesList of FiguresContain 49 FiguresAbout ProgressiveThe company makes use of primary corporate research and secondary inputs from trusted sources to build its own reference base. It maintains consistency in quality as it keeps itself updated with changes in market dynamics and gauging its net effect on global business trends.Reach UsAntviews Global, Serve No. 721/1Flat No 404, Sudhanshu Society,Fatak Baug, Pune 411 030Us: + 1-888-906-9222GMT: + 35-376-680-1176help@progressivemarkets.com
Weather Information Technologies Market,Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2017-2027

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Global Weather Information Technologies Market  Key Regional Findings The APEJ weather information technologies market is expected to register high Y-o-Y growth rates throughout the forecast period. The market in APEJ is also expected to exhibit a significant value CAGR during the forecast period. Within the APEJ region, revenue from the China weather information technologies market is projected to account for more than 28% share of the APEJ weather information technologies market by the end of 2027. The weather information technologies market in India is expected to represent incremental opportunity of more than US$ 15 Mn between 2017 and 2027. The weather information technologies market in APEJ is expected to be valued at more than US$ 120 Mn in 2017 and is projected to reach more than US$ 200 Mn by the end of 2027. The market in APEJ is expected to represent incremental opportunity of more than US$ 80 Mn between 2017 and 2027.Request For Sample Report :Increasing expenditure on sea, road and railway transport and increasing demand from defence and agriculture verticals to boost the weather information technologies market in APEJIncreasing expenditure of APEJ countries in improving sea, road and railway transport is expected to drive demand for weather information technologies in the region. The demand is expected to be high as governments have to know accurate weather forecasts during the construction process to avoid any adverse scenarios. Also, after the development of such routes, it is necessary to know the weather conditions to ensure smooth trade between countries. For instance, through the One Belt and One Road (OBOR) project, China has planned to invest US$ 800 Bn in order to connect Asian countries through the Silk Road Economic Belt connecting via road and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road connecting via sea route. In 2016, India and Iran signed a deal worth US$ 500 Mn to develop Irans Chabahar port so as to transport goods via sea to Afghanistan and Central Asia.Increasing demand from defence and agriculture verticals is expected to provide support to the growth of the weather information technologies market in APEJ. The economy of South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh is primarily an agro-based economy with a large portion of the population relying on the agriculture sector, which is dependent upon rain from the monsoon. Anomalies occurring during the monsoon season affect the entire region and thus there is a need for better forecasting methods and equipment, which eventually aids in driving demand for weather information technologies. Also, military operations require constant weather updates in order to successfully implement critical operations, which is why the vertical is witnessing increasing demand for weather information technologies and this rising demand is supported by increasing expenditure on defence budgets by APEJ countries such as China, India and Vietnam.In 2016, North America was the largest regional market for weather information technologies and is anticipated to dominate the global market throughout the forecast period. Increasing demand from the aerospace & defence, oil & gas and railways sectors coupled with improved accuracy in terms of weather forecasting are factors expected to drive growth of the global weather information technologies market. In terms of value, the North America weather information technologies market registered a CAGR of 3.9% from 20122016 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.1% from 20172027. The APEJ weather information technologies market registered a CAGR of 4.0% from 20122016 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.4% in terms of value from 20172027. The weather information technologies market in MEA is expected to represent incremental opportunity of US$ 37.8 Mn between 2017 and 2027.Browse Full Report With TOC :Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comGoogle+:Linked in:Twitter:
How The US Department Of Peace Could Demonstrate America's Commitment To Peace And Change The Middle East - Author Frances Fuller Issues Statement

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Recently King Abdullah of Jordan met with the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas to discuss efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Speaking on the subject with the speaker of the Jordanian parliament and leaders of parliamentary committees, he stated, "The future of the Palestinian issue is at stake and reaching a solution is becoming more difficult. . . There will be no breakthrough in the peace process if there is no American commitment to support a solution to the Palestinian issue.That puts America in a position to make a real difference - for better or for worse. Frances Fuller, author of 'In Borrowed Houses' issued a statement on her blog that cut straight to the heart of the matter. That statement, entitled "Is America Committed To Peace? Enough to Create a Department of Peace?", read in part:"Whatever the source of this strange power America has to make peace possible or not, even if it exists primarily in the dreams of the Arabs and Israelis, it is a frightening responsibility. And here we sit with a president whom fewer than 40% of us trust, according to the polls. A talkative president who is exchanging taunts about nuclear weapons with another leader whom we also dont trust.""Here we sit with no Department of Peace. Just a State Department with numerous links to the Department of Defense that is totally prepared for war. And of course we have whomever Trump might send to mediate. Jared Kushner?""Is America committed to peace in the Middle East? Clearly King Abdullah is uncertain. Is America committed to peace anywhere? A lot of us are uncertain.""We could give the world a convincing answer to these questions by establishing a governmental department (the US Department of Peace) devoted to pursuing peace at home and abroad: between us and our neighbors, between Middle Eastern neighbors, between North and South Korea, between the fearful and the people they are afraid of, between white Americans and the rest of us."The full statement is available at Fuller's website atFrances Fuller puts a face on the Middle East many Americans have not yet seen. Her award-winning memoir, 'In Borrowed Houses', gives readers a penetrating glimpse of the Middle East from the inside.The Syrian occupation of Lebanon during that countrys long civil war is part of Fullers experience in the Middle East, related in her memoir. Told in short episodes, Fullers book reveals the alienation, confusion and courage of civilians in the Lebanese civil war, introducing to the reader a variety of real people with whom the author interacts: editors, salesmen, neighbors, refugees, soldiers, missionaries, lawyers, shepherds, artists, students. With these people she works, studies, plays games, prays, laughs and cries, all to the accompaniment of gunfire. Together these small stories tell what war is like for civilians caught on a battlefield, and they create the impression of the Lebanese as a fun-loving, witty, patient and resilient people. Fuller's stories compose not a political history, but a historical document of a time and a place.'In Borrowed Houses' has taken three industry awards. Frances Fuller was the Grand Prize winner in the 2015 '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading' Book Awards. It received the bronze medal for memoir in the Illumination Book Awards in 2014. Northern California Publishers and Authors annually gives awards for literature produced by residents of the area. In 2015 'In Borrowed Houses' received two prizes: Best Non-fiction and Best Cover.Critics have praised In Borrowed Houses. A judge in the 22nd Annual Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards called 'In Borrowed Houses'  . . a well written book full of compassion . . . a captivating story . . . . Another reviewer described the book as Wise, honest, sensitive, funny, heart-wrenching . . .. Colin Chapman, lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut said,  . . . western Christians and Middle Eastern Christians need to read this storyfull of remarkable perceptiveness and genuine hope.Frances Fuller is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at frances0516@att.net. The full text of her latest article is available at her website. Fuller's book is available at Amazon and other book retailers. A free ebook sample from 'In Borrowed Houses' is available at Payhip. Frances Fuller also blogs on other issues relating to the Middle East on her website.Frances Fuller spent thirty years in the violent Middle East and for twenty-four of those years was the director of a Christian publishing program with offices in Lebanon. While leading the development of spiritual books in the Arabic language, she survived long years of civil war and invasions.PO Box 1613Shallotte, NC 28459
Global Wood Preservative Coatings Market,Industry Analysis, Trends & Forecast 2017 & 2027

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The North America wood preservative coatings market is estimated to be valued at more than US$ 2,000 Mn by 2017 end, and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.2% over the forecast period to be valued at more than US$ 3,300 Mn by 2027 end. The wood preservative coatings market in the region is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 4.9% in terms of volume over 20172027. North America is anticipated to reach 868,047 tonnes by 2027 end from 539,973 tonnes in 2017. Adoption of robust manufacturing technologies such as UV technologies is a major factor leading to the growth and maturity of the North America wood preservative coatings market.Request For Sample Report :The rise in single family homebuilding in the U.S likely to foster growth in the consumption of wood preservative coatings in North AmericaThe single family housing model accounts for a major share in U.S housing constructions. The growth in single family housing is becoming prevalent in the U.S over multi-family housing, thereby increasing the demand for lumber, which in turn drives the wood preservative coatings market. Wood is considered to be a least energy intensive building material as compared to other building materials such as plastic, steel, concrete etc., that require more energy to convert the raw materials to the end product. Also, factors such as the availability of wood at cheaper costs compared to its substitutes, wide range of types and sizes and high material stiffness of wood further fuel the consumption of wood preservative coatings.Canada has around 30% of the worlds boreal forest that consists of trees such as larch, poplar, pine etc. Production of soft wood constitutes a major share in Canada, wherein the conversion of wood to various products is significant. According to the Canadian Wood Council, the forests in Canada are more protected than any other country in the world with independent certifications. Soft wood from Canada is exported to the U.S, representing one-third consumption. A large production of lumber necessitates the requirement of wood preservative coatings in order to prevent the wood from decaying due to environmental factors such as climatic conditions. The presence of robust forestry coupled with sustainable forestry management fuels the wood preservative coatings market in North America.The Energy and Environmental Design programme of the U.S. Green Building Council certifies wood preservative coating products that have low VOCs and are formaldehyde free. Also, the presence of toxins and carcinogenic ingredients in the products are verified and if present, restrictions are imposed. These stringent standards and regulations help in driving revenue growth of the wood preservative coatings market in North America.Browse Full Report With TOC :High solid technology, low odour and high durability products for interior wood coatings is the new trend in North AmericaThe trend of usage of water-borne coatings is significant in the North America wood preservative coatings market. An increasing awareness among consumers regarding the usage of eco-friendly coating products is prevailing. Also, UV wood coatings are being used for industrial applications owing to the fast curing and high production efficiency offered by such coatings. Besides, high solid technology involving less solvent and more solids use is currently a prominent trend in the North America wood preservative coatings market. Also, low odour and high durable coatings are increasingly preferred by consumers in the North America wood preservative coatings market.Preservative coatings for wood products are essential for increasing the product life span. Among various preservatives, insect repellent is estimated to hold major share both in terms of value and volume owing to its inherent advantages of protection from decay. The borates, azoles, pentachlorophenol etc. type of insect preservatives are more preferred by consumers. The market for stains and varnishes is quite fragmented with the presence of several domestic players. The demand for wood preservative coatings for protective as well as decorative purposes influences the stains and varnishes segments.Enquiry About This Report :Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.State Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTelephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comGoogle+:Linked in:Twitter:
New Report Examines the Global Outlook for Medical Holography Market Analysis to 2026

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Biomedical imaging technology is bringing in numerous innovations in the medical technology field. Medical imaging has become one of the fastest growing industries. Medical holography is one such technical advancement in medical science that is expected to answer the most complicated diagnostic issues. A medical hologram produces three dimension (3D) images of the human body in real time images or in the form of video stream. The real time images produced by the medical hologram are of high resolution and would help to reveal the complexities in the diagnosed body. Some of the medical holograms are interactive in nature that also provide most effective user interface for better understanding.Obtain Report Details @There is a high demand for advanced medical imaging from the healthcare sector. As the innovations in medical education are growing, medical holography market is expected to benefit from these innovations due to increased technology integration. Increased awareness among the consumers related to advanced medical technologies is expected to have a positive influence on medical holography market. Medical holography facilitates the real-time viewing of the diagnosed body, further improving the analysis process.The medical holography system provides an advanced diagnostic methodology to the doctors. These systems offer doctors a better understanding about the anatomy of the patients body, driving the demand for medical holography market. Medical holography helps the doctors to view complex displacement of bones or tissues that had occurred. The medical holography system is also expected to help the doctors to understand the medical complications more easily and quickly.Hologram guided heart surgeries are expected to gain more importance during the forecast period. With the help of holograms doctors can easily examine patients heart conditions or detect a colon cancer without breaking the skin. It will result in the quick diagnosis of any disease and the doctor can start with his treatment. Furthermore, there are numerous companies across the world investing in medical holography technologies.Introduction of augmented reality in the field of medical holography could be one of the greatest opportunities to the producers of medical holograms. Limited adoption of medical holograms despite its numerous advantages could prove to be a restraining factor for the market. The pricing of such medical holography technology is also higher which could affect its adoption among customers. However, with increasing technology adoption in medical and healthcare sectors this hurdle is expected to be tackled.Make an Enquiry @The medical holography market can be segmented on the basis of medical hologram types and the technology adopted in medical holography. Volumetric displays, planar/HUD interactive display, segmented displays, static digital holograms are a few of the types of medical holograms. Some of the common technologies viewed in medical holography market are plasma, touchable, electro holographic, semi-transparency, and laser technology.Some of the key players engaged in medical holography market are Dongguan Linbiao hologram manufacturer, Eon Reality Inc., EchoPixel, Inc., Zebra Imaging, General Electric Company, Microsoft Inc, Provision Holdings Inc., RealView Imaging Ltd., Holographic 3d solutions, Holography Industry JV, Ne&Ro Invest SRL., Arnold Herzig GmbH, DPL Industri A/S Denmark and Olomagic.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. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Medium Voltage AC Power Distribution Units (PDU) Market In Data Centers Forecast Assessment, 2016 - 2026

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The revolution of internet and connectivity in recent years has increased the dependency on digital sources. Trillion bits of data is used and generated every day, which has to be stored at reliable and easily accessible places. This has resulted in tremendous growth of data centers, cloud storage and data warehouses. Also, service providers desire to provide faster communication network and higher internet speed than that of their competitors has enforced organizations to improve infrastructure of data centers. The basic infrastructure including power distribution & management and HVAC plays a vital role in performance of data centers. The power distribution is generally categorized in three bands, i.e. Low Voltage Alternating Current (AC), Medium Voltage AC and High Voltage AC. The distribution and regulation of power supply in data centers is managed by power distribution units (PDU).Conventionally, medium voltage AC power distribution units are widely used in heavy machinery and mining industries but due to increasing loads on data centers, many data centers operators are adopting medium voltage AC power distribution units to meet their industry-size demands. Considering ratio of area consumption and power distribution, the medium voltage AC power distribution units are more compact than low voltage PDU system. Medium voltage AC power distribution units involve less wire-web and provide more interconnectivity. In contrast, a low voltage system require 8-10 times more cables and conduits as compared to medium voltage AC power distribution units. In spite of being compact, cost effective and efficient, the medium voltage AC power distribution units require more space for ventilation and cooling as high power is managed by the system.Request Report Sample@Medium Voltage AC Power Distribution Units (PDU) Market in Data Centers: DynamicsThe raising data usage and digitalization of all conventional means is increasing pressure on data center operators to maximize their efficiency and capacity. To attain secure position in competitive market in which rack density and power consumption are continuingly increasing, the data center operators are intending to improve the efficiency of supporting infrastructure. Also, interconnectivity amongst various organizations, government departments, security systems, transportations etc. are playing a vital role in increasing dependency on data centers which is forcing operators to adopt medium voltage AC power distribution units in data centers.However, the high installation and operating cost of medium voltage AC power distribution units along with failure rate and increased complexity of data center servers are some of the restraints that are expected to affect the market growth of medium voltage AC power distribution units in data centers over the forecast period.Medium Voltage AC Power Distribution Units (PDU) Market in Data Centers: SegmentationThe medium voltage AC power distribution units market in data centers can be segmented on the basis of their type, power phase and power conversion type. On the basis of type, medium voltage AC power distribution units market can be categorized into basic, metered, monitored, switched and others segment. On the basis of power phase, medium voltage AC power distribution units market can be segmented as single-phase and three phase. On the basis of power conversion, the medium voltage AC power distribution units market can be segmented into AC-DC and AC-AC segments.Medium Voltage AC Power Distribution Units (PDU) Market in Data Centers: Region-wise OutlookThe global market of medium voltage AC power distribution units in data centers is segmented into 7 key regions, namely North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) and Japan. North America, Western Europe and Latin America are anticipated to remain key market in the medium voltage AC power distribution units market by 2016 end. While, APEJ is expected to witness the high growth in the market due to rapid infrastructure growth and digitalization in countries like India and China.Visit For TOC@Medium Voltage AC Power Distribution Units (PDU) Market in Data Centers: Key PlayersKey players reported in the study of medium voltage AC power distribution units (PDU) market include CyberPower Systems, Eaton, Emerson Network Power, Raritan, Schneider Electric (APC), Server Technology, ABB (ASEA Brown Boveri) and others.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Stem Cell Assay Market to be Driven by Increase in Funds from Government Organizations and Technological Advancements

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Regenerative medicine has emerged as new paradigm in human health. It has the potential to resolve unmet medical needs. Rapid growth in the interdisciplinary field of regenerative medicine is altering the health care domain by converting fundamental science into a variety of regenerative technologies. Stem cell is an undifferentiated mass of cell that has the ability to divide indefinite times. It can be further differentiated into specialized cells such as blood cells, skin cells, neurons, heart cells, chondrocytes, and osteocytes under specific conditions.Unspecialized nature, self-renewal capability, and dedifferentiation are the unique features of stem cells. Thus, these cells are useful in different applications in pharmaceutical research and medical fields. Stem cell research has grown significantly since 1978, when stem cells were discovered in human cord blood. Incidence of cancer is increasing across the globe due to the rise in aging population and changing lifestyle habits. This, in turn, is boosting the demand for anticancer drugs and therapies.Obtain Report Details @According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14.1 million new cancer cases were diagnosed around the globe in 2012 and around 19.3 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed each year by 2025. Rise in incidences of chronic diseases is boosting the demand for research, making stem cells a highly preferred system for drug discovery due to its self-renewal capability and unspecialized nature.Over the last decade, the application of cell-based assays has increased at a rapid pace among research institutes and pharmaceutical industries. This was primarily ascribed to the ethical issues associated with the use of animals for clinical trials. Furthermore, rise in approvals of clinical trials for stem cells based therapy, increase in funds from government organizations, and technological advancements are some of the factors driving the stem cell assay market. But, human embryonic stem cells, which are derived from inner cell mass of blastocyst are currently high on the political issues ethical concerns in many countries hampering the growth of the market.Additionally, lack of required infrastructure in developing countries and high cost associated with products are some of the factors restraining the stem cell assay market. Evolution of new therapies and low regulatory frameworks in emerging regions are expected to provide opportunities for market growth during the forecast period.The global stem cell assay market has been segmented based on product, assay type, application, end-user, and region. In terms of product, the market for stem cell assay has been divided into human embryonic stem cell kits and adult stem cell kits. The adult stem cell kits segment is further divided into induced pluripotent stem cells kits, hematopoietic stem cell kits, mesenchymal stem cell kits, umbilical cord stem cell kits, and others.The adult stem cell kits segment is expected to account for the prominent share of the global stem cell assay market during the forecast period, led by the rise in product innovation activities and increasing focus on drug screening by biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Based on assay, the global stem cell assay market has been segregated into viability or cytotoxicity assay, cell identification assay, proliferation assay, differentiation assay, apoptosis assay, isolation & purification assay, and functional assay. Among these, the viability or cytotoxicity assay segment is anticipated to constitute key share of the global stem cell assay market during the forecast period, as cytotoxicity is an unavoidable stage during research.In terms of application, the global stem cell assay market has been segmented into drug discovery & development, regenerative medicine & therapy development, and clinical research. The regenerative medicine & therapy development segment is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace during the forecast period due to the rise in incidence of Parkinsons, Alzheimers, diabetes, and cancer diseases. This is anticipated to augment the focus on the development of new therapies and innovative drugs. Evolution of new therapies is estimated to provide new opportunities for the growth of the stem cell assay market during the forecast period.Based in end-user, the global stem cell assay market has been segregated into government research institutes, private research institutes, and industry research. The industry research segment is projected to account for the major share of the global stem cell assay market during the forecast period. Growth in adoption of stem cell assays for drug screening process and testing is likely to drive the segment in the near future.Make an Enquiry @In terms of geography, the global stem cell assay market has been divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate the global stem cell assay market during the forecast period. Governmental initiatives for stem cell based research in North America are anticipated to boost the stem cell assay market in the region. The stem cell assay market in Asia Pacific is estimated to expand at a rapid pace; it is projected to overtake Europe in the near future. Development in the clinical research field and rise in patient pool are projected to augment the adoption of stem cell assay in Asia Pacific.Key players operating in the stem cell assay market are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Merck KGaA, Promega Corporation, STEMCELL Technologies Inc., Bio-Techne Corporation, GE Healthcare, Cellular Dynamics International Inc., Hemogenix, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., and Cell Biolabs Inc.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. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Livestock Monitoring System Market : Growth, Demand and Key Players to 2027

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Nowadays, animals are produced intensively and maintained under optimal conditions for growth and production within current technological limits. The majority of animals are constrained within a building or stockyard for most of the times. As they are prevented from foraging for their own food, the farmer/ owner of livestock has to take care for all aspects of their husbandry.Therefore, monitoring and management related to feeding, environment, reproduction, health, growth, marketing, transport and quality becomes the responsibility of the farmer.Livestock monitoring systems monitor the entire livestock environment 24/7, and alert the user by phone, text or email if any condition falls outside of a preset parameter, so that the user can respond quickly. Additionally, these systems are used to monitor sick animals, tack rooms, and observe animals kept in the trailer in case of travelling.Request Report Sample@Market Overview:Progressive developments in sensor technology are making available increasing amounts of information relevant to monitoring animals and their environment, and hence their production, growth and health.Continuously rising demand for the large cattle and poultry, new and advanced techniques are being utilized to aid the tracking and monitoring of animals. Poultry, cattle and other animals require best possible living conditions to stay healthy and maximize their yield. Equipment failures such as ventilation systems, circulation fans, heaters and air conditioners can threaten their health and can cause problems if not handled diligently.Market Dynamics:Major factors responsible for fuelling the demand for livestock monitoring systems are  growth in size and number of dairy farms, development of sensors which can gather an increasingly wide range of information, new product launches for livestock management, and need for substantial cost savings associated with livestock monitoring & management.The usage of systems for identifying and weighing animals is already pronounced globally, and it is expected that systems for tracking animals, monitoring basic health related factors such as body temperature and heart rate, and for assessing body conformation, will witness high adoption rate in coming years.Presently livestock monitoring systems market is witnessing gradual adoption of integrated monitoring systems, in which information from sensors, databases, and other knowledge bases are combined and interpreted. Several systems containing some of the elements of an integrated monitoring system are already available commercially for swine, cattle, broiler and milk production.Market Segmentation:Livestock monitoring system market is mainly classified on the basis of component, application, and regions.On the basis of component, livestock monitoring system market is segmented into hardware, software and services.On the basis of application, livestock monitoring system market is segmented into milk harvesting management, reproduction management, feeding management, heat stress management, animal comfort management, behavior monitoring and control, and other applications.On the basis of regions, the market is segmented into 7 key regions:North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding JapanJapanMiddle East & AfricaVisit For TOC@Key Market PlayersThe major players operating in the livestock monitoring system market include DeLaval, Sensaphone. Rugged Networks Limited., GEA Group AG, Afimilk Ltd., Communications Group Lethbridge Ltd., BouMatic LLC., SCR Dairy, Inc., DairyMaster, Lely Holding S.A.R.L, SUM-IT Computer Systems, Ltd., and Valley Agriculture Software.About Us  Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and IndiaCONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Barite Market Research Study for Forecast Period (2014-2020)

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Barite is a mineral that is rich in barium. Barite commonly occurs in the large number of depositional environment and it is found in the zinc-lead veins in limestone, in the hot spring deposits and in the hematite ore. Barite is also found alongside meteorites. Barite is relatively inert and also exhibits a physical property of high density. Barite is widely used as a weighting agent in the drilling muds. Barite also finds other applications in the electrical and electronics, rubber, ceramics, paints radiation shielding, medical and glass industry among others. China, India, Morocco and U.S. are expected to be the largest producers of barite. The total barite resources across the globe in all categories are around 2 billion tons, however, only 740 million tons is considered among the identified resources.Most of the barite manufactured is used as a weighting agent in the drilling fluids that are used in the oil and gas exploration. Barites are mainly used to suppress the high formation fluids and also to prevent blowouts. The quantity of barite used is mainly dependent on the depth of the hole that has to be bored. The deeper the hole, more the barite is required. Barite is non-magnetic in nature and hence, it does not interfere with the magnetic measurements that are taken during boring the hole making barite an ideal choice for the drilling fluids. Barite is widely used in the manufacturing of paints and coatings. Thus, the growing automobile industry is expected to boost the overall growth of the paints and coatings industry which in turn is expected to drive the growth of the overall barite market. The global barite market is expected to grow owing to its increasing demand in other applications such as textiles, paper and paints among others. Though, there are alternatives to barite such as ilmenite, celestite, iron ore and synthetic hematite, none of these substitutes had a major impact on the barite drilling mud industry.Request For Report Sample@Barites offer several benefits such as good stability, strong inertia, moderate rigidity, acid and alkali proof and high specific gravity. Due to such advantages, barite is widely used in applications including engineering plastic, middle and high-grade paint, medicine compounding, rubber, pottery, paper-making and cosmetics among others. The main types of barites are ground barite, finely ground barite and bleached barite. Ground barite is used as filler in the production of oil cloth, linoleum, paper, textile, plastics and rubber. Finely ground barite finds use in making thixotropic mud for sealing oil wells in drilling applications and bleached barite is used as a pigment in white paint.Considering the rapidly growing oil and gas drilling industry, the demand for barite is expected to record a strong growth in the coming years. India and China hold a dominant position in the barite supply and have increased prices significantly in the recent times. Owing to this, there is an increased focus on discovering and developing new barite resources across the world. While India and China are anticipated to dominate the barite production and export, mining projects in several stages of development are ongoing in countries such as Liberia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and Zimbabwe.Visit For TOC@Some of the key participants of the barite market include Desku Group Inc., SMIMTAF, Shijiazhuang Oushun Minerals Products Co. Ltd., Shanghai Titanos Industry Co., Ltd., CMS Industries and V&P Corporation among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
The triple talaq case has been unique in many ways, from having a bench comprising Supreme Court Justices of different faith to having some of the biggest names in legal fraternity appearing as senior counsel in the case.

The Supreme Court today struck down instant triple talaq as unconstitutional. Photo for representation: PTI.

By India Today Web Desk: A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court today declared instant triple talaq unconstitutional. Calling the practice "arbitrary" and "not part of Islam", the five-judge bench by a 3:2 majority judgment said that there is no constitutional protection for triple talaq.

The Supreme Court's decision is being hailed as a landmark verdict by political parties across spectrum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment".

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The Communist Party of India-Marxist also welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict, while the Congress said that it would once and for all end the controversy over triple talaq. "The decision has reinforced the rights of Muslim women, who were its victims for centuries. We hope after this decision all the parties will be satisfied and the controversy will end," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

The triple talaq case has been unique in many ways, from having a bench comprising Supreme Court Justices of different faith to having some of the biggest names in legal fraternity appearing as senior counsel in the case.

A look at five unique facts about the triple talaq case:

1) THE CONFUSION OVER SUPREME COURT VERDICT

As soon as Chief Justice J S Khehar started reading out his judgment, many assumed he is pronouncing the five-judge bench's verdict. In order of seniority, Chief Justice Khehar pronounced his judgment first and said triple talaq is integral to Islam but directed Parliament to frame appropriate law.

This led to the confusion that the Supreme Court has upheld triple talaq.

The state of Muslim women in India and how world views triple talaq. Credit: Newsflicks.

2) WHEN CHIEF JUSTICE WAS IN DISSENT

In a rare scenario, Chief Justice J S Khehar did not rule in favour of striking down triple talaq. While Supreme Court Justices Kurian Joseph, Rohinton Fali Nariman and U U Lalit struck down the practice, Chief Justice Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer observed that triple talaq does not violate Articles 14, 15 and 21, which are sanctions against state action.

3) THIS IS ONE OF THE LAST CASES CJI KHEHAR HEARD

Chief Justice J S Khehar retires this Sunday, i.e August 27. The triple talaq case is one of the last he has presided over, the other being the right to privacy case. Justice Dipak Misra has been named as his successor.

4) WHEN BEST LEGAL EAGLES FOUGHT INSIDE COURTROOM

The triple talaq case saw some of the biggest legal eagles appearing as senior counsels in the case. Be it Kapil Sibal, Ram Jethmalani or Salman Khurshid and Indira Jaisingh, the courtroom witnessed their animated debates on the issue.

The government was represented by former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi and additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta. "I can say with satisfaction that this (triple talaq) was the last case I did before I decided to quit (sic)," Rohatgi told reporters today.

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5) THIS WAS A MATTER OF FAITH

The five-judge Constitution bench, which delivered the landmark verdict on triple talaq, comprised justices who follow different faiths. Chief Justice J S Khehar is a Sikh, Justice Kurian Joseph a Christian, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman a Parsi, Justice U U Lalit a Hindu, and Justice Abdul Nazeer a Muslim.

ALSO READ:

Supreme Court has banned instant triple talaq, not triple talaq

If Islamic nations can, why can't India: What Supreme Court said banning triple talaq

In landmark verdict, instant triple talaq declared illegal by SC, Parliament asked to make law within 6 months

ALSO WATCH: Supreme Court strikes down instant triple talaq, says practice is unconstitutional

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New Release | Global Dental Implants Market: Asia Pacific to Witness Fastest Growth by 2020

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Market Study on Dental Implants: Asia Pacific to Witness Fastest Growth by 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Dentistry is defined as the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures using surgical, nonsurgical or related procedures. The dental devices market covers dental biomaterials, dental implants, dental radiology equipment, orthodontic materials and products, digital dental X-ray systems, dental supplies, dental lasers, dental chairs, and others. A dental implant refers to an artificial tooth or a tooth root that is embedded surgically into the upper or lower jawbone. Dental implants are durable, stable, and strong; however, owing to normal wear and tear, they need to be re-tightened or replaced occasionally. The surgery involves procedures to replace missing tooth or teeth without disturbing the adjacent healthy teeth. Dental implants offer a very natural look and support and secure other bridges or dentures, if attached, well, thus making life more comfortable for the patient. Dental implants also help to restore or enhance facial tissues.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Increasing aging population, growing concern about oral hygiene and rising demand for cosmetic dentistry are some of the key growth drivers for the global dental implants market. In addition, rising disposable income in developing countries is also fuelling the growth of the global dental implants market. However, lack of awareness among people in developing countries and limited reimbursements for dental implants are some of the major factors restraining the growth of the global dental implants market. In addition, economic slowdown is also restraining the growth of the global dental implants market.Technological advancements in dental implants surgery such as CAD, mini dental implants, and 3D laser dentistry are some of the trend for the growth of the global dental implants market. In addition, medical tourism in various countries such as Malaysia, Hungary, Costa Rica, Mexico, Thailand, and India is another trend for the growth of the global dental implants market.In the geographical analysis, the report identifies and analyses market size and forecast of Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (Row). Europe is dominating the global dental implants market due to growing concern for oral hygiene, increased clinical adoption of dental implants therapy, and technological advancements. Europe is further segmented into Germany and the U.K. Similarly, North America is segmented into the U.S. Asia Pacific is further segmented into Japan and India. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market for dental implants due to large base of aging population in India and China.This report provides in-depth analysis and estimation of the global dental implants market for the period 2014 to 2020, considering 2013 as the base year for calculation. In addition, data pertaining to current market dynamics including market drivers, restraints, trends and strategic developments has been provided in the report. The market is categorized on the basis of material and procedures used for dental implants. Based on materials, the dental implants market comprises titanium and zirconium based implants. Titanium based dental implants is dominating the market. Based on procedure, the market comprises root-form and plate-form implants.Browse Detail Report With Full TOC @Some of the major companies operating in the market are Institut Straumann AG, Nobel Biocare, DENTSPLY International Inc. and Zimmer dental Inc. Other companies include Danaher Corporation, 3M Company, Neoss International, Ivoclar Vivadent AG and OSSTEM IMPLANT. These market players have been profiled on the basis of attributes such as company overview, recent developments, growth strategies, sustainability and financial overview.Some of the major companies operating in the market:- Institut Straumann AG.- Nobel Biocare.- DENTSPLY International Inc.- Zimmer dental Inc.Other companies include:- Danaher Corporation.- 3M Company.- Neoss International.- Ivoclar Vivadent AG.- OSSTEM IMPLANT.These market players have been profiled on the basis of attributes such as company overview, recent developments, growth strategies, sustainability and financial overview.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Buhler Motor at the IAA: Electrical pumps for the mobility solutions of the present and the future

Buhler motor: Electrical pumps for the mobility solutions of the future

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Nuremberg, 22. August 2017  A comprehensive modular kit of future-oriented, mechatronic drive solutions awaits visitors of the Buhler Motor GmbH booth. Buhler Motors Vice President Automotive Solutions Rudolf Kaiser: Never before in the history of our company have we been able to offer so many new products at the IAA in Frankfurt.This year, the spotlight is on electrical pumps and pump drives for use in thermal management, gearboxes and four-wheel drive systems, as well as in emissions reduction and providing vacuum for power break units.The offering is already closely oriented towards e-mobility requirements. A wide range of functions can be reproduced independently, without the presence of a combustion engine. Typical examples are the ability to keep batteries and power electronics at the right temperature and air-conditioning of the internal space.Buhler Motor is particularly proud of the bFlow C water pump product family, which now closely covers the 12 to 150 watt range, and the bFlow O gearbox oil pump platform, which is prepared for a wide variety of applications in the 20 to 600 watt power range.Rudolf Kaiser: By consistently expanding our product families, we are able to make sure our customers can effectively cope with every imaginable challenge, whether it be the irresistible march of e-mobility, optimizing hybrid motors, or effectively developing the concepts for conventional motors.The precisely adjustable and controllable motor solutions by Buhler Motor are our top picks for fluids such as coolants, oil, and urea that need to be brought to exactly the right temperature and circulated. We also recommend them for building up, reducing and maintaining pressure. Small electronically commutated DC motors are the core. These drive solutions can be integrated easily into even the narrowest spaces within the systems of the vehicle by the manufacturer. Communication is embedded within the motors to ensure the pumps share accurate information with the existing vehicle systems and report speed or temperature. While this feature exists, motors also have the ability to act independently and perform necessary emergency shutdown when necessary.At Buhler Motor we are already thinking ahead to anticipate the needs of our customers. Whether it is the reproduction of functions up to now performed by the driver in autonomously-driven vehicles or the special load requirements with shared vehicles, Buhler Motor is consistently developing its portfolio to enable it to support its customers in facing the challenges the future will bring.The continued expansion of global production capacities includes the strategic expansion of further international service sites. In October, Buhler Motor is opening an Engineering & Sales Office in Detroit.As our global footprint expands, Buhler Motor is equally committed to strengthening the German facility. Production capacity will be expanded at the Monheim plant to enable the best possible provision for every scenario imaginable for the customer.Buhler Motor at the IAA 2017, September 14-24, 2017, Hall 4.0, Booth A15About Buhler MotorBuhler Motor stands for demanding, custom-made, and reliable mechatronic drive solutions with DC/BLDC small motors and gear motors and pumps.More than one of out every ten employees at Buhler Motor works in Research and Development. Our in-house sample shop and R&D department, combined with state-of-the-art test labs, enable Buhler to concentrate completely on quick and flexible development of customer specific drive solutions.1,750 employees worldwide ensure successful development, industrialization and production of mechatronic drive solutions and pumps for mid- to high volume applications.With eleven locations on three continents and highly developed process competencies, Buhler Motor is able to fulfill all customer requirements for short transit times, quality, and on-time delivery at the required volumes.The companys strategic markets include the automotive market, the healthcare equipment market, general industrial solutions in the fields of building automation, agriculture, transportation and seat actuation for aviation.Buhler Motor GmbHRoswitha GriesCorporate CommunicationAnne-Frank-Strae 33-3590459 NurembergPhone: +49 911 45 04-1129Fax: +49 911 43 08 69-1129E-mail: Roswitha.Gries@buehlermotor.com
Global Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems Market - Software to Witness Highest Growth by 2020 - Researchmz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Market Study on Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems - Software to Witness Highest Growth by 2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Persistence Market Researchs newly published report on the global computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems market is an exhaustive study of the market for a six-year forecast period, 2014-2020. The report provides in-depth analysis and estimation of the computerized physician order entry systems market, considering 2013 as the base year for market value calculation. In addition, data pertaining to current market dynamics including market drivers, restraints, trends, and strategic developments has been provided in the report.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Starting with an overview of the global CPOE market definition, forecast period, size, growth rates, and estimates, the report further analyses the key factors that are likely to impact the market growth. While the drivers section include important factors that are expected to positively influence the market growth, the restraints section provides information about the factors that may hamper the market growth over the forecast period.The computerized physician order entry systems market is categorized on the basis of mode of delivery, end-users, components, and geography. The report elaborates each segment and its sub-segments to interpret the exact adoption pattern among all the segments of the market. This section offers detailed information on the largest and fastest growing market segments, along with their key drivers and underlying opportunities for market penetration during the forecast period. The report also provides in-depth analysis of the leading market companies in the market. This section offers valuable insights into the competitive landscape of the market.Research MethodologyTo deduce the global computerized physician order entry systems market size, the report considers various aspects based on secondary research. Furthermore, key data points such as region-wise split and market split by product type, vehicle type, and distribution channel; and qualitative inputs from primary respondents have been incorporated to arrive at appropriate market estimates. The forecast presented in the report assesses the total revenue generated and expected revenue contribution in the global CPOE systems market.Browse Detail Report With Full TOC @The report begins with sizing the market in terms of value and volume for the base year, which forms the basis for forecasting how the market is anticipated to take shape in the near future. Given the characteristics of the market, gathered data is triangulated via different analysis based on supply side and demand side drivers and other key dynamics of the global computerized physician order entry systems market. To develop the market forecast, Persistence Market Research has also conducted a factor analysis to understand the impact of various forces/factors on the target market. The report provides forecasts not only in terms of CAGR but also presents a detailed analysis based on key parameters such as Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth to understand market predictability and to identify the right opportunities.Another key feature of this report is an analysis of the global computerized physician order entry systems market and the corresponding revenue forecast in terms of absolute dollar opportunity, usually overlooked while forecasting the market. However, absolute dollar opportunity is critical in assessing the level of opportunity that a provider can look to achieve, as well as to identify potential resources from a sales perspective in the global CPOE systems market. Further, to understand key segments in terms of their growth and overall global computerized physician order entry systems market performance, Persistence Market Research has developed a market attractiveness index to help providers identify existing market opportunities in the global computerized physician order entry systems market.Some of the major companies operating in the computerized physician order entry systems market:- McKesson Corporation.- Allscripts.- GE Healthcare.- Cerner Corporation.- Siemens Healthcare.- Epic Systems Corporation.- Athenahealth, Inc.- Carestream Health, Inc.- NextGen Healthcare Information Systems.- LLC and MEDITECH.These key market players have been profiled on the basis of attributes such as company overview, recent developments, growth strategies, sustainability and financial overview.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Cellular Rubber Market Predicted to Witness Steady Growth During the Forecast Period 2015-2025

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Cellular rubber, also known as foam rubber is manufactured using a foam agent which creates an air filled matrix structure. They are porous, closed-cell rubbers which are manufactured in accordance with expansion process with the help of gas developing agents. Cellular rubber are based on synthetic or natural rubber which include elastomer and EPDM. The cells in the rubber are not tight and are not linked to each other. This property of cellular rubber makes it watertight and airtight. Cellular rubber is manufactured on a very large process in the form of blocks. The composition of rubber mixture possesses varied properties and hence, the product is fit to suit the requirements of specific applications.Some of the physical and technical properties of rubber include , good insulation property, excellent sealing properties, high compressibility, low heat conducting values, low water absorption, NBR/CR mixture along with high resistance to oils and high flame retardance rating, EPDM mixture with ageing resistance and high temperature.Request For Report Sample@The key drivers for the cellular rubber market include the rubber industry, electronic and automotive industry. Cellular rubber is especially used in the end use industries such as, the automotive industry to manufacture door seals and tubes, body and chassis parts, weatherstripping among others. In the space industry, cellular rubber is used for sealing, shock absorption and confinement among others..The key segments for the cellular market include North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Rest of the World (RoW). Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for cellular rubber owing to the major rubber and automotive industries in China.Visit For TOC@The major players of cellular rubber industries include: Chicago Wilcox Mfg. Co. Inc., Rogers Foam Corp, Stockwell Elastomerics, American Foam Rubber, LP, Foam Rubber LLC, Saint Gobain Performance Plastics, Metro Industries, McMaster-Carr, Monmouth Rubber & Plastic Corp and Ace Hose & Rubber Co.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Competition Analysis by Players & Forecast 2022

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies the global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments market, analyzes and researches the Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeChiesi Farmaceutici...Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaFill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Market segment by Type, Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments can be split intoBone Marrow Transplant (BMT)Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT)Market segment by Application, Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments can be split intoHospitalsSpecialty ClinicTable of Contents1 Industry Overview of Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments1.1 Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Overview1.1.1 Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.3 Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market by Type1.4 Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market by End Users/Application2 Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (Value) by Players (2016 and 2017)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in FutureBrowse Market Research Report @3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Chiesi Farmaceutici3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments4 Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.3 Potential Application of Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments5 United States Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (2012-2017)5.2 United States Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)6 EU Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (2012-2017)6.2 EU Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)7 Japan Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (2012-2017)7.2 Japan Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)8 China Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Development Status and Outlook8.1 China Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (2012-2017)8.2 China Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)9 India Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Development Status and Outlook9.1 India Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (2012-2017)9.2 India Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)10 Southeast Asia Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Development Status and Outlook10.1 Southeast Asia Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (2012-2017)10.2 Southeast Asia Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)Please click the link to avail discount on this report @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Product ScopeFigure Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (Million USD) (2012-2017)Table Global Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure EU Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure Japan Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure China Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure India Alpha Mannosidosis Treatments Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)QYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States
Bonded Abrasives Market Forecast and Opportunity Assessment by Future Market Insights 2015 - 2025

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An abrasive is a material that when rubbed against a surface, producesthe desired surface finish and shape. Abrasives are usually minerals that are often available in a wide range of shapes, sizes and types. They are usually used to clean, grind, scour, abrade or remove the solid material usually by using impact or by the rubbing action. Abrasives are mainly classified as bonded abrasives, steel abrasives, coated abrasives, loose abrasives grain and raw super abrasives, among others. The abrasives material or the abrasives product finds various applications in industries such as electrical & electronics, machinery, metal fabrication and transportation among others.Bonded abrasives are the natural or synthetic abrasive grains which are usually bonded into a solid form. Bonded abrasives are usually made of the abrasive grains that are closely sized and molded or pressed to produce a wide variety of the products. Bonded abrasives are usually in the shape of a wheel. The products range of the bonded abrasives also includes the snagging wheel, mounted wheel, grinding and the cut-off wheel, cones and plugs. Bonded abrasives are mainly used for precision grinding, cutting, rough grinding, lapping, sharpening and light grinding among others.Request For Report Sample@The growing automobile industry is expected to boost the overall growth of the bonded abrasives market. Bonded abrasives are widely used in giving the required surface finish as well as the desired design to the automobiles. The increasing demands for the advanced technology based machineries are further expected to boost the demand for the bonded abrasives. The bonded abrasives help in the super finishing of the machine shaft in order to achieve the required roughness. The bonded abrasives are used in providing the smooth finish to the various tools and the machineries that are manufactured. The bonding abrasives are used in the polishing as well as deburring of the bore holes on the machine blocks. Regular maintenances of the workshops further boost the overall demand for the bonded abrasives market. The increasing use of the bonded abrasives for de-scaling and for the rust and dust removal has augmented the overall growth for the bonded abrasives market. The bonded abrasives are also widely used in the medical sector. Bonded abrasives are used to sharpen the dental tools. The bonded abrasives are also used for smoothening of the edges of the dental tools such that it is extremely convenient for the doctors to use the dental tools on the patients.The bonded abrasives segment accounts for the largest share within the global abrasives market. North America is expected to be the largest market for the bonded abrasives. The growing demand especially in U.S is expected to boost the growth of the global bonded abrasive market. Europe is expected to be the next largest consumer of the bonded abrasives especially due to the growing demand especially in Germany. Asia Pacific is expected to be fastest growing market for the bonded abrasives market mainly due to the presence of various end-use industries especially in China and India.Visit For TOC@Norton, 3M, Baystate, Tyrolit, Treibacher and Noritake among others are some of the key participants of the global bonded abrasives market. Companies are extensively conducting research in order to develop and introduce new products in the market such that they can efficiently cater the needs for the specific application.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:
Latest Survey Reveals CNS Cluster Addiction Drug Development Pipeline Review, 2017 | Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "CNS Cluster Addiction Drug Development Pipeline Review, 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.The central nervous system (CNS) addiction cluster report provides an overview of the CNS Clusters pipeline landscape. The report provides comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development, and key players involved in therapeutic development for Alcohol Addiction, Drug Addiction, Nicotine Addiction, Opium (Opioid) Addiction and features dormant and discontinued projects.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Alcohol addiction refers to a psychological and physical dependency on alcohol. Symptoms include decreased involvement in extracurricular activities, depression, restlessness, inability to control drinking and violent behavior. Drug addiction, also called substance dependence or chemical dependency, is a disease that is characterized by a destructive pattern of drug abuse that leads to significant problems involving tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance. Nicotine addiction also called tobacco dependence is an addiction to tobacco products caused by the drug nicotine. Finally, opioid addiction develops after using opioids regularly for a period of time. Prolonged use of opiates can lead to nerve damage within the brain that causes cells to stop producing endogenous opiates (natural painkillers known as endorphins).The size of these pipelines ranges from 19 in nicotine addiction to 67 in drug addiction, with a substantial degree of overlap between these indications in terms of the key players and the types of molecular target which are being studied. The mu and kappa-opioid receptors are the dominant molecular target across alcohol, drug and opioid addiction, and other neurotransmitter receptors such as the cannabinoid and dopamine receptors are common molecular targets across the three.Browse Detail Report With Full TOC @Scope- Which companies are the most active within the pipeline for addiction therapeutics?- Which pharmaceutical approaches are the most prominent at each stage of the pipeline and within each indication?- To what extent do universities and institutions play a role within this pipeline, compared to pharmaceutical companies?- What are the most important R&D milestones and data publications to have happened in the field of addiction therapeutics?Reasons to buy- Understand the overall pipeline, with an at-a-glance overview of all products in therapeutic development for each indication- Assess the products in development in granular detail, with an up-to-date overview of each individual pipeline program in each indication, and a comprehensive picture of recent updates and milestones for each- Analyze the companies, institutions and universities currently operating in the pipeline, and the products being fielded by each of these- Understand the composition of the pipeline in terms of molecule type, molecular target, mechanism of action and route of administrationMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Recent Study on Global and Japan Geographic Information System (GIS) Market Analysis Report 2017-2022

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "2017-2022 Global and Japan Geographic Information System (GIS) Market Analysis Report" to its huge collection of research reports.The global Geographic Information System (GIS) market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2017, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Japan plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2017, with a CAGR of xx%.This report, with focus on top players in the global and Japan, studies the Geographic Information System (GIS) market's development status and future trend in the global and Japan. It splits Geographic Information System (GIS) market by type and by applications to fully and deeply research and reveal market profile and prospect.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The major players includeAutodesk Inc. (US)Bentley System, Incorporated (US)Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (Esri) (US)General Electric Co. (US)Hexagon AB (Sweden)Pitney Bowes Inc. (US)Topcon Corporation (Japan)Trimble Inc. (US)Blue Marble Geographics (US)Caliper Corporation (US)Computer Aided Development Corporation Limited (Cadcorp) (UK)Geosoft Inc. (Canada)Handheld Group (Sweden)Harris Corporation (US)Hi-Target Surveying Instrument Co. Ltd. (China)MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (Canada)PASCO CORPORATION (Japan)Beijing Unistrong Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (China)Champion Instruments, LLC (US)Golden Software LLC (US)SuperMap Software Co., Ltd. ?(China)Geographically, this report splits the Global market into the following regions:Asia PacificJapanTokyoYokohamaOsakaNagoyaOthersChinaKoreaIndiaOthersEuropeFranceGermanyUnited KingdomItalyRussiaOthersNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoOthersSoutheast AsiaSingaporeMalaysiaVietnamMyanmarThailandIndonesiaPhilippinesOthersMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaIranUAETurkeyIsraelEgyptSouth AfricaOthersBrowse Detail Report With Full TOC @On the basis of product, the Geographic Information System (GIS) market is primarily split intoBy HardwareGIS CollectorsTotal StationsLIDARGNSS/GPS AntennasImaging SensorsBy FunctionMappingSurveyingTelematics and NavigationLocation-Based ServicesKey ApplicationsAgricultureConstructionTransportationUtilitiesMiningOil & GasMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
U.S. Organic Corn Market Report - Share, Size, Trends, Growth and Forecast 2017-2025

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IndexBox has just published a new report "U.S. Organic Corn Market. Analysis and Forecast To 2025" ().The report provides an in-depth survey of the U.S. organic corn market. It outlines the latest data of the market size and volume, domestic production, exports and imports, price dynamics and turnover in the industry. The forecast reveals market projections to 2025.Countries coverage: the U.S.Product coverage:Organic CornData coverage: Market value Volume and dynamics of organic corn production Key market players and their profiles Volume and dynamics of organic corn exports/imports Producer prices, import/export prices Forecast of the market dynamics in the medium term Per Capita ConsumptionReasons to buy this report: Take advantage of the latest data; Find deeper insights into current organic corn market developments; Discover vital success factors affecting the market.Source:IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QW
Healthcare IT Services Market Trends Global Industry Analysis, Top Manufacturers, Share, Growth, Statistics, Opportunities & Forecast to 2022

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Healthcare IT Services Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (United States, EU, Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia and etc.), Application Development status, Sales, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2022.This report studies the global Healthcare IT Services market, analyzes and researches the Healthcare IT Services development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, like as Cerner Corporation, Mckesson Corporation, GE Healthcare, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Philips Healthcare, EPIC Systems Corporation, Infor, Inc., Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Athenahealth, Inc., Dell Technologies Inc. and Optum.Request a Sample Copy of Global Healthcare IT Services Market Research Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, Healthcare IT Services Market report covers are United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.Market segment by Type, Healthcare IT Services can be split into: HER, RIS, PACS, VNA, CPOE, HIE, Telehealth and Healthcare Analytics.Market segment by Application, Healthcare IT Services can be split into: Provider and PayerRequest Discount for Global Healthcare IT Services Market Research Report @Major Points in Table of Contents:Global Healthcare IT Services Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022Industry Overview of Healthcare IT Services MarketGlobal Healthcare IT Services Market Competition Analysis by PlayersGlobal Healthcare IT Services Market Company (Top Players) ProfilesGlobal Healthcare IT Services Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)United States Healthcare IT Services Market Development Status and OutlookEU Healthcare IT Services Market Development Status and OutlookJapan Healthcare IT Services Market Development Status and OutlookChina Healthcare IT Services Market Development Status and OutlookIndia Healthcare IT Services Market Development Status and OutlookSoutheast Asia Healthcare IT Services Market Development Status and OutlookMarket Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)Healthcare IT Services Market DynamicsMarket Effect Factors AnalysisResearch Findings and ConclusionRelated Reports: -United States Naval Vessel MRO Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022Naval vessels are differentiated from civilian ships by their design and purpose. Such ships are damage resilient and armed. Naval vessels MRO is crucial for sustaining and extending the life of a vessel. It comprises maintenance, overhauls, routine checks, inspections, repairs, and modifications carried out on a vessel and their components. MRO services assure the safety and airworthiness of naval vessels.MarketSizeForecasters.com, a Skyline Market Research LLP brand, is an online aggregator of market research reports. MarketSizeForecasters.com offers a comprehensive collection of full length reports on global and regional markets in 100+ industry verticals. We have partnered with some of the leading business and market research publishing houses and regularly update our online library to offer wide range of reports to our customers.Market size forecastersThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketsizeforecasters.comWebsite:News:Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter
By PTI: Peshawar, Aug 22 (PTI) At least seven persons have died and over 1,500 affected after dengue outbreak in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, officials said today.

This is the first time since dengues outbreak in the province that any official data has been released.

A total of 1,547 were tested positive for the virus since, of which 560 were admitted to different hospitals in the provincial capital, according to statistics released by the Deputy Commissioners Office, the Dawn reported.

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The document said 242 patients are still being treated.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak and Health Minister Shahram Tarakai visited the affected areas and announced Rs 500,000 compensation for each of the deceased.

The recent dengue outbreak in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw has become an alarming situation for the authorities and residents.

The first case of dengue outbreak this year was reported from Peshawar in June 14 this year.

Pakistan has experienced many dengue outbreaks since the first observed in 1994.

Two major outbreaks were reported over the last two decades: one in 2005, in which over 6,000 cases and 52 deaths were reported in Karachi, and in 2011, when more than 21,000 cases and 350 deaths were reported from Lahore. PTI KJ

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High Barrier Packaging Films Market Estimated to Grow at a Robust CAGR of 7.8% during Forecast 2017-2027

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Nowadays, film manufacturing companies world over are investing considerably towards R&D for enhancing barrier properties of the substrates. Also, the ever increasing demand for high shelf-life of food product by consumers with less time and more disposable income at hand is giving a boost to the demand of high barrier films. To provide a comprehensive view of the market, a study titled High Barrier Packaging Films Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017-2027 have been freshly broadcasted to the wide repository of Market Research Hub (MRH). This report analyzes the market size of the high barrier packaging films market for 2016 and forecast for the next ten years.Request Free Sample Report:This 500 pages research study analyzes the current and future prospects of the market by covering five major regions, which are Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, North America, Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan and North America. Of these, Asia Pacific accounts for maximum share in the market because of the proliferation of the packaged food market and increasing number of modern retail outlets. On the global level, high barrier packaging films market will likely expand at a 7.8% CAGR during the period between 2017 and 2027 to become worth US$43.08 bn by 2027.Initially, the report starts by defining high barrier films along with its types and applications. High barrier materials in flexible packaging laminations prevent the permeation of water, water vapor, oil, oxygen, aroma, flavor, gas, or light. These days, growing health awareness among the consumers have generated substantial demand for convenient form of flexible packaging such as high barrier packaging films. The high barrier packaging films are extensively used for packaging fresh meat, processed meat, bakery products, and ready-to-eat meals.Browse Full Report With TOC:The market has been categorized by films type, material, by end-user base and packaging type. Packaging type includes Pouches, Bags, Shrink Films, Lids, Laminated Tubes and Others. On the other hand, film type is categorized into metalized films, clear films, inorganic and organic oxide coating films. At present, majorly fuelling growth in the global high barrier packaging films market is rapid rise in consumption of packaged food. Increasing consumption of dairy product and ready to eat meals are particularly stoking demand. In addition, increasing health awareness among the consumers have generated substantial demand for convenient form of flexible packaging such as high barrier packaging films.Later, In order to provide users of this report with comprehensive view of the market, we have included detailed competitiveness analysis and company players with their SWOT analysis and strategic overview. Key players in global high barrier packaging films include Amcor Limited, Bemis Company, Inc., Uflex Ltd., Sealed Air Corporation, Glenroy, Inc., Schur Flexibles Hoilding GesmbH, Celplast Metallized Products Ltd., Winpak Ltd., The Mondi Group plc, Berry Global Group, Inc., Toray Plastics (America), Inc., Bischof & Klein GmbH & Co. KG LINPAC Packaging Limited, Huhtamaki Oyj, Ampac Hoilding LLC, Plastissimo Film Co., Ltd., DUNMORE Corporation, Polyplex Corporation Limited, ACG Worldwide Private Limited.Enquire About this Report:About Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.90 State Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Read Industry News at -
Rising Demand in Automotive, Consumer Electronics Sectors Drives GaN Power Devices Market

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Global GaN Power Devices Market: SnapshotGrowing popularity of GaN power devices due to enhanced performance among industry applications and requirement of enhanced battlefield performance has driven the global GaN power devices market. The global GaN power devices market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 17.5% during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. The global GaN power devices market was valued at US$223.50 mn in 2015 and is expected to rise to US$1.4 bn by 2025.GaN Power Discrete Devices, Power Modules to Dominate Global GaN Power Devices MarketThe GaN power devices market has been segmented on the basis of component, industry vertical, and region. On the basis of component, the market is segmented into GaN power discrete devices, GaN power ICs, and GaN power modules. The GaN power discrete devices segment is further sub-segmented into GaN power RF devices and GaN power non-RF devices. GaN power ICs are further classified into MMIC and hybrid.In 2016, GaN power discrete devices accounted for a share of approximately 52.6% in the total revenue of the GaN power devices market. However, the GaN power modules segment is likely to account for 49.3% of the GaN power device market revenue by 2025. The GaN power modules segment is expected to show significant growth at a CAGR of 19.5% during the forecast period due to its performance benefits over silicon carbide (SiC) devices.Browse Our Report @On the basis of industry vertical, the market is segmented into consumer electronics, IT and telecommunications, automotive, aerospace and defense, and others. Cost-effective design and enhanced performance is the major concern for these industry verticals. The consumer electronics segment leads the GaN power devices market with a total market share of 35.9% in 2016, followed by IT and telecommunication and aerospace and defense. However, with the increase in application areas of GaN power devices, the automotive industry is anticipated to show substantial growth, growing at a CAGR of 20.5% in the 2017-2025 forecast period.North Americas Dominance in GaN Power Devices Market at Risk from APACGeographically, the global GaN power devices market is dominated by North America, which has emerged as the key regional segment thanks to the steady support for development of battery technology itself as well as several flourishing application segments of the GaN power devices industry, such as the electric vehicles market and the smartphones market. The North America GaN power devices market, valued at US$78.9 mn in 2015, is expected to rise to US$459.2 mn by 2025 at a 16.6% CAGR in the 2017-2025 forecast period. Nevertheless, Asia Pacific is likely to emerge as the dominant regional player in the global GaN power devices market in the coming years, with the regional market expected to exhibit a 19.9% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. The markets revenue, valued at US$66.6 mn in 2015, is expected to rise to close to US$520 mn by 2025.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @Global GaN Power Devices Market: Competitive DynamicsThe global GaN power devices market comprises large as well as mid-level vendors, including Efficient Power Conversion Corporation, NXP Semiconductors N.V., GaN Systems Inc., Texas Instruments, and Infineon Technologies AG. These companies have been able to establish a strong presence globally. Several vendors in the GaN power devices market are currently emphasizing on new product and process development to meet various demands of their customer base and to continuously improve the quality and reliability of their products. Moreover, vendors are adopting partnership and collaboration strategies to proficiently compete in multiple regional markets.The market is expected to witness the entry of a significant number of vendors of GaN power devices in the coming years, intensifying the competition. Other significant players in the market include Fujitsu Limited, Transphorm Inc., Cree Incorporated (Wolfspeed), OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH, and Qorvo, Inc, among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e 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, chemical, 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, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Light Towers Market Poised for a High Growth in the Years to Come

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Light towers is a part of a mobile equipment, which has one or more high-power electric lamps with mast. The light or light panel is attached to the mast. This mast is fixed or adjustable, which is attached to a trailer having a generator set to power the light panels. Light towers are used for illuminating the area of work, which is usually remote and off the main power grid. Generally, these light towers have lamps made of metal halide bulbs and the generator uses diesel engines for powering these lamps.In recent times, battery-powered lamps, solar-powered lamps, and hydrogen fuel cell lamps are also being used as an alternative for metal halide lamps. The mast of the light tower can be fixed, adjustable, or inflatable. If the mast is adjustable, it can be fixed up to the desired height for a specific application or location. Some manufacturers provide inflatable masts, which are made of synthetic fabric cloth that can be inflated by blowing air.Browse Our Report @Light towers are used for outdoor remote operations or locations that are difficult to connect with the main power grid. These operations involve construction activity (remote as well as general), oil & gas industry operations, mining operation, and emergency and rescue operation. Being mobile and portable, light towers can be moved easily from one location to another in an onsite operation. Apart from these industrial applications, light towers can also be used to illuminate highly remote and distant villages. In this application, solar-powered light towers are generally used. Light tower units are equipped with solar panels as well as backup fuel generators. These units can provide emission-less, carbon-free renewable power to remote locations.The ever-increasing demand for energy has accelerated operations in the oil & gas industry and the mining industry. This is one of the major drivers for the light towers market. Operations in these two industries are often too remote and they involve high risks. The oil and gas & mining sites, being away from the main power grid, generate power locally by using heavy-duty generators. The need for light towers in these operations is vital for illuminating any desired location onsite for any specific operation. Increased infrastructure activities such as highway construction, railway line construction and maintenance, bridge construction, and other civil activities is another driver for the light towers market. Emergency and rescue operation is a major task of police, military, and firefighters. This operation often involves working at night in remote locations. Inflatable light towers may serve emergency & rescue forces because these light towers are easy to carry and operate.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @North America is emerging as one of the leading exporters of fossil fuel, owing to increased shale oil exploration and drilling activities in the region. These activities require light towers for routine operations. Middle East & Africa is known for its activities in the oil industry. The region is likely to become a lucrative market for light towers in the next few years. The light towers market in Europe is also likely to expand in the near future, owing to shift toward renewable energy in the region. Asia Pacific is home to some of the leading petroleum refineries in the world. Crude oil transportation pipeline construction activities for these refineries require light towers. Moreover, countries in Asia Pacific such as India, China, and Australia are developing their mining areas. The increased mining activity is another growth opportunity for the light towers market in the region.The key players operating in the global light towers market are Generac Power Systems, Inc., Terex Corporation, Aska Equipments Limited, LTA Projects, Progress Solar Solutions, Atlas Copco, Wacker Neuson SE, Olikara Lighting Towers Pvt. Ltd, DMI Light Towers, LIGHT BOY CO., LTD., and Doosan Portable Power.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. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e 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, chemical, 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, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
NVDIMM-N Units Likely to Dominate Non-Volatile Dual In-Line Memory Module (NVDIMM) Market

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Global NVDIMM Market: SnapshotNVDIMM (non-volatile dual in-line memory module) are modules incorporated into the primary memory of a computing platform and capable of performing heavy workloads at DRAM (dynamic random access memory) speeds. NVDIMM combines the technologies of both DRAM and NAND flash memory, which enables data retention capacity even when there is an unexpected power loss or system crash. The integration of these memory technologies allows NVDIMMs to achieve speed and endurance of DRAM along with the data retention characteristics of NAND flash memory. Thus, NVDIMMs are persistent memory modules with high speed and low latency.The global non-volatile dual inline memory module market is expected to exhibit a solid CAGR of 12.4% in the 2017-2025 forecast period. The markets revenue is likely to more than double over the forecast period, with the markets 2017 valuation of US$72.6 mn expected to rise to more than US$184 mn by 2025.Superior capabilities offered by NVDIMMs in terms of I/O performance, latency, and data security have fueled adoption of this technology, especially in data sensitive critical applications. Rising demand for NVDIMMs from data centers and enterprise storage applications is expected to fuel the market momentum in the coming years. In addition, formation of the NVDIMM Special Interest Group by leading vendors to accelerate penetration of the technology is also anticipated to have a positive impact on the growth of this market during the forecast period. Furthermore, as the technology matures and with the development of DDR4 NVDIMM standards, it is expected to witness widespread acceptance in different verticals including defense and aerospace, medical electronics, and consumer electronics, among others.Browse Our Report @NVDIMM-N Units Likely to Dominate NVDIMM MarketAmong the different types of NVDIMM products available in the market, the global NVDIMM market was dominated by NVDIMM-N type in 2016, which is anticipated to maintain its dominant position throughout the forecast period from 2017 to 2025.Based on application, the enterprise servers and storage segment held the largest market share in 2016. The primary need for non-volatile DRAM capability that is required for optimizing and handling complicated big data datasets is expected to increase the adoption rate of NVDIMM technology across various enterprise servers and storage solutions.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @North America Likely to Retain Dominant Hold over NVDIMM MarketGeographically, the global NVDIMM market was dominated by North America in 2016 due to the presence of leading NVDIMM manufacturers in this region such as Viking Technology Inc. (the U.S.), AgigA Tech Inc. (the U.S.) and Micron Technology Inc. (the U.S.) among others. Geographically, North America contributes the dominant share in the global NVDIMM market and is likely to remain an influential player in the coming years due to the steady presence of several leading players in the global NVDIMM market. Leading U.S.-based players such as Viking Technology Inc. and Micron Technology Inc. are likely to remain influential to the global NVDIMM market in the coming years, making steady growth of the North America NVDIMM market likely in the coming years. The North America NVDIMM market accounted for revenue of US$54.9 mn in 2017, which is likely to rise to US$138.5 mn by the end of 2025.The 12.3% CAGR expected of the North America NVDIMM market is, however, bested by Asia Pacific, which is likely to grow at a robust 14.7% CAGR between 2017 and 2025. The Asia Pacific market for NVDIMM is likely to be valued at US$35.7 mn by the end of 2025. Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the most promising demand for NVDIMM in the coming years due to increasing demand for technologically advanced enterprise server and storage and high-end workstations from the rapidly growing datacenters.Prominent NVDIMM manufacturers include SK Hynix, Inc. (Korea), Integrated Device Technology Inc. (The U.S) and Fujitsu Limited (Japan).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. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e 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, chemical, 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, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
TD-LTE Ecosystem Market: Macro Cells Highly Profitable Equipment Segment

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Global TD-LTE Ecosystem Market: SnapshotThe demand in the global TD-LTE ecosystem market is projected to multiply at an incredible CAGR of 24.4% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025, gaining traction from the ubiquity of smartphones and popularity of social media, which has escalated the need for high-speed Internet. Cost effectiveness, flexibility, and efficiency of the technology are some of the other factors bolstering the demand for TD-LTE ecosystem market. On the other hand, complexity of the technology and high cost of architectural changes are some of the challenges obstructing the global TD-LTE ecosystem market. The market for TD-LTE ecosystem across the globe is estimated to be worth US$264.00 bn by 2025, up from its evaluated valuation of US$40.80 bn in 2016.Browse Our Report @Macro Cells Highly Profitable Equipment SegmentBased on equipment, the global market for TD-LTE ecosystem has been segmented into macro cells and small cells. In 2016, macro cells segment served the maximum demand, which was a reflection of increasing use of smartphones across the world, urban and rural population alike. In the near future, the pattern is expected to continue too, as there is no foreseeable limitation to the popularity of smartphones and other electronic devices that relay information to the consumers.On the basis of device type, the global TD-LTE ecosystem market has been bifurcated into smartphones, notebooks, PCs, routers, and tablets. Notebooks is expected to account for the maximum market revenue share throughout the forecast period. Notebooks are the commonly used devices in almost all the sectors including corporate offices, healthcare, retails, and other domestic purposes. Portability and new innovations in the notebook market are the few factors creating demand of notebooks which in turn is boosting the need of TD-LTE ecosystem market. Application-wise, the TD-LTE ecosystem market has been classified into banking institutes, healthcare, retail, and personal uses.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @North America Highly Lucrative RegionGeographically, the report takes stock of the potential of the TD-LTE ecosystem market in the regions of North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, The Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America. In the current scenario, North America is the most profitable region for the vendors operating in the TD-LTE ecosystem market, and is expected to remain so for the whole duration of the forecast period, which is 2017 to 2025. Some of the key factors driving the North America TD-LTE ecosystem market are increasing technological advancements and efficient wireless infrastructures in the developed countries of the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. generates the maximum market revenue among all country-wide markets, due to the increasing new LTE based services as well as the increasing sales of smartphones and wearable devices.In 2016, Europe posed the second most prominent chunk of market revenue in the global TD-LTE ecosystem market, gaining traction from up-gradation of existing wireless infrastructure in various countries such as Germany, The U.K., France, and Italy. However, Asia Pacific is projected for the most prominent CAGR. The region is vastly populated, houses two of the most promising emerging economies in India and China, and investments in mobile network infrastructure have escalated exponentially in the recent past. China provided maximum market revenue in Asia Pacific region in 2016.Some of the key companies currently operating in the global TD-LTE ecosystem market are: Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Ericsson, Nokia, AT&T, Inc., Qualcomm Inc., ZTE Corporation, MediaTek, Inc., Spreadtrum Communications Inc., and Broadcom Corporation.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. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e 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, chemical, 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, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Gas Monitoring Systems Market - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast | 2025

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Global Gas Monitoring Systems Market: SnapshotPresence of gases and vapors in breathable air in concentrations above the safe toxicity threshold limit values need to be ensured to ensure the safety of human life, assets, and the environment by undertaking appropriate measures. A number of industries produce, as by products, or use a variety of flammable, toxic, or even virtually harmless gases, which may become risky when they displace oxygen by a sudden release, in an endless number of operations and processes. On an industrial front, gas monitoring systems form one of the crucial elements of typical safety and security infrastructure.Browse Market Research Report:With a vast rise in stringent rules and regulations pertaining to the safety of workers and the environment, industries are focusing and investing more on the timely replacement of outdated gas monitoring systems. With the vast rise in oil and gas exploration activities in remote locations, where it is not possible to install cables for power or signaling purposes, the demand for technologically advanced products with highly accurate gas concentration data has significantly increased in the recent past.With promising growth prospects in the next few years, the global gas monitoring systems market is witnessing an increase in the number of companies and the market is becoming increasingly competitive. To outshine their peers, companies are focusing more on research and development activities and focusing on development opportunities in high-growth sectors such as offshore oil and gas exploration.Gas monitoring systems are used for the detection of different gases, usually as part of a wider safety system. These detectors trigger alarms when the specified concentration of gas or vapor is exceeded. They are useful in terms of providing an early warning to help ensure safety of the people; however, they do not prevent gas leaks and are not a substitute for safe practices and maintenance. There are several industrial, manufacturing, and other commercial activities that produce flammable gases and vapors, which are likely to mix violently with air, and cause harm to humans. Gas monitoring systems help prevent such situations by detecting the gases early.Gas monitoring systems are available in many types. These include fixed and portable. A fixed detector is permanently installed in a chosen location to provide continuous monitoring of plant and equipment. It is particularly useful when there is a possibility of leak or gases could accumulate in an enclosed or partially enclosed area. On the other hand, portable detectors refer to either small, handheld devices, or those not meant to be hand-carried, but can still be moved from one location to another. There also exist single-gas detectors, which are commonly used to track changes in the level of oxygen. Multi-gas detectors help track the change in level of several toxic and flammable gases. The selection of these detectors depends upon the expected work to be carried out in a location. Of late, intelligent systems consisting of wirelessly-connected and software-integrated gas monitoring systems have emerged. These are especially useful to track the safety and related information of multinational companies (MNCs) various locations spread across continents, as well as to co-ordinate the monitoring of gases in large manufacturing units or corporate offices.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Gas Monitoring Systems market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @Gas monitoring systems carry out their functions through two methods: open-path and point-detection. In case of point detectors, the concentration of gas at sampling point is measured. This functionality is commonly found with the fixed gas monitoring systems. The open-path detectors have a radiation source and a physically separate, remote detector. Under this system, the detector measures the average concentration of gas along the path of the beam. The type of sensor and sensor technology used by the system also differs in terms of various factors such as gas to be detected and expected concentration levels, type of gas monitoring systems, and the presence of other gases. Different sensor technologies used include catalytic and thermal conductivity, infrared, flame ionization and temperature, semiconductor, ultrasonic, electrochemical, paramagnetic, and zirconia type.Gas monitoring systems are required in a wide range of areas, from home and domestic to commercial and industrial sectors, and the mining industry. These systems are majorly required in the chemical and oil & gas sector. From large refineries to chemical product plants, emission of various toxic and flammable gases is a grave concern for the chemical and oil & gas sector. It is closely followed by the industrial and manufacturing sector, where various processes such as spraying, spreading, and coating of articles; solvent extraction processes; and removal and entry of a variety of materials from tanks and pipes offer immense scope for the leakage of toxic gases. The mining industry has been one of the oldest users of various forms of gas detection equipment. Military is another sector where the usage of gas monitoring systems is vital, because of the various chemicals used in the manufacture of weaponry and related artillery. The residential and commercial sectors are recent additions, while environmental application is an emerging field for the gas monitoring systems. This segment is expected to witness faster rate of growth due to the increasing awareness about climate change.Gas monitoring systems are used throughout the world. However, Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe are the major users of these systems. These regions are followed by Latin America and Middle East & Africa. The gas monitoring systems market is expected to expand at a moderate pace during the next few years. Large players in the industry  Siemens AG, ABB Inc., Honeywell RAE Systems, General Electric Co., Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, Alphasense, Omega Integration Pte Ltd., and Vertilas GmbH  are expected to benefit from the increased awareness regarding gas monitoring systems.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:
Culture Media Market: Technological breakthroughs, Value chain and stakeholder analysis by 2025

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Global Culture Media Market: OverviewThe research is a combination of primary and secondary research, conducted for understanding and arriving at trends, used to forecast the expected revenue of the culture media market in the near future. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts with information collected from in-depth interviews and discussions with a number of key industry experts and opinion leaders. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, investor presentations, analyst presentation and various international and national databases.The report provides estimated market size in terms of US$ Mn for each by media type, end user, and geography for the period 2015 to 2025, considering the macro and micro environmental factors. The revenue generated from each product was calculated by considering number of products used in the procedures and their market demand as per their use, prevalence rate of infectious disease, annual revenue generated by products of each sub segment, trends in industry, end user trend, and adoption rate across all the geographies.The market report comprises an elaborated executive summary, which includes market snapshot that provides information about various segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the market with respect to market segments based on media type, end-user, and geography. The market overview section of the report analyzes market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities that influences the culture media market in the current and future scenario.Market share analysis among the market players is analyzed to signify the contribution of these players in the market in terms of percentage share. All these factors will help the market players to decide about the business strategies and plans to strengthen their positions in the global market. Based on geography, the market has been analyzed for major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. The study also covers detailed country analysis contributing majorly in the culture media market.This exhaustive report includes a 360 view of the Culture Media Market. Browse through this 146-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2017-2025Global Culture Media Market: Market SegmentationThe global culture media market is segmented by media type, end users and geography. Culture media are used in the diagnosis of diseases caused by microorganisms through isolation procedure. Culture media can be solid or semi  solid depending the microorganisms species. Culture media contain all the components required for the growth and maintenance of bacteria in the laboratory environment. By media type the global culture media market is further segmented into dehydrated culture media, prepared culture media and chromogenic culture media. By end users the market is segmented into hospitals, diagnostic centers and academic and research institute. In terms of geography the global culture media market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa.Global Culture Media Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also profiles the major players in the market and provides various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Major players operating in the culture media market are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Merck KGaA (Merck Millipore), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., bioMerieux SA, Becton, Dickinson and Company, HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., EIKEN CHEMICAL CO., LTD., NEOGEN CORPORATION, Scharlab, S.L. and others.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Culture Media Market during 2017- 2025About 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:
Electronic Health Records Market: Advanced technologies & growth opportunities in global Industry by 2025

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Global Electronic Health Records Market: SnapshotElectronic health records (EHR) are the digital version of a patients medical history, which is maintained by the healthcare provider over time, and may include all of the key executives clinical data relevant to that individual care under a particular provider. EHRs include data ranging from demographics, problems, progress notes, vital signs, medications, past medical history, immunizations, radiology reports, to laboratory data.Over the past two decades, information technology (IT) has revolutionized every facet of the global healthcare industry. The vast adoption of IT and digital infrastructure in the healthcare industry has made information both a benefit and a challenge for every provider. Awareness about the disease and treatment is saving lives, while lack of effectively managed data might place this information at risk. Nevertheless, several pilot and cohort studies are being undertaken by government organizations and institutions pertaining to effectiveness of a computerized patient healthcare information systems and EHRs are increasingly replacing manually filled paper sheets, medical images, and other documents concerned with a patients healthcare history.Transparency Market Research estimates that the global electronic health records market, which was pegged at US$ 23.22 bn in 2016, will exhibit a promising 5.7% CAGR from 2017 to 2025 and rise to a valuation of US$38.29 bn by 2025.This exhaustive report includes a 360 view of the Electronic Health Records Market. Browse through this 109-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2017-2025SaaS-based Deployment to Gather MomentumWeb-based EHR systems are popular among medical professionals because these reduce deployment costs. On the other hand, client-server based EHR systems have up-front installation fees, which acts as a major restraint among small and mid-size practices. However, client-server based EHR systems help gain more control on both the software as well as the data. Web-based EHR systems, on the other hand, help reduce cost and the data is backed up automatically by the vendor.The software as a service (SaaS) segment is likely to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period i.e. 2017 to 2025. Software as a service (SaaS) is gaining higher preference among physicians as it eliminates technical glitches and offer low upfront costs. The data can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Software as a service EHR systems are typically beneficial for standalone centers or older physicians who are in the industry for few years in order to avoid the penalty charges by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.North America to Continue Exhibiting Excellent Growth ProspectsThe e-Health market has evolved as one of the fastest growing U.S. industries and remained almost unaffected even post-recession scenarios. Owing to this, North America accounted for lions share in the global EHR market driven on the back of government funding encouraging the meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology across health care facilities, increasing pressure for health care cost containment, and rising demand for improved quality of health care services are the key factors boosting the growth of the North America EHR market.Europe and Asia Pacific are also among the leading contributors of revenue to the global EHR market. The U.K. and Germany are the key EHR markets in Europe, attributed to the rapidly increasing geriatric population, growing need for remote monitoring, increased pressure of health care cost containment, and increasing demand for improved patient care. The Asia-Pacific is witnessing increasing adoption of EHR across hospitals, physician offices, and other health care centers and is driven by the presence of a large pool of patients.Some of the leading players operating in the global electronic health record market are Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Athenahealth, Inc., Cerner Corporation, CPSI, Epic Systems, eClinicalWorks, GE Healthcare, Greenway Health, LLC, Medical Information Technology, Inc., McKesson Corporation, NextGen Healthcare, and 4medica.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Electronic Health Records Market during 2017- 2025About 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:
Animal Parasiticides Market: New Tech Developments and advancements to watch out for 2023

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The demand for animal parasiticides is growing due to the increasing awareness of zoonatic diseases. With the rising concern towards animal welfare is one of the major reasons behind the growing popularity of animal parasiticides. The market has been segmented by products into ectoparasiticides, endoparasiticides, endectocides, tablets, oral liquids, sprays, injectables, spot on and pour on, ear tags, collars. Furthermore, the market is also segmented by animal types such as Cats, Pigs, Dogs, Cattle, Sheep and Goats. The market by geography has been segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and Rest of the World (RoW).Spot-ons and pour-ons accounted the largest market share of the global animal parasiticides market in 2014. The growth in this segment can be attributed to rising popularity and use of spot-on and pour-on formulations in animal parasiticides market. Furthermore, growing demand for ectoparasites for food-producing animals and companion animals is also expected to stimulate the growth of the market. Availability of wide array of parasiticides product by major players, rising demand for animal-based food and animal protein are some of the driving factors for the animal parasiticides market. In addition, rising animal welfare awareness is increasing the adaption of animals such as dogs and cats among others. Increasing livestock farming as a source of income in developing nations are fueling the demand for animal parasiticides. However, there are some of the restraining factors may hinder the growth of the market in near future such as stringent rules and regulations of authoritative bodies in use of parasiticides in food- producing animals in some of the countries. Moreover, time consuming and expensive procedures of new product development are some of the restraining factors for the market.View Report-Europe is leading the market for animal parasiticides followed by North America, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. In developed nations, implementation of animal welfare acts is one of the major driving factors for the animal parasiticides market. The emerging market in Latin America and Asia Pacific is contributing in the positive growth of animal parasiticides market owing to the increasing population of companion animals and livestock. Moreover, increasing per capita expenditure on animal health along with improving infrastructure of animal welfare is some of the major factors fueling the demand for animal parasiticides in these regions. With growing awareness towards animal healthcare, countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand in developing nations like Asia pacific is expected to depict a significant growth over the forecast period from 2015 to 2021. Argentina and Brazil are potential market for animal parasiticides across Latin America.Some of the key players operating in the animal parasiticides market are Ceva Sante Animale S.A., Vetoquinol S.A., Virbac SA in France, Bayer Aktiengesellschaft in Germany, Novartis AG in Switzerland, Merial Limited, Eli Lilly and Company, Zoetis Inc. and Merck & Co., Inc. in U.S.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Animal Parasiticides Market during 2016- 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:
Service Delivery Platform Market Value chain and stakeholder analysis By 2025

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A service delivery platform (SDP) denotes a set of hardware and software components, which help in creating, delivering, and managing services offered over a telecommunications network. SDP is commonly used in the context of telecommunications, but it can be applied to any system that provides a service including voice over internet protocol (VOIP) telephone, internet protocol TV, internet service, or SaaS.SDP is a framework that is oriented to multiple networks, supports a variety of applications, and delivers comprehensive services to users. SDPs require integration of IT capabilities and the creation of services that cross technology and network boundaries and provides a platform for session control, service creation, protocols and execution to the end users. This system serves both individual customers as well as business organizations.With telecom operators facing challenges in the form of falling average revenue per user in both fixed line and mobile networks, operators are focusing on offering a wider range of value added services to customers. Telecommunication industry has incorporated this solution to develop & deploy converged multimedia services such as audio/video conferencing, thereby expanding range of services offerings.Obtain Report Details:For instance the emergence of application stores, to create, host, and deliver applications for smartphones has focused on SDPs as a means for communication service providers (CSPs). SDP acts as middleware platforms and provides an optimized service exchange between facility providers, telecom network operators, content providers and the consumers.This also aids facilitate reduction in operational cost and in lowering time-to-market of new services. Reduced marketing time and an increase in market penetration are supposed to open up ample opportunities to the industry participants. Machine-to-machine and cloud computing are some new areas that open up new emerging opportunities to service providers.Service Delivery Platform (SDP) is an enterprise application implementing service oriented architecture (SOA) concepts, which is a component model linking services by a contract between services through well-defined interface.Global service delivery platform market is expected to make steady growth during the coming few years, which is a vital sign for the existing as well as potential businesses. Every sector witnessed stiff competition among industry participants, which resulted in vendors investing heavily in developing better delivery platforms.Popularity for several other communication platforms, growing need for data transfer and content related facilities via several communication modes, is expected to propel the market growth over the forecast period.Rising demand, constantly evolving technology, growth in the emerging markets and growth in wireless deployments sector due to rise in smart device usage, are some major drivers for the industry.High initial investment cost is expected to hinder the industry growth. Moreover, security concerns are anticipated to have an adverse impact on the industry demand. Performance related complexities among vendors are scheduled to restrain the production growth shortly.The global market for service delivery platform market is segmented on the basis of services, software and geography. The services can be further classified as consulting and integration.On the basis of Sub segments the market can be segmented into telecom application servers, mobile content management and delivery, policy management, subscriber data management Moreover, on the basis of geography the global market is classified into North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and South America.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Service Delivery Platform Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market:North America is expected to dominate the market, due to the constant research and development initiatives along with increased implementation. Emerging countries of Asia Pacific and Central & South America are expected to experience rapid growth in IT and telecom sectors due to brisk industrialization & urbanization.Key vendor in the service delivery platform market includes Alcatel-Lucent, Amdocs Inc., APEX Communications, Broadcast Inc., CA Technologies Inc., Comverse Inc., Hewlett- Packard Development Company Ltd., Oracle Corporations, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Nokia Siemens Network, Telenity, ZTE Corporations, Viaccess-Orca, Opencloud, Aepona, Ericsson and Huawei 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:
By PTI: to terror

By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Aug 22 (PTI) Afghanistan today lauded President Donald Trump for breaking Americas "silence" on Pakistan providing sanctuaries to terrorists and embracing a strategy that gives the war-torn country what it needs.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end Americas longest war.

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He also warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Reacting to Trumps address, Afghanistans Ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib thanked president Trump for breaking Americas silence on Pakistan, which has been harbouring terrorists for attacks against its neighbours.

"We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account both our countries needs and considerations. This is the first time a focus has been put on what Afghanistan must have to succeed, and we are grateful for this outcome," Mohib said after Trump concluded his speech on Afghanistan and South Asia.

Mohib said Trump has embraced a strategy that gives Afghanistan what it needs, specifically a shift away from talking about timetables and numbers to letting conditions on the ground determine military strategy.

He also lauded the decision to integrate Americas military, economic and political power to achieve shared goals.

The strategy also expands "authority to move swiftly against terrorist activities and criminal networks in place of micromanagement from Washington" and "a breaking of the silence over Pakistans shelters and sanctuaries for terrorists", the Afghan Ambassador said.

"Like America, Afghanistan also wants an honourable and enduring outcome" to this fight, for all the Afghan, US, and NATO soldiers who have served and sacrificed to advance the cause of peace, Mohib said.

In his address, Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in an apparent warning to Pakistan.

In his speech, Trump came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying Islamabad receives billions in aid from the US but continues to harbour terrorists.

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"In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices," Trump said.

"But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people," he added.

Trump noted that the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars but it continues to house the very terrorists that America is fighting.

"But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace," Trump said. PTI LKJ ASK ASK

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Global and Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Analysis & Forecast to 2022 Market Research Report

Coin-Operated Laundry Machines, Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market, Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Industry, Coin-Operated Laun

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The global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2017, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Sample Report @Scope Of ReportJapan plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2017, with a CAGR of xx%.This report, with focus on top players in the global and Japan, studies the Coin-Operated Laundry Machines market's development status and future trend in the global and Japan. It splits Coin-Operated Laundry Machines market by type and by applications to fully and deeply research and reveal market profile and prospect.The major players includeTDK(Japan)Murata(Japan)Taiyo?Yuden(Japan)Alliance Laundry Systems(US)Whirlpool(US)Electrolux(Sweden)LG(Korea)Haier(China)Maytag(US)Fagor(Spain)Kenmore(US)Little Swan(China)Pellerin Milnor(US)Miele(Germany)Hisense(China)ADC(US)Girbau?(Spain)Dexter?(US)Geographically, this report splits the Global market into the following regions:Asia PacificJapanTokyoYokohamaOsakaNagoyaOthersChinaKoreaIndiaOthersEuropeFranceGermanyUnited KingdomItalyRussiaOthersNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoOthersSoutheast AsiaSingaporeMalaysiaVietnamMyanmarThailandIndonesiaPhilippinesOthersMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaIranUAETurkeyIsraelEgyptSouth AfricaOthersOn the basis of product, the Coin-Operated Laundry Machines market is primarily split intoBy AccessoriesCoin-Operated WashersCoin-Operated DryersBy FeaturesFront Load WashersTop Load WashersCommercial Tumble DryersSingle DryersOtherKey ApplicationsHotelLaundry HomeHospitalSchool and ApartmentsOthersEnquiry write us @Table of Contents1 Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Coin-Operated Laundry Machines1.2 Global and Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market by Applications/End Users1.2.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.2 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales Growth Rate (%) by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities1.2.2 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales by Application (2012-2017)1.2.3.1 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3.2 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales Growth Rate (%) by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities1.2.4 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.5 Hotel1.2.6 Laundry Home1.2.7 Hospital1.2.8 School and Apartments1.2.9 Others1.3 Global and Japan Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Coin-Operated Laundry Machines (2012-2017)1.3.1 Japan Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Coin-Operated Laundry Machines (2012-2017)1.3.1.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)1.3.1.2 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.3.2 Global Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Coin-Operated Laundry Machines (2012-2017)1.3.2.1 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)1.3.2.2 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4 Global and Japan Classification of Coin-Operated Laundry Machines by Accessories1.4.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Accessories (2012-2017)1.4.2 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Accessories (2012-2017)1.4.3 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Accessories (2012-2017)1.4.4 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Accessories (2012-2017)1.4.5 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit) by Accessories (2012-2017)1.4.6 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit) by Accessories (2012-2017)1.4.7 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales Growth Rate (%) by Accessories (2012-2017)1.4.8 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales Growth Rate (%) by Accessories (2012-2017)1.4.9 Coin-Operated Washers1.4.10 Coin-Operated Dryers1.5 Global and Japan Classification of Coin-Operated Laundry Machines by Features1.5.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Features (2012-2017)1.5.2 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Features (2012-2017)1.5.3 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Features (2012-2017)1.5.4 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Features (2012-2017)1.5.5 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit) by Features (2012-2017)1.5.6 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit) by Features (2012-2017)1.5.7 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales Growth Rate (%) by Features (2012-2017)1.5.8 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales Growth Rate (%) by Features (2012-2017)1.5.9 Front Load Washers1.5.10 Top Load Washers1.5.11 Commercial Tumble Dryers1.5.12 Single Dryers1.5.13 Other2 Global and Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue and Share by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.3 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Average Price (USD/Unit) by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.4 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.1.4.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Concentration Rate2.1.4.2 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Players/Manufacturers2.1.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion in Japan Market2.1.5 Japan Players/Manufacturers Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types2.2 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.2.1 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue and Share by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.3 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Average Price (USD/Unit) by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.4 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.2.4.1 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Concentration Rate2.2.4.2 Global Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Players/Manufacturers2.2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion in Global Market2.2.5 Global Players/Manufacturers Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types3 Global and Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.1 Asia Pacific Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.1.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.1.1 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.1.2 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.1.3 Japan Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.2 China Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.2.1 China Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.2.2 China Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.2.3 China Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.3 Korea Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.3.1 Korea Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.3.2 Korea Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.3.3 Korea Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.4 India Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.4.1 India Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.4.2 India Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.4.3 India Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.5 Others Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.5.1 Others Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.5.2 Others Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.5.3 Others Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2 Europe Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.2.1 France Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.1.1 France Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.1.2 France Coin-Operated Laundry Machines Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017) .11 Methodology and Data Source11.1 Methodology/Research Approach11.1.1 Research Programs/Design11.1.2 Market Size Estimation11.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation11.2 Data Source11.2.1 Secondary Sources11.2.2 Primary Sources11.3 Disclaimer11.4 Author ListContinuedBuy now@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Company Name: Wiseguyreports.comContact Person: Norah TrentEmail: Sales@wiseguyreports.comPhone: +1 646 845 9349, +44 208 133 9349City: PuneState: MaharashtraCountry: IndiaWebsite:
Core HR Software Market Analysis, Strategic Assessment, Trend Outlook and Bussiness Opportunities 2017-2022

Core HR Software Industry

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Press Release: Pune, India- August , 2017Global and Japan Core HR Software Market Analysis ReportFor Sample Report@This report, with focus on top players in the global and Japan, studies the Core HR Software market's development status and future trend in the global and Japan. It splits Core HR Software market by type and by applications to fully and deeply research and reveal market profile and prospect.The major players includeIBM (US)Oracle Corp (US)SAP SE (Germany)Ultimate Software Group (US)Automatic Data Processing (US)Ceridian HCM (US)Corehr (Ireland)Employwise (India)Paychex (US)Paycom Software (US)Sumtotal Systems (US)Workday (US)Geographically, this report splits the Global market into the following regions:Asia PacificJapanTokyoYokohamaOsakaNagoyaOthersChinaKoreaIndiaOthersEuropeFranceGermanyUnited KingdomItalyRussiaOthersNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoOthersSoutheast AsiaSingaporeMalaysiaVietnamMyanmarThailandIndonesiaPhilippinesOthersMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaIranUAETurkeyIsraelEgyptSouth AfricaOthersOn the basis of product, the Core HR Software market is primarily split intoBy ComponentSoftwareServicesBy SoftwareBenefits and Claims ManagementPayroll and Compensation ManagementPersonnel ManagementLearning ManagementPension ManagementKey ApplicationsBFSIGovernmentManufacturingEnergy and UtilitiesHealthcareTransportation and LogisticsTelecom and ITOtherFor any Enquiry write us @Table of Contents2017-2022 Global and Japan Core HR Software Market Analysis Report1 Core HR Software Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Core HR Software1.2 Global and Japan Core HR Software Market by Applications/End Users1.2.1 Japan Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.1 Japan Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.2 Japan Core HR Software Sales Growth Rate (%) by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities1.2.2 Japan Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3 Global Core HR Software Sales by Application (2012-2017)1.2.3.1 Global Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3.2 Global Core HR Software Sales Growth Rate (%) by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities1.2.4 Global Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.5 Transportation1.2.6 Industrial1.2.7 Oil & Gas1.2.8 Energy & Power1.2.9 Mining1.3 Global and Japan Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Core HR Software (2012-2017)1.3.1 Japan Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Core HR Software (2012-2017)1.3.1.1 Japan Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)1.3.1.2 Japan Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.3.2 Global Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Core HR Software (2012-2017)1.3.2.1 Global Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)1.3.2.2 Global Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4 Global and Japan Classification of Core HR Software by Sampling Type1.4.1 Japan Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Sampling Type (2012-2017)1.4.2 Global Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Sampling Type (2012-2017)1.4.3 Japan Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Sampling Type (2012-2017)1.4.4 Global Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Sampling Type (2012-2017)1.4.5 Japan Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit) by Sampling Type (2012-2017)1.4.6 Global Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit) by Sampling Type (2012-2017)1.4.7 Japan Core HR Software Sales Growth Rate (%) by Sampling Type (2012-2017)1.4.8 Global Core HR Software Sales Growth Rate (%) by Sampling Type (2012-2017)1.4.9 On-site1.4.10 Off-site1.5 Global and Japan Classification of Core HR Software by Product Type1.5.1 Japan Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Product Type (2012-2017)1.5.2 Global Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Product Type (2012-2017)1.5.3 Japan Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Product Type (2012-2017)1.5.4 Global Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Product Type (2012-2017)1.5.5 Japan Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit) by Product Type (2012-2017)1.5.6 Global Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit) by Product Type (2012-2017)1.5.7 Japan Core HR Software Sales Growth Rate (%) by Product Type (2012-2017)1.5.8 Global Core HR Software Sales Growth Rate (%) by Product Type (2012-2017)1.5.9 Turbines1.5.10 Compressors1.5.11 Engines1.5.12 Gear Systems1.5.13 Hydraulic Systems2 Global and Japan Core HR Software Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1 Japan Core HR Software Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1.1 Japan Core HR Software Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Japan Core HR Software Revenue and Share by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.3 Japan Core HR Software Average Price (USD/Unit) by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.4 Japan Core HR Software Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.1.4.1 Japan Core HR Software Market Concentration Rate2.1.4.2 Japan Core HR Software Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Players/Manufacturers2.1.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion in Japan Market2.1.5 Japan Players/Manufacturers Core HR Software Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types2.2 Global Core HR Software Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.2.1 Global Core HR Software Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Core HR Software Revenue and Share by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.3 Global Core HR Software Average Price (USD/Unit) by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.4 Global Core HR Software Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.2.4.1 Global Core HR Software Market Concentration Rate2.2.4.2 Global Core HR Software Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Players/Manufacturers2.2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion in Global Market2.2.5 Global Players/Manufacturers Core HR Software Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types3 Global and Japan Core HR Software Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.1 Asia Pacific Core HR Software Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.1.1 Japan Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.1.1 Japan Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.1.2 Japan Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.1.3 Japan Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.2 China Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.2.1 China Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.2.2 China Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.2.3 China Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.3 Korea Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.3.1 Korea Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.3.2 Korea Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.3.3 Korea Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.4 India Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.4.1 India Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.4.2 India Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.4.3 India Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.5 Others Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.5.1 Others Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.5.2 Others Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.5.3 Others Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2 Europe Core HR Software Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.2.1 France Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.1.1 France Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.1.2 France Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.1.3 France Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.2 Germany Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.2.1 Germany Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.2.2 Germany Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.2.3 Germany Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.3 United Kingdom Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.3.1 United Kingdom Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.3.2 United Kingdom Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.3.3 United Kingdom Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.4 Italy Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.4.1 Italy Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.4.2 Italy Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.4.3 Italy Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.5 Russia Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.5.1 Russia Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.5.2 Russia Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.5.3 Russia Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.6 Others Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.6.1 Others Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.6.2 Others Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.6.3 Others Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.3 North America Core HR Software Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.3.1 United States Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.3.1.1 United States Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.3.1.2 United States Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.3.1.3 United States Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.3.2 Canada Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.3.2.1 Canada Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.3.2.2 Canada Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.3.2.3 Canada Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.4 Latin America Core HR Software Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.4.1 Brazil Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.4.1.1 Brazil Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.4.1.2 Brazil Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.4.1.3 Brazil Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.4.2 Mexico Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.4.2.1 Mexico Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.4.2.2 Mexico Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.4.2.3 Mexico Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.4.3 Others Core HR Software Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.4.3.1 Others Core HR Software Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.4.3.2 Others Core HR Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.4.3.3 Others Core HR Software Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)ContinuedBuy now@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028 Maharashtra, India
Ring Main Unit Market 2017 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2025

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Ring main unit is a gas-insulated compact switchgear unit that plays an important role in secondary distribution substations. It is used to provide uninterrupted power supply by making a ring of power supply so that in case of failure of the first source of power supply, power can be supplied with the help of the second source. It is preferable over conventional switchgears owing to various properties such as high flexibility, enhanced safety, and less maintenance charges.The global ring main unit market can be segmented based on type, application, and region. In terms of type, the ring main unit market can be divided into gas, air, oil, and solid dielectric. Gas insulated ring main unit is expected to be the major type segment of the ring main unit market during the forecast period owing to its properties such as high insulating capacity, easy integration with existing system, and minimum floor space. It is primarily used in power grids, railway systems, wind power plant, etc. In terms of type, the ring main unit market can be classified into distribution utilities, industries, and infrastructure & transportation, and others.View Report @The ring main unit market is anticipated to expand significantly during the forecast period due to the increase in demand for these units in the distribution utilities application segment. Demand for electricity and capacity addition has been rising by the day in developing regions such as Asia Pacific owing to this demand for ring main unit is increases in distribution utilities in order to provide uninterrupted power supply to meet the rising demand. Demand for reliable and secure source of power supply is also anticipated to boost the demand for ring main units in power generation during the forecast period. Rise in demand for ring main unit in smart grids is also estimated to drive the overall market for ring main unit during the forecast period. Ring main unit can be used to optimize network performance, improved energy availability, etc. in smart grids. Furthermore, rise in demand for ring main unit in renewable power generation for minimizing power loss is projected to play a significant role in augmenting the demand for ring main unit during the forecast period.In terms of region, the ring main unit market can be segregated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Asia Pacific is likely to dominate the global ring main unit market, followed by North America and Europe, during the forecast period. Increase in demand for electricity and rise in government initiatives for capacity addition and rural electrification are anticipated to boost the overall market in Asia Pacific during the forecast period. The ring main unit market in North America and Europe is estimated to expand significantly during the forecast period due to the increase in focus on the renewable sector in these regions. The ring main unit market in Middle East & Africa and Latin America is also projected to expand at a rapid pace in the near future.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Ring Main Unit Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Companies are adopting merger and acquisition strategies to expand their market share. Furthermore, they are shifting their production facilities to emerging economies in Asia Pacific and Latin America due to the easy availability of land, cheap labor, and governmental subsidies in these regions. Key players operating in the global ring main unit market include Eaton, Schneider Electric, LARSEN & TOUBRO LIMITED, Ltd., EPE Power Switchgear Sdn. Bhd., OTDS UK Ltd., General Electric Company, ABB, Ltd., and SEL S.p.A.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.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:
Microporous Insulation Market 2017 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2025

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Microporous insulation refers to a composite material found in the form of fibres or compacted powder characterized by an interconnecting pore size which is comparable to the average free path of air molecules present at standard atmospheric pressure. Microporous insulation generally contains opacifiers to reduce the amount of transmission of radiant heat. Microporous insulation material is fully inorganic which makes it non-combustible and suitable for passive fire protection applications. The microporous insulation materials are less thick which makes them suitable to be used in high temperature environments such as in the aerospace industry, low temperature refrigeration and cryogenic applications and other industrial applications. Microporous insulation products and materials are a composition of fibres, silica, and specially developed infrared opacifiers which have the ability to reduce thermal heat transmission process by absorbing and reflecting the radiant heat.View Report @Microporous insulation materials are associated with some key features and benefits which helps to drive the growth of the global microporous insulation market. Some of the core benefits and features are, these products have exceptional thermal efficiency, they are low in weight coupled with high compressive strength, and they have the ability to increase operational efficiency and others.High operational and manufacturing cost are the major drawbacks which are expected to create hindrances in the growth of the global microporous insulation market during the forecast period.Further, emerging countries are developing the infrastructure of their industries which is expected to create further growth opportunities for the global microporous insulation market. Growth and development of existing and more industries will improve the demand for microporous insulation materials and products.The global microporous insulation market has been segmented based on type of products, application and region.Based on type of product, the global microporous insulation market has been further segmented into, flexible panels, rigid boards and panels and others. The flexible panels segment is expected to hold significant share of the global microporous insulation market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Microporous Insulation Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Based on application, the global microporous insulation market has been further segmented into, industrial, energy and power, aerospace and defense, oil and natural gas, and others. The industrial segment has been further bifurcated into, iron and steel, glass, cement and others industry. While, the energy and power segment has been further bifurcated into conventional power generation, nuclear power generation, and fuel cells among others. Moreover, the oil and natural gas industry has been further bifurcated into, petrochemical and others industry and the aerospace and defense industry has been further bifurcated into naval and sea, aerospace and army munition. The aerospace and defense segment followed by the industrial segment is expected to hold considerable market share, however the oil and natural gas segment followed by the energy and power segment are expected to be the fastest growing segments respectively.Based on region, the global microporous insulation market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. Asia Pacific is expected to hold a considerable portion of the global microporous insulation market during the forecast period owing to the presence of majority of the leading players in this region.The global microporous insulation market is highly fragmented with the presence of many leading players operating in this market. Some of the key players operating in the global microporous insulation market are, Zhongheng New Material Technology Co., Ltd., Laizhou Surya Thermal Insulation Material Co., Ltd., Sunsmed Protective Products Ltd., Tianjin Morgan-Kundom Hi-Tech Development Co., Ltd., Langfang Chaochen Thermal Insulation Material Co., Ltd., Beijing North Refractories Co., Ltd., Shandong Luyang (Luyang Energy-Saving Materials Co., Ltd.), Shanghai Nanovix Thermal Insulation Co., Ltd., Laizhou Mingguang Thermal Insulation Material Co. Ltd., Thermost Thermtech Co., Ltd., Siltherm International Group Limited, Nati Refractories Co., Ltd., Anhui Ningguo Hantai New Materials Limited Company, Kingspan Group PLC, and Zircar Ceramics Inc. 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. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.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:
Zirconium Oxide Flap Disc Market 2017 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2025

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Zirconium Oxide Flap Disc Market: OverviewZirconium oxide, also called zirconium, is a white crystalline oxide of zirconium. Calcining zirconium compounds produce zirconium. Technically, zirconium is chemically inert and is slowly reacted by highly concentrated acids such as hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid. Flap discs are grinding and finishing tools, which are used in applications such as weld grinding, rust removal, deburring, weld seam blending, and edge grinding. A zirconium flap disc consists of three components: backing plate, adhesive, and abrasive cloth flaps. Many companies manufacture zirconium flap discs, as these flap discs are more advantageous than grinding wheels.View Report @Zirconium Oxide Flap Disc Market: Dynamics and TrendsZirconium flap discs offer various advantages over grinding plates. This is driving the market for zirconium oxide flap discs. Demand for zirconium flap discs is increasing across various industry verticals such as construction, automotive, aerospace, and electronics due to their chemically inert nature. Zirconium flap discs also last longer compared to grinding wheels. Further, they provide maximum contact with the grinding surface, which positively affects the grinding quality.The zirconium oxide flap disc market is also driven by the increase in demand for grinding applications in rotors, shafts, landing gear, fasteners, and other products. Zirconium oxide flap discs are also play a vital role in ensuring safe landing and take-off in aircraft. Implementation of stringent quality measures for aircraft components are driving the need for proper grinding, thereby boosting the demand for zirconium flap discs in the aerospace industry.Rise in innovations in automobile, construction, and aerospace industries is estimated to propel the demand for zirconium flap discs, as they reduce time and costs toward grinding procedures.Zirconium flap discs work slowly and are also expensive than grinding wheels. This is likely to hamper the market during the forecast period.Zirconium Oxide Flap Disc Market: SegmentationBased on component, the zirconium oxide flap disc market can be segmented into backing plate, adhesive, and abrasive cloth flaps. The abrasive cloth flaps segment can be further divided into medium abrasives, coarse and extra coarse abrasives, and fine and ultra-fine abrasives.In terms of the metal processing type, the zirconium oxide flap disc market can be classified into iron, steel, and others. The iron segment is anticipated to account for major share of the market due to its vast applications in various industry verticals. The metal is being employed in various industrial verticals due to its low cost. This has been increasing the scope of grinding, thereby augmenting the need for zirconium flap discs.Based on application, the zirconium oxide flap disc market can be split into grinding, stock removal, weld blending, and others. Grinding and stock removal segments are expected to hold key share of the zirconium oxide flap disc market. Demand for zirconium flap discs has been rising owing to the increase in demand for grinding in various verticals. This has been contributing to the overall market growth.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Zirconium Oxide Flap Disc Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Based on end-user industry, the zirconium oxide flap disc market can be segmented into aerospace, automotive, construction, and others. The aerospace segment is expected to constitute significant share of the market during the forecast period. It is projected to be followed by the automotive segment. Demand for zirconium flap discs has been increasing owing to the rise in demand for grinding of parts such as landing gears in aircraft. The automotive industry segment is likely to hold key share of the market, due to the increasing demand for metal finishing.Zirconium Oxide Flap Disc Market: Regional OutlookAsia Pacific is predicted to be an emerging market for zirconium oxide flap disc, due to the rise in demand for grinding activities in various industry verticals in the region. North America and Europe are also expected to hold key shares of the market. Germany is contributing significantly to the zirconium flap disc market in Europe, led by the growth in the automotive industry. This trend is estimated to continue during the forecast period.The presence of a high number of small, medium, and large-scale vendors of zirconium flap discs in Asia Pacific is also driving the market in the region.Zirconium Oxide Flap Disc Market: Key PlayersProminent players operating in the global zirconium oxide flap disc market include 3M, TYROLIT Group, KLINGSPOR Abrasives, Weiler, Camel Grinding Wheels Works Sarid LTD, Metabo, DRONCO, and Saint-Gobain.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.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:
Biodegradable Stents Market Research Report 2016-2024

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Global Biodegradable Stents Market: SnapshotThe biodegradable stents are used for treating cardiovascular conditions pertaining to the coronary artery. These stents are also known as bioabsorbable or bioresorbable vascular scaffolds and are surgically placed in the coronary artery for eluting the drug that is administered for vascular restoration and the polymer coating. The biggest advantage of these stents is that they get entirely absorbed in the vessels over a period of time, reducing the risk of complications or infections.View Report @This advantage is the primary reason for the growth of the global biodegradable stents market. According to the research report, the global biodegradable stents market was valued at US$18 mn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$1.7 bn by 2024, as the market progresses at a CAGR of 30.1% between 2016 and 2024.Advantages of Biodegradable Stents Keep the Sentiment in Global Market PositiveAs compared to predecessors of biodegradable stents, the newer technology has significantly reduced the risk of thrombosis, in in-stent restenosis, dual anti-platelet therapy, and second surgery for removal of the stent. These factors have played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of the global market in a positive direction over the past few years. The efficiency of biodegradable stents has won the market numerous consumers in the recent past. Thus, several patients and cardiologists have shown a keen interest in the uptake of biodegradable stents in the treatment of coronary and peripheral artery diseases.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Biodegradable Stents Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The two type of stents available in the global market are the coronary artery stents and peripheral artery stents. Of these, the coronary artery stents held a dominant share in the global market in 2015. The segment is expected to continue its dominance in the coming years due to the exponentially rising number of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. The high prevalence of coronary artery diseases across the globe around the world, rising preference of cardiologists towards percutaneous coronary intervention procedures, and increasing uptake of use of stents are expected to make a significant contribution to the soaring revenue of this segment in the forecast period.Asia Pacific Paces Ahead due to Vast Unmet Medical NeedsIn terms of geography, the global biodegradable market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Europe held a lions share in the global biodegradable stents market in 2015. Asia Pacific closely followed as the developing nations of the region are showing keen interest in uptake of newer technologies. These regions are expected to show continued progress in the overall market due to high adoption rate of biodegradable stents due to quick approvals from regulatory bodies. Furthermore, high incidence of diabetes and hypertension across Asia Pacific are also expected to spike the demand for biodegradable stents as patients suffering from these conditions are highly susceptible to cardiovascular diseases. The report indicates that North America biodegradable stents market will also show considerable progress with recent approvals from the U.S. FDA.The key players operating in the global biodegradable stents market are Abbott Laboratories, Boston Scientific, Inc., Kyoto Medical Planning, Biotronik, Elixir Medical Corporation, Sahajanand Medical Technologies, and Terumo Europe NV. The competitive landscape in the global biodegradable stents market is likely to remain consolidated all throughout 2016 and 2024 as major players will hold a dominant share.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:
Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Research Report 2016-2024

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Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market: SnapshotThe global medical oxygen concentrators market is currently being driven by the rising number of COPD patients across the world. The number of patients suffering from lung cancer, asthma, smoking-related lung disorders, and other respiratory illnesses is also increasing at a swift rate, further boosting the overall demand for oxygen supply units and especially medical oxygen concentrators. These units are also considered more advantageous due to their portability and the fact that they can provide an uninterrupted supply of oxygen.View Report @Government reimbursement policies are also being increasingly favorable to the global medical oxygen concentrators market and the adoption rate of these units. The market also credits the increasing geriatric population as one of the leading demographics in need of constant oxygen supply. However, the global medical oxygen concentrators market is being restrained by the large number of oxygen concentrators with continuous flow technology, which essentially waste oxygen and electricity when not in use. The high cost of portable oxygen concentrators is also making it difficult for emerging economies to adopt them at a faster rate.The global medical oxygen concentrators market is projected to reach US$2.41 bn in 2024. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2016 to 2024, and was valued at US$1.25 bn in 2016.Consumers Show Greater Preference for Portable Medical Oxygen ConcentratorsIn terms of modality, the global medical oxygen concentrators market is segmented into portable and stationary oxygen concentrators. Portable oxygen concentrators were leading the market in terms of demand in 2015. Portable oxygen concentrators are easy to carry, light in weight, work on rechargeable lithium batteries, and are small in size. They are designed for an individual of any age being able to carry a unit along his/her daily activities while receiving a concentrated supply of oxygen. The technology used in portable oxygen concentrators is largely known as pulse technology. Stationary oxygen concentrators work on continuous flow technology and consequently require a continuous electricity supply. These are generally used by patients during the night or at their homes. Due to the several advantages posited by the use of portable oxygen concentrators, it is expected that they will continue to acquire the leading share in the global oxygen concentrators market during the forecast period.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.According to technology, pulse flow technology leads the global medical oxygen concentrators market in terms of growth rate currently. This technology releases concentrated oxygen only when the patient inhales. Thus it does not base itself on continuous working of the oxygen concentrators and reduces overall consumption of power, allowing units with pulse flow technology to work on rechargeable lithium batteries. Among the end users of the global medical oxygen concentrators market, the home care segment has so far been the leading revenue generator.Geriatric and COPD Population in North America Puts Region in LeadIn terms of geography, the global medical oxygen concentrators market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. North America contributed the leading volume of demand in the global oxygen concentrators market for 2015, owing to an increasing use of portable oxygen concentrators at home. This region is likely to remain in the lead over the coming years. Europe places second in terms of demand in the global medical oxygen concentrators market, owing to an increasing level of awareness over use of oxygen concentrators over conventional oxygen supply units. Latin America and Asia Pacific collectively contributed to 31.4% of share in the global medical oxygen concentrators market for 2015 and are positioned as high potential locations in terms of untapped regions.Leading players in the global medical oxygen concentrators market so fat have been Chart Industries, Inc., Inogen, Inc., Invacare Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Resmed Inc., Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare LLC., Precision Medical, Inc., Besco Medical Co. Ltd., O2 Concepts LLC, and GCE Group.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:
Cardiac Holter Monitor Market Research Report 2016-2024

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Global Cardiac Holter Monitor Market: SnapshotCardiac Holter monitors are used for recording hearts electrical activities. The device operates on a small battery to records heart rhythm for 24-48 hours. The Holter monitor device consists of a recorder, for recording the hearts rhythm and a software, which is utilized to interpret the recorded data. The cardiac Holter monitor is most commonly used to diagnose and analyze cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, and bradycardia.View Report @Rise in government funding to create awareness about cardiovascular disorders and its prevention, shift of population towards preventive healthcare, and investments in research and development of advanced diagnostic devices are the key drivers in the global market.Integration of Latest Technologies in Cardiac Holter Monitors Boosts DemandIn light of these reasons, the global cardiac Holter monitor market is expected to be worth US$518.9 mn by the end of 2024 as compared to US$293.8 mn in 2015. During the forecast period of 2016 and 2024, the global market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.6%. Despite the headstrong market drivers, the global market is likely to be challenged by the high cost of devices, error in signal processing, and lack of trained and qualified staff for appropriate usage of the devices. Be as that may, incorporation of wireless and Bluetooth technology in the cardiac holter, shifting of manufacturers approach towards customer centric development of products are the some of the trends that are likely to benefit the global market in the coming years.Based on product type, the global cardiac holter monitor market is classified as 1 channel, 2 channel, 3 channel, 12 channel, and others. The others segment includes 4 channel, 5 channel, 7 channel, and 10 channel cardiac holters. The 3 channel holters held the largest share in 2015 due to rising prevalence of cardiovascular disorders, rising geriatric population, and improved reimbursement policies. The segment is anticipated to remain dominant in the market along with 12 channel segment in the forecast period. The major factors responsible for the rise are increasing needs and demands by cardiologists for technologically compatible and efficient diagnostic devices and improved signal recording efficiency of 12 channel holter.With Increasing Investments in Research and Developments, North America Assumes LeadGeographically, the global cardiac holter monitor market is segmented into Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. North America accounted for the largest share of cardiac holter market in 2015, due to increasing patients preference towards minimally invasive diagnostic tools and improved government funding for cardiovascular disorder treatments. North America is expected to remain dominant in the cardiac holter monitor market, which is attributed to the investments being made by key players in medical devices industry, and consistent rise in incidences of cardiovascular disorders in North America. Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment, with highest CAGR in the coming years. Rising prevalence of cardiac arrhythmia & atrial fibrillation, various programs for the prevention of cardiovascular disorders conducted by WHO are the factors responsible for the high growth rate of Asia Pacific region in the forecast period.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Cardiac Holter Monitor Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The key players operating in the global cardiac holter monitor market are GE Healthcare, FUKUDA DENSHI, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Spacelabs Healthcare, Welch Allyn, Schiller, BTL, Nasiff Associates, Inc., LifeWatch AG, Biomedical Instruments Co., Ltd., and The ScottCare Corporation. To stay ahead in the robust competition, the key players in the market are involved in incorporating technologically advanced and novel features in their products.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Veterinary Drugs Market Research Report 2016-2024

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Global Veterinary Drugs Market: SnapshotAcross developed countries the ownership of companion or livestock animals of various known and exotic breeds has remained high since the last few decades. Developing countries are catching up in this regard as well. Across the world, livestock animals are majorly domesticated for their economic value. Dairy products, meat, fibers, and fertilizers derived from companion animals have considerable market value. In addition, their labor is put to use in agriculture and farming.View Report @Besides this, humans have grown fond of petting companion animals. Spurred by these factors the demand for veterinary drugs has increased as veterinarians and owners focus more on ensuring the health and wellness of companion pets.While the market continues reeling under threat from the availability of low quality counterfeit products, the growing affordability of veterinary drugs will keep their demand pacing higher in the coming years. Given the scenario, Transparency Market Research (TMR) forecasts the market to exhibit a CAGR of 5.1% between 2016 and 2024. At this pace, the market which stood at US$17.2 bn in 2015, is forecast to reach US$26.7 bn by the end of 2024.Demand for Veterinary Drugs to be Higher in Livestock Animals SegmentIn terms of animal type, the global veterinary drugs market is bifurcated into companion animal and livestock animal. Of these, the livestock animal segment held the largest market share in 2015 on account of the high demand for high quality protein and poultry meat. The companion animal segment will exhibit robust growth as well during the course of the forecast period. The rising pet ownership and the increase in healthcare expenditure on them will boost this segment in the coming years.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Veterinary Drugs Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Based on product, anti-infective, parasiticides, anti-inflammatory, and others comprise the key market segments. Of these, the anti-infective segment held the dominant share in the market in 2015 gaining from the increasing demand for zoonotic diseases. However, between 2016 and 2024, growth witnessed in the parasiticides segment is projected to be higher than other segments. It is forecast to exhibit a CAGR of 6.1% during the forecast period thereby emerging as the most lucrative product segment. The market will witness rising demand for anti-inflammatory drugs as well aimed at improving mobility and quality of life in companion animals.North America to Continue Dominating Overall MarketRegionally, North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa constitute the key market segments. Among these, North America emerged dominant in 2015, accounting for value-based share of nearly 31%. It is expected to remain at the fore of the overall market through the course of the reports forecast period. The region exhibits a higher prevalence of pet ownership as compared to other regions. In the same year, Europe emerged as the second-leading market segment. During the forecast period, Asia Pacific and Latin America is also expected to contribute to revenue generated by the overall market. The increasing incidence of infectious disease among animals will fuel the demand for effective veterinary drugs in Asia Pacific and Latin America.Some of the leading companies operating in the global veterinary drugs market are Zoetis, Inc., which dominated the overall vendor landscape in 2015, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bayer AG., Elanco Animal Health (Eli Lilly and Company), Ceva Sante Animale, Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC., Merck & Co., Inc., Virbac, Vetoquinol, and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.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:
Asset Management IT Solution Market On-premise Solutions Gain Preference over Cloud-based Deployment Model

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Asset management refers to managing tangible or intangible assets. An asset management company serves as an advisor to clients, with a goal to maximize returns. Asset management firms are hired by institutional investors such as pension funds, corporations, and high net worth individuals.The asset management firms need IT solutions for managing assets such as equity, fixed income, real estate, commodities, and international investments. These IT solutions consist mainly of software solutions for business operations including portfolio management, compliance, and trade execution among others.U.S. Asset Management IT Solution Market: Scope and MethodologyThe U.S. asset management IT solution market report provides an analysis of the U.S. asset management IT solution market for the period 2014  2024, wherein 2015 is the base year and the period from 2016 to 2024 is the forecast period. Data for 2014 has been included as historical information.Obtain Report Details:The report covers all the prevalent trends playing a major role in the growth of the asset management IT solution market over the forecast period. It also highlights various drivers, restraints, and opportunities expected to influence the market growth during the said period.The study provides a holistic perspective on market growth, throughout the above forecast period in terms of revenue estimates (in US$ Mn), across different geographies in the U.S., which include Northeast, Midwest, West and South. The report provides cross-sectional analysis of the U.S. asset management IT solution market in terms of market estimates and forecasts for all the segments across different geographic regions.This research report provides in-depth analysis of the U.S. asset management IT solution market on the basis components, deployment model and geography. The report also includes U.S. asset Management player profile and asset managers IT viewpoint deploying IT solutions and services for managing assets.Some of the key analytical pointers in the research study include Porters Five Force Analysis, and key market indicators which include industry outlook of investment management firms (asset managers) in the U.S. and key mergers and acquisition in the field of asset management IT solutions from vendor as well as buyers point of view.Applications encompassed in the research study include portfolio management, compliance, risk management, client statements & reporting, trade order management, workflow automation, benchmarking, and cash flow & accounting.Whereas services encompassed in the report scope include enterprise data management, data integration, reporting solutions & services, operation support & monitoring, application development and maintenance, and resource managementThis research study on the U.S. asset management IT solution market provides a detailed analysis of various components and their respective applications and services. The report also offers in-depth analysis of various factors such as market drivers, restraints, and growth opportunities affecting the market dynamics.These factors enable the analysis of various trends that would impact the market during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. The report includes a comprehensive coverage of the underlying economic and technological factors under key trend analysis influencing the asset management IT solution market.This 154 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Asset Management IT Solution Market. Browse through 21 data tables and 68 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:U.S. Asset Management IT Solution Market: Competitive DynamicsThe report aims to provide strategic insights about the investment management firms deploying IT solutions with the detailed analysis of their requirements pertaining to IT solutions.Some of the key industry players in the asset management IT solution include Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, FundCount, SoftTarget Inc., SimCorp Inc, QED Financial System, eFront Financial Solutions, Broadridge Investment Management Solutions, ProTrak International, SunGard Financials and CreditPoint Software.Key asset managers profiled in the research study along with their IT viewpoints and requirements include Barings Corporate Investors, Geode Capital Management, The Carlyle Group LP, Voya Investment Management, Lazard Asset Management, Bridgewater Associates and Hartford Investment Management. Co among others.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:
Afghanistan has welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision to lay focus on the peace process in the country.

By India Today Web Desk: Hours after United States President Donald Trump said that the US wants a larger role in Afghanistan, Afghan Ambassador to US Hamdullah Mohib in a statement welcomed the decision.

The statement read that the decision was an outcome of intense deliberations and takes into account the needs and considerations of both the countries. The envoy's statement said that it was the first time that the focus has been put on Afghanistan and that the country was grateful for it.

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The statement further commended President Trump's decision saying that the US embraced a strategy specifically to meet the needs of Afghanistan.

President Trump's strategy is a shift away from talking about timetables and numbers to letting conditions on ground determine military strategy. He emphasised on the integration of America's military, economic and political power to achieve shared goals.

The strategy will expand authority to move swiftly against terror activities and criminal networks in place of micromanagement from Washington and a breaking of the silence over Pakistan's shelters and sanctuaries for terrorists.

Statement of Afghanistan ambassador to US

WHAT TRUMP SAID

United States President Donald Trump said that the US wants a larger role for India in Afghanistan, even as he overcame his own doubts about a war that his country entered in October 2001 after the 9/11 attacks.

Trump also sharply criticised Pakistan for offering "safe havens" for terrorists, and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" if it continues to harbour terrorists.

Trump was delivering a policy statement, offering a glimpse of how the US's war Afghanistan and role in South Asia would like under his presidency.

He said that his administration had conducted "comprehensive review" of the US's Afghanistan strategy and decided that the policy will change from a "time-based approach to one based on conditions".

Signalling that the US would send in more soldiers into Afghanistan, a contentious topic in the United States that has lost nearly 2,500 Americans in the war, Trump said, "Our troops will fight to win", but did not offer specifics.

President Trump noted that India, which he called a key security and economic partner for the US, has played an important role in ensuring stability in Afghanistan, but added that his administration wants a larger role in Afghanistan, especially economically.

Trump said his new approach was aimed at preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants bent on attacking the United States.

Also Read:

US President Donald Trump seeks greater role for India in Afghanistan, toughens position on Pakistan

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Donald Trump corners Pakistan, says can no longer be silent over its safe havens to terrorists

WATCH | Trump slams Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, seeks bigger role for India in Afghanistan

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Lighting Control Systems 2017 Global Key Players General Electric (US), Philips Lighting (Netherlands), Eaton (US), Legrand (France), Osram (Germany) Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Lighting Control Systems Market

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Lighting Control Systems Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Lighting Control Systems Market -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:This report mainly introduces volume and value market share by players, by regions, by product type, by consumers and also their price change details. As a Detailed Analysis report, it covers all details inside analysis and opinion in Lighting Control Systems industry.This report splits Lighting Control Systems market By Installation Type, By Communication Protocol, which covers the history data information from 2012 to 2016 and forecast from 2017 to 2022.This report focuses Global market, it covers details as following:Major Companies:General Electric (US)Philips Lighting (Netherlands)Eaton (US)Legrand (France)Osram (Germany)Acuity Brands (US)Cree (US)Lutron Electronics (US)Leviton Manufacturing (US)Echelon (US)Lightwaverf (UK)Digital Lumens (US)Request for Sample Report@Main Regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaLatin AmericaMexicoBrazilArgentinaOthersEuropeGermanyUnited KingdomFranceItalySpainRussiaNetherlandOthersAsia & PacificChinaJapanIndiaKoreaAustraliaSoutheast AsiaIndonesiaThailandPhilippinesVietnamSingaporeMalaysiaOthersAfrica & Middle EastSouth AfricaEgyptTurkeySaudi ArabiaIranOthersMain Product Type:Lighting Control Systems Market, by Installation TypeNew InstallationRetrofitLighting Control Systems Market, by Communication ProtocolWiredWirelessMain Applications:IndoorOutdoorEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Contents:Global Lighting Control Systems Detailed Analysis Report 2017-2022Chapter One Lighting Control Systems Market Overview1.1 Global Lighting Control Systems Market Sales Volume Revenue and Price 2012-20221.2 Lighting Control Systems, By Installation Type 2012-20221.2.1 Global Lighting Control Systems Sales Market Share by Installation Type 2012-20221.2.2 Global Lighting Control Systems Revenue Market Share by Installation Type 2012-20221.2.3 Global Lighting Control Systems Price by Installation Type 2012-20221.2.4 New Installation1.2.5 Retrofit1.3 Lighting Control Systems, by Communication Protocol 2012-20221.3.1 Global Lighting Control Systems Sales Market Share by Communication Protocol 2012-20221.3.2 Global Lighting Control Systems Revenue Market Share by Communication Protocol 2012-20221.3.3 Global Lighting Control Systems Price by Communication Protocol 2012-20221.3.4 Wired1.3.5 WirelessChapter Three Lighting Control Systems by Players 2012-20173.1 Global Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Market Share by Players 2012-20173.2 Global Lighting Control Systems Revenue Share by Players 2012-20173.3 Global Top Players Lighting Control Systems Key Product Model and Market Performance3.4 Global Top Players Lighting Control Systems Key Target Consumers and Market PerformanceChapter Five Global Top Players Profile5.1 General Electric (US)5.1.1 General Electric (US) Company Details and Competitors5.1.2 General Electric (US) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.1.3 General Electric (US) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.1.4 General Electric (US) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.2 Philips Lighting (Netherlands)5.2.1 Philips Lighting (Netherlands) Company Details and Competitors5.2.2 Philips Lighting (Netherlands) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.2.3 Philips Lighting (Netherlands) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.2.4 Philips Lighting (Netherlands) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.3 Eaton (US)5.3.1 Eaton (US) Company Details and Competitors5.3.2 Eaton (US) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.3.3 Eaton (US) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.3.4 Eaton (US) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.4 Legrand (France)5.4.1 Legrand (France) Company Details and Competitors5.4.2 Legrand (France) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.4.3 Legrand (France) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.4.4 Legrand (France) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.5 Osram (Germany)5.5.1 Osram (Germany) Company Details and Competitors5.5.2 Osram (Germany) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.5.3 Osram (Germany) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.5.4 Osram (Germany) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.6 Acuity Brands (US)5.6.1 Acuity Brands (US) Company Details and Competitors5.6.2 Acuity Brands (US) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.6.3 Acuity Brands (US) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.6.4 Acuity Brands (US) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.7 Cree (US)5.7.1 Cree (US) Company Details and Competitors5.7.2 Cree (US) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.7.3 Cree (US) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.7.4 Cree (US) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.8 Lutron Electronics (US)5.8.1 Lutron Electronics (US) Company Details and Competitors5.8.2 Lutron Electronics (US) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.8.3 Lutron Electronics (US) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.8.4 Lutron Electronics (US) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.9 Leviton Manufacturing (US)5.9.1 Leviton Manufacturing (US) Company Details and Competitors5.9.2 Leviton Manufacturing (US) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.9.3 Leviton Manufacturing (US) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.9.4 Leviton Manufacturing (US) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.10 Echelon (US)5.10.1 Echelon (US) Company Details and Competitors5.10.2 Echelon (US) Key Lighting Control Systems Models and Performance5.10.3 Echelon (US) Lighting Control Systems Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.10.4 Echelon (US) Lighting Control Systems Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.11 Lightwaverf (UK)5.12 Digital Lumens (US)Continued..Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Retail Automation 2017 Global Key Players Datalogic S.p.A (Italy), First Data Corporation (US), NCR Corporation (US), Fujitsu Limited (Japan), Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Inc (US) Market Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Retail Automation Market

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Retail Automation Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Retail Automation Market -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:This report mainly introduces volume and value market share by players, by regions, by product type, by consumers and also their price change details. As a Detailed Analysis report, it covers all details inside analysis and opinion in Retail Automation industry.This report splits Retail Automation market By Type, By Implementation, which covers the history data information from 2012 to 2016 and forecast from 2017 to 2022.This report focuses Global market, it covers details as following:Major CompaniesDatalogic S.p.A (Italy)First Data Corporation (US)NCR Corporation (US)Fujitsu Limited (Japan)Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Inc (US)Honeywell Scanning and Mobility (US)Kuka AG (Germany)Wincor Nixdorf AG (Germany)Zebra Technologies Corporation (US)Pricer AB (Sweden)Posiflex Technology, Inc. (Taiwan)E&K Automation GmbH (Germany)ChinaPnR (China)TNC (China)Lefu (China)Request for Sample Report@Main Regions:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaLatin AmericaMexicoBrazilArgentinaOthersEuropeGermanyUnited KingdomFranceItalySpainRussiaNetherlandOthersAsia & PacificChinaJapanIndiaKoreaAustraliaSoutheast AsiaIndonesiaThailandPhilippinesVietnamSingaporeMalaysiaOthersAfrica & Middle EastSouth AfricaEgyptTurkeySaudi ArabiaIranOthersMain Product Type:Retail Automation Market, by TypePoSInteractive KiosksSelf-Checkout SystemsBarcode & RFIDAutomatic Storage and Retrieval (ASRS)Retail Automation Market, by ImplementationIn-storeWarehouseMain Applications:HypermarketsSupermarketsSingle Item StoresFuel StationsRetail PharmaciesEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Contents:Global Retail Automation Detailed Analysis Report 2017-2022Chapter One Retail Automation Market Overview1.1 Global Retail Automation Market Sales Volume Revenue and Price 2012-20221.2 Retail Automation, By Type 2012-20221.2.1 Global Retail Automation Sales Market Share by Type 2012-20221.2.2 Global Retail Automation Revenue Market Share by Type 2012-20221.2.3 Global Retail Automation Price by Type 2012-20221.2.4 PoS1.2.5 Interactive Kiosks1.2.6 Self-Checkout Systems1.2.7 Barcode & RFID1.2.8 Automatic Storage and Retrieval (ASRS)1.3 Retail Automation, by Implementation 2012-20221.3.1 Global Retail Automation Sales Market Share by Implementation 2012-20221.3.2 Global Retail Automation Revenue Market Share by Implementation 2012-20221.3.3 Global Retail Automation Price by Implementation 2012-20221.3.4 In-store1.3.5 WarehouseChapter Three Retail Automation by Players 2012-20173.1 Global Retail Automation Sales Volume Market Share by Players 2012-20173.2 Global Retail Automation Revenue Share by Players 2012-20173.3 Global Top Players Retail Automation Key Product Model and Market Performance3.4 Global Top Players Retail Automation Key Target Consumers and Market PerformanceChapter Five Global Top Players Profile5.1 Datalogic S.p.A (Italy)5.1.1 Datalogic S.p.A (Italy) Company Details and Competitors5.1.2 Datalogic S.p.A (Italy) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.1.3 Datalogic S.p.A (Italy) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.1.4 Datalogic S.p.A (Italy) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.2 First Data Corporation (US)5.2.1 First Data Corporation (US) Company Details and Competitors5.2.2 First Data Corporation (US) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.2.3 First Data Corporation (US) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.2.4 First Data Corporation (US) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.3 NCR Corporation (US)5.3.1 NCR Corporation (US) Company Details and Competitors5.3.2 NCR Corporation (US) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.3.3 NCR Corporation (US) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.3.4 NCR Corporation (US) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.4 Fujitsu Limited (Japan)5.4.1 Fujitsu Limited (Japan) Company Details and Competitors5.4.2 Fujitsu Limited (Japan) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.4.3 Fujitsu Limited (Japan) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.4.4 Fujitsu Limited (Japan) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.5 Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Inc (US)5.5.1 Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Inc (US) Company Details and Competitors5.5.2 Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Inc (US) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.5.3 Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Inc (US) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.5.4 Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Inc (US) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.6 Honeywell Scanning and Mobility (US)5.6.1 Honeywell Scanning and Mobility (US) Company Details and Competitors5.6.2 Honeywell Scanning and Mobility (US) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.6.3 Honeywell Scanning and Mobility (US) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.6.4 Honeywell Scanning and Mobility (US) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.7 Kuka AG (Germany)5.7.1 Kuka AG (Germany) Company Details and Competitors5.7.2 Kuka AG (Germany) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.7.3 Kuka AG (Germany) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.7.4 Kuka AG (Germany) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.8 Wincor Nixdorf AG (Germany)5.8.1 Wincor Nixdorf AG (Germany) Company Details and Competitors5.8.2 Wincor Nixdorf AG (Germany) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.8.3 Wincor Nixdorf AG (Germany) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.8.4 Wincor Nixdorf AG (Germany) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.9 Zebra Technologies Corporation (US)5.9.1 Zebra Technologies Corporation (US) Company Details and Competitors5.9.2 Zebra Technologies Corporation (US) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.9.3 Zebra Technologies Corporation (US) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.9.4 Zebra Technologies Corporation (US) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.10 Pricer AB (Sweden)5.10.1 Pricer AB (Sweden) Company Details and Competitors5.10.2 Pricer AB (Sweden) Key Retail Automation Models and Performance5.10.3 Pricer AB (Sweden) Retail Automation Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.10.4 Pricer AB (Sweden) Retail Automation Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.11 Posiflex Technology, Inc. (Taiwan)5.12 E&K Automation GmbH (Germany)5.13 ChinaPnR (China)5.14 TNC (China)5.15 Lefu (China)Continued..Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market: Healthy Growth 36.27 billion by 2022, At CAGR of 3.8%

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Market Research Future published a Research report on Global Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market - Forecast To 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Global Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market Information, by Pharmacological class (proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), anti-histamines, H2 antagonists, antacids, antibiotics and others), by Clinical Application (gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcer, esophageal ulcer) - Forecast Till 2022Market Synopsis of Global Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market:Market Scenario:Peptic ulcer drugs are used to treat erosion of the gastrointestinal lining due to a variety of factors. Peptic ulcer is the result of an imbalance between aggressive and defensive fluids in the stomach. Peptic ulcer includes gastric, esophageal and duodenal ulcer. The global peptic ulcer drugs market was valued at approximately $29 billion in 2015, and is expected to reach $36.27 billion by 2022. Thus, the market is expected to show an average growth at a CAGR of 3.8 % from 2016 to 2022.Get a Copy of Sample Report @The major driving factors for petic ulcers drug market are stress, drug induced ulcers, growing rate of infection by H.Pyrroli, changes in food, rise in cancer, tobacco and alcohol use. Constraining factors of this market are patent expiry, comparatively good treatment regimen of proton pump inhibitors, resistance of H.Pyrolli, extreme market fragmentation into many companies and great penetration of generics.Key Players For Global Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market: Novartis AG Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited Acetelion Ltd Boehringer Ingelheim Sanofi S.A. Astra Zeneca plc Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, Inc. Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Limited Pfizer Inc. Helicure AB Eumedica PharmaceuticalsStudy Objectives Global Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market: To provide detail analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5years of various segments and sub-segments of the global peptic ulcer drugs market. To provide an insight about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the market based on various analyses which includes price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters Five Force analysis etc. To provide past and estimated future revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segments such as by pharmacological class (proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), anti-histamines, H2 antagonists, antacids, antibiotics and others) and by clinical application (gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcer, esophageal ulcer) To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape of the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research & developments globally.Browse Full Report Details @Intended Audience: Global peptic ulcer drugs manufacturers Global peptic ulcer drugs suppliers Research and development Laboratories Market research and consulting service providersSegments:Global peptic ulcer drugs market has been segmented on the basis of pharmacological class (proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), anti-histamines, H2 antagonists, antacids, antibiotics and others), by clinical application (gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcer, esophageal ulcer) and region.Regional Analysis of Global Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market:Globally North America is the largest market of global peptic ulcer drugs. Europe is the second largest market for global peptic ulcer drugs. Soon the market of peptic ulcer drugs will be dominated by developing regions particularly Asia Pacific which will be the fastest growing region.The report of Global Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market by Market Research Future comprises extensive primary research along with detail analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain a deeper insights of the market and industry performance. The report gives a 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 detail information and strategies used by 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 Peptic Ulcer Drugs Market - Forecast To 2022 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
Aviation Alternative Fuel Market: Survey, Trends, Restraints & Opportunities to 2023

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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Aviation Alternative Fuel Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Global Aviation Alternative Fuel Market Information Report by Application (Commercial and Military) by Fuel Type (Biofuels and Others), and by Regions (Americas, APAC, and EMEA) - Global Forecast To 2023The aviation industry accounts for a significant amount of the total energy consumed in transportation annually. With the growing awareness of depleting fossil fuels and concerns regarding the environment, the market for aviation alternative fuels is expected to witness significant growth. Accelerated application of biofuels in the aviation industry is anticipated to push the demand in the aviation alternative fuels market. Over the years various countries have been experimenting with biofuels in the form of blended fuels i.e. biofuel and jet fuel in order to curb their emission rates. The market for aviation alternative fuel is aided by the favorable government norms and is expected to register high growth rate during the forecast period.Get a Sample Report @Key Players Solazyme, Honeywell UOP, Imperium Renewables, Renewable Energy Group, Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation.Study Objectives of Global Aviation Alternative Fuel Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next five years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global aviation alternative fuel market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the global Aviation Alternative Fuel market based on various tools such as Supply Chain Analysis, and Porters Five Forces Analysis To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to regions and their respective key countries 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 material fuel type, application and region To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Aviation Alternative Fuel marketRegional AnalysisGlobal Aviation Alternative Fuel marketAccelerated technological development, established major players, sufficient finances, growing awareness regarding the environment and stringent government regulations are some of the factors which push the demand in the developed regions such as North America and Europe. Growing number of passengers in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to contribute to the growing market for alternative aviation fuel in this region.Intended Audience Aviation Authorities Alternative Fuel manufacturers Government as well as Independent Regulatory AuthoritiesProduct Analysis Product matrix which gives a detailed comparison of the market for different recycled product typesAdditional Information Regulatory Landscape Pricing Analysis Macroeconomic IndicatorsGeographic Analysis Geographical analysis across 15 countriesCompany Information Profiling of 10 key market players In-depth analysis including SWOT analysis, and strategy information of related to report title Competitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companiesBrowse Full Report Details @The report for Global Aviation Alternative Fuel Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Global Aviation Alternative Fuel Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023 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
Insomnia Market: Business Opportunities, Challenges & Global Industry Analysis by 2023

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Market Research Future published a research report on Americas Insomnia Market Research Report Forecast to 2023  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Americas Insomnia Market Research Report, by types of therapy (Pharmacological therapy and Non Pharmacological therapy), by drug formulation (Capsules, Tablet and others), by type of disease (poor quality of sleep, sleep maintenance and others)- Forecast till 2023Market Scenario:Insomnia is disorder related to sleep, it creates difficulty in sleeping. The symptoms show dissatisfaction with sleep, fatigue, low energy, less concentration, low performance, irritation, change in moods and many more. There are three types of insomnia that is transient, acute and chronic. The transient insomnia is sleeping disorder that occurs for few days or few weeks. The acute insomnia may be experience when students have exams or a person has an interview. This is a short time difficulty in sleep that lasts for some weeks. While the chronic insomnia is long term disorder of sleep seen in people having regular shift timings on their jobs, unhealthy sleeping habits, clinical disorders and some other psychiatric issues or health issues and many more reasons associated. The prevalence rate of insomnia is very high and is increasing day by day. Worldwide millions of people are getting affected by the sleeping disorder. According to the CDC study, it says that American do sleep for 7hrs and 36min in working days while 40min more on non-working days. The insomnia is majorly seen in American women, data says that 24 percent of women have woken up with no well rest, while the 16 percent of men have experienced same. This percentage is very less in contrast to people who suffers from insomnia. Americas Insomnia market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6% during forecasted period of 2017-2023.The Americas insomnia market is segmented on the basis of, types of therapy, drug formulation and by type of disease. On the basis of types of therapy market is segmented into pharmacological therapy and non-pharmacological therapy. On the basis of the pharmacological therapy is sub-segmented into Benzodiazepines, Non-benzodiazepines, Melatonin receptor agonists and others. Likewise on the basis of the non-pharmacological therapy is also sub-segmented into Relaxation therapy, Cognitive behavioural therapy, Sleep hygiene education, Stimulus Controls, Paradoxical intension and others. On the basis of drug formulation the drugs are being formulated in capsules, tablets and others. Whereas on the basis of type of disease it includes poor quality of sleep, sleep maintenance and others.Get a Copy of Sample Report @Players for Americas Insomnia Market Eisai, Co. (Japan) Pfizer, Inc. (US) Merck & Co Inc (US) Sanofi (France) Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (Japan) Meda Consumer Healthcare Inc (US) Pernix Therapeutics (US) Purdue Pharma L.P. (US) Consumer Healthcare Inc. (Canada) Dainippon Sumitomo (Japan) ECR Pharmaceuticals (US) Flynn Pharma (UK) Johnson & Johnson (US) Astellas (UK) Biocodex S A (France) Neurim (Switzerland) SkyePharma (UK) Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (US).Study Objectives Americas Insomnia Market Research Report To provide the Detail Overview of American insomnia market. To provide In-depth market segmentation and sub segmentations. 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 Competitive landscape and key players in the market. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to geography and countries- North America and South America. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Americas Insomnia Market.Intended Audience Manufacturing and packaging industries. Insomnia devices and drug manufacturers Biotechnology Companies Bio-Pharmaceutical Companies Research and Development (R&D) Companies Government Research Laboratories Medical Research InstitutesBrowse Full Report Details @Regional AnalysisOn regional basis the Americas insomnia market is segmented into two regions- North America and South America. Further North America is segmented into US and Canada. The North America region is experiencing more number of cases for insomnia. The cases are seen with unintentionally falling asleep and nodding while driving. The sleep related disorders are also seen because of the hypertension, cardio problems, cancer, depression, obesity and many more. It is estimated that near about 70 million US citizens are affected by insomnia.The report for Americas Insomnia Market Research Report 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.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Americas Insomnia Market Research Report Forecast to 2023 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
Global Managed Printing Services Industry is Projected to grow by ~8% of CAGR by 2023

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Global Managed Printing Services Market, By Components (Hardware, Software, Services), By Deployment Type (On Premise, Cloud Based, Hybrid), By Organizations (Small & Medium Scale Enterprise, Large Scale Enterprise) - Forecast 2023The study reveals that managed printing services is trending in North America region. The next generation managed print services is boosting the market growth. The MPS provides a securely access the required information whenever required. These services offers security, low power consumption, total cost of ownership and others. The MPS offers automates work processes and boosts productivity are the driving the market growth. The next generation MPS are cost effective, provide better productivity, improved time to revenue and others.In North America region, the managed print services market is growing with the growing trend of digital transformation. The MPS offers managed cloud printing requirements, security, low cost printing, and others are driving factor for the market growth. Various organizations realizing the importance of MPS in efficient printing techniques are driving the growth of this market worldwide.Get a copy of sample report atThe managed printing service has become the crucial part for many sellers as they can provide a wider range of managed printing services across the world. These services can optimize the business document process and generate the revenue. The steep increase in the adoption of big data solutions, and competent technical support by managed print service providers among others.The global managed printing services market is growing rapidly over ~8% of CAGR and is expected to reach at USD ~ 47 Billion by the end of forecast period.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 30 market data tables and figures spread over 100 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on The Global Managed printing services Market Research Report -Forecast to 2023.Global Managed printing services Market SegmentationThe global managed printing services market is bifurcated on the basis of components, deployment type, organization type and region. The component is segmented into hardware, software, services (assess and optimize, secure and integrate, automate and simplify). The deployment type is segmented on the basis of on premise, cloud based, and hybrid. The organizations is segmented into small & medium scale enterprise, large scale enterprise. The region includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world.The prominent players in the global managed printing services market  Xerox Corporation (US) ARC Document Solutions, Inc. (US) HP Development Company, L.P. (US) Sharp Corporation (Japan) Lexmark International Corporation (US) Kyocera Corporation (Japan) Toshiba Corporation (Japan) Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea) Konica Minolta, Inc. (Japan) Ricoh Company, Ltd. (Japan)Market Research Analysis:On geographic basis, global managed printing services market is studied in different regions as Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of world. It has been observed that North America region is leading to have a largest market share in the managed printing services market due to the presence of many multinational brand in the region and also due to the various government initiatives. Whereas, the European market is estimated to be the second largest market share for managed printing services during the forecast period.Request for Discount @In North America regions, the managed print services has entered into the realms of information and document management, along with business process improvement. The next generation MPS is gaining demand in the industrial by combining its service with new mobile options, enhanced security and digital alternatives to paper, which boost the managed printing services market. The MPS is offering authentication as well as encryption services to the customers. Moreover, along with the convenience of saving data on the cloud, the printing services is boosting its demand in the organizations.The global managed printing services market is bifurcated on the basis of components, deployment type, organization type and region. The component is segmented into hardware, software, services. The deployment type is segmented on the basis of on premise, cloud based, and hybrid. The organizations is segmented into small & medium scale enterprise, large scale enterprise. The region includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world.Complete Report Available atTABLE OF CONTENTS1 MARKET INTRODUCTION1.1 INTRODUCTION1.2 SCOPE OF STUDY1.2.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE1.2.2 ASSUMPTIONS1.2.3 LIMITATIONS1.3 MARKET STRUCTURE:1.3.1 GLOBAL MANAGED PRINTING SERVICESMARKET: BY COMPONENT1.3.2 GLOBAL MANAGED PRINTING SERVICESMARKET: BY DEPLOYMENT TYPE1.3.3 GLOBAL MANAGED PRINTING SERVICESMARKET: BY ORGANIZATION TYPE1.3.4 GLOBAL MANAGED PRINTING SERVICESMARKET: BY REGION2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1 RESEARCH DEPLOYMENT TYPE2.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH2.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH2.4 FORECAST MODEL3 MARKET DYNAMICS3.1 INTRODUCTION3.2 MARKET DRIVERS3.3 MARKET CHALLENGES3.4 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY5. MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS5.1 PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS5.2 SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSIS6 GLOBAL MANAGED PRINTING SERVICES MARKET6.1 INTRODUCTION6.2 MARKET STATISTICS6.2.1 BY COMPONENT6.2.1.1 HARDWARE6.2.1.2 SOFTWARE6.2.1.3 SERVICES6.2.1.4 OTHERS6.2.2 BY DEPLOYMENT TYPE6.2.2.1 ON-PREMISE6.2.2.2 CLOUD6.2.2.3 HYBRID6.2.3 BY ORGANIZATION TYPE6.2.3.1 SMALL-MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISE6.2.3.2 LARGE ENTERPRISE6.2.4 BY REGION6.2.4.1 NORTH AMERICA6.2.4.2 EUROPE6.2.4.3 ASIA PACIFIC6.2.4.4 REST OF THE WORLD7 COMPANY PROFILES7.1 XEROX CORPORATION (US)7.2 ARC DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS, INC. (U.S.)7.3 HP DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P. (U.S.S)7.4 SHARP CORPORATION (JAPAN)7.5 LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION (U.S.)7.6 KYOCERA CORPORATION (JAPAN)7.7 TOSHIBA CORPORATION (JAPAN)7.8 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD. (SOUTH KOREA)7.9 KONICA MINOLTA, INC. (JAPAN)7.10 RICOH COMPANY, LTD. (JAPAN)7.11 OTHERSAt 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 Gas Calcined Anthracite Industry Report Demand, Supply and Forecast 2017

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Gas Calcined Anthracite Market Research Report 2017 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Gas Calcined Anthracite in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest a Sample copy atGlobal Gas Calcined Anthracite market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingRHEINFELDEN CARBONAsbury CarbonsRheinbraun Brennstoff GmbHRESORBENTDevenergyWanboda Carbons & GraphiteChina Coal Ningxia Carbon Additive FactoryIVY-CARBON PRODUCTSNingxia HuihongCarbon ValleyTIH GroupNingxia Wanboda Metallurgical & Chemical Co., Ltd.XinhuidaZhixinDongshengComplete report is available atOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoHigh Carbon ContentLow Carbon ContentOn 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 Gas Calcined Anthracite for each application, includingSteel IndustryCarbon ProductsWater TreatmentOthersTable of Contents:1 Gas Calcined Anthracite Market Overview2 Global Gas Calcined Anthracite Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Gas Calcined Anthracite Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Gas Calcined Anthracite Supply (Production) , Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Gas Calcined Anthracite Production, Revenue (Value) , Price Trend by Type6 Global Gas Calcined Anthracite Market Analysis by ApplicationGet Discount at7 Global Gas Calcined Anthracite Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Gas Calcined Anthracite Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Gas Calcined Anthracite Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase complete 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.Pune:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Automated Hospital Beds Business Trends That Will Drive Success In 2022

Automated Hospital Beds

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The Global Automated Hospital Beds Market Research Report provides detailed analysis of the key regional market status of the Automated Hospital Beds Industry.In this report, the global Automated Hospital Beds market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Global Automated Hospital Beds market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Automated Hospital Beds sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player;the top players includingStrykerHill-RomInvacareLinet GroupTransfer Master ProductsReverieNovaEHOBJoh. StiegelmeyerMerivaaraParamount BedMedlineSample Copy @Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Automated Hospital Beds for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoFive FunctionsThree FunctionsOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Automated Hospital Beds for each application, includingAssisted Living FacilitiesNursing HomesOutpatient ClinicsHome Health CareIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table Of ContentGlobal Automated Hospital Beds Sales Market Report 20171 Automated Hospital Beds Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Automated Hospital Beds1.2 Classification of Automated Hospital Beds by Product Category1.2.1 Global Automated Hospital Beds Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Automated Hospital Beds Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Five Functions1.2.4 Three Functions1.3 Global Automated Hospital Beds Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Automated Hospital Beds Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Assisted Living Facilities1.3.3 Nursing Homes1.3.4 Outpatient Clinics1.3.5 Home Health Care1.4 Global Automated Hospital Beds Market by Region1.4.1 Global Automated Hospital Beds Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Automated Hospital Beds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Automated Hospital Beds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Automated Hospital Beds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Automated Hospital Beds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Automated Hospital Beds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Automated Hospital Beds Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Automated Hospital Beds (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Automated Hospital Beds Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Automated Hospital Beds Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)9 Global Automated Hospital Beds Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data9.1 Stryker9.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.1.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.1.2.1 Product A9.1.2.2 Product B9.1.3 Stryker Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.2 Hill-Rom9.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.2.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.2.2.1 Product A9.2.2.2 Product B9.2.3 Hill-Rom Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.3 Invacare9.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.3.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.3.2.1 Product A9.3.2.2 Product B9.3.3 Invacare Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.4 Linet Group9.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.4.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.4.2.1 Product A9.4.2.2 Product B9.4.3 Linet Group Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.5 Transfer Master Products9.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.5.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.5.2.1 Product A9.5.2.2 Product B9.5.3 Transfer Master Products Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.6 Reverie9.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.6.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.6.2.1 Product A9.6.2.2 Product B9.6.3 Reverie Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.7 Nova9.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.7.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.7.2.1 Product A9.7.2.2 Product B9.7.3 Nova Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.8 EHOB9.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.8.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.8.2.1 Product A9.8.2.2 Product B9.8.3 EHOB Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.9 Joh. Stiegelmeyer9.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.9.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.9.2.1 Product A9.9.2.2 Product B9.9.3 Joh. Stiegelmeyer Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.10 Merivaara9.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors9.10.2 Automated Hospital Beds Product Category, Application and Specification9.10.2.1 Product A9.10.2.2 Product B9.10.3 Merivaara Automated Hospital Beds Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)9.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview9.11 Paramount Bed9.12 MedlineCONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Pune, India
Global and Japan Downlights Market 2017 Market Size, Status and Forecast to 2022

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The global Downlights market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2017, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Sample Report @Scope Of ReportJapan plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2017, with a CAGR of xx%.This report, with focus on top players in the global and Japan, studies the Downlights market's development status and future trend in the global and Japan. It splits Downlights market by type and by applications to fully and deeply research and reveal market profile and prospect.The major players includePhilips Lighting (Netherlands)GE Lighting (U.S.)OSRAM (Germany)OPPLE (China)NVC (China)Cree (U.S.)Panasonic (Japan)PAK (China)Eterna Lighting (UK)FSL (China)KINGSUN (China)Geographically, this report splits the Global market into the following regions:Asia PacificJapanTokyoYokohamaOsakaNagoyaOthersChinaKoreaIndiaOthersEuropeFranceGermanyUnited KingdomItalyRussiaOthersNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoOthersSoutheast AsiaSingaporeMalaysiaVietnamMyanmarThailandIndonesiaPhilippinesOthersMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaIranUAETurkeyIsraelEgyptSouth AfricaOthersOn the basis of product, the Downlights market is primarily split intoBy SizeEqual or Bigger than 5 InchBigger than 2.5 Inch Smaller than 5 InchEqual or Smaller than 2.5 InchBy Type of BulbsDirectionalDiffuseKey ApplicationsHouseholdCommercialIndustryEnquiry write us @Table of Contents1 Downlights Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Downlights1.2 Global and Japan Downlights Market by Applications/End Users1.2.1 Japan Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.1 Japan Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.2 Japan Downlights Sales Growth Rate (%) by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.1.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities1.2.2 Japan Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3 Global Downlights Sales by Application (2012-2017)1.2.3.1 Global Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3.2 Global Downlights Sales Growth Rate (%) by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.3.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities1.2.4 Global Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2012-2017)1.2.5 Household1.2.6 Commercial1.2.7 Industry1.3 Global and Japan Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Downlights (2012-2017)1.3.1 Japan Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Downlights (2012-2017)1.3.1.1 Japan Downlights Sales (K Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)1.3.1.2 Japan Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.3.2 Global Market Size (Sales and Revenue) of Downlights (2012-2017)1.3.2.1 Global Downlights Sales (K Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017)1.3.2.2 Global Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4 Global and Japan Classification of Downlights by Size1.4.1 Japan Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Size (2012-2017)1.4.2 Global Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Size (2012-2017)1.4.3 Japan Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Size (2012-2017)1.4.4 Global Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Size (2012-2017)1.4.5 Japan Downlights Price (USD/Unit) by Size (2012-2017)1.4.6 Global Downlights Price (USD/Unit) by Size (2012-2017)1.4.7 Japan Downlights Sales Growth Rate (%) by Size (2012-2017)1.4.8 Global Downlights Sales Growth Rate (%) by Size (2012-2017)1.4.9 Equal or Bigger than 5 Inch1.4.10 Bigger than 2.5 Inch Smaller than 5 Inch1.4.11 Equal or Smaller than 2.5 Inch1.5 Global and Japan Classification of Downlights by Type of Bulbs1.5.1 Japan Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Type of Bulbs (2012-2017)1.5.2 Global Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Type of Bulbs (2012-2017)1.5.3 Japan Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Type of Bulbs (2012-2017)1.5.4 Global Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Type of Bulbs (2012-2017)1.5.5 Japan Downlights Price (USD/Unit) by Type of Bulbs (2012-2017)1.5.6 Global Downlights Price (USD/Unit) by Type of Bulbs (2012-2017)1.5.7 Japan Downlights Sales Growth Rate (%) by Type of Bulbs (2012-2017)1.5.8 Global Downlights Sales Growth Rate (%) by Type of Bulbs (2012-2017)1.5.9 Directional1.5.10 Diffuse2 Global and Japan Downlights Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1 Japan Downlights Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1.1 Japan Downlights Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Japan Downlights Revenue and Share by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.3 Japan Downlights Average Price (USD/Unit) by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.4 Japan Downlights Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.1.4.1 Japan Downlights Market Concentration Rate2.1.4.2 Japan Downlights Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Players/Manufacturers2.1.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion in Japan Market2.1.5 Japan Players/Manufacturers Downlights Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types2.2 Global Downlights Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.2.1 Global Downlights Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Downlights Revenue and Share by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.3 Global Downlights Average Price (USD/Unit) by Players/Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2.4 Global Downlights Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.2.4.1 Global Downlights Market Concentration Rate2.2.4.2 Global Downlights Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Players/Manufacturers2.2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion in Global Market2.2.5 Global Players/Manufacturers Downlights Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area, Product Types3 Global and Japan Downlights Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.1 Asia Pacific Downlights Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.1.1 Japan Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.1.1 Japan Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.1.2 Japan Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.1.3 Japan Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.2 China Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.2.1 China Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.2.2 China Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.2.3 China Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.3 Korea Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.3.1 Korea Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.3.2 Korea Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.3.3 Korea Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.4 India Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.4.1 India Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.4.2 India Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.4.3 India Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.1.5 Others Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.1.5.1 Others Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.5.2 Others Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.1.5.3 Others Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2 Europe Downlights Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.2.1 France Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.1.1 France Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.1.2 France Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.1.3 France Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.2 Germany Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.2.1 Germany Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.2.2 Germany Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.2.3 Germany Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.3 United Kingdom Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.3.1 United Kingdom Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.3.2 United Kingdom Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.3.3 United Kingdom Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.4 Italy Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.4.1 Italy Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.4.2 Italy Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.4.3 Italy Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.5 Russia Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.5.1 Russia Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.5.2 Russia Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.5.3 Russia Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.2.6 Others Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017)3.2.6.1 Others Downlights Sales (K Units) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.6.2 Others Downlights Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (2012-2017)3.2.6.3 Others Downlights Price (USD/Unit)(2012-2017)3.3 North America Downlights Sales and Revenue by Regions (2012-2017)3.3.1 United States Downlights Sales and Revenue (2012-2017) .8 Market Effect Factors Analysis8.1 Technology Progress/Risk8.1.1 Substitutes Threat8.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry8.2 Consumer Needs/Customer Preference Change8.3 Economic/Political Environmental ChangeContinuedBuy now@Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Company Name: Wiseguyreports.comContact Person: Norah TrentEmail: Sales@wiseguyreports.comPhone: +1 646 845 9349, +44 208 133 9349City: PuneState: MaharashtraCountry: IndiaWebsite:
Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Market Report Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2017

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ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Market Research Report 2017 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Smart Hearing Protection Device in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest a Sample copy atGlobal Smart Hearing Protection Device market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingHoneywell3MPhonakSensGardEtymotic ResearchSensearHunter ElectronicSilentaStarkey Hearing TechnologiesHellberg SafetyOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoEarplugsEarmuffsComplete report is available atOn 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 Hearing Protection Device for each application, includingDefense and Law EnforcementAviationOil and GasConstructionManufacturingConsumerTable of Contents:1 Smart Hearing Protection Device Market Overview2 Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Supply (Production) , Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Production, Revenue (Value) , Price Trend by Type6 Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Market Analysis by ApplicationGet Discount at7 Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Smart Hearing Protection Device Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Smart Hearing Protection Device Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase complete 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.Pune:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Owing to support for TTV Dinakaran, the Palaniswami-Panneerselvam combine still needs 6 MLAs to reach the crucial 117-mark in the Assembly. And support for the sidelined nephew of Sasikala could still grow.

Many must have hoped that the triumphant mood that reigned at the AIADMK's headquarters on Monday, when two of its veteran leaders finally merged their factions, marked the cathartic end to a protracted political drama. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his new deputy, former CM O Pannerselvam, have brought together 111 MLAs.

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But that's still six short of the halfway mark in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, whose strength stands reduced to 334 by Jayalalithaa's death and the exclusion of the Speaker.

ENTER DINAKARAN

The man who could lay waste to Palaniswami's and Pannerselvam's achievement is TTV Dinakaran, the nephew of the now-sidelined AIADMK leader VK Sasikala - a close confidante of 'Amma's.' Panneerselvam made Sasikala's and Dinakaran's ouster one of the conditions for yesterday's merger.

But as many as 19 AIADMK MLAs support Dinakaran. Today, they told Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao in a memorandum that Palaniswami was "corrupt" and that he'd encouraged "corruption at several levels."

They've told Rao they have no confidence in the chief minister, but didn't say they were withdrawing support to the government as a whole.

"We want to show our strength. It is to ensure EPS realises we are important for (the) AIADMK. We are not hurrying to topple the government but want to issue a threat so they don't throw us out completely," said a source in Dinakaran's camp.

SUPPORT FOR DINAKARAN TO INCREASE?

Sources say Thamim Ansari and Karunas, two of the three independent MLAs who wrote to voice support for Dinakaran ahead of a massive rally held in Melur last week, may side with him.

MLA Thopu Venkatachalam, who wasn't with the group of legislators who called on the Governor today, is also likely to join the Dinakaran camp.

This means that Dinakaran could end up with 22 lawmmakers - a crushing blow for his rivals in the newly-united front in power, who still don't have the 'magic number' of MLAs.

Meanwhile, DMK President MK Stalin told the news agency ANI that he'd been informed that a total of 22 AIADMK MLAs didn't support Palaniswami. He called for a new trust vote.

Will the Edappadi Palaniswami government survive the Dinakaran test? We'll have to wait and see.

ALSO READ

AIADMK merger: no confidence in CM EPS, 19 MLAs supporting Dinakaran tell Governor

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From many false starts to finally the AIADMK merger, a look at all major events leading to the Palaniswami-Panneerselvam handshake

Kamal Haasan on AIADMK merger: Clown's cap on Tamilian's head, rise up Tamizha

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AIADMK merger: With broad smiles and a handshake, OPS-EPS seal the deal after months of drama

--- ENDS ---
2017-2022 Accountable Care Solutions Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications

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This report studies the Accountable Care Solutions market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Accountable Care Solutions market by product type and applications/end industries.Browse Full report :The global Accountable Care Solutions market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Accountable Care Solutions. United States plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share (%) and growth Rate (%) of Accountable Care Solutions in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East and AfricaGet The Sample Copy Of This Report :The major players in global and United States Accountable Care Solutions market, including Cerner Corporation (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S.), UnitedHealth Group (U.S.), Aetna, Inc. (U.S.), Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (U.S.), Epic Systems Corporation (U.S.), Mckesson Corporation (U.S.), Verisk Health (U.S.), Zeomega, Inc. (U.S.), EClinicalWorks, Inc. (U.S.), NextGen Healthcare (U.S.).The On the basis of product, the Accountable Care Solutions market is primarily split intoWeb & Cloud-basedOn-premiseOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report coversHealthcare ProviderHealthcare PayerTable of Contents2017-2022 Accountable Care Solutions Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications1 Methodology and Data Source1.1 Methodology/Research Approach1.1.1 Research Programs/Design1.1.2 Market Size Estimation1.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation1.2 Data Source2.1.1 Secondary Sources2.1.2 Primary Sources1.3 Disclaimer2 Accountable Care Solutions Market Overview2.1 Accountable Care Solutions Product Overview2.2 Accountable Care Solutions Market Segment by Type2.2.1 Web & Cloud-based2.2.2 On-premise2.3 Global Accountable Care Solutions Product Segment by Type2.3.1 Global Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and Growth (%) by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.3.2 Global Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.3 Global Accountable Care Solutions Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.4 Global Accountable Care Solutions Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)2.4 United States Accountable Care Solutions Product Segment by Type2.4.1 United States Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and Growth by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.4.2 United States Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)2.4.3 United States Accountable Care Solutions Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)2.4.4 United States Accountable Care Solutions Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)Send An Enquiry :3 Accountable Care Solutions Application/End Users3.1 Accountable Care Solutions Segment by Application/End Users3.1.1 Healthcare Provider3.1.2 Healthcare Payer3.2 Global Accountable Care Solutions Product Segment by Application3.2.1 Global Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.2.2 Global Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)3.3 United States Accountable Care Solutions Product Segment by Application3.3.1 United States Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.3.2 United States Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)4 Accountable Care Solutions Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1 Global Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1.1 Global Accountable Care Solutions Market Size and CAGR by Regions (2012, 2016 and 2022)4.1.2 North America4.1.3 Asia-Pacific4.1.4 Europe4.1.5 South America4.1.6 Middle East and Africa4.1.7 United States4.2 Global Accountable Care Solutions Sales and Revenue by Regions4.2.1 Global Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)4.2.2 Global Accountable Care Solutions Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)4.2.3 Global Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.4 North America Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.5 Europe Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.6 Asia-Pacific Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.7 South America Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4.2.8 Middle East and Africa Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)4.2.9 United States Accountable Care Solutions Sales (K Units), Revenue (Million USD), Price (USD/Unit) and Gross Margin (2012-2017)MRRbiz supports your business intelligence needs with over 700,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. 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Market Prospects and Highlights:Transformer Oil is used as insulator and coolant in transformers by energy and power industry. The Global Transformer Oil Market has seen a potential growth over the past years and as per MRFR analysis, the Global Market is expected to reach USD 3,614.1 million by 2022 from USD 2,100 million with a CAGR of 8.29%. Globe is facing rise of demand for electricity which will lead to the installation of new transformer, replacement of old transformer, installation of grid infrastructure which will lead the market for transformer oil market. Moreover, old and existing networks are not able to meet the new demand for power has resulted to modification of the transmission and distribution grid infrastructure. This will impact the growth of the transformer oil market in the forecasted year. However, increasing adoption of dry transformer and volatility in crude oil prices is expected to hamper the market, on account of growing transmission and distribution network across globe.Key Findings in Report: Asia-Pacific accounts for the largest share of 40% in the global transformer oil market in 2015. Naphthenic accounted for the largest market share of 54.60% in 2014, with a market value of USD 1,146.6 million and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.44% during the forecast period. Large Transformers accounted for the largest market share of 49.00% in 2014, with a market value of USD 1,029.0 million and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.99% during the forecast period. China accounted for the largest market share of 44.00% in 2014, with a market value of USD 369.6 million and is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 9.98% during the forecast period.Receive a Sample Report upon Request @Top Key Players:The Key Players of Global Transformer Oil Market Report include- Nynas AB, Ergon Inc., Petrochina Company Limited, APAR Industries Limited, Calumet Specialty Products Partners L.P., Sinopec Corporation, Hydrodec Group PLC, Cargill Incorporated, Engen Petroleum Limited, Valvoline, San Joaquin Refining Co. Inc., and Gandhar Oil Refinery India Limited.Regional Analysis of Global Transformer Oil Market:Asia Pacific held the largest share of 40% within the Transformer Oil market in 2015, and is expected to retain its majority by 2022. Followed by APAC, North America and Europe region is expected to compete each other in terms of both value and volume. Countries like China and India has a high demand for the Transformer oil for expansion of electric networks and installation of transformer. Transformer oil market will be driven by the growth of transmission and distribution network all across the globe. The growth for transformer oil will be slower in Americas and Europe region, as they are more depended on renewable sources then conventional sources of energy.Report Details @Market Segmentation:Global Transformer Oil Market has been segmented into: Types: Naphthenic, Paraffanic, Silicone Based and Bio Based Application: Small Transformer, Large Transormer, Utility and others Region: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and RoWThe report covers brief analysis of country level market information  Asia-Pacifico Chinao Indiao Japano Rest of Asia-Pacific North Americao U.S.o Canadao Mexico Europeo Russiao Germanyo Franceo U.K.o Rest of Europe Rest of the Worldo Brazilo Saudi Arabiao Argentinao South Africao OthersAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Financial Fraud Detection Software Business Trends That Will Drive Success In 2022

Financial Fraud Detection Software

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1306514-financial-fraud-detection-software-global-market-outlook-2016-2022

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The Global Financial Fraud Detection Software Market Research Report provides detailed analysis of the key regional market status of the Financial Fraud Detection Software Industry.According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Financial Fraud Detection Software market is expected to grow from $XX million in 2016 to reach $XX million by 2022 with a CAGR of XX%. Increasing growth in internet transactions, growing fraudulent activities, and raising mobile banking transactions are some of the factors boosting the market growth. In addition, recent developments in fraud detection software, raising adoption of big data analytics are propelling the market growth. However, lack of skilled professionals, high deployment of software costs is impeding the market growth.North America accounted for the largest share in the financial fraud detection software market. Increasing awareness about the benefits of fraud detection is expected to drive the market in this region. Asia Pacific is expected to witness fastest growth on account of rising concerns of safety & security and increasing government projects.Some of the key players in global financial fraud detection software market includeACTICO GmbH, AimBrain, CipherCloud, Digital Resolve, Easy Solutions,Inc., Experian Information Solutions, Inc., FraudLabs Pro, Gemalto NV, Global Vision Systems, Kount Inc., Oracle, Riskified Ltd., SAS, SEKUR.me, SIGNIFYD Inc, and ValidSoft.Sample Copy @Deployment types Covered: Claim Frauds Credit/Debit Card Fraud Identity Theft Money Laundering Subscription Frauds Wire Transfer FraudEnd Users Covered: Educational Institutions Financial Enterprises Government Healthcare Manufacturing Sector Other End UsersRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 6 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsTable Of Content1 Executive Summary2 Preface2.1 Abstract2.2 Stake Holders2.3 Research Scope2.4 Research Methodology2.4.1 Data Mining2.4.2 Data Analysis2.4.3 Data Validation2.4.4 Research Approach2.5 Research Sources2.5.1 Primary Research Sources2.5.2 Secondary Research Sources2.5.3 Assumptions3 Market Trend Analysis3.1 Introduction3.2 Drivers3.3 Restraints3.4 Opportunities3.5 Threats3.6 End User Analysis3.7 Emerging Markets3.8 Futuristic Market Scenario4 Porters Five Force Analysis4.1 Bargaining power of suppliers4.2 Bargaining power of buyers4.3 Threat of substitutes4.4 Threat of new entrants4.5 Competitive rivalry5 Global Financial Fraud Detection Software Market, By Deployment type5.1 Introduction5.2 Claim Frauds5.3 Credit/Debit Card Fraud5.4 Identity Theft5.5 Money Laundering5.6 Subscription Frauds5.7 Wire Transfer Fraud9 Company Profiling9.1 ACTICO GmbH9.2 AimBrain9.3 CipherCloud9.4 Digital Resolve9.5 Easy Solutions,Inc.9.6 Experian Information Solutions, Inc.9.7 FraudLabs Pro9.8 Gemalto NV9.9 Global Vision Systems9.10 Kount Inc.9.11 Oracle9.12 Riskified Ltd.9.13 SAS9.14 SEKUR.me9.15 SIGNIFYD Inc9.16 ValidSoftCONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Pune, India
Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump Market 2016 Research Analysis, Current Business Stats aand Forecast 2022

Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump Market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/891

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/air-operated-double-diaphragm-pumps-market-891

Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump Market Synopsis:Market Prospects and Highlights:Increased widespread application in the Chemical industry is one of the key factors which are contributing to the growth of the Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pumps Market. The Air Operated Double Diaphragm Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2%. Rapid development of Global infrastructure and investment in cosmetics and pharmaceutical are some of the other factors which contribute to the growth of the air operated double diaphragm pumps.Completive Analysis and Key Players:The companies in this market have adopted various strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, expansions, and new product developments to append their market share.Some of the key players in the Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump Market are: Graco Warren Rupp Wilden TAPFLO ARO DellMeco Verder Murzan Debem DepaReceive a Sample Report upon Request @Key Findings in Report:The key findings of the report Global Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump market includes: Increasing incidence of rapid integration in the Food and Beverage Industry. Geographically, Europe dominates the AODD pump market Water Treatment and Chemical industry dominate the market in terms of market share.Regional Analysis of Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump Market:Europe is one of the leading markets mainly due to the flourishing food and beverage and water treatment market. Middle East has also shown immense potential mainly owing to their efforts of reducing dependency on their oil and gas market which provides opportunities to a flourishing water treatment market translating into demand for AODD pumps.Details of Report @Market Segments:The air operated double diaphragm pump market can be segmented on the basis of sector applications as Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics, Mining, Marine, Water Treatment, Food and Beverage. On the basis of valves the market has been segmented as Flap and plate.Intended Audience: Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump manufacturing companies Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pump service providers Industry Consultants and Investment bankers Government as well as Independent Regulatory AuthoritiesAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
2017 Cryopump Market Research Report for Period 2017 till 2022 SHI Cryogenics Group, UlVac, Brooks, Leybold and Others

Market Reports Company

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http://marketreportscompany.com/category_reports.php?industry=Equipment&id=24

http://marketreportscompany.com/report.php?report=equipment/global-cryopump-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022/17049

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http://marketreportscompany.com

Global cryopump market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely SHI Cryogenics Group, UlVac, Brooks, Leybold and others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2022 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.A cryopump or a cryogenic pump is a Vacuum pump that traps gases and Vapours by condensing them on a cold surface, but are only effectiVe on some gases. The effectiVeness depends on the freezing and boiling points of the gas relatiVe to the cryopump's temperature. They are sometimes used to block particular contaminants, for example in front of a diffusion pump to trap backstreaming oil, or in front of a McLeod gauge to keep out water. In this function, they are called a cryotrap, waterpump or cold trap, eVen though the physical mechanism is the same as for a cryopump.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Cryopump Market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:SHI Cryogenics GroupUlVacBrooksLeybold and OthersTrilliumPHPK TechnologiesVacreeOthersCryopump Market: Key Product Type:4000std. literCryopump Market: Key ApplicationSemiconductor ManufacturingVacuum CoatingParticle AcceleratorsSputter Deposition SystemsOther ApplicationsCryopump market belongs to equipment industry and it comprise of detailed quantitative as well as qualitative information for cryopump market. This research report provides consumption data and expected growth rate for major consuming regions worldwide. cryopump market report provides detailed segmentation for market of cryopump based on products, applications, and size industry for all major regions and countries. This market research study further provides detailed information pertaining to global production, import and export data for all key regions across the globe. Moreover, this study further provides major drivers, restraints impacting cryopump market. Additionally, the report provides the comprehensive study of expected opportunities in cryopump market in coming future.The cryopump market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of cryopump market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The cryopump market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Related Reports:Enquire before Buying @Cryopump Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Business week, etc.Table of Contents1 Market OVerView1.1 Cryopump Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 4000std. liter1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Semiconductor Manufacturing1.3.2 Vacuum Coating1.3.3 Particle Accelerators1.3.4 Sputter Deposition Systems1.3.5 Other Applications1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)........................ continue (About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters.What can we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street,Chicago,Illinois, 60602United States
2017 Worldwide Debt Collection Software Market Report for Period 2017 till 2022 Experian, CDS Software, Quantrax Corp, Comtech Systems, ICCO and Others

https://goo.gl/mNQPb8

http://marketreportscompany.com/category_reports.php?industry=Technology-and-Media&id=23

http://marketreportscompany.com/report.php?report=technology-and-media/global-debt-collection-software-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022/17071

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http://marketreportscompany.com

Global debt collection software market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Experian, CDS Software, Quantrax Corp, Comtech Systems, ICCO , Totality Software, Comtech Systems, CODIX, SeikoSoft, Decca Software, Collect Tech, Click, Notices, Codewell Software, SPN, Adtec Software, JST, Indigo Cloud, Pamar Systems, CollectMORE LegalSoft and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2022 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Debt collection software is used to automate the management and accounting process to go after overdue invoices on behalf of an organization or a specialized collection agency.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Debt Collection Software Market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:ExperianCDS SoftwareComtronic SystemsQuantrax CorpICCOTotality SoftwareComtech SystemsCODIXSeikoSoftDecca SoftwareCollect TechClick NoticesCodewell SoftwareSPNAdtec SoftwareJSTIndigo CloudPamar SystemsCollectMOREKuhlektLariat SoftwareCase MasterTrioSoftLegalSoftOthersDebt Collection Software Market: Key ApplicationCollection AgenciesFinance CompaniesRetail FirmsLaw Firms & Government DepartmentsOthersDebt collection software market belongs to technology industry and it comprise of detailed quantitative as well as qualitative information for Debt collection software market. This research report provides consumption data and expected growth rate for major consuming regions worldwide. Debt collection software market report provides detailed segmentation for market of Debt collection software based on products, applications, and size industry for all major regions and countries. This market research study further provides detailed information pertaining to global production, import and export data for all key regions across the globe. Moreover, this study further provides major drivers, restraints impacting Debt collection software market. Additionally, the report provides the comprehensive study of expected opportunities in Debt collection software market in coming future.The debt collection software market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of debt collection software market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Debt collection software market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Related Reports:Enquire before Buying @Debt Collection Software Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Business week, etc.Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Debt Collection Software Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Collection Agencies1.3.2 Finance Companies1.3.3 Retail Firms1.3.4 Law Firms & Government Departments1.3.5 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa.....................................Continue (About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters.What can we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street,Chicago,Illinois, 60602United States
Sawmill Market - Global Industry Key Players, Development Status, Type and Application, Forecast 2017 to 2022

Sawmill Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1918944-global-sawmill-detailed-analysis-report-2017-2022

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/1918944-global-sawmill-detailed-analysis-report-2017-2022

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Global Sawmill Market 2017 Key Players, Share, Supply, Demand, Growth, Application, Analysis and Forecast to 2022Global Sawmill Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Sawmill Market 2017 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2022reports to its database.WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On Executive Summary:This report mainly introduces volume and value market share by players, by regions, by product type, by consumers and also their price change details. As a Detailed Analysis report, it covers all details inside analysis and opinion in Sawmill industry.This report splits Sawmill market By Lumber Source, By Size, which covers the history data information from 2012 to 2016 and forecast from 2017 to 2022.This report focuses Global market, it covers details as following:Major CompaniesWest FraserCanforWeyerhaeuserStora EnsoGeorgia-PacificInterforSierra Pacific IndustriesHampton AffiliatesAraucoTolkoHolzindustrie SchweighoferPheiferKlausner Holz ThuringenSodraSCAAnte-holz GmbHTembecMoelvenRettenmeier GroupHyne TimberRequest Sample Report Here @...Main RegionsNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaLatin AmericaMexicoBrazilArgentinaOthersEuropeGermanyUnited KingdomFranceItalySpainRussiaNetherlandOthersAsia & PacificChinaJapanIndiaKoreaAustraliaSoutheast AsiaIndonesiaThailandPhilippinesVietnamSingaporeMalaysiaOthersAfrica & Middle EastSouth AfricaEgyptTurkeySaudi ArabiaIranOthersMain Product TypeSawmill Market, by Lumber SourceSoftwood LumberHardwood LumberSawmill Market, by SizeLog Diameter:36 (90 cm)Log Diameter:29" (72 cm)OtherMain ApplicationsConstructionFurniturePackaging and joinery industriesOthersEnquiry Before Buying @Some Major Points from Table of ConSawmill:Table of ConSawmillsGlobal Sawmill Detailed Analysis Report 2017-2022Chapter One Sawmill Market Overview1.1 Global Sawmill Market Sales Volume Revenue and Price 2012-20221.2 Sawmill, By Lumber Source 2012-20221.2.1 Global Sawmill Sales Market Share by Lumber Source 2012-20221.2.2 Global Sawmill Revenue Market Share by Lumber Source 2012-20221.2.3 Global Sawmill Price by Lumber Source 2012-20221.2.4 Softwood Lumber1.2.5 Hardwood Lumber1.3 Sawmill, by Size 2012-20221.3.1 Global Sawmill Sales Market Share by Size 2012-20221.3.2 Global Sawmill Revenue Market Share by Size 2012-20221.3.3 Global Sawmill Price by Size 2012-20221.3.4 Log Diameter:36 (90 cm)1.3.5 Log Diameter:29" (72 cm)1.3.6 OtherChapter Two Sawmill by Regions 2012-20172.1 Global Sawmill Sales Market Share by Regions 2012-20172.2 Global Sawmill Revenue Market Share by Regions 2012-20172.3 Global Sawmill Price by Regions 2012-20172.4 North America2.4.1 United States2.4.2 Canada2.5 Latin America2.5.1 Mexico2.5.2 Brazil2.5.3 Argentina2.5.4 Others in Latin America2.6 Europe2.6.1 Germany2.6.2 United Kingdom2.6.3 France2.6.4 Italy2.6.5 Spain2.6.6 Russia2.6.7 Netherland2.6.8 Others in EuropeChapter Three Sawmill by Players 2012-20173.1 Global Sawmill Sales Volume Market Share by Players 2012-20173.2 Global Sawmill Revenue Share by Players 2012-20173.3 Global Top Players Sawmill Key Product Model and Market Performance3.4 Global Top Players Sawmill Key Target Consumers and Market PerformanceChapter Four Sawmill by Consumer 2012-20174.1 Global Sawmill Sales Market Share by Consumer 2012-20174.2 Construction4.3 Furniture4.4 Packaging and joinery industries4.5 Others4.6 Consuming Habit and PreferenceChapter Five Global Top Players Profile5.1 West Fraser5.1.1 West Fraser Company Details and Competitors5.1.2 West Fraser Key Sawmill Models and Performance5.1.3 West Fraser Sawmill Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.1.4 West Fraser Sawmill Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.2 Canfor5.2.1 Canfor Company Details and Competitors5.2.2 Canfor Key Sawmill Models and Performance5.2.3 Canfor Sawmill Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.2.4 Canfor Sawmill Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.3 Weyerhaeuser5.3.1 Weyerhaeuser Company Details and Competitors5.3.2 Weyerhaeuser Key Sawmill Models and Performance5.3.3 Weyerhaeuser Sawmill Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.3.4 Weyerhaeuser Sawmill Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.4 Stora Enso5.4.1 Stora Enso Company Details and Competitors5.4.2 Stora Enso Key Sawmill Models and Performance5.4.3 Stora Enso Sawmill Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.4.4 Stora Enso Sawmill Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.5 Georgia-Pacific5.5.1 Georgia-Pacific Company Details and Competitors5.5.2 Georgia-Pacific Key Sawmill Models and Performance5.5.3 Georgia-Pacific Sawmill Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.5.4 Georgia-Pacific Sawmill Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross Margin5.6 Interfor5.6.1 Interfor Company Details and Competitors5.6.2 Interfor Key Sawmill Models and Performance5.6.3 Interfor Sawmill Business SWOT Analysis and Forecast5.6.4 Interfor Sawmill Sales Volume Revenue Price Cost and Gross MarginChapter Six Industry Chain and Supply Chain6.1 Sawmill Industry Chain Structure6.1.1 R&D6.1.2 Raw Materials (Components)6.1.3 Manufacturing Plants6.1.4 Regional Trading (Import Export and Local Sales)6.1.5 Online Sales Channel6.1.6 Offline Channel6.1.7 End Users6.2 Sawmill Manufacturing6.2.1 Key Components6.2.2 Assembly Manufacturing6.3 Consumer Preference6.4 Behavioral Habits6.5 Marketing EnvironmentCONTINUEDPurchase Report @More about WiseGuyReports:Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD.Office No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India
2017 Disc Blades Market Research Report for Period 2017 till 2022 Niaux, Bellota Agrisolutions, John Deere, Osmundson Mfg., Campoagricola and Others

https://goo.gl/9CCy7a

http://marketreportscompany.com/category_reports.php?industry=Equipment&id=24

http://marketreportscompany.com/report.php?report=healthcare/global-disc

https://goo.gl/9CCy7a

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Global disc blades market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Niaux, Bellota Agrisolutions, John Deere, Osmundson Mfg., Campoagricola and others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2022 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.This report studies the Disc Blades market. Disc blades are a farm implement that is used to till the soil where crops are to be planted. It is also used to chop up unwanted weeds or crop remainders. Usually disc blades consist of carbon steel.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Disc Blades Market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report: Niaux Bellota Agrisolutions John Deere Osmundson Mfg. Campoagricola OthersDisc Blades Market: Key Product Type: Flat Disc Blades Concave Disc BladesDisc Blades Market: Key Application Original Equipment Manufacturing ReplacementDisc blades market belongs to equipment industry and it comprise of detailed quantitative as well as qualitative information for disc blades market. This research report provides consumption data and expected growth rate for major consuming regions worldwide. Disc blades market report provides detailed segmentation for market of disc blades based on products, applications, and size industry for all major regions and countries. This market research study further provides detailed information pertaining to global production, import and export data for all key regions across the globe. Moreover, this study further provides major drivers, restraints impacting disc blades market. Additionally, the report provides the comprehensive study of expected opportunities in disc blades market in coming future.The disc blades market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of disc blades market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The disc blades market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Related Reports:Enquire before Buying @blades-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022/17067Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Disc Blades Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Flat Disc Blades1.2.2 Concave Disc Blades1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Original Equipment Manufacturing1.3.2 Replacement1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Niaux2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Disc Blades Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Niaux Disc Blades Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Bellota Agrisolutions2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Disc Blades Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 1.................................................Continue (Disc Blades Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Business week, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters.What can we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street,Chicago,Illinois, 60602United States
www.ist.ac.at

Carrie Bernecky and Florian Schur will join IST Austria as assistant professors  New Cryo-EM Facility to be built to support research---The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) will grow to include two new structural biologists by early next year. Carrie Bernecky, arriving in January 2018, completed her doctoral studies in biochemistry at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Gottingen, Germany. Florian Schur, arriving this October, obtained his PhD at the Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg, Germany and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, with emphases in structural biology, virology, and computational biology. Still based in Heidelberg, he is a now a visiting scientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Both Bernecky and Schur will join IST Austria as assistant professors, and will bring with them their expertise in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). A new cryo-EM facility will be built to enable their research and bring new scientific capabilities to IST Austria.Cryo-EM is a revolutionary new technique for studying specimens at scales down to near-atomic resolutions without the need of chemical treatment, which can change or damage the original structure of the specimen. By studying the sample at cryogenic temperatures, specimens can be viewed in their native environment. Carrie Bernecky works to understand the biological activities of RNA, and in her research, she will investigate the regulatory functions of human noncoding RNAs using a variety of structural and biochemical techniques. Her eventual aim is to understand if and how modes of noncoding RNA function can be used to develop tools applicable to human disease. Cryo-EM will in particular provide the capability to study the structure and dynamics of protein-RNA complexes.Florian Schur plans to investigate proteins and macromolecular assemblies in the actin cytoskeleton of migrating cells; cryo-EM allows him to study these delicate structures in situ, allowing him to understand their function under physiological but also pathological conditions, e.g. viral infection. Together with his group, he plans to pursue a research program that combines multi-disciplinary techniques such as electron microscopy with structural biology, cell biology and virology. Along the way, he intends to actively contribute to the development of cryo-EM techniques and methodology.President Tom Henzinger welcomes the new faculty members and the opportunities that will be available thanks to the new facility: Cryo-electron microscopy is a revolutionary technology, one that will soon be a must-have for most researchers in the life sciences. In order for IST Austria to be competitive in this area, we will acquire this capability, and the researchers with the skill and vision to make use of it. Our new structural biologists will bring this, and great science, to the Institute.IST AustriaThe Institute of Science and Technology (IST Austria) is a PhD granting research institution located in Klosterneuburg, 18 km from the center of Vienna, Austria. Inaugurated in 2009, the Institute is dedicated to basic research in the natural and mathematical sciences. IST Austria employs professors on a tenure-track system, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students at its international graduate school. While dedicated to the principle of curiosity-driven research, the Institute owns the rights to all scientific discoveries and is committed to promote their use. The first president of IST Austria is Thomas A. Henzinger, a leading computer scientist and former professor at the University of California in Berkeley, USA, and the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland.Quelle: idw
LOS ANGELES  A Los Angeles jury issued a $417 million verdict Monday against Johnson & Johnson, finding the company liable for failing to warn a 63-year-old woman diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer about the risks of using its talcum products.

Eva Echeverria was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007.

The verdict marks the largest award yet in a number of suits claiming that the company's talc powder causes ovarian cancer. More than 300 lawsuits are pending in California and more than 4,500 claims in the rest of the country, alleging that the health care giant ignored studies linking its Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower products to cancer.

The plaintiff, Eva Echeverria, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007. A surgeon removed a softball-sized tumor, but Echeverria is now near death and was unable to attend the trial, one of her attorneys said.

In a video-recorded deposition played for the jury, she testified she used the Johnson's Baby Powder from age 11 until 2016, when she saw a news story about a woman with ovarian cancer who had also used the product. The talc is one of the company's best-known products, marketed at one point with the jingle, "A sprinkle a day helps keep the odor away."

Echeverria testified that if Johnson & Johnson, which earned a profit of $16.5 billion last year, had put a warning on the product, she would have stopped using it.

After two days of deliberating, jurors awarded Echeverria $70 million in compensatory damages and $347 million in punitive damages. The jury panel found there was a connection between her ovarian cancer and the baby powder.

"We are grateful for the jury's verdict on this matter and that Eva Echeverria was able to have her day in court," said Mark Robinson, one of her attorneys, who accused Johnson & Johnson of "covering up the truth for so many years."

Johnson & Johnson immediately announced it would seek to overturn the verdict.

"We will appeal today's verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder," the company said in a statement.

During the trial, the company's lawyers argued that various scientific studies as well as federal agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, had not found that talc products are carcinogenic.

-- Los Angeles Times
Upset over the merger of rival factions of AIADMK, MLAs loyal to Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran have told Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao that they have lost confidence in Chief Minister EK Palaniswami.

By Pramod Madhav: As Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EPS and his deputy OPS were shaking hands for an AIADMK merger, organisational secretary Vaithiyalingam had said a general council meeting will be called for to ascertain the future of Sasikala in the party. More than the merger, his comments lighted the fuse leading to events which are now shaking the foundation of the EPS government.

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19 MLAs led by Vetrivel and Thangathamiz Selvan visited Jayalalithaa memorial on Monday night and the next day, they met the Governor, submitting letters stating their withdrawal of support to CM Edapadi K Palaniswami (not the government). Of course, Thangathamiz Selvan later clarified that they knew Governor can't help in the situation but just wanted to highlight their point.

"We are not happy with what EPS did. He has brought in the group which opposed the government and tried to break the party. We no longer support him," he said.

The drama did not end with that as the MLAs left for Mahabalipuram, had lunch for nearly 90 minutes at Delhi Dhaaba in ECR and left for Puducherry. The MLAs will stay in the resort for at least 4 days - enough to give multiple panic attack to EPS. TTV Dinakaran did not react for the whole day.

Amidst this chaos, DMK working president MK Stalin wrote a letter to Governor seeking him to direct EPS to prove his majority on the floor.

"Any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove his majority in the instant case will pave way for continuance of an unconstitutional government and will destabilise the democratic norms and precedence," he cautioned the governor.

Yet, TTV faction MLAs assured that their vendetta is only against EPS who was chosen by Sasikala as the CM and not against the government. But when asked if they would support DMK on a floor test, they didn't have an answer.

As TTV faction MLAs were on their way towards Puducherry, CM EPS and OPS allegedly had a discussion on the turn of events. Nothing coherent was derived from their discussion and so they've reportedly decided to pacify the MLAs by all means.

"We don't want the government to topple but if they are stupid enough to try and remove Chinnamma from the party, we are left with no other choice. CM EPS also very well knows that if there is no government, he will not even have 6 MLAs by his side. So he now knows how TTV can react if pushed in the wrong way," explained an MLA from TTV camp.

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Chief Minister EPS who thought that the merger would end his trouble hoping the Centre would back him had for some reason forgotten about the ground reality in the state and within the party.

As these developments are only considered as 'Chapter-2, The Blackmail' with the first chapter being 'The Merger', script for chapter-3 'The Evidence' has also been drafted.

ALSO READ

From many false starts to finally the AIADMK merger, a look at all major events leading to the Palaniswami-Panneerselvam handshake

Sasikala is a sacrifice queen, says TTV Dinakaran in show of strength at 22,000-strong rally

Kamal Haasan on AIADMK merger: Clown's cap on Tamilian's head, rise up Tamizha

ALSO WATCH

AIADMK merger: With broad smiles and a handshake, OPS-EPS seal the deal after months of drama

--- ENDS ---
WASHINGTON -- Richard Cordray, the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, went on the offensive Tuesday to publicly defend an agency rule that has roiled Wall Street by allowing consumers to band together and sue their banks.

The so-called arbitration rule takes aim at the fine print in many of the agreements that consumers sign when they apply for credit cards or bank accounts. These agreements typically require customers to settle any disputes through arbitration in which a third party rules on the matter. A new CFPB rule would weaken a company's ability to make arbitration mandatory, allowing more people to file or join a lawsuit to press their claim.

"In truth, by blocking group lawsuits, mandatory arbitration clauses eliminate a powerful means to get justice when a little harm happens to a lot of people," Cordray said in an editorial in the New York Times.

Arbitration is shaping up to potentially be one of Cordray's last major battle as the head of the CFPB, a watchdog agency established after the 2008 financial crisis to police the financial sectors' interactions with consumers. The agency -- and Cordray -- have been in the crosshairs of Republicans for years. The agency needs to be reined in and become more accountable to Congress, critics say.

In defending the rule, Cordray argued it might cost banks $1 billion a year, compared with the record $171 billion profit the industry made last year.

"It is the height of hypocrisy for companies to say they're helping consumers by closing off the very same legal option they use when they've been wronged," he said.

Republicans in the House passed legislation to block the rule last month and the Senate is slated to take up similar legislation after its August recess. Critics say the rule helps trial attorneys more than consumers.

Cordray's critics have turned up the heat amid speculation that he plans to run for governor of Ohio where he once served as state attorney general. Cordray, whose term doesn't end until next year, should resign now if he plans to run for political office, his critics have said. He is one of the last remaining agency heads left from the Obama administration.

In an April hearing, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas,, one of CFPB's chief critics, pointedly brought up Cordray's rumored political ambitions.

"[I'm] surprised to see you here in that, as you well know, there have been many press reports saying that you would have otherwise returned to Ohio to pursue a gubernatorial bid. Perhaps the rumors of your political aspirations are greatly exaggerated," Hensarling said.

Cordray, who has repeatedly declined to discuss the matter, had no comment for this article, according to an agency spokesman.

Despite being noncommittal, there is already a website opposing his candidacy. The site, www.cordray2018.com, initially appears to be pro-Cordray. It features an "Ohio for Cordray" slogan at the top and a large picture of the Democrat.

But then the site attacks Cordray and calls the CFPB "one of America's most corrupt government agencies."

"The CFPB is doesn't answer to Congress and it has been plagued by SCANDAL during Richard Cordray's reign," the site says. "In 2018, Richard Cordray is expected to run for Governor of Ohio, But before he leaves the CFPB he rushed through new rules that will MASSIVELY benefit his trial lawyers friends."

-- The Washington Post
The son of Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts was arrested over the weekend by an Oregon State Police trooper on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Ryan D. Roberts, 20, is accused of driving under the influence of intoxicants early Sunday.

Ryan D. Roberts, 20, was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Sunday on the Charbonneau offramp of Interstate 5, according to the Oregon State Police. According to the police log, Trooper Patricia Hernandez saw a car blocking the roadway.

Roberts, the driver, "showed signs of impairment." He initially refused to submit to a voluntary field sobriety test, but agreed to physical tests.

Roberts, who listed his father's home as his address, was arrested without incident, police said. He was booked into the Clackamas County Jail on an accusation of driving under the influence of intoxicants.

A breath sample taken in jail showed Roberts' had a blood alcohol content of .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit. The legal age for drinking alcohol is 21 in Oregon.

Roberts' father was notified by law enforcement only after his son's arrest.

After receiving questions Monday about the incident from The Oregonian/OregonLive, Roberts issued a statement saying he received a call at 1:45 a.m. Sunday that his son had been arrested by state police.

He said he is "grateful" to the state police for holding his son accountable "and keeping our roads safe."

"I am writing to speak openly about this because I cannot emphasize enough that impaired driving is a serious offense that risks far too many lives," he said. "When you get behind the wheel under the influence, you put your own life in danger and you jeopardize the safety of everyone else on the road."

"The legal and financial consequences of driving under the influence are quickly learned after an arrest. But that's only the beginning of a longer journey," he said. "I love my son, and our family will stand beside him as he answers tough questions for himself and faces the consequences of his actions."

Roberts' son is scheduled to appear in Clackamas County Circuit Court on Sept. 20.

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
By PTI: (Eds: Adding details)

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made a direct pitch to entrepreneurs to become soldiers of development and help India cut down dependence on imports while ensuring it becomes a less-cash economy.

Addressing over 200 CEOs and startups here, he asked them to work towards increasing agricultural exports and promoting tourism.

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"Gandhiji made Independence a mass movement. Every government has tried to take India forward. But development has not become a mass movement," Modi said at the Champions of Change initiative organised by the Niti Aayog here.

"In the same spirit as what Mahatma Gandhi did for the freedom struggle, we need to make Indias development a mass movement," he emphasised.

Calling on the entrepreneurs to become soldiers of development, Modi said that by working together "we can solve several problems the country faces".

Stressing that India needs to move towards becoming a less-cash society, he asked the CEOs to encourage the use of BHIM app for cashless transactions and ensure by 2022 that employees go cashless.

He also asked them to try out khadi coupons as Diwali gifts.

Referring to tourism and its enormous potential in job creation, Modi said: "We Indians dont take pride in our rich heritage. If we begin talking about it with pride, the world will be desperate to visit India."

The prime minister spoke of end-to-end solutions for India. "If this generation thinks of feasible solutions to our unique problems, markets and jobs will automatically be created," he added.

On various initiatives of his government, Modi talked about GeM (Government-e-Market) portal that was introduced recently to increase transparency in government purchases.

He pointed out that even small suppliers can sell their products to the government through the portal.

As many as 28,000 small suppliers have sold their products worth Rs 1,000 crore to the government through the portal in the past 4-6 months.

Calling the CEOs as his team, Modi made the point that that Indias development must be made a mass movement and entrepreneurs should think of what more they can do for the countrys growth and the poor.

He asked them to provide policy inputs and be the harbinger for change.

For the government, he said, welfare of its citizens and their happiness is supreme.

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He regretted that around Rs 1 lakh crore of agri products -- from fruits to vegetables -- go waste because of lack of infrastructure.

Giving the example of value addition in agriculture, the prime minister said a multi-pronged approach is essential for achieving desired objectives such as doubling of agriculture income.

Highlighting the importance of food processing, he said lack of infrastructure is leading to huge losses in the agriculture sector.

Modi stressed on the need to focus on export-oriented agri products, saying innovative ideas like cultivating timber on fringes of farm land will help achieve the goal of doubling farmers income.

Six groups of the CEOs made presentations before the prime minister on themes such as Make in India, Doubling Farmers Income, World Class Infrastructure, Cities of Tomorrow, Reforming the Financial Sector and New India by 2022.

Appreciating the new ideas and innovations envisaged in the presentations made by the CEOs, Modi thanked them for the valuable inputs and time devoted to ideation for the benefit of the country.

He added that the key decision making team of the government has listened carefully to the presentations, and will surely benefit in their policy-making, from the 360 degree view of issues that have been presented.

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Among others, the CEO offered suggestions on doubling farmers income through scrapping of the APMC Act and enabling an open market for agricultural products in India.

A suggestion was also made to transform 700 district headquarters hospitals into medical centres through PPP and hub and spoke mode within a time-bound action plan. PTI BKS NKD CS ANZ ARD

--- ENDS ---
National Green Tribunal today asked all civic agencies to work together for the restoration of Bellandur lake.

By Nolan Pinto: A few days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) summoned the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department and the CEO of the Lake Development Authority, all the top officers were present at the hearing today.

Additional Advocate General (AAG) Aditya Sondi was also present when the NGT directed all the departments to work together and prepare a working plan to rejuvenate the highly polluted and toxic Bellandur Lake.

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The Tribunal has further directed all senior officials to personally inspect the compliance before placing facts before the NGT. The NGT has set some primary agendas for the civic agencies to follow.

The agendas are - removal of slit from the lake, removal of municipal solid waste (MSW) and construction and debris (C&D)waste and upgradation of existing and upcoming sewage treatment plants (STPs) capacity, technology and parameters in all residential complexes around the lake to the standards prescribed by Central Pollution Control Board. The agendas also include treatment of sewage.

During the arguments, AAG Sondi submitted that all MSW, C&D has been removed.

This is when the Tribunal asked the CEO of Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) to make the statement on record confirming the same and that a commissioner would be sent right away to inspect the lake. But the CEO refused to make a statement on record.

DISCREPANCY IN SEWAGE TREATMENT

The Tribunal was further informed that out of 480 million litres per day (MLD) of waste water/sewage discharged towards the Bellandur lake, only 308 MLD is being treated.

However, according to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) data on waste water/sewage flowing into the Koramangala and Challaghatta Valley towards Bellandur and Varthur Lakes is about 576 MLD.

The officials from the state informed the NGT that the reasons for froth in the Bellandur lake is due to the presence of phosphorous from detergent waste of residential complexes, which the existing STPs cannot treat.

All officers have been directed to be present on the next hearing on September 8, 2017.

Also Read:

Bellandur toxic foam: CM Siddaramiah says problem will be solved in 2 years

Watch: Cars in Bengaluru submerge in toxic foam spilled at Yelamur bridge

WATCH | NGT calls emergency hearing on Bellandur Lake's toxic foam

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Kolkata, Aug 22 (PTI) Extending an olive branch, the West Bengal government today invited the GNLF for talks on August 29 on the Darjeeling stalemate, but snubbed agitation spearhead GJM.

"I received a letter from the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) last night and within 24 hours we have responded. Doors for a dialogue have to be always kept open," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told a press conference at the state secretariat after returning from a visit to flood-affected areas of north Bengal.

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She said that the state government accepted the proposal of the GNLF, a constituent of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC), for a dialogue and fixed August 29 for the discussion at the state secretariat.

But Banerjee made no mention of agitation spearhead Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

Miffed with the West Bengal government for responding to GNLFs appeal for talks, GMCC convenor and GJM vice president Kalyan Dewan said a dialogue can only be successful if the main stake holders of the Gorkhaland movement are invited for talks.

"Responding to GNLFs appeal is nothing but an effort to undermine the GJM and GMCC," Dewan told PTI.

Describing the request of the GNLF to hold dialogue as a "good and constructive gesture", Banerjee said, "Major political parties and development boards, which have been involved in development work in the hills, will be invited for the meeting."

The chief minister said, "The state government is for development and always open to hold talks to restore peace in the hills."

Banerjee said only the GNLF till now had expressed its willingness for talks to end the indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling.

The agitation entered its 69th day today.

"A stalemate is continuing in the hills. Any other major political party apart from the GNLF, which is in favour of peace and willing to participate in talks, is welcome. My government is always ready for talks," she said.

Recalling that meetings were earlier held to initiate a dialogue, Banerjee said, "I had held a meeting with the chairmen of different (development) boards."

She said, later, state Chief Secretary Maloy Kumar Dey also held a meeting but not all representatives of various parties participated in it.

Banerjee said there would be discussion on the destruction and vandalism which affected normal life and tourism.

"The police and general public have shown restraint. A few people have lost their lives in the current unrest. Many government and private properties in the hills were destroyed during this period. There will be discussions on them also," she said

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She said that normalcy was being restored slowly in different parts of Darjeeling and Mirik.

Dewan said, "The Gorkhaland movement is led by the GJM and it is the GJM which called the indefinite shutdown over two months back. The GJM is also the main stakeholder of the GMCC. If the state government wants the talks to be fruitful, it has to officially call the GJM and GMCC for talks."

"The GNLF may be a constituent of the GMCC but it is not the main stakeholder with whom talks can be held," he said.

Dewan said, "Responding to GNLFs appeal is nothing but an effort by the state government to undermine the GJM and GMCC."

Yesterday, GJM joint secretary Binay Tamang had requested both the state and central governments to initiate talks at the earliest to restore peace and normalcy in the hills. PTI SCH PNT AKB SUN MD DIP SC JM

--- ENDS ---
A toll-free legal aid hotline is now available to victims of Michigan's recently declared flood disaster in Midland, Isabella, Bay and Gladwin counties.

The service, which allows callers to request the assistance of a lawyer to aid in flood-related matters, is a partnership between the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the State Bar of Michigan, the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section, Lakeshore Legal Aid, and Legal Services of Eastern Michigan.

Flood victims facing legal issues who are unable to afford a lawyer may call 1-800-418-8315 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday, to request assistance. When connected to the hotline, callers should identify that they are seeking disaster-related legal assistance, brief details of the assistance needed and in which county they are located. Individuals who qualify for assistance will be matched with Michigan lawyers who have volunteered to provide free legal assistance.

The type of legal assistance available includes:

 Assistance with securing FEMA and other government benefits available to disaster victims;

 Assistance with life, medical and property insurance claims;

 Help with home repair contracts and contractors;

 Replacement of wills and other important legal documents destroyed in the disaster;

 Assistance in consumer protection matters, remedies and procedures;

 Counseling on mortgage-foreclosure problems; and

 Counseling on landlord-tenant problems.

Flood victims may also visit https://mi.freelegalanswers.org/ to receive free legal assistance online. Individuals who qualify for this service can ask a volunteer attorney questions online and receive a written response.

Low-income flood victims seeking legal assistance outside and surrounding Midland, Isabella, Bay and Gladwin Counties may contact Legal Services of Eastern Michigan 1-800-322-4512 to find out if they qualify for free legal assistance. For all other flood victims, contact the State Bar of Michigan lawyer referral service at 1-800-968-0738.
By PTI: Nainital, Aug 21 (PTI) A Bhutanese national and a man were today arrested with 12 kg of gold, worth about Rs 4 crore, at Kathgodam near Haldwani here, the police said.

Naresh Raayapa, a resident of Dharchula, and Lopzeng Wengmo, a woman from Bhutan, were caught by joint team of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the state revenue department which had been tracking suspicious activities of these two for the past 15-20 days, they said.

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A case under relevant sections of the Customs Act was registered against the accused, the police said.

The seized gold bricks, each weighing one kg, are estimated to be worth around Rs 4 crore, SHO of Mallital police station, Vipin Pant said.

It is suspected that the accused have links with some international gang, the officer said, adding the accused will be presented in court tomorrow. PTI CORR ALM DIP

--- ENDS ---
To the editor:

John Moolenaar, when will you wise up, get educated on the issues of medical care, economics, climate science, pollution, education, international relations, have concern for your constituents and Americans welfare and stop peddling the same garbage that Paul Ryan and the Republican leadership tell you to repeat.

Are you just ignorant or are you bought and sold by the Republican leadership and your 1 percent donors that want to continue to increase their wealth on the backs of the 99 percent of Americans You call yourself a chemist but you must not have learned much in school or learned how to learn after school if you deny climate change and the role that man is playing in making it worse.

For someone who against all the advice to the contrary by your constituents and the medical profession, voted against the Medicaid expansion in Michigan as a state senator, the expansion that was supported by Gov. Rick Snyder and has been a great success in Michigan, insuring 500,000 people who had no ability to get insurance otherwise, you certainly seem like a very ignorant person, or you just dont care.

You reaffirmed your lack of concern by your inability to listen to your constituents in your town halls by voting for the terrible health bill that looks like the death panel that Republicans called the Affordable Care Act (which has succeeded in getting millions of people insured that did not have insurance in this country). Now you want to deprive 23 million people of insurance and make insurance unaffordable to seniors and those with pre-existing conditions. They could die before they become eligible for Medicare. And at the rate the Republicans are going, they could take Medicare and Social Security away from seniors that have paid into those programs for their whole working careers.

Republicans like to claim that they are the guardians of religion (or should I say Christianity) in this country. I dont recall Christianity being in favor of racism and hate and lack of concern for others, particularly those who are struggling. The most important part of Christianity is charity. That is certainly not a quality of Donald Trump, and from the actions of Republicans in Congress in their votes and their words, charity is woefully lacking. Worse yet, many Republicans in Congress act as judges as to the worthiness of those in need to receive help. There is a word for those alleged Christians  they are called hypocrites.

John Moolenaar, you still have not learned to put the welfare of your constituents over your party. So far the welfare of the Republican party and the disgusting and failing policies of its disaster of a president are more important to you than the welfare of your constituents. What is it going to be John? You can be replaced. And your fearless leader can and should be impeached and indicted.

RON PARMELE

Midland
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CHICAGO (AP)  More than 30 colleagues and friends of a former Northwestern University professor charged in the brutal stabbing death of a 26-year-old man wrote letters supporting him both as a friend and a scientist whose groundbreaking research on pathogens that can cause bubonic and pneumonic plagues might ultimately save thousands of lives.

"I feel his contributions will eventually lead to the eradications of these infections, which continue to kill several thousand people every year," one colleague wrote about Wyndham Lathem in a letter on Northwestern stationary that Lathem's attorney submitted to the court in hopes of persuading a judge to allow Lathem to post bond for his release from jail, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Lathem and Oxford University employee Andrew Warren are charged with first-degree murder in the July 27 slaying of Trenton James Cornell-Duranleau, a Michigan native who had been living in Chicago. Prosecutors allege that Lathem and Warren had been planning for months since they met online to kill someone and then kill each other as part of a sexual fantasy. They say that after Warren flew to Chicago, the pair attacked Cornell-Duranleau as he slept in Lathem's Chicago high-rise apartment.

Friends, relatives and co-workers of criminal defendants often write letters to judges asking for leniency, but they are almost always written in anticipation of sentencing and are rarely sent to judges before trial. In this case, the judge read them before the defendants appeared before a hearing Sunday in which prosecutors detailed the killing.

But the show of support illustrates Lathem's standing as a brilliant researcher and the way his arrest rocked the scientific community across the country that is well aware of his work before he was fired after the slaying, particularly his research into a bacterial strain that can cause both bubonic and pneumonic plagues.

Another person in one of the 32 letters Lathem's attorney filed with the court said that if the judge allowed Lathem to post bond then Lathem could live with the person. The newspaper did not provide the names of any of the authors of the letters.

The judge said the information in the letters had nothing to do with the case against Lathem.

"The court has read his professional and academic achievements," Cook County Judge Adam D. Bourgeois Jr. said in court. "Some of the finest in the world, right? It has nothing to do with this, though."

All of the letters were dated within days of the date the two men surrendered to police in Northern California after a nationwide manhunt, and before details of the killing were made public, the Sun-Times reported.

A University of Illinois at Chicago professor who worked with Lathem wrote that she was "horrified" by Cornell-Duranleau's death, but remained supportive.

"Whatever happened on July 27 is but one day in Wyndham's life, and cannot erase the person he was every other day," she wrote. "I mourn for Trent and am horrified by the violent tragedy that ended his life. I don't know what the future holds for Wyndham, but know he will not face it alone."
According to reports, a defamation case has been filed against Kamal Haasan and the makers of Bigg Boss Tamil for insulting the Isai Vellalar community.

By India Today Web Desk: Tamil superstar and Bigg Boss Tamil host Kamal Haasan is now at the centre of a fresh controversy regarding the show. According to a report in The Indian Express, a defamation case has been filed against the actor in a Chennai court alleging that the actor had hurt the sentiments of the Isai Vellalar community in the July 14 episode of the reality show.

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The judge has asked for a hearing on September 1 regarding the case. The community's president K R Kuhesh said that Kamal, the producers and contestants of the show had upset everyone by insulting the musical instrument of the people called Nedaswaram, which is treated like God by the people of that group.

The petitioner also said that the contestants of the show had placed the musical instrument on the dining table. The president of the community claimed that Vijay TV, host Kamal Haasan, and Bigg Boss producers had done 'this' deliberately, and it was not right that host Kamal Haasan had not apologised for his actions.

Also read: Bigg Boss Tamil: Popular contestant Oviya to make a comeback on Kamal Haasan's show?

Also read: More trouble for Kamal Haasan over Bigg Boss Tamil? Rs 100 crore defamation case filed against the actor

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Appleton Coated Files State Petition for Receivership, Company Plans To Continue Operations While Strategic Buyer Sought August 18, 2017 (Press Release) - Appleton Coated [on Aug. 17] said that it has filed a voluntary state Chapter 128 petition for receivership to allow the company's operations to continue under the supervision of a court-appointed receiver named by the Outagamie County Circuit Court. Company officials said the petition and appointment of a receiver will allow the company to continue operations under the direction of the receiver, who will lead a process aimed at selling the company's assets to a buyer who will continue operations. Despite the best efforts of our employees and ownership group and the introduction of new products, this step is the best option at this point, said Doug Osterberg, Appleton Coated's president and chief executive officer. While the company has made significant progress in diversifying its product offerings and entering new markets, the overall business climate is very challenging, and operating under a state court-appointed receiver is the best route to transition the business to sustained profitability. Osterberg added that profitability in the North American graphics paper sector has deteriorated in recent years due to digitization of communications and currency exchange rates that favor imports. These factors produced a decline in domestic demand, excess capacity and aggressive price competition in the company's traditional coated and uncoated paper businesses, he said. He also noted that these market conditions combined with recent increases in raw material costs, especially market pulp, yielded lower sales volumes and declining profit margins. Osterberg said the filing will also relieve the company's burdensome debt and help attract an appropriate buyer. Operating results, he said, are expected to improve in the near term as the company fills unused capacity by moving into both the high-value graphics and commodity segments of containerboard packaging. He noted that the company will continue to take advantage of the many new and innovative products it has developed and in which it is a market leader, such as environmentally responsible products and products for high-speed digital inkjet printing, one of the few growth segments in printing. He said the company's bank has agreed to fund operations during the receivership and that the business will continue to operate during the transition. He added the company will be able to pay salary and wages and fund benefits for current employees. While operations will continue, a WARN (Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notice) Act notice and a notice under the Wisconsin Business Closing Law must be provided, according to federal and state law. The notices are required in this case because the structure of the Chapter 128 proceeding technically results in the administrative termination of all employees at the end of the process, even though the receiver will try to sell the operation as a going concern. A buyer of the business will be requested to immediately rehire substantially all employees under its new ownership and operation of the business. The strategic location of Appleton Coated, coupled with the experience, knowledge and work ethic of its employees and the size and capabilities of its paper making machines and equipment, make it a logical candidate to transition to high value segments of the packaging market. We, therefore, expect, but cannot guarantee that a suitable buyer will be identified who will value the company's strong workforce and be willing to invest in the future, stated Osterberg. Osterberg said he expects the Outagamie County Circuit Court to appoint Milwaukee attorney Michael Polsky of Beck, Chaet, Bamberger and Polsky, S.C. as Appleton Coated's Receiver. Polsky has considerable experience in the field and has successfully worked with a number of Wisconsin companies in similar situations. Under state law, the receiver will continue to operate the business and manage the company's assets, liabilities, finances and employees for the benefit of all creditors under the supervision of the Court. This has not been an easy decision for the ownership group that bought Appleton Coated three years ago, but market changes and world-wide economic conditions have forced our hand, and as difficult as this decision is, it's the best move at this point, Osterberg said. Appleton Coated is a manufacturer and distributor of coated, uncoated, specialty and technical papers sold under the Ethos, Utopia, and other brand names. To learn more, please visit www.AppletonCoated.com . SOURCE: Appleton Coated LLC
Justin Trudeau has become the latest celebrity victim in a series of horrifying life-size depictions with this new sculpture of the politician made entirely out of butter.

Here are the original photos of Justin Trudeau meeting The Toronto Zoo's new panda cubs Jia Panpan & Jia Yueyue, pictures that served as (apparently very loose) "inspiration" for an artist at the Canadian National Exhibition. The practice is reportedly a long-held tradition at CNE.

And here is Butter Trudeau. So much curdled milk.

Quelle confuse!

Are you okay? Do you want to scream? Do you want to melt the nearest block of butter into oblivion?

Chill, it's just a butter sculpture of Justin Trudeau cradling pandas.

[h/t The Cut]

Image via Getty
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Iran to resume 20-percent enrichment in 5 days if necessary: Nuclear Chief

08/22/17

Source: Press TV

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says the Islamic Republic is capable of resuming the enrichment of uranium to the 20-percent level at its Fordow facility within a maximum of five days if need be.



Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI)

In an exclusive interview with IRIB News Agency on Tuesday, Ali Akbar Salehi said President Hassan Rouhani's recent warning that Iran would accelerate its nuclear activities to an advanced level "within hours" if the US returned to a policy of sanctions had not been an "empty warning."



Salehi said all higher-ranking Iranian officials, including President Rouhani, had been briefed on the technical capabilities of the AEOI to be able to make informed decisions.



The warning made by the president, he said, had been based on data provided by the AEOI, including about the organization's preparedness for contingencies.



Iran has applied certain limits to its nuclear program under a deal it reached with six other countries in 2015.



Salehi said the changes made to the Fordow enrichment facility under that deal had been calculated so as to enable a return to the 20-percent enrichment within five days.



That, he said, was one of the strengths of the deal, which is officially titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).



He said the warning to quickly resume 20-percent enrichment "carries many messages in technical and professional terms, and the opposite side understands that message."



The administration of US President Donald Trump has been claiming that Iran is violating the spirit of the JCPOA.



But the United Nations nuclear agency, which is in charge of monitoring the technical implementation of the JCPOA, has invariably certified Iran's commitment to its obligations under the accord.



Therefore, the Trump administration claims of an Iranian violation are generally believed to merely stem from the administration's dissatisfaction with the deal, dressed to look like the detection of violations in Iran's contractual behavior.



The JCPOA was negotiated under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, whose every major policy achievement the new US president has attempted to undo. Since before taking office, Trump has threatened to rip up the deal.



Iran has said that any US non-performance would be met with due counteraction.



In his most recent warning, the Iranian president said the US's return to the policy of sanctions and pressure against Iran would be followed by Iran's upgrading of its nuclear activities to advanced levels "not within months and weeks, but in a matter of hours and days."



Salehi said that the AEOI's main priority was to "preserve the JCPOA, but not at any cost."



He said Iran will remain committed to its end of the bargain as long as the opposite side lives up to its.



The JCPOA was concluded between Iran and the P5+1 countries - namely the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany. It took effect in January 2016.



The deal was later endorsed by a United Nations Security Council resolution. In return for the limits to the Iranian nuclear program, the Islamic Republic had all nuclear-related sanctions against it terminated.
An India Today crew on Monday travelled to Taralahi village in Darbhanga, where a swollen Bagmati river has caused massive destruction.

Flood affected villgers move to safer places at the Narpatganj Block, in Araria district (AP Photo)

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Floods in eighteen Bihar districts have claimed 304 lives, and affected 140 lakh people.

The latest numbers released by the state's Disaster Management department reveal that Araria, Purnia, Katihar, Motihari, Darbhanga, Kishanganj, Muzaffapur, Bettiah, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura and Khagaria remain the worst-affected districts

The highest death toll - 74 - was recorded in Araria

Flood waters have been declining in places such as Araria, Purnia, Kishanganj and Katihar.

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But the situation remains grim in areas like Darbhanga, Samastipur and Motihari, where embankments have been breached, and water has entered new areas - displacing thousands.

READ | Bihar: How a police station remained submerged in flood water for 3 days

Villagers stand inside their house destroyed by floodwaters at Katihar district (AP Photo) Villagers stand inside their house destroyed by floodwaters at Katihar district (AP Photo)

DARBHANGA'S PLIGHT

An India Today crew on Monday travelled to Taralahi village in Darbhanga, where a swollen Bagmati river has caused massive destruction. 12 people have died in the northern district.

Water levels have reached 6 to 7 feet in Taralahi, forcing people to leave their homes and move to a state highway nearby for safety.

India Today's crew visited the GN English School, which has been completely submerged. Villagers could be seen removing tables and chairs from the premises.

READ | Bihar: Burhi Gandak breaches Rajawada embankment in Muzaffarpur, overflowing rivers inundate new areas

India Today's Rohit Kumar Singh reports from Taralahi village's GN English school

"We evacuated the students from this school couple of days back as the water level started to rise but we have got no help from the administration in this. We are removing the tables and chairs now", said a local villager.

12 people have died in Darbhanga due to the floods, and victims accuse the local administration of ignoring them.

"We have not received any assistance from the administration. In fact, we had to block the roads and carry out protests before the administration even decided to provide us with a boat to bring displaced people out to safe areas", a local said.

Flood affected villgers move to safer places at the Narpatganj Block, in Araria district (AP Photo)

ALSO READ

Flood water enter Bihar's Motihari town, creates panic among residents

ALSO WATCH

Bihar: Viral video shows how 3 of a family get washed away with a bridge in Araria

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This is the best router/smart-home hub combo on the market, but youll trade power for convenience and ease of use.

A smart-home system has components distributed all over the house, controlled by a hub thats connected to the internet via a router. That arrangement enables you to control the system from anywhere you have broadband access. So Samsungs decision to meld a smart home hub with a mesh Wi-Fi router is a no brainer. But melding is always tricky. You might get something delicious, like a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Or you might end up with a disappointment, like the 1962 Amphicar, a car/boat that didnt excel as either. The Connect Home isnt a bad product, but its much closer to the floating car than the sweet confection.

Samsung has never been a big player in the Wi-Fi router market, and it didnt have a presence in the smart-home market until it acquired SmartThings in 2014. The SmartThings hub is our current top pick for DIY smart home system because of its power and relative openness. You can create systems that are as simple or as sophisticated as you want, using just one or multiple apps to control third-party products as easily as SmartThings-branded hardware. But Samsung is aiming the Connect Home series at a broader audience and wants it to be easier to use.

There are two versions of the Connect Home, available in three SKUs. Both are dual-band 802.11ac mesh Wi-Fi routers with SmartThings hubs and Z-Wave, ZigBee, and Bluetooth radios integrated into the same enclosure. In this regard, Samsung one-ups the only other router/smart-home hub Ive tested: You need a $30 dongle to bring Z-Wave compatibility to the Securifi Almond 3.

Samsung The Samsung Connect app will evaluate the distance between each node as part of the setup process.

During setup, one of the nodes in the Connect Home 3-Pack gets configured as a 22 MU-MIMO router, which means it uses two spatial streams to transmit and two spatial streams to receive. MU-MIMO support enables it to transmit data to and receive data from multiple clients simultaneously. (You can read more about MU-MIMO in this story.)

Samsung classifies the router in the three-pack as an AC1300 model delivering TCP throughput of up to 866Mbps on the 5GHz band and 400Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. The two other devices in the three-pack operate as network nodes to blanket homes up to 4,500 square feet.

Samsung also sent its Connect Home Pro, which Ill review another time. This 44 MIMO router uses four spatial streams to transmit and four to receive simultaneously. Samsung classifies the Connect Home Pro as an AC2600 router delivering up to 1,733Mbps of TCP throughput on the 5GHz band and 800Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. The box for the Connect Home Pro indicates that its a MIMO routernot a MU-MIMO routerbut thats apparently inaccurate. My Samsung contact told me both routers support MU-MIMO. The company says the Pro model is adequate for homes up to 1,500 square feet, but you can pair it with up to four Connect Home or Connect Home Pro units operating as satellite nodes to increase its effective coverage to 7,500 square feet.

Both models have two ethernet ports, and if your home has the infrastructure, you can use one of them for wired backhaul. The smart-home features in all three SKUs are essentially the same, although the Pro comes equipped with a faster CPU.

Smart-home performance

Michael Brown Each Connect Home hub has one ethernet input and one ethernet output.

The SmartThings platform is strong when it comes to third-party hardware. You can use Kwikset, Schlage, and Yale smart locks; smart outlets, switches, and dimmers from GE, Leviton, Lutron, and Remotec; and smart bulbs from Cree, Philips, LIFX, Sengled, and Sylvania. Direct support is a little thinner for security cameras (you can choose from Netgears Arlo line and Rings video doorbells) and smart thermostats (Ecobee and Honeywell are your only choices; Nest is not supported).

I dont see any indication that Samsung intends to change its approach to supporting third-party hardware on its SmartThings platform, but the Samsung Connect app the company is encouraging Connect Home buyers to use is a dumbed-down version of the original SmartThings app. It has a more basic rules engine, and it doesnt allow you to bolt on other apps so you can create more sophisticated automation routines.

Samsung The Samsung Connect app only allows one action in each routine.

Theres nothing to stop you from using the SmartThings app to control the Connect Home or Connect Home Pro, but I get the impression that Samsung would prefer you didnt. When I asked a company representative about Samsungs position on controlling the Samsung Connect Home with the SmartThings app, as opposed to the Samsung Connect app, I was told buyers could use either one, but that Samsung Connect Home is designed so any user can use a single app to control and manage devices instead of using multiple apps.

When I asked the follow-up question, does Samsung encourage Connect Home users to use the Samsung Connect app over the SmartThings app as a best practice? the spokesperson replied Connect Home is designed to simplify the user experience and put everything into one application, which is the Connect app.
One thing is certain about Googles fall event: A Pixel will steal the show. It just might not be the one that fits in your pocket.

A rumor published by Android Police says Google is working on a follow-up to its discontinued 2nd-generation Chromebook Pixel, which hasnt been available for purchase since mid-2016. A new model would be a pleasant surprise for fans of the Google laptop, which was hailed at the time as the best Chromebook ever made. The third model could be the charm that brings premium Chrome devices mainstream.

The story behind the story: When a new Chromebook Pixel didnt arrive last year, some speculated Google would retire the premium laptop as it focused on building its own smartphone. That assumption seemed correct when senior vice president for hardware Rick Osterloh seemingly declared the Chromebook Pixel dead earlier this year, bluntly stating the company had no plans to introduce a new model. However, Osterloh would quickly revise his statement with a less definitive, we just have no plans to share at this time. Now it appears Google will indeed have plenty to share at its fall event, especially since it will pack a killer feature: the ability to run Android apps.

Shiny and Chrome

Android Polices report is extremely light on details, but a previous rumor about a convertible laptop arriving in the third quarter of 2017 (which could either mean a 360-degree hinge like Samsungs Chromebook Pro, or a detachable keyboard like the Surface Pro) offered some more info: a 12.3-inch screen, 32GB or 128GB of storage, and 8GB or 16GB of RAM, all in a device around 10mm thick.(By comparison, Apples MacBook is nearly 13 mm thick, and the 2nd-generation Pixel was 16.3 mm thick.) The hybrid device is also expected to include an optional Wacom stylus.

But the biggest difference between a 2017 Chromebook Pixel and the 2015 one would be Android apps. While its highly unlikely that Android and Chrome will ever merge into a single OS (despite the persistent rumors), Google opened up the Play Store to Chromebooks last year and has slowly been rolling out Android app support with newer models.

The overall experience, however, remains pretty hit-or-miss. A Google-designed machine could spur more developers to optimize their apps for the platform. Chrome would be more viable to power users with a full catalog of Android apps. An app-empowered Chromebook Pixel could actually pose a challenge to Apples MacBook and iPad Pro. Add LTE connectivity and a stylus, and you have the worlds first must-have Chromebook.

While some nicer Chromebooks have shipped over the past two years (including the Dell Chromebook 13 and HP Chromebook 13), theyre still largely built for price rather than power. A new Chromebook Pixelespecially one that pushes the boundaries of designwould solidify the Pixel line as the premier brand for Googles OS platforms. In short: The time is ripe.

Along with the new Chromebook, Android Police also says that Google will be introducing a new mini version of Google Home to challenge Amazons Echo Dot.
The government of Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Equatorial Guinea to receive Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from that country to supplement Ghanas energy needs.



This was made known by President Akufo-Addo while on a three-day visit to Equatorial Guinea.



Speaking at a State Dinner held in his honour by President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Akufo-Addo said my presence here is a consummation of this bilateral agreement, and represents a significant step towards matching Equatorial Guineas excess gas supply to Ghanas ever growing demand.



It is my expectation that during this visit, we shall sign a government-to-government Heads of Agreement for the supply to Ghana of LNG from Equatorial Guinea, for a period of fifteen years, reviewable every five years. If cocoa was the first seed to nourish the relationship between our two countries, gas is going to be the second, he added.



The MoU will see Equatorial Guinea supply the equivalent of 150 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day to Ghana.



The MoU also provides for the building and operation of an LNG regasification terminal in Takoradi in the Western Region.



Ghana in time past had erratic power cuts which affected industries and businesses in the country.



The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) however promised to put in place measures to ensure that Ghana becomes energy efficient.



President Akufo-Addo also at the dinner explained that his visit was also to strengthen the bilateral ties that exist between the two countries, as well as explore areas of co-operation to the mutual benefit of their respective peoples.



Akufo-Addo said the two countries have maintained strong relations for several decades, adding that he is following in the footsteps of three of his predecessors in the 4th Republic, who also paid official visits to Equatorial Guinea.



They have laid a solid foundation for the relations between our two countries, on which, with Gods help, I am hoping to help build a bright future of co-operation, he said.



With the last meeting of the Permanent Joint Commission of Co-operation between the two countries held in Accra in 2010, President Akufo-Addo was also hopeful that his visit to Malabo will kick-start the re-commencement of formal sessions of the Commission, the last one of which was held in Accra.



The President was also keen to reviving the Air Services Agreement, and re-establish direct flights between Accra and Malabo.



His government, he added, has also committed itself to expanding the Tema Port into a trans-shipment hub, to improve sea trade within Africa.



Continental Integration



With Ghana and Equatorial Guinea being are two important members of the African Union (AU), President Akufo-Addo stressed that he is willing to do whatever he can to strengthen the AU.

Source: citifmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has charged the Ministry of Health to be transparent in the application of the new quota system for employing medical professionals.



Under that system, doctors will be posted to government health centers based on the number of vacancies available in specific regions.



The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare who announced the new policy over the weekend, said it will help resolve instances where some doctors refuse posting to remote areas.



But speaking to Citi News, the Deputy General Secretary of GMA, Dr Justice Yankson said doctors will not tolerate any frustration from the Ministry while trying to apply for postings.



We dont want it to be used as a tool or a strategy to frustrate young doctors. There should be fairness and transparency in everything that will be done. We should not have situations where somebody will say that they are not declaring vacancies in the bigger cities or towns, let it be fair. Dont keep that from us and use it as a tool to push doctors to other regions.



Let it be transparent, open and give them the opportunity to decide where they want to go. The truth is that you cannot compel a man to work for you, even when youve signed a bond, most times there is a clause that will allow that if you pay a certain amount and you are relieved of that bond you signed. So as far as we are concerned that is one thing the ministry would have to look at because we will not tolerate that situation where doctors will be frustrated by using this system, he added.



Dont tamper with quota system



In a related development, a former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa believes the new quota system will serve its purpose as long as it is devoid of tampering.



Speaking on Eyewitness News, he lauded the Health Services move and urged them to implement the policy to the letter.



It is important that at this stated, everybody who is trained is made available to this country. We have clearly indicated many years ago that every specialty must even have quotas that every hospital knows that it can employ one physician, it can employ a paediatrician, it can employ a surgeon, and with that goes with the extra number of doctors. That is what should happen so that, now, the facility advertises and they appoint, he added.

Source: citifmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will on Friday 25th August, 2017 at 1pm launch his governments flagship policy popularly termed One District One Factory at Ekumfi in the Central Region.



The program will be the formal launch of the implementation of the One District One Factory policy in fulfillment of a pledge by President Akufo-Addo to see the actualization of the industrialization of Ghana as part of the transformation process he envisages for the country. The policy, when implemented will create the environment conducive for each local government areas to own factories relative to their well-endowed resources and capacity to provide jobs and wealth for the country.



The launch will include a sod-cutting to begin the construction of the Ekumfi Fruit Processing Company factory which will process pineapples for the local and international market. Currently the company cultivates the fruit and seeks to expand its operations into processing. The introduction of the policy has motivated us to speed up and implement our plans of processing the fruits into various other products Mr. Daniel Kwarteng, Managing Director of the company stated.



The program starts with a formal visit by the President to the farm site of the company. This will be followed by a review of the exhibition highlighting some of the various opportunities available in the districts across the country. The launch will be climaxed with a durbar to be addressed by the President and some invited guests. This will be followed by a sod-cutting ceremony by the President assisted by the Ekumfihene, at the factory grounds.



HON. GIFTY OHENE-KONADU (MRS)

NATIONAL COORDINATOR

ONE DISTRICT, ONE FACTORY

Source: Presidency.gov.gh









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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results of the 2017 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).



In all a total of 468,060 candidates made up of 241,154 males and 226,906 females sat for the examination.



A statement signed and issued in Accra on Monday by the Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, Mrs Agnes Teye-Cudjoe said the subject results of 1298 candidates which is 0.28 per cent of the total candidature have been withheld for engaging in malpractice during the examination.



This, according to WAEC excludes the subject results of candidates who were detected by the Item Differentia Profile (IDP) software to have cheated in the objective tests.



It said the withheld results will be released after the conclusion of investigations into various cases of examination malpractice detected during and after the conduct of the examination.



According to WAEC, it was in the process of despatching the results to the schools through the Municipal/District Directors of Education but it has hosted the results online in the meantime, and that candidates who so desire may access their results online at WAEC's website.



The statement explained that the figure of 468,060 candidates who wrote the exams this year is 1.53 per cent higher than that of 2016.



The candidates were from a total of 15,185 schools and the examination was administered at 1,702 centres.



Out of those who initially registered for the examination, 3,315 (0.71%) of the candidates were absent.



The statement said the Stanine grading system was used for the BECE with Grade 1 as the highest and Grade 9 being the lowest.



"With this grading system, it must be noted that there are no failures in BECE."



"The Council takes this opportunity to advise candidates to do independent work in the examination hall and to avoid seeking any form of illegal assistance as such acts would be detected and sanctions applied accordingly."



"The Council wishes to express its deepest appreciation to all stakeholders especially the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, Invigilators, the Ghana Police Service, Examiners and all who in various ways helped in the successful conduct of the examination and the timeous release of results.

Source: Graphic









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says his 3-day visit to Equatorial Guinea is to strengthen the bilateral ties that exist between the two countries, as well as explore areas of co-operation to the mutual benefit of their respective peoples.



According to President Akufo-Addo, at the diplomatic level, the two countries have maintained strong relations for several decades, adding that he is following in the footsteps of three of his predecessors in the 4th Republic, who also paid official visits to Equatorial Guinea.



They have laid a solid foundation for the relations between our two countries, on which, with Gods help, I am hoping to help build a bright future of co-operation, he said.



President Akufo-Addo made this known on Monday, August 21, 2017, at a State Dinner held in honour by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, at the commencement of his 3-day official visit to that country.



With the last meeting of the Permanent Joint Commission of Co-operation between the two countries held in Accra in 2010, President Akufo-Addo was hopeful that his visit to Malabo will kick-start the re-commencement of formal sessions of the Commission, the last one of which was held in Accra.



The President was, therefore, keen to revive the Air Services Agreement, and re-establish direct flights between Accra and Malabo. His government, he added, has also committed itself to expanding the Tema Port into a trans-shipment hub, to improve sea trade within Africa.



Ghanas energy security



As part of the measures put in place by the Akufo-Addo government to guarantee Ghanas energy security, President Akufo-Addo noted that Equatorial Guineas proximity to Ghana makes her one of the excellent sources for procuring reliable and sustainable LNG to augment Ghanas domestic supply.



In June 2017, the Ministers for Energy of the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the supply of LNG from Equatorial Guinea to Ghana.



My presence here is a consummation of this bilateral agreement, and represents a significant step towards matching Equatorial Guineas excess gas supply to Ghanas ever growing demand, he said.



President Akufo-Addo continued, It is my expectation that during this visit, we shall sign a government-to-government Heads of Agreement for the supply to Ghana of LNG from Equatorial Guinea, for a period of fifteen years, reviewable every five years. If cocoa was the first seed to nourish the relationship between our two countries, gas is going to be the second.



The Memorandum of Understanding provides that Equatorial Guinea will supply the equivalent of 150 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day to Ghana. The MoU also provides for the building and operation of an LNG regasification terminal in Takoradi.



Continental Integration



With Ghana and Equatorial Guinea being are two important members of the African Union (AU), President Akufo-Addo stressed that he is willing to do whatever he can to strengthen the AU.



I believe it is extremely important for the welfare of the 1.2 billion people of the continent that we, the leaders, demonstrate strong political will to make the AU an economic and political success, and to make the project of integration real. I am fully committed, and I know President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is, too, he said.



With Africas population set to reach some 2 billion people in 20 years time, an African Common Market, President Akufo-Addo noted, presents immense opportunities to Africa, with hardwork, enterprise and creativity.



The time for African integration is now. Ghana and Equatorial Guinea should be at the forefront of the process that will convert the AU into a true continental market. Hence, the importance of the success of the Continental Free Trade Area. A working, common continental market has to be a very fundamental objective of all peoples and governments on the continent, he added.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Audio Attachment: Listen Simon Osei-Mensah on Peace FM's 'kokrokoo'

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah has asked Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu, to produce documents indicating that he approved the mining of bauxite in the Tano-Offin Forest Reserve.



He said until he sees those documents, he is not going to release the seized equipment.



The police through the Atwima Mponua District Chief Executive (DCE) impounded equipment belonging to Engineers and Planners who have been engaged by Exton Cubic Group Limited.



According to the Ashanti Regional Minister the equipment were seized because of improper documentation.



Mr. Amewus Ministry, through the Forestry Commission, recently issued a license to Exton Cubic Group Limited, to mine bauxite in the Ashanti Region.



However Mr Simon Osei-Mensah does not understand why the Minister will give such authorization when there is an embargo on illegal mining activities.



He said in an interview on Peace FM's morning show Kokrokoo, Tuesday that President Akufo- Addos aim of fighting illegal mining in the country will come to nought if we allow people to start mining.



Until we get the document we are not releasing them (equipment) . . . I am not taking anything verbal. I need all the documents; item by item and then we will review it. When everything is okay, we will release them. Until the ban (on small scale mining) is over, if we allow people to start mining, the efforts of the President in fighting illegal mining will come to nought. Why the rush, why cant we wait for the ban to be over. The Minister should bring the documents or any agreement he had with the company . . ., he stated.



The Lands Ministry through the Forestry Commission issued a license to Exton Cubic Group Limited to mine bauxite in the region on June 20, 2017. The mining company in turn engaged Engineers and Planners (E&P), a company owned by Mr Mahama, to use its equipment to undertake a prospective service.



But hours after E&P moved its men and logistics to site, the police through the Atwima Mponua District Chief Executive (DCE) impounded its equipment, citing improper documentation.



In a statement released by Exton Cubic Group Limited and signed by its Managing Director, Augustus Amegashie, a portion read, "We are yet to receive any official communication from the authorities concerned as to why our sub-contractor's trucks and equipment have been impounded."



"In the meantime, our Lawyers are engaged in talks with the police in the area over the issue and it is our hope that the police will release the impounded trucks as soon as possible to forestall any further pecuniary losses to us."



"In conclusion, we would like to emphasize our commitment to the observance of the laws of the mining sector of Ghana. As a company, we are mindful of the regulations that govern the mining sector of Ghana. We have at all times endeavored to abide by these rules and regulations and we shall continue to do so in our operations."



Legal action



Exton Cubic Group Limited has threatened to take legal action against the Ashanti Regional Minister if he does not release the equipment belonging to Engineers and Planners owned by Ibrahim Mahama.



We know that this government believes in the tenets of the rule of law; that you just cannot impound and seize the [equipment] so our lawyers are already involved. Already we are facing a lot of financial losses. We are going to go through the legally laid down process, Communications Officer of Exton Cubic Group Limited, Samuel Gyamfi, told Joy News.



However, Mr Simon Osei-Mensah says he is not perturbed.



According to him, they can do and say whatever they want to say; what I am saying is that the minister should bring the documents; what is difficult about this . . . its one too many; you should know there is a Regional Minister, there are District Chief Executives (and so in such situations) inform them so that when something happens they will be able to defend it.



Tano-Offin Forest Reserve



The Tano-Offin Forest Reserve which is located in Kyereyaaso in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region, is a Globally Scientific Biodiversity Area which is strictly protected, according to the Forestry Commission.



The Offin River passes through this forest reserve which has a total area of 41,392ha (413.92km2). It is the 4th largest Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) in Ghana and has been classified as a protected area because of its significant biological importance to human existence.







Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Some constituency executives of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Chiana/Paga Constituency of the Upper East Region have accused Mr. Clement Dandori, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Kassena-Nankana West, of aiding some activists of the party in the area to smuggle fertilisers meant for the governments Planting for Food and Jobs policy.



It will be recalled that the Municipal Chief Executive of Kassena-Nankana, Mr. Williams Aduum, during the NPP Regional Delegates Conference in Bolgatanga last month, lamented about the involvement of some NPP activists in the smuggling of fertiliser to neighbouring Burkina Faso.



According to him: Anytime our taskforce is through with them, you see the party people actually coming to plead.



Weeks after the MCEs revelation, some NPP executives in the area told the media at Sirigu, during a press conference led by the Deputy Youth Organiser, Mr. Thomas Akwalase, that,



Mr. Dandori was assisting his Personal Secretary, Daniel Namoo, and two others, Francis Zuadam and Peter Adeyire, to smuggle fertiliser, a claim that has flatly been denied by Dandori.



I went to the district Director of Agriculture with the Constituency Chairman, where they have stored the fertilisers.



They stored it there without his notice. We went to ask the Director, but the time we got there, Daniel Namoo, who is the Secretary to the DCE, was sighted inside the womans care, and he was leading the taskforce that he, the DCE, has set up.



And it was this same taskforce which led those (DCEs) boys to smuggle fertiliser. So, if you want culprits, they were the very people who led the chat. So, we are at a loss that the DCE could send his boys there to go and be looting and smuggling fertiliser that the President has brought to our district to help the farmers, Mr. Akwalase claimed.



Mr. Akwalase predicted doom for the policy in the district, stating that they were at a loss and praying that things would change.



Asked why they couldnt report the alleged smuggling to the Police Service, the Constituency Deputy Youth Organiser alleged that the police were aiding in the smuggling of the fertiliser.



When contacted, the DCE strongly dismissed ever aiding anyone to smuggle fertiliser. Rather, he rhetorically asked how he could have set up a taskforce to curb the menace of fertiliser smuggling in the district, and would still be aiding people to smuggle same.



I am on record to have set up a committee, with the advice of DISEC [District Security Council], to check fertiliser smuggling. I only dissolved that committee when the District Agric Officer said the period for planting for food and jobs was over, and that she was no longer going to entertain the supply of fertilisers to farmers.



And so, I informed DISEC, and then told DISEC that the committee has since dissolved, and so we are withdrawing the committee with the exercise that we enjoined them to do.



So, I dont see how I can set up a committee to support the Agric Department to prevent the smuggling of fertiliser; go the security agencies to check smuggling of fertiliser, and [turn] round to be the person supporting the smuggling of fertiliser, the DCE stated.



In a related development, Mr. Peter Ayinbisa, DCE for Bongo, was not enthused about a court decision over the release of a truck that was impounded by the Bongo police fully loaded with fertilisers in an attempt to smuggle it into Burkina Faso.



The truck, which had loaded from Bolgatanga, was originally assigned to deliver its contents at Kunlungungu, near Bawku, but strangely found its way to Bongo. When the police stopped the truck, the driver jumped out and absconded.



The police then notified the court, and later the owner was identified. After about two months in court, the State Attorney in the region advised the court to release the truck for the police to escort it to its original destination.



Though Mr. Ayinbisa said the State Attorneys advice was adhered to, he was not happy with the release of the truck, because it was a setback to the planting for food and jobs policy, since those in the business of fertiliser smuggling would not be deterre

Source: The Chronicle









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Ghana faces an influx of refugees from neighbouring Togo following political unrest aimed at deposing President Faure Gnassingbe.



'Weaker' Togolese residents have been urged to move to Ghana, a decision a protester described as "wise" as signals point to another round of protests.



A protest last Saturday left seven dead and 27 protesters including leading members of Togos opposition PNP party arrested.



A woman who spoke to Joynews in Lome urged her country men and women to take advantage of the three borders in Burkina to the north, Benin to the East, Ghana to the West to escape to safety if they find the struggle too risky to join.



"If you are not strong and fit, move out of Togo to Ghana...there is no time to waste. Pregnant women and children should all come out of their homes".



"Not everyone can fight this battle," she warned.



The Gnassingbe family has been ruling Togo since 1967 after a coup by Eyadema.



His son, Faure, was sworn in after he died on February 5, 2005, although the constitution mandates the President of the National Assembly should become acting President. Since then, Faure who is also new chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has won three presidential elections albeit under controversial circumstances.



His 2015 presidential victory was condemned by observers as replete with irregularities. But the 50-year hold on power has however come under fresh challenge. Political forces resisting President Faure Gnassingbe are not backing down on their demands for the Constitution to be amended to prevent his familys continued stay in power.



There are reports, opposition parties are united in the push to break up the Gnassingbe political dynasty. They are bent on organising another demonstration Friday, Joy News has learnt.

Source: myjoyonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Salman Khan

Back in 2013, Salman was in his car when a group of onlookers walked up to him and tried to click photos. Khan rolled his window down, snatched a fan's mobile phone and threw it on the ground. The fan, Raza, later told India Today, "I had come here for some work and followed some fans after knowing that Salman Khan was here. He was seated on the left side of the car. We respect him and wanted to take a picture of him from my mobile phone. He opened his car window, snatched my mobile phone and threw it. The incident really hurt me. For him the cost of the phone would be less but for us it would have been a big loss if it would have been broken."


Audio Attachment: Listen to Chairman Wontumi

The Ashanti regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused businessman, Ibrahim Mahama of collapsing UT Bank.



Bernard Antwi Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi noted that the business mogul and younger brother to Ex-President John Dramani Mahama used his 'political links' to secure huge amount of loans from the bank.



He [Ibrahim Mahama] 'killed' Merchant Bank and UT Bank. He borrowed over $100m from UT Bank, he alleged on NEAT FMs morning show dubbed Ghana Montie last Friday.



Just last week, Bank of Ghana revoked the license of two commercial banks - UT Bank and Capital Bank.



The action has been triggered by the inability of the two banks to turn around their negative capital adequacy position which has lingered on for some time now.



In simple language terms, the action has been taken against these affected banks due to their 'terrible' financial situation and their inability to perform within the banking industry.



It is believed that the continued encouragement of the operations of these institutions could endanger the banking industry as a whole and hence the action that was taken against them.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007









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SEOUL, South Korea - The remains of some of the 10 sailors missing since a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore have been found, the commander of the Navy's Pacific Fleet said Tuesday.

The search for other missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain was ongoing.

"We're always hopeful that there are survivors," Adm. Scott Swift said at a news conference in Singapore. "Until we have exhausted any potential of recovering survivors ..., the search and rescue efforts will continue."

Swift also said he had ordered a special review of naval operations at the U.S. Navy's main bases in Japan at Yokosuka and Sasebo after four incidents this year off Japan and South Korea - two of them involving Yokosuka-based ships

Ten sailors have been missing since the McCain and a Liberian-flagged oil tanker - more than three times the destroyer's size - collided at the entrance to the Strait of Malacca before dawn on Monday.

Singaporean and Malaysian navy ships and helicopters had joined American aircraft searching for the sailors at sea. But earlier Tuesday, Navy and Marine Corps divers were sent into the compartments in the damaged part of the destroyer that had been sealed to stop the ship from being flooded. The ship is now moored at Changi naval base in Singapore.

"The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today," Swift said. It was "premature" to say how many bodies had been found, he added.

"Additionally, the Malaysian Navy has reported that they have located potential remains," Swift said. It was not yet clear if the body was one of the missing sailors. The remains were being transferred to the U.S. Navy for identification.

Swift said that ship suffered "significant damage" and investigators were seeking to piece together "what happened and how it happened."

There had been no indication of a cyberattack, Swift said, responding to speculation about the cause of two collisions in just over two months, but he added that every scenario will be reviewed.

Tuesday's statement will come as a heavy blow to the Navy, but particularly to the 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka.

Yokosuka is the home port for both the McCain and the USS Fitzgerald, which was involved in a surprisingly similar collision in June, leaving seven sailors dead.

The Fitzgerald collided with a container ship south of Japan, leading to significant damage to its hull and a frantic effort to seal off the damage and stop the rest of the ship from flooding. Seven sailors were trapped in their berthing compartment in the process, and all drowned.

The McCain collision was the Navy's fourth major accident at sea in Asia this year. On May 9, a collision occurred between the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and a South Korean fishing vessel. On Jan. 31, the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay near Yokosuka.

The Navy's top admiral on Monday ordered a fleetwide review of seamanship and training in the Pacific after the latest collision.

The series of accidents in the Pacific "demands more-forceful action," Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, told reporters Monday, adding that there is "great cause for concern that there is something we are not getting at."

He ordered Navy fleets across the world to take a day or two within the next week to review their procedures and training to make sure they are operating safely.

Swift said Tuesday that he welcomed the review to see if there was a "common cause."

"One tragedy like this is one too many and while each of these four events is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation," he said, adding that the Pacific operational review will be completed by next Monday, Swift said.

"In addition, I have ordered a second phase that will be focused on all surface ships deployed in the Pacific, including those forward deployed naval forces in Yokosuka and Sasebo," Swift said, referring to the two U.S. naval bases in Japan. "This second phase will be a deliberate reset for our ships focused on a number of areas, such as navigation, ships' mechanical systems, and bridge resource management."

The McCain is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer - named after the father and grandfather of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and nicknamed "Big Bad John" - that had been on its way to a routine port visit in Singapore after patrolling in the South China Sea.

The collision occurred just east of the Strait of Malacca, a 550-mile-long stretch of water that runs between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans, and is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

The collision caused significant damage to the hull, flooded nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery and communications rooms, the 7th Fleet said in a statement.

(c) 2017, The Washington Post. Story by Anna Fifield
On Aug. 21, 1992, after white separatist Randy Weaver failed to appear in court, an 11-day standoff started at his home on Ruby Ridge near Naples, Idaho.

On the second day of that standoff, Weaver's wife, Vicki, was killed by FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi.

From history.com:

"In the second day of a standoff at Randy Weaver's remote northern Idaho cabin, FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi wounds Randy Weaver, Kevin Harrison, and kills Weaver's wife, Vicki.

Randy Weaver, a white separatist, had been targeted by the federal government after failing to appear in court to face charges related to his selling of two illegal sawed-off shotguns to an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) informant. On August 21, 1992, after a period of surveillance, U.S. marshals came upon Harrison; Weaver; Weaver's 14-year-old son, Sammy; and the family dog, Striker, on a road near the Weaver property. A marshal shot and killed the dog, prompting Sammy to fire at the marshal. In the ensuing gun battle, Sammy and U.S. Marshal Michael Degan were shot and killed. A tense standoff ensued, and on August 22 the FBI joined the marshals besieging Ruby Ridge.

Later that day, Harris, Weaver, and his daughter, Sarah, left the cabin, allegedly for the purpose of preparing Sammy's body for burial. FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi, waiting 200 yards away, opened fire, allegedly because he thought Harrison was armed and intending to fire on a helicopter in the vicinity. Horiuchi wounded Weaver, and the group ran to the shed where Sammy's body was lying. When they attempted to escape back into the cabin, Horiuchi fired again, wounding Harrison as he dove through the door and killing Vicki Weaver, who was holding the door open with one hand and cradling her infant daughter with the other. Horiuchi claimed he didn't know that Vicki Weaver was standing behind the door. Harris, Weaver, and Weaver's three daughters surrendered nine days later."

Weaver and Harris were acquitted of Michael Degan's murder in 1993. In 1994 they filed federal civil rights cases against the FBI and U.S. marshals. The government settled the case for $3.1 million.

In 1997, Lon Horiuchi was charged with involuntary manslaughter but the charge was dismissed in 1998. The ruling was appealed in 2001 but a new prosecutor declined to pursue the charge.

From history.com: "The controversial standoff spawned a nationwide debate on the use of force by federal law enforcement agencies, and a U.S. Senate panel accused the federal agencies involved of 'substantial failures' in their handling of the Ruby Ridge operation. Of particular controversy was an FBI 'rule of engagement' implemented at the beginning of the Ruby Ridge siege that stated 'any armed adult male observed in the vicinity of the Weaver cabin could and should be killed.' Many condemned this policy as unconstitutional. Rumors that the FBI had engaged in a cover-up regarding the Ruby Ridge operation were verified when E. Michael Kahoe, former chief of the FBI's violent crimes section, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in 1996. Kahoe, who had destroyed an official bureau critique of the standoff, was sentenced to 18 months in prison."
The alt-right leader and president of the National Policy Institute who took part in the recent demonstrations in Charlottesville will not be speaking at a Penn State University event, President Eric Barron said Tuesday.

"After critical assessment by campus police, in consultation with state and federal law enforcement officials, we have determined that Mr. Spencer is not welcome on our campus, as this event at this time presents a major security risk to students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus," Barron said.

"It is the likelihood of disruption and violence, not the content, however odious, that drives our decision," he added.

Spencer was invited to speak this fall at the University Park campus, and didn't make the request himself, Lisa Powers, Penn State spokeswoman, told the Daily Collegian.

"An individual who claims to be a student at Georgia State University, and an acolyte to Richard Spencer, made the request on July 23. We've received no request from Spencer himself or any organization associated with him," Powers said.

After the Charlottesville demonstration, Spencer - who popularized the term "alt-right" to describe the fringe movement mixing white supremacy, white nationalism, anti-Semitism and anti-immigration populism - refused to condemn the man accused of hitting demonstrators with his car, killing one woman.

He blamed the violence on authorities who he claimed had failed to keep order, and said he would return to Charlottesville to protest the removal of the Gen. Robert E. Lee statue.

In May, Spencer was among a group that gathered at the Lee statue in Charlottesville for night-time protest, according to media reports.

"As stated last week, Penn State is an institution of higher education, and fully supports the right of free speech and encourages its expression in thoughtful and respectful ways, even when we strongly disagree with the opinions expressed. But the First Amendment does not require our University to risk imminent violence," Barron said.

"I disagree profoundly with the content that has been presented publicly about this speaker's views which are abhorrent and contradictory to our University's values. There is no place for hatred, bigotry or racism in our society and on our campuses," Barron said.

"As we enter the new semester with a national climate of great uncertainty, Penn State continues to foster an inclusive climate for all races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, genders and other differences. Our University strives to create an environment where everyone can teach, learn and live in an atmosphere of safety and mutual respect," Barron said.
NORRISTOWN - Bill Cosby's attorneys from his first trial have been excused, and his new attorneys are in.

Brian McMonagle and Angela Agrusa were granted their motions to withdraw today as the 80-year-old entertainer's defense attorneys.

And according to one of his new lawyers, Tom Mesereau, he likely will not be requesting that the trial be held outside of Montgomery County -- and he may even draw the jury from here instead of another county, as was done in the first trial.

Mesereau has been accepted as new counsel, along with attorneys Sam Silver and Kathleen Bliss. With a new set of attorneys, the trial, currently scheduled for November, may be held at a later date.

This is the first pre-trial hearing before Bill Cosby's second trial on sexual-assault charges, which began this morning in Montgomery County Court.

Cosby first went to trial in June, accused of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

After 52 hours of deliberations, though, the jury was still deadlocked, leading to a mistrial. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said he would re-try the case. The new trial will likely take place in March or April.
SUNBURY -- Discovery of wood chips in a concrete wall removed from a Milton duplex has the Sunbury police chief thinking the 1989 cold case he is investigating might be might be a copy of a Connecticut murder three years earlier.

Sunbury Police Chief Timothy S. Miller Tuesday said his suspicion is the reason he asked noted forensic scientist Henry C. Lee to get involved in the Barbara Miller investigation.

Lee helped investigate the 1986 murder in Newtown, Conn., of Helle Crafts, whose body was dismembered with a chain saw before it was put through a wood chipper.

Her body was never found but a tooth, hair and blood on a chainsaw receipt found in or near a lake belonged to her.

On the night she was last seen, her husband Richard, whom she was divorcing, was seen using a wood chipper at that lake during a severe snow storm.

He was found guilty of her death in 1989 and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

The Academy Award film "Fargo" was inspired by the Crafts case.

Wood chips and pieces of branches were found inside a wall of a duplex in Milton that police searched as part of an investigation into the 1989 disappearance, and presumed homicide, of Barbara Miller. Cadaver dogs also indicated they detected human remains in the wall, which police removed for analysis.

Potential evidence from the case has been sent to the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at New Haven University, said Chief Miller, who not related to Barbara Miller.

"There is no legitimate reason for wood chips to be in the wall," he said. As the wood rots away it would leave voids in the concrete, he said.

"Not small" was Miller's description of the amount of wood chips and branches in the 14- to 18-inch-thick, non-loadbearing wall.

"We're finding things highly suspicious that shouldn't be in concrete," he said with about elaborating.

He previously said William M. Bass, a retired University of Tennessee forensic anthropologist best known for his research on human decomposition, has been provided potential evidence to be analyzed.

Joseph Walter "Mike" Egan, Barbara Miller's estranged boyfriend who was identified in a search warrant affidavit as a suspect, operates a tree-trimming business, the chief said. He did not elaborate.

Eagan, a former Sunbury police officer who served prison time for extortion, has denied any involvement in Miller's disappearance.

His late sister lived in the Milton duplex when Barbara Miller disappeared July 1, 1989, after attending a wedding.

She was last seen in her home that day and never made it a bar in Mifflinburg where she was to meet friends.

It is the chief's belief Miller was killed in her home and her body moved several times before the remains were placed in the wall. He said he also believes more than one person was involved in the crime.

Earlier this month police executed a search warrant at Barbara Miller's former home and Chief Miller said he found something but will not say what.

A drum also was pulled from a pond off Route 45 between Lewisburg and Montandon but the chief would not explain a possible connection with the crime.

"Things" were found in the soil taken from in the cellar and around the foundation of Milton duplex but Miller would not say what. The soil sifting has been completed, he said.

"We remain confident that our team will succeed," he said. "The puzzle is coming together and it is just a matter of time until we get our answers."

The chief said he has no doubt Miller, who a judge declared dead on Oct. 10, 2002, was a victim of foul play because she would not have left her then 14-year-old son. Her death is classified as a homicide.
The cancer patient had claimed in a lawsuit that Johnson & Johnson's baby powder can cause ovarian cancer. A jury recently voted in her favour making it the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts.

By India Today Web Desk: A woman in Los Angeles won a hefty amount on Monday in a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, which claimed that its iconic baby powder can cause ovarian cancer when used regularly for feminine hygiene.

The jury attending the case has ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay 417 million dollars (Rs 267 crore approximately) to Californian Eva Echeverria, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007.

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In her lawsuit, Echeverria alleged that Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn its consumers about the talcum powder's potential cancer risks.

The verdict in case of Echeverria's lawsuit marks the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in courts around the U.S.

ECHEVERRIA'S CASE

Echeverria claimed that she used Johnson & Johnson's baby powder on a daily basis from the 1950s till 2016.

According to her lawsuit, Echeverria developed ovarian cancer as a "proximate result of the unreasonably dangerous and defective nature of talcum powder,".

"Mrs Echeverria is dying from this ovarian cancer and she said to me all she wanted to do was to help the other women throughout the whole country who have ovarian cancer for using Johnson & Johnson for 20 and 30 years," an AP report quotes Echeverria's lawyer.

"She really didn't want sympathy," he added. "She just wanted to get a message out to help these other women."

The evidence in the case included internal documents from several decades that "showed the jury that Johnson & Johnson knew about the risks of talc and ovarian cancer,".

The verdict came after a St Louis, Missouri, jury in May awarded 110.5 million dollars to a Virginia woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. She had blamed her illness on her use of the company's talcum powder-containing products for more than 40 years.

WHAT DOES JOHNSON & JOHNSON HAVE TO SAY?

Johnson & Johnson spokesperson Carol Goodrich said in a statement that the company will appeal the jury's decision. She said that while the company sympathises with women suffering from ovarian cancer, scientific evidence supports the safety of Johnson's baby powder.

Goodrich said that Johnson & Johnson is also preparing to defend itself and its baby powder at upcoming trials in the US.

(With inputs from AP)

For more on cancer...

Children of cancer: How childhood cancer is eating away the future generation

Fighting cancer: Could the ultimate cure for cancer lie in T-cell immunotherapy?

Terminally-ill student dies days after her dream to talk to Beyonce comes true

advertisement

After losing 8-year-old daughter to cancer, mother shares haunting photo to raise awareness

--- ENDS ---
In this July 22, 2017 photo, gender identity vocabulary words are pinned to a paper cutout of a person during a children's workshop on gender identity at a community center in Santiago, Chile. ChileAos association of endocrinologists expressed support for letting adults legally change their name and gender, but said it was premature to do so in childhood, when the body and brain are still developing and when gender identity can sometimes shift with puberty. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
China has warned that there will be "utter chaos" if its troops enter India on the pretext that Indian border infrastructure poses a threat to Beijing, while calling New Delhi's objection to its building a road in Doklam "ridiculous and vicious".

By India Today Web Desk: Continuing with its confrontational tone in the wake of the ongoing border standoff with India, China has warned that there will be "utter chaos" if its troops enter India on the pretext that Indian border infrastructure poses a threat to Beijing.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry termed India's argument that China's building a road in Doklam on the border posed a threat to New Delhi absolutely "ridiculous and vicious".

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China will never allow any country or individual to infringe upon its territorial sovereignty, the Ministry said. "The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and the facts are clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

"You may think about it. If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour's home can break into its neighbour's house. Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?"

INDIA HAS NEVER BEEN AN AGGRESSOR: RAJNATH

In response to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's remark that India had never been an aggressor and has had no ambitions to expand its border, Hua responded, "China loves peace and firmly upholds peace. At the same time, we will safeguard our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We will allow no country or individual to infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty."

She asked India to pull back its troops from Doklam to resolve the crisis.

"We have said many times that prerequisite basis for the settlement of the trespass is the unconditional withdrawal of the personnel and equipment from the Indian side. So we urge the Indian side to take concrete actions and make positive moves to correct its wrongdoing", Hua added.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a stand-off since June at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border.

LONGEST STANDOFF SINCE 1987

This is the longest stand-off between the two armies since 1987 when they faced a similar situation at Somordong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

It all began when Indian troops stopped Chinese troops from building a road in Doklam, citing the disputed status of the territory.

Doklam is claimed by Bhutan, which has protested against Chinese road building.

China says the construction of the road is just since Doklam has been Chinese territory since ancient times.

New Delhi backs Bhutan's claims and sees a Chinese road in Doklam as a threat because the region is very close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects India's northeast with the rest of the country.

(WITH INPUTS FROM IANS)

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ALSO READ |

Doklam will be resolved soon, confident China will take positive steps, says Rajnath

As Doklam standoff continues, government eyes speedy border project completion

Why Japan lent support to India against China over Doklam standoff

ALSO WATCH VIDEO | After Ladakh skirmish, China troops likely to target other border locations, warn Intel inputs

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Mark Furey leaves a media scrum in Halifax on Monday, August 31, 2015. Nova Scotia's labour relations minister has scheduled an announcement for later today in which he is expected to proclaim a bill imposing a wage package on civil servants. Government sources who requested anonymity have confirmed Mark Furey will proclaim Bill 148, which was passed by the Liberal government in December 2015 and would impose a four-year wage package on civil servants. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
The idea behind the Jinyiwei app is to provide bodyguards for anyone who feels unsafe. The app connects individuals and companies with over 50,000 staff from various security companies.

By India Today Web Desk: Now people in Chinese city of Qingdao will be able to hire a personal bodyguard the way we hire a cab- through an app.

The Jinyiwei app, which will be launched in September, connects individuals and companies with over 50,000 staff from various security companies. The idea is to provide bodyguards for anyone who feels unsafe.

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Just like we see the availability of drivers on Uber or Ola, the people of this northeastern Chinese city can look for bodyguards across the city in real time.

Also read: China secretly builds its own Nalanda University

According to a report in China Daily , the price will vary from 70 to 200 yuan (Rs 673 to Rs 1923) an hour. The personal bodyguards will be available for individuals as well as companies.

"Those who don't feel safe, especially when going somewhere uncertain or when carrying valuables, can log on and send requests," Li said Shangshang, one of the app's developers told China Daily.

But who is qualified to be a personal bodyguard?

These bodyguards are actually former military personnel and to qualify for the app, they are required to present their ID cards and military discharge certificates or permits.

"They have also been required to take manners and etiquette training classes, and must wear a uniform at work," Li told China Daily.

The developers think that the application is an effective way to upgrade China's security sector via the internet and it creates more jobs at the same time. They are planning to expand their business to other cities and overseas as well.

Also read: Made in India good, made in China not: Majority find Indian products better than Chinese

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FILE - In this June 20, 2017 file photo, Rep.-elect Greg Gianforte responds to questions at his home in Bozeman, Mont., about an election-eve confrontation with a reporter. A judge has ordered Gianforte to be photographed and fingerprinted for assaulting a reporter, opening the possibility of the congressman's mug shot to be used by political opponents next year when Gianforte is up for re-election. (AP Photo/Bobby Caina Calvan, File)
Meet Gavin and Macey Bebble, cousins and fellow St. Mary's stars

Two fellow Class of 2023 members, Gavin and Macey Bebble share a bond as cousins, friends and leading members of multiple talented St. Mary's teams.
By Geeta Mohan: Even as the border stand-off at the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction continues, the Chinese embassy officials in a rare move made a 'special trip' to visit Chinese students in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to caution them of the tensed environment in which they are in Delhi to start their academic session. While it is not uncommon to brief their nationals in India and put out regular advisories, this was different as an elaborate effort was made to brief the students of the do's and don'ts of living in India.

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A press statement of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi read: "Embassy official respectively introduced Sino-Indian relations, the do's and don'ts in study, and living, The officials elaborated in detail Indian consular protection and security situation, concepts and principles of consular protection and assistance, the embassy's consular protection measures and safety precautions through a large number of vivid consular protection cases".

The event was attended by Chinese students from across various universities in Delhi where they were reminded to "improve safety awareness; pay attention to personal property, transportation, property and other security issues; go in group for outings; inform family, friends or classmates in advance of the travel plan and keep the communication open; avoid travel to remote areas and evening outings; strictly abide by local laws and regulations; respect local customs and traditions; do not engage in activities incompatible with international students; do not have disputes or conflicts with local people; cherish the opportunity of studying abroad, study hard, and serve our country in the future as a bridge and emissary between China and India", the press release said.

Given the increase in tensions between India and China, the students expressed that uneasiness. "Their hearts are uneasy. The special event to introduce consular protection is very timely and necessary. They have benefited a lot and felt the warmth and care of the motherland in a foreign country, which made them feel relieved about their study and life in India".

Yan Xiaoce, counsellor and consul general of the Chinese embassy in India, Sun Meixing, head of education section, Zhu Songbo, acting director of political section, accompanied by other officials paid a visit to the university on Tuesday. There are about 40 students (including both self-funded and government-supported) from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and India Hindi Language Institute participated in the event.

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Community members from the East Mount Airy section of Philadelphia make their feelings known during a hearing about a medical marijuana dispensary in their neighborhood. Read more

Philadelphia City Council members Cherelle Parker and Cindy Bass are threatening to run a newly permitted medical cannabis oil dispensary out of East Mount Airy in a move that could throw a wrench into Pennsylvania's entire program.

The sudden opposition group includes State Rep. Chris Rabb, State Sen. Art Haywood, and broadcaster and Philly.com contributor Solomon Jones, all backed by a cadre of neighborhood residents.

Holding classic "Not In My Backyard"-themed signs at City Hall last week, the influential crew pushed for a critical land-use hearing set for Sept. 19. They are openly calling on the Pennsylvania Department of Health to revoke the permit for the operator, TerraVida. That means the company's two other dispensary locations are under threat.

Local patients have been horrified at the rhetoric used in the kerfuffle. Most of the opposition group's remarks about retail medical marijuana sales amount to baseless accusations and unjustified stereotyping:

Hordes of eager robbers will pounce on all-cash dispensaries.

Selling THC and CBD vape pen cartridges with a RiteAid two blocks away will shock children and senior citizens.

Seriously ill patients will snarl traffic and take up valuable parking spaces.

Of course, we've heard all of this before from folks like State Rep. Matthew Baker (R., Tioga), who spent years trying to persuade their fellow legislators that marijuana was more dangerous than plutonium. Parker and Bass missed out on the arguments that (thankfully) won in Harrisburg:

In 2009 former Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck famously (among drug policy wonks) said, "Banks are more likely to get robbed than medical marijuana dispensaries."

A 2011 study by UCLA found that more than 1,000 semi-regulated medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles were not associated with an increased density of violent crime or property crime in their neighborhoods.

A June 2017 article in the Harvard Business Review reviewed a massive set of data addressing dispensaries in "mixed-use" areas. Marijuana dispensaries and restaurants appear to help keep crime down when they are open for business.

Cannabis cultivation, processing, laboratory testing and retail stores have been operating for decades across America's urban environments. Every study to gauge their impact finds that most are positive additions.

Several studies can also give some assurance regarding the clientele. Medical marijuana patients tend to be over 40, have jobs, and are looking to stop using prescription pain medication. Hardly undesirable. They might even stop and shop. Yikes.

The politicians are most unhappy about TerraVida's relationship with the neighborhood and about its offices. Handshake deals securing the accepted level of "community support" required for permit applications are common among cannabis operators with experience in other states.

After facilities were licensed in Massachusetts in 2014, it was revealed that towns had secured hundreds of thousands of dollars (sometimes annual payments in perpetuity) from medical cannabis applicants in exchange for letters of approval and helpful zoning.

PurePenn broke ground for one of the 12 growing/processing sites in McKeesport a few weeks ago. During the ceremony, a $50,000 check to a local nonprofit was presented. Not surprisingly, PurePenn hasn't experienced any backlash.

Many permit holders in Pennsylvania are stacked with longtime political operatives who may have helped navigate these deals. That several reporters to ask whether Parker's motives were more politics than policy. The president of TerraVida, Chris Visco, is a former campaign manager for Parker's allies and opponents.

Parker, Bass, Haywood, and Raab must know that removing or relocating the dispensary is impractical under the new law. That's on purpose.

Cities in other states passed outright bans on medical marijuana operations. Knowing this, Pennsylvania lawmakers built in language that municipalities can't kick out permit holders just because they don't like marijuana.

Their bombastic dispute also ignores the Philadelphia Planning Commission's pragmatic zoning rules. TerraVida simply complied. Now, it seems, Philly is punishing a group that tried to abide by all the onerous regulations, sending a bad message to a new industry.

Flaws in the medical marijuana permit awarding process in Maryland and Florida resulted in both states' putting the brakes on their entire implementation process. Everyone stopped while court cases went forward. The same could happen in Pennsylvania if the Parker/Bass crew and TerraVida don't unlock their horns.

It's also disappointing to watch such zeal among City Council opposing this single business while far more serious issues with cannabis remain unaddressed. Here are a few:

Philly decriminalized marijuana possession, but there are still about 700 people getting put into handcuffs instead of getting tickets. Most of them are young black men. This should stop. Now.

Philadelphia is wasting more than 20 percent of its total addiction-services budget on mandatory drug treatment for those who fail THC urine tests. We could treat thousands of more people for heroin  without spending a single additional tax dollar  if we fixed our approach to cannabis for people on pretrial, probation, or parole.

Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) has introduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would end federal prohibition. A major component of the bill envisions minority business owners and cannabis operations flourishing in neighborhoods just like Mount Airy. The bill deserves support and planning.

We should be looking forward to a day when thousands of marijuana retail stores contribute to Philadelphia's economy and society. Instead, leaders like Cherelle Parker and Cindy Bass are stuck in reverse. Hopefully, we can set internal politics aside and start working toward a brighter and much greener future.
In this Oct. 10, 2016, law-enforcement officers (left) drag a person from a protest against the Dakota Access pipeline, near the town of St. Anthony in rural Morton County, N.D. Read more

Energy Transfer Partners LP has sued Greenpeace International, Earth First! and other groups, accusing them of inciting terrorist acts and vandalism to generate publicity and raise money for their causes while hampering the Dakota Access pipeline majority owner's ability to raise money for projects.

Energy Transfer is the second company in the last year to attack Greenpeace and its allies in court for engaging in what they claim is a racketeering scheme far beyond ordinary environmental advocacy. Resolute Forest Products Inc. made similar allegations over Greenpeace's campaign against logging in a May 2016 RICO lawsuit. Both companies are represented by Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, a New York-based law firm whose managing partner Marc Kasowitz is President Trump's attorney.

Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, running from western North Dakota to southern Illinois, sparked months of protests last year, with clashes between environmentalists and police drawing international attention. The pipeline went into service June 1, following the construction of a final link under a part of Lake Oahe, near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

Locally, Energy Transfer Partners' Sunoco Pipeline subsidiary is building the Mariner East project along a 350-mile route across Pennsylvania to deliver Marcellus Shale gas liquids by pipeline to Marcus Hook.

In the lawsuit, Energy Transfer says Greenpeace led a corrupt environmentalist organization, an enterprise that "cynically planted radical, violent eco-terrorists on the ground amongst the protesters, and directly funded their operations and publicly urged their supporters to do the same."

Negative publicity generated by the demonstrations caused Energy Transfer to lose "many hundreds of millions of dollars" and damaged its ability to raise money from capital markets, according to the complaint, filed Tuesday in Bismark, N.D. Energy Transfer is seeking unspecified money damages, which would be tripled under U.S. racketeering laws; a court order barring the groups from further protests; and an order for the groups to return money to donors.

"Under the `Greenpeace Model,' raising money and the network's profile is the primary objective, not saving the environment," Energy Transfer said. "'Issues are selected according to which ones will generate maximum publicity and donations, irrespective of the environmental merits."

The environmentalists' campaigns are based on fabricated evidence and witness accounts to deceive the public, Energy Transfer said.

Among the other groups being sued by Energy Transfer is BankTrack, a Dutch not-for-profit group that raises money for non-governmental organizations.

The Dakota Access pipeline project spurred legal challenges from Native American tribes, principally the Standing Rock Sioux, objecting to the pipeline's path across man-made Lake Oahe. Energy Transfer intervened in that action on the side of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In June, a Washington federal court judge, having rejected earlier entreaties to block the project, said the Army Corps hadn't adequately considered the impacts of a potential spill from the line on fishing, hunting and "environmental justice, or the degree to which the pipeline's effects are likely to be highly controversial," and ordered it to reconsider those factors.

The Resolute Forest lawsuit is still pending in U.S. court in San Francisco.
The reawakening of a long-dormant pier has Hyundai and Kia autos rolling off ships from South Korea in record numbers at the Philadelphia port this summer.

According to PhilaPort, the state agency that operates the Port of Philadelphia, 200,000 vehicles are expected in 2017, up from 150,000, with the recent reopening of Pier 122 in South Philadelphia, which provides a second ship berth for automobile imports and exports.

Since late June, seven car carriers with 10,770 new Hyundai and Kia autos have arrived at Pier 122, a finger pier on the Delaware River and a former Pennsylvania Railroad ore dock that hadn't been used by ships in 20 years. Pier 122 and adjacent Pier 124 were built in 1929.

"It is bringing an old terminal back to life," said Gregory Iannarelli, the port's senior director of business development and chief counsel. "From a global significance, it solidifies the port to a new level for automobile business."

Last fall, the Wolf administration announced a $300 million cash investment in the Philadelphia port to upgrade ship berths, buy cranes, update and relocate warehouses, and double container cargoes  efforts projected to create 2,000 direct waterfront jobs and 7,000 total jobs for truckers, rail workers, suppliers, and port-related businesses.

Of the $300 million capital-improvement plan, $93 million was allocated for cars, including use of 200 vacant acres known as Southport at the eastern end of the Navy Yard and development of a vehicle-processing center.

Since 2010, the autos had gone to the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. Having a second berth in addition to Packer for vehicles and roll-on/roll-off cargoes such as machinery and farm equipment will allow two car ships to dock simultaneously.

"It certainly gives us the ability to start attracting more business through the port," said Scott Cornell, vice president at Hyundai Glovis, the logistics firm that brings autos here. His company has been talking with other carmakers about imports and potentially exports through the port. "We have interest from almost every manufacturer."

Philadelphia competes for auto business with the ports of New York and New Jersey, Baltimore, and Wilmington, Del. The Hyundai and Kia vehicles are coming here from South Korea, Mexico, and factories in Alabama and Georgia. The plan is for Philadelphia to become a distribution center for the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, Cornell said.

About $3 million was spent on improvements to Pier 122 by the tenant USD Group and by Glovis Hyundai, including paving, lighting, fencing, and berth fendering. The State of Pennsylvania, as landlord and owner of 16 piers and terminals on the Delaware River, purchased Pier 122 from Conrail in 2007.

"This is a great piece of business, a great growth story for the port," said Kevin LaBorne, vice president of USD Group, which leases both Pier 122 and the land adjacent to the dock. "We're excited about putting an asset to work that had not been utilized, and doing it in a way that's meaningful, with the creation of jobs and economic growth for the region and also allowing for future development."

Pier 122 is located near two railroads, Norfolk Southern and CSX, and I-95. "And its deepwater dock makes it ideal," LaBorne said.

In April 2015, USD Group took over a 20-year lease from Growmark Inc., a Midwestern agricultural co-op, with plans to bring fertilizer into the pier. When Growmark's plans to bring fertilizer in bulk through Pier 122 fell through, it had been "hit or miss trying to get a business model to work until we were successful with the automobiles," Iannarelli said.

USD Group plans to create a "multimodal" facility at the pier with rail, marine, and truck access that will cater to dry bulk storage. "We won't stop with autos," LaBorne said. Silo domes on the property are empty and could be used to store dry bulk cargoes such coal, ore, grain, and road salt that are shipped in large, unpackaged quantities.

"We are actively seeking partnerships, seeking customers that would have a use for those domes," LaBorne said. "We've had a lot of interest, and we are working through a number of development opportunities right now."
A May 14 drone photo of the Comcast Technology Center. The potential problem was called not common but also not catastrophic. Read more

Liberty Property Trust has paused assembly of the upper-most portion of the Comcast Technology Center tower to inspect the metal being used in that part of the structure for potential cracks.

John Gattuso, Liberty's regional director, said in an interview late last week that between 35 and 40 possible "indications" of cracking were found in the steel being used to construct the two-story-high frame that will house the CTC's lighting and mechanical systems atop the building's 60 occupiable stories.

Any cracking is thought to have occurred during the steel's galvanization process and is easily repaired, Gattuso said.

"This is not rare, but it's not totally common," he said. "It's not a catastrophic issue."

The inspection comes about a year before Liberty anticipates completing what will be the tallest building in the United States outside New York or Chicago. Other work will continue during the inspection, so the probe should not affect that schedule.

Planned for the $1.5 billion building, at 18th and Arch Streets, are offices and labs for Comcast Corp.'s growing workforce of technologists, engineers, and software architects, as well as studios for its local NBC and Telemundo affiliates and a Four Seasons hotel. A floor of the building also has been carved into condo units purchased by Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts and his wife, Aileen.

The inspection began a few weeks ago and will continue for another month to include the examination of each of the 5,200 welds binding 621 separate pieces of steel being assembled to support the building's lighting and mechanical equipment, Gattuso said.

The possible instances spotted so far may be merely surface markings, but any actual cracks that are found can be repaired by drilling holes into the base of the fractures to arrest their growth, he said.

The cost of the inspection and any other associated expenses will be borne by the supplier of the metal, SteelFab Inc. of Charlotte, N.C.

A message left with SteelFab was not immediately returned.
As a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, Tom Corcoran helped oversee the construction of earthen dams to expose the fertile soil beneath the inlets of Lake Chad, preparing those grounds for wheat farming.

Now, decades later, Corcoran has bid farewell to a career on another body of water  the Delaware River  after prepping its Camden and Philadelphia waterfronts for massive development projects.

Corcoran, 73, retired from his post as head of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. this summer after eight years with the city-affiliated nonprofit that guides development along a swath of central Philadelphia's eastern riverfront. His work there followed 25 years at the Cooper's Ferry Development Association, the DRWC's Camden counterpart.

It's now up to his successors on both sides of the river to continue the work set in motion, most notably the redevelopment of the Penn's Landing waterfront site, which has vexed developers and planners for decades.

Plans call for capping a portion of I-95 between Chestnut and Walnut Streets with a four-acre park that slopes down to the river at Penn's Landing. One of Corcoran's final acts as DRWC chief was to announce that funding commitments had been secured for completing the project, which would reconnect Center City with its waterfront.

"My goal  and I wasn't sure I was going to get there  was to get the project's financial commitments in place before I left, and that's what we were able to do," he said on the terrace of the Hilton hotel at Penn's Landing, near the area that is set to be transformed. "That was a very good feeling, to be able to leave on that note."

Corcoran, a Chicago native, came to Philadelphia to earn a master's degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School after seven years in the Peace Corps.

With his Wharton degree, Corcoran began an eight-year stint with the City of Camden, eventually becoming the municipality's business administrator. He left city government in 1983 to lead the nonprofit Cooper's Ferry association, which was formed to manage 75 acres of riverfront land.

Under his watch, Cooper's Ferry saw the development of the New Jersey State Aquarium (now the Adventure Aquarium), the performing-arts venue now known as BB&T Pavilion, and the One Port Center office building, among other construction projects and public amenities.

In 2009, Corcoran hopped across the Delaware River to lead the newly formed DRWC, first overseeing development of a master plan for the waterfront zone between Allegheny Avenue in Port Richmond and Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia, then helping to carry out projects consistent with that document.

Corcoran's tenure at the DRWC included development of public spaces such as the Race Street and Washington Avenue Piers and the start of a 3.3-mile bike-and-walking trail between Fishtown and the big-box shopping district of South Columbus Boulevard. Other initiatives have included the Spruce Street Harbor Park with its food stands, hammocks, and lawn games.

Throughout his time at the DRWC, Corcoran said, he was guided by a principal of racking up modest, achievable wins in areas flanking Penn's Landing, rather than attempting the wholesale redevelopment of the dated waterfront district itself, as others have attempted.

"Instead of swinging for the fences, we decided we would hit singles and doubles and bunts and sacrifices, steal bases, and do whatever we could," he said. "Eventually, we thought, we'd always get back to the center."

Now they're getting there.

The years since Corcoran's departure from Cooper's Ferry have brought the arrival of a 76ers training facility on Front Street, as well as the start of developer Liberty Property Trust's $1 billion plan for offices, housing, and hotel accommodations over 26 acres, although he concedes that state tax incentives played a big role in encouraging that activity.

On the Philadelphia side, meanwhile, the DRWC-led landscaped public spaces and seasonal attractions have played a role in attracting private development, such as the One Water Street apartment building and FringeArts theater complex near Race Street Pier.

Those amenities  and the plans for the highway-capping Penn's Landing park  were cited by New York's Durst Organization as a reason for its acquisition of an assemblage of piers north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge for eventual development into an apartment complex.

Liberty Property Trust chief executive William Hankowsky, who had worked with Corcoran in Camden city government and who now sits on the DRWC's board of directors, attributed Corcoran's successes to patience and humility.

"He's not trying to walk in a room and own the room," Hankowsky said. "He's trying to walk in the room and see how he can build a consensus to move the mission forward among various constituencies."

For Corcoran, Hankowsky said, "the mission is more important than the person."
By India Today Web Desk: Diya Aur Baati Hum star Anas Rashid is all set to tie the knot on September 10. The actor, who became a household name after playing the role of Sooraj got engaged to Heena Iqbal on April 9, in a private ceremony in his hometown Malerkotla, Punjab.

The actor shared his excitement with Indianexpress.com and said, "Everyone is really excited at home and we are all geared up with the preparation. Since the entire family is here, we planned to tie the knot in Malerkotla, and when we move to Mumbai, will organize a party there."

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Heena belongs to the same village as Anas. She is 14 years younger to the actor (Anas is 38 years old), and works in a corporate company in Chandigarh.

The couple hasn't planned their honeymoon yet. "We haven't decided on anything yet. Post the wedding rituals, we will come back to Mumbai. We have our whole life ahead, will definitely plan something,"added the actor.

Also read: SEE PICS: Diya Aur Baati Hum's Sooraj aka Anas Rashid gets engaged

Also read: TV actor Naman Shaw to tie the knot soon

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Phil Coppola, a doctoral student from the University of Delaware, uses a telemeter to search for quail at the Pine Island Cranberry Co. in Burlington County. Read more

Holly Haines grew up on her family's Burlington County cranberry farm hearing Northern Bobwhite quail calling to each other.

That distinctive bobWHITE and the beautiful birds who make it virtually disappeared from New Jersey decades ago.

But since 2015, 120 nesting pairs have been transported from Georgia to the Haines family's Pine Island Cranberry Co., a 14,000-acre property near Chatsworth, where the vulnerable, short-lived, but prolific quail are being released, monitored, and studied.

In three years, 39 nests  the earliest of which marked the first wild quail nesting in New Jersey since the 1980s  have been made; of the dozen this year, six have been decimated by predators, five were successful, and one is still active.

"If all the [50] chicks that hatched this year are alive, there would be about 85 to 90 birds on site right now," said John P. Parke, stewardship project manager for the NJ Audubon Bobwhite Quail Restoration Project, which he described as part of a "multi-state initiative to evaluate different options for restoring bobwhite populations in the mid-Atlantic region."

Other partners in the effort include Tall Timbers, a respected forestry management organization in Florida that's a national leader in quail restoration, and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Beloved by birders and hunters alike, bobwhites nest and raise their young on the ground, preferring habitats where fields and forests are in proximity. The birds have become functionally extinct in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and many other states, although Delaware still has a small indigenous population.

"Bobwhites have tanked nationally mostly due to habitat changes, including loss to development," Parke noted, adding that "improved fire suppression, and changes in timber management" also have helped create "forests that are all the same age" that offer fewer quail-friendly amenities, such as the ground-level insects protein-hungry chicks need to eat.

To see the project for myself, I recently accompanied Parke, Haines, her niece Stefanie Haines, and intern Omar Lamrabat, 21, a senior at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, into a field study area near Hogwallow. That's the evocative name for the scenic sea of Haines family cranberry bogs and piney woodlands made famous by John McPhee's landmark book, The Pine Barrens.

The 20-minute trip from Pine Island's picturesque headquarters on Route 563 followed a mostly unmarked labyrinth of paved and sand roads. We passed a succession of alternately lush and stark landscapes that were veined with streams of dark water and opened into blue vistas of lakes and bogs.

"There are three broods on the ground right now." said Phil Coppola, a research assistant who was waiting for us in an open field of tall grass that was bordered by woods. Nearby, clusters of rare orchids and pitcher plants flourished in the humid air.

"Most of the birds are doing everything right," added Coppola, for whom the research is part of his dissertation project at the University of Delaware. "They're surviving after translocation, and they're making nests. And we're getting excellent data."

Coppola carried a radio telemetry antenna and a receiver that picked up signals from nearby adult birds that have been banded and collared with battery powered transmitters.

Suddenly a pair of quail rocketed up and out of the grass and soared skyward in a majestic flash of sound and feathers.

"You just got to see something a lot of people haven't seen in years," said Parke, describing the airborne pair as among "the only true wild quail we know of in the state right now."

The Haines family has grown cranberries in Burlington County for generations; its holdings have been so well-managed that the Pine Island farm is proving to be an excellent site for the quail project.

"A quality habitat was in place already," Parke said. "This place is phenomenal for seeing the most amazing wildlife, the most amazing plant life."

The state's Northern Bobwhite Quail Action Plan described the Pine Barrens, and Cumberland County, as areas of New Jersey with sizable potential habitats best suited for re-introduction of the birds. The presence of large landowners such Pine Island and other cranberry growers with large parcels nearby made the Pinelands a better choice, Parke says.

Holly Haines is the president of the Haines Family Foundation, which has supported the project from the beginning.

"This is probably the largest environment-related project we've done," said Haines, who, like her niece, sees restoring the bobwhite as complementary to their family's tradition of strong stewardship.

"My grandfather [the late William Haines Sr.] always told my dad and my aunt that 'we take care of the water, we take care of the woods, and we take care of our business,'" Stefanie Haines said. "It means we're doing the right thing."

This is the first year that the transplanted quail have "double-clutched," or laid more than a single nest of eggs. And birds released last year have mated with newer arrivals.

Both of these events are encouraging. But even with their high fertility, Parke cautioned that bobwhites  and their signature bob-WHITE  aren't likely to be common in and around Hogwallow any time soon. Research papers to be published and peer reviewed next year should help determine whether translocation is the preferred method of bringing back the birds.

"Growing up, you don't even realize something that's so much a part of where you live isn't there anymore," Holly Haines said.

Later, "you miss those things," she added. "For people who live around here, the sound of the bobwhites was natural. I hope it will be part of our lives again."
In his Monday speech on Afghanistan, President Trump admitted something he's rarely faced up to: Decisions are "much different" when you are president than in the heat of a campaign.

The president's original instinct, expressed repeatedly over the years, was to pull any remaining troops out of Afghanistan. The public is understandably tired of America's longest war, which has dragged on for nearly 16 years. There are no good military options in sight.

Yet after a policy review that dragged on for seven months and bitterly divided the White House, the president finally faced up to grim reality: A full retreat from Afghanistan meant al-Qaeda and ISIS would find havens again as the Taliban seized more swaths of the country.

So Trump finally went with the advice of his generals, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, to boost the current 8,400 troops by at least another 4,000 (some of the brass wanted more).

Needless to say, those numbers alone don't offer a promise of reversing the current Taliban resurgence. But Trump's new policy, though vague and marked by some glaring holes, contained several shifts in direction that could make a difference on the ground.

Let's call those directional shifts the four "Nos."

The first No is no deadline for troop withdrawal. President Barack Obama made a huge error when he surged troops in Afghanistan in 2009 but announced in advance the date for their pullout. The Taliban just waited him out, as did Afghanistan's mischief-making neighbor Pakistan (see below).

Given the small number of U.S. troops  and their primary role as trainers  it makes more sense to see their presence as part of a long-term investment in order to prevent a terrorist resurgence. Their presence also reminds regional neighbors Iran, Russia, India, and Pakistan that America is still paying attention.

The second No refers to no more efforts at nation-building. We tried that and failed.

The few thousand remaining U.S. troops will focus on training Afghan special operations forces and commandos, and, learning from lessons in Iraq, on calling in air and artillery strikes to support Afghans. This is how a limited number of U.S. troops helped the Iraqi army finally defeat ISIS in Mosul.

The third No is the apparent veto of a bizarre idea the president toyed with: to hire Erik Prince, founder of the notorious Blackwater private contractor outfit that shot up Baghdad, to lead a mercenary force replacing U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Most important is the fourth No: No more havens for the Afghan Taliban in Pakistan. The Pakistani military and intelligence services have long played a double game, warring on Pakistani Taliban that attack their own military and civilians while giving haven to Afghan Taliban leaders and fighters. The Pakistanis have also hosted other Islamist terrorists who attacked India, and they harbored Osama bin Laden for years.

Islamabad plays this double game because it views the Afghan Taliban and other terrorist groups as vital tools in its endless struggle against India. Both the Bush and Obama administrations tried fruitlessly to persuade Pakistan with financial carrots to shut down these terrorist havens.

McMaster is known to have sought a tougher line on Pakistan. And Trump proclaimed, "We can no longer be silent" about Pakistani havens for terrorists. The success of any Trump policy on Afghanistan may depend on whether his team can figure out how to change Pakistan's behavior.

Which brings me to the big holes in Trump's "strategy."

The president paid lip service to diplomacy, saying his policy would "integrate all instruments of American power." But the troubled State Department has been denuded of expertise on South Asia, and the president's words made clear his skepticism about diplomatic efforts.

Trump repeatedly promised to "win" in Afghanistan and called for "outright victory." Afghanistan's history shows that "victory" within its borders is a dubious hope.

Ultimately, the point of military progress in Afghanistan would be to provide muscle behind a diplomatic push in the region  aimed at persuading all of Afghanistan's neighbors that its stability is in their interests and that they should stop backing factions on its soil.

Short of that, the best U.S. hope may be to prevent ISIS or al-Qaeda from establishing new bases, which would require a long-term U.S. presence and focus. Continued bluster about swift and outright victory will only make Americans antsy.

Afghanistan is Trump's war now, and it will require the kind of long-range thinking he hasn't demonstrated up until now.
Artist Cai Guo-Qiang with one of his Fireflies, a pedicab illuminated with lanterns that will be used in a monthlong public art performance celebrating the Benjamin Franklin Parkwayd centennial beginning in September. Read more

Cai Guo-Qiang remembers vividly his joy as a child during lantern festivals in his native Quanzhou, a port city in Fujian province, China.

The red spheres, the yellow stars, the orange fish  all sparkling with light.

"The lights for the lanterns were candles, so as a kid when you run around with them, it's very easy to catch fire," Cai, now 59, said recently as he stood in a temporary studio in a former Kensington factory building.

Known around the world for his explosive, fiery artworks, Cai is creating something less combustible, something less raucous  but just as memorable  to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

On this particular warm August day, Cai stood amid a dangling forest of pale green aliens, yellow smiley faces, red and green watermelon chunks, cicadas, bright-green grass hoppers, bobbing red spheres, yellow stars, airplanes, and dozens of other shapes and colors all wired with LED lights, eventually to be attached to flexible rods affixed to 27 specially fabricated pedicabs.

This is the world of Fireflies, Cai's evocative homage to the Parkway. Commissioned by the Association for Public Art with curator Lance Fung of San Francisco's Fung Collective, Fireflies will be introduced to the public in a ceremony and performance on Sept. 14.

On Sept. 15, public rides begin. Anyone will be able to take a free one-way ride on the pedicabs (in the glow of their 900 lanterns made from polyurethaned fabric in Cai's hometown of Quanzhou) as they move between Sister Cities Park at 18th Street and Iroquois Park across from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The pedicabs will operate Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 15 to Oct. 8., from 6 to 10 each evening.

(Rides for the public will be available beginning Sept. 15 and will continue through Oct. 8, Thursday through Sundays from 6 to 10 p.m. Online reservations for one-way rides from Sister Cities Park to Iroquois Park, and vice versa, will be available but walk-ups are also welcome. Details about making a reservation are coming soon.)

"The lanterns will glow at night, and they are installed in such a way that they will move and be flickering  that was the idea behind Fireflies," said Penny Balkin Bach, executive director of the Association for Public Art. "Our desire was to commission something that was new, that would relate to the Parkway, and that would actually describe the physical attributes of the Parkway.

"If you think about it, it might even be considered a beautiful line drawing in light that goes up the Parkway and around so that, pardon the pun, you see the Parkway in a new light."

For Cai, Fireflies represents a departure from his well-known work with gunpowder and fireworks, such as the spectacular displays he created for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His work was last seen in Philadelphia in 2008, with the Fallen Blossoms: Explosion Project that burned a fleeting flower into the night sky above the Art Museum (in memory of its late director Anne d'Harnoncourt); concurrently, Cai created the smoldering Time Scroll at the Fabric Workshop and Museum.

This time, the Parkway will experience a quieter Cai, reflective, a bit nostalgic. But an artist still concerned with time, light, and memory.

"I conceived of these lanterns as my childhood fireworks," Cai said through an interpreter from his New York studio, Beatrice Grenier. "In a way, the fact that these lanterns were created in my hometown of Quanzhou links them to my childhood, to my childhood dreams, and to my emotion for it. It also symbolizes, in a way, my trajectory as an immigrant artist, departing from Quanzhou and moving to Japan, and then, again, establishing myself in the United States."

Fung, who curated Fireflies, bringing Cai and the Association for Public Art together, believes Cai has taken a huge leap with the project.

"It's a big divergence from the gunpowder drawings or the explosions," Fung said. "But it still has that spectacle. It references fireworks  but it really is a very inward piece."

Fung also believes the fanciful bobbing lanterns illuminate Cai's humor.

"Usually his work  doesn't seem like it's fun and playful, even though it's fireworks and gunpowder," Fung said. "The work is sort of 'art-ified' by art critics as very serious. Most people haven't seen that, the humor and playfulness in it."

Cai says the shapes for the lanterns were partially drawn from his own childhood memories.

"A part of them is from my kids' childhoods, and then a part of them is also my studio staff. We thought, 'What kind of shapes can we make?' Some are contemporary, like the emojis and the extraterrestrials, the cellphones," he said. "I'm the boy who never grows up."

Playfulness, dancing light, and pedicabs (fabricated in Montana) do not make for a "conventional celebration with an orchestra playing  it's a celebration that everyone can partake in," Cai said.

Which fits with the attention the Association for Public Art has sought to bring to the Parkway, a part of the city for a century now, but a part that many residents turn their back on most of the time.

"We are are all interested in animating the Parkway at night, bringing people out at night, when they might not normally be out on the Parkway, because there is a shared experience that they can find," Bach said. "This project slows people down. All of a sudden you're slowed down. You feel the Parkway. You're riding in it, part of a larger event. It's going to be fun for people. It also has underpinnings that are more serious, that have to do with the international connection this artist brings."

Ride with 'Fireflies'

Fireflies takes place on the Parkway, Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 15-Oct. 8, 6-10 p.m. Rides are free, but reservations can be made at Sister Cities Park, 18th Street and the Parkway, and at Iroquois Park, 24th Street and the Parkway. For more information visit www.associationforpublicart.org/fireflies
As we age, it is wise to view devices such as canes not as signs of frailty, but as tools that can help us be more active. Read more

I turned 60 this year and got a new hip. Not what I dreamed about for this special milestone birthday. But I'm betting it'll be one of my best presents ever. I have my life back again, and can't wait to do all I couldn't last year.

Besides, the surgery also led to an unexpected gift. Geriatrician Bill Thomas says, "Aging is a team sport." As a professional focused for more than 20 years on aging well, I've always believed those words. Today, I understand them on a much deeper level.

My hip surgery pushed me to weave together support in a bigger and broader way. I learned that there are three key ingredients. They can spell success for anyone willing to foster and embrace these important forms of support in times of need.

People

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." Remember this song from Girl Scouts? I tapped into both for my people support after surgery.

"Gold" typically means family and close friends. An old friend flew in to provide critical support the first tough week after surgery. She set me up well, so I could continue on with my recovery. What a gift.

Next came the "silver," the newer friends and neighbors I've always been careful to cultivate wherever I've lived (four states, several cities, many neighborhoods).

Living in an apartment, this is even easier. Plus, I'm outside with my dog and saying hello to my neighbors 365 days a year.

So when my golden friend left, my neighbors stepped in to help with dog walks, trash runs, and check-in calls and visits. Yes, good neighbors can be golden, too.

Tools

A year ago my doctor told me to get a cane to support my deteriorating hip. I bought one, but immediately stowed it away.

Now I realize that a cane isn't a sign of frailty. It's a "sturdy friend"  like the walker, shower stool, tub grab bars, temporary toilet rails, dressing stick, grabber, and sock aid I was advised to get to aid my recovery. I thought all this stuff would be excessive. It wasn't.

Next time I need added physical support, I'll quickly seek out tools to help  and will freely use them. And I'm so thankful that the growing aging population is sparking the development of more sophisticated devices to aid good later life living.

Services

If you've never before tapped into the burgeoning on-demand service sector of our economy, now's the time to get started.

Amazon was my online shopping service before and after surgery (and saved me from painful, nearly impossible outings). It even provided easy and more affordable access to all the support tools I needed.

Amazon Fresh delivered groceries right to my second-floor apartment door. A friend also sent a week of Hello Fresh meal boxes, so I got to experience this way of cooking. I'd readily use both again.

Uber provided my 40-minute rides to and from physical therapy until I was cleared to drive again.

All of these add-ons were so easy and comfortable to use. Biggest surprise? Uber. It felt far more like riding with a new friend than using a transportation service. Each driver had a story to tell and we shared some truly great conversations. Now I know why it's so popular.

Summing up

Weaving together a good support system can spell success for aging well for anyone anywhere. Just remember:

It's a team effort.

Things change as we age, so cast a wide net and don't rely on just one way to get support.

Every connection can count, so reach out to all around you (in big and small, deep and shallow ways).

Stay in touch with those you care about far and wide.

View support tools as friends, not frailty.

Stay open to accepting and receiving support.

This is the first in a series of columns on "Rethinking Aging" from Sue Ronnenkamp, who writes, teaches, and innovates in order to shift the way we view and respond to aging. Ronnenkamp, who lives in the Philadelphia area, has a master's degree in health-care administration and has worked in the aging field for more than 20 years. See more at www.agethrive.org and on Facebook at AgeThrive.
Pennsylvania's state university system on Tuesday extended a lifeline to struggling Cheyney University, agreeing to forgive more than $30 million in loans if the school can achieve and maintain a balanced budget over the next four years.

The measure, approved by the board of governors for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education at a special meeting in Harrisburg, comes as the nation's oldest historically black university faces serious financial woes and plummeting enrollment.

The system and its other 13 member universities have extended the loans to Cheyney over the last several years to help keep it afloat.

Cheyney, facing a Sept. 1 deadline to prove that it should not lose its accreditation, also has begun to take bold steps to close a more than $7 million gap in what would have been a $35 million budget.

The 746-student university in Chester and Delaware Counties in the last week has cut 17 administrative positions, including its chief spokesperson, and plans to shut down some academic programs. The board of governors gave the school permission to end programs without adhering to previous guidelines that required currently enrolled students be allowed to finish.

"They have to submit a balanced budget if they want their accreditation to be continued," said Kenn Marshall, a spokesman for the state system.

That's the message, he said, the university received from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Without its accreditation, Cheyney's students no longer would be eligible for state or federal financial aid, and in effect, the university would go out of business.

The commission put Cheyney on probation in 2015. In June, the commission told the university it had to submit a plan by Sept. 1 to address serious deficiencies in its finances, programming and other areas.

"Cheyney University cannot survive without accreditation, period," Cynthia D. Shapira, chair of the board of governors, said in a statement. "And today's serious actions give Cheyney the path forward."

Cheyney has lost more than half its enrollment since 2010. In 2015, the university came under scrutiny for mismanagement of student financial aid, which could mean the school will have to repay $29 million to the U.S. Department of Education. The university could not provide high school transcripts for 45 percent of the students who received aid from 2011 to 2014, nor could it document that some students receiving aid were making the required progress toward a degree.

Under the plan approved Tuesday, the system will forgive one-third of the loans when Cheyney cuts $7.5 million in its current budget and maintains a balanced budget for 2018-19. The next two-thirds will be forgiven if the university keeps a balanced budget over the next two fiscal years.

"By holding Cheyney accountable for achieving these goals, we are making an important shift toward rewarding good performance and away from enabling the kinds of decisions that have fostered Cheyney's problems for decades," Chancellor Frank T. Brogan said.

Marshall said no decision had been made on which programs could be discontinued; the university has 18 majors. In the past, a university that discontinued programs had to let current students finish their degree over the next few years. Because of the urgency of Cheyney's predicament, the system waived that requirement. Instead, Marshall said, the state system will offer current undergraduates whose programs are discontinued the opportunity to transfer to one of the other 13 universities in the system to complete their degree, he said. Exceptions also will be made for graduate students.

The system also is in discussions with Lincoln University, a historically black school in Chester County, about a similar arrangement.

"Our number-one goal is to serve students, and we cannot do that if we lose accreditation," Aaron A. Walton, interim president of Cheyney, said. "Now, we can focus our available resources on students in academic programs where there is the greatest demand and that meet Pennsylvania's needs."

Faculty members affected by the cuts will be notified by Oct. 30 and allowed to remain at the school through the spring 2018 semester, then given an opportunity to transfer to another position at Cheyney or another of the system's universities.

Kenneth M. Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties union, endorsed the board's decision to forgive the loans to Cheyney.

"If Cheyney is going to survive, it's going to have to be under circumstances where there is some forgiveness," he said. "It was something that had to be done."

But he opposes the elimination of programs. "They're pulling the rug out from under these students without giving them a chance to speak up," he said.

Once Cheyney submits its plan to Middle States, the commission will send a team to the school and rule by mid-November on whether to discontinue accreditation or give the school one final year to prove it can fix its problems.

In addition to two rounds of administrative cuts, the school also has reorganized its business and campus operations and renegotiated contracts with vendors, the system said.
A Philadelphia man suspected of shooting and killing 29-year-old John Le in a seemingly random attack in Haverford Township last month was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Georgia, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Derrick Hershal Rollins, 24, was taken into custody around 12:45 p.m. in Decatur, just outside Atlanta, the Marshals Service said in a news release.

Rollins had tried to hide from investigators at the Hidden Villas apartment complex but eventually surrendered, the Marshals Service said. Authorities did not say how they had learned Rollins was in Georgia, reporting only that he was found with a woman whom they described as an "associate."

Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives also declined to say how police learned that Rollins had fled south. Walker said the marshals had been conducting surveillance in the area for several weeks after police learned he might have left the Philadelphia region for Atlanta.

After Rollins' arrest, he was taken to the DeKalb County Jail to await an extradition hearing, police said.

Although Rollins is suspected of fatally shooting Le on the 2300 block of Haverford Road just after 6 p.m. July 29, he has not been charged. Haverford Township police said detectives would be traveling to Georgia to interview him.

Rollins was arrested in another incident, in which police believe he fired 17 shots at people in Overbrook Park about 45 minutes before Le was killed. No one was injured in the Overbrook Park shootings, but Rollins was expected to face charges including aggravated assault in that case, while detectives from Delaware County continued to collect evidence for a potential murder prosecution.

In the days after Le's killing, police raided addresses connected to Rollins in Philadelphia and said they believed he was still in the city.

Rollins had been dating a woman who lived at one of the houses raided by police, on the 5100 block of Locust Street in West Philadelphia, according to the woman's grandmother, who owns the home. The grandmother  who gave only her first name, Nannette  said Tuesday that her family did not know anyone in Decatur and had not heard from Rollins while he was on the lam.

"I don't have no reaction" to Rollins' arrest, Nannette said. "I'm just glad that it's over."

Rollins has a long criminal record, with arrests for crimes including drug dealing and armed robbery, but he remained on the street due to courtroom missteps  including a gun case that was dropped in November when two Philadelphia police officers failed to show up to testify.

Still, his criminal history does not indicate any reason that Rollins might have shot Le. Police said the men did not know each other, and it did not appear that Rollins had stolen anything of value from Le. One theory, according to Haverford Township Police Chief John Viola, was that Rollins botched a robbery attempt against Le, who was carrying a bag when he was shot.

Le was a graduate of Lower Merion High School and Temple University who police said was walking to visit a friend when he was attacked. Friends described him as gentle, positive, and quick with a smile. Attempts to reach his family Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Staff writer Mensah M. Dean contributed to this article.
Philadelphia Police Officers stand guard in front of the Frank Rizzo statue at Thomas Pain Plaza during the Philly is Charlottesville march. Read more

From the more than 1,000 responses to our reader poll, there seems to be broad agreement that the statue of Frank L. Rizzo could find a more appropriate home. But that's where the agreement ends.

The largest share of voters  28.8 percent  favored moving the 2,000-pound bronze statue to North Broad Street, in front of the building that once housed the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, and which will soon be the new headquarters of the Philadelphia Police Department. The spot is apropos for a former police commissioner and law-and-order mayor, and it would cut down on the department's costs, as officers have been tasked with either guarding the statue or investigating vandals who target it. It would take nerves of bronze to egg a statue at the front door of Police Headquarters.

In total, nearly 60 percent of voters opted to keep Rizzo in a place of honor  either leaving him where he is now, across from City Hall (12.8 percent), moving him to the new headquarters (28.8 percent), or sending him back to his South Philly roots (18.1 percent).

Also, 35.5 percent voted to demote, recontextualize, or dispose of the statue entirely. Moving Rizzo to a museum  where the man's accomplishments, flaws, and motivations could be placed in historical and educational context  was the second-most-popular option, garnering 25.3 percent of the vote. Nearly 6 percent opted for a category we call "Storage or Worse," with suggestions ranging from the cliche, "td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}at the bottom of the Schuylkill to swim with the fishes," to the constructive: "Melt it down and re-purpose it for something relative to the civil rights cause."

Other write-in votes also provided some interesting ideas, and as always, many impassioned feelings.

"Put it in middle of Broad Street in South Philly so they stop parking there."

"One very good accomplishment of Rizzo was the construction of the Center City rail tunnel. I suggest his statue be placed inside the Reading Terminal/Jefferson Station complex."

"My house."

"FOP Lodge in the Northeast."

"Swap it with William Penn statue."

What started this conversation?

Some critics and officials have called for a discussion of removing the giant Rizzo statue from Center City, in the wake of racial tensions after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

Other cities are grappling with similar questions, although mostly relating to Confederate-era figures, not political figures from the 1970s. In Raleigh, N.C., protesters toppled a Confederate memorial, and some were arrested. In Baltimore, the mayor and City Council preempted protests by having four Confederate statues taken down in the middle of the night. In Dearborn, Mich., a statue of Orville Hubbard, the segregationist mayor from 1942 to 1978, has already been moved. Twice, in fact, just in the last year.

The Rizzo statue, standing 10 feet 4 inches tall and weighing about 2,000 pounds, is too heavy and too bottom-heavy to topple, one engineer said. It was commissioned by the Frank L. Rizzo Monument Committee, was unveiled on the steps of the Municipal Services Building in 1999 and thereafter was donated to the City of Philadelphia.

So we asked our readers: If Philadelphia officials decide to move the Rizzo statue to another site away from City Hall, where do you think they should put it?

It's worth noting that this poll was premised on if the statue were to move, where should it go. So leaving the statue in place was not one of the five options in the poll, nor was destroying it. But for both of those categories, we got plenty of people writing in those answers.

Of course, the city hasn't been ready to move the the statue previously and there's no guarantee there will be consensus to do so now. We can be certain, however, that any decision will be contentious. In the meantime, police can keep an eye out on Big Frank in case protesters keep egging the statue and spray-painting it, and both sides can keep circulating petitions until the next major incident erupts.

Rizzo statue fast facts:
One of Philadelphia history's most iconic shots: Commissioner Frank Rizzo, giving orders in tuxedo, with nightstick in cummerbund, in 1969. Read more

As the debate continues over whether Frank L. Rizzos Center City statue should be changed or removed, here is a primer on the life and career of the Cop Who Would Be King of Philadelphia:

Birth: Oct. 23, 1920

Italian immigrants Rafael and Theresa Ermino Rizzo welcomed Francis Lazzaro Rizzo into the world on Rosewood Street in South Philadelphia. He was the oldest of four boys.

Enlisted: 1938

Rizzo quit high school and enlisted in the Navy. He was medically discharged 19 months later after being diagnosed with a rare illness related to diabetes.

Joined the police force: October 1943

He joined the Philadelphia Police Department at the age of 22. That same year, he would marry Carmella Silvestri. They had met at a party in Germantown.

Making his name: 1950 to 1954

He was promoted to sergeant, and then to captain, while making a name for himself by leading vice-squad raids on after-hours bars and nightclubs. He earned a nickname: "Cisco Kid."

Rizzo rises: 1959 to 1967

He continued his meteoric rise, being promoted to inspector, deputy commissioner, and then commissioner. The Inquirer reported that more than 1,000 people jammed into Judge Joseph Sloane's courtroom to see him take the oath as Philadelphia's top cop. He was 46.

Reign as commissioner: 1967 to 1971

He increased the police budget by 50 percent, but incited anger from blacks and liberals for his harsh treatment of political activists. A famous 1969 photograph showed a tuxedo-clad Rizzo, with a nightstick jammed under his cummerbund, during a disturbance at a housing project.

Elected Mayor: 1971

He resigns as commissioner to run for mayor. Rizzo defeated then-Congressman William J. Green in the Democratic primary and Republican W. Thacher Longstreth in the general election under the campaign slogan, "Rizzo Means Business." He was the first Italian mayor of Philadelphia.

Scrutiny: 1972

Rizzo came under scrutiny concerning his finances after he prepared to spend about $410,000 to buy and improve a new home. No wrongdoing was proved, but Rizzo never finished the house.

Lie detector: 1973

Bickering with Democratic Party boss Peter J. Camiel erupted into open warfare in which both men agreed to a Daily News reporter's offer take a polygraph test to resolve the dispute. Camiel passed. Rizzo failed. And then Rizzo blamed the examiner.

Spying on political enemies: 1973

Rizzo was caught operating a 34-man special police squad to dig up dirt and spy on his political enemies, including Camiel and a close Camiel ally, City Council President George X. Schwartz.

Re-election: 1975

During his bid for re-election, Rizzo proclaimed he would "make Attila the Hun look like a faggot." He was re-elected by a margin of 182,730 votes over independent Charles W. Bowser and Republican Thomas M. Foglietta.

Raising taxes: 1976

After promising to keep taxes down, he enacted the largest tax increase in city history to plug an $80 million budget deficit. Angry voters launched an unsuccessful effort to recall the mayor.

Tried for third term: 1978

Rizzo sought, but failed to win, a change in the City Charter that would have allowed him to seek a third consecutive term.

Crumb bum tape: 1980

Retired to his home in Chestnut Hill, Rizzo was recorded on video calling KYW investigative reporter Stan Bohrman a "crumb bum," as well as "creep," "lush," and "coward."

Failed comeback: 1983

Rizzo attempted a comeback to City Hall, but lost to W. Wilson Goode Sr. in the Democratic primary for mayor. He took a job as a security consultant for the Philadelphia Gas Works.

Switching sides: 1987

He switched his registration to Republican and, with backing from GOP boss William Meehan, defeated John J. Egan Jr. in the mayoral primary. He lost again to Goode in the general election by 17,176 votes.

Failed comeback Part 2: February 1991

Rizzo again announces his candidacy for mayor, becoming the first person to seek the office in three separate decades. He won the Republican primary by 1,429 votes, defeating finance expert Sam Katz and former District Attorney Ronald D. Castille.

Death: July 16, 1991

Months before the general election, Rizzo suffered a massive heart attack at his campaign office at 1:23 p.m. and was pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He was 70.

Statue talk: 1992

More than seven months after his death, a group led by Rizzos personal secretary and a retired policeman laid the groundwork for a bronze monument to be built in Rizzos honor.
By PTI: (Eds: Adding more information)

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) A Delhi court today rejected the bail plea of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah after the Enforcement Directorate said it was probing whether he had received money from countries such as Pakistan to promote terrorism in India.

Taking note of the EDs submission that Shah had failed to explain the source of huge money received in his bank account, Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma said that the offence was serious and there were chances of evidence being tampered with in the case if the Hurriyat leader was granted bail.

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"Investigation of this case is at a crucial stage and there are chances of witnesses being influenced and evidence being tampered and considering that offence is serious, I do not consider it a fit case for grant of bail to the accused," the court said.

Advocate Naveen Kumar Matta, appearing for the probe agency, told the court that co-accused Mohd Aslam Wani had told the ED as well as the Delhi Police that he had been working as a carrier for Shah.

He said that the investigation was at an initial stage and the agency had to ascertain as to from where such a huge cash amount reached the bank accounts of Shah and whether those sources were legitimate.

The agency also said that the agency was trying to probe as to whether the money was received from any enemy country to promote terrorism in the country.

"Money are alleged to have come from Pakistan and other foreign countries. Shah failed to explain source of money," the agency said.

Advocate M S Khan, appearing for the accused, said that Shah was not an accused in the case filed by the Delhi Police on basis of which the current money laundering case was filed.

He told the court that Shah was a political leader and allegations levelled against him were motivated and that he was in continuous house arrest since 2011.

During the proceedings, the ED also told the court that Shahs wife, Bilquees Shah, was also summoned by the agency in connection with the case.

She was present before the court and submitted that she joined the probe thrice.

On August 3, the court had allowed the ED custody of Shah after the agency alleged that he was "ruining" the country by using money to fund terror.

Shah was arrested by the ED a day after several Hurriyat leaders were taken into custody of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in a case of alleged terror funding in the valley to fuel unrest.

He was arrested in connection with the August 2005 case in which the Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested 35-year old Wani, an alleged hawala dealer who is currently in ED custody, claiming that Rs 63 lakh was recovered from Wani, out of which Rs 52 lakh was allegedly to be delivered to Shah.

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The agency had earlier issued summonses to Shah in the case, the prosecution had said, adding that Wani had claimed that he had given Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.

Investigating agencies such as the NIA have cracked down on Hurriyat leaders, arresting Syed Ali Shah Geelanis son- in-law -- Altaf Ahmed Shah, also known as Altaf Fantoosh -- and six other Kashmiri separatists. PTI UK RKS ABA SMN SMN

--- ENDS ---
As part of a broad effort to further isolate North Korea, the Treasury Department on Tuesday placed sanctions on Chinese and Russian individuals and firms it said had conducted business with the country in ways that advanced its missile and nuclear weapons program.

The sanctions against 10 companies and six individuals are designed to disrupt the economic ties that have allowed Pyongyang to continue funding its missile and nuclear program despite strict United Nations sanctions prohibiting it.

U.S. sanctions, even though they are imposed by just one country, have an outsize influence because most international banking is conducted in U.S. dollars. The measures prohibit U.S. citizens and companies from doing business with the sanctioned companies.

The Trump administration has been trying to strengthen the economic vise on North Korea in an effort to persuade it to negotiate an end to its nuclear weapons development. Last month, it pushed a new round of sanctions against North Korea at the U.N. Security Council. In response, North Korea vowed retaliation "a thousand times over," and Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho declared that it would never relinquish its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

"The sanctions send a strong message to Beijing and Moscow to stop facilitating North Korea's sanctions evasion," said Anthony Ruggiero, a fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which favors tougher sanctions on Russia and China over North Korea. "The action is one element of a pressure campaign that also includes targeting illicit financial transactions and pressuring U.S. allies to choose between business with the United States or North Korea."

But others argue that the sanctions are illegal and provocative.

Andrei Klimov, a senior legislator in Russia's upper house of parliament, said U.S. sanctions "run counter not only to international law but also to common sense." Russia, Klimov said, "must react in principle to this insane and confrontational policy."

"These sanctions per se are illegal because the only thing that is recognized by international law are the UN Security Council sanctions," Klimov told the Interfax news agency. "The rest is just made up illegally."

Though U.S. military officials and President Donald Trump have said that the United States is prepared to take some sort of military action against North Korea if provoked, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has pointedly called for Pyongyang to negotiate and said repeatedly that the United States does not seek regime change.

Despite the diplomatic push, China in particular has been a sore point in making existing sanctions stick. Beijing has largely gone along with restrictions, at least for a time, and supported an escalating series of U.N. sanctions. But many Chinese companies have continued to do business with the North Korean regime by supplying technology and hardware for its missiles. China is believed to be responsible for 90 percent of North Korea's international trade.

The sanctions announced Tuesday by the Office of Foreign Assets Control were predominantly against Chinese companies that have dealt with North Korea by purchasing and selling coal, oil and mineral resources, or have provided banking services that made the transactions possible.

The sanctions also hit two companies that arranged for North Korean laborers to build statues in foreign countries. Tillerson has been urging countries that have relations with North Korea to downsize Pyongyang's diplomatic presence and refuse to hire North Korean labor. Overseas labor is a source of revenue for the North Korean government, and the Treasury Department contends that some of the laborers' income helped finance ballistic missile testing.

"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

He added: "It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region."

The sanctions hit three types of business dealings that provide a window into how North Korea uses companies in other countries to evade sanctions.

China-based Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co. was sanctioned for buying vanadium ore from a company tied to North Korea's atomic energy agency. The Russian firm Gefest-M, which trades in a wide range of consumer goods as well construction and industrial equipment, allegedly procured metals for a North Korean mining company with a Moscow office. The Chinese company Mingzheng International Trading was accused of facilitating dollar transactions on behalf of North Korea's proliferation network.

In addition, three Chinese coal companies were sanctioned for importing nearly $500 million of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016. The Treasury Department said coal trade generates more than $1 billion a year for North Korea, an activity that was targeted in U.N. sanctions imposed in November.

One company sold North Korean anthracite coal and allegedly used the proceeds to buy goods it shipped to North Korea, including nuclear and missile components. Three Russians working in Singapore were accused of helping North Korea purchase millions' worth of fuel oil.

In a blow to North Korea's revenue from overseas labor, the Treasury Department sanctioned Mansudae Overseas Projects for helping North Korean laborers work abroad, usually in countries with authoritarian rulers, to build statues that immortalize the dictators.

According to Treasury, Kim Tong Chol, Mansudae's managing director, arranged for Qingdao Construction, a Namibia-based subsidiary of a Chinese company, to take over four Namibian government-sponsored construction projects as well as the employees and materials associated with the work.
A Cherry Hill man is among the 10 sailors missing after a U.S. warship collided with an oil tanker in Southeast Asia last weekend, according to news reports.

April Brandon of Milford, Mich., said her son, Kenneth Smith, 22, of Cherry Hill, remained unaccounted for in the collision east of Singapore between the USS John McCain and the Alnic MC. Vessels and aircraft were searching for the missing sailors. Five other sailors were injured and are expected to recover.

"We're all rooting for you Kenneth. The entire country is rooting for you," Brandon posted on her Facebook page. She did not immediately respond to an interview request Tuesday.

Brandon told several local TV stations that two officers visited her Monday at her home. She described her son as a "great kid" who wanted to develop video games. Smith moved to Cherry Hill when his father, a naval officer, was transferred to the area, his mother told NBC10 in Philadelphia.

An attempt to reach Smith's father, Darryl, was unsuccessful. Tuesday evening, a township police car was parked in front of the Smiths' tan-colored split-level with maroon shutters and a well-manicured lawn. The officer stopped a reporter from approaching the house, saying the family was requesting privacy.

In a statement that NBC10 said the elder Smith issued through the Navy, he thanked those who had offered support to the family and expressed appreciation for "the courageous work of the crew in the aftermath of the collision and the ongoing rescue efforts."

Smith grew up in Novi, Mich., and moved to Norfolk, Va., as a teenager to live with his father. He is among several family members to serve in the Navy and wanted to serve his country, his mother said.

Navy divers searching a flooded compartment of the McCain found remains of some of the missing sailors, but they had yet to be identified, the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said Tuesday. The search and rescue operations will continue "until the probability of discovering sailors is exhausted," the Navy said.

Adm. Scott Swift also said at a news conference in Singapore, where the McCain is docked, that Malaysian officials had found remains of some of the missing sailors in sealed compartments. At least one body was found, but it had yet to be identified, and it was unknown whether it was a crew member, he said..

The names of the missing have not been officially released. But some families have identified their kin as among the missing.

"Nothing is confirmed, though rumors are abundant," Brandon wrote on Facebook. "Please keep hope, continue forward with your day, hug your family, love one another, pray or vibe positively, whatever it is you do. To the families of the other missing sailors, you're in my thoughts, my heart is at sea with yours."

The collision between the McCain and the 30,000-ton oil tanker ripped a gaping hole in the destroyer's hull. The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit.

Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

This article includes information from the Associated Press.
Bill Cosby leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown after a brief pretrial hearing. His new attorneys asked for a delay after taking over this case. Read more

A Montgomery County judge on Tuesday agreed to delay Bill Cosby's retrial until early 2018, acting on a request from the entertainer's new defense team.

Judge Steven T. O'Neill didn't set a date but told the lawyers that he'll "loosely fix" the retrial for mid-March or early April, rather than begin on Nov. 6 as planned.

The order came at the end of a hearing in Norristown in which the judge allowed Cosby's previous lawyers to withdraw from the case and met with his new defense team.

"They are entering their appearance today, and to ask someone to review this voluminous record  it just cannot be done," O'Neill said as he granted the request to delay the retrial.

Led by Tom Mesereau, the new lawyers also said they would not ask the court to go through the same complicated jury selection process that in the spring led to 18 jurors being chosen in Pittsburgh, then bused and sequestered in Norristown for the two-week trial. Instead, jurors will come from Montgomery County.

"Our strong inclination is to try the case right here in this county," Mesereau told the judge .

After the hearing, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said he was disappointed the retrial would be delayed.

"Hopefully they'll get up to speed quickly in this case so we can bring the case to justice," Steele said of the new defense lawyers. "It's a case that deserves a verdict, and we intend to get there."

The hearing was the first for Cosby since his sexual-assault trial ended with a hung jury in June and his former lawyers asked the judge this month to withdraw from the case.

Dressed in a dark suit, Cosby stayed quiet during the proceeding. A few fans shouted to him as he entered and exited the courthouse. Neither he nor the lawyers answered questions from reporters.

The 80-year-old entertainer announced Monday that Mesereau, a California lawyer who defended Michael Jackson against child-molestation charges, would lead the defense team at his retrial. Philadelphia-based lawyer Sam Silver, who defended both U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and ex-Pennsylvania State University president Graham B. Spanier, will also join Cosby's defense team, as will Kathleen Bliss, a lawyer from Las Vegas.

O'Neill on Tuesday granted the requests by Philadelphia defense lawyer Brian J. McMonagle and Los Angeles-based lawyer Angela Agrusa to leave the case. Both were with Cosby for more than a year and through the June trial.

Agrusa and McMonagle arrived separately in court on Tuesday, and offered no reason to the judge for withdrawing from the case. They greeted Cosby, his spokesman, and lawyers on both sides with hugs and handshakes. O'Neill dismissed them as soon as the hearing began, and they left, again offering hugs and handshakes. McMonagle's warm embrace of Andrew Wyatt, Cosby's spokesman, showed little sign of the tension that was apparent between the men during jury deliberations in June.

The judge publicly thanked the departing lawyers for their service and "extraordinary advocacy" on behalf of Cosby.

Cosby is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault for allegedly drugging and molesting Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee, at his home in Cheltenham in 2004.
SUSANNA DEFOREST/FACEBOOK.Susanna DeForest, 20, of Collegeville, who died last week on a hiking trip in Colorado. Read more

A 20-year-old Montgomery County woman died last week after falling ill on a hiking trip with friends in the Colorado mountains.

Collegeville native Susanna DeForest and her friends were well-prepared for their trek, but as they got closer to their destination  natural hot springs  DeForest started to feel sick, Pitkin County Sheriff's Deputy Anthony Todaro said. Her condition quickly worsened and by the time responders arrived early Friday, it was too late.

Authorities in Pitkin County had not released a cause of death Tuesday afternoon but said DeForest had no known medical conditions. DeForest's mother said in a public Facebook post that her daughter suffered acute altitude sickness.

"Her friends who were with her did all they could to get help to her in time," Kate DeForest said. "We have made a trip to Colorado to see her one last time and visit a place she loved here."

Sometime Thursday, the women started out on the Conundrum Creek trail, a popular spot near Aspen that is known for its natural hot springs, Todaro said.

The 8.5-mile trail begins at 8,700 feet and ends at 11,200. It is heavily traveled and moderately difficult, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the trail is part of the White River National Forest). For most hikers, it is usually a multi-day, 17-mile round-trip to the hot springs and back through a remote wooded area, Todaro said.

As the women hiked, DeForest started to feel sick, Todaro said, and experienced nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath.

Around Mile 6 or 7, DeForest's three friends, all of whom have Pennsylvania ties, realized DeForest couldn't continue to the hot springs, which were at this point only a few miles away. Todaro said they decided to stop and set up camp in the area.

"I don't think anybody had a remote idea how serious this was," Todaro said.

One woman stayed with DeForest as the other two headed back down the trail for help. There is no cell service on or near the trail, not even in the parking area, Todaro said.

By the time the two women hiked down, drove to an area with service, and called 911, it was 10:45 p.m., according to a release from the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.

Rescue crews aren't normally deployed at night, Todaro said. But authorities decided to send them out in this case because the woman's location was known, people were with her, and she was in some kind of medical distress.

Responders were sent out on foot and via helicopter. One helicopter crew tried to land near the women's campsite but was unsuccessful because of high winds in the area. After that group returned to the airport, an assisting helicopter crew was finally able to land in the dark, rocky area around 3:30 a.m., Todaro said.

But it was too late. They found DeForest dead upon arrival.

DeForest was a student at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in Lancaster, earning dean's list recognition this past semester, according to a spokeswoman.

"We're heartbroken to lose any member of our community," the school said in a statement.

According to her Facebook page, DeForest  who went by "Susie"  graduated from Perkiomen Valley High School and worked as a waitress at Margaritas restaurant in Collegeville.

The three friends DeForest was hiking with live in Colorado. One is a student at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, and the other two live a few hours away from the Conundrum Creek trail in Dillon, where Todaro said he believed the women spent a few days together before the hike.

DeForest's family could not immediately be reached for comment. In that public Facebook post, her mother said a memorial service would be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Valley View Community Church in Audubon, Montgomery County.

"Thank you for your prayers," Kate DeForest said. "We are devastated and grieving but relying on the Peace of Christ and all the prayers."

In its most recent update on Sunday, the Pitkin County Coroner's Office said the cause and manner of death were pending an investigation. They did not respond Tuesday to a request for further comment.

Hiker deaths for medical reasons are rare even in an area with such rugged terrain, authorities said. Since June, the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office had received more than 90 search-and-rescue-related calls. There have been five deaths this year, Todaro said, most of them climbing related.

According to Kate DeForest's post, Susanna is survived by her mother, father, and sister.

Many of Susanna's friends took to Facebook to remember a kind, fun-loving young woman who loved natural beauty.

"I hope you are doing all the hiking possible and going on all kinds of adventures up there," Chris Negro wrote. "You were the kind of person that could have fun doing anything and laugh at everything with!"

"She wasn't the type of girl to flash a fake smile and stick her hip out when the camera pointed at her," Jess McFalls wrote. "Nah, she'd rather make a weird face and strike a pose to make the whole room laugh."

"If our souls live on," McFalls added, "yours is in the mountains, enjoying the view."
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo, later elected mayor, extends his hand to greet a visitor to his office in the Philadelphia Police Department's headquarters in January 1968. Read more

Frank Rizzo has been dead and buried for 26 years now.

Feels like a long time ago when you stop and think about how different the world was when Rizzo was felled by a heart attack at age 70 in July 1991. America was five months removed from the end of the Gulf War. Barack Obama had just graduated from Harvard Law School, and Donald Trump was in his first marriage.

But the passage of time has not diminished the shadow that Rizzo casts over Philadelphia. The mere mention of his name elicits the same kinds of passionate reactions  either starry-eyed admiration or smoldering anger  that it did when his burly 6-foot-2 frame rumbled around City Hall in the 1970s and Police Headquarters in the late 1960s.

Now, the most visible reminder of Rizzo's reign  the 10-foot-tall statue of him planted outside the Municipal Services Building since 1998  is the focus of debate.

More than 20,000 people have signed a petition to keep the statue where it is, but those calling for it to be toppled have been more visible, gathering in Center City last week by the thousands to link their cause to the protests in Charlottesville, Va., where a white supremacist's attack killed one person and injured dozens.

The argument here goes deeper than whether the 2,000-pound bronze Rizzo sculpture should spend the rest of its days across from City Hall, or tucked away in some musty museum.

Young and old Philadelphians are wrestling anew with a disagreement that has never been settled. Was Rizzo a jackbooted tyrant who went out of his way to punish black and gay people? Or was he the ultimate son of blue-collar South Philly, a big guy who used his clout to look out for neighborhoods of little guys?

The push to tear down Rizzo's likeness echoes the furor over Confederate monuments across the South. Seen by many as glorifying treason and slavery, those statues also honor men who, when they lived, were widely considered hometown heroes. Divisive as he was, in the gauzy memory of those who built the Rizzo statue, Hizzoner stood for a kind of gritty Philly pride.

In interviews with community leaders, politicians, activists and law enforcement officials, a picture of Rizzo emerges with just one certainty. His disputed legacy will never be disentangled from this city's DNA.

A fighter rises

One aspect of Rizzo's story isn't up for debate: He was a self-made man whose rise looked improbable on paper, a simple truth central to Rizzo's appeal.

He was born in 1920. His father, Ralph, had immigrated to the United States from Italy 12 years earlier and worked as a tailor until he landed a job as a Philadelphia police officer.

A high school dropout and neighborhood brawler, the younger Rizzo joined the Navy and was discharged a year later for being diabetic. He found his true calling in 1943: the Police Department. In just a few years, Rizzo developed a larger-than-life reputation for bravery  it included suffering burns on his hands while helping to put out a house fire  and flashes of cowboy-style justice. People started calling him "the Cisco Kid" after he waded into a street fight between two gangs.

It was his natural charisma, though, that pushed him into another stratosphere. Richard Sprague, the well-known lawyer, said he spent decades sharing meals with Rizzo, often inviting guests to meet the cop who would become an icon.

"On the private side, he was extremely charming, friendly, loved joking around, good jokes," Sprague said.

That changed in larger, more formal surroundings. "I always described it as, he felt uncomfortable with his own lack of education," Sprague said. "He wasn't sure of himself."

He said that he wasn't a racist; he only disliked criminals.

"He felt uncomfortable with his own lack of education. He wasn't sure of himself."  Richard Sprague, friend

Indeed, Rizzo was never self-conscious when he was in uniform. In the law enforcement world, Rizzo's word  his inner sense of right and wrong  was essentially the law of the land.

John McNesby's father was a city police officer during Rizzo's heyday. "Rizzo was all about fighting crime," said McNesby, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. "It was a whole different atmosphere. Was he a law-and-order guy? Yeah. Did he cut some corners? Probably. But the people at the top thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread."

Above all, he was a cop's cop, supporting and defending his fellow brethren at all costs.

Perhaps because of that, Rizzo was often viewed in the city's black community as a force of oppression and fear.

Kenneth Salaam was 16 when he showed up on the first day of protests outside Girard College, then a boarding school for poor, white, male orphans on May 1, 1965. The protests were led by the fiery lawyer and activist president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, Cecil B. Moore.

Rizzo commanded the uniformed police assigned to the protests, which lasted more than seven months. "When we were out there demonstrating, one night he told the motorcycle police to run us over with their motorcycles. I was there," said Salaam, now 68. "We started running, but one of the girls got hit."

The tough tactics didn't hurt Rizzo's career prospects. In May 1967, then-Mayor James H.J. Tate appointed Rizzo police commissioner. Six months into his tenure, about 3,500 students left their classrooms and gathered in front of the old Philadelphia Board of Education office at 21st Street and the Parkway to demand courses on African American history.

In what some reports called a "police riot," 22 people were seriously injured and 57 arrested as officers pursued the students.

"When we were out there demonstrating, one night he told the motorcycle police to run us over with their motorcycles. I was there."  Kenneth Salaam, who was 16 and protesting at Girard College in 1965

Amid the chaos, Karen Asper Jordan said, she heard a city official ask Rizzo to be careful about not harming the students because "they are children." But Jordan said she heard Rizzo shout back to police to "Get their asses!"

While other reports quote Rizzo as saying "Get their black asses," Jordan said she didn't hear him say black.

Larry Kane, the former television anchor, was there that day. Rizzo denied saying, "Get their black asses," but Kane said he showed him proof on film. "He said, 'Oh, my goodness, did I do that?'" Kane recalled. "He was embarrassed. He was very rarely embarrassed."

The tactics Rizzo's police department relied on to quell black protesters were not uncommon in America in the 1960s. What is usually left unsaid is that many whites  in Philadelphia and across the country  did not question such means.

David Kairys, a professor at Temple University Law School, was a civil rights lawyer who often clashed with Rizzo during the 1960s. The Philadelphia Police Department was at that time shooting unarmed people at twice the rate of the New York Police Department. "We were more famous for police misconduct than for cheesesteaks," Kairys said.

Four years after he took the reins of the Police Department, Rizzo set his sights on an even bigger prize: City Hall.

Rizzo the ruler

For his 1971 mayoral bid, Rizzo traded on his super-cop persona with slogans like "Firm But Fair" while running an unorthodox campaign. He avoided debating his Democratic primary opponents, U.S. Rep. William J. Green and State Rep. Hardy Williams. He presented himself to the public as the only candidate who wasn't just another politician, and he didn't answer questions from reporters covering the race  an approach Donald Trump would revisit to great success 45 years later.

Though still a majority, the city's white population was shrinking  from 73 percent in 1960 to 66 percent in 1970. By the time Rizzo left office, whites were 58 percent of a dramatically smaller city.

Rizzo also spoke directly to white residents who felt threatened by growing societal changes, casting himself as the only one who could bring order to a world gone mad. "The fact that I was elected showed that people are tired of permissiveness, pornography, fear, and guys who walk on the American flag instead of under it," Rizzo said after his general election victory over Republican W. Thacher Longstreth.

"Was he a law-and-order guy? Yeah. Did he cut some corners? Probably. But the people at the top thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread."  John McNesby, FOP president

In a 1978 documentary, Longstreth offered a different reading of campaign messages such as "Rizzo Means Business": "The way that was interpreted, by both blacks and whites, is that he's going to keep the blacks in their place."

Homicides and property crimes spiked dramatically after Rizzo became mayor. A federal study in 1974 found an enormous disparity between the number of crimes committed in Philadelphia compared with what police had reported. New York's police commissioner accused the Rizzo administration of falsifying its crime data.

The city lost 140,000 jobs during his two terms in office, and the population tumbled by more than 260,000. While some might well remember Rizzo as a grandfatherly figure who was happy to help find a government job for a friend or relative, the contracts he doled out to municipal unions helped launch the city's current pension crisis.

These are the standards by which all mayors are judged, but Rizzo is still often remembered by those who supported him as a leader who presided over better times. Perhaps because much of the dialogue around the man revolves around race.

Hardy Williams' son, State Sen. Anthony H. Williams, argues that there was a difference between Rizzo the cop and Rizzo the politician. "I came from a family that protested his actions when he was commissioner," Williams said, "but he did evolve significantly as mayor."

Williams said Rizzo boosted the number of African Americans employed by the city and provided crucial funding for the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

"If you talk to African Americans who were close to Rizzo, they would tell you he was clearly a guy who saw things right or wrong, with not a lot of gray in between," Williams said. "It didn't matter if you were Italian American or African American."

Sandra Fulwood's late husband, Lt. Anthony Fulwood, was one of the black police officers on Rizzo's security detail. "Frank Rizzo was like a father to my husband," she said. "We didn't see him as a racist. It was racist times, and he just happened to be a mirror of those times."

These charitable views of Rizzo ignore the larger picture, which grew more troublesome as time wore on. The city faced lawsuits while Rizzo was mayor over hiring practices that discriminated against black Police and Fire Department applicants.

The U.S. Department of Justice even sued Rizzo and other city officials in 1979 over police brutality. And then there was the city's deepening conflict with the radical group MOVE, which turned deadly in 1978 when Officer James Ramp was fatally shot during one standoff, and one unarmed member of the group was beaten by police.

Rizzo's second term as mayor demonstrated his ability to inspire animosity  and adoration.

"He was the symbol ... of a lot of anger and a lot of anti-black feeling. And he was willing to see his image used in a way that wasn't pretty."  Zack Stalberg, then-Daily News reporter

He won reelection in 1975 despite feuding with leaders of the local Democratic Party. (Rizzo even proposed launching his own maverick version of the city party.) He gave generous contracts to unionized city workers during the campaign, and pledged not to raise taxes. Yet shortly after winning, he moved to raise property taxes 30 percent and wage taxes 29 percent.

A month into his term, recall petitions were circulating. The cause united tax-averse voters with longtime Rizzo opponents among white liberals and African Americans. His foes needed at least 141,000 voter signatures; they got more than 211,000.

It wouldn't matter. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled later that year that the provision of the City Charter allowing the recall of elected officials was unconstitutional. The mayor survived.

Two years later, Rizzo wanted to change the City Charter provision that limits mayors to two terms.

"Black leaders want to make it a black-and-white thing," Rizzo said while campaigning for the charter change. "I'm asking white people and blacks who think like me to vote like Frank Rizzo  I say, vote white, and blacks that think like me, and there's a lot of them."

Philadelphia voters overwhelmingly defeated the charter change referendum.

But the phrase "vote white" followed Rizzo into history.

Gregory Harvey, chairman of the 1976 recall effort, saw it as a continuation of racism for political purposes by Rizzo.

"The white racist rhetoric was also what prevailed in the 1975 second election of Rizzo," Harvey said. "It was pretty virulent in that election, as well as in the 1978 effort to get the charter change referendum approved."

Zack Stalberg, who covered Rizzo for the Daily News and later became its editor, said Rizzo's relationship to race is more nuanced.

"He was the symbol, especially in the early years, of a lot of anger and a lot of anti-black feeling," Stalberg said. "And he was willing to see his image used in a way that wasn't pretty. But I can't remember the real Rizzo actually behaving in a racist way or saying racist things."

W. Wilson Goode Sr. defeated Rizzo when the former mayor tried to make a comeback in the 1983 Democratic primary and again in 1987 when Rizzo ran as a Republican.

Looking back, Goode calls Rizzo "the first coming of Donald Trump," a politician who played on fear to build a following.

"He appealed to race and was able to get a passionate following," Goode said. "I think Donald Trump is much the same way, in that he appeals to mostly white people who have strong views about African Americans and immigrants."

An unsettled symbol

To City Councilwoman Helen Gym, among the loudest voices of elected officials lately calling for removal of Rizzo's statue, the lesson is that the city doesn't need to erase Rizzo from its past  it just needs to find a different way to reflect on his legacy.

"Frank Rizzo was known and loved by the people who knew and loved him," Gym said. "But putting that statue in such a centralized location sends a different message. We need that space to be welcoming to all."

The calls from public officials for discussing the statue's location strikes some of Rizzo's most devoted supporters as a personal insult. Take Jody Della Barba, Rizzo's former secretary, who recently wrote a Facebook post in which she derided Gym as a bigot and called on the councilwoman to resign.

"This [statue] is a symbol of law and order and removing it only shows the hate for the hard working good people of all races who are the fabric of this city," Della Barba wrote. "Frank Rizzo dedicated his life to this city and the lies of the a few jealous people should not be given any credibility."

Whether she realized it or not, Della Barbas comments  later removed  neatly circled back to the battle lines Rizzo drew in life. He believed he represented honest, decent people who felt marginalized and shortchanged, even if history tells you they werent.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) A Delhi court today denied bail to Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah, who was arrested in a decade-old money laundering case for alleged terror financing.

Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma denied the relief to Shah, who is currently in judicial custody, after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said that he was not needed for further custodial interrogation.

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On August 3, the court had allowed the ED custody of Shah after the agency alleged that he was "ruining" the country by using money to fund terror.

Shah was arrested by the ED a day after several Hurriyat leaders were taken into custody of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in a case of alleged terror funding in the Valley to fuel unrest.

He was arrested in connection with the August 2005 case in which the Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested Mohammed Aslam Wani (35), an alleged hawala dealer who is currently in ED custody, claiming that Rs 63 lakh was recovered from Wani out of which Rs 52 lakh was allegedly to be delivered to Shah.

The agency had earlier issued summonses to Shah in the case, the prosecution had said, adding that Wani had claimed that he had given Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.

Investigating agencies like the NIA have cracked down on Hurriyat leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelanis son-in-law -- Altaf Ahmed Shah, also known as Altaf Fantoosh -- and six other Kashmiri separatists. PTI UK PKS ARC

--- ENDS ---
President Trump was expected to announce an increase of a few thousand troops in Afghanistan Monday night, taking the reins of a conflict where today 8,500 personnel are mostly focused on buttressing their Afghan counterparts in the face of Taliban and Islamic State gains.

The Defense Department, the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other agencies have spent $714 billion of war and reconstruction funding since the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001 to bolster education programs, improve infrastructure and increase the competency of Afghan security forces.

Insurgents have deliberately targeted U.S.-led projects, including schools and roads, with hopes of dividing the population. That has come at considerable expense to American taxpayers.

Yet America's longest war has become a symbol for wartime graft and corruption in one of the world's least governable countries rocked by conflict for decades.

John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, has led the effort in recent years to uncover wasteful spending and boondoggled projects. Here are some of most notable examples of waste that he and others have found:

$6 million: Cashmere goats

The aim was to jump start Afghanistan's cashmere industry and grow its profile on the international market. A Pentagon task force funded the purchase and transport of nine rare Italian goats to breed with those native to Afghanistan, hopeful this would improve the animals' undercoats and the quality of the cashmere they yield.

As part of the project, a farm was built along with a lab facility where staff would certify the cashmere's quality. All of this was funded by U.S. taxpayers.

Speaking at Duke University in March, Sopko lamented the program's failure. "Many of the goats got sick and died, and the project director quit in frustration," Sopko said. "And I'm not sure flying Italian goats into Afghanistan was exactly what the Founders had in mind when they created a standing army for the United States."

$36 million: Unused command center

Soon after President Barack Obama ordered a surge of American combat troops into Afghanistan, plans were laid in the southern province of Helmand to erect a 64,000-square-foot command center for the Marines who oversaw military operations in the region.

The general in charge there at the time told his superiors the building wasn't necessary, that existing facilities were adequate. He was overruled by another general who, according to the inspector general's findings, felt it would be improper to tank a project for which Congress had already agreed to pay.

Obama's surge had ended before construction on the complex began, and the Marines were pulling out of Afghanistan entirely by the time it was finished being built.

"To their credit," Sopko said during his talk at Duke, "several Marine generals tried to convince the Defense Department not to build what I consider the best built building I've ever seen in Afghanistan, but their entreaties were ignored. It now stands abandoned and empty, a testament to poor planning and accountability."

$28 million: Afghan army uniforms

Last month, it was disclosed the Pentagon supported a decade-long effort, led by Afghanistan's defense ministerial, to field a new combat uniform for the Afghan army. In its scathing report highlighting a lack of American oversight, the inspector general's audit noted that the Afghan minister chose the uniform based on his preference for the appearance, not its tactical utility.

The U.S. military could have provided the Afghans with significantly less-expensive gear that it already owns, Sopko's team concluded, and stands to save taxpayers as much as $72 million over the next 10 years by switching.

The report drew a strong response from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who issued a memo to the Pentagon comptroller and acquisition chief admonishing the "cavalier" spending.

"Buying uniforms . . . that may have wasted tens of millions of taxpayers dollars over a ten-year period must not be seen as inconsequential," he wrote. "To the contrary, these actions connect directly to our mission and budget situation."

$1 billion: Schools with no teachers or students

A Buzzfeed report from 2015 found $1 billion earmarked to build schools, staff classrooms and flood key provinces with textbooks bled into the accounts of warlords and corrupt officials, leaving entire schools empty and dilapidated.

The findings came as the U.S. government for years touted education reform in the country as a successful campaign to topple Taliban ideology and empower young girls to seek education for the first time in their lives, a vital part of the plan to carve out economic opportunities for women.

Investigative reporter Azmat Khan reported 1,100 schools listed as active in 2011 by education ministry officials were not operating at all by 2015, though salaries for teachers continued to flow to teachers with no students.

She also found girls were overcounted on student rolls by 40 percent and a count of schools built or refurbished by the U.S. dropped by 680 cited in 2010 to 563 by 2015, despite assurances from the USAID education reform was on the right track.

"While regrettable," USAID told Buzzfeed, "it is hardly surprising to find the occasional shuttered schools in war zones."

SIGAR doubted in April 2016 USAID and the Pentagon had a coherent strategy to improve their education programs. It also found 40 percent of primary-aged children do not attend school.

$8.5 billion: Poppy eradication

The U.S. government has spent $8.5 billion since 2002 to eradicate Afghanistan's poppy trade, according to SIGAR.

The plants bound for worldwide drug markets not only fuel corruption but funds insurgent operations. U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan John Nicholson said in 2016 that poppy harvests fund 60 percent of the Taliban's war chest for salaries, weapons and ammunition.

But despite the intense focus on stripping a cash crop from the Taliban, the numbers have recently gotten worse.

In 2013, cultivation reached an all-time high. In 2015, the country saw a 10 percent jump in harvested land as eradication efforts plunged. While some provinces like the center of production Helmand saw harvest reductions, northwest Badghis province saw an 184 percent increase, SIGAR said.

$486 million: Scrapped cargo planes

In 2008, a Pentagon decision to buy and retrofit 20 Italian medium-lift cargo planes for the Afghan Air Force at a cost of $486 million was meant to surge the fledging service's ability to move troops and supplies around the country  a central focus of the U.S. military's strategy to transition logistical missions to their Afghan counterparts.

The program was immediately paralyzed by poor management, a lack of spare parts and a misread on the Afghan military's ability to maintain and fly the aircraft, SIGAR said, which raised the possibility corruption rattled the program. The program was canceled in 2013.

In a speech at Duke University in March, Sopko said the planes were "death traps" staffed only by test pilots after other Afghan pilots refused to fly them.

It cost an additional $100,000 to turn 16 planes into scrap metal, with four sent to an air base in Germany, Sopko said. An Afghan company paid 6 cents a pound for the planes, netting only $32,000 back for U.S. taxpayers.

In 2017, the Afghan Air Force relies on small, vulnerable Cessnas to resupply ground troops. It has become too dangerous to replenish food and ammunition by truck.
By Mail Today Bureau: The Delhi Government on Monday announced a blanket ban on manual cleaning of sewers and warned that anyone found violating the rule will be booked under culpable homicide. Social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said this a day after a 45-year-old labourer, Rishipal, died of inhaling toxic gases in a sewer in LJNP Hospital on Sunday. He also said that a committee had been formed to find out the best possible ways or machines to clean the gutters, within 15 days.

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The directions came after Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Monday called a high-level meeting over deaths during sewer cleaning, which was attended by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi PWD minister Satyendar Jain and Gautam, along with officials of the departments concerned. "It was decided in the meeting that no person will be allowed to go inside the gutter for sewer cleaning under any circumstances. There will be a complete ban on it. We will also put up hoardings in this regard," Gautam told reporters.

Also read: Scraping dry toilets with their bare hands: Survey shows rural households ignore ban on manual scavenging

Also read: Rajasthan: 57 lakhs looted from cash van in daylight heist

--- ENDS ---
The US President called for an urgent need for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to fight terror and said that Taliban there poses a threat to the region and beyond.

By AP, Reuters: Unveiling his updated Afghanistan policy in a rare, prime-time address to the nation, President Donald Trump today declared that he will stop resurgence of terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan and added,"In the end we will win."

Trump said that any new strategy in Afghanistan won't be based on timeline, but conditions; won't discuss troop numbers. President Donald Trump vowed to keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan despite his earlier inclination to withdraw. But he insisted the US would not offer "a blank check" after 16 years of war.

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Trump's announcement caps months of debate that illustrated a basic problem in Trump's Afghanistan decision: As a candidate he criticized the war and said the US should quickly pull out, but he also campaigned on a vow to start winning wars.

TRUMP ATTACKS PAKISTAN, AGAIN

The US President also called for an urgent need for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to fight terror.

"Pakistani people have suffered from terror, but at same time Pakistan has been safe haven for terrorists. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens to terrorist organisations."

Urging India's belligerent neighbour to oust militants and 'agents of chaos', the US President added, "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering in our effort in Afghanistan, it has much to lose in continuing to harbour terrorists and criminals."

He added that Pakistan often gives sanctuary to "agents of chaos, violence and terror," and that the Taliban and other groups there pose a threat to the region and beyond.

For years, Washington has criticized Pakistan's tolerance of Taliban militants who launch attacks in Afghanistan.

ON PARTNERING WITH INDIA

Speaking about developing deeper ties with India, the US President Donald Trump said, "We will develop a deeper strategic partnership with India, but we want them to help us more in Afghanistan."

"India makes billions of dollars with the United States in trade, want them to help us more in Afghanistan," he further added.

ALSO READ | Donald Trump calls PM Narendra Modi to wish India on Independence Day

ALSO READ | US keeps Pakistan on list of countries providing safe haven to terrorists

ALSO WATCH | Trump slams Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, seeks bigger role for India in Afghanistan

--- ENDS ---
A remote-controlled drone flew over the border fence from Mexico, heading for San Ysidro, while a Border Patrol agent listened and watched. He radioed ahead to other agents to be on the lookout for the small aircraft, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Ten minutes later, federal authorities had busted what they say is their first confirmed case of drug smuggling by drone in San Diego County.

Late on the night of Aug. 8, agents arrested a man carrying a bag full of methamphetamine  more than 13 pounds valued at an estimated $46,000. They found the drone stashed under a bush near Servando Avenue and Valentino Street, authorities said Friday.

"This is a new method we're seeing," Border Patrol supervising agent Mark Endicott said.

"We've had some success on the ground when it comes to [catching] smugglers of humans and controlled substances. So transnational organizations are looking for other ways to get their product into the country."
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By David Henry

NEW YORK (Reuters)  JPMorgan Chase & Co said on Monday it will contribute up to $2 million to fight racism and support human rights in light of a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to violence and the death of a protester.

The sum includes $500,000 each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League to further their work in tracking, exposing and fighting hate groups and other extremist organizations, Peter Scher, head of corporate responsibility wrote in a memo to employees that was provided to Reuters by the company.

As much as $1 million more will be contributed in two-for-one matches of donations by employees to a wide range of human and civil rights organizations, according to the memo.

The bank is also contributing $50,000 to the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation.

Racial conflict in Charlottesville earlier this month was followed by intense political controversy over remarks by President Donald Trump.

Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan, said he strongly disagreed with Trump as he and other CEOs moved to disband an advisory panel to the president.

JPMorgan has reacted to a wide range of traumatic events in the past with contributions and matches of employee donations. The events have included the recent Grenfell Tower apartment fire in London, the 2016 Orlando, Florida, gay nightclub mass shooting, earthquakes and tropical storms.

(Reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Jeffrey Benkoe)
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This is quite possibly the best thing youll see today  maybe even better than the solar eclipse itself, which millions of people across the United States enjoyed on Monday.

In its latest front page set to be published tomorrow, the New York Daily News absolutely tore Donald Trump to shreds for staring into the eclipse  something even most children knew not to do today.

The front page in all its hilarious glory:

A White House aide in the crowd below shouted Dont look! right as @POTUS looked. Our #SolarEclipse Edition: https://t.co/l0NO46gCGN pic.twitter.com/x0ToMxtXnU  New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 21, 2017

Not only did the publication poke Trump for staring into the eclipse, they also took a sarcastic shot him, calling the advice by experts and the media to not look directly at the eclipse a fake news warning.

A look at the uniquely Trump moment, which Jason Easley wrote about earlier today:

Scientists: Dont look straight at sun during eclipse.

Trump: Hold my glasses. pic.twitter.com/3MySTJYq4d  Dan Worthington (@danWorthington) August 21, 2017

Overall, the world was right to be marveled by todays celestial phenomenon, but it just wouldnt have been appropriate if Trump didnt do something embarrassing to mark the occasion.

Luckily, the next time a full solar eclipse can be seen from North America  2024  we wont have to worry that this man has control of the nuclear launch codes.

Image via New York Daily News Twitter Account
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Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took a big jab at Trump by stating that most news is not fake.

McConnell told the Lousiville Chamber of Commerce, What I do every morning  there a couple of services I look at that gives me a synopsis of articles. It is my view that most news is not fake. But I do try to look at a variety of sources.

Mitch McConnell has an 18% approval rating in Kentucky. He is less popular than Trump, and easily the most disliked politician the country, but it is impossible to imagine Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) contradicting Trump in such a direct manner.

Senate Republicans dont respect or fear Trump, and that lack concern over crossing the President was evident in McConnells comments. Trump has been trying to blame his failures on McConnell, who has been fighting back. The rocky relationship between the President and the Senate Majority Leader further complicates an already difficult path to legislative progress. If Trump keeps fighting with people like Mitch McConnell, Republicans will accomplish nothing in Trumps first year.

The Republican Party is unraveling before our eyes, as McConnell and Trump are moving closer to a feud that hands Congress back to the Democrats in 2018.
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Rachel Maddow demolished Donald Trumps main rationale for sending more troops into Afghanistan on Monday night, using the presidents own words against him just after he wrapped up his primetime address to the nation.

Trump said during his address that President Obamas decision to withdraw from Iraq in a hasty way is what led him to increase the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, and Maddow was quick to point out the presidents hypocrisy.

Video:

#Maddow demolishes one of Trumps main rationales for the Afghanistan troop surge by using his own words against him pic.twitter.com/3T4pkoocYX  Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) August 22, 2017

Tonight the president in his remarks saying that he shares Americans frustration with the length of the war. He said his original instinct was to pull out. But he now wanted to spend this evening talking about what he views as the unacceptable consequences of a withdrawal. He drew as a parallel, as an analogy, the Iraq war, calling President Obamas decision to wind down the Iraq war, at least for a time, he called that a hasty decision and a mistaken decision. Should be noted that when President Obama made that decision, Donald Trump  then a private citizen  not only supported President Obamas decision to end the Iraq war when he did, but he said that President Obama should have ended it years earlier. CNBC, in August 2011, Trump was asked about the decision to end the war in Iraq and he said, Well, I think he could have gotten out a long time ago. That said tonight, President Trump describing that decision to withdraw from Iraq as hasty and mistaken, saying hes not going to make that mistake again in Afghanistan.

Trump cannot hide from his long history of rhetoric in which he repeatedly attacked former President Obama for doing something he, too, has now done as president  from taking vacations to boosting troops levels in the Middle East, as he proposed tonight.

While he continues to contradict himself and abandon his previous campaign pledges  pledges that most of us knew at the time would be impossible to fulfill  it remains to be seen whether any of his supporters will recognize they were sold a bill of goods during the campaign.
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Donald Trump is preparing to address the nation on Monday about increasing the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, and its no surprise why.

According to new polling that is beginning to trickle in following his disastrous response to the Charlottesville white supremacist terror attack, most Americans think Trumps response  sympathizing with Nazis  was a complete failure.

One survey released on Monday from ABC News/Washington Post shows that 56 percent of Americans believe Trumps response was insufficient. Just 28 percent approve of the presidents handling of the events in Charlottesville.

The numbers broken down by political affiliation:

Whats worse for Trump is another finding in the survey, which showed that a plurality of Americans believes he is putting white supremacists on equal standing with their opponents.

Forty-two percent of the country said he is, while only 35 percent said he is not equating the two.

Even though Trump has lost most of the country, including Democrats, independents, and some rational Republican voters, he still has the support of his base, largely because there is a faction of this country who has willingly detached themselves from reality for the sake of being loyal to the president.

The poll underscores the degree to which Trumps base has largely stuck with him during the most tumultuous week of his presidency, in which few Republicans in Washington defended his response to the protests and many criticized him for not pinning blame clearly on the white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, the Washington Post noted.

Ultimately, Trump may be happy that he has kept his stubborn base of support  the high 20s to mid-30s  even through the darkest moment of his presidency, but his support is not enough to help him succeed in advancing his agenda or to win re-election in 2020, if hes even around to run for it.
US President Donald Trump said he wants India to help more in Afghanistan and warned Pakistan that it has a lot to lose if its keep providing safe havens for terrorists.

President Donald Trump announced a new Afghanistan and South Asia policy on Monday in the US (Reuters photo)

By India Today Web Desk: United States President Donald Trump said that the US wants a larger role for India in Afghanistan, even as he overcame his own doubts about a war that his country entered in October 2001 after the 9/11 attacks.

Trump also sharply criticised Pakistan for offering "safe havens" for terrorists, and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" if it continues to harbour terrorists.

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Trump was delivering a policy statement, offering a glimpse of how the US's war Afghanistan and role in South Asia would like under his presidency. He said that his administration had conducted "comprehensive review" of the US's Afghanistan strategy and decided that the policy will change from a "time-based approach to one based on conditions".

Signalling that the US would send in more soldiers into Afghanistan, a contentious topic in the United States that has lost nearly 2,500 Americans in the war, Trump said, "Our troops will fight to win", but did not offer specifics.

President Trump noted that India, which he called a key security and economic partner for the US, has played an important role in ensuring stability in Afghanistan, but added that his administration wants a larger role in Afghanistan, especially economically.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," he said in comments that would be cheered in New Delhi. Washington has traditionally been wary of pitching a greater role for India in Afghanistan out of concerns that the idea might not go down well in Islamabad, its long time ally.

Trump seemed to shed that worry, at least compared to previous US administration, taking Pakistan to task for offering safe havens to terrorists. The US "can no longer be silent" about terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, Trump said, saying that Islamabad, while fighting terrorism itself, often gives sanctuary to "agents of chaos, violence and terror."

Trump went on to warn, "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists."

The US has been gradually toughening its stand on Pakistan, often calling it out for its doublespeak on terrorism and even imposing restrictions, most recently in July this year when the Pentagon withheld military aid to Islamabad.

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US IN AFGHANISTAN

Trump in his speech opened the door to an increase in US troops in Afghanistan as part of a retooled strategy for the region, vowing "a fight to win."

Trump said his new approach was aimed at preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants bent on attacking the United States.

The speech came after a months-long review of US policy in which Trump frequently tangled with his top advisers on the future of US involvement in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents have been making territorial gains.

US military and intelligence officials are concerned that a Taliban victory over Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government would allow al Qaeda and Islamic State's regional affiliate to establish bases in Afghanistan from which to plot attacks against the United States and its allies.

"The unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue and in the interim the Taliban has made dangerous inroads," said senior Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Republican president overcame his own skepticism about the war that began in October 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. He said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that the war was too costly in lives and money.

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"My original instinct was to pull out," he said in his speech, but added he was convinced by his national security advisers to strengthen the US ability to prevent the Taliban from ousting the US-backed government in Kabul.

ALSO READ | Unlike Modi-Obama statements, Modi-Trump statement was harsh on Pakistan

ALSO READ | Pakistan playing ball with China. Common enemy India the reason?

ALSO WATCH | Trump slams Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, seeks bigger role for India in Afghanistan

--- ENDS ---
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Donald Trump is obsessed with his own ratings, but his address on the war in Afghanistan drew half as many viewers as a similar address that President Obama gave in 2009.

Variety reported, President Donald Trumps address to the nation on the war in Afghanistan drew an estimated 17.5 million viewers across the Big 4 broadcast networks on Monday, according to Nielsen overnight data. Airing from 9 p.m. until approximately 9:30, Trumps speech drew a 1.4 rating in adults 18-49 and 6.2 million viewers on NBC. On ABC, the speech averaged a 1.2 and 4.7 million viewers. CBS was next with a 0.7 and 4.1 million. Fox drew a 0.6 and 2.5 million. Final numbers, as well as cable news ratings for the speech, will be available later today.

Obama drew 40 million viewers for his first national address on Afghanistan in 2009.

While there is some truth to the statement that the TV market has changed since 2009, the reality is that Trump lost 8 million viewers since his first address to Congress in January. Trump simply isnt big ratings and hasnt been since the Republican primaries. Logically, it makes sense. Trumps approval rating is between 34% and 37%. his base of support seems to be weakening by the day, and only the core of the Republican Party is solidly behind Trump.

The message in these ratings, unless the cable numbers are monstrous, is that the American people are increasingly tuning out Trump. Trump is turning the presidential bully pulpit into a tin can with a string attached.

Trump has been described as obsessed with Obama, perhaps because Obama was the president that Trump could never be. Obama was admired, respected, and taken seriously. Trump is distrusted, mocked, and scorned.

The American people are voting with their TV remotes until they can go to the polls and make their voices loudly heard.
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By Shoon Naing

YANGON (Reuters)  Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims have been blockaded inside their area by their Buddhist neighbors in a western Myanmar village, residents say, as religious tensions in troubled Rakhine state spread to a more ethnically mixed part of the region.

Monitors and aid workers worry that violence that has until now been largely confined to the Rohingya-majority northern part of Rakhine, bordering Bangladesh, could erupt in an area where the two communities live side-by-side in much larger numbers.

Residents, aid workers and monitors told Reuters that Muslims in the village of Zay Di Pyin had been blocked from going to work or fetching food and water for the last three weeks, although a small number had been allowed through the blockade to buy provisions on Tuesday.

Police said Rakhine Buddhist villagers were restricting the amount of food the Rohingya could buy, but denied their movement around the village and access to work had been blocked.

I think they are just afraid and arent going out, said Myanmar police headquarters spokesman Colonel Myo Thu Soe.

The government said it was working to improve security in the area.

The stand-off has raised fears of a repeat of the communal violence that broke out in the Rakhine state capital Sittwe in 2012, leading to the killing of nearly 200 people and displacement of some 140,000  most of them Rohingya.

The concern in Zay Di Pyin is that this could escalate into violence between the two communities, said Chris Lewa of Arakan Project, a Rohingya monitoring group.

Rakhine has long been riven between ethnic Rahkine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. Around 1.1 million Rohingya live in the state, but are denied citizenship and face severe travel restrictions, with many Buddhists across Myanmar regarding them as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

More than 87,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Rohingya insurgents killed nine police in northwest Rakhine in October. That prompted a military crackdown beset by allegations of rape, killings and arson by the security forces.

PENNED IN

In Zay Di Pyin, a large, mixed village of some 5,000 people with a mosque and a Buddhist monastery, Rakhine residents have penned about 700 Rohingya inside their neighborhood by blocking entry points with a fence since late July, preventing access to a market and a pond used as a source of drinking water, according to two Muslim residents and monitors.

Local people said tensions had spiked in late July, when a Rakhine Buddhist man from a nearby village went missing. Three Rohingya residents were found killed in the area in the same period.

They accused us of killing the missing Rakhine person and blocked us from going out because of that, a Rohingya man told Reuters by telephone, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A second Rohingya man inside the blockaded area told Reuters the residents were being stopped from going to work at the local river jetty, where many carry loads for a living. They were also prevented from praying at the village mosque, which is outside the blocked area, he said.

Rakhine villagers, some armed with swords and sticks, had set up makeshift checkpoints at six points around the Rohingya quarter, the men told Reuters. Both of them said there has been no major violent incidents so far.

Police spokesman Colonel Myo Thu Soe said authorities had received a complaint about the blockade last week and had brokered a meeting on Friday, at which it was agreed 15 Rohingya residents would be allowed to leave their neighborhood to fetch food twice a week.

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyis spokesman Zaw Htay said the issue was resolved on Friday and that the villagers can go out, adding that the government was planning to provide security for them. He did not give more details.

One of the Rohingya men confirmed that 15 people had been allowed to go out to buy food for the community on Tuesday, but said they were still not permitted to move around freely.

They said that 15 people will be able to leave twice a week  but we cant work so I dont know how well be able to afford food, said the man.

WILL THE FOOD LAST?

Zay Di Pyin is located in the ethnically mixed Rathedaung district, some 65 km (40 miles) north of Sittwe.

In another incident that has added to tensions in the area, residents in the neighboring village of Auk Nan Yar, where the Rohingya are the majority, said they were being prevented from leaving their village by security forces.

It follows a confrontation in early August between hundreds of Muslims and security forces who were trying to arrest six Rohingya men accused of raising money for militants. In a separate incident on that day seven Buddhists were killed in a different part of northern Rakhine.

In the week following the incidents, Suu Kyi convened a high-level security meeting in the capital Naypyitaw and declared a curfew in the area, while the army sent some 500 soldiers to reinforce around Aug. 10.

Police said the military was conducting a clearance operation in the nearby Mayu mountain range, where the government suspects Rohingya insurgents have been training.

The nearby villagers were warned to be careful when they go out to the mountains in order to avoid getting arrested by mistake, said spokesman Myo Thu Soe.

Two villagers from Auk Nan Yar told Reuters that they too were now unable to get to a market to buy food or to work.

Now were sharing the food we have left with each other in the village, said one of the villagers. We dont know how long the food will last.

(Reporting by Shoon Naing; Additional reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Antoni Slodkowski and Alex Richardson)
Meat in Hungary may be cheap, but it takes a lot of work to buy one kilo

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Meat is the most expensive in Switzerland, may it be beef, chicken, pork, lamb or fish. At the same time, higher income makes this less of a burden, a survey of 52 countries by Caterwings shows. In terms of salaries, meat is the most affordable in Denmark. Despite its relatively low prices, Hungary is ranked somewhere in the middle.
The CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, the largest container ship to travel through the Panama Canal, is headed to East Coast ports and is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Charleston's Wando Welch Terminal on Sept. 2. Provided/Panama Canal Authority
Kevin Marsh, CEO of SCANA Corp., speaks to the media at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station near Jenkinsville during a media tour of the now abandoned facility Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. He was rushed out of the Statehouse Tuesday due to a medical emergency. File/Chuck Burton/AP
Two things are motivating the Charleston County School District to consider the idea. The first is the difficulty in attracting teachers to an area where they would struggle to afford housing. The second is the fact the district already owns land where apartments could be built. Read moreWith rents unaffordable, the Charleston school district considers building teacher housing
The internet had a field day as US President Donald Trump stole a glance at the total solar eclipse that too without wearing protective glasses.

Trump looked at the total solar eclipse without wearing protective glasses | Photo: Andrew Harnik / AP

By India Today Web Desk: As the United States was unified to view one of the rarest eclipses that cast its shadow all over the US, President Donald Trump has become the butt of jokes after he looked at the eclipse without wearing protective glasses.

As Trump came outside to view the eclipse with his wife Melania, son Barron and other White House aides he looked up at the sky and pointed. He was not wearing any protective glasses. A White House staffer from the lawn shouted "Don't look".

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Meanwhile, internet had a field day after Trump's little eclipse moment.

And he goes for it pic.twitter.com/XC2Xdvyumq- Axios (@axios) August 21, 2017

Scientists: Don't look straight at sun during eclipse.Trump: Hold my glasses. pic.twitter.com/3MySTJYq4d- Dan Worthington (@danWorthington) August 21, 2017

A metaphor for his presidency https://t.co/wluuNEtoG8- Sarah Westwood (@sarahcwestwood) August 21, 2017

he looked without the glasses this owns pic.twitter.com/2Jzw799tgZ- Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) August 21, 2017

actually, this is probably the most predictable thing that has happened in the Trump WH https://t.co/sK5zHYfxgE- Ariel Cohen (@ArielCohen37) August 21, 2017

#Trump doesnt need protective eye wear! I have the greatest corneas of all time, really. The best.?? #Eclipse pic.twitter.com/uXdsQGsz9j- Shawna Hazlett ? (@shawnahaze) August 21, 2017

Literally every news outlet: Don't look directly into the sun during the eclipse. Donald Trump: pic.twitter.com/Xbd8d4K1GM- RickyFTW (@rickyftw) August 21, 2017

I cannot handle this right now. pic.twitter.com/JXjuHH2ivA- Jules (@jules_su) August 21, 2017

In this moment, he became president pic.twitter.com/mQNrG7LlsP- Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) August 21, 2017

when ur friend explicitly tells u not to look at her secret crush https://t.co/l6ryiJH43M- Tasneem N (@TasneemN) August 21, 2017

id say theres about a 50% chance this happens later pic.twitter.com/dQ1zqZWxqv- leon (@leyawn) August 21, 2017

Hey, our President may have irreparably damaged his retinas? #eclipse pic.twitter.com/aZdfOGVuUi- Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) August 21, 2017

Many Twitter users had earlier predicted that there are chances Trump might look at the eclipse without protective gear.

Trump will stare directly into the eclipse because everyone told him not to.- Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) August 21, 2017

Trump's aides are spending the day reminding him not to stare directly at the sun sp#SolarEclipse2017- Katie P (@applezismypal) August 21, 2017

Someone's going to tell Trump not to stare at the sun today, but he's going to do it anyway and go blind. #Eclipse2017- Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) August 21, 2017

This is probably the moment when Trump ordered the eclipse. #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/BsBdGi8x4U- Brian Carey (@brianmcarey) August 21, 2017

--- ENDS ---
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
LAS VEGAS  Control of the U.S. Senate may come down to Nevada, where a slow ballot count entered its final act Saturday in the nail-biter contest between Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. Read moreSenate control may come down to Nevada as count nears end
ALBERT LEA  Mayo Clinic Health System's plan to shift most inpatient services from its Albert Lea campus to its Austin location does not appear to violate anti-trust laws, according to Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson.

During an interview Monday with the Post Bulletin, Swanson said her staff spent several weeks looking into possible anti-trust violations but concluded there is no evidence such laws were broken.

"We don't see any anti-trust remedy," Swanson said.

However, her office is reviewing whether the consolidation plan might violate state laws governing nonprofits. That includes examining how the decision to move services was made and how money donated specifically to the Albert Lea campus has been used.

"Questions had been asked of whether there was money raised in the Albert Lea community for the benefit of Albert Lea that might have been diverted to another community," she said.

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Swanson has given Mayo until Aug. 30 to answer several questions related to the Albert Lea hospital. Dr. Annie Sadosty, regional vice president for Mayo Clinic Health System in Southeast Minnesota, said a team of people is working on getting answers to Swanson's questions.

"I can say we're confident that we have acted in accordance with the current bylaws that govern Mayo Clinic Health System's Austin-Albert Lea hospital and the applicable laws and regulations," Sadosty said.

In June, Mayo Clinic Health System announced it would be moving most inpatient hospital services, including ICU, inpatient surgeries and childbirth, from Albert Lea to Austin. That drew a strong response from the Albert Lea community, with hundreds turning out for a public meeting to voice opposition to the plan. In recent days, Mayo's plan has received increased statewide scrutiny.

On Monday, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith issued a joint statement expressing "serious concerns" about Mayo's plan and calling on the clinic "to engage the public in an open discussion about the impact of its business decisions on people." Meanwhile, Swanson spent two hours on Monday meeting with Albert Lea and Freeborn County officials about their concerns with the consolidation plan. Also attending on behalf of the Dayton administration were Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger and representatives from the state's departments of commerce and human services.

Mayo highlights Albert Lea upgrades

At the same time the attorney general was meeting with local officials, Mayo Clinic Health System issued a press release touting millions of dollars in planned upgrades to the Albert Lea campus. They include $720,000 to upgrade Albert Lea's Cancer Center, $2.75 million for a cooling plant and $600,000 for a new state-of-the-art CT scanner.

Sadosty said those investments show that Mayo is committed to the Albert Lea campus. In addition, she said efforts are being made to address community concerns. That includes working with the city of Albert Lea to establish a community stakeholder group, comprised of representatives from Albert Lea, Freeborn County and Mayo.

The health system has also decided to add short stay observation beds to the Albert Lea hospital in response to community concerns about having to travel to Austin for short visits. And while Mayo still plans to push ahead with moving Albert Lea's Intensive Care Unit to Austin on Oct. 1, it will no longer move all inpatient surgeries on Jan. 1, 2018 as scheduled. Major surgeries requiring an ICU backup will move on that date but others will gradually transition over to the Austin campus.

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"Where we can slow down, we are slowing down in response to the feedback from the community with the idea that the community can help improve upon the very thoughtful plans we've laid out," Sadosty said.

'More consideration is necessary'

But critics of Mayo's plan are unmoved. Mariah Lynne, co-founder of Save Our Hospital, said residents are not willing to lose those inpatient services.

"We have a single mission, and our mission for Save Our Hospital is to maintain a full service, acute hospital in Albert Lea, Minn., for the benefit of our citizens and our surrounding citizens," Lynne said.

She added that her group has talked with other health care companies interested in providing a full-service hospital in Albert Lea. Save Our Hospital wants Mayo to give the hospital back to the Albert Lea community if they are unwilling to keep all inpatient services on site.

"I am happy that they are considering the impact now of the decisions that they made. However, more consideration is necessary. We are in a situation where I believe what we are seeing is Mayo trying to appease the community," she said.

Sadosty said she recognizes how difficult the planned changes are for the community. But she said Mayo has to take action in order to ensure quality care for residents into the future. She said hospitals are facing major challenges, including difficulty recruiting staff, advances in technology and a drop in inpatient admissions  just to name a few.

"There are significant changes afoot in health care and a failure to adjust could result in the closure of medical centers, and that's happening all over the country," she said.

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'An extraordinary step'

As for today's meeting with the attorney general, Freeborn County David Walker said he was pleased with how it went. Walker contacted Swanson last month and asked her to review the consolidation plan to see if it violated any state or federal laws.

"I think it is an extraordinary step for the attorney general and state officers to take to come to the city of Albert Lea to address some specific issue affecting the city of Albert Lea and Freeborn County," Walker said.

Swanson said she does not have a timeline for when she expects to have reached a conclusion on the consolidation plan. She said it will depend on how much material Mayo sends to her office and when they receive it. However, she said Monday's meeting was helpful.

"I thought it was a productive meeting, a constructive meeting," she said. "It is difficult for a small community to face this with their hospital, and so I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from the city and county officials with their concerns."
ST. PAUL  Minnesota's governor and lieutenant governor are expressing concerns about Mayo Clinic Health System's plan to move most inpatient services from its Albert Lea hospital to its Austin location.

Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith issued a joint statement this morning about the situation.

"We have serious concerns about Mayo Clinic's decision to reduce services at their Albert Lea hospital and how this decision will impact the community," they said.

The DFL leaders add, "Mayo Clinic owes it to the Albert Lea community, and any community it serves, to engage the public in an open discussion about the impact of its business decisions on people. Minnesotans in Albert Lea rely on Mayo Clinic for essential care and services, and they deserve an open discussion, especially when a decision like this affects so many."

The statement comes as Minnesota Attorney General Albert Lea is slated to visit Albert Lea today to discuss Freeborn County Attorney David Walker's request they investigate whether the consolidation violates any state or federal laws.

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Mayo has said the consolidation is needed due to millions of dollars in losses at the campus and difficulty recruiting staff for the rural location. A Mayo Clinic spokeswoman said last week the clinic is confident it has followed the law.
The Rochester Planning and Zoning Commission will take its first look at a proposed ordinance to govern the building of indoor gun ranges in city limits.

Here are some things to know as the discussion continues to unfold, potentially reaching the city council as soon as Sept. 18:

1. City doesn't have an ordinance.

Under existing city ordinance, a proposed indoor gun range in Rochester would be evaluated as an indoor recreation site, a category that includes bowling alleys, bingo parlors and movie theaters.

Existing ordinance only covers outdoor ranges when it comes to specific guidelines for construction.

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2. State and federal rules apply.

The lack of specific local guidelines for constructing an indoor gun range doesn't mean there aren't parameters for construction.

Minnesota statute includes performance and design standards, which refer to a guide created by the National Rifle Association.

Additional federal guidelines, including standards for indoor sound levels and lead containment, would play a part in plans for a gun range.

3. New ordinance was spurred by planned gun range.

Discussions that led to the proposed ordinance change came after an initial site development plan for Heartland Gun Club and Range was submitted in April. The project being proposed at 5105 Commercial Drive SW would include an indoor shooting range.

With a group of Rochester and Twin Cities investors involved, efforts for the proposed $4 million, 12-lane gun club are being led by Twin Cities developer Pat Egan.

Mark Engel, current planning services supervisor for Rochester-Olmsted Planning Department, said the proposed ordinance is largely in line with state guidelines.

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"We're putting Rochester's wording to it to make sure how our ordinance talks about a conditional-use permit is reflected in here, but the vast majority of what we are talking about is a reflection of what the ordinance tells us we can and cannot do," he said.

4. Neighbors don't think it goes far enough.

At least four neighbors have already submitted letters and emails citing concerns about the proposed gun range, with one listing several other residents who reportedly have similar concerns.

"As neighbors and residents of Rochester, we would like assurances that Heartland Gun Club and Range is held to the highest standard in compliance with the mission and comprehensive plan of the city of Rochester," wrote Susan Schneider in a letter to the Rochester City Council and city staff.

Amid concerns are contamination from lead ammunition, noise, proximity to homes, safety and wildlife protection.

Another resident, Bruce Blatti, says one proposal for location near a residential neighborhood is lacking.

"A gun range location of 'not less than 500 lineal feet from property in a residential district' is woefully short of necessary and due consideration for established residential neighborhoods," he wrote.

5. Developers think it goes too far.

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In a submission from Egan and Greg Moore, representing the proposed gun club, they note efforts to change expectations could delay the project or put it at risk.

"The actions by the city to halt our project have created a complete mess with our ownership group, architects and general contractor," they wrote, indicating more than $750,000 has already been spent to purchase the land and start related work.

Egan and Moore also object to potential requirements in the proposed ordinance that would exceed expectations found in other communities and would not necessarily affect Coyote Creek Gun and Archery at 3600 S. Broadway. Among the restrictions opposed would be specifying the make and model of a specific bullet trap.

6. Eagles not addressed.

While neighbors have cited concerns about a nearby eagle's nest, Engel, said nothing in the proposed ordinance addressed the concerns, since development near wildlife is regulated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

"The eagles would come into play with any development that went out there," he said.

7. State and local rules already ban alcohol sales.

While some neighbors have voiced concern about the potential sale of alcohol at the planned club, city ordinance and state statute, however, already prohibit such venues from obtaining an on-sale and off-sale license to sell alcohol.

The proposed indoor gun range ordinance would go further, stating alcohol in not allowed on the premises.

8. There are decisions to make.

One of the remaining questions is language dictating placement of a gun range. Two options are presented in the proposed ordinance: Requiring 500 feet between a home and the gun range or 500 feet from a property line in a residential district.

Engel suggested measuring from a property line would be easiest to regulate, but noted the commission and council could also consider revising the required distance.

Other potential changes to the proposed ordinance are also likely to be considered, with the commission potentially making recommendations to the city council, which will have the final vote.

9. First round of review is Wednesday.

Before the city's Planning and Zoning Commission weighs in on the ordinance, a public hearing will be held during its meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE.

If the commission agrees on a recommendation to the council during Wednesday's meeting, the city council could hold its required public hearing on the topic as early as Sept. 18.
In defending his decision to increase Americas war effort in Afghanistan, President Trump needed to do two main things: (1) explain why he was breaking his campaign promise to abandon Afghanistan and (2) distinguish his approach to the fight from President Obamas. In the post I wrote right after the speech, I tried to describe how Trump went about accomplishing these things.

One technique I didnt mention was the presidents insistence, several times, that we will not be engaging in nation building. Thats a buzz phrase, sort of like neocon in this context, the rejection of which is designed to show Trumps supporters that he hasnt gone Bushie on them.

Its also a largely meaningless promise for several reasons, two of which John noted earlier today. First, I think it has been a while since we have engaged in nation-building, in the strong, Bushian sense, in Afghanistan.

Second, to the extent we are engaging in some affirmative nation-building, it looks like Trump will continue to do so. As John observed, the money Trump called on India to provide Afghanistan for economic assistance and development sounds an awful lot like money earmarked for nation-building.

The other point I want to make is that defeating Islamic radicals in Afghanistan, or even just keeping them at bay, is a form of nation building. It gives the Afghan people the space they need to build their nation in important ways.

And in large portions of the country they have taken advantage of it. Life expectancy is way up and infant mortality is way down due to improved health care. Education has improved significantly, especially for girls. Womens rights, though still lagging, are more prevalent.

Critics often claim that nation building is futile in Afghanistan because society there is so tribal and primitive. In a sense, though, the opposite conclusion follows from the premise. Because the floor is so low, the opportunity for progress is great.

In the U.S., I doubt theres much the government can do to improve education, increase life expectancy, or enhance womens right. If anything, the Department of Education seems to be dumbing down education and the equal gender rights movement, nearly out of worlds to conquer, is fixated on bathroom rights for transgender people.

In Afghanistan, there is serious progress to be made. And lots of it can be made largely, though not entirely, by keeping the religious fanatic barbarians at bay.

This progress benefits Afghans, not Americans. Thus, it is be touted by an America First president. Nor, in my view, is this progress, standing alone, sufficient to justify the loss of American lives in Afghanistan.

But it is part of the equation, or should be. Unfortunately, President Trump feels he cant or shouldnt mention it.
Trump said his new approach was aimed at preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants bent on attacking the US.

US President Donald Trump announces his strategy for the war in Afghanistan during an address from Fort Myer, Virginia (Photo: Reuters)

By Reuters: President Donald Trump opened the door on Monday night to an increase in US troops in Afghanistan as part of a retooled strategy for the region, overcoming his own doubts about America's longest war and vowing "a fight to win."

Trump, in a prime-time televised address at a military base near Washington, said his new approach was aimed at preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Islamist militants bent on attacking the United States.

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The Republican president, who has repeatedly criticized the Afghanistan strategies of his predecessors, now inherits the same challenges, including a resurgent Taliban and a weak government in Kabul.

He is laying the groundwork for greater US involvement without a clear end in sight or providing specific benchmarks for success.

'WE ARE NOT NATION-BUILDING'

In a speech with few details, Trump did not specify how many more troops would be added, gave no timeline for ending the US presence in Afghanistan, and put pressure on Pakistan, India and NATO allies to step up their own commitment.

But officials said he had signed off on Defense Secretary James Mattis' plans to send about 4,000 more to add to the 8,400 now deployed in Afghanistan.

He warned US support was not open-ended - "our support is not a blank check" - and insisted he would not engage in "nation-building," a practice he has accused his predecessors of doing at huge cost.

"We are not nation-building. We are killing terrorists," he said.

READ | Trump seeks greater role for India in Afghanistan, toughens position on Pakistan

Members of the US military listen as President Donald Trump announces his strategy for the war in Afghanistan (Photo: Reuters)

'NO MORE SILENCE ABOUT PAKISTAN'S SAFE HAVENS'

Trump laid out a tougher approach to US policy toward Pakistan. Senior US officials warned he could reduce security assistance for Pakistan unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperates more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens," Trump said. "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists."

A Pakistani army spokesman said on Monday that Pakistan had taken action against all Islamist militants including the Haqqani network, which is allied to Afghan Taliban insurgents.

"There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. We have operated against all terrorists, including (the) Haqqani network," spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told a media briefing in Islamabad.

'NO PLACE BEYOND REACH OF U.S. ARMS'

Trump expanded the US military's authority for American armed forces to target militant and criminal networks. He said that US enemies in Afghanistan "need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

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"Our troops will fight to win," he added.

A US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Islamist Taliban government for harboring al Qaeda militants who plotted the Sept. 11 attacks. But US forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of Republican George W. Bush, Democrat Barack Obama and now Trump. About 2,400 US forces have died in Afghanistan since the invasion.

READ | Trump corners Pakistan, says can no longer be silent over its safe havens to terrorists

Senior adviser to and daughter of the President Ivanka Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence listen to the President (Photo: Reuters)

PAST SKEPTICISM

The speech came after a months-long review of US policy in which Trump frequently tangled with his top advisers on the future of US involvement in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents have been making territorial gains.

US military and intelligence officials are concerned that a Taliban victory over Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government would allow al Qaeda and Islamic State's regional affiliate to establish bases in Afghanistan from which to plot attacks against the United States and its allies.

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"The unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue and in the interim the Taliban has made dangerous inroads," said senior Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Republican president overcame his own skepticism about the war that began in October 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. He said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that the war was too costly in lives and money.

"My original instinct was to pull out," he said in his speech, but added he was convinced by his national security advisers to strengthen the US ability to prevent the Taliban from ousting the US-backed government in Kabul.

'FORCE FOR PEACE'

Trump's speech came as the president tries to rebound after he was engulfed in controversy for saying both sides were to blame for violence between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month.

In an allusion to the Charlottesville uproar, Trump said: "We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other."

Trump also said the United States wanted India to help more with Afghanistan, especially in the areas of economic assistance and development.

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He made clear his patience had limits in support of the Afghanistan government, saying Kabul needed to increase its cooperation in order to justify a continued American commitment.

Trump said it could be possible to have a political settlement with elements of the Taliban.

"But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen," he said.

RESOURCE SHIFT

U.S. commanders have long planned for a possible shift in resources from Iraq to Afghanistan as the fight against Islamic State comes off its peak, following gains made in the Iraqi city of Mosul and other areas.

One reason the White House decision took so long, two officials who participated in the discussions said on Sunday, is that it was difficult to get Trump to accept the need for a broader regional strategy that included US policy toward Pakistan.

Trump received a wide range of conflicting options, the officials said.

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster and other advisers favored accepting a request for an 4,000 additional US forces.

But recently ousted White House strategic adviser Steve Bannon had argued for the withdrawal of all US forces, saying the war was still not winnable, US officials said. Bannon was fired on Friday by Trump.

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Trump slams Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, seeks bigger role for India in Afghanistan

--- ENDS ---
More than six years ago, I wrote that we should get out of Afghanistan. We conducted a poll, and 74% of our readers agreed. So President Trumps inclination to wind down our effort there, as articulated on the campaign trail, was not at all unusual.

Last night the president said that he has changed his mind and will pursue victory in Afghanistan. The first thing that struck a listener was that Trump delivered his speech strongly, with conviction. This was a welcome contrast with his predecessor, who was a weak public speaker. Moreover, unlike some of Trumps impromptu efforts, he knew his text well and had obviously studied and refined it.

By way of preface, the president argued that the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable.  A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th. Trump supported this point by noting the terrible consequences of our premature withdrawal from Iraq:

[A]s we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.

That is certainly true, but Afghanistan arguably lacks Iraqs strategic importance. It is an open question whether we could destroy terrorist training centers and the like without having much physical presence and without trying to control territory.

The president said that our strategy in Afghanistan will change in the following ways; I have added my comments:

As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways: A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions.  Conditions on the ground  not arbitrary timetables  will guide our strategy from now on.

This is a long-overdue change.

Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power  diplomatic, economic, and military  toward a successful outcome. Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen.  Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

Few will argue with Trumps emphasis on killing terrorists. But I think it has been a while since we have done any serious nation-building in Afghanistan. The country is so culturally backward as to appear hopeless, at least for the foreseeable future.

The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.  In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices. But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.

This is another long-overdue change. Whether it will seriously impact events in Afghanistan, I dont know. But Pakistan is a major problem in its own right. Like Saudi Arabia, but perhaps to an even greater extent, it is a purported ally that does much to undermine civilization around the world.

Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India  the worlds largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States. India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development.

This is consistent with Trumps view that Americas allies need to do more to help us on security mattersa view that I and a large majority of Americans share. But isnt economic assistance and development nation-building? The most practical contribution India can make to our effort in Afghanistan is financial support.

Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work quickly. I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles.

This is obviously a positive and important change. Lawyers cant fight wars. How much difference it will make remains to be seen, but it can only help.

In his concluding comments, Trump revisited his rejection of nation-building:

From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

***

The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed. But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward.

Principled realism is a phrase we likely will continue to hear from the president and his subordinates. Does it amount to a winning strategy? Only, I think, if lethal attacks on the terrorists are stepped up dramatically. Even then, Afghanistans history offers little encouragement. For now, at a minimum, it is good to hear our commander in chief talking about victorya word that was rarely if ever used, in connection with Americas security interests, by his predecessor.
In Minnesota we have four vacancies to fill for high federal offices: the United States Attorney, the United States Marshal and two federal district court judges. President Trump has nominated Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, but his nomination has been blocked from consideration in the Senate so far by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. Approximately no one in Minnesota opposes Justice Strass nomination to the Eighth Circuit. He is widely admired and respected.

So what gives with Senator Klobuchar? I understand that she is negotiating with the White House. I understand that she offers to stand down on Justice Stras in exchange for getting her way on one or more of the four vacancies. I previously reported that Klobuchar supports Minneapolis attorney Joe Dixon for United States Attorney. I doubt that the Trump White House can abide a partisan Democratic United States Attorney for Minnesota and I am certain it should not do so. Neither Klobuchar nor Dixon responded to my request for comment when I sought it earlier this month.

As I say, we have four high offices to be filled by presidential appointment subject to Senate confirmation. I understand that Senator Klobuchar seeks to have her say on all of them in exchange for acceding to the Senates consideration of Justice Stras. However, I may be wrong about that. On August 15 I sought her comment; her spokesman failed to respond.

There is a story here. Unless I am missing something, the Star Tribune has gone silent. By custom, the Star Tribune serves as the public relations arm of the permanent Klobuchar campaign. If Senator Klobuchar were talking, the Star Tribune would amicably publicize whatever she had to say. But shes not talking.

Early yesterday evening I wrote the spokesman for Senator Klobuchar from whom I have heard in the past: I understand that Al Franken has returned his blue slip on Justice Stras. As I wrote you previously, I understand that Senator Klobuchar is holding hers and still negotiating with the White House over vacancies including the US Attorney. Would you please comment tonight or let me know if I should direct my inquiry to Senator Klobuchar elsewhere? As of this morning I have received no comment.

Senator Klobuchars power to block Justice Strass nomination derives from Senate Judiciary Committee custom and from her status as Justice Strass home state Senator. However, the Eighth Circuit vacancy does not belong to Minnesota. It could go to a lawyer from any state in the Eighth Circuit. Among the states in the Eighth Circuit are Arkansas and Iowa and South Dakota  each of which has two Republican senators. Indeed, Senator Grassley is not only from Iowa, he serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

If the time were to come when the White House chose a path of less resistance, it would be to the detriment of Minnesota and Senator Klobuchar would have to answer for it. In the meantime, someone other than me should be asking her about it.

CORRECTION: I erred in stating that Minnesota Senator Al Franken had returned his blue slip on Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras, nominated by President Trump to the United States Court of Appeals to the Eighth Circuit. Neither Senator Klobuchar nor Senator Franken has returned a blue slip on Justice Stras. They are both therefore blocking his consideration by the Senate under the custom that Senator Grassley is following as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. More here.
We have been writing about the Awan scandal. It involves former House IT staffers with ties to Pakistan who are accused of stealing equipment from members offices without their knowledge and committing serious, potentially illegal, violations on the House IT network. It also involves alleged bank fraud on the part of Imran Awan and his wife.

It may also involve the transmission of sensitive intelligence information to foreigners. Finally, it may involve blackmailing by the Awan family of some of their former Democratic employers, e.g., Debbie Wasserman Schultz who retained and tried to protect Imran Awan for months after the scandal broke. Wasserman Schultz fired Awan only after he was arrested at Dulles Airport as he tried to hightail it to Pakistan, where his wife had already fled.

Last week, as Scott discusses here, the government indicted Imran Awan and his wife. The indictment focuses solely on bank fraud. There is nothing about the IT scandal.

But thats not whats most strange about the indictment. Whats most strange, as Andy McCarthy explains, is that there is no mention of the Awans flight to Pakistan.

The indictment undertakes to describe in detail four counts of bank-fraud conspiracy, false statements on credit applications, and unlawful monetary transactions, yet leaves out the most damning evidence of guilt. In fact, the indictment appears to go out of its way not to mention it. . . . There is. . .no apparent explanation for omitting from a fraudulent cash-transfer prosecution the fact that the conspirators undertook to transfer themselves to the foreign country where theyd sent the money. Why would prosecutors leave that out of their indictment? Why give Awans defense a basis to claim that, since the indictment does not allege anything about flight to Pakistan, the court should bar any mention of it during the trial? In fact, quite apart from the manifest case-related reasons to plead instances of flight, a competent prosecutor would have included them in the indictment simply to underscore that Awan is a flight risk who should have onerous bail conditions or even be detained pretrial.

The indictment is thus, in McCarthys words, an exercise in omission:

Not a word about Wasserman Schultzs keeping Awan on the payroll for six months during which (a) he was known to be under investigation, (b) his wife was known to have fled to Pakistan, and (c) he was not credentialed to do the IT work for which he had been hired. Nothing about Wasserman Schultzs energetic efforts to prevent investigators from examining Awans laptop. A likely currency-transportation offense against Alvi goes uncharged. And, as for the offenses that are charged, prosecutors plead them in a manner that avoids any reference to what should be their best evidence. There is something very strange going on here.

There is, indeed.

Some have noted that Steve Wasserman, the brother of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is a longtime assistant U.S. attorney in the office that is prosecuting Awan and his wife. I met Steve Wasserman during the fight against the leniency for drug felons legislation a few years ago. Wasserman helped lead resistance to that legislation. He was a valuable ally.

Id be surprised if Steve Wasserman is involved in decisions pertaining to the prosecution of the Awan family. At any rate, like McCarthy, I have seen no indication that he has any formal role in the case.
In an outstanding speech tonight, President Trump announced that the U.S. will not pull out of Afghanistan, but instead will fight with less restraint and more military forces. Trump needed to do two main things in his speech: (1) explain why he was breaking his campaign promise to abandon Afghanistan and (2) distinguish his approach to the fight from President Obamas. Accomplishing the second objective would help make the breach of his campaign promise easier to swallow.

I believe Trump gave a sound and forceful explanation for why, now that he occupies the Oval Office and has heard from the generals, he sees the situation in Afghanistan differently than he did as a candidate. He pointed out the prevalence in the region of terrorist groups capable of one day organizing attacks against the U.S., as they did in 2001. He also noted the consequences of the U.S. pullout from Iraq under Obama.

I found Trumps arguments persuasive. However, I already believed we should stay in Afghanistan. The real question is how Trump supporters who felt differently will react to the decision. If Trump is right about what would happen if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue, he can expect to retain the support of his base.

Trump was also able to distinguish the approach he announced tonight from Obamas approach to Afghanistan. Most notably, as Trump pointed out, he did not announce a date for drawing down our forces and eventually exiting, as Obama stupidly did. Our force level and continued presence will depend on conditions on the ground, he emphasized.

Trump also stressed that he has given our generals and our warriors on the ground the power to fight and kill the enemy without the intervention of military lawyers and Washington bureaucrats. To his great credit, Trump wants to engage in warfare, not lawfare. He wants to win and is prepared to do what it takes.

But the real question is not whether, under Trumps leadership, the U.S. will fight the war more intelligently. The real question is whether the U.S. will win.

The answer may depend in part on the resources, and especially the number of troops, Trump is willing to devote to the effort. Trump was silent about this. He said he wants to keep the enemy guessing. Maybe he also wants to avoid criticism from those who would say the number is too high and those who would say it is too low.

The speculation, based presumably on off-the-record comments by administration officials, is that Trump will add about 4,000 troops to the fight, and increase of around 50 percent. Would this be sufficient to turn the tide? I dont know. However, it would not bring troop levels even close to what they were after the Obama surge, and those levels did not end the war.

Trump also said he would put diplomatic and economic pressure on Pakistan to stop providing sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban. If Pakistan nonetheless continues to provide sanctuary, we will attack the Taliban in Pakistan.

Im skeptical that we coerce Pakistan into a wholehearted effort against the Taliban. And, although attacking the Taliban in Pakistan is a helpful measure, I dont know that its a decisive one.

But this is all speculation. What we know is that Trump, far from abandoning Afghanistan, is increasing our war effort there; that he is eschewing Obamas ridiculous time table approach; that he is taking a tougher stand with Pakistani; that he is deferring to the military on how to fight; and, at the same time, taking ownership of the war in Afghanistan. All of this is to the good, in my opinion.

So is this. Before the speech, those in the know were saying that Trump is going to try to negotiate with the Taliban. Maybe so, but thats not what he said in his speech.

In his speech, he said that, down the road, once the Taliban is headed to defeat, there may be a place in a new government for Taliban elements. Why there should be in that circumstance, I dont know. However, Trumps statement is not a call to negotiate our way out of Afghanistan without achieving victory.

I dont see how there can negotiations with a radical, fundamentalist, terrorist Islamic movement like the Taliban. Im glad Trump didnt quite go there in his speech, and Im hopeful he wont go there at all during his administration.
By: Olagoke Olatoye, NAN

The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, observes that although Vesico-Vaginal Fistula, VVF, is a preventable birth injury, it has affected more than 800,000 women in Nigeria with several new cases every year.

According to the fund, VVF occurs as a result of the tear between the birth canal and the rectum or bladder, leaving a woman incontinent of urine or faeces or both.

Recalling her experience, a secondary school girl said she dropped out of school at the age of 15 years to become a housewife due to health situation arising from VVF.

I was in labour for 24 hours before I was taken to a general hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital was on strike and there was no one to attend to me.

After a day in the hospital, a nurse decided to assist me, but sadly, I have a stillbirth and when I realised I was incontinent of urine, I felt terrible and was confused.

I was later referred to a specialist hospital where I was treated with support from UNFPA but then, my dream of becoming a medical doctor had been shattered by early marriage, the teenager said.

In the light of this, medical experts note that the health of the teen can be compromised by early marriage which may result in VVF.

They warn that other health consequences of early marriage among adolescents apart from VVF may include early child bearing, prolonged or obstructed labour, social exclusion and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.

They observe that in most cases, victims of VVF are from the poor and illiterate young mothers who live in rural areas with low access to quality maternal healthcare.

They express concern that although some cases of VVF are operated successfully, unlucky victims may have to live with the condition for the rest of their lives.

According to them, if untreated, VVF often leads to social isolation, frequent infections, kidney disease, painful sores and infertility.

Linking VVF prevalence to the rate of Maternal Mortality Ratio, MMR, in Nigeria, Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, said Nigeria had the highest MMR.

Maternal mortality is the death of a woman in pregnancy or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy.

But UNFPA assures the public that it will continue to work with governments and other stakeholders to end VVF and reduce the rate of MMR.

Apart from this, UNFPA says it has appointed a renowned Nollywood actress, Stephanie Linus-Okereke, as the Regional Ambassador for Maternal Health in West and Central Africa to collaborate with Fistula Foundation Nigeria in Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto and Ebonyi states.

Ms. Linus-Okereke said the partnership would boost education and information on sexual and reproductive health to prevent teenage pregnancy and promote girls rights.

I will work closely with the fund to draw attention to the work that still needs to be done across the region and to increase universal access to comprehensive sexual reproductive health services and information.

This is to stop women from dying in the course of bringing forth life; to empower women and girls to choose freely and for themselves, Ms. Linus-Okereke said.

The ambassador restated that she had been advocating unhindered women and girls right to education and access to reproductive healthcare, information and family planning.

Justifying her appointment, Eugene Kongnyuy, UNFPAs Deputy Resident Representative, the West and Central Region, said 111 women died every day in the region due to pregnancy-related complications.

In scale and in severity, maternal mortality is the most neglected tragedy of our time; a tragedy that disproportionately affects developing countries, especially in Africa, Mr. Kongnyuy said.

Mr. Kongnyuy noted that the costs of not taking action on maternal health would mean that poverty eradication efforts would be undermined.

We need high profile public advocates for maternal health and the rights of young people to reach their full potential in Africa, he said.

He also noted that more than 55 per cent of pregnant women still gave birth without any assistance from a skilled health worker.

However, observers note that as part of the efforts by the federal government to curtail the situation, Mr. Adewole had, on July 25, inaugurated a task force on accelerated reduction of maternal mortality.

Inaugurating the task force in Abuja, he said the high MMR was unacceptable and had become imperative to address the challenge as soon as possible.

It is noteworthy that a woman is a primary caregiver, nation builder and contributes significantly to the economic and social development of our great country.

Safe motherhood, therefore, is critical to national development and no woman should die while giving life, Mr. Adewole said.

By and large, concerned citizens solicit pragmatic approach to some teenage reproductive health issues and the engagement communities and women in the formulation of policies that affect their health.

They, nonetheless, call for the implementation of the National Health Act, 2014, which makes provision for mothers, newborns and under-five year old children to have unhindered access to relevant health services.

(NANFeatures)

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The Saudi Arabian government has apologized to the government and people of Nigeria over the brutalization of two Nasarawa State Pilgrims by Customs officials at Prince Muhammad Bn Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah on Wednesday.

Audu Muhammad and Ibrahim Godi were said to have been brutalized by two customs officers shortly after their arrival from Abuja.

According to the Secretary of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Bello Tambuwal, the two pilgrims were called aside by the Customs officers after they had passed through all the necessary checks earlier and they became apprehensive and refused to follow the officials which led to their being brutalized.

Dr. Tambuwal said after they were mistreated, he personally took the two pilgrims to two different hospitals, one run by Nigerias National Medical Team and the other by the Saudi government.

The Saudis also offered to foot the medical bill of the two pilgrims, he said.

The Deputy Governor of Madinah, Wahid Asahin, on Monday visited the pilgrims Hotel, Riyad Al Zahra, in the Markaziya area of Madinah to personally convey the apologies of the Saudi Arabian authorities over the matter.

Mr. Asahin described the incident as regrettable.

Speaking through the Deputy Minister for Hajj Affairs, Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Bijawi, the deputy governor assured Nigerian officials that such incidence will not occur again adding that disciplinary measures were already being taken against two officials involved in the incident.

The deputy governor visited the pilgrims in their hotel rooms and presented some gifts to them.

Speaking with reporters after the visit, Nigerias Charge de Affairs in Jeddah, Umar Salisu, said immediately after the incident was reported, NAHCON filed a formal complaint to Saudi Arabian Hajj authorities in Madinah demanding action.

He said the embassy also filed a formal complaint on behalf of the Nigerian Government to Saudi Arabian authorities in Riyadh.

He said the action taken by Nigeria encouraged the Saudi Government officials to take the actions taken on the matter so far.

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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo expounding on the Debt-for-Climate swap proposition at the Center for Global Development in Washington DC. The...
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday presided over a crucial meeting of the National Security Council.

The meeting was attended by Nigerias military chiefs as well as the Inspector General of Police, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Others at the meeting that started at about 11:15 a.m. include the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and the Director-General, Department of State Security, Lawal Daura.

The meeting is the first such meeting presided over by the president since he returned to the country on Saturday after 103 days in London for medical treatment.

Mr. Buhari had in a Monday morning broadcast charged the security agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months in the fight against insurgents be a sign to relax.

He said in the broadcast that terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety.

He also pledged to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight not only against elements of Boko Haram, which are attempting a new series of attacks on soft targets, but also on kidnappings, clashes between farmers and herdsmen, and ethnic violence.

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The police in Rivers State have declared a manhunt for Ifeanyi Dike, 23, who escaped from the police custody on Saturday night, few hours after he was arrested for the alleged ritual killing of an eight-year-old girl in Port Harcourt.

The fleeing suspect, Mr. Dike, was arrested on Saturday by the local vigilante with a bag containing the body of the little girl, Chikamso Victory, while he was attempting to dispose of it after he allegedly cut off the vagina, fingers, breasts, and tongue.

The suspect was also said to have raped the girl before killing her.

The police spokesperson in the state, Omoni Nnamdi, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the commissioner of police has declared a manhunt for the suspect.

The police are searching for him, Mr. Nnamdi, a deputy superintendent of police, told this newspaper, Tuesday, on the telephone.

We have reached out to his family and the community, and they are helping in the investigation to ensure that he is arrested to face justice.

The IPO (the Investigating Police Officer) has an option to produce the man alive or he will be dismissed and if theres evidence of criminality involved in what he did, he will be charged to court, the police spokesperson said.

The police are also investigating the circumstances surrounding the escape of the suspect.

The Punch newspaper identified the father of the murdered little girl as Ernest Nmezuwuba.

The paper reports that Mr. Nmezuwuba was at the police station when his daughters killer escaped from the police custody under the cover of darkness.

The premises of the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, was said to be in darkness the night Mr. Dike escaped, due to the usual electricity blackout in Nigeria.

We were there with the suspect in handcuffs. When we got to the state CID, there was no light in the entire State CID. I wrote my statement with candle; imagine a whole state CID (without light). Then Johnbosco removed the handcuffs from the suspects hands for him (suspect) to write his statement, The Punch newspaper quoted the father of the murdered girl, Mr. Nmezuwuba, as having said.

The police spokesperson, Mr. Nnamdi, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Johnbosco was the IPO in the case.

Mr. Nmezuwuba, according to The Punch, said, At a point, the boy (Dike) said he was thirsty and Johnbosco said I should buy pure water for him and I asked him (John; are you crazy? Is something wrong with you? Why would you ask me to buy water for a person that killed my daughter? Why would I buy water for a ritualist? And I told Johnbosco that it was none of my business.

Some policemen were at the gate with guns while we were at the charge room writing statement. After we finished writing our statements, Johnbosco called the IPO to go and put the suspect in the cell. The suspect was not handcuffed at that time.

They did not walk up to a pole when I heard hold am, hold am; he has escaped. Whether he jumped the fence or not, I cannot say because the entire place was dark; it was between 7.30 and 8 p.m. (Saturday night). I now told Johnbosco that you know what you are doing.

They (policemen) came out with torchlight and checked under the cars parked there. Then, I saw the DCP, I mean the Deputy Commissioner of Police and he said; what nonsense is this? He then asked after Johnbosco and he was told he (Johnbosco) was inside. The DCP then said that they should handcuff both his hands and legs, The Punch wrote.

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By PTI: Srinagar,Aug 22 (PTI) An encounter broke out today between militants and security forces in Handwara area of north Kashmirs Kupwara district, the police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Hongnikote in Handwara, 85 kms from here, following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said during searches, the militants opened fire on security forces who retaliated, triggering a gunbattle.

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The official said two-three militants were believed to be holed up in the area.

No casualties have been reported so far, he added.PTI MIJ DV

--- ENDS ---
The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, on Tuesday emerged the Chairperson, Board of Governors of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, EBID.

Mrs. Adeosuns emergence came at the end of the 15th Ordinary Meeting of the board of governors of the bank in Abuja.

She succeeds her counterpart from the Republic of Niger, Hassoumi Massoudou.

At the opening session of the meeting, Mrs. Adeosun proffered ways the 15-member countries of ECOWAS could promote regional integration and inclusive development in the sub-region.

These include embracing a new development model that promotes inclusive economic growth; radical economic transformation to better the lives of all citizens in the region, and prioritising industrialisation, especially through labour intensive manufacturing to promote job creation for citizens.

Others include conscious emphasis on agriculture to improve food security; boosting the ocean economy in the region and deliberate effort to promote regional integration among member countries.

The meeting, which was declared open by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was attended by the ministers of finance and members of the board of the banks from Benin, Burkina Faso, Capo Verde, Cote dIvoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

Mrs. Adeosun noted that past economic growth in the region was not inclusive and called for a new model that would ensure opportunities are shared and enjoyed by more citizens.

The minister, who observed that the ECOWAS vision for economic development was facing challenges, said the meeting was a good opportunity to discuss the various issues and come to a consensus on the way forward.

She urged her counterparts in the region to endeavour to speak about radical economic transformation of their economies to guarantee better life for all citizens in the region.

Besides, she said, prioritising industrialisation and agricultural development would promote job creation as well as ensure improved food security.

Potentially, these areas also provide investors with profitable investment opportunities in our community.

Equally critical is the work that is being done to promote regional integration in our sub-region, she stated.

Mrs. Adeosun cited the example of Nigeria, which she pointed out was already making efforts to radically transform her economy, by attempting to shift emphasis away from oil as the main source of revenue.

Diversification and domestic resource mobilisation through improved tax revenue are therefore ongoing, she said.

If adopted, she said diversification policy would have significant impact on the regional economy.

Again, she emphasised the need for infrastructure development, pointing out that it remained top on the agenda to ease movement of goods, people and services across the region.

She said generation of power would not only light up Africa, but would also enhance industrialisation.

Mrs. Adeosun used the occasion to underscore the significance of finance, arguing that for the region to realise its vision, member countries would need to mobilise appropriate domestic and external financial resources to support EBID and strengthen developmental partnerships and collaborations.

The EBID is a financial institution established by member states of the ECOWAS with headquarters in Lome, Togolese Republic.

The Bank was established to promote private sector and development of the public sector and contribute to the economic development of West Africa through the financing of projects and programmes, particularly those related to transport, energy, telecommunications, industry, poverty alleviation, the environment and natural resources.

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The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has fixed minimum cut off marks for Nigerias tertiary institutions.

The minimum cut off marks for admissions into universities in Nigeria was set for 120, polytechnics and colleges of education pegged at 100, while that of innovative enterprising institutes was pegged at 110.

Institutions are, however, at liberty to raise their cut off marks for admission above the minimum set by JAMB.

Also, admissions into public degree awarding institutions for the 2017 UTME examination will end on January 15, 2018 while for private institutions, it ends on January 31, 2018.

Also, decisions on first choice candidates by universities will end on October 15, and second choice candidates will end on December 15; after which the remaining students will be available in the market place for other institutions till the January closing dates.

These decisions were taken at the 2017 Combined Policy Meetings on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria which ended on Tuesday.

The Registrar of JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, said a Central Admission Processing System, CAPS, will be used to streamline admission processes among institutions, as it addresses challenges associated with the former approach.

Mr. Oloyede also said that Institutions could conduct dual mode system which involves both manual and the newly introduced CAPS.

He advocated a dynamic educational policy as related to admissions.

All over the world, there is agitation for dynamic educational policy, he said. JAMB only admits for National Diploma, not Higher National Diploma; so why should we use the same requirement for ND and BSC, that is unreasonable parity.

We should not be sentimental in fixing our cut off mark; we need not over-dramatise issue of cut off mark.

He said candidates applications to study agriculture was very low while applications to study medicine and health sciences increased.

Speaking on illegal admissions, he said the process is now automated because the Registrar of JAMB must approve all candidates.

About 17,160 students were admitted without JAMB across institutions in Nigeria, he said.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, also formerly announced a lift of the ban on the conduct of Post-UTME examination as a prerequisite for admission into tertiary institutions.

Cancellation of Post- UTME is a mistake, he said.

He noted that banning of post-UTME led to a lot of irregularities by candidates and some institutions.

The minister explained that with the lifting of the ban on the conduct of the examination, institutions are now at liberty to conduct, while adding that fee for the examination should not exceed N2000.

He explained that the 2016 admission process was a huge success, while expressing optimism that government is working assiduously to make that of 2017 better.

Mr. Adamu noted that government is also making efforts to expand access and ensure equality in the education sector.

He expressed optimism that a substantial number of candidates who sat for the 2017 UTME would gain admission into tertiary institution.

Over 1.6 million candidates applied for degree courses, over 17,000 for ND as well as NCE, he said.

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In this interview with Nigerias Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo conducted by Zain Asher, CNNs International Correspondent at the Nigerian Bar Association General Conference which held recently in Lagos, Mr. Osinbajo speaks on how the current administration plans to deliver on its numerous promises to Nigerians in the socio-economic and political terrain.

The transcript of the interview was sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the office of the vice president.

Excerpts:

Can you list the achievements of this administration?

Vice President: I think the single greatest achievement of the administration so far is really setting the foundations for the economic recovery of the country. I think those foundations are important because first, we were dealing with a mono-economy, mono-export, mono everything practically. But more importantly, we were also dealing with a system of public finance that was essentially opaque and if you like, a fair amount of corruption. Not even so much corruption in some cases, that it was difficult in some cases to even discover how it was the economy survived the extent of that corruption. So, I think maybe the point is that we are rebuilding that economy and we have laid what I believe is a very solid foundation especially the public finance system beginning of course with ensuring that we block all of the loopholes.

We have continuous audits now, we have an efficiency unit that ensures there is efficiency in government expenditure, we have the TSA  the Treasury Single Account that ensures that we are able to monitor government spending and revenue closely, and we have modified the tax system so that it is more efficient.

We also have the Executive Orders, we are looking at transparency in government business, we are looking at annual budgets of small agencies, and another is Voluntary Assets Declaration and another one on local content, encouraging local content. I think really where we are is a situation where we have cleared the mess, the debris and we are laying a solid foundation for modernizing the economy.

Are the average Nigerians feeling the results?

Vice President: Let me give you an example of what is going on. For example, look at agriculture. I mean, it is very clear that agriculture has taken a quantum leap and we are producing far in excess of where we were even just a year ago.

Referring to the Northern states, in most of the Northern states, agriculture has become a significant economic contributor. For example, take rice production, we are experiencing, in this season, we are going to find almost a tripling of actual harvest in rice and you are going to see that replicating itself.

In a lot of communities where agriculture has taken root, take Kebbi, Zamfara Jigawa and several of the other states, you will find that prosperity is returning to those places. We recently opened the largest rice milling plant in Kebbi state a couple of weeks ago. Now that milling plant needs 50,000 farmers to satisfy it.

Already Kebbi state is struggling to be able to produce that number of farmers and there are several other areas where we are getting those kinds of significant results. Take the rural areas, where you have the poorest communities. What we are experiencing today is that those rural areas are coming up and they are doing so much better. As a matter of fact, this year, the vast majority of those who went on Hajj were farmers because they are earning significantly more.

So, I think the common man would begin to see (results) because we are talking about real growth, we are talking about growth in jobs, and a lot of that is going to start with actual production dealing with agriculture first.

How are you getting Nigeria to export?

Vice President: Well, let me say for agriculture, you know, and it is interesting that a lot of export is taking place in agriculture already. Youll find that a lot of Nigerian grains move to the North, out of the Niger, Mali, and those places. There is a lot of export going on, especially grains, loads and loads of trucks are moving on to the markets in those neighbourhoods. We are also experiencing a lot of exports into West Africa. What we need to do is more value-added exports, which is really where a lot of the profit is going to lie and we are working on that. And part of what we are doing for the NEPC, (Nigeria Export Promotion Council), and the NIPC (Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission), and several other agencies, is standardizing those products.

We have got quite a few investors. For instance, there are investors in vegetables and fruits, bananas, pineapples and all of that, who are already doing excellent packaging for export. But one of the things that you will discover is that there is a Mexican investor in bananas and pineapples and he is in 11 states already. But what he was saying to us is, look, the local market is so large, so huge, that I dont need to export at this point. Just satisfy the local market, its huge.

So, I think we have a situation here where even our domestic market is large enough to create the kind of opportunities that other countries will salivate about. So, I think we are in a good place. Were certainly behind the curve in terms of realising the potential in agriculture, the potential in agro-processing. But in the past year and a half, I think that more and more innovation and opportunities are arising, and more people are going into farming, and more and more investors are coming into farming. So, we think we are in a very good place.

So how are you mending the corruption reputation?

Vice President: Absolutely. And I think you are right, especially the reputational issue of corruption. But there are quite a few things that we are trying to do. One of the critical things is that government ownership of businesses almost always encourages rent-seeking. So, we need to get out of government ownership of most businesses, and that is one of the key things for us, that you need to do certainly much more private sector involvement. The more private sector involvement, the more efficient the system is, the more transparent the system becomes.

I think that is one of the critical issues that we are trying to deal with. I was saying that we have signed a few executive orders; the first is the Executive Order 001, which is really on transparency in government business.

Now, in transparency in government business, we insist that there are timelines for delivery of government business. We are at the moment training a lot of our public servants in delivering efficiency in that respect and ensuring that timelines are better.

There is also what we call the one-government system, namely that if you need five different approvals from government and you get one of those approvals, it is up to the government to ensure that government agencies talk to each other rather than have you go from point to point to get those approvals.

That is the one-government system which we are working on now. Now that way, youre able to reduce the interaction with agents, and agencies and all that, and youre able to have almost a one self-centre for collecting all of the different investment approvals that you need.

Technology is also helping with respect to the registration of companies. We now have an electronic platform in the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for the registration of companies. And we think that introduces less discretion, so the public servant does not have any discretion with business online thus there is less interaction with any human agent and all that.

That is also speeding up the entire process of registration of companies. But we think that the most important thing is that the more you introduce technology, you reduce the opportunities for rent-seeking, we also privatize as much as possible, I think that that will help efficiency.

But the other thing also is that we must punish offenders. There must be consequences and this is really the point. Sometimes, you find yourself in a situation where, we are saying, look, we are charging so many people to court. The court system is relatively slow, so we need to build that institution, we need to build our court system, we need to build our trial process so that it is much faster.

I mean, fighting corruption is a multi-sectoral thing, you need the law enforcement institutions, you need the justice system, you need the prosecution, that is the executive, but we have to work. It is not one trying to just push. So, we have got quite a few cases of people who are in court already and quite a few public officers who have been put on trial.

How is the government tackling convictions and the slow pace of it?

Vice President: Convictions have been slow, very slow. The institutional process is extremely slow. I was (once) a prosecutor in Lagos and we had a situation where even the process of getting a case to court, investigative process, can be quite slow. Sometimes you find that policemen are transferred, those who are IPOs (Investigating Police Officers), are sometimes transferred.

Sometimes because the system allows appeals on a wide variety of issues, there are then challenges of various kinds that are delaying and all of that. So, you find out that the system allows a lot of inefficiencies and we really need to reform that system so that it will be efficient enough to try cases promptly and so that people see the consequences of corruption or consequences of wrongdoing.

How are you speeding up the judicial process?

Vice President: Well, first, that whole process of reforming the system involves essentially three separate arms of government, which must come together, that is the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, the judiciary in particular. Of course, you know also that the judiciary is independent. But what we try to do is to work with the judiciary.

Ive had a series of conversation with the Chief Justice of Nigeria. As a matter of fact, just in the past few days, we also had a couple of conversations around establishing special offences courts, around trying to improve the performance of the judiciary and all of that. I think those conversations are important because that is one way of ensuring that we are all on the same page about improving efficiency. But it is also important that there is a commitment on the part of our profession, the legal profession, to reform. These are some of the issues that we are trying to contend with, but certainly, the government is committed to it, we are doing our part and we think that it is important to work with the other arms of government, the legislature and the judiciary, and we are doing that.

Lets talk about the issue of better pay for workers

Vice President: It is a fantastic suggestion. But let me just say that we are in a bind of sorts, you know, because at the moment, we are spending 70 percent of revenues on remunerations essentially- public sector remunerations and overheads, which leaves a paltry, less than 30 percent of our capital expenditure. Already, we are spending a huge amount of money. What we need is a much more efficient civil service that is paid more. But in order to do such, we certainly need to increase revenue. Sometimes it is a chicken and egg situation because, in order to increase revenues, we need to increase.

I think that what we are probably going to end up doing is what we have done with some of the parastatals; in other words, identifying certain government services that must be remunerated differently in order to be able to increase efficiency. One of these are revenue generating agencies, for instance, the FIRS, (Federal Inland Revenue Service). Improving remuneration, especially bonuses, would do a lot of good. That we saw happen in Lagos, with the Lagos Inland Revenue Service, where because there were bonuses, there was an improvement in revenue and reforms, people were able to do better, even in our judicial system. Because we paid better, we remunerated better, people were able to improve. But some of it has to be targeted because you cant have an overall increase in expenditure today, of government expenditure, especially on remuneration, because thats already skewed somewhat in favour of recurrent expenditure, which is the problem.

How is the administration getting Nigerians to pay their taxes?

Vice President: We have what we call the Voluntary Assets Declaration Scheme (VADS) and what that says is in 90 days you come up with a self-assessment. You tell us how much are you earning, how much are you paying in taxes? Pay the difference. We will forgive the penalties and forgive the past so long as you come up with this within the 90-day period.

Now, of course, as you know, many countries, the UK is opening up a beneficial ownership scheme so that we will know in another few months what you own abroad, especially what you own in the UK and countries like that. So, if you dont do this within 90 days, then we will go ahead with criminal prosecution where necessary because there are already criminal prosecution provisions in the tax laws. The whole idea is that you have a 90-day amnesty, you have a 90-day period of grace. After that period, we are going to just go ahead and enforce the law.

What measures are you specifically taking to enforce the new tax drive?

Vice President: It is very straightforward. If we discover after the 90-day period that youre hiding some money or you have not declared those assets that you ought to have declared in order for us to know what your revenue is and all of that, then its simple, it is very straightforward. Evasion of tax under our law is criminal. There is a civil liability and criminal liability. The only thing that can prevent possible prosecution is if we dont discover it. The moment we discover it

Okay, if you have assets in the United Kingdom, for instance, under the Beneficial Ownership Scheme in the UK now, we are going to know who owns what in the UK. That is going to be made public. Now, many wealthy Nigerians own assets in the UK and several other countries in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) are also opening up. So, we are bound to know very soon what people own abroad in particular. What you own here is probably easier to discover. We will find out in due course. I think the most important thing is that weve set the framework and weve given a sensible period of grace. And already quite a few Nigerians are coming up and discussing the terms of their payment.

So already, youre saying that wealthy Nigerians have come forward voluntarily to say that this is what I owe?

Vice President: Yes, we have got quite a few, we are expecting many more, some of who are even here in this audience.

So, while President Buhari has been away, you obviously have been praised a lot because youve implemented a lot of reforms. Now that the President is back, can we expect the same pace of those reforms to continue?

Vice President: Yes. The President, of course, as you know, is very committed to everything weve done. I mean, as much as it was possible, we worked together on most of these issues. And what we are doing essentially was executing a plan, the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, and we intend to continue to execute it as efficiently as possible. So, I think we should expect double efforts as opposed to single effort now that the President is back. And Im sure that youre going to see very strong leadership.

Can you comment on the ERGP (Economic Recovery, Growth Plan) and 2018 Budget?

Vice President: First, it is reflected in the budget. As a matter of fact, it is the basis of the budget. The plan is the basis of the 2017 budget and the 2018 budget. As a matter of fact, it would be the basis for our budgets from 2017 to 2019. The plan itself is meant to go on to 2020. Every aspect of it is reflected in the plan. Our focus is on agriculture; our focus is on power, infrastructure, especially railways, roads, and all of that, and ensuring that we send more than ever before on capital.

For instance, we spent about N1.3 trillion on capital, which is the largest ever spent on capital in this country, and we intend to increase the capital spent year on year. Thats part of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan. Part of it is also is the power sector reform where we are hoping that well be able to do both off-grid and on-grid power and improve supply because that obviously is one of the most basic needs for the infrastructure take-off and for the take-off of several sectors. So, the Plan is really the basis of the budget, and we expect to see results going forward.

Overall, do you think Nigeria has truly, and I want you to answer this from your heart, not as a politician, do you think Nigeria has actually learnt its lessons from the slump in the oil prices?

Vice President: Well, I think a lot has to do first with discipline and the way that government approaches its business. I think that we have shown that we can be disciplined and weve shown even in the execution of our plan that we are disciplined about it and that we are serious about it.

I think also the fact that this particular oil shock led to a recession and to grave economic consequences is a lesson that would be much more difficult to forget than in the past. I think also that the resurgence of the non-oil sector is several ways is also evidence of the fact that we are not going to, we cant go back the same way.

And there is also evidence all over the world that oil is gradually losing relevance. We are not going to have much of a choice, if you see what I mean. In the next 10, 15 years or so, it is going to be extremely difficult for any nation to live on oil.

Look at China, Japan, everybody is investing in electric cars. Japan has more charging stations for cars than petrol stations. China is subsidising electric cars. The UK, several European countries are setting deadlines for more energy-efficient cars, electric cars and those kinds of things. So, we really wont have a choice, I dont think that we are going to have the luxury of sliding back into some comfort that comes from just hydrocarbon resources. I dont think we are going to have that luxury and I think its going to become evident in the next few years.

But given that weve been through a recession, you are right in the sense that it is going to be very difficult to forget what we have experienced in this country. But I think a lot of Nigerians actually need to change their habits, especially when it comes to relying on imports. What is your take?

Vice President: I think the way it works is that at the end of the day, it is an economic choice, a choice that you have to make. If imports are more expensive, as they are now, you are going to have to make a choice to buy local. I mean, the government has a policy. As I said, we have an Executive Order which was issued, which insists that government itself must purchase locally, must give priority to local content goods, must give priority to goods that have local content in all our purchases, including military purchases.

So as a matter of policy, we are where we should be and we should see some results for that. But the other choices that have to be made are economic choices. If people see that imports are more expensive, they are more likely to look for local options, and already that is becoming the case. Local options are definitely becoming more popular.

Would that still be the case when we are out of recession?

Vice President: I think so. I am seeing that food, beverages etc., is really ramping up, the packaging is much better, quality is much better, even clothing, shoes, quality is much better. Things are improving. Many people are buying clothes that are made in Nigeria. More people are wearing Made-in-Nigeria clothing. Textiles are still manufactured, most of it is imported, but there is a value added because people are actually buying made in Nigeria clothing.

I think that we are in a place where that is going to become more popular as efficiency improve local industries. It is going to become, as I said, an economic choice, and I think that Nigerians are filling the gap, filling all of the spaces that are being created by more expensive imports.

And I think that we will find that Made-in-Nigeria becomes a reality. But it is not the sort of thing that you can enforce beyond controlling imports and those kinds of things. I think it will come down at the end of the day to how efficient and how the quality of local products become. I think that we are already seeing that. I think that in the next few years, you are going to see a change in terms of patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products. I think that we are going to see a real change.

Since your administration took office, how organized are the typical average entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Vice President: Let me say that first, opportunities have arisen. What has happened for example is that imports are more expensive, so there are more opportunities for local production. I just gave you an example of agriculture. There are more opportunities in agriculture, more opportunities in agro-processing; more opportunities even in technology products for young people. Now, that does not mean that you will find an immediate efficiency or immediate prosperity but the opportunities are there.

I think that what we have found and what someone would say to you is that a recession or crisis really may sound bad but it really brings about significant opportunities and significant challenges, so what we are trying to do is to improve the business, improve the environment for doing business so that those opportunities become realities, so that they actually become something in the hands of young people and entrepreneurs who are taking those opportunities, and who are trying to profit from those opportunities. I think that the opportunities in the recession are enormous and especially for local production, for local activity and we are seeing a lot of that taking place.

I know you signed Executive Orders to try and cut down on red tape and bureaucracies to make it easier for businesses to start up in Nigeria right now. How do you monitor the implementation to make sure it has the desired effect especially Orders that have a 30-day deadline?

Vice President: What we have tried to do is engaging with the public service. For the first time, I met with permanent secretaries, staff; we held open meetings where we talked about the problems and what we need to do. But now we have broken that down to permanent secretaries meeting with their immediate staff and we are breaking that down further.

We are looking at how we can maintain that communication because that is the only way to continuously check what is going on, and we are also doing a lot of training, we are trying to get people to understand that this is really the way to go. Not just because it is good practice but because it is also the way to sustain the resources that pay for the public service, and the resources that will get this nation going forward.

I think that there is a need to change the orientation which is what we are doing through training and engaging and then monitoring, and we have also set clear deadlines, we have said, if you dont perform, these are the consequences.

How much do you think Nigerias reputation for weakness when it comes to the rule of law has hampered foreign direct investment?

Vice President: Let me say first that there are many factors that an investor will always be looking at, rule of law being one but not all of it. And what you find is that private sector is usually factoring all of this into its costing, into just making the decisions.

Many times, you find that, and this is what we are saying, you would find that investors are coming and they are investing in various sectors of the economy and some are increasing investments and all of that.

But there is a significant drawback if people feel that disputes cannot be resolved quickly and efficiently.

That is a significant drawback. There are many who are squeamish about those kinds of things and who will not invest on account of the fact that they are fearful that it may well be that if there is a dispute, it may not be resolved on time and that is just a fact of life. And that is one of the reasons why we are trying to improve the delivery and administration of justice and we really cant avoid that, it is so fundamental.

So what changes have your administration made to ensure that the rule of law is no longer a problem for foreign investors?

Vice President: Well, that is the point that I was making earlier, that it depends, and there are three arms of government that have to work together and it is difficult especially because there has been a bit of rocks over the years.

One of the things we tried to do is to ensure that we interact with the judiciary in order to bring about a system that works. For example, with respect to special offences and all that, we are trying to designate courts; we are speaking with the Chief Justice to designate special courts that will be able to deal with these issues. We are also talking about more efficiency in commercial law and these are interactions that are going on with the judiciary.

So, I think that what we need to do is to engage the judiciary sufficiently, let the judiciary understand the importance of what they do to the economy. Sometimes that isnt necessarily always well appreciated, and I think that that is a point we need to make.

And it really comes down to government working as efficiently as they can with the judiciary, again the government, by that I mean the executive, cannot by any kind of fear get the administration of justice working efficiently. We simply have to collaborate and cooperate with the judiciary and of course with the legislature as well.

Where will we be in 2019?

Vice President: Let me just say that our commitment is to leave this country with all of the resources that we can bring to the table. To leave it honestly, with transparency and efficiently, in every aspect. In other words, the economy, security, fight against corruption which are the three main issues we think are on the table.

We want to see an improved power infrastructure, especially power and transportation, we are working hard on that, and we want to be able to deliver on aspects of our rail system; we want to improve power supply by the end of our administration. We are definitely going to be self-sufficient in rice production by the end of this administration and several other agricultural produce.

We think that in several areas of the economy, manufacturing, we expect that it is going to improve; we are going to significantly improve the business environment and the ease of doing business. I think that there are so many areas where there is going to greater efficiency and delivery.

I understand that you cant make any promises because obviously you cant see the future, but a lot of Nigerians have heard promises before under many administrations and they really want to see results. Can you make any assurances beyond just we would like and we want to?

Vice President: All I can say to you now is that these are the projections that we have made, and I have spoken about the concrete things. I have spoken about agriculture, what you are going to see in agriculture; we have started our rail, we are doing the Lagos-Kano rail; the contract is already out, the concession for the Lagos-Kano to the narrow gauge, General Electric has already taken that. We are going to be moving over a million tons of goods on that rail by October; we are doing the standard gauge for Lagos, we are doing Lagos-Calabar which is also a standard gauge rail.

We are going to come out more efficiently in mining. Mining productivity has improved significantly today. In fact, that is one of the sectors aside from agriculture that is also making a significant improvement. We are opening up technology. Many young people are getting involved in technology and all of that.

So, people will see more improvement in technology, power, we are working day and day on power. We expect that we are going to see much greater improvement.

Of course, we are involving the private sector a great deal. The private sector is already investing considerably more, and we are want to open up the power sector for more private sector investment. And then there are many more private sector opportunities that are game changing. For example, take the oil refinery that is being built in Lagos, 650,000 barrels a day. It is the largest single-line refinery in the world.

That will be opened early in 2019. The fertilizer plants are two; Indorama and the one Dangote is opening which is also the largest single-line fertilizer plant in the world. The future is certainly very bright and I think we are going to do great things.

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The federal government, states and local governments shared N467.8 billion in August, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said on Tuesday.

This indicates a shortfall in revenue by N184.2 billion from N652 billion shared in July.

Mrs. Adeosun, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mahmoud Dutse, said this at the end of the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

She said the shared amount was inclusive of Value Added Tax, VAT.

The Gross statutory revenue was put at N387.31 billion, while the VAT was N80.53 billion.

She said the decline in revenue was caused by a drastic fall in revenue from Companies Income Tax, CIT, due to the expiration of the deadline for filing tax returns.

She, however, said oil revenues recorded an increase due to rise in export sales by $62 million.

The increase in the average price of crude oil from $50.27 per barrel to $51.05 per barrel and a significant increase in export volume by 1.20 million barrels resulted in increased revenue from export sales for the federation by $62 million.

Despite the increases, there were issues of leaking flow lines, shut-ins and shutdowns at terminals for maintenance.

Giving a breakdown of the allocation, Mrs. Adeosun said the federal government received N193.04 billion, states N130.69 billion and local governments N98.01 billion.

She also said N31.59 billion was given to the nine oil producing states as their 13 per cent derivation.

She put the balance in the Excess Crude Account, ECA, at $2.3 billion.

Mahmud Yunusa, Chairman, Forum of Finance Commissioners, said it was time for the states to begin to look inwards to shore up their revenue.

States will explore other options of revenue to depend less on revenue from the centre.

We need to block leakages in revenue and come up with reforms to shore up revenue.

We are also working on cost of running governance and any cost that is not necessary in running government needed to be reduced.

He said reforms were currently on in the states to optimise the collection processes for revenue, adding that he was optimistic it would reduce dependence in revenue from the centre to about 50 to 60 per cent.

(NAN)

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The Police in Osun said on Monday that they have arrested a 23-year-old suspected internet fraudster (name withheld) for allegedly duping an American of $80,000 (N28.8 million).

The Police Commissioner, Fimihan Adeoye, told journalists in Osogbo that the suspect allegedly committed the crime by posing as a woman to the unsuspecting man on a dating site on the internet.

Mr. Adeoye said the victim, who was looking for a serious relationship with a woman, was however scammed by the suspect to the tune of $80,000.

He said the suspect was apprehended with the help and information the command received from an anonymous source.

He presented himself as a woman on the internet and he succeeded in seeking the friendship of his victim who thereafter paid the money into his account.

Although he denied collecting $80,000 but said he collected $43,000. Our concern however is the terrible image his action has given Nigeria.

His action and crime has gone to further show that many youths are not interested in hard work again, he said.

Mr. Adeoye said the suspect would be prosecuted in court as soon as investigation was concluded and urged the public to see the police as their friend by releasing useful information that could help in apprehending criminals.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the police also paraded a three-man gang believed to be involved in buying and selling stolen motorcycles.

Twelve motorcycles suspected to have been stolen by them were also displayed.

(NAN)

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The President of Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, Ayoola Oduntan, said on Tuesday that none of its members imported raw eggs into the country.

Mr. Oduntan was reacting to allegation that rotten eggs were being imported into the country, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos.

According to him, the only egg being imported into the country is egg powder and that goes to some manufacturing companies that need them.

First of all, nobody is importing whole egg into Nigeria.

How do you want to do it, is it by air, it will be too expensive.

Is it by ship? It will get rotten before it gets to Nigeria and you do not freeze egg.

So, whoever that says rotten eggs are being imported into Nigeria, l dont think that person knows what he is saying, he said.

Mr. Oduntan said that the association was worried more about smuggling of live chickens into the country, adding that most of those chickens, mainly layers, might have been sprayed with chemicals.

The association is more concerned with the smuggled chickens coming from European farms than the eggs.

Those live chickens are sprayed with chemicals which find their ways inside the eggs.

Mr. Oduntan said that eggs produced with smuggled layers would test positive to the effects of the chemicals.

According to him, one does not need to import raw eggs to know that.

He said that a lot of things featured in the media and internet, adding that one should be careful believing them.

I am not aware of rotten eggs being imported into the country. I am not aware also of any plastic eggs in the market.

He said that the poultry industry had many problems which the media should focus on rather than issues that would not move the industry forward.

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A 23-year-old teacher, Ibrahim Idris, on Tuesday appeared before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates Court for allegedly raping three teenagers of the same parents.

The accused, who teaches Arabic, resides at No. 2, Kelani St., Adealu Bus Stop in Dopemu, near Lagos.

He is facing a charge of defilement for the offence.

The prosecutor, Clifford Ogu, told court that the offence was committed from May to August, 2017 at the residence of the accused.

Mr. Ogu said that the three sisters, whose ages range from seven to 12 years, were receiving Arabic and Islamic lessons from the accused.

The parents did not know that the accused was sexually molesting their daughters until they relocated to another area and needed to change their Arabic school.

The smallest of the girl told the mother that they dont want another uncle to be teaching them.

Mr. Ogu said that on hearing her daughters remark, the mother asked questions and was told what the previous teacher was doing to them.

The case was reported at the police station and the accused was arrested, the prosecutor said.

The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Chief Magistrate, Taiwo Akanni, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N250, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

Mr. Akanni adjourned the case until September 11 for mention.

(NAN)

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An Ikeja Chief Magistrates Court on Tuesday granted a temporary reprieve to a suspected child rapist, 42-year-old Obinna Okeje by granting him a N200,000 bail.

Mr. Okeje, a resident of Oyetola Street, Anifowoshe, Ikeja, is charged with raping a neighbours 12-year-old daughter at their tenement building.

He pleaded innocent of the offence.

The Chief Magistrate, B.O. Osunsanmi, who gave the ruling, also granted him two sureties in like sum.

Ms. Osunsanmi said one of sureties must be a staff member of a reputable organisation, while the other must be a blood relation of the accused or a landlord in Lagos State.

In addition, she said the sureties should also provide evidence of tax payment to the state government.

The magistrate directed that the case file should be duplicated and a copy sent to the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

The prosecutor, Simeon Imhonwa, had told the court that the accused committed the offence on August 12 at his apartment.

He said the accused assaulted the girl by touching her breasts and fingering her.

The girl claimed that the accused abused her twice, gave her N50.00 and warned her not to tell her mother.

She further said that the incident normally happens at night between 8.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m. whenever her mother sends her on errands.

The defendant forcefully had carnal knowledge of the girl and also threatened to kill her if she dared to tell anyone.

The girls parents, who resides in the same compound with the accused, reported the case to the police after their daughter narrated her ordeal, Mr. Imhonwa said.

The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the section prescribes life imprisonment for offenders.

October 19 has been fixed for the trial of the case.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to replicate in Nigeria the facilities he benefited from in the hospital that attended to him in London.

The president of the association, Mike Ogirinma, urged the federal government to invest more in the health sector to remove the need for Nigerians having to travel abroad for health care.

According to a Channels Television news report, Mr. Ogirima made the call at the end of the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Kaduna on Monday.

Joining in welcoming President Buhari back from his medical vacation in London, Mr. Ogirima urged the president to utilise his positive experience in the health systems of other country to impact on the nations health care system.

He said upgrading its health facilities to international standards would save Nigeria and its citizens the high amount of foreign exchange spent on medical tourism abroad.

The President has first-hand experience of what we have been talking about: upgrading Nigerian hospitals; and that is why we are calling on him that based on his experience, he should replicate what he has seen in London to take care of the masses, he said.

President Buhari returned to the country on Saturday after being in London for 103 days to treat an undisclosed ailment.

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The Nigeria Police Force said it had arrested 26 suspects for kidnapping, armed robbery, rape and unlawful possession of prohibited fire arms in Lambata area of Niger.

The Force spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday on the arrest.

He named the suspects as Isa Umar, Nuhu Yahaya, Sanda Saleh, Ali, Okechukwu Atama, Mohammed Aliyu, Haruna Adamu, Adamu Bello, Abubakar Iliyasu, Safiyu Mohammed among others.

Mr. Moshood said that the suspects, who operated at different areas were arrested between August 8 and 22 in Niger.

He said that items recovered from them include: Four Ak 47 rifles, cutlasses, cell phones, wrist watches, Military camouflage and personal effects of their victims.

Mr. Moshood said that investigations were on to identify the source of the military uniforms.

The spokesperson said some of the suspects also specialised in raping their victims.

He said the suspects had made confessional statements to the police on the various roles each of them played in the crime.

Mr. Moshood said that the arrest followed clean-up operations by the Operation Absolute Sanity in Niger, Kaduna, Benue and Kogi.

The operation is going to be sustained and the war against crime will be extended to every part of the country, he said.

Mr. Moshood said that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, commended members of the community for their support.

Contributing, Muhammad Usman, Village Head of Lambata, assured that members of his community would cooperate with the police to fight crime in the area.

He said that members of the community were ready to give police all the necessary and useful information to ensure the provision of security of life and property.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the Force, on July 25, commenced Operation Absolute Sanity on Abuja-Kaduna Highway.

The team include: Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Squad, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Intelligent Response Team, Special Tactical Squad, Force Intelligence Branch and Police Helicopters.

NAN recalls that the operations are to complement and augment the on-going Joint Police/Military operations on ground before now.

On July 31 and August 3, the police also arrested 31 and 40 suspects at Katari and Rijana area respectively along the Kaduna-Abuja road.

(NAN)

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By India Today Web Desk: Esha Deol, who is expecting her first child with husband Bharat Takhtani, is set to tie the knot again with him at her godbharai (baby shower) ceremony. But this time around, there will be three pheras instead of seven.

According to a report in Pune Mirror, Esha and Bharat are set to tie the knot once again in accordance to Sindhi rituals of the godbharai ceremony on August 24.

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Neeta Lulla, who has a long association with Esha and her mom Hema Malini, has been given the task to design Esha's outfit for the ceremony.

Godh bharai fittings with the one n only @neeta_lulla ? #IndianOutfit #TraditionalGodhBharai #RaniPink #Red A post shared by Esha Deol (@imeshadeol) on Aug 18, 2017 at 7:09am PDT

Esha told the daily that when she got married in 2012, her mom flew a priest from Tirupati to preside over the wedding ceremony, and since he spoke only in Tamil, Bharat's family found it too hard to catch up with. But this time it's different. "This time it's a Sindhi priest who speaks Hindi too, so my in-laws will at least understand what is being said," said Esha.

There will also be a mehendi ceremony with women singing folk songs. It will be a private affair with only family and close friends in attendance.

When asked about her equation with Bharat, she told the daily, "Over the last five years, Bharat and I have become as thick as thieves. Since I'm pregnant, I'm prone to mood swings now but he's tolerated them and is extremely protective. He's also my best critic, encouraging me in everything I do. At the risk of sounding filmi, I'll say I wouldn't want to change anything, life's beautiful."

ALSO READ: Have you see this beautiful photo from Esha Deol and Bharat Takhtani's babymoon?

ALSO READ: Esha Deol is expecting her first child with husband Bharat Takhtani

ALSO WATCH: Esha Deol gets married to Bharat Takhtani

--- ENDS ---
A 30-year -old man, Shehu Gidado, was on Tuesday arraigned at an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates Court, Ibadan, over alleged unlawful possession of human skull and ribs.

Mr. Gidado, who resides at Iba New Site, Okokomaiko, Lagos State, is facing a count charge of unlawful possession of human skull.

The prosecutor, Sunday Fatola, told the court that Mr. Gidado on August7, at about 2;30 p.m., along Ogbomoso  Ilorin road, had in his possession a human skull.

He alleged that the accused was also in possession of two different human ribs without lawful authority.

Mr. Fatola told the court that police operatives at a check point, stopped the commercial bus, and found on the accused, the items wrapped in a black polythene bag.

Materials suspected to be human parts were found in a polythene bag owned by Gidado which he cannot give satisfactory explanation on how he got the human skull, he told the court.

Mr. Fatola said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 329 (1) of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol. II Laws of Oyo State 2000.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Chief Magistrate, Abdulateef Adebisi, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case until November 20, for hearing.

(NAN)

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The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday praised the ECOWAS Bank for investment and Development for being proactive in infrastructure funding and development in the sub-region.

He sated this while declaring open the 15th Ordinary Session of the Board of Governors Meeting of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), in Abuja

According to him, a strong, vibrant and creative EBID is a strong pillar in development of the sub-region.

So, without question, the challenges today call for greater creativity and foresight in supporting and making investments in our member countries.

So, one of the crucial issues today which will decisively impact the future is how the bank can make a difference in the lives of our young people.

And there are opportunities for strategic investments in relevant education; especially in the under-served disciplines such as science, education, engineering and maths.

Perhaps also the rising scale of foreign investment influence in business start-ups by our young people should be taken by our local finance institutions such as the EBID as a challenge to be just as relevant and invested in the dreams and visions of our local talents.

Here in Nigeria we like to see you become more active in supporting our investments and infrastructure ambitions.

According to Mr. Osinbajo, the federal government is working hard to attract greater local and foreign investments and has put in place the needed reforms required to create an enabling environment for these investments.

He stated that with the countrys robust economic plan and the ongoing business environment reform it was confident that investing in Nigeria would continue to be a smart business decision.

The vice president stated that there was no doubt that the success of the Nigerian economy with its population in the region and as the largest GDP in the continent would positively influence the whole sub region.

Mr. Osinbajo also underscored the importance of agriculture in the economic resurgence of West Africa and stated that it was important to fund the sector focusing on improved inputs, cutting-edge extension services and agro-processing.

He remarked that an important initiative was the regions Agriculture Productivity Programme aimed at achieving a six per cent agriculture growth and food production.

He stated that although it was a World Bank food programme, those in the region and the EBID could do more especially with mobilising resources for a major agriculture fund with emphasis on promoting inclusion and jobs.

He said: I think that the emphasis of that fund must be agriculture for inclusion and for jobs.

Clearly the fastest way of providing jobs today, especially for our teeming populations many of which are still in rural areas, is the provision of smart agriculture that aims at providing real jobs that can make real impacts in the lives and livelihoods of our citizens.

The vice president admitted that the country was aware of the numerous challenges confronting the bank in recent times, arising from limited resources, which had limited its capacity to function optimally as a true financial arm of the community.

So, clearly it is in our interest as member states to do more to address the Banks funding challenges, as the bank seeks to innovatively mobilise resources from across the continent and beyond, in line with its corporate objectives.

Clearly, a well-resourced EBID could play a pivotal role in financing the achievement of the objectives of Vision 2020.

Which envisages the transformation of the ECOWAS Space from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of People, in which the people are prosperous, properly governed and have the capacity to access and harness the enormous resources of the Community.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian Government through the Ministry of Health has spent over N 4 billion on the humanitarian crisis in the North-east region of the country.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, disclosed this at the commemoration of the 2017 World Humanitarian Day in Abuja.

Mr. Adewole said the money was spent on purchasing relief materials, drugs, medical consumables, hospital equipment and on capacity building and deployment of volunteer health workers.

He said the ministry adopted a two-pronged approach to provide basic medical services to the affected population and strengthen the pillars of the health system in the region.

Mr. Adewole said the ministry has responded to humanitarian crises in the country by strengthening the Special Project Department and appointing a Substantive Director to coordinate health-related response to the crises.

He described the humanitarian crisis in the North-east as unprecedented and protracted, with Borno State as the epicentre.

The minister said government developed the North East Health Sector Humanitarian Crisis Response Strategic Plan (NEHSHRSP) with the primary objective to reposition the health system in the region.

Mr. Adewole said a Rapid Response Team developed a six-month health and nutritional plan to address the rapid decline in health and nutritional indices in Borno State.

He added that the plan was implemented and is now being extended by another six months due to the giant strides it achieved such as increased access to quality healthcare by communities.

The achievements of the project, according to the minister, include diagnosis and treatment of about 15,000 cases of malaria in host communities and IDP camps and provision of family planning commodities to about 4000 women in host communities and IDP camps.

He said government through the project also provided quality ante-natal care to 14,355 women and delivered 1,100 babies through skilled birth attendants in host communities and IDP camps.

The minister thanked all those involved in the project, including the Nigerian security agencies.

Mr. Adewole also prayed for the repose of the souls of participants who lost their lives during the exercise, one of whom was a staff of the ministry, Mustapha Modu.

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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said President Muhammadu Buhari on his return missed a golden opportunity to reconnect with the people by not addressing issues that directly affect them.

This was made known in a statement on Monday signed by the partys head of publicity, Chinwe Nnorom.

The president who returned on Saturday addressed Nigerians on Monday on some national issues but has been flayed by some for avoiding comments on other controversial issues such as the recent agitations for restructuring and the ailing health sector.

The PDP said many expectations were not met by the president in his speech because more pressing issues were not discussed.

The Presidency issued a statement on Friday intimating the people of the imminent return of President Buhari to the country after his three month plus of medical vacation in London with the added bonus of a presidential address on Monday. Not a few Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief, thanking God for delivering our President and expectantly looked forward to a robust speech that would further imbue the confidence of the people.

However, rather than rekindle that hope and confidence, that speech delivered earlier this morning can most charitably be described as a monumental anticlimax.

Indeed, the Presidents speech did not contain anything new; just a rehash of statements that already had been made by both government and various leaders of thought across the country. The PDP had cause to commend the then Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo for going round the country to engage with relevant stakeholders, which certainly was a better approach.

The party challenged the president to embark on a new level of thinking in addressing national issues rather than avoiding direct confrontation of issues.

The party believes that instead of always mouthing the indivisibility of this country, the Government should be seen walking the talk by instilling confidence in all the people across board that it belongs to all.

The casual mention of elements of Boko Haramkidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes etc, were also somewhat on the perfunctory side and do not imbue confidence.

It also tackled the presidents unwillingness to comment on the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

Has the future of the future leaders of our country sunk so low in the estimation of our current leaders that the issue was considered not important enough to command a mention in the Presidents address? the PDP asked.

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The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refuted the report that five Nigerians were recently killed in Ghana.

The ministry, in a statement on Tuesday, narrated the details of some violent acts, but said no Nigerian was killed.

Read the ministrys full statement below.

The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to the media reports on the killings of five Nigerians in Sowutoun Area of Ga Municipality of Greater Accra Region, Ghana on August 18, 2017.

The Nigerians were allegedly targeted following the death of a Ghanaian who was murdered by a Nigerian national in self defence.

According to reports from our High Commission in Accra Ghana, the Nigerian lodged a complaint at the police station about the deceased Ghanaian, regarding a theft at his residence. While the investigations were ongoing, the deceased Ghanaian had crept into his apartment and attacked the Nigerian for reporting the case to the police, but the deceased Ghanaian was overpowered by the Nigerian who in self defence stabbed him on the head. 

This led to the death of the Ghanaian and subsequent placing in protective custody of the Nigerian by the Ghanaian police.

The news filtered into the streets of Accra that a Ghanaian had been killed by a Nigerian, and this led to a riot and mobilisation of Ghanaians against Nigerians resulting in destruction of properties including vehicles belonging to Nigerians.

However, our High Commission in Ghana ascertained the circumstances of the alleged attack and the latest reports from our mission indicates that the Accra Regional Police intervened promptly and took control of the situation, although some Nigerians sustained injuries and properties were damaged.

It was also found that the Ghanaian authorities acted in accordance with their domestic laws regarding the protective custody of the Nigerian.

There was no death recorded of any Nigerian national as the result of the alleged incident. The Nigerian is still in protective custody of the police in Ghana.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to assure the general public that no Nigerian was killed as alleged by media reports.

Nigerians are therefore encouraged to be law abiding and should desist from actions that would tarnish the image of the country and continue to cooperate with the Ghanaian authorities.

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The Catholic Bishops of Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province have urged the federal government to compensate churches and other victims of attacks carried out by insurgents on places of worship.

Mathew Ndagoso, their spokesman, made the plea on Tuesday in Minna, in a briefing after a two-day Catholic Bishops of Kaduna Ecclesiastical Province plenary session, held at St. Michael Cathedral, Minna.

In the past six years, insurgents have attacked churches and other Christian places in the north, but the federal government is yet to compensate the victims.



We want to inform you that the Catholic Church has not received any support from the federal government for the Churches affected, the bishop said.

In Niger, the first terrorist attack was on St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, on December 25, 2011.

Last year, some youths attacked the St. Philips Catholic Church, Bakin Iku, near Suleja, destroying properties valued at several millions of Naira. No one has even sympathised with us, he said.



The bishop opined that the federal government was supposed to be responsible for giving assistance to the churches and the victims.

Mr. Ndagoso explained that government ought to be responsible for giving assistance to the victims.

The bishop said that he had personally suffered from such attacks.

When I was in Maiduguri, my house was destroyed and burnt in my absence. Nothing was taken out of that house. The Church was equally destroyed. Nobody has compensated me or the Church, he said.

Mr. Ndagoso appealed to state governments to issue Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) for lands meant for the building of churches, and urged the federal government to encourage the governors to do so to enable the church to assist development needs of the nation.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the plenary session focused on religious, socio-political and economic issues affecting the province.

NAN also reports that the province comprised of Kaduna, Sokoto, Kotangora, Zaria, Minna, Kano and Kafanchan Catholic Dioceses.

(NAN)

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The National Organising Secretary of All Progressives Congress, APC, Osita Izunaso, has said that the party has no preferred candidate for the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra.

He stated this on Tuesday in Abuja while inaugurating the partys Anambra Governorship Election Primary and Appeal Committee, which has Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno and Hassan Lawal as co-chairmen.

The party has scheduled August 26 for the primary election to pick its candidate for the governorship contest coming up on November 18.

There is nothing like a preferred candidate. It does not exist in APC. So, please disregard such; APC does not have any preferred candidate.

All aspirants are preferred candidates, and anyone that wins at the primary is alright for the party, Mr. Izunazo said.

He said that the party had not zoned the governorship ticket to any senatorial zone in the state and urged the committee to disregard such insinuation.

He maintained that the committees assignment was to ensure that whoever emerged from the simple majority ballot at the primary was declared winner on the spot.

According to Mr. Izunaso, 4,500 delegates from the 21 local government areas of the state and 326 electoral wards as well as statutory delegates from the state and national levels are expected to vote at the primary.

He said that accreditation of delegates should be done after proper identification of delegates, using national identification card, international passport, voter card or drivers license.

You are expected to hold a stakeholders meeting with all aspirants to discuss some issues with them and the primary process.

This is to let them know how it will be done and no information should be hidden from any aspirant, he warned.

The organising secretary added that aspirants were to have their agents at the accreditation points as well as at the voting points.

We expect that you start the process of accreditation early to enable you finish in good time and commence the process of voting, counting, sorting and declaring a winner early.

Anambra assignment is a very important one in the sense that it is the first in the series of election, Mr. Izunaso told the committee members.

He explained that the appeal committee was set up to ensure that fair hearing was given to all aspirants that participated in the primary.

The scribe said that aspirants who were not satisfied with the outcome of the primary were expected to petition the committee, adding, however, that final decision rested on the partys National Working Committee.

We hope that there shall be no petition because we are trusting God Almighty that the assignment will be free, transparent and fair, he said.

Mr. Shettima, chairman of the primary election committee, in his response, admitted that the assignment was an onerous one, but assured that the committee would be fair, just and transparent in discharging its responsibility.

We shall strictly abide by the partys instructions given to us; the road map is very clear, and of course, its not rocket science. The list of accredited delegates has been given to us.

We hope and pray that it shall be an amicable family gathering free of rancour and bitterness, because out of all the aspirants, only one will emerge as the flag bearer of the party, he said.

Mr. Shettima added that internal bickering would only derail the party from its focus of winning the Anambra governorship election, and advised that winning the election without bitterness should be the interest of all aspirants.

He thanked the partys leadership for the confidence reposed in the committee members and the opportunity given to them to serve, adding that the committee would commence work immediately.

He added that because Anambra was to the South-East what Kano was to the North-West and Lagos to the South-West, the state remained a major rallying point in the countrys political calculation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 12 aspirants, comprising 11 males and one female, were cleared to contest in the primary.

The aspirants are George Moghalu, Andy Uba, Paul Chukwuma, Madu Nonso, Bart Nwibe and Patrick Nwike.

Others are Tony Nwoye, Chike Obidigbo, Johnbosco Onunkwo, Adaobi Uchegbu, and Uzoh Obinna.

(NAN)

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The labour unions in Ondo State University of Science and Technology, OSUSTECH, Okitipupa, on Tuesday urged Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to reverse the decision slashing the institutions monthly subvention.

The unions made up of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union NASU and National Association of Academic Technologists NAAT made the appeal in a communique.

The communique was jointly signed by leaders of the unionsTemidayo Temola, Peter Akindehinde and Bobola Bamigbola for SSANU, NASU and NAAT respectively.

The unions said that the institutions monthly subvention was slashed from N60 million to N42 million, adding that this was not enough to pay staff salaries let alone maintenance and other overhead costs.

They said that the administration had promised to make the university a world class institution.

This present government of the masses had promised to make our institution a world class one that will compete favourably with others outside the country which we still hold tentatively.

The feat recorded by the present government had shown its readiness to uplift education.

We hereby appeal to Gov. Akeredolu to leave the subvention at N60 million if it cannot be increased further.

We also urge our amiable governor to look into the backlog of eight months subvention owed by the immediate past administration and also make the subvention quarterly or bi-annual.

We pledge our unalloyed support for this government because we believe it meant well and together we shall succeed, the communique stated.

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An Oyo State High Court on Tuesday granted bail to an Ibadan-based broadcaster, Oriyomi Hamzat, and four others accused of the murder of a teenager.

Justice M.I. Sule granted each defendant bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum.

Mr. Sule said one of the sureties must be a civil servant on Grade Level 14 while the other must be a business man.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the case was first heard at an Iyaganku Magistrates Court on August 1.

It was, however, transferred to the high court as the magistrates court had no jurisdiction to hear the case.

Mr. Hamzat, 37; Idowu Ibrahim, 27; Mohammed Bashir, 31; Taiwo Olaronke, 23; and Yusuf Ajisafe, 23, were all arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder.

The prosecutor, Sunday Fatola, told the court that the defendants conspired among themselves to commit murder.

Mr. Fatola alleged that the defendants unlawfully caused the death of one Peter, 17, by inflicting an injury on his head and body.

He said Peter, who had been an inmate at a home owned by the Make a Future Alive Initiative, an NGO owned by Mr. Hamzat, was found dead at the home.

Mr. Fatola said the alleged offences were committed on July 21 at about 4. a.m. at the home at Oremeji Agugu, Ibadan.

He said the offences contravened Sections 324 and 316 and were punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

The plea of the defendants was not taken by the court.

(NAN)

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The members of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, across Ondo State staged a rally in Akure on Tuesday to attract support for autonomy for local councils.

The employees, who came from the 18 local government areas in their thousands, marched through the streets of Arakale and Oyemekun with placards inscribed with messages calling for a constitutional provision for the autonomy of the councils.

Many state governors, including those from the Southwest, are against autonomy for local governments, as they insist that the local government should remain a creation of the states.

The Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, had always advanced the position that only two tiers of government should be recognised, namely, the federal and state governments, while the councils remain administrative arms of their respective states.

The Ondo State House of Assembly voted against local government autonomy in the last constitutional amendment exercise, resulting in a protest by NULGE, which vowed to ensure that its members voted out the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP government in the governorship election.

The current APC government in Ondo has not clearly stated where it stands on the matter.

The council workers on Tuesday also marched to the Ondo State House of Assembly, which would be voting on the clause included in the draft constitution amendment bill when it is sent to the states for their input.

The National Assembly already passed the amendment for local government autonomy. At least 24 state assemblies must also approve of it for it to become law,

The rally was backed by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the Trade Union Congress, TUC and the Judiciary Staff of Nigeria Ondo State chapters.

The leaders of NULGE also used the opportunity to lobby members of the assembly to obtain support in endorsing the autonomy clause.

Speaking at the assembly, the National President of NULGE, Ibrahim Khaleel, said the rally became imperative to keep the lawmakers abreast of the development before the bill was transmitted to them for ratification.

Mr. Khaleel, who was represented by the National Publicity Secretary of NULGE, Emmanuel Fashe, said granting local government autonomy would go a long way to checkmate corruption in the country while local governments would be empowered politically and financially.

Local government autonomy is not about local government staff alone but it is about Nigerians, it is about equal participation and even distribution of our wealth to the grassroots populace, he said.

He appealed to the lawmakers not to oppose the bill, adding that some lawmakers at the National Assembly who once kicked against local government autonomy in their various states had turned around to become advocates of the bill.

In his response, the Speaker of the Ondo House of Assembly, David Oleyelogun, commended the NULGE leadership and stressed the need for a functional local government system.

Mr. Oleyelogun who was represented by the Chairman House Committee on Information, Olamide George said the lawmakers would look into the request.

We all need to embrace local government autonomy to give us enabling environment for development and these agitations must be a collective effort and we shall stand by you to achieve this agitation.

The autonomy for local governments has always been a contentious issue in Nigeria with its proponents arguing that development can only get to the grassroots only when the councils are allowed to function freely.

However, state governors over the years have not shown any disposition to support this demand any time soon.

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Calling for India to more in Afghanistan and warning Pakistan against offering safe havens to terrorists, Donald Trump unveiled a new US policy for Afghanistan and South Asia. Here is the full text of what the US president said.

By India Today Web Desk: United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled a new Afghanistan policy. The US will change its "time-based approach to one based on conditions" Trump said, vowing that American "troops will fight to win".

Trump mentioned India while unveiling the new strategy, saying that New Delhi has played an important role in ensuring stability in South Asia. Trump, however, added that the US wants India to help more in Afghanistan.

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Trump's statement also called out Pakistan, with the American president saying that the US "can no longer be silent" about terrorist safe havens in Pakistan.

Here is full text of Donald Trump's statement unveiling the new Afghanistan strategy (courtesy the White House):

"Thank you very much. Thank you. Please be seated.

Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan. Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer and every member of the United States military at home and abroad.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search and recovery efforts.

I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the servicemembers here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home.

Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history.

American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their lives -- and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality.

By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under God. The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared sense of purpose.

They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together -- and sacrifice together -- in absolutely perfect cohesion. That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters. They're all part of the same family; it's called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.

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The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together.

Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.

The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.

As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas -- and we will always win -- let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name that, when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.

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Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th -- and nobody can ever forget that -- have not been repeated on our shores.

But we must also acknowledge the reality I am here to talk about tonight: that nearly 16 years after September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history -- 17 years.

I share the American people's frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.

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That is why, shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of Defense Mattis and my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia.

My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you're President of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy. I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America's core interests in Afghanistan.

First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need, and the trust they have earned, to fight and to win.

Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th.

And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.

Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense. Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world.

For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen.

No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But, one way or another, these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win.

We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now -- the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.

We need look no further than last week's vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children. You saw it for yourself. Horrible.

As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology.

Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and predators, and -- that's right -- losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, America's interests are clear: We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter.

But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history. As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways:

A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options. We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.

Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on. America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power -- diplomatic, economic, and military -- toward a successful outcome.

Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field.

Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices.

But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.

Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the world's largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development. We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work quickly.

I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles. They are won in the field drawing upon the judgment and expertise of wartime commanders and frontline soldiers acting in real time, with real authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.

That's why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and Americans arms. Retribution will be fast and powerful.

As we lift restrictions and expand authorities in the field, we are already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.

Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force.

Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will. Since taking office, I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense, and they have done so.

In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.

Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed.

But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward.

Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country. But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace.

America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open.

In abiding by the oath I took on January 20th, I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists take heed: America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat.

Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military. And this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense.

In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed. We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.

Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of America's greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.

Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after September 11th, 2001. They volunteered for a simple reason: They loved America, and they were determined to protect her.

Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives. We must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad. We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid.

Our actions, and in the months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation. With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of peace.

We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you.

Thank you. May God bless our military. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)"

WATCH | Trump slams Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, seeks bigger role for India in Afghanistan

--- ENDS ---
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CREEK SUNSET PAINT PARTY: 1:30 to 9 p.m. or 6:30 to 9 p.m. Aug. 25; supplies included; for ages 12 and older; BYOB and snacks; The Noyes Arts Garage Stockton University, 2200 Fairmount Ave., Atlantic City, $30. 609-432-1191 or lmorganartworks.com.

WINE/PINT GLASS PAINT PARTY: 6:30 to 9 p.m. Aug. 31; Wine/Pint glass painting party; supplies included; The Noyes Arts Garage Stockton University, 2200 Fairmount Ave., Atlantic City, $35. 609-432-1191 or lmorganartworks.com.

SUMMER OF LOVE EXHIBIT: exhibited through Sept. 15; exhibit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love with works in multiple mediums; 6 to 7:30 p.m., Aug. 25, Fourth Friday Artists Reception, live music, light refreshments, free; Nashville North Studios, 210 New Road, Suite 8, Linwood Greene, Linwood. 609-504-5044 or NashvilleNorthStudios.com.

FOUR WEEK WATERCOLOR SERIES: 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 24; learn basic watercolor techniques; taught by Stephanie Segal Miller; The Noyes Arts Garage Stockton University, 2200 Fairmount Ave., Atlantic City, $100. 609-626-3805 or StephanieSegal.com.

A TRIBUTE TO THE TRIBUTARIES: exhibited through Sept. 2; Great Bay Gallerys 2018 Summer Project A Tribute to the Tributaries; works depicting streams, runs and creeks of the Great Egg Harbor River watershed; Great Bay Gallery, 829 Bay Ave., Somers Point. 609-653-4991 or GreatBayArtGallery.com.

BRIGANTINE ART WALK: 5 to 8 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 2; artists and their works will be available to browse; portion of proceeds benefit local charities; Haneman Park, South 15th Street and Revere Boulevard, Brigantine. 610-304-6482 or BrigantineArtWalk.com.

JACOB LAWRENCE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION: exhibited through September; presented by the Atlantic City Arts Commission; commemorates the 100th birthday of the famed Atlantic City-born artist; features 14 pieces of Lawrences art; 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 7, reception; Public Library, 1 North Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City. 609-674-1482 or ACFPL.org.

NATURAL ART EXHIBIT: 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 8, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 9; experience art inspired by nature; outdoors event with local artists, poetry, yoga, art sessions; hosted by the EHT Environmental Commission; The Arboretum at the Egg Harbor Township Nature Reserve, 18 Schoolhouse Road, Egg Harbor Township, free admission. 609-927-6656 or EHTEnvironment.org.

Cape May County

A FISH OUT OF WATER: exhibited through August; works by fabricator Karen Yates; Cape May Artists Cooperative Gallery, 122 Sunset Blvd., West Cape May. 609-408-5820 or CapeMayArtistCoop.com.

PLEIN AIR PAINTING CLASSES: 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through August; join artist Michael Terenik for a relaxed session painting on location; Cape May Artists Cooperative Gallery, 122 Sunset Blvd., West Cape May, $35. 609-435-5253 or CapeMayArtistCoop.com.

REFLECTIONS OF CAPE MAY: exhibited through Aug. 30; collection of new works by award winning photographers Tina Giaimo and Don Merwin; Chalfonte Hotel, 301 Howard St., Cape May. 609-884-5144.

SUMMERTIME SHOW: exhibited through August; Ocean City Fine Arts League, 608 Asbury Ave., Ocean City. 609-814-0308 or OceanCityFineArtsLeague.org.

THROUGH OUR IMAGERY EXHIBIT: exhibited through Aug. 31; features seascapes, boardwalk images and photographs of Ocean City landmarks by LoraLea Kirby and son Zachary Kirby; Ocean City Arts Center, 1735 Simpson Ave., Ocean City, free. 609-399-7628 or OceanCityArtsCenter.org.

VICTOR GRASSO AND GREG BENNETT: both artists exhibited through Sept. 4; exhibit Ten features new paintings by Victor Grasso; A Life By The Sea features new paintings by artist Greg Bennett; SOMA NewArt Gallery, 31 Perry St., Cape May. 609-898-7488 or SomaGallery.net.

ART PARTY CLASSES: two-hour paint lessons, led by teacher Juliana Jost, create your own artistic reproduction; 6 to 8 p.m. Fridays adult classes, $35; 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays Mommy & Me and Daddy & Me classes for kids, $40; 106 S. Decatur St., Cape May. 609-364-5304.

Cumberland County

BIG HICKORY STUDIO ARTISTS RECEPTION: exhibited through August; features works by 11 local artists who are students at Big Hickory Studio; includes original paintings created in acrylics, watercolor and oil; Public Library, 1058 E. Landis Ave., Vineland. 856-794-4244 or VinelandLibrary.org.

Ocean County

GETTING DIRTY IN THE CERAMICS STUDIO: 7 to 9 p.m. first Friday of each month, BYOB, instructor Kerith Creo walks participants through a few introductory projects, LBI Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, 120 Long Beach Blvd., Loveladies, $45. 609-494-1241.

View complete listings at AtTheShoreOnline.com

Items for Artsy Attractions should be placed in our calendar at PressOfAC.com/calendar. Items for consideration of a story can be emailed to pdollak@pressofac.com.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
ATLANTIC CITY  Pilots began arriving Monday for the start of the 2017 Atlantic City Airshow, bringing with them dozens of different aircraft scheduled to buzz over the beach and Boardwalk during the next two days.

We are excited to welcome back the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and Geico to celebrate our 15th anniversary of presenting Atlantic Citys signature summer event, Greater Atlantic City Chamber President Joe Kelly said in an online statement on the events website. This event has helped to drive tourism to our destination during the midweek and showcase Atlantic Citys great amenities to hundreds of thousands of visitors.

An earlier statement by the airshow warned drones will not be permitted to operate anywhere in Atlantic City, Brigantine or Margate from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, the practice day, and Wednesday. The aircraft will be confiscated and drone operators arrested if operating during the airshow. A temporary flight restriction has been issued and drone activities are not authorized by the FAA nor the airshow for any reason, according to the statement.

Police Sgt. Kevin Fair cautioned city residents and visitors to expect heavy traffic Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the city. Police will have officers stationed at major intersections to help direct traffic, Fair said.{/div} {div class=subscriber-only}Flying into town for the 15th annual airshow is an array of national air acts that beach and Boardwalk viewers have come to know through the years.

Acts confirmed for the 2017 show include the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, a U.S. Navy F18 Super Hornet and Jim Beasley Jr.s P51D Mustang demo, among others.{/div}One of the first teams to arrive Monday at Atlantic City International Airport were the GEICO Skytypers. Unlike skywriters, which twist and turn and loop their way through a sentence, the Skytypers, consisting of six WWII-era SNJs, type messages in a dot-matrix pattern in the air while flying in a line-abreast formation.

But the GEICO Skytyper pilots  all former commercial pilots or members of the military or police  are more than mere word processors. They are skilled in precision close-formation flying, which is what the Skytypers are really all about.

I always hear, We put so much time into airshow demonstrations, why does everyone just want to see us type? laughs Brenda Little, of BBIG Marketing, promoter for the Skytypers.

The GEICO Skytypers perform in 15 airshows a year, where they will do a bit of skytyping before the real precision-flying demonstration takes place.

This is when Skytypers such as Tom Daly, former rescue pilot for the New York City Police Department, get to have a little fun.

It really is exciting, says Daly, an opposing solo pilot for the Skytypers. And we love coming to Atlantic City. It has one of the most recognizable views for us  you cant miss that big, gold Borgata.

Parking is available throughout the city, with an average rate of $10, according to the events website.

The A.C. Airshow practice day takes place at various times between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and can best be viewed from the beach or Boardwalk. The actual airshow will take place 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Twenty-four New Jersey hospitals were ranked with high standards in U.S. News and World Reports annual best national and regional hospital ratings.

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center tied with Valley Hospital, of Ridgewood, Bergen County, for one of the top spots in this years rankings, based on its high performance in several procedures and conditions.

AtlantiCare, which employs more than 5,000 people and 600 physicians at about 70 locations in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Ocean counties, tied as the fifth-best regional hospital in the state.

It scored high in several conditions and procedures, including neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment, colon cancer surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart-failure procedures and hip and knee replacements.

Inspira Medical Center Vineland tied at the No. 13 spot, with high marks in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment, colon cancer surgery, heart failure procedures and knee replacements.

U.S. News and World Reports rankings and ratings, announced this month, compared 4,500 medical centers and recognized 535 best regional hospitals for their performances in complex and common care.

Report experts said the ranking methodologies were based largely on objective measures, such as risk-adjusted survival and readmission rates, volume of patients, patient experience, patient safety and quality of nursing, among other care-related indicators.

Analysts used five years of Medicare data to calculate the procedures and conditions ratings.

Covering nearly every hospital in every U.S. community, U.S. News offers deep, rich data that patients can use to help them make informed decisions about where to receive surgical or medical care, said Ben Harder, U.S. News managing editor and chief of health analysis, in a statement.

Other kinds of health care rankings and ratings, like the LeapFrog Groups Hospital Safety Grade October report, showed AtlantiCare, Shore Medical Center, Inspira and Cape Regional Medical Center all ranked high in hospital and patient safety.

Area hospitals that made the national Best Hospitals Honor Roll list included Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania (No. 10) and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (No. 16).

The Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals was ranked fourth nationally for orthopedics and Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia was ranked second, just behind Boston Childrens Hospital, in Best Childrens Hospitals Honor Roll.

The list of hospital rankings for the 2017-18 report is at health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings.
Get ready for Ganesh Chaturthi with these legends about the most auspicious Hindu god.

By India Today Web Desk: Think anything auspicious in the Hindu context and Ganesha is one of the default visions. Why? Because as legend has it, Ganesha was to be the first lord of worship during any religious procession or celebration.

That being said, we know how the Ganesh Chaturthi fever is already taking over our lives. But as we get ready to gorge on modaks and chant aartis dedicated to the destroyer of obstacles, here are a few things about the cutest lord of them all you probably didn't know:

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1. The elephant head

It's said that Lord Ganesha's mother, Goddess Parvati, carved an idol of a boy out of turmeric powder and breathed life into it, unbeknownst to her husband, Lord Shiva.

So, when Ganesha denied Lord Shiva entry into his abode--because Goddess Parvati was bathing inside--Shiva decapitated Ganesha's head in anger. According to legend, an elephant was the first animal that Lord Brahma later found when he went out to look for one (to replace Ganesha's head).

Ganesha with his parents, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, and brother Lord Kartik. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Dolls of India Art Store

Also Read: 5 foods that Lord Ganesha loves, and you should too

2. Writing the Mahabhrata

It's said that Ganesha wrote the Mahabharata, as it was recited to him by sage Vyasa (Veda Vyasa). According to Lifehacker, this was done on the condition that Vyasa would not stop while reciting the epic and that Ganesha would not stop while writing, besides the condition that Ganesha would not merely write it, but also understand every verse of it. Popular legends say that it took both of them three years of continuous speaking and writing to complete the epic.

Ganesha wrote the Mahabharata as Rishi Vyas recited it. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/hinducosmos.tumblr.com

3. The half-tusk

If you've ever noticed the idol of Lord Ganesha carefully, you'd have noticed the broken tusk. As legend goes, when Ganesha was writing the Mahabharata, the feather he was writing with broke. So, to stick to the condition of writing continuously, Ganesha broke his tusk and wrote with it.

Some are also of the belief that Lord Parashurama cut off one of Ganesha's tusks because he didn't allow him to enter the Shiva abode and meet Lord Shiva, who was busy praying, according to Lifehacker.

Also Read: 8 dads from Hindu mythology we're glad we don't have

Ganesha, the Hindu god with an elephant's head. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/manju mishra

4. Mouse as his vehicle

Now, there are two theories to this:

First, in ancient times, when agriculture was the primary mode of sustenance, rodents were one of the biggest obstacles to prosperity--as they are for farmers even today. Destroying crops, eating stored grains are all in a day's work for a rodent. Lord Ganesha, in having a mouse/rat as his vehicle, is symbolically shown to have conquered this pest, thus staying true to his name and work as the destroyer of obstacles, according to biodiversity of India.

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Second, Lord Ganesha was able to reach all the nooks and crannies of the world--and do his duty as the destroyer of obstacles--because his vehicle was a mouse--because mice/rats can slither through tiny holes and narrow pathways.

--- ENDS ---
Attacks worry president

Two lawyers who are very smart both agreed that a sitting president cannot be indicted or convicted. My question is, why the attacks against the president?

Arent these also inhibiting his work for the people as well, as if he were indicted? Arent these weighing upon his mind just as much as if he were indicted?

Of course, these are only speculations but still no evidence. But the question of no evidence can weigh upon his mind as well as tangible evidence.

May Huddleston

Atlantic City

Ignore Vick, Kaepernick

Regarding the July 18 story, Michael Vick: Kaepernick needs a haircut for job search:

What a joke, Vick giving advice. One bum telling the other how to act. I have advice for both  shut up! People dont care what they think.

And heres advice for Colin Kaepernick. The flag is the symbol of the greatest nation. As long as it keeps flying, its cause for celebration. If you dont love the country or respect its flag, leave. Canada takes all the misfits.

Gary Lowe

Brick Township

Support peaceful N. Korea

Manic Donald Trump is headed on a reckless path by risking nuclear war with the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

North Korea is a peaceful country that does not seek conflict. It is hypocritical for the United States to possess countless nuclear weapons, yet condemn another nation for also seeking nuclear weapons.

The DPRK is a friend of all working class people.

Americans should say no to another imperialist war by supporting North Korea.

Rev. Eric Hafner

Toms River
The Shaken Not Stirred Players will perform Broadway by Request 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 at the newly opened Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point, with an encore performance 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27.

The Shaken Not Stirred Players is a theater group that features professional entertainers from the area.

During the show, members of the audience will have the opportunity to cast votes for the Broadway songs they would like to hear, and throughout the evening, songs will be chosen at random to be performed by the ensemble. Organizers said the result is a unique show featuring a variety of numbers, from musical theater standards to modern favorites.

Tickets to either show are $35 and can be purchased at gatewaybythebay.org or by calling 609-653-0553.

The show is part of a series of festivities being held in celebration of the historic theaters grand reopening after being shuttered for the better part of two decades. The theater officially opened Wednesday, Aug. 16 with a ribbon cutting, followed by an opening gala Saturday and a stage show Sunday, both featuring Tony-nominated actor Andrea McArdle -- who originated the title role in the Broadway musical Annie.

The building alternated as a theater and then a movie house for decades until 1976, when producer Paul Aiken Jr. took it over, renamed it the South Jersey Regional Theater, and brought live theater back the stage. When he died in 1999, Bill Marshall took over the operation. After falling into disrepair, the theater was purchased by the city of Somers Point and closed in 2006 due to structural concerns.

The restoration was funded by a combination of private donations and public grants including Hurricane Sandy relief from agencies including Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers the National Flood Insurance Program; the New Jersey Economic Development Authority; and the New Jersey Historic Trust.

The 220-seat playhouse at 738 Bay Ave. features a 1,000-square-foot stage, all-new seating, and meeting rooms that can be rented for private functions.

The Theater Collaborative of South Jersey continues to raise money for operating expenses.

Jim Dalfonso of Ocean City, chairman of the Theater Collaborative of South Jersey, helped steer the Gateway Playhouse project along since coming aboard in 2009, along with board member Keith Cooper, of Mays Landing.

Dozens of people took a tour of the theater after the ribbon cutting.

This opens the door and brings the arts back to Bay Avenue, said City Councilman Dennis Tapp. He and Jim Toto, Kirk Gerety, Sean McGuigan and a number of other volunteers spent a week painting the interior of the Gateway.

When we heard that we could save $24,000 on the project by painting it ourselves, we wanted to help, and painting seemed like one way we could help out and save the city some money, Tapp said.

Theater Collaborative board member Katie Calvi said she got involved in the project when she and her husband moved back to the area three years ago.

My connection to this place is personal, Calvi said.

My grandfather was Paul Aiken, and he ran the Gateway for many years. I remember running around in here as a kid, going to the cast house and loving it. After he passed suddenly in 1999, the playhouse got run down over time. When I met the board members Jim and Keith and saw their plans to really bring this place back, I signed on, and I love the work they have done here and the possibilities of what can be.

The Theater Collaborative, a nonprofit organization, is made up of local business leaders, educators and theater enthusiasts who took on the project of reviving the 107-year-old theater in 2009.
Historic Cold Spring Village will celebrate the maritime culture and history of the Jersey Cape at its annual Seafarers Weekend Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26-27.

The event will feature pirates, music and family fun 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. both days. The village's historic buildings will be open, where historically clothed interpreters will demonstrate the trades, crafts and lifestyles of Early America.

Cape May is one of the largest fishing ports on the East Coast, and the area has had a relationship with the sea since its early beginnings, from 1600s whaler yeomen and fishermen who made their living on the water and continuing with today's commercial fishing industry, boat builders, recreational anglers and the tourist trades.

Its important we celebrate that and present the history to our visitors, Cold Spring Village executive director Anne Salvatore said in a press release.

Captain Black and his crew from Valhallas Pirates will perform thrilling fight scenes and tell tales of the sea both days. They will also meet visitors throughout the day to pose for pictures.

The Sea Dogs Maritime Band, a maritime re-enactment crew, will perform sea chanties Saturday and Sunday at the village gazebo.

Jersey Devil Productions will be back to awe visitors with their fire dancing, and Pirate Queen Grace OMalley will be in the Welcome Center spinning yarns about her sea-loving ancestors.

Children can search for gold coins hidden throughout the village that can be redeemed for a free treat in the Country Store, and join a scavenger hunt to help Boatswain Laurence flush out a pirate who was forced into hiding and bring him to justice.

The village is at 720 Route 9 in the Cold Spring section of Lower Township. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for children ages 3 to 12 and free for children under 3. The Village Nature Trail at Bradners Run is open for free self-guided tours.

For information call 609-898-2300, ext. 10, or see hcsv.org.
Among the missions of the Brigantine Beach Volleyball Association  a self-supporting, not-for-profit corporation celebrating its 25th year  is raising money through the Steve Hopp Memorial Scholarship Fund for recent Atlantic County high school graduates committed to furthering their volleyball careers on the collegiate level.

Money is raised through annual association fees paid by the BBVA's current 65 members and through two beach-volleyball tournaments it hosts each summer in affiliation with the New Jersey-based Great American Volleyball  one of the premier volleyball tours in the country.

The flagship fundraiser of the organization, the Steve Hopp Memorial Classic, returns to Brigantine's 38th Street volleyball beach 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19 and 20. Team competition includes several age groups and skill levels.

The tournament is named after a Brigantine resident and past BBVA president who passed away about a decade ago. According to BBVA founder and President Michael Feely, Hopp dedicated much his life to playing and promoting the sport he loved. A passage on the BBVA's website states that Hopp's passion for the sport was well known by many, and he motivated numerous players throughout his life to play to the best of their ability. His involvement, as well as his wife Debbie, included fundraisers so that the BBVA could provide a venue for the community to play and help promote the sport of volleyball.

The BBVA's initial summertime tournament is called the Greenhead Open and takes place over the July 4th weekend. Money the organization raises the previous year is doled out during the Greenhead Open to the scholarship recipients going on to play volleyball in college, and chosen by the BBVA's 12-person board of directors. Sponsorship opportunities are also offered to high school underclassmen interested in attending camps and clinics to help hone their volleyball skills.

This year we gave a $1,000 scholarship during the Greenhead Open to Zach Narkiewicz, who will be pursing a mechanical engineering degree at Lawrence Technological University (in Southfield, Michigan) this fall and competing on their volleyball team as an outside hitter, Feely said. Last year we gave two $1,000 scholarships to (Absegami High School graduate) Courtney Olson and (Mainland Regional High School graduate) Sabrina Carey, and in the past 10 years we've given out more than $10,000 in scholarships through our program.

The Steve Hopp Classic includes two-person men's and women's open divisions  the premier skill level  and four progressively proficient levels from juniors up to AA. Division winners receive a new Spalding volleyball worth $50. Spectators can watch all the action for free, and two-person teams may pre-register up to 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, for $65 per team. Walk-on registration is $70 during check-in from 8 to 8:30 a.m. each day. Registration includes a tournament T-shirt, fruit and water at a player's tent.

Participants can register in advance by going to volleyamerica.com and clicking events. For insurance reasons, all tournament participants must be Volley America members.

See brigvb.net for more.
NORTHFIELD  The chicken was way better than finger-licking good at the 49th annual chicken barbecue Sunday at St. Gianna Beretta Molla Parish.

More than 900 chickens sizzled on the grill pit behind the parish center. A team of volunteers led by Dino Giacona and Tom Holbeck kept the crew ranging in age from 9-year-old Anthony Compton, of Mays Landing, to 84-year-old John Fredrick of Northfield  on task and having fun.

Culinary open house dates announced MAYS LANDINGThe Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College will host several open houses this fall for prospective students who love to cook and are interested in starting a career in the culinary field.

Volunteer Bob Warley said they follow a fairly simple rule that keeps the chefs from making a mistake: We always flip the grates by turning them toward the church. Turn to the church; its always the best direction, said Warley.

They also spray the chickens to keep them moist while cooking. That was the job for Anthony Compton, whose dad, Bob, said helping out at the barbecue has been a family tradition for decades.

Chill and Grill brings family back together in western Galloway GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP  Chris and Stacey Dempsey remember the days when Als Custard was the place to go on a hot summer day for refreshing ice cream.

Holbeck said the annual dinner has turned into a great community-supported event as well as a major fundraiser for the parish. The funds raised from the annual barbecue will go to the churchs general fund.

Volunteers dished out food, including takeout boxes, filled with chicken, fresh Jersey tomato salad, corn on the cob and potato salad. The tough decision was what to choose for dessert.

Volunteers such as Mary Ann Vergulte, Joanne Gabriel and Marlene Pontaro have been making sweet treats for the dessert table at the barbecue at St. Bernadettes Church for more than four decades and still have fun doing it.
By PTI: Panaji, Aug 22 (PTI) The Assembly bypolls for Panaji and Valpoi seats in Goa will be held tomorrow.

In the Panaji contest, Chief Minister and BJP stalwart Manohar Parrikar is in the fray against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis confidante Girish Chodankar.

In Valpoi, the BJP has fielded Congress rebel and Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane, whose main opponent is Roy Naik, the son of former state Home minister Ravi Naik, of the Congress.

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Panaji has been a bastion for BJP since 1994.

The polling, to be held at 76 booths including 30 in Panaji and 46 in Valpoi, will take place between 8 am to 5 pm.

As per the Election Commission data, 51,032votersare eligible to cast theirvotesin the bypolls, including 22,203in Panaji and 28,829in Valpoi.

The Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines would be used tomorrow, like it was done in the Assembly polls held in February this year.

North Goa Collector Nila Mohanan said that adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure that the polling passes off peacefully.

"Around 1,000 personnel from agencies like the Goa police, India Reserve Battalion and Central Paramilitary Forces are deployed at various locations," she said.

The counting of votes will take place on August 28.

The Panaji bypoll was necessitated after the BJPs sitting MLA Siddharth Kuncolienkar vacated the seat for Parrikar, as the latter has to get elected to the Assembly within six months of becoming the Chief Minister.

Valpoi by-election became necessary after Rane, the sitting MLA, joined the BJP after the Parrikar-led government won a crucial floor test in March this year.

While Parrikar has promised the overall development of Panaji through an Action Plan, the Congress alleged that the BJP leader, who had represented the constituency from 1994 to 2012, has proved "inefficient".

In Valpoi seat, Rane, son of veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane, has assured of creating employment for the local youth.

In the Assembly elections, the Congress won 17 seats and the BJP 13 in the 40-member House.

However, the saffron party formed the government under Parrikar on the backing of three MLAs each of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), and three Independents. PTI RPS NSK ARK

--- ENDS ---
LONDON, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

One-year stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding rates for all five cohorts will be discussed, as well as the impact of comorbidities

Global data are expected to show significant geographical variation in the amount and type of health services used by patients

The results will confirm that premature mortality adds substantially to the already considerable direct cost of AF

The latest results from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the Field - Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) will be presented at ESC Congress 2017, organised by the European Society of Cardiology, to be held in Barcelona, Spain, from August 26th to 30th. Data will be presented during congress sessions as well as at a dedicated Satellite Symposium.

The registry has started to yield health economic data, which will be presented for the first time at ESC Congress 2017, confirming the high financial, economic and human burden AF imposes on societies, and the vast amount of healthcare resource utilised. Based on data from around 40,000 patients with atrial fibrillation from 35 countries worldwide, the poster presentation will describe the geographical variation in the amount and type of health services used by patients, which is potentially associated with the actual availability of services and different models of organisation of care.

"With GARFIELD-AF data showing how the significant burden of AF in terms of morbidity and mortality from stroke and heart failure translates to significant effects on healthcare costs and resource use, we need clinical strategies that can reduce AF-related hospitalisations, improve clinical outcomes and reduce the economic burden," said Rt Hon Professor the Lord Ajay K. Kakkar, Professor of Surgery at University College London and Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute (TRI), UK.

GARFIELD-AF is the largest ongoing prospective registry of patients with AF. It is a pioneering, independent outcomes research initiative led by an international steering committee under the auspices of the TRI. In total, 57,262 patients have been enrolled, of which 52,000 are prospective. This is the first time 1-year outcomes data from all of the prospective patients will be presented.

Key results will be unveiled during the TRI Satellite Symposium and at an ESC Congress Best Poster session:

Atrial fibrillation - a bystander or cause of morbidity and mortality: insights from the GARFIELD-AF registry

Satellite Symposium

Saturday 26th August 2017 at 15:30 - 17:00 (all times CEST), Beirut - Village 3

Members of the GARFIELD-AF Steering Committee will present a range of results, including 1-year outcomes for 52,000 prospective patients and perspectives on the comprehensive treatment of AF with comorbidities such as heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, chronic kidney disease and obesity.

TRI will also be broadcasting the Satellite Symposium live via Periscope. Follow the GARFIELD registry @GARFIELD_reg on Twitter to tune in and be part of the conversation.

One-year clinical outcomes and management of patients with ischaemic vs non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy and newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation: results from GARFIELD-AF [P3237]

Best Posters

Monday 28th August at 08:30, Best poster screen - Poster Area

Professor Ramon Corbalan will report that the one-third of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) who also had ischaemic cardiomyopathy had worse outcomes compared to those with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy. In addition, they were less frequently anticoagulated, more frequently received antiplatelet therapy, and were prescribed fewer CHF medications than patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

This poster will be on display at 08:30 - 12:30 on a Best Poster plasma screen, and during the viewing time (10:05 - 10:55) a discussant will lead a discussion on the poster.

An additional six GARFIELD-AF posters will also be presented on Monday 28th August. They will be on display either in the morning session (08:30 - 12:30) or in the afternoon session (14:00 - 18:00). Presenters will be by their posters at 10:00 - 11:00 and 15:30 -16:30, respectively.

Poster Session 4 - Poster Area (08:30 - 12:30)

Impact of body mass index in newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in the GARFIELD-AF registry [P3569]

Professor Samuel Goldhaber (Boston, USA) will describe how patients with morbid obesity (and associated metabolic syndrome) were almost 10 years younger (median) than patients of normal weight when diagnosed with AF. As body mass index increased, mortality paradoxically decreased in GARFIELD-AF. Furthermore, underweight patients were at higher risk of death (versus normal weight patients) in the 2 years after AF diagnosis.

Which definition of hypertension best defines thromboembolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation? Data from the GARFIELD-AF registry [P3609]

Professor John Camm (London, UK) will explain that the majority of patients with newly diagnosed AF had a history of hypertension. This history conferred a higher risk of stroke than observed in those without a hypertension history. Trends in unadjusted event rates indicate that increasing severity of uncontrolled hypertension may contribute to the risks of stroke and major bleeding, but not all-cause mortality in this population.

Poster Session 5 - Poster Area (14:00 - 18:00)

Global healthcare resource use in 39,670 patients with AF: perspectives from GARFIELD-AF [P4594]

Dr Paolo Cozzolino (Monza, Italy) will review the vast amount of healthcare resource utilised in nearly 40,000 patients with AF from 35 countries worldwide as well as the significant geographical variation in the amount and type of health services used by patients.

Differences in 2-year outcomes according to type of atrial fibrillation: results from the GARFIELD-AF registry [P4601]

Professor Dan Atar (Oslo, Norway) will report that persistent and permanent AF were associated with higher mortality risk versus paroxysmal AF but had similar adjusted risks of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding during 2 years of follow-up.

Similar clinical outcomes of asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation: results from GARFIELD-AF [P4602]

Dr Harry Gibbs (Melbourne, Australia) will discuss the one-fifth of patients newly diagnosed with AF who had no symptoms. Prescription of antithrombotic therapies was similar in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. Adjusted 1-year mortality, stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were similar in each group, indicating that asymptomatic newly diagnosed AF is not benign. This supports systematic approaches to detect and treat asymptomatic AF.

The burden of atrial fibrillation in the more populated European countries: perspectives from the GARFIELD-AF registry [P4603]

Professor Lorenzo Mantovani (Monza, Italy) will explain that AF imposes a high financial, economic and human burden to societies - and that, based on population dynamics, the burden is likely to grow in the future. Premature mortality substantially adds to the already considerable direct cost of the disease.

National Data Showcases

Data showcases for Chile, Germany, Japan, Spain and the UK are also scheduled throughout ESC Congress 2017 at the TRI exhibition stand (Stand G500 - Village 3):

Sunday 27th August 11:00 - 11:30 UK data showcase Professor David A Fitzmaurice 13:00 - 13:30 Japan data showcase Professor Yukihiro Koretsune Monday 28th August 12:00 - 12:30 Chile data showcase Professor Ramon Corbalan 14:00 - 14:30 Spain data showcase Dr Xavier Vinolas Tuesday 29th August 12:00 - 12:30 Germany data showcase Professor Harald Darius

About the GARFIELD-AF registry

GARFIELD-AF is the largest ongoing prospective registry of patients with AF. 2016 marked the end of the enrolment phase for GARFIELD-AF, with 57,262 patients enrolled of which 52,000 are prospective. The real-world insights that continue to be gathered from the GARFIELD-AF registry are being converted into real-world evidence that helps inform and identify areas where the medical community can continue to improve patient outcomes.

GARFIELD-AF is a pioneering, independent academic research initiative led by an international steering committee under the auspices of the TRI, London, UK.

It is an international, non-interventional study of stroke prevention in patients with newly diagnosed AF. Patients were enrolled from over 1,000 centres in 35 countries worldwide, including from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Contemporary understanding of AF is based on data gathered in controlled clinical trials. Whilst essential for evaluating the efficacy and safety of new treatments, these trials are not representative of everyday clinical practice and, hence, uncertainty persists about the real-life burden and management of this disease. GARFIELD-AF seeks to provide insights into the impact of anticoagulant therapy on thromboembolic and bleeding complications seen in this patient population. It will provide a better understanding of the potential opportunities for improving care and clinical outcomes amongst a representative and diverse group of patients and across distinctive populations. This should help physicians and healthcare systems to appropriately adopt innovation to ensure the best outcomes for patients and populations.

The registry started in December 2009. Four key design features of the GARFIELD-AF protocol ensure a comprehensive and representative description of AF; these are:

Five sequential cohorts of prospective, newly diagnosed patients, facilitating comparisons of discrete time periods and describing the evolution of treatments and outcomes;

Investigator sites that are selected randomly within carefully assigned national AF care setting distributions, ensuring that the enrolled patient population is representative;

Enrolment of consecutive eligible patients regardless of therapy to eliminate potential selection bias;

Follow-up data captured for a minimum of 2 and up to 8 years after diagnosis, to create a comprehensive database of treatment decisions and outcomes in everyday clinical practice.

Included patients must have been diagnosed with non-valvular AF within the previous 6 weeks and have at least one risk factor for stroke; as such, they are potential candidates for anticoagulant therapy to prevent blood clots leading to stroke. It is left to the investigator to identify a patient's stroke risk factor(s), which need not be restricted to those included in established risk scores. Patients are included whether or not they receive anticoagulant therapy, so that the merit of current and future treatment strategies can be properly understood in relation to patients' individual risk profiles.

The GARFIELD-AF registry is funded by an unrestricted research grant from Bayer AG, Berlin, Germany.

For more information, visit our website: http://www.garfieldregistry.org

The burden of AF

Up to 2% of the global population has AF,[1] including around 8.8 million people in Europe[2] and 5-6.1 million in the United States.[3] It is estimated that its prevalence will at least double by 2050 as the global population ages.[3] AF is associated with a five-fold increase in stroke risk, and one out of five strokes is attributed to this arrhythmia.[1] Ischaemic strokes related to AF are often fatal, and those patients who survive are left more frequently and more severely disabled and have a greater risk of recurrence than patients with other causes of stroke.[1] Hence, the risk of mortality from AF-associated stroke is doubled and the cost of care is 50% higher.[1]

AF occurs when parts of the atria emit uncoordinated electrical signals. This causes the chambers to pump too quickly and irregularly, not allowing blood to be pumped out completely.[4] As a result, blood may pool, clot and lead to thrombosis, which is the number one cardiovascular killer in the world.[5] If a blood clot leaves the left atrium, it could potentially lodge in an artery in other parts of the body, including the brain. A blood clot in an artery in the brain leads to a stroke; 92% of fatal strokes are caused by thrombosis.[5] Stroke is a major cause of death and long-term disability worldwide - each year, 6.5 million people die[6] and 5 million are left permanently disabled.[7] People with AF also are at high risk for heart failure, chronic fatigue and other heart rhythm problems.[8]

About the TRI

The TRI is dedicated to bringing new solutions to patients for the detection, prevention and treatment of blood clots. The TRI's goal is to advance the science of real-world enquiry so that the value of real-world data is realised and becomes a critical link in the chain of evidence. Our pioneering research programme, across medical disciplines and across the world, continues to provide breakthrough solutions in thrombosis.

For more information, visit: http://www.tri-london.ac.uk/.

Camm A J, Kirchhof P, et al. Guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation: The Task Force for the Management of Atrial Fibrillation of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eur Heart J 2010; 31(19):2369-429. Krijthe B P, Kunst A, et al. Projections on the number of individuals with atrial fibrillation in the European Union, from 2000 to 2060. Eur Heart J 2013; 34:2746-51. Colilla S, Crow A, Petkun W, et al. Estimates of current and future incidence and prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the U.S. adult population. Am J Cardiol 2013; 112(8):1142-7. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What is Atrial Fibrillation? Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/af/ . [Last accessed: 1 August 2017 ]. World Thrombosis Day. Know Thrombosis. Available at: http://www.worldthrombosisday.org/issue/thrombosis/ . [Last accessed: 1 August 2017 ]. World Stroke Organization. World Stroke Campaign. Available at: http://www.worldstrokecampaign.org/ . [Last accessed: 1 August 2017 ]. Stroke Centre. Stroke Statistics. Available at: http://www.strokecenter.org/patients/about-stroke/stroke-statistics/ . [Last accessed: 1 August 2017 ]. American Heart Association. Why Atrial Fibrillation (AF or AFib) Matters. Available at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Arrhythmia/AboutArrhythmia/Why-Atrial-Fibrillation-AF-or-AFib-Matters_UCM_423776_Article.jsp . [Last accessed: 1 August 2017 ].

Thrombosis Research Institute

Emmanuel Kaye Building

Manresa Road

Chelsea

London SW3 6LR

United Kingdom

Media Contact

Rae Hobbs

RHobbs@tri-london.ac.uk

+44(0)7753-825-217

SOURCE The Thrombosis Research Institute
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Postal employees body All India Gramin Dak Sevaks Union (AIGDSU) today called off its about a week-long strike.

However, the National Federation of Postal Employees, which claims to have support of about 70 per cent of postal employees, continues with its plan to go on a one-day strike tomorrow.

The strike has been called to protest against pending implementation of benefits for rural postal employees as per GDS committee report, filling up of vacancies and wage revision, among other issues.

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"AIGDSU called off indefinite strike with immediate effect after a meeting with Nitishwar Kumar, private secretary to Minister of State (independent charge) for communications and Deputy Director General (VP, SR and Legal) Shailendra Dashora at 8 pm," AIGDSU General Secretary S S Mahadevaiah said in a statement.

AIGDSU claimed to have the support of 1.8 lakh rural employees during the strike.

Mahadevaiah could not be reached for further comments.

There are over 1.55 lakh post offices, including 1.3 lakh rural post offices.

There are around 2.7 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) who handle operations such as money remittances, delivery of Aadhaar and MGNREGA payments in rural post offices, as per AIGDSU.

NFPE Secretary General R N Parashar told PTI that the union will go on its strike tomorrow.

Implementation of benefits for GDS is top agenda for NFPE.

The GDS committee in November 2016 had recommended 2.5 per cent hike in basic pay of rural postal employees along with maternity leave benefits for women employees, proper space to work and all other welfare benefits that are given to regular employees, as per an NFPE office bearer.

It recommended that minimum wage of GDS should be Rs 10,000 and maximum Rs 35,480, abolition of age limit of 50 years, annual hike of 3 per cent, children education allowance of Rs 6,000 per annum, among others. PTI PRS ABM

--- ENDS ---
TORONTO, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Onex Busan Financial have recently commented on the recent transaction between Total as they have agreed to acquire Maersk Oil - the oil and gas unit of A.P Moller-Maersk for a number close to $5 billion making this acquisition its biggest since 1999. The acquisition is a sign of industry consolidation and acceleration in the merger and acquisition in the oil industry.

Maersk's share jumped 5.7% following the announcement of the acquisition. The transaction value exceeded analysts' expectations and recorded $7.5 billion paid $4.95 billion of Total shares and shouldering $2.5 billion of Maersk Oil's debt.

Total took advantage of the three-year downturn in the industry and followed up on their CEO's hints earlier that Total will not shy from acquiring companies to grow their business. The deal will help the French Oil giant to expand their business in the North Sea, Uganda, and Brazil.

The deal will give Total about 1 billion barrels of reserve, 80 percent out of which is in the North Sea, according to a statement from the company. It will provide them with 200 thousand barrels a day by the year 2020 rising from the current input of 16 thousand barrels a day.

"Even though oil prices are below $50 a barrel and traders' expectations for a weak 2018, the oil industry is cautiously optimistic, they are safe at the current price but a fresh drop in the benchmark will affect the dividends," said Oliver Saunders, who is the Head of Corporate Trading at Onex Busan Financial.

Total chose to expand in the North Sea instead of joining the fastest growing oil market, the shale oil in the U.S. because the assets in the new market is expensive, according to Pouyanne.

Maersk will become the second largest investor in Total when they receive their 97.5 million shares agreed on. The transaction is subject to regulatory authorities approval, but it's expected to close in the first 3 months of 2018.

About Onex Busan Financial

Onex Busan Financial is a comprehensive wealth management company, providing integrated wealth management solutions.

Onex Busan Financial is a well-established, independent wealth manager with a long history of success in meeting the needs of our clients. With offerings that cover multiple jurisdictions around the world, we administer and manage assets of more than US$6 billion on behalf of more than 5,000 clients.

Media Contact

Mr. Namgung Kwan

kwan@oballiance.com

Switchboard: +1-647-946-3524

Address: 372 Bay Street

Suite 4100. Toronto

ON M5H 2W9

https://www.oballiance.com

SOURCE Onex Busan Financial
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Alliance for Public Safety GIS (NAPSG) Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce Major General William N. Reddel of the New Hampshire National Guard, Richard Butgereit of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, and Chad Council of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as recipients of the 2017 Award for Excellence in Public Safety GIS. Awards were presented at a special reception during NAPSG Foundation's annual National Geospatial Preparedness Summit on August 8, 2017, in Tuscaloosa Alabama.

"The NAPSG Foundation Board of Directors is honored to recognize the exceptional leadership and advancements that this year's awards recipients represent," said Chief Rand Napoli, Board Chairman of the NAPSG Foundation. "This year's recipients represent a unique combination of visionary leadership and measurable progress in applying data and analytics for improved first responder operations." NAPSG Foundation receives nominations for award recipients each year, and the Board votes on awards in all or some of three categories  local/regional, state, and national/federal.

Concurrently, the 3rd annual National Geospatial Preparedness Summit, held August 7-9 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, brought together more than 215 public safety and homeland security leaders, first responders, and GIS professional representing 39 states and 120 agencies. The summit was coordinated in coordination with the US Department of Homeland Security, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Emergency Managers, National Association for Search and Rescue, the National States Geographic Information Council, the Naval Post-Graduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security, and other partner organizations.

The summit is the only national training and preparedness exercise forum dedicated to advancing the use of geospatial information system technology and data by our nation's first responders. This year's programming featured hands-on technical GIS training on the latest technology and analytics, a tabletop exercise focused around a complex coordinated attach scenario, keynote speakers from leading local and national agencies, and numerous workshops on issues ranging from damage assessment processes to emerging technologies. The summit culminated with a one-day functional preparedness exercise based on a real-world flood scenario.

The National Geospatial Preparedness Summit is always hosted at no cost for public sector participants from federal, tribal, state, and local governments.

For more information, visit https://www.napsgfoundation.org/events/ngps/. For questions regarding this press release contact Peter O'Rourke, Executive Director, at 202-895-1711 or [email protected].

SOURCE National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation

Related Links

https://www.napsgfoundation.org


IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Netwrix Corporation, provider of a visibility platform for data security and risk mitigation in hybrid environments, today announced the release of its 2017 IT Risks in Government infographics. Part of the recently published Netwrix 2017 IT Risks Report, these infographics are based on feedback provided by IT specialists working for government agencies around the world.

The 2017 IT Risks in Government infographics provide insight into the cybersecurity challenges, security practices and IT plans common among government entities. The IT risks are divided into three areas: security, compliance and operations.

The survey's key findings for government entities are:

57% of government entities focus on endpoint protection.

75% of government entities do not have any visibility into BYOD, 67% lack insight into shadow IT, and 60% have no visibility into their cloud infrastructures.

100% of respondents from the government sector see employees as the biggest threat to security.

72% of government entities experienced security incidents in 2016; the most common reasons were human errors and insider misuse.

Only 14% of government entities consider themselves to be well prepared to beat IT risks.

The IT departments of government agencies are mainly restrained by lack of time (57%), insufficient budget (43%), and IT infrastructure complexity (43%).

Government entities are willing to invest in protection against intellectual property theft (43%), data breaches (29%) and fraud (14%).

"Government entities have to embrace the new cyber security reality. While they continue to focus on the traditional perimeter-defense approach, the world has changed, and they are not prepared for new threats," said Michael Fimin, CEO and co-founder of Netwrix. "Government agencies need to gain visibility into what is happening across all of their critical assets  both outside and inside the perimeter. With user behavior analytics at their fingertips they can stay on top of abnormal activity caused by human errors, malicious insiders and outside attackers."

To download the 2017 IT Risks in Government infographics, please visit: www.netwrix.com/go/itrisksingovernment2017.

About Netwrix Corporation

Netwrix Corporation was the first vendor to introduce a visibility and governance platform for hybrid cloud security. More than 160,000 IT departments worldwide rely on Netwrix to detect insider threats on premises and in the cloud, pass compliance audits with less effort and expense, and increase productivity of IT security and operations teams. Founded in 2006, Netwrix has earned more than 100 industry awards and been named to both the Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. For more information, visit www.netwrix.com

CONTACT:

Erin Jones

Avista PR for Netwrix

P: 704.664.2170

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Netwrix Corporation

Related Links

http://www.netwrix.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Adore Me, the disruptive e-commerce lingerie startup ranked #9 on Crain's 2016 Fast 50 list of fastest-growing companies in NYC, has continued its scholarship program to support women pursuing a degree in business, and has announced its Fall 2017 Scholarship recipient  Emily Markham, an undergraduate student at New York University.

The Adore Me Scholarship was launched in 2017 by its founder and CEO, Morgan Hermand-Waiche, who began Adore Me with the determination to disrupt the multi-billion-dollar lingerie industry and revolutionize the online lingerie space - all while still attending business school. Since then, Adore Me has grown into one of the fastest growing retailers in the United States.

Passionate to encourage women who share the same entrepreneurial mindset and help them achieve their dreams and business goals, the Adore Me Scholarship provides financial assistance of $1,000 to women who are pursuing a degree in business. Recipients of the Adore Me Scholarships have demonstrated a strong ability to lead in their community and will have already started, or plan to start, their own businesses.

The Fall 2017 Adore Me Scholarship recipient is Emily Markham, an undergraduate student at New York University. Emily's entrepreneurial skills earned her successful placements in DECA Business competitions as well as the position of President of DECA club. She also applies her leadership and business skills as Head of Fundraising for a local organization and in the Model Congress club. Adore Me congratulates Emily Markham as the Fall 2017 Adore Me Scholarship Winner and is delighted to be a part of her entrepreneurial career.

ABOUT ADORE ME



Adore Me is a lingerie e-commerce company based in NYC with 130 employees across the U.S. and Europe. The company was started by Morgan Hermand-Waiche in his days as an MBA student at Harvard Business School. Adore Me offers designer, fast-fashion, affordable and inclusive intimates. The company has established a strong customer base of over 11M women, predominately urban millennials, and 80% of its traffic comes from mobile. Adore Me has been celebrated by the press as one of the fastest-growing companies in New York - ranked #9 on Crain's Fast 50 in 2016 and #55 on Silicon Alley 2015 Top 100, and as one of the fastest-growing retailers in the U.S. - ranked three times on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, including the #2 fastest growing retail company in the U.S. in 2015.

Download the Adore Me app on Google Play and iTunes!

MEDIA CONTACT

Angela Maffia

Business & Brand Development

[email protected]

SOURCE Adore Me

Related Links

http://www.adoreme.com


VANCOUVER, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Amarc Resources Ltd. ("Amarc" or the "Company") (TSX-V: AHR; OTCBB: AXREF) is pleased to announce it has entered into another Mineral Property Farm-In Agreement (the "JOY Agreement") with Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("Hudbay") (TSX:HBM; NYSE:HBM). The new Agreement with Hudbay, has a similar structure to the recently announced IKE Project Farm-In Agreement (see Amarc News Release dated July 6, 2017), and has been established to advance the Company's 72 km2, 100% owned, JOY porphyry copper-gold mineral property (the "JOY Project") which is located 25 km north of AuRico Metals Inc.'s Kemess South Mine and Kemess Underground Project site in north-central British Columbia ("BC"). Under the terms of the JOY Agreement, Hudbay may acquire through a staged investment process, up to a 60% ownership interest in the Project.

Robert Dickinson, Executive Chairman of Amarc: "The prospectivity of the Kemess District is well-known to Hunter Dickinson and the Amarc technical team, as we were the first to develop its porphyry potential  acquiring both the early-stage Kemess South and Kemess North prospects and advancing them into significant porphyry copper-gold deposits. We are excited to be combining our proven porphyry copper discovery track record with Hudbay's acknowledged capabilities as a first-class mine builder and operator. We believe it will be a potent partnership that allows us to advance the JOY Project in an expeditious way, and in a manner that balances technical, economic, environmental and social considerations."

Diane Nicolson, President of Amarc: "We are thrilled to welcome Hudbay as a partner at JOY, following our recent announcement of our agreement with them on the IKE Project. We believe that JOY has the potential to be a significant, new copper-gold camp in northern British Columbia, and an important extension to the Kemess District. Having secured the required permits, our crews have mobilized to the field to undertake a comprehensive exploration program, including drilling, to assess the substantive porphyry copper-gold deposit targets on the JOY property."

Agreement with Hudbay on JOY Project

Under the terms of the Agreement Hudbay can earn an initial 49% interest in the JOY Project under a Stage 1 Farm-in Right by funding $15 million1 of expenditures before December 31, 2020, of which $1.9 million is committed for 2017.

When its Stage 1 Farm-in Right is exercised, Hudbay can, pursuant to a Stage 2 Farm-in Right, earn an additional 1% ownership interest in the Project (for a total 50% ownership interest) by funding $5 million of expenditures (for a total of $20 million) also before December 31, 2020.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 Farm-in expenditures can be accelerated by Hudbay at its discretion. Amarc will be the operator during the Stage 1 and Stage 2 periods. A Joint Venture ("JV") will be formed when Hudbay has acquired a 49% interest in the Project.

1 All currency values are Canadian dollars.

Provided that Hudbay has exercised the Stage 2 Farm-in Right and acquired a 50% interest, it can then elect to go forward via one of two paths.

First, Hudbay can replace Amarc as operator of the JV after it funds all project expenditures and completes a Feasibility Study for the JOY Project by December 31, 2025. Having gained operatorship, Hudbay can then choose to either go forward with Amarc in a 50/50 participating JV or Hudbay can instead elect to continue with its Farm-in (the "Stage 3 Farm-in Right") to acquire an additional 10% interest in the JOY Project (for a total 60% ownership interest). To exercise its Stage 3 Farm-in Right, Hudbay must fund all expenditures required to submit a British Columbia environmental assessment ("EA") application for the JOY Project and, if applicable, a Canadian EA application, with the application(s) being accepted for review by December 31, 2026. In addition, Hudbay must also continue to fund all approved project expenditures until all necessary EA Certificates are received. Following receipt of the EA Certificate(s), all approved JOY Project expenditures going forward will be shared by Hudbay and Amarc on a pro rata basis (Hudbay 60%/Amarc 40%) under the JV.

As a second alternative path, after exercising its Stage 2 Farm-in Right Hudbay can elect to proceed directly to the Stage 3 Farm-in Right, so immediately becoming the operator, and acquire a further 10% interest (for a total 60% ownership interest) by, like above, submitting a British Columbia EA application and, if applicable, a Canadian EA application by December 31, 2026. Again, in this instance, Hudbay must also fund all project expenditures until receipt of the necessary EA Certificate(s). Following receipt of project approvals from government, all approved JOY Project expenditures going forward will be shared by Hudbay and Amarc on a pro rata basis (Hudbay 60%/Amarc 40%) under the JV.

Hudbay has a one-time right to defer either of its 2019 or 2020 expenditures in the Stage 1 or Stage 2 Farm-in periods, for a one-year period, subject to certain conditions. If this deferral occurs, Amarc will have a "co-expenditure right", whereby it can incur and fund approved additional expenditures on the JOY Project up to the amount of the deferred expenditures. Hudbay may elect to reimburse Amarc for these additional expenditures, thereby retaining its interest in the Project. Under either alternative path, if Hudbay does not submit the EA application(s) by December 31, 2026, then Amarc will become operator again.

About the JOY Project

Amarc's JOY property is located 310 km north of Mackenzie, BC, and 25 km north of the Kemess South Mine site where owner, AuRico Metals recently secured a BC EA Certificate for its nearby Kemess Underground Project.

Past operators conducted prospecting-style work on the JOY claims  collecting some 3,000 soil samples, 800 rock samples and 30 silt samples  but undertook no drilling. These surface surveys clearly indicate a number of substantial porphyry copper-gold and epithermal silver-gold deposit targets across the JOY property. The copper-gold deposit targets located at JOY are considered by Amarc to be a northern extension to the prolific Kemess porphyry copper-gold district. Most importantly, historical soil and rock sampling along with a recent soil survey, has revealed a regionally significant, 9 km2 copper, gold, molybdenum, silver and zinc geochemical anomaly, which potentially reflects a large and shallowly buried, copper-gold porphyry deposit.

Approved Project expenditures of $1.9 million will be directed towards core drilling to evaluate this outstanding copper-gold soil anomaly for its major deposit potential. Extensive surface exploration surveys, including Induced Polarization, geological mapping and talus fine sampling, will also be completed to firm up further porphyry copper-gold deposit targets for testing next year. Amarc has mobilized crews to the JOY site for the 2017 drilling season.

About Amarc Resources

Amarc is a mineral exploration and development company with an experienced and successful management team focused on developing a new generation of BC porphyry copper mines. By combining strong projects and funding with successful management, Amarc has created a solid platform to now commence value creation.

Amarc is advancing its 100% owned IKE, DUKE and JOY porphyry copper deposit districts, located in southern, central and northern BC, respectively, each with proximity to industrial infrastructure, power, rail and highways. These projects represent significant potential for the discovery of multiple, important-scale, porphyry copper-gold and copper-molybdenum deposits.

The 462 km2 IKE Project is located 33 km northwest of the historical mining community of Gold Bridge. Over the last three years, Amarc has made a significant new porphyry copper-molybdenum-silver discovery, completing over 12,000 metres of drilling in 21 wide-spaced core holes in the IKE deposit that indicate the potential for extensive resource volumes which remain open to expansion in all directions. Extensive regional surveys have also identified numerous porphyry copper (molydenumgoldsilver) deposit targets all within 10 km of IKE. Amarc believes the IKE Project has the potential to possess the grades and tonnages to develop into an important mining camp. Amarc has partnered with Hudbay to efficiently fund the advancement of the IKE Project (see news release July 6, 2017) and as operator, has mobilized crews to the IKE site for the 2017 drilling season.

Amarc's DUKE deposit and an adjacent 190 km2 porphyry copper district is located 80 km northeast of Smithers, BC and 30 km north of former copper-gold mines (Bell and Granisle) operated by Noranda Mines. The DUKE Project area is logging road accessible from Smithers or Fort St. James. Historically, DUKE has been explored with surface geochemical and geophysical surveys, as well as 30 shallow diamond drill holes. Many of the holes intersected significant lengths of porphyry copper-molybdenum-silver-gold mineralization which remains open both laterally and to depth. The surrounding district hosts multiple, second-order porphyry copper deposit targets. Plans are to drill the DUKE deposit target in fall 2017.

Amarc is associated with Hunter Dickinson Inc. ("HDI"), a diversified, global mining company with a 25+-year history of porphyry discovery and development success. Previous and current HDI porphyry projects include some of BC's and the world's most important mineral resources  such as Pebble, Mount Milligan, Kemess South, Kemess North, Gibraltar, Prosperity, Xietongmen, Newtongmen, Florence, Sisson, and Maggie. From its head office in Vancouver, Canada, HDI applies its unique strengths and capabilities to acquire, develop, operate and monetize mineral projects to provide superior returns to shareholders.

Amarc is committed to working collaboratively with governments and stakeholders to achieve responsible development of its projects, while contributing to sustainable development of the communities in which it works. All work programs are carefully planned to achieve high levels of environmental and social performance.

Qualified Person as Defined Under National Instrument 43-101

Mark Rebagliati, P. Eng., a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Ronald W. Thiessen

Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor any other regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking and other Cautionary Information

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All such statements, other than statements of historical facts that address exploration drilling, exploitation activities and other related events or developments are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Assumptions used by the Company to develop forward-looking statements include the following: Amarc's projects will obtain all required environmental and other permits and all land use and other licenses, studies and exploration of Amarc's projects will continue to be positive, and no geological or technical problems will occur. The Company cannot guarantee that the Consolidated Loan and issuance of securities contemplated by this release will complete. There is no certainty that the Company will be able to repay the Consolidated Loan or any other outstanding debt or liability of the Company in a timely manner or at all. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, potential environmental issues or liabilities associated with exploration, development and mining activities, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and tenure and delays due to third party opposition, changes in and the effect of government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, exploration and development of properties located within Aboriginal groups asserted territories may affect or be perceived to affect asserted aboriginal rights and title, which may cause permitting delays or opposition by Aboriginal groups, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on Amarc Resources Ltd., investors should review the Company's annual Form 20-F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and its home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE Amarc Resources Ltd.

Related Links

www.amarcresources.com


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PR Star Media Group recently sat down with acclaimed American psychic Jack Rourke. Dubbed "world-renowned" in 2009 by AOL's celebrity news for his work on criminal and missing persons cases, best-selling author of The Rational Psychic and extrasensory expert Jack Rourke was the go-to guy when CNN wanted a spiritual perspective on the passing of superstar Michael Jackson. Recently, however, Mr. Rourke has turned his keen awareness toward more pressing matters  Russia.

PR Star Media Group

In June 2017 Jack was interviewed by Russia's state- run REN TV. In this two-part interview, Jack was featured as the top psychic in the United States. Now, Jack is no stranger to the media. CBS television featured him as the real-life version of the fictional psychic detective at the center of their hit drama The Mentalist. Jack also profiled the Casey Anthony murder case on FOX's now-defunct Ricki Lake reboot. What makes this Russian interview with psychic Jack so unique though is both the timing and what he said.

During the REN TV shoot, Jack was prompted to predict something positive about Russia that would take place in August 2017. Instead, he paused. Again, he was encouraged to say something flattering about Putin. Or comment on the pending good fortune of the Russian people. Still, Jack delayed. Finally, after a rather long and pregnant pause, Jack said something perhaps a bit shocking. He predicted Russia would intervene in the ongoing tensions between America and the rogue nation North Korea in a way the American government would not like.

Before part one of Rourke's interview even aired it appeared his prediction had already come true. On July 4, 2017, Reuters issued a report titled "Russia and China tell North Korea, U.S. and South Korea to embrace de-escalation plan." Russia did indeed intervene with North Korea much to the chagrin of the U.S. and its allies. Mr. Rourke discussed this fact a full two weeks before the Reuters story broke. Was this a coincidence? More importantly, is it appropriate for a psychic to speak on world events such as this? Is it possible Mr. Rourke used clairvoyance with the intention of both warning America and perhaps tempting the Kremlin into action?

Getting an interview with Jack Rourke is not easy. For this story, a series of emails were exchanged with his office. Ultimately, requests for interviews were denied. Could Jack Rourke be the one psychic who shuns the spotlight? It turns out Rourke is notorious for turning away media requests. He turned down a 2013 interview with CBS Local naming the best psychic and mediums in Los Angeles. He declined an invitation to appear on Good Day Australia when they requested he make on-air predictions about Hollywood celebrities. He again refused to discuss celebrities on NBC's Trisha show in 2013. And in a 2009 interview on a popular syndicated morning radio show, after continually denying rumors linking him to the intelligence community, Jack exited the interview unannounced. So unlike sensitives who trade in celebrity gossip and the sentimentality associated with allegedly talking to the dead, Rourke has instead quietly carved out a career earnestly trying to help those who seek him out. He is highly regarded by his devoted clients as a gifted psychic detective, medical intuitive, love psychic and spiritual counselor. But now it seems Jack Rourke has used his influence in a way perhaps no other modern psychic has. Why?

Just hours after this story was scrapped due to the elusive psychic's refusal to participate, a mysterious telephone call came from an anonymous source. It was Rourke. He was cautious yet amiable and rather charismatic. An interview was scheduled for a few days later at a luxury Hotel in Los Angeles.

PRM: You're a hard man to get a hold of.

JR: Am I? Well, I'm just cautious about being misrepresented. Frankly, there's a lot of unhealthy and egotistical nonsense out there about what ESP is. There's even more spiritually dangerous misinformation in the public sphere concerning what it means to be psychic. I don't want to encourage or inadvertently contribute to these misperceptions. I describe a lot of these things in my book The Rational Psychic.

PRM: Tell me then, what's it like being a professional psychic?

JR: Every day is Halloween. There are ghosts and goblins haunting my every step.

PRM: You're joking but I imagine your life is not normal?

JR: At the beginning of my career I worked a lot with people who thought they or their homes were haunted. My business has changed since then. What's normal though? One only needs to read the headlines to learn societal norms are constantly challenged these days. Kidding aside, I deal with people and their practical concerns in spiritual and hopefully meaningful ways. My methodology is unconventional, yes. However, there's really nothing spooky about what I do at all. There have always been shamans and spiritual advisers in one form or another serving mankind going back to when we as a species were living off the land.

PRM: But being a psychic, it is weird, you admit that?

JR: Being psychic as a vocation is weird in that it's uncommon. But my business is run in a very conventional way. There's not a lot of high strangeness. At the end of the day, my work is fundamentally about loving people so that they can spiritually find meaning and purpose within. I help clients discover that their circumstances, no matter what, are workable.

PRM: There are a lot of very smart people who say extrasensory perception is a hoax.

JR: Well, in some instances those experts would be correct. However, what I've noticed is that many who seek to invalidate ESP don't really understand what it is they're trying to disprove. They construct experiments that cannot succeed. There's also often an agenda. A lot of fear and disdain that fuels rationalizations that minimize positive results. I'm no longer concerned with such things though. I've come to understand ESP as a natural function of consciousness that shows itself in both paranormal and completely ordinary ways. It's the illogical beliefs and exotic personalities often associated with ESP that deserve scrutiny in my view.

PRM: What makes you so sure ESP is real?

JR: At this point, repeated undeniable personal experience. But my favorite quote that speaks to the validity of ESP comes from the book The Reality of ESP by Dr. Russel Tarq. In that book, UC Davis statistics professor Jessica Utts, who was commissioned by the CIA to review 20 years of classified remote viewing research concluded, "The SRI data (Strategic Research Institute depicting the existence of ESP) is stronger than the FDA experimental evidence showing that aspirin prevents heart attacks.

PRM: Wow.

JR: Yep.

PRM: So, speaking of the CIA

As if by divine intervention a waiter brings our order. After the interruption, Jack deftly changes the subject. I redirect him.

PRM: I heard a radio interview some years back addressing a rumor you have links to the intelligence community. Care to comment?

JR: No.

PRM: Seems odd that a major Hollywood movie studio would hire you as an expert on psychic spies to help promote the feature film PUSH if you had no familiarity with the subject.

JR: I have clients in various professions. For many, it's surprising that educated high-functioning people use services like mine but they do. That's all I have to say about that.

PRM: You had a platform to speak directly to the Russian people. Why did you predict Russian involvement in North Korea in a way the American government would not like?

JR: It's what I saw. I was just being honest. I first discovered my mind is attuned to geopolitical events when I predicted the invasion of Georgia by the Russian Army for the Associated Press.

PRM: But right now, given the political climate, why say something so controversial?

JR: Well, I didn't think it controversial. I'll admit, there was a moment when I was worried about how what I clairvoyantly saw would be received. But I was literally seeing information that indicated a nuclear conflict in the very near future. I was frightened. If I'm honest though, I was very concerned about sharing such information. The reason I spoke so frankly was I thought maybe, at the risk of sounding self-important, I thought maybe I could do some good. Truthfully, I thought no one would care what I had to say anyway.

PRM: Weren't you making an assertion by speaking directly to the Russian people on their state-run Media?

JR: Does it matter if my speaking up helps avoid armed conflict?

PRM: Good point. You're opening an office in New York City?

JR: Yes, for years I've worked with clients across North America as well as Europe and South Africa. So, having a footprint in New York closer to those time zones makes sense. I'm excited.

PRM: Do you have any predictions for me?

JR: Yes. You will live a long and happy life.

PRM: Sounds like a dream.

JR: A beautiful dream we all deserve.

For more information about Jack Rourke visit: www.jackrourke.net

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Anaplan, a leading platform provider driving a new age of connected planning, today announced strong growth in its Anaplan for Sales business over the last 12 months. The Anaplan team will demonstrate Anaplan for Sales at tabletop 11 at the WorldatWork Spotlight on Sales Compensation event this week.

Anaplan's sales compensation solution enables global companies to define ideal compensation plans for all sales people. Incorporating data from their CRM, HRIS, and ERP systems, users can model, manage, and process against complex compensation plans in real time, balance territories and quotas, and assess the impact of compensation plans prior to launch. These unparalleled capabilities have driven more than 80 companies worldwide, including Infusionsoft and Travelex, to choose Anaplan for Sales in the last 12 months.

"We continue to prove to our sales performance management customers that our Anaplan platform has the ability to handle some of the most complex sales operations with speed," said Paul Melchiorre, Anaplan's Chief Revenue Officer. "We make it simple to manage territories and quotas, and create models based on actuals, forecasted revenue to drive desired sales behaviors. Anaplan's connected planning approach connects data, people, and plans across the enterprise, empowering sales executives to make better business decisions and respond quickly to opportunities."

Anaplan was recently recognized as a Leader in the 2017 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sales Performance Management*, moving up from its previous position as a Challenger.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Anaplan

Anaplan is driving a new age of connected planning. Large and fast-growing organizations use Anaplan's cloud platform in every business function to make better-informed decisions and drive faster, more effective planning processes. Anaplan also provides support, training, and planning transformation advisory services. Anaplan is a privately held company based in San Francisco with 16 offices and over 150 expert partners worldwide. To learn more, visit anaplan.com.

*Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sales Performance Management, Melissa A. Hilbert, Tad Travis, 28 March 2017.

SOURCE Anaplan

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http://anaplan.com


DUBLIN, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

AQMetrics, the award-winning provider of regulatory compliance and risk solutions, today announced the addition of two new clients, Appian Asset Management Limited (Appian) and Macrosynergy Partners LLP (Macrosynergy), to its growing client portfolio.

Appian, a leading Irish based asset management firm managing a range of funds that invest globally, has selected AQMetrics' solution for AIFMD Annex IV reporting. Macrosynergy Partners, a U.K. based discretionary global macro manager dedicated to providing competitive risk-adjusted returns to its clients, will adopt the AQMetrics automated reporting and filing system to ensure compliance with the CPO-PQR rules.

Geraldine Gibson, CEO at AQMetrics said, "Firms with multiple fund administrator relationships are moving to automated, independent solutions as these can yield greater operational efficiencies with a single, golden source of data. We believe that our award-winning solutions will provide Appian and Macrosynergy with the right tools to meet existing reporting requirements and be better prepared for regulatory changes as and when they happen."

Breige Tinnelly, Head of Sales, UK, at AQMetrics, added, "The financial services market is making operational improvements to existing reporting processes. With our cloud solutions we believe we can be an integral part of this, by helping firms meet these regulatory requirements quickly, easily and efficiently."

As it continues to add enhancements to its risk management and regulatory reporting platform to meet evolving client needs, AQMetrics has received a number of industry accolades for delivering innovative products to financial professionals, including HFM US Technology Awards' and HFM European Hedge Fund Technology Awards' Best Compliance Product for Small and Start Up (Hedge fund) Firms.

About AQMetrics

AQMetrics is a leading RegTech company focused on delivering regulatory risk and compliance solutions for financial professionals. We recognized that the accepted methods of managing risk and compliance were slow, outmoded, and inefficient. We drew upon our team's deep experience in innovation, technology, law, and financial services to build a platform that performed markedly better, helping our clients leverage technology to more efficiently meet regulatory obligations. The AQMetrics platform has been tested, proven and perfected.

More information is available at http://www.aqmetrics.com or follow us on Twitter @AQMetrics

Media contact

AQMetrics

Lorraine Toland

+353-1-903-5437

[email protected]







SOURCE AQMetrics
CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report by A.T. Kearney, Back-to-School Consumer Shopping Perspectives, looks at US adults planning to make back-to-school purchases, along with key economic factors that would serve as predictors for consumer spending. It provides retailers with areas on which to focus and strategies to capture sales and profits during the forthcoming back-to-school season.

Ryan Fisher, A.T. Kearney Retail Practice partner and co-author of the report, stated, "We expect back-to-school spending to be higher this season reflecting the positive macroeconomic trends. In addition, we expect to see mobile payments and online sales continuing to grow. Millennials coming into their parenting years are increasingly engaged in the back-to-school season as well, evidenced by a 4 percent bump in online-only shopping experiences since last year. It is more important than ever for retailers to up their omnichannel game."

The study, which surveyed more than 1,000 adult shoppers, found that, in aggregate, consumers plan to spend more than last year at all levels save post-secondary. In addition, consumers are becoming increasingly demanding as they expect better shopping experiences and lower costs, with free expedited shipping offers and the rewards of loyalty programs. Compared to 2016, the importance of these four categories increased between 2 percent and 5 percent.

To successfully navigate the 2017 back-to-school season, the study suggests retailers need to recognize that omnichannel is the new normal, and that Millennials and their mobile shopping habits are increasingly influencing back-to-school shopping behavior. With a 15 percent year-over-year increase in e-commerce traffic, retailers need to ensure that their mobile, web, tablet, and social media experience is on par with the market. Simultaneously, they need to focus on providing a unique and personalized in-store experience, facilitated by in-store technology.

"This study, now in its third year, continues to show a trend toward increasing mobile and online shopping," remarked Ryan Fisher. "Retailers should be poised to take advantage of the increase in expected spend. Overall, the back-to-school season should be good news for retailers who have been making omnichannel and especially mobile investments; and is perhaps a wakeup call to those who continue to tread in more traditional footsteps."

About the Study

A.T. Kearney conducted the Back-to-School Consumer Shopping Perspectives survey among 1,000 US adults (18+) who intended to make back-to-school purchases in 2017. The authors structured the 16 survey questions to measure respondents' expectations for this year's back-to-school shopping season.Responses were weighted to normalize the aggregate sample to household income and age distributions of the overall population in the US. A.T. Kearney conducted the survey between June 26 and June 28, 2017.

About A.T. Kearney

A.T. Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm with offices in more than 40 countries. Since 1926, we have been trusted advisors to the world's foremost organizations. A.T. Kearney is a partner-owned firm, committed to helping clients achieve immediate impact and growing advantage on their most mission-critical issues. For more information, visit www.atkearney.com.

Media Contact: Meir Kahtan

Meir Kahtan Public Relations, LLC

+1 212.575.8188

[email protected]

SOURCE A.T. Kearney

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FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's estimated that 4 out of 5 adults will have an attack of back or neck pain at some point in their lives. Anyone who has had an attack of back pain, or neck pain, immediately fears the worst: spine surgery. And with good reason. Some prominent athletes who have spine surgery appear to be worse off after spine surgery then they were before. According to Dartmouth Medical Atlas, there is significant treatment variation related to spine care, with some states having twice the rate of back surgery as other states.

Back pain sufferers can request a free 36-page Home Remedy Book at SpineCenterNetwork.com. The book has symptom charts and custom stretches that can relieve many back and neck pain symptoms.

"In the field of spine, there can be specialty bias based on the training of the doctor," explains Wayne Mounts, executive director of South Carolina Spine Center. "Spine surgeons can be naturally biased to using spine surgery, while non-surgeons can be equally biased to hanging onto the patient past the point when non-surgical options have failed to work."

SpineCenterNetwork.com was developed to address the issue of treatment bias. SpineCenterNetwork.com is the only national network of multi-disciplinary spine centers that meet credentialing criteria. To be included, a spine center must combine the expertise of spine-specialized surgeons along with Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation MDs who specialize in non-surgical treatment options, including spinal injections. The spine centers also have affiliated spine therapists.

"The solution is to have a spine center that combines under one roof Physical Medicine MDs who exhaust non-surgical treatment options first, and then if those fail to work, the patient is triaged to a spine surgeon who is trained in minimally invasive spine surgery," adds Mounts. "We also caution people that if they've been told they need spine surgery, it's a good idea to get a second opinion from a multi-disciplinary spine center to confirm that they really need it, and if they qualify for minimally invasive spine surgery or an artificial disc which can improve their clinical outcome."

Another issue with spine is that pain can be a misleading symptom. For example, here are four symptoms and when you need to see a doctor quickly:

BACK SPASMS can often resolve on their own with anti-inflammatories and rest. FALL OR CAR ACCIDENT needs to be seen quickly if a fracture is suspected. RADIATING PAIN into an arm or leg needs to be seen in a week. NUMB FOOT OR HAND, or loss of bowel/bladder control, are all emergency symptoms that need to be seen by a spine specialist immediately to prevent permanent paralysis of the muscles and nerves.

As a community service, all the spine centers in SpineCenterNetwork.com distribute a free 36-page Home Remedy Book which has home remedies and special stretches that can relieve back and neck pain symptoms and prevent a future back pain attack. The handbook also features symptom charts that explain when it's crucial to go to the doctor fast. Back and neck pain sufferers can request a copy  as well as an appointment for second opinion at any of the multi-disciplinary spine centers  at SpineCenterNetwork.com.

CONTACT: Bob Reznik, director of SpineCenterNetwork.com.

817-481-2450, [email protected]

SOURCE SpineCenterNetwork.com

Related Links

http://SpineCenterNetwork.com


By PTI: dispute

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today restrained Vodafone Groups arbitration proceeding against India, under a treaty with the United Kingdom, in connection with a Rs 11,000 crore tax demand raised against the company in relation to its USD 11 billion deal acquiring stake of Hutchinson Telecom.

Justice Manmohan restrained Vodafone or its subsidiaries from going ahead with arbitration under the India-UK Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA) as the telecom major had initiated similar proceedings on the same issue under the the India-Netherlands BIPA.

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"This court is of the prima facie view that in the present case, there is duplication of the parties and the issues. In fact, the reliefs sought by the defendants under the India-UK BIPA and by the Vodafone International Holdings BV (VIHBV), the subsidiary of defendants (Vodafone group), under the India-Netherlands BIPA are virtually identical.

"This court is further of the prima facie view that there is a risk of parallel proceedings and inconsistent decisions by two separate arbitral tribunals in the present case. In the prima facie opinion of this Court, it would be inequitable, unfair and unjust to permit the defendants to prosecute the foreign arbitration," the court said in an interim order.

It also issued notice to Vodafone and sought its response by October 26 on the central governments plea seeking a permanent injunction against the telecom major from proceeding with the arbitration under the India-UK BIPA.

In its interim order, the court was also of the prima facie view that "India constitutes the natural forum for the litigation of the defendants (Vodafone and its subsidiaries) claim against the plaintiff (Centre)".

The court noted that government was of the view that the USD 11 billion acquisition of stake of Hutchinson Telecommunications International Limited (HTIL) in Hutchinson Essar Limited (HEL) by Vodafone was liable for tax deduction at source (TDS) under the Income Tax Act.

As Vodafone had not deducted the tax at source, the government had raised the demand of Rs 11,000 crore which was subsequently quashed by the Supreme Court on January 20, 2012, the high court said.

Thereafter, the government made a retrospective amendment to the Income Tax Act which re-fastened the liability on Vodafone, the high court order noted.

Aggrieved by the imposition of tax, VIHBV invoked the arbitration clause under the BIPA between India and Netherlands through a notice of dispute of April 17, 2012 and notice of arbitration of April 17, 2014, the 10 page order said.

While the proceedings under the India-Netherlands BIPA was pending, Vodafone initiated arbitration under the India-UK BIPA on January 24 this year.

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Challenging the second arbitration, the government, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sanjay Jain, has said the two claims are based on the same cause of action and seek identical reliefs but from two different tribunals constituted under two different investment treaties against the same host state.

The ASG, assisted by central government standing counsel Sanjeev Narula, argued before the high court that the arbitration proceedings initiated under the India-UK BIPA was an abuse of the process of law.

The government lawyers argued that disputes encompassing tax demands raised by a host state are beyond the scope of arbitration provided under the bilateral investment treaty as taxation is a sovereign function and the same can only be agitated before a constitutional court of the host state.

They also contended that laws passed by the Parliament cannot be adjudicated by an arbitral tribunal and do not fall within the ambit of BIPA or any other international treaty. PTI HMP PPS SJK ARC

--- ENDS ---
ESPOO, Finland, Aug 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Basware announces general availability of Basware Vault  compliant, efficient and secure cloud-based archiving service for e-invoices. Basware Network customers can now archive their invoices through one centrally managed solution, ensuring efficient search and retrieval for future needs, including tax audits. Companies no longer need to cobble together physical and third-party data storage or spend countless hours properly filing paper invoices.

Outdated invoice archiving methods - paper archiving, on file servers and content management systems - have long frustrated the market, with ever changing tax regulations challenging firms' efforts to remain in compliance. Managing these requirements across multiple countries and systems creates a substantial burden. With Basware Vault, invoices and other critical documents are stored in a compliant way. As laws and requirements change in various countries, invoices automatically flow to the right location, with secure archiving to meet local requirements. Basware Vault offers companies a solution that is also flexible and scalable enough to meet their individual needs.

"Companies sending and receiving a high volume of e-invoices face a complex compliance landscape," said Mikko Pilkama, SVP of Network and Financing services of Basware. "If you're looking to improve efficiency in document retrieval and to reduce the need for manual labor, this is an excellent way to drive cost savings for your organization," added Mikko Pilkama.

Automating the archiving process, Basware retains files for predefined retention periods of up to 15 years. Archived invoices are stored for the legally required retention period and automatically destroyed when it elapses. Each archived package is digitally signed and timestamped to secure its integrity and authenticity and securely stored in an online high-availability storage for quick access. Online audit tools allow users to search by document type, sender/recipient name, ID and invoice number, as well as date/amount ranges.

The service is already delivering benefits to its first customers. The customers are multinational companies, who selected Basware Vault to make their invoice archiving efficient, compliant and safe. As they operate in multiple countries, it is very important that the selected archiving service meets the legal and tax audit requirements locally.

More information:

To learn more about Basware Vault, visit www.basware.com/en-us/solutions/network-services/invoice-sending/e-archiving

Contact:

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/basware/r/basware-launches-vault--an-e-invoice-archiving-service-to-solve-complex-regulatory-and-compliance-ch,c2330877

SOURCE Basware
NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Beaufort Books announced today the publication of A Walk for Sunshine, a special 20th anniversary edition, for September 9, 2017.

A Walk for Sunshine

In A Walk for Sunshine, Jeff Alt details his journey along the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail in honor of his brother, Aaron, who has cerebral palsy. As Alt walked more than 5 million steps through freezing temperatures, driving rain, and sunny skies, he was constantly buoyed by the knowledge that his walk was dedicated to his brother. As you walk along with Jeff, you experience perseverance, surviving with only the bare essentials, the success of goal setting, and overcoming obstacles. His story sheds light on the pursuit of a simpler life. Filled with humorous, frightening, and inspirational stories including bears, bugs, blisters, captivating characters, skunk bed mates, and hilarious food cravings, outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy this adventure for a noble cause.

Jeff's adventure inspired an annual Walk, Run, and Roll fundraiser which has raised more than $500,000 for people with disabilities served by Sunshine Communities. This year, they will celebrate the 20th annual Walk, Run and Roll on September 9th, 2017. Jeff and Sunshine have hosted the annual event each year since his original hike in 1998.

In celebration of the 20th annual Sunshine, Walk, Run, and Roll, Beaufort Books will be releasing a special anniversary addition of A Walk For Sunshine. This new edition includes a foreword by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, practical advice to plan your own hiking adventure, and an afterword by Sunshine Communities. The book includes Jeff's epilogue focusing on his Life Lessons from the trail and how he has applied them to his life. The anniversary addition will be released on September 9th and available for sale online and in stores. A percentage of book sales will be donated to Sunshine Communities.

What People Are Saying About A Walk for Sunshine:

"Engaging."  Newsday

"Alt nails the trail experience."  Chicago Sun-Times

"Lively...humorous...upbeat...A Walk For Sunshine is about the human spirit and following your dreams."  Outdoor Times

"Refreshingly funny." Indianapolis Starr

"Jeff wrote a book about his 147 day hiatus from civilization. Give him an afternoon and he could write a book on the art of hiking as well."  ESPN's Inside Americas National Parks

"Humorous and inspirational."  Lexington Herald-Leader

"Enlightening and inspiring."  Blue Ridge Outdoors

For more information, please contact Kelsey at Book Publicity Services at [email protected] or (805) 807-9027.

SOURCE Beaufort Books
WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new book by Bentley University President Gloria Cordes Larson helps parents, employers and educators to rethink how students should attend college to help them achieve happier, more rewarding careers and lives. The book, PreparedU: How Innovative Colleges Drive Student Success, lays out concrete ways to reshape the U.S. college experience, drawing from lessons learned during Larson's decade as president of Bentley.

"PreparedU: How Innovative Colleges Drive Student Success," by Bentley President Gloria Cordes Larson Bentley University President Gloria Cordes Larson

PreparedU is an important book for families who are facing one of the biggest investments of their lives  their child's college education  at an uncertain time when the fast-changing global and digital economy is forcing students now entering college to prepare for jobs after graduation that may not even exist yet. Larson is uniquely qualified to provide guidance. Under her leadership, Bentley University has been ranked #1 in the United States in both career services and internships by The Princeton Review.

"Today's employers demand a new kind of hybrid graduate who combines both hard and soft skills with the courage to take risks, the creativity to innovate, a strong moral compass and the savvy to excel in a highly competitive climate," Larson said. "We need to continue listening to students, parents, employers and forward-looking educators to identify what's working in higher education  and sometimes, what isn't  to create an education system that prepares young people to succeed in the global economy."

In PreparedU, published by Jossey-Bass, Larson draws upon interviews with educators at other universities, successful graduates, and company recruiters and executives. The book also describes the successes Bentley has experienced combining business education with the liberal arts.

"If you're making the investment of a lifetime, you'd better know what you're paying for and how to get the most out of it," said Suze Orman, the personal finance expert and best-selling author. "PreparedU explains how the opportunity for success is driven by how you go to school, not where, and anyone planning for college should understand the difference."

Watch this video to hear President Larson explain why she wrote PreparedU.

Larson joined Bentley after a diverse career in law, government and business. She was drawn to Bentley's inventive approach to redefining business education by integrating its business curriculum with the arts and sciences, as well as for its emphasis on ethics and social responsibility.

During her tenure, Bentley has reached a number of milestones. She launched Bentley's PreparedU initiative and return-on-investment-focused approach, preparing students with the market-ready skills needed for their first job and the lifelong learning abilities to ensure long-term success. Larson has also supported career planning and hands-on learning as a crucial aspect of the college experience for every student beginning in their first year.

Dedicated to Preparing a New Kind of Business Leader

Bentley University is one of the nation's leading business schools, dedicated to preparing a new kind of business leader with the technical skills, global perspective and ethical standards required to make a difference in an ever-changing world. Bentley's diverse arts and sciences program combined with an advanced business curriculum prepares graduates to make an impact in their chosen fields. The university enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students. The Princeton Review ranked Bentley #1 in the United States in both career services and internships and Bloomberg BusinessWeek ranked Bentley a top 10 undergraduate business school.

SOURCE Bentley University
LONDON, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluedot Innovation's technology was integrated in U.S.-based RocketSpace's new member app that was released for the opening of its first international location in London. RocketSpace leveraged Bluedot's mobile location technology in its app, which is designed to simplify a range of day-to-day processes for its tech scale-up and corporate innovator members and their visitors.

"Delivering the right message, to the right users, at the right time within our member app is critical," says RocketSpace CTO, Ed Cortis. "Bluedot allows us an incredible amount of flexibility for how we do that."

RocketSpace's member app allows users to access the secure building, book conference rooms remotely, register for workshops, and provides a portal to manage interactions with their guests. The app has been built to optimize the on-campus experience, with RocketSpace looking to expand its capabilities and help streamline communications with members.

"It's exciting to see our technology in action as part of RocketSpace's recently launched app, in line with our mission of connecting people seamlessly with each other and their physical environment," says Emil Davityan, Bluedot Innovation of Co-Founder. "We look forward to helping them connect across their international ecosystem as they continue their global expansion."

About Bluedot Innovation

Bluedot Innovation offers a high accuracy and battery-friendly location service platform, enabling enterprise companies to reach customers anywhere, drive mobile purchases, and understand customer behavior throughout their journey. Our patented location technology allows businesses to map out locations with Geoline tripwires or 5-meter geofences, 20x the accuracy of other location services. Through Bluedot's conditioning engine, clients target different audiences at an unlimited number of locations, without requiring additional hardware. Learn more at bluedotinnovation.com.

About RocketSpace

RocketSpace is a global ecosystem of people and ideas that provides the necessary velocity  both speed and direction  to help the world's top innovators bring the future to market. Founded in San Francisco in 2011, its global network of technology campuses across Asia, Europe and Australia and services are designed to help tech startups scale. RocketSpace also helps transform traditional corporate conglomerates into digital conglomerates to fuel continuous growth by tapping into its ecosystem of startups from around the world. Learn more at rocketspace.com/london.

Media Contacts:

Bluedot Innovation

Thu Phan

415-672-0250

[email protected]

RocketSpace  Seven Hills

[email protected]

SOURCE Bluedot Innovation

Related Links

http://www.bluedotinnovation.com


BISMARCK, N.D., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BNCCORP, INC. (BNC) (OTCQX Markets: BNCC) announced today that its BNC National Bank subsidiary has entered into a definitive agreement to sell the deposits and real property associated with its branch office located in Kenmare, North Dakota to the State Bank and Trust of Kenmare. The purchase is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed prior to year-end.

Following the transaction, BNC will discontinue operating a branch in Kenmare, North Dakota. BNC will continue to operate its thirteen other bank branches located in North Dakota, Arizona and Minnesota.

BNCCORP, INC., headquartered in Bismarck, N.D., is a registered bank holding company dedicated to providing banking and wealth management services to businesses and consumers in its local markets. The Company operates community banking and wealth management businesses in North Dakota, Arizona and Minnesota from seventeen locations. BNC also conducts mortgage banking from fourteen offices in Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Arizona and North Dakota.

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include the words "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate" or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as "will,"would,""should,""could,"or "may."

Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are subject to risks and uncertainties. A number of factors-many of which are beyond the Company's control-could cause actual results to differ significantly from those described in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. In addition, all statements in this press release, including forward-looking statements, speak only as of the date they are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any statement in light of new information or future events.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

WEBSITE: www.bnccorp.com

SOURCE BNCCORP, INC.

Related Links

http://www.bnccorp.com


NEW YORK, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Growing marijuana in North America, for obvious reasons, has historically been an underground affair. Amid growing legalization in favor of recreational and medicinal use, growing cannabis on mass scale is rapidly becoming a necessity for companies in a burgeoning industry driven by incredible consumer demand. Canada is ahead of the United States in this regard, as the country legalized marijuana for medicinal use in 2001 and recently approved national legalization for recreational use, which will go into effect in 2018. For this reason, Canadian companies have access to more capital needed for production, though only three percent of growers who apply for licensing are accepted. In a highly regulated environment, Canadian growers undertake a significant task in learning how to grow marijuana on a mass scale in order to meet rising demand for high-yield, high-quality product. ABcann Global (TSX.V: ABCN) (OTC: ABCCF) (ABcann Profile) may have cracked the code for this need, thanks to a partnership with the University of Guelph and a $30 million financing deal with Cannabis Wheaton Income Corp. (OTC: KWFLF) (TSX.V: CBW). When the company IPO'd in May, it joined the ranks of several other Canadian companies occupying favorable market positions, including Canopy Growth Corp. (OTC: TWMJF) (TSX: WEED), Aphria, Inc. (OTC: APHQF) (TSX.V: APH) and Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (OTC: ACBFF) (TSX.V: ACB).



As one of only three percent of companies to successfully obtain a production license in 2014 under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR), and in partnership with the University of Guelph, ABcann Global (TSX.V: ABCN.V) (OTCQB: ABCCF) has learned the techniques of mass yield, having developed a unique, computer-controlled environmental system that replicates natural growing environments. Located at the company's production facility in Napanee, Ontario, this controlled indoor system integrates scalable growing chambers, LED lighting, and organic fertilizers/soil while eliminating pesticides and toxins. Every aspect of the process - from air quality and oxygen, to CO 2 levels, water quality, light, temperature, humidity, nutrition, and curing - is monitored and controlled for consistent, high-quality, mass-quantity plant production. Prioritizing growing techniques and getting to this stage of operations took management foresight.

Now, at just three months old, ABcann has raised $43 million in cash, allowing it to quickly execute its expansion strategy and business model. A significant aspect of this strategy - aside from its advanced growing technology - is land ownership. To this accord, ABcann owns 65 acres of land in Napanee and with its recent financing (http://nnw.fm/aVAL7) from Cannabis Wheaton (OTC: KWFLF) (TSX.V: CBW.V), is set to expand at an unprecedented rate in the Canadian cannabis industry.

An additional $15 million investment by Cannabis Wheaton, recognized as one of the biggest cannabis company in the world, will support a second production facility, aside from ABcann's plans to build a 100,000-square-foot complex. The $30 million financing agreement demonstrates ABcann's potential for growth, as Cannabis Wheaten invests in and partners with promising cannabis companies to help them leverage their diversity and expertise to fulfil its streaming goals. This strategy helps reduce the impact of licensing and build-out delays, cultivation challenges, and issues with access by clinics, pharmacies, and government purchasing agencies. Importantly, it has its own methods of boosting yield in the industry.

In addition to supplying medical marijuana within Canada, ABcann is also growing its roots internationally. The company exports seed to Australia and dried flower to Israel, and it is expected to begin shipments to Germany in 2017. Plans for expansion are being aided by a recently granted license from Health Canada to build single or double-layer grow rooms at a new facility.

Cannabis Wheaton's investment in ABcann was priced at a $2.25 per share valuation, an approximate 160% premium over ABcann's current valuation between $0.61 and $0.90.

Another industry player with significant grow room is one of the biggest growers in the world, Canopy Growth (OTC: TWMJF) (TSX: WEED.TO). With a market cap of $1.2 billion and a 52-week range of $2.81-$14.39, Canopy represents a higher-priced entry point into the Canadian cannabis sector. The Smith Falls, Ontario-based organization maintains diversified brands and has more than 500,000 square feet of production capacity. Its Tweed brand is produced in an automated, climate-controlled greenhouse facility within the former Hershey Chocolate Factory. The company also sustains its yield through the 50,000+ square-foot Bedrocan Canada facility, which has implemented processes used in the Netherlands for decades. A second, distribution-based location delivers products imported from the Netherlands to Canadian customers.

Investors in the Canadian cannabis market also gravitate toward Aphria (OTCQB: APHQF) (TSX.V: APH.V), with its valuation of $655.9 million and 52-week range of $1.79-$6.60. Aphria grows 100 percent of its products in a sunlight-powered greenhouse that churns out many product types and blends available to health professionals and patients via prescription. Each stage of the growing process is tightly controlled. The company engages in water sampling, nutrient profiling, and pest management, so no unwanted components are added to any of its blends. Extensive laboratory testing is conducted by in-house scientists and outside laboratories so that the potency levels of its products and quality of its procedures are upheld.

Vancouver, British Columbia-based Aurora Cannabis (OTCQX: ACBFF) (TSX.V: ACB) is focused on affordable medical products and offers free shipping across Canada. It takes pride in a state-of-the-art facility that uses water harvested from the Canadian Rockies. A mountain-based facility with ideal lighting and other resources, and a drive to succeed and contribute to the industry, are paying off. From June 2015 to November 2016, the company saw a 1,419 percent gain, including an 887 percent climb after launching its initial public offering. Aurora is also notable for a mobile app in addition to its service to patients and physicians. The app is designed to simplify the purchase of medical cannabis using technologies such as push notifications, fingerprint authorization, streamlined navigation, and a focus on user experience. Fast and efficient order processing affords performance that is helping clients from all walks of life participate in the industry.

The growth of ABcann and the other discussed companies reflects the 'safety' of Canadian cannabis stocks versus those listed solely in the United States, as the latter continues to wrestle with state/federal legalization of marijuana. Without this burden, the Canadian market is thriving. In a November 2016 report, market research firm Canaccord Genuity Group forecast that the medical marijuana market in Canada alone could see sales in excess of $8 billion by 2024, creating a sizable opportunity for the country's relatively small number of licensed producers (LPs) - and for those who have mastered the requirements of high-volume yield. As demonstrated by ABcann, adequate funding for expansion to achieve high yields and growth rates is key in this increasingly competitive landscape.

For more information on ABcann Global please visit: ABcann Global (TSX.V: ABCN) (OTCQB: ABCCF)

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RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CAPTRUST, one of the nation's leading independent wealth management and retirement plan advisory firms, today announced that the Tampa, FL-based investment advisor CapTrust Advisors, has joined the CAPTRUST family. The combined organization will now operate in 34 offices nationwide and manage over $243 billion in client assets.

CapTrust Advisors brings nearly two decades of investment consulting expertise in the wealth management, institutional retirement, foundation and endowment, and religious services sectors and $19 billion of client assets under advisement. CapTrust opened in Tampa in 1998 and, together with CAPTRUST, was part of a larger CapTrust organization headquartered in Charlotte, NC. After many years partnering through the CapTrust Association, the two companies today have merged under the CAPTRUST brand, resulting in 34 offices nationwide, 138 advisors, and clients in all 50 states. This merger adds two Florida offices for CAPTRUST.

"Since their inception, CapTrust Advisors has created an enviable business built upon long-term relationships with their clients and business partners," said CAPTRUST CEO and co-founder J. Fielding Miller. "Given our relationship with them over the last 19 years, we understand the firm and its culture intimately, and we are excited for them to tap into the resources of the larger organization. This merger reflects the perfect alignment of values and our shared commitment to clients and colleagues."

Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, CAPTRUST offers advisory teams looking for a long-term home and numerous resources that are proven to accelerate growth and add substantial value to both their businesses and their clients' experience. This announcement marks the sixth merger the firm has completed in 2017 and the 26th deal completed over the last decade. Firms that join CAPTRUST realize an average of 18 percent annual revenue growth and a renewed ability to focus on their highest and best use, which is typically serving clients in a fiduciary capacity.

"There are certain characteristics we look for when determining if a firm and its people will be a good fit for us: a synergy of culture and values, a growth-oriented mindset, and a tireless dedication to taking care of clients," said CAPTRUST's Miller. "Needless to say, the CapTrust Advisors team embodies those qualities. We're confident that this merger will be a catalyst for all of us to grow together and further our unified vision."

Rick Shoff, Managing Director, Advisor Group at CAPTRUST concludes, "For well over a decade, we have been actively seeking out those special individuals and entities whose vision and priorities align with ours  and when we find each other, you know it's just right. Given the two firms' shared history, the sentiment is amplified that much more."

For media inquiries regarding this press announcement, or to speak to a CAPTRUST spokesperson, please contact: [email protected]. For information about joining the CAPTRUST team, visit www.captrustadvisors.com/advisorgrowth/.

About CAPTRUST

CAPTRUST Financial Advisors is an independent investment research and fee-based advisory firm specializing in providing retirement plan and investment advisory services to retirement plan fiduciaries, executives, and high-net-worth individuals. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, the firm represents more than $243 billion in client assets with offices in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

For more information, please visit www.captrustadvisors.com

Media Contact:

Olivia Gagnon

917-636-4809

[email protected]

SOURCE CAPTRUST Financial Advisors
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Car Keys Express is expanding into retail with the release of an in-store version of their successful mobile key replacement system. Car Keys Express NOW! is a compact, automotive key replacement solution packaged into a customer-facing, retail-friendly cabinet. The system combines easy-to-use tools, the most popular modern keys, and the company's industry-unique universal products, allowing retailers to offer key replacement to 250 million North American drivers.

Car Keys Express NOW! takes the compact system that grew Car Keys Express into a nationwide success and translates it for retail use. The cabinet, complete with marketing graphics to generate consumer awareness, prompts shoppers to use a tablet-based application guide to access key prices and availability. Once a customer selects their car's year, make, and model, a store employee assists with cutting and programming the key.

Car Keys Express NOW! removes retailers' barriers to entry. The system minimizes retailers investment in tools, training, and inventory while maximizing vehicle coverage. Affordable and user-friendly, Car Keys Express NOW! is positioned to break the decades long virtual monopoly automotive dealerships have maintained on the replacement key and remote consumer market.

"Car Keys Express NOW! gives retailers the opportunity to make great margins, incremental sales, and increase store traffic by offering consumers an easy and affordable option to dealership key replacement," explained Kirk Stewart, Marketing Manager for Car Keys Express NOW!. "For the first time in 30 years, real automotive key replacement is coming back to retail."

The Car Keys Express NOW! system is available in multiple configurations based on the numbers of vehicles a retailer wants to cover. The simplest option, the Universal Car Remote, is a stand-alone consumer product that covers 67 million vehicles with no tools required. Retailers already invested in key cutting, can supplement their existing catalog to cover even more vehicles. "It's an easy sell," said Stewart. "Car Keys Express NOW! creates a new revenue stream for a minimal investment."

Car Keys Express NOW! is more than just keys and tools. The system includes a training program designed to have employees cutting keys in just a few hours. The system also leverages Car Keys Express's nationwide footprint, giving retailers access to the company's network of technicians.

"Our nationwide team of technicians is always just around the corner, ready to help with setup, training, and support," added Stewart. "All pieces of the key replacement puzzle have finally come together."

Anticipation around the system's debut is so strong, multiple major retailers have reached out to participate in the initial rollout. When asked how he felt about the overwhelming response to Car Keys Express NOW!, Mark Lanwehr, Owner and Founder of Car Keys Express said, "We're not surprised but pleased with the feedback we've received. Automotive key replacement has only been absent in retail channels because there was no comprehensive, affordable solution, until now."

Car Keys Express is currently evaluating opportunities in both the US and Canada. Retailers interested in being considered for the first release of Car Keys Express NOW! are encouraged to contact Kirk Stewart for more information.

Contact:

Kirk Stewart

Car Keys Express NOW!

828 E. Market St. Louisville, KY

1-888-358-5397

[email protected]

www.CKEnow.com

SOURCE Car Keys Express

Related Links

http://www.CKEnow.com


DUBLIN, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Carbon Fiber Tape Market by Form Type, End-use Industry (Aerospace, Marine, Sporting Goods), Region - Global Forecast to 2022 " report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global market for carbon fiber tape, in terms of value, is projected to reach USD 2.52 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 11.95% from 2017 to 2022

In terms of volume, the global market for carbon fiber tape is projected to reach 24,480.0 tons by 2022, at a CAGR of 13.01% during the forecast period. The increasing demand for carbon fiber tape from aerospace, sporting goods, and marine industries, and new product launches undertaken by the major companies are driving the carbon fiber tape market.

Prepreg tape accounted for the largest market share in the carbon fiber tape market, by form type. This is because this tape is extensively used in aerospace, sporting goods, and automotive industries. This tape provides excellent strength-to-weight ratio, high stiffness, high toughness, and corrosion fatigue resistance.

The aerospace industry of the global carbon fiber tape market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2017 to 2022. This can be attributed to the growing need for lightweight, strong, and stiff materials. Many aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing (US) and Airbus (France) have entered into agreements with airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, and Spice Jet for the supply of aircrafts. This will increase the demand for carbon fiber tape by aircraft manufacturers. Commercial aircraft are increasing the use of carbon fiber tapes in wing manufacturing and repairing that will drive carbon fiber tape market in the aerospace industry in the near future.

The North American region holds the largest share in the carbon fiber tape market. This is due to the rising demand for superior performance materials in the aerospace industry. The greater strength-to-weight capability and excellent fatigue tolerance of carbon fiber tapes allow for more structurally efficient and aerodynamic aircraft designs. Carbon fiber tape provides superior properties such as high abrasion, wear resistance, high modulus, high strength, high stiffness, low density, chemical resistance, and low creep.

Presence of prominent manufacturers of carbon fiber tape such as Hexcel Corporation (US), Solvay (US), and among others in the region also fuel the market growth.



Market Dynamics



Drivers



Increase in the Use of Carbon Fiber Tape in Primary and Secondary Aircraft Structures

Superior Properties Offered By Carbon Fiber Tape

Multifunctional Carbon Fiber Tapes for Automotive Composites

Restraints



High Processing and Manufacturing Cost of Carbon Fiber

Opportunities



Increasing Usage of Carbon Fiber Tape in New Applications

Growing Demand From Emerging Markets

Challenges



Developing Low-Cost Technologies

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology iangulation



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights



5 Market Overview



6 Macroeconomic Overview



7 Carbon Fiber Tape Market, By Form



8 Carbon Fiber Prepreg Tape Market, By Resin



9 Carbon Fiber Prepreg Tape Market, By Manufacturing Process



10 Carbon Fiber Tape Market, By End-Use Industry



11 Carbon Fiber Tape Market, By Region



12 Competitive Landscape



13 Company Profiles



3M

BASF SE

Celanese Corporation

Chomarat

Cristex

Eurocarbon

Evonik Industries

Hexcel Corporation

Hughes Brothers

Mitsubishi Rayon Carbon Fiber and Composites

PRF Composite Materials

Park Electrochemicals

Rock West Composite

Royal DSM

Royal Tencate

SGL Group

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC)

Sigmatex

Siltex

Solvay

TCR Composites

Teijin Limited

Victrex

Zoltek Corporation

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zkv94d/carbon_fiber_tape

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


By PTI: Jammu, Aug 22 (PTI) The opposition National Conference (NC) today asked the BJP to make the people of the state understand that how repealing Article 35A would benefit the Dogras and safeguard their interests.

NC provincial chief Devender Singh Rana also asked the BJP not to indulge in jingoism, saying the BJP must realise that the fall out of removing this constitutional provision, which is detrimental to overall interests of the state in general and the people of Jammu in particular," he said adding that posterity will never forgive the BJP if Article 35A is tampered with.

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"The apprehensions of the jobs going to outside youth and businesses getting usurped by affluent traders are as graveas they were 90 years ago when the Maharaja Sahib was constrained to bring the law," he said, adding that the Article35-A may be anything but not-anti-national, as it formsimportant ingredient of the Constitution of India.

In fact, this Act endorses the wisdom of the Maharaja and his far-sight which is reflected in the presidential order of 1954.

He termed the Act as religious neutral, regional, neutral and caste neutral, saying its applicability is more relevant for the Jammu region than the other two regions of Kashmir and Ladakh.

The chances of non-state subjects making their way to Jammu are more likely because of its proximity to other parts of the country and conduciveness in terms of security cenario, culture, topography and terrain.

Rana also warned against any move that will not be in the interests of the Dogras?Mahajan Biradari, Brahmins, Rajputs, Khatris, Dogra Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Scheduled Caste and other segments of the society.

He expressed hope that the BJP would gauge the popular sentiment against repealing of Article 35-A and start course correction by rising above politics and joining saner voices of protecting and safeguarding the state subject laws.

"Protecting Article 35-A is saving the proud Dogra heritage and culture," he said, adding that the NC will take its crusade in this regard to logical conclusion.

Citing the background of the enactment of permanent residence laws in 1927, he said that the Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh had sagaciously acted upon the representation of Dogra Pratinidhi Sabha and Kashmiri Pandit Sabha, keeping in view the threat of outside domination over the poor subjects of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

He said the BJP cannot deprive the Dogras of the great legacy of their Maharja.

He questioned the silence of the BJP led NDA at the Centre in remaining mute spectator to the case pending before the Supreme Court notwithstanding such pleas being rejected twice on merit by the apex court in the past.

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"What has changed in the past three years that the Centre is acting against the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially at a time when the state is passing through a most difficult phase of its history," Rana said, asking the BJP to explain the compelling circumstances and convincing the people of Jammu, who are major stakeholders of retaining Article 35A.

PTI AB SMJ

--- ENDS ---
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published statistics this month about the increasing drug overdose deaths of teens aged 15 to 19, including psychostimulants and benzodiazepines. Although death rates for drug overdoses were highest for opioids, death rates involving psychostimulants with abuse potential quadrupled from 0.1 in 1999 to 0.4 in 2015. The rate of drug overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines increased six-fold from 0.1 in 2000 to 0.6 in 2015. In response to the CDC report, the mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is alerting parents about the risks of prescription psychostimulants and benzodiazepines which have rates of overdoses that were 33 percent and 100 percent higher than cocaine in 2015. The overdose rate for cocaine was 0.3 in both 1999 and 2015, according to CDC.[1]

CCHR Alerts Parents About New Federal Statistics Showing Rates of Youth Overdose Deaths on "ADHD" Stimulants and Benzodiazepines Are Greater Than on Cocaine

The psychostimulant, methylphenidate, is a Schedule II drug which means the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies it as having a high potential for abuse. It is prescribed largely to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents, a disorder with an insurance billing code that has come under increasing criticism for labeling normal childhood as a mental disease. The DEA warns that methylphenidate produces many of the same effects as cocaine. Psychotic episodes and severe psychological addiction have all been associated with methylphenidate abuse.[2]

The agency also correlates that the increased use of the drug to treat ADHD parallels an increase in its abuse among adolescents and young adults who crush these tablets and snort the powder to get high. The CDC reported that the percent of children given an ADHD diagnosis increased from 7.8 percent in 2003 to 11 percent in 2011-12.[3] More recent estimates are as high as 15 percent, with children routinely prescribed stimulants.[4]

In 2014, CCHR obtained statistics from IMS Health's Vector One National Database for 2013 that showed more than 1.78 million adolescents aged 13 to 17 were taking psychostimulants and 650,273 were taking anti-anxiety prescription drugs[5], many of which are from the benzodiazepine class.

In 2015, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also reported that:

Of the 17.2 million users of prescription stimulants, 1.8 million were youths aged 12 to 17 (7.3 percent of youths), 4.9 million were young adults aged 18 to 25 (14.1 percent of young adults). Additionally, 3.5 million people aged 12 or older used methylphenidate products in the past year. This number represented 1.3 percent of the population aged 12 or older.

Of the 39.3 million past year users of tranquilizers (mostly benzodiazepines), 1.1 million were youths aged 12 to 17 (4.3 percent of youths) and 4.2 million were young adults aged 18 to 25 (12.1 percent of young adults).

Of the 18.6 million users of prescription sedatives, 600,000 were youths aged 12 to 17 (2.4 percent of youths), 1.3 million were young adults aged 18 to 25 (3.8 percent of young adults).[6]

Factoring in younger-aged children and teens, in 1990, 600,000 American children were on stimulants. By 2013, this had reached 3.5 million, an increase of 483 percent.[7]

CCHR says that helping to generate this epidemic of child and adolescent drugging have been aggressive marketing of stimulants, the sales of which more than doubled to $10.5 billion in 2012 from $4 billion in 2007, according to IMS Health. Between 2012 and 2015, sales jumped again to $11.2 billion  a 180% increase since 2007.[8] Sales are expected to reach $17.5 billion in the year 2020.[9] CCHR wants to see parents better informed of the facts, soon launching its Fight for Kids campaign.

Other psychotropic drugs parents should be aware of are benzodiazepines (a type of sedative hypnotic). Prescriptions for these have more than tripled and fatal overdoses have more than quadrupled in the past 20 years, researchers also found in 2016. "Overdoses rose at a faster rate than prescriptions, suggesting that people were using benzodiazepines in a riskier way over time," said lead author Dr. Marcus Bachhuber, assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.[10]

Dependence on benzodiazepines can also develop after only a few weeks of taking them. Most addicts consider it harder to withdraw from benzodiazepines than from heroin or narcotic painkillers.[11]

The increasing prescription of the psychoactive prescription drugs may be contributing to unintentional overdoses or inducing suicidal behavior, CCHR says. The CDC report says that of all drug overdose deaths among adolescents aged 15-19 in 2015, 13.5% were suicide. There were almost 22% of drug overdose deaths among female adolescents that were suicides compared to 8.7% males.[12]

Suicidal thoughts are among a battery of known side effects of methylphenidate type stimulants.[13] There are at least two drug regulatory agency warnings linking methylphenidate to suicide risk or attempts.[14]

Psychostimulants can be bought and sold among students who have no idea what they were messing with, said Alan Schwartz, a New York Times reporter and author of ADHD Nation: Children, Doctors, Big Pharma and the Making of an American Epidemic.[15] He found that kids "were either faking ADHD to their doctors or buying the pills from someone who had been diagnosed."[16]

In 2013, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids released the findings of a survey that found ninepercent of teens (about 1.9 million) reported having misused or abused two the most prominent ADHD stimulants. More than a quarter of teens (27 percent) mistakenly believed that misusing and abusing prescription drugs was safer than using street drugs.[17]

Schwartz said he "asked the ADHD and child-psychiatry establishment" about ADHD and stimulant prescription concerns "and they denied it was happening.They denied that teenagers were buying and selling pills.They basically denied that anything about their world was malfunctioning at all. In the end, they doth protest too much. I wrote about 10 front-page stories for The New York Times on the subject from 2012-2014."[18]

Making things worse, he added, were pharmaceutical companies who produced advertisements "ultimately to parents themselves that misrepresented what their product was, what it treated, and what it did. Disgustingly so. ADHD drugs do not give a child 'grades that match his intelligence,'" which is what one stimulant drug ad told parents in People magazine. "Another ad had a mother telling her kid that, thanks to the ADHD drugs, 'I'm proud of you.' It's sick. But there are really no repercussions for companies that do this," Schwartz reported. "Every ADHD drug has received a formal reprimand from the FDA for false and misleading advertising. Every one," Schwartz said.[19]

Subjective Diagnosis Creates Drug Epidemic

CCHR says that the criteria for diagnosing ADHD are so subjective and arbitrary that any child could be diagnosed with the label. This is one reason kids can easily "fake" the symptoms to doctors. In its Fight for Kids campaign, CCHR plans to increase educational information for parents and teachers about how the symptoms of ADHD are almost identical to those attributed to gifted children.[20]

Dr. Robert Berezin, who taught psychiatry at Harvard Medical School for 30 years said, "What is called ADHD in general is merely one part of the constellation of temperaments that make up the human condition." He added:

"Somewhere along the line we have lost the understanding that kids come in all shapes and sizes. Some kids are active, some are quiet; some kids are dreamers, others are daring; some kids are dramatic, others are observers; some impulsive, others reserved; some leaders, others followers; some athletic, others thinkers. Where did we ever get the notion that kids should all be one way?[21]

In his last interview before his death, Leon Eisenberg , the "scientific father of ADHD" and a leader in child psychiatry for more than 40 years, admitted that "ADHD is a prime example of a fictitious disease."[22]

Dr. Keith Conners conducted the first formal trials on the use of methylphenidate in noisy and difficult to control children, subsidized by the drug's manufacturer. Findings from these trials spurred research into the then so-called Minimal Brain Dysfunction or Hyperkinetic Reaction of Childhood (later replaced with ADHD). Conners became a champion of the diagnosis and drugs prescribed to treat it. Yet today he calls ADHD misdiagnoses "a national disaster of dangerous proportions."[23]

Psychiatric Drug Side Effects Online Database Can Help Prevent Children and Adolescents Being Put at Risk

In addition to overdoses from psychotropic prescription drugs and adverse side effects, CCHR encourages parents to research the drugs before agreeing to have their child administered them. They produced an online, easily searchable psychiatric drug side effects database to help.

Since 2013, there have been more than 19,000 reports of complications from ADHD drugs, most of which are stimulants made to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today analysis.

In emergency departments around the country, the number of cases involving two common ADHD drugs nearly quadrupled over seven years. In 2004, the drugs played a role in 10,800 cases of emergency department visits. By 2011, the figure for those two drugs jumped to 42,000.[24]

CCHR says that parents are up against a "quick fix" culture, with heavy psychiatric marketing that children's natural exuberance, creativity, independence and even teenage angst is abnormal requiring a mind-altering drug. The fact that these drugs become illicit street drugs and can lead to high rates of overdose and hospital emergency visits is evidence of their serious risks. Dr. Berezin commented that, "One thing is for sure: There is no brain condition that generates some disease called ADHD, and none has ever been demonstrated. And no child should be given amphetamines."[25] That should be extended to all psychotropic drugs, CCHR says.

As a nonprofit, public benefit organization, CCHR has been responsible for helping obtain over 180 laws enacted, including the 2004 Federal Child Medication Safety Amendment that prohibits schools from forcing children to take psychotropic drugs as a requisite for their education. Click here to support the "Fight for Kids" campaign.

Contact: Amber Rauscher at (323) 467-4242 or [email protected]

References:

[1] Sally C. Curtin, M.A., Betzaida Tejada-Vera, M.S., and Margaret Warner, Ph.D., "Drug Overdose Deaths Among Adolescents Aged 1519 in the United States: 19992015," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCHS Data Brief No. 282, Aug. 2017; https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db282.htm; https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db282.pdf



[2] "Drugs of Abuse," U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, p. 35, https://www.naabt.org/documents/Drugs%20of%20abuse%20DEA.pdf



[3] https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html



[4] Sylvia Booth Hubbard, "ADHD 'Epidemic' Called False Crisis That Has Led to Overprescribing of Drugs," Newsmax, 19 Oct. 2016,http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Headline/ADHD-epidemic-crisis-overprescribing/2016/10/19/id/754299



[5] IMS, Vector One: National (VONA) and Total Patient Tracker (TPT) Database, Year 2013, Extracted April 2014; https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/children-on-psychiatric-drugs



[6] Arthur Hughes, et al., "Prescription Drug Use and Misuse in the United States: Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health," SAMHSA NSDUH Data Review, Sept. 2016, https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FFR2-2015/NSDUH-FFR2-2015.htm.



[7] "Generation Adderall," The New York Times, 12 Oct. 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/magazine/generation-adderall-addiction.html?mcubz=0



[8] "Medicines Use and Spending in the U.S., A Review of 2016 and Outlook to 2021," QuintilesIMS Institute, May 2017, http://www.imshealth.com/en/thought-leadership/quintilesims-institute/reports/medicines-use-and-spending-in-the-us-review-of-2016-outlook-to-2021; "Top Therapeutic Classes by U.S. Spending," IMS National Sales Perspectives, 23 Feb 2012, http://www.imshealth.com/files/web/Corporate/News/Top-Line%20Market%20Data/Top_Therapy_Classes_by_Sales.pdf.



[9] Luke Whelan, "Sales of ADHD Meds Are Skyrocketing. Here's Why," Mother Jones, 24 Feb. 2015, http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/02/hyperactive-growth-adhd-medication-sales



[10] "Benzodiazepine prescriptions, overdose deaths on the rise in U.S.," Reuters, 26 Feb. 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-rxdrugs-benzodiazepine-overdos-idUSKCN0VZ2TU



[11] Jonathan Brett and Bridin Murnion, "Management of benzodiazepine misuse and dependence," Australian Prescriber, 1 Oct. 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657308; http://www.drugaddictiontreatment.com/types-of-addiction/prescription-drug-addiction/ambien-addiction



[12] Sally C. Curtin, M.A., Betzaida Tejada-Vera, M.S., and Margaret Warner, Ph.D., "Drug Overdose Deaths Among Adolescents Aged 1519 in the United States: 19992015," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NCHS Data Brief No. 282, Aug. 2017; https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db282.htm; https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db282.pdf



[13] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2141044/ADHD-Ritalin-prescriptions-soaring-experts-warn-effects.html



[14] https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/stimulantsideeffects/ritalinsideeffects



[15] Gareth Cook, "Big Pharma's Manufactured Epidemic: The Misdiagnosis of ADHD," Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2016, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/big-pharma-s-manufactured-epidemic-the-misdiagnosis-of-adhd



[16] Sylvia Booth Hubbard, "ADHD 'Epidemic' Called False Crisis That Has Led to Overprescribing of Drugs," Newsmax, 19 Oct. 2016, http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Headline/ADHD-epidemic-crisis-overprescribing/2016/10/19/id/754299



[17] https://drugfree.org/newsroom/news-item/national-study-teen-misuse-and-abuse-of-prescription-drugs-up-33-percent-since-2008-stimulants-contributing-to-sustained-rx-epidemic



[18] Gareth Cook, "Big Pharma's Manufactured Epidemic: The Misdiagnosis of ADHD," Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2016, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/big-pharma-s-manufactured-epidemic-the-misdiagnosis-of-adhd



[19] Gareth Cook, "Big Pharma's Manufactured Epidemic: The Misdiagnosis of ADHD," Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2016, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/big-pharma-s-manufactured-epidemic-the-misdiagnosis-of-adhd



[20] Behaviors Associated with Giftedness: Poor attention, boredom, daydreaming in specific situations; low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant; judgment lags behind development of intellect; intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities; high activity level; may need less sleep; questions rules, customs, and traditions; http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/watchdog-group-alerts-parents-and-teachers-about-gifted-children-being-mislabeled-adhd-and-given-stimulant-drugs-300501824.html



[21] Robert Berezin M.D., "No, There is No Such Thing as ADHD: Different temperaments make some kids more active," Psychology Today, 17 Mar. 2015, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-theater-the-brain/201503/no-there-is-no-such-thing-adhd



[22] http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/father-of-adhd-calls-himself-a-liar/#SAe7LssguLIzLtry.99



[23] Gareth Cook, "Big Pharma's Manufactured Epidemic: The Misdiagnosis of ADHD," Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2016, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/big-pharma-s-manufactured-epidemic-the-misdiagnosis-of-adhd



[24] "New heroin? ADHD drug abuse similar to opioids," APP (Part of USA Today network), 12 Sept. 2016, http://www.app.com/story/news/2016/09/12/new-heroin-abuse-adhd-drugs-similar-opioids/90272344



[25] Robert Berezin M.D.,"No, There is No Such Thing as ADHD: Different temperaments make some kids more active," Psychology Today, 17 Mar. 2015, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-theater-the-brain/201503/no-there-is-no-such-thing-adhd

Related Links

Parents: Get the FactsKnow Your Rights

SOURCE Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR)
NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning August 23rd, the date known as "National Cheap Flight Day," airfare will begin to decrease due to the transition into off-peak travel season. Data and trends examined by flight-focused online travel agency, CheapOair, shows that average prices for popular travel destinations will decrease approximately 30% for international travel, and 14% for domestic travel, as we head into the off-peak season*.

Among the top international destinations, Spain is seeing the largest percentage decreases. Madrid yields potential savings of over $250, and Barcelona will see savings of over $200. Asia is also expected to see massive decreases in airfares, with cities like Manila, Philippines showing prices decreasing by well over 32%, with a potential savings of over $300. For domestic destinations, Los Angeles tops the list with fares being 27% cheaper than normal. Chicago and Seattle follow, with price decreases at 15% and 14%.

CheapOair's Top International Destinations for Cheap Flight Day*

Destination Percentage Decrease Savings Opportunity Madrid, Spain 37% Potential savings over $250 Barcelona, Spain 33% Potential savings over $200 Manila, Philippines 32% Potential savings over $300 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 31% Potential savings over $250 Bangkok, Thailand 30% Potential savings over $250 Rome, Italy 28% Potential savings over $200 Dubai, UAE 24% Potential savings over $150 Paris, France 24% Potential savings over $150

"As summer quickly comes to a close, so does the busiest time of the year for travel. Kids are back to school, the weather starts to cool down and people are gearing up for the holidays. As the demand for airfare decreases, so do the fares," says Sanjay Hathiramani, Global SVP of Supplier Relations for CheapOair.

CheapOair's Top Domestic Destinations for Cheap Flight Day*

Destination Percentage Decrease Savings Opportunity Los Angeles, California 27% Potential savings over $50 Chicago, Illinois 15% Potential savings over $30 Seattle, Washington 14% Potential savings over $30 Minneapolis, Minnesota 14% Potential savings over $25 Portland, Oregon 13% Potential savings over $30 San Diego, California 11% Potential savings over $25 Nashville, Tennessee 11% Potential savings over $25 Boston, Massachusetts 10% Potential savings over $20

"Cheap Flight Day isn't just one day of deals  it's the start of the off peak season. Fares are going to continue to stay low until Thanksgiving. Especially for those looking for deals to international destinations, the time to book your tickets are during this window, beginning at the end of August," added Hathiramani.

Travelers can sign up to receive daily travel deals to various destinations, including these destinations listed above, by making a CheapOair profile at CheapOair.com. For more information, please visit CheapOair.com, download the CheapOair app for iOS and Android or check out CheapOair's Miles Away blog for travel tips and trends.

*The data referenced compared average fares booked through 8/31/2017 departing from all U.S. cities between 06/01/1708/31/17 and 09/01/201711/31/17.

About CheapOair

CheapOair is a flight-focused, hybrid travel agency that enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone or live chat. CheapOair (https://www.cheapoair.com, 1-800-566-2345) bridges the gap between an online and traditional travel agency with certified travel agents available 24/7 to help find deals and offers to destinations worldwide on over 450 airlines, 1 million hotels, and 100s of car rental companies. Partner airlines benefit from access to CheapOair's broad customer base that books high yield international travel and add-on ancillaries at above the industry average. Follow CheapOair on Facebook and Twitter to learn how to travel the world for less.

SOURCE CheapOair

Related Links

https://www.cheapoair.com


The roadshow started with a singing and dancing performance put on by performers from Hainan province's Li and Miao minority nationalities. The amazing melodies and lyrics made the attendees yearn for the beautiful coastal scenery of Sanya. In the exhibit area, elements of Sanya were displayed everywhere with a photo exhibition, a food tasting event, a culture display of the local Li nationality and experiences of the local natural scenery via VR glasses, making the attendees feel like being in the seaside city. Miss World 2016 Stephanie Del Valle interacted enthusiastically with the attendees, welcoming them to gather at the 2017 Miss World Final in Sanya.

Nora Robert, a Londoner who attended the event and expressed a keen interest in Sanya's appeal as an ideal tropical destination, noted, "Sanya has breath-taking sights and unique folk culture, especially the ethnic dances. I'm looking forward to visiting the tropical city during the 2017 Miss World Final."

Sanya's executive vice mayor Bao Jian said at the event, "As one of the best cities to live in China and one of the Chinese cities with the highest air quality, Sanya has been hailed as 'a city that establishes a reputation around the world for its extraordinary sunshine and air quality'. Over the past few years, the city has been committed to transforming itself into an international tropical seaside destination that is very suitable for both leisure vacation and living by refreshing the urban landscape through integration of its mountains, rivers and the sea. Sanya has also become an open international city that has engaged in friendly collaborations and exchanges with over 40 countries and regions worldwide while building sister city relationships with 13 cities around the world. Last year, Sanya established a sister city relationship with Blackpool, UK, in a move to promote exchanges and other collaborative activities between the two cities across several sectors, including commerce, culture, art and tourism. The Celebration held today provides a platform through which travellers from the UK can develop an understanding of the city. More travellers from the country are encouraged to visit the amazing destination with extraordinary tourism resources and experience the city's unique landscape and culture."

Mr. Chan stated, "Sanya is one of the world's most sought-after travel destinations for British people. The promotional meeting has presented the city's unique charm as a tropical seaside resort, allowing local attendees to have a better understanding of the city. More travellers from the UK are encouraged to come and visit Sanya. I also look forward to facilitating the collaborations and exchanges between Sanya and London across tourism and culture sectors."

An all-dimensional and multi-perspective promotional approach leads to positive feedback from local attendees

A promotional meeting themed "A Romantic Invitation to Beautiful Sanya" was held during the Celebration, with representatives from British tourism service providers, travel agencies and travel-focused media outlets in attendance. The event was set up with facilities combining the classic British style with the unique elements of Sanya, consolidating the city's brand image as a prime international tropical seaside vacation destination. The promotional meeting was strongly supported by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, British travel agencies, British mainstream media and China Chamber of Commerce.

With a focus on integrated marketing, the promotional meeting introduced Sanya's natural resources, established hotels, MICE (meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition) events, airlines and routes as well as a variety of tourism services. During the event, Sanya Tourism Development Commission researcher Tang Sixian vividly gave an illustrated presentation on Sanya and interacted well with attendees, allowing participants to increase awareness of the coastal city in a joyful environment. Miss World Ltd spokesperson STEVE extended an invitation to attendees by telling his personal living experience in Sanya, welcoming them to visit the seaside vacation destination. Subsequently, hotels, airlines and the MICE industry executives each took turns in welcoming tourists from the UK and around the world to the tropical city with the highest standards, best services and best reception capabilities in their respective fields. Enthusiasm and hospitality of Sanya's citizenry demonstrated via the presentation by the delegation from Sanya made a deep impression on all the attendees.

Miss World Ltd chairwoman Julia Morley was one of the attendees who had previously visited the city. At the event, she announced the plan to host the 2017 Miss World pageant in Sanya in December and send an invitation to London citizen. Miss Morley told guests in her own experience: "Sanya is a beautiful city where the local citizenry is gentle, open-minded and inclusive and these are core criteria for the selection of a Miss World winner. We are looking forward to deepening and improving partnerships with Sanya to build a better cooperation platform, and helping the city explore international markets through holding the 2017 Miss World Final in it."

Several representatives from travel agencies and media said that Sanya is their tourism destination dream. Its beautiful sights and rich tourism resources are most attractive to British tourists. They are looking forward to seeing direct flights from Sanya to London, allowing more British tourists to visit and experience the Chinese city.

A UK-based international travel agency who attended the meeting commented, "That's great! Sanya is an ideal tourism market for us and a popular vacation destination, especially as a result of the beautiful scenery, the high quality services and the enthusiasm of its citizenry, as well as the wide variety of tourism services. We are eager for launch of direct flight services between Sanya and UK as soon as possible. We are looking forward to strengthening our cooperation with Sanya, giving more British tourists the opportunity to have a good time and enjoy Sanya's tropical scenery."

During the interaction session, the Sanya delegation conducted in-depth discussions with British travel agencies on how to launch flight services between Sanya and London and to improve reception capabilities.

The Celebration had previously been held in Bangkok, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jakarta, Indonesia, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Moscow, Russia, and now it moves to London. Sanya's municipal government said that future stops for the roadshow include Germany, as well other countries that are the main sources of visitors to Sanya. At each stop they plan to host promotional events with the aim of enhancing the awareness and heightening the reputation of Sanya in international tourism markets.

SOURCE Sanya Municipal Government
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CHRISTUS Health, one of the top ten largest Catholic health systems in the U. S., has signed on to the TriNetX global health research network, TriNetX announced today. CHRISTUS Health has decided to standardize on the TriNetX network as their conduit to sponsored clinical trials.

"CHRISTUS Health's partnership with TriNetX will enhance our clinical research activities and accelerate our ability to identify patients and their timely inclusion in selected clinical trials," said Sohail Rao, MD, MA, DPhil, System Vice President for Research and Academics and Chief Academic Officer at CHRISTUS Health. "It will allow us to undertake protocol design, selection of appropriate sites, collaborative research and grant funding opportunities across a range of therapeutic areas and development stages."

TriNetX is a network comprised of healthcare organizations representing over 84 million patients globally, biopharmaceutical companies, and contract research organizations (CROs). Network members utilize TriNetX's health research platform to analyze patient populations with search criteria across multiple longitudinal data points. TriNetX's advanced analytics modules provide intelligence on the most impactful criteria as well as identifying the rate at which new patients present. Each de-identified data point in the TriNetX network can be traced to healthcare organizations who then are able to identify individual patients. Researchers can discover patients for industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated studies, as well as for collaboration with peer research institutions.

"We are pleased that CHRISTUS Health has decided to join the TriNetX network," said Jim Whelan, Senior Vice President of Global Sales at TriNetX. "The addition of the total patient population and accessible data domains from CHRISTUS' multiple regions further enhance the value of TriNetX for all our members."

About CHRISTUS Health

CHRISTUS Health, an international Catholic, faith-based, not-for-profit health system, is headquartered in the Dallas area and is comprised of more than 600 services and facilities, including more than 60 hospitals and long-term care facilities, 350 clinics and outpatient centers and dozens of other health ministries and ventures. CHRISTUS services can be found in 60 cities in the U.S., Mexico, Chile and Colombia. The system employs approximately 45,000 Associates and has over 15,000 physicians on facility medical staffs who provide care and support for patients. https://www.christushealth.org/

About TriNetX

TriNetX is the global health research network enabling healthcare organizations, biopharma and contract research organizations (CROs) to collaborate, enhance trial design, accelerate recruitment and bring new therapies to market faster. Each member of our community shares in the consolidated value of our global, federated health research network that connects clinical researchers in real-time to the patient populations which they are attempting to study. For more information, visit https://www.trinetx.com/.

Media Contacts:

Jennifer Haas

TriNetX

P: (978) 697-3921

E: [email protected]

Katy Kiser

CHRISTUS Health

P: (469) 282-2563

E: [email protected]

SOURCE TriNetX

Related Links

http://www.trinetx.com


Analyzing claim lines (the individual procedures or services listed on an insurance claim) with diagnoses of anaphylactic food reactions in the period 2007-2016, FAIR Health found that peanuts were the most common specifically identified food causing anaphylaxis, accounting for 26 percent of those claim lines. Tree nuts and seeds followed closely at 18 percent. Also common were egg allergies, crustacean allergies (e.g., allergies to shrimp or lobster) and dairy allergies, making up, respectively, 7 percent, 6 percent and 5 percent of claim lines. The most common category, however, was "other specific foods" (33 percent), which typically means the food causing the anaphylactic reaction is unknown.

FAIR Health data show that claim lines for the "other specific foods" category increased less (71 percent) from 2007 to 2016 than for anaphylactic food reactions associated with specific foods, indicating perhaps that physicians are becoming better educated and more adept at determining the cause of such reactions. By comparison, claim lines with diagnoses of peanut anaphylactic reactions increased 445 percent and those with diagnoses of tree nuts/seeds anaphylactic reactions increased 603 percent.

The increase in claim lines with diagnoses of history of food allergy from 2007 to 2016 was greater in rural (110 percent) than urban (70 percent) areas, FAIR Health data show. This finding is striking, given the common thinking that food allergies are much more of an urban than a rural problem.

Food allergies are commonly thought of as a childhood condition, but FAIR Health data show they are a broader issue. About two-thirds (66 percent) of all claim lines with diagnoses of history of food allergy from 2007 to 2016 were attributable to patients 18 years old and younger, but about a third (34 percent) were attributable to those over 18 years old.

FAIR Health's forthcoming white paper will explore such aspects of food allergies as gender, the relationship between specific food allergies and age, geographic distribution, treatments and costs.

FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "Food allergies are a growing national public health concern, and therefore it is fitting for FAIR Health to use its vast data repository to contribute to the body of knowledge on the subject. We intend to continue to study food allergies and to release findings that can inform research and policy."

Click here to read the study:

http://www.realclearhealth.com/articles/2017/08/21/food_allergies_new_data_on_a_growing_health_issue_110709.html

Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth

About FAIR Health

FAIR Health is a national, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health oversees the nation's largest collection of healthcare claims data, which includes a repository of over 23 billion billed medical and dental procedures that reflect the claims experience of over 150 million privately insured individuals, and separate data representing the experience of more than 55 million individuals enrolled in Medicare. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a Qualified Entity, FAIR Health receives all of Medicare Parts A, B and D claims data for use in nationwide transparency efforts. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data productsincluding benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics, episodes of care analytics and market indicesto commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. FAIR Health has earned HITRUST CSF and Service Organization Controls (SOC 2) certifications by meeting the rigorous data security standards of those organizations. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish and as an English/Spanish mobile app, which enable consumers to estimate and plan their healthcare expenditures and offer a rich educational platform on health insurance. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Elisabeth Rosenthal's new book, An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

Contact:

Dean Sicoli

Executive Director of Communications and Public Relations

FAIR Health

646-664-1645

[email protected]

SOURCE FAIR Health

Related Links

http://fairhealth.org


CloudMargin is the first technology provider to join GlobalCollateral's Partner Program, with MTU integration efforts currently underway. MTU is a comprehensive industry solution that automates and streamlines the processing and settlement of margin and collateral for dealers and buy-side firms. The solution reduces risk and costs for market participants by securely capturing settlement instructions, accelerating processing velocity, improving visibility and consolidating reporting.

Through this partnership, mutual clients logged onto CloudMargin can access full MTU capabilities including automatically sending settlement instructions to their custodians enriched with centrally stored settlement instructions (SSIs) from DTCC's ALERT database. Users will also receive MTU's automated intraday settlement status information directly into CloudMargin. This full automation of the collateral lifecycle reduces manual touch points, ensures data accuracy and creates increased transparency into the collateral process.

Ted Leveroni, Chief Commercial Officer at GlobalCollateral, stated: "We welcome CloudMargin to our Partner Program to bring increased efficiencies, accuracy and transparency to the collateral management process. This integration will enable a true end-to-end solution, allowing our mutual clients to streamline and scale up processes at a time of increasing collateral and margin call demands."

Simon Millington, CloudMargin Head of Product Management, said: "We are very excited about this integration with GlobalCollateral and look forward to bringing great new efficiencies to our respective users. We already have significant interest among our clients and prospects, particularly in this environment where the requirements to post daily Variation Margin have introduced a pressing need for technological solutions and a community of providers available at clients' fingertips."

CloudMargin has established an extensive network of approximately 20 exchanges, clearing firms and other technology solution partners, providing an opportunity for clients to create a collateral management solution tailored to their unique needs. The CloudMargin and MTU link is expected to go live in Q4 2017.

About CloudMargin

Headquartered in London, CloudMargin created the world's first cloud-based collateral management workflow tool, which has earned eight different industry awards since 2015 for innovation and best-in-class technology. The firm's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model is helping many of the leading financial institutions globally  including exchanges, brokerage firms, banks, asset management firms and insurance companies  meet time-critical regulatory deadlines and reduce costs associated with collateral requirements that are growing dramatically. CloudMargin bypasses many of the shortfalls of legacy, on-premise software, enabling clients to experience rapid implementation and access to robust and secure collateral management workflow software. For more information, visit www.cloudmargin.com.

About GlobalCollateral

DTCC-Euroclear GlobalCollateral Ltd ("GlobalCollateral") is a joint-venture between DTCC and Euroclear, two of the world's largest post-trade infrastructures. An open architecture infrastructure designed to streamline collateral processing globally, GlobalCollateral provides both OTC derivatives and financing solutions that deliver transparency, collateral mobility, efficiency and security through two powerful utilities:

The Margin Transit Utility: enabling straight-through processing of margin calls and providing improved liquidity and operational risk management.

The Collateral Management Utility: automating collateral management tasks, re-positioning inventory seamlessly across settlement locations, making collateral available wherever and whenever it is needed.

For more information, visit: www.globalcollateral.net.

SOURCE CloudMargin

Related Links

http://www.cloudmargin.com


ATLANTA, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Core Security, a leader in Vulnerability, Access Risk Management and Network Detection and Response, today announced that Forrester's Joseph Blankenship will deliver a keynote speech for its upcoming annual user conference, Connect 2017, October 17 - 18 in Atlanta, Georgia. Joseph Blankenship is a leading security industry veteran and currently a senior analyst at Forrester serving security and risk professionals.

Blankenship will examine how analytics and automation are combining to transform security operations. Specifically, he will address how combating threats and keeping pace with change requires security technologies to work together and security leaders to embrace automation. Blankenship will deliver his keynote on Wednesday, October 18 at 4:15pm ET.

The Connect conference brings together Core Security customers, partners, and industry thought leaders to discuss ways to better tackle cybersecurity issues such as access risk, network detection and response, pen-testing and vulnerability management. The conference also includes a full day of dedicated hands-on technical training and workshops providing attendees with a deeper understanding of solutions designed to more effectively secure their companies' data. Attendees will be eligible for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits.

"As IT environments and threats evolved, approaches to security have largely stayed the same. Cybersecurity is built on a legacy of siloed technologies and manual processes, but we understand that organizations need to embrace things like orchestration and analytics to remain ahead of the competition," said David Earhart, CEO, Core Security. "We are excited to have Joseph bring his expertise to Core Connect and explain how analytics and orchestration are crucial to navigating today's threat landscape."

For more information on Connect 2017, please visit https://coreconnect2017.sched.com/

About Core Security Corporation

Core Security provides companies with the security insight they need to know who, how, and what is vulnerable in their organization. The company's threat-aware, identity & access, network security, and vulnerability management solutions provide actionable insight and context needed to manage security risks across the enterprise. This shared insight gives customers a comprehensive view of their security posture to make better security remediation decisions. Better insight allows organizations to prioritize their efforts to protect critical assets, take action sooner to mitigate access risk, and react faster if a breach does occur.

Core Security is headquartered in the USA with offices and operations in South America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. To learn more, contact Core Security at (678) 304-4500 or [email protected]

SOURCE Core Security
Based on the Purchase and Security agreements with Citigold, ten million CrGLD coins backed by 100,000 ounces of gold provides investors with the best of both worlds, the possible exponential returns of cryptocurrencies, combined with the age-old value and security of gold.

To ensure owners can maximise the cryptocurrency benefits of CrGLD coins, CryptoGLD has set the gold redemption date as June 2022. This means no matter what happens to the CrGLD price, once CrGLDs are redeemable, owners can choose between the best of two options. If CrGLD, like Ether, increases with thousands of percent, the option exists of selling them on an exchange. Should gold outperform CrGLD, then the best option may be to cash them in for the gold spot price of the day, or collect the gold. Based on this, we believe CrGLD is one of the best and safest investments available on the market.

Its creators believe that CrGLD's asset backing will result in a more stable price, eliminating the extreme volatility associated with cryptocurrencies, while providing investors with the "price security" of gold.

"Total transparency is a must." Says Vice President Gregory Breytenbach. "Some promising coins turn out to be nothing more than empty shells, with no value proposition or liquidity. To ensure our clients are well informed, we're posting our Gold purchase, Security Agreements and audit reports in our wallet." Says Mr. Breytenbach.

"This is a truly innovative and exciting way of purchasing gold." Says Mr Mark Lynch, CEO of Citigold. "It enables anyone to securely trade in gold, adding to the value proposition of cryptocurrencies". To see Citigold's public announcement, visit www.citigold.com

CryptoGLD's initial coin offering provides investors with the opportunity to purchase CrGLDs at cost, the spot price of gold, but with the added benefit of 5 free coins for every 100 coins purchased. The company's release of it's wallet allows people to buy CryptoGLD coins now and transfer funds privately between wallets using blockchain technology. And so they felt the need to reward early adopters, valid until the coins are available to trade on the open exchange in the 4th quarter of 2017.



"We want to give investors the opportunity purchase before we list on an exchange", said Mr Breytenbach, "which could see the value increase significantly. To reward early adopters CryptoGLD is also offering 5 free coins for every 100 coins purchased. We are also very excited to announce that we are developing a new merchant payment gateway planned for release in early 2018".

With CryptoGLD's exceptional innovations in the cryptocurrency sector, the benefits that come twofold, both from a gold investment perspective and a cryptocurrency investment perspective, they seem to be the best investment solution available.

For more information visit: https://cryptogld.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cryptogld-310244222737392/

Email: [email protected]

For more information please contact our Customer Service Team

+1-(610)-888-2332

[email protected]

SOURCE CryptoGLD

Related Links

https://cryptogld.com


DALLAS, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hankinson LLP founder Deborah Hankinson and firm partner Rick Thompson have earned selection to the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in recognition of their appellate work. Ms. Hankinson earned additional notice for her arbitration and mediation practice.

This is the 10th consecutive year Ms. Hankinson has been honored for her appellate practice and the third year her arbitration and mediation work have been recognized. It is Mr. Thompson's first year to be listed in the prestigious legal guide.

"Although this is an individual recognition, I've always said it is hard to succeed alone. It is vitally important to work alongside exceptional attorneys, and that is exactly what we have at Hankinson LLP," said Ms. Hankinson. "Rick is among the best appellate attorneys, and his recognition is well-deserved."

For more information on the attorneys at Hankinson LLP, visit http://hankinsonlaw.com/our-team/.

Mr. Thompson handles appeals in state and federal courts. He argued a precedent-setting sovereign immunity case before the Supreme Court of Texas and has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court several times. A former Texas Assistant Solicitor General, he is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and he is a frequent speaker at appellate conferences across Texas.

A former Texas Supreme Court justice, Ms. Hankinson is among the most respected appellate lawyers in Texas, with a nationally recognized arbitration and mediation practice. She is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and sits on the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association. She serves as a neutral in arbitration proceedings and is a sought-after mediator in sophisticated business disputes, complex torts and sensitive employment cases.

The legal profession's oldest peer-review publication, Best Lawyers is widely considered the top guide to U.S. lawyers. The publication conducts a rigorous peer-review survey that includes millions of confidential evaluations by other lawyers. To learn more, visit https://www.bestlawyers.com.

Hankinson LLP, the preeminent civil appellate firm in the Southwest, provides clients with innovative legal insights and judicial perspective in all phases of litigation. The firm's attorneys work with trial teams to develop strategies designed to put a case in the best position before, during and after trial. Dallas-based Hankinson LLP represents national clients, regional companies, governmental bodies and individuals with trial and appellate matters, and offers mediation and arbitration services as well. Learn more about the firm at http://hankinsonlaw.com.

For more information, please contact Rhonda Reddick at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].

SOURCE Hankinson LLP

Related Links

http://www.hankinsonlaw.com


DALLAS, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dean Foods Company (NYSE:DF) today announced that Chris Bellairs, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will depart the company effective September 1. Bellairs will assist in transitioning to Scott Vopni, Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, who will assume the responsibilities in the interim while the company conducts its search for a new CFO. Bellairs' departure is not related to any issues regarding the integrity of the company's financial statements or accounting policies and practices.

"Chris helped guide the company to where we are today as a standalone company and worked hard to improve our balance sheet. We appreciate the years of service Chris dedicated to Dean Foods, and we wish him well as he pursues his next opportunity," said Ralph Scozzafava, Chief Executive Officer. "Scott Vopni is well qualified to serve as interim CFO while we conduct a search for a financial executive who will further build our leadership team's experience taking a company through the kind of strategic transformation we're executing here at Dean Foods. I speak on behalf of our leadership team in saying we remain focused and committed to executing our plan and delivering results for the remainder of 2017 and beyond."

Vopni joined Dean Foods in May 2008 and has served multiple senior roles in the company's finance organization. During his tenure, Vopni was integrally involved in debt, equity and M&A transactions and led the company's investor relations activities. Vopni currently leads the accounting team and oversees the finance function for both the supply chain and commercial organizations.

About Dean Foods

Dean Foods is a leading food and beverage company and the largest processor and direct-to-store distributor of fluid milk and other dairy and dairy case products in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Dean Foods portfolio includes DairyPure, the country's first and largest fresh, white milk national brand, and TruMoo, the leading national flavored milk brand, along with well-known regional dairy brands such as Alta Dena, Berkeley Farms, Country Fresh, Dean's, Garelick Farms, Friendly's, LAND O LAKES milk and cultured products*, Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms, Mayfield, McArthur, Meadow Gold, Oak Farms, PET**, T.G. Lee, Tuscan and more. In all, Dean Foods has more than 50 local and regional dairy brands and private labels. Dean Foods also makes and distributes ice cream, cultured products, juices, teas, and bottled water. More than 16,000 employees across the country work every day to make Dean Foods the most admired and trusted provider of wholesome, great-tasting dairy products at every occasion. For more information about Dean Foods and its brands, visit www.deanfoods.com.

*The LAND O LAKES brand is owned by Land O'Lakes, Inc. and is used by license.

**PET is a trademark of Eagle Family Foods Group LLC, used under license.

CONTACT: Corporate Communications, Jamaison Schuler, +1-214-721-7766; or Investor Relations, Sherri Baker, +1-214-303-3438

SOURCE Dean Foods Company

Related Links

http://www.deanfoods.com


A parallel probe has begun by the I-T department in coordination with all central agencies, both in Maharashtra and Delhi, to trace the roots of this case.

By Virendrasingh Ghunawat: Vikas Rasal could be the tip of an iceberg and small victim in a big illegal syndicate working between the states and the Centre to promote a non-revenue cadre officer to an IAS officer. The Income Tax (I-T) department has begun an investigation to get into the roots of this scam and expose it completely.

In July, the air intelligence unit (AIU) of Customs Department and I-T officials apprehended Rasal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Iron and Steel Market Committee, at the airport. He was intercepted with nearly Rs 50-65 lakh undisclosed cash in his backpack while arriving from Delhi to Mumbai.

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The investigation has revealed that Rasal possess disproportionate assets (DA) in crores, including few benami investments. Of late, the Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a DA case against Rasal for allegedly amassing Rs 15 crore - 208 per cent more than his known sources of income.

Top income tax official told IndiaToday.in, "Soon chargesheet is likely to be filed against Rasal and action would be taken under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016. It would be the first such action against a serving government official under the Act. The action includes, confiscation of all his properties."

But that's' not all. A parallel probe has begun by the I-T department in coordination with all central agencies, both in Maharashtra and Delhi, to trace the roots of this case.

"It is too early to talk about or share details on this case, as enquiry is still going on. But the department suspect a promotion or empanelment scam is quite active between states and Delhi," the official said.

The preliminary investigation report has been shared with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Finance Ministry, Ministry of Personnel and few agencies. "Probe is on from all angles. In fact, some agents and officials are under the scanner," the official said.

Why Rasal visited Delhi?

Vikas Rasal, a state civil officer was returning from Delhi with "undisclosed cash" in his baggage. I-T sources said he was among ten shortlisted candidates from various states for an interview session in Delhi to become an IAS officer. Out of these candidates, two got selected but Rasal was not one of them.

Investigative agencies at both central and states are working discreetly, to draw a line between many dots.

The questions are:

On what basis, Rasal was selected at state level?

Did money change hands in state to shortlist Rasal?

Did Rasal and all ten candidates used the same route?

Who were the officials at state and central level coordinating these IAS interviews?

Did Rasal pay money to agents in Delhi to block his seat?

What was the price to block one IAS seat?

Did other candidates (shortlisted and selected) too paid money to agents?

What quantum of money Rasal took from Mumbai and how much he paid to agents, if any?

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Were these agents connected to government officials in UPSC or any other departments/ministry to run this syndicate?

These are some explosive questions on which the I-T department is currently, working on. "It have many layers and few sensitive positions too, on radar," the official indicated without divulging any specific details to IndiaToday.in.

As per the rules, state civil servants is required to clear a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) written examination and interview to earn a promotion. Later they could become an IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service officer. Rasal had opted for IAS.

Also read:

Income Tax Department discloses names of 5 defaulters in Delhi

--- ENDS ---
ROUND ROCK, Texas, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dell Boomi (Boomi), the leading provider of cloud integration and workflow automation to build The Connected Business, announced the lineup of speakers and breakout sessions for the inaugural Boomi World 2017 conference for customers and partners. Scheduled for Sept. 20-22 in downtown San Francisco, Boomi World brings together the global Boomi community of innovators using the world's leading cloud-native integration platform to build connected businesses that run better, faster and smarter.

Registration is now open for the three-day event, featuring more than 40 informative sessions including customer case study presentations, as well as training and networking opportunities, and after-hours events.

Centered on a theme of "Accelerate," Boomi World offers insights into using cloud-native integration to speed business and IT impact. Boomi customers, product experts and independent thought leaders will share perspectives on how integration platform as a service (iPaaS) lets organizations connect applications and data far faster and more flexibly than custom-coding or traditional on-premise middleware. Workflow automation and real-time data exchange through Boomi increases speed and cost-efficiency across the organization to drive business advantage.

Underscoring the "Accelerate" theme and joining the speaker lineup is Michael Massimino, a former NASA astronaut who flew two Space Shuttle missions. In his keynote, Massimino will draw parallels between his career as a NASA astronaut, including Space Shuttle flights in 2002 and 2009, with the imperative for modern businesses to accelerate agility and gain competitive advantage through faster processes, insights and time to value.

Featured industry thought leaders, technology innovators at leading companies, and Boomi executives speaking at Boomi World include:

Chris McNabb , Boomi CEO, responsible for all operations, strategic direction and alignment with customers and partners

, Boomi CEO, responsible for all operations, strategic direction and alignment with customers and partners Massimo Pezzini , Gartner Research Vice President and Fellow focusing on integration, including integration platform as a service (iPaaS)

, Gartner Research Vice President and Fellow focusing on integration, including integration platform as a service (iPaaS) Mike Anderson , CIO, CROSSMARK

, CIO, CROSSMARK Prasant Panicker , Director of Technologies, American Express Global Business Travel

, Director of Technologies, American Express Global Business Travel Brian Kmet , Manager, Business Data Optimization and Analytics, PCL Construction

, Manager, Business Data Optimization and Analytics, PCL Construction Michael Morton , Boomi CTO, in charge of product direction and innovation across Boomi's multifunctional platform

, Boomi CTO, in charge of product direction and innovation across Boomi's multifunctional platform Jeff Burk , VP, Research and Development for Boomi, responsible for product development and strategy

In addition, Boomi World will feature breakout sessions oriented around five tracks of Developer, Architect, DevOps, Platform and Solutions. Sessions at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels are designed to appeal to both newcomers and those with significant iPaaS experience. Breakout sessions will offer practical how-to guidance, best practices and customer success presentations, as well as sneak peeks at upcoming product innovations and strategies in areas such as security, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, customer centricity, human resources, manufacturing and omnichannel commerce. To view sessions confirmed to date, please visit www.boomiworld.com/sessions.

"Boomi World is a terrific opportunity to learn first-hand how organizations are transforming performance with Boomi's industry-leading cloud integration and workflow automation," said Amede Hungerford, Boomi chief marketing officer. "We're looking forward to a dynamic and inspiring event that brings together our global ecosystem of customers and partners to network, explore trends and share best practices."

To learn more and register, please visit www.boomiworld.com.

About Dell Boomi

Dell Boomi (Boomi), an independent business unit of Dell, is the leading provider of cloud integration and workflow automation to build The Connected Business. Boomi helps more than 6,000 organizations accelerate business agility by connecting data and applications to run faster and smarter. Visit http://www.boomi.com for more information.

 2017 Boomi Inc. Dell and Dell Boomi are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other names or marks may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact:

Janine Kromhout

Dell Boomi

650-269-1417

[email protected]

Kelsey Quickstad

Hotwire PR for Dell Boomi

415-820-4494

[email protected]

Analyst Contact:

Beth Johnson Dell Boomi

415-412-6891

[email protected]

SOURCE Dell Boomi

Related Links

http://www.boomi.com


"Our High School Apprentices receive not only job training and a paycheck. They are exposed to lessons in financial responsibility, customer service and interpersonal skills which will benefit them throughout life," said Delta Community CEO Hank Halter. "In return, Delta Community connects with bright, hard-working students who give valuable support to our front-line employees, which enables us to provide even better service to our members."

Of the 114 high school juniors and seniors who have participated in the HSA Program since its inception in 2006, more than 48 percent remain with Delta Community and have chosen the company as their career path. Several have moved beyond their original teller jobs to positions in Human Resources, Lending, Regulatory Compliance and Consumer Credit Services.

Delta Community's HSA Program candidates are identified through select metro Atlanta schools' Work-Based Learning Programs. Apprentices must complete the same professional training as adult employees before beginning jobs as bank tellers. While the 2017 class is already in place in branches throughout metro Atlanta, students interested in enrolling in future Apprentice Programs may contact their high school's Work-Based Learning coordinator for application information.

About Delta Community Credit Union

Delta Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with a mission of providing consumers better service and value on the deposit, loan, investment and insurance products they use to manage their household expenses and save for the future. Delta Community was founded in 1940 and has become Georgia's largest credit union with more than $5 billion in assets and 27 branch locations. The Credit Union now welcomes people who live and work in 11 metro Atlanta counties, and employees of more than 150 businesses including Chick-fil-A, Delta Air Lines, RaceTrac and UPS. Visit www.DeltaCommunityCU.com to learn more about opening an account at Delta Community or follow the Credit Union on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DeltaCommunity and Twitter at @DeltaCommunity.

SOURCE Delta Community Credit Union

Related Links

http://www.deltacommunitycu.com


DENVER, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- New Light Communication is shaking up the marketing industry by taking a stand to support businesses who are making positive impacts on the world and their communities. With so many companies today being influenced by greed and corruption, New Light Communication is choosing morality.

The company started when Owner, Rachel Czyzynski, decided it was time to branch out on her own to start a business she could truly be proud of. With years of experience in the corporate world, she had seen all too often what motivated and influenced the big-time decision makers. By starting her own company, Rachel vowed early on to only partner with brands who aligned with her same virtues and ethics. Since making that decision, the company has made some exciting partnerships and is growing steadily. They help their clients with anything from marketing to public relations to brand development and beyond.

"Being able to support these companies and their missions has been inspiring," says Owner, Rachel Czyzynski. "These brands are the future. They are paving the path to a better world and we are proud to be a part of that journey." The timing couldn't be better for a company to take a moral stand and fight for those brands who often get overlooked. There is a huge market for consumers looking to support ethical and sustainable businesses, but if they don't know who they are, they won't know who to support.

New Light Communication has made it their personal mission to ensure consumers are aware of the brands out there making a difference and deserving of their support. The company's internal mission to support conscientious business is sure to take them on a long and positive journey of their own.

About New Light Communication

New Light Communication was founded on the idea that ethical businesses are paving the path for a new future for us all. In a world where business is corrupt and motivated by immoral decisions, New Light is partnering with companies who stand by their morals. After years of working for many large, corporate businesses, Owner, Rachel Czyzynski, decided to go out on her own and stand with companies who are making a positive difference in today's world. Based in the Denver area, the company focuses on natural, sustainable, and principled brands. The company also specializes in helping start-up brands get into the market. With New Light Communication, you'll see things in a New Light.

For more information about New Light Communication, visit www.newlightcommunication.com. For media inquiries and requests for hi-res images, please contact Rachel Czyzynski at [email protected].

Related Links

Home Page

SOURCE New Light Communication

Related Links

http://www.newlightcommunication.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Discover the World announced it recently opened its newest global network offices in Quito, the capital city of the Republic of Ecuador, and a second office location in Guayaquil.

"By opening these offices, Discover now spans 15 countries throughout Latin America," said Ian Murray, Discover the World's executive vice president. "Ecuador has been one of the fastest growing countries in the region over the past five years with a stable political and economic outlook. Investing into a local sales and marketing organization allows us to increase our focus of developing new business opportunities for our existing and future clients."

Charlie Ryan, Discover the World's vice president Latin America added, "These new offices in Ecuador will increase our current client opportunities and offer new solutions to those travel and technology companies who need a strong presence in Latin America."

Headed by Rocio de Diaz, the team will provide services for Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways and Windstar Cruises with plans to grow their client portfolio.

For more information about Discover the World, visit discovertheworld.com or call (480) 707-5566 or +44 203 598 8030.

About Discover the World

Discover the World has earned a reputation as a leader in global travel distribution and its success in developing a worldwide network of 63 offices in 80 countries capable of exceptional representation performance is unmatched. With a portfolio of nearly 100 clients utilizing its sales, marketing and business process outsourcing services, Discover the World remains a dominant innovator for the travel industry.

SOURCE Discover the World

Related Links

http://www.discovertheworld.com


BEND, Ore., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DrinkTanks, a vacuum insulated vessel and accessory company located in Bend, Oregon, has just released a new line of insulated cups and lids. The new line of cups offers beverage lovers the ultimate refreshment experience, offered in a 10, 16 and 20 oz option with 16 colors to choose from. From coffee connoisseurs to beer aficionados, there is now a DrinkTanks product for everyone.

The family of insulated cups are built with the same quality features and materials used in DrinkTanks' current 64 oz and 128 oz growlers, including:

DrinkTanks insulated cup lids create a vacuum insulated vessel that is truly a go-anywhere, do anything piece of everyday gear. Simple design means consistent performance and the durability to handle the bumps and turns throughout your day. Hot coffee for the morning commute, kombucha on tap after your afternoon workout, and a cold frothy beer to cap off the day. DrinkTanks vacuum insulated cups keep life's beverages warm for up to 12 hours, and cold for up to 24 hours. With 16 colors and three sizes to choose from, there's a DrinkTanks vacuum insulated cup to match any adventure on the trail, at home, or at the office.

18/8 Stainless Steel

Double-Wall Vacuum Insulated

BPA Free

Dishwasher Safe

Customizable

Lifetime Warranty

The sleek cups have been ergonomically designed and feature sensuous curves, leaving the user feeling at ease while comfortably enjoying their favorite beverage of choice. Each cup includes a universal drinking lid intended for hot or cold drinks. As an added bonus, for those wanting to measure out ingredients for cocktails or mocktails, a set of measurement guidelines are embossed into the inner lining of each cup.

"We got to thinking, 'So, if people are using a DrinkTanks growler, and enjoying their beverages fresh and carbonated as they should right out of our tap, what are they actually using to drink what's stored in their growler?' And then it clicked," said Nicholas Hill, founder and CEO of DrinkTanks. "We have put a lot of market research and rigorous testing into these cups and lids, and we are truly proud to add them to our current product lineup."

The new insulated cups represent the latest progressive move for the up-and-coming growler company based out of Bend, Oregon. In 2015, DrinkTanks crushed their Kickstarter goal by 400%, bringing the world's largest growler to market, The Juggernaut. In 2016, the company moved its operations out of its original warehouse into a new 20,000 sq. ft. space to accommodate their increase in production capabilities due to popular demand.

In addition to the new cups, DrinkTanks has worked closely with a color analyst to provide cutting edge color options for all of their products - from earth tone colors to trendy emerging colors. The cups range from $22.50 to $27.50, and are available wherever DrinkTanks products are sold, including online at www.DrinkTanks.com.

For more information about DrinkTanks, visit www.DrinkTanks.com.

About DrinkTanks

At DrinkTanks, we believe in living vast, but not losing your roots. Traveling, but not leaving home and enjoying a drink along the way. Our passion for exploration led to the creation of the perfect travel or at-home companion. Our products are designed and assembled by devout adventurers, one at a time, in Bend, Oregon. Founded in 2013, DrinkTanks revolutionized the growler industry through quality and innovation. DrinkTanks manufactures premium stainless steel, double-wall, vacuum insulated vessels along with a full line of accessories. LIVE VAST with DrinkTanks. For more information, visit www.DrinkTanks.com.

Media Contact:

Amy Joyce, Campbell Consulting

702-236-2606, [email protected]

SOURCE DrinkTanks

Related Links

http://www.drinktanks.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation today announced the recipients of its 2017 Career Development Awards (CDA) for lung cancer research. These coveted awards fund critical lung cancer research projects and offer the recipients world-class mentorship by LUNGevity's prestigious Scientific Advisory Board.

"LUNGevity created the CDAs to identify outstanding scientists early in their careers and encourage their continued development in the field of lung cancer research to grow a strong pipeline of dedicated lung cancer researchers," says Charles Rudin, MD, PhD, Professor and Chief, Thoracic Oncology Service, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and chair of LUNGevity's Scientific Advisory Board. "We work closely with these researchers with the hope of seeing them become the next generation of scientific superstars."

LUNGevity is proud to support the following researchers its 2017 Career Development Awards:

Mehmet Altan, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Identification of predictive markers of toxicity to immunotherapy. Dr. Altan will work to develop a way to predict which patients are most likely to develop serious side effects from some types of immunotherapy  these side effects can limit use of the treatments. Once patients can be flagged as high-risk for tissue damage, measures can be taken to limit the tissue damage proactively; patients may then experience better outcomes with their immunotherapy.

Valsamo Anagnostou, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Dynamics of neoantigen landscape during immunotherapy in lung cancer. Dr. Anagnostou will leverage an existing clinical trial to discover why some patients become resistant to immunotherapy and to get a handle on how to help them overcome the resistance.

Zofia Piotrowska, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Overcoming heterogeneity and resistance in EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Dr. Piotrowska intends to uncover the reason a subset of lung cancer patients develop resistance to their best option for treatment: a third-generation EGFR-blocking tyrosine kinase inhibitor drug. In addition, she will study a new combination of drugs in a clinical trial that may help patients who develop this type of drug resistance.

"We have seen a lot of great progress in treating lung cancer, and we still need to better understand how lung cancer develops resistance to drugs, and why some patients experience side effects from treatment," notes Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, director of LUNGevity's translational science research program. "Our funding this year's group of awardees will help make progress in facing these challenges and continue to improve outcomes for lung cancer patients."

Each of these prestigious three-year awards is for $100,000 per year, renewable in the second and third years based on research progress. Awardees serve as non-voting members of LUNGevity's distinguished Scientific Advisory Board for the terms of their awards. Awardees are mentored by senior lung cancer experts at their own institutions as well as by experts from the Scientific Advisory Board.

Under the guidance of LUNGevity's Scientific Advisory Board, a group of 21 prominent scientists and researchers, LUNGevity ensures that grants are awarded to the researchers whose proposals demonstrate the greatest potential for finding lung cancer at its earliest, most treatable phase, as well as extending and improving lives for lung cancer survivors.

LUNGevity is the only lung cancer organization with a programmatic focus on early detection and a robust Career Development Award Program. Our researchers are working on finding a better way to detect lung cancer, and to better diagnose, treat, and prevent its recurrence. The foundation's overall research program, including CDA awards, is a crucial factor in moving the science forward to improve outcomes for people living with lung cancer.

LUNGevity's Scientific Research Program is supported by the American Lung Association, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, The Thomas G. Labrecque Foundation, Upstage Lung Cancer, and individual donors.

For an interview with LUNGevity President Andrea Ferris, please contact Linda Wenger at (973) 449-3214 or [email protected].

For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.

About Lung Cancer

1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime

More than 222,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year

About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers

Lung cancer takes more lives than the next three leading cancers (colorectal, breast, and prostate) combined

Only 18% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it's caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves dramatically

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation

Related Links

http://www.lungevity.org


DULUTH, Ga., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This year Special Olympics Georgia hosted its annual fundraiser "Duck Pluck" at Post Chastain in Atlanta. Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies has been a long-time supporter for the Special Olympics Georgia athletes and a Duck Pluck sponsor for the past 6 years. This year, Kids 'R' Kids once again participated in the Duck Pluck fundraiser, sending 84 ducks into the pool to compete. The fundraiser provides meals, housing, and medals for athletes during the State Games. Kids 'R' Kids is a proud sponsor of this event and chooses Special Olympics Georgia as one of the many charitable foundations it supports. This donation and support came directly from the Kids 'R' Kids corporate headquarters which is located in Duluth, Georgia. Each Kids 'R' Kids Franchise academy is also encouraged to participate in charitable foundations of their choosing as part of the Kids 'R' Kids philosophy. Since 2011, Kids 'R' Kids has donated over $15,000 to Special Olympics Georgia.

The event was held at 1:00 PM on Friday, August 11, at the pool at Post Chastain. Six lucky ducks were selected to receive a number of prizes from two round-trip tickets with Spirit Airlines to a $250 Macy's gift card. Kids 'R' Kids employees Nancy Freeman and Karen Owens were in attendance this year and happily cheered on the Kids 'R' Kids ducks.

This year the Duck Pluck was recorded live on Facebook Live and can be found at this link: https://www.facebook.com/specialolympicsga/videos/vb.150457788357225/1430970576972600/?type=2&theater

About Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies

Headquartered in the North Atlanta suburb of Duluth, Georgia, Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies provide a secure, nurturing, and educational environments for children (ages six weeks - 12 years) to bloom into responsible, considerate, and contributing members of society. With nearly 160 Learning Academies in 16 states, Kids 'R' Kids International is a family-owned and operated organization that ranks in the top three nationwide for franchised early childhood education centers (www.kidsrkids.com).

SOURCE Kids 'R' Kids Learning Academies

Related Links

http://www.kidsrkids.com


LONDON, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Dmitry Leus, the founder of East-West Connect, has written an article for EU Today which addresses his views that, from a banking perspective, not enough attention is being paid to the important issue of how the financial world will deal with the potential loss of 'passporting' rights for London.

The full article can be found at https://new.eutoday.net/news/politics/2017/the-potential-strain-upon-the-bank-of-englands-regulatory-arm-post-brexit

Mr Leus writes: "London's status as the financial hub for the rest of Europe has been in part due to a regulation in the EEA (the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) which allows a bank to locate a fully regulated entity on one EU member state and operate across other states without the need for additional local regulation in the other countries. This is commonly called 'passporting'. Brexit will change all of this unless passporting is replicated in any deal cut with the remaining 27 members of the EU. This raises the possibility that the Bank of England's regulatory arm, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), could face additional responsibility to regulate those firms operating in the UK who were, pre-Brexit, covered by passporting."

He added: "The Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, Sam Woods, has been quite outspoken about the strain this will place on the Bank and PRA's ability to regulate the financial sector. Mr Woods said he feared a 'material extra burden' on the PRA if the organisation must police more financial firms post-Brexit."

Mr Leus commented: "It is estimated that around 70 firms rely on passporting to operate in the UK and it is they who will need to be regulated by the PRA if there is no deal to replicate passporting after Brexit."

Mr Leus asked in his article if there a way to avoid this loss of passporting rights remarking that "one option would be for the UK to remain in the single market by joining the EEA and thereby having a similar status to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. But would the UK really do this, given that being part of the EEA means accepting free movement as well as the authority of the European Court of Justice, which the UK leadership is against."

He went on to add that "an alternative to passporting is equivalence. This is where cross-border trading is possible due to countries recognising each other's standards. Back in the 1990s this occurred between the UK and the USA regarding mutual access to derivatives markets. Could equivalence be a possible mechanism for the UK post-Brexit? It is not impossible, given that some EU legislation accepts the principle of equivalence. But the EU legislation on this is not complete. Equivalence in commercial banking and primary insurance are not yet covered by EU legislation. If the equivalence route were to be pursued, the UK would need to have a detailed agreement as a framework for resolving any future disputes as well as what would happen in cases where rules differed between markets."

In conclusion, Mr Leus wrote that: "Until this gets resolved, it seems understandable that the Bank of England would indeed be very concerned about the regulatory strain likely to be placed upon the PRA post-Brexit. It is unlikely to get resolved quickly, partly because the EU insists first on a financial deal, resolution of the Ireland border issue, the rights of EU citizens in the UK and vice versa, before addressing other issues. But it seems clear from the Bank of England's statements that this is an issue which needs to be a priority."

About East-West Connect

East-West Connect is a London-based forum focused on investment risk and opportunity in Central and Eastern Europe. We provide news and analysis about the investment and economic climate of the region.

East-West Connect was founded by Dmitry Leus, an entrepreneur and banking and financial services professional. He started his career as FOREX specialist at Russia's Lesprombank in the mid-90s. He later became Head of International Settlements of the bank, and in 2000 began running the South-West section of Lesprombank. In 2002, he was appointed Chairman of the Russian Depository Bank. In 2006 he founded Zapadny bank, where he worked as Chairman until late 2013. Since 2014, the e-commerce market of Europe and the UK is of special interest for him and he actively invests in the European and CIS financial sector. In parallel, he works as an expert in business development and helps large corporate companies build effective management and improve the quality of the services provided.

SOURCE East-West Connect
Revere's Northgate Shopping Center is home to Eastern's 93 rd branch which packs a high-technology punch with all teller transactions handled by virtual bankers using the Talk2Teller machine and the branch's three staff members who speak a combined six languages.

"At Eastern Bank, we do good things to help people prosper," said Quincy Miller, Eastern Bank President. "Part of that commitment includes improving the banking experience for our customers and investing in communities that need it the most. We're very excited to support both initiatives by joining Revere for good through the opening of a micro branch in the Northgate Shopping Plaza. This expansion allows us to efficiently and effectively provide financial advice, outstanding service, and build relationships with the people and businesses of Revere."

The new branch features the bank's 10th Talk2Teller machine or "interactive teller machine," an ATM with live video capabilities operated by virtual experts who work inside the bank's Customer Service Center in Lynn, Mass. Additional branch technology features include: an "instant issue" debit card machine for new or existing customers, ability for customers to use their drivers license to conduct bank transactions without their ATM card, drive-up ATM, free WiFi, and extended hours via Talk2Teller enabling customers to speak with virtual tellers beyond the bank's normal business hours.

The branch's parking lot location, unique size, and the use of Talk2Teller as the only means for transaction processing are tests that Eastern will use to learn from as it continues to evolve how it delivers its products and services in a more convenient manner, said Miller.

With Revere opening, Eastern Bank now operates branches in 12 of Massachusetts' 26 Gateway Cities. Eastern Bank's commitment to Gateway Cities, including Revere, goes beyond opening new branches. Across Massachusetts, Eastern Bank has created public-private partnerships with local governments, nonprofits and other companies to help local businesses and residents prosper. As a community bank, Eastern's success depends upon a vibrant and prosperous community. That's why it is committed to opening its doors and investing in underserved communities that are hungry for growth.

The Revere branch's Talk2Teller hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The lobby is open Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

With the opening of its Revere branch, Eastern continues to build upon its history of delivering innovative ideas to make banking easier for its customers:

In 2016, Eastern debuted the Express Business Loan, an award-winning product that delivers working capital to business customers in as little as five minutes;

In 2015, Eastern became the first company in North America and the first bank in the United States to identify callers by the sound of their voice in its Customer Service Center (1-800-EASTERN);

and the first bank in to identify callers by the sound of their voice in its Customer Service Center (1-800-EASTERN); In 2012, Eastern was among the first wave of financial institutions in the country to offer mobile check deposit;

In 2007, Eastern was among the first banks in the United States to offer mobile banking.

About Eastern Bank

Founded in 1818 and based in Boston, Eastern Bank is America's oldest and largest mutual bank, with $10 billion in assets and over 120 locations serving communities in eastern Massachusetts, southern and coastal New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Eastern provides exceptional access to fairly priced banking, investment and insurance products and services for consumers and businesses of all sizes. Eastern Bank, which includes Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance, is known for its outspoken advocacy and community support that has topped more than $100 million in charitable giving over the past 20 years. An inclusive company, Eastern employs 1,900 deeply committed professionals who value relationships with their customers, colleagues and communities. Join us for good at www.easternbank.com.

SOURCE Eastern Bank

Related Links

http://www.easternbank.com


SHELBURNE, Vt., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EatingWell, a publication dedicated to making healthy eating a delicious way of life, today releases its first annual American Food Heroes awards as part of the September/October issue. Telling the stories of innovators, creative problem solvers and visionaries since its inception in 1990, the list is an extension of the EatingWell mission and recognizes the top individuals making an outsized difference in the biggest food, sustainability and nutrition issues of today.

"We are living in a golden age of food. There has perhaps never been a time with more positive changes happening around food. That made this the ideal time to create this forum," says Jessie Price, EatingWell's Editor in Chief. "At EatingWell, we're focused on helping Americans eat better each and every day and that shines through in our devotion to writing about where our food comes from and how it's produced."

To create the list, EatingWell solicited nominations from food, nutrition and policy experts, journalists, and readers. The ten winners, selected by the EatingWell staff, stood out for their focus, creativity and ongoing contributions to the food system. This year's heroes are tackling a diverse set of challenges, from cleaning up fast food to making school lunches healthier.

EatingWell's 2017 American Food Heroes are:

Jose Andres, Chef and Owner, ThinkFood Group

Lee DeHaan , Lead Scientist, Kernza Domestication Program, The Land Institute

, Lead Scientist, Kernza Domestication Program, The Land Institute Tim Joseph , Founding Farmer & CEO, Maple Hill Creamery

, Founding Farmer & CEO, Maple Hill Creamery Bob Moore , Founder, President & CEO, Bob's Red Mill

, Founder, President & CEO, Bob's Denise Morrison , President & CEO, Campbell Soup Company

, President & CEO, Campbell Soup Company Ron Shaich , CEO, Panera Bread

, CEO, Panera Bread Lindsey Shute , Co-Founder & Executive Director, National Young Farmers Coalition

, Co-Founder & Executive Director, National Young Farmers Coalition Bren Smith , Executive Director of GreenWave and owner of Thimble Island Ocean Farm

, Executive Director of GreenWave and owner of Thimble Island Ocean Farm Betti Wiggins , Officer of Nutrition Services, Houston Independent School District

, Officer of Nutrition Services, Houston Independent School District Margo Wootan , Director of Nutrition Policy, Center for Science in the Public Interest

"We hope EatingWell's American Food Heroes shines a spotlight on the great work taking place in the food industry and the individuals leading that work," said Price. "We look forward to watching the advances of our 2017 winners and also, uncovering the rising stars of future awards."

More information and interviews with the 2017 American Food Heroes can be found in EatingWell's September/October issue on newsstands now.

About EatingWell

Launched in 1990, EatingWell is a leading source of delicious, healthy recipes, entertaining ideas, and inspiring articles about food origins and science-based nutrition. EatingWell is a fast-growing multimedia brand in the expanding healthy-eating sector. Its core mission is to make healthy eating a joyful way of life. In 2016, EatingWell was named by Advertising Age as one of the "Top 10 Magazines of the Year." The brand has also won 13 James Beard awards, with an additional 17 nominations. EatingWell is published six times a year by Meredith Corporation with a rate base of one million and 6.6 million readers. The brand has diversified to multiple formats, including a content-rich website that reaches over 4.4 million unique visitors per month, content and brand licensing, custom publishing and consumer cookbooks. Additional information may be found at www.eatingwell.com.

SOURCE Meredith Corporation

Related Links

http://www.eatingwell.com


US President Donald Trump said that developing a strategic partnership with India was key to its strategy for south Asia.

By Santosh Chaubey: As expected, US President Donald Trump has called for a greater role of India in Afghanistan.

During his address to the nation on US' Afghanistan policy review, Trump made several departures from his established stand to withdraw the US from the war-torn South Asian nation.

Trump spoke on increasing the number of US troops in Afghanistan and giving the forces free hand to handle insurgents and not micro-managing them from the Washington.

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He clearly said that developing a strategic partnership with India was a critical part of US' strategy for South Asia.

His policy statement - "India, the world's largest democracy is a key security and economic partner of the US and it appreciates India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan and wants India to help the US more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development" - is an extension to a last month report by the powerful US Senate Armed Services Committee that advocated a trilateral arrangement between India, Afghanistan and the US.

"The committee believes that the US needs to recommit to the fight in Afghanistan and that India, as a major defence partner of the US and a contributor to regional security, has a critical role to play in this effort," the report read.

In fact, a greater role of India in Afghanistan where it is already playing a big part in its reconstruction, will not only give India strategic advantage over its traditional rivals like Pakistan and China, but would also mean greater access to the oil and mineral rich Central Asian nations and opportunity for its industry to gain a larger share in the whole Afghanistan rebuilding business.

And this is coupled with the fact that the US review on Afghanistan has been extremely harsh on Pakistan with Trump describing Pakistan again as safe haven for terror groups. He warned that the US will no longer remain silent about it and pressed that it had to change immediately.

Now that has huge implications for an increased Indian role in Afghanistan as it has been primarily Pakistan's objection, a US ally in war on terror, that sees India's rise in Afghanistan inimical to its interests. How frustrated the US is with Pakistan's double-dealings becomes clear once again with Trump's remarks that "the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that US is fighting."

INDIA'S GATEWAY TO CENTRAL ASIA

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In July 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a historic visit of five Central Asian nations, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan and the main objective was ensuring India's future energy security. For India, Afghanistan is the gateway to Central Asia and a stable Afghanistan with greater access will go a long way in fulfilling India's objective.

GREATER LEVERAGE IN DEALING WITH TERROR GROUPS

A wider presence in Afghanistan will give India greater leverage in dealing with the terror groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State which are trying to establish their Indian footprint. There groups are currently using restive regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan as their gateway opportunity to the Indian Subcontinent.

OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIAN INDUSTRY IN AFGHANISTAN'S RECONSTRUCTION

India has played an important role in Afghanistan's reconstruction in post Taliban era spending around USD 2 Billion since 2002 on development projects including its parliament building and committed another USD 1 Billion last year.

The Indian aid has been mostly in infrastructure development, health services and military equipment like bullet proof jackets and convoy vehicles. But breaking the tradition of not giving lethal military equipment in aid, it gave Afghanistan four attack helicopters last year and is also training its soldiers.

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Now with the US policy change seeking an enhanced Indian role, coupled with the fact it seeks to limit the Pakistan's presence there, Indian companies have an opportunity to invest more in Afghanistan, especially when the US wants to win the war on terror, its longest foreign war that is on for the past 16 years, at any cost.

A drastic change in the US policy to crack down on Afghan terrorists with a free hand to security forces can effectively take care of the terror menace. How big the opportunity is can be gauged from the fact that the US has spent over USD 100 Billion of Afghanistan reconstruction yet it is just far from producing any tangible outcome and now that Trump has made it clear that there will be no more 'blank check' from the US, the door is wide open.

Also, Afghanistan in future can emerge as a big push for Make in India initiative for India's nascent defence industry as the country would need a sustained military supply to handle not only its internal terror threats but also to secure its contentious borders with Pakistan, a terror exporter that has been destabilising Afghanistan for the past four decades.

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KEEPING PAKISTANI AND CHINESE DESIGNS IN CHECK

If Pakistan has used Afghanistan as its junkyard to push terrorists there to maintain its hegemony and export them to India at the same time, China, too, has been trying to increase its influence there owing to Afghanistan's geographical advantage but so far has failed.

A stable Afghanistan, which is fiercely against Pakistan, can in fact give India strategic advantage by providing a valuable military base in future, overlooking both Pakistan and China.

It is important for India as reports indicate that China is going to establish its military base in Pakistan, most probably at the Gwadar port in India's backyard.

Also Read:

Afghanistan welcomes Trump's 'breaking of silence' over Pakistan's terror activities

US President Donald Trump seeks greater role for India in Afghanistan, toughens position on Pakistan

Donald Trump corners Pakistan, says can no longer be silent over its safe havens to terrorists

WATCH | Trump slams Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, seeks bigger role for India in Afghanistan

--- ENDS ---
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ECMC Foundation announced today it has awarded more than $1 million to Zenith Education Group's Altierus and WyoTech campuses as part of its 2017 Campaign for Innovation (CFI). The annual campaign provides grants to the campuses based on faculty and staff recommendations of innovative ideas that promote student success.

"The Campaign for Innovation is a great opportunity for the campuses to suggest solutions to the challenges they encounter on a regular basis," said Jennifer Zeisler, ECMC Foundation program director. "This is the third year for this program and we continue to be inspired by the creative ideas generated through the campaign."

A total of 85 proposals were submitted this year. Of those, 20 were selected per the Foundation's robust review process. Grantees were selected based on a number of factors including innovation, need, commitment to student learning, and impact on student retention and job placement rates.

Grants were awarded for a myriad of projects including SimSpray equipment for the WyoTech Advanced Technical Training school in Blairsville. The $57,800 grant will be used to support a virtual reality paint trainer that combines game design and interactive technology to teach students how to apply automotive paint. The SimSpray equipment allows students to engage in a more modern learning environment and hone their spray painting skills, without having to wait for paint to dry and before applying those skills in a "live" situation.

"The SimSpray equipment gives our refinishing students the opportunity to work with some cutting-edge technology found in the automotive industry and gives students the practice they need," said Jim Thomas, academic dean at Blairsville-WyoTech. "This will help us see where students need improvement and focus in areas they need the most help to better prepare them for their future careers."

The Altierus Career College in Chesapeake received $34,120 to bring on a part-time licensed social worker, who will provide one-on-one and group student counseling sessions as well as connect students to social services resources in the community.

"We are thrilled to soon have a professional on campus who will work with students through their personal issues and obstacles," says Jacob Kassuba, executive director, Altierus Career College, Chesapeake. "We believe having support services, such as counseling, will improve student satisfaction, retention and graduation at our campus."

ECMC Foundation has awarded a total of $4.5 million through the Campaign for Innovation since 2015. The Foundation's support for campus-specific programming serves as a significant contributor to the transformation underway on Zenith campuses.

About Zenith Education Group

Zenith Education Group is a nonprofit provider of career school training and a member of ECMC Group. Above all, Zenith is driven to help students succeed by providing affordable, quality education and training for occupations in demand. Through its Altierus and WyoTech schools across the country, Zenith offers diploma and degree programs in healthcare, skilled trades, business and other fields. For more information, go to www.zenith.org.

About ECMC Foundation

Based in Los Angeles, ECMC Foundation's mission is to inspire and facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomesespecially among underserved populationsthrough evidence-based innovation. The Foundation makes investments in three focus areas: Teacher and Leader Development, College Success and Career Readiness. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting www.ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting www.ecmcgroup.org.

SOURCE ECMC Foundation

Related Links

http://www.ecmcfoundation.org


MOSCOW, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

ElcomSoft's latest release of Elcomsoft Phone Breaker gains the ability to extract, decrypt and access passwords stored in Apple's cloud password storage, the iCloud Keychain. Elcomsoft Phone Breaker 7.0 is the first forensic solution that can gain access to passwords, credit card data and other sensitive information from iCloud Keychain.

"iCloud Keychain was long considered to be unbreakable," says Vladimir Katalov, ElcomSoft CEO. "Gaining access to passwords from iCloud Keychain was a major challenge. iCloud Keychain is a complex and extremely secure online password storage and synchronization system. Building a tool that can enroll into iCloud Keychain was a major achievement."

By extracting user's saved passwords from iCloud Keychain, experts examine the user's online accounts, access social networks, extract chats and conversations. In addition, saved passwords make for a highly targeted custom dictionary for running accelerated brute-force attacks on user's encrypted containers, archives and documents.

Information is obtained directly from the user's iCloud account. In order to access iCloud Keychain, the original Apple ID login and password are required. Access to a trusted device is mandatory if two-factor authentication is enabled on the user's account, along with device passcode (iOS) or system password (macOS) of a device already enrolled to iCloud Keychain. Without two-factor authentication, the expert will need to confirm a notification prompt on one of the trusted devices and supply the user's iCloud Security Code.

Blog posts:

Acquiring Apple's iCloud Keychain

The Past and Future of iCloud Acquisition

How to Extract iCloud Keychain with Elcomsoft Phone Breaker

About Elcomsoft Phone Breaker

Elcomsoft Phone Breaker is an all-in-one mobile acquisition tool to extract information from a wide range of sources. Supporting offline and cloud backups created by Apple, BlackBerry and Windows mobile devices, the tool can extract and decrypt user data including cached passwords and synced authentication credentials to a wide range of resources from local backups. Cloud extraction with or without a password makes it possible to decrypt FileVault 2 containers without lengthy attacks and pull communication histories and retrieve photos that've been deleted by the user a long time ago.

About ElcomSoft

Founded in 1990, ElcomSoft Co.Ltd. develops state-of-the-art computer forensics tools, provides computer forensics training and computer evidence consulting services. Since 1997, ElcomSoft has been providing support to businesses, law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies. ElcomSoft tools are used by the Fortune 500 corporations, multiple branches of the military, foreign governments, and all major accounting firms.

SOURCE ELCOMSOFT Co. Ltd.
AHMEDABAD, India, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

ElegantJ BI, a leading vendor in Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics solutions, is pleased to announce that it is listed for its suite in the Gartner 'Other Vendors to Consider for Modern BI and Analytics' report published August 4, 2017.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/516948/ElegantJBI_Logo.jpg )



CEO, Kartik Patel says, "We are honored to be included, once again, in the Gartner 'Other Vendors to Consider for Modern BI and Analytics' report. We recognize the importance of market innovation and evolution and we look forward to our continued involvement in this exciting market!"

The ElegantJ BI Smarten approach to Advanced Data Discovery, features Smart Visualization, Self-Serve Data Preparation and Plug n' Play Predictive Analysis with features that include augmented data discovery, and other features and modules that provide sophisticated functionality and algorithms in an easy-to-use dashboard and environment that is designed to support business users, as well as data scientists and IT staff. Sophisticated, easy-to-use functionality like auto-suggestion and auto-recommendation allows business users to gain valuable insight and make confident decisions and predictions without advanced technical or analytical experience and knowledge.

"ElegantJ BI has developed a product and service roadmap to advance innovation and serve business users and organizations with tools that will grow and be flexible to the needs of the enterprise," Patel says. "Our Smarten, self-serve approach to business intelligence and advanced analytics is designed to expand the boundaries of self-serve analytic, social BI and mobile access with dependable data governance and security."

More information on the business intelligence and analytical solution market is available in the Gartner report: 'Other Vendors to Consider for Modern BI and Analytics', Published: 4 August 2017 ID: G00334448, Analyst(s): Rita L. Sallam, Cindi Howson, Carlie J. Idoine, James Laurence Richardson, Joao Tapadinhas, Thomas W. Oestreich, Shubhangi Vashisth.

Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization, and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About ElegantJ BI

ElegantJ BI is the flagship BI & Advanced Data Discovery solution of Elegant MicroWeb, and an intelligent 'Design once, Use anywhere' adaptive UI engine for out-of-the-box roll out to transform business users into Citizen Data Scientists. ElegantJ BI has developed the Smarten approach to business intelligence which supports Advanced Data Discovery with Self-Serve Data Preparation, Smart Visualization and Plug n' Play Predictive Analysis and a 100% browser-based foundation that enables Mobile BI, Social BI and rich KPI analytics. ElegantJ BI is used by large, medium and small businesses around the world, including Religare Securities, IPCA Laboratories, JMC Projects, Sharekhan, Raychem RPG and many other small and medium size businesses.

Contact:

Pathik Shah

Manager Marketing, BI Practice

+91-79-30009991

[email protected]



http://www.ElegantJBI.com



SOURCE Elegant MicroWeb Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Prior to the displays of hatred and the tragic loss of Heather Heyer, a young woman who seemingly embraced the virtues of healing, a transformation was taking place in Charlottesville, Virginia. This college town, where roughly 80 percent of the residents are white, culminated a lawful process in February when its City Council voted to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from a city park.

Passionate acts came from opposing sides, as opponents filed suit to stop the removal and the city changed the name of Lee Park to Emancipation Park. But there was honest dialogue and truth-telling, the ingredients for healing. Neighbors learned more about one another, their culture and motivations. But the progress was derailed.

The protesters who converged in Charlottesville were largely white men often perceived as privileged in our society, and among their slogans was "We will not be replaced" by immigrants, blacks, Jews, or homosexuals. Instead of feeling empowered, they were threatened and seemed in pain. Their hearts and minds needed healing.

But racial healing doesn't begin until you intentionally, respectfully and patiently uncover shared truths, as Charlottesville residents had begun to do before the violence and turmoil. Shared truths are not simply the removal of physical symbols, like monuments. While it may begin to change narratives, it doesn't reach the level of healing that jettisons racism from the land or creates equitable communities. Racism has persevered because remedies ranging from public accommodation laws to Supreme Court rulings are limited in scope and reach: They fail to change hearts and minds.

A new approach is needed that penetrates the full consciousness of our society, draws in all communities and focuses on racial healing and truth-telling.

Racial healing can facilitate trust and authentic relationships that bridge vast divides created by race, religion, ethnicity and economic status. Once the truths are shared, racism is acknowledged and hearts begin to mend, only then will communities begin to heal the wounds of the past and together move forward to address the bias in employment, education, housing and health that causes widespread disparities, and denies opportunities to our children.

To be sure, racial healing is predicated not just on an emotional encounter, such as saying, 'you're sorry,' rather it's predicated on a truth-telling. But who's truth? We all have our own truth and we need collective conversations to help us in reaching a common truth and a vision for the future, based on what we decide together.

And while sharing each of our individual truths requires sharing stories, reaching a common truth is more than a blending of stories. It's about co-creating a common set of morals, principles, wisdom and guidance that is written on our hearts, captured in our faith and in how we treat each other as human beings. It is developed by all of us in the courtyard, in town halls, in living rooms with family and neighbors, all in the crucible of human goodness. That's where we develop "the" truth.

At the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), we promote racial healing because it moves people to act from their hearts. Real change happens when people work together and build relationships. Rarely does it occur when it is forced upon communities by laws and rulings. Last January, WKKF coordinated an annual National Day of Racial Healing, which inspired civic, religious, community and philanthropic organizations to collaborate on activities to facilitate racial healing. But we can't wait until next January to embrace racial healing.

Today, with the threat of unrest billowing through communities, our country needs to heal. All sides must air their pasts, fears, and anxieties, and articulate their visions for a future where all children can thrive.

After centuries of racial hierarchy, all sides have been wounded: Whenever a policy or decision gives privileges to some and not others or perpetuates injustices, the collective community suffers, and part of our common humanity is lost. It leaves some wounded and unable to work towards our collective interest.

What is inspiring is the healing that is happening around the country.

Earlier this year, 200 people gathered at the Chicago Theological Seminary for an extraordinary day of racial healing. People of all races, genders, religions and ethnicities, gathered in healing circles to share their "truths" on the racism they endured or consciously or unconsciously unleashed on others. The healing circles were sanctuaries for truth-telling, and helped people see one another, acknowledge differences and begin to build authentic relationships.

WKKF, through our Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) framework, is supporting racial healing in the 14 places where the TRHT is being implemented. Since 2010, when our America Healing initiative launched, WKKF has actively promoted racial healing and supported racial healing practitioners who are available to help communities, concluding that:

Racial healing accelerates human capacity for resilience, truly embracing one another and reconnecting many people who previously had their identities denied back to their roots, culture, language and rituals.

The focus of racial healing is our "collective humanity," and lifting up that which unites us rather than that which divides us, while discovering, respecting and indeed honoring our unique experiences.

Racial healing will facilitate narrative change, which will help everyone in communities articulate the truth about their collective histories and be exposed to full, complete and accurate representations of themselves and their communities.

Communities must heal so they can grow. Let's heal and build sustainable progress neighbor by neighbor, community by community to transform America so all children can have a brighter future.

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Related Links

http://www.wkkf.org


DALLAS, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE) and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE: ETP) today filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund, Inc., BankTrack, Earth First!, and other organizations and individuals. The Complaint, which is Index number 1:17-cv-00173, alleges that this group of co-conspirators (the "Enterprise") manufactured and disseminated materially false and misleading information about Energy Transfer and the Dakota Access Pipeline ("DAPL") for the purpose of fraudulently inducing donations, interfering with pipeline construction activities and damaging Energy Transfer's critical business and financial relationships. The Complaint also alleges that the Enterprise incited, funded, and facilitated crimes and acts of terrorism to further these objectives. It further alleges claims that these actions violated federal and state racketeering statutes, defamation, and constituted defamation and tortious interference under North Dakota law.

The alleged Enterprise is comprised of rogue environmental groups and militant individuals who employ a pattern of criminal activity and a campaign of misinformation for purposes of increasing donations and advancing their political or business agendas. The Complaint describes the Enterprise's misinformation campaign that aggressively targeted Energy Transfer's critical business relationships, including the financing sources for DAPL and Energy Transfer's other infrastructure projects, by publicly demanding these financial institutions sever ties with Energy Transfer or face crippling boycotts and other illegal attacks.

The Complaint asserts that the attacks were calculated and thoroughly irresponsible, causing enormous harm to people and property along the pipeline's route. Dakota Access was a legally permitted project that underwent nearly three years of rigorous environmental review and for this reason, Energy Transfer believes it has an obligation to its shareholders, partners, stakeholders and all those negatively impacted by the violence and destruction intentionally incited by the defendants to file this lawsuit.

The DAPL misinformation campaign was predicated on a series of false, alarmist, and sensational claims that plaintiffs:

encroached on tribal treaty lands;

desecrated sacred sites of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's ("SRST") in constructing DAPL;

constructed DAPL without consulting with and over the rights and objections of SRST; and

used excessive and illegal force against peaceful protestors.

The Enterprise also claimed that the pipeline will inevitably result in catastrophic oil spills, poisoned water, and massive climate change, while ironically, members of the Enterprise deliberately and maliciously attempted to cut holes in the pipeline with torches which, if successful, would have resulted in significant environmental damage and possible loss of life.

The Enterprise supported these false claims with manufactured evidence, including phony GPS coordinates purporting to show the existence of cultural and religious artifacts along DAPL's corridor, and sham affidavits submitted in court.

In addition to its misinformation campaign, the Enterprise directly and indirectly funded eco-terrorists on the ground in North Dakota. These groups formed their own outlaw camp among peaceful protestors gathered near Lake Oahe, and exploited the peaceful activities of these groups to further the Enterprise's corrupt agenda by inducing and directing violent and destructive attacks against law enforcement as well as Plaintiffs' property and personnel. The Enterprise then flagrantly manipulated these "made-for-TV" events to raise more funds for the Enterprise. These terrorist groups also funded their activities and the Enterprise by using donations to fund a lucrative drug trafficking scheme inside the camps.

Other illegal activities directed at Energy Transfer and its executives that are alleged in the Complaint include persistent attempted cyber-attacks and telephonic and electronic threats to the physical safety of executives.

The Enterprise has conceded that their campaign has inflicted "hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to the Company," including increased costs of financing resulting from the Enterprise's interference with the Company's financial relationships and mitigation costs in response to the Enterprise's illegal and malicious campaign. These damages, as well as the harm to the Company's reputation, resulting from the Enterprise's misinformation campaign, continue to this day. Energy Transfer is seeking compensatory damages in an amount to be proven at trial as well as treble and punitive damages.

Michael J. Bowe from Kasowitz, Benson & Torres LLP, the Company's counsel, is continuing the investigation into the Enterprise's campaign and practices. Anyone with information can provide it on a confidential basis by telephone at 212-506-1777. A website will be established to catalog information and publish progress reports on the case and, when necessary, to set the record straight as the facts warrant.

Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE) is a master limited partnership that owns the general partner and 100% of the incentive distribution rights (IDRs) of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE: ETP) and Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN). ETE also owns Lake Charles LNG Company. On a consolidated basis, ETE's family of companies owns and operates a diverse portfolio of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and refined products assets, as well as retail and wholesale motor fuel operations and LNG terminalling. For more information, visit the Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. website at energytransfer.com.

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE: ETP) is a master limited partnership that owns and operates one of the largest and most diversified portfolios of energy assets in the United States. Strategically positioned in all of the major U.S. production basins, ETP owns and operates a geographically diverse portfolio of complementary natural gas midstream, intrastate and interstate transportation and storage assets; crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGL) and refined product transportation and terminalling assets; NGL fractionation; and various acquisition and marketing assets. ETP's general partner is owned by Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE). For more information, visit the Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. website at energytransfer.com.

SOURCE Energy Transfer Equity, L.P.

Related Links

http://www.energytransfer.com


LONDON, Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Extruded Polypropylene (XPP) Foam Market Analysis By Product (Low density, High density), By Application (Transportation, Packaging, Building & Construction), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5068583/

The global extruded polypropylene (XPP) foam market is expected to reach USD 1.07 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc.



The growing demand for extruded polypropylene foam in automobiles and packaging industry is expected to boost market growth.

The demand for extruded polypropylene foam is high due to its high strength to weight ratio and durability. Extruded polypropylene foam is available in low-density and high-density foam types. The market share of low-density foam is high due to its growing demand in the automobile industry. The demand for high-density foam is expected to grow rapidly over the forecast period owing to rising application in the construction industry.

Asia Pacific and Europe are the major regional markets. The presence of a large number of manufacturing facilities coupled with growing end-use industries is driving the demand for extruded polypropylene foam in these regions. The growing demand in emerging countries such as China, India, and Romania is expected to boost the market growth over the forecast period.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

 High density XPP foam is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.7% from 2017 to 2025 owing to increased demand from packaging and building & construction industry

 Transportation application segment is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2017 to 2025 owing to rising research on automotive materials

 Building & Construction application segment is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2017 to 2025 owing to growing infrastructure investments in emerging economies

 Asia Pacific accounted for 52% of the global market share in 2016 owing to rapid expansion by manufacturers in countries such as China and India

 Central & South America extruded polypropylene foam market is expected to grow from USD 28.8 million in 2016 to USD 49.8 million in 2025 owing to growing demand in Brazil

 The market is highly fragmented with the presence of a large number of small and large manufacturers

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5068583/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com

For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

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HOUSTON, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MRC Global Inc. (NYSE: MRC) announced that its subsidiary, MRC Global (US) Inc., has signed an agreement to be the primary global provider of valve and valve products and services to ExxonMobil. The agreement includes all of ExxonMobil's global projects and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO). Initial implementation focused on the downstream U.S. business unit, followed by the European Union and, the most recently added, Asia Pacific region.

"I am grateful that ExxonMobil has entrusted us with this important aspect of their business," Andrew R. Lane, MRC Global President & CEO, said. "We are very proud to work with an industry leader like ExxonMobil to realize the full potential of our global supply chain. This opportunity represents a significant growth opportunity for both MRC Global and our supplier base. We look forward to leveraging our complete valve network to support ExxonMobil as part of their ongoing business strategy including its recently announced expansions."

MRC Global has supported ExxonMobil with various products and services for more than 30 years around the world in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors.

About MRC Global Inc.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, MRC Global is the largest global distributor, based on sales, of pipe, valves and fittings (PVF) and related products and services to the energy industry and supplies these products and services across each of the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. More information about MRC Global can be found on our website www.mrcglobal.com.

Contact:

Monica Broughton

Investor Relations

MRC Global Inc.

[email protected]

832-308-2847

SOURCE MRC Global Inc.

Related Links

http://www.mrcglobal.com


The categories of items on EZneeds.com include: Laundry , Grocery , Kitchen , Bathroom , Cleaning , Fitness , Personal Care , Office Supplies , Baby Care , Pet Care , Electronics  etc. featuring top brands such as Aveeno, Bounty, Clorox, Charmin, Crest, Degree, Febreze, Kellogg, Dove, Neutrogena, Pampers, Bic, MuscleTech, Pedigree, Smartwater, Tide, Ziploc as well as many others.

When asked about the vision for EZneeds, Ganim stated, "Coming from a large family (5 brothers and over 100 aunts, uncles, and cousins), I know how hectic it was for my mom to walk down the store aisles with her five boys to shop for cereal, paper towels, laundry detergent and of course everything extra kids throw in the shopping cart. My hope is to replace that stressful routine with a convenient service that saves time and saves money."

"Our goal is to change the way people shop for their everyday essentials by removing the misconception that shopping online has to be a costly luxury by being affordable for everyone, no matter where they live, whether it be rural or urban."

Another key realization Ganim had was he wanted remove the "pay to play" membership fee most other online retailers charge their customers. "People deal with having to stick to inconvenient shopping routines because it's too expensive to order what they need online. You are either going to get charged a membership fee, delivery fee, or some type of convenience fee which can make online delivery uneconomical."

Ganim's family has been in the wholesale business for the last 40 years, which allows EZneeds to provide a household or office everyday essentials at prices they won't be able to find in-store. "Your local grocery store or big box store covers many extra costs due to brick and mortar overhead which forces them to bump up their prices even on their website." Thanks to the rise of e-commerce we do not have to incur these costs and can provide online delivery for our products at incredibly low prices."

"EZneeds' goal is to make everyone's life a little easier and not charge for it. If you are a parent who doesn't want to deal with the hassle of taking the kids to the store because you are out of toilet paper, somebody in a small town who doesn't have a local warehouse club, or anyone who just wants to avoid unnecessary trips to the store, and don't want to pay a premium to have those items delivered, then EZneeds.com was made for you."

For more information and to have your everyday essentials delivered to you, please visit: www.EZneeds.com

For press inquires and interview opportunities, contact: [email protected] or 713-898-6552.

*Orders to the east and west coasts may take up to 3 days for delivery

SOURCE EZneeds
LEXINGTON, Ky., Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fazoli's, the nation's largest fast casual Italian chain, is now offering guests a $5 All Day Meal Deal at participating locations. Available all day, every day dine-in, drive-thru or carryout, guests can choose two favorites and a drink, plus unlimited breadsticks when they dine in, all for only $5. Known for its high quality Italian dishes served at a great value, Fazoli's is also continuing to offer its widely popular Pizza Baked Spaghetti dish for just $4.99.

"Our guests choose Fazoli's because we offer clean, delicious meals, freshly prepared to order that the whole family can enjoy at an unbeatable value," said Chief Marketing Officer, Donna Josephson. "With offers such as the $5 All Day Meal Deal and $4.99 Pizza Baked Spaghetti, we are helping guests feed their families at a reasonable price without sacrificing quality."

With nearly 220 restaurants in 26 states, Fazoli's has refined its menu offerings to bring more flavor and customizable menu options to meet ever-changing consumer tastes and preferences. The brand has introduced a modernized menu in its 120 company-owned locations using premium ingredients and offerings such as tableside grated Parmesan, upgraded plateware, as well as new dishes such as "Spicy Sausage Rigatoni," and "Brownie Gelato Sundae." The remaining 90 and all new franchised locations will feature the newly upgraded menu in early 2018.

Fazoli's is proud to offer fast, fresh Italian to guests across the country. Connect with Fazoli's online at www.fazolis.com, "follow" @Fazolis on Twitter, "like" us on Facebook, and sign up to become a Fazoli's eFamily member by visiting fazolis.com/efamily.

About Fazoli's

With nearly 220 restaurants, Fazoli's is America's largest Italian fast-casual brand serving freshly prepared entrees, Submarinos sandwiches, salads and pizza. One of the New York Post's five breakout fast-casual restaurants and a Fast Casual.com Brand of the Year, Fazoli's franchisees are experiencing record sales growth.

Media Contact

Julia Block

[email protected]



SOURCE Fazoli's

Related Links

http://www.fazolis.com


"The design function of a Rotocap has been proven in the heavy-duty sector, where often engines run too slowly to generate consistent valve rotation," explained Gian Maria Olivetti, Chief Technology Officer, Federal-Mogul Powertrain. " Todays non-clamping cotters used in light vehicles, allow free rotation of the valve, transmitting spring loads via beads and grooves. However, this free valve rotation is limited in a speed range below 2500 rpm due to low dynamic effects. We can now apply the Rotocap technology to light vehicles, where downspeeding trends and increasing urban traffic density require engines to operate for prolonged periods at low speeds, and therefore may require forced valve rotation. Hybrid applications operating in a limited rpm range will also benefit from this technology."

Why valve rotation matters

Rotocap provides forced valve rotation with enhanced rotation control, also at lower engine speeds. Valve rotation ensures an even distribution of temperature around the seat, increasing durability by reducing local distortion and avoiding blow-by and crack formation across the sealing surface. In addition, rotation reduces wear on other components in direct contact with the valve.

Benefits of Rotocap use on engines with reduced oil consumption

Rotocap eliminates uncontrolled rotation which normally  by torsion of the valve spring or by miscellaneous resonances  is transferred to the valve during its opening and closing movement. It is replaced with motion through a defined angular movement that only takes place as the valve opens  this controlled movement can be relied upon across the whole engine speed range. Rotocaps also reduce abrasive wear of the valve seat area because the valve no longer rotates as it closes. This is particularly beneficial on engines designed with reduced oil consumption on the valvetrain or engines using alternative fuels (e.g. LPG, CNG, Ethanol) with generally higher seat wear ratios than gasoline or diesel.

Rotocap uses a compact and robust arrangement of balls and ramps within a self-contained assembly. The new small automotive Rotocap is available with an outer diameter in the range of 20-25 mm, which enables an easy implementation into the cylinder head. At the 2017 IAA Federal-Mogul Powertrain will exhibit a range of core valvetrain products such as valves, cotters and valve rotators, including its alternative design, Rotocoil, which uses a single garter spring in place of the balls and ramps. The company will be at Booth E33 in Hall 4.1 from 12-15 September (Press and Trade days only).

About Federal-Mogul

Federal-Mogul LLC is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world's manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The company's products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety.

Federal-Mogul operates two independent business divisions, each with a chief executive officer reporting to Federal-Mogul's Board of Directors.

Federal-Mogul Powertrain designs and manufactures original equipment powertrain components and systems protection products for automotive, heavy-duty, industrial and transport applications.

Federal-Mogul Motorparts sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products through more than 20 of the world's most recognized brands in the global vehicle aftermarket, while also serving original equipment vehicle manufacturers with products including braking, wipers and a range of chassis components. The company's aftermarket brands include ANCO wipers; Beck/Arnley premium OE quality parts and fluids; BERU* ignition systems; Champion lighting, spark plugs, wipers and filters; Interfil filters; AE, Fel-Pro, FP Diesel, Goetze, Glyco, National, Nural, Payen, Sealed Power and Speed-Pro engine products; MOOG chassis components; and Abex, Ferodo, Jurid and Wagner brake products and lighting.

Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899 and maintains its worldwide headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. The Company has nearly 53,000 employees in 24 countries. For more information, please visit www.federalmogul.com.

*BERU is a registered trademark of BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH

CONTACT:

Ursula Hellstern

Federal-Mogul Powertrain Communications

+49 (611) 201 9190

[email protected]

SOURCE Federal-Mogul Powertrain
US President Donald Trump, while spelling out the country's new Afghanistan strategy, said that Pakistan has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists.

By Geeta Mohan: India on Tuesday welcomed statements made by US President Donald Trump when he spelt out his administration's new Afghanistan strategy and called out Pakistan for harbouring terrorists.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, in a statement, said, "We welcome President Trump's determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives".

advertisement

US President Donald Trump in a televised address warned Pakistan against the continued support to terror networks. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said. He added, "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists."

MEA spokesperson also reiterated India's commitment to remain engaged in achieving a stable and strong Afghanistan. "We are committed to supporting the government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country. We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people. We will continue these efforts, including in partnership with other countries," Raveesh Kumar said in a statement.

MEA spokesperson's statement was in response to US President Donald Trump reaching out to India in his speech on Monday to enhance the latter's role to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," the US President said.

ALSO READ:

China defends ally Pakistan after Donald Trump says US can't be silent on safe havens for terrorists

Donald Trump corners Pakistan, says can no longer be silent over its safe havens to terrorists

What Donald Trump said on Afghanistan, Pakistan, India: Full text of speech

Why US policy change on Afghanistan matters for India

ALSO WATCH: Trump slams Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, seeks bigger role for India in Afghanistan

--- ENDS ---
DENVER, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- People are picky when it comes to who they will clean their house for, according to a new survey from Karcher, the global leader in cleaning technology.

With Americans already spending on average 3 hours, 20 minutes a week cleaning their house without help, they are less inclined to do more for potential house guests. Americans would spend more time cleaning their house for visiting friends (34 percent) than parents (24 percent). Surprisingly, only one in ten (9 percent) would clean their house before a date arrives  a fact which may suggest a desire for transparency around living habits in a romantic relationship, or a call for help with household chores.

Celebrities that Could Lend a Helping Hand

One person Americans wouldn't mind getting a helping hand from with cleaning duties  Ellen DeGeneres. A quarter of people (24 percent) would trust the talk show host to clean their homes  especially older generations ages 55 to 65 (38 percent). Coming in second, one in five Americans (21 percent) would trust chef Gordon Ramsay to get the job done  again, led by females (25 percent).

Men tended to favor younger female pop artists, with four in ten (44 percent) trusting either Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift to clean their homes.

Who wouldn't be of much use around the house? Kanye West. Only 2 percent of Americans would trust the rapper to clean their home properly.

Men Versus Women: Time Spent and Standards for Cleanliness

Household cleaning is still largely a solo job, with the majority of Americans (71 percent) stating they do it all by themselves. The privileged few delegate this responsibility to others (4 percent), while a quarter share this responsibility with someone else (26 percent).

When it comes to getting the job done, women spend more time cleaning than men  over an hour a week (3 hours, 57 minutes for women versus 2 hours, 41 minutes for men).

Despite this, men in the U.S. have a higher expectations than women do when it comes to the standards of household hygiene  three in four males (74 percent) find it "very important" for their home to be clean, compared to only 64 percent of females.

For some men, the favored option is to hire help. A quarter of U.S. males (24 percent) pay someone to clean their home  versus only 8 percent of females. Still, as a whole more men in the U.S. claim responsibility for cleaning their homes (68 percent) than men in other countries like Poland (43 percent) or Germany (57 percent).

Millennials Flip from Cleaning Passives to Cleaning Powerhouses

Cleaning habits change slightly generation to generation, but the real dramatic differences are within one demographic  millennials. Young millennials (18 to 24) spend the least time cleaning, with an average time of 2 hours, 39 minutes a week. Furthermore, 44 percent claim to spend less than an hour every week cleaning. Conversely, older millennials (defined as 25 to 34) spend the most time cleaning, with a weekly average time of 4 hours, 34 minutes.

Across all ages, Americans rely on useful tools to simplify housework, with seven in ten (77%) depending on electric cleaning appliances like vacuums cleaners.

"Our survey finds Americans take on a lot of responsibility cleaning up their homes, spending hours upon hours cleaning every week without much help from others," according to Dan Hayes, Retail Director at Karcher North America. "At Karcher, we pride ourselves on creating innovative products  from outdoor pressure washers to indoor floor and window cleaners  that make it easier for people to tackle their household cleaning chores more quickly and thoroughly."

Survey Methodology

The online survey was conducted in July 2017 by Research Now on behalf of Alfred Karcher GmbH & Co. among a representative sample of 6,075 individuals in key markets worldwide (1,004 of which were in the U.S.) 18 years and older. The margin of error is +/- 3.09 percent.

About Karcher North America

Karcher North America is one of the largest subsidiaries of Alfred Karcher, GmbH & Co. KG In North America, Karcher produces and distributes products and services under the brands Karcher, Windsor Karcher Group, Prochem Karcher Group, Landa Karcher Group, Hotsy, Water Maze, Graco, Spraymart, Cuda, and Shark. The company's solutions serve customers' cleaning needs in an economical and environmentally-friendly manner. Visit www.karcher.com/us for more information.

SOURCE Karcher North America

Related Links

http://www.karcher.com/us


"We are thrilled to accept the award for Hottest Destination of the Year from Virtuoso, and see this as a testament to the hard work we have dedicated to the North American market over the past several years," said Ruth Daly, Regional Manager of North America for Tourism Fiji. "We're anticipating much more success in the market as Fiji continues to build new resorts and create offerings to accommodate the record-breaking number of guests visiting the islands from the North America."

"Fiji Airways is delighted that an organization as prestigious as Virtuoso would recognize Fiji with this award," stated Stroebel Bekker, Regional General Manager for North America, Fiji Airways. "In the past year, Fiji Airways has shown its commitment to growing the North American market by adding year-round service from San Francisco to Fiji, in addition to our existing daily non-stop service from Los Angeles and 3-time weekly service from Honolulu, making the destination ever more accessible to more American travelers."

Fiji Airways and Tourism Fiji will continue to work together to offer guests the best South Pacific vacation experience.

About Tourism Fiji

Tourism Fiji is the destination marketing arm of the Fijian government responsible for promoting Fiji as the ideal destination for both leisure and business travelers from across the globe. Tourism Fiji has an established presence in eight key markets around the world and its activities include advertising, public relations, media initiatives, trade shows and tourism industry programs, all designed to showcase the islands of Fiji.

About Fiji Airways

Founded in 1951, Fiji Airways Group comprises of Fiji Airways, Fiji's National Airline and its subsidiaries: Fiji Link, its domestic and regional carrier, Pacific Call Comm Ltd, and a 38.75% stake in the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa on Denarau Island, Nadi. From its hubs at Nadi and Suva International Airports, Fiji Airways and Fiji Link serve 69 destinations in 15 countries (including code-share). Destinations include Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. The Fiji Airways Group brings in 64 percent of all visitors who fly to Fiji, employs over 1000 employees, and earns revenues of over FJD$815 million (USD $390m). Fiji Airways rebranded from Air Pacific in June 2013. Visit www.fijiairways.com for more information.

Ellen Stolz

Tourism Fiji

Communications Coordinator

Mobile: + (679) 777 7912

Phone: + (679) 672 1721

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Tourism Fiji; Fiji Airways

Related Links

https://www.fijiairways.com


TOKYO, Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Yoshihiko Hatanaka, "Astellas") announced today that the first patient was dosed in the registrational Phase 3 MORPHO trial of gilteritinib, the fourth Phase 3 trial underway in the gilteritinib clinical development program. The MORPHO trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial that compares gilteritinib to placebo as maintenance therapy over a period of two years following hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) in patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation-positive (FLT3/ITD+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and in remission after induction therapy. The primary endpoint is relapse-free survival (RFS), and the study is being conducted in collaboration with the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN).

"We know that FLT3+ AML patients face potentially worse outcomes than those with other mutations, and while some patients may experience remission following a stem cell transplant, many unfortunately relapse," said trial investigator and BMT CTN Study co-chair Mark J. Levis, M.D., Ph.D., of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University. "Given this reality, it is exciting to study gilteritinib in patients following a stem cell transplant."

Gilteritinib has demonstrated inhibitory activity against FLT3 ITD as well as FLT3 tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), two common types of FLT3 mutations that are seen in approximately one third of patients with AML. Further, gilteritinib has also demonstrated inhibition of AXL, which is reported to be associated with therapeutic resistance.

AML is a cancer that impacts the blood and bone marrow and is most commonly experienced in older adults. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2016 there were an estimated 21,000 new cases of AML diagnosed in the United States and about 10,600 cases resulted in death.

"The initiation of the MORPHO trial is another significant milestone for Astellas and for patients as therapeutic options can be very limited for this FLT3+ AML population," said Steven Benner, M.D., senior vice president and global therapeutic area head, oncology development, Astellas. "We are committed to patients with FLT3+ AML and currently have underway four Phase 3 trials to explore the potential benefit of gilteritinib for patients suffering from such an aggressive form of blood cancer characterized by both genetic and resistance mutations."

Astellas is currently investigating gilteritinib in various AML patient populations through several Phase 3 trials, including the registrational ADMIRAL trial in relapsed/refractory FLT3+ AML.

The safety and efficacy of the agent discussed herein are under investigation and have not been established. There is no guarantee that the agent will receive regulatory approval and become commercially available for the uses being investigated. Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release are not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

About the MORPHO Study

The Phase 3 MORPHO Study is a two-arm, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial in 346 patients with a diagnosis of AML harboring a FLT3/ITD mutation. Participants must be in first complete remission prior to transplant, as defined by less than five percent blasts in the bone marrow (BM) with no morphologic characteristics of acute leukemia in the BM with no evidence of extra-medullary leukemia. After undergoing transplantation, participants will be randomized to receive gilteritinib (120 mg) or placebo beginning after the time of engraftment for a two-year period. Participants will be stratified according to: 1) conditioning regimen intensity (myeloablative vs. reduced intensity), 2) time from HCT to randomization (30-60 days vs. 61-90 days) and 3) presence or absence of minimal residual disease from the most recent pre-registration BM aspirate. The primary endpoint of the trial is RFS. The study is being conducted in countries across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan. For more information about this trial, go to www.clinicaltrials.gov trial identifier NCT02997202.

About Gilteritinib

Gilteritinib was discovered through a research collaboration with Kotobuki Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Astellas has exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and potentially commercialize gilteritinib. Astellas classifies highly prioritized research projects as "Fast Track," meaning research and development time is minimized through the focused investment of both capabilities and resources. Gilteritinib was designated as our first Fast Track project.

About Astellas

Astellas Pharma Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, is a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. We focus on Urology, Oncology, Immunology, Nephrology and Neuroscience as prioritized therapeutic areas while advancing new therapeutic areas and discovery research leveraging new technologies/modalities. We are also creating new value by combining internal capabilities and external expertise in the medical/healthcare business. Astellas is on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at www.astellas.com/en.

About BMT CTN

The Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) was established in October 2001 to conduct large, multi-institutional clinical trials to improve outcomes for patients who receive hematopoietic cell transplantation. The network is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health.

Cautionary Notes

In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties.

Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.

Related Links

http://www.astellas.com/en


Two Indian oil giants, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum, both Fortune 500 companies, have already taken delivery of the first 2 million barrels that have shipped from ports in Texas and Louisiana. The first shipments will reach Paradip (Odisha, India) in the last week of September. They are expected to be received by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.

President Donald Trump acknowledged this first shipment during his phone call on August 14, 2017, with Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of India's Independence Day. President Trump welcomed the first ever shipment of American crude oil to India. He pledged that the United States would be a reliable, long-term supplier of energy.

The Indian Ambassador to the United States, Navtej Sarna met the Governor of Texas Greg Abbott, Deputy Secretary of State John J Sullivan and Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette to brief them about Indian plans to procure more US crude.

India is the third largest consumer of energy in the world following the US and China, and the 3rd largest importer of crude and the 4th largest importer of LNG. With over 1.2 billion population and a consistent GDP growth rate of over 7.5%, energy will be a key driver of the growth process in India. It is the fastest growing major economy of the world and is expected to remain the bright spot in global growth in the next two to three decades.

In terms of energy, India today consumes less than 5% of the world energy. However, this is going to accelerate and India is set to reach about 9% by 2035. Over the next 20 years, India's energy consumption will grow the fastest among all major economies. By 2035, China and India will have largest share of global demand (35%) overtaking even OECD (33%) and all other combined at 32%. Indian population will contribute an increase in consumption of around 300 million barrels per day per year for next few years. That is almost 30% of global incremental growth.

India has also developed itself into a refining hub with complex refineries that are exporting products to the world. These are state-of-art refineries, which can take a range of crude as input and give range of output product, given the very high level of complexity.

Indian oil companies are increasing their footprint in the United States. Four Indian public and private sector companies  GAIL, IOCL, Oil India and Reliance  have invested approximately US$ 5 billion in Shale assets. India will also source LNG from the United States. Indian companies have already contracted 9 MMTPA of LNG from the US and the first shipment is expected in January 2018.

Indian companies are contemplating placing monthly orders, if not more. This could boost bilateral trade by at least $ 2 billion.

Contact:

Pramod Kulkarni

Tel: (713) 306 3620

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE India House

Related Links

http://www.indiahouseinc.org


OAK BROOK TERRACE, Ill., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today ranked Indusa NO. 2354 on its 36th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment  its independent small and midsized businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Domino's Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

"Indusa's fifth appearance on the Inc. 5000 list is a testament to the commitment, consistency, and quality that our team delivers to midmarket clients," said Kamlesh Shah, Indusa Group CEO. "As our company continues this growth path, we look forward to exceeding expectations by producing business results through software services."

For the past 28 years, Indusa has provided customized and responsive software services to power digital transformations, enabling faster and smarter growth to over 500 companies around the globe.

"The Inc. 5000 is the most persuasive evidence I know that the American Dream is still alive," says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. "The founders and CEOs of the Inc. 5000 tell us they think determination, risk-taking, and vision were the keys to their success, and I believe them."

About Indusa

For global midmarket organizations, Indusa is an innovative technology partner that provides end-to-end enterprise software solutions and services to deliver business results: improve productivity, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. With offices in the United States and Asia Pacific, Indusa has a global team of experts to deliver transformative technology solutions to meet all of the needs of our clients from consulting to maintenance, in our core practices  Microsoft Dynamics 365 (AX ERP, CRM), Cloud, BI and Predictive Analytics, SharePoint, Enterprise Mobility, QA/Testing, Office 365 + Project Pro, and Custom Application Management.

For more information, visit www.indusa.com.

Connect with Indusa on social media

Twitter

LinkedIn

About Inc. Media:

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 18,000,000 today. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

The Inc. 5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates their remarkable achievements. The event also offers informative workshops, celebrated keynote speakers, and evening functions.

Media Contact: Elena Britton, Indusa, 630-984-2162, [email protected]

SOURCE Indusa

Related Links

http://www.indusa.com


AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global cybersecurity leader Forcepoint today announced it is further cementing global operations to meet growing demand for human-centric cybersecurity solutions through two key strategic executive appointments.

Kevin Isaac joins Forcepoint as vice president of sales for EMEA based in Reading, UK; and George Chang has started as vice president of sales for APAC out of the Singapore office. Both report to Sean Foster, chief revenue officer for Forcepoint. Isaac and Chang will lead the growth strategy for the company's operations across EMEA and APAC, respectively, and will drive customer engagement across the entire portfolio of Forcepoint's technology, including CASB, data loss prevention, insider threat, web security, email security and next-generation firewalls.

These appointments expand on the company's commitment to deliver insightful security solutions that help customers understand the rhythm of people in the organization and flow of critical business data and intellectual property  wherever it may reside. This people-first approach helps global enterprises and governments focus resources on activities that present the greatest risk to their business or mission.

"In the new digital and mobile world where there is no longer a perimeter, the detection and protection of data using point products is just not good enough. The market is moving to cyber solutions that adapt protection based on the context of user behavior, and we need inspirational and driven leaders to help customers and partners address this paradigm shift," said Foster. "Kevin, George and their teams will help lead the charge in delivering the most intelligent systems that facilitate business and foster productivity while stopping bad cyber activity."

In the last month, the EMEA sales leadership team also added Mahmoud-Samy Ibrahim to lead emerging markets. Ibrahim joins from Arbor Networks and will focus on Dubai, Russia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

Isaac comes to Forcepoint with more than 30 years of dynamic leadership experience in the international technology sector. Most recently, Isaac was senior vice president for EMEA Enterprise Sales at Symantec where he successfully repositioned the company as a pure security player. Prior to this, he held various regional sales roles at Symantec, including responsibility for all mid-sized and emerging regions. Before joining Symantec, Isaac spent more than seven years in sales leadership and general manager roles focused on emerging European markets.

"Forcepoint's transformative outlook on user intent puts customers in position to stop breaches by proactively detecting abnormal behavior across a range of risk indicators," said Isaac. "I look forward to helping organizations in EMEA strategically address their security and data protection challenges, including meeting GDPR compliance, while they protect the human point within their organizations, where data is most valuable and most vulnerable."

In APAC, Chang brings more than 20 years of experience in international business across the technology industry. Most recently, he served as regional vice president of APAC sales at Fortinet in Singapore. Prior to this, George held senior leadership roles in multiple technology companies including OpenNet Pte. Ltd., SYSTEX South Asia, Inter-touch Pte. Ltd., and STSN (Asia Pacific). George earned his master's degree in international business from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia and a bachelor's degree in business computing from Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

"As the network perimeter dissolves, companies are looking to how, when and why people interact with data  and where this information travels," said Chang. "We have the unique opportunity to partner with Asia-Pacific companies to ensure their users and critical business data are protected everywhere. These organizations can maximize their investments by putting cyber behaviors at the center of their security equation."

About Forcepoint

Forcepoint is transforming cybersecurity by focusing on what matters most: understanding people's intent as they interact with critical data and intellectual property wherever it resides. Our uncompromising systems enable companies to empower employees with unobstructed access to confidential data while protecting intellectual property and simplifying compliance. Based in Austin, Texas, Forcepoint supports more than 20,000 organizations worldwide. For more about Forcepoint, visit www.Forcepoint.com and follow us on Twitter at @ForcepointSec.

Join Forcepoint on Social Media

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forcepoint

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/forcepointsec

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForcepointLLC/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forcepoint

Media contact

Liem Nguyen

[email protected]

512.498.8821

SOURCE Forcepoint

Related Links

https://www.forcepoint.com


OWASP's recognition of API security as A10 in its flagship project underscores APIs' unquestioned ubiquity and business value. Moreover, its inclusion amplifies the criticality of ensuring that APIs are robustly protected from an explosively expanding landscape of security threats and vulnerabilities that target them.

"For more than 16 years, we have been espousing the importance of API security. But, high-profile hacks of the Nissan Leaf, Polish Financial Supervision Authority and social networking app Wishbone exemplify how companies in the API economy continue to provide services on APIs that are all too susceptible to compromise and malicious access," said Mamoon Yunus, CEO of Forum Systems. "We take tremendous pride in OWASP validating our mission, and commend the community for its exemplary work in highlighting APIs as a primary threat vector with significant and wide-ranging impacts for application and data security."

Yunus continued: "However, this is only the first step in elevating API security into the mainstream consciousness of IT professionals. With their foundational role in fueling cloud, mobility and IoT, APIs  and their attack surface areas  will only continue to expand. Given those dynamics, we believe that 'Underprotected APIs' should and will be ratified in the OWASP Top 10 2017 Edition. We ask that our industry peers join us in playing an immediate, instrumental role in bringing that to fruition."

Currently, OWASP is soliciting further input from the greater community to help finalize the Top 10. Forum Systems encourages development and security professionals to contribute to the discussion by participating in several key OWASP initiatives, including:

OWASP is a worldwide free and open community focused on improving the security of application software. Notably, the 2017 release of the OWASP Top 10 will mark the community's fourteenth year of raising awareness of the importance of application security risks.

Next month, Forum Systems will sponsor the OWASP-hosted AppSec USA 2017 in Orlando, Florida. Taking place September 19-22, the annual event is the premier application security conference for developers and security experts, and represents one of the largest sources of funding to help advance all of the free, open source OWASP projects.

About Forum Systems

Forum Systems Inc. is the leader in API Security Management. Providing centralized security, identity and integration for API communications, the Forum Sentry API Security Gateway enables enterprises to manage complex API strategies in an efficient, agile, highly secure manner. Processing more than 10 billion transactions per day worldwide, and architected on "security-first" design principles, Forum Sentry delivers unparalleled protection against modern API vulnerabilities. Forum Sentry is the industry's only FIPS 140-2 and NIAP NDPP-certified API Security Gateway for enabling secure connectivity between users, applications and the cloud. For more information, please visit www.forumsys.com.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Forum Systems Inc.

Related Links

http://www.forumsys.com


CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It has been noted that, despite local challenges and global volatility, Africa still presents ample opportunity for growth. The digital sphere continues to shape and disrupt a number of industry sectors and, as a result, organisations are continually striving to improve and implement strategies that not only bring about change, but sustainable long-term growth. This was one of the key messages from Frost & Sullivan's GIL 2017: Africa - The Global Community of Growth, Innovation and Leadership annual summit attended by over 200 industry leaders on Thursday, 17 August, in Cape Town.

Frost & Sullivan Senior Partner, Dorman Followwill, opened the day's proceedings and delivered the keynote address on 'Digital Disruption at the Human Level: Impacts on the Mind, Body, and Soul' capturing the attention of the audience with his presentation. The discussion focused on leaders of today, whether we are creating those who are open- or closed-minded to the digital transformation that is taking place. "We have around 25 million leaders globally," noted Followwill. "Of these leaders, only 15% are open to change. Are our leaders of today, including those in government, ignoring or embracing the digital transformational shift that is taking place?"

Highlights of the summit included the '360 Degree Digital Disruption across Industries' Think Tanks, where digital developments and future predictions across a variety of industry sectors were discussed, like:

Chemicals Materials and Food: key participant  RCL and SABIC

and Automotive and Transportation: co-facilitated by Uyilo

Public Sector: co-facilitated by City of Cape Town

Healthcare: co-facilitated by MediClinic International and Logbox

and Power and Water sectors: co-facilitated by Kamstrup and LittleSun

Sneha S. Shah, Managing Director for Africa at Thomson Reuters, captivated the audience with her presentation on 'Opportunity in Crisis: How Africa Benefits from Global Volatility.' She emphasised that opportunity in Africa is most certainly not dead. Additionally she noted, as an example, that if Africa were to apply Blockchain to land registry, it could create an immutable, unhackable record of land ownership and transfer. As a result, we would see a significant rise in the middle class.

Dr. Ryan Noach, Deputy CEO of Discovery Health, delivered a fascinating presentation on how Africa's largest health insurance group is using technology to drive innovation and efficiency. He noted that behaviour change is fundamental to the business model, especially within the healthcare space, and that technology is becoming a very powerful enabler of that behaviour change.

Adrian Gore, Founder and Group Chief Executive of Discovery Limited, and Nelisiwe Masango, Director of Bear Run Investments, were also the recipients of the prestigious 2017 Growth Innovation Leadership awards for the day, presented by Birgitta Cederstrom, Global Commercial Director for the GIL programme at Frost & Sullivan.

Frost & Sullivan's 2017 Growth Excellence Awards Banquet followed on from the GIL 2017: Africa day event, celebrating superlative achievements amongst 20 companies who deliver excellence in best practices across a broad spectrum of industries.

For media partnership opportunities, or to attend next year's Growth Innovation Leadership (GIL 2017 Africa) congress, please send an e-mail to Samantha James, Corporate Communications for Africa at [email protected]

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, collaborates with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, Frost & Sullivan has been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector, and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Samantha James

Corporate Communications  Africa

P: +27 21 680 3574

F: +27 21 680 3296

E: [email protected]



T: @FrostSullivanSA

http://www.frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com


WAYNE, N.J., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Getinge, a leading global provider of innovative medical technology, today announces the full U.S. market release of the Pulsar-18 stent from BIOTRONIK. Pulsar-18 is the only available self-expanding stent for blocked superficial femoral arteries with a 4-French (4F) delivery system. Getinge currently distributes BIOTRONIK's portfolio of products to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the United States. The addition of the Pulsar-18 stent to Getinge's portfolio extends the company's commitment to deliver innovative solutions to meet customer and patient needs.

PAD is a serious condition in which atherosclerosis narrows and blocks peripheral arteries, most commonly in the legs. It affects 8 million Americans but is significantly underdiagnosed. Left untreated, PAD can lead to gangrene and amputation because of reduced blood flow.

"Minimally invasive 4-French technology has the potential to positively impact our endovascular practice," said Prof. Marianne Brodmann, Head of Angiology, University Clinic of Graz, Austria, and European Principal Investigator of the BIOFLEX-I study. "Much of the lower limb arterial disease we treat is amenable to 4-French access, thus reducing risks associated with access site complications compared to larger bore devices and offering similarly promising efficacy even in complex lesions."i

"As more patients are diagnosed with PAD due to our aging population, interventional and surgical teams need access to innovative, proven peripheral vascular products that meet the needs of a range of patient types," said Raoul Quintero, President Americas at Getinge. "Adding the Pulsar-18 stent to our robust vascular interventions portfolio supports our passion and commitment to help healthcare providers improve patient care while reducing costs."

"With the recent FDA approval of our Pulsar-18 stent, clinicians have access to a 4-French solution that eliminates the need for closure devices, allows for early ambulation, and potentially reduces time to discharge for PAD patients," said Marlou Janssen, President of BIOTRONIK, Inc. "These are benefits that can improve procedure safety and efficiency and truly impact quality of life for patients with PAD. The Pulsar-18 stent needs to be immediately accessible to physicians, and our partnership with Getinge will allow this to happen."

About the Pulsar-18 Stent

The Pulsar-18 stent, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 23, 2017, was developed by BIOTRONIK, a global leader in cardio- and endovascular medical technology. Pulsar-18 is the only self-expanding stent for the superficial femoral artery approved by the FDA with a 4F delivery system, which enables simpler, safer and more efficient procedures than larger diameter delivery systems. With Pulsar-18, procedure times are reduced because the 4F system more easily crosses lesions,ii lowers access site complication rates, and requires less compression time without the need for a closure device.iii

The safety and efficacy of the Pulsar-18 stent for blocked superficial femoral arteries was demonstrated by 12-month data from the pivotal BIOFLEX-I clinical study, presented during the C3 summit 2017 by BIOFLEX-I US Principal Investigator Mark Burket, MD, FACC, FSCAI, University of Toledo Medical Center. Results showed 99.7 percent freedom from major adverse events (MAEs) at 30 days, 87.6 percent freedom from clinically-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 12 months, and 66.8 percent primary patency at 12 months in lesion lengths up to 190 mm. Results also demonstrated improvements in clinical and quality of life metrics as assessed by the ankle-brachial index (ABI), six-minute walk and walking impairment questionnaire (WIQ).iv

About Getinge's Vascular Interventions Portfolio

Getinge offers a full line of peripheral vascular products for interventional procedures performed in the cath lab, as well as the FUSION BIOLINE, FLIXENE and HEMASHIELD family of vascular grafts and patches. Getinge's portfolio also includes BIOTRONIK's peripheral vascular product line, which includes the Astron iliac self-expanding stent, the Passeo PTA balloon family and the Fortress family of reinforced sheaths.

About Getinge

Getinge is a global provider of innovative solutions for operating rooms, intensive-care units, sterilization departments and for life science companies and institutions. Based on our first-hand experience and close partnerships with clinical experts, healthcare professionals and medtech specialists, we are improving the every-day life for people, today and tomorrow.

i Bosiers et al. Results of the 4EVER trial. J Endovasc Ther. 2013;20:746-756.

ii BIOTRONIK data on file (6.0 mm diameters).

iii Bosiers M, et al. 4-Frenchcompatible endovascular material is safe and effective in the treatment of femoropopliteal occlusive disease: Results of the 4-EVER Trial. Endovasc Ther. 2013;20:746-756.

iv Presented in a late-breaking session at the 2017 Complex Cardiovascular Catheter Therapeutics Advanced Endovascular and Coronary Intervention Global Summit (C3).

SOURCE Getinge
NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Domain Names in Thousands by the following Segments: Country Code TLDs, and Generic TLDs.



The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World.



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p05069934/Global-Domain-Names-Industry.html



Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2016 through 2024. Also, a five-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based on public domain information including company URLs.



The report profiles 228 companies including many key and niche players such as:

- 1&1 Internet AG

- 123 Reg, Ltd.

- Afilias Limited

- ARI Registry Services

- Domain.com, LLC



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p05069934/Global-Domain-Names-Industry.html

DOMAIN NAMES MCP-7751 A GLOBAL STRATEGIC BUSINESS REPORT CONTENTS



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS

Study Reliability and Reporting Limitations

Disclaimers

Data Interpretation & Reporting Level

Quantitative Techniques & Analytics

Product Definitions and Scope of Study

Country Code TLDs (ccTLD)

Generic TLDs (gTLD)





II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY





1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Domain Names: Rapid Internet Penetration in Developing Regions Spurring Industry Growth

Table 1: Leading Domain Names in Global gTLDs Market (March 2016): Percentage-Share Breakdown by Domain Names (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 2: Leading Domain Names in Global ccTLD Market (2016): Breakdown of Cumulative Number of Registrations (in Millions) per Region (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Key Indicators Impacting Domain Name Industry Growth

Improving Economy Buoys General Market Optimism

Table 3: World Real GDP Growth Rates in % by Select Country: (2016, 2017 & 2018) (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Urbanization: A Major Growth Driver

Table 4: Global Population Estimates (2000-2050) (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 5: Population (in Millions) of Select Countries for 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 6: Total Population Worldwide by Urban and Rural Population in Thousands: 1950-2050P (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Expanding Middle Class Population: Harbinger of Good Times for Domain Industry

Table 7: Global Middle Class Population (in Millions) by Geographic Region: 2010, 2020P & 2030P (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Mobile Workforce Provides Fertile Ground for Domain Industry Growth

Smartphone Adoption, High-Speed Internet Penetration and Bandwidth Expansion Provide the Foundation for Growth

Table 8: Global Smartphone Adoption Rate and Connections (2013-2020) (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 9: Smartphone Penetration as a Proportion (%) of Total Mobile Users in Select Countries (2015 & 2017) (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 10: Global Sales of Smartphones, Internet Penetration and Bandwidth Capacity Increases for the Years 2016 & 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 11: Global Internet Penetration Rate (In %) by Geographic Region (2017E) (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Mass Adoption of Cloud Based Apps among the Growing Base of SMBs Worldwide Emerges as a Powerful Driver of Growth

Market Outlook





2. MAJOR INDUSTRY TRENDS AND ISSUES

New gTLDS Bump up Registrations

Table 12: Leading New Domain Names in Global Domain Industry (2017E): Percentage Breakdown of New Domain Names (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Increased Registrations from China Pushing Market Growth Globally

New Domain Name Extensions Emerging As Relatively Inexpensive Option

Table 13: Select Expensive gTLDs Worldwide (2014 - 2016) (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

com Still Market Leader, But New gTLDs Fast Catching Up

Table 14: Global TLDs Market (2016): Number of Cumulative Registrations (in Millions) by Domain Name (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Introduction of New gTLDs could Potentially Tilt Balance towards Registrars

Exclusive Registry Rights Stifling Competition

Despite Hype, Pace of International Domain Names Registrations Yet to Pick Up

Emoji Domain Name: A Long Road Lies Ahead

Lack of Browser Support

Need to Enter Domain Name in Browser

Unavailability in Majority of Well-Known Domain Extensions

Domain Hijacking - A Real Threat to Domain Name Industry

Domain Name Hijacking

Measures for Preventing Domain Name Hijacks





3. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

New Benchmark Set in Top-Level Domain Pricing With ".web" Acquisition

Table 15: Select High-value Acquisitions in Domain Name Market (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





4. PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Domain Name

Country Code TLDs (ccTLD)

Generic TLDs (gTLD)

SLDs

A Brief History of Domain Names

Timeline for gTLD: Major Events from 2000 through 2015

Major Stakeholder in Domain Name Industry

ICANN

DNS

DNSSEC

Registry Services

Registrars

Leading Registrars in Global Domain Industry (2017)

Internationalized Domain Name

Drop Catcher

Domain Name Transfer Process

DNS hosting

DNSSEC support

Authorization Support





5. PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS/LAUNCHES

Name.com Launches Personal Branding Suite - Prologue

Ganjapreneur.com Launches New Domain Name Market

Rightside Launches ".GAMES" Domain Extension

GMO Registry Unveils ".shop" top level domain

Donuts Inc. Unveils ".WINE" and ".VIN" gTLDs

GoDaddy Re-launch ".cn" Domain Name

Rightside Launches ".LIVE" and ".STUDIO" Domain Extensions

Domain.com Unveils ".TECH" and ".ONLINE" Domain Extensions

Rightside Unveils ".BAND" Domain Extension for Music Industry

Rightside Launches ".FORSALE" Domain Extension for Retail and Real Estate Industry

Rightside Unveils ".GIVES" and ".DEGREE" Domain Extensions





6. RECENT INDUSTRY ACTIVITY

Rightside and Donuts Enter into Merger Agreement

Radix Sells "casino.online"

1&1 and Sedo Collaborate to Offer Domain Names To Sedo's Customers

Rightside and Donuts Extend Agreement for New gTLD Registry Services Agreement

GoDaddy Completes Acquisition of Host Europe Group

Key-Systems Buys European Domain Centre ApS

Rightside Sells Enom to Tucows

Sedo Partners With Boston Ivy Registry for Premium Domain Name Auction

Tucows Buys Melbourne IT's International Wholesale Domain Reseller Channel

Sedo and Enom Inks Partnership Agreement for Premium Domain Name Distribution

Rightside Secures ".NEWS" Domain Extension





7. FOCUS ON SELECT GLOBAL PLAYERS

1&1 Internet AG (Germany)

123 Reg, Ltd. (UK)

Afilias Limited (Ireland)

ARI Registry Services (Australia)

Domain.com, LLC. (USA)

Donuts, Inc. (USA)

GMO Internet, Inc. (Japan)

GoDaddy, Inc. (USA)

Key-Systems GmbH (Germany)

Melbourne IT Group (Australia)

Minds + Machines Group Limited (British Virgin Islands)

Moniker Online Services, LLC. (USA)

Namecheap, Inc. (USA)

NeuStar, Inc. (USA)

Nominet UK (UK)

Register.com (USA)

Rightside Group, Ltd. (USA)

Shopify, Inc. (Canada)

Tucows, Inc. (Canada)

Enom, Inc. (USA)

United Domains AG (Germany)

VeriSign, Inc. (USA)

Web.com Group, Inc. (USA)

Wix.com, Inc. (Israel)

Znet Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (India)





8. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

Table 16: World Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Geographic Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 17: World Historic Review for Domain Names by Geographic Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 18: World 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names for US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets for Years 2011, 2017 and 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Markey by Domain Types

Table 19: World Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Country Code TLDs by Geographic Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 20: World Historic Review for Country Code TLDs by Geographic Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 21: World 14-Year Perspective for Country Code TLDs by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names for US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets for Years 2011, 2017 and 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 22: World Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Generic TLDs by Geographic Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 23: World Historic Review for Generic TLDs by Geographic Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 24: World 14-Year Perspective for Generic TLDs by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names for US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World Markets for Years 2011, 2017 and 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





III. MARKET





1. THE UNITED STATES

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

Products Introductions

Strategic Corporate Developments

Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 25: US Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 26: US Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 27: US 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





2. CANADA

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

Canadian Domain Name Market: An Overview

Growing Awareness of New gTLDs

Table 28: Percentage Breakdown of Population Awareness for New gTLDs in Canada (2016E) (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Trends in Canadian Domain Name Market

Higher Chances of Sales for non-Canadian Companies Having . ca Domain Name

Overcoming Canadian Presence Requirements Hurdle

Limitations in CDRP Nullifying Dispute Resolution Process Efforts

Proactive Registration of Domain Names: An Effective Solution

Strategic Corporate Development

Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 29: Canadian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 30: Canadian Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 31: Canadian 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





3. JAPAN

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

Strategic Corporate Development

Key Player

B.Market Analytics

Table 32: Japanese Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 33: Japanese Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 34: Japanese 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





4. EUROPE

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

European ccTLD Market on Stable Growth Trajectory

Value-Added Services in Native Languages Helping Growth at Grassroot Levels

Major Trends in European Union ccTLDs Market

Gap between New Additions and Deletions Increasing At Slow Pace

Complacency Not an Option for European ccTLD

Creating Awareness - The Way Forward

B.Market Analytics

Table 35: European Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Rest of Europe Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 36: European Historic Review for Domain Names by Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Rest of Europe Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 37: European 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names for France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Rest of Europe Markets for Years 2011, 2017 and 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 38: European Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 39: European Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 40: European 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4a. FRANCE

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

.FR Crosses 3 million Domain Names Milestone

B.Market Analytics

Table 41: French Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 42: French Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 43: French 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4b. GERMANY

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

Strategic Corporate Developments

Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 44: German Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 45: German Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 46: German 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4c. ITALY

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

"Made in Italy" Propels Italian ccTLD to 3 Million Mark

Timeline for Italian ccTLD: Important Milestones Achieved by Italian Registry

B.Market Analytics

Table 47: Italian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 48: Italian Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 49: Italian 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4d. UNITED KINGDOM

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 50: UK Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 51: UK Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 52: UK 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4e. SPAIN

Market Analysis

Table 53: Spanish Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 54: Spanish Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 55: Spanish 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4f. RUSSIA

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

".ru" Registrations Growing at a Rapid Pace

Timeline for Russian Domain Names: Important Milestones Achieved by Russian Registry

Table 56: Russian Domain Name Market (2012, 2014 and 2016): Total Number of ".??" Domain Names in Thousands (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Russian Registry, Government and Individual Registrars Join Hands to Boost Russian Domain Space Security

B.Market Analytics

Table 57: Russian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 58: Russian Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 59: Russian 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4g. AUSTRIA

Market Analysis

Table 60: Austrian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 61: Austrian Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 62: Austrian 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4h. BELGIUM

Market Analysis

Table 63: Belgian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 64: Belgian Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 65: Belgian 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4i. CZECH REPUBLIC

Market Analysis

Table 66: Czech Republic Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 67: Czech Republic Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 68: Czech Republic 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4j. DENMARK

Market Analysis

Table 69: Denmark Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 70: Denmark Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 71: Denmark 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4k. THE NETHERLANDS

Market Analysis

Table 72: Dutch Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 73: Dutch Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 74: Dutch14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4l. POLAND

Market Analysis

Table 75: Polish Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 76: Polish Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 77: Polish 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4m. SWEDEN

Market Analysis

Table 78: Swedish Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 79: Swedish Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 80: Swedish 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4n. SWITZERLAND

Market Analysis

Table 81: Swiss Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 82: Swiss Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 83: Swiss 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4o. TURKEY

Market Analysis

Table 84: Turkish Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 85: Turkish Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 86: Turkish 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4p. REST OF EUROPE

A.Market Analysis

Outlook

Ireland - A Key Market

Irish Domain Registry Metrics: A Complimentary Analysis

Table 87: Irish Domain Name Market (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Domain Registrations by Region (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 88: Irish Domain Name Market (2016): Percentage Breakdown of ".ie" Domain Registry by Registrant Type (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 89: Irish Domain Name Market (2016): Percentage Breakdown of New ".ie" Domain Name Registrations by Registrant Type (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 90: Rest of Europe Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 91: Rest of Europe Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 92: Rest of Europe 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





5. ASIA PACIFIC

Market Analysis

Table 93: Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Geographic Region - Australia, China, India, South Korea, and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 94: Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Domain Names by Geographic Region - Australia, China, India, South Korea, and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 95: Asia-Pacific 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Number of Registered Domain Names for Australia, China, India, South Korea, and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets for Years 2011, 2017 and 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 96: Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2016 through 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 97: Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Domain Names by Domain Type - Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs Independently Analyzed with Cumulative Registrations in Thousands for Years 2011 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 98: Asia-Pacific 14-Year Perspective for Domain Names by Domain Type - Percentage Breakdown of Cumulative Registrations for Country Code TLDs and Generic TLDs for Years 2011, 2017 & 2024 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



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By PTI: Odia

(Eds: Updating with Satpathys comment)

Bhubaneswar, Aug 22 (PTI) Two Union Ministers - Prakash Javadekar and Narendra Singh Tomar, today suggested to ruling BJD MP Tathagat Satpathy to take steps so that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik speaks in Odia language.

Javadekar, the Union HRD Minister Javadekar and Tomar the Union RD & UD Minister Tomar were in the city to attend BJPs two-day state executive meeting here. Both the ministers said this while reacting to Satpathys recent letter to Tomar in Odia language.

advertisement

Satpathy also reacted over the Union Ministers remarks and took the social media route to point out Tomar?s letter "written in English" to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who also belongs to Odisha.

"How come Hon?ble Shri Tomar writes to colleague in English? And to me in Hindi knowing I am Oriya. Fun or agenda?", Satpathy tweeted.

The language row started on Friday when Tomar wrote to Satpathy in Hindi language inviting him to a programme and the Dhenkanal MP gave him reply by writing back in Odia expressing his "inability to comprehend" the Union minister?s Hindi letter.

Satpathy had also suggested to Tomar to write to him letter either in Odia or in English languages.

Satpathy felt that Tomar imposed Hindi language on him and other non-Hindi speaking people by writing letter in the Hindi language.

"It could have been better if he (Satpathy) writes in Odia language to his Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who is unable to speak in the state language even after 17 years in the office," Javadekar told mediapersons soon after landing in Bhubaneswar.

Tomar, however, said: "I will be careful next time when writing to him (Satpathy). I thank him for the suggestion."

"However, I would suggest to him (Satpathy) to ask his chief minister to speak and write in Odia language also," Tomar told reporters here. PTI AAM RG

--- ENDS ---
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Mobility Solutions does not just facilitate corporate relocations around the globe, it tries to make the world a better place as well. The company routinely gives back to its community through organizations like Move for Hunger and St. Mary's Food Bank.

Through its cooperation with the Move for Hunger program, Global Mobility Solutions and its provider network partners donated 50,000 meals to St. Mary's Food Bank.

Lisa Notaro, Chief Development and Communications Officer for St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, presents Steven Wester, President of Global Mobility Solutions, with the "Hunger Hero" award.

Lisa Notaro, Chief Development and Communications Officer for St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, recently visited the world headquarters of Global Mobility Solutions to deliver the news that, because of its contributions, Global Mobility Solutions was named a 2016 Hunger Hero of St. Mary's Food Bank.

Steven Wester, President of Global Mobility Solutions, said, "GMS believes strongly in giving back to our local community and we've been supporting St. Mary's Food Bank for years. We're very honored and humbled to receive their Hunger Hero Award."

More recently, at its 2017 relocation forum, Global Mobility Solutions and its partners raised funds to donate 53,000 meals to those in need.

About St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance (firstfoodbank.org)

St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, the world's first food bank, is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to the hungry. Serving two-thirds of Arizona's 15 counties, the organization is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships, and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need.

About Global Mobility Solutions (www.gmsmobility.com)

Founded in 1987, Global Mobility Solutions is a global corporate relocation services company that specializes in workforce mobility. The company's corporate relocation services include global assignment management, domestic relocation management, and a range of pre-decision solutions. Global Mobility Solutions is a perennial winner of the HRO Today "Baker's Dozen" customer satisfaction survey, being recognized as a top relocation company for the last four consecutive years. Learn more at www.gmsmobility.com.

Media Contact:

Garrett Zucker

[email protected]

480-361-8832

SOURCE Global Mobility Solutions

Related Links

http://www.gmsmobility.com


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY), the world's largest cloud platform dedicated to small, independent ventures, today launched TrustedSite, a new website security certification, to enable small businesses to better protect their online customers. To further strengthen GoDaddy's security offerings and allow its small business customers to stand out from their competitors, all GoDaddy SSL Plans have integrated McAfee SECURE to scan and certify websites for free. Customers can display the SECURE trustmark on their sites to show credibility and build trust. The TrustedSite service integrates with McAfee SECURE to bolster online trust by displaying the highly recognized floating McAfee trustmark.

The media often reports data breaches that happen to large companies. But small businesses were affected by 60% of all security attacks last year, according to a report from Travelers. Even more alarming, the U.S National Cyber Security Alliance found that 60% of small businesses are unable to sustain their businesses over six months after a cyber-attack. For these reasons, preventing potential cyber-attacks and protecting the livelihood of small businesses and entrepreneurs is the key focus of GoDaddy's new TrustedSite service.

"With cyber security attacks happening more frequently, providing a secure website and gaining the trust of online customers is vital to the success of smaller, independent ventures," said Kevin Doerr, Senior Vice President of Security Products at GoDaddy. "The McAfee SECURE integration gives our customers access to the vast resources of the top name in online security."

Key features and product enhancements include:

Build trust from the start: The floating McAfee SECURE trustmark is displayed on every version of a customer's site, including mobile. Displaying the McAfee seal is proven to increase trust and boost online conversions by as much as 10% when compared to those sites without.

The floating McAfee SECURE trustmark is displayed on every version of a customer's site, including mobile. Displaying the McAfee seal is proven to increase trust and boost online conversions by as much as 10% when compared to those sites without. Proactive protection: McAfee SECURE proactively scans small business owners' websites for malware and malicious links, providing an additional layer of online security without requiring additional technical expertise.

McAfee SECURE proactively scans small business owners' websites for malware and malicious links, providing an additional layer of online security without requiring additional technical expertise. Have confidence across devices: The McAfee SECURE trustmark works seamlessly on any device, from smartphones to tablets. With mobile web traffic exceeding desktop traffic, having a strategy for mobile security is important to building consumer confidence.

The TrustedSite service is available to GoDaddy domain customers for $4.99 per domain per year.

For more information, visit www.godaddy.com/web-security#earn

Connect with GoDaddy on Facebook , Twitter & LinkedIn

About GoDaddy

GoDaddy powers the world's largest cloud platform dedicated to small, independent ventures. With nearly 17 million customers worldwide and over 71 million domain names under management, GoDaddy is the place people come to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers and manage their work. Our mission is to give our customers the tools, insights and the people to transform their ideas and personal initiative into success. To learn more about the company visit www.GoDaddy.com.

 2016 GoDaddy Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Source: GoDaddy Inc.

SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.

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The Top Shops Conference will provide machining company representatives with benchmarking standards and best practices for success in the precision manufacturing industry. The Tops Shops Conference is created in partnership by those from Modern Machine Shop magazine, and industry associations AMT ( The Association for Manufacturing Technology ) and NTMA ( National Tooling & Machining Association ). ( www.topshopsevent.com )

In the Top Shops Exhibit Room, HEIDENHAIN experts will be on hand to showcase advanced control technology, and will have a TNC 640 mill-turn contouring control to view. The TNC 640 is best known for its speed and high surface finish, while also taking the lead in process control, for example through smart automatic probing and a latest-generation Gigabit Ethernet interface.

Also, at the end of the seminar, attendees will have the opportunity to tour Major Tool & Machine's (MTM) 600,000 square foot facility in Indianapolis. HEIDENHAIN is proud to support MTM with precision measurement components as well (see article): http://www.heidenhain.us/distributor/rejuvenating-massive-machine-tool/

HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION is the North American subsidiary of DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH, a leading international manufacturer of precision measurement and control equipment based in Traunreut, Germany. The product line includes linear scales, rotary and angular encoders, digital readouts, digital length gauges, CNC controls, and machine inspection equipment. Learn more at www.heidenhain.us.

Digital image of HEIDENHAIN's TNC 640 Control is available for download at: http://www.heidenhain.us/wp-content/uploads/TNc-640-Anw257_V03_Dreh_Fraesen_de.jpg

For more information , contact HEIDENHAIN's Public Relations Manager Kathleen Stoneski at 847-519-4702 ([email protected]) or write to us at HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION, 333 E. State Parkway, Schaumburg, IL 60173.

SOURCE HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION

Related Links

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CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HighTower announces that Charles Cornett has joined the firm as a Business Development Executive. Mr. Cornett is based in Richmond, Va. and reports directly to Kimberly Papedis, Managing Director, Head of National Sales & Platform Strategy. Prior to HighTower, Mr. Cornett was a Senior Vice President and Regional Director at Wells Fargo FiNet.

"With the addition of Charlie to our team, HighTower now has more than 120 years of combined experience recruiting independent financial advisors," said Ms. Papedis, who also left FiNet for HighTower in 2014. "We are committed to dominating this space from a recruiting perspective, as well as to fully supporting the independent business owner clients in the HighTower community."

Before joining FiNet, Mr. Cornett spent 7 years with Charles Schwab Institutional as a Business Development Director. At HighTower, he joins 5 other business development professionals focused on recruiting independent advisor teams to the firm's growing community of elite wealth management practices.

"After years of competing directly with HighTower, it was impossible to ignore their growth and momentum in the independent advisor channel," said Mr. Cornett. "I am proud to join a firm that is driving the conversation around the fiduciary standard, and look forward to supporting many more advisors as they make the transition to HighTower."

Earlier this summer, HighTower hired 3 other high-profile industry veterans to support its ongoing evolution and aggressive growth strategy: George Fischer, Managing Director, Operations and Service; Susan Krakower, Chief Brand Strategist; and Strategic Consultant Kyle Okimoto. HighTower's total client assets are now approaching $50 billiona 27% increase since the beginning of the year.

About HighTower

HighTower is reshaping the financial services industry from the inside out. As one of the nation's largest Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) dedicated to providing advice, not selling a product, we are a relentless champion of the fiduciary standard. We believe that the wealth management industry can and should do a better job of serving the needs of individual investors and their financial advisors. We built HighTower upon a commitment to put our clients' best interests first. For the 6th consecutive year, HighTower ranks on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America (2012  2017). For more information, see www.hightoweradvisors.com and www.byadvisorsforadvisors.com .

Melinda Brodbeck

JConnelly

973-850-7348

[email protected]

SOURCE HighTower

Related Links

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SAN RAMON, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hill Physicians, California's largest independent physician association, today unveiled a newly refreshed brand, which it plans to incorporate into all public-facing communications and material in the coming months.

The brand refreshmarked by the launch of a new multi-channel advertising campaign, updated logo, and dramatically revamped websitereflects the company's long history of stability and strength. But it also contains more contemporary elements designed to appeal to new and existing markets in which the company plans to increase its presence.

"This new brand identity builds on our legacy while conveying a fresh, modern look and feel that reflects the direction we are going as a company," said Hill Physicians CEO, David Joyner. "We've kept visual elements that reflect our heritage but we emphasized our forward-thinking mindset and objective to achieve strong growth, drive innovation and focus on sustainability."

Hill Physicians' exciting, new look is being rolled out through a multi-channel advertising campaign that includes TV, digital, outdoor, and social media. The company's visual identity has also been updated with a new logo and visual elements. Additionally, the company's website, HillPhysicians.com, has been redesigned to reflect the refreshed brand, improve the user experience and deliver new features.

About Hill Physicians Medical Group

Hill Physicians Medical Group is the largest independent physician association in Northern

California and is a nationally known leader in innovative healthcare. The Integrated Healthcare

Association and California Association of Physician Groups have recognized Hill Physicians as one of the top-performing medical groups in the state. For more information visit www.HillPhysicians.com.

SOURCE Hill Physicians Medical Group

Related Links

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DALLAS, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Huggies Nursing Advisory Council, in partnership with Huggies, today launched the new Every Change Matters Nurse Education Program, a supplement to Every Change Matters: A Guide to Developmental Diapering Care, the first research review of clinical evidence to consider diapering within the context of developmental careincluding skin care, physical development, sensory elements and parent-infant bonding. The Nurse Education Program is designed to equip nurses with developmental diapering knowledge and skills to use in practice, as well as strategies to teach and engage parents in caring for and bonding with their infant.

Every Change Matters: A Guide to Developmental Diapering Care was developed in 2016 by the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council, a Kimberly Clark-sponsored consulting group that brings together expert perspectives in neonatal and perinatal nursing and education, occupational therapy, and the NICU parent experience. The Nurse Education Program is a modular, computer-based educational tool that operationalizes the five developmental diapering focus areas of Every Change Matters  Calm & Clean, Change & Check, Comfort, Champion Sleep, and Confidence & Closeness  for implementation into clinical practice and parent education. The program includes tips for both pre-term and full-term newborns.

"This easy-to-use, interactive program was designed for both audio and visual learners by utilizing a variety of educational methods including video, illustrations of key points, and knowledge surveys that provide immediate feedback to the participant," said Huggies Nursing Advisory Council member Sharon Dore, RN, BScN, M Ed, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, McMaster University. "By advancing diapering knowledge and strategies to use in practice and when engaging with parents, we are helping to support positive infant development and parental bonding."

The Every Change Matters Nurse Education Program is available online at HuggiesHealthcare.com. Health care professionals can download the education program and launch directly from their desktop or upload to their hospital's Learning Management System (LMS).

"Huggies recognizes that being a nurse can be demanding on many levels, which is why we offer educational resources and clinical insights  such as the Every Change Matters Nurse Education Program  to support nurses in their critical mission to help babies thrive," said Aric Melzl, General Manager, Huggies Healthcare at Kimberly-Clark. "The program has enabled us to take Every Change Matters to the next level by offering an engaging and useful resource for nurses that will provide them with important developmental diapering knowledge that can be applied in their clinical practice."

About the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council

Members of the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council and co-authors of Every Change Matters: A Guide to Developmental Diapering Care are:

Sharon Dore, RN , BScN, M Ed, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada

, BScN, M Ed, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, McMaster University, Ontario, Media Esser, NNP-BC, APNP, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Felicia Fitzgerald , BSN, RN, RNC-OB, Perinatal Outreach Educator, Chicago, Illinois

, BSN, RN, RNC-OB, Perinatal Outreach Educator, Chicago, Kelli Kelley , Founder & Executive Director, Hand to Hold, Austin, Texas

, Founder & Executive Director, Hand to Hold, Austin, Joanne Kuller, RN , MS, Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Oakland, California

, MS, Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Oakland, Sue Ludwig , OTR/L, CNT, Founder & President, National Association of Neonatal Therapists, Cincinnati, Ohio

, OTR/L, CNT, Founder & President, National Association of Neonatal Therapists, Cincinnati, Debianne Peterman, PhD, MSN, RNC-NIC, NE-BC, Vice President, Clinical Education and Development, TriStar Health, Brentwood, Tennessee

About Every Change Matters

The average child has more than 10,000 diaper changes in their lifetime. These diaper changes are more than an opportunity for a clean and dry diaperthey provide a chance to integrate developmental care along with infant skin care to help infants thrive. Every Change Matters: A Guide to Developmental Diapering Care helps nurses and other healthcare professionals to integrate, model, and educate parents and other caregivers about the importance of developmental care in addition to skin care in diapering. It was developed by the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council  a Kimberly Clark-sponsored consulting group that brings together expert perspectives in neonatal and perinatal nursing and education, as well as occupational therapy and the NICU parent experience.

Huggies has also partnered with AWHONN Healthy Mom&Baby to develop parent-facing education tools that outline the key developmental diapering practices of Every Change Matters in an applicable, accessible way for parents to easily understand and routinely use at home. These materials are intended for nurses to share with new parents, via this link.

About the Huggies Brand

Huggies believes deeply in the Power of Hugs. That's why every Huggies diaper and wipe is inspired by parents' hugs. For nearly 40 years, Huggies has been helping parents provide love, care and reassurance to help babies thrive. No Baby Unhugged is Huggies promise to ensure babies get the care they need to thrive  from innovative everyday products, growing hospital hugger programs and specially-designed products for the tiniest of babies, to diapers and wipes donations. Huggies is the fastest growing diaper brand in hospitals* and partners with NICU nurses to develop diapers and wipes that meet the specific needs of pre-term infants. For more information on Huggies No Baby Unhugged program visit the "Why Huggies?" page at Huggies.com.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust Kimberly-Clark brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No.1 or No. 2 share positions in 80 countries. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the Company's 145-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

*based on volume share growth

[KMB-B]

Contact: Marianne Geiger

312- 297-7438

[email protected]

Contact: Andrea Hopkins

972-281-1481

[email protected]

SOURCE Huggies

Related Links

http://www.huggies.com


MCALLEN, Texas, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Hope On Wheels will today present Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children's Cancer & Hematology Clinic with a $50,000 Hyundai Impact Award. Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children's is one of 25 recipients of this year's award, which is given to pediatric oncology departments at select children's hospitals nationwide. Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children's plans to use the funds to help provide care to patients from low income and uninsured families.

In 2017, Hope On Wheels will award $15 million toward pediatric cancer research and programs. This brings the organization's donation total to $130 million since Hyundai joined the fight against pediatric cancer in 1998. With this latest grant, Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children's has received $395,000 from Hope On Wheels.

"Throughout the country, talented doctors are working tirelessly to help kids fight cancer by conducting research or providing bedside care," said Scott Fink, chairman, Hyundai Hope On Wheels Board of Directors. "Our goal at Hope On Wheels is to provide these doctors with the grant funds they need to perform their lifesaving work. Superheroes come in all forms, but for children and families battling cancer  superheroes wear lab coats."

The $50,000 Hyundai Impact Award will be officially presented to Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children's today, August 22, 2017 at 10 a.m. During the event, Rio Grande Valley-area children battling cancer will participate in the program's signature Handprint Ceremony, in which they'll dip their hands in paint and place their handprints on a white 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe. Their colorful handprints on the official Hope Vehicle represent their individual and collective journeys, hopes and dreams.

Doctors and researchers that receive a grant from Hope On Wheels are named Hyundai Scholars and are presented with a special lab coat. This year, Hope On Wheels will further recognize its Hyundai Scholars for their incredible efforts on behalf of children battling cancer through a campaign called "Superheroes Wear Lab Coats." The video series will showcase their lifesaving work. To learn more about the campaign, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.

For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels and to view a complete list of this year's grant winners, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org/research. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels.

HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS

Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. HHOW is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 835 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $130 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 835 dealerships nationwide. All new Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes a 5-year/60,000-mile fully-transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.

For more details on Hyundai Assurance, please visit www.HyundaiAssurance.com

Please visit our media website at www.hyundainews.com

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook

SOURCE Hyundai Hope On Wheels

Related Links

http://www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org


ARMONK, N.Y., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of leading companies across the global food supply chain today announced a major blockchain collaboration with IBM (NYSE: IBM) intended to further strengthen consumer confidence in the global food system. The consortium includes Dole, Driscoll's, Golden State Foods, Kroger, McCormick and Company, McLane Company, Nestle, Tyson Foods, Unilever and Walmart, who will work with IBM to identify new areas where the global supply chain can benefit from blockchain.

IBM Announces Blockchain Collaboration with Major Retailers and Food Companies to Address Food Safety - A group of the world's leading retailers and food companies are working with IBM to explore how blockchain technology can be used to make the food supply chain safer. Blockchain technology can be used to improve food traceability by providing trusted information on the origin and state of food. Pictured is a crate of oranges being scanned as part of a food safety blockchain. (Photo credit: Connie Zhou for IBM)

Every year, one-in-ten people fall ill - and 400,000 die - due to contaminated food.* Many of the critical issues impacting food safety such as cross-contamination, the spread of food-borne illness, unnecessary waste and the economic burden of recalls are magnified by lack of access to information and traceability. It can take weeks to identify the precise point of contamination, causing further illness, lost revenue and wasted product. For example, it took more than two months to identify the farm source of contamination in a recent incidence of salmonella in papayas.**

Blockchain is ideally suited to help address these challenges because it establishes a trusted environment for all transactions. In the case of the global food supply chain, all participants - growers, suppliers, processors, distributors, retailers, regulators and consumers - can gain permissioned access to known and trusted information regarding the origin and state of food for their transactions. This can enable food providers and other members of the ecosystem to use a blockchain network to trace contaminated product to its source in a short amount of time to ensure safe removal from store shelves and stem the spread of illnesses.

Dole, Driscoll's, Golden State Foods, Kroger, McCormick and Company, McLane Company, Nestle, Tyson Foods, Unilever, Walmart and others are now coming together with IBM to further champion blockchain as an enabling technology for the food sector. Together they will help identify and prioritize new areas where blockchain can benefit food ecosystems and inform new IBM solutions. This work will draw on multiple IBM pilots and production networks in related areas that successfully demonstrate ways in which blockchain can positively impact global food traceability.

"Unlike any technology before it, blockchain is transforming the way like-minded organizations come together and enabling a new level of trust based on a single view of the truth," said Marie Wieck, general manager, IBM Blockchain. "Our work with organizations across the food ecosystem, as well as IBM's new platform, will further unleash the vast potential of this exciting technology, making it faster for organizations of all sizes and in all industries to move from concept to production to improve the way business gets done."

New IBM Blockchain Platform

Beyond food supply chain applications, blockchains are now being used to transform processes and streamline transactions for everything from flowers, real estate and trade finance, to education, insurance and medical services.

To accelerate this adoption, IBM is introducing the first fully integrated, enterprise-grade production blockchain platform, as well as consulting services, that will allow more organizations to quickly activate their own business networks and access the vital capabilities needed to successfully develop, operate, govern and secure these networks. The IBM Blockchain Platform is available via the IBM Cloud.

The platform builds off of the successful blockchain work IBM has delivered to more than 400 organizations, incorporating insights gained as IBM has built blockchain networks across industries including financial services, supply chain and logistics, retail, government and health care.

Extensively tested and piloted, the platform addresses a wide range of enterprise pain points, including both business and technical requirements around security, performance, collaboration and privacy that no other blockchain platform delivers today. It includes innovation developed through open source collaboration in the Hyperledger community, including the newest Hyperledger Fabric v1.0 framework and Hyperledger Composer blockchain tool, both hosted by the Linux Foundation.

The integrated platform allows multiple parties to jointly develop, govern, operate and secure blockchain networks to help enterprises accelerate blockchain adoption.

Features of the IBM Blockchain Platform include:

Develop - For developers, easy and flexible network tools designed to bring blockchain networks up to speed in minutes. The platform also includes the first commercial introduction of Hyperledger Composer a framework that helps developers focus on the business use case and more easily and quickly map it to the application code. Developers can create standard business language in JavaScript and the APIs help keep development work at the business level, rather than being highly technical, making it possible for most any programmer to be a blockchain developer. Additionally, a variety of IBM Developer Journeys for blockchain are available featuring free open source code, documentation, APIs, architecture diagrams and one-click deployment Git repositories to fast-track building.

Govern - The platform offers all participating members a level of control, while preventing any one member from having exclusive control. A new class of democratic governance tools is designed to help improve productivity across the organizations using a voting process that collects signatures from members to govern member invitation distribution of smart contracts and creation of transactions channels. By quickly onboarding participants, assigning roles and managing access, organizations can begin transacting via the blockchain.

Operate The platform is underpinned by an architecture that operates more than 55% of today's global transactional systems.*** It is the first offering available to allow updates to be made to the network while it is running without any downtime. Running in the IBM Cloud, it offers unique protection from insider credential abuse, protection from malware and hardware encryption key protection. IBM Blockchain Platform provides the highest-level commercially available tamper resistant FIPS140-2 level 4 protection for encryption keys.

In addition to food safety, IBM is advancing other blockchain supply chain initiatives using the IBM Blockchain Platform for an automated billing and invoicing system. Initial work to use blockchain for invoicing is underway starting with Lenovo. This will provide an audit-ready solution with full traceability of billing and operational data, and help speed on-boarding time for new vendors and new contract requirements.

To complement the new platform, IBM Global Business Services offers Blockchain Services, which brings deep industry expertise from its 1,600 blockchain consultants who have helped clients deploy and integrate active networks. These consultants can apply design thinking to help enterprises conceptualize and implement blockchain enabled business models to realize optimal value. For example, during recent blockchain projects with major shipping and retail organizations, IBM consultants have been able to improve food safety traceability by 99.9 percent and decrease trade document workflow by 97percent, potentially unlocking millions of dollars in cost savings and market capital.

The IBM Blockchain Platform offers a range of pricing options, starting at $0.50 per hour, to support rapid adoption for networks of all sizes. To support blockchain ecosystems among different organizations, the cost of the network can be shared across all network members.

Strengthening Trust Across the Global Food Supply Ecosystem

In parallel trials in China and the U.S., IBM and Walmart recently demonstrated that blockchain can be used to track a product from the farm through every stage of the supply chain, right to the retail shelf, in seconds instead of days or weeks.

These trials also demonstrated that stakeholders throughout the global food supply chain view food safety as a collaborative issue, rather than a competitive one, and are willing to work together to improve the food system for everyone.

"As an advocate for greater transparency in the food system to benefit customers, Walmart looks forward to expanding on our initial work by collaborating with others to accelerate exploration on how this technology can be used as a more effective food traceability and food safety tool," said Frank Yiannas, vice president, food safety, Walmart. "Blockchain technology enables a new era of end-to-end transparency in the global food system  equivalent to shining a light on food ecosystem participants that will further promote responsible actions and behaviors. It also allows all participants to share information rapidly and with confidence across a strong trusted network. This is critical to ensuring that the global food system remains safe for all."

"IBM has deep experience and a commitment to business processing and security needs, which are exactly the skill sets needed to bring blockchain to full maturity for food safety and all associated transactions," said Guilda Javaheri, chief technology officer. As a customer and partner with IBM for more than forty years, Golden State Foods is pleased to collaborate with IBM and this group of trusted food companies."

"Safety is a key value for Kroger, and our partnership with IBM positions us to explore and test blockchain technology as a solution for enhanced food safety across our business," said Howard Popoola, Kroger's vice president of Corporate Food Technology and Regulatory Compliance. "Food safety is a universal priority for food retailers and companies. It's not a competitive advantage; it benefits our customers to have greater transparency and traceability in the supply chain."

"We're excited about the possibilities that come with this technology and are glad to collaborate with IBM and others," said Scott Stillwell, Ph.D., senior vice president of food safety and quality assurance for Tyson Foods. "Producing safe food is critical to our business; it appears blockchain can help provide trust not only about the origin of food, but also about how that food moved through the supply chain."

Expanding the Blockchain Ecosystem Across Academia and the Start Up Community

To help meet the increasing demand for a skilled technical workforce trained in blockchain, IBM is making available a wide range of resources including software, training and professional partnerships free of charge to more than 1,000 universities in the IBM Academic Initiative. Offerings include six months of access to the IBM Cloud for use of the IBM Blockchain cloud sandbox to help students hone development skills.

IBM is also working with select universities including Baruch College/CUNY, Fordham University, University of Arkansas, University at Buffalo and University of British Columbia to fund research grants, develop customized curricula and host workshops and hackathons. For technologists who want more in-depth guidance, IBM has refreshed its blockchain training and educational materials on developerWorks for Hyperledger Fabric 1.0.

As interest in Hyperledger Fabric continues to grow, IBM is also working with other companies such as Boldstart Ventures, to provide support and resources that broaden access. Boldstart Ventures has launched Fabric Foundry, the first accelerator dedicated to this framework, to foster adoption.

About IBM

IBM is the leader in open-source blockchain solutions built for the enterprise. As an early member of Hyperledger, an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies, IBM is dedicated to supporting the development of openly-governed blockchains. IBM has worked with more than 400 clients across financial services, supply chains, IoT, risk management, digital rights management and healthcare to implement blockchain applications. For more information about IBM Blockchain, visit https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/.

*Source: World Health Organization http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/foodborne-disease-estimates/en/

**Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/kiambu-07-17/index.html

***Source: Share.org www.share.org/p/bl/et/blogid=2&blogaid=234

Contact:

Holli Haswell

IBM

720-396-5485

SOURCE IBM
BANGALORE, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Incedo, a Bay area technology services firm specializing in data management, product engineering and emerging technologies, today announced the launch of IoT NXT, a rich portfolio of services that help clients realize tangible value and deliver powerful outcomes through their IoT implementations.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20170524/515715LOGO )



IoT NXT enables enterprises to leverage best in class IoT solutions, to facilitate the building of new service and revenue streams. Backed by strong experience and expertise around smart and connected product domains, Incedo provides a comprehensive set of IoT offerings. Our focus is to help OEM's, system integrators and operators to unlock business value across the user, asset and partner value chain.

IoT NXT is focused on developing cutting edge solutions across industries including the renewable energy, industrial and transportation sectors.

1. Smart Energy Management solution enables battery and automobile OEMs to track, and monitor the health of batteries and make optimum use of energy.

2. Smart Fleet Management solution involves real time tracking of the geo-fenced IoT enabled transport fleet to improve driver's productivity, streamlining operations and lowering expenses.

3. Smart Oil Field Management solution involves continuous gas monitoring and timely alerts using both mobile and fixed gas detectors. Using wireless sensors, the refiner is able to predict the health of the refinery, across units, to improve overall productivity.

In addition, Incedo is debuting its IoT NXT Lab, which will work with clients to research, co-innovate and collaborate on solution ideas. The lab is located in the company's Bangalore facility and works on ideation, design and development of proof of concepts. The lab provides a simulated environment for creating end-to-end IoT solutions that capture real-time data from interconnected sensor/devices and provide actionable insights utilizing cognitive platforms and predictive analytics.

Speaking on the launch of IoT NXT, Anupam Wahi, Business Head, Communication Engineering and IOTNXT at Incedo said, "There is no doubt that IoT is one of the most disruptive trends of this decade. Organizations however are struggling to realize the benefits of Machine to Machine/IoT technology. With the launch of IoT NXT, we are committed to going beyond providing transactional IoT services. The primary emphasis here is to enable clients to leverage the power of IoT in making real time decisions and creating efficiencies."

Cognitive Capabilities with IBM Watson IOT Platform

As part of the launch, Incedo announced a strategic partnership with IBM to revolutionize customer experience in developing and deploying enterprise-scale IoT solutions. This partnership gives Incedo access to the cognitive power of the robust IBM Watson IoT platform and its industry solutions.

"Advances in sensor, cloud and cognitive technologies are transforming industries and business models and to reap the benefits, businesses must be prepared for IoT integration. As Incedo's technology partner, IBM is focused on achieving real, measurable outcomes with each implementation for its customers. The Watson IoT platform and IBM's Industry Offerings around connected products, automotive, manufacturing and insurance will feature in Incedo's solution proposals to their prospective customers. Through IoT NXT, Incedo has explored opportunities in Fleet Management, Smart Energy Management, Smart Food and Grain Management based on IBM Watson IoT Platform and we will look at other areas moving forward." said Sandip Datta, Sr. Business Manager, IBM Watson IoT.

Analytics Capabilities with ConnectM

Incedo also announced a partnership with ConnectM. According to Sriram Chidambaram, CEO AsiaPacific, Middle East and Africa at ConnectM Technology Solutions Inc., "Incedo's partnership with ConnectM leverages our sensor-based development and data management platform coupled with real-time analytics, and their simulated environment to offer tremendous time to market advantage in delivering solutions for global customers."

To learn more about IoT NXT, please visit https://www.incedoinc.com/iotnxt.

About Incedo

Incedo is a technology solutions provider specializing in Data, Information Management, Business Intelligence, Analytics, and Emerging Technologies. Incedo has deep-rooted industry expertise in financial services, life sciences and communication engineering.

Headquartered in the Bay Area, Incedo has offices across North America and India. Its young, agile team consists of industry practitioners who understand the business needs of their clients.

Incedo works with four of the top ten life sciences and pharmaceutical companies, one of the top telecommunications companies in the world and some of the nation's largest financial services firms. http://www.incedoinc.com.

About IBM Watson IoT

IBM is an established leader in the Internet of Things with more than 6,000 client engagements in 170 countries, a growing ecosystem of over 1,400 partners and more 750 IoT patents which together help to draw actionable insight from billions of connected devices, sensors and systems around the world. For more information on IBM Watson IoT, please visit http://www.ibm.com/iot.

About ConnectM

ConnectM is a leading, global IoT Technology Solutions, Business Intelligence (BI) and Services Company headquartered in Boston, USA. With over 1,25,000+ assets connected, ConnectM's Yantra Platform is a robust and proven IoT Solution Delivery Platform. Our pre-built and bespoke applications are leveraged by over 70+ customers to manage their assets/machines. ConnectM Yantra IoT platform, applications along with devices from ConnectM and its eco-system partners offer the customer a one-stop-shop for all IoT needs.

ConnectM has delivered IoT solutions to various domains including Telecom, Energy, Utilities, Industrial, Construction, IT/ITES Enterprises and Transportation market segments. ConnectM's solutions are powered by cutting edge IoT technology, and are designed to make significant, sustained and measurable business impact. ConnectM also offers services to its client to build complete solutions. ConnectM's strength is in its ability to offer domain specific analytics on the data collected and deliver actionable business intelligence.

Media Contacts:

Nidhi Srivastava

Incedo

T: +91-9873404809

[email protected]

Katie Vroom

Affect

T+1-212-398-9680

[email protected]



SOURCE Incedo
MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kespry, the leading aerial intelligence platform provider, announced that highly regarded forensic engineering, research and testing firm, Haag, has conducted an independent study analyzing the precision and efficacy of Kespry's industrial drone platform. Kespry becomes the first company to submit its enterprise drone system to Haag for independent evaluation and to receive the firm's seal-of-approval for roof measurements.

Haag concluded that Kespry's Roof Measurement Tool compared favorably with its own manual results. The study found an average difference of just 0.6 percent  well within industry benchmarks  using Kespry drones rather than traditional manual field measurement methods. Haag also noted that Kespry drones could effectively and rapidly inspect roofs that would otherwise be unsafe for manual inspection without the use of harnesses, ropes and ladders.

The study examined 17 buildings of varying slopes, geometries and surface areas in the hail-prone Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan region and calculated individual slope areas as well as total roof areas. Four of the 17 roofs selected for sampling were either too slick or too steep to reliably measure manually, without roping, which was not an issue using Kespry's autonomous drone.

"Haag's study showed that Kespry's roof measurements are within the accuracy that has come to be expected within the industry," said Justin Kestner, P.E., president / CEO and principal engineer with Haag. "Further, Kespry has demonstrated they can accurately measure a roof more safely and quickly than by hand, while greatly reducing any risk of damage to the roof or injury to the inspector."

The proven precision and reliability of the Kespry system is why claims adjusters and insurers, such as Catastrophe Response Unit Adjusters and Hancock Claims Consultants, are now using the Kespry system to quickly, safely and accurately inspect roofs.

Kespry brings millimeter accuracy not typically seen in field calculations. Haag recorded measurements to the nearest quarter inch for this study. In its findings, Haag noted that measurements to the nearest inch are common and acceptable within the insurance industry.

"The results of Haag's study validate our team's determination to deliver aerial intelligence that is just as accurate  if not more so  than measurements and calculations done manually by claims adjusters and roofing inspectors," said George Mathew, CEO and chairman of Kespry. "We've reached a critical moment for the insurance industry where small, autonomous drones can complete complex roof measurements in a matter of minutes, significantly increasing the efficiency and safety of claims adjusters and roof inspectors by arming them with a new analytics-based productivity tool."

About Kespry

Kespry is transforming how organizations capture, analyze and share business insights. Kespry develops drone hardware, software and cloud services that are fully integrated to deliver a seamless, accurate and highly efficient solution. Kespry serves customers across North America, Europe and Australia such as Hancock Claims Consultants, Catastrophe Response Unit (CRU), Fluor, Lehigh Hanson/Heidelberg, Sully-Miller/Colas USA, and Webcor.

About Haag

Haag Engineering was founded in Dallas, TX in 1924. Haag is a multi-disciplined leader in forensic engineering. Haag provides world-class damage assessment training including industry-leading certifications in wind and roofing damage assessment. Haag's accredited laboratory performs material and product testing. Haag Construction Consulting offers expert restoration consulting and litigation support. Haag 3D Solutions provides laser scanning, 3D imaging and GIS.

Media Contact:

Kespry: Steve Smith

[email protected]

+1.206.686.6426

Haag: Polly Prado

[email protected]

+1.214.614.6500

SOURCE Kespry

Related Links

http://kespry.com


Two or three militants are believed to be trapped in Hingnikoot Ramhal locality in Kashmir's Handwara, which was cordoned off by security forces.

By Ashraf Wani: An encounter began after militants fired on Special Operations Group and Rashtriya Rifles personnels who cordoned off the Hingnikoot Ramhal locality in Kashmir's Handwara.

The security forces were conducting a search operation based on specific information.

Two or three militants are believed to be trapped in the area. Intermittent firing has been taking place.

Handwara, Jammu and Kashmir (Image courtesy: Google Maps)

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(More inputs are awaited)

ALSO READ

Suspected militants, who gunned down cable operator in Kashmir, identified

After Modi's 'embrace Kashmiris' remark, 4-member team reaches Valley to meet clerics, civil society members

ALSO WATCH

PM Modi's call to embrace Kashmiris fails to impress Opposition

--- ENDS ---
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Indoor Farms of America, LLC is pleased to announce that it has completed the final phase of its initial relationship with Co-Alliance, LLP, one of the nation's oldest, largest and most diverse traditional agriculture companies. This final phase comes in the form of an equity investment in Indoor Farms of America. Terms of the transaction are private.

Recent Indoor Farms of America installation. GrowTruck Container Farm by Indoor Farms of America, the highest yielding container farm in the world.

"When we had our first visit from the folks at Co-Alliance late last year, we expressed our commitment to having traditional agriculture in the U.S. embrace this technology in a manner that would benefit them, and we discussed in detail just how that would take shape," explained David Martin, CEO of Indoor Farms of America.

"Becoming a part owner of Indoor Farms of America represents our belief in its products and people," said Co-Alliance CEO, Kevin Still. "We see the potential of integrating this world class indoor agriculture equipment into traditional farming operations as a way to diversify family farms, add a year-round income stream, and bring the next generation back to the farm."

The new investment comes just weeks after Co-Alliance purchased two "warehouse" style farms, marking an important milestone for the CEA company. "We have achieved the first stage of the plans to have indoor farming adopted by the very folks who have kept us fed in this country since its inception, and that is the traditional farmer," said Martin.

Co-Alliance will pilot these indoor farms with traditional farmers, assessing the capability to diversify income, spread risks, and to supply local fresh produce all year round. Said John Graham, CFO of Co-Alliance, "We are evaluating the commercial application and income generating potential of the farms here in Indiana so when we introduce the technology to our member-growers on a larger scale, we have a turnkey, replicable, scalable complete production process in place."

"When Dave and I developed the equipment, we embarked on a journey that started 4 years ago and continues with an intense focus on Research and Development. This is an affirmation of the purpose of the journey. Our aeroponic farms have proven reliable in 3 years of test growing of over 30 types of greens, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, peppers, beans and edible flowers. The equipment will produce strong economic results that make it more than viable in the indoor growing environment, more so than any other equipment that exists today, due to far higher yields in a given space," said Ron Evans, President of Indoor Farms of America.

Co-Alliance sees new opportunities for farmers to have a major impact on the "locally grown" food movement. Per Kevin Still, Co-Alliance CEO, "Co-Alliance is positioning itself and its farmer owners to be able to capitalize on the growing consumer demands for truly fresh, locally grown, and high-quality products available to them from local farmers they know and trust, year round. And to do so, we believe investing in Indoor Farms of America is the right way to go about it."

Co-Alliance, LLP, is a partnership of cooperatives with community roots established in the 1920s. Headquartered in Avon, Indiana, its 50 locations across Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio serve the areas of Energy, Agronomy, Grain Marketing, and Swine and Animal Nutrition. For more information, visit www.co-alliance.com.

Indoor Farms of America, LLC, is leading indoor ag innovation. It has farms installed in countries surrounding the globe, and brings meaningful advancement to indoor agriculture, with a sole purpose to make it economically viable, while creating meaningful jobs for people in any region, including veterans and disabled individuals.

Indoor Farms of America is dedicated to creating a sustainable food supply for generations to come. The company designs and builds its patented advanced indoor agriculture equipment using a proven, reliable aeroponics method as the foundation of the farm, allowing year-round high yield production, with no sky-lifts or ladders required to operate the farm. Visit www.indoorfarmsamerica.com.

CONTACT:

David W. Martin, CEO [email protected] IndoorFarmsAmerica.com

4000 W. Ali Baba Lane, Ste. F, Las Vegas, NV 89118

(702) 664-1236 or (702) 606-2691

SOURCE Indoor Farms of America

Related Links

http://www.indoorfarmsamerica.com


The LDI honed in on the importance of diversity in the workplace and ensured that graduating seniors are ready for the workforce. Students gained professional unconscious bias training from Dr. Vanessa Weaver, founder and CEO of Alignment Strategies (ALS), one of the country's premiere organizations and among the first to focus on diversity as a business driver. "The data is clear. Diversity is proven to increase employee engagement and loyalty and drive bottom line results. The current climate is evidence of the downside of unconscious bias. Never before has it been more important to remain focused on the upside of diversity, inclusion and engagement, and the tremendous benefits it offers organizations and individuals. INROADS is aware of the need for leadership in Corporate America to look at the talent and potential of all its team members in a way that's fair, unbiased and culturally sensitive," said Dr. Weaver.

In addition to receiving unconscious bias training, INROADS' emerging leaders received professional development from alumni; interview tips from Bank of America's Ebony Thomas; morning motivation from Pierre Campbell, founder and CEO of The Leadership Network Inc.; words from INROADS regional directors; and inspiring discussions with corporate leaders about workplace development and corporate social responsibility. "Past experiences from others help us prepare to enter our careers," said Tyler Gorman, INROADS Intern. "Learning from what others have done helps us in our development process." Gorman interns at Jeppesen as a Software Test Engineer and is a senior at the University of California, Irvine, majoring in aerospace engineering.

"This Leadership Development Institute is about getting INROADers prepared to lead, now," said Forest Harper, INROADS president and CEO. "Imagine a room full of over 400 prepared, capable, 21st century leaders. Corporations and communities need this type of leadership to take them into uncertain worlds and to elevate our corporate social responsibility." As students completed the LDI training, they were pinned by alumni, and senior interns officially walked away as a part of INROADS 28,000 alumni  ready to create a more diverse workforce.

"I often hear that INROADS students can walk from the classroom to the boardroom," said Donald Comer, Vice President, Operations Analysis, FedEx Corp. and an LDI corporate sponsor. "That's a bold statement, and INROADS knows how to transform bright students into innovative leaders."

The 2017 LDI sponsors included Badger Meter, Bank of America, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, FedEx, Vulcan Materials Company, Washington Gas and Wells Fargo.

About INROADS

Founded in 1970, INROADS develops and places talented underserved youth in business and industry, preparing them for corporate and community leadership that affects community renewal and social change and elevates economic status and quality of life. INROADS has placed students in over 135,000 paid internships throughout its history, and graduated over 28,000 alumni into full-time professional and leadership positions with over 1,000 corporate partners. Currently, INROADS serves nearly 1,300 interns and 200 corporate clients. Learn more at INROADS.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn: @INROADS Inc.

SOURCE INROADS Inc.

Related Links

http://www.inroads.org


SUNNYVALE, California, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine recognizes JFrog, the DevOps accelerator and creator of universal solutions for managing and distributing binaries, amongst the top 50 fastest growing software companies in the U.S. on its 36th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment its independent small and midsized businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Pandora, LinkedIn, Yelp, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

Inc. 5000

"JFrog scales fast, and we are honored to be ranked even higher than last time in this year's Inc. 5000 list alongside such distinguished companies," said Shlomi Ben Haim, Co-Founder and CEO of JFrog. "DevOps plays a significant role in today's hyper-connected world, enabling fast software releases and continuous-updates. We owe our success to our customers. This trust, supported by industry recognition and community love, makes us even more determined and committed to aiding DevOps teams to release software in a fast, reliable, and secure manner."

The 2017 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com, and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc. (available on newsstands August 16), is the most competitive crop in the list's history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year average growth of 481%. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue is $206 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 619,500 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

"The Inc. 5000 is the most persuasive evidence I know that the American Dream is still alive," says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. "The founders and CEOs of the Inc. 5000 tell us they think determination, risk taking, and vision were the keys to their success, and I believe them."

JFrog's second appearance on the Inc. 5000 list is the latest award, alongside a growing list of accolades. Other honors include the JMP Securities Hot 100 List, Silicon Valley Business Journal's Fastest Growing Private Companies, Deloitte Technology Fast 50, SD Times 100 Award for the third consecutive year, and Best Places to Work by Silicon Valley Business Journal.

About JFrog:

With more than 4,000 customers and over 2 billion downloads per month on its binaries hub, JFrog is the leading universal solution for the management and distribution of software binaries. JFrog's four products, JFrog Artifactory, the Universal Artifact Repository; JFrog Bintray, the Universal Distribution Platform; JFrog Mission Control, for Universal DevOps Flow Management; and JFrog Xray, Universal Component Analyzer, are used by Dev and DevOps engineers worldwide and are available as open-source, on-premise, and SaaS cloud solutions. Customers include some of the world's top brands, such as Amazon, Google, Uber, Netflix, Twitter, Cisco, Oracle, Adobe, Salesforce, VMware, and Slack. The company is privately held and operated from California, Israel and France. More information can be found at jfrog.com.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2017 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2013 to 2016. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2013. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2016. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2013 is $100,000; the minimum for 2016 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media:

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 18,000,000 today. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

The Inc. 5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates their remarkable achievements. The event also offers informative workshops, celebrated keynote speakers, and evening functions.

For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

JFrog Media Contact:

Lauren Perry

Blonde 2.0 for JFrog

[email protected]

SOURCE JFrog

Related Links

www.jfrog.com/


"HarborView at the Navy Yard is a solid addition to the John Hancock Real Estate portfolio and brings our residential footprint in the Boston area to nearly 1 million square feet," said Kevin Adolphe, President and CEO of John Hancock Real Estate. "We have a long history in Boston, so we are particularly pleased to make this acquisition and highlight our continued commitment to the City."

HarborView's units feature high quality finishes and building amenities. The property is less than a mile from downtown Boston and offers easy access to public transportation and to major regional thoroughfares.

Since 2012, John Hancock Real Estate has grown its Boston area real estate portfolio by nearly 1.5 million square feet through strategic acquisitions and developments. In addition to HarborView, John Hancock made an equity investment in the 295-unit, 17-story multi-family residential development at Boston Landing and acquired 535-545 Boylston street, a 13-story office building located at the intersection of Boylston and Clarendon Streets in Boston's Back Bay.

Operating as John Hancock Real Estate in the U.S. and Manulife Real Estate in all other parts of the world, the Company's real estate portfolio is diversified by both geography and asset type, consisting primarily of prime office and industrial properties, as well as select retail and multi-family residential properties, in key metropolitan centers throughout Canada, Asia and the United States. With this new acquisition, the global real estate portfolio now represents assets under management of more than US$16 billion with properties totaling more than 61 million SF. Other key markets in the United States include Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco and Atlanta.

About Manulife Real Estate and John Hancock Real Estate

Manulife has been investing in and managing direct core and core-plus real estate for more than 80 years. Operating as John Hancock Real Estate in the U.S. and Manulife Real Estate elsewhere, we invest, own, develop and asset manage commercial real estate in major metropolitan cities across the globe. We leverage our fully integrated in-house capabilities to serve our customers and investors as well as manage the space requirements and own use facilities for Manulife and John Hancock operations around the world. Manulife Real Estate is the global real estate arm of Manulife and is a unit of Manulife Asset Management Private Markets where we extend our asset management capabilities for the benefit of institutional investors through our real estate fund platform. As at June 30, 2017, the Manulife Real Estate portfolio totaled more than 61 million square feet with an AUM market value of US$16.6 billion.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people achieve their dreams and aspirations by putting customers' needs first and providing the right advice and solutions. We operate as John Hancock in the United States and Manulife elsewhere. We provide financial advice, insurance, as well as wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2016, we had approximately 35,000 employees, 70,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving more than 22 million customers. As of June 30, 2017, we had over $1 trillion (US$780 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made $26.7 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation

Related Links

http://www.manulife.com


ATLANTA, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Life Insurance Direct Marketing Association (LIDMA) has announced that its 14th Annual Fall Meeting & Business Showcase will take place September 17 through September 19, 2017 at the Ritz-Carlton Tyson's Corner in McLean, Virginia. LIDMA is the life insurance industry's most focused gathering of high performance direct response marketers, producers, underwriters and vendors who are driving positive changes in the distribution of life insurance in order to benefit middle market consumers.

"The theme of this Fall's meeting is 'Life, Disrupted,' which tells you that change and innovation are beginning to be felt in the life insurance markets as never before," remarked LIDMA president Shervin Eftekhari. "The movers and shakers of this sector will all be at The Ritz-Carlton Tyson's Corner on September 17 and you should too."

Underwriters, producers and vendors who are interested in the direct marketing of life insurance are invited to attend.

Eftekhari continued, "Interest is running so high for this year's meeting that we have already sold out all Business Showcase sponsorship opportunities based upon word of mouth. And confirmed attendance numbers as of this date are already ahead of last year's conference attendance. It's exciting to see the pace of innovation increase in the life insurance space."

Attendance at the LIDMA Fall Meeting & Showcase is available only to LIDMA members. "This year, we're making it especially attractive for life insurers, banks and financial institutions who are eyeing this space, by offering discounted annual membership fees for first-time producers at the low cost of $495, which includes a 50% discount." Information on the various membership categories and pricing is available at www.lidma.org .

More and more life insurance buyers are becoming self-directed and using direct response channels as their preferred method of purchasing life insurance. Recent trends in the direct-to-consumer sector have recently seen accelerated interest from big box stores, electronic retailers, search engine companies, banks, credit unions and other non-traditional companies that command vast audiences. LIDMA is the primary organization dedicated to supporting business and professionals who are active in this new and rapidly expanding channel.

For more information on LIDMA membership, visit www.lidma.org.

Early registration discounts and reduced hotel rates are available only through August 25. For room reservations, attendees should contact the Ritz-Carlton at 703-506-4300 and ask for the LIDMA Fall Meeting rate of $239 per night  Meeting Code LIDLIDA.

Attendees should plan to arrive on Sunday, September 17 and depart on Wednesday, September 20.

About LIDMA

LIDMA is the primary association dedicated to supporting businesses and professionals active in direct sales of life insurance products to consumers  the fastest growing sales segment in the life insurance industry. The LIDMA "Seal of Approval," developed by affiliated carriers, vendors, attorneys, and producers demonstrating compliance with articulated process requirements around e-Delivery, e-Signature and Voice Signature, has become a standard-bearer for a consistent approach to process improvement and positioned LIDMA as the leading life insurance organization in e-Process initiatives The not-for-profit organization is committed to helping members protect more families while boosting their revenues and reducing costs. For more information, visit www.lidma.org .

SOURCE Life Insurance Direct Marketing Association

Related Links

http://www.lidma.org


"The Freedom-variant LCS plays a critical role in the U.S. Navy's fleet, and we are committed to getting Little Rock and her highly capable sister ships into combatant commanders' hands as quickly as possible," said Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ships and Systems. "These are complex vessels, and I'm proud of our workforce, who have the knowledge and expertise it takes to design, build and test these American warships."

Sea trials are designed to test the ship's performance under a variety of operating conditions. During the builder's trials, the industry team successfully demonstrated reliability and performance improvements on the ship's propulsion system. All future Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships will incorporate these improvements.

The Lockheed Martin-led team is now preparing Little Rock for acceptance trials in the coming weeks, when the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) will conduct inspections and witness final demonstrations before the ship is delivered to the Navy this year.

Named in honor of the patriotic and hardworking citizens of Little Rock, LCS 9 will be the second U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of Arkansas' largest city.

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 U.S. Navy to date. The future USS Little Rock is one of eight ships in various stages of construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, with one more in long-lead production.

The team is on track to complete sea trials for LCS 9 and LCS 11 this year and deliver each ship shortly thereafter. The remaining hulls under contract will be delivered to the U.S. Navy at a rate of two ships per year.

The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team is comprised of shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states. Costing less than a third of a brand new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the Littoral Combat Ship is the Navy's most affordable surface combatant shipbuilding program and the ideal platform to grow the U.S. Navy fleet quickly and affordably.

The Freedom-variant's steel monohull design is based on a proven, resilient design recognized for its stability and reliability.

For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/lcs

Click here to view video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2agoHTgAKA

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

About Fincantieri Marinette Marine

Founded in 1942, Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is located on the Menominee River flowage into Green Bay. The largest shipyard in the Midwest, FMM has delivered more than 1,300 vessels to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and commercial customers, including the technologically advanced Littoral Combat Ship Freedom variant for the U.S. Navy. In 2008, FMM along with several sister shipyards also based in the Great Lakes region, became part of Fincantieri, one of the world's largest shipbuilding groups and number one by diversification and innovation, with almost 21,000 employees, of whom approximately 7,700 in Italy, 21 shipyards in 4 continents. Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group, serving both civilian and government customers. Over the past five years, Fincantieri invested more than $100 million in both capital infrastructure and its resources to support FMM's transformation into what is now one of the best shipyards in the United States. Employing approximately 1,500 employees, today FMM is a state-of-the-art, full service new construction shipyard.

About Gibbs & Cox

Gibbs & Cox, the nation's leading independent maritime solutions firm specializing in naval architecture, marine engineering and design, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The company, founded in 1929, has provided designs for nearly 80 percent of the current U.S. Navy surface combatant fleet; approaching 7,000 naval and commercial ships have been built to Gibbs & Cox designs.

SOURCE Lockheed Martin

Related Links

http://www.lockheedmartin.com


ALPINE, Utah, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Loveland Innovations, maker of advanced drone solutions for the P&C insurance industry, announced today a new partnership with the leading provider of educational tools and services for insurance professionals, Vale Training.

This partnership allows Vale Training to use Loveland Innovations' first-of-its kind autonomous drone inspection solution, IMGING, as part of a new program designed to help insurance and roofing professionals understand how and when to use drone technology for roof and property inspections.

With drones as a part of their toolkit, these professionals can increase their inspection efficiency, ensure more consistency between inspections, and gather amazingly detailed roof and property photos, all from the safety of the ground.

"This is an industry first," says Jim Loveland, Founder and CEO of Loveland Innovations. "Thousands of insurance professionals are ready to take advantage of the benefits drones can bring them but aren't sure where to start. This partnership is the first big step toward teaching the next generation of insurance adjusters and roofing professionals how to incorporate the latest technology into their processes. We're excited to partner with Vale to make this happen."

The four-day course will take students through a variety of topics including Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, how to fly and maneuver DJI drones, as well as how to use IMGING, which allows drone pilots to create flight plans, capture high-resolution aerial imagery, and build reports using all the detailed roof and property information the drone captures. With these skills, insurance professionals can increase the number of daily inspections they can complete five-fold or more, without compromising quality.

"Vale has been a leader in training insurance professionals for decades and we recognize drones are an evolving and important tool," says Douglas Dell, Vice President and Director of Vale Training. "Our partnership with Loveland Innovations will make it simple for insurance professionals to learn everything they need to know about drones so they can make inspections and claims documentation easier and more consistent. The program design is a unique blend of pre-work, classroom and field-based experiential learning that will ready claims professionals to optimize drone technology."

The next drone-focused course offered by Vale Training will take place October 17-20 at Vale's Dallas facility. Visit valetrainingsolutions.com to learn more or to sign up.

About Loveland Innovations

Loveland Innovations is the first company in the world to develop an autonomous drone inspection solution specifically forand only forproperty insurance. With our patented technology in the hands of insurance carriers, adjusters, and contractors, claims, underwriting, or roof inspections can be done safely and in just a matter of minutes.

Contact:

Justin Strong, VP of Marketing

[email protected]

About Vale Training

Established in Pennsylvania in the early 1940's, Vale Training Solutions has been singularly focused on delivering expert training solutions to the insurance industry, from career beginnings to industry leadership. They offer comprehensive programs in auto, property and casualty adjusting using 24/7 access to online modules, state of the art classrooms, technology and laboratories, and practical hands-on applications. Its Vale Consulting division specializes in root cause analysis of claims leakage and presents a strategic plan with constructive recommendations to ensure fair indemnification and minimize claim variance and leakage. Visit our website at www.valetrainingsolutions.com.

Contact:

Heather Suttle, Marketing Manager

[email protected]

SOURCE Loveland Innovations

Related Links

http://www.lovelandinnovations.com


SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its aggressive nationwide expansion, Massage Heights, a leader of professional, affordable and convenient therapeutic massage and facial services, today announced it signed three franchise agreements during the first half of 2017 to expand the brand in Houston and Boerne, Texas, as well as in Woodland Hills, California,. Massage Heights also opened six new Retreats this year in Decatur and Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Collins, Colorado; Houston; Sea Girt, New Jersey; Morristown, New Jersey; and Naples, Florida. The brand is on track to open 10 locations in 2017, with a goal of having 300 Retreats open by the end of 2020.

"After a banner year in 2016 where we brought on several new Strategic-partners to open multiple locations across the United States, we're thrilled to continue our strong franchise development momentum in new and existing markets," said Shane Evans, co-founder and president of Massage Heights. "Our success is a testament to the unwavering confidence our existing Strategic-partners have in the brand and our leadership team, as well as Massage Heights' proven business model, robust franchise support, and multiple revenue streams. We are delighted to report on our midyear growth as the spa industry worldwide continues to thrive and look forward to a strong rest of 2017."

As part of Massage Heights' growth strategy, the brand will celebrate the re-opening of a Retreat in Rochester Hills, Michigan on Sept. 1 under new franchisees Jennifer and Paul Bialy. Jennifer's professional background is built on the foundation of operational and managerial roles for various companies. She has experience with customer service, recruiting and operations management. Paul is currently a Vice President and Controller of a global manufacturing company. Together, the husband-and-wife team have a passion for the health and wellness industry and look forward to serving their community.

"The franchise support has been wonderful as I have transitioned from a corporate position into a new industry that I didn't have expertise with," Bialy said. "Massage Heights provides strong advertising support, which has been a vital part of our success as we kick-off our grand re-opening in the Rochester Hills community. Our franchise consultant has provided phenomenal guidance throughout the entire journey. The only regret we have is waiting so long to make our decision to join the Massage Heights family."

As part of its aggressive growth strategy, Massage Heights is seeking qualified franchisees and area developers to join the brand. Single- and multi-unit development opportunities are available nationwide in Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, South Florida, Nashville, and Las Vegas in 2017. Prospective single- and multi-unit franchisees should have $175,000 in liquid assets and minimum $400,000 net worth per location, as well as experience in sales or retail management and managing hourly wage employees. Prospective area representatives should have $375,000 in liquid assets and minimum $600,000 net worth, as well as previous experience in franchising, sales, marketing and operating multiple sites, preferably in the retail, restaurant, hospitality or customer services industries.

For more information about opening your own Massage Heights franchise, please visit http://www.massageheightsfranchise.com.

About Massage Heights

Massage Heights is a family-owned, membership-based therapeutic services franchise company that provides Members and Guests convenient, professional, affordable resort-quality massage and facial services that help people achieve a balanced and healthy lifestyle, in an upscale Retreat environment. Regular massage and skin therapy services help people look and feel their best from the inside out by aiding in the reduction of stress, pain management and increased relaxation, all resulting in the ability to tackle daily life with a higher level of vitality and positivity, truly elevating the everyday.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Fish Consulting

Chelsea Bear

[email protected]

954-893-9150

SOURCE Massage Heights

Related Links

http://www.massageheights.com


LONDON, Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Microporous Insulation Market Analysis By Product (Rigid Boards & Panels, Flexible Panels), By Application (Industrial, Energy & Power, Oil & Gas, Aerospace & Defense), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5068585/

The global microporous insulation market is expected to reach USD 184.8 Million by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc.



The rapid growth of the end-use industries has been a major factor driving the global market.

Energy & power industry has been witnessing significant growth in the power generation from renewable energy. Thermal insulation is one of the vital requirements during manufacturing on account of high levels of heat emission by gas and steam turbines. The superior properties of microporous insulation allow efficient protection of the equipment during power generation. This is likely to have a positive impact on the demand for the product in this sector.

High product cost is expected to be the major market restraint over the forecast period. High manufacturing cost on account of low industrial production capacity is anticipated to restrict market growth.

The product is considered expensive for utilization in price sensitive sectors such as commercial, automotive, and industrial applications. However, companies including Thermodyne have been trying to develop products which can lead to energy conservation and weight reduction, thereby compensating the high cost.

Further key findings from the report suggest:

 Flexible panel segment is expected to grow at fastest CAGR of 5.1% due to its wide range of application in oil & gas industry

 Industrial segment emerged as the largest application in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2017 to 2025 on account of high utilization of the product in metal, iron & steel, nonferrous metals, and ceramic industries

 Oil & gas industry is expected to grow at fastest CAGR of 6.5% in Middle East & Africa region due to presence of huge oil reserves

 Europe accounted for the largest market share in 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% from 2017 to 2025. The industry is expected to witness fastest growth in demand from aerospace & defense sector in the region.

 The Asia Pacific market is expected to witness fastest CAGR of 6.0% from 2017 to 2025 on account of high GDP growth, rising population, and rapid industrialization in the region

 Market players have been adopting mergers & acquisition and expansion as their key strategic initiatives over the past years. For instance, in August 2011, Unifrax LLC acquired three North American vacuum forming businesses which are, VacuForm Incorporated ("VFI"), Refractory Specialties Incorporated ("RSI"), and specialty Ceramics Incorporated ("SCI").

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5068585/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com

For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, a class action lawsuit was filed in New Jersey Federal Court against the Fortune 500 company, Sherwin-Williams. A filing in the District Court of New Jersey alleges that Sherwin-Williams, who owned a paint manufacturing facility in the quaint New Jersey town of Gibbsboro from 1930 until 1978, contaminated the town's soil and groundwater with unsafe levels of lead, arsenic and other carcinogens. That contamination has now migrated to surrounding residences and businesses within Gibbsboro, causing a cancer cluster within the town.

Residents of the Gibbsboro community are asking the federal court to hold Sherwin-Williams accountable for the contamination that is causing residents, including children, to develop cancer and other serious medical conditions. Contaminated areas of Gibbsboro have been listed on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priority List since 1999 and designated as Superfund sites.

The Borough of Gibbsboro is located within central Camden County, New Jersey. The Borough is approximately 2.2 miles in size and is home to approximately 2,274 residents according to the 2010 United States Census. The Borough is located about 15 miles southeast of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Land-use in this small community is comprised of a combination of commercial, industrial, open spaces, and residential zones.

The Lawsuit alleges that as part of its operations, Sherwin-Williams utilized and generated hazardous substances, including lead, arsenic, pentachlorophenol, benzene, cadmium, and numerous other known carcinogens.

"The process by which Sherwin-Williams manufactured, stored and disposed of paint and paint by-products had the effect of releasing and omitting toxic chemicals and hazardous substances, including lead, arsenic, benzene, barium and pentachlorophenol into the grounds, air and surrounding environment. Over time these hazardous substances have migrated into surrounding corporate, business and residential properties. This contamination has existed far too long and a company of Sherwin-Williams size should have had the corporate responsibility to protect the residents and visitors of Gibbsboro," Craig Mitnick, Esq.

"Air, land and groundwater contaminated by the Defendant's activities at the Sherwin-Williams Site have migrated for years, and continue to spread to further surrounding areas, with hazardous chemical levels exceeding acceptable NJDEP and USEPA regulatory background guidelines."

The Environmental Protection Agency published the following in a 1999 Administrative Consent Order issued between Sherwin-Williams and the EPA:

"Exposure to the various hazardous substances present at the Site by direct contact, inhalation, or ingestion may cause a variety of adverse human health effects... and the conditions present at the Site constitute an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health, welfare, or the environment." (United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region II, Administrative Order on Consent for Removal Action, 1999)

Also in 1999, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) concluded that an urgent health hazard existed to children and adults who lived, worked and visited the Sherwin-Williams Site areas. Even with this fact, continued development on contaminated land took place, including constructing public walking trails, constructing commercial establishments, opening new restaurants and renovating existing residential properties.

Defendant Sherwin-Williams has contaminated both public and private property, inadequately addressed the contamination they caused, and failed to warn residents and the public of the contamination it knew existed. Sherwin-Williams ignored the health hazards, concealed those hazards from residents by not engaging the community and by not actively addressing the contamination that it caused. Sherwin-Williams failed to warn Plaintiffs and the public of the contamination it knew existed and the dangers of exposure, including cancer.

Read the full federal complaint here: cmitnick.net/gibbsboro.pdf

SOURCE Mitnick Law Office, LLC
By India Today Web Desk: The Angamaly first class judicial magistrate court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of actor Dileep, who was arrested in the Malayalam actress abduction and assault. This comes after Dileep approached the Kerala High Court for bail plea for the second time.

According to a report in Manorama Online, the High Court is considering the bail plea of the actor. Earlier this month, Dileep was produced before the court through video conferencing. After which, the court extended his remand till August 22.

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Dileep, who was arrested on the charges of criminal conspiracy in actress assault case, has been lodged at a sub-jail in Aluva for more than a month now. The prosecution had argued that if bail was granted to the actor, he could influence witnesses and also tamper with the evidence. Police probing into the case said that they have enough evidence to prove him guilty.

In February this year, a popular Malayalam actress was kidnapped and molested by a gang of six men, who reportedly took pictures of the actress to blackmail her. Following Pulsar Suni's confession that he knew Dileep and that it was his plan, the Kerala police arrested the latter. Over the last few months, the Malayalam actress case has seen several twists and turns.

ALSO READ: Malayalam actress abduction case | Dileep moves High Court seeking bail

ALSO READ: Mollywood celebs knew of Dileep's plans regarding Malayalam actress abduction?

ALSO READ: Dileep's absconding manager Appunni finally appears for questioning

ALSO READ: All you need to know about the Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO READ: How the Malayalam actress abduction case drama unfolded

ALSO READ: Kerala High Court rejects Dileep's bail plea in Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO READ: Why Mollywood was shockingly silent in the Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO WATCH: Dileep's bail plea rejected, more trouble for the Malayalam actor

--- ENDS ---
Rey joins Zoox after nearly 25 years in the aerospace industry. At Moog, he led a 1,200 person global engineering organization developing flight control systems for the F-35, Boeing 787, 747-8, the Airbus A350, and several business aircraft during his tenure as Director of Engineering for the Aircraft Group. As CTO he also oversaw research and development groups for robotics and autonomous systems.

"Gonzalo exemplifies precisely the caliber of leader we value at Zooxcreative, technical and fearless," said Kentley-Klay, Zoox CEO. "Having risen to the top of Moog as CTO, Gonzalo has led large scale engineering programs with exacting functional safety requirements. Gonzalo is eminently qualified to join Zoox where he will oversee the specification and functional safety testing of our advanced mobility ecosystem. We are thrilled to have someone of his caliber and experience join our adventure to create autonomous mobility."

"I've been itching for a journey like the one Zoox is on," said Rey. "It has all the right ingredientsa best-in-class team, a grand vision, and is working to ensure that mobility is safe and clean for people in cities. I am excited to be a pioneer for the 21st-century urban landscape. Zoox will set the bar for functional safety in this rapidly evolving field."

Rey began his career as a Staff Engineer at the Moog Aircraft Group Technology Center in 1991. In 2008, he became Director of Engineering and Technology for the Aircraft Group with development centers in the US, UK, and India. Rey received his Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico Buenos Aires, a Masters in Electrical Engineering, a Masters in Mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

About Zoox:

Zoox is a Menlo Park, CA-based robotics company founded by Tim Kentley-Klay and Dr. Jesse Levinson to create autonomous mobility. Operating at the intersection of design, computer science, and electro-mechanical engineering, Zoox is a multidisciplinary team working to imagine and build an advanced mobility experience that will support the future needs of urban mobility for both people and the environment.

Contact:

Bert Kaufman

Zoox, Inc.

[email protected]

twitter: @zoox

SOURCE Zoox
HOUSTON, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Myrtle Consulting Group (Myrtle), a hands-on firm delivering revenue-driving operational improvements to some of the world's leading manufacturing organizations, announced today that it has been ranked 1,068 on Inc. magazine's 2017 Inc. 5000 list. This marks the second year in a row that Myrtle has made the list, which recognizes the country's most successful independent entrepreneurs and companies. Microsoft, Yelp, Dell, LinkedIn, Zillow and many other well-known companies gained early national exposure as members of the Inc. 5000.

Myrtle has achieved nearly 400 percent three-year growth. The company attributes this continued growth to expertise in reinventing success for manufacturing companies through the design and implementation of operational efficiencies and sustainable performance improvements. With mounting pressure to achieve high profits and growth, while meeting the challenges of increasing costs and regulations, leading global manufacturers continue to rely on Myrtle for operational excellence solutions that deliver long-term results.

"Earning the Inc. 5000 recognition for the second consecutive year is incredibly rewarding," said Myrtle Founder and CEO Edwin Bosso. "It's a testament to the commitment and hard work our team puts into every project and our ability to truly understand our clients' needs and deliver sustainable results that positively impact the bottom line."

"The Inc. 5000 is the most persuasive evidence I know that the American Dream is still alive," says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. "The founders and CEOs of the Inc. 5000 tell us they think determination, risk taking and vision were the keys to their success, and I believe them."

The 2017 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc., is the most competitive crop in the list's history.

ABOUT MYRTLE CONSULTING GROUP

Myrtle is a value-based operations consulting firm that drives improved supply chain performance, particularly in manufacturing and distribution, with a focus on delivering tangible and sustainable P&L results through hands-on implementation. Myrtle's leadership team has decades of experience delivering performance improvements to some of the world's leading manufacturing organizations. For more information about Myrtle Consulting Group, visit https://www.myrtlegroup.com/ and on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Jenn Pratt

Carabiner Communications

404.655.2273

[email protected]

SOURCE Myrtle Consulting Group

Related Links

https://www.myrtlegroup.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, who are making final preparations for a Sept. 12 launch to the International Space Station, will be available for live satellite interviews at 7 and 9 a.m. EDT, respectively, on Friday, Sept. 1.

Live from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, the interviews will air on NASA Television and the agency's website. At 7:30 a.m., NASA TV will also run a video feed of highlights from the astronauts' training mission.

To interview the astronauts, media must contact Sarah Volkman at 281-483-9071 or [email protected] for Vande Hei and Karen Svetaka at 281-483-8684 or [email protected] for Acaba no later than 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Media participating in the interviews must tune to the NASA TV Media Channel (NTV-3). Satellite tuning information is available at:

http://go.nasa.gov/1pOWUhR

Acaba and Vande Hei will arrive at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday, Sept. 6, for final pre-launch training. They and their crewmate, veteran cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos, will launch on the Russian Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft at 5:17 p.m. on Sept. 12. They are scheduled to return to Earth in February.

The flight plan calls for an arrival at the station about six hours after launch, where they will join Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA, and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency). The crew members will continue several hundred experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science currently underway and scheduled to take place aboard humanity's only permanently occupied orbiting lab.

Among the experiments is Functional Immune, which analyzes blood and saliva samples to determine changes taking place in crew members' immune systems during flight. Results are expected to provide new insight into the possible health risks of long-duration space travel, including future missions to deep space.

Acaba was born in Inglewood, California, and grew up in Anaheim, California. He earned a bachelor's degree in geology at the University of California in Santa Barbara, one master's degree in geology from the University of Arizona, and one in education, curriculum and instruction from Texas Tech University. Before coming to NASA, he spent time in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and the Peace Corps, worked as a hydro-geologist and taught high school and middle school. This will be Acaba's third trip to the space station and his second long-duration mission. He was selected as an astronaut in 2004, and flew aboard space shuttle Discovery in 2009. He returned to the station for a longer stay in 2012, as part of Expedition 31 and 32.

From Falls Church, Virginia, Vande Hei earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Saint John's University and a Master's of Science in applied physics from Stanford University. Prior to becoming an astronaut, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army through the ROTC program and served as a combat engineer. Vande Hei served as a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) in NASA Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center in Houston for Expeditions 15 through 20 and space shuttle missions STS-122, 123, 124, 126 and 127 before being selected as an astronaut in 2009. This will be his first spaceflight.

Find Acaba's and Vande Hei's full biographies at:

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/active

Follow Vande Hei on Twitter at:

https://www.twitter.com/Astro_Sabot

Follow Acaba on Twitter at:

http://www.twitter.com/AstroAcaba

Learn more about the International Space Station and its crews at:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


CLEVELAND, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Confident Giving: Sage Advice for Funders, a new book on effective philanthropy written by Kris Putnam-Walkerly, President of Putnam Consulting Group, Inc., was named a 2017 Bookvana Award winner in the category of Social Change.

Kris Putnam-Walkerly Book Cover

Based on her perceptive, humorous blog posts that highlight the triumphs and tragedies of grantmaking, Confident Giving offers philanthropists a wealth of provocative ideas to transform their practices. They also become equipped to identify worthy programs to support when they observe the recommendations of Putnam-Walkerly, who advises and speaks to philanthropy associations, foundation boards and funder networks.

Confident Giving was also named a finalist in the 2017 International Book Awards earlier this year.

"I'm thrilled that Confident Giving has been recognized as a valuable resource for social change," said Putnam-Walkerly, who was recently named one of America's Top 25 Philanthropy Speakers for the second year in a row by Philanthropy Media and The Michael Chatman Giving Show. Other finalists included Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation; Susan Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and Amy Danforth, President of Fidelity Charitable.

The Bookvana Awards, a new specialty book awards, honor books that elevate society, cultivate inner lives, and celebrate the human spirit. The president and CEO of American Book Fest, Jeffrey Keen, said that this year's contest yielded hundreds of entries from authors and publishers around the world.

About the book, Confident Giving:

Using a refreshing combination of wit and common sense, the book helps readers learn how to:

Transform their giving for greater impact

Approach grantmaking with an abundance mentality

Define their personal journeys as philanthropists

Deal effectively with real-life hurdles funders face every day

In this concise and compelling volume, Kris brings inspired wisdom that stands out among the field's thought leaders.

Confident Giving is available in print and Kindle. The book has 155 pages. The price is $14.95. The ISBN is 978-0-692-61891-2.

The book can be ordered at Amazon.com.

About Kris Putnam-Walkerly

Kris Putnam-Walkerly, MSW, is a nationally recognized global philanthropy advisor and president of Putnam Consulting Group, Inc. For over 18 years, top philanthropies have requested Kris's help to transform their giving and catapult their impact, including designing strategies that achieve results, streamline operations, assess impact, and allocate funds. Her clients include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, and California HealthCare Foundation, among dozens of others. She's helped more than 60 foundations and philanthropists strategically allocate and assess over $350 million in grants and gifts.

A thought leader in transformational philanthropy, Kris is the author of Confident Giving and the forthcoming book, Delusional Altruism, is a Forbes.com contributor, and is a frequent contributor in the publications of leading philanthropy associations including the National Center for Family Philanthropy, Foundation Center, Southeastern Council on Foundations, Exponent Philanthropy, and AsianNGO Magazine. She provides expert commentary about philanthropy in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Seattle Times, Washington Examiner, Entepreneur.com, BusinessWeek.com, and others. Kris's success as a global philanthropy advisor has earned her a place in the 2017 Million Dollar Consultant Hall of Fame, a rare honor, which has only seventy-five members worldwide.

Prior to forming Putnam Consulting Group, she was a grantmaker at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and an evaluator at the highly esteemed Stanford University School of Medicine.

Contact

Kris Putnam-Walkerly

510-388-5231

[email protected]

SOURCE Putnam Consulting Group
OTTAWA and WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) welcomed two new officers and one new member to its Board of Directors: Mark Rodgers as Board Chair, Guy Gleysteen as Vice Chair, and Laura Downey as a new member in the social chamber. These new members will play a key role as SFI continues to enhance the sustainability of wellmanaged forests and the communities that depend on them across the U.S. and Canada.

"Mark brings experience as a community leader and builder, Guy works as a senior executive overseeing global supply chains and Laura is known for her vision when it comes to youth environmental education. Their combined experience and skills will further SFI's reputation and impact as a sustainability organization," said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc.

SFI's 18-member, multi-stakeholder board of directors comprises three chambers, representing environmental, economic and social interests equally. The Board's diversity and independence allows it to play a meaningful role at the intersection of well-managed forests and thriving communities.

Mark Rodgers, President and CEO, Habitat for Humanity Canada and SFI Chair

Rodgers, who originally joined the SFI Board in 2013, is the first SFI Chair to come from a community-building organization. To date, chairs have represented economic or conservation interests on the board. Rodgers has been involved with Habitat for Humanity since 2000. He created and implemented a national strategy for directing and supporting Habitat for Humanity's 58 affiliates in Canada. Mark has also been recognized with awards for civic and social leadership.

His new role speaks to the importance of SFI's relationship with Habitat for Humanity in Canada and the U.S. SFI's grassroots community network of SFI Implementation Committees includes SFI Program Participants who provide certified building materials and volunteer their time to build Habitat homes across Canada and the U.S. SFI has a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada's Indigenous Housing Program and SFI Implementation Committees that have supported Habitat builds from British Columbia, Maine, Manitoba, Minnesota, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Tennessee.

In his new role, Rodgers will also be welcoming delegates and driving the agenda at the 2017 SFI Annual Conference in Ottawa Sep. 27-29.

"I'm excited to build on our MOU and deepen the strong relationship that we have with SFI. This year is a big year for SFI, Habitat and Canada. The SFI annual conference will celebrate Canada's 150th birthday and I look forward to giving delegates an update on our 2017 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project and how we're building 150 homes for Canada's 150th year," Rodgers said.

Guy Gleysteen, Senior Vice President, Time Inc. and SFI Vice Chair

Time Inc. was one of the first companies to develop a procurement policy to encourage suppliers to source forest products that were certified. Gleysteen has also played a major role in founding the SFI Forest Partners Program which help brandowners walk the talk and support responsible supply chains and support landowners in fulfilling their certification objectives. In 2012, four market leaders  Time Inc., the National Geographic Society, Macmillan Publishers and Pearson  stepped forward and became SFI Founding Forest Partners, investing in the future of our forests by making five-year commitments to increase the source of certified forest products.

Gleysteen became an SFI board member in 2015. In his role as Vice-Chair, Guy will continue to make a significant contribution to SFI's work to ensure we promote responsible forestry and provide customers in the supply chain with tools, information, data and stories they need to make responsible procurement decisions. Gleysteen is also the Chairman of the Board for GreenBlue, a non-profit organization dedicated to the use of sustainable materials in society. He has also served as Chairman of the IDEAlliance Board of Directors.

"More than a decade ago, Time Inc. was one of the first companies to make a public commitment to use 80% certified fiber. Progress beyond that goal had been hampered by the limited availability of adequate supply," Gleysteen said. "Today, 97% of our supply is chain of custody certified and we can point to the work that's been done to expand certification as a primary driver of that improvement. I'm excited about my new role as Vice Chair and what I can do to have a direct impact on the growth of forest certification and the responsible sourcing of forest products."

Laura Downey, Executive Director, Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, Project Learning Tree (PLT) Education Operating Committee Co-Chair and SFI board member representing the social chamber

PLT is an award-winning environmental education program that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase youth understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it. PLT was recently incorporated into the SFI Program.

"Over the years, I have worked directly with PLT to help youth make a commitment to sustainability. I'm looking forward to using my new board member role to further both SFI's and PLT's ability to reach youth and help them become leaders who truly understand the value of wellmanaged forests," Downey said. "I'm also keen to connect even more closely with my fellow board members who have championed PLT's work in both the U.S. and Canada."

Downey serves as the Kansas PLT State Coordinator and sits on the steering committee for the Affiliate Network of the North American Association for Environmental Education.

PLT's integration into SFI provides an opportunity for the program to expand its reach and impact. SFI's role as a sustainability leader will be bolstered by Laura's PLT role and expertise in education, an increasing focus in SFI's community engagement work.

About the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.



The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is a sustainability leader that stands for future forests. SFI is an independent, non-profit organization that works with countless individuals who share our commitment to healthy forests, responsible purchasing and sustainable communities. SFI oversees the SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program and the SFI Forest Partners Program, which brings landowners and brandowners together to provide supply chain assurances, including the use of forest certification standards. SFI works collaboratively with the forest sector, conservation groups, resource professionals, landowners, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, government agencies, universities, educators, and youth. Project Learning Tree (PLT) became a program of SFI in 2017, bringing over forty years of experience in developing students' awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of the environment. SFI Inc. is governed by an independent three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. Forests affect us all. Caring for them improves our quality of life. Learn more at sfiprogram.org.

SOURCE Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sfiprogram.org


MALVERN, Pa., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Accessible Archives, Inc., an electronic publisher of full-text primary source historical databases, has announced the completion of additional titles in its African American Newspapers and Women's Suffrage collections.

The five newspapers are now fully imaged, with the XML TEI Lite DTD utilized to re-key each article at the highest accuracy level, resulting in optimum search results and clean text. MARC records also are included.

WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE

While the women's rights movement originated in the Northeast, Western states and territories were more favorable to women's suffrage. Between 1893 and 1918 more than a dozen of these adopted amendments granting women the right to vote. Two publications based in Washington State served newly-enfranchised women throughout the West:

The New Citizen. Seattle, WA 19091912

Western Woman Voter. Seattle, WA 19111913

Not all women supported universal suffrage. Originating in Massachusetts, this periodical provided a forum for those opposing the expansion of voting rights to women.

The Remonstrance: An Anti-Suffrage Periodical. Boston, MA 18901913

CHOICE CHARLESTON ADVISOR REVIEW

African American Newspapers: The 19th Century was selected for inclusion in the inauguration of this new database. We thank the reviewer, Lauren Stern, SUNY Cortland, for her assessment. Among her observations were:

"(the) database provides access to full-text transcriptions and digital scans of primary sources  The transcriptions are, overall, of excellent quality  complete and ungarbled."

"The user interface is very simple to use, and researchers will find many standard searching features (including Boolean, truncation and limiters)."

"The Accessible Archives database emerges as a clear leader in the [Library Integration] area, due to its compatibility with several discovery services and the availability of MARC records and standardized usage statistics."

Read the full review at http://www.accessible-archives.com/announcements

AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS: THE 19th CENTURYPART XIII

These additions expand the current collection of nine titles into the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Freedmen's Record. Boston, MA 18651874

Provides a unique look at issues faced by freed slaves and the efforts to provide opportunities for Freedmen entering American society.

The Negro Business League Herald. Washington, D.C. 1909

This publication of The National Negro Business League promoted African-American commercial, agricultural, educational and industrial advancement.

About Accessible Archives, Inc.

Accessible Archives utilizes a team of digital technology and conversion specialists to provide vast quantities of archived historical information previously available only in microform, hard copy or as images only. Databases containing diverse primary source materials  leading books, newspapers and periodicals  reflect broad views across 18th and 19th century America. Accessible Archives will continue to add titles covering important topics and time periods to assist scholars and students at all academic levels.

About Unlimited Priorities LLC

Unlimited Priorities LLC utilizes its highly skilled group of professionals to provide a variety of support services to small and medium-sized companies in the information industry. The Archival Initiatives Division (AID) offers practical consultative services to libraries, historical societies and associations. AID provides advice and assistance in archival content selection, rights ownership, project management, workflow analysis, production, distribution of converted content and interaction with commercial entities. By coordinating a library's project requirements with commercial firms' interests, Unlimited Priorities creates an atmosphere of mutual cooperation while organizing a successful process at a reasonable cost.

Unlimited Priorities LLC is the exclusive sales and marketing agent for Accessible Archives.

Contacts:

Iris L. Hanney

President

Unlimited Priorities LLC

239-549-2384

[email protected]

www.unlimitedpriorities.com

Bob Lester

Product Development and Strategy Consultant

Unlimited Priorities LLC

203-527-3739

[email protected]

www.accessible-archives.com

SOURCE Accessible Archives, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.accessible-archives.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nintex, the recognized global leader in workflow and content automation (WCA), announced today the company has promoted Ryan Duguid to Senior Vice President Technology Strategy, a newly created executive position. In his expanded role, Duguid will leverage his 20-plus years of global IT experience to define the technology and product strategy across the Nintex R&D organization. He will continue to serve as an external spokesperson at industry and partner events and engaging with industry influencers including press and analysts.

As Senior Vice President of Technology Strategy at Nintex, Ryan Duguid is responsible for defining the technology and product strategy across the company's R&D organization.

"Ryan Duguid has been instrumental in shaping the direction of our workflow technology since he joined the company five years ago," says Nintex CTO Alain Gentilhomme. "I'm excited for Ryan to help us further refine our product strategy to ensure Nintex is delivering the industry's best intelligent process automation solutions that drive continued success for our worldwide customers and partners."

Duguid joined Nintex in 2012 and most recently served as the company's Vice President of Product where he led a global team of software engineers and product managers responsible for conceptualizing and launching Nintex Workflow Cloud, a cloud-first workflow platform that was introduced in late 2016. Prior to that, Duguid served as Nintex Vice President of Product Management.

Before Nintex, Duguid spent six years at Microsoft in key senior product management positions within the Microsoft Office Division. He was instrumental in bringing SharePoint 2010 to market, and developed strategic programs to drive SharePoint adoption and expand SharePoint's capabilities in customer engagement, content management, compliance and analytics. During his career, Duguid also worked in the IT industry throughout New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He founded a successful web development company, connected the island nation of Niue to the Internet, and helped establish New York and London offices for a New Zealand software firm.

Duguid holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Computer Science and Psychology from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

Media Contact

Kristin Treat

Nintex Public Relations

[email protected]

cell: (215) 317-9091

About Nintex

Nintex is the recognized global leader in workflow and content automation (WCA) with more than 7,000 enterprise clients and 1,700 partners in 90 countries who have built and published millions of workflow applications. With its unmatched breadth of capability and platform support delivered by unique architectural capabilities, Nintex empowers the line of business and IT departments to quickly automate hundreds of manual processes to progress on the journey to digital transformation. Nintex Workflow Cloud, the company's cloud platform, connects with all content repositories, systems of record, and people to consistently fuel successful business outcomes. Visit www.nintex.com to learn more.

Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Nintex

Related Links

http://www.nintex.com


SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nominate your favorite school to receive a van full of classroom supplies through "Tools for Schools," a social media-based program run by Schools Financial Credit Union. Schools Financial will award at least $12,000 worth of school supplies to 12 area schools.

Visit Schools Financial's Facebook page to nominate your school to receive a van full of essential classroom supplies.

"Education opens students up to the wider world beyond the edge of their neighborhood. To do that, I need a well-supplied classroom  that's why Tools for Schools is important," said Derek Tahara, an elementary school teacher in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

"After offering our Education Matters teacher grants program in 2016, we heard first-hand from hundreds of teachers about the critical need for classroom materials. Because we were founded by teachers over 80 years ago, we are committed to developing innovative ways to support schools, teachers, students and families in the communities we serve," said Schools Financial Credit Union President/CEO, Tim Marriott. "Our Tools for Schools program will award bulk quantities of critically-needed classroom supplies to area schools," said Marriott.

Anyone may nominate a school until September 15, 2017, and may donate to the program until August 31, 2017. "Donate and Nominate" is the theme of this program that will ultimately help thousands of students.

About Schools Financial Credit Union

Founded in 1933, Schools Financial Credit Union serves more than 140,000 members and has over $1.8 billion in assets. Schools Financial operates 11 branches and offers Banking for EveryoneSM in 12 northern California counties.

SOURCE Schools Financial Credit Union

Related Links

http://www.schools.org


COLUMBIA, Mo., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Through its relationship with orthopedic HCIT solutions leader SRS Health, Universal Research Solutions, LLC (a.k.a. OBERD) has partnered with Chicago-based Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (IBJI) to electronically collect patient reported outcomes data and report MIPS quality data to CMS. Through this partnership, IBJI will have access to OBERD's nationwide data sets, the world's largest orthopedic database, with the goal of supporting evidence-based care and improving patient health outcomes.

OBERD's enterprise solution is designed to collect large amounts of information from patients with minimal burden, and make that available to providers and administrators as actionable data. This aligns with IBJI's commitment to providing collaborative, comprehensive care, and their progressive approach to returning patients to good health through evidence-based medicine. OBERD's Registries provide large data sets for benchmarking and research that will support IBJI's efforts to improve the quality of care delivered to its patients.

"We are honored to have partnered with IBJI, one of the most prestigious and progressive orthopedic institutions in the nation," said Ali Hussam, PhD, OBERD founder and chief executive officer. "Together with SRS Health, we will help IBJI demonstrate the value of their care, and show the performance of their physicians, from the outcomes data collected from their patients. They can benchmark against other OBERD clients and against aggregate outcomes data from thousands of physicians, and millions of patients, nationwide."

"At IBJI, we continually strive to enhance our clinical delivery model around the patient's needs," said Andre Blom, IBJI chief operating officer. "When we looked at the depth and breadth of orthopedic data that OBERD collects and quantifies, there was no question that their system could provide us with the insights to keenly refine our ongoing quality improvement initiatives. Understanding the complete spectrum of our clinical intervention strategies will serve us well on a daily basis, especially in the emerging Value Based Care models in which we participate."

About Universal Research Solutions, LLC (OBERD)

Universal Research Solutions, LLC (a.k.a. OBERD) owns, develops, implements and supports the OBERD (Outcomes Based Electronic Research Database) system. OBERD optimizes the data collection necessary to empower evidence-based medical practice, improve the quality and efficacy of care and advance clinical decision-making and patient understanding. OBERD has been collecting patient outcomes data in orthopedics for over 7 years, with over 10 million scored forms from over 2 million patients in its database. It includes a QCDR, with CMS-approved measures specific to orthopedics. For more information, visit www.oberd.com or follow the company on Twitter @oberdnews.

About Illinois Bone & Joint Institute

Founded in 1990, IBJI is one of the largest orthopedic group practices in the country. With more than 100 physicians in every orthopedic specialty, IBJI offers care for children and adults from some of the most accomplished and respected orthopedists in the country. IBJI's 20 locations in Chicago and the north suburbs make it easy to access complete musculoskeletal care. www.ibji.com.

About SRS Health

SRS Health, a leading innovator in intelligent data solutions for orthopaedic practices, is advancing healthcare by creating frictionless technologies that enhance quality, efficiency, and outcomes. The company's flagship healthcare IT ecosystemEHR, Outcomes, PM, Patient Portal, Transcription, and PACS is unique in its ability to position high-performance specialists for success in a value-based-payment world. With 20 years of experience, unmatched implementation success, extensive industry and regulatory expertise, and top-rated US-based customer service and support, it is no wonder that SRS has earned top KLAS and Black Book ratings from their clients. To see why SRS is the trusted partner of so many prominent orthopaedic practices, and how they can prepare you for the future, visit srs-health.com/orthopaedic-ehr, read their blog at blog.srs-health.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 800.288.8369.

SOURCE OBERD

Related Links

http://www.oberd.com


By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 22 (PTI) Actor Manisha Koirala has left for Nepal to visit the flood-hit region of Terai.

The 47-year-old actor, who is a Nepal national, took to Twitter to share that she was on her way to her home country to contribute in the relief work.

"First, it was earthquake and now its floods... My heart sank with devastating news... Im travelling to Terai with (the) UNFPA team... Hoping, praying to be of some use in this crisis..." Koirala wrote.

advertisement

In 2015, Nepal was struck by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake, with its epicentre located at about 80 km north-west of Kathmandu, claiming over 7,000 lives and injuring 14,123 others.

As of August 18, widespread flooding and landslides in Nepal have killed 120 people and nearly 35 people are missing. Over six million people have been affected by the incessant rains across the country. PTI RDS BK

--- ENDS ---
LAKEWOOD, Ohio, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Onix, a leading developer and provider of cloud computing solutions and consulting services, is now an official Dropbox Business Partner, offering Dropbox products, migration, implementation and support services to both business and education customers. Dropbox Business is the unified home for a team's content and the collaboration around it. Dropbox products help businesses grow without limits while maintaining complete control over important information.

With its extensive security and administration features, Dropbox is a safe, secure and reliable solution used by more than 200,000 businesses to increase workflow, improve collaboration and lower costs. Dropbox provides IT administrators with extensive security and administration features, including:

The ability to monitor which files are being shared and control access to company data

A host of security management tools including Single sign-on (SSO), Active Directory integration and two-step verification

Easily scaled storage capacity that grows with the organization's needs.

"We are pleased to add the Dropbox Business partnership to our extensive line of services and solutions, " said Tim Needles, Onix's CEO. "Dropbox is another option for customers seeking to share and collaborate across devices, and it enables us to further empower our customers who use G Suite, Microsoft or any other software platform by providing them with tools that users value and IT administrators trust."

Eddie O'Brien, Global Channel Chief at Dropbox added, "At Dropbox, our goal is to simplify work and streamline processes so that teams can focus on doing their best work and creating amazing content. This partnership will empower secure collaboration across teams, business units and educators while integrating with other best-of-breed services and partners within the Onix portfolio."

For more information about Onix's Dropbox products and services, click here.

About Onix

Launched in 1992, Onix is a leading developer and provider of cloud computing solutions and consulting services to a broad range of customers. Onix partners with cloud technology leaders and offers extensive expertise in the design and implementation of end-to-end comprehensive I.T. solutions. Onix has been a Google Cloud partner since 2001 and has been recognized by Google as well as customers with numerous awards for work done in North America and globally. Learn more at www.onixnet.com.

Media Contact

Karen Masuga

Marketing Communications Manager

Onix Networking Corp.

216-529-3043

[email protected]

SOURCE Onix

Related Links

https://www.onixnet.com


Vervoe reinvents the recruiting experience for startups and small businesses with an automated interview process

NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Vervoe, the online hiring assistant for startups and small to medium sized businesses, launched in the U.S. today with a funding round of $1 million.

Co-founded by Australian entrepreneurs Omer Molad and David Weinberg, Vervoe seamlessly automates the interviewing process, allowing candidates to show their skills and style through online simulations. The pair developed Vervoe in response to their own frustrations with outdated hiring processes and models. Vervoe is designed to bring fairness and speed to the hiring process by replacing traditional interviews with on-the-job tasks created by experts.

Targeted at small to medium sized businesses without a human resources department or recruiter, Vervoe's goal is to enable companies to fill a position within a few days, instead of expending resources over multiple weeks. The platform provides companies with confidence that they are asking candidates the right questions, even for roles they do not have expertise in. Prior to launch, Vervoe has been working with a number of fast-growing startups as well as traditional businesses in the U.S. to solve their hiring needs, and its customer base is growing rapidly.

Vervoe solves the burden of hiring by:

Interviewing everyone automatically, leveling the playing field and bringing fairness to hiring

Keeping candidates updated with where they are in the hiring process, improving the hiring experience for the candidate as well as the employer

Offering interviews with video, work samples and interview questions written by experts for a more comprehensive assessment

Making the process more personal by allowing customizable interview questions, focusing on the candidates' journey

"Every CEO I spoke to nominates hiring as the number one reason for losing sleep. Building a team is the most sacred activity a CEO can do," said Omer Molad, CEO of Vervoe. "Having been through the pain ourselves, we felt so strongly that we needed to rise to the challenge and build a solution that business leaders would enjoy using.

"Other recruitment solutions are focused on getting better at driving candidates away with more screening and more filtering, whereas we believe every candidate should get a chance. We want businesses to have a simple solution to build their entire team, whether they're testing a candidate's technical skills or trying to understand how someone will contribute to their culture. Already we have helped the non-technical founder of a fashion startup hire a data scientist and a venture-backed augmented reality startup hire a developer, as well as working with more traditional businesses to hire sales reps, finance partners and graphic designers."

Vervoe recognizes that today it is less significant which university the candidate attended or how many LinkedIn connections they have. It strives to remove conscious and unconscious bias from the hiring process to make the recruiting experience effective and enjoyable for both employers and candidates.

For more information on Vervoe, please visit www.vervoe.com.

About Vervoe

Vervoe is reinventing the recruiting experience for startups, and small to medium businesses. Use Vervoe's task-based simulations to evaluate all your applicants' skills and style. Easily rank them through the platform, and only meet the very best at the end. No more tedious resume screening and time-consuming interviews. With Vervoe, you can hire the right people in 4 days, not 40.

About Omer Molad, CEO and Co-founder, Vervoe

Omer is on a mission to reinvent the recruiting experience to make it effective, fair and enjoyable. Omer's experience building teams, and being a candidate himself, has led him to believe that people should be given a chance to show what they can do, not be judged on where they've been.

As a Co-founder and CEO at Vervoe, Omer promotes Vervoe's mission, leads the company's strategy alongside co-founder David Weinberg, and is responsible for customers, capital and people. Prior to co-founding Vervoe with David, Omer led a corporate finance solutions team of 25 people at National Australia Bank, led an international emergency response program at Red Cross, and served as a platoon commander in Israel's Defence Forces.

Having been a leader in large corporations, the humanitarian sector, the military, and now a fast-growing startup, Omer has a unique perspective on workplace culture, motivation and what makes teams successful, and his articles on these topics have been featured in leading publications. Omer holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Law with Honours, and a Masters of Law. Omer lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Erica, young son Leo and Rhodesian Ridgeback Ralph.

About David Weinberg, CTO and Co-founder, Vervoe

David is on a mission to reinvent the recruiting experience to make it effective, fair and enjoyable. David's experience building teams, and being a candidate himself, has led him to believe that people should be given a chance to show what they can do, not be judged on where they've been.

As a Co-founder, Executive Director and CTO at Vervoe, David drives Vervoe's innovation, leads the company's strategy alongside co-founder Omer Molad, and is responsible for product development and technology. Prior to co-founding Vervoe with Omer, David was the Principal Architect for Australia's Department of Defence, and worked for Juniper Networks in Silicon Valley as a Distinguished Engineer in the CTO Office, and as a Director of Corporate Strategy.

As well as recruiting for highly technical roles at large corporations, David knows what it's like to run a small business. At one stage he built a tiny bakery into one of Australia's leading suppliers of wholesale cakes, supplying most of the major national and international airlines and hospitals. David Holds a Masters Degree in Computer Science. David lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Sim, young son Harvey and Boston Terrier Billie.

Media Contact: North 6th Agency, Inc. (For Vervoe)

416.583.1469, [email protected]

SOURCE Vervoe
The partnership with RMU came about when Celebrity's President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo met with students from the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Florida International University (FIU). There, she met Tifuh Azirh who shared her inspiring story of perseverance; Tifuh Azirh holds two degrees, yet following graduation she struggled to find opportunities in the maritime industry as an African female despite her academic performance, subsequent teaching at RMU, and cadet experience.

"After hearing Nicholine's story, I met with our SVP of Global Marine Operations, Patrik Dahlgren, to see what we needed to do in order to give her, and others, the opportunities they've earned. A year later, I'm so excited to share the news of our partnership with RMU and to welcome Nicholine onboard," said Lutoff-Perlo. "Nicholine isn't just a new-hire, she symbolizes hope for women around the world who dream of working in a very male-dominated industry; she's the face of our industry-leading partnership; and she is an incredible example of Celebrity's commitment to opening up the world."

"Nicholine's success is our entire world's success. Her story shows the power of win-win partnerships and the positive impact they have on our communities  and beyond," said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. "FIU is proud to be the only university in Florida to host the Department of State's Mandela Washington Fellows program  and use our resources, talent and partnerships to help prepare the next generation of our world's leaders. We are so proud to have been a part of Nicholine's journey to a successful career!"

"The goal of our partnership with RMU is to inspire and disrupt the social norms that burden female officers in western African nations, such as Ghana," said Patrik Dahlgren, SVP of Global Marine Operations, Celebrity Cruises. "Nicholine is our pioneer cadet and a pioneer for women in her country; moving forward, we will continue to evaluate candidates and continue to push the envelope in developing a growth sector for marine officers in a part of the world that traditionally underserves female officers."

Tifuh Azirh is scheduled to join the Celebrity Equinox family on August 27, 2017.

About Celebrity Cruises:

Celebrity Cruises' iconic "X" is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers' precious time. Celebrity Cruises' 12 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Celebrity also presents incredible cruise tour experiences in Alaska and Canada. Celebrity is one of five cruise brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL). For more information, dial 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or call your travel agent.

About FIU:

Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy. The university is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list and received honors in all categories of The Chronicle of Higher Education's 2017 "Great Colleges to work for" survey. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute. FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, [email protected], the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.

SOURCE Celebrity Cruises

Related Links

http://www.celebritycruises.com


VALENCIA, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Lock Company (PACLOCK) argues they were recently snubbed by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) on a contract where the DLA save, on some items, less than one percent by buying from a big business historically producing Mexican end products than from PACLOCK, a small business producing domestic end products. PACLOCK wrote an open letter the administration and received numerous responses from local representatives as well as the DLA.

The DLA publicly responded by saying that the agency works hard to support procurement from small businesses. In fact, the DLA touts the fact that they have exceeded their goals for such procurement actions.

"The DLA's Efforts Are Not as They Should Be"

"The DLA is doing what is required of them by law, but they are not doing their duty to truly support small businesses," says Gregory Waugh, President of Pacific Lock Company. What he is referring to is how the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) forces the DLA to set aside procurement actions if certain criteria are met. For instance, if two small business domestic manufacturers are expected to bid, then the solicitation must be setup as a "Small Business Set Aside" where only small businesses are allowed to compete. "The FAR forces the DLA to do this, and then the DLA takes credit for supporting small businesses," says Mr. Waugh.

But in reference to what happened recently to PACLOCK, the DLA determined that only one small business domestic supplier was expected to bid and, therefore, the solicitation would be procured as "unrestricted." Quite simply, this means that the offered goods can come from any type of businesses and, frequently, from anywhere in the world. Again, the FAR forces this situation to ensure the government gets good competition.

This means then, that the sole remaining small business domestic producer is now put into the procurement arena against large businesses and businesses possibly producing overseas. "Clearly this is not a fair fight nor level playing field," says Jennifer Waugh, co-owner and Vice President.

Could the DLA do something to make it a level playing field for the small business competing for unrestricted solicitations? "Absolutely and yes," says Mr. Waugh. The FAR allows the contracting officer to offer "extra credit" for things like small businesses or domestic manufacturing. "In my 11 years of working with the DLA, I have never seen them offer a pricing preference for small businesses or domestic manufacturing on unrestricted bids," says Mr. Waugh.

This is why Mr. Waugh feels that the DLA is misleading the public when it says it supports small businesses and domestic manufacturing. "Doing something because there is a proverbial gun to your head like the FAR has to the DLA with small business set-asides does not get the credit from me that the DLA supports small business. Rather, the fact that I have never seen the DLA do its duty when the DLA is not required to, but should, is the true test of support," says Mr. Waugh. And the DLA fails that test, according to Mr. Waugh.

For More Details: http://www.paclock.com/dla-claim.html

About Pacific Lock Company

Pacific Lock Company was founded in 1998 and is one of the last family-operated manufacturers of physical security products for consumer, commercial, and industrial end users. Its U.S.-based manufacturing allows the company to be innovative and nimble while, at the same time, producing high-quality products its customers can depend on for protection. Pacific Lock Company is a woman-owned and operated small business headquartered in Valencia, California, that supports employment of people with disabilities and disadvantages. For more information about Pacific Lock visit www.paclock.com.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Pacific Lock Company

Related Links

http://www.paclock.com


"The Awards for Excellence Gala gives us a chance to honor the leaders in the jewelry industry whose careers and personal efforts support the Women's Jewelry Association mission to help women in the jewelry and watch industries advance and develop professionally," said WJA President Brandee Dallow.

Alexis Padis holds a Board position with The American Gem Society, is in fact AGS' youngest Board member, and was in the company of only 6 other nominees from this prestigious institution for the WJA Awards for Excellence. Of note, only 5% of jewelers in the country maintain business practices of such high ethical standards to become and remain members of AGS. Being a member of AGS means that clients are guaranteed that their purchases strictly adhere to the highest standards of measurement and quality. To that end, Alexis is an AGS Certified Gemologist Appraiser, as well as a GIA Graduate Gemologist, and takes great pride in both purchasing and evaluating the jewelry sold at Padis Jewelry. She aims to continue to make Padis Jewelry a vibrant and growing business for San Francisco engagement rings and San Francisco wedding rings.

Daughter of Padis Jewelry's founders Steve and Judy Padis, Alexis Padis is following in her parents' footsteps to continue innovating within the family's business. She leads the Marketing and Operations for Padis Jewelry, and represents the brand at top-tier industry events such as JCK and Conclave.

The goal of the WJA is to be the premier business networking organization dedicated to enriching and advancing the professional lives of the women in the jewelry and watch industries.

"The Women's Jewelry Association and the WJA Foundation are deeply committed to providing support for women in the jewelry trade. The generosity of our community of donors and sponsors enables us to improve the industry by providing access and opportunities for women at all stages of their careers," said WJA executive director Bernadette Mack.

ABOUT PADIS JEWELRY:

As one of San Francisco's most trusted jewelers, Padis offers an unparalleled level of customer service and an outstanding selection of the highest quality diamonds, fine designer jewelry and luxury timepieces. Padis Jewelry has been helping clients mark the moment of special occasions and milestone events for over 40 years, and prides themselves on personalized service and exceptional value.

CONTACT:

Emily Webster

(415) 861-5388

[email protected]

SOURCE Padis Jewelry

Related Links

http://www.padisjewelry.com


PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm that has long fought for the heroes and survivors of the September 11th terrorist attacks, comments that, according to a July 17, 2017 report by Injury Epidemiology concerning research concerning the thousands of people who were exposed to intense dust exposure and extremely high levels of hazardous and dangerous materials. This exposure has led to reports of "increased levels of asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases along with psychological illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." (https://injepijournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40621-017-0115-x)

Only a few studies have studied single exposure disease association such as a dust cloud and asthma and heart disease. This study extended known events of the attacks, investigating the health consequences of immediate, short-term, acute exposures and chronic disease. This study also utilized what is known as proportional hazards methods to determine adjusted hazard ratios for ties between several components of acute exposures such as injury and immersion in the dust cloud. The study also looked at four chronic disease outcomes: Asthma, other non-neoplastic lung diseases, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, in 8,701 individuals who did not have any of these conditions before being exposed to the attacks and who were physically present during or immediately following the World Trade Center attacks in New York City. Participants were followed prospectively for up to 11 years after the attacks, according to Injury Epidemiology.

The researchers concluded that they "demonstrated that the acute exposures of injury and dust cloud that were sustained" due to the attacks had "significant associations with later heart and respiratory diseases" and called for continued monitoring of these exposed individuals. Study authors were the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Injury Epidemiology reported.

"Parker Waichman has long fought to ensure that first responders, rescue and recovery workers, and other survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks receive the medical care and compensation they deserve," said Keith Gitman, Managing Attorney at the firm. "This research further shows that these individuals will continue to need medical care and compensation," he added.

Parker Waichman emphasizes the importance of the Zadroga programsThe World Trade Center Health Program and the Victims Compensation Fundand vows to continue its efforts to safeguard those exposed to the World Trade Center attack and the toxic plume that followed the attack. To determine eligibility under the Act, please visit the Parker Waichman's website or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636). http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/zadroga-act-wtc-world-trade-center-claims-lawyer-attorney-lawsuit)

SOURCE Parker Waichman LLP

Related Links

http://www.yourlawyer.com


HOUSTON, Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Power Temp Systems, Inc. today announced the launch of their newly developed Generator Load Bank/Distribution Combo Unit. This new product takes the three vital pieces of equipment needed to efficiently use the new Tier 4 compliant portable generators in the field, and combines them into one, compact piece of equipment.

Power Temp Systems

In 2014, the final part of the EPA's Tier 4 emissions standards for off-road engines came into effect. Over the three years since, as older equipment has been retired, more and more Tier 4 generators have come into play, creating new challenges. One of those challenges is that these Tier 4 engines just don't perform well under less than 40-50% loads. To solve this, load banks are now recommended in order to maintain optimal loads on these Tier 4 compliant generators.

This needed piece of equipment is in addition to transfer switches and power distribution panels that are also required to operate and service portable generators in the field. Load banks represent one more thing that needs to be moved, maintained and stored, further complicating operations and adding expense to those who depend on portable power systems.

"There had to be a better, more efficient way," said Kent McLemore, head of product development at Power Temp Systems. "So, we went to the drawing board and came up with a simple, affordable combo unit that puts all three pieces into one compact solution."

The resulting product is a genius piece of electrical engineering. "Like most things Power Temp does, it can be fully customized to suit your exact needs," said McLemore. "But the concept solves the issues of low load by automatically adjusting the load on your generator to preset, optimal levels."

The combo unit features the ASCO Avtron 4100 Load Bank with remote operator controls, a choice between a manual or automatic transfer switch or a small generator paralleling panel, and power distribution capabilities. All of this comes wrapped up on a powder coated skid that even includes a space to store your cable. The only thing missing on this package is a ribbon and a bow.

Related Links

Power Temp Systems, Inc.

Portable Power Distribution Equipment

SOURCE Power Temp Systems

Related Links

http://powertemp.com


The Hummingbird TTS uses a One-Pass technology to reduce manipulations to the eardrum, pain, and time during ear tube placement. This enables a conscious sedation alternative to general anesthesia on a patient who is moderately sedated, but awake.

"The company has taken a careful approach to establishing the safety of the Hummingbird in a hospital setting for even the littlest children who require ear tubes," says CEO Steve Anderson. "The next step is to demonstrate the Hummingbird's ability to allow the ENT to safely treat them in-clinic, too." The potential to place ear tubes for more patients in the office, allows more options and more convenience for both parents and physicians to choose the location hospital, surgery center or office  that best fits the needs of the patient.

Preceptis is also pleased to announce a peer-reviewed publication, Tympanostomy Tube Placement in Children Using a Single-Pass Tool with Moderate Sedation with lead author Shelagh Cofer MD (Mayo Clinic, MN) in the Otolaryngology Head and Neck Journal.1

In their continued effort to advance pediatric tympanostomy technologies for children, Preceptis has provided an educational grant to Vindico Medical to host an independent continuing medical education symposium during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) on Sept. 11 in Chicago, IL. The panel, consisting of an ENT surgeon, pediatric anesthesiologist and pediatrician, will discuss concerns and the recent FDA Warning surrounding the risk of repeat exposures to general anesthesia in children under 3 and its effect in practice on the surgeons on the front lines. This includes ear tube surgery, one of the most common and most repeated pediatric surgeries using general anesthesia, in the U.S.2-4

For additional information, log onto https://www.facebook.com/preceptismedical or www.preceptismedical.com to learn more.

References

Cofer, Shelagh, et al. "Tympanostomy Tube Placement in Children Using a Single-Pass Tool with Moderate Sedation." OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery (2017): 0194599817707178. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm532356.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery Truven Health Analytics, Tympanostomy Outpatient View and Five Year Forecast, 2015 O'Niel, Mallory B., et al. "Tracking tympanostomy tube outcomes in pediatric patients with otitis media using an electronic database." International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 79.8 (2015): 1275-1278.

62-1043a Preceptis Medical 2017

MEDIA CONTACT: Carla Dahl

[email protected]

952-250-3275

SOURCE Preceptis Medical

Related Links

http://www.preceptismedical.com


NEW YORK, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

VertaMedia, an award winning Global Video Technology Solution provider, has been honored by Inc.com, the online arm of Inc. magazine, as among the top 5000 fastest growing private companies in the country. The list is made of the nation's fastest-growing private companies.

Inc. magazine ranked VertaMedia NO. 552 on its 36th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment: its independent small and midsized businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Domino's Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

"We are delighted to have been recognized as one of the America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies by Inc. 5000 for the second year in a row," said Chris Karl, CEO of VertaMedia. "This success is a recognition of the tremendous effort our team places to continuously innovate and improve the suite of VertaMedia's technology solutions."

This year, VertaMedia has released their Holistic Demand Management Platform (HDMP), a unique solution for top tier publishers to help them stand up their own independent private exchanges and maximize revenues from programmatic selling. The company has also recently launched an upgrade to their video platform for high performing ad networks and brought to the market a one-of-a-kind Header Bidding Management Platform (HBMP) that simplifies the complexity of managing multiple header bidder relationships. VertaMedia's product suite is purpose built to provide technology independence to its clients.

About Inc. and the Inc. 5000

The Inc. 5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates their remarkable achievements. The event also offers informative workshops, celebrated keynote speakers, and evening functions.

For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

About VertaMedia

Founded in 2008, VertaMedia is a global video technology provider that helps publishers and networks meet the needs of buyers in an increasingly programmatic and data driven advertising marketplace. VertaMedia's Intelli patent-pending optimization algorithm, header solutions, ad server, video player, and video platform represent the essential base technologies to enable holistic multi-channel selling for today's modern day digital media publisher.

VertaMedia is headquartered in New York with offices globally and is recognized as one of America's fastest-growing private companies by Inc. 5000, and was named in Deloitte's 2016 Technology Fast 500.

For more information, visit https://verta.media/.

Anna Koicheva

Marketing Manager, VertaMedia

+1-646-583-0196

[email protected]



SOURCE VertaMedia
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches (RAPB) and Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors (GFLR) were recently honored by the WAV Group with the first "WAVes of Change" Award. The award was created by the leading real estate business and communications consulting firm to honor those that have made bold new moves to create positive waves of change in the industry.

L-R: Marilyn Wilson, founder of the WAV Group; Kim Hansen, RAPB+GFLR COO; Dionna Hall, RAPB+GFLR CEO; and Ron Lennen, President-Elect of the RAPB+GFLR

"We are honored to be the first recipient of this distinguished award," said Dionna Hall, CEO of the newly merged RAPB+GFLR. "It is a huge testament to the hard work by our volunteers and our staff."

The WAVes of Change Award honors those that have taken gutsy, innovative steps to create exciting new approaches, solved fundamental challenges or created exciting new opportunities for real estate consumers, agents, brokers or the industry as a whole.

Marilyn Wilson, Founding Partner of WAV Group, says, "We are so proud of the hard work of RAPB and GFLR that has resulted in a much more efficient and productive marketplace for brokers in South Florida. It's this kind of vision, leadership and teamwork that is going to propel the strength and viability of the real estate industry. We are thrilled to honor every person that led the effort, supported the idea and voted to approve it with the first ever WAVes of Change award."

The merging of the RAPB+GFLR creates the third largest association of its kind in the United States and a rare opportunity for the Realtors in Palm Beach, Broward and St. Lucie Counties to have the best in class representing over 28,000 Association members and 30,000 MLS subscribers. The merged association's multiple listing services will carry more than 40,000 on-market listings, totaling over $21 billion in inventory. This creates both a single source for homebuyers and greater exposure for sellers throughout the Southeast coast of Florida. The company will become one of the ten largest MLSs in the United States.

The association has since achieved further strides as an industry leader, with accomplishments that include providing members the opportunity to choose between two premier MLS systems, FBS/FlexMLS and Corelogic/Matrix. The organization has already begun aggressively mapping (matching) data fields between the two platforms to ensure unified, seamless experiences in both systems. The association provides brokers and agents complimentary IDX feeds to power their websites with listing content that spans the entire southeast Florida coast.

Here's a link to a video of the presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhNbmHZ0ZJU

About RAPB and GFLR

The Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches (RAPB), together with Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors (GFLR), is the 3rd largest local real estate association in the country. As one unified voice, RAPB + GFLR represent 28,000 Realtors, 31,000 MLS subscribers, and 5 regional boards across South Florida and the Treasure Coast. For more information, visit www.rapb.com and www.r-world.com.

About WAV Group

WAV Group is one of the leading consulting firms in the real estate industry, helping to create positive waves of change for their clients with effective strategic planning, research, business advisory, technology strategy, PR/Communications and recruiting. They are also the creators of the WAVes of Change award. For more information, visit www.wavgroup.com

WAV Group Media Contact: Marilyn Wilson  [email protected] 805-748-9118

RAPB + GFLR Media Contact: Hilary Reynolds [email protected] (954) 815-1186

SOURCE Realtors(R) Association of the Palm Beaches (RAPB)

Related Links

http://www.rapb.com


Shiv Sena has objected to a video by a renowned Jain monk asking people to vote for the BJP in the Mira Bhayander municipal polls and is now planning to move EC, alleging that BJP has sought votes in the name of religion.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: A Jain monk's appeal to voters to exercise their franchise in favour of the BJP in the Mira-Bhayandar municipal election has drawn flak from the Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena has objected to a video by a renowned Jain muni asking people to vote for the BJP in the Mira Bhayander municipal polls. Sena is now planning to move the Election Commission alleging that the BJP has sought votes in the name of religion.

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The appeal was made by influential Jain Muni Naypadmasagarji Maharaj. The monk, who has a huge following among the Jain community across the world, was seen appealing in a video that went viral to vote for the BJP in the name of vegetarianism.

Two years ago, the Paryushan Parv had stoked a controversy when the Shiv Sena vehemently opposed the closure of slaughterhouses during the festival, that is holy for the Jain community.

In his appeal in the video, Naypadmasagar said, "On the same day last year, Mira Bhayandar witnessed a havoc during Paryushan Parv. This is the time to rise in respect for non-violence. This is a do-or-die election. You have to choose between violence and non-violence. One vote that you cast will save the lives of several animals."

The monk adds, "If you don't vote for BJP, new slaughterhouses will open. If you don't vote, chicken will be cooked outside Jain temples. If you don't vote, Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis will become weak. Omelette and egg shops will open in every corner. So vote on the 20th. I have full faith in BJP."

SENA OBJECTS TO APPEAL ON RELIGIOUS GROUNDS

Calling it an appeal on religious grounds, Shiv Sena has raised serious objections to it. The Shiv Sena, which stood a distant second to BJP in Mira Bhayandar election results, is now planning legal action or may even approach the Election Commission. Speaking to India Today, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik, who was heading the campaign in Mira Bhayander, said, "The Jain monk is clearly seen asking for votes on religious lines to make Mumbai a vegetarian city. Today we have a Jain religious guru, tomorrow we may see Muslim, Christian or any other religious gurus asking for votes."

"There are Supreme Court's directions against asking for votes on religious grounds. So it's wrong and illegal to ask for votes on religious grounds", Sarnaik added. The party is now contemplating to appeal to the Election Commission about the issue.

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And it's not only the Shiv Sena. Even parties such as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) too have taken strong objections. "The chief minister met Jain monks before the election. The jain monk appealed for votes for BJP. The BJP was trying to appease a certain community. This goes to show how low the BJP can stoop", alleged NCP leader Nawab Malik.

The BJP is, however, defending the video appeal. "There are religious sentiments of Hindus. There are religious sentiments of Muslims. There are religious sentiments of every other religion involved. Similalrly, there are religious sentiments of the Jain community. The paryushan parv is a sacred time for them. So it's not wrong to consider their religious sentiments", said BJP leader Shaina NC.

ALSO READ |

Uddhav meets party leaders, says Shiv Sena ready for any elections

Gorakhpur tragedy: It's a mass murder, achche din only for rich, says BJP ally Shiv Sena

--- ENDS ---
YORK, Pa., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Lion Controls, the global experts in communication, monitoring and control for industrial automation and networking, today announced that its RAM industrial routers and cellular RTUs now support the Microsoft Azure, Cumulocity and Nokia IMPACT IIoT platforms. This follows the recent announcement that Red Lion's RAM products now support the MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol. The addition of these two platforms moves Red Lion RAM products to lead the market in the greatest number of platform integrations, providing greater flexibility for industrial customers to quickly connect to their choice of leading IIoT cloud platforms.

"Our RAM products provide powerful connectivity for reliable, secure and scalable communications to a variety of IIoT cloud platforms, and with Microsoft Azure and Cumulocity, Red Lion RAM routers and RTUs offer the most embedded IIoT platform integrations on the market today," said Colin Geis, Director of Product Management, IIoT Red Lion Controls. "The variety of platform integrations we support gives customers the ability to select the provider that is tailored to the specific requirements of their individual market or application, capitalizing on unique features and capabilities without sacrificing ease of deployment or speed of implementation."

In addition to those announced today, RAMQTT, Red Lion's embedded MQTT client, simplifies implementations with pre-configured profiles for AT&T M2X, Amazon AWS IoT, AutoDesk Fusion Connect and Telenor Connexion. Customers connect using a simple drop-down menu to select their cloud platform of choice. Also, using the RAM Software Development Kit (SDK), connectivity can be enabled with additional platforms, including LEC IQ Web SCADA, Set-Point IPwebcontrol, Skkynet Skkyhub, and Telit deviceWISE.

The combination of industrial protocol support, reliable cellular communication and easy-to-connect cloud support provides customers with a seamless IIoT solution. RAM products also provide a powerful event engine and an integrated I/O database which streamlines the creation and storage of data tags. Other features include multiple serial and Ethernet ports and optional I/O, Wi-Fi and an active GPS to securely monitor and control remote devices over 4G LTE cellular networks.

For more information on Red Lion's Sixnet series RAM industrial cellular RTUs, visit www.redlion.net/RAM.

For sales inquiries or product questions, call 717-767-6511 or email us at [email protected].

About Red Lion Controls

As the global experts in communication, monitoring and control for industrial automation and networking, Red Lion has been delivering innovative solutions for over 40 years. Our automation, Ethernet and cellular M2M technology enables companies worldwide to gain real-time data visibility that drives productivity. Product brands include Red Lion, N-Tron and Sixnet. With headquarters in York, Pennsylvania, the company has offices across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Red Lion is part of Spectris plc, the productivity-enhancing instrumentation and controls company. For more information, please visit www.redlion.net.

2017 Red Lion Controls, Inc. All rights reserved. Red Lion, the Red Lion logo, Sixnet and RAM are registered trademarks of Red Lion Controls, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contacts: Rebecca Cressler

Red Lion Controls

+1 (717) 767-6961 x6904

[email protected]





Stephen Oakes

LEWIS

+1 (781) 418-2472

[email protected]

www.redlion.net

SOURCE Red Lion Controls

Related Links

http://www.redlion.net


WESTPORT, Conn., Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- REX Shares, LLC (REX) today announced the formation of REX Capital Management, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary focused on developing investment products and strategies related to bitcoin and other digital assets. REX also announced the hiring of Anthony Pesco, PhD, who was most recently Global Head of Equity Derivatives for Credit Suisse.

REX, a provider of alternatives strategy ETFs, sees large demand for regulated investment products linked to bitcoin and ethereum. "We formed REX with a goal to create solutions for investors to navigate turbulent markets and preserve wealth," said Greg King, Founder and CEO. "The launch of REX Capital Management will catalyze our entry into the digital asset space to continue that mission. We believe cryptocurrencies are a phenomenal innovation that will impact finance and investing for decades to come." REX plans to develop several types of funds and investment management products and services centered around bitcoin, ethereum and other digital assets.

To help drive this growth, REX has hired Dr. Anthony Pesco as a Senior Adviser. Dr. Pesco has over 25 years' experience in building and leading derivatives trading businesses for Credit Suisse, Santander, AIG, and JP Morgan. "I am excited about the opportunity to join REX in developing and deploying innovative investment products linked to digital assets," said Dr. Pesco, who has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University.

About REX

Headquartered in Westport, Connecticut, REX Shares, LLC is an independent sponsor of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). REX was founded in by Greg King, creator of over 75 exchange traded products for Barclays, Credit Suisse, VelocityShares, and Global X. For more information please visit www.rexshares.com.

Media Contact:

Scott Acheychek

[email protected]

SOURCE REX Shares, LLC

Related Links

http://www.rexshares.com


SUNNYVALE, Calif. and ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- RiskSense, Inc., the pioneer and market leader in pro-active cyber risk management, today announced that it has earned several Gold and Silver 2017 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards for Information Security and Risk Management, Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation, and Security as a Service Innovations.

The Golden Bridge Awards are an annual industry and peer recognition program that honors the Best Companies, Products, Innovations, Management Teams, Women in Business, and more from all over the world. Winners will be honored in San Francisco on Monday, September 18, 2017 during the annual Red Carpet Golden Bridge Awards Ceremony.

"This latest round of industry accolades provides further proof that RiskSense continues to set the pace for technology innovation in cyber security risk management with its unmatched attack surface validation model that spans networks, applications, databases and even IoT devices," said Dr. Srinivas Mukkamala, co-founder and CEO of RiskSense. "By integrating vulnerability assessment with internal and external threat intelligence and business criticality, we enable organizations to prioritize and focus on remediating risks that pose the most imminent danger to their business."

Cyber security professionals worldwide are struggling under a rapidly changing threat landscape and regulatory pressure to improve their information security posture. The RiskSense Platform provides continuous diagnostic and mitigation capabilities by ingesting, unifying, and contextualizing vast volumes of internal security intelligence with external threat data, and correlating the findings with business criticality to continuously reveal cyber risk exposure across a growing attack surface spanning the network, servers, endpoints, applications, and databases. RiskSense enables enterprises to minimize cyber risk by closing the most critical security gaps first, and gain valuable, continuous situational awareness that helps them keep cyber adversaries at bay.

About the Golden Bridge Awards

Golden Bridge Awards are an annual industry and peer recognition program honoring best companies in every major industry from large to small and new start-ups in North America, Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin-America, Best New Products and Services, Best Innovations, Management and Teams, Women in Business and the Professions, Case Studies, Customer Satisfaction, and PR and Marketing Campaigns from all over the world. Learn more about The Golden Bridge Awards at www.goldenbridgeawards.com

About RiskSense

RiskSense, Inc., is the pioneer and market leader in pro-active cyber risk management. The company enables enterprises and governments to reveal cyber risk, quickly orchestrate remediation, and monitor the results. This is done by unifying and contextualizing internal security intelligence, external threat data, and business criticality across a growing attack surface.

The company's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform transforms cyber risk management into a more pro-active, collaborative, and real-time discipline. The RiskSense Platform embodies the expertise and intimate knowledge gained from real world experience in defending critical networks from the world's most dangerous cyber adversaries.

By leveraging RiskSense cyber risk management solutions, organizations can significantly shorten time-to-remediation, increase operational efficiency, strengthen their security programs, heighten response readiness, reduce costs, and ultimately minimize cyber risks. For more information, please visit www.risksense.com or follow us on Twitter at @RiskSense.

Media Contacts

Marc Gendron

Marc Gendron Public Relations

+1 781.237.0341

[email protected]

or

[email protected]

SOURCE RiskSense, Inc.

Related Links

http://risksense.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation has joined in an amicus brief in support of a case that challenges a Maryland gun control law and the federal court ruling that upholds the law by essentially distorting the meaning and intent of the 2008 Heller Ruling that defined the Second Amendment as protective of an individual right to keep and bear arms in common use.

The case is known as Kolbe v. Hogan. SAF has joined the Cato Institute, Independence Institute and National Sheriffs' Association in filing the brief, asking that the Supreme Court of the United States take the case for review when it returns in October.

"Our interest in this case is guided by the belief that government cannot prohibit whole classes of firearms, including semiautomatic sport-utility rifles, that are in common use by private citizens and civilian law enforcement," explained SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. "But in Maryland, they want to do exactly that. It's almost as if they either don't understand Heller, or are deliberately ignoring what was explained clearly by the late Justice Antonin Scalia."

As the brief explains, "Maryland's firearm and ammunition restrictions stem from a misunderstanding of firearms that are in common use by citizens and law enforcement agencies. Most sheriffs and deputies carry semi-automatic handguns with magazines larger than 10 rounds that are banned in Maryland; many patrol vehicles carry a rifle that is banned in Maryland. Classifying typical sheriffs' arms as 'weapons of war' alienates the public from law enforcement. Among the many harmful consequences: when a deputy uses deadly force, people will say that he or she used a military weapon. This is inflammatory, and false."

"This is just one of several Second Amendment questions we believe the high court needs to address," Gottlieb said. "There is also the question of bearing arms outside the home for personal protection. These constitutional issues must be addressed, and we'd rather it be sooner than later."

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

SOURCE Second Amendment Foundation

Related Links

http://www.saf.org


SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) today announced that Harvard Business School's Frances Frei, Cake Boss Buddy Valastro and positive psychology author Shawn Achor will be among the noted keynote speakers streamed live from SuccessConnect 2017 in Las Vegas, the premier event for human resources (HR) professionals. With leading organizations such as Corning, EY and Mohawk taking the stage to discuss their HR transformation journeys, SuccessConnect  taking place August 2931 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas  will offer unparalleled insight into the latest strategies and technologies to empower the digital workforce.

SuccessConnect in Las Vegas will bring together the world's foremost HR executives and business leaders to explore how SAP SuccessFactors solutions for human capital management (HCM) are transforming the employee experience in today's digital economy. This year's event will feature a host of business visionaries sharing insights on how to develop a workforce culture that maximizes every employee's potential.

Main SuccessConnect Activities (all times in PDT)

Opening Keynote with SAP Executive Board Member Robert Enslin and SAP SuccessFactors* President Greg Tomb

Wednesday, August 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.

Robert Enslin and Greg Tomb will cohost the opening keynote focusing on purpose and promise that SAP SuccessFactors delivers to customers to drive improved workforce experiences and meet employees' expectations by delivering consumer-grade, cutting-edge HCM solutions. Joining Robert and Greg on stage will be Amy Wilson, global head of Product at SAP SuccessFactors, and James Harvey, global head of Engineering and Service Delivery Operations at SAP SuccessFactors, as well as customers Christy Pambianchi, senior vice president of HR at Corning Incorporated, Jana Kanyadan, CIO of Mohawk Industries, and Penny Stoker, global leader of HR Services at EY.

Keynote with SAP Executive Board Member Jennifer Morgan and Harvard Business School Professor Frances Frei

Thursday, August 31, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Jennifer Morgan and Frances Frei, Uber's first senior vice president of Leadership and Strategy, will cohost an engaging and lively keynote that will cover the future of work, the culture challenge facing every C-suite and boardroom, and the changing nature of leadership in the 21st century.

Leadership Luncheon with SAP North America HR Head Jewell Parkinson and Constellation Research Founder and Principal Analyst Ray Wang

Thursday, August 31, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Sponsored by PwC and hosted by Jewell Parkinson, this luncheon will feature Ray Wang speaking on the need to create responsive and responsible leadership to succeed in digital transformation and jump-start growth inside organizations. Instead of taking a classical binary or rigid approach, learn the five immutable core traits and develop a balance of 14 foundational attributes as a guide to successful and sustainable dynamic leadership.

Keynote with Author Shawn Achor and Cake Boss Buddy Valastro

Thursday, August 31, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, and Buddy Valastro, author of The New York Times best-selling book The Cake Boss, will discuss how optimism, social support and stress mitigation are vital to workforce and corporate success, sharing research, stories and personal experiences to help expand thinking on what successful business strategies can look like.

Additional Event Highlights

Keynote presentations will be followed by breakout sessions with SAP partners and customers. In Las Vegas, the SuccessConnect 2017 diamond-level sponsor is Deloitte. Platinum-level sponsors are /N SPRO Inc., Aasonn, Accenture, Dell Boomi, EY, GP Strategies, IBM and Virgin Pulse. Gold-level sponsors are 3D Results, ADP LLC (also the After-Hours Party sponsor), AspireHR, Benefitfocus Inc., Enterprise Information Resources, EPI-USE, GroupeX Solutions, Infosys Ltd., Kronos, Nakisa, NGA Human Resources, OpenText, PeopleDoc, PwC and Veritas Prime.

Keynotes, breakout sessions and interviews with executives, customers, partners and influencers will be streamed live from the show floor for virtual participation here.

Africa Code Week

Support Africa Code Week in its mission to teach basic coding skills to half a million African youth this year. As part of a social media fundraising effort, SAP will donate one dollar for every tweet with both #SConnect17 and #AfricaCodeWeek between now and September 8. Africa Code Week brings together schools, teachers, governments and nonprofit organizations to bridge the digital and gender skills gap in Africa and empower Africa's young generation with critical digital skills needed to drive innovation and economic growth. You don't have to attend SuccessConnect to participate, so start tweeting now!

For more information on SuccessConnect in Las Vegas, please visit www.sapsuccessconnect.com/en_us/las-vegas-2017.html.

For more information, visit the SAP SuccessFactors website or the SAP News Center. Follow SAP SuccessFactors solutions on Twitter at @SuccessFactors and SAP at @sapnews.

*SAP SuccessFactors is a new brand name launched in January 2016 and is used here to mean the offerings, employees, and business of acquired company SuccessFactors, which continues to be our legal entity until integration with SAP is complete.

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device  SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 355,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

 2017 SAP SE. All rights reserved.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:

Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24

United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:

Geraldine Lim, SAP, +1 (415) 418-0945, [email protected], PDT

SAP News Center press room; [email protected]

Tim Scarfe, LEWIS Communications, +1 (510) 399-9032, [email protected], PDT

SOURCE SAP SE

Related Links

http://www.sap.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced the program for Open Source Summit Europe and the co-located Embedded Linux Conference Europe, taking place simultaneously, October 23-26 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Open Source Summit Europe is the premier open source technical conference in Europe, gathering 2,000 developers, operators and community leadership professionals to collaborate, share information and learn about the latest in open technologies, including Linux, containers, cloud computing and more.

Embedded Linux Conference Europe is the premier vendor-neutral technical conference for companies and developers using Linux in embedded products. Now in its 12th year, the conference gathers user-space developers, product vendors, kernel and systems developers to collaborate.

Open Source Summit Europe combines the existing LinuxCon, ContainerCon and CloudOpen conferences with the all new Open Community Conference and Diversity Empowerment Summit:

LinuxCon

LinuxCon is the event where the leading maintainers, developers and project leads in the Linux community from around the world gather together for updates, education, collaboration and problem-solving to further the Linux ecosystem.

ContainerCon

Containers are revolutionizing the way we automate, deploy and scale workloads, and ContainerCon is the place to learn about how to best use these technologies to your advantage. The event brings together leading experts in both the development and operations community to share ideas and best practices for how containers are shaping computing today and in the future with a focus on DevOps culture, automation, portability and efficiency.

CloudOpen

CloudOpen is the only event providing space for education and collaboration designed specifically to advance the open cloud. The conference gathers top professionals to discuss cloud platforms, automation and management tools, DevOps, virtualization, containers, software-defined networking, storage & filesystems, big data tools and platforms, open source best practices and much more.

Open Community Conference

The Open Community Conference provides world-class content and networking for building empowered and productive open source communities. The event provides presentations, tutorials, panel discussions, and networking opportunities that bring together some of the leading practitioners to share their expertise in how you can build powerful communities. The Open Community Conference is led by Jono Bacon, a global leader in community strategy and management, author of The Art of Community, and community leadership consultant to many organizations including Huawei, HackerOne, Microsoft, GitLab, Creative Commons, Sony Mobile, ClusterHQ, and others.

Diversity Empowerment Summit

After receiving a large number of high quality diversity-related submissions for Open Source Summit North America, The Linux Foundation added a new Diversity Empowerment Summit to the schedule in order to accommodate all the great talks. The goal of the summit is to help promote and facilitate an increase in diversity, inclusion, empowerment and social innovation in the open source community, and to provide a venue for discussion and collaboration. In addition to the sessions at DES, many diversity-focused talks were also accepted for the other four events.

In addition to previously announced keynotes speakers, over 200 educational sessions are on offer at Open Source Summit and Embedded Linux Conference.

Session highlights at Open Source Summit Europe include:

Love What You Do, Everyday! - Zaheda Bhorat, Amazon Web Services

The Rise of Open Source in the Manufacturing Industry - Steffan Evers , Bosch Software Innovations GmbH

, Bosch Software Innovations GmbH DIY Open-Source Data Lakes and You - Ashley Hathaway , Stitch Data

, Stitch Data Detecting Performance Regressions In The Linux Kernel - Jan Kara , SUSE

, SUSE Highway to Helm: Deploying Kubernetes Native Applications - Michelle Noorali , Microsoft

, Microsoft Deploying and Scaling Microservices with Docker and Kubernetes - Jerome Petazzoni, Docker

printk() - The Most Useful Tool is Now Showing its Age - Steven Rostedt , VMWare

, VMWare Every Day Opportunities for Inclusion and Collaboration - Nithya Ruff , Comcast

, Comcast Beyond Your Code: Building A Successful Project Community - Ruth Suehle , Red Hat

, Red Hat Multi-repo, Multi-node Gating at Massive Scale - Monty Taylor , Red Hat

Session highlights at Embedded Linux Conference Europe include:

KEYNOTE: Jan Kiszka , Senior Key Expert, Siemens AG

, Senior Key Expert, Siemens AG Continuous Integration: Jenkins, libvirt and Real Hardware - Anna-Maria Gleixner , Linutronix GmbH

, Linutronix GmbH Linux-based RTOS Platform for Constructing Self-Driving Vehicles - Jim Huang , South Star Xelerator (SSX)

, South Star Xelerator (SSX) Orchestrated Android-Style System Upgrades for Embedded Linux - Diego Rondini , Kynetics

The lineup of sessions at Open Source Summit can be viewed here. The full schedule for Embedded Linux Conference can be viewed here.

Registration is discounted to $800 through August 27, and academic and hobbyist rates are also available. Applications are also being accepted for diversity and needs-based scholarships.

Members of the press who would like to request a complimentary press pass to attend should contact Dan Brown at [email protected].

Open Source Summit Europe is made possible by Diamond Sponsor Intel; Platinum Sponsor SUSE; and Gold Sponsors Civil Infrastructure Platform, Cloud Native Computing Foundation, {code} by Dell EMC, Huawei, IBM, Microsoft, OpenSDS, Red Hat and VMware.

Embedded Linux Conference Europe is made possible by Diamond Sponsor Intel and Gold Sponsor Civil Infrastructure Platform.

Additional Resources

YouTube: The Linux Foundation Event Experience (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WUeelICQ2U )

LinuxCon Europe 2016 Event Recap

(http://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/linuxcon-europe)

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Media Contact:

Dan Brown

The Linux Foundation

415-420-7880

[email protected]

SOURCE The Linux Foundation

Related Links

http://www.linuxfoundation.org


WHEELING, Ill., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SG360, an industry-leading print and direct marketing solutions provider, today announced the acquisition of Data Service Solutions (DSS), a leading integrated print finishing company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The combination will create greater scale and a more diversified, robust offering that serves the complex needs of SG360 customers. The deal will enhance and support the growth of SG360's fulfillment business, and its location in the Bolingbrook corridor supports the firm's distribution strategy.

"This transaction strengthens our positioning as a leading integrated direct marketing services firm and will be key to driving long-term, sustainable growth. DSS is a trusted provider in the print finishing and card personalization industry and is a great complement to our business. We look forward to welcoming DSS employees and customers to the SG360 family and are committed to the Bolingbrook facility," said Mary Lee Schneider, president and CEO of SG360.

Bill Biggs, President of DSS, said, "As part of SG360, our customers will benefit from a more comprehensive portfolio of strategic solutions. We also believe our employees will benefit from greater career growth opportunities in a larger, more diversified organization. We look forward to working closely with the SG360 team and driving continued growth."

About SG360

SG360 is an industry-leading printing and direct marketing services provider that offers multichannel marketing solutions. Its services range from research and strategy to concept and execution and includes multichannel marketing, direct mail, data analytics, and fulfillment, among other services. Headquartered in Wheeling, Ill., it is owned by private equity firm ICV Partners. Besides Wheeling, it has locations elsewhere in Illinois and also in California, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. More information is available at www.sg360.com.

About DSS

DSS is one of the leading print finishing companies in the country. Its services include data driven direct mail, card personalization and affixing, finishing, inserting, packaging and fulfillment, product sampling, digital printing, and lettershop services. DSS is headquartered in Bolingbrook, Ill. For more information, visit www.datserv.com.

Media Contact:

Melissa Winn

[email protected]

312-240-2868

SOURCE SG360

Related Links

http://www.sg360.com


"Seeing the smiles on the kids' faces was the most rewarding part," commented Nada Simon, President of the Sam & Nada Foundation. "The bravery and sacrifice our service men and women demonstrate daily is remarkable. The picnic was a great way to bring the families together to celebrate all that our Air Force and military have accomplished throughout history."

In addition to the Atlas Cares picnic and family day activities, Team Selfridge put on an airshow for all families and service members to observe. USAF Thunderbirds soared across the sky; twisting, turning and diving through the air.

Selfridge Air National Guard Base is home to the 127th Wing and hosts more than 40 tenant organizations on base. It is one of the three oldest continuously operating air fields in the nation.

Simon Group Holdings and Atlas Cares began their affiliation with Team Selfridge in 2006 and have hosted an annual holiday celebration with over 3,000 attendees each year. This was the first year that they hosted the Team Selfridge family day picnic.

In 2007, Sam and Nada Simon created Atlas Cares, a program where Atlas Oil team members, customers and suppliers have helped numerous organizations through both financial donations and direct involvement.

"We have a great deal of respect for the servicemen and women who fight for our nation," said Sam Simon, Founder and CEO of Simon Group Holdings. "Over the last decade, our team members have volunteered more than 40,000 hours to help many worthy organizations."

About Simon Group Holdings

Simon Group Holdings (SGH) was established in 1985 with the founding of Atlas Oil Company by Sam Simon. SGH has 120 companies and direct investments, 3,000 customers and 1,000 employees. Its growth is fueled through digital disruption and by investing in operationally experienced entrepreneurs who have a vision and hunger to reinvent their respective industries. SGH has interests in comprehensive energy solutions; fuel supply; oil field services; logistics and transportation; real estate; private equity; technology services; aerospace and defense; and turnkey modular solutions.

SOURCE Simon Group Holdings

Related Links

http://www.atlasoil.com


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced new initiatives that will make it easier for renewable gas production facilities to connect to the company's natural gas pipeline system. First is the creation of a downloadable toolkit to assist renewable gas producers and developers who are interested in interconnecting their projects with the SoCalGas pipeline network. In addition, new provisions will enable SoCalGas and renewable gas producers to accelerate the interconnection process by procuring the necessary material much earlier than previously allowed.

Like electricity, natural gas can be made from renewable sources. About 80 percent of all methane emissions in California come from the state's dairy and farm operations, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. That methane can be harnessed and cleaned to produce renewable natural gas for use in transportation as well as in homes and businesses.

A study conducted by the University of California at Davis estimates that the natural gas needs of around 2.4 million California homes could be fueled with RNG derived from the state's existing organic waste alone. Already, 60 percent of the fuel used in natural gas vehicles in California is renewable, and SoCalGas expects that to increase to 90 percent by 2018. This can help reduce the need for other fossil-based fuels, and increase our supplies with a local renewable fuel.

"Renewable natural gas is key to achieving the state's ambitious air quality goals and providing families in California with a clean and reliable source of energy to heat and power their homes for generations to come," said Lisa Alexander, vice president of customer solutions for SoCalGas. "Renewable natural gas will also help transform transportation in the state, which accounts for 80 percent of smog-forming pollution and that disproportionally burdens our most vulnerable communities. With today's technology, we can harness this otherwise wasted energy to de-carbonize our pipeline system, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and slow climate change."

"Since 1988 all but two renewable natural gas projects have been developed outside of Californiawhich explains why the state imports most of the renewable natural gas (RNG) it consumes," said Johannes Escudero, chief executive officer and executive director of the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas. "That is changingand we appreciate SoCalGas' leadership and ongoing commitment to the RNG Coalition and industry as it relates to addressing the minimum heating value requirement that would prevent California from fully realizing the total economic and environmental benefits associated with increased RNG development, pipeline interconnection, deployment and utilization in-State."

"SoCalGas is leading the way to a decarbonized gas supply in California, which will help the state reduce the most damaging climate and air pollutants," said Julia Levin, executive director of the Bioenergy Association of California. "In addition to protecting communities from pollution and wildfires, increasing in-state biogas production will create good jobs throughout California. These efforts are a win-win for the environment and the economy."

SoCalGas is also working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, by capturing methane emissions to decarbonize its pipelines. SoCalGas aims to build and operate more renewable natural gas interconnection facilities throughout California to bring more clean, renewable natural gas to its customers. This summer the company will complete its first renewable natural gas interconnection project in Perris, California. When the project is completed, renewable natural gas produced by a waste management company will power a fleet of more than 320 waste hauling trucks.

SoCalGas recently launched a new Renewable Gas website to provide general information on biogas derived renewable natural gas. A key feature of this site is a downloadable toolkit to assist biogas producers and developers who are interested in putting renewable natural gas into the SoCalGas pipeline network. In addition, the new website also explains the monetary incentive program for utility interconnection projects. In the future, SoCalGas plans to include information on other types of renewable gases and technologies to the website, such as renewable hydrogen and power-to-gas.

SoCalGas reviewed its current system and identified several areas that would smooth the path to interconnection for renewable natural gas developers.

One enhancement, approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on April 8, enables SoCalGas and potential interconnectors to speed the process by procuring the necessary materials much earlier than previously allowed. Previously, procurement of these materials could only be done when the interconnection studies were concluded and a construction agreement was executed.

About Southern California Gas Co.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and Southern California. Its service territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more than 550 communities through 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition, natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to Californiansabout 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.

SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future. The company has committed to spending $6 billion over the next five years to modernize and upgrade its gas infrastructure, while also reducing methane emissions. SoCalGas is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. The company is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

SOURCE SoCalGas

Related Links

https://www.socalgas.com


By PTI: demands trust vote

(EDs: Incorporating related stories; adds DMK reaction) Chennai, Aug 22 (PTI) Unhappy over the merger with O Panneerselvam faction, MLAs loyal to sidelined AIADMK leaders Saikala and TTV Dhinakaran today told the Governor that they no longer had confidence in Chief Minister K Palaniswami, prompting the opposition DMK to demand a trust vote.

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"We are going to initiate efforts to bring in a new CM with the help of our supporting MLAs," Dhinakaran supporter and Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamil Selvan told reporters following a meeting with Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao a day after the patch-up between the camps led by Palaniswami and rebel leader Panneerselvam.

The Dhinakaran camp had yesterday claimed the support of 25 AIADMK MLAs. Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that the meeting took place this morning, but did not divulge details, including the number of members in the delegation and the nature of their interaction with Rao.

"We have informed the Governor that we dont have confidence in the Chief Minister," Selvan said after the MLAs owing allegiance to Dhinakaran, nephew of jailed AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, met Rao.

Of the 234-member Assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs excluding the Speaker. Late chief minister Jayalalithaas RK Nagar constituency is still vacant.

The DMK has 89 seats followed by its allies Congress with eight and IUML one seat. Seeking to capitalise on the developments, principal opposition DMK shot off a letter to the Governor asking him to convene the assembly and direct Palaniswami to prove his majority in the House.

Asked about the possibility of the Palaniswami government facing a trust vote, Selvan said that was "our intention."

"Our intention is that there should be a trust vote. So after that a new Chief Minister will be in place," he claimed.

MLAs supporting Dhinakaran have been on a warpath against Palaniswami, questioning the merger of the Amma faction-led by him and Panneerselvams Puratchi Thalaivi Amma faction yesterday.

Tamil Selvan criticised Palaniswami for aligning with Panneerselvam, who had been critical of the government till very recently.

"The 122 (AIADMK) MLAs had made Palaniswami Chief Minister because Chinnamma (Sasikala) asked us to do so. Panneerselvam had voted against the government (in the February 18 trust vote).

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"He wanted to split the party and topple the government. Yet you give the Deputy Chief Ministers post to him. What is the need for that now?" he asked. He also expressed anguish over efforts to remove Sasikala from the party, saying it was she who ensured the continuation of the AIADMK government following Panneerselvams revolt in February last. In a related development, Dhinakran announced removal of senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam from the primary membership of the party. The move came a day after Vaithilingam, a loyalist of Palaniswami, said steps would be taken for the removal of Sasikala from the AIADMK. Earlier, in his reaction to the merger, Dhinakaran dubbed it as a "betrayal" of party general secretary Sasikala. In a series of tweets last night, he also questioned the durability of the arrangement. "It is not a merger. It is a commercial agreement reached for self-interest and hunger for positions and to protect posts," Dhinakaran charged. He also claimed that not only the AIADMK cadres, but even the public would not forgive "those who betrayed the general secretary who made Pannerselvam and Palaniswami the chief ministers after the death of Jayalalithaa". His tweets came hours after the factions merged and Panneerselvam, who had challenged Sasikalas leadership, was appointed the deputy chief minister and his close aide K Pandiarajan a minister. Responding to Dhinakarans loyalist MLAs meeting the Governor, opposition parties including DMK, said Palaniswami should now prove his majority. DMK Working President and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly M K Stalin in a letter to Rao claimed that "consequent upon identical letters given by 22 MLAs to the Governor expressing lack of confidence on the Chief Minister, an unprecedented constitutional crisis has erupted." The DMK leader said, as a result of the letters given by MLAs, the incumbent government led by Palanisamy has "lost" its majority. He said in a similar previous occasion in Karnataka, the Governor of that state had directed then Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove his majority in the House. Any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove majority would pave the way for continuance of an unconstitutional government, he said in the letter, a copy of which was circulated to the media here. "As the leader of Opposition, I therefore request the Governor to direct Palanisamy to prove his majority in the House immediately," Stalin said. DMK will take a "good decision" on the trust vote at an appropriate time, he later told reporters. PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss also said that following the revolt of MLAs the Palaniswami government should prove its majority. PTI SA VGN VSiiiii RT

--- ENDS ---

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The T.J. Martell Foundation is announcing today that Hollywood/Republic Records recording artist and Disney Channel star, Sofia Carson, will headline the organization's 8th Annual Family Day Celebration in Los Angeles at The Grove on Saturday, October 7, 2017 from 12p.m. - 4p.m. PT. Families can enjoy fantastic food, a live auction, live music, games, prizes and other carnival activities while raising funds for cancer research. Tickets and sponsorship packages are available now and can be purchased at: https://donate.tjmartell.org/los-angeles/events/los-angeles-family-day-2017/e135957.

L.A. Family Day will kick off with the Spirit of Excellence Awards Dinner on Monday, October 2 at the Luxe Hotel -Sunset, and presented by Live Nation. The evening event will include an elegant dinner, silent auction, a live performance by Grammy Nominated Artist Andy Grammer, best known for his hits "Fresh Eyes" and "Honey I'm Good", and the reveal of the T.J Martell Foundation GuitarTown Kids guitars that will be auctioned off to fund pediatric cancer research at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. CITI cardmembers will have exclusive access to purchase tickets for Family Day and Spirit of Excellence starting September 5th. For complete details on presale and preferred tickets for CITI cardmembers, visit www.citiprivatepass.com. General admission and sponsorship tickets can be purchased at https://donate.tjmartell.org/los-angeles/events/los-angeles-family-days-spirit-excellence-dinner/e135442

L.A. Family Day is presented by CITI, The Grove, GuitarTown Kids and Gibson Foundation. The honorees for L.A. Family Day include Greg Thompson, President of Maverick, Amy Howe, COO of Ticketmaster and her family and Dr. Robert Seeger, Principle Investigator, Cancer Research Program Director, Cancer Research Program 1989-2017, at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In addition to the honorees and sponsors, the Foundation's co-chairs Ken Bunt, President of Disney Music Group and David Schachter, Vice President of UBS Wealth Management will also be in attendance.https://donate.tjmartell.org/los-angeles/events/los-angeles-family-days-spirit-excellence-dinner/e135442

Multi-hyphenate Sofia Carson is set to release her new single, "Ins And Outs," this Friday. The combined views of her first two singles, "Love Is The Name" and "Back To Beautiful" are over 100 million. Carson has starred in five movies, including her most recent role as Evie in the Disney Channel original movie "Descendants 2." The soundtracks for the Descendants franchise have yielded two top 5 albums as well as over 200 million views of official music videos. Carson has hosted several high-profile events, including "The Oscars: All Access," "Radio Disney Music Awards," ABC & Disney Channel Holiday Specials, and the upcoming Arthur Ashe Kids Day." Carson is a fashion icon, and has appeared on several best-dressed lists, including Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar and Los Angeles Times."

Multi-platinum selling pop artist Andy Grammer is all about inspiring and empowering the world by communicating his truths through his music. The first male pop star in a decade since John Mayer to reach the Top 10 at Adult Pop Radio on his first two singles, Grammer has taken the music world by storm with a succession of anthemic pop hits, 6 of which are certified gold or better. His debut album featured the platinum singles "Keep Your Head Up" and "Fine By Me." Andy's second album, Magazines or Novels, featured the triple platinum infectious smash hit "Honey, I'm Good," which was one of the best-selling songs of 2015, and the certified gold anthem "Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah)." His brand new single "Give Love" is the follow up to the certified platinum streaming phenomenon "Fresh Eyes" with over 250 million streams.

More musical acts will be announced in the near future. For more information on T.J. Martell Foundation and L.A. Family Day, visit www.tjmartell.org.

Stay Connected with T.J. Martell Foundation: www.facebook.com/tjmartellfoundation

www.twitter.com/tjmartell

www.pinterest.com/tjmartellfndn

www.instagram.com/tjmartellfoundation

About T.J. Martell Foundation:

The T.J. Martell Foundation is the music industry's leading foundation dedicated to funding innovative medical research focused on finding treatments and cures for cancer. The Foundation was founded in 1975 by music industry executive Tony Martell and his colleagues in loving memory of his son T.J., who died of leukemia. The Foundation has provided more than $280 million for research at seven flagship hospitals in the United States. For more information on the T.J. Martell Foundation visit www.tjmartell.org.

Media Contact:

Christina Garvin

Sundari PR

805.229.1612

[email protected]

SOURCE T.J. Martell Foundation

Related Links

http://www.tjmartell.org


MADISON, Conn., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Stevens County Sheriff's Office (Colville, Washington) has streamlined emergency medical response for 911 calls by transitioning to PowerPhone's Total Response system.

Stevens County's upgrade includes replacing paper-based call-handling protocols with a comprehensive Computer-Aided Call Handling (CACH) software system that seamlessly interfaces with their Spillman Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD). The interface provides responders with gathered information while en route to an incident scene.

The Total Response solution ensures every call gets it all with a proven call-taking formula, protocols in both tablet and software formats, ongoing call assessment, and accreditation.

PowerPhone worked closely with Stevens County Sheriff's Office staff to implement the Total Response solution. "The implementation and training went extremely well," said Stevens County 911 Supervisor Rick Anderson. "Total Response will be making a significant difference to our community for years to come."

With Total Response, telecommunicators train to use a proven approach following dynamic incident-based call-handling protocols rather than rigid checklist-style protocols that confuse or frustrate callers. Emergency responders receive critical information from each call through the software interface prior to their arrival on scene.

911 telecommunicators also issue pre-arrival instructions to callers, when appropriate, to render life-saving instructions (such as performing CPR or the Heimlich maneuver) or otherwise best prepare the incident scene for responders to arrive. Pre-arrival instructions help callers and responders from the moment of dispatch until responder arrival on scene.

PowerPhone also supplied Stevens County Administrators and Supervisors with advanced training to support emergency call-handling management, call assessment and reporting. Supervisor training prepares agency leaders to monitor and refine processes to create higher emergency call-handling standards.

Total Response's Call Assessment empowers supervisors to make highly-informed decisions while reviewing agency process effectiveness. Call Assessment lets agency management clearly evaluate training and staffing needs to create a culture of ongoing improvement.

Total Response is a full-service 911 call-handling solution providing agencies with the training, tools and processes to achieve and raise their community's standard of care. It provides agencies with a framework that empowers call handlers to adapt questions for each call based on scene conditions and uses integrated call-handling protocols to provide each call with a logical and consistent response.

Total Response's built-in flexibility makes it adaptable for any emergency call-handling entity including universities, transportation agencies, military agencies and enterprise businesses.

About PowerPhone:

PowerPhone is a leading provider of 911 call-handling solutions. PowerPhone's Total Response solution ensures consistent call handling and focuses on YOUR agency's standard of care. As the first organization to develop integrated protocols for police, fire and emergency medical dispatch, PowerPhone has helped raise standards for 911 call handling throughout the world. www.PowerPhone.com.

Contact: Chris Gaffney

203.364.5264

[email protected]

SOURCE PowerPhone

Related Links

http://www.PowerPhone.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Stride Health, the leading benefits provider for independent workers, today announced a $23.5 million Series B financing round led by F-Prime Capital Partners, with participation from existing investors Venrock and New Enterprise Associates (NEA) as well as new investors including Portag3 Ventures. The additional capital will fuel the expansion of Stride Health's benefits offerings to provide today's independent workforce with the support they need to thrive.

Noah Lang, Cofounder & CEO of Stride Health https://www.stridehealth.com/coverage

Launched in 2014, Stride Health's platform provides independent workers with the security and peace of mind that, up until recently, was only available to those with traditional, full-time jobs. In addition to serving anyone self-employed  from real estate agents to artisans, plumbers and truck drivers  Stride partners with marketplaces and on-demand services including Care.com, DoorDash, Etsy, Instacart, Postmates, TaskRabbit and Uber, to support their independent workforces with easy access to benefits.

By empowering workers nationwide with world-class yet affordable health, vision and dental benefits, in addition to tax deduction support, Stride is leveling the playing field for today's independent workforce.

"As individuals transition away from traditional 9-to-5 employment, we're removing the barriers to affordable, accessible benefits to allow individuals to work how and when they want, without worrying about basic financial security," said Noah Lang, co-founder and CEO of Stride Health. "We founded Stride so that self-employed Americans don't have to go it alone. We have already provided hundreds of thousands of independent workers with the benefits guidance they need to build a business-of-one. I'm excited to partner with F-Prime which brings a rich history in health and financial services to deliver Stride's ever-expanding benefits to more of America's 68 million independent workers."

Stride Health helps independent workers  which, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, constitute up to 30 percent of the working age population  build a personal set of benefits tailored to their needs. In addition to a personalized health plan, Stride Health helps workers predict out-of-pocket healthcare costs, lower the cost of prescription drugs, and navigate complex insurance claims. Additionally, Stride Health members benefit from tax support through Stride Drive that last tax season identified more than $800 million in expense deductions for its members, enabling them to keep 21 percent more of their earnings. Members also rely on access to Stride's trained and licensed experts to answer any questions pertaining to benefits, entirely free.

"For the growing population of independent workers, Stride Health is meeting a critical need  providing simple and affordable access to healthcare and financial resources that improves their lives," said Ben Malka, partner with F-Prime Capital who now joins Venrock's Bryan Roberts on Stride Health's Board of Directors. "As the global workforce continues to prioritize flexibility, Stride Health provides the needed tools to transition these workers to not only secure their physical well-being but improve their financial literacy and wellness. We believe that Stride will help people choose to be independent."

About Stride Health:

Stride Health is the leading benefits provider for independent workers. The company supports individuals' physical and financial well-being with benefits guidance and a suite of insurance products for their businesses-of-one. Stride's health insurance recommendation engine connects independent workers to the best health insurance plans in all 50 states. Stride members' insurance coverage is managed by an award-winning support team and software that provides access to in-network medical practitioners, and negotiated drug prices at 70,000 local pharmacies. Stride Drive expands the suite of benefits available to independent workers with automated tax tracking and support. Based in San Francisco and available nationwide, Stride Health (www.stridehealth.com) launched in early 2014 and is venture-backed by the leading health and consumer finance firms Venrock, New Enterprise Associates, and F-Prime Capital Partners.

About F-Prime Capital Partners:

F-Prime Capital Partners is a global venture capital firm investing in life sciences, healthcare and technology. Since 1969, F-Prime has worked closely with entrepreneurs and academics to create innovative solutions to some of the world's most significant challenges in healthcare and technology. For more information, please visit www.fprimecapital.com.

About NEA:

New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With more than $20 billion in cumulative committed capital since the firm's founding in 1977, NEA invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of successful investing includes more than 210 portfolio company IPOs and more than 360 acquisitions. For additional information, visit www.nea.com

About Portag3 Ventures:

Portag3 Ventures is an early-stage investor dedicated to backing innovating financial services companies working to benefit all consumers. Exclusively sponsored by Power Financial Corporation, IGM Financial Inc. and Great West-Lifeco Inc., Portag3 gives new ideas a unique environment to grow. Portag3 makes longer-term commitments, and combined with its industry intelligence is an ideal partner for the ambitious and creative entrepreneur. For more information, visit www.p3vc.com.

About Venrock:

Originally established as the venture capital arm of the Rockefeller family in 1969, Venrock partners with entrepreneurs to build some of the world's most disruptive, successful companies. With a primary focus on technology and healthcare, portfolio companies have included Apple Computer, Athenahealth, Centocor, Check Point Software, DoubleClick, Endeca, Gilead Sciences, Idec Pharma, Imperva, Illumina, Intel, Millennium Pharma, Nest, SlideShare and Tudou. For more information, please visit Venrock's website at www.venrock.com and follow the firm on Twitter at @venrock.

CONTACT: (415) 930-9110, [email protected]

SOURCE Stride Health

Related Links

http://www.stridehealth.com


MINNETONKA, Minn., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Table Trac, Inc. (OTCQB: TBTC), one week after announcing that its CasinoTrac online slot management system was approved for Nevada group 1 and group 2 nonrestricted licensee casinos, today announces its first casino system contract with downtown Reno's "best bet," Club Cal Neva.

Club Cal Neva replaced its old online casino management system with Table Trac's feature rich easy to use system, the first new slot online management system that incorporates integrated cashless wagering ability to enter the market in Nevada in over a decade. The system provides Club Cal Neva with Nevada compliant revenue reporting, innovative marketing features, unified operations enhancements, and compliance tools all in an operator friendly format backed by a U.S. based support team.

Table Trac President, Chad Hoehne, stated, "We are excited to showcase our newly approved system at this Nevada gaming institution. The Club Cal Neva in downtown Reno has all of the casino amenities in a relaxed classic gaming hall atmosphere. A wide selection of the latest games and all the classic favorites makes this diverse gaming floor uniquely entertaining for the guests, and a great place for CasinoTrac's next generation online slot management system to enhance the player experience."

Jeff Siri, President of Club Cal Neva, stated, "With the installation of CasinoTrac, the Club Cal Neva has the latest technology in Slot Systems, including player tracking that will better assist us in marketing to our customers. The system is very user friendly and agile, making it very simple for our employees to learn how to manage their way throughout the system. Additionally, the real time reporting makes managing our slot floor easier than ever. Another fantastic benefit of having CasinoTrac is that updates to the system are included, which means that we will always have a system that is current with new technology and customer benefit offers. It is our intention to move forward immediately with installation of CasinoTrac at our second property, Siri's Casino."

About Table Trac, Inc.

Founded in 1995, Table Trac, Inc. designs, develops and sells casino information and management systems. The company has over 120 systems installed in North, South, and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. More information is available at http://www.tabletrac.com/.

For more information:

Robert Siqveland

Table Trac, Inc.

952-548-8877

SOURCE Table Trac, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tabletrac.com


LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- There is a reason PushAuto, a start-up out of Los Angeles markets itself as the #2 way to purchase or lease a car. PushAuto has just released the beta version of a brand new car buying experience. The 100% free platform connects car shoppers with California's top auto dealers to deliver a fully digital concierge experience without requiring the user to enlist the help (or expense) of an auto broker.

Welcome to the car buying experience of the future. PushAuto's platform is so easy your grandma could use it - but she probably won't. Some of your best work gets done on the toilet. PushAuto adds buying or leasing a car to what can be accomplished while in the bathroom.

The digital tool was designed to allow shoppers to build the car they want, choose their desired deal type (cash, finance, or lease), and pre-qualify with a soft credit pull which won't impact their credit. All dealers share one credit file so there is no need to fill out a new credit app every time a user wants to shop another dealer.

Users will then receive up to five no haggle offers from surrounding dealers. Deals can either be accepted or declined  there is no back and forth negotiations. Next simply upload your required documents, select whether you want to pick up the car for free or have it delivered (often free depending on location).

Co-Founder and CEO Josh Paul stated, "We wanted to find a way to empower those shoppers who would prefer to do their car shopping from the convenience of wherever they'd like to be - a way to purchase or lease a new car like they'd order a pizza." He continued, "We felt that the old-school price promise method of printing out a coupon and then taking it to the store to get your car lacked a certain ease of use which modern shoppers have come to expect in all other facets of their retailing experience. And when you can lease a brand new economy car for little more than a cell phone payment, why wouldn't you want to complete that whole process online and then just have the car delivered?"

PushAuto eliminates the need to visit the dealer to buy your car or the bank to finance it. Their platform enables the user to choose, qualify and purchase or lease from anywhere. PushAuto's portal is the first to provide a multi offer online process for new vehicles. During the beta period, PushAuto is only available to those in Southern California but the company has plans to expand into additional counties in the near future.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE PushAuto

Related Links

http://www.pushauto.com


MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kids In Need Foundation (KINF) is proud to partner with Target and Yoobi to provide backpacks filled with school supplies to children in need across the United States for the 2017-2018 school year.

Now through Sept. 9, each time an individual "likes" or shares Target's Back to School Prep for Success video on Facebook, a donation will be made to KINF to provide backpacks filled with supplies to students, with a total donation value of up to $6.5 million*.

The Kids In Need Foundation ensures that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. In their 22-year history, they have distributed more than $900 million in supplies to children who would otherwise go without.

"We want to thank Target and Yoobi for helping us improve the educational experience for students most in need, and we are confident this initiative will make a huge impact in the lives of children across the country," said Dave Smith, executive director of The Kids In Need Foundation. "When students are prepared for school, they perform better in the classroom, and they have the confidence they need to succeed in all aspects of life. In fact, a KINF-sponsored survey of 10,000 teachers said when students have the supplies they need, there is a more equal learning environment, increased classroom participation, and increased homework completion rates."

For more information, visit https://corporate.target.com/article/2017/08/prep-for-success.

* Support offered is a combination of cash and merchandise enabling The Kids In Need Foundation, www.kinf.org, to provide a backpack of supplies to help a student. For each reaction (like, love, sad, etc.) or share of Target's video, Target will donate cash to The Kids In Need Foundation (KINF), with an average value of $6.98, enabling KINF to purchase backpacks and school supplies; plus, when KINF acquires backpacks/supplies from Yoobi, Yoobi will include additional supplies for free, thereby increasing the support for KINF. Each backpack will contain a variety of supplies, typically comprising 1 folder, 2 notebooks, 2 packages of pencils, 1 package of markers, 1 package of colored pencils, 1 pair of scissors, 3 glue sticks, 1 package of crayons, 1 pencil pouch, 1 ruler, 2 erasers, and 1 pencil sharpener. Actual supplies may vary by community. Minimum overall support value [of both cash and Yoobi supplies] $1 million; maximum $6.5 million. Approximate average cost to supply each filled backpack is $9.00. Offer valid August 2- September 9, 2017, or until maximum is reached. For more information visit [www.target.com/prepforsuccess]

* 'Like' is inclusive of all Facebook reactions, and could include a 'like', 'love', 'sad', 'angry', 'haha', or 'wow'.

About The Kids In Need Foundation

The Kids In Need Foundation's mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. The Kids In Need Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995, has distributed nearly $800 million in school supplies, directly benefiting 5.4 million students and more than 150,000 teachers last year. For more information, visit KINF.org, and join us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram: @KidsInNeed.

Media Contact:

Mary Lester

214-490-3480

SOURCE The Kids In Need Foundation

Related Links

https://www.kinf.org


TORONTO, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Onex Busan Financial have recently commented on the recent transaction between Total as they have agreed to acquire Maersk Oil - the oil and gas unit of A.P Moller-Maersk for a number close to $5 billion making this acquisition its biggest since 1999. The acquisition is a sign of industry consolidation and acceleration in the merger and acquisition in the oil industry.

Maersk's share jumped 5.7% following the announcement of the acquisition. The transaction value exceeded analysts' expectations and recorded $7.5 billion paid $4.95 billion of Total shares and shouldering $2.5 billion of Maersk Oil's debt.

Total took advantage of the three-year downturn in the industry and followed up on their CEO's hints earlier that Total will not shy from acquiring companies to grow their business. The deal will help the French Oil giant to expand their business in the North Sea, Uganda, and Brazil.

The deal will give Total about 1 billion barrels of reserve, 80 percent out of which is in the North Sea, according to a statement from the company. It will provide them with 200 thousand barrels a day by the year 2020 rising from the current input of 16 thousand barrels a day.

"Even though oil prices are below $50 a barrel and traders' expectations for a weak 2018, the oil industry is cautiously optimistic, they are safe at the current price but a fresh drop in the benchmark will affect the dividends," said Oliver Saunders, who is the Head of Corporate Trading at Onex Busan Financial.

Total chose to expand in the North Sea instead of joining the fastest growing oil market, the shale oil in the U.S. because the assets in the new market is expensive, according to Pouyanne.

Maersk will become the second largest investor in Total when they receive their 97.5 million shares agreed on. The transaction is subject to regulatory authorities approval, but it's expected to close in the first 3 months of 2018.

About Onex Busan Financial

Onex Busan Financial is a comprehensive wealth management company, providing integrated wealth management solutions.

Onex Busan Financial is a well-established, independent wealth manager with a long history of success in meeting the needs of our clients. With offerings that cover multiple jurisdictions around the world, we administer and manage assets of more than US$6 billion on behalf of more than 5,000 clients.

Media Contact

Mr. Namgung Kwan

[email protected]

Switchboard: +1-647-946-3524

Address: 372 Bay Street

Suite 4100. Toronto

ON M5H 2W9

https://www.oballiance.com

SOURCE Onex Busan Financial
"With Mother Nature taking a toll on the initial ride route, we started off this season a little rocky, but remained optimistic and kept our eyes on the ultimate prize  fundraising enough money to get salad bars into schools around the country," said Cindy Jewell, vice president of marketing for The California Giant Foundation. "I could not be more proud of the industry members, family and friends who came together to support our cause and enabled us to reach our goals."

This year's ride included new riders, routes and technology which amplified the experience altogether. Olympic cyclists Ina-Yoko Teutenberg and Axel Merckx partook in the ride to add a dose of encouragement and mentorship throughout the three days. In addition, riders geared up with tracking devices donated by Locus Traxx/Emerson which provided real-time updates on the riders' journey for family members and friends.

"It's always a pleasure to see the industry come together and rally behind a cause that affects the greater good," said Tom Stenzel, CEO and president of the United Fresh Produce Association. "With each year building off of the success from years past, I know this is a legacy we can continue to support."

Salad Bars to Schools, led by the United Fresh Start Foundation, has facilitated donations to fund more than 5,000 salad bars across the country in the last seven years to benefit more than two million students. In alignment with the Salad Bars to Schools mission, Tour de Fresh has raised nearly $500,000 to fund more than 150 salad bars to date.

Tour de Fresh would not be possible without the support of its Premier Sponsors California Giant Berry Farms, Crunch Pak, Enza Zaden, JAZZ Apples, Mission Produce, Sakata, Tanimura & Antle, Tsamma, and event sponsors Americold, And Now U Know, Arctic Apples, Baja Son, CHEP, Church Brothers, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Coosemans Worldwide, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Emerson/Locus Traxx Worldwide, EBX Logistics, Fresh Point, Fresh Produce Partners, Fruit Growers Supply, Growers Express/Green Giant, Interfresh, Lipman, Ocean Mist Farms, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Pajaro Valley Fresh, PMA, Pro*Act, Rherig Pacific Company, Renaissance Food Group, Specialty Produce, Taylor Farms, Tessemae's, Total Quality Logistics, Watsonville Coast Produce, Western Precooling, and Zespri.

Tour de Fresh will be accepting donations through August 31. To donate, please visit http://www.tourdefresh.com/riders.php. For more information about Tour de Fresh, including opportunities to sponsor or ride in next year's Tour de Fresh, please contact [email protected].

SOURCE The California Giant Foundation

Related Links

http://www.calgiant.com/cg-foundation


NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for Philip Shawe, the Co-CEO of TransPerfect Global, the world's largest privately-held provider of language services and language-related technology solutions, today announced that he has successfully defeated a bid by Co-CEO Elizabeth Elting to dismiss Shawe's claim for assault in New York Supreme Court. Shawe's legal team, The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown, confirmed that this victory supports Shawe's position that a series of adverse discovery decisions and actions taken by the Delaware Chancery Court are not binding on Mr. Shawe's New York tort claims.

The defeat sustained by Defendant's counsels puts them in a peculiar position. According to court documents, some among Elting's counsel stand accused of conspiring to devise a scheme to knowingly plead a false defamation claim against Shawe.

The assault claims survived, while Elting's Prima Facie Tort claim against Shawe was dismissed through the combination of the August 15th conference and previous court order. Elting's attorneys unsuccessfully argued to the New York Court that Delaware Chancellor Andre Bouchard's controversial decisions were binding on Shawe's New York Tort case. Their claim was overruled.

Shawe's attorney Glenn Faegenburg said, "The New York Judge, correctly, rejected the notion that previous rulings in unrelated cases should bind her decision (all collateral estoppel and res judicata arguments were rejected). As such, the New York Court will not be bound by the extremely controversial and unprecedented Chancery Court decisions, which have sparked widespread controversy, where Elting emerged victorious after presenting a zero-witness case when Shawe had ten fact witnesses testify at the Delaware trial."

Faegenburg continued, "I'm pleased that Delaware's 'small-town justice' did not infect Mr. Shawe's meritorious claims against Defendant Elting in my case. The Delaware decisions were not based on traditional notions of evidence, testimony, or justice. Here, the New York Court will hear Mr. Shawe's Tort case on its merits. As it should."

Discovery will begin immediately. Both parties will have 15 days to present initial requests for discovery, and 45 days to respond to those requests. Depositions will follow, to be completed no later than November.

Faced with two competing orders, the Judge selected Mr. Faegenburg's Proposed Order for signing. The Court's Order emanating from the conference, can be found at the following link:

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=cz6qbPZC8GRIGLcTh/n9PQ==&system=prod.

In an unrelated case, Elting's counsel at the law firm of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel stands accused of devising another fraudulent scheme with their client to create premeditated deadlocks to convince the Court to dissolve a highly successful company, TransPerfect. The conspiracy, for Elting's personal financial gain is, according to court documents, memorialized in an email dated 12/30/2013.

Mr. Faegenburg's case is New York State Supreme Court Index Number 155890/2014.

SOURCE The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown
"This is by far the most extraordinary expedition I've ever been on," said Gates, who also serves as an executive producer. "Like many, I've long been obsessed with the question of whether we're alone in the universe. Now, with incredible access to state-of-the-art scientific facilities, top secret sites and shocking new evidence, we may finally find out. It's an expedition into the ultimate unknown."

Boldly going where no adventurer has gone before, Gates gains exclusive access to locations that may offer extraterrestrial evidence. He explores ancient signs of aliens in remote caves on Easter Island, tests futuristic deep-space telescopes in Chile's Atacama Desert and hunts for meteorite fragments at a crash site in the wilderness of Zimbabwe. Gates also interviews eyewitnesses who claim to have irrefutable evidence of UFOs, goes behind the scenes at NASA's mission control in Texas to connect with astronauts in orbit, travels to the 70th anniversary celebration of the Roswell Incident in New Mexico and hears the very latest from scientists who are bringing us closer than ever to answers.

For fans that can't get enough, a series of after-show specials  "Expedition Unknown: Hunt for Extraterrestrials  The Debrief"  will premiere each week at 10 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following each of the "Expedition Unknown: Hunt for Extraterrestrial" specials. Each hour-long episode will revisit Gates' journey in a candid, behind-the-scenes forum, as Gates and his team dig deeper into their astounding findings, further analyze key evidence and reveal never-before-seen footage from the expedition.

Visit TravelChannel.com for show extras including behind-the-scenes photos, UFO factoids and exclusive videos from Josh Gates. Follow @TravelChannel and #ExpeditionUnknown for more exclusive content and updates. Follow host Josh Gates on Twitter: @joshuagates and on Instagram: @gatesygram.

A new season of "Expedition Unknown" will return in December 2017.

ABOUT TRAVEL CHANNEL

For virtual and active travelers who want to go on a thrilling quest; taste other cultures; enjoy the mystery of the unexplored; get a dose of epic adventure or a splash of wacky fun; there is no better daily escape than Travel Channel. Reaching more than 83 million U.S. cable homes, Travel Channel is the world's leading travel media brand. Fans also can visit Travel Channel for more information or interact with other fans through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Travel Channel is owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc., which also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.

SOURCE Travel Channel

Related Links

http://www.travelchannel.com


A total of 2.19 lakh voters of Nandyal Assembly constituency in Kurnool district of Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh will exercise their franchise in the by-election that both TDP and YSR Congress Party will be eager to win.

By Ashish Pandey: The Nandyal assembly by-election in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday is set to be an all-out battle between the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), and is expected to set the tone for the 2019 general elections. A total of 2.19 lakh voters of Nandyal Assembly constituency in Kurnool district of Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh will exercise their franchise in the by-election.

advertisement

For the very first time, the Election Commission will use Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in the bypoll, which will decide the fates of 13 contestants.

Both the ruling TDP and principal opposition party YSR Congress have gone all out against each other in the run-up to the election. While YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy himself led the campaign for 54-year-old party candidate and veteran leader Shilpa Mohan Reddy, the ruling Telugu Desam Party has fielded its star campaigner and MLA Balakrishna and party's candidate Bhuma Brahmanand Reddy, who turned 33 in March this year. TDP chief and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also held back-to-back roadshows today in the constituency as a last-minute push for the young and inexperienced candidate Brahmanand Reddy.

SITTING MLA DIED IN MARCH

The bypoll was rescheduled after sitting MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy died due to a heart attack in March this year. Bhuma Nagi Reddy and his daughter Bhuma Akhila Priya had won the election on YSR Congress party ticket, but later switched over to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Allagadda MLA Bhuma Akhila Priya (26) was sworn in as the youngest minister of the Naidu cabinet in April this year.

The election campaign has so far witnessed both parties hurling salvos at each other. While YSR Congress chief has been personally targeting TDP Chief and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the ruling party has accused Jagan Reddy of using corrupt practices to win the election.

The ruling party also landed in a controversy when its star campaigner Balakrishna, who is also the son of party founder NTR and a close relative of CM Chandrababu Naidu, was caught slapping his fan and even distributing money. An independent organisation called Election Watch has said that a whopping Rs 150 crore has been spent by the political parties to woo voters in the constituency.

ALSO READ |

Nandyal election: Chandrababu Naidu slams YSR Chief Jaganmohan Reddy over corrupt practices

Jaganmohan does it again, says nothing wrong if Chandrababu Naidu is hanged

--- ENDS ---
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelers from 5 states spend nearly as much on travel insurance as travelers from the other 45 states and D.C. combined. Using sales data from the past year, leading travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth, reveals which states spend the most on travel insurance.

5 States Where Residents Spend the Most on Travel Insurance

California Florida Washington New York Texas

Californians Spend Twice as Much as Any Other State

Residents of California spent more on travel insurance in the past year than residents of Florida and Washington combined.

Percent of overall Squaremouth premium: 17%

Year-over-year increase in money spent on travel insurance: 19%

Average trip cost for California residents: $3,726

Most expensive trip for California residents: $146,496

Top international destination for California residents: Mexico

Floridians Spend the Same on Travel Insurance

The average policy purchased by a resident of Florida was only a dollar more in 2017 than the previous year.

Percent of overall Squaremouth premium: 9%

Year-over-year increase in money spent on travel insurance: 11%

Average trip cost for Florida residents: $3,939

Most expensive trip for Florida residents: $96,000

Top international destination for Florida residents: Mexico

Washington Residents Buy the Most Expensive Policies

Residents of Washington spent an average of $297 on a travel insurance policy, the third highest average overall.

Percent of overall Squaremouth premium: 7%

Year-over-year increase in money spent on travel insurance: 26%

Average trip cost for Washington residents: $4,090

Most expensive trip for Washington residents: $82,000

Top international destination for Washington residents: Canada

New Yorkers Tend to Spend the Least on Trips

While New Yorkers are near the top of the list in total travel insurance spending, they have the second lowest average trip cost overall, only ahead of Arkansas.

Percent of overall Squaremouth premium: 7%

Year-over-year increase in money spent on travel insurance: 8%

Average trip cost for New York residents: $3,024

Most expensive trip for New York residents: $65,860

Top international destination for New York residents: Israel

Texas Residents Prefer International Travel

Texas is the only top 5 state where travel to an international destination is more popular than travel within the United States.

Percent of overall Squaremouth premium: 6%

Year-over-year increase in money spent on travel insurance: 27%

Average trip cost for Texas residents: $3,637

Most expensive trip for Texas residents: $130,000

Top international destination for Texas residents: Mexico

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH

Squaremouth compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com

Available Topic Expert:

Steven Benna

[email protected]

(727) 619-7262

SOURCE Squaremouth

Related Links

http://www.squaremouth.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TrueFacet, a digital marketplace for pre-owned, fine watches and jewelry, announces the launch of its new Brand Boutique shopping experience, giving shoppers access to brand partners on one platform. From Faberge and Fendi to Les Artisans de Geneve and Mimi So, TrueFacet's Brand Boutique will launch an expanding number of collections, offering vast story telling content and exclusive releases seamlessly accessible to shoppers.

Brand Boutique debuts with more than 10 independent brands, several of which have not been widely available to consumers online until now. The Brand Boutique platform will continue to evolve with the addition of new brands, limited product pieces and exclusive experiences. TrueFacet's data provides real-time insight into consumer behavior by brand, geography, demographic and price points. TrueFacet's customers have embraced the pre-owned market, but they also request new  reinforcing the shift on how and where shoppers buy. The younger affluent segment is flocking online - 28 percent of TrueFacet's traffic is from those under 30.

"Our vision for the Brand Boutique was to give people unique access to some of the most amazing brands, incredible craftsmanship, creative design and stories behind brands," said Tirath Kamdar, founder and CEO of TrueFacet. "Based on trends we're tracking, including the purchasing and consigning activity we've seen in our business, we predict that in 5 years, more than 65 percent of jewelry and watches will be purchased online. This is a revolutionary movement for the $38 Billion fine jewelry category, and we're excited to lead the change."

TrueFacet's quick growth and high customer satisfaction ratings are rooted in strict attention to customer service and authenticity. Its team of knowledgeable concierge associate experts are available 24/7 to help with purchases and even locating specific pieces for an in-depth and high touch shopping experience. Each pre-owned jewelry item and watch purchased comes with a TrueFacet Report promising authenticity.

"As a global watch brand, TrueFacet is complementing the expansion of Les Artisans de Geneve's digital footprint," said John Issac, creative director, Les Artisans de Geneve. "We have appreciated the TrueFacet team's attention to detail in bringing our brand and collections to life. We're also excited to see the breadth of online data related to our brand and the category that they will share as part of the partnership."

Since launching in 2014, TrueFacet has quadrupled sales each year and also offers its catalog of certified pre-owned designer jewelry and watches through the American Express Membership Rewards Shop. For more information, visit www.TrueFacet.com.

ABOUT TrueFacet:

Based in New York, TrueFacet is the fastest growing online destination for pre-loved designer jewelry and watches where individuals can shop and sell with confidence. Every item is best priced and subject to a rigorous authentication process. Its Brand Boutique shopping experience gives customers access to a curated collection of some of the most amazing independent brands on one platform. TrueFacet is a venture backed company; supported by top VC's including Maveron, Freestyle, Liquid2 (Joe Montana's fund), Trilogy, Social Leverage, and Founders' Co-op, along with several other investors. To learn more, visit: www.TrueFacet.com

SOURCE TrueFacet

Related Links

http://www.TrueFacet.com


DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NOW Money has secured an investment of $700,000 from two U.S.-based venture capital investors  Accion Venture Lab, the seed-stage investment initiative of financial inclusion leader Accion, and Newid Capital.

Both Accion Venture Lab and Newid Capital make investments that target the financially underserved. Venture Lab invests capital in, and provides support to, innovative fintech start-ups that increase access to, improve the quality of, or reduce the cost of financial services for the underserved at scale. Newid Capital focuses on such investments outside of North America and Western Europe.

NOW Money uses mobile banking technology to provide accounts, financial inclusion and a range of low-cost remittance options to low-income migrant workers in the Gulf region. It aims to provide access to affordable financial services for everyone.

The investment comes a year after NOW Money's initial seed funding, which allowed the company to expand the team and develop the technology and brand. With the latest investment, also a part of its seed round, the team plans to launch the service across the United Arab Emirates and expand into the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Co-founder of NOW Money, Ian Dillon said, "Having what's understood to be the first early stage investment from U.S. venture capital into the Middle East is testament to the opportunities available here and how far the GCC has come in making itself a destination for investment. We hope this will be the first of many U.S. venture capital investments in the region, and will help to grow the ecosystem further."



"We're excited to be making such a big social impact in the region. Accion is one of the leading global institutions promoting financial inclusion, and Newid Capital was co-founded by Nigel Morris, who previously co-founded Capital One Financial Services. We're excited to be working with them to bring financial inclusion to the 26 million unbanked in the GCC," he added.

"Each year, migrant workers contribute more than $400 billion to their home economies, and the United Arab Emirates is among the top remittance-sending countries in the world," said Michael Schlein, CEO and President of Accion. "NOW Money's innovative approach and digital platform provide a faster and safer option for these workers to support their families and communities."

"Our partnership with NOW Money marks a number of firsts for Accion Venture Lab  our first investment in the Middle East region, our first investment into a wholly-digital neobank, and our first opportunity to focus on reaching low-income migrant workers," added Amee Parbhoo, Director of Investments at Accion Venture Lab. "As we reach this new group of financially underserved individuals, we'll look to apply our learnings to Venture Lab's work around the world."

In the last 12 months, NOW Money has won six awards, including Chivas' "The Venture" for the Gulf region. The co-founders Katharine Budd and Ian Dillon speak regularly at fintech events, such as Payfort and Wamda's State of Fintech report, and are featured regularly in publications such as Entrepreneur Middle East and on the Dubai Eye radio station.

About NOW Money

NOW uses mobile banking technology to provide accounts, financial inclusion and a range of low-cost remittance options to low-income migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, improving their lives and saving them and their families significant money, in a profitable and sustainable manner.

About Accion Venture Lab

Accion Venture Lab is the world's leading seed-stage investor in fintech for the underserved. Venture Lab invests capital in, and provides support to, innovative fintech start-ups that increase access to, improve the quality of, or reduce the cost of financial services for the underserved at scale. Since launching in 2012, Venture Lab has deployed over US$10 million across more than 25 start-ups that work in over 20 countries worldwide. Venture Lab is a part of Accion, a global non-profit committed to creating a financially inclusive world, with a pioneering legacy in microfinance and fintech impact investing. Accion catalyzes financial service providers to deliver high-quality, affordable solutions at scale for the three billion people who are left out of  or poorly served by  the financial sector. For more than 50 years, Accion has helped tens of millions of people through its work with more than 90 partners in 40 countries. For further information, visit https://www.accion.org/venturelab.

About Newid Capital

Newid Capital is a direct-investment fund focused on financial services and financial technology companies in developing markets. Through its investments, Newid Capital aims to expand financial services to currently underserved markets and individuals. Newid actively seeks early- and mid-stage start-ups that are looking for investment and operational assistance. Newid is able to leverage personal experience in building, and exiting, financial services companies from the viewpoint of both the entrepreneur and the investor.

SOURCE Accion

Related Links

http://www.accion.org


Delivering opening remarks introducing the Senator, UniCarriers Americas President James J. Radous III highlighted the forklift industry's impact on GDP and praised his employees' contributions to the company and the products they build.

"Today, forklift manufacturing's annual economic impact is over $25 billion in GDP. And, I should point out that $3.5 billion of it comes from the state of Illinois," Radous said.

"You are among over 200,000 American workers who effect the manufacture of forklifts and keep businesses moving every day throughout the Americas," Radous added as he addressed the room.

UniCarriers Americas caught the attention of Senator Durbin this past June, when Radous visited legislators in Washington to discuss the critical importance of safety in the workplace, the impact forklifts have on commerce and the creation of more Illinois jobs. Citing the industrial trucking industry as having its largest economic footprint in Illinois, Radous pointed out that whereas many manufacturers are replacing workers with robots, UCA is bringing in more people to work and train alongside automation. The company has increased its automation capabilities by 50% while doubling its number of employees from approximately 300 to 600 over the past five years.

The Senator views UniCarriers as a role model of a successful manufacturer doing business in Illinois. Leading the way with job creation, education initiatives for its employees, and creating a large local economic footprint, Senator Durbin spoke very highly about UniCarriers in addressing the audience.

"I heard about your company, I heard that you were doing things that are important to your lives, for the products you make, and that are important to the nation."

Senator Durbin is the Senior Senator from Illinois and the second highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate. UniCarriers Americas is part of the 3rd largest forklift manufacturer in the world.

ABOUT UNICARRIERS AMERICAS CORPORATION1

UniCarriers Americas Corporation (UCA), a subsidiary of UniCarriers Corporation, designs, manufactures, and supports a complete line of material handling equipment that offers second-to-none reliability, higher productivity, and lower total operational costs. UCA has seven factory-owned locations across Wisconsin and New England  Capital Equipment and Handling and New England Industrial Truck. UCA sells and supports UniCarriers-branded forklifts and supports legacy products under the Nissan Forklift, TCM, Atlet, and Barrett brands. Headquartered in Marengo, Illinois, UniCarriers Americas has a network of more than 130 authorized dealerships with nearly 250 locations across North, Central, and South America. For more information, visit UniCarriersAmericas.com.

1 UniCarriers is a registered trademark of UniCarriers Corporation.

Agency Contact: Stanton Lewin  (312) 595-0200

[email protected]

Corporate Contact: Brian Markison  (815) 568-3680

[email protected]

SOURCE UniCarriers Americas Corporation
ZUG, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --To enable mainstream consumer adoption of cryptocurrencies, payments startup UTRUST will implement the world's first cryptocurrency consumer protections into its platform. It announces a pre ICO on August 28, 2017.

Fintech solutions company UTRUST is excited to announce plans to transform the cryptocurrency payments landscape. With an experienced team spanning corporate management, B2C startups, payments, blockchain development, law, finance, and more, UTRUST is confident it will deliver the payments platform of the future. More information about UTRUST's vision and roadmap is available on the website and in the official whitepaper.

Cryptocurrencies have come a long way since the launch of Bitcoin in 2009. With fast transactions, low fees, and their trustless decentralized nature with no need for cumbersome legacy intermediaries, they have proven to be highly disruptive.

While the implementation of crypto-tokens and blockchain systems is exploding across industries worldwide, their adoption as an instrument of value transfer for day-to-day consumer transactions is still low. This is mainly due to the lack of payment protections and ease of use that consumers have come to expect and currently only enjoy with legacy payment solutions.

By offering built-in consumer protection features in the form of an escrow-like trusted mediator, crypto-to-fiat settlement to counter currency volatility for merchants, and multi-cryptocurrency support, UTRUST's vision is to be the PayPal for the cryptocurrency sector.

UTRUST's ultimate goal is to usher in the adoption of cryptocurrencies by the mainstream. This will be achieved by providing all the benefits of fast, secure, convenient, and inexpensive cryptocurrency transactions, in tandem with the world's first cryptocurrency payment protections, which consumers need to fully embrace blockchain technology en masse.

Some more key advantages offered by the UTRUST platform will include; lower buyer purchase risk, payment approval speed, low exchange fees, low seller fees, support for multiple cryptocurrencies, safety of funds, no chargebacks, customer payment protection, efficient resolution of disputes, performance-based ratings for sellers, and a decentralized UTRUST token with its value linked to the platform's projected growth.

As the company works on building out the payments platform of the future, it has announced the launch of a crowdsale. UTRUST's Pre-ICO is scheduled to begin on August 28, 2017, at 1600 hours (GMT).

UTRUST Token and Crowdsale

UTRUST will raise the funds required to develop and launch its unprecedented crypto payments platform through the upcoming ICO. The Pre-ICO begins on August 28, 2017, with the public ICO starting on September 4, 2017. Funds collected will be utilized to establish key partnerships, and build out UTRUST's PayPal-like platform for cryptocurrencies as outlined in the whitepaper.

During the crowdsale, participants will be able to purchase the native ERC20 compatible UTRUST tokens created on the Ethereum protocol. The UTRUST team have chosen Ethereum so they can leverage upon its existing infrastructure; development tools, wallets, exchanges and human resource expertise.

UTRUST's token can be used for making zero fee payments to the thousands of merchants accepting any cryptocurrency via UTRUST, and be traded against other currencies on supported exchange platforms.

UTRUST token holders are rewarded for their encouragement and faith in the platform. The company has a mechanism in place allowing it to invest a portion of the transaction fees to buyback and burn UTRUST tokens, removing them from circulation.

This means that like Bitcoin, UTRUST tokens are deflationary by design: token supply will go down over time, and alongside the growing adoption of UTRUST, drive demand upwards, strengthening the token's market value.

The Team

UTRUST is backed by a highly experienced team from various sectors including corporate management, startups, payments, cryptocurrency development, law, finance, and computer science. Some of the prominent members of the team include:

Nuno Correia, CEO

Nuno Correia is an early cryptocurrency investor who has been involved in the cryptomarkets since the beginning of 2011. Having founded multiple B2C businesses in the past, Correia has a background in Law and Marketing, and his passion lies in transforming the future of digital payments.

Filipe Castro, CIO

Filipe Castro holds a business degree from MSENG and is passionate about disruptive technologies. He has experience developing electronic payment systems and other software solutions during the early days of his career. Castro is engaged in business development and strategic development of new ventures.

Arthur Goulao, CTO

Arthur Goulao comes with previous experience in the payments industry. He has previously donned the role of a CTO in one of the leading digital payment platforms and is currently serving as the Head of Development at a Swiss-based Cybersecurity company. With a background in computer science from IST and MIT, Goulao is well-acquainted with both classical and blockchain smart contract based approach.

Roberto Machado, CPO

Founder and Product Manager at several startups prior to UTRUST, he has been leading different teams to build highly-reliable software products, with a focus on the end user experience. Previously, he has worked together with major international companies such as AT&T, Betfair, Airtel and Uphold, being responsible for the vision outline, goals and product strategy of solutions used by millions of users.

Other significant team members include Luis Ferreira as Head of Engineering; Laura Esteves as Head of Operations; Joao Ferreira as Head of Design; Nick Olender as Head of Sales and Partnerships; and Francisco Baila as Product Designer. UTRUST has a team of software engineers like Miguel Palhas, Gabriel Poca, Ronaldo Sousa, Fernando Mendes, Bruno Azevedo, Pedro Costa, and Joao Justo.

UTRUST's diverse advisory team includes Francisco Maia, Francisco Cruz, Joao Paulo, Sergio Viana, Marc Howland, David Dryan, Daniel Pierce and Sascha Benz.

Learn more about UTRUST at  https://utrust.io

Read the UTRUST Whitepaper at  https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/utrust/UTRUST-whitepaper-v1.0.1.pdf

Learn more about UTRUST's ICO at  https://utrust.io/ico

Follow UTRUST on Twitter at https://twitter.com/UTRUST_Official

Join UTRUST on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/utrust.io

Media Contact

Contact Name: Nuno Correia

Contact: [email protected]

Location: Zug, Switzerland

UTRUST is the source of this content. Virtual currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and accounts and value balances are not subject to consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.

Related Links

Bitcoin PR Buzz

UTRUST

SOURCE UTRUST

Related Links

https://utrust.io


MIAMI, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Vapor Group, Inc. (OTC Pink: VPOR), ("Company"), today released the following letter to shareholders from its President and CEO, Yaniv Nahon.

Dear Shareholders:

We have become aware that some of you have become concerned about recent events at the Company, and are seeking clarification and more information. As your new President, I am writing to you to try to address some of these concerns, and plan to write to you regularly in the future.

Under terms of an exclusive worldwide distribution contract with EZ Grinder, Inc., a privately held company holding all intellectual property rights to Easy Grinder, Total Vapor, Inc. a subsidiary of the Company, is the sole worldwide distributor of Easy Grinder. It will remain so for the foreseeable future. Under terms of the contract, we hold the sole rights to manufacture and distribute Easy Grinder.

Since its market introduction this year, we have been able to ship 12,000 Easy Grinders to date. Earlier, we had announced that we had commitments from distributors for the purchase of many more. However, we encountered serious limitations on what we were able to ship against distributor commitments due to the pre-production need to redesign critical components of the grinder, which delayed the start of initial production and slowed factory output. This in turn, forced higher manufacturing costs and resultant increases in wholesale and retail pricing. Consequently, several distributors reduced the size of their orders, backed off on commitments, or decided to delay acceptance of shipments of the higher priced product until we could prove market acceptance of Easy Grinder. Today, we believe we have proven that the market for a superior grinder exists, that we have such a grinder in Easy Grinder, and that our overall sales of Easy Grinder will continue to grow and escalate year-over-year. We are confident in our assessment based on the overwhelming positive responses Easy Grinder has received in online reviews, sales and from attendees at the BIG Industry Show in New York City in August, and ASD Market Week and the CHAMPS Trade Show in Las Vegas in July. Moreover, today we are working on agreements with overseas distributors for Easy Grinder, and are working hard to broaden distribution and press coverage in order to increase consumer knowledge of, and preference for, Easy Grinder, the world's best herbal grinder.

Businesswise, we continue to re-invent the Company. We are currently in negotiation to enter the business of selling and distributing hemp-sourced CBD oil products. We have discontinued operations of our subsidiary, Smart Wheels, Inc., due to lack of sustainable profitability in the marketing of scooters and accessories. We continue our e-cigarette and vaping-related businesses. While building and focusing on the Easy Grinder business this year, we continue to invest in the development of our previously announced, revolutionary 'Simple Cork', which currently has been engineered into several variations to meet the needs of different wine market niches at varying price points.

We are committed to continue to grow revenues. In the coming months, I will provide you with further updates on the progress that we are making. For now, we direct you to our recent postings of second quarter financial statements and disclosure, including particulars of our recent change of control, on OTCMarkets.com. If you have specific questions of us, please email [email protected].

Very truly yours,

Yaniv Nahon

President and CEO

Vapor Group, Inc.

About Vapor Group, Inc.

Vapor Group, http://www.vaporgroup.com, is focused on the acquisition and development of commercially viable intellectual property and proprietary products, while it continues its historic business of manufacturing and marketing vaporizers, e-cigarettes and e-liquids.

The Company's subsidiary, Total Vapor, Inc. is the worldwide distributor of the revolutionary, hand-held automatic Easy Grinder designed for the MJ market. For more information or to place an order, visit http://www.easygrinder.com, visit Amazon.com at http://a.co/5HOPUkE, or email [email protected]. You can also call us at 844-420-EASY (3279). To view a video demonstration, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fveTEGXfG8I or on http://www.easygrinder.com.Easy Grinder may also be shipped to Canada.

Vapor Group also owns Simple Cork, Inc., http://www.simplecork.com, the developer of a new, multi-nationally patented combination wine bottle cork/opener being prepared for market entry in the second half of 2017.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include any that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words "estimate", "project", "intend", "forecast", "anticipate", "plan", "planning", "expect", "believe", "likely", "should", "could", "would", "may" or similar words or expressions. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results and financial position to differ materially from those in such statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Company's ability to grow. Actual results may differ materially from those predicted and any reported should not be considered an indication of future performance. Potential risks and uncertainties include the Company's operating history and resources, economic, competitive, and equity market conditions.



Contact:

Vapor Group, Inc.

+1-954-883-9525



SOURCE Vapor Group, Inc.
CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virginia Bankers Association (VBA) has endorsed the digital lending solution provided by Akouba, which offers community and regional banks an origination and underwriting platform for small business loans. VBA members will receive preferred pricing.

Akouba's platform, the first and only digital lending solution to be endorsed by both The American Bankers Association  through its subsidiary the Corporation for American Banking and a state association, is transforming the way banks help business owners through a cloud-based, white-labeled technology that provides business lending quickly, accurately and profitably. Akouba's business lending platform provides banks with technology that integrates the bank's own unique credit policies into a convenient, online process, all the way to closing and funding.

"Helping small businesses have access to capital is the bedrock of community and regional banking," said Matthew Bruning, senior vice president of the VBA. "The loan application and decision-making process screams for greater efficiencies of time and costs in order to best serve bank customers. In selecting Akouba as our endorsed provider, we are bringing an effective and reliable platform to Virginia banks so they can leverage the latest technology, make the lending process simple and profitable and deliver a great experience for the customer and banker."

"Banks today need to further embrace technology when it relates to interacting with their customers. Our platform provides the tools that allow banks to focus on meaningful customer relationships and automate time-consuming tasks that can get in the way," said Chris Rentner, CEO, Akouba. "The VBA's endorsement of Akouba's technology platform proves bankers are committed to leading the way when it comes to providing the best technology to their customers"

Together, the VBA and the ABA partnered to endorse Akouba on a national and state-by-state level, providing banks extensive due diligence and careful evaluation based on a number of factors including Akouba's ability to assess and manage risk as well as comply with the FDIC's proposed guidance for third-party lending to address common issues in the industry.

To learn more about Akouba, the VBA will offer a free webinar Wednesday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET. For more information, visit http://www.vabankers.org/akouba .

About Virginia Bankers Association

Established in 1893, the Virginia Bankers Association is the unified voice for commercial and savings banks in Virginia. VBA is dedicated to providing their member banks with quality products and services that can save their member banks time, money and resources, as well as enhance profitability. With the guidance of the VBA MSI Board of Directors, the VBA completes a stringent, ongoing due diligence review of each endorsed provider to ensure that they are offering high value, dependable solutions that their members can count on.

About Akouba

Akouba provides cloud-based, white-labeled technology that delivers an end-to-end, omni-channel business lending platform. Akouba Now, a digital onboarding software, leverages leading edge technology and integrations to deliver a great customer and banker experience in a way that enables banks to execute digital processes quickly, efficiently, and profitably.

Media Contact:

Akouba, Amber Smith

312-967-3460

[email protected]

SOURCE Akouba

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ATLANTA, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Veristor Systems, Inc., a leading provider of transformative business technology solutions, today announced that is has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the U.S. fastest growing companies for the ninth time.

"It's an honor to be recognized, again, among the fastest growing companies by Inc. Magazine," said Ashby Lincoln, president and CEO, Veristor. "Today, data-driven businesses need to power their operational velocity, agility and collaboration. We're there to stand with them to help build the well-architected infrastructure and cloud strategies that will enable them to realize their business transformation goals. To be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for the ninth time underscores the enduring value our customers benefit from our partnerships with them."

The 2017 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc., is the most competitive crop in the list's history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year average growth of 481%. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue is $206 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 619,500 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

"The Inc. 5000 is the most persuasive evidence I know that the American Dream is still alive," says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. "The founders and CEOs of the Inc. 5000 tell us they think determination, risk taking, and vision were the keys to their success, and I believe them."

The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment  its independent, small, and midsized businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Domino's Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

About Veristor Systems, Inc.

A leading provider of transformative business technology solutions, Veristor helps its customers accelerate the time-to-value for the software, infrastructure and systems they deploy. We do this by harnessing deep expertise in today's most advanced data center, security, networking, hybrid cloud, and big data technologies and guiding businesses to the right solutions for their most pressing challenges. And with a full suite of design, deployment, support, and managed service offerings, we work shoulder-to-shoulder with our customers at every step of their technology journey to make technology truly work for them. IT's just who we are. Learn more at veristor.com.

SOURCE Veristor Systems, Inc.

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HOUSTON, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ViraCyte, LLC, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing cellular immunotherapies for severe infections, today announced publication of positive data from a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating its most advanced T-cell immunotherapy product, Viralym-M. The results were reported by ViraCyte lead investigators at Baylor College of Medicine in the Journal of Clinical Oncology1.

Viralym-M is an "off-the-shelf", 3rd party T-cell product that can simultaneously treat up to five viral infections in patents with severely depressed immune systems. In this report, Dr. Ifigeneia Tzannou and colleagues describe administration of Viralym-M in 38 stem cell transplant patients with 45 different viral infections. All patients had either failed, not responded to, or were unable to tolerate standard antiviral therapy.

Viralym-M achieved a 92% overall clinical response after a single infusion and demonstrated efficacy against all five targeted viruses with the following cumulative response rates in infections refractory to standard therapy: 100% for BK virus (n=16), 94% for cytomegalovirus (n=17), 71% for adenovirus (n=7), 100% for Epstein-Barr virus (n=2) and 67% for human herpesvirus-6 (n=3). Thirty-one patients were treated for a single viral infection and seven patients were treated for multiple simultaneous infections. Notably, rapid disease alleviation was reported in patients with BK-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BK-HC), which can cause incapacitating pain, significant blood loss, and potentially renal failure. There are no current FDA-approved therapies for BK-HC. Viralym-M infusions were safe with only two cases of new onset grade 1 graft-versus-host disease observed, both of which resolved with standard treatment.

Dr. Ann Leen, Chief Scientist at ViraCyte remarked, "The compelling results from this study demonstrate the high safety profile and broad-spectrum efficacy of Viralym-M in these patients and will strongly position our discussions with the FDA as we progress towards a pivotal clinical trial for potential licensure of Viralym-M."

About ViraCyte, LLC

ViraCyte's products restore natural immunity against life threatening viruses in patients with severely weakened immune systems, such as adults and children who have undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). ViraCyte's lead T cell products are in Phase 2 and Phase 1 clinical trials, with effectiveness rates of greater than 94% in patients who have failed conventional therapy. More information can be found at www.viracyte.com

ViraCyte is a resident company at JLABS @ TMC, Houston, Texas.

1Tzannou I. et al. J Clin Oncol. 2017;JCO2017730655. PMID: 28783452

SOURCE ViraCyte, LLC

Related Links

http://www.viracyte.com


ISNES, Belgium, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN: VNRX) today announced a three-year agreement to work with the renowned expert Professor Stefan Holdenrieder at the Institute of Laboratory Medicine of the German Heart Center at the Technical University of Munich, Germany.

Volition's Chief Executive Officer, Cameron Reynolds, commented, "I am delighted we are working with Professor Holdenrieder at his new laboratory in Munich. As a leading expert in the field of nucleosomics, he will support our analytical and preanalytical research and assist our efforts to secure large trials in a range of cancers - including lung, pancreatic, prostate, colorectal, breast and ovarian."

Professor Holdenrieder is the Director of the Institute of Laboratory Medicine and will be the principal investigator on Volition's nucleosome projects, aided by several members of his team. Professor Holdenrieder is an expert in the field of circulating nucleosomes and is widely published. He currently serves as Secretary of the International Society of Oncological BioMarkers, External Quality Assessment consultant for tumor marker ring trials at INSTAND e.V. and Associate Editor of several international scientific journals.

"My main research focus is the development and evaluation of new biomarkers that are useful in cardiology, oncology and immunology. Blood-based biomarkers such as Volition's Nu.Q assays are involved in all of these important medical fields. Nucleosomes are involved in thrombogenesis, in immune reaction and have the potential to help in the detection and management of cancer," commented Professor Holdenrieder.

The Institute has a Biomarker Center for the validation of new technologies and has expertise in the methodical, preanalytical and analytical evaluation of new biomarkers that may be useful for disease detection and patient management. It also owns and operates a biobank of biological samples taken from a large cohort of individuals in particular, those with diverse cardiovascular diseases.

About Volition

Volition is a multi-national life sciences company developing simple, easy to use blood-based cancer tests to accurately diagnose a range of cancers. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid - an indication that disease is present.

As cancer screening programs become more widespread, Volition's products aim to help to diagnose a range of cancers quickly, simply, accurately and cost effectively. Early diagnosis has the potential to not only prolong the life of patients, but also to improve their quality of life.

Volition's research and development activities are currently centered in Belgium, with additional offices in London, Texas and Singapore, as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market first in Europe, then in the U.S. and ultimately, worldwide.

For more information about Volition, visit Volition's website (http://www.volitionrx.com) or connect with us via:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/volitionrx

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/volitionrx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VolitionRx/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/VolitionRx

The contents found at Volition's website address, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are not incorporated by reference into this document and should not be considered part of this document. The addresses for Volition's website, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are included in this document as inactive textual references only.

Media / Investor Contacts

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this press release may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that concern matters that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or projected in the forward-looking statements. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "aims," "targets," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "optimizing," "potential," "goal," "suggests," "could," "would," "should," "may," "will" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to the effectiveness of Volition's bodily-fluid-based diagnostic tests as well as Volition's ability to develop and successfully commercialize such test platforms for early detection of cancer. Volition's actual results may differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements due to numerous risks and uncertainties. For instance, if Volition fails to develop and commercialize diagnostic products, it may be unable to execute its plan of operations. Other risks and uncertainties include Volition's failure to obtain necessary regulatory clearances or approvals to distribute and market future products in the clinical IVD market; a failure by the marketplace to accept the products in Volition's development pipeline or any other diagnostic products Volition might develop; Volition will face fierce competition and Volition's intended products may become obsolete due to the highly competitive nature of the diagnostics market and its rapid technological change; and other risks identified in Volition's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other documents that Volition files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about Volition's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and, except as required by law, Volition does not undertake an obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

Nucleosomics, NuQ, Nu.Q and HyperGenomics and their respective logos are trademarks and/or service marks of VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this press release are the property of their respective owners. Additionally, unless otherwise specified, all references to "$" refer to the legal currency of the United States of America.

SOURCE VolitionRx Ltd
By PTI: Islamabad/London, Aug 22 (PTI) Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of ousted former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been diagnosed with throat cancer, doctors in the United Kingdom was quoted as saying by Pakistani news channels.

Kulsoom had filed nomination papers for NA-120 in Lahore after the seat fell vacant following Sharifs disqualification to hold any office by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the Panama Papers case.

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Kulsooms treatment will begin in a few days, Geo News quoted unnamed sources as saying.

Kulsoom, in her mid-60s had suddenly left for London for medical checkup at the time when nomination papers for NA-120 were being scrutinised, the report said.

Kulsooms doctors are of the view that her throat cancer is treatable, Samaa TV reported.

There was no official word about Kulsooms health.

Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Sharif, will run the election campaign in Kulsooms absence.

The Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) candidate for NA-120 will not participate in the initial campaigns for the constituency, the report said.

Nawaz won the seat by a substantial margin in the 2013 general elections, defeating Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insafs Yasmin Rashid, who is again contesting for the seat this time around.

The Lahore High Court Appellate Tribunal, on Monday rejected all appeals filed against the nomination papers of PML-N candidate Kulsoom Nawaz for the NA-120 by-poll. PTI AKJ AKJ

--- ENDS ---
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Webroot, the market leader in next-generation endpoint security, network security, and threat intelligence, expanded its partnership with NinjaRMM, a leading Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) solution for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Ninja is integrating the web-filtering capabilities of Webroot SecureAnywhere DNS Protection to protect users against malicious websites, provide real-time usage reports, and give MSPs the power to set global web access policies. These capabilities are available in the same console used by Webroot SecureAnywhere Business Endpoint Protection administrators, and are all integrated into the NinjaRMM platform for streamlined customer onboarding and management through a single pane of glass. This expanded partnership offers NinjaRMM clients the ability to drive top-line revenue and increase profits.

Explore Webroot Security Solutions for MSPs: www.webroot.com/us/en/business/partners/msp-partner-program

About the Partnership:

NinjaRMM has been partnering with Webroot since May 2016 .

. By adding Webroot SecureAnywhere DNS Protection to its portfolio, NinjaRMM will provide customers protection against malicious websites with minimal complexity for the service provider and the end consumer. The product is controlled via the same Webroot Global Site Manager administrators use to manage SecureAnywhere Business Endpoint Protection, offering a single console to set company-wide browsing controls and track internet use.

In addition to SecureAnywhere DNS Protection, NinjaRMM offers its customers Webroot SecureAnywhere Business Endpoint Protection, providing MSPs with multiple layers of protection to offer their customers and increase revenue.

The integration of industry-leading Webroot solutions into the NinjaRMM platform provides one location for management and reporting, saving time and reducing the overall administration cost.

About DNS Protection:

More than 85 percent of malware infections are generated through web browsing, according to Webroot research.

Unmanaged, uncontrolled web access inevitably leads to both endpoint and network infections from ransomware, malware, keyloggers, and more.

Purpose built for MSPs, Webroot solutions use a single console for easily managing both endpoint and DNS products across the client install base.

Webroot scans the entire IPv4 space and in-use IPv6 addresses to classify over 95 percent of the internet at least three times per day.

All Webroot security products and services are powered by the cloud-based Webroot Threat Intelligence Platform, which continually analyzes and classifies over 4 billion IP addresses, 600 million domains, and 27 billion URLs. Additionally, Webroot uncovers at least 25,000 malicious URLs, 6,000 new phishing sites, and over 100,000 new malicious IP addresses per day.

Key Quotes:

Charlie Tomeo, Vice President of Worldwide Business Sales, Webroot

"In addition to the web-filtering security features provided by DNS Protection, Ninja gives MSPs a new revenue opportunity to protect against the increasing amount of malware that infects organizations every day. Ninja clients will now enjoy best-in-class Webroot security solutions, freeing up precious IT resources to save time and money."



Sal Sferlazza, Chief Executive Officer, NinjaRMM

"At Ninja, one of our primary goals is to reduce costs for MSPs by creating an easy-to-use experience for users. Together with Webroot, we can enable MSPs to offer a one-stop shop for advanced threat protection and endpoint security solution, and now they can expand their offering to include web browsing protection. From there, customers can focus their efforts on the activities necessary to grow their business in the most efficient way possible."

Additional Resources:

About NinjaRMM

NinjaRMM is a Silicon Valley based company that has a wealth of experience building products for MSPs. The team has backgrounds with Quest Software, Sonicwall, PacketTrap, GFI, AVG, and Anchor. Designed for MSPs, the Ninja platform offers an easy and simple to use web interface that includes zero training time, one-click drill down with integrated search as well as one-click remediation. With 360 degree monitoring, Ninja gives MSPs a measurable way to provision, monitor and manage their infrastructure. Additional resources can be found at http://www.ninjarmm.com.

About Webroot

Webroot delivers next-generation endpoint security and network security and threat intelligence services to protect businesses and individuals around the globe. Our smarter approach harnesses the power of cloud-based collective threat intelligence derived from millions of real-world devices to stop threats in real time and help secure the connected world. Our award-winning SecureAnywhere endpoint solutions, BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services, and FlowScape solution protect millions of devices across businesses, home users, and the Internet of Things. Webroot is trusted and integrated by market-leading companies, including Cisco, F5 Networks, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more. Headquartered in Colorado, Webroot operates globally across North America, Europe, and Asia. Discover Smarter Cybersecurity solutions at www.webroot.com.

Social Media: Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook

2017 Webroot Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot, SecureAnywhere, Webroot SecureAnywhere, Webroot BrightCloud, BrightCloud, and Smarter Cybersecurity are trademarks or registered trademarks of Webroot Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE Webroot

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DUBLIN, Calif. and JENA, Germany, Aug. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ZEISS continues to focus on advancing digitalization in medical technology by expanding its market-leading digital solutions for eye care with the acquisition of an intelligent cloud-based platform which provides doctors fast and easy access to relevant clinical data at each step in the care and treatment of patients.

"Digital technology is fundamentally changing our world and has a major impact in healthcare," says Dr. Ludwin Monz, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec. "Efficiently bringing together relevant information and making smart use of data in a secure way, along with Artificial Intelligence, is reshaping how medicine is practiced today, and is opening up new realms of possibility for advancing patient care."

"ZEISS is constantly addressing future-forward trends, such as digitalization, to give doctors innovative solutions to help patients," Dr. Monz continues.

Veracity, which recently launched at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) in May 2017, is a powerful, intuitive platform for cataract surgical planning, management and analysis that empowers surgeons and their clinical teams to easily and consistently achieve the excellent outcomes their patients expect. Veracity interfaces with many Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and diagnostic devices to present the most relevant and critical data that is needed at each step  from the first initial patient consultation through the entire planning, scheduling, procedural and post-operative process. This helps doctors to streamline the clinical process, enhance productivity and efficiency, and reduce potential human error while developing a customized solution for each and every patient.

"ZEISS already provides advanced digital solutions that support doctors in their clinical decisions and provide for efficient data management. Our ZEISS FORUM system with its Clinical Workplaces connects the diagnostic devices within a practice, then integrates and delivers this information from multiple modalities at the point of care  in the office and in the OR," says Jim Mazzo, Global President Ophthalmic Devices at Carl Zeiss Meditec. "Now we are complementing this with the Veracity platform  a simple, cloud-based solution that provides doctors, and their teams, exactly the information they need at each step in the clinical process so they can work more efficiently, mitigate risks, and achieve the very best possible outcomes for their patients. Veracity has a great team and we welcome everyone to ZEISS."

"We are excited to join forces with the ZEISS team that includes leaders in innovation who have collaborated with doctors on developing and bringing to market so many groundbreaking medical technologies," says Dr. Solomon. "ZEISS has the vision and the expertise to bring this technology to the next level and is set to revolutionize cataract surgery and extend this solution to transform other applications in ophthalmology and beyond."

About Veracity Innovations, LLC

Veracity Innovations, LLC, a medical software company in Temple, Texas, was founded by Kyle Smith, MD, Jeremiah Elliott and Kerry Solomon, MD, to create innovative and impactful software products for eye doctors. The ophthalmologist founders are both cataract surgeons with a combined 60 years of clinical experience. Dr. Smith and Mr. Elliott have worked together in the ophthalmology information technology arena for the past 9 years.

The founding team is passionate about providing eye doctors with powerful tools that are cost effective and fun to use. The company leverages the power of cloud computing to integrate various technologies, process large quantities of patient information, and generate results that physicians can use to make better decisions on behalf of their patients.

About Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ISIN: DE 0005313704), which is listed on TecDAX of the German stock exchange, is one of the world's leading medical technology companies. The Company supplies innovative technologies and application-oriented solutions designed to help doctors improve the quality of life of their patients. It provides complete packages of solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases, including implants and consumable materials. The Company creates innovative visualization solutions in the field of microsurgery. With approximately 2,900 employees worldwide, the Group generated revenue of  1,088 million in financial year 2015/16 (to 30 September).

The Group's head office is located in Jena, Germany, and has subsidiaries in Germany and abroad; more than 50 percent of its employees are based in the USA, Japan, Spain and France. The Center for Application and Research (CARIn) in Bangalore, India and the Carl Zeiss Innovations Center for Research and Development in Shanghai, China, strengthen the Company's presence in these rapidly developing economies. Around 41 percent of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG's shares are in free float. The remaining approx. 59 percent are held by Carl Zeiss AG, one of the world's leading companies in the optical and optoelectronic industries.

For more information visit our website at: www.zeiss.com/med

SOURCE Carl Zeiss Meditec

Related Links

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zerez Holdings Inc., (OTC PINK: ZRZH) DBA Smart Cannabis, announced today that its subsidiary Next Generation Farming Inc., has sold its third "SMART by Design" greenhouse system to a Northern California cannabis cultivation company. The $152,212 contract consists of the NGF-1 model 30ft x 96ft greenhouse system, including automation options, installation services, radiant flooring upgrades and is already delivered and has been placed in production within a month of finalizing the first two systems sold to the same client.

President John Taylor stated, "We seem to be starting a pattern. When a client sees for themselves how our projects come together in a professional way, they tend to re-invest and that is exactly what has happened again. When a customer comes back, or refers us a new potential profitable deal, it gives us reassurance that our commitment to excellence is working. We are very pleased that the trust, confidence and great working relationship with our customer has resulted in a third order less than a month after they put the first two greenhouses into production."

Don Smith, Vice President said, "We promised no fluff news, and we promised revenue and profits to our shareholders. Clearly our second quarter demonstrated that we deliver on our commitments, and we look forward to completing our third quarter and seeing the continued momentum from investors in our market segment that choose Zerez Holdings DBA Smart Cannabis as the best investment. Our business pipeline continues to grow exponentially, and we will continue to announce news about the company's real deals rather than undefinable hopeful future business. Our 2017 goal is to continue to win market share, grow revenues and profits substantially and be ranked at the top of our market segment. As for competition, we will continue to say no toxic funders, brokers and competitors already sniffing around to see if our company is for sale. Obviously we are doing something right if we are being approached in our first year. Our message is simple  we are just getting started."

About Zerez Holdings Corporation DBA Smart Cannabis

Zerez Holdings, Inc., (OTC PINK: ZRZH) Zerez Holdings is a public company focused on advanced agriculture and cannabis industries with plans to grow through acquisition, strategic alliances, and proprietary intellectual property. The company's wholly owned subsidiary Next Generation Farming provides turnkey commercial greenhouse and automation systems that improve yields and decrease water consumption for cultivators of organic food and cannabis crops. The company's websites are http://zerezholdings.com, http://nextgen.farm, and http://smartcannabis.com.

Disclaimer: The Company relies upon the Safe Harbor Laws of 1933, 1934 and 1995 for public news releases. Statements, not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The company makes forward-looking public statements about its expected future operations, performance and other developments. Such forward-looking statements are estimates that reflect the company's best judgment based upon current information. All investments involve risks. It is impossible to identify all such factors. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the company include, but are not limited to, government regulation; managing and maintaining growth; the effect of adverse publicity; litigation; competition; and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the company's public announcements.

Contact: [email protected] Zerez Holdings Inc., Don Smith, Vice President 424-732-7646

SOURCE Zerez Holdings Inc.

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By PTI: (Eds: Updating with more details and changing the dateline)

By M Zulqernain

Lahore, Aug 22 (PTI) Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of Pakistans ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been diagnosed with throat cancer, a close aide of former premier said today.

"Begum Kulsoom has been diagnosed with throat cancer in London. Doctors have said that her cancer is curable," Sharifs political secretary Senator Dr Asif Karmani told PTI.

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Kulsoom had filed nomination papers for NA-120 in Lahore after the seat fell vacant following Sharifs disqualification to hold any office by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the Panama Papers case.

"Doctors will start her treatment in coming days in London,"

Dr Karmani added.

Kulsoom, in her mid-60s, had suddenly left for London last week on the day when her nomination papers were to be filed in the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Dr Karmani said Kulsoom would not be able to participate in election campaign for some days.

He further said that Kulsooms absence federal commerce minister Pervaiz Malik will supervise her election campaign.

According to a PML-N leader, Kulsoom had not been well for quite sometimes but Sharif preferred to pitch her on his constituency making her a possible candidate for the prime minister slot.

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court Appellate Tribunal yesterday rejected all appeals filed against the nomination papers of PML-N candidate Kulsoom for the NA-120 by-poll.

Petitioners had argued that Kulsoom Nawaz also holds a work permit of UAE like that of her husband on which he was disqualified.

Sharif won the seat by a substantial margin in the 2013 general elections, defeating Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insafs Yasmin Rashid, who is again contesting for the seat this time around. PTI MZ/AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Aug 22 (PTI) Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today expanded his Cabinet by inducting 15 more state ministers, making it the third largest in Nepals history.

With the latest expansion, Deuba now heads a 46-member jumbo council of ministers, which includes three deputy prime ministers, 19 ministers and 23 state ministers.

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The expansion came two days after Deuba inducted eight state ministers from former prime minister Prachandas CPN (Maoist-Centre) party, a coalition partner in the government.

The newly-inducted members were administered the oath at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The expansion comes a day before Deuba embarks on a five-day state visit to India.

The Deuba Cabinet is the thirst largest ever in Nepal. In 1996, Deuba, who has become the prime minister of the Himalayan country for the fourth time, chaired a 48-member Cabinet.

Baburam Bhattarai, who was the prime minister of Nepal from August 2011 to March 2013, led a Cabinet of 49 members.

The newly-appointed state ministers include Seeta Gurung for Physical Infrastructure and Transport; Sarita Prasain for Agriculture Development; Shesh Nath Adhikari for Education; Nar Bahadur Chand for Commerce; Abdul Rajjaki for Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Tapta Bahadur Bista for Information and Communications; Amar Sing Pun for Irrigation; Dilman Pakhrin for Law and Justice; Uday Shamsher Rana for Finance; Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary for Labour and Employment.

Teju Lal Chaudhary for Youth and Sports; Champa Devi Khadka for Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation; Janakraj Chaudhary for Federal Affairs and Local Development; Sumitra Tharuni for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; and Yashoda Kumari Lama for Lands Reforms.

Out of 15 state ministers, the Nepali Congress has 12 ministers and Nepal Loktantrik Forum has three ministers. PTI SBP ABH AKJ ABH

--- ENDS ---
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Manila, Aug 17 : At least 60 drug suspects have been killed here in the last three days as President Rodrigo Duterte's fierce war on drugs and crime intensifies.

Police killed at least 28 people overnight in the crackdown, authorities said on Thursday. The killings followed 32 deaths in police raids on Monday night in Bulacan province, which borders the capital.

According to police reports, a total of 223 people were arrested in Manila and Bulacan. The reports said police launched 84 operations in the two regions, the majority of which were "buy-bust" stings.

Duterte unleashed his crackdown on the day he took office on June 30 last year after a convincing win in an election in which he campaigned heavily on a deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs.

From the start of the war to the end of July, police said over 3,400 people were killed in their operations.

On Thursday, Duterte said he would not just pardon police officers who killed drug offenders during the anti-narcotics campaign, but also promote them.
Amritsar, Aug 17 : Partition Museum, a first-of-its-kind in the world, was inaugurated here on Thursday as a tribute to the millions who perished as well as others who survived but lost their homes and hearth and kith and kin during India's Partition in 1947.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh unveiled a plaque of the museum -- an initiative of The Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust (TACHT) -- at a special sombre commemoration ceremony, which scripted the observance of August 17 as Partition Remembrance Day.

A minute's silence was observed after a single toll of the bell at the historic British-era Town Hall, where the museum has been built.

He dedicated the museum -- developed in collaboration with the state government -- to the nation.

In his speech, the Chief Minister lauded the efforts of Lord Meghnad Desai in giving shape to the museum which he said had "recreated a very sad chapter of our history".

The museum, along with the Azadi Memorial in Jalandhar and similar initiatives, would serve to make younger generations aware of and understand their past and learn from it, Amarinder Singh said, adding that no nation could do well without learning lessons from history.

He said that while for the younger generations, Partition days were mere statistics, those who went through it had many sad and grim memories of those times that unfolded the one of the greatest migration of human beings in history.

Going down memory lane, the Chief Minister said he saw bodies lying at a railway station while returning home from his boarding school in Shimla in a train, which remained etched in his mind.

He also recalled his late mother Rajmata Mohinder Kaur's work to help refugee girls back to their homes.

The event, marked by poetry recital by well-known poet Gulzar who launched his newly translated book "Footprints on Zero Line: Writings on the Partition" on the occasion, was marked by a series of functions, including panel discussions with eminent experts such as Urvashi Butalia and Punjabi poet Surjit Patar.

Partition Museum Trust Chair Kishwar Desai thanked the state government for support in developing the museum which she said was dedicated to the spirit and courage of the partition survivors.

The museum has put together mementos and material from 1947 shared by various persons, including pictures, paintings, and videos.
Manila, Aug 17 : Police in the Philippines said that 32 drug suspects had been killed in a span of 24 hours in one of the bloodiest days since President Rodrigo Duterte launched an initiative last year to fight the narcotics trade.

Police officers killed 32 suspects and arrested 107 in a large scale operation carried out between Monday and Tuesday in Bulacan province, the provincial police said in a statement on Wednesday.

The authorities conducted 49 raids and seized 367 bags of shabu -- a hydrochloride of methamphetamine -- 765 grams of marijuana, 2 grenades, 34 assorted firearms and 114 pieces of ammunition, Efe news quoted the statement as saying.

The high number of deaths in such a short window is unusual, even by the bloody standards of Duterte's war on drugs which has already caused 3,451 deaths in police operations across the country, according to official figures.

Human Rights Watch, however places the death toll at over 7,000 since July last year, including those killed by vigilante groups and other killings encouraged by an environment of impunity.

Police justified its actions by arguing that the killed suspects were notorious criminals who preferred to fight to the death rather than get captured, leaving the officers with no choice but to shoot and kill.

The police declared the operation successful and said it was part of their drive against illegal drugs, loose firearms and implementation of search warrants in the province.

The war on drugs has been heavily criticized by international organisations who accuse the president of violating human rights, although he has vowed to continue the campaign until the eradication of drug trafficking and crime from the country.
Riyadh, Aug 17 : Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that it is reopening its border with Qatar to allow Qatari pilgrims attend the Haj, the state media reported.

The Salwa border crossing had been shut after Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting and funding Islamist extremist groups.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the announcement to reopen the border for Qatari pilgrims came after the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Qatar's Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani, in the first high-level public encounter between the countries since the crisis erupted.

Qatari pilgrims wishing to attend the Haj will be able to pass through the Salwa border crossing without needing electronic permits, a statement on the SPA said. The pilgrims would also be welcome through Saudi Arabia's airports, it added.

"All Qatari pilgrims be transported from King Fahad International Airport in Dammam and Al-Ahsa International Airport as his (King Salman) guests. All expenses are to be paid for by the King, under the Programme of the Guests of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for Haj and Umrah," the statement said.

Saudi state TV said 100 Qataris had arrived at the border crossing on Thursday.

In July, Saudi Arabia had warned Qatari pilgrims would face certain restrictions if they wanted to the attend the Haj. Qatar responded by accusing Riyadh of politicising the Haj and the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion expressed concern at Saudi Arabia's measures, BBC reported In a statement carried by SPA, the Crown Prince thanked Sheikh Al Thani "for his brotherly feelings" as he stressed "the depth of historical relations" between Saudis and Qataris.

Observers say that, despite this goodwill gesture, the dispute between Qatar and its neighbours, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE is far from over, the BBC report said.
Patna, Aug 18 : A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the Rs 1,000-crore Srijan scam in Bhagalpur district, his ally BJP on Friday suspended a senior party leader for his alleged involvement in it.

Vipin Sharma, Vice President of party Kisan Morcha, has been suspended as his name surfaced in the scam, party spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel said .

Police said that Sharma, who is absconding, will be arrested soon. They said he was closely associated with NGO Srijan, which was behind the scam, and his wife is director of a cooperative bank run by Srijan.

Police officials said Sharma was a vendor in Bhagalpur and then ran a pavement shop but progressed after coming in contact with Srijan founder Manorama Devi. Soon he joined the BJP and developed close relationship with most of the top state leaders including former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain, Union Minister Giriraj Singh, MP Ashwani Choudbey and others.

He is said to have property in Delhi, Dehradun, Bengaluru, Patna, Deogarh, Bhagalpur and other places.

After days of investigations, a Special Investigation Team of Bihar Police's Economic Offence Unit said at least Rs 1,000 crore was diverted from bank accounts of different departments including Mukhyamantri Shahari Vikas Yojna in Bhagalpur district.

So far, eight people, including Prem Kumar, an aide of the Bhagalpur District Magistrate, have been arrested in connection with the scam.
Seoul, Aug 19 : North Korea on Saturday urged several Latin American countries not to break ties with it and criticised a recent petition by Washington asking them not to have any relations with Pyongyang.

During a recent visit to Santiago, US Vice President Mike Pence had openly urged Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Peru to break all diplomatic and trade ties with North Korea.

A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said such coercive behaviour from the US showed extreme arrogance and egotism, state-owned KCNA agency reported.

According to the spokesperson, it showed Washington's intervention in the domestic affairs of sovereign states and was a violation of international law.

The North Korean official further said that the Kim Jong-un regime would continue to improve relations with different countries based on the principles of friendship, self-sufficiency and peace, Efe news reported.

The spokesperson also urged the four nations to reject Washington's petition claiming that all countries will become victims of US intervention in domestic policy if they comply with or tacitly approve of the recent UN Security Council sanctions pushed by the US.

On August 5, the UN imposed the most severe sanctions to date on North Korea for its recent intercontinental ballistic missile launches.
Mumbai, Aug 20 : Actress Kriti Sanon says her films "Raabta" and "Bareilly Ki Barfi" have helped her evolve both as an actor and as a person.

"I personally feel that you need to grow with every film. You have to find a new way, a different way, a new process to do what you do. You have to look at things differently and these two films have immensely helped me grow as an actor as well as a person," Kriti told IANS here.

Kriti walked the runway for designer Arpita Mehta on the ultimate day of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/ Festive 2017.

Though "Raabta" failed to garner good business at the box-office, Kriti's latest release "Bareilly Ki Barfi " is receiving positive response and she feels overwhelmed.

"I am very overwhelmed that it is getting such a great response from critics as well as the audience. The janta's (audience) reaction is amazing. I have been reading all the tweets. It's a family entertainer," she said.

Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, the film also stars Rajkumar Rao amd Ayushmann Khurrana.

Talking about coming back on runway, Kriti said that her modelling experience has helped her a lot.

"It helped a lot as I don't need as many rehearsals . I know what to do on the ramp. I know bits of technicalities with respect to drapes and trails and how to handle them," she said.

Asked what she thinks about models complaining of having a Bollywood showstopper and stealing their job, Kriti said: "I am not stealing their job any ways. I was a model so I never felt that way. I think firstly they are stunning and they know their job well."

The "Dilwale" star praised the models and said that they "carry any garment because of their body type and their walk.

"And everything looks good on them," Kriti added.

Kriti ventured into Hindi filmdom in 2014 with "Heropanti" and since then she has managed to have a strong fan base. The actress currently has 1.39 million fans on Twitter.

But does she feel any complications due to her celebrity status?

"Its just that your privacy goes away. fame actually works for you as you want that appreciation and love for audience. Yes, You can't have golgappas and you can't walk around in your pyjamas or go to the mall," she said.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of LFW organisers. Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)
The CMs were asked to deliver on their poll promises and extol party's image by promoting its pro-poor schemes and highlighting NDA government's achievements.

Modi and Shah asked the Chief Ministers to focus on pro-farmer schemes more and devise new policies for their welfare.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a meeting with all BJP-ruled state chief ministers and their deputies on Monday at party headquarters in the national Capital.

In what lasted for over four hours, the Prime Minister exhorted the Chief Ministers to implement all central welfare schemes in their states by 2022.

The CMs were also asked to deliver on their poll promises and extol party's image by promoting its pro-poor schemes and highlighting NDA government's achievements.

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Flanked by BJP National President Amit Shah, PM urged the state chiefs to portray Opposition as anti-OBC and that they are creating hurdles in the clearance of the Constitutional amendment for a new commission for backwards in Parliament.

This was the second meeting of party Chief Ministers with PM Modi since 2014. The first meet was held in August last year.

WHAT WAS ON AGENDA

Twin setbacks to BJP's governance- farmers' protest in MP, Maharashtra and death of children at a Gorakhpur government hospital were also discussed.

Modi and Shah asked the Chief Ministers to focus on pro-farmer schemes more and devise new policies for their welfare.

Ahead of the meeting, all Chief Ministers and Deputy CMs were sent out a performa seeking details of the schemes and the status of their implementation.

Shah added that he along with the Prime Minister will be closely monitoring the work and progress of welfare schemes in all BJP-rules states.

Talking to India Today, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said,"States will work harder to implement schemes like Ujjwala gas and the crop insurance schemes. The idea is to reach out to the last man in the queue. The states have to achieve the target of helping famers double their incomes, provide more jobs and help those who have stayed out of the reach of state and central schemes. Plus all states have to coordinate with each other to achieve the objective."

The Monday meet is part of the BJP National President Amit Shah's strategy for the 2019 elections. The blueprint revolves around 120 off seats - lost in 2014 polls - which the BJP feels it can win this time. In quest for PM Modi's second term in power, Shah has been telling party workers that 2019 verdict should bring 350 seats for the party.

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Chandigarh, Aug 20 : Ahead of a court verdict on August 25 in a rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief, the Haryana government on Sunday said the police was on alert and 35 companies of paramilitary forces would help maintain law and order in the state.

"Police is fully prepared to tackle any situation. The Centre has provided 35 companies of paramilitary forces, deployment of which has already started," Director General of Police B.S. Sandhu said here.

The focus would be on Sirsa, Fatehabad and Panchkula districts, where paramilitary forces would be deployed in strength, an official statement quoted the DGP as saying.

Orders to prohibit carrying of firearms and other weapons and assembly of five or more persons have been issued in Hisar and Fatehabad as a precautionary measure.

Social media activities are under close watch, the DGP said and added that law and order will be maintained with public assistance and cooperation from authorities in Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

The rape case against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been heard by a Special Central Bureau of Investigation court in adjoining Panchkula in Haryana. The case hearing has been going on since 2007.

The sect chief, who has lakhs of followers in Punjab, Haryana, and other states, has been accused by a former female follower of raping her more than once inside the sprawling Dera campus on the outskirts of Sirsa town in Haryana, 260 km from Chandigarh.

Sandhu said efforts were on to coordinate with dera followers through talks and their cooperation sought through meetings.
Patna, Aug 21 : Mahesh Mandal, one of the key accused arrested in the Rs 1,000-crore Srijan scam in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, has died in a hospital, police said on Monday.

His sudden death has triggered a controversy, with opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) terming it a "murder" and his family alleging that he was denied dialysis deliberately by government officials which caused his death.

Mandal's condition deteriorated and he died late on Sunday night at a hospital soon after being brought from the jail.

Bhagalpur Senior Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar told IANS over telephone: "Mahesh Mandal was not keeping well since his arrest. He had some kidney problem."

Raising questions over Mahesh Mandal's sudden demise, RJD leader and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Tejashwhi Yadav said it was a murder to eliminate him since he could have revealed many things related to the scam.

Mandal's family members have blamed the local administration's "neglect" for his death. He was deliberately denied timely dialysis, alleged one of the family members Sonu Mandal.

Bihar Police chief P.K. Thakur told the media that accused Mahesh Mandal died due to sugar and kidney problems.

"It is a mysterious death. Is it going the Vyapam scam way in Madhya Pradesh, where one after the other accused and witnesses died," RJD Vice President Shivanand Tiwari said.

He said this might have been done to suppress evidence and information that Mahesh Mandal could have revealed.

The Srijan scam involves a Bhagalpur-based NGO, Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Ltd, which used to provide vocational training to women.

The NGO allegedly pilfered funds meant for government welfare schemes from the bank accounts of the Bhagalpur district administration.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on August 17 recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the scam, in line with the RJD's demand.

According to Thakur, 11 FIRs have been lodged to date and 18 people arrested in connection with the scam.
Seoul, Aug 21 : South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged North Korea not to resort to any provocation as a joint war game with the US kicked off.

Moon told a cabinet meeting that the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) is an annually-held joint military exercise that is defensive in nature, saying South Korea has no intention to escalate military tension on the Korean Peninsula, Xinhua reported.

The UFG computer-assisted simulation exercise began earlier in the day, mobilising about 17,500 US soldiers and 50,000 South Korean troops. The US-South Korea joint war game would last till the end of this month.

Moon said North Korea should neither distort South Korea's efforts to maintain peace nor indulge in provocative acts, which worsen situations, under the pretext of this exercise.

North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) twice in July. It was followed by a war of words between Pyongyang and Washington, which escalated tension on the peninsula.

It was not known whether the US forces would mobilise strategic assets such as nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and nuclear-capable bombers for the UFG war game.

Moon said North Korea had not stopped its efforts to advance its nuclear and missile technologies, even as the international community strengthened pressure and sanctions on Pyongyang.
Patna, Aug 21 : The opposition RJD on Monday disrupted proceedings in the Bihar assembly, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi for their involvement in Rs 1,000 crore Srijan scam.

Soon after the beginning of the monsoon session of the assembly, angry Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) members led by Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav staged a protest in the House and demanded Nitish and Sushil Modi's resignation.

"Both of them should resign as Srijan scam happened in their knowledge and they protected the main accused," Yadav said.

RJD members with placards in their hands shouted slogans, forcing Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary to adjourn the House.

Yadav said the Srijan scam was not confined to Bhagalpur district alone, and that its links were spread in several districts.

Former Chief Minister and RJD leader Rabri Devi also demanded the JD-U and BJP leader's resignation, blaming the two for the scam.

"It was not a scam but a mega scam. They should resign now," the wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said.

RJD members also raised the issue of the death of Mahesh Mandal, an arrested accused in the scam, in Bhagalpur on Sunday night.

"If Nitish and Modi hold on to the top post, an impartial probe won't be possible."

The scam involves a Bhagalpur-based NGO Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Limited, which provided vocational training to women.

The NGO allegedly pilfered funds meant for the government's welfare schemes from the bank accounts of the Bhagalpur district administration.

Following the RJD's demand, the Chief Minister on August 17 recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter.
Pyongyang, Aug 21 : North Korea has warned Australia that it has committed a "suicidal act" by committing its troops to help the US in any conflict over Pyongyang's nuclear programme and by joining military exercises with US and South Korean forces.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier this month vowed that his country's military would fight alongside the US if the latter was attacked by North Korea. He said last week that Australia and the US were joined at the hip on defence matters.

Citing an unnamed official from the North Korean Foreign Ministry, KCNA said Turnbull's show of support for Washington, coupled with Australia's participation in the military drills, had left the country open to unspecified "counter-measures of justice" by North Korea.

"This is a suicidal act of inviting disaster, as it is an illustration of political immaturity, unaware of the seriousness of the current situation," KCNA was cited as saying by the Guardian.

In response to the warning from North Korea, Turnbull hit back on Monday, saying: "North Korea has shown it has no regard for the welfare of its own population, no regard for the security and good relations with its neighbours and no regard for international law."

Turnbull said Australia called on all countries to "redouble their efforts, including through implementation of agreed UN security council resolutions, to bring North Korea to its senses and end its reckless and dangerous threats to the peace of our region and the world".

This is the first time that Pyongyang singled out the Australian government for criticism.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry official accused Turnbull of abandoning his opposition to Donald Trump's confrontational stance towards Pyongyang, and reminded him that Australia had paid a high price for its involvement in previous US wars, according to KCNA.

"Australia followed the US to the Korean war, the Vietnamese war and the 'war on terrorism', but heavy loss of lives and assets were all that it got in return," it said.

"The Australian government had better devote time and energy to maintaining peace of its own country, instead of forgetting the lessons learned in the past and joining the US in the moves for nuclear war."

Meanwhile, the South Korean and US militaries on Monday began their first major annual military exercise amid threats from Pyongyang. The Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise will conclude on August 31 and involves tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers.

The US has reduced the number of its participating service members to 17,500 from 25,000, according to the Pentagon.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : Ruia brothers-led Essar Oil (EOL) on Monday announced the closure of the company's sale, including its Vadinar refinery, to Russian state-run Rosneft-led consortium for $12.9 billion, which was followed by the appointment of a new board of directors for EOL as well as a new chief executive.

According to an Essar Oil statement, the transaction, which was initiated in 2016 on the sidelines of the BRICS leaders summit in Goa, represents the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) into India till date.

It is also Russia's single-largest foreign investment made anywhere in the world.

The deal includes acquisition of Essar Oil's 20 million tonne Vadinar refinery in Gujarat and its retail outlets, as well as the Vadinar Port at an additional $2 billion.

The first deal involves the sale of 49.13 per cent stake in Essar Oil to Petrol Complex, a subsidiary of Rosneft, while the second envisages the sale of another 49 per cent to Kesani Enterprises, owned by a consortium led by Trafigura and United Capital Partners.

The remaining 1.74 per cent stake continues to be held by retail shareholders.

Rosneft had announced in December that it would close the deal within a few weeks, but the sale got delayed owing to lenders insisting that their debts with Essar be cleared first.

"Essar Energy would also like to specially thank EOL's lenders -- State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, Axis Bank, Yes Bank, and rest of the consortium -- for supporting Essar Oil through its journey of over two decades that has now culminated in this value-accretive transaction," the statement said.

"We have substantially deleveraged our portfolio companies' balance sheets, reducing debt by over $11 billion, or Rs 70,000 crore," Essar Capital Director Prashant Ruia said.

Elaborating on this in a subsequent release, Essar said that it "has paid circa $5 billion (Rs 32,000 crore) to lenders to repay debt at Holdco level, debt of circa $5.4 billion (Rs 34,400 crore) in EOL, VOTL and VPCL has become non-Essar exposure.

"Further circa $600 million (Rs 4,000 crore) has been used to repay Indian lenders at operating company level (Essar Oil Limited, VOTL and VPCL)."

Commenting on the development, ICICI Bank Chief Executive Chanda Kochhar said in a statement: "ICICI Bank has played a key role through the entire process of completion of the transaction since it was announced in October last year. This transaction reduces ICICI Bank's exposure to the Essar Group by about 50 per cent."

Following the closure of the sale, Essar Oil announced the appointment of a new board of directors and chief executive officer.

"The new board will be chaired by Tony Fountain who brings 30 years of industry experience having held senior roles with BP, Reliance Industries in India and currently with the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and ATCO, one of Canada's major energy companies," a statement said here.

It also named B. Anand as the new Chief Executive Officer of the company with immediate effect.

According to the statement, Anand has over 30 years' experience in corporate finance, investment banking and in the commodity trading industry. He was earlier Chief Financial Officer of Trafigura India since 2012. Prior to Trafigura, Anand was Group Director of Finance for the Future Group and also held senior positions with Vedanta Resources Group.
Abuja, Aug 21 : Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said his government will work to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight against terror group Boko Haram, which is attempting attacks on soft targets.

Buhari, in his first official broadcast to the nation since returning from a 104-day medical vacation in London, urged security agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months in the fight against Boko Haram be a sign to relax, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that we can live in peace and safety," said the 74-year-old retired Army General and former head of the military government.

Nigeria last Tuesday launched a military force to enhance the security network against Boko Haram, particularly in the northeast region.

Named "special mobile strike force", the troops deployed from various military units are expected to bring vigour into the renewed onslaught against Boko Haram, which has killed more than 20,000 and displaced 2.3 million people in its attacks since 2009.

The special military team became necessary as one of the new approaches evolved by the military to end acts of terrorism in the West African country, an official said.

Soldiers deployed to the force were exposed to modern terrorism combat techniques to enable them to crush the Boko Haram fighters, deny them freedom of action and finally decimate them.

The Nigerian troops in the past two months intensified the campaign against the terrorists, killing and arresting dozens of Boko Haram fighters. A bomb factory in Borno state was also destroyed.

The President flew out of Nigeria on May 7 on medical vacation and got a rousing welcome upon his arrival in Abuja on Saturday.
Ankara, Aug 22 : Turkish security forces on Monday thwarted a bomb attack planned by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants, according to an official statement.

The gendarmerie forces carried out an operation after receiving intelligence that the militants were planning a bomb attack in the eastern province of Van, Xinhua news agency cited the statement as saying.

The forces have destroyed a vehicle with explosion devices and killed the two PKK militants onboard in the Gurpinar district of Van province.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the European Union, resumed its armed campaign against the Turkish government in July 2015.

Since then, some 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians have been killed in PKK attacks, while more than 7,000 PKK members were killed during government operations across Turkey and northern Iraq.
Madrid, Aug 22 : Spanish police on Monday said they have killed eight suspected terrorists, including the driver of the van, and detained four of the 12-member terror cell behind Catalan region's twin attacks.

According to Xinhua, Catalan police confirmed that it has shot and killed Younes Abouyaaqoub, the man confirmed as the author of Thursday's terror attack which killed 14 people in Barcelona.

"We confirm that the man shot down in #Surirats is Younes Abouyaaqoub, author of the terrorist attack in #Barcelona," said the Mossos d'Esquadra regional police on their official Twitter account.

Abouyaaqoub, 22, was shot in the town of Subirats, which is around 50 kilometres to the southwest of Barcelona.

Abouyaaqoub was wearing a fake explosive belt, Spain's anti-terrorist sources were quoted as saying.

The Mossos' bomb disposal unit (TEDAX) used a robot to approach the belt and sources close to the investigation told Efe that they had determined it was fake.

The police operation began at 16:00 local time after Catalan police had "received information of a suspicious person in Subirats".

According to local media, a woman in Subirats recognised Abouyaaqoub and called the police, who had previously warned he was dangerous and probably armed.

Earlier in the day, Catalan interior minister Joaquin Forn confirmed on Catalan local radio that Abouyaaqoub was the "the driver of the van" which ploughed into crowds of people on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, killing 13 and injuring over 120 others.

Meanwhile, five terrorists were shot by police as they carried out the attack in Cambrils in the early hours of Friday morning. The other four were arrested and are in police custody.

"So far there are 4 detainees and 8 suspected dead terrorists regarding the attacks of #Barcelona and #Cambrils," Catalan police tweeted.

Following the attack in Barcelona, five men believed to be part of the same terror cell drove a car into crowds in the seaside town of Cambrils while sporting fake bomb belts.

They were shot dead by police on the scene after killing one person and injuring five others.

Earlier on Monday, the TEDAX had removed around 120 butane canisters from a house in the seaside resort of Alcanar, where the alleged terror cell made up of 12 attackers, including Abouyaaqoub, had been assembling bombs to be used in their attacks.

However, the house where the bombs were being prepared suffered an accidental explosion that investigators think prompted the cell to opt for vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils instead.

One suspect linked to the house was arrested and provided interrogators with relevant information that advanced the investigation, Mossos chief Josep LluAs Trapero said.

Investigators had "very relevant and solid evidence" that an imam, Abdelbaki al-Satty, who could have been one of the organisers of the attacks, was killed in the explosion.

Al-Satty, who was an imam in Ripoll and, according to one of Abouyaaqoub's cousins, the person who radicalised the members of the terror cell involved in the Catalan attacks, could be one of at least two suspects who died in the blast, said Trapero.

"The 12 initial targets regarding the attacks are dead or detained but that does not mean that the investigation is over. We keep working," Catalan police added.
Kabul, Aug 22 : A rocket was fired onto a diplomatic district in central Kabul late on Monday, sources and witnesses said.

"The attack occurred at around 10:10 p.m. local time and the rocket struck the Wazir Akbar Khan locality in Police District 10 of the city," witness Farouq Shah told Xinhua news agency.

Casualty was unknown yet.

He said the foreign embassies' sirens were heard shortly after the rocket landed at the fortified area.

The rocket struck near a traffic circle between Afghan Presidential Palace and the US Embassy but the area is not open for the public and no one knows what is happening there, the witness added.

Further details about the incident are still forthcoming amid the absence of any official statement.

No group has claimed responsibility yet for the attack but the Taliban insurgent group routinely claims responsibility for such attacks.
By PTI: Mandsaur (MP), Aug 22 (PTI) The police have seized poppy husk worth about Rs 1.5 crore being transported illegally in a truck in the district, an official said today.

A police team was deployed for routine checking at Fatehgarh on Mhow-Neemuch four-lane road here when the truck driver, upon noticing the security personnel, left the vehicle and fled from the spot last night, Bhaugarh police station in-charge Shrigopal Suryawanshi told reporters today.

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During a search, the police found 105 bags carrying poppy husk placed in the truck between sacks of de-oiled cakes of soyabean.

The seized poppy husk weighed over 26 quintals and was worth around Rs 1.5 crore, he said.

The truck belongs to a man from Jodhpur in neighbouring Rajasthan, he said.

A search has been launched for the absconding truck driver, the police official added. PTI COR MAS GK RYS

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Washington, Aug 22 : US President Donald Trump has said that he wants to further develop strategic partnership with India to achieve country's goals in Afghanistan, saying American troops "will fight to win" and "from now on victory will have a clear definition."

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade from the United States, and we want them to help us war with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," CNN quoted Trump as saying on Tuesday.

Trump on Tuesday detailed several of the US's goals in Afghanistan, including "obliterating IS", "preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan" and strengthen Afghan security forces.

He noted that "the stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do."

The US President also vowed to change the country's approach to dealing with Pakistan, promising to crack down on Pakistan's harbouring of terrorist and militant groups.

Trump promised that Pakistan has "much to gain" from partnering with the US, but also warned "it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists."

"They are housing the very terrorists we are fighting," Trump said, noting that the US gives Pakistan billions of dollars.

"That will have to change and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of terrorists."

Trump also said the US would pressure India to increase its support for Afghan economic development.

Trump's plan involves a modest increase of several thousand troops.

According to Pentagon, additional troops, above current levels of about 8,500, would serve very specific purposes, including boosting training, capacity-building and allowing advisers to work more closely with Afghan soldiers along the front lines.

The increase was effectively approved in June, when Trump gave Defense Secretary James Mattis the go-ahead to boost levels by as many as 3,900 troops.

US commanders would bring in additional advisers to support Afghan special forces, the Afghan air force and the Afghan army and police professional schools, such as the infantry and artillery schools, the report said.
Pyongyang, Aug 22 : The North Korean military on Tuesday threatened to respond in a ruthless way to the annual military exercise between South Korea and the US that began on Monday.

North Korea said it considered the maneouvres "extremely dangerous reckless action", Efe news reported.

The Kim Jong-un regime said it cannot avoid a "ruthless retaliation" as the allies have disregarded its warnings, warranting "merciless punishment", a statement released by the North Korean KCNA news agency said.

Amid one of the worst escalations between Pyongyang and Washington, South Korea and the US on Monday began their annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military exercises, involving about 67,500 soldiers.
Srinagar, Aug 22 : A gunfight erupted on Tuesday between militants and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said.

As soon as the security forces cordoned off Hingnikoot area following information about the presence of the militants, they were fired at, triggering the fighting.

"Initial reports said three to four militants were hiding," the police added.
Singapore, Aug 22 : Search operations continued on Tuesday to locate the 10 American sailors who were reported missing after a collision between the US destroyer USS John S. McCain and a merchant vessel in waters near the Strait of Malacca.

The search operation involves aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS America, along with coordination from local authorities, including ships and planes from the Malaysian and Singaporean Navies, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement.

The Royal Malaysian Navy contributes the KD Handalan ship, two coastal patrol craft, and two Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency vessels, while Singapore brings the Noble Pearl and Noble Knight patrol ships to the rescue operation, according to the statement.

In addition to the 10 missing sailors, the US Navy said five were injured in the collision. Four of those were flown to a hospital in Singapore with non-life threatening injuries.

The crash between the guided-missile destroyer and the Alnic MC merchant vessel, a 30,000-tonne Liberian-flagged oil tanker, occurred early Monday morning.

The USS John S. McCain sustained significant hull damage, resulting in flooding of compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms, the statement added.

The US Navy ship arrived on Monday evening at Singapore's Changi Naval Base, where crew members began the task of pumping water out of the ship and restoring its auxiliary systems, in addition to assessing the damage in the hull by divers, the statement said.

The search for the missing sailors is centred on an area east of the Straits of Malacca, near the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca.

The collision marks the fourth incident involving a US Navy warship in the Pacific this year. On June 17, the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan. The incident resulted in the deaths of seven US sailors. The Fitzgerald will be taken to the US for repairs.

On May 9, the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain was struck by a small fishing boat off the Korean Peninsula.

In late January, the guided missile cruiser USS Antietam ran aground while trying to anchor in Tokyo Bay.
New York, Aug 22 : US President Donald Trump has declared that he sees a "critical" role for India in his country's South Asia strategy for fighting terrorism and building up a safe Afghanistan.

With India "we are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region," he said on Monday outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan and the region.

Speaking to 2,000 US military personnel at Fort Myer, near Washington, he also warned that Islamabad's continued backing for terrorists could lead to a clash with India.

Accusing Pakistan of giving "safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror," he said that the "threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen."

Trump's approach to India outlined in the speech was in stark contrast to the stern warning he delivered to Pakistan that "it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists."

A "critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the world's largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the US," he said.

In Afghanistan, he said he wanted India's help, but at the same time he made it appear a transactional issue by referring to India's trade with the US making it sound like a quid pro quo for helping with Afghanistan.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the US," he said.

"We want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development."

India pledged a $1 billion package for Afghanistan in 2016.

Kabul's parliament costing $90 million was built by India, symbolic of its commitment to Afghanistan's democracy and it has been attacked by the Taliban.

Among the various development projects undertaken by India, is the 215-kilometre Delaram-Zaranj highway built at a cost of over $150 million and at the cost of Indian lives, victims of terrorism.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson affirmed India's role outlined by Trump.

"India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan's political and economic modernisation," he said in a statement after Trump's speech.

The Trump statements about India came after a series of diplomatic meetings.

Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh met Tillerson earlier in August in Manila during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishanker and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had meetings in India with Alice Wells, the US Acting Assistant Secretary for South Asia, Lisa Curtis, the National Security Council Senior Director for Central and Cara Abercrombie, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Southeast Asia.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
Photo released by Oregon State University, Corvallis shows that the moon eclipses the sun during the process of a total solar eclipse over Corvallis, Oregon, the United States Image Source: Prokerala

San Francisco,Aug 22: : Last night, people in the US witnessed a once-in-lifetime event as total solar eclipse gripped the country.

Huge crowds gathered for this rare event since the last total eclipse from coast-to-coast was witnessed in the United States in 1918.

The solar eclipse created a 70-mile-wide (112-kilometre-wide) path of totality stretching from Oregon in the Pacific Northwest to South Carolina on the East Coast.

The rare astronomical event, known as Great American Eclipse, arrived at about 1:16 p.m. EDT at Salem, Oregon, with the sun's disk being seen completely blocked by the moon darkening the sky for over two minutes.

In the next two hours, it will cross 13 more US states, including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and finally South Carolina.

Observers outside the path of totality will see only a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk.

This time, US space agency NASA provided a live webcast of the event, using 11 spacecraft, at least three NASA aircraft and more than 50 high-altitude balloons.

The event marked a rare opportunity to study our sun, solar system, and Earth. It will also allow the lower parts of the sun's atmosphere, or corona, to be seen in a way that cannot completely be replicated by current human-made instruments.

"As a source of light and heat for life on Earth, scientists want to understand how our sun works, why it changes, and how these changes influence life on Earth," NASA said.

"The sudden blocking of the sun during an eclipse reduces the light and changes the temperature on the ground, creating conditions that can affect local environmental conditions and animal behaviour."

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are expected to have a partial view of the solar eclipse three times.

"My first solar eclipse from space... We're ready," Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli tweeted from the orbiting laboratory.
Manila, Aug 22 : Philippines authorities on Tuesday launched a probe to investigate the death of a 17-year-old minor during a police anti-narcotics operation last week.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is probing three police officers implicated in the shooting of Kian Loyd Delos Santos, reports Efe news.

He was shot dead the on the night of August 16 in the Manila suburb of Caloocan.

According to the official version, Santos was shot dead while trying to resist arrest and escape and a pistol and drugs were recovered from the body.

Local media reported that CCTV footage from the authorities showed Santos begging for his life while being carried by two men into an alley where his body was later found.

The report added that weapons of the three officers were undergoing ballistics tests.

Protesters took to the streets of Manila on Monday holding signs saying, "Justice for Kian", while calling for an end to extrajudicial killings and murders committed by vigilantes who are provided with immunity as part of the war on drugs.

Rodrigo Duterte had launched the controversial war on drugs on June 30, 2016, the day he assumed presidency.

The violent campaign, since then has claimed more than 7,000 lives, of them 3,451 were killed in 68,214 police operations, while 96,703 people were arrested, according to official data.
Seoul, Aug 22 : South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit Russia in September for a summit meeting with President Vladimir Putin, the Blue House said on Tuesday.

Presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said Moon would visit Vladivostok from September 6-7 to attend the upcoming Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Xinhua news agency reported.

The South Korean leader would deliver a keynote speech at the forum established in 2015, and hold a bilateral summit meeting with Putin, the spokesman said.

The EEF is a regional forum for cooperation between political and business leaders from Russia and the Asia-Pacific countries.

The South Korean President will participate in the UN General Assembly in mid-September to deliver a keynote speech during the session, according to Moon's office.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution toughening sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang's test-launch in July of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

During the UN speech, Moon will likely send a message to encourage North Korea to stop further provocation and return to a dialogue table for the denuclearised Korean Peninsula.
Washington, Aug 22 : US President Donald Trump's administration has dismissed a 15-member federal advisory committee on climate change, the media reported.

The committee members told CNN late Monday that they learned the news on August 18 via an email sent by the acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) head Benjamin Friedman.

"On behalf of the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, I am writing to inform you that per the terms of the charter the Federal Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment (Committee) will expire on August 20, 2017," the email read.

"The Department of Commerce and NOAA appreciate the efforts of the Committee and offer sincere thanks to each of the Committee members for their service."

The advisory committee was due to make recommendations to government agencies based on a

a congressionally mandated climate report. The federal report, required every four years, provides a comprehensive statement from the scientific community on where the nation stands in relation to climate change.

The White House did not explain the decision to do away with the panel, but told CNN that "the Federal Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment was chartered in 2015 to provide advice on sustained assessment activities and products.

"Per the terms of the charter, the committee expired on August 20, 2017. The National Climate Assessment 4, which is coming out next year, is not affected by this change."

The experts who sat on the now-defunct committee warn that without their advice and guidance, the release of the federal climate report could be the equivalent of a large scientific data dump absent of useful context for a public that lacks scientific expertise.

Jessica Whitehead, a coastal communities hazards adaptation specialist in North Carolina, who also sat on the committee, told CNN" "We helped the science make sense."

Scientists have told CNN they fear that the administration might try to bury the findings of the congressionally mandated climate report.
Washington, Aug 22 : James Dresnok, the last known US soldier living in North Korea, died of a stroke aged 74 late last year, his sons have confirmed, the media reported.

Dresnok defected to North Korea in 1962 across the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) that divides the totalitarian country from South Korea, reports CNN.

Once in North Korea Dresnok was often used for propaganda purposes. He even appeared as an American villain in North Korean movies.

"My father lived in the arms of North Korea until the time of his death," Ted Dresnok said in a video was posted on Pyongyang's state-run Uriminzokkiri website on Monday.

"I have no other regrets except him (not) living longer to receive love and care from the party. My father had a truly happy life in the arms of the nation," said Dresnok's other son, James.

Both men wearing military uniforms spoke in fluent Korea.

It was unclear when the video was made, or whether the two men appeared under duress, CNN reported.

The Dresnok sons, believed to be in their 30s, appeared in another video last year, blaming "American imperialism" for tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Dresnok explained his decision to defect in a 2006 documentary, "Crossing the Line".

He told British filmmakers Daniel Gordon and Nick Bonner that when he defected, he was divorced and serving on DMZ stakeout posts. He also was about to be court-martialed for forging his sergeant's signature to go see a woman.

Dresnok was among a handful of US soldiers who defected to North Korea. By the time the documentary was released, he was the only American defector left in the country.
By PTI: By Fakir Hassen

Johannesburg, Aug 22 (PTI) The poverty level of Indian- origin people in South Africa has consistently decreased over the past two decades from almost 21 per cent to under six per cent, according to official data released today.

The South African-Indian community, with about 1.4- million people, are not far behind from their white counterparts, who enjoyed special privileges in the apartheid era and have a poverty rate of just one per cent.

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Coloured (mixed race) and the majority black Africans are lagging way behind with 41 and 61 per cent respectively, latest results from Statistics South Africa (SSA) show.

Statistician-General Pali Lehohla released the Poverty Trends in South Africa report which shows that despite the general decline in poverty between 2006 and 2011, overall poverty level in South Africa rose in 2015.

Black people continued to bear the brunt of poverty but that education remains the key to escaping poverty, Lehohla told reporters.

"Three out of five blacks are poor. Poor whites are (almost) non-existent. Indians moved... we could see this in the numbers when we talked about education. (Indians) caught up with whites in education, poverty dropped and education increased," Lehola said.

"Unlike the other population groups, the proportion of poor Indians consistently decreased between 2006 and 2015, reporting a decrease of 71.8 per cent.

"It is worthwhile to note that the decrease between 2011 and 2015 was less pronounced than the decrease experienced between 2006 and 2011. Nevertheless, Indians appear to have made strong gains in the war on poverty," the report said.

Once subjected to restrictive apartheid laws, the first indentured labourers who arrived in the country from 1860 placed huge emphasis on education, pooling resources from their often meagre wages to build their own schools and send children to universities.

This practice, continued by future generations, resulted in poverty levels getting decreased over the past 167 years, with the 20.9 per cent poverty among the 1.4 million citizens of Indian-origin in 2006 having dropped to 5.9 per cent in the latest survey, the report added. PTI FH CPS

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Washington, Aug 22 : The far-right Breitbart News website, run by Donald Trump's sacked chief strategist Steve Bannon, has taken an aggressive, critical approach to the President's address over his new policy on Afghanistan.

A headline "Trump's 'America First' Base Unhappy with Flip-Flop Afghanistan Speech" on Monday night blasted the President's decision to extend the US military commitment in Afghanistan as a "flip-flop" that "reverses course", reports Politico news.

The lead of the main story contained a series of subtle digs: "President Trump unveiled his plan for Afghanistan after seven months of deliberation on Monday evening, announcing tweaks around the edges of the current strategy instead of a different approach."

Another piece was headlined "His McMaster's voice: Is Trump's Afghanistan policy different from Obama?"

It amounted to a twofer: Ripping national security adviser H.R. McMaster -- a former Bannon rival -- and likening Trump's decisions to those of his predecessor Barack Obama, Politico news reported.

Another article drilled down on similarities between the two Presidents' approaches in Afghanistan, contending that Trump "specifically echoed his predecessor's 2009 speech, after acknowledging that the war had gone on too long".

The article's author, Breitbart White House correspondent Charlie Spiering, noted in a tweet that both Trump and Obama also said their commitments would not amount to a "blank check"
Baghdad, Aug 22 : US Secretary of Defence James Mattis arrived in Iraq on Tuesday on a surprise visit.

Mattis was greeted by the Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend and US Ambassador Douglas Silliman at the Baghdad Airport, reports CNN.

Mattis will first meet with US commanders on the ground before meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Erfan al-Hiyali.

The visit comes as the Iraqi armed forces are trying to retake the city of Tal Afar which was seized by the Islamic State terror group in 2014.
Kabul, Aug 22 : The Afghan Taliban on Tuesday said its militants will continue the war against US and its allies until the US-led forces leave Afghanistan.

The statement comes after US President Donald Trump announced a new strategy to Afghanistan and South Asia, lambasting Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

"Freeing the land of Afghanistan from the American occupation is our religious obligation and national duty. We shall remain true to this duty so long as souls remain in our bodies. America should have thought about withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan instead of continuing the war," Xinhua news agency cited a Taliban statement as saying.

Trump on Monday cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops into Afghanistan.

In his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump admitted his "instinct was to pull out" as he spoke of frustration with a war that has left thousands of US troops dead and cost trillions of dollars.

The Taliban statement said Afghanistan was not "a threat to anyone and neither has anyone been harmed from our soil. Baseless allegations and falling under the influence of propaganda by intelligence agencies is in itself the source of all misery and war".

Trump on Monday also said that he sees a "critical" role for India in the South Asia strategy.

With India "we are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region," the President said.

He noted that a rapid exit of the US troops from Afghanistan was "unacceptable" and his new strategy would shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground.

The Taliban statement said: "If America does not withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, the day will not be far when Afghanistan shall transform into a graveyard for the American Empire and the American leaders can understand this concept."

The new plan came as fighting has escalated and Taliban insurgents and Islamic State (IS) militants have intensified their activities by launching attacks across the war-hit country.

The Taliban on Monday fired two rockets into a diplomatic area in central Kabul, causing no casualties.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court ruling on triple talaq as "historic" and said it was a victory for Muslim women and their right to live with dignity.

"I welcome this historical decision... This judgement is not about anyone's victory or defeat. This is the victory of basic Constitutional rights of Muslim women and their right to live with equality," Shah said in a statement.

Shah said that by declaring triple talaq as "unconstitutional", the Supreme Court had given crores of Muslim women the right to live with self respect.

"It is the beginning of new era for the Muslim women to live with self respect and equality. The BJP welcomes the rights given to the Muslim women and sees it as a step forward towards a new India," he said.

He hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for effectively presenting the case of Muslim women in the apex court.
Bhopal, Aug 22 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court's ruling on triple talaq and urged the central government to bring a legislation in the matter soon.

"I welcome the Supreme Court's ruling on triple talaq. I request the central government to bring in a legislation in this regard soon," Chouhan tweeted.

"Our sisters and daughters are suffering mental and social harassment due to this practice of triple talaq which also hinders development of modern Indian society," he said in another tweet.

The apex court on Tuesday held triple talaq being practised by the Muslim community as "unconstitutional", "arbitrary" and "not part of Islam".

A five-judge constitutional bench by a 3:2 majority judgement said there is no constitutional protection for triple talaq. The top court also asked the government to come out with a law in this regard within six months.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to jointly conduct capacity building exercises in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications regulation.

The agreement would help both regulators to work closely in enhancing mutual cooperation and bilateral relations, an official statement from TRAI stated.

The agreement will facilitate exchange of information and regulatory best practices in the fields of broadcasting and telecommunications, including new and emerging areas.

It will also help in exchange, deployment and attachment of experts from both the countries.

"Collaboration in various international forums, including, but not limited to, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU)," the statement said.
Beijing, Aug 22 : China on Tuesday said there will be "utter chaos" if its troops entered India on the pretext that Indian border infrastructure posed a threat to Beijing.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said India's logic that Chinese road building in Doklam on the border posed a threat to New Delhi was "ridiculous and vicious".

It said China would in no way allow any country or individual to infringe upon its territorial sovereignty.

"The Indian side illegally crossed the boundary on the excuse of ... Chinese road building. The reason is ridiculous, vicious and facts are clear," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

"You may think about it. If we tolerate India's ridiculous logic, then anyone who dislikes the activity at his neighbour's home can break into its neighbour's house.

"Does that mean when China thinks that large-scale construction of infrastructure at the border area of India is posing a threat, it can enter Indian territory? Wouldn't that be utter chaos?"

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked since June in a stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the Bhutan-China border.

This is the longest stand-off between the two armies since 1987 when they faced a similar situation at Somordong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.

It all began when Indian troops stopped Chinese troops from building a road in Doklam, citing the disputed status of the territory.

Doklam is claimed by Bhutan, which has protested against Chinese road building.

China says the construction of the road is just since Doklam has been Chinese territory since ancient times.

New Delhi backs Bhutan's claims and sees a Chinese road in Doklam as a threat because the region is very close to the Siliguri Corridor, which connects India's northeast with the rest of the country.
Baghdad, Aug 22 : The UN has urged better care for thousands of women and girls who survived sexual violence by the Islamic State militant group, the media reported on Tuesday.

According to a report, the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN rights office have warned that children born as a result of the sexual violence risked facing a lifetime of discrimination and abuse, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The physical, mental and emotional injuries inflicted by (IS) are almost beyond comprehension," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said.

Tuesday's report pointed to the horrific abuse suffered by women and girls in IS-controlled areas, including rape, abduction, slavery and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.

The women were sold and traded across the jihadists' self-proclaimed "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq. Around 3,000 are believed to remain in captivity.

The UN report said Baghdad was responsible under domestic and international law to prosecute the perpetrators and help ensure reparations for the victims.
Bishkek, Aug 22 : Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Sooronbay Jeenbekov and his cabinet, the presidential press service said on Tuesday.

Jeenbekov on Monday announced his resignation, clearing the way for his participation in the country's upcoming presidential elections as a candidate, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Monday registered Jeenbekov as a candidate for the presidency of Kyrgyzstan.

According to the law, after registration as a presidential candidate, the Prime Minister must either resign or temporarily resign before the end of elections.

Atambayev's acceptance of Jeenbekov's resignation means the process of forming a new government will now begin.

All current cabinet members except Jeenbekov will continue to fulfil their duties until a new cabinet is formed. Muhammetkaliy Abulgaziev, who previously held the post of first Deputy Prime Minister, has been appointed as Acting Prime Minister.

So far, 59 people have applied to run as candidates in the upcoming presidential elections. The registration process will last till September 5 and the election is scheduled for October 15.

According to the Kyrgyz Constitution, the President runs office for six years and is not allowed for re-election.

President Atambayev's term will end on December 1.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said there was need for society to reform and that the AIMPLB would meet in Bhopal early next month to take a view on the apex court judgment on triple talaq.

Reacting to the Supreme Court majority judgement striking down the practice of instant talaq, he said, "Judicial pronouncements and law ... experience tells us that what is needed is that society should reform. Reform on the ground should come from society."

He asked whether the courts will bring in social reforms which the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) was doing on the ground.

Owaisi said the AIMPLB would be meeting in Bhopal early next month and take a view on the apex court judgement.
The troops expressed their joy over getting the Presidential colours from their new Supreme Commander on his maiden visit outside the national capital.

By Manjeet Negi: Amid the ongoing crisis with China along the borders, President Ramnath Kovind on Monday presented his colours to all five battalions of the Ladakh Scouts.

The Ladakh Scouts is a regiment comprising of men from the high and treacherous mountain ranges from the Ladakh region. On the momentous occasion for the Regiment, AajTak interacted with the legends of the unit including Mahavir Chakra awardee Sonam Wangchuk of the Kargil War and Ashok Chakra awardee Tshering Mutup who won his gallantry award in Siachen operations.

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"We had performed our role perfectly during the Kargil war and driven them away from our land in 1999. If, today, again we are required to do so, we will again do it against any enemy on any border," Wangchuk said when asked about the situation on the borders with China and reports of their incursion in parts of Ladakh.

As our team interacted with the bravehearts, the troops expressed their joy over getting the Presidential colours from their new Supreme Commander on his maiden visit outside the national capital.

WHAT IS LADAKH SCOUTS?

Mutup, who every year takes part in the Republic Day parade as retired recipient of country's highest gallantry awards, also said that even if required to fight a war now, he would do as his courage and motivation is high. Ladakh Scouts was earlier not the part of the Indian Army, but after their exemplary valour shown during the Kargil war, all the units were included as part of the regular army. Due to rising tensions with China along the over 4,000 kilometer-long the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian forces seem to be prepared for taking on any challenge in this mountainous land. Recently, the tensions and worries about skirmishes between the two Asian giants rose after the Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a scuffle near the Pangong lake when the Chinese tried to enter into the Indian side of the lake.

--- ENDS ---
Kabul, Aug 22 : Afghan President Ashraf Gahni on Tuesday welcomed the new strategy announced by US President Donald Trump.

"I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism," Xinhua news agency quoted the Afghan President as saying.

"The decision shows an enduring commitment by Afghanistan's foundational partner in this global conflict," Ghani said.

Revealing his new Afghan strategy, Trump on Monday said a rapid exit of the US troops from Afghanistan was "unacceptable" and his new Afghanistan strategy would shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground.

"The US-Afghan partnership is stronger than ever in overcoming the threat of terrorism that threatens us all. The strength of our security forces should show the Taliban and others that they cannot win a military victory. The objective of peace is paramount. Peace remains our priority," Ghani said.

The statement said the Afghan government welcomed renewed US emphasis on seeing security in the war-torn country as part of a wider regional package.

It said the strategy complemented Afghan initiatives including the Kabul Process that seek to engage the region in sharing common security burdens.

Presidential Palace spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi said Afghanistan as a strategic partner of the US welcomed the new strategy and supported regional cooperation in the war on terror.
Patna, Aug 22 : The Bihar Assembly was adjourned on Tuesday amid uproar by opposition RJD legislators demanding resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi over the Rs 1,000 crore Srijan scam.

Soon after the house assembled, the Rashtriya Janata Dal legislators, with placards in their hands, shouted slogans against the scam in which crores of rupees of government funds were transferred to private bank accounts with the help of an NGO.

Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary adjourned the house till 2 p.m. after repeated attempts to pacify the RJD legislators failed.

Earlier, the RJD legislators protested in the portico of the legislative assembly.

"RJD will continue to protest in the state assembly and will not allow it to function till Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi resign," said Bhai Virender, a vocal RJD legislator, who is also party spokesperson.

The RJD had on Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session, also disrupted the proceedings in the assembly.

"Both of them should resign as Srijan scam happened in their knowledge and they protected the main accused," said Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav.

Calling it a "mega scam", he said it was not confined to Bhagalpur district alone but that its links were spread in several districts.

The scam involves a Bhagalpur-based NGO Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Limited, which provided vocational training to women.

The NGO allegedly pilfered funds meant for the government's welfare schemes from the bank accounts of the Bhagalpur district administration.

Following the RJD's demand, the Chief Minister on August 17 recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter.

According to Bihar Police chief P.K. Thakur, so far 18 people have been arrested and 11 FIRs lodged, including nine in Bhagalpur and one each in Saharsa and Banka districts, in connection with the scam.
Panaji, Aug 22 : The theories of the Goa Police over two madmen and a herd of cattle responsible for religious desecrations across the state is "too much of a coincidence", a fact-finding panel endorsed by the Goa church said on Tuesday.

"It is too much of a co-incidence that two madmen are desecrating crosses in Goa without a motive," the report which was released by the Council for Social Justice and Peace, a church-run NGO said.

Rebutting the police theory that a herd of cattle was responsible for the breaking of a cross at Chimbel village last month, the report has accused the police of trying to hide evidence.

"Clearly, there is an angle that even the police may be hiding evidence. The incident leaves room for doubt of political manipulation and possible police complicity. The police were seen trying to construct a theory and building evidence around that."

The police had arrested a taxi driver, Francis Pereira, in connection with the desecration of over 60 crosses as well as other Catholic icons and two Hindu idols.

It was claimed that Pereira was of "unsound mind" and was responsible for more than 100 desecrations across the state over a decade.

Police also tracked down a Jharkhand native for desecration of 12 crosses in Ponda sub-district's Madkai constituency, last month, but said that he was unwell and would be brought to Goa later.

The fact-finding report is unwilling to buy the police theory.

"The police are either under tremendous political pressure to close or are unwilling to get to the real culprits," it said.

The report also accused Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar of "gross negligence of his Constitutional duty" especially in view of hate speeches made by Hindu leaders, who demanded hanging of beef-eaters.

"The Chief Minister of Goa, in gross negligence of his Constitutional duty, acquiesced the hate crimes on the ground of freedom of expression stating that he was not responsible for every statement made by any person," the report said

"The fact finding team recommends constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Bombay High Court or the Supreme Court to impartially investigate the desecration and bring to justice all involved in the crime.

"Such an investigation should explore the political angles and the state of communal tensions now prevalent in Goa," it added.
Patna/New Delhi, Aug 22 : The CBI on Tuesday filed supplementary chargesheet against former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammed Shahabuddin in connection with the murder of Bihar-based journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, an official said.

Shahabuddin, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May-end, is now lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi.

The probe agency filed the chargesheet in a special CBI court in Bihar's Muzaffarpur under charges of criminal conspiracy, murder and arms act.

The former MP was on May 26 named by the CBI as one of the 10 accused in the murder of Ranjan, who hailed from Bihar's Siwan district.

The case was handed over to the CBI in September last year after the slain journalist's widow Asha Ranjan and his father Radhe Krishna Chaudhary repeatedly alleged that Shahabuddin was behind the murder.

The suspicion over Shahbuddin's involvement deepened after names of two of his henchmen, Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Javed, surfaced during investigation.

A chargesheet has been filed against six of the accused. Javed and Kaif are on bail and Shahabuddin has been made the 10th accused.

Police in Bihar had earlier claimed that the murder was the result of "premediated conspiracy".

Informed sources claimed that Rajdeo Ranjan had become a "threat" for criminals because of his news reports against the deteriorating law and order condition in Siwan.

Shahabuddin was in jail when the journalist was gunned down in Siwan while returning from office on May 13, 2016.

Shahabuddin, facing 39 criminal cases including those of kidnapping and murder, was shifted to Tihar Jail on February 18.
Sydney, Aug 22 : The Crown Prince of Denmark was denied entry to a popular bar when he visited the Australian state of Queensland, the media reported on Tuesday.

Not even royal status was enough to get Prince Frederik through the door at the Jade Buddha bar in Brisbane, and the future king was initially barred from entering the upmarket venue on Friday night because he was not carrying an identification card, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Crown Prince, whose wife is the popular Australian-born Princess Mary, was accompanied by an entourage of elite diplomatic protection officers when he tried to get into the trendy bar, who stopped the security at the door from pestering the Crown Prince.

Under controversial laws introduced in Queensland in July, all licensed bar owners who trade past midnight must install ID scanners at entry points to their venue -- and from 10 p.m. onwards, visitors can only be permitted to enter the bar once they have scanned their ID.

Prince Frederik was eventually allowed to enter the venue, once officers proved his identity and convinced bouncers they would not be breaking the law by allowing him to enter.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was convinced the incident was proof the new laws had been implemented effectively, but was quick to warmly welcome the 49-year-old prince to her state.

"I'm pleased Prince Frederik chose Brisbane for a safe night out," Palaszczuk said to parliament on Tuesday.

"The Prince obviously did not take great offence to this, as he returned a short time later and was granted entry. The government is not aware of any complaints made by the prince or his protection unit."

The Danish Crown Prince, who is in Australia for a sailing event, has made multiple visits to the country since meeting his wife 17 years ago at the Slip Inn bar in the Sydney CBD.
Doha, Aug 22 : Qatar strongly criticised Saudi Arabia for imposing restrictions on flights transporting Qatari Haj pilgrims to the kingdom, the media reported on Tuesday.

"Limiting the transfer of Qatari pilgrims to Saudi Arabian Airlines is unprecedented, illogical, surprising and contravenes the teachings of Islam," Xinhau news agency quoted Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Rumaihi, the ministry's information office director, as saying in a statement.

The strongly worded statement came as Saudi Arabia said Qatari pilgrims could travel to the kingdom to perform Haj only by taking Saudi airlines.

"It is usual and customary for pilgrims from any country to be transported by the national air, land and sea travel organisations in that country, in addition to other foreign means of transportation, with the latter taking place as part of the national Haj mission," the statement said.

The Qatari official highlighted the need to separate Haj from political differences and avoid hindering Haj performance by imposing conditions that affect the sovereignty of states or the rights and dignity of their citizens.

Doha earlier denied a claim by Saudi Arabian Airlines that Qatari authorities refused to allow one of its flights to land inside the country.

Saudi Arabia, together with the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a full blockade on it in June, citing Doha's support for terrorism and interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbours.

But Saudi reopened its land border with Qatar last week to allow access to the kingdom by Qatari Haj pilgrims, despite the blockade.

Saudi has also allocated seven flights of its national carrier to bring pilgrims from Qatar, whose national carrier Qatar Airways is barred from flying to the kingdom due to the blockade.
Washington/New Delhi, Aug 22 : President Donald Trump has unveiled his long-awaited Afghanistan policy, warning the US will take action within Pakistan if it did not stop backing terrorists battling American forces. And in a first for an American President, Trump brought India directly into the equation by assigning a strategic role for New Delhi.

In an address to the nation on Monday from Fort Myer near Washington, Trump put long-time ally Pakistan on notice with a virtual ultimatum that it "has much to lose" by backing terrorists.

He accused Islamabad of sheltering "the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people".

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars, at the same time they are housing the very terrorists we are fighting. But that will have to change and that will change immediately."

In an implied warning to Islamabad, he added: "These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide - that no place is beyond the reach of American arms."

Trump also asked India "to help us more with Afghanistan" and said a "critical part of the South Asia strategy for America was to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the world's largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the US".

The new US policy, a reversal of Trump's threats during the Presidential campaign to quit Afghanistan, was hailed by Kabul and New Delhi. But the Taliban denounced it -- so did leading figures in Pakistan.

Trump presented his strategy for the 16-year Afghanistan war, three weeks before the anniversary of 9/11 attacks on the US by the Al Qaeda which was then based in that country.

He said from the Oval Office he now saw things differently after receiving advice on Afghanistan.

But he stuck to a core tenet of his policy, limiting American missions: "We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists."

The Taliban warned on Tuesday that the US would lose many more lives in Afghanistan.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan soon, Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said.

India, which enjoys close ties with Kabul, welcomed Trump's "determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists".

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he was "grateful" to Trump "for this affirmation of support for our efforts to achieve self-reliance and for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism".

There was no reaction from the Pakistan government but leading politicians slammed Trump.

"Blaming Pakistan will not win the war for the US in Afghanistan nor will embracing (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi," said Shireen Mazari, a PTI member in the National Assembly.

Trump declared: "We will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in far away lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image - those days are now over."

"The next pillar of our new strategy is a change in our approach to Pakistan," he said. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond."

He added he would not set any timetables as his predecessor Barack Obama had.

"From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating IS (Islamic State), crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

The other danger he saw was from Pakistan's backing for terrorists against India. "The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict."

He said he wanted India's help but made it appear a transactional issue by referring to New Delhi's trade with the US.

India pledged a $1 billion package for Afghanistan in 2016.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson affirmed India's role outlined by Trump.

"India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan's political and economic modernisation," he said.
Mumbai, Aug 22 : Veteran actress Shabana Azmi has welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling on triple talaq and says the judgement is a victory for brave Muslim women in the country.

"I welcome the Supreme Court judgement on instant Triple Talaq. It's a victory for brave Muslim women who have waged a battle against it for years," Shabana tweeted on Tuesday.

The apex court, by a 3:2 majority judgment, held triple talaq being practised by the Muslim community as "unconstitutional", "arbitrary" and "not part of Islam".

Shabana is also a social activist and is active in supporting child survival and fighting AIDS and injustice in real life. She had participated in several plays and demonstrations denouncing communalism.

Among the social groups whose causes she has advocated are slum dwellers, displaced Kashmiri Pandit migrants and victims of the earthquake at Latur. The 1993 Mumbai riots appalled her and she emerged as a forceful critic of religious extremism.

In 1998, the United Nations Population Fund appointed her as its Goodwill Ambassador for India.

She also runs the NGO Mijwan Welfare Society. The foundation was started by Kaifi Azmi, Shabana's father. It has advanced from 40 to 300 craftswomen.

The NGO was launched with the goal of creating employment opportunities for women, and reviving the art of chikankari embroidery.
London, Aug 22 : The British government will on Tuesday unveil proposals for solving cross-border legal disputes after Britain leaves the European Union.

The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEu) said that under the proposals, families, businesses and individuals living and working across Britain and the EU will resolve disputes "in a clear and sensible way", Xinhua news agency reported.

The future partnership paper on civil judicial cooperation will cover plans for handling consumer disputes and those of businesses and investors.

"These could relate to issues such as a small business that has been left out of pocket by a supplier based in another EU country, a consumer who wants to sue a business in another country for a defective product they have purchased online, or a person who needs to settle divorce, child custody or maintenance issues with a family member who is living in a different EU country," explained a DExEu spokesman.

"With more and more families living across borders, we need to make absolutely sure that if and when problems arise, they can be reassured that cross-border laws will apply to them in a fair and sensible way," the department said.

The DExEu said the position paper will help to bring clarity to those involved in such disputes about which country's courts will hear a case, which country's law will be used to resolve it and that a judgement obtained in one country can be recognised and enforced in another.

Britain is currently part of the EU's civil judicial cooperation system, meaning families living in different parts of the EU have had a clear set of rules to manage cross-border disputes.
Mumbai, Aug 22 : Muslim intellectuals and religious scholars on Tuesday gave a mixed reaction to the Supreme Court verdict on Triple Talaaq. Most urged that before enacting a law, the government must solicit the views and opinion of all sections of the community.

They said the government must consult Islamic scholars, Muslim intellectuals of all sections and take into consideration their views, objections or suggestions before framing the new law, as stipulated by the apex court.

Maulana Moin Miya, a well-known Islamic scholar and Jamia Kadriya Ashrafiya President, said: "We respect the judgement but it's going to be a herculean task to implement this on the ground."

"Now it's in the hands of the government to frame a suitable law. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation saying 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. Hence, they must ensure that the proposed law is acceptable to the entire Muslim community, including the women," Maulana Miya told IANS.

Congress MP Hussain Dalwai described the verdict as "historic" for granting equality to all Muslim women, and all must try to understand it so that the womenfolk did not have to suffer anymore due to Triple Talaaq.

"This is an opportunity to the entire community to bring in place a just and fair law to regulate marriages and divorces. Triple Talaaq messages were being sent on SMS and WhatsApp, which Holy Quran never prescribed.

"Now, India is set to join the league of Muslim nations like Turkey, Morocco, Iraq, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which have codified divorce, protecting the rights of both men and women," Dalwai said.

Social crusader and women activist Trupti Desai, President of Bhumata Ranragini Brigade, termed it as "the first step towards achieving full equality for Muslim women".

"The existing law was discriminatory against women and it's good that the Supreme Court has struck it down. Now, Parliament will enact suitable law which will enable all-round progress of the Muslim women, and all must welcome it," Desai said.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Maulana Sayed Atahar Ali, while welcoming the verdict, said if the new law was not acceptable to the Board, then it would challenge it.

"The AIMPLB members will hold a meeting in Bhopal next month to study the implications of the SC verdict and decide the future course of action," Maulana Ali told IANS.

A woman Muslim activist and academician from Thane, Afroz A. Shaikh said the verdict was "truly great", one that strengthened people's faith in the judiciary.

"The rights of the Muslim women masses have been protected and saved. This will unshackle and free the 150 million Muslim women in India from slavery," Shaikh said.

Former police official and President of Awami Vikas Party Shamsher Khan Pathan demanded that the AIMPLB be dissolved immediately for its failure to safeguard the community's interests.

"First, they failed to bring awareness of the real teachings of Holy Quran with respect to Triple Talaaq. Second, they misrepresented facts before the Supreme Court and justified the instant Triple Talaaq. After filing their affidavit, they even suggested that if a person resorted to instant Triple Talaaq, he must be socially boycotted," Pathan elaborated.

He added that subsequently, the AIMPLB even wanted the Qazis (Muslim clerics) to direct the bridegroom during "Nikaah" to avoid giving instant Triple Talaaq if there were differences with his wife.

But, the AIMPLB never directly denounced instant Triple Talaaq, so its leaders must be removed and the organisation disbanded, and the Muslim community must ensure that persons like Vali Rehmani should be kept away from this entire issue, Pathan told IANS.

Jamiat-E-Ulema's Gulzar Azmi, however, felt that the apex court order was very disappointing and one that interfered with Muslim Personal Law.

"Although Triple Talaaq is bad and there are various restrictions on instant Triple Talaq, it is permissible under the Sharia laws," Azmi said.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) Normal banking operations in public banks may see some disruption tomorrow because of a nation-wide strike to protest against the governments proposed consolidation move besides raising other demands.

The strike has been called by unions under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU).

The Indian Banks Association (IBA) has already informed customers that functioning of branches and offices may take a hit if the strike takes off. It also asked banks to take measures in advance to minimise the impact.

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Deposit and withdrawal in bank branches, cheque clearance, NEFT and RTGS transactions will be affected.

Operations at private lenders such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are expected to be normal except delay in cheque clearances.

UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

"As the conciliation meeting before the Chief Labour Commissioner failed, unions are left with no other option but to go on strike. There was no assurance from the government and the management of banks," AIBOC General Secretary D T Franco said.

All attempts to hammer out solutions to the demands raised by the unions yielded no result and hence, UFBU decided to proceed with the proposed strike on August 22, he said.

Other demands include no write-off policy for non- performing assets (NPAs) of corporate loans, declaring wilful default of loans as criminal offence and implementation of recommendations of Parliamentary Committee on recovery of NPAs, AIBEA General Secretary C H Venkatchalam said.

NOBW Vice-President Ashwini Rana said the government should provide overtime for additional work during demonetisation.

He also suggested that banks should not pass on the burden of corporate NPAs to bank customers by hiking charges.

Venkatchalam felt that the government should abolish the Banks Board Bureau and ensure stringent measures to recover bad loans and accountability of top executives.

UFBU, which claims membership of nearly 10 lakh across banks, requested the government for cost reimbursement of demonetisation to banks.

As many as 21 public sector banks control 75 per cent of the total business. PTI DP ARD

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi, Aug 22 : A court here on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah, arrested on charges of money laundering.

Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma rejected the bail plea after Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed it, arguing that if he will be released then he can try to tamper with evidence in the case, while Shah's counsel M.S. Khan said his client is suffering from various ailments and needed proper treatment.

Shah is a respectable person, a known political leader and chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party and will abide by any condition imposed by the court, the defence counsel said.

The Kashmiri separatist leader was arrested from Srinagar on July 25 on charges of money laundering in a case dating back to 2005 where the Delhi Police Special Cell had arrested hawala dealer, Muhammad Aslam Wani.

Wani had reportedly confessed that he had passed on hawala money amounting to Rs 2.25 crore to Shah. The ED had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against them.

The ED arrested Wani on August 6 and currently he is in judicial custody till August 31.

In the 2005 case lodged by the Special Cell, the court had acquitted co-accused Wani of the charges of criminal conspiracy and other offences but convicted him under the Arms Act.
Madrid, Aug 22 : The four surviving members of the 12-men terrorist cell responsible for attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils appeared at the Spanish National High Court here on Tuesday.

The four suspects arrived at the court around 8 a.m. (local time) after spending Monday night in the cells of the Civil Guard Headquarters in Tres Cantos town, Xinhua news agency reported.

The four face questions from High Court Judge Fernando Andreu, and are almost certain to be remanded in custody awaiting trial.

One of the terrorists, Mohamed Houli Chemal, was at a house in Alcanar where the group was believed to be preparing a bigger terrorist attack.

Dris Oukbar, Mohammed Alla and Salh Karib were arrested in Ripoll town to the north of Barcelona, where the majority of the terrorists were from.

Five other members of the terrorist cell were shot dead by police in Cambrils, two died in a gas explosion in Alcanar, and Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected driver of Thursday's deadly Barcelona van, was shot and killed by police near Subirats town on Monday.

Fifteen persons were killed and about 120 injured in the attacks.
Chennai, Aug 22 : The opposition on Tuesday demanded a floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after the AIADMK group led by jailed General Secretary V.K. Sasikala's nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran withdrew support to Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, reducing the government to a minority.

DMK Working President M.K. Stalin and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss urged Governor C.V. Rao to ask Palaniswami to prove his majority immediately in the House after the Dinakaran group said it wanted the Chief Minister changed.

Speaking to a television channel after meeting the Governor, Sasikala-Dinakaran loyalist Thangathamizh Chelvan said: "We have told the Governor that we will be taking steps to change Chief Minister Palaniswami."

The Dinakaran faction has been upset over its isolation in the ruling party whose two major factions, led by Palaniswami and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, united a day earlier. The merged party also decided to sack Sasikala as General Secretary.

Nineteen legislators belonging to the Dinakaran faction met the Governor on Tuesday at Raj Bhavan. A source said all of them would now shift to Bengaluru or Puducherry to avoid poaching by the major AIADMK factions.

Chief Minister Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister Panneerselvam reportedly went into a huddle after the Dinakaran group met the Governor. Details of their meeting or what they plan to do to counter the threat to the government were not immediately known.

Reacting to the developments, Stalin, Leader of Opposition in the House, told Rao in a letter: "Any inordinate delay in asking the Chief Minister to prove his majority will pave the way for continuance of an unconstitutional government and it will destabilise the democratic norms and precedents established in demonstrating the confidence of the House."

He said this will give room for "evil practice of horse-trading" which he added was seen when Palaniswami proved his majority earlier.

PMK's Ramadoss said the 19 legislators belonging to the Dinakaran group had told the Governor that they had withdrawn support to the government. And so, the AIADMK government had lost legislative majority.

The AIADMK had 134 members in the assembly (excluding the Speaker). Ramadoss said this number had now fallen to 115.

Ramadoss said three legislators belonging to other parties who fought the 2016 elections under the AIADMK's "two leaves" symbol had also expressed support to Dinakaran.

As a result, the total number of AIADMK legislators supporting the government was only 112, less than the number needed for a legislative majority, he said.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly has 234 seats. One seat is vacant due to the death of AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa.

The DMK has 89 members, the Congress 8 and the IUML-1. Speaker P. Dhanapal has only a casting vote in a tie. The DMK, Congress and IUML are in an alliance.

On Monday, the two major AIADMK factions finally came together after months of bickering between Palaniswami and Panneerselvam.

In a deal worked out between them, Palaniswami will continue to head the government while Panneerselvam -- who has been Chief Minister thrice -- will become the Deputy Chief Minister and also the numero uno in the united AIADMK.

A collective leadership drawn from the two factions will overrun the merged AIADMK.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : Indian Army chief, Gen. Bipin Rawat on Tuesday reviewed the security in Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh, days after a skirmish took place between Indian and Chinese troops in the area, defence sources said.

Rawat met troops, visited a few forward areas, and was satisfied with the security situation.

The Army chief, who reached Ladakh on Sunday and on Monday attended an event where five battalions of Ladakh Scouts were awarded President's Colours award by President Ram Nath Kovind, came back to Delhi on Tuesday afternoon after reviewing the security.

A scuffle took place between Indian and Chinese soldiers on August 15, when Chinese soldiers tried to cross the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The skirmish was first of its kind, where soldiers resorted to stone pelting and fist-cuffing, resulting in injury to troops on both sides.

A Border Personnel Meeting that took place on August 16, which saw both sides agreeing for taking steps to ensure peace along the border and leave the incidents behind, according to sources.

Meanwhile, a standoff with China in the Sikkim sector has been continuing since June 16.
Beijing, Aug 22 : China on Tuesday defended Pakistan after US President Donald Trump slammed Islamabad for harbouring terrorists.

Beijing said Pakistan was doing a good job in fighting against terror and had made great sacrifices.

In an address to the nation on Monday from Fort Myer near Washington, Trump put long-time ally Pakistan on notice with a virtual ultimatum that it "has much to lose" by backing terrorists.

Trump accused Islamabad of sheltering "the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people".

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars, at the same time they are housing the very terrorists we are fighting. But that will have to change and that will change immediately."

Reacting to Trump's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "As for Trump's remarks on Pakistan, I should say that Pakistan is on the frontline of the fight against terrorism and has made great sacrifices and contributions to fighting terrorism and making important contributions to upholding peace and stability."

"I think the international community should fully affirm (sic) the efforts in this regard by Pakistan. We are pleased to see US and Pakistan conduct cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts on the basis of mutual respect and to contribute to global peace and stability."

This is not the first time China has shielded its "all-weather" ally on the issue of terrorism. It also refused to list the mastermind of Pathankot attack Masood Azhar as an international terrorist at the UN.

(Gaurav Sharma is the Beijing-based correspondent for IANS. He can be contacted at sharmagaurav71@gmail.com and gauravians@yahoo.com)
New Delhi, Aug 22 : At a time when Chinese smartphone makers have taken a lead in the Indian market, domestic handset major Micromax is betting big on value proposition and making premium technology available to the masses.

"We will do what we have been known for -- innovation, great value for money and 'massifying' premium technology", Rahul Sharma, Co-Founder of Micromax Informatics, told IANS during an event here.

The company is aiming at making a dent in the extremely competitive Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 price segment as well as the budget sub-Rs 10,000 segment.

"We are not competing with the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S8+. We are happy addressing the larger, 90 per cent of the market here. Let us do that," Sharma added.

The heavy influx of Chinese handset makers has been a result of offering good margins to retailers.

"We will continue to be a great value for money brand and different from what others are doing," Sharma said.

Micromax launched "Infinity Canvas" smartphone on Tuesday -- its first bezel-less smartphone -- at Rs 9,999 with a display aspect ratio of 18:9, a first in this price segment.

"'Infinity' is a series for us. You can expect more phones in this line-up in the coming months," Sharma added.

The company took a brief hiatus to focus on its strengths and work on a new line-up of products.

"We have waited for a good time and understood the market. Micromax is a household name now and it has been here for the last 10 years," the top executive said.
Chandigarh, Aug 22 : Noted Punjabi poet Surjit Patar was nominated as the Punjab Kala Parishad Chairman on Tuesday, state Tourism and Culture Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said.

Patar replaced television anchor Satinder Satti.

Sidhu, who called on Patar at his residence in Ludhiana city, said it was a matter of pride for this government that Patar had agreed to this role.

"There cannot be a more able man to head this chair. He is not only an icon but a genius," an official statement quoting Sidhu said.

The minister said the state government is contemplating to constitute a "Cultural Parliament" by next month to ensure that constructive deliberations are held to devise strategies for popularising Punjabi art and culture.

Patar said he would leave no stone unturned to propagate Punjabi culture as well as literature to the village level.

"We plan to create a cultural centre comprising a library, a place for staging plays at village level. We would collaborate with the education department so that cultural icons can interact with children at the school level," he said.
Ischia (Italy), Aug 22 : Firemen on Tuesday rescued an 11-year-old boy more than 16 hours after his home on the Italian resort island of Ischia was destroyed by magnitude 4 earthquake that left two women dead. The boy's two younger brothers were pulled out alive from the rubble earlier in the day.

"Ciro is safe too!", tweeted firemen at 2.15 p.m. local time.

Ciro's rescue from beneath the rubble of the family's home in the village of Casamicciola came after firemen pulled out his baby brother, seven-month-year-old Pasquale at 4 a.m. and seven-year-old Mattia at around midday.

The two brothers survived in an air pocket under the rubble after they sheltered under their bunk beds when the house began to collapse and rescuers managed to lower bottles of water and a flashlight down to them.

All three brothers were alert when they were rescued but were taken to hospital for checks.

The boys' mother, who is reportedly pregnant, managed to escape through a window when the quake struck while their father was pulled out from beneath masonry soon afterwards.

Italy's Premier Paolo Gentiloni congratulated civil protection agency chief Angelo Borrelli and fire chief Bruno Frattasi on the rescue of the three young brothers but said the country was "united in grief" for the victims of the Ischia quake.

"Italy is united in grief and solidarity for the victims. We stand beside those involved in the rescue operations," Gentiloni wrote on Twitter.

At least two people were killed and a third person was in a critical condition while another 39 were injured and some 2,600 were left homeless by the temblor, which hit the volcanic island off Naples just before 9pm on Monday.

It is the height of the tourist season on Ischia, and Italian television showed visitors fleeing bars, hotels and restaurants to take refuge in parks when the undersea quake struck.

Many spooked holidaymakers decided to cut short their vacations and Italian authorities began organising ferries to bring tourists back to the mainland early on Tuesday.

A one-hour ferry ride from Naples, Ischia is popular with German and British tourists and is famed for its thermal waters.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has often stayed on Ischia, sent a message to the Italian government expressing her country's "heartfelt closeness to those affected (by the quake) and to rescuers."

Italian President Sergio Mattarella phoned the mayors of Casamicciola and Ischia's other quake-hit village, Lacco Ameno, to express "his condolences for the victims and solidarity with those affected", saying he would visit "as soon as possible," the Quirinale Palace said in a statement on Tuesday.

The European Union's humanitarian aid commissioner Christos Styilianides tweeted that the EU was "fully ready to help Italy following the earthquake in #Ischia".

Geologists and architects in Italy have blamed illegal building on Ischia for the collapse of residential buildings during the quake, while the local mayor have denied this charge.

Some 90 percent of houses in Casamicciola - where 2,000 people have been left homeless - have been constructed illegally on terrain prone to landslides, according to Naples daily Il Mattino.
New Delhi/Chandigarh, Aug 22 : Punjab is on high alert ahead of a Haryana court verdict this week in a rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief and has received 75 companies of central forces to maintain law and order, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Tuesday.

Warning against any attempts to disrupt peace, he told reporters in New Delhi that his government would not allow any disruption of law and order at any count and directed the state police to thwart any attempt to destroy peace.

"We have received 75 companies of central forces to maintain security and all steps were being taken to ensure that law and order is not disturbed in any way in the wake of the court orders," he said.

The people should accept any court judgment, said Amarinder Singh, appealing to all to maintain peace.

A Special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Haryana's Panchkula will pronounce its verdict in the rape case against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on August 25. The case hearing has been going on since 2007.

The sect chief, who has lakhs of followers in Punjab, Haryana, and other states, has been accused by a former female follower of raping her more than once inside the sprawling Dera campus on the outskirts of Sirsa town in Haryana, 260 km from Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, Punjab Director General of Police Suresh Arora on Tuesday visited Bathinda and other sensitive districts bordering Haryana for a first-hand assessment of the security arrangements.

He reviewed the arrangements in the district and instructed all police personnel to remain alert to any attempt to disturb the harmony of the state, an official statement said.

Besides Bhatinda, Arora also visited Mansa, Moga, Patiala, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali towns.

Heavy police deployment has been made in Bathinda, which shares its border with Sirsa, where the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda are located.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Tuesday by a 3-2 decision struck down the centuries-old practice of instant triple talaq among Indian Muslims as unconstitutional, manifestly arbitrary and void in law.

However, the minority judgment concluded that "talaq-e-biddat" was a matter of personal law of Muslims that does not breach the Constitution's Article 25 (right to practice one's religion).

Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer constituting the minority in the five-bench Constitutional bench ordered an injunction on triple talaq at least for six months -- by when the government should consider steps to initiate legislation on the issue.

The other three judges disagreed.

"In view of the different opinions recorded, by a majority of 3:2 the practice of talaq-e-biddat - triple talaq - is set aside," the bench comprising Justices Khehar, Kurian Joseph, Rohinton F. Nariman, U.U. Lalit and Abdul Nazeer said in the concluding para of the 395-page ruling.

The apex court gave its judgment on a petition filed by Muslim woman Shayara Bano, joined by a Muslim group and four other women.

Justice Nariman and Justice Lalit, who were part of the majority judgment, said: "Given that triple talaq is instant and irrevocable, it is obvious that any attempt at reconciliation between the husband and wife by two arbiters from their families, which is essential to save the marital tie, cannot ever take place.

"...This being the case, it is clear that this form of talaq is manifestly arbitrary in the sense that the marital tie can be broken capriciously and whimsically by a Muslim man without any attempt at reconciliation so as to save it.

"This form of talaq must, therefore, be held to be violative of the fundamental right contained under Article 14 of the Constitution," they said, adding the 1937 Shariah Act must be struck down.

In a concurring but separate judgment, Justice Joseph said: "What is held to be bad in the Holy Quran cannot be good in Shariat and, in that sense, what is bad in theology is bad in law as well."

He said he found it extremely difficult to agree with the Chief Justice that triple talaq has to be considered integral to the religious denomination and it was part of their personal law.

He said merely because a practice has continued for long, that by itself cannot make it valid if it has been expressly declared to be impermissible.

He said when issues of such nature come to the forefront, the discourse often takes the form of pitting religion against other constitutional rights.

In his minority judgment, Justice Khehar said it would not be appropriate for the court to record a finding whether talaq-e-biddat was or was not affirmed by Hadiths (Prophet's sayings) in view of the enormous contradictions in the Hadiths relied upon by rival parties.

"Talaq-e-biddat is integral to the religious denomination of Sunnis belonging to the Hanafi school. The same is a part of their faith, having been followed for more than 1,400 years, and as such, has to be accepted as being constituent of their 'personal law'."

"The ... practice cannot therefore be set aside ... through judicial intervention."

The minority judgment observed that there was seemingly an overwhelming majority of Muslim women demanding that triple talaq, "which is sinful in theology, be declared as impermissible in law".

The judges noted that during the hearing, learned counsel appearing for the rival parties described the practice as unpleasant, distasteful and unsavoury. Others called it disgusting, loathsome and obnoxious.

The minority judgment said religion was a matter of faith and not of logic and it was not open to a court to accept an egalitarian approach over a traditional practice.

They said it was not for a court to determine whether religious practices were prudent or progressive or regressive.

The judges said the stance adopted by the Union Government supports the petitioners' cause and observed: "Unfortunately, the union seeks at our hand, what truly falls in its own."
By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 22 (PTI) Persian gulf carrier Qatar Airways today entered into an interline partnership with Vistara, under which customers of the two carriers will have seamless travel to and from India to over 150 destinations.

The partnership is effective from Monday, Qatar Airways said.

Qatar Airways currently operates to 13 cities in India from its Doha hub while the Tata-SIA run joint venture airline Vistara operates to 18 domestic destinations.

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An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline. When selling an interline ticket, the operating airlines own flight numbers are used.

Interline partnership allows Qatar Airways passengers to travel seamlessly to and from a wide range of cities within India across Vistaras network, via Qatar Airways existing 13 Indian gateways and under a single ticket, the Gulf carrier said in a release.

"This exciting new partnership with Vistara will bring enhanced connectivity and increased convenience to our passengers travelling within India on an expanding full-service premium carrier. The Indian market is very important to us. This new partnership expands Qatar Airways presence in India and reinforces our commitment to this market," Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said.

Qatar Airways in the past had initiated talks with Indian budget carrier IndiGo for a marketing tie-up, which later failed to yield any results.

"We are delighted to launch our interline partnership with Qatar Airways, through which we will offer a seamless flying experience and international luggage allowance to our joint customers from various cities in India to and from over 150 destinations across the world on a single ticket," Vistara Chief Executive Officer Phee Teik Yeoh said on the partnership.

Qatar Airways operates services from Doha to New Delhi, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad, Chennai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram in India. PTI IAS GK

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Mumbai, Aug 22 : The Ruia brothers-led Essar Group on Tuesday said it will pay an additional Rs 75.48 per share to ex-shareholders of Essar Oil (EOL) who tendered their shares at the open offer prior to the delisting of the company, which was sold to Russia's Rosneft-led conglomerate on Monday.

"Former minority shareholders, who tendered EOL shares in the delisting offer of 2015, will receive the differential amount of Rs 75.48 for every share tendered, based on the current closing numbers, following the closure of the sale transaction with Rosneft and the Trafigura-UCP consortium," the group said in a statement.

"The payment of around Rs 880 crore will be in addition to the Rs 3,064 crore paid to the minority shareholders following EOL's delisting in 2015," it said.

This takes the total payout to Rs 3,944 crore, the statement added.

Essar said the amount represents the additional payout over and above the price of Rs 262.80 per share paid to shareholders at the time of delisting on the basis of equity price per share of Rs 338.28 received by Essar on concluding the deal.

On Monday, Essar Oil announced the closure of the company's sale, including its Vadinar refinery, to Russian state-run Rosneft-led consortium for $12.9 billion, which was followed by the appointment of a new board of directors for EOL as well as a new chief executive.

According to an Essar Oil statement, the transaction, which was initiated in 2016 on the sidelines of the BRICS leaders summit in Goa, represents the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) into India till date.

It is also Russia's single-largest foreign investment made anywhere in the world.

The deal includes acquisition of Essar Oil's 20 million tonne Vadinar refinery in Gujarat and its retail outlets, as well as the Vadinar Port.

Essar Capital Director Prashant Ruia said in a statement that the EOL sell-off had allowed the group to "substantially deleverage our portfolio companies' balance sheets, reducing debt by over $11 billion, or Rs 70,000 crore."

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had earlier asked the promoters to pay back the difference in the delisting price and final transaction price between Essar and Rosneft and the consortium consisting of Dutch commodity trader Trafigura and the Russian investment bank United Capital Partners.

"In 1995, when we in Essar Oil did our first IPO, the market cap of the company was Rs 2,000 crore. Now, with this increased payout, the market cap is Rs 50,400 crore, which is the price at which we are paying out these additional value to the shareholders," Prashant Ruia told the BTVi channel.

"This is really the first time that a company is paying out additional funds to the shareholders nearly two years after the delisting," he said.

Essar Group founder Shashi Ruia said: "We have always believed in creating value for all our shareholders. I am extremely happy with this outcome where we could maximise returns for our shareholders who had invested and believed in us."

Essar Energy Holdings director Dhanpat Nahata said in the statement: "The additional payment to minority shareholders is unprecedented as they got exit and liquidity upon delisting in December 2015, retained the upside from the transaction that has closed 20 months later, without carrying any downside risk."

The promoters will shortly issue a public notice in this regard, and as committed in the delisting offer of December 2015, the additional payout will be made within two months thereafter, the statement added.

Ruia, however, did not elaborate further to the news channel regarding the group's debt repayment plans.

"From Essar's perspective we were already talking to the banks earlier for a restructuring plan and we will continue with that process of providing a resolution plan in the IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) process," he said.
Islamabad, Aug 22 : Pakistan told the US on Tuesday that it desires "peace and stability in Afghanistan".

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif made the comments when US Ambassador David Hale called on him after President Donald Trump warned Islamabad to stop backing terrorists fighting American forces in Afghanistan.

Asif "underlined Pakistan's continued desire to work with the international community to eliminate the menace of terrorism", a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Ambassador Hale said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was looking forward to meeting Pakistani Foreign Minister soon for an in-depth discussion on the bilateral relationship as well as the new US policy on South Asia, the statement said.

In an address on Monday, Trump put long-time ally Pakistan on notice with a virtual ultimatum that it "has much to lose" by backing terrorists. He accused Islamabad of sheltering "the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people".

Pakistan Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan told Radio Pakistan that the "success of military operations" were proof of Islamabad's strong and coherent strategy against terrorism.

The Pakistan Army dismissed Trump's remarks, saying Islamabad had taken action against armed groups on its soil.

"There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan," spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday commended Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya for his leadership and wished him the best for his future.

Speaking at Niti Aayog's "Champions of Change" programme, Modi said the nation will remember Panagariya's service at the helm of the organisation which replaced the erstwhile Planning Commission.

"He lived in America for 45 years and had no intention of coming to India with his family also settled there. But on one call from me, he came and ran the Niti Aayog for three years.

"He took the organisation to great heights and made a significant contribution to set it apart from the Planning Commission."

The Prime Minister added that even though Panagariya was returning to the US, "yet he is working on mission mode with same dedication even today.

"There is no dearth of people like him in our country and it is only through their support that we are moving ahead with the dream of a New India by 2022," Modi said.

"I wish him the best. He has delivered top-notch work. The nation will remember him and his service."

Panagariya resigned as the Niti Aayog Vice Chairman on August 1 to return to his academic job at Columbia University.
Patna, Aug 22 : The ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) on Tuesday suspended a party leader for his alleged involvement in the Rs 1,000-crore Srijan scam in Bhagalpur district of Bihar.

Shiv Kumar Mandal, president of the Bhagalpur unit of the JD-U Yuva Morcha, was suspended as his name surfaced in the scam. He is the son of Mahesh Mandal, a key accused arrested in the scam who died in a Bhagalpur hospital on Monday.

According to a senior JD-U leader, Shiv Kumar was suspended from the party following the directive of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the party president.

The suspension of Shiv Kumar comes only days after the ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last week suspended its Kisan Morcha Vice President Vipin Sharma, considered the kingpin of the scam, from the party as his name surfaced.

Police said the absconding Sharma would be arrested soon. They said he was closely associated with NGO Srijan, which was at the centre of the scam, and his wife worked as the Director of a cooperative bank run by Srijan.

Police officials said previously Sharma was a vendor in Bhagalpur and ran a pavement shop, but progressed after coming in contact with Srijan founder Manorama Devi.

Soon he joined the BJP and developed a close relationship with most of the top state leaders, including former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain, Union Minister Giriraj Singh, MP Ashwani Choudbey and others.

He is said to be having property in Delhi, Dehradun, Bengaluru, Patna, Deogarh, Bhagalpur and other places.

After days of investigation, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit said at least Rs 1,000 crore was diverted from the bank accounts of different departments, including the Mukhyamantri Shahri Vikas Yojna in Bhagalpur district.

After the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the "mega scam", the Chief Minister on August 17 recommended the same.

According to Bihar Police chief P.K. Thakur, so far 18 people have been arrested and 11 FIRs lodged -- nine in Bhagalpur and one each in Saharsa and Banka districts -- in connection with the scam.

The Srijan scam involves a Bhagalpur-based NGO, Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Ltd, which used to provide vocational training to women.

The NGO allegedly pilfered funds meant for government welfare schemes from the bank accounts of the Bhagalpur district administration.
Male, Aug 22 : The Maldives military locked down the nations Parliament on Tuesday in what opposition lawmakers said was an attempt to block a motion to impeach the Speaker of the House.

Imthiyaz Fahmy, of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), tweeted a video of what he said were security forces in plain clothes blocking representatives from entering the chamber, the Guardian reported.

Another lawmaker from the MDP, Eva Abdulla, said MPs were eventually allowed in but said that Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed was also surrounded by soldiers.

A close ally of President Abdulla Yameen, Mohamed opened the session and then immediately closed it before MPs were able to vote on the no-confidence motion, she said.

"The session was over in five minutes," she said by phone. Lawmakers said they raised the motion against the Speaker after he repeatedly refused parliamentary requests to scrutinise the government.

"The opposition has not been allowed to summon any government officials. We are not allowed to hold any part of the state accountable at all," she added.

A similar opposition bid to oust the Speaker was defeated in March after several lawmakers were evicted or walked out to protest against what they said were discrepancies in the vote count, the report said.

President Yameen had been accused of reversing democratic progress in a country that became a multi-party democracy in 2008.

Last month, the armed forces padlocked the gates of Parliament to prevent another impeachment attempt, in which the opposition said it had the majority of votes.

Some lawmakers eventually broke through the barrier but were forcibly thrown out. In a statement, the MDP called Yameen's action "desperate, illegal and unconstitutional".

Biraj Patnaik, Amnesty International's South Asia director, said Tuesday's incident in Parliament comes against a "backdrop of attacks on freedom of expression on the island nation", where the government was facing a deepening crisis.

"The space for legitimate dissent has been alarmingly shrinking over recent years, with members of the opposition thrown behind bars for lengthy prison terms after manifestly flawed trials," he said.

Patnaik added that an intensifying crackdown on human rights included plans to resume executions for the first time in more than 60 years.
Shillong, Aug 22 : A hideout of the Garo National Liberation Army was busted on Tuesday and a drone besides explosives were recovered, police said.

"A special operation team raided the hideout in Riangdim-Nongdawak forest area in West Khasi Hills district," Meghalaya police chief Swaraj Bir Singh told IANS.

No militant was arrested in the raid, he added.

During the search operation in the hideout, Singh said the raiding police party recovered one UAV drone, an inflatable boat with three life jackets, 82 rounds of live ammunition, two claymore mines, one tent besides incriminating documents.

"It is another major blow for the group and the operation against it will continue," Singh said.

The Garo National Liberation Army, fighting for a separate Garoland in western Meghalaya, has forged an alliance with the United Liberation Front of Assam and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : Contending that the practice of instant triple talaq was a constituent of the personal law and had a stature equal to other fundamental rights, the minority judgment of the Supreme Court on Tuesday held it as not violative of the Constitution and cannot invoke judicial intervention.

However, it injuncted Muslim husbands from practicing instant divorce as a means of severing their matrimonial relationships for a period of six months subject to a legislative process being initiated in that period for making a law on the issue.

Writing the minority judgment, Chief Justice J.S. Khehar said it would not be appropriate for this court to record a finding whether the practice of talaq-e-biddat is, or is not, affirmed by hadiths (Prophet's sayings) in view of the enormous contradictions in the hadiths relied upon by the rival parties.

"Talaq-e-biddat is integral to the religious denomination of Sunnis belonging to the Hanafi school. The same is a part of their faith, having been followed for more than 1,400 years, and as such, has to be accepted as being constituent of their 'personal law'."

He rejected "the contention of the petitioners that the questions/subjects covered by the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, ceased to be 'personal law', and got transformed into 'statutory law', cannot be accepted".

"Talaq-e-biddat does not violate the parameters expressed in Article 25 of the Constitution. The practice is not contrary to public order, morality and health. The practice also does not violate Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution, which are limited to State actions alone.

"The practice of talaq-e-biddat being a constituent of personal law has a stature equal to other fundamental rights, conferred in Part III of the Constitution. The practice cannot therefore be set aside, on the ground of being violative of the concept of the constitutional morality, through judicial intervention."

The minority judgment observed that the whole nation seems to be up in arms and that there was seemingly an overwhelming majority of Muslim women, demanding that the practice of talaq-e-biddat "which is sinful in theology, be declared as impermissible in law".

"The Union of India has also participated in the debate. It has adopted an aggressive posture, seeking the invalidation of the practice by canvassing that it violates the fundamental rights enshrined in Part III of the Constitution and by further asserting that it even violates constitutional morality.

"During the course of hearing, the issue was hotly canvassed in the media. Most of the views expressed in erudite articles on the subject, hugely affirmed that the practice was demeaning. Interestingly even during the course of hearing, learned counsel appearing for the rival parties, were in agreement, and described the practice of talaq-e-biddat differently as, unpleasant, distasteful and unsavoury. The position adopted by others was harsher, they considered it as disgusting, loathsome and obnoxious. Some even described it as being debased, abhorrent and wretched."

The judges said that they had arrived at the conclusion that talaq-e-biddat is a matter of 'personal law' of Sunni Muslims belonging to the Hanafi school.

"It constitutes a matter of their faith. It has been practiced by them, for at least 1,400 years. We have examined whether the practice satisfies the constraints provided for under Article 25 of the Constitution, and have arrived at the conclusion, that it does not breach any of them. We have also come to the conclusion, that the practice being a component of 'personal law', has the protection of Article 25 of the Constitution."

The judgment said that religion is a matter of faith, and not of logic and it was not open to a court to accept an egalitarian approach, over a practice which constitutes an integral part of religion.

"The Constitution allows the followers of every religion to follow their beliefs and religious traditions. The Constitution assures believers of all faiths, that their way of life, is guaranteed, and would not be subjected to any challenge, even though they may seem to others (-and even rationalists, practicing the same faith) unacceptable, in today's world and age. The Constitution extends this guarantee, because faith constitutes the religious consciousness, of the followers. It is this religious consciousness, which binds believers into separate entities. The Constitution endeavours to protect and preserve, the beliefs of each of the separate entities, under Article 25.

"We cannot accept the petitioners' claim because the challenge raised is in respect of an issue of 'personal law' which has constitutional protection."

The judges said it was not for a court to determine whether religious practices were prudent or progressive or regressive.

"Religion and 'personal law' must be perceived, as it is accepted, by the followers of the faith. And not, how another would like it to be (-including self-proclaimed rationalists of the same faith). Article 25 obliges all Constitutional Courts to protect 'personal laws' and not to find fault therewith. Interference in matters of 'personal law' is clearly beyond judicial examination. The judiciary must therefore, always exercise absolute restraint, no matter how compelling and attractive the opportunity to do societal good may seem."

The judges said the stance adopted by the Union Government supports the petitioners' cause and observed: "Unfortunately, the union seeks at our hand, what truly falls in its own".

Referring to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board affidavit in which it has undertaken to issue an advisory through its website to advise those who enter into matrimonial alliance to agree in nikah naama that their marriage would not be dissolvable by talaq-e-biddat, they said even the AIMPLB is on board to assuage the petitioners' cause.

"In view of the position expressed above, we are satisfied that this is a case which presents a situation where this court should exercise its discretion to issue appropriate directions under Article 142 of the Constitution. We therefore hereby direct, the Union of India to consider appropriate legislation, particularly with reference to talaq-e-biddat.

"We hope and expect that the contemplated legislation will also take into consideration advances in Muslim 'personal law and shariat, as have been corrected by legislation the world over, even by theocratic Islamic States. When the British rulers in India provided succour to Muslims by legislation, and when remedial measures have been adopted by the Muslim world, we find no reason, for an independent India, to lag behind. Measures have been adopted for other religious denominations even in India, but not for the Muslims. We would therefore implore the legislature, to bestow its thoughtful consideration, to this issue of paramount importance. We would also beseech different political parties to keep their individual political gains apart, while considering the necessary measures requiring legislation.

Till such time as legislation in the matter is considered, we are satisfied in injuncting Muslim husbands, from pronouncing 'talaq-e-biddat' as a means for severing their matrimonial relationship. The instant injunction, shall in the first instance, be operative for a period of six months. If the legislative process commences before the expiry of the period of six months, and a positive decision emerges towards redefining talaq-e-biddat as one, or alternatively, if it is decided that the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat' be done away with altogether, the injunction would continue, till legislation is finally enacted. Failing which, the injunction shall cease to operate."
Abuja, Aug 22 : Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari held a meeting on Tuesday with the members of the National Security Council.

The meeting was attended by the service chiefs including National Security Adviser Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd).

Buhari in a broadcast to the nation on Monday charged the security agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months in the fight against insurgents "be a sign to relax".

He said in the broadcast that "terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety".

Buhari also pledged "to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight against elements of Boko Haram in addition to ethnic violence fuelled by political mischief makers".

"We shall tackle them all," he said.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : The Sahitya Akademi, an autonomous body working with the Ministry of Culture, said the ban on the book "The Adivasi Will Not Dance" is a state government decision and it will only interfere in it if the author approaches the body.

"Sahitya Akademi will only ban a book if it receives a legal notice. The ban by the Jharkhand government was not informed officially to us. We came to know about it through the media," an official from the Sahitya Akademi told IANS.

"We are here to promote talented authors who deserve limelight. Banning a book is a decision that is taken by either a court or a government. However, if the author approaches us, we will discuss the matter in our executive meeting."

"The Adivasi Will Not Dance" -- a collection of short stories published by Speaking Tiger -- is Santhal writer Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar's second book.

His first book "The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey" won him the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2015.

The Jharkhand government has recently imposed a ban on it stating that the content of the book is obscene and derogatory to the Santhal women.

The 34-year-old author, who was a state government employee working as a medical doctor at the Additional Health Centre in Pakur district, has since been suspended.
Kochi : The Kerala high court on Tuesday came down on the CPI(M)-led LDF government, ticking it off for trying to misinterpret the courts order in connection with admissions to self-financing medical colleges in the state.

Stating that the government was trying to side with certain private medical colleges, the court cautioned the LDF government against becoming a puppet in the hands of the managements of self-financing medical colleges.

The government is trying to misconstrue court verdicts for this purpose, the court observed, warning that if the government continued in the same vein, it would attract contempt of court.

The HC made the damning observations during the hearing on petitions relating to the issue of admissions to medical courses in private medical colleges.

The court later issued an order framing guidelines for the admission process and directed the commissioner for entrance examinations to complete allotment by the end of this month.

The verdict pegged the fee for MBBS courses in the private sector at Rs. 5 lakh per year along with a bond or bank guarantee for Rs. 6 lakh.

During the hearing on Monday, the Kerala HC had rapped the LDF government for botching up the admission process despite the supreme court and the high court having issued simple directions for the same.

The government had drawn flak from the HC for directing students to furnish demand draft or bank guarantee towards the fee in the name of managements of private colleges as opposed to the court direction to have the same furnished in the name of the entrance commissioner.

Admissions to medical courses in the private sector had proved to be a vexed issue with the governments attempts to find a common ground with the managements of self-financing colleges over fixing of fee coming a cropper.
By PTI: By Shirih B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Aug 22 (PTI) Main opposition leader KP Sharma Oli today urged Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to discuss the issues of Nepals national interest during his India visit, including the problem of floods in border areas, energy development and the 1950 bilateral treaty.

Deuba, who took over from Prachanda as the prime minister of Nepal in a power-sharing deal in June, will be on a five- day visit to India from tomorrow on his first official trip abroad.

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Oli, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal-Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), underlined the need for Deuba to inform the people about the reasons behind his visit to India at a time when the House session was underway.

Addressing the addressing the parliament, Oli said Nepal has been badly hit by floods and landslides, which have killed nearly 150 people and rendered another 10,000 homeless.

"At this moment, extensive talks and discussions about the matters should be held with the neighbour during the visit so as to seek permanent solutions to frequent problems of floods caused by border rivers in the Terai region," he said.

He said the bilateral energy policy unveiled by India recently was not in Nepals interest and "would contribute nothing" to promote the Himalayan countrys energy sector.

He said Nepal as the current chair of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation should play an important role to de-escalate geopolitical and other regional tensions.

Oli also asked Deuba to discuss the 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty with India. The treaty establishing a close strategic bilateral relationship has often been criticised by some political parties here as being skewed in Indias favour.

On the demands by Madhesi people for a Constitution amendment to give more political powers the community, Oli said his party could have supported it had the proposal come through an "appropriate" channel and was based on consensus.

Nepals parliament yesterday failed to pass the Constitution amendment bill, aimed at addressing the two main demands of the Madhesi people - more representation in the Parliament and redrawing of provincial boundaries.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community. PTI SBP ABH AKJ ABH

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New Delhi, Aug 22 : British oil major Cairn Energy has added another $249 million to the compensation it is claiming from India after the authorities here set off a tax refund due to it to settle part of a retrospective tax demand, the company said on Tuesday "A tax refund in respect of financial year 2011-12 in the amount of Rs 1,590 crore ($249 million) which became due to Cairn as a consequence of a successful appeal by the company to the Delhi High Court has also been directed to the Income Tax Department to be set against the 2006-07 (retrospective tax) liability and Cairn's claims under the international arbitration have been adjusted to include this," the oil explorer said in its half-yearly financial and operations statement.

Cairn had before an international arbitration tribunal in July last year sought $5.6 billion in compensation from the Indian government for raising a retrospective tax demand of Rs 10,247 crore on alleged capital gains Cairn made in a 2006 reorganisation of its India business.

Cairn said the Indian tax authorities had levied Rs 18,800 crore as interest on the principal tax demand. The interest demand was subsequently quashed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

"Following that, the Income Tax Department issued a revised demand including interest running from February 2016 i.e. 30 days after the date of the assessment order. That interest currently amounts to Rs. 1,440 crore (approximately $224 million)," the statement said.

To recover this, the Income Tax Department seized $104.7 million of dividend income due to it from Vedanta Ltd, where it holds about 5 per cent stake, Cairn said.

Cairn has filed a notice of dispute under the UK-India Investment Treaty to protect its legal position and shareholder interests.

The company said it commenced international arbitration proceedings against India for "expropriating Cairn's property without adequate and just compensation, denying fair and equitable treatment to Cairn in respect of its investments and restricting Cairn's right to freely transfer funds in connection with its investment."

"Following merger of Cairn India Ltd (CIL) and Vedanta Ltd (VL), Cairn holds 5 per cent of VL, valued at $824 million at 30 June 2017," the half-yearly statement said.

"Cairn remains unable to access its 5 per cent shareholding of VL pending resolution of the Indian tax dispute and dividends receivable of $105 million are fully impaired following an order directing payment from VL to the Indian Income Tax Department," it added.

In its Statement of Claim before the international arbitration tribunal, Cairn said it has stated that applying the retrospective amendment and seizing $1 billion worth of shares was in breach of the bilateral investment treaty's requirements of fair and equitable treatment and its protections against expropriation.

"Cairn has asked the arbitration panel either to order India to withdraw its unlawful tax demand and compensate Cairn for the harm suffered by the seizure of the shares, being not less than $1.1 billion (plus costs); or, if the tax demand remains in place, compensate Cairn for the quantum of the tax assessment and the harm suffered by the seizure of the shares.

These claims were subsequently updated to include the $249 million tax refund," the statement said.

"The total assets of Cairn have a current value of $863.1 million (comprising principally the group's shareholding in Vedanta Ltd) and any recovery by the Indian authorities would be limited to such assets," it added.

The Income-Tax Department has ordered coercive action against Cairn Energy to recover the retrospective tax after the company lost a challenge to the move before the arbitration panel in June.

"On June 16, 2017 the Indian Income-Tax Department (IITD) issued an order to Vedanta India Ltd (VIL) directing it to pay over any sums due to Cairn. Sums due to Cairn from VIL now total $104 million, including historical dividends of $53 million and a further dividend of $51 million after the merger of CIL and VIL," a Cairn statement said.

The Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy still holds 9.8 percent equity stake in Cairn India through its UK Holdings Ltd (CUHL), after it sold majority stake in it to the London-based Vedanta mining group for $8.67 billion in 2011 though it raised Rs.8,616 crore ($1.9 billion) through an initial public offering (IPO) in mid-2006.
New Delhi, Aug 22 : The Congress on Tuesday said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh should resign, taking responsibility for the deaths of 350 cows in three cow sheds in the state.

"This year, about 350 cows have died in three Gaushalas (cow sheds) in Chhattisgarh. The animals died due to lack of fodder and water. Both Chief Minister Raman Singh and state Animal Husbandry minister Brijmohan Agarwal are responsible for these deaths," said AICC in-charge of Chhattisgarh P.L. Punia in a statement.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indulges in pretense of cow protection. The Chief Minister should resign immediately taking responsibility," he added.

The Congress also alleged crores of rupees have been siphoned off by the BJP leaders in the name of cow protection in the state.

"All the three cowsheds were run by BJP leaders. Shagun Gaushala, in which more than 200 cows died, was run by BJP's Jamul Nagar panchayat vice-president Harish Verma," said state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Bhupesh Bhagel.

"This year about Rs 517 crore was allocated in the budget for cow protection. Also, Rs 22 crore more was allocated by Gau Seva Aayog," he added.

Bhagel said: "When we carried out our inspection, we found about 600 cows were kept in a very small space. The cows which were standing could not sit, and the ones which were sitting could not stand. This is the current situation. There was neither fodder nor water for the cows."

"The skin and bones of the cows were sold off and the skin was used to feed the fish in the pond," he added.

Bhagel further said: "This is the country's biggest fodder scam. Every year, thousands of cows die. Every year, crores of rupees are allocated for cow protection and the money is eaten up."
Bengaluru, Aug 22 : Days after taking over the mantle from flamboyant technocrat Vishal Sikka, software major Infosys' unassuming interim CEO U.B. Pravin Rao on Tuesday reached out his nearly 2 lakh employees, asserting: "We can do it again and we will".

"We can do it again and we will. Helping each other, when it is needed, to stay focused on what matters - our commitments, our clients, our vision of who we really are," Rao said in an e-mail to the company's techies the world over.

Asserting that the $10 billion IT major would stay on course, come what may, Rao said that despite the changes following Sikka's sudden exit, the company would continue to execute on the strategy laid out for the current fiscal and the near future.

"We have seen how new services are gaining traction, how our embrace of automation is helping us become more productive and how it is creating more opportunity to focus our energies towards innovation," he said.

Admitting that the firm would miss Sikka as he decided to move on from the company, Rao said though rough economic conditions, near-impossible projects, leadership exits and debates about the future would continue, the company would emerge stronger, wiser and remain together as in the past.

"In fact, you have achieved so much over the several quarters. Strengthened by movements like zero distance, you have begun an exciting journey of innovation relying on your creative confidence. You must continue the work to create the value our clients expect us to deliver," he reiterated.

Though 50-year-old Sikka resigned on Friday, the company's Board appointed him as Vice-Chairman till a new CEO is appointed by March 31, 2018 and elevated Rao from the post of Chief Operating Officer.

Noting that the days ahead would not be easy, the 55-year-old Rao said the intense attention on the firm would be unsettling, if the management and employees allow it.

"We must not allow attention on us to unsettle us because this is not the first time the company has been up against a tough challenge. We have seen it all. There is not a single occasion when we did not emerge stronger," he recalled.

Assuring the employees of sharing as much as he could in the coming days, Rao expressed confidence that the employees would remain together with faith, perseverance and focus.

"Having learned so much, done so much and coming so far, we can see that the road ahead is long and winding but leads to greatness. I want for us to stay the course. I know you too want it for yourself and the company. That's why I can rely on your support. You too can rely on the leadership and on my personal support," added Rao in the letter.

Rao also asked his employees not to hesitate writing to him, posting questions and thought they may have to share with him.
Madrid, Aug 22 : The 12-man terrorist cell behind the Barcelona and Cambrils terrorist attacks, which claimed 15 lives and left over 120 people injured, had been preparing a bigger attack in Barcelona, according to judicial sources.

The confirmation was given by Mohamed Houli Chemlal, the first member of the four survivors of the cell to testify in the Spanish National High Court on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

Chemlal was injured in an explosion at a house in Alcanar, south of Barcelona late on Wednesday night, presumably caused by an explosion in one of the over 50 butane gas canisters they had collected over the past six months.

According to Spanish media, he was questioned by High Court judge Fernando Andreu for around an hour and a half, reportedly responding to "nearly all" of the questions he was asked.

His replies matched what he told the Catalan regional police (Mossos d'Esquadra) in the five days when he had been kept incommunicado under their custody.

Chemlal was accompanied to the court in Madrid by Dris Oukbar, Mohammed Alla and Salh Karib, all of whom were detained in the town of Ripoll, in Girona province, north of Barcelona.

The quartet were brought to Madrid on Monday night and kept in the Civil Guard headquarters in nearby Tres Cantos, before arriving at court at around 8 a.m. and starting their declarations an hour later.

One of the issues being investigated is whether the cell had help from abroad after it was revealed that some members of the cell made a "rapid" visit to Paris on 11th and 12th of August, while Abdelbaki es Satti, the imam who is thought to have radicalised the terrorists and who was killed in the Alcanar explosion, is known to have spent considerable time in Belgium.

Prosecutors have asked that given the gravity of their supposed crimes, the quartet be sent to prison without bail and not allowed to communicate with each other.
Bengaluru, Aug 23 : A defiant Infosys Founder N.R. Narayana Murthy will interact with investors on Wednesday through a conference call to tell his version of the software major's boardroom battles that led to the exit of its technocrat Vishal Sikka as CEO on last Friday.

"Murthy will address and interact with the company's investors across the world on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. through a conference call we are hosting," said the Indian arm of the global asset management group Investec in a statement from Mumbai on Tuesday night.

Investors from Britain, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and the US can join the con-call by pre-registering with the facilitator and dialling the given numbers.

Though the 70-year-old Murthy declined to respond to the company's Board charge that his continuous attacks led to Sikka's exit, he decided to explain his stand on the tussle to restore investors' confidence in the iconic IT major.

"I have read the statement issued by the Infosys Board of Directors. I am anguished by the allegations, tone and tenor of its statements," said Murthy in an e-mail to the media on Friday, adding it was below his dignity to respond to such insinuations.

The promoters group, led by Murthy, holds 12.92 per cent of the equity shares, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) and Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) 37.33 per cent, Indian retail, corporate and other investors 23.08 per cent, Indian FIs, Banks and Mutual Funds 9.63 per cent, American Depository Receipts (ADRs) 16.69 per cent and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) 0.52 per cent.

Following Sikka's abrupt exit as the firm's first non-founder executive, the company's shares of Rs 5 face value took a heavy toll, losing 15 per cent since Friday and slipped to 11th from BSE's top 10 most valued firms, with its market capitalisation declining a whopping Rs 33,912 crore to Rs 2,01,479 crore from Rs 235,390 crore in the last three trading days since August 18.

The Board's announcement on Saturday to buy back 11.3-crore shares at Rs.1,150 each worth Rs.13,000 crore ($2 billion) failed to halt the slide.

"Murthy is likely to bare all, explaining his stand to analysts on the values, culture, transparency and corporate governance with which he built the company over three decades till he stepped down in 2014," said a source familiar with the events and developments in the company.
Geneva, Aug 23 : As thousands of people are fleeing Tal Afar, a city west of Mosul, since a military campaign began on Sunday to retake the city from the Islamic State (IS), UN agencies of health and migration are providing emergency aids to meet their needs.

Tal Afar, some 70 km west of the newly-liberated city of Mosul, is the last IS redoubt in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, Xinhua news agency reported.

The town and surrounding areas are inhabited by some 350,000 people, whose majority is Sunni and Shia Turkomans, in addition to the minority of Kurds and other minorities.

Most of the civilians fleeing the crisis in Tal Afar had to walk for hours in arduous conditions before reaching safe areas, many arriving exhausted and in poor health, and often with critical levels of malnutrition among children, some unable to move.

In cooperation with local partners, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN migration agency, is directly delivering medical assistance, non-food items and shelter to vulnerable displaced people from Talafar, IOM was quoted as saying.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) The Supreme Court today asked the Tamil Nadu government to start counselling for admissions for MBBS and BDS seats in the state based on the NEET merit list and complete the process by September 4.

A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra directed the state government to initiate the admission process after the Centre told the court that it was not in favour of the recent ordinance passed by Tamil Nadu to exempt it from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year.

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The apex court was hearing a plea filed by six students seeking a direction to the state government to conduct counselling for the medical seats solely on the basis of the merit list prepared on the basis of NEET marks.

The apex court had on August 17 put on hold till today, the counselling for the medical seats in state asking the MCI and the state government to find a balanced solution to deal with the interests of state board students and those who cleared NEET.

The plea had alleged that the Tamil Nadu ministers were bargaining with the central government for presidential assent for their proposed ordinance to exempt the Tamil Nadu students from NEET as a "quid pro quo for supporting the NDA candidates for the Presidential and Vice Presidential polls. PTI SJK RRT ABA MNL RKS ARC

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Brewster credits her father for encouraging her to do more than survive the challenging environment of South Chicagos poverty and gun violence. He told her to strive to change the world. She took that message to heart.

The law firm of Console and Associates P.C, is pleased to announce the 2017 winner of its annual legal scholarship. Emily Rae Brewster of Matteson, Illinois, was named the winner of the $1,000 award on August 2, 2017.

Brewster, 24 years of age, is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor degree at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. The aspiring lawyer is also a world traveler, having studied in locations like Australia, the United Kingdom, and Japan and learned numerous languages. Brewster credits her father for encouraging her to do more than survive the challenging environment of South Chicagos poverty and gun violence. He told her to strive to change the world. She took that message to heart and plans to use her legal education to give back to the poverty-stricken community as a social advocate as well as a lawyer.

Console and Associates P.C has sponsored this annual legal scholarship since 2013 to help aspiring lawyers and leaders afford the cost of a legal education. The upcoming 2018 Legal Scholarship will be open to any student who is a United States citizen, has a current or most recent GPA of 3.0 or higher, and is pursuing a law-related degree. Students pursuing a Juris Doctor degree or majoring in paralegal studies, legal assisting, or pre-law are encouraged to apply, as are high school seniors intending to begin the education needed to earn a law degree.

About Console and Associates P.C  The law firm of Console and Associates P.C, has helped accident victims across New Jersey and Pennsylvania get the compensation they deserve since 1994. Console and Associates P.C handles personal injury claims of all kinds, including auto accidents, slip and falls, dog bites and medical malpractice cases. Law firm partner Richard J. Hollawells work in groundbreaking opioid over-prescribing cases has won the firm regional and national recognition and news coverage. Console and Associates P.Chas a 97 percent success rate getting clients the money they deserve and a 20+ year history of helping thousands of accident victims recover tens of millions of dollars.
the successful credit unions will be the ones that identify the right partners to assist them in harnessing innovation and leveraging it to grow We believe our partnership with CURateReset will help us accomplish this goal. David Mooney, CEO Alliant CU

CURateReset, the provider of Financial Product Reset, Acquisition and Retention Software, today announced that Alliant Credit Union has agreed to license its Reset Mortgage solution. Alliant Credit Union, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, has over 357,000 members and $9.8 billion in assets and is one of the nations largest and most innovative credit unions. The agreement with CURateReset provides Alliant Credit Union with a simple, easy and attractive digital solution to retain existing mortgage loans.

CURateResets three primary product programs are:

Reset  for Auto, Mortgage, Credit Cards, CDs, and Personal Loans:



CURateReset enables a member to reset existing financial products they have with a credit union without the cost and hassle of refinancing.

Credit union selects members for program inclusion based on their internal requirements and CURateReset automates the member outreach, reset, and the closing documentation.

For the credit union, CURateReset automates loan and CD retention so member Advocates can focus on expanding exisiting and developing new member relationships.

LoanGEN  for Loan Acquisition and Recapture:



Recapture member mortgages, auto loans, personal loans and credit cards at other financial institutions as well as showcase products to attract new members.

Members can design their custom auto payment and move their existing loans to the credit union.

Digital Pre-Approval - for Credit Card, Auto Recapture, Home Equity Loans and new CDs



Credit union selects members to receive offer, submits data to CURateReset, a Personal URL (PURL) is created and placed into an email, traditional mail, social media or text message.

Members can select the options offered, execute the required documents, and authorize the balance transfer to their new account.

With the fast pace of innovation in our industry, the successful credit unions will be the ones that identify the right partners to assist them in harnessing the innovation and leveraging it to grow and add member value, said David Mooney, CEO of Alliant Credit Union. We believe our partnership with CURateReset will help us accomplish this goal.

Alliant has a history of delivering remote services to its members through creative online and mobile solutions, and a state-of-the-art call center. They are very committed to enhancing the member experience, said Joe Brancucci, President of CURateReset. We are very excited that Alliant will be using the Reset Mortgage solution to retain adjustable rate mortgages. This solution has a proven track record of elevating the member experience and we are confident that it will assist Alliant on their quest for the best remote member experience.

Alliants commitment to excellence in member experience and value will be enhanced by the implementation of the Reset Mortgage solution for those ARM loans that will be adjusting, said Jerrold Anderson, Vice President of Residential Lending at Alliant Credit Union. In the past, loans with a first adjustment were subject to a high level of prepayment and a very manual process. The Reset Mortgage solution from CURateReset will digitize that process and give our members more options and an enhanced experience.

We are delighted to have such a well-respected credit union as Alliant, one of the nations largest credit unions, join the CURateReset family of credit unions, said Keith Kelly, CEO of CURateReset. We look forward to working with them to bring our award-winning digital solution to their members.

About Alliant Credit Union

Alliant Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than 357,000 members nationwide and over $9.8 billion in assets. Headquartered in Chicago and founded in 1935, Alliant is one of the largest credit unions in the United States, based on assets and deposits. As a member-owned financial cooperative, Alliants mission is to foster its members financial well-being and serve their best interests. Learn more about Alliant at http://www.alliantcreditunion.org.

About CURateReset

CURateReset offers award winning products that allow the member to be in control of what has historically been routine administrative tasks that are time consuming for both front line and support staff. Both Reset Auto and Reset Mortgage, products successfully tested and adopted in the market, allow a member to reset the term of an existing auto loan, personal loan or mortgage based on credit union criteria. The software promotes loan retention at a very low cost, and provides a member with a favorable view of the member advocacy of the credit union. The Digital Pre-Approval Solutions make it simple and fast for a credit union to acquire or recapture member automobile loans, mortgage loans, personal loans and credit cards. For more information on CURateReset visit http://www.CURateReset.com.
Ben Hogan joins @RISK as VP Sales

@RISK Technologies, Inc., a Cyber Network Consensus SaaS company, earlier announced that Ben Hogan joined as Vice President of Sales.

Hogans career has spanned 20 years in early-stage technology companies. Most recently, Hogan was Vice President of Sales at Catelas, Inc., a Boston-based big data analytics firm that focuses on electronic communications compliance for financial services firms.

Prior to Catelas, he was the Director of Sales for AppNexus, the largest independent digital advertising exchange, where Hogan lead the sales effort for one of the first commercial cloud computing platforms, the AppNexus Production Cloud. Prior to AppNexus, Hogan opened and grew the US subsidiary of a multi-national Information Security Distributor, ComputerLinks, which was acquired by Arrow Electronics. Hogans first start-up was BroadJump, an Austin-based software company that delivered broadband internet to more than 20 million consumers in the early 2000s and was acquired by Alcatel.

@RISK combines the best backend technology Ive ever seen with an amazingly role-specific user interface that adds value from Information Security practitioners all the way to the C-Suite, said Hogan, This is the most exciting technology Ive had the opportunity to sell in my career.

Hogan received his B.A. from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Austin, TX. He is an avid water skier.

Read full release here.
Most travelers compare the costs of airfares, hotels, and car rentals. We want to bring the same philosophy to rideshares

Calling all travelers! This innovative rideshare search engine saves you time, money, and energy.

RideGuru, the rideshare comparison app, is now available for iPhone and iPad users. Powered by the popular travel website, RideGuru, the RideGuru mobile app is a search engine for rideshares and other on-demand ground transportation services. Users can compare costs of various rideshares and taxi services worldwide, then hail their desired car straight from the app.

Since RideGurus release in September 2016, the site has stood out as the aggregator of taxis, limos, and rideshares. Not only does RideGuru compare large on-demand car services such as Uber and Lyft, it also scours rates from hundreds of smaller services to bring the user an array of travel options. Through its vast support of all rideshare, taxi, and limo companies worldwide, users will feel secure in finding a local ride even if their destination is off the beaten track.

Ippei Takahashi, the CEO/President of Unleashed, LLC, states, Thanks to the adoption of on-demand economy, there has never been so many ride options available. There are great offerings out there, but unfortunately, the consumers are either not aware of them or lack the visibility into the services they have access to. Thats what we are trying to fix with RideGuru: provide visibility to the users and encourage competition between the providers.

Lillien Kenyon, the business and operations lead at RideGuru, adds Most travelers compare the costs of airfares, hotels, and car rentals. We want to bring the same philosophy to rideshares, saving travelers both time and money.

The RideGuru app supports more than 100 rideshare services from companies such as Uber, Lyft, Juno, Grab, Curb, Fasten, Wingz, and Zum. Users can filter the choices, by entering number of passengers, car type, accommodations, and other specialty features, such as rideshares for women and children or shared rides like UberPool and Lyft Line.

Once users have made their selection, they can dispatch the ride from Uber or Lyft directly, with similar dispatch support coming soon for other rideshare companies.

RideGuru is known to be the most robust rideshare comparison tool in the world. To learn more about RideGurus groundbreaking fare comparison technology visit RideGuru.

About RideGuru

RideGuru, a product of Unleashed, LLC, is an all-inclusive rideshare and taxi information source. RideGuru is not another transportation service, instead, it is a search engine to help you find the best ride from point A to point B. It scours rates from hundreds of services worldwide to bring you the best deals.

About Unleashed, LLC

Unleashed, LLC is a Boston-based technology company that specializes in creating websites and smartphone applications to provide users with the information they need for daily decisions. The company is best known for creating the popular travel site TaxiFareFinder.com. TaxiFareFinder, released in 2007, is an online resource for all things related to taxis and rideshares. TaxiFareFinder is best recognized for its groundbreaking, location based, taxi and rideshare fare calculators.
We are always happy to play our part in the community. We realize how important it is for everyone to have the opportunity to have a good education with all the materials they need to learn.

All Year Cooling, a family-owned South Florida air conditioner installation and repair company made a donation to a classroom at Floranada Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The donation to the class will provide a variety of learning materials to students to provide supplementary learning that the students can interact with instead of the traditional worksheets.

The interactive game library provided to the students, ranging from grades PreK-2, includes a variety of learning materials that range from reading comprehension to grammar and writing. The resources are more interactive and will allow the students to be excited about learning more so than the conventional paper and pencil method.

I can definitely see where and how these materials will be implemented to benefit and foster the growth of my students and keep the light in their eyes lit, said Mrs. Brown-Landley, the Floranada Elementary school teacher.

Every student will get a chance to access the various interactive learning games in order to maintain motivation and keep students excited to learn the necessary concepts for success. To learn more about the donation, visit the All Year Cooling website.

We are always happy to play our part in the community. We realize how important it is for everyone to have the opportunity to have a good education with all the materials they need to learn, said All Year Cooling President, Tommy Smith.

Established in 1973, All Year Cooling has completed over 300,000 air conditioner installations in South Florida. Their goal is to provide the consumer with the best overall value and service on new air conditioner installations, maintenance, and repairs. As a family-owned business, Tommy Smith along with his team makes it their mission to provide quality service and remain a trusted part of the South Florida community.
Dr. Ibrahim Presents about Juliet laser therapy's versatility at at a premier conference for aesthetics professionals. Ever the cynic, I was astounded that the patient noticed significant improvement within a few days. She implored me to buy the system so she could receive another treatment to further enhance her results, said Dr. Ibrahim.

Western North Carolinas only certified fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine recently spoke at a popular international aesthetics conference for medical professionals about the positive impact Juliet feminine rejuvenation laser therapy has had on restoring his patients health and his growing practice.

Dr. George K. Ibrahim shared the results of his experience with Juliet and other aesthetic treatments. Dr. Ibrahims two workshops at the conference focused on how a single system can provide a variety of superior treatments for patients while simultaneously growing the practice.

Juliet is a next-generation vaginal rejuvenation treatment marketed in the U.S. by Zarin Medical. It incorporates the latest Erbium:YAG laser technology, providing superior outcomes for many intimate feminine issues, such as incontinence, itchiness, laxity, and other vaginal problemsespecially compared with results from older CO2 and RF laser technologies. Juliet procedures are fast, painless, and non-surgical and are performed in-office. Noticeable results are often seen in as list little as one treatment, with a low risk of side effects and minimal downtime.

At the conference, Dr. Ibrahim illustrated his journey to discovering the versatile Juliet laser, citing his desire to help a patient with a challenging condition for which traditional treatments werent providing the desired results.

One particular patient in my practice suffered from chronic vaginal dryness, dyspareunia and incontinence. I placed her on maximum hormone therapy and other treatments, but these were unsuccessful, said Dr. Ibrahim. In addition, this patient did not want surgerya growing trend Ive noticed. Thus, began my pursuit of a better option.

Following a Juliet laser therapy treatment, the patient saw major improvements relatively quicklycatching the shocked doctor a bit off guard.

Ever the cynic, I was astounded that the patient noticed significant improvement within a few days. She implored me to buy the system so she could receive another treatment to further enhance her results, added Dr. Ibrahim.

The story Dr. Ibrahim shared at the conference continued as he was further surprised at the multitude of additional aesthetic applications Juliets technology could capably treat, such as wrinkles, age-spots, scars, and others. The addition proved a valuable asset to both his patients and his practice.

I had been so focused on great vulvovaginal results, I hadnt even considered the systems versatility, said Dr. Ibrahim. I was somewhat amazed to learn that dermatologists and plastic surgeons have been using this device to quickly remove lesions, treat wrinkles, and more.

As the aesthetics professionals who attended the conference return to their local practices and begin to implement Juliets new treatment technology, Dr. Ibrahims story of helping a single patient will end up benefitting a multitude of patients and doctors across the globe.

Juliet has been a wonderful additionand the most pleasant surprise was how much revenue it generated by expanding the services I offer in my practice. Ive been overwhelmingly satisfied by this incredibly versatile device, said Dr. Ibrahim.

Today, Dr. Ibrahim continues his mission to provide his patients a comprehensive restorative experience that focuses on helping improve each patients complete wellness at Biltmore Restorative Medicine & Aesthetics. He also believes in giving back to the medical community by continuing to spread the word about the results his practice continues to achieve with Juliet laser therapy.

###

About George K. Ibrahim, MD

Dr. Ibrahim is a board-certified urologist and a member of the American Urological Association, American Academy of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, North American Society of Sexual Medicine and National Menopause Society. As a specialist in hormone replacement therapy in Asheville, N.C., he expanded his practice to incorporate laser therapy for his incontinence, atrophy, laxity and dyspareunia patients. For more information visit http://biltmorerestorativemedicine.com/.

About Juliet Laser Therapy

The Juliet feminine rejuvenation laser is available from Zarin Medical. Zarin provides a suite of lasers for aesthetic procedures (hair removal, photorejuvenation, vascular conditions, etc.) and medical conditions (feminine rejuvenation, urogynecology, etc.). Contact Zarin toll-free at (844) 927-4600 or visit http://www.ZarinMedical.com for more information.
By Harish V Nair: Granting bail to Lt Col Shrikant Purohit after he spent nine years in jail, the Supreme Court on Monday observed there were contradictions in the charge sheets filed by different investigating agencies in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blasts case. Significantly, the bench headed by justice R K Agrawal said it is also to be noted that an "accused cannot be denied relief merely because of the sentiments of the community against the accused".

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The bench however directed Purohit to take prior permission of the trial court for going abroad. He has been asked to surrender his passport to the court.

The apex court said there were material contradictions in the charge sheets filed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Mumbai and the National Investigating Agency (NIA), which are required to be tested at the time of trial, and it cannot pick or choose one version over the other.

A bench of justices R K Agrawal and Abhay Mohan Sapre, while taking note of variations in the charge sheets filed by Mumbai ATS and NIA, said "Fresh ground for consideration of Purohit's bail plea was made out, as at the relevant time, he was an intelligence officer of the Indian Army". It said Purohit has refuted the claim of conspiracy on the ground that he had informed to his senior officers about the intelligence inputs of meetings attended by him at the Abhinav Bharat, a right-wing Hindu extremist outfit, and alleged role of ATS officials in the planting of RDX explosive substance at the residence of a co-accused.

Keeping in view that NIA had submitted a supplementary charge sheet, which was at variance with the one filed by the ATS, the trial was likely to take a long time and the appellant had been in prison for about eight years and eight months, the bench was of the considered view that appellant Purohit had made out a prima facie case for release on bail and deemed it appropriate to enlarge him on bail. "Liberty of a citizen is undoubtedly important, but this is to balance with the security of the community. A balance is required to be maintained between the personal liberty of the accused and the investigational rights of the agency. It must result in minimum interference with the personal liberty of the accused and the right of the agency to investigate the case", the bench said.

Also read: Malegaon blast case: Lt Col Purohit infiltrated into ISI, SIMI camps, says his lawyer

Also read: Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Purohit to be attached to Army unit, remains suspended

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Being able to track and maintain data in a singular system is always less expensive in the long run than running multiple systems. We want to allocate more of our money and resources to directly serve the kids and less on maintaining systems.

Californias Value Schools recently expanded its partnership with PowerSchool, implementing the Unified Classroom solution to improve transparency, communication, and collaboration within the school community. The Unified Classroom is PowerSchools single solution that brings together learning management, formative assessment, standards progress, grading, early warnings, analytics, and collaboration. Value Schools adopted this platform to better support the academic achievement of the students it serves.

Prior to adopting the Unified Classroom, up to 10 different systems were being utilized at Value Schools. When running several different systems that arent integrated with each other, it makes it difficult for teachers and administrators to efficiently do their jobs, said Joshua Julian, Communications Director at Value Schools. When systems are separated, data sets cant be compared or shared with other stakeholders. Integrating our systems, especially like that of PowerSchools Unified Classroom, will allow us to better understand the needs of our students, and allow us to provide support to our community more quickly and efficiently.

School staff and educators at Value Schools want to be able to track interventions and provide services to students as efficiently and quickly as possible. Having one system that allows teachers to focus on the needs of each individual student is a great way for teachers to communicate with each other as students go from one classroom to another, said Julian. We are also excited to provide our parents with more visibility into their childs experience in the classroom. Everyone invested in a students academic growth and success will have a transparent view of their performance.

Recognizing that every student learns differently, the leadership model at Value Schools is built to ensure everyone is served the way they need to be. The Unified Classroom will allow us to focus on developing a clearer framework for the educational outcomes we want to see from all our students, said Julian. We will be able to better understand student learning patterns and implement educational structures to support students at all of our campuses.

Julian added, Being able to track and maintain data in a singular system is always less expensive in the long run than running multiple systems. We want to allocate more of our money and resources to directly serve the kids and less on maintaining systems.

About Value Schools

The Value Schools mission is to establish and support high-quality, values-based elementary and secondary charter schools for populations of students who have been historically underserved. Value Schools serves youth from urban areas from Kindergarten to 12th Grade, currently at three school sites: Downtown Value School, Everest Value School, Central City Value High School, and University Prep.

About PowerSchool Group LLC

PowerSchool is the leading K-12 education technology provider of solutions that improve the education experience for 100 million students, teachers, and parents in over 70 countries around the world. We provide the industrys first Unified Classroom experience, empowering teachers with best-in-class, secure, and compliant online solutions, including student information systems, learning management and classroom collaboration, assessment, analytics, behavior, and special education case management. We streamline school office and administration operations with online solutions for student registration, school choice, and finance/HR/ERP. We drive student growth through digital classroom capabilities and engage families through real-time communications across any device. Visit https://www.powerschool.com/ to learn more.
Amerisure understands the importance of attracting and keeping exceptional employees.

For the 13th year, Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company is proud to receive the Metropolitan Detroits Best and Brightest Companies to Work For award. Amerisure was selected from among hundreds of businesses from southeast Michigan to receive the prestigious honor from the Michigan Business & Professional Association under the National Association for Business Resources (NABR).

Amerisure understands the importance of attracting and keeping exceptional employees, states Angela McBride, Chief Administrative Officer. Our employees are our greatest strength and priority, and our culture reflects that. Its definitely a testament to our staff that we have received this award for 13 years.

Amerisure was evaluated by an independent research firm based on key criteria such as: compensation; benefits; employee enrichment, engagement and retention; employee education and development; employee achievement and recognition; communication and shared vision; diversity and inclusion; and work life balance. To be eligible, an employee nominates their employer to receive the achievement.

The NABR provides the business community an opportunity to gain recognition, showcase their best practices and demonstrate why they are an ideal place for employees to work. The national program celebrates those companies that are cultivating better business, creating richer lives and building a stronger community as a whole.

Amerisure will be recognized for this honor at an event at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance on September 22, 2017.

Click here to view the complete list of the 2017 winners.
Mike York, COO, PracticeMatch We aim to accommodate clinicians who wish to explore regions of the country outside of their current location, without traveling to begin the interview process.

PracticeMatch, a company that provides online resources, job boards, and career fairs to help healthcare employers connect with physicians and advanced practitioners like nurse practitioners and physician assistants, will conduct its first series of virtual career fairs in August through November of this year. The online career fairs will allow job seekers to connect with healthcare employers from their desired region, without physically traveling to the location to inquire about job opportunities.

"Due to the increase in attendance and demand for healthcare career fairs, we are providing virtual career fairs to our healthcare clients and candidates this year. We aim to accommodate clinicians who wish to explore regions of the country outside of their current location, without traveling to begin the interview process," states Mike York, chief operations officer of PracticeMatch.

The PracticeMatch virtual career fairs do not require any software downloads or special apps, and therefore are easily accessible to all healthcare jobseekers who have internet access from any device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Once registered and logged in, participants of the virtual healthcare career fairs can review employer information, and then connect directly with healthcare recruiters and hiring managers for one-on-one chats to learn more about opportunities in the hospitals and health systems of greatest interest.

"At PracticeMatch, we know that clinicians are extremely busy, and finding time to research employers can be an overwhelming task, especially via long distance," states York. "Our new virtual healthcare career fairs can help save employers and job seekers valuable time and travel expenses, enabling advanced practice clinicians and physicians to interact with top healthcare employers across the country, from the comfort and convenience of their own home."

The schedule of virtual career fairs is as follows:

Pacific Region: (Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii) - Thursday, August 31, 2017.

Frontier Region: (Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Utah, Texas) - Thursday, September 28, 2017.

MidWest Region: (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin) - Thursday, October 26, 2017.

Northeast Region: (Maine, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, Pennsylvania, DC, Maryland, Connecticut) - Thursday, November 2, 2017.

South Region: (Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia) - Thursday, November 30, 2017

Again, the states and region of each PracticeMatch virtual career fair represents the location of the employers and the jobs; clinicians seeking healthcare job opportunities should register for the virtual career fair covering the region(s) in which they are interested. For more information about the virtual career fairs, visit the PracticeMatch website or call Madison Harris at 636-288-9300.

###

About PracticeMatch:

PracticeMatch is one of the most established companies serving healthcare employers with recruiting and staffing resources including job boards, career fairs, and candidate leads. Established more than 25 years ago, its Pinpoint physician database includes over 338,000 interviewed, pre-screened physicians. Based in St. Louis, MO, the company hosts more than 30 physician career fairs annually, across the country. For media inquiries, or to schedule an interview with a PracticeMatch executive, please contact Andrea Clement - aclement(at)usa(dot)M3.com. For more information regarding healthcare recruiting resources provided by PracticeMatch, please contact Mike York (800) 489-1440, or email mike.york(at)practicematch(dot)com.
James Robertson - AgileAssets Director of Business Development, EMEA

As part of its growing activities in the European, Middle East and African (EMEA) marketplaces, AgileAssets Ltd. (subsidiary of AgileAssets, Inc.), a leading global provider of infrastructure asset management software, has appointed James Robertson as Business Development Director - EMEA.

Were excited to have someone with James experience and talent join our team, says Pascal Laumet, Director of EMEA Operations at AgileAssets. James brings critical software, industry, and market knowledge that will greatly benefit the national road agencies and private enterprises that can leverage our products across the region.

James has over 14 years of experience in software sales and business development, providing solutions to a range of public and private organisations. Prior to joining AgileAssets, James had been working for an IBM Business Partner as an EMEA Business Development Manager, where he focused on selling multinational contracts for IBMs asset management products. Before that, James sold cloud-based software solutions and managed channel partner programs within various markets including Oil & Gas, Public Sector, and Education.

The EMEA market represents a tremendous opportunity for modern asset management software tools to replace what are largely home-grown standalone solutions, says James. AgileAssets provides business-critical solutions for managing all infrastructure-based assets in a nicely integrated system. My plan is to introduce the value that transportation infrastructure managers have realized through AgileAssets software across the United States, to the national road agencies, PPPs, and private infrastructure management agencies throughout EMEA.

About AgileAssets

AgileAssets is a leading global provider of infrastructure asset management software for public and private organisations. AgileAssets proven solutions enable a systematic process for the complete life cycle management of infrastructure assets, including optimisation of the decision-making process, allowing agencies to more effectively allocate funding. With more than 28 years of experience, research and education expertise, AgileAssets helps agencies throughout the world maximise asset condition, maintenance budgets, and long-term lifecycles to achieve the highest possible return on investment. For additional information, please visit: http://www.agileassets.com.
Specialty Technical Consultants

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) announce the availability of the newly updated International Audit Protocol Consortium (IAPC) EHS audit protocol for Ontario, Canada. Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner. IAPC EHS audit protocols are now prepared by STC in partnership with STP and continue to focus on those national (plus, in some cases, regional or provincial) EHS requirements that have site-specific application for manufacturing operations. As a leading EHS management consulting firm with a global network of experienced EHS teaming partners, STC has indepth knowledge and technical expertise of local/regional EHS requirements.

STP and STC maintain leading-edge EHS audit protocols for more than 30 jurisdictions. The protocol documents are written in English and are available in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel formats, as well as through STPs web-based portal or can be integrated into an existing company platform. Using the protocols custom templates and advanced functionality features, auditors can easily track audit findings and manage data over time to improve compliance, risk management and safety performance. In addition, STPs formatting is compatible with leading risk management and sustainability platform providers.

Highlights of selected legislation covered in the newly updated protocol include:



Canadas new Notice Requiring the Preparation and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in Respect of Halocarbons Used as a Refrigerant requires the preparation and implementation of pollution prevention plans for halocarbons used as a refrigerant. The notice applies to persons who import 100 kg or more annually or manufacture or reclaim halocarbons that are to be used as a refrigerant in refrigeration systems or stationary air conditioning systems, other than domestic appliances. The Notice also includes schedules to be completed and submitted to the Minister within the required timelines by persons subject to the Notice.

The new Ontario Regulation 20/17: Reporting of Energy Consumption and Water Use was added to the Protocol. The Regulation establishes reporting requirements for privately owned buildings that are 50,000 ft2 and above and some industrial buildings (such as warehouses and industrial condominiums). These facilities are required to report their building, energy, water and greenhouse (GHG) emission data to the Ontario Ministry of Energy on an annual basis.

The federal Ozone-Depleting Substances and Halocarbon Alternatives Regulations, 2016 repeal and replace the Ozone-Depleting Substances Regulations, 1998 as of December 29, 2016. The new version of the regulations are intended to ensure that Canadas international obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer are met and to introduce a new permitting and reporting system for the import, manufacture and export of HFCs. The Regulations continue to require reductions in production and import of various ODS substances according to a phase-out schedule. They require reduction of hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) emissions and other ODS, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The Regulations also contain prohibitions, a permit system, reporting and record keeping requirements.

The new federal Multi-Sector Air Pollutants Regulations establish mandatory national performance standards for the cement sector, gaseous-fossil-fuel-fired boilers and heaters, and stationary spark-ignition gaseous-fuel-fired engines. The performance standards limit the quantity of nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide that can be emitted from cement manufacturing facilities, and they limit the rate at which nitrogen dioxide can be emitted from the boilers and heaters and stationary engines. Most of the legislation entered into force on June 17, 2016; however, there are some provisions that will be phased in on January 1, 2021, 2023, 2026 and 2036.

Under Environment Canadas Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reporting Program, a notice is published every year in Part I of the Canada Gazette outlining the GHG reporting requirements for the corresponding calendar year. There were no substantive changes to the reporting requirements from those provided in the notice for 2015. The Notice with Respect to Reporting of Greenhouse Gases for 2015, published on December 10, 2016, applies to the 2016 calendar year.

Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, owners or operators of facilities that meet published reporting requirements are required to report to the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). NPRI Notices are published for designated reporting years in Part I of the Canada Gazette. The most recent notice was published on February 27, 2016 for the 2016 and 2017 reporting years.

The new Ontario Regulation 144/16: The Cap and Trade Program was added to the Protocol. It establishes provisions on registration of GHG emitting activities, the programs distribution of free allowances and the rules that govern the auction process. Facilities generating 25,000 tonnes or more of GHG emissions per year from one or more of the specified GHG activities are required to register in the program.

The new Ontario Regulation 143/16: Quantification, Reporting and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions was added to the Protocol. It supports implementation of Ontarios cap and trade program. It provides the requirements for collecting and publicly reporting on industrial GHG. As of the 2017 reporting period, this Regulation will replace O. Reg. 452/09.

The federal Water Withdrawal and Protection Regulation sets the terms and conditions for authorizations for the withdrawal of water and prescribes certain standards for water withdrawals, water withdrawal facilities and facilities or activities that may affect the quality of water withdrawn in the vicinity. This regulation repealed and replaced the Groundwater Catchment Regulation primarily effective August 15, 2014 with some provisions phasing out until March 2, 2015.

The Fuel Oil Code Adoption Document Amendment 2016 was incorporated into the protocol as it amends O. Reg. 213/01 to specifically adopt the new CSA-B139 Series-15 with Ontario specific amendments.

The new Ontario Regulation 381/15: Noise was added to the Protocol. It establishes requirements regarding exposure to occupational noise. This Regulation replaces and updates requirements that were previously included in s. 139 of Industrial Establishments, Reg. 851, R.R.O. 1990.

The federal Hazardous Products Act defines a controlled product and a seller, and imposes duties on suppliers of controlled products to label such products and transmit safety data sheets (SDS) on the sale of controlled products. In 2015, the HPA was amended to update the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) requirements for hazard classification and communication to incorporate the 5th revised version of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling for Chemicals 2013 (GHS) in Canada.

The new federal Hazardous Products Regulations replace the former Controlled Products Regulations that were repealed in February 2015. These regulations establish the regulatory regime for conforming to WHMIS 2015 and GHS. The Regulations provide the hazard classification and communication requirements for suppliers of hazardous products. There is a phase in period that allows employers to comply with either the HPR or CPR until December 1, 2018, at which point, only the HPR will apply.

The amending Ontario Regulation 168/16: Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) was added to the Protocol. The amendments implement the Federal WHMIS 2015 and GHS for Ontario. There is a transition period where employers may comply with either the previous version of the requirements or the new requirements. As of 1 December 2018, all new provisions will need to be complied with.

The federal Asbestos Products Regulations 2016 repeal and replace the Asbestos Products Regulations 2007. The Regulations require authorizations for and set limits on the import, advertising and sale of certain types of asbestos products and are not substantively different than the 2007 Regulations.

The new federal Human Pathogens and Toxins Regulations establish national requirements for the safe handling of pathogens and toxins, including a risk-based licensing scheme for facilities conducting controlled activities with human pathogens and toxins. The Regulations also set out security clearance requirements for person who have access to the prescribed list of human pathogens and toxins. The Human Pathogens and Toxins Act provided interim measures until a complete program and regulatory framework could be developed with the 2015 Regulations.

For more information on all International EHS audit protocols offered by STP and STC click here.

About Specialty Technical Publishers

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites.

About Specialty Technical Consultants

Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc. (STC) is a specialized management consulting firm working to enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) performance. Through its consulting services, STC partners with clients to strengthen management systems' design and implementation, and identifies needs and implements solutions to meet business objectives. Services provided include: EHS compliance support; risk assessment; EHS auditing; corporate responsibility and sustainability; EHS management systems development and implementation; EHS regulatory information tools; and EHS training.

STC is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Supplier Clearinghouse for the California Public Utilities Commission, and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.
Greenville, SC Attorney Steve Sumner Receives Clients' Choice Award It's an honor to be recognized by Columbia Living Magazine and Super Lawyers for my work in DUI Defense. -- Attorney Steve W. Sumner

Columbia Living Magazine has named Attorney Steve W. Sumner to its 2017 Top Attorneys list in the area of Criminal Defense/DUI.

The Super Lawyers list uses a patented, multiphase selection process. The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. Lawyer listings are limited to those who can be hired and attained by the public.

Sumner was recently named a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters -- the only Super Lawyer in the Upstate dedicated to DUI Defense. This comes on the heels of being named a Best Law Firm by US News & World Report. In addition, he has received the highest possible rating in legal ability and ethical standards by Martindale Hubbell; holds a 10.0/Superb rating by Avvo; and has been selected as a "Best Attorney" Lifetime Charter Member to the Rue Ratings' Best Attorneys of America list.

Sumner currently represents clients in over 25 courts in Upstate South Carolina. These courts include Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg, Pickens and Laurens counties; as well as the city/municipal courts of Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg, Simpsonville, Mauldin, Greer, Fountain Inn, Easley, Clemson, Central, and Laurens.

In 1997, Sumner opened his own practice as a criminal defense attorney, with a special focus on defending clients accused of DUI, Felony DUI, all driving offenses and drug cases. He graduated from the USC School of Law in 1992 and served as a state court prosecutor from 1992 to 1994. His primary case load consists of prosecuting DUI, Felony DUI, Reckless Homicide and Traffic offenses.
I wanted to come to a company that was really disrupting healthcare and collaborate with them to build on their strong foundation for growth.

Get Real Health recently welcomed Alan Maxey, former IBM Watson (formerly Phytel) Area Vice President, Value Based Care, as the digital health companys new Vice President of Sales. Maxey brings 23 years of experience to the table as he works to build additional c-level relationships and power Get Real Healths growth to new heights.

I was very impressed with Get Real Healths company culture and passion to make a real difference in digital health, said Maxey. I wanted to come to a company that was really disrupting healthcare and collaborate with them to build on their strong foundation for growth.

Maxey has held key sales leadership positions with an impressive list of companies during his nearly two dozen years in the health IT industry since graduating from Virginia Tech. In addition to his position at IBM Watson, career highlights include: Client Executive, Provider Market for OptumInsight; Senior Executive, Corporate Accounts for McKesson Provider Technologies; Senior VP of Sales and Business Development, Health Information Technology for CBay Systems and Services; and Regional VP of Sales, Health Information Technology for HealthScribe, Inc.

We are thrilled that Alan has joined our team, said Get Real Health CEO, President and Founding Partner Robin Wiener. He not only brings new leadership and focus to our sales team, he also offers unique industry insight, a strong network, and refreshing energy to our growth plans.

Get Real health employs more than 75 people in Maryland and around the world. The company has been named a Best Place to Work by the Washington Business Journal. As healthcare organizations shift from fee-for-service to value-based care, Get Real Health is well-positioned for continued growth.

About Get Real Health

Get Real Health combines a world of new information from patients, devices and apps with existing clinical data to help individuals and healthcare professionals engage and empower each other. By giving providers and patients the information and tools they need to work together, we help our customers meet their ever-changing patient engagement needs. We help them deliver value-based care, improve outcomes, activate patients, increase patient loyalty and satisfaction, all while meeting regulatory requirements. Visit: http://www.getrealhealth.com.
In July, National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) took action to enhance their vendor offering for their member companies - partnering with Validity Screening Solutions (http://www.validityscreening.com) to conduct independent background checks on all potential employees. This is an opportunity to provide more value to the NCTC and its member operators, said Darren Dupriest, President and CEO of Validity Screening Solutions.

NCTC has over 800-member companies who offer cable, broadband and telephone across the United States. Partnering with Validity offers NCTC members the option to work with an NAPBS accredited provider that is familiar with their unique needs.

This is just another example of how the NCTC is creating more value for our members. By partnering with Validity, our members will receive exceptional service at a discounted price which ultimately helps the members bottom line, said Dan Buchanan VP of Member Strategy.

About Validity Screening Solutions

Validity Screening Solutions, located in Overland Park, Kansas, provides compliance focused employment screening, drug testing, and hiring technology to organizations who want to hire confidently. Since 1992, Validity has offered a streamlined and cost-effective approach to employment screening by using the latest technology and compliance standards. For more information about Validity Screening Solutions, visit http://www.ValidityScreening.com or call 866.915.0792.

About National Cable Television Cooperation (NCTC)

National Cable Television Cooperation, located in Lenexa, Kansas, works with the best cable and broadband providers while partnering with suppliers and content providers all to keep their goal of driving innovation into their industry. Since 1984, National Cable Television Cooperation (NCTC) has partnered with their members to bring generations of experience working with the people they serve in small and midsized communities while ensuring to always put customers first. For more information about National Cable Television Cooperation (NCTC), visit http://www.nctconline.org or call 913.599.5900.
New Products from Teadora's Brazilian Glow Collection The Brazilian Glow collection is formulated to protect skin against free radical damage while providing hydration and anti-aging properties.

Teadora, a leader in natural and organic beauty products powered by the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, is excited to announce the latest additions to its Brazilian Glow collection, the Beauty Butter and Ultra-Silky Cleanser. Formulated with proprietary rainforest superfruit elixirs and other powerful anti-aging, plant derived actives, the Brazilian Glow collection is formulated to protect skin against free radical damage while providing hydration and anti-aging properties.

The Beauty Butter, Skin Superhero for Face and Body is formulated with guarana and amino acids to allow skin to maintain and retain moisture, therefore combatting visible signs of aging. Amino acids are a natural, super moisturizer while the Amazonian superfruit, guarana, provides anti-aging and toning properties. Guarana is often used as a treatment for stretch marks and puffiness given its theophylline and caffeine components, and is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, making it safe for delicate and sensitive areas. The Beauty Butter is also made with Teadoras proprietary RainforestRestoration Elixir, which is infused with invigorating oils and butters of buriti  with higher concetration of pro-vitamin A than all fruits and vegetables, capuacu  show to be twice as moisturizing as shea butter, andiroba, acai, murumuru, Brazil nut and maracuja. The formulation also includes Phytocell Tech, an ingredient made from Argan Plant Stem cells, clinically proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines by 26%.

In addition to the Beauty Butter, Skin Superhero for Face & Body, Teadora is proud to announce the launch of their new Ultra-Silky Cleanser for Face & Body. Crafted with the brands RainforestYouth Elixir, vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants of acai, buriti and capuacu, the Ultra-Silky Cleanser nourishes and protects skin against free-radical damage, provides naturally anti-aging properties and gently cleanses. Both products are toxin-free, vegan, sustainably harvested, sulfate-free and synthetic fragrance-free.

At Teadora, we strive to formulate the most effective and differentiated natural products, says founder and CEO, Valeria Cole. We combine original indigenous knowledge with the best Brazilian beauty secrets from my childhood and the most advanced natural active ingredient technology, into proprietary elixirs powered by the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. Our mission is to ensure our customers can experience the beauty and bounty of the Amazon, without compromising performance over naturals.

All Teadora products are made with naturally active superfruits from the rainforests of Brazil and are fair-trade sourced, sustainably harvested and cruelty free. The brand built their comprehensive approach to sustainability through practices such as beach harvesting with Amazonian communities, local economic empowerment initiatives and relying less on man-made substances. Among the brands many initiatives is their trademarked give-back program, Earth For You. You For The Earth, which strives to re-plant one million trees and save seventy-five acres in the Amazon Rainforest within the next five years.

The new Brazilian Glow Beauty Butter and Ultra-Silky Cleanser for Face & Body are now available for purchase online via http://www.teadorabeauty.com and at Teadoras Pop-Up Store located at Pacific Place Mall in Seattle.

About Teadora:

In Portuguese, Teadora means adores you. Teadora shows their love for the world with natural and organic products made with exotic and effective rainforest ingredients. Toxin-Free, Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Sustainably Harvested and Made with love in the USA, their products let you experience the bounty, wisdom and magic of the Amazon  while helping to improve the lives of the communities where we live and do business. Teadora, a B-Corp Certified company, helps to fund a philanthropic exchange between the U.S. and Brazil to promote rainforest conservation, education and leadership development.

For more information please visit http://www.teadorabeauty.com.
Seven major drinks companies including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will limit the sugar content of drinks they sell in Singapore, as part of the city-state's campaign to fight diabetes.

By Reuters: Seven major drinks companies including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will limit the sugar content of drinks they sell in Singapore, as part of the city-state's campaign to fight diabetes.

Singapore is one of the first countries in Asia to target sugary drinks, bringing it in line with many Western nations that have sought to mitigate the health risks associated with sugar through measures such as taxes and warning labels.

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Globally, beverage firms have been reworking recipes, racing to cut sugar and introduced more options to cater to increasingly health-conscious consumers. On Tuesday, Singapore's ministry of health said the seven firms had signed an industry pledge to remove by 2020 drinks that contain more than 12 percent sugar from their portfolios of sugar-sweetened beverages.

As well as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the companies include F&N Foods, Malaysia Dairy Industries, Nestle, Pokka and Yeo Hiap Seng.

"In addition to this industry commitment, Coca-Cola Singapore is making an additional commitment to reduce the sugar content in our portfolio of sugar-sweetened beverages by 10 percent by 2020," Coca-Cola said in an email to Reuters.

It said it had been reducing sugar and calories across many of its brands, and offering more new drinks with low sugar content or no added sugar.

RISE IN DAILY SUGAR CONSUMPTION PER CAPITA

Daily sugar consumption per capita from soft drinks has risen since 2010 to 6.08 grams in Asia-Pacific in 2016, with Singapore at 11.99 grams, according to market research firm Euromonitor. Consumption has been trending lower in Europe and the United States, but it is still higher than in Asia-Pacific.

"Governments in Asia are actively promoting healthy consumption, such as Malaysia which launched its Healthier Choices Logo in April 2017," said Euromonitor International analyst Nathanael Lim. "Consumers also have an increasing preference for beverages containing natural ingredients with zero sugar."

The World Health Organization said last year drinking fewer calorific sweet drinks was the best way to curb excessive weight and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, although fat and salt in processed foods were also to blame.

Among Asian countries, the Philippines has slapped levies on sugar-sweetened beverages, while Indonesia and India have been considering similar taxes.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned the drinks makers' agreement in a speech on Sunday, in which he also urged people to drink water, eat wholemeal bread and brown rice, but did provide details.

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Big relief for Pepsi, Coke as Madras High Court lifts stay on using Thamirabarani river water

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Tamil Nadu traders begin boycott of Coke, Pepsi; to meet CM for formal ban

Jallikattu fallout? Why Tamil Nadu traders are boycotting Coke and Pepsi

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Oregon Fruit Soursop/Tangerine puree 'This is definitely our most adventurous puree to date. We cant wait to see how our customer base responds to the unique flavor of this innovative fruit combination.' -- Chris Hodge, director of sales for fermentation, Oregon Fruit Products

Oregon Fruit Products LLC today released its most unique, and perhaps most unfamiliar flavor in its limited series for the fermentation market: Soursop/Tangerine puree, a blend of soursop and tangerine fruits designed to add fruit dimension and flavor to a variety of fermented beverages, such as beer, cider, mead, spirits, wine and kombucha.

The blended puree contains 90 percent soursop fruit and 10 percent tangerine. Soursop is grown in tropical countries and is known for its bright, tangy flavor, with strawberry and pineapple notes and creamy white flesh. The addition of tangerine to the mixture creates a refreshing citrus pop and enhances the tropical notes of the Soursop. Once combined, puree coloring is a muted Creamsicle-orange color. Like all Fruit for Fermentation purees, Soursop/Tangerine has no added sugar, preservatives or additives, and is packaged aseptically for shelf-stability and ease of use.

The idea for the exotic and little-known soursop puree came courtesy of Bryan Winslow, co-owner and head brewer at St. Elmo Brewing in Austin, Texas. Winslow leases space to a food truck on the brewery premises named Soursop. Naturally, he thought a soursop beer would pair nicely with the Southeast Asian-inspired food. Having brewed with Oregon Fruit Products purees in the past, he reached out to the company, and a collaboration was born.

The genesis of Soursop/Tangerine is a perfect example of the type of the business partnerships we like to foster with our brewing customers, says Chris Hodge, director of sales for fermentation at Oregon Fruit Products. This is definitely our most adventurous puree to date and we cant wait to see how our customer base responds to the unique flavor of this innovative fruit combination.

More tips for brewing with Oregon Fruit Products Fruit for Fermentation is available here.

About Fruit for Fermentation Purees

Like all of Oregon Fruit for Fermentation products, the fruit is carefully selected for maximum ripeness and flavor and pureed into a velvet-smooth consistency so that it is ready for incorporating into a variety of fermented beverages, including beer, cider, mead, spirits, wine, and kombucha. All of Oregon Specialty Fruit purees are aseptically packaged to ensure shelf-stable, clean fruit brewers can count on. The product is minimally processed to ensure the best fresh fruit flavor and color. Most of the purees have a shelf life of 18 months in ambient temperature.

Oregon Fruits Soursop/Tangerine puree is now available in 42 lb. bag-in-box. The product is certified kosher, made in the U.S.A., non-GMO, gluten-free and vegetarian. Oregon Fruit Products does not use, nor does it allow, any of the eight major allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat) in the products or processing areas.

Oregon Fruit Products LLC

Founded in 1935, Oregon Fruit Products offers a complete line of canned, frozen and shelf-stable premium fruit for consumers, foodservice operators and ingredient sales. The company is located in Salem, Oregon and can be found on the web at http://www.oregonfruit.com and shop.fruitforbrewing.com.
5'4" Anthracite WWOO Concrete Outdoor Kitchen "Teamwork makes the dream work" - Gina Hoffman

WWOO Concrete Outdoor Kitchens LLC is now producing in El Segundo, California. The product is the premier outdoor kitchen brand in the world. The Dutch design was introduced 5 years ago by Piet-Jan van den Kommer and is sold in 13 countries worldwide. Within the last 6 months, WWOO California has refined its production process and has established the means to continue the WWOO-VEMENT.

In late 2016, Gregg & Gina Hoffman brought WWOO Concrete Outdoor Kitchens to California. What began with a Big Green Egg BBQ they purchased as a Fathers Day present would change their lifes direction. That summer they decided to go to the headquarters in the Netherlands to see the product for themselves and they ended the visit with a new-found partnership.

Having backgrounds in landscape and real estate, the two shared a passion for design and renovation already. Their desire for success is deeply rooted in their passions as well as their love for their 5 children. Production commenced in April of 2017 and already the WWOO-VEMENT is spreading throughout America with orders from coast to coast.

With over 5 years of success in Europe, dealers in 13+ countries, and awards at events such as the Chelsea Flower Show in May of 2013. WWOO Concrete Outdoor Kitchens LLC has opened a showroom in El Segundo which showcases 3 models of the Dutch designed outdoor kitchens. There is a variety of possibilities and configurations to fit a patio, balcony, or backyard. Accessories range from iPad stands, knife blocks, towel bars, and buckets that hang on the side of the WWOO. New accessories are always added as the team in the Netherlands is constantly developing solutions to your problems.

WWOO kitchens are built to order and the design is a solution to the high-cost, fragile, and immobile nature of traditional outdoor kitchens. Its modular segments present flexibility while the designs can be tailored to your individual wants and needs. Being composed of concrete posts and shelves, the WWOO Kitchens can be easily cleaned off with a hose, are low maintenance year-round, and are very durable. WWOO brings a sense of authentic outdoor celebration to your backyard through cultivating a way of living in mother natures world.
Mestel & Company (Mestel), a leading national attorney placement and strategic consulting firm established in 1987, announces the promotion of Mary Rosenfeld DEramo to Vice President of Operations. Mary is based in the companys Boston office and will report to Joan Davison, CEO and President of HCMC Legal, Inc. (HCMC), the parent company of Mestel & Company and Hire Counsel.

Mary joined Mestel & Company in 2008 and since then, she has taken on increasing levels of responsibility and management within the organization, expanding her working knowledge of all aspects of the attorney placement business. As Vice President of Operations, Mary will manage Mestels national team of legal recruiters and researchers as well as oversee its operations. Additionally, she will work with Joan Davison to plan, develop, and execute the companys growth strategy and vision. Mary will continue to provide legal recruiting services to Mestels law firm and corporate clients in the New England market.

Before joining Mestel, Mary practiced law as a civil litigation attorney, including at the Boston office of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP, where she specialized in construction litigation. Mary earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and a B.A. from Colby College.

I am honored to move into this leadership position at Mestel, which has been home to me for the past nine years of my career, said Mary Rosenfeld DEramo. Mestels commitment to excellent service, forward-looking vision, and collaborative culture motivate me and make me proud to be part of the company. I am excited and grateful for this opportunity to help take Mestel to the next level.

Mary and her team continue to play an invaluable role during a period of significant growth at HCMC, said Joan Davison, CEO and President of HCMC. Marys deep understanding of the attorney placement business and legal job market, strong commitment to her teams success, and enthusiasm are aligned with the companys core values and will drive HCMC forward, which will in turn bring added value to the national legal community that we serve.

About Mestel & Company (an HCMC Legal Company)

Mestel & Company specializes in legal search and recruitment consulting, advancing the careers of individual associates, of counsel, partners, in-house counsel as well as facilitating the movement of groups and complex law firm mergers. Our prominent legacy, forward looking vision, depth of experience, and dedication to honesty, candor, and integrity set us apart from our competitors. Mestel & Company is part of HCMC Legal, Inc., the only 100% employee owned company in the legal staffing industry, which ensures that each of our recruiters, as an owner, provides best in class service and is committed to the needs and sensitivity of our attorneys. For more information, visit http://www.mestel.com or follow us on Twitter @MestelCompany.
Chromebook Charging Station 8 Pack Since blended learning practices are becoming more popular, we want to support the trend. School systems and educators make a large investment in hardware. Our mission is to keep it safe, yet accessible

CaseCruzer applauds educators and school leaders for adopting learning that blends the very best online and classroom experiences. Whether students live in the cloud or embrace traditional group methods, laptops and the education they facilitate need the assistance of the new Chromebook Charging Station 8 Pack to stay charged and protected.

The Chromebook Charging Station 8 Pack, for starters, refreshes up to eight laptops simultaneously overnight. When K-12 students arrive the next morning in a flipped classroom, their digital tools are integrated, and they can quickly view online lectures and access vital course content.

The new 8 Pack accommodates Chromebook brands such as Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. The compact charging station provides vertical, individual saddles that prevent laptops from slipping sideways. Technology Directors and Teachers can recharge hardware during classroom activities or educational events at other locations.

Blended education environments also benefit from a Protect N Charge security system. Whether storing overnight or traveling, the Chromebook Charging Station solution includes a double lock-down system that stops theft. The first layer of defense secures the laptops with padlocks while the exterior lid is open for classroom use. The second layer or exterior, is comprised of stainless steel flanges that make the lid and base pad-lockable.

Since blended learning practices are becoming more popular, we want to help support the trend. School systems and educators make a large investment in hardware. Our mission is to keep it safe, yet accessible, says Tatiana Briceno, CaseCruzer Marketing Director.

CaseCruzer Chromebook Charging Station 8 Pack can be stacked 5 units highand stored in a closet. Multiple handles and embedded wheels allow Teachers and IT support personnel to swiftly roll laptops between classrooms, or travel by plane, train or van without worry of damage from vibrations and hard knocks.

Chromebook mobile charging stations also go where typical transport carts cannot. They easily fit into school vehicles and can be pulled up and down inconvenient staircases without stress. Setup is a breeze for educators and students. Just plug the charger and cable into the safe 110V AC power strip. Each Chromebook Charging Station 8 Pack unit comes with a lifetime warranty because instructional methods continue to evolve.

Exterior dimensions are 33.75L x 28.50W x 16.50H and the unit weighs 64 lbs. It also includes an ambient pressure equalization valve, high-quality latches, and O-ring seal that make the station watertight, airtight and dustproof. Proudly made in the USA. This Ez-Pack N Ship product is safe to transport via airlines, FedEx and UPS. All units are available in black only.

CaseCruzer agrees that more choices and responsibility for learning helps students and teachers grow and roll towards the future.

CaseCruzer offers a wide array of products within the electronics and technology markets such as tablet charging stations; rack & hard drive cases; as well as other solutions to meet the needs of IT and MIS professionals. For more information on the Chromebook Charging Station 8 Pack, please visit http://www.casecruzer.com; call (800) 440-9925 in the U.S. or (909) 613-1999 internationally; fax (909) 613-1979; or write to CaseCruzer at 4665 State Street, Montclair, CA 91763.
Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote MD The curriculum of this conference should be a part of all medical education. It can help you move through the stresses of patient care on a day-to-day basis. -- -- Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, MD

According to American Meditation Institute founder, Leonard Perlmutter, the ninth annual CME conference October 24-28, 2017 at the Cranwell Resort and Spa in Lenox, Massachusetts will present a 5,000 year old curriculum to relieve and prevent physician burnout. This comprehensive training in Yoga Science as holistic mind/body medicine, will offer attendees 30 CME credits and is accredited through the Albany Medical College Office of Continuing Medical Education.

This years American Meditation Institute Heart and Science of Yoga CME conference is dedicated to providing physicians a quality, comprehensive and evidence-based education that can prevent and reverse the debilitating causes and effects of physician burnout. Lectures include: AMI Meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, easy-gentle yoga, Yoga psychology, neuroplasticity, PTSD, trauma, resilience, the chakra system as a diagnostic tool, mind function optimization, epigenomics, ayurveda, food as medicine, functional medicine, and lymph system detoxification. In addition, three testimonial lectures will be presented by Tony Santilli MD, Beth Netter MD and Prashant Kaushik MDeach of whom has successfully used Yoga Science techniques to reduce and eliminate their own burnout symptoms.

According to previous conference attendee and 2017 presenter Mark Pettus MD, Director of Medical Information and Population Health at the Berkshire Health Systems, My appeal to any caregiver would be to love yourself. Express the same compassion to who you are as you would for those you care for. And look in the mirror and ask yourself, Are you happy? Are you thriving? And if not, why is that? Many of the AMI tools that you learn through this program are the antidotes to so many of physicians day-to-day challenges.

Coverys Risk Management, reporting on Medscapes Lifestyle Report 2017: Race and Ethnicity, Bias and Burnout reports that the overall burnout rate for physicians is now at 51 percent, an increase from 40 percent in 2013. The survey also found, the highest percentages of burnout occurred among physicians practicing emergency medicine (59%), followed by ob/gyns (56%) and family physicians, internists, and infectious disease physicians (all at 55%).

When you change your perspective, faculty director Perlmutter says, you change your experience. AMIs Heart and Science of Yoga program will offer physicians a refreshingly new, clearer and kinder perspective on every personal and professional responsibility they face today. Through engaging lectures by an accomplished medical faculty, instructive practicums and ongoing Q&A, doctors gain experiential knowledge that integrates Yoga Science into a dynamic self-care program. As a result of receiving this practical wisdom, physicians will return home with a set of useful tools that can empower them to make conscious, discriminating and reliable choices to enhance their creativity, well-being, happiness and success. The more physicians incorporate the therapeutic practices of Yoga Science and AMI Meditation into their daily lives, most symptoms of stress related burnout and chronic complex diseases can be diminished or eliminated.

Noted physicians Dean Ornish, Mehmet Oz (Dr. Oz), Bernie Siegel and Larry Dossey have endorsed Mr. Perlmutters award-winning Heart and Science of Yoga treatise, which serves as the primary curriculum for this ninth annual conference.

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About the American Meditation Institute

The American Meditation Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization devoted to the teaching and practice of Yoga Science, meditation and its allied disciplines as mind/body medicine. In its holistic approach to wellness, AMI combines the healing arts of the East with the practicality of modern Western science. The American Meditation Institute offers a wide variety of classes, retreats, and teacher training programs. AMI also publishes Transformation a bi-monthly journal of meditation as holistic mind/body medicine. Call 518.674.8714 for a mail or email subscription.

Media Contact:

Robert Washington

60 Garner Road

Averill Park, NY 12018

Tel: 518-674-8714

Fax: 518-674-8714
Save 25% on Early Bird discounted passes with the code SUMMER Gaining insights on what other researchers have been working upon is always exciting. Networking opportunities were plenty. The overall experience was great.

Attendees are free to attend sessions across all tracks, providing a diverse agenda to explore.

Track 1: Deep Learning Summit

Recent advancements in Deep Learning are creating a pathway for new technologies, and the impact of AI on real world problems is becoming ever more prevalent. Ian Goodfellow from Google Brain, recently listed on MITs 35 Innovators Under 35, who will be presenting his research at the Summit, said that Machine learning is always held back by limitations in the amount of computation we can use. The new Google TPU helps to bridge the gap between the amount of computation we can leverage in deep learning experiments and the amount of computation used in a biological nervous system.

Joining Ian on the Deep Learning track is Yves Raimond, Director of Machine Learning Research at Netflix who will explore the deep learning methods applied to personalization and recommendations. Netflix have recently published research in this space and will discuss it in detail before revealing promising new research.

Our goal at REWORK is to bring together industry experts, CEOs, Data Scientists, Startups, and researchers working in AI, from varying levels of technical knowledge. Earlier this year we heard from Jacob Miller, Lead Programmer from Circle Computer Resources who attended the summit:

"I'm new to deep learning. Just being able to interact with other attendees and finding my place in deep learning was highly valuable."

As well as networking with other attendees its not uncommon for startups and more experienced industry professionals to connect around their research and ideas.

Also joining the agenda is Daphne Koller, Chief Computing Officer at Calico Labs, and Co-Chair of the Board and Co-Founder of Coursera, the largest platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs). Daphne will share her current work at Calico Labs to leverage deep learning to identify a key point of interest: how we can live longer and stay healthier. Calico Labs, a research and development biotech company, is on a mission is to understand the biology of aging with the goal of combating aging and associated diseases. There are many aspects of scientific research and medical practice where AI and DL can play a critical role, and Daphne explained that Levering AI techniques can help medical professionals by providing tools to help them synthesize the most important information they need.

Additional speakers confirmed include Andrej Karpathy, Director of Artificial Intelligence, Tesla; Bjarke Felbo, Research Assistant, MIT; Waleed Ammar, Research Scientist, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence; Eli David, CTO, Deep Instinct.

Track 2: AI Assistant Summit

As AI improves and models become more and more human-like, its easy to forget that were conversing with machines on a daily basis. We use Siri, Cortana, Alexa and countless other intelligent assistants as well as interacting with online chatbots. Whilst these interactions have improved hugely since their conception there are still obstacles that prevent users having experiences that they want to continually engage with. At the AI Assistant Summit we will hear from experts who are working to combat this and create the most human-like personalized bots to optimize efficiency and save money.

Working to overcome these barriers are Autodesk who aim to provide a seamless blend of digital and human support across all Autodesk help properties, and in January, we will be joined by Engineer, Nikhil Mane. Nikhil will discuss how since launching AVA in February, it continues to learn from chat conversations with customers and provides personalized interactions with customers to meet their needs more efficiently. Nikhil will explain how Autodesk are using a combination of machine learning and data analysis to develop and continuously improve the intelligent agent and how the development model changes for conversational interfaces.

Also presenting at the summit is Rushin Shah, Engineering Leader at Facebook, previously the natural language understanding chief for Apples Siri, who will share his expertise on natural language dialogue and optimising AI assistant efficiency. Working on a product that has the potential to impact over a billion users every day, Rushin will share the challenges Facebook face in implementing machine learning in their assistants.

Additional speakers confirmed include Andrew Magliozzi, CEO & Co-Founder, AdmitHub; Deepti Yenireddy, CEO & Founder, My Ally; Ivan Crewkov, CEO & Co-Founder MyBuddy.ai; with many more coming soon.

Track 3: Deep Learning for Enterprise Summit

As deep learning is becoming more accessible, smaller companies are increasingly keen to be a part of this growing landscape. At the Deep Learning for Enterprise Summit we will hear about the practical applications of deep learning to your businesses and reveal new insights to optimize efficiency.

As data science has become increasingly popular, many organizations rush to hire ML experts without laying the proper foundation to ensure their success, and Amy Gershkoff, Chief Data Officer from Ancestry will share her work in the field, and unpack the question Is your organization ready for ML? She will discuss how organizations can prepare for success, as well as how candidates can diagnose whether the organization is truly ready for ML.

Businesses of all sizes are capable of benefiting from deep learning, and Vicki Cheung from OpenAI will be sharing her current work at the research company that aims to promote and develop friendly AI in such a way as to benefit humanity as a whole. In her recent paper, Infrastructure for Deep Learning, Vicki explored the use cases of deep learning and explains how OpenAIs infrastructure aims to maximize the productivity of deep learning researchers, allowing them to focus on the science. In San Francisco, Vicki will share her most recent work and research in the space.

Additional speakers confirmed include Nikita Lytkin, Machine Learning Lead, Facebook; Saman Farid, Founder, Comet Labs; and many more to be announced soon.

Early Bird discounted passes are available until October 6, and we are currently offering an additional 25% off passes with the code SUMMER when you register before August 31st. Sign up now to guarantee your place in San Francisco next January.

Cant make it to San Francisco? Join us as our Global Deep Learning Summit Series continues:

Deep Learning Summit and AI Assistant Summit, London, September 21 & 22.

Deep Learning Summit Montreal, October 10 & 11.

Interested in showcasing your startup?

The event provides the perfect opportunity to demo and showcase the latest AI technology and applications. If you know any innovative new companies working in the field, suggest them here.

Someone you'd like to hear from?

If you know of anyone in the industry who you'd like to hear present their research, you can suggest a speaker here.

Any questions? Get in touch!

Media enquiries:

Yazmin, yhow(at)re-work(dot)co

Ticket queries & event info:

Nikita, njohnson(at)re-work(dot)co

About REWORK

REWORK is an all-female run events organising company that brings together breakthrough technology, cutting-edge science and entrepreneurship shaping the future of business and society. We showcase the opportunities of exponentially accelerating technologies to positively disrupt industry and society.
Linux Academy tops Inc. 5000 education list. We are passionate about helping people learn and grow, and that commitment to our students has been the key to our success.

Linux Academy, the leading online Linux and cloud training platform and community, today announced that it was ranked #1 on the list of education companies on the 2017 Inc. 5000, Inc. Magazines annual list of Americas fastest-growing private companies. With a three-year growth of 4,654 percent, Linux Academy lands in the top 100 of the overall list at #78, at #5 on the list of Texas companies, and #4 on the list of Dallas companies. This marks Linux Academys first appearance on the Inc. 5000.

Linux Academy was founded on the belief that high-quality, skills-based technology training should be available to anyone at an affordable price, said Anthony James, Founder and CEO, Linux Academy. The only available training used to cost thousands of dollars, but we wanted to make it accessible to everyone. We are passionate about helping people learn and grow, and that commitment to our students has been the key to our success. Its an honor to be recognized alongside so many other companies that are making a difference in the lives of their customers.

More than 100,000 aspiring and expert engineers have developed new skills through Linux Academy with thousands more signing up every day. Many of the worlds finest technology companies and institutions also train at Linux Academy, including Rackspace, the Associated Press, MailChimp, the University of Alabama, the University of Arizona, Clemson University, and many more. Linux Academy is also proactively working to close the cloud skills gap across the technology industry through Cloud Assessments, a new platform that uses AI to build a custom learning path based on a person's current skill set with cloud technologies.

The Inc. 5000 represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segment its independent small and midsized businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Dominos Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other household names gained their first national exposure as honorees of the Inc. 5000.

The 2017 Inc. 5000 is the most competitive crop in the lists history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year average growth of 481 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue is $206 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 619,500 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000

About Linux Academy

Linux Academy offers the only cloud computing education platform that tests students in live server environments. Through self-paced courses, hands-on labs, six cloud servers, personal access to expert instructors, and an ever-growing learning library, Linux Academy caters to a range of skill levels from beginner to expert. Courses are geared toward Linux, AWS, Google Cloud Platforms, OpenStack, DevOps, Azure, Big Data, and Containers. Linux Academy provides more value per dollar than any other IT training program. To enroll or to explore tools and group rates, visit: http://www.linuxacademy.com.
Catapult Learning, a leading provider of outstanding education solutions that generate demonstrable academic achievement and better life outcomes for students, today announced the appointment of Joseph Driscoll to vice president, corporate controller. In this role, Driscoll will be responsible for general accounting and financial control functions for the company. Reporting to Chief Financial Officer Chris Catalano, Driscoll will also oversee treasury and play a meaningful role in business analytics to support business growth.

I am excited to have Joe Driscoll joining our company, said Catalano. He has a depth of experience in accounting and financial management that will be extremely valuable to the organization. His extensive management experience and team-oriented business approach are wonderful assets that will ensure we are successful as we streamline our internal processes, implement modern financial technologies, and expand Catapult Learning nationwide.

Driscoll arrives at Catapult Learning with a strong record of business success in the technology and retail services fields. Most recently, he was the vice president and chief accounting officer for Checkpoint Systems, where he managed a $13 million budget and provided executive leadership to more than 200 finance employees across five departments. Driscoll started with the company in 2004 as a manager of external reporting. Before Checkpoint Systems, Driscoll served as the director of financial reporting and systems at Pep Boys.

Driscoll received his bachelors degree in accounting from Rutgers University and his masters in business administration from Widener University. He also earned his master certificate in Six Sigma from Villanova University.

The education industry is continuing to evolve, and Catapult Learning is experiencing tremendous growth both locally and throughout the country, making this an exciting time to join the company, said Driscoll. Im pleased to take on such a meaningful role at Catapult.

About Catapult Learning

Catapult Learning, Inc. has dedicated more than four decades to providing outstanding education solutions that generate demonstrable academic achievement and better life outcomes for students, regardless of their learning barriers or other challenges they may face. The companys team of 5,600 educators works to achieve sustained academic gains and build teacher and leadership capacity through evidence-based programs that include intervention services, special education and alternative education programs, and professional development solutions. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Camden, New Jersey, Catapult Learning partners with more than 500 school districts, including 18 of the 20 largest school districts in the United States.
Veteran's Dental Day Flyer Im honored to work for a company whose leadership feels as strongly as I do about giving back to the community.

The affiliated offices of Bright Now! Dental are joining forces with the Smiles For Everyone Foundation to provide needed dental care to area veterans on Saturday September 23, 2017 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Bright Now Dental office at 4210 Martin Way East in Olympia.

Bright Now! Dental volunteers from offices across the region will be on hand to ensure that the maximum number of veterans can be served. The team will be providing free exams and x-rays plus oral cancer screenings, fluoride treatments, sealants, fillings and extractions to veterans and their dependents. Call 360.350.6486 today to schedule your Free Dental Day appointment.

Bright Now! Dental is committed to supporting the communities in which they serve, and they know how difficult it can be for veterans to get access to affordable dental care. Lori Dowling, Office Manager at Bright Now! Dental in Olympia, has first-hand experience in navigating the complexities of the veterans healthcare system.

I was a Dental Technician in the Army Reserves until I was injured in the line of duty, shares Ms. Dowling. I know only too well how difficult it can be for disabled vets to find the care they need which is why I am so thrilled to be hosting this event. Im honored to work for a company whose leadership feels as strongly as I do about giving back to the community.

Many Americans have limited or no insurance coverage for dental care. The current Veterans Affairs health care package does not include dental benefits leaving many veterans without the ability to afford care. Thats where the Smiles For Everyone Foundation comes in. Founded in 2011, the Smiles for Everyone Foundation is committed to providing free dental care to those in need. The organization has delivered over 12,000 smiles and $10.5 million in donated dentistry around the world.

The volunteers hope to provide services to over 100 veterans as part of this years Free Dental Day. Interested veterans and their families should call early to reserve a spot. Please bring your Veterans ID, DD214 or military ID to the appointment. For more information and appointments call 360.350.6486 or visit the Bright Now Dental Veterans Dental Day Blog.

About Bright Now Dental

Bright Now! Dental provides general dentistry, childrens dentistry and specialty care services such as orthodontics, oral surgery, periodontics and endodontics at 177 locations across the U.S. Bright Now! Dental affiliated practices makes it easy and affordable for individuals and families to get the dental care they need with convenient locations, extended hours and same-day appointments. The Bright Now! Dental mission is to create healthier smiles by making dental visits easy and enjoyable. Learn more at http://www.brightnow.com

About the Smiles For Everyone Foundation

The Smiles for Everyone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of delivering smiles for everyone by providing free dental care for those in need, both at home in the U.S. and around the world. Since 2011, the Smiles for Everyone Foundation has delivered over 12,000 smiles and $10.5 million in donated dentistry. The foundation currently supports programs which provide free dental care to those in need in Cambodia, Ghana, Laos, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Thailand, and the United States. For more information, visit http://www.smilesforeveryone.org.

Contacts:

Bright Now Dental

Jody Martin

PR(at)smilebrands.com

714.427.1299

Smiles For Everyone Foundation

Crystal Strait

crystal.strait(at)smilesforeveryone.org

714.824.5037
I am looking forward to the future and what this means for my team." - Craig Wilson, owner of Exterior Solutions by Craigs Roofing.

Tecta America, the national leader in commercial roofing, announces the recent acquisition of the assets of Exterior Solutions, by Craigs Roofing.

We are very excited to welcome Craig Wilson and his team to the Tecta family. We have been impressed by the growth and quality of the Exterior Solutions organization and know that we share the same values of providing our customers with great service while providing our people with a safe, rewarding, and challenging environment, said Mark Santacrose, Tectas President and CEO.

Exterior Solutions was established as Craigs Roofing in 1994 and became Exterior Solutions by Craigs Roofing in 2015. They are a full service commercial and residential roofing company providing a variety of roofing and roof asset management services to customers. The acquired operation also includes its BRB metal roofing business and expands Tectas capabilities in this area of the region.

The operation will be known as Tecta America Oklahoma LLC, although the residential business will continue to retain the Exterior Solutions name. Craig Wilson and his entire management team and workforce will continue with Tecta America going forward.

I am looking forward to the future and what this means for my team. It will allow both Tecta America and the current team at Exterior Solutions the ability to provide additional strength and services for our customers and stronger careers for our employees, said Craig Wilson, owner of Exterior Solutions by Craigs Roofing.

About Tecta America

Tecta America is the nations premier commercial roofing contractor with 50+ operations located from coast to coast. Our unyielding commitment to quality, expertise and professionalism is what makes us the industry leader. Installations of all types, repairs, emergency response, sustainability options and morewe offer the responsiveness of a local roofing contractor backed by the resources and stability you need from a national provider of commercial roofing solutions. For more information, visit our website at http://www.tectaamerica.com
By PTI: By Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Aug 22 (PTI) One of Singapores oldest Hindu temples is under investigation over suspected criminal offences, a media report said today.

Commercial Affairs Department is conducting the probe into Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, but it is "inappropriate" to comment further on the investigation, police said.

The Commissioner of Charities (COC) also said in a statement that it had been notified of the investigation and has also launched its own inquiry into the temple.

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"The review identified certain areas of concern with regard to governance and administration, which warrant conducting an inquiry," Channel News Asia reported citing the statement.

The COC added that it will decide on the next course of action after the inquiry.

In the meantime, religious activities will not be affected and the temple can continue with its operations and daily services, the COC said, adding that measures will be put in place to ensure the temple is properly managed.

The temple at Serangoon Road is a well-known landmark in the Little India area, with about 5,000devotees on each Sundays and is popular among tourists.

The temple was set up as a trust and obtained charity status in 1988.

The temple, founded by Tamil pioneers in 1835, underwent a two-year-long, SGD7-million makeover which was completed in 2014.

It is one of 15 places of worship that have been listed for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). PTI GS AMS AKJ AMS

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With Copleys consultation and facilitation, we will be well-positioned to scale rapidly, grow our business, and meet expanding customer demands, while continuing to conform to high quality standards and specificity.

Vermont Precision Tools Inc., a leading provider of cutting tool blanks and fixed limited gages for the metalworking industries, has selected The Copley Consulting Group to facilitate and deploy Infors CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine) Solution. With a strong customer focus and a company-wide commitment to continuous improvement, Vermont Precision will be better able to streamline their current paper-intensive systems with CloudSuites automated workflow tools and better manage their electronic documentation processes to enhance downstream customer interactions.

We aim to consistently achieve and exceed customer satisfaction, stated Monica Greene, President of Vermont Precision Tools. With Copleys consultation and facilitation, we will be well-positioned to scale rapidly, grow our business, and meet expanding customer demands, while continuing to conform to high quality standards and specificity.

The CloudSuite Industrial Solution will provide a more efficient flow of information and the communication capabilities to support the dynamic nature of Vermont Precision Tools operation and processes. The fully integrated enterprise solution, supported by The Copley Consulting Group, will deliver the needed functionality to address requirements today and into the future.

We are excited about this opportunity to partner with Vermont Precision Tools on this important project, stated Bill Cary, VP of Sales for Copley. We expect that through the collective efforts of Copley and Vermont Precision Tools that we will successfully implement Infors world class business solution and support Vermont Precisions high-quality standards and continued growth targets.

The Copley Consulting Group will provide installation, training, education, and implementation consulting to facilitate the deployment of the acquired applications.

About Vermont Precision Tools

For nearly 50 years Vermont Precision Tools (VPT) has supplied the highest quality product and services to the metalworking industries. With a company-wide commitment to quality and customer service, VPT supplies products to the aerospace, automotive, cold heading, cutting tool, die casting, ejection molding, fastener, medical tooling, powder metal, stamping and tool & die industries. VPT operates under ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified Quality Management Systems. http://vermontprecisiontools.com

About the Copley Consulting Group

For over 25 years The Copley Consulting Group has delivered Infor SyteLine implementation success to more than 400 enterprises. From Fortune 1000 companies to start-up operations, Copley has provided education, training and technical services melded with a focus on Best Practices. As one of Infors premier Gold Level Channel Partners, Copleys team of dedicated professionals is committed to increasing the productivity and profitability of our customers. http://www.copleycg.com
The 6S and Drive account teams for COBS with the client

6S Marketing has been named strategic digital agency partner for COBS Bread in North America.

The firm was awarded the work following a competitive digital agency review, as COBS Bread was looking for a strategic partner to help continue its growth and momentum. 6S will lead all digital marketing and advertising for COBS, including brand, creative, and media, as well as growing the brands social channels to highlight the company as a prominent Canadian brand.

6S will plan and execute initiatives across Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn to reach the brands consumers and deliver the right message to the right consumer at the right time. 6S Marketings sister agency, Drive Digital, was awarded the contract to launch COBS Breads new website. We look forward to the partnership with 6S and Drive to enhance our strategic capabilities and deliver a more personalized customer experience to drive the growth of the brand, said Brad Bissonnette, VP of Marketing & Franchise Recruitment for COBS Bread.

As COBS Bread continues its expansion across the country, they were seeking to partner with a strategic agency that can support its growing digital efforts. Lauren Pybus, VP Business Development at 6S Marketing, said, We are thrilled that our companies will be collaborating to deliver a strategic digital approach focused on results that will help improve the growth of the COBS brand. Our teams share the same passion, grit, and dedication, and we are all very excited about our partnership with COBS.

About 6S Marketing

6S Marketing is a leading digital agency in New York, Vancouver, and Toronto that transforms businesses for the digital age. For over 17 years, the ROI-driven direct response firm has helped clients revolutionize their businesses online. 6S focuses on emergent tactics such as marketing automation, social media and content strategy, online media buying, programmatic advertising, and multi-lingual campaigns. They execute sophisticated digital strategies for clients such as Mountain Equipment Co-op, Cirque du Soleil, Urban Barn, and Bulletproof Coffee. For more information, visit: http://www.6Smarketing.com.

About COBS Bread

At every one of COBS Breads 97 locations across Canada, hand crafted bread and the freshest treats are baked every day. Offering traditional sandwich breads, artisanal loaves, and smart indulgences, COBS Bread focuses on helping you bring high quality, healthy, and delicious baked goods into your home. At the end of the day, all leftover product is donated to local charities. COBS Bread is part of Bakers Delight Holdings Ltd, established in 1980 and operating as Bakers Delight in Australia and New Zealand, and COBS Bread in Canada and the United States. Together, they have grown to become the worlds most successful bakery franchise with more than 700 bakery locations worldwide with plans to grow to 250 locations in Canada in the next five years. For more information, visit: http://www.cobsbread.com.
Jose Maria Serrano, 2017 RCA President, MIAMI Association of REALTORS I owe this incredible honor to my MIAMI Association of REALTORS, our Miami professionals and everyone who has helped me in life since I came to this country as a 22 year old from Colombia with no knowledge of English Past News Releases RSS Colombia Tops Miami Real Estate...

Miami 3Q Home Sales Impacted by...

Colombia Tops Miami Real Estate...

MIAMI Association of REALTORS (MIAMI) Commercial President Jose Maria Chepe Serrano was awarded the prestigious 2017 Commercial Achievement Award by the Florida Realtors for his excellence in commercial real estate, and his dedication and commitment. Florida Realtors awarded Serrano the honor at its 101st annual Convention & Trade Expo at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.

I owe this incredible honor to my MIAMI Association of REALTORS, our Miami professionals and everyone who has helped me in life since I came to this country as a 22 year old from Colombia with no knowledge of English, said Serrano, who is the principal at New Miami Realty, Corp. It is in giving that you receive. That is why I love to contribute to the MIAMI association, Florida Realtors, the National Association of REALTORS, my church and my alma mater.

Serrano first came to the United States from Bogota, Colombia to attend Xavier University in Ohio. He didnt have any family and friends in America. He didnt speak English. Serrano learned English and moved to Miami to study at Florida International University, where he met his wife, Simona, and had two children (son Nicolas and daughter Daniela). Simona is also a Realtor at New Miami Realty.

Serrano partnered with his older brother, Gabriel, to launch New Miami Realty, Corp. in 2003. Eager to help his community and his industry in the way his parents taught him, Serrano began volunteering his time on local Realtor boards at the local, state and national levels.

In addition to serving as 2017 MIAMI Commercial President, Serrano is the vice president of his local Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) chapter.

At the state level, Serrano has served on 33 committees and counting for Florida Realtors. He is a Florida Realtors-accredited instructor and teaches regularly at the local and state level.

At the national level, Serrano is a member of NARs Global Business and Alliance Committee. He helped launch the NAR Pilot Grant Program, designed to actively give back to and enhance local communities.

Locally, Serrano remains involved with FIUs alumni association. He also teaches as an adjunct professor at Miami-Dade College.

A devout Catholic, Chepe is an active member in his Miami parish. Chepe is in the Archdiocese of Miamis lay ministers program. He helps his church in the married couples ministry Matrimonios en Victoria/Marriages in Victory and in the marriage preparation ministry FOCCUS.

About the MIAMI Association of REALTORS

The MIAMI Association of REALTORS was chartered by the National Association of Realtors in 1920 and is celebrating 97 years of service to Realtors, the buying and selling public, and the communities in South Florida. Comprised of six organizations, the Residential Association, the Realtors Commercial Alliance, the Broward Council, the Jupiter Tequesta Hobe Sound (JTHS-MIAMI) Council, the Young Professionals Network (YPN) Council and the award-winning International Council, it represents 45,000 real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S., and has official partnerships with 163 international organizations worldwide. MIAMIs official website is http://www.MiamiRealtors.com

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Riptide Software was awarded as Top 5 Best Places to Work by Orlando Sentinel This award is important for us as a company because it gives us valuable, anonymous, insight from our employees. They are free to describe the culture, opportunities, and challenges that Riptide offers in an honest manner and we couldnt be more proud.

Riptide Software was recently awarded as a Best Place to Work in 2017 by the Orlando Sentinel Top 100 Companies. The award was competed among companies having from 100 to 499 employees. This survey and award program was designed to identify, recognize, and honor the best places of employment in Central Florida and was created by Orlando Sentinel and Best Companies Group. Riptide placed 2nd in 2016 and 5th in 2017 in the highly competitive environment.

Hundreds of organizations across Central Florida participated in the Top 100 Companies. A two-part survey process determined eligibility to be awarded. The first part of the survey consisted of evaluating each nominated companys workplace policies, practices, philosophies, systems, and demographics. The second part of the survey consisted of an employee survey to measure and quantify the employee experience. The combination of the two-survey score determined the top organizations and overall rankings.

Philip Loeffel, Founder and CEO of Riptide Software added, This award is important for us as a company because it gives us valuable, anonymous, insight from our employees. They are free to describe the culture, opportunities, and challenges that Riptide offers in an honest manner and we couldnt be prouder of our results. The award of being recognized as one of the best places to work in Central Florida is proof of our efforts in making a culture that employees look forward to everyday; and we see it in practice with positive outcomes such as quality of work, employee productivity, and customer successes.

About http://www.RIPTIDESOFTWARE.COM

Media Contact: Technology Resources and Riptides CEO are available for interview. Please contact Christy Puller, 321-296-7724.

About Riptide Software, Inc.

Riptide Software is an award-winning, formally assessed CMMI Level 4 software company based in Central Florida. For nearly two decades, Riptide has delivered high-volume technology solutions to military and commercial customers at a low-cost through the development of innovative software architectures, and cloud-computing infrastructure. Riptides services include a wide array of products and services for various Department of Defense and commercial industries, including modeling and simulation, cloud computing and on-demand technologies, mobile and web development, enterprise application development, e-learning, Salesforce consulting, and much more. Visit http://www.RiptideSoftware.com to learn more.

About Orlando Sentinel Top 100 Companies Program

For more information on the Orlando Sentinel Top 100 Companies program, visit http://www.Top100CompaniesORL.com.
For the tenth consecutive year, Loffler Companies has made the Inc. 500|5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. This achievement puts Loffler in the 10X Club, which fewer than half of one percent of Inc. 5000 honorees have ever achieved. As a member of the Inc 5000 list, Loffler is part of an elite group that includes Microsoft, Dell, Dominos Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economyAmericas independent small and mid-sized businesses.

We are grateful for our clients and their trust in Loffler as we continue to create the most innovative business technology & managed services solutions for them, said Jim Loffler, President and CEO of Loffler Companies. We are committed to designing solutions that fit the needs of our clients, not making clients fit our solutions. The award-winning, first-class service and support from our team of the best and brightest enables us to sustain our competitive advantage in the industry. Many thanks go to our employees as well as our committed and valued partners.

The 2017 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc. is the most competitive crop in the lists history. The average company on the list achieved a mind-boggling three-year average growth of 481%. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue is $206 billion, and the companies on the list collectively generated 619,500 jobs over the past three years. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

"The Inc. 5000 is the most persuasive evidence I know that the American Dream is still alive, says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. The founders and CEOs of the Inc. 5000 tell us they think determination, risk taking, and vision were the keys to their success, and I believe them.

Loffler Companies, excelling under Lofflers leadership since 1986, continues to be the leading business technology and managed services provider in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, as well as being nationally recognized in the top 10 by many of its partners. Throughout Lofflers continued growth, balanced by organic growth and acquisitions, their focus continues to be on making every client a top priority. Lofflers 475+ employees work hard every day to exceed the expectations of clients, partners and the community.

About Loffler Companies, Inc.

Loffler Companies provides integrated office technology and managed services partnered with leading brands such as Canon, Konica Minolta, Xerox, HP, Lexmark, NEC, ShoreTel, EMC, Microsoft, Neopost, Pitney Bowes and Muratec. Its offerings include multifunctional copiers, printers, managed print services, phone and voice solutions, IT solutions, software and workflow technology consulting, and on-site management of copy centers and mail rooms. For more information about Loffler Companies, contact us at 952-925-6800 or information(at)loffler(dot)com or visit us online at http://www.loffler.com.
Viewing the solar eclipse at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis alongside a couple of brachiosaurs. Out-of-this-world exhibits including Beyond Spaceship Earth and the Schaefer Planetarium and Space Object Theater encourage our visitors to reach for the stars.

A rare total solar eclipse occurred August 21, 2017 and a couple thousand visitors at The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis were able to watch it alongside dinosaurs peeking into the museum. Before the eclipse, science educators explained the phenomenon of the moon moving across the sun, which creates a nighttime experience in the middle of the afternoon.

Not since 1979 has a total solar eclipse occurred in the continental United States, and the next one wont happen again until 2024. Although the path of totality crosses just south of Indianapolis in Kentucky, Hoosiers witnessed a significant eclipse beginning at 1:00 p.m. (EST), with the maximum eclipse hitting around 2:30 p.m. (EST).

Visitors to The Childrens Museum were provided with free, safe eclipse-viewing glasses and gathered together on museum grounds with staff scientists who explained the spectacle and answered questions from curious little learners and their grownups.

Providing scientific context, content, and opportunities for our visitors to delve deeper into STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) is the exciting result of the museums recent establishment of the Heritage Group Center for Family Learning in STEM, said Dr. Jeffrey H. Patchen, president and CEO, The Childrens Museum. Out-of-this-world exhibits including Beyond Spaceship Earth and the Schaefer Planetarium and Space Object Theater encourage our visitors to reach for the stars.

Visitors to the museums STEMLab were able to participate in a special program called Shadow of the Moon, where they learned what causes this rare event, and how to view an eclipse safely. All participants received a pair of eclipse glasses. Both the Shadow of the Moon program and the opportunity to view the eclipse with museum science educators were free with general admission.

Viewers around the world were able to witness the rare phenomenon thanks to images captured before, during, and after the eclipse by 11 spacecraft, at least three NASA aircraft, more than 50 high-altitude balloons, and the astronauts aboard the International Space Station  each offering a unique vantage point for the celestial event.

About The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. For more information about The Children's Museum, follow us on Twitter @TCMIndy, Instagram@childrensmuseum, YouTube.com/IndyTCM, and Facebook.
RSPA Vendor Awards of Excellence We are honored to be chosen amongst the other top channel vendors, specifically Epson and Touch Dynamic who were also awarded for the Outstanding Hardware Provider category.

APG Cash Drawer, LLC., a fast-growing global manufacturer of cash management solutions, recently received its 8th Award of Excellence for Outstanding Provider of Hardware. APG was bestowed the award during the Industrys annual RSPA RetailNOW conference held at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. This was the 9th RSPA award in ten years for APG in the Outstanding Hardware category.

Prior to attending the RSPAs RetailNOW conference, resellers are asked to cast votes for their top vendors in the POS and retail technology industry every year. In this category, resellers and dealers evaluate vendors products, services and support to select their top three vendors of choice for the awards.

We are fortunate and honored to receive this recognition from our partners and most especially the reseller community, stated John Meilahn, V.P. of Global Sales. This recognition is certainly a tremendous vote of confidence and reassurance in us as a manufacturer of choice. We at APG continuously strive to be the best and preferred supplier of cash management solutions to support all partners, customers, distributors and the dealer community.

Re-align, Re-unite and Re-engage was the theme at RetailNOW 2017 which saw the assembly of over 150 exhibitors showcasing the newest innovative solutions in the retail technology industry. Customers in todays marketplace are more informed and technologically savvy, thus being a top vendor in hardware technology requires constant ideation of avenues to consistently deliver solutions to customers pain points and experiences, stated Bergeron, V.P. of Global Marketing. We are honored to be chosen amongst the other top channel vendors, specifically Epson and Touch Dynamic who were also awarded for the Outstanding Hardware Provider category. The 2017 RetailNOW conference met us with great opportunities and interests in our cash management, general application and mobile solutions and we look forward to exhibiting again in the future.

ABOUT APG CASH DRAWER - Retail payments are changing, yet there is still $1.5 trillion in cash in circulation. In fact, cash represents between 30 to 45% of all global transactions. APG has been designing and delivering cash management solutions with a variety of size, color, interface, and integration options for over 39 years. Whether you need a custom design, general application cash drawer or a product for a mobile shopping experience, APG has a solution. With our durable and dependable products installed, an APG cash drawer will provide years of smooth, trouble free service with virtually no downtime, no preventative maintenance, and no headaches. To learn more about our products, visit http://www.cashdrawer.com or call 763-571-5000. Follow us on Twitter at @apgcashdrawer and on Facebook.
PMO Advisory, LLC will be presenting a 3 Day PgMP instructor led classroom exam preparation course for PMI's PgMP certification on September 8, 9, & 10, 2017 in New Jersey; December 13, 14, & 15 in New York City; & October 6,7, & 8 in Washington D.C.

The PgMP is recommended for senior-level project professionals with a proven ability to manage multiple complex related projects that overlap functions, organizations, regions, or cultures aimed at aligning results with organizational goals. PMO Advisory, LLC will be presenting a 3 Day PgMP live instructor led classroom exam preparation course for PMI's PgMP certification on September 8, 9, & 10, 2017 in New Jersey; December 13, 14, & 15 in New York City; & October 6,7, & 8 in Washington DC. Click here to learn more about this offering. Sign up for the PMO Advisory newsletter and receive a 25% off discount coupon for any of these courses.

This comprehensive training covers the Project Management process from beginning to end, honing skills in the six prime focus areas: Governance, Prioritization, Escalation, Resource Management, Benefits Realization, and Stakeholder Management. PgMP credential holders will be able to promote better integration and coordination of multiple projects for the overall benefit of the program.

According to PMI, with a PgMP or Program Management Professional certification, a project manager becomes a standout PMP. The PgMP is a visible sign of a project managers advanced experience and skill and gives a distinct advantage in employment and promotion. PgMPs usually hold top or mid-level positions in organizations. They are also very experienced and CertMag.coms Salary Survey 75 list is topped by the PMI Program Management Professional (PgMP) credential, with an average salary of $147,120.

Who should attend the PMI PgMP Certification Prep Courses?:

1) This course is intended for senior project professionals qualified to sit for the PgMP certification exam

2) Individuals currently managing programs or multiple projects

3) Project Managers aspiring to either become Program Managers or to better understand the program and how it impacts and is impacted by projects

4) Individuals involved in Project Portfolio Management and members of the Program Management Office (PMO)

5) Product Managers and IT Application Managers working in a program environment

Click here to learn more about these courses and to obtain your 25% off discount coupon.

PMO Advisory LLC was founded by Dr. Te Wu who holds the following PMI certifications: PfMP, PgMP, PMP, and PMI-RMP (Portfolio, Program, Project and Risk Management, Professional), and is an assistant professor at Montclair State University, while also being an adjunct at Stevens Institute of Technology, and Touro Graduate School of Business. He founded PMO Advisory LLC, a management training and consulting firm that specializes in strategic business execution including portfolio, program, and project management. Hence the foundation of PMO Advisory is rooted in project management expertise coupled with educational attainment. The firm is uniquely capable as it serves the full spectrum of project management (portfolio, program, and project management) while leveraging that in its consulting and advisory services. Click here to learn more about PMO Advisory.
TenantScreeningUSA.com The presentation in Elmwood Park is a small example of a hugely important challenge and highlights the immediate, urgent need for all landlords and property managers to conduct the most thorough, comprehensive tenant check possible.

Elmwood Park, a suburb of Chicago has had recent success in reducing crime in rental properties specifically from the use of tenant screening. Adam Almeida, President and CEO of TenantScreeningUSA.com opines; Recent comments in Chicago illustrate the potential success tenant screening can have for a rental property and highlights the absolute need for landlords and property managers to conduct thorough, comprehensive tenant background checks on all adult occupants of a rental property.

Landlords and property managers are faced with numerous challenges within a rental property. One of the largest challenges remains crime against person and property.

One simple way to reduce the potential of crime in a rental community or property is through the use of a complete and thorough tenant check.

Adam Almeida, President and CEO of TenantScreeningUSA.com states: Tenant screening is an invaluable tool in significantly reducing crime against person or property in a rental community.

Recently, in Elmwood Park, a suburb of Chicago, a crime prevention specialist noted several ways to reduce the potential of crime on a property, including keeping a property well-maintained. Also discussed was the value of tenant screening.

From the Chicago Tribune (chicagotribune.com; Aug. 04, 17):

also emphasized tenant-screening as a key tool in heading off problems. All applicants and co-applicants (18 and older) should be screened. Screening should be consistent, fair and non-discriminatory, he said.

"Criminal behavior is not a protected class," he stressed.

What are some of the things applicants can be screened for? A credit check, income sources, any crimes in the past three to five years. (1)

Almeida opines; It serves the best interests of all landlords and property managers to utilize a well-qualified third-party tenant screening company for tenant checks and screenings.

Almeida explains that a third-part tenant screening company should be well versed in laws and legislation governing the tenant screening industry. Working with a third-party, Almeida states, will allow a landlord to stay fully compliant and avoid potential legal issue.

Almeida concludes; The presentation in Elmwood Park is a small example of a hugely important challenge and highlights the immediate, urgent need for all landlords and property managers to conduct the most thorough, comprehensive tenant check possible. An in-depth tenant check will greatly assist in reducing crime in a rental property and landlords should act immediately to ensure their tenant screening protocol is thorough and complete.

TenantScreeningUSA.com is a third-party tenant screening company with highly trained investigators well versed in the legal and lawful use of criminal history reports, and all public record reports, as part of a tenant check

Notes:

(1) chicagotribune.com/suburbs/elmwood-park/news/ct-elm-crime-free-housing-tl-0810-20170804-story.html
Cuebiq, a leading location intelligence company with the largest, most accurate location database in the U.S., has expanded its sales operations to the Central region and appointed seasoned sales leader Brad Piggott as SVP of Sales for the region. In this newly created position, Piggott will work closely with the companys Chief Revenue Officer, Michael Della Penna, to accelerate the companys aggressive growth plan and strategy to expand its location data and analytics offerings across the Central region.

Were excited to expand our sales team to the Central region with Brad at the helm spearheading this effort, said Della Penna. Brad is a dynamic leader with extensive experience in data, SaaS, programmatic and platform sales. His unparalleled track record for meeting and exceeding revenue objectives and developing client direct partnerships are valuable assets to Cuebiq as we continue our rapid growth and expansion efforts.

Piggott has over 20 years of sales leadership experience in the data, programmatic and platform ecosystem. Previously, Piggott was a part of the executive sales leadership team at Yahoo!, where as Head of Industry, he oversaw a team evangelizing Yahoos programmatic platform and media solutions to brands and agencies on a National basis, as well as oversight on Yahoo's global video monetization efforts. Prior to Yahoo!, Piggott was the VP of Platform and Programmatic Solutions at BrightRoll (later acquired by Yahoo!) where he ran sales for North America. During his tenure at BrightRoll, and at the time of acquisition, Piggott oversaw $300MM in revenue for the company, growing this from essentially $0 in 2008.

Im thrilled to take on the role of expanding Cuebiqs sales operations in the Central region and forming new client partnerships for Cuebiq said Piggott. Cuebiq has been on a fast trajectory within the fast growing sector of location data, and I look forward to keeping their momentum going.

Piggott holds a bachelors degree from Randolph-Macon College. He reports directly to Cuebiqs CRO, Michael Della Penna and is based out of Chicago.

About Cuebiq

Cuebiq is a next generation location intelligence company, leveraging the largest database of accurate and precise location data in the U.S. Its leading data intelligence platform analyzes location patterns of 61 million monthly active U.S. smartphone users on over 180 mobile apps, allowing businesses to glean actionable insights about real-world consumer behaviors and trends. Cuebiq provides clients geo-behavioral audiences for cross-platform ad targeting, the industry's only SaaS based real-time campaign optimization and footfall attribution tools, and offline location analytics. Cuebiq does not collect any personally identifiable information. Its privacy-sensitive methodology has earned the company membership status with the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI), the leading self-regulatory industry association dedicated to responsible data collection and its use for digital advertising. Cuebiq is headquartered in New York with offices in Chicago, Italy and China.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Cuebiq

Follow us on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/cuebiq
When Americans united to watch the North American Total Solar Eclipse, the International Space Station appeared in a cameo during the eclipse and photo-bombed like a pro.

By India Today Web Desk: If you thought Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is an epic photo-bomber, wait for International Space Station's photo-bomb of the year.

When Americans united to watch the North American Solar Eclipse, the International Space Station (ISS) appeared in a cameo during the eclipse.

NASA photographer Joel Kowsky observed and captured a silhouette of the ISS transiting the Sun during the Total Solar Eclipse. The official Twitter account of International Space Station tweeted the photo yesterday.

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Also read: US witnesses first total solar eclipse in 99 years

"It's the moon, sunspots AND the station in front of the sun. @NASA photographer captures station transiting sun during #Eclipse2017", read the tweet.

The ISS, with six crew members on board, was transiting the Sun at roughly five miles a second during the eclipse. When many people started to confuse ISS with sunspots, the NASA cleared their doubts and posted a seven frame composition of the station showing its movement.

Here's a video of the movement:

Station transits sun at 5 miles per second in video taken at 1,500 frames per second with high-speed camera from Banner, Wyoming. pic.twitter.com/x6NNvCc0Af- Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 21, 2017

Meanwhile, back on Earth the verified Twitter account of NASA Moon blocked the verified Twitter profile of NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) and tweeted "HA HA HA I've blocked the Sun!". Later, @NASASun replied to the tweet saying "Uh EXCUSE me?!? #solareclipse2017".

HA HA HA Ive blocked the Sun! Make way for the Moon. #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/nZCoqBlSTe- NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) August 21, 2017

Eventually, @NASAMoon did unblock @NASASun leaving Twitter users amused.

Let the Sun shine ? @NASASun, I unblocked you in the sky and on Twitter :) #SolarEclipse2017- NASA Moon (@NASAMoon) August 21, 2017

--- ENDS ---
In the age of social media, brands live in glass houses. Never before have brands been held so accountable by consumers for their actions - or inaction. But how often do consumers take advantage of this democratized influence, and how much does it truly impact the rest of the populations brand perceptions?

Sprout Social, a leading provider of social media management, analytics and advocacy solutions for business, explores this culture of call out in its Q3 2017 Index, released today. Call-Out Culture: People, Brands and the Social Media Power Struggle surveyed more than 1,000 consumers to unveil the prevalence of this culture for the everyday consumer, how it impacts their purchasing decisions and what brands can do to turn it around.

The Q3 2017 Sprout Social Index found that people feel empowered by social media to take a stand in the face of injustice - just 8 percent of people would stay silent if they saw inappropriate behavior from a brand. Other key findings reveal:

 Millennials are leading the call-out culture: They are 43 percent more likely to call out a brand on social media than other generations.

 Consumers are especially motivated to call out brands when they lie: 60 percent of consumers say dishonesty causes them to call out brands on social.

 A single call out has a domino effect, but consumers wont make blanket assumptions: 65 percent of people will think twice about buying from a brand after they see someone else call out the brand on social, but they also want to do their own research first.

 A poor response is worse than no response: Nearly 50 percent of people say theyd never buy from a brand again after that brand responds poorly to their complaint, compared to 35 percent of those who dont get a response.

 A helpful response can win customers back: 45 percent of consumers would go back to social media to highlight the positive interaction if a brand responds well to a call out.

Call-out culture has brought to the forefront the shifting power dynamic between brands and consumers, said Scott Brandt, CMO of Sprout Social. When people can share bad experiences within seconds on social, they have increasing influence to shape the media cycle and stories about brands behaviors. And while the wrong response can haunt a brand forever, the right response empowers brands to take control of the story in front of a uniquely attuned audience. Ultimately, brands that take responsibility, respond quickly and authentically, and apologize when necessary will come out on top.

For more information and the full data report, click here.

About the Data

The Sprout Social Index is a report compiled and released by Sprout Social. All referenced data is based on 289,000 public social profiles (139,000 Facebook; 115,000 Twitter; 35,000 Instagram) of continually active accounts between Q2 2016 and Q2 2017. More than 3.9 billion messages sent and received during that time were analyzed for the purposes of this report.

Some data may have shifted from the last Sprout Social Index report due to a shift in the social profiles analyzed; however, all overarching trends remain consistent. Industry classifications were based on LinkedIn industry categories. In some cases, closely related industries were merged into a single overarching industry. All messages analyzed that were considered casual mentions or not in need of a response were excluded from engagement, response rate and response time calculations with the intention of eliminating noise. Analysis of which messages required attention was done using Sprouts proprietary technologies. Response time and response rate calculations were done using Sprouts Engagement Reporting technology found in the Sprout Social product.

The consumer survey was conducted by Survata, an independent research firm in San Francisco. Survata interviewed 1,003 online respondents between July 10, 2017 and July 14, 2017. More information on Survata's methodology can be found at survata.com/methodology.

About Sprout Social

Sprout Social offers social media management, analytics and advocacy solutions for leading agencies and brands, including Hyatt, GrubHub, Microsoft, Uber and Zendesk. Available via web browser, iOS and Android apps, Sprouts engagement platform enables brands to more effectively communicate on social channels, collaborate across teams and provide an exceptional customer experience. Bambu by Sprout Social, a platform for advocacy, empowers employees to share curated content across their social networks to further amplify a brands reach and engagement. Headquartered in Chicago, Sprout is a Twitter Official Partner, Facebook Marketing Partner, Instagram Partner Program Member, LinkedIn Company Page Partner and Google+ Pages API Partner. Learn more at sproutsocial.com and getbambu.com.
Neuro-ID, a leading provider of prescriptive analytics for the risk industry, today announced that industry influencer David Montague has joined its Advisory Board. Mr. Montague, who is the founder of The Fraud Practice, brings an impressive track record and vast industry experience to Neuro-ID.

As an advisor to Neuro-ID, Mr. Montague will engage directly with the Neuro-ID executive management team. Mr. Montagues insight and industry knowledge of Neuro-IDs unique technology provides a valuable resource for understanding its customers, partners and overall market position. Mr. Montague will have an influence on Neuro-IDs long-term product vision and will actively exchange best practices for establishing Neuro-IDs market leadership in the risk industry.

Neuro-ID provides an exciting and innovative technology for the risk industry, said Mr. Montague. Neuro-IDs solution is the first to effectively bring awareness behind a digital customers answers on application questions in real time. Neuro-ID is bridging fraud and credit perspectives to make better and faster decisions. This provides insight into irregularities and risk signals that did not exist before. When customers are presented with Neuro-IDs offering, there is an ah-ha moment as they realize the immediate value that the technology can provide to their business.

David is highly respected for his business knowledge and thought leadership throughout the fintech space, said Jack Alton, CEO of Neuro-ID. David brings unique insight into every aspect of our business. David will provide strong feedback and share experiences to help Neuro-ID navigate the evolving risk market while keeping our customers and partners at the forefront of our efforts.

Mr. Montague is the founder of The Fraud Practice, has spent the last 20 years working in the eCommerce space and is well respected for his business knowledge and thought leadership. His background includes an in-depth application of innovative solutions for preventing business to business and business to consumer e-commerce fraud. Prior to founding The Fraud Practice, Mr. Montague held the position of Director of Risk Solutions at CyberSource Inc. and National Principal at IBM Global Services.

Along with holding a Master's Degree in Information Management, Mr. Montague is a published author and noted speaker in the fraud and security industry and is an active member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners ACFE. Mr. Montague offers extensive knowledge in electronic payments and fraud prevention with over 20 years of consulting and product development experience specifically related to this space.

About Neuro-ID

Neuro-ID is the leading provider of prescriptive analytics for the risk industry. Uniquely leveraging patent-pending neuro science and prescriptive analytics to construct and analyze forward-looking, risk-relevant questions, Neuro-ID is quickly disrupting the FinTech software space. The technology shows that by understanding how an individual responds to a set of questions in real time, can reveal insights into a customers intent, creating an exciting new dimension of risk analysis that was previously undetectable. As a complimentary technology solution to a customers existing risk engine, Neuro-ID enables large and mid-sized customers to better understand their online applicants, mitigate risk and grow their businesses in real-time.

Neuro-ID is a privately held company headquartered in Whitefish, Montana. To learn more about Neuro-ID, please visit us at LinkedIn, via twitter @id_neuro, or Neuro-ID website at http://www.neuro-ID.com
WORX Switchdriver

The WORX 20V Switchdriver 2-in-1 Drill and Driver has won a Gold award in the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2017, hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Switchdriver won in the Home & Bath category. (See the gallery).

Among the Top Award Winners, 25 designs won Gold and 52 designs won Silver, which were announced August 19 at the IDEA Ceremony. The event was open to the public at Rich Theater and followed by a Gala at High Museum. Both venues are part of the Woodruff Art Center, Atlanta, GA.

Its an honor to be recognized by IDSA, said Jeanne White, WORX Senior Product Manager. We believe that Switchdriver is a concept whose time has come. Our approach was to make this drill and driver smart, functional and efficient.

Switchdriver has a rotating head equipped with two -inch chucks that can be loaded with different combinations of drill or driver bits. This allows the user to drill a pilot hole, for example, and then quickly rotate the head to switch chucks and sink the screw with a driver bit. Both chucks rotate clockwise or counterclockwise with the push of a red button located above the trigger. These quick-release chucks are easy to load and accept standard hex-shaped bits, which are widely available at hardware stores and home centers. The tool has plenty of power and torque to handle a wide range of projects.

IDSA IDEA 2017 winners demonstrate how designers are able to capture whats invisible to others and inspire beauty through the smallest of details within the simplest of artifacts, said IDEA 2017 Jury Chair Owen Foster, IDSA. Winners go beyond the tangible that we are so accustomed to seeingto cultivate amazing, holistic ecosystems.

Foster led more than two dozen, global design experts in judging 20 categories covering products, brands, experiences, strategies and more. Onsite jurying was held in May at the newly-renamed Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, MI.

Proving design truly is a universal language, IDEA attracted hundreds of entries from 54 countries on six continents. Innovations abound in the latest winners submitted by design firms, corporations, universities and more. The competition drew entries from Australia to Austria, Belarus to Brazil, Chile to China and from countries including Croatia, Estonia, India, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay and Vatican City State.

Founded in 1965, the nonprofit IDSA has thousands of members in dozens of Student Chapters, Professional Chapters and Special Interest Sections around the world. The Society hosts events including an annual International Design Conference, District Design Conferences and niche events. Global outreach includes designUpdate and designBytes e-newsletters; INNOVATION magazine; and the Yearbook of Design Excellence. IDSA Ambassadors support and promote industrial design with research and thought leadership such as INsights.

To reach out to WORX social media links visit: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worxus?ref=hl; Twitter: https://twitter.com/WORXTools; Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/worxtools and Instagram: @WORXTools.
Were excited to welcome Owners Mandy and Todd Tuls and their team to the Crimson Cup community. Training entrepreneurs to run their own independent coffee houses is a central part of our success as a coffee roaster and coffee shop franchise alternative. Past News Releases RSS Crimson Cup Welcomes The Office...

Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea...

Barista Magazine Names Crimson...

Columbus, Ohio Coffee Roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea recently welcomed The Broken Mug to the group of independent coffee shops, cafes and bakeries it supports in 29 states. The shop at 2800 22nd St. in Columbus, Nebraska opened inside the newly renovated 1C Church building in April. Grand opening celebrations take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 22.

Were excited to welcome Owners Mandy and Todd Tuls and their team to the Crimson Cup community, said Greg Ubert, founder and president. Training entrepreneurs to run their own independent coffee houses is a central part of our success as a coffee roaster and coffee shop franchise alternative.

The Tuls, who are 1C Church members, named the The Broken Mug after a Bible verse from the book of Psalms that says God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. One unique aspect of their new venture is that once operating expenses and staff salaries are paid, any extra revenue from sales will go back to the church.

Their new shop serves a full menu of hot, iced and frozen espresso drinks  including mochas, lattes and cappuccinos  as well as iced coffee and tea, cold-brewed coffee, hot chocolate, fruit smoothies and other custom drinks. The menu also includes Crimson Cups Nitro cold brew, which is infused with nitrogen gas and dispensed through a tap to produce a frothy beverage with the texture of a fine milk stout. Ice cream and pastries round out the offerings.

The couple learned how to open a coffee shop through Crimson Cups 7 Steps to Success coffee shop franchise alternative program, which is based on Uberts Book, Seven Steps to Success in the Specialty Coffee Industry.

As a coffee roaster and coffee shop franchise alternative, Crimson Cup believes that our company only succeeds when our customers do, Ubert said. As a result, we support coffee shop owners at every step  from scouting a great location and writing a coffee shop business plan to choosing equipment, hiring staff and providing comprehensive training and marketing support.

Crimson Cup consultants guide new coffee shop owners in development of a coffee shop business plan and assist with site evaluation, on-site training, marketing materials, menu ideas and much more. Our services are designed to help reduce costs, increase profits and eliminate potential headaches, Ubert said.

He added that, unlike coffee shop franchises, Crimson Cup does not charge franchise fees or royalties or lock customers into long-term contracts. We earn our customers business every day through the quality of our coffee and coffee house supplies, comprehensive training, marketing materials and ongoing consultation, he said.

A lifelong coffee lover, Mandy Tuls wanted to have a business with a great atmosphere and lots of customer interactions. The couple originally discovered Crimson Cup several years ago while considering opening a coffee house in an old Long John Silvers building.

We decided the building and all the work it would need were not a good fit at that time, but our dream of opening a coffee shop didnt end with that hiccup, said Todd Tuls. We picked Crimson Cup because of the lack of franchise fees. We were thoroughly convinced after having read the 7 Steps to Success book and having sampled the product.

Through its 7 Steps program, Crimson Cup has helped hundreds of independent coffee shops develop into thriving businesses over the past 26 years. It currently supports shops in 29 states, Guam and internationally in Bangladesh.

About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Columbus, Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea is Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year. Since 1991, Crimson Cup has roasted sustainably sourced specialty and craft coffee in small batches, which it sells directly to consumers and as wholesale coffee beans. The company also teaches entrepreneurs to run successful coffee houses through its coffee franchise alternative program, which includes a coffee shop business plan. Crimson Cup coffee is available through a community of more than 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 29 states, Guam and Bangladesh, as well as the companys own Crimson Cup Coffee Houses. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com.
Ultimately these changes will provide our shipping customers with the best tug capabilities in these major California markets  from a ship assist, tanker escort and emergency rescue perspective.

Crowley Marine Services is deploying the tugboat Veteran in the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach to provide enhanced docking safety for all vessels, including large petroleum tank vessels with deep drafts greater than 65 feet calling on Long Beach Berth 121. With a bollard pull rating of over 90 short tons, Veteran will be one of the most powerful tugs in the market.

These very large crude carriers are calling more regularly in Long Beach, and Tesoro and the Long Beach Pilots are now requiring a tug with a minimum bollard pull rating of 90 short tons be placed on the stern when assisting these tankers in and out of Berth 121.

We are responding to this need by relocating the tug Veteran from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Long Beach Port Complex to replace the tug Goliah, said Mark Homeyer, Crowleys general manager of ship assist and tanker escort services. Veteran will be operated by some of our most experienced and senior crews to provide the highest possible measure of safety and operational excellence.

Goliah will join the tug Valor, Veterans sister tug, in San Francisco. Both Valor and Veteran were designed by Crowleys naval architecture and marine engineering firm, Jensen Maritime of Seattle.

Having just completed a shipyard period, Goliah is ready to go and better than ever. Her Z-Drives were replaced with larger drives to leverage the increased Tier 3 engine power; the escort winch was replaced with a state-of-the-art render recovery winch; fendering was upgraded, and her bollard pull was increased to over 70 short tons.

The Goliah has always been one of the most capable offshore towing tugs on the West Coast, said Homeyer. With these improvements, she will be an even more stout and capable tug for harbor assist, tanker escort and offshore rescue work in the Bay Area.

Ultimately these changes will provide our shipping customers with the best tug capabilities in these major California markets  from a ship assist, tanker escort and emergency rescue perspective, he said. These improvements are indicative of our commitment to be the first choice for the safest and highest quality service provided by exceptional people.

Crowley owns and operates one of the most advanced fleets of ship assist and tanker escort tugs in North America. These vessels operate along the U.S. West Coast and Alaska and assist the largest ships through some of the tightest waterways in the world. Crowley entered the ship assist business at the start of the 20th century, operating steam-powered tugs in San Francisco Bay in 1906. Though much has changed, the companys commitment to safety and to protecting the environment has remained constant.

Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of the 125-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family and employee-owned company. The company provides project solutions, energy and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of six operating lines of business: Puerto Rico/Caribbean Liner Services, Latin America Liner Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services. Offered within these operating lines of business are: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response through its 50 percent ownership in Ardent Global; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture through its Jensen Maritime subsidiary; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found at http://www.crowley.com.
Mian R. Wang, an associate in the BostonLitigation Practice of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, was selected to be a 2017-2019 Business Law Fellow of the American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section. Through the Fellows Program, young lawyers, lawyers of color, lawyers with disabilities, and LGBT lawyers are provided a springboard to substantive leadership roles within the Section through unique leadership roles, mentorships, and subsidized attendance at Business Law Section Meetings.

Wang focuses her practice on general litigation and bankruptcy litigation. In addition, Wang has experience in complex commercial litigation, regulatory compliance, and civil and criminal matters. Prior to joining the firm, Wang was a law clerk for the Honorable Alvin W. Thompson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Wang received her J.D. from Cornell Law School, and her S.M. and S.B. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also fluent in Mandarin.

The Business Law Fellows Program is designed to encourage participation of diverse lawyers in the substantive work of the Section and to develop future leaders of the Section. Each year, up to 20 Fellows are selected to participate in a two-year term in the program that subsidizes attendance at up to three meetings per year, assigns mentors, and provides special guidance and leadership opportunities.

About Greenberg Traurigs Boston Office

Established in 1999, Greenberg Traurigs Boston office is home to nearly 70 attorneys practicing in the areas of corporate, emerging technology, governmental affairs, intellectual property, labor and employment, life sciences and medical technology, litigation, public finance, and real estate. An important contributor to the firm's international platform, the Boston office includes a team of nationally recognized attorneys with both public and private sector experience. The team offers clients the value of decades of legal experience and hands-on knowledge of the local business community, supported by the firm's vast network of global 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.
The 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America lists nine Boston attorneys from global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP. For the 11th consecutive year, Greenberg Traurig is recognized for having more attorneys listed in the guide than any other law firm. The 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America lists more than 360 Greenberg Traurig attorneys nationwide and 26 of the firms attorneys as Lawyers of the Year in their respective practices and markets.

According to its website, Best Lawyers in America was compiled based on peer reviews provided by leading attorneys throughout the country within the same geographical area and legal practice area as the nominees.

The Boston Greenberg Traurig attorneys listed, their corresponding category/practice areas(s), and the year they were first listed are:



Joseph P. Davis III (2018)  Litigation - Bankruptcy

John F. Farraher, Jr. (2018) - Commercial Litigation

John J. Griffin, Jr. (1983)  Real Estate Law

Edward S. Hershfield  (2009)  Real Estate Law

James D. Masterman (2007)  Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law

Terence P. McCourt (2018) - Employment Law  Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment

Christopher H. Milton (2010)  Real Estate Law

A. John Pappalardo (2006)  Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Litigation  Securities

James R. Shea, Jr. (2010)  Real Estate Law

Additionally, Masterman was named a 2018 Lawyer of the Year in the area of Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law.

About Greenberg Traurigs Boston Office

Established in 1999, Greenberg Traurigs Boston office is home to nearly 70 attorneys practicing in the areas of corporate, emerging technology, governmental affairs, intellectual property, labor and employment, life sciences and medical technology, litigation, public finance, and real estate. An important contributor to the firm's international platform, the Boston office includes a team of nationally recognized attorneys with both public and private sector experience. The team offers clients the value of decades of legal experience and hands-on knowledge of the local business community, supported by the firm's vast network of global 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.
"CI and CTNext are perfectly suited to mentor and support companies in our state seeking to compete for coveted federal funding that can speed the commercialization of their technology and business ideas. - Matt McCooe, Connecticut Innovations

Connecticut Innovations(CI), the leading source of financing and ongoing support for Connecticuts innovative, growing companies, announced that it has been awarded a $125,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as part of the Federal and State Technology Partnership Program (FAST). FAST helps stimulate economic development by providing resources to local economic development entities that can provide assistance and resources to small and innovative businesses as they compete for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The program is focused on fostering greater participation from women-owned and socially and economically disadvantaged companies.

We are very pleased to have once again been awarded a FAST grant and look forward to continuing to support the growth of our states most promising and innovative young companies, said Matt McCooe, CEO of CI. The SBIR and STTR programs are critical programs that can provide the early-stage funding small businesses desperately need. With financial support from the FAST grant, CI and CTNext are perfectly suited to mentor and support companies in our state seeking to compete for coveted federal funding that can speed the commercialization of their technology and business ideas.

CI was one of 16 entities selected to receive FAST funding following review of its proposal by the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation. The FAST funds will be deployed to provide training, financial and technical assistance to early-stage, women- and minority-owned technology-based businesses based in Connecticut pursuing an SBIR or STTR award.

About Connecticut Innovations Inc.

Connecticut Innovations (CI) is the leading source of financing and ongoing support for Connecticuts innovative, growing companies. To maximize the growth potential of each business, CI tailors its solutions and often combines its funds with resources from other financial leaders to provide venture capital and strategic support for early-stage technology companies; flexible loans for established companies with new innovations; grants that support innovation and collaboration; and connections to its well-established network of partners and professionals. For more information on CI, please visit http://www.ctinnovations.com.

About FAST

FAST is a competitive grants program designed to strengthen the technological competitiveness of small businesses and improve the participation of small technology firms in the innovation and commercialization of new technology. In FY 2017, a total of $3 million was appropriated as grants for entities to carry out activities from September 30, 2017, through September 29, 2018. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are eligible to receive funding for providing services such as outreach and technical assistance in support of the SBIR/STTR programs. Additional information about FAST can be found at http://www.sbir.gov/about-fast.
Jim Hunter Our franchisees are finding success by offering professional, quality services and building those relationships with their customers. I am so proud of the work they are doing each and every day.

A franchise system can only be as strong as the franchisees out in the community each and every day. Thats why, this August 26  Franchise Appreciation Day, House Doctors is taking a minute to say thank you to their franchisees.

House Doctors is lucky to have such an amazing group of franchisees who are dedicated not only to the success of their local office, but also to the growth and success of other House Doctors franchisees across the country. All our franchisees work together to help everyone improve to benefit the House Doctors system as a whole, House Doctors President and CEO Jim Hunter said. With our busy lives today, we often forget to say thank you. Franchise Appreciation Day offers us a great time to stop and offer a serious, heart-felt thank you to our franchisees. I firmly believe we now have some of the best.

The House Doctors franchise offers professional handyman services focused on professionalism, service excellence and quality workmanship. Their goal is to make home improvements easier for customers by being on time, doing the job right and offering a one year workmanship guarantee. House Doctors currently has more than 40 franchises across the country, from Boston to Denver, with many now owning multiple territories.

You can give a franchisee all the tools in the world, but if they arent dedicated to building relationships and growing their own business, its not going to work. Our franchisees are finding success by offering professional, quality services and building those relationships with their customers. I am so proud of the work they are doing each and every day, Hunter said.

As part of their thank you, the House Doctors corporate team is sending lunch, apparel and other fun surprises to their franchisees and team members. This was no small task ordering pizza and sending care packages to all the House Doctors community.

Wed love to be able to take each and every one of them out to lunch to celebrate, but of course we cant be in all our locations at once, so we thought this would be a nice gesture, Hunter said.

House Doctors background checked and uniformed handymen technicians will arrive at your residence in a decaled van. They specialize in projects that take two hours to two days to complete, such as light remodeling and repairs of decks, doors, bathrooms and kitchens; repairing drywall; painting; exterior repairs, home modifications and much more. House Doctors Technicians are professional, bonded and insured.

If youre interested in having a House Doctors professional give you a free estimate on your next project, visit https://housedoctors.com. If youd like information about joining the House Doctors franchise team, visit http://www.housedoctorshandymanfranchise.com/ or call 1-888-598-5297.

About House Doctors

House Doctors Handyman Service has been helping homeowners across the United States with home repair and light remodeling projects for more than 20 years. Our friendly, insured and bonded craftsmen are scheduled to be there on time and are committed to complete customer satisfaction. Each of our technicians are experienced in home maintenance, product installations and a variety of home improvements. Were so confident in our team and products that every job we perform comes with a one-year guarantee.
By teaming up with New Story, well be able to have a direct impact on the quality of life for an entire community. We couldnt be more excited to watch this initiative take off and deliver for these families.

G2 Crowd, the worlds leading business solutions review platform, today announced a campaign with New Story Charity to raise $480,000, that will be used to build a community of 80 homes in Haiti for families affected by the 2010 earthquake. The initiative will be led by G2 Crowds philanthropic program, G2 Gives, and will donate $10 dollars per business software or service review collected and verified.

G2 Gives aims to provide a unique bridge between the business world and the nonprofit community and directly reflects G2 Crowds commitment to compassion and authenticity. G2 Gives' review campaigns further G2 Crowds mission of bringing transparency to the B2B marketplace and support worthy causes around the world.

When I visited Haiti, I was deeply saddened by the amount of struggle that the people were still experiencing, more than 5 years after the earthquake, said Tim Handorf, co-founder and CEO, G2 Crowd. I wondered how we could do more to help these people. By teaming up with New Story, well be able to have a direct impact on the quality of life for an entire community. We couldnt be more excited to watch this initiative take off and deliver for these families.

G2 Crowd and New Story plan to build a community of 80 homes. Each home is built by local labor and built with locally sourced construction materials. The intent is to stimulate the economy and teach valuable skills to members of the community. The homes are designed with the input of their future inhabitants to best provide solutions to the problems they face every day.

Having a safe home is vital to somebodys overall quality of life. When you build a home for someone who has been living under a tarp, or on dirt floors, youre drastically decreasing their exposure to disease, increasing a childs ability to learn, and overall, allowing the family to focus on future opportunities, said Brett Hagler, co-founder and CEO, New Story Charity. When G2 Crowd approached us about this partnership, we were thrilled. The impact that 80 homes will have on this community is enormous.

New Story Charity was co-founded in 2014 by Brett Hagler, Mike Arrieta, Alexandria Lafci, and Matthew Marshall. The charity builds homes and transforms slums into communities to provide families and individuals with safety and consistency. One hundred percent of funds raised go directly toward hiring local workers, buying local materials, and building the homes. This 100 percent commitment gives donors transparency to the process and confidence that their donation will make a direct impact.

This partnership between G2 Crowd and New Story Charity furthers G2 Gives in its mission to connect the business community with nonprofits. Previously G2 Gives has raised funds to support initiatives like World Water Day and Chicago Technology Academy.

Learn more about G2 Gives and New Story here: http://promo.g2crowd.com/newstory/

About G2 Crowd, Inc.

G2 Crowd, the worlds leading business solution review platform, leverages more than 200,000 user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. Business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts use the site to compare and select the best software and services based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. Every month, nearly one million people visit G2 Crowds site to gain unique insights. Co-founded by the founder and former executives of SaaS leaders like BigMachines (acquired by Oracle) and SteelBrick (acquired by Salesforce) and backed by more than $45 million in capital, G2 Crowd aims to bring authenticity and transparency to the business marketplace. For more information, go to G2Crowd.com.
By India Today Web Desk: Once upon a time, Sussanne Khan (then Roshan), Hrithik Roshan, Mehr Jesia Rampal and Arjun Rampal were the thickest of friends. From parties to vacations to get togethers, these two couples were often spotted together. But things didn't remain the same for a long time. Chinks in their friendship begin to appear during Sussanne and Hrithik's split in 2013. If Bollywood fans were shocked to hear about one of the most romantic couple's split, the alleged reason made it even worse.

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It was during this time that Sussanne's liaison with Arjun Rampal started doing the rounds. It was even being said that Arjun was set to leave wife Mehr Jesia for Sussanne, but the rumours were refuted by all parties. In fact, a year after Sussanne and Hrithik's divorce, the news of her tying the knot with Rampal spread like wildfire. The grapevine had been abuzz with rumours citing Arjun Rampal as the reason behind the Roshans splitting. But Sussanne immediately rubbished the rumours.

Sussanne in a joint interview with Mehr had earlier clarified, "Mehr and Arjun are like family to me and we have this beautiful relationship and are so close. They have been with me through thick and thin and it hurts me that every time I have a dinner or an outing with them, it is made out to be an ugly story, and it's concocted and changed around to suit some nasty person to make us look like undignified, irresponsible and horrible people. We kept saying to ourselves, we know what we are, let it go, but it kept going on and on and on."

However, the rumours did not stop, and soon led to a cold war between Sussanne and her close friend Mehr. Sussanne and Arjun decided to maintain a safe distance from each other and even unfollowed each other on social media.

But it seems that is all in the past now. As Khan surprised everyone when she liked the poster of Arjun Rampal's next Daddy. Arjun, who is set to play the role of Arjun Gawli in his next, took to Instagram to share a motion poster of his upcoming film, and his ex-buddy Sussanne was one of the people to like the post.

After Kajol and Karan Johar's patch up, it seems Arjun and Sussanne are the next in line. Or may be, they are already friends again.

ALSO READ | Did Arjun Rampal's wife storm out of party after spat with Sussanne Khan?

ALSO READ | Hrithik Roshan's ex-wife Sussanne Khan's second marriage: Is this Arjun Rampal's response?

ALSO WATCH: Fabricated news articles demeaning my loved ones, tweets Hrithik Roshan

--- ENDS ---
Emily Kellenberger

Haute Residence is pleased to welcome Emily Kellenberger to its invite-only network of top real estate agents in the United States as well as around the globe. With Haute Residence, Kellenberger is the sole member who represents the real estate market in Montecito, California.

Consistently ranking in the Top 10 agents at Village Properties, a Christies International Real Estate affiliate and leader in annual sales volume in the area, Kellenberger is among the nations top 1 percent of brokers.

Kellenberger ventured into real estate when she was still at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pursuing a degree in Business Economics and Accounting. She worked at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and Coldwell Banker before joining Village Properties in 2004.

Since then, Kellenberger has garnered an accomplished career with many multi-million hallmarks. She sold El Fureidis, the historic Bertram Goodhue estate in the heart of Montecito, also popularly known as the location of the film "Scarface." Recently, she listed the $26.5-million Tuscany Oaks Farm, which was spotlighted by the Wall Street Journal. At the core of Kellenbergers success rest her hard work, dedication, integrity, persistence and positivity.

A committed professional with a sunny character, Kellenberger has quickly become one of the most sought-after agents to sell or buy primary residencies, second homes or investment properties.

Kellenberger is a member of the National Association of Realtors as well as the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors, where she used to chair the Member Services Committee. In her years as a real estate agent, she has also served on the Housing Opportunity Committee for Santa Barbara, where she probed the many housing land use issues of the region.

About Haute Residence:

Designed as a partnership-driven luxury real estate portal, Haute Residence connects its affluent readers with top real estate professionals, while offering the latest in real estate news, showcasing the worlds most extraordinary residences on the market and sharing expert advice from its knowledgeable and experienced real estate partners.

The invitation-only luxury real estate network, which partners with just one agent in every market, unites a distinguished collective of leading real estate agents and brokers and highlights the most extravagant properties in leading markets around the globe for affluent buyers, sellers, and real estate enthusiasts.

HauteResidence.com has grown to be the number one news source for million-dollar listings, high-end residential developments, celebrity real estate, and more.

Access all of this information and more by visiting: http://www.hauteresidence.com
Im excited about the future, especially given our recent acquisition of Payment Alliance Internationals Merchant Services Division.

Today Clearent, a credit card processing company, announced that once again it has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies. This is the sixth consecutive year that Clearent has been recognized for its rapid, organic growth by both Inc. magazine and the St. Louis Business Journal. The company experienced a 150% increase in revenue between 2013 and 2016.

Clearent is focused on making payment processing easier and more profitable for sales channels and customers. The company is one of the first processors to offer Quick Chip for EMV, a product that makes chip card transactions faster and more familiar for the consumer and cashier. With Quick Chip, consumers only need to insert their chip card for 2 seconds instead of 15 or more seconds. Another product that sets Clearent apart is its Next Day Funding service with an 11:00 p.m. Eastern cut-off time, which is one of the latest in the industry. This service helps businesses improve their cash flow because they get their money the next business day.

Clearents unwavering commitment to honesty and transparency has also positioned it for growth. In an industry fraught with hidden fees, Clearent stands apart with easy-to-read reporting and clear merchant statements. All of these factors have helped Clearent become one of the most highly-rated processors in the payments industry.

Our growth from Clearents founding in 2005 through 2016 was 100% organic, said Dan Geraty, CEO of Clearent. Im excited about the future, especially given our recent acquisition of Payment Alliance Internationals Merchant Services Division. After launching several new products this year, we are well positioned to help our customers and sales channels continue to grow their businesses.

About Clearent

Clearent is a full-service, fully integrated payment processor and merchant services provider. Its commitment to honesty and transparency has made it one of the most trusted companies in the payments industry. Clearent has more than 300 employees, 45,000 merchants, and $14 billion in processing volume. Its headquarters are in St. Louis, Missouri and it has offices in West Palm Beach, Florida and Louisville, Kentucky. From traditional point-of-sale terminals, mobile solutions, and tablet-based systems to a custom-built virtual terminal, eCommerce plug-ins, and hosted payments, Clearent can help small business owners securely accept payments just about anywhere. The companys proprietary processing system gives it more flexibility to deliver products that truly help its sales teams and partners stand out from the competition and sign more deals. It also helps the company deliver flexible pricing options, accurate, on-time residuals, and a suite of graphical portfolio management tools that is updated daily. Clearents Next Day Funding service is also unique because of its 11:00 p.m. Eastern cut-off time, which is one of the latest in the industry. The company has consistently been named to several prestigious lists year after year, such as the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies, The Nilson Reports list of top U.S. acquirers, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top Workplaces award, and the St. Louis Business Journals list of fastest growing private companies. To learn more, visit clearent.com or call 866.205.4721.
Fpweb Named Among Top 10 SharePoint Consulting Companies

Fpweb.net, a SharePoint consulting and managed cloud services provider, was named among the top 10 SharePoint Consulting Companies of 2017 by Recovendor.com, a website that ranks the worlds most recommended vendors.

Fpweb.net is a top SharePoint consultant firm with the best SharePoint consulting experts and rates. A trusted SharePoint adviser, Fpweb has been plugged into the SharePoint industry since Microsofts SharePoint predecessor, FrontPage.

The USA-based staff at Fpweb is located in St. Louis, Missouri, and partners with organizations to guide their entire SharePoint lifecycle. Fpweb SharePoint consultation services can help facilitate collaboration, increase employee engagement and automate business processes  regardless of the organizations scale and industry.

Fpweb provides access to a toolkit that achieves straightforward workflows, increased collaboration and productivity, and integration with other systems to produce a unified communication platform for employees, secure storage for documents, and a centralized source of business processes.

Fpweb's SharePoint consulting services also can help tailor SharePoint by improving its UI and UX, creating engaging sites that support an organizations corporate identity and bolster functionality. Fpweb.net can help secure an organizations confidential information in SharePoint, relying on a deep understanding of the platforms architecture, Business Connectivity Services, and Microsofts best practices.

The Fpweb SharePoint Health Check will provide a full-body scan of an organization's SharePoint functionality and pinpoint possible problems.

The first to host every version of SharePoint in the cloud, Fpweb has managed 1.9 billion SharePoint logins since 1999, and has performed more than 5,000 custom SharePoint migrations. Fpweb.net is a certified Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider. In addition to SharePoint consulting services, Fpweb provides SharePoint migration, hosting, admin, development, and backup services.

Visit fpweb.net/sharepoint/consulting for more information about Fpwebs SharePoint consulting services and to get a quote. Email sales at fpweb dot net, or call 866-780-4678, with any questions.
FuturePay honored with Golden Bridge Awards for Milestone of the Year, Company Growth of the Year, Company of the Year, and Executive of the Year.

FuturePay was honored with not one, but four awards at this years Golden Bridge Awards. FuturePay took home the Gold for Milestone of the Year, Silver for Company Growth of the Year, and Bronze for Company of the Year in the Accounting, Banking, Financial, and Insurance category. FuturePays CEO, Bobbi Leach, also won the Bronze for Executive of the Year in the same category. This is the second year in a row FuturePay has won Golden Bridge Awards, winning the Gold for Startup of the Year and Executive of the Year in the 8th Annual Awards.

The coveted annual Golden Bridge Awards program encompasses the worlds best in organizational performance, innovations, products and services, executives and management teams from every major industry in the world. Winners will be honored in San Francisco on Monday, September 18, 2016 during the annual Red Carpet Golden Bridge Awards Ceremony.

FuturePay delivers an instant credit payment option that lets shoppers pay in flexible monthly payments. By giving shoppers a way to split purchases into smaller, more affordable payments, FuturePay has been shown to increase average order values and reduce cart abandonment by up to a third.

Its an honor to once again be recognized by the Golden Bridge Awards, said Leach. These awards are a testament to the hard work the FuturePay team has put in to help drive our exceptional growth.

Retailers can visit http://www.futurepay.com to learn more about how FuturePay can help attract new customers to their existing storefront.

###

About the Golden Bridge Awards:

Golden Bridge Awards are an annual industry and peers recognition program honoring best companies in every major industry from large to small and new start-ups in North America, Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin-America, Best New Products and Services, Best Innovations, Management and Teams, Women in Business and the Professions, Case Studies, Customer Satisfaction, and PR and Marketing Campaigns from all over the world. Learn more about Golden Bridge Awards at http://www.goldenbridgeawards.com

About FuturePay:

FuturePay is the simplest way for merchants to offer instant credit to their customers at point of purchase. With FuturePay, customers can buy now and pay later with one click, creating a streamlined checkout process on every device. With upfront payments and an easy integration, retailers can start attracting new customers instantly. To learn more about how FuturePay can benefit your business, visit http://www.futurepay.com. Follow us on Twitter at @FuturePay.

Media Contact:

Courtney Gringras

press(at)futurepay(dot)com

888-317-9221, Ext. 2
My Elder Advocate Franchise We are really excited about addting Rick and his team of talented staff to our system.

Rick Carr has signed a Franchise Agreement with My Elder Advocate Franchise group for the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania market. Rick currently owns both the ATC Healthcare Services and the Care Builders at Home Franchises and has been providing services to the elder sector in the Pittsburgh market for nearly 15 years.

I am really excited about the services that My Elder Advocate provides that we do not currently offer our clients. Said Carr. This is exciting for us as it closes the loop in our services. Rick and his team brings years of experience in the senior care market and has a long history addressing the needs of elders.

My Elder Advocate provides families with services that span the entire elder care continuum including: long term care planning, home health care guidance, elder crisis intervention and elder monitoring to name a few. We are really excited about adding Rick and his team of talented staff to our system. Said Claudine Halpern, CEO & Director of Franchising for My Elder Advocate. As a young franchisor, aligning ourselves with other talented partners is very important to us.

After 30+ years in the senior care industry, My Elder Advocates founders decided that they would have the greatest impact on elders by supporting advocates in communities across the US by providing those advocates the opportunity to own and operate a My Elder Advocate franchise in their community. Claudine and I are committed to growing our system and changing the face of the elder care market. Said Jack Halpern, Chairman of My Elder Advocate.

It is estimated that 10,000 people will turn 65 every day for the next 20 years and that by 2030; there will be over 72 million people over the age of 65. As this demographic continues to age, the need for effective elder care navigation services will continue to escalate and My Elder Advocate franchisees will be at the center of the growth, according to Ms. Halpern.

About My Elder Advocate

My Elder Advocate is headquartered in New York, NY, and operates a corporately owned operation in Manhattan and began offering a franchise opportunity in 2015. Founded by Jack & Claudine Halpern, My Elder Advocate is the only independent elder advocacy organization in the North America focused exclusively on the needs of elders. There are currently two franchises in the system. For information on the My Elder Advocate Franchise Opportunity, contact their Franchise Sales Director, John Armatas at 855-844-8377 or visit our franchise website at http://www.myelderadvocatefranchise.com
Jill Burgeson Joins PMG In the new role, Jill Burgeson will build a brand strategy practice and team across PMGs locations, as well as lead its team in Los Angeles to serve West Coast clients.

Leading independent digital media agency PMG welcomes Jill Burgeson as its Head of Strategy and Insights. In the new role, Burgeson will build a brand strategy practice and team across PMGs locations in Texas, New York, and London, as well as lead its team in Los Angeles to serve West Coast clients.

Burgeson comes to PMG as a 20-year veteran of marketing and advertising hailing from Deutsch, TBWA\Chiat\Day, McKinney and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. Most recently, Burgeson served as Director of Strategy and Partner at SUPERMOON, a boutique ad agency in Santa Monica that created the latest creative work for GoFundMe and TripAdvisor, among other clients.

Were so excited to land someone of Jills caliber and experience, said George Popstefanov, PMGs founder and CEO. Brands need the advantage of agency teams that can combine bold thinking, consumer-oriented storytelling, and implementation savvy to succeed in todays marketplace, and were thrilled Jill will deepen and lead our capabilities on those fronts.

Of the new role, Burgeson said, "Brand planning usually doesn't get carried through the entire process of connecting with the audience. By building the practice from the opposite direction, led by digital media expertise, we can combine data truths with brand planning rigor in a fresh way to best inspire action in our brands' audiences." She added, Im so excited to join PMG, an agency whose industry profile is growing to match its amazing breadth of capabilities and deep digital expertise.

About PMG

PMG is a recognized leader in the digital advertising industry. The independent full-service digital agency works with brands such as Beats by Dre, J.Crew, Sephora, Cirque du Soleil, and OpenTable on campaigns across more than 50 countries. PMG was voted iMedias Agency of the Year, and ranked among Ad Ages top five Best Places to Work, in 2016. It was founded and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and has locations in Austin, New York City, Los Angeles, and London.
Proctorio: Exam integrity by design. Kent State University is dedicated to the highest standards and Proctorio helps us to meet that goal.

Proctorio announced today its partnership with Kent State University to provide online learners with identity verification, exam integrity, and 24/7 live support. Kent State University, the second largest public research University in Ohio, is partnering with Proctorio, the worlds most advanced automated proctoring solution, to validate student identities and activity during online exams.

Kent State University offers online courses for its undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs through its main campus and seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio, providing educational access to both local and distance learners. Proctorio will provide online proctoring with flexible exam settings and recording options to instructors at Kent State to ensure a level playing field for online students. Proctorios military grade data encryption technology will protect student data while allowing single sign-on convenience for faculty and eLearners. Proctorio seamlessly integrates with Kent States learning management system, Blackboard, to provide unparalleled convenience and performance in an online proctoring solution.

Kent State Technology Project Director, Paul Creed, III, explained Kent States decision to partner with Proctorio, Adding Proctorio to our educational technology toolbox helps to ensure the academic integrity of our courses as well as the reputation and quality of a degree from Kent State University. As a leader in online higher education in Ohio and the nation, Kent State University is dedicated to the highest standards and Proctorio helps us to meet that goal.

Mike Olsen, CEO and Co-founder of Proctorio described Kent States decision to partner with Proctorio as, A tremendous opportunity for Proctorio to further its mission of expanding access to education while increasing the prestige of online degrees. He continued, Proctorios fully automated and customizable system allows instructors at Kent State to add proctoring to any exam, giving students the freedom to take exams securely anytime, unscheduled.

Features that help Kent State University increase academic integrity with Proctorio include:



Unscheduled proctoring

Live ID verification

Immediate suspicion reports

Administrator dashboard

Aggregate exam data

Customizable settings

Single sign-on Blackboard integration

Student privacy protections

Live 24/7 student & faculty support

Proctorio recently received iKeepSafe certification of its student privacy protections, data use, and security protocols. Proctorio is the only online proctoring solution to be recognized for its handling of student data. Proctorios Director of Education, Judson Garrett, explained, Proctorios concern for student privacy and data protection is part and parcel with its mission to increase academic integrity in online education. Garrett went on to describe Proctorios role in online education, In addition to safeguarding exams for our institutional partners, Proctorio validates student work and levels the playing field for online learners while protecting the value of their degrees.

About Kent State University: Established in 1910, Kent State is the second largest public university in Ohio, with more than 44,000 students enrolled on eight campuses and online across 280 majors. It is ranked by the Carnegie Foundation as among the top research universities in the United States and has been recognized for its high level of community engagement. In 2010, Kent State was ranked by Times Higher Education as one of the top 200 universities in the world.

About Proctorio: Proctorio is a fully automated, remote proctoring service that provides a scalable, cost-effective solution to validating student identities and activity during online exams. Proctorios customizable exam settings allow instructors to set-up unscheduled, on-demand exam proctoring specific to their own assessment needs. Proctorio levels the playing field for students by increasing accountability, deterring cheating, and promoting a culture of academic integrity while improving learning outcomes.

Source: Proctorio

Click here to learn more about Proctorios automated proctoring solution.

Related links:

http://www.kent.edu/

https://proctorio.com
DC Central Kitchen today announced that the organization has received a $40,000 donation from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to support their efforts to provide nutritious meals to DC residents and train jobless adults for careers in the food service industry. The grant  given to DC Central Kitchen through the Walmart Foundations State Giving Program  will support the cost of preparing and delivering an additional 100,000 meals over last year to nourish an additional 500 children, adults, and seniors at risk of hunger and poor health while aiding in DC Central Kitchens annual effort to provide training and employment services to 100 at-risk adults.

We continue to be humbled by the generosity of our partners at Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, said DC Central Kitchen CEO Mike Curtin, Jr. July marks nine years of partnering with Walmart not just to improve the lives of those in need today, but to help provide the tools our neighbors need to create paths to self-sufficiency for tomorrow. Walmart has supported this life-changing model for nearly a decade, and we look forward to continuing this work together to make our shared community a better place for everyone.

The Walmart Foundation is proud to provide continued support to our friends at DC Central Kitchen who are doing incredible work to address the root causes of hunger and poverty in Washington, DC, said Jennifer Hoehn, Director of Public Affairs for Walmart. By providing intensive, high-quality job training and preparing and delivering meals to children, adults and seniors, DC Central Kitchen is tackling both issues in innovative ways, helping our neighbors in DC to live better.

DC Central Kitchen prepares and delivers nearly 13,000 nutritious meals to District residents each day, and 3 million meals annually. Half of these meals are scratch-cooked for 15 low-income DC schools, with ingredients sourced directly from local farms. The other half, which are delivered to more than 80 DC homeless shelters, halfway houses, rehabilitation programs, and nonprofits, will combine purchased ingredients with 800,000 pounds of surplus food  mostly fresh produce and essential protein  that would otherwise go to waste. These meals will be prepared by graduates of our Culinary Job Training program for jobless and formerly incarcerated adults who now work at DC Central Kitchen full-time.

The contribution to DC Central Kitchen was made possible through the Walmart Foundations District of Columbia State Giving Program. Through this program, the Walmart Foundation supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better. The Walmart Foundation State Giving Program strives to award grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the U.S.

To be considered for support, prospective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation State Giving Programs online grant application. Eligible applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the programs minimum funding criteria. Additional information about the programs funding guidelines and application process are available online at http://foundation.walmart.com/apply-for-grants/state-giving.

About DC Central Kitchen

As the nations first and leading community kitchen, DC Central Kitchen develops and operates social ventures targeting the cycle of hunger and poverty. The organizations life-changing ventures provide culinary training to jobless adults, turn wasted food into balanced meals for shelters and nonprofits, expand access to healthy food, and provide healthy, scratch-cooked meals in low-income schools. These efforts have been recognized with the leading national award for healthy school food innovation, The Golden Carrot; the Washington Business Journals Green Business Award for Innovation; and the DC Chamber of Commerces Community Impact Award. To learn more, visit http://www.dccentralkitchen.org or follow @dcck on Twitter.

###
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today met her Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov, who was on a four-day visit to India.

The Kamilov-led delegation, which arrived in New Delhi on August 20, comprises Elyor Ganiev, Minister for Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, senior representatives from the Government of Uzbekistan, and chairmen and representatives from several government associations and corporations.

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"Continuing engagements with Central Asia! EAM @SushmaSwaraj meets Abdulaziz Kamilov, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan," external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

This year, the two sides are celebrating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations.

The visit of the delegation is taking place following the recent discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, in Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of States meeting.

Both leaders had decided to further strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in all areas, particularly trade and economic.

The ties between the two countries were elevated to the level of Strategic Partnership during the visit of late Uzbek President Islam Karimov in 2011. PTI PR SMN

--- ENDS ---
Thanks to this airline, people on board witnessed one of the most historic moments from the air.

By India Today Web Desk: It was not just the Americans; the much-awaited total solar eclipse turned into somewhat of a sensation worldwide yesterday.

On one hand, you had Trump, almost challenging the phenomena by trying to look at it with the naked eye. On the other, were a few lucky travellers who were offered the chance of viewing the eclipse, while mid-air.

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Thanks to Alaska Airlines, which arranged a special charter flight, some dedicated eclipse-chasers experienced a dream-come-true moment when they viewed the totality from over 35,000 ft.

Also Read: Do flights scare you? Here's how to deal with air-travel anxiety

The carrier left from Portland at 7:30 am PT (Pacific Time), and was expected to cross the sight of the eclipse at 10 am, local time, reported Mashable.

Naturally, people on board were quite thrilled to see the historical event from an aircraft, with their protective eclipse glasses, of course.

Some of the passengers also took to social media to share their experience with the others. Here's a glimpse:

Big shout out to @AlaskaAir pilot on #Alaska563. He timed the flight to hit #totalityawesome w/in 2 seconds! Rad to see from the sky ????????? pic.twitter.com/MSEY613q9K- RyanFoland #GingerMC (@ryanfoland) August 21, 2017

Totality viewed from 38,000 feet above the surface & 800 miles off the Oregon coast. Thank you @AlaskaAir! ? #TotalityAwesome #Eclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/pRbjAd498L- Tanya Harrison (@tanyaofmars) August 21, 2017

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The device would be a successor to 2015's Chromebook Pixel 2, whose sales were discontinued last year.

No new Chromebooks were announced at Google's hardware event last Autumn, so this would be Google's first laptop in two years.

Back in 2016, there were rumours that Google was working on a device codenamed "Bison," which supposedly had the form factor of a slim laptop (under 10mm), but run on a heavily modified version of Android internally known as "Andromeda."

It was positioned as a probable competitor to Apple's MacBook and iPad Pro, as well as Microsoft's Surface Pro: It would start at about $799 (620), have a 12.3-inch high-resolution display, a stylus, either 32GB or 128GB of storage, and 8GB or 16GB of RAM, and even a dedicated "tablet mode."

Back then, Android Police reported that Bison would launch some time in Q3 2017. The timing is coincidental, but it's possible the upcoming Chromebook Pixel might be a completely different device to the one originally rumoured.

One major difference is that the new Chromebook Pixel will apparently run on Chrome OS, whereas Google has never announced Andromeda.

And while the rumoured launch windows for Bison and the new Chromebook Pixel match up, Google is actually following the Pixel's own release schedule. The first Chromebook Pixel was released in 2013, and then its successor followed two years later.

In addition to that, several things have changed at Google over the past year, which might have morphed what was once envisioned as Bison into a simpler, more streamlined successor to an existing lineup of devices.

The company launched the first Pixel-branded phones, which proved rather successful, and most importantly it brought Android apps to Chrome OS, bridging the gap between the two platforms and fulfilling what apparently was Andromeda's original goal.

We also heard that a high-end device codenamed "Eve" was in the works, and that it could be the third Chromebook Pixel, but we don't know if and how that is in any way related to Bison, whose status remains uncertain.
This is an appeal by the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Emmanuel Kofi Nti.

He made this call on Monday (August 21. 2017) at a media briefing aimed at informing journalists about the intended paperless migration program on September 1.

READ ALSO: Minerals Commission boss asked to proceed on leave

He was optimistic a the paperless transaction at the countrys port will help remove all bureaucratic processes as well as eliminate fraud in the system. He added that time will be saved for other activities.

Nti said if the paperless system is successful, it will enhance Ghanas image internationally.

Once it kicks off, the various trade facilitation institutions at the ports will be expected to operate from one unit while documents pertaining to the clearance of goods or exports at the Tema and Takoradi ports will no longer be done through paper. Although a World Trade Organisation (WTO) requirement, Ghana has lagged behind in ensuring that electronic platforms replace paper at the ports.

In 2012, an attempt to go paperless was halted because some stakeholders in the value chain were unprepared.
Free university education would guarantee the nation quality citizenship and workforce, a responsible and knowledgeable populace and accountable and sensitive governments, he said.

Greenstreet disclosed this at the at the University of Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale on Tuesday during a speech delivered at the Annual Delegates Conference of the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG).

The programme was on the theme: Exploring alternative avenues to fund university education.

He believes that We cannot have a nation of a few literates and vast numbers of illiterates and we must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to explore their talents to the fullest.

Greenstreet assured that when the CPP comes to power, the party will ensure that university education is made free.
According to Al Arabiya English report, the unfortunate incident occurred in a villa in Hurghada on the Red Sea coast in Egypt.

The couple reportedly wanted to discover the other world and know what happens after death.

The Al Arabiya English report further stated that Director of the Red Sea Security, Major General Hossam Kamal, received a report that an Egyptian citizen and his Irish wife were found dead in a swimming pool in a villa owned by their friend and the bodies were taken to the morgue in Hurghada General Hospital.

Investigations revealed that the feet and arms of the couple were tied to each other, making security personnel suspect initially that the incident was a criminal act, but there was nothing stolen from the villa or traces of any other people in the vicinity. The inspector of health also issued a report attributing cause of the deaths to the drowning.

The report further said that the fingerprints taken from the villa were confirmed to belong to the dead couple and no other fingerprints were found.

The report also disclosed that a video found by security services revealed that Peter George Boutros and his wife Jeniffer Marie were confessing their desire to commit suicide in order to see the other world and what was happening there.

Apparently, the couple were wearing diving suits and heavy chains used in weight lifting wrapped around their necks before committing suicide.

A camera installed on a stand in the middle of the swimming pool had a complete video of the suicide.
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The Supreme Court has banned triple talaq for six months and has asked Parliament to bring in a law to that effect.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: In a historic judgment, the Supreme Court today struck down triple talaq terming the practice of instant divorce among Muslims as "void, illegal and unconstitutional". In a 3:2 split verdict, the 5-judge bench of the apex court also asked Parliament to legislate against triple talaq.

The Supreme Court has banned triple talaq for six months and has asked Parliament to bring in a law to that effect.

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A Bill banning triple talaq will be easily passed in the Lok Sabha as the ruling BJP-led NDA enjoys absolute majority in the house. In the 545-member lower house, the BJP, with 280 seats, alone has more than half of the majority figure.

However, the ruling NDA may have to bank on the support of the Opposition, particularly the rival Congress, to get the law against triple talaq passed in the 245-member Rajya Sabha.

As numbers stand today, though NDA has 88 members (with BJP having 57 members) it still does not enjoy majority. It falls short of 36 seats.

Among BJP's own allies, Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP's support to the government cannot be taken for granted because of the nature of the matter. Majority of the population in Kashmir are Muslims and triple talaq pertains to Muslim women. Hence, the ruling PDP, with two Rajya Sabha members, may not back the Bill on triple talaq. As a result of this, NDA's number would fall to 86, 38 short of majority.

However, with the merger of the two AIADMK factions led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EP Palaniswami and for chief minister O Panneerselvam, chances of the party becoming an NDA ally has grown brighter. AIADMK has 11 members in the Rajya Sabha. With their support, NDA's number would swell to 97, still 27 behind the majority mark.

On the other hand, the Congress has 57 members and the UPA it leads has 72 members. Besides the BJP and Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress party too hailed the Supreme Court order on triple talaq. The NDA may expect to get Congress' support in the Rajya Sabha.

Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 22, 2017

We welcome the Supreme Court's judgement on #TripleTalaq.It is a progressive, secular judgement for equal rights of Muslim women in India. https://t.co/2Xa4KEwEAW Congress (@INCIndia) August 22, 2017

After getting the Congress support, NDA would not need the backing of any other party to ensure the passage of the Bill on triple talaq.

Despite Congress' support, there are parties in UPA which may not support the Bill on triple talaq. They are DMK (4), RJD (3) and Indian Union Muslim League (1).

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Minus AIADMK, the strength of other parties is 71. Some such as Samajwadi Party (18), TMC (13) and BSP (5) may also not support the Bill on triple talaq.

All these parties may vote against the Bill on triple talaq or may boycott it. In both the cases, the Bill will easily get passed in the Rajya Sabha and will become a law.

In the second scenario, even if the Bill does not get passed in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP will derive political mileage out of it. It will win the sympathy of the Muslim women and improve its tally in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Whether or not the Bill on triple talaq is passed in Parliament, now it is advantage BJP.

VICTORY FOR PM NARENDRA MODI

With such bright prospects, the BJP has the option to convene a special session of Parliament to take a moral high ground and project it as its victory. Narendra Modi is the first prime minister to take such a bold step for gender justice despite the risk of antagonising the Muslims and their clergies. Fortunately, he has been successful in garnering the support of Muslim women.

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The other option available to the BJP is to promulgate an ordinance banning triple talaq. However, this may be seen as a rash step.

If the BJP does not go for the two above mentioned routes, it will have to get the Bill on triple talaq passed in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament.

ALSO READ:

Supreme Court has banned instant triple talaq, not triple talaq

In landmark verdict, instant triple talaq declared illegal by Supreme Court

Exposed: How maulvis take money for one-night stand with divorced women trying to save marriage

PM Narendra Modi commends Muslim women fighting triple talaq

Triple talaq: How it affects lives of India's 90 million Muslim women

WATCH: Supreme Court strikes down instant triple talaq, says practice is unconstitutional

--- ENDS ---
Provisional charges of possession and peddling of substance suspected to be Cannabis have been levelled against him.

READ MORE: Prisoner refuses to be out of prison despite Amnesty

Reports are rife that Corporal Prince Opoku is notorious for entertaining the company of known tugs while at post for which he had been warned, but to no avail.

News channel, newsgh.com reported that the corporal was detailed for bank guard duties at NIB Mampong branch but the Branch Manager realized his movements and activities in and around the bank were suspicious.He was said to have always been moving to and fro on the adjoining streets of the bank.

The suspicion of the branch manager was however heightened when a known criminal was seen spending hours with him at the bank and after that the manager warned him.

However, the Police Officer did not stop, rather a lot more suspicious characters continued to visit him while he was on duty. CCTV camera footage subsequently captured him selling an item hence the district commander was called to come and witness what game the cop was up to.

Corporal Prince Opoku was arrested but he denied sending a bag to the bank, but officials of the bank identified his bag to the commander.

Upon opening the bag, it contained a black polyethylene with 73 wrappers of weed, Nine tablets of tramadol tablets all suspected to be narcotics drugs, a pair of scissors, his personal belongings and a dying declaration he wrote on 10th June.

He finally confessed the bag belonged to him and attempted explaining that he had the exhibit from an operation he conducted at a location close to the bank the previous day, but couldnt officially report to the charge office.

But the CCTV footage proved otherwise leading to him being taken into custody.
The commitment follows a threat issued by the Acting Clinical Coordinator of the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Emefa Dadzie that the hospital would be compelled to release mental health patients onto the streets if the government continued to drag its feet in releasing funding for the running of the facility.

Speaking to the media when the Church of Later-Day Saints donated some items to the hospital at Cape Coast, Dr. Dadzie lamented how difficult it has become for the hospital to procure foodstuff to feed the inmate.

She said the facility is so indebted to its creditors that they are no longer willing to supply the hospital with foodstuffs.

First of all, feeding the patients, taking care of patients, is becoming a very great burden to us. Even recently, we had to scramble together to get money to buy a meal for a day for the patients because we are not getting the funds from government as we need to. They promised us from the beginning of the year till now.

Even the little money they promised to give us, weve still not received it yet so we are having difficulties, Dr. Emefa Dadzie lamented.

She further stated that government has reneged on its earlier promise to release funds to the hospital, resulting in the complexity of the situation.

READ ALSO: Quack doctor who blackmailed women after sex nabbed

We owe suppliers backlog of years and they are not willing to supply again so its becoming very difficult. Looking in the near future, maybe, we will have to maybe let all the patients go home because we cant afford to feed them. We cant afford to take care of them. Im not sure how much exactly is in the budget for us but what I know is that, we went there, they promised us an amount of money. Even though it is a very small amount as compared to what we need to pay back all our creditors, even that small amount has still not come, she cried.

However, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Health, Robert Coudjoe has blamed the hospital authorities for delaying in forwarding the relevant document to the Ministry for the funds to be released to them.
A TV3 investigation has revealed Ashok Kumar is currently in a 30-year marriage with Seema Nambiar Ashok even though he claims to be married to another Ghanaian woman.

Ashok Kumar Sivaram was deported on June 1, 2017, following a directive to the Ghana Immigration Service by the Interior minister Ambrose Derry.

This came on the back of claims that he obtained a fake marriage certificate to enable his stay in Ghana.

But Ashok Kumar Sivaram who had lived in Ghana for almost a decade denied those claims.

He is said to have applied for a resident permit in Ghana in 2008 and stated on his application document that he was divorced but gave no documentation to that effect.

In 2015, he applied for a renewal and said that he was married. But this raised suspicion, compelling the Ghana Immigration Service to question the certificate backing his new marriage.

READ ALSO: Court orders release of detained Indian businessman

Meanwhile, the latest revelations that he is still married to his Indian wife, has come as a sort of surprise to the Ghana Immigration Service.

The Service believes that he deliberately concealed that information from them and has vowed to investigate why the Indian businessman did not declare that information in his application documents.
They also succeeded in setting ablaze some container shops and a vehicle on the said disputed land before leaving the scene, residents say.

READ ALSO: Heavy security at Avenor after clashes over piece of land

The disputed land is believed to be owned by the Ghana Road Transport Union but a private developer is also laying claim to it.

This shooting incident happens to be the second time in two weeks.
Residents on Monday around 8:30 a.m alerted the police that they had found the body of Hamid lying in a bush, raising suspicion that he may have been lynched by some persons.

The Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Yusif Mohammed Tanko said the police went to the scene and found the deceased with bruises and blood on his body.

READ ALSO: Farmer killed for claiming his own gun

He said that the deceased might had been lynched in the course of the night before the day his body was found in the bush.

The deceased, who is a school dropout and a drivers mate was said to have left home a week ago.
The protest was to challenge the presidency of Faure Gnassingbe.

"If you are not strong and fit, move out of Togo to Ghana...there is no time to waste. Pregnant women and children should all come out of their homes".

"Not everyone can fight this battle," a woman in Togo told Accra-based Joy FM.

The Gnassingbe family has been ruling Togo since 1967 after a coup by Eyadema.

READ ALSO: Chaos in Lome as protesters declare another day of demonstration

Faure who is also the new chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has won three presidential elections.

But many argue that he won those elections under controversial circumstances.

Residents of Togo are now demanding that the Constitution be amended to prevent his familys continued stay in power.
He believes that the government is about to establish a cottage industry where the creation of products and services will be home-based but not factory-based.

His comments come in the wake of the announcement that the president, Nana Akufo-Addo will launch his flagship policy in Ekumfi in the Central Region.

A statement signed by the National Coordinator of the policy, Gifty Ohene Konadu, said the launch of the program will be in fulfilment of the presidents pledge to industrialize Ghanas economy.

The launch will include a sod-cutting to begin the construction of Ekumfi Fruit Processing Company Factory which will process pineapples for the local and international market, the statement said.

But speaking on Accra-based Adom FM Tuesday, Solomon Nkansah said the policy was just to deceive Ghanaians.

According to him, he is a pig farmer and can even on his own open 20 factories across the country.

I can open 20 factories to rival Akufo-Addos cottage factory; the NPP has deceived Ghanaians he stated.
The record is one of five songs which has been tagged by the NBC as Not to be Broadcasted. The corporation released the list, saying it has banned the 5 songs from being aired on all local radio and TV stations.

The songs are: Olamides 'Wo' and 'Wavy Level',Davidos 'Fall' and 'If(Remix)', and 9ices 'Living Things.'

There has been no official reason why the songs were blacklisted.

The Federal Ministry of Health had in a tweet on Friday, August 18, 2017 said that the video to Olamides Wo is in violation of the Tobacco Control Act 2015. Tweeting the information via its official Twitter page, the Ministry of Health claimed that the video which features ghetto scenes in which youths are seen smoking, encourages second-hand smoking.

Rapper Falz had also in June criticized musicians who glamorize fraud with their lyrics, a criticism fans took to be directed at 9ice for his lyrics in 'Living things.'
President Buharis speech on Monday, August 21, 2017, was his first after 103 days of medical leave in the United Kingdom for an undisclosed ailment.

Hence, Nigerians who were expecting to hear major policy pronouncements and political shifts from the president, were disappointed in the content of the message.

One of these Nigerians is Dr Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and Vice President (Africa) of World Bank Group, who expressed that President Buharis speech was another opportunity missed to address issues of national importance.

Here are three major issues President Buhari failed to address during his speech:

1. Presidents health status & medical tourism

Top on the issues Nigerians were expecting President Buhari to address is his current health status. Though he looks healthier, questions surrounding the nature of his ailment and frequency of his medical trip to the United Kingdom, were not answered.

Also, the president was expected to address why he sought medical treatment abroad after promising that the practice will be stopped during his administration; thus raising the question about his integrity and issue of public trust.

The president could also have told Nigerians if he'll be embarking on another medical trip soon and when.

Moreso, President Buhari could have also used the opportunity to address the decay in the nations healthcare system. He would have used the occasion of this speech to promise to improve it to a preferable standard.

2. Economic policy thrust or change

Nigerians also expected President Buhari to make some economic pronouncements during this speech, most especially, in the exchange rate regime and others as regards economic direction of the country.

To the surprise of many, the president skipped this for other issues.

A leading Newspaper in Nigeria  the Guardian Nigeria, in anticipation of economic policy pronouncements, had a story on how President Buharis speech will make or mar the economic recovery of the country.

Leaving economic issues unattended will affect potential foreign investments into the country.

3. Anti-corruption campaign

One issue most Nigerians thought President Buhari was going to address in his speech is the non-confirmation of Mr Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), by the Nigerian Senate.

This is as a result of the fact that, corruption is one of the cardinal electoral promises of the administration. Also, many believed the president would use the opportunity of his speech to address the pending corruption cases of the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr Babachir Lawal, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr Ayo Oke. But, there was no mention of them in the address.

Mr Azubike Ozumili, the Head of News, Inspiration Fm Nigeria stated during a news analysis about the Presidents speech said that: The speech is watery. And If the presidents handlers had known that major issues begging for answers are not going to be addressed, the broadcast would not have been necessary.

4. Cabinet reshuffle

Most Nigerians were anticipating a cabinet reshuffle intent or announcement in this speech, but it never arrived.

Most of the president's team hasn't delivered and some ministers have been sleeping on their beats, it has to be said. There are also square pegs in round holes, in certain areas.

Upon his return, Nigerians were expecting the president to utter a word or two concerning his moribund cabinet. Buhari is still leaving the nation guessing here.
Instant triple talaq (or talaq-e-biddat) happens when the husband spells out the word 'talaq' (divorce) three times in one instance - either in a single sitting, or through phone, email, or text messages.

By India Today Web Desk: And they are not the same. As TV reporters and anchors celebrate with burqa-clad Muslim women the "landmark" Supreme Court verdict banning triple talaq, what must be remembered is that it's only the instant version of the Islamic practice that has been declared unconstitutional.

So what's the difference?

Instant triple talaq (or talaq-e-biddat) happens when the husband spells out the word 'talaq' (divorce) three times in one instance - either in a single sitting, or through phone, email, or text messages.

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Many Islamic clerics and jurists have declared such form of divorce immediate and irrevocable.

Even if the husband wants to reconciliate and go back to his wife, the way out is nikah halala, which means the woman should remarry and consummate the second marriage, get divorced, follow the three-month 'iddat' period and return to her first husband.

Instant triple talaq has been looked down upon even by the Quran and Hadith (the sayings of Prophet Muhammad), and is banned in most Muslim-majority countries.

Statistics tell us that less than one per cent of divorces within Muslims in India fall under this category.

TRIPLE TALAQ

On the other hand, the more accepted form of divorce is how the religion has mandated it: the triple talaq (or talaq-ul sunnat).

Under this form of triple talaq, the husband says the first 'talaq' and can only say the second time in the next lunar cycle. The wife, meanwhile, has to prepare herself for the three-month 'iddat' period, covering three mestrual cycles.

In this duration, the husband can rethink over his decision and re-conciliate with the wife. When the period of iddat expires and the husband does not revoke the talaq either expressly or by consummation, the divorce is considered irrevocable and final.

Do only men divorce in Islam?

No, the women have the option of asking for 'khula' in case the marriage breaks down.

A woman can divorce her husband by returning the dower (mehr) that she received from her husband.

It should be noted that unlike the dominant definition in Hinduism, Islam looks at marriage not as a sacrament which is eternal, but as a civil contract, which is accepted between the two parties on the basis of mutual consent.

Credit: Newsflicks

Also Read:

In landmark verdict, instant triple talaq declared illegal by SC, Parliament asked to make law within 6 months

If Islamic nations can, why can't India: What Supreme Court said banning triple talaq

WATCH: Supreme Court strikes down instant triple talaq, says practice is unconstitutional

--- ENDS ---

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In an address to military members in Virginia, Trump said he sympathized with Americans who were "weary of war without victory" and said he shared "the American people's frustration" with a "foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives trying to rebuild countries in our own image."

He also acknowledged the reversal in his decision to increase the American troop presence in a country he had previously called for the US to exit.

"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts, but all of my life I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office," Trump said.

"So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy," he said.

Lamenting that he was dealt a "bad and very complex hand," the president said several factors led him to implement "a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions."

Trump cited the troop drawdown in Iraq, which he argued allowed the Islamic State to gain ground in the country, as well as a perceived threat from terrorists in Pakistan. He also called on other US allies to pitch in, singling out India as a trade partner.

Trump also insisted that Afghanistan strategy would be conducted in a manner that was coherent with his campaign vision, saying he would not give timetables for withdrawal or troop levels and emphasizing repeatedly that the US military would not focus on "nation-building," saying Afghanistan needed to meet military and economic goals to ensure continued US support.

"We are not nation-building again," Trump said. "We are killing terrorists."

Moments later, he added: "We will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interest. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward."

The speech came after months of deliberation in which Trump considered various scenarios.

They included deploying additional troops, shifting to a CIA-led counterterrorism operation, leaving behind a military force primarily made up of private security forces, and pulling out of Afghanistan completely. Some of the more nationalist-leaning figures in his administration, including the recently ousted chief strategist, Steve Bannon, had pushed for a drawdown or complete pullout.

Eventually, after a meeting at Camp David last week, the president settled on a policy that would deploy additional US forces but attempt to persuade allies like Pakistan to crack down on terrorists. Many of the retired generals in Trump's immediate orbit  including chief of staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis  reportedly pushed for the plan.

Democrats criticized Trump's speech for failing to deliver any concrete policy changes.
Armed with the vision to make the world a market place for Nigerian non-oil products, NEPCs mission is to spearhead the diversification of the Nigerian economy by expanding and increasing non-oil exports for sustainable and inclusive economic growth with an overall strategy to diversify the productive base of the economy away from oil.

The tradeshows are in perfect alignment with our vision for the Nigerian economy, directly providing opportunities for export for businesses within the Nigerian Fashion Industry. Our presence in these tradeshows is necessary to foster a private sector-driven economy through market oriented export products development Executive Director NEPC, Segun Awolowo shares about the tradeshows.

ALSO READ:LFDW 2017 kicks off with Fashion Focus Talks across Nigeria

At the helm of SHF is the goal to contribute to the advancement of the Nigerian and African Fashion Industry through skills acquisition, and at this juncture, access to markets. Through these tradeshow, our indigenous brands make valuable connections that provide access to showrooms, retailers, buyers and editors across the world. Founder Style House Files (the conveners of HLFDW), Omoyemi Akerele speaks about the partnership.

This season started off with WWDMAGIC in Las Vegas. WWDMAGIC brought the largest selection of women's apparel and accessories in the industry. This global showcase is a must-see destination for buyers looking for the latest in womens accessories and juniors fashion. From August 13th to 16th, booth #75726 welcomed Nigerian brands such as Belois Couture, Kiki Kamanu, Aimas and Divine Endowments who showcased various African and Contemporary pieces to a worldwide audience in Las Vegas Convention Centre, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Sourcing side included brands such as Ruff and Tumble, OSC Signature, Crown Natures and Tiskies, which was in partnership with the USAidWest African Trade and Investment Hub.

The next stop is the Pitti SUPER in Milan, Italy from September 23 - September 25. A Pitti Immagine project devoted to womens pret-a-porter and accessories. Its focus is product innovation, and new outlooks in accessories bringing together established firms and emerging brands in a totally new presentation; it will promote young Italian designers and welcome foreign talents and stage eye-opening events. Showcasing African designers include: AAKS (Ghana), Gozel Green (Nigeria), Grey (Nigeria), and Loza Maleombho (Ivory Coast).

Previous Pitti Immagine outings have resulted in Jewel by Lisas products beings carried on Moda Operandi and MyTheresa.com. The label also collaborated with LOreal to debut a lipstick and nail polish. Lanre Da Silva Ajayis S/S 2013 collection being stocked at the famous Spiga2 concept store owned by Dolce & Gabbana making her the first African designer to be selected to stock her pieces at the store.

Finally, Gozel Green and Onalaja head to Tranoi in Paris for the final trade show before the main HLFDW event in Lagos. The events take place from September 29 - October 2. Four times a year during Paris Fashion Week, the TRANOI fashion trade show takes place in prestigious venues and establishes a relationship between creativity and business. TRANOI, which means between us in Italian, is an artistic platform that gathers and curates the very best of avant-garde and emerging designers as well as contemporary and leading brands, and puts them in the hands of the most influential players in the fashion industry.

More than a commercial gathering, TRANOI features artistic installations, runway shows, parties and an array of events which inspire dreams and desires that are inherent to fashion.
Daily Post reports that the suspect had accused his wife of adultery several times and had vowed to kill her and himself and that they were always quarreling and fighting over unresolved domestic issues.

The father of the 29-year-old deceased, Daniel Akighir, who spoke to newsmen on the murder of his daughter, accused his son-in-law of killing his daughter without any provocation.

While speaking on the incident, the sorrowful father said:

Last week Friday, my son-in-law, Mr. Terkaa of Joseph Tia street, Gboko North, and his wife [my late daughter], came to my house for counseling and settlement over their matrimonial disputes, but after a long discussion, my daughter refused to return to her husbands house.

According to her, she refused to return because of the husbands recent odd behavior and imminent threat to her life.

On Sunday, my daughter, Lucy, came back from morning mass and told us, me and her mother, that her husband invited her for settlement and we were glad since it was our desire for them reunite.

The 69-year-old Akighir, however, said he later heard from neighbours that Ushir had lured his daughter indoors, locked the door and started beating her and later used an axe to hack her to death.

An eyewitnesses told me that on reaching the house, her husband locked her in their one room apartment, beat, strangled and axed my daughter to death.

All efforts by neighbours to save my daughter proved abortive as the door was locked and after he confirmed that his wife was dead, he escaped through the back window.

After several attempts, the door was forced open only to discover the lifeless body of my daughter under the mattress with deep cuts on her neck and head in the pool of her blood. Two axes and a hammer were found in the room stained with blood, the bereaved father said.

A neighbour of the couple at their house on Joseph Tyagh Street, Adekaa, Gboko, Aga-Samuel Barti, narrated that the couple had engaged in a quarrel for about three hours on the day of the incident.

Before this incident, the family had been going through some issues. Last week Thursday, around 2 am, I got a call to bring my car to pick the man. I was told he was dead.

When I got to their apartment, I discovered that he actually collapsed. We rushed him to a hospital where he was resuscitated.

The wife later told me that the husband woke up and claimed he saw two cats at their door, summoning him. She said he suddenly passed out. I told them to be prayerful.

Eventually, the woman ran away from the house. She started telling people that her husband was saying some people asked him to bring blood. She took their two children to her sisters place and did not return.

She showed up at the house again on Sunday afternoon. She was alone with the husband in the house when they had an argument.

As neighbours, we thought it was their usual disagreement because they always fought like that. But it went on for about three hours.

Later, the argument degenerated into a fight but no one could access the apartment because the door had been locked.

The noise later stopped and we all thought that the issue had been resolved as usual but when nobody came out of the room, we had suspicions and broke the door.

That was when we saw the woman in a pool of blood with a gash in her neck. The window at the back of the room was wide open and the man had disappeared, Barti said.

Barti added that before the incident, Urshi had often accused the wife of maintaining an extramarital affair, saying that it was the reason for their constant argument.

Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer [PPRO], ASP Moses Yamu, said the body of late Lucy has been deposited at the mortuary of the General Hospital, Gboko, while the police have intensified efforts to arrest the runaway Ushir.

It is true that we got a report that one Terkaa Ushir allegedly killed his wife and fled the scene.
But after three years, God changed his situation and now, Nkem wants to come back to him, sending people to beg him on her behalf.

Should he forgive and take her back?

Read his story here:

"My name is Michael, a 48-year-old man with four children. I have a very pathetic and sad story of betrayal and treachery from a woman I loved and trusted so much.

When I got married to Nkem, I was doing very well in my job though I was not making so much money, I was able to take care of my family to the best of my ability.

With the coming of our babies, I had to tell her to stop resign from her job so as to have time to take care of the kids. But after a while, she told me she was bored just staying at home, so I opened a shop for her with the hope that she would be able to contribute to the house.

I was not expecting her to do much apart from occasionally helping out but my wife did not care what happened in the house as I was saddled with every responsibility including little things like salt and pepper.

I did not bother much because I was making good morning from some deals that were coming in at my office.

But something happened when external auditors were invited to check the books and many of us were indicted and before I knew it, I was arrested by the police alongside other staff members.

It happened so fast that before I knew what was happening, the police moved in and confiscated many of my properties including a land I had bought and was developing. They took my car, closed my bank account and clamped me into prison for close to one year.

By the time I regained my freedom, I had lost everything I had and life became very difficult for me. I had expected my wife to come to my aid in such a difficult situation but what she did was the most shocking experience I ever expected.

Nkem left me and our four children when she could no longer cope with the situation. The day she parked out of the house, I remember how our children and other neighbours cried and begged her to change her mind but she was beyond care, saying she could not die in the hands of a man who could not take care of her.

For three months, I was not myself as I found it difficult to feed my children or pay their school fees.

My landlord was so kind that he allowed me to stay in the apartment for as long as it took me to get myself together. Neighbours were the ones who fed my children and gave me some pocket money here and there.

I combed the streets of Lagos looking for jobs but to no avail. In those dark moments, I contemplated committing suicide several times but at the last moment, I always restrained myself for the sake of my children.

After being in such situation for five years, God smiled on me in the form of a church member. I was not ashamed to tell people about my situation as I did not know where help could come.

It came when I met , a contractor and an importer of spare parts who needed someone to handle a business proposal for him with a state government in the East.

Ndu, despite his wealth, was a stark illiterate and wanted a learned person to help liaise with the government and when he told me what he wanted, I quickly accepted his offer.

To cut the long story short, I was able to clinch the contract which ran into millions of Naira. Ndubuisi was so impressed that he offered me a partnership in the business and within a short time, things took a dramatic turn.

Overnight, the tide turned. I was able to pay my landlord all the accumulated rent I owed him though he had initially refused to collect the money. My children returned to their elite schools while I am on the verge of completing my own building.

Now, the problem is that Nkem wants to come back now that God has blessed me and turned my story around. She has been sending people to beg on her behalf, claiming she was misled and regretted her actions.

I am not favorably disposed to her coming back to my life and my children too are not happy with her but then, they still need their mother.

Should I forgive her and see this as a lesson?

Michael."

The teaser for the day was:

Would you advise Michael to take back Nkem?

How Nigeria voted:

Yes, if she is truly sorry for her behaviour - 35%

No, he should not take her back as she is not a good wife - 9%

He should forgive her for the sake of their children - 18%

He should forgive her but never take her back - 38%
Buni told newsmen in Damaturu on Monday that the Presidential broadcast was straight to the point as Nigerias unity is not negotiable.

Majority of Nigerians are satisfied with the submission of the president because it has given every Nigerian a sense of security, citizenship and, true sense of belonging to reside and carry out their legitimate business in any part of the country, he said.

According to him, the call for secession and restructuring are diversionary and contradicts the ideals of patriotism and corporate unity of the nation.

This administration is committed to a stronger and united country, with good governance, transparency and prudence as our guiding principles.

Maimaila urged individuals and groups to channel their grievances through their representatives in the national assembly.

As democrats, we should appreciate the fact that the National Assembly and National Council of State are the two legitimate bodies for national discourse and anything outside this is illegal and unconstitutional.
This was disclosed by Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, who, along with other service chiefs, was in a three-hour long meeting with the president on Tuesday, August 22, 2017.

After the conclusion of the meeting at the president's residence in Abuja, GenOlonishakin revealed that the president was concerned with the insecurity in the country and has challenged the service chiefs to curb the menace.

He said, "We have been meeting with Mr. President for the last three hours. We updated him on all security issues around the country, within the country and outside the country, where our troops are.

"After the meeting, he has directed on some areas we should look at so as to enhance our operations in the country.

"The issues of security, every security threat, all security threats were treated one after the other ranging from terrorism to kidnapping, herdsmen/farmers clash, to IPOB issue.

"In his address to the nation, he talked about the unity of the nation which is non-negotiable. We have all been fully instructed to ensure that that directive is carried out to the letter."

"We are going to enhance our operations in all the areas we need to do that. Like I said, he has given the necessary directives which will be carried out by the military and the security agencies."

A video recently surfaced online showing IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu walking through a parade of soldiers of self-proclaimed Biafra Secret Service.
Governor Fayose said this while congratulating the President on his return from medical vacation.

According to Vanguard, the Governor also called on Mr. President to act fast and face the issues of governance, adding that Nigerians are hungry for food and development.

He said We are happy that President Buhari is back, it is a welcome development but Nigerians are hungry, they need food, they need development.

We in PDP know what is right for Nigerians and we know that democracy is strengthened by opposition. APC should face governance squarely and give Nigerians democratic dividends.

Fayose also told newsmen that the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will ensure that all its members are treated fairly.

ALSO READ:Fayose sets up 2019 presidential campaign

He said This is a new beginning for our party, it is part of the efforts of our party to ensure due process and that everybody gets justice. With the calibre of men in our national committee, you can be rest assured of transparency, justice and fairness.
By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: The BJP has reasons to cheer over the Supreme Court's landmark judgment today holding instant triple talaq "void, illegal and unconstitutional". Not just because the judgment would help the BJP derive electoral mileage but also because it helps the ruling party move towards fulfilling one of its important promises - of bringing about a Uniform Civil Code.

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The Uniform Civil Code was discussed in BJP's manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Page 41 of the manifesto said: "Article 44 of the Constitution of India lists Uniform Civil Code as one of the Directive Principles of State Policy. BJP believes that there cannot be gender equality till such time India adopts a Uniform Civil Code, which protects the rights of all women, and the BJP reiterates its stand to draft a Uniform Civil Code, drawing upon the best traditions and harmonising them with the modern times."

Striking down instant triple talaq in itself will not help the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code. However, it would surely help push the BJP to move in that direction. After the triple talaq case, which has been decided today, two other contentious issues of polygamy and nikah halala are pending before the Supreme Court.

SUPREME COURT ON POLYGAMY, NIKAH HALALA

In May, when the then attorney general Mukul Rohatgi had requested it to take up all the three cases, the apex court said, "The time we have in hand to hear arguments (during vacation) will not be enough to deal with all three issues. We will keep pending other issues - polygamy and nikah halala. Decision on triple talaq may or may not have a bearing on the other two issues."

The BJP did not have to take the legislative route to fulfil its promise. The orders of the courts have certainly helped the ruling party. In the triple talaq case, the Supreme Court has asked Parliament to legislate a law against triple talaq.

Various courts, through their judgments, have stressed the precedence of secular laws over personal and religious codes.

DIFFERENT COURTS ON PERSONAL LAWS

On Sharia law: PIL was filed against a Sharia court operating as a court of law from a Chennai mosque forcing its judgments on the Muslim community. Madras High Court declared all Sharia courts in Tamil Nadu as illegal and instructed the state government to curb unauthorised courts.

On guardianship issue, according to an 1890 law, a Christian unwed mother can assume guardianship of her child after issuing prior notice to the father for permission. The Supreme Court ruled that unwed mothers can become the legal guardian of a child. Religion must be kept at bay from law in a secular country like India, it said.

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On divorce issue, section 10A(1) of the Divorce Act, 1869, which governs the law of divorce for Christians, says a couple has to live separately for two years to seek divorce by mutual consent. The Supreme Court asked for the Centre's response saying, "Should Christians stay separated for minimum two years when the period prescribed for others is one year? It does not make sense to us."

On maintenance issue, Muslim personal law mandates iddat period (roughly three months after divorce) for maintenance. The Supreme Court said Muslim women are entitled to seek maintenance under section 125 of the CrPC beyond the iddat period which grants the same relief to wives, children and parents.

On polygamy issue, Muslim personal law grants men the right to have four wives. However, the Supreme Court ruled that polygamy is not integral part of religion and monogamy is a reform within the power of the state under Article 25.

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On fatwa (edicts) issue, a PIL alleged that existence of Sharia courts and the fatwas issued by them were a threat to India's judicial system. The Supreme Court ruled that Sharia courts have no legal status and religious decrees and fatwas are illegal if they tread on the rights of an individual.

Regarding adoption issue, in Islam a child remains the true descendant of her biological parents even if she is legally under the care of someone else. The Supreme Court ruled that Muslim women have the right to legally adopt children, even though their personal law does not give them that right.

TOWARDS UNIFORM CIVIL CODE

The system of different personal laws for different religions is a colonial legacy. The British implemented criminal and civil laws for all Indians but did not touch personal laws because religion was a sensitive issue.

However, with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising gender justice and equality, and courts deciding on cases pertaining to them, the country is moving towards having a Uniform Civil Code.

ALSO READ

How bill on triple talaq will have a smooth sailing in Parliament and help BJP

Supreme Court has banned instant triple talaq, not triple talaq

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In landmark verdict, instant triple talaq declared illegal by Supreme Court

--- ENDS ---
He said this on Monday in Asaba while decorating his orderly, Mr David Ebute, with his new rank of inspector.

The governor said that there was need to deploy more manpower to states in order to beef-up security in the country.

The police in Delta are doing very well given the shortage of manpower.

It is my hope that with the recent recruitment into the Police Force, more manpower will be deployed to the state.

They will cover the various identified black spots and improve on the security situation in the country.

A nation with a growing population like Nigeria needs to improve on the manpower and equip the police so as to fight crime and maintain peace and order, he said.

The governor also called for the strengthening and regulation of neighbourhood watch and vigilante groups, as they provide vital information about their communities to the police.

There is the need to look at the community policing and neighbourhood watch.

We are working with the House of Assembly to pass the Neighbourhood Watch and Vigilante Bill so as to give the police more intelligence and information in our communities.

The neighbourhood watch will help the police to handle various security issues in these communities, Okowa said.

He commended the security agencies, adding that the synergy amongst security agencies in the state had reduced crime drastically.

ALSO READ: Police IG says Nigeria not mature for state police

He also commended Ebute, for his discipline and hard work which he said, earned him the promotion and urged him to see his promotion as a call to greater duty and service.
Uchenna Madu, the leader of MASSOB, told newsmen that it is hypocritical of President Muhammadu Buhari to believe in one Nigeria, Daily Post reports.

The President, in his speech on Monday, August 21, 2017, said that the unity of Nigeria is settled and not negotiable.

Buhari also said that the Late Biafra warlord, Emeka Ojukwu, after an extensive discussion in his Daura home, agreed that it is important that Nigeria stays united.

Speaking further, Madu said We the people of Biafra can never be deceived by a man fully blooded with religious, ethnic sentimental and hatred against the people of Biafra.

Buhari in his inner sense of reasoning believes that with his kinsmen occupying the military positions of service chiefs, including all the most senior military offices/positions, he will easily crush Biafra.

ALSO READ:President Buhari shades Nnamdi Kanu

Maybe with his intimidating tendencies over Igbo governors, National Assembly members, religious/opinion/ political leaders, he still thinks he can crush Biafra, he added.
The state chairman of the NLC, Malam Bashir Mafara, made the announcement on Monday in Gusau while addressing newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was jointly organised by the state chapters of the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Mafara alleged that the government had in the last six years (since the inception of the Gov. Yari-led administration), consistently failed to address workers issues.

He also alleged that the government had relegated workers to second class citizens and failed to meet agreements it reached with labour leaders to address workers needs.

He said that the government had also failed to implement the N18,000 minimum wage, adding that some teachers and local government staff still receive N7,000 per month.

The chairman pointed out that despite legislation which stipulates that pension be reviewed every five years, some retirees in the state receive N4,000 as their monthly pension.

He alleged that the government had not involved labour in the disbursement of the bailout funds it received from the federal government.

He also alleged that the funds had been diverted by the government.

Marafa said that though vacancies were created in the civil service as a result of deaths, retirements and transfers among others, the government failed to carry out recruitment during the period.

He alleged that the government had not paid salary to the 1,400 graduates that were employed in 2014.
This was disclosed by the president's Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, on his Twitter account .

He tweeted, "President Muhammadu Buhari is currently presiding over security council meeting with all service chiefs, IGP, NSA and others in attendance."

President Buhari resumed his official duties on Monday, August 21, after making his return to the country on Saturday, August 19, 103 days after he left for London to resume treatment for an undisclosed illness.

While speaking during his national address on Monday, the president spoke largely about insecurity in the country, especially the resurgence of terrorist group, Boko Haram.

He said, "I am charging the Security Agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months be a sign to relax.

"Terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety.

"Therefore we are going to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight not only against; elements of Boko Haram which are attempting a new series of attacks on soft targets, kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes; in addition to ethnic violence fuelled by political mischief makers. We shall tackle them all."

The service chiefs at Tuesday's meeting include Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff; Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral IbikEke Ibns; and Chief of Air Staff, AirMarshal Sadique Abubakar.

In July, then-Acting President Yemi Osinbajohad ordered all the service chiefs to relocate to the Maiduguri command centre for a more coordinated war against Boko Haram.

This was after the group carried out a spate of daring attacks that led to the death of over a hundred Nigerians in July alone.

ALSO READ: A timeline of Boko Haram attacks in 2017
In his first national address since his return from London on Saturday, August 19, 2017, President Buhari addressed issues such as the country's unity as well as Boko Haram's resurgence in the north.

However, he failed to address persistent questions revolving around his ill health that kept him out of the country for 103 days while Vice President Yemi Osinbajo acted in his place.

Reacting to the speech on her Twitter account , the former minister tweeted, "I can give an instant Citizen's feedback to President that his Speech this morning was a a terrible case of MISSED OPPORTUNITY."

The President flew to London on May 7 to resume treatment for an illness whose secrecy divided opinions across the country.

The speech he made on Monday has not done much to quash that division as many feel like the president avoided a lot of topical issues.

While speaking from Aso Rock on Monday, he said, "In the course of my stay in the United Kingdom, I have been kept in daily touch with events at home. Nigerians are robust and lively in discussing their affairs, but I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in the social media have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation. This is a step too far.

"Nigeria's unity is settled and not negotiable. We shall not allow irresponsible elements to start trouble and when things get bad they run away and saddle others with the responsibility of bringing back order, if necessary with their blood.

"Every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance.

"Furthermore, I am charging the Security Agencies not to let the successes achieved in the last 18 months be a sign to relax.

"Terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety.

"Therefore we are going to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight not only against; elements of Boko Haram which are attempting a new series of attacks on soft targets, kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes; in addition to ethnic violence fuelled by political mischief makers. We shall tackle them all.
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

Buharis speech, a monumental anti-climax, says PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described Mondays national broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari as a monumental anti-climax that missed the great oppurtunity to get him reconnected to the people.

Buhari works from home, writes National Assembly

President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the National Assembly notifying it of his resumption of office after returning at the weekend from his May 7, 2017 medical trip to the United Kingdom.

Local airlines groan under low pricing regime

The current low pricing strategy and the attendant low cost of local air travel in the country may be attracting new passengers to airlines, but fast lowering the chances of struggling aircraft in the face of dire financial straits.

__________________________________________________

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Why Buhari ll work from home- Presidency

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari who on Monday notified the leadership of the National Assembly that he has resumed to work after his medical vacation in London, United Kingdom, may work from his house, the presidency said.

8,663 bank workers sacked in 2017 - NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has revealed how no fewer than 8,663 banks employees lost their jobs in the first half of 2017.

FG spent N1.3trn on capital projects in 2016  Osinbajo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday that the Buhari administration spent N1.3 trillion on capital projects in 2016, the highest in the history of the country.

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THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Kudos, knocks as Nigerians react to Buharis broadcast

Nigerians on Monday were diverse in their opinions on Buharis first broadcast to Nigerians after a 104-day medical vacation in the United Kingdom.

Censors board raids Alaba, seizes pirated films

The National Film and Video Censors Board has seized many copies of Nigerian movies and duplicating machines from pirates in Alaba market.

Govt agencies remitted N687.82bn operating surplus in nine years

Agencies of the Federal Government have remitted a total of N687.82bn to the Consolidated Revenue Fund in nine years, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission has said in a report.

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THISDAY NEWSPAPER

Buhari Works from Home Pending Renovation of Office

President Muhammadu Buhari, who resumed duties Monday after a 103-day medical vacation abroad, will operate from his official residence until the completion of the renovation of his office, the Presidency said Monday.

FG Increases Local Content Fund to $200m

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Simbi Wabote, Monday said the agency had obtained all necessary approvals to relaunch the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund) and had increased the pool available for lending to qualified oil and gas players from $100 million to $200 million.

PDPs Understanding of Restructuring Nigeria Shallow, Says APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the Peoples Democratic Partys (PDP) definition and understanding of the restructuring of Nigeria as shallow and far from what Nigerians are asking for.

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THE BUSINESSDAY NEWSPAPER

Geometric Power to light up Aba in 5 months

Geometric Power/Aba Power Limited promises it will light up Aba, the commercial hub of the South East region five months from now.

Competition heats up in insurance as Willis, Marsh make new Nigeria acquisitions

Real competition for business and leadership is stepping up in the brokerage arm of the Nigerian insurance industry, as top global brokers and reinsurance-brokers position in the local market, with the acquisition of indigenous companies.

DICON upgrades to tap into Africa arms market
Saraki made this known on Monday, August 21, 2017.

He said,I have received a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari informing the Senate that he has returned to the country.

I have also acknowledged the letter.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the letter will be read in plenary when the National Assembly resumes from its recess on Sept. 19.

President Muhammadu Buhari had written to the National Assembly informing it of his medical trip to London, which he commenced on May 7.

ALSO READ:President Buhari says NO to Biafra

He had transmitted power to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to act in his absence.
Ortom also said that God, through the prayers of Nigerians, has granted the President good health.

Those calling for Buharis resignation should have their heads examined. There is nothing special about a human being getting sick. They should rather pray for him. The good thing is that God has answered Nigerians prayers and restored him," he added.

Speaking on the issue of the ultimatum issued to Fulani herdsmen in Benue, Ortom said There is no reason for any group to give any ultimatum to anybody or group in my state. The law on grazing is not meant to give anyone breeding cattle in any part of my state any ultimatum to leave the state. What we want is for people to ranch their cattle and nothing more.

ALSO READ: See the first photos of President Buhari resuming office

Nigerians are free to live and work in any parts of Benue State and we have no given anyone the authority to threaten any other person under any guise whatsoever and the police should go after those who issued the threat and bring them to book. There is no ultimatum in Benue State.
From the moment they met, it was obvious the two had chemistry and would develop feelings for each other. The writers made sure the sexual tension gets initiated and felt by viewers.

From an intense cave tour, to hand holding scene, the duo have shared several meaningful intense moments.

The problem with this sexual tension that has brewed throughout this season is - Jon and Dany are related.

They don't know this yet, but, viewers were let in on this mystery in season six finale. Jon Snow isn't Ned Stark's bastard, but Lyanna Stark's son with Rhaegar Targaryen. He is technically Dany's nephew.

However, knowledge of their parentage hasn't stopped fans from shipping a relationship between the two.

In the real world, incest is an abominable act. But Westeros isn't the real world and these people aren't real people.

Incest has always been a part of "Game of Thrones". The Targaryens married themselves in order to keep their bloodline pure - Daenerys and Rhaegar's parents and grandparents were siblings.

There's also Tywin Lannister, who married his first cousin. Let's not forget Cersei and Jaimie, who have had a brother-sister sexual relationship since the show made its debut.

In episode 6, "Beyond the Wall," an injured Jon Snow pledged his allegiance to Dany, calling her "my queen." It was an emotional scene, one that strongly foreshadows a sexual relationship between the two.

If the charged moments between the two isn't enough to convince you that a Jon and Dany romance is underway, then the hints from the cast and crew should.

"She sees his interaction with her dragons and it's an attractive quality for her," Clarke recently said in an interview while talking about the Jon and Drogon moment in episode 5.

The executive producer of the show already agreed that the tension between the two is more than political. "There's conflict between powerful people," he said after episode four.

"And then to make it all even more complicated, they're starting to be attracted to each other," he added.

Kit Harrington, who plays Jon Snow, also dropped hints, while speaking about their first meeting.

"He walks into the room and doesn't expect to see such a beautiful young woman of similar age to him, Harington said in an interview with EW.

Any young man's reaction is going to be, 'Okay...' but he puts that aside, because he has to."

Their attraction to each other is also clear to everyone around them. Davos commented on the way Jon looks at Dany, while the wise Tyrion Lannister blatantly told Dany that Jon is in love with her.

They have known each other for just four episodes. Unlike their earlier relationships with Drogo and Ygritte, Jon and Dany have shared few scenes that focused mainly on Dany demanding that Jon bends the knee, and Jon trying to convince her that the White Walkers exist.

They learn about each other mostly through Tyrion, who has a relationship with both Jon and Dany.

Yet, in such short period, they have created a palpable chemistry that has the world rooting for incest.

The writers have also subtly convinced the same viewers, who thought and still think a relationship between Cersei and Jaime is disgusting, to root for Jon Snow and Dany.

Of course, not everyone is shamelessly rooting for this union. There are still fans that find the thought of a sexual relationship between Jon and Dany gross.

But, It doesn't matter what they want, Dany and Jon are hooking up soon.

Of all the sexual encounters on "Game of Thrones," none is as anticipated as that of these characters.
The Supreme Court held that the triple talaq was against the basic tenets of Quran

By Anusha Soni: The Supreme Court today struck down triple talaq terming the practice of instant divorce among Muslims as "void, illegal and unconstitutional". The 5-judge bench of the apex court, in a split verdict, said triple talaq is not intrinsic to Quran.

Supreme Court has banned instant triple talaq, not triple talaq

The Supreme Court bench in a 3:2 verdict said that triple talaq is unconstitutional and violative of Articles 14 and 15. While three of the five judges hearing the case described triple talaq as unconstitutional, two others, including Chief Justice JS Khehar wanted a six month ban on the practice until Parliament brings in a law.

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"In view of the different opinions recorded, by a majority of 3:2 the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat'- triple talaq is set aside," the order of the court said.

While Justices RF Nariman and UU Lalit held that triple talaq is unconstitutional and violative of Article 14, Justice Kurian Joseph struck down the practice on the ground that it goes against shariat and the basic tenets of the Quran. Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice Abdul Nazeer dissented.

Image: Newsflicks

CJI Khehar, while pronouncing the verdict, however, upheld the practice and said, "Talaq-e-biddat is not violative of articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 of the Constitution."

Judges who were in favour of a new law over triple talaq also expressed hope the Centre would take into account concerns of Muslim bodies and Sharia law while enacting a law.

The apex court reportedly referred to the abolition of triple talaq in Islamic countries and asked "why can't independent India get rid of it."

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar had reserved its verdict on May 18 after a six-day marathon hearing during the summer vacation. During the hearing, the apex court had clarified that it may not deliberate upon the issue of polygamy and said it would only examine whether triple talaq was part of an 'enforceable' fundamental right to practice religion by the Muslims. Besides CJI Khehar, the bench also included Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman, UU Lalit and S Abdul Nazeer. The bench, made up of judges from different religious communities -- Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Hindu and Muslim, had heard seven pleas, including five separate petitions filed by Muslim women challenging the prevalent practice of triple talaq in the community. The petitioners had claimed that the practice of triple talaq was unconstitutional. The Muslim women, who had filed the petitions, have challenged the practice of 'triple talaq' in which the husband pronounces 'talaq' thrice in one go, sometimes even by phone or a text message, to get a divorce. During the hearing, the apex court had observed that the practice of triple talaq was the 'worst' and 'not a desirable' form of dissolution of marriage among Muslims, even though there were schools of thought which called it 'legal'. Several lawyers including noted jurist Ram Jethmalani had attacked the practice on various constitutional grounds including the right to equality and termed it 'abhorrent'.

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ALSO READ:

Exposed: How maulvis take money for one-night stand with divorced women trying to save marriage

Triple talaq is sinful, states Islamic religious text, then why keep it? Supreme Court ups the ante

Before triple talaq case, a look at how India's judiciary dealt with personal laws vs the fundamental rights

Triple talaq: How it affects lives of India's 90 million Muslim women

India runs on Constitution, not on shariat; triple talaq should be outlawed: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

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ALSO WATCH | Supreme Court strikes down instant triple talaq, says practice is unconstitutional

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The Joyful Joy Foundation was founded in 2012 by Osas Ighodaro and Sioux Greaux. It is an NGO registered both in the U.S and Nigeria. It was launched in Nigeria to fight against malaria, poverty and HIV/AIDS among children. The Joyful Joy Foundation supports the push for a healthier and malaria free Africa.

The Joyful Joy Foundation is truly a blessing and meeting its mission of "Spreading Joy, one community at a time" says it all. I'm grateful to be able to make an impact, small yet impactful founder; Osas Ighodaro said during the outreach recently.

The foundation was formally launched in Nigeria on the 13th of October 2013. The foundation holds a monthly outreach, with the recent one held at Ebute-Metta, Lagos, Nigeria.

The reach was very impactful as the foundation was able to test, counsel and provide malaria treatment and long lasting insecticide nets to an estimate of 700+ people, including pregnant women and children.

The next Joyful Joy event is to take place in October of this year. If you would like to support in any way possible please visit the foundations official website www.joyfuljoy.org or follow on instagram @JoyfulJoyFd.
But he is also a seasoned pragmatist able to adapt to sudden shifts in relations with the West.

Outgoing envoy Sergei Kislyak has been at the eye of a storm over accusations the Kremlin conspired to get Donald Trump to the White House.

But Antonov, too, comes with baggage, for he is on a European Union blacklist over Russia's intervention in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday formally appointed Antonov, suspending his duties as deputy foreign minister, and dismissed Kislyak via three simultaneous decrees, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"Antonov is a hardliner, who understands the issues he talks about and knows the West quite well," said analyst Alexander Gabuev from the Carnegie Moscow Center.

"He is a loyal supporter of the Kremlin line, but not a blind believer in conspiracy theories as many of his peers in the Russian military and intel community are."

Antonov rose up through the ranks of Soviet diplomacy before donning a military uniform to become deputy defence minister from 2011 to 2016 at a time when ties with the West plunged to their worst levels since the Cold War.

At the defence ministry, Antonov was often the stony public face fending off accusations over Moscow's actions in Ukraine and later Syria as an increasingly assertive Kremlin sought to stamp its authority abroad.

On Ukraine he denied Russia had sent troops across the border and ridiculed accusations that insurgents and Moscow were involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

The EU in February 2015 responded by slapping Antonov on a list of Russian officials under sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans.

After Moscow launched its surprise bombing campaign in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad Antonov regular fronted press conferences hailing the operation.

He played a major role in attacking Turkey after Ankara shot down a Russian jet on its border with Syria, accusing leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family of involvement in the illegal oil trade with jihadists from the Islamic State group.

"The leadership and especially Erdogan won't resign and won't admit anything even if their faces are smeared in stolen oil," he was quoted as saying.

'Business is business'

Antonov -- who speaks English and Burmese according to his foreign ministry profile -- has considerable experience negotiating complex weapons control issues with the United States.

He headed the Russian delegation that agreed the New START treaty on nuclear arms reduction with the US in 2010, a brief highwater mark in ties between the US and Moscow.

"The best words to describe the spirit of the talks would be 'mutual respect'. It is thanks to that mutual respect that our meetings were always businesslike and very productive," US negotiator Rose Gottemoeller said in 2011.

"As Ambassador Antonov would frequently say, 'business is business'."

Kommersant daily had reported that Antonov was being lined up to move to Washington before Trump's surprise election victory over Hillary Clinton.

And despite his reputation as a hardliner Antonov insists Russia and the US need to mend ties -- even if he remains convinced it should be on Moscow's terms.

"There is a big job before us -- getting out of this slump. But no one is talking about giving in," Antonov said after a parliamentary vetting hearing in May.
The accident deprived a jihadist cell of bomb material they planned to use in a larger attack and prompted them to instead use vehicles to plough into pedestrians, killing 14 people.

Here is a timeline of events leading up to the attacks, including police on Monday saying they had shot dead a man would could be the alleged fugitive driver of the Barcelona van, Younes Abouyaaqoub:

April 2017

The jihadist cell is already in Alcanar, according to their neighbour Martine Groby, a 61-year-old French retiree.

"They were very discreet, too discreet. The shutters were closed, there was no music, no children, no women," she told AFP.

She said her father, a former policeman, told her the young men living next door were "terrorists" and told her to take down their number plates.

He found it strange that they kept coming and going all day.

"I should have listened to him," said Groby, her eyes welling with tears.

Wednesday August 16

23:17

An explosion at a house some 200 kilometres (120 miles) southwest of Barcelona kills one person and seriously injures another. Six other people are slightly injured.

The blast is so strong it is heard four kilometres away. The explosion may have been caused by a canister of butane and propane gas, local TV reported.

It was not known at the time that the house stored the ingredients needed to make the Islamic State group's preferred explosive, triacetone triperoxide, or TATP.

The explosive has been used in attacks in London, Paris, Brussels and Manchester.

Thursday August 17

15:00

One of the attackers, Said Aallaa, tells his family that he is going out with a friend. He leaves his home in Ripoll in northern Catalonia and travels some 200 kilometres to the seaside resort of Cambrils.

Aallaa was in a car that hours later rammed into pedestrians in Cambrils, leaving one woman dead after one of the assailants jumped out of the vehicle and stabbed her with a knife.

16:00

A second, smaller explosion rocks the house in Alcanar. At the time police, who at this point still had not linked the house to terrorism, were removing rubble with an excavator.

Six police officers, two firefighters and the driver of the excavator are injured.

16:50

A white van speeds into people along a 500 metre (1,600 feet) stretch of the pedestrian concourse at the centre of Barcelona's most famous street, Las Ramblas, killing 13 people and injuring over 100 others.

The suspect driver and only passenger of the van, Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, escapes on foot, disappearing into the city's most famous food market, La Boqueria.

18:10-18:20

Abouyaaqoub arrives at Barcelona's univerity zone about six kilometres (3.5 miles) away where he approaches a car and stabs to death its occupant, 34-year-old Pau Perez.

He throws Perez's body in the back seat of the Ford Focus and drives away.

Shortly after Abouyaaqoub comes up against a police checkpoint. He forces the stolen car through, injuring a police officer. Police fire shots at the car.

19:45

Officers find the stolen car with a body of a man inside in Sant Just Desvern, a town just outside of Barcelona.

Police believe at first that the man died from their gunshots but they later realise he was stabbed. On Monday they announced that the body was that of Perez.

23:00

The chief of Catalonia's regional police, Josep Lluis Trapero, says for the first time that the vehicle attack in Barcelona is linked to the explosion at the house in Alcanar.

Friday August 18

01:15

Moussa Oukabir, 17, Mohamed Hychami, 24, and Said Aallaa, 18, along with two other unnamed accomplices drive an Audi A3 into pedestrians on the promenade at Cambrils.

They try to force their way through a police checkpoint and injure one officer. They then get out of the car wearing fake explosives belts and armed with knives and axes.

A police officer shoots four of them dead. A fifth attacker tries to flee and another police officer shoots him dead.

Before he was shot he had time to stab a woman who later died, becoming the 15th victim of the attacks.

Monday, August 21

17:00

Police said they had shot dead a man wearing what appeared to be a suicide belt, and could be Younes Abouyaaqoub, the alleged fugitive driver of the van that mowed down crowds in Barcelona, a source close to the probe said.
Judges voted by six to four to dismiss challenges brought by conservative parties opposed to the reform, the court's secretary-general Rodrigo Pica told a news conference.

The bill can now be signed into law by the socialist president, who launched the reform in 2015.

'Victory for women'

Citizens for and against the reform staged rowdy demonstrations near the court during its deliberations.

Supporters of the bill celebrated outside the court after the ruling, yelling their thanks to Bachelet.

Rival demonstrators shouted curses, calling those behind the reform "murderers."

"They are banding together against the life of the just and condemning the blood of the innocent," they chanted.

Bachelet hailed the ruling, in a speech at the presidential palace.

"The women of Chile have won back the basic right to decide for ourselves in extreme cases, particularly cases that can be very painful," she said.

"Today it is women who are the winners. I believe that today democracy once again has won, and Chile has won."

'Right to life'

Opponents of the reform said it violates the fetus's right to life enshrined in the constitution.

A recent survey of 705 people by polling firm Cadem indicated that 70 percent of Chileans support legalized abortion under those three conditions, however.

Under current law, abortion is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Abortion under any circumstances was strictly outlawed in Chile in 1989, during the final days of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship.

Prior to that, for more than 50 years, abortion was permitted if the mother's life was in danger or if the fetus was not viable.

The reproductive rights group MILES hailed Monday's decision as "historic."

"Today we women are conquering new ground for dignity, freedom, independence and equality," it said in a statement.

Bachelet's battles

The reform brings Chile into line with most other Latin American countries in decriminalizing abortion in the three cases mentioned.

A handful of countries in the region still have total bans on abortion, notably El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The approval comes ahead of Chile's November presidential elections. Bachelet, who is not a candidate, leaves office in March 2018.

Two years ago, Bachelet succeeded in getting a law approved by congress recognizing same-sex civil unions, and she hopes to extend that soon to include full same-sex marriages.

A pediatrician by profession, Bachelet returned to office in March 2014 after serving as Chile's first woman president from 2006 to 2010.

She was a senior United Nations official working on female empowerment issues after her first term in office.

During her second term, she has seen her support wane due to administration scandals.

Opinion polls indicate that in November voters will likely re-elect right-wing former president Sebastian Pinera.
A former loyalist of the socialist leadership, the 59-year-old Ortega had broken ranks with Maduro to become his most high-ranking domestic critic.

"Luisa Ortega is under the protection of the Colombian government. If she asks for asylum, we will grant it to her," Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said on Twitter.

'Persecution'

Immigration officials in Colombia said Ortega arrived in the country on Friday with her husband, lawmaker German Ferrer, on a private flight from the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.

Ferrer himself faces an arrest warrant issued by the pro-Maduro Supreme Court for alleged corruption.

Ortega was already facing prosecution in the pro-Maduro court for alleged misconduct.

She rejected the charges against her as "political persecution."

Venezuelan authorities had banned her from traveling abroad.

Corruption claims

Maduro has faced months of deadly mass protests by opponents who blame him for an economic crisis and are demanding elections to replace him.

Last month, he set up a new constitutional authority packed with his allies, which a few days later removed Ortega from her post.

She hit back on Friday by claiming she had evidence implicating Maduro and his close allies in an international bribery scandal involving Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.

"They are very worried and anxious, because they know we have details on all the cooperation, amounts and people who got rich," Ortega told a meeting of Latin American prosecutors in Mexico by video conference.

"And that investigation involves Mr Nicolas Maduro and his inner circle."

Maduro counter-attacked on Sunday, alleging on television that Ortega had received money for blocking corruption investigations that he had ordered.

He accused Ferrer of running an "extortion network" in the state prosecution service.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles was also forced on Monday to deny claims that his 2012 election campaign had received money from Odebrecht.

Sparring with Santos

Colombia's Santos has joined other regional and world powers in criticizing Maduro.

On taking office in 2010, Santos hailed Maduro's late mentor and predecessor Hugo Chavez as his "new best friend."

But since Maduro was elected in 2013, Venezuela has descended into chaos that has raised fears for regional stability.

The fall in world prices for its oil exports has left it short of dollars for vital imports.

Maduro's critics accuse him of clinging to power through undemocratic means amid shortages of food and medicine.

Venezuela's center-right-led MUD opposition coalition accuses security forces of beating and killing protesters.

Clashes between protesters and police this year have left 125 people dead, according to prosecutors.

Santos 'dictatorship' warning

Santos has warned Maduro against installing a "dictatorship" by cracking down on opponents and taking control of the state institutions.

He supports the United States in its sanctions against Maduro and his allies.

Taking Ortega under his wing is a further move to pressure Maduro.

"The Venezuelan government will obviously not like this decision and will launch another charge against Santos," said Ricardo Abello, an international law specialist at Colombia's Rosario University.
The authorities closed part of the highway linking the capital Zagreb with the second largest Croatian city of Split. Local media reported that some drivers, fearing the fire, turned their cars around and drove in the opposite direction.

A dozen jets and helicopters were trying to bring the fires under control, with some 100 soldiers along with firefighters from other regions sent to help. Strong winds were making the job more difficult, Tucakovic said.

"We have to... group our forces and move them from one settlement to another to defend houses as fire breaks out," Tucakovic told local media.

One fire threatened a suburban army barracks but was kept under control, he added.

Other blazes broke out near the coastal city Sibenik, where several people were reported to have been evacuated from a hamlet overnight Sunday.

The forest fire on Hvar could be seen from Split, local media reported, but there were no reports of towns or villages being in danger on the islands.

According to Tucakovic, the causes of the fires were a long drought and strong winds, but also the "irresponsibility of people who, intentionally or not, caused a number of fires".

Soaring temperatures and tinder-dry forest floors across southern Europe have led to a rash of devastating wild fires, notably in Portugal, where 64 people died in a massive inferno in June.

This summer's fires in Croatia are among the country's worst in several years, with 83,000 hectares (205,000) of forests damaged -- double the area burnt in 2012, Tucakovic said.
"The armed drones of the Resistance (Hezbollah) targeted Daesh positions and fortifications in western Qalamun," Hezbollah's War Media channel said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had launched an operation against IS in a hilly region known as western Qalamun, near Syria's border with Lebanon.

Lebanon's army announced a simultaneous offensive on the Lebanese side of the frontier, and has already recaptured two-thirds of the area.

A source on the ground told AFP on Monday that "this is the first time Hezbollah has used weaponised drones in a clash with IS".

The group had deployed such drones in previous clashes with other jihadists and rebels, "but now we are unleashing a barrage of bombs", the source said.

Security along Lebanon's unmarked eastern border with Syria has long been a concern.

Last month, Hezbollah waged a six-day assault against Al-Qaeda's former affiliate in the border region, which ended in the evacuation of the jihadists and thousands of civilians.

The current offensive targets remaining territory further north along the frontier where IS militants have entrenched themselves.

The Lebanese army has denied any coordination with Hezbollah or the Syrian army on the ongoing assault.

IS itself has used weaponised drones to defend territory it holds in Iraq and Syria from US-backed offensives.
The fighting involving up to 200 people began overnight on Monday-Tuesday and continued on Tuesday afternoon, with some of the migrants armed with metal bars and sticks.

The local government in Calais said in a statement that 20 people had been injured in total, most of them overnight, while the local prosecutor's office said five people had been arrested.

The fighting began overnight after a row caused by a drunk migrant during the distribution of free food by local charity, the Auberge des Migrants.

Calais is a magnet for people wanting to travel onto Britain, a short distance across the Channel.

Local authorities and the French government are determined to stop camps sprouting up around the port area but were recently compelled to provide basic sanitation facilities.

The state's failure to provide for the migrants' basic needs "exposed them to inhuman and degrading treatment," a court recently found, while local charities regularly denounce the French government's response.

Fighting and attempts to break into trucks heading for Britain are regular problems for the police around Calais, however.
Trump on Monday committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signalling he would dispatch more troops to America's longest war and vowing "a fight to win".

By Reuters: China defended its ally Pakistan on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said the United States could no longer be silent about Pakistan's "safe havens" for militants and warned it had much to lose by continuing to "harbour terrorists".

Trump on Monday committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signalling he would dispatch more troops to America's longest war and vowing "a fight to win".

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Trump insisted that others - the Afghan government, Pakistan, India and NATO allies - step up their own commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict, but he saved his sharpest words for Pakistan.

Senior U.S. officials warned security assistance for Pakistan could be reduced unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperated more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil.

Critics say Pakistan sees militants such as the Taliban as useful tools to limit the influence of old rival India. Pakistan denies allowing militants refuge on its territory, saying it takes action against all groups.

Asked about Trump's speech, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Pakistan was on the front line in the struggle against terrorism and had made "great sacrifices" and "important contributions" in the fight.

"We believe that the international community should fully recognise Pakistan's anti-terrorism," she told a daily news briefing.

"We are happy to see Pakistan and the United States carry out anti-terror cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, and work together for security and stability in the region and world."

China and Pakistan consider each other "all-weather friends" and have close diplomatic, economic and security ties.

China has its own security concerns in the region, in particular any links between militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Islamist groups China blames for violence in its far western region of Xinjiang.

"We hope the relevant U.S. policies can help promote the security, stability and development of Afghanistan and the region," Hua said.

Also Read:

Why US policy change on Afghanistan matters for India

Afghanistan welcomes Trump's 'breaking of silence' over Pakistan's terror activities

US President Donald Trump seeks greater role for India in Afghanistan, toughens position on Pakistan

WATCH | Trump slams Pakistan for harbouring terrorists, seeks bigger role for India in Afghanistan

--- ENDS ---
Jiang had taken on many high-profile cases, including those of Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetan protesters and victims of the 2008 contaminated milk powder scandal before being disbarred in 2009.

His family has not had contact with Jiang since his sudden disappearance on November 21 en route from Beijing to Changsha, where he had gone to inquire about detained human rights lawyer Xie Yang.

Xie was detained in the "709 crackdown" of July 2015, and his claims of being tortured in custody, which Jiang helped to publicise, prompted international concern.

Authorities in that crackdown detained more than 200 people, including lawyers who took on civil rights cases considered sensitive by the ruling Communist Party.

Xie was found guilty of "subversion of state power" and released on bail in May after what critics described as a show trial.

Jiang told the court on Tuesday that he "deliberately fabricated torture details of Xie Yang while he was in police detention and played to western media's taste, aiming to tarnish the image of the government".

"I know what I did was wrong, it is a serious crime," Jiang said in video clips of the trial posted on the official microblog of the Changsha Intermediate People's Court.

Authorities did not inform family members of the trial date, said Jiang's wife Jin Bianling, who currently lives in the US, where she fled in 2013 to escape harassment from Chinese authorities.

"The trial is a choreographed script," she told AFP.

Calling the trial a "sham", Amnesty International China researcher William Nee said Jiang's treatment "epitomises many of the worrying aspects of the lawyers' crackdown".

Nee said this included the "harassment of family members, not letting the accused access their lawyer, prosecution based on charges that don't comply with international standards, blocking the public from attending, all while presenting the trial as real on social media".

Jiang's arrest is part of a tightening of controls on civil society that began in 2012 when President Xi Jinpingtook power.

While the government initially targeted political activists and human rights campaigners, it has increasingly turned its attention to the lawyers who represent them, closing avenues for legal activism that had opened up in recent years.

Jiang's trial ended Tuesday afternoon, and the court said in an online statement that it would release the verdict at a later date.

Retaliation?

In the years leading up to his detention, Jiang had repeatedly met foreign officials and politicians, including high-ranking visitors from the US, to discuss China's human rights situation.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, has said he feared Jiang's previous disappearance was in part retaliation for the lawyer's assistance to UN experts.

In written testimony to the US Congress in May, Jin said her husband's troubles began after he addressed the legislature during a visit to America in October 2009.

Jiang was placed under house arrest the following month, during a visit by then-US president Barack Obama to China, she said.

In the years since then he had repeatedly been detained and beaten by police, she added.

"The long-term harassment and threats consumed me. I even thought of suicide," she wrote, adding that police were also following his parents.

There are fears the outcome of Jiang's case is predetermined, with several state media outlets previously reporting he has "confessed" to a variety of alleged crimes.
"They were accompanied by two Turkish traffickers," Ionela Pasat, a spokeswoman for the Constanta coastguard, told AFP.

The group was brought to the port of Mangalia for medical examinations on Monday before being handed over to the immigration authorities, she said.

On August 13, coastguards discovered a boat with 69 Iraqi migrants in Romanian waters. One Bulgarian and one Cypriot were taken into custody on suspicion of human trafficking.

EU member Romania, which is not part of the bloc's passport-free Schengen zone, has largely been spared the continent's worst migration crisis since World War II.

But Bucharest worries that the Black Sea could become an alternative route to the dangerous Mediterranean crossing.

More than 111,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea so far this year, most of them arriving in Italy from Libya, according to the most recent figures.

Over 2,300 have died attempting the crossing.
Dogan Akhanli, 60, said his arrest Saturday at Turkey's behest was a "terrifying experience because I thought I was safe in European countries and that the long arm of arbitrariness and arrogance would not reach that far".

In a case that has further strained German-Turkish relations, Akhanli was arrested in his hotel room while holidaying in the Andalusian city of Granada, on the basis of an Interpol "red notice" from Turkey.

Berlin strongly protested, and a Madrid court on Sunday freed Akhanli from custody but ordered him to stay in the country and report weekly while Turkey has 40 days to send a formal extradition request.

"I can't imagine that as a German citizen I will be surrendered to a non-EU country, but of course I am worried," he told Der Spiegel news weekly.

He mentioned that a Swedish-Turkish journalist, named by Stockholm as Hamza Yalcin, had also been held in Spain on a Turkish arrest warrant.

Germany has dismissed the case against Akhanli as politically motivated, and Chancellor Angela Merkel warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government Sunday not to "misuse" Interpol to pursue its critics.

Akhanli, speaking in a news conference televised live in Germany, described Erdogan as a president with "a despotic attitude" whose statements reflected "arrogance and paranoia".

He said that if he somehow ended up back in Turkey, this would be "a judicial and political scandal" but vowed that "they will never silence me".

Behind bars

Akhanli grew up in Istanbul and, in the aftermath of a military coup, was jailed from 1985-87. The biography on his website says he was tortured during his years as a "political prisoner".

He emigrated to Germany in 1991, where he was granted political asylum. In 1998 Turkey stripped him of his citizenship, and he became a German citizen in 2001.

He has angered the Turkish government by writing about the World War I-era mass killings and deportation of up to 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman empire.

Many historians and western nations, including Germany, label the events a "genocide" -- a term strongly rejected by Turkey.

Turkey admits large-scale massacres took place but says they were perpetrated in self-defence against what it describes as a Russian-inspired uprising by Armenians.

Akhanli was again arrested, on a 2010 return trip to Turkey, and accused of heading a terrorist organisation and having taken part in a deadly 1989 robbery.

After several months in detention, a court cleared him and he left Turkey, but the ruling was overturned in 2013.

Speaking to Der Spiegel, he charged that the accusations were made up because "Turkey wants to silence me".

Relations between NATO members Turkey and Germany, home to three million ethnic Turks, have badly deteriorated, particularly since a failed coup against Erdogan over a year ago and a subsequent mass crackdown on alleged plotters.
In a paper ahead of the next round of UK-EU talks next week, the government said: "We want to ensure that goods which are placed on the market before exit day can continue to be sold in the UK and EU, without any additional requirements or restrictions.

"This means that where products have gone through an authorisation process prior to exit, for example a type approval for a car, this approval should remain valid in both markets after exit," it said.

Britain's Brexit minister David Davis said setting out the proposals "will help give businesses and consumers certainty and confidence in the UK's status as an economic powerhouse" following Britain's departure.

"It is clear that our separation from the EU and future relationship are inextricably linked," he said.

'Clock is ticking'

But there was a cool response from Brussels.

European Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein restated the EU position that there first has to be "sufficient progress" on three key issues: the rights of EU citizens, the financial settlement and the future of the Ireland-Northern Ireland border.

"The important thing to realise is that the clock is ticking, that we have no time to lose and that we need to get on with it," he said.

A third round of Brexit negotiations is due to be held next week.

Last week, Britain laid out its desire for a "temporary customs union" with the European Union after Brexit but EU officials dismissed the proposal as "fantasy".

The government proposed to continue for around two years the kind of tariff-free arrangements that apply now to EU-UK trade in goods, again to give businesses more time to adapt to new post-Brexit systems.

Britain's biggest lobby group, the CBI, welcomed the UK's latest proposals, while urging swift agreement between London and Brussels.

"The only way to provide companies with the reassurance they need is through the urgent agreement of interim arrangements," CBI director of campaigns John Foster said in a statement.
"My dream to play with these wonderful young musicians cannot come true -- this time," Dudamel, who also directs the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, said on Twitter.

In his first comments on the crisis in his home country, the LA-based maestro warned in April that Venezuela risked a "fratricidal conflict" and called on the government to "to listen to the people."

"Immediate solutions are needed... opening the doors to the most healthy and exemplary democratic game," the 36-year-old said in a video posted on Twitter.

"May God forgive you for letting yourself be fooled," Maduro replied.

Dudamel spoke out again in opinion pieces for the New York Times and Spanish daily El Pais -- this time criticizing the Constituent Assembly convened by Maduro.

This earned another admonishment from the president, who took to television to criticize Dudamel for spending time abroad as the crisis at home was deepening.

"I don't live abroad, true. None of us lives abroad, in Madrid or in Los Angeles," Maduro said.

"Where do we live? In Venezuela and we have to work for the Venezuelans."

No reason has been given for the cancellation of the four-city September tour, for which 180 musicians have been rehearsing for three months.

It was due to begin on September 9 near Washington before continuing to Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"We will continue to play and to fight for a better Venezuela and a better world," Dudamel tweeted.

Maduro's opponents, angered by an economic crisis that is causing widespread hunger and shortages, have demanded his resignation.

Nearly 130 people have been killed this year in anti-government protests.

The Constituent Assembly -- in theory a temporary body meant to write a new constitution -- said Friday it had assumed sweeping powers to legislate on security, economy, finances and sovereignty.

The National Assembly convened Saturday in defiance of the declaration, in front of representatives of the United States, the European Union, Argentina, Chile, Canada, Mexico, Peru and other countries.
Welcoming the Class of 2021 in NU-Qs new building is a major milestone for us, said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO. Our student intake has grown from 38 students in 2008 to almost 300 undergraduate students today. Our newest class will join their fellow classmates in learning and exploring in an incredible new building which includes a newsroom that rivals leading network newsrooms, high-tech production studios, multiple editing suites, a black box theater, and a two-story library.

Mariam Al Khalifa, a Qatari freshman and aspiring filmmaker, is achieving a long-term goal by attending NU-Q. More than four years ago, Al Khalifa was attending the THIMUN Qatar Northwestern Film Festival, which encourages high school students to develop their filmmaking skills. She later became the president of the festival and worked closely with NU-Q on organizing it annually. Ive always been interested in communications as a whole, and I am especially looking forward to making use of NU-Qs amazing faculty and incredible new facility, Al Khalifa said.

Hatim Rachdi, a freshman who has been in Qatar for less than a week after arriving from his home in Morocco, plans to pursue a degree in communication. He hopes to use his time at NU-Q to learn about the media industry in the region, master strategic communication, and develop academic research skills to prepare him for graduate school in the future. Its amazing because I get to study media and communication in the Middle East at a prestigious American university, which is so special. The people here [staff and faculty] really care and make you feel like you matter, and the student body is so international and diverse, Rachdi said.

Shafuq Zia, a Pakistani aspiring author and journalist, found NU-Q to be an ideal school for her to realize her childhood ambition. NU-Q offers students an opportunity to study at one of the highest-ranked schools in the world and provides great financial aid and scholarship opportunities, which is a combination of things that are very important to me, Zia said. I was a little skeptical about coming to Qatar because I didnt know much about the country, but after visiting it during the Preview NU-Q session, I was blown away  I absolutely love it here.

Tony El Ghazal graduated at the top of his local high school at the age of 16. An aspiring filmmaker, he grew up in Qatar and attended one of NU-Qs summer programs where he says his love for media and filmmaking started. My dream is to work with Disney  Ive always been fascinated by the quality and the richness of the movies produced by Disney, and I think NU-Qs communication program will teach me all I need to know about the backend of how great films are made and the research and preparation that goes into them, said El Ghazal.

New students at NU-Q are attending an orientation session this week and will join the rest of the student body next week when classes begin.
PEORIA, Ill. (AP)  When Harold Berg stepped onto the white beach of Guadalcanal in late July, he carried memories of the battle he participated in 75 years ago, and also of his buddies he left behind.

"That to me, is the greatest thing. I didn't know the men who died but I'll be representing the Marines that should be there. I feel that I am doing that," he said. "I feel that I am representing the Marines who should be there."

Berg, 91, is among the last of the World War II Raiders, an elite unit that was the precursor of special operations in the U.S. military. And this soft-spoken, former insurance salesman from Central Peoria is the only veteran of that battle able to make the trip to the Solomon Islands for the dedication of a new memorial to honor the Raiders who fought and died there.

And what a trip. He flew from Peoria to Los Angeles to a small airport in the Fiji Islands. From there, he caught a connecting flight to Guadalcanal, a mere five hours away. Also to be present were members of the modern Raiders, the Marines with the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command which carries on the namesake of their World War II brethren.

Berg was asked to participate because he is among the last of those who served in the original Raider battalions, which were based upon British commando units. The two-year experiment was a way to bring the fight more quickly to the Japanese who, until Guadalcanal, had ridden roughshod across the Pacific. Raiders weren't designed to win big battles.

They conducted small unit raids. Essentially, they were to land on Japanese-held islands before the main force of Marines, disrupt the beach defenses and to cause as many casualties and destruction as they could. They were on their own, without much support.

Berg dropped out of Woodruff High School as a junior and enlisted in the Marines when he was 17. "It might not be politically correct, but I wanted to fight the Japanese," he told the Journal Star late last year.

And he did, participating in Guadalcanal, where he waded ashore in early 1943. The bulk of the fighting was over, but thousands of Japanese soldiers still were on the island looking to kill as many GIs as they could. He also was wounded in Guam and participated in the battles for Saipan, Bouganville and New Georgia.

After the Raiders were folded into the 4th Marine Regiment, he participated in Okinawa as a squad leader. All 12 of his men were killed or wounded during the fighting. He, too, was injured in the Pacific's last big campaign.

Berg wants to go not just to honor his fallen Marines but also to bring history to life for the younger generation. For many, he says, the war has become nothing more than words on paper. By talking at memorials or reunions or functions, Berg shows a more human side and that it was, indeed, real.

"I have a lot of friends that I meet every week and I tell them what I see," he said of his frequent outings with area veterans. And his son, Brad Berg, agrees.

"This is a chance to tell his story and for others to hear it. Am I nervous? Yes, he's going a long way, but he's going back there to help and to honor the Marines and others," his son said. "I am proud of him."
By PTI: N Korea

By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Aug 22 (PTI) The US today slapped sanctions on 10 Russian and Chinese companies and six individuals for helping in advancing North Koreas missile and nuclear weapons programme by conducting business with the reclusive nation.

As a result of todays action, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of US persons or within the United States must be blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.

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The sanctions target third-country companies and individuals that assist already-designated persons who support North Korea?s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, deal in the North Korean energy trade, facilitate its exportation of workers, andenable sanctioned North Korean entities to access US and international financial systems.

"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," said Treasury Secretary Steven T Mnuchin.

Some of the prominent companies and individuals slapped with sanctions are China-based Dandong Rich Earth Trading Co, Moscow-based Gefest-M LLC and its director, Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and China and Hong Kong-based Mingzheng International Trading Limited.

"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilise the region," Mnuchin said.

"We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activity in the future," he said.

The Treasury also designated three Chinese coal companies collectively responsible for importing nearly half a billion dollars worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016. PTI LKJ NSA

--- ENDS ---
CAMBRIDGE  A restoration company may move into the former Gold Star FS building in downtown Cambridge.

Village administrator Dwaine Van Meenen told trustees Gold Star moved into its new building on state Route 81 earlier in the day. He said the old building had been sold and it was his understanding a restoration firm would be coming, but he didnt have the name.

Its good to know well have someone in that building so we dont have another empty building, said Mayor Margie Martin.

Mr. Van Meenen reported sales tax revenue in July held its own over the previous year. He reported on one business thats doing the village a favor. Subway restaurant had a sales tax reimbursement for moving to town, but they also are due a lump-sum TIF reimbursement. He said they recently agreed to take the money over five years.

She never even batted an eye. She could have said, No, I want my money. We need to support her all we can, he said.

The village still is waiting for test results from its pilot radium-removal study before it can request bids on a new plant. The board will vote next week on borrowing $646,450 and entering an agreement with engineer Leo Foley.

The villages proposed assisted living center has been indirectly held up by the state. The company interested in building it was owed more than $1 million from the state and had to put various plans on hold, including a memory care unit in Kewanee.

Mr. Van Meenen said the firm is happy the state budget passed and things remain a go.

He didnt walk away, he said.

Cambridge has raised $49,980 in private donations for the proposed new park pavilion for College Square Park and could vote on requesting bids next week. Mr. Van Meenen said if the tally is short when the time comes to build next year, the village could borrow from its TIF fund and pay it back later.

A proclamation denouncing violence will be placed on the boards Monday agenda. The measure was sent out from Bi-State Regional Commission. Mayor Martin said she would leave it up to the board, then after discussion, she said it should move forward.

Its all right with me. I dont know what good itll do, said Trustee Jason Gustafson.

I think itd be appropriate for the time, whats going on in the world, said Trustee Mike Wignall.
Democrat Eric Sorensen declared victory at around 1 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in the race for Illinois' 17th Congressional District against Republican Esther Joy King, but the margin of his lead was not large enough for either the Associated Press or New York Times to project him as the winner.
Id like to address the elephant in the room. That elephant being the Republican Party and their refusal to represent the majority of their constituents. Lets begin with stricter gun control (something that would help lessen the fears parents have when sending their children off to school), 53% of Americans favor this (Pew Research) yet the elephant in the room refuses to consider any such thing. Over 70% of Americans want stricter background checks yet again; the elephant in the room refuses to represent them. 61% of Americans say abortion should be legal. Again, the elephant in the room pushes laws that do the opposite. 74% of Americans do not want social security reduced in any way. But the elephant in the room pushes to do just the opposite, cut social security. 63% of Americans now prefer Medicare for all, but the elephant in the room fights it with all its might. 67% of Americans feel more needs to be done to reduce climate change, but not the elephant in the room. The elephant sides with the fossil fuel industry claiming its not a big concern. Given these few statistics (there are more like them) its obvious that the Republican Party is the party of minority rule, quite the opposite of what our founding fathers envisioned. The Republican Party has become a power cult, not a party that represents the majority of Americans. Remember this while you mark your ballot in this midterm election. Save Democracy! Vote Democratic!
Celebrating Our Service Members

Friday, November 11 is Veterans Day, when we honor and show gratitude to all members of our Armed Forces  those currently serving, those who...

Transit Equity Starts With QueensLink

For decades Queens has seen a disinvestment in the necessary transit infrastructure the borough needs to promote equity and sustainability. Most of the time, transformative...
By PTI: New York, Aug 22 (PTI) High doses of vitamin C may halt the progression of a deadly blood cancer by encouraging faulty stem cells in the bone marrow to die, a study claims.

Certain genetic changes are known to reduce the ability of an enzyme called TET2 to encourage stem cells to become mature blood cells, which eventually die, in many patients with certain kinds of leukaemia, researchers said.

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"We are excited by the prospect that high-dose vitamin C might become a safe treatment for blood diseases caused by TET2-deficient leukaemia stem cells, most likely in combination with other targeted therapies," said Benjamin Neel, professor at New York University (NYU) in the US.

Changes in the genetic code (mutations) that reduce TET2 function are found in 10 per cent of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), 30 per cent of those with a form of pre-leukaemia called myelodysplastic syndrome, and in nearly 50 per cent of patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia.

Such cancers cause anaemia, infection risk, and bleeding as abnormal stem cells multiply in the bone marrow until they interfere with blood cell production, with the number of cases increasing as the population ages.

Researchers studied the relationship between TET2 and cytosine, one of the four nucleic acid "letters" that comprise the DNA code in genes.

To determine the effect of mutations that reduce TET2 function in abnormal stem cells, the team genetically engineered mice such that the scientists could switch the TET2 gene on or off.

They found that similar to the naturally occurring effects of TET2 mutations in mice or humans, using molecular biology techniques to turn off TET2 in mice caused abnormal stem cell behaviour. These changes were reversed when TET2 expression was restored by a genetic trick.

Previous studies had shown that vitamin C could stimulate the activity of TET2 and its relatives TET1 and TET3.

Since only one of the two copies of the TET2 gene in each stem cell is usually affected in TET2-mutant blood diseases, researchers hypothesised that high doses of vitamin C, which can only be given intravenously, might reverse the effects of TET2 deficiency by turning up the action of the remaining functional gene.

They found that vitamin C did the same thing as restoring TET2 function genetically. By promoting DNA demethylation, high-dose vitamin C treatment induced stem cells to mature, and also suppressed the growth of leukaemia cancer stem cells from human patients implanted in mice.

"Interestingly, we also found that vitamin C treatment had an effect on leukemic stem cells that resembled damage to their DNA," said Luisa Cimmino, assistant professor at NYU Langone Health.

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Researchers combined vitamin C with a PARP inhibitor, a drug type known to cause cancer cell death by blocking the repair of DNA damage.

They found that the combination had an enhanced effect on leukaemia stem cells, further shifting them from self-renewal back toward maturity and cell death.

The results also suggest that vitamin C might drive leukemic stem cells without TET2 mutations toward death, given that it turns up any TET2 activity normally in place, Cimmino said.

The study was published in the journal Cell. PTI APA SAR SAR

--- ENDS ---
G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now!
Moscow judge and lawyer suspected of corruption, attempted embezzlement

MOSCOW, August 22 (RAPSI, Nikolay Merkulov)  A criminal case has been opened against ex-judge of the Moscow Commercial Court and a lawyer of the Moscow Chamber of Lawyers on suspicion of attempted embezzlement and bribery, the Investigative Committees press service reported Tuesday.

In 2016, one of the suspects being a judge offered a businessman his assistance in a bankruptcy case through a familiar lawyer. The suspect promised that the businessman would avoid subsidiary liability, according to investigators. The lawyer acting as an intermediary persuaded the businessman to give him $70,000 in bribes for passing judgement in his favor. The judge was not going to fulfil the assumed obligations and planned to embezzle the money received through the attorney, the statement reads.

Alleged accomplices were arrested when receiving the money. They pleaded guilty, the Investigative Committee stated.
About This Site

This website is an exploration into the rationalist approach to Judaism that was most famously presented by Maimonides. It also explores contemporary rationalist approaches, as well as being a forum for various other notes. Well-written comments in the spirit of this enterprise will be posted; please include a name (even a pseudonym).
On Aug. 21, President Donald Trump rolled out yet another U.S. strategy to try to bring closure to the war in Afghanistan. The core of the new strategy is based on the idea that U.S. support for Afghanistan is not unlimited and that Washington should not be engaged in nation-building in the country  even though it is not opting for a rapid withdrawal. Though Trump praised the Afghan government and its security forces, his remarks indirectly made the point that outside powers cannot build nations when the domestic stakeholders are not ready to agree on a constitutional order.

We wrote in May about how the U.S. militarys continued involvement in Afghanistan only delays the inevitable. When the U.S. military invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, it hoped to lay the foundations for a democratic Afghanistan. The new government was supposed to keep Afghanistan from again becoming a launch pad for transnational jihadists. Yet today, the jihadist insurgency is gaining ground quickly. Al-Qaida has been seriously degraded in the country, but the Taliban insurgency has kept growing, and the Islamic State is now increasingly active in many parts of the country. Adding 4,000 U.S. troops to the 8,000 already there will not make a difference. Even with 100,000 troops in the country as recently as 2011, Washington couldnt quell the insurgency.

For years the U.S. searched for a strategy to justify its exit. It hoped that over time, with the support of American troops, Afghan security forces would be able to fight their way to a stalemate that would force the Taliban to the table. But Afghan security forces have never gotten over their chronic weaknesses. The blame cannot fall solely on the men and women in uniform, however; they are only as mature as the political system they are defending.

Warlord Government

Afghanistans more fundamental problem is that the central government has scarcely any influence over the rest of the country. Afghanistan hasnt had a real state since its Marxist regime fell in 1992, and even then it was dealing with a serious insurgency. At that point, the Islamist factions that fought the communists and their Soviet allies turned their guns on one another  a conflict that gave rise to the Taliban. After the West toppled the Taliban regime after 9/11, it brought those old, mostly Islamist warlords together to form a democratic regime.

This effort  relying on a patchwork of warlords with only local or regional influence who didnt even share ethnic and linguistic backgrounds  was never going to work. The only thing that bound the warlords together was their hatred of the Taliban. But the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was founded anyway, and it muddled through the years of the Hamid Karzai presidency (2002-14), mostly because the U.S.-led NATO task force had a large presence in theater at the time. By 2014, with most of the Western troops gone and the shared fear of the Taliban long forgotten, internal rivalries bubbled to the surface.

The 2014 election to choose Karzais successor ended in controversy. Ashraf Ghani was declared the winner, but his victory was challenged by his rival, Abdullah Abdullah. Then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pushed the two sides toward a compromise whereby Ghani would serve as president and Abdullah as chief executive. The arrangement was meant to be temporary until a more robust power-sharing mechanism through a constitutional amendment could be found. That hasnt happened, and the deal has since expired, creating more infighting.

As if that werent enough, other warlords have entered the fray. The most notable is Pashtun Islamist insurgent leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who, after years in the political wilderness, cut a deal with Kabul that allowed his movement, Hezb-e-Islami, to join the political mainstream. His return to politics hasnt exactly restored calm to the country. For example, a few days ago he criticized the fact that some 600 military generals come from the mostly Tajik province of Panjsher. The Tajiks and Pashtuns have a long-running rivalry, and comments such as this undermine what little military power Kabul has. The Tajik Islamist party Jamiat-i-Islami, Hekmatyars historical rivals, reacted sharply, saying that he was sowing ethnic and linguistic discontent in the country.

Stay the Course

In addition to these divisions, the Afghan armed forces suffer from another problem: too many generals. In fact, the military has more than a thousand of them. The situation arose from the fact that top figures from so many different factions have been incorporated into the security system to keep the peace. But instead of advancing the national interest and fighting the Taliban jihadists, too many of these generals are focused on advancing their own partisan interests.

And this is the core problem of Afghanistan: It lacks a social contract to tie the various factions together. The U.S. military cant hold this patchwork of a state together, and although the Trump administration has decided to stay the course, its unlikely that Washington will continue to squander resources like this for too long. A full withdrawal is not just the preferred course of action for Trump and his more ideological advisers  its also an option that is slowly gaining mainstream appeal.

In a recent article in the Atlantic, noted realist scholar and MIT professor Barry Posen called for an American military withdrawal, which would force others Russia, Iran, Pakistan and others in the region to deal with the war-torn country. In such a scenario, the two countries that would play a lead role would be Pakistan and Iran. A U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of a regime the West spent 15 years nurturing  hence why Trumps strategy is based on a compromise between the presidents preference for a rapid pullout and the open-ended commitment his generals sought. This doesnt mean the Taliban will soon come to power, but it does mean that Afghanistan would return to the intra-Islamist warfare that it experienced in the 1990s.

In years past, the battle lines were clear between the Taliban and the anti-Taliban factions under the old Northern Alliance umbrella. The situation today is far messier. The Taliban are internally divided and are being challenged by the Islamic State. On the other side, the factions that make up the anti-Taliban camp are at each others throats. The other governments in the region also dont have clear sides. Pakistan no longer holds the influence over the Taliban that it once held and believes the rise of the Taliban will make its own jihadist problems worse. Pakistan would also risk greater anarchy if it cracks down on the Afghan Taliban sanctuaries on its soil as Trumps new strategy demands, which means there will be a reckoning between Washington and Islamabad. Meanwhile, Iran, Russia and China have moved beyond simply siding with the enemies of the Taliban and have cultivated a significant degree of influence with the main Afghan jihadist movement.

The continued presence of American forces is delaying the tumult, but not for much longer. With the way things are going, Afghanistans dramatic unraveling will begin even with a U.S. military presence on the ground.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/21/2017



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/28/2017



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
The returning John Cena teamed up with Roman Reigns to beat The Miz and Samoa Joe in the main event of Monday Night RAW.

By India Today Web Desk: John Cena returned to Monday Night RAW for the first time since the draft and was all set to get his much anticipated clash with Roman Reigns as the two superstars started trading verbal blows at each other.

However, that didn't happen as 'The Miztourage' came walking down to the ring to shut up Cena and Reigns and give the Miz his moment finally.

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Cena then proposed a match where he would team up with Reigns and The Miz can pick either Curtis Axel or Bo Dallas as his partner. But there was another twist as Samoa Joe came out in the middle and declared himself as the Miz's partner. The whole confrontation ended with everyone trading blows and the match was sanctioned as the 'main event' of the night.

Cena and Joe were facing each other for the first time and the match started.

A beach ball popped into the ring out of nowhere and Joe chest slapped a distracted Cena and tagged The Miz back in. Cena soon started getting dominated by The Miz and then Joe.

Unfortunately, the crowd was having a part of their own and they seemed very less interested in what was going around in the ring as Miz and Joe continued to dominate Cena. Reigns was finally tagged in but it was pretty evident that he was recovering from the SummerSlam main event.

Reigns however gave his best and started to get some momentum when Joe finally got the better of the 'The Big Dog' with a uranage. Outside the ring there was a distraction and that allowed 'The Miztourage' to hit Reigns until Miz started hitting the big kicks. However, Reigns overpowered him to prevent any severe damage.

But, Reigns was unable to get the hot tag as Joe kept dominating him. Soon after, Reigns cleared 'The Miztourage' outside the ring. Miz was the legal man at this point. Reigns finally got the hot tag on Cena, who started a flurry of offence on The Miz.

WWE Photo

Another distraction caused Samoa Joe to land the coquina clutch on Cena, though he wasn't legal. Reigns saw that and went for the 'Superman punch' but The Samoan submission machine moved out, and Cena was hit by the punch instead.

Joe then cleared Reigns from the ring and as Joe tried to land a suicide dive but Reigns sent a punch his way, which left Joe out cold.

Inside the ring, Miz looked for the chance to hit the skull-crushing finale, but the franchise player countered it into an AA (Attitude Adjustment) instead for the win.

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The match was followed by a long stare down between the Cena and Reigns.

--- ENDS ---
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/22/2017



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

eliminated Sydney Tormey and her All-Star partner Paul Karmiryan, which determined the fourteenth season's Top 8 dancers, during Monday night's broadcast on Fox.Based on home viewer votes following last week's Top 9 performance show, Sydney fell into the bottom-three dancers with Dassy Lee -- who is partnered with All-Star Fik-Shun -- and Mark Villaver, who is paired with All-Star Comfort Fedoke.judges Nigel Lythgoe, Vanessa Hudgens and Mary Murphy were then forced to choose which contestant was going to be sent home. The judges did not reveal whether they arrived at a unanimous decision, but the panel ultimately sent Sydney packing."Dance is my escape and it's something I rely on daily to keep me going. pushed me beyond my limits. I've grown so much as a dancer but also as a person. I feel like I can do anything now," Sydney said in her final words.Paul told Sydney that she is "so amazing" and it was "a pleasure" dancing with her.When the judges deliberated on the bottom three dancers, Nigel expressed how the audience of girls yelled, "No," when SYTYCD host Cat Deeley announced Mark was in jeopardy, so he was the first contestant saved.Nigel noted it's "never an easy situation" to eliminate a dancer from this show, but since Sydney was voted into the bottom three last week as well, Nigel and his fellow judges agreed it was her time to go.Nigel said that Mary, Vanessa and himself; however, saw something very special in Sydney last week.During Monday night's show, each of the Top 9 contestants performed twice -- once with his or her All-Star partner in a style picked at random as well as a solo in the dancer's preferred style.Sydney and Paul danced a hip-hop routine choreographed by Luther Brown, Dassy and Fik-Shun performed a jazz number created by Ray Leeper, and Mark and Comfort took the stage with a contemporary routine choreographed by Talia Favia.Dancing with the Stars couple Emma Slater and Sasha Farber also made a special appearance when they choreographed a jive routine for Logan Hernandez and his All-Star partner Allison Holker The Top 8 is comprised of Dassy and Fik-Shun, Mark and Comfort, Logan and Allison, Koine Iwasaki and All-Star Marko Germar, Taylor Sieve and All-Star Robert Roldan, Kiki Nyemchek and All-Star Jenna Johnson , Kaylee Millis and All-Star Cyrus Spencer, and Lex Ishimoto and All-Star Gaby Diaz.Last night, Koine and Marko performed a hip-hop routine by David Scott, Taylor and Robert danced a samba choreographed by Jean Marc Genereux, Kiki and Jenna took the stage with a contemporary routine by Mandy Moore , Kaylee and Cyrus danced jazz by Spencer Liff, and Lex and Gaby performed a broadway number by Warren Carlyle.
Buffalo meat exporters faced supply problems due to the Centres ban on animal sales

Basmati rice has regained the tag of top commodity export from India, overtaking buffalo meat in the June quarter.

Since 2014-15, buffalo meat had surpassed basmati rice as Indias top export commodity because of suspension of fresh orders by Iran, which consumes nearly a fourth of Indias aromatic rice exports.

Iranian traders suspend fresh orders for basmati rice during the harvesting of the countrys rice crop.

This year, however, they continued imports of basmati rice. In contrast, export of buffalo meat was affected by a short-lived ban on sales of cattle at mandis.

According to the the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) estimates, India exported basmati rice worth $1.26 billion (Rs 8,168 crore) between April and June, up from $934 million (Rs 6,196 crore) in the same quarter a year ago.

Buffalo meat exports were $849 million (Rs 5,473 crore) during the quarter against $823 million (Rs 5,445 crore) in the same period last year.

Indian exporters used to execute orders on documents against acceptance, which was stopped by the government because overseas buyers re-negotiated terms after shipments reached them. So there were corrections in export of basmati rice over the last few years. Now overseas buyers are purchasing commodities on spot cash, said an Apeda official.

"Iranian buyers have continued their purchases even during their own rice harvesting season. That has resulted in an increase in basmati rice exports in April-June, he added.

Exports of basmati rice rose to 1.26 million tonnes in April-June from 1.18 million tonnes in the corresponding quarter a year ago.

The average realisation from basmati rice jumped 28 per cent to $1,009 a tonne this year from $787 a tonne last year.

Exports of buffalo meat declined to 279,409 tonnes in April-June from 280,869 tonnes in the corresponding quarter last year. Average realisation increased by 3.75 per cent to $3,039 this year from $2,929 last year.

Buffalo meat exporters faced supply problems due to the Centres ban on animal sales, which was stayed by the Supreme Court after a few weeks.

Overseas buyers are hesitant to place orders for Indian buffalo meat because of the policy changes.

The growth of Indias buffalo meat exports depends upon consistency in government policy, said Bushran Zakariya, director, Zakariya Agro, a Kanpur-based buffalo meat exporter.

Photograph: Reuters
Legal experts fear such shareholder activism could turn into a class-action suit against Infosys

Investors of Infosys American Depository Receipts (ADR) have written to Indian markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), complaining about the role of founders in criticising the decisions taken by the board of directors.

The ADR holders alleged that this unwarranted criticism had caused them significant losses.

Shares of Infosys fell 9.6 per cent in the domestic market on Friday and another 5.4 per cent on Monday, while the ADR was down 7.2 per cent on Friday and was trading 2.5 per cent lower on Monday at 7:45 PM IST.

This fall was triggered by Vishal Sikkas resignation as the companys MD & CEO on Friday.

Sources said the ADR holders in their letter blamed excessive interference by the companys founding members for Sikka's exit.

This letter is a part of the representations that the ADR holders made before three US law firms, which are evaluating a class-action suit against Infosys.

The US law firms - which include Pomerantz LLP, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman and Rosen Law - said they were investigating potential claims on behalf of shareholders over materially misleading business information.

Rosen Law, which said it represented investors from across the world, highlighted Sikkas claim that criticism by Infosys founders was a reason for his resignation.

These investors complaints can be probed only by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). However, if SEC seeks any specific information, we will share it with the US regulator, a Sebi source said. An email to the Sebi spokesperson went unanswered.

Legal experts fear such shareholder activism could translate into a full-blown class-action suit against the Bengaluru-based company, which is also the first Indian firm to list its ADRs.

Infosys ADR is listed in the US, where jurisdiction exists for shareholders to file a lawsuit. Even in India, investors could file a class-action suit against Infosys, said a legal expert.

Interestingly, Sebi had recently closed the preliminary probe against the information technology major over allegations of corporate governance violations.

Earlier this year, an Infosys whistle-blower had written to Sebi, alleging corporate governance lapses by Sikka and other board members.

The regulator concluded that requisite procedures and disclosures were in place during the acquisition of Panaya and in the severance payout to former chief financial officer Rajiv Bansal.

The probe did not come across any corporate governance violations by the Infosys management.

Sources said Sebi had relied on reports of the audit and remuneration committee of Infosys, which it had sought soon after the allegation was made.

The whistle-blower, in a letter to Sebi and the US SEC, had alleged Infosys had overpaid for the acquisition of Israeli firm Panaya.

The letter also raised the issue of the severance payment to Bansal. Similar charges were made by Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy who attacked the Infosys board for failing on corporate governance norms.

Photograph: Abhishek N Chinnappa/Reuters
Food to be cooked in base kitchens instead of trains; private players to be involved

The Indian Railways will follow the aviation sectors model to ensure quality food is served to passengers.

The national transporter is mulling options to discard kitchens on running trains and, instead, shift food preparation to base kitchens run by the railways.

The move comes after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had last month said railway food was unsuitable for human consumption.

According to a road map drawn up by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the plan is to rope in multinational players that operate lounges in airports across the world, such as French food services and facilities management company Sodexo and Travel Food Services (TFS).

IRCTC might also engage service providers from the hospitality industry to serve food on trains.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has been asked to come out with a road map to develop base kitchens and ensure quality service on trains.

We are getting a lot of complaints regarding cartels, cleanliness of kitchens and quality of food supplied on running trains, said a railway ministry official close to the development.

We want to break these cartels and shift cooking completely to base kitchens across the country, while keeping a lean, canteen-type pantry on trains, where only items like tea and coffee will be prepared.

Based on the new policy, the Ministry of Railways is set to hand over catering-related operations to IRCTC.

We want to change the concept of catering on trains. Hence, our target is to rope in players like Sodexo and TFS, said another official.

TFS is one of the largest food-and-beverage operator in the travel segment. It currently has operations in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Nagpur and Visakhapatnam.

Paris-based Sodexo is a global giant with presence in more than 80 countries through nearly 34,000 sites.

About 350 trains, including Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto, have pantry cars, and these are mainly managed by contractors engaged by the zonal railways.

We have plans to conduct third-party audits and to monitor the quality of food cooked in the base kitchens on a regular basis. Soon, IRCTC will submit a business plan in this regard, the railway ministry official added.

The new policy suggests handing over operations of base kitchens in Nagpur, the Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus, Mumbai Central and Balharshah from zonal railways to IRCTC.

Last month, the CAG had rapped railway catering services.

It pointed out that only 16 base kitchens were located on railway premises, while 115 base kitchens were located outside railway premises and were not subjected to quality check.

It also stated that recycled contaminated food, including packaged and bottled items past its shelf life, were sold at stations.

The auditor highlighted that cleanliness and hygiene were not being maintained by contractors, and bills were not being given for food items served in mobile units on trains.

Photograph: PTI Photo
RJios LYF, Videocon and other smartphone makers to also get notices

After Chinese smartphone makers, the government has turned its attention to mobile apps from the neighbouring country.

A government lab in Hyderabad is probing how Alibaba-owned UC Browser can send user details and location data to a remote server.

UC Browser sends user and device identifiers such as IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity) and IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) numbers and location data to a remote server based in China, a source said.

When the device is connected to the internet using Wi-Fi, details - including the phones and access points network information - are sent to the remote server, the source said.

UC Browser has a share of nearly 50 per cent of Indias mobile browser market, according to latest data from StatCounter.

The security flaw in the browser was first reported in May 2015 by the University of Toronto.

Meanwhile, the flood of government notices to smartphone makers continued, asking the manufacturers to share details about their security infrastructure.

An official said the government was planning another lot of notices including to Reliance Jios smartphone brand, LYF, and others including Videocon and Meizu.

In fact, each and every company which sells or manufacturers phones in India will have to share security details about the devices.

Notices to about 30 companies making handsets have already been sent.

The move by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has come in the backdrop of a military stand-off between India and China in Doklam.

Officials said India aims to strengthen and secure its cyberspace and digital infrastructure, more so in a scenario when most of the firms making smartphones in India have their servers abroad.

A majority of these firms are Chinese, which either sell directly or provide parts to Indian manufacturers.

There are original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), too, serving Indian firms.

The government believes over-dependency on Chinese firms in the electronics sector, whose servers are not in India, make the data more vulnerable to hacking and misuse.

According to government figures, India is a big importer of electronics goods.

In 2016-17, against a demand of $86.4 billion for electronics goods, the country imported $42.8 billion worth of goods, primarily from China.

The country produced $49.5 billion worth of goods locally, because of the governments thrust on making electronics goods in India.

The demand for electronics is set to touch $400 billion by 2023-24.

Even as Chinese firms have been working in India for the past many years, there are no security standards in place yet.

Since the trade balance in the electronics sector is heavily tilted in favour of China, thats a concern for India.

The government has set August 28 as the deadline for submitting detailed responses on the safety and security practices, architecture, guidelines or standards followed and implemented in the products and services made for the country.

Based on the responses, the government would start verification and audit of devices, wherever required, the official said.

The government has also warned companies that if the procedures are not followed, it will impose penalties under provisions of the IT Act.

Photograph: Reuters
Former CFO V Balakrishnan seeks exit of Infosys chairman, co-chairman R Seshasayee, co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan, audit committee chairman Roopa Kudva and nomination committee chairman Jeffrey S Lehman.

Former Infosys chief financial officer (CFO) and N R Narayana Murthy supporter V Balakrishnan has sought the resignation of four members of the company board, including chairman R Seshasayee and co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan, over alleged governance failure.

Following last weeks public spat at the information technology (IT) bellwether, he suggested that the board be reshuffled before a new chief executive is named to replace Vishal Sikka, who resigned on Friday after three years at the helm over malicious personal attacks amplified by the very people from whom we all expected the most steadfast support.

The board accused Murthy of repeatedly making inappropriate demands, which were inconsistent with his stated desire for stronger governance.

Murthy had accused Infosys and its board of failing in disclosure and corporate governance norms.

The chairman (Seshasayee) should leave for the governance failure at Infosys. The co-chairman (Venkatesan) should leave, as one does not discuss the CEOs performance publicly like this.

The audit committee chairman (Roopa Kudva) should resign because she failed to protect the integrity and value system of the company.

The nomination committee chairman (Jeffrey S Lehman) should also step down, said Balakrishnan, who backs the founders.

The company should get new people with impeccable governance track records and then create checks and balances on the board, he said, adding, The first step is to restructure the board and then find a CEO.

Infosys spokespersons did not comment. Venkatesan, Seshasayee, and Kudva could not be reached over the phone.

Murthy had first raised the issue of failure in corporate governance at Infosys soon after the company gave a huge severance pay to Rajiv Bansal, a former CFO, after the acquisition of Israeli technology firm Panaya.

The founder continued to put pressure on Infosys to come clean, including seeking the resignation of Seshasayee.

Infosys had conducted an independent investigation in the deal, which it says has given a clean chit. The company also brought in D N Prahlad, a former Infosys employee, who was named by Murthy on its board, and elevated Venkatesan, an independent director, as its co-chairman.

Murthy has asked for the investigation report to be made public and also asked whether a related party for any executive had benefited from the $200-million Panaya deal.

Last week, Murthy wrote a letter reiterating his demand. Sikka buckled on Friday but said he would continue to be with Infosys as an executive vice-chairman till March next year.

The board defended Sikkas effort to revive Infosys, adding it would remain independent on behalf of all shareholders.

There is a cause and an effect. I do not think the experiment of a global CEO has failed. But the experiment of having a professional board has failed, said Balakrishnan.

If the board had performed its role effectively and created checks and balances at an early stage, such a situation would not have arisen.

Balakrishnan said a new board would put in governance measures and engage with the founders as the company delivers its promise to shareholders.

I think the board should focus on business. Change the board if the need is to put in place good governance system, engage with the founders because they are still large shareholders.

They are classified as founders and if anything wrong happens in the company, they will also be blamed legally.

So engage with them and come to a conclusion. There is no point publicly fighting with founders when they raise relevant issues, he said.

Photograph: Vivek Prakash/Reuters
'The Indian soldier will fight where he is asked to, and he always has.'

'It is up to us as a democratic society to see that his service and sacrifice is for the most useful causes, and that we do not needlessly ask him to die for us.'

'That would be the single most important way in which we can honour him,' says Aakar Patel.

Air India, our national carrier, has decided to honour our soldiers through a gesture. Armed forces personnel will now be asked to board its planes first, before other passengers.

This gesture will make them feel special and is meant to honour their service, which is more meaningful than that of other Indians, whatever their achievement (and whatever the achievement of the individual soldier may have been). We should pause here briefly to question Air India's assumption.

Why is the service of the Indian teacher, the postman and the man delivering gas cylinders any less important? We assume that this is the case, but why?

We could argue that soldiers do a job that is dangerous. But then so again is the work of electricity linemen. The data shows that more Indians die cleaning our sewers and septic tanks than soldiers die in combat.

Those workers don't get medals and don't receive any honour or reward. In fact, they don't even receive their dues.

However, I don't want to dwell on that subject today. Let us assume that soldiers do the most important work of the Republic and so they are deserving of honour like nobody else is.

Is the government airline boarding protocol the right away of honouring the soldier? I would say no, and add that this gesture deliberately continues the honouring narrative, which is fake and loaded against the soldier. Let me explain.

There are several ways in which we can ensure that our military is given its rightful dues.

First, in terms of a proper salary and living conditions. Recent harsh action against jawans who have complained about food and living conditions shows that we are not serious about this.

Air India would have honoured our soldiers better if it agreed to use its catering strength to help improve their food.

Second, we must ensure that our soldiers are physically and psychologically healthy. Frequent episodes of stressed out jawans killing their officers and fellow soldiers indicate that this may not be the case.

Unions and associations of former soldiers will testify to the fact that many of our warriors are unwell psychologically and get zero support or treatment.

Third, offering a pension and job opportunities and education opportunities to soldiers when they are serving and then retired.

America does this really well, particularly the education bit, offering college scholarships to former soldiers.

We do not.

So far as the pensions and job opportunities go, I have done some research on this subject and I can tell you that though we are a poor nation with few resources, soldiers get more from the State than any other category of government servant.

Fourth, serving soldiers who perform well must be honoured through rewards like medals and so on. A recent report has revealed that they do not get this.

A solider might be told that he has been awarded a medal, but he is not given the physical medal itself. He purchases a replica of this in the army canteen and wears it. I find this shameful.

The fifth and last way in which we can meaningfully honour our warriors is the most important one.

We should reduce the areas of conflict in which we have deployed our brave soldiers.

Why are they occupying Siachen, a barren landscape in which they die by the dozen every year? Not from enemy firing, but from the weather.

Can we not make some effort to talk to the Pakistan government and reduce troop presence on both sides in the Siachen, Saltoro area? We can, but only if we speak to Pakistan.

At the moment we have chosen to do kutty with them, which means we are okay with our soldiers continuing to die.

Internally, our army and paramilitaries face continous deployment in the north east, the Adivasi belt and in Jammu and Kashmir.

These are issues requiring political, not military solutions. Armed force has been tried for 70 years in these places and it has not produced favourable results.

If we insist that armed force is the only option, the price for that rigidity must continue to be paid by the jawan and the Indian citizen he is fighting against.

The Indian soldier will fight where he is asked to, and he always has.

It is up to us as a democratic society to see that his service and sacrifice is for the most useful causes, and that we do not needlessly ask him to die for us.

That would be the single most important way in which we can honour him.

Unfortunately, I do not see that happening. We are happy to honour him as long as he continues to die, often needlessly.

My guess is that Air India is doing chamchagiri to the nationalists in this atmosphere of militarism that the Modi government has built. It has already said it will only serve vegetarian food on local flights, and that will probably have pleased the RSS very much.

I don't have a problem with chamchagiri, and I suppose everyone does it.

But this sort of casual gesture reduces the real meaning of soldierly sacrifice and, even if it makes the government happy, evades the real issue.

IMAGE: Soldiers at a rehearsal for Independence Day at the Red Fort in Delhi a couple of years ago. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.
Beijing should remember the advice of its celebrated military strategist Sun Tzu: 'Fight not unless the position is critical', says Amulya Ganguli.

IMAGE: If an India-China war does break out, it will be in contravention of Sun Tzu's warning against lighting a fire when the situation is not critical.

For on none of the three sides -- India, Bhutan and China -- is there an immediate crisis.

Photograph: Keith Tsuji/Getty Images

In The Art of War, the celebrated Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu, of the 6th century BC said: 'Fight not unless the position is critical... He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.'

Two-and-a-half millennia later, the present-day rulers of China are making the mistake of not knowing when to fight and when not to. Hence, their verbal warfare and the flexing of muscles by building up the strength of their troops in the icy heights of the Himalayas where they face Indian soldiers.

If the rhetorical flourishes of the Chinese suggest that their spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, the reason is a miscalculation of their initial forays into a region of fuzzy international borders.

As the Chinese entered the Doklam plateau, where the boundaries of India, Bhutan and China meet, ostensibly to build a road (always a handy excuse), they never thought that they would come up against the kind of resistance they are now facing.

Firstly, because they claimed that the area was Chinese territory.

And secondly, because they believed that if anyone objected to their presence, it would be the Bhutanese whom the Chinese could contemptuously ignore.

In fact, when the Bhutanese soldiers did ask a few questions, they were pushed back by the Chinese.

What the Chinese probably did not expect -- though they should have -- was that the Indians would intervene in accordance with their agreements with Bhutan, and the old doctrine of spheres of influence, which no country would like to be infringed.

What the Chinese also might not have expected was that the Indians would stand their ground despite Beijing's threat of repeating the 1962 lesson.

The second Chinese mistake was that they did not factor in the consequences of a prolonged stalemate if the Indians did not withdraw.

Now that the standoff is eight weeks old, the Chinese are apparently considering a military operation while realizing that such acts can spin out of control.

They also know that with winter on its way, they do not have much time to decide.

For if the two sides cannot agree on a simultaneous withdrawal -- as India wants -- they will have to scale down their presence anyway because of the inclement weather.

If a war -- even a short one -- does break out, it will be in contravention of Sun Tzu's warning against lighting a fire when the situation is not critical.

For on none of the three sides -- India, Bhutan and China -- is there an immediate crisis except that, in India's case, there is the fear of China securing a foothold over an area that is not far from the so-called Chicken's Neck link of roads and other forms of communication between India and its north-eastern parts.

Otherwise, there is no threat to the mainland of the three countries.

WATCH: India is prepared to protect its citizens AND territory.

However, a question of ego is involved.

For China, it is unthinkable to back down when facing, what it considers, a much weaker nation.

Such a retreat will be all the more unacceptable to its President Xi Jinping, who is being dubbed by observers as the new Mao Zedong.

But his aspirations to step into the shoes of the Great Helmsman will be quashed if the Chinese troops have to withdraw from the Doklam plateau, especially because the Chinese consider it to be their own territory.

In that event, it will be a disaster for President Xi on the scale of Mao's Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. He simply cannot accept such a setback on the eve of the Communist party Congress where his future will be decided.

On the other hand, if a war breaks out, not only will much of the opprobrium be heaped on Xi's head, his pet Belt and Road Initiative, which runs through Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, will come under a cloud.

Besides, the world will speak virtually in one voice in condemning China if only because a military misadventure will confirm its reputation as the neighbourhood bully, which was highlighted by its refusal to abide by an international tribunal's directive on the South China Sea.

Already, the officially controlled Chinese media has bemoaned international support for India because of its democracy.

In a face-off between a democracy and a totalitarian State, the former always wins in the court of world public opinion.

To complicate matters, another totalitarian country, North Korea, is threatening to nuke the American-controlled island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean while a mystic has predicted the outbreak of World War III by October.

United States President Donald J Trump, too, has vowed to rain down fire and fury on North Korea if it does not behave.

Evidently, this is not the time for China to indulge in dangerous brinkmanship, especially when there is no guarantee that it will score a clear victory.

It will be better for it to follow Sun Tzu's advice about knowing when not to fight.

Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs.
'As long as true Hinduism survives in India, we need not let the Hindutva fear factor keep us from accepting a change in Muslim personal law with a ban on triple talaq,' says Najid Hussain.

When the issue of triple talaq inhabits the minds of Muslim women, rights activists, lawyers, members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and BJP politicians, we must be optimistic that a status quo on the practice is short lasting.

However, if past experience is any guide to the future, that optimism may be misplaced.

For over a quarter of a century most of us believed the Ram Mandir would be built in Ayodhya; Article 370 would be scrapped; black money would be history; the Ganga would be cleaned...

Despite all the noise generated by these issues, the wait for action continues.

Triple talaq (triple divorce) is a practice prevalent among Indian Muslims, which gives a Muslim man the right to instantly divorce his wife.

The practice is despised by most women but defended by Muslim men, with the excuse that it is ordained by Allah in the Qur'an.

Rights groups supporting Muslim women want India's judiciary, or an act of Parliament, to alter, if not abolish, the existing provision on triple talaq, which is seen as biased against women.

The AIMPLB and other supporters of patriarchal laws want to see the status quo maintained on the practice.

In a few high profile cases of triple talaq brought to India's high courts (Shamim Ara; Afreen Rehmat, Shayra Bano), the courts ruled those divorces invalid, but did not declare the practice unconstitutional.

As a result, the statute continues to be a part of Muslim personal law and the practice continues to be an integral part of the community, especially among poor and uneducated members who have little access to courts, or legal counselling.

A judgment on Shayra Bano's PIL (Public Interest Litigation) to ban triple talaq is currently pending in the Supreme Court.

Devout patriarchal Indian Muslims believe that the rule of triple talaq is decreed by Allah in the Qur'an (verses 2:228, 230) and no one can change that.

Progressive moderate Muslims also believe the decree is from Allah, but interpret the verses to mean pronouncing divorce three times in one sitting is equivalent to only one divorce.

So unless three divorces -- each one followed by three months of separation -- is exhausted, it does not qualify as triple talaq, and thus triple talaq rules do not apply.

However, none of these groups have anything against the apparent patriarchal nature of the law that gives so much power to Muslim men and denies a similar right to their women -- a stand that is against the basic rule of contemporary societies requiring equality of race, religion, and gender.

The purpose of this essay is not to chastise either the politicians for their opportunism and inaction, or the legal luminaries who very often end up helping the status quo by muddying the waters with their divergent expert opinions.

The objective is to delve into Qur'anic history to see if Allah has ordained this practice in the Qur'an, or if it is possible that the desire of a few seventh century Arab men, surreptitiously found its way in Allah's book.

After all, the Qur'an is the book for all people and all times, so how can its message lose validity within 1,400 years!

Seen from a Muslim's perspective, such an analysis can neither be easy, nor innocuous. One has to take up the role of the devil's advocate.

There is a common perception among Muslims that the Qur'an as a book was sent down to Prophet Muhammad by Allah. Muslim intellectuals, however, know, and accept, that the Qur'an was not brought down from heaven to the Prophet as a book that we see today, but it was the word of Allah revealed to the Prophet.

Those divine revelations continued over two decades, during which time, as and when the revelations arrived, the verses were recited by the Prophet, and memorised or written down on pieces of leaves, rocks, cloth, or leather, by his companions. Paper was not around at that time, as the Chinese invented it two hundred years later.

At the time of the Prophet's death, the Qur'an was not collated as a single volume. It took several decades after the Prophet's death, well into the period of the second Caliph, Umar, when the Qur'an finally came into existence in the form that we see today.

The final compilation, to a large extent, depended upon the passed down memories of the Prophet's companions, as well as other available writings of the original verses on the shards.

Prophet Muhammad never had a chance to proof-read the Qur'an of today and authenticate every verse in it as the word of Allah.

It is possible that a majority of Muslims will find it hard to accept this analysis -- not because it lacks logic or reason, but because it hurts their sentiments that someone should cast aspersions on their holy book.

This analysis, however, is not to belittle the Qur'an, or cast doubts on its message.

The Qur'an, without doubt, is a remarkable book that has guided and shaped the lives of billions of people over centuries, through faith and creed, and will continue to do so for generations to come.

This is just to open up our minds as believers, and welcome meaningful, independent reasoning in Islam, so that our beliefs are logical, reasonable, gender just, and fair.

It is worth noting that most Islamic countries -- including Pakistan -- have banned triple talaq. But the Muslims of India -- including the moderates -- continue to oppose a similar ban. That is mind boggling.

Moderate Muslims, after all, reject literal interpretations of difficult Qur'anic verses: Such as the ones on the issue on disciplining women (4:34-36), treatment of unbelievers (3:28), virgins as rewards in heaven (78:31-34), and many more.

Why then defend the evils of patriarchy?

When elements of the Hindutva brigade -- who have assaulted and humiliated Muslim women in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and many other parts of India, with impunity -- come out in support of Muslim women on triple talaq, Muslims have every reason to feel uncomfortable and see it as a clever ploy of the Modi government to open the door to Muslim personal law so that eventually a Hinduised version of the Uniform Civil Code can be pushed through.

It's no secret that the Sangh Parivar's ultimate objective is to take away Muslim rights assured by the Constitution, and relegate the community to second-class citizenship in their own country.

Given the history of hate and contempt of the Sangh Parivar for the minorities, the Modi government's intentions on helping Muslim women cannot be seen without suspicion.

But alongside that history, there is another history that we must not forget -- that of brotherhood, equality, and support of a majority of our secular, non-Hindutva Hindu brothers and sisters, who always stood by us, and fought for protecting minority rights.

As long as true Hinduism survives in India, we need not let the Hindutva fear factor keep us from accepting a change in Muslim personal law with a ban on triple talaq.

IMAGE: A delegation from the Muslim community, under the umbrella of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, call on Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, May 9, 2017. Photograph: Press Information Bureau.
'You cannot suppress a section of society permanently.'

'The spark of revolt will catch fire sooner or later.'

Reuters photograph published only for representational purposes.

Noorjehan Safia Niaz, co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, was one of the petitioners in the instant triple talaq case before the Supreme Court.

She was ecstatic when the apex court in a 3:2 verdict banned instant talaq on Tuesday, August 22.

Soon after the court ruling, Noorjehan spoke to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

Your first reaction to the bar on instant triple talaq.

We are happy with the judgment. Out of five, three Supreme Court judges have given the verdict in our favour.

The Supreme Court has declared instant triple talaq as unConstitutional, and it is a big success for us.

They have told Parliament to make a law on this issue, which again is a big victory for us.

Is this judgment a victory for Muslim women?

This judgment is a victory for Muslim women.

They came out and supported it in big numbers. We are now distributing sweets after the victory.

The maulanas were saying that there should be no interference in religion by any institution, like the courts or Parliament.

After this verdict, what do you have to say to them?

We are only asking for the rights of women, what is mentioned in the Holy Quran and that is our demand.

We must get those rights.

On the contrary, these maulanas are doing un-Islamic work.

We want Quran-based laws and whatever is permitted in our Indian Constitution.

Allah has given equal rights to Muslim women and we want that right.

Now if the maulanas don't want to give us those rights, Parliament keeps quiet and the courts too if they keep quiet, where can we go?

Should Muslim women be in a permanent state of harassment?

Somebody has to do something about it.

When the Shah Bano judgment was given in her favour Muslim women did not turn up in big numbers to support her in 1986.

What has changed in the last 30 years that so many Muslim women have come out in the open and are speaking against instant triple talaq?

There is a huge difference. We have our Bharatiya Mahila Andolan now.

In the same way, we have many other Muslim women's organisations.

A woman like Shayra Bano, who suffered from instant triple talaq, now knows her Quranic rights.

Today there is also awareness in Muslim women, unlike in 1986.

Muslim women have got the courage now to fight injustice.

You cannot suppress a section of society permanently.

The spark of revolt will catch fire sooner or later, and it has happened now.

Now that instant triple talaq is banned, how will divorce proceeding between Muslim couples take place?

We had demanded that arbitration has to be mandatory in divorce proceedings.

This applies to men as well as women.

They must sit together discuss the issue and only then get divorced.

And what does the Quran say about divorce?

The same thing is written in the Holy Quran.

You read Surah Nisah (verse 35):

And if you fear dissension between the two, send an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from her people.

If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will cause it between them.

Indeed, Allah is ever knowing and acquainted (with all things.

The Holy Quran says clearly that if a husband and wife have a problem with each other, then they must sit together and solve their problem.

And if they do not solve the differences, then there is a minimum three month period for separation.

If you do not follow this process, then you cannot get talaq.

You say instant triple talaq is not mentioned in the Quran. So how was this practice being followed in India?

In India, the Muslim community was in the grip of mullahs and maulvis.

Whatever they said was believed to be the true word of Allah.

Now, when we (women) read the Holy Quran we find that the practice of instant triple talaq is not mentioned in it.

Therefore, we got the strength to fight.

Some clerics have alleged that your organisation is supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Whoever speaks up for women's rights, they get to hear such allegations.

We are an independent organisation and not associated with any political party.

We are an autonomous independent body. We have more than one lakh members.

Those who want to make allegations against us, let them do so, what can we do?

Do you feel instant triple talaq will be banned from today?

We have the support of this Supreme Court judgment.

From now on Muslim women can stand up and say that instant triple talaq is unConstitutional and cannot be followed.

The hold of maulanas and maulvis on the Muslim community is fading.

Does it mean that in future, if a Muslim man wants to divorce his wife he will have to wait for three months, and cannot do it instantly?

Arbitration is a must. Be it a man or woman who wants talaq, arbitration is a must.

Instant triple talaq is not possible now after this judgment.

Many fear that this verdict is a step towards a Uniform Civil Code.

We are not in favour of a Uniform Civil Code.

We feel that whatever is the law for Hindus, Parsis and Christians... We Muslims must have our own law in which Muslim women get justice.
China on Tuesday jumped to the defence of its all-weather ally Pakistan in the wake of United States President Donald Trump's stern warning to it over providing safe havens to terrorists, saying that Islamabad is at the frontline of combating terrorism.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to announce his Afghanistan and South Asia policy, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to 'agents of chaos' that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has 'much to lose' by harbouring terrorists.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, while reacting to Trump's comments on Pakistan, said, "Hope the relevant policy decision by US side will be conducive to promoting security, stability of the relevant region."

"(On) President Trump's remarks on Pakistan, I should say that Pakistan is at the frontline of fighting terrorism, has made sacrifices in fighting terrorism, making an important contribution to upholding peace and stability," Hua said, strongly defending Beijing's all-weather friend.

Hua, in response to Trump's scathing criticism of Pakistan's support to terror groups, said, 'I think the international community should truly affirm' the efforts by Pakistan in combating terrorism.

"We are pleased to see US and Pakistan to conduct cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts on the basis of mutual respect and contribute to the global peace and stability," she said.

On Trump indicating deepening ties with India, Hua said China is happy to see the development of normal and friendly relations between the two countries as long as such a relationship does not harm other countries and is conducive to regional development.

"So we are pleased to see sound and normal relations between US and India," she said, hoping that the two sides will play a more constructive role promoting regional peace and development.

Hua skirted a direct answer to a question on whether China's policies like blocking India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and efforts to get Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar banned by the United Nations had created more space for the US to develop closer ties with India, saying its bilateral ties with India or with the US will not be targeted at a third party.

Hua also criticised India's action to block China's road building in Doklam region where the two sides are involved in a standoff.

India's move at Doklam has a negative impact in the eyes of the Chinese people, she said.

India should match its words with deeds, Hua said while calling for unconditional withdrawal of Indian troops and equipment.

Asked about the impact of Trump's decision to follow a more proactive policy in Afghanistan on China, Hua said, the 'Chinese side will uphold the objective and unbiased principle to promote friendly relations with other countries, based on the merits of the matter itself'.

"We hope that the Trump administration's policy adjustment will be conducive to promoting peace and stability in South Asia," she said.

"China closely follows Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. We think the stable relations between the two countries will also be helpful," Hua said.

Referring to recent trip made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Afghanistan and Pakistan amid Kabul's allegations that Islamabad was not cracking down on the Taliban, Hua said Wang's visit was aimed at mediating for better relations between the two countries.

During the visit, Afghanistan and Pakistan sent out goodwill messages to each other, especially in the establishment of crisis management mechanism which China is trying to operationalise, she said.

"We also appreciate and applaud the dialogue between the two countries. During the process, as a friend of these two countries, China will, within its capacity, play a constructive role," she said.
'We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.'

'Islamabad receives billions in aid from the US but continues to harbour terrorists,' Trump said.



IMAGE: US President Donald Trump announces his strategy for the war in Afghanistan during an address from Fort Myer, Virginia, on Tuesday. Photographs: Joshua Roberts/Reuters



United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end America's longest war, as he warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, laid out his South Asia policy saying a 'critical part' of it was to further develop US' strategic partnership with India.

He said after a 'comprehensive review', it was decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically.

Trump said his instinct was to pull out of Afghanistan but following months of discussion, he concluded that 'the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable' and would leave a vacuum that terrorists would instantly fill.

"A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations," Trump said in his 26-minute speech.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said as he announced his South Asia policy in front of about 2,000 people from all five services and top officials of his administration.

Trump said he has arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America's core interests in Afghanistan.

"Our nation must seek an honourable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made," Trump said.

"Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable...A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists -- including ISIS (Islamic State) and Al Qaeda - would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th (sic)," he said.

Trump's rejection of a rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan was being seen as backtracking from his promise to swiftly end America's 16-year-old war in Afghanistan.

Trump said the next pillar of his new strategy is a change in America's approach to Pakistan.

Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in an apparent warning to Pakistan.

IMAGE: Senior White House Advisor Ivanka Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence wait for President Trump's address to begin.



Trump also noted that the threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into a conflict.

The US President reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said.

"We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region," said the US President.

In his speech, Trump came down heavily on Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying Islamabad receives billions in aid from the US but continues to harbour terrorists.

"In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognise those contributions and those sacrifices," Trump said.

"But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organisations that try every single day to kill our people," he added.

Trump noted that the US has been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars but it continues to house the very terrorists that America is fighting.

"But that will have to change. That will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace," Trump said.

In a statement following Trump's address, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson echoed the president's views on enhanced role for India in the new South Asia strategy.

"India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region, and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan's political and economic modernisation," he said.

Tillerson also urged Pakistan to take decisive action against terror groups.

"Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and can be an important partner in our shared goals of peace and stability in the region," he said.

"We look to Pakistan to take decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan that are a threat to the region. It is vital to US interests that Afghanistan and Pakistan prevent terrorist sanctuaries," Tillerson said.

Top Trump administration officials were present as the US President delivered his address to the nation.

Prominent among those present were Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, National Security Advisor Let Gen H R McMaster, and Vice President Mike Pence.

Noting that security threats the US face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense, Trump said 20 US designated foreign terrorist organisations were active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region of the world.

"In Afghanistan and Pakistan, America's interests are clear: we must stop the re-emergence of safe-havens that enable terrorists to threaten America; and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us," he said.

Trump said he has already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on US' war-fighters that prevented the Secretary of Defence and its commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy.

"Micromanagement from Washington, DC does not win battles. They are won in the field drawing upon the judgement and expertise of war-time commanders and front line soldiers acting in real time -- with real authority -- and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy," he said.

"That's why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan.

"These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide -- that no place is beyond the reach of American arms...We will also maximise sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks, to eliminate their ability to export terror," Trump said.

He asserted that American troops will fight to win.

"From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing Al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge," he said.

Trump noted that the stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less the US will have to do.

Afghans will secure and build their own nation, and define their own future and the US wants them to succeed, the US President said.

"But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in far away lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image -- those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests," Trump said.

"We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward," Trump said.
While Ahmed Patel staved off the challenge to his Rajya Sabha membership, it leaves the scene wide open for the Gujarat assembly election this winter, reports Janki D'Sa.

IMAGE: Congress strongman Ahmed Patel. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

Ahmed Patel's victory in retaining his Rajya Sabha seat, and Amit Shah's failure in resisting his re-entry into Parliament for the fifth consecutive time, is a story of deception, lies and betrayal of politicians from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Janata Dal-United and the Congress in Gujarat.

Ahmed Patel won the Rajya Sabha election by one vote, and that was because his associate Shaktisinh Gohil fought tooth and nail inside the polling booth in spite of the presence of BJP bigwigs including BJP President Amit Shah.

Gohil was the authorised agent nominated by the party to whom Congress MLAs were supposed to show their vote.

Congress MLAs Bholabhai Gohil and Raghavbhai Patel had declared in advance their intention to vote against their party, the latter having made known his intent six months ago.

Shaktisinh Gohil and Arjun Modhawadia, another Congress leader, knew how Raghav Patel's mind worked since he had been in the party for long.

When voting began, Gohil prompted Patel in Gujarati, saying, 'Show it (the vote) to your master (Amit Shah)!'

In the highly charged flow of events, Patel did exactly that, showing his vote to Amit Shah, as did Bholabhai Gohil.

Thus, their votes in the BJP's favour were annulled because it violated Election Commission guidelines which prohibit legislators from showing their vote to rival agents.

Some leaders in both the BJP and Congress believe this was Gohil's 'Plan B' to safeguard Ahmed Patel's electoral chances, but the truth will probably remain a secret forever.

The story behind the votes of the NCP's Jayant Patel 'Bosky', Chotu Vasava of the JD-U and Nalin Kotadia of the Gujarat Parivartan Party is no less bizarre.

That Chotubhai Vasava could defy Amit Shah and his party till the last minute, that too inside the polling booth, is incredible.

Until a minute before the vote, Vasava was with Shah, but when it came to the vote, he voted for Ahmed Patel with conviction.

This was how four crucial votes actually played out.

1. The JD-U's Chotu Vasava's first preference vote was for Ahmed Patel, his second preference vote for Amit Shah.

Both sides were convinced, by Vasava himself, that they would get his vote.

Vasava is a maverick who has won election after election on the anti-BJP vote.

He has now made up with Ahmed Patel against whom he has fought bitter battles for the tribal votes of Bharuch district. Both Ahmed Patel and Vasava have been political adversaries, vying for the same votes.

When the Manmohan Singh government was in power, Ahmed Patel apparently helped Vasava when cases were filed against his son.

Also, in the last local bodies election, Patel let Vasava control district panchayats with the support of Congress votes.

2. Jayant Patel 'Bosky' gave his first preference vote to the BJP's Balwant Rajput.

The NCP MLA kept saying he voted for Ahmed Patel, both on record and off.

Till the night before the vote, he assured Ahmed Patel that his vote would only go to him.

NCP leader Praful Patel, who reportedly faces serious charges related to his stewardship of the aviation ministry, forced 'Bosky' to play the Congress game in public, but to give the BJP his vote.

3. Nalinbhai Kotadia gave both his votes to the BJP, but later produced a video saying he had voted for the Congress.

He was forced to do so by his team because he has many Patel voters who are angry with the BJP.

4. Kamshibhai, a last-minute rebel Congress MLA from Sanand, gave his first preference vote to Balwant Rajput and the second to Ahmed Patel.

Kamshibhai was among the 44 MLAs who were taken to Bengaluru for 'safe-keeping' by the Congress, and swore publicly that he would vote for Ahmed Patel.

But he changed his mind after his son, who was negotiating with BJP leaders, arrived in Bengaluru and informed him that the talks had succeeded.

Where Team Shah failed and Team Patel won was in the training of MLAs.

A mock voting exercise was carried out thrice in the Bengaluru resort so the Congress legislators knew what to do and what not to do.

The Congress legislators were also given lectures on secularism by two professors from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, who were flown in specially for the purpose.

Amit Shah loyalist Pardip Sinh Jadeja, Gujarat's minister for home and legislative affairs, and Pankaj Desai, the BJP's chief whip, failed to provide such training to the Congress turncoats.

The Shah camp was elated that in the first round they had created a scare in the Patel camp by using Shankersinh Vaghela.

Bapu, as Vaghela is called, played the BJP's game as he had a score to settle with Ahmed Patel.

Vaghela believes Ahmed Patel never allowed him to have full and complete control of the state Congress party, which prevented him from wreaking revenge on Narendra D Modi who dislodged him from power in the BJP.

Between 1995 and 2012 there was no bigger enemy of Modi than Vaghela.

Modi's astute moves in March 1995 installed a Patel as the first BJP chief minister of Gujarat and not Vaghela, a Kshatriya.

Without Modi's manipulation, Keshubhai Patel could not have become CM, and Vaghela never forgot this.

When Modi became prime minister Vaghela got a reality check and understood that Modi was now way beyond his reach.

Also, the serious allegations leveled against Vaghela for his tenure as textiles minister shook him up.

Vaghela and his son Mahendra Vaghela were both Congress MLAs until the father resigned from the state assembly and the son announced his decision to switch sides.

Amit Shah saw an opportunity to use Vaghela to create tremors before the assembly election this winter.

Ahmed Patel got a jolt when six Congress MLAs resigned, but played his cards carefully. So instead of 17 Congress MLAs, as planned, Vaghela could take away only 14.

When Vaghela finally parted ways on July 21, this early warning helped Patel retain his seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Thirty-seven more persons perished in flood-hit Bihar, where over 1.46 crore people are still affected, while the situation in Uttar Pradesh remained alarming with 10 more deaths reported on Tuesday.

IMAGE: An elderly man sits on a washed away road at flood-hit Runni Saidpur in Sitamarhi district in Bihar. Photograph: PTI Photo

The toll in Bihar rose to 341 and touched 82 in Uttar Pradesh.

However, the flood situation eased in Assam and northern districts of West Bengal with water receding and no fresh deaths being reported in both the states.

The floods in Bihar has affected 18 districts of the state with around 7.61 lakh people shifted to safer areas. The toll stood at 304 till Monday with 1.38 crore people battling the deluge.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would make an aerial survey of flood-affected districts of state on August 26, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said.

IMAGE: People wait to be rescued from a flooded village in Bihar. Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters

According to a road construction department a total 203 state highways and other roads under it were damaged in flood waters in different places out of which 95 per cent have been repaired and made motorable.

Araria district accounted for 75 deaths alone, followed by Sitamarhi and West Champaran (36 each), Katihar (26), Kisanganj (23), Madhubani (23), East Champaran, Darbhanga and Madhepura (19 each), Supual (15), Gopalganj (14), Purnea (9) Muzaffarpur (7), Khagaria (6), Saran (6) and Saharsa (4), Sheohar (4), an official said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reached Purnea by road from Patna after the helicopter in which he was to travel developed some snag. He inspected some relief camps, an official accompanying Kumar said.

Kumar would stay at Purnea on Tuesday and would go to Araria, Katihar and Kisanganj on Wednesday, the official said.

A total of 1,608 community kitchens were under operation in flood affected areas which served meals to 4.52 lakh people, a state disaster management department report said.

IMAGE: A boy uses a banana raft to transport his books in Jakhalabandha area in Nagaon district, in Assam. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters

Light to moderate rainfall occurred at one or two places in the state since Monday as the southwest monsoon is getting weak in the state, the MeT department has said.

Jhanjharpur received 4 cm rainfall, while Pusa and Madhwapur received 3 cm each and Thakurganj and Saulighat registered 2 cm of precipitation each.

Gaya recorded the highest maximum temperature of 35.2 degree Celsius, followed by 35 degree Celsius at Bhagalpur, 34.8 degree Celsius in Patna and 33 degree Celsius in

Purnea.

The flood situation in Uttar Pradesh remained alarming with reports of 10 more deaths, taking the toll to 82 in the current wave of deluge in the state.

IMAGE: People wait to be rescued from a flood-hit area in Bihar. Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters

The death toll in the floods has reached 82 in the state, where 2,855 villages in 25 districts are inundated affecting a population of over 22 lakh, the relief commissioners office said here citing a flood report compiled till Monday.

It said that around 50,000 people have taken shelter in relief camps in the affected districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh where there was no let up in flood fury as raging

waters of the rivers emanating from Nepal caused havoc in vast swathes of land.

Army choppers, 26 companies of the National Disaster Response Force, and 30 companies of PAC (flood) jawans continued relief and rescue operations

round the clock in the severely hit areas of the flood-affected districts of the state.

However, the flood situation in Assam improved further with the water receding from human habitation and agricultural fields, giving relief to more people in the 12 affected districts of the state.

No fresh deaths due to the deluge were reported and the toll stood at 70, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority said.

IMAGE: Jawans of the Indian Army rescue an elderly person from a flood-hit area in Bihar.

Photograph: PTI Photo

Altogether 11.02 lakh people, against Mondays 14.36 lakh people, were hit by the floods that have submerged 9,000 hectares of farm fields, it said.

The districts still affected include Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Barpeta, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat and Majuli.

Water of the Brahmaputra river was still flowing above the danger mark at Nimatighat at Jorhat and Dhubri town, while Dhansiri river is flowing above the danger mark at Numaligarh in Golaghat and Kopili river at Dharamtul in Nagaon district.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has requested Union railway, transport and civil aviation ministers to see that train services were restored at the earliest and smooth movement of goods-laden trucks resumed to ease suffering of flood-affected people.

IMAGE: People make their way through flooded road following heavy downpour in Meerut.

Photograph: PTI Photo

In view of an alleged inordinate rise in air fares following disruption of train services, the chief minister also requested Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha to maintain reasonable fare of flights to the Northeast.

The situation in the six-flood hit districts of north Bengal too has improved a lot in the absence of major rainfall and people have started returning to their homes.

IMAGE: An aerial view of a flood-hit region of Motihari district in Bihar. Photograph: PTI Photo

There has been no report of any fresh death in the flood-hit six districts of Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda, an official said at the West Bengal secretariat said.

Floods in West Bengal have claimed 152 lives so far and affected around 1.5 crore people.

Water has started receding from the flood-hit areas in these districts and people are returning home. The situation is improving everyday, he said.

Trains, however, did not ply in the region as rail tracks remained inundated.
Unhappy over the merger with O Panneerselvam faction, MLAs loyal to sidelined All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders Sasikala and TTV Dinakaran on Tuesday told the Governor that they no longer had confidence in Chief Minister K Palaniswami, prompting the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to demand a trust vote.

We are going to initiate efforts to bring in a new chief minister with the help of our supporting MLAs, Dinakaran supporter and Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamil Selvan told reporters following a meeting with Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, a day after the patch-up between the camps led by Palaniswami and rebel leader Panneerselvam.

The Dinakaran camp had on Monday claimed the support of 25 AIADMK MLAs.

Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that the meeting took place on Tuesday morning, but did not divulge details, including the number of members in the delegation and the nature of their interaction with Rao.

We have informed the Governor that we dont have confidence in the chief minister, Selvan said after the MLAs owing allegiance to Dinakaran, nephew of jailed AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, met Rao.

Of the 234-member assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs excluding the Speaker. Late chief minister Jayalalithaas RK Nagar constituency is still vacant.

The DMK has 89 seats followed by its allies Congress eight and Indian Union Muslim League one seat.

Seeking to capitalise on the developments, principal opposition DMK shot off a letter to the Governor asking him to convene the assembly and direct Palaniswami to prove his majority in the House.

Asked about the possibility of the Palaniswami government facing a trust vote, Selvan said that was our intention.

Our intention is that there should be a trust vote. So after that a new chief minister will be in place, he claimed.

MLAs supporting Dinakaran have been on a warpath against Palaniswami, questioning the merger of the Amma faction-led by him and Panneerselvams Puratchi Thalaivi Amma faction on Monday.

Selvan criticised Palaniswami for aligning with Panneerselvam, who had been critical of the government till very recently.

The 122 (AIADMK) MLAs had made Palaniswami chief minister because Chinnamma (Sasikala) asked us to do so. Panneerselvam had voted against the government (in the February 18 trust vote).

He (Panneerselvam) wanted to split the party and topple the government. Yet you (Palaniswami) gave the deputy chief ministers post to him. What is the need for that now? Selvan asked.

He also expressed anguish over efforts to remove Sasikala from the party, saying it was she who ensured the continuation of the AIADMK government following Panneerselvams revolt in February last.

Meanwhile, Palaniswami went into a huddle with his Deputy O Panneerselvam and some senior ministers following the development.

Further, reports also claimed MLAs supporting Dinakaran were being taken to an undisclosed location.

In a related development, Dinakaran announced the removal of senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam from the primary membership of the party.

The move came a day after Vaithilingam, a loyalist of Palaniswami, said steps would be taken for the removal of Sasikala from the AIADMK.

Earlier, in his reaction to the merger, Dinakaran dubbed it as a betrayal of party general secretary Sasikala.

In a series of tweets on Monday night, he also questioned the durability of the arrangement.

It is not a merger. It is a commercial agreement reached for self-interest and hunger for positions and to protect posts, Dinakaran charged.

He also claimed that not only the AIADMK cadres, but even the public would not forgive those who betrayed the general secretary who made Pannerselvam and Palaniswami the chief ministers after the death of Jayalalithaa.

His tweets came hours after the factions merged and Panneerselvam, who had challenged Sasikalas leadership, was appointed the deputy chief minister and his close aide K Pandiarajan a minister.

Responding to Dinakarans loyalist MLAs meeting the Governor, opposition parties including DMK, said Palaniswami should now prove his majority.

DMK Working President and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly M K Stalin in a letter to Rao claimed that consequent upon identical letters given by 22 MLAs to the Governor expressing lack of confidence on the chief minister, an unprecedented constitutional crisis has erupted.

The DMK leader said, as a result of the letters given by MLAs, the incumbent government led by Palaniswami has lost its majority.

He said in a similar previous occasion in Karnataka, the Governor of that state had directed then Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove his majority in the House.

Any inordinate delay in asking the chief minister to prove majority would pave the way for continuance of an unconstitutional government, he said in the letter, a copy of which was circulated to the media here. As the leader of Opposition, I, therefore, request the Governor to direct Palaniswami to prove his majority in the House immediately, Stalin said.

The DMK will take a good decision on the trust vote at an appropriate time, he later told reporters.

Pattali Makkal Katchi leader Anbumani Ramadoss also said that following the revolt of MLAs the Palaniswami government should prove its majority.

Image: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Dy CM O Panneerselvam paying tributes at the memorial of J Jayalalithaa following merger of their factions in Chennai on Monday. Photograph: PTI Photo
Leaders across the political spectrum, social activists and top jurists on Tuesday hailed the landmark Supreme Court verdict banning the practice of instant divorce among Muslims.

As reactions from across the country poured in welcoming the judgment declaring instant talaq, a form of divorce under Islam which allows men to dissolve marriages instantly, unconstitutional, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah called it historic. The judgment grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment, Modi said.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board for its part said it will chalk out its future course of action at its working committee meeting in Bhopal on September 10 while Maulana Mohammed Shafique Qasmi, the Imam of Nakhoda Masjid in Kolkata, said the AIMPLB and experts of Sharia law should be consulted before formulating a new law.

Muslim Law is our own personal law and it has nothing to do with any other community. It should be left to us to decide on it, Zafaryab Jilani, a member of the working committee of the board, said in Lucknow.

BJP chief Amit Shah said the verdict marked the beginning of a new epoch of equality and self-respect for Muslim women in the country.

Finance and Defence minister Arun Jaitley said the verdict is the law of the land now and a great victory for those who believe that personal laws must be progressive.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi while welcoming the verdict congratulated the women who fought for justice. Chief Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the verdict was an affirmation of womens rights and would give them relief from discrimination.

Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi hailed the judgment as a giant step for women, adding that its about time that women were given the right to equality.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore tweeted that it was a huge step forward for womens rights.

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, We should not adopt a rigid attitude, but choose a reformist approach towards social evil.

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, blamed the AIMPLB over the issue, saying it should have acted in a way to avoid the matter reaching the Supreme Court and find a solution to the contentious issue.

Eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee said the verdict was progressive, protecting the rights of the women, and that now no Muslim man can divorce his wife through the controversial divorce practice.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said nobody should see the verdict through the prism of religion.

In Mumbai, social activists from the Muslim community described the verdict as one of the best reforms in the country after independence.

I am elated to hear about this historical judgment which is not only for the Muslim women, but is one of the best reforms in India after independence, said Zakia Soman, the co-founder of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, which is also one of the petitioners in the triple talaq case.

Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Former Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Mohammad Shahabuddin was on Tuesday chargesheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a special court in Muzaffarpur for the offences of murder and criminal conspiracy in the killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan in May last year.

Sunil Singh Rawat, the investigating officer of the case, and public prosecutor Deep Narayan submitted the chargesheet against Shahabuddin, a four-time MP from Siwan, and six others before CBI judge Anupam Kumari.

Defence lawyer Sharad Sinha said that the other accused against whom the agency has filed the chargesheet are Azahruddin Beig alias Laddan Mian, Rishi Kumar Jaiswal, Rohit Kumar Soni, Vijay Kumar Gupta, Ranjeet Kumar and Sonu Kumar Gupta.

This is a supplementary charge sheet by the CBI as the agency had filed its earlier charge sheet against one accused in December, 2016.

Bihar Police had chargesheeted six persons in the case before the probe was taken over by the agency. A total of eight accused have been charge-sheeted so far in the case.

The CBI has charged Shahabuddin, currently lodged in the high-security Tihar Jail in Delhi, under Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy and murder and provisions of Arms Act, a statement from the agency said Muzaffarpur.

"The chargesheet has been filed under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with 302 (murder) of the IPC as well as section 27 of the Arms Act," Sinha told PTI over phone.

The chargesheet has not been submitted against two other accused Mohammad Javed and Mohammad Kaif who are out on bail in the case as the investigation is currently underway, Sinha said.

It may be noted that the special CBI court on May 26 had made Shahabuddin an accused in the murder case.

The four-time RJD MP from Siwan is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Rajdeo Ranjan, a journalist of a prominent Hindi daily in Siwan.

Shahabuddin is facing trial in more than 45 criminal cases.

He was moved to the Tihar Jail in February this year on a Supreme Court order on a plea by Siwan native Chandrakeshwar Prasad whose three sons were killed in two separate incidents.

Rajdeo Ranjan, district bureau chief of the Hindi daily, was gunned down on May 13 last year and his wife had accused Shahabuddin of having a role in the killing.
Shayara Bano, the woman who petitioned against the practice of instant divorce by uttering talaq thrice, said on Tuesday that the historic decision by the Supreme Court was a welcome move, and that it is a happy moment for all Muslim women in India.

"This is a historic day in India," she said.

"A lot of people agree and disagree. In the Muslim society, they do not want to bring any law. The Supreme Court judges must have understood all the issues and after that they took this historic decision," Bano said.

Bano further said that the decision will improve the condition of women in India.

"I would just request the political diplomats to not make it a political agenda, and ask them to understand the situation of Indian women, and this judgment should be accepted and a law be made," Bano said.

Shayara Bano also said that 'evil' practice should not continue anymore, and added that earlier these laws might have been established on the condition of the women but things have changed.

The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board and the All India Shia Personal Law Board welcomed the Supreme Court judgment on triple talaq, terming it as a victory of Islam and Muslim women in the country.

The decision, they said, has given new hope to Muslim women.

"The Supreme Court decision is historic, it is the victory of women in the country. But more than that, it is the victory of Islam," said President of the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board Shaista Amber, who has been fighting for the rights of Muslim women.

"We hope that triple talaq will be banned once and for all in times to come," she said, adding it causes immense hardships to Muslim women even though 'there is no provision of triple talaq in Islam'.

"This discriminatory arrangement is made by so-called religious leaders and it has harmed the lives of lakhs of women...the decision has given new hope to Muslim women," she said.

The All India Shia Personal Law Board spokesperson Maulana Yasoob Abbas too welcomed the decision, saying it will help end harassment of Muslim women in the name of triple talaq.

"There was no arrangement of triple talaq in the times of Holy Prophet...We want a strong legislation against triple talaq...A law similar to the one against the practice of Sati," he said.

While appreciating the verdict, the victims of the practice sought stricter punishment against practitioners of triple talaq.

One such woman Mehroon Noor said, "I thank Allah for the verdict. I request the Bhartiya Janata Party government at the Centre to implement strict laws for those who practice triple talaq, so that the culprits do not repeat this with anyone," she said.

Another victim of the age-old tradition, Shahida Fathima said, "I had hopes with the Indian government law and the Supreme Court that they would ban triple talaq and I am very happy with their decision. I hope that a law would be made soon in this regard and a strict action will be taken against those who continue to practice it."

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board General secretary Maulana Wali Rehmani, however, refused to comment on the verdict saying, the board will sit together and decide on the future steps in this matter.

The AIMPLB will chalk out its future course of action with regard to the verdict in its working committee meeting slated on September 10 in Bhopal, an official of the body said.

The meeting was convened earlier and its agenda was issued on Monday, member of the Board's working committee Zafaryab Jilani said.

"The working committee meeting in Bhopal on September 10 will take a decision on the future course of action on today's Supreme Court verdict after studying it in detail," he said.

Besides, other issues will also be taken up in the meeting with the verdict being the most prominent one, said Jilani, who is also a senior counsel.

He said that the hearing on the Babri mosque case is also on the agenda of the Bhopal meeting.

To a question, Jilani said it will not be appropriate to comment on the apex court's decision without studying it in detail.

With PTI inputs

IMAGE: Zeenat Ali Siddiqui, who claims to be a victim of instant talaq, speaks to the media after the verdict outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo
A day after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit said he wanted to rejoin the army as soon as possible.

I want to wear my uniform. It is outermost layer of my skin. I am wedded to it. I am very happy to get back into the service of the best organisation in the country if not the world, the Indian Army, he told reporters outside a sessions court in Mumbai.

Purohit -- whose bail formalities are yet to be completed -- had been brought to the court for a hearing on framing of charges.

I have two families -- the army and my family which includes my wife, my two sons, sister and mother. I cannot wait to return to them, he said.

The army didnt let me down, said Purohit.

Its been the tradition and ethos of the army not to let down its men, he said, adding, I never even once felt that I was out of the army.

He praised his wife for helping him in his legal fight.

Asked if he will seek action against the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad for allegedly planting (explosive) RDX on him, Purohit said he was part of an institution, and if those claims were true, his seniors (in the army) will deal with the matter.

I am too small a fry to fight this, he said.

Asked if he blamed anybody for his plight, the officer said no one was to blame but his destiny.

The army is the only institution in the country which is not shaken by the ripples of what is happening in the society, he said.

The apex court had on Monday granted bail to Purohit, who has been in jail for almost nine years for his alleged role in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Six people were killed in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008 at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra.

The apex court said there were material contradictions in the chargesheets filed by the ATS and the National Investigation Agency, which were required to be tested at the time of trial.

Image: Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Monday in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, being taken to the Sessions Court from Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai. Photograph: PTI Photo
Lawyer: 'Did YOU not ever feel scared?'

Shyamvar Rai: 'I am a driver, I said okay. Madam said it is your job...'

Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Bombay Standard Time rudely interfered with Monday's hearing of the Sheena Bora murder case.

Proceedings were set to begin at 2.45 pm on August 21. And end early because Indrani Mukerjea's lawyer Sudeep Pasbola, who was leading the cross questioning, had requested permission at the last hearing to leave by 4 pm.

From 2.45 pm the entire battery of defence lawyers and the CBI investigating officers and counsels were waiting, twiddling their thumbs, in Courtroom 51 of the sessions court in south Mumbai, along with CBI Special Judge Jayendra Chandrasen Jagdale and Shyamvar Rai, the Mukerjeas' former driver and Accused No 3 turned approver and a few policemen.

But there was no sign of Indrani, Peter Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna.

The hands of the courtroom clock marched ahead impatiently. Everyone got restless.

One by one lawyers and journos got up to leave the courtroom for little walks, breaths of fresh air or sessions of gossip in the corridors, as the warm monsoon rain came down outside unremittingly.

Though the lawyers for each of the accused were present, Judge Jagdale categorically announced that since Rai was the approver in the case, as per the sessions court, high court etc protocol, it was imperative that it "has to happen before the accused" in court so they can instruct their lawyers and that it was a priority in cases where the accused had been in jail for as long as two years' or more.

Rumbling blue prison buses, one after another, pulled up below in the courtyard of the new wing of the sessions court. But from none of them disembarked Accused No 1, Accused No 2 and Accused 4.

Instead, a bus came to pick up a rather elderly, snowy-haired prisoner, who was walking hunched and very feebly, slowly towards the vehicle, wrapped in a fluffy, spotless-white dushala (shawl).

He was escorted by nearly a dozen policemen who were taking him along particularly solicitously. The man, by the look of his frame from the rear, seemed 80 plus, closer to 90.

I wondered what this man was doing in court.

I was informed that he was Chhagan Bhujbal, the National Congress Party politician and former Maharashtra minister, who is 69 not 90 and is being tried for graft.

At court appearances, of late, he has suddenly taken to seeming very frail and delicate, with the lack of hair dye, or lack of inclination to use dye, adding the additional years.

At 3.15 pm, half an hour later, there was still no sign of the trio of accused.

The time was actually 3.05 pm, the clock in Judge Jagdale's courtroom has always been ten minutes fast.

Finally at 3.40 pm, almost one hour late, Indrani, dressed in white, white bindi too, came scrambling up the stairs at speed, trailed by her less fit police escorts. She panted breathlessly, "Took so long! We were waiting."

Sanjeev, in green and dark blue, came up behind her. They rushed into the courtroom and took their places in the accused enclosure. Peter arrived shortly after that.

Pasbola looked at the clock woefully and asked the judge what he would be able to do in less than half an hour.

Judge Jagdale persuaded him to stay on till 4.30 pm and use the time as profitably as possible, stressing the importance of moving the case along swiftly.

There was no time to present Sheena Bora's photograph that had been recovered from Rai's home by the police, which was to have been produced in court on Monday.

Instead, unusually and amusingly, the latter part of the cross questioning focused on Jockey and its showrooms.

The Jockey Exclusive store at Bandra, north west Mumbai, was the spot from where allegedly Rai, Indrani and Sanjeev had picked up Sheena that fateful day in April 2012, and driven her to a quiet lane nearby to strangle her.

Pasbola was attempting to identify from Rai that exact pick up point, that he later showed the Khar police after his arrest.

Without any luck, of course...

"Was the first place (in 2015) the Khar police took you to see the Jockey Exclusive store?"

When faced with the name of this store, Rai looked dumbfounded. "Kaun sa dukaan?! Samjha nahin (which store?! I don't understand)."

CBI Counsel Kavita Patil suggested that Pasbola needed to specifically explain that he was talking about a spot in front of the store and not inside the store.

Judge Jagdale laughed and pointed out that that was hairsplitting.

Rai: "I don't know what shops are nearby. Nahin. Yaad nahin aa raha hai (No, I don't remember). I showed the place where we picked Sheena up!" suggesting the place was more important than the shops that marked the place.

Patil, with triumph: "He is volunteering information!"

Pasbola sarcastically: "Uska mujhe koi problem nahin (I have no problem with him volunteering information)!... Was it that you showed the Khar police the Jockey Exclusive store near Hindustan Cooperative Housing society at Bandra West as the place where you picked up Sheena Bora?"

Rai said he showed the police the spot where he picked up Sheena. But he didn't know if the spot was in front of Jockey Exclusive or about the shops that were nearby, but that it was near National College and the department store Amarsons.

Pasbola long suffering: "Bhai sahib, aap driver hai. Dekha hai Jockey (Brother you are a driver. Have you seen Jockey)?"

Rai thought for a few seconds and said very positively: "Jockey dekha hai (I have seen Jockey, as if referring to Jockey in general)."

Pasbola thundering incredulously, jocularly: "Bandra ki Jockey ka baat kar rahein hai! Bakeee duniya ki Jockey nahin (I am talking about the Bandra Jockey, not about the Jockeys of the rest of the world)!"

Judge Jagdale entreated: "Let him answer."

CBI Counsel Badami added helpfully, tongue in cheek: "He is in the process of answering."

Pasbola: "Process-wocess chodo (forget process)!"

Arjun Kadam, the court policeman, sniggered.

Rai finally, saying nothing at all: "I showed them the place. What was at the place I don't know."

On Monday, two more stages have been added, at moments, to the manner in which Rai was being cross examined, doubling the time each way.

Each time Pasbola posed a query to the driver, Judge Jagdale painstakingly and kindly reformatted the question, translating it, for Rai, from a regular question in Hindi to a much more basic question, also in Hindi, the way you would for a child, gently and patiently, looking into Rai's haunted face, as if he had all the time in the world.

After Rai had answered, more often than not, in some roundabout, incoherent manner saying zilch, CBI Counsels Badami or Patil would repeat what the driver said, as if it was the most logical reply in the wide world, sometimes adding a few vital additional words for clarity and encouragement.

Net result: Often each question had an echo. So did the answers, many a time. Like playing ping pong in an echo chamber.

Pasbola at several points lost patience on Monday, perhaps because of the shortage of time, with Rai.

Every time Rai wandered off, on some tangent, tripping away from the question to some faraway Non-Answer Land, prattling on about Madam and everything else, Pasbola would rudely interrupt with an emphatic, "Bhai sahib mein aap ko ek baat puch raha hu (Brother, I am asking you a question)!?"

Or underlined: "Bhai saahib aap driver hai (Brother you are a driver)!"

Pasbola's stormy Q and A with Rai unearthed a few bizarre facts that gave fresh and more preposterous meaning to the phrase: The truth is stranger than fiction.

You need to also take heed of the latter half of that saying: Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't.

A few of the oddities that arose:

1. After his arrest from Carter Road, Rai had only a vague idea of where he was kept for the next "13-14 din (days)."

He was not sure if he was kept at the Khar police station or in a lock up or at the Bandra police station.

Nor was he aware of where he spent the night the day after his arrest.

Pasbola: "You were in Khar police station? In the lock up?"

Rai: "Ha lock up mein rakhte the (yes, I was kept in the lock up)."

Pasbola: "Kaun sa lock up (which lock up)? Khar? Bandra?"

Rai: "I don't know whether it was Bandra or... Dhyan mein nahin aa raha hai (I can't remember now)."

Pasbola: "On the night of 21-22, do you remember where you were?"

Rai in a faraway tone: "Dhyan mein nahin aa raha hai."

Pasbola to Rai, and to the room, almost like it were an existential question: "Kahan tha maloom nahin (Where you were, you didn't know)."

Pasbola: "Were you kept in the lock up? Or the police station?"

Rai flip flopping: "Police station. Shayad (maybe). I don't know whether it was the police station or the lock up."

Pasbola, exaggeratedly: Theek hai, bhai saab (okay, brother)."

2. Rai does not remember how often he was taken out from the police station/lock up or what days he was taken somewhere.

He was sketchy about the order in which he was shown places relating to the crime by the Khar police.

Pasbola: "In these 13, 14 days how many times were you taken out of the police station?"

Rai: "Yaad nahin (I don't remember)."

Pasbola, loudly: "You don't know on which days, what time, kitne baar, yaad nahin (on which days, what time, how many times, don't remember)!"

Rai, meekly: "Yaad nahin (I don't remember)."

Pasbola: "How many times were you taken out of the police station?"

Rai, a faint smile on his face, trying to be accommodating: "That I was taken out I remember, but..."

Judge Jagdale smiled broadly: "He is applying his own logic to answering... Do you remember where the Khar police took you?"

Rai smiling back and always extraordinarily exacting about what he does not know: "Kab kab yaad nahin. Kahan kahan woh yaad hai, Samay nahin maloom nahin (when I don't remember. Where, I do. Time, I don't remember)."

Pasbola: "Barabar, barabar, barabar (correct, correct, correct). Which was the first place? If you don't remember, I will tell you. Aapko madad karta hu (I will help you, mockingly). Which was the first place?"

Judge Jagdale chipped in, repeated the question, slowly, emphasising each word.

Rai: "Dhyan mein nahin aa raha hai"

Pasbola repeated: "Dhyan mein nahin aa raha hai. Koiee vanda nahin (Can't remember? It doesn't matter)."

3. In the last days of his job at INX Media, Rai didn't have any fixed reporting times or a muster to sign or anything specifically to do at the office.

He was relatively unmonitored it appeared. He merely had to show up at that office from his home in Mosambi Tabela, Vakola East, north west Mumbai.

Nor did anyone sign a muster at that office, he said. Towards the end all that was left of the Mukerjeas' INX Media empire was just three of them in that office -- secretary Kajal Sharma, peon Pradeep Waghmare and him.

4. Rai does not recall if he showed the CBI or Khar police the INX office in Thane or the computer at which he sat to talk to Indrani on Skype "5 to 6 baar (times)" where they discussed the upcoming alleged murder (s).

His answer to Pasbola's question on this came unwillingly and haltingly: "Maloom nahin... Yaad nahin..."

5. He did remember the date of the last call with Indrani on Skype: April 19, 2012.

6. When Indrani allegedly asked him on Skype to participate in the murder, Rai doesn't remember feeling particularly scared or finding it unusual.

The way he said it, it was almost as if he did not feel murdering was not part of his driver-ly duties.

Pasbola: "Kabhi darr nahin laga (did you not ever feel scared)?"

Rai, parroted: "Madam bola darna nahin (Madam told me not to be scared)."

Pasbole interrupted and repeated, with a touch of frustration: "AAPKO darr nahin laga (did YOU not ever feel scared)?"

Rai: Mein driver ka naukri karta tha. Mein bola theek hai. Madam bola tumhara kaam hai driver ka... (I am a driver. I said okay, Madam said this is your job as a driver... he paused as the judge looked at him closely) Thoda darr laga (I felt a little fear)."

7. The driver said Indrani never gave him any additional money for helping with this crime. Nor did he ask for it.

Pasbola: "Did you get any money to participate in this murder?"

Rai without hesitation: "No."

Pasbola: "Yeh kaam karne ke liye kuch paisa manga Madam se (to do this job did you ask for any money from Madam)?"

Rai again without pause: "Nahin."

8. When he was taken by the Khar police to see the various crime spots, about which he is also vague, he does not remember if he had a black hood over his head, almost implying that he viewed the spots with his head covered.

Pasbola played being flabbergasted: "Aaakhen khulee thi (were your eyes open)?"

9. Rai still has scant and blurred understanding/memory/concept of either distance or time.

Apart from the standard -- almost thespian -- devices Rai makes use of -- ceiling gazing, looking baffled, popping his eyes as he reflected on a question -- on Monday perhaps because the judge was also helping him along with questions, Rai seemed to don the demeanour of a little boy sitting, unprepared, for his final examination.

He received each question addressed to him a tad fearfully, as if they were all totally out of syllabus, and gradually, by the end of session, had the mournful look of a student who knew he was failing his year.

The last question of the proceedings was about the distance between the National College and the department Amarsons in Bandra.

Since Rai did not know if he had picked up Sheena Bora up from Jockey Exclusive but remembered the pick-up spot was near the National College and Amarsons, Pasbola wanted to ascertain the distance between the two.

Rai again looked bewildered, as if he had just been asked about the speed of light and was certain he was no Einstein.

The judge offered encouragingly, that he should give an approximate answer and not an exact one or "He will take out a measuring tape!" he added with a laugh.

Patil suggested that it did not need to be in "feet."

Pasbola, overcoming an apoplectic moment, said Rai was a driver and should know his distances!

Rai trying to be, or pretending to be reasonable: "Thoda door (not far)."

Pasbola now ballistic: "Thoda door (not far)!!!!!?? Dilli bhi thoda door hai (Delhi is also not far)!"

Finally, Rai was goaded, provoked, incited, prodded, pushed and egged into making a tiny and brave prediction of distance.

He gingerly pointed from himself to the end of the room, close to Peter, but not looking at Peter, indicating the distance between these two Bandra landmarks. Whew!

Peter, who looked much better after his recent illness, and stood taking notes during the hearing, had his sister Shangon in the courtroom.

After a thermos of chai he carried a pack of Subway sandwiches back to prison with him, which his police escort carefully opened up, taking apart the bread, peering methodically inside each sandwich, as if a bullet might jump out of the lettuce.

Sanjeev was still chasing his "CDR" (call data records) and had a long, worried conversation with his lawyer over these records for which he has not been given a copy.

The next hearing given the string of holidays -- Ganesh Chaturthi, the visarjans (immersions), Bakri Eid -- will only be September 4.

EARLIER IN THE TRIAL
Hundreds of residents gathered around Aobao, a cone-shaped mound adorned with ribbons, to offer sacrifice as a routine ritual ceremony held in Urad Middle Banner, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Aug 18.

Aobao ritual is a Mongolian tradition in which they pray to the spirits for peace and a good harvest. During the ceremony, bottles of holy water, milk tea, libation, scriptures, and letters containing prayers are placed on the mound, after which the mound is covered with colorful ribbons.

Originally a landmark for herdsmen navigating the grasslands, Aobao is usually piled with stones, sand and branches. After of the reign of Genghis Khan, Aobao served as a sacred tomb honoring warriors who died during combat, with the swords and axes of martyrs inserted in the mounds peak.

Aobao has gradually become a place for sacrificial offerings where locals pray to the mountain or spirits, as well as their ancestors. Nowadays, people offer corn, meat, fruit and alcohol at Aobao and pray for good weather, a good harvest and good fortune.

The sacrificial rites can be on a small scale or part of a grand ceremony. Some also dress in unique Mongolian-style costumes holding hada, pieces of different colored silk cloth which symbolize different auspicious meanings.

Locals circle around Aobao to pray for happiness at Hailiutu town, Urad Middle Banner, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Aug 18, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]
RSF responds to Morocco's culture and communication ministry

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 18 August 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, RSF responds to Morocco's culture and communication ministry, 18 August 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/599bec744.html [accessed 13 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.

August 18, 2017

RSF responds to Morocco's culture and communication ministry

In response to the Moroccan culture and communication ministry's accusations against Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the press freedom NGO says it stands by the information in its recent press releases about violations of freedom of information in northern Morocco's Rif region. RSF also urges the culture and communication minister to agree to meet with RSF representatives so that they can present its recommendations on the situation of the media in Morocco.

RSF is an international NGO that defends freedom of expression and information and has consultative status with the United Nations. Its mission includes documenting violations of the right to inform worldwide.

RSF's staff and network of local correspondents carefully verify each case before it is reported. With the same discipline and determination to execute its mission properly, RSF has drawn the following issues to the attention of the Moroccan authorities:

The arrest of Hamid El Mahdaoui, the editor of the Badil.info news website in the Rif city of Al-Hoceima on 20 July and his sentence to three months in prison and a fine of 20,000 dirhams (1,800 euros) for "inviting" people to "participate in a banned demonstration." RSF reiterates its call for his release.

The six citizen-journalists - Rif24 website editor Mohamed Al Asrihi, Rif24 photographer Jawad Al Sabiry, Araghi web TV presenter Abd Al Ali Haddou, Rif Press photographer Houssein Al Idrissi, AwarTV Facebook page host Fouad Assaidi and Badil.info reporter Rabiaa Al Ablak - who continue to be held without trial. They were arrested while providing news coverage in the Rif region and, in RSF's view, they have no place behind bars.

The expulsion of three foreign journalists who were covering the Rif unrest. Jose Luis Navazo, the Spanish editor of the Correo Diplomatico online newsletter, and Spanish freelancer Fernando Sanz were expelled within hours of their arrest in July. Jamal Allilat, a visiting reporter for the Algerian newspaper El Watan, was arrested while covering protests in the Al-Hoceima region in May and was sent back to Algeria. RSF's views on the forcible expulsion of foreign journalists have not changed. In our opinion, it clearly violates freedom of information.

The criteria used for granting permits and accreditation to foreign journalists. After seeing repeated cases of foreign journalists getting no reply to their requests for permission to do video reporting in Morocco, RSF continues to urge the Moroccan authorities to clarify the accreditation process and to give clear reasons for a refusal, in order to avoid any ambiguity.

As regards the culture and communication ministry's doubts about RSF's right to defend citizen-journalists, RSF draws the ministry's attention to the UN Human Rights Committee's recent interpretation of article 19 (on freedom of expression and opinion) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

In Point 14 of its General Comment No. 34, the committee urges states to "take particular care to encourage an independent and diverse media" and in Point 44 it emphasizes that "journalism is a function shared by a wide range of actors, including (...) bloggers and others who engage in forms of self-publication in print, on the Internet or elsewhere."

With the aim of discussing these various issues further, RSF contacted Mohamed Ghazali, the culture and communication ministry's secretary-general, on 18 August and requested a meeting with the minister, Mohamed El Aaraj. Pending a response, RSF's staff pay their respects to the minister and secretary-general.

Morocco is ranked 133rd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2017 World Press Freedom Index. The method used to score and rank countries is explained on the RSF website.
Kenya: Authorities should re-register leading human rights NGOs harassed for election monitoring work

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 16 August 2017 Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Kenya: Authorities should re-register leading human rights NGOs harassed for election monitoring work, 16 August 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/599c04b64.html [accessed 13 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.

KENYA: Authorities should re-register leading human rights NGOs harassed for election monitoring work

16/08/2017

Paris-Geneva, August 16, 2017 - One week after the elections, Kenya's NGO Coordination Board de-registers the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) and instructs authorities to restrain their work. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an FIDH- OMCT partnership), denounces this as a retaliation against the involvement of both organisations in monitoring the elections.

On August 14, 2017, three days after the contested official results of the Kenyan elections were announced, the local media leaked a letter in which Mr. Fazul Mohammed, the Executive Director of the NGO Coordination Board, stated that KHRC had been de- registered on grounds of tax evasion, illegal bank accounts and illegal hiring of expatriates. They also requested the Central Bank of Kenya to freeze KHRC's assets and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to recover accrued taxes. This letter has not yet been sent to KHRC.

"KHRC has been at the frontline of human rights work in Kenya. There is no doubt that this is a retaliation of their human rights monitoring of the elections. This is a shameful move that calls again into question the role of the NGO Coordination Board and the need to urgently implement the Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) Act as adopted in 2013" declared Alice Mogwe, FIDH Secretary General.

Ahead of the elections, KHRC and FIDH published a joint report criticising the lack of reforms in the security and judiciary sectors [1]. KHRC has also been vocal in highlighting several concerns about the electoral process and the violence in the aftermath of the electoral results. KHRC and its partners have been considering the option of filing a petition to challenge procedural irregularities in the elections results.

KHRC is regularly harassed by the NGO Coordination Board which has been leading a smear campaign against the organisation on similar baseless grounds since 2015. These same allegations were successfully challenged by KHRC before the High Court in 2015 [2] but this didn't stop the NGO Coordination Board from reviving these matters in late 2016 [3] and now against the backdrop of the just concluded elections.

In addition, on August 15, 2017, the NGO Coordination Board instructed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to immediately shut down AfriCOG, an independent non-profit organisation working on governance and public ethics issues in both the public and private sectors to address the structural causes of the crisis of governance in Kenya, and arrest its directors for allegedly failing to register and operating illegal bank accounts. Recently, AfriCOG had filed a case seeking to compel the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to open up the electoral roll for scrutiny. The case is due to be heard by the High Court on August 17, 2017.

On August 16, 2017, the police and KRA attempted to raid AfriCOG premises in Nairobi but failed after being denied entry over claims that the court order presented was illegal. Shortly after, Mr. Fred Matiang'I, acting Interior Cabinet Secretary, has directed the NGO Coordination Board to suspend any actions against KHRC and AfriCOG pending investigation to review the compliance status of the two organisations.

"The Observatory has strongly urged the Kenyan authorities to protect human rights defenders in this electoral context, but the attacks have increased since the beginning of the election. Kenyan authorities must seriously improve the safety of human rights defenders and put immediately an end to any forms of harassment against civil society", said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and OMCT. The objective of this program is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
Houston, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/22/2017 --All About Bail Bonds is a licensed and insured bail bonds company that offer bail bonds in Houston and other surrounding areas at the lowest rates. The primary look out of the company is to assist their clients' for bringing their loved ones out of jail at the earliest. The company has been providing this service to their clients' for many years now, and they are one reliable source to turn to. Whether it is a felony bond, or a DUI bond or non-arrest bail bonds in Conroe and Sugar Land Texas, All About Bail Bonds takes charge of everything from the beginning. From offering local bonding in Harris and Montgomery Counties to 24/7 mobile bonding in the Houston area, they can take care of it all.



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Vancouver, BC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/22/2017 --According to a new series of reports on the Europe market for laparoscopic devices by iData Research (www.idataresearch.com), the fastest growing market segment is the direct energy market driven by the popularity of advanced bipolar devices. As these devices become more common, electrosurgical generators will also grow as they are necessary for these products. However, the laparoscopic market is fairly mature, with many reusable products that do not need to be replaced too often. This is also the case for the hand instrument segment in Europe.



"Most hand instruments sold in Europe were reusable, with exceptions for scissors and dissectors," explains Jeffrey Wong, Strategic Analyst Manager at iData Research. "While reusable hand instruments have a higher average selling price (ASP), the number of units sold will be limited as they only need to be replaced when damaged or irreparable."



To see the contents of this laparoscopy device market report, please visit idataresearch.com.



There is also a growing trend towards reusable devices in the insufflator, laparoscope and electrosurgical generator device markets. Laparoscopes are reusable and many third-party companies offer repair and refurbishing services, further limiting the growth of the overall market. However, laparoscopic procedures have been growing for the past several years due to the advantages laparoscopic procedures provide such as smaller incisions, less pain and shorter hospital stays, even though procedure times are slightly longer.



The closure devices comprise the largest segment in the European laparoscopic device market. Closure devices include staplers, endosutures and clip appliers. Laparoscopic surgical staplers make up the majority of this segment. Closure devices are a necessity for laparoscopic procedures so they are expected to grow at a proportional rate, accounting for nearly half the market by 2023.



Ethicon is the leading competitor in the European market for laparoscopic devices. A large portion of Ethicon's market share comes from their leading presence in the closure device market. Ethicon also has a strong presence in the ultrasonic market with their HARMONIC line of ultrasonic products.



Medtronic is the second leading competitor in the Europe laparoscopic device market due to a strong presence in the closure device and direct energy device markets. The company's presence in the closure device market comes from their Endo GIA product line of staplers. Medtronic's extensive line of surgical staplers gives them a comparable share to Ethicon. Medtronic's ValleyLab and Endo Dissect product lines are some of the products favored by surgeons.



Additional competitors in the European market for laparoscopic devices include Karl Storz, Olympus, Applied Medical, Richard Wolf, Bayer AG, Stryker, B. Braun, Aesculap, ERBE, LiNA Medical, ConMed, Microline Surgical and Apollo Endosurgery among others.



For Further Information



More on the laparoscopic device market in Europe can be found in a series of reports published by iData entitled the Europe Market Report Suite for Laparoscopy Devices. The full report suite on the Europe market for laparoscopic devices includes laparoscopes, access devices, hand instruments, insufflation devices, suction-irrigation systems, direct energy devices, ultrasonic energy devices, hand-assisted devices, closure devices, gastric bands and laparoscopic morcellators.



The iData series on the market for laparoscopy devices covers the U.S. and 15 countries in Europe including Germany, France, the United Kingdom (U.K.), Italy, Spain, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), Scandinavia (Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway), Portugal, Austria and Switzerland. Reports provide a comprehensive analysis including units sold, procedure numbers, market value, forecasts, as well as detailed competitive market shares and analysis of major players' success strategies in each market and segment. To find out more about laparoscopy device market data or procedure data, register online or email us at info@idataresearch.net for a Europe Market Report Suite for Laparoscopy Devices brochure and synopsis.



About iData Research

iData Research (www.idataresearch.com) is an international market research and consulting firm, dedicated to providing the best in business intelligence for the medical device industry. Our research empowers our clients by providing them with the necessary tools to achieve their goals and do it right the first time. iData covers research in: Laparoscopy, Urology, Gynecology, Endoscopy, Orthopedic Trauma, Large & Small Joints, Orthopedic Soft Tissue, Orthopedic Biomaterials, Orthopedic Soft Tissue Reinforcement and Regeneration, Vascular Access, Spinal Implants and VCF, Spinal MIS, Wound Management, Dental Operatory Equipment, Dental Material, Dental Lasers, Dental Prosthetics, Dental CAD/CAM, Dental Bone Graft Substitutes, Ultrasound, X-Ray Imaging, Diagnostic Imaging, Oncology, Ophthalmics, Interventional Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Electrophysiology, Operating Room Equipment, Surgical Microscopes, Robotics and Surgical Navigation, Anesthesiology and more.



We have built a reputation and earned our clients' trust based on consistent and uniquely intelligent research that allows our customers to make confident decisions and impact their businesses. A combination of market expertise and over a decade of experience has resulted in a deep understanding of the medical device industry that has inspired innovation and propelled our clients to success.
Body cameras for the Mooresville Police Department have arrived. Find out when they will be used.
To understand why it took a while to get to this point, consider the solar panel. Weve had this clever device since Bell Labs produced the first model in 1954. Those panels lost 94 percent of the solar energy in conversion and were incredibly expensive to produce, which meant that they didnt find many uses on planet Earth. In space, however, they were essential. Buzz Aldrin deployed a solar panel on the moon not long after Apollo 11 touched down.

Improvements in efficiency and drops in price came slowly for the next few decades. (Ronald Reagan, you may recall, took down the solar panels Jimmy Carter had installed atop the White House.) But in 1998, with climate fears on the rise, a close election in Germany left the Social Democrats in need of an alliance with the Green Party. The resulting coalition government began moving the country toward renewable energy.

As German demand for solar panels and wind turbines grew, factories across China learned to make the panels ever more cheaply and the price of panels began to plummet, a freefall that continues to this day. Germany now has days where half its power is generated by the sun. In 2017, solar or wind power wins most competitive bids for electric supply: India just announced the closure of dozens of coal mines and the cancellation of plans for new coal-fired generating stations because the low cost of solar power was undercutting fossil fuel. Even in oil-rich Abu Dhabi, free power from the sun is impossible to resist, and massive arrays are going up amidst the oil fields.

One person who noticed the falling prices and improving technology early on was Mark Jacobson, director of Stanford Universitys Atmosphere and Energy Program. In 2009, his team published a series of plans showing how the United States could generate all its energy from the sun, the wind and the falling water that produces hydropower. Two years later, Jacobson and a crew of co-conspiratorsincluding actor Mark Ruffalolaunched the Solutions Project to move the idea out of academic journals and into the real world. The group has since published detailed plans for most of the planets countries. If you want to know how many acres of south-facing roof you can find in Alabama or how much wind blows across Zimbabwe, these are the folks to ask.

With each passing quarter, the 100 percent target is becoming less an aspirational goal and more the obvious solution. Hell, I spent the spring in some of the poorest parts of Africa where peoplefor the daily price of enough kerosene to fill a single lampwere installing solar panels and powering up TVs, radios and LED bulbs. If you can do it in Germany and Ghana, you can do it in Grand Rapids and Gainesville.

Even 72 percent of Republicans want to accelerate the development of clean energy. That explains why, for example, the Sierra Club is finding dramatic success with its #ReadyFor100 campaign, which lobbies cities to commit to 100 percent renewable. Sure, the usual suspects, such as Berkeley, Calif., were quick to sign on. But by early summer the U.S. Conference of Mayors had endorsed the drive, and leaders were popping up in unexpected places. Columbia, S.C., Mayor Steve Benjamin put it this way: Its not merely an option now; its imperative.

Environmental groups from the Climate Mobilization to Greenpeace to Food and Water Watch are backing the 100 percent target, differing mainly on how quickly we must achieve the transition, with answers ranging from one decade to around three. The right answer, given the state of the planet, is 25 years ago. The second best: as fast as is humanly possible. That means, at least in part, as fast as government can help make it happen. The market will make the transition naturally over time (free sunlight and wind is a hard proposition to beat), but time is the one thing we havent got, so subsidies, hard targets and money to help spread the revolution to the poorest parts of the world are all crucial.

Thats why its so significant that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in April to propose the first federal 100 percent bill. It wont pass Congress this yearbut as a standard to shape the Democratic Party agenda in 2018 and 2020, its critically important.

Congress, however, is not the only legislative body that matters in America. Earlier this year, for instance, the California State Senate passedby a 2-1 margina bill that would take the worlds sixth-largest economy to 100 percent renewable by 2045. Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown, in a bid to recreate the spirit of the Paris climate talks, invited the worlds sub-national leadersgovernors, mayors, regional administratorsto a San Francisco conference in September 2018.

Look, its up to you and its up to me and tens of millions of other people to get it together, Brown said, as he invited the world to his gathering.

Thats not to say that this fight is going to be easy. Fossil fuel corporations know theyre not the future, yet theyre determined to keep us stuck in the past. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, for example, recently ordered a study that, as Democratic senators have pointed out, is a thinly disguised attempt to promote less economic electric generation technologies, such as coal by trying to show that intermittent sources of power such as sun and wind make the grid unreliable.
Villagers from southwestern Cambodia's Koh Kong province clash with security forces outside the land management ministry in Daun Penh district of Phnom Penh, Aug. 22, 2017.

About 100 villagers from southwestern Cambodias Koh Kong province clashed on Tuesday with security forces in Phnom Penh during a protest over a decade-long land dispute with two sugar companies, a spokesmen for the residents said.

The villagers travelled from Chikhor commune in Sre Ambel district and from Botum Sakor district in Koh Kong to the countrys capital to protest what they called land grabs by the Koh Kong Sugar Industry Company Ltd. and Koh Kong Plantation Company Ltd. that took place in 2006, said Phav Nheung, representing the villagers.

Several sustained minor injuries after clashing with security forces in Daun Penh district while demonstrating in front of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, she said.

The villagers accuse the companies of encroaching on their farmland over the past decade and not providing them adequate compensation for land taken for the production of sugar exported to the United States.

Phav Nheung told reporters that the villagers were protesting at the ministry because authorities in Koh Kong have not honored pledges to resolve the dispute and that Pal Chandaram, chairman of the Council of Ministers, as Cambodias Cabinet is known, suggested they seek the intervention of the land ministry to try to speed up the process.

After the villagers waited a long time for a chance to address Minister Chea Sophara who did not appear, they decided to block the street in front of the building, prompting the clash with security forces, Phav Nheung said.

We have no other options, she said. Thats why we blocked the street, but all to no avail. We are very desperate now. No one appears to be able to help us.

We have been mistreated by the members of the security forces, authorities, and the police, she said. But we will go to [Prime Minister] Hun Sens home again to seek help. Our land is our life. When they take our land, they take our life.

The villagers said they have been in the possession of the disputed land since 1979.

The Cambodian government granted an economic land concession to the two sugar companies  both jointly owned by the Thai company Khon Kaen Sugar Industry Public Co. Ltd., Taiwanese food and beverage company Ve Vong Corp., and Cambodian Senator Ly Yong Phat, a ruling party legislator and prominent businessman from Koh Kong province  in August 2006.

Today they are 80 percent owned by the Thai sugar company and 20 pecent owned by Ve Vong Corp., according to information on the companies website.

At the time, thousands of villagers said they were violently thrown off their land and forcibly relocated to make room for the companies sugar cane plantation. They argued that the land transfer was illegal because they were never consulted prior to the granting of the concession.

No meeting with the minister

Mao Chhav, a resident of Prek Chik village in Chikhor commune, told RFAs Khmer Service that she lost eight hectares (20 acres) of land which she had cleared and used for the past 20 years.

I have used that land since my child was very young, she said. My husband and I have worked so hard to clear the land for use. He had to save his meager soldiers salary to pay some people to help us clear the land. We feel so bad that the company has stolen this land from us.

Other villagers at the protest in Phnom Penh said they were waiting for an opportunity to address Chea Sophara, because they had previously met with other officials who failed to resolve the issue.

They were finally allowed to meet with Seng Loth, the ministrys spokesman, who assured them that officials were looking into the matter, villager Yi Kunthea said.

The villagers are among 125 families from four communes in Sre Ambel and Botum Sakor districts who accuse the company of illegally appropriating more than 500 hectares (1,236 acres) of farmland.

They said they have traveled to Phnom Penh on other occasions to protest, but to no avail.

The villagers also said that their next protest will be outside Hun Sens house, where they have demonstrated once before.

A year ago, about 70 villagers from Koh Kong province delivered petitions to the Cambodian government and European Union to lodge complaints about alleged land grabbing by the two companies, Voice of America reported.

According to information on the sugar companies website, the two firms employ more than 800 staff during the high season, of whom 92 percent are Cambodians, and provide assistance to cane growers in the area surrounding the concession.

The last news release the companies issued on their efforts to address the land dispute with villagers is dated July 2015, when they held a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, with representatives from Cambodias Community Legal Education Center and the Koh Kong villagers legal advisers.

An agreement in principle is reached amongst the meeting participants, but the execution is pending the authorization from the villagers and the consent from the Royal Government of Cambodia, the news release said.

Reported by Maly Leng for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday vowed to shut down English-language newspaper the Cambodia Daily if it does not pay millions of U.S. dollars in alleged back taxes, prompting the papers owner to call for an investigation into the charges.



On Aug. 5, government-aligned Fresh News published a leaked letter sent by the Ministry of Economy and Finance to the Daily, claiming it owed the government U.S. $6.3 million in back taxes and interest, dating back 10 years. Kong Vibol, director of the ministrys General Department of Taxation, noted over the weekend that the paper was fast approaching a Sept. 4 deadline to pay the debt or face foreclosure.



The targeting of the Daily appears to be part of a larger crackdown prompted by Hun Sens recommendation at an Aug. 5 cabinet meeting that government agencies investigate alleged back taxes owed by media outlets and civil society organizations.



Speaking at an environmental forum in the capital Phnom Penh on Tuesday, Hun Sen called the Dailys leadership thieves who had stolen from the country by refusing to pay their debts.



Now they are trying to make the issue sound like it is politically motivated, he said.



They are thieves, yet they are teaching us how to respect the laws. If they want to continue to exist, they shall pay the tax. If they fail to do so, they shall have to pack and leave.



In an emailed response to Hun Sens comments, Cambodia Daily owner Deborah Krisher-Steele said her company was following the tax law impeccably and demanded an explanation of why the General Tax Department believes it is in arrears.



Normally when a company or individual disagrees, the process of an audit begins where a review and re-examination of the financials are conducted, she said, adding that this is [the] legal right of every taxpayer in Cambodia.



However we have been denied that right of process and the tax department and Hun Sen have demanded we pay the arbitrary amount of U.S. $6.1 million within 30 days (so far without providing any proof or documentation) and have threatened that if we don't pay it, they will seize our bank accounts.



The Cambodia Daily has made charitable contributions of U.S. $39 million in helping to build schools and hospitals around the country, she said, adding that the donations should be deductible, according to Cambodias tax law.



Krisher-Steele also suggested that Kong Vibol had violated Article 94 of the Law on Taxation by leaking information about her companys taxes to the public and questioned whether Hun Sen would enforce the law, under which those found in breach can be jailed and fined.



This is a chance for Hun Sen to show his leadership and prove that he is capable of running his agencies competently and that there is no political motive behind the move to shut down The Cambodia Daily, she said.



If he wishes the people in Cambodia to have confidence in its tax system, he needs to show that his officials at the tax department follow their own laws and act fairly, she added.



Hun Sen can stop the shutdown of the Cambodia Daily and allow us a fair legal process. If at the end of the process, it is determined that we owe taxes, then we will pay [them]. However, he must first allow us the right to that process.



The Cambodia Daily was founded in 1993 by U.S. reporter Bernard Krisher to assist in the development of journalism in Cambodia as the country embraced democracy. In April, he sold the paper to Bernard Krisher Jimusho Co. Ltd., a company owned by Krisher-Steele, his daughter.



RFA and Voice of America were also recently mentioned in a Ministry of Economy letter questioning whether they had paid back taxes or were licensed by the Ministry of Information.



Situation room



Also on Tuesday, Hun Sen slammed election-monitoring group the Situation Room for receiving foreign funding and vowed to prevent the already disbanded grouping of Cambodian NGOs from ever operating again in Cambodia.



Speaking at the forum, Hun Sen accused the Situation Roomwhich questioned the fairness of commune polls held on June 4of planning to topple the government and chastised EU Ambassador George Edgar for representing foreign governments that fund the group.



What are foreigners here for? I shall never allow the Situation Room to exist again, Hun Sen said.



Your Excellency Edgar, you and your people are the ones who fund the Situation Room. The Situation Room is no different from a military control center. Why was it established in Cambodia in the first place? My Minister of Interior shall never allow it to exist anymore.



The prime minister warned that the source of funding for the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL)one of the organizations that made up the Situation Roomwill also soon come under scrutiny by the government.



Kan Savang, COMFRELs coordinator of election observers, said the government may have misunderstood the purpose of his organizations activities, noting that COMFREL had no ill intentions in creating the Situation Room.



He called for dialogue between Cambodias civil society organizations and the government.



Following Cambodias June commune polls, the Situation Room applauded improved election management, but noted significant restrictions on political freedom and limits to fairness.



It assessed that the conduct of the election campaign and electoral dispute resolution need to be improved and noted that significant irregularities or issues occurred prior to the election which established a context that negatively impacted the fairness of the vote.



Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years, suggested at the time that the Situation Room and other detractors would only call [an election] free if they could have free access to the Prime Ministers house to kill him right on the spot.



The prime ministers ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) won Junes commune elections, but the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) received nearly 44 percent of all votes to the CPPs 51 percent, in an outcome that many see as a bellwether for next years ballot.



Reported by Chandara Yang for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have criminally detained a poet after he compiled an anthology to commemorate late Nobel peace laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo, who died last month of liver cancer in police custody.



Wu Minglang, 49, known by his pen-name Langzi, was detained in Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou on Aug. 18 on suspicion of "illegal business activity."



A copy of his initial statement showed that he was interviewed by "law enforcement from the Haizhu District State Administration for Press and Publications, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT).



"It is our intention to begin an investigation based on your suspected violation of rules and regulations pertaining to publications," the officer told Wu. "Do you understand?"



"I understand," Wu replied, according to the record, before giving his name, date and city of birth.



"They detained him using charges of illegal business activity," Independent Chinese PEN co-founder Bei Ling told RFA on Tuesday. "It is clear that the Chinese government doesn't want to see any poems commemorating Liu Xiaobo ... published."



'Writer of conscience'



Fellow poet Meng Lang, who had been working on plans for the same anthology alongside Wu, said he is a "writer of conscience."



"In early July, I started to gather together an anthology with the help of my friends who are writers and poets," Meng said. "Langzi was among those who took part."



"Langzi has since been detained because he helped with the editing selection of the poems, as well as writing a poem himself to commemorate Liu Xiaobo," he said.



Meng said he believes the anthology is entirely appropriate, given that Liu was a writer who also wrote poetry.



"The government should encourage this, not suppress it," he said.



A friend of Wu's who asked to remain anonymous said the authorities had yet to issue any formal notification of Wu's detention, however.



"I haven't seen the notification of criminal detention yet because they haven't made it public," the friend said. "I think this has to do with Liu Xiaobo."



Gong Xinhua in an undated photo. Credit: RFA listener Rights activist detained



Meanwhile, authorities in the eastern province of Jiangxi have detained rights activist Gong Xinhua on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble, his friends told RFA.



"They said he is being held under criminal detention ... I heard he was detained in Guangzhou and brought back from there," Zhang Zanning said.



Another associate of Gong's surnamed Yang said he had hoped to find a job in the city.



"I called the police station and they said he is under criminal detention, but that they were planning to have him diagnosed with a mental health problem," he said. "The results of the psychiatric examination aren't out yet, and they haven't sent him to the psychiatric unit yet."



But online posts said Gong is being targeted by the authorities for advocating a more democratic form of government online.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Theres been a lot happening in Richmond dining lately, so lets just dive in.

The Daily Kitchen & Bars second location in the GreenGate shopping center is now open.

The restaurant, which was announced in November 2015, joins a list of popular eateries in the Short Pump-area development, including Red Salt Chophouse & Sushi and Mellow Mushroom.

The Daily is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

***

In Carytown, Good Leaf Salad Market, which serves salad, soup and other house-made items, opened in July at 2925 W. Cary St.

The restaurant, led in the kitchen by Executive Chef Walter Ellerbe and owned by Charles Ellen, offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals sourced from produce and dairy products at peak freshness from farms in Virginia, according to a news release.

The Good Leaf menu features a selection of signature salads, including Cobb on Cary, Poached Pear and Goat Cheese, and Green Grain & Ham. Along with a create-your-own-salad option.

Good Leaf is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

***

Richmond Wine Station has opened its doors in Scotts Addition at 2930 W. Broad St. According to its website, 64 wines are available on site for either tasting or a full glass. Its wine shop allows customers to purchase any of the wines.

For those patrons not interested in wine, Richmond Wine Station also has eight craft beers on tap. It offers outdoor seating and light food to go with its wines.

The Richmond Wine Station is now open daily, from 3 to 11 p.m.

***

Wingstop chicken wings restaurant is also now open at 4004 Meadowdale Blvd. in Chesterfield County.

Wingstop has more than 1,000 locations worldwide. It offers bone-in and boneless wings in 11 flavors, including Original Hot, Atomic, Hawaiian and Louisiana Rub.

***

Of course, theres more  Kreggers Tap and Table at 9523 Kings Charter Drive in Ashland is opening a second location in the Fan District.

The new spot will be at 2614 W. Cary St. between Robinson and Mulberry streets.

Like its sister location in Ashland, the Fan Kreggers will serve approachable American fare, such as burgers, sandwiches, prime rib tacos, steaks and salads. Most menu items are priced in the low-teens and there are usually discounted specials during the week.

Owner Craig Eberle said the new spot will be open later and feature opening windows instead of the garage doors for which the current Kreggers is known. Eberle said the new location will, however, feature a patio as the first does.

The current Kreggers offers about 24 different beers. Eberle said that a tentative goal for the second location is to try to expand to 50 beers offered at the second.

We try to make our menu and beer selection fairly selective for the area were in, Eberle said.

Eberle also said that there are tentative plans to open a third Kreggers location about a year after the second opens before expanding across Virginia.

The Fan District Kreggers is expected to open in mid-December  and it may not be the only restaurant to come to that block, where Acacia mid-town is located.
You cant say we werent forewarned.

In 1866, Robert E. Lee rejected the idea of a monument in his honor. And three years later, in declining an invitation to a Gettysburg battlefield commemoration because of prior engagements, he wrote: I think it wiser, moreover, not to keep open the sores of war but to follow the examples of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, to commit to oblivion the feelings engendered.

Clearly, not enough people listened. The Lee monument was unveiled on Monument Avenue in 1890 during a period that would come to be known as the Nadir because of the lynchings, legalized segregation and voter suppression of Americas black citizens.

The Lee monument drew the heated opposition of John Mitchell Jr., a Richmond city councilman and the owner and editor of the African-American newspaper The Richmond Planet. The statue, he wrote, will ultimately result in handing down to generations unborn a legacy of treason and blood.

Many generations later, that legacy was evident in Charlottesville, where purveyors of racial hatred and anti-Semitism cloaked themselves in Confederate and Nazi symbols. On tolerance, we are backsliding into a 21st-century nadir, a creeping darkness that threatens to eclipse all the progress weve made.

The relative youth of many of the white supremacists on display was startling.

For too long, we have equivocated and rationalized the meaning of stately Monument Avenue, a National Historic Landmark whose centerpieces are towering symbols of white supremacy.

In establishing a monument commission, Mayor Levar Stoney tried to keep the removal of these statues off the table. That position became untenable after Heather Heyer was killed in Charlottesville when a car plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters there to oppose the white nationalists.

As other cities move decisively on Confederate monuments in the aftermath, Richmond no longer has the luxury of moderation. If Nazis and the Klan are rallying to preserve these monuments, folks should no longer delude themselves about what these symbols stand for. This stigma can no longer be concealed by a coat of revisionism or romanticism.

Monument Avenue must be reinvented.

On Monday, Westhampton-area resident Nadja Gutowski proposed via email to members of the mayors Monument Avenue Commission that the street be reimagined as a place to help Richmond heal through powerful expressive public art.

Gutowski brings knowledge to this debate through her experience as a public relations director for the Virginia Historical Society and marketing communications manager for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington.

She also did marketing and communications plans for the American Civil War Museum (now the American Civil War Center).

She believes the monuments should be moved or removed. Toward that end, she proposes the creation of a diverse panel of arts professionals and artists representing museums, universities and the advertising community.

This panel would be tasked with raising funds to commission high-quality international works of art and/or to create funding for interpretive exhibit spaces. This arts commission for Monument Avenue would be created without regard to political cronyism but based on expertise and experience, she wrote.

She recommends that the commission consider the creation of a changing exhibit space on Monument Avenue and/or elsewhere to display works by local artists and art students to interpret the history of Richmond, including the Confederacy, slavery and the citys class and racial divisions.

Richmond has the opportunity to create a new Monument Avenue with public art that releases deep healing, creates new meaning, and inspires unity. A rebirth, she wrote. Allow Richmonds art community to lead the way.

Richmonds creative community has been at the forefront of an RVA resurgence that has transformed our reputation from hidebound to hip. I love the idea, especially the fundraising element of it. Our school buildings are in deplorable shape, and Richmond will never be awash in cash. What happens on Monument would have to be largely driven by private resources.

Im not blind to the aesthetic appeal of Monument Avenue. But the street is a repository of open wounds, tainted by the ugly spirit of a nation founded to perpetuate slavery.

I see no easy cure. The street is too expansive to provide the sort of historical context that the American Civil War Center, Hollywood Cemetery or the state Capitol could provide.

Yes, Monument Avenue would lose a piece of its personality and prestige, at least for a while. But trust me: We are moving to a place in time where the presence of enormous Confederate monuments on a main drag of a city will not only cease to be an asset, but will become a liability.

When descendants of Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis call for the removal of Confederate statues or say theyre fine with the idea, we should realize theres no turning back. If Richmond stands like a stone wall against removal, we will solidify our status as an anachronism  a place that could have seized a moment but instead clung to a morally deficient status quo.

Today, we have millennials waving Confederate flags, giving Hitler salutes and spewing hate against blacks and Jews. We talk a lot about preserving history, but too many of us have learned precious little from it.

The argument that we cant change history is flat wrong. Changing history is exactly what those statues were designed to do, and they twisted and distorted the narrative as effectively as any internet bot. Losers became winners; an indefensible cause, glorious.

In Richmond, many of us have become comfortably numb about the monuments. The longer you live in the shadow of a lie, obliterating your sense of outrage or empathy, the more difficult the truth becomes to discern.

But as Charlottesville shows, this is no longer a debate about the past, if it ever was. In our politics, our race and class disparities, and the persistence of hate and bigotry, we are living the unresolved legacy that Mitchell cited.

We must not double down on a mistake. Now is the time for Monument Avenue to experience a rebirth as a boulevard beautiful in both substance and spirit.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  Anger boiled over at the first Charlottesville City Council meeting since a white nationalist rally in the city descended into violent chaos, with some residents screaming and cursing at council members Monday night and calling for their resignations.

Scores of people packed the councils chambers, and The Daily Progress reported that Mayor Mike Signer was interrupted by shouting several times in the first few minutes of the meeting.

As tensions escalated, the meeting was halted. Live video showed protesters standing on a dais with a Blood on your hands sign.

After talking with members of the crowd, Councilman Wes Bellamy said the council would drop its agenda and focus on the crowds concerns, The Daily Progress reported.

Speakers, some yelling and hurling profanities, then took turns addressing the council, some expressing frustration that leaders had granted a permit for the Aug. 12 rally that had turned violent. Others criticized the police response to the event, which drew hundreds of white nationalists and other counterprotesters.

The two sides clashed violently in the street that day, largely uninterrupted by authorities, until the event was declared an unlawful assembly and the crowd was forced to disperse. Later, a car rammed into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a woman and injuring 19 others. The death toll for the day climbed to three when a helicopter that had been monitoring the event and assisting with the governors motorcade crashed, killing two Virginia State Police troopers.

The event, dubbed Unite the Right, was sparked by the citys decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Neither a city spokeswoman nor a Charlottesville police spokesman immediately responded to questions from The Associated Press about reports that three people were arrested Monday.

At one point, the crowd chanted: Signer must go.

Elsewhere in Charlottesville, dozens of students rallied Monday night at the University of Virginia in rejection of the violence. Video of the event streamed by The Daily Progress showed students marching on the stately grounds of Virginias flagship public university.
WASHINGTON Ten days ago in Charlottesville, a driver mowed down peaceful protesters and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer. The act was reminiscent of recent terrorist attacks across Europe committed in the name of the Islamic State, which has urged followers to use vehicles to kill enemies.

As far as we know, the alleged killer in Charlottesville didnt get instructions from the Islamic State. As far as we know, he didnt even receive marching orders from any of the neo-Nazi groups with which he sympathized.

But he also didnt need to turn to either of these factions for inspiration. He could just have easily have gotten the idea from a Republican state legislature.

This year, Republican lawmakers in at least six states have proposed bills designed to protect drivers who strike protesters. The first bill was introduced in North Dakota in January, and similar bills have since come under consideration in North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas and Rhode Island.

They were joined by other states trying to discourage protests  typically relating to Black Lives Matter, the Dakota Access Pipeline or other left-leaning causes  that sometimes obstruct traffic.

The North Dakota bill would shield drivers from civil and criminal liability. The bills sponsor, state Rep. Keith Kempenich, perversely suggested that shielding drivers who kill protesters was a necessary anti-terrorism measure.

Protesters who blocked cars were committing an intentional act of intimidation  the definition of terrorism, he told the Los Angeles Times.

Right-wing websites and at least one well-known conservative commentator more gleefully advocated running over protesters, including by sharing a viral video montage titled Heres a Reel of Cars Plowing Through Protesters Trying to Block the Road.

I wonder: Did the Republican politicians and pundits who backed these measures believe too few protesters were getting hit by cars?

If not, what did they think would happen when they encouraged drivers to use their vehicles as a weapon against the public?

Because thats exactly what these bills do.

The bills all include language about how drivers who injure or kill protesters must have done so unintentionally or while exercising due care if they wish to be spared liability. (Hitting protesters intentionally, as the Charlottesville driver appears to have done, could still make one subject to civil and criminal liability.) Even so, the foreseeable effect of passing laws like these would be to change the calculus for any frustrated driver considering whether to plow through a crowd of protesters.

Economists tend to think about decisions in terms of expected costs and benefits. By lowering the expected costs to the driver, these proposed laws would tilt the balance in favor of hitting people.

And not just any people. Protesters specifically.

In five of the six states where bills were introduced, the legislation would shield drivers who hit protesters or demonstrators only. Drivers who kill pedestrians who are not out exercising their First Amendment rights would still be subject to the usual criminal and civil liabilities.

In other words, the purpose of these proposals was to make acts of protest, and acts of protest alone, more lethal.

So far none of these bills has made it into law.

Already, though, white supremacists have latched on to the rhetoric behind these bills to excuse Heyers death. In Vice News Tonights chilling Charlottesville documentary, neo-Nazi Christopher Cantwell said her murder was more than justified because the driver was provoked by stupid animals who attacked and then couldnt just get out of the way because they werent paying attention.

Surely the whataboutists will claim the lefts angry resistance rhetoric encouraged someone to attempt to murder Republican legislators. To be clear, that act was also evil. There is, however, no comparison between mean words and changing the law to indemnify people who kill others in a highly specific way.

As Ive previously argued, theres plenty of blame to dump on President Trump for emboldening white supremacists and for encouraging violence against peaceful protesters. But to treat him as an aberration in encouraging violence against protesters  in particular, liberals and people of color  is flat wrong.

The moral rot in the Republican Party runs deep.

Maybe the state legislators who introduced these bills are malevolent, and maybe theyre just morons. In politics, I tend to err on the side of the latter explanation. Either way, they advocated reckless bills whose foreseeable consequence would be increased vehicular killings.

These politicians are not fit to serve the public, in any level of government.

Residents of North Dakota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas and Rhode Island: Look these goons up and vote them out.
When Baltimore removed four Confederate-era statues between midnight and dawn Wednesday, a former president of the Maryland United Daughters of the Confederacy grumbled, Rats run at night.

But Carolyn Billups conceded she was glad an angry mob hadnt torn down the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument the Maryland Daughters erected in 1903, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Earlier, a Confederate statue in Durham, N.C., was lassoed, pulled down, kicked and spat upon.

In the wake of the deadly violence in Charlottesville , Richmond is rethinking whether to remove the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue. Other Southern cities are taking similar actions and renaming Confederate schools and highways.

The rally in Charlottesville was ostensibly to protest removing the statue of Robert E. Lee in a city park but actually was a way for hatemongers to hurt others, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said, and for them to gain worldwide attention and recruits.

Heather Heyer, 32, lost her life when a Nazi sympathizer allegedly drove his car into a crowd of peaceful counter-protesters.

President Donald Trump alienated almost everyone but David Duke, former imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, when he blamed both sides  white nationalists and counter-protesters  for the violence and criticized efforts to remove Confederate monuments. Some very fine people were at the white supremacist rally, he said.

Trump on Thursday denied he had said there was a moral equivalence between white nationalist protesters and counter-protesters. He also tweeted hes sad to see the history and culture of our great country ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments.

Tweet by tweet, Trump is building a wall  not on the border but between himself and most Americans.

A president should inspire and lead, but Trump has made himself almost irrelevant on moral questions of the day. The two living former Republican presidents were so alarmed by Trumps comments they felt obliged to remind Americans of our shared values.

America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms, Presidents George W. and George H.W. Bush said in their joint statement Wednesday.

As we pray for Charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that citys most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: We are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights, the Bushes said.

Groups like the UDC and Sons of Confederate Veterans have relied for years on the argument that Confederate monuments represent their heritage, not hate, but they have not spoken out forcefully enough against those who have appropriated their heroes and symbols.

The bishops of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia wrote in a letter to parishioners last week:

Many Americans lovingly cling to their heritage, which provides them with pride and identity. Some suggest that the white people who gathered to protest in Charlottesville were there to proclaim and protect Southern heritage. However, Nazi and fascist flags, symbols, salutes, slogans and uniforms are not and never have been part of the heritage and history of the American South.

What Trump did not say, corporate leaders did.

Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville. I believe the president should have been  and still needs to be  unambiguous about that point, Denise Morrison, president and chief executive of Campbells Soup, said in her statement resigning from Trumps Manufacturing Jobs Initiative.

Republicans have been reluctant to confront Trump by name, but House Speaker Paul Ryan said there can be no moral ambiguity when it comes to the repulsive ideology of white supremacy.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida fired off a series of tweets that began: The organizers of events which inspired & led to Charlottesville terrorist attack are 100% to blame for a number of reasons.

Whats next? Removing the Confederate monuments is a first step, but it will take more to heal the nation. It will take all of us.

You need to find in your heart that spark of accountability, Susan Bro, Heyers mom, said at her daughters memorial service. What is there that I can do to make the world a better place? What injustice do I see?
Eclipse glasses had their day in the sun on Monday, but those special safety filters could be useful for students in the path of future solar eclipses around the world.

The group Astronomers Without Borders plans to help gather Americas unneeded eclipse glasses and redistribute them abroad.

Look for an updated story once the collection details are announced, but the group asks that people do not mail glasses directly to the organizations office.

In the meantime, keep your eclipse glasses in a drawer if youre inclined to participate.

The glasses  which were increasingly hard to find in local stores over the past week  will still be safe to reuse in the next few years as long as they arent scratched or damaged.

For Mondays eclipse, NASA was warning against using viewing glasses that were more than 3 years old.

The next total solar eclipse on Earth will happen on July 2, 2019, but most of the path of totality will be over the southern Pacific and southern Atlantic Ocean.

People in parts of Chile and Argentina will see the totality, but much of South America will be able to witness a partial solar eclipse.

It will be followed by an annular solar eclipse through southern Asia on Dec. 26, 2019. The moon will be too distant to completely block the sun on that day, but it will look like a glowing ring along a narrow path through parts of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Nearly 2.5 billion people in surrounding countries would be able to see a partial eclipse.

Americas next total solar eclipse is seven years away, on April 8, 2024. That path of totality will begin in Mexico and then track through cities that include Austin and Dallas in Texas, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo, N.Y., then northern New England and eastern Canada.

The western U.S. will be treated to an annular eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, between Oregon and Texas, and that shadow will keep going southeast through Central America and Brazil.

Learn more about the mission and programs of Astronomers Without Borders on the groups website, Astronomers WithoutBorders.org.
Modern Healthcare magazine has named Carilion Clinic CEO Nancy Howell Agee as the 23rd most influential person in healthcare.

Its humbling to be included among such visionary leaders in Modern Healthcares list. My story is really the story of the thousands of dedicated health care workers Ive had the privilege of working with during the course of my career," Agee said in a statement. "Recognition like this never truly does justice to the countless people who work behind the scenes to take care of the patients in our community. They have my enduring gratitude.

Agee, last year, just made the cut for the magazines 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. She rose 77 places on the 2017 list, which corresponds with her growing influence on national health care policy.

She is president-elect of the American Hospital Association and has been involved in advancing hospitals viewpoint in Congressional discussions regarding the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act. The hospital association represents about 5,000 hospitals and health care systems, and 43,000 individuals.

Modern Healthcare bills itself as the industrys leading source of health care news. It accepts nominations for influential people in six categories -- provider, insurers, quality, associations, policy and research and suppliers and vendors  and then offers 300 names on a ballot.

The magazine named three Republican senators  Maines Susan Collins, Alaskas Lisa Murkowski and Arizonas John McCain  as 2017s most influential people for breaking ranks with their party and playing a pivotal role in changing the direction of the health care debate.

Agee also serves as chair of the Virginia Business Council and serves on boards with the Coalition to Protect Americas Health Care, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Virginia Tech Foundation, Virginia Business Higher Education Council, Healthcare Realty, Roanoke Gas Co., HomeTown Bank and GO Virginia.

She began her career as a nurse and moved into administrative roles. She was named CEO an president of Carilion in 2011 as it was transforming from a collection of seven hospitals and primary care practices into an integrated health care system.

This is Nancys second year on the list, and it recognizes her tireless efforts in our own community, in addition to the substantial contributions she makes to local, regional and national conversations on health care, wrote board chairman James Hartley in a message to Carilion employees. I know I speak for all of us when I say, we are go glad Nancy is engaged at the highest levels in our nations health care debate.

Nancys  and Carilions  star is rising on the national stage," he said. "The work Carilions employees do each day continues to be recognized in the industry. That reputation has enabled the organization to continue to build strong partnerships and attract high-caliber employees.
The Hotel Roanoke quietly removed a portrait of Robert E. Lee last week as controversy swirled around Confederate symbols and artifacts across Virginia.

The move came after Gov. Terry McAuliffe called for Confederate monuments to be taken down in the wake of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville earlier this month that left one person dead.

In a written statement on Monday, the hotel cited an ongoing remodel as the reason for removing the portrait. But Virginia Tech Foundation CEO John Dooley said that current events were a factor in the decision. The foundation owns the hotel. The Lee portrait is owned by the Historical Society of Western Virginia and is back with that organization.

Dooley said he was personally concerned that the portrait might be vandalized because of controversy surrounding Confederate symbols. He said he was also concerned about protecting the hotel itself and its reputation as a cultural center of Southwest Virginia.

I take very seriously the stewardship responsibilities of the items, Dooley said. But also the stewardship of this treasure that is the Hotel Roanoke.

Dooley said he and multiple officials at Virginia Tech and from Roanoke discussed removing the portrait late last week after he was asked about its future by a Roanoke Times reporter Thursday. He declined to name those officials.

Dooley, and an official statement from a hotel spokesman, said that renovations were a factor in taking the portrait down, though Dooley admitted that current events sped up the timeline.

Chances are it would not return, Dooley said. But Im never going to say never.

A George Washington portrait that hung beside the Lee portrait was also removed. Dooley said the hotel is still in possession of that portrait and hopes to hang in a meeting room named for the nations first president.

The removal of the portraits was part of renovation plans for the lobby, Dooley said. He said he hopes that the lobby will have a more modern atmosphere after renovations are complete.

We want to refresh, we want to honor the history but at the same time we want it to be attractive and have a contemporary feel, Dooley said.

The Historical Society of Western Virginia got the painting back Friday and immediately put it in storage, said the groups president, Stephen Warren. He said the society had been in talks with the hotel for several months about supplying it with photographic prints to hang in the lobby as part of the redecoration effort.

Lee is also depicted in one of a series of murals in another part of the lobby. The murals depict different moments and figures in history.

Dooley said as part of the renovations, hotel officials are looking at what to do with that area while asking the question how could we use those spaces to convey a more comprehensive history of Roanoke.

He said that a railroad motif would be part of the renovation, but by no means would the lobby have a railroad theme. Right now, Dooley said the hotel is working with consultants on what to do about decorations.

The foundation and the hotel have gotten more feedback about the portrait since it was taken down than they ever got while it was hanging , he said. Responses have been both positive and negative, Dooley said.

According to The Roanoke Times archives, the portraits had been in the lobby since 1995, when the hotel reopened under the Virginia Tech Foundation. According to a history of the hotel, Spoonbread and Peanut Soup: An Informal History of Hotel Roanoke, written by Don Piedmont, the portraits were hung in the lobby following a major renovation of the hotel in 1938. Ownership of the pieces transferred over to what is now the Historical Society of Western Virginia when the hotel closed in 1989. That group stored the portraits until 1995, when the hotel reopened under the Virginia Tech Foundation, and retained ownership when they were put back on display in the hotel.

The historical societys president said he was unsure whether the Lee portrait would be returned to public view.

We have no plans to display it at this time, Warren said. Thats a good question.

Staff writer Ralph Berrier Jr. contributed to this report.
A Burlington, North Carolina, man has been charged with reckless operation of a watercraft after a crash in the Smith Mountain Lake area hospitalized a 15-year-old girl Saturday, according to a Department of Game and Inland Fisheries official.

Sgt. Karl Martin said 74-year-old Donald Mundy also was charged with exceeding the capacity on a personal watercraft. He was issued a summons and is scheduled to appear in Franklin County General District Court next month.

The teenager, who was also from North Carolina, was airlifted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital after a float pulled by a personal watercraft crashed into a dock in the Waters Edge community at about 11:30 a.m. The dock is on the Bull Run tributary to the Blackwater River.

The watercraft was too close to the docks and was towing too many people, Martin said. Mundy and a juvenile were riding on the watercraft, while the float towed three others.

These small watercraft, they are not suitable for carrying more than three or four people, Martin said.

After the wreck, Martin said a Roanoke doctor and a physical education teacher from Pittsylvania County helped provide medical attention to those involved in the crash. A 12-year-old boy, who was also injured, was taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital and released later that night.

On Tuesday, Martin said the 15-year-old girl has shown some improvement since she was brought to the hospital, which he credited to the medical attention she received at the scene. He did not provide her exact condition and declined to identify her or the other juvenile injured in the crash.

There are good Samaritans on the highway or waterways that will get in and help, Martin said. This is another case where their help reduces the severity of a terrible accident. Were thankful for them.
Updated, 1:11 a.m.

The Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously early Tuesday morning to cover the citys statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas Stonewall Jackson in black fabric, which will represent the city's mourning of Heather Heyer.

Heyer was killed earlier this month in what many have described as white nationalist terrorism. At least 30 others were injured in the attack.

Some time after the Aug. 12 white nationalist Unite the Right rally was shut down by authorities due to violence between ralliers and counter-protesters, a 20-year-old man from Ohio who came to attend the rally allegedly drove his car into a crowd of Downtown Mall pedestrians on Fourth Street.

The council voted on other resolutions after a tumultuous council meeting Monday evening. Activists and residents took over the meeting to express their anger and frustration about how the city and police officials handled the rally.

In addition to seeking the removal of the citys Lee statue, councilors voted to direct the Board of Architectural Review to make a decision on removing the nearby Jackson statue.

Earlier:

It was a total takeover.

People in the crowd said three were arrested. They called for Mayor Mike Signers removal. His eyes welled as people told the City Council how they experienced the vicious car attack that slammed into a crowd of counter-protesters crossing the Downtown Mall.

A woman said her daughter was supposed to start her fourth year at the University of Virginia this week. She wont be attending the first day of class because of her injuries, the mother said.

Another man said hes suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

He said he can still see the bodies that went flying after the car struck the crowd several hours after the Unite the Right rally was shut down because of rampant street-fighting outside Emancipation Park, the location where white nationalists and white supremacists gathered on Aug. 12 for their Unite the Right rally.

Within 30 minutes of starting its meeting, the entire City Council, the city attorney, the city manager and council clerk all retreated into a backroom. Two women stood on top of the dais with a banner: Blood on your hands.

City Council candidate and community activist Nikuyah Walker asked: Why did you think you can walk in here and do a business-as-usual meeting after what happened on the 12th?

Mayor Mike Signer and Councilor Kathy Galvin are now supporting the removal of Charlottesvilles statue of Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park, but the change did not spare them from criticism Monday.

Last week, Signer asked for the state General Assembly to hold an emergency session to consider amending the states law regarding statues. A lawsuit citing that law is preventing the city from removing the statue as planned because of a court injunction.

A spokesperson for Gov. Terry McAuliffe intimated last week that a special session was unlikely.

Galvin held a news conference Monday to announce her change of mind, and she called for the removal of the statue of Thomas Stonewall Jackson, too.

It is time for the Jackson and Lee statues to be relocated to a battlefield park or a museum where they will neither be reviled or revered, she said, adding that shed prefer the statues there so they can be preserved and explained more fully.

She said the state legislature would need to play a role in their removal.

Weve been told that if we take them down tonight, were going to be personally sued, Councilor Wes Bellamy said Monday night. We will personally be held liable and charged with a class-six felony.

Councilor Kristin Szakos encouraged the protesters to challenge the states legislators.

You cant just show up to City Council meetings, Szakos told the protesters. You have to go to the state legislature. Virginia has laws that restrict what we can do.

Signer and Galvins change of heart, however, failed to placate those who accosted their local elected officials almost immediately at the start of the meeting.

It then became an urban-populist coup.

Someone needs to be held accountable, said Don Gathers, the former chairman of the blue ribbon commission that recommended relocating the Lee statue.

Something is going to happen  by any means necessary, he added. People are tired and theyre fed up  its going down, for real.

Social justice activist Emily Gorcenski said many protesters had tried to warn the city that violence would come to the city if the rally was permitted.

Aside from the well-documented clashes that took place on Market Street and in Emancipation Park, protesters Monday said the Unite the Right ralliers went to majority African-American communities south of the downtown area to harass residents there.

Gorcenski said activists and counter-protesters took it upon themselves to defend the community.

Charlottesville isnt the capital of the resistance, Gorcenski said, excoriating Signers declaration of resistance against President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Charlottesville now, she said, is the capital of the [anti-fascists].

Signer read a resolution at the start of the meeting to commemorate the three lives lost, but not before someone in the crowd accused him of being responsible for the loss of life.

The protesters criticized the council for allegedly allowing the rally happen. Signer defended himself and the council, explaining that the council attempted previously to move the rally to McIntire Park.

The crowd also took aim at police officers for not intervening more in the melees that took place on Aug. 12.

We tried really hard. A federal judge forced us to have the rally downtown, Signer said.

Responding to the allegations that he ordered police to not protect people counter-protesting in the street, Signer said the mayor has no real police power.

Signers attempts to calm the crowd repeatedly failed. He tried to cut the meeting short, but that didnt work either.

Bellamy attempted to regain control and coordinate a town-hall style meeting, giving the floor to everyone gathered. The councilors appeared visibly rattled as they came out to the crowd at 8 p.m. It continued past 11 p.m., and dozens of people made their frustration and anger known.

The reason my two daughters and I were out there protesting and putting our bodies in our lines is because we knew that so many others could not, said the woman who told the crowd that her daughter wouldnt be able to attend classes at UVa later this week.

Its not about the statues, she said. We were out there because our community is hurting.  what I want to see is meaningful changes in our community.

After the violent street-fighting compelled local and state officials to end the rally prematurely before noon Aug. 12, James A. Fields Jr. allegedly drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters with intent to kill about two hours later.

Local paralegal Heather Heyer was killed. At least 30 were hospitalized because of their injuries.

Two state police officers, H. Jay Cullen and Berke Bates, died several hours later when a Virginia State Police helicopter crashed in Albemarle County.

Fields is facing second-degree murder and other charges.

The protesters Monday said they expect there are many more injuries and criminal assaults that have not been reported.

There were hundreds of people that were hurt, said housing activist Joy Johnson. Way more than 19 people got hurt, she added, citing the number that city officials previously reported were injured in the car attack.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the Sentara Martha Jefferson hospital said they treated 11 people who were injured in the car attack. A spokesperson for the UVa Medical Center said they treated 19.

Im still pissed, Johnson said. Im still angry.
RICHMOND  Gov. Terry McAuliffe warned General Assembly budget leaders on Monday that Virginia needs to bolster its cash reserves to hedge against the potential threat to the states economy from President Donald Trumps proposed federal budget.

McAuliffe, speaking to the assembly money committees in their temporary home in the Pocahontas Building, also called on legislators for the fourth time to expand Virginias Medicaid program with billions of dollars in federal funds under the Affordable Care Act after its survival from attempts to repeal the law in Congress.

They quickly declined.

The governor lauded the states gradual economic recovery during his term, pointedly citing reduced unemployment in rural localities represented by Republican budget leaders.

But for all the progress weve made, we face clear and dangerous threats to our fiscal health, he said. The presidents recent budget proposal will cause irreparable harm to Virginians and the new Virginia economy weve worked so hard to build.

In a dig at Trump, the governor added, And while most of the country and national media are engrossed in the sideshow of ritual firings and late-night tweets, we are facing real impacts down the line that will hurt families from Abingdon to Arlington.

McAuliffe endorsed a commitment Republican budget leaders already made, to put $121.5 million in additional revenue from the last fiscal year into a new cash reserve fund, rather than the minimum $60.4 million required under the current two-year budget the assembly adopted earlier this year.

Initially, almost all of the savings will be deposited in cash and capital reserves, pending the next two-year budget the governor will propose in December.

I want to make clear I will recommend we place every available dime of the revenue surplus in our newly created cash reserve, he said.

The governor and assembly budget leaders have mutual concerns about the decision by Standard & Poors to downgrade the states financial outlook in April from stable to negative because of uncertainty over federal spending and over-reliance on the Revenue Stabilization Fund, or rainy day fund, to help fill big revenue shortfalls in 2014 and again last year.

Were very cognizant of S&Ps concerns, House Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, said Monday after the governors speech. Were on the same page as far as all excess revenue going into the revenue reserve fund.

The state ended the fiscal year on June 30 with $136.6 million beyond the amount of revenue forecast in the budget. Some of the money must be deposited in special funds, such as one to help localities with water quality improvements.

While jobs, personal income and wages continue to lag behind forecast in Virginia, the states principal source of revenue  income tax withheld from payroll  grew robustly at 5.2 percent, compared with the annual forecast of 3.6 percent. That growth produced an additional $215 million in tax revenue, which was partly offset by declines in sales tax and estimated income taxes not withheld from paychecks.

Solid growth in payroll withholding collections indicates  in real time  a good year for wage growth, McAuliffe said.

However, the governor also warned of big increases in the states cost for public education and Medicaid, which will require hundreds of millions of dollars in the two-year budget he will propose in December, the month before leaving office.

McAuliffe called again for expanding Medicaid, noting the lessons of a failed attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act by Congress. He said the failed proposals would have replaced the law with a system that would have capped federal spending under the existing Medicaid program, shifting those costs to states, while protecting states that received enhanced federal funding to expand their programs.

And even if you dont believe that the ACA is here for good, let me also remind you that in all of the bills proposed in the House and Senate to repeal the ACA, none of them left the non-expansion states [such as Virginia] better off, he said.

Are you willing to let Virginia be block granted or capped at our current Medicaid levels? Are you willing to risk losing out on expansion dollars forever? And are you willing to hamper our state finances by turning away these federal dollars, given the uncertainty we face?

The initial answer from legislative leaders was yes. From the legislative perspective, Medicaid expansion has already left the station, said Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment , R-James City, who said some states that expanded the program now are struggling with much higher costs than they anticipated.
Irans new communications minister said Tuesday that negotiations were underway with Twitter to unblock the service. Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi told an Iran daily newspaper, (Twitter) has announced that it is prepared to negotiate to resolve problems. Considering the current situation there are grounds for such negotiation and interaction. Twitter is not an immoral environment needing to be blocked.

Jahromi became Irans communications minister this week, a selection criticized by rights groups due to his involvement in surveillance during and after the mass anti-regime protests of 2009.

In a meeting with lawmakers this week, he responded to his critics, I wasnt responsible for surveillance  I was in charge of the technical infrastructure for the surveillance industry, and I consider it an honor.

In Iran, platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter remain banned, while millions use them daily through easily available privacy software.

Jahromi claims that officials are looking at ways to unblock YouTube while still censoring immoral content on the video-sharing service.

There has been no comment from either Twitter or YouTube.

The Supreme Council for Cyberspace, which includes members of the hardline judiciary, will make the final decision on unblocking sites.

The first time that Twitter and social media were widely used to organize protests was during the 2009 protests. It became the model for the Arab Spring movement.

Jahromi, who has more than 4,000 Twitter followers, said, At that time and based on remarks made by the director of this network, Irans government believed they had interfered in the countrys internal affairs and for this reason Twitter was filtered.

Despite the ban, Twitter is widely used in Iran, especially by the youth of the country.

Even supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has official accounts in several languages.

President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif both use the service, as well.

Still, conservatives are worried over Western infiltration through social media.

Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani, who heads the Committee for the Promoting Virtue and Prohibiting Vice, said in December 2016, that the dangers of the internet were even greater than women failing to wear a headscarf. In a speech to religious leaders he said, Bad hijab is a bad thing but cyberspace is a hundred times worse. He cited the presence of pornography and anti-religious sites. Cyberspace can uproot religion and Islam completely, he added.
Although he is an Iranian citizen, Djalali has a permanent residence permit in Sweden, where he lived with his wife, Vida Mehrannia Djalali, and two children and conducted research in disaster medicine at the prestigious Karolinska Institute.

He previously worked at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy, and the Italian government has expressed alarm about his fate. The foreign ministry in Rome released a statement saying it had activated its channels of communication with the Iranian authorities to highlight its extreme concern. Stressing his academic links, the ministry sought information about Djalalis detention and asked that he be quickly returned to his family.

Djalalis wife told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that he faced the death penalty for collaboration with enemy states.

The spokesperson for the human rights organization Amnesty International in Sweden, Ami Hedenborg said, We hope he will be released. He has been in prison since April last year on extremely vague grounds. She urged Iranian authorities to release Djalali or give him a fair and secure trial. You have to ask yourself what it is really about. There is a great deal of concern over what may happen, Hedenborg added, and said that it is impossible to speculate about what may happen, as Iran has an arbitrary legal system which doesnt comply with the international conditions for a fair trial. It could easily be cancelled or the sentence announced within two minutes.

According to Swedish news agency TT, Anne Torngren from Swedens Foreign Ministry stated, We have asked to attend, but received a refusal. The Swedish embassy has also applied for permission to visit Djalali.

Saying that she is not optimistic about the trial, Djalalis wife admits, I cant expect anything from my home country.

Djalali launched a hunger strike earlier this year, leading his family to become concerned about his health. On Monday his wife warned that his life is in danger. She told TT, I am very worried. I need help from the Swedish government to put increased pressure on Iran. My children and I have been waiting for ten months. Every day my son says I should call him, but I cant.

The issue was brought up during Prime Minister Stefan Lofvens visit to Iran earlier this month, according to a representative from the Foreign Ministry.

Patric Nilsson told TT that Swedish representatives have been in touch with Iranian authorities to get clarification on Djalalis case and that they have asked to meet with the researcher. He said, I understand that sometimes it may look like were being passive, but we cant go into detail on what were doing in individual cases. Were acting, but the decision lies with the state that has deprived the person of their liberty.
Belview United Methodist Church will host the Third Annual Bluegrass 4 Backpacks fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10: 30 a.m. to 3 p.m., in support of the churchs food backpack program, which provides grocery items for children in need.

Attendees will hear music by three bands scheduled to perform: The Early Family from 11 a.m. to noon; Half Throttle from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.; and Wound Tight from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

In addition, you can enjoy a display of antique cars; hot dogs, BBQ, chips, drinks and baked goods in exchange for donations; plus a bake sale and a silent auction. One hundred percent of all donations raised will be used to buy food for the children.

Many children in our community rely on free or reduced-price meals on weekdays when they are attending school. However, at home on weekends a lot of these children have little or no food to eat.

The food backpack program is designed to meet the needs of hungry children in our community by providing food for the weekends and during summer school breaks.

The program stared in April 2010 by delivering 25 food bags weekly to Belview Elementary School. It has grown over the past years to a total of 217 bags being packed every week during the school year and 60 bags every week during the summer.

Food bags are delivered for students at Belview Elementary, as well as Falling Branch Elementary, Christiansburg Middle School and Montgomery Central.

Each food bag contains 14 to 18 food items for three dinners, two lunches, two breakfasts and snacks. Last year a total of 7,932 bags were provided.

Donations for the food backpack program are managed by the church treasurer and are audited annually.

All donations are tax-deductible. Organizers aim to maximize these funds by buying food items when they are on sale and by shopping weekly at Feeding America where we pay only 19 cents a pound for groceries.

A $10 donation will provide food for one child during weekends for one month.

A donation of $100 will provide weekend food for the entire year.

Monetary donations may be mailed to the church at 3619 Onyx Drive, Radford, 24141.

Please make checks payable to Belview UMC Backpack Program.

The church is off Peppers Ferry Road, a short distance from Belview Elementary.

For questions, comments or more information about food donations, call 674-4202.

For questions, comments or more information about food donations, call 674-4202.

 Submitted by Keith Nunn
The Christiansburg Police Department is accepting applications for this years Citizens Police Academy, a free 12-week class providing residents with an overview of the department and its operations.

The academy is scheduled to begin mid-September and will meet each Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Christiansburg Police Department, 10 East Main St. downtown.

During the academy, participants have a chance to ride along with Christiansburg police officers, visit the firing range and fire the weapons they carry, and tour the Cardinal Police Academy where they train. In addition to hands-on training and experiences, participants will take part in classroom instruction, learning how radar works, how DUI stops are made, techniques for defensive tactics and more.

To sign up for the Citizens Police Academy or for more information, contact Stephanie Turner at 382-3131, ext. 310.

To sign up for the Citizens Police Academy or for more information, please contact Stephanie Turner at 382-3131, ext. 310.

Submitted by Melissa Powell
By Ed Reynolds

Reynolds is retired from a global engineering and technology company. He lives in Roanoke.

To Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and his Administration:

I have lived my 70 year life as a Virginian, and I cant begin to tell all parties how stunned and disappointed I am with regard to the governors (and potentially the Department of Environmental Qualitys) support of proposed construction of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines. These highly-politicized, and ethically compromised pipelines fail to meet the original approval standards that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission identified, that being the qualifications of Demonstrated Need and Public Benefit.

To comment otherwise, as demonstrated by our governor, amounts to favored political bluster and wholesale demagoguery served up by those private for-profit pipeline owners and businesses that stand to make a buck off the backs of Mother Earth and the citizens of this commonwealth. What an ecological, shortsighted tragedy and nightmare. So enough is enough.

Far more troubling than that, two years of observing the Virginia Way of questionable corporate politics, leads me to believe that our own DEQ cannot make a clear, unbiased scientific assessment of the potential liability, desecration of our water supplies, and permanent damage to those streams and rivers that even the DEQ declares to be the best of whats left.

I have studied FERC decisions regarding pipeline structures of late, and FERC has shown absolutely minimal core concern for environmental/water issues of any significance, and my fear is that the Virginia DEQ will follow suit. I find it significant that FERC and the McAuliffe Administration MAY possibly ignore hundreds of pages of expert research and testimony, much from renowned sources, and issue necessary water and other required permitting of these structures; structures which will permanently scalp our beautiful, majestic mountains and cloud the pristine waterways of this Commonwealth . When both sizable municipalities and General Assembly members from both sides of the aisle call for pause on these destructive, unnecessary projects, perhaps it time to listen.

I am asking both the McAuliffe Administration and the DEQ to withdraw their support of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines based on three real and overarching concerns:

1) Absolute high-risk damage to a high number of our ecological water systems and drinking water supplies across Central and Southwestern Virginia.

2) Tremendous, vicious destruction of the Commonwealths stately mountains and clear streams for short-term, private for-profit gain by a few businesspeople and corporations.

3) Calculated, qualified, and tremendous add-on damage to our already runaway changing climate problem. One of the most underrated, horrific issues facing all of humanity.

May I hear from you regarding resolution of my concerns?
Saleh had openly allied with the Houthis, leading to the Yemeni Civil War, in which an insurgency succeeded in capturing Yemens capital, Sanaa, causing President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee the country.

Saleh was responding to Abdul-Malik al-Houthis accusations that he allegedly betrayed the coup and used political extortion.

As reported by Asharq Al-Awsat, an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London, political analysts said that Salehs speech, notably his desire for the General Peoples Congress party to be distinguished from other Yemeni political components, as well as his claim that he is in charge of the constitution and the law, shows his disregard of his coup partners, the Houthis.

According to Saleh, Houthi militias have adopted the Iranian model and reproduced it in areas that they control. He sees the Houthis as lacking in self-determination, and considers them under-qualified to lead or manage their territory.

Yemeni political analyst Najib Gulab told Asharq Al-Awsat, Saleh tried to deliver a message that he is a man committed to the law and is governed by the objectives of the coup, noting his rejection of Houthi doctrines. Gulab continued, saying that Saleh realizes that Houthis follow an ideological structure that can only produce violence and conflict and works contrary to political beliefs held within Yemen.

The Houthis and the armed Saleh loyalists surprised the world with their joint coup against the internationally-backed government in 2014. Still they showed their differences by their rhetoric and their approach.

An aide to the Aden-based government information minister, Fahd al-Sharfi, said that the dispute is now taking a turn for the worse, as Saleh reveals the Houthis poor management, particularly in the case of al-Maliks uncle, Abdul Karim Amir al-Houthi, who was a shadow director for the Houthi movement.

Gulab called Salehs reaction to the Houthi leaders speech quick and clear. He said that Saleh demonstrated more experience in delivering counter messages to Houthi stances, in order to dodge accusations of colluding with the Saudi-led Arab coalition backing Yemens constitutionally elected government. In his speech, Saleh repeated more than once that he was against the alliance.
Formerly, Iraq was a melting pot where Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens lived alongside each other. This was before Iran began meddling, when the Shiite majority lived with Sunni, Christian, Yazidi and all other religious minorities.

Heshmat Alavi, in his article in Al Arabiya , asks Has not the time arrived for Iraq to regain its true position as part of the Arab world, and rid its soil of the meddling of Irans clerics?

Iraqi officials have been visiting Saudi Arabia and other Arab Sunni states. The influential Sadrist leader Muqtada was seen in July, meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. Days later, Sadr visited the United Arab Emirates, who are also critics of Irans policies, where he was welcomed as an Iraqi leader by a slate of leading politicians and clerics.

Sadrs visit rendered a variety of measures by Riyadh, including launching a Saudi Consulate in Sadrs hometown of Najaf, one of the two holiest Shiite cities in Iraq. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, known as Iraqs most senior Shiite cleric, his distance from Tehrans viewpoints and calling for Iraq to practice openness in establishing relations, did not block such a proposition, Alavi writes, and adds, Iran, however, resorted to strong remarks against Sadr for his visits to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The visit was even described by a local wire as an act of betrayal to the Houthis in Yemen.

While taking the credit for much of the fight against ISIS on the ground, Irans proxies have been accused of law violations and refusing to obey the state of Iraq. Iraqi authorities affiliated to Iran have a very poor record of being involved in corruption and sacrificing Iraqi national interest in Tehrans favor, which became a major issue during the second term of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Alavi writes that some describe Maliki as Irans puppet, and says that. Maliki is known to have close relations with Tehran and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself.

Majid al-Nasrawi, the governor of the oil-rich city of Basra located at the southern tip of Iraq, recently left for Iran. His departure followed his being accused of corruption offenses by a government transparency committee. Choosing Iran as a destination has left further impression of him fleeing to a safe haven, and Tehran having a hand in Iraqi corruption, according to Alavi.

Sadr and other Iraqi officials continue their meetings with senior Arab officials of the region, and there are major talks underway between Baghdad and Riyadh to establish a new alliance that would provide Saudi Arabia a leading role in rebuilding war-torn cities across Iraq.

The Cabinet of Saudi Arabia announced on August 14th a coordination committee to spearhead a variety of health care and humanitarian projects, including building hospitals in Baghdad and Basra, and providing fellowships to Iraqi students in Saudi universities.

Also on the agenda is the opening of border crossings and establishing free trade areas between the two countries.

Alavi writes, Riyadh should lead the Arab world in tipping the balance of power against Tehrans interests in Iraq. The truth is Iran has not carried out any major economic project in Iraq from 2003 onward, due to the fact that the mullahs do not seek the prosperity of their western neighbor, and concludes, Saudi Arabia and the Arab world should provide the support Iraq needs after suffering from Irans menacing influence that has brought nothing but death and destruction. Evicting Iran from Iraq must come parallel to efforts of ending its presence in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
Prof Alexis Jay

THE results of six separate probes into the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal are expected to be published next month  which one survivor hopes will see ex-council officers put in the dock.

Law firm Gowling WLG is due to reveal the outcome of its investigation into the conduct of senior staff employed by Rotherham Borough Council during the period covered by the damning Jay Report.

Another report will deal with the 2011 theft of 21 laptops from council office Norfolk House said to contain sensitive details about abuse victims  and a third with the theft of files belonging to researcher Adele Gladman from the offices of youth project Risky Business in 2002.

Investigators have also been looking into how minutes from the councils Key Players Group went missing, and a review is being carried out of the cases of 15 abuse victims which were highlighted in Prof Alexis Jays 2014 report, which found an estimated 1,400 children had been exploited or abused by men, mainly of Pakistani backgrounds.

Another report is being compiled by law firm Weightmans, details of which have not been released.

Minutes from a meeting of the councils government-appointed commissioners said the Gowling Report, which stems from a 200,000-plus investigation commissioned in April last year, was expected to be published by last month.

But it is now hoped it could be formally released and discussed alongside other report findings at a meeting in September, which the public will be able to attend.

Commissioners minutes said chief executive Sharon Kemp was due to liaise with the National Crime Agency ahead of the reports publication, suggesting criminal prosecutions could be a possible result.

One abuse survivor said she hoped to see officials brought to account and even put in the dock as a result.

I want to see people brought to account, not just have the perpetrators of the abuse brought to justice, she said.

We were failed by the authorities left, right and centre and its not just the perpetrators that are at fault.

In an ideal world it would be nice to see prosecutions, but I dont know if it will get that far.

Several senior council officers and councillors resigned in the wake of the Jay Report in August, 2014, and the Casey Report into council governance six months later.

No current or former police officer or council official has yet been arrested or charged in relation to the scandal.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said in May that it had 53 active investigations into police officers conduct.

Meanwhile, a total of 21 abusers and their accomplices have so far been jailed for 296 years between them in connection with the scandal.

The National Crime Agency is looking into thousands of lines of inquiry.

The father of one abuse survivor, whose daughters abusers have been jailed, said he was frustrated no action had yet been taken against police officers or council officials.

I want to see investigations for misconduct and other offences, he said.

Questions need to be asked about why this happened and why they didnt do their jobs. We have got justice in our case but we also want to see justice for those people, too. It doesnt sit right with me that people took their salaries knowing this was going on."

While some key figures have disappeared from the public eye, some have taken senior roles elsewhere.

A council spokeswoman, who said all the reports were commissioned by the authority, added: It is the councils intention that these reports will be published in an open and transparent manner, as far as is possible and permissible by law, at a meeting to be held in September.
Mandatory labeling of jewelry in Russia to begin in 2024 The deadline for mandatory application of physical marking on jewelry made of precious metals and precious stones in Russia has been postponed from March 2023 to March 2024. That resolution was signed by the Government of the Russian Federation. It is...

Northam Platinum mulls acquisition of remaining RBPlat shares Northam Platinum is planning to acquire all remaining shares in Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) at R172.70 a share. It currently controls a 34.52% stake in RBPlat and, together with call options and a right of first refusal secured with...

10th Annual Dubai Precious Metals Conference to explore impact of trade, tech and regulations on the industry DMCC has announced that the 10th edition of the annual Dubai Precious Metals Conference (DPMC) will be held on 22 November 2022 at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai. This years edition will bring together a plethora of speakers and participants from...

New record HPHT diamond sample The largest and purest diamond in the world weighing 16.04 carats was synthesized in Russia. The world's largest white diamond "Champion" is cut from a diamond grown by the HPHT method by the Russian company Advanced Synthetic Research...
Rescue works at Mir diamond mine stopped due to threat of water breakthrough

22 august 2017 News

As at 19:10 local time, there was 21,000 cubic meters of water accumulated in Mirs quarry pit, while the water level in the mine was at -240.8 meters relative to sea level, the press service of ALROSA says.

Today, the rescuers continued their work to make a controlled descent of water from the quarry by way of pin-point cumulative blasts. Starting from 9:23 am to 17:34 pm local time, they dropped 13 explosive charges into the water pool at the bottom of the quarry. This work will be continued on Wednesday.

As long as there is a threat of uncontrolled water breakthrough into the mine, the underground rescue operations were prohibited and all the personnel participating in the search and rescue operation are withdrawn from the mine.

The decision to conduct the blasting operations was taken on Sunday following the results of an emergency meeting on a further plan for the search and rescue operation in Mirny. The meeting was attended by the representatives of Rostekhnadzor, EMERCOM, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Security Service, Novotek Scientific Center and Yakutniproalmaz Institute. Rostekhnadzor issued an appropriate permit to conduct the operation.






Almazyuvelirexport transformed into joint-stock company

22 august 2017 News

(Vedomosti) - President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on transforming FGUP VO Almazyuvelirexport into a joint stock company. This will happen within 18 months and 100% of the company's shares will be in federal ownership. The document is published on the official portal of legal information.

Within a month after Almazyuvelirexports incorporation, there should be submitted a proposal to include it in the list of strategic enterprises and strategic joint-stock companies approved by the presidential decree.

In the post-Soviet times and up to 2009, Almazyuvelirexport had the exclusive right to export precious metals. The company handled the export of platinum produced by Norilsk Nickel, as well as the export of reserves held by Russias Central Bank. Almazyuvelirexport is engaged in export sales of control diamond lots from ALROSA and Arkhangelskgeoldobycha to determine their market value for accounting purposes requested by appropriate state bodies.




Endiama, an Angolan state-owned diamond company, has established several semi-industrial diamond mining cooperatives in the country.

Angop news agency reports that 12 cooperatives operating in seven provinces had already been created.

It cited Endiama executive director Luis Kitamba as saying that cooperatives only integrated Angolans that were previously involved in artisanal exploitation of diamonds.

The news agency reports that more than 500 000 carats had been extracted in the country from 2013 to date by the 12 semi-industrial cooperatives.

The countrys industrial diamond production was estimated at 9 million carats per year.

This was expected to rise to 13.3 million carats a year by 2022.

Meanwhile, Macauhub reports that five Angolan cooperatives would join existing semi-industrial diamond exploration cooperatives under one-year authorisations and extendable by four granted by the Ministry of Geology and Mines in dispatches signed by Minister Francisco Queiroz.

Cooperatives must comply with a set of obligations, including not allowing foreigners to enter, taking care of the exploration area, selling the diamonds found only to the diamond trading company Sodiam and complying with the standards set out in the Kimberley Process.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Currently, lab diamonds only represent about $150 million in annual sales - a fragment of the $80 billion diamond industry. But thats expected to grow to $1.05 billion by 2020, express.live reported.

It notes that mined diamonds have been stagnating and since 1990 the highest-quality diamonds have fallen in value by as much as 80%.

While 70% of folks under the age of 35 still want to buy or own a diamond, they are also open to alternatives, says the information portal.

It notes that in favor of synthetic diamonds the fact that their production occupies much less time, than formation of diamonds in the Earth's mantle. At the same time they are on average 20% cheaper than mined diamonds and free from the unethical stigmas that plague the old guard industry.



Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&Polished European Bureau in Brussels




Sarine Technologies has announced that the Golden Dew, the prestigious South Korean jewellery retail chain has formally launched the Sarine Profile in-store diamond display platform in all its 72 stores across the country last week, and will also be adopting the Sarine Connect diamond jewellery search and display app.

The Golden Dew brand, which markets a wide range of luxury diamond and jewellery products, now offers an advanced digital diamond report, powered by Sarine Profile, as part of its unique in-store experience.

Golden Dew is the first retailer in Korea to adopt the Sarine Profile. In addition to the Profile, Golden Dew will also be implementing the Sarine Connect app across the entire chain, supporting fast, accurate search and display of diamond and jewellery inventory at the point of sale.

David Block, Chief Executive Officer of Sarine said: The partnership between Sarine and Golden Dew is a natural extension of our mutual passion for cutting-edge solutions, and we are proud to be working with them to modernise the sales of diamonds and jewellery in Korea."

In a statement from Golden Dew, President Pil-Sung Lee said, "We believe the Sarine digital report, which is being presented for the first time in accordance with digital trends in Korea, will make the diamond purchase process much more convenient and inviting for consumers. It will also further increase the credibility of diamond appraisals via an enhanced customer experience, as it allows customers to view the diamond's features directly from 3D images."



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief if Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




New York and New Jersey's senatorial delegation are asking the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to reconsider a rule that would require sleep apnea testing of rail workers and commercial truck drivers.

The four senators, Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), sent a letter to USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao asking to see data used to withdraw a rule that would have mandated sleep apnea testing among transportation workers in safety critical roles.

We strongly believe that USDOT should immediately reconsider the decision in order to help avoid future fatigue-related tragedies, the senators wrote. Due to our serious concern over this decision to vacate this potentially life-saving rule, please provide our offices all data and information used to make the decision to withdraw the rule, and USDOTs plan to identify and treat operators suffering from obstructive sleep apnea before more fatal tragedies take place.

In early August, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) withdrew a proposed rule regarding sleep apnea testing.

The rule was originally proposed in March 2016 and the senators say it provided a modest, common-sense approach to combating fatigue on our roads and rails.

The senators cited two recent accidents were sleep apnea was either determined to be factor or is under investigation as being a factor in the incidents, as well as the National Transportation Safety Boards continued call to require sleep apnea testing on all railroads.

FRA and FMCSA say the proposed rule was withdrawn because they believe that current safety programs and FRAs rulemaking addressing fatigue risk management are the appropriate avenues to address [obstructive sleep apnea].

The senators concluded their letter by writing that they look forward to begin working with you to improve safety throughout our nations transportation systems.
Economic confidence from Germany and public sector finance from the UK are due on Tuesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news.

At 2.00 am ET, Switzerland's foreign trade data for July is due. The trade surplus totaled CHF 2.8 billion in June. In the meantime, Statistics Finland releases unemployment data for July.

At 4.30 am ET, the Office for National Statistics is slated to issue UK public sector finance data. The budget deficit is forecast to narrow to GBP 1 billion in July from GBP 6.9 billion in June.

At 5.00 am ET, Germany's ZEW economic confidence survey results are due. The economic confidence index is seen at 15 in August versus 17.5 in July.

At 6.00 am ET, the Confederation of British Industry is scheduled to release Industrial Trends survey data. The order book balance is forecast to fall to 8 percent in August from 10 percent in July.

At 8.00 am ET, Hungary's central bank is set to announce the outcome of its monetary policy meeting. Economists expect the bank to hold its key rate at 0.90 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.
President Donald Trump ruled out an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan on Monday as he unveiled an expansive new strategy for South Asia aimed at bolstering America's security.

In his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, Trump claimed a hasty U.S. withdrawal would leave a vacuum for terrorists to flood back into that country and begin planning attacks on America and its allies and partners.

Addressing a crowd of hundreds of service members at Fort Myer in Virginia, Trump said his original intention was troop withdrawal, but he had instead decided to stay and "fight to win" to avoid the mistakes his predecessors made in Iraq.

Trump made it clear that he will not talk about numbers of troops or the government's plans for further military activities.

He emphasized the strategy will be conditions-based and not set to a timetable, as it will be counterproductive for the United States to announce in advance the dates to begin or end military options.

"America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out," Trump said. "I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will."

Trump said America will work with the Afghan government, so long as it sees commitment and progress, and warned it was not a "blank check" for Afghanistan.

Trump's turnaround from his promise to rapidly end America's longest war evoked a rapid response from the Taliban, which threatened that Afghanistan would become "a graveyard" for the United States.

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

Trump said the American people are frustrated by the nation's long war in Afghanistan, calling it a war without victory.

Trump's new expansive strategy encompasses Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the Central Asian nations, and extends into Southeast Asia.

Trump warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and of nuclear weapons and materials coming into their hands.

"The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen," the President said.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Local authorities in Las Vegas questioned two passengers who engaged in sexual act aboard a Southwest Airline flight on Saturday. The airline crew reportedly requested to stop the inappropriate action, however the couple just ignored it.

The airline has reported the case to the authorities in Les Vegas and apologized to those passengers who were potentially exposed to the activity by the unidentified passengers. No complaint has been filed against the passengers, however, it is expected that the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA would look into the matter.

Southwest Airlines spokesperson, while speaking to Fox News, said, "Southwest airline doesn't condone this type of activity and we apologize to the other passengers on-board."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Less than a week after Steve Bannon left the White House and resumed his role as executive chairman of Breitbart News, the far right news website has lashed out at President Donald Trump's new strategy in Afghanistan in a series of stories.

A story by Breitbart reporter Adam Shaw suggested Trump "flip-flopped" on Afghanistan and claimed the president's "America First" base was the biggest loser of his speech on Monday.

Trump acknowledged in his remarks that his original instinct was to pull out of Afghanistan but noted that decisions are much different when you are president.

The president hinted at an increase in U.S. military forces in Afghanistan but stressed that he would not discuss specific troop levels.

"Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on," Trump said. "America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will."

Breitbart's Shaw said Trump's speech confirmed the fears of many on the right that without a strong nationalist voice in the White House following Bannon's departure, the president would revert to the same old fare that Americans had voted to reject in November.

A separate story by Breitbart White House correspondent Charlie Spiering noted Trump specifically echoed a speech by former President Barack Obama when he said Afghanistan would not be given a "blank check."

"America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress," Trump said. "However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check."

"The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden," he added, "The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited."

Spiering pointed out that Obama made a similar pledge in a speech in 2009, when he declared the days of providing a "blank check" to Afghanistan are over.

"Despite 16 years of 'blood and treasure' spent in Afghanistan, the United States has no end in sight for the longest war in American history," Spiering wrote.

The critical tone of the Breitbart stories comes after Bannon returned to the website after being removed as White House chief strategist last Friday. Bannon was seen as a driving force behind Trump's "nationalist" ideology.

(Photo: Gage Skidmore)

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
In an effort to increase pressure on North Korea, the Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on several Chinese and Russian entities and individuals accused of supporting the communist country.

The Treasury said it is targeting ten entities and six individuals in response to North Korea's ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction, violations of UN Security Council Resolutions, and attempted evasion of U.S. sanctions.

The targets include three Chinese coal companies the Treasury said are collectively responsible for importing nearly half a billion dollars' worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the U.S. will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs and isolating them from the American financial system.

"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region," Mnuchin said.

He added, "We are taking actions consistent with UN sanctions to show that there are consequences for defying sanctions and providing support to North Korea, and to deter this activity in the future."

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council voted to strengthen sanctions on North Korea in response to the communist nation's recent ballistic missile launches.

The new sanctions, which were supported by China and Russia, include a full ban on the export of coal, iron and iron ore from North Korea.

President Donald Trump and Pyongyang have subsequently engaged in a war of words, with the president warning North Korea further threats would be met with "fire and fury like the world has never seen."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
(Agencia CMA Latam) - Argentina and Spain signed an agreement for public-private investments in infrastructure, urban development, housing, and transportation projects. The agreement was signed as part of the official visit of the Argentine Interior Minister Rogelio Frigerio to Santander, in Spain.

Frigero said that the agreement would allow to generate a synergy between both governments and to "enhance the knowledge of technical staff of joint projects," according to the official news agency Telam.

Meanwhile, Spain's Development minister Inigo de la Serna pointed out that Spanish companies established in Argentina have "a lot of interest and are eager to take part in the projects" that Argentina has to improve its services infrastructure, among other fields.

Also, De la Serna told Spanish media that the fact that Argentina has approved a National Plan of Infrastructures opens a "very positive scenario" for both countries to collaborate.

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: 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.
Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, broke into a verbal fight on the Instagram with Jenni Miller, a mother of three from Portland, Oreagon.

The issue started when Linton shared a picture of herself leaving a government jet and touted the designer clothing brands she was wearing.

"Great #daytrip to #Kentucky! #nicest #people #beautiful #countryside," Linton commented on the photograph along with hashtags of various luxury designers including, #rolandmouret pants, #hermesscarf, #tomford, #valentino and #valentinorockstud heels.

Instagram user Jenni Miller showed her displeasure on the photo by commenting on the post, "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable"

Instead of ignoring the comment, Linton took it personal grudge and started firing back at her in a sarcastic tone.

"Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable!" Linton wrote. "Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country?"

"I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day 'trip' than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours," Linton continued.

"You're adorably out of touch. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute. I know you're made but deep down you're really nice and so am I. Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isn't going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message, one filled with wisdom and humanity would get more traction."

"Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It's fab!" she concluded.

The post was deleted late Monday evening and Linton's account was set to private.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy proposition to privatize the power generator and distributor Eletrobras will be sent to the company's board of directors for analysis.

"We are going to send the proposition to the council today. They will analyze and see what's best," said Fernando Coelho Filho, Brazil's minister of Mines and Energy.

Eletrobras' privatization proposition does not yet have a defined model, but will be within the framework of Brazil's privatization act, said the minister.

In a press conference, Coelho Filho stated that despite the lack of modeling definition the announcement was aimed to show that for everything is being done with transparency and clarity, since the company is listed on the Brazilian Stock Exchange and that the decision on the subject will be taken based on the market.

It is estimated that the sale of the control by the federal government under the so-called Partnership and Investment Program (PPI) would raise up to R$ 20 billion.

Paulo Pedrosa, the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, stressed that the proposition is in line with what he called as a favorable environment for investments in Brazil.

Although the proposition, Eletrobras' asset sales process will move ahead, Coelho Filho noted. "The sale process continues normally and this proposition does not change anything," said the minister.

Eletrobras' and management master plan for the 2017-2021 period, released in November 2016, provides for the sale of interests in distributors and in generation and transmission projects, its subsidiaries, as well as its interests in specific purpose companies (SPEs).

Meanwhile, Eletrobras' net debt is expected to fall sharply if the company succeeds in its asset sales plan, said Wilson Ferreira, the company's chief executive officer. At the end of the second quarter, Eletrobras' debt was at R$23.423 billion (US$ 7.427 billion).

"If we succeed in the program, that debt will fall a lot, and the expectation is that the leverage will be below four times," the executive said.

Eletrobras's privatization proposition is contested by Jose Luiz Alqueres, the former chairman of the board of the company.

"It is reprehensible to privatize Eletrobras just to benefit the fiscal budget. The ideal model should be the sale in lots, by subsidiaries," he said.

Alqueres believes that the best format would be to dispose of Eletrosul, Furnas and Eletronorte separately, but not including Chesf and Eletronuclear, which are considered strategic assets in the Brazilian electricity system.

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: 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.
No water, no electricity.

In 2017 when youd think people would no longer have this problem, Fili Fale, 57-years-old of Leulumoega-uta begs to differ.

Today, he remains without these basic utilities.

Fale is a single man and he is a farmer.

He was assigned by his extended family members to look after their 1 acre plantation in the forestry area so for that reason, he has been staying there for more than 5 years now.

I have no problem at all living in areas like this, in fact its peaceful and I get to enjoy it by myself,

Asked if there were any issues and he said:

Nope, the only problem here is water shortage.

Fale said he can live without electricity but for water he cant.

We need water for our every day necessities so therefore life without water is no life at all, he said.

Fale said they have submitted several requests for help.

It seems like it has fallen on deaf ears, he said.

A pledge was also made to charity groups for a water tank to deliver water to our places but I guess that too has gone with the wind.

I have been patiently waiting but whats the use of waiting when your plea has been ignored?

If you want to help Fili Fale please contact #7626397 or you can contact Samoa Observer for more details.
Dear Editor,

Re: P.M. Tuilaepa attacks media for reporting on rape, incest

Talking about the lovely image of New Zealand and Australia; well, for your information, rape and incest is not news in those countries anymore.

It is becoming the norm as the media has a lot of positive social, community, economic, positive political and infrastructure development project news to report on.

As the media in those countries are so patriotic, they turn a blind eye to bad news and report the positive image.

But, has the media in Samoa forgotten about our own history and how life had pan out from the beginning?

Go back and do your homework and take a good look at your own self in the mirror and find out how your own life had started.

Didnt that guy cover his own sister and placed his necklace on her that when she woke up and realised what had happened?

And didnt another guy try to hide the albino but the fresh water tells the tale?

Manatua foi le tetea lea na tau nana?

Better report positive news about Samoa or Ill start talking to expose le tou mataga i talaaga o gafa o Samoa.

O mea lava na fai e o tatou tuaa soia toute fia mama ma fia papalagi e la Iesu, togi sau maa pea leai sau agasala.

And what about those innocent young Maoli being raped by the palagi invaders? What about the aboriginals being raped and killed by the foreign invaders?

Then shut up and report positive development news.

Tofaeono Joe Hollywood
Dear Editor,

Re: P.Ms attack on media

As a prime minister, you should be congratulating the police for their efforts and encouraging the media to highlight these crimes.

Samoa has a serious problem that needs to be addressed, putting your head in the sand will not fix the problem, I do not believe that shame for the family is or should ever be a defense for sexual assault.

There are simple steps that could be introduced should you suspect a family member of improper behavior, for example ensure that he is not left alone with a child, encourage children to say no.

Encourage the family member to get help, and dont believe in god to fix this problem, it is up to Samoa to own it, and educate everyone that it is not acceptable and zero tolerance.

And just remember its a world wide problem and it breeds on silence.

Stuart Kent
A senior cabinet minister was arrested and charged with allegedly obtaining $136,400 by deception, yesterday.

The minister, whose name is withheld, was charged along with his wife and a business partner.

This was confirmed by the Acting Assistant Police Commissioner, Salaa Moananu Salalaa, last night, in response to questions from the Samoa Observer.

He said the parties are remanded at liberty.

They are scheduled to appear in the Supreme Court on 18 September 2017, he said.

As for the identity of the accused, that I cannot disclose.

The cabinet minister is charged with obtaining by deception.

This is the same charge that his wife is facing, while the business partner is charged with obtaining a forged document.

Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty, if convicted, of up to seven years in jail.

The cabinet minister is accused of allegedly obtaining $136,400 by deception, while his wife is alleged to have obtained $140,000 by deception.

The Acting Assistant Police Commissioner also told the Samoa Observer the charge against the business partner does not involve any cash.

The charges follow a review of the file of the Police investigation by the Attorney Generals Office.

The file was handed to the A.G. in May.

A month later. A.G., Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, confirmed with the Samoa Observer that the extensive investigation file was with his office.

The file already had recommended charges against individuals therein, with a request for a review and for advice regarding those proposed charges, Lemalu said at the time.

Further Police investigations have continued, after the file was delivered, so that full consideration of the evidence is ongoing.

The A.G. told the Samoa Observer the file would be tendered back to the Police when all the evidence is considered.

Once they receive the advice, it will then be the Ministry of Police's final decision as to whether to file charges, as their office is vested with the legal authority to bring criminal charges to court.

This office can only advise and act as counsel, but strictly speaking, cannot itself bring criminal charges against individuals.
American Samoas ban on taro imports from Samoa has brought American Samoa Representative, Toeina Faufano Autele, to Apia on a fact-finding mission.

Toeina has been tasked to investigate the extreme move by the American Samoa Department of Agriculture Director, Filifaatali Mike Fuiava, to suspend importing taro and taro shoots from Samoa.

A member of the House Agriculture Committee, Toeina met with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries this week.

I hope this issue will be amicably resolved in the near future, Toeina told the Samoa Observer.

There is still a need for imported taro from Samoa.

The farmers in American Samoa cannot meet the daily demands of the public, including businesses, hotels and restaurants that need the imported taros.

According to the American Samoa lawmaker, this was one of the issues the farmers in the territory have been complaining about.

They have been nagging about the imported taro from Samoa but if you look at it, 80 percent of the farmers we have are all from here. This has been the case over the years.

This is not about them; this is about affording the public options and not forcing them to buy the taro that is available, due to the lack of choices.

The American Samoa lawmaker also told the Samoa Observer that hes saddened with the concerns raised by Samoas Ministry of Agriculture.

Our Agriculture Department did not consult with your officials, he said.

They read what was reported by the Samoa Observer. Now, dont get me wrong, I understand the media are doing their job.

But for them (American Samoa Department of Agriculture), they should have reached out to Samoas Ministry of Agriculture prior to banning the taros.

Its my understanding Samoa have been supplying taro shoots for us.

What is the use of the bi-annual Samoa Talks when they cannot do just that -- talk?

After his visit this week, Toeina is positive.

I will make a formal report to the House of Representatives to call a hearing and bring forth those responsible to be questioned about this matter, said Toeina.

Toeina pointed to another matter.

While American Samoa is banning taro from here, I know that Samoa is exporting containers of taro to New Zealand and Australia.

Is that a sign of a bad virus?

I have been assured by the C.R.O.P.S. A.C.E.O., Moafanua Tolo Iosefa, they have come up with specific ways and methods to protect the spread of the virus.

A virus that is not deadly to the taro species and its evident with the exporting of taros off island, the virus does not affect the growth of the taros.

And therefore, the ban should be reconsidered and lifted right away.

Last month, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Tilafono David Hunter, said this was a result of the initial samples not being good enough and they have had to resend them.

Tilafono suspects the virus might be the taro vein, Chlorosis.

This has similar symptoms to the virus that affected parts of Upolu but, as mentioned earlier, its better for us to wait on the results from Germany," he said, also adding that preventative measures at this time are very important.

Yes, we dont have much for the media but the Ministry is working closely with farmers at the affected areas and many other farmers across the country.

We are working together with the community in ways and methods to protect the spread of the virus in the country -- and that is what is happening for the duration of the wait, until the results from Germany are back.
Love knows no distance.

Despite the struggles as a result of their long distance relationship, Luteru Junior Tanielu finally mustered the courage to pop the question on Makerita Talalelei Ieremias birthday, last year. The rest, as they say, is history.

Last Saturday, Makerita and Luteru took the plunge when they exchanged vows at the E.F.K.S. Church of Apia-Uta.

The wedding service was conducted by Rev. Elder Siolo Tauati.

Makerita is the daughter of the late Rev. Ieremia Leautuli and Misimasefili Tuuau.

Luteru is the only son of the late Masoe Matini Tanielu and Fetoloai Afele Tanielu.

The bride and groom first met in 1997. They were in the same class, from Year 2 English Speaking at Apia Lower Primary School, Malifa, up until Year 13.1 at Samoa College, in 2007.

Always friends, nothing more, until one day she borrowed his biology book and a simple thank you text from her later that night started it all.

It was a young, innocent love, but was short lived due to family commitments. He also had to move overseas later that year.

He moved to New Zealand and she went to Australia. They kept meeting over the years but did not keep in contact as they went their own ways.

Although being apart physically, and without contacting each other, they were both holding on to a sense of hope that one day, if it was meant to be... then it probably will be.

Fast forward seven years, April 2015 in Wellington, New Zealand and as fate would have it, it happened. She got sent to Wellington on a work trip, where he lived -- long story short, they rekindled their love and it was as if they never parted ways.

Mrs. Tanielu graduated from the University of Queensland in Biomedical Science, while Luteru graduated from Victoria University in New Zealand.

Susana Fanueli Paese was the brides maid of honor, while Steven Leitupo served as the best man.

Following a beautiful wedding service, a reception was held at Robert Louis Stevenson Museum where close to a thousand people gathered to celebrate the new beginning for Mr. and Mrs. Tanielus life.
The Ulu o Tokelau, Siopili Perez, has moved to address public statements by commentators, including two Apia-based senior officials under suspension pending an investigation.

He has reminded the interested parties about the relationship between New Zealand and Tokelau and how, through that relationship, Tokelau is developing its own self-governance model.

Tokelau has been a territory of NZ since 1926, stated Mr. Perez.

A status, under the United Nations Charter regarding decolonisation, in which NZ is obligated to develop Tokelau to the extent where it can decide for itself the kind of political status it can have.

The standard UN governance options available are Integration, Independence, and Self-Government in Free Association -- the last being the model the Cook Islands and Niue opted for in 1965 and 1974, respectively.

Continued Mr Perez, In the 2016 Tokelau census, there were 1,499 resident people -- a rather small society. More importantly, there are three atolls or practically speaking, three villages, which for centuries looked after themselves. Thus, we are developing a governance model with the three villages as the foundation -- NZ understands that now.

About 50 years ago, our leaders communicated with NZ through translators. Moreover, our leaders were not exposed, as we are now, to the outside world. The boat used to come to Tokelau from Samoa once every three months.

Now, the new boat, Mataliki, comes to Tokelau more or less every two weeks and it is much more comfortable compared to those days. Now the boat takes 24 hours to travel to the first atoll compared to the two to three days, in the past, he said.

Given this background, Tokelau aims to work in partnership with NZ as we become more familiar through a better understanding of the world. An understanding that has improved with our ability to communicate in English, making dialogue with NZ more robust at times.

But as in our traditional and family oriented style of governance, every now and then, we disagree on priorities. In essence, it means that from a traditional standpoint we are trying as best as we can to master all the requirements of modern governance. And in the Tokelau context, this is best done through the learning by doing approach.

Our present challenges and investigation are very much linked to Tokelau governments key need for core advisors to become atoll based.

He concluded by emphasizing, There is one principle of governance that I will insist upon: leaders will govern and decide on policy; while public servants give advice. In some cases, their advice is not accepted.

However, it is of paramount importance that traditional and elected leaders must ensure that if, for whatever reason, whether it is inexperience or other reasons, that Tokelau does not end up with a public service holding most of Tokelaus modern skills and largely steering the Ship of State. This is why an ongoing and constructive dialogue with New Zealand is important.
An unhappy mother, Tuilaepa Soiamoa Grey, has questioned the legality of the recent amendment to the Constitution to allow Samoa to be declared a Christian state.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer yesterday, she accused the government leaders of being hypocritical and urged Samoans to wake up to what is happening.

As a Christian country, our day of worship is on Sunday, she said.

I have nothing against the governments decision to make Samoa a Christian state. I fully support it.

But what I find contradictory and hypocritical, is when the government changes the Constitution, yet allows foreigners to disrespect our day of worship by continuing to do hard labour on Sundays.

Tuilaepa lives next to a construction site at Vaitele. The workers are Chinese and they have been working on the Pesega Fou School on Sundays for the past months, without any consideration for others, according to Tuilaepa.

Its really disturbing that I cannot have a peaceful Sunday when these Asians are doing hard labour work, she said.

What is the robustness of the Samoa Constitution when it comes to these Asians who are conducting heavy labour work on Sundays?

I have seen in other villages but I did not really pay any attention to it until it happened right here, right under my nose and its very disturbing.

Whats more annoying is that their actions are a clear indication they have no respect for the laws of the land. Samoans take the day off, they attend church and if you dont go to church, you still cannot do such heavy work on Sundays.

There are six days they can do their work, but at least spare us the Sunday so we can worship peacefully.

The concerned citizen noted that Parliament should have made a note about this when they amended the Constitution. She added that perhaps its time for the government to forbid any labour work on Sunday.

Again, it goes back to when the government moved to legalizing Samoa as a Christian state. Why is it that we are a Christian country, yet there are people who work hard labour on Sundays? These Asians clearly have no respect for our traditions.

Each and every Samoan knows that we dont do any hard labour work; what makes them any different? They are visitors to our country, whether they are citizens or not, they should respect our traditions.

If our Prime Minister goes to church on Sundays, we should follow his examples.

Tuilaepa Mary reiterated that these Asians should respect Samoas tradition and culture.

In our Constitution, it says Samoa is a Christian nation, founded of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, yet these Asians have been causing disturbance for four weeks now.

I dont see any Samoans working on Sundays, just these Asians and its just very disrespectful, and whats more sad is that the construction company belongs to a Samoan.

A proverb comes to mind, when in Rome do as the Romans do, and this is one aspect these Asians should adhere to, when in Samoa, do as Samoans do, and that is going to church on Sundays.

If you dont go to church, please read the Bible but dont, do any hard labour work on Sundays, said Tuilaepa.

It was not possible to get an official comment from the company in question.

It was also not possible to get a response from the government.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has stopped the Polices monthly press conference in a bid to control media reports about cases of rape, incest and other vile crimes, in Samoa. In doing so, he has also criticised the media for reporting such cases. He said they are lazy and they only want to be spoon-fed by the Police. What do you think? Do you think the media should stop reporting about rape, incest and other crimes, in Samoa? Talimalie Uta asked in todays Street Talk and this is what people said.

Andy Anthony 20, Faleasiu

Personally, I think our P.M. only cares about money and the wealth of Samoa when he knows that issues like these should be his number one priority. How can he keep things like this hidden when people should know about it? I dont get it. If he wants to portray a better image of Samoa, then he should work harder on fixing these problems.

Falepoli Fato 36, Faleasiu

I dont see anything wrong with the media doing their job. If it is their job to report on stuff like this then what is so bad about it? The P.M. should not abuse his authority. Its the medias job and I know reporting on matters like this will inform the Samoan people about how bad things have become.

Tolu Leaia 53, Nofoalii

I disagree with the P.M. Rape and Incest should be reported so that we know the extent of the problem. I think the government should concentrate more on finding solutions to solve these problems rather than interfering with the work of the media. Thats just my opinion.

Leuga Nofoilo 57, Fasitoo uta

I think he is too focused on how Samoa is portrayed around the world instead of caring about what is happening to our people. I believe that its a must for the media to address issues like this for the sake of our people. The media has a job to report the truth and they cant ignore these things.

Sisifo Siilata 25, Neiafu

I think everyone has a responsibility to address these issues. The media has a role to highlight the problems and the leaders have a responsibility to find solutions. Incest and rape have become so prevalent that I think if the media were to stop reporting on it, it would only get worse.

Rachael Iosu 22, Apia

I think it was so rude for the P.M. to say something like that. Its the medias job to report on daily issues, therefore its their job not his. The way I see it, Tuilaepa is much more concerned about the image of our country instead of what is happening within. But we are not going to solve it by keeping a lid on it.
San Diego start-up incubator EvoNexus plans to close its downtown location and consolidate operations into its new, larger space in University City.

The move will leave EvoNexus with two incubator locations  in UTC and in Irvine  instead of three. Both remaining offices are near University of California campuses. The non-profit first opened in UTC in 2010. It expanded into downtown in 2012. The Irvine building came on board in 2014.

Earlier this year, EvoNexus moved into a new, larger 18,000-square-foot location in University City that  unlike its previous UTC location -- is custom designed for start-ups. It includes labs, open work areas and conference facilities, said EvoNexus Chief Executive Rory Moore.

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We have plenty of room at the new location, said Moore. The downtown operation was one where we didnt have as much room in the old UTC facility, so we expanded downtown. But at the end of the day, it is really difficult to give the companies the attention you need to give them when theyre downtown and in UTC.

The Irvine Co., Southern Californias largest office landlord, donates space to EvoNexus in all of its locations. Moore stressed that it was EvoNexus that decided to consolidate operations, which is expected to be complete by Nov. 1.

The downtown start-up community didnt welcome the news, in part because EvoNexus firms had solid technology teams, and it hosted networking events for entrepreneurs in the citys core.

EvoNexus is a great program, and they are not leaving the area, but it definitely will be a short-term hit to downtown, said Andy White, start-up advocate for the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

White added that downtown today has a more vibrant co-working ecosystem for start-ups -- with firms such as WeWork, NEST CoWork and Plug & Play San Diego providing office space and services -- than it did when EvoNexus opened in 2012.

EvoNexus is currently mentoring 51 start-ups  19 in UTC and 16 each at its downtown site and in Irvine. Moore expects a handful of downtown start-ups will raise funds from investors and graduate from the program before Nov. 1. Eight to 10 are expected to relocate to UTC.

Since it was founded, EvoNexus has incubated 150 young firms that have secured $1 billion in outcomes, either raising venture capital or being acquired.

Business

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973
At least 10 real-estate sales teams from the San Diego area are on a Top 250 list of top residential producers in the country, based on a list compiled by The Wall Street Journal and Real Trends.

[Clarification: The list, produced as a special marketing feature, was based on submissions from real estate professionals from around the country. Agents submitted a $25 application fee to be considered. Read the whole methodology here.]

Topping the list was a Maryland-based Creig Northrop Team of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., which reported more than $308 million in sales. The ranking was ordered by closed-transaction volume in 2010.

Jenny Craigs Rancho Santa Fe home  Courtesy of Catherine and Jason Barry ( / Courtesy of Catherine and Jason Barry)

Tennis court.  Courtesy of Catherine and Jason Barry ( / Courtesy of Catherine and Jason Barry)

Of the San Diego teams, the closest to that was Catherine and Jason Barry of Barry Estates Inc. in 20th place, with more than $133 million in sales.

The Barrys had been the listing agents for Jenny Craig's $8.9 million home in Rancho Santa Fe, which was taken off the market in October, the Multiple Listing Service shows. An update on the property, 5973 Rancho Diegueno Road, says: "Owner's family has decided to keep the home, please do not contact owner, thank you!" The home had been on the market for 300-plus days. (Neither the Barrys nor Craig could be reached for comment.)

Update: Jason Barry on Wednesday emailed the U-T to confirm the home "will remain in the family and therefore is no longer available."

Records show Craig's horse ranch, 16094 San Dieguito Road in Rancho Santa Fe, has been withdrawn from the Multiple Listing Service. Barry said this property, also called Rancho Paseana, will be back on the market in the beginning of 2012. The listing price was reduced from $29.9 million to $24.9 million.

Other San Diego-area teams in the Top 250

View the photo gallery: Luxury listings from Harwood Group

30) The Harwood Group of Rancho Santa Fe, Coldwell Banker Greater San Diego/NRT, $115,298,324

52) Amy Green and Susan Meyers-Pyke of San Diego, Coastal Premier Properties, $86,930,450

54) The Heller Real Estate Group of San Diego, Keller Williams Realty, $86,502,076

75) Kristian Peter of Chula Vista, San Diego Realty, Inc., $74,727,688

81) The Norberg Group of La Mesa, Keller Williams Realty, $71,063,879

127) Earl Gervais, Cardiff, American Eagle Real Estate, $54,226,604

204) Marie Jo Atkins of Poway, Real Living Lifestyles, $43,891,500

221) Eileen Anderson and Kip Boatcher of San Diego, Anderson + Boatcher, Willis Allen Real Estate, $42,230,520

239) Teti-Olenik (Diane Teti & John Olenik) of Escondido, Real Living Lifestyles, $40,779,379

Click here for the complete list.

Reach reporter Lily Leung at lily.leung@uniontrib.com or 619-293-1719. Or follow her on Twitter @LilyShumLeung. To subscribe to this blog, click here.
Can the smartphone-based technology made popular by Uber and Lyft be tapped to help Medicaid members get rides to doctors appointments?

San Diegos Veyo aims to find out.

The 335-employee transportation broker thinks it can shake up the non-emergency medical transportation business by bringing modern, app-based technology to the industry. Veyo was spun out of Phoenix-area transportation and taxi operator Total Transit.

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Veyo also aims to lure more independent drivers  akin to Uber  to supplement the commercial medical transportation fleets that it hires to provide rides.

The goal: Make sure the right vehicles are in the right places at the right times, which often isnt the case today. Federal agencies estimate that 3.6 million Americans miss their doctors appointments every year because of transportation problems.

In our markets where we have independent driver providers, which is primarily urban areas right now, if somebody calls in with last-minute hospital discharge, our agent in the call center can have that trip matched to an independent driver and get that person picked up in 10 minutes, said Josh Komenda, president of Veyo. That is unheard of in the traditional industry.

So far, the company has signed up about 2,000 independent drivers in the five states where it operates. They receive training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, as well as HIPPA confidentiality and Americans with Disabilities Act rules. All vehicles must be inspected, and drivers undergo background checks and drug tests.

Veyo shepherds independent drivers through these requirements, offering classes and providing other tools to get drivers trained.

Veyo isnt alone in tapping technology. Dozens of other medical transportation brokers are turning to mobile software to improve their service.

One of the largest, St. Louis-based Medical Transportation Management, offers its drivers a mobile app that includes turn-by-turn directions, GPS and time-stamp data, passenger signature capture and expedited claims submission. MTM operates in 29 states, including California.

Veyo contends that it built its system from the ground up to tap real-time mobile device tracking and reporting technology, rather than bolting technology onto an existing way of doing business.

Non-emergency medical transportation has been a frustrating benefit, said Komenda. It has a high grievance rate. But people really do understand how technology has changed transportation in the past five years  the real-time visibility and control, and the ability to share information over technology.

Non-emergency medical transport is a roughly $5 billion industry tied to a Medicaid benefit that pays for rides to doctors appointments for about 70 million Medicaid members nationwide. In California, the state Medicaid program is called MediCal.

Transportation brokers help manage the benefit for states and managed care organizations. They operate call centers and hire a diverse group of transportation outfits to drive patients.

Uber and Lyft-style innovations have been slow to reach health care transit, said Steve Rebuck, general manager of Medstar Medical Transportation in Tempe, Ariz., which does about 500 trips per day mostly for wheelchair and bed-bound patients.

No-shows are very expensive for us, said Rebuck. It is important for us to have the right information because its a low-margin, high-volume industry. When the information isnt correct, it makes everything throughout the day get delayed.

Rebuck said Veyos technology is very good at making sure the information that gets disseminated down to us is correct. That is critical.

Total Transit acquired Komendas previous start-up, GoFastCab, in 2013 for an undisclosed price. GoFastCab was an SMS text and iPhone ordering app for cab companies.

Total Transit fed GoFastCabs technology into a multi-million dollar effort to build a mobile apps suite and logistics platform for non-emergency medical transportation. It launched as Veyo in 2015.

We made a decision with Total Transit to spin off their non-emergency medical transportation division and customer base, and have it join the Veyo team, said Komenda.

About 75 workers are based at the companys San Diego headquarters. The bulk of Veyos employees work at a call center in Arizona. The company has contracts with about 30 managed care providers in Arizona, California and Texas. It also has contracts with state governments in Idaho and Colorado, which manage the Medicaid transportation benefit themselves.

Veyo arranges about 12,000 trips per day, said Komenda, and expects to achieve $100 million in annual revenue this year.

Rebuck of Medstar Medical doesnt see the independent drivers as competition, in part because all Medstar vehicles are wheelchair and stretcher capable.

Its a natural evolution for the industry, he said. What Veyo is doing makes a ton of sense. There are people who want to do it, and they can work when they want to work.
Short-term rentals of private residences would be sharply curbed under a proposed ordinance drafted by San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry, whose district includes the La Jolla area.

Her proposal, released Monday, arrives a few months before the full council is expected to take up yet again the contentious question of how to regulate vacation rentals, which have mushroomed in popularity with the growth of the online home-sharing platform, Airbnb.

The city planning department already is at work drafting alternative measures based on three options it released earlier this year, which at the time ranged from the most permissive to one that would effectively ban such rentals.

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The city is hoping to hear the matter Oct. 23, said Planning Director Jeff Murphy. It will mark the sixth hearing at City Hall in two years to consider the issue of short-term rentals.

Under Brys suggested regulations, homeowners would be allowed to rent out only their primary residences on a short-term basis but for no more than 90 days a year. By clamping down on such rentals, Bry says her proposal would effectively shut down the transformation of single-family homes by absentee investors into what she calls full-time mini-hotels in residential zones.

While Brys draft ordinance is certain to advance the debate among council members, it is less likely to forge consensus on an issue that has divided elected leaders for more than two years.

Councilman Chris Cate, who has consistently argued in favor of permitting vacation rentals citywide but with much stricter enforcement and escalating fines, said Monday he would not support Brys proposed regulations, which he thinks have come too late.

Were getting to the point where were getting ready for a council hearing on this, and this should have been heard first at the committee level, said Cate, who has previously codified his ideas in a proposed ordinance.

I want to make sure as a city were being able to meet expectations of our residents in terms of enforcement, and I dont believe we can effectively ban rentals in residential zones and have that ban enforced.

San Diegos elected leaders have been debating since 2015 potential regulations that would satisfy both home-sharing hosts and homeowners who have complained that their neighborhoods have been overrun by vacationers and late-night parties.

In March, the councils Smart Growth and Land Use Committee weighed various options but could not reach consensus on the best approach for governing short-term rentals, although it did agree on permitting home sharing, where homeowners rent out spare bedrooms to visitors.

The most lenient of three options the planning department offered up earlier this year for the rental of entire homes would allow them to operate in residential zones but would require ministerial permits, as would all the options.

The strictest proposed a minimum stay of 21 days, an option that had been proposed in the past by City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, who now says she supports Brys current proposal.

A third option struck a middle ground, allowing vacation rentals but requiring a special permit for larger homes that have six or more bedrooms or accommodate more than 10 guests.

Earlier this year, City Attorney Mara Elliott issued a memo concluding that San Diegos municipal code does not permit short-term rentals in any zone, an opinion that runs counter to her predecessors.

The council has been dealing with this issue before I got here, and the Smart Growth and Land Use Committee was deadlocked on how to deal with whole home rentals, so I think its just time to take this whole issue to the entire council, Bry said. This has been vetted in the communities for the last two years.

Whats changed, I think, is a wider appreciation that we need to provide more housing for San Diegans and second, that this is spreading into more neighborhoods.

Tom Coat, a co-founder of Save San Diego Neighborhoods, which has fought to ban short-term rentals in single-family neighborhoods, said his group appreciates the direction of Brys proposal but it has not decided yet whether to back it.

Were talking a closer look at it, but were concerned that San Diego doesnt have enough resources, because of the huge growth in the numbers of vacation rentals, to do adequate enforcement, so wed like to see more concrete and better enforcement ideas in it, Coat said.

But we are ecstatic over the fact it would put a halt to the investor class of short-term rental operators. Were really opposed to people coming in and buying up housing stock and converting it to hotels where they dont live.

Both Bry and Cate are proposing that permit fees be imposed for all short-term rentals. Such fees, Cate said, could go toward beefing up city enforcement of problem rentals. Bry says that it should not be that difficult to monitor short-term rental hosts who are in violation of whatever regulations are ultimately adopted.

There is now software cities are using that scan websites and can generate letters to properties to make sure theyre complying, Bry said. And we will still be collecting those TOT funds. Im always open to new input and suggestions.

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lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
What I Did on My Summer Vacation...

Drank a lot of beer. I saw sights, too  London, Brussels, Bruges and Paris all demand some gawking  but often with a pint in hand. Some beer-stained notes:

1. Londons room temperature beer was fine, but I welcomed a cool, hoppy Samuel Smith India Ale at Fleet Streets Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. That 17th century pubs customers have included Dr. Johnson and P.G. Wodehouse.

2. De Konincks pale ale was a delight in the small museum in the medieval brewers house on Brussels Grand Place. Light spices, medium body, sparkling carbonation, moderately bitter finish.

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3. Down a cobblestone alley in Bruges, I enjoyed De Garres rich house-brewed dark ale with a charcuterie plate.

4. Fully stocked with delicious cheese and bread, the Paris bistros we frequented lacked craft beer. Grimsbergen blonde, an abbey beer with ties to Danish megabrewer Carlsberg, was a better alternative to the ubiquitous, bland Kronenbourg 1664.

Post-Vacation Reality Check

As I was innocently quaffing abroad, the beer world spun out of control:

One of the United States greatest craft breweries  San Franciscos Anchor  sold to a foreign brewing behemoth, Japans Sapporo.

One of San Diegos largest craft breweries  Green Flash  announced a new production brewery in Lincoln, Neb.

One of our smaller craft breweries  Bay City  added 2,100 square feet to its Marina district headquarters. The new Suite C will be home to the brewerys new bottling line.

This last item may not deserve Anchor-esque or Flash-worthy headlines, yet little Bay City is taking a huge step.

Of the countys 151-and-counting breweries, fewer than half sell bottled or canned beer. Doing so means engaging in the fierce battle for retail shelf space. Thats risky but also a sign of confidence  and an opportunity for consumers to sample these beers at home.

Stone Scorecard

I arrived home just in time for last weekends Stone anniversary party at California State University, San Marcos. From the 17 beers I sampled, a six-pack of favorites:

Hops on Pointe, New Zealands Garage Project

Peppery with champagne-like bubbliness, this pilsner (6.7 percent alcohol by volume) was brewed as a fundraiser for the Royal New Zealand Ballet Co.

Cafe Dino, San Diegos Abnormal Beer Co.

Amazing. This imperial milk porter is strong (11 percent alcohol), yet all the starring ingredients  espresso, cinammon and blood orange  announced themselves with firm authority.

New Speedway Bitter, San Franciscos Magnolia Brewing

Lots of flavor in a small (3.7 percent alcohol) package. Fruity and chipper, this is an excellent all-day beer.

Hail to the Hop Thief, Escondidos Stone

An unfiltered double IPA (9.8 percent alcohol), the festival hosts 21st anniversary ale has a vinuous body, restrained citrus notes, herbal hops and a touch of mint.

Pacific Ocean Blue Gose, Libertine Brewing, San Luis Obispo

Behind the sour and salty surface of this gose (4.5 percent alcohol), theres some oak, peaches, grapes and a dry finish.

Strawberry Tart Cake, from Carlsbads Pizza Port

Unfiltered and unchecked in its fresh fruitiness, this sour ale (5 percent) was a refreshing way to finish the festival.

Beers of August

The month closes with a rush of enticing beer events.

SATURDAY

Modern Times third annual Festival of Dankness, 3 to 7 p.m., Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway. Tickets, $50, can be bought at moderntimesbeer.com/festival-of-dankness. No kids, no dogs.

Bay City Brewings second anniversary party, noon to 11 p.m., 3760 Hancock St., San Diego.

SUNDAY

Treasure Chest, Green Flashs seventh annual fundraiser for breast cancer research, noon to 5 p.m., Cellar 3, 12260 Crosthwaite Circle, Poway. Early bird tickets, $45, are available through Saturday at greenflashbrew.com/treasurechest.

The 6th annual Mira Mesa Festival of Beer, 1 to 4 p.m., Mira Mesa Community Park, 8575 New Salem St. General admission, $35; VIP tickets entitling guests to early admission (noon), $40; both sold at Eventbrite.com.

Pup Crawl, 2 to 8 p.m., beginning at Social Tap, 815 J St., San Diego, and continuing through Level 9 (509 9th Ave.), Knotty Barrel (844 Market St.), Half Door Brewing (903 Island Ave.) and Mission Brewery (1441 L St.) This fundraiser benefits the Barking Lot and the Soi Dog Foundation, which campaigns against using dogs for meat.

Did you know

Anchor Steam, a pioneer craft beer, debuted in 1971. Appliance heir Fritz Maytag, who owned the San Francisco brewery from 1965 through 2010, is a craft beer hero.

Beer Videos

Twitter: @peterroweut

peter.rowe@sduniontribune.com
After lying undiscovered beneath the Pacific Ocean for 72 years, the cruiser Indianapolis is having an eventful month.

After delivering the atomic bomb to a U.S. base on the island of Tinian, the Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945. She sank with about 300 of her 1,196 crew. Over the next four days, exposure, dehydration and sharks killed nearly 600 more. Only 317 men were rescued.

The cruisers captain, Charles V. McVey, became the only World War II-era U.S. naval officer to be court-martialed after the enemy sank his warship. He would be exonerated posthumously in 2000.

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Hushed up in 1945, the ships ordeal was overshadowed by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the wars end.

The Indianapolis, though, sailed back into the news this week. On Aug. 19, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced that an expedition he had funded had found the site of the wreck.

And on Saturday, Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic, co-authors of a new book on the doomed ship, will appear at the San Diego Festival of Books.

A San Marcos writer and filmmaker, Vladic has been studying the Indianapolis since 2001, when she attended a reunion of the ships survivors. With Melanie Capacia Johnson, she interviewed the men for their 2016 documentary, USS Indianapolis: The Legacy.

Two years ago, Vladic and Vincent began working together on a book, Indianapolis: The True Story of the Greatest Naval Disaster in U.S. History and the 50-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man.

At the Indianapolis survivors convention this July 30, the co-authors transmitted the finished manuscript to their publisher, Simon & Schuster. The book is scheduled to appear May 2018.

Indianapolis, the book, will be discussed Saturday at a 12:40 p.m. panel inside Liberty Stations McMillin Event Center. The panel, From the Battlefield to the Bookshelf, will be moderated by local military historian Scott McGaugh and feature Roger L. Conlee, Vincent P. OHara, Amanda Matti and Vincent.

Vladic will be in the audience, but not on stage.

I am going to be there because Lynn talked me into coming, she said. Im going to make Lynn do all the talking.
The communications transformation event brings back a bigger startup event to celebrate Innovation, Disruption, Evolution and Acceleration

Trumbull, CT  August 22, 2017  TMC today announced IDEA Showcase will return with a new startup pavilion at ITEXPO being held February 14-16, 2018 at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The startup competition will take place on February 15th and is accepting applications through December 1st. IDEA Showcase is a friendly competition for new companies to take center stage and present their innovative ideas and business plans. Judging for IDEA Showcase will be based on the submission of a completed entry form plus a 5-minute live pitch, and Q&A with the judging panel. Audience members will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite pitch as well.

IDEA Showcase began with the vision of giving companies at the bleeding edge a vehicle to pitch their solutions to the thousands of potential customers, partners and investors that attend ITEXPO. Over the years, the event has grown and many of our participants received funding as a direct result of competing, said Rich Tehrani, TMC CEO and conference chairman. This year, as we began planning, it was clear we needed to expand and offer more startups the opportunity to be a part of ITEXPO with an exhibit hall opportunity. We look forward to seeing all the applications and building a truly exciting event.

To submit your startup for IDEA Showcase, please complete a submission form at: https://www.f6s.com/ideashowcase/apply . For more information on becoming a part of the startup pavilion contact TMC's Joe Fabiano at 203-852-6800 x132 or Maureen Gambino at 203-852-6800 x109.

Registration for IDEA Showcase at ITEXPO is now open, contact [email protected] for more information. For media inquiries, contact Jessica Seabrook.

For the latest ITEXPO news, updates and information follow the event on Twitter at @ITEXPO.

About TMC

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Unique, turnkey Online Communities boost search results, establish market validation, elevate brands and thought leadership, while minimizing ad-blocking.

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Media and Analyst Contact:

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[email protected]

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
Some of them are partial to Stardust. Others want to hear Im in the Mood for Love. And Somewhere Over the Rainbow always brings down the house.

But when Trevor Gibson wraps up one of his frequent piano-playing stints at St. Pauls Senior Services in Hillcrest, he always hears the same request.

No matter what I play, they adore it. They just want me to come back, Gibson said of the residents who gather for his Piano with Trevor performances. Thats the request I always get. When are you coming back?

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The great news for his many fans is that Gibson is always coming back.

Since his first volunteer performance in 2012, Gibson has expanded his giving-back repertoire considerably. In addition to his 15 (or more) monthly performances, he joins the residents for lunch, accompanies them on field trips and helps them with craft projects. If a resident isnt feeling sociable, he might coax them out of their room. If someone isnt feeling well, he will drop in for a visit.

Recognizing an invaluable resource when they saw one, St. Pauls began paying Gibson for his musical performances a few years ago. As for all of his above-and-beyond time, that is given freely, happily and on-demand.

I always come early and I always leave late. If they need anything here, I am totally the person to do it, the 24-year-old La Mesa resident said. I genuinely love each person at this facility. I think they can sense that about me.

The older brother to four sisters, Gibson became an early expert in the art of caregiving. As the default authority figure, he picked up the slack when he needed to, whether it was cooking, cleaning or babysitting. It could be chaotic and stressful. It was also character-building and life-shaping.

Much of the character-building came from Gibsons maternal grandmother, Beth Ryan. She is the one who taught her grandson to play the piano, showing him how to play by ear while she was cooking or cleaning her house. She also took him with her when she played piano at church, which enriched his musical and spiritual life.

The life-shaping part happened while he was looking after his sisters, which taught him the caretaking skills that would end up serving him well. Even if it took him awhile to appreciate the lessons.

Sometimes you find out that the most sour times of your life are the things that gave you a talent or mindset that you can use later, said Gibson, who also teaches childrens classes at Journey Community Church in La Mesa and works as a nanny.

When I was 12, I did not want to take care of my sisters. But now that gives me everything I need to take care of kids and take care of seniors. The way I look at this is beyond work or money or obligation. I am looking at this like I am investing in someone.

Raised in La Mesa, Riverside and Poway, Gibson graduated from Poway High School in 2010 and went to work. After a stint at a travel agency, he spent almost two years as the primary caregiver for his youngest sister, Madison, who was 2 years old at the time. Then it was on to more jobs  at Jamba Juice and Vons and In-N-Out Burger  and then classes at Grossmont College.

He was always busy, but when Grandmother Ryan started chatting with some St. Pauls staffers while she was working at the FedEx Office in Hillcrest, she decided he had room for something more.

It was totally accidental, like most things in my life, Gibson said of the day his grandmother volunteered his musical services to St. Pauls.

I wasnt sure what to expect, but I was hooked. Sometimes, I will get to see somebody with dementia or Alzheimers really come alive when I play just one song. They cant converse with you, but they know all of the words to the songs. It is an amazing thing to see.

He started with one performance a week. Now, he plays multiple times every week, along with holidays and other special events. If he is not playing the piano, he might be joining residents on a trip to the San Diego County Fair, or reading the daily newsletter with them or helping out with a trivia contest.

And if a resident is having a bad day, he might be called on to work his special Trevor magic.

Trevor can get people to do things that the staff cant get them to do. He has that effect on people, said Melissa Stinson, St. Pauls senior day program supervisor. He can really help them make that mood change and get back into a comfortable and relaxed mental state.

It is that love and that happiness that people understand. He offers it so freely, and they love it. He has a great spirit, and its contagious.

Until very recently, Gibson thought he might be leaving his St. Pauls friends to attend CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo to pursue his goal of becoming an art teacher. After having a heart-to-heart with himself, he decided to stay in San Diego. His shows will go on, and no one will enjoy them more than the young man with many songs in his head and more high notes to share.

I still feel like I have an impact to make, and Im not finished yet. Everyone at St. Pauls has so much life. There is so much wisdom to be gained from them, and they are so hilarious. They have the ability to laugh at themselves. People are so self-focused, and seniors arent. I want to be like that.

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com
As a longtime food safety consultant, teacher and inspector, Robert Romaine has seen plenty of disastrous and dirty commercial kitchens.

He knows the menacing microbes that make us sick and has seen the evils lurking in kitchen corners.

So, he has a couple of rules. One, avoid potlucks. Who knows how that chicken salad was prepared. And two, when invited to a friends house for dinner, put the blinders on.

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When Im visiting someone, I try not to hang around the kitchen, says Romaine, who owns Food Safety Consulting in San Diego. Sometimes I know too much, and I just dont want to know whats going on in there.

The dangers are many, from improper refrigeration to cross contamination. But recently, theres been an added focus on kitchen sinks and counters and the way people keep them clean  or dont.

In early August, a story in the New York Times, citing a recent study from Germany published in the journal Scientific Reports, concluded the ordinary kitchen sponge not only is filled with bacteria, but that the warm, wet and nutrient-rich environment allows bacteria to thrive to an extent previously unknown, and that cleaning it  by cooking in a pot, microwaving it or putting it in a washing machine or dishwasher  may not help. The study cited massive colonization by bacteria in the sponge that cant be wiped out totally by cleaning.

Kitchen sponges not only act as a reservoir of microorganisms, but also as disseminators over domestic surfaces, which can lead to cross-contamination of hands and food, which is considered a main cause of food-borne disease outbreaks, the authors wrote.

Of course, concerns about kitchen cleanliness and the dangers of dirty sponges and cloths around the sink  used for washing counters, cutting boards, dishes and even (not advisedly) hands  arent new.

A 2015 study published in Food Protection Trends reported high bacterial counts on sponges, cutting boards, countertops and the sink itself. It warned salmonella could grow on dishcloths left out overnight, even after being washed and rinsed.

A 2014 study by researchers at the University of Arizona found 89 percent of household kitchen towels examined were found to have coliform bacteria, with some having E. coli.

Yet as Romaine notes, precautions can easily be taken in our home kitchens to lessen the dangers of contamination.

Take that disgusting sponge, for instance.

If a person is careful and actually knows they got the sponge up to 180 degrees (when cleaning it), nothings going to live, he says. The key is being certain the temperature is high enough, not just warm but lethally hot. Federal government guidelines suggest 165 degrees as the minimum temperature for killing bacteria. A food thermometer can be used to test that sponge after microwaving.

Adds Joyce Wilkins, who taught food safety for years in San Diego through her business, Safe at the Plate: Yes, the sponge is fairly disgusting. All bacteria, all organisms die at 165 degrees, so if you heat it up hot enough to burn you in the microwave, you will kill it.

Antonio Barajas also counsels common sense. Barajas, whos often taught food safety classes in San Diego with his Los Angeles-based A School For The People, says bacteria is a part of our lives and bodies. Its impossible to have a home kitchen devoid of microbes. The key, he says, is to keep them from cross-contaminating food and being ingested.

Its all about balance, control and not having more bacteria than necessary in the sink area, says Barajas.

Tips to avoid problems

Among the precautions that can be taken to avoid spreading microbes around the kitchen sink while preparing food or cleaning up:

Rotate those sponges. Use a sponge for a day and replace it with another. Clean the used sponge in a 165-degree-plus environment and let it dry thoroughly before using it again.

Use a sponge for just one purpose, either for cleaning countertops, for instance, or dishes in the sink, but not both.

Barajas suggests squeezing as much liquid as possible out of a sponge after every use. Dehydrating the environment is one method of making sure sponges are not fostering organisms, he says.

Do the same thing with a dishcloth. Wring it out and spread it flat to dry between uses.

Wilkins, in fact, discourages the use of a sponge and suggests buying a pack of 10 dishcloths instead and using a fresh one every 24 hours. The big issue is dampness, she says. Bacteria need water to survive, and if the cloth is dried out each time, it helps prevent bacteria growth.

Romaine suggests using paper towels instead of cloths or a sponge for cleanup, especially after preparing meat or chicken. Paper towels can be thrown away so bacteria cant be transferred. Obviously, if you just cut up raw chicken, you dont want to use a household sponge for that, he says. But if youre just wiping up debris from cutting up bread or vegetables, thats not very harmful.

Wilkins also will use isopropyl alcohol to clean surfaces, along with a stiff-bristled brush instead of a sponge. A cutting board used to prepare chicken, for instance, will be scrubbed with a brush and hot, soapy water, then treated with some of the alcohol to kill remaining germs, rinsed and allowed to air dry. The same system can be used for countertops, where a brush can dislodge the bio film that can build up over time (and not be rubbed away with a sponge or cloth).

Instead of using a dishtowel to dry just-washed plates and utensils  a towel that may have been used to dry hands or wipe a countertop  allow those plates and utensils to air dry.

Wash your hands often. When starting, wash up. After cutting and handling meat, wash up. When switching from handling vegetables to proteins to clean up, and then setting the table, wash, wash, wash those hands with hot water and soap. The Food and Drug Administration says its the most effective thing a home cook can do.

Romaine says its easy to avoid problems spreading bacteria around the sink or kitchen.

Keeping things separated, which avoids cross contamination, washing things properly, washing your hands properly, keeping things cold, keeping things hot and if you use a sponge ... it can be as simple as putting it in the microwave to get it hot. If its hot, it will kill anything thats on it.

Williams is a San Diego freelance writer.
As the Navy works to recover sailors bodies from flooded portions of the damaged U.S. destroyer John McCain in Singapore, a San Diego congressman is calling for a congressional investigation of the Navys string of deadly ship mishaps in the Pacific.

Democratic Rep. Scott Peters issued the request on Tuesday, saying that a thorough investigation could focus on whether the Navys operations tempo has become too high to be safe, and if the sea service has enough resources to do its job properly.

Peters suggested that the investigation could be done by the House Armed Services Committee, on which he previously sat.

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These tragic, senseless collisions have taken the lives of too many brave sailors, Peters said in a statement.

As we continue the pivot to the Pacific to counter new and dynamic threats, the Navy is being asked to do more than it ever has.

He added that while he supports the Navys own investigation of its Pacific fleet, announced yesterday, It is Congress duty to provide our service members with the resources they need to carry out their missions safely and effectively.

RELATED: Navy orders operational pause for all fleets following USS McCain collision 

In the predawn darkness of Monday morning, the McCain collided with a merchant ship near the busy Strait of Malacca and Singapore.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer suffered a car-sized gash on its left, or port, side. Crew sleeping areas and machinery and communications rooms were flooded before the McCain crew regained control of the ship.

Welcome to The Intel, a blog examining the hot military news of the day

The Navy has now recovered the bodies of some sailors in the flooded compartments. Another body recovered by the Singapore navy at sea may also be one of the 10 missing from the McCain.

The collision bears a resemblance to  and comes just two months after  another Navy destroyer, the Fitzgerald, collided with a merchant ship off Asia. Seven American sailors were killed in their flooded sleeping chamber. The two senior officers and senior enlisted sailor have been removed from their posts.

In May, a South Korean fishing boat hit the cruiser Lake Champlain, with no injuries.

That string of collisions follows the U.S. cruiser Antietam running aground in Tokyo Bay in January.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said that Peters is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Peters sat on the committee during his previous two terms in office but is no longer a member.
A call by the student Republican Club at San Diego State University for the Muslim Student Association to denounce the Barcelona terrorist attack triggered a strong backlash  including at least one physical threat, according to the GOP student leader.

The Muslim Student Association called it a distasteful letter and thanked people for supporting the group after it was posted.

In the Aug. 17 letter, posted on the organizations Facebook page the day an ISIS terrorist attack in Barcelona left 15 dead, College Republicans of SDSU President Brandon Jones offered condolences to those affected by the attack and wrote that such acts must be disavowed by Muslim leaders on our campus and in our community.

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The letter then quoted the Muslim Student Associations mission statement of being dedicated to creating a sense of community and inclusive environment for all students on campus.

Unfortunately, until radical Islamic terrorism is disavowed by the Muslim Student Organization at SDSU, we can not move forward in creating an inclusive environment for all students on campus, Jones wrote.

The letter concluded by asking the president of the organization and its executive officers to publicly condemn the act or resign.

Members of the Muslim Student Association could not be reached, but the organization did refer to the letter on its Facebook page.

The Muslim Student Association of SDSU would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who have expressed their support for us in the past few days, read a message posted Sunday. We have received numerous amounts of positive messages and comments regarding the distasteful letter that was sent to us. Your kind words and willingness to stand against injustice has showed our members and Muslim students from other universities around the country that we are not alone.

The post was followed by a lengthy back and forth among comments, including from Breitbart contributor Ariana Rowlands, who repeatedly asked for the Muslim Student Association to respond to Jones request to condemn the attack. Others wrote that the group should not have to respond.

It blew up like nothing Ive ever seen before, Jones said.

The College Republicans Facebook page showed the original post had more than 230,000 views and 500 responses, mostly against the letter.

Its hard to tell whether youre just trolling Muslim students because you think this type of bullying is fun & edgy, or whether you seriously believe your fellow Muslim students might be supporters of terrorism, one person wrote. The former possibility puts you beneath contempt, while the latter highlights how embarrassingly ignorant you are, so Im not sure which youd prefer.

Jones said the letter was written following a telephone board meeting with other College Republican board members, who endorsed it. He put his own phone number on the letter, and said he received one threatening text.

It said, I hope you rot in hell, Jones said. Were coming for you this week, you vile piece of a human being. Watch your back every step you take. SDSU campus will be the war zone against you and inhumane rats.

An anonymous e-mail to the organization also asked Jones to resign from his position and when convenient, kill yourself, he said.

Despite the controversy, Jones said he does not regret posting the letter, which he saw as a reasonable request.

In our opinion, its real simple, he said. There was an act of violence, much like the one that happened in Charlottesville, and we were making a simple request in calling them to join us in condemning it.

Jones was referring to a clash in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month between members of White nationalist and counter-protesters. A counter-protester was killed in the unrest.

Jones said the College Republicans issued a statement condemning the violence and actions of white nationalists at the rally immediately after the incident.

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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939
An online petition has been launched to remove a Confederate monument on a private plot in a cemetery operated by the city of San Diego.

The petition on Change.org was launched after a similar one led to quick action by city officials.

Last week, a 1926 plaque noting San Diego as a terminus of the Jefferson Davis Highway was removed from the downtown Horton Plaza hours after attention was called to it. Davis was president of the Confederacy.

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The monument at the Mount Hope Cemetery that names Gen. Stonewall Jackson is on a plot owned by the group that donated the Davis plaque  the United Daughters of the Confederacy. That makes its potential removal trickier.

The city (of San Diego) does not endorse Confederate symbols of division, which is why it removed the Jefferson Davis plaque from Horton Plaza Park,' said Tim Graham, a senior public information officer for the city. Unlike a marking in a public plaza, this is on a private cemetery plot.'

A deadly clash in Charlottesville, Virginia, at an Aug. 12 demonstration organized by white supremacists resulted in renewed calls for the removal of Confederate symbols. Some people have taken to removing or vandalizing monuments and statues themselves.

The Change.org petition pointed out that the edifice was not a grave marker but a monument to the Confederacy and its soldiers. Hundreds of Civil War veterans migrated to San Diego after the war and are buried at area cemeteries.

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San Diego is launching a national search for the citys next police chief, who will replace Chief Shelley Zimmerman when she retires in March.

The new chief will take over a department struggling with a chronic shortage of officers and wrestling with concerns about racial profiling and tension between police and residents of ethnically diverse neighborhoods south of Interstate 8.

The City Councils Democratic majority began lobbying Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer to conduct such a search last winter, contending a national search was necessary to ensure San Diego gets the best possible new chief.

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The city, however, will also consider internal candidates to replace Zimmerman, who must retire in March because shes reached the five-year limit of the deferred retirement program she joined in 2013.

Faulconer has vowed to make the selection process highly transparent and include as much public input as possible.

After city officials hire a national executive search firm early next month, they will conduct four public forums in late September and make an online survey available.

The police chief serves all of San Diego so we want everyone to have a chance to participate in the selection process, Faulconer said on Tuesday. I am encouraging San Diegans to attend these community forums so the publics voice is heard.

The four public forums fall short of a request last winter from the councils Democrats for forums to be hosted in each of the citys nine council districts. Two of the four forums scheduled will be held south of I-8, but one of those will be in high-income Bankers Hill.

City Councilman David Alvarez said the city needs to schedule more forums, either one in each council district or one in each of the citys nine police divisions, which have different boundaries.

We clearly called for every community to participate in that process, he said.

Alvarez also criticized the process as lacking adequate transparency, particularly plans not to reveal the members of a panel interviewing police chief candidates until after a selection is made.

City officials said the goal is ensuring that panel members arent lobbied by prospective candidates or special interest groups. But Alvarez, who is Latino and represents communities south of I-8, said that is unacceptable.

I think it seriously lacks in transparency, he said. At a minimum, we should know who the individuals participating in the selection process are and what their background is, to make sure the diverse perspectives of San Diegans are included in this process.

A coalition of community groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union echoed the sentiments of Alvarez on the number of forums and the interview panel.

San Diegans deserve a public process, not closed-door interviews with a panel whose composition will not be revealed until after they decide who will be San Diegos next police chief, the coalition said in a joint statement. We also believe that four community meetings are insufficient to gather input from our large and diverse city.

Council President Myrtle Cole said on Tuesday that shes looking forward to the process and the public participation it will include.

I am eager to receive community input so we can decide on an individual who will continue effective community policing strategies, said Cole, who represents southeastern San Diego.

In January, Cole said in a budget memo that it was crucial that San Diego conduct a national search.

While there are outstanding internal candidates for the position, a nationwide search provides the opportunity to ensure the mayor is selecting from a comprehensive pool of the best and brightest law enforcement has to offer, Cole wrote last winter.

Despite such requests, Faulconer didnt include money for a national search in the budget he proposed in April. But the mayor added $100,000 for the search into the budget as part of his proposed May revisions.

After the public forums, the city and the search firm it hires will begin recruiting candidates and accepting applications, according to a Tuesday memo to the council from Scott Chadwick, the citys chief operating officer.

Based on input gathered from the community and stakeholders, and with assistance from the selected executive recruiter, marketing and promotional announcements regarding this opportunity will be shared in all relevant markets, Chadwick told the council.

Potential candidates will be contacted and encouraged to apply, including internal candidates, Chadwick wrote. Candidates can also reach out directly to the citys Human Resources Department to express interest in this opportunity.

Multiple rounds of private candidate interviews are slated for December, with Faulconer and Chadwick expected to offer the selected candidate the job in either December or January.

The new chief will need to be approved by a majority of the City Council during a confirmation hearing scheduled for February. The timeline aims to have the new chief in place when Zimmerman retires in March.

When the council began lobbying for a national search last winter, Brian Marvel, president of the police officers labor union, said the city shouldnt overlook internal candidates.

I understand the desire for a national search, but I hope it doesnt override the desire to actually look within the department, Marvel said in January. There are some extremely highly qualified candidates that would be excellent as chief of police.

Faulconer appointed Zimmerman to take over as chief shortly after he was elected mayor in February 2014. He did not conduct a national search, or schedule any public forums.

Alvarez said the process for replacing Zimmerman is superior to how she was promoted to chief, because there will be some public participation.

Zimmerman replaced Chief Bill Lansdowne, the only new chief San Diego has hired from outside the department in the last 50 years.

Lansdowne, who had been San Joses police chief, was hired after a national search in 2003. Every other time the San Diego police chief job has been open since the 1960s, the city has promoted from within the department.

Zimmerman must retire in March 2018 because she entered the citys deferred retirement option program in 2013, one year before becoming chief.

The program, which no additional employees can enter because of criticism and controversy, allows city workers to simultaneously collect a salary and pension for up to five years near the end of their careers.

Faulconer praised Zimmerman on Tuesday.

Under Chief Zimmerman San Diego has become a leader in community policing and remained one of the safest big cities in America, he said. Our next police chief must build on her commitment to excellence and continue to forge strong bonds with our neighborhoods.

In a city news release on Tuesday, the ideal candidate for the next chief was described as someone who represents qualities and characteristics that reflect San Diegos unique communities and someone who recognizes the critical ongoing importance of community policing and neighborhood engagement.

The departments relationship with the citys neighborhoods, particularly low-income and ethnically diverse neighborhoods south of I-8, has been somewhat strained in recent years.

That stems partly from an independent analysis released last November that showed evidence of disparities in how often blacks and Latinos are searched and questioned during traffic stops.

The traffic stop report, compiled by San Diego State University researchers, generated significant criticism of local police, including calls from community leaders for policy changes aimed at regaining the trust of local minorities.

Zimmerman and department officials have said the study didnt show racial bias, noting that blacks and Latinos werent pulled over any more frequently than whites.

The department has also struggled with recruiting and retention.

The number of vacancies had climbed to 239 out of 2,040 budgeted positions through Aug. 8  nearly 12 percent. Thats sharply up from 170 vacancies last October and 207 in April.

San Diegos crime rate has remained low despite the vacancy problem, but there is less proactive policing, investigators are facing intense workloads and response times are longer than if the department were fully staffed.

And things look discouraging for the department moving forward, with applications down 36 percent over the last two years and about 600 of the departments 1,801 officers eligible to retire by 2022.

The public forums scheduled to gather input on the chief search will be at 6 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Standley Recreation Center in University City; 1 p.m. on Sept. 23 at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in Encanto; 6 p.m. on Sept. 26 at the Mira Mesa Senior Center; and 6 p.m. on Sept. 28 at St. Pauls Cathedral in Bankers Hill.

The coalition led by the ACLU said additional forums should be held in council district 9, which includes City Heights, and council district 8, which includes Barrio Logan and San Ysidro.

The coalition includes Alliance San Diego, the La Raza Bar Association, the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, the San Diego Organizing Project, the Mid-City Community Advocacy Network, the Center on Policy Initiatives, the Community Assistance Support Team and the San Diego LGBT Community Center.

The online survey will be posted at sandiego.gov/nextchief. Also at that site, the city will post updates on the search and related information.

Groups formally invited to participate in the forums include the citys two police review panels, the Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, the Community Planners Committee, the Human Relations Commission and the park and recreation board.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
The threat of wildfires is never far from San Diegans who live in areas where the possibility of brush fires is elevated due to hot, summer weather combined with dry vegetation-covered hills and valleys.

To help residents understand and prepare for the unique risks they face, the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County is putting together workshops in Palomar Mountain, Warner Springs Estates and Valley Center.

Participants who attend the workshops learn the principles used by firefighters in suppressing wildland fires and protecting structures. Free to local residents, the one-day, in-depth course also teaches fire behavior prediction and how to apply this knowledge to the communitys topography, fuels, weather, and the fire-safe condition of homes. The course will also offer valuable survival tips in the event of a fire.

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Each workshop is hosted by that areas community fire safe council: Palomar Mountain Fire Safe Council, the Stone Ridge Fire Safe Council at Warner Springs Estates, and the Valley Center Fire Safe Council.

To learn more about community councils, visit the Fire Safe Council of San Diego Countys website at www.firesafesdcounty.org.

The workshops take place on three Saturdays at the following locations:

Palomar Mountain, Saturday, Aug. 26

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Fire Station 79

21610 Crestline Road, Palomar Mountain, 92060

Stone Ridge / Warner Springs Estates, Saturday, Sept. 9

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Stone Ridge at Warner Springs Estates Clubhouse

35109 Highway 79, Warner Springs 92086

Valley Center, Saturday Sept. 23

8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Lilac Elementary School Multipurpose Room

30109 Lilac Road, Valley Center 92082

Those interested in attending may register on the events page of councils website or they can contact Britney Munoz at 619-562-0096 or britney.munoz@rcdsandiego.org.

A light breakfast and lunch is included.

619-293-1710

debbi.baker@sduniontribune.com

twitter.com/Debbi_Baker
CHARLESTON -- District Governor Larry Howell recently addressed the Charleston Rotary Club as a part of his tour to visit every Rotary Club in District 6490.

The district governor is a native of Arthur who now has been a member of the Arcola Sunrise Rotary Club since 2010.

During his year as Arcola club president, Arcola Sunrise received the Star Club recognition, was awarded a presidential citation and was a runner-up as Small Club of the Year. In 2014, Howell was named Arcola Sunrise Rotarian of the Year.

On the district level, Howell has served as assistant governor, chair of the District Grants Committee, a Rotary Youth Exchange Committee member and is on the Shelter Box Committee. He is a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Institute and currently serves as a facilitator.

Howell received the D6490 New Rotarian of the Year award in 2011-12 and was named Rotarian of the Year for D6490 in 2013-14.

He touched on a variety of issues during his address to the Charleston Rotary Club, all of which can be summed up in the phrase he led the club members in reciting: People of action making a difference.

For his year as district governor, Howells goals for each club are to grow and diversify club membership; to take part in an international project; and to fulfill RI President Ian Riseleys challenge that a tree be planted for each member of each club.

The DG also encouraged club members to attend the coming district conference in Springfield from Sept. 8-9. This district conference will be unique because it will be sandwiched inside the Rotary Institute for Zones 30 and 31. An array of speakers and programs will be presented, including addresses by RI President Ian Riseley and Olympic Gold Medal winner Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Howell also stated that, due to the leadership of Rotary International, he believes polio will be eradicated within his lifetime.

To aid in the cause to End Polio Now, Howell continued a DG tradition of passing around a wooden model Post Office truck donation box for members contributions.
A Latino man who yelled racial slurs as he beat and kicked a black man he thought was hitting on his girlfriend was sentenced Tuesday to three years in state prison.

Superior Court Judge Polly Shamoon told the defendant, Alberto Campos, that his jealous rage caused him to severely beat the victim, 36-year-old Kevin Raspberry, who was known as a local transient.

Shamoon told the 24-year-old defendant that she was sending him to prison rather than grant probation because he returned to the alley where he first attacked the victim and resumed beating him.

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The judge said there was not one scintilla of evidence that Raspberry did anything to Campos girlfriend.

You had no right to put your hands on another human being, the judge told the defendant. This was a vicious, vicious attack. You could have walked away.

Defense attorney Victoria Ramirez said Campos was remorseful and felt like he was defending his girlfriend when he attacked Raspberry.

Campos also addressed the court, saying, That is the day I will regret for the rest of my life.

Deputy District Attorney Oscar Garcia said Campos called Raspberry the N-word and gave police different stories on how and when the victim allegedly made advances on his girlfriend.

The prosecutor said Campos attacked Raspberry on Imperial Avenue, near 22nd Street, the night of April 15. Raspberry was knocked to the ground, then kicked in the head. Campos walked to a nearby liquor store, then returned to the crime scene and hit the victim on the head with a large stick.

Raspberry was unconscious when medics took him to a hospital. He suffered a 3-inch gash along one ear that required several stitches to close, Garcia said out of court.

A neighbor who witnessed the beating thought Campos was going to kill the victim, the prosecutor told the judge. Campos stopped and ran off only after a neighbor lied and told him the police were coming, Garcia said.

San Diego police arrested Campos at his Julian Avenue home on May 20. He pleaded guilty in June to assault charges and admitted that he caused great bodily injury to the victim.

Raspberry did not appear in court for the sentencing.

Kelly Wheeler is a reporter for City News Service

Staff writer Pauline Repard contributed to this report
A third person was arrested over the weekend in the fatal gang shooting of a 21-year-old man at a busy amphitheater in Oceanside in June, police said Tuesday.

The 17-year-old suspect turned himself in at Juvenile Hall on Sunday, after detectives paid a visit to his family in Los Angeles, Oceanside police spokesman Tom Bussey said. The juvenile faces a murder charge in the death of Ines Villa.

On the evening of June 1, Villa was shot several times during a heated confrontation with two men at the Junior Seau Pier Amphitheater, which is near the Oceanside Pier.

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The next day, officers took 21-year-old Bianca Madrigal into custody on suspicion of being an accessory to the killing. Then, on June 3, 18-year-old Jose Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of murder and participating in a gang felony.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
There is a surface reasonableness to the new Afghanistan policy President Donald Trump unveiled Monday. The present contingent of nearly 10,000 U.S. troops will be increased by a modest, unspecified amount, but only to help Afghan forces  not to nation-build or directly fight  to prevent the West Asian nation from again becoming a terrorist hotbed. No departure date for U.S. troops was announced, as President Barack Obama did in 2014, to show an open-ended U.S. commitment to the civilian government in Kabul. Pressure also will be put on neighboring Pakistan to get the nominal U.S. ally to stop its double game  having its leaders voice support for Washington while its intelligence agency helps Islamic militants, including the Taliban forces who gave al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden an Afghan haven from which to scheme the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

In one sense, Trumps decision can be seen as welcome evidence the president is capable of changing his mind and heeding his better-informed advisers  in this case his three generals, Defense Secretary James Mattis, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. For years, Trump argued that Afghanistan was an unwinnable war.

But contrary to Trumps claim, the plan he has embraced reflects no new strategic thinking and hardly offers the prospect of outright victory, as he asserted. After the deaths of more than 2,000 U.S. service members and the expenditure of more than $800 billion since 2001, its impossible to buy any confident rhetoric about U.S. strategy in the longest war in American history. The U.S. and its allies had nearly 150,000 troops in Afghanistan at the peak of the surge President Obama launched in 2009 and still couldnt vanquish the Taliban and other extremists  now a force about one-tenth the size can pull it off? The U.S. has lavished aid on Afghanistan to shore up its civil society, but in large parts of the mountainous, landlocked nation, Afghans still prefer the strictness and structure provided by the Taliban to the corrupt central government  and have for decades. Now theyre going to be won over?

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The best explanation for whats behind the Afghanistan plan comes from Ralph Peters, a former military intelligence officer: One suspects that this new initiative springs less from rigorous analysis than from the emotional attachment felt by senior officers whove seen their troops bleed and cant bear the prospect of a meaningless sacrifice, of simply walking away ... rare is the general who understands the economic principle of sunk costs, that you cant redeem a bad investment by investing even more, he wrote in the New York Post. When money is gone, its gone. The same applies to lives.

Of course the United States has vital interests at stake in keeping Afghanistan from returning to its status as a terrorist breeding ground. But without having thousands of vulnerable boots on the ground, the Pentagon has used drones, missiles and airstrikes to successfully target terrorists in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and perhaps other nations as well. There is far more reason to believe this would work in Afghanistan than to believe that strategies that failed under Presidents Obama and George W. Bush will work under President Trump.

The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board very much hopes Trumps old-is-new policy will work. But history offers little reason for this hope.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
In an updated travel advisory for Mexico, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday upgraded warnings for Americans considering travel to two states which include the popular tourist destinations of Cancun and Los Cabos.

The reason? Officials are concerned about increasingly dangerous activities of criminal organization in the areas, especially along the Caribbean coast.

Heres what you need to know about the latest Mexico travel warning.

Why add new warnings?

Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight, the advisory from the State Department said.

In the state of Quintana Roo, for example,  home of tourist favorite cities Cancun and Playa del Carmen and the island of Cozumel  Mexican government statistics show an increase in homicide rates this year compared to 2016.

While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted criminal organization assassinations, turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens, the advisory says of Quintana Roo. Shooting incidents, in which innocent bystanders have been injured or killed, have occurred.

This tweet from January from the State Departments bureau of diplomatic security, warned of a gunfire exchange in downtown Cancun.

The state of Quintana Roo sees a third of the national total of tourists  10 million  per year, according to Bloomberg.

U.S. citizens have been murdered in carjackings and highway robberies, most frequently at night and on isolated roads. Officials added that theres no evidence that U.S. citizens are being targeted solely based on their nationality, however.

What areas are affected?

The advisory expands on the last one published in December 2016, adding areas not previously included like Quintana Roo. The Gulf Coast state of Veracruz and southern state of Chiapas are also new additions.

For Veracruz and Chiapas, the warning prohibits U.S. government personnel from leaving tourist areas or using public transportation.

A warning for Baja California Sur  which includes Los Cabos  said criminal activity and violence is occurring throughout the state.

Exercise caution as Baja California Sur continues to experience a high rate of homicides, officials warned.

To see the full list of Mexican states and their corresponding advisories, go here.

Are there areas without advisories?

Mexico City remains without an advisory. The same goes for the states of Hidalgo, Campeche, Tlaxcala, Yucatan, Tabasco, Queretaro, Puebla and Guanajuato.

Travelers should be mindful that even if no advisories are in effect for a given state, U.S. citizens should exercise caution throughout Mexico as crime and violence can still occur, the State Department warns.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin
Hundreds of people gathered at the Rancho Bernardo Library on Monday morning to view the solar eclipse.

Those of all ages and from many communities  Rancho Bernardo, Poway and Lakeside were among those mentioned by attendees  stood in front of the library or on its patio to view the event during the sky party, one of 26 held at San Diego Public Library branches on Monday.

RB Library staff distributed professionally-made solar viewing glasses while supplies lasted, but those lucky enough to receive a free pair to safety view the event were seen sharing their glasses with strangers standing nearby.

A wide assortment of other devices were also used to safely view the moon passing in front of the sun. These included pinhole viewers created out of cereal boxes, paper plates and pieces of cardboard. Many held up their cell phones  shielded by a pair of solar viewing glasses  to record the event.

John Jaseniuk used a welders mask to look up at the sun, while he also used a colander to create multiple images on the ground for his young son, Trace, to see the shadow created by the moon.

Jacqueline Klein of Poway, who created a pinhole viewer with a cereal box covered partly with tin foil for viewing, said she came to the RB Library to watch it to be around people during the event.

Why not come? Everybody is here, said Shoshana Knopf.

Debbie Keener of Lakeside came with her family. She said they made their own viewing devices and borrowing glasses from those they just met.

Its nice to see history, said 8-year-old Ridley Keener. Its even cool to look at the solar eclipse by viewing it through glasses too.

Its awesome, said 90-year-old Jackie Koenig of Rancho Bernardo, who added that she has viewed solar eclipses before. I saw the last one, but not as well, because I was just looking through a milk carton. It was not as eventful.

This time Koenig had solar viewing glasses to see the event.

While some parts of the country experienced a total solar eclipse if within the 100-mile path from Oregon to South Carolina, in San Diego experts said only 57 percent of the sun was blocked at the eclipses peak at 10:23 a.m. The event began at 9:07 a.m. and concluded by 11:46 a.m.

This was the first total solar eclipse visible in parts of the U.S. since 1979. The next solar eclipse viewable in San Diego will occur in 2024.

City News Service contributed to this article.

Email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com
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A sex dungeon, an apparent suicide note, cellphone records and a smattering of DNA are among the evidence investigators said tied three Fallbrook roommates to the April disappearance and slaying of Marine wife Brittany Killgore.

Affidavits for search warrants unsealed Wednesday ---- in the face of opposition from prosecutors, defense attorneys and Killgores family ----detail the hours before and the days after Killgore, 22, went missing from her Fallbrook apartment.

In the affidavits, investigators said that the trio of defendants was involved in sex practices that centered on dominance and submission, and may have been part of the motive behind the attack on Killgore.

Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Perez, 45, and co-defendants Dorothy Maraglino, 37, and Jessica Lynn Lopez, 25, have eachpleaded not guiltyto murder charges in the death of Killgore, whose nudebody was founddumped alongside a rural road in Southwest Riverside County on April 17.

Each of the suspects faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. The trio is due back in court for a preliminary hearing in mid-August.

Two days after Killgores body was found, one investigator wrote that he suspected that the unusual sexual fetishes of the defendants were part of the reason why they attacked Killgore.

The affidavits offer no indication that Killgore herself was involved in the alternative lifestyle. Prosecutor Patrick Espinoza has said Killgore wasan innocent victim, lured to her death in a plot hatched because Maraglino didnt like her.

Reached Wednesday, Maraglinos attorney said his client had no advance knowledge of the killing of Ms. Killgore.

The information as it relates to the affidavits is very speculative and opinion, and is not facts, Maraglinos attorney, Sean Leslie said. Anything concerning my client is conjecture and speculation.

Neither Perezs or Lopezs attorneys responded to a request for comment.

Perez lived with Lopez and Maraglino in Maraglinos pale yellow house on East Fallbrook Street, about a block from one of the small towns main commercial corridors.

Investigators said in court documents that they believe Killgore was killed in the run-down Fallbrook residence.

Sex dungeon

Inside that home, investigators said, they found a sex dungeon ---- containing several sex toys, tools and apparatuses.

Investigators said that an ex-girlfriend of Perez told them that she and Perez engaged in sexual activities that included bondage, whipping, spanking and cutting.

And on one occasion, a woman was held in the sex dungeon, and not allowed to leave without permission from Perez or Maraglino, according to what investigators said the ex-girlfriend told them. The affidavit does not indicate whether the woman was willingly in the sex dungeon.

A profile on a sex fetish website features a photo that appears to be of Perez and Maraglino. It stated that Perez called himself Ivan and referred to himself as Lord & Master, Dom & Daddy of My house. Maraglino was described as his slave and mistress.

We are an energetic, professional, creative couple, according to the profile, in which he said the couple were seeking a submissive or submissive couple to join their home.

Suicide note leads to body

Investigators said they found Killgores body April 17, hours after finding a dazed and bloody Lopez in a Point Loma motel room, where she apparently had tried to commit suicide.

In the room, investigators also found a seven-page letter ---- an apparent suicide note ---- telling them where to find Killgores body. The note included a detailed confession to Killgores murder, and was signed with Lopezs name and aliases.

Some of the note ---- including descriptions of strangulation and attempts at dismemberment ---- corresponded to findings from Killgores autopsy, according to the affidavits.

The note said Killgore had come to the defendants Fallbrook home about 11:30 p.m. on April 13, and that Lopez confronted and killed her in a jealous rage.

Cellphone records from that evening, a Friday, place Killgore and Perez in the vicinity of Perezs Fallbrook home ---- although investigators said Perez told them he was with Killgore in San Diego, and returned home alone after they got separated in crowds in the Gaslamp District.

Prosecutor Espinoza has said in court that Perez had duped Killgore into getting in his car with a dinner cruise invitation, but picked her up too late to make it to the boat.

According to the affidavits, about 13 minutes after Perez picked her up, Killgore sent a text to a friend. It simply read help.

About 20 minutes after that, Perez texted Maraglino ---- who was at a grocery store with Lopez ---- and asked her to come home.

Perez quickly a suspect

A friendreported Killgore missingthe following day, a Saturday. Investigators zeroed in on Perez as the last person to have been spotted with Killgore, and soon searched his muddy white Ford Explorer.

That search turned up latex gloves and a stun baton in a plastic bag inside of the vehicle, according to court documents.

Killgores blood was on the bag and the gloves, and Perezs DNA was on the stun baton, investigator Norman Hubbert wrote in one search warrant affidavit.

Hubbert also indicated a slip cover from the front passengers seat might have been removed.

Perez and girlfriend Maraglino gave conflicting statements to investigators. In the affidavits, investigators report that Maraglino said Perez never left their home Saturday, while Perez said he ran errands and collected firewood ---- which, he said, was why his vehicle was so muddy.

Prosecutor Espinoza, whose office fought release of the documents, said this is an open case and we wont be commenting on the evidence or the investigation.

In late June, Superior Court Judge Runstin G. Maino ordered four of at least 22 search warrants in the case unsealed in response to legal action taken by area news outlets, including the North County Times. Prosecutors appealed, but on Wednesday the 4th District Court of Appeal greenlighted their release.

Three days before she went missing, Killgore filed for divorce from her estranged husband, Marine Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore, while he was deployed in Afghanistan, according to court records. Investigators have said he is not a suspect in his wifes death.

She had packed up her home and was ready to move out of the state when she was killed.
CHARLESTON -- Kassidy Alderman thought she might as well stay even drenched by the early afternoon downpour.

The Eastern Illinois University student and several others sought to tough it out Tuesday at the EIU Observatory in hopes that the clouds would break apart and they could get a glimpse of the solar eclipse, a nearly once-in-a-lifetime event.

Hundreds flocked to the west part of the campus to the EIU Observatory to witness the eclipse. But lightning and rain quickly broke up this crowd, leaving only about dozen people huddled up in the observatory waiting for the skies to clear.

Despite this, Alderman saw no real point in leaving. She had skipped her first day of classes to take a peek of the marvel.

You're going to see it get dark anyway, she said. Might as well be here The last one happened 100 years ago. Why not stay?

Huddled next to the observatory, Brooke Greiner, EIU student, thought the same. She said she is not sure she would ever get another chance to see it or its visible effects on the area.

I don't think I am going to live to (age) 120, Greiner said.

Charleston area peoples chances of seeing the partial eclipse seemed slim. People like Foster and Jean Rinefort of Charleston were disappointed as the time to actually witness the partial blackout neared.

They were casually interested in the eclipse but were still worried about not getting a chance to view the phenomenon.

My problem is I am 85 years and I am afraid I am not going to be around for the next one, Foster Rinefort said. This is it.

This is Charleston. It is about the most exciting thing that is going to happen this year, he added.

Foster Rinefort had only seen one partial eclipse in his lifetime. Jean was interested in seeing the moon-shaped crescent in the sun but was less excited about the event.

She has seen a few partial eclipses throughout her life. She noted that her first viewing of the event took place on her family farm when she was 10 years old.

Jean Rinefort recalled seeing the entire event as a child through a pin-hole camera made from a cardboard box and a mirror that projected the eclipse on the ground. She noted that even back then they always knew not to stare at the sun, even under an eclipse.

Despite the initial weather outlook, the two got their chance to see the eclipse again. The clouds broke apart in an uneven circle around the sun just in time for attendees to view the eclipse. Telescopes were set up to allow people to view the event in a few ways other than through the lenses of the paper solar glasses.

Charleston-area people only got to view 95 percent of totality from the eclipse, but they also got to witness a storm in the background as the event ran its course.

A mass of people returned to the observatory as the clouds cleared up, and Nathan Barnett-Bishop of the EIU Astronomy Club said he thinks the foreign nature of this event drew people in despite the rain.

It is so unusual, he said. We are used to something being up there every day... and to have the moon take that over is unusual.

Abdel Adjibade, an EIU physics professor, was fascinated by the eclipse but was almost equally as fascinated by the stark difference in the way Americans react to the blackout versus those in rural West Africa.

Adjibade said in Africa, many do not understand the science behind the sun, in essence, disappearing. So to the uneducated in the country, a cat has caught the sun.

Whenever the eclipse happens, people go out, especially the kids, they grab anything they can, and they make a lot of noises, he said.

The goal is to scare the cat away, he said. Eclipses end quickly though, which makes those who live in West Africa believe they successfully thwarted the cat. Adjibade remembered doing this himself as a child, and he found it funny looking back at how he viewed it then as compared to now.

It is a different reaction, he said, comparing the two cultures.

The Astronomy Club's Barnett-Bishop said he hopes this will draw more people into other things happening in the universe that local and worldwide astronomers are looking at. For EIU Physics Professor Robert Chamberlain, Tuesday's crowd was proof enough that people are interested in astronomy.

I definitely hope that it generates some more excitement for the sciences and astronomy, he said. I think what it shows is that people have their everyday lives. People are busy. People have a lot of things going on, but they still are finding this compelling.

(Tuesday) people were interested enough to really kind of set aside their busy lives and experience this really rare event.

The next eclipse is expected to occur in 2024, again running across southern Illinois, according to organizers.
Saratoga Springs, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/22/2017 -- Bed & Breakfast or Inn in Saratoga Springs has proudly announced that it is now seeking community support on the crowdfunding platform of Indiegogo. The Inn will bring the unforgettable experience of the ultimate hospitality to the state of New York and the creators of this Inn are welcoming everyone to help them raise funds in this campaign. Besides creating a unique hospitality resort for the people, the funds raised through the campaign will also help the owner of Saratoga Springs Jockey Club B&B/Inn to keep the bank from taking his house.



In addition, the new inn will also create new jobs in the area while offering food, beverages as well as lodging services offering 11 bedrooms and much more. The goal of this inspiring campaign is to raise $1.5 million to keep the bank from taking this historic property and will help a family keep their house. Besides those who love to spend some time away from the busy life of the city, this place also has a lot to offer for all those who love horses as well as horse racing.



For all those who like to have a vacation in New York State in a natural surroundings, this is the perfect place to be. The creator of this project is therefore welcoming everyone to generously back and support this campaign and save the family.



The Indiegogo Campaign is located on the web at: www.indiegogo.com/projects/bed-breakfast-or-inn-in-saratoga-springs-n-y and supporters from all around the world can contribute in this project by making pledges and donations that can range from $100 to $1000. Each pledge offers a great reward including discount lodging cards and much more.



About Saratoga Springs Jockey Club B&B/Inn

Saratoga Springs Jockey Club B&B/Inn is an upcoming bed and breakfast located in the Saratoga Springs in New York. The creator of this project is seeking support to raise funds on Indiegogo not only to create a bed and breakfast for the people but also to save this property and prevent the bank from taking it away from his family.



Contact:

Contact Person: Jon Cromer

Company: Saratoga Springs Jockey Club B&B/Inn

Address: 66 white farm rd

City: Saratoga Springs

State: New York

Country: United States

Phone: 518-281-9138

Email: pevjrc007@gmail.com

Website: www.indiegogo.com/projects/bed-breakfast-or-inn-in-saratoga-springs-n-y
Quakertown, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/22/2017 -- Residents who are searching for the most responsive and informed company providing repairs and replacements for mirrors and glass in Hellertown PA are encouraged to call Alderfer Glass, PA's top choice for glass products and service. Alderfer provides residents with a number of customer service options, and prides themselves on keeping their customers informed of the process and satisfied with their purchases 100% of the time.



Alderfer Glass is a family-owned and operated business, and they still believe in the power of treating their customers like family members. By building their business upon the cornerstones of value, honesty, integrity, and community, Alderfer Glass has enjoyed over 55 years of serving the Pennsylvania community and looks forward to many more years in business.



No matter what type of glass needs Pennsylvania residents have, Alderfer Glass will be able to serve them with the quality and professionalism expected of a company that has been helping to improve the lives of residents and business owners since 1961. Committed to keeping Pennsylvania moving, Alderfer Glass has kept up with advances in glass technology, priding themselves on providing their customers with the most advanced technology in glass repair and replacement. From residential windows to windshield replacement in Doylestown PA, Alderfer Glass is sure to satisfy residents every single time.



Residents and business owners who are interested in improving their spaces with the best in glass services are urged to choose Alderfer Glass. All of their work, including repairs and custom projects, is backed by a warranty. Alderfer Glass can be reached by calling 877-267-GLASS, or by visiting them online at http://alderferglass.com/.



About Alderfer Glass

Founded in 1961 by two brothers and originally located in Telford, PA, Alderfer Glass Company has since expanded to serve the growing needs of Southeastern PA, with locations added to Lansdale, Limerick and Quakertown. By priding themselves on providing only the best in both product and service, Alderfer Glass has established itself as an honest and trustworthy provider of auto glass services in the Bucks-Mont area for over 54 years.



For more information about the company or its services, visit http://www.alderferglass.com.
Selangor, Malaysia -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/22/2017 -- Dayham, a top interior design firm based in Malaysia, has launched its unique eco-friendly Kenaf panels for use in design projects. Kenaf is a type of composite wood panel derived from kenaf fibre. The kenaf is known to be a fast-growing plant and is sustainable to grow for use in "green building" projects.



A spokesperson commented that Dayham has linked up with its manufacturing arm to seamlessly produce and supply its cutting-edge Dayham wood panels for interior design projects. Dayham has many satisfied clients, both corporations and individuals alike. It has also been featured in local media and been commended by government authorities for its efforts in promoting "green building" in Malaysia.



With their vast experience in interior design projects of varying scale, Dayham has many products and solutions to offer its clients, and is committed to consistent innovation and improvements.



About Dayham

Dayham is a top interior design firm based in Malaysia, and known for its "Dayham Panels" made of kenaf composite wood. Kenaf is derived from a fibre, which comes from the fast-growing Kenaf plant, and is a source for sustainable development.



For more information: http://DayhamGroup.com/.



For Details Contact:

Dayham Panels

Contact Person: Sam

Phone: +60 3 90119516

Email: samsoonchee@kenafshoppe.com

Address: 43-1, Jalan Temenggung 11/9, Bandar Mahkota Cheras, 43200 Selangor, Malaysia

Website: http://DayhamGroup.com/
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/22/2017 -- WiseGuyReports published new report, titled "Nigeria Renewable Energy Policy Handbook".



"Nigeria Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2017" is among the latest country specific policy reports.the industry analysis specialist that offers comprehensive information on major policies governing renewable energy market in the country.



The report provides the current and future renewable energy targets and plans along with the present policy framework, giving a fair idea of overall growth potential of the renewable energy industry. The report also provides major technology specific policies and incentives provided in the country.



The report is built using data and information sourced from industry associations, government websites and statutory bodies. The information is also sourced through other secondary research sources such as industry and trade magazines.



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("The Music Man") Fakery is in the news lately, beginning with fake news. Does fakery take other forms, such as fake science? Politicians have a long tradition of "faking it." Today we need to take a good look at congressional members of the Republican Party, presumably the party of Lincoln, the Great Emancipator. Presuming too much? Are some just faking it? In particular, Senators Murkowski, Collins, and McCain need to be asked what they are up to doing. After long spoken opposition to Obamacare they torpedoed its "skinny repeal" instead of voting the way of their previously spoken opposition. We can guess that the enslaving burdens of Obamacare on average working Americans is okay with them. We might speculate that McCain just doesn't know the territory, not knowing of the burdens Obamacare creates for working people. McCain is famous for "reaching across the aisle." He, Collins, and Murkowski should learn about the burdens American workers carry because of Obamacare as it adds to another reduction in income from people who work for a living. Inescapable income tax and social security deductions make Obamacare yet another layer of lost income to the government, the restoration of government mandated slavery. It is time stop these burdens, ending the fakery. These three senators are Republicans, but are they really of the party of Lincoln?
San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/22/2017 -- An investigation was announced for investors in NYSE:HAL shares over potential securities laws violations by Halliburton Company.



Investors who purchased shares of Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL), have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation at mail@shareholdersfoundation.com or call 858-779-1554.



The investigation by a law firm focuses on possible claims on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) concerning whether a series of statements by Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) regarding its business, its prospects and its operations were materially false and misleading at the time they were made.



On October 21, 2011, Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) disclosed an internal investigation into possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (''FCPA'') by Halliburton Company personnel in Angola.



On July 27, 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Halliburton Company would pay $29.2 million in fines and penalties to settle allegations of FCPA violations in connection with the Company's Angolan operations.



Those who purchased shares of Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) have certain options and should contact the Shareholders Foundation.



Contact:

Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

Michael Daniels

3111 Camino Del Rio North - Suite 423

92108 San Diego

Phone: +1-(858)-779-1554

Fax: +1-(858)-605-5739

mail@shareholdersfoundation.com
[NEW DELHI] Infant deaths from sepsis can be reduced almost by half with doses of healthy gut bacteria, according to the results of a randomised trial conducted in Indias Odisha state.

Results of the study, published this month (August) in Nature, show that when a synbiotic combination of a probiotic strain of the gut bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum and a carbohydrate that promotes healthy bacteria was given to neo-natal infants for a week, the incidence of sepsis (bacterial infection of the blood) can be reduced. More importantly, the cost of the one week treatment is at a very manageable US$1 per baby.

The primary outcome was reduction in sepsis plus death. Pinaki Panigrahi, University of Nebraska Medical Center

The study involved monitoring 4,556 infants  some placed randomly in a group that received the synbiotic and another group on a placebo  for over two months. Sepsis or death occurred in nine per cent of the placebo group and in just 5.4 per cent of the synbiotic group, showing a reduction of 40 per cent.

The primary outcome, says Pinaki Panigrahi, lead author and professor of epidemiology at the College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, was reduction in sepsis plus death.

According to UNICEF, 748,000 newborns die every year in India (a quarter of the global total) with 33 per cent of them from infections.

Neo-natal mortality has been reduced due to improvements in the health care delivery system, but deaths due to sepsis, mostly in the first week of life, have remained stagnant, Panigrahi tells SciDev.Net.

Panigrahi says synbiotic intervention can be provided universally in South Asian countries where public health resources are limited. While some refrigeration is currently needed (to keep the good bacteria alive as a lyophilised powder), it is nothing like the cold chain required for typical injectable vaccines. The aim is to deliver it in a timely fashion (soon after birth) in an affordable manner.

Daniel Tancredi, associate professor at the UC Davis Department of Pediatrics, California, tells SciDev.Net that the study provides valuable evidence in favour of a particular synbiotic that is effective in preventing serious bacterial infections in young infants in one region. Further studies could establish what works in other locales.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Asia & Pacific desk.
The South American state Chile rejected the billion-dollar project on iron-mining on Monday. The aim of this decision is to protect a good number of endangered penguins.

The Chilean company Andes Iron aimed to extract a huge amount of iron in a specific area, the northern Coquimbo region, in Chile. The company also wanted to build a port in that region to ship the metal. But, a special committee of the Chilean ministers opined that the billion-dollar project offered no sufficient environmental guarantees.

The important fact is Coquimbo is located near the three important islands that form the National Humboldt Penguin Reserve of Chile. According to the BBC, it is the home of the many endangered species that include Humboldt penguins, sea otters, fin whales, and blue whales. The region contains 80 percent of the Humboldt penguins of the world.

The Environment Minister of Chile, Marcelo Mena, said that the compensation measures of this project were insufficient. They could not even guarantee the endangered species' protection. Marcelo Mena utters that he believes in the development. But development should not come at the cost of the environmental heritage.

Development must not risk the health or the world's ecological areas. The Environment minister of Chile says that the decision of the committee mainly based on the technical aspects. Evidence of the fourteen agencies was also considered before taking the decision.

In recent years mining companies are facing very hard time to obtain permits in the South American state Chile. The increasing interest among the politicians and the public opinion about the environment are the key causes behind the difficulty in obtaining permits. According to MINING.com, the government supports reported that former president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, favored this project.

They said Pinera, favored the project during his first term in the government when his family members were the shareholders. But, the former president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera denied all these allegations. The environmental commission rejected the iron-mining project in March. But, the company behind this project, Andes Iron, appealed the ruling and sent it to the committee of the special ministers for the final decision.
HARTSVILLE, S.C.  For the second year in a row, Food Services employees from the Darlington County School District completed an intensive food preparation and nutrition training course over the summer.

Culinary Partners, a nonprofit that specializes in training school food service workers, led the way in the kitchen. Culinary Chef Instructor Tim Page, along with other trainers, joined Executive Director Eileen Staples at Hartsville Middle School for the week-long course.

We get the employees engaged. We realize that it is very important to have healthier kids, Staples said. We need to help kids learn that healthy foods can taste good. We want to use more spices, lower sodium and more whole grains to create healthier meals.

The goal of the training is to help the food services employees prepare highly nutritious and tasty meals while following all federal and state guidelines.

Page, who has taught high school students in Spartanburg for 13 years, said he thoroughly enjoys the training and watching the employees improve.

Its a lot of fun. It gives them a nice energy bump heading into the school year, Page said. Its also very important. Youre not going to have healthier children with wishful thinking. Engagement is important.

The week not only included one-on-one instruction with culinary chefs but the employees also spent two days in the classroom. Clemson Extension led that portion of the training which focused on understanding nutrition, efficient operation of a cafeteria and marketing.

Darlington County schools director of Food Services, Pamela Vaughan, said employees were so excited about the training last year they were jumping at the opportunity.

It is wonderful training, Vaughan said. They love it. We tried to get someone from every school like last year.

Staples said the employees always enjoy the knife skills instruction as well as learning about using herbs and spices.

I wish we could do a whole week on just those, she said.

One of most important part of the week for the Page was the growth he saw in the employees.

Its exciting. I enjoy seeing their confidence grow regarding how to prepare food properly and safely, Page said. Some of them go from nervous to confident. Its important to see that change.

The United States Department of Agriculture provided funding for the training through a Team Nutrition Grant. The South Carolina Department of Education worked in conjunction with the USDA to distribute funding to Culinary Partners, Staples said.

Darlington County schools donated all food prepared during the weeks training to an area soup kitchen.
In a letter to the editor that was published on Aug. 15 in the Morning News ("Palestinian-Israeli cartoon was off the mark"), the cartoon he referenced is an old and dangerous stereotype of Palestinians.

The year 2017 is an important year for Palestinians. It marks the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration that in 1948 resulted in more than 700,000 Palestinians being forced off their land and out of their homes without compensation. Many of those families continue to live under occupation in refugee camps. Fifty years ago Israel again took more Palestinian land. They now live on the wrong side of a giant wall of separation. The cartoon is false and dangerously hateful. I am embarrassed that my hometown newspaper printed it. It is pure evil.
Some Lincoln City Council members and the Lincoln Independent Business Association are concerned about the citys growing reliance on bonds, which do not require voter approval, for putting in new street lights.

The issue came up Monday night as the council held a public hearing on a proposal to use $3.775 million in bonds for continuing that street light construction program.

LIBA has recommended the City Council reject the use of more bonds not approved by voters for the street light program. That council vote will likely take place at next Mondays 5:30 p.m. meeting.

The city has routinely used what are called Certificates of Participation (COPs) for financing the annual capital construction program for the city-owned street light system for more than a decade.

The money, generally financed over 10 years, pays for replacement poles when poles are old, new poles on street widening projects and poles hit by vehicles, said Jeff Hlavac, street light design manager.

This year, that program includes new street lights being installed along 70th Street in southeast Lincoln, replacing aging poles that the Lincoln Electric System was afraid might start toppling.

When new poles are put in, the lights are changed to LED lighting, but that isnt the purpose of the annual capital construction program, said Randy Hoskins, an assistant city engineer.

The city also pays about $1.2 million annually for more routine maintenance, including pole painting, pole inspections, locating underground cable and lamp change outs, Hoskins said.

And the city is looking at the possibility of installing LED lights in all street lights, an estimated $11 million project, which would reduce city street light electricity and light replacement costs by about $1.1 million a year.

Councilman Jon Camp suggested wrapping the capital construction costs, now funded by a COPs bond not approved by voters, into a larger bond that would require voter approval.

I dont like this continual COPs financing, he said.

However, city staff noted, these new street light costs have always been debt-financed, previously by LES, which then billed the city for repaying the debt, plus a little extra.

Former finance director Don Herz figured out it would be less expensive for the city to use its own bonding authority and its triple A credit rating, said Brandon Kauffman, the citys current finance director.

The city would have to pay for these new street light costs every year, either with COPs financing or some other sort of financing, Kauffman said.

Currently, the city has more than $37 million in COPs outstanding debt, slightly less than the $45.4 million in general obligation bond debt that is approved by voters.

And in a letter to the council, LIBA President Coby Mach has suggested city leaders limit the amount of non voter-approved debt.

Kauffman said he expects a debt service policy -- how much debt should city government have -- will be coming to the City Council in a few months.

But Kauffman said he will not be recommending limiting debt by type of instrument -- general obligation bond versus COPs, for example.

Instead, he will recommend a more global policy, comparing the level of debt, whether it is voter-approved or not, to government expenditures or to total city valuation.
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Sisters Karen Pujals and Laura Wright drove down Saturday from Wisconsin. They met their cousin Cher Carlson and her son Scooter Thomas from Denver. And the four set up to watch at Holmes Lake.

An Uber driver recommended the city park as the best spot to watch Monday's total eclipse of the sun. So they joined hundreds of people up and down the dam, on blankets and portable chairs on the lake's edge and a few in kayaks and fishing boats.

The morning clouds never really left, but they didn't seem to affect the view of the sky or discourage the viewers.

Pujals, a former Army intelligence officer with two master's degrees and now an astrologer, has been planning this trip for 18 months, choosing just the right place to be, she said.

It didn't disappoint. Totality made Pujals teary, and she was still emotional minutes later.

"That was the most beautiful thing I think I've ever seen," she said.

Thirteen-year-old Scooter said viewing totality made him feel 10 years older.

As the sun reached total eclipse, viewers on the dam vocalized their appreciation in harmony, then applauded.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering professor Eveline Baesu came to the lake with her husband Deepak Nath, and friends from the University of California, Berkeley, Pushkar Hingwe and Mrinalini Sharma, who flew in to Lincoln on Sunday from the Golden State.

Hingwe's photos of totality and the diamond ring effect should be in National Geographic, Baesu told her friend.

"That was totally worth it, right?" Baesu told Hingwe.

And the colors during totality were other worldly, Baesu said.

About 30 people attended an eclipse party at the lake hosted by the Widow Pack and Carol Kearns, Hope Partridge and Kathryn Neyens.

"I just think it's a historic event, something I will never see again," Kearns said.

Makenzie Hinrichs came by herself, spread a blanket at the bottom of the dam and read and followed events on her computer while she waited for the eclipse to start. She was between jobs, and able to spend her time as she chose, she said.

"And it's a perfect day to watch an eclipse."

-- JoAnne Young
Press Release

August 22, 2017 Sen. Bam: Senate to assert independence, united against PNP drug killings Sen. Bam Aquino welcomed the resolution filed by the Senate majority condemning the killing of 17-year-old Grade 11 student Kian Delos Santos and calling for an investigation into the bloody drug war. The senator called this an opportunity for the Senate to assert independence, uphold justice and stand with the Filipino. "Marami na sa ating mga kababayan ang malungkot, galit, at nananawagan na tapusin na ang patayan, kung saan ang mga mahihirap na Pilipino ang laging nabibiktima," stressed Sen. Bam. Sen. Bam also filed a resolution seeking to investigate the series of drug raids conducted by police in different parts of Metro Manila and Bulacan that resulted in the death of at least 80 people, including Kian. "We expect that our filed resolutions will be consolidated so we can get to the bottom of these extrajudicial killings together and reassess the government's strategy in addressing the drug problem," said Sen. Bam. The senator emphasized that the resolution is aimed at ending police abuse and protecting citizens, especially the helpless and the poor. "There is a need not only attain justice for Kian and other victims of abuse by the State in the hands of our law enforcers and authorities," said Sen. Bam. In addition, Sen. Bam called on the government to reassess and change the strategy of the administration's drug war, which targets only the poor and the helpless, while influential personalities are given due process, especially those involved in the P6.4 billion illegal drugs that slipped past the Bureau of Customs last May. "The government's all-out war against illegal drugs has failed to address the root causes of the drug menace in the country," said Sen. Bam, who recently visited the wake of Kian in Caloocan City. According to Sen. Bam, there have been thousands of deaths under investigation, including 3,116 killed in police operations and 31 children, since the Duterte government assumed office last July 1, 2016. Last August 16, 2017, Kian, a Grade 11 student, was among the 12 people killed in simultaneous anti-drug operations in Caloocan City. He was found dead in the site of the encounter, lying face down in fetal position, with three gunshot wounds, one to his back and two to his head. Police claimed that Kian fired at them with a 45-caliber pistol but several witnesses attested that the Grade 11 did not have a gun and did not resist arrest. CCTV footage also showed men in civilian attire dragging a young man believed to be Kian before he was shot in a dark alley.
Press Release

August 22, 2017 De Lima renews call for independent fact-finding body on EJKs Senator Leila M. de Lima today reiterated her earlier proposal for an independent fact-finding commission to look into cases of extrajudicial killings, the latest of which involves the case of 17-year-old student Kian Lloyd de los Santos who was allegedly killed by police officers in Caloocan City last Aug. 17. De Lima said her proposal was among the 10-point recommendations she made when she filed herDissenting Report to the Joint Committee Report No. 18 of the Senate Committees on Justice and on Public Order last Dec. 13. "We are calling for an independent probe on the President's war on drugs and the concomitant EJKs that have gone with it, to be conducted by an independent commission," she said in her 151-page dissenting report. She recalled that her proposed independent fact-finding commission shall be composed of "men and women of proven integrity, probity, and independence" which include former Supreme Court justices and law enforcement officials. "This commission should be tasked to probe deeper into the national illegal drug trade, and not just rely on another presidential drug list which shames and vilifies personalities before any formal investigation is even conducted," she said. "The commission will serve as a truth commission on the drug problem facing the country, and confront the data and statistics being plucked by the administration out of thin air," she added. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman has earlier proposed for the creation of an independent fact-finding commission to look into the causes and motives of EJKs, and the alleged rewards for policemen in cahoots with vigilantes. De Lima said she supports Lagman's proposal "to provide an alternative analysis of the facts" about the state-sponsored extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders, including minors used as alleged "drug couriers." "The fresh surge in drug-related killings of suspected drug offenders, which even includes minors, should serve as a wake-up call for our government to seriously investigate the human rights abuses by police who enjoy impunity," she said. "The inquiry should be conducted by an independent commission, and not by government agencies connected with President Duterte and his minions to ensure a fair and objective probe," she added. In the recent Senate budget hearing, De Lima noted the "dismal performance" of the Department of Justice under its Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III in investigating cases of extrajudicial and summary killings. Justice Undersecretary Reynante Orceo admitted that out of 3,050 people killed in "legitimate police anti-drug operations" from July 1, 2016 to May 2017, only 37 cases are under investigation, three of which were recommended for prosecution. "The cited figures raise questions. First, even if we are to accept the data coming from the PNP, the number of alleged EJKs as of April 2017 is already more than 7,000, and not just 4,000," De Lima said in a recent statement. The Senator from Bicol pointed out that last April, the PNP admitted to 2,555 killings that had occurred during police operations, while 3,603 are classified under "deaths under investigation." "But whether the actual number is 4,000, or 7,000 or even 12,000, what is unacceptable and unconscionable is the fact that our lead investigative agency is just handling 37 EJK cases!," she added. Records revealed that at least 31 minors were killed both from legitimate police operations and vigilante-style executions. The death of De los Santos followed the killings of 81 others in Manila and Bulacan during what police called as "one-time, big-time" anti-illegal drugs operation.
On Sen. Leila M. de Lima's appeal to Duterte to stop the killings

Dispatch from Crame No. 138

I dare you, Mr. President to issue a clear and categorical order to the entire police force to STOP THE KILLINGS NOW.

Any other way to try to appease the growing outrage sparked by the Kian killing and other recent incidents of summary execution under the mantle of the "One Time, Big Time" operations would be insufficient as it is hypocritical.

Just say it. Do it now, please...
President Donald Trump's newly announced Afghanistan strategy "helps address the longstanding disconnect between our goals and our actions in the region," Sen. Deb Fischer said Tuesday.

Fischer is chairwoman of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces.

"A stable Afghanistan remains vital to our national security interests," Fischer said in a brief written statement.

Fischer said she was briefed on the new strategy by National Security Council staff members prior to the president's Monday night speech.

Sen. Ben Sasse said he is "look(ing) forward to hearing from our generals when they come before the Senate Armed Services Committee and offer a detailed look at the president's Afghanistan announcement in the context of our decade-plus fight."

Sasse, who also sits on the committee, said "Nebraskans are grateful for the Americans who have fought and died in Afghanistan."

"Their bravery and heroism has made the world a more secure place by eliminating some safe havens for global jihadis," he said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Don Bacon said Trump is "providing clear guidance and is empowering the military to execute and deliver decisive outcomes" in Afghanistan.

Bacon, the 2nd District congressman, is a retired Air Force brigadier general.

"If we pull out of Afghanistan, we'll have to invade it again to defeat the Taliban, al-Qaida, ISIS and other Sunni extremists, just like we had to do in Iraq after President Obama's disastrous withdrawal in 2011," he said.

"We must ensure no more 9/11s are orchestrated out of Afghanistan under the protection of a government and the president's goals will do that," Bacon said.
Press Release

August 22, 2017 Gatchalian Seeks Senate Probe on Frequent Palawan Brownouts Unsatisfied by the "shallow" probe conducted by the National Electrification Administration (NEA), Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a Senate resolution to spark a more in-depth investigation into the frequent brownouts that continue to plague the province of Palawan. Proposed Senate Resolution No. 470, directing the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the matter, puts under scrutiny the compliance of the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) with the EPIRA Law (Republic Act No. 9136) and the performance of NEA as the regulator of electric cooperatives under Republic Act No. 10531. "During the first six months of this year, Palawan residents suffered through an average of 13 brownout hours during 10 power interruptions per month. The Senate must exercise its oversight powers to hold stakeholders accountable and finally put an end to this mess," said Gatchalian, the Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee. At a formal dialogue held by the Energy Committee with PALECO, NEA, and private energy stakeholders last August 3, it was discovered that the frequent brownouts in Puerto Princesa City were caused by the inability of DMCI Power Corporation to provide 25 megawatts of electricity pledged under its 2012 power supply agreement with PALECO. As a result, the committee directed NEA to conduct an investigation into the matter. However, the resolution states that the August 11, 2017 report submitted by NEA upon the conclusion of its investigation was "unsatisfactory as it failed to provide new information and specific action steps to put a stop to Palwan's frequent brownouts." The senator pointed out that NEA's charter, Republic Act No. 10531, empowers the agency to "formulate and impose administrative sanctions and penalties and when warranted, file criminal cases" against ECs found negligent of their obligations. The law likewise authorized the NEA to "issue preventive or disciplinary measures including, but not limited to, suspension or removal and replacement of any or all of the members of the board of directors and officers of the electric cooperative, as the NEA may deem fit and necessary and to take any other remedial measures as the law or any agreement or arrangement with NEA may provide." However, the NEA report did not recommend disciplinary measures or penalties against the embattled PALECO for its delayed resolution of the worsening power situation in its covered areas. Instead, NEA passed on the task of disciplining the electric cooperative to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). "Armed with the necessary powers and being the overall regulator of ECs in the country, NEA can do much more," Gatchalian stressed. He also reiterated the importance of addressing the worsening power situation in Palawan before it does any further damage to the provincial economy, especially its thriving tourism industry. "The stunning beaches and ecological wonders of Palawan are the crown jewels of the Philippine tourism industry, and the responsible development of these resources is critical to fostering inclusive growth within the province. The longer these brownouts continue, the more the Palawan tourism industry will suffer," said Gatchalian.
Press Release

August 22, 2017 HONTIVEROS HEARS TEENAGE PREGNANCY BILL Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros attended the first round of hearings on the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act this Tuesday, August 22, 2017. Senate Bill 1482, otherwise known as the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act, calls for the development of a National Program of Action and an investment plan for the prevention of teenage pregnancy. It also mandates all provinces and chartered cities to organize and operationalize and Information and Service Delivery Network for Adolescent Health and Development (ISDN-AHD). Consisting of both government and non-government institutions, each ISDN-AHD will provide health and information services specific to the needs of adolescents such as age, development appropriate, and comprehensive sexuality education. Topics will include but will not be limited to: human sexuality, consent, adolescent reproductive health, effective contraceptive use, disease prevention, HIV/AIDS, healthy lifestyle, gender sensitivity and violence. "About five girls aged 10 to 14 become pregnant or give birth to a child every day. This deprives the girl of the ability to live the life of a teenager. At that age, the physiological development of the child is still incomplete, and being pregnant at that age poses a serious risk to both the teenager and the child. We need to create mechanisms that will arrest teenage pregnancies and protect future generations by ensuring our youth get adequate education on their sexuality, their development as teenagers, and responsible personal health," Hontiveros said. Senator Hontiveros currently serves as the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Family Relations, and Gender Equality. Teenage pregnancy increases in the country have been a growing concern. Data from the Commission on Population (PopCom) reveals that the number of teenage pregnancy cases has increased from 1,700 in 2014 to 1,986 in 2015. Representatives from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) say that teenage pregnancy remains a challenge in the Philippines, this despite the country's strong support for family planning. "Every Filipina deserves the opportunity to live a full life with the widest set of choices possible for her self-fulfillment. Teenage pregnancy robs Filipina women of the ability to choose by limiting their social and educational options at such a young age. We need to take organized, sustained and collective action to ensure they have the best available opportunities at securing their future," Hontiveros said.
Press Release

August 22, 2017 PRIVILEGE SPEECH OF AKBAYAN SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON THE DEATH OF KIAN DELOS SANTOS Mr. President, I rise on a point of personal and collective privilege. Alam na po natin lahat ang kwento ni Kian de los Santos. But maybe the facts bear repeating. On August 17, late at night, a seventeen-year-old was killed as part of last week's bloody rampage, where more than 90 people in Bulacan, Caloocan and Manila have been felled by elements of the police force as part of the War on Drugs. Kian de los Santos, a grade 11 student, would just have been part of the statistics, had it not been for CCTV footage showing that Kian was being bodily carried by two men, and eyewitness accounts saying that at no point did he try to shoot at those apprehending him. In fact, he was begging for his life: "tama na, tama na, may exam ako bukas" being his last words. Sa madaling salita, malinaw ang ebidensya na hindi siya nanlaban. His lifeless body was shown in fetal position, and in a later autopsy conducted by the Public Attorney's Office, it was found that he sustained three fatal wounds, one of which was identified to be a treacherous wound. I and my staff went to visit the wake of Kian and to pay our respects. It was there that the family discussed with me their security and practical concerns, and the legal steps that they wanted to take. When my office took custody of the witnesses, it was in response to the request of these witnesses and their families, and even the family of Kian, to protect them from the threats that they have been receiving. Sa senate hearing sa Huwebes, titiyakin ko ang pagdalo ng mga testigo at ang hihilingin ko din sa aking mga kasama ang na sila ay protektahan ng maigi. The primary priority of my office is the protection of these witnesses and their testimony, and to do what we can from our end to secure justice for a seventeen-year-old boy felled by agents of the state. Yesterday, President Duterte broke his silence on the Kian de los Santos issue by vowing that police officers behind the killing will be thrown in jail. In the same breath, he said that he cannot put so many pressures on the police and he cannot condemn them without validation. Naalala ko ang pamagat ng paborito kong pelikula ni Lino Brocka, "tinimbang ka ngunit kulang." While we welcome the commitment of the President to allow the investigation of the policemen involved in the murder of Kian de los Santos, this does not, this CANNOT, make us forget his other words that have inspired, abetted and condoned the senseless killings in the name of the War on Drugs. Paano pa niya sasabihin na bibigyan niya ng independyenteng imbestigasyon ang pagkamatay ni Kian, pagkatapos iutos ng pangulo ang reinstatement at hayaan ang promotion ni Police Superintendent Marvin Marcos, na sinasabing nanguna sa extrajudicial killing ni Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr., Paano natin siya paniniwalaan pagkatapos ikatuwa ng pangulo ang malaking bilang ng mga taong napaslang sa one-time, big-time operation ng PNP, kung saan napaslang si Kian de los Santos, at sinabi pa ng Malacanang na "there is rhyme and reason in the police operations"; Paano natin mahahanapan ng "good faith" ang kanyang pananalita, kung noong Disyembre 2016 lang, sinabi ng Presidente na "o pag walang baril, bigyan ng baril." Kung tama ang mga testigo, ganyan na ganyan ang ginawa kay Kian. The President's hands are stained by the blood of Kian, and the blood of the 12,000 murdered in the name of his bloody War on drugs. He inspired this culture of impunity and killing. He reveled in the deaths of drug addicts, while at the same time turning a blind eye on the big drug lords close to him and his family. And to all Filipinos who denied the existence of extrajudicial killings for whatever reason - maybe because of your support for this President, your disgust for drugs and crime, your belief that iron fists are necessary for 'real change' - maybe some reflection is in order. Baka dapat natin pagnilayan kung ano ang naging papel natin at nahantong tayo sa ganito. You were shocked at the death of Kian because you could not ignore the CCTV footage. You had no choice but to confront his death because his narrative was compelling - mabait na bata, wala sa drug list, mag-eexam sa susunod na araw. You felt stirred into action because you could no longer ignore the growing outrage from a country you had thought had grown callous to death. But Kian was not the first. That there were thousands o deaths before him and that you allowed it to happen by denying EJKs is something you have to live with. But Kian can be the last, or one of the last. Maari pa natin pigilan ang mga susunod na Kian. O ang mga susunod na Danica Garcia, Angel Fernandez, Rowena Tiamson. Para sa kanilang sinabing nanlaban, manlaban tayo. For them, we must keep on fighting. Thank you very much.
Press Release

August 22, 2017 SENATE MINORITY CALLS FOR SENATE INQUIRY ON THE RECENT BLOODY POLICE DRUG RAIDS The minority bloc at the Senate has called for an inquiry on the recent spate of operations by the police against drug suspects that have led to the killing of at least 80 people in the past week, including 17-year-old student Kian Lloyd Delos Santos. "There is a need not only attain justice for Kian and other victims of abuse by the State in the hands of our law enforcers and authorities, but also to reassess and change the strategy of the administration's drug war, which unjustly targets the poor and the helpless while failing to address the root causes of the drug menace in the country," according to House Resolution No. 473 filed by Senators Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, Leila De Lima, Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and Antonio Trillanes IV. "It is high time to end police abuse during drug raids. The police should be reminded of their mandate to protect the citizens, especially the helpless and the poor," Senator Bam Aquino said. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV stressed that the investigation should be aimed not only at purging police ranks of personnel implicated in the killing and abuse of drug suspects, but also at providing accountability for those found erring. "Relieving certain personnel without making them suffer the consequences of their action will not make a dent," Trillanes said. The past week saw at least 80 people dead in a series of raids in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela and contiguous cities in northern Metro Manila as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs. Since July 1, 2016, security forces and "unidentified gunmen" have killed at least 7,000 suspected drug users and dealers, including 3,116 killings by police, and 31 children, the resolution said. In simultaneous operations in Caloocan last 16 August 2017, 12 people were killed, including Kian, who was found dead in the site of the encounter, lying face down in fetal position, with three gunshot wounds, one to his back and two to his head. Based on initial investigations, about a dozen members of the Police Community Precinct (PCP) 7 led by PO2 Arnes Oares were conducting Oplan Galugad operations around 8 p.m. in Libis Baisa, Barangay 160, when Kian allegedly fired at them with a 45-caliber pistol. Several witnesses have attested that Kian did not have a gun and did not resist arrest. A witness interviewed by The Manila Bulletin said she saw Kian being punched and slapped by four policemen who were not in uniform that night but were all armed with guns. CCTV footage also showed men in civilian attire dragging a young man believed to be Kian before he was shot in a dark alley, the resolution said. "We cannot tolerate the alarming police impunity in the country. We need to investigate these killings of alleged drug suspects including a Grade 11 student in police operations," Senator Frankin Drilon said. The case of Kian as well as numerous accounts from witnesses and survivors of previous anti-drug police operations defy claims that the targets were killed because they fought back against the police, according to the resolution. "Despite the alarming number of deaths resulting from the police operations, top government authorities have expressed their full support for the police force, with the Chief of Police justifying the high death toll as 'normal' given the scope of operations, and the President himself saying that evidence could be planted to support police claims," it added. "A war on drugs that only sees killing as a solution is not right. We hope that the Administration shifts its direction on its war on drugs. Let us look at a more holistic approach that acknowledges that this is not just a problem of the police, but also a problem of health and poverty," Senator Kiko Pangilinan said. Senator Leila de Lima, meanwhile, appealed to the President to categorically order the police force to stop the killings. "Any other way to try to appease the growing outrage sparked by the killing of Kian and other recent incidents of summary execution would be insufficient as it is hypocritical," said De Lima. The senators lamented that the past incidents have demonstrated "an apparent pattern of deception, misconduct, and abuse by the police conducting the drug raids," which take away from suspects their right to due process and claiming innocent lives. "Unless there is an immediate honest-to-goodness investigation into these killings, the already long list of grave rights violations linked to the drug war will only continue to grow," the senators said.
Press Release

August 22, 2017 Senate renews franchises for 8 radio, television networks The Senate approved today on third and final reading several bills that would renew for another 25 years the franchises of eight radio and television broadcasting corporations. The Senate passed House Bills No. 5064, 4636, 5063, 5177, 5212, 5175, 5176, and 5211, which would renew the franchises of Subic Broadcasting Corp., Iloilo Baptist Church, Inc., Pangasinan Gulf Waves Network, Corp., Infocom Communications Network, Filipinas Broadcasting Association, Inc., Beta Broadcasting System, Inc., Sarraga Integrated Management Corporation of the Philippines, and Gateway Television Broadcasting, Inc., respectively. Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, said that the eight broadcast corporations were "relatively small compared to the big broadcast and telecom giants that dominate the airwaves." However, she said that the franchises would include the same reforms and amendments introduced with the recently passed franchises of GMA-7 and Smart Communications, "which have gone through exhaustive deliberations in the Senate." Under the new amendments, Poe said that the eight franchises were now required "to provide, free of charge, adequate public service time to enable the government to reach pertinent populations." "We have provided that public service time should be equivalent to 10 percent of the paid commercials or advertisements, which shall be allocated based on need to the executive, legislative, judiciary, constitutional commissions, and even international humanitarian organizations duly recognized by law," she said. The bills also mandated the franchisees to comply with labor standards and pertinent tax laws, and included a provision on compliance with mobile number portability standards in the future. According to Poe, they deleted some provisions in the broadcasting franchises which they found to be "unnecessary or burdensome to the franchisees," such as the provision that would have penalized broadcast franchises for failing to submit their report to Congress. "Most of the franchises are located in the provinces, and I believe we should give them leeway in the submission of their documents," Poe said. Poe said that under the bills, franchisees that would fail to commence operations within one year from the approval of their operating permit by the National Telecommunications Commission, or fail to operate within three years from the effectivity of their act "will have their franchises revoked." "I think this penalty serves as a sufficient safeguard to ensure that franchisees take the privilege granted to them seriously," Poe concluded. (MaeJoy Albano-Miranda)
Press Release

August 22, 2017 Senate approves Expanded Anti-Red Tape Act The Senate passed on third and final reading a bill seeking to reduce the requirements and streamline the processes in starting and operating businesses to create a more conducive business environment in the country. Senate Bill No. 1311, or the "Expanded Anti-Red Tape Act of 2017" was approved with 17 affirmative votes, zero negative vote and no abstention. The bill was sponsored by Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, chair of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship and co-sponsored by Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto. According to Zubiri, the bill seeks to amend the existing Anti Red Tape Act of 2007 (Republic Act 9485) "to cure the defects in the current system of the business community's transactions with government." "This landmark legislation is our answer to the clamor of the business sector and government agencies for ease of doing business in the country, to make our country competitive and compliant with sound global business practices and standards," Zubiri said. Zubiri said the bill was meant to reduce "red tape," or "promote transparency in government with regards to business registrations and other manner of transacting with the public." In approving the bill, "the Senate immediately responded to the call of President Duterte in his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) to cut red tape in government," Zubiri added. Prescribed processing period The bill sets a new prescribed processing period under which both national and local government offices will have to "process the application and communicate the decision regarding the approval, or if the application has been disapproved, along with comments or reasons for such disapproval." This period will not be longer than three working days for simple applications involving micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and 10 working days for complex applications from the time the application was received. For special types of businesses that require clearances, accreditation and/or licenses issued by government agencies, the bill prescribed a processing time no longer than 20 working days or "as determined by the government agency or instrumentality concerned, whichever is shorter." The bill said that if the concerned national or local government agency application would failed to act on the application for license, clearance or permit after the prescribed processing period had lapsed then the application "shall be deemed approved." However, this is provided that the application has lapsed "without informing the applicant of the error, omissions and/or additional documents required for submission," and that the applicant has complied with all required documents and fees. The bill allowed that prescribed processing period to be extended once for highly technical applications or such cases where extraordinary due diligence in reviewing the qualifications and merits of an application is required. Under the bill, stiffer penalties shall be imposed - ranging from 30 days suspension without pay (1st suspension) to dismissal and disqualification from public office and one to six years of imprisonment (3rd offense) - to heads of offices or agencies, as well as supervising officers authorized to issue licenses, permits or clearances who violate the act. Simpler, faster application To make the application process for business permits and other documents faster and more convenient, the bill required national and local agencies to set up an electronic "Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS)" business permit and licensing system in cities and municipalities nationwide. Through the BOSS, people who wish to apply for their businesses could avail of online mechanisms for submission and processing of license, clearance and/or permit applications. In relation, a single or unified business application form shall be used in processing new applications for business permits and business renewals. "The new form would consolidate all the information of the applicant by various local government departments, such as but not limited to the local taxes and clearances, building clearance, sanitary permit, zoning clearance, and other specific local government unit requirements as the case may be, including the fire clearance from the Bureau of Fire Protection," the bill said. The unified application form, as well as comprehensive checklist of requirements, step-by-step procedures, and schedule of fees, will be made available online in the cities/municipalities' websites. The bill said the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) would be required to establish a cloud-native Central Business Portal or other similar technology, to act as a central system that would receive the application and capture application data from business entities nationwide. The Central Business Portal would then allow government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other national and local government agencies "to receive and process applications, as well as to issue digitally signed business license documents to applicants." New bureau named The bill also called for renaming the existing Competitiveness Bureau under the DTI to be the new Business Anti-Red Tape and Competitiveness Bureau, to be headed by a bureau director. The new bureau would be tasked to complement the functions of the Civil Service Commission in implementing the act. Zubiri said the reforms under the bill were necessary if the country was to catch-up with its neighbors in terms of business competitiveness. "While our beaches and marine resources are a boon to tourism and agriculture, our being an archipelago is a disadvantage compared to our continental-based competitors in the ASEAN," he said. Zubiri cited a 2017 World Bank report which ranked the Philippines 99th among 190 countries on ease-of-doing-business. In the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines ranked 6th among 10 nations. "These reforms will introduce more economic activities that will increase opportunities and incomes of business firms, all types of entrepreneurs and their employees. With ASEAN economic integration, we should seriously face these challenges. I believe this act will enable our country to grow local businesses and invite more foreign businesses to set up factories and offices here," Zubiri concluded. (Jardine Dave Chua)
Press Release

August 22, 2017 Villanueva seeks to exempt fresh grads, dropouts from paying gov't fees for documents needed for employment The Senate Committee on Youth chaired by Senator Joel Villanueva tackled on Tuesday a bill seeking to exempt first-time job seekers from paying fees and charges collected by various government agencies for the issuance of documents needed for employment. Under Senate Bill No. 1426 or the "First-time Jobseekers Assistance Act", exemption from paying government fees and charges are granted provided that such fee or charge is paid in connection with the application for and the granting of licenses, proofs of identification, clearances, certificates, or other documents usually required in the course of employment locally or abroad. Villanueva said that the waiver of fees and charges will serve as an effective "activation strategy" to connect first-time jobseekers to job opportunities in the country. "Ang hirap naman pong isipin na iyong mga kabataan natin, may skills pero dahil walang pera upang makakuha ng NBI clearance, birth certificate, at iba pa, ay hindi makapagtrabaho," Villanueva stressed during the hearing. He shared that at present, first-time jobseekers face serious challenges especially in the production of pre-employment documents which include clearances from the Police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), birth certificate from the National Statistics Office (NSO), Tax Identification Number from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Community Tax Certificate, among others. "The fees and charges collected by various government agencies for the issuance of the aforesaid documents add to first-time jobseekers' burden most especially those who come from lower and middle-income families. For students who were forced to take a leave of absence because of their fragile socio-economic situation, the cost is particularly burdensome," Villanueva lamented. The senator added that the struggle poor fresh graduates and early school leavers or dropouts face when securing the required documents might not only make them feel "a loss of motivation to join the labor force" but also contribute to long-term joblessness that could result into skill depreciation and lower confidence to face the world of work. "Exempting new graduates and most especially, early school leavers and dropouts from fees and charges on mandated pre-employment documents will surely lessen their economic woes, minimize the risk of being unemployed in the long-term, and maintain their motivation to actively pursue employment," the senator further explained. If passed into law, the bill exempts first-time job seekers from paying (a) Police Clearance Certificate: (b) National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance; (c) Barangay Clearance; (d) Medical Certificate; (e) Birth and/or Marriage Certificate; (f) Tax Identification Number; (g) Community Tax Certificate; (h) Certification of Eligibility; (i) Authentication and Red Ribbon of documents; and (j) Other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers. However, it is specified in the measure that the application for such license, proof of identification, clearance, certificate, or other documents shall be submitted within one (1) year after graduating or taking a leave from high school, college or any technical vocational course in any mode/s of learning. The fees and charges to be waived do not include those collected in connection with an application to take a professional licensure examination conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), application for a Philippine passport from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), application for a Career Service Examination, and application for a driver's license from the Land Transportation Authority (LTO). Moreover, the bill stipulated that before a waiver can be availed, a certified true copy of the first-time jobseeker's diploma, certification or leave of absence (LOA) from the concerned academic, vocational or technical institution that the said individual has successfully completed the course required or has earned academic units must be submitted by the applicant. "I hope that with the passage of this measure, we would be able to help our young people enter the country's workforce without placing additional burden to their pursuit of finding gainful employment. The passage of this bill is earnestly sought to the best interest of the youth," Villanueva concluded.
OMAHA  Authorities say an 8-year-old child has been killed while walking across a street in east Omaha.

The accident was reported around 4:20 p.m. Monday. Police said the child didn't enter the street at a crosswalk and was struck by a passing car.

Police said the child was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a hospital. The child has been identified as Jalen Duncan, who lived in Omaha. The car driver has been identified as 23-year-old Noel Rangel.

The accident is being investigated. No arrest or citation has been reported.
WASHINGTON  Sixteen years ago, Rep. Barbara Lee was the sole member of Congress to vote against authorizing the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. She warned at the time that granting President George W. Bush open-ended approval to use military force would lead to war without end.

In seeming fulfillment of the Oakland Democrats prophecy, President Trump announced Monday night that the United States must continue fighting in Afghanistan to avoid the predictable and unacceptable results of a rapid withdrawal from the country. Congressional officials said the administration has told them it will add about 4,000 troops to the Afghanistan force, although Trump did not specify a number in his speech.

Trumps announcement came during his first prime-time television address to the nation outlining his Afghanistan strategy.

Throughout the presidencies of Bush and Barack Obama, Lee waged a lonely crusade to repeal the war resolution initially aimed at al Qaedas Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. Last month, she won a stunning victory when a bipartisan House committee voted to repeal the authorization in an amendment to the 2018 defense spending bill.

But her win was short-lived. House Republican leaders stripped the amendment from the bill without a vote in a late-night maneuver that blocked Lee from leading a larger House debate on the presidents use of military force without further approval by Congress.

The 2001 authorization was passed by Congress three days after the 9/11 attacks. It was hastily written; it was overly broad; it was 60 words, Lee said. Citing the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan arm of Congress, Lee said presidents have used the authorization at least 37 times since the initial Afghanistan invasion in October 2001.

Republicans know we need to take this off the books, and we need a full debate and to make some decisions about whether or not we are going to continue in these wars or not, Lee said. Thats our constitutional responsibility.

Trumps announcement comes after months of White House deliberations and internal dissension about a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, the longest in American history. It arrives on the heels of the departure of Trumps chief political strategist, Stephen Bannon, who had argued against escalating the conflict. Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, both generals, favor trying a larger U.S. military presence to stabilize the country.

Previously, Trump was a longtime critic of the Afghanistan war, flouting GOP orthodoxy during the presidential campaign by arguing against overseas military interventions. In 2013, before he ran for president, he had gone so far as to argue for a withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Two previous presidents increased troop levels in Afghanistan in an effort to thwart terrorist groups from operating there. Bush, a Republican, had anticipated a quick exit after the 2001 invasion, but was never able to stabilize the country despite several troop surges. Obama, a Democrat, brought troop levels to a peak of 100,000 in 2010, and later sharply reduced the U.S. military presence and scheduled an exit for 2016 that never occurred. About 8,400 U.S. troops are in the country.

Lees amendment last month had passed the Appropriations Committee on a voice vote, with favorable comments from several Republicans, including Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, chairman of the committees defense panel. But Republican leaders removed the amendment without a vote before the bill reached the floor.

In the dark of night, it just disappeared when the defense bill was posted online, Lee said of her amendment. I think it was a 326-page bill. The only part of that bill that was taken out was my amendment. So that was, if you ask me, underhanded; it was undemocratic; it was wrong.

Lee said she will try again, as she has over the past decade, to repeal the war authorization, arguing that doing so is more necessary than ever with what she called Trumps saber-rattling with nuclear-armed North Korea.

Im going to keep coming back until we get this done, and it will get done, Lee said. It took a good while just to get this far, but were going to keep at it. Were persisting on this, because the American people deserve their representatives to stop missing in action and to do our job.

Lee said it is especially important to have a congressional debate and determination if the president should engage in a first strike as it relates to nuclear weapons. Under the current authorization, she said, we could see ourselves embroiled in another war  God forbid, a nuclear war  without congressional authorization, because theyre continuing to use this blank check to engage in wars all around the world.

She said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., defended his removal of her war authorization amendment by arguing that it would leave troops exposed to danger. Lee said that is not the case, because Congress would have eight months to decide on a new military authorization.

The administration, Lee noted, has proposed severe cuts to domestic spending to pay for a bigger military. Escalating the Afghanistan conflict, she said, will come at the expense of schools and infrastructure and jobs and health care  all the nation-building resources that we need here, here in my own district.

Yet theyre cutting these programs to fund these wars, and thats unfair to taxpayers; its unfair to constituents; its unfair to the country, she said.

A settlement in Afghanistan, Lee said, should be led by countries in the region.

Theres no way the U.S. is going to win a civil war in Afghanistan, she said. Im confident and certain that adding more troops will just dig us deeper into a hole and deeper into a civil war that we should not be in. I think its very dangerous.

The Washington Post contributed to this report.

Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead
Seward city officials hope to lift a restriction on consuming city tap water Wednesday afternoon after crews discovered a crack in a water line was responsible for the town's two water systems running dry.

City Administrator Greg Butcher said a 14-inch water main broke at about 6 p.m. Sunday near Nebraska 15 and Izaak Walton Road -- an area south of town inundated by the flooding Big Blue River -- leading to plummeting water pressure and a "do not consume" order.

Water service had been restored throughout most of the city on Tuesday, including to Tenneco, one of the area's largest employers. A few businesses and residences along Nebraska 15 in the south part of town are still without running water.

Butcher said until further notice, Seward residents should not consume any water running from their taps.

"You can't boil it, can't brush your teeth with it, anything that deals with digestion," Butcher said.

Showering, flushing toilets and doing laundry is not included in the restrictions.

Sunday's break led to an emergency declaration at both the city and county level, which allowed the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency to mobilize, while Gov. Pete Ricketts activated the Nebraska National Guard to provide assistance.

The National Guard filled a "water buffalo" tank with 400 gallons of drinkable water in Milford and set it up for Seward residents at the Nebraska National Guard Museum.

Local businesses also responded, Butcher said. Sam's Club in Lincoln donated six pallets of bottled water to Seward, while the local Walmart and Pac-N-Save grocery store also coordinated with their suppliers to ensure water was available.

Pac-N-Save owner Paul Mueller said when the store learned of the issue, they ordered 10 extra pallets of water -- each pallet holds 84 cases of bottled water -- to be delivered Sunday night in time for the store's opening at 6 a.m. on Monday.

"We went through that right away, so our warehouse loaded up another 18 pallets of water that arrived yesterday afternoon," Mueller said on Tuesday.

The grocer also lowered the price of a case from $3.87 to $2.99, Mueller added, to better accommodate those without drinking water.

Butcher said others around the Seward community have shown a "huge outpouring of support."

"Businesses have been buying their own pallets of water and making it available for free," Butcher said. "I've seen neighborhoods where people have put cases of water out for others."

On Monday, Seward sent 40 samples of city water to the Department of Health and Human Services for testing, and planned to provide another 40 samples on Tuesday to determine if the water is fit for drinking.

If the tests indicate the water is safe to drink, Butcher said, Seward will notify residents through its messaging system.

News of the "do not consume" restriction being lifted will also be posted to the city's website and social media accounts.
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San Francisco is never one to stay out of a national, hot-button political squabble, and the controversy over the removal of Confederate statues throughout the South made its way here over the weekend.

Thats when an old debate became new again thanks to a Facebook group calling for the removal of the Pioneer Monument. Its that 800-ton sculpture depicting the settlement of California that sits between the Main Library and the Asian Art Museum in the Civic Center.

Frankly, Id never paid much attention to it. Even with its gargantuan size, its not the most eye-catching part of that stretch of Fulton Street, which sees a daily mix of tourist buses, open-air heroin use, homeless people and business types rushing from BART to the office.

But its easy to see where the anti-Pioneer Monument folks are coming from. And Supervisor Jane Kim, whose district includes the monument, is on their side.

I support the removal and will be supporting the community process already under way, Kim said in a statement.

The busy, intricate structure is topped by a large statue of the goddess of wisdom and war, but the controversial part is lower down and on the eastern end of the monument.

That section is called Early Days and depicts a nearly naked American Indian man on the ground with a Spanish vaquero standing over him and raising his hand in victory. A missionary also towers over the fallen man, one hand reaching down to him and the other pointing to heaven.

Is it merely a depiction of the past  a brutal past, but our states history nonetheless? Or is it a slap in the face to American Indians because it seemingly celebrates their conquest? In any case, it surely belies our right to scoff at Southern states for only now dealing with the statues that glorify their dark past.

About a dozen people, spurred by the Facebook group, gathered at Mondays Arts Commission meeting to implore it to remove the monument.

Iesha Killip, who said she is a full-blooded American Indian, said its crazy the monument stands in such a prominent place in modern-day San Francisco.

Why is the Indian on the ground? Were warriors. We stand, said Killip, a 25-year-old retail manager who lives in the Haight. It shows pure hatred to my people.

Jennifer Cleary, a 39-year-old voice teacher who lives in the Mission, said shes tired of San Franciscos holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to race.

I dont know why its been allowed to be in this so-called liberal and woke city for as long as its been here, she said. We need to clean up our own backyard  yesterday.

The Arts Commission itself didnt discuss the matter Monday because it wasnt on the agenda but said it will discuss it at its Oct. 2 meeting.

Any decision about removing all or part of the Pioneer Monument would happen only after a lengthy process involving an evaluation of its historic and artistic merits and extensive research about how much it would cost to dismantle.

By the way, the Pioneer Monument isnt the only one earning scrutiny these days. A statue of Father Junipero Serra, who founded Californias missions, that sits in Golden Gate Park was recently partially wrapped in a white sheet reading, Take Down White Supremacy.

A 2007 report by the citys Human Rights Commission called the Serra statue, the Pioneer Monument, the Christopher Columbus statue near Coit Tower and several others throughout the city images of conquest.

The question over what to do about the Pioneer Monument has been raised again and again without a satisfactory answer. The monument was funded by the estate of financier James Lick and was made by sculptor Frank Happersberger. It was dedicated in 1894 outside the old City Hall at Hyde and Grove Streets. Though City Hall was destroyed in the earthquake and fire of 1906, the Pioneer Monument survived.

When plans for a new Main Library at the site were afoot in the early 1990s, preservationists wanted the Pioneer Monument to stay put while American Indians wanted it gone altogether. As usual, city officials pleased just about nobody by moving it to its current site. Just before its relocation, protesters threw rocks and red paint at it.

A compromise was reached in 1996, when a plaque was installed underneath the sculpture explaining that the monument represents a conventional attitude of the 19th century.

The plaque, it explains, seeks to acknowledge the effect of this settlement on the California Native Americans, including that their population plummeted from more than 300,000 in 1769 to 15,377 in 1900. This being San Francisco, even the wording of the plaque proved controversial and went through various iterations.

But the plaque might as well not even be there. Not only is it largely covered in bird droppings, but on Monday morning, I had to climb onto the raised platform underneath the sculpture and through tall plants to read it. Theres no way your average tourist or other casual passerby would know it was there, much less be able to read it from street level without considerable effort.

Plaque or no plaque, the late Chronicle columnist Herb Caen certainly had an opinion. In 1996, he said the Pioneer Monument degrades the American Indian and good taste.

I say take a sledgehammer to it, he wrote. Schlock is one thing, kitsch is another, and my, what a sad collection of public art we do have.

He had a point. As I wrote previously, the citys 87 public statues depict just two real-life women. The fundraising for a third  the late writer Maya Angelou outside the Main Library  is proceeding slowly but surely.

So the grounds outside the library have a statue that has offended American Indians for more than 25 years, but still no real-life woman. Come on, were San Francisco. We can surely do better than that.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
President Donald Trump outlined a revised vision for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Monday, pledging to end a strategy of "nation-building" and instead institute a policy aimed more squarely at addressing the terrorist threat that emanates from the region.

"I share the American people's frustration," he said. "I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money - and, most importantly, lives - trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations."

But Trump provided few specifics about his policy and how much the U.S. military commitment in the region would increase as a result, insisting that conditions on the ground would determine troop levels and strategy.

Trump's decision to further commit to the nation's longest war, rather than withdraw, reflects a significant shift in his approach to Afghanistan since taking office and marks a new willingness to take greater ownership of a protracted conflict that he had long dismissed as a waste of time and resources. As a candidate, Trump denounced Afghanistan as a "total disaster" and railed that the costly conflict in Central Asia drained enormous resources at a time of more pressing needs at home for American taxpayers.

"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like to follow my instincts," Trump said in his first prime-time address, delivered from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Virginia. "I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk of the Oval Office."

Trump's new approach to Afghanistan is the result of a long policy review within his administration that was finalized during a presidential retreat with top advisers at Camp David on Friday.

His decision to endorse a Pentagon plan to boost troop levels reflects mounting concern among military leaders that battlefield setbacks for Afghan government forces against the Taliban and al-Qaida have led to a rapidly deteriorating security situation.

Although Trump did not specify how many more troops will be sent to Afghanistan, congressional officials said the administration has told them it will be about 4,000 more than the 8,500 U.S. service members currently in the region.

In his speech Monday, Trump laid out a strategy that included pressuring Pakistan to do more to stop terrorists from finding safe haven within its borders. He also said that India would play a greater role in providing economic and developmental support.

Trump acknowledged that his approach is a departure from his campaign rhetoric, but he said he would prioritize American security over attempting to "dictate" to the Afghan people how to live.

He called his approach "principled realism" and portrayed it as in keeping with the "America First" approach of his administration. He pledged that U.S. troops would have a clear definition of victory in Afghanistan, but offered only a broad outline of what that would mean.

"Our troops will fight to win," Trump said. "From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaida, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge."

Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan's ambassador to Washington, said Trump's message was "exactly what we wanted" because it "takes into account our country's needs and constraints. We did not want it to be about troop numbers or time lines, but to conditions on the ground," he said while visiting Kabul. "We welcome this strategy that integrates American military power into achieving our shared goals."

Davood Moradian, executive director of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies, said the "tone and narrative" of Trump's speech was "reassuring and uplifting for many of us, because it projects the confidence and resolve which are necessary for our besieged population and exhausted security forces."

He said Trump was "right in being clear and resolute about Pakistan," but he also cautioned that having a "legitimate, functioning" government in Kabul, now facing serious internal divisions and external challenges, will be the "key to implementing" a successful new Washington policy.

After taking office, Trump announced that he would delegate authority to the Pentagon to set troop levels. That raised fears among some lawmakers and foreign policy analysts that even a modest initial increase could escalate rapidly and plunge the United States more deeply back into a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of 2,403 Americans.

"After the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory," Trump said. "Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan."

Although President Barack Obama did not fulfill his campaign pledge to end the conflict, his administration vastly decreased troop levels from a high of more than 100,000, and shifted remaining forces to a less dangerous training and advisory role.

Vice President Pence and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have advocated for the Pentagon plan to add troops, along with broader diplomatic and economic pressure on regional players, especially Pakistan.

Pence began briefing members of Congress about the strategy hours before Trump's speech.

Republican leaders praised the strategy and the deliberate nature of Trump's thought process.

"I'm actually pleased with the way he went about making this decision," House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., said at a town hall meeting televised by CNN that began immediately after Trump's remarks. "We have had a convoluted approach to Afghanistan and I think it's high time we had a comprehensive approach."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has urged Trump to articulate a new strategy for the region, called the speech "long overdue." But he praised Trump for shifting the nation away from the Obama administration's approach.

"I believe the President is now moving us well beyond the prior administration's failed strategy of merely postponing defeat," McCain said in a statement. "It is especially important that the newly announced strategy gives no timeline for withdrawal, rather ensures that any decision to reduce our commitment in the future will be based on conditions on the ground."

Trump's task Monday night was magnified by his need to convince his core supporters, many of whom responded to his campaign calls to put "America first" by reducing foreign interventionism in the Middle East and Central Asia. His speech came just days after the departure of chief strategist Stephen Bannon, who had advocated for replacing U.S. troops with private security contractors.

In a nod to concerns among his supporters that his decision marks a retrenchment in Afghanistan, Trump insisted that the United States would not provide "unlimited" support and resources.

"Our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check," Trump said. "The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden."

But the strategy Trump described Monday night amounted to an open-ended approach, which is likely to worry voters who supported him, in part, because of his promise to scale back the United States' commitments abroad.

It is not the first time Trump has shifted away from his campaign rhetoric about foreign entanglements in his actions as president.

He has framed his decisions to use military force - including Tomahawk missile strikes on an air base in Syria in April after President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons - around his pledge to be tough on terrorism and direct threats to American security. But before serving as president, he criticized Obama for contemplating military action in Syria in response to Assad's chemical weapons use.

Trump has been acutely aware of the limited options he faces and has blamed his predecessors - principally Obama - for leaving him what he described Monday as a "bad and very complex hand."

Citing Obama's decision to withdraw from Iraq in 2011, Trump said he would not consider such a strategy in Afghanistan.

"A hasty withdrawal will create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al-Qaeda, would instantly fill," he said. "We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq."

Even before his campaign, Trump was skeptical about the war. "When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan?" he tweeted in 2011. "We must rebuild our country first."

As a candidate, he argued for a more isolationist approach to foreign policy. Recent foreign wars, he told his supporters, had drained the United States of blood and treasure at the expense of efforts such as education and infrastructure at home.

"So we're on track now to spend, listen to this, $6 trillion - could have rebuilt our country twice - altogether, on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Middle East," Trump said during a speech in Cleveland during the campaign. "Meanwhile, massive portions of our country are in a state of total disrepair."

This argument was a departure from the Republican Party's hawkish stance on military engagement and the two post-Sept. 11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq that began under President George W. Bush. Trump's stance helped him appeal to some Democratic-leaning voters who were skeptical of the wars and perceived Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as more hawkish than many in her party.

As president, Trump has used bellicose rhetoric to describe his military objectives, even as he has resisted being specific about his plans and objectives. He repeated that pattern in laying out his vision for U.S. engagement in Afghanistan.

"Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables will guide our actions from now on," he said. "I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will."

Within the White House, Bannon's opposition to sending more troops to Afghanistan helped fuel strife with other Trump aides, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who supported the modest troop surge.

Bannon had advocated for a proposal to replace U.S. troops with private security contractors, an idea floated by Erik Prince, the founder of the controversial contracting firm Blackwater USA and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Military leaders largely opposed the idea, and the White House ruled it out.

But foreign policy analysts said Trump's decision on Afghanistan is tricky because his strategy does not represent a radical departure from the past.

"To be honest, it's probably pretty close to what a Hillary Clinton would do," said Derek Chollet, an assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration who now serves as a defense analyst at the German Marshall Fund.

- - -

The Washington Post's Pamela Constable, Ed O'Keefe and Adam Entous contributed to this report.
VALENTINE  Authorities have released the names of two people killed and one person injured in a northern Nebraska collision.

Cherry County Attorney Eric Scott says Monday morning's crash west of Valentine fatally injured Marcos Alvarado, 20, of Alliance, and John Strinz, 64, who lived in Eagen, Minnesota.

Scott said Alvarado was driving east on U.S. Highway 20 when his vehicle collided with a westbound vehicle driven by Kathryn Rice, 63, who also lives in Minnesota.

Alvarado and Strinz were pronounced dead at the scene. Scott says Rice was taken Cherry County Hospital in Valentine.
The Bay Area is on edge about two upcoming far-right rallies. On Saturday, the Patriot Prayer group of Portland, Ore., has a pending permit for a rally at Crissy Field. The group has often rallied with militias and white nationalist groups around the country.

The very next day, a No to Marxism in America rally, planned by right-wing organizers, will take place at Berkeleys Civic Center Park.

Local officials are outraged, and residents are too. Berkeley has already endured three far-right demonstrations this year, and two of them turned violent. And after a bloody white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., that left one counterprotester dead and about 20 injured, no one is feeling welcoming toward groups with a hateful message.

Mayor Ed Lee, state Sen. Scott Wiener, and state Assemblymen Phil Ting and David Chiu, all San Francisco Democrats, sent letters to the National Park Service expressing anger and concern about the decision to grant Patriot Prayer a permit. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, both California Democrats, called on the Park Service to reconsider.

The public, too, has weighed in  comments have poured in to the Park Service, asking it to deny the permit. The concerns are understandable, especially after Charlottesville. Its certainly concerning that the National Park Service appears to have issued a preliminary permit for the rally without first coordinating with local law enforcement about a security plan.

But legal experts have cautioned against denying or revoking the Crissy Field permit, and there may not be any choice but to allow it to go forward. One of the foundations of free speech is to preserve the right to express unpopular, even repugnant, viewpoints.

All is not lost, however.

A far-right group rallied on the Boston Common last weekend, despite repeated statements from the mayor and local residents that they were unwelcome.

The group decided to show up anyway. Counterprotesters vastly outnumbered the rally attendees, who were safely escorted away by police. While there was a modest number of arrests for disorderly conduct, the incident wasnt marred by violence or hopelessness.

Boston gave the country hope that the nation can allow the expression of fringe beliefs through proper security planning and peaceful counterprotests that put a communitys commitment to genuine American values on full display.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
It has been more than two decades since the Cal State University system first made headlines for attempting to eliminate remedial classes. The trustees 1995 plan to phase out the courses sounded bold at the time, but as their 2007 deadline came and went, it proved quixotic.

Now CSU is back in the news, making good on the trustees 22-year-old pledge with Chancellor Timothy P. Whites August executive order to end stand-alone remedial classes. But this time, the motivation is different: a concern that its policies were inadvertently setting up students to fail.

Data show that underrepresented minority students bear the brunt of existing policies, including placement tests with limited predictive value.

But unless the new rules are transparent and evidence-based, inequities may persist.

The new strategy involves upending the 23-campus systems approach to assessing students proficiency in the first place. At its heart is the elimination of the math and English placement exams that determined whether students were college ready.

Instead of those placement exams, CSU will use students high school performance, including test results, to ascertain who needs to brush up in math or English. In place of remedial courses that delay progress toward a degree, those students will receive extra support in conjunction with credit-bearing math and English classes.

In making these changes, CSU signals a commitment to remove barriers to student success and equity. Past policies have sent black and Latino students to remedial classes at double and triple the rates of white and Asian students.

While remedial courses are intended to help students succeed, recent research shows that they can deter students from pursuing a degree, and many students could succeed without them.

Beginning in 1995, CSU began forcing out students who were not proficient in math or English by the end of their freshman year. It subsequently implemented programs to help students become college ready during high school and the summer before college. While those measures reduced the need for remedial courses, more than a third of entering freshmen still require them.

Last fall, this group included only 18 percent of white freshmen compared to 59 percent of black students and 47 percent of Latino students. Of the 25,010 students deemed not proficient in 2015-16, about 3,300 were disenrolled for not completing remedial requirements. More than two-thirds of those students were black or Latino.

How CSU implements and monitors its new policies will ultimately determine whether more students earn degrees.

Research has revealed the inefficacy of placement exams. It makes sense, therefore, to de-emphasize tests, as CSU apparently means to do. CSU is joining a growing number of colleges in heeding evidence that high school coursework and grades can better predict students success in college courses than test scores.

However, unless the system is careful in designing its new measures of proficiency, it risks reproducing the old results. As it eliminates its math and English placement tests, CSU is keeping the SAT, ACT and other tests in the mix for determining students readiness for college-level work. Absent a significant role for high school grades in the formula, the results will mirror the old ones.

In fact, there is evidence that demographic factors known at birth are increasingly influential in accounting for test score differences. Two years ago, a study by retired UC researcher Saul Geiser found that race is a stronger factor than even family income or parental education in explaining score differences on the SAT.

Whatever new placement measures are adopted need to be properly vetted on a regular basis. Had CSU done this previously, it might have changed its placement policies sooner. A 2010 study commissioned by the system found that many students who did not pass its math placement test nevertheless were able to succeed in a college-level math course. The system took no apparent action on that finding. When the study came to light in 2015, the system disavowed the findings but, no additional studies were conducted and no change in test policy occurred  until this month.

Eliminating stand-alone remedial courses lowers the stakes for being deemed not proficient, but it doesnt remove the need for fair and accurate methods of deciding who needs additional support.

The new curricular approaches the system is adopting to provide students that support will also need to be closely evaluated. Strategies such as co-requisite courses  college-level courses that embed just-in-time remediation for students  have been researched in community colleges. CSU will need to gather data and study the methods its campuses adopt to ensure that they are enhancing student learning.

As the largest university system anywhere, CSU owes nothing less to its students, to the state and to the other universities that will learn from its example.

Pamela Burdman, a Berkeley education policy analyst, was an adviser to CSUs Quantitative Reasoning Task Force.
For many of us, the last time Americans felt a common bond was in the days after 9/11. That bond evaporated quickly.

During the 2016 presidential election, both major party candidates pledged to bring a divided nation together, but were short on solutions. In the seven months since President Trump took office, little has changed. It should not take events like the Charlottesville, Va., protests or a war to bring the nation together. An answer can be compulsory national service.

From guns to LGBTQ rights; from immigration to health care, partisan animosity has grown. A 2014 study from the Pew Research Center found 92 percent of Republicans were to the right of median Democrats and 94 percent of Democrats were to the left of median Republicans. That same study revealed that conservatives and liberals, in strong numbers, wish to live, work and socialize with others that share their own views. Therein lies the crux of why our nation is so divided  a lack of understanding of one anothers life experiences.

Involve our young, impressionable citizens in what we all have in common: our republic. This can be accomplished through national service. This idea has been raised at various times since the United States ended the draft in 1973. In 2007, Richard Stengel, in Time Magazine, called for national service as a way to create a common culture that will make a virtue of our diversity.

Consider requiring one to two years of national service after completion of high school, or a persons 19th birthday, if he or she doesnt complete high school. Service members could choose between military or civilian work (e.g., repairing infrastructure; helping the poor; teaching). The structure for such a program already exists through organizations such as AmeriCorps.

The evidence shows that the desire of young people to volunteer remains strong. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 26.4 percent of teenagers (ages 16-19) volunteered in some way during 2014-15.

There also is the growing number of students taking a gap year between high school and college (including Malia Obama). Studies show that those students taking a gap year work more seriously when they return to school; do better academically; and add to their employability in future years. National service would help 18- to 20-year-olds in a similar way.

Perhaps more significantly, national service would force those who dont think alike to live, work and coexist. This may mean a 19-year-old African American from Oakland working side-by-side with the child of a laid-off steelworker from Youngstown, Ohio. Can you imagine a young Rachael Maddow rebuilding a bridge with a young Sean Hannity?

Of course there would be roadblocks. Pushing forward such a program would take political courage and would be expensive. Exceptions would be needed for young people with financial hardships. Libertarians would argue that government cant compel mandatory service. The counterargument is that the investment in our future is worth the cost. Bring on national service.

Mark Hazelwood lives in San Francisco.
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When GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona was asked last month about his stand on the Republicans controversial health care reform plan, he said that hed do whatever Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey wanted.

When President Trump said in June he would pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, California Gov. Jerry Brown and the governors of 11 other states said they wouldnt go along.

This month, Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and John Kasich, Ohios Republican governor, argued that the nations governors, not the Senate nor the White House, could best take the lead on health care efforts.

With the presidents popularity and political clout at record lows and Congress stymied by gridlock, the countrys governors look to become the Washington outsiders voters say they want, only with the hands-on political experience people increasingly say they long to see in government.

Governors are solving problems for the people of their states, said Scott Pattison, executive director and CEO of the National Governors Association. Compared with the federal government, its no surprise that when people think of their governor, they think of action.

Theres nothing new about governors taking a leading spot in national politics. Since 1977, four of the seven presidents have been governors, not only of huge states like California (Ronald Reagan) and Texas (George W. Bush), but also of smaller states like Georgia (Jimmy Carter) and Arkansas (Bill Clinton).

The job of running a state often can translate well in a move to the White House, since governors learn early that the buck stops with them, said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University.

Governors are basically presidents in waiting, he said. Theyre the policy implementers, the place where the rubber meets the road in their states.

Thats experience Trump, a high-profile businessman with no background in politics or government, has proved he sorely lacks. While he was elected as an outsider who promised to drain the swamp of Washington, many of the problems in his first months in office have stemmed from his unfamiliarity with the work thats needed to turn his political dreams into policy reality.

Running the office is very different from running for office, McCuan said. Implementing policy requires a different set of skills.

Theres a big difference between a senator or a member of Congress, who can cast a vote on a controversial bill and then move on to the next issue, and a governor who is forced to deal with the effects of that bill, day after day after day.

While the effort to repeal and replace former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act was a partisan political fight in the Senate, with every Democrat opposed and almost all Republicans in favor, it was a different situation outside the Washington Beltway, where many GOP governors were desperately worried about what a repeal would mean for their states.

Lets just say they just got rid of it, didnt replace it with anything, Ohios Kasich said in a Politico interview in January. What happens to the 700,000 people (who receive Medicaid benefits in Ohio)? What happens to drug treatment? What happens to mental-health counseling? What happens to these people who have very high cholesterol and are victims from a heart attack? What happens to them?

On health care and other issues, governors find themselves forced to consider both the intended results and the unexpected consequences of the laws that flow from Washington, even as they try to make them work best for the residents of their states.

That nitty-gritty, close-to-the-voter approach to governing is especially attractive to Democrats looking toward the 2020 presidential race, when they need to win back working-class voters who in November rejected Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state who was the ultimate Washington insider.

Right now Democrats are facing a battle between the Bernie Sanders progressives and the Democratic establishment that nominated Clinton, McCuan said. Governors provide a third option.

In May, Politico released an admittedly early look at The 43 people who might run against Trump in 2020. That list included six of the Democrats 15 current governors, five former governors and one potential governor, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, one of the Democrats on that list, told the National Governors Association last month that the countrys governors are ready to handle the problems Washington cant or wont deal with.

What I try to tell everybody is, Forget the federal government. Come directly to the states, he said.

The governors in red or purple states that backed Trump in November are seen as potential candidates to flip those states  and possibly the presidency  back into the Democratic column.

One of those prospective challengers is Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who last month formed a federal political action committee that will raise money to allow him to travel the nation to share Montanas story, which likely will include stops in places like Iowa and New Hampshire.

Speaking in May to the progressive Center for American Progress, a policy institute founded in 2003 by John Podesta, chair of Clintons campaign last year, Bullock talked about how he governs in a GOP-friendly state where Trump won an overwhelming victory.

Its about showing up, he said. As a Democrat in Montana, I dont have the luxury of spending all day talking only to people who agree with me.

Although Bullock, like other Democrats, doesnt talk directly about a 2020 run for president, his speech was essentially a rural state governors blueprint for a more inclusive party, one that looked beyond its traditional big city base.

Democrats need to do a better job of showing up and making arguments even in places where people are likely to disagree, the governor said. Its good for democracy, and its good for the Democratic Party.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
Martini bars are a thing. So are margarita bars. Now, in what may be an international milestone, San Francisco has its first mule bar: the Rusted Mule.

For theme bar-saturated San Francisco, it may be a small step, but its a giant leap for the mule.

The mule, as a family of cocktails, refers to a concoction of a base spirit, ginger beer and lime juice. More distinctive than its ingredient list is its requisite glassware, a copper mug. The original and most enduring iteration, the Moscow Mule, is based on Russian vodka, but you may also have come across the Kentucky Mule (bourbon), the Gin-Gin Mule (gin), the Irish Mule (Irish whiskey). The possibilities, once you master the syntax, are endless.

Although it cant really claim to be a timeless classic in the mode of the martini, the mule has surged in popularity lately. The New York Times, citing data from analytics firm GuestMetrics, reported that menu placements of the Moscow Mule increased 60 percent year over year in 2015, and comprised a full 7 percent of all cocktail orders that year. Those figures seem all the more remarkable considering that the articles author, the distinguished cocktail writer Robert Simonson, had never heard of the drink a decade ago.

In other words, the Rusted Mules timing couldnt be better.

Chris Mansury, one of the bars owners, confirms: Were selling mules like gangbusters.

Mansury, formerly of Comstock Saloon and Dogpatch Saloon, has teamed up with fellow S.F. bar veterans Christina Mae Henderson (also of Dogpatch Saloon), Kristian Cosentino (Dirty Water) and Richard Vila (Poquito). Theyve created a spacious, stylish, two-story bar in this Sutter Street space, just off Polk Streets raucous drinking corridor.

Michael Brennan, who designed Farrallon, Jardiniere and many others, realized the owners vision of an industrial steampunk aesthetic: exposed brick, abstract metal sculptures, rusty metal fragments. Steampunk movie posters rotate through a wall placement  Metropolis, City of Lost Children, Brazil.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

Environmental consciousness  not mules  was what guided the team initially. We were always going to be a draft-heavy program, Mansury says. No bottled beer, as much wine on tap as possible, and draft cocktails, so were not filling up 10 blue bins every day with glass bottles that then have to get melted down.

For example, the bar buys wine in 5-gallon kegs  roughly 20 liters each. That one reusable keg saves the equivalent of about 25 glass wine bottles. Similarly, theyve invested in a pebble ice machine, and use pebble ice instead of cubed ice wherever possible. The efficiency of a pebble ice machine is above 90 percent in water-saving efficiency, Mansury says, as opposed to a cubed ice machines 50 percent.

The centerpiece of the Rusted Mules menu is a rotating selection of four mules on tap ($9 each). Anchoring the lineup, of course, is the vodka-based mule, here called the Rusted Mule. Technically, a Moscow Mule implies Russian vodka, Mansury says, and theyre using Ketel One, which is Dutch. The drink is heavy on lime and the least ginger-forward of the bunch, simple and straightforward by design.

More gingery is the Oh-Be-Joyful, the genever-based mule, which adds dry vermouth. Its botanical elements add a welcome pop of flavor lacking in its vodka-based counterpart. The Mula Verde (with Tequila and Ancho Reyes Verde, a chile liqueur) is fresh and herbaceous, spicy from both chile and ginger. The whiskey mule, here called the Aeronef, adds another reference point; its also a riff on the Paper Plane cocktail, adding Amaro Montenegro and Aperol.

Ginger beer and lime aside, the mules most defining characteristic is surely its vessel, and the Rusted Mule folks were smart to revel in that detail. Their Tequila-based mule comes in a terra-cotta jar; the whiskey mule, in a soup can (It took us four months to find soup cans with finished edges, Mansury says); the gin mule, in the sort of mug youd screw off the top of a camping thermos.

All substitute the customary ginger beer for a house-made ginger syrup. We hand-process anywhere from 90 to 120 pounds of ginger every week, cook it down and turn it into a really strong, ginger-forward, citrusy syrup, Mansury says.

Always, the mule is a reliable crowd-pleaser; hence the gangbusters rate of sales. Its one mixologist-inflected notch up from the sorts of generic drinks peddled at many a crowded Polk Street bar  whiskey-ginger, vodka-soda-splash-of-lime.

In fact, the mules very conception was born in just such an environment. Legend has it, the mule was invented in 1941 by two masterminds who each had a product to sell: Jack Morgan, president of Cock n Bull Products (whose ginger beer was showing sluggish sales), and John Martin, president of Heublein (who was trying to promote Smirnoff vodka). They may have hatched their brilliantly simple recipe at the Chatham Hotel in New York, but it was in Los Angeles, at Morgans Cock n Bull restaurant, that the Moscow Mule met the masses.

The way Martin recalls the story in a video repurposed into a 2016 Smirnoff commercial, Morgans girlfriend, Ozeline Schmidt, had recently inherited a copper factory from her father. That would explain the mug. (Unfortunately for the Schmidts, recent research has suggested drinking acidic liquids from copper vessels can lead to copper poisoning. Most mule mugs now are lined with stainless steel or other materials.)

Martin and Morgan werent exactly reinventing the wheel. The cocktail world could already claim the buck as an established family of cocktails, defined as base spirit, ginger and citrus. Moscow Mule was simply a specific sort of buck  crucially, a product-specific buck. It couldnt just be ginger ale; it had to be ginger beer. It couldnt just be any spirit; it had to be Russian vodka. And it couldnt be served in just any cup; it had to be a copper mug.

That the Rusted Mule can riff so wildly on that original, limited definition is a testament to the widespread popularity of the Moscow Mule today. Everyone knows the basic vodka version already, so maybe theyre ready to take on Tequila and chile liqueur, too.

The Polk Street masses may not be quite ready, however, for some of the Rusted Mules more challenging, non-mule (and non-draft) variations, such as the cocktail called A Childs Dream ($13), made with peanut butter-washed Jack Daniels, celery salt, raspberry liqueur and St. Archer white ale. Its a retelling of that classic snack of your youth, ants on a log, and it sounds a lot wackier than it tastes. The saccharine raspberry flavor dominates.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

Equally eyebrow-raising is the pairing, in the One Single Tear ($13), of lowbrow Hypnotiq liqueur with a highbrow tincture of Life Everlasting Flower. The drink tastes like curacao  that is, like Hypnotiq. To my palate, it could have used another balancing element to the Hypnotiqs sappy sweetness.

Then again, Hypnotiq and ants-on-a-log drinks seem destined to please the denizens of Polk Street nightlife. Its not too far off from the strategy Jack Morgan and John Martin figured out 75 years ago.

Everyone can start out with a Moscow Mule, Mansury says. Its driving people to our house cocktails, too. The mules make it accessible, and then people can graduate on to something a little more challenging.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine, beer and spirits writer. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob

To order: Mula Verde, Oh-Be-Joyful, Aeronef, Rusted Mule ($9)

Where: The Rusted Mule, 1217 Sutter St., S.F. (415) 771-8292 or rustedmule.com

When: 5 p.m. to midnight Monday-Wednesday; until 1 a.m. Thursday; until 2 a.m. Friday-Saturday; 2 to 11 p.m. Sunday.
When a therapy dog refused to drink at a San Diego grade school, it was the first clue that something was wrong with the water.

Tests revealed why the pup turned up its nose  the presence of polyvinyl chloride, the polymer in PVC pipes that degrade over time. But further analysis found something else that had gone undetected by the dog, the teachers and students of the San Diego Cooperative Charter School, and the school district: elevated levels of lead.

Nor is this an isolated situation. Tests have turned up harmful levels of lead in water fountains and taps at other schools in San Diego and Los Angeles, where the district long ago decided to identify, flush and fix or seal hundreds of contaminated fountains. And in the wake of the much-publicized toxic lead contamination of water in Flint, Mich., a Reuters report revealed dozens of California neighborhoods in which tested children showed elevated levels of lead  a neurotoxin that causes developmental disorders and brain damage. No amount of lead in humans is considered safe.

The news has left California legislators anxious that children exposed to lead may go undiagnosed under the status quo. Doctors in the state typically refer children for lead testing only if the family says it lives in a home more than 40 years old, with peeling paint, and is on low-income assistance programs. And although public schools can voluntarily test their water for lead  free under a new California Water Board program  they are under no legal requirement to do so.

Thats not enough for the sponsors of two bills the Legislature will decide on in the next month:

AB1316, authored by Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, would have the state Public Health Department consider urging doctors to ask families more questions as they assess the risk of lead exposure. That could include inquiring about whether the family lives near a major highway or a former lead or steel smelter, and whether a child might be exposed by spending time in another home or building. Once those inquiries result in children being tested, the bill would require the Health Department to report the data more promptly and thoroughly.

AB746, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, would require all school districts to test their water for lead and fix or cap any contaminated water source.

How widespread is the problem? The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 5 percent of tested children in Flint had elevated lead levels. In California, the state Health Department has found that 2 percent of tested children have elevated levels.

But there are hot spots of trouble. In Alameda County, eight ZIP codes showed rates higher than or equal to Flints. ZIP codes within Los Angeles, Monterey and Humboldt counties also showed higher rates of childhood lead exposure. In one Fresno ZIP code, nearly 14 percent of the children tested had elevated levels of lead.

The problem we have right now is we dont know all the different sources of lead in the environment, said Quirk, chair of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. I hope it will lead to children who are higher risk being tested, because pediatricians will ask more questions and parents will ask more questions.

Quirks bill originally sought to require that all young children get tested for lead by their health provider. But the insurance industry, the California Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics lobbied successfully to get that requirement removed. The medical association objected to taking away discretion from doctors and requiring costly tests even when a doctor determines there is no risk, spokeswoman Joanne Adams said.

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.

Already the state makes blood lead testing available to any child younger than 6 on Medi-Cal or other low-income state benefit programs. About 80 percent of children on Medi-Cal are tested, Quirk said. But he points out that while most people believe low-income children living in old homes are primarily at risk, children can be exposed to lead in a variety of ways  from school water fountains to soil in playgrounds near major highways.

I think that every parent should think about having their child tested, period, Quirk said.

The Gonzalez bill would require school districts to test for lead at least once a year or once every three years depending on when the buildings were constructed. If tests find that lead is higher than the state and federal threshold of 15 parts per billion, the school district would then have to notify parents and shut down the contaminated water source until it can be fixed.

Despite the Water Boards free testing offer, Gonzalez said, fewer than 10 percent of schools have taken advantage of the program.

You cant have water with anything testing above the limits that are drinkable and not follow through and fix for the solution, she said. We want to ensure that when you find lead, water is shut off and parents are notified so they can have their kids tested.
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BALTIMORE  As right-hander Paul Blackburn left Tuesdays game after taking a line drive off the side of his right hand, but the rookie said he hopes to make his next start.

Im definitely sore, but Im glad its not broken, Blackburn said. I couldnt move my hand, I couldnt squeeze it. It did not feel good at all.

Blackburn, who is from Brentwood, worked four shutout innings before Trey Mancini, leading off the fifth, nailed him with a shot up the middle. Hopefully, we dodged a bullet, manager Bob Melvin said. Well see how he is in the next couple of days.

Blackburn has been one of the As most pleasant surprises this year, going 3-1 with a 3.22 ERA. He allowed three hits and no runs in four-plus innings Tuesday.

The As will have a sixth starter on hand, anyway: Daniel Gossett will be recalled from Triple-A Nashville to start Wednesdays game at Baltimore. No one is coming out of the rotation, but Sean Manaea will get a couple of extra days before his next start, with Kendall Graveman sliding in front of him to pitch Friday.

Gossett is 4-4 with a 3.66 ERA in 14 starts at Nashville and 3-6 with a 5.17 ERA in 10 starts with Oakland.

Semien update: Shortstop Marcus Semien, who exited Mondays game because of wrist discomfort, was out of action Tuesday and might be out until Friday. Semien, who had right wrist surgery April 18, said that he was bothered by some scar-tissue issues during Mondays game. I just never got loose, he said.

Since coming off the disabled list July 6, Semien had played in 40 consecutive games before Tuesday.

He could have a bone sticking out of his arm and hed fight me on the issue of whether he should be in there or not, Melvin said.

New reps: After Sean Doolittle was traded and John Axford was designated for assignment last month, the As were without a player representative and their first-alternate union rep. Semien, who also was an alternate, moves up to become the player rep, with second baseman Jed Lowrie as an alternate. The other alternate is reliever Liam Hendriks.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

On deck

Wednesday

at Orioles

12:05 p.m. MLB Net

Gossett (3-6) vs. Bundy (12-8)

Thursday

Off

Friday

vs. Rangers

7:05 p.m. NBCSCA

Griffin (6-4) vs. Graveman (3-4)

Leading off

Road woes: The As are 21-40 away from home, the third-worst road mark in the majors, ahead of only the Phillies (21-46) and Giants (21-42). With one more loss, Oakland will clinch a losing road record for the fourth straight season.

 Susan Slusser
BALTIMORE  At long last, Boog Powell, the As rookie outfielder, met Boog Powell, the 1970 American League MVP.

This is too cool. I love it, the original Boog said. Honest to God it's great. I had to root for you even though you're the opposition.

The elder Powell, 76, invited Oaklands Boog out to Boogs Barbecue beyond the right-field wall at Camden Yards on Tuesday to sample his famous fare.

Anything thats barbecue is my favorite, Boog 2 said.

The younger Powell, 24, hit his first big-league homer Monday night, almost hitting the barbecue stand. I did think about that. I was trying not to smile and laugh, Boog 2 said.

He has a real nice swing. He didn't overswing, said the elder Powell, who hit 339 career homers.

His given name is Herschel Mack Powell IV, but the As player has been known as Boog since he was 5 or 6 to differentiate him from his father and grandfather. Hes always wanted to meet the elder Boog Powell, who is no relation, and said he always hoped it happened at Camden Yards.

The two Boogs FaceTimed12-year-old Little League folk hero Jeffrey Boog Powell after digging into some barbecue. The grade-school Boog was in study hall, and, the As Boog said, it was the first time the Orioles Boog ever had FaceTimed.

The As Boog Powell has been something of a surprise since being re-acquired in the Yonder Alonso deal with Seattle; hes played very well in center field and he has reached base in seven of his past eight plate appearances, turning into a potential leadoff option for the club.

Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sslusser@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susanslusser
Despite its sleek look, amenities and futuristic building shape, Apple's new "spaceship" headquarters is not only disliked among some employees  it's also hated by some neighbors in the surrounding area.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, residents of the Birdland neighborhood in Sunnyvale say that despite the increase in their property values, living next to the $5 billion construction project for the past four years has been a "constant hell"  not to mention a (now permanent) eyesore.

LESS OFFICES: Some Apple employees may quit over new 'open' office floor plan

Residents bordering the campus have taken to calling a yellow brick wall the "prison wall," according to the Mercury News, as part of Apple's wellness center is now blocking off their view of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

"My life has been a constant hell since October 2013," IrisAnn Nelson said to the Mercury News. "We get treated like we don't matter."

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Beyond having to deal with the ugliness of a wall towering over the neighborhood, residents said they've been dealing with drivers using their streets to divert around construction traffic, dirt pollution and "an incessant mechanical hum" from the construction site after midnight.

There has also been criticism of the design, with Wired Magazine deep-diving into the circumstances of the rise of Apple's new campus, yet in another breath calling it a "literally inward-looking building with contempt for the city where it lives and cities in general." The article mentioned Cupertino's giving in to "certain needs" of Apple, including security, leading to the closing of a major road and no access to the public.

APPLE FAN ALERT: One of the original Apple I computers is going up for auction

The building has had other effects on the neighboring areas. In July, the New York Times reported that as many as 95 development projects were in their planning stages in Sunnyvale. The building is also attracting camera-wielding tourists, with everything from camera phones to drones monitoring the progress of the construction.

Apple, for its part, has apparently been trying to help alleviate some of the issues. Among its initiatives, the tech giant is spending $500,000 to Sunnyvale to look at parking and local "cut-through traffic." A representative also stated the company provided vouchers for car washes (due to the construction dust) and extra street sweeping, and banned company trucks and buses from driving through Birdland.
OMAHA  Authorities said a Creighton University student and resident of Minnesota traveling in Nebraska to see a total solar eclipse has died in a crash on Interstate 80.

Joan Ocampo-Yambing, 19, of Rosemount, Minnesota, was in the back seat of a car on Interstate 80 in Omaha on Monday morning when a semitrailer slammed into the back of the car, causing a four-vehicle pileup. Ocampo-Yambing died in the crash. Three other Creighton students in the car and two people in another car were seriously injured.

More than 800 people filled a church on the Creighton University campus in Omaha on Monday evening to mourn Ocampo-Yambing.

She was a computer science major who would have started her sophomore year at Creighton this week. She was a dean's fellow at the university and also was involved in campus ministry, helping to tend to students' spiritual and religious needs.
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The San Francisco city attorney has sued the owner and commercial occupant of a building that illegally housed tenants in the units squalid, hazardous basement for at least 11 years.

The suit, filed Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court, is directed at Melissa Mendoza of Hillsborough, who owns the three-story unit in the Outer Mission, and the buildings master tenant, Ernesto Paredes of Daly City.

Mendoza and Paredes are accused of violating fire, electrical, plumbing and other municipal codes, failing to respond to numerous code violation notices and operating a public-nuisance building. The building, at 4680-4690 Mission St., houses the Clean Wash Center laundry on the ground floor.

City fire officials have referred to the building as a death trap and say fire code violations there were egregious.

The 20 people who were dwelling in the buildings windowless basement were discovered by firefighters responding to a nonemergency call late on Christmas Day last year. According to the lawsuit, the dank living quarters were rife with leaky pipes and exposed wiring and had a single functioning shower, a rat and roach infestation and rooms partitioned off from one another with drywall and wood planks. The only exit out of the basement was 200 feet from the farthest sleeping unit, the suit contends.

The building was a firetrap, said City Attorney Dennis Herrera in a statement announcing the lawsuit. The living conditions were not only appalling and illegal, they were extremely dangerous. These people were basically stuck in a dungeon.

Most of the people living there were adults, ranging from 30 to 40 years old, but one was a 12-year-old girl. The oldest was 72. Paredes was charging monthly rents of between $300 and $900 per unit, the suit says.

The first responders alerted city fire inspectors, who cited the building for a number of building code violations. By Feb. 14, the Fire Department ordered the building evacuated and mandated that Paredes pay the tenants $4,262 per unit to cover relocation costs.

I applaud the city attorney for taking action to go after this slumlord, said Supervisor Ahsha Safai, whose District 11 includes the property. Safai said his office worked closely with other city departments to help relocate the buildings tenants. Some tenants had lived in the basement for 11 years.

You want to send a message that, if youre going to try to take advantage of your fellow human beings, youre going to have to pay the consequences, Safai said.

Safai has also convened a working group to help the city better understand and address instances of people living in substandard housing. The supervisor said he intends to introduced legislation to create a transitional subsidy that would help people so they can stabilize themselves.

On top of seeking a court order to compel the buildings owner to bring it up to code, the city is seeking restitution for former tenants and civil penalties of $200 to $5,000 per violation, including $1,000 for every day of fire code violations.

Nineteen former tenants have sued Mendoza and Paredes for damages following their eviction from the basement. Neither Mendoza nor Paredes could be reached for comment Tuesday. Mendozas attorney was unaware of the city attorneys lawsuit and declined to comment. An attorney for Paredes could not be reached.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
Californias top elections official stepped gingerly Tuesday into the proposed recall of the Santa Clara County judge who gave a light sentence in a Stanford sexual assault case, seeking court permission to argue that signature-gathering for the judges removal should resume.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whose office represents Padilla, took no position on the recall of Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, which would be the first recall of a California judge in 86 years. But their court filing disputed arguments by Perskys supporters who had persuaded a visiting judge to halt signature-gathering hours after it started on Aug. 11.

Those arguments  that the recall petitions should have been submitted to Padillas state office, not the county registrar, and that a successor to a recalled judge would be chosen by the governor, not the voters  depart from long-standing practice and settled understandings of Californias election laws, Padillas lawyers said.

A hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Superior Court on a suit by Persky and his supporters that seeks to require the judges opponents to refile their petitions with the state. An order granting the request apparently would end any chance of a recall qualifying for the June 2018 ballot.

Marjorie Laird Carter, the retired Orange County judge who issued the Aug. 11 ruling, has since been removed from the case in a challenge by supporters of the recall, and state court officials had not named anyone to replace her as of Tuesday afternoon.

Michele Dauber, the Stanford law professor who heads the recall campaign, said county election officials have told the campaign that the proposed June recall election would be put off until November unless the courts allow signature-gathering to start by Sept.1.

The campaign will have 160 days to collect 58,634 valid signatures of registered voters to make the ballot. Dauber said the campaign has lined up 300 volunteers and should be able to gather more than enough signatures within that period, which will start once a judge gives the go-ahead.

Persky, appointed by Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, ignited a furor last year when he sentenced Brock Turner, a former Stanford swimmer, to six months in jail for the felony sexual assault of an unconscious woman.

Prosecutors had sought a six-year prison sentence. Persky, in his sentencing decision, cited the severe impact of a potential prison term on Turner  who still must register with police for life as a sex offender  and noted that the courts probation department had recommended a six-month term. Supporters of the recall say Persky has a history of leniency with male sex offenders.

The recall effort was put on hold Aug. 11 when Perskys campaign prevailed on Carter  assigned to the case after all Santa Clara County judges disqualified themselves  to issue a restraining order to allow time to consider alleged flaws in the petition drive.

Although judges are elected by voters in each county, Perskys supporters argue that the courts, funded by the state, are a state agency and that the recall move should have been filed with Padillas office. They also challenge the petitions assertion that voters would choose Perskys successor in the same election, arguing that a recall would create a vacancy, which under the state Constitution must be filled by the governor for the next two years.

At issue is the rule of law, deciding whether the California Constitution determines the procedures that apply to the recall of state judges, said Elizabeth Pipkin, a lawyer for Perskys campaign against the recall.

But Dauber said state law was to the contrary: The last California judges to be recalled, three Los Angeles jurists in 1932, were replaced by successful candidates in the same election, a sequence that has since been upheld by the California Supreme Court, she said. And she said Padilla and other election officials agree that judicial recalls are overseen by the county, not the state.

Its sad to see a judge engaging in this behavior  gamesmanship, shenanigans that are intended to stall and delay, Dauber said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
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Three people were killed and two others seriously injured in recent incidents in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, according to the Fresno Bee.

On Saturday, a 37-year-old solo hiker fell about 25 feet in the Alta Peak area above Pear Lake. Rangers found him Sunday morning in steep, rugged terrain and performed CPR, but attempts to save his life were unsuccessful. The man's name and hometown were not released.

On Aug. 14, a hiker died on the John Muir Trail on a section of switchbacks known as the Golden Staircase, northwest of Mather Pass. The Fresno County Sheriff's Office identified the man as Scott Davis, 62, of Ridgecrest. Cause of death was not given.

A day earlier, an Inyo County Search and Rescue crew found the remains of a climber tentatively identified as 55-year-old Thomas Fennessy. Fennessy was reported missing in the area on Aug. 10.

Two men were injured Sunday in separate incidents.

A 44-year-old hiker suffered a diabetic emergency in addition to critical altitude sickness in the Mount Whitney area. He was rescued by helicopter and transferred to an air ambulance. His condition is not known.

A kayaker dislocated his shoulder when he paddled over a 40-foot-tall waterfall. He was flown to park headquarters before being transferred to a hospital.

Meanwhile, the remains of two Thai exchange students whose red sedan plunged off a cliff and into the raging Kings River in late July still have not been recovered. The victims were identified by relatives as Bhakapon Chairatanathongporn and Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit.

The car is caught in a section of the river above several dangerous rapids. The unusually high flow of the water and the steep, 500-foot cliffs on either side of the river have hindered efforts to retrieve the bodies.

A second couple appear to have suffered the same fate as the Thai students.

The license plate of a white Ford Focus belonging to a missing San Diego couple was found not far from the red car. Fresno County deputies found wreckage of a white car, but it was too deeply submerged to confirm that it was the missing couple's.

The crashes occurred only 50 feet apart on a section of Highway 180 that is not believed to be especially dangerous, according to deputies. One told the San Diego Tribune that it appeared to be a "strange coincidence."

The couple, Yinan Wang and Jie Song, were last seen Aug. 6. They were reported missing by relatives on Aug. 11.
Intel says its new processors are going to deliver the biggest bump in performance that personal computer users have experienced in years.

The eighth generation of its Core line will provide as much as a 40 percent jump over its predecessor, according to the Santa Clara company. Thats a leap in performance that arguably happens only once in a decade, Intel said. New laptops built on the chips will come to market in September.

Intel, whose chips are the heart of more than 80 percent of the worlds PCs, has been remarkably successful in a market thats been declining since it peaked in 2011 and is now more than 100 million units smaller than it was. In the second quarter, Intels PC chip unit posted a 12 percent increase in sales even as overall shipments of PCs continued their slide.

Intels winning strategy  one that the new lineup will try to keep going  has been to persuade consumers that they need to buy up, spending extra on computers with more expensive chips even though theyre not replacing their old PCs as often as they did. The challenge the new Core systems will face is that Advanced Micro Devices is bringing its own new design to market this year. Chips built on its Zen are able to challenge Intel parts on performance for the first time in years, AMD has said, and theyre cheaper.

The Intel chips will provide a huge leap forward in performance compared with the 450 million PCs that are currently in use and are more than five years old, Intel said. In that period, processors have become twice as fast at crunching data and the machines themselves have shrunk to be half as thick as they were. Editing 4K video shot on a GoPro camera might not even be possible on older machines, while with the new chips the time needed to do such tasks will be reduced to single-digit minutes versus tens of minutes on previous generation machines.

Automobiles

Audi leaders

now face blame

A cloud of suspicion hanging over Volkswagen thickened Monday after a lawyer for a jailed former engineer said his client implicated top managers of the German carmakers Audi brand in a continuing diesel cheating scandal.

Statements and evidence provided to German investigators by Zaccheo Giovanni Pamio, former head of thermodynamics in Audis engine development department, suggest that knowledge of emissions fraud reached higher in management than Volkswagen has admitted. No members of the companys management board have been charged, although investigations are continuing.

Media

Shakeup at

L.A. Times

In a dramatic shakeup at the Los Angeles Times, its Chicago parent company has installed new leadership and plans to invest more resources in the news organization to move it more quickly into the digital age.

Ross Levinsohn, 54, a veteran media executive who worked at Fox and served as interim chief of Yahoo, was named publisher and CEO. Jim Kirk, 52, a veteran Chicago news executive who was publisher and editor of the Chicago Sun-Times until last week, was named interim editor.

The two replace Davan Maharaj, who has served as both editor and publisher since March 2016 and has been at the paper since 1989. Maharaj and a handful of other senior editors, including Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, Deputy Managing Editor for Digital Megan Garvey and Assistant Managing Editor of Investigations Matt Doig, all were dismissed Monday.

The new leaders take over a news organization with flagging morale after years of management changes on top of huge shifts in consumer behavior that have roiled the newspaper industry.

Technology

Warning over

robot weapons

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who this month called artificial intelligence more of a risk to the world than North Korea, has joined more than 100 robotics and artificial intelligence experts to call for a U.N. ban on one of the deadliest forms of such machines: autonomous weapons.

Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare, Musk and 115 other experts such as Alphabet artificial intelligence expert Mustafa Suleyman warned in an open letter released to the public Monday. Once developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever, and at timescales faster than humans can comprehend.

These can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways, the letter adds.

The letter  which included signatories from dozens of organizations in nearly 30 countries, including China, Israel, Russia, Britain, South Korea and France  is addressed to the U.N. Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, whose purpose is restricting weapons that are considered to cause unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering to combatants or to affect civilians indiscriminately, according to the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs.

Chronicle News Services
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A Chinese clothing manufacturer and exporter that cut its costs by illegally accessing computer software without paying licensing fees must pay $3.23 million in penalties to California and stop shipping its products to the state until it changes its practices, a judge has ruled.

Judge Susan Bryant-Deason of the Los Angeles Superior Court entered a default judgment Aug. 7 against Ningbo Beyond, holding the company responsible for software piracy and unfair competition, after the company failed to respond to a lawsuit that then-Attorney General Kamala Harris office filed in 2013.

In her ruling, Bryant-Deason said Ningbo Beyond had copied and used computer software from Adobe Systems of San Jose, Symantec of Mountain View, and Microsoft without paying for it, thus gaining an unfair competitive advantage over apparel industry competitors in California. She said such savings are significant in an industry with small profit margins.

The judge also ordered California companies that sell Ningbo Beyond clothing, including Dream USA and Lorenzino Collection, to halt their sales in four months, the average current interval between order and delivery, and resume only after the Chinese firm starts using licensed software. During that period, the attorney generals office will seek to contact other California retailers and notify them of the restrictions.

All businesses in California must compete on a level playing field, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was appointed in January after Harris election to the Senate, said in a statement Tuesday. Ningbo Beyond tried to cheat the system by using pirated software to undercut its competition and boost its profits.

Since 2010, Becerra said, Ningbo Products has shipped 713,000 pounds of apparel to California. Dream USA and Lorenzino Collection, both based in Los Angeles, have been among the major purchasers.

Ningbo Beyond has no representatives in the United States. The attorney generals office sent notices of the suit in 2013 to Chinas Ministry of Justice, which did not respond until last year, and then said Chinas Supreme Peoples Court had ruled that the documents would not be forwarded to the company. But Bryant-Deason said the state had provided adequate notice under international rules designed for such circumstances.

The Chronicles attempts to contact Ningbo Beyond by email for comment were unsuccessful.

Microsoft sued several Ningbo Beyond companies in Chinese courts in 2012 for failing to pay licensing fees on programs that included Microsoft Office and Windows XP Professional. Ningbo later agreed, as part of a settlement, to purchase licenses for that software.

But Bryant-Deason said Microsoft cannot inspect the Chinese companys records and determine whether it is using other software that is unlicensed unless it files another suit.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
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Three Bay Area men were arrested in connection with a mid-morning, gunpoint robbery earlier this month at a high-end jewelry store in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, authorities said.

Michael Alexis, 52, of Oakland, and Marshall Harris, 53, and Ray Hall, 60, both of San Francisco, were booked into San Francisco County jail last week, police said.

They were charged with robbery, elder abuse, kidnapping and false imprisonment in connection with the Aug. 8 robbery, according to the San Francisco District Attorneys Office. Alexis was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The robbery unfolded about 9:15 a.m. at a store in the 2400 block of Sacramento Street, police said.

A 60-year-old woman who works at the store told police that two of the suspects followed her into the store and one pointed a gun at her, according to a police report. The bandits forced the employee to hand over jewelry before fleeing on foot and getting into a getaway car that was later found abandoned by patrol officers blocks away from the robbery scene, police said.

No one was injured in the incident.

Investigators conducted search warrants at undisclosed locations in San Francisco and Oakland, where they seized evidence related to the robbery and a gun reported stolen in San Francisco.

The three suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges during an arraignment in San Francisco Superior Court on Friday.

Harris and Hall were being held on $2 million bail. Alexis bail was set at $2,200,000.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: JLyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
The University of California has failed to fully justify replacing employees with contractors, has allowed contractors to be paid less than comparable UC employees, and has repeatedly extended contracts instead of seeking competitive bids, says a new state audit released Tuesday.

The review by Californias independent state Auditor Elaine Howle looked at 31 service contracts signed from 2011 through 2016. The contracts came from the Office of the President,  which spent $8 billion on contracts last year alone  from the campuses and medical centers of UCSF and UC Davis, and from the UC Riverside campus.

The California state auditor has found a troubling pattern of low wages and second-tier treatment of contract employees, as well as poor contract oversight at UC, said state Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens (Los Angeles County), who called for the audit.

Despite a finding that UC generally adhered to its contracting rules, the audit found three major problems:

 Failing to ensure that replacing employees with contractors was always justified. UCSF displaced 49 employees and 12 staff members on contract when it outsourced information technology services in July 2016. Its own analysis concluded that the change would save the campus $30 million over five years, but it failed to give the presidents office a formal, written notice after that analysis was done, as required by UC policy. As a result, the presidents office couldnt review the cost analysis or determine whether it complied with personnel policies.

Similarly, the UC Davis Medical Center replaced 12 employees with contractors in 2015 and also failed to properly notify the presidents office of the layoffs that saved $57,000 a year. The person in charge told the auditor that she was unaware of the guidelines.

The auditor also faulted the presidents office for failing to ensure that UC sites follow the universitys employee-displacement guidelines.

 Underpaying contractors. Low-wage contractors  including food workers, parking valets, medical assistants and others  earned an average of $3.86 less per hour than comparable UC employees. The wage difference ranged from $1.43 to $8.50 an hour. One in four vendors contacted by the auditor also gave no health or retirement benefits to workers contracted by UC. Among those that did, the benefits were irregular or less generous than those received by comparable UC employees.

 Avoiding competitive bids. Rather than trying to save money through competitive bidding, six of the contracts studied were simply extended repeatedly, potentially costing the university more than if they had been put out to bid. In one case, UC Davis paid $71 million to a food contractor for a seven-year term. It then amended the contract 24 times and increased the time frame to 19 years. The contracts value ballooned to $237 million, with no evaluation of whether doing so made economic sense. In June, Davis replaced the contractors altogether with its own employees.

The auditor also cited some UC sites for misusing sole-source exemptions, apparently to avoid the competitive bidding process.

In addition, the presidents office has no systemwide database for tracking all UC contracts or a plan for developing one, even though the office has said it will implement a contract database within two years, the auditor found.

The auditor also said that while the presidents office claimed to have saved $269 million in procurements in 2015-16  and that it redirected the money to teaching, research and public service  audit investigators could find no evidence to support $109 million of the claim.

In her written response to the audit, UC President Janet Napolitano did not dispute the findings. She said that in 2015, UC approved its Fair Wage/Fair Work plan, which requires that UC employees and contractors who work at least 20 hours a week be paid at the same rate: at least $15 an hour by October 2017. The current wage should be $14 an hour.

But the policy covers only contracts signed after the policy took effect, and the auditor acknowledges that the contract workers it cited who were paid less than their UC counterparts operated under contracts signed before the 2015 policy took effect.

It isnt hard to find contract workers with UC who are in that situation and are paid less than their employee counterparts.

The Chronicle spoke with three at UCLA. One is a food worker who said the contractor he works for requires him to use a fake name to be compensated for any hours he works beyond 40 hours a week, and that even then he does not receive overtime pay. Another is a medical worker who said hes paid less than his UC counterparts and is docked double pay if he calls in sick. The third is a parking valet on contract for 10 years who said he and his colleagues were paid less than their UC employee counterparts until they complained last summer. Now that their pay has improved, he said, their contract has been canceled.

This is causing all of us so much stress, said the valet, Jose Luis Carrillo, 55. The other contract workers declined to let their names be used for fear of losing their jobs.

Union leaders from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees  who represent many UC workers, but not contractors  had harsh words for UCs compliance with its labor policies.

Calling it a shocking pattern of abuse, union President Kathryn Lybarger said the audit report illustrates that UC is actively working to subvert the wages and labor standards it has negotiated with its frontline employees.

Among Howles recommendations are that UC revise its policies to ensure that all campuses, medical centers and other sites justify contracts that will displace university employees, and that UC monitor compliance.

UC should also change its policies to limit the use of amendments to repeatedly extend existing contracts so that the university can get services for the best value, the auditor said.

We take your recommendations seriously and believe they are constructive, Napolitano wrote.

The state audit is the second UC probe this year. The first, released in April, focused on spending practices at UC headquarters and revealed that Napolitanos office had amassed $175 million in reserve funds that it failed to disclose to the regents before asking them to raise tuition for this fall.

In addition, that audit suggested that the presidents office had interfered with an auditors survey that intended to shed light on whether services provided by UC headquarters to the 10 campuses were useful and cost-effective, rendering the results useless. As a result, UC hired former state Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno and an Orange County law firm to look into the matter.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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After its catchy first hit, Walkin on the Sun, came out in 1997, San Jose band Smash Mouth looked to either become a one-hit wonder or leave the Bay Area for a bigger city and never look back.

Neither happened. The band had several more hits  with All Star now most commonly remembered as the Shrek song  and have remained in the South Bay, feeding a Twitter account that offers strong opinions on Bay Area sports. Smash Mouths beef-then-peace accord with the Oakland As is social media legend.
PHOENIX  Gary Donahoe learned firsthand the consequences of crossing Sheriff Joe Arpaio when the lawman was still one of Arizonas most powerful politicians.

Arpaio was launching criminal investigations against county officials eight years ago because he was upset at them over budget cuts and opposed the countys plan to build a new courthouse building. Donahoe  at the time a judge who ruled against Arpaio in the fight  got charged with bribery. The case was later thrown out, but he says his reputation was ruined.

Tuesday night, President Trump suggested he intends to pardon Arpaio, who is awaiting sentencing in Arizona after his conviction in federal court for disobeying court orders to stop his immigration patrols. After whipping up the crowd about Arpaio, Trump said he wanted to avoid controversy by not speaking about the pardon, but added: Ill make a prediction: I think hes going to be just fine.

Donahoe fears the lawman is going to wriggle out of his legal troubles yet again. It looks like hes going to walk away from it without any repercussions, he said.

Critics say a pardon would remove the last chance the community has to finally call Arpaio into account for a litany of misconduct over his 24 years as sheriff. They cited Arpaios investigations of his legal and political foes, a racial profiling case that led to his criminal conviction and his failure to adequately investigate more than 400 sex-crimes cases.

Arpaio, who was booted from office last year, said Donahoes case and other instances in which he was accused of misconduct arent relevant to the discussion of his possible pardon.

They have been after me for years, Arpaio said Monday. The same people. Whats new?

Here is a look at some of Arpaios legal issues over the years:

Investigating foes: Arpaio has a reputation for investigating officials who cross him in legal or political disputes. Maricopa County paid $8.7 million to settle lawsuits filed by county officials who claimed Arpaio had launched criminal investigations against them on trumped-up allegations.

Racial profiling: Arpaio was convicted in July of misdemeanor contempt of court for disobeying a judges order to stop his immigration patrols that targeted immigrants.

The conviction stems from a civil rights case in which Arpaios officers were found to have racially profiled Latinos in his patrols.

His office acknowledged throwing away or shredding some traffic-stop records during immigration patrols.

Botched investigations: Arpaio spent years trying to cultivate an image as a law enforcer who was tough on criminals. But that reputation was undermined when his office failed to adequately investigate more than 400 sex-crimes cases, including dozens of child molestation reports, over a three-year period ending in 2007.

Legal costs: Maricopa County spent $141 million defending Arpaio against lawsuits. That includes $54 million in the racial profiling case alone.

Jacques Billeaud is an Associated Press writer.
WASHINGTON  President Trump was to unveil his updated Afghanistan policy Monday night in a rare, prime-time address to a nation that broadly shares his pessimism about American involvement in the 16-year conflict. Although he was expected to send a few thousand more troops, there were no signs of a major shift in strategy.

Trumps announcement caps months of debate that illustrated a basic problem in Trumps Afghanistan decision: As a candidate he criticized the war and said the U.S. should quickly pull out, but he also campaigned on a pledge to start winning wars. Exiting now, with the Taliban resurgent, would be impossible to sell as victory.

I think theres a relative certainty that the Afghan government would eventually fall, says Mark Jacobson, an Army veteran and NATOs former deputy representative in Kabul.

And while Trump has pledged to put America First, his national security advisers have warned that the Afghan forces are still far too weak to succeed without help. That is especially important as the Taliban advance and a squeezed Islamic State group looks for new havens beyond Syria and Iraq.

Even now, Afghans government controls just half the country.

Wary that the president is prone to last-minute decisions, officials at the White House, Pentagon and State Department remained tight-lipped about the plan ahead of Trumps 6 p.m. PDT televised address from the Armys Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. The Virginia base sits alongside Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for many Americans who have died in the war.

But early statements from advisers and military officials suggested Trump had lined up a plan the Pentagon put forward earlier this year, involving sending close to 4,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan to boost the roughly 8,400 there now. At its peak, the U.S. had roughly 100,000 forces there, under the Obama administration in 2010-11.

The Pentagon does not claim the troop increase will end the conflict, but military officials maintain it could help stabilize the Afghan government and break a stalemate with the Taliban.

Ahead of the speech, top officials emphasized Trump was pursuing a regional approach to stabilize South Asia, where neighboring Pakistan is accused of tolerating the Taliban, and nuclear-armed India and Pakistan are seldom far from conflict. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke Monday with foreign ministers from all three countries to discuss a new, integrated regional strategy, the State Department said.

Trumps televised speech comes as the president has suffered one of his most difficult stretches to date  marked by controversies over white supremacy, the Confederacy and his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, who was pushed out last week.

Bannon had advocated a proposal to gradually swap out U.S. troops and use private contractors instead to fight in Afghanistan. The military, Tillerson and others did not support that proposal, officials say. Those officials requested anonymity.

With no perfect options, Trump is likely to largely keep the mission  and any new troops  focused on training and advising Afghan forces, who are still unable to defeat the Taliban insurgency despite 16 years of U.S. help. In some areas, Afghan forces are losing ground to the group the U.S. attacked after the Sept. 11 attacks for harboring al Qaeda.

While the U.S. keeps working to help the Afghan army make headway against the Taliban and persuade them to talk peace, a counterterrorism operation is also expected to continue against the Taliban and an affiliate of the Islamic State group that has gained a foothold and battled both the Taliban and U.S. forces. Last week, an American soldier died fighting Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan.

The Pakistan piece presents another challenge. Its widely accepted that Afghanistans Taliban leaders are living in Pakistan and that Pakistani hospitals treat the groups wounded.

Trump is expected to press Pakistan to shut down Taliban sanctuaries using a mix of diplomatic and economic incentives, along with threats of consequences if Islamabad doesnt cooperate. The carrot-and-stick approach has been tried before, with the U.S. withholding Coalition Support Funds.

Of key concern to Washington is the Haqqani network, blamed for some of the most devastating attacks in Afghanistan. Allied with the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network also has deep ties to Pakistans powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

A fraught period of wrangling over a new U.S. strategy ran longer than Trump initially envisioned. Several times over the past months, officials had predicted Trump was nearing a decision to go along with his commanders recommendations, only to see the final decision delayed.

The Pentagon has argued that the U.S. must stay engaged to ensure that terrorists cant again use the territory to threaten the America. Afghan military commanders have agreed, making clear they want and expect continued U.S. military help.

I assure you we are with you in this fight, Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said Sunday at Camp Morehead, where Afghan commandos are trained southeast of Kabul. We are with you, and we will stay with you.

Josh Lederman and Robert Burns are Associated Press writers.
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PHOENIX  President Trump blamed the media Tuesday for the widespread condemnation of his response to a Charlottesville, Va., protest organized by white supremacists that led to the killing of a counterprotester.

Trump opened his political rally in Phoenix with a call for unity, saying, What happened in Charlottesville strikes at the core of America and tonight, this entire arena stands united in forceful condemnation of the thugs that perpetrated hatred and violence.

But he quickly trained his ire on the media, shouting that he openly called for healing unity and love in the immediate aftermath of Charlottesville and claiming the media had misrepresented him. He read from his three responses to the violence  getting more animated with each one.

Democrats and fellow Republicans had denounced Trump for placing blame for the Charlottesville violence on both sides. Trump omitted that part of his reaction from his recap Tuesday night.

You know where my heart is, Trump said. Im only doing this to show you how damned dishonest these people are.

Trump spoke after Vice President Mike Pence and others called repeatedly for unity.

Outside the Phoenix convention center, shouting matches and minor scuffles erupted between Trump supporters and protesters gathered near the site of his latest campaign rally.

Trump teased a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, asking the crowd what they thought of him. Loud cheers erupted. The former Maricopa County sheriff is awaiting sentencing after his conviction in federal court for disobeying court orders to stop his immigration patrols.

So was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job? Trump asked. Ill make a prediction: I think hes going to be just fine.

Trump said at the rally that the only reason he wouldnt pardon Arpaio from the stage was to avoid controversy for the moment.

In the comfort of his most fervent fans, Trump often resurrects his free-wheeling 2016 campaign style, pinging insults at perceived enemies such as the media and meandering from topic to topic. Although Trumps high-profile warm-up acts suggested the presidents speech would be about unity, the president seemed more intent on settling scores.

He skewered both of Arizonas Republican senators  but coyly refused to mention their names, describing his own restraint as very presidential.

Trump began his Arizona visit with a brief trip to the southern edge of the country.

While touring a Marine Corps base in Yuma that is a hub of operations for the U.S. Border Patrol, Trump inspected a drone and other border equipment on display in a hangar.

Julie Bykowicz is an Associated Press writer.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un appears to have blinked, and President Trump can claim a foreign policy victory and justification for his strategy.

Reminiscent of President Ronald Reagan's "peace through strength" approach to deterring adversaries, President Trump stood up to the blustering despot and forced him to back down from his threat to launch missiles at Guam.

China, North Korea's biggest ally, no doubt played a role in getting Kim to change his mind, but primary credit should go to the president.

What a far cry from the policies of the last several administrations. They favored diplomacy over confrontation, allowing North Korea to proceed with its clandestine nuclear program in exchange for empty promises.

Former President Jimmy Carter, former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright were among those who visited North Korea on various diplomatic missions. Albright engaged in a champagne toast with Kim's father, Kim Jong-Il, after claiming success in getting the country to curtail its missile program. We have seen the failure of that approach and are witnessing the success of its opposite.

Though Kim seems to have backed down from launching missiles at Guam and touting his capability to strike targets on the U.S. mainland, He has retained his overheated rhetoric. In a case of the pot calling the kettle black, Kim warned the U.S., as reported by The Wall Street Journal, "to take into full account" whether the current standoff was to its benefit. He added it was incumbent on the U.S. to "stop at once arrogant provocations against the DPRK (North Korea) and unilateral demands and not provoke it any longer."

Who provoked whom?

Kim added, "If the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula and in its vicinity, testing the self-restraint of the DPRK, the [North] will make an important decision as it already declared," meaning he might still order a strike against Guam, or put some missiles offshore to test American resolve.

American resolve has been tested and has prevailed, at least for now. Kim has lost face. His military leaders and others will take notice, as will the rest of the world. The significance of the unanimous UN resolution imposing new sanctions on North Korea, which included the support of China, could not have been lost on Kim.

New presidents almost always face a foreign policy test. Some pass, some fail. John F. Kennedy was judged weak by Soviet dictator Nikita Khrushchev, which many believe precipitated the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. Iran believed press reports that Ronald Reagan was a "cowboy" and dangerous, so they released American hostages on the day of his inauguration in 1981.

There is a time for diplomacy and a time for displaying strength. President Obama sent a signal to the world by setting a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan before victory over the Taliban could be achieved. He apologized to the world for what he saw as America's "arrogance." Our enemies took notice and viewed his statements as an invitation to adventurism.

President Trump and his defense secretary, Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis, took another approach, returning Kim's rhetorical fire with rhetorical fire of their own. It worked, at least temporarily.

Where to go from here remains an open question, but the goal remains the same: North Korea (and Iran) must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons capable of reaching the United States or threatening America's allies, including South Korea and Japan.

President Trump deserves credit for standing up for the country and confronting one of the world's most unpredictable dictators. He probably won't get any credit from the media, most Democrats or the foreign policy establishment, but our adversaries are bound to take notice and perhaps adjust their view of the president in ways that benefit America.
Iowa Sex Offender Registry

Like much of the U.S. on Monday, Ladarius Blue hoped to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse. His celestial pining landed him in jail.

U.S. Marshals had been searching for 26-year-old Blue since June after he failed to register as a sex offender, according to a press release obtained by the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Gazette. In August, authorities had traced Blue to the 1300 block of G Avenue in Cedar Rapids.
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A San Jose woman and her boyfriend were arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old Sunnyvale girl while babysitting her, police said.

Blanca Torres and Hector Garcia, both 39, were each charged Tuesday with seven counts of lewd acts on a child, according to the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.
As a late-blooming Civil War buff, I have mixed feelings about the recently renewed national push to remove Confederate monuments across the nation.

On one hand, the removal of hundreds of Confederate and related statues bears a troubling resemblance to efforts by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin or the Islamic State to selectively erase inconvenient history.

But when President Donald Trump decided to weigh in on the side of preserving public Confederate icons as "beautiful," my dilemma vanished. Trump managed to be for them in a way that turned me against them.

"Sorry to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful status and monuments," he wrote in a series of tweets. "You can't change history but you can learn from it. Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson--who's next? Washington? Jefferson? So foolish! Also the beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced."

"Beauty" is in the eye of the beholder. For a man who claims to care about "history and culture," Trump conveniently mangles both.

In fact, no one is talking about ripping the nation apart, although Trump was doing an impressively good job of that.

Unlike the Confederacy's generals and politicians, for example, Washington and Jefferson didn't take up arms against the United States government and its people.

Statues that glorify Confederate leaders are themselves an attempt to distort history. Most Confederate monuments were built decades after the war by supporters of "the Lost Cause," a post-war movement to recast secession as a heroic struggle by slave states against impossible odds -- while minimizing the central role of slavery as the war's main cause.

President Trump knows something about distorting history. He launched his political career, let us not forget, by peddling bogus theories about President Barack Obama's birth certificate.

He also was not known to have cared much about preserving Confederate statues until a few days after a rally by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in support of a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Suddenly, the Donald found a new way to pander to his mostly white political base. By fanning suspicions and resentments over how disrespected and dispossessed they are amid changing economic and cultural tides, Trump was willing to turn his historical "party of Abraham Lincoln" into the party of the Confederacy.

That cynical strategy appeared to be confirmed in a chilling way in surprisingly candid interviews given by Trump's chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, before his departure abruptly was announced Friday. If Democrats want to fight over Confederate monuments and call Trump a bigot, Bannon said, that's a fight the president would win.

"I want them (the Democrats) to talk about racism every day," Bannon told the liberal American Prospect. "If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."

We'll see. Let's hope clearer heads prevail. The issue of which statues should stand or go should be left up to local governments, not Washington. On issues this sensitive, the closer decision-makers live to the communities effected by the decision, the better.

Statues and other war memorabilia don't have to be destroyed, in my view, just moved. I think a good model is Memento Park, an open-air museum to which enormous statues of Lenin, Marx and other memorabilia from Hungary's communist period are displayed in a pleasant, scenic and non-threatening environment.

We also need to distinguish and give even more attention to Confederate monuments that truly are aimed at memorializing history, not distorting it. My favorite example is the only Confederate memorial in Chicago, a 30-foot-high marker in the city's Oak Woods cemetery on the mass grave of more than 4,000 Confederate soldiers who died at Camp Douglas, a prisoner-of-war camp on the city's South Side lakefront.

I hadn't heard about Camp Douglas until my conservative column-writing colleague Patrick Buchanan told me about an ancestor of his who died as a prisoner there. Suddenly, despite our political differences, I felt more connected to Buchanan as a fellow product of American history, for better or worse.

The best history lessons are those that remind us Americans not only of our differences but also of what we share in common.
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RICHMOND (BCN)

A rapper from Oakland is in stable condition this afternoon after he was shot early this morning in front of a gas station in Richmond, a police spokesman said.

At about 5:30 a.m., police received calls from people reporting a possible shooting at a gas station at Carlson Boulevard and Imperial Avenue, Richmond police Lt. Felix Tan said.

According to Tan, officers responded and found Charles Williams, 39, on the ground in front of the gas station suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Williams, who goes by the stage name Keak Da Sneak, was taken to a trauma hospital where he underwent surgery.

Tan said, "This appears to be a targeted incident."

He said he could not get into why, but police feel pretty confident that Williams was targeted.

Police are combing though video surveillance footage they found in the area.

So far, officers do not have a description of the suspect or suspects.
With long wait times to get into the limited number of beds at the Lincoln Regional Center, men and women with mental illnesses often end up in the Lancaster County jail.

Briefly holding someone at the jail isnt new, as people have long been booked before being transported to the regional center later that day. But the length of time those committed spend in jails statewide awaiting a bed to open up has grown significantly in recent years.

Now, the average wait for a civil commitment in the state is around 70 days, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services told the Journal Star. Half of those with competency orders transferred from the jail to the regional center spent more than 80 days incarcerated before getting into the psychiatric hospital.

That wait time is simply too long.

Much-needed changes are on the horizon, with a new unit for civil commitments expected to open early next year. The transfer of some sex offenders from the regional center to an affiliated state facility in Norfolk has helped ease wait times for one of the 250 beds at the Lincoln Regional Center.

Still, in the span of a couple months, these men and women are missing out on programs that could help individuals stabilize and return to live in the community, the mission of the regional center.

In many cases, the crimes committed by these people are related to their mental illnesses. Without the level of care provided at the regional center, however, those on the wait list are often left to linger in a jail that cant fully meet their needs, as guards cant force inmates to take their medicine despite paranoia, hallucinations or antisocial behavior.

Jail officials have relayed anecdotes of men and women with mental illnesses being physically hostile to guards or eating their own feces  all while theyre unable to provide answers to help the jails mental health staff to better serve themselves. These facilities arent equipped to deal with such severe cases.

"Here, I have little choice other than house them in a 9-by-10 cell, and that type of housing tends to exacerbate their mental health issues," said Brad Johnson, the jail director.

Inmate populations contain a far larger percentage of people with mental illness, chemical dependency and such conditions than the general public. The jails and prisons that hold them are not designed to be inpatient treatment facilities, despite their seemingly de facto position as such.

Officials are taking important steps to get these men and women into state treatment faster. They know months-long stays in county jail arent the proper course of action, and the sooner these can be shortened, the better Nebraskas mentally can be served.
TOWN OF BURLINGTON  A 4-year-old Racine boy drowned on Monday afternoon in Browns Lake, Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling confirmed.

The child went missing at about 5:10 p.m. according to emergency radio transmissions, and was located at about 5:40 p.m.

The child was rushed by Burlington Rescue crews to Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington, dispatch reports indicated. Flight for Life was called to the hospital to be ready to transport the child to Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa if necessary, but ultimately was not utilized, Town of Burlington Fire Chief Ed Umnus said.

In addition to the town Fire Department, Burlington Rescue crews, and Racine County sheriffs officials, the City of Burlington Fire Department and Racine County Dive Team responded to the scene.

Official details were limited on Monday night because the incident was still under investigation, Schmaling said.

I can confirm that we have one child that is deceased. It is very much under investigation at this hour, Schmaling wrote in a message at about 8 p.m. Words cannot express how sorry I am for this familys loss. It just doesnt get any worse than this. This little guy was just starting to create his own childhood memories.

On family outing

Just before 7 p.m. Monday, a Sheriffs Office investigator could be seen interviewing two adults at Fischer Park, where the public beach is located, regarding the incident. One of the women was weeping, with her face in her hands.

About 100 yards away, a group of teenagers and younger children gathered around a picnic table said that the victim had been spending the day with them and their aunt. They said their aunt, who works at the child care facility Moes Learning Academy in Racine, had offered to take the victim and two other young children from the day care with her family to Browns Lake, because the day care was closed for remodeling on Monday.

He went in the water once, and then was playing in the sand. We turned back and he was gone. It happened so fast, said Odalys Tinoco, 15, of Racine.

Umnus said his department received the call at 5:31 p.m. At that point it was just a missing child report.

It was unknown if he was even in the water or in the park somewhere. We were just getting our boat in the water when he was found, Umnus said. He was probably found within 8 or 9 minutes of the call coming in, but it was unknown how long he had missing.
RACINE  With over 200 protesters marching outside of the Racine Theatre Guild, House Speaker Paul Ryan prepared to take questions from constituents of the First Wisconsin Congressional District.

9:39

Ryan on the the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise, "will walk again but it's going to take a lot to do it."

9:32

Ryan said it's not what he says or does, he's focused on passing the agenda.

9:30

MT Boyle, chief of staff of Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave, we need a voice of reason to unite the party, what are your plans to reunite the party?

9:29

Ryan, "this is a serious threat, not just to the region but to the United States."

9:27

UW-Whitewater students asks question on North Korea threats, do you believe Trump, attempting to intimidate the North Korean leaders, was appropriate in his threats?

9:20

Ryan, on Foxconn, it will bring a new industry to Wisconsin.

9:18

Kyle Moore, engineer, question on Foxconn, aren't we setting a precedent for large corporations to demand tax payer dollars to create jobs in our state?

9:13

"I think the government has made a lot of mistakes, well intended, in fighting poverty," Ryan said.

9:11

Ryan said the status quo isn't work and we need to change our approach on fighting poverty and measure it on outcomes.

9:10

From a Sinsinawa nun, how do you see yourself upholding Catholic church's teaching?

9:08

"We want a tax code built for growth," Ryan said. "It's high time we fix this mess."

9:06

Ryan said tax reform bill can go into one bill through the House and the Senate, adding other countries, like Canada and Ireland, are taxing businesses at a lower rate which is affecting American businesses.

9:05

Questioner on tax reform, how are you working with Senate and White House on tax reform?

9:00

Ryan said the House passed over 300 bills in the first six months.

8:59

"We crafted a plan... and we passed that law," Ryan said on healthcare. "The House passed that bill, we're waiting for the Senate to pass that bill."

8:58

"I had high hopes," questioner on health care. "What happened?"

8:57

"Do I wish there would be a little less tweeting, of course" Ryan said. "I tell my kids to turn off the TV and get off the internet."

8:56

Questioner, on bullying, how do you reconcile the the words an actions of the current administration?

8:55

Ryan said we have to do a better job making sure criminals don't get guns or those who may commit domestic terrorism don't get guns.

8:53

Sikh questioner, whose father died five years ago at the hands of a white supremacist in Oak Creek, what are we doing to prevent or intervene in the far-right extremism?

8:51

"It's very important that we don't make this a partisan food fight" Ryan said.

8:50

"We have to deny them the action," Ryan on white supremacist actions on the internet.

8:49

Tapper, on the rise in hateful white supremacy, is a Facebook post enough?

8:45

Ryan said Trumps comments were "equivocating" with white supremacist and counter protesters.

8:44

Tapper, "morally wrong what the president said."

8:40

"I think he made comments that are much more morally ambiguous," Ryan on Trumps comments.

8:38

Ryan is questioned to why he hasn't spoken up louder on Trumps comments regarding white supremacists protests.

8:35

"No blank check," Ryan on Afghanistan. "You have to make sure you prosecute this to the end."

8:33

Ryan said he's been briefed on the war in Afghanistan.

8:30

CNN host Jake Tapper opens the town hall with Ryan's reaction to Trump's speech on Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump talked about his administrations plan regarding the war in Afghanistan.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Village officials announced Tuesday morning that Mount Pleasant has entered into a one-year contract with Kappur and Associates to hire former City of Burlington Mayor Claude Lois to serve as villages project director.

Lois started the job Tuesday, according to the village.

Claude is uniquely qualified to lead our economic development efforts, said Village President David DeGroot in the release. He has an extraordinary track record of success in fostering economic development, both as an elected official and in the private sector.

With the prospect of Foxconn building a large manufacturing facility in southeastern Wisconsin, DeGroot has said the project director will help with the increase in business inquiries to the village. Lois is credited with overseeing the redevelopment of Burlingtons riverfront, from an area with former industrial and aging commercial structures to a mixed use area that incorporates a hotel, restaurants, storefronts and recreational amenities.

DeGroot also has said the project director will also assist with village administrator duties until the village fills that position. Police Chief Tim Zarzecki has been filling in as interim administrator since the village parted ways with former Administrator Kurt Wahlen in 2016.

Zarzecki said the Village Board made the decision to hire Lois at its Monday night meeting and that his position will be funded out of the tax incremental financing funds.

One of the things they want is that the project director is mostly going to handle the (Foxconn) project, but also to help out with some administrative duties because the project director is here day in and day out, Zarzecki said. Those duties have not been defined yet, but we certainly look forward to working with him in the transition (to a permanent village administrator).

Zarzecki said the village is moving forward with the village administrator search with about eight to nine candidates who need to be interviewed and were hoping to have one on board in the next 30 days or less, and thats an estimate.

High praise

Lois was mayor of Burlington from 2000 to 2008 and served as an alderman before that. He is a former small businessman.

(Lois) comes highly recommended to us, Zarzecki said. My understanding is he has a proven track record and were certainly looking forward to working with him.

County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said Lois is the right person for the job.

This hire demonstrates Mount Pleasants deep commitment to fostering transformational development in our region, said Delagrave. Claudes extensive experience as an elected official will be a tremendous asset to all of Racine County as we work to attract new jobs and foster new growth.
RACINE  Constituents prodded House Speaker Paul Ryan on issues such as health care, racism, tax reform and uniting the Republican Party during a televised forum on Monday night at the Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Ave.

The so-labeled town hall event on Monday was telecast by CNN, moderated by host Jake Tapper, and was attended by nearly 300 potential voters from the Wisconsin 1st Congressional District who were invited to attend the telecast.

Just before the event, President Donald Trump spoke on his administrations policy on Afghanistan, saying there wont be an end date for our military involvement there; instead, he said, there will be conditions that need to be met.

Tapper asked Ryan for his response to Trumps statement, to which Ryan said hes been briefed on American action in Afghanistan and hes pleased with Trumps decision.

It was described to me recently by one of our military planners that, for the last 16 years, we  our comprehensive Afghanistan strategy  was 16 one-year strategies, Ryan said. We cannot allow another safe haven for terrorists to materialize again.

Charlottesville protests

When talking about the recent violent protests in Charlottesville, Va., between white supremacists, neo-Nazis and counter-protesters which resulted in one death, Trump condemned the hatred and violence on many sides.

Just before the town hall event, Ryan put out a statement which read, in part: There is no confusion about right and wrong here. There are no sides. There is no other argument. We will not tolerate this hateful ideology in our society.

Ryan said Trumps initial comments were pitch perfect, but in a Aug. 15 press conference Trump messed up, saying there was violence on both sides and that some white supremacists were very fine people.

It sounded like a moral equivocation or at least moral ambiguity, when we need extreme moral clarity, Ryan said. This issue speaks to humanity, our country, our society ... every single one of us needs to unify against this repugnant, vile bigotry.

Tapper jumped in, saying that Trumps comments were not morally ambiguous, they were morally wrong.

To which parts of the crowd cheered and clapped.

I have a hard time believing, if youre standing in a crowd to protest something and you see, you know, all these anti-Semitic slogans ... and swastikas, that youre good with that and youre a good person, Ryan said. Youre not a good person if youre there.

Ryan was questioned about health care, specifically being asked about the Senates failure to pass a repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

We crafted a plan ... and we passed that, Ryan said. The House passed that bill; were waiting for the Senate to pass that bill.

Ryan said he is urging the Senate to keep trying.

More than 200 protesters gathered outside the theater before the event began to voice their opposition to Ryan and the Trump administration. There were also a few pro-Ryan backers.

Protesters demand better representation at rally outside Ryan town hall RACINE  The signs held and waved outside the Racine Theatre Guild on Monday night displayed
RACINE  Thanks to the generosity of SC Johnson and the Racine Community Foundation, science education at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside is receiving a half-million-dollar shot in the arm.

On Monday, SC Johnson and Parkside officials announced the gift of $500,000 to support science education at Parkside. The donation is the largest single gift to the College of Natural and Health Sciences at UW-Parkside, officials said.

In recognition of the gift, UW-Parkside Chancellor Debbie Ford and her Cabinet approved naming the newly established science learning space in Greenquist Hall on the Parkside campus the SC Johnson Integrated Science Lab.

The lab renovation is part of the initiative the gift will fund that will assist the university in adding opportunities for students, such as research fellowships, scientific career exploration and development activities, SC Johnson officials said.

The building improvements are to include fully redesigned science labs with the most up-to-date technology, similar to what is used in research facilities and scientific workplaces. There are also plans to expand the lab to provide larger spaces for advanced and independent research.

The new instrumentation, combined with course work and undergraduate research, will prepare students for the professional environment they will encounter upon graduation, Parkside officials said.

This high-quality lab space will enhance educational experiences for local students and provide students with a collaborative environment, said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. Were thrilled the new SC Johnson Integrated Science Lab will help support future science professionals who are better prepared for the workforce, and will assist with meeting future workforce demands of the region.

Ford called the gift transformational.

The strength and vibrancy of our communities depend on access to quality education and access to meaningful career opportunities, Ford said. SC Johnson has provided rewarding careers for hundreds of UW-Parkside graduates and internship opportunities for our students to enhance their educational experience, and helped facilitate community discussions that shape and create an engaged educational experience offered by the university.

Growing interest in science

The number of students enrolling in science and health majors at UW-Parkside has grown to more than 30 percent in the past five years. Today, there are more declared majors in the UW-Parkside College of Natural and Health Sciences than in any other college at the university equal to one-third of all students enrolled at UW-Parkside.

Parkside has gained a strong reputation for its science programs, in particular its pre-med program. Close to 90 percent of UW-Parkside pre-med graduates are accepted to the medical schools of their choice, more than twice the national average, Parkside officials said.

A formal naming and lab-opening ceremony is scheduled for 4:15 p.m Thursday, Aug. 31, in Greenquist Hall on the UW-Parkside campus. Lab tours and equipment demonstrations are to be available at that time. For more information regarding the ceremony, contact Alyssa Williams at (262) 595-2189.
Getting President Donald Trump to commit more U.S. troops to to Afghanistan on Monday was no easy task for his generals. It took hours of deliberation, warnings of the consequences of withdrawal and, according to the Washington Post, a black-and-white photo of Afghan women in miniskirts.

After all, Trump had been on record as vociferously opposing the war for years. In 2012, he slammed it as a "total disaster" and waste of money, and the following year called for pulling out the troops.
1 Iraq offensive: State forces made significant progress as they closed in on the Islamic State-held town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, the U.S.-led coalition and an Iraqi military spokesman said Monday. U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon said Iraqi forces have retaken 95 square miles from the extremist group since the operation began early Sunday, though they have not yet pushed into the town itself. The spokesman for the Joint Military Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, said troops recaptured six villages located a few miles from the urban areas of Tal Afar. He said militants deployed suicide car bombers, roadside bombs and mortars to slow down the advancing troops.

2 Philippines attack: Abu Sayyaf militants killed nine people and wounded 16 others in an attack Monday on a southern Philippine village, officials said. At least 20 militants opened fire on residents and burned houses in the attack on Tubigan village in Maluso town on Basilan island, officials said. Government soldiers drove the attackers away after two hours of heavy fighting, the military said. The Abu Sayyaf have been hit hard by our operations over the weekend and opted to attack communities which they know are not supportive of them, Basilan military commander Col. Juvymax Uy said.
BAGHDAD  Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday that he is confident that U.S.-backed Iraqi forces will finish off the Islamic State militants clinging to strongholds that are shrinking in size and number.

ISIS is on the run, Mattis said after meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other Iraqi government leaders. They have been shown to be unable to stand up to our team in combat.

Mattis spoke alongside Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who is due to finish his tour of duty here in early September.

The fighting is tough, Townsend said, but the momentum is with our partners.

Earlier, Mattis described the extremists as being trapped in a military vise that will squeeze them on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border.

Mattis had arrived in the Iraqi capital hours after President Trump outlined a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Afghanistan. Trump also has pledged to take a more aggressive, effective approach against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but he has yet to announce a strategy for that conflict that differs greatly from his predecessors.

The Pentagon chief said the Middle Euphrates River Valley  roughly from the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim to the eastern Syrian city of Der el-Zour  will be liberated in time, as Islamic State takes hits from both ends of the valley that bisects Iraq and Syria.

You see, ISIS is now caught in between converging forces, he said, using an alternative acronym for the militant group that burst into western and northern Iraq in 2014 from Syria and held sway for more than two years. So ISIS days are certainly numbered, but its not over yet and its not going to be over any time soon.

Robert Burns is an Associated Press writer.
After much soul-searching about community values, and following four and a half months of research, interviews and evaluation, the city of Santa Fe is going to put its money where its mouth might not prefer it to be.

The citys Finance Committee voted Monday night to recommend the city continue its financial services contract with Wells Fargo. SFR reported last month that the recommendation was in the works. The measure now goes to the full City Council for a vote next week.

Wells Fargo will earn about $141,000 for the next fiscal year, a roughly 20 percent increase that in part reflects more financial transactions demanded by the city.

The citys financial staff worked to craft an unusual request for proposals that let local banks leverage their strengths while writing off their weaknesses. Banks were allowed to throw in for all the citys business or only certain parts of it. Still, the breadth and depth of what Santa Fe and its 84,000 residents needed from a bank meant that only five financial institutions responded, and only two were true local banks.

The two New Mexico-based institutions, Century Bank and Los Alamos National Bank, applied for part of the citys business. New Mexico Bank and Trust and Bank of Albuquerqueboth of which are owned by out-of-state parent companiesjoined Wells Fargo in submitting responses for the full suite of financial services desired by the city.

Last spring, Mayor Javier Gonzales was vocal in his desire for a review of the citys contract with Wells Fargo, saying the city needed a bank that had a social responsibility policy that matches the values of Santa Fe, and a history investing in our community and economy.

While opening up the bidding for the citys business resulted in a contract with the same financial institution that made headlines for financing the Dakota Access Pipeline and creating thousands of fake accounts for customers to boost its numbers, councilors seemed pleased with the process, if not thrilled with the result.

While Wells Fargo scored well in the part of the bidding process that rated community initiatives both councilors Carmichael Dominguez and Renee Villarreal questioned bank executives about their commitment to building the local community.

You can donate and give as much money as you want, but that doesnt mean youre not part of the problem, Villarreal told Wells Fargo Regional Manager Bryan Scott. The councilor said it was sometimes difficult to separate what the bank has done to grab headlines with the support it pledged for the community.

Personally, Im very disappointed with some of the things that have happened in our institution this past year, Scott told the panel. He pledged continued volunteer efforts from the banks 94 Santa Fe employees. What youre seeing and reading in the papers is not indicative of the culture and the commitment that we have to your community.

Dominguez questioned the banks willingness to serve less wealthy Santa Feans. While he agreed to send the recommendation on to the full City Council for debate, he asked the bank to map out how many branches it had in or next to low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

I want to make it clear that when we talk about community values  that we take it very seriously here, Dominguez said.

Scott couldnt answer Dominguez when he asked if Wells Fargo trained its employees about implicit bias, but local Wells Fargo executive Sharen Ramirez said such training is part of what local employees go through.

We do know, Ramirez told the committee, pausing to gather herself. The first time I took [the training] I did not pass. And as a native New Mexican I was shocked.

While the recommendation means more than $200 million in city business will go to a bank headquartered out of state, the citys finance director said the review has opened up relationships with local banks.

This was a very enlightening process, I think, for our staff, Adam Johnson told councilors. It brought up a number of opportunities which were currently pursuing with local banks.

The city has pledged to put more money into certificates of deposit if local institutions say they need cash for loans. And, Johnson said, the city is looking into opportunities to sell bonds for smaller city projects directly to local banks as long as they can get rates that are competitive to what the bonds would go for on the open market.

Local banking advocates seemed to take the recommendation in stride.

It is unfortunate that the city does not have local options available to them, and we hope that in the future they will have such options available, George Gamble, a board member for Banking on New Mexico, tells SFR.

Gamble says even if the city decided today to start a public bank and handle most of its own finances, it could take years to ramp up the business. Still, he sees tremendous benefits to keeping the citys money local.

It would focus the use of local dollars on local projects, so that rather than being invested in a bank like Wells Fargo, which invests all around the world, we would look to invest locally in both public and potentially private development projects, Gamble says, listing moderate-income housing, fiber optic internet access and student loans as three such projects.

Santa Fe Reporter
Santa Fe set to stick with Wells Fargo

After opening up bidding for its four-year financial services contract last spring, the city of Santa Fe says Wells Fargo is still its best option. City councilors and the mayor raised questions about the bank after it helped finance the Dakota Access Pipeline project and opened fake accounts for customers. But just two local banks applied to handle city business, and city staff said Wells Fargo's community involvement scores were among the highest of five applicants.

Espanola police chief to resign

Facing charges of child abuse and intimidation of a witness, Espanola Police Chief Matthew Vigil will resign next week. Those felony charges are related to two separate incidents over the past year. Vigil had been placed on paid leave by the city's mayor, who didn't talk to a newspaper after saying last week that the charges were a "personal matter."



Slipping past the competition

A team from the New Mexico state auditor says $6.5 billion in contracts bypass the state's competitive bidding guidelines. That number makes it harder for citizens to keep an eye on how their government spends tax dollars, State Auditor Tim Keller says.



Final plea

New Mexico's congressional Democrats sent a letter to US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ahead of Thursday's deadline to decide whether to reduce the size of some relatively new national monuments. The Democrats, including both US senators, say the monuments help drive the local economy. New Mexico's land history is fraught with disputes, though, and there are some who consider the monuments in Las Cruces and near Taos and Questa another government land grab.

Mine

Gov. Susana Martinez says a bipartisan group of legislators who have publicly urged New Mexico State University to keep Chancellor Garrey Carruthers past his current contract is playing politics. The choice to appoint university heads should be up to the regents she appoints, Martinez says.



Green future

Mayor Javier Gonzales wants to study whether Santa Fe can use renewable energy to power the city's buildings by 2025. The uncontroversial measure cleared the city's finance committee last night. Right now, about 25 percent of the city's energy use comes from renewable sources.



Bail bondsmen sue NM Supreme Court

New Mexico's constitutional practice of releasing suspects before trial if there's no apparent threat to public safety is being argued over in federal court. A group of bail bond companies and lawmakers say the accused should be able to pay bail without waiting for a judge. But the court has argued the practice leaves poor suspects in jail when they pose no threat, but can't afford bail.

August showers

We're back to the monsoonal moisture patterns this week. Wednesday and Friday look like gorgeous days, with the rest of the bunch promising a chance of showers. Drink it in.



Thanks for reading! The Word reminds you to wipe your feet before you go inside. You're tracking mud everywhere.



Subscribe to the Morning Word at sfreporter.com/santafe/signup.

Santa Fe Reporter
The New Zealand dollar fell ahead of the pre-election fiscal and economic update this morning and as the greenback gained before the annual central banking conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming later this week.

The kiwi declined to 72.75 US cents as at 8am in Wellington from 73.24 cents late yesterday. The trade-weighted index was at 76.62 from 77.01.

Central bankers from around the world will make their annual trip to Jackson Hole, where the main focus will be on a speech by US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen and the European Central Bank president Mario Draghi. Meanwhile, in New Zealand the government will unveil the state of the books in the Prefu, which will give political parties a yardstick for their spending promises.

"With both Fed and ECB heads Yellen and Draghi set to speak, eyes are on potential policy messages with regard to rate hike timing, reductions in balance sheets or shifts in reaction functions," said Cameron Bagrie, chief economist at ANZ Bank New Zealand. "We continue to favour fading NZD strength despite todays fiscal update providing good news; that good news is already widely known and understood."

The kiwi fell to 61.86 euro cents from 62.04 cents and traded at 56.73 British pence from 56.84 pence. It fell to 4.8445 yuan from 4.8755 yuan and slipped to 79.70 yen from 80.03 yen. The kiwi fell to 91.91 Australian cents from 92.28 cents.

(BusinessDesk)

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Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


Tourism Holdings exceeded guidance, posting a record 2017 profit and said it aims to boost earnings to $50 million by 2020.

Net profit rose 24 percent to $30.2 million in the year ended June 30, with revenue rising to $340.8 million from $278.9 million, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. That's ahead of the upgraded guidance the company gave in June, when it said profit would be about $29.5 million.

The company said today that the second half had delivered better-than-expected results, mainly due to a strong performance from its New Zealand rentals business and higher-than-expected margins on the sale of its old El Monte fleet.

Chief executive Grant Webster said a detailed 2018 forecast would be given at THL's annual meeting in October, but gave an initial net profit range of $36 million to $39 million.

"There are a number of achievements within the result which should be celebrated and yet, we can clearly see more opportunities for improvement as we head towards the FY20 goal of $50 million NPAT," Webster said. "The years review should be dominated by the announcements we made in December 2016. The acquisition of El Monte to take us to a clear number two position in the USA, the investment in Roadtrippers - a leading travel and technology company in the USA - and the pilot of Mighway all reset the way we think about North America."

THL's purchase of the El Monte rental and sale business was effective from January 2017, though that segment's peak season is between July and September meaning the second half of the year ending June 30 is mostly off-season. That purchase still added $33 million to revenue and $1.1 million to net profit, the company said.

Net debt increased to $176 million from $79 million in 2016, and the company's debt to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation ratio is at 1.9, compared to 1.4 a year earlier. It is forecasting net debt to rise to around $200 million by Dec. 31, with a debt:ebitda ratio of about 2.

"We operate in an industry thats in a growth phase, we deliver compelling experiences and we are a business that has improved, is still improving and is prepared to take some careful risks for future substantial growth," Webster said.

Rental earnings before interest and tax (ebit) in the New Zealand segment rose 57 percent to $24.2 million, with Australian ebit up 16 percent to $7.8 million while US Road Bear ebit dropped 2 percent to $12.2 million. Fifty-two percent of the company's revenue came from New Zealand in the year, 27 percent from the US and 21 percent from Australia.

The board declared an 11 cents per share dividend, with an Oct. 3 record date, payable on Oct. 16. That takes the annual payout to 21 cents per share, 11 percent higher than 2016.

The shares last traded at $4.42 and have gained 20 percent this year. The stock rallied into this result, up 3.5 percent in the past week, with the market expecting a good performance given the continued strength of tourism numbers in New Zealand. The stock has a mean target price of $4.29 and is rated a 'buy' from an average of four recommendations compiled by Reuters.

(BusinessDesk)

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Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


Genesis Energy has quietly launched a new brand identity at the same time as it released today's earnings results for the year to June 30 as the country's largest electricity provider by customer numbers seeks to enable customer control of energy use through emerging digital technologies.

Chief executive Marc England told BusinessDesk the company would start communicating with customers about the changes in a month's time in a move that follows a year in which the company changed key retail executives, replaced Contact Energy in the FlyBuys loyalty scheme, bought Nova Energy's LPG business, and took a larger stake in the Kupe oil and gas field as part of a range of initiatives to improve its competitive position.

"I don't want to give too much away, but in essence I want a customer to feel comfortable when they turn things off, but comfortable also when they turn things on," he said.

The focus would not be on having the lowest power prices, but in being the power company that added the most value for its customers. It was time to stop "rewarding promiscuity" by paying customers either to switch provider or to return to their existing one, but to use increasingly available, low-cost, digital technology to give customers control over their energy use.

It was also time to revive the perceptions of Genesis, which customers had told the company was "fairly dull, boring, (and) staid" to a forward-looking, technologically enabled firm.

Also revealed in today's results is the fact that the company's lesser-known second brand, EnergyonLine, doubled its profitability last year. EOL, which is currently running a humourous TV advertising campaign based on "No Regerts" (sic), was aimed at younger, more mobile and "footloose" customers who might not care too much about saving energy, using a lower cost on-line model that targeted profit margins no less than those achieved by the main Genesis brand.

The Auckland-based company posted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and changes in the value of financial instruments of $335 million in the 12 months to June 30, a 1 percent fall on the previous year but ahead of previously announced earnings guidance.

While light on detail of the EOL profit doubling, the company disclosed that across its total customer base, including Genesis customers, gross electricity margin per customer rose from $358 to $416 in the year under review. Gross gas margins also rose, from $314 to $331 per customer.

Speaking to an investment analysts' briefing about the future of Genesis's 1,000 Megawatt gas and coal-fired power station at Huntly, where two of four units are mothballed, England said that bringing one of the two unused units back into production represented "New Zealand's cheapest next unit of new generation".

The company had imported coal during the financial year to ensure it had sufficient stockpiles for dry years when thermal power stations are needed to make up for shortages of hydro generation, and that it would seek to deal with local supplier Talleys/Bathurst.

The Genesis share price softened by 0.8 percent in trading on the NZX to $2.44 by mid-afternoon.

England was dismissive of Contact Energy chief executive Dennis Barnes's recent comments that Contact might reduce its supply of electricity by around half a Terrawatt hour annually to bolster wholesale electricity prices, saying Barnes had found "a clever way of saying 'we mispriced some contracts in the past'."

The other NZX-listed electricity company to report earnings today, Mercury, saw its share price rise 1.9 percent to $3.585 by mid-afternoon.

Mercury's ebitdaf rose 6 percent to $523 million in the year to June 30, allowing payment of an increased and a special dividend.

Mercury chief executive Fraser Whineray told BusinessDesk it was the company's 10th consecutive year of dividend growth.

Adding to the result was $26 million in cash from the sale of rights to carbon sequestered in plantation forests that Mercury determined it no longer needed after closing down its gas-fired power plant at Southdown, in Auckland.

(BusinessDesk)

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Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


Kiwbank chief executive Paul Brock will leave the state-owned lender at the end of the year, ending seven years in charge of the country's fifth biggest bank.

Brock was part of the team that set up the bank in 2002 and had been general manager of savings and transactions before taking over the reins in 2010 when he replaced founding CEO Sam Knowles, beating out external national and international candidates.

In a statement, Brock said he wanted a break to see what the future holds after a "very rewarding" 17 years.

Under his watch, the bank has built up a customer base of one million, introduced wealth management services with the purchase of Garth Morgan Investments and seen a juggling of its Crown ownership with Accident Compensation Corp and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund buying a 47 percent stake from New Zealand Post between them.

Brock's exit follows a shake-out at Kiwibank's board after former chair Rob Morrison and his deputy Rhoda Philippo resigned in April when NZ Super and ACC installed their own representatives.

Chair Susan Macken said the board will begin its search for a new chief executive immediately.

(BusinessDesk)

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Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


Tourism Holding's shares gained after the company reported stronger earnings this morning, and while chief executive Grant Webster is optimistic about future growth, he says he's "far from complacent".

Net profit rose 24 percent to $30.2 million in the year ended June 30, with revenue rising to $340.8 million from $278.9 million, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. That's ahead of the upgraded guidance the company gave in June, when it said profit would be about $29.5 million.

The shares recently traded at a record high $4.53, up 2.5 percent today. They have rallied about 20 percent this year, bolstered by positive first-half earnings and forecast upgrades for the annual result.

The stock was already gaining ahead of the report, up 3.5 percent in the past week, with the market expecting a good performance given the continued strength of tourism numbers in New Zealand. It has a mean target price of $4.29 and is rated a 'buy' based an average of four recommendations compiled by Reuters.

On a conference call for investors and analysts today, Webster said the company was pleased with the result, but "not satisfied that it's perfect at all - there is definitely still areas we need to work on within the core business."

"We are growing globally, and we're recognising that provides us with scale and centralisation benefits," he said. "We're in a growth industry in tourism, we believe the RV segment is a growth segment - there was a really positive CNN article in the US about the growth of millennials into the RV segment and growth in the industry. We're careful about the risk we're taking but we are taking some risk and we believe that's the right thing to do. Overall we're in a good space, but we're far from complacent."

Webster said he was aware that some in the investor community think that its net tangible assets to value ratio is "out of whack", but the company has strong competitive advantages and is in a good space with more growth to come.

The company is forecasting an initial net profit range of $36 million to $39 million for 2018, which equates to a percentage gain between 20-and-30 percent, with more details due at its annual meeting in October. It also increased its annual dividend payout 11 percent to 21 cents.

(BusinessDesk)

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Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


Australia pet care company Greencross made inroads on this side of the Tasman by buying up veterinary clinics and opening retail outlets, boosting New Zealand sales by more than a fifth.

ASX-listed Greencross, which jointly owns the Animates pet store chain with NZX-listed Ebos Group, lifted sales 21 percent to A$98 million in the 12 months ended June 30 from its New Zealand division, as the company expanded its local footprint by 35 percent, opening seven new retail sites, seven grooming sales, four in-store vet clinics and buying four other in-store vets. Sales were up 4.9 percent on a like-for-like basis.

The expansion of Greencross's New Zealand vet business helped fatten gross margins for the Queensland-based company, rising to 49.1 percent from 48.6 percent a year earlier and 46 percent in 2015. That saw earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation climb to A$13 million up from A$10 million.

"Our New Zealand business saw continued strong growth in the year driven by strong LFL sales, continued growth in vet and aggressive network expansion," Greencross said in its annual report. "NZ retail LFL sales growth reflects the continued strength and momentum of the Animates brand in NZ while the relatively new vet business contributed LFL sales growth of 8 percent."

New Zealand's pet industry has attracted professional investors in recent years with local private equity firm Pioneer Capital taking a cornerstone stake in local vet chain Pet Doctors NZ, which has been buying rival clinics for the past decade and advertises itself as an exit for vets looking to up sticks and sell. Other players such Veterinary Enterprises Group, or VetEnt, have branched out into a broader suite of agri-related business.

Greencross said its New Zealand business will likely face "a more competitive backdrop in the coming year, but out integrated pet care model should prove resilient". Its like-for-like sales rose 2.7 percent in the first seven weeks of the 2018 financial year.

The Australian group now has 39 stores in New Zealand, 23 grooming salons, nine in-store vet clinics and seven standalone vet clinics. Greencross has 239 retail stores across Australasia, 147 vet clinics and 33 specialist and emergency.

Group net profit rose 21 percent to A$42 million on an 11 percent gain in revenue to A$817 million. Greencross's board declared a fully franked final dividend of 9.5 Australian cents per share, paid on Oct. 6 with a Sept. 8 record date. That takes the annual return to 19 cents.

(BusinessDesk)

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Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


(Recasts to add market reaction, adds detail throughout, analyst comment, updates shares)

Air New Zealand's shares rose 1.5 percent after it said its full year earnings fell 21 percent in an increasingly competitive market but were still the second highest ever as the airline continues to benefit from lower jet fuel prices and the country's ongoing tourism boom.

Pre-tax earnings dropped to $527 million in the year to June 30, compared to $663 million in the prior year, the company said in a statement. In June the company said earnings before taxation were likely to exceed $525 million. In the prior year, the company had the benefit of $112 million in foreign exchange hedging gains and a less intensive competitive environment, said chief executive Christopher Luxon. Current year hedging resulted in a modest loss of $6 million, it said.

Net profit fell to $382 million from $463 million. Earnings per share were 33.5 cents versus 40.8 cents in the prior period. Operating revenue slipped to $5.1 billion from $5.23 billion.

"This year Air New Zealand faced an unprecedented increase in the level of competition from some of the worlds largest airlines and effectively rose to the challenge," said Luxon. As different airlines jostled for customers, Air New Zealand's passenger revenue decreased by $105 million to $4.4 billion, a 2.3 percent decline. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, passenger revenue decreased by 0.5 percent.

Chairman Tony Carter also said that a significant increase in industry capacity was the main driver of the reduction in earnings. He noted, however, toward the end of the year, conditions stabilised and positive revenue momentum emerged.

Air New Zealand has been benefitting from the record tourism inflow. In the July 2017 year, a record breaking 1.9 million people arrived in New Zealand for holidays, according to the latest data from Stats NZ. The number has doubled since 2002 when the number of holidaymakers reached 1 million for the first time.

The board declared final fully imputed dividend of 11 cents per share, an increase of 10 percent on the prior year, bringing the full year declared ordinary dividends to 21 cents per share. The final dividend will be paid on Sept. 18 to investors on record at the close of business on Sept. 8.

The airline's board also awarded a company performance bonus of up to $1,700 to be paid next week to approximately 8,500 Air New Zealand staff who do not have other incentive programmes as part of their employment agreement.

Looking forward to the year ahead, the airline said it is optimistic about the overall market dynamics. Based on current market conditions and assuming an average jet fuel price of US$60 per barrel (which represents the average over the past two months), the airline is aiming to improve upon 2017 earnings, it said.

Macquarie Securities said underlying earnings were ahead of expectations and the outlook is for improvement in FY18. It currently rates the company at neutral but "we noted we're positively biased."

Over the next four years, it plans to invest $1.5 billion in new aircraft, with most of the capital expenditure occurring by the end of 2019. Gearing was 51.8 percent, an increase from 48.6 percent at the end of the 2016 financial year, reflecting the purchase of new aircraft and the payment of a 2016 special dividend, it said.

In the current financial year, it will focus on opportunities to further strengthen and build scale in its existing markets across our Pacific Rim network. This includes growing recently introduced routes such as Buenos Aires and Houston. "In response to good demand, you will also see some additional frequencies on our Hawaii, Bali, and Vancouver routes", said Luxon. While he gave no specifics, he said the company is considering new destinations in the Pacific Rim.

Domestically, Air New Zealand flies to 21 airports across New Zealand and in 2018, an important part of its growth will be further expansion in the regions. "In fact, over the coming summer months, we will be adding more than 60,000 extra seats to our regional schedule compared to last year," said Luxon.

The shares last traded at $3.45, and have jumped 55 percent this year.

(BusinessDesk)

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Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


7-9 MoUs to be signed during PMs India visit

Seven to nine Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) will be signed during Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deubas state visit to India beginning Wednesday, according to officials involved in preparations of the visit.
Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.
Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

KAYLEE'S BIG CATCH

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  An Oakwood teen went shark fishing Sunday night in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island and had the catch of her life.

Kaylee Ettinger, 17, pictured right, daughter of Ronni and Jerry Ettinger, caught a 66-inch dusky shark while shark fishing with her parents at the Jersey Shore around midnight, just before giving up after five hours of fishing with her parents, from 7 p.m. until midnight (Photos courtesy Ronni Ettinger)

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

THIS IS NOT A 'JAWS' SITUATION

But the Ettinger family doesn't want to alarm people of any shark danger. "Just so everyone knows, we hired a shark fishing guide who specializes in this and who took the line out to sea," said Kaylee's mom, Ronni. "These sharks are normally found in deeper waters"

The fishing guide, Austin Pounds, took the line out 400-600 yards into the water, using a kayak. There he dropped the bait, while the line and the pole and fishing rod stayed on the beach. It's very important that people are aware that these sharks are generally nowhere near the shore." (Courtesy Ronni Ettinger)

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?

This is the second year Kaylee, pictured far right, has gone shark fishing. Last year her dad Jerry gifted her the experience for her 16th birthday. She loved it so much he decided to let her try it again this year. "Both times we had bites throughout the evening but the big one came right when we were cleaning up and calling it a night," said Ronni. (Courtesy Ronni Ettinger)

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

OPEN WIDE

... and show us those pearly whites. (Courtesy Ronni Ettinger)

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

ONE PROUD PAPA

The moment the shark bit was very exciting for Kaylee, pictures right, with her dad, Jerry. "The line starting pulling and we all jumped up," said Ronni. "Kaylee immediately put the belt on that holds the rod, and starting to reel the line in. She had to reel the line in for about 10 minutes while the 66-inch dusky shark was jumping all over!" (Courtesy Ronni Ettinger)

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

Hq 2DV

It took Kaylee about 10 minutes to reel in the 66-inch shark.

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

THEY DIDN'T HURT THE SHARK!

Once pictures are taken the shark is tagged and released back into the water. (Courtesy Ronni Ettinger)

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

WAS HE VACATIONING AT THE SHORE?

Dusky sharks are normally found in Florida and the Carolinas and they are not likely to be found at the Jersey Shore. The Ettingers' guide was Austin Pounds. (Courtesy Ronni Ettinger)

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

GEARING UP TO TELL SOME BIG FISH TALES

"Nothing beats the sound of the line being pulled into the darkness and feeling the strength of the shark on the other end," said Kaylee, pictured at left with her fishing guide. "Game on!" (Courtesy Ronni Ettinger)

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Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com

OUT OF HER FISHING GEAR

Kaylee no doubt will have this great shark story to tell family and friends about the "one that didn't get away."

Don't Edit
EC asks govt to ready logistics for Phase 3 polls

Election Commissioner Ishwari Prasad Poudel has expressed his worry that the damage caused by the recent floods and inundation could pose problems in successfully holding the third phase of local elections.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Empire Outlets will be New York City's first outlet center, but it it likely won't be the last of its kind built in the Big Apple, thanks to a settlement by the state attorney general.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced a settlement with Simon Property Group that prohibits Simon -- owner of Woodbury Common outlets center -- from using anticompetitive tactics to prevent the development of competing outlet centers in New York City.

"No business should be allowed to stifle an entire industry at the expense of consumers -- but for years, that's exactly what Simon Property Group did to New Yorkers," said Schneiderman.

"Simon's anticompetitive conduct blocked competition and drove up prices for New York consumers. That ends today. I am pleased this agreement will allow for new shopping outlets to finally open within New York City, and make affordable shopping more accessible for residents across the region."

Schneiderman said these restrictions have impeded new outlet centers from opening. Simon has agreed to immediately modify contractual restrictions that have prevented retailers at its flagship Woodbury Common center from opening outlet stores in New York City locations.

The settlement will allow for the opening of outlet malls in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island, creating competitive choice for retailers and consumers while boosting the New York economy.

This means Empire Outlets may not be the city's only outlet center.

"This is a huge win for New York City residents who have for years demanded easier access to affordable shopping," said Don Capoccia, principal of BFC Partners -- developer of Empire Outlets.

"We look forward to opening the city's first outlet center on Staten Island's revitalized North Shore, with a unique mix of shopping and dining that will provide an incredible destination for millions of residents and tourists. Our team applauds Attorney General Schneiderman for his commitment to supporting fair competition and giving more New Yorkers access to affordable retail options," he added.

The attorney general's investigation into Simon's practices at Woodbury Common indicated that Simon had monopoly power in the market for retail space in outlet centers in the New York City area, according to a statement provided by Schneiderman.

The investigation also confirmed that many retailers at Woodbury Common wished to open additional outlets in New York City, but were largely prevented from doing so by so-called radius restrictions in their leases at Woodbury Common.

The settlement announced by Schneiderman has two main elements, in addition to a $945,000 monetary payment to New York State:

Ending exclusive agreements with retailers: Simon has agreed to revise existing leases to remove radius restrictions that would otherwise prevent outlet center development.

Prohibiting future interference with outlet retail: For the next 10 years, Simon has agreed to cease using radius restrictions, or other exclusionary tactics, that might deter retailers from opening additional outlet stores.

FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Four-year-old Nuala Bonner finally got the "Rusty Rivets" book bag and lunch box she's wanted.

And she'll get to carry them proudly on her first day of pre-K at the Broadway Center of the Staten Island YMCA, just blocks from her West Brighton home.

Nuala's mom, Holly Bonner, who is legally blind, reached out to the Advance for help, when the city initially placed her daughter in a school more than 1.5 miles away. The journey to and from the school would have required a 16-block walk from her home in West Brighton, and a ride on an MTA bus. A two-hour trip in each direction.

In the process of appealing for a pre-K seat closer to home, Bonner also took the city and the Department of Education (DOE) to task for lacking sensitivity in working with blind and visually impaired parents, and not having materials available in Braille and large print.

Bonner, a 2017 Advance Woman of Achievement, decided to advocate for the DOE to make materials available for blind and visually impaired parents. After raising the issue in her popular blog, Blind Motherhood, she reached out to Vincent Calise, commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, about the issue.

She also reached out to the American Council for the Blind, and other advocacy groups, for support.

"As parents, we are entitled to have all materials accessible to us, so we can be integral parts of our children's education. All disabled parents must learn how self-advocate so we can raise our children in a more inclusive, accessible world," she said.

Meanwhile, Bonner said she spoke with Calise during a conference call and said he assured her there would be some changes made.

A DOE spokesman confirmed that changes are in progress.

"We are currently working with the Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities on options to make our applications more accessible for visually impaired individuals, and we'll continue to work with all families to find seats that meet their needs," said DOE spokesman Will Mantell.

"Despite the difficulties I experienced while trying to enroll my daughter into the UPK program, the end result is a huge victory for members of blind/visually impaired community," Bonner said.

Bonner, who said she was overwhelmed by the support she received, thanked the the Advance, along with NY1, for sharing the story.

"My deepest thanks go to the Staten Island Advance for sharing this story, which ultimately led to Nuala getting a UPK seat. I also want to thank all my fellow Staten Islanders, including mothers from all over the island, offering to come and pick up my daughter to take her to school, as well as the Staten Island Guardian Angels," Bonner said.

And she expects Sept. 7, the first day of school, "will be a very bittersweet day for me."

"While I am so relieved my little girl gets to go to pre-K, I know I will be that mom who cries on her first day of school," Bonner said. "It will be a transition for both of us, but at least it will be an accessible one as a disabled parent."




STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- City public school students continued to make gains on state English and math exams this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said Tuesday.

In 2017, 40.6 percent of students citywide met proficiency standards in English, a 2.6 point increase from 38.0 percent last year. City students outperformed their New York State peers in English for the first time last year, and widened the gap with this year's results.

A total of 37.8 percent of students citywide met the standards in math, a 1.3 point increase from 36.4 percent last year.

Students in Staten Island's District 31 outperformed their citywide peers in every borough but Manhattan.

A total 47.1 percent of Island students in third through eighth-grade read at or above grade level, an improvement of 2.7 percent over 2016.

A total 41.8 percent of Island students met standards in math, up 1.6 percent from last year.

Since 2013, the percentage of students citywide who are proficient in English has increased by 54 percent. The percentage of students proficient in math has increased by 27 percent, de Blasio said.

"These improvements over the past four years represent painstaking work - student by student, classroom by classroom, and school by school," de Blasio said. "We remain focused on building on these gains and others."

Farina said the gains are "one more measure on which New York City schools are the strongest they've ever been."

"It's important to celebrate our progress -- and thank the educators and school staff, parents and families, and students themselves who made this possible." she said. "We're hard at work building on our progress to do even better for our students, families, and the city's future."

The mayor and chancellor were joined at the news conference by a Staten Island mom, Tameika Taylor, who has two students, a son and nephew she's raising, at PS 21, Elm Park.

Taylor told the mayor and chancellor of the improvements the two boys have made in reading and math. She credited teachers at PS 21, whom she described as "beyond patient" and "nurturing" and she touted programs at PS 21, like its college-access partnership with Wagner College, and its after-school STEM program, that make the boys "not want to miss a day of school." Both boys have perfect attendance, she said.
Page Content

Prime Minister William Marlin joined Prime Minister of Curacao Eugene Rhuggenaath as well as Caribbean Regional Envoy for Kingdom of the Netherlands in Havana Liesbeth Mol in Willemstad yesterday for a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic Miguel Vargas on the occasion of the first anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic. Prime Minister Marlin was presented with a copy of the book '500 years of History between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic, by Carlos Manuel Abaunza. The book chronicles the migratory, commercial, and diplomatic relations between the two states from 1516. Prime Minister Marlin reiterated Sint Maarten's commitment to the MOU noting the importance of the Dominican Republic in the foreign policy of Sint Maarten.

The meeting' agenda covered a number of the themes featured in the MOU including economic cooperation, sustainable development, security, disaster management, and medical tourism. Three key points of the meeting were, the recognition of the Kingdom of the accession of the Dominican Republic to the Apostille Treaty, the convention on the transfer of persons, and the bilateral air transport agreement between the Kingdom and the Dominican Republic. The first, the Apostille treaty will make it easier for Dominican nationals residing on Sint Maarten to have their documents certified for legal purposes thereby reducing the time for these documents to be recognized. A number of other countries already have this privilege within the Kingdom. The second, the transfer of persons, will allow for incarcerated nationals to serve their sentence in their respective country. The third, the air transport agreement, regulates the legal aviation framework between the two states.

During the meeting all parties agreed to appoint workgroup leaders that will coordinate the work of the MOU. The first meeting of the workgroup will be convened in the Dominican Republic during the first week of November. High on the agenda is the anticipated visit of President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic to Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten during the first quarter of 2018.





At the conclusion of the meeting all parties, Vargas for the Dominican Republic, Marlin for Sint Maarten, Rhuggenaath for Curacao, and Mol for the Netherlands and Aruba, signed a Political Act that sets the immediate priorities for the workgroup and for the operationalization of the MOU.

Prime Minister Marlin indicated the importance of a strong foreign policy and regional, as well as international, partners in achieving Sint Maarten's strategic long term goals. The Department of Foreign Relations, represented by Senior Policy Advisor Mr. Patrice Gumbs Jr during the meeting, plays a critical role in facilitating and maintaining these relationships.




Focus on implementation

Over the past month, Parliament has ratified two crucial bills. The Social Security Bill was endorsed on July 24 and the Labour Bill less than two weeks ago.
Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.
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High returns lure farmers to growing ashwagandha

Locals of Rupandehi have switched to commercial farming of Withania somnifera, a medicinal herb commonly known as ashwagandha, because of higher returns compared to traditional crops.
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System error

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context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948

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Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0233740)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f01c24a8)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0233740)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f01c24a8)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f02411d0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f01c24a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f01c24a8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e8e98608)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0245988)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0245988)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948

/var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f03a3410)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f039f828)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f03a3410)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f039f828)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f03f0c40)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f039f828)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f039f828)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e8e98608)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0392430)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0392430)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
Essendon are cautiously optimistic that livewire forward Orazio Fantasia will be available if they reach the finals.

The Bombers have had mixed news this week on injuries.

Orazio Fantasia has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since round 20. Credit:AAP

Josh Green's season is over because of a fractured bone in his foot.

Michael Hurley has reported making good progress as he recovers from a calf muscle strain, but the key defender is unsure about his availability for Sunday's must-win game against Fremantle.
A quarter of Chinese buying property overseas leave their apartments vacant and the majority pay for their purchase with cash, a survey of mainland Chinese customers by investment bank UBS shows.

Another 25 per cent of overseas property owners use their home on a temporary basis, suggesting about half of the overseas properties owned by mainland Chinese were not fully utilised, the bi-annual survey suggests.

Overseas investment in Australia's housing market has stirred political sensitivities amid concerns offshore buyers are helping fuel Australia's property boom and are leaving homes empty during a housing affordability crisis.

House prices in the nation's capital cities have surged almost 44 per cent since 2012, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
NEA goes digital, introduces online bill payment system in Valley

The days of standing in line to pay your power bills are over, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said, unveiling a pilot version of the online payment system for customers in the Kathmandu Valley at the Energy Ministry on Monday.
Trading hours reforms are "farcical", will cost jobs in regional areas and result in almost no extra trading opportunities for major retailers, a peak retail association has argued.

The legislation was due to be debated in Parliament on Tuesday, after being delayed earlier this year to secure cross bench support.

The National Retail Association has slammed proposed amendments to trading hours legislation.

Independent MP Rob Pyne plans to support the bill, the two Katter's Australian Party MPs will not, and it is understood independent MP Billy Gordon is yet to decide on how to vote on the legislation.

The changes would allow Queensland hardware stores to open from 6am on Sundays, supermarkets to open longer and butchers to open whenever they wanted.
Paddle Pop, Magnum and Golden Gaytime maker Streets ice cream faces accusations of using "industrial blackmail" to push through cuts to staff wages and conditions.

Unilever, the multinational company that owns Streets, has applied to the Fair Work Commission to terminate an expired enterprise agreement covering factory workers in the western Sydney suburb of Minto.

Unilever, the multinational company that owns Streets, wants to terminate an expired enterprise agreement covering factory workers in Sydney's Minto.

The company said the decision was made after "careful consideration of all options to create more flexible working conditions and enhance the competitiveness and viability of the factory in the longer-term, which is ultimately in the best interest of employees and the company".

However, the union estimates the move would cut workers' take-home pay by 46 per cent, a claim Unilever said in a statement had "no basis in fact".
What does the richest man in the world get up to all day?

Bill Gates is worth $US85.2 billion ($107.4 billion), making him the wealthiest person on planet Earth, according to Forbes.

Since stepping down from the helm of Microsoft in 2006, Gates has thrown himself into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which donates money to research and charitable organisations.

His daily routine is often quite busy and varied, as he travels the world and launches new initiatives.
She's a Bankstown resident going through a tough time - relying partly on welfare while being treated for cancer.

But Cheryl, who preferred not to give her last name, was part of a surprising number of local supporters for the federal government's planned trial of random drug testing for welfare recipients in Canterbury-Bankstown.

"I one hundred per cent support it," she said, taking a breather on a bench at Bankstown Central shopping centre. "Two hundred per cent.

"If you're employed, employers have the right to do random drug-testing in certain areas. Why not where people rock up to ask for something for nothing?"
The Turnbull government has asked the High Court to swiftly deal with the question of whether a slew of MPs and senators were validly elected, urging the case be heard in September rather than October.

In a submission lodged with the High Court on Monday, Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue, on behalf of Attorney-General George Brandis, has admitted that Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and former cabinet minister Matthew Canavan are, or were, citizens of New Zealand and Italy respectively.

Taxpayers will pick up the bill for the five MPs now involved in the impending High Court hearing, which is usual practice but likely to run into the tens of the thousands of dollars even if the case is dealt with quickly.

But one of Australia's top constitutional experts, UNSW professor George Williams, said the rapid timeline proposed by the government is unlikely to be met as in at least two of the cases  Senator Canavan and One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts  the facts are likely to be in dispute.
London: Liberal party members living in the United Kingdom have declared their official support for the "yes" campaign in the postal survey on same-sex marriage.

The declaration from Australian Liberals Abroad - UK makes it one of the first officially affiliated Coalition party groups to declare its support for change, despite strong opposition from party conservatives and many elected MPs, including former prime minister Tony Abbott.

President Jason Groves, who is gay, told Fairfax Media the organisation polled its members, comprising about 100, to ask if the organisation should take a position and if so, what that position should be.

Every response was in favour of backing the yes campaign and the executive committee's decision was also unanimous. Mr Groves said he was not surprised by the outcome.
"Amazing", "joyful", "rewarding", these were never words I would have used to describe my impending parenthood, though other people threw them around quite liberally. I was more likely to go with "terrifying", "life-destroying" or "catastrophic".

I was pretty sure that having children was going to completely lay waste to my current lifestyle, an indulgent existence of going out late and sleeping in later that I was really quite attached to. I went in to the whole fatherhood thing expecting it to be a complete disaster, and I only got it half right.

As a bloke, I was allowed to express a doomsday scenario about parenthood freely and openly, which was quite cathartic. Credit:Stocksy

Why do it? The love of a good woman, and the trust that it would be an interesting ride, if nothing else. But I did not take the leap expecting it to be like an episode of Full House  and going into the whole experience with a bar set too low to limbo under turned out to be the perfect start.

As a bloke, I was allowed to express this doomsday scenario freely and openly, which was also quite cathartic. Guys really are the Jeremy Corbyn of parenting  going in, everyone expects a complete failure so even when we lose, we win.
There are some fairly troubling assertions within both these statements, so let's unpack them a little bit. Firstly, of course infidelity is not in and of itself incompatible with feminism. People are more complicated than that and relationships  particularly ones that span more than a decade  are certainly far more nuanced than the black-and-white thinking that decrees all infidelity be met with a break-up. Having an affair doesn't automatically make you a bad person, nor does it make you abusive. But this isn't about the simple matter of whether or not a man cheated on his wife. It's about the ways Whedon cultivated a certain feminist mythology about himself and then used that mythology to justify repeatedly cheating on his wife. It's about how he absolved himself in a letter sent to Cole after his infidelity had finally been exposed, blaming the women he cheated with, calling them "beautiful, needy, aggressive young women" who "surrounded" him. "It felt like I had a disease," he wrote, "like something from a Greek myth. Suddenly I am a powerful producer and the world is laid out at my feet and I can't touch it."

But as Cole writes, "he did touch it". Whedon admitted to having the first of numerous affairs on the set of Buffy, telling his then-wife that he'd hoped this "would be ENOUGH, that THEN we could move on and outlast it". Of course, one affair turned into another and then another. His expanding profile brought new actresses, co-workers, fans and friends  women who I imagine believed the hype around his feminist ideals and succumbed to the allure of it, because we are nothing if not catastrophically deficient in being able to recognise that bullshit is still bullshit even if it's wearing a T-shirt that says "THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE". And his profile grew bigger and bigger. Which leads us to the second point. Should a person's private life be considered separately from their public work? I think there are a few possible answers to that question, the most obvious of which is that the Feminist Police are not going to start arresting people for watching Joss Whedon movies or old reruns of Firefly. But perhaps a better question is whether the industry these people work in will continue to help bolster the image they've carefully constructed around themselves, even as it shatters around them.

Because this is also a function of the abuse  and yes, I'm going to call it that  that Whedon allegedly perpetrated against Cole. He publicly cited his wife and marriage as among the key influencers of his own feminist growth, and used that to parlay the kind of fandom that specifically associated feminism with his brand. It was a brand that gave him access to women with less power than him, some of whom were his employees. He did it within a powerful industry known for granting very little of that power to the women who service it, particularly in contrast with the mostly male directors and producers on whom they rely for work. And he sat consciously in this knowledge, revelling in it and using it as a way to foster his own sense of masculinity. After he confessed his behaviour to Cole, he wrote to her, "In many ways I was the HEIGHT of normal, in this culture. We're taught to be providers and companions and at the same time, to conquer and acquire  specifically sexually  and I was pulling off both!" This is at the heart of the issue for me, and why it's so insulting to reduce this to a question of whether or not infidelity should be viewed as separate from someone's personal politics. The fact is, this wasn't just any old "someone". This was a man who built a career and a loyal fan base on his promise that he "got it".

Cole's entire piece is brave, fearsome and far more measured than she is required to be. But the following reflection in particular is what makes this instance of the personal being political a non-negotiable issue, as far as I'm concerned: "Despite understanding, on some level, that what he was doing was wrong, he never conceded the hypocrisy of being out in the world preaching feminist ideals, while at the same time, taking away my right to make choices for my life and my body based on the truth. He deceived me for 15 years, so he could have everything he wanted  I now see how he used his relationship with me as a shield, both during and after our marriage, so no one would question his relationships with other women or scrutinise his writing as anything other than feminist." Can someone cheat on their partner and still be a feminist? Of course. But can someone cheat on their partner in the specific and sustained way Cole says Whedon did, making his partner doubt her own rationality and sanity, exposing her to the risks borne by people who aren't aware they aren't in sexually monogamous relationships, and still maintain the illusion of being the Feminist Good Guy that has earned them millions of dollars? Loading No. Because in the end, Whedon chose acceptance into the category of privileged, alpha masculinity over his supposed feminist politics.
Norfolk Island is a Pacific paradise that's part of Australia, even though it's closer to New Zealand  and some residents wouldn't mind switching allegiances.

It served as a British penal colony before it was settled by 200 descendents of the mutineers from Captain Bligh's ship, The Bounty.

Some Norfolk Islanders are looking to secede.

Since 1914, the island has been an external territory of Australia.

It was self-governing for 40 years until Canberra dissolved its parliament in 2015 and set up a new regional council to run it, subject to NSW law.
New radar at Bhatte Danda to be commissioned in Sept

Civil aviation authorities will be able to keep track of each and every aircraft flying in the Nepali skies after the next-generation radar installed on Bhatte Danda in Lalitpur becomes fully operational next month.
Health Department boss Martin Bowles will exit the role next week after staff were told the veteran public servant would retire following a 40-year career.

Mr Bowles, who took the helm at the department in 2014, will finish on September 1 ending a public service career spanning multiple departments.

Department of Health Secretary Martin Bowles during a Senate estimates hearing at Parliament House in Canberra. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Before heading up the Health Department, he led the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, and was deputy secretary at the Department of Climate Change and Energy.

He also worked at the Defence Department, where recently he was reportedly considered to succeed Dennis Richardson as secretary before Greg Moriarty, former chief-of-staff to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, was appointed.
Logan mayor Luke Smith has accused the Turnbull government of having an "atrocious" understanding of his city after it was named as the second site of the Commonwealth's drug-testing trial for welfare recipients.

Social Services Minister Christian Porter and Human Services Minister Alan Tudge will make the announcement in Beenleigh, south of Brisbane, on Wednesday.

Logan mayor Luke Smith said he had no idea about drug testing in Logan until a journalist told him. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

But Mr Smith said he had been given no information on the trial or why the city was chosen.

"We didn't even know this was happening in the city of Logan," Cr Smith told ABC radio.
It was seemingly a good story: Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik was refused entry to a Brisbane bar because of the state's ID laws.

But the story was too good to be true, according to Queensland police commissioner Ian Stewart, who laid out the "plain and simple" facts of what happened on Friday night at the Jade Buddha nightclub.

Crown Prince Frederik, pictured with Crown Princess Mary, was not denied entry to a Brisbane club according to Queensland's police commissioner. Credit:Julian Parker

"The security personnel approached the nightclub on two different occasions," he said on Tuesday afternoon following a day of controversy and debate.

"On the second occasion they were put in touch with senior management (at Jade Buddha) and I understand there was an agreement for the prince to enter.
At the height of the day's solar eclipse in New York, Google finally revealed the name of its latest Android operating system  in honour of another dark disc: the Oreo. The company turned the beloved cookie into a superhero based on the familiar Android robot logo. Google traditionally names its operating systems after sweet treats; its last system was called Nougat.

Google did not pay the famous cookie's maker, Mondelez, any money to use the name, said spokeswoman Valerie Moens, who in an email called it a "pure co-branding partnership."

The company said in a news release, however, that it and Google will partner on a "variety of global initiatives designed to create innovative, playful experiences for both OREO and Android fans."

These, Moens said, will include a drone flight that projects a holographic version of the Android and Oreo superhero, some Android and Oreo-branded cookie giveaways, and four short films featuring the new character.
The IS-inspired Brighton siege gunman told police he had a bomb and would execute his hostage if they stormed the apartment he was holed up in, a court has been told.

More details have emerged of the siege at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments on June 5, when Yacqub Khayre shot dead the building's receptionist, Kai Hao, and took an escort worker hostage before he died in a shoot-out with police.

A directions hearing at the Coroners Court on Tuesday heard the escort worker was booked and arrived at the apartments at 4pm and went to unit 11, where Khayre blindfolded and bound her in the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, the woman managed to free her hands and called triple-0, Sarah Thomas, the counsel assisting the coroner, told the court.
Darebin mayor Kim Le Cerf said on Tuesday night she was disappointed at Mr Hawke's action. The council holds up to eight citizenship ceremonies every year and more than 80 per cent of new citizens already attend a ceremony on a day other than January 26, she said. "It's ironic that the prime minister has said changing the date is a national debate we need to have, yet his government appears to be working to silence it by punishing councils for taking a stand in support of their Indigenous communities," she said. Darebin council's decision follows a vote at Yarra Council last week to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day and cease holding any citizenship ceremonies on that day from 2018. Mr Hawke had previously threatened that he would strip Darebin and other "Greens-dominated councils" of their power to hold citizenship ceremonies if the events were used to make a political statement.

Under the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code, citizenship ceremonies must be "non-commercial, apolitical, bipartisan and secular". The move by both councils has sparked debate about the role of local councils beyond roads, rates and rubbish. Councils are given guidelines on how to conduct citizenship ceremonies on behalf of the federal government. A public policy expert said on Tuesday the councils had simply exercised their freedom to determine the dates of those ceremonies. Professor Roberta Ryan, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at Sydney's University of Technology, said councils could do what they wanted in relation to awards or naming things.

"Reflecting the views of local communities and advocating their views to other levels of government is actually the role of local government as well as ... providing services," she said. "I really do think the outrage is about people not liking what councils are saying ... and what these councils are saying is 'Australia Day is 'Invasion Day' for Aboriginal people and we don't want to be a part of it'." But Professor Ryan said councils needed to consult with both affected parties and non-affected parties before purporting to speak on ratepayers' behalf. "This is the step you have to take if you don't want to be subject to the criticisms." Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews called Darebin's decision a "great shame", and Liberal Senator Eric Abetz accused the council of being out of touch.

But Darebin Council said it consulted with 27 advisory committees and the Indigenous community to make its decision. Only 81 ratepayers responded to a council survey before the vote, and the non-Indigenous respondents "overwhelmingly" said it was not for them to decide, Cr Le Cerf said. Speaking where an agreement was struck between a group of Wurundjeri elders and one of Melbourne's founders, John Batman  next to Merri Creek in Northcote  Cr Le Cerf rebuffed criticisms that ratepayers were not sufficiently consulted on the change. She said it was "too important" to be subject to an opinion poll. "Local government has a longstanding commitment to advocating on behalf of our community to other levels of government," she said.

"In 1902 they were very active in the pushing for women to get the right to vote and when there are issues of great social importance, we think we have a role to play. "We are the closest level of government to the community, we know what the sentiment is in the community, and we will voice that." Other councils are also reconsidering their Australia Day practices. Mayor of Hepburn, Sebastian Klein, said its ratepayers would have 28 days to respond to a report on how the council should approach reconciliation, including how to celebrate Australia Day. Cr Klein said the issue of citizenship ceremonies was yet to be discussed by the council, which covers the towns of Daylesford and Creswick.
Melbourne Express: Wednesday, August 23, 2017

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The children of a woman found dead in her Kew home say they are deeply saddened the beautiful mother and grandmother died "in the company of someone she considered a friend".

Police were called to the luxury Princess Street home in the leafy inner-east suburb just before 4pm on Monday, where they discovered the bodies of the 70-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man.

Police at the scene. Credit:Chris Hopkins

In a statement, her three children paid tribute to the mother and grandmother, whom they described as an outgoing, fun person.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of our mother in the company of a person who she considered a friend," the children said.
Two men have been charged after they allegedly spray painted WA's Supreme Court building overnight.

Police will allege at around 10.45pm the two men were spotted by security officers spraying graffiti at the rear sally port of the court.

Graffiti costs the community millions of dollars a year.

Police raced to the scene and arrested the two men.

A 41-year-old man of Bayswater and a 44-year-old man of Greenfields will each be summonsed for damage by graffiti and possess thing with intent to apply graffiti.
A teenage student who brought a plastic toy gun to their school near Mandurah has had the 'firearm' confiscated by police.

Police said officers went to Halls Head College about 2:30pm on Tuesday after being told by school administration a student had a firearm.

Police were called to Halls Head College on Tuesday afternoon to confiscate a plastic toy gun brought to school by a student.

The officers seized an Air Soft Rifle, a plastic gun that's not capable of being licensed and shoots plastic ball pallets.

The toy rifle was not used to threaten, harm or put students in danger, and it's understood the 15-year-old student from Falcon wanted to show friends the rifle.
Not my candidate

Nepal is all set to institutionalise the democratic system, with local elections almost completed.
Tunis/Rome: An armed group is stopping migrant boats from setting off across the Mediterranean from a city west of Tripoli that has been a springboard for people smugglers, causing a sudden drop in departures over the past month, sources in the area said.

The revelation throws new light on the sharp reduction in migrant arrivals from Italy, which took over from the Aegean route as the main focus of European concerns in the crisis.

Arrivals in Italy from North Africa, the main route for migration to Europe this year, dropped by more than 50 per cent in July from a year earlier, and August arrivals so far are down even further. July and August are peak months for migrant boats because of favourable sea conditions.

Sources in Sabratha, 70 km west of the capital, said the sudden drop had been caused by a new force in the seaside city, which is preventing migrants from leaving, often by locking them up.
Madrid: An alleged member of an Islamist cell suspected of carrying out last week's deadly Barcelona van attack told a Spanish court on Tuesday that the group had been planning a much bigger strike using explosives, a judicial source said.

The testimony to a closed hearing at Spain's High Court came from Mohamed Houli Chemlal, one of four detained suspects brought to Madrid to testify for the first time in court about the plot.

A Madrid judge charged two of four suspects in last week's attacks with terrorism offences, after a day of questioning that seemed to confirm that the group had initially planned a more ambitious strike.

The judge, however, ordered the release of one suspect and ordered the fourth to be detained for 72 hours for further questioning.
Toronto: Canada's conservative Rebel Media said a technology company stopped directing traffic to its website, making it inaccessible to some users around the world on Monday as the site known for tirades against Muslims and refugees scrambled to get back online.

Last week GoDaddy Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and other technology companies pushed the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer offline by terminating services to the online publication, which helped organise a white nationalist rally that turned violent in Virginia on August 12.

Rebel Media founder Ezra Levant said he was given 24 hours' notice and no explanation for the action. He did not identify the technology company.

"If this was a political censorship decision, it is terrifying - like a phone company telling you it is cancelling your phone number on 24 hours notice because it doesn't like your conversations," Levant told Reuters.
Bangkok: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia is deeply concerned about a fresh wave of killings in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, including 17-year-old high school student Kian Loyd delos Santos.

The police killing of Kian has sparked an outcry from Catholic church leaders and prompted powerful politicians allied with Mr Duterte to set up a parliamentary inquiry into the killings.

"The practice of extra-judicial killings to combat drug trafficking and use is of deep concern to Australia and I consistently emphasise the importance of upholding human rights and the rule of law in democratic societies," Ms Bishop said, adding she last raised the killings with Mr Duterte in Manila earlier this month.

But after that meeting Mr Duterte told reporters that Australia had "considerably toned down" criticism of the crackdown that has left up to 12,500 people dead in 14 months of bloodshed.
There were two remarkable things about Donald Trump's speech on Afghanistan. One was that after years of advocating that the war effort be abandoned, he had come to the conclusion that instead America's military presence needed to be expanded and deadlines for departure scrapped.

You could call this the victory of the generals over Trump's ousted chief strategist, Stephen Bannon.

The second was that he devoted so much time at the start of the speech to preaching about national unity.

"By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal and to remain one nation under God," he said. "The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission and one shared sense of purpose.'
Singapore: US Navy and Marine Corps divers on Tuesday found some remains of missing sailors inside sections of a US guided-missile destroyer that collided with a merchant vessel near Singapore, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet said.

The USS John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC collided on Monday while the US ship was approaching Singapore on a routine port call. The impact tore a hole in the warship's port side at the waterline, flooding compartments that included a crew sleeping area.

US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott Swift said an international search-and-rescue operation had found some remains and that the wider search for 10 sailors missing from the accident would continue until all hope was exhausted.

"The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search," Swift told reporters at Singapore's Changi Naval Base where the USS John S. McCain is docked for damage assessment.
PHILIPSBURG:--- 52 Business representatives convened this Thursday in order to prepare for the implications of natural disasters, as the traditionally most active hurricane month of September closes in. The Hurricane & Disaster Preparedness Seminar at USM allowed various business and government professionals involved with the topic share their experiences, learn lessons from the past and exchange recommendations for natural disasters to come.

The Hurricane and Disaster Preparedness Seminar is organized periodically by the Sint Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) in conjunction with the Section Disaster Management of the Ministry of General Affairs. This edition, UTS-TDC training center and University Sint Maarten (USM) joined the partnership.

Hurricanes and other natural disasters often do much damage to the countrys economy. By organizing the event for members and non-members alike, SHTA tries to assist Sint Maarten businesses in avoiding as much loss as possible by disasters.

Section Head of Disaster Management Paul Martens shared insights with the visiting companies how government prepares for hurricanes, as well as aftermath disasters like floodings and fires. Martens shared an overview of structures in place in order for companies to know what mechanisms are to be expected active in case natural disasters occur.

After Martens presentation, moderator David MacGregor (UTS-TDC) interviewed the panel of professionals. Mr. Joseph Isaac of the Meteorological Department (Ministry of General Affairs) shared insights in the responsibilities of the local meteorological office. He described the challenge of the multinational information coordination within the region as Saba and Statia are coordinated from the Dutch meteorological office KNMI, the French side by Meteo France in Guadeloupe, and Anguilla receives weather condition intelligence from Antigua.

Assistant General Manager Thijs Scheepers of Divi Hotel provided an outlook how resorts deal with tourists.

To refresh memory, movies and pictures were shown of the incredible size of damage done during past hurricanes like Donna, Luis and Gonzalo. Entrepreneur Danny Ramchandani shared how the devastation that hurricane Luis did to his company Rams, and what lessons he learned from that. Even back then, we were prepared  but it shows you can never prepare enough for a natural disaster the size of a hurricane. His current companies run a hour by hour preparation program to rapidly respond to hurricane threats.

How to insure for Hurricanes was an important topic. Marc Groeneveld, representing worldwide insurer AON on Sint Maarten, advised companies to often visit their insurance companies. Many companies do not exactly know what they are insured for during hurricanes, and sometimes even pay too much. As your company is subject to change, so is what you insure for. From his personal experience, Ramchandani added that after Luis, insurances sometimes returned only 30% of what entrepreneurs were counting on.

Groeneveld advised yearly visits to the insurance company can avoid exactly those disappointments. An often heard misconception is that objects should be left untouched until the damage is assessed by your insurer. Companies should act like a good father in family life: you can remove the rubble, but make sure you have evidence of the damage done. He cited an example of a disappeared dinghy, most probably victim of looting during the storm. Whereas the cable clearly was cut, the owner threw away the remains of the chain  making him lose that insurance. According to Groeneveld, modern technology assists with your insurance case. When your battery allows, make sure to make as much pictures as possible from the damage.

Robert Judd is the key operational officer when a hurricane hits University Sint Maarten (USM). As the University has a unique location amidst the water masses of the Salt Pond, the University seals its windows, and barricades lower floors with sand bags to prevent flooding. Judd warned not to overlook details that might seem common As a university with both offices and classrooms using pricy education equipment, we have to make sure we unplug everything to prevent short circuits.

From his own experience as a certified Business Emergency Recovery Trainer by the American B.E.R.T. program, moderator David MacGregor advised not to forget the importance of human capital for the companies. With program like BERT, you do not only prepare buildings, but the families that really run your business. Respect as an entrepreneur can only be expected by giving respect to the families you represent. This is why our program includes apps to rebuild the social fabric of companies directly after communications restore: who is where on the island, are they safe, and finally: what role can they play in getting the company up and running again?

During a questions and answer session following the contributions, Mr. Ramchandani offered a final advice: Even though government departments like that of Mr. Isaac and Mr. Martens will act to the best of their abilities, disaster situations are too complex to solely rely on government emergency assistance. Due to the mere nature of disaster, companies need to be prepared for their own recovery and not build on emergency service assistance alone.
WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister William Marlin joined Prime Minister of Curacao Eugene Rhuggenaath as well as Caribbean Regional Envoy for Kingdom of the Netherlands in Havana Liesbeth Mol in Willemstad yesterday for a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic Miguel Vargas on the occasion of the first anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Kingdom and the Dominican Republic. Prime Minister Marlin and was presented with a copy of the book '500 years of History between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic, by Carlos Manuel Abaunza. The book chronicles the migratory, commercial, and diplomatic relations between the two states from 1516. Prime Minister Marlin reiterated Sint Maarten's commitment to the MOU noting the importance of the Dominican Republic in the foreign policy of Sint Maarten.

The meeting' agenda covered a number of the themes featured in the MOU including economic cooperation, Sustainable development, security, disaster management, and medical tourism. Three key points of the meeting One of the keys were the recognition of the Kingdom of the accession of the Dominican Republic to the Apostille Treaty, the convention on the transfer of persons, and the bilateral air transport agreement between the Kingdom and the Dominican Republic. The first, the apostille treaty will make it easier for Dominican nationals residing on Sint Maarten to have their documents certified for legal purposes thereby reducing the time for these documents to be recognized. A number of other countries already have this privilege within the Kingdom. The second, the transfer of persons, will allow for incarcerated nationals to serve their sentence in their respective country. The third, the air transport agreement, regulates the legal aviation framework between the two states.

During the meeting, all parties agreed to appoint workgroup leaders that will coordinate the work of the MOU. The first meeting of the workgroup will be convened in the Dominican Republic during the first week of November. High on the agenda is the anticipated visit of President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic to Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten during the first quarter of 2018. At the conclusion of the meeting all parties, Vargas for the Dominican Republic, Marlin for Sint Maarten, Rhuggenaath for Curacao, and Mol for the Netherlands and Aruba, signed a Political Act that sets the immediate priorities for the workgroup and for the operationalization of the MOU.

Prime Minister Marlin indicated the importance of a strong foreign policy and regional, as well as international, partners in achieving Sint Maarten's strategic long term goals. The Department of Foreign Relations, represented by Senior Policy Advisor Mr. Patrice Gumbs Jr during the meeting, plays a critical role in facilitating these and maintaining these relationships.
Oli urges PM Deuba to raise issues of national interest during India visit

Main opposition CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has called on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to raise the issues of national interest including the problem of inundations in the Tarai-Madhes, energy development, 1950's treaty, border river dams and the extradition treaty during his state visit to India beginning from tomorrow.
James Krauseneck maintained his innocence at the sentencing Monday and was supported by his daughter, Sarah, who was 3 at the time and saw her deceased mother, Cathleen Cathy Krausneck, 29, a Macomb County native.
Claudettes release new album with show at The Acorn in Three Oaks

entertainment
Police arrest main accused in 33kg gold haul

Police have nabbed the main accused in the 33kg gold smuggling case.Nepal Police in coordination with Dubai police arrested Rajan Prasad Panta from the Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday, Meera Chaudhary, spokesperson for the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), said.
Sebon mulls enforcing separate regulation

The Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) is mulling to enforce a separate regulation to take action against listed companies that fail to report to the regulatory body on time. Currently,
South Korea to donate 200,000 USD to Nepal

The Government of the Republic of Korea, upon the request of the Government of Nepal, decided to provide 200,000 US dollars in humanitarian assistance to Nepal in response to the damages incurred from floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall throughout the country.
City of Georgetown advising people not to use eclipse glasses handed out by city
The GCSO is looking for this person in connection to a shoplifting case.
Indeed, Schroder is believed to have been influential in the sale of several run-down shipyards in Wismar and Rostock a few years ago to Russian businessman Vitaly Yusufov, who heads up the Nord Stream offices in Moscow. Yusufov, who was 29 at the time, had been responsible for taking minutes whenever Schroder met with Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller at company headquarters. He paid 46 million euros for the shipbuilding companies before selling them again in 2016 - for more than 230 million euros. The sale price was more than five times what he originally paid - not a bad deal.

A 'Man with Stamina'

Schroder's own involvement in Nord Stream also proved successful, at least for the companies involved from Germany and Russia. Soon, roughly 60 percent of the natural gas used in Germany was flowing through pipelines belonging to the consortium, despite significant European opposition to the pipeline from the Italian government and from almost all Eastern European EU member states.

But the ex-chancellor proved adept at stymieing the growing criticism of the project. He would meet with German politicians at high-end restaurants in Berlin and seek favor in Brussels with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker or the relevant commissioner, Arias Canete.

Most importantly, though, he was able to secure German government support, in part with the help of his former political allies from the SPD. "Nord Stream lies in Germany's interests," Sigmar Gabriel, who headed the SPD until early this year, was fond of saying during his tenure as economics minister. "On that issue, I agree with the German chancellor."

It's little wonder, then, that Putin has been courting Schroder since then and praised him as a "man with stamina." As a real man who isn't bothered by much, including widespread criticism of his close friendship with the Russian president.

As such, Schroder's most recent promotion hasn't surprised anyone. Just in May, the former chancellor joined Rosneft head Igor Sechin for the grand opening of a new company branch in the heart of Berlin. There were kisses and hugs for the business partner and oysters for the guests.

The Darth Vader of Moscow

"It was easy to see at the occasion how tight the relationship is," says a person who was present at the event. Rosneft is interested in jumping into the German refinery and service station market and plans to invest around 600 million euros in Germany in the coming years, part of which is earmarked for the planned Druzhba ("Friendship") oil pipeline in southern Germany.

Schroder is to help by making his global network of political contacts available to company head Sechin, who is considered the second-most powerful person in Russia behind Putin. He is one of the most important members of the so-called Silovik network, which rose to power in the country along with the former KGB agent Putin.

Sechin has a reputation for being ruthless and is referred to in Moscow as Darth Vader, the "prince of darkness" from "Star Wars." He turned Rosneft into the largest publicly traded oil producer in the world by absorbing the most important parts of the Yukos concern. The company empire belonging to the former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky had become affordable after its owner was imprisoned and his property seized.

Most recently, Sechin found himself in the headlines due to accusations of involvement in a clever plan to push former Economics Minister Alexey Ulyukaev out of office. Ulyukaev had dared to question a multibillion-dollar deal made by Rosneft.

Even among German industry leaders, Schroder's involvement with a businessman of such dubious credentials is considered a mistake. Schroder is doing himself no favors, they say, by tying himself to a company that is that intertwined with politics. It will be a significant blow to his reputation in Germany.

Problematic Ties

Many SPD members are also dismayed. Members of the party's leadership know full well that Schroder's questionable connection to the Kremlin will reflect poorly on the SPD if the party doesn't distance itself from the former chancellor. At the same time, though, the SPD fears that an open break could hurt the party more than it would help.

Early last week, Schulz tried to bridge the gap by saying that he would never follow Schroder's example, but adding that it was "Schroder's private business." Schulz said that he would have nothing more to say on the matter at this time. The statement has the advantage that Schulz will still be able to look Schroder in the eye. But it opens him up to criticism that he hasn't condemned Schroder's problematic ties with Putin clearly enough.

Conservative politicians have been quick to pounce. In an interview published on Monday in the mass-circulation Bild newspaper, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she felt that it was "not acceptable," especially given that Rosneft is one of the companies included in EU sanctions relating to Russia's illegal incursion into Ukraine, for Schroder to take the job.

Meanwhile, Norbert Rottgen, a foreign policy expert for Merkel's Christian Democrats, for example, has accused Schulz of "weak leadership" on the Schroder issue. Manfred Weber, meanwhile, floor leader for the conservative European People's Party in the European Parliament and a member of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party to the CDU, has likewise been vocal in his critique of Schulz. Schroder's involvement, he says, should "make clear even to the last skeptics that Nord Stream and Rosneft aren't simply business ventures, but are companies doing political work on the Kremlin's behalf."
The reclamation of Chechnya, the rehabilitation of Soviet history and the reinvocation of the "Russian world" -- similar to what Donald Trump is now doing in the United States under his "America First" motto -- all of that helped save young Russia. And Russian gratitude has been directed at Putin, which is reflected in the president's 80 percent approval rating.

The New Russia

The new Russia is visible in many places. A few weeks ago, I traveled through the small western Russian town of Gvardeysk, with only 13,000 inhabitants. The last time I had visited the town was in 1998, just after the great ruble crisis that brought the government to the verge of bankruptcy. The paper mill closed in the wake of that crisis, followed by the reinforced concrete factory and then the cheese factory. The heating plants no longer had any coal, and three-quarters of the inhabitants lived below the poverty line.

It was even cold in the hospital, which lacked medication and even gloves for the surgeons. The army barracks and the prison, which was located in an old castle, were running low on food. In the villages around Gvardeysk, insufficient nourishment and dirty drinking water led to cases of tuberculosis and meningitis.

Now, in 2017, the houses on the central square are freshly painted, a furniture factory has opened as has a meat processing plant and a factory for packaging material. There is a youth center and a gym. And the castle/jail is to be transformed into a tourist attraction.

If you drive eastward, of course, deep into the more rural areas, a different reality emerges, with entire villages dying. But there's no sign of the national state of emergency that paralyzed Russia two decades ago. Especially not in Moscow, which has transformed itself into a modern metropolis, with pedestrian zones, giant supermarkets, jazz clubs and avant-garde theaters, with Wi-Fi in the streets and even below-ground in the metro.

Russian Politics Lacks Feedback Loop

But there is something that hasn't changed in either the capital or in the rest of the country. I recently came across it while reading a notice in my Moscow apartment building that symbolizes a phenomenon that has been part of Russia for centuries and that puts Putin's 80 percent approval rating into context.

The notice pertained to the announcement by the Moscow municipal government of its plan to demolish 4,500 dilapidated apartment buildings. The buildings are five-story prefabricated monstrosities, ugly and often crumbling. But around 1 million Moscow residents are affected by the plan, roughly one-twelfth of the city's overall population. And tthe city government has pushed ahead with its plan so ruthlessly, even shoving a relevant law through parliament at lightning speed, that a storm of indignation broke out -- even in my neighborhood, which isn't home to any of the buildings slated for demolition.

The notice in my building came from an initiative called Muscovites Against the Demolition. They argue that the plan is a disgraceful form of forced resettlement -- that it wasn't just about prefabricated high-rise buildings, but about providing real estate for the construction of profitable high-rises to construction companies with close ties to the government. Residents who refused to move would be forcibly relocated, the notice claimed, and there would be no compensation for renovations carried out by renters. Many of those who owned their apartments, the group argued, would not receive a new residence of equivalent value.

The uproar in Moscow is immense. The government, which had said it wanted to do something good for the city's inhabitants, seemed to be totally surprised by the pushback. Even Putin had to intervene and urge the Russian parliament, the Duma, to slightly modify the law, because a presidential election is scheduled for 2018 and he doesn't need protests from angry citizens.

It's a common story in Russia. Even when the leadership tries to do something good for its people, things go wrong -- because the government takes decisions on its own and then presents them to the people like a Christmas present. And because it tries to realize its projects in a Bolshevik manner. The notion that there could be objections among the people is not something that Russian politicians tend to consider.

The debate about the resettlement of those living in the apartment buildings shows yet again that there is still no feedback loop in the Russian political system. The government doesn't make any serious effort to include the people in its decision-making. Political resolutions are presented either as favors or prohibitions -- which also helps explain the new wave of protests in Moscow and other cities. The people and the government rarely come together in Russia.

Unrequited Love

Writer Viktor Erofeyev once said that it is a country of barriers and "the normal position of the barrier is 'closed.'" He also asked: "The homeland happily allows you to love her, but -- does she also love you back? Does Russia love us?" Erofeyev believes that the Russians' love for Russia isn't based on reciprocity, which is something I've also repeatedly noticed in the past decades. But he believes that the Russians themselves are to blame -- because they don't take sufficient interest in the state.

Several months ago, I had a dispute about this with respected filmmaker and theater director Andrei Konchalovsky. He is turning 80 this year, has made some of Russia's best films and has lived in Hollywood for a long time. Despite our disagreements, we were very close to one another in our views of many things. Konchalovsky says Russians have retained the soul of a peasant over the centuries, arguing that Russians never became citizens in the true sense of the word and always positioned themselves in opposition to the state, because the government is always trying to take something away from them. At the same time, he argues, Russians are so enormously patient that they can more easily accept injustices. He also argues that Russian thinking is Manichean -- that Russians only know black and white.

And then Konchalovsky said that Putin initially thought like a Westerner, but ultimately realized why every Russian ruler struggles to lead this nation: Because its inhabitants, in accordance with an unshakable tradition, freely delegate all their power to a single person, and then wait for that power to take care of them, without doing anything themselves.

In that sense, the relationship between people and state in Russia is a vast misunderstanding. Is a foreigner allowed to say such a thing? I think so. I have been reporting on Russia for over 30 years and lived half of that time in the country. It's clear to me why the liberals associated with Boris Yeltsin failed in the 1990s. Liberalism has no chance in Russia. The people won't allow it.

The strange relationship between many Russians and their government is also manifest in myriad everyday details. Two or three years ago, Moscow's mayor tried solving the parking problem by introducing an online parking system. The charges were low, with an hour usually costing less than a euro. The problem was largely relieved and the system worked for everyone. And then what happened? Muscovites began covering their license-plate numbers so that the inspection vehicles couldn't scan the numbers as they drove, thus making it impossible for them to find any violators.

Another example: For decades, few new streets, let alone highways, have been built in Russia. But now there are plans to build a new highway between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The first stretch, which leads to Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport, is already open. As a toll road, however, it is hardly getting used, despite the relatively low charges. Russia's drivers believe it is a government rip-off and prefer sitting in traffic jams on the old road.

Passivity and Indifference

The notion that citizens must do something for society and that they will get something back is only rarely encountered in Russia. The Russians may honor their actors and poets far more than the Germans do theirs, but they take a skeptical view of the truly creative people, who, in their own way, try to advance the debate about the future direction of the country.

Writer Boris Akunin sells millions of books, but he lives outside the country because he can't stand his government's politics. The same is true of fellow writer Vladimir Sorokin, who was long harassed by political organizations close to the government. Internationally renowned director Kirill Serebrennikov has also been pressured, with police units recently having stormed his theater. His ballet "Nureyev" at the Bolshoi Theater was canceled three days before its premiere after having faced heavy resistance from conservative politicians. The cancellation also affected me, because I had managed to obtain one of the hard-to-get Bolshoi tickets for that evening.

Such overreach bothers only a small number of Russians. Apart from a few voices in the Moscow intelligentsia, there are no protests.
Boumerdes , August 22, 2017 (SPS) - The Speaker of the Sahrawi National Council, Mr., affirmed that the King of Morocco's speech revealed Morocco's long-standing intentions towards Africa in disrupting the African Union's vision of finding a solution to the Sahrawi issue, in a statement to the Sahrawi Press Agency (SPS).

Jatri Adouh pointed out that the King of Morocco's speech undermines the rules of the African Union and ignores all its resolutions relating to the Sahrawi issue, including the recent African Summit resolution which clearly states that Morocco and the Sahrawi Republic should negotiate in the African framework to end this problem between them. "

At the international level, Jatari said that the King's speech ignored the appointment of a new special envoy and did not express Morocco's readiness to cooperate with the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Mr. Koehler. "It proves and confirms Morocco's intransigent position towards a negotiated peaceful solution in order to fulfill the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.

At the Moroccan interior level, he adds, is an attempt to mask Morocco's situation, ignore Moroccan reality and the international and African reality, and an attempt to jump on all these facts, thus would lead to serious consequences. SPS

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Things to do in Delhi

With Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deubas official visit to India approaching, the general public is concerned about whether there will be an attempt to check Nepal,
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Moments before a judge sentenced her to 15 years in prison for abusing three children in her care, a sobbing Lidia Quilligana apologized to the family she had wronged.

I couldnt control myself, Quilligana, 32, said Tuesday through a Superior Court interpreter. Believe me, I loved those children with all my heart. Im sorry a thousand times.

But the apology did little to sway the mother of the children, a 3-year-old girl and 1-year-old twins, who prosecutors said had been tortured by Quilligana. Authorities have said video from a nanny cam showed her holding the 3-year-olds hands and legs to a hot stove, slapping her and dragging her around by their hair.

To be frank, Im not the one you should apologize to, the mother of the victims said in a brief statement to the court. You need to own up to what you did and serve your time. There is no excuse for your behavior.

I cant even fathom what these children went through that wasnt caught on video, added the childrens godmother. I cant imagine spending day after day with this torture. These were all babies.

Court officials said the case was like no other they had seen in their careers.

There was an amount of sustained and depraved cruelty that Ive never seen before, said attorney Sharon Dornfeld, who was appointed to represent the victims. Every parent at some point snaps and does something to their child they later regret. The video shows this case isnt even close to that.

She tortured those children, Dornfeld told Judge Kevin Russo. There is no other way to describe it.

Assistant States Attorney Warren Murray said the video, which was not shown in open court and which the judge ordered sealed last week, covers about 10 days in March 2015.

The abuse occurred virtually every day that we have video for, Murray said. While Lidia may seem petite, she was big enough to casually pick up a 3-year-old girl and swing her around by the hair, much like a track star swings a hammer. It was just so disturbing. Ive never seen anything like it.

Attorney Jenn Tunnard, who represents Quilligana, admitted that the level of abuse was unthinkable, unconscionable and unfathomable, but added that Quilligana had herself suffered from abuse as a child.

Her father, who drank heavily, would hang Lidia and her siblings by their legs and beat them until they bled, she said.

Quilligana disciplined the children in the only way she knew how, Tunnard said.

While the public may see my client as a monster, she is really a sad person who lost control, Tunnard said.

Quilligana, who has three children of her own, was approaching a nervous breakdown in the weeks leading up to the abuse, Tunnard said. She had left two older children behind in Ecuador when she came to the United States, and one had been injured in a car accident a few weeks before the abuse began.

The stress of providing for the childs medical bills had became overwhelming, Quilliganas sister said through the court interpreter.

In our country, you have to pay first before you get medical care, she said. Lidia had spent most of that week up at night trying to figure out how to make more money.

My dad raised us in his own way, by beating us, continued the sister, whose name was not immediately available. As adults, and a mother myself, I realize that was wrong. Here in this country, there are protections for little children, but in our country there isn't.

Before handing down his sentence Judge Kevin Russo asked Quilliganas sister why Quilligana would continue the same kind of abuse she received as a child.

Because she needed help, the sister answered. She didnt get the help she needs.

While handing down his sentence, Russo noted that the theme song from Chuggington, a popular childrens show that teaches morals and values, was playing in the background while Quilligana held the girls legs to the hot stove.

Russo said the defining moment in the video for him was when Quilligana let the girl out of a toy box and ordered her upstairs, only to slap the girl violently in the face when she complied.

As she turned up the stairs, you slapped her, Russo asked Quilligana. For what? She had already complied with your orders.

But what it did was serve as a coming attraction for a horror movie, the judge said. It's clear from her body language that (the girl) had accepted that beatings were part of her 3-year-old life."

In handing down the 15-year sentence, Russo conceded it was inadequate.

The punishment doesnt even come close to fitting the crime, he added.

DPerrefort@newstimes.com
Work-life balance is easy, said no one, ever.

The truth is, the mash-up of work and life has already happened. We are always on, always connected, always reachable. But, we dont have to just live with this new reality. Instead, we can own it and make it as good as possible -- and shape our own happiness.

And part of shaping your own happiness in work and life is knowing when you need to hit the pause button.

Related: Sleep In and Make Millions: Why You Don't Need to Wake Up at 5 A.M.

I try to take a summer vacation every year -- time off to travel and reflect. This year in Paris and Berlin, I was able to fully unplug and spend time hanging out with my son, as well as reading, reflecting and rejuvenating -- to me, the critical three Rs of a meaningful vacation. Critical, because those three Rs are what allow me to come back to my desk refreshed and ready to lead my team (two more Rs).

The benefits of taking time off -- and the risks of not doing so -- are well documented. Research shows that work exhaustion without sufficient recovery increases the odds of health and safety issues. Overwork is a detriment to both ourselves and our companies. It can lead to health problems like impaired sleep, depression, heavy drinking, diabetes, impaired memory and heart disease. For companies, that all equates to disengaged or absent employees, high turnover and rising healthcare costs.

And, working more doesnt actually accomplish more -- working more than 50 hours per week cuts deeply into productivity, and productivity drops off completely after 55 hours.

Related: 10 Habits That Will Dramatically Improve Your Life

Ultimately, weve all felt it: Trying to push forward and ignore exhaustion cuts down on our ability to persevere, to bounce back from difficult days and to feel invested in the work we do.

Its not surprising, then, that employees overwhelmingly rank work-life balance and flexible companies as a major draw. A Justwork's survey earlier this year found that 42 percent of employees would take a lower-paying job if it offered a greater degree of workplace flexibility. And according to research conducted with Fortune 500 companies, employees with higher work flexibility voiced higher levels of job satisfaction and reduced levels of burnout and psychological stress than those with less flexibility.

While true work-life balance can be hard to achieve, business owners can offer and encourage their teams to unplug in order to boost employee happiness, engagement and productivity. We offer unlimited PTO at Justworks to encourage people to take time off and restore the balance in their lives. Weve built a culture where staff can feel like their teams are more than capable of covering for them when they take those breaks.

Related: Lifestyles of the Rich and Frugal: 7 Thrifty Millionaires and Billionaires

But, even if unlimited vacation policies may not be feasible for your company, encouraging staff to take PTO and recharge is beneficial for both your business and your employees. And, trying to make sure people fully unplug by discouraging working vacations and limiting work outside of work hours can go a long way to minimizing employee exhaustion.

You could also consider offering perks like the freedom to work from home or work flexible hours to give employees a little extra freedom and headspace without sacrifice to the company. That kind of flexibility also helps to communicate your appreciation for the hard work they do when they are working. And, by giving your team more say in the actual terms of their commitment to your company, you can both help them feel more empowered and actually strengthen that commitment.

Im lucky enough to love what I do. I love what were building here at Justworks. I love our mission to free entrepreneurs who are serious about taking care of their teams to focus on building their businesses and becoming a great place to work. But, even in love, you need space for yourself. I know that unplugging and taking real time off always helps me come back with renewed energy and a fresh perspective. I encourage my team to do the same, and to make sure their time off is just as meaningful as their time in the office.

But, its not just altruism -- I know that our company benefits, too, when our employees take the time to recharge.

Related:

I Take a Vacation From My Business Every Year. Research Shows Why It's Good for Me -- and My Company.

How to Make Sure Your Business Runs Smoothly While You're on Vacation

The 'Seasonal' Benefits Your Employees Might Really Want: How About a Trip to the Tropics?



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


TU panel falsified National College inspection report

The committee that recommended Tribhuvan University affiliation to National Medical College, Ghattekulo, had apparently submitted a fake inspection report listing non-existent infrastructure and services.
Turning black into white

Money laundering entails masking the original source of funds and letting money fly into the market in secrecy. People involved in money laundering depend on key elements such as expected revenues, laundering costs,
Viral diseases stalk people in landslide-affected areas

Viral diseases have downed hundreds of people in the landslide-affected areas of Phalelung Rural Municipality in Panchthar.
Wildlife affected in floods across protected areas

The recent floods hit hard not only thousands of people in the plains but also wildlife across the Tarai.
An item, initially causing concern that it may an explosive, was detonated after an incident at Carhenge resulted in police response Monday.

Alliance Police Chief John Kiss said in a press release that the Scottsbluff Police Departments bomb squad responded to Carhenge Monday afternoon after officers searching a vehicle discovered a device that appeared to be an explosive device.

Kiss said at about 12:15 p.m., emergency medical services were requested to respond to Carhenge regarding an unresponsive man. Prior to the call, authorities had found a vehicle parked in a no parking zone, which was later determined to be owned by the unresponsive man. Due to heavy traffic congestion, officers were unable to inventory the vehicle for an indentification of the patient and investigating officers searched the vehicle at about 4:15 p.m. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered an item that appeared to be an explosive device.

Police blocked off the area and the Alliance Fire Department assisted several officers. Police also responded to Box Butte General Hospital, where it had been reported the patient allegedly had several items that appeared to be suspicious. Those items were removed from the hospital and taken to the parking lot, where they were cleared and collected as non-explosive with the use of a bomb sniffing dog provided by Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad Police.

The Scottsbluff Police Department bomb squad checked the device at Carhenge and upon first observation, were not satisfied that it was not an explosive. The team destroyed the device, which was later determined not to be an actual explosive device, but had characteristics of being one.

Kiss said the department wanted to thank the Scottsbluff bomb squad, Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad, Alliance Fire Department, Box Butte County Sheriffs Office and the Nebraska State Patrol for assistance in handling the incident.
SCOTTSBLUFF  The Scottsbluff City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance Monday evening authorizing the sale of 354.35 acres of city-owned land east of Scottsbluff to Iowa-based Croell Redi-Mix, and voted 4-1 to approve a contract to sell the land for $548,010  $1,010 more than the value the city had the land appraised for.

Before the public hearing opened to discuss the ordinance, City Manager Nathan Johnson summarized previous public comments, gave a brief history of the property and gave a report about the economic impact of Croells proposed concrete project prepared by Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD).

The direct impact is fairly substantial, your annual labor income is $1,419,000 per-year, Johnson said. If you look at value added, you can add another $2,020,000 to that, so the annual output on a yearly basis is $6,334,000.

Councilman Jordan Colwell asked Johnson if issues raised by Meadowlark Hearth, a local organic farm and seed growing operation that is the immediate neighbor to the west, of the property, were being addressed.

Will there be a berm, and how far are (Croell) going to be from Meadowlark Hearths property?, Colwell said.

The entrance is going to go all the way north as far as it can go, and a berm of some sort  whether thats a concrete barrier, dirt or a build up mound with plantings and stuff like that  are something that (Croell) is looking at, Johnson said. But they have committed to making a buffer zone.

Johnson said the concrete plant itself would be located about a quarter mile east into the property from County Road 26, and that road use would have to be discussed with the county, but that the city and Croell had discussions about paving part of County Road 26 to help with dust mitigation and aid both entities. Johnson also said the county looked favorably on the project.

As with any county in the United States, well-paying jobs with benefits are hard to come by, Johnson said. Having an entity like this that is family owned come to our community and wanting to expand is a huge benefit.

Councilman Scott Shaver said that he appreciated the community input from both sides.

Both sides have stated that they want the other to be successful  location has been the issue, Shaver said. I personally dont need to hear  just me personally  about support for either one, because I think its pretty clear that both sides want the other to succeed.

Shaver said his main concern was if Croell would affect the organic and bio-dynamic certifications of Meadowlark Hearth Farm, and that after thorough research, everything he has found indicates that Croell will have no impact on the farms certifications.

Croell has gone above and beyond in an effort to appease the concerns of the farm, Shaver said. Not wanting specific neighbors isnt a good enough reason not to sell the property. Any zoning issues are going to be on the county and its not something within our control.

Nathan Corymb of Meadowlark Hearth said that the USDA Organic Farming Certification program has been adapted and designed to allow for commercial organic farming regardless of what surrounds it.

For commercial reasons, or political reasons and for legal reasons, there is no recourse to anything basically that the neighbors do, Corymb said. There are certainly circumstances when that buffer zone is not affecting it, but we have been organic farming since well before these standards came into being, and we have our own integrity and standards that are important to us that are above those minimums set by the USDA program.

Several business people and representatives of economic development groups, including Western Nebraska Economic Development and Nebraska Public Power District voiced support for the Croell project.

Adam Reed of Paul Reed Construction said he has done business with the company since Croell bought the Kimball plant about five or six years ago.

In no way shape of form has (Croell) ever tried to hide from anything as far as unquality (sic) product, or have never not stood up to their word, Reed said.

Kurt Croell, president of Croell Redi-Mix, said his family owned business is on its third generation, and that hes all about small towns.

I live in a town of about 500 people. I was born and raised in the house I still live in today, he said. I am from a small town, and I understand what happens in these places and how it works.

Croell said next year will be his companys 50-year anniversary, and it now stretches across seven states, and that while every business has problems, his company wouldnt be where it is if it didnt handle things correctly.

I dont want to have a bad neighbor, and I dont go looking for enemies. I dont need my neighbors to be mad at everything we do, and Im not after that, Croell said. I just want everyone here to know Im not some kind of monster from Iowa, Im just a guy from a small town just like most of us here.

David Kleesang, who owns land north on County Road 27, expressed concern with that the land was for sale was not common knowledge, and that it had many potential uses.

I think thats a fairly significant factor because this land has the possibility for multiple uses, he said. The obvious is the cement plant, thats why Croell is wanting to buy it.

Kleesang said that the land could be used for other purposes, such as agriculture or recreation, and drew contention with the appraised value.

Part of what was stymieing to me with the appraisal was that it was done as sub-irrigated pasture land, he said. There are water rights with this land. Water rights automatically raise the value of this property, and they werent considered in the appraisal.

Kleesang also said that if the land were appraised for recreation, he estimated the value would be five times higher due to the abundant populations of pheasants and deer that inhabit the land.

As far as economic impact of that if it were recreation land, theres a state agency called Game and Parks Commission, and I think they could tell you want kind of impact that would bring, he said.

The contract listed on the City of Scottsbluff lists a closing date of Oct. 1, 2017, so the sale is not immediate. Under a state statute, there is a 30 day window after the passage and publication of the ordinance for those who oppose the sale to submit a remonstrance petition to the council.

The petition can only be signed by registered voters in Scottsbluff who voted in the last regular city election (November 2016). If the petition is signed by 30 percent of the registered voters and filed with the city council, the property shall not then, nor within one year thereafter, be sold.

Croell also needs to go through the process of getting permits from the appropriate county government agencies before the deal can be closed.
By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com Westover and Smith roads, on the far western edge of the county, will get paving priority for 2023. Country commissioners and Scott Schmieder, county road and bridge foreman, decided at last Thursdays commission meeting to go ahead and seal up that corner of the county. That way, graders will not have
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Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu on Monday signed the condolence book opened at the Spanish Embassy in Bucharest in memory of last week's victims of Spain terror attacks.

"I signed today the condolence book opened at the Embassy of Spain to Romania, expressing my regret for the tragedy that happened last week in Barcelona and Cambrils. Innocent victims must remain in our souls, so that no such events happen again. My thoughts also go out to those who were injured in this intolerable attack, and I am wishing them speedy recovery. I am convinced, in the name of the friendship that links our peoples, that we owe ourselves to defend the values of democracy and freedom and cultivate solidarity and dialogue in a world plagued by violence. Only together can we fight against acts of violence and terrorism!," Negrescu says in a Facebook post, according to Agerpres.
Every company in Romania must comply with the law, Deputies' Chamber Speaker Liviu Dragnea, leader of the Social Democrats stated on Tuesday. "I believe every company that is doing business must comply with the law. And I believe that the state institutions, which, of course, are now dealing with more important issues - some pig farms - should be careful if these companies observe the law, and do not take out the profit through all sorts of illegal procedures," Dragnea said in southeastern Calarasi.

According to him, the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) has, as an example, specific verification procedures. "They can check [ANAF - ed.n] these things, whether that really is the entire profit or there are companies that have run for years at a loss, then it means that we have a problem as a country, it means that one cannot make money here, that they make profits in all countries but that in Romania, they have come across (...) heads of institutions, of companies that are weak and unable to make profits here. (...) The question was raised about big companies that do business in Romania and leave little tax in this country," the PSD leader said.

Agerpres...
As young adults head off to college and into close quarters with others in dorms, cafeterias and classrooms, health advocates urge students and their parents to consider a new vaccine that may not be on their radar.

The meningitis B vaccine, federally approved in late 2014, can protect against most B strains of the disease, which account for about 50 percent of all meningitis cases in young adults.

Meningitis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that starts with flu-like symptoms of fever, fatigue and body aches. Teenagers and college students living in close quarters are high-risk groups for the disease. It can be spread by sharing things like cups, utensils, cigarettes and lipstick.

It can be treated with antibiotics if caught early but can escalate quickly to swelling of the brain and spinal cord. Though only about 1,000 people in the U.S. get meningitis each year, it leads to death in 10 percent to 15 percent of cases and can cause permanent brain damage, hearing loss and loss of limbs.

It takes so little to be protected against it and the effects of meningitis are just so devastating, so why risk it? said Jill Thompson, director of strategic initative at Generate Health, a St. Louis regional coalition of organizations and advocates working to improve health.

The coalition has created a toolkit to help area college and universities educate students about meningitis, which includes sample letters to parents and students, informational graphics and social media tools.

We do a lot to keep all those working in the immunization field up to date with this ever-changing field, Thompson said, especially in the area of meningitis.

Many families are just becoming familiar with the combination meningitis vaccine that protects against the A, C, W and Y strains. It involves a shot a about age 11 and then a booster dose after age 16.

Missouri legislation took effect before the 2015-2016 school year requiring every public university student living on campus to get the combination vaccine.

Starting last school year, students entering the eighth and 12th grades in Missouri are also required to have the vaccine. Illinois started requiring it for sixth- and 12th-graders in 2015.

Now the separate meningitis B vaccine has been added to the mix. Because it is new, no laws yet require it, but Missouri legislation passed last year requires all public higher education institutions to educate students about the strain and the vaccine available to prevent it.

The Generate Health initiative is urging all students, not just those living on campus, to get both types of vaccines.

If we can save lives or prevent any disabilities, I think we need to do what we can, said Deborah Artman, an instructor at St. Louis University School of Nursing who is helping lead the initiative by Generate Health.

Artman said she is requiring her public health nursing students this fall to create a student awareness campaign about the new vaccine.

Outbreaks involving the B strain occurred on five college campuses from March 2013 to February 2016, according to the National Meningitis Association. These outbreaks, at Santa Clara University, the University of Oregon, Providence College, Princeton University and the University of California, Santa Barbara resulted in two deaths. One student lost both feet, and some suffered neurological effects.

A University of Missouri student was sickened by the strain in February 2015.

Over the past 10 years in Missouri, 154 people of all ages have been sickened by meningitis, according to state health department data. Of those, B strains were found to cause 34 cases, but the strain was unknown in 40 cases.

Currently, two brands of meningitis B vaccines are available. Both involve a course of two doses. One requires a third dose if a person has been exposed to an outbreak or has other chronic conditions.

Though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states all preteens and teens should get the combination vaccine, it has yet to issue as strong a recommendation for the B strain vaccine. More research is needed to determine how long its protection lasts.

The guiding federal agency states those ages 16 to 23 may get the B strain vaccine, preferably at age 16-18. But those who may have been exposed to an outbreak or have conditions such as a damaged spleen should get it.

Insurance companies may or may not cover the cost, which can range from $125 to $160 per dose if paying out of pocket.

Thompson said pediatricians were already suggesting the vaccine when teens come in for their annual appointments.

Its a deadly disease, and we want to protect our kids, she said.
ST. LOUIS  A St. Louis man caught with child porn by Google was sentenced Tuesday in federal court here to 8 years and one month in prison.

Julien C. Pender, 26, of the 4300 block of Neosho Street, was found with 2,690 still images and 46 videos containing child pornography, court documents say.

The investigation began when Google spotted child porn in an email and alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which notified law enforcement, court records show.

A search of his computer equipment by police in 2014 found the images.

Pender was originally charged in St. Louis Circuit Court in June 2016. The federal charges were filed that October.

Google uses automated systems to analyze emails and other content on its servers to identify child pornography, and reports illegal content to law enforcement.
JEFFERSON CITY  With embattled state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal showing no signs of resigning, the states lieutenant governor formally asked on Tuesday for a special legislative session to remove her.

In another move, Minority Floor Leader Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, stripped Chappelle-Nadal of her committee posts, saying continued service would be a distraction to Senate business.

Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, sparked controversy last week with a quickly deleted Facebook comment saying she hoped President Donald Trump would be assassinated.

Walsh said there was no excuse for the comments. We need to respect the office of all elected officials, she said.

In a letter obtained by the Post-Dispatch, Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, asks Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, to help launch a special legislative session.

I am calling on you to exercise your authority as Majority Floor Leader to begin the process for calling a special session, with the purpose of expelling Senator Chappelle-Nadal from the Missouri Senate, the letter reads.

The letter, dated Tuesday, goes on to cite Article III Section 18 of the state Constitution, which says the Senate may expel one of its members upon a two-thirds vote.

Though governors typically call special sessions, the Legislature can call itself in with a three-fourths vote of members in each chamber, according to the state constitution.

The recent inflammatory comments made by Senator Chappelle-Nadal are unacceptable and unbefitting conduct of a Missouri State Senator, the letter reads. It continues, I do not make this request of you lightly, but you and I know it is the right course of action to take for the people of Missouri.

Democrats such as U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill and state party Chairman Stephen Webber have called on Chappelle-Nadal to resign, but she has so far resisted.

Parsons letter is courtesy copied to Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, and Walsh.

In a statement, Richard said he would strip Chappelle-Nadal of any appointments over which he has jurisdiction. He also reiterated his desire for Chappelle-Nadal to resign.

If she continues to refuse to resign, expulsion is the next appropriate course of action, Richard said Tuesday.

Kehoe could not be reached for comment on Parsons letter.

Walsh said she stripped Chappelle-Nadal of her committee assignments but was not calling on her to resign. She said Chappelle-Nadal would have to decide what was best for herself and her constituents.

Walsh also said she would not necessarily vote to expel Chappelle-Nadal.

Today I wouldnt, Walsh said. I want to have all the information before me. And somebody may say its a cop-out but its not. ... She will be subjected to due process.

On Sunday, Chappelle-Nadal held a news conference in Ferguson, flanked by supporters, in which she apologized to Trump.

I am a servant of God, and I am a servant of the people I represent. And I failed them both recently, Chappelle-Nadal said Sunday. I have learned my lesson.

She did not return two requests for comment on Tuesday.

It is unclear how the process to unseat Chappelle-Nadal would work. Parsons letter does not elaborate. A request for comment to his office was not returned Tuesday.

In a news conference Friday, Parson said he would ask Attorney General Josh Hawley for clarity about the constitutions expulsion provision.

A spokeswoman for the attorney general said Hawley received Parsons request Tuesday and was reviewing it.

In a statement, Hawley said that it was unlawful to threaten the president and that Chappelle-Nadal should resign.

Expulsion proceedings havent been launched in the Missouri Senate in more than 70 years. In 1945, Sen. Joseph Falzone, R-Clayton, was charged by a special panel of senators with soliciting a $1,500 bribe.

That panel recommended expulsion if the full Senate convicted him. The Senate held a trial in its chamber. On the trials fourth day, Falzone resigned.
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Police are investigating after arsonists set a wheelie bin on fire - with the blaze spreading to a nearby flat.

Firefighters were called to West Avenue in Crewe shortly before 2.30am on Monday morning.

An investigation showed the fire had been started deliberately and Cheshire Police are now appealing for information.

A Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said one fire engine from Crewe had dealt with the blaze.

She said: "A wheelie bin fire, which affected a nearby property by setting light to the curtains of a flat, was extinguished using one hose reel.

"The curtain fire was out on arrival of the firefighters, who believe the fire may have been started deliberately."

She added: "If anyone knows anything about who may have started this fire they should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
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A barbers' shop is hoping to be a cut above the competition after moving into bigger premises.

Barnets old base in Parliament Row, Hanley is due to be demolished, so it has now relocated to Tontine Street.

The spacious unit has given the barbers more room for manoeuvre while cutting hair.

It also offers a relaxed approach to haircuts in a comfortable setting, with customers even being able to play video games and use a foosball table while they wait.

The shop has trained up a staff of barbers and is now also looking to create more jobs.

Owner Ryan Morgan, aged 31, from Basford, said: It is a new shop and is much bigger than the one we had before.

I have three lads who have gone through college and I will be looking for another.

It has been a really busy few months getting the shop ready, but its all worth it now.

It is a better location for us, with more footfall, and we are away from the negative aspects of being in Parliament Row.

We would like customers to feel welcomed and comfortable here. Thats why we have the video games and the foosball for people to use.

I am relieved that we are finally open. It was a shame in a way to move from our home of six years, but its a good location and we have more space.

To celebrate the launch of the new premises, Barnet is taking part in The Sentinels Shop local scheme. It is offering 20 per cent off for students on Mondays, 25 per cent off OAPs on Tuesdays, 25 per cent off for people in public service on Wednesdays, and 20 per cent off for lads and dads on Thursdays.

Matthew Bryan is a barber in the shop. The 22-year-old, from Weston Coyney, said: I have been working here for five years and I trained here.

This shop is much better. Its a lot bigger, which gives us more space to work in and is a better location for us in Hanley.

Its the sort of place that people want to come to and, having more space, also makes it better for the customers.

The shop looks brilliant and it is a fun place to work. Its become like a family business.

The other two barbers that work in the shop are Ben Jones, aged 17, and George Cotton, aged 18.

The shop is open Monday to Saturday, between 9am and 5.30pm, except on Thursdays when it is open until 7pm.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that a joint operation with Iran against Kurdish militants was always on the agenda, a week after Tehrans top armed forces commander visited Ankara for rare talks.

Turkey has battled the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for decades, while the Iranian security forces have also fought its affiliate, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). Both groups have rear bases in neighboring Iraq.

It is always on the agenda to carry out a joint operation with Iran against those terror organizations which pose a threat, Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before a trip to Jordan.

His comments came after Irans Armed Forces chief of staff General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri visited Turkey last week, with the two sides discussing ways to cooperate against the militants.

During the visit, Iran made a surprise proposal to Ankara to launch a joint operation against Kurdish militants in northern Iraqs Kandil and Sinjar regions, the Turkish newspaper Turkiye reported on its front page on Monday.

The newspaper claimed the proposal sparked surprise in Ankara because Turkish officials had long complained that Tehran had long left Turkey alone in its fight against the PKKs cadres, financial structuring and political activities.

Erdogan confirmed that the two countries military chiefs discussed how to work against Kurdish militants.

The work will continue because you know that the PKK terror organization has a foot in Iran, he said.

They always cause harm to Iran and to us. We work because we believe that if the two countries cooperate, we can reach a conclusion in a much shorter period of time, he said.

I hope that we will get a successful result there, he added, without offering further details on the timing or scope of the operation.

The PKK is designated as a terror group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

The Turkish army has been waging a relentless campaign in the last months to eradicate the PKK, and occasionally launches air raids against the groups bases in northern Iraq.

Ankara has long complained Iran has ignored its appeal for a joint campaign against the Kurdish insurgency.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry is criticising Saudi Arabia's decision to fly Qatari pilgrims to the kingdom only on Saudi aircraft as illogical and cautioned against exploiting Haj as a tool for political manipulation.

The ministry's statement, released on Tuesday on the state-run Qatar News Agency, also criticised Saudi King Salman's offer to fly Qatari pilgrims at his expense. It said the state of Qatar and Qatari pilgrims don't need aid in terms of covering the cost of Haj and portraying it as a charity.

Last week, Saudi Arabia unilaterally reopened its border with Qatar to allow Qataris to perform Haj amid a months-long rift between the neighbouring countries.

The annual pilgrimage is performed at Islam's holiest site in Makkah.
The state of the roading network around the Coromandel will be the focus of a public forum being held early next month.

The forum is an opportunity for the public to meet with agencies including the New Zealand Transport Agency to discuss planned maintenance and priorities for future improvements to the Coromandels State Highway network including SH25 and SH25a.

Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie, who has arranged the meeting, says the forum will allow for discussions regarding roading across the entire district.

"Recently the Coromandel Business Association hosted a similar public meeting at Coromandel Town, inviting NZTA representatives to discuss the situation over slips along the Thames Coast Road (SH25) which has seen on-going road closures, affecting the upper Coromandel Peninsula for the past several months.

"This roading public forum will be along similar lines, but will encompass the entire district roading network, not just the Thames Coast Rd.

The public forum is on Wednesday, September 6, 5.30pm at the Thames Civic Centre Conference Room, Mary St, Thames.
More than 120 people gathered at Mount Drury this morning for Mount Unity Mass Meditation.

The mass meditation event allowed those in attendance to connect globally through meditation and occurred in conjunction with another mass meditation event in Mount Shasta, California, who played witness to a Total Solar Eclipse.

Gisele Martins, who attended the event, says she believes it brought peace and unity amongst the community.

I felt at home, perhaps for being in my heart and in the same time supported by a community that also believes in the essence of love.

I also felt hopeful for human race. Most of the time we are bombarded with negative and sad news, but there is always good on Earth, we just need to recognise it.

I believe its important people come together to break any apparent differences, such as nationality, colour, gender, culture, sexuality and so on, to understand we are all one human race.

It is very peaceful to be in silence in the midst of stunning nature surroundings, such as the trees, ocean and sky.

The ceremony began at 6am, after being opened by one of its organisers Victoria Ashley who beat a small drum.

Other organisers include Angela Bowerman, Mataora Rongoa Hotoke and Jinyoo Shun.

Angela says the event was an all-round success.

It went really well, everyone was really happy and the sunrise was amazing this morning, it was so bright and really different.

She says that plans are already under way to host the next event at the top of Mount Maunganui.

The reason I chose Mount Drury is because I heard there were children and elderly people coming, and we really didnt want them to miss out because they were still making it up the mountain.

Were thinking it will be perfect to do the next event on the Mount.
A woman pulled from the Waikato River following a crash in the weekend has died.

It was initially reported that the woman died at the scene of the crash at the intersection of State Highway 1 and Shakespeare Street on Saturday, but police later reported the 60-year-old woman was taken to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition.

Police have confirmed today that the woman died in the hospitals intensive care unit on Monday afternoon.

The man who was in the vehicle with her when it crashed into the Waikato River is in moderate condition in Waikato Hospital.

The ute the pair were in plunged 10 metres into the river near Cambridge.

Bystanders who witnessed the crash rushed to the scene to help.

The Police Serious Crash Unit is investigating.
Bulldozers moved in on Monday to start the demolition of the home of a British couple in Almayate, Velez-Malaga.

Despite the local and international media attention the case has received and the support of SOHA (Save Our Homes Axarquia) and a series of meetings with architects, the mayor and solicitors, the couple have lost their fight against the demolition order.

Gill and Bob Ward, a retired couple from Cornwall, bought the property that was part of an old farmhouse in 2004 and, as it was a ruin, as Gill told SUR in English in July, they sought planning permission from Velez-Malaga town hall to rebuild it.

Some time into the project the original facade, which had to be retained to comply with the licence, collapsed, or so they were told by the architect, who assured them that it wouldnt be a problem. The architect subsequently resigned from the project. However, the work was completed and the Wards moved into the property.

A series of court appearances ensued, one of which led to Gill being advised by her solicitor to plead guilty to a criminal offence of "knowingly building illegally without the correct licence", she explained.

Having heard nothing for two years after presenting a new permit to the court, the couple assumed that all was well and continued to live in the property until they received a letter from Velez-Malaga town hall on 5 July this year advising them that the house would be demolished on 17 July. This time the house was saved by a court order temporarily denying the demolition workers access to the property.

However, it later transpired that the house did not only fail to comply with the building licence but that it was also on "non-urbanisable" land and a further letter was sent from the court saying that if the house wasnt pulled down then the town hall and mayor would face legal action.

The couple were unable to go for AFO and if they had come to us much earlier we may have been able to do more to help, Phillip Smalley, President of SOHA told SUR in English on Tuesday.

AFO refers to "asimilado fuera de ordenacion" - a semi legal status given to some houses built on land not designated for construction.

Smalley added that another house on the same land, belonging to a Spanish citizen, was also pulled down earlier this month.

Gill and Bob are currently staying in a friends flat in Torre del Mar and looking for somewhere affordable to live. We dont have a house in England. Our life is here in Spain, the couple told SUR in English in July.

The couples daughter-in-law, Emma Baker, who lives in Torrox and who has been acting as their spokesperson told SUR this week, Were going to get in touch with the British Consulate in Spain to see what kind of help they can offer us and if the Spanish justice system hasnt listened to us we will approach the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
The recent terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils last week have outraged the world. The attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people, and left more than 100 injured, happened during the height of the summer season when thousands of tourists were enjoying their annual holidays.

Amazingly, just 24 hours later, the people returned to the Las Ramblas boulevard, as if unperturbed by the previous days atrocities. They were obviously still in shock and disturbed by the whole affair, but they were determined to show the so-called Islamic State that they would not be beaten.

The same attitude could be found on the Costa del Sol, where many visiting tourists said they felt at no extra risk following the latest incidents in Catalonia.

Ashleigh, a former British soldier, was visiting Torremolinos with his wife and two young children for the first time. He claims that the recent attacks, both here and in Britain, have not deterred him at all.

"We can't let it change the way we live"

The attacks in Manchester brought it to our doorstep, but this is happening all over Europe and we can't let this change the way we live our lives. The only thing we do not consider now is taking a holiday in a Muslim country like Tunisia or Turkey, Ashleigh told SUR in English.

His wife, Zoey, was not quite as confident and she admitted that if they were due to come to Spain after the attacks had taken place, she would have been a little more worried, although it would not have stopped her from coming.

You cant let it scare you too much, you cannot just stay indoors, but it is worrying, especially when you have young children, Zoey said.

Mary and Fergus from Cheshire were also defiant in their stand against terrorism and they were adamant they would not let it destroy their holiday.

We been coming here for many years now and it hasnt changed anything. Of course, you have to be aware of the situation, but you need to do this wherever you are today, Mary explained.

The Beasley family. / T. BRYANT

Wary of large events

Peter and Lynn Beasley, from South Wales, were on holiday with their grandchildren in Benalmadena when the terrorists struck last week.

This has definitely made us more alert and we would think twice about going to a large event that is accessible to vehicles, but it wont stop us coming to Spain, because these attacks can happen anywhere, Peter said.

However, Ana and Diego Garcia, from Cordoba, were quite concerned at the possibility of more attacks on Spanish tourist areas.

We need to be very careful now, because we do not know where these people are and what they intend to do next. We have not had any attacks recently, but this really brings the problem closer to home, Diego declared.

In general, the tourists and visitors on the Costa del Sol seem to be enjoying the holiday season and going about their business as usual, determined not to let the terrorist win, and even the possibility of more attacks will not deter most people from taking their holidays here in the future.
The four surviving suspected terrorists arrested following last week's attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, Salh El Karib, Driss Oukabir, Mohamed Houli Chemlal and Mohamed Aalla, appeared in court on Tuesday.

Driss Oukabir, told judge Fernando Andreu and prosecutors that he rented the vans used in the attacks as instructed by members of the terrorist cell who said they were for "removals", said judicial sources.

The 26-year-old Oukabir, who lived in Ripoll (Gerona), where the young members of the cell were apparently drawn into terrorism by a local imam, was arrested close to his local police station on the day of the attacks. He had reported the theft of his ID documents, which were found inside the van used to kill 13 pedestrians in Las Ramblas. He later said that he had reported the theft "out of fear".

Oukabir, who was remanded in custody without bail, has denied links with the terrorist cell that his 17-year-old brother Moussa had belonged to.

Moussa was one of the five terrorists who were shot dead by police when they attempted to run over pedestrians in Cambrils (Tarragona) late last Thursday night.

Explosion survivor

Another of the four suspects questioned by the judge on Tuesday and sent to jail without bail was Mohamed Houli Chemlal. Houli, 21, was injured in the explosion on Wednesday last week - the day before the Barcelona attacks - in a house occupied by squatters in the town of Alcanar (Tarragona). According to judicial sources the Melilla-born suspect confirmed in court that the house was being used to prepare "one or several bigger attacks" and that this had been going on for "a long time, more than six months", according to police chief Josep Lluis Trapero.

The explosion, caused by the cell's attempts to build bombs in the house using gas cylinders and chemicals, among other materials, apparently cut short plans to cause the biggest chain of Jihadist terror attacks ever seen in Europe. The remains of two bodies were found in the rubble, one of them the imam from Ripoll, allegedly the leader of the cell, Abdelbaki es Satty.

The other two arrested suspects are Mohamed Aalla, the owner of the Audi A3 used in the attack in Cambrils, and Salh El Karib, the owner of a call centre in Ripoll. The judge has postponed his decision regarding El Karib for a maximum of 72 hours until the results of a search of his business are analysed.

Aalla has been granted provisional bail as the judge saw no evidence to warrant his being sent to prison. He has been ordered to report to the court once a week and has had his passport confiscated.

The four suspects are the only surviving alleged members of the terror cell after six others were shot dead during the police operation (five in Cambrils and the driver of the van used in the Barcelona attack, Younes Abouyaaqoub, on Monday) and two died in the explosion in Alcanar.
The Australian-first Aerostructures Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) will bring together the best of Victorias aerospace research, design and manufacturing leaders to work with industry on the next generation of air mobility.
As Russians seized parts of eastern and southern Ukraine in the opening stages of the war, mayors, civilian administrators and others say they have been abducted, threatened or beaten to force their cooperation. In some instances, they have been killed. Human rights activists say these actions could constitute a war crime. Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov said he was abducted from his office and the bullying and threats did not stop for a minute." He said they tried to force him to continue in his role but he refused. After six days in detention and an intervention from Ukraine's president, he was exchanged for nine Russian prisoners of war and expelled from the occupied city.
WASHINGTON -- JetBlue Airways said Tuesday it will begin new service from Syracuse to Boston, and it's marking the occasion with a two-day introductory sale of $59 for a one-way ticket.

The nonstop daily flights between Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport will begin Jan. 4, 2018 and operate year-round, JetBlue officials said.

The $59 sale tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, the airline said. The sale fare is good for travel on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday between Jan. 4 and Feb. 14, 2018.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Syracuse aviation officials asked JetBlue this month to consider adding the service because travelers from Syracuse had the option of only one direct flight per day to Boston. That service is offered by American Airlines.

Schumer said a new direct route to Boston would boost competition among airlines in Syracuse and open a gateway for travelers to other major cities, including the Caribbean and Latin America, through connections in Boston.

JetBlue officials said Tuesday it made sense to expand in two of its two biggest markets -- New York state and Boston.

John Checketts, vice president of network planning at JetBlue, said "with the addition of the Boston flights, JetBlue will now offer nonstop service and low fares between Syracuse and four of our focus cities stretching from Florida to New England."

JetBlue has become Boston's largest airline, with up to 150 daily departures. Syracuse will be the 64th nonstop destination from Logan Airport.

JetBlue will launch the new service Jan. 4 with a daily flight on an Embraer 190 jet (with two-by-two seating) departing Syracuse at 5:40 a.m. and arriving in Boston at 7 a.m., the airline said. The nonstop flight from Boston to Syracuse will depart daily at 10:10 p.m. and arrive at 11:35 p.m.

Schumer said the JetBlue expansion should help bring lower fares and more flight options to Syracuse travelers. The airline added seasonal direct flights from Syracuse to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 2015. That service began with $79 one-way fare sale.

"Today's announcement is great news for Central New York passengers and businesses, and will allow JetBlue to build on their strong presence here in Upstate New York," Schumer said. "There is a clear demand for more flights from Syracuse to Boston and I am pleased JetBlue examined this option and responded so positively to our calls."

Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police were called to a shooting Monday night across the street from where dozens of people had gathered to remember a homicide victim.

Family and friends of Shawndell Anderson had gathered outside a relative's house in the 2900 block of South Salina Street Monday night. They lit candles, looked at photos and prayed for the 30-year-old father who was stabbed to death Saturday in Watertown.

"We were talking and people started running and screaming," Anderson's brother, Andre Greenwood, of Syracuse. "It was scary."

Onondaga County 911 Center dispatchers said they received a report of a shooting at 10:04 p.m. at 2908 S. Salina St., near West LaFayette and West Corning avenues. Syracuse police and firefighters, and American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance responded.

Several people told police they had heard the gunshot. Officers then learned someone may have been hurt in the shooting, but left the area, police Sgt. Richard Helterline said in a news release.

At 10:59 p.m., while officers continued to check the area for the victim and evidence, they learned a 35-year-old man had arrived in a private vehicle at Upstate University Hospital with a gunshot wound to the hip, Helterline said in the release. The man's injury does not appear to be life-threatening, police said.

"The victim was not cooperative with investigating officers and refused to provide information about the incident," Helterline said in the release.

Syracuse police say they have no suspect information and they do not know for sure whether the victim was in the area for the vigil or other reasons.

Shortly after the shooting Monday night, Greenwood said he was not exactly sure what had happened across the street during the vigil for his brother.

"We heard what we thought was a firecracker," he said.

But it was actually gunfire.

"It was a small pop," he said.

Within a minute or two, he saw police cars across the street and people running and screaming.

"We panicked," Greenwood said. "We didn't know what was going on. I grabbed my mom and grandma, and made sure all the kids were safe."

They went inside a relative's house on South Salina Street and continued to pray.

"We prayed everything would be alright," he said.

Police cars eventually left and those who had come for the vigil left. Greenwood said about 50 to 60 people attended the candlelight vigil for his brother. They remembered Anderson as someone who would help others and who wanted to stay out of trouble.

Anderson served time in state prison earlier this year for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and third-degree criminal sale of a firearm, according to the state Department of Corrections website.

Watertown police have said they do not think that played any role in the stabbing.

In 2011, Anderson survived a shooting in Syracuse, records show.

About a month ago, Anderson moved from Syracuse to Watertown with his girlfriend and their 9-month-old son "because they didn't think it was safe here," Greenwood said.

Anderson was still looking for a job when he was killed this weekend, his brother said.

Watertown police charged 34-year-old Christopher Swem, of Watertown, on Sunday with second-degree murder in Anderson's death. Swem is accused of stabbing Anderson multiple times.

Greenwood said he is still waiting for answers to why his brother was killed, but WWNY-TV in Watertown reported that a fight started between Swem and Anderson when a television was knocked over.

Swem remains at the Jefferson County jail, records show.

Syracuse police ask anyone with information about Monday night's shooting to call their Criminal Investigations Division at (315) 442-5222.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Shaleek Carrears, an energetic 8-year-old who loved to dance and do back flips, dreamed of growing up to be a ninja, said his father, Jermaine Moore.

"He wanted to become a ninja so he could protect Daddy," Moore said.

Moore sat outside his family's home on Hartson Street in Syracuse reliving memories of his son now gone from him.

Shaleek, a second grader at Porter Elementary School, was shot and killed inside his family's home at 107 Hartson St. about 2:30 a.m. Monday. His 9-year-old brother accidentally shot Shaleek.

The brother is traumatized by what happened, according to Moore and other family members.

Moore wouldn't talk to a reporter about the shooting or the unlicensed gun, which prosecutors say belonged to him. But a neighbor said after the shooting the young boy thought it was a toy gun.

No charges have been filed, but Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said Monday that police and prosecutors are looking at whether to charge the boys' father for keeping the unlicensed Glock 9 mm handgun.

The neighbor, Frederick Powers Sr., said he was with Moore in the front yard early Monday when they heard a shot from inside the house.

The boy's mother, Jennifer Carrears, was yelling for help from inside the home, where Shaleek and his six siblings lived.

By Monday afternoon, stuffed animals had been placed in a red Radio Flyer wagon and on a child's desk adorned with candles and balloons outside the home.

Clifford Ryans -- of O.G.'s Against Violence, an anti-street violence group -- stood for several hours on Hartson Street with a sign that read: "We love our kids. Come together as one."

"I'm out here showing respect to the family and teaching the little children not to touch guns," Ryans said. "The family is going through a difficult time. It's tragic."

Children played out front, while friends and family did their best to comfort Moore and Carrears as they quietly mourned their son.

Kenya Mobley, a family friend, said her 6-year-old son, DJ Haynes, was close friends with Shaleek. Her son would pretend to be Jackie Chan, while Shaleek pretended to be Bruce Lee. They would play around, showing off their karate moves.

"It's going to be rough," Mobley said of Shaleek's death. "I told my son, but he doesn't really know what's going on. But when he does, I'll be there for him. I'll be there for (Shaleek's family), too."

In between tears, Moore smiled he as remembered his son's Bruce Lee moves, back flips and energy.

Moments later, as he sat on his front step across from the vigil for Shaleek, Moore stared at the street corner of Hartson and South Geddes streets.

"I'm still waiting for him to turn the corner," Moore said.

Shaleek and two of his siblings often rode bikes to Sabatino's Pizza, Deli & Grocery store, a couple blocks from their home, their father said.

Shaleek collected cans and bottles, and did chores to earn money to buy treats at the store, his father said. Behind a metal chain link fence in their yard sat a grocery cart filled with dozens of Shaleek's cans and bottles.

His cousin, Jenee Moore, 21, and another family member, Chelsie Deuel, 19, said they will always remember how Shaleek loved to dance to hip-hop music and how "he flipped anywhere he could as long as there was a cushion," Deuel said.

Jermaine Moore said he taught his son to flip.

"As soon as I taught him his first back flip, he took off," he said, crying. "Now he'll never do one again. I just miss my baby."

To help

The Rev. Rickey Montgomery, of the Great Grace Church, said he is organizing a collection to help the Moore-Carrears family pay for Shaleek's funeral. Donations can be mailed to or dropped off at Great Grace Church, 411 Oswego St., Syracuse 13204.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- While Syracuse School Superintendent Jaime Alicea is encouraged by the modest improvement in student English and math test scores, he said "... there are still far too many students who are not scoring proficient on these exams."

The state Education Department reported today 13.1 percent of Syracuse students in grades 3 through 8 scored at a proficient level on English language arts exams this year, up from 10.9 percent in 2016.

Statewide, 39.8 percent of students scored at the proficient level, up from 37.9 percent in 2016.

On math exams, 11 percent of Syracuse students scored at the proficient level, up from 10.4 percent last year.

By comparison, 40.2 percent of students statewide scored at the proficient level, up from 39.1 percent last year.

"While these test scores do not define our students or our teachers they are one way we are measured by New York state and we must continue to improve," Alicea said in a prepared statement. "As a district our goal is to have all students reach proficiency so that they are college and career ready."

Here's what he said the district is doing to improve:

It has added early literacy coaches, a writing coach and a reading intervention coach to provide additional support for students and staff.

The district is modifying the English language arts curriculum and providing intervention materials for struggling students.

In mathematics the district is providing professional development for grades 3 through 8 teachers.

The district has added five English as a new language teachers and additional staff to support English as a new language students.

The district is working to help parents become more engaged in their children's academic success.

Contact James T. Mulder anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-470-2245
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Google on Monday pulled the wraps off the latest version of its Android mobile operating system.

Version 8.0 Oreo has a number of improvements over 7.1 Nougat, the previous release of the OS.

Google has tweaked Androids notification feature, for instance, so when an app has notifications pending, a dot appears in a corner of the programs icon. Press the dot and a window will pop up showing the notifications, which can be cleared with a swipe.

In addition, theres an Instant App feature for entering new apps directly from a browser without any intervening steps.

Theres also a new Autofill feature for faster logins to services and apps.

Picture in Picture

Picture in Picture, another new addition, lets you watch a video in a small window on a devices screen while you work on something else, such as a document or email.

In addition, bootup is two times faster than with previous versions of the OS. The new Android minimizes background activity in rarely used apps, which will help extend a devices battery life.

The latest Android supports a wide range of colors and it has better audio. Sonys LDAC codec has been incorporated into the OS, which should improve the Bluetooth A2DP protocol, which is used to communicate with wireless speakers.

There are also some camera improvements in the new Android. Double-tapping the display in the camera app, for instance, takes your shot to 50 percent zoom fast.

A button has been added to toggle between still and video modes.

Better Security

The new OS has a totally revamped set of emojis.

One of the biggest interface changes by Google is taking steps to make icons more consistent both in size and style, and the addition of badges, which Apple has had in iOS for many years, said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.

In addition to notification dots, there are notification channels.

Opting into notifications is no longer all or nothing, Rubin told LinuxInsider. You can choose what kinds of notifications to receive, although thats left up to the developer to support.

Security has been beefed up in Oreo, noted Sameer Samat, Googles vice president of product management for Android and Google Play.

Android Oreo is more secure with Google Play Protect built in, security status front and center in settings, and tighter app install controls, he noted.

Great Mobile Experience

Although the new additions to Androids interface appear modest, the changes under the hood could bring smiles to users with both new and old hardware.

With Oreo, Google is revisiting how Android is architected for a great mobile experience, said Jeff Orr, senior practice director for mobile devices at ABI Research.

Its not uncommon for Android users to complain about a new version of the OS sapping their phones performance with new features and pushing them toward buying a new phone.

My impression is that Android Oreo is going to assist greatly in providing a great experience, not only for new device owners that get Oreo out of the box, but also for owners of devices running older versions of the OS, Orr told LinuxInsider.

Modest change can be a good thing for users, suggested Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

I dont think anyone wants to see a brand new version of a handset operating system, he told LinuxInsider.

What they want to see is a better system with improved security, improved apps, improved battery efficiency and so forth, McGregor said. Thats what Google is doing  making evolutionary changes, not revolutionary changes.

Coming Soon

It takes a while for new versions of Android to gain a significant following. For example, Android 6.0 Marshmallow is running on almost a third (32.3 percent) of the phones with the Google OS, according to the Android Development Dashboard.

Android 7.0 and 7.1 Nougat, have a 13.5 percent phone share; 5.0 and 5.1 Lollipop have a 29.2 percent share, and 4.4 KitKat has 16 percent.

Nevertheless, the wheels are turning to bring Oreo into the mainstream, according to Samat.

Pixel and Nexus 5X/6P builds have entered carrier testing, he noted, and Google expects to start a phased rollout soon, alongside Pixel C and Nexus Player.

The company has been working closely with its partners, Samat said, and by the end of this year, hardware makers including Essential, General Mobile, HMD Global (Home of Nokia Phones), Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony are scheduled to launch or upgrade devices to Android 8.0 Oreo.
The next version of Microsofts HoloLens may be better at navigating reality than the current version of the mixed-reality headset, thanks to a new coprocessor the company announced Sunday.

The second version of HoloLens custom multiprocessor  called a holographic processing unit, or HPU  will incorporate artificial intelligence technology, Harry Shum, executive vice president of the Artificial Intelligence and Research Group, said at the annual CVPR computer vision event.

The new HPU will enable HoloLens to do the kind of deep learning processing that typically is done only in the cloud.

HoloLens is designed to be a self-contained holographic computer  battery, sensors and display are contained in the headset. The HPU allows the headset to negotiate reality without experience-killing latency.

Once you get the pattern algorithms straightened out, you want to run them locally because users cant deal with any information lag, said Jack E. Gold, principal analyst at J.Gold Associates.

Its got to be local and instantaneous, he told TechNewsWorld. Latency kills you in these mixed-reality applications.

Adding an AI coprocessor to HoloLens is the kind of thinking you need if youre going to develop mixed reality devices that are themselves intelligent, noted Marc Pollefeys, director of science at HoloLens.

Mixed reality and artificial intelligence represent the future of computing, and were excited to be advancing this frontier, he added.

Beneficial Addition

HoloLens will benefit from the addition of AI silicon, according to Eric Abbruzzese, a senior analyst with ABI Research.

Higher accuracy in head tracking and georegistering content  locking digital content to the real world  is the primary benefit, with the side effect of a platform gradually growing in capability, he told TechNewsWorld.

The additional silicon could boost performance and user safety, said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.

With a high performance AI chip, less processing needs to be done in the cloud, and therefore HoloLens could be faster, more secure and more private, he told TechNewsWorld.

That speed could have another benefit to the HoloLens ecosystem.

It could lead to entirely new kinds and classes of [augmented reality] solutions for consumers and businesses, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

Trending Approach

Microsoft isnt alone in thinking that more processing has to be done at the endpoints of a network, especially in light of the projected growth of the Internet of Things.

Were seeing people bringing artificial intelligence and machine learning to specific silicon at the endpoint, said Bob ODonnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.

Were seeing efforts to take real-time sensor input and apply algorithms to that without having to go to the cloud, he told TechNewsWorld. Companies are increasingly realizing that to do cutting-edge products, they have to do their own silicon.

Microsoft and others are recognizing that when doing compute-intensive tasks at the networks edge, they should be done as close to the source of the data as possible, noted Mark Hung, a research vice president at Gartner.

It makes for a better experience for the user and reduces latency and the costs of communication, and the burden on cloud services, he told TechNewsWorld.

Microsoft is thinking long-term and saying lets do this now and get ahead of the curve, Gold added. Everyone at the high end of the AR market is going to have to do something similar.

Impact on AR Market

The addition of AI silicon to HoloLens will help Microsoft maintain its leading position in the AR/MR market, noted Ian Hughes, an Internet of Things analyst at 451 Research.

Adding to the next devices processing power with additional AI will keep the company at the forefront of AR development, he told TechNewsWorld.

Maintaining that leadership position is very important to Microsoft.

Thats a critical issue considering the fact that every major Microsoft competitor, including Apple and Google, are developing similar platforms in-house, Pund-ITs King told TechNewsWorld.

Beefing up HoloLens AI chops could have a significant impact on the AR market, noted David MacQueen, executive director for apps and media at Strategy Analytics.

I think having such a major player  and a very serious player when it comes to the enterprise sector  building in this technology will see it become more commonplace in the AR market, he told TechNewsWorld.

It could push AR ahead of VR, said King, in terms of market share and impact.
On November 11, the EU announced the renewal, until November 14, 2023, of the sanctions against officials linked to the Administration of Nicolas Maduro. | Read More
1. Yes. The ordinance goes against state law and is not in the best interest of the cities.

2. Yes. At the very least, it should be amended to give police officers some discretion.

3. No. Voters approved the ordinance by large majorities; the councils cant ignore that fact.

4. No. The petition process has to be given a chance to work. Leave the ordinance alone.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the cities should move forward regarding the ordinance.

Vote

View Results
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Louisiana leaders met with the newly minted head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday to discuss the threat of severe weather as the state braces for the peak of hurricane season.

"We're particularly worried about the remainder of this hurricane season," Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a news conference after a closed-to-media meeting with FEMA administrator Brock Long. "We know that there are a lot of improvements that we can continue to make in the aftermath of disasters  but there are also ways that we can prepare for (disasters)."

Edwards, Long, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and other emergency response leaders took part in "table top" drills for emergency scenarios during the meeting, which took place at the Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 but is generally more active from mid-August to late October.

"As we come into the heart of hurricane season, it's important for everyone in the state of Louisiana and importantly in the city of New Orleans to fully understand the hazards that you face," said Long, who has been on the job at the forefront of the nation's disaster response since his U.S. Senate confirmation in June. "Not only do you need to understand that vulnerability but what actions you need to take."

Long and Edwards have been in regular contact over the past two months on issues related to hurricane preparation, as well as the state's ongoing recovery from historic floods last year.

"FEMA, under my leadership, is going to constantly try to work to streamline recovery and reduce complexity as much as we can," Long said of his approach to leading the federal agency.

Tuesday's meeting came as forecasters predicted the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey could gain a resurgence in the Gulf of Mexico as it heads toward Texas.

"We don't know yet how widespread the rain bands will be and the different wind effects will be," said Edwards, a Democrat who took office in January 2016.

Edwards said his administration is monitoring the storm, and the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparation will establish a crisis team Wednesday.

Chief among the issues the state faces is the potential for flooding as New Orleans works to restore pumps and power turbines that drive the city's drainage system. Edwards and Landrieu said they are keeping close tabs as the city's drainage capacity is restored.

"Every day, the city's capacity is increasing," Edwards said. "There's no reason for the people of New Orleans to be panicked at all."
President Donald Trump speaks at Fort Myer in Arlington Va., Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, during a Presidential Address to the Nation about a strategy he believes will best position the U.S. to eventually declare victory in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Serious concerns have been raised about the mishandling of allegations involving "inappropriate sexual behaviour" by a Bimberi youth detention centre guard.

An internal probe has cleared the guard of any misconduct in relation to the alleged incident, which was reported by a Bimberi detainee in November last year.

Youth Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith was asked to describe how the reporting process had been improved since the complaint. Credit:Karleen Minney

However, government documents obtained by The Canberra Times revealed several mistakes were made by Bimberi officers in the immediate aftermath of the complaint.

Although the exact nature of the complaint is not known, it is understood the allegations concerned "non-physical behaviour" of an inappropriate sexual nature.
When she told Ahmed she was about to faint he told her to "just get on with it" before he left. She watched him walk away out the window. In a powerful victim impact statement, read in court by a prosecutor, the woman spoke of the significant and lingering impact of the trauma of that night. She had been "utterly convinced" she was going to die and had "never felt fear like that in her life". The brothers were arrested in September 2016. They initially pleaded not guilty to a string of charges, but later switched their pleas before a planned trial. Ahmed Al Abbasi, also named in court documents Khaled Al Abbasi, pleaded guilty to two counts of third degree rape, two charges of rape in company, attempted rape in company, rape and aggravated robbery.

Mohammad Alabbasi pleaded guilty to two counts of third degree rape, two charges of rape in company and aggravated robbery. The brothers sat with their heads down as they were sentenced by Justice David Mossop in the ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday. The court heard the men had been born in Iraq and later came to Australia by boat as refugees. Mohammad had struggled with gambling and previously used ice and cannabis. His lawyers argued he'd been under the influence of his brother and driven by ice when he committed the offences. Ahmed became addicted to ice several years ago and was "deeply regretful" of his offending.

Justice Mossop noted he was the "principal protagonist" in the offences but said he'd take into account the "significant and very unfortunate" impact his imprisonment would have on the man's wife and three young children. The judge acknowledged the men played slightly different roles in the attacks, but said their attitudes to sexual violence against women should be denounced. He said the planned and premeditated attacks targeted vulnerable women and their use of threats and violence to subdue the workers displayed "thoroughly disgraceful conduct" that warranted a jail term. Ahmed was jailed for more than eight years and one month, with a non-parole period of five years and eight months. He will be eligible for release in June 2022. Mohammad was sentenced to more than seven years and 11 months' jail with a non-parole period of more than five years and six months. He will be eligible for parole in December 2021.

Excerpts from the victim impact statement written by the woman raped in the Braddon attack "For 15 minutes last May I was convinced I was going to die. I have never felt fear like that in my life. The sheer terror of being threatened with a weapon, and not knowing whether that person can even be reasoned with, not knowing how you are going to get yourself out of the situation, and having a grave feeling that it is not going to end well - it is something I would never wish on anyone. Let alone the sexual assault that followed. "I was raped while doing my job, and I feel like there is so much more shame and stigma attached to that for me. I love my job and I am very proud of the business I have grown. I work in a legitimate, legal industry, and I pay my taxes, but as a sex worker I face so much stigma and so many stereotypes. Those prevailing myths about the sex industry, based on misconceptions about the nature of my work, make what happened to me so much more difficult. "They go along the lines of suggesting that as a sex worker I am somehow culpable or share some blame in what happened to me; that we put ourselves in a situation which obviously leads to sex, so consent doesn't mean the same for us; it isn't really rape; there is the myth of the inevitability of violence, that my job is inherently dangerous, that sex workers often suffer abuse from clients, that sex workers place ourselves in harm's way - so what did I expect would happen to me? "These are all wrong, and they aren't representative of my job. I make empowered choices and decisions regarding my job every day. I demand respect from my clients and I get it. The sexual acts within my commercial sexual transactions are often much more clearly and heavily negotiated than you would find in the non-sex work world.
If you thought it was only super bushy Ned Kelly-style beards that required daily upkeep, think again - beards need care from the very second a man decides not to pick up a razor, according to Greg Lally.

Lally is the owner of Infamous Gentleman, an online beard care brand that stocks beard oil and balm suitable for growth just a few hours old (and beyond).

Greg Lally, owner of Infamous Gentleman, says beards improve confidence and sex lives. Credit:Karleen Minney

If ever there was a business cashing in on the best beards of Braddon, Infamous Gentleman is it.

The brand's minimalist, monochrome website, highlighted with a photo of one of the most distinguished and gentlemanly beards I've seen on the internet, is a hipster's online shopping dream.
A model of the proposed Ginninderry development that straddles the ACT/NSW border. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

Let's take a look at what's making headlines today.

Happy hump day! It's a chilly minus 2 degrees this morning with fog and frost but we're looking at a maximum of 17 degrees. Seventeen! It's practically summer.

New South Wales landowners across the Gungahlin border are furious about the Yass Council's plan to establish a five-kilometre no-development zone between NSW and the ACT.

The buffer would rule out residential development north of Gungahlin or anywhere alng Canberra's northern boundary - except for the ACT government's joint venue with the Corkhill family to develop Ginninderry.

Landowners, many of whom had planned future residential development, say it will devalue their properties.

Kirsten Lawson has the details here.

Push for yes vote 'politicising public service'
A local rabbi has spoken out against the rise of hate crime after a playground near his synagogue was vandalised with swastika graffiti.

Rabbi Shmueli Feldman, who lives in the area with his young children, said the graffiti had appeared at a playground near the Chabad ACT synagogue in the suburb of Giralang.

Rabbi Shmueli Feldman stands behind the graffiti near his synagogue in northern Canberra.

"We bring our kids to the park there and many of our community members live in the area," he said.

"We found it there in the park. It was very, very disturbing to see."
A Canberra community council has rejected erroneous claims in an ACT Government report that the council supported rezoning land along the corridor of Stage Two of the light rail project.

In an apparent "editorial error" by consultants working for the ACT Government, the Inner South Canberra Community Council was mistakenly cited as supporting rezoning land along the rail corridor.

ISCCC chair Marea Fatseas said a government report incorrectly claimed the council had backed light rail rezoning. Credit:Rohan Thomson

But council chair Marea Fatseas said on Tuesday it had not even reached an official position on zoning along the rail corridor and it was too early in the planning process to make such a call.

She said that somehow the questions the council had posed during consultations had been turned into claimed support for rezoning, and the council would need to meet with local residents to consider the project in more detail before reaching a position.
NSW landowners over the border from Gungahlin are outraged at a plan by the Yass Valley Council to establish a five-kilometre no-development zone between NSW and the ACT.

The buffer would rule out residential development north of Gungahlin or anywhere along Canberra's northern boundary, except for the ACT government's joint venue with the Corkhill family to develop Ginninderry, which is being given an exemption. Landowners, many of which had planned future residential development, say it will devalue their properties.

Steve Evans on his NSW property, Cardinia Estate, about 1km from the ACT border where he runs cattle and sheep: Mr Evans, along with other landowners, is upset about a proposed 5km buffer zone stopping development between in NSW on the ACT's border. Credit:Rohan Thomson

The Yass council is set to adopt the new plan at a meeting on Wednesday.

Farmer Graham Darby, whose 240-hectare property joins the Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, said Gungahlin was grazing land when he began farming in the area 40 years ago. Suburban development had squeezed wildlife into 1200 acres of largely infertile rocky country in the nature reserve, and with no natural predators, the kangaroos were now devastating adjacent pasture in NSW and making it unviable for sheep grazing.
West Coast veteran Mark LeCras is set for a comeback against league leaders Adelaide and then headlong into the biggest decision of his career as early as next week if the Eagles miss the AFL finals.

As expectations rage that experienced key defender Eric Mackenzie is about to take a new one-year contract at the club, LeCras will discuss his future as soon as West Coast has played its last game.

It is understood LeCras is undecided whether to play on next season or join star midfielders Matt Priddis and Sam Mitchell, who have already declared they will retire next month.

West Coast management is understood to be keen to avoid such a mass exodus of experienced stars, with prospects 2006 premiership defender Sam Butler and struggling forward Josh Hill could also end their careers.
BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie has admitted the miner's entry into the onshore US shale industry was poorly timed and it "paid too much" as it revealed plans to sell the controversial assets.

Mr Mackenzie said the preferred method to dispose of the "non-core" US shale investment was via a small number of trade sales, although other options were on the table.

"We'll look at everything in order to decide what is the right way through this," he said.

BHP's exit plans came as it unveiled a $US6.73 billion ($8.5 billion) full-year profit for fiscal 2017 and rewarded investors with a more than tripling of its final dividend for the year.
BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie has pledged that the revitalised miner's plans would deliver "shareholder returns for decades to come", acknowledging that poor investment decisions had come at a cost.

Mr Mackenzie made the comments as BHP delivered a $US6.73 billion ($8.5 billion) full year underlying profit, revealed it would pay $US4.4 billion in dividends for the year  well above its minimum payout commitment  and confirmed it planned to sell its controversial onshore US shale assets.

BHP's underlying profit, which was propelled by higher returns from its key commodity divisions, was about 5 times greater than last year's $US1.2 billion result.

Coal and iron ore were stand-out performers, with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) from coal up a massive 496 per cent to $US3.8 billion, and iron ore EBITDA up 62 per cent to $US9.1 billion.
Traditional owners have faced another legal setback in their quest to block Indian giant Adani's proposed megamine in central Queensland.

A small group of Wangan and Jagalingou people, who have a native title claim over the proposed site of the coal mine in the Galilee basin, on Tuesday lost an appeal against an earlier Brisbane Supreme Court ruling that the granting of leases in the area were lawful.

Wangan and Jagalingou traditional owner and council spokesperson Adrian Burragubba and his niece, Murrawah Johnson, speak outside the Brisbane Supreme Court after launching the challenge to the Adani Carmichael mine. Credit:Jorge Branco

Lawyers for the group argued in the Queensland Court of Appeal in May that issuing the leases to Adani was unlawful because they had not been given adequate opportunity to address the state government on native title issues relating to the proposed Carmichael site.

But Adani and the Queensland government argued the traditional owners had never made a proper objection to the mine under the terms set out by the Mineral Resources Act 1989.
Despite the release of the report on public consultation over Stage Two of the light rail, voters are no closer to knowing what it will cost, when it will be finished or even where the track will run than ever.

The only certainty is that despite 56 per cent of the respondents, or about 761 people, saying the line should run as far as the Canberra Hospital that probably won't be happening.

Given the hospital complex, which employs thousands and is visited by even more on a daily basis, is one of the busiest locations on the south side with the possible exception of Woden Plaza, this seems counter intuitive.

All we have learned so far is that there are "technical constraints" that would make the trip from the town centre to the hospital difficult.
Where does hatred come from? And how must we respond? These are questions many have been asking during the past week. It's not only Americans who are rattled by the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and by President Donald Trump's failure to unequivocally condemn white supremacists. Around the world, there are clear signs that the old evil of bigotry has returned in full force.

Liberal democracy everywhere is under challenge. Far-right populist movements are growing in support, seizing upon disillusionment with established politics. They are fuelling xenophobia and racism.

Australia isn't immune from this. There are signs that organised racism and bigotry have been emboldened. In recent weeks a number of universities and schools have been smeared with white supremacist propaganda targeting groups including Jews, Muslims and Asians.

The tone of public debate has also deteriorated. While Parliament has its theatrical moments, Pauline Hanson's burqa stunt in the Senate went into new pantomime territory. Dick Smith last week launched an advertisement about slashing immigration, in which he predicts war and collapse while clutching a pitchfork.
Malcolm Turnbull remarked recently that Australia and the US remain joined at the hip in matters of defence. This could be taken as a statement of his government's avowedly pro-Washington political disposition, a template for future strategic policy decisions, or perhaps as a pragmatic piece of relationship strengthening, given that Australia derives more from the US alliance than America gets in return.

Considering a North Korean attack, for example, Australia, would enjoy the immediate retaliatory power of the world's largest and most lethal war machine. The deterrent factor of this alone is incalculable. In truth, Mr Turnbull's observation probably combined all three elements above. But such an asymmetric relationship is not without its costs. Inevitably, it has involved the loss of some degree of Australia's national autonomy.

This goes some way to explaining why Australian and US forces have fought side by side in every significant conflict since World War I. Some of those, of course, have been just wars. The fight against German-led fascism was as righteous a cause as history can throw up. But there have been other forays ranging from the strategically irrelevant to the morally indefensible. And it has been to Australia's shame that it has also signed up for these. In the latter category can be listed Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, and Iraq in the new century. Both have swallowed Australian lives, consumed resources, and eroded Australia's moral credibility. In the case of Iraq, the ill-conceived 2003 invasion destroyed that country's social fabric, and created a catastrophic vacuum that made the global security situation much worse.

Now, as Donald Trump changes American policy again in Afghanistan, Australia must weigh the implications. The 16-year war there, which pre-dated Iraq, has been ill-conceived. George W. Bush foolishly took his eye off the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his September 11 terrorists to embark on the Iraq disaster. Bin Laden was eventually taken out not with ground forces seeking territorial gain or the installation of a new democracy, but by the executive action of President Barack Obama operating unilaterally  and illegally  in Pakistan using intelligence and special forces.
The Australian Sex Party will come to an end this week, with founder Fiona Patten set to deregister the party and unveil a new political party to reach more voters.

Ms Patten, who founded the Sex Party in 2009, is set to launch the Reason party on Tuesday, in an effort to appeal to a broader base ahead of state and federal elections.

Fiona Patten hands out how to vote cards for marriage equality at Flinders Street Station. Credit:Wayne Taylor

The Sex Party originally had strong links to the Eros Foundation, which represents businesses in the adult film industry. But Ms Patten said the foundation played no official part in the new party and had already begun moving away from the Sex Party.

Ms Patten, who was outside Flinders Street Station on Monday handing out how to vote cards on same sex marriage, said the Reason Party would continue to advocate for key Sex Party policies, including legalisation of illicit drugs and euthanasia laws.
The United States is expected to ask Australia to commit more troops to Afghanistan and Defence Minister Marise Payne has not ruled out returning to a combat role as part of a renewed strategy to beat back a resurgent Taliban.

Sources have told Fairfax Media they consider it likely Australia will receive a request for more military help beyond the present commitment of 300 training and advisory forces after US President Donald Trump vowed on Monday "we are not nation-building again, we are killing terrorists".

In his much-anticipated speech outlining a fresh strategy 16 years since the US-led coalition toppled the Taliban, Mr Trump pledged a boost to American forces and said he expected allies to do the same.

A further request is not regarded as certain, however. Senator Payne stressed Australia was already making a "very considerable contribution" to the fight against various Islamist groups around the world but said the government would discuss potential increases.
Four brothers accused of plotting to blow up an Etihad passenger flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi were allegedly motivated by the involvement of Australia and United Arab Emirates in the war on Islamic State.

In a press conference in Lebanon overnight that revealed new details about the plot, the country's Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk also revealed that the group allegedly tried to conceal two bombs: one in a large Barbie doll and one in a kitchen meat grinder.

Australian Federal Police arrested Khaled Khayat, 49, and his brother Mahmoud Khayat, 32, in dramatic raids across Sydney on a Saturday evening last month.

They alleged that, with the help of their brother Tarek in Syria, the group tried to build a military-grade bomb to take on the Etihad flight on July 15, 2017 but the plan was thwarted when the bag was too heavy to be checked in.
Four of the world's largest companies have been under investigation by Australian tax authorities, amid new evidence from US executives about how Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft are shifting money to offshore tax havens.

Appearing before a highly anticipated public hearing into corporate tax evasion, the executives endured questions about why so much of the revenue generated in Australia ultimately ended up booked elsewhere.

Microsoft's corporate vice-president of worldwide tax, Daniel Goff, said some of the $1.8 billion revenue generated in Australia had been transferred to Microsoft's regional headquarters in Singapore and Ireland to fund research and development.

He also revealed the global tech giant had reached a last-minute confidential settlement with the ATO ahead of the hearing  a development Australian Taxation Office commissioner Chris Jordan described as "awfully coincidental".
I grew up in a conservative Greek migrant community in Melbourne, so I understand what it's like to live under the pressure of upholding appearances. I spent most of my life chained to cultural expectations  marrying young, following my religion, studying business  and not feeling like I had much say in the matter that is my life. But I am not an anomaly, and it isn't just the Greeks. Many migrant communities operate based on appearances, including Catholic and other Christian circles.

The funny thing is that many people who think they aren't being held to ransom by their culture or community really are. Some are unaware of it, others choose to let it happen; and it is their right to live their life this way. But when hypocrisy affects issues like equality and LGBTI rights, I have a real problem with it.

In the spectrum of opinion regarding gay marriage, there are people who are vehemently opposed, and there is nothing you can do to change their minds; on the other side there are the fierce "yes" voters. In the middle are the ones who sit quietly on the fence. These people will most certainly have a gay friend or family member whom they love and support.

In many instances, this gay person will be what I call "half out of the closet". That is, they have told their immediate family they are gay but because they may have been met with disapproval, or to protect the reputation of their family, they remain half in the closet. Their sexuality is kept a secret to uphold appearances in the wider family and community circle.
If you walk around inner Sydney or Melbourne, it's hard to miss the record-breaking apartment construction boom transforming the skyline.

But get this: the frantic building activity, much of it driven by high-rise units, is predicted to soon start cooling off.

If these predictions are correct, that will be a significant change for the economy, after a boom in housing construction over the last five years, fuelled by cheap debt and rising house prices.

So, will the housing construction boom be followed by a bust, as is often the case in this industry? And what impact would a downturn be for the economy, and the housing market?
The state government has traded blows with the Opposition over the extent of the boost to passenger capacity on buses from Sydney's northern beaches to the central city when the $514 million B-Line bus project is completed as early as mid-November.

Labor leader Luke Foley used leaked Infrastructure NSW documents on Tuesday to accuse the government of pursuing a multimillion-dollar bus project that "won't improve things at all" but would need improvements almost as soon as it was opened.

A "health-check" document for the project in May said the B-Line was forecast to boost total capacity for passengers  both seated and standing  by 19 per cent on weekday mornings between 6am and 10am from Sydney's northern beaches to Wynyard in the CBD, but by just 30 passengers during the key period of 8am to 9am.

The Opposition's claims prompted Transport Minister Andrew Constance to accuse Mr Foley of "getting your numbers wrong" by relying on an outdated Infrastructure NSW document.
Tokyo: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she wants to see bullet trains in NSW, reversing her previous scepticism of high speed rail.

Ms Berejiklian told the Herald: "Of course we would love to see high speed rail servicing our State but for this to be viable it would need to travel beyond NSW and it would require federal involvement."

The Premier has raised the prospect of bullet trains for NSW, but only if a high-speed rail network crossed the state border and connected major cities.

Ms Berejiklian had previously been cold on the idea of high-speed rail, which is now common in Asia and could significantly cut travel time between Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.
Queensland's Attorney-General has stood by the state's controversial ID scanning laws, saying "rules are rules", after reports Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik was denied entry to a Brisbane bar at the weekend.

But a spokeswoman for Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath denied that liquor office bureaucrats were called on to eventually help get the Danish royal into the upmarket bar and restaurant fronting the Brisbane River.

"The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation has no knowledge or notification of this incident occurring," she said.

Early July marked the introduction of the Queensland government's ID scanning laws, forcing all patrons to provide ID to enter all late-night licensed venues in Safe Night Precincts across the state.
Brisbane councillors will not collectively support a yes vote in the same-sex marriage postal survey, as Lord Mayor Graham Quirk says the vote is an "individual thing".

At Tuesday's council meeting, Greens councillor Jonathan Sri called on Cr Quirk to show leadership and state his position on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk (left) marching at the 2015 Brisbane Pride Festival. Credit:Glenn Hunt

"Will you call on all residents of Brisbane to vote yes in the upcoming nationwide vote on same-sex marriage?" Cr Sri said.

Cr Quirk said the council had previously debated the issue, and the community had a range of views on same-sex marriage.
The developer at the centre of kickback allegations involving Paul Pisasale was today spotted visiting the Brisbane mental health clinic where the former Ipswich mayor is a patient.

Chris Zenonos spent about half an hour at the New Farm Clinic on Tuesday afternoon.

Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale faces arrest if he does not front court on Wednesday. Credit:Tammy Law

Comment has been sought from Mr Zenonos.

Fairfax Media revealed earlier this month that Mr Zenonos had arranged free use of an apartment for Mr Pisasale on several occasions at a hotel at a Kangaroo Point complex owned by his parents.
Banks' ability to vary contracts will be limited to specific circumstances, and where such a variation would cause a small business customer to want to exit the contract, the banks will provide a period of between 30 and 90 days for the consumer to do so. The banks have split on some issues with NAB taking what the ombudsman is describing as an "industry leading position" in relation to the application of non-monetary default clauses, while the Commonwealth Bank will provide 90 calendar days' notice for any changes to loan contracts that the small business customer does not wish to accept. All customers who entered or renewed contracts from November 12 2016  when the protections for small businesses began  will have the benefit of the changes agreed with ASIC and the regulator will monitor the individual banks' actual use of these clauses to determine if they are applied or relied on in an unfair way. Nine months of hard work Ombudsman Kate Carnell says the banks' position reflects nine months of hard work by ASIC.

"The banks' initial underdone response to the legislation serves as a reminder that banks were once again trying to 'game' the rules and this erodes trust," she says. "It's hard to understand why all these things are like pulling teeth. It came into effect last November and it has taken my office and ASIC until now to take them to where they are pretty close to complying with a law that has been in effect for eight months. There are now very positive signs that the big four banks are demonstrating industry leadership in embracing best practice." The banks' initial underdone response to the legislation serves as a reminder that banks were once again trying to 'game' the rules and this erodes trust. Kate Carnell Carnell says the extension of coverage to small business loan facilities of up to $3 million is "a move in the right direction" but she would like to see even broader coverage. "Recent reviews have consistently raised that a small business loan facility of $5 million is the correct benchmark," says Carnell. "This remains a sticking point that will need to be addressed." It is unlikely the banks will budge further on this though, with Chris Williams, chief risk officer of business and private banking at the Commonwealth Bank, telling the select committee on lending to primary production customers hearing in Sydney earlier this month that the banks feel $3 million is a lot of money.
Michael Cardamone was a killer devoid of any remorse, who only pleaded guilty to murder to save his mother from spending more time in jail, prosecutors have told court.

The 50-year-old who admitted to the violent and sadistic murder of Whorouly's Karen Chetcuti Verbunt, committed in January last year, will find out on Friday whether he will be given hope of ever being released from prison on parole.

Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert said Cardamone entered the plea after he and his 79-year-old mother were charged with incitement to murder, for hiring a hitman  who they did not realise was an undercover police officer  to kill the key prosecution witness in the trial.

"The prisoner may have pleaded guilty to secure his mother's release  That may have been a factor in his change of attitude," Mr Silbert told Wangaratta Supreme Court on Tuesday.
VicRoads is suing one of the state's biggest builders and developers, Grocon, and its engineer for $1 million over an excavation mistake that led to a major Melbourne road being closed for months.

When construction of the $1 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Parkville was in full swing in 2012, Grocon was carving out a rock wall 25 metres below ground on Elizabeth Street.

But its excavations went awry and part of the rock face "became mobilised", a writ filed in the Supreme Court by VicRoads says  cracking the pavement and the road near Melbourne University.

Pictures taken by Grocon's arch enemy at the time, the Construction Forestry and Mining Union, show a major crack in the centre of two lanes of Elizabeth Street close to where it becomes Royal Parade.
"You talk we die," it shouts in giant letters.

The towering piece of street art in a quiet Abbotsford laneway is emblazoned with dozens of names of the sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and friends who have died from drug overdoses.

The mural near Victoria Street which bears the names of 34 people who have died from drug overdoses. Credit:Justin McManus

The mural painted on Little Charles Street is metres from Victoria Street, ground zero in the emotive debate over safe injecting rooms and a resurgent heroin problem.

Thirty-four people have died in the City of Yarra due to drugs in the past year. Half of those were in public places - laneways, parks and carparks.
It's officially on. Breitbart News, with former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon back in charge, is ripping mad at US President Donald Trump after Monday's Afghanistan speech foreshadowed an increase in ground troops.

The homepage of the website that cheered Trump to victory had five incredibly critical headlines. The accompanying articles might be even tougher. Here are key excerpts from the stories:

Article 1: "The speech was a disappointment to many who had supported his calls during the campaign to end expensive foreign intervention and nation-building."

Article 2: "Using many of the same vague promises that previous presidents had used, including a repeat of [former US president Barack] Obama's promise not to give a 'blank check' to Afghanistan and a pledge to finally get tough on Pakistan, it was a far cry from the 'America First' foreign policy he laid out in the months before Election Day."
UK campaign launched for Jack Daniel's

Bacardi Brown-Forman has activated a new campaign for its Jack Daniel's brand in the UK. The campaign, Find your Taste of Tennessee, will work with more than 6,000 on-trade venues, with the aim of driving awareness of the brand's versatility and authenticity.

As part of the activity, Jack Daniels will roll out competition text to win kits. Consumers who purchase a Jack Daniels cocktail will receive a Greetings from Tennessee postcard and scratch for the chance to win one of three trips to the distillery in Tennessee among many other prizes, such as t-shirts and trucker caps.

In addition to this, bespoke activations will take place at select on-trade partner venues, with bars and restaurants running offers for consumers on Tennessee inspired food and Jack Daniels drinks, including; cocktail and mixer upgrades, food promotions and Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey merchandise giveaways.

Jack Daniels will also bring Tennessee to the UK through The Meeting Place, a pop-up consumer experience inspired by the bustling bars of Tennessee, which will take place in London, Birmingham and Glasgow. Consumers can win a place at the experience by purchasing a Jack Daniels drink at on-trade partners such as London Cocktail Club, Birminghams Gas Street Social and Lebowskis in Glasgows West End, and filling out a Jack Daniels postcard to send through a Tennessee style mailbox. The on-trade partners will also be creating bespoke cocktails with Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey for consumers to enjoy at the event.

Ffion Fitzgerald, marketing manager, Jack Daniels UK, commented: Were looking forward to launching a campaign which is truly through the line, demonstrating that Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey is enjoyed in every place, but made in one. Through the Taste of Tennessee campaign we hope to excite our trade partners and drive more customers through their doors with offers and activities that are unmistakably Jack Daniels. It will also enable us to educate consumers on how Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey can be enjoyed, whether in one of our signature serves or paired with delicious BBQ food, whilst also communicating the rich history of the brand which spans more than 150 years.

22 August 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
Bryan and College Station police departments are teaming up to investigate a string of armed robberies in the twin cities late Sunday and early Monday.

Bryan police responded to the Town and Country convenience store at 1401 N. Texas Ave. at 11 p.m. Sunday. Police said two black men with covered faces robbed the store of an undisclosed amount of money, leaving on foot. At least one of the men had a gun.

Around 3 a.m. Monday, Bryan officers responded to Hotel 6 at 1601 S. Texas Ave. for another robbery. Authorities said three black men with covered faces had entered the hotel's lobby and robbed the business. At least one man had a gun. The men again fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.

College Station police were called to Exxon Express at 1800 Harvey Mitchell Parkway around 3:55 a.m. Monday. Authorities said the clerk reported that two black men had demanded money and property. One man was armed with a pistol.

College Station police said both men were black and between 20 and 30 years old. Both men had been wearing black pants, black sweatshirts and dark masks. One had a thin build and a black semiautomatic pistol, police said. The other man had a heavier build.

No one was injured during any of the robberies. According to Google Maps, the three businesses are separated by about 10 miles.

Aggravated robbery is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Officer Kelley McKethan, a spokeswoman for the Bryan Police Department, said the men in the Bryan robberies were caught on video, but the department is not releasing clothing descriptions.

McKethan said Bryan officers meet with their College Station counterparts on a regular basis to discuss ongoing cases.

"Crime has no boundaries, and typically some crimes that occur in College Station also occur in Bryan with the same suspects," she said.

Though no one was hurt during the robberies, McKethan encouraged residents and employees working overnight to be alert.

"If you see something suspicious, please report it immediately," McKethan said.

College Station police Cpl. Garrett Birdwell said the robbers in each case had similar descriptions, but "until we catch them, we won't know for sure."

Birdwell recommended those who work late-night shifts to "be aware of your surroundings [and] have your emergency buttons ready." He also suggested having someone else in the store late at night and to remember specifics from the robbery, such as suspicious customers coming in to scope out the store, accents, words and smells.

"Don't do anything to get yourself hurt," Birdwell said.

Authorities are asking those with information to call Bryan police at 209-5300, College Station police at 764-3600, the Texas A&M University Police Department at 845-2345 or the Brazos County Sheriff's Office at 361-3888.
Bryan school officials were apologizing to families Monday night after struggling to cope with the flow of students on the first day of school.

Transportation issues after school had some parents searching for their children Monday evening and complaining about the lack of communication from the district.

Some students waited for buses for more than two hours after school, while other parents reported their children were forced to sit on hot buses for just as long.

More Information Updated information on Bryan school district bus routes can be found at bryanisd.org.

The delays prompted the district to send an automated phone message to parents Monday night apologizing for the transportation breakdown and promising to do better.

Superintendent Christie Whitbeck said it's clear the district will need to reroute buses to better accommodate students.

She said several issues made Monday difficult, including the district-wide realignment of fifth through eighth grades this summer and the high number of students in advanced programs at campuses they are not zoned to attend.

"There were some glitches in our system," she said after a Monday school board meeting. "We definitely own that. We apologize for the inconvenience to our families, and my message is that we have people on it."

The district uses a system of transportation hubs at Bryan High School and Jane Long Intermediate School, which are designated as transition stations where children switch buses to get to and from their campus. Officials said before the start of school that the district expects hubs to get more traffic this year than in previous years.

On Monday, some buses didn't leave the hubs until 6 p.m., with many parents driving to the campuses to retrieve their kids from the waiting buses.

Whitbeck said the district takes pride in offering students the option of various programs throughout the district, but the transportation needs that come with that are burdensome.

"It's a good problem in that we do offer those choices, but for example, in just one given neighborhood in one intersection you could literally need to go to 10 schools for the children that live in just a few homes," said Whitbeck before heading to a late meeting to plan out transportation changes.

This added burden, however, is just one part of the "perfect storm" Whitbeck said the district faced Monday. She said the company that provides the district with the bus routing technology had its own issues and with the influx of calls from parents, phone systems went down.

The district's apology comes after Leroy Morales, executive director of human resources and support services for the district, apologized for any issues families had reaching Bryan staff by phone to clarify their bus route before the start of school. In the same interview, he told The Eagle that Bryan school district phone lines were overwhelmed with parents calling leading up to the start of school.

Whitbeck said she doesn't have a timeline for when the issues will be cleared up, but officials are working as quickly as they can.

In the meantime she said, parents should communicate with their school and carpool. Updated bus route information is available on the district's website, bryanisd.org.

"Every less car we have in the carpool line helps our efficiency," she said. "Sometimes the cars are so backed up that the buses are waiting to get back into the school."
Texas A&M University officials said Monday the statue of Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross will remain after the University of Texas at Austin performed a late-night removal of Confederate statues on its campus Sunday.

Texas A&M President Michael K. Young said the iconic statue of Ross -- who rose to the rank of general during the Civil War and later served as governor of Texas before coming to A&M -- located on the College Station campus' Academic Plaza is meant to honor the man specifically in his role as president of the university, not for his time in the Confederate Army.

"Without Sul Ross, neither Texas A&M University nor Prairie View A&M University would likely exist today," Young said in a statement. "He saved our school and Prairie View through his consistent advocacy in the face of those who persistently wanted to close us down."

Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp echoed Young's stance and in a statement said plainly "it will not be removed."

"Anyone who knows the true history of Lawrence Sullivan Ross would never ask his statue to be removed," Sharp said.

Young and Sharp said historical items at A&M and at universities across the A&M System will be reviewed to ensure they are consistent with the university and the System's values.

The University of Texas' decision to remove the three Confederate statues on its campus followed a violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month that left dozens injured and one counterprotester dead after a driver crashed into the crowd.

UT wasn't the first prominent school to take down such monuments -- Duke University removed a damaged statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue -- but its stature as one of the country's largest public universities could influence others. And in a state that has the most Confederate symbols except for Virginia, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a movement to get similar symbols removed could gain momentum.

University of Texas President Greg Fenves, who said such monuments have become "symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism," cited the Charlottesville violence as a catalyst for his Sunday night order to move statues of Lee, Confederate Gen. Albert Sydney Johnston and Confederate Postmaster John H. Reagan from a main area of the Austin campus to a history museum. Crews had them down in just a few hours and also removed a statue of former Gov. James Stephen Hogg, whose likeness will be placed in another spot on campus.

"The historical and cultural significance of the Confederate statues on our campus -- and the connections that individuals have with them -- are severely compromised by what they symbolize," Fenves said. "Erected during the period of Jim Crow laws and segregation, the statues represent the subjugation of African-Americans. That remains true today for white supremacists who use them to symbolize hatred and bigotry."

Bill McRaven, chancellor of the 14-campus University of Texas System and Fenves' boss, supported moving the statues and said they are better suited for a history museum. He also noted the potential for violence as the national debate over Confederate memorials intensifies.

"The safety of our students and a higher learning environment that promotes civility, unity and diversity must prevail, and the removal and relocation of the statues is an important step forward," McRaven said.

Gary Bledsoe, president of the NAACP's Texas chapter, praised the move by the University of Texas.

"I hope others in the state can see fit to recognize the humanity of other citizens," Bledsoe said. "It's a tough thing politically but it's the right thing."

Texas' biggest cities had already started exploring what to do with their Confederate memorials. Even before the violence in Virginia, two San Antonio City Council members had asked that a 118-year-old monument be removed. Mayors in Dallas, Houston and Austin have announced their cities will study what to do with Confederate memorials, statues and street names.

The Texas Capitol has been a focus of the debate. The Capitol grounds have about a dozen statues and plaques dedicated to the Confederacy. State Rep. Eric Johnson, a Democrat from Dallas who is black, has called for the removal of a 60-year-old plaque outside his office door that rejects slavery as an underlying cause of the Civil War.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who graduated from the university in 1981, did not immediately comment Monday. In a statement last week he condemned racism but said tearing down Confederate monuments "won't erase our nation's past."

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick echoed that stance Monday in an interview with Dallas conservative talk-radio host Mark Davis. Patrick said he was given no advance notice the University of Texas was removing the statues.

"Tearing it down in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, for whatever excuse they want to give -- 'Well, we didn't want any rallies, we didn't want any violence, we didn't want any hatred,'" Patrick said. "Guys, our universities are supposed to be where we learn about history and not repeat those moments of the past. And there was no discussion here."

The Confederate statues at the University of Texas had been targeted by vandalism in the past. In 2015, Fenves ordered a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis removed from a prominent place on campus and put in the Briscoe Center for American History, where the other Confederate statues will now go.

The Davis statue didn't come down without a legal fight. And a lawyer who represented the Sons of Confederate Veterans in its unsuccessful lawsuit against the school promised he'll sue again.

"We will never surrender," the attorney, Kirk Lyons, who is employed by the North Carolina-based Southern Legal Resource Center, said Monday after hearing about the latest statue removals. "They are morally wrong and bordering on evil. It ain't over."
Texas A&M officials said the university is taking precautions after a bomb threat was emailed to several campus offices Monday.

The University Police Department said the threat did not include details about a time or location and was determined to be of low credibility. Authorities were investigating to determine the point of origin and sender.

Off-duty officers were called in to conduct a campus-wide sweep of buildings and gathering spaces, but no device was found and no suspicious activities were identified, police said.

The campus will remain open with precautions in place. Authorities are asking the campus community to remain vigilant and report suspicious behavior, packages and other objects to police at 845-2345.
Confederate monuments are being taken down across the United States, sometimes with fanfare, sometimes in the dead of night, sometimes with agonizing bloodshed.

The argument is over a specific kind of art, and I dont mean sculpture. The argument is over civic monuments.

Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland  in these places the elimination of Confederate monuments cannot happen soon enough. Some claim that removing them erases history. Thats backward. Erecting them does.

Take the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia. Its planned removal erupted earlier this month into violent, white supremacist domestic terrorism. Henry Shrady, the artist, was a talented but largely self-taught sculptor. (When he died before finishing the statue, Leo Lentelli completed it according to Shradys designs.)

As a fitting bookend, Shrady also was the sculptor for the colossal statue of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Lees nemesis, that stands in front of the U.S. Capitol. Dedicated two weeks after the artists death in 1922, the mammoth Washington, D.C., project took 20 years.

Both are equestrian statues, the magnificent, muscular horses aggrandizing their riders through the soldiers partnership with  and control of  a powerful force of nature. The conventional artistic motif of an equestrian figure goes back at least as far as ancient Greece, and it signifies a man (rarely a woman) whom the society regards as an unalloyed hero.

An equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant, yes; of Robert E. Lee, no.

Aims for truth

Grant led the Army that preserved the Union in the ghastly Civil War. Lee was a remarkably gifted general, but he was also a traitor. (A bias: My great-grandfather, along with tens of thousands of others, helped foil Lee at Gettysburg in 1863, turning around the war for the Union.) Art aims for truth, while kitsch is the cheery aesthetic embodiment of a lie. The Lee monument is kitsch.

I wouldnt call Shradys impressive Grant monument a masterpiece, given its tired stylistic naturalism during the artistically ambitious first decades of the 20th century. But Shradys deftly manipulated bronze in Virginia regales us with something sordid. Worse, it demands respect for fallacy.

History is complex, but the Lee monument sanitizes the past. Lee saw himself as Hannibals ghost, in Civil War historian Michael Fellmans incisive words  as a brilliant tactician ultimately thwarted. The grandiosity of his equestrian monument rings false as a portrait.

Indeed, that grandiosity more accurately reflects motives in the era of the commission. Shortly before the Lee monument was contracted, D.W. Griffiths silent 1915 epic, The Birth of a Nation, had marshaled technical innovation to portray the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic force. That was a lie, too; the film was a hit.

It is likely, at least in part, that Shrady got the Lee commission in 1917 because he was already 15 years into working on the elaborate Grant monument in Washington. Investment banker and philanthropist Paul Goodloe McIntire, who also endowed the first chair of fine arts at the University of Virginia (the art department there is named for him), paid for it.

Jim Crow

Like many Confederate monuments, the Charlottesville statue dates to a period after the First World War when racist Jim Crow laws were being amped up in America. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, in a smart, widely praised speech in May explaining why his city removed its major Confederate monuments from their civic pedestals, minced no words: They were erected purposefully to send a strong message to all who walked in their shadow who was still in charge.

Its statuary as intimidation. Together, Shradys Lee monument in Virginia and his Grant monument in Washington create a false equivalence in bronze.

Likewise, that the issue is coming to a head now reflects current social stresses. In the wake of the popular presidency of Barack Obama, the nations first African-American chief executive, a new president was put in office by a minority of the voting public. President Donald Trump launched his political career by denying the legitimacy of Obamas presidency, mounting a five-year campaign of racist birther-attacks against him.

No wonder he wants to keep Confederate monuments intact. But they need to be taken down.

Early one morning in 1992, I was suddenly awakened from a jet-lagged sleep in my Art Nouveau extravaganza of a Budapest hotel by an awful, clanging racket. Stumbling to the window, I peered out into the morning light to watch Hungarian workers with jackhammers going at it: A big five-pointed red star, a monument to Communism, was being dismantled from the small square in front of the hotel. It was gone by the end of the day.

I later learned that the hotel had recently passed from government to private ownership. In newly post-Communist Hungary, a red-star monument out front was bad for business  or at least bad for appearances.

Open-air park

Plans were also underway to move monumental Communist-era sculptures from all over the city to an open-air museum in a park  a museum about dictatorship, as the project architect, Akos Eleod, explained, since only democracy is able to give the opportunity to let us think freely about dictatorship.

Memento Park opened to the public the following year. Its now a popular tourist attraction of historical gravity and artistic kitsch.

In the wake of the controversy over removing American monuments to the Cult of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, Memento Park is not a bad model for us to consider following  although certainly there are others. The dispute, which exploded into bloodshed, death and grinding national shame, demands hard thought. Decisions need to be made.

Unlike sculpture, civic monuments are less the product of an individual artist than they are collaborations of entire societies. Civic monuments solicit a collective moral response. They invite an audience to affirm and applaud what it sees.

Confederate monuments, like their Communist bronze and granite comrades in Budapest, are kitsch. Naturalistic skill in modeling, casting and carving are only the most rudimentary signs of artistic merit. At least 700 have been identified across the country. What to do with them when theyre removed?

Confederate cemeteries are one answer. Decorating the graves of fallen soldiers on both sides of the Civil War evolved into Memorial Day, a federal holiday. The indecent monuments deserve a decent burial.

Explanation demanded

History museums, whether in the style of Budapests Memento Park or another format, are another solution. The monuments demand explanation.

History museums can provide not just the truthful context of the Civil War but of the self-satisfied civic eruption of Confederate monuments after Plessy v. Ferguson, the disastrous 1896 Supreme Court ruling that upheld separate but equal racial segregation. The rulings collapse in 1954s Brown v. Board of Education decision saw a second, this time bitter burst of Confederate monument building.

And, yes, many should just be bulldozed or melted down. They are historys rubble.

Given events in Charlottesville, perhaps that statue of Lee deserves special handling. Make it a turning point in a story of bullying inequality that has gone on far too long. Truck Shradys statue 70 miles down the road to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, where the bronze equestrian figure could be taken off its granite pedestal and displayed beside it, dethroned and defanged.

Its sad that the site of the generals surrender to Grant, meant to mark the end of the Civil War, needs to be called into service again. But it would be a proper resting place for the ugly history of Americas Confederate monuments.

Christopher Knight is the Los Angeles Times art critic. Email him at christopher.knight@latimes.com.
Dear Abby: Im 14, starting my freshman year in high school and, of course, will be joining lots of clubs to prepare for college. My best friend is gay, and when I asked her if she wanted to join any clubs together, she suggested the Gay-Straight Alliance club. As a saved Christian, I am unsure how to answer. I believe Christians should treat homosexuals with kindness and respect. I believe also in same-sex marriage because of the legal protection it gives a couple. I respect my friends decision, and Im happy shes happy with her life. My family doesnt know how to respond either, though they have similar beliefs. I am afraid if my church found out, they would dislike me for joining, as well as question where I really stand as a Christian. I feel conflicted about how to address both sides of my beliefs. Can you help?

Caught in the Middle in Kentucky





Dear Caught: I, too, believe that Christians (and people of all faiths) should treat each other with kindness and respect, regardless of their sexual orientation. But somewhere you got the impression that sexual orientation is a choice. It isnt. Your friends orientation was determined before she was born, just as yours was. Wanting to support your friend by joining a Gay-Straight Alliance is a commendable thing to do, and it follows the Golden Rule. I cant see how a church that preaches love would object to that.

Dear Abby: I am a 24-year-old college graduate who has been unable to find a full-time teaching job, so Im working as a teaching assistant. My salary is less than average, and between rent, bills and student loans, I am stretched more than thin. Recently, a woman has been talking to me about nannying for her child after school. Shed like to hire me and have me meet her child in person, and we agreed on an hourly rate. I was excited about the opportunity and looking forward to starting.

This week she told me she wants to report my work for her on her taxes, which means Ill have to report as a freelancer and pay estimated quarterly taxes while I work for her. Abby, this is unheard of in the babysitting world! I have been babysitting from my preteens all the way through college, and never once have taxes ever been part of the conversation. My mother says I shouldnt be upset because the woman is doing what shes supposed to as far as the IRS is concerned, but I feel shortchanged. Shouldnt she have been upfront about her intentions when we discussed my hourly rate? Am I wrong for asking her for more money per hour to make up for some of the taxes?

After-School Nanny

Dear Nanny: William R. Turner, CPA, says your mother is correct. Your prospective employer is obeying the law. She wants you to meet her child, negotiate an hourly rate and hire you as a NANNY, not as a babysitter. Your new employer should have you fill out a form W-4 and pay you as an employee. Because payroll deductions will be taken out of your gross pay by your new employer, you should negotiate your hourly rate accordingly.
American desserts dont have a reputation for understated elegance, yet somehow we managed to invent angels food cake, the very portrait of restraint. No butter. No egg yolks. No nuts. No chocolate. Just sweetness and vanilla, magicked into a billowy cloud.

Europeans started making sponge cake back in the 1600salways with whole eggs, often with a drizzle of butter, and generally spiked with sherry or rum. As lovers of both cake and rum, colonial Americans had a natural appreciation for the stuff, but they didnt appreciate its tendency to collapse. Ever the innovators, they improvised a solution by sticking a glass bottle into the middle of the pan in order to conduct heat to the center of the cake so that it would bake in an even ring.

After centuries of European tradition, the first truly American sponge cake came from a Kentucky kitchen in 1839. In The Kentucky Housewife, Lettice Bryan introduced readers to an unusual cake made from egg whites whipped with sugar and lemon and orange juice, then folded with just a touch of flour. This clever recipe for White Sponge effectively stabilized the meringue with citric acid, and leaned on a high proportion of sugar, not yolks, to tenderize the otherwise lean cake.

White sponge gained wider recognition in 1864 with the publication of The Practical Cook Book in New York. Helen Robinson stripped the recipe down to sugar, egg whites, and flour. Despite its clinical name, white sponge captured the imagination of bakers in the 1870s, appearing frequently in cookbooks of the era, often with added cream of tartar and almond extract to make up for the loss of stability and flavor.

But it wasnt angels food yet. That phrase originated way back in the sixteenth century with The Book of Common Prayer, referencing manna from heaven. It often turned up as a figure of speech in nineteenth-century cookbooks, describing anything sweet but wholesome, including earthly delights such as stewed apples and fruit salad. With its featherlight crumb, gleaming white hue, and fat-free formula, white sponge finally gave believers a dessert that lived up to such a heavenly name.

The first recipe to dub an egg white sponge Angels Food was The Home Messenger, an 1878 fund-raising cookbook for Detroits Home of the Friendless. The cookbook was littered with advertisements from donors, including the Dover Stamping Companyowners of the newly patented Dover Egg Beater. With a proper name and the right tool for the job, angels food exploded in popularity through the 1880s and beyond.

With every improvement to hand mixers, particularly as electric mixers took hold, angels food has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity. Yet despite our ever-increasing horsepower, we still make our recipes the exact same way, adding the sugar in small, painstaking increments. Its the same method used for French meringue. The egg whites are brought to room temperature, beaten until foamy, stabilized with cream of tartar, and then carefully whipped with sugar, one spoonful at a time.

Problem is, angels food requires more sugar than a French meringue can handle, so the rest has to be sifted into the flour and folded in at the end. The sheer volume of dry ingredients makes that last step tricky, as over-mixing will deflate the fragile meringue (hence, many bakers are intimidated by angels food).

That approach, however difficult, was once a bakers best bet, and the easiest method if whipping by hand. But with the horsepower of a modern stand mixer, its needlessly fussy, so I dont fret over angels food. I throw the cold egg whites in a bowl, add my sugar all at once, and beat it. Just beat it.

With whipped cream and berry puree, please. Photo by Julia Gartland

This is probably the easiest meringue youll ever make. Just put some cold egg whites and sugar in a bowl, start whipping, and then stop before theyre stiff. With a squeeze of lemon for stability, this seemingly under-whipped meringue puffs the angels food until its as light as cotton candy. The lemon disappears in the oven, leaving behind a soft, tender vanilla cake.

While my angels food method wont ever reach the lofty heights of a properly made French meringue (or a properly made Swiss one, for that matter), the truth is that it doesnt have torecipes for angels food universally call for a softly whipped meringue.

Whereas a stiff meringue has gained all the air it can hold, taxing the whites ability to stretch and expand, a softly-whipped meringue hasnt reached its full potential, so it has plenty of strength and elasticity to inflate in the oven like a hot air balloon.

Since I know thats the kind of meringue I need, I can dispense with all the unnecessary precautions, effectively trading potential volume for actual stability, eliminating the risk of collapse, and making angels food dead easy to prepare.

Effortless Angel's Food Cake

By Stella Parks

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) bleached caked flour, such as Swans Down

2 cups (15 ounces) egg whites (from a dozen large eggs), straight from the fridge

2 cups (15 ounces) sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)

View Full Recipe

How to Mix It Up

The success of this angels food hinges on bleached cake flour. It has a super-low protein content that cant be faked with cornstarch or replaced by pastry flour. Look for brands like Swans Down or Softasilk in the baking aisle, and avoid anything marked self-rising or unbleached.

Because this recipe may present a couple of new techniques for the uninitiated, give yourself room to learn. Like a kiss, angels food only gets better with experience. Thats not to say your first time wont be deliciously sweet, only that half the fun is in perfecting your technique.

And once you've mastered the recipe, you can switch it up with new flavors (and colors!):

From top to bottom: classic, chocolate, roasted sugar + vanilla bean, matcha. Photo by Julia Gartland

Brown Sugar Cinnamon : A cozy flavor for fall, or to end a heavy holiday meal. Sift the cake flour with 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and replace the sugar with an equal amount of light brown sugar (dark will not work as well).

Chocolate : However angelic its texture, this variation turns out as dark as devils food. Reduce the cake flour to 3 ounces (2/3 cup), sifted with 2 ounces (2/3 cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder, such as Cacao Barry Extra Brute. After cooling the cake, use a slender knife or bamboo skewer to loosen it from the center tube too, as this version tends to stick.

Creamsicle: Pulse the cake flour with 2 tablespoons orange zest in a food processor for 1 minute. Replace the vanilla extract with 2 teaspoons orange flower water and the seeds from 1 Tahitian vanilla bean (split and scraped). Trade the lemon juice for 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) freshly squeezed orange juice.

Green Tea : The sweetness of angels food mellows the bitterness of Japanese matcha, for a mossy-green cake with an earthy but aromatic flavor. Sift the cake flour with 2 tablespoons matcha. I love to serve slices alongside Whipped Chocolate Cremeux (on page 263 of my book) with a scattering of Cocoa Nib Crunch (page 321).

Lemonade : Grinding lemon zest into the flour helps to release its essential oil, making this variation particularly aromatic. Pulse the cake flour with 2 tablespoons lemon zest in a food processor for about 1 minute. Omit the vanilla extract and salt. Increase the lemon juice to 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons). Also lovely with lime juice and zest instead.

Roasted Sugar and Vanilla Bean : This is, without a doubt, my favorite way to make Angels Food. Its not my basic recipe, because the process of roasting sugar is time-consuming, and not everyone keeps a vanilla bean on hand, but these two upgrades make the cake even more extraordinary. Replace the sugar with 15 ounces (2 cups) Roasted Sugar. Along with the vanilla extract, use the seeds from 1 Mexican vanilla bean, split and scraped.

Gluten-Free: Sift 2 ounces (1/2 cup) arrowroot, 1 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) white rice flour, 1 1/2 ounces (1/3 cup) cornstarch, 1 ounce (1/4 cup) coconut flour, and 1 teaspoon baking powder into a medium bowl, then whisk to combine.

This piece was excerpted and amended from Stella Parks new book BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts. Reprinted with permission of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
NORWALK  Incoming Norwalk High School senior Hannah Keyes had two options for her summer.

Get a job, or participate in something academically and personally fulfilling.

She chose the latter, attending Hands of Peace  a three-week interfaith program dedicated to developing peace building and leadership skills among Palestinian, Israeli and American teenagers.

Keyes was one of 49 teens selected to participate in the Chicago-based program, and the only one from Connecticut.

I thought it was more of an educational summer camp, Keyes said. Now I understand why they were so serious in the interview. Its a serious issue and they want serious people to be involved.

Now in its 15th year, the Hands of Peace program uses dialogue and team building activities with the goal to enable young people to take part in grassroots peace efforts in their home communities. The nonprofit was created in 2002 by three women  one Christian, one Jewish and one Muslim  who shared the conviction that peace could be nurtured through person-to-person dialogue and understanding. Participating students stay with host families in the Chicago area.

Keyes learned about the program through her aunt, who lives near Chicago and had previously hosted Israeli and Palestenian students who had traveled to attend the program. After a lengthy application process, Keyes was selected to attend.

I was someone who didnt know a lot about the conflict at the start of the program, Keyes said. The educated us, and then we met with the other students.

For two and half hours every day, Keyes and the other students met in discussion groups to talk about the conflict with the goal to understand the perspectives of all sides.

There were times when all the parties felt hopeless, Keyes said. And it got heated. Sometimes people got angry or would break down and cry. But over time we ended up making really strong friendships and we all learned about the other perspectives. ... I think I gained the perspectives of both sides that I didnt have before. I learned about the conflict. I learned about other cultures, and I learned about myself and what I value.

Keyes said the program also caused her to question her own religious upbringing. Though she grew up attending Catholic church with her father and siblings  and identifies as Catholic when asked  her mothers Jewish heritage has been at the forefront of her mind since attending the program.

Keyes said going forward she hopes to discuss the conflict more with her peers, so as to help them be more educated on the topic than she was before Hands of Peace. Prior to the program, Keyes said she planned to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher and, someday, a principal. While she still plans to pursue that trajectory, Keyes said she hopes to continue to be involved in religion and psychology classes, clubs and organizations as a result of her experience with Hands of Peace.

Not only this conflict but others, Keyes said. If I can I would like to start a club where we have these kinds of dialogues. Norwalk High is pretty diverse, and it would be a safe space to talk about your religion or culture.

KKrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
There was a darkness that fell over the prairie at the Crane Trust Nature and Visitors Center shortly before 1 p.m. Monday that very few of the thousands of visitors there had ever seen or now will ever forget.

For nearly an hour the sky around them slowly darkened, the temperature dropped, the wind picked up slightly and an event talked about for years was finally here.

All eyes, covered with protective glasses, were turned to the sky. The glasses then came off. It was safe to look. People rose from their portable lawn chairs, there was a brief silence and when totality came  when the moon covered the sun  there were cheers, there were tears, there were brief moments of uncertainty, there were people totally awestruck and speechless at something they had never witnessed before.

I was speechless and I cried, said Sue Hicks.

For many people, like Sue and Charles Hicks of Dallas, Texas, despite all the buildup, all the science that would explain what they were going to witness, they were still speechless, lacking words for what they had just experienced, feeling an intense emotional catharsis that was colored by a flood of emotions.

It was biblical, Charles Hicks said.

And for many, it was a spiritual encounter with nature made only that much more intense by experiencing it as a community of strangers gathered on the prairie of Nebraska. There were people there from more than 20 states and four countries to see what many were calling an experience of a lifetime.

Others brought their own personal stories to bring meaning to what they were to experience on the prairie.

Thomas Gonsiorczyk of Neuglobson, Germany, was at the Crane Trust. He came from Des Moines, Iowa, with his U.S. family to witness the eclipse.

My brother found out about the Crane Trust, Gonsiorczyk said. I knew about this for a number of years and it was my plan to come here to the U.S. at this time.

This was Gonsiorczyks first total eclipse, but it was made even more special by his story of self-discovery about him and his family.

Gonsiorczyk was born in Des Moines and was adopted by his German parents in the U.S. His adopted parents moved to Germany in 1967, so he grew up there.

While he knew that he was born in the United States, it was only in 2008 that his adopted parents told him about his biological family in the U.S.

It was very special to be reunited with my family here in the U.S. and to come here to see the eclipse, Gonsiorczyk said.

Along with Gonsiorczyk, there were also visitors from other countries, including the Netherlands, Brazil and England.

Sara Dawes of Santa Fe, N.M., rented a car there and drove to Grand Island to witness the total eclipse. She arrived Sunday and found a place to stay via Airbnb.

My hostess was phenomenal and she took me to the Solfest in Hastings, Dawes said. There was a sign there about the Crane Trust, so when I woke up early this morning, here was where I came. I had planned to come up here for the solar eclipse, but coming to the Crane Trust is the cherry on top as this is beautiful.

What made it beautiful was witnessing a total solar eclipse on the prairie. It only took a little imagination to picture the eclipse several hundred years before taking place over a tall-grass virgin prairie.

The Crane Trust Nature and Visitors Center is not a stranger to visitors from throughout the world. Every spring, one of the grandest spectacles in nature takes place there along the Platte River when more than 500,000 sandhill cranes temporarily roost there for several weeks before heading to their breeding grounds in the north. It is one of the largest mass migrations of animals in the world.

Now the Crane Trust was welcoming other visitors from throughout the world for another of natures spectacles, a total solar eclipse.

It was also a family affair for people such as Blair and Sarah Laddusaw of Omaha, who brought their three children to the Crane Trust to witness the eclipse. The children are Ella, 11; Luke, 9; and Rose, 7. They were just one of the many families there.

The Laddusaws made it a weekend in the area. They attended some Girl Scout events, visited Stuhr Museum and attended the Solfest in Hastings.

After the eclipse was complete, the family was awestruck by what they had just seen.

That is why we came to this area and we decided to come to the Crane Trust because its wide open and we would have a good view, Blair Laddusaw said.

This is a lifetime event, said his wife, Sarah.

Also attending were Paul Smith of San Francisco and his 15-year-old daughter, Abby. They were visiting relatives in Springfield and had traveled to Nebraska from California by train.

We have been planning this for a few months, Smith said. It was actually Abbys idea to come here. She learned about the eclipse at school and it was her idea to come here and meet some relatives for the first time.

All my friends were really jealous that I had relatives in Nebraska, Abby said. I think it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity coming here and seeing the eclipse and meeting my family. It is a celebration, you know. It is like nature and the sky ... I just cant explain it.

People began arriving at the nature center before 6 a.m. The Crane Trust was prepared to handle as many as 3,000 visitors as the event was free and there were miles of trails on the prairie from which to witness the event. After the eclipse, many said they felt an actual physical change come over them that they likened to having a spiritual conversion.

Many in the crowd felt uncertain about the weather as there was talk about clouds, but when eclipse time arrived, the heavens parted and the moon slowly covered the sun for all to witness.

Prior to the eclipse, Diana Nevins of the Omaha Astronomical Society gave a presentation about the various myths throughout history concerning a total eclipse, the different types of eclipses, what to expect and what to look for when it happens. At the height of the total eclipse, the horizon for 360 degrees around them appeared like a sunrise and the planet Venus was in view when the sky was dark and the sun hidden by the moon.

Nevins had witnessed a total eclipse in 2016 in Indonesia and she said she was where she was supposed to be for the 2017 eclipse in the U.S.  along the Platte River in Central Nebraska. She, like many of the others, was drawn to the prairie because of its broad horizons and big sky.

For most people, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Nevins said. The average person now lives disconnected from nature as we spend our lives in concrete buildings and air-conditioning and we have street lights on all through the night. This is one of the few astronomical phenomena that even the most citified dweller will be able to look up and appreciate. And they should as there is nothing like a total solar eclipse.

Present to help out at the nature center were 30 volunteers who assisted and guided the visitors in order to help enhance their eclipse experience.

One of those volunteers was Brad Einspahr of Shelton. This was his first time working as a volunteer at the Crane Trust.

I have a friend who is employed here, so I thought I would come and help out, Einspahr said. I have never seen an eclipse before and I know it is going to be amazing.

And Einspahr wasnt mistaken as he and millions of others from across the country witnessed something that was truly amazing.
The opening of Hendrix Genetics in Grand Island on Aug. 15 is an excellent example of the power of markets supplemented by appropriate government policy.

Feeding a growing world population now estimated to be 7.5 billion provides both a challenge and an opportunity as food producers endeavor to meet the growing demand for food. For Hendrix Genetics this demand represents opportunity as it is a world leader in turkey, layer and trout breeding as well as a major player in swine, salmon and guinea fowl production.

The numbers connected with Hendrix Genetics are impressive. They currently have 25 percent of the United States egg hatchery market and the new hatchery in Grand Island will serve 10 percent of the U.S. market. With good science and management, poultry production is an excellent way to provide quality food for both domestic and world markets.

Hendrix Genetics was willing and able to create the Grand Island plant because essential markets were available to meet their needs. After a nationwide search they determined that Grand Island was an excellent location. It provided needed isolation that was essential for the required biosecurity. In our area they found infrastructure for transportation needs, access to willing, affordable and capable labor and area producers to build and manage outlying barns as well as to provide feed.

For each component in the production process, prices, profits and wages had to be sufficient to bring together all the resources necessary to open and operate the plant.

Government policies had to align with needs of Hendrix Genetics and our community gave them an excellent invitation to grow our economy. The work of the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation was very important and we would add necessary and effective. Government and private enterprise had an effective partnership.

Also to be noted is that Hendrix Genetics is based in Holland and joins other industries in our community that are based in other countries such as New Holland-Italy and JBS-Brazil. Global interdependence is a reality and a plus for all those ready and willing to participate in the global economy.

America first may be effective political rhetoric in some parts of our country, but it is not good long term economic policy. Free trade and open borders will serve us better, particularly the food producers in the Midwest who are willing and able to feed the growing world population and rely on world markets.

This confluence of markets has added an $18 million investment to the city of Grand Island, more than 40 permanent jobs and an economic infusion estimated at $40 million.
It's not over. Thousands of uncounted ballots remain in Bucks, Montco

Bucks County officials do not anticipate all ballots cast Tuesday will be counted - or not - until next week. Leaving House key races in limbo
Obama: The Call of History

By Peter Baker

New York Times/Callaway. 319 pp. $50

---

"After eight years of Obama, America was not ready to declare a cease-fire in the perpetual war over race," Peter Baker writes in "Obama: The Call of History," his compelling and concise survey of the first black president's two terms in office. "If anything, it seemed to be escalating again."

Journalism may be history's first draft, but Baker's words might qualify as prophecy's first blush. To be sure, it wasn't hard to see that Barack Obama's successor, Donald Trump, would plumb the depths of racial animus to paint his twisted vision of America. He'd offered us a foreboding sketch of his insidious views when he hatefully scorned Obama, arguing that he wasn't a true American, saying, with no proof, that Obama was a Kenyan citizen, a Muslim interloper who was not to be trusted.

But little prepared us for the full bore of Trump's belligerent bigotry, the stunning scope of which swept into full view this past week when he drew false equivalence between white supremacists in Charlottesville and their vigilant protesters. Baker argues that Obama's "scorn for Trump grew more visceral in the final days of the [2016] campaign" and that it was "hard [for Obama] to picture a President Trump."

Yet Obama's initial reluctance to address race, the outlines of which Baker briefly traces, left an interpretive void that was grievously, and gleefully, filled by his successor, who is all too eager to ply his poisonous perspective. Baker argues that Obama picked up the pace of race talk in his second term, but it may have been far too little, far too late. When it came to race, Obama, as he did in his foreign policy, led from behind.

Baker, the chief White House correspondent for the New York Times, spends the bulk of his book writing about Obama's accomplishments - getting the economy on good footing after the greatest financial collapse since the Depression, bailing out the automobile industry, passing a health-care overhaul, killing Osama bin Laden - and his virtues, above all "a self-discipline that, for all the controversies, allowed him to emerge from eight years in office without a hint of personal scandal." The book is both a compelling biography and a coffee-table, large-format work with beautiful photography commemorating the Obama years.

Baker also tackles the former president's idiosyncrasies, including a much-discussed antipathy to politics, symbolized in an aloofness that spoiled his chances of backroom glad-handing and arm-twisting. And Baker touches on Obama's flaws, not least his inviolable - and unwarranted - belief that his oratory could inspire people from opposite ends of the political spectrum to forge bipartisan agreement. That idea quickly dissolved into rancorous resistance from Republicans during his tenure.

Baker tries to be fair about the matter: He measures the racial hostility Obama faced, while noting that presidents including Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also had their share of hatemongers and conspiracy theorists.

But Obama's time in office evoked a unique hatred that undoubtedly rested in race, if not alone, then at least primarily. No amount of ideological dispute or partisan disagreement could account for the relentless assault on his being president and on his being as president - there was an ontological raid on the idea that a body and brain like his should exist and have the nerve to darken the Oval Office. Obama tapped something deep and enduring in the American soul - some positive valve of renewable hopefulness that was improbably pitched against the horizon of American cynicism. By the same token, he pushed racial levers and buttons that seemed to irrationally infuriate and unite masses of white folk in opposition to his cause. Despite the celebrated multiracial coalition he summoned, the majority of white America never cast a vote for Obama.

As much as it acknowledged his genius, this nation also punished Obama for existing at all. It viciously took him to task for being cosmopolitan and having political couth. Sure, like most presidents, Obama may have been arrogant, as Baker notes, but it was partly a redemptive self-confidence that hoisted a faltering nation atop his thin shoulders. Yet many white Americans resented him for saving them, resented him for holding our fragile union together until it was, alas, fractured into a million prejudiced pieces by an inept caricature of a leader who is allergic to gravitas.

No matter the warts and blemishes Baker explores - Obama's continuation and expansion of Bush's use of drones and his massive deportation of immigrants suggest he didn't deserve a Nobel Peace Prize - there is little denying that Obama remains a remarkable figure, a dignified embodiment of the decorum that ought to attend the presidency.

And yet, as much damage as Trump has wrought, as perilous and vexing as his bitterly ignorant views on race manage to be, Obama must be held to account for failing to sow as widely as he might have the seeds of racial justice. That's in part because he truly believed he was the smartest man in the room when it came to race - he was high on race-neutral policies that he thought would tame a skeptical public and raise black boats as the nation's tide of prosperity rose. He kept his own counsel and refused to listen to challenging black voices that attacked his willfully oblivious or naive views.

But there were more sinister undertones to Obama's rhetoric, more flaws in his outlook, than Baker acknowledges. Obama often enough lashed black folk in public - belittling Morehouse College graduates in a commencement speech, blaming black people for using poverty as an excuse to commit crime in his address at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, needling black members of Congress with the condescending exhortation to stop complaining, take off their bedroom slippers and put on their marching boots. Obama could identify what he thought of as black pathology in remorselessly granular detail. Yet he could hardly utter a discouraging word to white America, wouldn't dare take the same liberties with them as he did with his own.

That seems to make sense - you can say to your kinfolk what you can't say to company - except it doesn't, because Obama went out of his way to proclaim himself not black America's president but everybody's president: everybody, it seemed, except black folks. The paradox is that he was our benighted symbol of progress, yet his greatest swagger may have flashed as he reprimanded rather than represented us.

Trump is a churlish, indecent man. He is a pitiful president who amplifies racist ignobility and echoes the harangues of the brutish bigots who declare their hate as a tarnished badge of courage. As Baker's eloquent account of Obama's sometimes majestic, always complicated presidency makes plain, Obama is a brilliant, decent and sometimes noble man who graced his office with intelligence and humanity, qualities that fled the scene when he left the White House.

It is a shame that he failed to engage race with the sensitivity, balance, candor, intricacy, insight and enormous comprehension of which he was capable. There were dire consequences when a man of superior talent failed to talk about race - though, it must be admitted, his supporters did him no favor by saying he was hemmed in and couldn't speak about such things because it would upset white folk. That ignores how Obama's very being, his very breath, his very body, upset white folk.

Obama's refusal to admit that - and therefore, to offer our fatally fractured country the tough wisdom he might have given us had he surrendered the fantasy of massive white support - is a national tragedy. More tragic still is that his unwillingness for much of his term in office to talk about race left a derisive vacuum for a village idiot to slip right in and willingly spew vile unlearnedness. Baker may be right that Obama detested Trump as the 2016 campaign wore on, but the first black president must reckon with the fact that he helped put the greatest threat to his legacy in office.

---

Dyson is a sociology professor at Georgetown University and the author of "Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America."
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Linkedin Yun Kyung Kim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 09:10 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad6ed7c 4 Food restaurant,restaurant-review,#restaurant,House-of-Yuen,chinese-food Free

A fine-dining experience calls for elevated food presentation in elegant surroundings.

In fact, it is hard to go wrong with a fine-dining restaurant, especially if it offers Cantonese cuisine at one of the most luxurious hotels in the city.

Located at the Fairmont hotel, famous for its wide selection of world gastronomy, House of Yuen boasts a luxurious dining experience based on its location alone.

It uses lavish plating and ambience to complement the vibrancy of the dishes.

At the end of the day, we dont only eat with our mouths but also our eyes.

In fact, House of Yuen prides itself for operating under the one Michelin Star, Sun Tung Lok from Hong Kong. Although it might aesthetically please visitors with great plating, it unfortunately fails to deliver the anticipated taste.

Instead it offers a menu selection that we are already very familiar with that is not unique on its own.

The menu has an array of options, from relatively affordable starters and classic Chinese barbeque dishes to live seafood main dishes.

Among the abundant range of selections, the most notable dishes are the house signature menus recommended on each page.

To begin, the menu offers a fine read of appetizers priced from Rp. 58,000 (US$4.33) per portion.

For starters, the diced ox tongue in XO chili sauce is served in petite bite-sized cubes, braised in a spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong.

Although the dish should have vibrant flavors, the taste of the tongue itself is hardly memorable, but rather the texture of the tongue is the main experience of the dish.

In fact, for those who are not familiar with exotic Chinese cuisine, the firm muscle-like texture of the tongue might feel odd at first.

Considering the popularity for seafood in Cantonese restaurants, House of Yuen offers a variety of seafood starters.

The deep-fried squid head with salt and pepper, which is a staple favorite at most Chinese restaurants, offers a familiar taste found in most typical Chinese restaurants.

Deep-fried squid head with salt and pepper (JP/Yun Kyung Kim)

Each individual squid is coated with golden batter, producing an almost powdery crust. The crunchy morsels of fried squid head are lightly seasoned with spices that deliver an aromatic traditional flavor with each bite.

However, the deep-fried prawns with wasabi aioli can be considered the best out of the three signature appetizers.

The texture and flavor is equivalent to the commonly known shrimp mayonnaise with a slight hint of wasabi to freshen the taste buds from the overpowering kick of aioli.

When it comes to the main dish of any Chinese restaurant, we cannot leave out the favorite peking duck.

The roasted duck is ritualistically cut into small pieces of skin assembled on a pancake, which is then rolled with a slice of cucumber and spring onion.

Roasted peking duck (JP/Yun Kyung Kim)

House of Yuen delivers good peking duck, however, the pancakes are proportionately much bigger than the filling.

In fact, it is quite difficult for a restaurant to go wrong with individually wrapped peking duck, as long as the ingredients are fresh. However, the presentation of the food is what makes a restaurant to stand out.

Likewise, the peking duck wraps were awkwardly served on a simple white plate with a side of prawn crackers, which did not complement each other in anyway.

To compensate for the disappointing presentation of the peking duck, the menu offers braised prime rib of beef with house gravy for protein lovers.

Braised prime rib (JP/Yun Kyung Kim)

The wagyu rib is presented on a gold plate that emphasizes every element of the dish. The meat tempts the eyes with its rich marbling, which is complemented by the vibrant colors of the diced carrots, asparagus and broccoli. Of course, the house gravy bursts with aromatic flavors that is a perfect combination between sweet and savory.

To completely satisfy those with a sweet tooth, the menu offers a collection of desserts.

Unlike a few of the other signature dishes, the desserts did not disappoint.

The sweet sesame and salty egg yolk bun really highlights the dining experience. The chewy sesame bun surprises with a warm runny filling that is perfectly light and creamy, a taste that would appeal to all age groups.

Although Indonesia has been exposed to Cantonese cuisine, House of Yuen is a restaurant that designed its menu for the Indonesian palate.

We fused the taste of Cantonese delicacies and the flavors of Indonesian spices, but we did not compromise the quality of the dishes, said Carline Darjanto, host of the House of Yuen tasting event.

House of Yuen focuses on providing a menu that is known to Indonesians by mixing dishes from different places, rather than changing the actual recipes.

Its a mix of dishes from different places, not just from Hong Kong. For example, the deep-fried prawns with wasabi aioli is from Singapore, and the braised prime rib of beef is from Hong Kong, said executive chef Jeff Lee.

Similar to its menu, House of Yuens physical space is synonymous with the vibrancy of the Chinese touch combined with contemporary design to meet the likings of Indonesians.

It houses itself on a lengthy strip of space that looks out to the heart of Jakarta. With the interior stylishly embellished with sophisticated yet not too overbearing adornments, it fuses the colors of blue and gold to harmonize the elegant atmosphere.

Although the interior boasts a great ambience, ultimately, a restaurant should be judged by the quality of its food.

At end of the day, the restaurant is located at one of the most upscale spots in the city, yet it executes dishes at a level common to other casual dining Chinese eateries.

Considering its location and price level, House of Yuen is a restaurant that would be enjoyed by those who place dining experience over taste.

Address: House of Yuen, Fairmont Hotel Jakarta, Level 3

***

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia  Tue, August 22, 2017 16:33 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad87ce7 2 Environment koala,Australia,zoo,wildlife Free

A koala at an Australian zoo has given birth to a rare white joey, staff announced Tuesday.

Handlers at the Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast say the pale animal born in January owes its white fur to a recessive gene inherited from mother Tia.

The mother has given birth to light-coloured joeys in the past.

"In veterinary science its often referred to as the 'silvering gene' where animals are born with white or very pale fur and, just like baby teeth, they eventually shed their baby fur and the regular adult colouration comes through," said the zoo's wildlife hospital director Rosie Booth in a statement.

Read also: Hundreds of starving koalas killed in Australia

Koala fur differs in colour -- from light grey to brown -- depending on their environment. Animals in the south of Australia tend to have thicker and darker fur than those in the north.

But a white koala is incredibly rare, Booth said, and "quite unfortunate" if born in the wild, since it is more visible to predators.

The much-loved koala has been under increasing threat across Australia in recent decades, particularly from habitat loss, disease, dog attacks and bushfires.

The joey is yet to be named and Tourism Australia is set to encourage suggestions.

Topics : koala Australia zoo wildlife
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 17:32 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad89cf5 1 Art & Culture Sukarno,exhibition,#exhibition,archive Free

Archives on Indonesia's first president Sukarno are being exhibited until Aug. 25 at the State Secretariat office in Central Jakarta, with photographs and texts on display with the theme Sukarno: Besar Bersama Rakyat (Sukarno: Grew Big Along with the People).

As reported by Antara news agency, State Secretary Pratikno said during the opening ceremony on Tuesday that the exhibition was an important source of education for the public.

"We would like to express our gratitude, especially to the head of the Archives of the Republic of Indonesia [ANRI] and friends who have always supported this event, which not only attracts the attention of the people to the archives, but also shows how its content is an extraordinary learning resource for us all," Pratikno said.

Read also: Presidential art collections on display throughout August

A number of pictures show Sukarno during Indonesias independence struggle and are divided into eight themes, namely "True love", "Me and Children", "The Orator", "Me and Friends", "In Exile", "Together Educating the People", "the World Acknowledges" and "Government and Development".

In addition, members of the public can also take pictures in a photo outlet featuring a three-dimensional background image of President Sukarno's visit to the city of Bandung, West Java.

Several of Sukarno's books are also exhibited, including a book titled Collection of Snouck Hurgronje IV alongside a selection of his notes, and another book titled Muhammad, a Man and His Religion by TOR Andrea. (liz/kes)
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Linkedin Kerry Sheridan and Sebastien Vuagnat (Agence France-Presse) Charleston, United States  Tue, August 22, 2017 10:50 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad710f1 2 Science & Tech America,eclipse Free

Sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century.

Millions of die-hard eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 70-mile (113-kilometer) wide swath cutting through 14 US states, where the Moon briefly blocked out all light from the Sun.

"It was incredibly beautiful. I am moved to tears," said Heather Riser, a 54-year-old librarian from Virginia, sitting on a blanket in Charleston's grassy Waterfront Park where thousands had gathered to watch.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media.

The blackest part of the shadow, known as totality because the Moon blocks all the Sun's light from the Earth, began over Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 1716 GMT.

Crowds whooped and cheered at the first sign of darkness.

A composite image of the total solar eclipse seen from the Lowell Observatory Solar Eclipse Experience August 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon. (AFP/Stan Honda)

Just inland, more than 100,000 people gathered at Madras, Oregon -- typically a town of 7,000 -- in what experts described as perfect viewing conditions.

"I've wanted to see one of these my whole life, since I've been studying astronomy, since I was a kid," said Christine Sapio, a science professor. "I thought I was prepared for it -- I totally wasn't."

"I was shaking, I was crying. I was just totally taken aback by just how beautiful it was."

In Los Angeles, "oohs and aahs" emanated from the crowd of thousands gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began.

Many had hiked to avoid massive traffic jams. Some watchers had fashioned their own pinhole projectors out of cardboard and scotch tape. Others watched while wearing special, dark solar eclipse glasses.

'Just awesome'

In downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the last point in the path of totality, crowds of tourists -- some in special eclipse T-shirts and star-printed trousers -- staked out prime spots on the bustling city's storied waterfront.

Forecasts of thunderstorms threatened to block the view, but the eclipse managed to peek through the wispy clouds.

Onlookers in Waterfront Park screamed and cheered as the sky went dark in the middle of the afternoon, streetlamps came on, and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.

"It was just awesome," said Dave Lichtenauer, age 63, a retired electrical engineer, describing the event as "partially spiritual."

"The crowd here was very into it," he added, remarking on the diversity and peacefulness of the masses.

Read also: Science may have answer to the itch you shouldn't scratch

Astrocon attendees setup telescopes for the Great American Eclipse on August 21, 2017, in Casper, Wyoming. Emotional sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century. (AFP/Gene Blevins)

"You don't get many chances to experience that."

One bar had installed outdoor speakers blasting Bonnie Tyler's mega-hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" -- which she performed live on a cruise ship sailing through the path of totality.

The unofficial anthem for the celestial show soared to the top of the iTunes charts, outdoing even record-smashing pop song "Despacito."

Cloudy weather and thunderstorms dashed viewers' hopes of seeing the eclipse in some places, including Missouri.

Some of the clearest views were along the West Coast.

'Don't look'

In the US capital, where 81 percent totality occurred, Donald Trump watched the partial eclipse from the White House with his wife Melania and son Barron -- although the president appeared to have missed the memo on eclipse do's and don'ts.

At one point, Trump glanced skyward without protective eyewear -- a big no-no, according to experts. "Don't look," an aide shouted to him. He later donned glasses.

Eclipse watchers also flocked to Washington's National Air and Space Museum, where solar telescopes were set up for the occasion.

In Mexico, where there was a partial eclipse, astronomy buffs set up telescopes fitted with special sun filters in parks and squares in various cities.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump look up at the partial solar eclipse from the balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 21, 2017. The Great American Eclipse completed its journey across the United States Monday, with the path of totality stretching coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century. Totality began over Oregon at about 1716 GMT and ended at 1848 GMT over Charleston, South Carolina where sky-gazers whooped and cheered as the Moon moved directly in front of the Sun. (AFP/Nicholas Kamm)

Eclipse watchers often describe being overcome by emotion as the sky goes black, birds return to their nests and the air chills.

"It is such an incredible, sensory-overload kind of event," eclipse-chaser Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, told AFP of the first total solar eclipse he saw in the United States back in 1970.

Scientists planned to study the eclipse to learn more about the super-hot corona, or outer atmosphere of the Sun.

"It is really exciting to see so many people interested in nature and science and this amazing phenomenon," said Kwayera Davis, an adjunct professor of astronomy at the College of Charleston.

'Sharing a cosmic event'

After weeks of turmoil triggered by the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, some commentators welcomed the national feel-good moment afforded by the Great American Eclipse.

"The divided United States of America will unite today, sharing a cosmic event predicted by the methods and tools of science," tweeted the US astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson -- who earlier advised people to "put down your smartphone and experience this one emotionally, psychologically, physically."

The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, drew a more somber parallel between the day's spectacle and the country's challenges.

"Wish the moon wasn't the only thing casting a shadow across the country. We got through one, we'll get through the other," he tweeted.

Topics : America eclipse
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 07:00 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad6d74c 1 City Kalibata-City-apartment,Komnas-HAM,residents,Dispute Free

Some residents of Kalibata City apartment complex in South Jakarta have reported the management of the apartments to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas Ham) on suspicion of a markup of utility bills.

"The report is about the management of electricity and water charges, which are not transparent, the markup, and our questions about where the money goes," Kalibata City Residents Community (KWKC) lawyer Syamsul Munir said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

He said that the matter had surfaced in 2012.

The apartment management was not supposed to arbitrarily determine the electricity charges as it had not obtained a required license as power provider, he said.

The management should also set subsidized prices for the residents in accordance with apartment types, Munir added.

The residents have also filed a lawsuit regarding the matter with South Jakarta District Court.

The suit has been proceeding with the court hearing the apartment management's response to the residents on Monday.

Apart from that, the residents also reported alleged intimidation they faced while they were gathering evidence.

The management requires residents to give three days notice if they want to hold a meeting that will be attended by more than 10 people.

Previously, a dispute between residents and apartment management also arose at Green Pramuka City apartments in Central Jakarta.

A comedian, Muhadkly, known as Acho, was reported to the police for ranting about the poor apartment management on his blog. The case has resolved on Wednesday. (cal)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 14:12 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad7d643 4 Business airport-train,PT-KAI,November-2107,operation Free

State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has announced that it will start operating the airport train, connecting Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, to two stations in Jakarta, before the end of the year.

Our target is to conduct a trial period and start operating the airport train in November, KPI logistics and development director Budi Noviantoro said in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com.

The acquisition of land for the project is 100 percent complete, said Budi, adding that the company was in the process of finishing the construction railways, bridges and stations, as well installing signaling and telecommunication systems and electricity networks.

He said his company would use its official social media platforms to spread information about the progress of the airport train to the public.

You can monitor the newest information about the airport train through mainstream media and our official social media [accounts], he added.

Budi statement was made to clarify rumors that the airport train had been operating since Aug. 17, when the country celebrated its 72nd Independent Day.

The airport track will connect Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with Manggarai Station in South Jakarta and Kota Station in West Jakarta. The whole track will run along a 36.4-kilometer line.

The train is expected to help the increasing number of air travelers cut their travel time to the airport as they currently must pass through toll roads that are frequently affected by traffic congestion. (bbn)
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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 17:06 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad88946 1 National #ForestFire,forest-fires,hotspots,#DrySeason,dry-season,BNPB,#BNPB Free

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has warned of an increasing risk of land and forest fires from August to September as a result of the prolonged dry season.

The BNPB recorded that, based on the Terra, Aqua and SNPP satellites, 538 hot spots were detected on Tuesday with a confidence level of medium-to-high.

The actual numbers, however, might be higher than that already detected since the Terra and Aqua satellites do not pass through several regions the BNPB deems as blank spots  Aceh, Jambi, Riau, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Gorontalo and East NusaTenggara.

The number of hot spots in West Kalimantan and Papua  two regions currently contributing the highest number of hot spots, around 193 and 143, respectively  is predicted to rise.

"The dry season will run until October. The peak is predicted to be in September. Therefore, there is an increasing possibility of land and forest fires. So, be careful," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a press release on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Banten, Jambi, West Papua and North Sulawesi recorded one hot spot each.

Six provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan  Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan  have declared emergency-alert status for forest fires, most were declared in June and will last until October.

Five taskforces with different responsibilities for land, air, law enforcement, health and public awareness have been deployed to prepare for forest fires. (ipa)
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Gaza City, Palestinian Territories  Tue, August 22, 2017 22:05 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad9196b 2 World Gaza-strip,tourism,greece,Israel,Hamas,Britain Free

A message in a bottle cast into the sea by a holidaying British couple on the island of Rhodes has washed up on the blockaded Gaza Strip, the fisherman who found it said Tuesday.

Jihad al-Soltan retrieved the bottle while fishing on August 15.

Using the email address supplied, his family contacted the senders of the letter, Bethany Wright and her boyfriend Zac Marriner.

They had thrown the bottle into the sea during a romantic holiday on the Greek island two months earlier.

"We are currently on holiday in Rhodes and we would love to know how far this bottle got -- even if it's just the next beach," the note read.

It had travelled a lot further, around 800 kilometres (500 miles), before Soltan retrieved it.

"They never expected it to reach Gaza!" he said.

The crowded coastal territory is largely closed off to the world under a crippling, decade-long Israeli blockade aimed at isolating Hamas, the Islamist movement which runs the territory.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

Egypt, the only other country that shares a border with Gaza, has also largely sealed its frontier.

Fishing off the northern part of the strip, adjacent to Israel, is limited to six nautical miles offshore and the Israeli navy regularly fires at Palestinians at the zone's outer limit.

Post to Gaza usually goes through Israeli security measures.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 19:58 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad8dc08 1 National First-Travel,fraud-suspect,umroh,Scam Free

A panel of judges at the Jakarta Commercial Court ordered on Tuesday First Travel agency to pay back its customers  who alleged they had fallen victim to an umrah (minor haj) scam.

The decision was made following the Religious Affairs Ministrys revocation of the companys permit to organize umrah tours.

We agree with the debt postponement petition status, said presiding judge John Tony Hutahuruk during a court hearing in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The police named Anniesa Hasibuan, the owner and director of First Travel, a fraud suspect together with her husband Andika Surachman, the president director of the company and her sister, Siti Nuraidah Hasibuan.

The National Police said on Tuesday that total losses had reached Rp 848.70 billion (US$63.59 million), involving 58,682 First Travel customers.

Anggi Putra Kusuma, a lawyer, who represented the customers, applauded the courts decision, saying the company should be held accountable for its debts.

All facts show that First Travel has an obligation to repay its customers, said Anggi, who was hired by three First Travel customers who were booked by the agency to travel to Mecca in May and June.

Anggi said the court decision was valid for all former First Travel customers. (bbn)
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Linkedin Newsdesk (JP) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 20:14 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad8ec75 2 Business HIPMI,infrastructure,eastern-Indonesia Free

Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) chairman Bahlil Lahadalia says he appreciates the governments commitment to infrastructure development, while highlighting the need to focus the spending on eastern parts of Indonesia.

Bahlil said the governments commitment, highlighted by the increased spending allocated for infrastructure projects, could help to create more equitable development in Indonesia, reducing the economic inequality gap in the country.

We hope the infrastructure development can provide a stimulus to economic growth in the eastern part of the country, he said in Jakarta on Monday.

The government proposes to allocate Rp 404 trillion (US$30.25) for spending on infrastructure next year, up from the Rp 387.7 trillion that it expects to spend this year.

In the budget policy read out to the House of Representatives on August 16, President Joko Jokowi Widodo reiterated his commitment to focus on infrastructure development in the eastern part of the archipelago, including Maluku, Sulawesi and Papua. (mrc/ags)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 12:48 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad75dc5 1 Business SaltProduction,August-2017,salt-import Free

Indonesia is projected to produce only 55,000 tons of salt for household consumption this August. Although the amount is higher than previous months output, it is far lower than that of other salt producers.

Our average yearly salt production in the last two years was 2.7 million tons, so [the August output] is still far than the normal production, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministrys secretary-general Rifki Effendi Hardijanto said in Jakarta on Monday.

Previously, the ministrys director-general for territorial sea management Brahmantya Satyamurti said that because of the meager production, the ministry issued a permit allowing state-owned salt producer PT Garam to import 75,000 tons of raw salt materials from Australia.

From May to July this year, local farmers could only produce 6,200 tons of salt, Brahmantya said.

Rifki expressed the hope that local farmers could produce more salt during the coming dry season. He said the imported salt would be released gradually and the market would still be supplied mainly with salt produced by local farmers.

To tackle the salt scarcity, the government plans to develop salt fields on 5,000 hectares of idle land in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Brahmantya said that his ministry would check the feasibility of several locations, including the provincial capital of Kupang Bay and several regencies, namely Nagekeo, Rote Ndao and Sabu Raijua, for salt producing centers. (dis/bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 12:34 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad740d8 1 Business LNG,imports,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,Singapore,power-plants Free

Coordinating Maritime Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Monday that the government would likely prefer to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel power plants in several locations, because the domestic prices of the commodity is higher than the price offered by Singapore.

We have two options; either a swap arrangement or import, he said.

Singapore is offering LNG to Indonesia at the price of US$3.8 per million British thermal units (mmbtu), which is still lower than Indonesias average LNG spot price of around $5 per mmbtu.

The two countries will sign a deal in the upcoming 50th anniversary of Indonesia-Singapore bilateral relations, Luhut added.

Previously, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministrys directorate general of oil and gas stated that Indonesia did not need to import LNG until 2020.

Luhut, however, said that as a businessman, he believed it was better to spend less in a cheaper option.

Why should I spend Rp 10 when I can only spend Rp 8? he said.

Indonesia needs NLG to fuel small power plants in seven locations, including in Nias in North Sumatra, Lhouksemawe in Aceh and in Riau, with capacities between 25 megawatts (MW) and 100 MW.

"The total capacity would reach 500 MW, including 100 MW in Gorontalo, but it would be divided in several remote places, he said. (dis/bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 20:18 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad90218 1 City rape,children Free

The police have arrested a man, identified as Gondes, 27, at his home in Kapuk Cengkareng, West Jakarta, for allegedly raping several children.

Cengkareng Police head Comr. Agung Leksono said all the victims were boys and that the cases had come to light after parents became concerned about changes in their childrens behavior.

It was discovered that Gondes often dropped the children to their schools and played together with them.

He would offer to play with the children and promised them food and would drop them off at school and if the neighborhood was quiet he would take the opportunity to rape them, Agung said Tuesday.

So far, the police have questioned five victims, who are said to have been raped at the perpetrators home. From early investigations, he has done it more than once. He lured the victims with money, between Rp 10,000 [75 US cents] and Rp 20,000, Agung said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Gondes has been charged under the 2014 Child Protection Law, with a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. (wnd)

Topics : rape children
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 22:15 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad919ba 1 City Kendari,mayor,defamation,Jakarta-police Free

A model who reported the Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, mayor-elect, Adriatma Dwi Putra, to the Jakarta Police for alleged defamation, has urged the 28-year-old mayor to apologize to her.

I challenge him, if hes proven to have defamed [model] Destiara Talita, will he publicly apologize? her lawyer Zakir Rasyidin said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Zakir said his client had provided evidence in the form of a video clip that showed how the mayor had defamed Destiana by calling her a prostitute.

The National Awakening Party (PAN) politician also called her stupid, poor and other hurtful terms, Zakir said.

Destiara, who claimed she had been Adriatmas girlfriend since 2016, reported him to the police on Aug. 8 for insulting her after she urged him to marry her.

Destiara told police Adriatma had promised to wed her in a nikah siri (unregistered Islamic marriage) ceremony, which he then decided against before insulting her in a phone conversation.

Adriatma, who answered the polices summons on Friday, denied Destiaras allegation, saying he had only known her since June. (cal)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22 2017

Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa has warned against the stigmatization of former terrorist convicts and combatants in order to help them reintegrate within society.

Do not alienate them. Let their children go to school. They have equal rights as citizens, she said after visiting a number of ex-terrorist convicts and combatants at the Lingkar Perdamaian Foundation in Lamongan, East Java, on Sunday, as quoted in a press release.

During the visit, the former convicts and combatants, as well as their family members, sang the national anthem Indonesia Raya while waving red-and-white flags.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 10:27 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad70c47 1 National Freeport-Indonesia,contract,extension,divestment,smelter,Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,ignasius-jonan Free

Last week, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the government had agreed to extend PT Freeport Indonesias contract to 2041 in exchange for the companys agreement to divest 51 percent of its shares and to construct smelter, but on Monday he made different statement.

"[The negotiation] is still ongoing, but an agreement is on the way. Our requirements [] cannot disputed, he said.

"Our stance is fixed. We will never back down. The current contract will end in 2021, [but after that] we will not just do what they tell us to."

Read also: Contract to be extended to 2041 as Freeport agrees to divest 51% shares

Previously, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said the negotiation with Freeport Indonesia had entered its final phase, discussing taxation and regional levies.

Luhut added that if the miner agreed to release a majority of its shares, the government would not hesitate to grant the extension of its operating license to 2041.

After Freeport agreed to divest its shares, the government would discuss the divestment mechanism, such as holding an initial public offering (IPO), Luhut said.

"To be as fair as possible, well let the market do the valuation, he said, adding that the central government will be given the first option to buy Freeports shares, followed by regional administrations and then the private sector. (dis/bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 16:14 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad863e9 1 City motorcycle-ban,odd-even-license-traffic-policy,Jl-Rasuna-Said Free

The Jakarta Transportation Agency assured on Tuesday that motorcycles would be allowed to pass through Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.

Only the odd-even license traffic policy will be applied on Jl Rasuna Said, not a motorcycle ban. Dont worry, agency head Andri Yansyah said at City Hall on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Andri was responding to rumors that motorcycles would be banned along Jl. Rasuna Said.

A trial run for the odd-even policy on Jl. Rasuna Said will commence on Sept. 12, the same day as the implementation of a motorcycle ban on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat to the Senayan traffic circle.

However, the implementation of the odd-even policy on Jl. Rasuna Said will require further discussion, Andri added.

The Jakarta administration plans to expand its ban on motorcycles from using the citys thoroughfares to reduce traffic congestion. Motorcycles have been banned from Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle since December 2014. (wnd)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 18:20 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad8b20c 1 Politics PAN,Zulkifli-Hasan,#PAN,#Zulkifli-Hasan,#2019-elections,2019-presidential-election Free

The National Mandate Party (PAN) is mulling a plan to endorse its chairman, Zulkifli Hasan, who is also speaker of the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR), to run in the 2019 presidential election as either a presidential or a vice presidential candidate.

The decision is expected to be announced on the last day of the partys national meeting on Wednesday in Bandung, West Java.

Were considering our chairman to be either a presidential or vice presidential candidate in 2019 and we hope he can be accepted by the people, PAN deputy secretary-general Saleh Partaonan Daulay said on the second day of the meeting on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Zulkifli, he said, was fit to be a national leader given his experience as a lawmaker and environment minister during the administration of president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Many [party] members want Zulkifli to run in 2019. But we are also open to the possibility of endorsing others, Saleh added.

The pro-government party, however, refused to reveal whether it would lend its support to President Joko Jokowi Widodo for his reelection bid in 2019.

PANs decision to not invite Jokowi to the meeting has also intensified speculation of conflict with the government.

Unlike PAN, other parties in the government camp, for instance the Hanura Party and the United Development Party (PPP), invited Jokowi to recent meetings, during which they endorsed the Presidents reelection. (foy/ipa)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 17:41 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad8a4f2 1 City First-Travel,Scam,umrah-business,confiscation Free

The National Police have seized the assets of the owners of travel agency First Travel, which is suspected of carrying out an umrah (minor haj) scam.

The polices Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) head, Brig. Gen. Herry Rudolf Nahak, said Tuesday that seven buildings owned by First Travel owners Andika Surachman and his wife Anniesa Desvitasari had been seized by police investigators.

The assets were a home in Sentul City, Bogor; a house in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta; a rented house in Cilandak, South Jakarta and three First Travel offices in Cimanggis, Jl. TB Simatupang and Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.

Besides managing the travel agency, Anniesa is also a designer and owns a boutique.

Anniesas boutique in the Promenade building on Jl. Bangka Raya in Kemang [South Jakarta] was also confiscated, Herry said Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Furthermore, the investigators also seized the couples five cars.

Thirty-one savings account passbooks were also seized by the investigators and they have asked the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) to investigate the flow of funds from the accounts.

We also seized more than 14,000 pilgrims passports, Herry said.

During raids in several locations, the police also seized cell phones, pilgrims documents, swords and several types of replica guns. (wnd)
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Linkedin Dave Clark and Martin Abbugao (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Tue, August 22, 2017 13:39 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad79c4e 2 World US,Navy,accident,Singapore,SearchAndRescue Free

The US Navy announced a fleet-wide global investigation on Monday after the latest in a series of accidents left another 10 sailors missing and five more injured.

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson ordered commanders to set aside time, perhaps "one or two days" within a week, for crews to sit down together after the destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker off Singapore.

And this will be carried out in parallel to the start of "comprehensive review" of practices.

"As you know, this is the second collision in three months and the last of a series of incidents in the Pacific theater," Richardson said.

"This trend demands more forceful action. As such, I have directed an operational pause be taken in all of our fleets around the world."

The admiral did not rule out some kind of outside interference or a cyber attack being behind the collision, but said he did not want to prejudge the inquiry and his broader remarks suggested a focus on "how we do business on the bridge."

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, on a visit to Jordan, said Richardson's "broader enquiry will look at all related accidents, incidents at sea, that sort of thing. He is going to look at all factors, not just the immediate one."

Ten US sailors were still missing after Monday's collision between the McCain and the Alnic MC in the busy shipping lanes of the Singapore Strait, near the Strait of Malacca, which left a large hole in the USS John McCain's hull.

A major search involving ships and aircraft from Singapore, Malaysia and the US was launched for the missing sailors.

Search efforts continued Tuesday with aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS America joining the hunt, which was focused on the area in which the collision occurred, the navy said.

The USS America -- which arrived in Singapore Monday -- was also providing support to crew members from the McCain, helping to drain water from the warship and repair systems damaged in the accident

The badly damaged destroyer limped into port in the southeast Asian city-state of Singapore under escort Monday after the dramatic pre-dawn accident.

Analysts said the accident, which came after June's collision off Japan involving a US warship, raised questions about whether the US Navy was overstretched in Asia as it seeks to combat Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The US Navy said there was "significant damage to the hull" of the vessel, which led to flooding of crew sleeping areas, machinery and communications rooms.

Topics : US Navy accident Singapore SearchAndRescue
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Linkedin Julia Suryakusuma (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 23 2017

Six days ago, on Aug. 17, Indonesia celebrated its 72nd anniversary of independence. Hurray! Festivities everywhere!

Indonesians typically celebrate Independence Day by having marches, flag hoisting ceremonies, neighborhood competitions, screening historical films, etc. But have we also achieved internal freedom and justice, or only external freedom?

How do you measure the birth of a nation? In the case of formerly colonized states, its easy: its when they declare their independence. But if you consider a nation-state as diverse as Indonesia, were we all bornat the same time?

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 23 2017

Indonesia and Chile are both confident about concluding a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) on time at the fifth round of negotiations in Chile, scheduled for this October.

The approach of this [deal] is incremental, so weve started with trade in goods first [] I would say were consciously on track to conclude this year, said Iman Pambagyo, chief of the Indonesian negotiating team, on Tuesday.

If the CEPA is realized, Chile will be the first South American country with which Indonesia has a free trade agreement (FTA). The next in line this year is Peru. Other ASEAN countries  Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam  already have CEPAs with Chile.

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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 15:04 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad84741 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Jember,Airport Free

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi paid a visit to Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember, East Java, on Sunday to oversee its development.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has targeted for the development to complete by 2019.

Budi said the expansion would help improve connectivity and support tourism in Jember as well as its neighboring cities, such as Surabaya and Bali.

Read also: Banten's Sawarna: A hidden paradise facing the Indian Ocean

With this development, the airport will be able to accommodate up to 360,000 passengers per year, said Budi.

The development of the runway and airport is said to be conducted in 2019, while a second development phase that includes runway extension and other facilities to support haj flights will kick off after 2019.

"The budget for this project is Rp 370 billion [US$27.74 million], added Budi.

The city of Jember has been gaining international recognition due to the popularity of Jember Fashion Carnaval. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has even named the city 'the World Carnival City'. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, August 22, 2017 13:03 1909 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ad798a0 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Banyuwangi,jakarta,domestic-travel,Sriwijaya-Air Free

Two months after NAM Air first made its inaugural flight for the Jakarta  Banyuwangi route on June 16, the airline company has agreed to add one more flight schedule for the route starting August 20.

The new schedule uses flight number IN-256 and departs from Jakarta at 02:10 p.m. and arrives at 03:45 p.m. in Banyuwangi. Then from Banyuwangi, using flight number IN-257 the departure time to Jakarta is scheduled at 04:15 p.m. with arrival time is at 05:55 p.m.

Meanwhile, the first flight with flight number IN-252 departs from Jakarta at 07:05 a.m. and arrives at 08:35 p.m. The round trip with flight number IN-253 departs from Banyuwangi at 09:05 a.m. and arrives at 10:30 a.m.

Both flights use Boeing 737-500W airplanes with the capacity of 120 passengers, with 112 seats in economy class and eight seats in the executive class.

With this additional new schedule, the flight to Banyuwangi is available in both morning and afternoon times, said NAM Air senior corporate communications manager, Agus Soedjono.

Read also: How to get affordable airplane tickets outside of travel fairs, promotions

Throughout the month of July, the passenger load factor is above 85 percent, this gave us the confidence to add more flight, Agus added.

The new schedule proves the contribution from Sriwijaya Air Group, the parent company of NAM Air, towards the regional development of Banyuwangi. In the future, the company is also planning to open other new routes.

It doesnt rule out the possibility for other new routes from Banyuwangi as it is in line with our commitment to Banyuwangi regent Abdullah Azwar which is to expand the connectivity and tourism partnership up to the international league, Agus said.

Banyuwangi regency has more than 72 tourist events in a year with 50 of them are international events. The place is also known for its tourist spots such as the blue fire crater of Ijen and G-Land beach that was named as the most popular surfing spot in Indonesia in 2016 according to an internet survey. (asw)
Its tough to walk around the Lower East Side this month without bumping into a political candidate. Thats because the citywide Democratic Primary Election is coming up Sept. 12. Downtown politicos are also getting frothed up over a looming election in November to fill former State Sen. Daniel Squadrons State Senate seat. Heres a quick look at some key events in the next few days.

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) from 6-8 p.m., there will be a chance to hear from three candidates hoping to take Squadrons place in the 26th Senate District. A special election will be called by the governor on the same day as the general election in November. Local county committees will likely select a Democratic nominee sometime next month. Candidates include: Brian Kavanagh, state assemblyman; Paul Newell, local district leader; and Alan Gerson, former City Councilman. The event is sponsored by Downtown Independent Democrats, a political club. It will be held in the community room at Independence Plaza, 310 Greenwich St. Most voters, of course, wont have a voice in deciding who the party selects, unless theyre members of the county committees. So this forum will be one of the few chances to take part in the political process.

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 10 p.m., Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) will air a District 1 City Council debate. It will be replayed Thursday at 4 p.m., Sunday at 9 p.m. and next Monday at 4. MNN is available on Time Warner Cable Channel 34, RCN Channel 82 or Verizon FIOS Channel 33. Candidates Dashia Imperiale, Aaron Foldenauer and Christopher Marte participated. The incumbent, City Council member Margaret Chin, did not take part in the taped forum, as Foldenauer noted in a scathing press release the other day. A spokesperson for Chin said she could not attend because she was at an event highlighting the need for repairs and funding for NYCHA developments. The Council member did tape a candidate statement for MNN.

The candidates competing in City Council District 2 will appear at a forum Thursday evening La MaMa Theatre, 66 East Fourth St., 6:30 p.m. Five contenders are vying to replace term limited Council member Rosie Mendez. The event is sponsored by the Cooper Square Committee, Community Access, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), Historic Districts Council, East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI). RSVP required. Heres the Facebook invite.

On Friday from 6-8 p.m., theres a District 1 candidate forum from 6-8 p.m. at Seward Park High School. 350 Grand St. You can expect Council member Chin to sit this one out. The forum is sponsored by the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side. Many of its members have been longtime foes of Margaret Chin. The Council members campaign confirmed that she will not be attending.

Finally, we want to mention that The Lo-Down will be publishing an election guide on Sept. 5. We have reached out to all of the candidates for statements. Any candidate who did not receive our query can email us at: tips@thelodownny.com.
here

Mark Tremonti

Gojira

Why? Because that was the day that Like a Storm, Gojira , Volbeat and the almighty Alter Bridge descended on the citys vast O2 Arena in a four-piece collection of sensational metal antics. It was a night fuelled by big riffs, big hooks and an enormous sense of, quite simply, cathartic, energetic brilliance. Writing as an attendee of this gargantuan evening of rock n roll royalty, it was a true spectacle to behold. And, clearly, that nights headliner is just as partial to that performance, because, come September 8th, they will be releasing a live CD of the concert, along with a selection of B-sides and bonus tracks, ingeniously entitled Live at the O2 Arena + Rarities. Aptly, the three-disc collection begins with the track that started the O2 concert itself: The Writing on the Wall, a somewhat left-field and deeper take from Alter Bridges latest record, The Last Hero (2016). The deflated start is offset by the beloved, heavy oldie Come to Life immediately followed by the equally incendiary Addicted to Pain. A Myles Kennedy solo performance of the acoustic ballad Watch Over You makes for the shows emotional, lighters in the air moment, before the nine-minute epic Blackbird keeps the sombre tone going, its enormous chorus and stunning, trade-off guitar solos as genuine and weighty as ever. The track always proves the highlight of every Alter Bridge show and Live at the O2 Arena certainly makes no exception to that rule. Immediately after, a ceaseless cavalcade of crowd-popping hits takes over: Metalingus, made famous by its repeated use in pro-wrestling organisation WWE, leads into the unifying anthem Open Your Eyes, its messages of solidarity and community perfectly echoing the sentiments felt by an eager, singing audience. Show Me a Leader (the lead single off of The Last Hero and arguably the song that should have got the gig going in the first place) begins an encore completed by Rise Today, its simple yet engaging chorus generating a massive response from a crowd very audible at select moments in this discs mix, as always. What doesnt survive in the albums mix, however, are the guitars, which have an affinity for sounding muddy and even dissonant on cuts such as Metalingus and Ghosts of Days Gone By. Given the sheer prowess of Myles Kennedys live vocals, and the technical perfection of both he and co-shredder Mark Tremonti , a more refined guitar tone would be a real piece de resistance. Renditions of Poison in Your Veins and My Champion (both from The Last Hero, but neither of which were recorded at the O2 Arena) close out Live at the O2s two CDs, undoing the somewhat climactic nature of Rise Today in the process. But, hey, that new Alter Bridge album aint gonna promote itself! The Rarities disc follows suit, comprised of many B-sides and hidden gems that, up until this point, have only been available in select territories. In and of themselves, these are doubtlessly strong songs, particularly the three from the Blackbird (2007) sessions (New Way to Live, Damage Done and We Dont Care at All), which make up some of the heaviest material Alter Bridge has ever produced. The downside of this section, as is the case with many of the modern eras lost B-sides-style albums, is that their exclusivity has been undone by YouTube and iTunes, which let tracks previously intended for the audiences of only one region to suddenly be shared worldwide. As time goes by and the internet becomes more and more heavily inter-connected with the music industry, discs like Rarities are going to become more and more pointless. The apex comes with Symphony of Agony (The Last of Our Kind), Rarities closing track, as that song saw the light of day barely over six months ago on the international deluxe edition of The Last Hero, which remains just as readily available as the standard version of the record. However, with that said, the Live at the O2 portion of this triple album alone is worth the price of admission. As ever, Alter Bridge put on a confident, passionate concert that translates perfectly onto disc. The energy is palpable, even as listeners blast out these tracks through headphones or laptop speakers. Given a better mix and a superior track listing at its bookends, Live at the O2 would be the quintessential Alter Bridge live record. But, given what we have, it would probably be best to stick with their Live from Amsterdam (2008) set for now.
Hold onto your dragonglass Thrones fans, because a conference on everyones favourite tale of ice and fire is coming to the University of Hertfordshire this September.



Havilliand Campus between 6th and 7th September of this year  and yes, students are invited. Game of Thrones: An International Conference will take place at the universitys DeCampus between 6and 7th September of this year  and yes, students are invited.

Scholars from all around the world will come to discuss key themes of the series, including politics, gender, motherhood, death, power and trauma - as well as the massive international popularity of the series, and issues surrounding this popularity.

Keynote speakers include prominent Game of Thrones scholars including Professor Anne Gjelsivik, Associate Professor Rijke Schubert and Professor Martin Baker, who will discuss varying issues related to Game of Thrones.

Discussions include the role of gender, changes from book to screen, and the international impact of the show.

game play and world-building as well as the series historical backdrop will also be covered. The George RR Martin Society will also be launched at the conference. Its impact on heritage and tourism, transmedia,andwill also be covered. The George RR Martin Society will also be launched at the conference.

Conference organiser Kim Akass, a Senior Lecturer in Film and TV at the University of Hertfordshire, says: "Weve organised the conference to coincide with the final season of the globally successful HBO series.

As the series draws to its close we expect international delegates to investigate the series success as well as celebrate its place in TV history.

Tickets cost 75 a day and 140 for two, but never fear students - there is a discount for you, so Game of Thrones fans needn't miss out for fear of the hefty price tag.
Juan Martinez first journeyed outside of his native Colombia as he was coming to the end of high school, a relatively late introduction to the world of travel.

Of course, the travel bug soon bit and Juan quickly became addicted. After spending the year in Germany, Juan had enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to stay - and the rest is history. Since then, he has

Since then he has travelled to more than 60 countries, and now has a popular blog documenting his roaming lifestyle.

His blog Traveler's Buddy is now his full-time job, as he travels the world in association with great brands and tourism boards.

Don't you wish you could travel the world like Juan too?

Here are his top tips for those hoping to enter the world of travel blogging:

1. Defy your own expectations

When Juan contacts hotels to negotiate a deal, he reaches out to the best of the best  the finest hotels with the most exquisite rooms. If a hotel has a beautiful room that is not booked, Juan explains, why not let a blogger stay and spread the word about the accommodation?

If you keep pushing boundaries, you will work with better companies each day, making a name for yourself and always climbing up that travel media ladder.

2. Planning

While many travel bloggers are advocates for the classic ditch the job and travel the world story, Juan reminds us of the importance of planning. He quit his job at a time when he was making good money through his blog and realised that, if he kept growing at the same rate, he would be able to travel and blog full-time  a sensible decision that led to his success today.

3. Always learn new markets

Now that everyone can take a good quality picture from their smartphones, travel bloggers need to reach into new markets. Juan turned to drone photography when he discovered that it was a relatively untouched market and that drones were getting more affordable each passing day. He insists that, as a photographer, you need to learn new markets all the time and discover a way

into

them ahead of the masses.

4. Read, read, read

From checking out web designs to reading articles listing the ways to increase your followers, there is so much to learn from other bloggers. Be cautious though: while some articles will provide you with great advice to expand your blog, Juan often comes across articles full of nonsense from people who have bought followers, trying to claim credit for their large following.

Try out different techniques and see what works for you  check out our next tip to see what worked for Juan.

5. How to increase followers and engagement

- Post at a certain time  think about what your readers are doing at certain times of the day and how to create a piece that will impress them in that moment.

- Be constant  when you decide to post at a certain time, stick to it. If you do not post for a long time, your engagement will decrease significantly.

- Dont buy followers  Juan highlights that buying followers is going to show your photos to people who dont exist, people who are not going to engage with the content, therefore, you are not expanding your audience or making a name for yourself in the blogging sphere.

6. Have a good mixture of content

After visiting a destination, Juan makes sure to create a variety of content for his followers  a photography-based piece to show the beauty of the place, an article focusing on something unique that the destination can offer, a piece from the perspective of a budgeting traveller. Not only does Juan create this content on his blog, he also produces videos for his Instagram stories and aerial footage using his drone. Through all this, Juans followers get a thorough account of the destination and can make an informed destination about visiting.

7. Create something original

Perhaps the most important tip of all  be original. Check out the websites, blogs and channels of your favourite bloggers  decide what you like and what you think is missing then create your own.
Paul Hollywood has d admitted that he believes he looks like Game Of Thrones character the Night King.

The blue-eyed Great British Bake Off judge, 51, is famous for his steely gaze and has been dubbed a silver fox thanks to his looks.

But he tweeted an image of himself next to the White Walkers leader and wrote: Ok

yea, I do see the resemblance now.

Ok yea I do see the resemblance now .. pic.twitter.com/K7qG1DSrCQ  Paul Hollywood (@PaulHollywood) August 22, 2017

@PellieCake wrote: Brings a whole new meaning to the word frosting!'

@HMalmbergBB wrote: Ha, I can see it now your pastry is dry guy on right (Night King) comes out.

Meanwhile, MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace has been asking fans what they think of the rival Channel 4 show, which aired its first episode to critics and journalists on Monday.

Fascinated to know what everyone thinks of the new Bake Off.  Gregg Wallace (@GreggAWallace) August 22, 2017

Fascinated to know what everyone thinks of the new Bake Off, he tweeted.
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Book looks into 52 cases unsolved murders with ties to South Dakota

Christine Wevik started researching cold cases in South Dakota thinking there were about 30. She found 155.
It's our annual Labour Weekend tradition ...The Sound 'Hall Of Fame' Countdown... Where we honor the greatest 500 songs of all time as voted by you.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation Sustainable Agriculture and Demonstration Grants.

Approximately $250,000 is available to fund projects that explore new ways of conserving natural resources, enhancing farm profitability, increasing energy efficiency, and improving life in rural communities.

No one cares more about Minnesotas rural landscape than farmers and their families, said Lt. Governor Tina Smith. The Minnesota Department of Agricultures Sustainable Agriculture and Demonstration Grant program is available to help farmers improve the sustainability and profitability of their operations. I encourage all farmers interested in making changes to their operations to apply for a grant worth up to $25,000.

Farmer David Abazs hopes his grant funds will help demonstrate a cost-effective way to increase soil health on the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center Schools organic farm. Abazs is testing a variety of materials, including lime, wood ash, and biochar for their ability to affect soil chemistry and increase pH levels of the acidic soils in Lake County.

These fields have never been farmed before and are providing a great template to help us and other farmers, said Abazs. Were trying to find soil amendments that will help simultaneously meet pH goals and enhance soil health.

Previous grant rounds have funded projects exploring farm diversification, cover crops and crop rotation, conservation tillage, input reduction strategies, and alternative energies like wind, methane, and biomass.

AGRI Sustainable Agriculture and Demonstration grantees must share their findings. These are published annually in the MDAs Greenbook, which provides a summary of each project along with results, management tips, and other resources.

Applications from farmers receive priority, but the program also funds Minnesota nonprofit and educational organizations as long as Minnesota farmers are meaningfully involved in the project. Projects may last two to three years.

AGRI Sustainable Agriculture and Demonstration Grant applications are due by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13. For more information and to apply, visit www.mda.state.mn.us/grants/grants/demogrant.aspx.
In a first step towards taking over 449 private schools, which are yet to refund the extra fee charged from the students, Delhi government after the nod of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has started issuing show cause notice to these schools.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government asserted that it would not hesitate to take over the management of 449 private schools, if they will not comply with the Justice Anil Dev Singh Committees recommendation to refund excess fee charged from students. The government had given the private schools two weeks time to take a call on the matter.

A government official said that out of 449 schools, 17 schools have refunded the money, while others are yet to fall in line.

The process has begun. LG has approved to issue the show cause notice to the schools which are still to reimburse the excess fee charged from the students, the official said.

Addressing a press conference on 18 August, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that as per the Anil Dev Singh committee recommendation, the private schools have overcharged parents on the pretext of implementing recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.

Kejriwal said that even though, the government doesnt wish to take over these schools, but cant act as a mute spectator, when parents are being looted in the name of school fee.

Renowned Delhi schools like DPS, Amity International, Sanskriti, Modern School and Springdales are in the list.
The ongoing West Bengal floods has claimed 152 lives and caused losses to the tune of Rs.14,000 crore in 11 districts of the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday after visiting three northern districts where large areas continued to be submerged.

The floods have caused losses totaling almost Rs 14,000 crore in 11 districts of the state. So far, there are reports of 152 deaths due to various causes like drowning, snake bites etc in the state in the ongoing floods. 1.5 crore people have been affected, she said.

Hitting out at the Centre, she said it should see to it that dredging of barrages is done properly.

The floods have taken place due to the release of water by the DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation) and Farakka Barrage. The state of the reservoirs and river beds has become such that people are getting hit more by the release of water rather than by rains, she alleged.

Bengal has become like a boat. Neither the Farakka Barrage nor the reservoirs under the DVC are dredged.

Banerjee said 45 lakh people have been affected in the three north Bengal districts  Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur  she toured during the day.

She said about four lakh tents have been distributed and more are being provisioned for distribution.

There is enough aid material. We are not stingy about distributing them. Many speed boats are also operating in the flooded areas for distributing relief, she said.

The Chief Minister went to various inundated areas, heard grievances of the affected people and instructed the administration to be prompt in relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction work.

The Trinamool Congress supremo also batted for central aid for all flood-hit states.

The central government has provided aid packages worth Rs 2,000 crore each to Gujarat and Assam. All states must get central aid. Bengal has been less affected by floods than Gujarat and Assam. We would send a detailed report and expect the help which is needed.

I have also written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few times regarding the erosion of the Gangas banks but no actions have been taken, she alleged.

In Malda, she held a meeting with the District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police and senior officials of the three districts. Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim, state Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and Relief Department officials were present.

Banerjee directed the officials to ensure there was enough stock of medicines to tackle any outbreak of diseases once the water level came down.

The flood situation in northern West Bengal showed an overall improvement, barring Malda district where nearly five blocks were still inundated by the increasing water level of the Mahananda river.

This situation is due to the water level of the river, she told locals.

Floods have wrecked havoc in Cooch Behar, South Dinajpur, North Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Malda districts of north Bengal.

According to the State Irrigation Department, heavy downpour in Nepal and Bihar is further worsening the situation as the waters released by them is entering Mahananda.

They said the Mahananda was flowing 1.5 metres above the extreme danger level in the English Bazar area while some other rivers in the area have also breached the danger level.

The State Finance Department was collaborating with other departments, including its irrigation counterpart, to formulate a report on the overall flood situation and damages in the state, said state Irrigation Minister Rajib Banerjee.

The report will be submitted to the Chief Secretary and Chief Minister in about a week, he said.
Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra on Monday alleged the minority wing of the AAP distributed pamphlets urging Muslims to vote for the party in the August 23 Bawana assembly bypoll, a charge denied by the ruling outfit.

A photo of the purported pamphlet, carrying pictures of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Environment Minister Imran Hussain, was posted on Twitter by Mishra, who said he would approach the Election Commission against the AAP.

Terming the pamphlet fake, Hussain tweeted that he would immediately approach the police.

A fake pamphlet was prepared with my picture on it. I am immediately lodging a complaint with the police. And I demand strictest action in this case, the minister tweeted.

The party also lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police, seeking action.

The BJP was quick to latch on to the issue.

The pamphlet was widely distributed by the AAP in Muslim-dominated areas of the Bawana assembly constituency, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari alleged.

Political parties are barred from seeking votes in the name of religion or caste.
Annabelle: Creation, the prequel to Annabelle, has been garnering positive reviews from fans and critics ever since its release. But has, somehow, spooked many people who watched the movie!

Annabelle: Creation, a part of The Conjuring series, which is considered as one of the scariest franchise ever, has spooked a woman, who went for a night show of the supernatural thriller!

The unnamed 20-year-old girl visited a cinema in Tersina, Brazil, for a late night show and became hysterical after watching the movie!

According to sources, the girl was reportedly screaming in horror after watching the movie. She was rushed immediately to a nearby hospital, where her friends tried to calm her down as she started punching herself in the face!

https://youtu.be/bgWprKj8-G8

Earlier, similar incidents happened when The Conjuring 2 released, where an old man in India had a cardiac arrest and died in between the movie!

Some faint-hearted people should stay away from movies like these, which is too-spooky-to handle.
The CBI on Tuesday filed supplementary chargesheet against former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammed Shahabuddin in connection with the murder of Bihar-based journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, an official said.

Shahabuddin, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May-end, is now lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi.

The probe agency filed the chargesheet in a special CBI court in Bihars Muzaffarpur under charges of criminal conspiracy, murder and arms act.

The former MP was on May 26 named by the CBI as one of the 10 accused in the murder of Ranjan, who hailed from Bihars Siwan district.

The case was handed over to the CBI in September last year after the slain journalists widow Asha Ranjan and his father Radhe Krishna Chaudhary repeatedly alleged that Shahabuddin was behind the murder.

The suspicion over Shahbuddins involvement deepened after names of two of his henchmen, Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Javed, surfaced during investigation.

A chargesheet has been filed against six of the accused. Javed and Kaif are on bail and Shahabuddin has been made the 10th accused.

Police in Bihar had earlier claimed that the murder was the result of premediated conspiracy.

Informed sources claimed that Rajdeo Ranjan had become a threat for criminals because of his news reports against the deteriorating law and order condition in Siwan.

Shahabuddin was in jail when the journalist was gunned down in Siwan while returning from office on May 13, 2016.

Shahabuddin, facing 39 criminal cases including those of kidnapping and murder, was shifted to Tihar Jail on February 18.
The fifth convocation of Presidency University will be noted for the exceptionally profound and the profane.

The first category must cover the distinguished ancient Indian historian, Romila Thapars convocation address, remarkably bereft of sanctimonious homilies that mark such occasions, but dense in its content and with an implicit message to the establishment.

The other side of the coin was marked by the rumblings of students opposition to the move to put in place an apolitical students council, replacing the traditionally politicised students union. With tongue firmly in cheek, Prof Thapar conveyed the pregnant message that it has become fashionable to quote the Vedas, but these ancient texts also teach people to question the knowledge gathered.

Small wonder that the observation was greeted with resounding applause from the audience. She has thus emitted a stark signal for the Hindutva lobby, which as often as not cites ancient Indian texts and discourages debate on contentious issues.

Nay more, there is a pronounced tendency to de-toxify history and the content of texts. The former Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University has in effect urged the far right to answer EH Carrs famous query ~ What is History? It is the truism of the discipline that has been ignored.

Prof Thapar has utilised the opportunity to remind the audience that education can never be restricted to the garrnering of information; it also entails critical thinking, indeed to question what we have learnt.

The caveat recalls the distinguished historian who once headed the History department of Presidency College, the late Ashin Das Guptas famous advice to his students ~ If you read for five minutes, think for ten.

Prof Thapar has scanned similar ground when she asserts that in this process, knowledge can be advanced. Learning is not learning if it remains static. The process of asking questions and seeking answers has an ancient ancestry.

A book on history ~ authoritative or standard text ~ can help one to collect data; however, as in any other social science discipline, interpretation is a matter of subjective reflection and ought not to mirror the perceptions of the party in power.

Prof Thapars robust presentation is applicable to all universities ~ central, state, or private. Closely intertwined with campus development is the imperative to delink politics from students unions, as the Lyngdoh committee had once recommended. It isnt a state embroidery.

This is the fundamental that the raucous students, who raised slogans during the convocation, ought to realise. True education minister Partha Chatterjee, who didnt attend the convocation, has been less than effective.

But this hardly warranted pedestrian slogans, still less swipes at the Vice-Chancellor. Romila Thapar deserved a refined reception.
There have been many changes in India during the 70 years since Independence. Our efforts to develop a liberal, open, pluralistic democracy have relapsed into traditional Hindu obscurantism, characterised by casteism, communalism and bigotry.

Our politics changed from initial idealism to one of mere opportunism and money-grabbing entrepreneurship. Our economy flirted with pseudo-socialism before reverting to full-scale neo-liberalism, dominated unabashedly by big capital.

Our novel foreign policy of non-alignment was abandoned by first tilting towards the Soviet Union due to exigencies of circumstances, and then embracing the United States for the personal benefit of our businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians. Our alarming brain drain is now being eulogised as brain gain. In the middle of all these fluxes, there has been one constant throughout our post-Independence history. It is our Pakistan obsession.

Pakistans obsession with India is understandable. Pakistan has been struggling with its identity ever since its inception. Its soil is where the Vedic civilisation, the basis of Hinduism, flourished in ancient times. Pakistanis believe that the Hindus never forgave them for dismembering their holy land by creating Pakistan. They also never accepted the status of Kashmir. India also had reasons in the beginning to be obsessed with Pakistan.

First, there was the issue of the partition of the country based on religion. Pakistan kept reminding Hindus of thousand years of Muslim rule of foreign invaders. Then there was the mass killing of thousands of people on both sides, and ten million refugees going in both directions as the direct consequence of Partition.

This was soon followed by the 1948 war on Kashmir due to massive infiltration of the regular Pakistani army disguised as tribal rebels. Then there was the indecisive 1965 war that gave us some moral boost after our disastrous border war with China in 1962.

But I thought that our decisive victory against Pakistan in 1971 and the dismemberment of Pakistan with the creation of Bangladesh would put us psychologically on a different plane from Pakistan and we would be finally free of our Pakistan obsession.

Amazingly enough this did not happen. Decades after the Bangladesh war, the South Asia expert Stephen Cohen of the United States wondered: One of the most important puzzles of India Pakistan relations is not why the smaller Pakistan feels encircled and threatened, but why the larger India does. It would seem that India, seven times more populous than Pakistan and five times its size, and which defeated Pakistan in 1971, would feel more secure.

This has not been the case and Pakistan remains deeply embedded in Indian thinking. There are historical, strategic, ideological, and domestic reasons why Pakistan remains the central obsession of much of the Indian strategic community, just as India remains Pakistans. Our Pakistan obsession has pulled us down to the level of Pakistan in all spheres: economic, social and political.

Despite our much proclaimed sterling growth rates, our per capita GDP was $1701 compared to $1468 of Pakistan in 2016. The difference is not something to write home about.

On the human development index, we are ranked 131 among 188 countries, as opposed to the rank 147 for Pakistan. Finally, Zia-ul-Haq made Pakistan officially an Islamic State, while our present disposition is busy making India a de-facto Hindu Rashtra.

Given our size and potential, our real obsession should have been China. The hype of our growth rate being a fraction of a percentage higher than Chinas, and that too after changing the base year for calculating the GDP growth, is just a feel-good factor for our ordinary people. China experienced a consistent growth rate of more than 10 per cent for thirty years.

We are still struggling to attain a growth rate of 7.5 per cent. After 1971 we could have ignored Pakistan, and become obsessed with China. After all we should have looked at China as our real competitor in Asia, given our similar population sizes and economic levels in the early Seventies. It could have been a healthy competition and not a hostile confrontation. Instead, we were the silent spectators as China surged ahead of us economically from the late Seventies.

First the Chinese industrialists from the nearby Asian countries, the socalled Asian Tigers, moved their factories to China. Their success induced Western companies to shift their factories on a massive scale to China.

Today China is the factory of the world producing all goods the Western consumers demand. Our trade with China sky-rocketed in this century with huge trade surplus in Chinas favour. We can only sell raw materials to China, and the trade relation is that of a developed country with an underdeveloped one.

Still we do not have a national outcry to develop a truly industrial economy. What happened to our Make In India campaign? It seems that our current rulers are more interested in protecting cows, forcing people to sing Vande Mataram and asking us to take a pledge for getting rid of poverty, terrorism, casteism and commnalism in five years that has eluded us for the past five millenniums.

China has leveraged its huge population to build tech behemoths Baidu and Alibaba, something we have singularly failed to achieve.

The presence of innumerable foreign companies helped China to strengthen its technological base with Chinese companies now competing with the western, Japanese and South Korean companies in high-end consumer products.

Chinas massive military machine is based largely on domestically produced hardware. We, by contrast still import most of our sophisticated military requirements. China is already challenging the US interests in the South China Sea, while we rush to Washington to complain every time Pakistan does something sinister to us, or China maintains its intransigence against our interests.

Let us hope that, in lieu of impractical populist pledges and forced show of patriotism in this years Independence day celebration, our Prime Minister would urge us to take a new pledge at the end of the 70th year of our Independence on 15 August 2018 that states, Well catch up with China before the end of this Century.

(The writer is former Dean and Emeritus Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Twente, The Netherlands)
The past few days have seen three terror attacks in Europe. Hours after a van killed 13 people and injured 100 in Las Ramblas, the seaside town of Cambrils was hit by a second vehicle attack, leaving one dead and six injured.

A day after the Barcelona attack, two people were murdered with a knife in Turku, Finland, with the attacker allegedly yelling Allah-u-Akbar.

One factor common amongst these attackers is their youth: the alleged offender in the Barcelona attack, Younes Abouyaaqoub, is 22 years old. The suspected terrorists shot dead by police in Cambrils were aged between 17 and 24. The Finnish terror suspect is an 18-yearold Moroccan. Closer to home, the Manchester Arena attacker was 22, and two of the 7/7 bombers were under the age of 20.

The vile actions of these attackers bear no relation to Islam, which is embraced by millions of people across Europe. But I frequently wonder why increasing numbers of young European Muslims are joining Isis. What lures these young people to abandon their relatively prosperous lives in a free society to join a vicious band of nihilists?

A profiling of these terrorists reveals that there are several factors that can turn a young person into a terrorist, and some of these factors are not exclusive to Muslims because Isis recruits are not Muslims only. Isis use religious motivation to recruit young Muslims. This religious motivation must not be confused with the teachings of Islam itself. Killing an innocent person is one of the gravest sins in Islam. Islam has no regard for terrorism.

People from majority Muslim countries are often caught up in terror incidents, as is the case in the Barcelona attack. Isis presents a distorted interpretation of Islam to young men to motivate them to establish a utopian world, which may also involve an adventurous trip to Syria.

Through their sophisticated propaganda, Isis are able to convince some young people that by joining it, they will take part in an important episode of human history. The emergence of Isis, according to them, marks the start of the apocalypse of the anti-Christ and eventually the day of judgement. Isis tactically use powerful religious ideology to induce recruits to accept a life that in all probability will include martyrdom.

The ultimate truth, Isis maintains, lies not in this world with all the frustrations and disappointments, but in another realm not of this earth.

The State, a drama which will be on Britains Channel 4 from Sunday, shows how shamelessly religious terminology is used to motivate and reassure young recruits. The wives of Isis soldiers are repeatedly told in the drama: Your husband has been given a great honour. He is with virgins in Paradise.

To be the wife of a martyr is a great reward. The truth could not be further from that. Prophet Muhammad has said that whoever kills an innocent person will be nowhere near Paradise. However as Isis use Islam for their propaganda, albeit a distorted interpretation of it, we Muslims must not only continue to condemn and disassociate ourselves from the acts of terrorists, but continue to pro-actively challenge the spectrum of extremism through education, engagement and the empowerment of vulnerable young people. Where Isis offer something to die for, we must offer them something to live for. By standing together, working together and living together, we all need to show young people of Europe why Isis worldview is a deluded illusion and path to destruction. We often talk about counter-narratives but simply theologically dissecting Isiss twisted ideology is not enough. Counter-narratives do have an important role to play, when seeking to reengage those already susceptible. But Dont be an extremist is too passive.

The world must offer a positive call to action  a clear articulation of a shared identity and sense of belonging. This means tackling socio-economic and socio-political factors, which are also key drivers for extremism. Islamophobia, disproportionate levels of unemployment, discrimination, poor housing and educational disadvantage are used as powerful tools for Isis to recruit frustrated young people who do not have sense of belonging.

It is not by choice that the vast majority of European Muslims live in social enclaves, rather this segregation is largely a product of social and economic exclusion. Isis offer these disenfranchised young people a highly seductive subculture  a cultural community and a new life that is emotionally rewarding. States across Europe needs to invest in young Muslims, create job opportunities and bring prosperity to their lives, leading to better economic and social integration.

This is not to say that Muslims should be treated favourably, rather equally. Despite the outrage that we feel, our societies must stand together to oppose the acts of hatred or terrorism that divide our communities. We must show defiance against the coward terrorists, and remain united to build a world where we can all feel included, safe and secure.

(The Independent)
The Australian government will consider any request from the US to contribute further troops to Afghanistan, Defence Minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday.

In a statement following US President Donald Trumps announcement that he would ask NATO allies and global partners for further support, Payne said that while Australian contribution was already significant, the government would consider any formal request, Xinhua news agency reported.

We will examine the Presidents statement, consider any expectations of counterpart nations and engage in discussion with the US on these matters, Payne said.

Australia is making a significant contribution to operations including in Iraq and Syria, in Afghanistan and in our own region. In May, we agreed to increase the ADF train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan by 30 personnel, which will take our total troop numbers to around 300.

Meanwhile Peter Jennings from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said Australia would definitely be one of the nations from which Trump would seek support.

We will certainly be among the allies they would expect to take a request like that seriously, Jennings said.

He said that while the US might be concerned with the situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan, Australia should perhaps look at working against the Islamic State (IS) group in the Philippines  much closer to home.

It might be smart to actually look at doing a bit more to assist with the Philippines because really we just cant let the IS establish a hold in the South and thats probably for us where the most immediate problem is, Jennings said.
Just after Gov. Scott Walkers visit to talk Foxconn on Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch stopped at Belle Square to celebrate the new downtown commercial and residential building.

Kleefisch also kicked off the inaugural Wisconsin Main Street Day celebration during her visit to La Crosse afternoon, highlighting the citys commitment to its downtown.

This is a downtown that truly shines, she said. La Crosse is one of my absolute favorite downtowns in the state.

The new Wisconsin Main Street Day celebration is an expansion of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.s Wisconsin Main Street program, which has administered federal funds given to states since 1987 to help encourage downtown development. Kleefisch, WEDC deputy secretary and chief operating officer Tricia Braun, state legislators and other leaders took part in a statewide tour of 12 cities Tuesday to highlight the important role downtown business districts play in Wisconsins economy.

This is a very remarkable downtown we have here, La Crosse Mayor and former Downtown Main Street Inc. Executive Director Tim Kabat said. DMI has been there for decades pushing, pulling and partnering to have a big impact on the city.

The skyline of La Crosse would not be what it is without organizations such as DMI and the partnerships it has made with individuals and businesses. Without investments such as the renovation of the former county parking lot into Belle Square and the leadership of the people who made such projects happen, La Crosse wouldnt have the vibrant downtown it does, bringing in millions of dollars in tourism and supporting businesses and entrepreneurship.

One of those leaders was Don Weber, whose family investments of more than $220 million include the Belle Square project. Construction recently concluded on the second half of the building, which Weber said is at full occupancy of its more than 120,000 square feet of commercial space. Its residential space is more than 90 percent occupied.

The project was a collaboration among many people, he said, as well as a lot of meetings and debates. But at the end of the day, he said, Belle Square was mostly about doing the right thing for the community.

You have to have the will to try, he said, and the faith to believe that it is possible.

This is a downtown that truly shines. La Crosse is one of my absolute favorite downtowns in the state. Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch
An earthquake rattled the Italian resort island of Ischia at the peak of tourist season, killing at least one person and trapping a half dozen others, including children, under collapsed homes.

Police said all but one of the people known to be trapped were responding to rescuers and were expected to be extracted alive.

One person, however, wasnt responding, raising worries the death toll could rise, said Giovanni Salerno of the financial police.

Italys national volcanology institute said the temblor struck a few minutes before 9 pm yesterday, just as many people were having dinner. The hardest-hit area was Casamicciola, on the northern part of the island.

There was great discrepancy in the magnitude reported: Italys national vulcanology agency put the initial magnitude at 3.6. The US Geological Survey gave it a magnitude of 4.3 as did the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. All put the epicenter off Ischia, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

While such discrepancies are common, Italian officials complained that the Italian agencys initially low 3.6- magnitude estimate greatly undervalued the power of the temblor.

At least one hotel and parts of a hospital were evacuated. A doctor at the Rizzoli hospital, Roberto Calloca, told Sky TG24 that some 20 people were being treated for minor injuries at a makeshift emergency room set up on the hospital grounds. Calloca said the situation was calm and under control.

Salerno confirmed one person was killed by falling masonry. At least three children and a couple were extracted from the rubble.

Civil protection crews, already on the island in force to fight the forest fires that have been ravaging southern Italy, were checking the status of the buildings that suffered damage.

Together with the nearby island of Capri, Ischia is a favorite island getaway for the European jet set, famed in particular for its thermal waters. Casamicciola was the epicentre of an 1883 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people
The North Korean military on Tuesday threatened to respond in a ruthless way to the annual military exercise between South Korea and the US that began on Monday.

North Korea said it considered the maneouvres extremely dangerous reckless action, Efe news reported.

The Kim Jong-un regime said it cannot avoid a ruthless retaliation as the allies have disregarded its warnings, warranting merciless punishment, a statement released by the North Korean KCNA news agency said.

Amid one of the worst escalations between Pyongyang and Washington, South Korea and the US on Monday began their annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military exercises, involving about 67,500 soldiers.
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Monday expressed hope that the Supreme Court will pass an order in favour of Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

Addressing a function here in connection with the birth centenary celebrations of RSS ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Swamy claimed that a temple existed on the spot where the Babri Masjid was later erected has been stated in the report of a two-member expert team which was set up on the directions of the Allahabad High Court.

The prime minister could have brought a resolution in Parliament for the temples construction on the basis of the report. But, we have decided to wait for the Supreme Courts verdict in the matter, the Rajya Sabha MP said, exuding hope that the apex courts decision will be in favour of the temple.

Swamy said the Sunni Wakf Board has claimed its right over the land (in Ayodhya) contending that it has been in its possession for 500 years.

But the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that fundamental rights must prevail over legal rights protected by an ordinary law, and offering worship at the temple is the fundamental right of the Hindus, he added.

The Hindu Mahasabha and the Sunni Wakf Board had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court order of 2010 which had ruled that the land be divided among the Mahasabha, the Board and the Nirmohi Akhara.

Referring to Varanasi, Mathura and Ayodhya, Swamy said, We urge the Muslims to forego their claim on only these three places held sacred by the Hindus. We shall reciprocate by leaving untouched nearly 40,000 mosques across the country which have been constructed on the ruins of temples.

He said Muslims and Hindus will be like members of the same family if the former acknowledge their Hindu ancestry.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 42F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 29F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.


remaining of

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The last days of the Newfie Pride

There were many nights he didnt sleep. The numbers and scenarios turned over and over in his mind, making rest impossible. Id get up two, three oclock in the morning, night after night, come out to the kitchen table and work the numbers every ...
(Breaking news update, posted at 3:05 p.m.)

A Missouri man convicted of murder will not be executed on Tuesday after Gov. Eric Greitens issued a stay of execution and appointed a board to further consider his case.

"A sentence of death is the ultimate, permanent punishment," Greitens said in a statement. "To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt. In light of new information, I am appointing a Board of Inquiry in this case."

(Previous story, posted at 1:17 p.m.)

Missouri plans to put a 48-year-old man to death Tuesday, even as his lawyers say new DNA evidence proves his innocence.

The execution of Marcellus Williams is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, but lawyers for the death row inmate have asked the US Supreme Court to stop the execution and examine the new evidence.

A brief filed Monday night with Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch said the appeal is not based on witness recantation.

"In this case, there is conclusive scientific evidence that another man committed the crime," the brief written by defense lawyer Kent Gipson said.

But the Missouri Attorney General's Office argues the execution should be carried out because the DNA evidence doesn't overcome non-DNA evidence that connects Williams to the crime.

Lawyers: His DNA isn't on murder weapon

Williams was convicted in the death of Felicia Gayle, 42, a former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper who was stabbed 43 times inside her home in August 1998.

The newly acquired evidence shows Williams' DNA was not found on the murder weapon, Williams' lawyers say, though DNA from another male was found.

That evidence was not available when Williams went to trial in 2001, court documents say. Williams maintains his innocence and says he was convicted on the testimony of individuals who were, themselves, convicted felons.

Forensic DNA expert and biologist Greg Hampikian, who was hired by defense lawyers, told CNN on Monday that "when you're stabbing, DNA transfers because of restriction and force. If you're stabbing anyone, you have a good chance of transferring your DNA because of that force."

The analysis of DNA on the knife "isn't enough to incriminate someone, but it is enough to exclude somebody," he said. "It's like finding a Social Security card with some blurred numbers. There's still enough there to at least exclude someone."

Hair samples found at the crime scene don't match Williams' DNA, Hampikian said. A footprint found at the scene also does not match the defendant's shoes, his lawyers said.

But the Missouri Attorney General's Office, in addressing the new DNA evidence in court documents filed in federal court last week in opposition to a stay of execution, offered a possible explanation of why none of Williams' DNA was found on the knife.

State confident in his guilt

The new DNA evidence "does not come close to showing Williams is actually innocent," the documents state. "It would be unsurprising if Williams, who wore a coat from the crime scene to cover his bloody shirt, wore gloves when he committed the burglary and the murder," the documents say.

In a statement issued Monday, the state attorney general's office said Williams' guilt was proven without DNA evidence.

"Based on the other, non-DNA, evidence in this case, our office is confident in Marcellus Williams' guilt and plans to move forward," said Loree Anne Paradise, deputy chief of staff for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley.

The non-DNA evidence includes a laptop belonging to the victim's husband, which Williams sold and police recovered, and some of the victim's personal items, which police found in the trunk of the car Williams drove, according to court documents.

Williams got picked up about three weeks after Gayle was killed on unrelated charges. His cell mate from that time at a local jail, Henry Cole, and Laura Asaro, Williams' girlfriend, testified for the state, saying Williams told them separately that he committed the murder, according to the documents filed by the state attorney general.

Rejected by state Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the motion. Normally, it waits until the day the sentence is due to be carried out to rule because death penalty lawyers often flood the court with last-minute petitions in the hours before a scheduled execution.

The Missouri Supreme Court on August 15 turned down defense lawyers' bid to have the execution stopped and didn't provide a reason, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The case has drawn high-profile advocates. Sister Helen Prejean, the Roman Catholic nun who fights the death penalty and was featured in the movie "Dead Man Walking," is involved in the case. Amnesty International is urging Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, to grant clemency.

"It's gaining public attention," Amnesty International researcher Rob Freer said of the case. "I think there is a heightened sensitivity that it is now proven that the capital justice system" has errors, he said.

Samuel Spital, the director of Litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, said the lack of physical evidence linking Williams to the murder is "not the only disturbing aspect" of the case.

The trial prosecutor was allowed to preemptively strike six out of seven prospective black jurors, Spital told CNN, noting that Williams is black and Gayle was white.

"The prosecutor offered as a race 'neutral' explanation for one of the strikes that the black juror looked like Mr. Williams and that the juror worked for the Post Office, even though the same prosecutor raised no objection to a white juror who worked for the Post Office," Spital said. "Whatever one's views of capital punishment, it is both morally and constitutionally intolerable for a death sentence to be imposed if the defendant is innocent or if the verdict is marred by racial discrimination."

The governor's press officer, Parker Briden, declined to comment until the governor makes a decision.

Son: 'He's going to be murdered'

The execution would be carried out at the prison in Bonne Terre. Defense lawyer Komp told CNN his client is taking events calmly in advance of the planned legal injection.

"Given the tenets of his religion (Islam) that he is very devout about, he believes it will be Allah's will and he is at peace with that," Komp said. "Whatever will be will be. It's astounding."

Williams' son, Marcellus Williams II, said his father is not one to show pain.

"He's at peace. I think tomorrow he's going to be murdered. He (is) an innocent man, and that's not right," the younger Williams told CNN Monday.

Williams II says he's never doubted his father's innocence and credited him with being a strong influence in his life.

"Someone murdered that woman, but it wasn't my father," he said. "I wish they would find the right suspect and charge them to the fullest extent of the law."

Gayle's widower, Dan Picus, is declining interviews, according to his wife.

In an editorial titled, "The death penalty debate hits close to home this time," the Post-Dispatch remembered Gayle and said she would not have favored the execution.

She "was a kind and gentle woman who went out of her way to do nice things for people. She'd left the newspaper in 1992 to do full-time volunteer work."

The editorial said the paper "opposes capital punishment under any and all circumstances, believing its administration is always arbitrary and always irrevocable. It has no deterrent value. If the state must execute, there must be no room for doubt."

CNN's Eric Levenson, Jason Kravarik, Scott McLean and Ariane De Vogue contributed to this report.
But the tribe has a long way to go
After a prolong slump, oil and gas sector is gearing up for merger and acquisition spree. Russian oil giant Rosneft and Swiss commodity trader and metal company Trafigura jointly acquired 98.13 per cent stake in Essar Oil in a largest FDI deal valued at USD 13.9 bn. Just a few hours ago French oil giant Total SA had acquired danish conglomerates oil business valued at 7.9 bn USD.

These two mega mergers are valued at $ 20 bn, dwarfing last two years moribund state of M&A space. Rosneft completed its first Asian oil refining acquisition with 49.13 per cent stake. The deal will help Essar group halve its debt to Rs 70,000 crore. It includes repayment of Rs 32,000 crore to the main lenders of groups offshore holding company Essar Global Holdings, now renamed as Essar Global Fund. They include Russian lender VTB, ICICI and Axis Bank. Essar Oil was valued at Rs 2,000 crore when it was listed in 1995. Now it's valued at around Rs 50,000 crore!

The deal is the largest in corporate history and the first mega merger in oil and gas space. It has come as a wake up call for existing players. It's the first Asian oil acquisition for Rosneft and will provide it access to one of the fastest growing markets. It would strengthen Trafigura's existing business of trading and also create a synergy as both these players are highly competent in their respective domain. The deal may force the state PSU to consolidate and may revive proposal of mega-merger among all State PSUs.

The deal includes Essar's oil refinery at Vadinar with 20 MMTA capacity, Vadinar oil terminal with installed capacity of 58 million ton, a power plant having 1010 MW capacity and distribution network of 3500 petrol pump with scalability up to 6000 outlets. Essar will have no compete agreement with Rosneft-Trafiguara for oil and gas sector. Essar would now focus more on its other core business such as steel, ports, coal based methane and other verticals. The deal was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the BRICKS summit in last October, but delayed due to some concern by intelligence agencies and reluctance of some lenders.

The Joint Lenders Forum, led by State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank and comprising 23 banks in total, on Friday finally approved and authorised the release of Essar Oil shares to facilitate closure of the deal. The deals consummation paves the way for the Essar group to reduce its debt. Rosneft, along with Russian private fund United Capital Partners (UCP) and Swiss commodity trading firm Trafigura, are buying 49.13 per cent each in Vadinar refinery (India's second largest refinery) and Vadinar port in Gujarat. The remaining shares will be held by minority shareholders after delisting of Essar Oil. Essar Oil will pay an "additional amount" to the shareholders who tendered shares when the company was delisted in June 2014.

On the front of Rosneft stake, Russias VTB Bank will lend Essar $3.9 billion to restructure debt, while Rosneft itself will pay about $3.5 billion to Essar. The refinery accounts for almost 9 per cent of Indias total oil refining output, according to Essar. Snapping up the refinery would get Rosneft a strong foothold in the worlds fastest growing fuel retailing market where oil demand is expected to grow 5-7 per cent in the next five years, as per industry estimates. This is the largest foreign investment in India till date. Deal has boost valuation in refinery sector as BPCL, IOC, HPCL are up more than 5 per cent. Analysts expect the Ruia family to also pay at least partially, the $2.5 billion outstanding they have with the Iranian government. The transaction will help Essar deleverage its balance sheet by half in one shot and will also enable the promoter holding company to retire debt. Axis and ICICI which together have a $1.6-billion exposure help bank to reduce their NPA.

The mega merger may trigger further acquisition in the Indian oil and gas space. Malaysian oil and gas giant PETRONAS Berhad is interested to buy stake in Indian Oil Corporation's Ennore LNG capital. Rosneft may import oil from Venezuela and refine in India. It may change Indian oil import dynamics. Rosneft and Trafigura are cash rich and both companies are famous for their competitiveness in their respective domain. Trafigura is a very strong commodity trader with diverse interests in metals and energies.

The synergy and cash rich duo has also created serious challenge for exiting oil and gas companies including state PSUs. Since oil and gas sector is having its unique challenges like highly capital intensive nature, technological challenges, price volatility and geopolitical country risks as well as major business cyclical risk, and the competition is fierce, merger, acquisitions and consolidation have become survival condition for many players. Many western giants like Exxon mobile and ConocoPhillips and Asian giants like China Petroleum Sinopack are merged entity. Rosneft-Trafguara will compel existing to collaborate instead of compete. Deal may rekindle mega merger plan of state PSUs. If this happens, It may unleash a clash of titans. Indian consumers will be certain winner out of this fight.

(Author is the CEO of Paradigm Commodity Advisors, a research boutique which provides risk management and strategic advisory in commodities, forex and major markets.)
The CBI on Tuesday filed supplementary chargesheet against former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammed Shahabuddin in connection with the murder of Bihar-based journalist Rajdeo Ranjan, an official said.

Shahabuddin, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May-end, is now lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi.

The probe agency filed the chargesheet in a special CBI court in Bihar's Muzaffarpur under charges of criminal conspiracy, murder and arms act.

The former MP was on May 26 named by the CBI as one of the 10 accused in the murder of Ranjan, who hailed from Bihar's Siwan district.

The case was handed over to the CBI in September last year after the slain journalist's widow Asha Ranjan and his father Radhe Krishna Chaudhary repeatedly alleged that Shahabuddin was behind the murder.

The suspicion over Shahbuddin's involvement deepened after names of two of his henchmen, Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Javed, surfaced during investigation.

A chargesheet has been filed against six of the accused. Javed and Kaif are on bail and Shahabuddin has been made the 10th accused.

Police in Bihar had earlier claimed that the murder was the result of "premediated conspiracy".

Informed sources claimed that Rajdeo Ranjan had become a "threat" for criminals because of his news reports against the deteriorating law and order condition in Siwan.

Shahabuddin was in jail when the journalist was gunned down in Siwan while returning from office on May 13, 2016.

Shahabuddin, facing 39 criminal cases including those of kidnapping and murder, was shifted to Tihar Jail on February 18.
Four children died due to lack of oxygen supply in a government hospital of Chhattisgarh while 110 villagers in Chambal in north MP had to be administered drip under a tree after they suffered mass food poisoning. In another incident, 35 government doctors resigned in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, protesting the inability of administration to protect them.

These three incidents, reported from three different places, have exposed the failing healthcare service in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The death of four children in government-run B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Hospital (BRAMH) in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur was due to disruption in oxygen supply resulting from the negligence of a hospital employee. Reports said oxygen cylinder operator Ravi Chandra slept off after consuming liquor, forgetting to monitor the level of oxygen supply in the emergency and pediatric ward.

Though Principal Secretary (Health) Subrat Sahu refuted reports that lack of oxygen supply caused the deaths of children, he was unable to reveal the cause of death. The babies were admitted to the pediatric ward of the hospital on Sunday.

The children were brought to hospital due to complications including low birth weight, respiratory issues, premature birth and other problems. They were put on ventilator support after check-ups. They died in the ventilator.

The government has constituted an inquiry committee headed by director of medical education and three other senior doctors.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Raman Singh said a probe is under way and the guilty will not be spared, adding that it was extremely unfortunate that such an incident occurred in the state and that he is deeply disturbed by it.

Though government is denying lack of oxygen as the reason for the death, the oxygen cylinder operator was arrested and produced in the court. He was later released on bail.

Meanwhile, over 110 people in Morena district of Chambal valley in north Madhya Pradesh had to be administered life saving drugs through drip under a tree after they suffered mass food poisoning. They fell ill after consuming panipuris from a local vendor.

As the news of food poisoning reached 40km away at Morena district headquarters, doctors rushed to the spot and administered the drip under a tree with bottles hanging from a rope to give first aid to the 110 people. Later, 40 people, who were in serious condition, were shifted to district hospital in Morena while the others were shifted to Joura sub-divisional headquarter.

On Monday, in another unrelated development in Tikamgarh district of Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh some 35 doctors posted in district hospital tendered their resignation, accusing the hospital administration of not being able to protect them. Some doctors in the hospital were assaulted a few days back, but no action was taken against the accused despite the complaint from the doctors.
The Supreme Court judgment, on Tuesday, striking down triple talaq as unconstitutional has been welcomed by the ruling BJP as well as the principal opposition party, the Congress. The political undertones which elicited the reaction of the two parties were unmistakable.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Supreme Court's judgment, saying it granted equality to Muslim women and was a powerful measure for women's empowerment. His party, the BJP, gave credit to the Modi government for the verdict by noting that it had presented the women's point of view before the court.

BJP chief Amit Shah welcomed the decision of the apex court, calling it a victory for Muslim women.

Many countries across the world do not have triple talaq. By terming triple talaq unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has given equal rights and self-respect to crores of women, Shah said. He said the verdict marked the beginning of a new era of equality and self-respect for Muslim women.

He went on to give credit to the Modi government, saying, "I thank and congratulate PM Narendra Modi and the BJP government for presenting the women's point of view before the court".

The BJP, as well as ministers in the Modi government, have been quite vocal in their criticism of triple talaq, raking up the issue in a big way in the Uttar Pradesh polls. This was done much to the consternation of the rival parties, who accused it of politicising the issue for electoral gains.

The Congress, which has so far been cautious on the issue, with many of its leaders taking the line that it concerned a community's personal law, welcomed the judgment. They said the practice of instant triple talaq was an aberration and an adulteration of talaq.

"The verdict is an affirmation of the rights of Muslim women and provides relief against being subjected to discrimination by a practice that had been perverted over the years. We weclome the acceptance of this reality by the court and we welcome the verdict of the Supreme Court," said Randeep Surjewala, AICC media department in-charge.

Asked why his party had not been forthright on the issue earlier, Surjewala said the Congress had always said that it awaited the decision of the Supreme Court and everyone should accept it, and had earlier too made clear its rejection of instant triple talaq.

To the question on whether the Congress would support any legislation brought by the government on the issue, he said there was in fact no need for a law after the court's judgment. The matter is decided. There is no need or occasion to bring in any further laws, he said.

Surjewala criticised the BJP for engaging vote bank politics on the issue. Why did they not bring a law? Why were they waiting for the Supreme Court's decision? They should stop this double speak. They had the majority, he said.
In a major setback for Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the state to conduct all admissions in MBBS and BDS seats on the basis of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. The top court order came after the Centre made it clear that it could not support the ordinance passed by Tamil Nadu to exempt it from the NEET this year.

The apex court bench, headed by Justice Dipak Misra, said the counseling should be conducted and completed before September 4. The court was hearing a petition filed by six students seeking a direction to the state government to conduct counselling solely on the basis of the NEET merit list.

The apex court had on August 17 put on hold till Tuesday, the counselling for the medical seats in state asking the MCI and the state government to find a balanced solution to deal with the interests of state board students and those who cleared NEET.

Tamil Nadu had earlier sought exemption from NEET for this year, at least in government-funded colleges. The Centre had suggested that it would back if Tamil Nadu brought an ordinance in this regard. However, on Monday, the Union government said such a move would encourage other states to ignore the call for a common entrance exam.

The plea had alleged that the Tamil Nadu ministers were bargaining with the central government for presidential assent for their proposed ordinance to exempt the Tamil Nadu students from NEET as a "quid pro quo for supporting the NDA candidates for the Presidential and Vice Presidential polls.
Foxconn Technology Group will build three assembly plants in Wisconsin before constructing the high-tech liquid-crystal display panel factory that is the centerpiece of a $10 billion investment it has promised in exchange for a large package of tax incentives, the company said Tuesday.

In a published report Monday, a Foxconn official said a trio of assembly plants would be built as early as next year.

Assembly operations would be up and running before construction is completed on the projects mainstay  the first U.S. manufacturing plant for LCD screens for televisions and other devices, the Taiwan-based electronics giant said.

It will take about four years to build the multibillion-dollar LCD screen plant, Foxconn said Tuesday.

An industry analyst said the construction schedule for the LCD factory is longer than typical for such facilities, possibly because of a bottleneck that has developed in availability of specialized manufacturing equipment the plant will need.

Foxconns plans are contingent on a $3 billion package of tax subsidies and environmental permitting exemptions proposed by Gov. Scott Walker.

Walker has said Foxconn would invest $10 billion by 2020 to create a 1,000-acre campus in southeastern Wisconsin and up to 13,000 jobs.

Foxconn declined to say how many workers the assembly plants would employ. Reuters on Monday quoted a Foxconn official saying the investment would be less than $1 billion of the total.

In a statement Tuesday, the company said the assembly plants may use LCD screens imported from overseas until the Wisconsin LCD manufacturing facility was running.

We may ship panels from other Foxconn fabs (factories) to Wisconsin, the company said through a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman, Ellin Choy.

The imports would end after the Wisconsin LCD screen plant began its own production, the company said.

Perhaps an early test

Early construction of the assembly plants could make business sense for the Taiwan-based corporation, industry analyst Bob OBrien said.

If you wanted to make a statement of having a modest investment and start testing out some automated assembly lines on small scale, that could make a certain amount of sense, said OBrien, president of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Display Supply Chain Consultants.

But OBrien cautioned that Foxconn has made other jobs announcements that never panned out.

Foxconns Wisconsin plans were announced last month at a White House event by President Donald Trump and Foxconn chairman Terry Gou.

Walker, who took part in the event and who has been pushing the state Legislature to approve tax subsidies and environmental exemptions, didnt respond to a request for comment.

The state Assembly approved the incentives package Thursday, but state Senate leaders have said they still have questions about a Legislative Fiscal Bureau analysis showing it would take at least 25 years for the state to begin to recoup the money it would pay Foxconn in tax credits.

Lawmakers on Tuesday conducted a public hearing on the plan for southeastern Wisconsin, where Foxconn is seeking a site. Meanwhile, Walker scheduled three events across the state to talk about the potential for local businesses to become Foxconn suppliers.

Trump said the company would create a minimum of 3,000 jobs, an employment figure that would be realistic for the LCD panel factory The other 10,000 jobs would come from full-scale assembly facilities where lighting and electrical components were installed on the panels and where exterior casing and controls were added to make finished televisions, OBrien said.

A potential obstacle to operating labor-intensive assembly plants in the U.S. is that wage levels are higher than in China and other places where much of that work is done now.

But Chinese wages have been rising, and the taxpayer subsidy being offered by Walker could make a difference, OBrien said. In addition, there has been political pressure on manufacturers to invest in jobs in the U.S.

While assembly operations can be labor-intensive, Gou has talked about wanting to pioneer more highly automated assembly operations, which could also reduce costs, OBrien said.

Foxconn said Tuesday it remains committed to leading the industrys drive toward more automation and robotics and using that technology in Wisconsin.

However, the new facilities will deploy a large workforce, including extensive numbers of high-value and high-skilled labor in all aspects of the operations, the company said.

Two phases planned for construction

While Walker has said Foxconn would invest $10 billion in Wisconsin by 2020, the memorandum of understanding between the company and state officials calls for a six-year construction schedule consisting of a four-year first phase and a two-year second phase.

OBrien said the four-year timetable Foxconn cited Tuesday could reflect a bottleneck in specialized equipment the plant will need: Currently, there is only one supplier of the lithography tools needed to add electronic circuitry to glass panels of the size Foxconn plans for the Wisconsin plant, OBrien said.

The panels  called Gen 10.5 and measuring about 10 feet wide by 11 feet long  will be the largest ever manufactured. About a dozen Gen 10.5 plants are in various stages of planning or construction by Foxconn and its competitors, OBrien said.

The screens are made in a largely automated process in sanitized clean rooms to keep dust particles from creating imperfections in circuitry that is applied to sheets of half-millimeter-thick glass. Each screen is made of two sheets with LCD material sandwiched in between.

The finished panels can be cut into a variety of sizes for shipping to plants where they are assembled into screens for phones, computers, televisions or other devices.

Typically, there is a two-part assembly process. In the first phase, a lighting source and electrical power equipment are added to complete what is referred to as an LCD module. The next phase involves installing the module into the outer shell to make the finished device.

Foxconn said the three facilities it plans for 2018 would assemble back-end package liquid crystal display modules, molding and tool and die processes involved in the production of high-precision housing and frames for display modules, and final assembly.

Leaders in the state Senate still have questions about the Foxconn deal.
Even as ten former Congress MLAs from Gujarat are expected to join the ruling BJP in the coming days, veteran politician Shankersinh Vaghela, who had recently quit the grand-old party, has kept the suspense alive on his next move.

Several of these legislators had cross voted in favour of BJP's candidates in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections. Three former Congress MLAs, including Balwantsinh Rajput, have already joined the BJP and Rajput was put up by the saffron party as one of its RS nominees. He, however, lost the election, but has challenged Congress' Ahmed Patel's victory in the Gujarat High Court.

According to BJP sources, the MLAs will join their party in next couple days in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at different functions. The list of those joining also includes Mahendrasinh Vaghela, Shankersinh's son.

Mahendrasinh had met BJP national president Amit Shah during latter's recent visit to Gujarat.

Though Shankersinh has ruled out floating a third front and categorically said that he was not going to join the BJP, his moves would be crucial, for anything he does would divide the secular vote, which in turn benefit the BJP.

Shankersinh had rebelled against the BJP in 1990s. He then formed his own party and then merged it with the Congress.

On his 77th birthday on July 21, Vaghela parted ways with the Congress. He had been unhappy over the functioning of the Congress. Several of his demands, including giving him a free hand ahead of assembly elections and changing Congress state president Bharatsinh Solanki.

Two days ago, speaking to media persons, Shankersinh ruled out forming the third front or floating any new outfit. More than 200 of his supporters had gathered at his residence  Vasant Vagdo  near Gandhinagar. They urged him to become active in politics to ease the pains of people of Gujarat. They also passed a resolution, which mentioned about people suffering due to price rise, high electricity charges and costly education.

The veteran politician told them to remain by the side of the truth.

In the 182 member assembly, the BJP has set a target of winning 150 seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah are likely to be the star campaigners for the party.
Divers searching for 10 missing American sailors have located some bodies inside the stricken US destroyer, a day after it collided with a merchant vessel near Singapore, a US Admiral said on Tuesday.

Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the US Pacific fleet, did not say how many bodies were found inside the ship, but disclosed that Malaysian Navy vessels also found one body. The officials said work to identify the bodies found inside the USS McCain was continuing, CBS News reported.

US military divers started searching the flooded parts of the US destroyer for the missing sailors after the collision near the Strait of Malacca on Monday. Five other sailors were injured in the incident.

The search operation involved aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS America, along with coordination from local authorities, including ships and planes from the Malaysian and Singaporean Navies.

The incident prompted the US Navy to order a rare, one-day operational pause in response to the collision, which was the latest in a string of accidents involving Navy vesselswith four occurring in Asian waters this year alone.

"This trend demands more forceful action," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said.

One of the missing seamen was named as Petty Officer Logan Palmer in a Facebook post by US Congressman Rodney Davis, who said that he was in touch with the missing man's family.

Meanwhile, the state-run China Daily newspaper criticised the recent spate of accidents, saying the US Navy was becoming "a hazard in Asian waters".

"It may be hard for people to understand why US warships are unable to avoid other vessels since they are equipped with the world's most sophisticated radar and electronic tracking systems, and aided by crew members on constant watch," the English-language daily said.

Calling the US Navy a "dangerous obstacle" and an "increasing hindrance to ships sailing in Asian waters", the article said there was "no denying the fact that the increased activities by US warships in Asia-Pacific since Washington initiated its rebalancing to the region are making them a growing risk to commercial shipping."
In Puducherry, the turf war between Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy has intensified. On July 4, much to the dismay of the ruling Congress, Bedi administered oath to three persons nominated to the assembly by the Union government. The BJPs Puducherry unit president V. Saminathan, its treasurer K.G. Shankar and educationist S. Selva Ganapathy were sworn in as MLAs, despite Speaker V. Vaithilingam having informed Bedi that the assembly had not received any communication from the competent authority regarding their nomination.

Bedi, however, insisted that she had acted in accordance with the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, which says the Centre may nominate not more than three persons, not being persons in the service of Government, to be members of the Legislative assembly of [the Union territory]. The Congress, however, alleged that she was helping the BJP, which had drawn a blank in the assembly polls last year, gain backdoor entry into the assembly.

The [actions of the] office of the governor in Puducherry is a classic example of how the BJP is using governors as pawns to disturb democratically elected governments, said Congress leader S. Jothimani. Bedi even went to the extent of stopping files related to farm loans and old-age pension, which are directly linked to peoples welfare.

Soon after the three MLAs were sworn in, parliamentary secretary K. Lakshminarayanan moved the Madras High Court requesting a stay on their nomination. The court, however, refused to grant it, and issued notices to both the Union home ministry and the state government. The case is still pending.

The speaker has not allotted us seats in the assembly, said Saminathan. This is only because we will oppose the government and bring out the corruption here, like our lieutenant governor [has been doing].

The friction between Bedi and the state government had started in January, when the lieutenant governor suspended A.S. Shivakumar, registrar of cooperative societies, for sending an obscene video to Prosperous Rural Puducherry, a WhatsApp group administered by the lieutenant governors office. Shivakumar said he had sent the video by mistake while attempting to delete it. A case under section 67A of the Information Technology Act (punishment for transmitting material containing sexually explicit act) was registered against him and he was kept in detention for nearly 15 hours.

Critics, however, pointed out that Bedi had no power to suspend the official. According to rules, the lieutenant governor had to inform the chief secretary, and the suspension order should have been issued from the latters office after completing an inquiry. The Election Commission, too, took exception to her decision, as it had appointed Shivakumar as an electoral officer. Bedi, it said, ought to have taken the commission into confidence and consulted it before placing him under suspension.

On January 5, barely two days after she suspended Shivakumar, Bedi cancelled Narayanasamys order banning government employees from using social media for official purposes. If Puducherry has to be a progressive UT it cannot be retrograde in communications. Hence @CM_Puducherrys order stands cancelled, she tweeted. The following day, six Congress legislators wrote to the Union home ministry against what they perceived as her undemocratic conduct.

The rift widened as Bedi wrote an open letter to the public, saying she was happy to support the state government as long as it did not act in conflict with a Central law. My approach is not to punish, but to help perform, inspire and support, she wrote.

The state government, however, maintains that Bedi had been interfering in day-to-day administration. She has been issuing orders through WhatsApp to heads of departments, without the knowledge of secretaries and ministers who are in charge of the portfolios, said one minister. The business rules of Puducherry hold the minister responsible for the actions of various departments under his ministry. But here, the minister is unaware of what is happening.

In April, AIADMK legislator A. Bhaskar alleged that Pondicherry municipal commissioner R. Chandrasekaran had organised an event related to the Swachh Bharat mission without inviting him. He moved a breach of privilege motion in the assembly, which led to Chandrasekarans transfer.

He is an officer close to the governor, said Bhaskar. Every event in my constituency was organised by him without my knowledge. When I asked him [about why he hadnt invited me to the Swachh Bharat event], he told me to ask the governor. So I moved the privilege motion.

Bedi, however, intervened and cancelled the transfer order. She then sent a message to the speaker saying that the official should be given an opportunity to present his case before any action is taken against him. Her secretary Theva Neethi Dhas wrote to the chief secretary, saying Chandrasekaran should not be transferred without the governors approval.

On May 31, Bedi made a surprise visit to CENTAC (Centralised Admission Committee) after receiving complaints that private medical colleges were refusing to fill seats under the government quota in accordance with the Supreme Court-approved fee structure. In a video that went viral, Bedi is seen lambasting CENTAC officials for failing to implement government orders. You shall be placed under suspension, she is heard saying. You go to the court and get yourself reinstated.

Though her decision to intervene in the admission procedure won her public support, the state government took exception to it. The governor ordered CENTAC convener to issue offer letters to some students by making an allegation that [seats under] the Puducherry government quota have been given away to private managements, said Narayanasamy in the assembly. As per the Union government and MCI [Medical Council of India] guidelines, the seats that are not utilised have to be offered to all-India students. We have no choice in the matter; all over the country, the same practice is followed.

With the controversy related to the nominated MLAs, the relations between Raj Nivas and the state government have hit a new low. But the state government cannot afford to escalate the fight. Bedis social media presence and well-publicised cycle rallies have made her extremely popular. In fact, women are often seen making a beeline to make representations regarding issues in their constituencies.

Governors or IAS officers cannot dictate terms to an elected government, said political analyst Ramasubramanian. The lieutenant governor can call the CM and ask for explanations. But convening a meeting of department secretaries and asking them to modify government schemes is wrong. It is crystal clear that [Bedi] is intruding in the domain of administration.
A serious motor vehicle accident on Highway 1 in the Jordan Valley in Israel has left multiple people seriously injured  including two Yeshiva Bochrim from Williamsburg.

According to a Magen David Adom statement, the accident happened on Highway 1 between the Almog and Arava junctions just before Route 90.

The two vehicles collided head-on, entrapping some of the occupants. Rescue personnel needed to extricate some of the victims. Both vehicles were occupied by Chareidim. One had American Yeshiva Bochrim inside reportedly returning from Meron.

MDA and IDF Paramedics were on the scene treating the victims, and some were airlifted by IDF choppers. A total of four victims (from two cars) were seriously injured. Some were taken to Shaare Zedek and some to Hadassah Hospital.

MDA says that a woman in her 40s was the most critically injured. Three Bochrim in their 20s were injured  two of them critically.

Additional victims included a 19-year-old girl, 17-year-old boy and two children ages 16 and 2.

Please be Mispallel for Yitzchak Issac ben Sara Esther, Asher Zelig ben Rochel, and Zev ben Sima.





(Chaim Shapiro  YWN)
Just a day ahead of his Wednesday departure for Russia, where he will meet with President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a warning pertaining to increased Iranian involvement in Syria and Lebanon, stating this reality could result in a regional conflict.

PM Netanyahu will be flying to Russia on Wednesday, 2 Rosh Chodesh Elul, accompanied by Mossad Director Yossi Cohen. They will be meeting with President Putting in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi. It is reported the focus of their talks will surround ongoing Iranian involvement in Syria and Lebanon, which has Jerusalem concerned. In fact, Cohen was just in Washington last week, accompanied by Chief of Military Intelligence Major-General Herzl Halevy. They met with officials there to issue the same warning regarding Irans continued involvement in Syria and Lebanon.

Their talks did not result in an immediate US response as the US has fallen short of any commitment to act in response to ongoing Iranian activity in the area. Mr. Netanyahu hopes he will be more successful in talks with the Russian leader, who he will ask to act to curtail Iranian activities.

Russia remains a firm ally of Bashar al-Assad and has used its fighter planes to target rebel forces on the ground. Israel has been working to remain uninvolved in the ongoing civil war in Styria, while maintaining a watchful intelligence eye on events in that country.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Credit card borrowers are beginning to see the choice and length of interest-free balance transfer deals shrink in a sign that providers may be reining in lending, amid mounting concerns about rising household debt.

Interest-free terms on credit cards have been steadily rising since they were first introduced in 2000. And in recent years credit card providers have been competing over who was offering the longest free-interest credit card deals, with some balance transfers lasting as long as 43 months.

But analysis by comparison website Moneyfacts.co.uk suggests that the tide is starting to turn, with credit card providers launching fewer deals and shortening the length of zero interest balance transfers over the past six months.

Less choice: Lenders are offering fewer zero interest balance transfers than six months ago

Moneyfacts.co.uk said that the number of introductory interest-free balance transfer deals available to customers has fallen from 126 deals six months ago to 119 this month.

The period of zero interest on balance transfers is also getting shorter, with the average length of a zero per cent introductory deals falling from 669 days six months ago, to 645 days in August.

Lloyds, which has been offering a Halifax-branded card giving customers a market-leading rate of 43 months interest free on balance transfers, has reduced the deal to 38 months last week.

MBNA, which is owned by Lloyds, also reduced the length of interest-free period on one of its credit cards from 41 months to 39 months earlier this year.

At the moment, the longest interest-free term available comes from Barclays Bank with its Platinum 40 Month Balance Transfer Visa, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk.

However, the average introductory balance transfer fee has fallen, from 2.29 per cent six months ago to 2.16 per cent in August, meaning it will cost a bit less on average to transfer debt from one card to another.

Last month, lenders surveyed by the Bank of England warned that they were likely to offer shorter periods of zero interest on balance transfer and purchase credit cards and impose stricter checks on borrowers.

It comes amid increased scrutiny on the credit card sector following a report by the financial watchdog last April which showed that around 3.3million Britons were in persistent debt - paying more in interest and charges than they have repaid on their borrowing over an 18-month period.

The Bank of England has also warned over the rapid rise in consumer debt in recent years, saying in June that this was now the biggest threat to the UK economy.

It is concerned that households are over-stretching their borrowing as living costs rise and wages stagnate.

There are mounting concerns that households are over-stretching their borrowing as living costs rise and wages stagnate

Rachel Springall, a finance expert at Moneyfacts.co.uk, said interest-free balance transfer cards can be a helpful choice for consumers looking to consolidate and spread the cost of their debts - but their main goal should be repaying the balance as soon as possible and not putting it off if they are granted a lengthy 0 per cent deal.

She said: The longest-term 0% offer may well get the spotlight, but borrowers must also consider any up-front fees that are charged to move the debt across...

Balance transfer fees should be considered and compared when moving debt. A borrower with a 4,000 debt that's moved for a 3% fee would have to fork out 120.

Consumers could instead avoid fees altogether, as there are interest-free and fee-free cards around, but they will need to look away from the longest deals to find these.
The City was awash with rumours that another wave of consolidation could be heading for the UKs gambling sector yesterday.

The FT reported that Isle of Man-based GVC Holdings, which owns Sportingbet and Foxy Bingo, recently tabled an offer of as much as 3.6 billion for Ladbrokes Coral, with the aim of creating one of the worlds largest gambling firms.

The two businesses previously entered talks towards the end of last year as Ladbrokes was merging with Coral, but the deal ultimately fell apart.

On the cards: The FT reported that Isle of Man-based GVC Holdings, which owns Sportingbet and Foxy Bingo, recently tabled an offer of as much as 3.6 billion for Ladbrokes Coral

The Mail understands the latest deal was spurned by Ladbrokes as a result of its concerns around GVCs large revenue base in Turkey, which is heading towards a large regulatory crackdown.

Despite their failure, some feel the talks have fired the starting gun for more tie-ups among UK gambling firms as the industry prepares for the governments upcoming  and potentially damning  sector review.

Last years wave of gambling mergers saw Ladbrokes and Coral agree a surprise 2 billion merger, while Paddy Power and Betfair joined to form a FTSE giant worth around 8 billion.

Ladbrokes Coral fell 0.2 per cent, or 0.2p, to 119.8p yesterday while GVC Holdings was down 0.1 per cent, or 0.5p, to 750.5p.

Travel group Hostelworld soared yesterday after a jump in mobile phone users and growing numbers of tourists flocking to Asia helped to push revenues 16 per cent higher

But the pairs peers advanced, with William Hill up 1.9 per cent, or 4.5p, to 244.5p, Paddy Power Betfair up 0.6 per cent, or 40p, to 7195p, and Playtech ahead 0.1 per cent, or 1p, to 989.5p.

Travel group Hostelworld soared yesterday after a jump in mobile phone users and growing numbers of tourists flocking to Asia helped to push revenues 16 per cent higher to 42.7 million in the first half of the year.

STOCK WATCH: Premier Oil Premier Oil rose after announcing it will sell its stake in Western Europes largest onshore oilfield for around 156.2 million to an un-named buyer. The sale of its stake in Wytch Farm in Dorset forms the latest step in Premiers attempts to pay down its 2.1bn debt pile. Premier said the transaction will likely require shareholder consent. It comes despite Premier increasing its stake in the massive field by 3.8 per cent to 33.8 per cent just last month. Shares rose 1.4 per cent, or 0.75p, to 55.5p.

The company, which features Charlie Sheen in its adverts, saw total bookings rise 11 per cent to 3.9 million over the period, with trips sorted by mobile phones now representing 50 per cent of all bookings, up from 43 per cent in H1 2016.

Revenues were especially strong in the Asia, Africa and Oceania regions, jumping to 8.7 million from 6.9 million. Shares rose 15.3 per cent, or 44.5p, to 335p.

The FTSE 100 rose 0.9 per cent, or 62.9, to 7381.7 despite a spectacular nosedive at sub-prime lender Provident Financial, following a second profit warning.

The distraction of Provident  whose shares plunged 66.2 per cent or 1155.5p to 589.5p  even allowed education publisher Pearson to sneak away unscathed from another damning sell note, this time from analysts at Berenberg.

Berenberg said it is currently very hard to tell whether Pearson will be able to successfully address problems in the US higher education market. The business, which has issued five profit warnings in four years, has struggled to compete against online competition and growing numbers of US students choosing to rent textbooks rather than buying them.

Although Pearson soared when it floated the idea of selling its US business, Berenberg said such cost-cutting measures will make it harder to hire talent. Regardless, shares rose 0.4 per cent, or 2.5p, to 621.5p.

Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy started generating revenue again in the first half of 2017 after Kraken, a large North Sea development which it owns a stake in, produced its first oil.

The oil and gas explorer made revenues of 8.4 million in the first half of the year, compared to no revenues in the same period the year before.

Turnover was also boosted by royalties paid to the firm from oil giant PetroChina in July, which arose from producing fields in Mongolia.

Cairn shares rose 3.6 per cent, or 6.3p, to 180.2p.
The struggling Co-op Bank was last night under pressure to change its name after agreeing a rescue deal which will see it 99 per cent-owned by US hedge funds.

Shareholders voted 90 per cent in favour of a plan to shore up the lenders finances with 700 million of fresh cash, ending months of doubt about whether it can survive.

But the Co-op Groups stake will be slashed from 20 per cent to 1 per cent as a result of the rescue, with the rest owned by American vultures.

The struggling Co-op Bank was last night under pressure to change its name after agreeing a rescue deal which will see it 99 per cent-owned by US hedge funds.

Labour MP John Mann yesterday said it was no longer a worker-owned co-operative and had no right to masquerade as one.

Mann, a former Treasury Select Committee member expecting to be re-elected after the summer recess, said: Now that the bank is almost entirely owned by US hedge funds, it would be misleading to call it a co-op.

To avoid any misunderstanding, it should now be renamed.

Bosses have always insisted they have a right to keep the name as it reflects the banks ethical values rather than its ownership structure.

It boasts of giving money to charity when customers open an account or take out a mortgage, and releases an annual ethics report on how much good it has done.

But the bank is still struggling to recover from near-collapse in 2013 after a 1.5 billion black hole was discovered in its accounts.

Reverend Paul Flowers, who quit as chairman due to the scandal, was caught several months later with drugs and rent boys and dubbed the Crystal Methodist.

The bank suffered an exodus of 25,000 current account holders in the first half of 2017, and had 400 million of instant access savings cash withdrawn. It lost 135.2 million.

The bank yesterday insisted it should be allowed to keep its present name.

Chairman Dennis Holt said: Nothing changes under this recapitalisation proposal and our unique ethical policy will continue to be at the centre of the organisation.
Madison-based Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin is suing Dr. Brian Peterson, Milwaukee Countys medical examiner, alleging he has excluded the eye bank from recovering corneas in violation of state law.

Peterson switched to Seattle-based SightLife for cornea recoveries in June, according to the Lions eye bank, which filed the suit Monday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

We believe this legal action is needed for (the Lions Eye Bank) to gain a level playing field, Darice Langham, executive director of the nonprofit Lions Eye Bank, said in a statement Tuesday.

Margaret Daun, corporation counsel for Milwaukee County, said the medical examiners agreement is with the Wisconsin Tissue Bank and complies with the law.

The tissue bank is part of the Blood Center of Wisconsin, which announced a partnership with SightLife in June.

Langham told the Wisconsin State Journal early this month that the blood center asked hospitals in its 12-county region to switch to SightLife because the Lions Eye Bank raised safety and quality concerns about the blood center.

The shift could mean corneas from some Wisconsin donors will be less likely to go to Wisconsin recipients, Langham said.

Colleen McCarthy, the blood centers vice president of organ and tissue donation, said the center partnered with SightLife  a nonprofit with a for-profit subsidiary  to simplify the cornea recovery process for hospitals and provide a larger pool of corneas to surgeons.

Peterson, the medical examiner, serves as chairman of an advisory board for the Wisconsin Donor Network, the organ donor part of the blood center. He told the State Journal he disapproves of how the Lions Eye Bank handled some cornea recoveries and supports SightLifes goal of using donor corneas to end blindness worldwide.
PIGGS PEAK  Church camps are often said to be safe havens but this was not the case for girls who are alleged to have sneaked out during camp for some time with boyfriends.



Both girls are underage and this resulted in their parents notifying the police that they were missing - and two men, who are said to have been with the minors were arrested.

The arrest was made on Sunday after complaints from the parents.



Upon noticing that the girls had sneaked out of the camp the parents thought they were attending, police were called, resulting in the arrest of the two men. Their names are known but will not be mentioned as they are yet to appear before court today.



Abduction of underage girls is rife during school holidays around Piggs Peak, with most of it happening around Vusweni and Mayiwane.

Despite several police campaigns, particularly around Buhleni, the situation has not changed with NGOs blaming this on the law used to charge offenders.



In a recent interview with the Director of Save the Children Swaziland Dumisani Mnisi, he blamed the lenience of the law for such incidents.

Meanwhile, another man from around Buhleni was also arrested for the alleged abduction and engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor. He was also set to appear before court yesterday but he did not. He is expected to appear today.

The veracity of the allegations is yet to be confirmed or contested during trial.



Superintendent Khulani Mamba, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, confirmed the incident.

Mamba also added that police were finalising investigations.



At the beginning of the 2017 schools second term at a crime prevention campaign, police had warned about the high number of abduction of girls during school holidays.

Speaking to residents at Buhleni Complex, Constable Thando Dlamini, during the campaign, did not mince words when he warned against the high number of abductions. Dlamini said the situation was so serious and urged parents to be concerned about the whereabouts of their children.
MBABANE  Did Nedbank Limited Swaziland lie about the number of temporary staff it engaged during the ongoing strike action by its employees?



Last Friday, the Industrial Court ordered the bank to do away with the replacement labour. Before the judgment was issued, Nedbanks attorney, Zweli Jele of Robinson Bertram, informed the court that the bank had engaged only 15 temporary staff members.



However, yesterday Mduduzi Hlophe of M.Hlophe Attorneys told the court that SUFIAW had been following what was happening in the operating branches and they allegedly discovered that there were in fact 38 temporary staff members working during the strike.



This was during hearing of the application for stay of the order to do away with replacement labour that was issued by Judge Nkosinathi Nkonyane, who was sitting with Gilbert Ndzinisa and Simon Mvubu. Nedbank filed an urgent application seeking an order staying implementation of the court order pending an appeal of the judgment.

Hlophe wondered why the bank approached the court with urgency when the replacement labour had been working since the strike started. He said the bank did not comply with the order of the court and they seemed not to be prepared to comply with it.



The 38 I am talking about is what is currently obtaining. They came in this morning (yesterday) and they were hidden. They are working, alleged Hlophe.

The SUFIAW representative said despite that they lowered their cost of living adjustment demand from 10 per cent by two per cent, they still experienced the problem of a disabled strike due to the banks engagement of temporary staff. He said the current situation was problematic, which is why they ran to court in the first place to interdict the bank from hiring replacement labour. In response, Jele denied that the bank had engaged 38 temporary staff members to alleviate the effects of the strike. He maintained that there were only 15 hired on a temporary basis.



It is an incorrect statement. There are only 15. Those 15 I verified. I went to the branches personally to make sure. To say the number is 38 is designed to mislead the court. We are content that there should be physical monitoring of the numbers in the branches. The court can make an additional order, said Jele.
MBABANE  A student has alleged how she was called by the Minister of Labour and Social Security Winnie Magagula and declined her a scholarship over the phone.



Nompumelelo Tsabedze, who is a third year student at the Southern Africa Nazarene University (SANU), has since taken Minister Winnie and the Scholarship Board to court.

The minister allegedly told her that: You dont qualify for a scholarship because you did not submit the scholarship form within five years of completing your OLevel.



This comes after Tsabedze forwarded an application asking to be considered for a government scholarship.

In relaying the sad news to the student, the minister is reported to have used her cellphone.



These are allegations contained in an affidavit whose veracity is yet to be tested in court.

The minister and the Scholarship Board are yet to respond to the allegations.

Tsabedze now wants the court to compel the minister and the Scholarship Board to comply with Priority Areas for Pre- Service Tertiary Education Agreement Order (PTET), as read with the Study Loan and Scholarship Agreement Order of 1977.



The aggrieved and desperate student is represented by Leo Ndvuna Dlamini.

Giving a background of the matter, Tsabedze alleged that on or about 2009, she did her Form V and passed her examination and she qualified to be admitted to university or tertiary level.

She pointed out that after completing her O Level education, she started making applications for admission to university/college from 2010 until 2015 when she was eventually admitted for a degree programme attainable at SANU.

Tsabedze submitted that on admission, she forwarded her application to the Scholarship Board to consider her scholarship on March 2015.



She alleged that the Scholarship Board under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, however, refused to accept her scholarship form to date.

According to Tsabedze, a year later (2016), she tried her luck but the same office refused to take her scholarship form.
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By Naeisha Rose

JAMAICA  A Jamaica resident was found guilty Aug. 9 of predatory sexual assault of a pre-teen girl and faces up to 25 years to life in prison, according to the Queens District Attorney. He will be sentenced Sept. 13.

Shaking Jones, 36, was convicted of sexual assault, sexual conduct and endangering the welfare of a child over the course of three years, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Browns office.

Jones used his proximity to the girls mother, whom he was dating, to repeatedly assault the girl from Aug. 1, 2012, to July 2015. The girl was 7 years old when the assault began, according to Browns office. The DA said theabuse came to an end when the pre-teen disclosed her ordeal to an adult cousin.

The facts alleged in this case chronicle a frightening ordeal of sexual violence that went on for years, Brown said. By using his friendship with the victims mother, the defendant took advantage of an innocent child for his own sexual gratification. He has now been convicted of being a pedophile and is deserving of a sentence reflective of the cruelty and selfishness of this crime.

Presiding over the case was Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter, who ordered Jones be held without bail following his conviction, according to Browns office.

The District Attorneys Special Victims Bureau prosecuted the case with an assist from the D.A.s division on Major Crimes.

 Naeisha Rose
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By Naeisha Rose

The Sutphin Boulevard Improvement District held its third annual meeting last week at Rufus King Manor, discussing endeavors for this year and the near future, according to the BIDs executive director, Glenn Greenidge.

The major items on the agenda for the Aug. 10 event at 150-03 Jamaica Ave. included a Harvest Festival, an app for the BID, expanding the boundaries of the BID and a Downtown Historical Walking Tour, according to Greenidge.

The Harvest Festival will take place Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. stretching from Sutphin Boulevard and Hillside Avenue to Jamaica Avenue. It will feature musical, cultural, artistic and educational components, according to Greeniedge. Jamaica Reads will give out free books, and Greenidge is working on getting a big name entertainer for the event.

Were not just looking to sell sausages and corn, he said. We are going to have stuff for the seniors, we are going to have different stuff for the kids, there will be bouncy houses, and we want to really invite people to the Sutphin Boulevard district.

Greenidge also introduced the possibility of an app for the Sutphin BID to the board of directors. He wants the app to include a map of the BID and include a directory of all the businesses within it, as well as information about sales and discounts for customers to see.

Business owners will have an electronic way of letting people know what they are up to, and do some more marketing to reach more customers, Greenidge said.

The BID stretches from Hillside Avenue on Sutphin Boulevard to 94th Avenue. The board discussed expanding from Hillside Avenue to Liberty and down to Archer avenues, where three hotels are in different stages of development and the DOT has proposed a possible streetscape, which might include a park, Greenidge said.

There is no BID or representation along Archer Avenue and there are three hotels going to be built there with 669 rooms in that corridor, Greenidge said. There is also a merchants association emerging at Hillside Avenue.

The Downtown Historical Walking Tour would help to promote the Downtown Jamaica area. It would feature Rufus King Manor Museum, Queens County Court, Grace Historical Church, York College, and the century-old LIRR, he said.

This area is going to continue to be built up, Greenidge said.
Did you vote in the midterm elections as if your countrys existence depended on it?

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Nine Pin Cider in Albany has expanded its distribution network to Connecticut, the second state outside of New York where the popular local cider can be sold. It previously entered the Massachusetts market.

Nine Pin partnered with Berkshire Brewing Co. to allow it to enter the Connecticut market in a deal that will include sales through Bow Tie Cinemas in that state.
BALLSTON SPA - A 52-year-old Ballston Spa woman who was considered the ringleader in a drug-related home invasion in Milton has been sentenced Monday in Saratoga County Court to 12 years in prison.

Laurie M. Cannelli, also known as Laurie M. Kelleher, of 425 Franklin Plaza, was sentenced for breaking into a home on March 10. She and three co-conspirators, Timothy and Linda Sims and Arthur Brust Jr., entered the home with an intent to assault the resident who sustained physical injury.
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Already under pressure from discounters at home, major U.S. airlines are facing a tighter squeeze abroad as low-cost rivals ramp up service across the Atlantic.

At American Airlines Group, a measure of trans-Atlantic fares just plunged 9.1 percent, the most since right after the recession ended in 2009, as European budget carriers such as Norwegian Air Shuttle added more flights. Delta Air Lines also recorded a sharp drop in the same yardstick. United Continental Holdings eked out a tiny gain.

While that's great news for bargain-hunting travelers, it's a blow for traditional airlines. The increased seat supply is dragging down fares in a lucrative overseas market just as a rebound in domestic pricing is starting to look shaky. American and United rattled investors last month when they forecast tepid revenue growth and signaled that an already-tenuous grip on ticket prices was slipping.

European discounters can hurt revenue at big U.S. airlines "by taking incremental bookings and forcing them to lower their own fares," said Michael Bentley of consulting firm Revenue Analytics. "I don't see any reason why they can't cause trouble with the major carriers."

American cited the low-cost competitors as it reported a second-quarter drop in the average fare per mile for Atlantic flights.

"Atlantic is challenging. The fundamentals are challenging," Don Casey, American's head of revenue management, said in a conference call last month to discuss earnings. "There is excess capacity in the marketplace. The capacity is being driven by low-price carriers."

The U.S. airlines are likely to fight back by extending overseas the so-called basic economy prices they are offering at home, said Savanthi Syth, a Raymond James Financial Inc. analyst.

Those tickets typically don't allow passengers to select their seats or choose an upgrade option. And they're helping American, United and Delta to recover from a two-year slump in revenue per available seat mile that was triggered by the expansion of low-cost airlines in the U.S.

"My expectation is they'll roll it out in some form," Syth said. "Right now they're aggressively matching" the European discounters.

Basic economy enables a traditional airline to meet demand for lower-priced fares without blanketing the market with cheap tickets. It also gives them a chance to coax customers into switching to more expensive tickets when they realize that the discount option offers limited amenities.

Delta already offers basic-economy pricing in Canada and is rolling it out to other international markets. American is expanding the category across the U.S. and hasn't said if it will be offered elsewhere. United will offer the option in Latin America by year-end and is evaluating its use on international flights.

Meanwhile, the European discounters are plotting their expansion. Norwegian Air, with 46 routes between the U.S. and Europe, plans to start a dozen more. "This year will see the biggest growth of Norwegian in the U.S." with fares on some routes as low as $99 each way, said Anders Lindstrom, a spokesman for the Fornebu, Norway-based company.

Other discounters also are increasing service. Iceland's Wow Air, which flies between eight U.S. cities and Europe, added three U.S. destinations last year and three this summer. Primera Travel Group, also from Iceland, has said it will begin flights next year between three European cities and New York and Boston with bare-bones fares as low as $99.

For now, the U.S. carriers are confident they can withstand the assault. One reason: They'll have an easier time than low-cost rivals absorbing higher jet-fuel costs as prices rise from last year's trough.

Business travel provides another source of insulation. Corporate fliers typically are willing to pay higher fares to get the amenities that go with them, said Alan Bender, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. All three of the biggest U.S. carriers report higher corporate demand.

The big airlines can't afford to ignore the growth in low-cost trans-Atlantic service. Memories remain vivid of 2015, when expansion at Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines triggered the U.S. fare war.
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TROY  Rensselaer County District Attornny Joel E. Abelove issued a statement Tuesday suggesting he will not recuse his office from investigation the recent shooting for a 22-year-old man by a Troy police officer.

Abelove, without commenting directly on the case, cited a recent statement to the Times Union by the president of the state District Attorneys Association who said that district attorneys are able to "fairly" handle investigation involving the use of deadly force by their respective local police agencies.

Mark S. Mishler, who represents Dahmeek McDonald, said his client was unarmed when he was shot twice by a police officer on Aug. 15 near the intersection of Eighth and Rensselaer streets during a traffic stop. McDonald was wanted for a parole violation, police said.

Abeloves handling of a fatal police shooting in April 2016 is under investigation by state Attorney General Eric Schneidermans office. Mishler said the attorney general's probe clouds Abelove's ability to impartially lead an investigation into the recent shooting of McDonald.

The Times Union previously reported that during a grand jury proceeding involving the April 2016 fatal shooting, Abelove did not require the officer who fired the shots, Sgt. Randall French, to sign an immunity waiver prior to testifying before the panel. The grand jury cleared French of any wrongdoing less than a week after the shooting and at a time when Schneiderman's office said it would seek to intervene in the investigation.

But in his statement Tuesday, Abelove indicated that he would not recuse his office from overseeing the McDonald shooting case, which is being investigated internally by the Troy police.

While I am not able to comment on a pending investigation, I agree with DAASNY (District Attorneys Association of the State of New York) President and Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara, who stated in a Times Union article on August.19 his belief that district attorneys can handle these types of cases fairly and dispose of them properly, Abelove said in a statement.

Troy police said the McDonald shooting remains under investigation. A spokesman said the department would not comment on Mishler's statement that his client was not armed at the time he was shot. McDonald was wanted since April as a parole absconder and considered dangerous by police.

Abelove recently recused his office from an investigation of members of a Troy police drug unit who allegedly entered a residence in June without a search warrant as they looked for a woman wanted in Schenectady on felony charges. Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka and the State Police are investigating the incident. Four detectives involved in that case remain on paid administrative leave.
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ALBANY  U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ripped into what she described as a lack of specific details in President Donald Trump's Monday-night address to the nation on his new military strategy for Afghanistan.

"I found the President's speech tonight terribly lacking," said Gillibrand, the ranking Democratic member on the Personnel Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a statement released after Trump's speech had concluded. "Lacking in details, lacking in substance and lacking in a vision of what success in Afghanistan looks like."
TROY  A Nassau man pleaded guilty Monday to intentionally running over a 10-month-old dog in October in Stephentown, according to Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove.

Joel F. Rose, 48, pleaded guilty to felony aggravated cruelty to animals, also known as Busters Law, for the Oct. 16, 2016 incident where Rose ran over the dog with his truck after an argument at a home in Stephentown, Abelove said.
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Washington

Declaring the U.S. will win "in the end," President Donald Trump vowed Monday night to keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan despite his earlier inclination to withdraw. But he insisted the U.S. would not offer "a blank check" after 16 years of war, and he pointedly declined to say whether or when more troops might be sent.

In a prime-time address billed as the unveiling of his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said the U.S. would shift away from a "time-based" approach, instead linking its assistance to results and to cooperation from the beleaguered Afghan government, Pakistan and others.

Still, he offered few details about how that approach would differ substantively from what the U.S. has already tried unsuccessfully under the past two presidents.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said. "Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on."

Ahead of his speech, U.S. officials said they expected the president to go along with a Pentagon recommendation to send nearly 4,000 new troops, boosting the total of 8,400 in Afghanistan now. At its peak, the U.S. had roughly 100,000 there, under the Obama administration in 2010-2011.

Trump said his "original instinct was to pull out," alluding to his long-expressed view before becoming president that Afghanistan was an unsolvable quagmire requiring a fast U.S. withdrawal. Since taking office, Trump said, he'd determined that approach could create a vacuum that terrorists including al-Qaida and the Islamic State could "instantly fill."

Trump said the American people are "weary of war without victory."

"I share the America people's frustration," Trump said at the Army's Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, in Arlington, Va., across the Potomac River from the White House. Still, he insisted that "in the end, we will win."

Trump's speech concluded a months-long internal debate within his administration over whether to pull back from the Afghanistan conflict, as he and a few advisers were inclined to do, or to embroil the U.S. further in a war that has eluded American solutions for the past 16 years. Several times, officials predicted he was nearing a decision to adopt his commanders' recommendations, only to see the final judgment delayed.

The Pentagon has argued the U.S. must stay engaged to ensure terrorists can't again use the territory to threaten America. Afghan military commanders have agreed, making clear they want and expect continued U.S. military help. But elected officials in the U.S. have been mixed, with many advocating against sending more troops.

As a candidate, Trump criticized the war and said the U.S. should quickly pull out, but he also campaigned on a vow to start winning wars. Exiting now, with the Taliban resurgent, would be impossible to sell as victory.

"I think there's a relative certainty that the Afghan government would eventually fall," said Mark Jacobson, an Army veteran and NATO's former deputy representative in Kabul.

And while Trump has pledged to put "America First," keeping U.S. interests above any others, his national security advisers have warned that the Afghan forces are still far too weak to succeed without help.

That is especially important as the Taliban advance and a squeezed Islamic State group looks for new havens beyond Syria and Iraq. Even now, Afghan's government controls just half the country.

As officers advocated for the troop increase, the Pentagon did not claim it would end the conflict.
THE ISSUE:

Barely even open, New York's upstate casinos are already finding business isn't so hot.

THE STAKES:

Will New Yorkers now have to prop them up or bail them out?

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

---

With all the brick-and-mortar casinos in the country and gambling sites on the internet, New York's brand new casinos are already having problems.

Who didn't see this coming?

Actually, plenty of people either didn't see, or didn't want to. There were Gov. Andrew Cuomo and most members of the state Legislature, who foolishly offered casino gambling to voters as some kind of financial and economic salvation. And, to be fair, more voters than not bought in.

New York was going to be rolling in new revenue and fat with jobs as gamblers poured into the three upstate casinos, including the Rivers in Schenectady. Casinos built on the premise that regions like this would produce thousands upon thousands of people, on weekdays, to spend time in their halls.

Well, to no surprise, "The party is over," says John Donnelly, a lawyer for Rivers.

Now, suddenly, we're not hearing so much about revenue sharing and job creation as terms like "saturated" and "right-sizing."

Can "tax breaks" be far behind? Or even "public support"  as in casino welfare  in the name of "job preservation"?

New York is already now beginning to subsidize, in a way, the racinos that preceded these full-fledged gambling halls. It granted a tax break for the Vernon Downs harness track and video lottery terminal racino there after revenues dipped following the opening of casinos that included  get this  one by the owner of Vernon Downs.

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The house never loses indeed. All this is starting to feel less like economic development and more like a game of Three-card Monte, in which the mark keeps throwing good money after bad.

Before anyone starts talking about tax breaks or subsidies to preserve jobs, state officials should consider just how short a time these jobs have been around  months in some cases. While no one wants to see someone lose a job, the state should not be in the business of propping up casinos that are quickly proving not to be the public benefit we and others warned they would not.

Here's another takeaway from all this that won't solve this particular dilemma, but is worth keeping in mind the next time a vote comes up, whether it's for a candidate or a proposition:

While the amendment to the state constitution that allowed full casino gambling in New York passed by about 1.6 million votes to 1.2 million votes, more than 500,000 voters who went to the polls that year didn't cast a ballot on this issue one way or the other. They left it blank. Those 500,000 fence sitters  who apparently either had their doubts or didn't feel informed enough to have an opinion, would have been enough to stop this boondoggle in its tracks.

Something to consider when your tax dollars start going to bail out these not-so-golden gold mines. Or the next Election Day when you're wondering if your vote really matters.
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to assure the Irish public that he does not endorse an attempt by Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, to shape Irelands abortion legislation in line with the existing Canadian model.

Deputy McGrath was speaking after the Taoiseach confirmed that he and the Mr Trudeau had discussed the issue of access to abortion during his first official trip to Canada.

While I fully support the Taoiseach in his attempts to create additional trading opportunities with Canada, I am strongly of the view that he needs to distance himself and this country from any suggestion that we might emulate Canadian abortion policy, said Deputy McGrath.

The Tipperary TD said that Canada had one of the worlds most disturbing and horrendous track records when it came to the protection of unborn human life.

As I understand it, over the course of a nine-year period from 2000 onwards, almost 500 children who survived incomplete or botched abortions were simply left to die unattended and without any medical care in the Canadian hospitals in which the abortions took place, he said.

Deputy McGrath asked why Ireland would want anything to do with what he decribed as a callous, inhumane and monstrous policy that had resulted in 1 in 5 Canadian pregnancies ending in abortion.

Mr Trudeau may personally subscribe to such an incomprehensible abortion agenda, but that is no reason to try and foist it on the Irish healthcare system or its people, said Deputy McGrath.
[August 22, 2017] Tyler Technologies to Provide Enterprise Resource Planning Solution to Large South Carolina School District Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) signed an agreement with the Berkeley County School District (BCSD) in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, for Tyler's Munis enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. The solution includes financial and human capital management, and the agreement includes implementation, project management, data conversion, training, and support services. The BCSD was operating on outdated software that consisted of multiple databases, and with the accelerated growth in the county due to new industry moving into the area, the district needed a software solution that would be able to handle increased projected enrollment and anticipated operational challenges for its 44 schools. Tyler went through an extensive review process, which included a third-party consultant review. Ultimately, the district selected Tyler for its best-in-class ERP solution that would manage the district's financial and human capital informtion and can accommodate the anticipated growth.





Tyler's Munis solution will provide the district with a common database, which will display a real-time view of data and transactions. It will also improve electronic workflow for the district, integrate with BCSD's other systems, and aggregate reporting as needed. Finally, the solution can be sustained over time and easily maintained, upgraded, and integrated as the district evolves. Berkeley County is located just north of Charleston, South Carolina, and is the fastest-growing county in the state by population. The school district serves more than 34,000 students ranging from pre-school to high school and operates 44 schools. Tyler also provides its EnerGov planning, regulatory and maintenance solution to Berkeley County. About Tyler Technologies (News - Alert), Inc. Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) is a leading provider of end-to-end information management solutions and services for local governments. Tyler partners with clients to empower the public sector - cities, counties, schools and other government entities - to become more efficient, more accessible and more responsive to the needs of their constituents. Tyler's client base includes more than 15,000 local government offices in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and other international locations. In 2017, Forbes ranked Tyler on its "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list, and it has named Tyler one of "America's Best Small Companies" eight times. The company has been included six times on the Barron's 400 Index, a measure of the most promising companies in America. More information about Tyler Technologies, headquartered in Plano, Texas, can be found at tylertech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005278/en/

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Kuo Speculates on Upcoming Apple Watch

By Paula Bernier - Executive Editor, TMC

Big changes could be afoot with Apples next generation Watch.

Rumor has it that the next release of the companys wrist-based computer will be able to use its LTE cellular connection for data only  not phone calls. However, real-time interactions could instead be supported via services like Facetime and Skype, reports indicate.

There is also speculation that Qualcomm, rather than Intel, may be providing the baseband chip for this personal device. Qualcomm, sources note, has a smaller and lower power solution on this front.

Reports about these two likely possibilities stem from comments by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Hes been referred to in press reports as The Most Accurate Apple Analyst in the World based on his past accuracy in predicting details about future Apple products.

Kuo reportedly said that supporting voice calls using VoIP services like the ones mentioned above would enable Apple to drop its 3G antenna design and implement an eSIM as opposed to a physical SIM card.

As for Kuos prediction about Apple employing Qualcomm technology in its Watch, thats noteworthy in light of at least two factors.

One is that Qualcomm is in a patent dispute with Apple at the moment. Qualcomm recently asked U.S. regulators to ban iPhone imports, saying Apple has infringed on six of its patents, including technology that improves battery life.

Also, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg News has said that the next Apple Watch will employ Intel technology.

Its likely well all find out who is correct in short order. Expectations are that Apple will unveil its next Apple Watch (along with new iPhones) next month.

Global wearables shipments reached 22 million units in the first quarter of this year. The quarter was also notable in that Apple, at 16 percent marketshare, displaced Fitbit as the leader in this product category.

Please enable JavaScript to view the

Edited by Maurice Nagle
[August 22, 2017] Governance Professionals of Canada (GPC) announces and congratulates the 2017 shortlisted companies of Excellence in Governance Awards (EGAs)

TORONTO, Aug. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - Governance Professionals of Canada (GPC) announced the shortlist for the 2017 Excellence in Governance Awards/Prix d'excellence en gouvernance (EGAs) at its 19th annual conference in St. John's, Newfoundland. The winners will be announced at the EG Awards gala dinner on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at the Carlu in Toronto. Lynn Beauregard, President, Governance Professionals of Canada said, "I was thrilled with the increase of nominations this year  I think that this underlines the growing importance of these awards and the need for recognition for good governance practices. In this age of disruption and turbulence, organizations want the acknowledgment they deserve for what they are doing right and winners of these awards send a clear message to their stakeholders that they are organizations who value excellence in their governance." GPC received over 80 nominations this year from organizations across all sectors. The shortlisted nominees, organized by category, are presented below: 1. Best Practices in Enterprise Risk Management Concentra Bank

MD Financial Management Inc. 2. Best Practices in Sustainability and ESG Governance BC Housing

MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) 3. Best Approach to Achieving Effective Board and Committee Operations Green Shield Canada

MD Financial Management Inc.

Ottawa Community Housing 4. Best Practices to Enhance Boardroom Diversity BCE Inc.

Cameco Corporation

Goldcorp Inc.

Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) 5. Best Practices in Strategic Planning, Oversight and Value Creation by the Board ATB Financial

Canadian Freestyle Skiing Corporation

Goldcorp Inc.

TELUS Corporation



6. Best Engagement by a Governance Team Concentra Bank

Federated Cooperatives Limited 7. Best Compensation, Disclosure and Communication

Canadian Pacific Railway

Goldcorp Inc.

Manulife Financial Corporation 8. Best Practices in Subsidiary Governance Bank of Montreal

Royal Bank of Canada

TD Bank Group 9. Best Overall Corporate Governance Bank of Montreal

Royal Bank of Canada

TELUS Corporation

Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) GPC thanks the following individuals who volunteered a considerable amount of time and effort in reviewing all of the submissions for the shortlist: Daniel Bourque , Senior Corporate Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Xerox Canada Cathy Cummings , Executive Director, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (CCCA) Wendy King , Vice President, Legal, Risk & Governance, Capstone Mining Corp. Denis Lavoie , Director, Risks, Insurance and Claims, VIA Rail Canada Inc. Jamie Patterson , Lawyer, SaskTel Neil Puddicombe , Associate General Counsel and Director of Subsidiary Governance, Legal, Corporate & Compliance Group, BMO Financial Group Stephen Rotstein , Vice-President, Policy & Regulatory Affairs & General Counsel, Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) Coro Strandberg , President, Strandberg Consulting Alena Thouin , General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & Chief Compliance Officer, Alterna Savings and Bank Terri Uhrich , General Counsel, K+S Potash Canada The final judging panel is now in review of the shortlist companies. The panel is composed of seasoned and well-respected governance experts from across Canada and include: Geoffrey D. Creighton , President, In-house Counsel Worldwide Gigi Dawe , Principal, Research Guidance and Support Leader, Corporate Oversight and Governance, CPA Canada Sylvia Groves , President and Creative Director, Governance Studio Catherine Gordon , President and Founder, SimpleLogic Inc. Richard Leblanc , Associate Professor, Law, Governance & Ethics, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University Paul Schneider , Head of Corporate Governance, Public Equities, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Elizabeth Watson , Founder and President, Watson Inc. To attend the awards ceremony, you can purchase tickets on the GPC website, http://gpcanada.org/event-2607798. The Governance Professionals of Canada is recognized as the most important organization for corporate governance professionals in Canada. As the principal advocate for those who work in corporate governance, GPC strives to enhance the public's awareness of the importance of good governance. GPC is the voice of corporate governance professionals in Canada and participates with other stakeholders, including capital markets participants, government bodies and regulators, in fostering a governance environment that sets Canada apart in the world. GPC supports its membership with continuing education and networking opportunities that are second to none. SOURCE Governance Professionals of Canada (GPC) Sponsorships

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[August 21, 2017] "Hackathon" to bring rapid innovation to New South Wales' government and public safety agencies

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI (News - Alert)) will host its first ever "hackathon" in New South Wales - an event that will be a fast-paced, 48-hour challenge to develop technology solutions to overcome complex operational challenges faced by the state's government and public safety agencies. The event will take place in Sydney from 13-15 September and starts with participating agencies and organisations, including government and public safety agencies in New South Wales, describing daily operational challenges they hope to solve with new, data-driven applications. In response, external application developers and teams from Motorola (News - Alert) Solutions will apply the principles of agile software development to develop new technology solutions. The objective of the event is to develop new technologies that strengthen situational awareness, collaboration, safety and emergency response for Australia's government and public safety organisations. This includes the development of solutions that harness and share critical information with and between first responders and the community, providing public safety agencies with better access to information, where and when they need it most. The winning app development team will receive an AUD $25,000 prize. All solutions developed during the hackathon will remain the intellectual property of app developers, meaning participants will be free to develop their solutions further after the hackathon, with support from Motorola Solutions if they wish. Motorola Solutions vice president and managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Steve Crutchfield, said hackathons help to generate fresh ideas to overcome complex challenges. "As a company that develops technologies to serve the eergency services sector, we have long understood how important mission-critical voice communications are to achieving the right outcomes. Now, in this new environment, we also understand that software can help to save a life or a business.



"Hackathons help us to enrich our approach to innovation, enabling us to work with a variety of experts to develop much-needed technology solutions," Crutchfield said. Motorola Solutions held a 2016 hackathon in Brisbane, which was won by Perth-based startup Fleetsu. The company's founder and CEO, Jakub Felinski, said the victory was a "turning point" for his business.

"Since the win our business has grown at a phenomenal rate, almost tripling in size," Felinski said. "The hackathon helped us to grow and become more competent and mature as a business, and we have used the victory as a reference point to secure a number of new contracts. "Since last year's win, we have narrowed our focus, becoming more niche and pursuing the right business opportunities to enable our long-term growth and success," Felinski said. Fleetsu's winning solution from the 2016 event, a fleet asset management app, helps organisations to optimise and coordinate the use of its vehicles, machinery and other equipment. Motorola Solutions is actively calling for more software developers to join the event. Interested parties can find more information on the event page or contact Kym Little: [email protected] or +0422 136 008. About Motorola Solutions Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) creates innovative, mission-critical communication solutions and services that help public safety and commercial customers build safer cities and thriving communities. For ongoing news, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/newsroom or subscribe to a news feed. MOTOROLA, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2017 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170821005912/en/

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[August 21, 2017] Continuum Expands Australian Presence with Bluechip Infotech

Continuum, the exclusive provider of the only vertically integrated IT service delivery platform that enables MSPs to scale rapidly and profitably, and Bluechip Infotech, one of Australia's leading IT distribution networks, have signed a distribution agreement that will bring Continuum's industry-leading platform and services to Bluechip Infotech's customers, while opening up new Asia-Pacific markets for the technology provider. The agreement demonstrates Continuum's commitment to the region, following the opening of its Sydney, Australia headquarters earlier in 2017. The agreement will allow Bluechip Infotech to market Continuum's remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform, powered by the company's network operations center (NOC (News - Alert)), to managed service providers (MSPs) in Australia and New Zealand. The platform allows MSPs to efficiently manage thousands of customer end-points, giving them back the resources to focus on higher-end, more profitable tasks at a time when skilled IT workers are highly sought-after. For Continuum, the agreement is part of an international growth strategy to power MSP profitability in the Asia-Pacific region with its transformational business model. By partnering with Bluechip Infotech, Continuum gains access to the sizeable Australian MSP market through the distribution company's network of over 1,000 partners, expanding brand awareness and market presence across the region. "It's vital for us to work from a single pane of glass, in every sense of the word, so to be able to leverage Continuum's RMM solutions through the same relationship as our technology disribution is vital," said Nick Moran, Managing Director, Evolve IT Australia. "Using Continuum's solutions has allowed us to receive more accurate and consistent alerting, while spending less time managing our tools - something that our business wasn't resourced to ever do well. This has allowed us to spend more time strategically with our clients, delivering projects and solutions that deliver real business outcomes and ultimately, greater client satisfaction."



"Continuum's IT management solutions are some of the best in the North American market, and we're glad to be bringing those solutions to businesses in Australia and New Zealand," said Johnson Hsiung, Managing Director, Bluechip Infotech. "Our MSP partners are continually seeking out solutions that not only help them complete day-to-day tasks, but that enable their businesses to grow into more profitable, efficient operations. Continuum has both the track record and the data, to show its platform can meet those needs, and we're looking forward to expanding its market presence in the region." "Continuum's MSP partners have proven to be more profitable as a result of our transformational business model," said Bob Kocis, Chief Revenue Officer, Continuum. "Our agreement with Bluechip Infotech allows us to expand the capabilities of that business model to MSPs in Australia and New Zealand, and is part of our wider strategy to deliver IT management solutions that power MSPs to profitability across the Asia-Pacific region."

About Continuum

Continuum empowers managed IT service providers to reshape how they deliver IT services with an intelligent IT management platform that provides a transformative business model, continuous intelligence, a highly skilled on-demand IT workforce and dedicated partner success team. Continuum's vertically integrated service delivery model combines an unmatched SaaS (News - Alert)-based technology suite with a world-class NOC and Help Desk, allowing them to not only remotely monitor, manage, secure, and backup their clients' IT environments 24/7 from a single pane of glass, but scale rapidly and profitably. Continuum employs more than 1,400 professionals worldwide and monitors more than 1 million endpoints for its 5,800 partners, including MSPs servicing more than 60,000 SMB customers and web hosting providers protecting more than 250,000 servers with Continuum's R1Soft product line. For more information, visit https://www.continuum.net/ or https://www.r1soft.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter (News - Alert) @FollowContinuum. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170821005521/en/

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[August 22, 2017] Indonesia's Top Industry Body Appoints TUV Rheinland to Test Toys

Ministry of Industry sanctions TUV Rheinland Indonesia's Toys Laboratory to conduct comprehensive testing and certify designs to the national SNI standard JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The leading independent international provider of technical services for testing, inspection, certification, consultation and training, TUV Rheinland, has been authorized by the Indonesian Ministry of Industry to test and certify toy products to the country's national SNI standard. Located at Infinia Park, South Jakarta, TUV Rheinland Indonesia's Toy Testing Laboratory delivers 35 different types of toy testing, from small part tests to free-wheeling and brake performance and drop testing. Tests are conducted in accordance with a range of SNI specifications, including SNI 8124-1:2010 for mechanical testing, SNI ISO 8124-2-2010 for flammability tests, and SNI IEC 62115:2011 for electrical toy safety. "Toys contribute to a child's development and are an essential part of the growing up process. However, safety is a paramount concern, due to hazards that an untested toy may cause to kids. With this latest accreditation, TUV Rheinland's Indonesia laboratory will be able to reassure manufacturers, traders, buyrs and parents that the toys we test and certify to SNI standards will enrich children's lives, without harming them,"said Mr. Holger Kunz, Executive Vice President Products at TUV Rheinland.



The ministry recognition follows accreditation by the National Accreditation Committee of Indonesia (KAN) in December 2016, which certified TUV Rheinland to deliver mandatory SNI tests for toy products. It is further proof of TUV Rheinland's commitment to offer global clients a one-stop market access service. "This appointment, combined with our investment in this Toy Testing Laboratory and training expert personnel, demonstrates TUV Rheinland's strong support for the government's SNI program and protecting consumers -- especially children -- from product failures and injuries," said Mr. I Nyoman Susila, Managing Director of TUV Rheinland Indonesia.

Ultimately, it is vital that all toys sold on the market meet stringent safety standards to ensure they are safe for children to play with. "TUV Rheinland's Toys Testing Laboratory will support all stakeholders in the value chain by improving toy safety, minimizing the chance of recalls, returns and complaints, and helping to establish a brand good reputation," said Mr. Kunz. About TUV Rheinland TUV Rheinland is a global leader in independent inspection services, founded 145 years ago. The group employs 19,700 people around the globe. Annual revenue is more than EUR1.9 billion. The independent experts stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all industrial sectors and areas of life. TUV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, and oversees projects, processes and information security for companies. Its experts train people in a wide range of careers and industries. To this end, the company operates a global network of approved labs and testing and education centers. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. www.tuv.com SOURCE TUV Rheinland Singapore Pte Ltd

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[August 22, 2017] S P Jain Global Launches Six New Professional Programs in Emerging Technologies

MUMBAI, August 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The programs in Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Virtual Reality, Big Data, Digital Marketing, and Fintech are aimed at working professionals who wish to upskill and develop new competencies without interrupting their full-time careers S P Jain School of Global Management (S P Jain Global) has announced the launch of six new Professional Technology Programs, exclusively for working professionals. The duration of each course is 9 months, with a mix of online and offline classroom sessions every weekend, taking cognizance of the professionals' work schedule. Program Offerings: - Machine Learning

- Cybersecurity

- Virtual Reality

- Big Data & Visual Analytics

- Digital Marketing & Metrics

- Fintech (Financial Technology) Speaking on the launch, Mr. Nitish Jain, President, S P Jain School of Global Management, said, "In 2006, we were amongst the first to build a school which focused almost exclusively on an international tri-city educational model, transforming our students from ordinary graduates to 21st century global business leaders. Today, in 2017, the world is advancing and so are we. With technology taking over the world as we know it, we felt that the time was right to pioneer such innovative Professional Technology Programs that will help professionals stay relevant." "The World Economic Forum in one of its reports suggests that the transformed job market in the next five years will lead to a net loss of over five million jobs in 15 majo developed and emerging economies. The change is already upon us. Robots are taking over surgeries, AI bots are creating new languages, VR is bringing new experiences to the convenience of people's homes, banks are acquiring new customers using sophisticated technology. Software professionals in these new areas are in short supply and as a result, much sought after," he added.



All of these programs have the unique distinction of being designed and delivered by world-class faculty, many of whom are themselves technology leaders and innovators who will bring with them a wealth of research, teaching, industry experience and knowledge of current technologies into the classroom. Furthermore, the school has tied up with various reputed international universities and technology providers to broaden the scope and delivery of these programs. The Cyber Security program is offered in partnership with a top Israeli University. And for the Virtual Reality, the school has tied up with the world's leading VR technology platform 'Unity Technologies' to provide globally recognized certification for the program. Classes for these programs will be conducted at S P Jain's state-of-the-art campus in Kohinoor City, Mumbai. To be considered for any of these programs, applicants must have earned a Bachelor's degree, and have at least two years of relevant work experience. S P Jain is currently accepting applications to these programs for the November 2017 intake.

For more information about the various programs offered, please log on to http://www.spjain.org. About S P Jain School of Global Management (SPJSGM) S P Jain School of Global Management is a business school of Indian origin that offers an Australian degree. It has campuses in Dubai, Singapore, Sydney and Mumbai. Their Full-time MBA and Global MBA programs have significant recognition as evinced through global rankings. - Forbes: Top 10 Best International 1 Year MBAs (2015 - 16) - The Economist: Top 100 Full-time MBAs worldwide (2015) - Forbes: Top 20 Best International Business Schools (2013 - 14) - Financial Times: Top 100 Global MBA programs (2011 and 2012) The school is accredited by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency in Australia and is licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority of the Dubai government. The S P Jain School of High Technology offers career certification programs in emerging technologies such as virtual reality, machine learning and cyber security.

Media Contact: Blue Ocean IMC

Meenakshi Vijay

[email protected]

+91-9823322290 Apurva Jivannavar

[email protected]

+91-9870326814



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[August 22, 2017] Radian Mortgage Insurance Now Available Through Nexsys Clear Path

Radian (News - Alert) Guaranty Inc., the mortgage insurance (MI) subsidiary of Radian Group Inc., (NYSE: RDN), now offers Radian MI directly through the Nexsys Clear Path platform. Nexsys Technologies, a company founded to create and deliver innovative solutions for smarter lending processes, works with mortgage lenders and service providers in real-time through their Nexsys Clear Path platform to manage order allocations and calculate settlement services, while providing a secure, transparent, and interactive interface for Radian customers to receive a Radian rate quote instantly. "At Radian, we are continually working to make it easier for our customers to do business," said Brien McMahon, Radian's chief franchise officer. "This integration makes it easier, quicker, and safer for lenders across all platforms to order Radian MI through the Nexsys Clear Path platform, giving them an additional way to stay compliant and competitive." "Our partnership with Radian helps us continue to deliver value to our clients nationwide," said Michael Lyon, EVP at Nexsys Technologies. "The intuitive and easy-to-use Radian interface via the Nexsys Clear Path platform enables timely and accurate delivery of information to better meet the demands of mortgage lenders." ABOUT RADIAN Radian Group Inc. (NYSE: RDN), headquartered in Philadelphia, provides private mortgage insurance, risk management products and real estate services to financial institutions. Radian offers products and services through two businesssegments:



Mortgage Insurance , through its principal mortgage insurance subsidiary Radian Guaranty Inc. This private mortgage insurance protects lenders from default-related losses, facilitates the sale of low-downpayment mortgages in the secondary market and enables homebuyers to purchase homes more quickly with downpayments less than 20%.

, through its principal mortgage insurance subsidiary Radian Guaranty Inc. This private mortgage insurance protects lenders from default-related losses, facilitates the sale of low-downpayment mortgages in the secondary market and enables homebuyers to purchase homes more quickly with downpayments less than 20%. Mortgage and Real Estate Services, through its principal services subsidiary Clayton, as well as Green River Capital, Red Bell Real Estate and ValuAmerica. These solutions include information and services that financial institutions, investors and government entities use to evaluate, acquire, securitize, service and monitor loans and asset-backed securities. Additional information may be found at www.radian.biz. ABOUT NEXSYS TECHNOLOGIES

Nexsys Technologies was established in 2015 to meet the mortgage industry's demand for a real-time transaction management platform. That platform, Nexsys Clear Path, is the evolution of provider management. As a real-time solution for the management of mortgage-related transactions, orders, provider performance, and service allocations, the Nexsys Clear Path platform is one system to collaborate with thousands of service providers seamlessly, which is critical in the changing regulatory environment. The Nexsys Clear Path platform operates through a suite of interactive tools that include: Mission Control, which manages order allocations in real-time; Fee Point, to dynamically calculate settlement services and governmental fees; and Metrix, for visibility into order and provider performance. This flexible platform is accessible anywhere through a simple system-to-system integration or secure Web portal. The system is fully customizable and reporting is made easy by automatically formatting for your desktop, email or mobile. Nexsys Clear Path clients also gain access to the full service provider network. For more information on Nexsys Technologies and all that we have to offer, please visit https://www.nexsysdatasolutions.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005177/en/

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[August 22, 2017] Humanetics Corporation to Present Data at Department of Defense Scientific Meeting

Minneapolis-based Humanetics Corporation (Humanetics) has been invited to present at the Military Health System Research Symposium, which will be held August 27th through the 29th in Kissimmee Florida. This event is focused on identifying new opportunities to improve the performance and safety of U.S. military personnel and is the only scientific meeting completely dedicated to the unique medical needs of Warfighters. Michael Kaytor, Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Development at Humanetics, has been invited to give an oral presentation on the development of Humanetics' proprietary radioprotectant, BIO 300. Humanetics was selected to present from among nearly 2,000 submissions. BIO 300 was originally developed as a radioprotectant by researchers at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) in Bethesda Maryland and was exclusively licensed to Humanetics for advanced development and commercialization. BIO 300 is an oral drug that can be taken by Warfighters to provide protection against the effects of radiation from a radiological or nuclear event. At present, there are no FDA-approved prophylactic medical countermeasuresto prevent or lessen both acute and delayed injuries to Warfighters and first responders who may be exposed to radiation. The development of a medical countermeasure for radiation exposure that can be used prophylactically will significantly enhance the warfighting mission by sustaining unit effectiveness, and is critical for operational preparedness in nuclear or radiological threat environments. These agents are essential for the prevention of radiation exposure casualties and preserving the Warfighter's effectiveness.



"I look forward to sharing the latest developments for BIO 300 at the Military Health Research Symposium," said Dr. Kaytor. "BIO 300 could transform our capacity to protect against nuclear and radiological events, with significant implications for the Department of Defense, the men and women who serve our country, and anyone who may risk exposure." BIO 300 is in development for prevention and mitigation of toxicities associated with radiation exposure. The drug is also in development for oncology applications and is in a Phase Ib/IIa clinical trial in lung cancer patients being treated with radiation and chemotherapy. This trial is assessing the drug's ability to protect patients' lungs from toxicities caused by radiation used to treat tumors.

About Humanetics Corporation Humanetics Corporation is a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the accelerated discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary drugs in markets with urgent and unmet needs, with a focus on radiation modulators for oncology and medical countermeasure uses. For more information, visit www.humaneticscorp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005208/en/

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[August 22, 2017] MAXIMUS Sr. Vice President of Technology Appointed to Virginia Tech College of Science Advisory Board

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that Dr. Thomas Woteki, Senior Vice President of Technology, has been appointed to serve on the Roundtable Advisory Board for the Virginia Tech College of Science. The College of Science Roundtable Advisory Board is a council of senior-level volunteers who provide guidance on programmatic and strategic issues affecting the future of the college. Roundtable members support the vision of the dean by serving as a resource to the eight departments, the School of Neuroscience, and the Academy of Integrated Science. The Advisory Board helps advance the academic stature of the college and serves as informed ambassadors for the college to the world at large. Dr. Woteki will actively participate in regular events to help inform members on faculty, students, program and resource needs. Dr. Woteki, who received his Ph.D. in Statistics and a Masters in Mathematics from Virginia Tech, will bring his decades-long expertise to support and advise Dean Sally Morton on the identification of new and emerging technologies in the industry. His breadth of experience in large-scale systems engineering and integration, as well as software development, in both the public and private setors make him a valuable member of the Advisory Board. Dr. Woteki has proven expertise on a wide range of technology topics and is active in industry affairs including the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Comp-TIA, the Professional Services Council and ACT-IAC (News - Alert).



Dr. Woteki joined MAXIMUS with the acquisition of Acentia, where he served as Chief Technology Officer. He currently serves as a senior executive providing corporate-level thought leadership in the area of analytics and big data. He is also charged with developing partnerships and alliances with selected companies and organizations to expand and strengthen services and solution offerings at MAXIMUS with particular emphasis on analytics and big data. Dr. Woteki has more than 30 years of experience in large-scale systems engineering and integration and software development in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining MAXIMUS, he led a global consulting practice for Cisco Systems (News - Alert) and launched Cisco's Healthcare Solutions business bringing its Health Presence telemedicine product to market. About MAXIMUS

Since 1975, MAXIMUS has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs. MAXIMUS delivers innovative business process management and technology solutions that contribute to improved outcomes for citizens and higher levels of productivity, accuracy, accountability and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. With more than 18,000 employees worldwide, MAXIMUS is a proud partner to government agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit maximus.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005212/en/

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[August 22, 2017] VBA Endorses Digital Lending Solution by Akouba

CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virginia Bankers Association (VBA) has endorsed the digital lending solution provided by Akouba, which offers community and regional banks an origination and underwriting platform for small business loans. VBA members will receive preferred pricing. Akouba's platform, the first and only digital lending solution to be endorsed by both The American Bankers Association  through its subsidiary the Corporation for American Banking and a state association, is transforming the way banks help business owners through a cloud-based, white-labeled technology that provides business lending quickly, accurately and profitably. Akouba's business lending platform provides banks with technology that integrates the bank's own unique credit policies into a convenient, online process, all the way to closing and funding. "Helping small businesses have access to capital is the bedrock of community and regional banking," said Matthew Bruning, senior vice president of the VBA. "The loan application and decision-making process screams for greater efficiencies of time and costs in order to best serve bank customers. In selecting Akouba as our endorsed provider, we are bringing an effective and reliable platform to Virginia banks so they can leverage the latest technology, make the lending process simple and profitable and deliver a great experience for the customer and banker." "Banks today need to furher embrace technology when it relates to interacting with their customers. Our platform provides the tools that allow banks to focus on meaningful customer relationships and automate time-consuming tasks that can get in the way," said Chris Rentner, CEO, Akouba. "The VBA's endorsement of Akouba's technology platform proves bankers are committed to leading the way when it comes to providing the best technology to their customers"



Together, the VBA and the ABA partnered to endorse Akouba on a national and state-by-state level, providing banks extensive due diligence and careful evaluation based on a number of factors including Akouba's ability to assess and manage risk as well as comply with the FDIC's proposed guidance for third-party lending to address common issues in the industry. To learn more about Akouba, the VBA will offer a free webinar Wednesday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET. For more information, visit http://www.vabankers.org/akouba .

About Virginia Bankers Association

Established in 1893, the Virginia Bankers Association is the unified voice for commercial and savings banks in Virginia. VBA is dedicated to providing their member banks with quality products and services that can save their member banks time, money and resources, as well as enhance profitability. With the guidance of the VBA MSI Board of Directors, the VBA completes a stringent, ongoing due diligence review of each endorsed provider to ensure that they are offering high value, dependable solutions that their members can count on. About Akouba

Akouba provides cloud-based, white-labeled technology that delivers an end-to-end, omni-channel business lending platform. Akouba Now, a digital onboarding software, leverages leading edge technology and integrations to deliver a great customer and banker experience in a way that enables banks to execute digital processes quickly, efficiently, and profitably. Media Contact:

Akouba, Amber Smith

312-967-3460

[email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vba-endorses-digital-lending-solution-by-akouba-300507400.html SOURCE Akouba

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[August 22, 2017] Vancouver's StreetMessenger now displays shelter bed availability in real time on Google maps and expands across Canada to combat homelessness

OTTAWA, Aug. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - The Vancouver Community Network (VCN) has launched StreetMessenger.ca, which leverages SMS technology to send messages to the cell phones of homeless and street-involved youth with program information, life-saving alerts and real-time updates on available shelter beds displayed on Google maps. Work on this program started in 2014 in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Leveraging that success, StreetMessenger is now open to every community in Canada thanks to support from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), Employment and Social Development Canada, as well as Canadian philanthropists Bob Rennie and Peter Wall. With the live-launch of StreetMessenger, VCN is working with community organizations in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto to register cellphone carrying at-risk street and marginalized individuals in their communities. "We know that more than 67 per cent of people under 30 experiencing homelessness have cellphones. And text messaging is the best outreach tool given posters aren't seen and more than half of emails are never read," said Tracey Axelsson, VCN's executive director. "The reaction has been very positive here in Vancouver and we want cities across the country to know it is available in their communities as well." Vancouver's homeless count has increased by 30 per cent since 2014. With homelessness on the rise, better access to interventions is needed to reduce these numbers and get people housed. StreetMessenger has been well-received by users in Vancouver. In fact, 97 per cent of people approached by VCN enrolled immediately to receive messages about services offered in their community. StreetMessenger is an outreach tool that sends time-sensitive alerts on available program information for job skills and training sessions, pop-up health clinics, messages about where a mobile unit is or will be, emergency alerts that can save lives including bad batches of drugs in the community, as well as instantly distributing information about issing persons. The system can send messages in any language.



"When VCN applied to CIRA's Community Investment Program to develop this project we immediately recognized the reach and impact it could have on so many people," said Byron Holland, CIRA's president and CEO. "We believe in supporting initiatives that harness the power of technology to change lives for the better. VCN is linking simple but powerful technologies with smart and passionate people to solve real-world problems. I'm incredibly proud to support this as part of CIRA's commitment to building a better online Canada." "The work done by the Vancouver Community Network is essential in addressing unique problems associated with the chronically and episodically homeless populations. This organization is taking innovative measures to address enduring social issues with the ultimate goal of having more positive outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. The Government of Canada is proud to support projects like this one in order to help prevent and reduce homelessness," said the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.

The final phase of development for StreetMessenger was completed in January and included a process that allows frontline shelter administrators to send the number of beds available via text to StreetMessenger, which then displays it on the Google map icon showing the shelter's location. Frontline workers tell VCN they spend two or more hours a night responding to calls for bed availability or trying to find a place for someone. This system will let them get back to doing what they do best -- supporting people in their shelter. StreetMessenger is live and already making a difference in Vancouver. It is certain to have a positive impact on street-involved individuals in Calgary, Toronto and beyond. Clients can enroll themselves by sending a text to 778-819-6826 or visit streetmessenger.ca to learn more. About the Vancouver Community Network The Vancouver Community Network (VCN) owns, operates and promotes a free, publicly accessible, non-commercial, computer utility in Metro Vancouver. VCN enhances communities and organizations, using information technology to create positive social change. VCN works to create social equality and opportunity by empowering individuals and the organizations working to support them through access to information technology communication (ITC) with free dial-up Internet, free/low cost technical and website support, computer training, and web hosting. About the Employment and Social Development Canada's Innovative Solutions to Homelessness Funding This funding stream of ESDC supports projects that develop innovative and effective best practices or innovatively build capacity to prevent or reduce homelessness in Canada. The aim of these projects will be to demonstrate the effectiveness of current practices or to develop, test and evaluate a new practice. The Innovative Solutions to Homelessness funding stream is delivered nationally and supports the development of innovative approaches to reducing homelessness. About CIRA's Community Investment Program CIRA is building a better online Canada through the Community Investment Program by funding innovative projects led by charities, not-for-profits and academic institutions that are making the Internet better for all Canadians. CIRA is best known for our role managing the .CA domain on behalf of all Canadians. While this remains our primary mandate, as a member-based not-for-profit ourselves, we have a much broader goal to strengthen Canada's Internet. The Community Investment Program is one of our most valuable contributions toward this goal and funds projects in digital literacy, online services, research and infrastructure. Every .CA domain name registered or renewed contributes to this program. To date CIRA has supported 100 projects with over $4.2 million in contributions. SOURCE Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)

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[August 22, 2017] OBERD Partners with Illinois Bone & Joint Institute, for Outcomes Data Collection

COLUMBIA, Mo., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Through its relationship with orthopedic HCIT solutions leader SRS Health, Universal Research Solutions, LLC (a.k.a. OBERD) has partnered with Chicago-based Illinois Bone & Joint Institute (IBJI) to electronically collect patient reported outcomes data and report MIPS quality data to CMS. Through this partnership, IBJI will have access to OBERD's nationwide data sets, the world's largest orthopedic database, with the goal of supporting evidence-based care and improving patient health outcomes. OBERD's enterprise solution is designed to collect large amounts of information from patients with minimal burden, and make that available to providers and administrators as actionable data. This aligns with IBJI's commitment to providing collaborative, comprehensive care, and their progressive approach to returning patients to good health through evidence-based medicine. OBERD's Registries provide large data sets for benchmarking and research that will support IBJI's efforts to improve the quality of care delivered to its patients. "We are honored to have partnered with IBJI, one of the most prestigious and progressive orthopedic institutions in the nation," said Ali Hussam, PhD, OBERD founder and chief executive officer. "Together with SRS Health, we will help IBJI demonstrate the value of their care, and show the performance of their physicians, from the outcomes data collected from their patients. They can benchmark against other OBERD clients and against aggregate outcomes data from thousands of physicians, and millions of patients, nationwide." "At IBJI, we continually strive to enhance our clinical delivery model around the patient's needs," said Andre Blom, IBJI chief operating officer. "When we looked at the depth and breadth of orthopedic data that OBED collects and quantifies, there was no question that their system could provide us with the insights to keenly refine our ongoing quality improvement initiatives. Understanding the complete spectrum of our clinical intervention strategies will serve us well on a daily basis, especially in the emerging Value Based Care models in which we participate."



About Universal Research Solutions, LLC (OBERD)

Universal Research Solutions, LLC (a.k.a. OBERD) owns, develops, implements and supports the OBERD (Outcomes Based Electronic Research Database) system. OBERD optimizes the data collection necessary to empower evidence-based medical practice, improve the quality and efficacy of care and advance clinical decision-making and patient understanding. OBERD has been collecting patient outcomes data in orthopedics for over 7 years, with over 10 million scored forms from over 2 million patients in its database. It includes a QCDR, with CMS-approved measures specific to orthopedics. For more information, visit www.oberd.com or follow the company on Twitter @oberdnews. About Illinois Bone & Joint Institute

Founded in 1990, IBJI is one of the largest orthopedic group practices in the country. With more than 100 physicians in every orthopedic specialty, IBJI offers care for children and adults from some of the most accomplished and respected orthopedists in the country. IBJI's 20 locations in Chicago and the north suburbs make it easy to access complete musculoskeletal care. www.ibji.com.

About SRS Health

SRS Health, a leading innovator in intelligent data solutions for orthopaedic practices, is advancing healthcare by creating frictionless technologies that enhance quality, efficiency, and outcomes. The company's flagship healthcare IT ecosystemEHR, Outcomes, PM, Patient Portal, Transcription, and PACS is unique in its ability to position high-performance specialists for success in a value-based-payment world. With 20 years of experience, unmatched implementation success, extensive industry and regulatory expertise, and top-rated US-based customer service and support, it is no wonder that SRS has earned top KLAS and Black Book ratings from their clients. To see why SRS is the trusted partner of so many prominent orthopaedic practices, and how they can prepare you for the future, visit srs-health.com/orthopaedic-ehr, read their blog at blog.srs-health.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 800.288.8369. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oberd-partners-with-illinois-bone--joint-institute-for-outcomes-data-collection-300507735.html SOURCE OBERD

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[August 22, 2017]

Karma Automotive Releases Epic Video Of The Total Solar Eclipse

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Karma Automotive took advantage of the total solar eclipse with a multi-city shoot along the "Path of Totality." The company released a new video this morning celebrating the historic event and the inspiration behind Karma Automotive's logo.

"We felt it was essential to capture this rare phenomenon. It was an opportunity for us to both document the total solar eclipse and produce our own unique content to celebrat the company's ethos to lean on natural elements in what we do," said Jim Taylor, Karma Chief Revenue Officer.







The Karma Revero is the first electric extended range vehicle sold in the U.S. to be powered by the sun. Each vehicle is truly unique, with individually hand-painted emblems of the company's logo on the front and rear of every vehicle. The inspiration behind the Karma logo was an eclipse, showing a spark of sun, the eternal symbol of endless renewable energy.

About Karma Automotive

Karma Automotive is a U.S. manufacturer of luxury plug-in hybrid vehicles. Unapologetically conspicuous in their beauty. Uncommonly light in their footprint. Designed, engineered, and assembled In Southern California.

For more information, visit www.karmaautomotive.com

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/karma-automotive-releases-epic-video-of-the-total-solar-eclipse-300507487.html

SOURCE Karma Automotive
[August 22, 2017] A.T. Kearney Back-to-School Consumer Shopping Survey Provides Retailers with Key Areas of Omnichannel Focus

CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report by A.T. Kearney, Back-to-School Consumer Shopping Perspectives, looks at US adults planning to make back-to-school purchases, along with key economic factors that would serve as predictors for consumer spending. It provides retailers with areas on which to focus and strategies to capture sales and profits during the forthcoming back-to-school season. Ryan Fisher, A.T. Kearney Retail Practice partner and co-author of the report, stated, "We expect back-to-school spending to be higher this season reflecting the positive macroeconomic trends. In addition, we expect to see mobile payments and online sales continuing to grow. Millennials coming into their parenting years are increasingly engaged in the back-to-school season as well, evidenced by a 4 percent bump in online-only shopping experiences since last year. It is more important than ever for retailers to up their omnichannel game." The study, which surveyed more than 1,000 adult shoppers, found that, in aggregate, consumers plan to spend more than last year at all levels save post-secondary. In addition, consumers are becoming increasingly demanding as they expect better shopping experiences and lower costs, with free expedited shipping offers and the rewards of loyalty programs Compared to 2016, the importance of these four categories increased between 2 percent and 5 percent.



To successfully navigate the 2017 back-to-school season, the study suggests retailers need to recognize that omnichannel is the new normal, and that Millennials and their mobile shopping habits are increasingly influencing back-to-school shopping behavior. With a 15 percent year-over-year increase in e-commerce traffic, retailers need to ensure that their mobile, web, tablet, and social media experience is on par with the market. Simultaneously, they need to focus on providing a unique and personalized in-store experience, facilitated by in-store technology. "This study, now in its third year, continues to show a trend toward increasing mobile and online shopping," remarked Ryan Fisher. "Retailers should be poised to take advantage of the increase in expected spend. Overall, the back-to-school season should be good news for retailers who have been making omnichannel and especially mobile investments; and is perhaps a wakeup call to those who continue to tread in more traditional footsteps."

About the Study A.T. Kearney conducted the Back-to-School Consumer Shopping Perspectives survey among 1,000 US adults (18+) who intended to make back-to-school purchases in 2017. The authors structured the 16 survey questions to measure respondents' expectations for this year's back-to-school shopping season.Responses were weighted to normalize the aggregate sample to household income and age distributions of the overall population in the US. A.T. Kearney conducted the survey between June 26 and June 28, 2017. About A.T. Kearney A.T. Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm with offices in more than 40 countries. Since 1926, we have been trusted advisors to the world's foremost organizations. A.T. Kearney is a partner-owned firm, committed to helping clients achieve immediate impact and growing advantage on their most mission-critical issues. For more information, visit www.atkearney.com. Media Contact: Meir Kahtan

Meir Kahtan Public Relations, LLC

+1 212.575.8188

[email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/at-kearney-back-to-school-consumer-shopping-survey-provides-retailers-with-key-areas-of-omnichannel-focus-300507751.html SOURCE A.T. Kearney

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[August 22, 2017] Great American Risk Solutions Enhances E&S Offerings to Wholesale Brokers

Great American Insurance Group is pleased to announce that it renews, strengthens and plans to expand its E&S presence with the formation of Great American Risk Solutions. This new division will leverage the collective experience of two successful businesses - the American Empire Group and the Specialty E&S Division. Mark Lonneman, Divisional President of Great American Risk Solutions, stated, "Great American Risk Solutions simplifies and strengthens our collective E&S insurance offerings to wholesale brokers by offering a comprehensive and consistent E&S platform. We believe that this new business will streamline and enhance our service to this niche market, while providing opportunities to expand our footprint." Great American Risk Solutions will continue to offer a wide range of E&S casualty and property solutions, with experienced underwriters and claims professionals who support wholesale insurance brokers and program managers located throughout the United States.



For more information about Great American Risk Solutions products and services, contact: Mark Lonneman at [email protected]. About Great American Insurance Group

Great American Insurance Group's roots go back to 1872 with the founding of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the operations of Great American Insurance Group are engaged primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on specialty commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of traditional fixed and fixed-indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions and education markets. Great American Insurance Company has received an "A" (Excellent) or higher rating from the A.M. Best Company for more than 100 years (most recent rating evaluation of "A+" (Superior) affirmed August 11, 2017). The members of Great American Insurance Group are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), also based in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFG's common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFG. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005703/en/

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[August 22, 2017] Equibit Group Releases Platform White Paper in Spanish and Simplified Chinese

Equibit Group, a global innovator in blockchain technology and applications for the securities industry, has released its platform white paper, Equibit: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Equity System, translated into two new languages: Spanish and simplified Chinese. Designed as a borderless solution, Equibit Group seeks to serve the needs of issuers and traders around the world. Releasing Spanish and simplified Chinese versions of the white paper serves this mandate, creating opportunity for a wider issuer and investor base, as well as diversification of securities traded on the platform. Identifying key issues within the existing securities industry, specifically regarding the lack of transparency in over-the-counter (OTC) markets and inefficiency of third party transfer agents, Equibit Group's white paper lays out a strategic use of blockchain technology to create more efficient, cost effective, and transparent market operations. "Equity markets represent a pillar of global economic activity, yet modern technological innovation has not erved to keep up with the needs of the markets," said Equibit Group CEO Chris Horlacher.



"The present state of registration, transfer, clearing, and settlement of equities is antiquated; the equity markets are typically controlled by central depositories and stock transfer agents, and despite its size, the overall market is opaque. Equibit Group's blockchain-based peer-to-peer platform eliminates the need for intermediaries to conduct trades, raise capital, and manage shareholder records." "Equibit Group was developed to serve a global audience, with 24/7 secure and uninterrupted trading regardless of where you're located in the world with anyone using the Equibit network," Horlacher added.

The multi-language white papers are available here. About Equibit Group Equibit Group is applying blockchain technology to establish the world's first peer-to-peer equity and debt marketplace. In much the same way Bitcoin applied digital technology to currency and payments, Equibit eliminates the need for expensive infrastructure and third-party facilitation from depositories or transfer agents. Registration, transfer, settlement and investor relations will all be managed securely and digitally within a decentralized environment. Founded by a former CFO from the securities industry and a team of blockchain development experts, Equibit Group was established to revolutionize the securities industry. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822005865/en/

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[August 22, 2017] Cloud Harmonics Announces Phantom Distribution And Channel Enablement Partnership

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud Harmonics, the pioneer of holistic distribution, announced today the Phantom Security Automation and Orchestration Platform will automate the response to threats within its full stack private cloud architecture. Cloud Harmonics and Phantom inked a distribution and channel enablement partnership that will give value added resellers the award-winning training and robust go-to-market services they need to seamlessly integrate the industry's leading Security Automation and Orchestration Platform into their portfolio. "Phantom is proud to work with Cloud Harmonics to extend the reach of our platform via their robust partner ecosystem," said Oliver Friedrichs, founder and CEO, Phantom. "We found we were tightly aligned on our commitment to ensuring training and technologies are available that will help customers improve their security outcomes." "Automation and orchestration are enabling technologies that ensure customers are able to get the most out of their security investments," said Pradeep Aswani, founder and CEO, Cloud Harmonics. "We're excited to provide the Education, Engagement and Enablement components that will accelerate the channel's ability to deploy these capabilities to crate a cohesive defense system that can combat the threats targeting their customers."



About Cloud Harmonics

Cloud Harmonics Inc., the pioneer of holistic distribution, provides the Education, Engagement and Enablement capabilities that technology and channel partners need to accelerate the adoption, ramp and sales of next-gen cybersecurity, software-defined data center and cloud technologies. Supporting partners at every go-to-market phase, Cloud Harmonics is the only distributor offering a purpose-built educational curriculum and platform (Orchestra), hands-on virtual sandbox testing environments, and pre- and post-sale tools and services to arm partners with the skills and confidence to add and profit from next-gen technologies in their portfolio. Working with leading technology providers, such as Aruba Networks, Arista Networks, HPE, Palo Alto Networks, Nutanix and others, Cloud Harmonics provides the awareness, technical proficiency and services support its more than 500 reseller partners need to create opportunities, close deals and secure repeat business. Cloud Harmonics trains more than 5000 engineers annually. To learn more, please visit www.cloudharmonics.com. About Phantom

Phantom is the leader in security automation and orchestration. It integrates your existing security technologies, providing a layer of connective tissue between them. The Phantom platform helps you work smarter by automating repetitive tasks, effectively force multiplying your team's efforts and allowing them to focus their attention on mission-critical decisions. It also helps you respond faster and reduce dwell times with automated detection, investigation, and response. Using Phantom helps you strengthen your defenses by integrating your entire security infrastructure together so that each part is actively participating in your defense strategy. For more information visit: https://phantom.us/.

Media Contact:

Sarah Sorensen

[email protected] View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cloud-harmonics-announces-phantom-distribution-and-channel-enablement-partnership-300507892.html SOURCE Cloud Harmonics

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[August 22, 2017] TECHNIPFMC INVESTOR ALERT: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses Exceeding $100,000 in TechnipFMC plc to Contact the Firm

Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in TechnipFMC plc ("TechnipFMC" or the "Company") (NYSE:FTI) of the October 2, 2017 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. If you invested in TechnipFMC stock or options between April 27, 2017 and July 24, 2017 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here: www.faruqilaw.com/FTI. There is no cost or obligation to you. You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. CONTACT:

FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP

685 Third Avenue, 26th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Attn: Richard Gonnello, Esq.

[email protected]uqilaw.com

Telephone: (877) 247-4292 or (212) 983-9330 The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on behalf of all those who purchased TechnipFMC securities between April 27, 201 and July 24, 2017 (the "Class Period"). The case, Prause v. TechnipFMC, plc et al, No. 4:17-cv-02368 was filed on August 3, 2017, and has been assigned to Judge Alfred H. Bennett.



The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by making false and/or misleading statements and/or failing to disclose that: (i) the Company had a material weakness in its internal control over rates used in the calculations of the foreign currency effects on certain of its engineering and construction projects; (ii) consequently, the Company lacked effective internal controls over financial reporting; and (iii) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading. Specifically, after market close on July 24, 2017, the Company issued a press release and filed a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Therein, the Company revealed that it would restate its financial statements as of March 31, 2017, as these statements could "no longer be relied upon because of material errors in such financial statements." Furthermore, the Company disclosed that the "errors existed within certain rates used in the calculations of the foreign currency effects on certain of its engineering and construction projects[.]"

On this news, the Company's share price declined, causing harm to investors. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding TechnipFMC's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170822006184/en/

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Powerball numbers for Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022

Here are the winning Powerball numbers and results for the lottery jackpot drawing on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022.
- They're killing cops in Westport and because the officer was African-American . . . That somehow makes Kansas City hipsters feel safer as our murder count inches closer to the century mark.





- Eclipse 2017 was ruined by rain that also backed up and flooded local roadways because Kansas City politicos LIED about fixing infrastructure with GO Bond money . . . Which is actually being used for a variety of pet projects.





- There's a war over monuments in Kansas City that persists as culture warriors battle for the heart and soul of this town whilst armed dudes confront crowds of local angry ANTIFA.

Best Timelapse Of The Day

And The City Went Dark Photography Blog

Okay, Maybe The Sun Isn't Really Racist

The Atlantic Claims Monday's Solar Eclipse Is Racist Return your solar eclipse glasses and cancel your sun-watching parties, America. According to The Atlantic, Monday's predicted total solar eclipse is, it turns out, racist.

Nice Neighborhood Party

Nearby Totality

Americans flock to St Joseph, MO to view total solar eclipse A partial eclipse will be visible from anywhere in North America, but the path of totality covers only 70 miles across the U.S.

Kansas City Biz Class Look Upward

KC businesses deliver eclipse-viewing parties [PHOTOS] - Kansas City Business Journal A variety of Kansas City businesses gave their workers quite a show on Monday afternoon. As a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse passed through the Kansas City area, some companies gave their employees time for some celestial bonding. Look through the attached slideshow to see some submitted photos from the different eclipse-viewing parties.

2-Star Foodie Eclipse

Spectators view eclipse at Chicken N Pickle in North Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On Monday morning the doors at Chicken N Pickle opened as the storm clouds rolled out. Nicole Bailey from Kansas City, Kansas and Rachel Corl from Mission, Kansas were among the 200 people who purchased tickets for the rooftop eclipse watch party.

Credit Where It's Due: The Timeless Johnny Rowlands Has Kansas City's Best View

Watch the eclipse totality from News Chopper 9 Johnny Rowlands had a 360 degree view of the phenomenon from the skies.

At the risk of seeming like a party pooper despite today's overwhelming disappointment . . . The total solar eclipse was possibly the least important "news" event that has happened so far this year.Again, a quick rundown . . .Nevertheless, most of today's news was about the middle-class eating fried food whilst watching the sky . . .We'll leave this thread open but let us never speak of this again . . .
Before after featured in the. . . And so, in the midst of party district political battles and the growing divide betwixt rich and poor . . . The crown jewel of Kansas City trims its brush just a bit too much and makes the party place seem just a bit less beautiful.You decide . . .
Part of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Communist and Nazi Regimes, instituted in April 2009

Greece's decision not to participate in an international conference on crimes committed by Communist regimes in Estonia on August 23 "offends Greeks and European citizens who defend democratic values" and leads the country to a "strange kind of European and international isolation", New Democracy noted in a press release on Sunday.

The party was commenting on Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis' decision to refuse an invitation for a conference titled "The Heritage in 21st Century Europe of the Crimes Committed by Communist Regimes", which will be held at the Tallinn Creative Hub, as part of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Communist and Nazi Regimes, instituted in April 2009.

"The government's decision not to participate in the "The Heritage in 21st Century Europe of the Crimes Committed by Communist Regimes" organized by Estonia in the framework of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU offends Greeks and European citizens who have always defended democratic ideals and the universal human value of freedom" ND commented.

The party stressed it "once again highlights the Greek peculiarity and leads us to a strange kind of European and international isolation that Greek citizens do not deserve."

"There are historic truths that must be told. Nazism and Stalinism are dark periods of European history, certainly condemned by all democratic citizens. Their different ideological starting point and the conflict between them neither equates nor purifies any of the two," it concluded.

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

Source: ANA-MPA
The Greek island of Syros is set to become location for shooting movies, according to the following report by Kathimerini newspaper:

Its a miracle we managed to get a law that makes it easier to shoot movies in Greece passed within nine months, says Pierre Economacos. The Greek American is familiar with the labyrinth that is Greek bureaucracy. Last summer on Myconos, Economacos met with a fellow Greek American who was working with Hollywood director Steven Bernstein to prepare a script for a political thriller. They were preparing to head to Bulgaria to discuss filming the movie there, says Economacos. Thats when I stopped them and convinced them to come to Syros first.

The invitation was no coincidence. Economacos splits his time between the US and Syros, and is familiar with the stunning landscapes, natural beauty and unique architecture of the Aegean island, where visitors often feel like theyre in a movie setting.

Four days later, I greeted them at Syros port, says Economacos, who had already spoken to the islands mayor, Giorgos Marangos, about setting up a plan of action together. We gave them an in-depth tour of the island, says Economacos. Bernstein was mystified. Here is Positano, down there its reminiscent of Paris, and over there of Prague, he said enthusiastically as they were walking around the town of Ermoupoli.

The light of the island made a great impression on Bernstein, who appeared quite inspired by the location. At that moment, the award-winning director had an idea: to start a film school on Syros, which he himself would teach at along with his team. He also expressed a desire to create two permanent studios on the island for TV and movie productions.

Bernstein has experience transforming locations into meccas for filmmaking and production, as hes done in Toronto and Vancouver. Hes also aware of how expensive it is to film in big cities. For instance, if you want to reserve a street in Paris for filming purposes, thatll cost you about 80,000 euros."

Read full story 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: Bild-by Hans Peter Schaefer License: CC-BY-SA

Source: ekathimerini.com
Red Sea Housing Services (RSHS) and Aecom have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate in delivering innovative, modular affordable housing solutions on fast track basis for the Saudi Arabian market.



While RSH will manufacture and deliver the modular building units from its factory, Aecom will undertake the responsibility for designing, engineering, planning, and project managing these housing projects.



RSHS CEO William Ali Mills stated: "The collaboration between RSHS and Aecom will provide an ideal platform to deliver quality homes in the kingdom in a fast and efficient manner using our state-of-the-art technology, at affordable prices."



This engagement brings together Red Sea Housing's modular construction expertise - an innovative building technique that dramatically reduces construction time and delivers buildings at the highest levels of quality, with Aecom's expertise in sustainable and energy efficient construction solutions. Jointly the companies look to tackle the rising affordable housing crisis.



The main objective of the 12-month MoU is explore housing opportunities presented by the Ministry of Housing in Saudi Arabia, said a statement.



"We are delighted to have signed this MoU with Red Sea Housing Services", said Hamed Zaghw, chief executive, Aecom Middle East, "By combining our knowledge of the local market, solutions for affordable housing, and our design and programme management expertise, we will explore opportunities that support the priorities of the Ministry of Housing."



Red Sea Housing Services (RSHS) a global leader in high quality modular living and working environments for industrial and residential communities. RSHS sets up the infrastructure and facilities required for global companies to construct high quality, reliable, durable and tailored modular buildings, and housing units, including hotels, offices, accommodation units, utility services, telecommunications networks, catering and recreation facilities, from its manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ghana, PNG and Malaysia.



A Fortune 500 company, Aecom is a leading global design firm. It provides professional technical services in the fields of engineering, consulting, planning, architecture, construction management, project management, asset management, and environmental services. - TradeArabia News Service
Business France, the national agency for the global development of the French economy will host two French pavilions at Gulfhost and the Speciality Food Festival, the two trade fairs running from September 18 to 20 in Dubai, UAE.



The French offer will consist of kitchen equipment and gourmet products offered by over 50 French firms, each displaying premium products and knowhow.



Business France export team will also be attending to boost business opportunities in the region, focusing on all buyer nationalities together with the most promising ones, namely: UAE, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Srilanka.



UAE imports 85 per cent of its agri-food products, with France ranking 11thamong its importers list, and the second most important European importer (3 per cent market share in 2016). French agri-food products and equipment proudly fulfil quality and excellence demanded by consumers in the Gulf. Despite fierce competition, good prospects of growth are expected in trade relations between France and the Gulf.



French presence at Gulfhost:



- Devup, promoting organization from the French region CentreVal de Loire

- SYNEG, the French organization of professional kitchen equipment manufacturers partners with thirty leading firms exhibiting at the French Pavilion. As the prime partner of French SMEs, manufacturers and subsidiaries of international brands, SYNEG covers 75 per cent of the market of professional kitchen equipment in France.



Visitors of the French pavilion can also take part in the Syneg & Equip Hotel prize draw by dropping their business card to win a touch-tablet. Two winners will be selected each day from September 18 to 20.



French offer at Speciality Food Festival:



This year, the French Pavilion is stronger than ever with 22 brands exhibiting their latest products and creations over an area of 114 sq m. It will be the location to enjoy and relish the display of generous and refined French gourmet sweets. Local consumption of French confectionery, from jam, dragees to chocolate truffle, has been increasing lately, making it a strong point of attraction at the festival.



Other food industries shall be present at the Festival, ranging from dairy products, to beverages and specific industries (e.g. oyster production). Visitors can then discover specific and diverse French products.



Participating for the first time at SFF this year are:



- Horizon International, promoting organization of the French region Nouvelle Aquitaine firms

- Friaa Paca, regional Agrifood Industry Federation from south of France

- Le Monde De Lepicerie Fine, a reference magazine on market trends of gourmet products and a strong partner of firms working in this field. The magazine will be on display at the French Pavilion.



Long standing French partners such as Evian, Badoit and Cafes Richard will also attend.  TradeArabia News Service
The Italian National Tourist Board will be the Premier Partner at WTM London 2017  the leading global event for the travel industry  as Italy takes a fundamental step towards a new marketing strategy.



Known as ENIT, the tourism body has signed the Premier Partnership deal to ensure widespread media coverage; to offer maximum support its tourism industry; and to highlight Italys diverse range of holidays.



ENIT will have two main stands at WTM London (EU2000, EU2070) and will share its exhibition space with around 230 Italian travel trade partners, including regional tourism bodies, hotels, travel agencies, resorts and operators.



Through its Premier Partnership status, Italy aims to reposition and widen the Italian tourist offer beyond the traditional tourist destinations.



ENIT will also shine a spotlight on its themed years, with Italian villages being the focus for 2017, and food and wine in 2018.



Both themes promote the Italian way of life, which can be experienced by tourists across the whole country  from its mountains to the coast, lakes and cities.



Indeed, the countrys cuisine is already a major draw, and it is regarded as the number one destination for food and wine tourism, according to the Food Travel Monitor.



Italy will also use WTM London to highlight its cultural attractions and the fact it has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other country, with 53.



According to FutureBrands Country Brand Index, it is ranked top for Tourism & Culture  and it is the most photographed country on Instagram, with 64 million tags and counting.

Its varied attractions mean Italy is the fifth most popular destination worldwide for international arrivals, with 52 million visitors in 2016  up 3.2 per cent on 2015.



These visitors generated more than 36 billion ($42.4 billion) last year for the Italian economy, with Germans accounting for the highest amount at 5.7 billion ($6.7 billion). The US was the second biggest market (4.6 billion/$5.4 billion), followed by France (3.6 billion/$4.2 billion), the UK (2.9 billion/$3.4 billion) and Switzerland (2.4 billion/$2.8 billion).



Cities famed for their art and culture  such as Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and Turin  are the most popular option for overseas tourists, who spend about 14 billion ($16.4 billion) in this sector. Overseas tourists visiting for seaside holidays, meanwhile, generate almost 5 billion ($5.8 billion).



Dario Franceschini, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, said the special themed years mean that regional tourist boards and cities can work together with the trade to create itineraries which enable overseas visitors to experience Italian lifestyles.



In the tourism sector, where competition is so fierce, it is fundamental for Italy to diversify its attractions and spread tourist flows over the entire national territory, he said.

Tourism, this extraordinary engine of economic development, is a medium of peaceful encounters between cultures and a fundamental antidote to the fear of the different.



WTM London senior director Simon Press said: WTM London is thrilled to welcome Italy as its Premier Partner for 2017."



Italy has long been a key exhibitor at WTM London and were delighted that this Premier Partnership will help the country to take its tourism marketing to the next level."



Being WTM Londons Premier Partner means Italy has the perfect platform promote the extensive range of Italian holidays to buyers and media from across the globe. - TradeArabia News Service


Oman Air and Industrial Optimizers have signed an agreement concerning the MP2 AeroFleetAssigner optimizer, including the functionality for scheduling and network analysis.



We are very happy with this agreement and excited to work with Oman Air, an airline that is renowned for their high quality of service, said Tore Jenner, CEO at Industrial Optimizers. The cooperation with Oman Air is strategically important to us. This agreement will enable us to strengthen our position in the Middle-East.



Oman Airs fleet consists of a wide range of aircraft types with different seat configurations. Due to the variety of possible aircraft assignments it is a challenge to optimise the aircraft utilisation without a proper optimization tool. Oman Air decided to do some research on the various optimisation software solutions in the market and decided upon the robust MP2 AeroFleetAssigner*, the carrier said in a statement.



We compared solutions from different providers and became convinced that Industrial Optimizers offers a reliable product, said Paul Gregorowitsch, Oman Air CEO. The many functions of the MP2 AeroFleetAssigner meet our demands for high quality and cost savings alike which are the key aspects of our continuing success. - TradeArabia News Service


An experience of a lifetime, backed by fascinating discoveries and memorable moments awaits you as you embark on a tour via Golden Triangle with Dunes.



(TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - August 22nd, 2017 - An experience of a lifetime, backed by fascinating discoveries and memorable moments awaits you as you embark on a tour via Golden Triangle with Dunes. This brilliantly crafted itinerary by Indian Holiday acquaints you with the history, culture and heritage of cities like Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. This incredible six day tour commences from Delhi and covers Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur, as well as the brilliant sand dunes of Dhula Raoji.

The famous Golden Triangle consists of three cities including Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Your tour will begin with New Delhi, the capital of India, where you will enjoy some spectacular sightseeing. Here, you will visit the Laxmi Narayan Temple, the iconic India Gate, Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhawan. In Old Delhi, the historical sites like Jama Masjid  the largest mosque of India, Qutab Minar, Purana Qila, Humayuns Tomb and Jantar Mantar will enchant you with their outstanding architecture.

Your next stop will be Agra  the capital city of the Mughals during Akbars reign. The sight of the Taj Mahal, a grand mausoleum built of pure white marble, will capture your heart immediately. You will also visit the colossal Agra Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture. The other historic wonders which you will visit are Fatehpur Sikri and Itmad-ud-Daula's Tomb. In the evening, you will also experience the thrill of shopping in the local market.

Jaipur, the pink city, will be your next stop. Here, you will stop at Dhula Garh, the iconic heritage hotel which once served as the home of the Dhulas  the brave warrior family of Rajputs. An absolutely unique and exciting experience awaits you here in the form of a camel ride on the sand dunes. The other marvelous sites in Jaipur which you will visit are City Palace, Jantar Mantar Observatory, Hawa Mahal and Nawab Sahab ki Haweli.

For more information log on to - https://www.indianholiday.com/tours-of-india/golden-triangle-with-dunes.html

About the company

Indian Holiday is a 27 year old tours and travel company which offers all-inclusive tours both to India and abroad. It has been the recipient of several awards including the National Tourism Award presented by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Since 1990, the company has been at the forefront in pioneering new age solutions for its clients.

###
Leading Maldives luxury resort, Coco Bodu Hithi has partnered with Michelin star chef, Tom Kitchin, to bring his culinary skills to host two exclusive dinners at the 5-star property in October 2017.



(TRAVPR.COM) MALDIVES - August 22nd, 2017 - As part of the collaboration, Tom Kitchin will host the exclusive dinners, which will offer a six course tasting menu for the resorts award winning restaurant, Aqua. Working alongside the restaurants existing team of esteemed chefs, the menu will showcase the best of local ingredients and offer a twist on Maldivian cuisine, reflective of Toms renowned cooking style. Tom will host dinners during the second week of October, giving guests the chance to experience first-hand, his passion for working with only the finest, fresh ingredients to create outstanding, innovative dishes. Toms signature dishes will also remain on the menu on a seasonal basis, giving even more guests the opportunity to try flavours inspired by his passion for fine food and seasonality.

The unique menu will take inspiration from dishes that are much-loved at Toms Michelin star restaurant, The Kitchin in Edinburgh, but will feature the wonderful produce available on the island.

Speaking of the collaboration, Tom Kitchin said: Travelling always leaves me feeling inspired to create new dishes  I love having the opportunity to learn about local produce and local cuisines. Thats why Im thrilled to be bringing my philosophy, knowledge and passion to the luxury resort of Coco Bodu Hithi and having the chance to learn from the expert chefs there.

Aqua has an incredible reputation for great seafood in the Maldives and I look forward to working alongside Executive Chef, Steven Hill and his team to try and draw inspiration from the wonderful seafood they have access to. The fresh langoustines, scallops, clams and oysters from Scotlands shores are among some of my favourite ingredients to work with, so Im keen to see what the Maldives has to offer.

Coco Bodu Hithi is eager to welcome Tom Kitchin to create fresh and flavourful creations for the islands sophisticated and relaxed restaurants. With seven restaurants and bars, Coco Bodu Hithi celebrates and offers a variety of exquisite cuisines, taking inspiration from the Maldives and further afield. Toms residency at Aqua comes shortly after the restaurant won the Luxury Seafood Restaurant in the Maldives at the 2016 World Luxury Restaurant Awards.

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Dream Apartments Opens St Thomas Hall



(TRAVPR.COM) ANTRIM - August 22nd, 2017 -

Dream Apartments is delighted to add a new location of luxury, serviced apartments to its growing Belfast portfolio: St Thomas Hall located on the trendy Lisburn Road.

We are very excited to announce these new apartments, which join our other recent openings in Belfast and strengthen the options that we offer our guests in the city, said Mark Docherty, Director of Operations, Dream Apartments. The demand for serviced apartments is growing in Northern Ireland so we are always looking for opportunities to expand our presence in the city.

Located on one of Belfasts most sought after addresses, the Lisburn Road, these apartments offer stunning Belfast accommodation enjoying views over the Black Mountains making it perfect for those who want a home away from home.

The apartments offer open-plan living spaces, premium furniture, fully equipped kitchens and high-end fixtures and fittings. Additional amenities including high-speed internet, SMART TVs, Bluetooth speakers and weekly housekeeping.

St Thomas Hall opened on the 18th August and more information can be found at www.dreamapartments.co.uk

###
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21

India has shown the largest deterioration in consumer confidence levels in the Asia Pacific region for the first half of this year compared to July-December period of 2016, according to the Mastercard Index of Consumer Confidence released today.

According to the survey, while all components saw declines in India, consumer outlook on the economy and quality of life registered particularly large drops.

According to the survey, while consumer sentiment remained stable in 11 out of the 18 Asia Pacific markets, India witnessed the largest deterioration in confidence level across the region.

However, India (86.0, down 9.3) still remains in very optimistic territory as per the Mastercard index.

Between April and June 2017, 9,153 respondents, aged 18 to 64 in 18 Asia Pacific markets, were asked to give a six- month outlook on five economic factors, namely economy, employment prospects, regular income prospects, stock market and quality of life.

The Index is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, with zero as the most pessimistic, 100 as the most optimistic and between 40 and 60 as neutral.

While all five components saw declines, consumer outlook on the economy (-11.0) and quality of life (-11.6) registered particularly large drops, the report said on India.

The index found that a bullish outlook on stock market has lifted consumer confidence in Asia Pacific.
Chandigarh, August 22

Punjab-cadre IPS officer Jagdale Nilambari Vijay today took over as the first woman Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Soon after taking over the charge, the 2008-batch officer said that maintenance of law and order in the city and safety of vulnerable sections, including women, would be her main priority.

Ahead of the verdict in a case involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief, she said elaborate security arrangements were being made to maintain law and order (in the wake of verdict in the case).

The special CBI court in Panchkula will pronounce the judgment in sexual exploitation case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief on August 25.

The Sirsa-headquartered sect head has also been asked to appear in person before the court on the same day.

To a query on crime against women, she said special efforts would be made to ensure safety of vulnerable sections including women.

Chandigarh remained in the news this month in the wake of woman stalking incident.

She also appealed to city residents to cooperate with the police for better police services.

Vijay was earlier presently posted as the commandant- cum-deputy director (indoor) at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur.

She had served in various districts including Ludhiana, Ropar and Pathankot.

The post of the SSP in Chandigarh had been lying vacant after Sukhchain Singh Gill, a 2003-batch IPS officer, was repatriated to Punjab in December last year.

SP Eish Singhal was presently officiating as the UT, SSP.-PTI
Sushma Ramachandran

Sushma Ramachandran

THE resignation of Infosys chief executive Vishal Sikka and the open battle between the companys board and legendary promoter NR Narayana Murthy has created an upheaval in corporate India. For the second time within a year, the departure of a top industry honcho has become the lead story in all newspapers. Apart from the many hours spent on analysing the issue on the news channels. It was less than a year ago that Tata Sons removed the first non-family member to be appointed chairman from the top post of the business house. Similarly, the first non-promoter chief executive of Infosys had to resign due to persistent criticism from the promoters. In both cases, the appointments had been made with great fanfare by the very same persons who later argued strongly for the exit of these individuals.

In the case of the Tatas, it was considered to be an issue that had much to do with the legacy of the century- old organisation. While Cyrus Mistry was initially considered the right person to bring the business house into the modern era, the sweeping changes initiated by him ran counter to the views of those who had been at the helm for decades. No wonder then that the acrimonious departure was followed by the appointment of an insider as the head of one of the biggest industrial conglomerates in the country.

A similar pattern has emerged in Infosys. But with a significant difference. In the case of Tatas, most members of the company board supported Ratan Tata. In the case of Infosys, the board has not only come out strongly in defence of Vishal Sikka, but also actually castigated Narayana Murthy for this role. There is no doubt that Murthy is the most high profile, renowned and probably venerated founder of the iconic IT company. For the board to thus come out aggressively against him means that the provocation was considered beyond acceptable limits.

There are legacy issues as well in Infosys. The promoters were chagrined by the shifts in culture. The frugal lifestyle of the founder promoters had shifted to one where corporate jets were used while soaring salaries for the top executive and hefty severance packages for exiting employees became a norm. The biggest bugbear was the acquisition of a company with which Sikka was reported to have had ties a long time ago. In deference to criticism from Murthy, the board held back the severance package and set up an external committee to inquire into the corporate acquisition. But this was not enough for Murthy who continued a sustained attack via the media. The last straw was his inability to accept the committees decision that the acquisition was above board and a message hinting at Sikkas lack of capability.

Along with Sikkas resignation came a detailed statement by the Infosys board squarely placing the entire blame for the situation on Murthy. The fact is that this is a major watershed in the annals of corporate India. This is the first time that a board has taken such a strong stance against a promoter. In similar situations abroad, boards have united to support management against promoters, but this has taken place for the first time in this country.

The question is, what is the way forward for the company as well as for the future of good corporate governance in the country? Infosys like other Indian IT companies, is already battling global headwinds that are not propitious. The main lure of Indian IT professionals was their low cost and this attraction may be lost if the Trump administration has its way. Another key issue of artificial intelligence taking away jobs is also looming large over the IT sector globally. To tackle this challenge, Sikka is reported to have created a new division and a new revenue stream for Infosys which was expanding rapidly. It seems there are no two opinions on the fact that he has left the company in a better financial condition than when he joined it.

His resignation, however, has meant that share value has fallen considerably at one fell blow. While the media highlights the losses to the wealthy promoters, it is ultimately the ordinary shareholders who are suffering huge losses on their investments. For Infosys, therefore, this bruising battle has taken a toll in many ways.

As for good corporate governance, an issue repeatedly highlighted by Narayana Murthy, it has to be seen how the role of promoters needs to be viewed in future. It cannot be argued that promoters of companies should not have a right to raise issues that are pertinent with the management and the board. But if they seek to have a say in every decision, it would be wise for them to remain on the boards of these concerns and ensure their views are taken into account. Staying out of the company and then taking the battle to the media cannot be considered good corporate governance by any stretch of imagination. Also, in case there is need to ensure that the management continues to follow the same culture of the company as laid down by the founders, the selection of chief executives needs to be carried out with this aspect in mind. When Sikka was appointed, the selection was reportedly meant to transform the company to tackle the changes in an evolving global scenario. And for this purpose, Sikka was considered the right candidate. A doctorate in artificial intelligence surely had the right credentials for the top executive to deal with the issue of automation in the IT industry.

Yet the culture issue became more important than these qualifications. It thus behoves both promoters and company boards to take succession planning with greater seriousness in the future. In this respect, it is clear mistakes have been made on both sides. The board itself should have supported the chief executive with greater vigour, rather than allowing him to resign and then launch a futile broadside against Murthy. As for the promoters, it is clear that their umbilical cord to the company has not yet been cut. As a result, the fate of this iconic enterprise, known in the past for good corporate governance, hangs in the balance. It will take a mighty effort to bring it back on track yet again, especially in the light of the challenging global environment for the IT sector.
CP Bhambhri

CP Bhambhri

INDIA has held 14 Lok Sabha elections and innumerable elections for 29 state assemblies and seven Union Territories on the basis of the progressive system of universal adult franchise, under the supervision of constitutionally created neutral Election Commision (EC) The EC has conducted regular elections by following a simple first-past-the post system in which any candidate or party which secures a simple majority of votes polled is declared elected. The Constitution makers had modified this system of elections by introducing a system of reservations of seats in elected representative legislatures by fixing a quota of 15 per cent for the Scheduled Castes and seven and half per cent for the Scheduled Tribe population. This can be described as an Indian variant of the system of proportional representation for defined vulnerable minorities or specific deprived social groups. Seats are allocated on the basis of proportion of the percentage of the total population of these groups.

It is a historical legacy that the implementation of proportional representation (PR) is called the system of reservations or quotas for SCs and STs in representative assemblies. The Constitution makers stopped short of extending this special reservation to the Muslim community in spite of the fact that Muslims had many apprehensions while opting for Indian citizenship after the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Muslims of India constituted the largest minority community and had several doubts about their future life with dignity in a Hindu-majority country. The inter-community relationship between Hindus and Muslims was vitiated by post-Partition violence. Even saner elements in this atmosphere of violence were haunted by the reality of post-Partition independent India. A few Muslim members, along with some other members of the Constituent Assembly like KT Shah or DH Chandra Sekhariya, raised the demand for proportional representation of seats in the Parliament and state legislative assemblies. In every democracy, minorities have expressed reservations about first-past-the-post electoral system of voting because a single vote for every citizen and a simple majority for an elected representative can result into the rule by "majority" and the marginalisation of "special minority communities". Every important theoretician of liberal representative democracy has been compelled to grapple with the issue of protection of special minority communities because the first-past-the-post system can lead to brute majoritarianism of religious or racial majority groups.

The debate on the electoral systems in various democracies in Europe has continued till the end of the 20th century. European democracies have followed either the first-past-the-post or proportional representation in elections to deal with the problems faced by minorities in specific countries. England follows the first-past-the-post system. Present Germany and many European democraciesduring the inter-war period followed some kind of proportional representation to ensure that every special social group was represented in the legislatures

French writer Maurice Duverger in his classic, Modern Political Parties, published in the early 1960s, grappled with the merits and demerits of these two electoral systems because his own country and other European countries during the post-War II phase of reconstruction of democratic political systems were discussing which electoral system would be most suited to the requirements of a plural society.

Therefore, it was not unusual for the Indian Constituent Assembly to debate and resolve the issue of allocation of seats on the basis of proportional representation for a religious minority community in legislatures. Had the Constitution makers not conceded the principle that special problems faced by Dalits deserve special reservations of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies? Why not extend this principle to Muslims, the country's largest minority community? The two-nation theory had haunted the Constitution makers, who were suffering from the trauma of the violent post-Partition inter-religious riots. Perhaps, it was considered wise not to concede this demand of Muslims for the fear of opening a pandora's box of social conflicts. The need to reopen the issue of proportional representation and the allocation of seats to Muslims on the basis of their percentage of population in the country has assumed importance because of a fundamental change in the political situation of India, especially after the electoral victory of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014.

The ongoing march of the BJP seems unstoppable. Important North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and north-western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat are ruled by this Hindu political formation. In every northern and north-western state there is a sizeable Muslim minority population that is insecure and feels threatened by the emergence of aggressive forces of anti-Muslim Hindutva. After the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and in elections for the state assemblies, Muslims have been disempowered. The BJP is in government on the basis of the majority of Hindu legislators. Muslim MPs and MLAs do not find any place in the BJP-ruled governments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is supported by 282 Lok Sabha MPs belonging to the BJP and not a single Muslim finds a place in the ruling party. Not only this. The BJP did not nominate a single Muslim candidate for the 2017 UP Assembly elections. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, like Narendra Modi, occupies the highest political office in the state government only on the basis of the elected Hindu legislators of his party. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar maintain that Muslims do not vote for their party. Hence, there is no reason to nominate Muslims as party candidates for elections to the state assemblies.

The system of proportional representation is an institutional arrangement where the minority community, as a matter of right, gets an opportunity to show its presence in elected assemblies. There is an apprehension in the minds of many secular-minded democrats that proportional representation may create a wall of separatism between the majority and minority community and it may become difficult to break the barriers between religious communities. The pros and cons of the proportional representation system have to be rationally discussed if the first-past-the-post system is keeping Muslims out of representative assemblies. The only way to bring the Muslim minority community into the democratic process is proportional representation.

The present trust deficit between the Hindu-majority party governments and the 160-million Muslim minority community is worrisome. If Muslims are not made to participate in the democratic process, a section among the community may take to undemocratic methods to resolve their problems.

In his farewell address, the former Vice President Hamid Ansari brought into sharp focus the "insecurities" faced by minorities in 2017 India. Unfortunately, the top BJP leadership, instead of taking Ansari's warning seriously, reacted in a sarcastic manner. A high-level functionary of the RSS/BJP advised Ansari to go to a country where he may feel "secure". Ansari's reference was to the present anxieties of the Muslim minority community but the Hindu leaders rejected his opinion contemptuously. Proportional representation is a better option for deepening the democratic process and it can provide rights to a religious minority group to develop stakes in the country's democratic governance.





The writer is Professor Emeritus, Centre for Political Studies, JNU
Hasan Suroor

Hasan Suroor

NOW that we are done with the speeches and street parties, it might help if political leaders in India and Pakistan took a break from hyperbolic claims and nationalistic rhetoric and, instead, had a grownup debate about the state of their countries  and where they are headed. Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, promised to turn India into a land of milk and honey by 2022 : The poor shall have concrete houses, the farmer shall double his income, youths and women will get ample opportunities, an India (will be) free of casteism, terrorism, corruption. Over in Pakistan, its president pledged to deliver a true Islamic welfare state as envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. All this is la-la land stuff. An insult to the intelligence of their voters.

Its only on the subcontinent that responsible leaders can get away with this sort of guff; thrive on it. People have been sold porkies for 70 long years; its time to level with them and get real. And the reality is that both India and Pakistan are in a bad place  Pakistan, of course, is in a much deeper hole made worse by rampant terror, a monster it itself created to harass others and then lost control over it. But India, for all its robust democracy and economy, is also haunted by its own demons which like Pakistans were minted and nurtured at home. The country is being torn apart by culture wars unleashed by right-wing Hindu nationalists giving succour to the Muslim right, much to the frustration of moderate Muslims caught up between Hindu and Muslim fanatics.

The vast majority of neither Indians nor Pakistanis has much to celebrate 70 years after Independence. Talat Masood, a prominent retired Pakistani army general, told the BBC that Jinnah must be turning in his grave how his vision of a secular and democratic Pakistan has been corrupted and turned into a fundamentalist theocracy. So, would be Gandhi over attempts to appropriate his legacy by the same people who are trying to subvert it. Freedom fighters who are still alive and those whose ancestors made personal sacrifices in the struggle for Indias freedom are horrified by the prevailing climate of hate, and the way Gandhis idea of a multicultural and tolerant India is being sought to be systematically destroyed in the name of Hindu cultural nationalism, a twisted form of Hinduism much like the distorted version of Islam in Pakistan. And the world is watching.

The BBC coverage of PMs Red Fort speech was heavily laced with references to murders of Muslims by cow vigilantes. Cow vigilantes have been increasingly active since Modi took over...there have been a series murders of Muslims by Hindus, reported its correspondent Justin Rowlatt. Seventy years after Independence communal tensions are still alive. The programme carried an interview with one cow vigilante Vijay Chauhan brandishing a pistol and threatening to kill anyone he suspected of killing or even transporting cows for sale. Not exactly a pleasing image of the new India the PM said he was building.

Social media sites are buzzing with disillusioned voices. One well-known journalist wrote on Facebook: My late father sacrificed his youth to work towards our freedom. He lost his healthand was subsequently jailed for long years. All these years of running around many times with little or no food left his body very weak...He died when he was barely 56 years of age. I wonder what he would have thought of todays rulers and what their role was in the freedom movement.

In a new book by Russian Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich about what the Russians think of the new post-Soviet Russia many say it has changed so much  mostly for the worse  that they dont recognise it anymore. This country is foreign to me. Its foreign! Nothing is sacred anymore, says a former army officer.

For many of us, this could well be the description of the new post-liberal, Congress-mukt, Muslim-mukt, dissent-mukt nationalist India with its coarsening political discourse, frightened media, deteriorating community relations, and fraying institutions.

Its a still a work in progress, and given the breakneck pace at which its being rushed through, by the time theyre done with it, the country might have become so unrecognisable that it could need a brand-new entry in the Lonely Planet guides. Come the 80th Independence anniversary, and India would have become a truly foreign country for many of midnights children. With Hindu-Muslim segregation growing at an alarming rate, large areas across the country have already become no-go zones with Muslims not permitted in Hindu neighbourhoods and Hindus in Muslim ghettos. Those who lived through Partition speak ominously of eerie parallels between the current climate and the climate of fear and hate that prevailed on the eve of the historic split. I fear an even greater upheaval than we witnessed in 1947, warns one retired Hindu academic.

Political scientist Neera Chandhoke, who has done a lot of work on segregation in Gujarat, fears another division. In 1947, India was partitioned into two countries. In the 21st century, Indian society seems to be fated to undergo another sort of partition, spatial segregation born out of fear, she wrote in The Hindu.

Pakistan has already had a second dismemberment thanks to the supremacists in West Pakistan; Hindutva supremacists should tread cautiously and be very careful for what they wish for. In seeking to marginalise 189 million fellow citizens they are gambling with the very security and unity of India. Pakistan learnt this to its cost when it sought to marginalise its Bengali citizens. Not that it appears to have drawn any lessons from it as its politicians continue to trade in hate.

While politicians in the two countries are engaged in competitive nationalism, the two feeding off each other, the pressing bread-and-butter issues seem to be nobodys priority. Its revealing that both India and Pakistan are at the bottom of the heap on most social indicators. Shamefully, more people in India live in poverty than in all of sub-Saharan Africa, according to a UN study, and in Pakistan 40 per cent of its population lives under the poverty line, official figures show.

Ultimately, inclusion and tolerance are the best guarantee of security and progress. Modi coined a catchy slogan, Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas, but has done little to make it work. Its time to put some meat on the bone if hes serious about realising even a fraction of his 2022 vision of a new India.

The writer is a London-based commentator
Priya Satia

Priya Satia

INDIAS Independence changed the world. But it was also shaped by the world; Indian nationalism was a global product. Most of the iconic leaders of the nationalist movementGandhi, Nehru, and others  were formed by experiences abroad. More importantly, the movement by the Congress that they led made Independence its objective under the influence of radical influences from beyond the subcontinent.

British suppression of the First War of Independence of 1857 led to the scattering of Indian rebels around the world. Many Punjabis wound up in California, where I write this article. The Delhi-born Lala Har Dayal met this community when his global wanderings took him to San Francisco. Around 1913, he led the foundation of the Ghadar Party here; the name "Ghadar" was an homage to the mutineers of 1857.

The party's newspaper distributed revolutionary poetry and news from around the world  from Ireland, Russia, India, and elsewhere. Under British pressure, the American immigration authorities drove Har Dayal to flee to Geneva where he worked with anti-colonial exiles from Egypt. The Ghadar movement cultivated strong ties of solidarity with Egyptian, Irish, and other anti-colonial movements. These international networks of anti-colonialism were politically heterodox-a mix of nationalists, communists, anarchists, regionalists, those invested in "pan" movements (for example, Pan-Arabism, Pan-Asianism, Pan-Islam). Competing visions of the future world order coexisted with common dissatisfaction with the contemporary world order. Ghadar linked militant diaspora intellectuals with activists in the subcontinent. As China underwent a revolution in 1911, Indian communities along the Pacific rim helped the Ghadar movement acquire money and arms for an insurrection at home. Indians in India were also engaged in anti-colonial activities, inspired by a mix of local and global ideas. There was the "gentlemanly terrorism" of Bengal, influenced by the ideas of European revolutionaries from Mazzini to Marx.

Banned literature came into Punjab from around the world, along with news of Indian resistance to racist policies in South Africa and Vancouver. Figures like Lala Lajpat Rai who travelled to California in 1907 and 1916 also strengthened intellectual and political ties between the Punjabi diaspora and Punjab. In 1914 as hundreds of Punjabis trying to enter Canada were turned back in the infamous "Komagata Maru" incident, World War I began. In Constantinople, Har Dayal and other Indians continued to work with Egyptians. Meanwhile, hundreds of Ghadar Party members prepared to return to India to free their homeland by raiding arsenals and organising mutinies. With American cooperation, British Intelligence caught wind of their plans. Many were executed; others were imprisoned on the Andaman Islands where they wrote love poetry for the motherland. On the hanging of his comrade Pandit Sohan Lal Pathak in 1916, Amar Singh wrote: Chardhaa Mansur phansi par, pukarta ishq baazon ko,

Yeh berda hai tabaahi ka utthaaye jis ka ji chaahe

Kartar Singh Sarabha, executed in 1915 at the age of 19, wrote:

Jo koi pooche ke kaun ho tum

To keh do baaghi hai naam apna

Zulm mitaana humaara pesha

Ghadar ka karna hai kaam apna

Namaaz-sandhya yahi humaari

Paath pooja bhi sach yahi hai

Dharam karam sach yahi hai yaaro

Vahi Khuda bhi o Ram apna

Ghadar publicity inspired Punjabi Muslim soldiers in the Fifth Madras Light Infantry in Singapore to mutiny in 1915. Thirty-six mutineers were executed before a crowd of 15,000. In the United Provinces, the revolutionary passion of the young poet Ram Prasad Bismil (who authored "Mera Rang de Basanti Chola") was awakened as he read in a newspaper of the death sentence pronounced on a Ghadar leader.

With their global networks, Indian radicals remained determined despite suppression. With German and Ottoman support, Har Dayal, Raja Mahendra Pratap and other rebels set up a provisional Government of India in Afghanistan to coordinate an uprising in the subcontinent. The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 fortified the resolve of such rebels.

Ghadar's aim was total Independenc e, unlike the Congress movement at this time. After the war, the Muslim League and the Congress cooperated in the Khilafat movement to pressure the British to preserve the defeated Ottoman Caliphate. The fiercely anti-colonial journalist and poet Hasrat Mohani (who gave us "Chupke chupke raat din") was the presiding chair of the League at a joint meeting in Ahmedabad in 1921. There, he and Bismil urged passing of a Purna Swaraj proposal, but Gandhi opposed it, favoring dominion status within the empire as a goal. Mohani was jailed for two years for his radical speeches. In jail, he wrote devotional ghazals to pirs as wells as to Lord Krishna. Here is one:

Manmohan Shyam se nainan lag

Nis-din sulag rahi tan aag

Birah ki rain nipat andhiyaari

Rovat-dhovat katat jaag-jaag

Prem ka rog lagaike Hasrat

Rag-rang sab diin tyaag

The poet Mohamed Ali Jauhar presided over Congress in 1923. He shared his dream of a subcontinent that went beyond nationalism: "a federation, grander, nobler and infinitely more spiritual than the United States of America,(a) dream of 'United Faiths of India'."

As such radicals became disillusioned with Gandhi's aims and tactics, Har Dayal encouraged Bismil and Mohani to found the Hindustan Republican Association, which aimed to create a federated republic of the United States of India through organised armed revolution. Mohani also helped found the Indian Communist Party. Bismil was hanged in 1927. In 1928, the Simon Commission arrived to study constitutional reform. In Lahore, nationalist groups protesting the Commission's all-White composition were lathi-charged, and Lajpat Rai died of his wounds. Partly to avenge his death, Hindustan Republican Association members Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, and Rajguru assassinated the assistant superintendent of police JP Saunders. The struggle Singh and his companions launched in prison for the rights of political prisoners became intensely popular. When they went on hunger strike in 1929, thousands gathered in Amritsar to recite poems comparing their love of country to the qissas of Heer-Ranjha and Sohni-Mahiwal. Bhagat Singh was hanged in 1931.

The radicals had had their effect. In 1930, Congress finally agreed to demand Purna Swaraj. Many radicals remained unsatisfied, dreaming of freedom not only from the British but from the parochial forms of nationalism and violent capitalism whose dangers the world war had so clearly exposed. They continued to pursue other forms of organisation  workers' and peasants' movements, the Communist Party, the Progressive Writers' Movement, and so on.

Radical ideas of subcontinental federation did not prevail; instead, ideas of separation carried the day, as the Congress Party and Muslim League continued to cultivate parochial forms of nationalism. The individuals mentioned in this article were Muslims, atheists, Buddhists, Arya Samajis, Sikhs, but their anti-colonial passions transcended such distinctions, as did their shared poetic sensibility, which was integral to their radicalism. Poetry infuses politics with the imaginative power required for practical politics the space of continuing aspiration and longing for a better future.

The Ghadar memorial in San Francisco is currently under reconstruction. As inequality and insecurity continue to stalk India on its 70th year of Independence, reconstruction of the Ghadar legacy is urgent there too.

The writer is an Associate Professor, Department of History, Stanford University.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 22

Ram Niwas, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, has said that Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in all districts of the state and carrying of any kind of stick or weapon has been prohibited at Naam Charcha Ghars of the Dera Sacha Sauda followers.

Niwas, while interacting with mediapersons here today, urged dera followers not to indulge in any actitivity that stains the image of the dera. Action would be taken against those who try to disturb law and order in the state, he said.

He said security forces had been pressed into service in border areas and the Centre had already been requested for 115 companies of paramilitary forces. Anti-social elements or any other person who would try to disturb law and order would be arrested, he added.

He said leave of police personnel had been cancelled and Home Guards were being called on duty. We have adequate police force. Police nakas are being laid where all vehicles will be checked. All borders of the state have been sealed and inter-state and inter-district activities of vehicles are being closely monitored, he added.

Duty Magistrates have been deployed at all locations. There is need to deploy more duty magistrates in some districts, sanction for which is being released. Arrangement of cranes, ambulances, and fire brigades has been made at different locations. The officers concerned have been directed to take necessary steps to deal with any kind of situation, he said.

Police take out flag march

Kurukshetra: The district police today took out a flag march in the city. Police teams started the march from the Police Lines on the Pipli road and crossed through various parts of the city.

The security drill was part of the preparedness exercise in view of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahims appearance before a CBI court in Panchkula in a rape case on August 25. Dera followers have started gathering in support of their chief at various places in different districts.

Ambala Range ADGP RC Mishra held a meeting with police and civil officials here today. Mishra directed the officials to monitor social media to check rumour mongering or provocative messaging. Though the police are fully equipped, central security forces will be there for additional assistance in maintaining law and order in the region, said Mishra.

Security drill in Kaithal

Kaithal: The district police and paramilitary personnel took out a flag march in Kaithal and Kalayat towns. Security personnel also held a security drill at the Police Lines in the presence District Magistrate Sunita Verma and SP Sumer Partap Singh.

Verma said three companies of the Haryana Police and a company of the SSB had been deployed in the district at various places.
Our Correspondent

Chamba, August 22

Chhari Yatra of the famous Manimahesh pilgrimage started from Dashnam Akhada at the district headquarter town of Chamba today. It will culminate on Radhashtami (August 29) when pilgrims and devotees of Lord Shiva take a holy dip in the sacred Manimahesh Lake at an altitude of 4,170 metres.

The pilgrims will start their return journey the same day after having a darshan of Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva, at an altitude of 5,656 metres.

Sadhus of the local Dashnam Akhada, Deputy Commissioner of Chamba Sudesh Mokhta, district officials and the local people accompanied the chhari carrying the insignia of Manimahesh and the Trishul of Lord Shiva.

The holi yatra will halt at various places and reach the Manimahesh Lake on August 28 for a holy dip on August 29 morning.

Zero tolerance for traffic violators

In view of the safety and security of Manimahesh pilgrims, traffic rules are being implemented stringently in letter and spirit in Chamba district. People were told not to travel in goods vehicles and the police are ensuring zero tolerance in this regard.

DSP Sagar Chander Sharma said today that strict vigil and close supervision was being kept on goods vehicles crossing the inter-state barriers set up at Lahru, Tunnuhatti and Khairi.

Meanwhile, Additional District Magistrate Vinay Dhiman has also issued instructions to the police not to allow pilgrims to travel in goods vehicles. He said the matter regarding pilgrims travelling in trucks had also been taken up with the J&K police.

The ADM said the police had also been deployed with heli-taxi operators. The flights have been disturbed due the inclement weather for the past three days, the ADM said.
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, August 21

PK Dhumal, Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister, said that the Congress-led government in the state had failed on all fronts and the BJP would expose its failures and other issues in the last Vidhan Sabha session starting tomorrow. He was talking to press here today before leaving for Shimla to attend the session here today.

Dhumal said that it was shameful that minor girls were raped and killed and police could not book the culprits. He said that forest mafia was so powerful that it felled hundreds of precious trees from the hill at Tara Devi. Felling of over 1,400 trees in the area of the forest minister could not have been possible without having shelter enjoyed by culprits from the leaders in the ruling party. He said that the lives of those employees who tried to protect forest from the forest mafia were at high risk. Forest guard Hoshiar Singh, who was the sole bread winner for the family, was killed by the forest goons. He alleged that government tried to hush up the case by terming it a suicide.

Dhumal said that the rape and murder of minor girl in Halaila forest in Kotkhai area was highly condemnable and had created panic among women throughout the state. He said with the killing of one accused in the police custody integrity and the trust on the police had also vanished.

Earlier Dhumal addressed the meeting of BJP Vision Document Committee (VDC). The meeting was also addressed by Randheer Sharma MLA Naina Devi and Khushi Ram Balnahta, member of the committee. Other present included district BJP president Anil Thakur, Zila Parishad chairman Rakesh Thakur, BJP state secretary Kamlesh Kumari and Vijaypal Soharu.
Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 21

The flak drawn by the state government over inept handling of the sensational rape and murder of the 16-year-old Kotkhai girl is likely to cast its shadow on the four-day monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha, the last in this term of the Virbhadra Government.

The session commencing tomorrow is likely to witness heated debates and frayed tempers over the deteriorating law and order situation. Opposition BJP is preparing to make the deteriorating law and order situation in the state the main issue for discussion and will demand a debate on it.

Both the Congress as well as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) will be holding their meetings tonight to chalk out their strategy. Some Bills, including the Medical Sciences University Bill, is also likely to be tabled and passed by the house.

Having faced criticism on the manner in which the rape and murder of the Class X school girl was mishandled, the government will have a lot to answer. However, with the high court monitoring the investigations being undertaken by the CBI, the state government could take the plea that since the matter is sub judice it cannot be taken up for any discussion or debate.

However, the BJP seems to have made up its mind on taking on the government on the Kotkhai case and its various aspects. The custodial death of one of the rape and murder accused Suraj has put the police department in the dock and the BJP will seek detailed report on this too, said Opposition legislators.

Satpal Singh Satti, state BJP president, said there had been a surge in crime which had shaken the faith of the people in the ability of this government to check such disturbing incidents.

The government, on the other hand, will try to turn the tables on the government over the discriminatory approach of the Modi regime in making budgetary allocation to Himachal in various schemes. The delay in laying the foundation stone of the AIIMS by Union Health Ministry is another issue on which the ruling party will try to embarrass the BJP. The state Health Minister has been maintaining that the tasks such as identifying the land and completing the formalities like seeking forest clearance have been undertaken.
Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 21

The J&K Government sent 116 stranded residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) back home as the cross-Line of Control (LoC) bus service operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad resumed today.

The LoC bus service also known as Karvan-e-Aman (peace bus) resumed after remaining suspended since August 14.

As per the schedule, the weekly bus left Srinagar today for the Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in the border town of Uri in Baramulla district.

The bus carried 50 passengers, including 42 PoK residents and eight residents of Kashmir, who crossed the Kaman post, Uri Sub-District Magistrate Sagar Doifode told The Tribune.

Doifode said the 116 residents of PoK, who were stranded in Jammu for the past over a month after the Poonch-Rawalkote bus service was suspended due to heavy shelling from Pakistani troops along the LoC, were also sent back to their home through Uri.

He said the PoK residents in Poonch left for the Kaman post early in morning through historic Mughal Road, connecting Shopian with Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region.

Officials said three residents of this side who were stranded in PoK have also returned home.

The Karvan-e-Aman, which was started on April 7, 2005, runs on a weekly basis but due to the tension on the LoC, the number of people travelling in it has come down in the last one year. The bus service helped thousands of families of J&K, divided by Partition, to meet each.

Both LoC trade and bus service are considered as the important confidence-building measures between two warring nuclear-armed neighbors  India and Pakistan.

However, the cross-LoC trade has come under the radar of the NIA, which is probing terror funding in Kashmir, and as per reports may recommend closure of trade along these routes.

Bus service was stopped due to LoC tension
Tribune News Service/PTI

Jammu, August 21

As they made it to the NCC camp here, leaving behind stones-scattered streets and youths raising azadi slogans, the girl cadets echoed one message  Shun stone-throwing, sloganeering and enjoy the real azadi in India.

As many as 500 cadets, including 147 girls, are undergoing training at a National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp at Sainik school, Nagrota, on the outskirts of Jammu city.

They are participating in the 10-day camp to select a 40-member J&K Directorate Thal Sainik team, which will take part in a national-level camp in New Delhi soon. Aneesa of the first J&K Battalion, Srinagar, and a student of Government Womens Degree College in Anantnag, said she was the only girl representing her college at the camp. Most of the girls wanted to come. But were not allowed by their parents, citing the prevailing situation in south Kashmir, she said. Addressing those advocating azadi and taking the path of violent protests, the cadets asked them to taste the freedom enjoyed by them outside Kashmir.

I would like to appeal to the youth studying in schools and colleges across the Valley to come forward and join the NCC. It is only through the NCC that we have been able to visit different parts of the country and got acquainted with cultures and traditions after interacting with other NCC cadets from different states, she added. Another cadet Syed Rabia, a Class X student of Army Goodwill Higher Secondary School at Uri in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, said she along with two other girls from the same school had come to attend the camp.

We are lucky to be part of the NCC because we are not only learning discipline and unity here, but it is also helping us in our overall development, she added.

Rabia said: Earlier, we were unaware about the NCC activities at school level and there was no enrolment of girls for such camps. It was only after the matter was taken up with the school principal the girls started taking part in the NCC camps.

Another cadet from Ladakh Sonum Angu said she belongs to the first J&K pro-company and was accompanied by 12 other cadets. I am feeling proud to be part of this camp. We get a lot of experience here and the confidence reaches new heights. All girls are requested to join this camp, she added. Meanwhile, Lt Col Ravindra Singh, Commanding Officer, Second J&K Independent Company, NCC, Bhaderwah, said this was the first phase of the Thal Sainik camp, which was being run by his unit. The second and third phase will also be organised. In the third phase, the final J&K Directorate Thal Sainik team will be selected, which will take part in the national competition in Delhi later, he said. The camp will conclude on August 27.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 22

Students of Government College for Women (GCW), Parade, today held protests against their alleged harassment in the name of discipline, dress code and punctuality by the college administration.

The students also blocked roads at Library Chowk, Kachi Chawni and outside the college gate, leading to traffic jams.

The protesters demanded immediate removal of the college Principal, Anita Sudan. They also levelled allegations against a watchman and faculty members of the college, saying that they dont know how to treat women with respect. Besides, Muslim students alleged that they were asked not to wear burqa or hijab while entering the college.

We were denied entry into the college for wearing a hijab or burqa. The watchman talked to us rudely and asked us to deposit our hijab or burqa at the gate. This is sheer harassment of students in the name of dress code and discipline. We cannot leave our culture, come what may, a college student opposite said.

Another protesting student alleged, Watchmen of the college dont behave properly with students and pass lewd remarks. There are other women colleges in the city but there is no such problem there. Why are we beingsubjected to this harassment in the name of dress code? We are not kids.

The students boycotted classes and raised slogans against the principal of the college.

Principal Sudan, however, denied the allegations, saying, Some outsiders have instigated the students and it is a planned conspiracy to create trouble on the college campus.

We received complaints of parents that their wards were not attending the college regularly. We looked into the issue and found that some students came to the college but left the campus on one pretext or the other. We decided to ensure punctuality and for this, we put restrictions on the entry and exit of students. We decided to close all gates of the college by 10.30 am and no students would be allowed to leave college before 1.40 pm, except during compelling situations, the Principal said.

She added, As per college norms, the girls have to follow a dress code which is white salwar, kameez and dupatta. We have about 6,200 students in the college. We cant allow any student to violate this code as it helps us in their identification.

However, looking at students complaints against watchmen, four of them have been sent on forced leave, she said.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with him a host of issues concerning the state, including the repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces in the recent past.

Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said the meeting lasted for about 30 minutes during which the two leaders reviewed the prevailing political and security situation in the Valley. The Governor apprised the Home Minister about the steps taken by the state government for bringing normalcy in the Valley, they added.

Issues, like the ceasefire violations from across the border, increasing infiltration attempts and the incidence of terrorism in the Valley were also deliberated during the meeting, the sources said.

A 40-year-old woman was killed in firing by the Pakistani army on border villages in the Poonch district of the state on August 12.

Pakistan had violated the ceasefire four times on August 13 by firing and shelling in Krishna Ghati, Nowshera and Mankote sectors, resulting in injuries to three jawans. On August 8 also, forces from across the border fired and shelled in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, in which one Indian soldier was killed.

Deliberate on rising infiltration

Sources said issues, like the ceasefire violations from across the border, increasing infiltration attempts and the incidence of terrorism in the Valley were also deliberated during the meeting
Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 22

The state government has decided to shut the transit camps for displaced Kashmiri Pandit employees in the Valley in phases after concerns were expressed by security agencies over their vulnerability to mob attacks.

During the 2016 unrest, these temporary camps at Haal (Pulwama), Nutnusa (Kupwara) and Vessu (Anantnag) had come under intense attacks of mobs following the killing of Hizb militant commander Burhan Wani. This forced 2,000 employees, posted in different districts of the Valley, to shift back to Jammu.

A majority of the Pandit youth who had returned to the Valley under the Prime Ministers employment package in 2010 had been housed in the transit camps that were constructed in 2004-05 when late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was heading the PDP-Congress government.

Sources said the government was waiting for the completion of 400 multi-storey flats at Vessu (Anantnag) and 96 units at Sheikhpora (Budgam) so that employees could be provided secure housing units.

The Haal transit camp is also likely to be shifted as it has become unsuitable for living due to the damage caused by mobs. Sheikhpora already has flats which house Pandits and the new units will create more space for employees belonging to the minority community.

The Pandit employees will have to rejoin because there will be no compromise on this condition but some of them have genuine issues of accommodation and security consideration which will be taken care of. The construction of flats at Vessu and Sheikhpora will be completed by the year-end and employees will be shifted, said a senior administrative official.

The sources said Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had been sympathetic towards the woman teaching staff posted in educational institutions in the militancy-infested areas in the volatile south Kashmir.

Officials said 723-kanal land had been identified to build housing units at places excluding Vessu and Sheikhpora. The Centre had sanctioned Rs 1,618.40 crore in 2008-2009 for it but the work was stalled due to the prevailing security conditions.

Their issue is being discussed at the highest level in the government and their problems will be sorted out. In fact, after our assurances, some of the employees, who were not willing to return, began resuming their duties, said ML Raina, Relief Commissioner (M).

However, taking up their safety, All Party Migrant Coordination Committee chairman Vinod Pandit said, It is not that the displaced Pandits dont want to return but the problem is of housing and education of children. Due to the prevailing situation who will guarantee their safety? They returned voluntarily to resettle but have faced worst situation. These issues need to be sorted out.

Security concerns
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 21

Taking cognisance of the slow pace of the ongoing renovation works on the historic Mubarak Mandi complex, the Joint House Committee today decided to look into the findings of the probe ordered into the cause of fire incidents that took place in the complex over the years.

A meeting of the committee was held in Srinagar today under the chairmanship of MLC Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo to review the progress of the Mubarak Mandi Heritage complex. Legislators, GN Monga, Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Rajesh Gupta and Charanjeet Singh also attended the meeting.

The committee took a detailed review of the status of various components of the ongoing works and expressed concern over the slow pace of progress. The executing agencies and officers concerned were directed to speed up the pace to accomplish the project within the targeted period, an official spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the issue relating to the mysterious fire incident that took place in the complex a few years ago also figured in the discussion and the committee desired to get the findings of the probe, whichwas ordered by the authorities after the incident.In the fire incident, assets, including valuable antiques, were destroyed.

The panel directed the Council Secretariat to call the Inspector General of Police, Jammu, in its next meeting along with relevant record pertaining to the incident and its findings for the information of the committee, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson further said the committee issued specific instructions to the officers and the executing agencies to maintain the quality of work strictly as per the approved detailed project report and specifications with special focus on preserving its original historical key architectural features and pristine glory.

The committee also called for the restoration of Chabutra on the premises of Mubarak Mandi as per its original features as it was the main attraction of this historical heritage centre.

The case

On December 15, 2006, a devastating fire broke out in the Mubarak Mandi complex, a heritage place which was once the seat of power of erstwhile Dogra rulers of the state. It houses treasury of Maharajas period known as Tosha-Khana. Later, the antiques of Maharajas period were shifted from the Mubarak Mandi to the civil secretariat and are still there till the complex gets renovated. Valuable articles, gold ornaments and decorative materials and utensils, etc were, however, saved from getting damaged.
Jammu, August 21

President Ram Nath Kovind today dedicated his maiden visit to Ladakh, the first outside Delhi since assuming office, to the armed forces of the country.

He also presented Colours to all five Ladakh Scouts battalions and the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre. The President said, In capacity as the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, I dedicate the visit to the armed forces of the country.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

He said it had been 54 years since the Ladakh Scouts became part of the Army. This period has been replete with tales of heroism, honour and glory. The genesis of the regiment was in the invasion by Pakistani raiders in 1947-48 and the resolve with which Ladakhis defended their motherland. This continues to remain a matter of pride for the entire country, he said.

The President said in little over half a century, the regiment has earned 605 honours and awards for conspicuous gallantry and distinguished service. This speaks for the exceptional valour and spirit of the regiment personnel and is a model for all soldiers and officers of the armed forces, he added.

He said at the colour-presentation ceremony that he would like to pay homage to the martyrs of the Ladakh Scouts Regiment. Their blood and sacrifice has secured our sovereignty, brought glory to our nation and protected our people from harm, he said.

Among the dignitaries present were Governor NN Vohra, CM Mehbooba Mufti, Deputy CM Nirmal Kumar Singh, other ministers and Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat.

The President also released a documentary on Col Sonam Wangchuk, a recipient of Maha Vir Chakra.

Later, he laid the foundation stone of the Buddha Park for World Peace at Lehs Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre.  TNS
Jammu, August 22

Angry over bring forced to follow a dress code, hundreds of students of the Government Womens College here on Tuesday boycotted their classes and staged protests against the management's "unnecessary diktats".

Shouting slogans and demanding immediate removal of the college principal, they also blocked the main road for nearly an hour soon after the institution opened at 9 am, the police said.

The blockade was removed after district and police officials rushed to the college at Parade, in the heart of the city, and pacified the protesters assuring them of appropriate action within 24 hours if their allegations were found true.

The protest, however, continued through the day despite assurances as the agitators accused the principal and teachers of harassing them on one pretext or the other.

"We are made to sit outside the class as punishment for not following a dress code, like not wearing a proper uniform and making two plaits. The students are deliberately failed in the class tests and even lewd remarks and abusive words are used against them," alleged the agitating students.

Additional District Development Commissioner Arum Manhas said the issues of removal of a peon at the main gate of the college and passing of lewd remarks came up during the discussion between the protesting students, the college management and district administration and police official.

"It was decided that the peon who is deployed at the main gate would be immediately removed. As far as the second allegations of passing of lewd remarks, there was no credible evidence, and the students were asked to lodge a written complaint with Sub-divisional Police Officer (North) Varun Jandiyal who was asked to probe the allegations and submit report within 24 hours," he said.

Meanwhile, on the allegations of harassment and high-handedness by the college management, Principal Anita Sudan said she had taken several decisions on the recommendations of the parents to ensure discipline in the institute.

"Four of our college girls had gone missing in the recent times and one of them was later recovered from Allahabad.

Parents of the girls regularly visit me and complain that they drop their wards outside the institute in the morning but they do not attend the college.

"I had asked the girls to come in proper uniform and called for strict enforcement of college timing. The students are levelling wild allegations," Sudan said.

She said no student had lodged any complaint about misbehaviour or passing of lewd remarks by anyone with her till date.

"When I came today and saw the students protesting, I called them to my chamber and asked them the reason. Some girls claimed that the guard at the main gate allegedly misbehaved with one of the girls but when I called him, they could not identify him," she claimed.  PTI
Tata Trust is inviting applications from individuals for research grants offered in the study related to autism, dyslexia and public health of all age groups for the duration of six months to two years.

Eligibility:

Candidates going for study in autism and dyslexia must be master's in psychology, education or counselling, and for public health, applicant must have master's or Ph.D. degree in Public Health or community-based medicine- MMBS, MS or MD.

Junior fellowship holder must have master's or Ph.D. with 4-10 years of relevant experience. Senior fellowship holders must have master's or Ph.D. with 10- 5 years of relevant experience, able to present ability to hold an independent research programme.

How to apply: Applications can be made online via email at igpedu@tatatrusts.org.

Details: Scholar will be awarded with a monthly stipend, a book, journal or research database allowance, a communication and domestic travel allowance.

Deadline: August 24, 2017

Short Source URL: http://www.b4s.in/jc/TTF0

Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)

To identify and encourage talented and motivated students to pursue career in research, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India is offering the scheme to young science fellows studying anywhere in India.

Eligibility:

Students enrolled in Class XI, XII and 1st year of graduation in science related subjects or programme having minimum marks required, based on the choice of programme under taken, can apply for this scheme.

How to apply: Applications are accepted online with registration fee of INR 1000 for general and OBC category and INR 500 for SC, ST or PWD category applicants.

Details: Rs 5000 to Rs 7000 p.m. and annual contingency grant of INR 20,000 to INR 28,000 will be awarded depending upon the eligibility and choice of course taken by the candidate.

Deadline: August 23, 2017

Short Source URL: http://www.b4s.in/jc/KVP7

National Overseas Scholarship

As many as 100 scholarships and five passage grants are offered to scheduled castes, nomads, tribes, labours and artisans, earmarking 30% for women candidates by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of Indiato assist students with Ph.D. or master's programme in any country overseas.

Eligibility:

Candidate must secure 55% or equivalent in relevant master's and bachelor's degree for Ph.D. and master's degree, respectively with age limit not more than 35 yearsand family income must not exceed INR 6L p.a.

How to apply: Applications are accepted offline via post only.

Details: Tuition fee, annual maintenance allowance of $15,400 for USA and other countries and GBP 9900 for UK,annual contingency allowance of USD 1500 for USA and other countries and GBP 1100 for UK aspiring students, incidental journey allowance of $20 and prescribed equipment allowance of $ 20, research or teaching assistantship,medical insurance premium, air fare and local travel will be provided to the scholar.

Deadline: August 31, 2017

Short Source URL: http://www.b4s.in/jc/NOS4

Pre-Matric Scholarships Scheme for Minorities

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under National e-Governance Plan, Government of India is providing financial aid to students belonging to the community of Zoroastrians, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and Muslims to motivate students to attend school for a better livelihood, earmarking 30% scholarships for girl students.

Eligibility: Students studying in class 1- 10 from any private or government school affiliated from a recognized board with family income not more than INR 1L and 50% marks in previous final examination are eligible to apply for the opportunity.

How to apply: Online only.

Details: The awardees will receive varying admission, tuition and maintenance fee depending on the class they are studying, for both day scholars and hostellers.

Deadline: August 31, 2017

Short Source URL: http://www.b4s.in/jc/PMS20

 Inputs courtesy www.buddy4study.com
Amarjot Kaur

As an independent filmmaker, 28-year-old Tushar Tyagi picked up two of Narendra Modis social campaigns, including Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, for his up and coming film Kaashi. Despite these excessively advertised campaigns by the government and now in the mainstream cinema with the movie Toilet, Tushar has no inhibitions calling his film the governments mouthpiece, but thats only if it does contribute something to the society. The subject comes from my personal experiences and observations. Also, I am not taking sides, he makes it clear.

Kaashi is a 15-minute film about the struggle of a girl from a family too poor to afford a toilet and how she manages to collect enough money from cash prizes she wins at school competitions, like racing, painting, and sewing. Its from this that she gets a toilet constructed at her house, he says, sharing that in the film, Urvashi Singh plays the lead role of Kaashi, and Ishrat Khan plays the role of her mother. Also, the language the films shot in is UPs regional dialectwhat they call khadi boli.

Pursuing a passion

Tushar says that he studied film direction and filmmaking from New York Film Academy soon after he completed computer engineering from the College of Engineering, Roorkee in India. His first film Gulabee, which he made during his course at The New York Film Academy, won a total of 24 awards, including Royal Reel Award at Canada International Film Festival, a special mention at Dada Saheb Phalke film festival, and Jury award at Richmond international film festival. Like every Indian parent, my father wanted me to become an engineer, thats why I took to engineering initially. Also, for my second film Hari, I won the honourable mention at La short award, the

Jury prize at Woods Hole Film Festival and Award of recognition at Hollywood international moving picture film festival, he adds. His recent film A Broken Egg won the audience award at NYC Indie film awards.

The inspiration

It wasnt just the idea of going back to his roots that propelled Tushars intention to make Kaashi. Much of his inspiration comes from his childhood memories of visiting his maternal village during summer vacations. I would visit my grandparents at a village called Nawali in UP, near Moradabad. I would see a lot of people doing their business in fields near the village and my grandfather would drive with his vehicles lights switched off. When I went there last year, I found that nothing had changed after all these years. Thats when I decided to make a film, which is shot in the same village, he says.

Elaborating on the making of Kaashi, Tushar says that he shot the film with a team of 20 people, some of who he had flown in from Mumbai, and he started the shooting in November last year. Presently, he is in talks with regional ministers so that his film is shown in different villages. Movies can create mass awareness and they travel fast. At this point and time, the film is travelling in the film festival circuit, he signs off.

amarjot@tribunemail.com
Jasmine Singh

Anshul Sinha, an Indie-filmmaker from Hyderabad, with 19-20 films to his credit, for which he has won 104 awards at various film festivals, wasnt allowed to enter any production house, either in Hyderabad or Mumbai, when he went around looking for producers for his current docu-drama...MittiBack To The Roots! The doors would close, the moment we would say that weve made a film on farmers. I was told that no one would be interested in watching this film, shares Anshul, whose previous project Gateway To Heaven got 11 international nominations and third prize in England.

It began this way

It was during the screening of Gateway To Heaven that Anshul met Dr Ramanjaneyulu GV, executive director of the centre of sustainable agriculture, who liked their project and offered them a chance to work on a film on agrarian crisis in India. Anshul had the lead, but the way to go about it wasnt easy. One, they did not have any funds and two they had to do extensive research for the project. Our aim was to save every farmer from giving up life and farming. We did not let circumstances bog us down, he adds.

With a crew of four people, instead of an elaborate one of 20-25 people, Anshul started shooting with his crew. He didnt have money to pay the actors, So, I asked theatre artistes to work for us. No one on this film crew has charged a single penny from us. Before the shoot, I went through an elaborate nine months research, where we learnt farming in real, which helped us write the screenplay. The entire project was made under the guidance of Ramanjaneyulu GV.

Agrarian issues

Mitti- Back To The Roots portrays 25 major issues related to agriculture, due to which lakhs of farmers commit suicide in India. We have also given a solution to every issue that we have raised in this film.

Since they had no money to shoot the film, Anshul had to take to crowd-funding, which started in December 2016 and ended in February 2007. He could only start the shoot on February 11, 2007 at Enabavi, Indias first organic village, situated in Jangaon, 100 kms from Hyderabad.

The 90-minute film is complete and now Anshul is looking for distributors, so that he can take his film across India. He plans to come to Punjab with it as well. We have dealt with the agrarian issues across India; Mitti does not concentrate on just one district. I want to dub it in four different languages so that the issue reaches the national level. I also plan to screen it at festivals, so that it gets media exposure. As of now, I am looking for distribution support though, he shares.
Manpriya Singh

It definitely takes longer, with a little more formalities, to return a faulty product delivered by Amazon. Then why should it take just three words spoken in haste to end a marriage? Well, so question the new-age Muslims (especially women). But mind you, we are tampering with several hundred years old integral religious practice to do with a personal law. Nevertheless Unconstitutional! Unconstitutional! Unconstitutional! So said the Supreme Court Bench comprising five different judges from five different faithsstriking down Triple Talaq by a 3:2 majority. Ever since, its been trending, trolling and everything in between.

Enough being said, with a lot more to say on the subject, we go in search of a cross-section of Muslim community from the Tricity.

Cheers to progression

Its a good decision. I totally agree with and respect Supreme Court banning the controversial Islamic practice. As a working woman and a mother, I feel we work just as hard, sometimes more and the least we expect in return is equality if not special privileges. So I am happy with the decision. My round of applause to the bench that has given the verdict!

 Binder Kaur, Muslim government school teacher, married to a Muslim

Women empowered

Its a very pro-women development, so I am totally happy with the Supreme Court ruling rendering the Triple Talaq unconstitutional. We cant talk about women empowerment until we talk about women equality, so its a positive step in that direction. Also it takes care of instances where divorce would happen in a fit of rage or other such similar circumstances.

 Jannat Jahan/Niana, former municipal councilor, married to a Muslim

Wait & watch

Theres a part of me that totally agrees with the Supreme Court decision. Its especially a breather in case where men divorce their wives in a fit of rage. I, especially a father of a baby girl, feel its a pro-women step. But at the same time, the detailed verdict of Muslim bodies will be out on this one and as a member of the Muslim community, I will agree with what they have to say too.

 Master Ali, craftsman

The flip side

People murder their wives also in a fit of anger. At least its better than that! Further in pursuit of court verdicts, people end up ruining their youth, their life and a significant 10-15 years. At least, this way they can immediately move ahead with their separate lives. Its a 1,400-year-old law; must have been made keeping some things in mind. I am not saying one should uphold the Triple Talaq law as it is without amendments. If a husband says Triple Talaq, there should definitely be further probe as to under what circumstances and why he said it, but to totally quash someones religious practice is not a done thing.

 Muslim cleric in a Sector 20 mosque, who refused to be named

B-townwho tweeted, who didnt!

Otherwise quite knowledgeable about current affairs and vocal about general developments, interestingly, the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan are yet to tweet, re-tweet or say anything at all on the social media on this issue. Meanwhile, there are some who minced no words and took no time in hailing the verdict.

Anupam Kher: Some decisions are not for pappus or even bhakts. The decision of triple talaq is for the win of women empowerment.

Madhur Bhandarkar: Welcome judgment by Supreme Court to declare triple talaq as unconstitutional. This will start a new chapter in the empowerment of Muslim women.

Dia Mirza: A win for democracy! Historic day for womens rights in our country.

Kabir Bedi: Since Supreme Court has declared triple talaq unconstitutional, why does Parliament have to enact a new law to void it.

manpriya@tribunemail.com region
Lucknow, August 22

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath today ordered FIRs against five persons responsible for the deaths of 30 children at BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, reportedly owing to disruption of oxygen supply.

The action comes after a probe committee submitted its report to the CM.

Lucknow SSP Deepak Kumar said the FIRs would be filed at the Hazratganj police station for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and the Prevention of Corruption Act against former principal RK Misra, his wife Dr Purnima Shukla, head of the anaesthesia department Satish Kumar, former nodal officer of the encephalitis ward Dr Kafeel and a representative of oxygen supplier Pushpa Sales Private Limited.  TNS

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Chennai, August 21

Rival AIADMK factions led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and rebel leader O Panneerselvam today merged, ending a nearly seven-month feud in a power-sharing formula in the ruling party and the government in which the latter was made the Deputy Chief Minister.

As the merger brought to an end weeks of suspense during which there were tough negotiations, the two factions said steps would be taken to expel party chief VK Sasikala. But the Sasikala camp appeared to be in no mood to give up without a fight. MLAs owing allegiance to sidelined party deputy general secretary and Sasikalas nephew TTV Dhinakaran said they would meet Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao tomorrow.

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Key Dhinakaran aide and legislator P Vetrivel, however, did not say anything about the agenda of the meeting.

Another MLA, Thanga Tamilselvan, questioned why Palaniswami was giving importance to Panneerselvam, who has just nine MLAs, and claimed the Dhinakaran faction enjoyed the support of 25 MLAs.

Calling each other Annan (elder brother), both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam described the merger as historic. Palaniswami also announced that an 11-member steering committee would lead the party affairs and its members would be announced later.

Panneerselvam was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister and his close associate and former minister K Pandiarajan as Culture Minister by Governor Rao at Raj Bhawan after the merger at the party headquarters here. The former Chief Minister was allotted several portfolios, including Finance, a portfolio he has held before.

PM Narendra Modi congratulated Panneerselvam and assured all support to the Palaniswami government. I congratulate Thiru O Panneerselvam & others who took oath today. I hope Tamil Nadu scales newer heights of progress in years to come, the PM tweeted.  PTI
Chennai/Puducherry, Aug 22

Upset over the merger of rival factions of the AIADMK, MLAs loyal to sidelined party supremo VK Sasikala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran today told Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao they had lost confidence in Chief Minister EK Palaniswami, prompting the Opposition DMK to demand a trust vote.

Edit: Mergers & manoeuvres

We are going to initiate efforts to bring in a new CM with the help of our supporting MLAs, a Dhinakaran supporter said after meeting the Governor, a day after the merger of factions led by Palaniswami and rebel O Panneerselvam, a former CM.

The MLAs backing Dhinakaran later left for a resort in neighbouring Puducherry. There was no clarity on their number. The Dhinakaran camp had yesterday claimed the support of 25 MLAs.

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Raj Bhavan sources said that Rao had met Dhinakaran loyalists but declined to give any details.

In the 234-member Assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs, excluding the Speaker. Late chief minister J Jayalalithaas RK Nagar constituency is still vacant. The DMK has 89 seats and its allies Congress eight and IUML one. Principal Opposition party DMK wrote to the Governor, demanding that the Assembly be convened and Palaniswami asked to prove majority.

DMK working president and Leader of the Opposition MK Stalinwrote: Consequent upon identical letters given by 22 MLAs to the Governor expressing lack of confidence in the CM an unprecedented constitutional crisis has erupted.  PTI
Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21

Terming the Doklam border standoff between India and China a deadlock, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today indicated that a solution to this would be found soon, hoping that Beijing would make a positive move. He, however, made it clear that India was capable and prepared to meet any challenge to its sovereignty.

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Speaking at an event here organised by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Singh said: There is a deadlock going on at Doklam between India and China. I believe there will be a solution soon. I hope China will undertake a positive initiative in this direction.

Noting that the world knew of India, which never cast an evil eye on any country, he said: We never want to expand our borders... But I can say that our security forces and defence forces possess all the might to protect our borders.

For the past over two months, India and China have been locked in a faceoff in Doklam area of Sikkim after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the area. China had been ramping up rhetoric against India over the last few weeks, demanding immediate withdrawal of Indian troops from Doklam.

Lauding the bravery and grit of ITBP, Singh said it was due to their prowess on the border that no one can dare cast an evil eye on India. The ITBP is tasked to guard the 3,488-km long Sino-India border and works under the command of the Home Ministry.

The Home Minister presided over the function where promotion of 1,654 ITBP officials across various ranks was announced.

China blames Indian troops for Ladakh clash

China on Monday blamed Indian soldiers for violent action against its troops at Pangong Lake in Ladakh on August 15 and lodged a strong protest with India

Indian troops had foiled an attempt by the Chinese soldiers to enter Indian territory in Ladakh, resulting in stone pelting that caused minor injuries to troops on both the sides

I hope China will undertake a positive initiative in this direction (Doklam standoff) we never want to expand our borders... we dont want struggle but peace on borders.  Rajnath Singh, Home Minister
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

Its a milestone in our long journey for equality; its not the end of that journey, said Zakia Soman, the woman who first flagged the atrocity of instant triple talaq.

As one of the few first voices against the age-old practice that left hundreds of thousands of Muslim women helpless, Soman endured threats and attacks by ultra conservatives to reach where she is. It has not been easy. We have suffered harassment and attacks of all kinds.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

This is the victory of Muslim women across the country. We will now demand the codification of Muslim personal law, Soman told The Tribune today. As co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, one of the petitioners against the triple talaq case in the apex court, Soman says it is the constitutional obligation of the government to pass a Muslim family Act now.

We have the Hindu Marriage Act and similar laws for Christians and Parsis. There is now a need to pass the Muslim Personal Act specifying the legal ages of marriage for Muslim men and women, barring the gender unequal practice of polygamy, ending the tradition of nikah-halala and banning instant triple talaq by law. Until this happens, Muslim women will continue to be legally discriminated against, Soman says.

It was in 2011 that Soman raised the first red flag against talaq-e-biddat. We had scores of Muslim women coming to us daily to discuss their agony on account of instant talaq by husbands. In 2012, we decided to hold the first national public hearing. The venue was Mumbai. Almost 500 women from across India came personally to testify, she adds.
Lucknow, August 22

The high-power committee probing the Gorakhpur hospital tragedy on Tuesday submitted its report to the Uttar Pradesh government.

The committtee headed by chief secretary Rajive Kumar submitted the report to the government this evening, an official spokesperson said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath, who formed the committee on August 12 to probe the incident  a day after deaths of scores of children in the state-run BRD Medical College was reported  has now ordered FIRs against former priciapl of Baba Raghav Das Medical College Dr Rajeev Mishra and six others.

UP Medical Education minister Ashutosh Tandon had promised action against those found guilty in the probe.

As its first action, the state government had suspended the college principal Dr Rajiv Mishra, who subsequently put in his papers accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy.

A three-member team of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has charged the administration with negligence, saying no alert was issued regarding shortage of oxygen.

Doctors should have been alerted seven days in advance that oxygen supply was not being received, the IMA had said on August 18.

A total of 60 infants admitted to the government-run facility had died in a span of 48 hours, allegedly because of the disruption in oxygen supply due to pending payments to the supplier, a charge stoutly refuted by the state government.

The government has maintained that the children died due to different illnesses, including Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and there was no shortage of oxygen. PT/ TNS
"It is clear that this form of talaq is arbitrary in the sense that marital ties can be broken capriciously and whimsically by a Muslim man without any attempt at reconciliation so as to save it. This form of talaq must, therefore, be held to be violative of fundamental right contained under Art 14.  Justice Rohinton Nariman and Justice UU Lalit

"What is held to be bad in the Holy Quran cannot be good in Shariat and, in that sense, what is bad in theology is bad in law as well Merely because a practice has continued for long, that by itself cannot make it valid if it has been expressly declared to be impermissible.  Justice Kurian Joseph

"The practice of talaq-e-biddat being a constituent of personal law has a stature equal to other fundamental rights conferred in Part III of Constitution. The practice cannot, therefore, be set aside, on the ground of being violative of concept of constitutional morality, through judicial intervention.  CJI JS Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer

Majority holds practice arbitrary

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared the 1,400-year-old practice of instant triple talaq unconstitutional, terming it as arbitrary and violative of right to equality of Muslim women.

A five-Judge Constitution Bench set aside the age-old practice by a majority of 3:2, maintaining it was unworthy of protection. All five Judges belonged to five different faiths  Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

Edit: A divided verdict

The ruling came on petitions filed by some Muslim women, challenging the practice on the ground that it violated their right to equality, right to non-discrimination and right to live with dignity. It is likely to have a bearing on petitions against polygamy and nikah-halala already pending before the top court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the verdict, terming it historic, for it gave equality to Muslim women. He said the judgment would serve as a powerful measure for women empowerment.

Within hours of the judgment, the Centre prepared an advisory to be sent to all states, asking them to ensure compliance of the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq.

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There were three verdicts  one each pronounced by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rohinton F Nariman. The majority verdicts were pronounced by Justice Nariman and Justice Joseph. Justice UU Lalit agreed with Justice Narimans findings on the contentious issue.

It is clear that this form of talaq is manifestly arbitrary in the sense that the marital tie can be broken capriciously and whimsically by a Muslim man without any attempt at reconciliation so as to save it. This form of talaq must, therefore, be held to be violative of the fundamental right contained under Article 14 of the Constitution of India, said Justice Nariman and Justice Lalit.

Justice Narimans verdict held that The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, was a law within the meaning of Article 13 of the Constitution and, hence, it could not violate the fundamental rights of Muslim women. Accordingly, Justice Nariman and Justice Lalit declared Section 2 of the Act unconstitutional in so far as it sought to enforce triple talaq.

The CJI and Justice S Abdul Nazeer held that triple talaq had been a part of the Muslim Personal Law for 1,400 years. Religion is a matter of faith, and not of logic. It is not open to a court to accept an egalitarian approach, over a practice which constitutes an integral part of religion, the CJI noted in his verdict.

It is not difficult to comprehend, what kind of challenges would be raised by rationalists, assailing practices of different faiths on diverse grounds, based on all kinds of enlightened sensibilities. We have to be guarded, lest we find our conscience traversing into every nook and corner of religious practices, and personal law.

Can a court, based on a righteous endeavour, declare that a matter of faith, be replaced  or be completely done away with? asked the CJI. However, noting that there was gender bias in the Muslim law and the fact that the Muslim Personal Law has been reformed the world over, including Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the CJI and Justice Nazeer exercised their powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to restrain Muslim husbands from pronouncing triple talaq.

Pointing out that personal laws of other communities in India had been reformed by the legislature, the CJI and Justice Nazeer asked the government to come up with a law on the issue within six months.

Justice Joseph  who heavily relied on the Quran and other Islamic scriptures  said what was sinful in religion could not be lawful under personal law. What is held to be bad in the Holy Quran cannot be good in Shariat and, in that sense, what is bad in theology is bad in law as well. The CJI, Justice Nazeer and Justice Joseph talked about the responsibility of Parliament to take the initiative to reform personal laws. Justice Khehar also referred to Article 44 of the Constitution, which talks about the states responsibility to enact a Uniform Civil Code for its citizens.

No need for new law

The government today virtually ruled out the need for a new law on instant triple talaq, indicating that the existing laws, including the one dealing with domestic violence, were sufficient.

The government will consider the issue in a structured manner, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

How the judges were divided

Justice Kurian Joseph who wrote one of the two majority verdicts agreed with the minority verdict penned by CJI JS Khehar that The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, is not a law regulating talaq

He disagreed with a separate majority verdict by Justice RF Nariman that the 1937 Act is a legislation regulating triple talaq and hence, can be tested on the anvil of Article 14 (right to equality)

Justice Joseph, however, agreed with Justice Nariman that a legislation, be it plenary or subordinate, can be challenged on the ground of arbitrariness, saying Indian democracy cannot conceive of a legislation which is arbitrary

He disagreed with CJI Khehar that triple talaq has to be considered integral to the religious denomination in question and part of their personal law

Justice Joseph agreed with the CJI that freedom of religion is absolute

Justice Joseph said merely because a practice has continued for long, that by itself cant make it valid, if it has been expressly declared to be impermissible

He disagreed with the CJI that there cant be any constitutional protection to triple talaq

Justice Joseph disagreed with the CJI that though triple talaq is fundamental to Islam, its practice can be stayed by the SC by exercising extra-ordinary powers under Article 142  PTI

ONLY 'TALAQ-E-BIDDAT' SET ASIDE

Talaq-e-biddat: Pronouncing talaq thrice instantly without adhering to 3-month iddat period meant for reconciliation

Talaq ahsan: Pronouncing talaq in a single sentence when wife is in state of purity, followed by abstinence during iddat period

Talaq hasan: Pronouncing talaq during three successive tuhrs (menstruation cycle) interspersed with abstinence

Triple talaq verdict After winning a long legal battle, women activists want law framed to make the practice punishable

Oct 16, 2015: SC asks CJI to set up Bench to examine if Muslim women face gender discrimination in divorce cases

Feb 5, 2016: SC asks AG Mukul Rohatgi to assist it on pleas challenging constitutional validity of triple talaq, nikah halala, polygamy

Mar 28: SC asks Centre to file report on Women and the law: An assessment of family laws with focus on laws relating to marriage, divorce, custody, inheritence and succession

Jun 29: SC says triple talaq will be tested on touchstone of constitutional framework

Oct 7: Centre opposes in SC these practices and favours a relook on grounds like gender equality, secularism

Feb 14, 2017: SC allows interlocutory pleas to be tagged with the main matter

Mar 27: AIMPLB tells SC pleas not maintainable as issues fall outside judiciarys realm

Mar 30: Supreme Court says issues very important and involve sentiments

May 12: SC says triple talaq worst and not desirable form of dissolution of marriages

May 15: Centre tells SC that it will bring new law to regulate marriage and divorce among Muslims if triple talaq struck down

May 16: AIMPLB tells SC triple talaq a matter of faith for last 1,400 years, cant be tested on grounds of constitutional morality

May 17: Centre tells SC triple talaq neither integral to Islam nor a majority versus minority issue but an intra-community tussle between Muslim men and deprived women

May 18: SC reserves verdict on triple talaq

May 22: AIMPLB files affidavit in SC saying it would issue an advisory to Qazis to tell bridegrooms that they will not resort to triple talaq to annul their marriage.

Aug 22: SC rules triple talaq is void, unconstitutional and against basic tenets of Quran
To better understand the ominous ongoing North Korean crisis, lets view it from Kim Jong Uns point of view.

Why does this ruthless 33-year-old dictator, the son and grandson of communist dictators, persist with defiance, provocations and an ambitious nuclear weapons program in the face of international condemnation, sanctions and threats of an overwhelming response by the United States? Why?

Kim has vowed to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles on Americans, possibly near the island territory of Guam, this month.

Last week, James Mattis, the secretary of Defense and a Marine combat veteran, warned Kim to abandon any thoughts of attacking U.S. or South Korean forces or face destruction of the regime and its people.

In a controversial but intentionally strong statement of his own, President Donald Trump declared any North Korean attack would be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.

Flashback to 2003, when Kim was an impressionable teenager watching his father, Kim Jong Il, continue the isolated countrys nuclear weapons program in defiance of international threats and in violation of numerous agreements to stop.

As it happened in those days, Libya under Moammar Gadhafi was also pursuing weapons of mass destruction and sponsoring international terrorism despite Western pressures. (Remember Lockerbie?)

But suddenly on Dec. 19 of that year, the Libyan dictator gave in, announcing he would destroy both his chemical weapon stockpiles and nuclear weapons program in return for regime security and an end to sanctions. He did just that.

Eight years later on the way to a South American tour with his mother-in-law and family, Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama announced that, without congressional approval, U.S. forces were joining Europeans to oust Gadhafi because he threatened to kill civilians in a rebel uprising.

Seven months later, an American drone spied an auto caravan in the Libyan desert. Allied planes attacked. A rebel mob captured Gadhafi and beat and shot him with his own pistol. On her plane, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did a victorious arm pump.

Seeing such diplomatic duplicity, how much faith do you think a binge-eating, insomniac dictator would put in Secretary of State Rex Tillersons vow this month that the U.S. does not seek North Korean regime change, only an end to its threatening weapons program?

Predictably, Trumps bombast over the Pennsylvania-sized country of 25 million sent the U.S. media into another hysterical tizzy. President Trump talks as crazy as North Koreas dictator, opined one paper. Trumps threat to North Korea contrasts with calm reassurances of other administration officials, warned The Washington Post.

Heres the thing: Trump wasnt talking to Beltway media. Not even to Americans, who actually agree with him. Three out of four now see North Korea as a critical threat to national security.

The presidents calculated tough tone was meant for Asia, where long-lasting regimes promise Americans change in trade or policies and then wait patiently for U.S. politicians to give up or get unelected. Friend or foe, it has worked to their advantage for decades.

What the president is doing, Tillerson explained, is sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong Un can understand, because he doesnt seem to understand diplomatic language.

Bad-cop Trump was also talking straight to Beijing, which controls 90 percent of Pyongyangs economy and faces a horrendous refugee flood should serious conflict erupt next door.

Trump was actually being predictably unpredictable. During the 2016 campaign, the political rookie said, accurately, that American foreign policy had become too predictable and, under Obama, predictably passive. Remember the Democrats notorious red line on Syria and chemical weapons? Syria crossed it. Obamas response? Nothing. Or China building artificial islands in the South China Sea? Nothing but words.

Now, what happened in April when Bashar Assad once again used chemical weapons on his own people? Within 72 hours, 58 Trump-ordered Tomahawk missiles hit the airbase involved and nowhere else. The result so far: No more gas attacks.

Trump says rightly that negotiation is always preferred to armed conflict but he also understands negotiation is but one tool.

Looking at North Koreas lethal weapons advances over the last quarter-century of totally ineffective talk without threats by three U.S. administrations, the truth is the strategy of deal-maker Trump could hardly do any worse.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

A Bench of five judges from different religious communities, including Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Hindu and Muslim, which pronounced the historic judgement on the controversial issue of the practice of 'triple talaq' among Muslims were not unanimous in the verdict.

The apex court by 3:2 verdict held that the triple talaq is against the basic tenets of Quran.

Three of the five judges hearing a case questioning the legality of "triple talaq" ruled it as "unconstitutional".

"The government should find a way to frame new laws," the three judges said in their ruling, which overruled the other two judges.

While Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer were in favour of putting on hold for six months the practice of triple talaq, asking the government to come out with a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit held it as violative of the Constitution.

The court's verdict was marred by confusion initially, with the senior judge, the chief justice of India, announcing that his opinion was to suspend the practice and ask the government to come up with a new law within six months.

He was overruled by the three judges who said it was unconstitutional.

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"Finally I feel free today. I have the order that will liberate many Muslim women," said Shayara Bano, one of the women who brought the case, after the ruling.

Besides CJI Khehar, the Bench also included Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman, U U Lalit and S Abdul Nazeer.

The laws allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering the word "talaq" three times. Muslim women say they have been left destitute by husbands divorcing them through "triple talaq", including by Skype and WhatsApp.

Triple talaq is banned in several Muslim countries, including in neighbouring Pakistan and conservative Saudi Arabia. Agencies
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

Legal experts welcomed the Supreme Courts verdict declaring the practice of triple talaq unconstitutional, saying it was just the beginning towards ensuring gender justice to Muslim women.

It will go a long way in restoring the human rights of Muslim women in India. This is just the beginning. All such practices based on gender bias have to be stopped, senior advocate KTS Tulsi told The Tribune.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who represented the Centre before the top court as the Attorney General, termed it a "path-breaking judgment and a step towards achieving the ultimate goal of a Uniform Civil Code.

He said: "If these personal laws were arbitrary and pernicious traditionally, they must give way to the doctrine of equality and the right to have a dignified life for all citizens. This was the stand of the government which has been completely vindicated."

Maintaining that the verdict vindicated the governments stand, Rohatgi said it restored the dignity of the Muslim women. They can lead a life of dignity without any fear or apprehension that they can be thrown out of their matrimonial home any time, he added.

Terming it a landmark verdict, Attorney General K K Venugopal complimented his predecessor Rohatgi for presenting the stand of the NDA government in a convincing manner.

OP Jindal Global University Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Jindal Law School Prof C Raj Kumar said: Its a historic verdict which was long overdue. It will pave the way for other forms of reforms in all communities in relation to status of women. This verdict provides an opportunity for social structures to change with the help of law and judiciary.

All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board counsel Chandra Rajan said: "It's a historic verdict for India, particularly, Muslim women who have been discriminated against for centuries."

Rashtrawadi Muslim Mahila Sangh President Farah Faiz  a lawyer and a petitioner in the case, said: "The court has given a direction to the government to frame a law. We have won half the battle. We will be victorious in the true sense only once the law is framed so as to make this practice punishable. There is no remedy for women against the practice till a law is framed."
Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 21

More than two months after the probe into the death of young techie Rajatvir Singh Sodhi, who is believed to have shot himself, the Patiala police are ready with a challan to be submitted in a local court any time. No terror angle, the police claim members of family of a girl who had spurned his love were the intended targets.

No link with any terror organisation, yet Rajatvir was an expert in bomb-making, says the police report. Rajatvir wanted to eliminate the family of his one-sided love interest and was experimenting with bombs so he could blow the girls house in Sangrur district, it claims. The girl was a student at Rayat and Bahra College, which was Rajatvirs college too.

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Quoting Sadar SHO Jaswinder Singh Tiwana, the challan says: Three months before his death, he (Rajatvir) trespassed into the girls house, but was caught and thrashed by her parents and then let off. He again tried to trespass, was caught, given a sound beating and handed over to the local police. A compromise was reached.

Thereafter, Rajatvir started visiting websites of separatist organisations for information on making bombs, the challan claims. It says the investigating team had found 10 live bombs, wires, pressure cookers, a dozen knives, 16 mobiles, as many pen drives and a few bombs fitted in pipes and cookers at his house. Rajatvirs social media accounts showed he had watched two videos with jihadist content on May 3, it claims. There is no terror angle. The boy was an introvert and wanted revenge, said S Bhupathi, Patiala SSP.

On June 1, the police were informed of a father-son duo frequenting a vacant plot and experimenting with explosives at a village near Punjabi University. Rajatvirs father Harpreet Singh was arrested and a crude bomb and a weapon were found in his car. On reaching the accuseds house in Darshan Nagar, the police were told by Harpreets wife that their son was in a house nearby. The police rushed there only to find Rajatvirs body lying on the floor with a gunshot wound. Two days later, Rajatvirs mother Kiranjot Kaurs body was found hanging from a ceiling fan.

Harpreet Singh, who retired as secretary of one of the market committees, reportedly told the police that his son was in depression ever since his marriage proposal was turned down by a girl. He is still in jail. The police will file a challan against him under Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act and Sections 3/4 of the Explosives Act.
Jaipur, August 22

The Rajasthan Government has written to the CBI for investigation into Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadras land deal cases.

The government had cancelled the mutation (transfer of land) of 374.44 hectares of land, after the land department claimed to have found that the allotments were made in the names of "illegal private persons".

The tehsildar had said in the complaint that the government land in 34 villages of Bikaner, to be used for expanding the army's firing range in the area, was "grabbed" by the land mafia by preparing "forged and fabricated documents" in connivance with government officials.

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ED suspects that huge amounts of money was laundered in this case by people buying land at cheap rates through forged documents.

The state government had, while cancelling the mutations, said these were not issued by the Commissioner, Colonisation, Bikaner.

The state police had also filed charge sheets in 18 cases in a court in Kolayat last year. Agencies
Washington, August 22

Even as US President Donald Trump today hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to agents of chaos that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it had much to lose by harbouring terrorists, China jumped to its allys defence, saying Islamabad was at the frontline of combating terrorism.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, came down heavily on Pakistan. Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into a conflict. And that could happen, he said. He reached out to India, seeking an enhanced role in rebuilding Afghanistan.

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Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP chief Amit Shah, on Tuesday hailed as historic the triple talaq verdict, and termed it a victory for Muslim women.

Today is the beginning of a new era of dignity and equality for Muslim women. The BJP sees it as way forward towards a determined New India, Shah said.

The verdict is not a question of a win or a loss for anyone. It is a victory of the right to equality and basic constitutional rights of Muslim women, he said, lauding the prime minister and the BJP government for putting before the apex court BJPs stance, prudently and judiciously.



The next step is now expected to be a legislation to give a concrete definition and form to the Supreme Court verdict, say party leaders.

Till then the apex court verdict should be considered the law and BJP leaders should exercise restraint and not allow it to become a religious or us-versus-them issue, is the directive from the top leadership.

It wants dignity and constitutional rights of Muslim women to remain central to the theme but without the religious undertones.

The BJP is expected to showcase the verdict as a vindication of its stance against a practice that violates the basic principles of gender justice and equalityan add-on to the existing poll plank of development, good governance and Hindutva.

However, even as the BJPs stance is being linked to its attempts to impact 50 per cent of the Muslim community, saffron leaders do not foresee any magical changes in the saffron partys existing fortunes in the community.

The verdict gives us a moral high ground but to think that it has helped us make immediate inroads in the Muslim community is wrong, they said on the impact of the triple talaq issue.

The PM has also supported the issue on multiple occasions. However, it would take another 10 years for a change in attitude of the community. But it will certainly help increase the participation of minorities in the government policies, say the BJP leaders, who also denied that the triple talaq verdict was a precursor for Uniform Civil Code.

The triple talaq issue is distinct from the UCC, they said on the long standing poll plank of the saffron party.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Judgment of the Honble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment.

BJP chief Amit Shah: The judgment marks the beginning of a new era of pride and equality for Muslim women. The BJP welcomes and respects the expansion of Muslim womens rights and sees todays court order as a step towards a determined New India. It is a historic judgement, and not a question of victory or defeat. Its an assertion of equal rights for Muslim women and the prevalence of their basic rights under the Constitution.



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley: The Supreme Court judgment in the triple talaq case undoes the injustice to Muslim women who were victims of a unilateral termination of a matrimonial relationship.

The majority view of the Supreme Court is absolutely clear that this instant pronouncement is not fundamental to the religion itself. It is not even an essential aspect of the religion, and therefore it is discriminatory. It compromises the dignity of the women.
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 23

The Centre has welcomed the decision on triple talaq and sources say it would soon bring a legislation on it.

However, sources also indicate that the clear instructions from the top-most order in the BJP have asked the party leaders to show restrain and not make it a religion issue.

Sources add the BJP leaders and spokespersons have been told to let it be a gender issue, related to equality of women.

It should not be politicised as BJP or the governments victory, say sources.

The Parliament has six months to legislate and in the meantime it should be propagated as a victory for gender equality and not related to faith or religion, they add.
Washington, August 22

The US on Monday ruled out a hasty withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan as President Donald Trump warned Pakistan of consequences if it continued to provide safe havens to terror groups and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Trump, in a prime-time televised address to the nation, laid out his South Asia policy saying a critical part of it was to further develop US strategic partnership with India.

He said after a "comprehensive review", it had been decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia would change dramatically.

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"A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations," Trump said in his address.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said as he announced his South Asia policy in front of about 2,000 people from all five services and top officials of his administration.

Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continued to do so.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in a apparent warning to Pakistan.

The US President reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said.

"We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said. PTI
COLUMBIA, S.C.  On the state capitol grounds in South Carolina stands a statue that should be far more offensive in the early 21st century than anything erected in honor of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Its a monument to Benjamin Tillman, a former governor and U.S. senator from South Carolina who was known as Pitchfork Ben due to his racist views, support for Jim Crow laws and wink-and-nod tolerance of lynch mobs.

Tillman was also a populist, was described as South Carolinas first New Dealer by his supporters, and helped create Clemson University  which is no small reason why his statue still stands.

Down the road in Charleston, a monument in honor of John C. Calhoun towers over Marion Park. There was no greater defender of slavery in his time than Calhoun, who once described the immoral practice as a positive good for owners and slaves alike.

Because of his other legacies, however, Calhoun was historically significant. In fact, he was named in 1957 as one of the five greatest U.S. senators of all time by a Senate committee headed by future President John F. Kennedy.

History is complicated, as the nation is rediscovering in the wake of deadly events incited by white supremacists who descended on Charlottesville, Va. People who by todays standards are racists or worse were heroes in their day, respected by contemporaries who often shared their misguided beliefs.

Its a pretty easy call to remove a Confederate memorial in Madison, where the only Southern soldiers were prisoners of war at Camp Randall, but quite another to remove monuments in parts of the country where history intersects with family and community memories.

Such is the case in South Carolina, where museums such as Charlestons Old Slave Mart stand in stark contrast to monuments that preserve the memory of what many Southerners still call the War Between the States. Its a reminder that history is a story told from many angles, some accurate and others not, in the hope that an unvarnished and often inconvenient truth emerges over time.

During a visit to South Carolina in the days after the Charlottesville tragedy, I encountered two peaceful but nonetheless contrasting street events. In both cases, white supremacists had picked public places to advance their views and were met by those who wanted no part of the hatred.

The clash of history with present is not just an American phenomenon. In the United Kingdom, for example, statues to Cecil Rhodes and Edward Colston have come under fire for their ties to Britains imperial and slave-trading past. One solution offered across the Atlantic is to keep such statues but to add plaques that give a fuller account of history.

Its anyones guess how South Carolinians will resolve their conflicted history  after all, the state only recently removed a Confederate flag from its capitol  but the debate may prove more constructive than not.

If a state that led the secessionist charge in 1860 and repressed African-Americans for a century thereafter can change, so can others.

That change would best come about through a debate that doesnt fall into a trap extremists often set: Banning symbols the extremists hijack, driving those symbols underground and making them marble or cloth martyrs for a false cause.

History must be taught to successive generations; it is not genetically transmitted. Dispelling hatred among the few requires resolve and education by the many. In the absence of national leadership to the contrary, that responsibility falls, more than ever, to those who set examples that resonate close to home.
GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 21

Born in the Amritsar Central Jail in 2006, 11-year-old Heena is now set to return to her country after the Pakistani authorities cleared her citizenship status today.

Pakistans High Commission counsellor Fauzia Manzoor today visited her mother Fatima Bibi and aunt Mumtaj  both arrested on May 8, 2006, and sentenced to 10-year imprisonment for possessing drugs  in the jail, along with their lawyer Navjot Kaur Chabba, who fought their legal battle for free.

Chabba said the trio would return to their homeland soon. The court had relaxed Heena out of the case, but as she was born in Amritsar there was a technical hitch over her citizenship. Fatima, too, was reluctant to send her back alone. The Pakistani counsellor today officially endorsed Heenas nationality and furnished requisite documentation. Now, I am trying to procure the NoC (no objection certificate) from the Ministry of Home Affairs as the next step to facilitate their repatriation to their native place, she said.

The two sisters, Fatima and Mumtaj, had completed their jail term in November 2015, but had been serving an extra term despite paying Rs4 lakh fine through Batala-based NGO Sarbat Da Bhala Humanity Club.

Fatima belongs to Gujranwala, while Mumtaj, who is unmarried, is a resident of Sikandrabad. On May 8, 2006, they had boarded the Samjhauta Express to proceed to Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh to meet their maternal uncles but were arrested at the Attari Railway Station for possessing drugs.

They had argued in the court that the 400-gram smack seized from their train compartment belonged to a fellow passenger, but the court pronounced their conviction.

Whenever I visited them in jail, Heena would request me to arrange for their repatriation at the earliest. I utilised my contacts and Batala NGO chief Navtej Singh Gaggu, came forward to pay the fine on their behalf, said Chabba.

Minor finally accepted as Pak national
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 22

Leader of the Opposition Sukhpal Khaira said today that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was setting a wrong precedent by undertaking a foreign tour less than six months after assuming office.

The Congress had mentioned in its election manifesto that all ministers, MLAs and officials would not go abroad at the state governments expense during the first two years. The Chief Minister seems to have forgotten this pre-poll promise, Khaira said.

Capt Amarinder will lead a delegation of officials, farmers and industrialists for WATEC-2017, a conference being hosted by Israel from September 13 to 16.

Trips by then Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal to Israel during the Akali-BJP rule didnt yield much, the Aam Aadmi Party leader added.

The two-year foreign travel ban, aimed at cutting government expenditure, has a rider. Overseas trips can be undertaken in cases where it is so mandated or provided under any bilateral arrangement or agreement.

Raveen Thukral, media adviser to the CM, said: During a recent meeting, Israeli envoy Daniel Carmon invited Capt Amarinder to visit his country. Punjab is keen to use Israeli expertise to promote horticulture, dairy farming, bee-keeping, irrigation and water conservation.
Tribune News Service

Muktsar/Bathinda, August 21

With the verdict in the rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh set to be announced on Friday, normal works of the district administration have taken a backseat as the administration and the police are busy making security arrangements. Muktsar shares its boundary with Sirsa district in Haryana, where the sect has its headquarters.

The entire district administration today remained busy holding meetings to review the security arrangements.

Besides, Deputy Commissioner Sumeet Jarangal and SSP Sushil Kumar held a meeting with the sect followers at Malout town in the evening and appealed them to maintain peace after the court verdict.

The District Magistrate has already imposed a ban on the assembly of five or more persons in the district under Section 144 of the CrPC.

Meanwhile, in Bathinda policemen have been deployed at all deras and naam charcha houses for security. The police today held a flag march with paramilitary forces, Central Reserve Police and Rapid Action Force (RAP).

Capt tells DGP to monitor situation

Chandigarh: Ahead of the verdict in a rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder singh on Monday directed the DGP to visit Patiala, Mansa, Bathinda and Ludhiana to thwart any attempt to disrupt peace. Reviewing the preparedness, the CM gave his chopper to the DGP to conduct an aerial survey of the vulnerable areas. tns

Security forces conduct flag march in Moga

Moga: The police and the Central paramilitary forces conducted a flag march on Monday across the district. The dera followers have already started holding meetings in their strongholds in Punjab and Haryana. Moga SSP Raj Jit Singh Hundal claimed that elaborate arrangements had been made to maintain law and order in the district. TNS

Gazetted officers as executive magistrates

Faridkot: The state government on Monday issued orders to appoint all gazetted officers in the state as executive magistrate to maintain law and order. TNS
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 22

The district police arrested gangster Gurbax Singh Sewewala after an encounter at Paras Ram Nagar here last night. Gurbax, a resident of Sewewala village in Faridkot district, was wanted in several cases of murder, loot and extortion in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states.

He has been booked under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. IG Mukhwinder Singh Chhina said a CIA-2 team of the police received a tip-off that Gurbax was travelling in the area in a white Honda City car without a number plate.

The CIA-2 team, along with ASI Harpreet Singh of the Moga police, laid a naka on the Gurukul road and intercepted a white car. Gurbax, who was carrying two pistols, started firing at the police. The cops, too, opened fire. A few minutes later, the police arrested the gangster and recovered two .32-bore pistols and eight rounds from his possession.

Gurbax was heading the Davinder Bambiha gang after the death of gangster and sharpshooter Bambiha, who was killed in a police encounter near Rampura (Bathinda) in September 2016. A court today remanded him in four-day police custody.

A preliminary investigation revealed that 12 cases against Gurbax were pending in Punjab  11 in Faridkot district and one in Bathinda.
Tribune News Service

Barnala, August 22

The deputy chief of the Budha Dal of Baba Surjit Singh faction was shot dead at Kahneke village in the district last night. The police have registered a case against six nihangs of another faction. No one has been arrested as yet.

Complainant Lal Singh alleged that he along with other nihangs was sleeping at the community centre of the village when they heard the sound of gunshots being fired around midnight. When they woke up, they saw Bahadur Singh (60) lying in a pool of blood and around 10 persons, including Jaspal Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Jagraj Singh, Baldev Singh, Arjan Dev Singh and Sarwan Singh, fleeing in a Bolero, he alleged.

We have registered a case against the six identified accused. The complainant has claimed that the accused belong to Balvir Singh faction. The deceased had got a case registered against the accused in 2012. They had earlier attacked him in Talwandi Sabo. A Bathinda court was to record the statement of the deceased today, said Malkiat Singh Cheema, SHO, Rureke Kalan police station.

The Surjit and Balvir factions of nihags have been at loggerheads over the possession of various properties. We are conducting raids to arrest the accused, said the SHO.
Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Barnala, August 22

Armed men shot dead a Nihang Sikh while he was sleeping at the community hall at Kahneke village in Barnala district.

Tapa DSP AR Sharma reached the spot after getting information about the murder of 60-year-old Bahadur Singh.

Singh belonged to the Surjeet Singh group of Nihangs. A group of Nihangs had been camping in the village for the past two days.

The DSP said the other Nihangs were sleeping outside the centre at the time of the crime.

The DSP said they were investigating the matter. He said the police would register an FIR after conducting preliminary investigation.
Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 22

Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today assured Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh that he would make a recommendation to the Finance Ministry about reviewing the states debt burden of Rs 31,000 crore, incurred on the purchase of foodgrains for the Central pool. During a meeting with Paswan here, the CM sought the Centres help to settle the debt burden by examining the matter afresh.

Paswan said: There was confusion over the findings of the Jha Committee, which was set up by the Centre in April 2016 to examine the states claims of Rs 20,000-crore foodgrain dues.

PK Jha, Additional Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution, had headed the committee comprising officials from the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Finance Ministry, and the state government.

The Punjab and Central governments had not been on the same page over the expenses incurred on the transportation of grains, labour and packaging. This had resulted in delayed payments by the Centre.

During the meeting, Capt Amarinder said the failure to resolve the issue ahead of the procurement season had compelled the state government to convert about Rs 29,920 crore (as on March 31 this year) into a clean term loan. Consequently, the state was burdened with an annual debt-servicing liability of Rs 3,240 crore for the next 12 years.

He said the Rs 31,000-crore debt, which includes a component of Rs 18,500 crore, had arisen due to a difference in actual cost and provisional/final cost approved by the Centre. A state government functionary said the state wanted rationalisation of the interest amount.

Meanwhile, Paswan agreed to allow higher user charges on account of depreciation of once-used gunny bags for the forthcoming kharif season. He said an order to this effect would be issued next week.
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 22

Celebrated Punjabi poet Surjit Patar was on Tuesday appointed as Chairman of Punjab Arts Council in place of television anchor Satinder Satti.

Tourism and Culture Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu presented the nomination letter from Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at Patars residence here.

Speaking on the occasion, Sidhu said it is a matter of pride for this government that Patar had agreed to this role. There cannot be a more able man to head this chair. He is not only an icon but a genius, he said.

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Patar is the lighthouse and role model to give direction to the youth and the government is going to facilitate him into this role, he added.

We are going to inculcate a sense of pride in our culture. We have to go and fight this war in the minds of the people and it cannot be fought by just making a policy. And to fight this war, there is no bigger warrior than Surjit Patar, he said.

We are going to create a movement and would involve everyone associated with and passionate for Punjabi culture, he said.

He said Satinder Satti had worked a lot and she would also be involved. At least 50,000 people would be involved in this movement, he added.

Patar, meanwhile, said he was humbled with this love and honour. I have a firm belief that we would be able to take art, music and culture through the Arts council to village level. Punjab is not just a mere geographical entity, but it is a song, love, feeling and a philosophy, he added.

We plan to create a cultural centre comprising a library, a place for staging plays at village level. We would collaborate with the education department so that cultural icons can interact with children at school level, he added.
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 21

Vice-president of the state unit of the Congress Himanshu Pathak today alleged that despite Baba Ramdevs Patanjalis entire campaign based on the promotion of swadeshi products and services and boycott of videshi (foreign) products, Patanjali as a brand, is heavily relying on foreign web portals based in the US, etc, for its promotion through websites and advertisements.

Pathak alleged that a lot of money from Patanjali was making way to the companies hosting these websites of Baba Ramdevs swadeshi brand, contrary to the yoga gurus very vocal support and advocacy to the Indian populace to buy and adopt swadeshi (or India made) goods and services.

Alleging that the servers of various key and subsidiary websites of Baba Ramdevs and his brand Patanjali have been traced to foreign IP addresses and Internet portals, Pathak said a lot of money for the support, advertisement as well as publicity of Patanjali as a brand was hence being routed to foreign Internet companies in stark contradiction to Baba Ramdevs exhortations to the Indian public to buy and consume local-made goods.

Detailing the yoga gurus and his brands websites hosted on foreign servers, Pathak alleged, The IP address of swami-ramdev.com has been traced to an IP address based in Miami, Florida, that of swadeshi.patanjaliayurved.org to amazon web services, that of divyayoga.com to an IP address based in Miami, Florida, and that of patanjalireserachfoundation.com to a web server in Temple, Arizona. Similarly, servers hosting websites pypt.org, patanjaligramodhyognyas.com and pac.divyayoga.com were also traced to foreign companies. He also produced a document with details of these IP addresses and their numbers.
THE British people have been making every arrangement for the better protection of child life, and on the 2nd July a large meeting was held at the Guildhall presided over by the Lord Mayor to discuss further measures for child welfare. Her Majesty the Queen herself is deeply interested in the question. Mr. H.A. Fisher deplored the ignorance of mothers in regard to the health of children. The problem depended on having less drink, less vice, better housing, purer milk and better sanitation. "The number of closed windows to be seen in any street of any town at night", said he, "was some measure of the degree of that ignorance." He asked for more maternity centers, more clinics and more health visitors.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 22

Tourism and Irrigation Minister Satpal Maharaj today announced an enquiry into the alleged misappropriation of funds allocated by the Central government for initiating development works at Jageshwar and Katarmal temples.

The enquiry will be conducted by Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary, Uttarakhand Tourism. The development carried by the agencies hired by the previous government did not follow the guidelines set by the Archaeological Survey of India, alleged Satpal Maharaj, while addressing mediapersons.

He said the work comprising development of tourism infrastructure did not adhere to the 200 metre limit set by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The Centre had sanctioned Heritage Circuit Project Swades for developing tourism infrastructure in Jageshwar-Devidhura-Katarmal-Baijnath sites at a cost of Rs 83 crore. The highlights of the project include development of eco-log huts, sound and light show and upgrading of temple pathways.

The work was carried by the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), but it was stopped midway after the ASI raised objections.

He said a memorandum of understanding would be inked with the UP government on the water sharing and other issues pertaining to Jamrani Dam on August 24 and 25.

The multipurpose dam envisaged in 1975 is expected to provide drinking to Haldwani and Nainital, along with Bijnor and Rampur districts in Uttar Pradesh. The issue has been hanging fire since 2000 and is now nearing resolution.

The department is also holding talks with the Central government to upgrade Institute of Hotel Management to a Central institute. We will be able to raise the number of seats from 220 to 240, he said.

He e prehistoric tourism circuit at Lakotiyar in Almora would be promoted. The prehistoric sites in Almora are more than 5,000 years old and we will develop a new prehistoric circuit to attract visitors, he said.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 21

An inspection has revealed that only 29 toilets were built out of the sanctioned 79 in Donda village (Jakholi block) of Rudrapryag district, which was declared open defecation free (ODF) in June.

Uttarakhand became the fourth state in the country to be declared ODF after all the 13 districts, including Rudraprayag became free of open defecation in June. Now, the inspection has raised doubts on the states claims. Mangesh Ghildiyal, District Magistrate, Rudraprayag, said, Of the 79 toilets sanctioned for the village only 29 have been built and around 50 are yet to be built.

The gram panchayat was given Rs 4.47 lakh in grant to build toilets. While 19 families got the facility, 31 others are left out.

Each family (beneficiary) was to receive Rs 12,000 under the Swajal Scheme for constructing toilets. But, most of them complained that the pradhan released Rs 6,000 only as part of the first instalment, said Ghildiyal.

It also came to light that no survey was conducted in the village by the officials, who relied on the pradhan for information on number of beneficiaries. The village pradhan has been asked to release the remaining amount.
Singapore, August 21

Ten sailors are missing after a US warship collided with an oil tanker east of Singapore before dawn on Monday, tearing a hole beneath the waterline and flooding compartments that include a crew sleeping area, the US Navy said.

The collision between the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain and the tanker Alnic MC was the second involving a US Navy destroyer and a merchant vessels in Asian waters in little more than two months.

The ships collided while the US warship was heading to Singapore for a routine port call, the Navy said in a statement. Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft, the Navy said. There are currently 10 sailors missing and five injured.

The destroyer had made its way to Singapores Changi Naval Base by Monday afternoon under its own power.

Significant damage to the hull had resulted in flooding to compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms, the Navy said, but crew members were able to stop the flooding.

Four of the injured were taken by helicopter to hospital in Singapore with non-life threatening injuries. The fifth needed no further treatment.

The USS John S. McCains sister ship, the USS Fitzgerald, almost sank off the coast of Japan after it was struck by a Philippine container ship on June 17. The bodies of seven USS Fitzgerald sailors were found in a flooded berthing area.

Collisions between warships and other large vessels are extremely rare, with naval historians going back more than 50 years to find a similar incident.

A search-and-rescue mission was under way for the sailors missing from the USS John S. McCain involving Singaporean ships, helicopters and tugs, as well as US Navy aircraft.

Reuters video footage from the Singapore Strait showed an area of impact about 6 metres (20 ft) wide in the John S. McCains port side.

The US Navy later said amphibious assault ship USS America had arrived to provide messing and berthing for crew of the USS John S. McCain. It would also provide support for the search of the missing and divers to assess the damage.  Reuters
Washington, August 22

Afghanistan on Tuesday lauded President Donald Trump for breaking Americas silence on Pakistan providing sanctuaries to terrorists and embracing a strategy that gives the war-torn country what it needs.

Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief, ruled out a hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to end Americas longest war.

He also warned Pakistan of consequences for providing safe havens to terrorists and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Reacting to Trumps address, Afghanistans Ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib thanked President Trump for breaking Americas silence on Pakistan, which has been harbouring terrorists for attacks against its neighbours.

We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account both our countries needs and considerations. This is the first time a focus has been put on what Afghanistan must have to succeed, and we are grateful for this outcome, Mohib said after Trump concluded his speech on Afghanistan and South Asia.

Mohib said Trump had embraced a strategy that gives Afghanistan what it needs, specifically a shift away from talking about timetables and numbers to letting conditions on the ground determine military strategy.

He also lauded the decision to integrate Americas military, economic and political power to achieve shared goals.

The strategy also expands authority to move swiftly against terrorist activities and criminal networks in place of micromanagement from Washington and a breaking of the silence over Pakistans shelters and sanctuaries for terrorists, the Afghan Ambassador said.

Like America, Afghanistan also wants an honourable and enduring outcome to this fight, for all the Afghan, US, and NATO soldiers who had served and sacrificed to advance the cause of peace, Mohib said.

In his address, Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continued to do so. PTI
Madras/Charleston, August 21

Emotional sky-gazers on the US West Coast cheered and applauded as the Sun briefly vanished behind the Moon a rare total solar eclipse that will stretch across North America for the first time in nearly a century.

Eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 70-mile (113- kilometer) wide path running through 14 US states, where the Moon will block out all light from the Sun. Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups popped up nationwide for what NASA expects will be the most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media.

At about 1605 GMT, eclipse fans in Lincoln Beach, Oregon were the first to witness the partial phase of the eclipse. More than 100,000 people have gathered in Madras, Oregon, typically a town of 7,000 for what experts described as perfect viewing conditions. Totality began at 1716 GMT over Oregon and will end roughly 90 minutes later at 1848 GMT over Charleston, South Carolina.

In Los Angeles, "oohs and aahs" emanated from the crowd of thousands of people gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began.  Reuters
MADRID, August 22

An alleged member of an Islamist cell suspected of carrying out last weeks deadly Barcelona van attack told a Spanish court on Tuesday that the group had been planning a much bigger strike using explosives, a judicial source said.

The testimony to a closed hearing at Spain's High Court came from Mohamed Houli Chemlal, one of four detained suspects brought to Madrid to testify for the first time in court about the plot.

Two of the suspects told the court that Abdelbaki Es Satty, the imam in the small town in northeastern Spain where many of the group came from, was the instigator, the source said, adding that the public prosecutor had asked the judge to send all four to jail while investigations continued.

El Mundo newspaper said Chemlal told the court that the group planned to attack architect Antoni Gaudi's landmark Sagrada Familia church and other Barcelona monuments but this could not be immediately confirmed.

Chemlal was arrested after being hurt in a blast at a house in Alcanar, southwest of Barcelona, a day before Thursday's van attack on the crowded Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona, which left a trail of 13 dead and 120 injured people from 34 countries.

The four are the only alleged members of the group still alive after the driver of the van that ploughed through the crowd in Barcelona, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub, was shot and killed by police on Monday. Also in court were Mohammed Aalla, 27, owner of the Audi car used in the Cambrils attack, and Salah el Karib, 34, who ran an internet cafe in Ripoll that, according to La Vanguardia newspaper, was used to send money to Morocco. No charges against the men have yet been specified.  Reuters
Tal Abta (Iraq), August 22

Iraqi forces on Tuesday recaptured from the Islamic State group the first two districts of jihadist bastion Tal Afar, as the Pentagon chief visited Baghdad in a show of support.

The United Nations said thousands of civilians have fled Tal Afar in the two days since the start of the broad offensive backed by the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State.

In remarks before meeting in Baghdad with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said he wanted to keep the spotlight on eradicating the jihadists.

"Right now our focus is on defeating ISIS inside Iraq, restoring Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity," said the Pentagon chief, using an alternative acronym for Islamic State.

Iraqi troops, supported by the forces of a US-led international coalition, routed Islamic State in Mosul in July after a gruelling nine-month fight for Iraq's second city.

They launched the offensive on Sunday to recapture Tal Afar, once a key IS supply hub between Mosul  around 70 kilometres to the east  and the Syrian border.

The jihadists inside Tal Afar, estimated to number around 1,000, responded with artillery fire on Tuesday as the Iraqi forces massed outside the city.

Army, police and units of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition later took "full control" of Al-Kifah and Al-Nur districts in Tal Afar, the Hashed said.

The Iraqi forces had encircled the city despite what Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi described as "intense" fighting. He said the fighting for the city would likely last weeks.

The International Organization for Migration said its teams were "responding to thousands of civilians fleeing Tal Afar since the launch of the military campaign".

Since Friday, more than 3,000 people had arrived at two IOM emergency sites, many with just the clothes on their back, said the UN agency.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said it had received some 9,000 people at the Hamman Al Alil transit centre in the past week, and it was preparing to accommodate nearly 30,000 more.

Mattis declined to make any predictions on the battle.

"ISIS's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over anytime soon," he said.

Iraqi forces had "fought like the dickens in Mosul, (it) cost them over 6,000 wounded, somewhere over 1,200 killed", he noted.

Yet that comeback restored the confidence of the Iraqi forces after their shock loss of Mosul to IS in 2014.

Mattis stressed that retaking Mosul would not have happened "without... Abadi's steady hand" but also thanks to extensive US support.

The future of that support still must be settled, and there would be resistance from Shiite militia and Iranians, said Nicholas Heras, Middle East Security Fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

Mattis will also meet in Arbil with Massud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

Mattis had said his discussions in Iraq would focus on the way ahead, including how to keep the country from again politically fragmenting or falling further under Iran's influence.

"Secretary Mattis is going to be very much focused on a pathway for the United States to continue to have to a residual force in Iraq to continue to train Iraqi security forces" and avoiding a successor from IS rising up, said Heras.

A key issue is Iraqi Kurdistan's plan for an independence referendum on September 25, strongly opposed by the US as an event that could undermine Abadi and distract from the fight against IS.

"A referendum at this time would be potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign," said Brett McGurk, the White House envoy to the anti-IS coalition.

"It's not just the United States; every member of our coalition believes that now is not the time to hold this referendum."

McGurk said the initial push on the outskirts of Tal Afar was "going well", with 235 square kilometres cleared in the first 24 hours.

Iraqi and US forces were "moving faster, more effectively, more efficiently," he said, in part due to US President Donald Trump having given Mattis more authority to decide on tactics and resources needed.

Mattis, who is on a five-day swing through Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Ukraine, said he would also talk about reconstruction and resettlement of hundreds of thousand of Iraqis driven from their homes and towns by the fighting, especially Mosul.

"It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be a heavy lift for them going forward."

But Heras said Mattis, whom he said has earned firm trust among Iraqis, needs to help Abadi further build his power as a moderate for the post-war, with elections looming for next year.

"That will be a political pickle that Mattis will have to work Abadi through," he said.  AFP
Seoul, August 21

South Korean and US forces began computer-simulated military exercises on Monday amid tension over North Koreas weapons programmes, while a report Pyongyang has earned millions of dollars in exports is likely to raise doubts about the impact of sanctions.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the joint drills, called Ulchi Freedom Guardian, were purely defensive and did not aim to increase tension on the peninsula, but North Korea denounced the exercises as preparation for war.

There is no intent at all to heighten military tension on the Korean peninsula as these drills are held annually and are of a defensive nature, Moon said.

North Korea should not exaggerate our efforts to keep peace nor should they engage in provocations that would worsen the situation, using (the exercise) as an excuse, he said.

The joint US-South Korean drills last until August 31 and involve computer simulations designed to prepare for war with a nuclear-capable North Korea. The US also describes them as defensive in nature, a term North Korean state media has dismissed as a deceptive mask.

North Korea views such exercises as preparations for invasion and has fired missiles and taken other actions to show its anger over military drills in the past.

This is aimed to ignite a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula at any cost, the Norths KCNA news agency said.  Reuters
Kabul, August 22

The Taliban warned that Afghanistan would become a graveyard for the United States on Tuesday after President Donald Trump cleared the way for thousands more American troops to be sent to the war-torn country.

If America doesnt withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century, Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

He said America should think of an exit strategy instead of continuing the war.

As long as there is one US soldier in our land, and they continue to impose war on us, we, with a high morale will continue our jihad, Mujahid said.

Trump backtracked from his promise to rapidly end Americas longest war in his first formal address to the nation as commander-in-chief on Monday, though he did not offer specifics.

He said he had concluded the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable, leaving a vacuum that terrorists would instantly fill.

While Trump refused to offer detailed troop numbers, senior White House officials said he had already authorised his defence secretary to deploy up to 3,900 more troops to Afghanistan.

Earlier Mujahid had dismissed the strategy as vague and nothing new.

For now I can tell you there was nothing new in his speech and it was very unclear, he told AFP.

A senior Taliban commander told AFP that Trump was just perpetuating the arrogant behavior of previous presidents such as George W Bush.

He is just wasting American soldiers. We know how to defend our country. It will not change anything.

For generations we have fought this war, we are not scared, we are fresh and we will continue this war until our last breath, he told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

He added that the statement proved the current Afghan government is a US puppet.

The insurgents signalled their intentions minutes after Trump spoke by claiming the US embassy in Kabul had been the target of a rocket attack on Monday.

The rocket landed in a field in the citys diplomatic quarters, with no casualties reported.

Trump also lambasted US ally Pakistan for offering safe haven to agents of chaos.

A commander from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network, long believed to have links to Pakistans shadowy military establishment, told AFP that Trump has proved its a crusade.

His statement has proved that he wants to eliminate the entire Muslim umma (community), he said.

Prior to Trumps announcement the Taliban had written an open letter warning him not to send more troops and calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. AFP
Washington/Kabul, August 22

President Donald Trump committed US troops to an open-ended war in Afghanistan, a decision the Afghan government welcomed on Tuesday but which Taliban insurgents warned would make the country a graveyard for the American empire.

While Trump offered few specifics in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief on Monday, he promised a stepped-up military campaign against the Taliban which have gained ground against US-backed Afghan forces.

While Trump said he would not discuss troop levels or details of the new strategy, US officials said on Monday he had signed off on Defence Secretary James Mattis plans to send about 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

Trump said our troops will fight to win and stressed that ultimately Afghanistans police and army must do most of the fighting to defeat the Taliban and allied Islamist militants.

The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do.... We want them to succeed. Most of the approximately 8,400 US troops in Afghanistan work with a NATO-led training and advising mission, with the rest part of a counter-terrorism force that mostly targets pockets of al Qaeda and Islamic State fighters.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the strategy saying it would expand the training mission for Afghan forces, which includes building its fledgling air force and doubling the size of the Afghan special forces.

I am grateful to President Trump and the American people for this affirmation of support ... for our joint struggle to rid the region from the threat of terrorism, Ghani said in a statement. The Taliban swiftly condemned Trumps decision.

If the US does not pull all its forces out of Afghanistan, we will make this country the 21st century graveyard for the American empire, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

US-backed Afghan forces overthrew the Talibans hard-line Islamist government in late 2001 over its sheltering of Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks in US cities that killed nearly 2,000 people. But US forces have been bogged down ever since in a war that has vexed three presidents. About 2,400 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan.

Trump, who had criticized his predecessor for setting deadlines for drawing down troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, declined to put a timeline on expanded U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

Former President Barack Obamas deadlines for troop decreases brought the US military footprint from about 100,000 in 2011 to 8,400.

Trump also said he had expanded the US militarys authority for its forces to target militant and criminal networks, warning that no place is beyond the reach of American arms.  Reuters

}My original instinct was to pull out all American troops but

"was convinced by my military advisers after a lengthy review of the United States longest war. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including Islamic State and Al-Qaida, would instantly fill."

 Donald Trump, us president

Why US cant pull out

The US first invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, accusing the countrys then Taliban government of sheltering Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11 terror attacks. The Afghanistan war has dragged on with no end in sight for 16 years. The Taliban still control 37% of the country with 35,000 militants in action

Casualties so far

60,889 Afghans

42,100 militants

2,371 US troops

1,136 allied soldiers

Boots on ground

US combat operations against the Taliban officially ended in 2014. However, more than 8,000 special forces continue to provide support to Afghan troops
Washington, August 21

President Donald Trump will announce Americas new strategy in Afghanistan, amid reports that his administration could be mulling a role for India in ending the brutal and costly conflict, the US longest war.

Trump will make his first prime-time broadcast to the nation as President at 9 pm (7:30 am IST, Tuesday) to unveil his new plan after a lengthy period of deliberations to end nearly 16 years long war in Afghanistan.

The President will provide an update on the path forward for Americas engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia, White House Press Secretary said.

The address from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Virginia, will follow Defence Secretary Jim Mattis confirmation yesterday that the administration had decided on a new Afghan strategy after rigorous debate.

The much-awaited policy announcement comes eight months after Trump became the US President . Trumps predecessor, Barack Obama, had announced his Afghan policy in the first 100 days of his office. While Obamas policy focused primarily on Afghanistan and Pakistan, reports said the Trump administration looked into possibilities for a role for India during its policy review.  PTI
Tehran: Iran can resume production of highly enriched uranium within five days if the nuclear deal it struck with world powers in 2015 is revoked, Iran's atomic chief was quoted by state media as saying on Tuesday. The deal that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani championed with the United States, Russia, China and three European powers led to the lifting of most sanctions against Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme. Rouhani has intensified efforts to protect the deal, also known by its acronym JCPOA, against Washington's return to an aggressive Iran policy, after U.S. President Donald Trump approved new sanctions on Tehran. reuters
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29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (2) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (4) Nov 15 (6) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (2) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (2) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (4) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (7) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (7) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (2) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (5) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (7) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (2) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (6) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (6) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (8) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) May 30 (2) May 29 (2) May 28 (2) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (3) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (5) May 20 (4) May 19 (2) May 18 (3) May 17 (3) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (5) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (3) May 10 (4) May 09 (4) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (2) May 05 (3) May 04 (4) May 03 (2) May 02 (3) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (7) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (7) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (5) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (6) Mar 18 (6) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (5) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (9) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (3) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (2) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (2) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (2) Jan 04 (2) Jan 03 (2) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (2) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (2) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (2) Nov 21 (2) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (2) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (2) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (2) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (2) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (2) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (2) Aug 25 (2) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (2) Aug 12 (2) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (2) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (2) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (2) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (2) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (2) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (2) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (2) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (2) Jul 03 (2) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (2) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (2) Jun 16 (2) Jun 15 (2) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (2) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (2) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (7) May 16 (2) May 15 (2) May 14 (4) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (3) May 08 (2) May 07 (2) May 06 (2) May 05 (1) May 04 (2) May 03 (4) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (1) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (2) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (2) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (1) Apr 03 (1) Apr 02 (1) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (2) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (2) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (2) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (2) Mar 15 (1) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (2) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (1) Mar 07 (1) Mar 04 (2) Mar 02 (2) Feb 28 (1) Feb 24 (1) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (3) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (2) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (4) Oct 16 (3) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (5) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (5) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (5) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (4) May 19 (3) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (1) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (4) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (3) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (3) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (3) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (3) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (2) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (5) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (2) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (2) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (2) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (2) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (1) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (1) Sep 19 (1) Sep 18 (1) Sep 17 (2) Sep 16 (1) Sep 15 (2) Sep 14 (2) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 11 (2) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (1) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (1) Sep 02 (1) Sep 01 (1) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (1) Aug 25 (1) Aug 24 (1) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (2) Aug 19 (1) Aug 18 (1) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 12 (1) Aug 09 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 05 (1) Aug 04 (1) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 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An internally displaced Iraqi family arrive at Hammam Al-Alil camp after fleeing the conflict in West Mosul.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

In northern Iraq, with operations having commenced as of Sunday to retake the city of Telafar, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, remains concerned about the protection of Iraqi civilians.

Telafar city, in Ninewa province, some 65 kilometres north-west of Mosul, fell under the control of extremist armed groups in 2014. Its pre-conflict population was thought to be around 200,000. Since April this year, more than 30,000 people fled Telafar district, many living in camps sheltering other displaced families mainly from Mosul.

Humanitarian agencies have been without access to Telafar since 2014, but its estimated that thousands of people could still be in the city. Conditions are said to be very difficult, with food and water running out, a lack of electricity and diminishing health facilities. People are said to have been surviving on unclean water and bread for the past three to four months.

Those families who have managed to flee the area have done so at great personal risk. Many talk of seeing dead bodies along the way, and there are reports that some were killed by extremist groups. Others appear to have died due to dehydration or illnesses.

People leaving Telafar are walking long distances to reach safety, without food or water, at times for up to 20 hours and in scorching heat. Temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius. They are often forced to leave behind their most vulnerable (children, elderly, disabled) who are unable to undertake the arduous journey.

Many arriving at the mustering points (Badoush fuel station, Scorpion Junction, Al Musaid mustering point) are physically exhausted and dehydrated. Large numbers have sustained wounds or injuries from sniper fire and exploding mines.

UNHCR protection partners have been present at the mustering sites, identifying and referring cases in need of specific assistance, such as unaccompanied and separated children.

In the past week, we have received some 1500 families in the Hammam Al Alil transit centre some 20 kilometres south east of Mosul, where overnight shelter and basic assistance is provided.

Additionally, we are finalizing another 1,000 family plots (6,000 people) in a new sector, Al Salamiyah 3 some 25 kilometres south-east of Mosul. The site is expected to open in about 10 days.

UNHCR has also taken over the management of Nimrud camp (about 7 km from Al Salamiya camp) (3,600 family plots) which will be able to receive up to 22,000 displaced people from Telafar in the coming days.

Additionally, around 150 families from Telafar (approximately 900 people) are sheltering in UNHCR camps east of Mosul.

We fear that Iraqi civilians are likely to be held as human shields again and that attempts to flee could result in executions/shootings. We call on all parties to the conflict to allow civilians to leave the conflict area and to access to safety.

We are also concerned about reports that in some instances displaced Iraqi families from Telafar are being denied access to safety in locations that have capacity to absorb them. We are equally worried about continued reports of harassment, revenge attacks and abuse of the displaced people from Telafar. We reiterate our call to the Iraqi authorities to double their efforts to ensure prevention, safe reporting and timely response to such incidents. UNHCR also echoes and supports the high level interventions of the Humanitarian Coordinator.

Across Iraq, more than three million people remain displaced due to conflict. We anticipate further displacement in the coming months as the Iraqi government is moving towards regaining control of extremist-held areas of Hawiga and West Anbar (Al Qaim, Ana and Ruaa) which could displace as many as 100,000 people.

UNHCRs humanitarian operations in Iraq remain critically underfunded. We urgently need US$126m this year for camp construction, support to returnees and winter assistance. A shortage of funding threatens to undermine our humanitarian response.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
UW Student Conducts Research at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital

Reba Brenner, a UW incoming physiology junior from Harrisburg, Neb., completed an internship this summer at the famed St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Brenners laboratory experience will lead her into the medical field. (Casey Cai Photo)

Reba Brenner was more than elated to know that she was the first University of Wyoming student selected for a prestigious internship program to conduct meaningful research this summer at the famed St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

The UW physiology junior-to-be from tiny Harrisburg, Neb. -- located in western Nebraska, with a population of about 100 -- recently completed an 11-week internship as a pediatric oncology education (POE) student. As a POE student, Brenner attended educational seminars each day on the current state of pediatric oncology and general oncology; conducted active laboratory and computer research; and then concluded her summer program with a presentation of research, which included a publishable, comprehensive research paper.

The educational lectures comprised the latest clinical methods regarding pediatric oncology, relevant drug discovery/research and adult oncology. The seminars were either taught by St. Jude doctors or world leaders in their respective medical research fields.

During her time at St. Jude, Brenner served as a full-time research assistant in the Departments of Structural Biology and Chemical Biology and Therapeutics. Her work revolved around the study of apoptosis -- programmed cell death -- relevant proteins and their mechanisms, and improving the therapeutic opportunities for killing lymphoma tumors.

This internship has been an amazing opportunity to enhance my research skills, professional experience and expand my knowledge of pediatric oncology and oncology itself, Brenner says. I was absolutely exuberant and proud to be chosen as a POE student. I was told on my first day at St. Jude that I am the first person affiliated with the University of Wyoming, or just Wyoming in general, to be awarded this appointment.

Brenner first became interested in research after her freshman year at UW, when she received a Wyoming Research Scholars Program mini-grant and began working for Professor Zhaojie Zhang, director of UWs Robert Jenkins Microscopy Center.

I loved research so much that I continued to work in the lab for seven months, she says. That fall, I worked two jobs: one as a researcher and one as an EMT in Cheyenne.

An active student at UW, Brenner was an officer on Freshman Senate; is in the Honors Program; served as treasurer for one year on McIntyre Halls senate; is an active participant and officer in the Delta Delta Delta womens sorority and participant in Rho Lambda and Cardinal Key honoraries; and is an Associated Students of UW senator representing the College of Arts and Sciences.

During her sophomore year, Brenners penchant for laboratory research led her to study abroad at the University of Glasgow. While there, she obtained cadaveric experience in an anatomy class alongside the universitys medical school students.

We technically were a separate class, but for most laboratory sessions we were taught about gross and clinical anatomy alongside their medical students, she says.

The experience gave her the opportunity to become a co-author on an upcoming publication from the University of Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre targeting the correlations between happiness and cardiovascular health. While at the University of Glasgow, she also took part in cardiovascular research at the University of Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Institute.

This was clinical research experience that I never would have had the chance to take part in, in the United States, Brenner adds.

Through her UW Delta Delta Delta contacts, Brenner learned about St. Judes internship and was intrigued with the chance of gaining even more laboratory/clinical training. The application process was extensive, but Brenner credits her UW education in helping land the prestigious internship.

The University of Wyoming has given me a broad spectrum of scientific knowledge which has greatly aided my success at St. Jude, Brenner says. Through the Honors Program and its partnership with the University of Glasgow, UW provided me every opportunity with which to be not only a stellar applicant for the POE program, but also a very flexible learner who is capable of adapting to a variety of educational, working and living environments. Plus, working in Dr. Zhangs microscopy laboratory at UW has been invaluable for my success at St. Jude.

Brenner says her work at St. Jude has had a direct influence on her future goals. At the beginning of the internship, she strongly considered a career in orthopedic surgery but, after the completion of the POE program, Brenner has refined her career aspirations to include pediatrics.

I would love to specialize further into pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric surgery, pediatric cardiology or pediatric oncology, she says. I will decide between those options later in my career. I also have discovered that it is a possibility to implement my passion for international travel and research into my career as a pediatrician.

Brenner adds that she has learned an enormous amount about biochemistry, pediatric oncology and therapeutic drug discovery methods this summer -- all of which will aid her as she continues to pursue a medical career.

And that has strengthened her long-term goals.

St. Jude allows its pediatric oncology students numerous opportunities to acquire many hours shadowing pediatricians, surgeons, oncologists and almost every other specialty of medical practice both at St. Jude and at the West Cancer Center in Memphis, she says.

With one and a half years of research to her credit, Brenner returns for her junior year of classes at UW and again will conduct research -- this time for School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Baskaran Thyagarajan.

I absolutely loved working for St. Jude. The optimistic atmosphere of this institution is unparalleled, and I truly enjoyed knowing that my research has a positive impact on the lives of others, she says. My time at St. Jude has opened my eyes to many opportunities, and I am ever so thankful.


This weekend, it was a family affair at Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil as Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis visited the show with her mother, husband (Julius Tennon) and daughter Genesis on Saturday, Aug. 19 (Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil).

Star of critically acclaimed films such as Fences, Suicide Squad, The Help and ABCs hit television series How to Get Away with Murder, the world-famous actress and her loved ones were seen taking in the early performance, also enjoying a special backstage tour and meet-and-greet with cast members from the show.

Rounding out their Las Vegas adventure, the group later made their way to Rivea Las Vegas, where they savored a delicious Italian and French Riviera-inspired dinner from renowned chef Alain Ducasse.
CapitaLand launched its $300-million commercial fund to ride the waves of mounting investment demand

The fund, which will have a life span of eight years, will be used to invest in Grade A commercial real estate in Vietnam. CapitaLand will hold a 40 per cent stake in CVCFI, while the remaining interest will be held by major institutional investors, the company announced on its website.

Lim Ming Yan, president cum CEO of CapitaLand Limited, said, We see increasing investor interest in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam. CapitaLand is positive about the growth trajectory of Vietnam and foresees that this trend will continue for at least the next ten years. Besides the growing demand for residential properties with urbanisation, we also see strong potential upside in the commercial real estate sector, given the mismatch between the supply and demand of quality office space.

CVCFI brings us a step closer to our goal of raising funds with $7.34 billion in total assets under management by 2020. It comes on the back of our largest private equity partnership, the $1.5-billion Raffles City China Investment Partners III, which invests in prime integrated developments in gateway cities in China, Lim added.

CapitaLand has been considering Vietnam its focus in recent years, and in January this year, CapitaLand made its first foray into commercial real estate through the acquisition and development of an international Grade A office tower in the central business district of Ho Chi Minh City which will feature a direct connection to an upcoming metro station. With the completion of this development in 2020, CapitaLand plans to continue to diversify their portfolio and strengthen their foothold in the country.

Vietnam is the third largest market for CapitaLand in Southeast Asia, after Singapore and Malaysia. CapitaLand has nine residential developments, 22 serviced residences with over 4,700 units, and one international Grade A office development across six cities in Vietnam.
Ha Noi police plan to increase inspections to uncover human trafficking rings, focusing on inter-provincial and transnational criminals. - Photo infonet.vn

This is among measures to be taken by Ha Noi police as part of a plan on human trafficking prevention during 2017-20.

Police will also accelerate investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases, aiming to increase the number of cases being prosecuted by at least two per cent each year.

Police will work with ministries and agencies to fight human trafficking, with a focus on human trafficking in all forms, including foreigners or overseas Vietnamese pretending to be businessmen or tourists to enter Viet Nam to traffic people.

Human trafficking hot spots include road and railway routes linking Ha Noi to border provinces and international air routes.

Through investigation and prosecution, police will find loopholes in current regulations and propose changes to improve legal documents and policies.

The project also aims to diversify means of communications and education and multiply effective prevention models in the community.

Le Khac Son, deputy director of Ha Noi Polices Department of Criminal Investigation in Social Order said at a recent conference that human trafficking in the capital city has become a complicated issue.

The number of people coming to Ha Noi from other provinces to seek jobs keeps increasing, leading to a boom of establishments doing sensitive business such as bars, restaurants, hotels, massage parlours and karaoke bars. These factors aided the work of traffickers, he said.

The acceleration of transport and trade between Viet Nam and China as well as with other countries in the region also increased the risk of human trafficking, he added.

In 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, authorities nationwide uncovered 430 cases of human trafficking, involving 600 accused and 1,500 victims. Some 85 per cent of the victims were to be sold to other countries, mainly to China.

Most of the victims were uneducated women and children from poor areas, including many from ethnic minority groups in Viet Nams northern highlands.

They were sold to men seeking wives in many countries such as China, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea, or to bear children or work as prostitutes in these countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last year approved a programme to tackle human trafficking in 2016-2020.

The programme will be carried out across Viet Nam as well as bordering countries such as Cambodia, Laos and China in accordance with domestic and international law.

It aims to enhance public awareness of fighting human trafficking, step up the detection, investigation and prosecution of cases, as well as protect and support victims.

The programme also hopes to improve legal documents and policies on human trafficking prevention, while increasing co-operation with other countries in implementing international commitments in the field.
Buses will be added to serve rising demand during the holiday on 14 routes, especially trips to popular attractions in the city such as Dam Sen Cultural Park, Suoi Tien Tourist Area, Sai Gon Zoo. Bus ticket prices on this vacation will increase by about 40 percent higher than normal days.

Meanwhile the Phuong Trang Futa Bus Lines Inc. will not increase fares on its 40 bus routes on the holiday. The company has also launched new routes from An Suong Bus Station in HCM Citys Hoc Mon District to Da Lat starting on August 21.

The local authorities has also ordered a temporary freeze on issuing permits for digging roads and pavements between August 31-September 2.
Fipronil, which can harm human health, has been discovered in eggs in 17 European countries since the scandal came to light on Aug 1. (AFP/Guido KIRCHNER)

Fipronil, which can harm human health, has been discovered in eggs in 17 European countries since the scandal came to light on Aug 1. (AFP/Guido KIRCHNER)

The two positive samples were from a total of 114 samples so far tested. One involved Italian-sourced eggs, while the other was still under investigation, said the Italian health ministry.

Separately, a regional official said a batch of frozen omelettes containing traces of fipronil had been withdrawn from sale in Milan.

The omelettes were supplied by German group Kagerr and distributed by an Italian group, a Lombardy regional official told reporters.

He said 127 units from the batch had been withdrawn, but 117 had already been sold to consumers.

Fipronil is commonly used to get rid of fleas, lice and ticks from animals but the European Union has banned its use in the food industry.

The insecticide has now been discovered in eggs in 17 European countries since the scandal came to light at the start of August, and was even found as far away as Hong Kong.

Millions of eggs have been pulled from supermarket shelves and dozens of poultry farms closed, and the European Commission is to hold a crisis meeting in September.

Belgium became the first country to officially notify the EU's food safety alert system of the presence of tainted eggs on Jul 20, followed by the Netherlands and Germany.

Italy's agricultural association, Coldiretti, called on the government to publish a list of the at-risk products in order to prevent mass panic over eggs.

The association said Italians eat on average 215 eggs per person every year, and got a large part of them - about 610,000 kilogrammes' worth between January and May - from the Netherlands.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump look up at the partial solar eclipse from the balcony of the White House in Washington, DC. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP)

Millions of eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 113-kilometre wide swath cutting through 14 US states, where the moon briefly blocked out all light from the sun.

"It was incredibly beautiful. I am moved to tears," said Heather Riser, a 54-year-old librarian from Virginia, sitting on a blanket in Charleston's grassy Waterfront Park where thousands had gathered to watch.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups popped up nationwide for what NASA expected to be the most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media.

The blackest part of the eclipse, known as totality because the moon blocks all the sun's light from the Earth, began over Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 5.16pm GMT (1.16am, Tuesday, Singapore time).

Crowds whooped and cheered at the first sign of darkness.

Just inland, more than 100,000 people gathered at Madras, Oregon - typically a town of 7,000 - in what experts described as perfect viewing conditions.

"You're just blown away, this feeling inside you is really the definition of 'awe' and 'awesome,'" said Rich Krueger, a science professor.

"Seeing the corona extend out, feeling the coolness, hearing the crowd, just being a part of it with all these people, and especially my students and co-workers is just amazing."

In Los Angeles, "oohs and aahs" emanated from the crowd of thousands gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began.

Many had hiked to the site to avoid massive traffic jams. Some watchers had fashioned their own pinhole projectors out of cardboard and scotch tape. Others watched while wearing special, dark solar eclipse glasses.

"This is a once in a lifetime event," said 42-year-old Chad Briggs.

"JUST AWESOME"

In downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the last point in the path of totality, crowds of tourists - some in special eclipse T-shirts and star-printed trousers - staked out prime spots on the bustling city's storied waterfront.

Forecasts of thunderstorms threatened to block the view, but the eclipse managed to peek through the wispy clouds.

Onlookers in Waterfront Park screamed and cheered as the sky went dark in the middle of the afternoon, streetlamps came on, and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.

"It was just awesome," said Dave Lichtenauer, age 63, a retired electrical engineer, describing the event as "partially spiritual."

"The crowd here was very into it," he added, remarking on the diversity and peacefulness of the masses. You don't get many chances to experience that."

One bar had installed outdoor speakers blasting Bonnie Tyler's mega-hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - which she also performed live on a cruise ship sailing through the path of totality.

Cloudy weather and thunderstorms dashed viewers' hopes of a seeing the eclipse in some places, including Missouri. Some of the clearest views were along the West Coast.

SENSORY OVERLOAD

In the US capital, where 81 per cent totality occurred, Donald Trump watched the partial eclipse from the White House with his wife Melania and son Barron - although the president appeared to have missed the memo on eclipse do's and don'ts.

At one point, Trump glanced skywards without protective eyewear - a big no-no, according to experts. "Don't look," an aide shouted to him. He later donned glasses.

Eclipse watchers flocked to Washington's National Air and Space Museum, where solar telescopes were set up for the occasion.

The National Zoo staged a viewing party, and national parks across the country organised programmes for children.

In Mexico, where there was a partial eclipse, astronomy buffs set up telescopes fitted with special sun filters in parks and squares in various cities.

Many who see an eclipse are overcome by emotion as the sky goes black, birds return to their nests and the air chills.

"It is such an incredible, sensory-overload kind of event," eclipse-chaser Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, told AFP of the first total solar eclipse he saw in the United States back in 1970.

Scientists planned to study the eclipse to learn more about the super-hot corona, or outer atmosphere of the sun.

"It is really exciting to see so many people interested in nature and science and this amazing phenomenon," said Kwayera Davis, an adjunct professor of astronomy at the College of Charleston.

'SHARING A COSMIC EVENT'

After weeks of turmoil triggered by the race-fuelled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, some commentators welcomed the rare moment of togetherness afforded by the Great American Eclipse.

"The divided United States of America will unite today, sharing a cosmic event predicted by the methods and tools of science," tweeted the US astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson - who earlier advised people to "put down your smartphone and experience this one emotionally, psychologically, physically."

The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, drew a more sombre parallel between the day's spectacle and the country's challenges.

"Wish the moon wasn't the only thing casting a shadow across the country. We got through one, we'll get through the other," he tweeted.
They include 12 trains on Sai Gon-Phan Thiet/Nha Trang/Quy Nhon routes; and 14 trains on Hanoi-Thanh Hoa/Vinh/Dong Hoi/Lao Cai routes.

In addition, Vietnam Railways will offer a promotional program on this occasion.



Accordingly, a group of 10 -50 persons will receive a discount of 4 percent. A group of 50-100 passengers will get a discount of 6 percent. A group of 101 or more people will receive a discount of 8 percent.
Investors observe stocks move at MayBank Kim Eng Securities Company in HCM City. - VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hai

The benchmark index on the HCM Stock Exchange closed almost flat at 768.79 points. It finished last trading week at 768.97 points.

Nearly 169.7 million shares were traded on the southern bourse, worth VND3.34 trillion (US$148.7 million).

Mondays trading volume was 13.5 per cent lower than that of Friday while trading value increased slightly.

Large-cap stocks were to blame for pulling the main exchange down on Monday as half of the 30 largest companies by market capitalisation declined, causing the VN30 Index to fall nearly 0.1 per cent.

Decliners included freshly-listing VPBank (VPB), steel producer Hoa Phat Group (HPG), insurance-finance group Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) and property developer Novaland (NVL).

Shares of brokerage firms were also negative. An Phat Securities Co (APG) was the only rising securities stock, which gained 0.3 per cent while others saw their values decrease, including BIDV Securities (BSI), HCM City Securities (HCM) and Vietinbank Securities (CTS).

Foreign investors remaining net sellers also worsened market sentiment, posting a net sell value of VND58.6 billion, an increase of nearly 300 per cent from Friday.

According to securities firms, investor confidence has remained low over recent weeks as the stock market had performed weaker than it had in the first seven months of the year.

Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities Co (SHS) wrote in its daily report that the VN Index recorded its sixth up-and-down session on Monday with declining trading liquidity.

That shows a large number of investors were standing by and observing the market with caution because the market is becoming weaker than it was in the previous seven months.

While the VN Index has failed to surpass the level of 770 points, it has also remained below its upward trend line that was established in April and signals negative trading sessions ahead, Bao Viet Securities (BVSC) said in its note.

The market conditions were negative as trading liquidity remained comparatively lower than the average of the previous 21 trading days while declining stocks outnumbered gaining ones, proving that investor sentiment was weak in general, BVSC said.

Therefore, BVSC said the main market trend in the next few sessions would be negative while SHS said the VN Index would move narrowly between 762 points and 778 points.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX Index added 0.30 per cent to end at 101.13 points with nearly 46 million shares being exchanged, worth VND594 billion.
The 2016 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk in Omaha Orange has off-road capability but is more refined than the Wrangler. (Robert Duffer/Chicago Tribune/TNS)
This article is the continuation of

  The anti-imperialist camp: splintered in thought , by Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network, 15 August 2017.

In the first part of this article, I pointed out the fact that currently, President Bachar el-Assad is the only personality who has adapted to the new  grand US strategy  - all the others continue to think as if the present conflicts were simply a continuation of those we have been experiencing since the end of the Second World War. They persist in interpreting these events as tentatives by the United States to hog natural ressources for themselves by organising the overthrow of the pertinent governments.

As I intend to demonstrate, I believe that they are wrong, and that their error could hasten humanity down the road to hell.

US strategic thought

For the last 70 years, the obsession of US strategists has not been to defend their people, but to maintain their military superiority over the rest of the world. During the decade between the dissolution of the USSR and the terrorist attacks of 9/11, they searched for ways to intimidate those who resisted them.

Harlan K. Ullman developed the idea of terrorising populations by dealing them a horrifying blow to the head (Shock and awe) [1]. This was the idea behind the use of the atomic bomb against the Japanese and the bombing of Baghdad with a storm of cruise missiles.

The Straussians (meaning the disciples of philosopher Leo Strauss) dreamed of waging and winning several wars at once (Full-spectrum dominance). This led to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, placed under a common command [2].

Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski suggested reorganising the armies in order to facilitate the treament and sharing of a wealth of data simultaneously. In this way, robots would one day be able to indicate the best tactics instantaneously [3]. As we shall see, the major reforms he initiated were soon to produce poisonous fruit.

US neo-imperialist thought

These ideas and fantasies first of all led President Bush and the Navy to organise the worlds most wide-ranging network for international kidnapping and torture, which created 80,000 victims. Then President Obama set up an assassination programme mainly using drones, but also commandos, which operates in 80 countries, and enjoys an annual budget of 14 billion dollars [4].

As from 9/11, Admiral Cebrowskis assistant, Thomas P. M. Barnett, has given numerous conferences at the Pentagon and in military academies in order to announce the shape of the new map of the world according to the Pentagon [5]. This project was made possible by the structural reforms of US armies  these reforms are the source of this new vision of the world. At first, it seemed so crazy that foreign observers too quickly considered it as one more piece of rhetoric aimed at striking fear into the people they wanted to dominate.

Barnett declared that in order to maintain their hegemony over the world, the United States would have to  settle for less , in other words, to divide the world in two. On one side, the stable states (the members of the G8 and their allies), on the other, the rest of the world, considered only as a simple reservoir of natural resources. Contrary to his predecessors, Barnett no longer considered access to these resources as vital for Washington, but claimed that they would only be accessible to the stable states by transit via the services of the US army. From now on, it was necessary to systematically destroy all state structures in the reservoir of resources, so that one day, no-one would be able to oppose the will of Washington, nor deal directly with the stable states.

During his State of the Union speech in January 1980, President Carter announced his doctrine - Washington considered that the supply of its economy with oil from the Gulf was a question of national security [6]. Following that, the Pentagon created CentCom in order to control the region. But today, Washington takes less oil from Iraq and Libya than it exploited before those wars  and it doesnt care !

Destroying the state structures is to operate a plunge into chaos, a concept borrowed from Leo Strauss, but to which Barnett gives new meaning. For the Jewish philosopher, the Jewish people can no longer trust democracies after the failure of the Weimar Republic and the Shoah. The only way to protect itself from a new form of Nazism, is to establish its own world dictatorship  in the name of Good, of course. It would therefore be necessary to destroy certain resistant states, drag them into chaos and rebuild them according to different laws [7]. This is what Condoleezza Rice said during the first days of the 2006 war against Lebanon, when Israel still seemed victorious -  I do not see the point of diplomacy if its purpose is to return to the status quo ante between Israel and Lebanon. I think that would be a mistake. What we are seeing here, in a way, is the beginning, the contractions of the birth of a new Middle East, and whatever we do, we have to be sure that we are pushing towards the new Middle East and that we are not returning to the old . On the contrary, for Barnett, not only the few resistant people should be forced into chaos, but all those who have not attained a certain standard of life - and once they are reduced to chaos, they must be kept there.

In fact, the influence of the Straussians has diminished at the Pentagon since the death of Andrew Marshall, who created the idea of the  pivot to Asia  [8].

One of the great differences between the thinking of Barnett and that of his predecessors is that war should not be waged against specific states for political reason, but against regions of the world because they are not integrated into the global economic system. Of course, we will start with one country or another, but we will favour contagion until everything is destroyed, just as we are seeing in the Greater Middle East. Today, tank warfare is raging in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt (Sinai), Palestine, Lebanon (Ain al-Hilweh and Ras Baalbeck), Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia (Qatif), Bahrein, Yemen, Turkey (Diyarbakr), and Afghanistan.

This is why Barnetts neo-imperialist strategy will necessarily be based on elements of the rhetoric of Bernard Lewis and Samuel Huntington, the  war of civilisations  [9]. Since it is impossible to justify our indifference to the fate of the people from the reservoir of natural resources, we can always persuade ourselves that our civilisations are incompatible.

The implementation of US neo-imperialism

This is precisely the policy which has been in operation since 9/11. None of the wars which were started have yet come to an end. For 16 years, on a daily basis, the living conditions of the Afghan people have become increasingly more terrible and more dangerous. The reconstruction of their state, which was touted to be planned on the model of Germany and Japan after the Second World War, has not yet begun. The presence of NATO troops has not improved the life of the Afghan people, but on the countrary, has made it worse. We are obliged to note the fact that it is today the cause of the problem. Despite the feel-good speeches on international aid, these troops are there only to deepen and maintain the chaos.

Never once, when NATO troops intervened, have the official reasons for the war been shown to be true - neither against Afghanistan (the responsibility of the Taliban in the attacks of 9/11), nor Iraq (President Husseins support for the 9/11 terrorists and the preparation of weapons of mass destruction to attack the USA), nor Libya (the bombing of its own people by the army), nor in Syria (the dictatorship of President Assad and the Alaouite cult). And never once has the overthrow of a government ever put an end to these wars. They all continue without interruption, no matter who is in power.

The  Arab Springs , which were born of an idea from MI6 and directly inspired by the  Arab Revolt of 1916  and the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia, were included in the same US strategy. Tunisia has become ungovernable. Luckily, Egypt was taken back by its army and is today making efforts to heal. Libya has become a battlefield, not since the Security Council resolution aimed at protecting the population, but since the assassination of Mouamar Kadhafi and the victory of NATO. Syria is an exception, because the state never fell into the hanads of the Muslim Brotherhood, which prevented them from dragging the country into chaos. But numerous jihadist groups, born of the Brotherhood, have controlled  and still control  parts of the territory, where they have indeed sown chaos. Neither the Daesh Caliphate, nor Idleb under Al-Qaida, are states where Islam may flourish, but zones of terror without schools or hospitals.

It is probable that, thanks to its people, its army and its Russian, Lebanese and Iranian allies, Syria will manage to escape the destiny planned for it by Washington, but the Greater Near East will continue to burn until the people there understand their enemies plans for them. We now see that the same process of destruction has begun in the North-West of Latin America. The Western medias speak with disdain about the troubles in Venezuela, but the war that is beginning there will not be limited to that country  it will spread throughout the whole region, although the economic and political conditions of the states which compose it are very different.

The limits of US neo-imperialism

The US strategists like to compare their power to that of the Roman Empire. But that empire brought security and opulence to the peoples they conquered and integrated. It built monuments and rationalised their societies. On the contrary, US neo-imperialism does not intend to offer anything to the people of the stable states, nor to the people of the reservoirs of natural resources. It plans to racket the former and to destroy the social connections which bind the latter together. Above all, it does not want to exterminate the people of the reservoirs, but needs for them to suffer so that the chaos in which they live will prevent the stable states from going to them for natural ressources without the protection of the US armies.

Until now, the imperialist project ran on the principle that  you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs . It admitted that it had committed collateral massacres in order to extend its domination. From now on, it is planning generalised massacres in order to impose its authority - definitively.

US neo-imperialism supposes that the other states of the G8 and their allies will agree to allow their overseas interests to be  protected  by US armies. That should pose no problem with the European Union, which has already been emasculated for a long time, but will have to be negotiated with the United Kingdom, and will be impossible with Russia and China.

Recalling its  special relationship  with Washington, London has already asked to be associated with the US project for governing the world. That was the point of Theresa Mays visit to the United States in January 2017, but she has so far received no answer [10].

Apart from that, it is inconceivable that the US armies will ensure the security of the  Silk Roads  as they do today with their British opposite numbers for the sea and air routes. Similarly, it is unthinkable for them to force Russia to genuflect, which has just been excluded from the G8 because of its engagement in Syria and Crimea.
Whether they participated in the giddy party vibes or not, every American will remember where he or she was during Mondays solar eclipse. Those same Americans will undoubtedly also remember where they were when they saw President Trump look directly up at the eclipse without proper eye protection, the same terrible compulsion you, despite reading panicky texts from your mom, op-eds from ophthalmologists, and countless headline reminders, worried you, too, would succumb to. And while the news cycle continues turning and turning on its widening gyre (POTUS himself has already moved on to our strategy in Afghanistan), The Daily Show at least offers you one last look at that one last look Trump took at the sky, in defiance of science and common sense. In as much as he literally could not fight the urge to stare at the eclipse, a perverse, dangerous urge you can try to pretend you dont have but you know is lurking somewhere in the back of your mind, Trump was truly a man of the people today.
Jennifer Lawrence in Mother! Photo: Niko Tavernise/Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Most people, after they see the film, they dont even wanna look at me, says Darren Aronofsky with a basso profundo chuckle. Clad in New Balances, a Montreal Expos hat, and a black T-shirt bearing the logo of electro-punk label DFA Records, the 48-year-old auteur is introducing his latest outing, the secrecy-shrouded Mother! (exclamation point required), to a microaudience of four  of which I am a part. We had to turn in nondisclosure agreements before being permitted to see the film, and a viewing of it suggests the reason why: Aronofsky doesnt want you to know how, exactly, hes going to push your buttons. But hes going to push your buttons.

Aronofskys filmography is rich with moments of oft-surreal discomfort: Its hard to shake off Winona Ryder stabbing herself in the face in Black Swan, or Russell Crowe nearly murdering a newborn in Noah, or Jennifer Connellys climactic scene in Requiem for a Dream, which I cant even describe delicately here. But Mother! might be the most alarming entry in Aronofskys two-decade career. The film envisions a few months (or is it a few days?) in the countryside home of an idyllic couple, played by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. Unexpected visitors (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer) arrive; horrifying entropy sets in.

Beyond that, Aronofsky would prefer to stay secretive about details. Its a cruise missile shooting into a wall, this film, he muses a few days after the screening, seated in a dimly lit equipment room at a Manhattan sound-editing studio. I want audiences to be prepared for that and prepped that its a very intense ride.

I ask him how hes going to get people excited to see a movie they know little about  so far, the marketing campaign has ranged from coy to downright opaque. The best you might intuit from the trailers and poster campaign is that its about a couple. Who live in a house. And something is going terribly wrong. The first teaser for Mother! was literally a black screen with disparate lines from the film spoken over it. There are two things, Aronofsky says, that should draw in an audience. One has to do with vague tonal suggestions from the sparse marketing materials: Knowing that theres some terrifying secret at the core of this thing, that the films going to go there, and you should only come if youre ready to get on that roller coaster. And the other is whos behind the camera. I want them to be clear that its the guy who made Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan and the threshold is as high, if not higher, than that. Its definitely different than anything else out there right now. For anyone who has an appetite for that, well try do to our best to serve up a delicious meal.

For now, perhaps the best clue is the title: an emotionally loaded word further accentuated by its punctuation. I think it reflects the spirit of the film, he says. The film kind of has an exclamation point; at the end of it, theres a big exclamation point. So I think the title was just a bit better that way. And, hey, it couldve been a lot more extreme. When I first wrote the title, it was M-O-T-H-E-R, by itself, then I did a polish and the title was Motherrr!!!exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point, he recalls with a laugh. And Javier and Jen said to me, Thats not the new title, is it? I was like, Yeah, maybe! 

Lawrence and Aronofsky on the set of Mother! Photo: Lynsey Addario/Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Speaking of his star (and current girlfriend) Jennifer Lawrence: Without her, one can imagine this movie never happening. The narrative of Mother!, especially its conclusion, is an astounding anomaly in the risk-averse, tentpole-hugging Hollywood of 2017, even for a filmmaker as accomplished as Aronofsky. Add in the intense secrecy, and you can imagine Paramount being wary of the challenge of selling what is essentially a black box. And yet, Aronofsky says that it wasnt such a hard thing to convince people to do. I imagine that probably has to do with the fact that we attached Jen Lawrence to it as a first move.

It also didnt hurt that the project was relatively cheap and self-contained. Indeed, you could be forgiven for thinking it was made by an entirely different director from the one who constructed 2014s Noah, with its apocalyptic scope, enormous budget, expansive set pieces, bizarre CGI animals, and boulder-carapaced angels. That Biblical epic seemed to signal a move for the director toward a broader scale  and though its reception was mixed, he says now, at the end of the day, it was a profitable film and it was the film I wanted to make. So Im happy with the results. The breadth and scope of that film and this one couldnt be more different. But, he says, after he was done with Noah, he wanted to go in a radical new direction. Except that radical direction wasnt Mother!  not at first. I was working on a kids movie, actually, he says. Its based on my youth and my friends that I grew up with in South Brooklyn. But I was having some problems with it. I couldnt quite break it. And I had this other idea floating around my head.

Usually, Aronofsky writes down such stray ideas and returns to them later, but he couldnt leave this new one  the one that would become Mother!  alone. I sent it off to a friend to read, to get some notes, he remembers. I had a week alone while he was digesting it, and I kind of had this breakthrough figuring out how to structure it. And so I sat for about five days and I pumped it out. That immediacy was new for him. Ive been very, very jealous of songwriters who in a day or in a week can write a song that represents an emotion, he says. As a filmmaker, its like two, three years at a minimum to get an emotion out. So I was really curious if there was a way to try to capture one type of emotion and put it into something and see if it would work. All those ideas, the intensity of all those ideas, just sort of flooded out of me.

After that, Aronofsky moved the project into an unusual rehearsal process. It was three months with Jen and Javier, he recalls. We got a warehouse in Brooklyn and taped out the set and for three months rehearsed it and then actually shot the entire movie on video with our operator and our DP. No lighting, though; it was just to get movement. Even though there were no walls and no staircases, we were able to get a sense of movement and camera movement, and learn from that.

She really went there. The producers were freaking out.

During those rehearsals, he was particularly focused on Lawrence, who provides Mother!s incendiary core. I think there were a lot of things that the script asked that I have never seen her do, so I was trying to figure out how we were going to get there, he says. And during the rehearsals, she was very, very relaxed. She was present, but never really pushed herself. It wasnt appropriate for me to push that, even though I wasnt sure how she was going to do it. And I really didnt get to know the character until we started shooting, and she showed up.

Perhaps too much so, at times. I think she hyperventilated and also kind of threw a rib out, he recalls. During the big climax of the movie, I mean, she started  He trails off, then gets an emphatic look on his face. She really went there. The producers were freaking out. We had to sort of calm it down and then go for it again. And the thing is, theres so much ability there that somehow she can summon it again and again.

And she has to: The film is almost entirely composed of her or her immediate surroundings. The film is basically either over her shoulder, on her face, or her POV, Aronofsky says. Thats the only shots. There are a few wide shots when shes alone. But beyond that, the camera is basically in three places. The result is an unsettlingly intimate finished product that puts the viewer inside her skin for two increasingly white-knuckled hours.

Aronofsky is hesitant to call the film an allegory, but he does say, Theres more than meets the eye. Whether or not theres a specific statement being made, Mother! rises to the occasion of the present moment, emanating a sense of deep dread and rolling panic over the course of its run time. It is, in its way, a nano-dystopia; a world gone horrifically wrong inside just one house.

Therein lies the spoiler-free essence of Mother!  something is terribly, terribly out of joint these days, and its wholly unclear what there is to be done about it. Aronofsky doesnt have the answers, but he wants to shout the questions at the top of his lungs. There are these huge forces that are happening that you can look at and go, Thats wrong, and yet, no matter how much I scream about it, theres nothing I can do, and it keeps happening, he says. He pauses, shrugs, then comes to a conclusion about what hes willing to say: I just wanted the movie to howl at the moon.

*This article appears in the August 21, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
LEXINGTON  Visitors from near and far came to watch the eclipse at the Dawson County Fairgrounds Monday afternoon.

Mike Wolff with the Dawson County Extension office set up a tripod with a camera outside the exhibition building. He used a piece of welding glass to cover the camera so it wouldnt get ruined by the sun light.

Visitors from other states were also present at the fairgrounds.

Four travelers from the Denver area  Gordon Maddock, Janice Maddock, William Veazie and Diane Veazie  set up their viewing spot by a shaded area.

William said traffic on 1-25 going to Wyoming in Colorado was expected to reach 650,000 cars, six times the traffic during a Denver Broncos game.

He said his group wanted to avoid the traffic of Denver so they traveled to Colby, Kan., then to Lexington to view the eclipse. His group was impressed by the hospitality of central Nebraska people and the free sunglasses  in Denver they were hard to find and always at a cost.

George Mitchell and his wife Andrea traveled from Boston, Mass. on Amtrak trains. Their daughter, Petrea Mitchell, from Oregon, flew down from Oregon with her boyfriend to meet them in a family reunion for the eclipse.

"They were talking about having one million tourists in Oregon for the eclipse. This is really nice here," Petrea said.

George said coming to Nebraska for the eclipse was "an excuse to see the Bailey Yard and Golden Spike" in North Platte. He said he and his wife traveled for a day-and-a-half on the Amtrak train, departed it at McCook, then went to North Platte before coming to Lexington.

Allen and Emily Davenport of Denver drove four-and-a-half hours to Lexington to view the eclipse. Emily said they decided last minute, on Friday, to travel to Nebraska to view the eclipse.

After checking with hotels west of Lexington, some of which charged more than $1,000, they found a hotel in town, Emily said.

"It doesnt feel as busy as we thought it would be," Emily Davenport said.

Allen Davenport said he thought more people would be out and about in town based on the number of hotel rooms booked. He said he was happy with the friendliness of locals.
LEXINGTON - The Lexington Rotary Club welcomed District Governor Jerry Milner to its meeting on Wednesday.

Prior to the noon meeting at Madelines Cafe and Bakery, committee chairpersons from the Lexington Rotary Club met with Milner for a planning session.

There are 33 clubs in Rotary District 5630, which includes Lexington.

With some new members joining the Lexington Rotary Club this year, Rotary President Bernie Svoboda said it was his goal to help new members learn and grow to be not just members but Rotarians.

At the beginning of the Rotary meeting, Milner recognized the presence of former State Sen. Tom Carlson, who is actively involved in Rotary.

Milner also presented a new title and recognition to Lexington Rotary Club Member Kirsten Faessler, who formerly served as the president of the club. He said Faesslers experience with leading a club and working on grants made her a good choice to become a district trainer.

"Being in Rotary is about developing leadership, not just for Rotary but for personal and professional growth," Milner said.

Besides its on-going goal of eradicating polio from the world, Milner said other priorities of Rotary include: funding and promoting mobile grants and helping spread world peace.

He said that Rotary helps fund peace centers around the world where students can gain real-life experience.

"The more you find out about Rotary the more you are committed to the tenants of Rotary," Milner said.

Milner said Rotary members should be proud of being a part of the "top humanitarian organization in the world."

Rotary is known for being very effective with its money, time and resources, which speaks a lot about its leadership and development of members, he said.

Although Rotary membership was down as a whole in the United States, Milner said in some Asian countries, such as India, membership was booming.

In India, polio has only been eradicated in the last four years, a cause Rotary is known for, Milner said.

"They were seeing it (polio) on a daily basis until four years ago," he said.

Increases in membership in India means it is not uncommon for an Indian person to pay a months worth of wages to join and become a Rotary member, Milner said.

He said it can be hard for people in the United States, who are distanced from the scourge of polio and other causes Rotary is known to fight, to realize the impact the group is having across the world.

"Its about making a difference and to continue to make a difference to people in need," Milner said.

For more information on the Lexington Rotary Club contact Bernie Svoboda at basvoboda@msn.com.
Marlin Independent School District has reached a separation agreement with RoShon Jackson, a former Marlin High School assistant principal who filed a complaint against the district with the state earlier this year alleging several special education violations.

The districts board of managers voted unanimously last week to overturn a decision earlier this year to not renew Jacksons contract as part of a reduction in force that eliminated her position. Instead, Jackson was able to resign from her position, effective at the end of last school year.

Im OK with it. I dont have any bad feelings or anything about it, Jackson said about the agreement. God told me to let it go, so thats what I did. I just let it go.  I plan to work on my second doctoral degree and I will look for work and put in applications for other employment.

Administrators and trustees thanked Jackson for her service to the district and Marlin community, according to a statement the district provided Wednesday that it jointly released with Jackson.

The administration and board are equally confident that her zeal for public education, passion for students, dedication to the standard of excellence, and leadership skills will make her an immediate asset in any school district in the state, according to the statement.

Jackson was placed on administrative leave for unclear reasons six days before she filed her complaint with the Texas Education Agency on March 29.

Jackson had asked the TEA to look into whether Marlin ISD officials had ensured special education students attending the districts Success Academy were meeting all applicable graduation requirements and whether the district had properly implemented individual education programs for those students between March 29, 2016, and March 29, 2017.

At the time of the allegations, Seabolt said the districts Success Academy didnt exist during Jacksons given time frame and alleged Jackson played a key role in the issue as the administrator who signed off on making recommendations to place students in the academy.

Ultimately, the TEA found Marlin ISD committed several violations involving seven special-needs students in the academy, including improperly reducing course requirements and failing to offer the required continuum of resources and placement options for the students.

Superintendent Michael Seabolt declined to comment further on the districts agreement with Jackson.

The agreement, obtained by the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday through an open records request, states Marlin ISD and Jackson agreed to the following:

Marlin ISD will provide a positive letter of recommendation, including a statement that Jackson is eligible for rehire

If Jackson were to reapply and be mistakenly rehired, any contract would be null and void and the district will not make negative comments about Jackson or her performance as an employee in the district

Marlin ISD will pay Jackson $315 of gross annual income before tax withholdings and deductions for time previously worked and earned, or the equivalent of 9 hours of work she did outside of her other contract days

No additional comments would be made outside of an agreed upon press release between the district and Jackson

Marlin ISD will not contest any claim for unemployment compensation benefits Jackson may file

Marlin ISD agrees it did not discover conduct that would require it to report Jackson to the State Board of Educator Certification

Jackson agreed to withdraw her grievance made about the district and release Marlin ISD from all claims, demands and causes of action against the district, and the district agreed to do the same.
The political maps may color the Waco area deep red, but you wouldnt know it by the applause lines at U.S. Senate hopeful Beto ORourkes town hall at Knox Hall on Monday.

The crowd of 250 cheered as he called for legalizing marijuana, declared universal health care a fundamental right, urged a Constitutional amendment to dismantle the electoral college and said hed support impeaching President Donald Trump.

ORourke, a Democratic Congressman from El Paso, continues to find enthusiastic crowds as he hits the home stretch of a 34-day tour of Texas in preparation for the 2018 Senate race against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. And hes not just hitting liberal bastions: Recent stops have included Amarillo, College Station and Pampa.

No Texas Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat since 1988 or a statewide election since 1994, but ORourke said hes taking on the challenge.

At the Waco town hall and in a Monday interview, he made the case for his bipartisan appeal, saying he has worked with Republican lawmakers to craft bills on immigration and veterans issues.

A member of the House Armed Services Committee, ORourke promised to work for shorter wait lists and better care for veterans. He said he would fight to control college costs and expand young peoples access to higher education. He called for an end to the federal war on marijuana, saying it has only enriched drug kingpins.

He called for comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, and railed against the creation of a border wall.

Texas is home of so many immigrants, he said. Twenty-five percent of my constituents were born in another country, and because of that, not in spite of that, El Paso is one of the safest cities in America today.

ORourke also took aim at redistricting maps he said state officials have used to dilute the votes of minorities  a situation he said contributes to voter apathy.

Texas is the most gerrymandered state in the union, he said. We are really not a red state. I dont know if were going to be a blue state. But now were a nonvoting state because people have literally been drawn out of their democracy because of their race and ethnicity.

Asked by a Baylor Law School student whether he would support impeaching Donald Trump, ORourke answered carefully. He said he has defended his attendance at Trumps inauguration in terms of celebrating Americas tradition of peaceful transfer of power.

But my concerns about the president have only grown since then, he said. Not just the very real possibility of active collusion with a foreign power and attempts at obstruction of justice with the FBI investigation. But the last straw for me was this presidents response to rioting in Charlottesville.

ORourke said he wouldnt expect his Republican colleagues to support impeachment short of clear and damning evidence that he is unfit for office, but he himself would vote for impeachment.

ORourke has visited Waco three times in recent months, and he said he has been impressed with the citys civic pride and its initiatives such as Prosper Waco and the Waco Mammoth Site, a national monument. On Monday, he served and ate meals at the Harrison Senior Center, watched the eclipse at Brazos Park East and made a stop at the Magnolia silos for his wife.

ORourkes welcome to Waco was warm, and a long line waited to meet him after the event.

He hit all the right notes, said Jose Villanueva, a Waco attorney who was already a supporter. I like that hes really open and that he told people, Ill get back with you.

Cheryl Foster, a progressive activist, laughingly called ORourke her unicorn candidate with rainbows and glitter.

He has a plan, she said more seriously. He knows how to get in there and work the system.

Kaley Eggers, a social worker and foster parent, said she didnt know much about ORourke before the event. But she said he showed sincerity and willingness to listen when she asked him about shortcomings of the foster system.

He seemed to know what he was talking about and wanted to learn more, she said.

In the receiving line, ORourke and Waco college student Josh Grijalva chatted politics and punk rock, with ORourke insisting on London Calling as the Clashs best album.

Grijalva, who campaigned for Bernie Sanders in the last election, said he hopes ORourke can bridge the corporate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party.

Hes very easy to talk to, and hes good at reaching out to his constituents, Grijalva said.
A few weeks ago I attended a welcome and get to know you reception for our new Waco ISD Superintendent, Marcus Nelson. The event, sponsored by the Waco NAACP and the local chapter of educator sorority Phi Delta Kappa Inc. was a terrific success. Peaches Henry, NAACP president, told me they had put out 50 chairs before the event  by the time Nelson rose to speak they needed 200. Nelson made some fans for himself that night. His introductory speech was masterful: full of humor, passion, challenge and confidence. His speech wasnt exactly a sermon, but there were plenty of amens from the congregation as he shared key elements of his educational philosophy.

A few days later I happened to be walking out of a different meeting with school board member Norman Manning. I told him I thought they might have hit a homerun with Nelson, and Manning agreed. As we were talking, though, he mentioned some other conversations he has had about our new superintendent. He told me several people had been asking, Well, if hes so great  why does he want to come HERE?

Why here? I dont know Marcus Nelson yet, and I cant read his mind, but I can think of at least three big reasons why a superb educational leader in the prime of his career would want to come to Waco, Texas.

First, if you believe in the power of education, Waco is exactly where you want to be. Sure, there are easier places to work. There are school systems with more money. There are schools where the students have more advantages. There are probably even some schools where, honestly, the students are going to be fine if you are even a moderately competent educator. But wheres the sport in that?

The purpose of public education is not to perpetuate the status quo. It is to perpetuate the dream  the dream that a person, any person, starting from any circumstances, can work hard and achieve and build a good life. Waco is a place where the rubber meets the road when it comes to that dream. Waco is a place where educators make a huge difference in students lives .

Second, there is plenty to build on in Waco. Im an outside observer, but I have some favorites: The Income Tax Prep program at the A.J. Moore Academy at University High; The Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy (GWAMA), the Greater Waco Health Career Academy (GWACHA) and the new Construction Trades Academy; the fine arts programs including the amazing musicals; our support for homeless students  the list goes on. We have terrific students at WISD. When they are given the opportunity, they can knock your socks off. We also have some terrific educators who are working and innovating every day to give them those opportunities.

Finally, the community of Waco needs a strong school district and we know it. I get phone calls and emails regularly from people who are moving to Waco and want the inside scoop on living here. I have not had one of these conversations yet that did not end up being a conversation about school districts. These conversations reinforce for me what we already know: Any community that expects to thrive must have a strong school district and Waco expects to thrive.

Our community has shown it is willing to join in the work of building up the school district. Through community-wide efforts such as the Education Alliance, that has now become a part of Prosper Waco, we have been rallying support for years. Programs such as Communities in Schools and tutoring programs sponsored by various churches and community organizations stand ready to help.

In 2015 our community showed its support for WISD by passing a Tax Ratification to direct new financial resources into the district  resources that have been used to improve literacy programs; to explore and implement positive, effective ways to work on behavioral issues; and to provide outstanding dual credit opportunities to students.

Certainly, Waco ISD has its challenges, and we are showing that we have the wisdom and the will to face those challenges head on. By all accounts, Marcus Nelson did his homework before accepting the job as superintendent of our school district. I think he saw a terrific opportunity in Waco, and was smart to jump on it.

For the first day of school the Waco NAACP organized a group of us to greet the scholars at J.H. Hines Elementary. As we welcomed the children back to school and wished them a wonderful school year, Nelson showed up to do the same. I had the honor of introducing him to pastor Pam Rivera of St. Luke A.M.E. Church. She welcomed him warmly to Waco, and as he acknowledged the welcome he lowered his voice a bit to say seriously, We have a lot of work to do.

She didnt hesitate in her response, and plenty of people who want to help. Amen, pastor!
President Donald Trump has been widely and appropriately condemned for reacting to the horror in Charlottesville, Virginia, with remarks about both sides, and for comparing Confederate generals to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and for reacting to white supremacist terrorism by saying there is another side.

Sure, Ive been critical of the lefts antifa tactics to counter fascism. (Among other things, they enabled the white nationalists to cry victimhood in Charlottesville.) But the time to critique the left fringe is not after someone with vile racist views has just murdered a protester. That moment is the appropriate time to condemn white supremacist ideology, denounce the murderer, and express the hope that the nation can learn to live together better as we mourn our dead.

This should go without saying, but apparently it doesnt, so there, I said it. And a lot of Republicans expressed that appropriate sentiment. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, for example, tweeted: We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity. And there you have it: The leader of the House has taken a stand against Trump.

A lot of liberals want to know how Ryan was going to stop Trump from saying things like this. Republicans have learned that they cant. The party has, after all, tried to stop Trump from Trumping. It has tried surrounding him with party stalwarts who could advise him not to say things like this. It has tried condemning his most offensive and un-American utterances. None of it seems to have made much impression on Trump.

Our system of government leaves Congress with few levers to pull once sweet reason and appeals to the presidential self-interest have failed.

They can impeach him, of course. But what would you put in the articles of impeachment? In a press conference on August 15, President Donald J. Trump said the wrong thing? His response was hideous, but I have a tough time making it fit any reasonable definition of high crimes and misdemeanors.

While the framers had a pretty good idea of what constituted such an offense, they dont seem to have given anyone besides Congress the power to decide exactly what circumstances constituted a high crime and misdemeanor. As far as I can tell, the Congress of the United States can impeach a president because they dont like the way he combs his hair, and all the rest of us could do is write indignant letters to our local representative.

But in practice, Congress is limited by both political expediency and a due respect for the delicacy of our political institutions. If Republicans impeach Trump over a press conference, indignant voters will turn the nation blue at the next election. But even if the GOP were willing to make that sacrifice for America, its not clear that America would benefit, even if you think Trump is the worst president in the history of our nation.

Washington elites stepping in to remove Trump because they dont like what he says would validate exactly the complaints that led to his election in the first place. Voters knew that he said things like this and voted for him anyway. Removing him for such a reason would call the democratic legitimacy of the government into question. The damage to our institutions might well be even deeper than the damage that Trump is doing with his polarizing rhetoric. Especially if this becomes a precedent for future presidencies under perpetual threat that a restive Congress will decide to give the vice president a try.

At the point when, say, two-thirds of the country wants him removed, then Congress has the ability, and probably the duty, to do so. But at the moment, Paul Ryan, like the rest of us, can do very little except watch in horror, and try to stand up for the good when our president wont.
Bathroom business

Sometimes growth requires opening ones mind a little bit and doing some easy research. I challenge those who believe as Eva Fleming does [Letters, Aug. 11] to open their minds and do the research.

Many countries of the world that I have had the great opportunity to visit have just one bathroom for all. This unilateral bathroom business is undertaken day after day without incident. These folks in other countries just go to the bathroom. Its a done deal. They probably go to the bathroom several times a day. Thats how it is with bathrooms. You just go, do your business and leave. Here, thank goodness, the going to the bathroom, a truly necessary physical function, does not necessitate genitalia supervisors, as state Sen. Jose Rodriguez noted in ridiculing the so-called bathroom bill considered twice by the Texas Legislature this year.

To me, in all actuality, the making of ones stand in the public bathroom (for such is totally different than the public arena) is rather comical and absurd. For the incident of problem behavior is neither higher nor lower here. The moral codes across gender are the same in all people. Open a bit and do the research.

Joyce Nobis, Waco

Exiling the elitist

Methinks David Schleicher is trolling for a more palatable client base. His laborious, polysyllabic take on the average Wacoan was interesting. [Simple steps to protect against hubristic interlopers from elitist-infested swamps! Aug. 11.] As he sips his wine, laughs gaily, he cant help but smirk at the Neanderthals hes surrounded by, he surely sees us clinging to our Bibles and guns, ready to unload on any newcomer he would graciously call a peer  someone recognizing and matching his innate superiority. He doesnt give any of his subordinates (us) any credit for being able to coexist with him or his peers. That makes me wonder wherein the narrow-mindedness lurks  and if the esteemed Mr. S wouldnt be happier elsewhere.

Juanita Case, Hewitt

***

Its difficult to decide whether David Schleichers columns are attempts at satire or out-and-out sarcasm, but they often end up as snide comments. Please explain why you continue to retain him as a member of your board of contributors.

Dorothy Fornoff, Waco

EDITORS NOTE: The basic answer is we regularly publish local contributors across the political spectrum, ranging from David Schleicher to Pete Commander. And lately weve thrown David Gallagher of London into the mix with David. But to more directly answer your question, we publish his column because:

We seek to unite the right by providing a common enemy.

He can write.

Its part of his therapy.

As a Waco liberal, hes protected under the Endangered Species Act.
LOS ANGELES  A Los Angeles jury on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record $417 million to a hospitalized woman who claimed in a lawsuit that the talc in the companys iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene.

The verdict in the lawsuit brought by the California woman, Eva Echeverria, marks the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in courts around the U.S.

Echeverria alleged Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers about talcum powders potential cancer risks.

Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman Carol Goodrich said in a statement that the company will appeal the jurys decision.

Light impact seen from Fed bond trimming

WASHINGTON  The nations business economists think that the Federal Reserves long-awaited move to start reducing its massive bond holdings will push long-term bond rates higher but most think the impact will be fairly modest.

The latest survey, out Monday, of the National Association for Business Economics found that 41 percent of economists surveyed expected rates on the 10-year Treasury note will rise by just one-half percentage point or less.

The Federal Reserve is expected to announce at its September meeting a starting date for the reduction in its $4.5 trillion balance sheet, which has grown five-fold since right before the 2008 financial crisis.

Lithuania takes delivery of US gas

KLAIPEDA, Lithuania  Lithuania has taken delivery of its first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the United States, a milestone that the Baltic state hopes will further reduce its reliance on Russia.

Independence, the U.S.-based tanker, docked Monday in the port of Klaipeda to offload about 200 cubic yards of gas at a fully functioning offshore terminal that is capable of covering most of Lithuanias annual energy needs.

Energy Minister Zygymantas Vaiciunas said the U.S. is already the countrys most-important strategic partner and now becomes a reliable LNG supplier for the whole region.

Herbalife sale talks come to halt

NEW YORK  Herbalife said that it was in talks to be acquired and taken private, but that those negotiations ended last week.

The nutritional supplement company said Monday that in response to those talks, it is offering to buy $600 million worth of its shares from existing investors in an auction. Herbalife, which has its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles, said that investors who sell their shares will get a contingent cash payment if the company is sold within two years.
ALVO  Construction work on Nebraska Highway 63, between Alvo and Interstate-80, began last week and has brought some concern to Alvo Fire Chief Rick Koutecky.

The work includes the realignment of existing highway, culverts and box culverts, and wetland mitigation.

People can get in and out of Alvo by going South and using Fletcher, Koutecky said. But its going to be hard for us, as a fire and rescue department, to answer mutual aid calls on the Interstate. In short, we have no access to the Interstate.

Right now, to answer calls to the north, units will have to use gravel roads.

Its like we cant get there. Well just have to cut across, which will take time, he said.

Koutecky said that the projects was a mess and he was afraid would only get worse.

The work will be completed in two phases. During the first phase, Highway 63 will be closed to traffic from Reference Post 9+68 to Reference Post 11+49, with a marked detour for through traffic. This phase is anticipated to be completed by December.

That phase is up around Church Road, Koutecky said.

The second phase will begin in March 2018. During this phase, Highway 63 will be closed to traffic from Reference Post 4+20 to Reference Post 9+68, with a marked detour for through traffic This portion of the project is anticipated to be completed by November 2018.

That phase starts right on the north end of Alvo, Koutecky said. And will affect our cemetery. If there is a funeral, I have no idea how they will get there.

Not only that but there are six houses in that two mile stretch, making it hard for individuals to get to work as well as school buses.

And we have farmers using that road during spring planting and harvest and they will be cut off as well, Koutecky said. It just adds to all of the confusion of what the project is causing us.

He also sees problems with Alvo Fire Departments annual car show.

We have held that event for years, right in Alvo, and the question is still out if we can do it next year. We know cars can get here from Highway 34 over to Highway 63 but it will make for a longer trip. Well have to decide if its worth it, he said.

According to the Nebraska Department of Transportation, Knife River, LLC of Sioux City, Iowa, has been awarded the $11,758,926 contract. The Departments project manager for the project is Jesse De Los Santos of Lincoln.

Motorists are reminded to drive cautiously through construction work zones, along detours, and to expect delays.
The AroundTown section of the Clipper-Herald is to notify the public of upcoming events and to publicize pertinent information from individuals, groups or organizations that are not for profit.

PEOPLE

The family of Jim and Cathy Stone is suggesting a card shower to celebrate the Stones 50th wedding anniversary on Aug. 26. Cards may be sent to Jim and Cathy Stone, 1604 Grafton Drive, Lexington, NE 68850

HAPPENINGS

Miller Dances: All Dances start at 7 p.m. Bring finger food and snacks. Questions? Call 308-325-2909. Aug. 26: "Diamonds and Dust," - Free Dance for Darlenes birthday.

A fundraiser for the Blanche Senior Scholarship "Wings and Wine" Night will be Thursday, Aug. 24 from 5 - 9 p.m. at Macs Creek Winery and Vineyards.

The Dawson County Museum is seeking volunteers to assist with the Mobile Childrens Museum, "Truckin Through Nebraska," when it visits Lexington on Aug. 31-Sept. 2. Shifts are from 10:15 to 3 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 31; 10:15-2 p.m., 2-6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 1; and 10:15 to 3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 2. A short orientation and lunch or snack break will be figured into each shift. Please contact Crystal Werger, Dawson County Museum executive director at 324-5340 or stop by the museum at 805 N. Taft during regular hours to complete a volunteer registration form.

The 27th annual Callaway Kite Flight, located on U.S. Hwy. 40, four miles southeast of Callaway will be held Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2, 3. Flying begins around 10 a.m. each day. Professional flyers from several states will participate and assist amateur flyers. There will be daily candy drops and other activities for the kids and vendors on-site both days. Admission is $3 per person per day.

A parent safety class, sponsored by Dawson County Rooted in Relationships, will be held in Spanish at Central Community College-Lexington Campus on Sept. 7, 14, 21 28. Classes will also be held Oct. 5, 12,19, 26. Class time is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Class is free. To register call Nancy Pinedo at 308-324-1841.

Get your tickets now for the Historic Homes Tour and Edwardian Tea Saturday, Sept. 9. Tours of Lexington homes begin at 1:00 p.m. Come to the Dawson County Historical Museum FIRST for a list and map of historic homes. Meet back at the Museum for 3:00 p.m. Tea. Ticket price is $15 and includes both the Tour and Tea. Tickets available at: Dawson County Museum, U-Save Gifts, and the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce.

The gates will be open,8:00 a.m.-noon, at the City Service Building for disposal of household waste on the 3rd Saturday of the following months: Aug. 19 and Sept. 16, 2017. There is a minimal fee for disposal of household waste, furniture, wood, appliances and misc. items. Paint, chemicals and construction debris will not be accepted. Call the Service Building at 324-5995 if there are any questions.

WIC Clinics for Dawson County are scheduled as follows: In Lexington, MNCA Building, 931 West 7th, Tuesday through Thursday the first full weeks for each month. Call 308-324-6212 for appointment. In Cozad, Parkview Building, 120 E. 9th, Monday, Aug. 14 and Sept. 18. In Gothenburg, American Lutheran Church, 1512 Ave. G Sept. 11.

Events at the Lexington Grand Generation Center - Public Bingo on Mondays at 7 p.m. Must be 18 to play. For questions call 308-324-2498. Homemade Pretzel Baking on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. Cost to purchase pretzels is .50/pretzel, $6.00/dozen. Purchase and/or come help roll!

Love in Action Outreach, 907 West 8th St., Lexington, is open Monday through Thursday, 12:30  4 p.m. For assistance go to 909 West 8th St. Donations of clothes, furniture and other items any time back of store or contact 308-651-0925 for further assistance. Monetary donations are accepted as well.

Are you a person with compassion and good listening skills? Parent-Child Center would like to give you the opportunity to put those feelings and abilities into practice. The Parent-Child Center needs volunteers to answer our lines after office hours. If you are interested please call for more information at 308-324-2336.

Lexington Area Parkinsons Disease Support Group Meetings are held the second Thursday each month at 2 p.m. in the education room at the Community Health & Fitness Center (1600 W. 13th, Lexington) For more information contact Dixie Menke at 308-325-5350 or 308-784-4022 or Brenda Bierman at 308-324-2523 or 308-325-9216.

RYDE Transit - Public Transportation is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule a ride in Dawson County or Lexington call 308-324-3670. Public Transportation is easy to ride and open to everyone.

YMCA EVENTS

YMCA Summer Camp: Tuesday & Thursdays, July 11- August 3. Register weekly or for the entire camp.

MEETINGS

American Legion in Lexington meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles.

Bingo Night at Lexington Regional Health Center will resume in the fall. Bingo will resume at the Corner Cafe on Sept. 7, 2017. The staff reports they really enjoyed everyone and cant wait to see everyone in the fall.

Survivors of Suicide Support Group meets every second Monday of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 1616 W. 39th St., in Kearney. For more information contact Carol Rowedder at 308-237-2635.

LEXINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Lexington Public Library will be closed from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21 to allow employees time to view the eclipse. We will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Lexington Public Library is taking applications for a Prime Time student intern. The applicant must be at least 16 years old and a high school or college student. For more information you can pick up a job description and application at the Lexington Public Library located at 907 North Washington.

The August "Booked for Lunch" program will be held at the Library on Thursday, Aug. 24. Crystal Werger, Director of the Dawson County Historical Society Museum in Lexington will present "Celebrate the Nebraska Sesquicentenniallearn about Nebraskas history." For those of you who pre-register, a light lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Wergers presentation begins at noon. To register, visit the library or call (308) 324-2151 before noon on Wednesday, August 23. This program is sponsored by the Lexington Public Library Memorial Fund and the Lexington Community Foundation.

All adults who participated in the Summer 2017 Reading Program, need to turn in their reading logs at the circulation desk prior to September 5. Prizes will be awarded that week.

The Friends of the Library will meet on Monday, Aug. 28 at 3:00 p.m. If you are interested in learning more about the Friends of the Library, their projects and goals, contact Karen or Kathy at the Library or join us the at the next meeting.

The first Storytime of the fall season will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 10:30 a.m at the Lexington Public Library. Children and their caregivers are invited to join us for fun and exciting stories, music, and learning activities. We look forward to seeing you this fall.

If you enjoy reading or stitching of any kind, the Library has a group for you! The Monday Afternoon Book Club will meet Monday, Sept. 18, at 3:00 p.m. Our book for September is "Titans" by Leila Meacham. You are invited to read the book and join us for a lively discussion at the Lexington Public Library.

LEXINGTON GRAND GENERATION CENTER

Exercise room is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Every Sunday the Center available for rent.

Wednesday

Meat loaf, cottage fries, peas/carrots, oranges

Thursday

Potato bar, meat sauce, baked potato, salad bar, pineapple cake

Friday

Sweet and sour chicken, potato, buttered beets, plums

LEXINGTON SCHOOL MENU

Breakfast

Wednesday

Dutch waffles, fruit and juice variety

Thursday

Backpacker snack, fruit and juice variety

Friday

Breakfast pizza, fruit and juice variety

Lunch

Monday

Mandarin chicken, pizza, burritos, sub sandwich or yogurt, chicken rice, broccoli, salad bar with fruit and vegetable variety

Tuesday

Chicken strips, pizza, burritos, sub sandwich or yogurt, mashed potatoes, dinner roll, salad bar with fruit and vegetable variety

Wednesday

Max sticks/marinara, pizza, burritos, sub sandwich or yogurt, green beans, salad bar with fruit and vegetable variety

OVERTON SCHOOL MENU

Breakfast

Wednesday

Donut holes and scrambled eggs

Thursday

Griddle sandwich

Friday

Glazed donuts and ham

Lunch

Wednesday

Make your own sub

sandwich

Thursday

Grilled chicken noodle bowl

Friday

Pigs in a blanket

ORGANIZATIONS

AA/NA: open meeting Friday nights at 7 p.m. at Plum Creek Mall at Two Bridges Counseling, 513 N. Grant St., Suite 3a, Lexington.

Westside Group: AA/NA open meeting on Monday and Wednesday nights at separate locations at 8 p.m. Monday night meetings at First Christian Church, 1206 N. Erie St. in Lexington. Wednesday nights at Community Health Center (west of hospital) 1600 W. 13th St. in Lexington.

AA Elwood: at 8 p.m. on Sundays at United Methodist Church, 601 Rush in Elwood. Contact: 785-3567 (Tom).

Al-Anon meets Mondays, 8 p.m. at the LexChristian Church, 13th & Erie; Wednesdays, 8 p.m. at Lexington Regional Health Center Board room, use east entrance; Thursdays, noon at Grace Lutheran Church, 105 E. 17th, use office door. For more information call 308-651-0143 or308-324-2288.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, non-smoking: at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at St. Anns Catholic Church basement, 301 E. Sixth St. Contact: 308-651-0143.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, non-smoking - Smithfield: At 8 p.m. on Thursdays at Hope Lutheran Church, 74098 Road 436 in Smithfield. Call 785-3567 or 472-3376.

Celebrate Recovery: a 12-step, anonymous program helping participants overcome any hurts, habits, addictions or hang-ups. Meets twice: 1) at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Lexington Evangelical Free Church, 810 S. Washington Street. Contact: 308-324-3825 or 308-238-1298. 2) at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays at Parkview Baptist Churchs Y.A.C., 1105 Park St.. Contact: 308-324-4410.

The Compassionate Friends, Lexington Area Chapter (a support group for parents who have lost a child), meets the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m., at the Great Western Drive-In bank meeting room, corner of 6th and Lincoln. For more information call 308-320-1483.

Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska Public Immunization Clinic, 1st & 3rd Mondays every month: Open 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. by appointment at 931 West 7th St., Lexington. Clinics serve ages 2 months - 18 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult, previous vaccination records required. Contact 308-865-1352 ext. 143.

Dawson/Gosper County CASA: seeking Volunteers. CASA Volunteers are everyday people from all walks of life, who advocate through the court system in the interests of children. Contact 324-7364 for more information.

Grupo Lexington AA (Spanish Speaking) open meeting Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 11 p.m., at 114 West 6th St. in Lexington.

Lexington Area Grief Support Group: meets at 4:30 p.m. on the first Mondays of each month at Fitness Center, 1600 W. 13th Street. Open to anyone experiencing the death of a loved one. Contact Lexington Regional Health Center Home Health office, 324-8300.

Lexington Optimist Club: meet at Kirks Nebraskaland Restaurant every Thursday at noon except the first Thursday of the month. If you need to get ahold of us you can email us at lexoptimist@gmail.com or you can send mail to Lexington Optimist Club, PO Box 355, Lexington, NE 68850.

Lexington Rotary Club: meets the first and third Wednesday of the month at Lexington Public Library from 12 to 1 p.m. For more information contact Kirsten Faessler at 308-324-8333.

Narcotics Anonymous: open meeting on Sundays at 12 p.m. at Two Bridges Counseling, 513 N. Grant St. Suite 3a in Lexington.

ORGANIZATIONS

AA/NA: open meeting Friday nights at 7 p.m. at Plum Creek Mall at Two Bridges Counseling, 513 N. Grant St., Suite 3a, Lexington.

Westside Group: AA/NA open meeting on Monday and Wednesday nights at separate locations at 8 p.m. Monday night meetings at First Christian Church, 1206 N. Erie St. in Lexington. Wednesday nights at Community Health Center (west of hospital) 1600 W. 13th St. in Lexington.

AA Elwood: at 8 p.m. on Sundays at United Methodist Church, 601 Rush in Elwood. Contact: 785-3567 (Tom).

Al-Anon meets Mondays, 8 p.m. at the LexChristian Church, 13th & Erie; Wednesdays, 8 p.m. at Lexington Regional Health Center Board room, use east entrance; Thursdays, noon at Grace Lutheran Church, 105 E. 17th, use office door. For more information call 308-651-0143 or308-324-2288.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, non-smoking: at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at St. Anns Catholic Church basement, 301 E. Sixth St. Contact: 308-651-0143.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, non-smoking - Smithfield: At 8 p.m. on Thursdays at Hope Lutheran Church, 74098 Road 436 in Smithfield. Call 785-3567 or 472-3376.

Celebrate Recovery: a 12-step, anonymous program helping participants overcome any hurts, habits, addictions or hang-ups. Meets twice: 1) at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Lexington Evangelical Free Church, 810 S. Washington Street. Contact: 308-324-3825 or 308-238-1298. 2) at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays at Parkview Baptist Churchs Y.A.C., 1105 Park St.. Contact: 308-324-4410.

The Compassionate Friends, Lexington Area Chapter (a support group for parents who have lost a child), meets the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m., at the Great Western Drive-In bank meeting room, corner of 6th and Lincoln. For more information call 308-320-1483.

Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska Public Immunization Clinic, 1st & 3rd Mondays every month: Open 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. by appointment at 931 West 7th St., Lexington. Clinics serve ages 2 months - 18 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult, previous vaccination records required. Contact 308-865-1352 ext. 143.

Dawson/Gosper County CASA: seeking Volunteers. CASA Volunteers are everyday people from all walks of life, who advocate through the court system in the interests of children. Contact 324-7364 for more information.

Grupo Lexington AA (Spanish Speaking) open meeting Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 11 p.m., at 114 West 6th St. in Lexington.

Lexington Area Grief Support Group: meets at 4:30 p.m. on the first Mondays of each month at Fitness Center, 1600 W. 13th Street. Open to anyone experiencing the death of a loved one. Contact Lexington Regional Health Center Home Health office, 324-8300.

Lexington Optimist Club: meet at Kirks Nebraskaland Restaurant every Thursday at noon except the first Thursday of the month. If you need to get ahold of us you can email us at lexoptimist@gmail.com or you can send mail to Lexington Optimist Club, PO Box 355, Lexington, NE 68850.

Lexington Rotary Club: meets the first and third Wednesday of the month at Lexington Public Library from 12 to 1 p.m. For more information contact Kirsten Faessler at 308-324-8333.

Narcotics Anonymous: open meeting on Sundays at 12 p.m. at Two Bridges Counseling, 513 N. Grant St. Suite 3a in Lexington.

SMART Recovery for those with alcohol abuse struggles, is held in Lexington (adult meeting) on Thursdays from 7 - 8 p.m. Meetings in Cozad on Tuesdays from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at American Lutheran Church. Youth meetings in Lexington from at 7 p.m. at Club 180, located at 210 W. 7th St.
Ariccia welomes return of popular Sagra della Porchetta which skipped two years due to covid.

The small town of Ariccia near Rome is to welcome back its Sagra della Porchetta, in honour of the savoury, fatty and moist boneless roast pork that is traditional to the region.

The 2022 edition, scheduled on the weekend of 2-4 September, comes after the event was skipped for the last two years due to Italy's coronavirus restrictions.

The 70th edition of the three-day festival starts at 09.00 on 2 September and ends at midnight on 4 September and - in addition to plenty of porchetta tastings - will be enlivened with live music and dancing.
Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a Los Angeles jury to pay $US417 million ($525 million) to a 62-year-old woman who blamed her ovarian cancer on the company's talc, in the first California trial over the product.

The jury found the parent company and its consumer-products unit liable Monday for failing to warn a woman over the alleged risk of the baby powder. The verdict includes $US347 million in punitive damages. J&J, which faces 5,500 claims in US courts, has lost four previous jury verdicts in St. Louis for a total of $US300 million.

The trial in Los Angeles was the first before a state jury outside Missouri, where the company lost four out of five trials over the past 2 years and got hit with verdicts as high as $US110 million. J&J is appealing the verdicts and in June succeeded in halting a trial in St. Louis after the US Supreme Court made it more difficult for out-of-state plaintiffs to join lawsuits in state courts that are deemed favourable to their claims.

The company will appeal, said spokeswoman Carol Goodrich. "We are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder,'' she said. "We are preparing for additional trials in the US and we will continue to defend the safety of Johnson's Baby Powder."
The man who replaced the Dalai Lama as the head of Tibet's government-in-exile has brought a troubling message to Australia. The Chinese military forcibly annexed Tibet in the 1950s, sending the Dalai Lama into hasty exile in India. The Dalai Lama retains his role as spiritual leader. But the Tibetan diaspora elected Lobsang Sangay as their political leader six years ago. He spoke at the National Press Club in Canberra earlier this month. The Harvard-educated lawyer's message to Australia: "It happened to Tibet - you could be next."

This is a disturbing idea, but surely a fanciful one? As president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Sangay's main agenda is to stir international empathy for Tibet. Encouraging us to identify with Tibet, putting us in Tibet's shoes, is surely a clever technique for achieving his aim.

Does have anything to support his assertion? His case: "If you understand the Tibetan story, the Chinese government [before the military takeover] started building a road  our first ever highway in Tibet.

"Now, we were promised peace and prosperity with the highway, and our parents and grandparents joined in building the road. In fact, they were paid silver coins to help them build the road...
Listen, I am sorry to have to release this small worm in your brain, but someone did it to me yonks back and there's no reason why you can't have it too. See, in the mid-80s, someone pointed out to me that "after any tragedy, accident, disaster, siege or disturbance, or just about any newsworthy incident whatsoever ... the eyewitnesses always start off their accounts with, "Well, first I heard a bang". And it is true. A good three decades on, I see it at least every second evening on the nightly news, or in the newspapers, and now that you are primed up for it, you will, too. But why have just one worm, when you can have two?

For, from now on, I invite you to observe, at least briefly, how after just about any negative event in the public domain, you will see a good 75 per cent of the Australian coverage make, in the first paragraphs, first utterances, first response, some version of, "It is the left wot done it ..."

I am serious. More often than not, when in print  if you, like me, need to read widely across the media landscape  you will see it in the headline, implying that all the ills of the world can be laid at the feet of this shadowy band of "lefties", working in tandem.

Climate change? An entire conspiracy by "the lefties" to whip up the mob for no good reason, getting the hoi polloi to believe total nonsense, just to keep scientists in comfy sinecures.
Australia will discuss potential further troop increases to Afghanistan with the United States in the wake of President Donald Trump's speech announcing a new strategy for the war-torn nation, Defence Minister Marise Payne has said.

But Senator Payne has stressed that Australia is currently making a "significant contribution" to operation in the Middle East and in its own neighbourhood and has already committed to raise troop levels in Afghanistan from 270 to 300.

However, Mr Trump said when announcing his new approach that the US will ask allies and partners to "support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own".

US media have reported Mr Trump will increase American troops by 4000  a rise of nearly 50 per cent on the roughly 8400 US forces there now.
Wellmania by Brigid Delaney At parties she attends, she observes, "not without horror (did I used to be like that?), the way people would deteriorate over the course of the night". With the rise of social media in the last 10 years, it's not just at parties that people are concerned about appearances. Fewer young adults are drinking to excess to (59 per cent of 16 to 17-year-olds said they had never consumed alcohol while 18 to 24-year-olds were drinking less overall). While social media is often blamed for its negative impact, in this instance, it might be having a positive influence. "It's no longer a badge of honour to post images of yourself being wasted, doing stupid stuff," Rochford says. "People are trying to project a more positive image of themselves, especially people who are in the high-risk drinking age."

DrinkWise CEO John Scott agrees. "They seem to be very aware of how they curate their lifestyles on social media," Scott says. "When we sent our researchers out to talk, particularly to young people, about what they do and why they do it, there is that emphasis on them taking care of themselves and going to the gym or seeing Sunday morning." Could this be a counter-trend to the epidemic of obesity and chronic disease in Australia? "We are getting to a point where the impact of a pretty comfortable lifestyle is starting to play itself out in chronic disease rates  obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease ... most things have a tipping point, and it gets to a point where younger generations go 'I don't want to spend the last years of my life being unwell'," Rochford says, before adding: "It's hard to project liver disease onto a 25-year-old because that's a 55-year-old man's problem who has drunk his entire life. For them, alcohol is different  it's 'I don't want to wake up with bags under my eyes', 'I don't want to not be able to go to the gym', 'I don't want the next selfie to look bad' 'I want to be positive and healthy and take care of my life'." The growing trend towards healthier, "cleaner" living has made less or no alcohol more socially acceptable. Changing demographics in Australia also mean  among certain groups and religions  alcohol is avoided and then there are people who didn't like how excess alcohol affected them and have either chosen to abstain or to significantly cut back.

"People used to post photos of themselves being 'sh-tfaced' but I think a lot of work has been done  by parents and through schools  that those images really stay with you," says Scott. "They're a bit more classy now when it comes to alcohol. Whether it's vanity or genuine, people are taking care of their health a lot more." It is not "job-over yet" though, Scott insists and alcohol still poses a problem for emergency departments, individuals and our broader community alike. "But this research tends to suggest we're more defined by moderation than excess  if you went back 30 years ago most people thought Australia had a very boozy culture  it was almost like a badge of honour that we went 'yeah, we're big drinkers here in Australia and we're proud of it.' I think that's changed," Scott says. Delaney now says that when she began drinking again, it was with a healthier attitude to alcohol. "It is one of life's great pleasures to enjoy good wine with good food and good friends. But I think back to that time without and feel like if I overdid it, I can go without drinking, and its probably a good idea to have breaks. The real trick - as with everything - is moderation," she says.
A solid five months after Samsung announced it, the Bixby voice assistant is finally available in Australia.

Bixby, sans voice capabilities, launched in Australia alongside the Samsung Galaxy S8, which has a dedicated side button to access its features. In Korea, where Bixby launched completely alongside the phone, a short press brings up the Bixby Home screen with calendar reminders, social media and AI-predicted recommendation cards, and a long press enables a Google Assistant-esque voice assistant.

Bixby can understand your voice and perform tasks with multiple steps, but is it really smart? Credit:Samsung

That voice assistant has been unavailable in English-language regions since launch, but the US got it a month ago, and Australia's turn is today. Australian phones  those with IMEIs sold in Australia  will have the update to Bixby progressively rolled out, and the contextual voice activation will be its centrepiece.

Now, if you press the Bixby voice button or swipe across your home screen to Bixby, you'll be given prompts to update. From then, you'll be able to long-press the S8's Bixby side button or say "Hi, Bixby" to activate it. Samsung also has a guide to Bixby's basic features to get you started.
"Certainly I would suggest [body-cameras would help] deter inappropriate or aggressive behaviour," she said.

City of Perth mayor Lisa Scaffidi told 6PR's Morning Program the expense was necessary in order to extend its surveillance capability and better protect council staff when they are on the job.

The city ordered around 80 body-worn cameras to the tune of $100,000, saying they will provide an extra safety barrier for on-duty city employees.

The City of Perth will equip its employees with body cameras in a bid to deter violence and anti-social behaviour.

A trial of the body-worn cameras was conducted over the course of 18 months, and a number of different models were tested in order to gauge their benefits.

Ms Scaffidi said the trial had been beneficial for city employees safety and the efficiency of their reporting system.

"I think it's pretty common knowledge that levels of antisocial behaviour and aggression in some situations are more noticeable perhaps than it was 20 or 30 years ago.

"I'm sure there will be a mixed reaction by the community as is often the case with these things  some people may say it's Big Brother, and other people will realise with the modern technology we have available to us, it is going to assist us in removing a lot of the 'he said, she said' commentary from these kinds of discussions."

Body-cameras have previously been trialled in the Town of Claremont, where six cameras were bought for local rangers in order to ensure correct reporting and a greater level of safety while working on the job.
Police have charged a man after he allegedly committed several 'obscene acts' in front of teenagers in Perth's northern suburbs on Monday.

Joondalup Detectives have charged the 47-year-old man in relation to three separate incidents in Beldon.

The man will face court on Tuesday. Credit:Georgia Matts

Police will allege at around 8.15am, the man went to a shopping centre in Beldon in his vehicle where he carried out an obscene act in front of a 16-year-old girl.

It will be further alleged he drove to where a group of teenagers, aged around 13 and 14, were standing and again committed an obscene act.
Copenhagen: The mystery surrounding the fate of Swedish journalist Kim Wall has deepened with the discovery of a headless body in the Baltic Sea near where she is believed to have died on a homemade submarine.

The female torso without legs, arms or a head was found by a member of the public, said the head of the Danish police investigation, Jens Moller Jensen.

"We have recovered the body ... It is the torso of a woman," Jensen told media. "An inquest will be conducted."

He said it was "too early" to say if the body was that of 30-year-old Swedish reporter Wall, who went missing more than a week ago after a trip on the submarine owned by 46-year-old Peter Madsen, a Danish inventor.
Court documents show that members of a Spanish extremist cell bought knives and an ax between the first and second fatal attacks in the country's Catalonia region last week.

The detail came light as National Court Judge Fernando Andreu issued orders to jail two of the surviving suspects without bail and provisionally freed another. A fourth was ordered held in police custody for another 72 hours.

The documents say the cell had to improvise or carry out alternate plans of violence after the house where they were making bombs exploded on Wednesday night.

The judge says in the order released by the National Court late Tuesday: "The blast truncated the initial plan of the terrorists and precipitated the succession of subsequent events."

Those events including the remaining attackers renting vans, the attacks carried out by one of them in Barcelona, and the attack with knives in Cambrils.

MADRID (AP) -- A judge has ordered two of the four surviving suspects in last week's extremist attacks in Spain held without bail, another detained for 72 more hours and one freed.

National Court Judge Fernando Andreu issued his orders after hearing the four answer questions on Tuesday about the vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils that killed 15 people.

Andreu said there was enough evidence to hold 21-year-old Mohamed Houli Chemlal and 28-year-old Driss Oukabir on preliminary charges of causing homicides and injuries of terrorist nature and of belonging to a terrorism organization.

The judge also said in a document seen by The Associated Press that Houli Chemlal also was held for dealing with explosives.

Sahl El Karib, the owner of a cybercaf in Ripoll, the Pyrenees hometown to most of the members of the cell, will remain in custody under arrest for at least 72 more hours while police inquiries continue.

The judged ruled the evidence to keep holding suspect Mohamed Aalla was "not solid enough."

MADRID (AP) --Police in Catalonia are searching a house and a cybercafe in two different northeastern Spanish towns in connection to the deadly attacks last week that killed 15 people in and near Barcelona.

Agents are searching a house Tuesday in Vilafranca del Penedes, a regional police spokeswoman said.

Vilafranca is the hometown of Pau Perez, who police said was stabbed to death during the main attacker's getaway in Barcelona. It's also 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of where that attacker, Younes Abouyaaqoub, was shot dead Monday by police.

In Ripoll, the hometown of most of the 12 alleged members of the extremist cell linked to the attacks, agents are searching a cybercafe run by suspect Sahal El Karib. In court testimony Tuesday in Madrid, El Karib denied being a member of the Islamic extremist cell.

MADRID (AP) --A Spanish judicial official says two of the four surviving Barcelona suspects have identified an imam who was killed in an explosion as the ideologist of the extremist cell responsible for carrying out the attacks and planning others.

Only one of the four suspects acknowledged being part of the 12-member cell during proceedings at Spain's National Court on Tuesday.

The official says Mohamed Houli Chemlal told a judge that the cell was preparing to attack Barcelona monuments with explosives and the imam intended to blow himself up when they did.

The official is not authorized to speak about ongoing cases under court rules and requested anonymity.

National Court prosecutor Ana Noe is asking for the four to be sent to prison without bail on preliminary charges of being part of a terrorist organization, homicide, causing havoc and dealing with explosives.

MADRID (AP) -- A person who attended proceedings at Spain's National Court says attack suspect Driss Oukabir told the prosecutor he had rented the vans used in last week's attacks -- but says he did that because he thought they were going to be used for a house move.

He is the second of four Barcelona attack suspects being quizzed Tuesday at the court in Madrid. His brother was one of the five radicals shot dead Friday by police after a vehicle attack on pedestrians in Cambrils.

The person at the hearing says Oukabir denied being part of the attackers' cell. The person says Oukabir said his first version of events -- telling police that his documents were stolen by his brother -- was something he said out of fear. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the hearing.

The prosecutor has asked for Oukabir to be jailed without bail before trial -- along with the first suspect to testify, Mohamed Houli Chemlal.

-- By Aritz Parra.

MADRID (AP) -- Spain's National Court in Madrid says Driss Oukabir, whose brother was one of the attackers shot dead in the resort of Cambrils last week, is testifying before a judge.

Oukabir was the second of four van attack suspects to testify Tuesday before Judge Fernando Andreu, who will decide later whether they should be jailed or released.

Oukabir was arrested after reporting that his documents had been stolen to police in the northeastern town of Ripoll, where he lived. Officials confirmed the documents were found in one of the vehicles used in the two attacks on pedestrians last week that killed 13 people in Barcelona and one in Cambrils. Another person was stabbed to death in Barcelona as an attacker made his getaway.

Mohamed Houli Chemlal, a 21 year-old, who survived an explosion last week that destroyed a house where officials say explosives were being prepared, testified earlier Tuesday.

MADRID (AP) --A court official in Madrid says the prosecutor is recommending jail without bail for Mohamed Houli Chemlal, the first of four arrested suspects to be interrogated at Spain's National Court on the two deadly vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils.

A National Court spokesman said Chemlal testified Tuesday at the court for just over an hour before Judge Fernando Andreu, who will decide later whether the four should be jailed or released.

Speaking anonymously in line with court rules, the court official said Chemlal answered questions, but gave no details of what the suspect said in court.

The two attacks last week left 15 dead and over 120 wounded.

MADRID (AP) --Mohamed Houli Chemlal, a 21 year-old arrested after he survived an explosion at a house in eastern Spain last week, is the first of four arrested suspects to be interrogated at Spain's National Court on the two deadly vehicle attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils.

A spokeswoman for prosecutors said Tuesday the four suspects would be interrogated in the presence of lawyers provided by the court throughout the day. Speaking anonymously in line with court rules, she said the testimony would be in Spanish without interpreters.

Suspect Driss Oukabir was arrested Thursday in the northeastern town of Ripoll, as were two others identified by Spanish media as Mohammed Aalla and Salh el Karib.

Chemlal's testimony is considered key to clarify the motivations of the 12-man cell that killed 15 people and wounded over 120 in the two vehicle attacks. He is the lone survivor of a blast that destroyed a house in Alcanar, where police believe the cell was preparing explosives.

-- by Ciaran Giles.

MADRID (AP) --French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb has confirmed reports that an Audi used by the attackers in the Spanish town of Cambrils had been photographed in the Paris region for speeding some time before last week's attacks.

Collomb said in an interview on Tuesday on BFM-TV that the black Audi A3 was photographed by radar, but did not give a timeframe or location or clarify whether it was transiting through the area.

He said that "this group came to Paris but it was a quick arrival and departure."

The French daily Le Parisien reported on Monday that the car came through the Paris region about a week before Thursday and Friday's attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils that killed 15 people. Other papers said it was seen in the Essonne region south of the capital as well.

Collomb said French and Spanish services were in tight cooperation over the attacks, but the French "didn't know the cell which was exclusively Spanish." His Spanish counterpart is to pay a visit to Paris on Wednesday.

MADRID (AP) -- Four men arrested last week for their alleged involvement in the planning or execution of attacks in and near Barcelona that killed 15 people are testifying in Spain's National Court before a judge.

Spanish media have named the suspects as Driss Oukabir, Mohammed Aalla, Salh el Karib and Mohamed Houli Chemlal.

Three of them were arrested on Aug. 17 and 18 in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll. One was arrested in Alcanar, south of Barcelona, where a house that was accidentally blown apart turned out to be a botched bomb-making workshop.

They arrived at the National Court in Madrid early Tuesday.

Younes Abouyaaqoub, who police said was in the van that killed 13 people in Barcelona's central boulevard on Thursday, was shot dead Monday.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Aug. 21, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 21, 2017 | 05:41 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Nearly 3,000 people were on hand on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College Monday afternoon to watch the first total solar eclipse in the continental United States in 38 years.



Visitors enjoyed activities, music, science demonstrations, food from local vendors, and had the opportunity to see the NASA high altitude balloon launch. The launch, conducted by a team of students and faculty from Kentucky Space Grant Consortium at Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC), and a team from the University of Connecticut Hartford and the University of Connecticut Bridgeport, was as part of a nationwide, NASA-sponsored project to live-stream aerial video footage of the "Great American Eclipse." From the cameras mounted in the balloon that traveled up to 100,000 feet into the air. Footage from the camera, and the many other launches from teams across the country will be available for public viewing on NASA's website, nasa.gov.



Folks from all over the world attended WKCTC's Night at Noon event. "I've wanted to see an eclipse for years; I missed the one several years ago in the UK," said Claire Brooks of Sheffield, England, who also traveled over 20 hours to be in Paducah for the big day. "Everyone has been brilliant since we arrived. To be part of a community event like this is great!"



The Zlotogorski family traveled by plane, train and car for more than 22 hours from their home in Jerusalem to see the eclipse. "We started planning this one year ago in August. I read many, many sites and I somehow reached Paducah,....we thought this was the best place for us," said Krassi Zlotogorski.



Former astronaut and Kentucky native Colonel Terry Wilcutt was Night at Noon's eclipse emcee. He spoke with area middle and high school students and visitors about his space experiences, NASA's current programs, and the concepts behind the awe-inspiring cosmic event. "We (NASA Educational Outreach) like anything that makes people think about science...that will hopefully inspire some of the kids and others to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers." He said. Wilcutt has been a special guest at Paducah's Challenger Learning Center many times, including the day the center opened in August 2002. Monday's visit and participation in Night at Noon offered something new for him.



Night at Noon Chairperson and Challenger Learning Center at Paducah (CLC) Director Melissa Duncan said she was thrilled with Monday's Night at Noon event, a culmination of a year's planning with the event committee.



"I want to thank the committee, college employees and all the volunteers that helped make Night at Noon so successful. We've been planning for over a year and are happy we had great event!" she said.



"Our Night at Noon eclipse event also aligned with our education mission to promote and raise awareness about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM), such as the curriculum taught at our CLC," said WKCTC President Dr. Anton Reece. "Last, I would like to thank all of our Night at Noon volunteers, Paducah Police department, and other emergency response agencies."
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 21, 2017 | 03:49 PM | PADUCAH, KY





The 2-1/2 minutes of celestial beauty is over, but most people stopped whatever they were doing in western Kentucky and southern Illinois to watch the first total solar eclipse in the US since 1979. Some folks traveled here to see it.More than 400 revelers gathered at Brooks Stadium in Paducah at "Pitch Dark in the Ball Park." A large majority of the crowd were visitors from the eastern half of the country. License plates in the parking lot testified to the mileage driven by skywatchers from Ohio, North Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey. A survey of families stretched out on blankets in the outfield revealed hometowns in the Chicago suburbs, Detroit, and even as far as deep woods Maine, where less than half of the sun was obstructed.Almost everyone opted for the ubiquitous paper glasses, but a few brought along full welders helmets. An amateur photographer from San Angelo, Texas said he had inspected several viewing sites around the area, and decided that the location for him to get the best photos was Paducah's historic stadium, just behind second base.Ben Hayslip came from Oklahoma City with his wife, Suzanne and daughters Lauren and Hannah. They joined hundreds of others who came to Pitch Dark in the Ballpark at historic Brooks Stadium. Ben said he chose Paducah specifically."You guys had the best weather forecast, you were in totality, and you were just about exactly between the greatest length of totality and the darkest spot of totality," Hayslip said.He said they spent the night in West Plains, MO, and had no traffic issues during the drive.Hayslip said it's his first eclipse and he hadn't spoken to anyone who ever saw one, so all he knew to expect is what he read about it.The Gibson family came to western Kentucky from Jackson, Mississippi because their first choice was full."Nashville was completely booked up, and Paducah looked like a nice place. A little hometown - we're both from hometowns in Alabama, originally, so we wanted to come check out this place," Mr. Gibson said.They are staying in Mayfield, but got to take a historical tour of downtown Paducah yesterday, and said they love the town."It's just like modern-day Mayberry, it's beautiful here!" Mrs. Gibson said. "It's just incredible, the cornfields, the people are so nice. It's wonderful here."She said Paducah turned out to be a better place to view the eclipse anyway, since there was longer totality than Nashville.When reminded that another eclipse will pass over Paducah in 2024, she said, "we'll be back, we love it so much!"After the sun started to come back out of the moon's shadow, two young men from Long Island, New York were also already making plans for the next eclipse. When told that the 2024 eclipse would pass through their home state, they quipped that it would be worth the trip, even if they did have to spend time in Buffalo or Cleveland to experience it.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Aug. 22, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 22, 2017 | 03:31 PM | PADUCAH, KY

A Paducah couple were arrested last week on marijuana charges.



The McCracken County Sheriff's Department says detectives began an investigation on Aug. 16 after getting a tip about alleged marijuana trafficking. Detectives said they later recovered about two pounds of marijuana packaged for sale at a home in McCracken County. The investigation reportedly revealed that the source of the marijuana was 35-year-old Juntagus "Tae" Edwards. Edwards and his girlfriend, 31-year-old Meagan Carter, were located on the parking lot of a business on Lone Oak Road that same day. During a search of their vehicle detectives seized an additional five pounds of marijuana.



Detectives later executed a search warrant at a home on Jackson Street and seized additional marijuana packaged for sale, scales and packaging that had been removed from large bundles of marijuana.



Both Edwards and Carter were arrested and booked into the McCracken County Regional Jail. Edwards is charged with trafficking in marijuana over five pounds, 2nd offense and possession of drug paraphernalia. Carter is charged with complicity to trafficking in marijuana over 5 pounds, 2nd offense and possession of drug paraphernalia.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 21, 2017 | 05:04 PM | HOPKINSVILLE, KY

One of the most anticipated natural events in recent history has come and gone, but the economic impact thousands of visitors looking to get a glimpse of a rare total solar eclipse left on one town will likely be felt for quite some time.Hopkinsville was considered by many to be the best location in the country to view the eclipse, and Mayor Carter Hendricks told WKDZ officials are estimating that millions of dollars in revenue were generated by the influx of an estimated 150,000 sky watchers."Projections from our tourism experts has been about 30 million [dollars] for the weekend of a total economic impact. That's including all of the spending that might happen at hotels, restaurants, fueling stations and supermarkets, and with our vendors and merchants and so forth." Hendricks said.Hendricks added that his primary concern was accommodating the large crowds, and making sure they had the type of experience that made them feel proud to be a part of it. He says he hopes many of the visitors will come back in the future. "Long term we hope that they do come back time and again, and if they want to spend a little money in the commonwealth, and in Christian County and Hopkinsville, then by golly we'll be happy to take it." He said.For all of the extra traffic created by the mass of people flooding the area, Hendricks said there was not any increase in emergency calls over the weekend. He congratulated local residents for showing such good hospitality and behavior."Our chief Freddy Montgomery has been sending me reports each evening based on the emergency calls he has had, and actually the emergency calls this weekend have been less than the comparable weekend last year," Hendricks said. "So what I think is actually happening is our eclipse chasers are just good people looking for an honest experience to have a scientific phenomenon right here at their doorstep, and then our local residents have certainly rolled out their red carpets. They're providing great hospitality and everyone is on absolute best behavior."

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By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 22, 2017 | 09:05 AM | MURRAY, KY

Two people were arrested in Murray Saturday on attempted kidnapping and theft charges.

According to the Murray Police Department, police were called to a parking lot near South 12th Street to check the welfare of a juvenile. Upon arrival, an officer located the juvenile in the rear seat of a vehicle.

The officer approached the driver's side of the vehicle and made contact with 38-year-old Tara Wieland of Fargo, North Dakota. While asking for identification, the officer noticed Wieland attempting to conceal a pistol in her lap by covering it with her purse.



The officer requested that she place her hands on the steering wheel. Wieland ignored the command and reportedly tried to reach under her purse. The officer then grabbed Wieland's arm and was able to remove her from the vehicle, after she initially tried to drive off. After a brief struggle, the officer was able to place Wieland into custody without further incident.

Wieland, and another male found in the vehicle, 19-year-old Daniel Carlson of Moorhead, MN, were taken to the Murray Police Department. During the investigation, police learned that Wieland, Carlson, and the juvenile were on their way to Tennessee to kidnap Wielands youngest daughter, who is no longer in her custody. Police also learned that the pistol Wieland had was reported stolen out of Moorhead. MN.

Further investigation revealed that while in Murray, the three had broken into some vehicles. Among the items stolen was a credit card, that was reportedly used for a couple of purchases. Carlson and Wieland were placed into custody and transported to the Calloway County Jail.

Wieland was charged with attempted kidnapping, fleeing or evading police, assault, resisting arrest, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, endangering the welfare of a minor and theft. Carlson was charged with attempted kidnapping, forgery and theft.
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August 22, 2017

US Issues Pacific Ocean War Warning After USS John S. McCain Attack Ready To Be Blamed On Russia

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers

An alarming Ministry of Defense (MoD) report circulating in the Kremlin today states that the US Pacific Command (PACOM) has issued a war warning directive to the Federations Pacific Fleet notifying them that anti-submarine combat operations have begun in the Sea of Japan that could/may negatively impact Russias 22 submarines transiting this region to their home ports in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Vilyuchinskand that follows by 48 hours US Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, preparing Americas missile forces in Alaska to strike North Koreaand, also, has fears growing within the MoD that the US is preparing to blame the attack on one of their warships on Russia too. [Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes in this report are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.]

According to this report, PACOM issued this war warning directive to the Pacific Fleet barely 24 hours after their large scale war maneuvers with South Korea beganknown as Ulchi-Freedom Guardian and that North Korea has vowed merciless retaliation againstand that after making this threat, the top three US military commanders said they planed to issue their own strong warning message later today too.

Raising the MoDs concerns about PACOMs actions in the Sea of Japan, this report explains, are them occurring just days after yet another US warship was attacked and destroyed in the Pacific Oceanthis time being the USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) that mysteriously collided with the Liberian registered Alnic MC oil tanker off the coast of Singapore in the Strait of Malaccaand that US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson first claimed showed no indications that this collision was intentional or the result of cyber intrusion or sabotage.

Within 48 hours of the USS John S. McCain being attacked and destroyed, however, this report continues, the US Navy then announced that their warship suffered a steering casualty and lost all controla totally made up story that was quickly countered by the internationally respected cyber security expert Jeff Stutzman, Chief Intelligence Officer at Wapack Labs (a New Boston, New Hampshire, cyber intelligence service) who stated:

When you are going through the Strait of Malacca , you cant tell me that a Navy destroyer doesnt have a full navigation team going with full lookouts on every wing and extra people on radar. Theres something more than just human error going on because there would have been a lot of humans to be checks and balances.

USS John S. McCain lies stricken off the coast of Singapore on 21 August 2017

The facts regarding Jeff Stutzmans assertions regarding the destruction of the USS John S. McCain, this report details, support his findings as, since 31 January, four PACOM warships have been attackedand that aside from the USS John S. McCain, include the guided missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG-54) that mysteriously ran aground off the coast of Japan, the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) mysteriously colliding with a South Korean fishing vessel, and the Arleigh Burke-Class destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) (like its sister ship USS John S. McCain one of the most advanced warships in the world) mysteriously colliding with a container ship off the coast of Japan on 17 June.

Further supporting the conclusion that all of these highly advanced US warships suddenly having mysterious steering issues is too unbelievable to comprehend (as nothing like this has ever happened to any navy in history), this report notes, is Professor Todd Humphreys at the University of Texas, who as one of the worlds leading experts in satellite navigation systems stated Statistically, it looks very suspicious, doesnt it?and who was followed by one of the top statisticians in America named Salil Mehta saying yesterday that he was going to examine this issue toobut who immediately after stating this was stunningly banned by Google who destroyed all of his internet stored research documents and cut off his email access too.

Causing the gravest concern within the MoD about what is occurring with these mysteriously colliding US Navy warships operating in Pacific Ocean, this report says, was a cryptic warning issued on 22 June by the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) titled 2017-005A-GPS Interference-Black Sea that stated:

A maritime incident has been reported in the Black Sea in the vicinity of position 44-15.7N, 037-32.9E on June 22, 2017 at 0710 GMT. This incident has not been confirmed. The nature of the incident is reported as GPS interference. Exercise caution when transiting this area. Further updates may follow.

Following this 22 June MARAD warning, this report continues, the Western propaganda fake news media began publishing stories alleging that Russia could be behind what they claimed was the first known instance of GPS spoofing (or misdirection) that left some 20 ships with little situational awareness while transiting the Black Seawith some of these ships reporting that even though their navigation equipment appeared to be working properly, their GPS showed their location as being 20 miles inland, near an airport.

As to why the Americans appeared to be preparing to blame Russia for what is occurring with their Pacific Ocean warships, this report explains, is because, also, on 22 June, just hours prior to MARAD issuing their cryptic Black Sea warning, the MoD had issued its own warning that the USS Fitzgerald had been deliberately by attacked after believed to be North Korean hackers took over the controls of a container ship and deliberately steered it into this US warship---and that we had, likewise, reported about in our 22 June article titled Trump Prepares For Retaliation After USS Fitzgerald Collision Ruled Act Of War.

Like the USS Fitzgerald too, this report further notes, the destruction of the USS John S. McCain shows that it too was attacked by a vessel whose automatic controls were hackedand as evidenced (see charts below) by the attacking vessels (MV ACX Crystal attacked the USS Fitzgerald and Alnic MC attacked the USS John S. McCain) exhibiting highly bizarre/mysterious maneuvers both prior to after their hitting these US warships.

AIS tracking log of MV ACX Crystal attacking USS Fitzgerald on 17 June 2017



AIS tracking log of Alnic MC attacking USS John S. McCain on 21 August 2017

To if PACOM will use their just issued war warning directive to begin attacking Pacific Fleet warships and/or submarines thus igniting World War III, this report concludes, is not knownbut with the American people now being so completely propagandized to believe that Russians are under every single one of their beds, nothing can be put past them as they are all, most assuredly, insane and being led by monsters they dont even know the names oflet alone even knowing the grave danger theyre all in too.

Is it any wonder that the Americans now want to erase President Woodrow Wilson from their history too?

Other reports in this series include:

Trump Prepares For Retaliation After USS Fitzgerald Collision Ruled Act Of War

August 22, 2017  EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.

[Note: Many governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagree with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their agents has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit us, and others like us, that is exampled in numerous places, including HERE.]

[Note: The WhatDoesItMean.com website was created for and donated to the Sisters of Sorcha Faal in 2003 by a small group of American computer experts led by the late global technology guru Wayne Green (1922-2013) to counter the propaganda being used by the West to promote their illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq.]

[Note: The word Kremlin (fortress inside a city) as used in this report refers to Russian citadels, including in Moscow , having cathedrals wherein female Schema monks (Orthodox nuns) reside, many of whom are devoted to the mission of the Sisters of Sorcha Faal.]

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LUANDA, Angola - A Luanda-based internet exchange point (IXP) is now top-three in Africa, as Angola emerges as a growing tech hub on the continent.

Darwin Costa

Angonix  an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) based in Luanda  has grown exponentially to become the third largest African IXP. With peak traffic of 10.8 Gbps (as recorded in July 2017), Angonix has become a competitive force in Angola and the sub-Saharan region.

Managed by Angola Cables, Angonix allows global and local networks such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to interconnect directly to exchange internet traffic.

Angonix currently has 17 members, including leading financial institutions, cable and satellite companies, ISPs, mobile phone operators and various communications service providers operating on the continent. An interactive infographic about Angonix is available here.

Darwin Costa, project manager at Angonix, explains what makes the IXP unique. We provide a physical access point through which major networks with their own Autonomous System Numbers can connect and exchange traffic.

As a neutral IXP, Angonix allows content to be localised at greatly reduced per-bit delivery costs and offers improved routing efficiency. Its commercial offering features peering Ports of 1G Ethernet and 10G Ethernet, with speeds of 1000Mbps and 10 000Mbps, respectively."

Proud of the impact the organisation is seeing in improving internet access in Africa, Costa adds: With a suite of strategic communications assets on the continent, Angola Cables will become the only carrier able to directly connect networks from the Americas and Europe to the third largest platform in Africa, Angonix. Remote peering services will soon be launched whereby peering ports on Angonix will be available in other markets.

He adds that the growth of Angonix has exceeded even the most optimistic of forecasts. Our growth is an indication of how ripe the continent is for digital growth.
WASHINGTON  Last weekend in Charlottesville, a driver mowed down peaceful protesters and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer. The act was reminiscent of recent terrorist attacks across Europe committed in the name of the Islamic State, which has urged followers to use vehicles to kill enemies.

As far as we know, the alleged killer in Charlottesville didnt get instructions from the Islamic State. As far as we know, he didnt even receive marching orders from any of the neo-Nazi groups with which he sympathized.

But he also didnt need to turn to either of these factions for inspiration. He could just have easily have gotten the idea from a Republican state legislature.

This year, Republican lawmakers in at least six states have proposed bills designed to protect drivers who strike protesters. The first bill was introduced in North Dakota in January, and similar bills have since come under consideration in North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas and Rhode Island.

They were joined by other states trying to discourage protests  typically relating to Black Lives Matter, the Dakota Access Pipeline or other left-leaning causes  that sometimes obstruct traffic.

The North Dakota bill would shield drivers from civil and criminal liability. The bills sponsor, state Rep. Keith Kempenich, perversely suggested that shielding drivers who kill protesters was a necessary anti-terrorism measure.

Protesters who blocked cars were committing an intentional act of intimidation  the definition of terrorism, he told the Los Angeles Times.

Right-wing websites and at least one well-known conservative commentator more gleefully advocated running over protesters, including by sharing a viral video montage titled Heres a Reel of Cars Plowing Through Protesters Trying to Block the Road.

Did the Republican politicians and pundits who backed these measures believe too few protesters were getting hit by cars?

If not, what did they think would happen when they encouraged drivers to use their vehicles as a weapon against the public?

Because thats exactly what these bills do.

The bills all include language about how drivers who injure or kill protesters must have done so unintentionally or while exercising due care if they wish to be spared liability. (Hitting protesters intentionally, as the Charlottesville driver appears to have done, could still make one subject to civil and criminal liability.) Even so, the foreseeable effect of passing laws like these would be to change the calculus for any frustrated driver considering whether to plow through a crowd of protesters.

Economists tend to think about decisions in terms of expected costs and benefits. By lowering the expected costs to the driver, these proposed laws would tilt the balance in favor of hitting people.

And not just any people. Protesters specifically.

In five of the six states where bills were introduced, the legislation would shield drivers who hit protesters or demonstrators only. Drivers who kill pedestrians who are not out exercising their First Amendment rights would still be subject to the usual criminal and civil liabilities.

In other words, the purpose of these proposals was to make acts of protest, and acts of protest alone, more lethal.

So far none of these bills has made it into law.

Already, though, white supremacists have latched on to the rhetoric behind these bills to excuse Heyers death. In Vice News Tonights chilling Charlottesville documentary, neo-Nazi Christopher Cantwell said her murder was more than justified because the driver was provoked by stupid animals who attacked and then couldnt just get out of the way because they werent paying attention.

Surely the whataboutists will claim the lefts angry resistance rhetoric encouraged someone to attempt to murder Republican legislators. To be clear, that act was also evil. There is, however, no comparison between mean words and changing the law to indemnify people who kill others in a highly specific way.

As Ive previously argued, theres plenty of blame to dump on President Trump for emboldening white supremacists and for encouraging violence against peaceful protesters. But to treat him as an aberration in encouraging violence against protesters  in particular, liberals and people of color  is flat wrong.

The moral rot in the Republican Party runs deep.

Maybe the state legislators who introduced these bills are malevolent, and maybe theyre just morons. In politics, I tend to err on the side of the latter explanation. Either way, they advocated reckless bills whose foreseeable consequence would be increased vehicular killings.

These politicians are not fit to serve the public, in any level of government.

Residents of North Dakota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas and Rhode Island: Look these goons up and vote them out.
Parents across the United States tell their children that if they graduate from high school, go to college and get a job, they can embrace the American Dream.

Unfortunately, however, high college costs exacerbated by overgenerous federal lending policies have encouraged more students to take on high levels of student loan debt. As a result, graduates often leave college unprepared to pursue their career and life goals and are saddled with a debt burden that limits their upward mobility.

There was a time when a small amount of savings and a part-time job could get students through college with little or no debt. But today, more students than ever are turning to federal loans to finance their college education.

The federal government now originates and services about 90 percent of all student loans, but this federal largesse has done little to address college affordability. In 2014-2015, the average public and private debt held by students was $28,153 (in 2015 dollars), compared to $21,940 in 2000-2001.

Increases in borrowing over the past two decades have dwarfed increases in student enrollment. From 1990 to 2012, for example, college enrollment increased 62 percent, but the volume of loan borrowing increased 352 percent  a more than fourfold increase.

Put differently, in 1990, students borrowed $2,485 per year to attend college; by 2012, borrowing had nearly tripled to $6,928 annually.

This weighty increase in student loan debt presents problems for both students and taxpayers. A recent survey found that 56 percent of young people put off milestones such as getting married or buying a home because of student loan debt. Purdue University President Mitch Daniels has even argued that high student loan debt discourages entrepreneurship, which could have a significant effect on our nations economy in the future.

By the same token, taxpayers increasingly bear the consequences of high student loan debt. In 2016, 43 percent of students with federal student loans, which amounts to about 9.3 million borrowers, were in default, in delinquency or had postponed payments. With the federal government now originating almost all student loans, taxpayers are left with the bill when students cannot pay off their debts.

Moreover, the current rate of increase in college tuition does not indicate that there is any relief in sight for taxpayers or students. Each year, more graduate students participate in the Grad PLUS loan program, which allows for borrowing up to the full cost of attendance. Similarly, parents of undergraduate students can take out a loan to finance their childs education under the Parent PLUS loan program, an option typically pursued after a student has already borrowed the maximum amount available through the Stafford loan program.

As borrowing increases through federal programs  and as debt builds  some policymakers propose to extend loan forgiveness, which transfers this debt from individuals or families to the American taxpayers, most of whom do not hold bachelors degrees themselves. The Government Accountability Office recently projected that loan forgiveness programs will cost taxpayers $108 billion over the next 10 years.

Recent research suggests that federal involvement may be doing more harm than good. Economists at the Mercatus Center and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York have found a connection between federal student aid and increases in college tuition. Such research adds support to the Bennett Hypothesis, which posits that greater access to federal student aid encourages colleges and universities to raise their tuition prices.

As more Americans than ever before pursue higher education as a means of upward mobility, policymakers must review whether current policies are helping students to afford a college education  or making tuition more expensive for all.

The current trend of increasing student loan debt should concern all Americans. As students turn to the higher education system for more opportunities, this investment comes with significant financial burdens for both students and taxpayers.

In order to capitalize on the potential of American higher education, not only must students graduate with manageable debt loads, but they should leave college prepared to pursue their career and life goals. But with fewer students paying off their debt and more financial responsibility being shifted to the taxpayers, higher educations ability to jump-start economic mobility is limited.
A bill introduced in the state Legislature would make it more difficult for Baraboo to enact a vehicle registration fee to pay for road repairs.

For nearly two years city leaders have discussed charging vehicle owners an extra $10 to $20 per year on top of the $75 they pay the state. This money would be used to fund local road and transportation projects. Municipalities across Wisconsin are enacting such wheel taxes.

An Assembly bill would put all such taxes to a citywide vote. Introduced June 1, the bill would require municipalities to pass wheel taxes by referendum, even if they already have such fees in place.

Baraboos representatives in the Legislature expressed concern about the bill in recent correspondence with Mayor Mike Palm. Their letters will be noted during Tuesdays City Council meeting.

Municipalities currently have few revenue options for funding their infrastructure, wrote Rep. Dave Considine, D-Baraboo. It is not uncommon for local wheel taxes to account for roughly 20-25 percent of street rehabilitation programs annually. This is vital revenue that helps to maintain the condition of local roads.

The bill has been referred to the Assemblys budget committee.

It is interesting that the Republican majority, who is usually so supportive of local control, has done nothing but attempt to take it away ever since gaining power, with this bill being a prime example, wrote Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton.

A fiscal analysis prepared by the Department of Transportation found the bills passage would impact state and local budgets.

First, a failed referendum would render the tax illegal for a municipality. Second, the timing of such votes would be problematic, as vehicle registration renewals come due throughout the year. If a wheel tax referendum failed May 31, renewal notices already mailed for June and July would be met with requests for refunds. The cost of Department of Motor Vehicles staff time dealing with two months worth of calls is estimated at nearly $12,000 if such a referendum were to fail in Sheboygan, and nearly $103,000 in Milwaukee.

Palm said city leaders are monitoring the progress of the bill, which could be included in the state budget. Everythings contingent on the budget, he said.

City leaders estimate theyd need to budget $2 million a year to keep up with repairs. In recent years, the city has borrowed less than a half-million dollars a year for street work.

The City Council is considering enacting new taxes to make up the difference. A $10 fee would raise $135,000 per year for street work. A $20 fee would generate $270,000.

The city is considering alternative revenue sources, as state transportation aid has dwindled. Baraboo received $767,000 in general transportation aid in 2011, but only $577,000 last year.

Considine said the states roads are falling further into disrepair while Republican leaders fail to agree on a transportation budget for 2017-19. The plans that have been introduced provide very little in the way of new revenue and rely heavily on borrowing, he wrote. If the state is unwilling to assist municipalities in funding road repairs, I believe local units of government should have the ability to provide these services for their residents.

Palm sought feedback on the wheel tax through the city newsletter, and found opinions mixed. An unscientific online poll hosted by the Baraboo News Republic, Portage Daily Register and Beaver Dam Daily Citizen found 64 percent of respondents oppose wheel taxes.

Considine said he doesnt support the bill requiring wheel tax referenda because its an example of the state interfering with a local policy decision. The state should not be attempting to spread its irresponsible fiscal behavior to the local level, he wrote.

Also on Tuesdays City Council agenda is a resolution supporting legislation that would eliminate a tax loophole that allows big-box stores to be taxed as if their buildings were vacant. The council also will discuss its budget forecasts.
Sauk Countys corporation counsel, Todd Liebman, announced his retirement Friday.

The 55-year-old lawyer from Baraboo has been employed by the county for 23 years. His last day of work will be Sept. 22.

Liebman could not be reached for comment Monday, but addressed his plans to retire in a memo to Sauk County Board Chairman Marty Krueger on Friday. In the letter, Liebman said it was an honor to serve the people of Sauk County. He did not state what led to his decision to step down.

I am grateful to Sauk County for the opportunity that they gave me as a young lawyer to assume significant responsibility and for the trust and confidence to guide this fine department through many challenges, Liebman wrote.

The corporation counsels office serves as the countys legal representation on a host of matters ranging from board rules to planning and zoning regulations.

Krueger said Liebmans announcement did not come as a surprise.

I know that the last six months to a year has been most difficult for (Liebman), especially the last six months, Krueger said. He told me that he was looking at a couple alternatives very casually in conversations.

In the past year, the county has faced several controversies, including a $135,000 separation agreement with former administrative coordinator Renae Fry, and the recent retirement of former highway commissioner Steve Muchow. Muchow is currently being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice for alleged misconduct during his employment with Sauk County.

Brent Michalek, the countys former conservation, planning and zoning department director and interim administrative coordinator before Fry, also signed a $25,000 buyout deal in June 2016.

Krueger said the countys Executive and Legislative Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Friday to discuss the recruitment process for Liebmans successor. Liebman will work with the countys administrative team throughout the transitional process, he added.

Sauk County Administrative Coordinator Alene Kleczek Bolin said she does not anticipate any challenges in finding a replacement.

In an email to Sauk County Board members, Krueger commended Liebman for his work as Sauk County attorney.

It has been an honor and a privilege to work with attorney Liebman during my Board tenure, the last 11-plus as board chairperson, he said. I thank him for his work and dedication to county government, and wish him the best of luck in any future endeavors.

In his retirement letter, Liebman said hes unsure what direction his professional career will take in retirement, adding that his education and experience has led to many opportunities in the private and public sectors, as well as academia.

Retirement should be a time for exploration and for rewarding challenges, he wrote. I am excited for the future while leaving with great pride in the accomplishments that Sauk County has made during my tenure.
Like pizza makers keeping an eye on dough in the oven, the community watched Baraboos new Dominos restaurant rise.

The pizzeria opened in May after about nine months of construction along Eighth Avenue near Baraboo High School. You didnt have to tell owners Harry and Deb Nelson there was intense public interest in the project: Because the name of their pizzeria was on the tips of many tongues, they saw sales increase before they even left their original location off U.S. Highway 12.

Its been a fun project, Harry Nelson said.

A daylong grand opening Thursday will feature prizes, gifts, activities and medium, one-topping pizzas for $5.

The new restaurant covers 20,000 square feet, more than double the size of the former Dominos location. Plus, the Nelsons built neighboring storefronts that are awaiting tenants. A contract may be signed with an as-yet-unnamed tenant by months end, but the Nelsons said the tenants will not  despite persistent public rumors  include Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.

The couple broke ground last fall on the highly visible but long-vacant 1.3-acre strip of land off Eighth Avenue. They had outgrown their home of 20 years off Highway 12, and corporate bosses wanted the Nelsons to build a pizza theater where customers could watch their meals being made.

We really wanted to be more centrally located, so we could take care of our customers more efficiently, Deb Nelson said.

The restaurant offers dine-in seating for 30 customers, an outdoor patio and a pick-up window. A small stage gives customers a chance to watch the dough show. The Nelsons said theyve doubled their staff since the move, and found that dine-in traffic has increased interactions between customers and staff. Its that conversation piece that is new, and is something that we all enjoy, Deb Nelson said.

Their original location was the smallest Dominos in Wisconsin. But that didnt stop the Nelsons from establishing a thriving delivery business and cultivating a rich partnership with the local schools.

That has really been our niche, Deb Nelson said, noting that the new pizzerias location will cater to Thunderbirds fans. I think its going to be a great hangout place for kids and parents before and after games.

Harry Nelson said corporate leadership has strengthened the Dominos brand and boosted the local store. The company was among the first to embrace online ordering. You need to just jump on board, because theyre taking off and leading us, he said.

The Nelsons said theyre happy to be the source of local conversation, as a local business made good. I think its great for the community, Harry Nelson said. Its good to see things that are new and improving.
JUNEAU  A 44-year-old Beaver Dam woman was found guilty of her sixth offense of intoxicated driving after allegedly admitting to an officer that she had been using heroin.

Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Steven Bauer accepted Sue Tiedts guilty plea to a felony count of operating while intoxicated  sixth offense. A misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia was dismissed but read into the record. Tiedt was sentenced to 24 months of initial incarceration and 48 months of an extended sentence. She must pay fines and court costs.

Her drivers license will be revoked for 24 months, and she must have an ignition interlock on any vehicle she owns or operates for 24 months. She must maintain absolute sobriety. She must undergo an AODA assessment and random drug tests. She must maintain psychiatric treatment and follow through. She may have no contact with her cohort.

According to the criminal complaint, a Beaver Dam police officer was informed May 30 that another man was getting a ride from Tiedt to purchase heroin. Tiedt has a suspended license and her vehicle was located on Kellom Road entering North Hills Mobile Home Park.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on Tiedts vehicle at 12:40 a.m. May 30. K-9 Yeti was called in and conducted an open air sniff and had a positive indication that drugs were in the vehicle. A syringe and crack pipe were found on a person in the vehicle and Tiedt admitted to using heroin while she was in the mobile home park. Tiedt said she and her passenger both shot up while the vehicle was parked in the lot.

According to the criminal complaint, Tiedt said she did not know her passenger was going to buy heroin. She told officers that marijuana is her drug of choice, but she also smokes crack and did so two days earlier.

Tiedt was convicted of OWI in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2008.
The city of Beaver Dams website hasnt changed much over the last decade or so, and Mayor Becky Glewen wants that to change.

Thats why the Common Council voted 10-4 Monday night to spend $10,250 to have EGov Strategies LLC make the site more attractive and more user-friendly than it has been in the past.

The resolution indicates that the city wishes to make its website more contemporary in its design, better organized and better accommodate mobile devices through the use of responsive design technology.

Use of the current designer/provider provoked a response from Alderman Mick Fisher.

I havent been happy with that website since day 1, said Fisher. We keep throwing money at it and it just doesnt seem to get any better.

He suggested seeking an outside vendor to design a new website unlike the current one.

I think we should get some knowledgeable people ... and draw up a request for bids, and submit in the request exactly what were looking for. I dont think, like in the past, that were getting much bang for our buck.

Glewen indicated that she had looked at other websites and polled those who use it, and believes that EGov Strategies can provide everything that the city seeks.

I had the same concern, said Glewen. I was feeling like our site was dated and didnt fit the direction that we want to go. I spoke to a number of people and they believe theres a lot of training time and figuring out that we have invested in this. We know what we want to make it better and EGovs ideas fall in line with what were interested in.

She added, You cant just put up a website and leave it alone. It needs to be added to and changed. It needs to be a creative piece, and I believe with the examples we have been shown that we would have that.

Payment will come from the general fund.

Glewen asked for, and received, city approval to submit a grant proposal for a Community Development Investment grant through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Demand for the grant for downtown revitalization efforts is high, and Glewen is not certain whether the application can be submitted in time to be considered and sought approval to expedite the process if it can be submitted before all of the funds are awarded elsewhere.

Earlier in the evening Karl Schulte, general manager of Running Inc., asked members of the administrative committee to request proposals for operation of the citys Shared Ride Taxi Service. He indicated that drivers have been lured away by a Juneau medical transport company which pays more than the citys DOT approved $9.25 per hour rate. He believes that the rate must be raised to keep enough drivers for the service, which is currently at 92 percent of its required staff level.

Weve lost a lot of drivers, said Schulte. They picked our bones and we cant match what the Juneau company offers according to our current Wisconsin Department of Transportation contract.

He indicated that the service has provided 133,000 trips this year  the second best total ever.

He continued, The DOT applied a much stingier COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) last year and thats what they intend to do next year, and it doesnt work. It wont allow us to keep competitive in hiring driver and treating them well. We believe its in everyones interest to do this fresh.

The committee agreed to consider the move and to discuss the matter in upcoming meetings.
The village of Wonewoc was not named for any person, nor is it determined who first conceived the name, however, it certainly is of Indian ori
JC-AIRS dedicated its newest pavilion at the Juneau County Fair with help from the countys most famous politician.

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson joined the group to officially open the Donald & Bernadine Burnstad Swine & Sheep Pavilion at the fairgrounds Aug. 17. Thompson, an Elroy native, still farms in the area and was invited by JC-AIRS member Joan Holig to attend.

This is going to be a tremendous addition to the fair, Thompson said. And theyre not done yet. Ive heard theyre going to build some more buildings here.

The Burnstad Pavilion is the third large-scale building constructed at the fairgrounds in the past three years. JC-AIRS, which stands for Juneau County Agricultural, Industrial, and Recreational Society, started in 2008 with the goal of refurbishing the fairgrounds and Veterans Memorial Park. Thompson said the area was once owned by a horse farmer before being sold to fair organizers and eventually to JC-AIRS. Hes pleased to see the organization take the lead on several exciting projects at the fairgrounds.

When I was running for the state assembly, I used to stop here every year and campaign, so 20 years of campaigning here, running for the assembly, Thompson said. Then when I was governor for 15 years I would try to stop in at the Juneau County Fair just to say hello to my friends.

Pam Jahnke, host of the statewide Farm Report radio show, also made an appearance. Holig said Thompson helped with some of the funding for the first farm building, the Robert Holig Memorial Dairy Pavilion, named in honor of Holigs late husband, Bob. The organization plans to raze a few of the old buildings at the fairgrounds and replace them with new ones in the next few years.

Its just wonderful what theyre doing out here, Thompson said.

Holig said Thompson knows the hard work and dedication it takes for a small community to come together to build a better future. Fellow JC-AIRS member Mick McCormick appreciates Thompsons willingness to support his home county.

Hes legitimately a hometown guy and cares about people in the community and is very supportive, McCormick said. Those kinds of things you dont forget. He doesnt just go around glad-handing and back-slapping people, he actually cares a lot about the community.

Holig owns Cattail Dairy Farms in Wonewoc. She said Bob, who passed away at age 51 in 2012, shared her passion for agriculture and the dairy industry. Holig said her late husband would be proud to see the changes at the fairgrounds. He knew the old buildings needed to be replaced soon.

Before he passed away we talked about getting some farmers together and work on that building because we were afraid it was going to collapse on somebody at some point, Holig said. Now its all planned out to keep moving forward. They know where all the buildings are going to be.

Carl Miller, Joan Holigs brother, is also a member of JC-AIRS, along with his girlfriend, Barb Weiland. Miller said the group already has plans to build a rabbit and poultry barn, along with barns for horses and beef cattle. Long-term building plans could include an expo or community center for larger events. The poultry and rabbit barn would cost about $90,000.

Were really hoping to get sponsors lined up to get all three of them up next year, Miller said.

In recent weeks, a donor has stepped forward to fund a roof for the grandstand. Miller said the roof would shield spectators from the hot summer sun, rain and other weather conditions.

That would be a big improvement, Miller said. The community center would be the final, big push and would cost about $1 million.

The whole idea behind all this is so the fairgrounds are used all year round. Weve had a few events come in and have also rented out the buildings for storage, to house boats and campers.

JC-AIRS has also expressed gratitude to the Burnstad family for supplying a large donation to fund the new pavilion. The Burnstads had a popular grocery store in Mauston for many years.

Theyre good people, Miller said. When I was about 12 years old, I remember picking blackberries and bringing them into Burnstads to sell them. I got about $.75 per quart and they would take all I could pick. They were super people even back then.
A history professor and the president of a local mentoring and economic development organization will lead a study group this fall to examine the Ku Klux Klans history at UW-Madison, campus officials announced Monday.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank said the study group will investigate two UW-Madison student organizations that were named after or otherwise affiliated with the Klan during the 1920s.

Professor Stephen Kantrowitz and Floyd Rose, who leads 100 Black Men of Madison, will be the chairmen of the study group, which Blank said will also include students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The group is expected to advise UW-Madison administrators in December on how best the campus can acknowledge and respond to this history, Blank said in a statement.

In the wake of the tragedy in Charlottesville, it is time to take a fresh look at our history to ensure that we fully understand and appropriately acknowledge the activities of members of the campus community during this time period, Blank said.

Blank said she will also ask the Wisconsin Union to identify space within the Memorial Union that could be used to document the history of these student organizations on campus, using the knowledge produced by this study group.

Colleges across the country have faced mounting pressure to remove Confederate monuments, rename buildings that honor white supremacists and generally reckon with the connections between institutions and racist organizations, individuals and movements throughout their history.

That past is less conspicuous at UW-Madison than it is on campuses where Confederate monuments have become centers of protest.

But as the Klan helped wage a decades-long campaign of terror and murder that targeted black communities throughout the country and claimed thousands of lives in lynchings, records show the group had a foothold  or, at least, admirers  at UW-Madison and in other local institutions.

In a 1993 history of the Ku Klux Klan Honorary Junior Society at UW-Madison posted by The Capital Times, historian Timothy Messer-Kruse, now a professor at Bowling Green State University, wrote that there was not evidence that the group was affiliated with the broader Invisible Empire of the Ku Klux Klan.

Still, Messer-Kruse wrote, the UW-Madison organization made no attempt to distinguish itself from the Invisible Empire.
A Columbia County judge ruled Monday that evidence involving an accidentally discarded container would be allowed in a trial over the allegation of a poisoned dog, but warned prosecutors that a jury likely would not be impressed.

Judge Alan White ruled against the request by defense attorney Jonas Bednarek in the case of Trent Hebel, 29, who is accused of placing plastic containers with poisoned meat out where they would be available to a golden retriever named Gander.

The dog belonged to Hebels ex-girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend, and when she and Hebel had been together between January and April of 2015, she reportedly would refer to Gander as their dog, as in belonging to her and her ex-boyfriend.

In an April hearing, a Columbia County Sheriffs Office detective told the court that on May 1, 2015, he was dispatched to an Arlington home where a man showed him plastic containers he found on his property that contained what looked like rat poison and antifreeze, with one of the two containing pieces of meat.

On May 3, the detective received a call from a Lodi veterinarian who reported that Gander was sick with neurological problems and would be euthanized.

In August 2016, Hebel was arrested after the Wisconsin Crime Lab matched his fingerprints to those on one of the containers.

Bednarek told the court the woman who owned the dog mentioned to law enforcement in February of this year that she had touched the containers that allegedly contained poison. She initially did not disclose the fact and one of those containers has since been lost. When the poison was sent to an Iowa State University lab, the poison was processed and tested and the container was disposed of, despite it being the same container from the alleged crime scene.

Our intent was to test the containers for DNA evidence, Judge, Bednarek said. We want to know what information that physical evidence harbored.

There is nothing in the record to show that you can even get DNA evidence off of Tupperware containers, White said. How am I supposed to know DNA evidence is possible on those containers?

Bednarek said one could presume that if there were fingerprints, there also could be DNA and that there is no lack of experts to testify on the subject, but that there is a prohibitive cost of $4,000 to $6,000 to acquire the services of such an expert.

He has a right to challenge the evidence that is brought before this court, Bednarek said, and I can tell you with a straight face that he cant do that in this case and not through any fault of his, but through the fault of the state.

Tests were done and results were discovered and numerous substances which the defendant is alleged to have concocted could have killed this animal, on top of trying to figure out who did it, Assistant District Attorney Christine Genda said. Unfortunately, we are all human and mistakes do happen.

Genda argued the containers and their contents had already been tested ad nauseum and the tossing of a plastic container did not eliminate exculpatory evidence, but in greater likelihood eliminated evidence that would work against Hebels defense.

I can tell you one thing, White said, that regardless of what the law is, a jury is going to be here and they take a very, very dim view of screw-ups, no matter who is doing it, which is their job.

Although White denied Bednareks motion, and allowed the evidence, he also pointed out that when that evidence is brought before a jury, the defense will have the right to ask about fingerprints and the reliability of the evidence as it was collected through the process.

The case has been handled by White, but he is due to retire in mid-September. A three-day jury trial has been scheduled starting Feb. 5, 2018.
PARDEEVILLE  Investigators from the Wisconsin Department of Justice fanned out across a neighborhood here Tuesday, speaking with residents about a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred Monday night.

Deputies from the Columbia County Sheriffs Office initially responded to a domestic disturbance at a Pardeeville residence, an incident that escalated into a confrontation in which a Columbia County Sheriffs deputy shot and killed a person at the scene.

DOJ spokesman John Koremenos Jr. confirmed the agencys Division of Criminal Investigation was investigating the matter. No names related to the incident have been released.

The area around Vince Street was marked off with police tape Tuesday between Gillette Street and Savannah Trail.

There was a noise, but I didnt think much of it, said one neighbor who preferred not to be named, who was watching news in an apartment a block east of the incident.

Neighbors heard a rustling, which they presumed to be the suspect running through shrubs between apartment buildings, then a loud pop that some assumed to be a firecracker.

Then there was another pop, pop, pop, and he took cover by the garage, the neighbor from a block east said, pointing out a window toward the northeast corner where the police tape was tied off. The woman said she believed the man had shot at responding officers, but said she did not see a gun.

The first confirmation of the fatality came from Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, who took to Twitter at 7:54 p.m. Monday to announce: DCI responding to 2 separate officer involved deaths tonight. Will lead investigations in Columbia & Kewaunee Co. More details at a later time.

Whether that is a shooting or a car accident, whatever the circumstances that results in a loss of life  they have to ask an outside agency to do the investigation, Koremenos said Tuesday, referring to the 2014 Wisconsin state law requiring outside agencies to investigate fatal police encounters. Many agencies call on the DOJ and ask the Division of Criminal Investigation be dispatched to do that, which is good, were happy to do that  were happy to help our local partners.

The Columbia County Sheriffs Office requested DCIs involvement in the investigation. Koremenos said he could not provide a specific number of investigators on the scene, but estimated between six and 12 and said the division would seek help from the State Crime Lab and State Patrol as needed for forensic analysis or incident reconstruction.

The timeline varies, but for something like this where there arent too many complicating factors, we will aim for 30 days to have this to the district attorney for review, Koremenos said.

He added an investigation report will be provided to the Columbia County District Attorneys Office regardless of whether DOJ believes charges are warranted.

Sometimes there might be reasons that the district attorney may not want to handle the case and it will go to a special prosecutor from another county.

Once in the hands of the district attorney, Koremenos said it can vary between a week, two weeks or in the case of a more complicated case, a couple of months before a decision is announced.

Investigators declined to provide any information about what might have led to the shooting. It was not clear what information deputies responding to the scene had about the situation as they arrived other than it was a domestic incident.

Were still doing interviews and trying to determine the facts that led up to the incident, so we probably wont have that information for release for a couple more days, Koremenos said.

The deputy involved in the shooting Monday night has been placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation, according to an announcement Tuesday from the DOJ.

No statement has been issued from Columbia County Sheriff Dennis Richards, and according to county dispatch, future announcements will be handled by state authorities.
PARDEEVILLEThe Columbia County Sheriffs Office responded to a incident in Pardeeville on Monday night that resulted in an officer-involved shooting, according to a Columbia County dispatcher.

The Wisconsin Professional Police Association Executive Director Jim Palmer confirmed with the Portage Daily Register that department field staff were responding that evening. The incident occurred around 8 p.m. with officers responding to a dispatch call of a domestic incident in which the suspect reportedly fired toward responding officers.

MedFlight was called to respond, but canceled as dispatch requested notification of the coroner at about 9 p.m.

As of 9:30 p.m. Monday, the Columbia County Sheriffs Office had not yet released a statement confirming the identity of anyone involved or injury status.
The citys Plan Commission unanimously recommended on Monday that the Common Council approve creating a new Tax Increment Financing district, to spur development on Portages north side.

Jon Cameron, financial adviser for Ehlers  an independent public financing advisory firm based in Waukesha  said the proposed TID meets the but for requirements of Wisconsins statutes. That means that the proposed development, anchored by a 60-room GrandStay Hotel, would not occur at all, or would not happen in the way or the time frame that city officials desire, but for the ability to finance the development by capturing property tax revenue from the development.

At a special Plan Commission meeting July 31, Portage developer David Gunderson unveiled plans to make the GrandStay facility the anchor of the development in the proposed mixed-use district.

No other developments are currently planned there, City Administrator Shawn Murphy told members of the Joint Review Board prior to the Plan Commission meeting. The Joint Review Board, composed of representatives of the city, Columbia County, the Portage Community School District and the Madison Area Technical College District, convened to review plans for the proposed TID No. 9.

But the hope, Murphy said, is that the hotels presence would spur other development, such as restaurants, services for travelers and office space.

The district would consist of about 16 acres zoned B3 (interchange business), all owned by Gunderson, plus 17 acres of city-owned property zoned M1 (industrial).

Cameron said the citys anticipated spending in the proposed TID  $2.75 million, mainly for infrastructure such as streets and utilities  would likely generate $16.46 million in taxable valuation for the city.

At the July 31 meeting, Gunderson told the Plan Commission the GrandStay is not 100 percent certain, but highly likely.

If the Common Council approves the TID  a vote is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 14  the districts creation would become effective Jan. 1. Murphy noted that the city is under a state-imposed time constraint to decide on creating the TID no later than Sept. 30 for it to be effective the following year.

No one spoke for or against the TID at a public hearing held just before the Plan Commission meeting.

If TID No. 9 is created, it would become the citys sixth active TID. The others are TID No. 4 (the industrial park on the citys west side), TID No. 5 (the former site of the Divine Savior Healthcare hospital and clinic on the citys southwest side), TID No. 6 (the downtown area), TID No. 7 (the southeast part of the city, including the Columbia County Fairgrounds) and TID No. 8 (the Hamilton Street corridor where Hamilton Park Place, an assisted living facility, is located).

In other Plan Commission business:

The commission approved a revised plan from the Portage Community School District to improve the off-street parking area along East Slifer Street  an area frequently used by spectators at sporting events at Mael Field, near Wayne E. Bartels Middle School. District Superintendent Charles Poches displayed the plan, which calls for angle parking and directional arrows to guide traffic in the parking area. The commissions approval was conditional on including some kind of landscaping  ornamental grasses or shrubbery, but not trees  on traffic islands where there is sufficient room for landscaping.

Portages McDonalds restaurant, 2860 New Pinery Road, got the commissions approval for renovations that will include removal of the indoor childrens play area to allow for more dining space inside the restaurant and improvements to its south entrances and drive-through area, including landscaping with trees, grasses and flowers. The commission asked, however, that a handrail be added to one of the south doors for safety. The work could be done before this year is over.
The Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau is drumming up marketing efforts for its second annual Kilbourn City Live Music and Arts Festival with help from a $30,000 Joint Effort Marketing Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The block party-style event, taking place Sept. 29-30 in downtown Wisconsin Dells, will once again feature up-and-coming bands and notable headline acts.

We are thrilled to once again support Kilbourn City Live, which showcases the growing River Arts District in Wisconsin Dells, said Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett. Events of this caliber give music enthusiasts an opportunity to experience Wisconsin Dells and create a positive economic impact in the community, as well as raise Wisconsins profile as an arts destination.

The family-friendly event is aimed at supporting the revitalization and culture of historic, downtown Wisconsin Dells. Live music will begin on Friday night at local taverns and restaurants, followed by a 50-vendor farmers and artisan market, kids activities and more live music on Saturday. This year, organizers are expanding its advertising to reach a four-hour market in hopes to increase overnight stays in the area. JEM Grant funds will go towards online and radio advertising. Kilbourn City Live is expected to draw 6,000 attendees for an estimated economic impact of $778,000.

The inaugural Kilbourn City Live event surpassed our expectations, so we are very excited to bring back the event in a bigger and better way in 2017, said Festival Manager Jenifer Dobbs. Visitors can expect a more robust music and arts festival that really captures the downtown Wisconsin Dells vibe.

In 2016, the tourism economy in Wisconsin totaled $20 billion, a 3.5 percent increase from 2015. Tourism activity supports 193,500 jobs and the travel and hospitality industry has added 21,500 in employment opportunities for Wisconsin residents since 2010, a 12.4 percent increase. Visitors generated $1.5 billion in state and local revenue. Wisconsin taxpayers would need to pay $650 per household in order to maintain current government services. Business sales in Sauk County totaled $1,329.5 million in 2016, supporting 11,000 jobs and $121.4 million in state and local taxes.

In fiscal 2016, the Department funded 57 JEM projects, awarding a total of more than $1.1 million. Visitor expenditures driven by the marketing from these projects will exceed $31 million. JEM grant funds are available to non-profit organizations for the promotion of Wisconsin tourism events and destinations. The state can fund up to 75 percent of a projects first-year advertising and marketing costs, and provide support for second- and third-year projects with decreasing amounts for funding until projects become self-sustaining. For information on the JEM Program and application materials, visit http://industry.travelwisconsin.com.

The mission of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism is to market the State as the Midwests premier travel destination for fun by executing industry-leading marketing programs and establishing strategic partnerships. The Department plays a significant role in generating greater economic impact and jobs for Wisconsin. The portal for traveler information can be found at www.travelwisconsin.com.
ICT industry leader joins Wits

Professor Brian Armstrong appointed to head up WBS/Telkom Chair in Digital Business.

The Wits Business School (WBS) has appointed Armstrong, one of the foremost ICT industry leaders in South Africa, to head up the WBS/Telkom Chair in Digital Business, established in 2016 and the first of its kind in Africa.

It is an honour to have someone of Brians standing in the telecoms industry to lead this important portfolio. With his knowledge of the industry, his passion for the subject of digitilisation and its transformative capacity in all aspects of business and society, I cannot think of a better person for the job, says Kalu Ojah, Professor of Finance and Deputy Head of School of WBS.

Armstrong has had a long and illustrious career in the telecoms industry in South Africa and Africa. After 15 years at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), where he was involved in ICT research and development (R&D), he joined British Telecoms (BT) Global Services as Vice President: Middle East and Africa. He then joined Telkom in 2010 and was there until March 2017, when he resigned as Chief Commercial Officer.

Armstrong, who describes himself, interchangeably, as a business scientist and a scientific businessman has a passion for the science behind digitilisation, and how it applies to the business context from a business model/strategy point of view.

In the past five years or so, there has been much hype around digitalisation. But while it is a very real part of our world, and applies to every aspect of business, it is a concept that is over-traded but under-researched. Most of the information we have about digitalisation is anecdotal  there is no body of knowledge available which is underpinned by rigorous academic research, says Armstrong.

It is for this reason that WBS established the Chair in Digital Business last year through a five-year funding commitment from Telkom. The Chair will ensure that WBS is at the forefront of developing important research as well as teaching programmes that are essential for doing business in todays digital world. The flagship programme of the Chair will be a masters degree in Digital Business, but there will be other offerings, including a postgraduate diploma, and online and executive education courses.

New and rigorously conducted research will underpin curriculum development, and there will be exciting opportunities for people to participate and share in this research, says Armstrong.

His vision for the Chair is threefold: to be a centre of excellence in digital business in South Africa and Africa, to become fully sustainable, and to have an impact on society.

Our outputs must be seen and felt in our society; the Chair must have an impact on the South African and African business communities.

Armstrong, an alumnus of Wits and University College, London, is a seasoned public speaker, mentor and thought leader on all aspects of digitalisation.

There have been significant changes in digital business, and this role affords me the opportunity to explore the industry through research while bringing to the table my practical, business experience. Wits was my first choice because its a top research institution, and likewise WBS, which is at the forefront of emerging market research and shares my vision for the Chair.

About Professor Brian Armstrong

Brian Armstrong has more than 30 years of top level management experience in Telecommunications, IT, technology R&D and systems engineering, both in South Africa and abroad. He is widely regarded as a thought leader in digitalisation, convergence and business strategy.

Before joining Wits in July 2017, he was a key part of the leadership team which has been credited with turning Telkom around, in the capacity of Group Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Commercial Officer. In his time with Telkom he also revived the ailing Telkom Business unit, and conceived and led the acquisition of BCX and its integration into the group. He was also responsible for the groups retail unit, as well as leading group strategy and transformation activities.

Before joining Telkom in 2010 Brian was BTs Vice President for Middle East and Africa with overall responsibility to oversee and grow BTs activities across the region. Before that his work experience includes South Africas CSIR, ultimately as the Director of the Division for Information and Communications Technology; and South African listed ICT services group AST (now Gijima), as Managing Director of AST Networks.

Brian completed his BSc (Eng) and MSc (Eng) at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1982 and 1984 respectively, and obtained his PhD from University College London in 1992.

His professional interests include business leadership, digitalisation, strategic change leadership and management, corporate entrepreneurship, organisational design, multinational and multicultural business optimisation, and venture creation.
A Bangladesh court has sentenced to death 10 leaders and activists from a banned Islamist group for a plot in 2000 to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by planting bombs at one of her rallies.

Judge Mamtaz Begum sentenced the suspects in Dhaka, the capital, and ordered them to be shot to death, which is unusual in Bangladesh, where most executions take place by hanging.

Prosecutors said two bombs were found a day before Hasina was scheduled to address a rally at a college campus in the southern town of Kotalipara.

Those convicted belong to the Harkatul Jihad-al-Islami group. Defense attorneys said they would appeal the verdict.

The groups former chief, Mufti Abdul Hannan, was involved in the plot along with his associates, prosecutors told the court. Hannan was hanged in April for his involvement in a 2004 grenade attack on a British envoy in Bangladesh.

The court acquitted 10 of the suspects for lack of evidence, said prosecutor Khondaker Abdul Mannan.

Harkatul Jihad-al-Islami has been blamed for many attacks in Bangladesh in recent years. Though weakened, the group is struggling to fight the governments nationwide crackdown against hard-

liners who want to establish strict Islamic law in the Muslim-majority country.

Hannan studied in India and Pakistan, and fought against Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan in the 1980s before returning to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has experienced a rise of Islamic militancy in recent years. Scores of attacks have taken place against members of minority groups, foreigners and atheist bloggers.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks, but Prime Minister Hasinas government has rejected the claims. Authorities say the IS doesnt exist in Bangladesh and blame the attacks on a domestic group, Jumatul Mujahedin Bangladesh.

Hasina, who is in her second stint as Bangladeshs leader, was also prime minister from 1996 to 2001. AP
The founder of a Chinese luxury online retailer has been extradited from Indonesia to face charges his company smuggled goods into China by having travelers pretend they were personal belongings, news reports said yesterday.

Ji Wenhong of Xiu.com joins a growing number of Chinese fugitives who are being returned from abroad to face charges of corruption or financial misconduct.

Ji faces charges of smuggling goods worth a total of 438 million yuan (USD65.5 million) into China while failing to report their true value, the news reports said, citing government officials.

The reports said Ji was accused of arranging for his company to buy designer clothing from Europe and the United States and have it shipped to Hong Kong. They said the company arranged for travelers to carry it to the mainland in their baggage, avoiding import duties.

Ji left China in May 2016 after being charged with smuggling, according to the China Daily newspaper. He was returned Saturday by Indonesian authorities.

In a statement, Xiu.com said some individuals at the company were under investigation but didnt mention Ji. It said the company was operating normally. AP
Scholars are petitioning Cambridge University Press to restore more than 300 politically sensitive articles removed from its website in China after a request from authorities, underscoring concerns about freedom of speech and the Chinese governments increasing leverage over academic organizations.

Cambridge University Press said last week that it had complied with a request to block certain articles from The China Quarterly within China. They touch on politically sensitive subjects including the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution and the status of Tibet.

The furor comes against a tightening of controls by President Xi Jinpings government over a wide range of society that could feed opposition to the ruling Communist Party, including lawyers who take on sensitive cases, non-governmental organizations and churches.

Academics say that in that time, universities, which have long endured some degree of political interference, have also come under increased supervision, including regular monitoring in classrooms and ideological audits.

Christopher Balding, an associate professor in economics at Peking University HSBC Business School in Shenzhen, said he started the petition to bring pressure on not just CUP, but also universities and academics who interact with China as well as Chinese universities and academics to stand up to censorship by the Chinese government.

With Chinese universities increasingly hiring internationally, Beijing is concerned that these universities are not going to have the ideological adherence to what Beijing wants them to say, Balding said.

The petition circulating among academics calls on CUP to turn down censorship requests from the Chinese government. It says that academics and universities reserve the right to boycott CUP and related journals if it gives into the Chinese governments demands.

The petition says the academics believe in the free and open exchange of ideas and information and that it is disturbing [] that China is attempting to export its censorship on topics that do not fit its preferred narrative.

The fundamental driver of this [] is simply to exercise control, to try to impose what they think is the correct way of thinking, said Balding. He said that scholars in China who really want to read the papers will still be able to access the articles through their networks of colleagues or by skirting the Great Firewall.

However, the signal is being sent: we dont want Chinese scholars publishing on this, said Balding. You will mostly likely see a decline in basically any scholarly work on these particular issues.

By yesterday, more than 200 people had signed the 3-day-old petition on change.org.

The Global Times newspaper, published by the ruling Communist Party, said in an editorial yesterday that China blocks some information on foreign websites that it deems harmful to Chinese society, and that CUP has to abide by Chinese law if it sets up a server within China.

If Western institutions think Chinas internet market is so important that they cant miss out, they need to respect Chinese law and adapt to the Chinese way, the editorial read.

Chen Daoyin, a political scientist at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said that scholars in China self-censor anyway and dont work on politically sensitive topics, such as the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Most of the young generations in China dont know about June 4, Chen said. And this is what Chinese authorities are doing now, working for the future.

Other topics addressed in the excised papers include ethnic, religious and political issues in Tibet, political governance in Hong Kong, human rights in China, unrest among the Turkic Muslim Uighur ethnic group in the Xinjiang region and papers on leaders, including communist Chinas founder, Mao Zedong.

Cambridge University Press, which is part of the famed British university, said in its Friday statement that it had complied with a request from a Chinese import agency to block individual articles within China to ensure that other materials it publishes would remain available in China.

It added that it was troubled by the recent increase in requests of this nature and intended to discuss the issue with Chinese authorities at the Beijing International Book Fair, which takes place this week. Louise Watt, Beijing, AP




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Fuel loading underway at Tianwan 3

22 August 2017

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Fuel loading has begun at unit 3 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in China's Jiangsu province, Russian state nuclear company Rosatom has announced. The Russian-supplied VVER-1000 is scheduled to enter commercial operation next year.

Tianwan units 1 to 3 (Image: Rosatom)

The first of 163 fuel assemblies was loaded into the core of the VVER-1000 reactor on 18 August. Rosatom said once all the assemblies have been loaded, start up and commissioning work will be carried out. The reactor will then be brought to the "minimum controllable power level", followed by the start of power generation.

Andrey Lebedev, vice-president for projects in South Asia for ASE Group, said the "physical start up of the unit has been started ahead of schedule". He noted that the unit is expected to be connected to the grid by the end of 2017. Commercial operation of Tianwan 3 is planned for 2018.

China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC's) Tianwan 3 and 4 are AES-91 VVER-1000 units designed by Gidropress and supplied by Rosatom.

AtomStroyExport is the main contractor, supplying the nuclear island. First concrete for unit 3 was poured in December 2012, while construction of unit 4 began in September 2013.

Two similar VVER-1000 reactors (units 1 and 2) began operating at the site in 2007.

The State Council gave its approval for Tianwan units 5 and 6 - both featuring Chinese-designed 1080 MWe ACPR1000 reactors - on 16 December 2015. First safety-related concrete was poured for unit 5 later that month and for unit 6 in September 2016. Unit 5 is expected to enter commercial operation in December 2020 and unit 6 in October 2021.

The Tianwan plant is owned and operated by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, a joint venture between CNNC (50%), China Power Investment Corporation (30%) and Jiangsu Guoxin Group (20%).

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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Recollection of the past: South Korea's story

22 August 2017

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In 1960, there was a small boy taking a stainless steel cup in his school backpack each morning to have UN-AID Food Rations at lunchtime. Now that boy is standing in the lecture room as a mentor at the World Nuclear University Summer Institute, to share his experience and knowledge about nuclear energy with 100 fellows from 40 countries. Jaekyu Lee reflects on Korea's progress and its current debate on the future of nuclear power.

In 1960, there was a small country with a GDP per capita of less than USD 100; one of the 10 poorest countries in the world. At that time it had failed to secure a loan of just USD 30 million. The loan was needed to build a fertilizer plant to drive growth in agricultural production and to emerge from poverty that had resulted from three years of war and 36 years of colonization.

Korea in the 1960s

About 35 years later in 1996 it became a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In the 2010s, it became one of the top 10 biggest trading nations in the world. They call it a 'miracle', the Han-River Economic Miracle. But nobody thinks this effect came without any cause! In the 1980s, it was a small country struggling for economic development with no domestic natural resources like oil, gas and coal, but strongly driving for self-reliance through nuclear technology.

At that time it knew nothing about nuclear energy, but since then it has grown to become one of the world's major nuclear power plant exporters. At present, four units of her own design, the APR1400 nuclear power plant, are under construction at Barakah in the UAE. They call her story a legend of the global nuclear industry and the role model of nuclear technology self-reliance.

"Favouritism and biased hatred both come from prejudice and excessive self-conviction.



When the future is not considered and the present is emphasized, radical policies might sound reasonable."

But suddenly it has been enveloped in a difficult debate about the future of nuclear power. It is at risk of losing the nuclear industry that it has worked so hard to produce. With that, it could lose the chance to become a top-level country, with years of effort and success being thrown away just as one would throw away an old coat without any regrets.

The state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation (KHNP) made a decision to temporarily suspend construction of the Shin Kori 5 and 6 nuclear plants earlier this month after the new Korean President, Jae-in Moon, called for a temporary halt in line with his initiative to wean Korea off of nuclear energy.

Some KRW 1.6 trillion ($1.4 billion) has been spent so far on construction of the Shin Kori 5 and 6 reactors, which are nearly 30 percent completed.

Paik Un-gyu, the new minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, backed the Moon administration's energy initiative in his first press conference following his inauguration ceremony. "The government, through its coal-free nuclear-free policy, is preparing for the long-haul, drawing a road map that extends beyond 60 years," he said, addressing concerns that the nuclear-free policy was being rushed. "We will have to undertake the process of gathering public opinion on Shin Kori 5 and 6, but fundamentally, we should not build new reactors and not extend the operations of nuclear plants which have run their course."

Favouritism and biased hatred both come from prejudice and excessive self-conviction. When the future is not considered and the present is emphasized, radical policies might sound reasonable.

The small boy mentioned above is me. The country mentioned above is my motherland, South Korea. These days my heart aches for my dear mother, who used to say to me every morning, whilst putting the stainless steel cup into my backpack: "Honey, keep an open mind always! Be balanced not biased and be proud of yourself always!" On 28 July, I kept the 20th anniversary of my mother's death in my mind.

I can forget injuries, but never forget kindness!

Now I am muttering my mother's words over and over.

Jaekyu Lee

Comments? Please send them to editor@world-nuclear-news.org

Jaekyu Lee is former Senior Vice President of KEPCO E&C, builders of South Korea's fleet of 14 nuclear power plants.

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The Moroccan city of Chefchaouen, also known as Chaouen, is the main town of the province of Chefchaouen. It was founded in 1471 when a small fortress was established in the northern region of Morocco to fight invasions of the Portuguese. The city has a population of about 42,786 inhabitants. It is widely known as the Blue Pearl, owing to its buildings which are painted various shades of blue.

History

Chefchaouen was originally inhabited by the Ghomara people and following the Spanish Reconquista, many Jews and Moriscos settled in the area. The city was seized by the Spanish in 1920 to constitute Spanish Morocco. It was returned to Morocco in 1956 when the country attained its independence. Since then it has grown in popularity as a tourist destination. Its closeness to Cueta and Tangier also boosts tourism in the city.

The blue colour of the buildings in the city is explained by various theories. It is said that Jewish people who took refuge in the city as they fled Hitler in 1930s introduced the colour. Some people say that the buildings are painted blue to keep off mosquitoes. Many people also believe that the colour represents the heaven and sky and serves to remind the locals to lead spiritual lives.

Tourism

Chefchaouen is a tourist hub due to its unique ambience and the surrounding Rif Mountains which give it a scenic appearance. It is very popular among tourists. Chefchaouen has about two hundred hotels to cater to its summer visitors, who mostly come from Europe. The hotels offer a variety of local cuisine to the guests. One of the most sought after local dishes is goat cheese. Besides the hotels, the town has other attractions such as a theatre at the Iglesia and the fortress from which the city grew.

Shopping

Chefchaouen is a shopping hub for tourists. The shops in the town stock various native handicrafts which cannot be bought in any other parts of Morocco. Hand woven Riffi blankets in stripes of blue, red and white as well as silk blankets are sold in various shops. Woollen garments, jewellery, carpets, lamps and lanterns, trinkets, spices and oils can also be bought in malls or shops. The shops also stock trendy legwarmers which are mostly purchased during colder months.
Official Language of Iran

Iran is located in the western region of Asia, bordered by Turkmenistan, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf. It has a population of over 79.92 million, which is made up of diverse ethnicities and linguistic backgrounds. Despite the wide range of differences within the population, Iran has only one official language: Persian.

The Persian language, also known as Farsi, belongs to the Indo-European language family, and is part of the Indo-Iranian subgroup. Persian originated from the Old Persian language of the Achaemenid Empire and the later Middle Persian of the Sasanian Empire. Persian is also an official language of Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

The Constitution of Iran outlines the national language policy by declaring Persian as the country's lingua franca. As the lingua franca, the language is also used for formal government communications and by public school systems. It is further recognized as the language of the Islam religion. Although the use of minority languages is permitted in some forms of public information, the government has largely promoted nationalism by promoting Persian as the only language of public administration, bureaucratic paperwork, and parliamentary sessions. Persian is spoken as a native language by around 53% of the population.

Other Widely Spoken Languages of Iran

As mentioned, Iran is a multicultural and multilinguistic country. As such, a number of other languages can be heard in the county, including Turkic languages and dialects (spoken by 18% of the population), Kurdish (10%), Gilaki and Mazandarani (7% combined), Luri (6%), Arabic (2%), and Balochi (2%).

One of the most commonly spoken Turkic languages in Iran is Azerbaijani. The language belongs to the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family and is related to Turkish and Crimean Tatar. The vast majority of speakers of this language are concentrated in the northwestern region of Iran, known as Iranian Azerbaijan. These people have been divided between Iranian Azerbaijan and the Republic of Azerbaijan since the Russian Empire defeated the area and divided its territory.

The Kurdish language is spoken by the Kurds. This language belongs to the Northwestern Iranian subgroup of the Indo-European language family. Although concentrated in the northwestern region of this country, it does have some similar characteristics with the Persian language, which is concentrated in the southwestern region of Iran. This language is further divided into 3 groups: Northern, which is spoken in the northwestern area; Central, which is spoken in the Kurdistan Province; and Southern, which is spoken in the Kermanshah and Ilam provinces.

Minority Languages of Iran

In addition to the widely spoken languages of the country, Iran also has a number of minority languages. These minority tongues include Circassian, Hebrew, Armenian, Assyrian, and Georgian. Together, these languages are spoken by less than 1% of the total population of Iran. Circassian is a Northwest Caucasian language. Hebrew, spoken by the small Jewish population, belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family and Canaanite subgroup. Armenian is an Indo-European language and is largely influenced by Iranian languages, so much so that some linguists have theorized that the two languages were once the same. Assyrian, like Hebrew, is an Afro-Asiatic language, although it belongs to the Northeastern Aramaic subgroup. It can be heard throughout the Urmia region of northwestern Iran. Georgian, a Kartvelian language, is spoken by individuals from Georgia who have immigrated to Iran.
China expressed strong dissatisfaction with the U.S. decision to probe its intellectual-property practices and pledged to respond if needed.

The U.S. is irresponsible because its conducting the review under domestic laws and disregarding World Trade Organization rules, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement yesterday.

The accusations against China arent objective and the probe sends the wrong signal as the countries are already making progress on separate negotiations, the ministry said, adding that the international community and U.S. industries will oppose the investigation.

The response follows U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announcing the official start of the investigation Friday in Washington. The U.S. will investigate Chinas practices on intellectual property, technology transfer, and innovation to determine if the behavior is unreasonable or discriminatory or restricts U.S. commerce, he said in a statement. President Donald Trump earlier this month asked him to consider such a move.

The Commerce Ministry said the U.S. should work with China to press ahead on the one-year economic cooperation plan and keep bilateral economic ties on a healthy and stable track. It urged the U.S. to respect multilateral trade rules and act prudently, adding that the country will monitor the probes progress and take appropriate measures to defend Chinas rights. Bloomberg
First Ministers of Wales and Scotland to propose amendments to Brexit Bill

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Aug 22nd, 2017

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon today agreed to work together on amendments to the UK governments EU Withdrawal Bill.

They say the change will be designed to protect devolved powers and responsibilities and provide effective powers to ensure devolved law works on withdrawal from the EU.

In a statement from Welsh Government it was noted: The First Ministers also committed to coordinate advice to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly to ensure that both are fully informed of the risks posed by the UK Government bill and the proposed changes.

Both governments have previously made clear that they could not recommend legislative consent is given to the UK governments proposals as they impose unacceptable constraints on current devolved powers, and are impractical and unworkable in practice.

Following their meeting, the First Ministers issued a joint statement that reads: We are approaching the 20th anniversaries of the referendums that established the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. Those votes, and the development of devolution since 1998, provide the secure democratic basis for self-government in Scotland and Wales.

Since the vote to leave the EU, the approach of the UK government to withdrawal has been a rejection of the principle of devolution, and the sharing of decision-making across these islands, clearly chosen by the people of Scotland and Wales.

Most recently the UK government has published position papers which involve the vital interests of Scotland and Wales but which have been prepared without the involvement of the devolved administrations.

Most seriously, the UK governments EU (Withdrawal) Bill is an unashamed move to centralise decision-making power in Westminster, cutting directly across current devolved powers and responsibilities.

The Scottish and Welsh Governments have already made clear that they cannot recommend that the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly give their necessary legislative consent to the bill. We believe that the bill must not be allowed to progress in its current form.

To provide a constructive way forward, the Scottish and Welsh Governments are now working to agree potential amendments to the bill which would address our concerns. We are also coordinating our advice to the Parliament and Assembly to ensure they fully understand our concerns and our alternative proposals.

It will now be for the UK government to respond positively to our suggested amendments to move negotiations forward, and ensure there is a functioning legal system on withdrawal from the EU, and agreed UK structures,  where these are required  that reflect the views and interests of all parts of the UK, and respect devolved powers and responsibilities.

Top pic  how Wrexham voted, you can re-live our uniquely local coverage from the earthquake of a count here.
New Macau Association (ANM) member Caruso Fong reported to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) that several members of the association, including the its current leaders, were bribed by the chairman of ANMs supervisory board, Andrew Cheong.

Cheong was also a witness who testified during cases brought against the defendants in the corruption case of Ho Chio Meng, the citys former top prosecutor.

Fong called for the MP to investigate Cheong regarding allegations that he was illegally awarded a MOP30 million project from the Transport Bureau (DSAT).

Fong suspects that Cheong used his illegally obtained money to bribe New Macaus leaders and control the associations leadership. In particular, Fong claimed that Cheong had bribed ANMs current leaders, including one surnamed Sou, one surnamed Chiang, and another surnamed Chao.

The bribery accusation asserts that Cheong paid for flights to Taiwan for Sou and Chiang, as well as for their accommodation there, and that Cheong had provided Chao with a full-time job, in addition to flights and accommodation when Chao traveled abroad. The allegations suggest that none of the expenses were recorded for transparency purposes.

Fong said that he had asked ANM to declare all the funds it received. However, he did not get any response from the New Macau leaders.

According to a report by Macao Post Daily, New Macau president Sulu Sou denied Fongs accusations.

According to Sou, ANM has also filed a complaint to the MP against Fong for defamation. He added that Fong is no longer a member of the association.

Cheong confirmed that Jason Chao, a former New Macau president and vice-president, has been working for him since 2006.

Current vice-president of ANM, Sulu Sou, is running in the Legislative Assembly elections next month, top-listed on the New Macau ticket. He is expected to take over from current association president, Scott Chiang, once the latter steps down after the election.

Paul Chan, a former legislator who served a term in office after the 2009 Legislative Assembly (AL) election, is placed second on the New Macau ticket.
Clashes that erupted during an ID check last Thursday between police and youth at the Cite des 3000 urban estate in Aulnay-sous-Bois, northeast of Paris, point to enormous tensions in working class areas after two years of the French state of emergency and deepening social crisis. It was in this same neighborhood that, in February, the barbaric sexual assault by police of a 22-year-old named Theo provoked indignation across France.

During the ID check, provoked by suspicions by members of the Anti-Criminal Brigade (BAC) that dealers were being alerted of their presence, a youth refused to give his papers and then, with the aid of other residents, was able to flee. Policemen who tried to stop him were confronted by a large number of youth. Another group of several dozen people surrounded their car, which was guarded by a policewoman, whom they attacked. According to police, two weapons were stolen from the car: a gun firing rubber bullets and a taser-type revolver. A man reportedly fired rubber bullets at the police car with the gun, which was found on Sunday.

The press widely reported these incidents, exclusively citing police accounts. The courts rapidly swung into action: the local prosecutors office in Bobigny opened investigations for assault and armed assault against individuals holding public authority, as well as coordinated theft and assault and degradation of public property.

Since last Thursday, three youths aged 18 or 19 were arrested, and two are still in detention. One has been charged with assault against individuals holding public authority and released. Another is reportedly implicated in the initial acts of violence against the two policemen. The last person arrested, on Monday, is reportedly the youth who refused to give his papers.

In the same location, during a similar ID check six months ago, police had sexually assaulted a Theo, a resident of the same estate, causing a 10cm injury to the rectum that required an emergency operation. A few days later, hundreds of people marched in the neighborhood to demand justice for Theo. Inhabitants of the area criticized in the press daily harassment of youth in that estate by the police forces.

Numerous protests took place across France in the weeks after police sexually assaulted Theo, on slogans such as Don't forgive, don't forget, Rapist cops in jail, or Its impunity and injustice, so disarm the police. The official investigation into the sexual assault of Theo is still underway, and social tensions in Aulnay are explosive.

At the time of the first protest against the assault of Theo, Abdallah Benjana, a former assistant of the Aulnay mayor, commented: I have the impression that the population feels humiliated. All the youth in that neighborhood want is peace and quiet. What is the point of what was done? To spark something? Isn't there enough dry powder in these neighborhoods? There is unemployment, insecurity, high rents, no perspective for the future. If you do that to a youth, the only thing you will get is an explosion.

Aulnay-sous-Bois exemplifies the social attacks that working class suburbs have suffered under a succession of governments, of the Socialist Party (PS) as of the right, over the last 30 years. The Cite des 3000 was originally built to house workers at the Citroen (PSA) plant at Aulnay. The urban estates in the north of the city housed 24,000 people, or a third of the city's population, concentrated on only four percent of its territory.

The closure of PSA-Aulnay in 2013 devastated the area. It could take place only because the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) isolated PSA-Aulnay workers in order to prevent a broader automobile strike that would have threatened the PS government of President Francois Hollande. The unemployment rate at Aulnay is 16.7 percent (30 percent for workers aged 19 to 30). Three years after the closure of PSA-Aulnay, many laid off workers still have no work and are running out of unemployment benefits, at 480 per month.

Newly elected President Emmanuel Macron's plan for working-class suburbs, aiming to favor entrepreneurs, only demonstrates his hostility to inhabitants of these suburbs.

In the legislative district including Aulnay-sous-Bois, abstention in the run-off of the legislative election reached 67.5 percent. Since 3.4 percent of voters went to the voting booths to cast blank or spoiled ballots, only 29 percent of registered voters in the area actually cast a vote in the elections. In 2012, 63 percent of voters in this district had voted for the PS and Hollande in the second round of the presidential elections.

Social inequality is exploding in Europe as around the world, and inhabitants of large impoverished estates are ever more hostile to their situation, which is correctly seen as a war of the rich against the poor. As the reaction of the London population to the social murder of the Grenfell inferno shows, those responsible for the disasterwhose victims the authorities have until now refused to count preciselyare clearly seen as the super-rich and their state agencies.

There is rising opposition to police brutality internationally. Workers, whether they live in Chicago, London, or Paris, increasingly see harassment, intimidation, and police brutality more and more as measures of class repression aimed at the population.

As the recent Aulnay incident shows, attempts at resistance to police harassment rapidly turn under these conditions into a political confrontation between the population and the state.
Hitler was not a psychopath, he was not vicious. He did not want to talk about the extermination of the Jews at his table.

Wherever many people come from foreign backgrounds and the population is not involved in regulating these problems, aggression will naturally arise.

It is clear how German politicians and editorialists would respond if Donald Trump posted these statements on Twitter or said them at a press conference. They would condemn them as an attempt to downplay the crimes of Hitler and the Nazis.

Indeed, after Trump embraced the fascist mob in Charlottesville, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) candidate for chancellor in next months parliamentary elections, Martin Schulz, denounced Trumps downplaying of Nazi violence. The cover of the current issue of Der Spiegel depicts Trump wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and proclaims: This is Donald Trumps true face.

It is difficult to overstate the hypocrisy of the German ruling class. When the right-wing extremist German Professor Jorg Baberowski, the source of the statements cited at the beginning of this commentary, trivializes the crimes of the Nazis and endorses right-wing violence, there is no outcry from the political or media establishment. On the contrary, these very same circles slander and seek to censor those critical voices that are raised in opposition to Baberowskis pro-Nazi apologeticsabove all the World Socialist Web Site.

Under the protection of influential forces in the realms of politics, the media and the military, Baberowski has for years been using his position at Humboldt University to agitate against refugees, argue in favour of illegal methods of war, and whitewash the Nazis. His right-wing extremist statements go well beyond anything Trump has said publicly. Baberowski is, for example, a declared supporter of Ernst Nolte, the most well known Nazi apologist among post-World War II historians. Nolte was done an injustice. Historically speaking, he was right, Baberowski told Der Spiegel in 2014.

The stench of historical revisionism pours out of Baberowskis scholarly works. In an essay published in 2009, he wrote that a comparison between the pre-World War II history of Stalinism and Nazism did not favour the Bolsheviks from a moral perspective. He argues that Hitlers war of annihilation in the east was not planned by the Nazis, but imposed upon the German Wehrmacht by Stalin. In his latest book, Spaces of Violence, he goes so far as to make the incredible statement: There were not especially motivated anti-Semites in the [German] military task forces.

Baberowskis downplaying of Nazi crimes is combined with calls for war and violence. In a panel discussion at the German Historical Museum on the topic Germanyan interventionist power? he said in regard to combatting non-state actors such as the Taliban in Afghanistan and ISIS in Syria and Iraq, And if one is not willing to take hostages, burn villages, hang people and spread fear and terror, as the terrorists do, if one is not prepared to do such things, then one can never win such a conflict. Then it is better to keep out altogether.

Baberowski is celebrated for his inhumane statements by the far-right in Germany, who embrace him as one of their own. But this is not limited to the neo-fascist milieu in Germany. He is also hailed by the right-wing extremist forces in the US that carried out the fascist rampage in Charlottesville.

In December 2015, the far-right website Breitbart News, led by Trumps recently deposed chief strategist Stephen Bannon, wrote that the highly respected professor was warning against the disappearance of Germany as we know it. Breitbart approvingly cited an excerpt from an interview Baberowski gave to the Huffington Post, which included the comment: Germany will no longer be able to stay out of wars and conflicts. And the Germany that we know will disappear due to mass immigration.

The neo-Nazi propaganda site Daily Stormer, which played a leading role in Charlottesville, identified Baberowski as a kindred spirit at about the same time. It cited his racist attacks on the German governments refugee policy, including the following statement: It was unwise to take selfies with refugees that were shared around the world, and it was also unwise to declare to the world that anybody can come to Germany because we are not allowed to have an upper limit.

Why are the same media outlets that criticise Trump so vociferously defending the right-wing extremist Professor Baberowski in Germany? The answer is simple: Because they are preparing the same policies as those being pursued by Trump in the US.

Trump is not an individual phenomenon. He is the outcome of unending wars and uninterrupted attacks on the working class. His government of billionaires, generals and fascists exposes the true face of American capitalism. The US ruling class can defend its wealth and power only by threatening its international rivals with nuclear annihilation and its own working class with fascism.

This is producing friction and conflicts within the ruling elite. Trumps critics within the political establishment and the state fear that social opposition will get out of control if Trump embraces the fascistic right too openly. But the policies of war, torture and drone assassinations, the enrichment of Wall Street at the expense of the working class, and the construction of an apparatus of surveillance and repression were not invented by Trump. They were initiated by his predecessorsBush Sr. and Jr., Clinton and Obama.

Germanys ruling class is responding to the global capitalist crisis with the same measures. The very week Baberowski declared that Hitler was not vicious, German President Gauck, Foreign Minister Steinmeier and Defence Minister Von der Leyen proclaimed the end of military restraint. Ever since, the build-up of the military and the domestic forces of repression has been pursued relentlessly.

The revival of German militarism necessitates the downplaying of its historic crimes. Baberowskis colleague, Herfried Munkler, told the Suddeutsche Zeitung in 2014: It is virtually impossible to pursue a responsible policy in Europe if one has the idea that we were guilty for everything. With regard to 1914, this is a legend.

All of the established parties agree on this issue. Baberowski is not only a welcome guest at the Christian Democratic Union-aligned Konrad Adenauer Foundation, he has been invited to participate in panel discussions by the Greens and the Left Party. The Social Democratic president of Humboldt University, Sabine Kunst, threatened Baberowskis critics with criminal prosecution, even though a court subsequently ruled that Baberowski can legitimately be described as a right-wing extremist.

The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGPSocialist Equality Party) and its youth organisation, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), are the only political organizations that have publicly opposed Baberowskis right-wing extremist positions from the outset and warned of their consequencesnow displayed so shockingly in Charlottesville. The representatives of German imperialism can point their fingers at Trump as often as they like, but many workers and youth now know that CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel, SPD candidate Schulz, the Left Partys Oskar Lafontaine and their fellow capitalist politicians, left as well as right, are pursuing the same reactionary policies.

The experience of the rise of fascism in Germany demonstrated that the danger of war and fascist dictatorship could be combatted only by the independent mobilisation of the working class on the basis of a socialist programme. The SGP is using the German federal election campaign, in concert with its sister parties in North America, Europe and Asia, to expose the war-mongers on both sides of the Atlantic and construct a powerful socialist movement of the international working class.
The second collision in just over two months involving a US guided-missile destroyer and a large commercial vessel points to a crisis of morale and preparedness within the American navy and military as a whole.

The USS John S. McCain collided with the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Alnic MC at 5.24 am local time as the destroyer was approaching Singapore for a routine port visit. Five American sailors were injured and another 10 are missing despite an extensive international search effort.

The destroyer later docked at Singapores Changi naval base with a large hole in its port side and, according to the US navy, flooding to nearby compartments including crew berthing, machinery and communications rooms. The tanker, which is over three times the size of the USS McCain, sustained some damage but no crew injuries.

Navy Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, ordered an operational pause of one to two days within the coming week for all US fleets around the world, to ensure that the navy was taking all appropriate immediate actions to ensure safe and effective operations around the world.

Admiral Richardson also instigated a comprehensive review to get to the root cause of the recent collisions in the western Pacific, where the US navy has been involved in four major ship accidents this year. That gives great cause for concern that theres something out there that were not getting at, he told the media.

Yesterdays incident followed a fatal collision in June between another guided missile destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, and a Philippine-registered container ship in waters off Japan that killed seven US sailors.

After an investigation, the Navy announced last week that it would relieve the destroyers two senior officers of their duties and discipline another 10 sailors.

Admiral William Moran, vice chief of naval operations, said those on watch in the ships bridge lost situational awareness, contributing to the collision.

In May, the guided-missile cruiser, the Lake Champlain, collided with a South Korean fishing vessel, but no injuries resulted. In February, another cruiser, the Antietam, ran aground in Tokyo Bay, spilling hydraulic fluid into waters near the US naval base at Yokosuka.

The immediate cause of the latest collision is yet to be investigated but initial data appears to indicate that the USS McCain was at fault. While the sea lanes around Singapore are among the busiest in the world, ships follow a traffic regime that establishes two separate lanes for vessels entering and leaving the port.

The Financial Times pointed out that ship-tracking data was not available for the John S McCain, but was for the Alnic. The available data, say analysts at Janes IHS Markit, suggest that the tanker was in the correct lane and conforming to its rules at the time of the collision, the article stated.

Commenting to the New York Times, Kirk Patterson, a former dean of the Japan campus of Temple University, suggested that something went badly wrong. It was really hard to understand with all the technology thats out there in the world on a boat, especially a naval destroyer thats supposed to be the best in the world, he said.

Retired Navy Captain Bernard Cole told New York Times that for a destroyer making a difficult passage, there would typically have been half-a-dozen sailors, including two officers, on watch on the bridge. There would also be a navigator and other enlisted men in the combat information center scanning radar.

For two collisions, involving the USS McCain and the USS Fitzgerald, to take place in similar circumstances within just over two months, points to a breakdown in morale and training. After the incident involving the Fitzgerald, the officers and crew on the McCain should have been on alert to the dangers and taken added precautions to avoid such an accident.

In recent months, the Trump administration has dramatically ramped up tensions with North Korea, this month threatening a war that would engulf the country in fire and fury like the world has never seen. As a result, the US military, including the navy, has been involved in a heightened tempo of operations.

Trump has also intensified the so-called pivot to Asia of the Obama administration, aimed at confronting China, including through a military build-up throughout the region. The USS McCain had been on patrol in the South China Sea where earlier this month it provocatively challenged Chinas maritime claims by sailing within the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit around Mischief Reef, one of Chinas islets.

The Financial Times cited naval expert Ridzwan Rahmat who noted the destroyers involvement in what he called a mission of high sensitivity. The article continued: The succession of accidents, he said, could raise questions over whether the US Navy had become too stretched in the region and whether the tempo of operations involving this class of ship was becoming unsustainable.

The impact of growing operational demands on the US navy on training, maintenance and morale has been compounded by budgetary constraints and a smaller overall fleet size. Retired Rear Admiral and CNN analyst John Kirby said that in addition to issues of leadership and training, the navys probe would also want to consider the degree to which the budget uncertainty of the last few years has likewise affected any of those factors.

Jerry Hendrix, a defense analyst at the Center for a New American Security, told CNN that the navy had been forced to become more innovative in its procedures, to compensate for a smaller number of vessels. Our ships become more combat-effective working together as a group than they are singularly. But, in kind of going after that high-end innovative approach, have we missed or ignored or overlooked basic operational shiphandling skills? he asked.

These issues are not limited to the US navy. Earlier this month, the Marine Corp ordered a 24-hour operational reset, grounding all aircraft to reinforce safety and training procedures following two fatal accidents. Three Marines were killed in early August when an MV-22 Osprey aircraft crashed off the coast of Australia. This followed the deaths of 15 Marines and a sailor in a crash in Mississippi involving a Marine Reserve KC-130T tanker.
On August 14, the World Socialist Web Site launched a petition against the manipulation of search results by tech giant Google, which is aimed at blocking access to socialist, anti-war, and progressive websites, with the WSWS the principal target. After one week, more than 2,000 people from at least 70 countries have signed the petition, demanding that Googles top executives stop their attack on free speech, independent thought, and the basic right to uncensored information.

The number of signatures jumped over the weekend, after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tweeted a link to the WSWSs exposure of Googles actions.

Googles censorship program, which was announced on April 25 under the pretext of countering fake news, has been thoroughly exposed by the WSWS in an ongoing series of articles. Since April, thirteen leading oppositional websites have been buried or banished altogether from Google search results, causing a massive drop in their readership. The WSWS itself was the hardest hit, losing more than two-thirds of its traffic that originated from Google searches. The top 45 search terms that formerly led readers to the WSWS are now blocked by Google.

Despite this attack, readership of the WSWS remains high, because a large percentage of readers access the site directly, rather than as a result of a search. Also, in response to the material exposing the censorship, there has been a significant effort by many readers to distribute WSWS articles.

In their messages of support, the thousands signing the petition articulate deeply felt hostility to corporate-state censorship, an appreciation of the critical role played by the WSWS, and an awareness of the immense danger posed by Googles actions.

Kate from Australia writes, I oppose in the strongest terms Google censorship of the WSWS. The analysis provided on the WSWS is authoritative and it is the only website that tells the working class the truth. Something that is sorely needed in a world where the future of humanity is threatened, on a daily basis, by the threat of nuclear war. The blocking of the WSWS is a deliberate attack on freedom of speech and free thought, and I demand that Google stop this attack on the most basic of democratic rights, the right to uncensored information.

Google spends more lobbying the White House than any other company, and a virtual revolving door exists between the two institutions, as documented by the Intercept in a report last year. Google lobbyists held weekly meetings at the White House during the Obama presidency.

Many signatories expressed especial concern over this incestuous relationship. Geoffrey, from Quebec wrote that, Google is in cahoots with the US power elite and preserves its quasi-monopoly from government regulation by doing the deep states dirty work, i.e., suppressing alternative media and directing users toward the mainstream media.

Another comment pointing to the danger of private, monopolistic control over the means of communication came from Denis in New Zealand: Google is a private company, although it has taken over some of the characteristics of a public utility. The extent of its market domination gives it immense power. Now its power is being exercised to limit peoples freedom of expression. The World Socialist Web Site is an important source for analysis of political, social and economic events that is not constrained by the profit-making and political domination motives of the elite classes. It is a place to go to see a perspective which is prepared to follow the evidence where it leads and to pay attention to the interests of ordinary people.

John from Australia points out that Google is operating in contravention of international law. He writes, Talk is cheap but the United Nations says everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice [from Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights]. The time has come to defend the not just the World Socialist Web site, but all antiwar web sites that are under attack.

Still others referred to the anti-enlightenment character of Googles suppression of information. Vesselyn, from Michigan, writes, This is an attempt to manipulate society by manipulating what perspectives people are aware of and what opinions people are allowed to have shared with them. People are not sheep. Human society requires that people learn from each other using the tools available to them. Censoring the intellectual work of some people is a violation of the principles gained during the Enlightenment.

Some signers demonstrated a clear Marxist, class-based appreciation for the issue of censorship, and the role of the WSWS, like Pedro from Sao Paulo, who writes, The World Socialist Web Site is one of the few Internet resources for class-conscious, genuinely progressive commentary and analysis. For the capitalist crisis to be overcome, its imperative for the working class to have unrestrained access to this very kind of courageous political and theoretical insight into world affairs. Theory and Marxist analysis is an indispensable tool for social change! Stop Googles censorship of the WSWS and other progressive websites!

And Cesar from Peru: The international working class has the right to reach websites that contribute to their political development. I am not surprised that the WSWS has been targeted by a world capitalist corporation which controls information, since the WSWS is the only website that offers a clear international, socialist perspective to working people across the world. Keep up the fight!

Adrian from Australia pointed to the importance of spreading awareness about the WSWSs campaign against censorship: The WSWS has always stood in the forefront in the defence of objective and historical truth. For Google to censor it under the rubric of false news is the pinnacle of hypocrisy. Every Google user on earth must hear about this.

Indeed, the WSWS is fighting to make sure that every worker hears about Googles attempt to silence political speech and curb the development of a class conscious movement against inequality and war. We urge our readers to join this fight! Sign the petition now, and share it with your friends and coworkers. Donate funds to the WSWS. Share WSWS articles and videos on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. Help expose and circumvent the blacklisting of the WSWS and other sites!
Nearly 2,000 auto mechanics in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Auto Mechanics Union Local 701 have entered the fourth week of a strike at auto dealerships in Chicago, Illinois and the surrounding suburbs. The rank-and-file mechanics are fighting for better pay and working conditions, but the union has isolated the striking workers from the wider working class and are seeking to end the strike as quickly as possible by pushing through a concessions contract.

Auto mechanics in the local work under a byzantine piece rate system of pay in which they are paid not by the number of hours that they work on the clock, but by the hourly rate of labor that the auto manufacturer assigns to each partwhich decreases year after year.

Carmello, an apprentice mechanic at a Chicago dealership, spoke to the WSWS about the reasons why he was out on strike: Over the past eight years, we have more diagnostic steps for vehicles, more documentation thats required. It all takes more time. And they usually end up cutting down the rates for the part-labor hours. The current minimum is 34 hours for part-labor hours. We are asking for hours paid for hours worked.

Under the current contract, the mechanics are guaranteed only 34 part-labor hours per week, for which they must labor on the clock for at least 40 hours or more. Under the new contract, the union has proposed a 40-hour part-labor guarantee per week. The proposal would not significantly improve the standard of living for the workers, however, and would leave in place the wages scheme requiring workers to work far beyond the number of hours they are paid for, to the benefit of the auto companies and dealerships

Most of us work hours more than 40 hours a week, Carmello noted. Some of our guys only get paid for an hour for diagnosing when they spend hours for fixing the problem.

The contract also fails to address the other forms of exploitation that mechanics face, such as low wages, exorbitant out-of-pocket costs for tools, an increase in health insurance costs, and unpaid labor and training.

Christian spoke about the increase of health insurance costs. For me, he said, the additional cost of health insurance too is something Im opposed to. Whos to say they wont keep increasing our costs? Now its a $5 increase, next time it will be hundreds more.

He also spoke about high out-of-pocket costs mechanics incur for education and tools just to get an extremely low-wage job in the industry. Some of these guys spend more than $30-40,000 in education. Many of us are still paying off student loans and tens of thousands of dollars in tools.

Thats a personal investment just to get into the door. So you have thousands of dollars in debt just to get a job as a Lube Technician entry job for $9.50 an hour, less than a McDonalds worker. Sixteen years later you mayif you are luckybecome a journeyman. One guy here has been here for 10 years only as a semi-skilled and it may take him a total of 18 years just to become a journeyman.

Id like to see some kind of meaningful progression for younger guys to advance in the apprenticeship program and make sure we also have a 40-hour guarantee.

In order to stay in the good graces of the auto dealerships, the union has also backed down on the 40-hour week guarantee, the very proposal upon which the contract rested. On Thursday, the union released the following statement on its web site: There are several dealers that are being told inaccurate information regarding the Unions positions. They are being told the Union is steadfast on their 40 hour guarantee proposal. That is inaccurate. Once the dealers contact the Union directly to inquire about this 40 hour stance that theyre being told along with discussing the outstanding terms that remain and what the Union is willing to accept results in their subsequent desire to break from the NCDC [New Car Dealer Committee].

While workers want to fight for a better standard of living, the IAM has no intention of doing so, as it functions as a tool of corporate management.

Earlier this year, in February, a vote by rank-and-file workers at Boeings Commercial Airplanes plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, rejected the recognition of the IAM as a union at the plant. The workers, 74 percent of whom voted against the union, made the decision based on their experiences with the betrayals of the IAM, such as stripping workers of the right to strike, ending company-paid pensions, wage and health care cuts.

In August 2012, Caterpillar workers went on strike in opposition to the pro-corporate contract put forth by the IAM and the company at the Joliet, Illinois plant, which ended when workers approved the contract by a slim majority after a bitter three-and-a-half month strike. The contract forced upon the workers all of the demands of the company that they had voted down three months earlier.

The mechanics of Local 701 can expect their struggle to end in the same way if the strike stays in the hands of the IAM leadership. The union is clearly doing all that it can to push through the contract and end the strike. According to the Local 701 web page, dealerships are using intimidation tactics and police repression to scare workers into crossing the picket line. The union has made no sincere condemnation of these tactics, and has not given the workers any means to protect themselves from such intimidation. In the same post, it reveals, The Union is earnestly seeking to resolve these open issues and to end the strike and to get our members back to work.

The locals Facebook page reveals the financial distress that workers families are faced with during the strike. As one worker commented, I have called the union and they said they were setting up a GoFundMe account. That isnt going to be enough for everyone. My husband and I did not have the means to save due to my ongoing medical issues and were not in the union long enough to save much. Im taking up more hours at work but [there] is so much I can do. Since this is not going anywhere anytime soon, my family needs help.

Although the local attempts to present itself in a militant light on its Facebook page, what the workers have to say about their struggles paints a much different picture. The union, whose bureaucrats enjoy the wealth generated by union dues and corporate kickbacks, are using the strike to financially weaken the workers so that they will submit to corporate demands and end the struggle. Other unions, like the United Auto Workers and United Steelworkers, have set up GoFundMe pages for workers in financial distress, so as not to cut into the wealth of the bureaucrats and the unions and to suppress mounting opposition from the rank-and-file.

Were out here to fight, one of the workers on the picket line noted. Like any other revolution, or tide-changing event, it comes from the people when they have had enough and they stand up. If you dont stand up, nothing happens.

To win their struggle, the mechanics need to break out of the isolation and stranglehold imposed by IAM and form their own independent rank-and-file committees to advance their demands. Such demands can only be advanced by uniting with the struggles of millions of workers in auto, steel, rail, and other industries, in the US and internationally against the entire capitalist system in an independent struggle for socialism and the liberation of the working class.
In an ominous attack on democratic rights, the newly-installed Papua New Guinea (PNG) government of Prime Minister Peter ONeill announced last week that it will deploy additional military and police personnel to two provinces in the countrys remote Highlands region.

The move is part of a broader crackdown on widespread social and political opposition, which has intensified in the wake of last months national election. The polling was dominated by accusations that ONeills Peoples National Congress had engaged in dubious electoral practices, including outright fraud, in order to cling to office.

Troops and heavily armed police will be dispatched to Hela Province, and will conduct operations in the neighbouring Enga and Southern Highlands provinces. They will join hundreds of military personnel who were sent to Hela Province several months ago, on the pretext of combatting tribal violence.

Announcing the military call-out last Thursday, ONeill cited reports that election-related violence, involving rival clans, had resulted in up to 20 deaths in Enga province. Fatalities and serious injuries have also occurred during clashes in the Southern Highlands.

ONeill gave no indication of how many police and military personnel would be involved. His comments, however, indicated that the authorities are preparing a violent assault on opponents of the government.

The behaviour we are witnessing by small groups is totally unacceptable, ONeill stated. He menacingly added: I am issuing a very clear warning to people seeking to cause disruption, that you will be faced with the full effort of our disciplined services, arrested and tried for criminal acts.

The trigger for the violence in Enga province was accusations that the dubious activities of electoral authorities were responsible for prominent opposition leader, Don Polye, losing the seat of Kandep. His supporters have claimed that as many as eight boxes containing ballots from villages supportive of Polye went missing, resulting in the victory of Peoples National Congress candidate, Luke Manase.

Those claims are among a litany of accusations of electoral malpractice. These have included indications of bribery, ballot-box tampering and the wholesale omission of names from electoral rolls.

Following the closure of polls on July 8, after a two-week voting period, the entire Electoral Advisory Committee, an official watchdog body, resigned. They accused the Electoral Commission of denying them access to basic information relating to the ballot.

A detailed review of the election results by Sean Dorney, on the Australian-based Lowy Institutes Interpreter site, raised the possibility of voter-fraud on a vast scale. Dorney noted, for instance, that 55 percent of all votes were cast in the Highlands, which, according to the 2011 census, accounted for just 39 percent of PNGs total population.

The election has resulted in an ONeill government that is widely viewed as illegitimate. Parliament was hastily reconvened on August 2 by Governor-General Bob Dadae, even though five of the parliaments 111 seats had not yet been declared. Dadae had already invited ONeill to form government on July 28, when as many as a quarter of electoral returns were still outstanding.

In parliaments first sitting, ONeill received 60 votes to form a new government, with 46 opposed. The result means that the governments majority is substantially reduced, setting the stage for ongoing political crises.

Underlying the election turmoil, and widespread hostility to ONeills government, is the deepening social crisis facing workers, young people and the poor throughout PNG.

Almost 40 percent of the countrys population subsists on less than $US1.25 a day. The previous ONeill government imposed a deeply unpopular austerity agenda, which included cuts to health and education budgets of up to 40 percent in the 2016-17 financial year. Many public servants had their wages slashed, or were hardly paid at all, over that period.

In imposing this agenda, ONeills government was responding to the dictates of the global corporate and financial elite for a stepped-up offensive against the social rights of workers and the poor.

The trigger was the precipitous fall in global commodity prices, which led to a decline in PNGs economic growth from highs of over 14 percent in 2014, to just above 2 percent this year. The countrys debt has ballooned to K21.6 billion ($US6.8 billion), after the government borrowed K13 billion ($US4.1 billion) in the 12 months to June.

The new government has already indicated that it will intensify the social onslaught. On August 17, ONeill spoke at a meeting attended by senior figures from PNGs business establishment, and representatives of major multinational companies.

ONeill foreshadowed a 2017 mini-budget, that would make necessary adjustments to achieve the fiscal deficit target of this years budget. In other words, the government will press ahead with attacks on education, health and other areas of social spending, negating ONeills election promises.

ONeill stated that his government would work closely with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, two of the key institutions of global finance, on a review of the medium term fiscal strategy to ensure that our budgets are framed prudently.

ONeill also gave assurances that his government would not impose any, even nominal tax hikes on business. One newspaper, Loop PNG, summed up the tenor of the prime ministers remarks by declaring that investor confidence had been reaffirmed.

While seeking to capitalise on the social opposition created by ONeills pro-business policies, the opposition leaders, including Don Polye, have repeatedly signalled their support for the austerity agenda.

An opposition leader Mekere Morauta summed up the position of all of the opposition parties. Morauta, who oversaw the privatisation of state-owned enterprises and other pro-business policies when he was prime minister from 1999-2002, declared earlier this month that budget repair was the first task of the new government. He warned that it should not seek to downplay the countrys fiscal crisis.

The entire political establishment is aware the governments pro-business program will provoke ever-greater anger.

The deployment of troops to the Highlands is a warning of how the government will respond to social protest and opposition from the working class and young people. ONeills previous government oversaw substantial attacks on democratic rights, demonstrated most graphically last year by the police shooting at peaceful student protesters calling for his resignation.

Australia, which for decades controlled PNG as a colony, has already signalled its support for the new government. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop absurdly described the election as successful in a statement earlier this month, and declared that her government looks forward to working with ONeill.

Australian authorities were directly implicated in the anti-democratic conduct of the elections. Two hundred Australian soldiers were dispatched to PNG in June to assist with the ballot.
The police arrested a 20-year-old man from mainland China after a series of tourist robberies in the surrounding area of the citys most emblematic tourist landmark, the Ruins of Saint Pauls, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) informed yesterday at a press conference.

The man was initially spotted by officers on patrol in the area on Saturday, when they noticed his suspicious behavior. The officers recall the suspect carefully observing tourists as they moved in and out of local shops.

The PSP officers then decided to follow him from a distance and eventually caught him red-

handed stealing a wallet from a tourist who was shopping in one of the stores.

When he noticed that the officers were following him, the man tried to escape, disposing of a bag that he was carrying in the attempt. He then resisted the arrest  and consequently injured one of the officers  before he was finally detained.

The police found in the suspects wallet, among other possessions, the equivalent of MOP6,848, denominated in three different currencies (TWD, HKD and RMB).

Upon searching the bag that the suspect had hastily disposed of, the police discovered a mobile phone that the man later admitted to have stolen from another, unidentified victim.

A third victim of the same man was then confirmed via a complaint presented at a police station. The man presenting the complaint, who came from Hong Kong, recalled a similar account to that the officers had observed with the suspect.

Taken into custody, the suspected admitted to all the three thefts and was present yesterday at the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), where he was charged for the crimes of theft and resisting arrest.

In an unrelated case also reported yesterday, a woman was the victim of a violent attempted robbery.

The incident occurred about midnight on Sunday at the pedestrian bridge that leads to the entrance of The Venetian Macao resort. The woman recalled sitting on the stairs speaking to a friend on her mobile phone when a man passed by and threw a soft drink can at her.

The victim said she thought the man was drunk and did nothing besides looking at him. However, the act was merely a distraction to avert her attention while a second suspect attacked her from behind and attempted to steal her handbag.

Her resistance was met with a physical assault from the two men, with one kicking her in the neck while the other punched her in the face.

The assailants eventually ran off  without her bag in their possession  after the victim started to call for help. She required and received treatment at the hospital for her injuries.

The PJ is still investigating the case.

Currency exchange scams see more victims

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has informed that currency exchange scams continue to have a high incidence rate in Macau, with several cases reported over the weekend.

In one of the highlighted cases presented at the press conference yesterday, a man from mainland China claimed to have lost a total of HKD750,000 when on August 17 he was approached by another man offering to convert the funds into RMB.

The 30-year-old suspect, also from mainland China, called the victim and arranged a meeting in a hotel room he was renting.

The victim, accompanied by some of his friends, went to the venue to meet the suspect. While they were waiting for the exchange, the suspect suddenly put the cash in the rooms safe box and left.

Suspecting a scam, the victim called the police and stayed inside the hotel room.

Before the police arrived, the suspect called the victim and asked to meet him at the hotel lobby. The victim sent his friend who intercepted the suspect and held him until the arrival of the police.

In a separate case on August 16, a gambler from the mainland offered to exchange another mainlanders RMB52,500 into HKD60,000. The victim then transferred the money to the suspects bank account electronically using his mobile phone.

The suspect said that he did not have in his possession the device needed to transfer the HKD and asked the victim to wait for him while he retrieved it.

Upon the suspects disappearance, the victim filed a complaint with the PJ. The next day the suspect was intercepted while trying to leave the territory.
The Polish government of the Law and Justice party (PiS) announced earlier this month that it would demand reparations from Germany for the massive damage done to the country under the Nazi occupation in World War II. Just a few days earlier, the European Union had initiated legal proceedings against Poland which could result in the country losing its voting rights in the EU. The developing conflict is symptomatic of the renewed eruption of national conflicts in Europe, which led to two world wars in the 20th century.

During World War II, some six million Poles (about 20 percent of the population) lost their lives under Nazi occupation, including over three million Polish Jews. Over 200,000 Polish civilians were killed just during the destruction of Warsaw in the summer of 1944 by the German Wehrmacht. Millions of Polish workers were employed as forced laborers in the German war economy.

Polish vice prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has stated tht it was clear that the historical accounts had not been settled. Our neighbors, especially the Germans, massacred Poland. I am not just talking about the six million Polish lives that were taken. Not even one percent of this was compensated.

For decades, Berlin has been rejecting demands for reparations from Poland as well as from numerous other European countries. The German governments vice press secretary Ulrike Demmer declared that the question of reparations to Poland had been settled, both legally and politically. Last year, former foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had similarly stated that any kind of reparation payments to Poland were out of the question.

In rejecting any demands for reparations, the German government is basing itself on contracts from 1953 and, particularly, the so called Treaty of Good Neighborship between Poland and Germany from 1991. The payments which occurred based on this agreement are absurdly low. Germany paid only 750 million Deutsche Marks (about 375 million Euros) directly as reparations, in addition to a few billion Euros paid to former forced laborers. This starkly contrasts with the actual material damage that Poland suffered under the Nazi occupation, which the Polish government estimated to amount to some $850 billion right after the war.

Politicians of the ruling PiS party have repeatedly raised the issue of reparations in the past. However, previous social democratic and liberal governments deliberately avoided advancing such demands, as they are politically explosive. Thus, former Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski warned back in 2004: If we were to invoice [the reparations] we would indeed destroy united Europe.

The fact that PiS is now taking up the issue in such an aggressive manner is indicative of the renewed eruption of fundamental geopolitical conflicts between Germany and Poland. Especially since the inauguration of US president Donald Trump and in light of the growing tensions between Washington and Berlin, the relations between Warsaw and Berlin have considerably deteriorated, while the domestic political crisis in Poland has deepened.

During his visit to Poland in early July, Trump signalled open support for the so called Three Seas Initiative, a thinly veiled revival of the Intermarium project. With this project, the PiS is seeking to build an alliance of Eastern and Central European states that would be directed against both Russia and Germany.

However, the Polish bourgeoisie is deeply divided over this issue. The liberal opposition is oriented toward the EU and particularly Germany, Polands most important trading partner.

Donald Tusk, Polands former prime minister and an influential figure in the liberal opposition party Civic Platform (PO), is playing a central role in the EUs maneuvers against the PiS government. Only a few months ago, Tusk was reelected as the president of the European Council against the opposition of the PiS government. He is considered a close ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel.

On a formal level, the legal proceedings are directed against bills providing for changes to the countrys judicial system, which the PiS introduced in the wake of Trumps visit. By subordinating the judiciary to the government, these bills implement the de facto end of the division of powers in Poland.

In Brussels, Tusk said of the EUs proceedings against Poland: Today, there is a big question mark over Polands European future. Further, he cautioned that Poland could soon announce that it does not need the European Union and that the European Union does not need Poland. Im afraid that this moment is now drawing closer.

For about two years, the liberal opposition has been leading a protest movement against the abolition of the separation of powers and other reactionary measures of the PiS-government, such as the undermining of the right of abortion. It is supported by sections of the urban middle class who see their future bound up with that of the EU.

In contrast, the PiS represents a wing of the Polish bourgeoisie that insists on national independence and is, for this purpose, seeking a closer alliance with Washington. To prop up its policies, the PiS is trying to mobilize layers in the rural regions and sections of the working class which have particularly suffered from the neoliberal policies of Brussels and Berlin.

The EU is exploiting the conflicts within the Polish bourgeoisie and the opposition to the dictatorial measures by the PiS to step up the pressure on the Polish government.

At this point, cracks are beginning to show within the government camp. President Andrzej Duda, who was long considered a mere puppet of Jarosaw Kaczynski, the head of the PiS, vetoed two of the PiSs judicial bills, and is now in a public feud with justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro. Several members of the government and PiS have publicly supported Dudas steps and the PiS leadership is now fearing that the president could try and build his own movement with their support.

For all the rhetoric, what is involved for the EU is neither the rule of law nor democracy.  Rather, vicious conflicts are taking place, behind closed doors, over Polands foreign policy orientation.

What the EU really thinks of democracy was proven not least of all in Greece, where it pushed through brutal austerity diktats against massive protests and a referendum voicing the opposition of the majority of the population. And when it comes to undermining democratic rights and building a powerful surveillance and police apparatus, Brussels is well ahead of Warsaw.

Brussels and Berlin view with great concern the emerging alliance between the right-wing PiS government and the Trump administration in Washington. The latter is now openly backing the construction of a political and military alliance in Eastern Europe under Polands leadership.

The Intermarium-style alliance envisioned by the PiS would create military and political structures that are independent from the EU. The Polish governments demands for German reparations are not least of all aimed at mobilizing the support of nationalist forces within Poland to support this policy.

The liberal opposition is oriented toward Germany and the EU and rejects this policy. The liberal Newsweek Polska, which is owned by the German publishing house Axel Springer, condemned the whipping up of anti-German resentment through the PiS as extremely irresponsible and fundamentally stupid.

The conservative newspaper Rzeczpospolita, which cautioned in an earlier commentary against an exclusive orientation toward the United States, also rejected the demands for reparations. While acknowledging that they were morally justified, the newspaper warned of deteriorating relations with Berlin. Further, the editors commented: Yes, Donald Trump, who spoke so nicely about us in Warsaw, is on the other side of the ocean. But thats precisely the problem. He is on the other side of the ocean, and recently he has been looking mostly toward Asia.... 

The Three Seas Initiative was interesting, the newspaper wrote, but: It is enough to take a look at the structure of Polish exports to notice that our current economic relations with this region are extremely loose... On a political and military level too, the ties are rather poor, it observed.

Therefore, according to Rzeczpospolita, an institutionalization of the Three Seas Initiative can only be realized within the framework of the EU.  However, the PiSs policy toward Germany, the editors stated, was undermining such a possibility. The commentary cited a well-known statement by the authoritarian inter-war dictator of Poland, Jozef Pisudski, who declared that Poland could not simultaneously fight Germany and Russia without losing its independence, and concluded: Lets be frank: it doesnt look good [for us].
The Congressional negotiations put in place during the month of July by Brazilian President Michel Temer in order to repeal a Congressional authorization for corruption charges to be brought against him in the Supreme Court have highlighted the depth of the political and economic crises confronting Latina Americas largest country.

The rottenness of the month-long horse-trading in the Lower House overshadowed even the unprecedented situation of a president being taped by a billionaire former ally agreeing to buy the silence of another former ally and further recommending an associate to organize the rigging of anti-trust legislation in his favor.

Michel Temer took over the presidency after conspiring to bring down Workers Party (PT) president Dilma Rousseff on trumped-up charges of budget manipulation barely one year ago, after serving as her vice-president for one-and-a-half terms in office. The right-wing move, supported by every major business association, the entire bourgeois press and a collection of right-wing parties that had supported the Workers Party rule for 13 years, signaled a declaration of class war by the ruling class. It was organized in the face of the countrys worst economic crisis in a century and particularly the contraction of previously record profits from commodity exports that had for almost a decade financed token social reforms and political stability.

Workers Party rule, which represented a key ideological and economical factor in the so-called Pink Tide in Latin America, had already started to crumble with Rousseffs narrow re-election victory in the 2014 election, which also brought in the most right-wing Congress since the end of the US-backed military dictatorship in 1985. The elections had seen a major growth of the so-called Beef, Bullet and Bible caucus, which comprises almost a third of the Lower House and is composed of retired or active duty military, evangelical and Catholic preachers and major agribusiness heads.

Under conditions of a two-year economic contraction that slashed GDP by 10, Temer came to power promising to boost the economy by decimating the social conditions of the working class through unprecedented labor and pension reforms and a 20-year budget freeze.

Amid the unwillingness of even the most right-wing congressmen to pass some of the toxic legislation, Temer was subjected to a sting operation in late May, with sections of the intelligence establishment and the justice system collaborating with meatpacking magnate Joesley Batista to tape the president agreeing to favor Batista in the countrys anti-trust CADE agency, and further authorizing him to set up a monthly pay to avoid the plea-bargain agreement of jailed former Lower House speaker Eduardo Cunha, Rousseffs political hangman who had put the 2016 impeachment to a vote.

A trial of a sitting Brazilian president on criminal corruption charges has to be authorized by Congress, nonetheless, and a political operation was mounted to avoid authorization. The success of these machinations has further exposed the protracted breakdown of bourgeois-democratic forms of rule in Brazil, which had been signaled in the internecine warfare that resulted in the covert taping of Temer in first place.

In addition to agreeing to unfreeze more than 1.5 billion dollars from the 2017 budget to meet immediate demands of members of the special panel reviewing the charges in the Lower House in mid-July, Temer issued a July 11 decree to legalizing the private ownership by major agribusiness heads of invaded state-owned land all over the country, but specially in the so-called farming borderlands that surround the Amazon forest. A July 5 report on apublica.org estimates that the total size of this land grab would be equivalent to the area of the state of Rio de Janeiro, more than 16 thousand square miles, or a staggering 0.5 percent of the countrys territory.

Later, on July 25, seeking support from representatives of mining states, a decree was issued increasing the amount of royalties paid by companies, at the same time that special legislation was introduced in order to increase the participation of mining from 4 to 6 percent of GDP. Except for the southeastern Minas Gerais, where the collapse of a BHP Billiton mining waste dam killed 18 people and caused chemical poisoning of 230 towns along the 600km of the Doce river, most of the main mining regions overlap the farming borderlands, compounding the assault on some of the poorest and most oppressed communities in the country.

Another move, on August 1, the day before the vote to repeal the investigation, pardoned 80 percent of the 3.5 billion dollars major agribusiness heads owe to the countrys social security system in the form of delayed payments to finance the retirement of their employees. Furthermore, Temer hasby decreeslashed the amount that employers have to pay in terms of social security from 2 percent to 1.2 percent of wages.

The Brazilian edition of the Spanish El Pais estimated on August 15 that the major beneficiary of the pardon would be Joesley Batista, who had agreed to set up Temer for prosecution. The meatpacking executive is now freed from any corruption charges by the plea bargain agreement set up with the Attorney Generals office and plans to move the headquarters of his J&F meatpacking empire to the European Union or the United States, where the company employs more than 63,000 workers in 44 plants. The pardon on unpaid social security payments was specifically written not to exclude bosses charged with financial crimes or corruption.

The pardoning of the agribusiness bosses debts, known as Provisional Measure 793 (MP 793), nonetheless pales in comparison with the expected pardoning of 99 percent of the 543 billion reais (180 billion dollars) owed by major businessmen to the social security system, in exchange for the immediate payment of 1 percent, as a refinancing. Of this amount, 3 billion reais are debts held by companies owned by congressmen, according to an April 24 report by the daily Folha de Sao Paulo. The representative in charge of the law, known as Refis, alone owes 68 million reais, while senator Jose Perrella from Minas Gerais owes 1,7 billion reais.

This windfall for the employers has been implemented simultaneously with the imposition of a 3 percent increase in the social security taxes on 2 million federal level public servants and negotiations to impose a pension reform that will impose a minimum retirement age of 65 years and the creation of private pension funds for most workers.

The adoption of a self-serving string of measures by congressmen, a deepening of the long-standing practice of vote-buying in Brazilian politics that almost brought down the Workers Partys first President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is nonetheless only the most superficial feature of a government of class war, incompatible with even the bourgeois-democratic forms of rule established in the post-dictatorship 1988 constitution. This regime is taking shape with no opposition from within the bourgeois establishment.

The Workers Party and its associate pseudo-left milieu attack Temers government as an anti-national regime which speaks for a semi-feudal aristocracy, obsessively describing it as a slaveholder-like, Big House government, not least in order to court a petty-bourgeois layer that is increasingly fixated on US-inspired identity politics. The major presence of big landowners in the governments right-wing congressional base and cabinet is held as the ultimate proof of this fact. The opposition of the Workers Party is oriented not to the working class or the oppressed rural communities on farming borderlands, but to dissatisfied layers of the bourgeoisie and privileged sections of the petty bourgeoisie. It is directed not against capitalism or the class war waged by the Temer government, but against the cutting across of the national bourgeoisies interests, supposedly in favor of rentier landowners.

A prime representative of this national bourgeois class would be none other than Joesley Batista, who was the beneficiary of endless favors offered by the federal government in name of national competitiveness throughout the years of Workers Party rule. The end result of the PTs policy was the rise of a layer of increasingly internationalized, Wall Street-connected Brazilian capitalists, personified by Batista.

The Workers Party opposition has for more than a year now claimed that Temers government was cutting business opportunities for the national bourgeoisie, with a typical piece in the semi-official Workers Party mouthpiece Carta Capital claiming on August 8 that neoliberals like Temers Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles, who served under Lula as Central Bank president, hate credit for business.

For the Workers Party, the self-serving laws approved by congressmen expresses the interests of an anti-business parasite state bureaucracy. The revival of the Weberian 1950s Brazilian anti-bureaucratic sociologist Raymundo Faoro by Workers Party intellectuals in outlets like Carta Capital serves the purpose of ideological justification of this pro-capitalist orientation.

The fact is, however, the Refis law and the labor and pensions reforms are expression of a generalized attack of capitalist bosses on the social conditions of the working class. The last string of laws favors congressmen because a huge number of them are actually capitalist bosses, not landed aristocrats. The driving force behind these laws is not land income, but production costs, that is, working class wages and social rights. The reforms are driven by the interests of agribusiness and mining bosses, and not feudal overlords, their increasing presence on national life being the result of a conscious Workers Party commodity-oriented strategy, which saw men like Batista take charge of key industrial infrastructure such as energy plants and even a bank, with his business growing 22-fold with the financial backing of the National Development Bank (BNDES).

The waging of class war amid the countrys worst economic crisis in a century is not the product of a feudal reaction, but the ruling class answer to shrinking world markets and the general offensive by the world bourgeoisie against the working class social conditions, not least the Trump administrations own naked oligarchic rule and nationalist attacks on social rights, environmental protections and democratic rights.

The corrupt character of the internecine warfare being waged within the Brazilian ruling establishment is only a symptom of the urgency and desperation with which the Brazilian capitalists are seeking to reposition themselves on the world scene.
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued two men who reportedly were stabbed on board their fishing vessel off Florida's Gulf coast.

In a news release, Coast Guard officials said they were notified Sunday night that two crew members of the commercial vessel Bill B were stabbed by a third member of the crew about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Pensacola.

Coast Guard crews hoisted the men to a helicopter and took them to Pensacola Baptist Hospital. Officials say one crew member was in stable condition, while the other was listed in critical condition.

A boat crew from the Coast Guard detained the third crew member and towed the boat to Perdido Pass, Alabama.

It was not immediately clear if the third crew member had been turned over to police.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Hate-crime protections would be extended to law-enforcement officers and other first responders under a measure reintroduced Monday by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah.

Under the proposal (SB 178), criminal penalties would be increased when crimes evidencing prejudice are committed against law-enforcement officers or other emergency workers.

As an example, first-degree misdemeanors would be upgraded to third-degree felonies in such cases.

Tougher penalties are already in place to deal with hate crimes based on race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, homeless status or advanced age. Garcia's proposal also would extend the protection based on a victim's sex or creed.

The bill is filed for the 2018 legislative session, which starts in January. Garcia proposed a similar measure for the 2017 session, but it did not get heard in committees.
MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) - Midway officials are responding as some residents are speaking out, saying they want more oversight and answers from the people who run their city.

"There's been little if any growth in the community at all," said Nandrycka King Albert. She and other members of the Midway Community Action Committee are pushing back against a proposed tax rate increase. Their main concern: paying more, while property values are going down.

"We don't want our taxes increased to pay debt because people haven't had the knowledge to make the best decisions for the community," said King Albert. "We're upside down in our homes and then if the value of our homes are decreasing, that creates even more of a burden. So even for those of us who've considered moving out, it's really not an option at this point."

The citizen's committee is also handing out surveys, asking people what they want to see happen in the future.

Midway's City Manager Leslie Steele admits changes need to be made.

"We take their concerns very seriously," said Steele. "The first thing we have to do is be responsible with their money. In the past sometimes, we hadn't. Their tax dollars matter."

Steele says right now, the city doesn't have a comprehensive economic development plan in place because they're focused on paying past debts and balancing the budget. However, she says they are working on improvements like modernizing the police and fire departments, upgrading local parks and making the permit process easier so more businesses will want to come to Midway.

"This five member council is moving in a different direction and its our hope the citizens join in with us and that we're not arguing and fighting and bickering with one another," said Steele. "[We must] join together and move forward, move Midway forward."

The Midway Community Action Committee will hold another citizen meeting on August 29th at 6 p.m. at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Midway.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Need advice about a family law case? Legal Services of North Florida is offering a free clinic to help you get informed.

Legal Services of North Florida announced that on Thursday, they and the Leon County Clerk of Courts will be hosting the third of four free family law information clinics.

They say the clinics will focus on divorce proceedings, custody and division of property.

LSNF's clinic is free, open to the public and does not require registration.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with representatives of LSNF and the Leon County Clerk of Courts Office,the Law Office of Linda A. Bailey, P.A. and Herzog Mediation, LLC.

The clinic will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the Leon County Courthouse Annex, Courtroom 1 at 1920 Thomasville Road.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Local politicians are reacting after President Donald Trump makes his first remarks on the war in Afghanistan.

President Trump is recommitting the U.S. to the nearly 16 year war in Afghanistan.

Understandably, state politicians in Georgia and Florida are following party lines on this one: Republicans commending trump for addressing this issue, and Democrats saying he's not doing the right thing.

Trump is vowing to crush Al Qaeda, prevent the Taliban from taking over the country and stop terror attacks against Americans. However, the president says he will not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

Georgia's Republican U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, who's the chairman of the senate committee on Veterans' Affairs, issued the following statement saying:

"I support a strategy in Afghanistan that protects our homeland and prevents Afghanistan from once again becoming a haven for terrorists to plot attacks against the United States. The president outlined a tough and thoughtful strategy following the guidance of General Mattis and our military leaders. Our commanders in the field must have what they need to keep us safe and get the job done."

Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, a democrat from Florida, said:

In the past, Trump has repeatedly called for America to pull out of the conflict in Afghanistan and last night, trump acknowledged his change of heart, saying he was "hiven a bad and very complex hand."

WTXL political contributor Dr. Richard Murgo joined us in studio to weigh in on Trump's speech.
China has been an incredible partner in cracking down on synthetic opioids seen as fueling fast-rising overdose deaths in the United States, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said yesterday during a visit to the country considered the source of many of the deadly substances sought by addicts.

Price said China has been quick to respond when regulators identify a threat from a dangerous drug such as fentanyl, the powerful opioid blamed for thousands of fatal overdoses, including the death of entertainer Prince.

When a particular drug is identified as being a problem, China has been an incredible partner in helping to stop the production of drugs like fentanyl in China, Price told The Associated Press.

A bigger challenge comes from the rapidly changing ability of individuals to formulate new chemical makeups that are a different drug and that arent in the controlled arena, Price said. The challenge is to get those taken care of much more rapidly. And so thats the conversations that we need to be having.

Last month, China banned a designer drug called U-47700 and three others following U.S. pressure to do more to control synthetic opioids.

In China, U-47700 had been a legal alternative to fentanyl and potent derivatives like carfentanil. Its usage has been growing among U.S. opioid addicts.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has long said that China is the top source country for synthetic opioids like fentanyl and its precursors, assertions Beijing has said lack firm evidence. Still, the two countries have deepened cooperation as the U.S. opioid epidemic intensifies.

Price also expressed support for continued funding of the World Health Organization amid questions about President Donald Trumps commitment to the United Nations. The U.S. is currently the largest contributor to the WHOs budget.

Those in Congress responsible for drawing up budget plans appreciate the importance of WHO, appreciate the incredible importance of the United States support of WHO, not just rhetorically, but financially as well, Price said. AP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Amid a national debate about monuments and statues, a South Florida lawmaker renewed his push Monday for a likeness of Mary McLeod Bethune --- an educator and civil-rights activist who founded what is now known as Bethune-Cookman University --- to represent Florida in the U.S. Capitol.

State Sen. Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, proposed a resolution (SCR 184) to have Bethune replace Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith as one of Florida's two representatives in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.

The proposal is filed for the 2018 legislative session, which starts in January. House members began filing bills for the session Friday, and a proposal dealing with the state's representation in National Statuary Hall had not been filed as of Monday morning.

The Legislature voted in 2016 to replace a statue of the St. Augustine-born Smith. That vote came during a nationwide backlash against Confederate symbols in the wake of the 2015 shooting deaths of nine African-American worshippers at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C. Also, critics said Smith had only a tenuous connection to Florida.

But while lawmakers decided to replace Smith's statue, they did not reach agreement during the 2017 session about whether Bethune --- or somebody else --- should represent Florida.

Thurston's proposal for the 2018 session emerged Monday amid a fierce debate about removing Confederate statues and monuments. That debate has been fueled, in part, by a white nationalist rally this month in Charlottesville, Va., that turned deadly. A plan to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee helped spur the rally.

The National Statuary Hall allows each state to be represented by the likenesses of two people. Along with Smith, Florida has long been represented by John Gorrie, widely considered the father of air conditioning.

After lawmakers decided in 2016 to replace the Smith statue, a panel known as the Great Floridians Committee nominated three potential replacements.

Bethune, who was born in 1875 to former slaves in South Carolina and who died in 1955, was the only candidate to receive the unanimous support of the Great Floridians Committee. The other two nominees were Everglades activist and writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Publix grocery story founder George Washington Jenkins Jr.

During the 2017 session, however, competing proposals and a House chairman's concerns about the process stymied efforts to approve a new statue.

A proposal (SCR 1360) backing Bethune passed the Senate but had no counterpart in the House. A separate House effort (HCR 507), pitching a likeness of Douglas, never got a hearing. Rep. Scott Plakon, a Longwood Republican who chaired the subcommittee that declined to hear the Douglas bill, said in June that he had qualms about simply following the lead of the Great Floridians panel.

 2017 The News Service of Florida. All rights reserved. Posting or forwarding this material without permission is prohibited.
VALDOSTA, Ga. (WTXL) - Several drug investigations in Valdosta landed five men behind bars.

Police say Romel Morrison, 22, was found last Wednesday with 15 grams of marijuana in his car and other items used for drug sales.

Police served two search warrants Friday and arrested Wayne Barrett, 54, Andrew Lee Williams, 55, Phillip Michael Thomas, 30, and Trumaine Alfred Jackson, 31.

During the search, police found various drugs and tools used for selling narcotics.

All five men are facing drug-related charges.

The Valdosta Police Department expressed thanks for citizens who provided their narcotics unit information about illegal drug sales in their neighborhoods.

"A clear statement was made by our citizens that Valdosta's neighborhoods are for our residents and youth, not drug dealers," said VPD Lt. Adam Bembry.

MOBILE USERS: Download our WTXL news app on your Apple and Android devices for the latest from South Georgia and North Florida. Also, download our WTXL Weather Now app for Apple and Android devices to get the latest local weather wherever you go.

Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man is facing charges after investigators say he lied to get nearly $5,000 in Food Stamp Program benefits.

Henry Davis was booked into the Leon County Jail on Monday.

According to a complaint failed by a Florida Department of Financial Services investigator, the fraud happened between the March 25, 2015 and January 31, 2016.

In 2015, the document says Davis lied on his application to receive public assistance, reporting an adult member of his household as unemployed.

However, investigators discovered that the household member was employed at a local restaurant from 2015 to 2016.

As a result of Davis' false report, he received $4,877 in Food Stamp Program benefits from May 2015 through Jan. 2016 that he was not entitled.

Investigators issued a warrant for Davis' arrest back in October 2016.

Davis was taken into custody on Monday and later bonded out of the Leon County Jail. He is being charged with one count of public assistance fraud.
YAKIMA, Wash.  Nearly nine months after police said a Yakima couple were abducted from Casino Caribbean near Nob Hill Boulevard and later ass
On Monday afternoon, Hezbollah published documentation of its drone attacks against ISIS targets as part of its operation on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

ISIS is being attacked on both sides of the Syrian-Lebanese border by Hezbollah, the Syrian army and the Lebanese armed forces.

The Lebanese army on Sunday managed to regain two-thirds of the territory occupied by ISIS. 15 ISIS suicide bombers were killed by Lebanese army fire and three Lebanese soldiers were killed.

On the other side of the border, Hezbollah and the soldiers of the Assad army are fighting side by side against ISIS forces.
Facebook has served as a platform for digital warfare between Israel and Hamas for years, but that has recently taken an interesting turn.

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About two years ago, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Major General Yoav Mordechai opened an Arabic-language Facebook page called al-Munnaseq (the coordinator), which serves as a method to bypass the Palestinian leadership and communicate directly with the Palestinian population.

Major General Yoav Mordechai (Photo: IDF)

In the past, the page has accumulated an impressive number of 200,000 followers, most of them Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as from various Arab countries.

The page officially provides information in Arabic for the Palestinian population, but it is also used for propaganda, shaming and psychological warfare, especially against the de facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, but also with the Palestinian Authority.

The Facebook page includes stories that embarrass the leadership in Gaza which originate within Israel's intelligence community.

These are stories that Hamas does not approve the publication of and are silenced, as they might embarrass its leaders or harm the tactical ties that the Gaza leadership is conducting with neighboring Arab countries, such as Egypt.

Recently, for example, two stories have been published on the page, which show Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a bad light.

Hamas leader Yahya sinwar (Photo: AP)

One of them deals with his nephew Ahmed Sinwar, a married man and father, who was caught commiting adultery with a married woman who herself has children. The nephew took advantage of his contacts in Gaza, and with the help of his uncle the matter was put to rest.

When the information reached Israel through its intelligence channels, the defense establishment decided to use the coordinator's page and publicize the matter in order to inform the Gaza public and embarrass Sinwar.

The story was published in Arabic and the page stated: "The punishment in the Hamas terrorist organization for adultery is stoning to death, but will Ahmed Sinwar be stoned? Probably not, and the reason is that if you are close to the Hamas leadership, the usual legal system does not apply to you. Know, dear citizen of Gaza, that you can do whatever you want, especially if your uncle is Yahya Sinwar."

Another one of Sinwar's nephews was entangled in a financial corruption affair that was also silenced, but in Israel they again decided to shame the nephew and his family for the sake of informing the Gazan public about the separate legal systems for close associates of Hamas and the common people of Gaza.

The page stated that "everyone else would have been sent to prison for a long time, but not the family and associates of the tyrant Yahya who do whatever they like and enjoy nepotism and special privileges. Meanwhile, the residents of Gaza are forced to set themselves on fire or to live on the street in poverty, while the corrupt Sinwar family enjoys the benefits of power."

Screenshot of the Facebook page 'al-Munnaseq' (Photo: Eli Segal)

At the same time, COGAT and other elements in the defense establishment have been working in recent years to close Facebook pages that incite and support terrorism.

Recently, for example, the Facebook page of the Shuafat refugee camp has been shut down. The admins of the al-Munnaseq page published a post, taking pride in the closure and saying they were responsible for it. This caused a storm on the Internet to the extent that even Al-Jazeera, the largest Arab news channel in the world, referred to this in a special article that criticized the connection between Israel and Facebook.

Hamas occasionally tries to fight the phenomenon, and the organization's security forces in Gaza instruct the public not to enter the page and to ignore its publications, but without much success.
The Israel Police received four new Airbus H125 helicopters on Monday intended to improve crime fighting and law enforcement, counterterrorism operations and fire and rescue missions.

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The police have ordered a total of six helicopters, the four single-engine H125 helicopters as well as two twin-engine H-145 helicopters, which will be delivered at a later date.

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The helicopters were installed with special command and communication systems, according to the operational needs of the Israel Police.

The new H125 (Photo: Israel Police)

All six are considered advanced helicopters in terms of operational capabilityin their carrying capacity, strength, speed and weather handlingand are common in police units around the world.

An aerial demonstration with the police's old helicopter (top) and the new H125 (Photo: Israel Police)

In September 2012, the Ministry of Public Security decided to upgrade the Israel Police's helicopters fleet in light of existing operational limitations on the one hand and the need for helicopters for fire and rescue missions on the other.

The tender for the purchase of the helicopters was then done in an accelerated process of five years.

Photo: Israel Police

The Israel Police decided to also introduce twin-engine helicopters to its fleet in view of the challenges faced and their increasing operational need.

In addition to the assistance these helicopters will provide in crime fighting and counterterrorism, they will also be able to assist in firefighting and search and rescue missions.

Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, senior officers, the president of Elbit Systems and and the general manager of Airbus attended their inauguration ceremony.

Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, during the inauguration ceremony (Photo: Israel Police)

"I am happy to inaugurate the new Israel Police helicopters," said Minister Erdan. "The challenges (faced by the) Israel Police require advanced solutions and the helicopters are part of them.

"Now, the Israel Police has a domestic air force that enforces the law in the State of Israel. Our mission is to upgrade the capabilities of the internal security bodies and the police's air force, raising their capabilities to an entirely different level and improving the capabilities of our firefighting forces."

Commissioner Alsheikh added he has "no doubt these new helicopters, together with the tremendous commitment of their personnel, will upgrade the capabilities of the Israel Police Force in standing firm against the various challenges we face each and every day."
Afghanistan's government applauded US President Donald Trump's speech for focusing on needs and conditions instead of timelines.

Afghan Ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib called it a "10 out of 10," telling The Associated Press by telephone from Kabul that Afghans heard "exactly what we needed to."

Mohib said critiques of the speech for failing to disclose troop numbers are misguided, noting the focus on numbers detracts from the "real focus" on conditions and support needed for Afghanistan to succeed and achieve peace.

The ambassador also praised Trump for "breaking the silence" about Pakistan's sheltering of what he calls terrorists. Trump emphasized the need for Pakistan to stop harboring the Taliban.

Mohib said Afghanistan has made progress and is committed to pursuing reforms to show it merits continuing help from the US.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid bin Raad Zeid al-Hussein, plans to publish by the end of the year a blacklist of international companies doing business in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as Israeli communities in the Golan Heights, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

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The commissioner has already submitted a draft of the list to the countries these companies are based in, so they could give their responses by September 1.

According to the Post, there are several American companies on the listincluding Caterpillar, TripAdvisor, Priceline and Airbnband the Trump administration is reportedly putting pressure on the UN not to release it.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Raad Zeid al-Hussein (Photo: AFP)

Israel and the US strongly oppose the release of such a list and have been waging a long campaign to thwart its publication, saying this list serves as a prelude for boycotting Israel.

"These types of resolutions are counterproductive and do nothing to advance Israeli-Palestinian issues," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called the list "an embarrassing move," as well as "an expression of modern anti-Semitism reminiscent of dark periods in history."

He went on to accuse the UN commissioner for human rights of becoming "the BDS Movement's most active member worldwide" who made it his goal "to harm the State of Israel instead of doing his job."

Danon called on the international community and the UN "to immediately stop this dangerous move."

During a UN Human Hights Council in June, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley slammed plans to compile such a database, calling it "shameful."

"Blacklisting companies without even looking at their employment practices or their contributions to local empowerment, but rather based entirely on their location in areas of conflict, is contrary to the laws of international trade and to any reasonable definition of human rights. It is an attempt to provide an international stamp of approval to the anti-Semitic BDS movement. It must be rejected," Haley said.
BAGHDAD - US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Iraq on Tuesday, just days after the start of an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar, to speak with Iraqi leaders about the next steps in the fight against Islamic State.

Mattis has warned that the end of the militant group is far from close. Iraqi security forces launched an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar on Sunday, their latest objective in the US-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.

A long-time stronghold of hardline Sunni Muslim insurgents, Tal Afar, 80 km (50 miles) west of Mosul in Iraq's far north, has experienced cycles of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi'ite Muslims.

"ISIS' days are certainly numbered, but it is not over yet and it is not going to be over anytime soon," Mattis told reporters in Amman.

Mattis said that after retaking Tal Afar, Iraqi forces would move against the western Euphrates river valley. He added that Iraqi security forces were capable of carrying out simultaneous operations.
Government Press Office (GPO) Director Nitzan Chen held a hearing on Monday for Al Jazeera correspondent in Jerusalem Elias Karram after having revoked his press card.

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Karram, 40, an Israeli Arab citizen from Nazareth, told television station Dar al-Iman last year that he was actively siding with the Palestinians in his work as a reporter, noting his journalistic work was part of the "resistance."

During his hearing, Karram said the resistance he spoke about was not a violent one, adding that he denounces the use of violence.

Al Jazeera correspondent Elias Karram

He asked Nitzan to reconsider his decision to revoke his press card, saying it would be hard for him to do his work as a journalist without it.

The GPO said a final decision on the matter has not yet been made.

A clip from the interview Karram gave to the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated TV station shows him saying, "A Palestinian journalist working in occupied territory or conflict zone is no different to a politician or a teacher (resisting Israel's occupation).

"The journalist is doing his part by resisting with the pen, his voice or a camera. You are part of this nation, and you resist in your own way."
BEIRUT - Syrian state media and opposition activists are reporting that airstrikes on the northern city of Raqqa have killed dozens of civilians.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday that airstrikes on Raqqa the day before killed 42 civilians including 19 children and 12 women. The activist-run group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said 32 people were killed in airstrikes on one neighborhood alone. Syrian state media said the airstrikes killed dozens. They all blamed the US-led coalition.

US-backed Syrian opposition fighters have been trying to capture the city from the Islamic State group since June 6, and have been marching under the cover of airstrikes by the US-led coalition. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces now holds more than half of Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS.
BAGHDAD - Expelled from their main stronghold in northern Iraq, Islamic State militants are now trapped in a military vise that will squeeze them on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.

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Mattis arrived in the Iraqi capital on an unannounced visit Tuesday just hours after President Donald Trump outlined a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Afghanistan. Trump also has vowed to take a more aggressive, effective approach against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but he has yet to unveil a strategy for that conflict that differs greatly from his predecessor's.

In Baghdad, Mattis was meeting with senior Iraqi government leaders and with US commanders. He also planned to meet in Irbil with Massoud Barzani, leader of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region that has helped fight ISIS.





US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (Photo: AFP)

Mattis told reporters before departing from neighboring Jordan that the so-called Middle Euphrates River Valleyroughly from the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim to the eastern Syrian city of Der el-Zourwill be liberated in time, as ISIS gets hit from both ends of the valley that bisects Iraq and Syria.

"You see, ISIS is now caught in-between converging forces," he said, using an alternative acronym for the militant group that burst into western and northern Iraq in 2014 from Syria and held sway for more than two years. "So ISIS's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over any time soon."

Mattis referred to this area as "ISIS's last stand."

Unlike the war in Afghanistan, Iraq offers a more positive narrative for the White House, at least for now. Having enabled Iraqi government forces to reclaim the Islamic State's prized possession of Mosul in July, the US military effort is showing tangible progress and the Pentagon can credibly assert that momentum is on Iraq's side.

Mattis during a previous visit to Baghdad.

Brett McGurk, the administration's special envoy to the counter-ISIS coalition, credits the Trump administration for having accelerated gains against the militants. He said Monday that about one-third of all territory regained in Iraq and Syria since 2014 has been retaken in the last six or seven months.

"I think that's quite significant and partially due to the fact we're moving faster, more effectively," as a result of Trump's delegation of battlefield authorities to commanders in the field, McGurk said. He said this "has really made a difference on the ground. I have seen that with my own eyes."

It seems likely that in coming months Trump may be in position to declare a victory of sorts in Iraq as ISIS fighters are marginalized and they lose their claim to be running a "caliphate" inside Iraq's borders. Syria, on the other hand, is a murkier problem, even as ISIS loses ground there against US-supported local fighters and Russian-backed Syrian government forces.

The US role in Iraq parallels Afghanistan in some ways, starting with the basic tenet of enabling local government forces to fight rather than having US troops do the fighting for them. That is unlikely to change in either country. Also, although the Taliban is the main opposition force in Afghanistan, an Islamic State affiliate has emerged there, too. In both countries, US airpower is playing an important role in support of local forces, and in both countries the Pentagon is trying to facilitate the development of potent local air forces.

In Iraq, the political outlook is clouded by the same sectarian and ethnic division between Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions that have repeatedly undercut, and in some cases reversed, security gains following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

Mattis speaking to US troops (File photo: AFP)

An immediate worry is a Kurdish independence referendum to be held Sept. 25, which, if successful, could upset a delicate political balance in Iraq and enflame tensions with Turkey, whose own Kurdish population has fought an insurgency against the central government for decades. McGurk reiterated US opposition to holding the Iraqi Kurdish referendum.

"We believe these issues should be resolved through dialogue under the constitutional framework, and that a referendum at this time would be really potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign," McGurk told reporters in a joint appearance with Mattis before they flew to Iraq.

With the Iraqi military's campaign to retake the northern city of Tal Afar now under way, Mattis has refused to predict victory. He says generals and senior officials should "just go silent" when troops are entering battle.

"I'd prefer just to let the reality come home. There's nothing to be gained by forecasting something that's fundamentally unpredictable," he told reporters traveling with him over the weekend.
After the Supreme Court ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to divulge details of his conversations with the owner and editor-in-chief of newspaper Israel Hayom, the prime minister asked Tuesday to hold another discussion on the matter.

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Ruling on a petition filed by Channel 10 News journalist Raviv Drucker, the court ordered Netanyahu to release the dates of his talks with the owner of the free daily, Sheldon Adelson, and then-editor-in-chief Amos Regev.

"Although the claim is that the requested information relates to private conversations and not to newspaper-related conversations, the existence of a personal connection between the prime minister and the controlling shareholder and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, and the intensity of such a connection, is of great public interest," the court noted.

Sheldon Adelson and Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photos: AFP, Reuters)

In his petition on Tuesday, the prime minister argued the ruling "severely hurts (his) right of privacy."

"In the short period of time that has passed since the ruling, we have witnessed a deluge of requests to divulge information pertaining to private phone calls and private meetings of many public employees and elected officials, and this is only the beginning," a statement issued on behalf of Netanyahu elaborated.

The prime minister stressed he "is not asking the court to cancel its decision on Adelson and Regev for the simple reason that he has nothing to hide."

Sources close to the prime minister further stressed the request was over principles and does not seek to prevent the release of the call log, which is why Netanyahu did not request for a stay of execution.

"However, in view of the importance accorded by the prime minister to the basic right to privacy, and in view of the flood of inquiries since the ruling was made, the prime minister has asked the Supreme Court to hold another hearing with an expanded panel and rule on the sensitive fundamental issues arising from the ruling," the statement went on to say.

"It is inconceivable that ministers, Knesset members, judges and other public officials will be made to expose their private conversations with journalists, or in general," the prime minister's statement added.

While the Supreme Court was deliberating on the matter, Adelson and Regev argued that "there is a long-standing friendship between them and the prime minister, and the requested information relates to 'private conversations between friends.' Therefore divulging their private information would constitute a violation of their privacy."

They also argued that the public interest in disclosing the information does not justify harming their privacy.
SEOUL - North Korea on Tuesday described US President Donald Trump as a leader who frequently tweets "weird articles of his ego-driven thoughts" and "spouts rubbish" to give his assistants a hard time.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency made the comments in response to tough talk in Washington and Seoul over threats posed by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

In the same commentary, KCNA also criticized South Korea's "puppy-like" Defense Minister Song Young-moo, who it said was "running wild" while relying on the "master of the White House." Song recently ordered the South's military to be prepared to "immediately and sternly punish" any kind of provocation by North Korea, which has caused hostility with two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month and a threat to lob missiles toward the US territory of Guam.

"Trump spouted rubbish that if a war breaks out, it would be on the Korean Peninsula, and if thousands of people die, they would be only Koreans and Americans may sleep a sound sleep," KCNA wrote, ridiculing Song for "pinning hope on that mad guy."
HELSINKI - A teenage Moroccan asylum seeker admitted on Tuesday killing two people and wounding eight in a knife attack in the Finnish city of Turku, his lawyer said.

In a closed-door court hearing, 18-year-old Abderrahman Mechkah confessed to carrying out Friday's attack but denied he had a terrorist motive, lawyer Kaarle Gummerus said.

"(My client) admits manslaughter and injuries. But based on what the investigator has presented thus far, the crime was not necessarily with terrorist intent," Gummerus told Reuters.
The United States remains concerned by an Israeli government decision to freeze a plan to build an egalitarian prayer area at the Western Wall, as is evident in the International Religious Freedom Report for 2016 issued by the State Department.

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"The government ... continued to enforce a prohibition on non-Orthodox (including mixed gender) Jewish prayer services" at the Western Wall, the report noted. "The government and non-Orthodox activists reached a compromise in January to accommodate 'egalitarian prayer,' i.e., Reform and Conservative Jewish services, near the Western Wall, but the government did not implement it."

Reform Jews praying at the Western Wall (Photo: AP)

In regard to egalitarian prayer practices, the report expressed concern of the fact a district court ruling to allow the Women of the Wall group to read from the Torah at the Western Wall is not being implemented.



"Authorities continued to prohibit anyone from bringing private Torah scrolls ... and to prohibit women from accessing the public Torah scrolls or giving priestly blessings at the site," the report's authors wrote, noting the arrest of Women of the Wall executive director Lesley Sachs on charges of breaching public order after she smuggled a private Torah scroll into the Western Wall Plaza for use in an egalitarian prayer service.

The report also noted the smaller size of the women's prayer area at the Western Wall. "The Rabbi of the Western Wall continued to set the guidelines for religious observance mandating separation of women and men, with the womens section being less than half the size of the mens section, and the government continued to enforce these rules," according to the report.

Furthermore, the State Department expressed concern of "reports of Haredi men spitting at non-Haredi Jews and persons of other faiths, including those wearing Christian clerical clothing," and questioned police decision not to provide security to non-Orthodox worshipers.

Reform Jews praying at the Western Wall (Photo: AP)

The plan to officially recognize a special mixed-gender prayer area at the Western Wall was reached in January 2016, after three years of intense negotiations between liberal Israeli and American Jewish groups and Israeli authorities. It was seen at the time as a significant breakthrough in promoting religious pluralism in Israel, where ultra-Orthodox authorities govern almost every facet of Jewish life.

The Western Wall, or Kotel, is the holiest site where Jews can pray, and its main plaza is divided into separate men's and women's prayer sections. Those attempting to hold egalitarian services in the area are often heckled and harassed.

Under the plan, the small egalitarian area would be expanded and receive a more central entrance alongside entrances to the current male and female prayer sites. The area would be managed by representatives of the three main movements in JudaismReform, Conservative and Orthodoxrather than just by the Orthodox as the existing prayer areas are.

But the program was never implemented, as powerful ultra-Orthodox members of the coalition government raised objections, leading the government to freeze the plan's implementation.

Reform Jews praying at the Western Wall (Photo: EPA)

The about face, coupled with another government decision to promote a bill that would enshrine the ultra-Orthodox monopoly over conversions, provoked the ire of liberal Jews, with leaders of the Reform and Conservative movements canceling meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest.

Most American Jews belong to the more liberal Reform and Conservative streams and feel alienated by Israel's ultra-Orthodox authorities, who question their faith and practices.

Tensions are expected to rise again on Wednesday, which marks the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, when the Women of the Wall, alongside members of the Reform and Conservative movements, plan to arrive at the Western Wall and hold an egalitarian prayer service, including women reading from the Torah and blowing the shofar.

In addition, the High Court of Justice is due to rule next week on a petition against the government's decision to freeze the egalitarian prayer area plan.

"When we warned time and again that canceling the Kotel compromise plan would not be a minor event but rather cause strategic damage to the State of Israel, there were those who thought we were exaggerating. But now, one week after the next, we see how real and concrete this damage is," said Yizhar Hess, the executive director of the Conservative Movement in Israel.
BAGHDAD - US Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Tuesday that he was waiting for a plan from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that follows President Donald Trump's South Asia strategy before he makes a decision on how many additional troops to send to Afghanistan.

"When he brings that to me, I will determine how many more we need to send in. It may or may not the number that is bandied about," Mattis told reporters during a visit to Baghdad.

US officials have said Trump has given Mattis the authority to send about 4,000 additional troops to add to the roughly 8,400 already in Afghanistan.
The Lebanese military is now in control of over 80 percent of the areas previously held by the Islamic State group along the border with Syria, only days after launching a broad offensive there, a spokesman said Tuesday.

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Brig. Gen. Ali Qanso told reporters that only 20 square kilometers (12 square miles) remain in the hands of the extremists. The US-backed Lebanese army launched its operation on Saturday and has since driven out the militants from some 100 square kilometers (62 square miles).

Qanso said no militants have been detained in the operation, adding that many were killed or retreated into Syria.

Labanese soldiers (Photo: AFP)

In an earlier statement, the army said a Lebanese de-miner was killed and four others wounded early Tuesday when explosives left behind by the extremists went off as they dismantled them.

Earlier Tuesday, the army announced it was starting the third phase of the operation, which includes mine clearing to open roads previously controlled by the militants.

The Syrian army and its ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, have launched a simultaneous operation to clear IS from the Syrian side of the border in the western Qalamoun mountain range. Hezbollah has been fighting in Syria alongside President Bashar Assad's forces since 2013.

Qanso didn't speculate when the border operation would end, but said the military has strong international support.

Hezbollah launches missiles at ISIS forces

Lebanese officials insist the army is not coordinating its actions with the Syrian military, and Qanso said his forces would stop at the border. Lebanon's main political factions are sharply divided over the Syrian conflict, with some supporting and others opposing President Bashar Assad.

Lebanese media say the remaining IS-held territory along the border is riddled with caves that the militants could use as hideouts.

Residents of al-Qaa, a village near the border which was attacked by IS militants last year, took to the streets to celebrate news of the army advance. Al-Jadid TV station showed dozens of residents waving Lebanese flags as fireworks cracked above.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday afternoon that he intended to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a state visit to his country on Wednesday Iranian efforts to entrench its military inside Syria.

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In a recorded message to the Israeli public from his Jerusalem office ahead of his scheduled meeting with the Russian premier in the city of Sochi on the Black Sea, Netanyahu added that he would be joined by the head of the Mossad and the head of Israels National Security Council.

Netanyahu, who on Tuesday held security consultations as he prepares for yet another visit to Russia, added that Irans presence in Syria is further proof that Iranian aggression has not subsided in the least following the nuclear agreement, something which poses a problem not just for Israel but for every country, in the Middle East and the entire world."

Netanyahu and Putin (Photo: EPA)

The meeting between the Israeli and Russian leaders will be the ninth to have taken place within the space of two years, five of which have been held in Russia, as Israel works to fend off any further threats posed by Iran on its doorstep.

In the last few weeks, Israel has been been in frantic contact with the Kremlin and the White House amid fears of Irans presence continuing in the area unabated in the event that the two powers put ink to any future agreement to end the Syrian conflict.

Israeli hopes were dashed last week after a delegation of high ranking Israeli defense officials sent to Washington failed to secure a commitment from the Americans to ensure the inclusion of such a clause demanding the full withdrawal and exclusion of Iranian forces in the country.

Israeli security delegation with US delegation

Netanyahu discussed the matter via telephone numerous times with Putin and with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Similarly, security teams from Israel have also discussed the matter with their American counterparts on a number of occasions.

On Thursday however, the Israeli delegation came away from discussions in Washington anxious that Iran is now on the cusp of building naval, air and land bases in Syria and warned that such a reality would constitute the crossing of a red line which Israel would not be able to live with.
Netanya Deputy Mayor Shimon Sar was arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of bribery, fraud and breach of trust offenses committed during his tenure, after police raided his home.

Sar was already arrested in the past as part of other corruption affairs in the Netanya municipality and returned to his role as chairman of the city's Planning and Construction Committee only a month ago.
The Palestinians are waiting for some clear answers on key disputes with Israel from US envoy Jared Kushner when he returns to the region this week, a top Palestinian official said Tuesday.

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The Palestinians have shown increasing signs of impatience in recent days, charging that after more than six months in office, President Donald Trump still has not laid out a clear vision for peace with Israel.

Ahmad Majdalani, a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinians asked Kushner for the US position on two key issuesIsraeli construction in the West Bank and support for Palestinian independenceduring his last visit to the region in June.

"Since then we didn't hear from them," he said Tuesday.

Jared Kushner (Photo: AP)

"We hope they bring clear answers this time," he added. "If not, then the peace process cannot be resumed because we cannot negotiate from scratch."

The Palestinians say they are seeking a freeze in Israeli construction in the disputed territory of the West Bank and a US endorsement of Palestinian independence as part of a "two-state solution" with Israel.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's crown prince met senior US officials including Kushner in Jeddah and discussed efforts to bring about peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, Saudi state news agency SPA said.

Mohammed bin Salman also discussed ways to combat terrorist financing with Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, as well as US negotiator Jason Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell, SPA said.

Jared Kushner and Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: Getty Images)

The two sides talked about seeking ways to reach "a real and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians" and ensuring stability in the wider Middle East and beyond, SPA said.

The White House announced the trip earlier this month, saying it was part of a regional tour including meetings with leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The US delegation would meet regional leaders to discuss a "path to substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks", a White House official said at the time.

The president went to Saudi Arabia and Israel during his first post-inauguration trip abroad and has expressed a personal commitment to reaching a deal that has eluded his Republican and Democratic predecessors.

Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, is expected to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Thursday as he tries to restart talks. The last round broke down over three years ago. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had no comment on the upcoming visit, and there was no immediate reaction from a Kushner spokesman.

Trump has cast the elusive pursuit of peace between Israelis and Palestinians as the "ultimate deal." But he has given few indications of how he plans to reach it.

President Donald Trump and Jared Kushner (Photo: AP)

With his administration still coping with the fallout from his handling of the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Netanyahu facing a growing police investigation into possible bribery and corruption, the odds of any major breakthroughs on this trip may be low.

Trump has not explicitly endorsed the two-state solution and insisted during a joint press conference with Netanyahu in the US shortly after taking office that the Palestinians and Israelis could not be forced into an agreement by outside brokers. Moreover, he cast doubt on whether the two-state solution represented the best outcome to the conflict.

Nevertheless, during the same press conference, he asked Netanyahu to "pull back on settlements for a little bit," but didn't demand a freeze.

Trump has also backed away from a campaign pledge to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel had welcomed the promise, while the Palestinians strongly opposed it.
Red tape kills jobs. It stifles innovation. And it prohibits growth. Thats why my administrations mission is to make state government more effective, more efficient, and more customer-focused. Over the past two and a half years, weve successfully put environmental quality permitting online. Were helping nurses get licensed more quickly. And the Legislature and I partnered to abolish unnecessary professional licensing requirements for the banking, medical, and auto industries to create more opportunity for hardworking Nebraskans.

As Governor, I have also worked with the Attorney General to push back on onerous regulations created by the Obama Administration. These include the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Thankfully, Washington is reversing course on these rules under the new administration. In the past six months, the Trump Administration has moved to repeal the 2015 WOTUS rule, as well as launched a review of the controversial CPP, which was proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2014.

The decision to repeal WOTUS and review CPP will help create more certainty for and spur future growth in Nebraskas top industries. For example, WOTUS would have allowed the EPA to have regulatory power over practically any body of water in Nebraskaeven ponds, ditches, and large puddles. This power would have been easily misused by environmental activists. Not only would have CPP been a major burden to the ag producers in our number one industry, but businesses also would have been required to file expensive and unnecessary permits.

Nebraska was also at the forefront of fighting President Obamas unnecessary and misguided CPP. Under the CPP, Nebraska would have been required to show a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in less than 10 years. This would not only be nearly logistically impossible, but also expensive for Nebraskans who enjoy low utility rates thanks to our unique public power system. It takes longer to plan new power transmission lines and new sources of power than the Obama Administration was willing to give states for compliance. Additionally, studies estimated that under CPP utility bills would rise by 12 percent to 35 percent. I applaud President Trumps review of this rule, and hope that he finalizes a full repeal soon.

Both of these moves by the Trump Administration will return power back to the states, where it belongs. We live in a diverse country governed by a diverse set of governors. These governors know what solutions work best for their individual states. In Nebraska, we have clean air and clean water because state and local government have exercised common sense oversight without stifling private sector innovation and job creation. WOTUS and CPP were dramatic overreaches by Washington that threatened significant harm to job creators while providing no real protection for consumers. Regulations should work for the people, not against them.

Here in Nebraska, my administration continues to focus on identifying new ways to make government work better for the people. Thats why I recently announced a review of all regulations in my agencies. Currently, Nebraskas Administrative Code consists of 7.5 million words with more than 100,000 restrictive words. It would take someone more than 10 weeks to read the entire code! While Nebraska already boasts a growth-oriented regulatory climate, this is a great opportunity to identify additional opportunities to make state government more effective and efficient. If we cant find a legitimate reason for a rule or regulation, we will work to get rid of it.

Building a regulatory climate with the customer in mind is helping grow our state by bringing new investments here. Its just one of the reasons why companies like Facebook, Kawasaki, Costco, and Cargill are all choosing to expand or begin their operations right here in Nebraska. In fact, Nebraska has seen over $1 billion in new project announcements, groundbreakings, or ribbon cuttings so far this year.

As this review progresses, I look forward to sharing with you some of the ways that we are working to make state government work better for you. By getting government out of the way, state government can create the framework for more opportunities for you and job creators across the state. I hope that you take the time to share any feedback on red tape thats impacting you. The best way to reach me is by contacting my office by emailing pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or calling 402-471-2244. I look forward to hearing from you!
YORK  As the crowds started to gather on Monday for the viewing of the eclipse, many out of state vehicles could be seen parked around the York area setting up to watch the event.

The most dominant state by far was Minnesota at least at the York Fairgrounds area.

The census as to why people flocked to see the eclipse was for many different reasons.

Steve and Sue Andrews of Burnsville, Minnesota said they wanted to go further south at first, but didnt find anything.

We got a hotel room in Columbus and I think it might have been the only room left in Columbus, said Steve Andrews. We were actually looking to go further south, but we didnt find anything. We just got started too late. I thought about doing this in the summer, early summer and we just thought we should go.

It was on his bucket list, said his wife Sue.

If this doesnt work out because of the clouds we might try the one in 2024, I think.

Thats if we are still alive, chimed in Sue.

Another couple from Minnesota, Bill and Diane Barrett from the Twin Cities said that York was the right place to be.

We had this planned for about 10 days. I looked at the map and it was close to the interstate and we actually got a place to stay in the Yankton, South Dakota, said Bill. We came down 81 and decided this was a pretty good spot and we didnt want to get any closer to the interstate and this seemed like a pretty good area to be in.

Grandma Deena, as she called herself, had her three granddaughters, along with her son-in-law, RJ, at the York County Fairgrounds. The family was from Clearlake, South Dakota.

Her granddaughters names are Brooklyn, Chelsea and Paypon.

My son-in-law is interested in astrology and we decided that we were going to make the trip, said Deena. We drove up to York yesterday.

RJ said he didnt bring any telescopes or any other equipment to watch the eclipse.

We are just going to watch it and enjoy it, said RJ. We are going to keep the phones away and enjoy the event.

Rick and Ann Griffith of St. Paul chose York because they didnt think the crowds would be as bad.

When we actually heard about this maybe back in April, we kind of decided we were going to make trip to come and see it. About two months ago we decided where we were going to go, said Rick Griffith. This area of Nebraska was a relatively straight shot from where we were coming from. Columbus is where we found a hotel and then when the day approached with York being pretty close to the center line and unlike Grand Island there would not be 5, 000 people here, we just felt that this was the right place.

At East Hill Park, Rhinelander, Wisconsins Yeuyang and Yutang Meng found a cozy spot where they could set up their hammock as daylight faded away.

Yeuyang said that Nebraska offered a wider range of viewing areas.

In Nebraska you have a wider swath and a better chance to see the eclipse, said Yeuyang. The clouds are getting a little bit thicker than we may have wanted, but I think we are still going to be able to see it OK.
YORK  The York interchange is typically a pretty busy place on the average day. Add a full solar eclipse and the temporary population on the southern edge of town more than quadrupled Monday as visitors stopped here to witness the event.

The Wal-Mart parking lot was full, the truck stops were packed, business lots were completely full and many were camped out in the space around the Holthus Convention Center.

Why was York their destination to watch this once-in-a-lifetime celestial happening?

Sometimes it was all about a family member.

Take for example, Carla Reiten from Minot, N.D., who joined her two sisters, her family and theirs specifically in York because of location.

There are three of us from South Dakota, three from North Dakota and four from Minnesota . . . and theres my nephew who is a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln which is why we are in Nebraska, Reiten explained. We were all together at Christmas and we started talking about how we wanted to get together for this and where we should go. We wanted to make this a family event. We left Lincoln early and found a really good spot. We are really glad we chose to come to York.

Grant Marlenee said he remembers watching a partial eclipse in 1979 as it happened in Grand Forks, Minn.

This time around, he was treated to complete totality . . . and so were the many others who erupted in cheers when it finally began.

Cole Sheppard, from Fort Worth, Texas, missed his first day of high school in order to be here to witness the eclipse. He and his dog, Major, joined his parents, Chris and Scott Sheppard; his grandmother, Kitty Kear of York; Aunt Laurie Droud of Lincoln; and other relatives.

My wife grew up in York, Scott Sheppard said. We were really excited when we knew there would be totality in York and thats obviously why we traveled to witness it here. And then it turned out that the new convention center was an amazing place to watch this happen. We really hope that the City of York had a great experience.

I like school and all, but Im fine with missing my first day for this, Cole Sheppard said.

Look it like this, when you are 50 years old, you can say you missed it because you got to see a total solar eclipse, his father reminded him.

Sometimes making York the destination was because of a suggestion made by a fellow traveler who happened to be a York native.

The 625-mile trip for Ed Johnson  all the way from Elkhorn, Wis.  was well worth it. He and his companions from Chicago and Omaha were glad they took the advice of a former York resident, who they only met by chance at a rest stop along Interstate 80. Apparently, she suggested York as a good place to watch . . . and they agreed.

Were sitting out here, together, enjoying the beautiful weather, witnessing something this amazing, Johnson said. Its a good way to spend the day.

And sometimes ending up in York was referred to as plain old destiny.

Three people planted themselves on a bench, by the flag pole, at the convention center, early Monday morning. They took off their shoes and soaked in the sun  well, until totality. Then they soaked in the beauty of the moment.

Vince, Reid and Sara Segal said their trip to York was just destiny.

They traveled here from Fargo, N.D.

We were looking for a place to watch the eclipse and we literally didnt know where exactly we were going, Vince Segal said. We kept driving and driving, and then we just pulled off at York and this turned out perfect. And here we are, sitting on the bench of destiny.

Ray Christensen and his grandson, Sabren Bortnem, traveled to York from Sioux Falls, S.D., along with 14 of their family members.

It was a great chance to see a once-in-a-lifetime event with the family, Ray said. It was only a four-hour drive, so it was manageable. And it was amazing that we could have three generations see it together.

Sabren wholeheartedly agreed, noting that he was dressed head to toe in Nebraska Husker clothes.

I was already a big Nebraska fan, Sabren said. Now I am even more so.

Terrie Gulden and his wife, Linda, along with Al Stoakes and his wife, Ruth, said they found the York community to be welcoming, attractive and a place they really enjoyed.

We traveled from the southwest corner of Minnesota and we really didnt know where to go, Terrie explained. Well, I can tell you, here in York, we picked a great spot here at the convention center. This is perfect.

We are really, really glad we found York, Linda said. It looks like a really great little community.

We drove into town and explored a little bit, Terrie noted. This is the first time we have been here.

York is really neat, a really nice kept community, which we really appreciate, Linda added. You guys have a nice little town.

Brothers David and Brent Gustin traveled here from Spencer and Okabojee, Iowa. We just kept driving to get around the clouds and we decided York would be a great place to watch.

Joan Morris, a resident of Oregon, sat next to Kristen Backsen of Omaha, enjoying the view and eating a sandwich.

Just this morning we checked out your website and decided we are going there, to York, Morris said to this YNT reporter. Im so glad we did.

Marty and Phyllis LaFort of Michigan joined Daryl Barry from Wahoo in York.

We just started driving and here we are in York, Barry said. At least we dont have the weather problems some other communities are having right now.

There was intermittent cloud cover, but when it came time for totality, the corona was clear and the experience was genuine.

As the darkness became more prominent, the lights at the interchange sprung to life and the dark blue sky was enhanced with an eerie tinge of pink and yellow.

Crowds cheered as they saw the effect of the eclipse take hold . . . noting not a bird could be seen or heard, the temperature drastically dropped and the ring of fire in the sky became visible.

This is incredible! young voices could be heard in the distance as they marveled at the spectacle in the sky.

As soon as totality was over and the 360-degree sunrise began, many onlookers marveled at the swarms of birds that reentered the skies.

The Segals put their shoes back on, left their bench of destiny and prepared to move on.

Was the trip to York worth it?

You bet, Vince said. It was amazing. Were so glad we were here.
5 TV shows and films on homosexuality and same-sex marriages - IN PICS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has arrived in Iraq on unannounced visit, Reuters reports.

Jim Mattis arrived in Iraq to meet with the countrys leadership to discuss the further steps in the fight against Islamic State terrorist group.

In early July the Iraqi authorities have officially announced victory against IS in Mosul.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. 33 people were injured when an incoming high-speed train struck an unoccupied train car inside an Upper Darby in Philadelphia, PA, transit terminal early Tuesday morning, Upper Darby Mayor Thomas Micozzie said, CNN reports.

Four people, including the train's conductor, were rushed to area hospitals.

The incident occurred at approximately 12:15 a.m. ET at the 69th Street Terminal and is currently under investigation, according to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan sent a letter of condolences over the death of Perch Zeytuntsyan, press service of the government told Armenpress.

Perch Zeytuntsyan was one of the most respected intellectuals of our times. He has great contribution to the development of Armenian prose. Its impossible to imagine the Armenian dramaturgy and theater without his great role. His dramaturgy from numerous stages has spoken and will continue to speak both with the history and the present, as well as with our future, by always remaining influential and modern. On one occasion, Perch Zeytuntsyan quoted the well-known words of our great poet Hamo Sahyan who said Do not mark me absent, and now I must state that he will always be present for all of us, for the Armenian people.

On behalf of the Armenian government and myself I extend my deepest condolences to Perch Zeytuntsyans family and friends, as well as his numerous readers, reads the PMs letter.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. The terror attacks in different countries didnt affect the tourism flow from Armenia to other countries. The tourism flow both to Egypt and Barcelona has not decreased. Air ticket prices remained unchanged, tourism expert Marine Avetisyan told reporters on August 22, reports Armenpress.

In previous years the passenger flow from Armenia to other countries where terror attacks occurred has decreased, however, this year no decline was registered. After the plane crash two years ago Armenians not only were not thinking about visiting Egypt, but also to any other country. However, 3-4 months later the interest towards Egypt has been restored. This year as well the tourism flow to Egypt and Barcelona has also increased, Marine Avetisyan said, adding that there is no decline in price of tour package to those countries.

According to her, tourists in similar emergency situations contact with them, and they guide them to Armenian embassies and consulates. She called on the state tourism committee to have phone numbers in all directions so that tourists will be able to contact with the representation of a tour company in the host country.

Psychologist Samvl Khudoyan said any phenomenon that can cause damage to persons health and live in the hosting country, urges them to stay in the home country.
Idaho big game hunters have been on a roll in recent years with a top-10, all-time deer harvest in 2016, an all-time record whitetail harvest in 2015, and a top-five, all-time elk harvest in 2015.

Overall hunting success rates over the last five years have averaged 40 percent for deer and 23 percent for elk. Word has gotten out that big game hunting in Idaho has improved, because the nonresident deer tags sold out last year for the first time since 2008, and only 300 nonresident elk tags (out of 10,415 available) remained unsold.

The 2017 tags are selling faster, and at current pace, Idaho Department of Fish and Game could sell all the nonresident deer and nonresident elk tags by the end of October to nonresidents, or to residents and nonresidents as second tags.

So what does all that mean for big game hunters taking to the field this fall? They will see similar numbers of elk and white-tailed deer, but fewer mule deer.

Mule deer

Last winter took its toll on mule deer, particularly young bucks, because most of the fawns born last year died during winter, and they would have been two-points this fall.

Most of southern and central Idaho had record, or above-average snowfall, coupled with prolonged winter weather. Deer and elk weathered repeated snowstorms and snow depths not normally found on their traditional winter range, coupled with Arctic temperatures. That prompted Fish and Game officials to launch a massive feeding effort that included up to 13,000 deer and 12,000 elk.

Despite that, statewide average survival for mule deer fawns was 30 percent, which was the second-lowest since winter fawn monitoring started 19 years ago.

The big question in many hunters minds is how much that will affect their fall deer hunts. Deer hunters killed 66,925 deer in 2016 (mule deer and whitetails), down slightly from the previous year, but still a respectable 36 percent success rate statewide, including 34 percent in general hunts.

Like most things related to big game hunting, its hard to predict what will happen during the upcoming season because there are many variables, but past hunting seasons may provide some insight.

The 2011 deer harvest  which followed the lowest winter fawn survival since monitoring started in 1998  was 2,555 fewer deer than the previous year, or a drop of 6 percent. Last winter actually tied with 2008-09 winter for second-lowest fawn survival at 30 percent, and in 2009, the deer harvest was 1,380 fewer than the previous year, a drop of 3 percent.

How does that happen?

There are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, although mule deer fawn mortality was high in those years, whitetail herds were less affected by winter kill. Whitetails have typically comprised 30 to 40 percent of Idahos annual deer harvest during the last decade. That means sometimes white-tailed deer harvest compensates for fewer mule deer.

While last winters mule deer fawn survival was well below average, it was still not catastrophic to the overall mule deer population.

Adult mule deer doe survival was 90 percent, and although Fish and Game does not radio collar adult bucks and monitor them during winter, their survival likely tracked similar to does.

Yearling bucks (two-points) typically account for a significant share of the mule deer buck harvest, but over the last 19 years, annual average survival for fawns was 57 percent. While the 2016-17 winter fawn survival was about half the average, theres still a large mule deer population remaining, including adult bucks and breeding-age does.

With a normal upcoming winter, the herds could quickly rebound. To aid that, Fish and Game has reduced doe permits for most hunting units in southern and central Idaho to help more of them survive into breeding season.

Another thing to consider is, prior to this year, mule deer populations were trending upward for several years, so while biologists expect a drop in the harvest theres a good chance it will fall within the range of the last five years.

Elk

Hunters shouldnt see a big change in elk populations this year. Elk are hardier than deer and able to withstand the rigors of hard winters, and elk herds have increased in recent years and produced some outstanding hunting seasons.

Hunters killed 22,557 elk in 2016, which was down 1,670 animals from 2015, but still the second highest in 20 years. (For more perspective, 2015 was the fourth-highest, all-time harvest dating back to 1935.)

Elk hunters in 2016 had 21 percent success statewide, including 39 percent for controlled hunts and 17 percent for general hunts, but general hunts accounted for 62 percent of the harvest.

This is the good-old days of elk hunting, said Craig White, Fish and Games Magic Valley regional supervisor. There was only one period when Idaho hunters were harvesting as many elk as they are now.

However, elk herds didnt survive winter completely unscathed. There was higher calf mortality due to the harsh winter, which means some zones will have a blip in the recruitment of young bulls, White said, adding that it will likely be short-term.

Adult winter survival, particularly breeding-age cows, was bulletproof, he said, so any decline in herds will likely be replaced next year, barring another extreme winter.

While Idaho is reliving some of its glory years for elk hunting, the location of the animals has changed. During record harvests in the 1990s, central Idahos backcountry and wilderness areas were major contributors. They are less so these days, but other areas have picked up the slack.

We grow more elk in what I like to call the front country, White said.

Harvest results support this. The Panhandle is currently the top elk zone in the state, and the top 10 zones include the Weiser River, McCall, Tex Creek, Palouse, Boise River and Pioneer, all of which have major highways running through them.

Those zones provide accessible opportunities for many hunters, but also have unique challenges because theres often a mix of public and private lands where the elk roam.

Elk herds are doing so well in some zones, such as the Weiser and Pioneer zones, those herds are over objectives and Fish and Game has increased cow hunting opportunities to thin the herds.

But elk hunters in some areas will have to navigate a mix of public and private lands, such as large sections of commercial timberlands in central Idaho that used to be open to the public, but are now closed.

For new elk hunters, or experienced hunters looking for a new place to hunt, White recommends taking a longer view than this season. Elk populations are likely to remain healthy in the foreseeable future, so nows a good time to learn a zone where there are abundant herds.

Be patient, White advises. Make it a multi-year commitment, and get to know the area.

Idaho offers a variety of over-the-counter tags for elk hunters. Out of 28 elk hunting zones, only two are limited to only controlled hunts. Hunters should research each zone and look beyond the general, any-weapon seasons to find additional opportunity. Many archery and muzzleloader hunts provide antlerless, or either-sex hunting, and also early and late hunts.

White-tailed deer

Idahos white-tailed deer are about as reliable as you can ask for in a big-game animal. Over the last five years, Idahos mule deer harvest has swung by nearly 20,000 animals, but during that same period, whitetail harvest varied by only about 10,000 animals, which included an all-time record of 30,578 whitetails harvested in 2015.

Whitetail harvest dropped about 2,700 animals in 2016, but it was still in the top-10, all-time, and hunters can expect to similar numbers, or more, of whitetails this year.

We feel were in pretty good shape, and its going to be a normal year, said Clay Hickey, wildlife manager for the Clearwater Region.

Winter in prime whitetail country in the Panhandle and north/central Idaho was closer to average than southern Idaho, although Hickey pointed out there was more snow than usual at lower elevations. Fish and Game doesnt monitor whitetails the same as it does mule deer, but Hickey said theres no indication of an above-average winter kill.

Its also been two years since Fish and Game has detected outbreaks of the lethal hemorrhagic disease that hit some local herds hard in recent years. Hickey noted many of those herds have rebounded as you would expect, and Fish and Game is starting to get complaints from landowners about too many deer in areas where herds were thinned by the disease.

Whitetail hunters have lengthy seasons and lots of either-sex hunting opportunities, and hunters will see a good mix of age classes, and plenty of mature bucks. Hickey said Fish and Games white-tailed deer plan calls for 15 percent of the harvest to be bucks with five points or more (on one side), but its currently higher.

Were averaging over 20 percent of the bucks in the harvest are five-points or more in almost all our whitetail units, and lots of units are over 25 percent, he said.

While the areas north of the Salmon River have the highest densities of white-tailed deer, the animals are widely distributed throughout the state and provide hunting opportunities in most places, but typically at lower densities.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan will pay a working visit to the Russian Federation on August 23, during which he will have a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The leaders of the two countries are expected to discuss the core agenda of bilateral relations in political, economic, humanitarian and cultural spheres. They will also discuss the process of implementation of the agreements reached during President Serzh Sargsyans official visit to Russia in March this year.

During high-level talks, the Heads of State will review the prospects for cooperation in the EAEU and CSTO frameworks.

The Presidents are expected to exchange views on international and regional issues of topical interest, including the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan on August 22 hosted a delegation led by German Development Bank (KfW) Regional Director Olaf Zimelka, press service of the government told Armenpress.

At the meeting issues relating to the KfW funded programs being implemented in Armenia were discussed.

The PM highly appreciated the cooperation with the Bank and attached importance to its assistance to ongoing programs in different branches of economy and ensuring their continuation.

Olaf Zimelka highlighted the productive mutual partnership with the Armenian government and expressed readiness to discuss the presented issues and proposals aimed at outlining the next steps. As for the Armenian governments activity, Olaf Zimelka highlighted Armenias GDP high growth rates and the effective steps aimed at diversifying the export.
YEREVAN, 22 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 22 August, USD exchange rate up by 0.13 drams to 478.55 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.63 drams to 562.30 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 8.10 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.93 drams to 614.08 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 39.20 drams to 19892.22 drams. Silver price down by 1.92 drams to 261.87 drams. Platinum price down by 42.05 drams to 15108.79 drams.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia will discuss the bill on putting first energy block of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant Closed Joint-Stock Company out of exploitation. "Armenpress" reports the issue is included in the agenda of August 24 session of the Cabinet.

The first energy block of the ANPP has been in long term standstill since 1989.

Considering the fact that the construction of a new nuclear energy block in Armenia is been postponed, the Government of Armenia made a decision in 2012 on prolonging the exploitation term of the second energy block of the ANPP. According to the justification, taking into account that in 2014 the Government of Armenia confirmed the decision of prolonging the exploitation term of the second energy block by 10 years, it's necessary to launch the process of putting the first energy block out of exploitation in line with the strategic provisions adopted in 2007.

The process is assessed to last for 40 years with three stages with a total cost of 310.37 million USD.

After the bill is approved by the Cabinet, it will be submitted to the National Assembly of Armenia.
MONTREALDirector Nica Noelle has written and directed an all-male tale of deceit and covert desire for Icon Male with The Therapist, on DVD now. Starring Brendan Patrick, the hardcore drama explores a doctor/patient relationship that goes far beyond its conventionally appropriate boundaries.

Also appearing in The Therapist are Hans Berlin, Jessie Lee and Drake Magnum.

Nicas compelling story of a therapist and his patient and all the underpinnings of sexual tension is an erotic tour de force, said Mile High Media Vice President Jon Blitt. Brendan is amazing as the therapist of a sexy patient in this all-new release. Its a must-see for Icon Male fans and those who love a great story with hot hardcore action.

The Therapist opens with psychotherapist Brendan Patrick treating closeted patient Hans Berlin, a hot, middle-aged daddy who is cheating on his wife with a series of younger men. But while Brendan plays the reasonable, stable therapist by day, by night he fantasizes about hot Hans' risky life of forbidden pleasure. The line between fantasy and reality becomes perilously blurred in this twisted tale of secret lust.

The movie is distributed through parent company Mile High Media.

The latest Icon Male releases can be seen on IconMale.com.

For Icon Male sales and distribution contact [email protected]

For the latest news and BTS previews follow Icon Male on Twitter @IconMale.
ATLANTALuvu Brands, makers of Liberator Bedroom Adventure Gear, will be featured on the second season of HBOs Insecure.

The second season of Insecure began airing on July 23. The episode featuring Liberator will air on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 10:30 p.m. (EST) on HBO.

We are proud to participate in such a groundbreaking show like Insecure, said Angela Lieben, marketing manager for Liberator. Weve had great success over the past few months earning top placement on network and cable programming and we are excited about the exposure that a show like Insecure brings to the Liberator brand.

The production company handling the set design for Insecure contacted Luvu Brands requesting a number of its best-selling Liberator products for a scene being filmed inside a sex toy convention which will showcase Liberator Bedroom Adventure Gear.

Insecure is comedy-drama that follows African-American women navigating work, relationships, and love in Los Angeles. The show was created by writer, actress, and director, Issa Rae.

Being a part of the show demonstrates our continued streak of mainstream media appearances in 2017, said company CEO and founder Louis Friedman. Weve been working hard getting the word out about Liberator Bedroom Adventure Gear for quite some time and are now beginning to see the ripple effect of the mainstream coverage in our sales.

For more, visit Liberator.com.
BERLINTechnology is developing especially fast within the adult industry: first of all intelligent sex toys, then virtual-reality pornos and now lifelike sex robots.

Those who are interested in the sex of the future will have the chance to check out new technology and gadgets at the Venus expo, which is a large exhibition for erotica and lifestyle in Berlin. Various manufacturers will present their exciting innovations Oct. 12-15.

Preferences, needs and specific wishes are often discussed in the bedroom, but what happens when your own desires remain unfulfilled? Sex robots are the answer. At present you can buy a serial model for about 10.000 Euro. They speak and react to touch and spoken orders  they also share the preferences of their owners. But who is really interested in intelligent sex dolls and will they influence the future of our love lives? Poppen.de has conducted a survey, in cooperation with the Venus show, asking around 14,000 users of the platform for their opinions on sex robots.

Intelligent toys and thrilling gadgets have had their place within the bedroom for quite some time, so why not a lifelike robot? 45 percent of those asked, admitted to using sex toys some of the time, and 30 percent use them on a regular basis. So taking the step from an intelligent dildo to a smart sex doll, doesnt seem to be all that far away. But the social and technical development is still in its infancy: only 14 percent of those asked admitted to having sex with an intelligent sex doll. More than half on the other hand, didnt express any interest whatsoever in having robot sex. But in China there are already robots that look very real and feel humanand when asked, more than 50 percent admitted to wanting to have sex with one of these hyper-realistic dolls, and another 9 percent could imagine doing so.

So why shouldnt technological advances shape the brothel of the future? At the moment there is not trend for machines to replace prostitutes. Only 13 percent of those asked would be prepared to visit a robot brothel  but 38 percent would consider it. By the way, there is an establishment in Barcelona that allows one to test them on an hourly basis.

The high cost is the main thing that will put consumers off: one day, when intelligent sex dolls dont cost as much as a new car, 15 percent of those asked would invest immediately. 38 said that they would only spend the money on a realistic doll, if they had the money spare. So this means that more than half of those asked, were at least theoretically willing to buy a love machine. It is currently possible to spend up to 100.000 Euro on such a robot. The advantage: it is possible to design the outside according to your own wishes. You can, for example, chose the look of an ex-girlfriend or a superstar. Only 1.5 percent of those asked would consider having fun with a robot that looks like Angelina Jolie or some other famous person. More than half said there is no way they would consider it.

For more, visit the Venus Berlin show. Tickets are available at Venus-Berlin.com/tickets.
MACKAY  Thats amazing. Thats amazing.

Cindy Frishman kept repeating those words over the brief, 2-minute period when the sunny, midday sky turned to twilight.

Before her, the moon was a black orb surrounded by wisps of white light like some kind of dark magic. This moment completed it: Her husband, Paul, had won her over on solar eclipses, making the $349-a-night hotel room, plus travel, worth it.

And it had taken some convincing to get her to go after hed told her, I want to go to Idaho to see something thats only going to last a couple minutes.  And it might be cloudy, and it might be for nothing.

The Las Vegas couple were among 380 people attending Southern Idaho Tourisms eclipse adventure from Twin Falls. On Monday, the seven buses successfully made the journey to Mackay to view whats been termed The Great American Eclipse.

For many in the crowded park that morning, the moment of totality elicited a reaction beyond words.

Kathy Christmas of Riverside, Calif., had watched through her eclipse glasses as the sun was obscured by the moon.

You couldnt see anything with those glasses, she said about the moment of totality.

Cheering with those surrounding her, she watched the bright corona with a pair of sunglasses instead.

Two girls sitting next to us were crying, Christmas said.

The temperature dropped quickly in the already-crisp morning air.

And then, it was over  almost as quickly as it had begun.

With the climax complete, few people stuck around to watch the rest of the eclipse.

Kathy and Gary Christmas had been staying with a family member in Jerome. But others didnt have that luxury.

Ervin Carlier of Val Marie of Saskatchewan, Canada, paid nearly $300 a night for a house in Rupert he rented through AirBnB. He considered himself lucky, however, given hed just made the reservations a week prior so his daughter and three granddaughters could witness the event.

While in Idaho, they also made use of their multiple-night stay with a trip to Dierkes Lake and Shoshone Falls.

Weve really enjoyed it so far, he said on the early-morning bus ride up to Mackay.

Why Idaho?

Participants were sleepy and talked quietly on one bus ride up. But as the sun slipped over the smoky horizon, exclamations rang out over the rattling of the air conditioning. The star of the show had arrived.

Icons of Idaho flashed by: grazing cattle, lava rock and Mackays quaint Bear Bottom Inn. Doug Lincoln of Twin Falls commented sarcastically on the amount of traffic  about a dozen vehicles surrounded the buses. Typically, he said, one sees about a dozen cars on the entire stretch from Shoshone to Arco.

Lincoln, whod seen a partial eclipse in 1979 in Idaho, said he was in it for the real thing this time.

Idaho wasnt the first choice for a lot of eclipse travelers, but as the big day approached, it became the clear choice.

Paul Frishman, who had relatives in Oregon, said he wasnt going to risk a higher chance of clouds.

Imagine people spending ridiculous amounts for hotels, and itll be cloudy, he said.

Carlier had planned to go to Casper, Wyo.  closer to Val Marie  but he switched to Idaho when his date canceled and his daughter from Alberta came instead.

Not part of the Southern Idaho Tourism group, 11 travelers from Californias Bay Area had been driving around the region to go to Yellowstone and knew they wanted to see the eclipse in Idaho. But they chose Mackay on a whim  after returning from Craters of the Moon, the town met their three requirements: It had coffee. It had bathrooms. And it had a clear view of the sky.

And it wasnt entirely flat, either.

I wanted to be able to see the shadow of the moon come off the hills, said Keith Waddell of Auburn, who led the expedition.

Waddell, a retired chemist, recalled seeing a partial eclipse in Devon, England, while growing up in the 70s. In fact, it had kept him from paying attention to his English exam.

I spent so much time looking at the eclipse that I failed the exam, he said.

This time, he could spare the event all his attention. There may even be time to take a selfie, he quipped. Waddell hoped to film the shadows approach at the same time, for enjoyment later.

Mackay residents didnt appear to mind the influx of visitors on eclipse day, as several waved at buses as they passed through town. Similar to Arco, RVs and campers were everywhere.

Smoke  blown in from a neighboring states wildfires  clouded the air from Arco to Mackay, but the view of the sun high above was clear.

It was darker than I thought it would be, Lyn Hale of Oakley said on the bus ride back to Twin Falls.

You always see pictures of the corona, Gary Christmas added. But to see it in real life  that was amazing.
Irwins Bakery has secured listings in 630 stores for its Better You lower-calorie breads.

The Portadown-based bakerys Better You range includes a white and wholemeal loaf that are low in sugar and fat, and less than 60 calories a slice.

Irwins developed the products  available in retailers including Asda, Centra, Mace, Sainsburys, SuperValu and Tesco  following research showing 40% of consumers choose food with health in mind and 62% of households are concerned about sugar consumption.

Consumers still consider bread a staple in the weekly shop, so this new range gives shoppers another option in the bread aisle, but also targets new consumers who consider calories and sugar content when buying bread, said Irwins Bakery marketing assistant Ruth Sloan.

She added that Irwins has an ethos to promote a healthy lifestyle.

We keep health as a key focus when investing in new product development and creating new lines. As well as being low in sugar, the white loaf is a source of protein and the wholemeal is high in fibre, added Sloan.

Irwins said the listings show an appetite from shoppers for lower-calorie versions of popular breads.

Last year the business launched the Family Balance range of low-sugar products aimed at families. This includes pancakes, potato farls, wheaten bread and soda bread.
Or the wiser question to ask may well be: Does there exist any real patriots among core Democrats, or are they just keeping their heads down, carving out a niche for a future position?

Whitehouse photo: President Trump flanked by Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas (left), and Senator David Perdue of Georgia (right) as they unveil a very wise package to deal with Illegal Immigration: Above. Click image to expand.

In regards to the Russia Election Tampering matter: Is President Trump being treated fairly by core Democrats and the Mainstream Media? Yes, the new president is guilty until proven innocent. No, President Trump's treatment is dictated by the usual Democrat double standard. Don't care; there are more important issues facing America. 103 total vote(s) What's your Opinion?



American Talk Show Hosts, all core Democrats, who were captivated by the Obamas; fawning over their every action , and explaining their corruption to the rest of us as normal, so we could understand its New Age relevance to a Liberals' moral code, now call for President Donald Trump's removal from office as a badge of their honor. And, why are these "brilliant" spokespeople for an unlearned, intellectually incurious collection of the Oft-offended taken so seriously?Quite simply in this anology, they are not taken seriously; not by serious people's standards, those who enjoy wisdom and humor in equal measure. The only audience that remains for these politically charged Liberals, posing as hip comedians, whoring any remnants of their principles, wisdom and even last shreds of humor to the prized demographic of the indoctrinated, politically correct Snowflakes of that generation. Wow! ... now that is an edgy crowd of wise provocateurs ... Right?I stopped watching these bland, unimaginative band of Late Show irritants years ago, shortly after Jay Leno was no longer relevant to the young, hip and ignorant of a this new generation. Let's face it: Any generation that can not build on the musical triumphs of the past, and cannot simply create memorable melodies, of a commercial nature (Have you heard the uninspired drivel from the commercial genres of music?), may well exhibit a poor taste for reality. This is just one example of both a profound dearth of creativity from an entire generation - the Facebook generation. This social media obsessed generation is comprised of far too many Snowflakes: far too over stimulated, far too easily offended, far too unknowledgeable on so many issues, especially history - American and World; and often, even their brighter lights are either not altogether centered in a root knowledge, or are too afraid that they may also offend this PC herd by spouting a good bit of obvious wisdom; perceptive knowledge that could possibly anger the oblivious among them.Oblivious? Basically, that is how I see it, know it, and watched it happen right before my very eyes, and was helpless to do anything about it, other than try to influence those closest to me, even at the risk of becoming an anathema in the liberal community where I raised my children. It was difficult, and, I am still not sure that I was successful, maybe in some small measure; but, as an optimist, I hold out hope. Hope that all of my children will become far more wise than their generation that holds them back, and, it is my sincere wish that they turn a cold shoulder to the continuance of the negative, pathetically ignorant, wrong-headed influences that far too often become conventional wisdom for this Snowflake generation. A poor conventional wisdom that stresses that the nuances of real history are invalid, and that the Liberals' cause celebre of the moment is paramount.It is a whirlwind of stupidity that led to a lawless, incompetent, corrupt president , celebrated by American Talk Show Hosts, who gave our society the perfect blend of moral and intellectual decay to give us: 1) Gay Marriage; 2) Surrender from a war in Iraq that was won, allowing the genesis of ISIS /ISIL; 3) the treating the Obama Stimulus package as a slush fund for Democrats (Democrat owned Solyndra was just one and the corrupt Obama DOJ did nothing; 4) (while we are on the subject) the most corrupt DOJ in modern times, while under AG Eric Holder and AG Lorretta Lynch ; 5) Transgenders in the military (U.S. government paying for their sex changes); 6) Releasing scores of hardcore terrorists to the battlefield to close Gitmo, which never closed; 7) Socialized medicine (while lying to the American people 26 recorded times) to begin the turning of our USA into a Socialist nation; ObamaCare is bankrupt; 8) negotiated a one sided (for the enemy) "Iran Nuclear Deal", which will eventually allow Iran nuclear weapons, while that nation continues on an aggressive missile delivery system; 9) a corrupt IRS management which was beholden and codependent upon core Democrat politics; 10) effected an Open Border policy for Illegal Immigrants to change the social demographics of the Republic; 11) the Benghazi Cover-up Sacandal; 12) The V.A. (Veterans's Administration) Fraud and Neglect Scandal ... I could go on and on here ...And, remarkably, the Obama enthusiasts of stage, screen and the marginally real World have deep problems with this new President because: he does not speak the way they want him to speak; and that he does not ascribe to revisionist history as they do ... Oh, and their hyped: "Russia Collusion" (a scandal searching for the real evidence of a crime)/ "Obstruction of Justice" for firing an incompetent /politically motivated FBI Director . Surreal right? We may agree on that truth, but, this unprincipled core Democrat behavior becomes all too real since they own the unprincipled Democrat Media. The unprincipled Democrat Media is still enough of an impetus to reward these ignorant core Democrats ("brilliant" people from all generations), because there is still enough ignorant Americans to elect them to our representative government, probably because they buy into the "Fake News" dictums, which is a disgusting, but very real and destructive paradigm.However, with all that is at stake in America today, the resolve of the unprincipled Democrat Media, with their Snowflake / Leftist Socialist sycophant coalition, is to whine about Charlottesville, and how President Trump did not use the right words at the right time. Honestly, for all Liberals that are not ideologically owned at this point: Would it have mattered what he said at any of those press conferences?No, it would not have mattered, not one bit, and that is the crazy "Hell of it". There is a great group of core Democrats with their Democrat Media, and they want their minions, their sycophants intellectually vapid . Keeping these sychophants intellectually pliable is just their way of keeping them in firm control, and has been a success for at least a generation, which is largely why we have wound up with the dumbed-down Snowflake Generation The Snowflakes have become what Vladimir Lenin would have described as the "Useful Idiots" of our time, which portends that this hysterical group of politically correct "Cupcakes" can be wielded to the will of a greater intellect, provided that the one cause is that one that they can believe in, one they can easily understand. Ergo, the Leftist elements within the Education Industry provide the bulk of the Indoctrination to ready these Snowflakes for their "Useful Idiot" status by keeping their heads not too full of any real knowledge, but open, and pliable as is necessary. When you hear college administrators pledge that their college /university will expose these young minds to challenging ideas and ideals, they may be foretelling of the indoctrination that you will be footing the bill for.What brings me to this grand point of the measured, but persistent sanitization of American History is the grand scheme of this synchronized of Leftist Socialists, including those within the compliant portions of the Education Industry. The modus operandi of their grand design is to keep competing ideas out of their young minds of our American youth, and one would know that by listening to our individual youths, or within a collective group. Knowledge of history, American or otherwise, is not their strong intellectual suit. That is why I am confounded by the righteous indignation by these activists, the Democrat media, and core Democrats, all basically ignorant of the reality of the past. Essentially, they just do not have enough real knowledge of these past events to be so hysterically incredulous about Southern Civil War Memorials, and their removal; either by public ordinance or by anarchy, as we saw in Durham, NC; which, I hear may have been led by foreign Communists.Regardless of these anarchists, and their collective disregard for the past deeds of those lowly foot soldiers of the Confederacy, who believed in a misguided cause. Lowly citizens of the land, who fought so well, for so long, and sacrificed so much to repel the Northern invaders; these are my Southern forefathers. Furthermore, these statues, as memorials, are here to stay as long as the respective states and local communities, where they stand , wish to keep them there. Anarchists, like those misguided "Useful idiots" in Durham, could and should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.If lawlessness is allowed to persist to the point of Snowflake /Liberal celebration, as the lawless Left did in Durham, one must ask: Where does this perpetuating lawlessness end? Do we tear up our Declaration of Independence because Thomas Jefferson owned Slaves? Do we turn a blind eye to the desecration of the Lincoln memorial, because President Lincoln did not strike war against the South to end slavery, but "to preserve the Union" at all costs, plus Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president? Do we change the name of Washington, DC to something else ... maybe ... Lenin on the Potomac ... just because George Washington, the Father of our Country, owned slaves, or: do we tear up the Constitution of the United States, our very guidepost of principles to our past and our future as a Nation of Laws, just because fellow Virginian James Madison also owned slaves.Where would it end; this sanitation of our nation's past, and the destruction of our Republic's future? How far will the insane behavior of the Left be permitted to promulgate this charade of deceit, this reforming of America's future by rewriting its past?
Former House leader says 2009 law illegally sets local standards at different levels than state law allows

A law banning plastic grocery bags in some Outer Banks communities may be unconstitutional, says a prominent former lawmaker.Apex attorney Paul "Skip" Stam, a Republican who was House speaker pro tem before retiring from the legislature in 2016, circulated a memo to General Assembly members on the constitutionality of Session Law 2009-163 . In it he argues the law violates several items in the North Carolina Constitution.The ban, enacted in 2009, allows retailers in the covered areas to use only paper bags made of recyclable material or reusable bags.Previous attempts to remove the ban have failed, but lawmakers may try again before the end of the year.Stam's memo gives opponents of the ban specific reasons to overturn the law. Article II, Section 24 of the North Carolina Constitution bars the General Assembly from enacting local resolutions relating to health or sanitation that vary from statewide laws. The General Assembly also cannot pass any act regulating trade for a specific locality.The plastic bag ban violates these two provisions, he says.Stam wrote.Stam says the plastic bag ban regulates trade by dictating what kind of paper bags retailers can use and requires retailers to provide incentives to customers to use reusable bags. These incentives can be cash refunds, store coupons or credit, or a reward from the retailer's customer loyalty program.Stam argues in the memo.Supporters of the ban say it's needed to protect marine life, such as sea turtles. Plastic bags can strangle and suffocate marine life, and on occasion animals ingest the bags and die. But, as Stam points out, the ban fails to cover places where most sea turtles live.Stam, using data obtained from Seaturtles.org , argues there are more sea turtles living between Cape Lookout National Seashore and Brantley Island than between Ocracoke Island and Corolla, where the ban is in place.Stam explained.Stam is not alone in his opposition to the plastic bag ban. The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association also opposes the ban.said Andy Ellen, executive director of the retailers' group.Ellen added.Ellen agrees with Stam that the ban may be unconstitutional, and says he hopes the General Assembly will consider repealing it during an upcoming special session.Ellen said.A representative of the Southern Environmental Law Center, which backs the ban, told Carolina Journal no one was available to review the memo.
$1.9 million in vital capital will go to 32 small businesses across the state, Gov. Cooper announces

0 Base Design, LLC of Raleigh: $49,982 to develop small scale, man-portable seawater reverse osmosis desalination systems for the members of the military. This project is sponsored by the Department of the Army in the Department of Defense.

Adroit Materials, Inc. of Apex: $49,999.77 to test high-quality and high-purity aluminum nitride-based technology for use in high-energy lasers that will enable high-power laser weapon systems and novel communication systems. This project is sponsored by the Department of the Army in the Department of Defense.

AI Tracking Solutions, LLC of Carrboro: $65,000 to further optimize and test a particle-tracking platform that has lower time and labor costs versus traditional particle-tracking experiments and can more efficiently describe the specific behaviors of proteins. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Ambient Logic, LLC of Asheville: $49,910 to create a geospatial sound model that estimates multiple indicators of the background noise across the United States to better understand the effect ambient noise is having on the population. This project is sponsored by the Department of the Army in the Department of Defense.

Applied LifeSciences & Systems, LLC of Raleigh: $65,000 to develop imaging systems for the screening of healthy animals and the delivery of vaccinations in the poultry industry. This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Athena's Compass, LLC of Washington: $65,000 to develop a customizable educational video game that covers the entire curriculum of high school chemistry. This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

AxNano, LLC of Greensboro: $62,196 to develop a remediation technology to treat contaminated groundwater sources that will lower risks of exposure during deployment and have higher effectiveness levels during treatment. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Bennett Advanced Research, LLC of Raleigh: $49,999.85 to develop an additive manufacturing processes to rapidly manufacture and qualify aerospace parts for missile defense systems. This project is sponsored by the Missile Defense Agency in the Department of Defense.

Blue Ridge Research and Consulting, LLC of Asheville: $49,898 to develop a geospatial data-based ambient sound model to better map biological, geophysical, and anthropogenic ambient sounds in rural and urban environments. This project is sponsored by the Department of the Army in the Department of Defense.

Cell Microsystems, Inc. of Durham: $65,000 to develop, manufacture, and commercialize products and tools for the isolation, recovery, and analysis of single cells for improvement in genome editing. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Celldom, Inc. of Durham: $65,000 to develop a high-throughput screening platform that can analyze the observable differences in organisms having the same genetic sequences to understand how external environmental factors can influence or hinder an organism's development. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Corvid Technologies, LLC of Mooresville: $49,999 to develop an artificial scene generator for use in missile defense testing. This project is sponsored by the Missile Defense Agency in the Department of Defense.

Creative Scientist, Inc. of Durham: $65,000 to develop a nitric oxide testing service that can be used to assess the causes of cardiovascular diseases. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

EncepHeal Therapeutics, Inc. of Winston-Salem: $65,000 to develop a medication agent that blocks cocaine's inhibitors for individuals with cocaine addictions. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Falcon Therapeutics, Inc. of Chapel Hill: $59,291.50 to develop personalized stem cell therapies to treat cancer. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

FokusLabs Behavioral Solutions, Inc. of Wake Forest: $65,000 to develop intelligent, wearable technology that enhances student attention through personalized monitoring and reinforcement. This project is sponsored by the Department of Education.

Innovation Research and Training, Inc. of Durham: $65,000 to develop a commercially available, user-friendly educational tool for use by high school students to prevent early and risky sexual behaviors. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

MAA Laboratories, Inc. of Raleigh: $65,000 to create a stable nanoformulation alternative to the common cancer-treatment drug Dasatinib, which will improve solubility and oral bioavailability. This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Metalytics, LLC of Cary: $65,000 to develop software tools and procedures that helps investigators fully integrate specific metabolic experimental techniques into their design strategies to more quickly engineer cells for biomanufacturing. This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Microgrid Labs, Inc. of Cary: $60,000 to develop a solar irradiance micro-forecasting system to better predict radiant energy from the sun, which will increase the use of solar electricity and help reduce dependency on fossil fuel-based electricity. This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Multi3D, LLC of Cary: $65,000 to develop a more conductive filament that is stable at high temperatures and can be used in a broad of applications in 3D printing. This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Nanodiagnostic Technology, LLC of Concord: $50,000 to develop a paper/nanotechnology-based bioanalytical system for rapid detection of pesticides in food and water. This project is sponsored by the Department of Agriculture.

NCO Technologies, LLC of Concord: $65,000 to develop a new generation of low-cost, large-area, defect-free membranes for improved efficiency in carbon capture. This project is sponsored by the Department of Energy.

Qatch Technologies, LLC of Burlington: $65,000 to develop a sensor technology that can measure blood coagulation times at point-of-care (POC). This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Redbud Labs, Inc. of Chapel Hill: $65,000 to improve the existing processes on understanding genetic differences by using less complex instruments, fewer delicate biological samples, and simpler timely protocols. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

ScitoVation, LLC of Durham: $65,000 to develop an in vitro analysis to detect DNA damage caused by chemical exposure. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

SeaTox Research, Inc. of Wilmington: $59,975 to develop a sensor for the detection of paralytic shellfish toxins acquired through human consumption. This project is sponsored by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration in the Department of Commerce.

TriboFilm Research, Inc. of Raleigh: $65,000 to create an advanced coating system for plastic pharmaceutical containers that provides oxygen-barrier properties to extend the shelf life of oxygen-sensitive pharmaceutical products. This project is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services.

United Protective Technologies, LLC of Locust: $65,000 to develop carbon-based nanocomposite coatings for use on high-performance bearing, sliding, and rotating surfaces used in unmanned aerial vehicles. This project is sponsored by the United States Special Operations Command in the Department of Defense.

Vadum, Inc. of Raleigh: $49,991 to develop and simulate a new communications protocol technology to improve communication capabilities over longer ranges and utilize less power. This project is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the Department of Defense.

Video Collaboratory, LLC of Charlotte: $65,000.00 to develop a commercial-ready video collaboratory platform for team-based learning and collaboration using video documents. This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Vigilant Cyber Systems, Inc. of Mount Airy: $65,000 to develop an algorithm that automatically calculates the quality and cost of care for military service members. This project is sponsored by the Defense Health Program in the Department of Defense.

Contact: Ford Porter

Ford Porter govpress@nc.gov

RALEIGH: A total of 32 small, technology-oriented companies across 18 North Carolina communities will get $1.9 million to help them grow and provide good jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. These are the latest round of grants from the state's One North Carolina Small Business program, an important source of capital that helps early-stage technology companies bridge the challenging period between initial development of a new technology and the point where sales revenue from a new product is generated.Governor Cooper said.The One NC Small Business Program, managed by the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Office of Science, Technology & Innovation, provides state grants that match federal funds awarded through the highly competitive Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. These federal programs help small companies develop new and innovative technologies that have high potential for commercialization. North Carolina's matching funds help companies hire additional employees, purchase equipment, materials and services and cover some expenses not provided for under the federal programs.Since 2006, the One North Carolina Small Business program has helped more than 250 companies in 47 cities and 25 counties across the state develop and bring to market hundreds of high-tech products. North Carolina is among a handful of innovative states that have chosen to help bolster their economy this way.said Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland.The timing of the program's grants is critical, both allowing a technology company to shorten the takeoff time it needs to grow into a large company and bridging the critical period before a promising technology is ready to market and sell. Many past recipients of the One NC Small Business grants have said the state grants were the vital injection of capital they needed to launch their companies on a successful trajectory.A 2016 analysis by the North Carolina Department of Commerce confirms that the program helps young technology companies survive. Since the program's creation in 2005, 85 percent of grant recipients are still in business, and 98 percent of the surviving companies are still based in North Carolina. The department's analyses also show that the small businesses receiving the grants generate a 9-to-1 return on the state dollar by attracting follow-on federal funds and external investment from private sources, such as other companies and venture capital. Each new job created directly from the grant program is expected to indirectly create 1.5 additional new jobs from an increase in demand down the supply chain and a general increase in demand for consumer goods.FokusLabs Behavioral Solutions, Inc., a current grant recipient, is developing intelligent wearable technology to enhance student attention and on-task behavior through gentle haptic vibration reminders. "We are extremely appreciative for the One NC Small Business matching program, as it has allowed us to further expand our research and development activities to deliver cutting edge products to assist children in the classroom," said Rich Brancaccio, CEO of FokusLabs. The Wake Forest company currently has eight employees and plans to add others as it continues to improve and grow its product line.For additional information about the One North Carolina Small Business program, see nccommerce.com/sti/grant-programs/one-nc-small-business-program.See list of awards below:One North Carolina Small Business AwardsJanuary 1, 2017 - June 30, 2017
Former Durham County Elections Worker Indicted

News Release:



RALEIGH, N.C. A Durham County grand jury on Monday indicted a former Durham County elections worker on charges related to the mishandling of provisional ballot results during the March 2016 primary election.



The grand jury returned indictments against Richard Robert Rawling, 59, of Cary, on counts of obstruction of justice, a felony, and failure to discharge a duty of his office, a misdemeanor.



Investigators from the then - N.C. State Board of Elections (now called the Bipartisan State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement) found that irregularities resulting from Rawling's actions were not sufficient in number to affect any contest outcomes. It also found no evidence that Rawling altered ballot counts to support a particular political party or candidate.



Rather, the investigation determined that Rawling ran or ordered subordinates to run provisional ballots through tabulators more than once and made manual changes to the ballot count so the results of the provisional canvass would match the number of approved provisional ballots. That was done, the investigation found, to avoid having to report to the Durham County Board of Elections a discrepancy in the number of provisional ballots in possession of the Board of Elections and the number counted on canvass day.



"The State Board's top priority is ensuring the integrity of elections so voters have confidence in the process," said Kim Westbrook Strach, executive director of the State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement. "We will continue to hold accountable elections workers and voters who violate election laws."



Voters cast provisional ballots when there is a question about whether they are eligible to vote in a particular election or contest.



Unlike regular ballots, provisional ballots are not run through tabulators at the polling place, but are collected and delivered to the county board of elections to determine whether they should be counted. Provisional ballots deemed acceptable are then run through tabulators on county canvass day.



Rawling worked for the Durham County Board of Elections during the March 15 primary, but resigned later that month. When Durham County elections officials notified State Board investigators about the issue in early April 2016, the State Board office opened an investigation. In October 2016, investigators provided a full report to the Durham County district attorney for possible prosecution.



Derek Bowens, the former elections director in New Hanover County, took over as Durham County's elections director in June 2017. This incident occurred under a former director.



Contact: Patrick Gannon, PIO



patrick.gannon@ncsbe.gov


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.
Draw North Carolina's election maps fairly, and we'll end up with representation that more closely resembles this state's tight partisan split. Right?Not necessarily.Two factors help explain why. The first is tied to geography. The second involves a fundamental element of the American political system.Before exploring both factors, it's important to note that fair maps represent an important end, not just a means.Most voices speaking today in favor of redistricting reform want to see more Democrats elected to Congress and the General Assembly. Most of these same voices remained silent on the issue prior to 2011. What changed that year? Republicans took over the state's redistricting, or mapmaking, process.The John Locke Foundation has sought redistricting reform since the 1990s, when Democrats abused electoral mapmaking to boost their partisan advantage. Twenty-odd years later, this organization still wants reform , even as Republicans have used redistricting in recent years to bolster their own strength.North Carolina deserves a better redistricting process, regardless of the likely electoral outcomes. But one shouldn't overestimate the benefits of that better process - one that relies on clear rules that limit opportunities for mapmaking mischief.Adopt the fairest possible election maps, and it's not clear that North Carolina would end up with a congressional delegation or legislative chambers nearly evenly split between the two major parties.North Carolina political geography helps explain why.The state elects 13 members to the U.S. House of Representatives. The state House has 120 representatives of its own, while voters elect 50 state senators. Each of these 183 officeholders serves a distinct geographic district.The redistricting process treats North Carolina as an oddly shaped pie. Based on population data from the state's latest census, lawmakers slice that pie into 13 slices of equal population for a congressional map. They repeat the process with separate pies featuring 50 state Senate slices and 120 House slices.Constitutional provisions and court rulings complicate the proceedings. For instance, mapmakers face limits on splitting counties. They also have faced ever-changing federal rules (sometimes described as a " Goldilocks standard ") about the degree to which they must take voters' race into account.But even if those complications did not exist, it would be impossible for lawmakers to craft election maps in which each district - from Murphy to Manteo, from Cherokee to Currituck - reflected average statewide voter preferences.The state Republican Party attempted to make that point during a recent redistricting hearing.President Trump secured just under 50 percent of the North Carolina vote in the 2016 election, while Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won 46 percent. Omitting third-party votes, Trump beat Clinton, 52-48. If Trump and Clinton voters had been dispersed equally across the state, you might have expected Trump to have won roughly 52 of the state's 100 counties.Instead, as the GOP has pointed out , Trump won 76 counties. Clinton supporters, while numerous, clustered together more closely geographically than those of the winning candidate.Congressional and legislative votes do not offer an apples-to-apples comparison to the presidential race, but the pattern is similar. Those likely to vote for Democratic candidates have tended to live in higher concentrations in a more compact geographic area than those likely to support Republican candidates. Maps based on geographical boundaries are likely to produce some districts with big Democratic victories, alongside districts with smaller Republican victories.This became apparent one year ago, when a group of retired N.C. Supreme Court justices and judges worked with Duke University and the left-of-center group Common Cause to draw their own mock congressional districts. They ended up with six "likely Republican" districts, four "likely Democratic" districts, and three competitive, or toss-up, districts.Under normal electoral circumstances, then, that map could produce a congressional delegation ranging anywhere from 7-6 in the Democrats' favor to 9-4 for the Republicans. Yes, the GOP could win almost 70 percent of the state's congressional seats, under maps prepared in part by a left-of-center political group, even though recent trends suggest neither party is likely to win more than 55 percent of the total congressional vote.It's also worth noting that the 9-4 GOP split produced under that mock scenario represents just one flipped seat from the current congressional delegation. Republican-drawn maps have produced a congressional delegation featuring 10 Republicans and three Democrats.In addition to geographic factors, one must also consider the impact of the electoral system itself. North Carolina uses the same model employed across the country for congressional and legislative elections. In our "first-past-the-post" contests, whoever gets the most votes in a district wins. That's true whether the winner secures 80 percent support or one vote more than 50 percent.The system explains why Ronald Reagan won less than 51 percent of the popular vote in 1980 but earned a landslide of 489 (91 percent) electoral votes. Four years later, Reagan earned nearly 59 percent of the popular vote and 525 (98 percent) electoral votes. He won almost every state, even though the victory margins might have been close, especially the first time around.This is the point N.C. Republicans have been trying to make when they contrast our political system to the primarily European and Latin American parliaments that use proportional representation. In that system, the total vote a party secures across the country helps determine the number of seats that party holds in the legislative body.In contrast, district-by-district elections can produce wide variations between a party's overall vote totals and the number of seats its candidates win.This should not surprise us. If it were possible to draw 13 toss-up congressional districts, it would be possible for one party or the other to run the table if they could win a bare majority of votes in each district. The same would be true for 50 competitive state Senate districts or 120 competitive state House districts.One suspects that few of the people arguing today for fair maps would like to see a Republican wave election that generates a 100-20 GOP majority in the N.C. House or a 40-10 majority in the Senate. Likewise, Republicans would hate to see the reverse during an election year that favors Democrats.We've already seen that geography is likely to set limits that would prevent swings that far in either party's direction. Under any set of maps using real-life North Carolina circumstances, some districts almost certainly will elect Democrats. Others almost certainly will elect Republicans.But it's important for those who argue for redistricting reform to realize that fairness still opens the door for a disconnect between a party's vote total and its electoral representation. Under the least partisan maps possible, one political party still could seize an electoral advantage that doesn't match its advantage in the statewide popular vote.Those who want to lock in partisan balance in the N.C. General Assembly and the state congressional delegation don't want fair maps. They want partisan gerrymandering that achieves a different goal than the one Republicans have pursued since 2011.Redistricting reform represents a worthwhile goal. It might not produce the results its most vocal advocates desire.
Contact: Amy Holcombe

Amy Holcombe amy.holcombe@vidanthealth.com

GREENVILLE The Vidant Health Board of Directors approved the fiscal year 2018 quality, experience and operational plans today, as well as the budget that will support this work. Today's decision provides the strategic direction and financial resources needed to guide and fund the health system next year.The budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year projects total operating and non-operating revenues of $1.760 billion, operating and non-operating expenses of $1.686 billion, excess-of-revenues over expenses of $73.8 million and an operating margin of 2.8 percent. Any margin will be reinvested back into facilities, new services, equipment and system employees.Lawrence Davenport, board chairman, thanked the board committees for their direction and contributions over the past several months.Davenport said.The board also approved a budget that provides the funding necessary to continue Vidant's position as the health care safety net for eastern North Carolina. However, there is still uncertainty regarding the proposed changes in reimbursement from the payors and how that will affect Vidant.said David Hughes, chief financial officer, Vidant health.As a not-for-profit corporation, Vidant reinvests all of its income back into capital projects, equipment and access to services for the patients and communities it serves. In fiscal year 2018, the system will invest approximately $151 million in capital assets, which include investments in information systems across Vidant, as well as continued construction projects.Next year, Vidant will continue its commitment to quality and experience by focusing on collaboration, communication and standardization across the health system to achieve exceptional experiences for patients and their families. Vidant will also focus on population health management and preventing chronic disease.Additionally, the system will reinvest $28.5 million on the continued construction of the new cancer center, which is scheduled to be completed during fiscal year 2018. Additional investments are being made at Vidant Beaufort for Emergency Department renovation and expansion, in information systems, diagnostic services, normal equipment replacement and much-needed upgrades in the core infrastructure of the system's hospitals. If further reductions in reimbursement occur, the ability to fund these capital requirements will be at risk.Mr. Bryant Kittrell, chair of the Finance Committee, explained the budget also recognizes the importance of the system's nearly 12,000 employees through a budget committed to funding salaries and benefits of $957 millionVidant includes VMC, Vidant Beaufort Hospital in Washington, Vidant Bertie Hospital in Windsor, Vidant Chowan Hospital in Edenton, Vidant Duplin Hospital in Kenansville, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital in Tarboro, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie, and The Outer Banks Hospital at Nags Head, where it is a 60 percent owner. The Outer Banks Hospital board will adopt its budget separately. Vidant Health also includes Vidant Wellness, Home Health and Hospice and Vidant Medical Group.
TWIN FALLS  For a few moments Monday, the Earth grew still, the bustle of everyday life stopped and all eyes turned skyward to witness a total eclipse of the sun.

Southern Idaho had prepared for months for the once-in-a-lifetime event; the next full eclipse wont happen in Idaho until 2169. Police braced for massive crowds. The state transportation department fretted about white-knuckle traffic jams. Hospitals made extra preparations. No one knew quite what to expect.

But in the end, there was no catastrophe  only a moment of peace, when the heavens became a stage for celestial majesty, day became night and Idahoans marveled at the power and beauty of the universe.

I feel so glad to be alive today, said Ketchum resident Linda Johnson. I feel drunk, stoned, altered  this is a life-altering event. I thought the experience of seeing the Dalai Lama was amazing. But that was a human-caused thing. This was even more amazing  it was a God-caused thing.

A black moon covered the last sliver of a brilliant white sun in a sky of infinite dark blue. People burst into cheers. Some cried.

In the path of totality, where the moon passed entirely across the sun, the world changed in an instant.

While eastern Idaho was inundated with thousands of visitors seeking to find a prime viewing location, the throngs of tourists and traffic congestion feared by officials in southern Idaho never materialized. Plenty of folks came, but they trickled in over the weekend and there were few reports of traffic jams on Monday morning. Even farther north and closer to totality, in the Wood River Valley and beyond, visitors were patient and cheery.

Highways around Craters of the Moon National Monument saw the most drastically increased eclipse-related traffic counts in Idaho.

By early morning, U.S. 93 near Craters had seen 5,370 vehicles versus 2,210 during the same time in 2016, and on U.S. 20/26 near Arco traffic counts were up from 3,270 over the past day in 2016 to 6,000, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.

These numbers translated into many more people at the park. The weekend eclipsed all previous records for the number of visitors, park officials posted on Facebook, even leading them to close the park briefly Sunday afternoon to bring visitation back down to safe levels.

Parking at Redfish Lake, a popular destination near Stanley, filled up early Sunday afternoon, as well, leading the Forest Service to turn around vehicles at the lakes entrance for a while. It had reopened by 5 p.m., however.

Outside Craters of the Moon near Arco on Monday, highway pull-offs were packed with cars and RVs hours before the event. Some visitors set up barbecues for breakfast and perfectly positioned camping chairs. The grassy area at the visitors center in Twin Falls was also full of lawn chairs, their occupants staring at the sun through special eclipse glasses.

For months leading up to the eclipse, officials had warned viewing the spectacle was safe only through those special lenses. Retailers across the Magic Valley continued selling them right up until the eclipse, and some businesses and public agencies gave them away for free. But with less than 24 hours to go, Dutch Bros. Coffee warned customers the business had accidentally given away faulty glasses and promised free drinks to anyone whod been given a pair.

Schools in Twin Falls ensured students had the right eyewear. Thousands of youngsters were led from their classrooms to the playgrounds, where teachers gave lessons about space and the unusual alignment of heavenly bodies.

At 10:12 a.m., the moon began to creep across the sun. Near 11:30, the eclipse reached its climax.

A hush settled over Twin Falls as the Earth fell into the moons shadow. Streetlights turned on, even though the city, just outside the path of totality, never fully saw total darkness. Thanks to an optic pinhole-camera effect, glimmering crescent-shaped shadows covered the ground. Downtown, workers stood on rooftops for the best views. The temperature fell. Besides far-off engine noise, it was silent  even birds returned to their nests, thinking nightfall had begun. Viewers spoke to each other in whispers, in reverence to what was taking place 238,900 miles above.

The song Bad Moon Rising played on the loud speakers outside the Twin Falls Public Library, where scores gathered to watch. The library gave out all of its eclipse glasses.

Ive never seen this before and its new to me and really awesome, said Sylvia Wood, who came to nearby City Park with her daughter and grandchildren.

Debra Rydalch was driving by the park on her way to lunch when she happened upon the party. Rather than experience the eclipse by herself, she opted to join those set up on blankets and chairs around the park. I think its going to be spiritual, Rydalch said as the sun began to disappear. Something well never see in a whole lifetime.

Rydalch bought her glasses a month ago. She noted the coolness in the air as the moon muted the sun and the sky. Already you can sense it, Rydalch said. It feels like you are going into evening.

Mikkel Sherry and Laura Dutcher of Twin Falls originally planned to travel to St. Anthony for the eclipse. When they heard traffic might be congested, they opted to stay home. We didnt want to get stuck there, Dutcher said. We have to work on Tuesday.

Their decision made Sherry Hennessey and Donna Afeaki happy, though. The friends sat in the grass near the Twin Falls bandshell watching the eclipse reach its near totality.

Andrew Hamilton put on his eclipse glasses at the peak and leaned in for a selfie with his 10-year-old son, Hyrum Hamilton.

We are loving it, said the elder Hamilton. I remember watching one in Utah in 1979, but it was only at 50 percent. Its cool to see it again.

In the northern Magic Valley and into central Idaho, the mood was even more celebratory, especially in areas where large crowds had gathered. Shouts and applause began at the moment of totality, and then euphoria and a sense of tranquility that can come only through a shared human experience. For many, it was almost religious.

And suddenly, it was time to leave. The moon disappeared. The sun blazed as if nothing had happened.

People returned to their cars and campers. Workers came down off the roofs of their businesses. The schoolchildren went back inside. The bustle of everyday life returned.

For those who saw it, though, something was different. The universe had changed in those few minutes during the eclipse. They did, too.
A Dartmouth woman's fundraising efforts to undergo a costly eye surgery in Cuba has experts warning about the dangers of travelling abroad for medical care.

Adrienne LeClair-Hamm, who lost part of her sight as a child, was recently diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa. When her doctor told her she'd be completely blind within a year, she started researching options and learned treatment isn't available in Canada.

There's no cure for retinitis pigmentosa, but a clinic in Cuba promises to stop the disease from getting worse. The $18,000 treatment involves several procedures, including opening the bottom of the eye and inserting liquid that encourages the cells to grow.

"The thing that frightens me the most about this whole setup is  not to be able to look at my sons' faces and see them smile. It's going to be a huge loss," said LeClair-Hamm, who set up a Go Fund Me page to raise the money.

Procedure a 'black box'

As of Aug. 21, LeClair-Hamm had raised just over $4,800. She knows there are risks involved with the surgery, but said, "from what I'm reading, honestly, it's looking darn good. Really, it's looking excellent."

However, LeClair-Hamm's doctor doesn't support the procedure, and neither does Dr. Marcelo Nicolela, head of ophthalmology at Dalhousie University.

Nicolela said there are too many unanswered questions.

The treatment has been around for about 20 years, he said, "but to date, there hasn't been any report in the medical literature talking about outcomes or even how it's done."

"So it's really a black box that nobody outside the clinics in Cuba know much about."

While it's possible the clinic has found a safe and effective procedure, Nicolela said it's also likely this is a money-making venture.

"There has been complications anecdotally reported by doctors of patients who went to Cuba and had problems afterwards. So we really don't know the possible harms of this procedure," he said.

Story continues

Patients need followup care

If complications do arise post-surgery, Robert Huish, who specializes in global health, said patients who travel for surgery can end up without the care they need.

Huish, an associate professor in international development studies at Dalhousie University, has written a book about medical tourism called Where No Doctor Has Gone Before: Cuba's Place in the Global Health Landscape.

He's worried about what happens when patients come home  something he argues isn't discussed enough.

"The problem is that surgery is not just the process of putting a knife into a patient and doing the one procedure. Surgery and the ethics of it is much more extensive," he said, adding patients often end up in emergency rooms back in Nova Scotia because they don't have a surgeon who can refer them for followup care.

Numbers still small in Nova Scotia

According to a report by the Fraser Insitute in B.C., an estimated 63,459 Canadians travelled outside the country in 2016 for non-emergency treatment.

Huish said Nova Scotians only make up about a couple hundred of those cases, but if more choose to leave, "it would be an option to disincentivize investing in specialist and the facilities needed here."

While there's no treatment for retinitis pigmentosa currently in Canada, Nicolela said research trials are underway.
By Jussi Rosendahl and Lefteris Karagiannopoulos HELSINKI (Reuters) - A teenage Moroccan asylum seeker who admitted on Tuesday that he had killed two women and injured eight other people in a knife attack in the Finnish town of Turku had had his application for asylum rejected before the attack, authorities said. But though he confessed to the killings in a closed-door court hearing, 18-year-old Abderrahman Mechkah did not admit any terrorist motive, lawyer Kaarle Gummerus said. "(My client) admits manslaughter and injuries ... But what the investigator has brought up this far may not be enough to classify this as a terrorist crime," Gummerus told Reuters. Mechkah, who had been living in a Red Cross immigrant reception centre in Turku since coming to Finland in spring 2016, had been appealing against the result of his asylum application at the time of the knife attack last Friday. "He has received the result of his asylum application and he has appealed it. He is still in the (asylum) process," said a spokeswoman from the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation. Though she would not say directly what the initial outcome of his application had been, the spokeswoman's form of words indicated it had not been successful. Applications for asylum of at least two of three other suspects who had been arrested were also being processed, the Red Cross said. The drama of the attack on the main market place of the coastal city with the apparent involvement of asylum-seekers in Finland's first suspected terrorism related incident has led to a rethink by the government to tighten up asylum procedure. Mechkah appeared in court via video link from hospital. He was shot in the leg by police following the stabbings in the main market place in Turku, on Finland's southwest coast, 160 km (100 miles) from Helsinki. He covered his head with a blanket. The court ordered Mechkah, who has yet to be charged with any offence, and three other Moroccan men to be detained in prison pending trial. A fifth Moroccan, who had been under arrest since Friday, was released, the court said. Investigators have not made clear what role the three other Moroccans, who deny involvement in the attack, are suspected of playing. One of them, 18-year old Ilyas Berrouh, was refused a residence permit in Sweden twice in 2013, authorities said. He was also refused when he made a third application under an alias, a Swedish migration official told Reuters. IMMIGRATION POLICY Police have issued an international arrest warrant for a fifth Moroccan national. Europol said it was assisting in the investigation. Gummerus, the lawyer, said the investigation was still at an early stage and it was impossible to "take a final stance at the moment" on the issue of whether the stabbings were terrorism-related. Mechkah arrived in Germany in 2015 but had not made any application for asylum there. News agency DPA reported he had used several false identities in the country and left without nofitying authorities. On one occasion he was charged with causing bodily harm, the agency added. DPA also reported that at least two of the other suspects had been in Germany. One had five false identities, while an arrest warrant had been issued for another, who was suspected of carrying out theft in Hamburg, it said. People who knew Mechkah told Reuters he looked depressed and angry. Police had said he had clearly targeted women in the Aug. 18 attack. Politicians meanwhile signalled that Finland, a Nordic country boasting one of the lowest levels of crime, should change its immigration-related policies. Finance minister Petteri Orpo said the government should consider establishing better-controlled "return centres" in order to monitor more closely those who had been denied asylum. "For some, it is a critical situation when they get a negative decision. It may increase risks, and this has to be assessed now," Orpo told Verkkouutiset news site. Prime Minister Juha Sipila called on Monday for political unity to fast-track already planned legislation giving authorities new powers to monitor citizens online. In 2016, 155 Moroccans applied for asylum in Finland. Only 20 were granted. (Additional reporting by Tuomas Forsell in Helsinki and Thomas Escritt in Berlin,; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Andree and Rick Jolicoeur have spent months battling with Walmart Canada Bank after $6,600 was fraudulently charged to their credit card. The card was stolen in Mexico, but the credit card company says someone allegedly knew the PIN, so won't reimburse the couple. (Submitted)

A Winnipeg couple who say they were pickpocketed in Mexico are out $6,600 after someone apparently used the PIN on their credit card to make fraudulent purchases, and their credit card company says that's enough reason to not reverse the charges.

Rick and Andree Jolicoeur were in Cancun in February when a routine bus trip to get groceries ended with him realizing his wallet had been stolen sometime during their travels.

Since then, they've been in a months-long fight with Walmart Canada Bank, which issued their MasterCard. The company says it won't reverse the charges because it appears the person who used the card knew the four-digit PIN, and the cardholder agreement states a consumer must protect the code.

"If someone has a MasterCard, they won't realize that this can happen to them  this is atrocious," Rick Jolicoeur told CBC News.

"We did everything that we are supposed to do."

Credit card PINs can be stolen

Frances Lawrence, who's with the Credit Counselling Society, said a PIN can be stolen with the use of a pinhole camera at an ATM or other bank machines. Credit card information can be accessed using a device such a "shimmer"  a new smaller, more powerful and practically impossible to detect kind of skimmer. Shimmers fit inside a card reader and can be installed quickly by a criminal who slides it into the machine while pretending to make a purchase or withdrawal.

Once installed, the microchips on the shimmer record information from chip cards, including the PIN.

"All of the information has to be stored somewhere," she said. "Be vigilant and always make sure you know where your card is."

The Jolicoeurs say they didn't notice the wallet was missing until about two hours after they left their hotel, and when they tried to pay for groceries.

They quickly made calls to their credit card companies, cancelling their Visa and MasterCard. Rick Jolicoeur said Visa had already flagged a suspicious double charge on his card and had put a hold on it.

Story continues

- Fraud victim has 'brutal' 3-year battle with Walmart and Equifax over damaged credit

His MasterCard had already racked up almost $7,000 in charges, including two of $3,300 from what he was later told was an "equipment rental" business. Rick Jolicoeur said the company told them to "enjoy their vacation" and "everything would be taken care of."

After they returned to Winnipeg, they learned Walmart Canada Bank refused to reverse the charges.

Several phone calls to the call service centre revealed that because the card has a chip and the purchaser used the correct PIN to make the charge, Walmart Canada Bank was not liable.

"[They] started accusing me of being in cahoots with the thieves and giving them my PIN and said I was basically a thief," Rick Jolicoeur said.

"The blood was rushing up to here. I had to get off the phone."

Walmart points to cardholder agreement

Walmart Canada Bank stands by its decision to not reverse the charges.

"Unfortunately many consumers believe they are fully insulated from credit card fraud. The fact is the cardholder agreement holds the account holder responsible for the protection of their PIN," said spokesperson Alex Roberton in a prepared statement.

"The majority of fraudulent chip and PIN transactions are not reversed if a correct PIN is used, particularly on the first try."

Jolicoeur admitted he never read his agreement, but wonders why the company doesn't make this caveat clearer.

"They never ever tell that if your card is stolen and the PIN is used, you're on the hook for it," he said.

"It'll take one time for this to happen to you and then it is all the sudden, buyer beware."

Rick Jolicoeur said even his wife doesn't know his PIN, so he can't imagine how someone would have obtained it.

According to his bill, which was provided to CBC, the only other time he used the credit card that day was at the Walmart in Cancun.

The couple said since the credit card controversy began in February, the first piece of written documentation they saw to explain why the charges weren't reversed was the statement Walmart sent to CBC.

Roberton told CBC News that the Jolicoeurs have yet to request the documentation. The Jolicoeurs deny this claim, saying they have requested it in writing multiple times for insurance reasons. They have now turned to Walmart's ombudsman  their last hope for getting the charges reversed.

According to Walmart Canada Bank's customer complaint process, the company's ombudsman undertakes an impartial review of unresolved customer complaints if they are not resolved within 90 days.

'Ensure you are protected': Credit counsellor

Lawrence said the Jolicoeur family's situation highlights why people need to protect their PIN and think twice when using a credit card while travelling.

"People aren't always aware of what it is in their cardholder agreement and what they are covered for," she told CBC News. Most agreements can be found online, she said.

"It is really important if you are using a credit card for travel to understand what you need to do if you are in the position that your card is compromised."

Credit cards such as MasterCard may advertise the cardholder has "zero liability," but it is not black and white, she said.

"There may be steps you need to take to ensure you are protected," she said. "Knowing what you have to do to protect yourself is more important."

Lawrence recommends that travellers:

- Take a credit card with a lower limit.

- Carry small amounts of cash to allow you to lock up the card in a safe at the hotel.

- Always inform the credit card company when travelling out of the country.

- Monitor charges to ensure there isn't any strange activity.

"Everybody is going to be looking out for their best interest, so the most important thing is that you are aware of what that looks like [to a credit card company]," she said.

And always protect your PIN, added Lawrence.
Hands-On Learning

Blues Guitar to Get Mod Makeover in Mobile Education Units

The blues guitar made famous in the Mississippi Delta will receive a high-tech makeover in an after-school program thought up by college students. A team of college students at an "Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship" (ADE) class received a $25,000 grant from the Ford Motor Company Fund to create a "mobile educational unit" for use in the Delta's rural communities.

The college students come from Olin College of Engineering, Babson College and Wellesley College, all of which are within a few miles of each other. The grant came from a philanthropic fund run by Ford as part of its Community College Challenge, which supports higher education institutions as they work with students to design and set up community projects that address local needs.

The latest project is one of many undertaken by the ADE program over the last five semesters, working with partners in Coahoma County, MS, to help young people develop their technical and entrepreneurial skills. The pilot curriculum for the mobile unit will show kids how to make electric guitars from scratch using traditional and digital fabrication techniques. The lessons are intended to be taught in a bus or trailer, something that can be moved around from community to community. The grant will help fund the program for three to six months in five after-school programs to help the college students refine its business model and "work out the kinks" of running the mobile unit. The 12-week guitar-building program will rotate throughout the county, reaching about a hundred students a year.

"We believe that this project, integrating technology, arts and entrepreneurship, will expose local young people to a whole new world of possibilities through design while offering them the opportunity to practice teamwork, communication and planning," said Ben Linder, the director and founder of ADE. "The simple fact is that every middle and high school student in the country doesn't get the same chance to practice these critically important skills, so we are excited to see this pilot project in Coahoma County get a chance to get off the ground."

The project could also lead to a boost in the local economy, added Amon Millner, an Olin faculty member and angel advisor to the team. "The project's emphasis on skills-acquisition alongside creative self-expression is intended to build self-motivation, self-confidence and self-efficacy so that Delta youth will be better prepared to make creative thinking and expression open new opportunities for career and personal development. We also hope the focus on entrepreneurship will lead to the creation of sustainable enterprises that will help improve the economy of the region as a whole."

Within the ADE program, as new students from the three colleges join in, they continue with the work of student teams from previous semesters, which may run for several years. The goal of ADE is to set up projects that will eventually be taken over by the local partners. Other initiatives undertaken by ADE have involved air quality, food processing and global health.

More information about the project is available on the Ford Community College Challenge website here.
Online Proctoring

Kent State U to Combat Cheating with Proctorio

Kent State University is teaming up with Proctorio to protect the academic integrity of online exams in its undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs. Proctorio will provide identity verification, exam proctoring and 24/7 live support for the university's online learners.

Features of the proctoring platform include:

Unscheduled proctoring, allowing instructors to set up proctored exams on demand;

Live ID verification;

Immediate suspicion reports;

Administrator dashboard;

Aggregate exam data;

Customizable settings;

Single sign-on Blackboard integration; and

iKeepSafe-certified student privacy protections, data use and security protocols.

"Adding Proctorio to our educational technology toolbox helps to ensure the academic integrity of our courses as well as the reputation and quality of a degree from Kent State University," said Paul Creed, III, Kent State technology project director, in a statement. "As a leader in online higher education in Ohio and the nation, Kent State University is dedicated to the highest standards and Proctorio helps us to meet that goal."
TUESDAY, Aug. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- If you're not one of the popular kids with dozens of "besties," you can take solace in new research that suggests having close friendships is better for your adult mental health than having many friends in high school.

"Our research found that the quality of friendships during adolescence may directly predict aspects of long-term mental and emotional health," said study leader Rachel Narr, a graduate student at the University of Virginia.

"High school students with higher-quality best friendships tended to improve in several aspects of mental health over time, while teens who were popular among their peers during high school may be more prone to social anxiety later in life," she said in a news release from the Society for Research in Child Development.

The study included 169 teens and young adults who were followed for 10 years -- from 15 to 25 years of age. Almost 60 percent were white and 29 percent were black. Their median family incomes ranged from $40,000 to $60,000.

Each year, the study volunteers answered questions about their friendships, and about how they were faring in terms of factors such as anxiety and symptoms of depression. Their close friends also talked about the friendships in interviews.

The researchers considered some of the friendships to be high-quality, meaning that the friends were attached to each other, supported each other and were up-front with each other.

The teens who made a priority of close relationships at the age of 15 were less socially anxious, had more self-esteem and appeared to have fewer symptoms of depression by age 25 compared to the other study volunteers, the findings showed.

However, the kids considered to be more popular by their peers in high school had more social anxiety as young adults, according to the report.

The study was published Aug. 22 in Child Development.

"Our study affirms that forming strong close friendships is likely one of the most critical pieces of the teenage social experience," said study co-author Joseph Allen. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.

"Being well-liked by a large group of people cannot take the place of forging deep, supportive friendships. And these experiences stay with us, over and above what happens later. As technology makes it increasingly easy to build a social network of superficial friends, focusing time and attention on cultivating close connections with a few individuals should be a priority," Allen said.

It's important to note that this study was only designed to look for an association between friendships and mental health. It did not prove cause and effect.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has advice for parents on how to help kids make friends.
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New York, August 22, 2017Sudanese authorities yesterday fined Suheir Abdelrahim, a columnist for the daily Al-Tayyar, for a column criticizing the police, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the sentence and called on authorities not to contest the journalists appeal.

At an earlier hearing, the Khartoum Press Court, which handles complaints against the media, convicted Abdelrahim of insulting the police and violating an article of the Sudanese Penal Code and Press Act, which covers disseminating false news that spreads chaos or undermines the states prestige, Abdelrahims lawyer Nabil Adib told journalists.

At yesterdays hearing, the press court ordered Abdelrahim to pay a 3,000 Sudanese pound fine (US$450) and Al-Tayyar to pay a 5,000 Sudanese pound fine for the column, which was published in November 2016, according to reports. In the column, Abdelrahim criticized the police for focusing on the theft of shoes from a mosque instead of investigating corruption and theft of public property, according to news reports. Adib said that the columnist plans to appeal.

CPJ attempted to contact Abdelrahim and her lawyer, but was unable to determine contact details for them.

Sudan should not contest the appeal of Al-Tayyar columnist Suheir Abdelrahim, and should instead focus on amending the laws that led to these fines, said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour from Washington D.C. Journalists should be free to report and comment critically on matters of public interest, without fear of harassment or legal action.

Separately, the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Service confiscated all copies of the August 20 issue of the daily Al-Saiha, according to news reports. The security service did not explain the reason for the confiscation, according to the reports. Journalists from the paper were cited in news reports saying that the confiscation order may be related to Al-Saihas coverage of tensions between military leaders and President Omar al-Bashir.

The National Intelligence and Security Service did not immediately respond to CPJs emails requesting comment.

In 2015, CPJ documented how Sudanese authorities confiscated editions of Al-Tayyar and Al-Saiha, along with 12 other newspapers, without providing an explanation. In recent years, the security service has confiscated entire print runs when a paper publishes content it disapproves of, as a way to censor the news and forces publications to incur significant financial losses.
Youre on the Do Not Call list. You are careful where you give out your phone number. Yet, it seems like no matter what you try, scam calls just wont stop! There are a few reasons it could seem like scammers are targeting you.

Consider that the Do Not Call list is for legitimate telemarketers. Scammers, however, are already trying to attempt something illegal in stealing your money or identity; they arent likely to care about the registry. We like to compare it to asking a bank robber to drive the speed limit in the getaway car.

However, registering your phone number at donotcall.gov would slow down other sales calls, making it that much more likely unwanted calls are scam calls.

Bad guys try many tactics on their imposter calls, claiming to be from the IRS, the court system (claiming you missed jury duty or owe fines), your credit card company or bank, or from Microsoft calling to fix the virus on your computer. In virtually all cases, the scammers are attempting to obtain personal information or convince you to send money by wiring cash or purchasing a prepaid card and giving them the activation number on the back.

To protect yourself from phone scams, keep in mind a few tips from Better Business Bureau.

Never give personal or financial information out on unsolicited phone calls. Its best just to hang up the phone. These scammers are professionals, and if they get you talking, even if one scheme doesnt work, they will call back with a different scam in the future. Answering a scam call can trigger more calls: bad guys make note of who will pick up the phone and engage with them.

Do not take calls from numbers you do not recognize. If its a legitimate contact, they will leave a message. If the voicemail is from a scammer, this will give you time to think about what is being asked of you.

Be cautious of automated messages asking you to press a button to be taken off of their call list. Its best just to hang up. Pressing your keypad is another way to alert the caller that they have reached an active number, and they will continue to call and may sell your number to other scammers as well.

Be aware that scammers are calling and impersonating legitimate businesses, organizations and charities. The best thing you can do to prevent yourself from falling victim is to hang up, find the appropriate phone number and call them directly to speak to a representative.

And, it doesnt hurt to sign up for the Do Not Call list to at least slow telemarketing calls.
Siti Aisyah, the owner of an Islamic learning center, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for spreading "misguided" Islamic teachings.





Siti was found guilty of violating Article 156 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on blasphemy.





The sentence handed down by the Mataram District Court in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is lighter than the prosecutor's demand of three years imprisonment.





Presiding judge Didiek Jatmiko said Siti had been proven guilty of spreading teachings that contravened Islamic principles, kompas.com reported.





Didiek said Siti did not admit her fault, insisting that what she taught did not go against the principles of Islam.





Siti, who is the owner Rumah Mengenal Al-Quran (Home to learn Quran), had reportedly taught her followers that the Quran did not oblige Muslims to pray.





She also reportedly rejected Al-Hadist (Prophet Muhammad's words and attitudes) as a religious guideline.

Indonesian housewife sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for insulting Islam

An Indonesian housewife has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for insulting Islam, an official said Tuesday, the latest conviction under the countrys controversial blasphemy law.





Siti Aisyah, 47, was found guilty on Monday evening of spreading Islamic teachings that differed from local ulemas, calling them liars for disagreeing with her.





Her conviction comes at a time of rising concerns about religious intolerance in a country traditionally regarded as a bastion of tolerant Islam.





What she has committed was an insult for our religion, she is dangerous for a religious city like Mataram, Didiek Jatmiko, presiding judge at Mataram district court in West Nusa Tenggara Province, told AFP.





Aisyah was named a blasphemy suspect in February for promoting an unorthodox version of a Muslim prayer on a website she ran, and in flyers she distributed around Mataram.





She also urged readers of her website not to follow hadiths  words and practices of the Prophet Mohammed  Jatmiko said.





We sentenced her to two and a half years in prison because she did not regret her crime at all, she is adamant that her belief is the ultimate truth, Jatmiko said.





Aisyah rejected assistance from a lawyer and did not defend herself from the charges. She told the court she would not appeal the decision.





Rights groups have long campaigned against Indonesias archaic blasphemy laws, which they say have been used to persecute religious and ethnic minorities.





Former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is Christian, was jailed for two years on blasphemy charges in May.





He came under fire from hardline Islamic groups after he claimed his political opponents had been manipulating voters by using a verse from the Koran to urge Muslims not to vote for a non-Muslim leader.





The verdict fuelled fears of Indonesias moderate brand of Islam coming under threat from increasingly influential radicals.

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COLOMBO (Reuters) - Despite international pressure the Maldives will reintroduce the death penalty after a 60-year moratorium to try and reduce the rising number of murders and stop drug trafficking, a senior advisor to President Abdulla Yameen said on Tuesday.





The United Nations and Amnesty International have urged the government not to reintroduce the death penalty by hanging, citing concerns whether some inmates facing the death penalty had had fair trials.





"It is to be used as a deterrent," Mohamed Hussain Shareef, a senior advisor to Yameen and head of foreign relations of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) told Reuters in an interview in Colombo.





"At the moment, overwhelmingly the people of Maldives are in support for implementation. It is a difficult decision for any government. But as a government, you have to safeguard the lives of innocent people."





He said there had been more than 50 murders reported in Maldives during the last decade.





The United Nations has said 20 prisoners, including at least five juvenile offenders, had been sentenced to death, and three men convicted of murder were at imminent risk of execution, despite concerns over whether they had had fair trials.



Sharia law





Shareef said the three convicted murderers would face capital punishment "soon" and the victims' families are being now given an option to consider if the convicts could be forgiven according to Islamic Sharia law.





The hangings will not be carried out in public, Shareef said, with the government constructing a special execution chamber on Maafushi island where the country's main prison is located from 27 km (16 miles) from capital Male.





A U.N. human rights expert early this month said the Maldives will make a big mistake if it reinstates the death penalty, while Amnesty International has said the executions are a ploy by the government to distract attention from its own problems and ensure its political survival.





The largely Muslim island chain, which has a population of 400,000, has a reputation as a tourist paradise, but it has been mired in political unrest since Mohamed Nasheed, its first democratically-elected president, was ousted in 2012.





The opposition is trying to unseat Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, alleging President Yameen's administration is trying to cover up corruption, including money laundering. The government has denied the accusations.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Reuters, August 22, 2017
Marcellus Williams

A nonprofit that seeks to overturn wrongful convictions has asked Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to put Tuesday's scheduled execution on hold.





The Midwest Innocence Project says new DNA evidence presented last week shows Marcellus Williams didn't kill former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle in 1998.





Williams' attorney, Kent Gipson, asked the state Supreme Court last week to consider two new tests, which he said show that Williams' DNA was not on the knife used in Gayle's death. The court denied the request for a stay of execution.





Midwest Innocence Project Director Tricia Bushnell told St. Louis Public Radio on Sunday that the organization wants Greitens to appoint a board of inquiry to look into the new evidence.





"This is a case that has so many questions in it, and the reality is, Mr. Williams has DNA evidence that says it is not him on the murder weapon, and no one has even let him have a hearing on those results," she said. "It seems impossible that we would execute someone, put someone to death, when there is a question that large, without even giving them a hearing. ... This question has a number of the hallmarks that we see in wrongful convictions."





Bushnell also was critical of the prosecution in the case, which was done in St. Louis County because Gayle was killed in University City. She said the prosecution relied on "what we would call 'incentivized informants.'"





In 2003, the state Supreme Court upheld Williams' conviction, saying there was sufficient evidence to support the jury's conclusion. Spokesmen for Greitens and St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch didn't immediately return requests for comment.





Williams' original execution in 2015 was postponed. He is scheduled to be put to death Tuesday.





Missouri will use 2 of its 34 vials of the sedative pentobarbital on Tuesday when it executes Marcellus Williams, who was convicted in the 1998 killing of Felicia Gayle, a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter.





The state has enough pentobarbital for 17 executions, Williams' included, according to a document obtained by St. Louis Public Radio. No one except the state of Missouri knows where the stockpile comes from, despite lawsuits from inmates and media outlets.

Don't dishonor murder victim Lisha Gayle by executing Marcellus Williams

Missouri's death chamber

On Tuesday, Missouri is scheduled to execute a man in exactly the kind of case that makes even some supporters of the death penalty queasy.





Way back in 2001, Marcellus Williams was found guilty in the grisly 1998 stabbing death of 42-year-old Lisha Gayle, a former St. Louis newspaper reporter so altruistic that she left journalism to become a volunteer who worked with the disenfranchised.





Williams, who is also serving multiple life sentences on unrelated burglary and robbery charges, had, according to prosecutors, been burglarizing Gayle's apartment when she stepped out of the shower, surprised him and fought back as he killed her.





Only there was never any physical evidence linking Williams to the crime, according to his attorneys and Amnesty International.





Now his attorneys say that new evidence, based on new testing that the court allowed, shows Williams is not a match for the male DNA found on the knife that was the murder weapon.





Instead, an analysis by Greg Hampikian, a Boise State University biologist, shows that the DNA is that of an unknown male.





Why allow the testing and then disregard what it finds?





Williams, who is 48, has always maintained his innocence and said the case against him is based entirely on the word of a former girlfriend and a former cellmate who he insists were only looking for a piece of the $10,000 reward offered in the case.





What harm would it do to make sure he's guilty?





We can't think of any, especially compared to the wrong of putting a man to death for a crime he didn't commit.





The Missouri Supreme Court has denied a petition to delay Williams' execution, so unless the governor or Supreme Court intervenes, he'll be given a lethal injection at 6 p.m. Tuesday.





A spokesman for Attorney General Josh Hawley said he's still confident that Williams is guilty.





But why not make sure the public can be confident of that, too?





We urge the court to appoint a special master to hear Williams' claim of innocence.





Missourians deserve to know for sure that he really is guilty before putting him to death in our name.





And the memory of Lisha Gayle, who worked with the poor and with children, would only be dishonored by an injustice carried out in retribution for the violence done to her.





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: stlpublicradio.org, August 21, 2017Kansas City Star, Editorial Board, August 21, 2017
Ahmadreza Djalali

The trial of a Stockholm academic who is detained in Iran on what Amnesty International calls 'extremely vague grounds' and could face the death penalty is set to get under way.





Researcher Ahmadreza Djalali has been detained since last April. He was arrested in Tehran for espionage and 'enmity with God'  a crime which in Iran can result in the death penalty  during a visit for a conference last year.





An Iranian citizen, the academic has a permanent residence permit in Sweden, where he conducted research in disaster medicine at the prestigious Karolinska Institute, and lived with his wife and two children. He previously worked at the University of Eastern piedmont in Italy, and the Italian government expressed "extreme concern" for his safety in February.





Human rights organization Amnesty International has urged the authorities to release Djalali or give him a fair and secure trial.





We hope he will be released. He has been in prison since April last year on extremely vague grounds, Amnesty Sweden spokesperson Ami Hedenborg said.





You have to ask yourself what it is really about. There is a great deal of concern over what may happen.





Hedenborg added that it is impossible to speculate about what may happen, as the Iranian justice system is difficult to comprehend:





Iran has an arbitrary legal system which doesn't comply with the international conditions for a fair trial. It could easily be cancelled or the sentence announced within two minutes.





The trial was previously scheduled to start in early August, but was postponed when the judge took ill.





We have asked to attend, but received a refusal, Anne Torngren from Swedens Foreign Ministry told news agency TT. The Swedish embassy has also applied for permission to visit Djalali.





The researcher's wife admits she is not optimistic about the trial.





"I cant expect anything from my home country," she said.





Djalali launched a hunger strike earlier this year, leading his family to become concerned about his health.

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

The Local, August 22, 2017
Auctioning Civil War Monuments

Paul Rubin, E21 To an economist, the raging debate over Civil War Monuments is somewhat puzzling. The Civil War is over. Any discussion of the past is a discussion of a "sunk cost" and one of the basic tenants of economic thinking (or of rational thinking in general) is that "Sunk costs are irrelevant." They are past and done, and nothing can be done about things that have already happened. But the hysteria on both sides of the issue shows that rational thinking does not always prevail in policy debates. Read more here....
ISIS has lost about 78 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq, and its Iraqi capital of Mosul was liberated on July 10. Now, its false Syrian caliphate, Raqqa, is being liberated. Already, about 58 percent of the city has been cleared. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS Brett McGurk explained at a recent press conference:

 About six months ago, ISIS was planning major attacks in Raqqa. They were planning major attacks against the United States, against our partners, and they were doing it in Raqqa using infrastructure of a major city. Today in Raqqa, ISIS is fighting for every last block, and trying to defend blocks that they are about to lose. They are fighting for their own survival. It is a fundamentally transformed situation.

The campaign to seize Raqqa began on June 6, but it was made possible by an operation that came a few months before that.

In Syria, when it comes to the campaign against ISIS, we are working primarily with the Syrian Democratic Forces. Thats a force of now about 50,000its about half Arab, half Kurd. They also have never lost a battle, said Special Envoy McGurk. In March, local commanders, seeing an opportunity to surprise the terrorists in Tabqa, dropped behind enemy lines with assistance from the Counter ISIS coalition, and seized the town, its dam and airfield.

This was very important to close the noose on ISIS, because ISIS was using this area to get personnel and equipment in and out of Raqqa. Said Special Envoy McGurk. We saw a lot of [ISIS] fighters trying to flee and their defenses in Raqqa begin to degrade a little bit. So it was a really critical operation, and it was done because authority's been delegated down to seize opportunities like that. It was a really important moment in this overall campaign.

Its ongoing. This will take time, said Special Envoy McGurk. This will be a very difficult battle.

And just like Mosul, Raqqa will be liberated.
The driver fled the scene before later stabbing a man to death and taking his car to escape.

Later on the same day, 70 miles away in the seaside town of Cambrils, five terrorists wearing fake suicide belts were shot dead by police after ramming pedestrians with a car in a second attack. One female civilian died and six other people were injured, including a police officer.

The United States, said President Donald Trump in a tweet, condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help.

According to Spanish police, the suspects had been preparing even bigger attacks in Barcelona "for some time". At least four people have been arrested.

ISIS has so far claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack, the deadliest on Spanish soil since 2004 when more than 190 people died in the Madrid train bombings. Indeed, terrorism across Europe has exacted a high toll. Over the last two years 364 people have lost their lives and countless more have been severely injured.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered American condolences for the loss of life and the injuries that occurred to so many innocent people yet again. We stand ready to assist law enforcement [and] national security authorities in Spain, he said. Terrorists around the world should know the United States and our allies are resolved to find you and bring you to justice.

The United States and Spain are strong allies in the fight against terrorism, including as members of the Defeat-ISIS Coalition. The United States remains committed to defeating ISIS and preventing such horrific attacks in the future. We will not let terrorism become the new normal. Instead, such acts of violence only harden our resolve to fight back against terrorists, bring them to justice, and dismantle their networks.
Leonora Carrington in 2007. Reuters

British artist Leonora Carrington came to Spain just after the end of the Spanish Civil War in search of help for her lover, fellow surrealist Max Ernst who had been locked up in a concentration camp by the Gestapo after he had fled Germany for France in the 1930s. But instead of securing the German painters release, she instead found herself locked away in a mental asylum in the northern port city of Santander. More surreal than anything she could have dreamt of herself, this period in her life would exercise huge influence on her work thereafter, all of which is disturbingly recounted in her memoir, Down Below.

Now, the centenary of Carringtons birth is being commemorated by the Menendez Pelayo International University in Santander with a course on her Spanish odyssey, while the Hay Festival in Segovia is screening a new documentary about her life in September.

Several days and nights, lying in my own excrement, urine and sweat An extract from Carringtons autobiography

Carrington first met Max Ernst at the Barcelona Spanish restaurant in Londons Soho, a bohemian hangout popular with the likes of Man Ray, Lee Miller and the French poet Paul Eluard. The pair met again in Paris and became lovers. They then moved to a cottage in the mountain village of Saint Martin d'Ardeche, near Avignon in the south of France, where they spent their time painting and supporting each other. It was here that the famous Inn of the Dawn Horse was produced.

But their idyll was shattered after the German invasion in May 1940 and Ernst was arrested by the French authorities as a hostile alien. He was subsequently released, only to be arrested again, this time by the German occupiers after France capitulated, for his degenerate art and taken back to Germany. It was after his second arrest that Leonora travelled to Spain to seek help in Madrid.

In interviews with EL PAIS 10 years ago at her home in Mexico, Carrington admitted that she had become affected by what came to be known as war syndrome and that the arrest of Ernst brought about a nervous breakdown. But it was her foray into the world of politics in the Madrid of 1940, barely months after General Francisco Franco had defeated the forces of the Second Republic following a bitter civil war that led to the Spanish authorities orchestrating her seeming descent into madness. With the connivance of the British consul and the consent of her powerful father, she was locked up in a convent and given huge doses of barbiturates. She was taken to Santander and handed her over to Dr. Luis Morales, who was in charge of a sanatorium in a small village outside the city. There she was forcibly restrained and given Cardiazol, a powerful drug that causes convulsions.

She spent half a year imprisoned in the asylum, an episode she still refused to talk about when interviewed. It is still too painful, she said, more than half a century later.

Leonora Carrington painting 'Unscape at Manzanillo', in 1956.

One of her doctors suggested she write down her experiences, which are recounted in Down Below: I dont know how long I remained bound and naked. Several days and nights, lying in my own excrement, urine and sweat, tortured by mosquitoes whose stings made my body hideousI believed that they were the spirits of all the crushed Spaniards who blamed me for my internment, my lack of intelligence and my submissiveness.

She finally found a way to manage her plight by turning her imprisonment into a map with symbols and constellations that allowed her to seek a way out of her induced madness.

Thanks to her writing, she was able to exorcize the demons that came to torment her during her detention. She also read the Spanish philosopher Miguel de Unamuno and wrote daily horoscopes for Dr. Morales, who became fascinated by her intelligence.

After her release, she was sent to Lisbon by train with a guard to look after her. It was New Years Eve and terribly cold, she said. We stopped in Avila where Saint Theresa was born. It was a long train with a lot of carriages filled with sheep that bleated from the cold. It was horrible. The Spanish can be horrible to their animals. I will remember the suffering of those sheep until the day I die. It was hellish.

Once in Lisbon, Leonora shook off her companion and sought out the journalist and Mexican poet Renato Leduc who was working as a secretary at the Mexican embassy. The couple married, freeing her from her father. When Max Ernst later turned up in Lisbon with millionaire Peggy Guggenheim, the relationship between them was well and truly over.

Thanks to her writing, she was able to exorcize the demons that came to torment her during her detention

Leonora and Leduc travelled to New York where they spent time with other members of the Surrealist movement before moving to Mexico. After her divorce from Leduc, Leonora remained in Mexico  the home of Surrealism, according to Andre Breton, one of the founders of the movement, and who helped throughout her life after taking her under his wing in Paris.

After her marriage of convenience with Leduc falls apart, Carrington went on to marry Imre Weisz, who had worked with photographer Robert Capa during the Spanish Civil War, and with whom she had two sons. She lived with her family very happily for the rest of her 94 years and enjouyed a successful career as a Surrealist painter and an author.

Despite her experiences in Spain, she spent her final years surrounded by Spaniards, including the doctor who helped her give birth, Jose Horna, and his wife, along with her faithful companion, the painter Remedios Varo. She also spent time with film maker Luis Bunuel who mentions her in his memoirs: One day, when we got to the house of a certain Mr. Reiss where we met regularly, Leonora got up quickly and went to the bathroom where she had a shower while still dressed. Afterwards, she came back to the living room, streaming with water, and sat down and stared at me: You are a dashing man, she told me in Spanish, taking my arm. You remind me a lot of my guardian  of the psychiatrist in Santander.

English version by Heather Galloway.
The members of the cell believed to have carried out last weeks terrorist attacks in Barcelona were not alone in being targeted by Abdelbaki Es Satty for radicalization. At least two relatives of the suspected terrorists say they were approached by the imam.

Ripoll residents and family members of the terrorists concentrate on rejecting the attacks. Francisco Seco (AP)

One day he started saying that listening to music was wrong and I told him to leave me alone. He never talked to me again said a cousin of one of the five men shot and killed in the early hours of Friday when police foiled a second attempted terrorist attack in the wake of the killings in Barcelona hours before.

The brother-in-law of another of the terrorists says that he never trusted Es Satty. Many in the Muslim community of Ripoll, the small town in the foothills of the Pyrenees where all those associated with last weeks terrorist attacks came from, are now asking themselves how the imam was able to poison the minds of young men seemingly well integrated into Spanish society and who spoke Catalan.

I never believed he would go this far. Nobody imagined that these kids would do something like this Ripoll resident, on the Iman Abdelbaki Es Satty

But if so many people mistrusted Es Satty, why did nobody express their concerns to the authorities? One member of Ripolls Muslim community who says he refused to have anything to do with the cleric, simply shrugs his shoulders and answers: Because I never believed he would go this far. I dont know. Nobody imagined that these kids would do something like this.

Like the other suspects accused of staging the terror attacks, Younes Abouyaaqoub, now believed to have driven the van that killed 13 people on Barcelonas La Rambla boulevard on Thursday afternoon, and who was shot dead by police on Monday evening, does not fit the typical profile of radicalized jihadists: they were younger, they had jobs, and had fit into Catalan society after coming to Spain while children. They had no criminal records and had shown no interest in radical Islam. Which is why Es Satty targeted them.

Maria Dolors Vilalta, in charge of civic safety, co-existence and participation at Ripoll town council, says: They spoke perfect Catalan, they had been to school here, they got good grades and were not in any kind of trouble. Nuria Perpinya, an educator who works in the town, and a neighbor of two of the suspects, adds: They never showed any kind of attitude nor were they overtly religious.

Sure, we were brought up here and we get along with everybody, but we are, and will always be, Moors Rashid, a cousin of one of the terrorist suspects

Manuel Gazapo is the head of Spains National Security Observatory. He outlines several factors he says explain how the young men behind last weeks attacks were persuaded. The first factor is their age: they were younger than most terrorists and therefore more easily molded. He also points to their background. People say they had integrated, fine, but they still belong to a minority at risk of being marginalized. Any event could be enough to make them easily manipulated. What the institutions say about integration is one thing, another is the reality on the street.

Rashid, a cousin of one of the terrorist suspects, agrees: Sure, we were brought up here and we get along with everybody, but we are, and will always be, moros [or Moors  in Spain, moro is typically used pejoratively to describe people from Morocco]. At school we were moros and the girls didnt want to go out with us. The adults thought we all sold hashish.

Perpinya and Vilalta say they are in shock: This has broken the feeling of trust in the community. There is a big sense of disappointment, we have a lot of work ahead of us to rebuild trust, says Perpinya.

Then there is the question of security, suddenly, the net has widened on who should be monitored. We now understand that anybody can be radicalized. The security services used to focus on people aged 25 or over and with no education or skills, but now they are looking at children and even young people who have integrated, says Gazapo.

Gazapo says that Es Satty worked slowly and carefully, along the lines of Al Qaeda. He didnt use the internet, but took a face-to-face approach, meeting with the kids secretly in a van or in apartments nobody knew about.

We now understand that anybody can be radicalized Manuel Gazapo

Es Satty also picked his targets carefully, says Rashid, a cousin of one of the suspects. The first he worked on was Youssef [Youssef Houli, who was killed in an explosion in a house in Alcanar, 300 kilometers away in Tarragona, which was being used to make bombs out of gas canisters], and then Moha [Mohamed Hychamy, shot in Cambrils]. They were the leaders of the group. Then came their brothers and the others. And the fact that they were mostly related They kept everything secret.

Rashid says Es Satty is the key: He was a very smart guy and could convince you of something in half an hour. He made you feel unafraid. And that is essential. Recruiters like Es Satty are an essential part of the ISIS machine. Which is why the police believe that had the cleric not died in the explosion in Alcanar as well, he would now be in Syria, and would not have taken part in the attacks. But sadly, there are more recruiters, says Gazapo.

Four suspects to testify in Madrid The four people arrested to date in relation to the terrorist attacks in Catalonia are set to appear on Tuesday before Judge Fernando Andreu of the High Court in Madrid. One of those four detainees is Mohamed Houli Chemlal, 21, a Melilla native who was injured in the explosion in a house in the Catalan town of Alcanar, considered the base of operations of the terror cell. He was arrested after it was discovered that the explosion was tied to the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils. Another detainee, Driss Oukabir, 28, was arrested in the small town of Ripoll, Catalonia. He allegedly rented the van used in the attack. Mohamed Aallaa, 27, and Salah El Karib, 34, were also arrested in Ripoll.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

Trend:

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Sochi on Aug. 23, RIA Novosti reported Aug. 22 citing Kremlin's press service.

Putin and Sargsyan will discuss the cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC or EurAsEC), as well as the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, says the report.

Meanwhile, the two presidents will also exchange views on topical international and regional issues, according to the report.

Moreover, the sides will also touch upon the implementation of agreements reached during the Armenian presidents official visit to Russia in March 2017.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 23



Trend:



Today marks the 24th anniversary of the occupation of Azerbaijans Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts by the Armenian armed forces, as part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.



On August 23, 1993, some 51 villages and the center of the Fuzuli district were seized by Armenians, as a result of which over 55,000 residents left their native land.



The district covers a territory stretching from the southeastern slopes of the Karabakh mountain range to the Araz River. It borders with Azerbaijani districts of Khojavand, Jabrayil, Aghjabadi, Beylagan, as well as Iran along the Araz River.



The area of the Fuzuli district is 1,386 sq. km. Some 13 settlements and 20 villages are located in this districts territory, freed from the occupation. Twelve of the settlements, constructed after liberation, accommodate the internally displaced families.



Since 1988, the Fuzuli district has been facing constant Armenian attacks. As a result of the occupation, over 1,100 residents of Fuzuli became martyrs, 113 were taken hostages and 1,450 were left handicapped.



Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Ministrys Operative Center, which inspects the devastating impact of the occupation on environmental and natural resources of Azerbaijan, found out that Armenians destroyed natural resources in the Fuzuli district during the occupation period.



Armenians cut down virtually all the trees in the Dovlatyarli village, and destroyed green spaces along the roads in the Gochahmadli and Yaglivand villages.



After the occupation of the Jabrayil district, which has a territory of 1,050 sq. km, some 72 secondary schools, eight hospitals, five mosques, two museums, 129 historical monuments and 149 cultural centers were left in the occupation zone. Some 61,100 IDPs from the Jabrayil district were settled in over 2,000 settlements in 58 districts across Azerbaijan.



The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.



The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.



On the night of Apr. 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from Armenian armed forces. As a result of artillery shelling of Azerbaijans settlements, located near the line of contact, six civilians were killed, including two children aged under 16, and 26 people were seriously injured.



During the four days of fighting, Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated the heights near the Talish village, as well as the Seysulan settlement. Azerbaijan took over control of the Lele Tepe strategic height, located near the Fuzuli district, which allows controlling a large territory. Also, as a result of the April battles, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces took under control the roads in the Aghdere-Madaghiz direction.



The military operations were later stopped upon mutual agreement of the sides.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

Trend:

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to provide funding for renovation of multi-storey buildings in the country's Samukh district.

Under the presidential order, three million manats are to be allocated from the state budget to Samukh City Executive Authority for changing roofs and renovating facades of the multi-storey buildings.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

The Global Young Leaders Forum, being held in Baku, helps people with different perceptions and views to find a common language with each other and reach a consensus, said Latvias former President Valdis Zatlers, who also participates in the Forum.

Zatlers noted that such events contribute to restoration of peace and stability.

The forum is of great importance and its participants exchange their experiences and opinions, he said.

They come from countries with different political systems, so the Forum helps people with different views find a common language with each other, added the former Latvian president.

He went on to say that exchange of opinions is the best way of solving problems.

The Global Young Leaders Forum is a new platform for meetings between young people and experienced people, said Zatlers.

The Global Young Leaders Forum, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center with support of the Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with the Diaspora, kicked off in Baku Aug. 21. The forum will continue its work until Aug. 24.

Former Serbian President Boris Tadic, former Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdzija, former President of Israel Dalia Itzik and former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin are also participating in the forum.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

A tradition of inviting well-known world leaders for the discussion of the important issues has been formed in Baku, Ismail Serageldin, director of the Library of Alexandria, co-chair of Nizami Ganjavi International Center, told Trend on the sidelines of the Global Young Leaders Forum, being held in Baku.

Here [at the forum], the youth from a number of countries meets and holds discussions with former presidents and leaders, and learns from their experience. This is a new and forward-looking step. I believe that this initiative will be continued and a greater number of young people will join it in the future, he said.

Serageldin added that the Global Young Leaders Forum, held in Baku, will make an important contribution to the development of relations between countries and young people throughout the world.

The Global Young Leaders Forum, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, with the support of the Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with the Diaspora, kicked off in Baku on Aug. 21. The forum will continue its work until Aug. 24.

Former Serbian President Boris Tadic, former Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdzija, former President of Israel Dalia Itzik and former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin are also participating in the forum.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

The Baku Global Young Leaders Forum creates very favorable conditions for discussing important issues with young people from around the world, former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin told Trend, Aug. 22.

Cetin noted that, there is a great need for dialogue, exchange of experience and opinions for resolving global problems of the world.

In this context, the Global Young Leaders Forum is a significant platform. It is very important to open a passage for young people and to create proper conditions for their active participation as future leaders, he said.

The former Turkish foreign minister added that, Azerbaijan has become a venue for global events.

Numerous forums and other events are held in Baku, and, undoubtedly, this is a very important contribution that Azerbaijan makes for the restoration of peace and stability on the planet, said Cetin.

The Global Young Leaders Forum, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, with the support of the Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with the Diaspora, kicked off in Baku on Aug. 21. The forum will continue its work until Aug. 24.

Former Serbian President Boris Tadic, former Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdzija, former President of Israel Dalia Itzik and former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin are also participating in the forum.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has received the newly appointed Ambassador of Italy to Azerbaijan Auqusto Massari, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend Aug. 22.

Ambassador presented a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Minister Mammadyarov congratulated Ambassador Auqusto Massari on his appointment and wished him success in his future activities.

Ambassador Auqusto Massari stated that he will spare no efforts for further development of relations between the two countries. He also briefed Minister Mammadyarov about the ongoing construction works of TAP project in Italy.

At the meeting, the sides noted the successful development of bilateral relations in various areas between Azerbaijan and Italy and the level of cooperation, particularly in political, economic and energy fields.

They also mentioned favorable opportunities for the cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, tourism, transportation, agriculture, pharmaceutics and medicine.

The parties also exchanged views on the issues of mutual interest.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed an order on additional measures to be taken in regards to the continuation of renovation and landscaping works in the city of Gadabay.

According to the presidential order, 3 million manats will be allocated from the Presidential Contingency Fund to the Gadabay District Executive Authority for the ongoing renovation and construction works in the city.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Kamila Aliyeva  Trend:

The inconsistency of the American foreign policy is destabilizing, also with regards to Iran, Jonathan Holslag, special advisor to the First Vice-President of the European Commission, told Trend.

Backtracking from the treaty  risks undermining the pragmatic government and also adds to the growing tensions between Tehran and other powers in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, he said.

Holslag further noted that, it is likely that the US may declare Iran to be non-compliant with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, aka nuclear deal), in its next review, due in September, as US President Donald Trump said earlier.

Trump has support among many congressmen and several of his advisors also favor a tougher policy towards Tehran, he said.

The irony is that the US itself risks getting diplomatically isolated, according to the expert.

The EU, China and Russia prefer much more pragmatism in handling matters ranging from Iran to North Korea, he added.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia  plus Germany signed the JCPOA on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

The agreement limits Irans nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related bans against the Islamic Republic.

The US Congress requires the administrations certification (every 90 days) of Irans compliance with the nuclear deal. Trumps administration has already declared Iran in compliance, as required by law, twice during his tenure.

Nonetheless, Trumps remarks, forecasting that the US would declare Iran non-compliant when the next review is due in September, have cast shadows over the future of the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

Trend:

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has hailed the assistance of neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan, in extinguishing the ongoing forest fires in the country, the Georgia-Online reported.

The first important help came from Azerbaijan, Kvirikashvili said. The Azerbaijani helicopter is taking part in extinguishing forest fires in Georgia. Two helicopters of Turkey are already in Batumi and they will soon join the fire tackling operation.

The forest fires in Georgia broke out August 20.

Under the order of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the Ministry of Emergency Situations sent a helicopter to Georgia to help extinguish forest fires in Borjomi-Kharagauli Reserve.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.22

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The next stage of talks between Azerbaijan and the European Union on the new strategic partnership agreement will be held in Brussels in late September, first adviser to the head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Denis Daniilidis told Trend Aug.22.

The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016.

The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.

The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Within the period of 25 years, the Japanese government has allocated loans worth $1.1 billion to Azerbaijan, for the execution of various projects in the spheres of energy, water, agriculture and human capital development, the Japanese Embassy in Azerbaijan said, Aug. 22.

So far, Azerbaijan has also received $18.95 million from Japan within the framework of grant programs. These funds were directed to projects in the spheres of poverty reduction, social protection, infrastructure, health care and others.

According to the embassy, within the framework of the regular grant program, an opening ceremony of a medical center in the Ashagi Tala village of Azerbaijans Zagatala district will be held on Aug. 23. The grant agreement, worth $83,197, on the construction of the medical center was signed in early 2017.

In total, the government of Japan had executed eight projects, worth $795,000, in the Zagatala district.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.22

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The compliance level of OPEC and participating non-OPEC countries has dropped from 98 percent in June to 94 percent in July, according to the estimations of OPEC Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, Bloomberg reported citing sources familiar with the situation.

The meeting of the OPEC/non-OPEC Joint Technical Committee kicked off on Aug. 21 in Vienna and will last until Aug.25.

The meeting will focus on discussing the conclusions of the JTC extraordinary session held earlier in Abu Dhabi.



On May 25, OPEC member countries and non-OPEC parties, Azerbaijan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of South Sudan agreed to extend the production adjustments for a further period of nine months, with effect from July 1, 2017.

The reductions will be on the same terms as those agreed in November.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Aug. 22

By Demir Azizov  Trend:

Uzbekistans Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov met with heads and experts of the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) under the Ministry of Defense, Vivekananda International Foundation and Observer Research Foundation of India, the Uzbek Foreign Ministrys press service said in a message.

It was previously reported that an Uzbek delegation led by Minister Kamilov has recently arrived in India for an official visit.

According to the press service, Indian analysts and experts became acquainted with Uzbek minister's presentation, and also were provided with detailed information on the Strategy of Actions approved by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the five priority areas of Uzbekistans development in 2017-2021, which opens new prospects for the Uzbek-Indian comprehensive cooperation.

Minister Kamilov answered the questions of the Indian participants of the meeting, including those on certain issues regarding international security and stability, and certain regional problems.

The Uzbek official also met with representatives of academic and cultural circles of India  leading scientists of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Unity International Foundation, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and activists of the Babur International Public Foundation.

The sides exchanged views on the issues of expanding and strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties, direct contacts between scientific and educational institutions of Uzbekistan and India, and also considered concrete proposals on expanding cooperation.

The Uzbek delegations visit program also includes meetings and negotiations with Indias Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, other Indian officials, as well as the participation in the Uzbek-Indian business forum and other joint events.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Aug. 22

By Demir Azizov  Trend:

First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistans Senate Sodiq Safoyev has recently received a delegation of Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly led by Deputy Chairman Ilyas Umakhanov, said the Uzbek Senates press service in a message.

During the negotiations, the sides exchanged views on further development of bilateral relations and inter-parliamentary cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia, says the message.

The parties paid special attention to the organization of the first meeting of the commission for inter-parliamentary cooperation in Tashkent in autumn 2017 and the holding of an Uzbek-Russian business forum and the Forum of Regions as part of this event.

The Russian parliamentary delegation also held negotiations in Uzbekistans Foreign Ministry.

According to the press service of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, the two sides exchanged views on topical issues of bilateral agenda, an important part of which is the regular exchanges between legislative authorities of Uzbekistan and Russia.

The parties also discussed the preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Uzbek-Russian commission for inter-parliamentary cooperation, according to the press service.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Kamila Aliyeva  Trend:

Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Zoyir Mirzaev, who is on a state visit to Jakarta on August 21-25, held a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, according to the information published on the website of Indonesian Embassy in Tashkent.

The visit of Uzbek delegation, which includes more than 50 ministers and officials, is aimed at strengthening cooperation between two countries, particularly in agriculture and fisheries.

During the meeting with the president, Uzbek side praised Indonesia's success in developing its agriculture sector.

In addition, the Uzbek side expressed hope to develop cooperation between two countries in fishery and study Indonesian experience in freshwater aquaculture.

The sides agreed that Indonesian delegation will visit Uzbekistan to prepare for more concrete steps for cooperation.

In the course of this visit, Mirzaev also expressed Uzbekistan's support for Indonesia's nomination as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Indonesia recognized the independence of Uzbekistan in December 1991. The diplomatic relations were established in June 1992.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 21

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

Elaborating on the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC), on which Iranian and Azerbaijani sides are working hard to fully launch, a Norway-based commentator suggested that the corridor could help in boosting the Islamic Republics tourism sector.

"The corridor would play a key role in improving Irans tourism industry as it is capable of facilitating tourists inflow to the country," Mehrdad Seyed Asgari, a Norway-based Iranian financial analyst, told Trend.

The INSTC is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia.

Mehrdad Seyed Asgari also touched upon the new opportunities for cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan. He said that, Azerbaijani entrepreneurs already in possession of international standards and norms know-how could assist Iran in the improvement of the quality of its tourism sector.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Iran is the most inexpensive place to travel and invest. Nonetheless, the country ranked 93rd among 136 countries across 14 categories in the latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report by the WEF.

In a bid to improve the countrys tourism infrastructure, Iran has launched several projects to build new hotels, but there is a need for bringing the quality of service to the international standards, the commentator said.

Over the current fiscal year (starting March 20) Iran has launched about 950 projects, worth $9 billion, to develop its tourism infrastructure, including 500 hotels and serviced apartments, Asgari added.

Estimating the shortage of knowledge and experience for improvement of the tourism services in Iran, he pointed out Azerbaijans breakthrough in its tourism sector over the past years and suggested that Azerbaijani entrepreneurs would be capable of transferring their know-how to the Islamic Republic.

Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report indicated that Azerbaijan, at 71st position, was one of the most improved economies, rising 13 places in the global rankings.

The expert further forecasted a bright future for the whole tourism industry in the world, as the sharp slump in oil prices, which are unlikely to surge considerably in the near future, have left a positive impact on tourism sector.

According to the report, the travel and tourism industry had contributed $7.6 trillion to the global economy (10.2 percent of global GDP) and generated 292 million jobs (1 in 10 jobs on the planet) in 2016.
Tehran, Iran, Aug 21

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

The fashion and garment industries in Iran are worth 500 trillion rials (over $15 billion at 32,986 rials per USD), according to Hamid Qobadi Dana, secretary of Fashion and Clothing Regulation Workgroup.

He said that the abovementioned number is an estimated to be the real value of these two industries, while Irans Statistics Centers data shows that number standing at 350 trillion rials, IRNA news agency reported, Aug 21.

Speaking about the shortcomings of the garment industry in Iran, Dana said that, there does not exist a long needed unilateral national system of sizes.

In mid-August, the second Startup Weekend, focusing on the development of new talents in the fashion and retail industry, titled Entrepreneurship in Fashion and Technology, was held in Tehran.

The weekend culminated with the different presentations for local entrepreneurs, with the opportunity for critical feedback.

In early August, local sources said that plans are underway to establish a new apparel industrial town in Fashafouyeh, located in Tehran Provinces Rey County, with the stated aim of limiting imports, boosting domestic production and making the price of Iranian garment products more competitive.

Currently, 9,818 industrial units are active in Irans textile and apparel industries licensed by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade, constituting 11% of all industrial entities in the country.

Textile, Apparel and Leather Industry Organization, affiliated to the Industries, Mining and Trade Ministry, had announced that some 90% of foreign garment products are smuggled into the Iranian market.
Tehran, Iran, Aug 22

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways has denied a media report, which claims that the World Bank has approved a 1 billion euros loan for the rail track electrification of Iran.

That report is incorrect, the Railway's public relations office told Trend, Aug 22.

Eearlier today the local media said that, the World Bank had agreed to provide 1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) to electrify Irans rail network.

The World Bank has approved the provision of 1 billion euros for financing the electrification of the railway ... that starts in Garmsar in Semnan province and continues to the city of Gorgan in Golestan Province," the head of the country's Regional Railway Authority Yusef Geranpasha was quoted as saying.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Fatih Karimov Trend:

During the first four months of the current fiscal year (March 20-July 21) the United Kingdoms exports to Iran had registered a big rise by 200 percent and stood at $432 million.

The UK was the ninth top goods exporter to Iran during the period, with 2.7 percent share of Irans overall imports, which amounted to $15.813 billion, according to the latest statistics released by the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran.

Besides UK, Germany ($864 million, 29 percent increase y/y), Switzerland ($663 million, 81 percent increase), France ($456 million, 51 percent increase) and Italy ($420 million, 26 percent increase) were the European countries that took place among the top exporters of goods to Iran, in the period.

Iran had purchased 59.5 percent of its imported goods during the 4-month period from five countries  China, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Turkey and India.

China was the main exporter of goods to Iran in the mentioned period. Chinas exports accounted for 22.1 percent of Iran's total imports in terms of value.

During the 4-month period, Iran had imported $3.495 billion worth of goods from China, indicating a 19 percent increase, year-on-year.

Iran had also imported $2.992 billion worth of goods from the UAE (a 42 percent increase), which makes 18.9 percent of Irans total imports value.

South Korea and Turkey exported $1.074 billion and $958 million worth of goods to Tehran, respectively.

South Korean exports to Iran indicated a rise of 15 percent, while imports from Turkey registered an increase of 11 percent.

Irans trade balance witnessed a fall by 211 percent and became negative (-$2.354 million), after experiencing a positive balance previous year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Fatih Karimov Trend:

Irans total non-oil exports (including the gas condensate) in the first four months of current Iranian fiscal year (started March 20, 2017) stood at $13.459 billion, which indicates a fall of 9.5 percent, year-on-year.

Five countries, including China, Iraq, UAE, South Korea and India, in the 4-month period, have imported 68.8 percent of Iran's total non-oil goods, in terms of value, according to the latest statistics released by Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI).

China was the main importer of goods from Iran, in the mentioned period. The country's imports accounted for 21.1 percent of Iran's total exports, in terms of value. During the period, Iran had exported $2.841 billion worth of goods to China, 3 percent less, compared to the same period of the preceding year.

Iran had also exported $2.052 billion worth of goods to the Iraq, which marks 15.2 percent of Iran's total exports value.

The UAE ($2.037 billion), South Korea (with $1.4 billion), India ($926 million), Afghanistan ($827 million), Turkey ($483 million), Pakistan ($230 million) and Thailand ($209 million) were the other top importers of Iranian goods.

The exports to Turkey, which was fourth target of Irans non-oil exports in last fiscal year, had registered a huge fall by 65.5 percent.

The countrys exports to the UAE had also registered a fall of 15.6 percent. Meanwhile, exports to South Korea and Afghanistan had increased by 16 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 21

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

A former NASA astronaut has described Irans most recent satellite-carrying rocket launch as a significant technological achievement.

Leroy Chiao, former NASA Astronaut and International Space Station Commander, characterized Tehrans latest move on July 27, as a proof of Irans possession of sophisticated technology, which may be used either for civilian or military purposes.

"Rocket and missile capability is significant for any country. The ability to launch satellites into Earths orbit means that a country has attained sophisticated rockets that would be capable of being used as a weapon, as well. This is why such an achievement would be an important development," Leroy Chiao told Trend.

The United States had immediately described Iran's rocket launch as "a provocative action" and imposed a new round of sanctions on six Iranian firms with ties to Tehrans ballistic-missile program.

In the meantime, Britain, France, Germany and the US issued a joint statement on July 28, condemning Irans actions and suggesting that the test was a breach of the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2231, which was adopted to endorse Iran's nuclear agreement (JCPOA  Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions) with the world powers in July of 2015.

"Iran's program to develop ballistic missiles continues to be inconsistent with UNSCR 2231 and has a destabilizing impact in the region. We call on Iran not to conduct any further ballistic missile launches and related activities," the statement read.

Resolution 2231 calls on Iran "not to undertake any activity related to the ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology."

Iranian officials believe that the country's missile tests and rocket launches do not breach any UN resolution, as they are solely used for defense purposes and not designed to carry any nuclear warheads.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Two people were killed in an attack on a government building in Irans southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan on Aug. 22.

Two unknown gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at a local county office building in Pishin city on Aug. 22 morning, killing a soldier and a member of Basij paramilitary force, Tasnim news agency reported citing commander of the provincial police, General Mohammad Ghanbari.

The assailants escaped after the attack, he said, adding that security forces launched an operation in the region to identify and arrest the attackers.

He further said that the security forces are investigating the issue.

In recent years, police offices and government buildings in Iran have come under armed attacks of extremist groups, who claim they are fighting against the Iranian government for protection of Sunni citizens.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has refuted the possibility of a joint military operation with Turkey against the PKK outside of the Iranian borders.

In the statement published on Tuesday, the IRGC had announced that it has no plans of conducting any operations outside of Iran. Nonetheless, the Corps will continue to confront any individuals and/or groups endeavoring on infiltration into the country to conduct terrorist attacks, Fars News Agency reported.

On August 21, Turkeys Daily Sabah, on the background of positive remarks about a joint cross-border offensive, made by the officials of the both countries, has estimated an increased likelihood of an Ankara-Tehran joint operation against the PKK group and its branch in Iran  the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK).

--
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The need for the start of Ankaras new military operation in Syria is explained by Turkeys national and regional security issues, and is a matter of time, Ermagan Kuloglu, retired Lieutenant-general of the Turkish Armed Forces and national security expert, told Trend, Aug. 22.

Currently, the formation of the Kurdish region in the north of Syria is a serious threat to Turkey: such formation may eventually transform into a Kurdish state on the borders with Turkey, said Kuloglu.

The expert noted that, as is known, the Turkish province of Hatay, in the south of the country, periodically undergoes rocket fire from Syria, from the territories controlled by Kurdish armed detachments.

The US is actively arming the YPG (Kurdish Peoples Protection Units) and PYD (Democratic Union Party), the expert noted. The same forces, under a different name, carry out terrorist attacks in Turkey using US weapons.

The expert noted that, the Syrian city of Idlib is under the control of the Al-Nusra Front, which is a wing of the Al-Qaeda international terrorist group.

Due to the fact that Al-Nusra Front is a wing of al-Qaeda and under the pretext of fight against terrorism, YPG and PYD may start military operations in this city, under the patronage of the US, said Kuloglu.

According to the expert, there is an opinion that the US, with the aim of seizing Idlib, created the conditions for the transition of this city under the control of the Al-Nusra Front.

If Idlib goes under the control of YPG and PYD, the latter will approach to access the Mediterranean Sea, which, in fact, means the access of Kurdish forces to the sea, and will also contribute to the expansion of territories that are controlled by these structures, he added.

The expert noted that, PYD also has a number of new formations that are calling for the destruction of the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria, including the ones in the city of al-Bab.

Therefore, Turkey must start a military operation in Afrin, before settled there YPG and PYD will be able to occupy Idlib. If Ankara doesnt start a military operation in Afrin, Turkey will face much more serious problems, noted Kuloglu.

According to him, the occupation of Idlib city by YPG and PYD poses serious risks for the Turkish Armed Forces located between Kobani and Afrin, which are controlled by militants of YPG and PYD.

Turkey does not need a US permission to start a new military operation in Syria, according to Kuloglu.

Russian factor is much more important here  it is commonly known that there are Russian forces in Afrin, along with the YPG and PYD. Today, Turkey and Russia have good relations and it is possible that Moscow withdraws its forces from Afrin before Turkey starts the military operation, he said.

Creation of a Kurdish state in northern Syria is a danger for Iran as well, according to him.

The issue of the Turkish Armed Forces conducting a military operation in Syria has already been discussed with Iran and is also expected to be mulled with Russias Chief of the Central Command, within a framework of his visit to Turkey.

Kuloglu thinks that favorable weather conditions are awaited for the start of the military operation in Syria, as the current high heat in the region would hinder the success of the operation.

He added that, the Turkish Armed Forces will probably start the new military operation in Syria after Eid al-Adha.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Kamila Aliyeva  Trend:

The OPEC+ agreement on deeper oil production cuts would be difficult to achieve, Robin Mills, a Non-Resident Fellow for Energy at the Brookings Doha Center, and CEO of Qamar Energy (Dubai), told Trend.

I think it will be difficult to reach an agreement on deeper cuts, since that would mean bringing in Libya and Nigeria (which have been exempt), imposing an actual cut on Iran, getting better compliance from Iraq, and probably on Russia and other non-OPEC countries volunteering some deeper cuts, he said.

Coordination of all these issues wont be easy, although the agreement will be further extended, according to the expert.

The deal will be extended, I expect, since the market will not be rebalanced by next March, Mills added.

Talking about the success of the agreement, the expert noted that it surely has had some effect in bringing down oversupply, but not as much as OPEC had hoped.

On May 25, OPEC member countries and non-OPEC parties, Azerbaijan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of South Sudan agreed to extend the production adjustments for a further period of nine months, with effect from July 1, 2017.

The reductions will be on the same terms as those agreed in November.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The United States Syrian policy is directed against Turkey and Iran, because by arming such groups as the YPG (Kurdish Peoples Protection Units) and PYD (Democratic Union Party), Washington paves the way for the start of serious problems for Ankara and Tehran, Gungor Gokdag, columnist of Turkeys ZedLife magazine, told Trend.

Gokdag was commenting on the growing tensions between the US and Turkey.

He noted that, the policy of arming YPG and PYD creates new hotbeds of war in the region.

Columnist added that, the US, as a NATO ally of Turkey, should pursue policy within common interests.

Syrian policy of the US forces Turkey to take more stringent measures in the region. This policy also pushes Turkey to hold new military operations in Syria, said Gokdag.

Turkey has been deploying military equipment to the border with Syria since June 21. Military equipment is dislocated in Turkeys south-central province of Kilis, which borders Syrian territories controlled by the YPG and PYD.

On Aug. 24, 2016, Turkish Armed Forces, with the support of the Syrian opposition, has launched the Euphrates Shield operation against the IS (Islamic State, aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) militants and liberated the city of Jarabulus, as well as the city of Al-Bab in the northern Syria.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

Armenias rapprochement with the European Union and NATO is a political line of Yerevan, which believes that Russia, as a major mediator in the negotiations process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement, as well as the countrys main partner in the economic and political context, is, at present, unable to defend the interests of either Armenia or the Armenian people, Nikita Isayev, political analyst, leader of the New Russia public and political movement, told Trend, Aug. 22.

The rapprochement of Armenia with the EU and the Western countries in general has long stopped to be a news or viewed as something surprising, he said. In addition, this rapprochement in economic and political context has progressed far enough, just like the military cooperation between Armenia and NATO, which is considered as priority for Yerevan. Thus, Armenia, to protect its economic and political interests, as well as to reorganize its political and economic system, is looking for the new centers of power, like Brussels.

All negotiations processes of Armenias cooperation with NATO, including the countrys participation in multinational drills under the auspices of the Alliance in early August 2017 in Georgia, together with the overt geopolitical and military opponents of Russia, show that Armenia is looking for support in the Alliance, said Isayev.

According to the expert, this way will most likely pass quite calmly, without internal shocks, as it was in Ukraine. Thats because obvious pro-Russian sentiments in Armenia are not enough to split the society, he said.

Armenia has made its choice, Isayev said. I think that it will make no sense to be surprised at the comments and statements of the Armenian officials regarding the European integration.

According to the political scientist, Russia in this case will have to take a pragmatic position.

Russia will have to no longer perceive Armenia as a part of its so-called Russian world, but as a supporter of the European integration and build its relations with Armenia in a different way, he added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

Trend:

President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili has expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan and Turkey for their help in putting out forest fires in the country, Georgia Online reports, Aug. 22.

Margvelashvili noted that Georgia has mobilized all resources for the elimination of the natural disaster.

The Georgian government also expressed its gratitude to Azerbaijan, according to a statement on the website of Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The government of Georgia thanks the Azerbaijani side, particularly President Ilham Aliyev, for the help provided, the statement says.

Earlier, under the order of Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has sent a helicopter to Georgia to aid in extinguishing the forest fires in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park.
Russian Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov said Russian and Turkish businesses have made preliminary agreements on contracts that together are worth approximately $820 million within the framework of the 86th Izmir International Fair, Sputnik reported.

Russian and Turkish businesses have made preliminary agreements on contracts that together are worth approximately $820 million within the framework of the 86th Izmir International Fair, Russian Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov told Sputnik Tuesday.

"There has been a tight schedule of meetings during the whole period of the exhibition. According to the Russian Export Center alone, at least 196 meetings were held, which resulted in negotiations of contracts worth nearly $820 million," Kalamanov stated.

The deputy minister added that over course of the fair, Russia presented several new helicopters models, emergency equipment for miners, the newest machine tool equipment as well as an updated series of GAZ vehicles.

He also pointed out that interregional cooperation had become a new direction for bilateral collaboration. According to Kalamanov, apart from general exposition of the Russian Federation, joint exhibitions of the Tula, Lipetsk, Voronezh Regions, the Stavropol Territory, and the Republics of Tatarstan and North Ossetia were displayed at the Fair.

"Over 45 companies from different sectors of economy, including energy, coal and oil production, agriculture, construction and engineering, metal working and metallurgy, and tourism, have presented their products and services within the framework of the Fair," Kalamanov said.

"Russia is interested in increasing exports of industrial products and finding a mutually acceptable solution to eliminate the factors that impede our trade and industrial cooperation. One of the most important problems is the high level of [Turkey's] anti-dumping, special protective and import customs duties, for example, on metal products, fertilizers, tires, kitchen appliances, cosmetics, copper wire and other goods," Kalamanov said at the the 86th International Fair in Izmir.

In his opinion, the solution of this problem can be implemented in the text of the agreement on granting a preferential trade regime in the context of the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and Turkey, considering the positive momentum set by the leaders of the two countries.

"We presume that the conclusion of such agreements will favorably affect trade and investment cooperation between the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union [EAEU], including between Russia and Turkey," the deputy minister added.

The EAEU is an international organization comprising Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan that encourages regional economic integration through the free movement of goods, services, and people within the union. On Friday, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said Turkey hoped to finish talks on the establishment of a free trade area with the EAEU in 2017.

The 86th Izmir International Fair with a theme "Innovation  Energy" was held on August 18-27. Russia has participated in the fair as a partner country.
One woman was killed and seven people are unaccounted for after a 3.6-magnitude earthquake struck the resort island of Ischia late Monday, Italian officials said, Fox news reported.

Giovanni Vittozzi of the Carabinieris civil protection department told Italys Sky TG24 that several buildings in Ischias Casamicciola town have collapsed.

At least one hotel and parts of a hospital were evacuated. A doctor at the Rizzoli hospital, Roberto Calloca, told Sky TG24 that some 20 people were being treated for minor injuries at a makeshift emergency room set up on the hospital grounds.

Vittozzi said the Rizzoli hospital has been evacuated, except for patients on respirators.

Officials feared others may be trapped in the rubble of the collapsed buildings.

Italys national volcanology institute said the temblor, at the peak of tourist season, struck just before 9 p.m. local time, just as many people were having dinner, cutting electricity and sending panicked residents and tourists into the streets. News reports suggested the hardest-hit area was Casamicciola, on the northern part of the island.

Civil protection crews, already on the island in force to fight the forest fires that have been ravaging southern Italy, were checking the status of the buildings that suffered damage.

Together with the nearby island of Capri, Ischia is a favorite island getaway for the European jet-set, famed in particular for its thermal waters. Casamicciola was the epicenter of an 1883 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people.
Authorities in Houston charged a 25-year-old man on Monday with trying to blow up a Confederate statue, federal prosecutors said, in the latest development amid demonstrations and fierce debate about race and the legacy of America's Civil War, Reuters reported.

Word of the arrest of Andrew Schneck came just hours after the University of Texas at Austin said it removed four statues tied to the Confederacy from its campus because they had become "symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism."

White nationalists rallied earlier this month against proposals to take down a similar statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, and one woman was killed when a man crashed his car into a crowd of anti-racism counterprotesters.

The violence triggered the biggest domestic crisis yet for President Donald Trump, who provoked anger across the political spectrum for not immediately condemning white nationalists and for praising "very fine people" on both sides of the fight.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that on Saturday night a park ranger spotted Schneck kneeling in bushes in front of the General Dowling Monument in Houston's Hermann Park.

In Schneck's possession were a timer, wires, duct tape and two types of explosive including nitroglycerin, according to the prosecutors who described it as one of the world's most powerful explosives. The items could have been used to make a viable explosive device, the prosecutors' statement said.

If convicted of trying to maliciously damage or destroy property receiving federal financial assistance, Schneck faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey and Iran plan to carry out a joint military operation against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist organization in stages, Turkish media outlets reported on Aug. 22.

During the first stage, the Turkish Air Force will be bombing 19 PKK positions in the regions of Zap, Barwari, Batufa, Chemchu and Avasin, according to the reports.

The operation will be carried out in Iraq, 19 kilometers off of the Turkish border.

Turkish media reported that, during the second stage of the operation, the Iranian Armed Forces will start ground operations in the Qandil Mountains, in northern Iraq.

Reportedly, Iran will redeploy 42,000 soldiers to Iraq, for conducting the military operations.

The Turkish Air Force will also help the Iranian Armed Forces in northern Iraq.

It is also reported that Iran and Turkey will inflict pinpoint strikes on PKK sites, where leaders of this terrorist organization are hiding, the Turkish media reported.

Ankara and Tehran are expected to create a joint military base in northern Iraq.

On Aug. 21, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Iran and Turkey can start joint military operations against the terrorist organizations in the region.

The Turkish media earlier reported that, Iran had called on Turkey to start joint operations against the PKK in northern Iraq.

This proposal was discussed by Chief of the Iranian Central Command Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar in Ankara.

Earlier it was reported that, Iran and Turkey are currently negotiating on the start of the military operations at nine sites in northern Iraq.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, in which the latter demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. United Nations and European Union both list PKK as a terrorist organization.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 22

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey will not allow the creation of a new Kurdish state in the north of Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, the countrys media reported Aug. 22.

Erdogan noted that the creation of the so-called Kurdish state by the YPG (Kurdish Peoples Protection Units) and PYD (Democratic Union Party) is unacceptable.

YPG and PYD are terrorist groups that pursue the goal of reaching the Mediterranean Sea, Erdogan said.

He added that Turkey will do everything to hinder the plans of terrorists in Syria.

Turkey has been deploying military equipment to the border with Syria since June 21. Military equipment is dislocated in Turkeys south-central province of Kilis, which borders Syrian territories controlled by the YPG and PYD.

On Aug. 24, 2016, Turkish Armed Forces, with the support of the Syrian opposition, has launched the Euphrates Shield operation against the IS militants and liberated the city of Jarabulus, as well as the city of Al-Bab in northern Syria.
The main role of the state of emergency is to defeat terrorism, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday, Anadolu reported.

Emergency powers were introduced in the days after the last years attempted coup and have allowed the government to arrest tens of thousands suspected of involvement in the bid or of ties to terror groups such as the PKK.

The most important feature of the state of emergency is to defeat terrorist organizations and bury them, Erdogan told a meeting of local officials known as mukhtars at the presidential complex in Ankara.

He added: My responsibility as head of state will not be fulfilled until my people from the southeast, east and my [whole] country achieve peace.

The state of emergency was extended for a further three months in July and has also been used to pursue those suspected of ties to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which is said to have orchestrated the coup attempt.

We only have one flag, one land and one state, one state within 780,000 square kilometers, Erdogan said. We will destroy those who want to divide this land.

As long as there is no cooperation with terror organizations such as FETO, PKK, Daesh, or DHKP-C [a far-left terrorist group active in Turkey] left, our hearts and arms are open to everyone, no matter what origin, disposition or lifestyle, he said.

Erdogan said Turkey would continue to grow and continue to carry out projects that will contribute to its growth.

Those who want a Turkey that fulfills all their wishes and follows their orders, rage when Turkey follows its own agenda and shows an honorable and upright stance, he added.

The president said Turkey would never allow the PKK/PYD -- the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, which has waged a 33-year war against Turkey -- to establish a so-called state in northern Syria.

The PKK/PYD controls large swathes of northeast Syria along the Turkish border and a pocket of land around Afrin in the west. Turkey is determined not to allow the group to join these areas to gain control of the frontier.

Erdogan said calling such an entity a Kurdish state would be an insult to Kurds.

I believe that my Kurdish brothers will never give an opportunity to such a formation in the north of Syria and south of Turkey, he said.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 22, 2017 - 08:19 | Urgent, All, Japan

At least three people were killed and two others remain unaccounted for after a fire engulfed an apartment building in the northeastern Japanese prefecture of Akita early Tuesday, police and firefighters said.

Of the 25 residents of the building in the city of Yokote, 20 were contacted after the fire, which started around 1 a.m. and left 10 people injured, the police said. The residents are aged between their 40s and 60s.

Two bodies were discovered at the site and a man was confirmed dead after being taken to a hospital, the authorities said. The fire burned down the apartment and three nearby structures before dying down about five hours later.

"The blaze was large and (the apartment) was filled with smoke with sputtering sounds," a 21-year-old man living in the neighborhood said.

The apartment is located about 1 kilometer southeast of JR Yokote Station.
Shares of Herbalife (HLF) popped 11% in morning trading on Monday after the company said that it held talks to go private last week, but discussions ended without a deal.

Shares of Herbalife HLF popped 11% in morning trading on Monday after the company said that it held talks to go private last week, but discussions ended without a deal.

According to a company statement, Herbalife had discussed a deal with a prospective financial investor until August 16th. The name of the investor has not been disclosed. While talks have currently ended, it is possible for them to resume.

The nutritional supplement company also said in the statement that it is starting a self-tender offer through a modified Dutch auction to buy shares back from shareholders at the lowest price possible. Herbalife plans to buy back $600 million worth of shares, setting a range of $60 and $68 per share.

To provide incentive for shareholders to participate in the offering, Herbalife said it will give all participating shareholders a contingent value right, or CVR. The CVR will act as a sort of insurance policy for investors who sell the company their shares by giving them the right to collect an additional payment from Herbalife if the company is acquired in a private transaction within two years.

Additionally, the financier Carl Icahn, Herbalifes largest shareholder, has agreed to keep his stake below 50 percent unless he decides to buy the company outright. Icahn currently owns about 24 percent of Herbalifes outstanding shares.

Some investors believe that Icahn, owner of Icahn Enterprises IEP, could be the private investor interested in buying the company. Last year, he told Fortune that he was thinking about buying the company, saying, Would I do an offer? I would consider. Its something that Ive thought about.

Icahn is also known for publicly fighting Bill Ackman, the founder of Peshing Square Capital Management, who is a vocal critic of Herbalife since its IPO in 2012. Ackmans hedge fund shorts Herbalifes stock because Ackman argues that the multi-level marketing business is a pyramid scheme. Herbalifes rising stock price is a blow to Ackmans hedge fund.

Story continues

Herbalife said that its self-tender offering will expire on September 19th.

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FILE PHOTO: John Watson, Chevron's chairman and CEO, speaks during an interview on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 8, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo (Reuters)

By Ernest Scheyder

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Chevron Corp Chief Executive John Watson will step down by the end of next month and likely be replaced by Vice Chairman Mike Wirth, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The unexpected shake-up at one of the world's largest oil and natural gas producers comes as pressure grows on the industry to further cut costs and control spending.

In Wirth, Chevron would pivot to a leader with experience in refining, where costs are regularly scrutinized down to the fraction of a penny.

The move would copy rival Exxon Mobil Corp, which earlier this year named refining expert Darren Woods as its own CEO, a step widely seen as prioritizing cash generation to protect payouts to shareholders above pricy exploration projects.

The CEOs of rivals Total and Royal Dutch Shell also have experience in refining.

Chevron's shares are up about 35 percent since Watson took over as CEO in January 2010, but the Dow Jones industrial average has more than doubled in that time. The company's shares are trading at the same level they were in early 2011.

Chevron spokesman Kent Robertson declined to comment. Neither Watson nor Wirth responded to requests for comment.

The California-based company is emerging from a global commodity price slump and is beginning to reap the fruits of a multibillion-dollar expansion spree.

The exit is not acrimonious and Watson sees it as an opportunity to hand over the reins of a growing enterprise to Wirth, according to the source.

"He may see it as a good time to step down and allow fresh management to take Chevron further," said Brendan Warn, an equity analyst with BMO Capital Markets, which advises clients to buy Chevron's stock.

The company's growth under Watson has not been painless. Chevron has struggled with cost overruns at two Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, faced major engineering challenges at its U.S. Gulf of Mexico expansions, and is now contending with growing uncertainty about its operations in strife-torn Venezuela, where it is the only remaining major U.S. oil producer.

Story continues

One of the Australian LNG projects has now come online, and the other is expected to by next month. Combined, the two are expected to fund half the company's dividend by 2019.

Watson made no major acquisitions during his leadership, ceding growth opportunities to rivals. Former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, for example, bought natural gas producer XTO Energy during his tenure and rapidly expanded into Qatar's LNG sector.

Watson, who has five years remaining before he hits Chevron's mandatory retirement age of 65, stuck to projects already in the planning stages when he became CEO in January 2010, rather than coming up with new deal or expansion ideas. Watson's predecessor, David O'Reilly, retired at 62.

The change at the top of the company, first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, did not shake markets. Shares of Chevron rose less than 1 percent to close at $106.36.

WIRTH'S EXPERIENCE

Watson is expected to stay on the company's board of directors for a period of time as Wirth grows into the CEO role, according to the source.

Like many of the company's executives, Watson has worked at Chevron his entire career and is the product of an internal talent development program.

"It would be hard to sit there and say that John Watson did a bad job as CEO," said Oliver Pursche of wealth manager Bruderman Brothers LLC, which holds shares in the company. "When we think about how Chevron has run its different business lines during the oil price slump, they've managed very well."

Wirth, 56, has been vice chairman since February and runs the company's pipeline division. He previously ran Chevron's refining unit, which has grown rapidly in recent years, with the company investing heavily in expansion and renovations.

Chevron last month posted higher-than-expected second-quarter profits on higher production and oil prices and lower spending on large projects.

Under Watson the company has been shifting additional resources to shale oil projects that promise quicker returns, but nearly all of that shale acreage has been in the company's portfolio since the 1930s.

Watson, an economist by training, rose through the company's ranks, served as its chief financial officer, and earlier oversaw the integration of Texaco operations following the 2000 acquisition.

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Bill Rigby)
By Rama Venkat Raman and Tracy Rucinski

(Reuters) - Utility Sempra Energy said on Monday that it would buy Oncor for $9.45 billion in cash after majority owner Energy Future Holdings Corp abandoned a deal to sell the power transmission company to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

This represents a rare blow to Buffett, who avoids bidding wars for companies and had swooped in two months ago to buy Oncor after Texas regulators blocked two previous attempts by Energy Future to sell it.

Energy Future, which has been in bankruptcy since 2014, had initially planned to seek court approval on Monday for the sale of Oncor to Berkshire for $9 billion over opposition from its biggest creditor, hedge fund Elliott Management Corp. Instead, Energy Future lawyer Chad Husnick told the court the Dallas-based company had decided to "pursue another path" with Sempra because of the value of the bid, a lower break-up fee and, most importantly, support from Elliott.

San Diego-based Sempra said it expected to own about 60 percent of a reorganized Oncor after it completes the transaction, which is valued at $18.8 billion, including debt. Energy Future owns 80 percent, but Sempra plans to sell some of that equity to other outside investors, according to people familiar with the matter.

Sempra's shares were up 1.2 percent at $117.79 after hitting an all-time high of $118.78 on Monday after the company said the deal would add about 10 million of Oncor's Texas customers to its base and increase its earnings starting next year.

"They get to own 60 percent interest in a quality, growing Texas distribution utility," said Gabelli & Co analyst Timothy Winter. "It's a way for them to grow in a low-risk manner."

Utilities have become wary of their exposure to volatile energy prices and see power generation operations becoming less lucrative. Many of these companies are now hungry for electricity distribution assets, which have a growing demographic base and stable cash flows.

Story continues

"On the face of it, the transaction continues the long line of industry consolidation, which we continue to view as expensive," Morningstar analyst Andrew Bischof wrote in a note.

Elliott had tried to put together its own bid for $9.3 billion to buy Oncor but ultimately decided to back the Sempra deal, which a spokesman said "provides substantially greater recoveries to all creditors of Energy Future than the proposed Berkshire transaction."

Berkshire, which bid for Oncor as part of its pursuit of steady profits from utilities and infrastructure deals, had said last week it would not raise its offer. In response to Sempra's move, however, Berkshire said it would allow Energy Future to keep an Oncor dividend, but that proposal was not enough to bridge the gap in price, according to the sources.

Judge Christopher Sontchi told the bankruptcy court on Monday that the new bid was a "big change" that would clearly benefit Energy Future and its creditors.

"We are disappointed our agreement to acquire Oncor has been terminated," Greg Abel, the chief executive officer of Berkshire's energy unit, said in a statement. Many investors consider Abel a top candidate to eventually succeed Buffett, 86, at the Omaha, Nebraska-based parent company's helm.

A hearing on the revised reorganization plan and creditor support agreement was set for Sept. 6 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. With Elliott's support, Sempra is likely to get court approval for the deal.

The deal calls for Oncor General Counsel Allen Nye to become the company's CEO, succeeding Bob Shapard, who becomes executive chairman.

Canadian pension fund manager Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc and Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC Special Investments Pte Ltd currently own 20 percent of Oncor.

Lazard Ltd and Morgan Stanley are financial advisers to Sempra, and White & Case LLP is its legal adviser. Evercore Partners Inc is the financial adviser to Energy Future, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is its legal adviser.

RBC Capital Markets and Morgan Stanley committed to invest $3 billion of expected investment-grade debt for the recapitalization of Oncor.

(Reporting by Rama Venkat Raman, Yashaswini Swamynathan and John Benny in Bengaluru and Tracy Rucinski in Wilmington, Delaware; Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath and Lisa Von Ahn)
The lists were compiled before Bayer took over Monsanto (AFP Photo/PATRIK STOLLARZ)

Brussels (AFP) - The European Commission said Tuesday that it was opening an in-depth investigation into the proposed $66 billion (56-billion-euro) takeover of US seed and pesticide supplier Monsanto by Germany's Bayer, citing concerns it could reduce competition in key products for farmers.

"Seeds and pesticide products are essential for farmers and ultimately consumers," said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

"We need to ensure effective competition so that farmers can have access to innovative products, better quality and also purchase products at competitive prices."

In its own statement, Leverkusen-based Bayer said it "believes that the proposed combination will be highly beneficial for farmers and consumers."

The firm "will continue to work closely and constructively with the European Commission" and still aims to receive approval for the deal by the end of the year, it added.

After a months-long pursuit in which it raised its offer price several times, Bayer won over Monsanto's management in September for the deal, which would create the world's largest integrated pesticides and seeds company.

If the tie-up goes ahead, the new company would have some 140,000 employees around the world with combined annual revenues from agriculture alone of about 23 billion euros.

But the deal has drawn criticism from environmental groups because of Monsanto's long history of promoting genetically modified crops.

"There's not much to investigate. One monster corporation controlling our food is a bad idea for farmers and citizens everywhere," said Nick Flynn of the Avaaz advocacy group.

"Over a million people are hoping Commissioner Vestager comes back with a long-term rejection of Monsanto and Bayer's marriage from hell."

- 'Serious doubts' -

The European Commission expressed concern that Bayer produces one of the few alternatives to glyphosate, an herbicide that Monsanto markets under the name Roundup, one of the most widely sold weed-killers in Europe.

Story continues

It also said that both companies have large market shares in vegetable seeds and in several field crops where their products compete against one another.

The European Commission added that Bayer was one of the few competitors to Monsanto in several markets for developing traits in plants, such as tolerance to herbicides.

It said the two companies made commitments to address some of its concerns in July.

"However, the commission considered these commitments insufficient to clearly dismiss its serious doubts as to the transaction's compatibility with the EU Merger Regulation," it said in a statement.

The commission said it would take a decision on the merger by next January 8.

Bayer's planned takeover is the latest in a wave of consolidation in the competitive agrochemicals sector.

China's state-owned ChemChina has completed its $43 billion takeover of Switzerland's Syngenta, while the nearly $150 billion tie-up of US giants Dow Chemical and DuPont is expected to close sometime this month.

Bayer last month lowered its full-year earnings forecast after revenues shrank at its agrichemical and over-the-counter medicines units in the second quarter.

Most of the sales decline stemmed from higher-than-expected stocks of insecticides and pesticides left over at the end of the harvest season in Brazil, which required the group to book financial provisions.

Shares in the chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant were little moved by news of the extended EU investigation, trading up 2.0 percent at 108.55 euros around 3:30 pm (1330 GMT), compared with a DAX index of blue-chip German stocks that was up 1.1 percent.
Melania Trump and Donald Trump

Staring at the sun without certified protective glasses can cause a type of eye damage called solar retinopathy.

Usually, people notice symptoms  including blurry vision, discolored spots in vision, pain, or a loss of central vision  by the next day.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms after staring at the eclipse, call an eye doctor.

Eye doctors are going to be busy on Tuesday.

If you checked out the solar eclipse and weren't wearing certified protective glasses  or even if you were  you might be wondering if your vision is OK.

Looking at the sun without adequate protection allows sunlight, including ultraviolet and near-infrared radiation, to penetrate the retina. That can burn parts of the eye and create a toxic reaction that causes damage, which can lead to a condition eye doctors refer to as photic or solar retinopathy.

If you unsafely watched the eclipse, damage may not be immediately apparent, since you can't feel burns on your retina. Some people might start to notice vision changes within a few hours, though it's most likely they would become apparent by the next day, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Symptoms of solar retinopathy include poor vision or vision changes including blurry or discolored spots, pain, and especially a loss of vision in the center of the eye. Several people with solar retinopathy report being unable to read because of the changes, which can be temporary or permanent.

2017 total solar eclipse

Some people Business Insider spoke with said their eyes felt strange immediately after viewing the eclipse even though they wore protective glasses. If your glasses were certified and didn't let in any light less bright than the sun, the discomfort may be temporary, caused by the rapidly changing levels of light exposure you encountered while repeatedly covering and uncovering your eyes to look at the crescent sun. Your eyes feeling weird after watching the eclipse doesn't necessarily mean there's any permanent damage.

Story continues

People who watched the eclipse for even a brief period without protection, however, are susceptible to damage. President Donald Trump briefly demonstrated what you were not supposed to do, and the tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have done the same, tweeting that he watched with "sunglasses."

Sunglasses don't provide adequate protection and could increase the risk of eye damage, since the pupil opens up wider to let light in, according to Dr. Tongalp Tezel, an expert on retinas at Columbia University Medical Center.

If you are experiencing vision changes or eye pain, even if you wore proper eye protection, call an eye doctor to schedule an appointment.

Many cases resolve themselves over time, within a day or even over a couple of weeks, according to an editorial in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. But if vision hasn't come back within six months, it's not likely to  and there is, unfortunately, no treatment for solar retinopathy.

A doctor can examine your eye and see changes to the retina, which can take on the appearance of the crescent-shaped sun responsible for the damage. Without medical confirmation, it's hard to know whether something is wrong and can be addressed.

"I always, always say if you notice something strange about your vision, see the eye doctor," Adriane Santa Croce, an ophthalmic sonographer at Scheie Eye Institute in Philadelphia, told Business Insider. She added that "the concerns about vision following the eclipse may uncover unrelated eye problems that people may not have addressed otherwise," including changes in vision related to diabetes, cataracts, macular degeneration, or glaucoma.

Santa Croce said this eclipse should provide doctors with a better understanding of how light can damage the eye, since some current imaging technology didn't exist the last time many people watched an eclipse.

Regardless of how your eyes feel after the eclipse, the AAO recommends regular comprehensive vision exams, since several health conditions can be first spotted in the eye.

If for any reason  eclipse or not  you notice any pain or vision changes, call a doctor to be safe.

NOW WATCH: Heres how to tell if the solar eclipse ruined your vision





More From Business Insider


Lloyd Blankfein seems to be making a habit out of trolling Trump

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein appeared to troll President Donald Trump in yet another tweet Monday.

"Wish the moon wasn't the only thing casting a shadow across the country," Blankfein tweeted, without mentioning Trump by name. "We got through one, we'll get through the other."

The afternoon tweet came less than an hour after the once-in-a-century solar eclipse passed over the country, and many Twitter users poked fun at pictures of Trump attempting to view the eclipse with the naked eye. NASA and other scientific authorities have warned that watching the eclipse without proper glasses could damage eyesight.

A Goldman Sachs spokesperson told CNBC that Blankfein's "tweet speaks for itself."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Of 13 tweets from his verified account, including Monday's, Blankfein has appeared to troll the president at least four times. The bank executive previously called out Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate-change accord and appeared to jab at the president over a themed "infrastructure week" that ended up focusing on former FBI Director James Comey 's testimony.

In a prime-time address Monday night, Trump laid out his strategy for the war in Afghanistan .

The speech came after a tumultuous week for the White House in which key advisory councils of top business leaders disbanded, and Steve Bannon left his role as chief strategist.

On Aug. 14, Blankfein cited President Abraham Lincoln 's remark that "a house divided against itself cannot stand" in a tweet referencing violence during a white supremacist march earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Goldman executive then added to his tweet, "Isolate those who try to separate us. No equivalence w/ those who bring us together."

WATCH: Why Blankfein has taken to Twitter





More From CNBC


Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC announced that it has secured a $329 million contract from the U.S. Air Force, for the Ground-based Strategic Deterrent.



Details of the Contract



Per the contract, the company will work toward replacement of aging Minuteman III which will lower the associated technical risk in the missile to meet intercontinental ballistic missiles operational requirements. Northrop Grumman is expected to finish the work by Aug 20, 2020. All work related to this contract will be primarily carried out at the Redondo Beach, CA facility along with various other locations.



Meanwhile, the Air Force has awarded a similar deal worth $349 million to The Boeing Company BA for Ground-based Strategic Deterrent.



According to Reuters, Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT was another competitor who bid for the contract. However, Pentagon decided to go with the first two, for now.



About Minuteman III



Boeings Minuteman series of missiles are land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command. The first range of Minuteman missiles entered the service in the early 1960s and has evolved with time since its initiation. These weapon systems have been known to provide quick-reacting, inertially guided, highly survivable component to the countrys strategic deterrent program.



The Need of the Hour



With rising threats from North Korea along with expansion of global terrorism, it has become extremely important for the U.S. to keep its defense weaponries updated.



The proposed budget hike for fiscal 2018 by President Trump reflected a 10% increase over the current base budget level of the current year, hinting at the U.S. government to spend more on defense. More recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 2018 defense policy bill, reflecting an expenditure level of $696 billion. It exceeded President Trumps defense budget request proposed this March. If enacted, all these budgetary updates will immensely boost the business growth of all defense giants including Northrop Grumman.



Notably, Northrop Grumman has developed into one of the largest domestic defense contractor in terms of revenue, with a major platform-centric focus. The company has a strong presence in Air Force, Space & Cyber Security programs which have aided it in securing regular contracts from the different verticals of U.S. Defense. We believe the recently won deal is an example of that and will boost the companys growth trajectory, going ahead.



Price Movement



Shares of Northrop Grumman have returned 24.8% in the last one year compared to the industrys increase of 34.6% in the same time period.

Story continues





This might have been led by the companys escalating operating expenses, while steep competition from peers also remains a major concern.



Zacks Rank and Other Stock to Consider



Northrop Grumman carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Another stock in the same space is Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. HII, also carrying a Zacks rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Huntington Ingalls delivered a positive surprise of 22.52% in the second quarter of 2017. The companys 2017 Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased 2.6% to $11.54 in the last 30 days.



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil futures fell sharply on Monday, losing a little over 1 percent. Profit-taking was being blamed for the sell-off as investors took advantage of an unexpected two-day surge in prices amid talk the market was starting to rebalance.

October WTI crude oil settled at $47.53, down $1.13 or -2.32% and internationally-favored November Brent crude oil closed at $51.28, down $1.13 or -2.16%.

Daily November Brent Crude

In other news, Iraq informed its customers that it plans to switch its price benchmark for Basra crude in Asia to DME Oman futures from January, dropping the average of Platts Oman-Dubai quotes, in a major shift in the way it prices its oil.

Forecast

Looking at Fridays and Mondays price action, one can conclude that crude oil is in a range bound market. U.S. crude inventories have been declining for weeks. If this downtrend continues then a bullish case can be made for oil, especially if OPEC and other non-OPEC producers continue to restrict production.

Daily October West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. commercial crude inventories have fallen by almost 13 percent from their March peaks, to 466.5 million barrels.

Also supporting the case for a rally are signs that U.S. production may be losing steam. Although U.S. crude production has broken through 9.5 million barrels per day (bpd), its highest since July 2015, this growth may soon slow if U.S. energy firms start reducing the number of rigs drilling for new oil. Supporting this conclusion is last weeks Baker Hughes report that showed a decline of three rigs.

Helping to keep a lid on prices are concerns over demand especially from China. Traders will also be watching for signs of weakening U.S. demand now that the summer driving season is coming to an end.

The major support is $46.52 to $45.57. On the upside, major resistance is $48.57 to $49.02.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:
Remember the last time you realized you were charged for something only after looking at your credit card bill? Well, youre not alone.

Thirty-five percent of Americans say they signed up for a subscription or membership, such as a gym, that enrolled them in an automatic payment plan without even realizing it, according to a new survey of 1,002 adults by CreditCards.com.

Many businesses, from media to online retailers, offer free trials to people who provide their credit card information. But when the free lunch comes to an end, its easy for people to forget to cancel it in time even if they dont want to continue the service.

The survey found that Gen-Xers (44%) and millennials (37%) were most likely to accidentally sign up for automatic payments. Meanwhile, the Silent Generation (age 72 and older) were more likely than any other age group to say they had never signed up for automatic payments without knowing it.

Many Americans are enrolled into auto-payment programs before they realize it. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Monitor your credit card bills to avoid recurring payments

While its common for internet companies like Amazon (AMZN) to offer free trials, 48% of respondents say they have forgotten to cancel a free trial before being charged by an auto-renewal.

Some consumers have expressed their frustration over this phenomenon on social media. So apparently I started a free Netflix (NFLX) account in 2014 while TDY and forgot to cancel it. $300 later I figured it out DUMB! One Facebook user wrote.

One simple way to avoid regrets is to schedule time in your calendar as a reminder to cancel the subscription before the trial period ends, says Matt Schulz, CreditCards.coms senior industry analyst.

Schulz thinks its also important for users to keep an eye on their bank statements every week. Doing so can help you spot forgotten recurring charges when they pop up. It doesnt take much time, but its very important, he said.

Besides online banks, some third-party mobile apps also help people identify recurring payments. Mint, for example, is a personal financial management service that helps categorize expenses to spot changes. Apps like Truebill and Trims monitor paid subscriptions from your credit card records and help cancel unwanted ones.

Story continues

Canceling may be hard, so be persistent

While signing up for new services may only take a click, getting off the hook may be not. Only about half of those surveyed found it easy to cancel an automatic payment. Sometimes it takes an email or a lengthy call with customer service.

Jessica Albas The Honest Company, which sells eco-friendly products to parents, for example, was once criticized for being difficult to unsubscribe to. The company required customers to cancel by phone, and one Gizmodo reporter waited a half-hour to speak to a human being when calling the companys help line. After consumers filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, the company updated its policy to enable online cancellation.

Be proactive and ask about it when youre signing up. Thats likely when the company will be most responsive to your questions, Schulz says. He suggests people approach the company through social media or leave comments on a reviews website if the canceling process brings too many headaches. Make sure that you are heard, he said, and theyll react to you.

Krystal Hu is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.

Read more:

The real reason overseas manufacturing is coming to America

Why it will be hard for Trump to stop Chinas alleged intellectual property theft

Why Uber had to abandon 2 big international markets  Russia and China
Yahoo Finance is tracking Toll Brothers, Chipotle and Salesforce in intraday trading on Tuesday.

Toll Brothers shares fall on revenue miss

Toll Brothers (TOL) beat Wall Street profit expectations but fell short on revenue. The US luxury homebuilder reported earnings of 87 cents a share and revenue of $1.50 billion. Analysts were expecting sales of $1.51 billion and EPS of 69 cents. Toll Brothers also issued two updates to its forecast, revising the number of homes it expects to sell for the year and narrowed its full-year revenue outlook. Toll Brothers now expects to sell between 7,000 and 7,300 homes for the fiscal year ended in October, compared to its previous range of 6,950 to 7,450 homes, and revenue is now expected in the range of $5.6 billion to $6.0 billion. Toll Brothers originally forecasted sales of $5.4 billion to $6.1 billion.

Deutsche Banks warns Chipotle could hit multi-year low

Deutsche Bank (DB) kept its sell rating on Chipotle (CMG) while slashing its price target by $65 to $250 per share, a level the stock hasnt hit since 2012. Deutsche Bank analyst Brett Levy is concerned about Chipotles lofty fundamental and valuation expectations. The restaurant chains stock fell to its lowest level since February 2013 today and is down about 18.5% since the start of the year.

What to watch in Salesforce earnings

Wall Street is gearing up for earnings from Salesforce (CRM) after the bell this afternoon. Analysts are expecting earnings of 32 cents on revenue of $2.51 billion, up 23% from a year ago. Investors will be keeping a close eye on Commerce Cloud, which Salesforce launched last September, as well as its artificial intelligence division. Salesforces AI platform, Einstein, launched in Spring 2017.

For more on Tuesdays big stock movers and breaking earnings after the bell, check out The Final Round, starting at 3:55 p.m. ET, right here on Yahoo Finance.
(Adds Chinese reaction, details, analysts)

By David Brunnstrom and Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed new North Korea-related sanctions, targeting Chinese and Russian firms and individuals for supporting Pyongyang's weapons programs, but stopped short of an anticipated focus on Chinese banks.

The U.S. Treasury designated six Chinese-owned entities, one Russian, one North Korean and two based in Singapore. They included a Namibia-based subsidiary of a Chinese company and a North Korean entity operating in Namibia.

The sanctions also targeted six individuals - four Russians, one Chinese and one North Korean.

The move follows toughened United Nations sanctions agreed this month after North Korea tested its first two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July.

China reacted with irritation, saying Washington should "immediately correct its mistake" of imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals to avoid damaging bilateral cooperation.

The Russian embassy did not respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the new sanctions targeted those helping already-designated individuals supporting North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its energy trade. They included three Chinese coal importers.

The steps also targeted those helping North Korea send workers abroad and enabling sanctioned North Korea entities to get access to the U.S. and international financial system.

"Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and isolating them from the American financial system," Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement.

"It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction."

The U.S. Justice Department is also seeking forfeitures of $11 million from firms that allegedly laundered money for North Korean banks. The firms include Singapore-based Velmur Management and Transatlantic Partners, and China-based Dandong Chengtai Trading Co, also known as Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Material.

Story continues

A new round of U.S. sanctions had been expected, but Washington appeared to delay them while securing Chinese and Russian support for tougher U.N. steps.

U.S. officials and U.N. diplomats say the threat of U.S. "secondary sanctions" against Chinese firms with North Korean ties as well as trade pressure helped persuade China, North Korea's neighbor, ally and main trading partner, to drop opposition to the U.N. sanctions.

The latest steps stopped short of targeting Chinese financial institutions dealing with North Korea, a step that would have greatly angered Beijing. The Trump administration is still hoping China will pressure Pyongyang.

"The sanctions target a range of North Korea's illicit activities and the focus on Chinese facilitators is another message to Beijing," said Anthony Ruggiero, a Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow and former U.S. Treasury official.

"However, there are missing elements. There's no focus on the efforts of Chinese banks that facilitate these transactions. In addition, these Chinese networks likely have additional front companies operating on behalf of the network and those were not sanctioned."

Another sanctions expert, Joseph DeThomas, said the U.S. move appeared designed to put muscle behind the U.N. sanctions by targeting areas they cover, such as labor and coal exports.

"Sanctioning such entities ex post facto may cause some problems diplomatically, but it will help put a healthy respect for the U.N. resolution in play," he said.

Richard Nephew of Columbia University said it appeared the U.S. government was "exploring what the tolerance is to the use of secondary sanctions."

"The fact that they've not yet moved forward with any big bank effort suggests to me that they're quite nervous about the risks of blow-back and reasonably so," he added. (Additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Sarah Lynch; Editing by David Alexander and Jeffrey Benkoe)
It has been about a month since the last earnings report for PPG Industries, Inc. PPG. Shares have lost about 3.8% in that time frame, underperforming the market.

Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to the stock's next earnings release, or is it due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.

PPG Industries Tops Q2 Earnings, Sales Miss Estimates



PPG Industries reported adjusted earnings of $1.83 per share for the second quarter of 2017, up 5.8% from the year-ago earnings of $1.73. The result beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.81.



Adjusted earnings in the reported quarter exclude one-time items including an after-tax gain from the sale of the Mexican Plaka wallboard business of $24 million, or $0.09 per share; a gain from a legal settlement of $11 million, or $0.04 per share; and after-tax transaction-related costs of $3 million, or a penny per share.



Net sales in the quarter edged up 1% year over year to $3,806 million. Sales missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3,898.6 million.



Unfavorable currency translation affected sales by around 2%. The company witnessed flat sales volume year-over-year.



Segment Review



Performance Coatings: The segment recorded $2.3 billion in sales and income of $413 million in the reported quarter. Sales fell by less than 2% year over year. Unfavorable currency translation reduced segment sales by about $40 million or 2%. Acquisition-related sales provided benefits of $20 million.



Segment income fell 4% year over year owing to unfavorable foreign currency translation of about $10 million primarily due to the Mexican peso, British pound and euro. Architectural coatings  America and Asia Pacific sales volumes fell by a low single-digit clip. Marine coatings sales volumes declined by low-double-digit clip which was partly offset by gains in global protective coatings.



Industrial Coatings: Sales for the segment were $1.51 billion, up roughly 4% from the prior-year period. Total sales volume rose by around 3%.



Net income for the segment was $264 million, down 10% year over year. Higher sales volumes, strong cost management, including the benefits from business restructuring actions, and acquisition-related income and related synergies were more than offset by increased raw material costs and lower selling prices. Unfavorable currency impact reduced segment income by $5 million.



Financial Position



PPG Industries ended the quarter with a cash and cash equivalents of $1,569 million, down 2.2% year over year. Long-term debt fell 9.3% year over year to $3,998 million.



Outlook



PPG Industries expects modest overall global economic growth. Also, the company anticipates a higher level of earnings-accretive cash deployment in the second half of 2017 including acquisitions and share repurchases.



The company announced that it will resume share repurchases from the third quarter. PPG Industries plans to deploy $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion of cash on acquisitions and share repurchases in 2017 and 2018 combined and is now targeting the top end of that range at a minimum.

Story continues

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

Following the release, investors have witnessed a downward trend in fresh estimates. There have been four revisions lower for the current quarter.

PPG Industries, Inc. Price and Consensus

PPG Industries, Inc. Price and Consensus | PPG Industries, Inc. Quote

VGM Scores

At this time, PPG Industries's stock has a poor Growth Score of F, a grade with the same score on the momentum front. The stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

The company's stock is suitable solely for value based on our styles scores.

Outlook

Estimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock. The magnitude of this revision also indicates a downward shift. Interestingly, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We are expecting an inline return from the stock in the next few months.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
It commonly happens in stock investing that investors miss the chance of buying winning stocks that they knew would stand out. Before they take the plunge, others get to know the hidden potential and enter into these stocks, pushing them out of reach.

So, instead of repenting, spotting the off-the-radar potential winners and immediately investing in them could be a smart decision.

One such company that looks well positioned for a solid gain, but has been overlooked by investors lately, is Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. REGN. This Medical - Biomedical and Geneticsindustry stock has actually seen estimates rise over the past month for the current fiscal year by about 15%. But that is not yet reflected in its price, as the stock lost 11% over the same time frame.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Price and Consensus

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Price and Consensus | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Quote

You should not be concerned about the price remaining muted going forward. This years expected earnings growth over the prior year is 67.1%, which should ultimately translate into price appreciation.

And if this isnt enough, REGN currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) which further underscores the potential for its outperformance (See the performance of Zacks' portfolios and strategies here: About Zacks Performance).You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

So if you are looking for a stock flying under-the-radar that is well-equipped to bounce down the road, make sure to consider Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Solid estimate revisions and an impressive Zacks Rank suggest that better days may be ahead for REGN and that now might be an interesting buying opportunity.

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Zacks Investment Research
U.S. President Donald Trump has sidestepped an announcement on U.S. troops levels in Afghanistan during a major address to the nation and warned Pakistan over its alleged support for extremist groups in the region.

Trump backtracked from his campaign pledge to end the United States' longest war as he appeared to commit the country to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan.

Outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan and the South Asia region, Trump said he would not "talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities."

Speaking at the Fort Myer military base near Washington, D.C., on August 21, Trump vowed "to win" the war and said his strategy will not be based on "arbitrary timelines," but conditions on the ground.

Some analysts praised Trump's tough stance on Pakistan while others criticized what they called a strategy that was short on details and reminiscent of former President Barack Obama's failed policies.

The president warned that Washington will no longer tolerate Pakistan offering "safe havens" to extremist groups like the Afghan Taliban, a claim Islamabad denies.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens," Trump said. "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists."

"Of the three U.S. presidents who have had to grapple with Pakistan's undeclared war on Afghanistan, Trump's words were the clearest in pointing out Pakistan as part of the problem," said Mohammad Taqi, a Pakistani analyst.

No 'Arbitrary' Timelines

Trump also said the United States was in Afghanistan not for nation building, but rather, "we are killing terrorists."

He also said the United States needed a plan for an "honorable and enduring outcome" in Afghanistan, and added that a rapid exit would have "unacceptable" consequences.

Following Trump's address, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis suggested the United States and other countries would send more troops to Afghanistan.

"I will be in consultation with the secretary-general of NATO and our allies -- several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers, Mattis said.

"The Trump administration rightly believes that an enduring commitment without arbitrary withdrawal timelines will convey the right message to both friends and enemies in Afghanistan and the broader region," said Ahmad K. Majidyar, a South Asia expert.

Majidyar said Trumps new approach appears to comprise elements of both counterterrorism and counterinsurgency strategies. He said the United States will continue to train, equip, and assist the Afghan security forces while giving more authority to the Pentagon to target regional and international terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan that pose a direct threat to U.S. security.

Trump has long been skeptical of U.S. policy in the region, where the United States has been at war since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

During his address, Trump said his "original instinct was to pull out" from Afghanistan, but he reached a different conclusion after studying the issue once he was in office.

He also said U.S. support for the Afghan government was not a "blank check" and urged Kabul to implement "real reform and progress."

"Compared with his predecessors, Trump has outlined a more comprehensive and clearer strategy in Afghanistan," said Omar Samad, an Afghan analyst. "Most importantly, he has distinguished who is friend and who is foe."

Senator John McCain, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Trump's strategy moved the United States past the Obama administration's "failed strategy of merely postponing defeat" in Afghanistan.

During his address, Trump left the door open to an eventual peace deal with the Taliban, although he added that "nobody knows if or when that will ever happen."

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington stood "ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions."

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid dismissed Trump's remarks as "old" and "unclear."

"If America doesn't withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, soon Afghanistan will become another graveyard for this superpower in the 21st century," Mujahid said in a statement.

Analyst Samad said Trump sent a clear message to the Taliban and their backers that the United States won't settle for a stalemate. "Finally, the Taliban were told that America intends to do what it takes to win," he said.

The Taliban has repeatedly urged the United States and its allies to leave Afghanistan, ruling out peace talks with the Kabul government as long as foreign forces remain on Afghan soil.

More U.S. Boots On The Ground?

Trump announced a strategic review soon after taking office in January, and U.S. officials have said he has privately questioned whether sending more troops was prudent.



He told top officials in July that "we aren't winning...we are losing" the war in Afghanistan to militant groups like the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Islamic State (IS).



Options that were considered by U.S. leaders reportedly ranged from pulling U.S. military troops out of Afghanistan entirely, to drawing down troop numbers in favor of outside security contractors, to sending in more troops and stepping up efforts to defeat the Taliban and other militants battling the Afghan government.



Trump's decision came after he met with his national security team at the Camp David presidential retreat on August 18 to discuss the conflict.



Earlier this year, reports suggest the president sought to give U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis the authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan, opening the door for future troop increases requested by General John Nicholson, the top U.S. Army commander in Afghanistan.



Media reports said Mattis sought greater clarity on Trump's strategy but also recommended an increase of up to 4,000 troops to help strengthen the Afghan army.



Nicholson said in February he needed "a few thousand" more troops, with some potentially drawn from Washington's NATO allies.



U.S. military and intelligence officials are concerned that a withdrawal or reduced presence of U.S. forces would give the Taliban the upper hand in the current standoff and allow Al-Qaeda and IS militants to use Afghanistan as a base for plotting attacks on the United States and its allies.



The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 after invoking NATO's Article 5 clause on collective self-defense following the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. The U.S.-led campaign overthrew the Islamist Taliban government, which was hosting Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his group's training camps.



U.S. forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Obama, and now Trump.



"I took over a mess, and we're going to make it a lot less messy," Trump said when asked earlier this year about Afghanistan.

Clearer Objectives?

"It is quite striking that after an eight-month strategic review, the end result is a policy that sounds remarkably like the policies that have been used -- and in many ways failed -- in the past," said Michael Kugelman, South Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.



Omar Samad, an Afghanistan expert in Washington, said a combination of factors had ensured the United States' failure so far to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan.



"The U.S. has had an on-off engagement with Afghanistan," he said. "There have been distractions by other hot spots like Iraq, and Washington has not focused on the real source of the threat in the form of the Taliban's external sanctuaries and support systems in Pakistan."

"The strategy has been ineffective because it hasn't stated clear objectives, Kugelman added. "The initial objectives -- removing Al-Qaeda safe havens and removing its Taliban hosts from power -- were clear and achieved very quickly. But ever since then the U.S. has struggled to articulate why it's in Afghanistan and why Americans continue to die."



The Taliban has repeatedly urged the United States and its allies to leave Afghanistan, ruling out peace talks with the Kabul government as long as foreign forces remain on Afghan soil.



The strategy in Afghanistan was complicated by internal differences over whether the United States should take a harder line toward Pakistan for failing to shut down alleged Afghan Taliban sanctuaries and arrest Afghan extremist leaders.



U.S. and Afghan officials have said the Afghan Taliban are supported by elements of Pakistan's military and top intelligence agency, a charge Islamabad denies.



Before Trumps decision, the proposals under discussion were reported to include the United States launching a review of whether to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism if it didn't pursue senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network, considered the most lethal Afghan extremist group.



Such a designation would have triggered harsh U.S. sanctions, including a ban on arms sales and an end to U.S. economic assistance for Pakistan.

"Without making Pakistan face the consequences of its actions, its behavior wont change towards Afghanistan," Pakistani analyst Taqi said.



A U.S. report found earlier this year that the Taliban controls or contests control of about 40 percent of the country. Furthermore, Afghan security forces are facing an increasing presence of IS militants in the country.



Since peaking at about 100,000 troops in 2010-11, the U.S. force has diminished. The United States currently maintains 8,400 troops in Afghanistan -- a cap set last year by then-President Obama.



However, there are at least another 2,000 U.S. troops -- mostly special forces -- assigned to fight militant groups such as the Taliban and IS.



About 5,000 non-U.S. NATO forces are still in the country.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX-V:CXB) (the Company or Calibre) is pleased to report final results for the 2017 drilling program on Eastern Borosi Gold Project, Nicaragua (the Project), which is being funded by Calibres JV partner IAMGOLD Corporation (IAMGOLD), and also announce the initiation of an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate which will incorporate results from 26,000 metres of drilling competed over the last four years.



Highlights

Drilling in 2017 consisted of 22 diamond drill holes for a total of 7,290 metres, with results reported here for the final eight holes.





New step out drilling on the East Dome has intersected 6.0 metres grading 2.74 g/t gold and 42.5 g/t silver and 4.05 metres grading 0.38 g/t gold and 328.3 g/t silver.





All drilling completed by Calibre/IAMGOLD between 2014 and 2017 totaling 26,000 metres in 138 drill holes will now be incorporated into an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate, anticipated to be completed by year end, for the Riscos de Oro Gold-Silver Deposit and maiden NI 43-101 mineral resource estimates for the Guapinol, Vancouver, Main Blag, and East Dome gold-silver mineralized systems.





IAMGOLD continues to fund the Second Option with the right to earn a further 19% in the Project (70% total) by paying Calibre cumulative cash payments totalling $450,000 and incurring further exploration expenditures of $5 million.

President and CEO Greg Smith stated: With the culmination of four successful drilling programs between 2014 and 2017 on the Eastern Borosi Gold Project we are excited to initiate an updated NI 43-101 resource estimate which will include the maiden resource estimates for the newly defined zones at the Guapinol, Vancouver, Main Blag and East Dome gold-silver systems. IAMGOLD continues to be an excellent partner and we look forward to continuing to advance the Project.

Recent Drill Highlights from Eastern Borosi Gold-Silver Project

Hole

ID Target From

m To

m Length

(m) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) BL17-058 East Dome 296.00 300.05 4.05 0.38 328.3 BL17-058 East Dome 2nd zone 330.24 333.97 3.73 0.98 58.0 BL17-059 East Dome 113.00 125.90 12.90 0.13 31.9 BL17-059 East Dome Incl. 122.13 125.90 3.77 0.23 66.0 BL17-060 East Dome 315.67 321.67 6.00 2.74 42.5 BL17-060 East Dome 2nd zone 356.92 361.92 5.00 0.38 29.3 RD17-047 RDO 345.85 348.05 2.20 5.62 5.3

Notes: - Intervals are core lengths / true width are estimated to be 70-80% of lengths.

- Length weighted averages from uncut assays.

IAMGOLD  Eastern Borosi Project

Exploration to date on the Eastern Borosi Project has outlined several tens of kilometres of highly prospective mineralized structures located in an historic gold-silver mining district. Targets have been defined by surface soil and rock sampling, trenching and drilling.

Drilling in 2017 consisted of 22 diamond drill holes for a total of 7,290 metres, with results reported here for the final eight holes. Drilling in 2017 targeted a series of high grade gold-silver vein systems defined by historic drilling and drilling campaigns in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Step out drill holes tested down plunge and on-strike extensions. Low sulphidation epithermal gold-silver mineralization intersected on the Eastern Borosi Project is hosted within porphyritic andesite and consists of structurally controlled, high energy quartz-carbonate vein breccias, vein-stockworks and discrete smokey quartz veins containing fine grained sulphide minerals.

Drilling of three additional holes at East Dome has extended the mineralization 100 metres to the southwest (BL17-059) and step out drilling BL17-058 and BL17-060 has intersected mineralization a further 75-100 metres down dip. BL17-059 was a 100 metres step out to the southwest and extended the known mineralization intersecting a broad zone consisting of stockwork and veined zones which returned 12.9m grading 0.13 g/t Au and 31.9 g/t Ag (113  125.9m) including 3.77m grading 0.23 g/t Au and 66.0 g/t Ag (122.13  125.90m). Two holes drilled below the currently defined mineralized Au-Ag shoot extended the zone to depth each intersecting two intervals including BL17-058 with 4.05m grading 0.38 g/t Au and 328.3 g/t Ag (296  300.05m) and 3.73m grading 0.98 g/t Au and 58.0 g/t Ag (330.24  333.97m) and BL17 -060 which intersected 6.0m grading 2.74 g/t Au and 42.5g/t Ag (315.67  321.67m) and a second zone of 5.0m grading 0.38 g/t Au and 29.3g/t Ag (356.92  361.92m). The East Dome Zone has expanded each year since the discovery in 2015 and remains open along strike in both directions and down dip.

Drilling on the Main Blag Gold-Silver Vein System has extended the mineralization 50 metres to the south testing the structure in that area to a depth of 325 metres below surface. BL17-056 intersected multiple structures including 1.38m grading 0.46 g/t Au, 9.4 g/t Ag, 0.35% Pb and 0.44% Zn (375.8  377.18m), a second zone of 2.91m grading 0.55 g/t Au, 12.8 g/t Ag, 0.55% Pb, and 0.91% Zn (428.25  431.16m); and a third zone of 10.90m grading 0.99 g/t Au, 15.4 g/t Ag, 0.71% Pb, and 2.00% Zn (434.62  445.52m); including 4.12m grading 1.56 g/t Au, 28.0 g/t Ag, 1.39% Pb, and 3.81% Zn (441.4  445.52m). Drill hole BL17-057 was lost in a fault zone before reaching the targeted structure.

One new hole tested the Guapinol mineralization. GP17-052 intersected 2.20m grading 0.45 g/t Au and 1.6 g/t Ag (245.4  247.6m). Drilling on the Riscos de Oro (RDO) Structure extended the mineralized zone with RD17-046 intersecting 3.70m grading 0.32 g/t Au and 3.6 g/t Ag (366  369.7m); including; 1.05m grading 0.75 g/t Au and 3.9 g/t Ag and RD17-047 which intersected 2.95m grading 4.23 g/t Au and 4.3 g/t Ag (345.85  348.8m); including 2.20m grading 5.62 g/t Au and 5.3 g/t Ag and a second zone of 1.92m grading 1.56 g/t Au and 7.7 g/t Ag (361  362.92m) including 0.92m grading 2.91 g/t Au and 13.0 g/t Ag.

All drilling completed by Calibre/IAMGOLD between 2014 and 2017 totaling 26,000 metres in 138 drill holes will now be incorporated into an updated NI-43-101 mineral resource estimate for the Riscos de Oro Deposit and maiden NI-43-101 mineral resource estimates for the Guapinol, Vancouver, Main Blag, and East Dome gold-silver systems.

IAMGOLD has completed the First Option having made US$450,000 in payments to Calibre and completed US$5 million in expenditures and has vested a 51% interest in the Eastern Borosi Project. IAMGOLD has entered the Second Option with the right to earn a further 19% in the Project (by paying $450,000 and further exploration expenditures of $5 million) having paid the first installment of $150,000 and the 2017 work program continues. The total potential investment by IAMGOLD to earn a 70% interest in the Project is US$10.9 million.

Calibre is committed to best practice standards for all exploration, sampling and drilling activities. Drilling was completed by independent firm Kluane Drilling Ltd. Analytical quality assurance and quality control procedures include the systematic insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates into the sample strings. Samples are placed in sealed bags and shipped directly to Acme Labs (a Bureau Veritas Group Company) in Managua, Nicaragua for sample preparation and then to Acme Labs in Vancouver, Canada for 50 gram gold fire assay and ICP-MS multi element analyses.

The technical content in this news release was read and approved by Gregory Smith, P.Geo, President and CEO of the Company who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Calibre Mining Corp .

Calibre owns a 100% interest in over 413 km2 of mineral concessions in the Mining Triangle of Northeast Nicaragua including the Primavera Gold-Copper Project and Santa Maria Gold Project. Additionally the Company has optioned to IAMGOLD (176 km2) and Centerra Gold (253 km2) concessions covering an aggregate area of 429 km2 and is party to a joint venture on the 33.6 km2 Rosita D gold-copper-silver project with Rosita Mining Corporation. Major shareholders of Calibre include gold producer B2Gold Corp, Pierre Lassonde and management.

Calibre Mining Corp.

Greg Smith

Greg Smith, P.Geo.

President and CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as expects or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate plans, estimates or intends or stating that certain actions, events or results  may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

Safe Harbor Statement under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements including but not limited to those with respect to the price of gold, potential mineralization, reserve and resource determination, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Calibre to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
English Norwegian





Today Norway Royal Salmon (NRS) reports the second highest quarterly operational EBIT per kg in the history of the group. Operational EBIT for the second quarter of 2017 was MNOK 136 and EBIT per kg was NOK 30.17. Corresponding figures for the same quarter last year were MNOK 168 and NOK 25.33.

- The reason for the good quarterly result is high salmon prices, and that Region South and the Sales business deliver strong results, says CEO Charles Hstlund.

Operational cash flow was NOK 203 in the quarter. During the quarter, the Group's net interest-bearing debt increased by MNOK 214to MNOK 594, after distributing a dividend of MOK 408 million. Equity by the end of the quarter is MNOK 1 805, which equates an equity ratio of 45.4 per cent. Return on capital employed for the last four quarters is 48.5 per cent.

Region North

Region North posted an operational EBIT of MNOK 107.8 in the quarter, compared with MNOK 165.6 in the corresponding quarter last year. Operational EBIT per kg gutted weight was NOK 29.68, compared with NOK 30.28 in the corresponding quarter last year.

Region South

Region South posted an operational EBIT of MNOK 50.0 in the quarter, compared with MNOK 21.4 in the corresponding quarter last year. Operational EBIT per kg gutted weight was NOK 31.30, compared with NOK 11.18 in the corresponding quarter last year.

NRS harvested 5 231 tonnes gutted weight during the quarter, which is 29 per cent lower than in the same quarter last year. 3 633 tonnes of the total volume were harvested in Region North and 1 598 tonnes in Region South. Estimated harvest volume is 34 000 tonnes for 2017, an increase of 27 per cent from 2016. 11.7 million smolts are planned released in 2017.

The sales business sold 17 318 tonnes salmon during the quarter, an increase of 11 per cent from the corresponding quarter last year. The sales business had a good price achievement in the quarter.

- NRS has a strong focus on growth and utilization of our production capacity and has 48 per cent higher biomass in the sea compared to the end of the same quarter last year, says Charles Hstlund.

For more information, please contact:

CEO Charles Hstlund, +47 994 18 449

CFO Ola Loe, +47 911 79 411.

Norway Royal Salmon in brief

Norway Royal Salmon (NRS) group owns 35 fish farming licenses, and is a minority shareholder in three associated Norwegian fish farming companies which together own ten fish farming licenses, as well as Arctic Fish on Iceland. NRS is an attractively positioned fish farming group, which through an extensive network of collaborating enterprises and in-house production units, offers salmon to the market through its own sales organisation. For further details, please visit www.norwayroyalsalmon.com.



This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.





Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/05cf558b-50d2-40e5-ae34-2ed696b5f001

Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b6eb4798-04eb-46ca-8b6d-6ed50276cd6d
President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is the only leader that the majority of the 22 million people who live in Angola have ever known. He will soon leave office after 38 years in power.

Many Angolans are preparing to vote for the first time. Almost all of those who have marked ballots in the past have never seen one without Santos name on it.

Ana Maria Espirito Santos Monteiro is 60 years old. She has never voted because she did not believe there was a reason to do so. That is because dos Santos has often been accused of rigging elections.

Monteiro told VOA that she is going to vote for the first time Wednesday because she does not believe rigging will be widespread in the next election. She says she hopes it will be transparent and fair.

Monteiro supports the CASA-CE opposition party. It was formed in 2012 and controls eight seats in parliament.

CASA-CE faces strong competition from the MPLA, which has ruled the country since 1975. The party has nominated foreign minister Joao Lourenco to be Dos Santos successor.

But many younger voters are unhappy with the MPLA. They blame the party for the countrys economic inequality.

Louis Gabriel is a 27-year-old student. He said he cannot find a job.

I think this year will be different because Dos Santos is not running, he said.

But not all first-time voters want change. Gaspar Domingos said he is staying with the MPLA.

I am very expectant because I believe that the MPLA is the big family, is the first community, he said.

Critics of Dos Santos do not think there will be much change. They say the ruling party has intimidated voters.

Rafael Marques is a reporter and critic of Dos Santos. He believes Angolans already know what the results of the election will be.

The question is whether the MPLA will try to understand how disaffected, how unhappy the population is and give more space to the opposition, he said.

Opposition leaders are hopeful, but polls predict an MPLA win.

I'm John Russell.

VOA Correspondent Anita Powell reported this story from Luana, Angola. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. Christopher Jones-Cruise edited the story.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

rig  v. to control or affect (something, such as a game or election) in a dishonest way in order to get a desired result

successor  n. a person who has a job, position or title after someone else; someone who succeeds another person

disaffected  adj. no longer happy and willing to support a leader, government, etc.

poll  n. an activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something
President Donald Trump says that the United States must continue fighting in Afghanistan in a conflict that he once called a complete waste.

In a televised speech to the nation, Trump said his original instinct was to pull out. But he said he changed his mind after a series of meetings with his Cabinet members and top military advisors.

Trump said a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists  including ISIS and Al Qaeda  would instantly fill. He added the U.S. must prevent Afghanistan and the region from giving shelter to Islamist militants.

We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond, he said.

Trump said, going forward, U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan will be based on conditions on the ground. He said no time period would be set for withdrawal. And, he said the U.S. would not announce future military plans, including troop numbers.

America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

For years, Trump has criticized the U.S. effort in Afghanistan and called for a "speedy withdrawal" of U.S. troops.

As president, Trump has questioned whether sending more troops is wise. "We're not winning," he told advisers in a July meeting.

But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has argued that a U.S. military presence is needed to protect against a continuing threat from Islamist militants.

On Sunday, Mattis said the presidents plan involved more than just Afghanistan, saying it amounted to a full "South Asia strategy."

And, earlier Monday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke on the phone with leaders of Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan to discuss the new U.S. regional strategy.

U.S. generals have advised Trump to send as many as 4,000 troops to retake territory from the Taliban. The group now controls nearly half of Afghanistan. But Trump, who campaigned on an "America First" foreign policy, has been resistant to commit more troops to the country.

James Dobbins was a U.S. special diplomat to Afghanistan and Pakistan under former President Barack Obama. Before Trump spoke Monday night, Dobbins said the president has only a choice between "losing and not losing."

"Winning is not an option," Dobbins told VOA's Afghan Service.

More U.S. troops could help train more members of the Afghan special forces, says Michael Kugelman, a South Asian expert at the Wilson Center. The new strategy, Kugelman added, has to consider Pakistans role in the region.

Pakistan, he said, happens to play a key role in the war in Afghanistan because, among other things, leaders of the Taliban insurgency have used Pakistan as a sanctuary.

Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Most are advising Afghan forces but some are involved in operations against the Taliban and the Islamic States Afghan affiliate.

That number is down from nearly 100,000 troops in August 2010. The war in Afghanistan started in October 2001 under President George W. Bush after the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

"Most Afghans are not expecting any fundamental change in U.S. policy," said Aimal Faizi, an Afghan journalist and aide to former President Hamid Karzai.

"Afghanistan has become a global issue. Any U.S. strategy based on the assumption that Washington alone decides the way forward in Afghanistan is a terrible mistake," he said.

Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English based on VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters news reports. Caty Weaver was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

original - adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning

instinct - n. a natural desire or tendency that makes you want to act in a particular way

vaccum - n. a situation created when an important person or thing has gone and has not been replaced

haven - n. a place where you are protected from danger, trouble, etc.

pose - v. to be or create (a possible threat, danger, problem, etc.)

strategy - n. a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a long period of time

commit - v. to decide to use (a person, money, etc.) for some particular purpose or use  often + to or for

option - n. the opportunity or ability to choose something or to choose between two or more things

insurgency - n. a usually violent attempt to take control of a government : a rebellion or uprising

sanctuary - n. a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter
For the second time in two months, a U.S. Navy war ship crashed into another large boat in Asia. This time, the U.S. ship ran into one carrying oil near Singapore. Ten U.S. sailors are missing.

The U.S. Navy ship, named the John S. McCain, hit the other boat early Monday morning. The Navy says the U.S.S. McCain suffered significant damage on its left side. The hole caused water to enter the ship.

The American ship was able to make its way to the Changi Naval Base in Singapore, but 10 sailors are missing and five were injured in the accident. Search-and-rescue boats are looking for the missing crew and the injured sailors are in the hospital.

The ship is named for the father and grandfather of U.S. Senator John McCain. They were both U.S. Navy officers.

Both McCain and U.S. President Donald Trump used Twitter to express their concern for the missing sailors.

The U.S. ship is based in Japan and was on its way for a stop in Singapore. The oil tanker is registered in the African country of Liberia.

In June, another U.S. ship, the Fitzgerald, ran into another ship near Japan. Seven men were killed when water flooded their sleeping area.

The Navy recently announced punishment for the Fitzgeralds captain and other officers. An investigation showed mistakes by the American officers contributed to the accident.

On his way to Jordan, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said the Navy has put together a broad inquiry to look into these incidents.

Im Anne Ball.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by VOANews.com. Hai Do was the editor.

What do you think about the naval accident near Singapore? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

significant adj. large enough to be noticed or have an effect
The United States and South Korea have begun 10 days of joint military exercises on Monday. But the exercises will have fewer troops, vehicles and other equipment than last year.

Military leaders say these exercises, also known as war games, are needed to maintain operational readiness. But there are concerns that a show of force could again increase tensions in the region.

The yearly US-South Korea war games are large military planning and coordination exercises. They are designed to respond to computer-simulated North Korean attacks. About 17,500 American troops will participate in this years exercises, along with 50,000 South Koreans. That is down from 25,000 American troops in 2016.

Military leaders say these annual war games are needed to train new soldiers in the region.

Grant Newsham is with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. He said, What we are talking about here is warfare. Its not practicing for a parade, so you have to constantly be updated.

North Korean officials have long objected to the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises. They have called the exercises rehearsals for invasion. Last years war games included planning military strikes to kill the leadership in Pyongyang.

Recently, the U.S. and North Korea have exchanged strong language over possible North Korean missile tests. But North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reduced tensions by suspending plans to fire missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam.

The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the U.S. military was locked and loaded and would respond to any attack with fire and fury.

Some political experts suggest the United States seems to have responded to North Koreas restraint by reducing the size of this years exercises.

On Sunday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis denied that North Koreas objections were the reason for the reduced number of troops in this years war games.

"This is an exercise for the defense of Korea. It's a combined exercise and it's all worked out way in advance by the alliance.

On Monday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the joint exercises are defensive in nature. He added that they are not intended to increase tensions on the Korean peninsula. He warned North Korea to, in his words, not exaggerate our efforts to keep peace.

China and Russia have also called for the suspension of the joint military exercises. The countries also want North Korea to suspend its missile and nuclear tests.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Brian Padden wrote this story for VOANews. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in this Story

exaggerate  v. to think of or describe something as larger or greater than it really is

in advance  phrase - before a future event or time; before something happens

war games  n. military training activities done to prepare for fighting in a war
Proposed 50:50 joint venture would produce all-electric vehicles sold under an indigenous brand for Chinese customers

The new JV would develop, produce, market and service all- electric passenger vehicles



Ford is committed to providing consumers in China and around the world with a comprehensive range of electrified vehicles



SHANGHAI, Aug. 22, 2017  Ford Motor Company  building on its global promise to provide customers with affordable and capable electric vehicles  today announced the signing of aMemorandum of Understanding with Anhui Zotye Automobile Co., Ltd., a major manufacturer of zero-emission all-electric vehicles in China.

The goal of the MoU is to explore the establishment of a joint venture for the development, production, marketing and servicing of a new line of all-electric passenger vehicles in China. The announcement is consistent with Fords vision for a more sustainable auto industry, as well as efforts to contribute to societal goals of improving air quality and addressing climate change.

The potential to launch a new line of all-electric vehicles in the worlds largest auto market is an exciting next step for Ford in China, said Peter Fleet, Ford group vice president and president, Ford Asia Pacific. Electric vehicles will be a big part of the future in China and Ford wants to lead in delivering great solutions to customers.

China is the fastest-growing market in the world for new energy vehicles (NEVs). Ford expects the market for NEVs in China to grow to six million units per year by 2025, of which approximately 4 million vehicles will be all-electric.

Zotye Auto is a pioneer in the Chinese all-electric vehicle segment and was one of the first automakers to produce all-electric passenger vehicles in the country. It is the market leader in Chinas all-electric small vehicle segment. Zotyesold more than 16,000 all-electric vehicles through July this year, representing a growth of 56 percent year-over-year.

Vehicles produced would be sold under an indigenous brand owned by the new joint venture and would aim to capture a sizeable share of Chinas all-electric passenger vehicle market. Additional details, including information about the brand, products and production volumes, will be announced at a later date, pending a final definitive agreement and regulatory approvals.

The MoU between Zotye Auto and Ford opens the door for us to explore our cooperation in the development of clean energy vehicles, said Jin ZheYong, chairman and president, Anhui Zotye Automobile Co., Ltd., based in Huangshan, Anhui province This presents us with an exciting opportunity to leverage each others strengths in achieving a win-win situation for both parties growth in the fast-evolving Chinese electric vehicle market.

As part of its global electrification commitment, Ford has invested $4.5 billion to make electric vehicles that offer customers more capability, productivity and performance. Ford plans to introduce 13 new electrified vehicles globally in the next five years, including an all-electric small SUV to be sold in Asia, North America and Europe. Ford also recently announced an ambitious China electrification strategy and confirmed that 70 percent of all Ford vehicles sold in China will have electrified powertrain options by 2025.

The new 50:50 joint venture would be a major step forward in building on Fords electrification initiatives and will significantly expand Fords footprint in China, along with the companyssuccessful joint ventures, Changan Ford and Jiangling Motors Corporation.
Mitochondria. Credit: Wikipedia commons

A new in-vitro study by University of California, Davis, researchers indicates that quaternary ammonium compounds, or "quats," used as antimicrobial agents in common household products inhibit mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, as well as estrogenic functions in cells. Their findings will appear online Aug. 22 in Environmental Health Perspectives, a publication of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Quats are used as antiseptics in toothpastes, mouthwashes, lozenges, nasal sprays, eye drops, shampoos, lotions, intravaginal spermicidal sponges and household cleaners, to name a few.

"Disinfectants that we are putting on and in our bodies, and using in our environment, have been shown to inhibit mitochondrial energy production and the cellular estrogen response," said biochemist Gino Cortopassi in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "This raises concern because exposure to other mitochondrial-inhibiting drugs, such as rotenone and MPTP, is associated with increased risk for Parkinson's disease."

Quats derail energy in cells

The study surveyed a collection of 1,600 compounds and drugs in household and pharmaceutical use, with multiple measures of mitochondrial function, and found that quats as a class inhibited mitochondrial function and estrogen signaling.

Mitochondria are critical cell structures that generate energy. Like a train delivering its payload among stations, electrons pass through five stations of the mitochondria to produce maximal cell energy. If the train is derailed at any of those stops, it can't deliver its payload of energy down the line for the cell to use.

The group also found that quats, at the same concentrations that inhibited mitochondria, inhibited estrogen signaling in cells. Estrogen is a sex hormone responsible for secondary sexual characteristics in females.

"Because exposure to quats is also interrupting the sex hormone estrogen response in cells, it could also potentially cause reproductive harm in animals or humans, and others have shown that quats cause reproductive toxicity in animals," Cortopassi said.

From cells to mammals

While the work at UC Davis has been conducted in cells, not in mammals, a group of researchers at Virginia Tech accidentally discovered a few years ago that quat exposure through a laboratory disinfectant caused reproductive toxicity and reduced fertility in mice. They also recently demonstrated a link between quats and neural tube birth defects in both mice and rats.

"Our study in cells provides a mechanism for their observations in laboratory animals," said Sandipan Datta, a postdoctoral scholar in Cortopassi's laboratory. "They demonstrated that quat exposure caused reproductive toxicity in both females and males. The anti-estrogenic effects we see in cells could explain the female reproductive toxicity they observed, such as less estrus cycles and lower breeding rates."

Quats have been widely used as topical antiseptics and disinfectants since the 1940s. Other antiseptic compounds, such as triclosan, have been withdrawn from the market after research in animal models showed they may impair muscle function.

Some companies have been looking to replace triclosan with quats, Cortopassi said, with the idea that they may be creating a safer product. The research demonstrates that may not be the safest alternative.

Taking it to the next level

Cortopassi said it's important for his team to take this research to the next level in animal models. Additional studies are needed to determine how these chemicals may accumulate in tissues with regular use, and to understand if quat exposure affects health and disease in humans.

"This paper adds to the growing number of studies which find that quats may not be as safe as previously believed," said Terry Hrubec, associate professor at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Virginia, and not a co-author on this study. "The fact that six out of the 10 most potent mitochondrial inhibitors were quats shows that this class of chemicals likely affects living systems. The results from this study are concerning because almost everyone is exposed to quats on a regular basis."
The key to getting low-income patients to take their blood pressure medications as prescribed may be as simple as a conversation. Low-income patients with high blood pressure were less likely to take their medications as directed when their healthcare providers did not use a collaborative communication style or ask them about social issues such as employment, housing and partner relationships, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation: Quality and Outcomes.

Patients not taking high blood pressure medication as directed plays a major role in the continued problem of poorly controlled high blood pressure, a significant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Researchers found that patients were three times less likely to take their high blood pressure medications when their providers did not possess a collaborative communication style such as asking open-ended questions and checking their understanding of instructions. Patients were also six times less likely to take their medications as prescribed when a healthcare provider did not ask them about social issues such as employment, housing and partner relationships.

"When healthcare providers ask patients about life challenges or take the time to check their patient's understanding of instructions, it signals that their healthcare provider genuinely cares about them and provides the motivation and confidence to manage their health issues on their own," said Antoinette Schoenthaler, Ed.D., lead author for the study and an associate professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine in New York City.

The researchers audiotaped interactions between 92 patients and 27 providers over a three-month period from three practices that serve a multi-ethnic, low-income population in New York City. One office visit for each patient was audiotaped.

The majority of the patients were black, unemployed and reported some college education. Fifty-eight percent of patients were women and most were seeing the same provider for at least one year. The providers (56 percent white; 67 percent women) have been in practice for an average of 5.8 years. The researchers measured whether patients took their medications during the three-month study period through the use of an electronic monitoring device that recorded the time and date each time they opened the pill bottle.

The researchers found striking differences in medication adherence between the black and white patients. Overall, black patients were more likely to have poor adherence to their blood pressure medications compared to white patients. Moreover, compared to the overall patient population, non-adherence was more pronounced with black patients when social issues were not discussed (eight times less likely to take medication as prescribed compared to six).

"Healthcare providers should talk to patients about the things that get in the way of taking their medication, such as relationship status, employment and housing. Unemployment, for example, affects whether patients can afford medication, which is a primary risk factor for non-adherence. If these issues go undiscussed, healthcare providers may never figure out why patients are not taking their medications," said Schoenthaler.

She suggested healthcare providers work with community health workers, nurses or medical assistants, to help identify resources for patients who have difficulty taking their medications.
The rate at which people are being prescribed opioids to treat pain in Ontario has stabilized while the amount of drugs they receive has declined considerably, according to a new report by Tara Gomes, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Credit: St. Michael's Hospital

The rate at which people are being prescribed opioids to treat pain in Ontario has stabilized while the amount of drugs they receive has declined considerably, a new report has found. However, nearly 40 per cent of long-acting opioids prescribed to people already using opioids to treat pain still had daily doses that exceeded new national guidelines.

The report released today by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network said that despite these encouraging trends, opioid use patterns still varied widely across Ontario. And although opioids are being prescribed for pain similarly across all incomes, those seeking treatment for opioid addiction and those dying of an opioid-related overdose were still disproportionately from lower socio-economic groups.

"The findings of this report suggest that recent prescribing patterns may be shifting toward safer practices such as dispensing smaller quantities of opioids," said Tara Gomes, a principal investigator for the research network and a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. "However, we still see important differences in access to opioids to treat both pain and addiction across the province and in certain low-income populations."

Gomes said the report was the first to link data from the Narcotics Monitoring System, which was created in 2012 to capture all prescription opioids issued in Ontario, to information from other health databases to obtain detailed information about characteristics of opioid users, including income levels and other use of health-care services. For the first time they were able to look at people of all ages regardless of why they were prescribed an opioid (for pain, for addiction treatment or for cough) and regardless of how they paid for it (themselves, private insurance or the government). Most previous studies have been based on individuals eligible for the Ontario Drug Benefits Program, who are over 65 and generally have a low income and pre-existing health issues.

The report found the number of people prescribed an opioid remained relatively constant over the past five years. In 2016, 1.95 million, or one in seven Ontarians were treated with an opioid.

The total volume of opioids dispensed fell, driven by an 18 per cent reduction in opioids used to treat pain since January 2015. This reduction was primarily among long-acting opioids such as fentanyl and some forms of oxycodone, a group of drugs designed to be released slowly into the bloodstream to provide long-term pain relief. Gomes said this might be the result of new health initiatives and clinical guidelines to doctors and pharmacists on the safe use and monitoring of opioids. However, she also warned that ongoing evaluation was needed to ensure that patients are having their doses reduced safely.

The report also found that nearly 40 per cent of long-acting opioid prescriptions dispensed to people already using opioids to treat pain had daily doses that exceeded thresholds in 2017 Canadian guideline for opioid use in chronic non-cancer pain. Gomes said that this number is likely even higher because long-term opioid users are often treated with both long-acting and immediate-release opioids, which could lead even more people to exceed the guidelines' dose thresholds.

Other key findings:

Breakdown of why opioids are prescribed

The report found 11.9 per cent of Ontarians (one in eight) were prescribed an opioid for pain; 2.3 per cent (one in 43) for cough suppression and 0.4 per cent (one in 243) for opioid addiction treatment in 2016.

Disproportionate burden on the poor

Opioid use to treat pain or cough was evenly distributed across income brackets, while those receiving opioids for addiction therapy were concentrated in lower incomes. Past research by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network has shown that opioid-related deaths are concentrated in lower incomes, suggesting that these populations may be more vulnerable to the negative consequences of opioid use.

Geographic differences

People dispensed an opioid to treat pain or addictions were concentrated in northwestern and rural regions in Ontario.

The North Bay Parry Sound and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Health Units had the highest per cent of residents receiving opioids for pain, 17.4 per cent of residents each.

The highest percentages of people dispensed opioids to treat addiction were in Thunder Bay District (2.2 per cent of residents), Northwestern Ontario (1.4 per cent) and Lambton, North Bay Parry Sound, and Sudbury and District, each at one per cent.

Generally, areas with the fewest people given opioids for addiction were those in which the fewest people were given opioids for pain. However, some regions with high opioid use for addiction treatment had only moderate prescribing for pain, suggesting that illicitly obtained opioids may be large contributors to opioid addiction in these areas.

Trends in addiction treatment

The number and rate of Ontarians being prescribed opioids to treat addiction are increasing, largely because of the increase in the use of the drugs buprenorphine and naloxone, especially in some northern areas. Although methadone has historically been the first line treatment for opioid use disorder in Ontario, it must be prescribed by a specially licensed physician.

Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District, Windsor Essex County and Porcupine Health Unit had among the highest percentage of residents dispensed opioids for pain, but the percentages of residents being treated for addiction were only moderate. Moreover, those three areas had above average rates of opioid-related deaths compared with the rest of the province. These facts could suggest poor access to addiction treatment services in those areas.
Last but not least, it should be noted that a model of nuclear-powered CATOBAR aircraft carrier is being showcased in the new "Navy" hall of the Chinese military museum in Beijing. An AEW&C and some stealth UAVs are present on the flight deck.



Difficult to say today if the exhibit is representative and to what extent, but we nevertheless know that China is not only working on ways to counter carrier strike groups, but is also willing to aquire its own.



If delivery of Type 001A, the second aircraft carrier, to the Chinese navy is expected for Q3 2019 and likely 2023 for the third one (the second one built in China, featuring CATOBAR arrangement with conventional propulsion) nothing is clear regarding a potential nuclear-powered aircraft carrier project, even if such a propulsion system is already being studied.
Reuters: National Bank of Ukraine prepares banking system for power outages

Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin calls for Turkey to be recognized as sponsor of terrorism

Bloomberg columnist says Japan may be preparing for war with China

Reuters: U.S. to demand EU colleagues to continue aid to Kyiv at G20

Washington Post: U.S. intelligence believes UAE tried to interfere in U.S. politics

Yeni Safak: Turkey increases sales of winter products, blankets in EU by almost third since beginning of year

Fox News: Trump has been silent on social media for over 24 hours amid Republican failures

Lebanon extradites to Iraq relative of Saddam Hussein

Financial Times: Kyiv plans to nationalize more private companies

U.S. Senate declares 'death' of Republican Party after congressional elections

Head of U.S. Customs resigned

President of Georgia Zourabichvili says about 100 thousand Russians settled in country

CNN: Democrats to retain control of Senate after congressional elections

Alen Simonyan: We are truly and sincerely committed to the peace agenda

Artak Beglaryan: Genocidal purpose is apparent

French maritime services rescue more than 140 migrants trying to swim across English Channel

Biden says he is satisfied with results of midterm elections in U.S.

Slovenia holds second round of presidential elections

'Witch' burned alive in India, 14 arrested

COVID-19 cases are expected to surge in Germany this winter

Dollar makes worst showing in week since early days of COVID-19 pandemic

Macron confirms France's readiness to support normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku

Germany withdraws from Energy Charter Treaty

Is Jordan country that has not supplied arms to Armenia?: 'The press usually has reliable information'

European Commission approves nationalization of Russian Gazprom's German subsidiary

Pashinyan: If the state interferes with the exchange rate unnecessarily, the economy will only suffer

U.S. to work with strategic coalition of Southeast Asian countries

Armenian PM: To reform army, it is necessary to make military service more attractive

Putin and Raisi discuss topical issues of the bilateral agenda

Blinken: Ukraine must decide on timing and content of any talks with Russia

Catholicos expresses hope that Russia efforts will contribute to ensuring free, safe life of Artsakh Armenians

More than 50 of poorest developing countries are on brink of bankruptcy, says UN official

Armenia ex-ombudsman: We are facing serious national security issues (PHOTOS)

Biden has no plans to meet with Saudi crown prince at G20 summit

EU offers natural gas price cap assurances amid disagreements with member countries

Scholz is against establishment of ceasefire in Ukraine on Kremlin's terms

Turkologist: Turkey does not support agenda of achieving peace with Armenians

Sweden to not permit deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory after joining NATO

Erdogan signs decree on appointing Turkey ambassador to Israel

Information security expert: Some Armenia officials received letter that they were victims of national hackers attack

Armenia FM meets with France minister of foreign trade

Foreign Policy: US to resume nuclear arms control talks with Russia

Armenia opposition MP: Artsakh army reduction is impermissible

Biden to warn Chinas Xi that North Korea path could lead to increase in US military presence

US Treasury chief: India can buy as much Russian oil as it wants

Newspaper: Armenia authorities trying to find legal grounds for signing peace treaty

Newspaper: People of Karabakh not going to tolerate final destruction of their army

Texas woman sentenced to death for killing pregnant woman, removing fetus from victim

Van Gogh's painting sold for a record $117 million

Gentiloni: EU countries have accumulated enough gas to get through the coming winter

Several dozen activists detained at protest rally in Baku: They chant slogans 'Freedom!', 'Resign!'

Princess Haya seeks asylum in Wales

Pashinyan: Iran is concerned about the presence of other actors in our region, which are not in the territory of Armenia

Pashinyan: Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan listened to presented proposals

Volvo reveals its flagship EX90 electric crossover

Pashinyan: Yerevan supports Russia's proposals for Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement

Pashinyan: Russia cannot withdraw from Karabakh unless it creates additional guarantees for peacekeeping mission

Pashinyan: We will do everything to Armenia-Azerbaijan sign peace treaty by end of year

Russia bans entry of Biden's family and White House press secretary

Pashinyan: We believe there should be a dialogue between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh

Pashinyan says positions voiced by some member countries of CSTO are unacceptable

19 countries that use euro currency will slide into recession over winter

Pashinyan to Baku: If 1991 border is mutually recognized, what are your troops doing near Jermuk?

Pashinyan: If the Karabakh issue is solved, why is Azerbaijani Armed Forces shooting at Karabakh residents?

Pashinyan: Russia should say whether their version of peace settlement is still circulating?

Pashinyan: Maybe Azerbaijan doesn't want Armenia to receive revenues?

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan must withdraw its troops from Armenia

Pashinyan: My yesterday's speech served its purpose, Azerbaijani MFA no longer uses 'corridor' term

Microsoft founder Paul Allen's collection of world masterpieces sold for $1.6 billion

Public TV of Armenia hosts Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan

China shows drone killer

Armenian FM meets his French counterpart

Rishi Sunak decides to close hole in British budget through austerity

Delegation of Russian MPs visits Jermuk resort town

Lavrov and Mirzoyan discuss regional agenda

Harut Sasunyan: The best way to achieve peace is to be prepared for war

Turkish prosecutor demands court to ban Istanbul mayor from political activities

German business leaders warn against leaving China

Sasunyan: Russia and US pursue their own interests in South Caucasus

British economy shrinks in three months, foretelling prolonged recession
We are persistently going toward signing a new agreement with the European Union (EU).

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan of Armenia on Monday told the aforesaid to reporters, after the opening of the 15th annual Baze (Falcon) Pan-Armenian Youth Gathering in Tsakhkadzor.

When asked whether the scenario in September 2013 will repeat and Armenia will yet again not sign a new agreement with the EU, the PM responded: We [Armenia] are going [toward] signing. Is it possible that the developments could be such that it will not be signed? I dont see at this time. But its a process, which are negotiations. For that reason, are we persistently going [toward signing], or not? We are going [toward it] very persistently.
International meeting on Syrian settlement may be held in mid September in Astana, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said.

Russia, Turkey and Iran plan to hold a technical expert meeting by the end of August to determine the agenda and the date of a new meeting within the framework of Astana settlement process, he said referring to the information provided by Russia, TASS reported.

The fifth international meeting in Astana was held on July 4-5. The delegations of the guarantor countries of the ceasefire regime (Russia, Turkey and Iran), the government of Syria and the Syrian armed opposition, the special representative of the UN Secretary General Staffan de Mistura, as well as representatives of Jordan and the United States as observers participated in the negotiations.

In a joint final statement, Russia, Turkey and Iran officially consolidated the creation of a joint working group on de-escalation in Syria in accordance with the previously adopted memorandum.
An Armenian from Glendale, 37-year-old Artashes Darbinyan who masterminded a $1.66 million mass-mailing scam targeting trademark applicants was sentenced to eight years in prison, Los Angeles Daily News reported.

Judge ordered Darbinyan to serve three years in supervised release following his release from prison and pay a share of nearly $1.6 million in restitution.

Prosecutors asked for 15 years of imprisonment for the defendant, but the defense attorney Lara Yeretsian argued that the 37-year-old defendant had suffered from years of alcohol and drug addiction which led to the criminal activity.

In December, 2016, Darbinyan pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering charges. For a $385 fee, the companies promised to monitor for possible infringement and send reports to the client. Instead, Darbinyan opened bogus accounts, in which he and a co-defendant deposited or cashed checks sent by the trademark holders.
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"If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it." -- Marcus Aurelius

Danger and Opportunity

Many folks across the nation were excited by the rare opportunity to witness a solar eclipse on Monday. Trading slowed to a crawl. That event dominated the news cycle -- that is, until the president's planned national address on Monday evening. We said days ago, in this space, that the president had to speak to the nation. He did not go about it quite the way we had hoped, but he did come across as very presidential. He stuck to his teleprompter, and he stuck to his already prepared speech, leaving little room for error. The president spoke of war.

On Monday night, President Trump announced his intention to ramp up the fight against the Taliban and other extremist forces in Afghanistan. The president wisely chose not to speak of troop levels, or military operations, but was clear when he stated "We will fight to win". The president also indicated that the U.S. would try to pressure Pakistan into a greater role in fighting terrorism, as well expand U.S. ties to India. Currently there are roughly 8,000 U.S. troops in the country, down from 100,000 six years ago. Those 8,000 serve alongside 4,600 troops from other NATO allied nations.

This is a change in direction for this president, and he acknowledged the flip-flop on policy. I have my own opinions on this policy change. They matter not, publicly. What matters to you, if you are reading me, is how to turn a buck. The defense and aerospace industry seems like the natural place to look. I would imagine that you are likely to see a pop across that space this morning in response to this speech, just as you did late yesterday when the contents of this speech started to leak.

From my own vantage point, I came into yesterday's events already long Lockheed Martin (LMT) - Get Free Report , Raytheon (RTN) - Get Free Report , and Kratos Defense (KTOS) - Get Free Report . Other names that scream for attention would be Boeing (BA) - Get Free Report , General Dynamics (GD) - Get Free Report , and Northrup Grumman (NOC) - Get Free Report . News has also broken over the last few hours that BA and NOC would benefit from contracts to update the nation's intercontinental ballistic missiles, and while LMT would not be a part of that deal, the company had won a $427 million contract to provide ancillary military equipment for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Will I add to my longs today? Probably not on the bounce that I expect, but I would not mind adding if and when the names that I am already long come in just a bit. This is one area where waiting to buy additional exposure below already established net basis costs may prove difficult.

Let's not forget, outside of expanding the effort in the Afghanistan/Pakistan theater, there are still ongoing operations in Iraq, in Syria, as well as what seems like a permanently difficult evolving situation in Korea. Then there's the recent U.S. Navy's navigational problems that will require a serious look at the technology used in that space.

The bottom line is that President Trump's initial 2018 budget called for a 9% increase in defense spending. Defense as a group currently trades at a broad 20 times next year's projected earnings. The S&P 500 trades at an approximate 17 times. That 20 times could end up being low, in my humble opinion, as the intent that creates the need is surely going to be there.

The unspoken rumor is that there is a plan to increase U.S. ground troops in the country to 12,000. That's just a token show of force, and the primary role of such a small group would remain advisory in nature. The investment here will, in my opinion be in manned and unmanned aircraft. Take it from there.

Mergers and Acquisitions

WTI crude rolled back off the table yesterday, declining 2.3% to trade at $47.39 a barrel. This came after short coverings took crude higher late last week, and prior to a small pop in futures pricing this morning. Adding to this spate of volatility were comments made by Kuwaiti oil minister Essam al-Marzouq. The Kuwaiti official indicated that the OPEC meeting scheduled for this November will be a time of decision on whether to extend or simply to terminate the production cuts agreed to last year, and extended in May.

Despite what some might call obvious cheating, and suddenly slipping rig counts in the U.S., oil prices have not been able to tackle apparent levels of resistance. This is with the help of a U.S. dollar that has significantly weakened this year too. The doorway to higher prices that was once seen at $55 a barrel has gradually eroded, and now stands between $50 and $51.

There is some hope for the long and wrong crowd, however. I am sure that most of you noticed the news yesterday that French oil giant Total SA (TOT) - Get Free Reporthad agreed to purchase the oil unit of Moeller-Maersk for a hair under $5 billion. Total would also assume $2.5 billion worth of oil related debt, pushing the commitment to $7.45 billion. There was other related news yesterday.

You may have missed news regarding Russian oil giant Rosneft. That firm, in partnership with Switzerland's Trafigura, finalized their takeover of India's debt laden Essar Oil in a $13 billion transaction. This deal was first announced back in October, and had to cut through more than its fair share of red tape in order to get done.

Has the energy space stabilized enough to trigger further consolidation across the oil and natural gas industries? Big oil has adjusted to sub $50 to some degree. Many companies are now able to generate cash. There have been more than $73 billion worth of deals in this space across North America in 2017, mostly under the radar. Shale producers, mostly small in nature, have until very recently pushed for market share, given the freezes enacted by global competition and their own lower breakeven points.

Still, many of these firms remain heavily in debt. A way for the big guys to lower their own breakeven points by assuming debt they feel that they can handle? We'll see. I have suggested getting your own longs in the energy space down to levels that do not further injure your own risk tolerance profile. I do not endorse, or rather, I will not be getting out of the space completely. Long-term investor? I'd rather the take-'em crowd showed up.

One More Thing

Gold has been flirting with the $1300 a troy ounce level. This is huge. There is expected to be significant resistance here. The purchasing of gold futures contracts by hedge funds and speculators has surged over the past month or so. I have long given you $1305 as a crucial spot for physical gold on the charts. After finding resistance at these levels in both April and June, this remains so. You all know that I have supported a 7.5% allocation toward the precious metal, and that I prefer the physical to other forms.

A take-and-hold of the $1305 level would, in my opinion, be significant, and probably indicate a reduction in expectations for U.S. currency valuations. This is the one thing that could provoke me to increase the allocation in this direction from 7.5% to 10% -- which, by the way, would be the highest it has ever been.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin looks like a gigantic bubble says one veteran forecaster.

Macro

08:55 - Redbook (Weekly):Last Week 2.5% y/y. Same store sales across the retail space have been stronger on a year-over-year basis since the start of June. While we would really like to see a print that starts with a 3, these run of growth in the mid-2% range is a huge improvement from what we saw over the two years prior.

09:00 - FHFA HPI (June):Expecting 0.5%, May 0.4% m/m. This House Price Index comes first, but traders will not focus on this one. Traders will pay attention one week from today, when Case-Shiller goes to the tape with their data. This particular item only considers data on single family homes with mortgages backed by Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae. This market watchers consider it representative of a narrower slice of the housing market than its competitor.

10:00 - Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index (August):Expecting 11, July 14. This is now the third regional manufacturing survey that we'll see for August. New York crushed, and Philadelphia met expectations at the headline. Both saw strength in new orders, which is precisely where growth is most necessary in any manufacturing data.

Sarge's Trading Levels

These are my levels to watch today for where I think that the S&P 500, and the Russell 2000 might either pause or turn.

SPX: 2447, 2439, 2431, 2420, 2411, 2404

RUT: 1376, 1369, 1361, 1352, 1341, 1335

Today's Earnings Highlights (Consensus EPS Expectations)

Before the Open: COTY ($0.09), DSW ($0.20), MDT ($1.08), TOL ($0.68)

After the Close: INTU ($0.17), LZB ($0.29), CRM ($0.32), ZTO ($0.94)

Get Morning Recon delivered directly to your inbox each market day. Click here to sign up for e-mail delivery of Stephen "Sarge" Guilfoyle's Morning Recon, Jim Cramer's Daily Booyah! or other great free newsletters from TheStreet.

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:

At the time of publication, Stephen Guilfoyle was long LMT, RTN, KTOS, although positions may change at any time.
FDA Eyes Opioids in Kids' Medicines

Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb announced that FDA's Pediatric Advisory Committee will meet soon to focus on the use of prescription opioid products containing hydrocodone or codeine for the treatment of cough in pediatric patients.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said the Food and Drug Administration is carefully evaluating prescription opioid medications that are approved to treat children's coughing.

"There's perhaps no more important mandate that we have at the FDA than safeguarding the health and safety of children. For that reason, I believe it's important that parents and health care providers have the best information available to inform the decisions they make about a child's health," he said in a statement released Aug. 21. "There are few more common decisions that parents and providers are asked to make than the question of how to appropriately treat a childs cough and cold symptoms. Sometimes symptoms can be severe enough that prescription medication is needed, but some of these medications pose their own risks  especially for younger children  because they may contain opioids. Other times medication might not be necessary at all."

He explained that during a roundtable earlier this year, FDA heard from professional groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, about the use of cough suppressants, in particular opioid cough suppressants, on children. "Some of the key points focused on determining the right treatment based on the length and severity of the symptoms, as well as treating whats causing the symptoms, rather than just quieting the cough. And depending on the situation, representatives suggested that other medications or non-drug therapies may be more appropriate," he said.

He announced that FDA's Pediatric Advisory Committee will meet soon to focus on the use of prescription opioid products containing hydrocodone or codeine for the treatment of cough in pediatric patients, "including current treatment practices and benefit-risk considerations."

"It is vital we understand the potential complications that can occur when using opioid-containing medications in children, even according to labeled instructions," Gottlieb said. "This is an area that the agency is continuing to evaluate. As part of these efforts, the FDA announced required changes in April 2017 to the labeling of prescription codeine products in order to help better protect children from serious risks associated with these opioid medications, including life-threatening respiratory depression and death. Those changes include adding a contraindication to drug labels alerting that codeine should not be used for any reason, including treatment of cough, in children younger than 12 years. The FDA has also provided tips for consumers on how to safely treat a childs cold as most young children do not need medicines to treat a cough or cold. Caregivers should read labels on non-prescription cough and cold products that may be sold over the counter as these products may contain codeine or may not be appropriate for young children. The FDA is also funding research to develop comprehensive, consumer-centered approaches on best practices for the safe use of pediatric cough and cold medications generally  not just those that contain an opioid."
To get from Point A to Point B along a myriad of possible metabolic pathways, a new, fast pathway-identification algorithm using alternate integer linear programming improves computational efficiency by orders of magnitude. Credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Scientists need a systematic understanding of cellular functioning to metabolically engineer microbes that produce biofuels and other high-value products, and to design drugs that combat pathogens and cancers. Metabolic networks are highly complex, however, so researchers computationally break them down into simplified metabolic pathways in order to analyze function. Think of the complex network of roads between New York City and Seattle. The simplified pathways help determine an optimum route.

But imagine confronting the entire United States map in search of a route, where every road and alternate route is an unmarked candidate pathway. Such computational complexity puts a strain on the current tools for analyzing complex metabolic networks.

A new paper written by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory computational biologist Hyun-Seob Song and three colleagues proposes a novel optimization approach that leads to a remarkable reduction in computation time.

Identifying All Possible Alternative Paths

For calculating metabolic pathways, their proposed alternate integer linear programming (AILP) reduces computation time by orders of magnitude compared to the commonly used mixed integer linear programming (MILP). It enables all possible alternative paths in a given network to be systematically identified, a key measure for evaluating the robustness of metabolic networks.

AILP also provides a new conceptual basis for analyzing other biological network systems, including biogeochemical reaction networks and interspecies interaction networks. Extended, the new algorithm could in the future be used to analyze complex networks of any kind, including electricity and water distribution systems.

Benefits to Bioengineering and Biomedicine

It is important to analyze metabolic pathways for bioengineering and biomedical applications. Such analyses, obtained by creating simpler pathway units, can be used to design new industrially useful microorganisms or to develop drugs that target specific metabolic reactions in pathogens or cancer cells.

However, computing such metabolic pathways from genome-scale metabolic networks all at one time is practically impossible. "The number in genome-scale metabolic networks is truly high - millions to billions," said lead author Song. "Therefore it is very challenging to calculate them simultaneously."

At present, scientists use algorithmic optimization methods to sequentially calculate simplified metabolic pathways through iteration. But the efficiency of mixed integer linear programing (MILP), the most common iterative method, quickly declines the more an iteration goes on.

That's because it has to simultaneously "solve" both the integer and linear programing of a given network - two optimization problems at one time. "As the number builds up," said Song, "the computational burden of MILP increases exponentially."

Splitting Computational Steps

Song and collaborators from the United States, India, and Israel propose a new method of sequential computation. Their alternate integer linear programming (AILP) splits MILP into two separate computational steps, integer programming and linear programming. That makes the problem of computing metabolic pathways from complex networks composed of thousands of reactions doable.

To demonstrate the efficiency of AILP compared to MILP, the researchers used genome-scale networks of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and E. coli.

The original motivation for the algorithm was to more efficiently identify metabolic pathways, which on the genome scale are explosively complicated. But Song envisions a day when variants of the AILP algorithm are used to analyze complex networks outside of biology, including transit systems, water delivery networks, and energy supply systems.

In what Song called a "nice bonus," the new algorithm also calculates - without any extra computational time - "minimal cut sets" within metabolic pathways. Those are the key points along a pathway that, if cut or blocked, stop the operation of the whole network. Identifying cut sets could provide researchers with metabolic target points, where a gene or protein could be deactivated in order to stop the growth of a cancer cell or a pathogen.

Song and his collaborators are now busy extending their method to nonlinear problems in order to apply AILP to complex network systems elsewhere in science and engineering.

More information: Hyun-Seob Song et al. Sequential computation of elementary modes and minimal cut sets in genome-scale metabolic networks using alternate integer linear programming, Bioinformatics (2017). DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btx171 Journal information: Bioinformatics
ETH Zurich researchers study bacteria that can use methanol (CH3OH) as a carbon source. Credit: ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich researchers have identified all the genes required by a bacterium to use methanol as a food source. The results will help scientists advance the use of this resource in the field of biotechnology.

Many chemists are currently researching how small carbon molecules, such as methane and methanol, can be used to generate larger molecules. The earth is naturally rich in methane, and artificial processes like the fermentation of biomass in biogas plants also produce it in abundance. Methanol can be generated from methane. Both are simple molecules containing only a single carbon atom. However, using them to produce larger molecules with several carbon atoms is complex.

While challenging for chemists, bacteria learned long ago to build large molecules out of small ones: Some bacteria use methanol as a carbon source in order to create energy carriers and cellular building material. They live primarily on plant leaves and occur in large numbers on every leaf. The bacterium most extensively researched is called Methylobacterium extorquens. A team led by Julia Vorholt, Professor of Microbiology, has now identified all the genes required by this bacterium to live on methanol.

Bacteria utilize a plant waste product

"Plant leaves are a natural source of methanol, which is produced as a waste product during plant cell wall biosynthesis," explains Vorholt. Much like a hybrid car can be fuelled by either petrol or electricity, Methylobacterium extorquens can use either larger carbon molecules (such as carboxylic acids) or methanol from plants as a nutrient, depending on availability. "When using methanol, the bacteria construct all the complex chemical compounds they need using this small molecule. This is an extraordinary accomplishment," says Vorholt.

As the scientists have now been able to demonstrate, Methylobacterium extorquens has nearly 150 genes that it needs specifically to grow on methanol. Of these, 95 had not been known before.

In order to find these genes, Vorholt's group worked together with the group of Beat Christen, Professor of Experimental Systems Biology, to create about a million bacterial mutants. These were placed in a culture medium with methanol on one hand, and in a normal nutrient medium containing succinic acid on the other hand. The researchers were looking for mutants that grew normally in the usual medium, but poorly or not at all when fed with medium containing only methanol. This allowed the scientists to identify when specific genes required for using methanol had been damaged.

"The method allowed us to determine whether any given gene in the bacterium was needed for methanol-based growth or not. This ultimately allowed us to identify all of the required genes," explains Andrea Ochsner, doctoral student in Vorholt's group and the first author of the study published in the journal Current Biology.

Signal for switch to methanol mode

The researchers were particularly surprised by one of the genes detected using this method. The gene was previously known from plants and bacteria that metabolize CO2 from the air, but Methylobacterium extorquens does not do this. The gene provides the instructions for an enzyme that produces a sugar crucial for CO2 use.

The researchers could now demonstrate that Methylobacterium extorquens is also able to produce this sugar when it encounters methanol. However, In contrast to plants, the bacterium does not use this sugar as a cellular building material. Instead, the scientists believe that it is used as a signal in order to switch to methanol consumption.

After uncovering the significance of this particular gene, the scientists now want to further investigate the other newly identified genes.

New abilities of microorganisms

Studying the genetics of Methylobacterium extorquens is also valuable for biotechnology. The bacterium is already used in research laboratories to produce complex molecules. The new results could help scientists manipulate the bacterium in order to create desired molecules in greater quantities.

Since all the genes relevant for methanol-based growth have now been identified, it may also be possible to introduce these genes into other microorganisms, allowing them to use methanol  and thus enable various biotechnical applications for this resource in the future.

More information: Andrea M. Ochsner et al. Transposon Sequencing Uncovers an Essential Regulatory Function of Phosphoribulokinase for Methylotrophy, Current Biology (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.07.025 Journal information: Current Biology
Collecting leachate from a capped landfill site. Credit: Bangor University

Far from being a load of rubbish, landfill sites should be considered one of the great untapped resources in the search for new enzymes for biotechnology, and could fuel more efficient biofuel production.

A new research paper in mSphere by biologists at Bangor and Liverpool universities has for the first time identified the enzymes which degrade natural materials such as paper and clothing in landfill sites.

James McDonald, from Bangor University's School of Biological Sciences, who led the research said:

"There is a current impetus to search for new enzymes to improve biomass conversion processes. Our hypothesis is that, due to the volume of waste materials they hold, landfill sites represent a repository of unexplored biomass-degrading diversity. There is significant potential to identify new enzymes of ecological and biological significance."

Cellulose and lignin occur naturally in plant-based materials and take longer to decompose than other waste products. As a result of this, the majority of landfill waste consists of lignin and cellulose. In their plant form, they can be used as the basis for biofuel production, and identifying more effective enzymes for this process would improve the yield from this source.

Electron micrograph of microbes from a landfill site colonising and degrading cellulose. Credit: Bangor University

Scientists have been searching for a number of years for the most effective enzymes which break down the cellulose and lignin within the residual natural fibres. The obvious place to search has been in the rumen of sheep and cows, who eat grasses, and the guts of also other plant eaters such as elephants and termites.

Surprisingly perhaps, landfill sites share many of the same characteristics as the digestive systems of these animals: they are dark, anoxic or un-oxygenated spaces, with a high content of cellulose. It was therefore to landfill sites, which are artificially created 'systems', that this group of scientists turned to find new plant-degrading enzymes.

Within in the paper, the authors describe how they used the liquid or 'leachate' within landfill sites as a source of microbes to decompose cotton, and analysed not only the families or taxa of bacteria, but also identified which bacteria produce groups of enzymes to degrade cellulose.

Emma Ransom-Jones, a postdoctoral researcher at Bangor University, and lead author of the study said:

"Understanding exactly how the cellulose and lignin decompose, and the sources of the active enzymes in the process will enable us to determine ways to improve the degradation of waste in landfill sites, and potentially use this as a source for biofuel production."

More information: Emma Ransom-Jones et al. Lignocellulose-Degrading Microbial Communities in Landfill Sites Represent a Repository of Unexplored Biomass-Degrading Diversity, mSphere (2017). DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00300-17
Credit: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore

A*STAR and NTU researchers have created a thin film material that allows them to control the size and density of magnetic skyrmions. In addition, they have also achieved electrical detection of these skyrmions. The fabrication process for these films is compatible with current industrial methods. This discovery is a breakthrough and is a key step towards the creation of a skyrmion-based memory device, which is one of the promising contenders for the next generation of memory technologies.

The discovery has been recently published in Nature Materials.

Skyrmions are small particle-like magnetic structures about 400 times smaller than a red blood cell. They can be created in magnetic materials, and their stability at small sizes makes them ideal candidates for memory devices. Since the discovery of room temperature skyrmions in 2015, there has been a global race to create a skyrmion memory device because such a device could potentially hold more information, while using less power.

The need for more memory

Increasingly large amounts of data are created daily in our rapidly digitalised world. Moreover, cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IOT), edge computing, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) require immediate processing of this data for effective performance. This requires the development of memory devices with increasingly higher capacities.

The capacity of current memory and computing devices has been doubling every two years. This increase in memory density has been achieved by shrinking the size of Schematic depiction of an array of magnetic skyrmions individual memory bits. Think of each memory device as a Go board, and each memory bit as a game piece. The number of game pieces that can be placed on each board is limited by their size. To increase the number of pieces that can be fit into the same board, the size of the pieces needs to be smaller. By shrinking a game piece to half its size, four times as many game pieces can fit onto the board.

However, current technology is reaching its limits of miniaturizing memory bits. Scaling it down further using current methods would cause the memory devices to be more prone to temperature fluctuations  which affects how well a device retains data. "This discovery is a crucial step towards the development of a skyrmion-based memory device. It could place Singapore at the forefront of next-generation memory technology and storage solutions," said Dr Anjan Soumyanarayanan, lead author of the paper and one of the A*STAR researchers behind the discovery.

More information: Anjan Soumyanarayanan et al, Tunable room-temperature magnetic skyrmions in Ir/Fe/Co/Pt multilayers, Nature Materials (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nmat4934 Journal information: Nature Materials
Baby lemur twins Nemesis and Narcissa were the product of a breeding program developed by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums to preserve the future genetic health of North Americas captive ring-tailed lemurs. Their mother Sophia was among 62 ring-tailed lemurs recommended for breeding across 20 institutions nationwide in 2016. Credit: David Haring, Duke Lemur Center

Careful matchmaking can restore genetic diversity for endangered lemurs in captivity, researchers report.

Ring-tailed lemurs born at the Duke Lemur Center have seen a recent infusion of new genetic material at key genes involved in the immune response, finds a new study.

Thanks to a long-term collaborative breeding program that transfers animals between institutions to preserve genetic diversity, genetic variation at one region was restored to levels seen in the wild.

The findings, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, are important for the ability of future generations to fight disease.

Distant primate cousins with long black-and-white striped tails, ring-tailed lemurs live on the African island of Madagascar and nowhere else except in zoos and other captive facilities.

Some studies suggest that as few as 2,500 ring-tailed lemurs live in the wild today. Habit loss, hunting and the illegal pet trade have reduced their numbers by at least 50 percent in recent decades.

An additional estimated 2,500 ring-tailed lemurs live in zoos around the world, where experts work to maintain their genetic health in captivity.

The researchers studied DNA sequence variation at a region of the major histocompatibility complex, or MHC, a part of the genome that helps the immune system identify disease-causing bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Because different MHC gene variants recognize different types of pathogens, greater MHC diversity means animals are able to fend off a wider array of invaders.

The researchers estimated the number of MHC variants in 121 captive individuals born at the Duke Lemur Center and the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Zoos between 1980 and 2010.

They also compared them with 180 wild individuals from southwestern Madadgascar at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, where the animals regularly interbreed with lemurs from nearby forests.

Not surprisingly, MHC diversity was lower in captivity than in the wild.

An arranged marriage between ring-tailed lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina produced healthy twins Griselda and Hedwig in 2016. The infants are among 40 to 60 ring-tailed lemur infants born in North American zoos and other facilities each year. Credit: David Haring, Duke Lemur Center

Today's captive ringtails came from a small group of ancestors that carried only a small fraction of the total genetic variation found in the larger wild population. Since their establishment, gene flow between captive populations and wild lemurs has been restricted.

Overall, the researchers found 20 unique MHC variants in the captive population, fewer than half the number in their wild counterparts.

However, efforts to identify good genetic matches across dozens of institutions have helped to preserve and even improve upon the diversity that is left.

For infants born at the Duke Lemur Center, MHC gene diversity remained low but stable for three decades from 1980 to 2010, then increased significantly from 2010 to 2013, researchers found.

Genetic contributions from several transplants contributed to the comeback.

The American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) tries to maintain a genetically healthy population by moving animals between institutions as potential mates. A team of experts uses computer software to help pick the best pairs for breeding.

Between 1980 and 2013, more than 1,160 ring-tailed lemurs were transferred between 217 institutions in North America alone.

In 2009, a male named Randy was transferred from the Saint Louis Zoo to the Duke Lemur Center for pairing with Sprite, a resident female. Experts also brought a mother-daughter pair, Schroeder and Leisl from the Zoo at Chehaw in Georgia, as potential mates for a resident male named Aracus.

"They saw an immediate improvement in the diversity of the offspring that were born," said lead author Kathleen Grogan, who conducted the study while working on a doctorate with co-author Christine Drea at Duke University.

Grogan and colleagues are now examining whether MHC gene diversity helps the animals live longer or produce more offspring, as has been shown for other species.

"Not only do these lemurs serve as an assurance against extinction of their Malagasy counterparts, but maintaining as many variations of genes is important for keeping the individual lemurs, as well as the population healthy for any future challenges it may face," said AZA Species Survival Plan Coordinator Gina Ferrie, a population biologist at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Conserving genetic diversity in captive populations over multiple generations is challenging due to their small size and relative isolation, but careful breeding can stem the loss, said Grogan, now a postdoctoral fellow at Pennsylvania State University.

More information: Kathleen E. Grogan et al. Genetic wealth, population health: Major histocompatibility complex variation in captive and wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta ), Ecology and Evolution (2017). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3317 Journal information: Ecology and Evolution
A phase diagram of living mammalian cytoplasm, developed by MIT researchers, describes the type of material an organelle feels as it moves through cytoplasm, given its size and speed. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Under a microscope, a cell's cytoplasm can resemble a tiny underwater version of New York's Times Square: Thousands of proteins swarm through a cytoplasm's watery environment, coming together and breaking apart like a cytoskeletal flash mob.

Organelles such as mitochondria and lysosomes must traverse this crowded, ever-changing cytoplasmic space to deliver materials to various parts of a cell.

Now engineers at MIT have found that these organelles and other intracellular components may experience the surrounding cytoplasm as very different environments as they travel. For instance, a cell's nucleus may "feel" the cytoplasm as a fluid, honey-like material, while mitochondria may experience it more like toothpaste.

The team, led by Ming Guo, the Brit and Alex d'Arbeloff Career Development Assistant Professor in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering, found that an organelle feels a certain resistance in cytoplasm, depending on that organelle's size and the speed at which it moves through a cell. In particular, these characteristics determine how easily it can push against a cytoplasm's surrounding water and move through its ever-changing web of cytoskeletal protein structures.

Certain organelles may have to work harder to make their way through cytoplasm, and may therefore feel more resistance. The researchers found that the resistance that any major organelle may feel ranges from that of a viscous fluid to an elastic, rubbery solid.

Guo and his colleagues have drawn up a phase diagram to describe the type of material that a cytoplasm would resemble, from the perspective of an organelle, given the organelle's size and speed.

"Our main goal was to provide the most fundamental understanding of living cells as a material," Guo says. "With this phase diagram, as long as you tell me the size and speed at which an organelle moves, I can tell you what mechanical environment it sees."

The results, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help guide pharmaceutical designs. For instance, with the team's phase diagram, scientists can tailor a drug's size to enable it to travel within a cell with a certain amount of ease.

"A drug with a 100-nanometer diameter will feel a very different resistance than something that is 500 nanometers wide," Guo says. "This can be a guide to understanding how a drug is delivered and transported inside a cell."

The study's lead author is Jiliang Hu, a former visiting student at MIT, who will join Guo's lab as a graduate student this fall. Other co-authors include Yulong Han, a postdoc in Guo's lab; and Alan Grodzinsky, professor of biological engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, and mechanical engineering at MIT; along with Somaye Jafari and Shengqiang Cai at the University of California at San Diego.

What a drag

Most scientists who study the transport of materials within a cell have focused on the drivers of that transportnamely, molecular motors, a family of biological agents that actively convert a cell's energy into mechanical work to move cargo across a cell.

"But as mechanical engineers, we think the driving force is not the only part of this transport process, but that resistance of the surrounding material is actually equally important," Guo says. "For example, it's not just your own energy that determines how you move through a crowdthe mechanical resistance of the crowd itself can also affect your movement."

In the case of living cells, Guo wondered whether the surrounding cytoplasm would have a similar crowding effect on the movement of major organelles such as mitochondria and lysosomes.

To test his hypothesis, he and his colleagues carried out experiments on living mammalian cells, into which they injected tiny plastic beads ranging in size from 0.5 to 1.5 micronsa range that covers most major organelles. They then dragged each bead across a cell using optical tweezers, a technique that employs a highly focused laser beam to physically move microscopic objects.

The researchers trapped and pulled each bead toward the cell edge at a constant speed and measured the force required to drag the bead a certain distance. They interpreted that force as the mechanical resistance of the surrounding cytoplasm.

They then assumed that a cytoplasm's mechanical resistance stems from two main sources: poroelasticity and viscoelasticity. Poroelasticity originates from how fast cytoplasm can diffuse water out of a region. The group reasoned that the more poroelastic cytoplasm is, the more effort an object such as an organelle needs to make to push water out of its way.

Viscoelasticity, in the context of cytoplasm, is how fast its cytoskeleton, or web of proteins, changes configuration. A cell's cytoskeleton serves as a sort of scaffold, made from thousands of proteins that are constantly assembling, disassembling, and reassembling. This dynamic network can feel like both an elastic solid and a viscous fluid. The faster a cytoskeleton rearranges itself, the more fluid-like it is. The researchers reasoned that an organelle would feel less resistance while moving through a more fluid-like, frequently changing cytoskeleton.

It's all about perspective

Guo and his colleagues analyzed their experimental results and found that a bead's size and speed were related to the type of resistance that it encountered as it was dragged across a cell. In general, the larger the beads, the more they met with poroelastic resistance, as large beads with greater surface area have to push against more water to move themselves through.

On the other hand, the faster a bead was dragged, the more it met with a solid-like resistance. As Guo explains it, "the faster you move, the more permanent [cytoskeletal] structures you would see and feel resistance to."

The researchers drew up their phase diagram based on their experimental results. They then looked through the scientific literature for speed and size measurements, made by others, of actual organelles in living cells. They plotted these measurements onto the diagram and found that, given their size and speed, these organelles should experience a range of resistances within cytoplasm.

"If you ask a nucleus, they would tell you the cytoplasm is like honey, because they are really large and slow, and they don't feel cytoskeletal structuresthey only feel the viscous disassembled protein solution, and have very small resistance," Guo says. "But mitochondria would say it's like toothpaste, because they are smaller and faster, and are sometimes blocked by these constantly changing structures. A lysosome, which is even smaller and faster, would tell you the cytoplasm is actually Jell-O, because they are moving so fast, they are constantly bouncing off these structures and meeting with resistance, like rubber. So their views are limited by their own size and speed."

Guo hopes scientists will use the group's phase diagram to characterize other cellular components, to understand how they see their cytoplasmic surroundings.

"People can use other parameters to find out what section of the phase diagram different organelles should belong to," Guo says. "This will tell you what kind of distinct material they would feel."

More information: Size- and speed-dependent mechanical behavior in living mammalian cytoplasm, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017).

www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1702488114 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
Last week, a van was driven into pedestrians on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, killing 13 and injuring at least 130 people, and the driver then killed a 14th victim in order to steal his car and escape. Later in the same day, five men from the same terrorist cell drove into pedestrians in nearby Cambrils, killing one woman and injuring six others. Here, Reader in International Politics Martin Coward discusses these attacks, and how cities can respond to them.

From Nice last July to the attacks in Spain last week, the last 12 months have witnessed an upturn in violence attributed to or inspired by so-called Islamic State (IS) across Europe. While the statistical threat of injury in such violence remains very small, the increased frequency and visibility of these attacks gives rise to the sense that a new and particularly effective form of terrorism has emerged: the urban vehicle-borne attack.

Cars and trucks have been used as vehicles for explosives throughout the history of modern political violence. However, what appears to be new in this wave of attacks across Europe is the use of cars/trucks as weapons themselves. As some have notedgiven that cars and trucks cause thousands of deaths on Europe's roads every yearit is surprising that it took violent extremists so long to identify and adopt such a method of attack.

The type of weapon used often corresponds to a particular from of violence. The emergence of the urban vehicular attack could therefore mark a trend in extremist violence in Europe. What forced such a tactical evolution, what exactly does this trend show and how might we respond?

Trends

Firstly, the urban vehicular attack arises in a particular strategic context: the sustained attack waged on IS in Syria and Iraq. Over the past year, there has been a shift in gravity in the international efforts against IS. As a consequence, IScurrently besieged in its base of Raqqahas lost key cities and territory. This has had two implications for IS: on the one hand it has become less practical to encourage recruits to travel to Syria, creating a pool of sympathisers in Europe; on the other it has reduced the capacity to train recruits in the techniques required for attacks (such as bomb making).

In this strategic context, there is a shift from sponsoring complex transnational plots to encouraging local sympathisers to launch whatever attacks they can with the means at their disposal. The car or truck attack is ideal in this regardonce the engine is running, all it requires is that the attacker drives to a crowded place.

Secondly, there has been an increased focus on indiscriminate attacks against ordinary citizens enjoying themselvesthis makes the public spaces of cities an obvious place to attack. Public spaces have long been the focal point of European cities. Attacks on such spaces are, therefore, a way to strike at something inextricably linked to contemporary urban European identity. It is a way to assert IS presence by making Europeans fear that a way of life they take for granted is unsafe.

Cities are, by definition, places of density and plurality, where crowds mix and mingle. Vehicular attacks are unsophisticated and require precisely this densityto cause multiple fatalities the vehicle must be driven into a dense group of people who do not have the ability to disperse rapidly. As such, the public spaces of the city are the ideal target for such attacks.

Thirdly, because urban vehicular attacks require no assembly and little planning, they are unpredictable, which suits a form of terrorism that seeks targets of opportunity. Urban vehicular attacks are flexibleready to go at short notice and easily deployed if an opportunity is seen. If it is correct that the initial plan in Barcelona was a bombing, then the switch to a vehicle attack after the explosion in Alcanar was rapid and effective. However, this makes urban vehicular attacks very hard to prevent.

Intelligence broadly seeks to detect plans during development, and is thus geared to detecting attacks at the planning or assembly stage. However, all the urban vehicular attack requires is one individual and a car/truck. As the Westminster attack shows, this means there may be no trail for intelligence to detect prior to the attack. Despite the UK government's attack on encrypted messaging, there appears to be nothing that could have been detected to indicate the attack was coming.

Responses

In the wake of such attacks, it is logical that discussions turn to what might be done in response. The initial question is usually whether the urban environment can be redesigned to stop vehicular attacks. Many European cities now have bollards (some retractable) or street furniture (more or less cosmetically disguised) to stop cars and trucks entering public spaces. It appears that there had been discussion of such measures for Las Ramblas.

However, such measures are not foolproof. Retractable bollards are widely used to control the entry of cars, trucks and buses to urban areas such as pedestrian shopping zones. However, if a vehicle has the relevant tag, then it will gain entry. All that is required is that an attacker steal an authorised vehicle.

Moreover, do city-dwellers want more hardening of their public spaces? Hard barriers make it harder for crowds to disperse and communicate a feeling of threat. In some ways hardening city spaces would mean sacrificing precisely what city-dwellers and tourists see as their virtuetheir plural, open character. Moreover, it will be too expensive to harden every place and so there is a risk that town planners simply drive attacks elsewhere. As such, it needs to be done carefully.

This raises is the perennial spectre of the kind of interventions necessary to prevent violent extremism prior to its execution. These broadly fall into two categoriesintelligence and countering-extremism. Neither have unblemished records: increased intelligence gathering comes at the expense of privacy and counter-extremism can easily slide into the creation and victimisation of suspect communities.

The pathways the individuals involved in urban vehicular attacks took to violence will be examined at length. Some similarities might emerge, though there are few common denominators that cover all perpetrators of extremist violence. One thing all share is a willingness to commit violence in service of an ideology of sorts. The forms of violence committed will evolve to suit the strategic contextjust as the urban vehicular attacks has.

What we need to think about is innovativerather than intrusiveways to counter the motivating ideology. If the urban environment is key to understanding the success of such a tactic, the response lies not in new barriers, but with the city's inhabitants.
Humanising destinations can encourage travel intentions. Credit: Queensland University of Technology

People who see animals as people and assign human traits to non-human objects are more likely to travel to destinations that are presented as being human-like, according to Queensland University of Technology (QUT) research.

Dr Kate Letheren, Professor Brett Martin and Dr Hyun Seung Jin, from QUT Business School, found that writing about a destination as if it were human could boost its appeal as a travel destination.

The research, published in Tourism Management, looked at personality dimensions and the impact on destination choices.

Participants were shown a travel advertisement for either Paris or Rome. Half of the participants saw an ad where the destination was personified, referring to the city as "she", while the other half saw an ad that referred to the city as "it".

"One of the ads used typical copy for a travel destination advertisement, for example, facts about the city and its attractions. The other used language that humanised the destination, like 'Paris welcomes you'," Dr Letheren said.

"We found people higher in anthropomorphic traits were more likely to respond with feel-good emotions and have a positive view of the destination after reading the personified ad.

"This suggests people with this trait who see human characteristics in tourism destinations are more likely to want to visit those destinations."

The researchers said that levels of anthropomorphic traits varied by person, but some common examples of anthropomorphism at work include people assigning human emotions to a pet dog or referring to a car or ship as "she".

Professor Martin said it was a normal tactic for destination and major event marketers to try to make a connection with consumers.

"Humanising a destination or event can help place it in a positive light and give the audience a warm, fuzzy feeling. This is why cute cartoon animals are often chosen as mascots for the Olympics, for example.

"Large sums of money are spent on campaigns to try to attract tourists and destinations need to appear warm and welcoming.

"Tourism campaigns often focus on attracting specific demographics, for example Chinese tourists or luxury holiday-makers, and our research shows that if you have a tourist who naturally humanises, you can tailor the message to appeal to this aspect of their personality.

"If you can successfully identify what traits people have, you can send them customised messages. Ten to 20 years ago that wasn't possible, but now it is."

More information: Kate Letheren et al. Effects of personification and anthropomorphic tendency on destination attitude and travel intentions, Tourism Management (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2017.03.020
Open suture between the supraoccipital and exoccipital in (A) a fossil baleen whale (Parietobalaena yamaokai) and (B) a fetal specimen of blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus. Credit: Cheng-Hsiu Tsai.

Baleen whales are amongst the largest animals to have ever lived and yet very little is known about their breeding habits. One researcher's second look at previously found baleen whale fossils from Japan provides new evidence of a now long-gone breeding ground of the extinct baleen whale Parietobalaena yamaokai dating back over 15 million years.

The research published in the open-access journal PeerJ elaborates on the evidence of the presence of a very young individual of an extinct baleen whale, along with the occurrence of several fossil specimens of the same whale species. This study claims to have discovered a very uncommon casea breeding ground for a long extinct large whale.

Researcher Cheng-Hsiu Tsai noticed the open suture in the skull of one fossil specimen, which indicates the preservation of a very young whaleunder six months old, perhaps even close to a new-born calf. The fossil specimens investigated were originally found in the 20th century and are currently held at the Hiwa Museum for Natural History, Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan.

Identifying breeding grounds of living species of whales are incredibly rare, let alone for extinct Miocene species. For example, scientists are not certain where the endangered western gray whales reproduce, in turn leading to no concrete strategies to recover this critically endangered population of around 100 individuals.

The discovery of an ancient paleo-breeding site, which dates back to 15 million years ago, could provide new insights into the future of baleen whale survival. In a rapidly changing world, locating breeding sites and understanding why a breeding site disappeared may subsequently lead to information on how best to respond in order to conserve these living endangered populations.

Life restoration of a mother-calf pair of Parietobalaena yamaokai. Credit: Nobumichi Tamura

More information: Cheng-Hsiu Tsai, A Miocene breeding ground of an extinct baleen whale (Cetacea: Mysticeti), PeerJ (2017). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3711 Journal information: PeerJ

Provided by PeerJ
American children, no matter where they live or what school they attend, deserve to be guaranteed a quality education, much as we guarantee a safety net for seniors, argued Professor Marta Tienda of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Without a federal guarantee to restore the "educational social contract," she wrote, the United States will never close educational achievement gaps or restore its schools to their former international preeminence.

Writing in the August/September 2017 issue of Educational Researcher, Tienda recounted two trends in recent decades that are familiar to those who follow education policy. The first is the stubborn persistence of achievement gaps by income and by race/ethnicity. The second is the U.S. educational system's fall from worldwide leadership to a decidedly mediocre place among developed nations, as measured both by K-12 achievement scores and college attainment.

Reformers seeking to reverse these trends have focused on a combination of setting academic standards (such as the Common Core mathematics and English language arts standards developed by US states) and using high-stakes testing to make schools and teachers accountable for their students' progress. By themselves, Tienda wrote, these methods are bound to fail because they ignore the education funding disparities both within and between states that stem from the country's lack of a right to a quality education and its deeply ingrained tradition of local control.

"Notwithstanding popular assertions that an educated citizenry is the backbone of democracy, today millions of U.S. children are denied equal opportunities to learn and to obtain an adequate education," Tienda wrote. "In large measure, this is because the U.S. system of local control limits the hands of federal policy makers to guarantee an adequate, much less an excellent education."

In the nineteenth century, decentralization helped to strengthen the educational social contract, leading citizens to accept local taxation to fund schools and encouraging experimentation with teaching and curricula. But it also entrenched resistance to a federal role in educationa legacy that persists today in the relative weakness of the Department of Education, compared to other Cabinet departments, Tienda said.

Local control has had other downsides, Tienda argued. In particular, spending on education varies widely from state to state. Historically, for example, states in the Deep South have spent much less per student than most other states. Although education funding disparities among states lessened by the mid-20th century, they began to grow again in the 1990s as some states slashed education funding to balance their budgets while others did not. The Great Recession only exacerbated state-by-state disparities.

Disparities among states exist side by side with a growing tolerance for educational inequality within states, Tienda wrote. Court rulings during the post-Civil Rights era dismantled laws that mandated racial segregation in schools. But in practice, de facto segregation has not only continued but has accelerated in recent years. Today, one child in six attends a highly segregated school that is poorly supplied with resources, staffed by less experienced teachers, and unlikely to offer advanced coursework. In essence, the quality of the education children receive depends on the neighborhood they live in. Unlike segregation that's written into law, such de facto segregation has proved largely impervious to legal challenges.

No amount of standards and high-stakes testing will reduce educational disparities among and within states, Tienda said. Instead, the federal government must step in, as it has several times in the past. She reviewed how, at favorable points in our nation's history, Washington has moved to play a larger role in education.

The Morrill Acts of the late 1800s contributed land and money for public colleges (though they also allowed the creation of a segregated higher education system). The National Defense Education Act of 1958, which came in response to the Soviet Union's lead in the space race, sent nearly one billion dollars to the states over four years to strengthen science and technology education. And the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, passed in 1965 under the umbrella of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty and renewed many times since, enlisted the federal government as a full partner with the states in the effort to eliminate achievement gaps.

But, Tienda stated, "the federal government has been complicit in aggravating educational inequality by not guaranteeing free, public education as a basic right" during such propitious political moments.

The United States could recognize education as fundamental right by passing a constitutional amendment. But that's unlikely, Tienda said. However, she argued, there's a way to approximate the same result. The federal government could amplify ESEA by guaranteeing a level of public education funding and academic quality below which no school may fall, regardless of the state in which it's located or the social background of its students.

Such a new entitlement program could be coupled with a powerful new youth-centered lobbying organization, Tienda said"a functional equivalent of the American Association for Retired People (AARP)" that would "give youth a voice in matters that govern their future."

Two precedents exist for such a federal social safety net, Tienda noted: Social Security and Medicare. Neither required a constitutional amendment, and both have been highly effective in reducing or preventing poverty among seniors. Because they're grounded in the federal budgetwhich can run a deficit, unlike state and local budgetsthey're protected against cost-cutting during fiscal downturns. Moreover, as a "powerful watchdog for seniors' rights," the AARP has effectively lobbied to protect these programs. Although in the legal sense these entitlements for seniors don't represent a constitutional right to a minimum income and basic medical care, in practice they've become much the same thing, for now.

In the face of formidable international competition, Tienda said, "The United States is overdue for major upgrades in the way it delivers public education." The biggest challenge, she said, will be "finding the political will to restore the educational social contract so that it truly broadens equal educational opportunity."

More information: Marta Tienda "Public Education and the Social Contract: Restoring the Promise in an Age of Diversity and Division," August/September 2017 issue of Educational Researcher
Credit: Mick Lissone/public domain

Those people at Google think they're sooooo smart. So, too, the Apple and Microsoft wunderkinds.

Their software (and many others) use two-factor authentication in the digital world to verify identity, but they're a little behind. A one-celled soil bacterium beat them to it by who knows how many millions of years.

University of Wyoming Ph.D. student Chris Vassallo in molecular biologist Dan Wall's laboratory found the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus performs its equivalent of a secret handshake after an initial meet-and-greet encounter in its social world. The second level of verification is important. They die if not recognized.

Their results are described in "Infectious polymorphic toxins delivered by outer membrane exchange discriminate kin in myxobacteria," published last week in the open-access journal eLife.

Earlier research in Wall's lab found these bacteria recognize kin through the cell surface receptor called TraA and transfer cellular goods to each other when touching via a process the lab calls outer membrane exchange (OME). This current research is about the cargo that's exchanged.

M. xanthus's social lifestyle requires them to cooperate with their kin or close family members.

"It's very important these cells know who they are cooperating with," says Vassallo, from Cheyenne. "They don't want to give beneficial treatment to another cell they are competing with if it's not their self. One way they do this is through toxin exchange."

The cells exchange potentially toxic proteins during OME. The process takes a couple of minutes.

"If their identities don't match, they'll kill each other with the toxins," Vassallo says.

The toxic cocktail of proteins moves from cell to cell, chewing up DNA or RNA if the cell is not immune. Vassallo says these bacteria don't die immediately. Although sick, they are able to infect other cells, similar to humans with a transmittable disease.

Wall's laboratory found the bacteria use a receptor that is unique to M. xanthus. In the wild, underfoot outdoors, there are hundreds of different recognition receptors within the myxobacteria group.

Just using the TraA receptor for identity verification is not enough. A few grams of soil might contain a hundred distinct M. xanthus social groups, all living together but not necessarily wanting to cooperate with one another, Wall says.

Vassallo discovered the second layer of specificity, he says.

"The first layer is, 'Do you have a compatible TraA receptor?' If you do, you exchange components," Wall says. "Then the next layer is, 'Do you have immunity to the collection of toxins I'm going to give you using this exchange process?'"

The bacterial decimation, where kin kill nonkin as packs of cells converge, results in a kill zone. Not all exchanges result in death and destruction. Vassallo found in previous research healthy bacteria repair damaged kin. He designed an experiment where cells had defective membranes and left on their own would die. But, if mixed with healthy kin, the clonemates would give them healthy material, and the sick cells become rejuvenated.

Wall's research is part of a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. It follows a previous $1.6 million, five-year grant. The research helps address how multicellular animals and plants came into existence.

The evolutionary transition from single cell to multicell life is apparently very difficult, Wall says. The event is thought to have occurred only once for animals and perhaps twice for plants.

"In the microscopic world, it might have happened separately a couple dozen of times," Wall says. "In the case of myxobacteria, they appear to have made this transition to multicellularity, a fairly primitive transition that's based on an aggregation strategy, and OME plays a role in this process."

More information: Christopher N Vassallo et al. Infectious polymorphic toxins delivered by outer membrane exchange discriminate kin in myxobacteria, eLife (2017). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.29397 Journal information: eLife
Survey under way seeks to help ensure earthquake-resistant construction becomes more widespread . Credit: Bento Rodrigues, Mariana, MG / Antonio Cruz / Agencia Brasil

Researchers are working on a new national map of seismic hazards for Brazil. In preparing the seismic hazard map, the researchers first conducted a survey of the tremors that have occurred in Brazil in recent decades in order to determine the level of seismic activity in each region.

According to the survey, seismic events occur most frequently in the Northeast, especially in the states of Ceara and Rio Grande do Norte, in northern parts of Mato Grosso and Goias states, and in Mato Grosso state's wetlands (Pantanal biome). "Actually, any region is susceptible to seismic tremors," said Marcelo Sousa de Assumpcao, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo. "The probability is higher in some areas, such as Minas Gerais, and lower in others. We don't yet know exactly why some areas are more active than others."

"Seismic risk is relatively low in Brazil compared with other South American countries, such as Chile or Peru, thanks to its location in a stable region with very old topography and in the interior of a tectonic plate," Assumpcao said. "But low-and medium-intensity tremors occur with a certain frequency in Brazil, and these can have drastic consequences depending on where they happen."

A recent example was the series of tremors of magnitudes 2.01 to 2.55 that occurred in Mariana, Minas Gerais state, three days before the collapse of the Fundao tailings dam owned by Samarco, resulting in the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history. Despite its low magnitude, the epicenter of the 2.5 tremor occurred only 1 km from the tailings dam, according to a statement by Samarco in a report on the causes of the accident prepared by an international committee of experts that analyzed the dam geotechnically.

One of the committee's conclusions was that low-magnitude tremors cannot endanger well-built structures that are in use. "This dam, however, was in a fragile condition, and the tremors occurred an hour before it burst," Assumpcao said. Based on the frequency and magnitude of these tremors, they estimated the probability of similar tremors in the coming years and the level of vibration they would cause in the soil on which homes, hospitals, stores and other buildings stand, given their distance from the epicenter.

Magnitude 3 tremors, for example, occur twice per month on average in Brazil. Magnitude 4 tremors, such as the 2012 quake in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, occur twice a year. Magnitude 5 tremors, such as the quake that hit the town of Itacarambi in Minas Gerais in 2007, cause damage and occur once every 50 years, according to the researchers.

"The tremors that occurred before the collapse of Samarco's tailings dam in Mariana, for example, occur all the time and are felt only when they occur near a town or city," Assumpcao said. "Although seismic events of this magnitude are relatively low-level, if they occur 1 km from a building or in the middle of a town, their intensity can be substantial, and they can have a serious impact on the population."

He added that Brazil's seismic-resistant building standard, NBR-15421, in force since 2006, was based on an outdated seismic hazard map. "We believe Brazil has many more earthquake-prone areas than are identified by the old map on which the standard was based," he said.

Builders of hydroelectric dams are required to perform seismic hazard studies before their designs are approved. In the case of tailings dams, many mining companies perform seismic hazard studies as part of the design process to make sure they can withstand a major earthquake, but not all do so, according to Assumpcao. "There were no regulations that required seismic studies for approval of tailings dams," he said.

Provided by FAPESP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The use of social media is pervasive among young adults, but not all posted content is necessarily appropriate.

Now a new study by the University of Plymouth investigates why young adults might post content on social media that contains sexual or offensive material.

Led by Dr Claire White from the University's School of Psychology, the study suggests that such risky social media posts are not just due to impulsivity, but might be a deliberate strategy to fit in with the wider social media culture that makes people believe 'it's the right thing to do'.

Existing studies show that impulsiveness is predictive of online risk taking behaviours, but this additional research with British and Italian young adults highlighted that high self-monitoring  or adapting behaviour in line with perceived social norms  was equally predictive of posting risky content, which Dr White says could mean young people think it's the best way to behave.

To measure risky online self-presentation the research team, which also included PhD student Clara Cutello, Dr Michaela Gummerum and Professor Yaniv Hanoch from the School of Psychology, designed a risk exposure scale relating to potentially inappropriate images or texts, such as drug and alcohol use, sexual content, personal information, and offensive material. They also evaluated people's level of self-monitoring and impulsivity.

Dr White said:

"It's counterintuitive really because it would be easy to assume that a high self-monitor would question their actions and adapt accordingly. But the results show that high self-monitors are just as likely to post risky content as those in the study who are more impulsive, which suggests they think it's not only OK to be risky  and potentially offensive  but that it's actually the right thing to do.

"The only notable difference between the nationalities was that British students were more likely to post comments and images related to their alcohol and drug use on social media, whereas their Italian counterparts were more likely to post offensive content and personal information.

"This difference shows that culture as a whole seems to play a part in what type of content is shared. But the fact that the behaviours predicting risky online choices are the same for both nationalities suggests there's a wider social media culture that encourages this type of risk-taking behaviour."

The full paper, titled "A Cross-Cultural Study of Risky Online Self-Presentation," is published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.
This phase diagram shows the topological numbers that characterize the Floquet topological properties observed in PT-symmetric quantum walks. The different phases are separated by white and gray regions with broken PT symmetry, where the eigenenergies are complex. Credit: Xiao et al. 2017 Nature Physics

(Phys.org)Physicists have experimentally demonstrated an optical system based on an unconventional class of quantum mechanical systems that could lead to the development of new quantum optical devices. The system is called a "PT-symmetric quantum walk," since it consists of single photons that occupy a superposition of states, called quantum walks, that obey parity-time (PT) symmetrythe property in which a system's coordinates in space and time can have their signs reversed without inherently changing the system.

The physicists, led by Peng Xue at Southeast University in Nanjing, have published a paper on the PT-symmetric quantum walks in a recent issue of Nature Physics.

"We present an experimental work tying together three concepts-non-unitary quantum walks at a single-photon level, PT symmetry, and topological edge states originating from Floquet topological phases," Xue told Phys.org. "Each of these three concepts has attracted much attention in the past years in the scientific community. The interplay of these elements in our experimental system will no doubt give rise to rich physics."

The new results build on discoveries made over the past 20 years regarding a new class of quantum systems called non-Hermitian Hamiltonians that deviate from conventional quantum systems. In general, the Hamiltonian of a quantum system, which is a measure of its total energy, must have eigenvalues that are real rather than complex numbers, where the eigenvalues are associated with the physical properties of the quantum system. For many decades, it was thought that Hamiltonians must be mathematically described using Hermitian operators, since Hermitians always have real eigenvalues.

Although being Hermitian is sufficient for a Hamiltonian to have real eigenvalues, in 1998 physicists discovered that Hamiltonians can be non-Hermitian and still have real eigenvalues, as long as they obey PT symmetry. This discovery opened up a whole new class of quantum systems for physicists to explore. Currently, the study of PT-symmetric non-Hermitian systems is an area of active research that holds promise for a variety of applications, particularly in the field of optics.

The new study contributes to this research by demonstrating single-photon PT-symmetric quantum walks. Previously, physicists have theoretically investigated these systems, but the new study marks the first experimental demonstration due to the challenges involved in amplifying single photons.

"A PT-symmetric quantum walk is a non-unitary extension of the unitary quantum walk, which is in turn a quantum mechanical version of the classical random walk," Xue explained. "Just as PT-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonians broaden the horizon of conventional quantum mechanics, a PT-symmetric quantum walk represents a new kind of quantum walk with unique features that are quite different from those of a unitary quantum walk."

This demonstration, in turn, led the researchers to experimentally demonstrate exotic properties called Floquet topological properties in PT-symmetric quantum walks for the first time. The scientists observed that Floquet topological edge states arise between regions with different bulk topological properties, suggesting that these systems contain intriguing quantum phenomena awaiting further exploration. Floquet topological properties are characterized by a pair of topological numbers, and controlling these properties may lead to the development of new quantum optical devices.

"I think our work may lead to a new generation of synthetic PT-symmetric systems," Xue said. "In PT-symmetric classical systems, recent progress may lead to applications in optical switching, modulation, sensors, wireless power transfer, and so on. While our experiment demonstrates Floquet topological states (a special topological matter with time-periodic drives) driven by PT-symmetric quantum dynamics, it provides a new platform where the interplay of PT-symmetric quantum dynamics and topological properties not only offer a quantum mechanical version of PT-symmetric systems, but may also lead to potential applications in quantum information, quantum computation, and quantum sensing."

More information: L. Xiao et al. "Observation of topological edge states in paritytime-symmetric quantum walks." Nature Physics. DOI: 10.1038/nphys4204 Journal information: Nature Physics

 2017 Phys.org
Todays high in Austin is 104 degrees, with 106 predicted for tomorrow. Even the native Texans, proud and defensive of the States hardships, are complaining. It has become a standard topic of conversation between strangers in elevators and in bars. And still the masses make their way here.

Sit in trafficwhich we do a lot of these days in Austinand there are always out-of-state license plates nearby. The cars from California, which seem to comprise the overwhelming number, are big and expensive Japanese or European luxury vehicles. Those from the Midwest or neighboring states such as Louisiana or New Mexico are usually smaller American or Korean sedans.

As any astute consumer of national news already knows, metro Austin is the fastest growing large city in the country with over 100 new residents every day. Many are refugee Texans from larger, even more sprawling Texas cities. But just as many seem to be from the rest of the country as well as the rest of the world.

Like any city with a very large, renowned university, Austin attracts the best and brightest from all over the world. Thats part of Texass and Americas promise: come here, work hard and youll get rich. And signs of rich are all over this town with one of the highest median incomes of any American city, rivaling that of our coastal competitors. Therein lies the problem for so many and the next topic of conversation among strangers: affordability. Especially housing affordability.

Flying back into Austin from Boston last week I got into a conversation with my row-mates, both of whom were from Atlanta. They remarked how Atlanta housing prices have soared. In Alpharetta [the new, new office area 30 miles north of downtown which was cow fields when I lived in Atlanta 30 years ago] you cant get a buildable lot for less than $300K. Really! I remarked. What I didnt say was the secret Southern expression Bless your heart because my teeny one-eighth acre lot in whats now considered a central Austin neighborhood 6 miles north of downtown, is valued at $800K. I purchased the house it sits on 10 years ago for $180K. You can do the math.

Is that sustainable? Time will tell. Texans are notorious for their endless optimism and belief that this will become the greatest place on earth. So who knows?

What does this all mean? Bloomberg this week reported that Americas view of celebrity cities such as San Francisco and Seattle as new urban models for all others to emulateplaces like Nashville and Milwaukee and Pittsburgh bewareis nothing more than a short term fad.

The intelligentsias love affair with a high tech and service-oriented economy is not a sustainable model for an urban agglomeration in the longer term. These new economies are as overly reliant on one industry as the great manufacturing towns of the 19th and early 20th centuries were. A region may have employment in silicon chip manufacturing, social media software development, artificial intelligence startups, and consumer products Web development, along with the attendant service firms such as high-end personal training studios, nationally recognized restaurants, award winning Bourbon bars, and four and five star hotels of the jet-setting cognoscenti. But that doesnt mean the economy is diversified. Far from it.

All these enterprises are chasing the same dream. Creative destruction is a mantra among the Sand Hill Road crowd and their wannabee followers worldwide. All things must pass and what happens when there is the inevitable destruction of the current new economy model? To paraphrase the Bloomberg piece, $15 per cocktail Bourbon bars depend on folks with the belief in a future income that justifies the tab.

The term boom town always carried a slightly derogatory tone for a reason. California had its gold rush towns. More recently, North Dakota has had its oil-boom towns. Sure, Austin is much larger than either of those examples. And it has an historical baseline of State government and university employment. But when the reason for high growth is cited as nothing more than high tech employment, that sure sounds like a one industry town to me.
Viewed through the lens of the tyranny of the experts, its easy to see that in the last election Hillary Clinton was the candidate of the experts, while Donald Trump was the candidate of people who were tired of being tyrannized by them.

Clinton is an expert herselfshes a lawyer who practiced with The Rose Law Firmand beyond that, over the course of her three decades in public life she came to consider herself an expert in many other areas, including healthcare (Hillarycare) and foreign policy (she was Secretary of State) among others.

Trump, by contrast, is a businessman who, by the definition in this series of posts, isnt an expert in anything and is in fact suspicious of and annoyed by people who are experts.

If we were so inclined, we could spend an entertaining hour or so comparing the Clinton and Trump campaign websites through the lens of expertness. Clintons site is a policy wonks nirvana, with her expert opinion about more than 40 policy issues outlined in harrowing detail. Trumps site, by contrast, mentions only seven policy issues, and two of those relate to immigration. Clinton tells us precisely what to do to improve the world in every particular, while Trump tells us, essentially, to use our imagination.

To understand the differing experiences of people who voted for Clinton and people who voted for Trump, we will fall back on another trusty thought experiment, as follows.

Patient A is a 55-year-old male, a high school graduate who makes his living as a forklift operator. He has just completed a routine visit with his primary care physician (PCP) and has learned, to his horror, that he is pre-diabetic. Patient As A1C level is borderline and his doctor tells him that he is in danger of developing full-blown diabetes. Patient A is told to make major changes in his lifestyle and to begin taking a medication called metformin.

Patient A is deeply unhappy about all this. He certainly doesnt want to become diabetic, but he is also sick to death of being told what to do by experts in an ever-burgeoning number of fields. He is already taking five medications every day and he suspects that theyand interactions among themare responsible for his declining quality of life. Does he really want to add a sixth med to his daily regime?

But if he refuses to take metformin, what will happen? Will his PCP refuse to keep him as a patient? Will he get diabetes? What grounds does he have for not taking this experts advice, other than that hes hacked off about experts in general and medical experts in particular? Does that make any sense?

Patient A leaves his doctors office with a prescription for metformin, but whether he will fill it, we dont know. If he fills, will he take it? If he takes it, will he just stop taking it? Time will tell, but in the meantime Patient A is deeply distressed. He feels helpless and persecuted by people who happen to know more than he does but who have no interest in his dignity as a person. He is simply expected to do as he is told.

Patient B, meanwhile, is a 55-year-old female, a college graduate who makes her living as a mid-level executive at a large nonprofit organization. She has just completed a routine visit with her PCP and has learned, to her horror, that she is pre-diabetic. Patient Bs A1C level is borderline and her doctor tells her that she is in danger of developing full-blown diabetes. Patient A is told to make major changes in her lifestyle and to begin taking a medication called metformin.

Patient B is deeply unhappy about all this. She certainly doesnt want to become diabetic, but she is also worried about taking another medication because she is already taking five medications every day and she suspects that theyand interactions among themare responsible for her declining quality of life. Does she really want to add a sixth med to her daily regime?

Fortunately, Patient B is hardly helpless in her doctors hands. Shes an educated person who subscribes to the WebMD newsletter. She knows what A1C levels are and she knows at least a little about pre-diabetes. She knows, for example, that healthcare policymakers in America keep pushing the alarming level of A1C down, while most other countries dont consider pre-diabetes to be a disease or even to be a useful term. She recognizes that some people with borderline A1C levels will proceed on to full diabetes, but she also knows that many people wont. Which group is she in?

Patient B respects her doctor but she is hardly intimidated by him. She is his social and intellectual equal, and her own little brother is a physician (and shell get a second opinion from him). She leaves her doctors office with a prescription for metformin, but whether she will fill it, we dont know. If she fills, will she take it? If she takes it, will she just stop taking it? Time will tell, but in the meantime Patient B, while not a medical expert, is comfortable that she will ultimately make an intelligent decision.

The odds are very good that people like Patient B voted for Hillary Clinton, while people like Patient A voted for Donald Trump. Probably none of those people went to the polls thinking, Im all for experts and am happy to take their advice 24/7 so Im voting for Hillary, just as none of them went to the polls thinking Im sick to death of being told what to do by a bunch of experts in this and that so Im voting for The Donald, who will rid the world of these pests.

Its only Your Humble Blogger who has put his finger on the real reason Clinton lost: people are fed up with the tyranny of the experts, of experts bedeviling them every hour of their lives. Ah, you are thinking, but Clinton actually won the popular vote, suggesting that annoyance with the tyranny of the experts cant be that widespread. Why worry? Wrong, as well see next Friday.

Next up: DP&TE, Part VIII
SARASOTA, FL, August 18, 2017 PointofSale.com, a website and online magazine for the POS industry, has released the Summer 17 Issue of the Point of Sale Magazine. The user-friendly magazine includes great articles on, the, EMV kiosks,and SSL. The newest issue offers articles from POS experts with helpful advice, tips and trends for any type of business.

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Luke Wilwerding of Elo Touch discusses where POS technology is heading with the article, From The Counter to Consumer: POS is on the Move, and Bobby Marhamat, COO of Revel Systems, contributes the Essentials of Mobile Ordering.

The newest magazine offers invaluable insight from other experts in the POS industry. Contributors include Brianna Moriarty of Star Micronics, Djamel Toubrinet of Cegid, Cole Goebel, Nicole Bryan of Sterling Payment Technologies, Wasp Barcode Technologies, Kimberly Berneck of BTM Global and Jason Feemster of Point of Sale USA for Harbortouch.

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Australia Announces New National Security Plan

Australian prime minister announced a new national security strategy, urging venue operators of crowded places to begin keeping security at the top of their minds.

Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a new national security strategy on Sunday, according to local news, urging venue operators of crowded places to begin keeping security at the top of their minds.



The new program  Australia's Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism  has been in the works since the terror attack in Nice, France, in July 2016, but Turnbulls announcement follows a deadly attack in Barcelona last week in which a vehicle, once again, drove into a crowd of people.



"We recognize that the threat is constantly evolving, the prime minister said, so what we have to do is to make sure we too are constantly improving and updating the measures we have."



Under the plan, which both states and territories have been involved in developing, owners and operators of new buildings will be given government help for security audits of their facilities to determine any weaknesses and develop strategies to strengthen and fortify their venues.



Authorities will even provide a do-it-yourself toolkit on installing bollards to separate vehicles from pedestrians along with other methods of mitigating a hostile vehicle attack. The plan calls for an increase in use of bollards as well as in the use of police and security agencies around mass gatherings.



Australias new security strategy also features guidelines on chemical attacks and what should be done in those type of situations.



For a long time in Australia we've just had a mentality of live and let live and that we can walk around doing whatever we want," Turnbull told ABC. "Now we have to have more of that 'be alert but not alarmed' mentality."
Iraqi forces on Tuesday recaptured from the Islamic State group the first three districts of jihadist bastion Tal Afar as the Pentagon chief visited Baghdad in a show of support. The United Nations said thousands of civilians had fled Tal Afar in the two days since the start of the broad offensive backed by the US-led coalition fighting IS, but tens of thousands are trapped. After meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said the jihadists were "on the run". "Cities have been liberated, people freed from ISIS, from Daesh," Mattis said, using alternative names for IS. The jihadists had not been able "to stand up to our team in combat, and they have not retaken one inch of ground that they lost", he said. Iraqi troops backed by a US-led international coalition routed IS in Mosul in July after a gruelling nine-month fight for Iraq's second city. They launched an offensive Sunday to recapture Tal Afar, once a key IS supply hub between Mosul -- around 70 kilometres (45 miles) further east -- and the Syrian border to the west. IS fighters inside Tal Afar, estimated to number around 1,000, responded with artillery fire Tuesday as Iraqi forces massed outside the city. Army, police and units of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition later took "full control" of the Al-Kifah, Al-Nur and al-Askari districts, the Hashed said. Iraqi forces had encircled the city despite what Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi called "intense" fighting. He said the battle for the city would probably last weeks, in contrast to the months-long battle for Mosul. Some 30,000 civilians are trapped by fighting in Tal Afar, according to the UN. The UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) fears they "are likely to be used as human shields" and that "attempts to flee could result in executions and shootings," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The International Organization for Migration said "thousands of civilians" had fled Tal Afar since the offensive began. Since Friday, more than 3,000 people had arrived at two IOM emergency sites, many with only the clothes they were wearing, the UN agency said. The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said it had received some 9,000 people at the Hamman Al Alil transit centre over the past week. - 'Fought like the dickens' - Mattis declined to make any predictions about the battle. "ISIS's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over anytime soon," he said. Iraqi forces had "fought like the dickens in Mosul, (it) cost them over 6,000 wounded, somewhere over 1,200 killed," he said. Yet that comeback helped restore the confidence of the Iraqi forces after their shock loss of Mosul and swathes of northern Iraq to IS in 2014, he added. Mattis stressed that retaking Mosul would not have happened "without... Abadi's steady hand", but was also due in part to extensive US support. He said his discussions would focus on the way ahead, including how to keep Iraq from again politically fragmenting or falling further under Iran's influence. "Secretary Mattis is going to be very much focused on a pathway for the United States to continue to have a residual force in Iraq to continue to train Iraqi security forces" and avoid the emergence of a successor to IS, said Nicholas Heras, Middle East Security Fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. - Kurdistan referendum challenge - A key issue is a plan for an independence referendum on September 25 in Iraqi Kurdistan, where Mattis later Tuesday met the autonomous region's president Massud Barzani. The poll is strongly opposed by the US, which believes it could undermine Abadi and distract from the fight against IS. US officials said Mattis and Barzani had a "very frank" discussion about the referendum. White House envoy to the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, said the battle for Tal Afar was "going well" but that a referendum on Kurdish independence would be "potentially catastrophic to the counter-ISIS campaign". "It's not just the United States; every member of our coalition believes that now is not the time to hold this referendum," he said. Before leaving Baghdad, Mattis stressed the need to "stay focused like a laser beam on the defeat of ISIS and to let nothing distract us". Mattis, who is on a five-day trip to Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Ukraine, said he would also talk about reconstruction and resettlement of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis driven from their homes and towns by the fighting, especially in Mosul. "It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be a heavy lift for them going forward." But Heras said Mattis, whom he said has earned firm trust among Iraqis, needs to help Abadi further build his base as a moderate for the post-war period, with elections looming for next year. "That will be a political pickle that Mattis will have to work Abadi through," the analyst said.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's biggest taxi operator, ComfortDelgro Corp Ltd , entered into exclusive talks with Uber Technologies Inc for a potential tie-up, it said on Tuesday, in a move that could help Uber in its fight with dominant ride-hailing firm Grab. ComfortDelgro signed a letter with Uber for exclusive discussions to form a potential strategic alliance, which may include collaboration to manage fleet vehicles and booking software solutions in the city-state, the taxi firm said in a statement to the Singapore Exchange. The taxi operator said the potential tie-up would also include the company's taxis being made available on Uber's app. ComfortDelgro is the market leader in Singapore with a fleet of 15,000 taxis. Like in other markets, traditional taxi firms in Singapore have been hit by the growth of ride-hailing firms such as Grab and Uber. Uber, which has pulled out of massive markets China and Russia, has used Singapore as a springboard to grow in populous Southeast Asia. ComfortDelgro said there was no certainty that the talks would result in any definitive agreement or transaction. It declined to provide any comments beyond the statement. Uber also declined comment. Grab has dominated the market in Southeast Asia and says it has a 95 percent market share in third-party taxi-hailing and 71 percent in private vehicle hailing in the region. ComfortDelgro has a total fleet size of about 44,000 buses, taxis and rental vehicles and operates in seven countries including Singapore, China, the UK and Australia. The company said earlier this month its revenue from the taxi business was expected to decline as the operating environment stayed challenging with the substantial increase in private hire vehicles. (Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)
The US special envoy on Ukraine on Tuesday backed a fresh ceasefire there to coincide with the start of the school year, a day after talks with a Kremlin official. "I know it's very high on the agenda in the Normandy process which is to have a ceasefire for the back-to-school season," said Kurt Volker, referring to the talks involving France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. "It seems like a very good idea, we would obviously fully support that and hope the sides could do that," he told the Baltic News Service during a visit to Lithuania. Volker, a former envoy to NATO who was appointed last month to lead US diplomacy on the Ukraine crisis, described as "constructive" his first meeting Monday with Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov. "Where I think we agreed is that the current situation, the status quo, is not good for anybody," he said. "What we need to do is to take a fresh look at how to increase security in Ukraine for the people that live there." Volker was due in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Wednesday to join US Secretary of Defense James Mattis in talks with senior Ukrainian government officials. The conflict between Russia-backed fighters and Ukrainian troops has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014, when pro-Russian forces occupied parts of eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed Crimea. The conflict has pushed ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War. While the Minsk peace agreement brokered by France and Germany has helped reduce the intensity of fighting, observers say it is still violated on a daily basis.
The UKs Strangest Spots

Seeking out unusual, eye catching and downright bizarre architecture to skate is one of skateboardings biggest pleasures  whether its the Death crew hunting down Death Approved Spot UK crust in Squadrophenia or Bob Burnquist hitting natural transitions in the deserts of the US. Striving for innovation is as much a part of an architects make up as it is a skateboarders, so finding a building work or sculpture of an aesthetically striking nature which also has the bonus of being skateable is almost a sensory overload when hunting for Chin.

Here weve compiled some of the most eye catching spots which lay across the UK, taken from the pages of our magazine and featuring plenty of rippers with the necessary all terrain enthusiasm to deal with often less than perfect ground, kinks and the other handicaps invariably thrown up by the desire to escape the confines of your local skatepark.

Kylesku Bridge

Matlok Bennett-Jones  boneless photo by CJ.

This find came about on a 2015 Sidewalk and Rollersnakes trip to the Scottish Highlands, the rest of the photos from which we could have probably made up this article with. Luckily for you were not that lazy, but if you havent read it then we can highly recommend perusing it and wondering at what may lie in wait if you swap that annual jaunt to Barcelona or Copenhagen for somewhere more off the beaten track

Wandsworth Roundabout

Geoff Rowley  Boneless photo by Horsley.

This long serving South London gem sprawls over a fair bit of ground and offers up plenty of lines for those willing to deal with badgers-arse ground (though recently resurfaced) and the fact that almost every part of it is gnarly as fuck. The tunnel next to it is long known from its appearance at the beginning of Stanley Kubricks A Clockwork Orange, while the main section has been skated by too many rippers to list off  but hats definitely tipped in the direction of Ben Raemers mental front disaster (Albion ender) and front blunt (enjois Oververt) on the wall which had previously only seen tricks popped into the bank.

Bradford Forster Square Sculpture

Doug McLaughlan  backside air by CJ.

Bradfords Forster Square plays host to this iconic Yorkshire spot, alongside for a long time some whippy quarters until a recent renovation sadly displaced them. Much grimmer to skate than it looks, a cobbled run up and hard to figure out transition means that not much has really gone down here. Dougies floated backside air and Lois Pendleburys kickflip ender in her 2009 As If, And What section are two which immediately spring to mind.
A look back - SkS in 2011

Posted on 18 July 2017 by BaerbelW

Peak in published posts and an award

Together with Haydn Washington, John published the book "Climate Change Denial - Heads in the Sand". The book examines the phenomenon of climate change denial. It looks at the many techniques of literal denial, where 'skeptics' deny the evidence for man-made global warming. It exposes denial within governments, who make a lot of noise about climate change but fail to back it up with action. And it examines the denial within most of us, when we let denial prosper. This book explains the climate science and the social science behind denial.

John Hartz published the first SkS Weekly Digest in June, starting a series of blog posts which continues to this day (thanks, JH!). Shortly afterwards, John Cook introduced the Skeptical Science team with a post recalling the early years of SkS.

Introducing the team and how the website looked in June 2011

In a post highlighting SkS' 4th birthday in August, John mentioned that he started to work at the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland:

"The position is the Fellowship for Climate Change Science Communication (bit of a mouthful, I know) and will involve research, publishing and I imagine a helluva lot of climate communication. An exciting new phase of this wild adventure!"

In September we learned that our team won the Eureka prize for the advancement of climate change knowledge from the Australian museum. The Eureka Prizes, presented annually since 1990 by the Australian Museum, have been described as Australias Oscars of Science. The prizes recognise and reward excellence in the fields of scientific research & innovation, science leadership, school science and science journalism & communication.

The Debunking Handbook was published in November, has been translated into 11 languages since then and still gets downloaded several thousand times each month.

In December a few teammembers travelled to San Fransicso to meet for the first time at AGU's Fall Meeting where some of them were also presenting their research.

2011 was the peak year thus far with 584 published blog posts, written by 85 different authors. The most prolific ones were John Cook with 136, Dana Nuccitelli with 129 and John Hartz with 47 posts respectively. 33 rebuttals were added to the list.
A look back - SkS in 2012

Posted on 18 July 2017 by BaerbelW

Getting hacked and striking back

In January, Ari Jokimaki started publishing his New research from last week, a new feature very well received by the readers of Skeptical Science.

Introducing "New research from last week" as seen in January 2012

One of the most stressful incidents for our team came to light in March, when we discovered that "It had happened". The "it" being getting hacked badly, with all of the website's content, including our private forum, getting downloaded over the period of a month and then made publicly available. Two years after this event, Bob Lacatena published "A Hack by any other name", a series of 7 blog posts, detailing what had happened and how we found out. Even having lived through this experience, Bob's recounting it makes for a fascinating if long read!

Not being distracted for long by the hack, our team quickly regrouped and kept on publishing articles and updating rebuttals through the rest of the year. At the end of March, Kevin Cowtan introduced the Skeptical Science Trend Calculator which lets you critically evaluate claims about tenperature trends. In April, John Mason started publishing his 3-part History of Climate Science which also features very neat graphics created by John Garrett (jg).

In September John published another article about our team which also contains some hilarious conspiracy theories about SkS:

Over the years, a number of conspiracy theories have sprung up about SkS. It's hard to say which is the most amusing (so many to choose from!) but high up the list is this excitable conspiracy theory endorsed by a Watts Up With That moderator: "...a well known billionaire is funding the pseudo science blog sceptical science. That billionaire is a multiple convicted felon who worked willingly for the Nazis in WWII. How is that not headline news?" Billy from Facebook has another theory on the SkS gravy train: "John Cook is the creator and he is an advisor to rothschild australia who controls australias carbon market. Its hard for me to except considering my research has uncovered a huge rothschild connection and he is an advisor for their board which handles the cap+trade and carbon tax market in australia." The most flattering conspiracy theory has to be this comment which I often quote in public talks as evidence of the powerful potential of social media: "I worked out recently it's impossible for one man to turn out a constantly updating and slick as grease website 'in his spare time'. I even went as far as to surmise he may just be a front for the IPCC or Globe International as it would need a team of professionals to create such a site and probably a few PR experts at the head."

In October the Skeptical Science team led by Dana Nuccitelli and oceanography expert John Church published the Comment on Ocean heat content and Earth?s radiation imbalance. II. Relation to climate shifts. In typical SkS international coordination style, the paper's authors included an American (Dana Nuccitelli), a Canadian (Robert Way), a New Zealander (Rob Painting), and two Australians (John Cook and John Church). The paper features the often used ocean heat content graphic:

Figure 1: Land, atmosphere, and ice heating (red), 0-700 meter OHC increase (light blue), 700-2,000 meter OHC increase (dark blue). From Nuccitelli et al. (2012)

In December several members from the SkS-team headed for San Francisco to attend the AGU Fall meeting again and to participate in several oral and poster sessions.

During 2012, 504 blog posts were published by 57 authors and it was the first year that others published more posts than John, freeing up his time for other tasks, like pursuing his research and PhD. Dana Nuccitelli published 126 articles, John Hartz 118, Ari Jokimaki 56 and John Cook 30.
A look back - SkS in 2016

Posted on 18 July 2017 by BaerbelW

Making lemonade from lemons

As a reaction to continued attacks on our paper  and especially a published comment by Richard Tol in which he manages to misrepresent several other consensus studies  we collaborated with the authors of these studies and published "Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming" in April (Cook et al. 2016). The two key conclusions from the paper are:

1) Depending on exactly how you measure the expert consensus, its somewhere between 90% and 100% that agree humans are responsible for climate change with most of our studies finding 97% consensus among publishing climate scientists 2) The greater the climate expertise among those surveyed, the higher the consensus on human-caused global warming.

The National Center for Science Education (NCSE)  a big non-profit organisation supporting teachers in the U.S. who want to teach evolution and climate science without interference from religious or political groups  had a nice suprise for us in May when they named Skeptical Science as one of this year's recipients of their Friend of the Planet Awards. The other recipients were Katharine Hayhoe for her work as an atmospheric scientist and John Abraham and Dana Nuccitelli for their 97%-blog at The Guardian. So, Dana got "double-dippings"!

In August John received notification that his PhD thesis had been accepted without revision. I'm fairly certain that he would have called anybody crazy who suggested back in 2007 that creating SkS would lead to him becoming Dr. John Cook 9 years later! You can download his thesis, aptly titled "Closing the consensus gap by communicating the scientific consensus on climate change and countering misinformation from SkS. It consists of 9 papers published in peer reviewed journals and other publications, the different chapters woven together into a single document by introductory comments. It makes for quite an interesting read!

John co-authored the paper  published in September  "The Alice in Wonderland mechanics of the rejection of (climate) science: simulating coherence by conspiracism" with Stephan Lewandowsky and Elisabeth Loyd. The three authors looked at both rhetorical and scientific arguments put out by deniers and listed examples of where these various arguments contradict each other as outlined in Graham Readfearn's explainer.

As in previous years, members of our team regularly published articles in various other outlets:

2016 came to a close with about a dozen members from the SkS- and Denial101x-team coming together at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco in December to again present their research in several oral and poster sessions. You can read more about the meeting in this article: Skeptical Science at AGU 2016: a recap.

One of the highlights of this particular AGU meeting was the presentation of the NCSE-award mentioned above. This happened at the "SkS-Shindig", held on Monday evening, Dec. 12 when those from the SkS-team attending AGU's Fall meeting came together with many others interested in climate science. As about a dozen folks from the SkS- and Denial101x-team were at the shindig we used the opportunity to get a group picture - quite a rare opportunity for our team which mostly collaborates virtually and doesn't have many chances to meet face to face!

From the left: Mark Richardson, Howard Lee, John Mashey, Collin Maessen, John Cook, Baerbel Winkler, Peter Jacobs, Rob Honeycutt, Sarah Green, Dana Nuccitelli, Keah Schuenemann, Dan Bedford

Like with other posts in this series, only some highlights of the year could be included. You can read a lot more in this recap for 2016.

During the year, 364 blog posts were published, with John Hartz contributing 104, Dana 59 and various guest authors around 130.
During the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last July, the citys central plaza became an ideological Star Wars canteen. Burly Christian fundamentalists hoisted signs denouncing Islam a few feet from a publicity-seeking Muslim with an AR-15 slung across his back. Clusters of communists chanted America was never great! while Bikers for Trump paraded around in MAGA hats. Off to one side, Daryle Lamont Jenkins, a longtime activist in the militant left-wing anti-fascist movement, sat on a bench beside me surveying the rabble, pointing out various white supremacists whod come to town to celebrate Donald Trumps ascension.

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Hed already seen the Traditionalist Worker Partys Matt Heimbach, who a few months earlier had assaulted a black female protester at a Trump rally in Kentucky. Hed spotted Richard Spencer and Nathan Damigo, who, a year later, would make news for their high-profile roles in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Looking into the crowd, Jenkins drew my attention to a stocky shaven-headed man in a St. Vincent T-shirtMatt Forney, an internet personality whose work blends racism with mens rights activism. (His oeuvre includes How to Beat Your Girlfriend or Wife and Get Away With It.) A handful of young men hovered around him. Theyre organizing, theyre recruiting, theyre going around talking to people, and theyre trying to basically beef up their numbers, Jenkins said. He was there to watch them. Ive been taking video of every Nazi Ive seen, he told me.

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Ive been taking video of every Nazi Ive seen, Jenkins said.

Jenkins, 49, is a black man who has devoted his life to fighting white supremacists, sometimes literally. He is the founder of the One Peoples Project, easily the most mainstream and well-known anti-fascist, or antifa, organization. (Its motto is Hate Has Consequences.) Unlike other left-wing groups that track the far right, One Peoples Projectwhich Jenkins runs with the help of a network of about 15 volunteersconfronts its enemies, whether that means getting in their faces at protests, doxing them, or contacting their employers. A volunteer named Laura, a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, described her work with OPP as antifa CIA.

After the riot in Charlottesvillewhere Jenkins was pepper-sprayedantifa is suddenly making headlines. The term antifa refers to a loose network of militant left-wing activists who physically square off against the far right, and often try to prevent those they deem fascists from speaking publicly. Antifa is sometimes used as a synonym for black bloc anarchiststhe scruffy kids in black bandanas or balaclavas known for smashing Starbucks windowsbut while the movements overlap, theyre not identical. Jenkins doesnt wear a mask, and Laura is an upper-middle-class suburban woman with grown children. The movement appears to be growing rapidly under Trump, though its impossible to put hard numbers to it; there are no membership rolls.

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As antifa becomes more prominent, Jenkins has been called on to explain its strain of left-wing militancy to a fascinated but deeply wary wider world. The last time I saw him, on Thursday, he had just finished an interview on Sirius XM and said he would soon be appearing on 20/20. Hed been frustrated with mainstream coverage of antifa, which tends to paint it as mindlessly reckless, though he also said the movement bears some blame for failing to speak to media on its own behalf. If you want to know what antifa is about, talk to antifaif you can find people in antifa that will talk, he said. Hell talk, and has become the public face for a diffuse, nonhierarchical movement. Daryles important because hes an elder in our community, said James Anderson, part of the editorial collective that produces the anarchist website Its Going Down. He added: Daryles very brave.

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Many on the right have tried to paint antifa as the moral equivalent of violent white supremacists. Antifa: The Other Evil Political Force, says a headline on an essay in the American Conservative that ran last week. Trump, at his notorious Aug. 15 press conference, seemed to refer to antifa when he placed part of the blame for Charlottesville on the alt-left which he called very, very violent. Liberals, in general, dont like antifa much more. They see their tactics as counterproductive at best, and worry that theyre ceding the moral high ground to the right. In The Rise of the Violent Left, a recent Atlantic piece, Peter Beinart wrote about how antifa threatened to disrupt an annual parade in Portland, Oregon, if it included a contingent of Trump supporters; the parade ended up being canceled. The people preventing Republicans from safely assembling on the streets of Portland may consider themselves fierce opponents of the authoritarianism growing on the American right, wrote Beinart. In truth, however, they are its unlikeliest allies.

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Its certainly true that antifa refuses to eschew violence. According to CNNs Jake Tapper, left-wing counterprotesters assaulted at least two journalists in Charlottesville. The riot is our version of the strike, said Anderson, even as he acknowledges a disconnect between some of antifas tactics and its goals. Step one, broken window. Step two, we dont know. Step three, classless and stateless society, he said wryly. I dont think it works like that.

But at a moment when Trumps violence on many sides rhetoric has installed a one-dimensional image of antifa in the wider imagination, Jenkins insists that large-scale standoffs are only part of what the movement doesand not the most important part. Antifa also aims to shame white supremacists, heightening the social cost of involvement with racist organizations. Youve got to be proactive against them when theyre not rolling 500 deep, he said. Thats where doxing comes in. In the wake of Charlottesville, he points out, Unite the Right rallygoers are being identified online, with lasting consequences. One has left college, another has been fired from his job at a Berkeley, California, hot dog stand. These are kids who thought it was funny hassling people online and think they can get away with it in real life, said Jenkins. And then they learn the hard way: Real life is different than online.

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Daryle Jenkins roots lay in the punk scene, which was the crucible of antifa organizing in America. In 1983, a multiracial skinhead crew called the Baldies formed in Minneapolis to oppose racist skinhead gangs. Five years later, members of the Baldies joined with other groups nationwide to form Anti-Racist Action, an anarchist network that set out to expose, oppose, and confront white supremacists. Central to ARAs mission was no-platforminga concept borrowed from Europes Anti-Fascist Actionwhich meant denying racists the opportunity to speak publicly. The whole thing about defending the Nazis freedom of speech before even recognizing that theyre trying to take ours away has always been a problem for me, Jenkins said.

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After spending the late 1980s serving in the Air Force, Jenkins hooked up with antifa in the 1990s. Our mission in life was to chase every neo-Nazi out of whatever music scene we were in, he said. We used to fight all the time. In 1995, while living in Cleveland, he started a chapter of ARA. Five years later, hed returned to New Jersey, where he worked with several progressives groups to coordinate a response to a July Fourth rally organized by the white supremacist Richard Barrett. Jenkins and his allies called their effort the One Peoples Coalition. Back then the internet was still fairly new, and Jenkins set up the groups GeoCities website to publicize demonstrations against Barretts group. After the rally he kept the site going, eventually renaming it the One Peoples Project.

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One Peoples Project is run on a shoestring. Though Jenkins has a few donors, he supports himself by working as a truck driver. He and his volunteers attend as many right-wing events as possible, from the Conservative Political Action Conference to hardcore Nazi gatherings. When white supremacists are arrested, Jenkins tries to sit in on their trials. You actually have to go out there and do the legwork, he said. One of his prouder moments was exposing an act of racist violence by the anti-immigrant activist Marcus Epstein. One day in 2009, Jenkins was bored and on a whim ran Epsteins name through a criminal database. He found out that Epstein had been arrested two years earlier, though no information about the arrest was available online. So Jenkins went to D.C. Superior Court and pulled his records. It turned out that in 2007, a drunk Epstein had called a passing black woman a nigger, then tried to hit her with a karate chop to the head. A Secret Service officer who witnessed the attack took Epstein into custody, and Epstein eventually entered an Alford plea to the charge of misdemeanor assault. (An Alford plea is when a defendant maintains innocence but admits that the state has sufficient evidence to convict him and agrees to be treated as guilty.) Epstein satisfied the conditions of his Alford plea, withdrew the plea, and the charges against him were dismissed.*

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When Jenkins discovered Epsteins arrest, it was in the middle of the contentious confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Epstein was working as executive director of a political action committee co-founded by former Rep. Tom Tancredo, who called Sotomayor a racist and compared her to members of the KKK. The revelation of Epsteins racist assault made national news, helping to undermine the opposition to Sotomayor.

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Much of what OPP does is this sort of individual exposure, a precursor to the crowdsourced doxing campaigns currently being run against white supremacists who were photographed in Charlottesville. Both Jenkins and Laura maintain white nationalist sock-puppet accounts on social media, which they use to communicate with the members of the movement online, and they monitor far-right message boards. Laura described how she got a Virginia white supremacist named Wendy fired. Laura said that Wendy, a psychiatric nurse, posted on the far-right racist site Stormfront about how when she gives out medication to people who are Jewish or black, that she wishes she could give them all cyanide. Though Wendy had been posting under an online pseudonym, Laura told me she figured out her real name and contacted her employer.

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Though violence on many sides rhetoric has defined antifa in the public imagination, Jenkins insists such standoffs are only part of what the movement doesand not the most important part.

But Jenkins and his crew arent simply out to ruin the lives of their opponents; hes also helped shepherd people out of racist movements.

Though hell fight white supremacists, hell also talk to them whenever he sees an opening. He can cut an intimidating figurehes a tall, broad mountain of a manbut hes also warm and, given his lifes work, surprisingly nonjudgmental. Jenkins father was a drug treatment counselor, and his mother is a Pentecostal missionary. He credits his parents for instilling in him an impulse to reach out to people. Im my fathers son, Im my mothers son, Jenkins said. Ill talk. Sometimes, when white supremacists start nurturing doubts, he said, Im the only person that will talk to them, really talk to them like theyre a human being.

When Bryon Widner, who was once an ultraviolent Nazi skinhead, and his wife, Julie, wanted to leave the movement, Julie turned to Jenkins for help. They knew me because of how everybody used to complain about the work I do among their circle, Jenkins said. He would spend hours on the phone with Bryon, bonding with him over their shared love of punk rock. After the couple made a decisive break from their racist past, the Southern Poverty Law Center paid for Bryon to undergo a series of 25 excruciating laser surgeries to remove his Nazi facial tattoos, procedures that were chronicled in the 2011 documentary Erasing Hate.

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In the film, Julie tells Jenkins what hes meant to them: Just being able to talk to you about what we went through, and getting out, and all the death threats, and giving us the hope that were doing the right thing, she says. Jenkins responds, I appreciate that, but listen. Its not me. Its you.

None of this, of course, is what most people think of when they think of antifa. The popular image of antifa is of black-masked anarchists spoiling for a fight, and its an image rooted in reality. Jenkins makes no apologies for antifas aggressive stance, which he describes in conservative-sounding terms of community self-reliance. It is apparent that Donald Trump is not going to do anything to keep these groups from flourishing, so we have to. It is our job as citizens of this country, he said. If we care about it, were the ones who need to go out there and do what needs to be done. He carries a gun, though hes never had to use it. More and more to the hard left, you start seeing people willing to bear arms, said Jenkins. I dont run with people who dont care for guns all that much.

For many liberalsa category in which I include myselfantifas willingness to use violence and eagerness to shut down right-wing speech seem both morally wrong and strategically obtuse. Shortly before he was fired, Steve Bannon said that racial unrest is good for the administration: If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats. Trump appears to be making the same calculation, sowing discord to shore up his base.

Some progressive groups that work to stem the growth of the far right worry that antifa plays into their enemies hands. Earlier this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center released a guide for college students about how to deal with alt-right figures on campus. It urges students to avoid confrontation with visiting right-wing speakers, and to instead hold separate, alternative events. When an alt-right personality is scheduled to speak on campus, the most effective course of action is to deprive the speaker of the thing he or she wants mosta spectacle, says the guide. Alt-right personalities know their cause is helped by news footage of large jeering crowds, heated confrontations and outright violence at their events.

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But from the perspective of people inside antifa, Charlottesville proves that confrontational tactics are necessary. The weekend of the rally, the swaggering white nationalist Christopher Cantwell was showing off his weapons to a Vice reporter. A few days later, he posted a video of himself choking back tears after hearing that there was a warrant out for his arrest. I dont know what to do, he said, adding, We have used every peaceful and lawful means by which to redress our grievances, and our enemies just will not stop! Thats the sort of thing Jenkins loves to hear. When you get Christopher Cantwell crying, you know that they did not want this, he said.

Anderson, the anarchist website editor, is audibly exasperated when I ask him to respond to those who say that facing off against white supremacists only gives them the publicity they crave. Those people got their wish on Friday night, he said, pointing out that, in the absence of antifa, torch-wielding marchers on the University of Virginia campus attacked a group of students and other activists holding a small, quiet counterdemonstration. (According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, a UVA employee who was injured while trying to protect students had a stroke shortly after the clash and ended up in the ICU.) They beat the shit out of them, Anderson said. They called them niggers and hit them with torches. Nobody came to their defense. There was actually a church full of people singing songs with Cornel West not that far away. Thats what happens when you ignore them.

On Saturday in Charlottesville, when antifa did turn out, many of the peaceful progressive protesters credit it with defending them. West, who was demonstrating with a group of clergy, told Democracy Now!s Amy Goodman, [W]e would have been crushed like cockroaches if it were not for the anarchists and the anti-fascists. Charlottesville pastor Seth Wispelwey, who was standing next to West at Saturdays demonstration, told me that at one point the clergy were charged by a battalion of armed white supremacists, with the police nowhere to be seen. The clergy regrouped, linking arms and preparing to risk being assaulted, but more than 200 antifa activists massed between them and 100 or so Nazis. Without antifa, said Wispelwey, We would have just been trampled and beaten.

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Wispelwey, who is committed to nonviolent civil disobedience, has philosophical and strategic differences with antifa, but he doesnt condemn it. I have different tactics, but overall I say, as a clergy person, its dangerous to wait for the perfect at the expense of the good when actual bodily safety is on the line, he said.

In Charlottesville, the police stood down in part because of the presence of armed right-wing militias. Their presence as a private security force for an increasingly public coalition of white nationalist factionsKu Klux Klan followers, neo-Nazis, and alt-right supportershas transformed a movement that has already demonstrated a willingness to threaten violence, reported Politico. Trump has made it clear he has little interest in defending those who would stand up to violent racists. So no matter how much hectoring there is from the right for progressives to denounce the alt-left, theres no reason to believe that antifa will stop gaining ground anytime soon. If people believe that their government hates them and established institutions are incapable of staving off fascism, they will inevitably take matters into their own hands, whether that means exposing people online or fighting with them offline.

For Jenkins, the lesson of Charlottesville is clear: Antifa needs to redouble its efforts. Weve got to be a little bit more forceful, he said. And that doesnt mean we go out there and get even more physically aggressive with these guys. It means that we really try to put the pressure on so that they are marginalized, as they were a couple of years ago. Because whats going on right now, they dont feel marginalized. They feel like nothings going to get in their way. Hes going to get in their way.

*Correction, Sept. 11, 2017: This piece originally misstated that Marcus Epstein pleaded guilty to simple assault. He entered an Alford plea to the charge of misdemeanor assault; the charge was later dismissed.

Top image: Daryle Lamont Jenkins, center, argues with supporters of President Trump as Rutgers University students and supporters gather to express their discontent with Trumps executive order halting some immigrants from entering the U.S., on Jan. 31 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Photo by Mel Evans/AP.
The printing industry is thriving. According to the Commerce Department, commercial printing shipments in August 2015 exceeded $7 billion in market value. With the sector on the rise, entrepreneurs looking for a business to invest in may want to think carefully about a printing and copying franchises.

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Editors and students complain about the lack of practical training at journalism schools and missing links with the realities of the media market.

The need to accumulate more resources has been seen as the reason why universities accept too many students for their journalism programmes. (Source: TASR)

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Alternative media and the hoaxes they produce populate an ever-larger space in the media, particularly online. Democracy watchdogs point to the need for professional and independent media among the essentials to cope with the situation.

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In Slovakia, this has become an issue after one of the media schools invited the editor-in-chief of a known hoax-spreading magazine to speak at one of their conferences. The controversy raised questions about journalism education, including if aspiring journalists will be well-prepared to face propaganda and fake news.

Media professionals admit that education at journalism schools hardly reflects this role that their future graduates will need to fill.

Im missing a link to reality at Slovak universities, said Matus Kostolny, editor-in-chief of the Dennik N daily. The media environment has rapidly changed, and it seems that universities have not had enough time to notice.

Pravda dailys editor-in-chief Nora Sliskova lists the poor-quality learning process, too many journalism departments and too many graduates, the lack of lecturers with practical experience in journalism, and undersized financial support for traineeship programmes as what she calls the reasons why educating young journalists proves deficient.

Read also:

Read also: Legitimising fake news Read more

We have a problem. No, we dont

In Slovakia, journalism courses are offered at six public universities (Presov University, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, Catholic University in Ruzomberok, University of Ss Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Comenius University in Bratislava) and two private universities (Academy of Media and Pan-European University, both in Bratislava). In addition to these, there are additional programmes at other universities offering communication and media-related courses.

None of the universities who responded to The Slovak Spectators questions see any issues in terms of the education provided to young journalists, apart from insufficient technical equipment at some media or journalism departments. They also complain about the preparedness of the students before reaching the university level  and a lack of money.

A percentage of high school students come in with inadequate knowledge, missing the general overview of current issues as well as possessing weak language and stylistic skills that are crucial for future journalists, noted Jarmila Jurova, vice-dean at the Faculty of Arts at Constantine the Philosopher University (UKF) in Nitra. She also admits they would need more financial resources to secure more efficient links between theory and practice.

The need to accumulate more resources has been seen as the reason why universities accept too many students for their journalism programmes. The per-capita system applied in the education system motivates them to do so. Samo Chrtan, who has studied journalism at Comenius University in Bratislava, noted for The Slovak Spectator that the number of journalism students was simply too high for lecturers, who were, as a result, unable to approach students individually.

Journalists-to-be see deficiencies

Students mostly complain about the lack of practical training they receive during their journalism studies.

A number of subjects are theoretical and unnecessarily instructed in-depth, says Lucia Kucerova, a journalism student at UKF. Although we can participate in the university magazine Obcas Necas or Plus radio, Im missing the link between my studies and actual work experience.

Many journalism schools tend to focus on Slovak grammar and style very intensively.

I polished up my Slovak, which I consider a plus, said Peter Dudovic, who holds a degree in media communications from Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice. However, he also mentions the lack of practical training at school. I learned more in the radio studio at university than from the theory taught.

Chrtan noted that most students are more or less dissatisfied with the programme.

They complain about memorising dates for exams, the theoretical approach which is based on out-of-date literature, Chrtan told The Slovak Spectator. But he does appreciate the fact that there are experienced professionals among the lecturers at Comenius, among them reporters Peter Kubinyi, Martin Strizinec, and TV news anchor Lubomir Bajanik.

Also, students have easy access to traineeships, according to Chrtan, and several opportunities to apply their skills in university media platforms, such as RadioAktiv, WebJournal or OFF Record discussions. Those could work more professionally if changes occurred, Chrtan noted.

Still, university media across the country thrive even without professional guidance. Well-equipped university media is one of the advantages of studying journalism at Catholic University in Ruzomberok, along with the very few number of students in the programme, says student Zuzana Janikova. However, lecturers who lead the universitys media sign only one-year long contracts, and as a consequence they cannot adequately work with students, she noted.

Also, the board at the faculty is not interested in university media at all  a computer, in the radio studio, has broken down, and we do not have money ourselves to pay for a new one, Janikova told The Slovak Spectator. If we dont get the money, we will not broadcast.

Study or work?

In addition to the full-time journalism programmes, private universities in Bratislava and public universities in Nitra, Trnava, and Kosice also open paid part-time programmes every year.

Many part-time students work in the media industry, and this kind of study contributes to gaining more knowledge from journalism theory and broadening their practical skills, said Jurova.

Statistics on how many part-time students actually work in the media while studying for their degrees remain unknown.

Presov University is one of those that currently offer only full-time programmes.

Our goal is, therefore, to steer our capacity towards the young generation of journalists-to-be, explained Vasil Gluchman, dean of the Faculty of Arts at Presov University.

Svetlana Hlavcakova, head of the Journalism Department at Comenius University, explained that they do not intervene in their full-time students activities unless it collides with their lectures.

In their free time  Friday  they can intern in media, explained Hlavcakova.

The private Pan-European University, on the other hand, claims they support their full-time students who work as interns by creating an individual study plan for them.

Internships announced to the university by media organisations are offered to students, said Iveta Radicova, dean of the Faculty of Mass Media at the university. Her school has signed contracts with News and Media Holding, IBM, DELL, and is working on others.

Few contracts with the media

While not all of the journalism schools have signed contracts with media outlets, internships are obligatory for students. Comenius does hold contracts with the public-service broadcaster RTVS and the TASR newswire.

But while the media industry flourishes in Bratislava, things are more complicated for students in other regions.

In the east of the country, the media environment is not developed that much, Gluchman explained. Subsequently, there are less traineeship opportunities.

Nevertheless, Presov University works together with private regional radio stations (Korzar, Sky radio Presov, Kosice Dnes) as well as with the regional branch of the Slovak Syndicate of Journalists. In Kosice, Pavol Jozef Safarik University (UPJS) collaborates weekly with professionals based around the city working for RTVS Kosice, TASR, Radio Vychod, and Radio Jemne Melodie, said Jan Gbur, vice-rector for public relations at UPJS Kosice.

Pravdas Sliskova admits they do not have any contracts with universities.

Students themselves get in touch if they are looking for a traineeship, she said, adding that most of their interns come from Masaryk University in Brno, Catholic University in Ruzomberok, and Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra.

Sliskova and Kostolny agree that the university in Brno, Czech Republic, produces the best aspiring journalism. Dennik N also cooperates with students from Trnava, Bratislava, and Ruzomberok.

We are trying to search for talented students, Kostolny said.

The British system could be an inspiration

For now, editors are left to rely solely on their own judgment and test the aspiring reporter on the job.

I have an interest in a student, not in the school they graduated from, concluded Sliskova.

In Slovakia, there is no official and clear system that would differentiate high-performing journalism schools from bad ones. In the UK, for example, apart from The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education that decides on a universitys ability to award degrees, there is the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), a charity governed by a board of journalism-experienced members that accredits high-quality education and training providers as well as offering professional qualifications itself.

Most regional media organisations and many national organisations require an NCTJ qualification for employment, because they know that NCTJ-qualified journalists will be able to do the job, Michelle Lewis from the National Council for the Training of Journalists told The Slovak Spectator.
Gabriele Meucci has been serving as the Italian Ambassador to Slovakia since January this year. Coming from a posting in Kosovo where he headed the major EULEX mission, he says that Slovakia is a haven for Italian investors but recently also for Italians coming here to work.

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The Slovak Spectator spoke with Ambassador Meucci, among other things, about the migration crisis and problems that some Italian banks are facing.

The Slovak Spectator (TSS): Citizenship laws have been at the centre of attention in Italy since before the summer started. Slovakia has some of the strictest citizenship legislation in Europe. What is the debate in Italy about?

Gabriele Meucci (GM): The laws in Italy have been effective since 1992, which set the very traditional model ius sanguinis system from 1912. It reflected the reality of Italy as an emigration country at that time. But in the last 20-30 years Italy has become an immigration country. It automatically gives citizenship only to those babies born in Italy whose parents countries do not allow them to get citizenship. In consequence, there may come a generation of people born and raised in Italy, completely Italian, but without Italian citizenship. If that happens, it means that something went wrong.

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TSS: Italy is still dealing with a high number of refugees, many are saved from drowning in the sea and brought to Italian ports.

GM: The latest statistics show more than 180,000 people have arrived via the sea. Some media reports have suggested that NGOs boats that bring the rescued people to the Italian ports sometimes disappear from the areas that are too close to the waters they should not be in. Is there anything there that we do not know, some business going on? Because these people pay several thousand euros each for tickets. It is a service  transport, and it costs more than a first-class ticket with Air France. They all come from African countries, some are in difficult situations but not really war. So they do not qualify for the status of refugees.

Interestingly, they come from former colonies, presently countries that somebody would call failed states. Interesting enough, none of them come from former Italian colonies. This is also why the Italian public is asking: why should we pay for the colonial mistakes of others?

TSS: There are declared efforts in the EU to help Italy.

GM: For the moment they are just words. But lets be clear, Italy is not going through a catastrophic emergency. Italy is a country of 60 million and rich; we are managing, and the total number of foreigners coming to Italy is still very low, for instance compared to Germany. But if the trend continues, the situation could become unsustainable.In order to achieve sustainability, some pressure on Italy should be alleviated. One of the issues is all these private ships with flags from different countries. They go so close to the Libyan borders, that if you look at the map and you apply international law, which says that when you rescue people who are sinking, you have to bring them to the closest safe port. Which is not always necessarily Sicily, it might be in Tunisia. The idea to close the ports to those ships that are not permitted would create the phenomenon of these ships going elsewhere.

TSS: Slovakia is one of the countries that has been reluctant to accept migrants as part of redistribution plans even in very small numbers. How is this viewed in Italy?

GM: In Italy the government, the public opinion, the media are not very much focused on particular countries, as much as they are focused on the EU. Of course, the EU is comprised of member states, some cooperate more, some not. But there is no particular stigma towards any individual country. There is no negative sentiment about Slovakia, not at all. Here, as an Italian ambassador in Slovakia, I feel that there is embarrassment among the population, among politicians, some people are approaching me to tell me about it. Italians do not really accuse Slovakia of anything. We want this issue to become a European one, dealt with by European ideas and European support. Because we are part of the border of Europe, Schengen, and it cannot be possible that if you have millions of people pressuring one particular zone of the border, only the ones living at the border have to work on it while the others watch.

TSS: So the EU is seen as an entire block that is unhelpful.

GM: Yes. The problem is that there is no leadership. There is nobody who would go on TV and make a speech of 20 minutes to convince people to change their minds. They are doing the opposite, they are reading polls and whatever comes out of them, politicians repeat it to get consensus. If we go on like this, we will put Europe under ground. We need a vision.

TSS: Is the current situation concerning the migration crisis creating a lot of negative sentiment among Italians towards the EU?

GM: Yes, Italians are asking themselves more and more why everybody is so strict on financial regulations and when it comes to regulation of migration nobody cares. Also, when you become a European Union member, you get the whole package, you cannot pick what you want  like the EU funds, and then when you have to do something else, you do not listen. That is not acceptable. And of course there are already countries that are feeling the consequences.

TSS: Speaking of financial discipline, there has been a lot happening in Italy. Intesa San Paolo is preparing to save two other Italian banks. So what is the problem with some Italian banks at this point?

GM: Since 2008 there have been problems with banks in many countries in the EU and different countries did different things about it. In the five years after the financial crisis, the German government gave the banks in Germany 260 billion, the UK gave its banks 207 billion, while Italy gave exactly 4 billion to its banks. So lets compare: the country that was the most disciplined and did not intervene during the financial crisis simply because there was no need to intervene was Italy. And then you have a country that gave 260 billion from taxpayers money to save the banks. Now we have 4 billion and it is such a big deal?

TSS: There were reports about Intesa in Slovakia because it owns one of the biggest banks here.

GM: In 2014 the major countries that basically gave hundreds of billions of euros to their banks started changing the rules. Because they said: We do not want to do this any more. But we did not do it before; even without the European bailout rules we respected the philosophy of non-intervention with the public finances in saving banks. Now there is the bailout system and we have a problem because we did not do it before. The financial system of Italy was intact until 2011  there is an anecdote that this is because the Italian bankers do not speak English very well so they did not want to sign contracts about derivatives. Italian banks are the ones in Europe with the least amount of derivatives and toxic assets. But the major banks in Europe, not in Italy, are completely intoxicated with those assets.

TSS: Intesa is one of the biggest Italian investors in Slovakia. Some other big investors are now on the way out of Slovakia, like Enel or UniCredit.

GM: I spoke with them and they are not. UniCredit has a policy of not commenting on anything in the news, so everybody is well aware there that there was the report, but they are not selling their banks.

TSS: So is Slovakia still an interesting destination for Italian businesses?

GM: Yes. I think we should get rid of this impression that Slovakia is a place where you can invest because there is cheap labour. That is a thing of the past. We now have people coming here for work. There are at least 500 people from Italy under the age of 30 presently working in Bratislava. They have probably the same salaries as in Italy, but a better lifestyle.

Investors come here because they feel welcome. People here understand that investment is a good thing, that it is good to produce here. There is no prejudice against industrial development. Secondly, they have very efficient relations with the local authorities that evidently care about how the investment is going. Slovakia has a reputation among the Italian business community as a reliable country that respects pacts, that gives space to develop.

TSS: Do Slovaks know a lot about Italy? Is there anything that is not so well-known among Slovaks that you would recommend?

GM: Italy is so specific, it is so rich in culture, so in my job it is always difficult to present the idea of modern Italy. People are attached to the model of the ancient times, and the Renaissance. For example, most people think that the main export from Italy is food. But its not. Its industrial machinery. Italy is the leader in the world in agricultural machinery, New Holland is Italian. If you go to Canada, they use Italian products. Italy is a country of engineers, but it is not very well known.

Slovaks know Italy much better than Italians know Slovakia. It is simply a matter of size, age, as Slovakia is a young state. Many people in Italy still talk about Czechoslovakia. Slovakia does not have a big number of Italian tourists, it is still a relatively unknown destination.

TSS: What would you recommend Slovak tourists to see in Italy?

GM: Italy is very focused on a few things that everybody wants to see, like Rome, Florence, Venice. But Italy is a country of little towns, hundreds of places worth seeing, sometimes even more beautiful than the biggest attractions. History is so abundant there, everywhere you go you find something fascinating. The best way to visit is to take you car, your motorbike, or your bicycle and wander around without a destination, explore and discover. I do the same in Slovakia.

TSS: So which part of Slovakia has made an impression on you?

GM: What I find most fascinating is that most of the scenery is intact. Especially in central Slovakia, the Tatras. You see valleys of green that make it seem like humans arrived there only recently. But then you see the historical towns and the monuments that are so old and well-maintained. I like it very much, and the food is good.

TSS: What would you recommend to an Italian tourist in Slovakia?

GM: You have two categories of tourists, the mass ones who go with travel agents, by bus, in big groups. You have to offer them an understandable, pre-packaged trip. And then there is the category that I believe I belong to, more independent, able to approach other languages and culture, willing to learn something. Both require a different approach; the first group is well-served, the second is a niche that is very interesting because there are many areas, especially the mountains and the art cities. I was at the opera in Banska Bystrica and I would never have expected such high quality in such a small city. It was also amazing architecturally.

TSS: That is a big compliment from someone coming from Milan.

GM: It was amazing. And it is certainly an asset. People are looking more and more for quiet places, nature, and Slovakia has a lot of those.

TSS: You have been here for only half a year now. What are your plans for your term here?

GM: I spent the last part of my diplomatic career in Kosovo, heading a mission of 1,500 people with executive powers in criminal justice, war crimes, organised crime. I was head of the EULEX mission in Kosovo. When I came here, it was a positive shock. There is less tension and stress for me here. And Slovakia is very interesting; it is a Slavic country so I can pick up a lot of the language thanks to my knowledge of Serbo-Croat.

TSS: There is a very lively business exchange between Italy and Slovakia so it is a busy posting.

GM: We need to better develop trade, investments, and culture. Nothing is in an emergency situation, but we can do more.
The Order of the Star of Italy was granted by the Italian president to recognised expert in Italian opera Jaroslav Blaho, and teacher at the Grammar School of Ladislav Sara in Bratislava Marta Markosova.

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Italian Ambassador to Slovakia Gabriele Meucci gave the Order of the Star of Italy granted by the Italian president to recognised expert in Italian opera Jaroslav Blaho, and teacher at the Grammar School of Ladislav Sara in Bratislava Marta Markosova, in late March 2017.

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Blaho is the most important critic of the Italian opera in Slovakia and has devoted much of his life to spreading knowledge about it. He led a cycle of lectures titled Italian Opera Evening in the Slovak National Gallery and also created television programmes where in easy and understandable words explained the Italian opera pieces to viewers.

As an art director of the opera part of the Zvolen Castle Festivities festival, he focused particularly on big Italian composers, the Operaslovakia.sk website reported.

Markosova received the award for her passion for teaching the Italian language and spreading Italian culture in Slovakia. This is especially the case of the Grammar School of Ladislav Sara in Bratislava, which is the only Slovak-Italian school in the country.

She contributed to the opening of the bilingual section which currently has more than 200 students. She has also participated in organising cultural events focused on spreading the Italian language, the website wrote.
But were opposed by retail chains and activists as well.

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Supporters of the far-right Peoples Party  Our Slovakia (LSNS) got into cars on August 19 and started a protest drive across the Banska Bystrica Region.

Few days before the event, LSNS deputy chair Milan Uhrik called on people to join the protest drive. If that did not help improve their situation, the party was ready to occupy Bratislava, the Dennik N daily reported.

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The daily wrote that was hard to estimate how many cars with green stickers or flags with the partys logo joined the drive as the cars mixed with others and the convoy became longer.

It was also hard to say why LSNS called their campaign The Drive of Decent People Against Asocial Extremists. Uhrik explained on Facebook that groups of asocial individuals keep stealing, raping and killing innocent people and everybody who points to it is persecuted for extremism.

Read also:

Read also: Will the far-right LSNS be banned? Read more

However, Dennik N reports that neither partys chair Marian Kotleba, nor party members Stanislav Mizik and Milan Mazurek are being persecuted for pointing to unspecified thefts and rapes, but rather for extremist crimes.

No from retail chains

LSNS supporters met on August 19 at the parking lot in front of the Tesco retail chain in Banska Bystrica, though Tesco had not approved the convoys meeting. Also Lidl, another retail chain, banned LSNS supporters from meeting in its parking lot, the Bystricoviny.sk website reported.

The original plan was to occupy the parking lots of Tesco in Rimavska Sobota, as well as those of Lidl in Detva and Tisovec.

I heard about this activity for the first time. Nobody informed us nor asked for permission to use our parking lots for the promotion of a political party, spokesperson for Tesco Martin Krajcovic told the Omediach.com website, adding that they will check the planned event.

Read also:

Read also: Regional authority stops money for school that warned against fascists Read more

Krajcovic also stressed that the retail chain is against any promotion of fascism or Nazism.

Lidls spokesperson Tomas Bezak issued a similar statement, stressing that they are an apolitical company.

We clearly distance ourselves from all political activities and do not approve of them taking place in our parking lots, Bezak said, adding that LSNS has not asked for any permission. In case they try to carry out its intention, they will be ordered to leave our premises.

Activists criticise the drive

Meanwhile, the No in Our City initiative criticised the drive, describing it as a vulgar gesture towards people.

It is our duty to respond to similar actions against the people living in our region, reads the official statement published on a social network.

The members of the initiative also said that they disagree with the current government in Slovakia, but they do not think that fascism, neo-Nazism and similar extremes are an alternative.

Read also:

Read also: Anti-extremist campaign: Together, there are more of us Read more

The group also protested against the drive and met with its participants face-to-face in Brezno. Though they had to withstand insults from extremists, they remained because they think people have to understand what kind of people LSNS supporters are.

We need to oppose this everywhere and every time, even if there are only 10 of us, the statement reads.

They also thanked the police for managing the situation and preventing a more serious incident.
The fresco was discovered under several layers of plastering.

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More information about travelling in Slovakia

Please see our Please see our Spectacular Slovakia travel guide

The renovators revealed a precious 14th century fresco during work at the St Nicholas Church in Stara Lubovna (Presov Region).

We uncovered the whole northern wall of the sanctuary and conserved the original, renovator Peter Koren told the SITA newswire. We fastened the separate parts of the masonry through grouting and conserved the surfaces. The wall is thus ready for retouching.

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The retouch is scheduled for next year.

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The fresco depicting the life of Jesus Christ has a great value and it also increases the value of the church itself, Koren added for SITA.

The reconstruction work began last year. Since it was ready to restore the electrification system, the regional memorial office ordered a survey to be carried out in the church. The renovators thus searched the sites with mediaeval masonry and gradually revealed the Gothic fresco under several layers of plastering.

The size of the fresco is seven times seven metres.

Before, we only suspected that the church was built on mediaeval basics, but we lacked proof, Koren explained to SITA, adding that it was confirmed only by the current survey.

The fresco dates back to about the 14th century. It is impossible to say when exactly it was created.

We can define the whole cycle of murals; there are 12 pictures from Jesus Christs life and fragments from the younger layer, Koren said, as quoted by SITA, adding that they are sure the painting dates before 1412.

The first phase of the reconstruction, also financed by the Ministry of Culture, has already been finished and the scaffolding has been removed from the church.

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The church is open for the public and it also conducts masses.

Pavol Lacko, dean of the Roman-Catholic parish in Stara Lubovna, says that they now plan to ask the ministry for another subsidy this year to retouch the fresco, as reported by SITA.
STEM

Dept. of Defense Youth STEM Program to Explore Next-Generation Technologies

A youth outreach program involving hand-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities from the United States Department of Defense celebrates 15 years this week, and plans to expand its curriculum to include next-generation technologies.

DoD STARBASE aims to expose elementary school students to the tech and civilian and military role models found on Active, Guard and Reserve military bases and installations, according to the program site. Participating students can build mutual loyalty within those communities through participating in 25 hours of hands-on, inquiry-based instruction and activities.

Program partner PTC provides its Creo 3D CAD (computer-aided-design) software for students to practice 3D printing and learn aerospace, engineering, mathematics, physics and other STEM concepts, according to the software and services company. Students can use Creo 3D to design unmanned aerial vehicles, for example, while exploring freeform surfacing and direct modeling.

Now in its 15th year since its nationwide expansion in 2002, DoD STARBASE will introduce augmented reality (AR) and Internet of Things (IoT) concepts into its curriculum. Program participants will soon be able to use PTCs ThingWorx Studio, a solution that transforms IoT applications into immersive AR experiences.

Image Credit: PTC.

Together over the past 15 years, we have helped engage and interest students in engineering with PTCs CAD software and now we will bring the power of IoT and AR to them in an equally accessible way, a news release stated. STARBASE students will be able to explore and reimagine potential careers that may not even exist today.

More information can be found on the program site.
Policy & Funding

FCC Auction to Fill in Rural Broadband Gaps

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced that it would open an auction next year to address gaps in broadband services around the country. The Connect America Fund Phase II auction (otherwise known as "Auction 903") will award up to $198 million annually for 10 years to service providers that commit to offer deliver 10 Mbps-caliber voice and broadband services to fixed locations in unserved high-cost areas. This project is mop-up work left from funding not issued in a previous Phase II competitive bidding process because none of the winners wanted it; it represents about 23 million people living in rural areas.

The auction is scheduled to begin in 2018. This will be the first auction, according to an FCC public notice, to award ongoing high-cost universal service support through competitive bidding in a "multiple-round, reverse auction." In a reverse auction, instead of buyers raising their bids to win the goods, they underbid each other in subsequent rounds to come in with the lowest bid.

The FCC is still working out the details of the auction, such as who will be qualified to participate, how bids will be submitted and how they'll be processed to determine the winners and assign the amounts they'll win. The agency's hope is that providers will pursue a strategy of aggregating geographic areas in which to construct networks. The current thinking is that census block groups will be used as the minimum geographic area for bidding. These each contain about 39 census blocks, of which about 300,000 are currently eligible (out of a nationwide total of about 11.2 million). However, that approach might change after the FCC evaluates public commentary on its plans.

According to coverage on MeriTalk, Microsoft could be a contender. In July the company issued a whitepaper with its "best ideas for a new national rural broadband strategy." As Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in a blog article about the whitepaper, the plan his company proposes would use "TV White Spaces," the unused spectrum in the UHF television bands, for reaching those individuals who live in communities with a population density of between two and 200 people per square mile. Those in areas with less density would receive satellite coverage; those in higher density areas would gain access to fixed wireless and limited fiber to the home. Smith's estimate of the cost: $8 billion to $12 billion  "roughly 80 percent less than the cost of using fiber cables alone, and ... over 50 percent cheaper than the cost of current fixed wireless technology like 4G."

"As a country," wrote Smith, "we should not settle for an outcome that leaves behind more than 23 million of our rural neighbors. To the contrary, we can and should bring the benefits of broadband coverage to every corner of the nation."
The title in English would be The Emperor Showa. And his Majesty's Mausoleum is named the Musashino no Misasagi, thus the long title: ...
LONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - British gas prices fell on Tuesday morning in response to more supply from Norway, while a reduction in exports from the UK to Belgium made more gas available for domestic use. * Day-ahead gas price down 0.15 pence at 43.80 p/therm by 0904 GMT. * British within-day gas price fell 0.75 pence to 44 pence/therm. * Traders said higher Norwegian flows through the Langeled pipeline and reduced exports via the InterconnectorUK link with Belgium helped to ease prices. * Langeled imports rose by 12 mcm/day to 41 mcm on Tuesday. The rise coincided with the end of maintenance at the Gullfaks gas field and the impact of an outage at Heimdal field has also been reduced. * Expected supply losses from the Nyhamma gas processing plant were also revised lower to 3.8 mcm from 12.8 mcm, but the duration of the outage was extended by around a week. * Exports through the InterconnectorUK to Belgium fell to 45 mcm from 47 mcm in the previous session. * Despite this, Britain's gas system was undersupplied by 5.6 million cubic metres/day (mcm) with demand at 179.1 mcm/day and supply estimated at 173.5 mcm, National Grid (LSE: NG.L - news) data shows * Higher send-out from the South Hook liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, rising to about 18 mcm/day compared with 16 mcm/day on Monday, allayed concern over supply shortfalls. * Usually, LNG flows rise ahead of a tanker delivery, but no cargoes are currently expected though traders are keeping an eye on Qatar's Zarga vessel currently moored in the Mediterranean. * The ship initially seemed headed for Spain before breaking course, leaving the possibility it may head for Britain. * September gas contract down 0.19 pence at 43.60 p/therm. * In the Netherlands, the day-ahead gas price traded 0.13 euro lower at 16.17 euros per megawatt hour. * Benchmark Dec-17 EU carbon contract inched up by 0.03 euro to 5.78 euros per tonne. * Thomson Reuters (Dusseldorf: TOC.DU - news) analyst view: http://emea1.apps.cp.extranet.thomsonreuters.biz/cms/?pageid=united-kingdom-gas (Reporting By Oleg Vukmanovic; Editing by Nina Chestney)
Ondrej Prosicky / shutterstock

Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, as measured by species richness. But over the past half century it has also been home to a brutal civil war, inflicting death and displacement on its citizens, with negative repercussions on its natural environment. However grim, conflict itself is not necessarily bad for biodiversity. While the lack of governance in war zones can encourage illegal mining and deforestation, a resulting reduction in development can also mean the natural environment is not exposed to pressures it might otherwise face. So, peace brings a fresh environmental challenge.

In November 2016 the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signed a peace agreement to put an end to more than five decades of conflict. The optimism has since been tainted by delays in the process and an increase in the number of human rights activists murdered this year.

All this makes it a delicate time for Colombia and its natural riches. Brigitte Baptiste, director of the Humboldt Institute in Bogota, described the period as a great ecological experiment. Throughout the text of the peace agreement, the goal of maintaining social and environmental sustainability was stressed. It called for the establishment of agricultural workers associations, for example, with the aim of protecting the environment, while substituting illegal drug crops for food production. The agreement also set out plans for environmental zoning to mark out the agricultural frontier.

Development plans

Its not going to be easy. Since the signing of the peace agreement there have been some worrying trends. Deforestation increased by 44% in 2016, primarily in areas previously controlled by the FARC. These figures are aligned with some recent research showing a correlation between the presence of the FARC and lower levels of deforestation, due to the guerrilla group maintaining a level of control over the forests in its territory.

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Production of coca (which goes into making cocaine) is also on the increase, due in part to a perverse incentive for coca farmers to increase the size of their crops in order to receive greater subsidies for switching to alternative crops as part of the peace strategy. Aside from illegal activity, there are major national plans for development, including mining concessions and a massive infrastructure programme of 8,000km of roadways, all of which put Colombias biodiversity under threat.

Species discoveries

However, peace also creates opportunities. Colombia could now improve its governance and conservation policies, and properly monitor the biodiversity of zones previously off limits during the conflict. For instance, 88 new species have been discovered in Colombia since the peace agreement in areas previously considered too dangerous for research.

At the International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) held in Cartagena, Colombia in July 2017, conservationists from Colombia and across the world discussed some of these key opportunities. Protected areas are being expanded, and there is a major drive for more eco-tourism  especially for bird lovers.

Green growth

Colombias national development plan promotes a strategy of green growth and as much market as possible, and as much state as necessary. Consequently, new market-based conservation initiatives are emerging that attempt to find a compromise between economic development and nature conservation.

One example is the emergence of biodiversity offsetting. This aims to compensate for the environmental impacts of large mines, dams or roads by conserving or restoring an ecosystem of greater or equal biodiversity value as to that that is being damaged. But these mega projects still tend to become sites of conflict. In fact, the Environmental Justice Atlas lists 125 environmental conflicts in Colombia (only India has more), most of which arise from mining or drilling for oil and gas.

People power

Popular consultations are now cropping up around Colombia, where communities have been voting against mining in their territories. Many feel that their livelihoods and the extractive industries are strongly incompatible: agua, vida o mineria (water, life or mining).

Meanwhile, Baptiste, in her plenary speech at the ICCB, spoke of mineria si, pero no asi (mining yes, but not in that way), outlining a wish for responsible mining and a belief in the existence of solutions that can make development compatible with nature conservation. Baptiste presented a breakdown of where biodiversity is located in Colombia and who is in charge of it, with protected areas representing 14-18% of the national territory, and mining and energy concessions representing 25%, around 1% of which has thus far been transformed by mining activity.

It is critical that conflict between armed groups is not simply replaced by conflict between communities and mega projects over the protection of their livelihoods and environment. It is unclear as yet how life, both human and non-human, will evolve in Colombia after the conflict. Certainly, there is a long road ahead to transition this country into a truly post-conflict nation. The challenge, and the opportunity, is to build a peaceful society while maintaining its biological and cultural diversity, and develop a model for other biodiversity-rich countries affected by war.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Jane Feeney receives funding from the Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship.
Pirates are notoriously hard to capture. Their actions occur on the shifting, vast expanse of the open oceans. Perpetrators cannot simply be arrested by a conventional police force and, even if they are caught, its a challenge to prosecute an offender who by their very nature transcends borders.

There is no single answer to the problem, particularly given pirates different guises and motivations. Yet a study of historical anti-piracy operations, both ancient and recent, does reveal one commonality in the repression of piracy: international cooperation.

Pirates terrorised the Caribbean during the infamous golden age of piracy in the 1710s and 1720s. The escapades of these pirates  among them Blackbeard, Black Bart Roberts, Charles Vane and Anne Bonny  have long since passed into legend. Though their lives were full of adventure, their demise was brutal.

Cooperation was the key to the pirates eventual eradication. The 1713 Peace of Utrecht ended over a decade of constant fighting among the colonial powers (Great Britain and Spain in particular). It allowed them to turn their attentions to the blight of piracy. The treaty called on signatories to cause all pirates and sea-robbers to be apprehended and punished as they deserve, for a terror and example to others. These words formed the basis for a successful campaign against the Caribbean pirates, with the colonial powers working together to defeat the antagonists.

At a 1717 piracy trial in Boston, the condemned were informed by a preacher that all nations agree to treat your tribe as the common enemies of mankind, and to extirpate them out of the world. It seems likely the pirates would have persisted, but for this commonality of purpose.

Getting together to fight the scourge

Justice was swift for those captured: pirates were usually tried and hanged within days of capture under the 1698 Act for the More Effectual Suppression of Piracy, a new anti-piracy law that allowed for trials in the British colonies. The trials were light on procedural protections, but they were effective: as many as 600 pirates were hanged in the British colonies alone between 1716 and 1726.

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To get around jurisdictional issues, courts espoused the principle of universal jurisdiction, the idea that any state may prosecute any pirate given the severity of the offence. Its a valuable principle that, today, has become commonly accepted and enshrined in international law.

It was the combination of cooperation and effective law, then, that put an end to piracy in the Caribbean. The same factors were brought to bear on the modern wave of piracy that blighted the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia in the early 2000s.

Somali piracy first became a serious problem in 2005 and peaked in 2011, when 237 incidents were reported. The pirates of Somalia have since gone into decline, however, with only a handful of reported pirate attacks in the region since 2013.

International cooperation (pushed and promoted by the UN Security Council) has again proved to be essential to removing the threat, particularly given the regional power vacuum left by Somalias lack of governance. The EU-sponsored naval force, Operation Atalanta, proved especially invaluable in disrupting the threat, removing some 160 active pirates from the seas since beginning operations.

The real success story here, though, is the way in which regional African legal systems were enhanced to deal with the problem, particularly with the assistance of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Trials take resources, expertise and dedication that are best obtained from international partners. In Kenya, The Seychelles, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Somalia itself, hundreds of suspects have been processed in purpose-built courtrooms, staffed by trained lawyers, using updated anti-piracy laws. The collapse of piracy in the region (notwithstanding recent isolated incidents) is a tremendous success story for international cooperation and problem sharing. Its also a case study in building legal capacity, creating a robust platform for dealing with future outbreaks.

Yet piracy is going nowhere anytime soon. The Gulf of Guinea and the seas of South-East Asia, both areas where valuable maritime trade clashes with lacklustre governance, have superseded East Africa as new pirate hotspots where successors to Blackbeards brethren continue to put maritime trade to the sword. New approaches are needed, and the root causes have to be addressed. Yet the core of any successful strategy will always be the same: international cooperation and unity of purpose. The international community must constantly unite against common threats, be they piracy, terrorism, or international crime.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Mark Chadwick has previously received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council
QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's top prosecutor said on Monday he would present evidence of corruption against the country's embattled vice president, who was stripped of his duties by a presidential decree that stopped short of firing him earlier this month. Vice President Jorge Glas was sidelined early this month by President Lenin Moreno, who accused him of not being a team player after the vice president said the government was publishing false economic data. Prosecutor Carlos Baca told reporters his office had evidence of "illicit association" against Glas, in a case linked to the regional corruption scandal centering on Brazilian construction company Odebrecht. "We will request the National Court of Justice set a hearing date against Jorge Glas, the vice president," Baca read from a statement. Before the court can hear the evidence, a minimum 92 of Ecuador's 137 members of congress must vote to allow an investigation into a sitting vice president. Glas says he is innocent of any wrongdoing. "I have never allowed corruption or been a part of it," he told a news conference called after Baca's announcement. Odebrecht is involved in a sprawling corruption saga and has already paid $3.5 billion in settlements in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland, embroiling politicians across Latin America. (Reporting by Jose Llangaril and Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Richard Lough and Lidia Kelly

PARIS/WARSAW (Reuters) - While Britain toils over its messy divorce with the European Union, France's president Emmanuel Macron is embarking on a drive to deepen the economic integration of a bloc he says needs to be more protective of its citizens.

The French leader will go this week on a three-day tour of central and eastern Europe, where he will seek backers for his push to tighten labour rules over 'posted' workers, a sensitive issue that has exacerbated an east-west rift.

Days later, euro zone reforms, defence cooperation and immigration will be in focus when Macron hosts the leaders of Germany, Spain and Italy for talks, as he tries to enhance France's leadership in Europe.

Paris has long complained that central and eastern Europe gains an unfair advantage from the "social dumping" of cheap labour, arguing the posting of low-paid workers hurts local jobs and erodes labour protections in higher-wage member states.

Although posted workers make up less than 1 percent of the EU workforce, with many employed in the haulage and construction sectors, the issue has deepened a divide between the poor east and rich west.

Macron will visit Romania, Bulgaria and Austria, where he will also meet the leaders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but is skipping Hungary and Poland, whose right-wing governments he has accused of spurning the bloc's values.

An Elysee Palace source said Macron was visiting countries who were "the most attached to their European anchoring".

A senior French diplomat said the president was deliberately snubbing Poland and Hungary "to send a message to Warsaw and Budapest".

Macron's election win has re-energised the EU's Franco-German axis but in central and eastern Europe it has fanned fears of a "multi-speed" Europe that could mean reduced influence, financial support and economic competitiveness.

The diplomat said Macron wanted to reassure the leaders he meets that the future of their countries would remain at the heart of the European project if they fall in line with the broad reform agenda led by Paris and Berlin.

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DIVISIONS

Macron will find a sympathetic ear in Austria, which borders four central European countries and where the ruling Social Democrats say an influx of workers from the east is weighing on wages.

The posted workers directive permits European companies to send employees to other EU states on contracts under which they have to guarantee only the minimum wage of the host country.

Macron has said a European Commission proposal that posted workers' pay packets should include benefits in line with host country regulations and that their contracts be limited to two years does not go far enough.

Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic -- known together as the Visegrad four -- say the proposals go too far. They argue they should be allowed to compete on lower prices to catch up after decades of communist stagnation.

Estonia, which holds, the EU's rotating presidency, is due to table a new proposal in September.

Poland has accused Macron of double standards by advocating a closer Europe while seeking to erode competition in the single market. Two sources in the Polish government said it had tried to invite Macron to Warsaw as part of his trip.

"But we didn't see much willingness," said one of the sources.

Poland's Deputy Infrastructure Minister Justyna Skrzydlo told Reuters the Warsaw government trusted in the "continued unity and solidarity of the Central Europe countries".







Other countries have shown signs of being open to compromise and aligning themselves with an eventual new EU proposal.

"I am very much interested in regional cooperation within the Visegrad four, but Slovakia's vital interest is the EU," said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

A senior Czech official said his government could move closer to the French position if it won assurances on the migrant crisis. A number of central and eastern European governments are resisting an EU scheme under which member states should accept asylum seekers from countries such as Syria according to a quota system.

"We do not see quotas as an effective solution to the crisis. We would welcome hearing alternative measures as the focus for dealing with migrants. That would be enough for the Czechs and would unblock discussions in other areas," the official said.

Beyond the issue of posted workers, Macron is likely to be on a charm offensive to drum up support for proposed wider reforms to the European Union that include deeper defence cooperation, fiscal harmonisation and a common budget for the euro zone.

His advisers say French diplomacy has long neglected central Europe.

"He wants to get started on Europe. The sooner he starts building these relationships, the more political capital he will accumulate to use at a later stage," said Teneo Intelligence analyst Antonio Barroso.

(Additional reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague, Tatiana Jancarikova in Bratislava, Francois Murphy in Vienna and Jean-Baptiste Vey in Paris; writing by Richard Lough; editing by Philippa Fletcher and David Stamp)
DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar has criticised an offer by Saudi Arabia to convey Qataris to the haj pilgrimage on the kingdom's national carrier, Saudi Arabia Airlines, rather than allowing Qatar's airline or others to fly them to the Islamic rite in Mecca. Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states severed transport and trade ties with Qatar in June, citing its alleged support for terrorism and Iran - charges Doha denies. Riyadh said last week it would aid the travel of Qataris to haj in a move initially welcomed by Doha, but Saudi Arabia complained on Sunday that its planes had yet to receive landing permits for the rite beginning at the end of August. "It is usual and customary for pilgrims to be transported from any country by means of national air, land and sea transportation in that country," said Ahmed al-Rumaihi, information director at Qatar's Foreign Affairs Ministry. "Saudi Arabia should lift the embargo on the State of Qatar without restriction and enable ... Qatar to oversee its haj contingent and the transportation of Qatari pilgrims via their choice of airlines, Qatar Airways or otherwise," he added. The four blockading countries have closed their airspace to Qatar's carrier and all but Egypt expelled most Qatari citizens. (Reporting by Noah Browning; Editing by Alison Williams)
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Internet censors have a new target. The Chinese and Russian governments recently announced plans to block the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), which are a key tool for people trying to avoid internet restrictions and surveillance.

This crackdown isnt surprising, given the two countries histories of monitoring their citizens and blocking certain websites and online services. But it raises the question of whether other governments will follow this lead and introduce their own VPN bans, especially given how VPNs currently allow citizens to avoid the extensive internet surveillance that Western governments practice.

China and other countries block many websites they dont want their citizens to access, including sites such as Twitter and YouTube that allow users to freely post almost anything they like. But Chinese internet users wishing to evade these restrictions can currently use VPNs to visit these sites, because they provide access via a separate encrypted server that cant be monitored by the government.

Since Chinese internet service providers only filter out connections to the likes of Twitter and YouTube, users can still connect to sites which offer VPN services. VPN acts like a proxy, accessing the banned sites on the users behalf and allowing them to effectively bypass the restrictions, as well as avoiding government snooping. But now the Chinese government has ordered national telecommunications firms to block VPNs as well from February 2018.

Russia doesnt block access to as many sites as China. It allows access to Facebook and Twitter, for example. But it still practices significant internet censorship. And now it has followed Chinas lead by also restricting VPN services, stating the measure is intended to clamp down on anonymous access to unlawful content.

These events come as little surprise given China and Russias track records. China, in particular, has introduced a number of similar restrictions on VPNs in the past. These clampdowns were vigorously enforced for a period of time and then relaxed.

Story continues

Although the new restrictions seem to be more comprehensive, its worth noting that they may also be temporary, with the official statement indicating that the measures would run until March 31, 2018. This may have something to do with the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China being held in Beijing in the autumn of 2017.

Its also worth pointing out that both China and Russia are heavily invested in developing their industries and economies and keenly aware that this cannot occur without businesses and researchers being able to access internet resources. Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, stated at the Davos economic summit in January 2017 that he wanted to redouble efforts to develop global connectivity. This must include access to the internet.

However, there is significant concern from internet anti-censorship organisations that these kinds of events indicate a growing global trend. Governments are increasingly monitoring, restricting or censoring the internet activities of their own and other nations citizens.

This trend includes most major Western governments. For example, the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the UKs Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), have been the subject of considerable debate for their practices of internet snooping and the mass collection of citizens data.

Western laws are vulnerable to VPNs

If the recent laws in China and Russia are alarming, so too are those such as the US Executive Order 12333, authorising the collection of data inside and outside US borders for national security purposes. This order permits the collection and storage of communication metadata and content without a warrant, court approval or reporting to Congress.

The UKs Investigatory Powers Act 2016 isnt far behind, requiring internet service providers to keep a full list of users connection records, including a list of every website that people have visited, for a year. The UK government has also announced plans to restrict access to pornography to over-18s and ban material it deems harmful altogether, something China has done for years. A major flaw in all these plans is that the surveillance and restrictions can be bypassed using a VPN.

While the restrictions on VPN services in China and Russia may be temporary in nature, they do form part of the increasing appetite of governments the world over to monitor and limit the activities of internet users. If Western governments begin to see VPNs as a threat to their own internet regulation, theres a real chance they could follow the lead of China and Russia and introduce their own bans. Online privacy could be a concept heading for extinction.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Omair Uthmani has received seed funding from Scottish Enterprise for a spinout company.
Gabor Dekany was wet, muddy and still trying to catch his breath after his run on the Ranger Challenge Course at the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Pine Valley facility, but pleased he had been selected by his fellow cadet recruits to represent them in the competition. This fall semester, some 238 recruits went through six days of instruction and exercises called FROG Week that aimed to help them transition from civilian life to military student life.

Dekany, a cadet entering his fourth year at the National University of Public Service (NUPS), was one of four international students who participated in UNG's Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) training, commonly called FROG Week and held the week before the semester begins in fall and spring.

"It makes me proud. I came from a country so far away and I got selected," Dekany said. "I think I was all right; I got some mud in my eye and that slowed me down."

This fall semester, some 238 recruits went through six days of instruction and exercises that aimed to help them transition from civilian life to military student life. For all recruits, the week of training stresses the importance that UNG's Corps of Cadets places on leadership development, said retired Col. Tom Palmer, commandant of cadets at UNG and an alumnus who experienced FROG Week as a cadet himself.

A cadet recruit tries to swim while keeping a replica weapon out of the

water during a FROG Week exercise.

"The entire week demonstrates to the incoming class that we strongly desire to develop them into highly educated leaders of character," Palmer said. "Importantly, the squad leader who will supervise the new student for the entire semester leads him or her through all six days of FROG Week, clearly establishing the chain of command from day one."

FROG Week also serves as a training exercise for current cadets. Like many corps events and activities, UNG cadets plan and execute FROG Week, with oversight from Commandant of Cadets staff and Department of Military Science instructors.

It's that kind of knowledge about training and cadet life that the visiting international cadets are eager to take back home.

"I want to experience all the aspects of the officer training here, like how life's going, how are things maintained, how is everything supported and how do the cadets behave and do their job here," Dekany said.

Cheng-Yuan Wang, a rising junior from the Republic of China Military Academy (ROCMA) in Taiwan, said FROG Week differs from his school's recruit training.

"It is very exciting. It is more cooperation work and communicating with my FROG members to complete the mission and I think this is the best part," said Wang, who will spend a semester at UNG along with ROCMA classmate Ke-Han Lin through an exchange program between the two schools.

Military exchanges, which foster opportunities to study abroad and host international cadets at UNG, allow cadets to elevate their level of global and military knowledge

Dekany and fellow NUPS cadet Dorottya Schneider, also entering her fourth year, will spend five weeks at UNG through cadet exchange established when the two universities signed a partnership agreement this spring at UNG.

"It was really exciting and challenging mentally because of the language and because I'm in a foreign atmosphere and I don't know the people around me," Schneider said. "I'm so grateful to be here and I want to take as many advantages as I can."

FROG Week culminated on Saturday with the traditional Crown Mountain Run and graduation, at which the new recruits ceased to be FROGs and became UNG cadets. At the start of fall semester, UNG's Corps of Cadets has some 785 members. UNG commissioned 109 cadets during the 2016-17 academic year.
General Mills, Inc. manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide. The company operates in five segments: North America Retail; Convenience Stores & Foodservice; Europe & Australia; Asia & Latin America; and Pet. It offers ready-to-eat cereals, refrigerated yogurt, soup, meal kits, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, bakery flour, frozen pizza and pizza snacks, snack bars, fruit and salty snacks, ice cream, nutrition bars, wellness beverages, and savory and grain snacks, as well as various organic products, including frozen and shelf-stable vegetables. It also supplies branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries; and manufactures and markets pet food products, including dog and cat food. The company markets its products under the Annie's, Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Blue Buffalo, Blue Basics, Blue Freedom, Bugles, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, EPIC, Fiber One, Food Should Taste Good, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, Gardetto's, Go-Gurt, Gold Medal, Golden Grahams, Haagen-Dazs, Helpers, Jus-Rol, Kitano, Kix, Larabar, Latina, Liberte, Lucky Charms, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Oatmeal Crisp, Old El Paso, Oui, Pillsbury, Progresso, Raisin Nut Bran, Total, Totino's, Trix, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, Wilderness, Yoki, and Yoplait trademarks. It sells its products directly, as well as through broker and distribution arrangements to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, e-commerce retailers, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, convenience stores, and pet specialty stores, as well as drug, dollar, and discount chains. The company operates 466 leased and 392 franchise ice cream parlors. General Mills, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
SANTA FE  A cardiovascular clinic with offices in Rio Rancho and Roswell alleges the state Human Services Department improperly cut off its Medicaid payments after an undisclosed allegation of fraud  echoing the 2013 shake-up that critics say disrupted New Mexicos behavioral health network.

Myo Cardiovascular Clinic LLC filed a lawsuit in state District Court this month accusing the state Human Services Department and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Attorney Generals Office of failing to provide enough information for the clinic to respond to the fraud allegation or defend itself.

The state agencies, in turn, say theyre simply following their obligation to investigate and root out fraud, if there is any.

In its lawsuit, Myo estimates the state has withheld at least $500,000 from the clinic for its work with Medicaid patients  financially devastating for the clinic, which provides cardiovascular care and vein treatment, the lawsuit says.

The allegations mirror the 2013 upheaval in New Mexicos behavioral health network  when Gov. Susana Martinezs administration cut off Medicaid and other funding to 15 providers, citing allegations of overbilling, mismanagement and possible fraud, as outlined in an audit.

The Attorney Generals Office later cleared the providers of fraud, though it found some instances of overbilling.

Families and patients said the shake-up disrupted services, and some providers went out of business.

Joseph Cueto, a spokesman for the Human Services Department, said the state is still reviewing the Myo complaint.

The department believes it is critically important to protect New Mexicos Medicaid program from fraud, waste, and abuse, he said in a written statement.

Matt Baca, senior counsel in the Attorney Generals Office, said his agency is legally obligated to investigate the case and will carry out the work as effectively as it can.

It is our top priority to ensure that every Medicaid dollar goes to serve the vulnerable populations in New Mexico that rely on quality health care and services, he said in a written statement.

The Myo lawsuit centers on allegations that emerged earlier this year. The clinic said its payments were suspended in February, based on an allegation of fraud.

The allegation involves improper billing practices, billing for services not provided and the possible use of deception to obtain an unauthorized benefit from the Medicaid program, according to a letter from the Human Services Department. But that explanation isnt specific enough to allow the clinic to follow up on its own and determine what happened, the suit says.
FALFURRIAS, Texas  Sixty immigrants have been found in a load of ice-covered broccoli in a refrigerated trailer that was searched at a South Texas border checkpoint, federal officials said Monday.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection statement said nobody was hurt and the trucker was arrested at the Falfurrias checkpoint.

Agents on Saturday opened the padlocked trailer and found dozens of immigrants amid pallets of broccoli lined with ice. Customs officials say the temperature inside the trailer was 49 degrees (9 degrees Celsius). Some immigrants wore hooded heavy coats.

The immigrants  from Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador and Hondurans  were detained and being processed for entering the U.S. illegally. The trucker faces immigrant smuggling charges.

Officials didnt immediately say where the produce was headed or provide further details on the investigation.

Last week, Border Patrol agents found 16 immigrants locked inside a semitrailer at a gas station in the South Texas city of Edinburg and 20 immigrants crammed into a locked semitrailer at an Interstate 10 checkpoint southwest of El Paso. All were in good condition.

Last month, 10 people entering the U.S. died after being packed with as many as 90 other people into a sweltering tractor-trailer that was found outside a San Antonio Walmart.
SANTA FE  New Mexico bypassed the competitive bidding process for about $930 million in recent annual spending  sometimes without proper justification, state auditors said.

And the figure climbs into the billions when certain health care contracts are included in the total, according to a 57-page report issued by the state Auditors Office today.

Government agencies arent always required to seek competing proposals or bids. They can bypass the competitive process in cases of emergency or when only one company can provide the service, among other exceptions.

But State Auditor Tim Keller, a Democrat running for mayor in Albuquerque, said his office found examples of agencies using the exemptions improperly  for convenience, in some cases, not because of a true emergency or similar circumstance.

Part of the problem, he said, is red tape in the bidding process, which can take six months for an agency to complete. The delay motivates agencies to seek exemptions.

Its a system thats inconsistent and broken, Keller said in an interview, and it leaves itself wide open to patronage, fraud and corruption.

Gov. Susana Martinezs administration disputed some of the assertions in the audit. State officials said that the report overstated some of its conclusions and that there are legitimate reasons to avoid seeking competing proposals.

But the General Services Department agreed with a variety of suggestions from auditors  including better training for procurement officers and other measures to strengthen oversight of government purchases.

The administrations response to the audit was included in the report.

Auditors noted that the states use of the sole-source exemption in the procurement code  when only one vendor can provide a particular service because there are no competitors  has decreased since agencies have been required to post their written justifications for it.

The report estimated $56 million in sole-source purchases in the 2016 fiscal year, $105 million in emergency purchases that year and $769 million in spending through other exemptions in the procurement code.

And about $5.6 billion in health care spending was made through exemptions in the code, according to the report.

Government contracts are a significant factor in the local economy, Keller said, making it especially critical that theyre awarded on merit, not favoritism.

This is a really big, important question for the state, he said.
Deputies say 21-year-old Shane Sandoval wanted to drink alcohol and party with a 12-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl who were staying at a runaway shelter last week.

So, they say, he sent an uber driver to pick them up early Thursday morning.

Then, he and his friend raped the young girls, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Detectives with the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office arrested Shane Sandoval Friday and charged him with two counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor.

According to the complaint, the girls  who just met each other the week before  were staying at the New Day Youth and Family Services shelter last Wednesday when they were invited to go hang out with a man the older girl had met on Facebook.

Sandoval came to pick them up and shortly afterwards got pulled over by Albuquerque police for not having a license plate on his Toyota. Police returned the girls to the shelter around midnight.

Two hours later, Sandoval tried again.

He told the older girl he didnt want to drive in that area after getting stopped by police and would instead send an Uber driver to pick them up from a nearby gas station around 2:30 a.m., according to the complaint. Uber is a service where users can book rides through an app.

The girls told detectives the Uber driver dropped them off at a northeast Albuquerque apartment where Sandoval gave them hard alcohol.

Then, they said, both Sandoval and his friend who they had just met raped each of them, according to the complaint.

The girls walked from his apartment to the main office for the Children, Youth and Families Department looking for a safe place, said detective Kyle Hartsock, who is on the case.

When interviewed, Sandoval told deputies he had sent an Uber for the girls and had consensual sex with the older girl, who he said was 18, according to the complaint.

Hartsock said he is still investigating to determine the identity of the other man.

Its not the first time Sandoval has been charged with rape, according to court documents.

In 2016, he was charged with four counts of criminal sexual penetration against one woman.

That case was dismissed without prejudice because the witness didnt cooperate with the prosecution.

Hartsock said he has seen a recent increase in Uber being used to transport victims, including sex trafficking victims, because it makes it harder to pinpoint one vehicle connected to a crime.

And although he said the Uber driver is not in any trouble, he would like to talk to the him about the incident.

I think if its 2:30 in the morning and youre picking up underage kids you should question them and maybe even talk to authorities, Hartsock said. We want everyone in the community if they see a 12-year-old out alone in the middle of the night to call someone because thats suspicious.
Mayoral candidate Dan Lewis says he would significantly boost police officer pay, demand strict enforcement of all traffic violations and all crimes that injure people and their property and give members of the public the information they need to hold judges accountable.

We have a war being waged against us in this city, and were not winning right now. Weve got to stop this insanity, Lewis said during a news conference late Monday afternoon where he unveiled his crime control plan. We can and we will turn things around, he added.

Lewis released his plan at the southwest corner of San Pedro and Central, an area that his campaign called a hotbed of the citys criminal activity.

Its no surprise that the jumps in Albuquerque crime rates have swelled at the same time that the number of trained police officers protecting our streets has dramatically decreased, he said. A fully staffed APD begins with aggressively increasing our base pay for first-year police officers, officers at 5-plus years, and our sergeants and lieutenants.

Lewis, a Republican city councilor and one of eight people whose name will appear on the ballot for mayor, said that if he is elected, he would immediately propose a $15 million increase for the Albuquerque Police Department for officer pay. He said he would reprioritize the citys spending to make that happen, citing as an example the millions of dollars that the city spends every year on APS related programs, including school crossing guards. Albuquerque Public Schools should be paying for that, he said.

The citys police force currently has about 850 officers, well below the 1,000 officers the city has budgeted for. Lewis said his goal is to staff the department with 1,200 officers. APD, he said, has one of the best-funded and most generous pensions in the nation in PERA, and Albuquerque should use that to recruit the many good officers nationwide who are losing their pensions due to those pension systems failing.

As for holding judges accountable, Lewis noted that judges are elected. He said his administration would develop a scorecard by which voters can judge the judges on their decisions to release or keep dangerous and repeat criminals in jail.

Other highlights of his plan include:

 A national search for a new police chief.

 Working with the county to create a joint city-county police and fire emergency dispatch center.

 Complying with and completing the court approved settlement agreement and sending DOJ back to Washington.

Lewis said his administration would also work cooperatively with the Citizen Police Oversight Board and make sure they were getting the information they need and that they have a seat at the table to develop policy.
BALTIMORE  A monument in Baltimore to Christopher Columbus was vandalized overnight.

Baltimore Police said they were looking into the incident.

A video posted to YouTube shows a man striking the base of the monument near Herring Run Park repeatedly with a sledgehammer. Another person holds a sign that reads: Racism, tear it down. Another sign is taped to the monument reading: The future is racial and economic justice.

The narrator of the video, who says his name is Ty, calls Christopher Columbus a genocidal terrorist.

The vandalism comes nearly one week after city officials swiftly removed four controversial monuments: a statue of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate Womens monument, the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument and a statue of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who authored the 1857 Dred Scott decision that upheld slavery.

In Annapolis, state officials followed suit and removed a Taney statue there early Friday morning.

Ever since white supremacists protested the removal of a Lee statue in Charlottesville, Va. last month, government officials across the country have begun to re-examine their monuments and statues.

The rally in Virginia turned deadly: A counter-protester was killed when a Neo-Nazi sympathizer allegedly drove his car into a crowd, and two police officers monitoring the scene died when their helicopter crashed.

The celebration of Columbus exploits in the Americas has long been criticized by those who feel the Italian explorers misdeeds are too often glossed over. Many associate Columbus, who is often falsely credited with discovering what is now the United States, with enslaving, brutalizing and killing the native people he encountered in his travels.

The Baltimore City Council last year considered renaming Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples and Italian-Americans Day. The bill, which was introduced at the behest of students, failed.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

Gov. Susana Martinezs administration says shameless politicians are trying to subvert the state Constitution and delay key decisions at New Mexico universities until after she leaves office.

A Martinez spokesman was responding to a push by lawmakers to keep Garrey Carruthers as New Mexico State Universitys chancellor. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has argued in letters to the news media that Carruthers should remain if hes willing, citing his accomplishments during a difficult, budget-strained time.

An email response issued by the Governors Office said, These are just shameless politicians trying to delay a potential search in a transparent attempt to ensure that the next (NMSU) chancellor is chosen by regents appointed by the next governor. Coupled with the refusal of the senate to confirm regents last session, it should be obvious to all that some are working very hard to subvert the constitution and give the next governor the opportunity to completely stack the deck at our universities  something our system of staggered regent terms is designed to prevent.

Carruthers announced Aug. 3 that he would retire when his contract ends next summer. But he has since said he told many people for months that he would be willing to stay on for another two years.

That leaves many wondering whether he was asked to remain.

Carruthers has not publicly said whether NMSUs Board of Regents asked him to stay or if they told him they would not renew his contract. Board Chairwoman Debra Hicks has not returned Journal messages.

The governor appoints regents, but Martinez spokesman Joseph Cueto said in the email that the Martinez administration has not discussed the chancellorship with regents.

Sen. Steven P. Neville, R-Aztec; Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming; and Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, co-signed a letter last week in support of retaining Carruthers.

Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Las Cruces, wrote another letter in which he also suggested politics might be a factor in whether Carruthers was asked to stay. He cited Carruthers public remarks about the damage caused when Martinez, a Republican, vetoed higher education funding in a dispute with the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Funding was later restored.

Cuetos statement referenced both the campaign to keep Carruthers and the Senates inaction on several of Martinezs regent appointments this year. That included three regents for the University of New Mexico, which is itself in the midst of a search for a new president.

McCamley said keeping Carruthers is not a political play, noting that Carruthers, a former Republican governor, has won support from both parties. McCamley said his interest is ensuring consistent leadership.

Weve had six different presidents since I was student government president (at NMSU) in 2001, and Carruthers has provided a lot of stability and some very good leadership through very, very difficult times  frankly that the governor (Martinez) has contributed to, McCamley said. So thats the reason that wed like to see him stay around.
The useful idiots are falling by the wayside. First came a few corporate big shots, and then some more, and then many, many more. Princes of Wall Street, richer and more important than any CEO, also left and then Julius Krein, a conservative intellectual and digital pamphleteer, retracted his support of Donald Trump in a New York Times op-ed and inevitably was hailed as a political Rip Van Winkle who had just woken up. He and the others slept too long.

They have done their damage. Trump is in the White House, fulminating on Twitter, messing up foreign policy, mistaking critics for enemies, refusing to immediately and unequivocally condemn neo-Nazis, white racists and other assorted goons  and, in general, failing to provide the nation with a scintilla of moral leadership. This will last until it cant any longer. There is only so much chaos a nation can stand.

Meanwhile, the parts of the American corporate and political leadership who slummed with Trump and think that the quick shower of a repudiation statement will wipe them clean ought to think again. They are obliged to consider how they ever supported a person whose racism was apparent in his rabid conviction that Barack Obama had not been born in America and whose posse always contained so-called white nationalists. The surprise of Charlottesville is not that it happened, but that it took so long. Our president is neo-racist.

It was also apparent to anyone that Trump lies with almost every breath. And yet some of the same people who knew the dark truth about Trump  who would not do business with him, who would not lend him money and who, most importantly, would not raise a child to be like him  supported him for president. Some, like Carl Icahn or Wilbur Ross, got in early, while others hung back until Trump won the GOP nomination. Having panicked at the prospect of Hillary Clinton winning the presidency, they embraced Trump.

Anti-Hillaryism diseased their minds. It enabled them to hold her responsible for the deaths of Americans at Benghazi, Libya, and to obsess over her missing emails. She was a lousy candidate, sure, but her most serious criminal act was to frequently flash an insincere smile.

Trump critics such as myself have been accused of living in a bubble. On the contrary, it is Trumps supporters in the 1 percent who breathed their own fumes. They believed in the Gordian Knot fantasy: the myth that a bold person could solve an intractable problem, as Alexander the Great did by not even attempting to untie the Gordian Knot, but rather severing it with his sword. Trumps supporters felt that all that was needed was common sense or, better yet, something called business sense. If Trump could run a business, he could, therefore, run the country.

This myth was so strongly held that it overcame both logic and experience. It was an extension and a mockery of Ronald Reagans simplistic belief that Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem and that all that was needed in a president was the zeal and cool nerves of a short-seller.

Trumps total lack of character was brushed aside. So, too, was his utter lack of compassion. His high-powered supporters said nothing as he attacked the Khans, the Gold Star parents of an Army captain who was killed in Iraq. They were similarly mute when he denigrated John McCains suffering as a POW in Vietnam and mocked a disabled reporter. They never asked him to prove he had donated a cent to charity.

Trump railed against Mexicans and Muslims, bullied his fellow candidates, winked at his supporters in the odious alt-right, was caught boasting of an adolescent sexism, exhibited an astounding ignorance of just about everything he needed to know  history and government  and persisted in a pernicious campaign to delegitimize the mainstream media. The latter may be his only success.

Trumps presidency will fail. Just dont ask me how and when. It will collapse because at its center is a hollow man, lacking ballast, whose chaos cannot be contained. In the meantime, those who supported him then but have now recanted need to consider what steered them so wrong. What compelled them to support a man whose ignorance, selfishness, egomania and abysmal character was so clear? Was it their lust for deregulation, lower taxes and a Wagnerian end to the Obama era? They slept  but it was our nightmare.

Email: cohenr@washpost.com. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
SANTA FE  Amid discussion about a creating a municipal public bank and local protests about scandal-plagued Wells Fargo Bank that got a favorable nod from the mayor, an evaluation committee has recommended that Santa Fe city government keep its banking services with Wells Fargo for another four years.

Leaders from of the citys Fiscal Agent Services Evaluation Committee presented findings to the City Councils Finance Committee Monday and gave Wells Fargo the highest scores over four New Mexico banks which also responded to the citys request for proposals.

The Finance Committee approved sending the recommendation to full council later this month.

My primary concern is always to manage taxpayer dollars safely effectively and efficiently, said City Fiance Director Adam Johnson. We certainly appreciate and are sensitive to the broader communal concerns (about Wells Fargo), but we dont put that into this analysis of the RFP.

With the existing contract expiring at the end of 2017, Johnson noted that the city did ask for the first time for each bank to address its community initiatives when bidding for the new contract.

Wells Fargo detailed examples of investment in Santa Fe including about 1,600 volunteer hours, community grants and small business loans. The company says it donated about $200,000 to local nonprofits in 2016 and, in 2015, distributed $168.5 million in loans to small borrowers.

Wells Fargo was in competition with Bank of Albuquerque, Century Bank, Los Alamos National Bank and New Mexico Bank and Trust, which either made complete proposals or partial proposals for certain services. The banks were rated on various factors including online service abilities, cost and Community Reinvestment Act ratings.

In January, a group rallied to urge the city to switch banks because of Wells Fargos involvement in financing the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline. Mayor Javier Gonzales expressed support for them at the time and pushed for changes to the bidding process for the banking contract.

Also, in a major scandal, Wells Fargo acknowledged in September that its employees opened up to 2 million bank and credit card accounts without customer authorization in order to meet lofty sales goals. Federal and California regulators fined Wells Fargo $185 million for the practices.

On Monday, Gonzales said in an emailed statement: We continue to support local tax dollars being banked and managed in a way that aligns with our values and supports local community development, and the competitive process we set up this year reflected that priority for the first time ever. He said that however the contract competition plays out, we will continue to push  across the entire range of city financial functions  to find the right balance between our fiduciary responsibilities and our desire to see greater local investment.

At Mondays Finance Committee meeting , Councilor Renee Villarreal acknowledged there is a difference between Wells Fargo nationally and locally, but said she wants to make sure the city is holding its contractors to a higher standard even at the corporate level.

[Im] personally very disappointed with things that have happened in other areas of our institution this year, said Bryan Scott, a Wells Fargo regional manager.

But it doesnt speak to the values that myself and the team we have here today [have].what youre seeing and reading in the papers isnt indicative of the culture and commitment we have for the community.

In its proposal, Wells Fargo also addressed its involvement with the DAPL in a three-page letter saying there were differing opinions and misinformation about the pipeline. The bank worked with legal counsel to ensure that the project complied with all local, state and federal laws, wrote Scott.
Residents of New Mexicos small towns and rural areas, where dentists are scarce, can benefit from a new program aimed at improving access to oral health care.

Graduates of the Community Dental Health Coordinator program offered at Central New Mexico Community College are helping to bring basic dental services to rural and low-income communities around the state.

Dr. Tom Schripsema, executive director of New Mexico Dental Association said many of the states smaller communities dont have the population to support a full-time dentist. Without access to dental care, people often end up in severe pain or suffer serious illness, many seek help in hospital emergency rooms which are not equipped to treat dental problems, Schripsema said.

CNM began offering the training in 2015, based on legislation passed in 2011. The first five Community Dental Health Coordinator graduates are now working in communities and clinics and private dental offices throughout New Mexico, including on the Navajo Reservation. The second class of nine students is scheduled to graduate in December.

They teach children and adults about oral health, hygiene and nutrition. They coordinate transportation and help patients make dental appointments or receive exams. They can help patients in obtaining Medicaid or using sliding fee scales to help pay for treatment. They are trained to take x-rays, apply dental sealants or temporary fillings, do diagnostic tests, and they can assist visiting dentists in patient care, Schripsema said.

They are not permitted to perform surgical functions such as tooth extractions.

The students come from a variety of backgrounds, said Tammy Whitney, clinical coordinator for the program at CNM. Some have already trained as dental assistants or hygienists. Several have been working as Community Health Representatives on the Navajo Reservation, providing basic health promotion and disease prevention services.

She sees great potential for the role that Community Dental Health Coordinators can play in promoting better oral health and preventing associated diseases.

They can work with school systems, or work with nursing homes, do community outreach by teaching caregivers about oral health, do screenings and help get people to dental offices when they need it, Whitney said.
SINGAPORE  Navy divers searching a flooded compartment of the USS John S. McCain found remains of some of the 10 sailors missing in a collision between the warship and an oil tanker, the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said Tuesday as he promised a full investigation.

Adm. Scott Swift also said at a news conference in Singapore, where the McCain is now docked, that Malaysian officials had found one body, but it had yet to be identified and it was unknown whether it was a crew member.

The collision before dawn on Monday near Singapore tore a gaping hole in the McCains left rear hull and flooded adjacent compartments including crew berths and machinery and communication rooms. Five sailors were injured.

The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today, Swift said, adding that it was premature to say how many and what the status of recovery of those bodies is.

We will continue the search and rescue operations until the probability of discovering sailors is exhausted, Swift said.

He would not say where in the destroyer the bodies were found.

It was the second major collision in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet, and the Navy has ordered a broad investigation into its performance and readiness. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan. There were two lesser-known incidents in the first half of the year. In January, the USS Antietam guided missile cruiser ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th Fleet, and in May another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain from the Navys 3rd Fleet, had a minor collision with a South Korean fishing boat.

While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation, Swift said.

He said the Navy would conduct an investigation to find out if there is a common cause  and if so, how do we solve that.

He said he had heard some reports speculating that the Navy could have been a victim of a cyberattack. Weve seen no indications of that as yet, but  we are not taking any consideration off the table, he said.

Earlier Tuesday, the 7th Fleet said the sea search by aircraft and ships from the U.S., Singapore and Malaysian navies would continue east of Singapore where the McCain and the tanker collided.

Megan Partlow of Ohio, who said her fiance was on board the McCain, told The Associated Press in a Facebook message that they last communicated on Sunday and she was losing hope of seeing him again.

My last text to him was be safe, which is the same way we end every conversation. Im just ready for answers, she said. The identities of the missing have not been disclosed but Partlow said her fiances parents were in touch with the Navys family assistance center.

April Brandon of Michigan said her son, Ken Smith, 22, is among the missing sailors. Brandon told Detroit-area TV stations that she was visited by two officers Monday at her home. Illinois U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis says the mother of McCain crew member Logan Palmer says he is missing. Davis says Palmer comes from a patriotic family in the Decatur, Illinois, area.

Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, on Monday ordered a pause in 7th Fleet operations for the next few days to allow commanders to get together with leaders, sailors and command officials and identify any immediate steps that need to be taken to ensure safety.

A broader U.S. Navy review will look at the 7th Fleets performance, including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers. Richardson said the review will be conducted with the help of the Navys office of the inspector general, the safety center and private companies that make equipment used by sailors.

Make no mistake, Swift said Tuesday, our sailors on these ships are doing critical work at sea. And for more than 70 years, the U.S. Navy has helped guarantee the security and stability of the western Pacific.  We owe it to the sailors that man the 7th Fleet and their families to answer the questions that flow from the uncertainty of what happened, how could it happen, and what can be done to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Swift also lauded the crew for righting the listing ship quickly as they tended to the injured. He said sailors set up watertight boundaries and shored up the ships internal structure, and were able to begin evacuating sailors by helicopter within an hour or two of the collision.

He said it was quite extraordinary for the McCain to be up and running as an operational ship almost immediately after the collision.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of Chinas man-made islands in the South China Sea.

China, Washingtons main rival for influence in the Asia-Pacific, seized on the McCain collision to accuse the Navy of endangering maritime navigation in the region. This years string of accidents shows the U.S. Navy is becoming a dangerous obstacle in Asian waters, the official China Daily newspaper said in its online edition.

The McCain and the Alnic MC oil tanker collided about 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 kilometers) from Malaysias coast at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the busy Singapore Strait.

There was no immediate explanation for the collision. Singapore, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the worlds busiest ports and a U.S. ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships.

The Singapore government said no crew were injured on the Liberian-flagged Alnic, which sustained damage to a compartment at the starboard, or right, side at the front of the ship some 7 meters (23 feet) above its waterline. The ship had a partial load of fuel oil, according to the Greek owner of the tanker, Stealth Maritime Corp. S.A., but no apparent spill.

Several safety violations were recorded for the oil tanker at its last port inspection in July, one fire safety deficiency and two safety-of-navigation problems. The official database for ports in Asia doesnt go into details and the problems apparently were not serious enough for the tanker to be detained.

___

AP writers Lolita C. Baldor in Muscat, Oman, Stephen Wright in Bangkok, Deb Riechmann in Washington, Christopher Bodeen in Beijing and Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo contributed to this report.
SANTA FE  Amid discussion about a creating a municipal public bank and protests about scandal-plagued Wells Fargo Bank that got a favorable nod from the mayor, city evaluators have recommended that Santa Fe keep its banking services with Wells Fargo for another four years.

A team presented findings to the City Councils Finance Committee Monday and gave Wells Fargo the highest scores over four New Mexico banks that also responded to a request for proposals. The committee approved sending the recommendation to the full council later this month.

My primary concern is always to manage taxpayer dollars safely, effectively and efficiently, said finance director Adam Johnson. We certainly appreciate and are sensitive to the broader communal concerns (about Wells Fargo), but we dont put that into this analysis of the RFP. With the existing contract expiring at the end of 2017, Johnson noted that the city did ask for the first time for banks to address community initiatives in their proposals.

Wells Fargo detailed examples of local investment including about 1,600 volunteer hours, community grants and small-business loans. The bank said it donated about $200,000 to local nonprofits in 2016 and distributed $168.5 million in loans to small borrowers in 2015.

Wells Fargo competed with Bank of Albuquerque, Century Bank, Los Alamos National Bank and New Mexico Bank and Trust. The bidders were rated on various factors including online service abilities, cost and Community Reinvestment Act ratings.

In January, a group rallied to urge the city to switch banks because of Wells Fargos involvement in financing the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline. Mayor Javier Gonzales expressed support for the protesters and pushed for changes to the bidding process for the banking contract. Also, Wells Fargo acknowledged in September that its employees opened up to 2 million bank and credit card accounts without customer authorization. Federal and California regulators fined Wells Fargo $185 million.

On Monday, Gonzales said in a statement, We continue to support local tax dollars being banked and managed in a way that aligns with our values and supports local community development, and the competitive process we set up this year reflected that priority for the first time ever.

He said the city will push to find the right balance between our fiduciary responsibilities and our desire to see greater local investment.

Bryan Scott, a Wells Fargo regional manager, said bank personnel are personally very disappointed with things that have happened in other areas of our institution but that those problems dont speak to the values that myself and the team we have here today (have).

_Headline>Committee recommends Wells Fargo contract extension
YUMA, Ariz.  Federal officials say a 19-year-old man from San Luis, Arizona, was arrested and approximately 20 pounds each of heroin and methamphetamine seized at a Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8 east of Yuma.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says agents found multiple packages of drugs worth a total of over $400,000 in an SUV on Saturday after being alerted by a sniffing dog.

The arrested mans identity wasnt released.
The woman arrested Monday on charges of attempted murder after police say she pointed a gun at a couple was wanted on a warrant for violating parole  at least her ninth parole violation  according to court records.

The U.S. Marshals tracked Miranda Gilbert, 30, and her boyfriend, Shannon

Ray, 24, to Anton Chico, where Albuquerque police suspect they went to hide out after a picture of Gilbert pointing a gun at the couple was blasted across social media and released to television and newspapers across the state on Sunday.

The images were captured by a couple who called police to say theyd just been shot at after confronting a woman parked suspiciously in their driveway in the 3600 block of General Patch NE near Wyoming and Comanche, according to the couples family and police.

The couple and their family shared images captured on their vehicles dashcam on social media and police released the image Sunday night.

They said Tuesday that this exposure helped identify the woman in the images as Gilbert.

Gilbert and Ray were taken into custody after a short car chase in Anton Chico south of Las Vegas on Monday on outstanding warrants.

Ray had warrant out of Santa Rosa for burglary, according to the Marshals.

And Gilbert had a warrant out of Albuquerque after absconding from her parole, which she was on after serving four of a 10-year prison sentence for seven combined cases, mostly drug and burglary cases.

She violated probation and parole seven times before being arrested for it and held in jail. She was held in jail pending acceptance at a drug addiction treatment center.

Her stay at that center lasted one day.

By February of 2017, she had dropped out and violated parole again, absconding for the third time since her release from prison.

This time, her parole officers asked that she be sent back to prison.

This officer cannot conscionably recommend further community supervision to the Court, probation-parole officer Benjamin Beck wrote.

But District Judge Pro Tem Angela Jewell sent Gilbert back to probation supervision with six months of residential treatment.

That was March 2017.

By July, shed relapsed in treatment and absconded from the program.

It was on a warrant for this probation violation that she was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Monday in Anton Chico.

She now faces an attempted murder charge from the Sunday incident.

She also faces aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting from a motor vehicle, charges from New Mexico State Police related to the car chase in Anton Chico, and possible consequences from her warrant and the remaining years on her 10-year sentence.

Ray also faces charges related to the car chase but has not been charged in connection with the incident Sunday.

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New Mexico is seeing an increasing divide in the educational performance of its school districts, according to new statewide school grades released Tuesday.

While districts like Farmington, Gadsden and Alamogordo no longer have any failing schools, 34 percent of Albuquerques schools received an F in the latest state report.

There is a growing disparity, said acting secretary of education Christopher Ruszkowski.

In 2016, 25 percent of Albuquerque schools received failing grades. And in 2012, when the Public Education Department launched school grades, just 11 percent of APS schools earned Fs.

The new report awarded A grades to 9 percent of the districts schools.

Albuquerque Public Schools is also home to two elementary schools that have received six straight failing grades  the worst performance in the state.

Across the state, 16 percent of public schools received failing grades, up from 13 percent in 2016. The number of A rated schools held steady at 14 percent.

Overall, 127,882 New Mexico students attend an A or B rated school today  roughly 32,000 more than in 2012. But the group in D and F schools is nearly as large  115,899 students. Statewide, 88,397 students attend C schools.

Ruszkowski said some districts are rising to meet demands and others are not.

Successful districts like Gadsden and Farmington are data-driven and believe that every child can learn, Ruszkowski said.

Demographics is not destiny in Gadsden, Ruszkowski said about the school district that straddles the Mexico border and is headquartered in Sunland Park. The districts student population includes children who live in Mexico and walk across the border to attend school, he said.

Gov. Susana Martinez agreed that schools with strong participation in state reform programs are on the rise, while those that refuse to make improvements for our kids continue to struggle.

Ruszkowski said that results in APS show it suffers from an aversion to quantitative measurement of student performance. He compared the districts attitude to a doctor who wont take a childs temperature or blood pressure because the process is too uncomfortable.

He called on APS leadership to meet with leaders of charter schools and other districts that have seen better success with their school grades.

Across New Mexicos 15 largest districts, nine have seen improvement.

 Rio Rancho held steady with 28 percent of schools getting an A in 2016 and 2017. Over the past year, the district increased its B schools from 28 percent to 44 percent while reducing Cs and Ds. No Rio Rancho district school has ever received an F.

 Santa Fe had a mixed picture. F grades climbed from 17 percent in 2016 to 23 percent in 2017, while As dropped from 17 percent to 13 percent. Bs had a dramatic boost  7 percent in 2016 and 23 percent in 2017.

 Las Cruces had a steady decline in As over the past year  23 percent down to 10 percent. Bs climbed from 23 percent to 28 percent. Fs rose from 10 percent to 13 percent.

The Public Education Department has shifted the grading criteria over the years to weigh academic proficiency more heavily  bumping it up from 15 percent of the grade in 2015 to 25 percent today for elementary and middle schools. In 2019, proficiency will make up 33 percent of a schools grade.

The calculations for high schools include an additional college and career readiness metric based on measures like results form the SAT and ACT tests and graduation rates. In 2015, academic proficiency made up 10 percent of the high school grade. This year that weight is 20 percent. In 2019, academic proficiency will make up 25 percent of the high school grade.

APS Superintendent Raquel Reedy said her district has a plan to improve.

She cited budgetary and personnel changes, a new approach that divides APS into four Learning Zones for personalized instruction and student-focused priorities outlined in the five-year academic master plan.

Test opt-outs a factor

APS has an extra complication that most districts did not face this year: 19 of its schools did not meet the required 95-percent student participation rate for standardized testing.

As a result, those schools dropped a letter grade.

Outside APS, only four schools were below the threshold this year  one in Santa Fe, one in Las Cruces and two state charter schools.

The test opt-out movement became a force in 2015 when PED introduced the controversial Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test.

APS is the only district that is still struggling with test participation, Ruszkowski said.

The participation penalty should be a thing of the past at this juncture, he said. We understand that assessment is a civil rights issue, that every kid deserves access to the assessment. The rest of the state is on board with that.

Ruszkowski said APS online opt-out kit  testing information distributed at parents request  is not in line with administrators emphasis on equity and access for all students.

PED could soon take more drastic steps in dealing with schools that dont improve on their state evaluations.

Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, states have more leeway to address low-performing schools.

New Mexicos ESSA plan outlines a number of options for these schools, including outright closure and restarting them as charters.

Charles Goodmacher, National Education Association of New Mexico spokesman, was critical of the states school grade system.

Parents and the community should know the grades assigned to their local school are more of a reflection on a particular set of policy wonk ideas which reduce the many intangibles of education to a single letter score, than it is about what is actually happening in their schools, he said in an emailed statement.
An audit into whether insurance companies have been underpaying the premium taxes they owe to the state should be wrapped up by the end of September, but the findings may not be immediately available.

New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance John Franchini recently provided an update to the Journal editorial board of the audit now underway by independent accounting firm Examination Resources. The Atlanta-based firm was hired three months ago to look at 30 insurance companies that have paid more than $1 million in premium taxes to the state in any years between 2003 and 2016.

They include all types of insurers, such as those that provide life insurance, but the focus is on health companies because they pay the largest share of premium taxes, Franchini said.

The decision to hire an independent auditor was made after a special report last year showed the five largest health insurance companies operating in New Mexico owed at least $193 million in premium taxes over a recent five-year period, although that figure has been disputed. The firms which pay the lions share of the tax are Presbyterian Health Plan, Molina Healthcare Inc., UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico and Amerigroup.

The 2016 review said tax-filing errors were not caught because of problems with computer software, internal agency controls and inadequate staffing.

Tax collections on health, property, life and other insurance premiums are overseen by a division of the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance and then remitted to the general fund.

Franchini, in his recent interview, also blamed tax collection problems on outdated state regulations.

Examination Resources was awarded a $600,000 contract from among three companies recommended by OSI. All were out-of-state firms, and the superintendent said Examination Resources got the nod because few companies do such specialized work on premium tax collections and because there had to be no ties with New Mexico insurers or his office.

Franchini said portions of the audit might be completed before Sept. 30 for OSI to review, but that doesnt mean the state can immediately start billing for any back taxes owed.

Companies have 20 days to review and dispute the findings in the (preliminary) report, which is not a public record, said Franchini, describing a process-laden undertaking that has five stages, including administrative hearings and court appeals.

Public access to these findings will be when the OSI issues a report, said Franchini. That could be by the end of October. However, rival companies will not be privy to details about each others pricing and financial information.

Findings could result in calculations showing underpayments or overpayments in taxes to the state, Franchini added. If an insurer agrees that an underpayment has indeed occurred, an invoice is issued.

The hope is that we can get this quickly doneand not have to wait another year (implementing audit results) at taxpayer expense, said Franchini.
Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry on Tuesday received two honors  both of them for promoting Albuquerque on the world stage and for advancing citizen diplomacy.

The first award was from Global Ties ABQ on behalf of the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The award recognizes Berrys extraordinary commitment to encourage citizen diplomacy and to foster commercial, educational, and cultural exchange between Albuquerque and nations from all over the world.

Global Ties ABQ is a local nonprofit that connects emerging leaders from other countries with New Mexicans via international exchange programs and events sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Yearly, Global Ties ABQ brings about 30 state department-sponsored international exchange groups through Albuquerque. The delegations are part of the International Visitor Leadership Program, and the delegates are emerging leaders in fields ranging from entrepreneurship and economic development, human and minority rights, tourism, and civic activism.

Adelle Lees, director of the Global Ties ABQ, gave a concrete example of how citizen diplomacy at its best can work. In 2013, Rebeca Gyumi, a woman from Tanzania, was among the delegates who met with Berrys Youth Advisory Council. She was so inspired by the local youths passion to be a part of change that when she returned to Tanzania she filed a petition with that countrys high court, winning a landmark case to raise the minimum age for marriage from 14 to 18.

Berry also received the Sister Cities International 2017 Innovation Award for Economic Development, which recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding community and individual sister city programs that promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Albuquerques first sister city relationship with Sasebo, Japan, Berry and representatives from five Albuquerque companies traveled to Japan earlier this year to meet with business officials from Japan and Taiwan to promote international trade.

Im humbled that these great groups, which have been here long before I was the mayor, would recognize the fact that we believe in them, have worked hard on their behalf and our communitys behalf for the last eight years, Berry said.

In emphasizing the importance of citizen diplomacy, Berry noted that people often read or see news accounts about elected national officials and ambassadors doing this kind of work, but as mayor Ive seen first hand that citizen diplomacy can build bridges and find solutions that others cant. I would encourage our next mayor to continue this work because its vital.
One of New Mexicos largest medical cannabis growers contends in a lawsuit that a former employee stole 18 pounds of pot worth at least $57,000 from its Albuquerque growing facility, and the firm wants compensation for the lost product.

Albuquerque police said Tuesday they are investigating the theft, which was reported to police in April by R. Greenleaf & Associates, a management firm that oversees three nonprofit medical cannabis producers licensed by the state.

Public records show that no criminal charges have emerged from the case so far.

Currently, this case is being handled by APDs Organized Crime Unit, APD spokeswoman Celina Espinoza said in a written statement. They are investigating and working diligently to pursue any possible criminal charges.

Nor it is clear what became of the allegedly stolen pot. We are still looking into that, Espinoza said.

Greenleaf filed a lawsuit June 3 against Jordan Wallace alleging that he used his employee keys and access codes to enter Greenleafs production facility after hours on April 4 and remove 8,196 grams or about 18 pounds of cannabis from the building.

The Journal was unable to reach Wallace on Tuesday. A phone message and an email sent to his attorney, Robert Cole of Albuquerque, were not returned.

Greenleaf managers told police in April that they reviewed security video that showed Wallace collecting marijuana in a bin and leaving the property, according to an APD report.

When managers confronted Wallace, he allegedly admitted taking the cannabis and promised to return it, according to the lawsuit.

Instead, Wallace provided Greenleaf with a smaller amount of a different cannabis product of lower quality and value, the suit alleges. Cannabis is regulated by the state, which made the substituted product unusable to Greenleaf, it said.

The lawsuit seeks costs, punitive damages and other relief from Wallace.

Willie Ford, managing director of R. Greenleaf and Associates, declined to comment this week about the theft or the lawsuit.

R. Greenleaf and Associates LLC provides management oversight for three nonprofit producers licensed by the state, including R. Greenleaf Organics, Medzen Services and G&G Genetics.

DOH spokesman David Morgan said the agency plans to take no disciplinary action against Greenleaf, which reported the alleged theft to DOHs medical cannabis program.
DgitalF5, a leading digital marketing services agency has acquired the Search, Content, social media, planning and buying digital media mandate for the two popular brands of Speciality Restaurants Ltd - Mainland China and Oh! Calcutta, which are owned by popular hotelier and founder of Speciality Restaurants Limited, Anjan Chatterjee.

Commenting on the hire, Speciality Restaurants Ltd spokesperson said, Our partnership with digitalF5 is primarily owing to our confidence that the team has a thorough understanding of the Digital realmfrom Social & Creative to Tech & Search--as well as human behaviour. In the light of our soaring ambitions, we are confident that digitalF5 is a strong effector to help us expand our digital footprints and talk to our audience.

Commenting on the association, Barin Mukherjee, Co-Founder, DigitalF5 said, It's always exciting to work with brands who are passionate about what they do and Speciality Restaurants Ltd. are exactly that. They have introduced the Indian restaurant goers to authentic cuisine since their inception and have developed a brand which is purely built on understanding great food and driving quality experiences. With the digital media increasingly playing a larger role in helping the consumer choose a restaurant over the other, it would be a great journey for us to be a part of.

Mainland China, with 54 outlets in 26 cities, is the largest stand-alone fine-dining restaurant chain in the country serving authentic Chinese cuisine from the major provinces of China. Mainland China enjoys unparalleled brand equity and is revered for the fine dining experience it provides. It has a pan-Indian presence across Mumbai, Pune, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Durgapur, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Cochin and Chennai.

Oh! Calcutta is an iconic restaurant brand that celebrates the diversity and array of tastes in the vast world of Bengali cuisine. By popularising it all over the country, Oh! Calcutta has brought the attention of millions of food lovers to the various delicacies of Bengali cuisine and has introduced authentic, generations-old recipes from the culturally rich region of Bengal to the rest of the country.
Network Advertising, one of Indias leading independent advertising firms, today announced that it has bagged the above-the-line creative mandate for Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited, following a multi-agency pitch. To be serviced out of Networks Mumbai office, the mandate includes all B2C and B2B projects across India by Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited, a leader and pioneer in sustainable urban development through the creation of residential and integrated large format developments across multiple city-clusters.

Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited is focused on sustainable urbanisation through distinct business lines across geographies, including mid-premium segment residential projects, affordable housing, and integrated cities and industrial clusters. The Company is developing two large format integrated business cities under the Mahindra World City brand in Chennai and Jaipur. In addition, Mahindra Lifespaces enables access to quality housing at affordable prices via its brand Happinest. The Company has two such industrial parks: one, near Chennai in a joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation of Japan, and the other near Ahmedabad (Gujarat).

Recently, Network Advertising also won the full-service mandates from Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSE), Firestone Tyres and Vinod Cookware.Commenting on the win, Vinod Nair, Managing Director, Network Advertising Group, said, Mahindra Lifespaces is a strategic addition to our consistently growing clientele and is a responsibility we feel proud to own. Given its vision and scale, we feel we can partner the brand to its rightful space in the mind of the consumers and the competition. The way the evaluation was conducted for this pitch was unique and unlike what happens these days, and increased our resolve to win such a mandate. It fits our tradition of building the biggest of Indian Brands into commanding scale and size.

Commenting on the mandate, Sunil Sharma, Vice President  Marketing & CRM, Mahindra Lifespaces, said, The Indian real estate sector is growing at a fast pace, evolving as per changing customer demographics and expectations. As one of the leading real estate development companies in India, Mahindra Lifespaces is focused on its brand values of simplicity, warmth, quality and transparency. We were seeking a partner who would match our values, while executing a strategic framework to differentiate and build on our strengths. Network, with its long standing partnerships with clients, demonstrated what can be delivered when there is stability and involvement from the leadership and an experienced team to power the set agenda.
Sony MAX, the leading Hindi movie and special events channel brings to its viewers a love story set in the 1980s with Meri Pyaari Bindu. Experience the story of a successful writer Abhimanyu Roy who returns to his roots in Kolkata to write an old-fashioned love story.

The film directed by debutant Akshay Roy, featuring Parineeti Chopra and Ayushmann Khurrana in lead roles narrates the tale of, Abhimanyu Roy (Ayushmann Khurana), who feels discouraged with the lack of critical appreciation for his work and returns back home to write more meaningful literature. He decides on a story - which was now, 3 years in the making. He had been experiencing writers block trying to get the story down and he knows exactly what this writers block is  Bindu (Parineeti Chopra). How does one contain this unpredictable, larger than life, live wire in the pages of a book? So where should Abhimanyu begin?
Yatra.com, one of Indias leading online travel portals has trusted PeopleStrong to digitize the employee life cycle on a single unified cloud platform named PeopleStrong Alt. PeopleStrong Alt will cover the entire gamut of talent management processes from the core HR information system, Leave & Attendance, Recruitment & Onboarding, Capability Enhancement, Exit and Expense Management for all employees across entities and locations PAN India.

With PeopleStrong s true-blue HR SaaS technology designed For HR, By HR, and powered by Indias first comprehensive HR Chatbot, Yatra.com would be able to deliver a unified experience to its employees, HR teams and business users.

Speaking on the occasion Dhiresh Sharma, Chief Business Officer - Activities & Chief People Officer, Yatra.com shared, Yatra.com is a one stop travel solution for all its customers, and we wanted to extend this philosophy to our employee experience. With PeopleStrong, we have created an integrated talent management platform that simultaneously simplifies and enhances the employees worklife.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus on AT&Ts network are finally receiving support for Googles Daydream in the form of a software update. The package with the software version G950USQU1AQGL and G955USQU1AQGL for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus also brings along the Android Security Patch for the month of August. Also included are several fixes and stability improvements for both handsets, including network performance enhancements, the option of automatically hiding the navigation bar, support for AGIF, and user interface changes. Pre-installed apps on the two smartphones are also being updated, such as E-mail, Samsung Knox, Messaging, and Calendar. Bluetooth and the Smart Help feature found on Samsung devices are also receiving updates, users report.

AT&T happens to be the third carrier in the United States to deliver the update allowing both handsets to work with the Daydream View VR headset. Previously, Verizon pushed out a similar package to Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus units on its network and T-Mobile did the same. However, users have reported that their smartphones still arent able to run Daydream apps after installing the software delivered by T-Mobile. Both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus were launched by Samsung back in March and the firm made it clear that neither smartphone would be Daydream-enabled out of the box, later promising to bring the compatibility with Googles VR platform via a software update.

AT&T is pushing the package to all eligible device as an Over-The-Air (OTA) update, so it may take a while before all units receive it. If you cant wait for the update, you may manually check for it by heading to the Settings app and navigating to Software Updates. On the following screen, select Download Updates Manually and the system will prompt you to download and install the update if it is indeed ready for your handset. The package is sizeable, weighing in at around 490MB, so it is advisable to connect to a Wi-Fi network before proceeding with the update to avoid consuming your mobile data. Also, it is recommended to have at least 50 percent of battery left or have your phone connected to a charger during the installation process.
Google on Monday released the Android 8.0 Oreo system images, just over half an hour after announcing the latest iteration of its mobile operating system. As expected, the factory images are available for all variants of the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, and Nexus devices that the Alphabet-owned firm promised to support with the new version of Android. The compatibility list of the latter consists of the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, and the Pixel C tablet. Owners of either one of those devices are now able to download the first Android 8.0 Oreo system image for their smartphone and manually flash it onto the device. Note that this method is primarily aimed at Android developers with testing devices on hand as it will erase all data stored on the product thats receiving the flashed image.

Likewise, the process of flashing a system image will require your target device to have an unlocked bootloader which voids your warranty in most cases, so if you have one of the aforementioned devices and are able to remain patient for a few more hours or days before Google distributes Android 8.0 Oreo to your smartphone or tablet via an over-the-air (OTA) update, you are advised to do so. Everyone else can follow the banner below, download the system image for their device, unzip it to a local directory, connect their device to the same PC via a USB cable, start it in Fastboot mode, and run one of the supported commands which Google details on its official support page, also linked beneath this writing.

Google already provided developers with an accurate preview of what they can expect from Android 8.0 Oreo seeing how the company distributed four experimental builds of the OS earlier this year, with the Android O Developer Preview 4 coming with near-final system images, finished APIs, and finalized app behaviors, meaning that if your app works on that particular version of the software, it should run on the stable channel without any issues. Android 8.0 Oreo is set to start hitting third-party devices in the near future, with Google confirming that the likes of Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, Motorola, Nokia, and Huawei are all set to soon update their offerings to the latest stable build of its mobile OS.
One of Ubers earliest backers, Jason Calacanis, now thinks that the ride-sharing company needs to join forces with Tesla Motors in order to save itself from its ongoing scandals. According to Calacanis, merging the two companies would offer several benefits, not least of all the implications of having Elon Musk at the helm. Ubers previous CEO, Travis Kalanick should then take a place on the board of directors, since banishing the founder of the company was a mistake, according to Calacanis. The statements were made via the This Week In Startups web broadcast, which is run by Calacanis and is embedded below.

Calacanis views the two companys as being on a collision course, one way or another  which is probably due to both companies operating within the autonomous vehicle industry. He suggests that a merger could be one way to quickly solve the problems facing Uber, as it continues to operate as an effectively leaderless company during its ongoing legal dispute with Waymo  which is a case involving the alleged theft of self-driving vehicle technology. That case likely plays a big role in the development of Calacanis viewpoint because Tesla would be able to provide technologies of its own to Ubers projects, replacing the technologies that Alphabets Waymo has claimed were stolen. The idea does make some sense, since Tesla has been developing its self-driving tech for several years. Beyond that, the deal would also benefit Tesla Motors. For one thing, Tesla would be able to put its own cars front and center, driving a growth in visibility  and likely in sales  to match the output capability expected from the Gigafactory the company is working to build in Nevada. Whether a merger happens or not, Calacanis also sees several other ways the company could help itself out, like Uber engaging its drivers through incentives such as allowing drivers to gain shares in the company.

With that said, a merger between the two companies is not necessarily likely. Both companies have posted losses to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars across several quarters, which means such a deal wouldnt likely be viewed favorably by the market. Moreover, Teslas CEO, Elon Musk, was not listed at all in recent reports regarding likely candidates to take over as chief executive at Uber. The company is rumored to be in the process of making a decision regarding who will fill that spot and a decision is expected by September.
Small and subtle touches like the mute slider deserve more attention.

While just a handful of the more well-known brands in the mobile device industry hold the majority market share and will generally be the only ones recognizable to most consumers, each week we get the opportunity to check out some of the lesser known brands, many of them coming out of China, and many of them offering a fair amount of the features and specs that you can find on more expensive devices from brands like Samsung, Motorola, Lenovo, LG, HTC and more. This past week weve had the opportunity to spend some time with one of Elephones latest handsets, the P8, and check out how it stacks up to the other devices on the market. Elephone isnt nearly as massive as brands like Samsung or HTC, or even Huawei which is also a Chinese brand, but its also been making phones for at least a few years and is a brand to consider if youre one who tends to gravitate towards the more budget-friendly devices, a category which the P8 certainly falls under. Lets take a closer look at the Elephone P8 and see what it has to offer.

In The Box

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True to form with nearly every Chinese brand smartphone weve reviewed, the Elephone P8 comes with a couple extras. In the box along with the device itself, youll get the charger which is comprised of the wall adapter and charging cable, which is micro USB, and youll also get the SIM card ejector tool, as well as a clear silicone case and a screen protector. The screen protector is already applied to the display though, and there isnt an additional one like there are with some phones. Though most devices dont even come with one so having one at all is a nice benefit. Other that that there is nothing else inside the packaging.

Specs

The Elephone P8 is a well-equipped device on paper so it should work just fine when it comes to performance and everyday tasks, though well get into how it functioned later. The device comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display with 428 pixels per inch for the pixel density, and its powered by a MediaTek Helio P25 processor with 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage space, which is also expandable via microSD card if you need more storage than whats initially available.

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The device supports dual nano SIM with Dual standby so it can be used for travel fairly easily if you need a device that can switch back and forth between networks from different regions. The Elephone P8 is working with two fairly high-powered cameras, a 16-megapixel selfie camera on the front with a soft self-timer and an f/2.0 aperture, and this is a Samsung S5K3P3 sensor. The camera on the back is a Sony IMX230 21-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture, both of which should be capable of putting out decent shots, though well get into that a little towards the end of the review as well. For the battery the Elephone P8 is working with a 3,600mAh capacity, and was able to hold out for well over a day on average. The device supports Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, GPS, and a fingerprint sensor. Lastly, the Elephone P8 is running on Android 7.0 Nougat for the operating system version.

Hardware & Design

When it comes to the build and overall design of the Elephone P8 things are a little different here than they tend to be with most phones these days. While most of the design isnt wildly different from a lot of other smartphones out there, one thing that is immediately noticeable as different is the placement of the volume keys and SIM card tray. With many devices currently, the power button and volume buttons usually sit on the right side, while the SIM card tray sits on the left side. With the Elephone P8 though, the power button and SIM card tray are on the right side, while the volume up and down have been moved over to the left. Also included here is a mute slider that can allow you to mute the volume immediately in a pinch, instead of having to press the volume down button when you want to silence the ringer and notification sounds, and then have to hit the volume up button when you want to turn things back up. With the mute slider you can leave your volume exactly where things need to be and once you dont need things to be silent anymore, simply flip the switch back and your volume will be right back to normal. Simple and fast.

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The overall build also has a nice feel to it, with a bit of weight so it doesnt feel like its cheaply made or like it might break if dropped, though we definitely wouldnt recommend dropping it on purpose to test out its durability. The buttons also have a nice tactile feel to them and are a tiny bit loose, which might bother some, but it wasnt an issue for me as it didnt affect the functions of the buttons at all nor did it make them too easy to press or anything like that. These are simply just a nice well-rounded pair of buttons that arent too easy to press nor are they too difficult to press. The Elephone P8 is using a completely metal body, with a single (yet powerful according to Elephone) bottom-firing speaker right next to the micro USB charging port, as well as a fingerprint sensor/home button on the front just below the display, a front-facing camera above the display and to the right of the earpiece, with your ambient light sensors to the left. As mentioned above the power button and SIM card tray are on the right side of the device, while the volume up and down buttons as well as a mute slider button are on the left. Flipping things over to the back, you have an Elephone logo at the bottom, with a large camera sensor and the LED flash towards the top center.

Display

As displays go, the one used on the Elephone P8 is a pretty decent display. Its 5.5-inches so its certainly big enough for things like browsing, reading, viewing emails and video, and playing games. For the most part whatever your task is, the size of the P8s screen shouldnt give you any issues. Its also fairly responsiveness to touch and anytime I interacted with it the phone seemed to be just fine with no issues, though this is really due to the digitizer and not the display panel itself.

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Clarity-wise, the screen is Full HD so its really more than enough when it comes to needed resolution for things to be enjoyable, though some will certainly still prefer Quad HD with sharper and more crisp resolution. That said, the screen on the Elephone P8 is plenty sharp and I found it to be just as good as the screen on my Google Pixel really, which also comes with Full HD resolution. During my time of use the display definitely felt it like it had good viewing angles and color reproduction is was pretty good. If I only had one complaint it would be that it could be a little challenging to see the phone direct sunlight, though not too difficult. Overall the display is pretty decent and most users shouldnt have any issues with it at all. It looks good, it functions as intended, and its of a decent size so just about any task or functions is easy to work with.

Performance

For many, performance will be a big issue with a device, and thats completely understandable as you certainly want the phone to be able to perform its functions with little to no problem. That is unfortunately not the case with all smartphones despite having good hardware. That doesnt seem to be the case with the Elephone P8. During my general use tasks like emails or simply browsing Facebook or Instagram, performance was fine even with multiple other apps open in the background, like Spotify, and it even performed well during gameplay of titles that were more graphics intensive. That being said, and while I didnt personally notice any lag during gameplay or other tasks that are sure to be more reliant on the power of the CPU and GPU, that doesnt mean that the experience will be the same for every user as each game may function a little differently.

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While the Helio P25 is plenty powerful with its GPU pairing to handle games with high-end graphics, that doesnt mean it wont come across a game that stutters every once in a while, as there are some games out there that tend to work better with the absolute highest tier of mobile processor and graphics processor combinations. Most users shouldnt come across any issues though, so even if youre an avid mobile gamer who dabbles in all kinds of different titles, the Elephone P8 should suffice. Of course for some the real test might be how the performance of the Elephone P8 holds up over time, and while we didnt have the phone for extended period, as we only used it for about a week, during that week it held up just fine as we put it through daily paces and it seemed to operate just as well on the last day as it did the first day. If youre looking for a phone that performs, the Elephone P8 will surely provide what you need.

Fingerprint Sensor

The use of a fingerprint sensor seems to have become an important element these days for smartphones, partly because it offers up another layer of security when it comes to unlocking the device, but its also easier to use the fingerprint to unlock your phone than putting in a PIN or password each time. On top of all that, it also seems to be more of an important factor because more and more manufacturers are including them with devices, even in ones as inexpensive as $100. The thing youll want to look out for if the fingerprint sensor is an important detail in your search for a device is how quickly it unlocks and how consistent it is at recognizing your fingerprint each and every time you use it. After using it for the past week, ive had no real issues with it at all. It seemed to recognize my fingerprint every time and it was speedy enough for me. When it comes down to it this is a decent sensor even if it isnt the fastest that weve seen on a device.

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Benchmarks

Performing benchmark tests isnt something youll need to do with your device unless you absolutely have to know the scores it will receive and youre particularly curious as to how it ranks amongst other devices. Nevertheless we ran the Elephone P8 through AnTuTu, 3DMark, and Geekbench 4, and you can see the results of those tests below if youre interested in knowing how things turned out.

Battery Life

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I was expecting a decent amount of battery life here as the phone does come with a 3,600mAh battery inside and I wasnt disappointed. It lasted me through the day each day over the past week without any problems at all and I never found myself wishing I had a charger or battery pack handy. On average the screen on time was close to six and half hours, and thats about what the phone received when we put it through the battery test in PCMark. Essentially you shouldnt have any problems taking this phone with you without having to bring a charger or battery pack even if youre a heavy user, though if you like to be prepared just in case, a battery pack is always a good thing to have on hand, however you more than likely wont need it here.

Sound

Like many phones, the Elephone P8 only comes with one speaker, and Elephone boasts on the landing page for the device on its website that the sound is powerful and I found that it actually more or less lived up to what Elephone was claiming. The sound was quite powerful and the audio didnt seem blown out or tinny at higher volumes, which is more than I can say for some of the other devices that Ive reviewed recently. This was a nice little surprise as I usually use my phones a lot for games and video, and when doing either of those things, whether its watching endless amounts of videos on YouTube or playing a game for a couple of hours, I want the sound to be good. It doesnt have to be the best, but it has to be decent, and thats what I got with the Elephone P8, so that was a nice little perk to this device that I honestly wasnt expecting.

Phone Calls & Network

As an unlocked GSM device the Elephone P8 will work in a number of places, but the U.S. isnt one of them unfortunately. Based on the supported frequencies, there isnt any carrier in the U.S. that you could use this phone with. That might be a deal breaker for some, understandably, especially if youre wanting this as your main device for in the country, but for those that need a device for travel, this might not be a bad option at all. The supported list of network frequencies is below.

2G: Band 2, Band 3, Band 5, Band 8

3G: Band 1, Band 2, Band 5, Band 8

4G FDD-LTE: Band 1, Band 3, Band 7, Band 8, Band 20

4G TDD-LTE: Band 38, Band 40

Software

Im not sure what Elephones UI is called, if it has a name for it in the first place, but the software experience is mostly stock Android and even the design doesnt stray too far if at all from something youd see on an Android One device running on Android Nougat. That being said, while the design of the software and UI mostly looks and feels like stock Android, there are some special software features that will set this device apart in a few ways that you wont find on some devices that run on stock software. For instance, you have the option to always hide the navigation bar down at the bottom of the device. This is called closed mode, and essentially just keeps it off the screen at all times. If you enable open mode, then the nav bar will be there, but you have the option to hide it at any point just by sliding down in the top edge of the nav bar, and bring it back up by sliding up from the bottom of the screen. For me this took a little getting used to when it came to getting it just right in terms of where to slide my finger, but once you get the placement down its pretty easy and its a nice alternative to simply keeping it disabled completely.

In addition to the nav bar feature, there are some gestures which you can enable as well, and these can be found in the settings menu of the device. That said the gestures are rather limited and consist of a three finger touch on the screen while sliding those fingers down on the display to take a quick screenshot, which can be useful, and a similar gesture but sliding up instead of down, which will take you right into the camera, which can also be useful if you use your phone for photos a lot and need to get to the camera quickly. There is one last software tweak that I found to be the most useful, and it was the quick shortcut action, which lets you double tap the home button to launch an app of your choice. As there are no other shortcuts available here through gestures without loading on a third-party home launcher, this was one of my favorite features and it works quite well. Since the software experience is mostly stock, if youve ever used a stock Android device before that was running at least Marshmallow, most things should seem familiar here.

Camera

The camera experience is a pretty basic one when it comes to the software. There arent a whole lot of extra features in the camera app to play with, though there are some things there to jazz up your pictures. For one, there are a number of included filters you can apply to the viewfinder so your pictures come out with the look of the selected filter, and there is an HDR button for making your photos come out with the HDR effect. There are also two additional modes beyond the standard photo mode, which includes panorama, as well as a picture-in-picture mode, which was an odd thing to see as its not typically something that is included in many cameras that are this basic with features, but it was appreciated nonetheless as its kind of cool to use, especially for sharing photos on social.

Thats really the extent of the camera app, but its not all about the software, and is mostly about how the images turn out, which is pretty decent for the Elephone P8. The camera reproduces colors pretty well for a phone in this price range and even better than some which might cost a little more than this device, and the main camera sensor does a pretty good job at focusing in on the foreground subject. There also isnt really any noticeable grainy looking detail and there is almost no noise in the shots for the most part, at least in my experience. That said the camera could do a little better in lower light situations but considering the sensor type it did pretty well. If you happen to be shooting in lower light situations, you wont get the absolute best smartphone pictures on the market, but you will get ok photos, and theyre pretty good in decent lighting. While I tend to go for smartphones that are usually in the top tier, like the Pixel which is my main daily phone, if I was having to use this on a day to day basis and use it for taking pictures I wouldnt be disappointed.

The Good

Lots of storage

Big battery and decent battery life

Decent camera for picture quality

Some extra software features like gestures and a shortcut by double tapping the home button

Stock Android feel made it familiar and easy to use

Pretty good sound quality

Accurate fingerprint sensor that was pretty fast for unlocking

Nice build quality

A Mute slider button was super convenient

Good display

3.5mm audio port

The Bad

Doesnt work in the U.S.

No USB Type-C

Felt a tad heavy in the hand, but otherwise comfortable to hold

Wrap Up

As phones in the lower price tier go the Elephone P8 is a nice one. It has a well-rounded set of features and because the software was pretty much stock save for a few gestures and a shortcut function, it was easy for me to use as I knew where everything was. The most useful feature though is the mute slider  a function which might go unnoticed by some and is likely to be severely underrated, and quite frankly is a feature I wish that more devices offered as it was just so easy to use and extremely functional. For all the good features the P8 offers, its the small and subtle touches like the mute slider that deserve more attention.

Should you buy the Elephone P8?

That all depends on where you plan to use the phone. If you want this as your main device for the U.S., this isnt the phone for you as it wont work within the country. If you want it for travel though or for a main device in another region which supports the same listed frequencies that the phone supports, then this is a good device option as it wont cost you as much as some of the flagship brands but it still functions well, has good performance, and a pretty good battery life. Overall its a decent phone for anyone who wants a little more for their money.
The new Gionee X1 smartphone launched in India yesterday with a budget price of Rs. 8,999, or approximately $140. Its now on sale at brick-and-mortar retail stores and should soon be available online, with the phone itself coming in Black and Gold color options. Some launch offers to entice buyers are also available; e.g. Airtel subscribers who purchase the phone can get an additional 10GB of data per month for the next six months, while another deal offers a number of Paytym cashback voucher codes.

Despite being a budget offering, the Gionee X1 comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and packs a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6737 quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM, in addition to featuring 16GB of internal flash memory expandable up to 256GB through a dedicated microSD slot. The Gionee X1 has a 5-inch IPS display with HD resolution of 1280 x 720, resulting in a pixel density of 294 pixels per inch, and a 3,000mAh battery. Camera-wise, its equipped with an 8-megapixel rear shooter with dual-LED flash and an 8-megapixel front-facing unit with f/2.0 aperture. The dual-SIM handset has connectivity options that include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.0, and runs the Android 7.0 Nougat OS skinned with Gionees proprietary Amigo 4.0 out of the box. The Gionee X1 has a 3.5mm audio jack although it lacks FM Radio, and ships with an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor. The weight of the handset has not been specified but it measures 144.3 x 72.2 x 8.8mm in size.

The new Gionee-made smartphone has launched in India just two weeks after the arrival of the Gionee A1 Lite, which is a higher-end smartphone selling for Rs. 14,999 ($234). The A1 Lite has an octa-core processor, larger 5.3-inch display, 3GB of RAM, and a superior camera setup, as well as a higher-capacity 4,000mAh battery. The Gionee X1 is offered at around the same price as the Nokia 3 that released in India back in June for Rs. 9,499 ($148). The Nokia 3 has many similar specs to the Gionee X1 with the same MediaTek SoC (clocked at 1.4GHz), identical display panel, equal amounts of RAM and internal storage, and comparable main and secondary camera setups. However, the Nokia 3 does not feature a fingerprint sensor and has smaller, 2,630mAh battery.
Google updated its flagship Google Android app with support for Google Lens, a machine vision and augmented reality (AR) service that the company introduced at the latest iteration of its Google I/O developer conference earlier this year, a recent teardown performed by 9to5Google revealed. The service has been receiving certain elements associated with Google Lens since late May and the latest set of such additions was distributed by the Alphabet-owned company earlier this week, bringing the app to the version 7.9. Refer to the video below to see how the experimental version of the Google Lens interface looks in practice, though note that Google has yet to update the app with advanced machine vision capabilities that it originally announced. As things stand right now, Google Lens support mostly comes down to simple text recognition functionalities.

The teardown of the Google app build 7.9 also revealed the existence of a Quick Search Bar feature which the Mountain View, California-based company is developing for the system Notification Panel. The element essentially acts as a permanent notification and is labeled as being in the beta phase of development, with users being able to turn off the functionality in the Notifications menu of the system Settings app. The Google Search interface also went through a redesign with the new app update, with the new user interface lacking the traditional Google logo at the top and consequently being more streamlined and minimalist. The interactive carousel was also simplified as its now borderless and combined with the search field, as seen in the screenshots provided in the gallery below.

Another notable addition to the latest version of the app pertains to its Home Control section for the Google Assistant which now boasts Scenes and Groups tabs, whereas Google also improved the apps ability to edit and share screenshots. This particular feature has yet to be distributed on a global level but will presumably become more widely available shortly, with its latest version already looking like a nearly finished product. Finally, the Google Assistant panel now boasts a softer, more rounded design, whereas Google is also experimenting with allowing users to search the contents of the Recents tab, the teardown revealed.
Google has now officially announced several new Google Home features for music lovers across various regions of the world, though exact regions where each feature is available will vary. Among the new features are a few that have already been included for some users over the past several days, but which the company hadnt yet confirmed. Aside from the previously reported support for free Spotify accounts, which is rolling out this week to users in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, and Germany, the company also confirmed that Bluetooth support will be rolling out. The confirmation itself was provided via the companys official Keyword Blog on August 21. With that said, users shouldnt be surprised if it takes a few days for features to hit their devices.

With the addition of Bluetooth support, Google says Google Home users will be able to play music from nearly any Bluetooth-enabled device including content from Google Play Music, Pandora, YouTube Music, and hundreds of audio apps that support Googles Cast API. It isnt immediately apparent whether streaming is actually contingent on whether the app is Google Cast-enabled, but those are the examples the company has opted to include. If it isnt dependant on apps that are Cast-enabled, users should be able to stream pretty much anything on their Google Home devices through Bluetooth. Beyond that, Google says that users in the U.S., U.K., and Canada will soon have the option to use Deezer through Google Home  which is a feature that Germany and France have already had access to.

Taking things further still, Google says Google Assistant can also now help listeners find songs that they cant remember the name of. That also applies to albums for which they dont remember the artists name. Describing album artwork or reciting a few lyrics from a song to Google Assistant, Google says, will help Assistant pin down the tune or album. Then users can ask Assistant to play it or can stream the content through their favorite supported app. By way of example, Google says a user could hint at Nirvanas 1991 album Nevermind as the one with the baby in the water or at the Beatles 1969 album Abbey Road as the one with four guys walking across the street in London. Each of these features will also work with the Google Home applications multi-room feature  which connects cast enabled devices on the same network.
Huawei or Lenovo may acquire Fujitsus smartphone business which the company is planning to sell in the coming months, industry sources close to the Japanese tech company said on Tuesday. The Tokyo-based firm is currently in the process of planning the sale of its handset division and may open the first round of bidding at some point in September, insiders said, adding that the local Polaris Capital Group is also interested in acquiring its business, as is CVC Capital Partners from the United Kingdom. Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn is the final name on the list of interested suitors revealed by the sources, though its currently unclear which one of those companies has the strongest desire to take over Fujitsus struggling phone unit.

Industry watchers believe that Fujitsu could profit from the sale in a significant manner, potentially raising hundreds of millions of dollars despite the fact that its reportedly adamant to maintain its smartphone brand  currently the fifth largest in its home country  and not sell the entirety of its holdings in this segment, which would presumably be the two conditions that any potential buyer would have to agree to. If Fujitsu is truly seeking to offload the majority of its mobile business to another company, such a move would be in line with the firms recent activities in this segment, with the tech giant spinning off its struggling business into another entity in early 2016 and stating that it will be looking for another company to support its future endeavors in this sector. This strategy shift is aimed at allowing Fujitsu to refocus its resources on the IT sector which is still the companys core business, according to previous statements from its officials.

The possibility of Fujitsu leaving the smartphone sector is in line with numerous troubles that most original equipment manufacturers had in the Far Eastern country in recent times. Even larger smartphone businesses like Sony Mobile and Samsung Electronics have stagnated in Japan to a degree in previous years and have only recently managed to improve their performance at the expense of Apple, still the most popular phone vendor in the country.
As Australia prepares to vote on same-sex marriage a major global law firm has given its support to equality. Baker McKenzie is a signatory to the Australian Marriage Equality open letter sent to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull advocating against the plebiscite on anti-discrimination and human rights grounds.The firms Australia managing partner Anthony Foley said that diversity is the cornerstone of the firm's culture and he believes that marriage equality isn't only good for business but the right thing to do.He added that during the next few weeks of intensive public debates It is crucial that everyone in our firm feels supported and valued, and that all discussions and behaviours in this debate are respectful calm and constructive.A team of five partners with market leading reputations has joined Corrs Chambers Westgarth in Sydney.Patrick O'Grady, Cameron Cheetham, Craig Ensor, Ben Emblin and Michael Catchpoole join the Restructuring & Insolvency practice from Henry Davis York.The new partners have experience acting for leading insolvency practitioners, government, litigation funders, commercial banks, and non-bank alternative capital providers.Beauty products manufacturer Johnson and Johnson has lost a lawsuit alleging that it did not warn consumers about the cancer risks of talc based products.The Los Angeles Superior Court jury found in favour of California resident Eva Echeverria and the firm was ordered to pay $417 million; including $70 million in compensation and $347 million in punitive damages.The case in which the 63-year-old Echeverria claimed she developed terminal ovarian cancer after decades of using the firm's products is the first to go to trial in California.Her lawyers argued that the firm had encouraged women to use its products even though they knew of studies warning of the use of talc for feminine hygiene.Lawyers for J&J said that studies and federal agencies had not concluded that talc products are carcinogenic. The firm intends to appeal the verdict.The size of the damages is significant given the previous rulings against J&J for similar lawsuits in the US, with $110 million the largest award.
The red-painted Omologato is a timeless design, with the sort of styling Ferrari has abandoned after the 355 went the way of the dodo. Strong, squared-off lines interweave with delicate touches only Leonardo Fioravanti of Pininfarina can pull off. Up front, the expressionless front fascia commands respect. At the rear, the transaxles housing reveals this car means business.As fate would have it, the 288 GTO never saw racing action because the FIA killed off Group B as Ferrari was developing the full-on racing car. Therefore, the 272 examples manufactured in Maranello were all delivered as road-going cars. All of them rely on a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8, an engine that made the 288 GTO the first production car capable of hitting 300 km/h (186 mph).Its no wonder, then, that Enzo Ferrari himself offered 288 GTOs to Ferrari Formula 1 drivers Keke Rosberg, Michele Alboreto, and Niki Lauda. Five go-faster Evoluzione models later, the Italian automaker went forward with developing a successor in the form of the F40. And with the F40, it was clear that the 288s design will slowly fade away from the Prancing Horses menu.Designer Matthew Parsons is one of those people who wish Ferrari would reconsider its design language with elements from the 288 GTO. With his know-how in drawing and pixel manipulation, Matthew went on to reimagine how the legendary bruiser would look like as a successor of the LaFerrari, and boy, does the result look the part! Unfortunately, however, theres no chance at all for retro-cool such styling to make a comeback in the near future.On the subject of what hypercar Ferrari will offer next, word has it an all-new breed will debut by 2022 . And just like the LaFerrari, the tentatively named F80 will rely on a free-breathing V12 and some sort of e-assistance.
SUV

In all honesty, most of them are just concepts at this stage, but try to think back to the last Mercedes-Benz concept that was powered by an atmospheric engine, and you'll have to squeeze your memory really hard. And the Stuttgart-based giant is not the only example.It is, however, the one we're going to focus on right now, and that's because Mercedes-Benz has just published the list of the vehicles it will bring to next month's Frankfurt Motor Show. Sadly, no production-ready electric vehicles yet, but there will be no fewer than two electric concepts.One of them is the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet which will make its European debut. As gorgeous as the car is, you will understand if we show very little interest in it since its chances of making it into production - even with a conventional engine (God knows there's plenty of room under the hood) - are next to none.The second, however, is the rumored Mercedes-Benz EQ compact-sized electric vehicle, which now gets the official confirmation. Unlike Audi, which is developing two electric SUVs under its e-tron brand, Mercedes-Benz has decided to opt for a smaller second model after thepreviewed by the Generation EQ concept last year.The question now, apart from 'when will Mercedes-Benz actually build the car?' is whether the Germans will manage to keep its price low enough to compete with Tesla's Model 3. They will be roughly the same size, but the likely hatchback shape of the Mercedes-Benz car would make it more suitable for the European market.The electric concept will be one of the few surprises at the Mercedes-Benz stand, together of course with the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE Formula One-inspired hypercar. The company has kept the lid on any useful information regarding the two, so we have no idea what's in store for us. A rendering we showed you last year (pictured here as well) drew heavily from the Generation EQ electric SUV concept, and it's likely the real model will do the same. If it does, that would signal Mercedes-Benz has settled on a design language for its EQ sub-brand, meaning it is indeed nearing the production phase. More should be revealed on September 12, when the press days at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show start.
AMG

At first glance, it looked just like a typical release, with Daimler AG simply announcing how cool its stand will be at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and how many premieres it will host.Since a bunch of writing would be too boring, the German carmaker also attached two photos to its 2017 IAA press release, one of which being the Mercedes-Project One teaser it keeps showing whenever the hypercar is discussed.The other photo is what created a ripple effect through the automotive blogosphere, since some people thought it depicted the first clear image of the Mercedes-AMG Project One, along with the upcoming compact Mercedes-EQ concept car.Sorry to burst your bubble, folks, but that image is only but a rendering that Mercedes-Benz put together to show how its stand will look at Frankfurt.At the bottom of the picture we can actually see some slightly modified renderings of the Mercedes-Benz G-Code concept and the mighty Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo , both dressed in white instead of silver and sporting a couple of nips and tucks.None of them looks even remotely similar to what the Project One will look like for a pretty straightforward reason: their layouts are entirely different. The G-Code Concept is a sub-compact crossover while the Vision Gran Turismo has a long hood and a front-midship engine. As a reminder, Mercedes-AMG has already shown how the Project One drivetrain will look, and it will obviously be traditionally mid-engined, like the holy hypercar trinity comprising the 918 Spyder LaFerrari and the P1 Getting back to what we do know about the first production supercar to use a detuned Formula 1 engine, Mercedes-AMG has let it slip that the powertrain will develop more than 1000 horsepower, from four electric motors and a turbocharged, 1.6-liter V6 and torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive. Anything else, especially when it comes to the overall design of the car, is just speculation and should be treated as such.
President Trump will address the nation regarding his strategy in Afghanistan tonight. Here's how many U.S. troops and contractors were in the country through as of late-2016, and the 8 years prior, according to an April report from the Congressional Research Service.

Data: Congressional Research Service; Chart: Lazaro Gamio / Axios

Some takeaways from the report:
Qatar ambassador to Ankara has blamed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for backing establishment of dictatorship and opposing revolutions in the Arab world.

Salem Al-Shafi accused the UAE of standing in the way of the revolution in Egypt as it succeeded into ousting democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi, replacing him by authoritarian ruler Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

The UAE and a number of allies have paid around $40 billion to consolidate the military coup in Egypt alone, he said in a written statement published Saturday.

We say that these countries have not learnt the lesson well, he added.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain in addition to Egypt have busted ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting terrorism and sowing unrest on their territories. They asked Doha to shut down al Jazeera news network, which they say is inciting violence. They also say Qatar is colliding with oppositions groups within their territories.

Doha has denied the accusations saying it supports stability of the region.

Blaming Qatar, using bright terms such as counterterrorism and attacking the moderates with a view to winning the West will not help protect them from the people, Shafi said.

There are some Arab countries which are afraid of revolutions.

Instead of reforming their regimes and fulfilling the peoples aspirations, they heap the blame on Qatar and the so-called political Islam.

UAE and Qatar have emerged as regional powers at the sides of Saudi Arabia and Iran; the two main regional powers. The UAE and Qatar have been opposed in Egypt and Libya. UAE accuses Qatar of supporting Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist groups in Egypt and Libya.

Qatar on the other hand not only accuses UAE to supporting al-Sisi but also says the UAE is trying to impose Gaddafis former close military aid Khalifa Haftar in Libya.
Lithuania, among the bravest of the former Soviet states surrounding prickly Russia, has poked a finger directly in the Kremlin's eye by buying a shipment of American liquefied natural gas, defying Moscow's energy stranglehold on the region. The shipment Monday could not have been economically advantageous, given that Russian gas supplies are right next door, but Lithuania calculated that the political dividends made it a shrewd deal.

Why it matters: The move suggests that, three years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states remain resolved to putting up a strong front against Moscow.
At a CNN town hall Monday night, Paul Ryan said, "I believe it's going to be far easier for us to do tax reform than it was for, say, health care reform."

Our thought bubble: His rationale was that Senate rules won't present the kind of roadblocks they did on health care, but there's a reason comprehensive tax reform has repeatedly stalled, as Ryan well knows. It's a huge lift.
President Trump gave a prime time, televised address from Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia on the "path forward" for the War in Afghanistan. Trump, who once supported full withdrawal from Afghanistan, said the risks of a hasty exit were "unacceptable," and laid out the following policies:

A shift "from a time-based approach to one based on conditions," so enemies don't "wait out" the U.S. Taking a harder line on Pakistan for providing safe havens to militants who target Americans. Reducing restrictions on troops, and "expanding authorities" to target terrorist networks and attack enemies.

Key takeawaysTrump said America can't be a force for peace in the world if it isn't itself at peace: "There can be no place for bigotry and no tolerance for hate" in the U.S, "love for America requires love for all of its people."He didn't make specific reference to troop levels, though reports are that he'll be increasing the U.S. presence by about 4,000 troops.His strategy

Trump said withdrawal "would create a vacuum that terrorists... would instantly fill just as happened before September 11." He said the U.S. can't repeat its mistakes in Iraq.

On his change of tune: "All my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk of the Oval Office."

"All my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk of the Oval Office." What victory looks like: crushing al-Qaeda, keeping Taliban in check, ensuring there's no base from which to attack the U.S.

"America First" elements
The U.S. Treasury has unveiled sanctions targeting Chinese and Russian entities doing business with North Korea, which is intended to add pressure to the North to soften its nuclear program. North Korea's number one trading partner is China, and most of the sanctions target Chinese companies, per The Washington Post.

Why it matters: This comes the same week as the U.S. and South Korea are conducting military exercises that China, Russia, and North Korea have all been opposed to, given that it looks like the U.S. is escalating its threat to the North  making an already tense week that much more precarious.

The sanctions target 10 entities and 6 individuals that help those who are already sanctioned who support North Korea's missile program or assist the country with its energy needs. It also targets people who help North Korea's export of workers, per CNBC.
22 August 2017 16:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The State Committee on Property Issues of Azerbaijan held next auction on privatization of state property on August 22, following which 13 objects were sold.

Six of the sold objects are small state enterprises, 5-non-residential areas and 2-vehicles.

Three non-residential areas and 2 vehicles were privatized in Baku, 6 small state enterprises and 2 non-residential areas- in other cities and regions of the country.

Three of the 6 small state-owned enterprises privatized in the regions are located in Imishli, the rest are in Goychay, Khachmaz and Sumgayit.

Some of the properties were put up for auction together with land plot.

In general, 110 auctions have been held in 2017.

In order to protect state property and effectively manage it in the new economic realities, President of Azerbaijan signed a decree on May 19, 2016.

Under the decree, the acceleration of the state property privatization process has been defined as an important direction of the economic policy.

The privatization process is designed to attract both foreign and local investors, as well as develop the business environment of Azerbaijan.

The portal for privatization  privatization.az, launched in July 2016, reflects all necessary information about the facilities, their addresses, location, and even initial cost and aims at facilitation of the process. The website is available in two languages - Azerbaijani and English. Why Azerbaijan is special section available on the website explains the reasons and advantages of investing in the country.

Moreover, the State Committee on Property Issues held the first electronic auction on July 4.

The "electronic auction" service, which is available on the website privatization.az, combines the privatization procedure of vehicles and equipment. In the future, it will be possible to privatize small state enterprises and facilities, joint-stock companies through electronic auction. Now, the corresponding work in programming is being implemented.

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22 August 2017 10:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The Festival Musique de Chambre a Giverny, annually held in the Normandy region of France, paid tribute to Azerbaijani classical music as a part of the main theme of its 13th edition, which was La Route de la Soie (The Silk Road).

The festival, which will run until August 17, will feature 11 concerts and a conference, Azertac reported. The French office of The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) supported the event.

Taking place in a range of picturesque and evocative locations, including the Musee des Impressionnismes in Giverny and the Mairie de Vernon , the concerts in the Silk Road strand of the festival featured original works by Azerbaijani and Eastern composers, alongside their western counterparts who were inspired by the Orient.

The event saw revered contemporary Azerbaijani composer Firangiz Alizade presenting several of her own works in a festival that also celebrated her 70th birthday. Chair of the Azerbaijani Composers Union for the past decade, she was inspired by the great Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev, her lecturer at the Baku Conservatoire.

Her variations on Mugham Sayagi for string quartet opened the concert Sur les routes de la Soie (On the Silk Roads) on August18. Cellist Michel Strauss, Artistic Director of the Festival, prefaced the concert by saying: Firangiz Alizade is an extraordinary woman who has created a unique musical language, combining the traditional music of her country with the classical avant-garde. Her music forms an integral element of tonights musical journey.

Firangiz Alizade, in turn, stressed that Mugham Sayagi was a very important piece for her, having originally been played by the Kronos Quartet. It is mystical and impressionistic and contains themes from mugham, which brings together the art forms of poetry and music, she added.

The work was performed in a dramatic style, opening with the violinists having their back to the audience, the piece beginning with a plaintive drone, and passing through a gradual crescendo, pizzicato strings, lyrical sections, dance motifs, and the use of a gong and triangle. The performance ended with all the musicians turning their backs on the audience as they slowly walked away in ebbing silence.

Following the performance and a moment of rapt silence, the audience gave a standing ovation with multiple curtain calls for Alizade and the musicians.

Also on the programme was the premiere of a string quartet transcription of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakovs Scheherazade, inspired by the easterly regions of the Russian Empire and contemporary Chinese composer Tan Duns Eight Colours, all of which served to illustrate a reading of explorer Marco Polos Book of Marvels.

The following day featured Alizades Reqs, representing the various forms of Azerbaijani national dance, originally written for the Kronos Quartet. This was followed by her compatriot Fikret Amirovs Symphony for String Quartet in memory of the poet Nizami, comprising themes from his 1947 ballet written in memory of Nizami Ganjavi, who is generally regarded as the greatest epic poet in Azerbaijani history, whose works included Leyli and Majnun (1192) and the Seven Beauties (1197).

The other works on the programme were Luciano Berios 1964 cycle Folk Songs, which included his evocative Azerbaijani Love Song for soprano and Maurice Ravels song cycle Sheherazade, a setting of poetry for soprano, describing Central and Eastern Asia and the Muslim East. The concert was preceded by a conference on musical relationships on the Silk Road, chaired by Agathe Keller.

The centrepiece of the concert on 20 August, amidst the creative surroundings of the Musee des Impressionnismes, entitled On the Shores of the Caspian, was the world premiere of Ali-Zadehs Creation for principal cello, flute, two violins and viola. Other works on the programme included arrangements of Alexander Borodins tone poem In the Steppes of Central Asia and his Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince Igor, describing a Turkic tribe, some of whom came to live by the Caspian Sea. The programme also included a rare western performance of Soviet composer Reinhold Glieres Overture to Shakh-Senem, composed in Azerbaijan soon after it entered the Soviet Union in 1923.

The other theme of the festival was Musique en Revolution (Music in Revolution) inspired by the centenary of the Bolshevik Revolution.

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22 August 2017 17:43 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani movies were screened at an international film festival held in the Republic of Korea.

The movies "Buta" and "Girov" (Hostage) were shown at Seoul History Museum through partnership with Azerbaijan`s Embassy in the Republic of Korea, Azertac reported.

"Buta" dram by Ilgar Najaf was selected as the Azerbaijani entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist. In 2011 it won the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Children's Feature Film.

The films tell a story of Gyoncha, a young woman living in a small Azerbaijani village. She finishes her carpet and falls in love for the first time.

The film Hostage by Eldar Guliev is set in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Armenian minority in the Nagorno-Karabakh region attempted to break away from Azerbaijan.

Overnight these former neighbors became enemies, and simple village folk was suddenly made hostage in a complex power game. One of the Azerbaijani villages right on the border is home to the family of the peasant farmer Kerim, who has just been captured by the Armenians. The village council decides to take an Armenian in order to arrange a hostage exchange. They imprison the wounded man in the barn next to Kerim's house, where his wife and three children desperately await the husband's return. The captive from the other side of the border finds himself in exactly the same situation - he, too, has three children, he has never done anything to harm anyone and, like Kerim, he just wants to go back home. But life in Karabakh is far more complex now. Blood calls for blood.

The international film festival in Korea screens a wide range of movies celebrating diversity and multiculturalism through the end of the year.

From July 25-August 31, the festival will screen movies that have been shot on 35-millimeter film, koreaherald.com reports. From September 16- October 14, the festival will feature seven documentaries from around the world.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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22 August 2017 14:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Sochi on August 23, RIA Novosti reported on August 22 citing Kremlin's press service.

Putin and Sargsyan will discuss the cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC or EurAsEC), as well as the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, says the report.

Two presidents will also exchange views on topical international and regional issues, according to the report.

Moreover, the sides will also touch upon the implementation of agreements reached during the Armenian presidents official visit to Russia in March 2017.

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.

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22 August 2017 10:38 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin has hailed the importance of the Global Young Leaders Forum, which is underway in Baku.

Cetin, in an interview with Azertac, said that the Global Young Leaders Forum creates a real opportunity to discuss important problems, bringing together youth from Africa, Asia, America and Europe.

"What is needed to build a better world? The future of the world is associated with youth. I believe in skills of young people. From this point of view the forum will contribute to tackling the problems faced by us. This event is very important both to Azerbaijan, the region and the world," he added.

Cetin further stressed that the Global Young Leaders Forum is one of the major events organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

"We need to look into the future, to find solutions to problems from various perspectives. Today the world faces many problems. There are such problems, which lack resolution, such as wars as well as ethnic and sectarian clashes. There are certain problems, which can be solved only by young people. This is why we need to create opportunities for them and encourage their better involvement in this process as future leaders," he said.

The Global Young Leaders Forum organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center kicked off in Baku on August 21.

The Global Young Leaders Forum is a new platform connecting young leaders with former and current heads of states and exploring many criteria of leadership, Azertac reported.

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22 August 2017 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

Former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has stressed the significance of Global Young Leaders Forum, which kicked off in Baku.

Youth gatherings are very important in building a better future, he told Azertac. The Global Baku Forum has successfully proved itself. Baku has hosted five Global Forums so far co-organized by the State Committee for Work with Diaspora and Nizami Ganjavi International Center. In these forums, political, cultural and public figures from around the world discuss the issues that are important for the future of our planet and make important decisions, said Plevneliev.

The ex-president stressed that young people are active and have their own views.

"It is impossible to imagine debates without young people. In this regard, participation of young people from different countries in this Forum is very important. They will exchange views and define future areas of activity, he added.

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Saudi Arabia Airlines boss Sunday claimed that Qatar refused to allow Saudi aircrafts to land at Doha international airport to convey Qataris wishing to perform this years Hajj to Saudi Arabia as requested by King Salman.

Saleh al-Jasser, the general director of the airline indicated that the first flight has not been able to take off from Saudi Arabia because it had not yet received landing permission in Doha, Saudi state-run news agency SPA reported.

Al-Jasser pointed out that a request has been sent to Qatari authorities since King Salman last week instructed that Saudi Arabia Airlines jets be sent Doha to fly Qatari pilgrims at his own expense.

Qatars Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) quickly debunked the claim saying that the Saudi request did not follow procedure, pointing out that the request should be transmitted to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs through the Qatari Hajj Delegation.

Saudi Arabia last week opened up to Qatar after severing ties with the tiny gas-rich country in June. The Saudi kingdom along with United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain plus Egypt bust ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting terrorism and threatening their internal security.

The four cut air, sea and ground links with Qatar. Saudi Arabia aside from proposing to fly Qatari pilgrims also re-opened its Salwa border crossing with Qatar to allow Qataris to enter the Kingdom to perform the Hajj.

Doha Friday welcomed the move to re-open the border but noted it expects Saudi Arabia to lift other restrictions.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al Thani, the only Qatari to meet up with Saudi officials since the beginning of the row and who brags to have convinced Saudi officials to re-open the border, has criticised Dohas reluctance to grant landing to Saudi aircrafts.

Brothers and sons: I regret the blocking of Saudi aircraft from Doha (to transport pilgrims) to perform Hajj, and I hope that the brothers in Qatar cooperate to facilitate Hajj for (Qatari) citizens, he tweeted.

With Allahs permission, the wish of all those who want to perform Hajj will come true and opportunities to enter the Kingdom are available via land ports (Salwa border crossing) and Al-Ahsa and Dammam Airports, he added urging Qataris to use land border to enter Saudi Arabia.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al Thani met last week with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and later on held talks with the Saudi monarch.
22 August 2017 14:33 (UTC+04:00)

The second day of the Baku-hosted Global Young Leaders Forum, organized by Azerbaijan State Committee for Work with the Diaspora and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, has featured a workshop which discussed the issues relating to female and male leadership.

Addressing the event, former first lady of Ukraine, member of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center Kateryna Yushchenko hailed the influence of women on the ongoing processes around the world, the contributions they make to a number of sectors of the economy, and the significant role they play in the family, Azertac reported.

Former President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliyev emphasized the role of women in politics and society. He pointed out the importance of men and women working together as a team in terms of the management. He underlined that this will yield the best results.

Former Lebanese ambassador to the European Union Farida Allaghi highlighted women's leadership characteristics.

Farida Allaghi hailed the role of the youth, particularly young women in society, praising their contributions to addressing political issues.

"Men, of course, have an important role in the world, they do important things, make decisions, but women should not be forgotten, and women should never be left outside. Today, we must unite our efforts to influence the ongoing processes across the world and to cope with the crisis. Gender equality is of crucial importance to our future," Allaghi said.

Following the speeches, the workshop featured a question and answer session.

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22 August 2017 15:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijans pavilion is among the five most popular international pavilions at EXPO 2017 in Astana, Sputnik Kazakhstan reported.

EXPO 2017 Astana kicked off on June 10 and will last until September 10 under the theme Future Energy. This, along with the three subthemes  Reducing CO2 Emissions, Living Energy Efficiency, and Energy for All  allow the Expo to present the state of energy today and to showcase sustainable solutions and innovative technologies.

More than 19 million people visited the pavilions of the participating countries, according to the report.

As of August 20, the list of top 10 most visited pavilions at EXPO 2017 included the Plaza of Africa, Egypt, Turkey, Thailand, Azerbaijan, India, Russia, Uzbekistan, Japan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Azerbaijans national pavilion covered some 403.3 square meters. Operating under the motto of The Land of Fire: energy, from past to future it reflects such values as the history of Azerbaijan, culture, art, science, human capital, tradition of tolerance, modern economy, the Caspian Sea, the ancient Silk Road, Gobustan and etc.

National Day was arranged in Azerbaijani pavilion at the EXPO 2017 Astana International Exhibition on July 9.

About 120 countries and 18 international organizations, major international corporations took part in the exhibition.

Baku is candidate for hosting the 2025 World EXPO.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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22 August 2017 15:21 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili has expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan and Turkey for their help to extinguish forest fires in the country.

The Georgian president told a briefing that Georgia mobilized all resources to eliminate the natural disaster, Azertac reported.

The Georgian government also expresses its gratitude to Azerbaijan. The government of Georgia thanks the Azerbaijani side, particularly President Ilham Aliyev, for help," Azertac reported citing the Georgian Interior Ministrys press service.

Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Emergency Situations sent a helicopter to Georgia on August 21 to help extinguish forest fires in Borjomi-Kharagauli Reserve under directions of President Aliyev.

The Ka-32A firefighting helicopter started exploration flights in Samtskhe-Javakheti region and joined the operation to tackle the fire at 06:40 local time on August 22.

Georgian firefighters are battling a forest fire spread across up to 500-hectares in the Adigeni district of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, southern Georgia.

The fire broke out in the vicinity of the resort town of Abastumani in the Adigeni district overnight on August 15.

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22 August 2017 16:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received the newly-appointed Italian Ambassador to Baku, Auqusto Massari, on August 22.

The ambassador presented a copy of his credentials to the Azerbaijani FM. Massari will replace Giampaolo Coutillo in this post.

Massari stated that he will spare no efforts for further development of relations between the two countries. He also briefed Minister Mammadyarov about the ongoing construction works of TAP project in Italy.

Mammadyarov, in turn, congratulated Massari on his appointment and wished him success in his future activities.

The sides noted the successful development of bilateral relations in various areas between Azerbaijan and Italy and the level of cooperation, particularly in political, economic and energy fields.

They also mentioned favorable opportunities for the cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, tourism, transportation, agriculture, pharmaceutics and medicine.

The parties also exchanged views on the issues of mutual interest.

Azerbaijan is an important economic partner of Italy. The Italian companies operate successfully in Azerbaijan, particularly, in the energy sector.

In 2016, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Italy amounted to $1.89 billion decreasing by 33.5 percent as compared to 2015. Italy, which has been ranking first among major trade partners of Azerbaijan during eight years, was the third in late 2016.

However, in early 2017, Italy again became the leader among Azerbaijans trade partners. The two countries trade turnover amounted to $461.5 million in January-March 2017, increasing by 41.4 percent as compared to the 1Q2016.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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22 August 2017 11:33 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The OPEC/non-OPEC Joint Technical Committee (JTC) has reported a drop in compliance levels with the November oil output cut deal.

The JTC estimated that the compliance level of OPEC and participating non-OPEC countries has dropped from 98 percent in June to 94 percent in July, Bloomberg reported.

The 14-member Cartel has agreed to cut output by about 1.2 million bpd until March 2018 in an effort to reduce inventories and support prices. Other producers, including Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, pledged to cut another 600,000 bpd.

Compliance with the deal has been high so far but OPEC production hit a 2017 peak in July, in part on increased output from Libya and Nigeria, which were exempted from the pact due to production-sapping unrest.

Earlier, Saudi suggested that it would export 6.6 mbpd in August, down from 7.1 mbpd in July. Iraq has also hinted about better compliance.

World oil prices jumped up on August 22 despite the low compliance of OPEC and some non-OPEC countries with the oil output cut agreement.

The price for October futures of Brent oil has increased by 0.75 percent to $52.05 per barrel as of 07:24 (UTC + 4). The price for September futures of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) grew by 0.70 percent and stood at $47.70 per barrel.

Currently, the OPEC/non-OPEC Joint Technical Committee has convened in Vienna to monitor the compliance levels and discuss further steps.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's oil minister Essam al-Marzouq told Kuwait TV on August 21 that OPEC plans to discuss at a meeting in November whether to extend or end production cuts.

"At our next meeting in late November...the most important items will concern the fate of the agreement to extend or terminate the production cut," said Marzouq.

He said oil inventories in recent weeks fell more than expected and that one-week forecasts were two million barrels a day, down from 6.5 million.

The Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the Technical Committee of OPEC + experts were established to monitor compliance with the agreement and make recommendations on how to adjust its conditions. The committees include representatives of Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Kuwait, Algeria, Oman and Russia.

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22 August 2017 13:13 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Energy-rich Azerbaijan fully meets its obligations under the OPEC / non OPEC agreement to cut the oil production, said Rovnag Abdullayev, president of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR.

Our oil production has decreased slightly, but revenues from oil sales have increased, thanks to a rise in the oil price, he said in his interview with Reuters.

Abdullayev went on to say that Azerbaijan's main goal is to avoid selling oil cheaply, adding that even though oil output in Azerbaijan has been slightly reduced, due to the OPEC+ deal, revenues have grown, which shows that the right track is chosen.

OPEC and other oil producers, including Azerbaijan, made a deal in December 2016 to remove 1.8 million barrels a day from the market. In May 25, OPEC members agreed to extend their previous agreement by nine more months to March 2018 to lower oil output.

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, 781,100 barrels per day  in April, 785,300 barrels per day  in May and 793,700 barrels per day in June.

Some 22.5 million tons of oil and gas condensate were produced in Azerbaijan in January-July 2017, which is less by 8.9 percent, as compared to the same period of 2016. Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block of oil and gas fields accounts for the major volume of oil production in Azerbaijan.

Further Abdullayev mentioned that the country is looking to increase production of natural gas in coming years.

We aim to get 1.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas from Absheron gas fields first stage in 2019 and an additional 5 bcm in 2022-2023 from the second stage, he said.

He went on to say that domestic gas needs are fully covered by domestic production, but it is reasonable to buy it during summer months to benefit from underground gas storage capacities, as gas prices are low at this time of the year.

"Thus, in order to maximize the profits of our country, we are buying Turkmen gas in the summer, storing it and selling in winter at higher prices."

Abdullayev added that in the next three to five years, SOCAR plans to build two offshore platforms at the Umid gas field and to drill at least eight high-marginal wells and to start drilling at the Babek gas field in the second half of 2018.

The company president emphasized that, SOCAR plans to start oil and gas production at the Karabakh offshore field in the second part of 2021.

Development of these projects would allow us to increase gas sales domestically and abroad, he concluded.

SOCAR has produced 2.95 bcm of gas from offshore and onshore fields of the country using its own funds in the first quarter of 2017, as compared to 3.16 bcm produced in the same period of 2016.

Along with its own production, SOCAR also receives gas from Shah Deniz and Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields (associated gas), developing these fields jointly with foreign partners. Total volume of gas produced from the contracted and independently developed fields stood at 14.13 bcm in the period, as compared to 14.94 bcm in January-June 2016.

The Azerbaijani Energy Ministry forecasts gas production in the country to rise to 41.4 bcm in 2021.

---

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22 August 2017 14:20 (UTC+04:00)

Trend:

The number of countries buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US can increase, Professor Jonathan Stern, distinguished research fellow at Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, told Trend.

Poland, the Baltic countries and Ukraine buy US LNG because they regard independence from Russian gas as important to their energy and national security. But aside from the mentioned countries, everything will depend on price and competitiveness, the expert believes.

If US LNG is cheaper than other sources of gas, it will be purchased, if it is not, then it wont, said Stern, adding that at present, it is likely that US LNG will be sold outside Europe, but it is not really possible to predict where and how much.

US LNG will provide a price ceiling above which no gas can be sold in Europe. It will therefore constrain any Russian attempts to raise prices to higher than market levels, he added.

On Aug.21, the first batch of LNG was delivered to Klaipeda port of Lithuania from the US. Poland received first US LNG on June 7.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects the countrys LNG exports to increase in coming years.

US liquefaction capacity continues to expand as five new projects currently under construction come online in the next three years, increasing total US liquefaction capacity from 1.4 billion cubic feet per day at the end of 2016 to 9.5 billion cubic feet per day by the end of 2019, said the report from EIA.

Based on construction plans, EIA expects that by 2020 the United States will have the third-largest LNG export capacity in the world after Australia and Qatar.

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21 August 2017 19:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkey spent about $30 billion on the upkeep of Syrian refugees, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said during his visit to Singapore, the Turkish media reported, Aug. 21.

According to him, the biggest number of Syrian refugees is currently located in Turkey.

Yildirim noted that Turkey, like Russia and Iran, stands for peace and stability in Syria.

Thanks to Turkey, Russia and Iran, a truce between the opposition and the forces of the regime was reached in Syria, added the prime minister.

It should be noted that more than three million Syrian refugees live in Turkey.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has claimed more than 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State, the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

---

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22 August 2017 10:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A police operation was underway Monday in an area west of Barcelona, and a Spanish newspaper reports that the fugitive in the citys van attack has been captured, the Associated Press reported.

Regional police said officers shot a man wearing a possible explosives belt in Subirats, a small town 30 miles west of Barcelona.

Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, has been the target of an international manhunt since Thursdays van attack in Barcelona.

Authorities said Monday they now have evidence he drove the van that plowed down the citys famed Las Ramblas promenade, killing 13 pedestrians and injuring more than 120 others.

Abouyaaqoub then is suspected of carjacking a man and stabbing him to death as he made his getaway, raising the death toll between the Barcelona attack and a related attack hours later to 15.

Another vehicle attack early Friday by other members of what Catalonia regional police have described as a 12-member extremist cell killed one person and wounded several others in the coastal town of Cambrils. That ended in a shootout with police, who killed five attackers.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for both attacks.

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22 August 2017 09:49 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Catalan police have confirmed that perpetrator of the Barcelona attack Younes Abouyaaqoub has been shot dead, law enforcement authorities reported on Monday, TASS reported.

"We confirm that the man shot down in Subirats is Younes Abouyaaqoub, an executor of the terror attack in Barcelona," police reported.

Law enforcement authorities earlier reported that the tracked down terrorist was supposedly wearing a suicide belt. According to local mass media, it turned out to be a fake one.

On August 17, the driver of a van mowed down pedestrians on Las Ramblas, in the heart of the Catalan capital. Later, Catalan police shot dead five terrorists in Cambrils in the south of the autonomous community. The terror attack left 15 people dead.

The Islamic State (a terror organization outlawed in Russia) claimed responsibility for the attack.

---

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Gaza-ruler Hamas has minimized its Gaza-based opponents attempt to endanger the new relationship with Cairo after the Salafi group warned Hamas not to prevent its fighters from traveling to Sinai to fight Egyptian security forces.

The warning came in a written statement by a group calling itself the Jihadi Salafists after a Salafist jihadist blew himself up among a group of Hamas border guards on the Gaza-Egypt frontier last Thursday.

A Hamas soldier died of the injuries he sustained in the suicide attack. Hamas said the fighters were trying to infiltrate into Egypts Sinai.

According to the statement, the attack was a statement of intent over future attempts to wage jihad on the nearby Sinai peninsula in Egypt, reported the New Arab.

This [attack] was notable in the way Hamas forces dealt with the jihadist operation against them. The person who committed suicide was 20 years old, and it seems that his mind was filled with an extremist Islamist ideology that has controlled his thinking, Hisham Saleem, a leading security analyst in Gaza, told the New Arab.

He blew himself up among a group of fellow Palestinians, who share with him both faith and citizenship, Saleem said, adding that It is clear that the Palestinian side is very serious in applying recent understandings with Egypt.

I believe that the security forces here will rein in such fanatical groups, the analyst said.

Hamas has renewed ties with Cairo after a high key delegation of Hamas leaders held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo last June. Hamas was told to secure the border crossing at Rafah and hand over several militant suspects hiding in the enclave. Hamas has begun construction of a safe area at its border with Egypt. The buffer zone is designed to prevent Islamists infiltration into the Sinai where the Egyptian army has been battling militancy. Cairo accused Hamas of providing a safe-haven for militants.
22 August 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkish security forces on Monday killed six PKK terrorists in separate counterterrorism operations in southeastern and eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, officials said, Anadolu reported.

According to a statement by the Turkish General Staff, three terrorists, who were preparing an attack on Turkish military bases near the Iraqi border, were killed during airstrikes in northern Iraq's Zap region.

Turkish jets also destroyed three weapon emplacements belonging to the terrorists, the statement added.

Additionally, one terrorist was killed in a drone strike targeting a group of terrorists in Kulp district of Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakir province, the statement said, adding the terrorists were plotting an armed attack on security forces.

A separate operation in eastern Van province left two terrorists dead, the local governor's office said.

The operation was launched by the gendarmerie forces upon intelligence that the terrorists were planning to carry out a bomb attack in the city center, according to a written statement. A bomb-laden vehicle was detonated in Gurpinar district with the terrorists inside it, it said.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015.

Since then, it has been responsible for the deaths of 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians, women and children.

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22 August 2017 11:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistans Senate Sodiq Safoyev has recently received a delegation of Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly led by Deputy Chairman Ilyas Umakhanov.

The sides exchanged views on further development of bilateral relations and inter-parliamentary cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia, said the Uzbek Senates press service.

The parties paid special attention to the organization of the first meeting of the commission for inter-parliamentary cooperation in Tashkent in autumn 2017 and the holding of an Uzbek-Russian business forum and the Forum of Regions as part of this event.

The Russian parliamentary delegation also held negotiations in Uzbekistans Foreign Ministry.

The two sides exchanged views on topical issues of bilateral agenda, an important part of which is the regular exchanges between legislative authorities of Uzbekistan and Russia.

The parties also discussed the preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Uzbek-Russian commission for inter-parliamentary cooperation, according to the press service.

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22 August 2017 14:53 (UTC+04:00)

By Ali Mustafayev

Ankara has signaled possibilities of Turkey-Iran joint operation against the PKK terror group, and its branch the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), amid the rising tension close to their borders.

Turkey and Iran are planning to conduct a joint military operation against the PKK in the north of Iraq in stages, Trend reported citing Turkish media on August 22.

Reportedly, firstly the Turkish Air Force will bomb 19 positions of the PKK in the areas of Zap, Berwari, Batuf, Chemch and Avashin.

The military operation will be carried on the territory of Iraq, 19 km from the Turkish border. The first stage of the operation is expected to last 8-10 days.

During the second stage of the operation, the Iranian Armed Forces will begin ground operations in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq.

Roughly 42.000 Iranian soldiers will take part in the land operations, while the land troops will be supported by the Turkish military aircrafts.

Turkish media reports that Ankara and Tehran also intend to establish a joint military base in the north of Iraq.

Previously, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that "a joint operation with Iran against terror groups that are posing threat is always on the agenda."

"We have discussed the details on what kind of work we can carry out amongst us. There are damages that the PKK and its branch in Iran causes. We will carry out these discussions with the understanding that the threats can be defeated with the cooperation of both countries in a short time," Erdogan said.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU, resumed its nearly 40-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015.

The PJAK, which is associated with the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), the umbrella organization for the armed terrorist organizations the PKK, is the Iranian branch of the terror group. In Syria, the group goes by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing the People's Protection Units (YPG).

Although the PKK was headquartered in Syria until 1998, currently, the terrorist organization is controlled from its headquarters in northern Iraq's Qandil Mountains, according to Daily Sabah.

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22 August 2017 17:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Ali Mustafayev

Doha has refused Saudi Kings offer to transport all Qatari pilgrims seeking to perform this year's Hajj pilgrimage at his expense, stressing that Saudi Arabia must permit Qatars own airlines to transport Hajj pilgrims to Mecca rather than forcing them to rely on the kingdoms national carrier.

It is usual and customary for pilgrims to be transported from any country by means of national air, land and sea transportation in that country, Qatars Foreign Affairs Ministrys official, Ahmed al-Rumaihi, said.

Pilgrims from Qatar dont need financial assistance from the Saudi side for the Hajj. Restrictions on transportation only with Saudi airlines is unprecedented and illogical, he added.

The remark was made following Qatars denial of having blocked Saudi flights from landing in the emirate to take pilgrims to the annual Hajj in the kingdom, after Saudi Arabian Airlines claimed that one of its airliners had been prevented from landing at Hamad International Airport in Doha.

Last week, Riyadh announced that it would open its borders with Qatar to allow Muslim pilgrims reach the holy city of Mecca to perform Hajj but it imposed several travel restrictions, including flying in only on airlines approved by Saudi Arabia.

Qatari authorities had subsequently accused Saudi Arabia of politicizing Hajj and jeopardizing the pilgrimage to Mecca by refusing to guarantee their pilgrims' safety.

Later, Saudi media reported that Qatar has blocked Saudi planes from transporting Hajj pilgrims.

"Qatari authorities have not allowed the aircraft to land as it did not have the right paperwork, although the paperwork was filed days ago," the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

However Doha refused the information regarding blocking the Saudi jets from landing.

The officials from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority "described as baseless the news... that allegedly claimed that the state of Qatar refused to allow Saudi Airlines to transport the Qatari pilgrims," according to QNA news agency.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates cut their diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar in early June, accusing it of sponsoring terrorism and close ties with Iran. Doha rejects the claims.

The four states issued a 13-point list of demands to end the standoff, which also included withdrawal of Turkish military base.

Doha refused to comply with the demands, stating that it is a matter of its internal policy and the intervention is not permissible.

---

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22 August 2017 15:32 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Russias position towards Tehran will remain unchanged despite Irans decision to continue its missile program and sanctions recently imposed by the US, Mark Galeotti, a Senior Researcher at Institute of International Relations in Prague, told Trend.

As regards Russia's position towards Iran, while the country is uncomfortable with Iran's missile program, it needs good relations with Tehran for all kinds of reasons, not least for continued cooperation over Syria, he said.

So for the moment I think Moscow will not overtly support Tehran, but nor will it cooperate with the US, he added.

Another expert, Dr. Douglas Yates, Associate Professor and Member of the Academic Committee at the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy (AGSIRD), believes that the US wont be able to improve its relations with Moscow, at least now.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has not even filled his top posts and is trying to run the State Department by himself. There are no experts on his team to formulate or implement the policy. Congress has imposed new sanctions against Moscow. Therefore, US President Donald Trump cannot improve relations without appearing guilty of collusion, he told Trend.

Recently, Islamic Republics Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami stated that Iran will continue its missile program despite US sanctions or external pressure.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a meeting in Manila Aug. 6. It was the first meeting between the officials since US imposed a new set of sanctions against Russia Aug. 2. Both sides vowed for continuation of dialogue in order to improve ties between the two countries.

---

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22 August 2017 16:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Turkey will not allow the creation of a new Kurdish state in the north of Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, the countrys media reported on August 22.

Erdogan noted that the creation of the so-called Kurdish state by the YPG (Kurdish Peoples Protection Units) and PYD (Democratic Union Party) is unacceptable.

YPG and PYD are terrorist groups that pursue the goal of reaching the Mediterranean Sea, Erdogan said.

He added that Turkey will do everything to hinder the plans of terrorists in Syria.

Turkey has been deploying military equipment to the border with Syria since June 21. Military equipment is dislocated in Turkeys south-central province of Kilis, which borders Syrian territories controlled by the YPG and PYD.

On Aug. 24, 2016, Turkish Armed Forces, with the support of the Syrian opposition, has launched the Euphrates Shield operation against the IS militants and liberated the city of Jarabulus, as well as the city of Al-Bab in northern Syria.

---

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First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Pfizers patent allows it to continue controlling the PCV market in India until 2026, and blocks developing country vaccine manufacturers from supplying a competing version of Pfizers PCV.

Hopes for improved access to an affordable pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) that safeguards both children and adults from pneumonia was dealt a major blow after the Indian patent office granted a patent to the US pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer for its PCV13 product, marketed as Prevnar13.

Its unfair and unacceptable that almost a million children die each year from pneumonia, even though a life-saving vaccine is available. Children everywhere have a right to be protected from pneumonia, but many governments cant afford the prices set by Pfizer, said Dr Prince Mathew, Asia Regional Coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF. We urgently need additional manufacturers to rapidly introduce competition with the aim of lowering vaccine prices.

The granting of this patent would block other manufacturers in India from supplying this vaccine which protects against 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria (PCV-13) to those who need it most.

According to Leena Menghaney, South Asia Head for MSFs Access Campaign, The method Pfizer is trying to patent is too obvious to deserve a patent under Indian law, and is just a way to guarantee an extended market monopoly for the corporation for many years to come.

In 2016, MSF challenged Pfizers unmerited patent claims in India, after the same patent was revoked by the European Patent Office (EPO). The patent is also being legally challenged in South Korea and before the US Patent Trademark Appeal Board.

MSF relies heavily on affordable generic medicines to do its medical work around the world: two thirds of its medicines used to treat people with HIV, tuberculosis and malaria are generic medicines made in India. Indian vaccine manufacturers have already announced that they can supply PCV for a much lower price. However, Pfizers patent allows it to continue controlling the PCV market in India until 2026, and blocks developing country vaccine manufacturers from supplying a competing version of Pfizers PCV. Manufacturers will have to find new routes to develop a non-infringing PCV vaccine which may delay the availability of competing products in the pipeline from Indian producers.

Dr. Anas Shorman, a paediatrician working for MSF in Jordan, added, In our work, we see many children with life-threatening respiratory infections; many deaths could be prevented if more kids were vaccinated with PCV. More than 50 countries have spoken out against high vaccine prices, and children in countries like Indonesia, Jordan and Tunisia simply cant wait any longer to get access to the life-saving pneumonia vaccine.

The Indian patent offices decision also has broader implications, as it indicates a weakening of Indias strict patentability standards, which results in granting monopolies for minor and trivial improvements of existing medical products, as allowed in some other countries. Such ever-greening practices will hamper Indias role as pharmacy of the developing world, supplying governments and procurers like MSF with affordable medicines and vaccines.

Each year, MSF teams vaccinate millions of people, both as outbreak response to diseases such as measles, meningitis, yellow fever and cholera, as well as routine immunisation activities in projects where it provides health care to mothers and children. In 2015 alone, MSF delivered about 5.3 million doses of vaccines and immunological products in more than 30 countries. It has purchased PCV in the past for use in its emergency operations and is scaling up its use of PCV and other vaccines with a particular focus on improving routine immunisation, as well as extending the package of vaccines used in humanitarian emergencies. MSF has vaccinated children caught in emergencies with PCV in Central African Republic, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria and Uganda, among others.

In 2015, MSF launched its A FAIR SHOT campaign to push for pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and GSK to reduce the price of the pneumonia vaccine to $5 per child for all three doses.
The main reason for the imports of APIs from China is the low price advantage. But, dependence only one country for such a large import for APIs as well as some bulk drugs is potentially a very risky situation

Conflict with China at Doklam is bound to have ripples in different areas, political and economic. Pharma sector is also one of them going by the imports from China for making drugs. Thus, it is very pertinent that the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has asked Indian drug makers to prepare plans in the eventuality of escalation in the border tension leading to stoppage of exports from China.

Such a plan is very much essential as Indias drug industry depends heavily on large scale imports of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). As per the information given to the Parliament, about 84% of APIs of all drugs produced in India are imported. Of that 65% is from China alone. In actual monetary terms, it comes to approximately Rs 13,853 crore in the previous year. There is a constant hike in the API imports from China. In 2013-14 it was Rs 12061 crore and in 2014-15 Rs 12758 crore.

A marginally good development is that the imports of bulk drugs from China have reduced from Rs 13,853 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 9,120 crores in 2016-17. This is due to withdrawal of exemptions in customs duty in some categories to provide level playing field to domestic manufacturers. Despite the reduction 60% of bulk drugs are still being imported from China, which is still a huge figure and needs to be brought down drastically further.

The main reason for the imports of APIs from China is the low price advantage. But, dependence only one country for such a large import for APIs as well as some bulk drugs is potentially a very risky situation if the imports from China suddenly stop due to escalating tension between the two countries. Even the National Security Advisor had warned the government last year about over-dependence on China for the supply of APIs and some essential drugs.

It is a good step that along with the DCGI, the industry association has also taken initiative in suggesting ways to reduce dependence on China for APIs imports. It appears that Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and other industry organisations have suggested measures like government entering into agreements with friendly countries, more fees on imports, revival of public sector units producing raw materials, exploring alternative sources and increasing inspections of APIs producing facilities in China. Of the suggested steps, the government has already announced its intention in May 2017 to start inspecting drug manufacturing facilities in China to ensure that only quality APIs are imported. The government was even seriously thinking of setting up permanent audit office in China to conduct inspections regularly.

Regarding other measures to reduce over dependence, the government had announced as back as in 2015 to promote Make in India initiative for APIs and bulk drugs. The Prime Ministers Office (PMO) last year instructed the NITI Aayog and the concerned ministries to plan for APIs production in India. But despite organising some meetings and having nearly 300 large and more than 10,000 medium & small companies in the sector there was not much progress in this direction.

So, it is good that the tension on the border has once again revived the topic and some action has initiated. However, not only due to emergency situation like border tension, but otherwise also it is essential to reduce the over-dependence on any one country. Hence the planning and the subsequent actions should be speed up. Otherwise once the tension on the border is diffused the topic may again go to the back seat. The industry also needs to keep building the pressure as it needs support from the government to promote domestic APIs production for keeping the prices low.
The Shia Hezbollah movement Monday criticized the Islamic State group (ISIS) over its last week twin attacks in Catalonia, in which 15 civilians were killed, saying that attacks tarnish the image of jihad.

The movement, according to its ally media al-Manar, said the attacks were a crime and part of a satanic scheme.

This [IS] ideology is based on hatred As terrorist attacks are spreading worldwide, it becomes a duty to wipe out this organization and undermine its destructive ideas, the movement said in a statement relayed by al-Manar.

Hezbollah group gained popularity in the Arab world for its resistance against Israel but has been classified as terrorist group by the US, EU and the Arab League, for the killing of civilians in Syria and support for Assad regarded as killer of the Syrian people by the US and its allies.

Hezbollah says it opposes ISIS and has been battling the terrorist group inside Syria and along the Syrian border, on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Hezbollah forces and the Syrian army took control of a strategic hill in Joroud al-Jarajeer on Monday, al-Manar reports.

Both allies also seized Shoubat al-Dowab and Shoubat Beit Shuker heights, in the northern axis of the outskirts of western Qalamoun.
Shilpa Shetty Turned Prettier As She Unfurled The Indian Flag In Toronto Fashion Dona

Shilpa Shetty celebrated the 70th Indian Independence Day on a foreign ground in a desi style. She celebrated the grand day being the Grand Marshall at the India Day Parade in Toronto. She hoisted the Indian flag and celebrated the day with many fans and Indians.

Shilpa wore an Arpita Mehta dress while celebrating the day with husband Raj Kundra and numerous Indians who gathered at the event. She looked very pretty in the floral printed maxi dress which had an elongated tassled neckline.

She wore her outfit with a pair of beige bellies and Anmol Jewellers accessories, keeping a cool coordination between her ensembles.
Fake Pics Of Gandhi Floating On Social Media Life oi-Syeda Farah

There is a famous saying by Abraham Lincoln which states: "Don''t believe everything you read on the Internet just because it has a picture and quote next to it!"

The saying goes well as most of the things that we see online need not have to be true. Here are examples of a few famous pictures of MK Gandhi that made people believe that these pictures were real.

The fact is that the pictures are the results of photo edits and also pictures of actors who are playing the role of him in the documentary movies...

Check them out...

Fake Picture Of Gandhi Dancing Though this picture looks so real, a closer look and a bit of detailing reveal that it was not MK Gandhi who is seen shaking his leg in the picture.

There are 2 giveaways in the picture:

A. The man's rather muscular arm.

B. The man's footwear is quite unlike Gandhi's. Nathuram Godse Assassinating Mahatma Gandhi This picture raises many brows as we wonder how could somebody capture such a clear picture in the chaos when Gandhi was killed. The actual picture was from the movie titled "Nine Hours to Rama" in which a German actor named Horst Buccholz played the role of Godse. When Gandhi Was Seen Rubbing His Nose With A Foreign Woman This is nothing but a photoshopped picture! The way the picture has been edited makes us wonder if it can be true! But when you look at the actual real picture, you realise that it is Gandhi who is seen talking to Nehru and not a foreign woman!

Apart from these fake pictures, there are a few fake quotes of Gandhi as well... life The Fact Behind Gandhi's Picture In Currency Notes Fake Quote #1 "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win" Though this sounds catchy and makes a lot of sense, it is not said by Mahatma Gandhi even though it is always attributed to him. There is no recorded instance of Gandhi saying this, but a close variant first appears in a 1918 US trade union address by Nicholas Klein. Fake Quote #2 Interviewer: "What do you think of Western Civilization?" Gandhi: "I think it would be a good idea."

Again there is almost no evidence of Gandhi saying this. The earliest appearance of this quote was a good 20 years after his death, and that too only in the form of second hand information. It was mentioned in The Seattle Times newspaper that the exchange was mentioned in a television documentary on a major U.S. network. And after that it has been recirculated multiple times but there is no real conclusive evidence of Gandhi having said it.

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Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 12:11 [IST]
Woman Who Is 70 And Does Not Have Anybody In The World Life oi-Syeda Farah Noor

We think the world around us is what life is all about. But the fact is we need to see the world from a struggler's point of view. These are the people who look at life in a totally different way and make us realise that we are just NOTHING!

This is a beautiful read, that one must read to understand what life is when you are all alone in this world and struggle to make your ends meet and yet wonder who would be there to give you a decent cremation when you die!

Check out this amazing story of a woman named Priya...

"I collect lentil and wheat from the street when they fall from the wagon going to nearby factories. Two other women who also collect in that area can collect double what I collect because they are not old like me!

I can hardly collect three to four kg lentil and wheat a day after working the whole day. Then I separate them from the dust and I sell them to a local shop. I get seven taka for each kg. I can hardly earn 30 taka a day. With this money I buy some rice and vegetables and cook for myself when I return home.

The last 42 years I have been living alone. I sleep outside of a sweet shop with a plastic sheet which is my only home. The shop owner allows me to sleep there after they close the shop. In exchange I clean their shop sometimes without any money. I tried several times, I went to local union office for old age allowance, but nobody would help me because I am a poor old lady who has nobody in this big world. I eat one meal a day.

When it's raining I don't find lentil and wheat. The last three days I had body pain and got a fever. I could not come to gather. Nobody came looking for me! My husband died in 1973, he was a boat driver and I had one daughter. She left Bangladesh for India with her husband and never contacted with me again.

I miss my daughter and I miss seeing her face, but I cannot even remember her face! Nobody talks to me. I have nobody! I am only anxious about who will take my dead body to the graveyard." _Priya 70
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Saudi Arabia is set to privatize airports and the countrys Public Investment Fund has been chosen to look after the aerial outlets, reports say.

The process of establishing companies will continue for all airports, and the civil aviation holding company in the future will be 100 percent owned by the Public Investment Fund, Mohammed al-Shetwey, aid of the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) for financial affairs, Mohammed Al-Shetwey said.

Each airport will be assigned a company, Shetwey was quoted by Saudi Press Agency as saying.

The Saudi official was not specific how the Public Investment Fund would sell stakes in the airport companies under the privatisation program.

According to Reuters, last month Saudi Arabia hired Goldman Sachs to manage the sale of a stake in Riyadhs King Khalid International Airport.

The airport will undergo refurbishment after the Hajj pilgrimage. King Khalid airport received 22.5 million passengers last year.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 22/08/2017 (1909 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If a consensus could be drawn from a wide-ranging town hall in Brandon about the proposed legalization of marijuana, its an acknowledgment the legislation is flawed.

To single out certain shortcomings, however, depends on whom you ask.

A crowd of 125 constituents filled the West End Community Centre Sunday night for the town hall, organized by the office of Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire and moderated by parliamentary assistant Drew Ostash.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire speaks to the crowd at a marijuana town hall he hosted Sunday night at the West End Community Centre in Brandon.

For two hours, the discussion looked to the future. Attendees, resigned to the eventual legalization of marijuana, questioned many aspects of its rollout, such as the number of grams a person can keep, the legal age for using and police enforcement.

Some heated dialogue centred on when a person can legally possess or consume marijuana, which the federal governments task force believes should be 18 years old.

Brian Pettigrew agrees that marijuana should be permitted at the age of majority, when Canadians are legally able to vote, drink alcohol in Manitoba and join the military.

It should be up to individual people to decide if consuming is worthwhile when long-term effects to drug use include impairing memory loss and concentration, he said.

As Canadians, we have that right to decide for ourselves, and if we fall on our face as an individual, because we did not make the right decision in our life, thats our own fault.

One young woman garnered applause when she said if shes permitted to die from alcohol poisoning at 18, she should be allowed to smoke a joint.

Many speakers questioned the purpose of stringent restrictions on marijuana that are not in place with alcohol, the latter a more punishing substance responsible for fatalities, violent assaults and road collisions.

For example, some attendees wondered why you can brew as many alcoholic drinks as you like, but the number of marijuana-producing plants a household can keep is supposed to be limited.

Reid Ogilvie, one of the nights more impassioned speakers, said its ridiculous you may soon get a worse maximum sentence for possessing or selling cannabis without authorization (14 years) than the maximum 10-year penalty for assault with a weapon.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Brian Pettigrew speaks at a marijuana town hall hosted by the office of Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire Sunday evening at the West End Community Centre in Brandon.

Earlier in the night, the 21-year-old said he believed legal marijuana should be priced at a level below the black market, so it would hopefully limit the selling done by drug dealers.

After hosting town hall-style events in Holland and Killarney on Monday, Maguire has two more scheduled on the subject of marijuana. He will be in Deloraine tonight at the Mountview Centre from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. and the Legion Hall in Virden, beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Everyone who attended the town hall was encouraged to write down their responses, which would be sent to the federal justice minister and the parliamentary committee studying the issue.

The federal government intends to legalize pot by Canada Day in 2018.

 ifroese@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianfroese
Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday addressed Nigerians after he spent more than one hundred days in London for medical treatment.

His absence sparked numerous protests, including demands for his resignation, as well as calls for more transparency about his health condition.

After thanking Nigerians for their prayers, the 74-year-old leader indicated that separatists calling for the breakup of Nigeria, Africas most populous nation, have crossed a red line. The countrys unity is not negotiable, he stressed.

Buhari said he followed events in Nigeria on a daily basis during his absence and was concerned by discussions over the possible dissolution of the country.

I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in the social media have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation.

Nigerias unity is settled and not negotiable. We shall not allow irresponsible elements to start trouble, Buhari said, adding that some ethnic violence was fuelled by political mischief makers.

Every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance, he recalled.

The West African nations on-going challenges include the deadly Boko Haram insurgency and a weak economy.

According to Buhari, Nigerias security agencies should not let successes achieved against Boko Haram over the last 18 months be a sign to relax, rather, Nigeria would reinforce and reinvigorate the battle against the fighters.
Singapore, 22 August 2017  CapitaLand Limited has successfully set up its first commercial fund in Vietnam  CapitaLand Vietnam Commercial Fund I (CVCFI). The first in a series of investment opportunities, CVCFI has closed at US$300 million. Investing in a Grade A commercial real estate in Vietnam, CVCFI will have a life span of eight years. CapitaLand will hold a 40% stake in CVCFI while the remaining interests will be held by major institutional investors.

Mr Lim Ming Yan, President & Group CEO of CapitaLand Limited, said: Scaling up in the real estate sector requires strong financial capacity and flexibility. By proactively working with reputable capital partners to build scale, we can be nimble and react fast to seize growth opportunities. We see increasing investor interest in Southeast Asia, in particular Vietnam. They want to invest in the country through CapitaLand given our deep local platform and execution capabilities. CapitaLand is positive about the growth trajectory of Vietnam and foresee that this trend will continue for at least the next 10 years. Besides the growing demand for residential properties with urbanisation, we also see strong potential upside in the commercial real estate sector given the mismatch between demand and supply of quality office space. Having firmly established CapitaLand in key gateway cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi  we are able to leverage our developer-owner-operator capabilities, strong fund management expertise and harness synergies across asset classes to deliver better risk-adjusted returns for investors.

Mr Lim added: CapitaLand Vietnam Commercial Fund I brings us a step closer to our goal of raising funds with total assets under management of up to S$10 billion by 2020. It comes on the back of our largest private equity partnership, the US$1.5 billion Raffles City China Investment Partners III, which invests in prime integrated developments in gateway cities in China. As we work with strong capital partners to scale up, we continue to enhance the Groups returns on equity by generating fee income. In the first half of this year, we earned S$95.9 million in fees from non-listed real estate and REIT management activities, which makes up 5% of the Groups revenue.

Mr Chen Lian Pang, CEO of CapitaLand Vietnam, said: Having been part of the Vietnam growth story for over two decades, CapitaLand has earned a reputation for delivering quality residential developments and serviced residences in key cities. In January this year, we made our first foray into commercial real estate through our acquisition and development of an international Grade A office tower in the Central Business District of Ho Chi Minh City which will feature a direct connection to an upcoming metro station. With the completion of this development in 2020, we will continue to diversify our portfolio and strengthen our foothold in the country. Mr Chen added, Tapping on the appetite for innovative offerings such as coworking spaces, CapitaLand partnered the countrys largest coworking space operator, Toong, which opened their first outlet in Ho Chi Minh City at CapitaLands The Oxygen mall within the residential development, The Vista. We are committed to being a long-term player in Vietnam and will continue to seek opportunities to grow our presence through strategic investments.

Vietnam is the third largest market for CapitaLand in Southeast Asia, after Singapore and Malaysia. CapitaLand has nine residential developments, 22 serviced residences with over 4,700 units and one international Grade A office development across six cities in Vietnam.
AR Bernard explains why he left Trump's evangelical advisory board

AR Bernard has risen from relative obscurity among the big hitters of Trump's nominal evangelical advisory council to be headline making as the only one to resign in the wake of Charlottesville.

The senior pastor of the Christian Cultural Centre  a black majority magachurch in Brooklyn  told his congregation he had taken heat for joining the board, and had taken heat for leaving it.

He said he saw the controversy around evangelicals' refusal to abandon Trump as a sign 'God is at work'.

Explaining his decision to quit, he said: 'In a social and political climate such as ours, it often takes a gathering of unlikely individuals to shape the future of our nation on issues of faith and inner city initiatives.

'I was willing to be one of those unlikely individuals and that is why I agreed to serve on the President's Evangelical Advisory Board.

'However it became obvious that there was a deepening conflict in values between myself and the administration. I quietly stepped away from my involvement with the Board several months ago.'

He added: 'I am always grateful and honoured by any opportunity to serve my country.'

Preaching on the Sunday after his resignation, he said: 'Can we talk this truthful in church?'

He went on according to RNS: 'Speaking in absolute terms, I would love to be a Christian first. But America has created an environment that forces me to be first aware of the colour of my skin, then, the content of my character, and my Christian conscription.'

Speaking to MSNBC and CNN he said other members of the board shouldn't feel the need to resign but should be more open in criticising the President.

'I would love to see more of the evangelical leaders who are on the board make strong statements in reaction to it, and that doesn't mean they have to abandon him,' he said. 'But they should come out and say something of substance.'

He said the spotlight on clergy close to Trump gave them an opportunity to heal divides.

'I'm excited to play any part I can in the closing of the break,' he said.
About seven opposition protesters were killed and several others wounded in Togo on Saturday when security forces opened fire with live bullets to quell anti-Gnassingbe demonstrations in the capital Lome and four other cities in the tiny West African nation.

The opposition party, Parti National Panafricain (PNP), which called for the protest, is demanding the countrys return to its 1992 Constitution that allowed multi-party democracy with a limited Presidential term of office.

Police shot and killed seven innocent civilians in Sokode over 300 kilometers from Lome who were protesting over the way one family has been ruling the country for over fifty years,

Tikpi Atchadam, President of the PNP said in a statement.

From the father to the son, its like a family property and we are ready to resist that this time, Atchadam warned.

Addressing the nation on Saturday night, the military high command put the death toll at four, however, failed to mention how many soldiers were injured or killed.

An uneasy calm returned to the capital Lome on Sunday as the ministry of security deployed gendarmes in every part of the city.

Togos 1992 constitution brought in multi-party democracy after decades of dictatorship, and limited presidential terms to two. However, in 2002, lawmakers amended the text to enable former president Gnassingbe Eyadema to run for another term.

The 2005 elections, which brought his son Faure Gnassingbe to power, were overshadowed by fraud allegations and violent protests, which left at least 500 people dead.

Opposition protests so far failed to bring about constitutional changes limiting the president to two terms in office  a move that would have prevented Faure Gnassingbe from standing in 2015 for a third term in office.
Catholic Chile eases total ban on abortions

Chile's blanket ban on abortion will be eased after the constitutional court voted to allow terminations in some circumstances.

Previously one of seven Roman Catholic countries with a blanket bar on abortions, the new law says the procedure is justified after rape, if the mother's life is at risk or if the foetus is not expected to survive the pregnancy.

The current law was introduced in 1981 under the military rule of General Augusto Pinochet and the court's 6-4 ruling comes after more than two years of debate in the Chilean Congress. The Senate finally approved the bill last month but a last ditch effort by conservatives challenged its constitutionality arguing it failed to fulfill the constitution's requirement to 'protect the life that is about to be born.'

Attempts to ease the ban have been ongoing since 1991 but it has been held in place with support from the church and conservatives.

Abortion remains deeply controversial in the heavily Catholic country, despite winning support from President Michelle Bachelet and 70 per cent of the population.

The centre-left politician and former chief of UN Women Bachelet hailed Monday as an 'historic day for the women of Chile!' and tweeted 'we advance a basic right for our dignity'.

Dia historico para las mujeres de Chile! Con la aprobacion de las #3causales, avanzamos en un derecho basico para nuestra dignidad.  Michelle Bachelet (@mbachelet) August 21, 2017

Americas director at Amnesty International, Erika Guevara-Rosas, said: 'Chile has finally moved one step closer to protecting the human rights of women and girls.'

But Chile's Catholic bishops said the bill 'offends the conscience and common good of our citizens'.

A statement from the Roman Catholic conference of bishops in Chile said: 'We are before a new situation in which some unborn human beings are left unprotected by the state in this basic and fundamental right.'
Evangelical Jerry Falwell Jr To Head Education Task Force For Trump

Prominent evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr has been appointed to lead an education reform task force under US President Donald Trump. Falwell is keen to cut university regulations, including those that deal with campus sexual assault.

Falwell, a prominent supporter of Trump's, is president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, which describes itself as the world's largest Christian University. Len Stevens, a spokesperson for the school, said on Wednesday that in his new position Falwell was prioritising deregulation, removing various rules and practices that the US Department of Education has previously imposed on colleges and universities.

"It's an autonomy issue for universities to be able to not be micromanaged by the Department of Education," Stevens said in an email to Reuters. Stevens added that many college presidents, regardless of their political affiliations, sympathised with this concern.

Falwell also wants to cut federal rules regarding the investigation and reporting of sexual assault on campus. These rules fall under Title IX, the federal law that bars sexual discrimination in education.

Stevens said that Liberty University believes that on-campus sexual assault investigations are better left to police and prosecutors.

Falwell, the son of the late televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr., was a vocal supporter of Trump's during the election campaign, endorsing him in the Republican primaries and comparing him to King David. Falwell even compared Trump to his father, the founder of the Moral Majority, saying Trump shared Falwell Sr's disposition to "speak his mind".

He introduced Trump before a significant speech given at Liberty University last year, where Trump called Falwell "one of the most respected religious leaders in our nation".

Falwell has said that he previously turned down an offer for the position as Trump's education secretary. That nomination has now gone to Betsy DeVos, who awaits Senate confirmation next Tuesday. It is not yet clear when Falwell's task force would begin its work.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
How  and why  God promises Jerusalem a glorious future

The 3rd Haftorah of Consolation which we read on Shabbat is called Re'eh (Isaiah 54:11  55:5) which means 'See'.

Jerusalem is presently bereft and abandoned but G_d promises her a glorious future:

Oh afflicted, storm-tossed, unconsoled, behold: I shall set your stones with pearls and lay your foundation with sapphires. I shall make your sun-windows of rubies and your gates of garnets, and all your border of precious stones .... Every one of you who is thirsty go to the water, even one who is penniless, go, buy without money or price... Behold, you will call to a nation that was previously unknown to you. And a nation that was previously unknown to you will run to you for the sake of the Lord your G_d and the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.

This is the Messianic future promised to Israel as people, land and religion.

Isaiah's words are similar to the words used by the American poet, Emma Lazarus, of well-settled Portuguese Jewish background, on encountering the stream of impoverished Russian Jewish immigrants who streamed into the USA as a result of the pogroms of 1881.

Emma was influenced by Daniel Deronda (1876) the last book written by George Eliot (England's great Victorian novelist, otherwise known as Mary Ann Evans), who was the first to deal sympathetically with the Jewish question and to advocate Zionism as a solution for the Jewish people.

So, when Emma was asked to celebrate the dedication of the Statue of Liberty  a gift from the French to the Americans  she offered her sonnet: The New Colossus, in which the female Statue is named the Mother of Exiles, representing a very American Jewish view of the age-old concept of the Shekhinah, or female indwelling of G_d, who accompanies the Jewish people wherever they go.

The Statue of Liberty and her words have influenced many who have streamed into the USA as immigrants:

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

In 1949, Irving Berlin (originally the chazan's son, Israel Baline), the greatest American song-writer of all time, who had emigrated to America himself as a child, having watched his house being burned down in those same Russian pogroms, wrote a musical about the Statue.

Miss Liberty included a song based on the words of his fellow American Jew, Emma Lazarus. This song is now known as 'The Immigrants' Anthem' and is widely sung and loved:

Let's hear it now being sung by the Zamir Chorale of Boston, which specialises in songs to do with Judaism and remembrance. The members of this choir are the grand-children and great-grand-children of Jewish immigrants to America, immigrants for whom the words of Isaiah still hold dear and for whom Emma Lazarus is simply the prophet's own interpreter.

For this is what Isaiah does: through expressing the experience of the Jewish people as embodied in the Jerusalem of the future he encompasses the entire world, thus demonstrating that Judaism is both a particular religion and a universal religion of exile, faith, hope, gratitude, love and liberty which all can understand:

And today Jerusalem herself has replaced New York as the capital of the Jewish world. At the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was in danger of being sunk in despair. Now it is the learning centre of the Jewish world, as well as of many other people besides.

And you can find George Eliot's name immortalised in today's Jerusalem as an elegant street in the Windmill District:
Hundreds of Muslims in Barcelona protest against terrorism after last week's attack

Hundreds of Muslims in Barcelona protested against terrorism yesterday, four days after the attack in the Catalan city that left 13 people dead and at least 120 injured.

Members of the Muslim community gathered at the Plaza de Catalunya - just yards from where a van ploughed into pedestrians on Las Ramblas - with men and women crying as others held up large banners condemning the violence last Thursday.

People held up signs which read 'Musulmans contra el terrorisme' - 'Muslims against terrorism'.

Abdul Razzaq, national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Spain, said: 'The victims of the tragic and barbaric attacks in Barcelona and their families are in our special thoughts and prayers.

'To harm the innocent is never acceptable and goes against the teachings of Islam, the holy Koran and the holy prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.'

The demonstration came as police shot and killed the man suspected ofcarrying out the attack.

Officers shot Younes Abouyaaqoub, a 22-year-old Moroccan national, after he became Europe's most wanted man.

According to the Daily Mail, he escaped the scene on foot before hijacking a car, stabbing its driver to death and ramming into a police blockade near Sant Just Desvern, outside Barcelona.

Abouyaaqoub reportedly spent four days in hiding before being spotted by a Catalan vineyard owner in the town of Subirats.
Legends collide: the day Christian Saint Columba met Scotland's Loch Ness Monster

On this day, a millennium-and-a-half ago, the famed Saint Columba encountered the legendary Loch Ness Monster of Scotland. At least, so the story goes.

Columba is a revered icon of Christianity, largely credited with bringing the faith to Scotland, and most famously associated with the Scottish island of Iona  still a site of pilgrimage for many today.

Columba  whose Gaelic name is Colum Cille, meaning 'the dove of the Church'  was a spirited missionary and abbot who hailed from Ireland. He was trained by monks there, but in a pioneering trip arrived on Iona in the year 563.

Two years later it's said, as Christianity documents, that he had a momentous encounter with another emblem of Scottish culture: the Loch Ness Monster. During his travels Columba had to traverse the great Loch Ness. He had seen one injured man apparently bitten by a monster in the loch, but was not discouraged, and ordered one of his men to fetch a boat from the other side of the water.

When his follower, Lugne Mocumin, agreed to swim across, he was soon met by the monster who made for Lugne, ready to devour him.

However, a defiant, faithful Columba raised his hand, made the sign of the cross and declared to the creature: 'You will go no further, and won't touch the man; go back at once.'

The monster then fled in fright 'more quickly than if it had been pulled back with ropes,' the story tells.

The original account of this, written by the hagiographer Adamnan, provides what is believed to be the first written witness of 'Nessie'  about whom many stories now abound. Like the Loch Ness Monster, this fantastical story, written over a century after the events it details, is probably more myth than history  but it certainly adds colour to both the legends of Columba and Nessie.

Last month, scientists uncovered the cell where Columba dwelt, worked and spent his last days on Iona. The Abbey he founded there became a centre of literacy, learning and worship, and after his death Iona became a place of pilgrimage for kings and commoners. Some 60,000 pilgrims and tourists now visit the rebuilt abbey every year.
US and UK failing to support Iraqi Christians, MPs warn

The US and UK governments are failing to support Iraqi Christians, leaving them vulnerable to be squeezed out of their homes, MPs have said.

Iraqi Christians who fled after their homes were overridden by ISIS are at risk of being pushed out the Middle East altogether by a combination of Shia and Sunni forces moving in, they warn.

In a letter to the British development secretary Priti Patel, several MPs alongside charity heads and religious freedom campaigners say unless funding is immediately provided to rebuild Christian villages and homes on Iraq's Nineveh Plains, 'most Iraqi Christians who escaped ISIS to Kurdistan are likely to leave Iraq permanently'.

Signed by the Catholic peer Lord Alton as well as Labour's faith envoy Stephen Timms and Second Church Estates Commissioner Dame Caroline Spelman alongside others, the letter says: 'We note that DFID were able to allocate significant emergency funds for the support of residents from Mosul, and the rebuilding of the same, but nothing has been allocated to date for the many thousands of Christians and Yazidis who lost their homes 3 years ago (including in Mosul) and who are now faced with a grave humanitarian and existential crisis.'

They point to a memo claiming: 'In many of these towns, Iranian-funded Shia populations have made clear their desire to move into historically Christian towns and lands. Likewise, Sunni voices have indicated that "abandoned" Christian lands and homes should be utilized to house displaced Muslims from Mosul. Other rival militias and political fronts, many from outside the area, are also staking unfounded claims to these lands.'

The memo warns it is now or never, saying unless 'substantive progress' is made in the next 45 days, other groups will move in and claim the land.

Thousands of Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities were forced from their homes when ISIS swept through northern Iraq.

More than 30,000 now want to return to their devastated towns on the Nineveh Plains, according to a briefing from Stephen Rasche, a director for the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil's relief programme.

But American and British funding is directed through the UN which is being funnelled to support rebuilding Mosul with virtually none set aside for the Christian communities across the rest of northern Iraq.

'Timely and targeted US assistance would have an immediate impact in facilitating the return of Christian IDPs [internally displaced peoples] and boosting the confidence of the broader Christian IDP population in their ability to resettle in the Nineveh Plains,' says Rasche.

He points to an American bill known as HR 390  the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act  which he says is 'critical' and 'would authorize and direct the kind of assistance that could immediately improve conditions on the ground and demonstrate US leadership'.

Rasche goes on: 'The delivery of US assistance, as authorized and directed in HR 390, would make a time-sensitive and historical contribution to the future of Christianity in the Middle East. This tangible display of US leadership could also spur urgent action from other potential donors such as the UK and EU.'
Beneath every effective hybrid cloud operating model is powerful, flexible infrastructure. Cisco and Intel have worked together to combine our technologies to deliver optimized solutions to solve your infrastructure needs today.
Early this month, President Trump announced plans to change the way America admits immigrants. Trump would replace the current arrangement, in which most new immigrants are relatives of U.S. citizens or permanent residents, with a system that prioritizes language and technical skills over family ties. Other countries that migrants find attractiveincluding Canada and Australiamaintain points-based systems to determine immigration eligibility, and Trumps RAISE Act proposes to use them as a model for the United States.

Critics of the president and advocates for the present system were outraged by the proposal. They cited Emma Lazaruss poem The New Colossus, with its call for the United States to be the depository for the worlds wretched refuse, as evidence that Trump was overturning a venerable American tradition of (nearly) open borders. The Anne Frank Center warned that Trump was establishing an ethnic purity test; the Southern Poverty Law Center likened it to a racist quota system. Jose Calderon of the Hispanic Federation said that Trumps plan punishes immigrants, undermines our economy, and emboldens nativists. The libertarian Cato Institute called the White Houses argument for the RAISE Act grossly deceptive and said that limiting immigration would slow job growth.

From other corners came a different objection to prioritizing skilled over unskilled immigrants: had such stipulations been in place long ago, they said, their families might never have made it to America. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City repeated versions of this formulation several times. On August 2 he tweeted, My grandparents would not have passed Donald Trumps test. They wouldnt have been able to contribute to a country they loved. Asked the next day what criteria, if any, for immigration he thought would be appropriate, de Blasio replied, based on everything Ive seen about what President Trump proposedit literally would have excluded my grandparents and it would have excluded probably the parents and grandparents of a lot of people in this room. My grandparents didnt speak English when they got here from Italy. My grandparents didnt have college degrees. They became exemplary Americans.

A few days later, The New York Times published an op-ed entitled Immigrating to Trumps America? Philosophers Need Not Apply, by Carol Hay, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Hay, originally from Canada, explains how she earned a Ph.D. from a department ranked in the top 25 in the United States and received a job offer at an up-and-coming state university in the Northeast. If the RAISE Act had been in effect then, however, Hay says that she would not have qualified to stay here, and would have been deported back to Canada. The problem, she states bluntly, is that Im a philosopher, and the proposed systemmodeled on that of her home countrywould not accord philosophers automatic right of entry to the United States.

Dianne Feinsteins mother emigrated from Russia as a young child. She couldnt speak English and had no education, the California senator says. Her father died at age 32, leaving the family destitute. An uncle, who worked as a carpenter, supported the family. Both my grandfather and mother would have been turned away under the Trump-backed proposal because, in his view, they had nothing to offer. Actually, the RAISE Act specifically allows minor children to accompany their parents and doesnt require young children to speak English or be educated.

But leaving aside that mischaracterizationor Mayor de Blasios strange assertion that his grandparents would have been denied the chance to contribute to a country they loved before they got here and could decide whether they even liked itall these arguments are based on the flimsiest of principles: How would this affect me? De Blasio and Feinstein seem to believe that they are personally indispensable to the American projectso much so that any action that may have hypothetically nullified their American existence in some alternate universe must be legislated against.

Moreover, the argument that we should continue the present system because thats how weve been doing it for a long time is pretty much the worst rationale for doing anything. In what other area of public policy is it considered wise reflexively to follow tradition? America has changed a lot in 125 years. We no longer have child labor. Its illegal to sell strychnine or wormwood as medicines. In 1900, America was a rapidly growing industrial economy with a need for millions of unskilled workers; our personnel requirements are radically different in 2017. Yet were supposed to maintain a nineteenth-century immigration policy out of deference to the retroactive sensitivities of people upset that their grandparents wouldnt have made the cut?

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Sudanese authorities on Monday warned people living near the banks of the Nile to be wary of massive flooding, as water levels of the river rose to a record high.

Authorities said water levels were rising on the Blue Nile along the border with Ethiopia after continuous rainfall in that country.

The Blue Nile flows to Khartoum where it meets the White Nile and they become the Nile, which flows into Egypt.

The water levels were rising particularly rapidly in the state of Blue Nile bordering Ethiopia, the official news agency SUNA reported.

Water levels of Blue Nile and the Nile are rising, and today the level of the Nile reached its highest in 100 years in Khartoum, the irrigation ministry said in a statement.

The water level touched 17.14 meters in Khartoum, and is expected to rise more.

Residents living along the Nile have to exercise caution in Khartoum and other states as massive floods are expected in the next two days, the ministry said.

Throughout history, the rising and falling waters of the mighty Nile River have directly impacted the lives of the people who live along its banks.

Every year, Sudan battles heavy floods. Thousands of houses have been destroyed and several villages submerged last year after flooding triggered by torrential rainfall.

UN aid agencies had previously warned of a flooding danger in Sudan between July and November.
Cancer Research UK and the British Council are to relocate their headquarters to a new development in Stratford, East London.

They have both signed pre-let agreements to move to a new building in the International Quarter London, which is next to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The building is scheduled to be finished in 2019.

The 2.4bn development is a joint venture by Lendlease, a property and infrastructure group, and LCR, which is owned by the Department for Transport and specialises in the management, development and disposal of property assets within a railway context. It includes four million square foot of office space, over 300 homes and new community facilities.

CRUK is currently based in Angel and its latest annual accounts show that it has made a gain of 17.5m by surrendering the lease on its current building which will cover the relocation costs.

We received a surrender premium which will more than cover our estimated move and disruption costs. Relocation to the new building will enable us to reduce our fixed costs, allowing more money to be channelled into research, the annual report said.

Sir Ciaran Devane, chief executive of the British Council, said: This location embodies the British Councils vision for international cultural relations. As well as providing a fantastic new workspace, our new global headquarters  in the heart of an inspiring new centre of culture, education and creativity  will allow us to demonstrate the diversity and value of our work across the globe to a wide and varied audience.

The British Councils annual report for 2016/17 said that it expects to relocate in 2020 and has 20m in an investment fund to cover the cost of relocation.

Civil Society Media hosts an annual Charity Property Conference the last one took place in July . For more information about plans for 2018 please email [email protected]




Sophie Livingstone, chief executive of City Year, explains why her charity is campaigning for full-time volunteers to get more support.

The results of this years Community Life Survey relating to volunteering barriers come as no surprise, with young people citing study commitments followed by work commitments as the top reasons for not volunteering.

This presents volunteering organisations with an opportunity to tackle these barriers head on. Generation Z - those now in their mid-late teens and very early 20s - are statistically more likely than older generations to be charitable and seek a career that promises fulfilment over wealth. Having grown up post 9/11 with the rise of terrorism, recession and austerity, theyve been exposed to global social problems from a very young age.

Whilst it is surprising that nearly a fifth (19 per cent) cite unawareness of need as a reason for not volunteering, the facts about this generation present volunteering organisations with a strong opportunity to engage those who havent donated their time to worthy causes.

Taking part in volunteering is particularly beneficial for young people. Evaluation from the charity I head up - City Year UK - has found that our volunteers develop their leadership, confidence and communication; skills that they need for successful working lives.

Businesses have been saying for years that young recruits arent ready for the workforce, with the CBI reporting in its last Work Survey that nearly half of businesses arent satisfied with the resilience and self-management of young people.

Taking part in volunteering also encourages participants to get out of their comfort zone, work with people from different backgrounds and experience something different from their norm. These transitional experiences are hugely valuable, and if they come before a major life change such as leaving home for university or entering the workplace, can make the difference between a successful or difficult move.

A domestic gap year

We should be creating space for young people to take up full-time volunteering free from work and study commitments.

We are in the midst of exam results season and as always there is a lot of talk about gap years. Ucas has reported that the traditional gap year of a voyage of self discovery is falling in popularity as young people are looking for more worthy experiences that will impress university admissions teams and future employers.

A year out is a great time to take on the challenge of volunteering, as young people are free of study commitments. Many will go abroad to do this, and whilst there is nothing wrong with this, there are plenty of social issues that need tackling in the UK and we should be encouraging young people to consider a domestic gap year, taking on the challenge of full-time volunteering and creating positive change in local communities.

Unachievable luxury

However, volunteering on a year out, whether at home or abroad, is an unachievable luxury for many. Currently, anyone who volunteers full-time in the UK is classified as NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training). This means they miss out on benefits such as National Insurance contributions which students and job seekers are entitled to.

This is where the government comes in. We are calling for a government-supported structure for full-time volunteering with a proper legal status for those who take up the challenge.

The USA, France and Germany, amongst a number of developed countries, have all established full-time voluntary national community service programmes, allowing hundreds of thousands of young people to give millions of volunteer hours every year to serve their country without work or study barriers. AmeriCorps in the USA allows 80,000 young people to take part in full-time volunteering each year.

I strongly believe the UK would benefit from such a programme. We are all aware of the social issues communities face, and young people are perfectly placed to tackle these. A government-supported programme would benefit all sectors, from education to health, heritage and animal welfare.

Not only that but Demos Service Nation 2020 report of AmeriCorps participants found that they were 27 per cent more likely to find a job than those who hadnt taken part in a full-time volunteering programme. Our own evaluation has found that our participants have a 3 per cent unemployment rate, compared to the current youth unemployment rate of 12.2 per cent.

I believe that government backing of full-time volunteers would break down the barriers preventing those who havent engaged with volunteering and create more opportunities for people - of all ages - to get involved. Young people are less likely to have commitments beyond work and study, and it is their creativity and energy that we need to tackle the issues society faces.

Civil Society Media is hosting its Charity People & Culture Conference on 20 September 2017. For more information, and to book, click here




When Enrique Rivas became mayor of the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo last October, the citys small El Manana newspaper turned its attention to covering his administration.

In the pages of the 93-year-old daily, which circulates some 15,000 copies on weekdays, reporters detailed everyday stories of local politics: Rivas had appointed women to key cabinet positions, discussed an eight-lane expansion of the World Trade Bridge with the mayor of Laredo, Texas, and talked about the citys pothole problem.

They also made other observations. One article noted that a handful of Rivass family members and friends had been tapped to serve in his administration. Another used documents obtained through the countrys transparency law to show that a former police officer with a criminal record had been awarded a lucrative government contract. And a third took note of the municipalitys 120 million peso ($6.6 million) budget for communications and publicity.

ICYMI: While on air, authorities grab journalist and violently drag her on the ground several feet

That did not please the denizens of city hall. Were not going to allocate public resources to people who are mercenaries of information, Rivas said at a news conference in May. He also announced his administration had retracted all official advertising from the pages of El Manana, saying the newspaper had tried to extort 2.5 million pesos per month in exchange for positive coverage.

The only option they have is to live on what the government gives.

In a phone interview, Mauricio Flores, assistant managing director of El Manana, categorically and unequivocally denies the mayors allegations. We see it as an abuse of authority that the mayor used the state apparatus to defame a news outlet, he says. The newspaper has never put its editorial content up for sale, he adds, saying that Rivas sought retribution for the newspapers critical coverage of his administration.

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For well over a decade, violence has afflicted Mexico, known as the most dangerous place to be a journalist outside a war zone. Since January alone, at least four journalists have been murdered, while nearly 100 have been killed in the country since 1994, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. But while physical aggression and impunity have stifled news coverage, the practice of awarding or withholding government advertising in exchange for editorial influence has functioned as another threatening form of censorship.

Official advertising is an ingrained part of Mexicos media landscape. According to one report by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers and the Center for International Media Assistance, half or more of local media budgets come from government advertising, which is frequently distributed based on political leanings. In one case the association took note of, the respected political weekly Proceso received more than 74 pages of federal government ads in 2006, but just seven in 2009 after it published negative articles about then-President Felipe Calderon.

In the absence of more commercial advertisers and given the decline of the classified section, however, many outlets depend on the government subsidy. The only option they have is to live on what the government gives, says German Espino, a professor at the Autonomous University of Queretaro who studies the intersection of politics and media.

In 2015, state governments in Mexico spent 11.9 billion pesos on communication and publicity paid content that resembles news, full-page transcripts of government speeches, spot ads on radio and TVwhile the federal government spent 10.2 billion, according to civil organization Fundar, which studies budget issues in Mexico. Such figures fuel claims of corruption. While some media owners and poorly-paid reporters temper reports just to survive, others readily collude with political figures or create phantom outlets to capture funds. According to a 2017 study published in the Global Media Journal, an estimated 63 percent of non-daily publications listed in state media directories exist in name only.

Hardly any outlet is immune from this form of government influence. In 2014, the most recent year for which Fundar analyzed data, television broadcasters Televisa and Azteca received roughly half a billion pesos each in government advertising, representing some 26 percent of all federal resources spent on communication and publicity. Grupo Radio Formula received more than 61 million pesos and leading Mexican newspapers Reforma and El Universal took in a combined 73 million pesos, Fundar noted, highlighting a system of financial assistance that has existed since the days of Mexicos one-party regime, which lasted until the election of Vicente Fox in 2000.

During the seven-decade rule of Mexicos Institutional Revolutionary Party party, outlets rarely strayed far from the official line. When advertising revenue was not a sufficient incentive, wrote Chappell Lawson in Building the Fourth Estate: Democratization and the Rise of a Free Press in Mexico, other incentives were used. Tax forgiveness, subsidized utilities, free service from the government-owned news agency Notimex, bulk purchases by government agencies, credit at below market rates, and cheap newsprint, he wrote, were all rewards for suitably pliant periodicals.

Despite assurances from Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto that he would regulate the use of publicity when he was elected president in 2012, legislation has yet to establish criteria for the distribution of government advertising or rein in public spending on communications and publicity.

[Pena Nieto] wants the discretion to use state funds to keep the press in line, especially since he is so embattled, says Sallie Hughes, a professor of journalism and Latin American studies at the University of Miami, referring to the presidents approval rating, which has plumbed new lows in the last year.

ICYMI: How the alt-right checkmated the media

Adding to the complicated picture, she notes, some journalists view the use of state ad funds as normal. Critical media representatives say they have circulation so they deserve the allotments as part of legitimate state ad campaigns, she says.

Pena Nietos office did not respond to a request for comment.

The only solution is that official publicity stops existing.

While federal government spending on press activities has been public information since 2012, many consider the information recorded too vague and outdated to be useful. Other reforms that could regulate advertising and limit media concentration have not been implemented. Some argue that even increased oversight would not be a perfect fix. The only solution is that official publicity stops existing, says Raul Trejo Delarbe, a political science professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

For now, Flores, the assistant managing director of El Manana in Nuevo Laredo, says that the mayors public criticism, combined with cartel violence in the restive state of Tamaulipas, puts the newspaper in a precarious position.

In 2004, El Mananas editorial director, Roberto Mora, was found in front of his house with more than 25 stab wounds. The newspapers office has been subject to multiple attacks by gunmen over the years. And in January, it stopped circulation for two days, citing threats made against its employees. We wrote the newspaper, we printed our newspaper, but that was it, Flores says, declining to give further details because of safety concerns.

The mayors decision to pull advertising and openly criticize the paper does not help.

If drug-traffickers see that the local government no longer supports the newspaper, Flores says, it opens a door that makes us even more vulnerable.

Obviously it worries us.

ICYMI: If youre telling me his secrets, youre probably telling him mine. Now I know never to trust you.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Natalie Schachar is a freelance journalist based in Mexico City.
While plenty of media commentators and politicians lauded the efforts of Boston politicians and the Boston Police Department to keep the peace Saturday during an extreme-right-wing rally and massive counter protests, they failed at protecting the medias right to cover a newsworthy event.

Reporters were not able to actually cover the program of the event because authorities enforced a barrier of up to 50 yards around the speakers platform, preventing reporters from entering. Journalists were blocked from witnessing and reporting on the very reason for the massive crowds. The precautions ostensibly were designed for public safetyto keep those participating in the protest and counter protests apart from one anotherbut statements from law enforcement suggest the nature of the rally played a role.

At minimum, the city should have provided for a limited number of reporters to access the event, which was held in a public place. Instead, police acted as a sort of private door guard for the protest organizers, blocking access to all but a handful of people supporters vouched for at the gates. A group of about 20 people, including white-nationalist and neo-Nazi speakers, took part in the so-called Free Speech rally.

Yells of, We cant hear you, rang out from both sides of protesters as the program began.

The scene reminded WBUR reporter Bruce Gellerman of abolitionist Frederick Douglasss Plea for Free Speech, given in 1860 in response to the Boston Mayor and police department suppressing a group of abolitionists honoring John Brown. Douglass argued, of free speech: Equally clear is the right to hear. To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.

As Gellerman put it, That speech could have been written Saturday morning at the rally. The authorities should have allowed the press and public the ability to listen and report, he argues. Its a position both the free speech protesters and anti-racist counter protesters say they agree with in interviews with CJR.

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The Boston Police Department was responsible for keeping media away from the protesters, but no department spokespeople would return calls or emails from CJR to discuss where the order originated. The department on Friday issued a statement: There will be NO designated media staging area inside the Common, it noted. Media Members are expected to remain mobile and refrain from long term stationary reporting which may incite and attract participants. NO media personnel will be allowed inside the barricaded area around the Bandstand.

The City of Boston acknowledged that the rally, and its counter protests, were of significant public interest by issuing statements saying that bigotry and racism have no place in Boston, particularly after the events of Charlottesville. And its police strategy appears to have been designed to limit the exposure of hate speech.

The Mayors office referred all questions about the rally to the Boston Police Department, but Mayor Walsh in an interview with WCVBs Janet Wu on Sunday said the barrier was put up for everyones protection, and laid blame on the event organizers for not bringing a sound system.

He said, An article in the Globe today said well we couldnt hear. Well, thats not my issue.That article, I was disappointed in it quite honestly, because yesterday was about making sure people were safe. Walsh said that he discouraged people from coming to the Common because why give attention to people spewing hate.

The WCVB interview does imply his office was involved with the decision, says Justin Silverman of the New England First Amendment Coalition. While police are given significant leeway to prevent violence, they cant restrict speech based on its content.

A police official also suggested in interviews that the decision on press access wasnt solely about safety. In an interview with WBUR reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka, Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans said of letting in counter protesters, press, or even white-nationalist sympathizers, We had a job to do. We did a great job. Im not going to listen to people who come in here and want to talk about hate. And you know what? If they didnt get in, thats a good thing because their message isnt what we want to hear.

The poor handling of press access was one issue both protesters and counter protesters could agree on. John Medlar, a spokesman for the group Boston Free Speech, posted on Facebook, Sadly press and supporters were blocked from entering so fake news now says no one showed up. Had to livestream what speakers we could before they rushed us out. This has only proven my point: There is a massive cultural intolerance against dialogue in this country.

I asked [police] if the press was allowed in, Gellerman says. They ignored me. Another reporter next to me said no, and referred me to the Facebook page. It was frustrating, and denied me access to do my job.

Gellerman photographed a Free Speech supporter surrounded by counter protesters, and tells CJR the buffer zone created a dangerous situation for protesters, journalists, and speakers alike. He was concerned for reporters because of a toxic national dialogue against journalists, and noted he was anxious even wearing a hat or shirt with the WBUR logo.

I thought the police did a good job under difficult circumstances, but their failure to allow press access to the bandstand was an exception to that, says Dan Kennedy, an associate professor at Northeastern University School of Journalism who was covering the counter protesters heading toward the Boston Common for WGBH.

The setup may have violated the First Amendment, says Matthew Segal, legal director at ACLU Foundation of Massachusetts, in an interview. In light of last weeks horrible violence in Charlottesville, we were not surprised that the police sought to create space between the groups that came out to express themselves, he says. But if the city or the police department chose the size of that buffer zone in part to keep speakers from being heard, and if they prohibited journalists from entering it, then they may have violated the First Amendment.

In a statement to CJR, Boston Globe Editor in Chief Brian McGrory added:

First, its important to commend Boston PD for keeping peace under trying circumstances. They had a thoughtful plan and no tolerance for the kind of hijinks that could easily escalate. That said, were frustrated over our inability to gain access to the free speech rally, such as it was. On paper, the buffer zone did not appear onerous, but it was in reality when you factor in the lack of any sound system. What we lost was our ability to put the massive counter-protest into its fullest possible context by accurately reporting  but in no way amplifying  the possibly hateful thoughts that were being spoken or spewed by the free speech group. Knowing what we do now, we would strongly advocate for future remedies, including close-up pool coverage of all aspects of the event. We will reach out to law enforcement to achieve this, with the belief that better access would in no way hamper police from the strong work they did in keeping people safe.

Some reporters thought officials could have met the press halfway.

This isnt the first time a potentially volatile event has come to Boston, says Shawn Musgrave, a local reporter who was freelancing for Politico. The police train for these kinds of things. They didnt give access to credentialed reporters even. I dont think maintaining public safety required keeping all reporters 30 to 40 yards away.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Sarah Betancourt is a Boston-based reporter who focuses on public policy writing. She is a former fellow of the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism. Follow her on Twitter @sweetadelinevt.
In the years since September 11, 2001, Americans have suffered more violent terrorism from figures connected to right-wing and white supremacist groups than from Islamic extremists. Given that reality, Christiana Mbakwe asks a simple question: Why dont we cover white supremacy the way we cover ISIS?

In a piece for CJR, Mbakwe worries that there is a significant risk newsrooms will treat Charlottesville the way they treated the church murders in Charlestonlike an aberration rather than a symptom of an ideology knitted into the fabric of America. Indeed, while violent events like Charlottesville or Charleston rate intense national coverage, sustained reporting on white supremacy, its roots, the methods of its proponents, and their attempts to expand is harder to find.

Its past time, Mbakwe writes, for a white supremacy beat. In the past year, there have been steps in this direction. ProPublicas Documenting Hate project aims to collect and verify reports of hate crimes and bias incidents. But Mbakwe argues more is needed. She suggests journalists emulate the work of ISIS experts like The New York Timess Rukmini Callimachi, who has embedded in online communities used by terrorists and their sympathizers, and has reported on the ground from areas where terrorist groups are active. By focusing on all aspects of ISIS, from ideology, to propaganda strategies, to recruitment, to execution of attacks, Callimachis continuous reporting has created a window into the way the group operates.

Hours after Mbakwes piece posted, Rachel Kaadzi Ghansahs exploration of Dylann Roof demonstrated what apex reporting on the white supremacy beat would look like. Ghansahs piece, A Most American Terrorist: The Making of Dylann Roof, deserves all of the praise its getting. After traveling to Charleston with the intention of reporting on Roofs nine victims, Ghansah instead found herself drawn to the silent terrorist who refused to explain himself. I decided that if he would not tell us his story, then I would, she writes. Her story for GQ is well worth your time.

Below, more coverage of white supremacy.

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Other notable stories

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
Angolans are preparing to go to the polls on Wednesday to choose a new president as the countrys long-serving ruler Jose Eduardo dos Santos is stepping down after thirty eight years in power.

Electioneering campaigns in the central African oil-rich ended on Monday (August 21) two clear days to the opening of polls.The Peoples Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which has ruled the country since independence from Portugal in 1975, is expected to win this weeks election.

While many credit President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, 74, for leading the country to recovery at the end of the war in 2002, others accuse him of staying in office too long.

He has also been dogged by rumors of ill health, after travelling to Spain for medical reasons and returning for a second time last month, The BBC reports.

His party held its final rally on Saturday with its presidential candidate Joao Lourenco  a former Defense Minister  selling the message of continuity. According to him, the MPLA is the only entity that could guarantee stability in the country.

The countrys main two opposition parties, National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and Broad Convergence for the Salvation of Angola  Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE), have complained of irregularities in the electoral process.

CASA-CE said on Monday it will use a computer program to minimize the chances of ballot-rigging in Wednesdays election.

With Angola in the midst of an economic crisis caused by a fall in oil prices, opposition parties sense a political opportunity, Reuters reports.
Through his largest donation in 17 years, Bill Gates recently reaffirmed his commitment to education last week when Bloomberg reported he was pledging $4.6 billion to his personal foundation.

Gates has prioritized education reform and, more specifically, educational technology through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  which last month received a $3.17 billion pledge from Warren Buffett  for years. Notably, he's been outspoken in the past that software companies must do more to help children learn more effectively with technology's aid.

"It's amazing how little the typical classroom has changed over the years," Gates writes on his blog last year. In fact, he addressed the education-technology gap five years ago before an audience of top professors and researchers at the 2013 Microsoft Research Faculty Summit.

"Software has only achieved a very small portion of what we want it to do and even what we need it to do," Gates says in a discussion on how computing can improve society.

In a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" last year, he added: "A lot of the issue is helping kids stay engaged. If they don't feel the material is relevant or they don't have a sense of their own ability they can check out too easily. The technology has not done enough to help with this yet."
Google's Chromebooks have made inroads in the education market, so much that Microsoft has built its own Windows laptop to compete with them.

Now Google looks keen to take share in Microsoft's real stronghold: big companies.

On Tuesday Google is launching Chrome Enterprise, a service that will give IT admins inside enterprises the ability to manage devices running Google's open-source Chrome OS desktop operating system, using tools they're already familiar with. The new license, which will cost $50 per year per Chrome OS device, is an enhancement of the Chrome device management license that's been available since 2011.

Admins can start using existing user profiles in Microsoft Active Directory software running in on-premises data centers for managing employees' Chromebook use. Additionally admins will be able to manage Chromebooks from VMware's Airwatch enterprise mobility management software, with alternatives to come later.

The new license is Google's attempt to improve the software part of the equation to get big companies to buy more Chromebooks. Google has previously tried to entice companies with discounts on Chromebooks themselves. More recently Google has gotten third-party hardware makers to develop non-laptop Chrome OS devices, including a Samsung convertible tablet with an integrated stylus.

Worldwide Chromebook shipments were up 38 percent in 2016, while the overall PC market dropped 6 percent, Gartner said last month.

The move comes after Apple has partnered with Cisco, Deloitte, IBM and SAP in an effort to get iOS devices into enterprises. Both Apple and Google are eager to displace Windows in the enterprise.

To make Chromebooks more versatile and less limited to what's available on the web, Google has been taking steps to bring the Google Play Store to Chromebooks, opening the door to millions of Android apps. The Play Store now works on more than 25 types of Chromebooks, and company administrators can restrict or allow specific Android apps to be run on Chrome OS devices, Google group product manager Eve Phillips told CNBC in an interview.
Smoke billows following a reported air strike by Syrian government forces in the rebel-held parts of Jobar in Damascus, Syria on August 9, 2017.

Two North Korean shipments to a Syrian government agency responsible for the country's chemical weapons program were intercepted in the past six months, according to a confidential United Nations report on North Korea sanctions violations.

The report by a panel of independent U.N. experts, which was submitted to the U.N. Security Council earlier this month and seen by Reuters on Monday, gave no details on when or where the interdictions occurred or what the shipments contained.

"The panel is investigating reported prohibited chemical, ballistic missile and conventional arms cooperation between Syria and the DPRK (North Korea)," the experts wrote in the 37-page report.

"Two member states interdicted shipments destined for Syria. Another Member state informed the panel that it had reasons to believe that the goods were part of a KOMID contract with Syria," according to the report.

KOMID is the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation. It was blacklisted by the Security Council in 2009 and described as Pyongyang's key arms dealer and exporter of equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. In March 2016 the council also blacklisted two KOMID representatives in Syria.

"The consignees were Syrian entities designated by the European Union and the United States as front companies for Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC), a Syrian entity identified by the Panel as cooperating with KOMID in previous prohibited item transfers," the U.N. experts wrote.
Attorneys for America's oldest gun maker say gun owners' suspicions about the government may explain why only a relative handful have expressed interest in getting their Remington rifles repaired under a nationwide class action settlement. Nonetheless, they say claims have jumped roughly 25 percent since February, and that is reason enough for a federal appeals court to let the settlement proceed.

Timing is critical, with this year's hunting season just a few months away.

The case involves Remington's iconic Model 700 rifle, as well as a dozen other Remington firearms with similar designs. CNBC first reported in 2010 on allegations that, for decades, Remington covered up a design flaw that allows the guns to fire without the trigger being pulled.

Lawsuits have linked the alleged defect to dozens of deaths and hundreds of serious injuries. Remington has steadfastly denied the allegations. The company maintains that the guns are safe and free of defects, and blames all of the incidents on user errors.

Nonetheless, the company has agreed to replace the trigger mechanisms in nearly all of the guns, free of charge, in hopes of putting the matter behind itself once and for all. Earlier this year, a federal judge in Kansas City approved the class action settlement, which covers roughly 7.5 million guns.

But two Model 700 owners  a sheriff's deputy in Louisiana and an attorney in Oklahoma  appealed the ruling to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Lewis Frost and Richard Denney accuse Remington of deliberately downplaying the risk from the guns in order to suppress claims under the settlement. They argue that the small number of claims  only about 22,000 as of February  proves the company has not done enough to notify the public.

Attorneys general from 13 states and the District of Columbia have also urged the appeals court to reject the settlement, calling the guns a threat to public safety.

If the owners of all 7.5 million guns were to submit claims, the repairs would cost Remington upwards of half a billion dollars, according to multiple court filings. As of last week, according to Remington and plaintiffs' attorneys, the number of claims had risen to 29,214. While that still represents less than half of one percent of the guns in question, Remington argues in its latest filing that the figure is significant.

"Low claims rates are hardly unusual in consumer class actions," the filing says, adding that the issue is especially tricky when it comes to guns.

"Rifle owners may be suspicious of any claims process that involves the government and lawyers," the filing says.

Attorneys for class action plaintiffs  who stand to collect $12.5 million in fees if the appeal is denied  agree that the settlement is fair, and that the public has received ample notice.

"Both the agreement and claims process have been extensively publicized through the formal due process notice plan, supplemental notice plan, and independent media," they write.

It is not clear how long it will take before the appeals court rules on the settlement. Regardless, it is unlikely that customers who send in their guns will get them back in time for this fall's hunting season.

The official web site for the settlement estimates the repair process will take 12 weeks from the time Remington receives the gun, and all claims are currently on hold as the appeal process plays out.

In addition, some owners will be unable to get their guns retrofitted at all. Under the settlement, owners of some of the oldest models are only eligible to receive a Remington product voucher worth as little as $10.

In addition to the Model 700, the settlement covers Remington models Seven, Sportsman 78, 673, 710, 715, 770, 600, 660, 721, 722, 725, and the XP-100 pistol.
Most Armenia residents still go to Georgia for vacation

The vast majority of tourists from Armenia continue to prefer neighboring Georgia for spending their vacation, according to Zhoghovurd (People) newspaper.People [from Armenia] not only prefer to spend their holidays there, but they head off to European countries from the Tbilisi or the Kutaisi airports; the reason is much lower prices.It is noteworthy that Armenia runs an open skies policy for several years already, but solely Russian [airline] companies benefit from it, whereas the others gradually come out of the [aviation] market [in Armenia], wrote Zhoghovurd.
President Donald Trump said Monday night the United States will ramp up engagement in the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, despite his "original instinct" to pull American troops out of the country.

In a major address at Virginia's Fort Myer, the president did not detail how many more U.S. troops he would send or specifically what he felt it would take for the U.S. to finally achieve victory in its longest war ever.

Trump, who won the White House in part on a promise to reduce intervention in conflicts overseas, said "the American people are weary of war without victory." But he said he chose to keep troops in Afghanistan based on the consequences of a swift withdrawal, which he said would create a "vacuum" that terrorists would "instantly fill."

"We cannot repeat the mistake in Afghanistan our leaders made in Iraq," Trump told the soldiers gathered for the speech.

"One way or another, these problems will be solved. I am a problem solver. And in the end, we will win," he said.

Trump said he and his advisors decided the way forward on Afghanistan at the Camp David presidential retreat Friday, following a long series of deliberations. Trump had reportedly been reluctant to let U.S. involvement drag on  he repeatedly slammed the Obama administration for staying in Afghanistan as costs and casualties mounted.

Ultimately, the president said his decision came down to three factors:

He wanted an outcome "worthy" of the sacrifices made, "especially the sacrifice of lives."

The president said he feared that terror groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS could fill a void left by U.S. troops.

Trump also said he felt that the U.S. faced "immense" security threats in the region.

"We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists," Trump said, vowing to defeat terror groups "handily."

The conflict has dragged on for nearly 16 years even after Trump and President Barack Obama won the White House while pledging to roll back U.S. interventionism. Obama said he would pull the U.S. out of Afghanistan, but did not.

About 8,400 American troops are in Afghanistan, down from a peak of about 100,000 in 2010 according to NBC News. Trump was reportedly considering sending up to 4,000 more troops to train and advise Afghan forces in the ongoing counterterrorism fight.

Nearly 2,400 U.S. military personnel have died during the conflict.

Trump did not go into great detail about how his Afghanistan policy would prove more effective than those his predecessors used. He gave broad outlines of how it would change.

Trump said he wants to base his decisions about personnel on conditions on the ground, not on timetables. He also said he will not announce planned movements.

"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said.

At least two top congressional Democrats decried what they called a lack of detail in Trump's strategy.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a statement that he directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to "make preparations" for Trump's strategy  while stating more clearly than Trump that the U.S. is adding troops in Afghanistan.

"I will be in consultation with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies  several of which have also committed to increasing Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists their troop numbers. Together, we will assist the Afghan Security forces to destroy the terrorist hub," Mattis said.

Trump also aims to put more pressure on Pakistan than his predecessor did. He accused the country of harboring terrorists.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists," he said.

Trump added that he wants Pakistan-rival India to provide more support in rooting out terrorism in the region.
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U.S. Navy ships have been involved in four accidents in Asian waters this year, including three collisions and one ship that ran aground. "The two severe collisions within two months show that the U.S. Navy's combat readiness level and military management level have both declined," said the Global Times. The newspaper added, however, that the "missing and injured U.S. sailors deserve sympathy." Commentaries in state Chinese media are widely followed for insight into government thinking.

US Navy 'behaved arrogantly'

The Global Times said the U.S. Pacific Command is not working to avoid collisions in the South China Sea. "Its activities only aim at putting China in check," the editorial said. "U.S. warships are constantly involved in accidents around the South China Sea. On the one hand, the U.S. Navy has behaved arrogantly in the Asia-Pacific region. It lacks respect for huge merchant ships and fails to take evasive action in time, thus resulting in serious accidents," it added. On the other hand, U.S. warships also patrol the region "too frequently." Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a scheduled press conference on Monday that China is "concerned about the threat and hidden danger posed by the relevant incident to the safety of navigation in the South China Sea and relevant waters. We hope that the relevant issue can be handled properly." The U.S. Navy announced a fleet-wide investigation and plans temporary halts in operations to focus on safety. The navies of the United States, Malaysia and Singapore continued their search for the 10 American service members on Tuesday. Read Global Times' editorial about the USS John S. McCain collision and the U.S. Navy's operations in the South China Sea.

WATCH: Why Trump's foreign policy is on a collision course in the South China Sea
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President Donald Trump plans to outline his strategy for the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan during a nationally televised address Monday night.

The remarks from Fort Myer, Virginia, come at a particularly challenging time for the president, as he faces lingering bipartisan backlash following his response to violence at a white supremacist rally in Virginia earlier this month.

The U.S. may decide to send nearly 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan to train and advise Afghan forces in the ongoing counterterrorism fight against the Taliban and an affiliate of the Islamic State group, according to The Associated Press. Trump said he and his advisors decided the way forward on Afghanistan at the Camp David presidential retreat Friday, following what was a a reportedly long series of deliberations.

Trump's decision on whether to ramp up engagement in the conflict is a crucial one. He won the White House in part on a policy of reducing engagement in foreign conflicts. President Barack Obama pledged to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they were still ongoing when he left office, despite an overall drawdown in troops.

AMP readers can click here to watch the stream.
His official salary is $45,936, but he's worth over $21 billion

Less than two weeks ago, Musk became $5 billion richer, Bloomberg first reported, raising his worth up to $21.3 billion. He is now the 37th most wealthy person in the world, according to Bloomberg's index of the world's 500 richest people.

According to Tesla's 2017 annual proxy statement, Musk's total cash compensation consists of an annual base salary of $45,760, but he doesn't actually accept it. While he doesn't accept an annual salary, Musk is one of the best-compensated executives. In fact, Bloomberg reports he earned a total of $99,744,920 including stock options and a spot in the top five highest paid executives in 2016.

He comes from a family of entrepreneurs

His mom, Maye Musk, is a model, nutritionist and sparked the entrepreneurial spirit in his family. elon mom While Elon works on and digging urban , Kimbal is pioneering a sustainable food movement and Tosca is making moves in the film industry with her upcoming launch of PassionFlix, the Netflix for romance movies.

He survived on $1 a day at age 17

Musk moved from his native South Africa to begin his college studies in North America. He first emigrated to "see what it takes to live," he tells Neil DeGrasse Tyson on his StarTalk radio show in 2015. Musk found that "in America, it's pretty easy to keep yourself alive."

"My threshold for existing is pretty low, I figured could be in some dingy apartment with my computer and be okay," Musk tells DeGrasse Tyson. So he tried to live on one dollar per day. He did so by buying food in bulk at the supermarket. "I went more for the hotdogs and oranges, you do get really tired of hotdogs and oranges after a while," Musk says, mixing things up every now and then with some "pasta and green pepper and a big thing of sauce" which he said could "go pretty far too."

He's a Ph.D. dropout

"When I was in college I was thinking, well, what is going to most affect the future of humanity? You know, electric cars, solar power, essentially sustainable consumption," Musk tells DeGrasse Tyson on StarTalk. He started studying physics at Queen's University in Canada, transferred after two years to the University of Pennsylvania and got a second bachelor's degree in economics at the Wharton School. Musk tweet He continued on to Stanford to pursue a Ph.D. in applied physics but dropped out to start a company with his brother.

He ran a speakeasy in college

While at the University of Pennsylvania, Musk found a fellow transfer student, Adeo Ressi, to rent an off-campus house, Business Insider reports according to the school's alumni magazine. The two started hosting parties as a way to not only meet people, but also make some money. The alumni magazine reports Ressi and Musk hired bouncers, cleaning crews and still charged enough to pocket a little extra money. "They do that sort of thing all the time now, but back when we did it (in the 1990s), everyone thought it was clever and businesslike," Ressi tells the magazine.



He has a series of traditions with his five kids...

A week ahead of his anticipated Thanksgiving Day SpaceX launch in 2013, he tweeted about a pre-launch tradition he has with his kids. Together, they visit Disney World, just an hour drive from SpaceX's launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

...and he created a school for them
Worried a tough interview means you're out of the running for a job? You may not need to be. According to a study released by job search platform Glassdoor, more challenging job interviews are linked to higher employee satisfaction in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany and France. Glassdoor found that the interview process in many countries is not only more difficult, but also longer today than many would expect. The process varies by industry as well.

Among the 25 countries observed, the average interview process took about 24 days. For some U.S. cities, like Washington, D.C., the process can be as long as 33 days  likely due to the high volume of government agency jobs, which have an average interview process of about 53 days. "When there is a higher degree of job difficulty during the interview, employers are trying to find the best talent which is different from good talent," Glassdoor Community Expert Scott Dobroski, tells CNBC Make It. While Glassdoor's statistics show that a 10 percent more difficult job interview is associated with a 2.6 percent higher employee satisfaction rate, the job search platform found that job-seeking employees still place high value on a smooth interview process where the employer communicates clearly and is transparent and educational.
The Federal Reserve shrinking its balance sheet, not political gridlock, is the biggest risk for markets in the future, according to Boston Advisors President and CIO Michael Vogelzang.

"The biggest risk we haven't talked about and one that, frankly, is more important than the political agenda, is what the Federal Reserve is doing in shrinking their balance sheet," he said in an interview with CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Tuesday.

Vogelzang added the market is up 15 percent a year over the last seven years, since the beginning of the Fed's quantitative easing program.

He said that after the Fed said in June that it was looking at shrinking the balance sheet, "the headwind is much stronger."

A methodical unwinding of the balance sheet is critical to not roiling markets, according to Vogelzang.

Politics still play an important role in today's markets, he said. "It makes up the tapestry, it's a big part of it," he said.

James Norman, president of QS Investors, said in the same interview that while economic fundamentals are strong at the moment, political inaction "could potentially derail those economic indicators."

Vogelzang said, "Getting agenda items done," like tax reform and infrastructure is more important than conflict resolution, politically.

"It's not so much whether you like the guy or whether he's effective as president ... it's really about can he get stuff done and I think right now the market is getting a little worried about that," Vogelzang said.
Blue Apron has instituted a hiring freeze for its salaried employees and laid off 14 members of its recruiting team, who were responsible for employing operations and technical employees.

The meal kit delivery services' vice president of human resources, Kate Muzzatti, stepped down Aug. 11, just as the company had begun to ramp up its new fulfillment center in Linden, New Jersey, the company told CNBC.

Bloomberg was the first to report Muzzatti's departure.

In a statement to CNBC, CEO Matt Salzberg said Blue Apron had recently made changes to its organizational structure and created a new consumer products team and a team for its plant in Linden.

"As part of these changes, we temporarily paused hiring for certain positions, while keeping others open, for the duration of our 2018 resource allocation process," he said. "As a result, we implemented a small reduction in staff on our recruiting team."

Blue Apron is still hiring for certain corporate positions as well as hourly fulfillment center workers and is in the final stages of hiring for a new chief human resources officer position, the company told CNBC.

Muzzatti's departure occurred a day after reports surfaced about unexpected costs at Blue Apron's new plant in New Jersey dragging marketing spending down. Her resignation comes just a month after co-founder Matt Wadiak left his post as chief operating officer and transitioned to a senior advisory role.

Blue Apron shares closed up slightly at $5.25 on Tuesday.
Free Democrats & Republicans union for local elections fails

By Messenger Staff

Two non-parliamentary opposition parties, the Republicans and the Free Democrats, who came to power within the Georgian Dream coalition via the 2012 parliamentary elections, failed to create an election bloc for the upcoming local elections in the autumn.The two parties, which failed to gain any seats in the 150-member legislative body after the 2016 parliamentary elections, quit the Georgian Dream coalition different times-the Free Democrats in 2014 and the Republicans in 2016.Both of the parties ,who are pro-western in their aims, faced serious problems after the last years elections, with many influential members leaving the parties.After the failure of the union the Free Democrats, which was once chaired by ex-Defence Minister Irakli Alasania, made a decision not to participate in the local elections at all.The Republicans will run in the race.Speaking about the blocs failure a leader of Free Democrats Shalva Shavgulidze did not name definite reasons, saying there were many details, dependent neither on Republicans nor on Free Democrats, which played against the union.Shavgulidze admitted that unsuccessful negotiation with Tbilisi City Councils independent member, Aleko Elisashvili, over Tbilisi Mayoral post was one of the components that negatively influenced on the unification process.Elisashvili, who is described as one of the strongest candidates for the position, is running as an independent candidate for Tbilisi Mayors post, as he avoided affiliation with any political group.It is regrettable that Georgian opposition nearly always fail to merge their forces in a critical moment, which generally leads in favour of a ruling party .People in Georgia always complain about obsession with certain politicians, to whom people vote and not to political parties and their election programs.In 2003 and in the following years such person was Georgias third President Mikheil Saakashvili, who managed to unite several groups against his processors leadership.In 2012 billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili managed to merge the opposition against Saakashvili.As it appears Georgian opposition parties still require a leader to unite them, which speaks only negatively about the political parties and people in general.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note traded at 2.206 percent at 12:22 p.m. ET, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was higher at 2.778 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

U.S. Treasury yields rose on Tuesday, as investors turned digested data ahead of a meeting of central bankers later on this week.

In international news, Italian bond yields jumped after proposals to introduce a parallel currency in Italy added to political pressures. Italy's 10-year bond yield climbed 8 basis points to a three-week high at 2.11 percent, stretching the gap against the German bund, according to Reuters.

The spread between the Italian 10-year and the German 10-year is about 1.701, the highest since mid-July.

On the central bank front, no major speeches are set to take place by the Federal Reserve on Tuesday, however investors will be looking to the 2017 Economic Policy Symposium on "Fostering a Dynamic Global Economy" at Jackson Hole due later on this week.

At the meeting, Fed Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi are both set to speak, with investors watching the event closely for any indications when it comes to monetary policy outlook.

Meanwhile, politics will remain on the minds of investors, after President Donald Trump committed the U.S. to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, reversing course from what Trump had pledged during his election campaign; Reuters reported.

On the data front, the Philadelphia Fed non-manufacturing business outlook survey's broadest measure of manufacturing conditions, the diffusion index of current activity, fell slightly from 19.5 in July to 18.9 in August.

Also in data news, U.S. home prices rose 1.6 percent in the second quarter of 2017 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price Index (HPI). House prices rose 6.6 percent from the second quarter of 2016 to the second quarter of 2017.
The sea search by aircraft and ships from the U.S., Singapore and Malaysian navies will continue east of Singapore where the McCain and the tanker collided at daybreak Monday, the 7th Fleet said, but the shift of focus to the McCain itself is a blow to families still hoping for a miracle.

The McCain, a guided missile destroyer, was about five miles off the coast of Malaysia and headed for routine port visit to Singapore when it collided with the Liberian-flagged Alnic MC, 600-foot oil and chemical tanker.

Swift said the Malaysian Navy has reported locating other potential remains and are working to confirm the identities. Naval ships from Singapore and Malaysia were aiding the U.S. Navy in a massive search that was continuing Tuesday, Swift said.

Divers investigating damage to the ship "were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartment during their search," said Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Navy and Marine Corps divers on Tuesday located the remains of some of the 10 sailors missing from the USS John S. McCain following its collision with an oil tanker off the Malaysia coast, the Navy said Tuesday.

"Equipped with surface supplied air rigs, divers will access sealed compartments located in damaged parts of the ship" the fleet said in a statement announcing that divers had joined the search. "Additionally, they will conduct damage assessments of the hull and flooded areas."

The collision tore a gaping hole in the McCain's left rear hull and flooded adjacent compartments including crew berths and machinery and communication rooms. Five sailors were injured. The destroyer is now docked at Singapore's naval base.

It was the second major collision in two months involving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet and the Navy has ordered a broad investigation into its performance and readiness. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan.

Megan Partlow of Ohio, who says her fiancee was on board the McCain, told The Associated Press in a Facebook message that they last communicated on Sunday and she was losing hope of seeing him again.

"My last text to him was 'be safe', which is the same way we end every conversation. I'm just ready for answers," she said. The identities of the missing have not been disclosed but Partlow said her fiancee's parents were in touch with the Navy's family assistance center.

Navy Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, on Monday ordered a pause in 7th Fleet operations for the next couple of days to allow commanders to get together with leaders, sailors and command officials and identify any immediate steps that need to be taken to ensure safety.

A broader U.S. Navy review will look at the 7th Fleet's performance, including personnel, navigation capabilities, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, munitions, certifications and how sailors move through their careers. Richardson said the review will be conducted with the help of the Navy's office of the inspector general, the safety center and private companies that make equipment used by sailors.

The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea.

The guided-missile destroyer and the Alnic MC oil tanker collided about 4.5 nautical miles (8.3 kilometers) from Malaysia's coast at the start of a designated sea lane for ships sailing into the busy Singapore Strait.

There was no immediate explanation for the collision. Singapore, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the world's busiest ports and a U.S. ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships.

The Singapore government said no crew were injured on the Liberian-flagged Alnic, which sustained damage to a compartment at the starboard, or right, side at the front of the ship some 7 meters (23 feet) above its waterline. The ship had a partial load of fuel oil, according to the Greek owner of the tanker, Stealth Maritime Corp. S.A., but no apparent spill.

Several safety violations were recorded for the oil tanker at its last port inspection in July, one fire safety deficiency and two safety-of-navigation problems. The official database for ports in Asia doesn't go into details and the problems apparently were not serious enough for the tanker to be detained.
It is not just politicians who have cause to complain about fake news.

Starbucks fell victim to fakery this month when tweets advertising "Dreamer Day", in which the coffee chain would supposedly give out free frappuccinos to undocumented migrants in the US, spread at lightning speed online.

Advertisements including the company's logo, signature font and pictures of its drinks were circulated with the hashtag "#borderfreecoffee". But it was dreamt up by a hoaxer.

"How about we meme 'Undocumented Immigrant Day' at Starbucks into existence?" one user of the messaging board 4Chan had asked on August 2. "Could cripple their business a bit."

Starbucks raced to deny the event, replying to individuals on Twitter that it was "completely false" and that people had been "completely misinformed".

Yet the rapid spread of the fake news showed again the power of social platforms to damage reputations, and illustrated how companies are having to be more vigilant and creative in responding.

Snopes, the factchecker, compiles a top 50 of "hot" fake news stories, and in a recent week 12 were about companies.

They included false reports of Ulta , a beauty chain, closing after a buyout, an Xbox console killing a teenager and Costco , the warehouse chain, no longer selling memberships.

The 4Chan user who faked the Starbucks news was politically motivated: he wrote that he was searching for a "liberal place" and said that if illegal immigrants gathered there, he would call the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Other companies have also been targeted by suspected Trump supporters, such as with the false story that Indra Nooyi, Pepsi chief executive, told the president's supporters to "take their business elsewhere".

Much fake news is not motivated by politics, however, but by the hope of generating advertising revenue  or just attention-seeking.

Brooke Binkowski, managing editor of Snopes, says: "It hurts businesses financially and it also makes things toxic for them by destroying trust and creating an atmosphere in which people don't know who they can trust. It is the same tactics that were levelled on us as a country, really."

Companies have long had to deal with news stories that claim a "particular brand of soda causes cancer", says Mandy Jenkins, head of news at Storyful, a social news site.

But now the problems of a disgruntled customer or employee can become twisted as they are broadcast to the world.

"A few years ago, you would never imagine this was something you had to deal with," she says.

"Maybe you would get a letter from a person. Now, millions of people know about the incident because maybe someone had a bad day working in McDonald's in Kansas."

The major internet companies have introduced measures to try to slow the spread of misinformation this year. Facebook and Google have tried to cut fake news sites off from their advertising platforms, so they cannot make money.

Facebook has partnered with fact-checkers such as Snopes so that users can flag any news they suspect is fake.

If it is declared false by the fact-checkers, it is tagged as "disputed" and its ranking in the news feed is lowered. Twitter has systems for reporting accounts that attempt to impersonate a brand.

But the platforms have not created special avenues for companies to report fake news before it potentially affects a share price or sales.

PR and crisis management teams are relying on other services: Storyful now has an arm that provides business intelligence on what is being said on social media, and PR firm Weber Shandwick is marketing crisis simulation software called Firebell to prepare companies for being caught in a social media firestorm, whether it is a fake story or a presidential tweet.

Leslie Gaines-Ross, Weber Shandwick's chief reputation strategist, says companies are now realising how vigilant they must be, recruiting every employee to be their eyes and ears on social media.

Monsanto has been dealing with rumours about its genetically modified crops for years. It learnt it needed to switch its focus from engaging with farmers and investors to looking at the broader internet.

Vance Crowe, Monsanto's director of millennial engagement, says he tries to stop rumours at their origin, spending time "hanging out" online with different "tribes".

"The agricultural tribe is really heavily on Twitter, they are sitting in combines and planters and listening to podcasts. Sceptics spend a lot of time on sites like Reddit and have their own YouTube channels," he said.

He does not combat the reports directly but tries to connect with "the underlying values of this tribe".

What is shared on social media is an expression of group loyalty, he said. "If you shoot at it, people don't view that as you shooting at their idea, they view that as you shooting at their friend," he said.

Monsanto's tactics were tested when a fake news story on WorldTruth.TV claimed that its pesticides were responsible for the microcephaly cases in Brazil, not the Zika virus.

Mr Crowe said Monsanto encouraged its employees to use social media and, declaring they worked for Monsanto, represent their case to friends and contacts.

The company believes that their message was distributed as effectively, if not more so, as anything that came from the company directly and it became a "point of pride" for employees, Mr Crowe said  a small win in the battle against fake news.

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Crisp dry weather leaves hop buyers fearing bitter harvest

Globalisation in retreat: capital flows decline since crisis

US-led air strikes blamed for surge in civilian deaths in Raqqa
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's insistence that the U.S. government will not default on its debt may have laid the ground work for a potential rally, CNBC's Jim Cramer said Tuesday.

During a public event Monday in Kentucky with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, McConnell said there was "zero chance  no chance" that Congress would fail to raise the debt ceiling.

"(It) was really important and I think that can be an underpinning for a potential rally given the fact until he said that I think it was just chaos," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street."

Cramer added that he does not think that means the Trump administration will get anything done on taxes soon but at least "we're not going to suffer from a debt downgrade."

"I think McConnell is trustworthy on this issue," Cramer said.

Regarding tax reform, Politico reported Tuesday that the Trump administration is making strides on finding the best ways to pay for individual and corporate tax cuts.

On Monday night, House Speaker Paul Ryan told CNN that getting tax reform through might be easier than overhauling health care.

Cramer said repatriation is key for tax reform. "One-time repatriation would make it so there is a lot of stocks that I don't like right now that I would really like."

Cramer added he doesn't see why Trump doesn't say, "tax reform is good for us  we all get more money."

"I do not understand the whole dialogue," Cramer said. "Health care is the hardest thing in the world. They picked the hardest thing in the world to start off with. Tax reform, where tax reform means tax cuts, we all favor tax cuts, particularly when it comes to election time."
Shares of U.S. defense companies rose in early trading Tuesday, a day after President Donald Trump said the U.S. will stay engaged in the war in Afghanistan.

Northrop Grumman stock rose 1 percent, while Lockheed Martin and Boeing advanced more than 0.7 percent. Boeing and Northrop were also awarded contracts for intercontinental ballistic missile system replacements.

In a primetime address, Trump said that a swift U.S. troops withdrawal from Afghanistan would create a "vacuum" that terrorists would "instantly fill."

"We cannot repeat the mistake in Afghanistan our leaders made in Iraq," Trump added.

Trump had promised to reduce overseas intervention during his campaign, but said in his speech he wanted an outcome to the nearly 16-year-long conflict that was "worthy" of the sacrifices made, "especially the sacrifice of lives."

He also called out Pakistan for being a terrorist hotbed, accusing it of harboring militants. Trump warned Pakistan of the consequences if it didn't crack down on sweeping fundamentalism.

"The U.S. can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban and others, that pose a threat to the region and beyond. ... No partnership can survive a country's harboring of militants," Trump said.

Those remarks sent Pakistani stocks plummeting, with the KSE 100 index shedding 2.2 percent on Tuesday.

CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.
If there is a Democratic wave election in 2018, the tide will probably bring in individuals like Brendan Kelly, a state's attorney in St. Clair County and former Navy officer who's never run for the state legislature or Congress.

For Democrats like 41-year-old Kelly  a clean-cut Irishman and University of Notre Dame alum who's prosecuted corruption on both sides of the aisle and sat on the school board  entering national politics is no longer distasteful. It's necessary.

"The things that have made us unique and special in history  the institutions of democracy and rule of law  are threatened in a way they probably haven't been in our lifetime," Kelly told USA TODAY during a recent 90-minute car ride through his southwestern Illinois district with vast rural pockets.

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Kansas Democratic candidate vows to vote against Nancy Pelosi for leader

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Over 45,000 pounds of sugar dumped in Times Square illustrates alarming child health trend

While Kelly's desire to run has gathered for four years, "We are now at a critical turning point in the story of our country," said Kelly. "The outcome will be determined by people who are willing to step forward and show a little courage," he said.

Much like the Republican men and women who swept into Washington in the 2010 Tea Party wave, the majority of Democratic candidates are new to state-level or national politics. Unlike the Tea Party, many of these Democrats have a long record of public service. They are former public prosecutors, doctors, CIA operatives and veterans, and they are concentrated in "heartland" states like Kansas, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota.

Even as the Democratic Party is being far out raised at the national level by the Republican National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that works to elect House members was outpacing its Republican counterpart for the third month in a row in July. Democrats hope top tier recruits like Kelly will give them a shot at contesting so-called "Obama-Trump" districts to win back the House. The Democratic primary is next March.

After supporting Obama by four points in 2012, residents in this working-class district  bordering the Mississippi River to the west  backed Trump by 12 points even as they elected a Democratic senator, Tammy Duckworth, by nine points. Republican Mike Bost has held the seat since 2014. When Kelly entered the race last month, several of the nation's top political handicappers moved the race to competitive for Democrats. Bost's campaign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the summer of an off-year election, a number of candidates similar to Kelly in Trump districts have already decided to run.

Others include Michigan Sixth District's Matt Longjohn, who recently stepped down from his role as the first national physician executive in the YMCA's 170-year history and is challenging incumbent Republican Fred Upton. Elissa Slotkin is a former CIA official and acting assistant secretary of Defense who lives on a cattle farm in Holly, Mich., and whose grandfather invented the famous "Ballpark Frank" first sold at Tiger Stadium. She is challenging Mike Bishop.

These are what the Democratic Party's version of "outsiders" look like in 2017.

The Democratic Party wants individuals who can't be tarred as career politicians or party insiders. Kelly was more than willing to find fault with both parties. He criticized the president's handling of the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville and condemned some Tea Party members as bordering "on anarchy," while declining to commit to supporting Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., continuing as party leader.

"The party has lost its way in terms of acting on the economic concerns of people who, traditionally, the Democratic Party has fought for," he said. What's more, the nation's campaign finance system is forcing candidates of both parties to bow to the same big industry donors they are supposed to be policing, said Kelly.

Democrats need 24 seats to retake the House, and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won 23 of them. Even so, there's no way Democrats will win them all, because a number are occupied by popular incumbents.

That means they also need to win more than a handful of Trump House districts.

"There have been a number of Democratic candidates throwing their hats in after declining to do so during the Obama years," said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan newsletter at the University of Virginia. "What Democrats are looking for are people who are not easily identified with the national Democratic brand," he said.

Like many days this week, after finishing his day job, Kelly fired up a white Chevy Town and Country minivan, which his sons nicknamed "Beyonce," and drove himself a couple hundred miles through corn fields and small towns to events including a round table on opioid abuse and a barbeque. Several times, his cell phone blinked with potential donors and other supporters returning calls.

If he got to Congress, he would make a signature issue a constitutional amendment overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision finding political spending is protected speech under the First Amendment, in addition to pushing for tougher enforcement of trade agreements and a major infrastructure spending plan.

"Citizens United is probably the worst decision" made by the modern Supreme Court, he said. "It's tearing our country apart. Everywhere I go people have a visceral and enthusiastic response" to that message, he said.

The delicate challenge Kelly faces in running in a Trump district was on display.

Pressed several times on Trump's missteps, he put the emphasis on Congress, including its role in the opioid epidemic. In June, Kelly called Trump a "blowhard" in a meet-and-greet with Democrats. In addition to highlighting his ties to law enforcement, Kelly's making the heroin and opioid crisis ravaging rural areas a major focus.

He said Washington lawmakers ignored pleas for action by the Drug Enforcement Administration in both Democratic and Republican administrations while big pharmaceutical companies lining congressional coffers benefited from the over-prescription of pain killers like Oxycodone.

When asked about Bost's liabilities, Kelly didn't hesitate. "The bill they voted for would take away health care from 38,000 people in the 12th district. To deliberately choose to support that, I cannot live with that," he said.

Voters in his district like Autum Cullers, a 33-year-old medical assistant from Harrisburg, illustrate why that may be the right approach.

Cullers, who has family in coal mining, supports Trump because she says he's bringing jobs back and working on border security. Yet she also voted for Democratic Sen. Duckworth because of her military service and said she'd be open to learning more about Kelly.

For her, health care will be the top voting issue, and she had plenty of criticism of the GOP bill Bost supported that drastically cut Medicaid benefits. "There's a lot of single moms that work, and they need that," she said. "Something has to be done to make health care more affordable without just dropping people," she said.

Janet Belles, a 64-year-old retired home health aide who also voted for both Trump and Duckworth, also said health care will be her top voting issue. She blamed congressional Republicans and defended Trump, whom she said "is doing the right thing." On Bost, she said: "He could do a lot better job in some ways."

As Kelly seeks to appeal to such rural Trump voters, he is also making his ties to law enforcement and fighting corruption a major focus.

As state's attorney since 2010, Kelly's taken on several of the nation's largest banks for fraudulent mortgage lending and sued big pharmaceutical manufacturers for maximizing profits by deceiving patients about the dangers of certain opioids.

On a sunny Thursday, he met in Murphysboro at a Plumbers and Pipefitters Union hall with a couple dozen voters to discuss the opioid epidemic. While personal stories were shared, Dr. Thomas Kupferer, a family practice doctor, excused himself for arriving late. As county coroner, he was delayed after receiving a 32-year-old female who arrived "DOA," or dead on arrival, from a heroin overdose.

"There's not a single family that I know that hasn't been impacted" by the epidemic, Kelly told the group.

Kelly said he is confident Trump voters can be won over with an aggressive message on the economy and health care that is essential to curing the opioid crisis.

"We have to hear and listen and understand why folks voted the way they did and not look down on people, not judge people," he said.

"They are in some ways out of desperation looking for help," he said.
It will be very difficult to see the U.S. winning in Afghanistan but President Donald Trump had no easy options, Peter Westmacott, former U.K. ambassador to the U.S., told CNBC Tuesday.

President Trump changed his mind and .

Though he did not clarify how many soldiers would be deployed, he said the U.S. would not be focused on nation building but more on "killing terrorists."

"The president was obviously reluctant to go down this path," Westmacott told CNBC.

He said that Trump was probably influenced by the departure of Steve Bannon, a key advisor, and by very senior generals in the administration.

"It's going to be for this (decision) to be a win, as the president says, but there were no easy options and not doing something like this, he was advised it would make things a lot worse, and it would increase this insecurity, the risk to America from terrorist organizations running around in the Afghanistan," Westmacott said.

The U.S. military has been in Afghanistan for more than 15 years. Media reports suggest that up to 4,000 new U.S. soldiers could be deployed.

NATO, the defense alliance, welcomed on Tuesday the decision taken by President Trump. The group, who agreed to send troops to Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, has currently more than 12,000 troops in the country.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg recalled Tuesday that NATO had already committed to increasing its presence in Afghanistan.

However, President Trump should not expect a substantial support from his NATO allies, Westmacott warned.

"Yes, he will want NATO partners to be there but to be honest, the numbers that people are putting in, even the United Kingdom which has been a steadfast ally in this venture, are modest," he said.

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Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Toll Brothers  The luxury home builder earned 87 cents per share for its latest quarter, well above the 69-cent-a-share consensus estimate. Revenue was slightly below forecasts. Deliveries were up 26 percent over a year earlier, and the average price of those delivered homes was up 6.5 percent to $842,700.

Restaurant Brands International  The parent of Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes was rated "top pick" at UBS, which said it sees continued outperformance over the next 12 months based on accelerating unit growth and initiatives that are driving comparable sales.

Coty  The cosmetics company reported a breakeven quarter on an adjusted basis, compared to estimates of a nine cents per share profit. Revenue did beat forecasts, but the company's bottom line was impacted by significantly higher spending on marketing.

DSW  The shoe retailer earned an adjusted 38 cents per share for the second quarter, beating estimates by nine cents a share. Revenue beat forecasts and comparable sales were up 0.6 percent compared to the consensus Thomson Reuters estimate of a 2.1 percent decline. DSW also announced a $500 million stock buyback.

Hain Celestial - Susquehanna downgraded the natural products maker to "neutral" from "positive," based on valuation, competitive trends, and other factors.

Medtronic  The medical products maker reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.12 per share, four cents a share above estimates, though revenue missed forecasts. The company said revenue was hurt by a global computer system disruption and supply issues involving its diabetes sensors, but added those are temporary issues that should not prevent margin expansion.

Macy's - The retailer named senior eBay executive Hal Lawton as its new president, reporting to CEO Jeff Gennette. Lawton will join Macy's on September 8. Macy's also announced the restructuring of its management ranks, cutting about 100 jobs.

Tronc  Tronc named former Yahoo interim CEO Ross Levinsohn as chief executive officer and publisher of the Los Angeles Times.

Ford Motor  Ford signed a memorandum of understanding with China-based automaker Anhui to jointly build electric passenger vehicles in that country.

BHP Billiton  The mining company said it would exit its U.S. shale oil and gas business, as well as announcing a jump in full-year profits. Hedge fund Elliott Management had been urging BHP to reevaluate its oil and gas investment and take other steps to boost shareholder value.

TD Ameritrade  TD Ameritrade has launched a Facebook "chatbot", which lets customers access information from the online brokerage through Facebook's Messenger app.

Boeing , Northrop Grumman  The two defense contractors were awarded U.S. Air Force contracts to replace the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile system.

Fiat Chrysler  China's Great Wall Motor said it is indeed interested in bidding for all or part of the automaker, but clarified earlier reports by agreeing with Fiat Chrysler that it had not, in fact, approached the company about a possible deal.

Apple  Apple cut the time between order and delivery for its AirPod wireless headphones to two to three weeks from the prior four weeks. Earlier, the wait for AirPods had been as much as six weeks.

Tempur Sealy  Tempur Sealy was upgraded to "buy" from "hold" at Stifel Nicolaus, which also increased its price target on the mattress maker's stock to $80 from $60. Stifel said the company is recapturing market share at a "surprising" speed.

Ruby Tuesday  Ruby Tuesday announced a strategic plan dubbed "Plan To Win," designed to address sales and operational challenges and improve profitability. The plan comes as the restaurant chain reports falling sales and adjusted profits for its latest quarter compared to a year earlier.
While Odland stressed access over action, former Medtronic CEO Bill George told CNBC he's "proud of" the CEOs for their response.

"CEOs have many constituents: Customers, employees, owners. And we as a country are split politically, and those constituents are split politically," Odland said. "So, by supporting one aspect of politics you're by definition going against some of your other constituents. You have to be very careful as a CEO."

"The business community drives our economy," Odland told CNBC on Tuesday. "All the issues that were in place when the councils were established still are issues before us today, and these CEOs need to stay engaged, but they have to stay away from the politics."

But not all business leaders think the mass exodus was the right decision. Steve Odland, former CEO of Office Depot , argued on CNBC's " Squawk Alley " that business leaders should do their best to separate politics from policy, and should remain as engaged as they can with the White House.

Dozens of CEOs distanced themselves from President Donald Trump last week, many taking an explicitly moral stand against the president for his heavily criticized remarks after violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia .

"I think it was a very dramatic statement. We've not seen anything like this in the last 50 years," George said on "Squawk Box." "No one should associate with the KKK, white supremacists, neo-Nazis  these things are not a part of American society you want to ever encourage."

"CEOs are pragmatists, I agree with Steve on that. But I also think there is a moral line with their employees and their customers, and they want to hear the CEOs standing up and being counted on very important issues for them," George said.

George also said the councils were hardly the most effective way for CEOs to engage with the president, describing the monthly council meetings as little more than "photo ops."

"They'll continue to work with the president, but they'll do so individually. They don't need a council to do that, where they sit around a big table and nothing ever happens. They want to get something done," George said.

The Aug. 11 and 12 protests, organized by white supremacists and attended by KKK members and neo-Nazis, led to the death of one counterprotester and dozens of injuries. Trump's response on Aug. 12 offered condemnation "on many sides," a rhetorical tack that led Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck , to resign from the president's manufacturing council.

Frazier's initiative opened the floodgates, and a steady stream of CEOs resigned over the following days.

At a news conference the following Tuesday, Trump said the protests included "very fine people on both sides."

Explicitly responding to Trump's statements about Charlottesville, the 17 CEOs of the Strategic and Policy Forum agreed to disband the group the next day. Shortly after, Trump tweeted that he was ending both of his administration's councils of CEOs.

Odland said weighing in on politics as a CEO is "fraught with risk" because of the chance of alienating a constituency among one's customers or employees.

"We still have to stay engaged, and we've got to find the productive roles regardless of who's in the office. Whether it's somebody with a red shirt or somebody with a blue shirt, CEOs need to be agnostic about that and focused on what is good for America," Odland said.

"I hope that CEOs get back engaged and do so productively, because America needs them."
President Donald Trump blasted Pakistan for being a terrorist hotbed on Monday and stressed the need for stronger ties with India in remarks likely to worsen ties between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

During a speech focused on U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan, Trump accused Islamabad of harboring militants and warned of consequences if the government didn't crack down on sweeping fundamentalism.

"The U.S. can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban and others, that pose a threat to the region and beyond ... No partnership can survive a country's harboring of militants," he said.

A few sentences later, the leader brought India into the equation.

"The U.S. will further develop its strategic partnership with India," Trump said, referring to the realm of counter-terrorism. Washington wants New Delhi to help more with Afghanistan in areas of economic assistance and development, he added.
Vishal Sikka, CEO and MD of Infosys. Everett Rosenfeld | CNBC

One of India's tech darlings, Infosys , could fall out of favor with investors after its chief executive officer resigned unexpectedly on Friday following a clash between the company's founder and the board of directors. Vishal Sikka announced his departure in an email to his employees  which he subsequently uploaded onto his blog  where he said his decision was influenced by "distractions, the very public noise around us," that had created an "untenable atmosphere." Investors were quick to react: On Friday, the stock price fell 9.6 percent on the back of Sikka's resignation. On Monday, shares fell another 5.4 percent, and Reuters said the two-day spiral wiped about $5.2 billion in market value. Even a share buyback of up to 130 billion rupees ($2 billion) at a premium of 1,150 rupees per share, announced Saturday, failed to spur optimism among investors. The downward slide appeared to have halted momentarily on Tuesday, when shares closed near flat at 875.40 rupees, after being down more than 0.6 percent in morning trade. On Tuesday, India media reported that Infosys co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan met with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to brief him about the developments at the company.

Finding the right leader for the job

As interim CEO and managing director U.B. Pravin Rao and the board begin a search for Sikka's replacement, analysts said uncertainty at the helm could further weigh on Infosys stock price. Shares are already down more than 13 percent year-to-date. "While the initial damage to the stock price has already occurred, the possibility of short-term disruption and damage to longer term growth makes us cautious," said Nomura analysts Ashwin Mehta and Rishit Parikh in a recent note. They pointed out that Sikka's departure pushed back hopes of a turnaround for Infosys by at least two quarters as searching for a new CEO would take time. Even then, they said, the CEO could take further time to articulate a new strategy and put together a team that would carry it out. Sikka, the company's first non-founding CEO, was brought in to turn the business around and catch up with competitors such as (TCS), and . Sikka previously set a target for Infosys to reach $20 billion in revenue by 2020, but reportedly dropped the goal in June. In fiscal 2017, the company brought in just over $10 billion in revenues. That was despite after the U.S. said it would tighten work visa rules to rein in the number of foreign tech workers stateside.

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"Infosys under Dr. Sikka had closed the gap on organic growth versus peers and had performed better than most peers on EBIT and EPS growth," the Nomura analysts said. Their analysis showed Infosys' organic revenue in dollar terms grew 8 percent on a three-year compound annual growth rate basis, compared to 9 percent for TCS, 3 percent for Wipro and 12 percent for Cognizant. Normura also downgraded Infosys to "reduce" from "neutral" and lowered the target price to 875 rupees from 1,000 rupees.

Bad blood with the founder

Sikka's resignation was the result of ongoing bad blood between the Infosys board of directors and the company's main founder N.R. Narayana Murthy. According to media reports, Murthy reportedly said that several independent directors at Infosys told him Sikka was more suited to be a chief technology officer than CEO. He had also reportedly raised concerns over corporate governance issues at Infosys related to severance pay for a former executive and the acquisition of an Israeli software company under Sikka. The Infosys board on Friday put out a comprehensive statement where it blamed Murthy's "continuous assault" as the key reason for Sikka's departure. Analysts reckon the ongoing negativity between the founder and the board could generate further bad publicity for the company. Infosys could also see more departures among senior leaders in the coming months that could further push back its path to growth. "The resignation of Dr. Sikka is not normal and sets a big historical precedence to be considered by the new candidate," Sandeep Shah, an analyst at CIMB, said in a note. He added that such a change "brings along transitional issues, which may result in higher attrition amongst senior leaders." It could also create obstacles in expanding Infosys' order book and mining for large clients, he said. Nomura analysts pointed out that many senior leaders who are driving newer initiatives in key growth areas at Infosys were, like Sikka, brought in from German software company . That implies some of them could leave Infosys to potentially join Sikka in a new venture. "Infosys has continued to see senior management attrition with nearly 17 senior management exits since Dr. Sikka joined the company with more elevation in senior management attrition being seen over the last 1-1.5 years," the analysts said.

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The Los Angeles Times reported that the power couple is getting a mortgage of $52.8 million for their $88 million purchase of a newly built, 30,000-square-foot mansion. The deal is the most expensive home sale of the year in LA, topping an $85 million sale in Malibu. Forbes recently declared the couple as billionaires, with a net worth of $1.16 billion.



Their purchase is the most expensive of the year so far, topping designer Tom Ford's $85 million deal this spring. Yet the deal is far more than they planned to spend two years ago and signals the rise of LA as the nation's new capital of hyper-priced real estate, blowing past Manhattan.



Jay Z and Beyonce's first effort to buy a home in LA was foiled by a newly minted tech billionaire. According to people familiar with the talks, the couple made a bid on a 23,000-square-foot home in Beverly Hills built by luxury builder Bruce Makowsky. The home had a massive living room with a 54-foot retractable wall of glass, an infinity pool overlooking all of LA, a car gallery, and a state-of-the-art home theater with a door covered in lizard skin.



Jay Z and Beyonce toured the home multiple times and made an offer. But before the deal could be finalized, they were outbid by Markus Persson, the creator of Minecraft. After selling his company to Microsoft for $2.5 billion, Persson purchased the home for $70 million, marking a record at the time for Beverly Hills.

Last year, the couple tried again  this time bidding a reported $49 million for a 10-bedroom traditional home in Beverly Hills. But designer Tom Ford bid $50 million and they were out of luck again.



The couple toured many of the newly built homes around Bel Air and Beverly Hills. But they couldn't agree on price or a property.



Finally, they discovered the ultra-mod home built on Cuesta Way in Bel Air and started negotiations. Initial reports had the couple bidding $120 million, but then the reported price came down to $90 million and finally $88 million.



The LA Times reports that the couple took out a $52 million mortgage to buy the home. At current rates for a 30-year fixed, that would work out to monthly payments of more than $250,000. That's still less than the reported $400,000 a month the couple was reportedly paying to rent in Malibu.



Their purchase adds to the shine around high-end real estate in LA. There are now more eight listings or pocket-listings priced at $100 million or more in LA, according to Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel Appraisers and Consultants. There are currently no official listings in Manhattan for nine figures, although several developers are quietly planning or shopping around new penthouses that could reach $100 million or more.



The average price of a single family home in Beverly Hills has nearly doubled over the past year, to $5.5 million. The average sales price in Bel Air and Holmby Hills is up 13 percent to $5.3 million.



"LA is becoming the preeminent luxury real estate destination in the world," said Aaron Kirman, a leading luxury real-estate broker in LA. "It's the combination of incredible projects by top developers, the mix of Europeans and Asians coming to LA and money from the East Coast, as well as the great lifestyle here and some cocky real-estate agents. It surpasses any market in the world right now."
Five months into the job, Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette is starting to make his mark on the department store chain, bringing in a top executive from eBay to help him run the company and shaking up his management team.

The changes, announced Monday evening, are part of Gennette's first efforts to overhaul Macy's, and they take aim at making the retailer less bureaucratic by streamlining its decision-making.

"Yesterday's announcement is about how Macy's is going to grow sales faster," Gennette told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday morning in an exclusive interview. "We're going to grow sales faster at better margins."

Like its peers, Macy's has struggled as a department store brand, where mall traffic is steadily declining, and shoppers are opting to make purchases either online or in different specialty outlets. Margins have suffered as a result of deep discounting and heavy promotions used to lure shoppers in.

Customers have more choices than ever before, brands have more distribution options than ever and the expectation for the department store experience has evolved rapidly, Gennette told CNBC.

But he's not giving up. "We want to have great stores in the best malls in America," the CEO said. "The consumer wants Macy's to win again."

In an attempt to return to growth, Macy's will cut 100 jobs, consolidating its merchandising, planning and private-label functions into a single department. The retailer is also expanding its customer insights and data analytics to include inventory replenishment and pricing capabilities.

Hal Lawton, from eBay, will serve as Macy's president starting Sept. 8.

Investors appeared to welcome the news, with Macy's shares moving higher, recently up about 3 percent in early trading Tuesday. The stock has been on a downward trend all year.

"All told, while the move won't impact sales or profitability overnight, we think the addition could mark the beginning of a new chapter for Macy's," Gordon Haskett analyst Chuck Grom wrote in a note to clients. "Lawton will bring a fresh perspective  one that is arguably long overdue."

Gennette on Tuesday said that Lawton understands the "intersection of retail and technology."

Meantime, Gennette looks to double down on some of Macy's existing initiatives that have boded well for the company thus far.

Macy's Backstage, the department store chain's off-price nameplate, is being rolled out inside more of Macy's existing big boxes.

Macy's also continues to leverage its strength in beauty, having acquired makeup and spa retailer Bluemercury in 2015.

Coming this fall, Macy's will launch a new loyalty program  something that falls "right at the heart of what the consumer wants," Gennette told CNBC. He revealed little other details about what the membership program might look like, but it's set to officially hit the market in October.

"How we are approaching growth is business by business, store by store," Gennette said of Macy's expansion from here. "We're excited about the green shoots. ... Expect us to continue to put wins on the board."

As of Monday's market close, Macy's stock has fallen more than 50 percent over the past 12 months, and is down 45 percent in 2017.

During the fiscal second quarter, Macy's topped analysts' expectations across the board, but Gennette told CNBC at the time that he wasn't "ready to declare when we will get back to positive."

Macy's still expects comparable sales for the full year to decline by 2.2 percent to 3.3 percent.

Monday's news of a key hire at Macy's, "could start to change [the] narrative," Grom added.

 CNBC's Courtney Reagan contributed to this story.
Chevron Vice Chairman Michael Wirth might be the man to shepherd the oil major into the industry's uncertain future following a report that CEO John Watson will step down.

Wirth, who has spent about 35 years at Chevron, is a leading candidate to replace Watson, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. Sources told the Journal the decision has not been finalized and could change.

The move would put a refining specialist at the helm of the San Ramon, California-headquartered integrated oil company. Wirth holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and spent roughly 10 years as executive vice president of Chevron's downstream and chemicals business  a segment responsible for refining crude oil into gasoline and operating the massive facilities that produce petrochemicals like plastics.

Refining operations have been critical to protecting the balance sheets at giant oil and gas companies at a time of persistently low oil and gas prices. Exxon Mobil , Royal Dutch Shell and Total have also elevated refining specialists to the top position, the Wall Street Journal notes.

In a statement to CNBC, Chevron said, "We cannot confirm the Journal's reporting. As a practice, we do not comment on rumor or speculation."

Wirth, 56, became vice chairman of the board of directors in February. He also serves as executive vice president for Midstream and Development, a title he has held since last year.

In his current role, Wirth is responsible for a broad portfolio that includes Chevron's business transporting fossil fuels and its unit that generates and manages power from gas-fired facilities and renewable sources. He is also in charge of Chevron's trading hubs, which buy and sell crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.

According to Chevron's website, Wirth also plays a role in corporate strategy, business development, and policy, government and public affairs.

Wirth worked in the refining and chemicals business prior to his current role. Before that, he was president of global supply and trading from 2003 to 2006.

Having served in engineering, construction, and operations positions since joining Chevron in 1982, Wirth became president of marketing for Chevron's Asia, Middle East and Africa business in 2001. He also served on the board of directors for Caltex Australia Limited and GS Caltex Corporation, Chevron's main gasoline and diesel brands in the Asia-Pacific region.

Wirth has also served on the boards of the San Francisco 49ers Foundation and the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Correction: Michael Wirth served as executive vice president of Chevron's downstream and chemicals business. An earlier version misstated the company.
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At Panther Coffee in Miami, no worker is paid under $10 an hour. In fact, including tips, entry-level employees take home about $15 an hour on average, well above the state's minimum of $8.10 an hour. Husband-wife owners Joel and Leticia Pollock say lower wages just aren't an option if they want to be successful. "To me minimum wage is offensive," Leticia said. "For our business, it's important that people take home a living wage, because we want the team to feel respected, we want people to stay long-term, and we want to build a culture where they're coming to work and they know that we understand that you can't live with less than that." But the Pollocks' outlook isn't shared by all on Main Street, where wages are a key concern as the pendulum swings in favor of a higher minimum nationwide. In fact, conservative lobbying group the National Federation of Independent Business finds wages are a top-10 issue for its small-business membership. Despite the federal minimum remaining stagnant at $7.25 an hour, more than half the states across the country now have wage floors above the federal minimum, and big cities from Seattle to Los Angeles and New York City also have taken matters into their own hands to raise pay for low-wage workers, much like the Pollocks have at their own small businesses in Miami and Miami Beach.

Joel and Leticia Pollock start their workers at a minimum of $10 an hour, not including tips, at Panther Coffee, with three locations across Miami and Miami Beach. A battle over raising the minimum wage is ongoing in Miami Beach. Kate Rogers | CNBC

Miami Beach is at the center of an ongoing battle of its own over raising the minimum wage. Earlier this year, a judge struck down a local ordinance that was set to hike the city's minimum to $10.31 in January 2018, eventually hitting $13.31 by 2021. Oral arguments begin in appeals court in October. Democratic Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine believes the case could reach the Florida Supreme Court but that ultimately the higher wage will prevail. "I believe its necessary, and our entire commission as well as our business community felt it was necessary, because we felt that we need to make sure that our workers in our city get properly paid," Levine said. "We all know that no one can live on $8.10 an hour. So the question is, How do you live? The government is going to help you  they are funding you with subsidized programs, welfare programs and social programs. So, basically, the taxpayers are subsidizing the cost of businesses." The Florida Retail Federation, which was one of the business groups that took on the minimum-wage ordinance in Miami Beach, said the hike stands to negatively impact small companies and future business in the city.

We all know that no one can live on $8.10 an hour. So the question is, How do you live? The government is going to help you  they are funding you with subsidized programs, welfare programs and social programs. So, basically, the taxpayers are subsidizing the cost of businesses. Philip Levine Democratic Miami Beach mayor

"If the minimum-wage proposal was approved, you'd see a number of other cities and municipalities follow along with that  then you're looking at an impact on local businesses in Florida that would be devastating," said James Miller, spokesman for the Florida Retail Federation. "You're looking at lost jobs, higher prices, millions of Florida families impacted by this one decision."

Wage hike may force some tough decisions
Getting fired is a traumatic experience. To lessen the blow, most bosses prefer letting employees go through a face-to-face conversation. Yet it may come as a surprise that some employees would rather be fired via text or instant message, especially those who are younger.

A survey of 1,154 working adults from software company Cyberlink showed that one in 13 workers would prefer to be fired over text or instant message instead of having the conversation in-person. For millennial employees, the number increased to one in eight workers.

"Being fired is never a comfortable thing," Richard Carriere, senior vice president of global marketing, tells CNBC Make It. However, he says that because millennials are heavy users of social media and the digital space, they feel more comfortable conveying "feelings in a short and succinct way."

Carriere notes that as the workplace becomes more technologically dependent and telecommunication increases, there may be a heavier reliance on communicating via text and instant messaging.

According to the survey, 37 percent of millennial working Americans say they would prefer to ask a quick work-related question over text or instant message. Notably, 16 percent of millennial workers would like to present an idea to their boss via email, compared to just three percent via phone, and 15 percent would rather give critical feedback via text or instant message.

However, communicating through these channels has its downfalls in the workplace. Carriere points to the survey, which lists communication pain points for millennials working in an office and those working remotely, as an example: Nearly half of all respondents for both groups say their top "communication pain point" is that it's easy to misinterpret the tone of emails, IMs, etc.
A recent graduate's online petition to rescind President Donald Trump's honorary degree from Lehigh University has garnered nearly 30,000 signatures  and some Lehigh professors are speaking up to support the effort, lehighvalleylive.com reported.

The petition, started just last week by Lehigh journalism graduate Kelly McCoy, has been delivered to Lehigh's president, the news website reported. However, only the board of trustees of the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, university has the power to take Trump's degree away, and they don't meet until Oct. 25.

"The Board has received the petition and will consider it," Lori Friedman, Lehigh's director of media relations, told CNBC. "As an educational institution, Lehigh University values academic freedom and the open exchange of ideas. We respect the right of faculty, students and other members of the community to express their views."



The White House did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC in time for publication.

Some professors have lent their voices to support the petition, while others have opposed the honorary degree since before Trump was even the Republican presidential nominee, lehighvalleylive.com reported in 2016.

Lehigh has a precedent for revoking honorary degrees: Trustees voted to rescind comedian Bill Cosby's degree in 2015 after details of a 2005 deposition were made public, the website reported.

Read more about the petition at lehighvalleylive.com.
And that brings us to Monday night, where no one should have been surprised when President Trump's Afghan policy speech pushed every one of those strategies in the hopes of turning the tide in America's longest war.

Just like he did when pushing our close European allies on NATO funding and Japan on increasing naval strength, President Trump called for India to provide more financial support for and economic cooperation with the Afghan government.

But that's the easier part. The tricky angle was President Trump's demand that Pakistan get its act together with the following key quote:

"Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change. And that will change immediately."

To be sure, President Trump also offered praise and potential carrots to the government in Islamabad. He noted that Pakistan has been a "valued partner" in the past, how its people have suffered greatly from terrorism, and how that nation has "much to gain" from partnering with us in our Afghan goals.

Unlike the pressure the Trump administration has successfully placed on China in connection with North Korea, this time we're asking Pakistan to partner with not only the U.S. but its mortal enemy, India. No one said this was going to be easy.

And President Trump's new thrust on foreign policy isn't getting knee jerk approval from some of his supporters. Newly ousted chief White House strategist Steve Bannon's Breitbart News website wasted no time lighting into the speech with an article pointing out its similarities to President Obama's promises about Afghanistan in 2009. And while President Trump insisted he won't make America's troop numbers public, it's been widely reported that he has approved sending about 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan as part of this new policy.

Breitbart took particular issue with that, featuring a piece by former Blackwater CEO and Navy SEAL Erik Prince to blast that move as a mistake and push for a private contractors to carry out more of the war. Breitbart also featured pieces noting that people like Senator Lindsay Graham, a regular Breitbart punching bag, supported President Trump's speech.

But there are clear differences in this strategy. Trump's plan is to use the troops for more focused goals and less to support the Afghan government's administrative agenda, i.e., more search and destroy and less guard duty.

Indeed, Bannon's ouster, which had at least something to do with his public objections to the Trump team's handling of the North Korea situation, is a clue to where President Trump is looking for guidance on foreign policy these days. And it's not Bannon's ilk, nor is it the voice of then-private citizen and candidate Donald Trump, who called for speedy withdrawals from Afghanistan several times beginning in 2012. The president is clearly now listening to the generals he once mocked.

That's because the Trump Doctrine is forged from the positive reinforcement the president is getting from the successes with NATO and North Korea. While critics were calling for withdrawals and soothing talk, the White House sees that the president's twitter threats, the introduction of new THAAD missile batteries, and increased bomber readiness near North Korea helped convince China to act. And the administration clearly hopes that the new weapons it's sending to Saudi Arabia and demands it's made on the Saudis on curbing terrorism will bear fruit as well.

However short-lived these positive developments may turn out to be, this White House clearly craves more of them than it wants ideological support from some of the president's 2016 voting base. Or perhaps it's just betting that more isolationist elements in the Trump camp will eventually come around.

That makes the Trump Doctrine a domestic political gamble just as much as it's a tricky global gamble with nuclear powers like Pakistan, India, and North Korea involved. But if playing it safer in Afghanistan and East Asia is the wiser course of action, one could very justifiably ask why playing it safe for so many years before now yielded such unsafe and lousy results well before President Trump came on the scene.

Legislative successes and strong poll numbers may be eluding President Trump right now, but a coherent and so-far potent foreign policy is emerging. For those Americans and Afghans who have suffered for so long in this war, the Trump Doctrine is a bold new attempt to put that suffering to an end.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
Activists hold signs during a Stop 'Trumpcare' rally in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC.

And there was just one.

The entire United States, with the exception of a single small county in Ohio, is now on track to have at least one insurer offering Obamacare health coverage next year.

That's a big change from earlier this summer when at different times a total of 82 counties lacked commitments from insurers who sell individual health plans for 2018.

And the continued decline in "bare counties" provides more ammunition for Obamacare advocates arguing against Trump administration claims that the health-care program is failing and needs to be replaced immediately.

The latest potential bare area to get coverage offered for next year was Menominee County in Wisconsin, where just 47 people buy Obamacare plans on the federal marketplace HealthCare.gov.

Elizabeth Hizmi, a spokeswoman for Wisconsin's insurance commissioner, would not identify the insurer that in recent days agreed to sell plans in Menominee, saying "at this time, service areas are not public."

Tweet

Insurance regulators in Ohio are trying to get an insurer to step in and offer individual health plans in that lone "bare" area, Paulding County.

"The director is still working on it," said David Hopcraft, spokesman for Ohio Insurance Director Jillian Froment.

Paulding County has only 334 people currently covered by an individual health plan sold on HealthCare.gov. Froment has several weeks left to line up an insurer to cover the county.

Hopcraft, when asked what provisions Froment was considering for Paulding's existing Obamacare customers if an insurer does not step in, said, "You know what, we're not there yet."

"The director said in a recent interview that she was just hopeful," Hopcraft said.
Southeast Asian ride-hailing start-up Grab could be taking to the skies in a bid to improve urban mobility in one of the region's most congested cities.

The company is in the process of piloting a helicopter service in Indonesia, and Grab CEO and Co-Founder Anthony Tan discussed the initiative with CNBC's "Managing Asia."

GrabHeli services, which make use of helicopter rides as a way to get around Jakarta's traffic problems, were offered to selected users in Indonesia in June this year as part of the start-up's fifth anniversary celebrations, Grab said in a statement on its website.

"There are markets where traffic is clearly a problem for the people. Even the governments have shared that it costs the countries billions every year in GDP," Tan said.

One of those countries is Indonesia  Grab's largest market in terms of users.

Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is notorious for its traffic jams, with road congestion in the city reportedly costing the economy 65 trillion rupiah ($4.87 billion) every year. Commuters in Jakarta can spend an additional 48 minutes each day when traveling during peak period, according to the TomTom Traffic Index.

And while Grab's existing GrabBike service targets Jakarta's traffic problem by letting users get around more quickly on a nimbler mode of transport, motorbikes, a helicopter service could speak to users looking for an upscale experience.
Samsung expanded its digital personal assistant Bixby to over 200 countries and territories globally on Tuesday, as it looks to step up its challenge to rival products like Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri.

Bixby was unveiled earlier this year when Samsung introduced its flagship Galaxy S8 smartphone. It was initially available in South Korea, then the U.S.

Now the electronics giant is rolling Bixby out to new regions including the U.K., Australia, Canada and South Africa.

Bixby currently recognizes U.S. English and Korean.

A button on the side of the Galaxy S8 allows Bixby to be activated. Users can ask Bixby to carry out tasks such as searching through a photo album, or send a picture that has just been taken to a contact.

"The expansion of Bixby's voice capabilities is an initial step in the continued rollout of Bixby functionality. In the future, Bixby will have the learning power to offer more intelligent and personalized interactions and seamless connections across more devices," Injong Rhee, an executive vice president at Samsung, said in a press release.

Bixby is Samsung's answer to rivals such as Apple's Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa.

Samsung has promised further features for its smart assistant such as Bixby Vision, which will allow users to point their phone camera at an object and get relevant information.
Thousands of scientists, space enthusiasts and sun worshipers flocked to cities and towns along the path of the total solar eclipse that streaked across the United States.

The eclipse began Monday in the Northwest, starting in Oregon and charting a path of totality through Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska, Missouri, Tennessee and South Carolina. A partial eclipse could be seen throughout the rest of the U.S.

The following are just some of the highlights of the day.

CNBC's Adam Jeffery contributed, as did Reuters and Getty.
Louise Linton, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's wife, got into an Instagram fight after she posted a picture of herself disembarking a government jet, complete with captioned hashtags calling out Tom Ford, Hermes and Valentino.

She later apologized Tuesday for the post and her ensuing comment, according to CNN.

Linton posted the picture Monday after returning from a Louisville, Kentucky, trip with her husband  where he pitched tax reform with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. She called it a day trip and tagged the designer brands she wore in the photo, including Roland Mouret.

A screenshot of the post can be seen at The New York Times. Linton has since made her Instagram account private.

The Instagram user, Jenni Miller, responded: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton hit back in a long comment, highlighting the couple's wealth.

"Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol," Linton wrote.

"Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day "trip" than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours."

She added: "You're adorably out of touch."

In the statement referenced by CNN, Linton said, "I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive."

A Treasury spokesperson told CNBC that the couple reimbursed the government for Linton's travel to Kentucky. Linton did not get compensated for any of the products she cited, the spokesperson said.

The comments may not help optics as the Trump administration, led in its efforts by Mnuchin, is pushing for a tax reform package that would likely include major rate cuts for the wealthy.

Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs partner, has amassed his own personal fortune in finance and as a major Hollywood movie producer.

 CNBC's Ylan Mui contributed to this report
A Chinese national who has a million-dollar home listed in Long Island, New York, is linked to a company that is suspected of helping North Korea dodge sanctions, NBC News reports.

Sun Sidong is listed as the owner of Dandong Dongyuan Industrial Co., according to Chinese corporate filings, NBC News reports. The company shares an email address with Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Material Co., a Chinese coal exporter that is under suspicion for helping North Korea evade sanctions.

On Tuesday, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control punished Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Co. for its supposed actions. The company's primary shareholder, Chinese businessman Chi Yupeng, was also punished.

Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Material Co. and four "related front companies" have been targeted since May, when a federal judge issued a ruling allowing prosecutors to secretly monitor their transactions and seize any illegal funds at eight U.S. banks, NBC News reports. The ruling, which didn't allege any wrongdoing by the financial institutions, said the banks had processed more than $700 million in prohibited transactions involving North Korea since 2009.

Read the full NBC News report here.
President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell haven't spoken to each other in weeks, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said that one phone call between the president and the Kentucky Republican devolved into a "profane shouting match."

Relations between the two men have been conspicuously tense. Trump has repeatedly slammed McConnell on Twitter, blaming him for the failure of the GOP's attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

@realDonaldTrump: Senator Mitch McConnell said I had "excessive expectations," but I don't think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?

@realDonaldTrump: Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed Repeal & Replace for 7 years, couldn't get it done. Must Repeal & Replace ObamaCare!

But the Times reports that the strained relationship between McConnell and Trump is even more apparent in private. The newspaper said that McConnell has bristled at the president's attacks on his Senate colleagues. The career politician has privately expressed doubts about Trump's ability to lead the GOP, the Times reported, citing people who have spoken directly to McConnell.

Read the full report in The New York Times.
President Donald Trump's strategy on Afghanistan is a "good first step," former Ambassador Nancy Soderberg told CNBC on Tuesday.

In a speech Monday night, Trump said the United States will ramp up military engagement in the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan. He also blasted Pakistan for supporting terrorists.

Soderberg, a former ambassador to the United Nations and deputy national security advisor to President Bill Clinton, said pushing Pakistan harder "is a good thing."

Trump did not detail how many more troops the U.S. would send or specifically what he felt it would take to finally achieve victory in the war.

However, he insisted the U.S. is "not nation building again" and called on India to help more with Afghanistan's economic development.

Soderberg told "Power Lunch" she believes it will take more than military action to win the war.

"Right now the Taliban are making a comeback so a strategy that focuses on denying them the ability to come back and gain more territory is crucial," she said.

That said, "killing terrorists in Afghanistan has been our policy for 16 years but it's not winning. And so what's the winning strategy here? We still haven't heard that."



She believes Trump also needs to listen to the diplomats and come up with a plan that will deal with both the threats and the cause of the terrorism, Soderberg said.

"We're not going to end up getting at an end to this war until we get at the root cause of the terrorism which is the abject poverty and corruption in the government. And that's a long-term effort."

Soderberg expects Trump's strategy to evolve as he gets more involved in the details.



 CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump made the right decision by recommitting the U.S. to the Afghanistan war, former Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley told CNBC on Tuesday.

"The most stunning aspect of the president's speech was the acknowledgment that 16 years into this war ... the prospect of a political negotiation is still a long-term challenge," Crowley, who served in the Obama administration, said on "Squawk Box."

Also on "Squawk Box," retired Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said Trump's speech made Afghanistan "his war."

"There's been a lot of questions for quite some time, not only among the general public but the troops, about which way we're going in Afghanistan, and I think to a great extent he put that to rest," said Kimmit, who advises U.S. firms in the Middle East.

In a prime-time address to the nation Monday, Trump said he would ramp up engagement in Afghanistan, reversing his past calls to pull American troops out of the country.

The president did not provide details on how many more troops he would dispatch or what he felt it would take to achieve victory.

"America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress," Trump said. "However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check."

James Carafano, vice president of foreign and defense studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told CNBC he would give Trump credit for his message.

"The fundamental principle of his foreign policy is America first. And what that means is I'm going to put interests of the country first," said Carafano, who worked on Trump's transition team.

"And the interests here are really twofold: We don't want Afghanistan to be a source of regional instability. It's bad for us. It's bad for our friends and allies in the region and makes our job harder. And the other is we don't want it to be a platform for transnational terrorism."
President Donald Trump's warning to Pakistan that it must stop harboring terrorist organizations and the Taliban represents "a radical shift" in U.S. policy that could improve the situation in war-torn Afghanistan, according to analysts.

At the same time, it represents a pivot for U.S. foreign policy more toward developing a closer alliance with India and less focus on Pakistan, a country that has irritated Washington for years due to its support of militant and terror groups.

"Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan  the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world," Trump said Monday in an address to the nation.

Late Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported "more than 12,000 U.S. troops" are stationed in Afghanistan, a figure the paper noted was "about 3,500 more than" the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged.

The Journal reported "another 3,900 troops" will be sent to Afghanistan under the president's new strategy, bringing the total number to "about 16,000 troops." It cited unnamed defense officials.

The Pentagon declined comment to CNBC but there have been numerous reports the new strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia that Trump outlined includes sending additional U.S. forces to Afghanistan. The 16-year-long Afghanistan war also has included a significant contingent of NATO forces.

Without providing specifics, Defense Secretary James Mattis said in a statement Monday: "I have directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to make preparations to carry out the president's strategy."

Mattis, a retired Marine Corps four-star general, added: "I will be in consultation with the secretary general of NATO and our allies  several of which have also committed to increasing their troop numbers. Together, we will assist the Afghan security forces to destroy the terrorist hub."

Earlier this week, the Pentagon told CNBC there are about 8,400 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, although at the peak during the surge in August 2010 there were about 100,000 service members. The U.S. has spent well over $800 billion fighting the conflict, and there have been more than 2,400 U.S. military fatalities and tens of thousands of soldiers wounded.

The roughly 4,000 new U.S. forces expected to go to Afghanistan will likely help in training and assist Afghan's security forces.

Yet it was the tougher line on Pakistan that got much of the attention in Monday's national address by the president because it marked a departure from previous U.S. administrations.

Trump said the U.S. considers Pakistan "a valued partner" but stressed that housing "agents of chaos" such as the Taliban and terror groups who go after American service members and officials "will have to change, and that will change immediately."
Oil prices will remain stuck in a range near $50 a barrel unless one of two global hotspots delivers an October surprise to the market, jolting the cost of crude higher, according to Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets.

The first potential shock Croft and her team at RBC are monitoring is a debt default by Venezuelan oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela SA. Oil production from the state-owned PDVSA has steadily slipped as the country grapples with a financial crisis after the collapse in crude prices in 2014 and years of economic mismanagement.

"They have $3.5 billion in national oil company debt coming due in October-November. If they default, that could be significant for Venezuela's production outlook," Croft told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Tuesday.

Lower crude production from Venezuela would tend to support the oil market, which has been oversupplied for years.

The second surprise would come if the United States abandons an international deal that lifted sanctions on Iran. President Donald Trump could refuse to certify that Iran is complying with an accord that puts limits on its nuclear program. That could lead to the renewal of sanctions, which could impact Iran's oil production.

John Kilduff, founding partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital, said these geopolitical concerns may be somewhat overstated. He noted that the five other nations that negotiated the Iran nuclear deal would probably break with the U.S. and refuse to snap sanctions back on Iran.

He also noted that Venezuela is indebted to Russia and China. Russian oil giant Rosneft has amassed a large stake in PDVSA's U.S.-based refiner Citgo by bankrolling Venezuela. China has long lent Venezuela money in exchange for oil.

However, Rosneft has recently suggested it is done lending to PDVSA, which has less than $10 billion left in reserves, according to Croft.

"The math simply does not work on PDVSA staying solvent" without help from Russia and China, she said. "So we think this default is a clear and present danger."
Is your artisanal vanilla ice cream under threat?

A surge in the price of vanilla pods after a cyclone this year hit Madagascar, the world's top producer, has left ice cream makers scrambling to secure supplies of the flavouring extract.

Used in chocolate, cakes and drinks, as well as ice cream, vanilla is one of the world's most popular flavours.

This year's price rise, which has seen it reach a record high of more than $600 a kilogramme, has forced one high-end London gelato chain Oddono's to pull its vanilla ice cream off the menu, and some bigger companies to raise prices.

"It's been ridiculous," says Charlie Thuillier, founder and managing director at UK based Oppo, which makes healthier ice cream from virgin coconut oil and stevia leaf.

Following the cyclone, the company's original vanilla supplier raised the price of the extract more than tenfold, doubling production costs for Oppo's Madagascan vanilla and baobab ice cream.

Cyclone Enawo, which displaced almost 500,000 people when it hit the island off Africa's east coast in March, underlines the risks of buyers being overly dependent on a leading country for a commodity.

Prices for the spice, which is not traded on an exchange, have been rising in recent years as large food companies pledged to stop using synthetic flavourings.

The cyclone landed at a time when speculative hoarding by local middlemen in Madagascar was already squeezing the market. Although traders say that prices have come down to pre-crisis levels of about $500 a kilogramme, supplies remain limited.

Oppo changed and diversified suppliers and experimented with its product to avoid lifting prices. "Because we have other flavours, we can also spread the cost increase," adds Mr Thuillier.

Fans of Oddono's ice cream have not been so lucky. Citing an "unprecedented shortage" of vanilla pods, the London gelato chain has stopped selling its vanilla ice cream. It told customers that it hoped to resume offering the flavour when the 2017 vanilla crop became available.

Large food companies have also felt the impact. Nestle, which says it manages volatility in its ingredient costs through "adapted procurement strategies, cost savings, innovation and, as a last option, price increases", raised prices of its Movenpick ice creams in Switzerland by 2.5 per cent this year.

Across the Atlantic, Vince Petryk, founder of JP Licks ice cream stores in Boston, is happy that he managed to get in ahead of the price surge.

"Our supplier gave us a heads-up and we were able to buy vanilla at last year's prices," says Mr Petryk, who managed to procure more than 200 gallons of Madagascar vanilla extract in the spring and is comfortably supplied until next year.

In California, however, Karen Klemens, owner of Mother Moo Creamery and Marketplace is about to run out of her organic vanilla stockpile.

Since the cyclone, manufacturers no longer offer the product she has used, and Ms Klemens will need to switch to a blend of natural flavouring from a food source and a pure vanilla extract. "Vanilla flavouring is still one of the biggest costs for vanilla ice cream," she says.

But not all vanilla flavour users are in a bind. Only 1 per cent of the vanilla flavouring used in food and cosmetics comes from real vanilla. Vanillin, the flavour molecule found in vanilla beans, is also synthesised from petroleum, coal tar and wood, as well as foods such as rice bran and clove oil.

The bulk of the world's vanilla flavouring is made from non-food sources, although more companies are turning to that from food sources. Even that market has felt the reverberations of the Madagascan crisis, though, as demand has risen in the face of high vanilla bean prices.

Madagascar is comfortably the largest producer of vanilla and accounts for about half of the world's output. A handful of countries, including Indonesia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and the Comoros islands, are also suppliers, but have not been able to make up for the decline.

Traders of vanilla pods are keeping their inventories low, procuring it only when needed.

"This has happened before," says David van der Walde, director of Aust & Hachmann in Canada, who notes that prices jumped in 2003 only to plunge, leaving companies and traders holding stock and nursing heavy losses.

"We're not going to keep a lot of inventory. When I buy from Madagascar, I make sure there's a buyer on the other end," says Mr van der Walde.

Vanilla pod producers are responding to higher prices by planting more but, given the time it takes for a plant to grow, output will not increase immediately.

Tim McCollum, founder of Madecasse Chocolate & Vanilla, which offers chocolate and vanilla from Madagascar, says: "We're still looking at three to four years until the market returns to the sustainable levels of $100-150 per kg."

However, he says that for the first time in their lives, Madagascar's vanilla farmers are making enough money to build homes with cement, instead of the local palm plant, and can afford to educate their children beyond second grade.

"Vanilla farmers in Madagascar see it as the best market in recent memory," he adds.

More from the Financial Times:

Crisp dry weather leaves hop buyers fearing bitter harvest

Globalisation in retreat: capital flows decline since crisis

US-led air strikes blamed for surge in civilian deaths in Raqqa
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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to speak to reporters on Tuesday.

His news conference comes after President Donald Trump pledged Monday night to "handily" defeat terrorism in Afghanistan.

In a major address at Virginia's Fort Myer, the president did not detail how many more U.S. troops he would send or specifically what he felt it would take for the country to finally achieve victory in its longest war ever.

Trump, who won the White House in part on a promise to reduce intervention in conflicts overseas, said "the American people are weary of war without victory." But he said he chose to keep troops in Afghanistan based on the consequences of a swift withdrawal, which he said would create a "vacuum" that terrorists would "instantly fill."

"We cannot repeat the mistake in Afghanistan our leaders made in Iraq," Trump told the soldiers gathered for the speech.

"One way or another, these problems will be solved. I am a problem solver. And in the end, we will win," he said.

Earlier Tuesday, the Treasury unveiled new sanctions on Russian and Chinese entities and individuals. The department said these groups and people may have aided the development of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

More from CNBC:

Trump pledges to 'handily' defeat terrorism in Afghanistan, says he won't reveal troop numbers

What Trump said about Afghanistan before he became president

Trump just cranked up the rivalry between two nuclear giants

Treasury unveils new sanctions on Chinese, Russian entities in push to pressure North Korea

 CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.
Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan said Tuesday that forthcoming results from the bank's review of its consumer sales scandal could cause more negative attention.

"The results of our reviews will generate news headlines, but even as we face this renewed coverage, the best thing we can do is stay focused on fixing problems, making things right for customers, and building a better, stronger Wells Fargo," Sloan said in a company-wide message that was shared in a press release.

Sloan also said that "within a few weeks" the bank will announce the completion of an expanded review by a third party of the fake consumer accounts workers had opened. They were pressured by aggressive sales goals, a practice Wells Fargo has since ended.

In an Aug. 4 quarterly 10-Q filing required by the SEC for public firms, Wells Fargo said it expanded the review period to 2009 through 2016 and that could reveal a "significant increase" in unauthorized accounts.

"This analysis examined account usage patterns and is constructed to err on the side of the customer in determining which accounts are included as potentially unauthorized," Sloan said Tuesday.

The bank will also send notices about the process for customers to make claims against the bank and is compiling a list of additional customers who complained an account was opened without their consent, Sloan said in the memo.

The bank has now paid more than $5 million in total customer refunds or payments, the release said.

Sloan took over Wells Fargo last fall after it was discovered the bank's workers had opened about 2 million consumer deposit and credit card accounts without customers' authorization since 2011. Wells Fargo paid $185 million in penalties.

This year, the bank also reached a preliminary class-action settlement of $142 million over concerns about retail sales practices and unauthorized accounts from 2002.

Wells Fargo shares were little changed in after-hours trade but are down 5 percent so far in 2017, trailing the Financial Select Sector SPDR , which is up nearly 7 percent year to date.

In a statement to CNBC, Wells Fargo spokeswoman Mary Eshet referred to the Aug. 4 10-Q filing.

"The team news [press release] shared the things we have done and are doing to make things right for customers," she said, "and reminded team members that if the results of the review result in news stories, the best thing for team members to do is stay focused on customers."
watch now

Samsung will unveil its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8, during a press conference in New York on Wednesday morning. Expect Samsung to talk about a lot of topics, but here's what I think we're going to ultimately see.

S Pen

Samsung's S Pen stylus comes with the Note 7 and can be used to carry out a range of functions from writing to translating text. Samsung

Samsung's new smartphone is likely to look similar to the Galaxy S8+, though rumors suggest the screen is a hair larger. It will also pack Samsung's S Pen, which most folks simply refer to as a stylus. Samsung has done a good job thinking of new ways to use the S Pen, such as allowing users to take notes on the display even when it's off, and I expect we'll hear about new features on Wednesday.

An ecosystem of products

Samsung

Samsung has been focused on its ecosystem of products. I expect Samsung will discuss how the Galaxy Note 8 works with its Gear 360 camera, the Gear VR headset and perhaps wearables such as its Gear Gear S3 smartwatch.

Bixby

Todd Haselton | CNBC

I think Bixby, Samsung's new voice assistant, will also play a role on the Galaxy Note 8. The software hasn't been good so far, so perhaps Samsung will take some time to talk about enhancements.

Quality control

A Samsung Galaxy Note 7 lays on a counter in plastic bags after it was returned to a Best Buy on September 15, 2016 in Orem, Utah. George Frey | Getty Images

Samsung will also need to talk about quality control. The Galaxy Note 7 was recalled twice last year before Samsung ultimately killed production of the phone entirely. The brand likely suffered substantial damage from the headaches and risks that device caused. I bet Samsung will talk about changes to its testing and manufacturing to help quell fears about another dangerous device.

A new camera

Andrew Evers | CNBC

The new camera on the Galaxy Note 8 will reportedly outdo even the Galaxy S8 (which features one of the best cameras on the market). The new camera may allow for portrait-style shots that other phones, such as the iPhone 7 Plus, already offer. As in the case of the Essential phone (pictured above), dual cameras sometimes feature a black-and-white sensor, in addition to a color sensor, for more accurate photos.

Galaxy Note 8 release

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus on display showing its "infinity display" screen with bezel-less edges. The phone was unveiled in an event in New York on March 29, 2017. Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

The rumor mill says Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 might be available for preorders as soon as this week, with the device shipping in September, according to a report from The Verge. Sometimes Samsung ships its devices almost immediately after they're announced, though, and the sooner the phone goes on sale the more likely Samsung is to keep buyers out of Apple stores.

Samsung needs to tell us why we should want one

CNBC: Galaxy S8 3 Devin Hance | CNBC

This is Samsung's last shot to attract new buyers before Apple's iPhone 8, which is expected next month. It's going to need to create a lot of hype around the brand and tell consumers why they should buy the Galaxy Note 8 instead of other phones. In a crowded smartphone market, and with a tarnished brand, that might be harder than ever. Samsung did not respond to a request for comment.
Donald Trump speaks during a press conference with President of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto (not seen) at Los Pinos presidential residence, in Mexico City, Mexico on August 31, 2016.

The crackdown on suspected illegal immigrants is working, senior officials said Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to Yuma, Arizona.

Arrests of suspected illegal immigrants are up 43 percent in the first half of 2017 from the same period last year, Department of Homeland Security officials said. The DHS branch Immigration and Customs Enforcement made 91,000 arrests during the first seven months of the year, they said.

"Going from 5 miles of fence to 60 miles of fence on the Yuma border made a huge difference," a senior DHS official said in a conference call with media, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Increased enforcement, including this year's extension of the fence, resulted in an 83 percent drop in illegal border crossings near Yuma since 2007, the official said. Up to 800 immigrants illegally crossed the border in the area every day in 2005 and 2006, the official said.

The DHS officials said 126,472 apprehensions have been made in the first half of this year, a 46 percent increase from the first half of 2016.

Away from the border, removals in the interior of the country are up 32 percent this year from last year, the officials said.

"There are 500,000 immigration fugitives and criminal aliens that ICE cannot reach or arrest" due to available resources and sanctuary city protections, another senior DHS official said on the call.

As a candidate, Trump pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to deter people from coming into the country. The wall expansion has proven slow, and Mexico's president has rejected Trump's call that Mexico pay for the barrier.

Trump has repeatedly cited arrest statistics as evidence that his strategy is working.

 CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.
Meantime, recent headlines would suggest the grocery space is becoming too crowded. The chatter has led some to question if Amazon is getting into the industry at the wrong time, while others predict its planned mixed use for Whole Foods real estate  using a grocery store as a fulfillment warehouse  is one easy fix.

As Amazon looks to seal the deal, once approvals are finalized, the internet giant will go from operating a handful of Amazon-branded bookstores and a pilot Amazon Go location in Seattle, to having more than 400 of Whole Foods' supermarkets.

Whole Foods ' shareholders are preparing to vote on Wednesday to approve one of the most talked about acquisitions of the year.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey juggles apples as as he's photographed in one of his stores on New York's Upper West Side.

That being said, one would anticipate Amazon to over time change the functionality of a typical Whole Foods store, and roll out more of the chain's smaller and more cost-conscious, 365-branded locations.

While Ladd still anticipates the need for brick-and-mortar grocers in the future, he envisions a much different store layout. Instead, he sees a store that will serve three purposes: a drive-thru for picking up online orders, a larger area of the building devoted to fulfillment, and a smaller cluster of aisles full of fresh fruits and vegetables  the items shoppers still want to feel and touch.

"If Amazon isn't careful, Whole Foods will become Amazon's bridge too far," Brittain Ladd, who worked on the global expansion of AmazonFresh, told CNBC in an interview, referencing a failed Allied attempt to break through German lines during World War II.

"What Amazon is going to have to do is evaluate the grocery segment within the U.S., and identify how many additional stores and what format they have to build to become competitive," Ladd said.

What's worrisome to folks, and especially those within the real estate industry, are more and more images of vacant grocery-anchored strip centers popping up across America. Hitting localized food retailers the hardest, the store closures were already being announced before Amazon's Whole Food news.

"Grocery stores are dead," Faith Popcorn, CEO of marketing firm BrainReserve, told CNBC. "Grocers today are lacking many things  the aisles are filled with things you can have delivered, the spaces are not clean, inviting or engaging. ... They don't have an understanding of what kind of experience the consumer wants, nor of the deep shifts in what we're seeking from food."

Some of the bigger names in the space are also trimming plans for expansion. Kroger , for example, has said it will cut its store openings in 2017 to 55 from 100, opting to invest less in its physical retail and more in digital initiatives.

"Grocery shopping will continue to go online and on mobile and will eventually become intuitive  you'll just think of something, and it will be delivered  unless traditional grocers can find a reason for consumers to come in store," Popcorn said.

And Kroger won't be the only one  not by a mile  trying to lure shoppers to order groceries online. Wal-Mart boasted the growth of its online grocery service on its latest quarterly conference call. Target is also aiming to better serve the "last mile" for its shoppers.

"There is the common conventional wisdom that the bigger players like Wal-Mart ... and Target are going to be fine," Floris van Dijkum, a real estate investment trust analyst at Boenning & Scattergood, told CNBC. "But you're going to see more pressure on grocery. It's already a thin-margin business ... secondary and tertiary grocers are going to feel pain."

The total number of U.S. supermarket stores amounted to 38,441 in 2016, according to data pulled by Statista.

That includes premium players like Whole Foods, so-called mainstream grocers like Kroger, and value chains such as German-based Lidl and Aldi.

"You've read about the newer players from Europe coming in ... the value end of the chains coming in," Cushman & Wakefield's head of retail services, David Gorelick, told CNBC. "Their expectations are opening up thousands of stores."

Analysts are saying this can only mean more consolidation and M&A activity should be expected in the supermarket space. There isn't enough room for everyone.

Given that "premium grocers" account for about 20 percent of food-retail stores today, and value chains make up 40 to 50 percent, Gorelick said he anticipates more of a "balancing out" among the three segments in the coming years.

Looking at these companies' real estate, this means shopping center REITs with a high exposure to anything but a top-tier grocery name are going to be at risk, van Dijkum said. "If you own that [risky shopping center] you could be stuck with a dark grocer, and that's a big problem. ... If that grocer goes away, what's going to happen to the small-shop tenants?"

"You can't say all grocery is good," he added.

Amazon has the opportunity to really shake things up with its newly acquired real estate. And the Street will have a better gauge of the overall market once Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his team decide to either shutter existing grocery locations, transform the stores, launch more small format, or a mix of all three.

For now, it wouldn't make sense for Bezos to acquire another food-retail chain like Kroger, Sprouts Farmers or Albertsons , Ladd said. And it really wouldn't make sense for the company to acquire a struggling regional player, "because you can only serve one market," he added.

Even if Wednesday's vote by Whole Foods shareholders goes as planned, moving the deal ahead, it will likely be a while until changes materialize.

The future of many of America's grocery stores remains uncertain, but it definitely looks different.
Norway's rainy day pot of cash has outperformed its own benchmark thanks to the second quarter surge in equity markets.

The $975 billion fund is the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world and is bolstered by revenue from sales of oil.

Nestle, China's and Swiss company Novartis made the biggest positive contributions as the fund rose by 2.6 percent across the quarter.

, and were identified by fund administrator Norges Bank as having made the biggest negative impact.

Overall stock investments returned 3.4 percent, while fixed income investments returned 1.1 percent. Investments in unlisted real estate returned 2.1 percent.

In a statement Tuesday, Trond Grande, deputy chief executive officer of Norges Bank Investment Management said equities were crucial to the fund performance.

"The stock markets have performed particularly well so far this year, and the funds return in the first two quarters was 6.5 percent.

"This gives a total return of 499 billion crowns ($63.1 billion), which is the best half-year return measured in Norwegian crowns in the history of the fund," he added

Grande noted both the positive effect of currency swings and the outperformance of European stocks to warn that future returns were unlikely to remain so healthy.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Its good news that Cambridge University Press has reversed its decision to censor academic articles in its journal China Quarterly at the behest of the Chinese government.

The university is no doubt right when it says that:

Academic freedom is the overriding principle on which the University of Cambridge is based. Therefore, while this temporary decision was taken in order to protect short-term access in China to the vast majority of the Presss journal articles, the universitys academic leadership and the Press have agreed to reinstate the blocked content, with immediate effect, so as to uphold the principle of academic freedom on which the universitys work is founded.

Its a pity that this overriding principle didnt seem to occur to them when they made the original decision, however, and pressure from academics, the press and the public had to be applied before they saw sense.

They certainly arent alone in making this mistake. Google indulged in a similar, if longer-lasting, error when it set up in China on the condition that it enforced the states censorship rules on its search terms  you could search for the massacre in Tiananmen Square or information about democratic, self-determining Taiwan if you wished, but you wouldnt get any results after clicking the button. The company eventually withdrew from China, not because of this flagrant breach of its official motto, Dont be evil, but because it discovered evidence that Chinese authorities were hacking the gmail accounts of dissidents.

This invites the question: if one of the worlds most prestigious universities and one of the worlds biggest companies are sufficiently cowed that they dont seem to see any problem in agreeing to play a part in a dictatorships regime of censorship and human rights abuses, how many other, smaller players are there out there which are doing the same?

If educational institutions and businesses are willing not just to disregard the nature of Chinas government but to agree to be complicit in its regimes censorship, trading overriding principles for money, the same pressure applies to the British state.

The realities of the global economy are undeniable  China is a huge market, and ministers would be foolhardy and self-harming simply to ignore it  but there must be a limit to how low we are willing to bow to the Party bosses in Beijing. Buying and selling goods and services is one thing, but the British government must not allow trade to extend to an exchange of morals. We must neither become a supplier of the tools of repression (as we have wrongly done for Saudi Arabia), nor become a consumer of Chinese snooping and espionage. In terms of the latter, every care must be taken that the Chinese state does not have even the slightest backdoor into our telecoms system or lever of control over our energy infrastructure. It is notably keen to fund and build elements of both.
Areas of Mount Desert Island in Maine are working to become cruise-ship free, at least for the next six months, after a unanimous vote in Southwest Harbor recently, according to the Maine Public.

Residents of Northeast Harbor banned cruise ships from docking last year. Tremont is considering similar actions.

Hosting cruise ships can be a major economic boon, but the towns are concerned about infrastructure and traffic issues, according to the Bangor Daily News.

There are two main concerns, said Lydia Goetze, chairwoman of the Southwest Harbor Board of Selectmen. Vessels of this size destroy a great deal of fishing gear. And the facilities in our town are not really equipped to deal with an influx of 200 people. So its not entirely clear to what the benefit to the town is, if anything.

We already have parking issues and worries about room for everybody, added Tremont Harbor Master Justin Seavey.

Its difficult to estimate the extent of gear loss from cruise ship visits, said Andy Mays, a lobster fisherman and chair of the harbor committee in Southwest Harbor. But he offered this example: A big motor yacht that was in here a few weeks ago, that was 200 feet, I took 27 lobster traps out of, Mays said. They were really good about it, but they got hung up with them and thats how many of them that they made it in with that had to be removed, so there would have been at least that amount that got torn off and not returned.

This temporary ban should give Southwest Harbor officials time to poll residents and determine how to handle cruise ships, if theyre wanted at all, Goetze said.
Celebrity Cruises has announced a deal with the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in Ghana to recruit female bridge officers through a new Celebrity Cadet Program.

RMU Cadet Nicholine Tifuh Azirh will be the first, joining the bridge team onboard the Celebrity Equinox later this month.

The partnership with RMU came about when Celebritys President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo met with students from the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Florida International University (FIU), the company said.

There, she met Azirh who holds two degrees, yet following graduation she struggled to find opportunities in the maritime industry as an African female despite her academic performance, subsequent teaching at RMU, and cadet experience.

After hearing Nicholines story, I met with our SVP of Global Marine Operations, Patrik Dahlgren, to see what we needed to do in order to give her, and others, the opportunities theyve earned. A year later, Im so excited to share the news of our partnership with RMU and to welcome Nicholine onboard, said Lutoff-Perlo. Nicholine isnt just a new-hire, she symbolizes hope for women around the world who dream of working in a very male-dominated industry; shes the face of our industry-leading partnership; and she is an incredible example of Celebritys commitment to opening up the world.

Nicholines success is our entire worlds success. Her story shows the power of win-win partnerships and the positive impact they have on our communities  and beyond, said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. FIU is proud to be the only university in Florida to host the Department of States Mandela Washington Fellows program  and use our resources, talent and partnerships to help prepare the next generation of our worlds leaders. We are so proud to have been a part of Nicholines journey to a successful career!

The goal of our partnership with RMU is to inspire and disrupt the social norms that burden female officers in western African nations, such as Ghana, said Patrik Dahlgren, SVP of Global Marine Operations, Celebrity Cruises. Nicholine is our pioneer cadet and a pioneer for women in her country; moving forward, we will continue to evaluate candidates and continue to push the envelope in developing a growth sector for marine officers in a part of the world that traditionally underserves female officers.
In todays business world, mobility is essential. In 2012, according to research from ZDNet, the average mobile worker carried 3.5 devices, which can include a mix of business and personal devices. This number is surely higher today. With the convenience of being able to work remotely from anywhere in the world comes the risk of data loss (destruction) and data breaches. Although the destruction of company data due to a destroyed device can be detrimental to a business, this blog will cover the risk of data breaches which could have a far more devastating and lasting impact.

Remote device security should begin with limiting who has access. Not every employee is going to require it, nor should they be granted access. All remote users, no matter who they are, should go through some kind of basic safety instructions on how to implement and maintain security on their devices. In addition, all devices with remote access must be configured with both a timeout and password, before being allowed to access the businesss data. End users should not be able to disable these functions. Finally, a remote wipe solution should be implemented on all remote devices, whether they be credit union issued or personal devices. Lets take a closer look at the pros and cons of remote wipe solutions, and what happens if youre depending too heavily upon them.

Some of the ways remote wipes can be accomplished are as follows:

Some carriers have the ability to remotely wipe phones on their network. They can either do this themselves or instruct the business on how to do it. Install remote wipe software on the device. The down side to this process is that if a device is taken offline, data could be breached before the wipe could be performed. Some remote solutions rely on remote apps being in a separate encrypted container, segregated from the rest of the devices functions. This solution could also include full encryption of the device.
CACI International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides expertise and technology to enterprise and mission customers in support of national security missions and government modernization/transformation in the intelligence, defense, and federal civilian sectors. It operates in two segments, Domestic Operations and International Operations. The Domestic Operations segment offers information solutions and services to the U.S. federal government agencies and commercial enterprises in the areas, such as digital solutions, C4ISR, cyber and space, engineering services, enterprise IT, and mission support. The International Operations segment provides a range of IT services, proprietary data, and software products to the commercial and government customers in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and internationally. The company designs, implements, protects, and manages secure enterprise IT solutions. It also offers software-defined, full-spectrum cyber, electronic warfare, and counter-unmanned aircraft system solutions; and platform integration and modernization and sustainment, as well as system engineering, naval architecture, training and simulation, and logistics engineering. In addition, the company provides enterprise cloud solutions for classified and unclassified networks; and intelligence support that ensures continuous advances in collection, analysis, and dissemination to optimize decision-making. CACI International Inc was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.
Allergan plc, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and commercializes branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical, and regenerative medicine products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: US Specialized Therapeutics, US General Medicine, and International. It offers a portfolio of products in various therapeutic areas, including medical aesthetics and dermatology, eye care, neuroscience, urology, gastrointestinal, women's health, and anti-infective therapeutic products. The company also offers breast implants and tissue expanders; and RM-131 (relamorelin), a peptide ghrelin agonist for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis. In addition, it develops medical and cosmetic treatments; therapies for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and other liver diseases; inhibitor for the treatment of psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders; atopic dermatitis drug candidate; peri-ocular rings for extended drug delivery and reducing elevated intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients; and treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Further, the company develops RST-001, a novel gene therapy for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa; small molecule therapeutics for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases; topical medicines for fat reduction; and delivery system and botulinum toxin-based prescription products. It has collaboration, option, and license agreement with Lyndra, Inc.; and strategic alliance and option agreement with Editas Medicine, Inc. Allergan plc also has licensing agreements with Assembly Biosciences, Inc.; MedImmune; and Heptares Therapeutics, Ltd. The company was formerly known as Actavis plc and changed its name to Allergan plc in June 2015. Allergan plc was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
Coeur Mining, Inc. explores for precious metals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, and lead properties. It holds 100% interests in the Palmarejo gold and silver mine covering an area of approximately 67,296 net acres located in the State of Chihuahua in Northern Mexico; the Rochester silver and gold mine that covers an area of approximately 43,441net acres situated in northwestern Nevada; the Kensington gold mine comprising 3,972 net acres located to the north of Juneau, Alaska; the Wharf gold mine covering an area of approximately 3,243 net acres situated in the northern Black Hills of western South Dakota; and the Silvertip silver-zinc-lead mine comprising 97,298 net acres located in northern British Columbia, Canada. In addition, the company owns interests in the Crown and Sterling projects located in southern Nevada; and the La Preciosa project located in Mexico. Further, it markets and sells its concentrates to third-party customers, smelters, under off-take agreements. The company was formerly known as Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation and changed its name to Coeur Mining, Inc. in May 2013.Coeur Mining, Inc. was incorporated in 1928 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
The following companies are subsidiares of Quanta Services: (De) Lazy Q Ranch LLC, 1 Diamond LLC, 1Diamond AS, 618232 Alberta Ltd., 8246408 Canada Inc., Advanced Electric Systems, Advanced Electric Systems LLC, Advanced Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Alexander Publications LLC, Allteck GP Ltd., Allteck Limited Partnership, Apprenticeship Programs Inc., Arby Construction, Arcanum Chemicals LLC, Arnett & Burgess Oil Field Construction Limited, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners (Rockies) LLC, Arnett & Burgess Pipeliners Ltd., B&N Clearing and Environmental LLC, Banister Pipelines Constructors Corp., Banister Pipelines Constructors GP Ltd., Banister Pipelines Limited Partnership, Brent Woodward Inc., Brink Constructors Inc., Brink Constructors Inc. A Corporation Of South Dakota, Brown Engineering and Testing, CAT SPEC Ltd., CAT-SPEC Limited Partnership, CAT-SPEC Limited Partnership (Regd Name) CAT SPEC Ltd., CAT-Spec Limited Partnership, Canadian Utility Construction Corp., Cat Spec Limited LP, Cat Spec Ltd, Cat Spec Ltd. L.P., Cat Spec Ltd. LP, Cat Spec. Ltd. LP, Cat-Spec Ltd (A Domestic limited Partnership), Cat-Spec Ltd LP, Cat-Spec Ltd., Cat-Spec Ltd. L.P., Cat-Spec Ltd. LP, Cat-Spec Ltd. Limited Partnership, Catalyst Changers Inc., Chatham Electric, Citadel Industrial Services L.P., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd. L.P., Citadel Industrial Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Coe Drilling Pty Ltd., Computapole, Conam Construction Co., Consolidated Power Projects Australia Pty Ltd, Conti Communications Inc., Crux Subsurface Canada Ltd., Crux Subsurface Inc., Cutting Technology - 1 Diamond LLC, DB Utilities Inc., DE Lazy Q Ranch LLC, DNR Pressure Welding Ltd., Dacon Corporation, Dashiell (DE) Corporation (Dashiell Corporation), Dashiell Corporation, Dashiell Corporation DBA Dashiell (DE) Corporation, De Mears Group, De Mears Group Inc., Delaware Quanta Technology LLC, Delaware Underground Construction Co., Didado Utility Company Inc., Digco Utility Construction L.P. Digco Utility Construction Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. L.P., Dorado Specialty Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Dorado Specialty Services. Ltd. L.P., Driftwood Electrical Contractors, EHV Power ULC, ELITE PIPING & CIVIL L.P., ELITE TURNAROUND SPECIALISTS LTD, Elite Fabrication Ltd. Elite Fabrication LP, Elite Piping & Civil Limited Partnership, Elite Piping & Civil Limited Partnership, Elite Piping & Civil Lp, Elite Piping & Civil Ltd L.P., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd. L.P., Elite Piping & Civil Ltd. Limited Partnership, Elite Piping and Civil L.P., Elite Turnaround Specialists L.p., Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Lp, Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Partnership, Elite Turnaround Specialists Limited Partnership, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd Lp, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd., Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. L.P., Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. LP, Elite Turnaround Specialists Ltd. Limited Partnership, Energy Consulting Group LLC, Enscope, Enscope Pty Ltd, FIC GP LLC, Field Personnel Services LLC, First Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC, First Infrastructure Capital GP L.P., Five Points Construction Co., G-Tek, G-Vac, GEM Engineering Co., Grand Electric Inc., Great Lakes Line Builders, Grid Creative Inc., Grid Manufacturing Corporation, Grid Training Corporation, H.L. Chapman Pipeline Construction Inc., Haverfield Aviation, Haverfield Aviation Inc., Haverfield International Incorporated, Heritage Midstream LLC, IM Electric Inc., IUC ILLINOIS LLC, IUC Nebraska LLC, InfraSource Construction LLC, InfraSource Field Services LLC, InfraSource Services LLC, InfraSources Construction LLC, Infraestructura ETP de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V, Infrasource Engineering Company PC, Infrasource Iowa Underground LLC, Infrasource Of Pa LLC, Integracion Tecnologica del Peru SAC, Intermountain Electric Inc., Intermountain Electric Inc. A Corporation of Colorado, IonEarth LLC, Irby Construction Company, Irby Construction Company Inc., Iron Mountain M.J. Electric LLC, Island Mechanical Corporation, J.C.R. Construction Co. Inc., J.C.R. Utility Construction Co., J.W. Didado Electric Inc., J.W. Didado Electric LLC, J.w. Didado Electric, JBT Electric LLC, Kingston Contracting Inc., Lazy Q Ranch LLC, Lazy Q Training Center LLC The Lazy Q Lineman School, Legend Foundation Services, Lex Engineering Ltd., Lindsey Electric L.P., Logical Link, Longfellow Drilling, M. G. Dyess Inc., M. J. ELECTRIC LLC IRON MOUNTAIN, M. J. Electric LLC, M. J. Electric LLC - Iron Mountain, M. J. Electric LLC DBA M. J. Electric Iron Mountain LLC, M.J. Electric LLC DBA M.J. Electric Iron Mountain, M.J. Electric LLC Iron Mountain, MTS Field Services, MTS Field Services (Richmond Co), MTS Quanta LLC, Manuel Bros. Inc., Marathon Construction Services, Mears Canada Corp., Mears Equipment Services LLC, Mears Group Inc., Mears Group Pty Ltd, Mears Installation LLC, Mearsmex S. de R.L. de C.V., Mejia Personnel Services LLC, Mercer Technical Services, Microline Technology Corporation, Mid America Energy Services Inc., NACAP Niugini Ltd., NC Northstar Energy Services Inc, NGI Construction, NGI Construction Inc., NGI Construction Inc. (FN), NLC CA. Inc., NLC FL. Inc. Northwest Lineman Center, NLC ID. Inc. Northwest Lineman College, NLC TX. Inc., NPC Energy Services LLC, Nacap Australia, Nacap PNG Limited, Network Communication Services, North Houston Pole Line L.P., North Houston Pole Line Limited Partnership, North Sky Communications, NorthStar Energy Services Inc., Northern Powerline Constructors Inc., Northstar Energy Solutions LLC, Northwest Lineman Center, Northwest Lineman College, Northwest Lineman Training Center, Northwest Lineman Training Center Inc., Nova Constructors LLC, Nova Constructors LTD, Nova Equipment Leasing LLC, Nova Group Inc, Nova Group Inc (CA), Nova Group Inc., Nova Group Inc. DBA NGI Construction, Nova NextGen Solutions LLC, O. J. Pipelines Canada Corporation, O. J. Pipelines Canada Limited Partnership, O.J. Industrial Maintenance, O.J. Pipelines Canada, One Call Locators Canada Ltd., P.D.G. Electric, PAR Electrical Contractors Inc., PDG Electric Co., Par Internacional S. de R.L. de C.V., Performance Energy Services Guyana Ltd., Performance Energy Services L.L.C., Phasor Engineering Inc., Phoenix North Constructors Inc., Phoenix Power Group Inc., Potelco Inc., Potelco Incorporated, Power Delivery Program Inc., Price Gregory International Inc., Price Gregory Services LLC, Probst Construction Inc., Probst Electric Inc., QEPC, QEPC Power Solutions LLC, QES GP LLC, QP Energy Services LLC, QPS Engineering LLC, QPS Engineering LTD., QPS Engineering PLLC, QPS Environmental, QPS Flint Construction, QPS Flint Tank Services, QPS Global, QPS Global Services, QPS Global Services (Richmond Ci), QPS Professional Services, QPSE, QS Mats, QSI Engineering Inc., QSI Finance (Australia) Pty Ltd., QSI Finance (Cayman) Pvt. Ltd., QSI Finance Canada ULC, QSI Finance GP (US) LLC, QSI Finance I (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., QSI Finance I (US) LP, QSI Finance II (Australia) Pty Ltd., QSI Finance II (Lux) S.a r.l, QSI Finance II (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., QSI Finance III (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance III (Lux) SARL, QSI Finance IV (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance IX (Canada) Limited Partnership, QSI Finance V (US) L.P., QSI Finance VI (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance VII (Canada) Limited Partnership, QSI Finance VIII (Canada) ULC, QSI Finance X (Canada) ULC, QSI Inc., QSN Lux Holdings I SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings II SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings III SCSp, QSN Lux Holdings IV SCSp, QTSL LLC, QUANTA FOUNDATION SERVICES, Quanta APL GP II Ltd., Quanta Asset Management LLC, Quanta Associates L.P., Quanta Aviation Services LLC, Quanta Canada GP ULC, Quanta Canada Holdings III Limited Partnership, Quanta Canada Holdings LP, Quanta Canada III GP Ltd., Quanta Capital GP LLC, Quanta Capital LP L.P., Quanta Capital Solutions Inc., Quanta Cares, Quanta EPC Services, Quanta Electric Power Construction LLC, Quanta Electric Power Construction Management Inc., Quanta Electric Power Services LLC, Quanta Electric Power Services West LLC, Quanta Energized Innovations Ltd., Quanta Energized Services U.S. LLC, Quanta Energized Services of Canada Ltd., Quanta Energy Services LLC, Quanta Environmental Solutions, Quanta Equipment Company LLC, Quanta Government Solutions Inc., Quanta Holdings I (Netherlands) B.V., Quanta Holdings II (Netherlands) B.V., Quanta Infraestructura de Chile SpA, Quanta Infrastructure Services LLC, Quanta Infrastructure Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Quanta Inline Devices LLC, Quanta Inspection Services, Quanta Insurance Company Inc., Quanta International Holdings (US) LLC, Quanta International Holdings II Ltd., Quanta International Holdings Ltd., Quanta International Limited, Quanta Kingsvale LP Ltd., Quanta Lines Pty Ltd., Quanta Maine Services LLC, Quanta Middle East LLC, Quanta Pipeline Services Inc., Quanta Power Australia Pty Ltd, Quanta Power Generation Inc., Quanta Power Inc., Quanta Power Solutions India Private Limited, Quanta Resource Development, Quanta Services Africa (PTY) Ltd., Quanta Services Australia Pty Ltd., Quanta Services Chile SpA, Quanta Services Colombia S.A.S., Quanta Services Costa Rica Ltda., Quanta Services Guatemala Ltda., Quanta Services International Holdings II LP, Quanta Services International Holdings LP, Quanta Services Management Partnership L.P., Quanta Services Netherlands B.V., Quanta Services Panama S. de R.L., Quanta Services Peru S.A.C., Quanta Services Puerto Rico LLC, Quanta Services of Canada Ltd., Quanta Subsurface Canada Ltd., Quanta Subsurface LLC, Quanta Tank Services, Quanta Technology Canada ULC, Quanta Technology LLC, Quanta Technology UK Ltd., Quanta Tecnologia do Brasil Ltda., Quanta Telecom, Quanta Telecom Services, Quanta Telecommunication Services, Quanta Telecommunication Services LLC, Quanta Telecommunications Services LLC, Quanta Underground Services, Quanta Underground Services (Culpeper Co), Quanta Underground Services (Spotsylvania Co), Quanta Underground Services Inc., Quanta Utility Engineering Services Inc., Quanta Utility Installation Company Inc., Quanta Utility Operation LLC, Quanta West LLC, Quantecua Cia. Ltda., R. R. Cassidy Inc., RMS Holdings LLC, RMS Holdings LLC (Delaware), RMS Welding Systems, RMS Welding Systems LLC, Ranger Directional, Realtime Engineers Inc., Realtime Utility Engineers Inc., Redes Andinas de Comunicaciones S.R.L., Riggin & Diggin Line Construction, Rms Welding LLC, Rms Welding Systems LLC, Road Bore Corporation, Ryan Company Inc. The, Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, Ryan Company Inc.(The), Seaward, Seaward Corp, Seaward Corporation, Service EC (DE) Inc., Service Electric Company (DE), Service Electric Company Inc., Service Electric Company of Delaware, Servicios Par Electric S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios de Infraestructura del Peru S.A.C., Southwest Trenching Company Inc., Specialty Tank Services L.P., Specialty Tank Services LP, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Limited Partnership, Specialty Tank Services Ltd., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. (LP), Specialty Tank Services Ltd. L.P., Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, Specialty Tank Services Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold General LLC, Stronghold Holdings (BVI) Limited, Stronghold Inspection L.P., Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Limited Partnership, Stronghold Inspection Lp, Stronghold Inspection Ltd L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. L.P., Stronghold Inspection Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Limited Partnership, Stronghold Ltd., Stronghold Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Management Holdings LP, Stronghold Specialty General LLC, Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd., Stronghold Specialty Ltd. Limited Partnership, Stronghold Tower Group LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd LP, Stronghold Tower Group Ltd., Stronghold Tower Group Ltd. LP, Stronghold VI LLC, Subterra Damage Prevention Specialists Ltd., Summit Line Construction, Sumter Utilities Inc., T. G. Mercer Consulting Services Inc., TA Construction, TC Infrastructure Services Ltd., Taylor Built, Texas Specialty Tank Services Ltd. LP, The Aspen Utility Company LLC, The ComTran Group Inc., The Hallen Construction Co. Inc., The Massachusetts Ryan Company Inc., The Ryan Company Inc Of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Inc., The Ryan Company Inc. (Massachusetts), The Ryan Company Inc. of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Incorporated of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company Of Massachusetts Inc., The Ryan Company of Massachusetts, The Ryan Company of Massachusetts (FN), Tom Allen Construction Company Inc., Tom Allen Construction Company of Delaware, Trans Tech Electric, TurnKey Automation Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Ltd., TurnKey Automation Ltd. Limited Partnership, TurnKey Automation Ltd. Limited Partnership, TurnKey I&E Ltd., Turnkey Automation Ltd. L.P., Turnkey Automation Ltd. LP., UCC Underground Construction Co. Inc., Ucc - Underground Construction Co., Underground Construction Co. Inc., Underground Construction Co. Inc. (Delaware), Underground Electric Construction Company LLC, Utilco Inc., Utility Fleet Services, Utility Line Management Services Inc., Utility Testing & Maintenance LLC, Utility Training Services Corporation, VALARD Polska sp. Z o.o., Valard, Valard, Valard Construction (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Construction (Quebec) Inc., Valard Construction 2008 Ltd., Valard Construction Australia Pty Ltd, Valard Construction LLC, Valard Equipment (AB) Ltd., Valard Equipment GP Ltd., Valard Equipment Limited Partnership, Valard Geomatics (Ontario) Ltd., Valard Geomatics BC Ltd., Valard Geomatics Ltd., Valard Mechanical Ltd., Valard Norway AS, Valard Sweden AB, Valard Zagreb d. o. o., Wade D. Taylor Inc., West Coast Communications, Winco Helicopters, Winco Inc., Winco Inc. an Oregon Based Corporation, Winco Powerline Services, Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Powerline Services Inc., Winco Services Inc., World Fiber Inc., and mmit Line Construction Inc..

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Overview of Georgias participation to NATO military operations

By Vladimer Napetvaridze

It is symbolic that the multinational military training Noble Partner 2017, aimed at strengthening the countrys military capacity,ended on August 12 when most Georgians commemorate the victory of Didgori Battle, which took place in the 12th century. Nine centuries after,Georgia still faces some threats due to its geopolitical location, which plays a major role in countrys development.Todays declared international policy of Georgian government is to join the Western military alliance - NATO, which could be the solution to many external problems the country has been facing. However, there are a number of terms to be fulfilled to join the alliance. Part of this arethe military trainings such as Noble Partner 2017 and joint international military operations with NATO forces.Georgian Armed Forces have participated in international peacekeeping missions since 1999. At different times Georgian militaries were involved in the operations in Kosovo, Mediterranean, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali and the Central African Republic. Here is the list of some of the NATO missions Georgia took part in: Peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR-Kosovo Forces, 1999-2008; Anti-terrorism mission operated in the Mediterranean,Active Endeavour, 2010-2016; ISAF  International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan, 2004-2014; NRF  NATO Response Forces,2015; Resolute Support - led training, advice and assist mission,Afghanistan,2015.Comparing to other NATO partner countries, Georgia is the largest contributor to Afghan mission. Since 2010, 32 Georgian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan and over 300 injured. From time to time, the question about the purpose of Georgian army's presence in a foreign countryarises.But, the states firm position on Georgian armys participation to NATO's military operations have not changed despitesignificant shifts in political power.Georgia's aspiration towards NATO stays intact for many years and this aspiration of the country to join the organization is not left without attention of the international partners.Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Georgia, Elizabeth Rood, stated to Media at the Noble Partner Closing Ceremony: "We are proud that our partnership with Georgia is visible around the world. Georgia has contributed per capita more troops to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan than any other ally or partner."One more evidence of US support to Georgias NATO aspirations was the letter sent by the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recalling a statement made by US Vice President Mike Pence on his visit to Georgia that the US respects Georgias contribution to security in Afghanistan.The participation to international military operations is part of Georgia's defense strategy. With these actions that do not come at an easy cost, Georgia gradually approaches its purpose to join the NATO and the memberhsipis believed to be the guarantor of peace in the region.To succeed in this path, Georgia needs support from the international partners as never before.
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RHP) is a leading lodging and hospitality real estate investment trust that specializes in upscale convention center resorts and country music entertainment experiences. The Company's core holdings* include a network of five of the top 10 largest non-gaming convention center hotels in the United States based on total indoor meeting space. These convention center resorts operate under the Gaylord Hotels brand and are managed by Marriott International. The Company also owns two adjacent ancillary hotels and a small number of attractions managed by Marriott International for a combined total of 10,110 rooms and more than 2.7 million square feet of total indoor and outdoor meeting space in top convention and leisure destinations across the country. The Company's Entertainment segment includes a growing collection of iconic and emerging country music brands, including the Grand Ole Opry; Ryman Auditorium, WSM 650 AM; Ole Red and Circle, a country lifestyle media network the Company owns in a joint-venture with Gray Television. The Company operates its Entertainment segment as part of a taxable REIT subsidiary. * The Company is the sole owner of Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center; Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center; Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center; and Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. It is the majority owner and managing member of the joint venture that owns the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center.
Humana Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health and well-being company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail, Group and Specialty, and Healthcare Services. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It also has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits. In addition, the company provides commercial fully insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits comprising dental, vision, and other supplemental health benefits; and administrative services only products to individuals and employer groups, as well as military services, such as TRICARE T2017 East Region contract. Further, it offers pharmacy solutions, provider services, and home solutions services, such as home health and other services to its health plan members, as well as to third parties. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 17 million members in medical benefit plans, as well as approximately 5 million members in specialty products. Humana Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated insurance holding company in the United States. The company develops, markets, and underwrites insurance products for personal residential insurance, such as homeowners, renters/tenants, condo unit owners, and dwelling/fire; and offers allied lines, coverage for other structures, and personal property, liability, and personal articles coverages. It also advises on actuarial issues, oversees distribution, administers claims payments, performs policy administration and underwriting, and assists with reinsurance negotiations; places and manages reinsurance programs for the insurance entities; and operates Clovered.com, an online platform in which consumers receive side-by-side quotes from various carriers across multiple states, as well as educational materials about homeowners' insurance policies. It offers its products through a network of independent agents, as well as Universal Direct, a direct-to-consumer online platform, which enables homeowners to directly purchase, pay for, and bind homeowners' policies. The company was formerly known as Universal Heights, Inc. and changed its name to Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. in January 2001. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Snap-on Incorporated manufactures and markets tools, equipment, diagnostics, and repair information and systems solutions for professional users worldwide. It operates through Commercial & Industrial Group, Snap-on Tools Group, Repair Systems & Information Group, and Financial Services segments. The company offers hand tools, including wrenches, sockets, ratchet wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, punches and chisels, saws and cutting tools, pruning tools, torque measuring instruments, and other products; power tools, such as cordless, pneumatic, hydraulic, and corded tools; and tool storage products comprising tool chests, roll cabinets, and other products. It also provides handheld and computer-based diagnostic products, service and repair information products, diagnostic software solutions, electronic parts catalogs, business management systems and services, point-of-sale systems, integrated systems for vehicle service shops, original equipment manufacturer purchasing facilitation services, and warranty management systems and analytics. In addition, the company offers solutions for the service of vehicles and industrial equipment that include wheel alignment equipment, wheel balancers, tire changers, vehicle lifts, test lane equipment, collision repair equipment, vehicle air conditioning service equipment, brake service equipment, fluid exchange equipment, transmission troubleshooting equipment, safety testing equipment, battery chargers, and hoists, as well as after-sales support services and training programs. Further, it provides financing programs to facilitate the sales of its products and support its franchise business. The company serves the aviation and aerospace, agriculture, construction, government and military, mining, natural resources, power generation, and technical education industries, as well as vehicle dealerships and repair centers. Snap-on Incorporated was founded in 1920 and is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The following companies are subsidiares of HSBC: Assetfinance December (F) Limited, Assetfinance December (H) Limited, Assetfinance December (M) Limited, Assetfinance December (P) Limited, Assetfinance December (R) Limited, Assetfinance June (A) Limited, Assetfinance June (D) Limited, Assetfinance Limited, Assetfinance March (B) Limited, Assetfinance March (D) Limited, Assetfinance March (F) Limited, Assetfinance September (F) Limited, Assetfinance September (G) Limited, B&Q Financial Services Limited, Banco Nominees (Guernsey) Limited, Banco Nominees 2 (Guernsey) Limited, Banco Nominees Limited, Bank of Bermuda (Cayman) Limited, Beau Soleil Limited Partnership, Beijing Miyun HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Billingsgate Nominees Limited, CC&H Holdings LLC, CCF & Partners Asset Management Limited, COIF Nominees Limited, Canada Crescent Nominees (UK) Limited, Canada Square Nominees (UK) Limited, Capco/Cove Inc., Card-Flo #1 Inc., Card-Flo #3 Inc., Charterhouse Administrators (D.T.) Limited, Charterhouse Management Services Limited, Charterhouse Pensions Limited, Chongqing Dazu HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Chongqing Fengdu HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Chongqing Rongchang HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Cordico Management AG, Corhold Limited, Corsair IV Financial Services Capital Partners, Dalian Pulandian HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Decision One Mortgage Company LLC, Dem 5, Dem 9, Dempar 1, Dempar 4, Elysees Immo Invest, Eton Corporate Services Limited, Fdm 5 SAS, Finanpar 2, Finanpar 7, Flandres Contentieux S.A., Fonciere Elysees, Fujian Yongan HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Fulcher Enterprises Company Limited, Fundacion HSBC A.C., GPIF Co-Investment LLC, Giller Ltd., Global Payments Technology Mexico S.A. De C.V., Griffin International Limited, Grundstuecksgesellschaft Trinkausstrasse Kommanditgesellschaft, Grupo Financiero HSBC S.A. de C.V., Guangdong Enping HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, HITG Administration GmbH, HRMG Nominees Limited, HSBC (BGF) Investments Limited, HSBC (General Partner) Limited, HSBC (Guernsey) GP PCC Limited, HSBC (Kuala Lumpur) Nominees Sdn Bhd, HSBC (Malaysia) Trustee Berhad, HSBC (Singapore) Nominees Pte Ltd, HSBC Administradora de Inversiones S.A., HSBC Agency (India) Private Limited, HSBC Alternative Investments Limited, HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad, HSBC Americas Corporation (Delaware), HSBC Argentina Holdings S.A., HSBC Asia Holdings (UK) Limited, HSBC Asia Holdings B.V., HSBC Asia Holdings Limited, HSBC Asia Pacific Holdings (UK) Limited, HSBC Asset Finance (UK) Limited, HSBC Asset Finance M.O.G. Holdings (UK) Limited, HSBC Asset Management (India) Private Limited, HSBC Assurances Vie (France), HSBC Australia Holdings Pty Limited, HSBC Bank (Chile), HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited, HSBC Bank (General Partner) Limited, HSBC Bank (Mauritius) Limited, HSBC Bank (RR) (Limited Liability Company), HSBC Bank (Singapore) Limited, HSBC Bank (Taiwan) Limited, HSBC Bank (Uruguay) S.A., HSBC Bank (Vietnam) Ltd., HSBC Bank A.S., HSBC Bank Argentina S.A., HSBC Bank Armenia cjsc, HSBC Bank Australia Limited, HSBC Bank Bermuda Limited, HSBC Bank Canada, HSBC Bank Capital Funding (Sterling, HSBC Bank Capital Funding (Sterling 2) LP, HSBC Bank Egypt S.A.E, HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad, HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c., HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, HSBC Bank Nominee (Jersey) Limited, HSBC Bank Oman S.A.O.G., HSBC Bank Pension Trust (UK) Limited, HSBC Bank Polska S.A., HSBC Bank USA National Association, HSBC Bank plc, HSBC Branch Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC Brasil Holding S.A., HSBC Brasil S.A. Banco De Investimento, HSBC Broking Forex (Asia) Limited, HSBC Broking Futures (Asia) Limited, HSBC Broking Futures (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Broking Securities (Asia) Limited, HSBC Broking Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Broking Services (Asia) Limited, HSBC Canadian Covered Bond (Legislative) GP Inc, HSBC Canadian Covered Bond (Legislative) Guarantor Limited Partnership, HSBC Capital (USA) Inc., HSBC Capital Funding (Dollar 1) L.P., HSBC Capital Limited, HSBC Card Services Inc., HSBC Casa de Bolsa S.A. de C.V., HSBC Cayman Services Limited, HSBC City Funding Holdings, HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC Client Share Offer Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC Columbia Funding LLC, HSBC Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, HSBC Corporate Finance (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Corporate Trustee Company (UK) Limited, HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia) Limited, HSBC Custody Services (Guernsey) Limited, HSBC Daisy Investments (Mauritius) Limited, HSBC Diversified Loan Fund General Partner Sarl, HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Guangdong) Limited, HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Philippines) Inc., HSBC Electronic Data Processing India Private Limited, HSBC Electronic Data Processing Lanka (Private) Limited, HSBC Electronic Data Service Delivery (Egypt) S.A.E., HSBC Enterprise Investment Company (UK) Limited, HSBC Epargne Entreprise (France), HSBC Equipment Finance (UK) Limited, HSBC Equity (UK) Limited, HSBC Europe B.V., HSBC Executor & Trustee Company (UK) Limited, HSBC Factoring (France), HSBC Finance (Brunei) Berhad, HSBC Finance (Netherlands), HSBC Finance Corporation, HSBC Finance Limited, HSBC Finance Mortgages Inc., HSBC Finance Transformation (UK) Limited, HSBC Financial Services (Lebanon) s.a.l., HSBC France, HSBC Fund Services (Korea) Limited, HSBC Germany Holdings GmbH, HSBC Global Asset Management (Bermuda) Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management (Canada) Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management (Deutschland) GmbH, HSBC Global Asset Management (France), HSBC Global Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management (Japan) K. K., HSBC Global Asset Management (Malta) Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., HSBC Global Asset Management (Oesterreich) GmbH, HSBC Global Asset Management (Singapore) Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management (Switzerland) AG, HSBC Global Asset Management (Taiwan) Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management (USA) Inc., HSBC Global Asset Management Holdings (Bahamas) Limited, HSBC Global Asset Management Limited, HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC Global Custody Proprietary Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC Global Services (Canada) Limited, HSBC Global Services (China) Holdings Limited, HSBC Global Services (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Global Services (UK) Limited, HSBC Global Services Limited, HSBC Group Management Services Limited, HSBC Group Nominees UK Limited, HSBC Holdings B.V., HSBC IM Pension Trust Limited, HSBC INKA Investment-AG TGV, HSBC Infrastructure Limited, HSBC Inmobiliaria (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Asia) Limited, HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Bermuda) Limited, HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Ireland) DAC, HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Mauritius) Limited, HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Singapore) Limited, HSBC Insurance (Asia) Limited, HSBC Insurance (Asia-Pacific) Holdings Limited, HSBC Insurance (Bermuda) Limited, HSBC Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Limited, HSBC Insurance Agency (USA) Inc., HSBC Insurance Brokers (Philippines) Inc, HSBC Insurance Holdings Limited, HSBC Insurance Services Holdings Limited, HSBC International Finance Corporation, HSBC International Trustee (BVI) Limited, HSBC International Trustee (Holdings) Pte. Limited, HSBC International Trustee Limited, HSBC Inversiones S.A., HSBC InvestDirect (India) Limited, HSBC InvestDirect Financial Services (India) Limited, HSBC InvestDirect Sales & Marketing (India) Limited, HSBC InvestDirect Securities (India) Private Limited, HSBC Investment Bank Holdings B.V., HSBC Investment Bank Holdings Limited, HSBC Investment Funds (Canada) Inc., HSBC Investment Funds (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Investment Funds (Luxembourg) SA, HSBC Invoice Finance (UK) Limited, HSBC Issuer Services Common Depositary Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC Issuer Services Depositary Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC LU Nominees Limited, HSBC Latin America B.V., HSBC Latin America Holdings (UK) Limited, HSBC Leasing (Asia) Limited, HSBC Leasing (France), HSBC Life (International) Limited, HSBC Life (Property) Limited, HSBC Life (UK) Limited, HSBC Life Assurance (Malta) Limited, HSBC Life Insurance Company Limited, HSBC Management (Guernsey) Limited, HSBC Markets (USA) Inc., HSBC Marking Name Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC Mexico S.A., HSBC Middle East Finance Company Limited, HSBC Middle East Holdings B.V., HSBC Middle East Leasing Partnership, HSBC Mortgage Corporation (Canada), HSBC Mortgage Corporation (USA), HSBC Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd, HSBC Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Nominees (New Zealand) Limited, HSBC Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd, HSBC North America Holdings Inc., HSBC Odeme Sistemleri Bilgisayar Teknolojileri Basin Yayin Ve Musteri Hizmetleri, HSBC Operational Services GmbH, HSBC Overseas Holdings (UK) Limited, HSBC Overseas Investments Corporation (New York), HSBC Overseas Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC PB Corporate Services, HSBC PB Services (Suisse) SA, HSBC PI Holdings (Mauritius) Limited, HSBC Participaciones (Argentina) S.A., HSBC Pension Trust (Ireland) DAC, HSBC Pensiones S.A., HSBC Portfoy Yonetimi A.S., HSBC Preferential LP (UK), HSBC Private Bank (C.I.) Limited, HSBC Private Bank (Luxembourg) S.A., HSBC Private Bank (Monaco) SA, HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA, HSBC Private Bank (UK) Limited, HSBC Private Bank International, HSBC Private Banking Holdings (Suisse) SA, HSBC Private Banking Nominee 3 (Jersey) Limited, HSBC Private Equity Advisors LLC, HSBC Private Equity Investments (UK) Limited, HSBC Private Trustee (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Private Wealth Services (Canada) Inc., HSBC Professional Services (India) Private Limited, HSBC Property (UK) Limited, HSBC Property Funds (Holding) Limited, HSBC Provident Fund Trustee (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Qianhai Securities Limited, HSBC REIM (France), HSBC Real Estate Leasing (France), HSBC Realty Credit Corporation (USA), HSBC Representative Office (Nigeria) Limited, HSBC Retirement Benefits Trustee (UK) Limited, HSBC Retirement Services Limited, HSBC SFH (France), HSBC Savings Bank (Philippines) Inc., HSBC Securities (Asia) Limited, HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc., HSBC Securities (Egypt) S.A.E., HSBC Securities (Japan) Limited, HSBC Securities (Philippines) Inc., HSBC Securities (Singapore) Pte Limited, HSBC Securities (South Africa) (Pty) Limited, HSBC Securities (Taiwan) Corporation Limited, HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., HSBC Securities Asia International Nominees Limited, HSBC Securities Asia Nominees Limited, HSBC Securities Brokers (Asia) Limited, HSBC Securities Investments (Asia) Limited, HSBC Securities Services (Bermuda) Limited, HSBC Securities Services (Guernsey) Limited, HSBC Securities Services (Ireland) DAC, HSBC Securities Services (Luxembourg) S.A., HSBC Securities Services Holding Limited, HSBC Securities Services Holdings (Ireland) DAC, HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Private Limited, HSBC Seguros S.A de C.V., HSBC Seguros de Retiro (Argentina) S.A., HSBC Seguros de Vida (Argentina) S.A., HSBC Service Delivery (Polska) Sp. z o.o., HSBC Services (France), HSBC Services Japan Limited, HSBC Services USA Inc., HSBC Servicios Financieros S.A., HSBC Servicios S.A de C.V., HSBC Software Development (Canada) Inc, HSBC Software Development (Guangdong) Limited, HSBC Software Development (India) Private Limited, HSBC Software Development (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, HSBC Specialist Investments Limited, HSBC Stockbrokers Nominee (UK) Limited, HSBC Technology & Services (China) Limited, HSBC Technology & Services (USA) Inc., HSBC Transaction Services GmbH, HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt (International) S.A., HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG, HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt Gesellschaft fur Bankbeteiligungen mbH, HSBC Trinkaus Europa Immobilien-Fonds Nr. 5 GmbH, HSBC Trinkaus Family Office GmbH, HSBC Trinkaus Immobilien Beteiligungs KG, HSBC Trinkaus Real Estate GmbH, HSBC Trust Company (Canada), HSBC Trust Company (Delaware) National Association, HSBC Trust Company (UK) Limited, HSBC Trust Company AG, HSBC Trustee (C.I.) Limited, HSBC Trustee (Cayman) Limited, HSBC Trustee (Guernsey) Limited, HSBC Trustee (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Trustee (Singapore) Limited, HSBC UK Bank plc, HSBC UK Client Nominee Limited, HSBC UK Holdings Limited, HSBC USA Inc., HSBC Violet Investments (Mauritius) Limited, HSBC Wealth Client Nominee Limited, HSBC Yatirim Menkul Degerler A.S., HSI Asset Securitization Corporation, HSI International Limited, HSIL Investments Limited, Hang Seng (Nominee) Limited, Hang Seng Bank (China) Limited, Hang Seng Bank (Trustee) Limited, Hang Seng Bank Limited, Hang Seng Bullion Company Limited, Hang Seng Credit Limited, Hang Seng Data Services Limited, Hang Seng Finance Limited, Hang Seng Financial Information Limited, Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited, Hang Seng Insurance Company Limited, Hang Seng Investment Management Limited, Hang Seng Investment Services Limited, Hang Seng Life Limited, Hang Seng Qianhai Fund Management Company Limited, Hang Seng Real Estate Management Limited, Hang Seng Securities Limited, Hang Seng Security Management Limited, Haseba Investment Company Limited, Hg Janus A Co-Invest L.P., High Time Investments Limited, Honey Green Enterprises Ltd., Hongkong International Trade Finance, Household Capital Markets LLC, Household Finance Corporation III, Household Pooling Corporation, Hubei Macheng HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Hubei Suizhou Cengdu HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Hubei Tianmen HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Hunan Pingjiang HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, INKA Internationale Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH, Imenson Limited, InfraRed NF China Real Estate Investments LP, Inmobiliaria Banci S.A. de C.V., Inmobiliaria Bisa S.A. de C.V., Inmobiliaria Grufin S.A. de C.V., Inmobiliaria Guatusi S.A. de C.V., James Capel & Co. Limited, James Capel (Nominees) Limited, James Capel (Taiwan) Nominees Limited, Jasmine22 Limited, John Lewis Financial Services Limited, Keyser Ullmann Limited, Lion Corporate Services Limited, Lion International Corporate Services Limited, Lion International Management Limited, Lion Management (Hong Kong) Limited, Lyndholme Limited, MIL (Cayman) Limited, MIL (Jersey) Limited, MW Gestion SA, Marks and Spencer Financial Services plc, Marks and Spencer Savings and Investments Limited, Marks and Spencer Unit Trust Management Limited, Mercantile Company Limited, Mexicana de Fomento S.A. de C.V., Midcorp Limited, Midland Bank (Branch Nominees) Limited, Midland Nominees Limited, PT Bank HSBC Indonesia, PT HSBC Sekuritas Indonesia, Promocion en Bienes Raices S.A. de C.V., Prudential Client HSBC GIS Nominee (UK) Limited, R/CLIP Corp., RLUKREF Nominees (UK) One Limited, RLUKREF Nominees (UK) Two Limited, Real Estate Collateral Management Company, Republic Nominees Limited, Republic Overseas Capital Corporation, S.A.P.C. - Ufipro Recouvrement, SAS Bosquet - Audrain, SAS Cyatheas Pasteur, SAS Orona, SCI HSBC Assurances Immo, SFM, SFSS Nominees (Pty) Limited, SNC Dorique, SNC Kerouan, SNC Les Mercuriales, SNC Les Oliviers D'Antibes, SNC Makala, SNC Nuku-Hiva Bail, SNCB/M6-2007 A, SNCB/M6-2007 B, SNCB/M6-2008 A, Saf Baiyun, Saf Chang Jiang, Saf Guangzhou, Saf Zhu Jiang, Saf Zhu Jiang Jiu, Saf Zhu Jiang Shi Ba, Saf Zhu Jiang Shi Er, Saf Zhu Jiang Shi Jiu, Saf Zhu Jiang Shi Liu, Saf Zhu Jiang Shi Qi, Saf Zhu Jiang Shi Wu, Shandong Rongcheng HSBC Rural Bank Company Limited, Sico Limited, Societe Francaise et Suisse, Somers Dublin DAC, Somers Nominees (Far East) Limited, Sopingest, South Yorkshire Light Rail Limited, St Cross Trustees Limited, Sun Hung Kai Development (Lujiazui III) Limited, Swan National Leasing (Commercials) Limited, Swan National Limited, Thasosfin, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, The Venture Catalysts Limited, Timberlink Settlement Services (USA) Inc., Tooley Street View Limited, Tower Investment Management, Trinkaus Australien Immobilien Fonds Nr. 1 Brisbane GmbH & Co. KG, Trinkaus Australien Immobilien-Fonds Nr. 1 Treuhand-GmbH, Trinkaus Europa Immobilien-Fonds Nr.3 Objekt Utrecht Verwaltungs-GmbH, Trinkaus Immobilien-Fonds Geschaeftsfuehrungs-GmbH, Trinkaus Immobilien-Fonds Verwaltungs-GmbH, Trinkaus Private Equity Verwaltungs GmbH, Tropical Nominees Limited, Turnsonic (Nominees) Limited, Valeurs Mobilieres Elysees, Wardley Limited, Wayfoong Nominees Limited, Wayhong (Bahamas) Limited, Westminster House LLC, Woodex Limited, and Yan Nin Development Company Limited.

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AbbVie Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals in the worldwide. The company offers HUMIRA, a therapy administered as an injection for autoimmune and intestinal Behcet's diseases; SKYRIZI to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults; RINVOQ, a JAK inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients; IMBRUVICA to treat adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), and VENCLEXTA, a BCL-2 inhibitor used to treat adults with CLL or SLL; and MAVYRET to treat patients with chronic HCV genotype 1-6 infection. It also provides CREON, a pancreatic enzyme therapy for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency; Synthroid used in the treatment of hypothyroidism; Linzess/Constella to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation; Lupron for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer, endometriosis and central precocious puberty, and patients with anemia caused by uterine fibroids; and Botox therapeutic. In addition, the company offers ORILISSA, a nonpeptide small molecule gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist for women with moderate to severe endometriosis pain; Duopa and Duodopa, a levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel to treat Parkinson's disease; Lumigan/Ganfort, a bimatoprost ophthalmic solution for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension; Ubrelvy to treat migraine with or without aura in adults; Alphagan/ Combigan, an alpha-adrenergic receptor agonist for the reduction of IOP in patients with OAG; and Restasis, a calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppressant to increase tear production, as well as other eye care products. AbbVie Inc. has a research collaboration with Dragonfly Therapeutics, Inc. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois.
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.
ALLETE, Inc. operates as an energy company. The company operates through Regulated Operations, ALLETE Clean Energy, and Corporate and Other segments. It generates electricity from coal-fired, biomass co-fired / natural gas, hydroelectric, wind, and solar. The company provides regulated utility electric services in northwestern Wisconsin to approximately 15,000 electric customers, 13,000 natural gas customers, and 10,000 water customers, as well as regulated utility electric services in northeastern Minnesota to approximately 145,000 retail customers and 15 non-affiliated municipal customers. It also owns and maintains electric transmission assets in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. In addition, the company focuses on developing, acquiring, and operating clean and renewable energy projects; and owns and operates approximately 1,000 megawatts of wind energy generation facility. Further, it is involved in the coal mining operations in North Dakota; and real estate investment activities in Florida. The company owns and operates 158 substations with a total capacity of 10,066 megavolt amperes. It serves taconite mining, paper, pulp and secondary wood products, pipeline, and other industries. The company was formerly known as Minnesota Power, Inc. and changed its name to ALLETE, Inc. in May 2001. ALLETE, Inc. was incorporated in 1906 and is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.
Avangrid, Inc., an energy services holding company, engages in the regulated energy transmission and distribution, and renewable energy generation businesses in the United States. The company operates through Networks and Renewables segments. It is involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity; and distribution, transportation, and sale of natural gas. The company also operates renewable energy generation facilities primarily using onshore wind power, as well as solar, biomass, and thermal power. It delivers natural gas and electricity to residential, commercial, and institutional customers through its regulated utilities in New York, Maine, Connecticut, and Massachusetts; and sells its output to investor-owned utilities, public utilities, and other credit-worthy entities. In addition, the company generates and provides power and other services to federal and state agencies, as well as institutional retail and joint action agencies; and delivers thermal output to wholesale customers in the Western United States. It owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving 3.3 million customers in New York and New England, as well as owns and operates 8.8 gigawatts of electricity capacity primarily through wind power in 22 states. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Orange, Connecticut. Avangrid, Inc. is a subsidiary of Iberdrola, S.A.
Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company offers peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis, and additional dialysis therapies and services; intravenous therapies, infusion pumps, administration sets, and drug reconstitution devices; remixed and oncology drug platforms, inhaled anesthesia and critical care products and pharmacy compounding services; parenteral nutrition therapies and related products; biological products and medical devices used in surgical procedures for hemostasis, tissue sealing and adhesion prevention; and continuous renal replacement therapies and other organ support therapies focused in the intensive care unit. It also provides connected care solutions, including devices, software, communications, and integration technologies; integrated patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies to help diagnose, treat, and manage a various illness and diseases, including respiratory therapy, cardiology, vision screening, and physical assessment; surgical video technologies, tables, lights, pendants, precision positioning devices and other accessories. In addition, the company offers contracted services to various pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. Its products are used in hospitals, kidney dialysis centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, doctors' offices, and patients at home under physician supervision. The company sells its products through direct sales force, as well as through independent distributors, drug wholesalers, and specialty pharmacy or other alternate site providers in approximately 100 countries. It has an agreement with Celerity Pharmaceutical, LLC to develop acute care generic injectable premix and oncolytic molecules. Baxter International Inc. was incorporated in 1931 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.
BUILDING THE LA RAZA 'The Race' WELFARE STATE ON MIDDLE AMERICAS' BACKS: Months ago, the Biden administration publicly defended their proposal to begin providing federal identification cards to border crossers and illegal aliens who they plan to release into American communities. The goal of the proposal is to make securing public benefits easier.
ESCO Technologies Inc. produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Shielding and Test segments. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines. It also designs, develops, and manufactures elastomeric-based signature reduction solutions for U.S. naval vessels; and mission-critical bushings, pins, sleeves, and precision-tolerance machined components for landing gear, rotor heads, engine mounts, flight controls, and actuation systems for the aerospace and defense industries. The Utility Solutions Group segment provides diagnostic testing solutions that enable electric power grid operators to assess the integrity of high-voltage power delivery equipment; and decision support tools for the renewable energy industry, primarily wind and solar. The RF Shielding and Test segment designs and manufactures RF test and secure communication facilities, acoustic test enclosures, RF and magnetically shielded rooms, RF measurement systems, and broadcast and recording studios; and RF absorptive materials and filters, active compensation systems, antennas, antenna masts, turntables, electric and magnetic probes, RF test cells, proprietary measurement software, and other test accessories to perform various tests. It also provides services, such as calibration for antennas and field probes, chamber certification, field surveys, customer training, and various product tests. The company distributes its products through a network of distributors, sales representatives, direct sales teams, and in-house sales personnel. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. owns and leases freight railroads. It operates through three segments: North American Operations, Australian Operations, and U.K./European Operations. The company transports various commodities, including agricultural products, autos and auto parts, chemicals and plastics, coal and coke, food and kindred products, lumber and forest products, metallic ores, metals, minerals and stone, petroleum products, pulp and paper, waste, and other commodities. It owns or leases 122 freight railroads, including 105 short line railroads and 2 regional freight railroads located in the United States, 8 short line railroads located in Canada, 3 railroads located in Australia, 1 railroad located in the United Kingdom, 1 railroad in Poland and Germany, and 2 railroads in the Netherlands with a total of approximately 16,200 miles of track. The company also operates 6,200 additional miles of track that is owned or leased by others. In addition, it operates deep sea maritime containers and provides bulk haulage, including coal, aggregates, cement, and infrastructure services. Further, the company provides rail service at approximately 40 ports; rail-ferry service in North America, Australia, and Europe; and contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut.
Everest Re Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, and internationally. The company operates through Reinsurance Operations and Insurance Operations segments. The Reinsurance Operations segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The Insurance Operations segment writes property and casualty insurance directly, as well as through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents in Bermuda, Canada, Europe, South America, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The company also provides treaty and facultative reinsurance products; admitted and non-admitted insurance products; and property and casualty reinsurance and insurance coverages, including marine, aviation, surety, errors and omissions liability, directors' and officers' liability, medical malpractice, mortgage reinsurance, other specialty lines, accident and health, and workers' compensation products. In addition, it offers commercial property and casualty insurance products through wholesale and retail brokers, surplus lines brokers, and program administrators. Everest Re Group, Ltd. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Global Payments Inc. provides payment technology and software solutions for card, electronic, check, and digital-based payments in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Merchant Solutions, Issuer Solutions, and Business and Consumer Solutions. The Merchant Solutions segment offers authorization services, settlement and funding services, customer support and help-desk functions, chargeback resolution, terminal rental, sales and deployment, payment security services, consolidated billing and statements, and on-line reporting services. This segment also provides an array of enterprise software solutions that streamline business operations of its customers in various vertical markets; and value-added services, such as point-of-sale solutions, and analytic and engagement tools, as well as payroll and human capital management services. The Issuer Solutions segment offers solutions that enable financial institutions and retailers to manage their card portfolios through a platform; and commercial payments and ePayables solutions for businesses and governments. The Business and Consumer Solutions segment provides general-purpose reloadable prepaid debit and payroll cards, demand deposit accounts, and other financial service solutions to the underbanked and other consumers, and businesses under the Netspend brand. It markets its products and services through direct sales force, trade associations, agent and enterprise software providers, referral arrangements with value-added resellers, and independent sales organizations. The company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry primarily in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through three segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, and Production Facilities. It engages in the installation of flowlines, control umbilicals, and manifold assemblies and risers; trenching and burial of pipelines; installation and tie-in of riser and manifold assembly; commissioning, testing, and inspection activities; and provision of cable and umbilical lay, and connection services. The company also provides well intervention, intervention engineering, and production enhancement services; inspection, repair, and maintenance of production structures, trees, jumpers, risers, pipelines, and subsea equipment; and related support services. In addition, it offers reclamation and remediation services; well plug and abandonment services; pipeline abandonment services; and site inspections. Additionally, the company offers oil and natural gas processing facilities and services; and fast response system, as well as site clearance and subsea support services. It serves independent oil and gas producers and suppliers, pipeline transmission companies, renewable energy companies, and offshore engineering and construction firms. The company was formerly known as Cal Dive International, Inc. and changed its name to Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. in March 2006. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.


@PatriciaMazzei

Sen. Marco Rubio will help raise campaign money for Miami Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo on Thursday in Bal Harbour.

The evening reception will be held at the home of the Falic family, which has been politically active for years, particularly on issues related to Israel. In the past, family members have supported conservative Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz -- as well as Weston Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine , a Democrat in a nonpartisan post.

An invitation to the fundraiser obtained by the Miami Herald shows contribution levels ranging from $2,700 to $10,400 a person.

Curbelo, a prolific fundraiser, has been ramping up his money efforts ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. He's got a fundraiser scheduled for Wednesday with several well-known local Democrats.
NCI Building Systems, Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets metal products for the nonresidential construction industry in North America. It operates in four segments: Engineered Building Systems, Metal Components, Insulated Metal Panels, and Metal Coil Coating. The Engineered Building Systems segment offers engineered structural members and panels; and self-storage building systems under the Metallic, Mid-West Steel, A & S, All American, Mesco, Star, Ceco, Robertson, Garco, Heritage, and SteelBuilding.com brands to builders, general contractors, developers, and end users directly, as well as through private label companies. The Metal Components segment provides metal roof and wall systems, metal partitions, metal trims, doors, and other related accessories for use in new construction, and repair and retrofit applications; roll-up doors; and interior and exterior walk doors under the MBCI, American Building Components, Eco-ficient, Metal Depots, and Doors and Buildings Components brands to manufacturers, contractors, subcontractors, distributors, lumberyards, cooperative buying groups, and other customers. The Insulated Metal Panels segment offers insulated metal panels for architectural, commercial, industrial, and cold storage end-market applications under the Metl-Span and CENTRIA brands. The Metal Coil Coating segment engages in cleaning, treating, and painting flat-rolled metals in coil form, as well as in slitting and/or embossing the metal, before the metal is fabricated for use by industrial users. It also cleans, treats, and coats heavy and light gauge metal coils for use in construction products, heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters, lighting fixtures, ceiling grids, office furniture, appliances, and other products; and provides toll coating and painted metal package services under the Metal Coaters and Metal Prep brands. NCI Building Systems, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Finesse Solutions AG, Finesse Solutions Inc., Finnzymes Oy, Fisher Alder S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Asia Manufacturing Ventures Inc., Fisher Bermuda Holdings Limited, Fisher BioImage ApS, Fisher BioPharma Services (India) Private Limited, Fisher BioSciences Japan G.K., Fisher BioServices Inc., Fisher Bioblock Holding II SNC, Fisher CLP Holding Limited Partnership, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 1, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 2, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 3, Fisher Canada Limited Partnership, Fisher Chimica BVBA, Fisher Clinical Logistics LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services (Bristol) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Colombia) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Korea) Co. Ltd, Fisher Clinical Services (Mexico) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Peru) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services Colombia S.A.S., Fisher Clinical Services GmbH, Fisher Clinical Services Inc., Fisher Clinical Services Japan K.K., Fisher Clinical Services Latin America S.R.L., Fisher Clinical Services Limited Liability Company, Fisher Clinical Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Clinical Services Peru S.R.L, Fisher Clinical Services Pte Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services U.K. Limited, Fisher Emergo B.V., Fisher Germany Holdings GmbH, Fisher Hamilton China Inc., Fisher Hamilton Mexico LLC, Fisher Holdings ApS, Fisher Internet Minority Holdings L.L.C., Fisher Laboratory Products Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Fisher Luxembourg Danish Holdings SARL, Fisher Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Maybridge Holdings Limited, Fisher Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific (Austria) GmbH, Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Fisher Scientific (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific (SEA) Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific A/S, Fisher Scientific AG, Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Limited, Fisher Scientific Biotech Line ApS, Fisher Scientific Brazil Inc., Fisher Scientific Central America Inc., Fisher Scientific Chile Inc., Fisher Scientific Colombia Inc., Fisher Scientific Company, Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C., Fisher Scientific Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Fisher Scientific Europe Holdings B.V., Fisher Scientific GTF AB, Fisher Scientific Germany Beteiligungs GmbH, Fisher Scientific GmbH, Fisher Scientific Holding Company LLC, Fisher Scientific Holding HK Limited, Fisher Scientific Holding U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific Holdings (S) Pte Ltd, Fisher Scientific International LLC, Fisher Scientific Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Fisher Scientific Ireland Investments Unlimited, Fisher Scientific Ireland Limited, Fisher Scientific Japan Ltd., Fisher Scientific Jersey Island Limited, Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd, Fisher Scientific Latin America Inc., Fisher Scientific Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Fisher Scientific Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific Mexico Inc., Fisher Scientific Middle East and Africa Inc., Fisher Scientific Norway AS, Fisher Scientific Operating Company, Fisher Scientific Oxoid Holdings Ltd., Fisher Scientific Oy, Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific S.A.S., Fisher Scientific S.L., Fisher Scientific SPRL, Fisher Scientific The Hague I B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague II B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague III B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague IV B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague V B.V., Fisher Scientific U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company 2, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company Limited, Fisher Scientific Unipessoal Lda., Fisher Scientific Venezuela Inc., Fisher Scientific Worldwide (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Holdings I C.V., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Inc., Fisher Scientific de Mexico S.A., Fisher Scientific of the Netherlands B.V., Fisher Scientific spol. S.r.o, Fisher Servicios Clinicos (Chile) LLC, Fisher Servicios Clinicos Chile Ltda, Fisher WWD Holding L.L.C., Fisher Worldwide Distribution SPV, Fisher Worldwide Gene Distribution SPV, Flux Instruments, Fuji Partnership, G & M Procter Limited, G V Instruments Limited, GV Instruments Canada Ltd., GV Instruments Inc, Gatan Inc, General Scientific Company Sdn Bhd (M), Genomed molekularbiologische und diagnostische Produkte GmbH, Gerhard Menzel B.V. & Co. KG, Gold Cattle Standard Testing Labs Inc., Golden West Indemnity Company Limited, Goring Kerr Detection Limited, Greenville Service Company Inc., HENO GmbH i.L., Hangar 215 Inc., Helmet Securities Limited, Henogen, HighChem, HyClone International Trade (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Hybaid Limited, I.Q. (BIO) Limited, IDnostics AG, ILS Laboratories Scandinavia AB, Inel Inc., Inel SAS, InnaPhase Inc., InnaPhase Limited, IntegenX, Intrinsic BioProbes Inc., Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc., Invitrogen (Shanghai) Investment Co. Ltd., Invitrogen Argentina SA, Invitrogen BioServices India Private Limited, Invitrogen Europe Limited, Invitrogen Finance Corp., Invitrogen Holdings LLC, Invitrogen Holdings Ltd., Invitrogen Hong Kong Limited, Invitrogen IP Holdings Inc., Invitrogen Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ion Torrent Systems Inc., Ionalytics Corporation, JSC Thermo Fisher Scientific, Jouan LLC, Jouan Limited, Jouan SA, Kendro Containment & Services Limited, Kendro Laboratory Products Ltd, Kettlebrook Insurance Co. ltd., Keystone Scientific, KonTEM GmbH, Kyle Jordan Investments LLC, LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, LTC Tech South Africa PTY Ltd., La-Pha-Pack GmbH, Lab Vision (UK) Limited, Lab Vision Corporation, Lab-Chrom-Pack LLC, Lab-Line Instruments Inc., Labomex MBP S. de R. L. De C.V., Laboratoire Service International - L.S.I, Laboratory Management Systems Inc., Laboratory Specialties Proprietary Ltd., LambTrack Limited, Laser Analytical Systems Inc., Liberty Lane Investment LLC, Liberty Lane Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Life Sciences International (Poland) SP z O.O, Life Sciences International Holdings BV, Life Sciences International LLC, Life Sciences International Limited, Life Technologies AS, Life Technologies Australia PTY Ltd., Life Technologies BPD AB, Life Technologies BPD UK Limited, Life Technologies Brasil Comercio e Industria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, Life Technologies Chile SpA, Life Technologies Clinical Services Lab Inc., Life Technologies Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Life Technologies DaAn Diagnostic (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Europe B.V., Life Technologies Finance Ltd., Life Technologies Finland Oy, Life Technologies GmbH, Life Technologies Holdings PTE Ltd., Life Technologies Inc., Life Technologies International B.V., Life Technologies Japan Ltd., Life Technologies Korea LLC, Life Technologies Limited, Life Technologies Magyarorszag Kft, Life Technologies New Zealand Ltd., Life Technologies Norway Investments US LLC, Life Technologies Polska Sp z.o.o., Life Technologies SA, Life Technologies SAS, Life Technologies s.r.o, Linkage Biosciences Inc., Linkage Biosciences S.a.r.l., Loftus Furnace Company, Lomb Scientific, Lomb Scientific (Aust) Pty Limited, MTI-GlobalStem, Marketbase International Limited, Matrix MicroScience Inc., Matrix MicroScience Ltd., Matrix Technologies Corporation Limited, Matrix Technologies LLC, Maybridge Chemical Company Limited, Maybridge Chemical Holdings Limited, Maybridge Limited, Medical Analysis Systems Inc., Medical Analysis Systems International Inc., Medical Diagnostics Systems Inc., Metavac LLC, Microgenics Corporation, Microgenics Diagnostics Pty Limited, Microgenics GmbH, Microm International GmbH, Microm Laborgerate S.L.U, Molecular BioProducts Inc., Molecular Probes Inc., Molecular Transfer Inc., NAPCO Inc., NERL Diagnostics LLC, NOVODIRECT GmbH Labor- und Industrie- Megerate, Nalge (Europe) Limited, Nalge Nunc International (Monterrey) LLC, Nalge Nunc International Corporation, Nanjing WeiKangLe Trading Industrial Co Ltd, NanoDrop Technologies LLC, National Scientific Company, Navaho Acquisition Corp., Neomarkers Inc., New FS Holdings Inc., NewcoGen PE LLC, Nihon Dynal K.K., Niton Asia Limited, NovaWave Technologies Inc., Nunc A/S, ONIX Systems Inc., OXOID CZ s.r.o., Odyssey Holdings Corporation, Odyssey Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 1 S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 2 S.a r.l., Odyssey Venture Corporation, Omega Data Systems, One Lambda Inc, Onix Holdings Limited, Orme Scientific Limited, Owl Separation Systems LLC, Oxoid (ELY) Limited, Oxoid 2000 Limited, Oxoid AS, Oxoid Australia Pty. Limited, Oxoid Company, Oxoid Deutschland GmbH, Oxoid Holding SAS, Oxoid Holdings Limited, Oxoid Inc., Oxoid International Limited, Oxoid Investments GmbH, Oxoid Limited, Oxoid N.V., Oxoid New Zealand Limited, Oxoid Pension Trustees Limited, Oxoid Senior Holdings Limited, Oxoid UKH LLC, PAX - DSI Acquisition LLC, PE AG, Pacific Rim Far East Industries LLC, Pacific Rim Investment LLC, Panomics L.L.C., Panomics S.R.L., Patheon, Patheon API Inc., Patheon API Manufacturing Inc., Patheon API Services Inc., Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Patheon B.V., Patheon Banner U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon Biologics (NJ) LLC, Patheon Biologics Australia Pty Ltd, Patheon Biologics B.V., Patheon Biologics LLC, Patheon Calculus Merger LLC, Patheon Cooperatief U.A., Patheon Development Services Inc., Patheon Finance LLC, Patheon France SAS, Patheon Holdings B.V., Patheon Holdings I B.V., Patheon Holdings II B.V., Patheon Holdings SAS, Patheon I B.V., Patheon I Holding GmbH, Patheon Inc., Patheon International AG, Patheon Italia S.p.A., Patheon KK, Patheon Life Science Products International GmbH, Patheon Manufacturing Services LLC, Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patheon Pharmaceuticals Services Inc., Patheon Puerto Rico Acquisitions Corporation, Patheon Puerto Rico Inc., Patheon Regensburg GmbH, Patheon Softgels B.V., Patheon Softgels Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings LLC, Patheon UK Limited, Patheon UK Pension Trustees Limited, Pelican Acquisition Corporation, Perbio Science (Canada) Company, Perbio Science AB, Perbio Science BVBA, Perbio Science France SAS, Perbio Science Inc., Perbio Science International Netherlands B.V., Perbio Science Invest AB, Perbio Science Nederland B.V., Perbio Science Projekt AB, Perbio Science Sweden Holdings AB, Perbio Science Switzerland SA, Perbio Science UK Limited, Phadia AB, Phadia Diagnosticos Ltda, Phadia GmbH, Phadia Holding AB, Phadia International Holdings C.V., Phadia Korea Co. Ltd, Phadia Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Phadia Malta Holdings Limited, Phadia Oy, Phadia Real Property AB, Phadia Sweden AB, Phadia Taiwan Inc., Phadia US Inc., Phadia s.r.o., Pharmacaps Mexicana SA de CV, Phenom-World B.V., Phenom-World Holding B.V, Phenom-World Innovations B.V., Phinotex, Pierce Biotechnology Inc., Pierce Milwaukee Holding Corp., Pierce Milwaukee Inc., Polychromix, Power Sweden Holdings I AB, Power Sweden Holdings II AB, Power Sweden Holdings III Aktiebolag, Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments LLC, Princeton Security Technologies, Prionics AG, Prionics Asia Ltd., Prionics Deutschland GmbH, Prionics France SAS, Prionics Italia S.r.l., Prionics Lelystad B.V., Prionics USA Inc., Priority Air Express LLC, Priority Air Express Pte. Ltd., Priority Air Express UK Limited, Priority Air Holdings Corp, Priority Solutions International, Promedica Pty Limited, Proxeon, Proxeon Biosystems ApS, Qiagen, REP GBP I-B Blocker Inc., Raymond A Lamb Limited, Remel Europe Limited, Remel Inc., Richard-Allan Scientific Company, Robbins Scientific LLC, Robocon Labor- und Industrieroboter Gesellschaft m.b.H, Rupprecht and Patashnick, Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P), Russell pH Limited, S.C.I. du 10 rue Dugay Trouin, SCI Inno 92, STC Bio Manufacturing Inc., Samco Scientific (Monterrey) LLC, Samco Scientific LLC, Saroph Sweden AB, Schantz Road LLC, Seradyn Inc., Shanghai Life Technologies Biotechnology Co. Limited, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (C-I) Trading Co. Ltd, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (S) Trading Co. Ltd, Southern Trials (Pty) Ltd., Specialty (SMI) Inc., Spectra-Physics AB, Spectra-Physics Holdings Limited, Spectra-Physics Holdings USA LLC, Spectronex, Staten Island Cogeneration Corporation, Sterilin Limited, Stokes Bio Ltd., Sweden DIA (Sweden) AB, SwissAnalytic Group GmbH, Systems Manufacturing Corporation, TFLP LLC, TFS Breda B.V., TFS LLC, TFS Singapore HK Limited, TFSL Financing GP LLC, TFSL Senior GP Holdings 2 LLC, TK Partnership, TKA Wasseraufbereitungssysteme, TMOI Inc., TPI Real Estate Holdings LLC, TSP Holdings I LLC, TWX LLC, Technology Design Solutions Pty Ltd, Thermedics Detection de Argentina S.R.L, Thermo Allen Coding Limited, Thermo Asset Management Services Inc., Thermo BioAnalysis LLC, Thermo BioAnalysis Limited, Thermo BioSciences Holdings LLC, Thermo CIDTEC, Thermo CRS Holdings Ltd., Thermo CRS Ltd., Thermo Cambridge Limited, Thermo Cayman Holdings Ltd., Thermo Corporation, Thermo DMA Inc., Thermo Detection de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Dutch Holdings Limited Partnership, Thermo EGS Gauging LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings I LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings II LLC, Thermo Eberline LLC, Thermo Electron (Calgary) Limited, Thermo Electron (Chile) S.p.A., Thermo Electron (Karlsruhe) GmbH, Thermo Electron (Management Services) Limited, Thermo Electron (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Electron A/S, Thermo Electron Australia Pty Limited, Thermo Electron Export Inc., Thermo Electron Holdings SAS, Thermo Electron Industries, Thermo Electron LED GmbH, Thermo Electron LED S.A.S., Thermo Electron Limited, Thermo Electron Manufacturing Limited, Thermo Electron Metallurgical Services Inc., Thermo Electron North America LLC, Thermo Electron Pension Trust GmbH, Thermo Electron Puerto Rico Inc., Thermo Electron SAS, Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments LLC, Thermo Electron Sweden AB, Thermo Electron Sweden Forvaltning AB, Thermo Electron Weighing & Inspection Limited, Thermo Elemental Limited, Thermo Environmental Instruments LLC, Thermo Fast U.K. Limited, Thermo Finland Holdings LLC, Thermo Finland Holdings MT1 B.V., Thermo Finland Holdings MT2 B.V., Thermo Finnigan LLC, Thermo Finnigan Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Malta Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN-I) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (CN-II) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings I Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings II Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings 2) LLC, Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) II Limited, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Heysham) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Kandel) GmbH, Thermo Fisher CHK Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust II, Thermo Fisher Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Thermo Fisher Cyprus Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Detection Mexico LLC, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics (Ireland) Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AB, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AG, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Aps, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Austria GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics B.V., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics K.K., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics NV, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.L.U., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.p.A. , Thermo Fisher Diagnostics SAS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Thermo Fisher Eurobonds Ltd., Thermo Fisher Financial Services Inc., Thermo Fisher GP LLC, Thermo Fisher German Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Germany B.V., Thermo Fisher India Divestco Private Limited, Thermo Fisher India Holding B.V., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Thermo Fisher Israel Ltd., Thermo Fisher Production et Services SAS, Thermo Fisher Project Cyprus LLC, Thermo Fisher Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Australia) C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Barbados) Holdings Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Breda) Holding BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (CN) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China-HK) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (DE) Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Ecublens) SARL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance II) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Fuji) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Holding II) B.V. & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Johannesburg) (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mexico City) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Milwaukee) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mississauga) Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Monterrey) S. De R.L. De C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (NK) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) Austria Holding GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-I) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-II) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN1) UK Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) Dutch LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Praha) s.r.o., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) GmbH & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Schweiz) AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Instruments Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Suzhou) Instruments Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific AL-1 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific AU II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Aquasensors LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V.B.A., Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (I) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (II) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics UAB, Thermo Fisher Scientific Beteiligungsverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Biosciences Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brahms LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Instrumentos de Processo Ltda., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Servicos de Logistica Ltda, Thermo Fisher Scientific C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cayman Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chemicals Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific China (C-I) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China (S) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings IV B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings Aps, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus IV C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus V C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Denmark Senior Holdings ApS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie 1 Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Europe GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC Finance C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSUKHCO Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Falcon Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Finance Company BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific GENEART GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Germany BV & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific HR Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) I, Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) II , Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings Europe Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific IT Services GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Pvt Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Malta) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments Malta (Sweden Financing) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Invitrogen Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Thermo Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific LSI Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments III S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments IV S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life NL Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Netherlands Holding C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Switzerland Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Tech Korea Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Enterprise Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investments Holding LP, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Luxembourg Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Enterprise Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg German Holdings S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Life Technologies UK Holding S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings I S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings II S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malta Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Messtechnik GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Mexico City S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Middle East Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Milano Srl, Thermo Fisher Scientific NHK Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Holdings, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway Holdings AS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway US Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Operating Company LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 C.V, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Panama I Cayman Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Peru S.R.L., Thermo Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific SL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Financing LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Holdings Australia LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific South Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific SpA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg I S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Investments Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Switzerland Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific TR Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Taiwan Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific West Palm Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Worldwide Investments (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific eCommerce Solutions LLC , Thermo Fisher Senior Canada Holdings LLC, Thermo Foundation Inc., Thermo Gamma-Metrics Holdings Pty Ltd., Thermo Gamma-Metrics LLC, Thermo Gamma-Metrics Pty Ltd, Thermo Holding European Operations LLC, Thermo Hypersil Ltd, Thermo Hypersil-Keystone LLC, Thermo Informatics Asia Pacific Pty Ltd., Thermo Instrument Controls de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Thermo Kevex X-Ray LLC, Thermo Keytek LLC, Thermo LabSystems Inc., Thermo LabSystems S.A., Thermo Life Science International Trading (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Thermo Life Sciences AB, Thermo Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo MF Physics LLC, Thermo Measurement Ltd, Thermo Measuretech Canada Inc., Thermo Neslab LLC, Thermo Nicolet Limited, Thermo Onix Limited, Thermo Optek (Australia) Pty Ltd., Thermo Optek Limited, Thermo Optek S.A., Thermo Orion Inc., Thermo Portable Holdings LLC, Thermo Power Corporation, Thermo Process Instruments GP LLC, Thermo Process Instruments L.P., Thermo Projects Limited, Thermo Quest S.A., Thermo Radiometrie Limited, Thermo Ramsey Italia S.r.l., Thermo Ramsey LLC, Thermo Ramsey S.A., Thermo Re Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Pte Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Sdn Bhd, Thermo Scientific Portable Analytical Instruments Inc., Thermo Scientific Services Inc., Thermo Securities Corporation, Thermo Sentron Canada Inc., Thermo Sentron Limited, Thermo Shandon Inc., Thermo Shandon Limited, Thermo Suomi Holding B.V., Thermo TLH (UK) Limited, Thermo TLH L.P., Thermo Trace Pty Ltd., Thermo-Fisher Biochemical Product (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ThermoLase LLC, ThermoSpectra Limited, Trek Diagnostic Systems LLC, Trek Diagnostic Systems Ltd., Trek Holding Company II Ltd., Trek Holding Company Ltd., Trex Medical Corporation, USB Corporation, Union Lab Supplies Limited, United Diagnostics Inc., VG Systems Limited, Westover Scientific Inc., ZAO PE Biosystems, eBioscience GmbH, eBioscience Ltd, eBioscience SAS, and picoSpin LLC.

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Provident Financial Services, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Provident Bank that provides various banking products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. The company's deposit products include savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, money market deposit, and certificate of deposit accounts, as well as IRA products. Its loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate loans that are secured by properties, such as multi-family apartment buildings, office buildings, and retail and industrial properties; commercial business loans; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage loans collateralized by one- to four-family residential real estate properties; commercial construction loans; and consumer loans consisting of home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, marine loans, personal loans and unsecured lines of credit, and auto and recreational vehicle loans. The company also offers cash management, remote deposit capture, payroll origination, escrow account management, and online and mobile banking services; and business credit cards. In addition, it provides wealth management services comprising investment management, trust and estate administration, financial planning, tax compliance and planning, and private banking. Further, the company sells insurance and investment products, including annuities; operates as a real estate investment trust for acquiring mortgage loans and other real estate related assets; and manages and sells real estate properties acquired through foreclosure. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 96 full-service branch offices in northern and central New Jersey, as well as in Pennsylvania and New York counties. The company was founded in 1839 and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.
A 29-year-old Indiana man who allegedly came to Missoula to meet up with a 14-year-old girl has been arrested and charged with a felony for sexual abuse of children.

The girl's family found that William Eugene White Jr. allegedly started an online crowdfunding campaign to help pay for his trip to Montana to get his "fiancee."

White is being held on $25,000 bail after making his first court appearance Tuesday in Missoula County Justice Court.

On Monday, sheriff's deputies responded after family members in the Missoula area reported that a 14-year-old girl had run away. The family told officers White had come to the house a week earlier looking for her, and was told to leave, according to a court affidavit.

White and the girl were found at the Poverello Center. Court documents say the girl told detectives she and White had spent the night together after she ran away.

In his own interview, White allegedly told the detective he knew how old the girl was when he planned to come to Montana from Indiana.
Owens & Minor, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a healthcare solutions company in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Global Solutions and Global Products. The Global Solutions segment offers a portfolio of products and services to healthcare providers and manufacturers. Its portfolio of medical and surgical supplies includes branded products and its proprietary products. This segment also offers services to healthcare providers, which include supplier management, analytics, inventory management, and clinical supply management; and various programs to provide logistics and marketing solutions to its suppliers. The Global Products segment manufactures and sources medical surgical products for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections across the acute and alternate site channels. This segments products portfolio includes sterilization wraps, surgical drapes and gowns, facial protection products, protective apparel, medical exam gloves, custom and minor procedure kits, and other medical products. It provides its products and services to multi-facility networks of healthcare providers, independent hospitals, surgery centers, physicians' practices, and networks of hospitals directly, as well as indirectly through third-party distributors. The company was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.
The following companies are subsidiares of Prudential Financial: 210-220 E. 22nd Street SSGA Owner LLC, AIG Edison, AIG Star, AREF Cayman Co Ltd., AREF GP II Pte. Ltd., AREF GP Ltd., ASPF II - Feeder Fund GmbH, ASPF II - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, ASPF II Management GmbH, ASPF III Scots L.P., ASSURANCE, AST Investment Services Inc., Adlerwerke CB Investment LLC, Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Habitat S.A., Administradora de Inversiones Previsionales SpA, Aoba Life Insurance Company, Aoba Life Insurance Company Ltd., Asia Property Fund III GP S.a.r.l., Assurance IQ LLC, Assurance Intelligence LLC, BSC CP LP, Braeloch Holdings Inc., Braeloch Successor Corporation, Brazilian Capital Fund GP Limited, Broad Street Global Advisors LLC, Broome Street Holdings LLC, CB German Retail LLC, CLIS Co. Ltd., COLICO INC., Capital Agricultural Property Services Inc., Chadwick Boulevard Investment Holdings Co. LLC, Cibecue LLC, Coconino LLC, Colico II Inc., Columbus Drive Partners L.P., Commerce Street Holdings LLC, Commerce Street Investments LLC, Coolidge LLC, Coral Reef GP, Coral Reef L.P., Coral Reef Unit Trust, Cottage Street Investments LLC, Cottage Street Orbit Acquisition LLC, DICKENS AVENUE HOLDINGS VI LLC, DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI Ireland L.P., DICKENS AVENUE PARTNERS VI US L.P., Dale/P Minerals Limited Partnership, Don Cesar Investor LLC, Dryden Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Dryden Finance II LLC, EVP II GP S.a r.l., EVP II Horizon GP S.a r.l., EVP II Sprint GP S.a r.l., Edison Place Senior Note LLC, Essex LLC, EuroCore GP S.a r.l., European Value Partners GP S.a.r.l., Everbright PGIM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Flagstaff LLC, GA 1600 Commons LLC, GA 333 Hennepin Investor LLC, GA BV LLC, GA Bay Area GP LLC, GA Bay Area Investor LLC, GA Belden LLC, GA CLARENDON LLC, GA Cal Crossings LLC, GA Collins LLC, GA E. 22nd Street Apartments Holdings LLC, GA East 86 Street LLC, GA JHCII LLC, GA MENLO PARK INVESTOR LLC, GA Manor at Harbour Island LLC, GA Metro LLC, GA TRITON INVESTOR LLC, GA W Paces LLC, GA/MDI 333 Hennepin Associates LLC, GIBRALTAR BSN HOLDINGS SDN BHD, GIBRALTAR INDIA SOLUTIONS LLP, Gateway Holdings II LLC, Gateway Holdings LLC, German Retail Income CP LP, Gibraltar BSN Life Berhad, Gibraltar International Insurance Services Company Inc., Gibraltar International Service LLC, Gibraltar Reinsurance Company Ltd., Gibraltar Universal Life Reinsurance Company, Glenealy International Limited, Global Portfolio Strategies Inc., Gold GP Limited, Gold II L.P., Gold L.P., Graham Resources Inc., Graham Royalty Ltd., Green Harvest Asset Management LLC, Green Tree GP, Green Tree L.P., Greenlee LLC, Halsey Street Investments LLC, Hirakata LLC, IVP Fund GP LLC, Impact Investments Bridges UK S.a.r.l, Inter-Atlantic G Fund L.P., Inversiones Previsionales Chile SpA, Inversiones Previsionales Dos SpA, Ironbound Fund LLC, Jennison Associates LLC, Kyarra S.a r.l., Kyoei Annuity Home Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Kyouei Nenkin Home, LINEUP LLC, Lake Street Partners IV L.P., Lotus Reinsurance Company Ltd., MC GA COLLINS HOLDINGS LLC, MC GA COLLINS REALTY LLC, MC Insurance Agency Services LLC, Manor at Harbour Island LLC, Marble Canyon LLC, Maricopa LLC, Market Street Holdings IV LLC, Montana Capital Partners, Morenci LLC, Mulberry Street Holdings LLC, Mulberry Street Investment L.P., Mulberry Street Partners LLC, Mullin TBG Insurance Agency Services LLC, MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, National Family Assurance Group LLC, New Savanna, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund A LP, Northbound Emerging Manager Fund II - A LP, Orchard Street Acres Inc., PAI Bay Farm LLC, PAI Bayrock Groves LLC, PAI Belvidere Farms LLC, PAI Big Cypress Farm LLC, PAI Corcoran 640 Ranch LLC, PAI DeKalb Farm LLC, PAI Delano 1500 Ranches LLC, PAI Desert Falcon Farms Manager LLC, PAI Flicker Orchard LLC, PAI Good Hope Farm LLC, PAI Hawk Creek Ranch LLC, PAI Hills Valley Ranches LLC, PAI Holly Hill Groves LLC, PAI Hunt Farm LLC, PAI Jackson Bayou Farm LLC, PAI Lake Placid Groves LLC, PAI River Bend Ranches LLC, PAI Wallula Gap Vineyard LLC, PCP V Cayman AIV GP L.P., PEREF II Co-Invest 1 GP S.a r.l., PEREF II GP S.a r.l., PFI EM-Tech Fund I LLC, PG Business Service Co. Ltd, PG Collection Service Co. Ltd., PG Friendly Partners Co. Ltd., PGA Asian Retail Limited, PGA European Limited, PGI Co. Ltd, PGIM AC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM AVP IV GP S.a r.l., PGIM Advisory Shanghai Co. Ltd., PGIM Agricultural Investments GP LLC, PGIM Australia Pty Ltd, PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Fund L.P., PGIM Broad Market High Yield Bond Partners LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Feeder VI LLC, PGIM Capital Partners Management Fund VI L.P., PGIM Custom Harvest LLC, PGIM DC Co-Invest GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC JV GP Pte. Ltd., PGIM DC Solutions LLC, PGIM European Financing Limited, PGIM European Services Limited, PGIM Financial Limited, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund II L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives Fund L.P., PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives GP LLC, PGIM Fixed Income Alternatives II GP LLC, PGIM Foreign Investments Inc., PGIM Holding Company LLC, PGIM Holdings Limited, PGIM Hong Kong Ltd., PGIM INDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM INDIA TRUSTEES PRIVATE LIMITED, PGIM IRELAND LIMITED, PGIM Inc., PGIM International Financing Inc., PGIM Investments Ireland Limited, PGIM Investments LLC, PGIM Japan Co. Ltd., PGIM Korea Inc., PGIM LTIF Berlin GP S.a r.l., PGIM LTIF Berlin MLP S.ar.l., PGIM LTIF GP S.a.r.l., PGIM Limited, PGIM Loan Originator Manager Limited, PGIM M Campus GP S.a r.l., PGIM Management Partner Limited, PGIM MetaProp Investor LP LLC, PGIM Netherlands B.V., PGIM Overseas Investment Fund Management Shanghai Company Ltd, PGIM Private Capital Ireland Limited, PGIM Private Capital Limited, PGIM Private Placement Investors Inc., PGIM Private Placement Investors L.P., PGIM QUANTITATIVE SOLUTIONS LLC, PGIM REF EUROPE SCSp, PGIM REF Europe GP S.a r.l., PGIM REF Europe Member LLC, PGIM REF Intermediary Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate CD S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Capital VII GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest L.P., PGIM Real Estate Carry & Co-Invest SCSp, PGIM Real Estate Co-Invest Holdings LLC, PGIM Real Estate Debt GmbH, PGIM Real Estate Finance Holding Company, PGIM Real Estate Finance LLC, PGIM Real Estate France SAS, PGIM Real Estate Germany AG, PGIM Real Estate Global Debt GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate Global Master Fund GP S.a r.l., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles II S de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Inmuebles S. de R.L. de C.V, PGIM Real Estate Italy S.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Japan Ltd., PGIM Real Estate Loan Services Inc., PGIM Real Estate Luxembourg S.A., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Administradora V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles IV S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate MVP Inmuebles V S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate Management Luxembourg S.a.r.l., PGIM Real Estate Mexico S.C., PGIM Real Estate S. de R.L. de C.V., PGIM Real Estate U.S. CORE Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate U.S. Debt Fund GP LLC, PGIM Real Estate UK Limited, PGIM Scots Limited, PGIM Securities Investment Trust Enterprise, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management (Feeder) I LLC, PGIM Senior Loan Opportunities Management Fund I L.P., PGIM Shanghai Company Ltd., PGIM Singapore Pte. Ltd., PGIM Strategic Financing LLC, PGIM Strategic Investments Inc., PGIM Taronga Investor GP LLC, PGIM U.S. Agriculture Fund LP, PGIM USPF VI Manager LLC, PGIM Wadhwani LLP, PGIM Warehouse Inc., PGLH of Delaware Inc., PIFM Holdco LLC, PIIC Limited, PIISC Holdings UK Limited, PIM KF Blocker V Holdings LLC, PIM USPF V Manager LLC, PLA Administradora Industrial SRL, PLA Administradora LLC, PLA Administradora S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional II S. de R.L. de C.V., PLA Asesoria Profesional S.de R.L. de C.V., PLA Co-Investor LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager I LLC, PLA Mexico Industrial Manager II LLC, PLA Retail Fund I Blue LP, PLA Retail Fund I Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II Aggregating Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LLC, PLA Retail Fund II LP, PLA Retail Fund II Manager LLC, PLA Retail Fund II U.S. Carry/Co-Invest LP, PLA Services Manager Mexico LLC, PLAI Limited, PMCF Holdings LLC, PMCF Properties LLC, PPPF General Partner LLP, PR GA SCP Apartments LLC, PRAMERICA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP LLP, PRAMERICA PRECAP VI GP SCOTS FEEDER LLP, PRECO Account IV LLC, PRECO Account Partnership IV LP, PRECO III GP LLP, PREFG Hanwha Manager LLC, PREI Acquisition I Inc., PREI Acquisition II Inc., PREI Acquisition LLC, PREI HYDG LLC, PREI International Inc., PRIAC Property Acquisitions LLC, PRICOA Management Partner Limited, PRISA Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Fund Manager LLC, PRISA II Pooled Manager LLC, PRISA III Fund GP LLC, PRISA III Fund PIM LLC, PRREF Debt Fund Manager LLC, PRREF II Fund Manager LLC, PRU 3XSquare LLC, PRUCO LLC, PRUDENTIAL CAPITAL ENERGY PARTNERS MANAGEMENT (FEEDER) LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP MEMBER LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP REIT LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE 2 LLC, PRUDENTIAL MORTGAGE SKP VENTURE LLC, PT PFI Mega Life Insurance, Passaic Fund LLC, Pine Tree GP, Pine Tree L.P., Platinum GP Limited, Platinum II L.P., Platinum L.P., Pramerica Business Consulting Shanghai Company Limited, Pramerica EVP CP LP, Pramerica Financial Asia Headquarters Pte. Ltd., Pramerica Financial Asia Limited, Pramerica Fixed Income Funds Management Limited, Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Pramerica Holdings Ltd, Pramerica Hong Kong Holdings Limited, Pramerica Insurance Agency China Company Ltd., Pramerica Luxembourg CP GP S.a.r.l., Pramerica PRECAP I GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP II GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP III GP LLP, Pramerica PRECAP IV GP LLP, Pramerica Pan European Real Estate Scots LP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital I Scotland Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital II Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital III Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Limited, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV GP Scots Feeder LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital IV Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Netherlands GP LLP, Pramerica Real Estate Capital V Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Real Estate Capital VI Scots Limited Partnership, Pramerica Scots CP GP LLP, Preco III Scotland Limited Partnership, Pru 101 Wood LLC, Pru Alpha Partners I LLC, Pru Fixed Income Emerging Markets Partners I LLC, PruVen Capital Partners Fund I L.P., Pruco Assignment Corporation, Pruco Life Insurance Company, Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey, Pruco Securities LLC, Prudential 900 Aviation Boulevard LLC, Prudential Affordable Mortgage Company LLC, Prudential Agricultural Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Annuities Distributors Inc., Prudential Annuities Holding Company Inc., Prudential Annuities Inc., Prudential Annuities Information Services & Technology Corporation, Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Captive Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Term Company, Prudential Arizona Reinsurance Universal Company, Prudential Bank & Trust FSB, Prudential Capital Energy Opportunity Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners L.P., Prudential Capital Energy Partners Management Fund L.P., Prudential Capital Partners Management Fund IV L.P., Prudential Capital and Investment Services LLC, Prudential Chile II SpA, Prudential Chile SpA, Prudential Commercial Property Holding Company LLC, Prudential Equity Group LLC, Prudential Financial Inc., Prudential Fixed Income Global Liquidity Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Fixed Income U.S. Relative Value Partners LLC, Prudential Funding LLC, Prudential General Services of Japan Y.K., Prudential Gibraltar Agency Co. Ltd. Prudential Gibraltar Agency Kabushiki Kaisha, Prudential Global Funding LLC, Prudential Holdings of Japan Inc., Prudential Huntoon Paige Associates LLC, Prudential IBH Holdco Inc., Prudential Impact Investments Mortgage Loans LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Debt LLC, Prudential Impact Investments Private Equity LLC, Prudential Insurance Agency LLC, Prudential International Insurance Holdings Ltd., Prudential International Insurance Service Company L.L.C., Prudential International Investments Advisers LLC, Prudential International Investments Company LLC, Prudential International Investments LLC, Prudential Investment Management Services LLC, Prudential Japan Holdings LLC, Prudential Legacy Insurance Company of New Jersey, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 1 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Asset Holdings 2 Japan Investment Business Limited Partnership, Prudential Mortgage Capital Asset Holding Company LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding LLC, Prudential Mortgage Capital Holdings LLC, Prudential Multifamily Mortgage LLC, Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC, Prudential Newark Realty LLC, Prudential QOZ Investment Fund 1 LLC, Prudential Realty Securities Inc., Prudential Retirement Financial Services Holding LLC, Prudential Retirement Holdings LLC, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company, Prudential Securities Secured Financing Corporation, Prudential Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., Prudential Seguros S.A., Prudential Select Strategies LLC, Prudential Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Prudential Structured Settlement Company, Prudential Systems Japan Limited, Prudential Tax Services LLC, Prudential Term Reinsurance Company, Prudential Trust Co. Ltd., Prudential Trust Company, Prudential Universal Reinsurance Company, Prudential Workplace Solutions Group Services LLC, Prudential do Brasil Seguros de Vida S.A., Prudential do Brasil Vida em Grupo S.A., Prudential/TMW Real Estate Group LLC, Pruservicos Participacoes Ltda., QMA JP EM All Cap Equity Partners LLC, Quartzsite LLC, Residential Services Corporation of America LLC, Rio CP LP, Rock European Real Estate Holdings S.ar.l., Rock Global Real Estate LLC, Rock Kensington Limited, Rock Marty GP S.a r.l., Rock Oxford S.a r.l., Rock UK Real Estate II S.a.r.l., Rockstone Co. Ltd., Rosado Grande LLC, Ross Avenue Energy Fund Holdings LLC, Ross Avenue Minerals 2012 LLC, SCP Apartments LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERS VI GP LLC, SENIOR HOUSING PARTNERSHIP FUND VI GP LLC, SHP IV Carried Interest LP, SHP V Carried Interest L.P., SMP Holdings Inc., SVIIT Holdings Inc., Sanei Collection Service Co. Ltd. Kabushiki Kaisha Sanei Shuuno Service, Senior Housing Partners V LLC, Senior Housing Partnership Fund V LLC, Sterling Private Placement Management LLP, Stetson Street Partners L.P., Strand Investments Limited, TBG Insurance Services Corporation, TENSATOR HOLDINGS LTD, TF Proveedora S.C., TMW ASPF I Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, TMW ASPF Management GmbH, TMW Management LLC, TMW Real Estate Group LLC, TMW Realty Advisors LLC, TMW USPF Verwaltungs GmbH, TRGOAG Company Inc., The Gibraltar Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Keynes Dynamic Beta Strategy US Fund GP LLC, The Prudential Assigned Settlement Services Corp., The Prudential Brazilian Capital Fund LP, The Prudential Gibraltar Financial Life Insurance Co. Ltd., The Prudential Home Mortgage Company Inc., The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd., The Prudential Real Estate Financial Services of America Inc., The WMF Group, Thurloe Commercial Guernsey Limited, USPF V - Verwaltungs - GmbH & Co. KG, USPF V Carry LLC, USPF V Co-Invest LLC, USPF V Investment LP, United States Property Fund VI GP S.a r.l., VIP Australia Holding Company LLC, VIP Australia Trustee Pty Ltd, Vailsburg Fund LLC, Vantage Casualty Insurance Company, Wabash Avenue Holdings V LLC, Wabash Avenue Partners V L.P., Wadhwani Capital Limited, Waveland Avenue Holdings I LLC, Waveland Avenue Partners I Ireland L.P., Waveland Avenue Partners I US L.P., Wellness Services Ecossistema De Bem Estar Ltda., Wellness Services SRL, Yamato Life, and Yavapai LLC.

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The following companies are subsidiares of TransDigm Group: 17111 Waterview Pkwy LLC, ARA Deutschland GmbH, ARA Holding GmbH, Acme Aerospace, Acme Aerospace Inc., Adams Rite Aerospace GmbH, Adams Rite Aerospace Inc., Advanced Inflatable Products Limited, Aero-Instruments, AeroControlex Group Inc., Aerosonic, Aerosonic LLC, Air-Sea Survival Equipment Trustee Limited, Airborne Acquisition Inc., Airborne Global Inc., Airborne Holdings Inc., Airborne Systems, Airborne Systems Canada Ltd., Airborne Systems Group Limited, Airborne Systems Holdings Limited, Airborne Systems Limited, Airborne Systems NA Inc., Airborne Systems North America Inc., Airborne Systems North America of CA Inc., Airborne Systems North America of NJ Inc., Airborne Systems Pension Trust Limited, Airborne UK Acquisition Limited, Airborne UK Parent Limited, Aircraft Materials Limited, AmSafe, AmSafe Aviation (Chongqing) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Private) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport Ltd., AmSafe Global Holdings Inc., AmSafe Global Services (Private) Limited, AmSafe Inc., Angus Electronics Co., Arkwin Industries, Arkwin Industries Inc., Armtec Countermeasures Co., Armtec Countermeasures TNO Co., Armtec Defense Products Co., Auxitrol SAS, Auxitrol Weston Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Auxitrol Weston Services China Ltd., Auxitrol Weston Singapore Pte. Ltd., Auxitrol Weston USA Inc., Aviation Technologies, Aviation Technologies Inc., Avionic Instruments LLC, Avionics Instruments, Avionics Specialties Inc., AvtechTyee Inc., Beta Transformer Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Beta Transformer Technology Corporation, Beta Transformer Technology LLC, Breeze-Eastern Corporation, Breeze-Eastern LLC, Bridport Erie Aviation Inc., Bridport Holdings Inc., Bridport Ltd., Bridport-Air Carrier Inc., Bruce Aerospace Inc., Bruce Industries, CDA InterCorp LLC, CEF Industries LLC, CMC Electronics Aurora LLC, CMC Electronics Inc., CMC Electronics ME Inc., Champion Aerospace LLC, Chelton Avionics Holdings Inc., Chelton Avionics Inc., Chelton Limited, Cobham Aero Connectivity, Cobham CTS Limited, Cobham Defence Communications Limited, Cobham Defense Products Inc., DART Aerospace, DDC Electronics K.K., DDC Electronics Ltd., DDC Electronics Private Limited, DDC Electronique S.A.R.L., DDC Elektronik GmbH, Darchem Engineering Limited, Darchem Holdings Limited, Data Device Corp., Data Device Corporation, Dukes Aerospace Inc., EST Defence Company UK Limited, Edlaw Limited, Electromech Technologies LLC, Elektro-Metall Export GmbH, Elektro-Metall Paks KFT, Esterline, Esterline Acquisition Ltd, Esterline Europe Company LLC, Esterline Foreign Sales Corporation, Esterline International Company, Esterline Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Esterline Technologies Corporation, Esterline Technologies Corporation, Esterline Technologies Europe Limited, Esterline Technologies France Holding SAS, Esterline Technologies French Acquisition Limited, Esterline Technologies Global Limited, Esterline Technologies Holdings Limited, Esterline Technologies SGIP LLC, Esterline Technologies Unlimited, Esterline do Brasil Assessoria e Intermediacao Ltda, European Antennas Limited, Extant Components Group Holdings Inc., Extant Components Group Intermediate Inc., GQ Parachutes Limited, Guizhou Leach-Tianyi Aviation Electrical Company Ltd, Harco, HarcoSemco LLC, Hartwell Corporation, Hytek Finishes Co., ILC Holdings Inc., IRVIN AEROSPACE LIMITED, IrvinGQ France SAS, IrvinGQ Limited, Janco Corporation, Johnson Liverpool LLC, Kirkhill Elastomers, Kirkhill Inc., Korry Electronics Co., Kunshan Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Leach Holding Corporation, Leach International Asia-Pacific Ltd, Leach International Corporation, Leach International Europe S.A.S., Leach International Germany GmbH, Leach International Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Leach International UK Ltd, Leach Mexico Holding LLC, Leach Technology Group Inc., MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc., Mason Electric Co., Mastsystem Int'l Oy, McKechnie Aerospace, McKechnie Aerospace (Europe) Ltd., McKechnie Aerospace DE Inc., McKechnie Aerospace DE LP, McKechnie Aerospace Holdings Inc., McKechnie Aerospace US LLC, Mecanismos de Matamoros S. de R.L. de C.V., NAT Seattle Inc., NMC Group Inc., Norco, Nordisk Asia Pacific Limited, Nordisk Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Nordisk Aviation Products (Kunshan) Ltd., Nordisk Aviation Products AS, Nordisk Aviation Products LLC, North Hills Signal Processing Corp., North Hills Signal Processing Overseas LLC, Norwich Aero Products Inc., Palomar Products Inc., Pexco Aerospace, Pexco Aerospace Inc., PneuDraulics, PneuDraulics Inc., Pressure Systems International Ltd, Schneller, Schneller Asia Pte. Ltd., Schneller LLC, Schneller S.A.R.L., Schroth Safety Products, Semco Instruments, Semco Instruments Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Signal Processing Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Skandia, Skandia Inc., Skurka Aerospace, Skurka Aerospace Inc., Symetrics Industries, Symetrics Industries LLC, Symetrics Technology Group LLC, TA Aerospace Co., TA Mfg Limited, TDG Bavaria GmbH, TDG ESL Holdings Inc., TDG France Ultimate Parent SAS, TDG Germany GmbH, TEAC Aerospace Holdings Inc., TEAC Aerospace Technologies Inc., Tactair Fluid Controls Inc., Takata Protection Systems, Telair International, Telair International GmbH, Telair International Services PTE Ltd, Telair US LLC, TransDigm (Barbados) SRL, TransDigm Canada ULC, TransDigm European Holdings Limited, TransDigm Ireland Ltd., TransDigm Receivables LLC, TransDigm Technologies India Private Limited, TransDigm UK Holdings plc, Transicoil (Malaysia) Sendirian Berhad, Transicoil LLC, Wallop Defence UK Limited, Weston Aerospace Ltd, Whippany Actuation Systems, Whippany Actuation Systems LLC, XCEL Power Systems Ltd., Young & Franklin, Young & Franklin Inc., and exas Rotronics Inc..

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The following companies are subsidiares of Transocean: 15375 Memorial Corporation, Agon Shipping Inc., Aguas Profundas Limitada, AngoSantaFe - Prestacao de Servicos Petroliferos Limitada, Angola Deepwater Drilling Company (Offshore Services) Ltd, Arcade Drilling AS, Asie Sonat Offshore Sdn. Bhd., Barents Rigco Limited, Blegra Asset Management Limited, Blegra Financing Limited, Caledonia Offshore Drilling Services Limited, Challenger Minerals Inc., Covent Garden - Servicos e Marketing Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Deepwater Drilling (Transocean Ghana) Limited, Deepwater Drilling North Africa LLC - Free Zone, Deepwater Pacific 1 Inc., Deepwater Supply Inc., Drillship Alonissos Owners Inc., Drillship Hydra Owners Inc., Drillship Kithira Owners Inc., Drillship Kythnos Owners Inc., Drillship Paros Owners Inc., Drillship Skiathos Owners Inc., Drillship Skopelos Owners Inc., Drillship Skyros Owners Inc., Eastern Med Consultants Inc., Entities Holdings Inc., GSF Leasing Services GmbH, Global Marine Inc., Global Offshore Drilling Limited, GlobalSantaFe (Labuan) Inc., GlobalSantaFe B.V., GlobalSantaFe C.R. Luigs Limited, GlobalSantaFe Denmark Holdings ApS, GlobalSantaFe Drilling (N.A.) N.V., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Company (Overseas) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Operations Inc., GlobalSantaFe Drilling Services (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Trinidad LLC, GlobalSantaFe Drilling Venezuela C.A., GlobalSantaFe Financial Services (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., GlobalSantaFe Group Financing Limited Liability Company, GlobalSantaFe Holding Company (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe Hungary Services Limited Liability Company, GlobalSantaFe International Drilling Corporation, GlobalSantaFe International Drilling Inc., GlobalSantaFe International Services Inc., GlobalSantaFe Nederland B.V., GlobalSantaFe Offshore Services Inc., GlobalSantaFe Operations (Mexico) LLC, GlobalSantaFe Saudi Arabia Ltd., GlobalSantaFe Services (BVI) Inc., GlobalSantaFe Services Netherlands B.V., GlobalSantaFe Servicios de Venezuela C.A., GlobalSantaFe South America LLC, GlobalSantaFe Tampico S. de R.L. de C.V., GlobalSantaFe Techserv (North Sea) Limited, GlobalSantaFe U.S. Holdings Inc., Indigo Drilling Limited, Inteliwell JV GP Limited, Inteliwell JV LP, Kalambo Operations Inc., OCR Falklands Drilling Inc., OR Norge Operations Inc., Ocean Rig, Ocean Rig 1 Inc, Ocean Rig 2 Inc., Ocean Rig Canada Inc., Ocean Rig Cuanza Operations Inc., Ocean Rig Cubango Operations Inc., Ocean Rig Deepwater Drilling Limited, Ocean Rig Investments Inc., Ocean Rig Management Inc., Ocean Rig Operations Inc., Ocean Rig UDW Inc., Ocean Rig UDW LLC, Offshore Ghana Transocean Limited, Offshore Rig Operations AS, Olympia Rig Angola Holding S.A., Olympia Rig Angola Limitada, Orion Holdings (Cayman) Limited, Orion RigCo (Cayman) Limited, P.T. Santa Fe Supraco Indonesia, PT. Transocean Indonesia, Platform Capital N.V., Platform Financial N.V., Primelead Limited, R&B Falcon (A) Pty Ltd, R&B Falcon (Caledonia) Limited, R&B Falcon (M) Sdn. Bhd., R&B Falcon (U.K.) Limited, R&B Falcon B.V., R&B Falcon Deepwater (UK) Limited, R&B Falcon Drilling Co. LLC, R&B Falcon Exploration Co. LLC, R&B Falcon International Energy Services B.V., RBF Rig Corporation LLC, Ranger Insurance Limited, Reading & Bates Coal Co. LLC, SDS Offshore Limited, Safemal Drilling Sdn. Bhd., Santa Fe Braun Inc., Santa Fe Construction Company, Santa Fe Drilling Company of Venezuela C.A., Saudi Drilling Company Limited, Sedco Forex International Inc., Services Petroliers Transocean, Servicios Petroleros Santa Fe S.A., Ship Investment Ocean Holdings Inc., Songa Offshore Delta Limited, Songa Offshore Drilling Limited, Songa Offshore Enabler Limited, Songa Offshore Encourage Limited, Songa Offshore Endurance Limited, Songa Offshore Equinox Limited, Songa Offshore Equipment Rental Limited, Songa Offshore Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Songa Offshore Management Limited, Songa Offshore Pte. Ltd., Songa Offshore Rig 2 AS, Songa Offshore Rig 3 AS, Songa Offshore SE, Songa Offshore SE, Songa Offshore Saturn Limited, Songa Offshore T & P Cyprus Limited, Songa Saturn Chartering Pte. Ltd., Spitsbergen Rigco Limited, Sub-Saharan Drilling Inc., T. I. International Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., TILAM Holdings Limited, TRM Holdings Limited, TSSA - Servicos de Apoio Lda., Transocean Africa Drilling Limited, Transocean Asia Services Sdn Bhd, Transocean Asset Holdings 1 Limited, Transocean Asset Holdings 2 Limited, Transocean Asset Holdings 3 Limited, Transocean Atlas Limited, Transocean Barents ASA, Transocean Brasil Ltda., Transocean Britannia Limited, Transocean Canada Drilling Services Ltd., Transocean Conqueror Limited, Transocean Conqueror Opco LLC, Transocean Corporate Services Limited, Transocean Cyprus Capital Management Public Limited, Transocean Cyprus Drilling Operations Public Limited, Transocean Deepwater Drilling Services Limited, Transocean Deepwater Holdings Limited, Transocean Deepwater Inc., Transocean Deepwater Mauritius, Transocean Deepwater Nautilus Limited, Transocean Deepwater Seafarer Services Limited, Transocean Discoverer 534 LLC, Transocean Drilling Enterprises S.a.r.l., Transocean Drilling Israel Ltd., Transocean Drilling Limited, Transocean Drilling Namibia Inc., Transocean Drilling Offshore S.a.r.l., Transocean Drilling Sdn. Bhd., Transocean Drilling Services (India) Private Limited, Transocean Drilling U.K. Limited, Transocean Eastern Pte. Ltd., Transocean Employee Support Fund, Transocean Enabler Limited, Transocean Enabler Rigco Limited, Transocean Encourage Limited, Transocean Encourage Rigco Limited, Transocean Endurance Limited, Transocean Endurance Rigco Limited, Transocean Entities Holdings GmbH, Transocean Equinox Limited, Transocean Equinox Rigco Limited, Transocean Finance Limited, Transocean Financing (Cayman) Limited, Transocean Financing GmbH, Transocean Guardian Limited, Transocean Holdings 1 Limited, Transocean Holdings 2 Limited, Transocean Holdings 3 Limited, Transocean Holdings LLC, Transocean Hungary Holdings LLC, Transocean Hungary Investments LLC, Transocean Hungary Ventures LLC, Transocean Inc., Transocean Innovation Labs Ltd., Transocean International Holdings Limited, Transocean International Resources Limited, Transocean Investimentos Ltda., Transocean Investments Holdings LLC, Transocean Investments S.a.r.l., Transocean Ltd., Transocean Management Services GmbH, Transocean Minerals Holdings Limited, Transocean Nautilus Limited, Transocean North Sea Limited, Transocean Norway Operations AS, Transocean Offshore (North Sea) Ltd., Transocean Offshore Canada Services Ltd., Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc., Transocean Offshore Deepwater Holdings Limited, Transocean Offshore Drilling Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea II Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea VI Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea VII Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea XII Limited, Transocean Offshore Gulf of Guinea XIII Limited, Transocean Offshore Holdings Limited, Transocean Offshore International Limited, Transocean Offshore International Ventures Limited, Transocean Offshore Limited, Transocean Offshore PR Limited, Transocean Offshore USA Inc., Transocean Onshore Support Services Limited, Transocean Orion Limited, Transocean Phoenix 2 Limited, Transocean Phoenix 2 Opco LLC, Transocean Pontus Limited, Transocean Pontus Opco Inc., Transocean Poseidon Limited, Transocean Poseidon Opco Inc., Transocean Proteus Limited, Transocean Proteus Opco LLC, Transocean Quantum Holdings Limited, Transocean Quantum Management Limited, Transocean Quantum Rig Holdings Limited, Transocean Quantum Sentry Holdings Limited, Transocean Rig 140 Limited, Transocean Rig Management Limited, Transocean SPSF Holdings Limited, Transocean Sedco Forex Ventures Limited, Transocean Sentry Limited, Transocean Services (India) Private Limited, Transocean Services AS, Transocean Services UK Limited, Transocean Skyros Limited, Transocean Spitsbergen ASA, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 1 Limited, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 2 Limited, Transocean Sub Asset Holdings 3 Limited, Transocean Support Services Limited, Transocean Support Services Nigeria Limited, Transocean Support Services Private Limited, Transocean Technical Services Egypt LLC, Transocean U.S. Holdings LLC, Transocean UK Limited, Transocean Voyager 1 Limited, Transocean Voyager 2 Limited, Transocean West Africa Holdings Limited, Transocean Worldwide Inc., Triton Asset Leasing GmbH, Triton Capital I GmbH, Triton Capital II GmbH, Triton Capital Mexico GmbH, Triton Conqueror GmbH, Triton Corcovado LLC, Triton Financing LLC, Triton Gemini GmbH, Triton Holdings Limited, Triton Hungary Asset Management LLC, Triton Hungary Investments 1 Limited Liability Company, Triton Industries Inc., Triton KG2 GmbH, Triton Management Services LLC, Triton Mykonos LLC, Triton Nautilus Asset Leasing GmbH, Triton Nautilus Asset Management LLC, Triton Offshore Leasing Services Limited, Triton Pacific Limited, Triton Poseidon GmbH, Triton Voyager Asset Leasing GmbH, and Wilrig Offshore (UK) Limited.

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Air quality specialist Sarah Coefield dubbed herself "a harbinger of doom and sadness" Tuesday, and for good reason.

The smoke that cloaked the region all day, resulting in an unhealthy air quality rating, is not likely to dissipate, she wrote in her afternoon air quality report from the Missoula City-County Health Department.

Lacking a clearing breeze, the smoke would probably descend to ground level. To make matters worse, "Oregon and California are coming for us"  as though smoke from western Montana's fire isn't bad enough.

"A big old multi-state plume" will likely gather smoke from those two states, as well as Washington and Idaho, and waft it over western Montana, Coefield wrote.

Air quality started off hazardous Tuesday in Lolo, Florence and in Seeley Lake  which saw its 17th morning of hazardous air quality since Aug. 1  but "improved" to unhealthy in Lolo, and unhealthy for sensitive groups in Seeley Lake and Florence.

Unhealthy air quality means people with heart or lung disease, smokers, children and the elderly should limit heavy or prolonged exertion and limit time spent outdoors. Unhealthy for sensitive groups means that those people should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

Holland Lake, Frenchtown and Alberton and Arlee all generally saw ratings of unhealthy for sensitive groups Tuesday afternoon, while Condon's air cleared out to moderate quality.

Despite that brief improvement, Coefield warned that conditions in Lolo, Florence and Seeley Lake were likely to be very unhealthy or hazardous by Wednesday morning, while conditions in Arlee, the Potomac Valley and Greenough may be unhealthy or worse.

***

Conditions on fires around western Montana Tuesday afternoon were as follows, according to InciWeb, the national wildlfire reporting service.

Lolo Peak fire: U.S. Highway 12 has been completely reopened according to InciWeb, the national wildfire information service. Pilot car operations are no longer running, according to the Missoula County and Ravalli County sheriffs offices.

The speed limit is reduced to 45 mph and the Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton said in a news release that drivers are cautioned that there is a large amount of incident-related traffic and smoke and people are asked to drive carefully.

The Lolo Peak fire has burned more than 32,000 acres and has 1,100-plus personnel attached and working on the fire.

Firefighters are continuing to secure fire lines, and aimed to finish some burnout operations Tuesday. The fire west of Florence causes concern as it might continue to move south. Fire crews are watchful and have prepared control lines with hose, pumps and water tanks.

More evacuation orders were downgraded Monday to warnings for residents in Balsam Root, Folsom and Highland roads as well as those residences north of West Carlton Creek Road and east of the county-maintained road sign.

Old Highway 93 is still closed to all traffic from Tie Chute Lane north.

Rice Ridge fire: The Rice Ridge fire has now burned 16,117 acres, the size of Missoula, and is currently 9 percent contained.

Public information officer Jacob Brollier said that the eastern portion of the fire has been quiet as the fire moves into an old burn in a more sparsely wooded area. The southwest portion of the fire in the Morrell Creek area was burning and being tended to by helicopters and firefighters, but overall progress has been acceptable.

Smoke in Seeley Lake was not as Tuesday as it has been recently, but Condon and Holland Lake were expected to feel some effects of the fire Tuesday.

Sapphire Complex: The Sapphire Complex has quietly burned nearly 40,000 acres in the Lolo National Forest over the past month.

The Goat Creek and Sliderock fires are being controlled with burnout operations and helicopter drops, as the Goat Creek fire hits 83 percent containment and Sliderock edges up to 30 percent.

The Little Hogback fire has been giving the Incident Management Team fits, according to public information officer Jill Cobb. Difficult terrain has made winds highly problematic as any new weather pattern will make the fire active.

There are thunderstorm concerns, Cobb said about storms forecast later this week. Downdrafts mean the fire doesnt move in expected ways, and the canyons and other terrain can make life difficult for firefighters.

Lines are being tested, but were feeling pretty good about how theyve held so far, Cobb said.

Sunrise fire: The Sunrise fire near Superior is now 50 percent contained.

Fire crews are building direct line near the Eagle Rock ridge area in an attempt to keep the fire from Trout Creek. Blasting will occur in Trout Creek to remove dangerous cedar trees.

A community meeting will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the Lozeau Lodge Pavilion at 7 p.m.

Liberty fire: The Liberty fire grew 500 acres Monday while firefighters managed burnout operations on the east side of the fire.

The fire is increasing in activity as temperatures rise with crown runs, and some short-distance spotting has been seen.

Predicted dry thunderstorms will threaten the Liberty fire as unpredictable winds and lightning are cause for concern. Some potential spotting can occur.

Meyers fire: Midday cooling from the eclipse kept fire activity very minimal, according to Inciweb.

Fire crews are expanding contingency lines and indirect control lines. Plans are being made to reduce impact to communities around the area as the fire continues to grow.

Until there is a significant change in weather that provides enough moisture for a fire ending event we will manage the Meyers fire by planning for the worst and work for the best, Incident Commander Jay Esperance was quoted as saying on Inciweb.

The Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest has expanded road closures and now includes U.S. Forest Service Roads 893, 8684 and 8685 due to fire activity.

A community meeting is scheduled at the Georgetown Lake Volunteer Fire Department on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 5 p.m. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for personalized fire briefings.

Blue Bay fire: The Blue Bay fire is at 490 acres and crossed Teepee Creek Monday, but is at 40 percent containment.

Firefighters have been constructing line with heavy equipment and dozers over the last few days. A controlled burn on the north side of the fire was delayed due to poor conditions, but will continue when possible.

Helicopters are working the area, dropping water on hot spots when needed.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Division of Fire scheduled a community meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the Blue Bay Campground to inform the public about firefighting efforts.

The B-2000 and B-2200 Roads remain closed.

Sprague fire: The Sprague fire in Glacier National Park has burned 1,224 acres.

Aircraft dropped water from Fish Lake on Tuesday to cool hot spots and slow fire growth.

This fire is not currently threatening Sperry Chalet, but firefighters are deployed around it with hoses, sprinklers and water all prepared for action if needed. According to InciWeb, given the location of the chalet in a rocky, subalpine environment with sparse vegetation, fire managers are confident that the structure protection measures in place will protect the historic buildings if needed.

Most of Glacier is still open, including Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Granite Park Chalet, the North Fork and Goat Haunt.

Flathead National Forest fires: Three fires are burning in the Flathead Forest.

The Scalp, Reef and Dolly Varden fires are all being monitored while being allowed to burn for their natural ecological role, with consideration for public and firefighter safety as well as point protection of infrastructure, according to InciWebs Incident Information System.
Validus Holdings, Ltd. provides reinsurance coverage, insurance coverage, and insurance linked securities management services worldwide. It operates through three segments: Reinsurance, Insurance, and Asset Management. The Reinsurance segment underwrites property reinsurance products on a catastrophe excess of loss, per risk excess of loss and proportional basis; and aerospace and aviation, agriculture, composite, marine, technical lines, terrorism, trade credit, workers' compensation, and other specialty lines, as well as casualty and financial lines. The Insurance segment underwrites property, accident and health, agriculture, aviation, contingency, marine, and political lines insurance products; bankers blanket bond, commercial crime, computer crime, cyber- crime, professional indemnity, and directors' and officers' insurance products for various financial institutions and other companies; and commercial and institutional risks comprising general, professional, and product liability, as well as miscellaneous malpractice insurance products. This segment also underwrites marine and energy liability, and political risk insurance products, as well as insurance products for repair, maintenance, and upkeep of aircrafts and premises for small companies. The Asset Management segment manages capital for third parties through insurance-linked securities, and other property catastrophe and specialty reinsurance investments. Validus Holdings, Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Pembroke, Bermuda.
University of Montana vice president for administration and finance Mike Reid accepted a position at Sierra Nevada College on Lake Tahoe. His last day at UM will be Sept. 1.

His departure means three cabinet officials at UM will have interim status heading into the school year, including the top two leaders  president and provost. It also leaves open a critical position focused on budget at a time UM is working to overhaul its finances.

Reid has been at UM since 2013. Interim UM President Sheila Stearns said she regrets the vice president is leaving, but she has a plan to temporarily fill the job.

"I will appoint an interim vice president by this Friday," Stearns said in an email Monday. "We have a deeper bench on campus and in the community than most people realize.

"We will be well-staffed and well-served for the challenges ahead of us."

UM has been facing budget difficulties linked to an ongoing enrollment decline, but Reid said the financial challenges at the flagship did not influence his decision to leave. He will start a job at the private liberal arts college with an enrollment of roughly 1,000 at Incline Village, Nevada, on Sept. 18.

"We're looking for a change in quality of life, and this was an opportunity that looked really inviting to us," Reid said of himself and his wife, Shauna.

***

UM has experienced a sea change in the president's cabinet over the past couple of years, and interim leaders already sit in its top two posts. In the 2015-2016 school year, four UM officials announced retirements.

Last summer, the university brought on board a new provost, interim Beverly Edmond; a new communications director, Paula Short; and a new vice president for student affairs, Tom Crady, who also took on enrollment.

UM also promoted Mario Schulzke, associate vice president of integrated communications and chief marketing officer, and augmented his communications duties. And, it rolled some of the responsibilities of the outgoing head of the Alumni Association into Short's job.

In December 2016, Commissioner Clayton Christian requested that former UM President Royce Engstrom step down, and Christian appointed Stearns to temporarily fill the role. A search is underway for a permanent president, and the search for provost was suspended until the search for president is complete.

Stearns said the vice president of finance job may remain essentially the same for the coming year, although it depends in part on the experience and skills of the interim vice president she selects.

"The interim vice president and I will proceed with necessary decisions for both short and long-term finance and administrative planning," Stearns said in an email. "We will also research options for the new president to prepare him or her for a deliberative search."

She said the new interim finance vice president will need to agree to work for several months "or as long as it takes for the new president to clarify or redefine the job of such a key member of the administration."

"The transition will be smooth, well-informed and forward-moving," Stearns said in an email. "We will definitely miss Mike, a valued colleague, but we will not lose any steam in our progress as a unified team toward building a strong, growing, fiscally sound university."

***

In an email to the campus Friday, Stearns praised Reid for his leadership at UM.

"Mike has been integral to overseeing all administrative and financial support activities on our campus but also working with our affiliates in Butte, Dillon and Helena," Stearns said. "Mike provided leadership to Business Services, Facilities Services, (Human Resources), (UM Police Department), the Adams Center, and Institutional Research, in addition to Budget and Fiscal Affairs.

"As I think about the many accomplishments in these areas over the years, I want to thank Mike for his service to UM and wish him the very best in this exciting new endeavor."

In the email, Stearns also said the move puts Reid and his family closer to parents and other relatives.

In a phone call, Reid said he will continue to cherish UM despite his departure.

"My wife and I love Missoula, love the University of Montana," Reid said. "We hope to continue to be a part of the institution and the community in the future, but this is an exciting opportunity for us that we're looking forward to and hope it's a smooth transition."
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand. The company also provides home decor products under the West Elm brand; kids accessories under the Pottery Barn Kids brand; and an organic bedding to multi-purpose furniture under the Pottery Barn Teen brand. In addition, it offers made-to-order lighting, hardware, furniture, and home decors inspired by history under the Rejuvenation brand; and women's and men's accessories, travel, entertaining and bar, home decor, and seasonal items under the Mark and Graham brand, as well as operates a 3-D imaging and augmented reality platform for the home furnishings and decor industry. The company markets its products through e-commerce websites, direct-mail catalogs, and retail stores. It operates 544 stores comprising 502 stores in 41states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 20 stores in Canada; 19 stores in Australia; 3 stores in the United Kingdom; and 139 franchised stores, as well as e-commerce websites in various countries in the Middle East, the Philippines, Mexico, South Korea, and India. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
From a new 450-seat auditorium to engineering scholarships, Irving Oils new gift to Dalhousie University is an investment in young people and the growth of Atlantic Canada.



At a luncheon yesterday at the Halifax Central Library, the company announced a generous $2.2-million gift to the universitys IDEA Project (Innovation and Design in Engineering and Architecture), a $64-million investment into Dalhousies downtown Sexton campus.



As an Atlantic Canadian company, committed to our communities, we know that our young talent and future leaders want to stay here  provided the opportunities exist, said Mark Sherman, vice-president and chief operating officer, a graduate of Dals Engineering program himself (when it was the Technical University of Nova Scotia).

Building that dynamic, innovative regional economy starts here at home, by investing in our higher education.





The gift from Irving Oil is designed to enhance the entire student experience, from the first day on campus through to graduation and beyond. It supports new infrastructure and financial awards while cultivating a culture of safety among engineering students.



At Mondays luncheon Dalhousie University President Richard Florizone welcomed Sherman along with Arthur Irving, chairman of Irving Oil; Ian Whitcomb, president; Sarah Irving, executive vice-president and chief brand officer; along with other members of the Irving Oil team, many of whom are Dalhousie alumni.



Were proud to partner with Dalhousie on this project and excited about what it means to many engineering students and future leaders here in Atlantic Canada, said Sarah Irving, executive vice-president and chief brand officer.



New auditorium, scholarships, co-op





At the heart of Irvings investment is the new $1.5 million, 450-seat Irving Oil Auditorium. A state-of-the-art learning space, designed to meet the needs of engineering students, it will also double as a community resource for a revitalized downtown Halifax, available to the public for presentations, performances and lectures.



Additionally, more than $700,000 will support high-performing engineering students whove completed their second year of studies. Besides providing 10 scholarships of $7,500 annually, the 10-year commitment includes a co-op placement with Irving Oil for each recipient.



This gives some of the top students a chance to learn more about the oil industry and our company, while letting us see them in action, added Sherman.



Irving Oil President Ian Whitcomb.



The Dalhousie Faculty of Engineering is an important source of young graduates for our company  their success helps ensure our success, said Irving President Ian Whitcomb. Were delighted to be supporting the creation of this centre of excellence in our region.



Irving Oil also supported the Engineering orientation program in 2016, helping to foster a culture of safety from the moment the students step on campus, and is looking forward to taking part again this year.



Were a safety-first industry and its critical to reinforce this message, which is a core value in our company, said Whitcomb.

Support for higher education



At the luncheon, Dr. Florizone said Irving Oil is known for its commitment to strengthening Atlantic Canada by investing in people, building special communities where they operate and by supporting higher education.



Today, were celebrating Irving Oil as a dedicated partner, generously providing opportunities for our Dalhousie engineering students, he said.



With this gift, we are happy to support the Faculty of Engineering at Dalhousie University, knowing we look to Dalhousie and other Atlantic Canadian universities for our best employees at Irving Oil, said Arthur Irving, chairman of Irving Oil. Atlantic Canadas success depends on the quality and skill of our youth  and we know Dalhousie is up to the challenge.

Irving Oil and Dalhousie have something in common.



Were both proud Atlantic Canadian entities, always growing and moving forward, explained Mark Sherman. Thats what makes the IDEA Campaign a perfect fit for us.



Left-to-right: Ian Whitcomb (Irving Oil president); Arthur Irving (chairman, Irving Oil), Sarah Irving (Irving Oil executive vice-president and chief brand officer); Richard Florizone (Dal president), Mark Sherman (Irving Oil vice-president and chief operating officer), Stephen Harding (Dal assistant vice-president, development).


AIM-listed e-procurement software provider EU Supply has announced four new contracts for the use of its CTM platform, including the first contract in Germany through its distributor T-Systems.

The company said each of these contracts is of relatively low value. The two-year German contract is with Einkaufsverbund der Krankenkassen, a procurement consortia of health insurance authorities. It will see T-Systems start the implementation of EU Supply's CTM platform this month.

Meanwhile, two of the contract wins are in Denmark and are with the Danish police force and Nordkb A/S, the procurement office of six local utilities. EU Supply said the wins "further consolidate the group's strong market position in Denmark and the board estimates that the group has more than 50% of the Danish public tender management system market, well ahead of its main competitors".

Finally, the fourth contract is with another county council in Norway.

Miroslav Snaidr, head of procurement services of T-Systems, said: "With this first contract win and our pipeline of opportunities, we are optimistic, both short- and long-term, in signing further contracts for EU Supply's CTM platform in Germany."

At 1010 BST, the shares were up 1.3% to 19p.
Europe-focussed independent oil and Frontera Resources updated the market on its operations related to ongoing work at Block 12 in Georgia on Tuesday.

The AIM-traded firm said the Eldari A reservoir contained a number of stacked pay zones, with it first drilling the Dino-2 vertical well targeting Zone 9 in Taribani in 2008.

Following stimulation, this well has provided the company with a long term production history from which it can more accurately model further wells, the board explained in its statement.

Now the company intends to stimulate multiple pay zones in a vertical well - targeting zones 9, 14 and 15.

Total thickness of those zones was a multiple of Zone 9, the board claimed, and - based on the Eldari A reservoir modeling - it expected that the stacked nature of the pay zones should substantially increase productivity per well when compared the historical production from the Dino-2 well.

With crude oil at $50/bbl, the directors estimate that well cost could be recovered in less than one year from the commencement of production on the basis of a successful workover of an existing well.

For the remainder of the year 2017, the company said its ongoing work programme would be focused on sidetracking and drilling the Dino 2 well, which would be drilled to a target depth of 2700m.

It is intended that Zones 9, 14 and 15 will be stimulated and produced together.

Frontera said drilling contractor selection was in progress, and the board expected to complete that in early September.

The Dino 2 Drilling permit was expected to be approved in October, it added, with drilling operations to commence in November and well testing to start in December subject to there being no unforeseen circumstances.

In January, Frontera said it intended to start deepening the T-45 well, to a target depth of 2650m, in order that Zones 9, 14 and 15 could be stimulated and produced together.

It said it expected that the drilling permit would be approved in November, and well testing would be able to commence from February.

Based on the Netherland, Sewell and Associates resource estimate, Zones 9, 14 and 15 of the Eldari A reservoir are estimated to contain about 700 million bbls of oil in place, with expected ultimate recovery of about 100 million bbls.

At Mtsare-Khevi, Frontera said it would continue its work-over operations in the Ud-2 well of the Mtsare Khevi gas complex.

The bridge plug will be set at 3340m and three gas-bearing intervals located between 2620m and 3320m will be perforated and tested, the board said.

Of these intervals, two are in the Gareji formation and one interval is in the Oligocene age source rock (Maykop).

Workover operations were expected to be completed by end of September, subject to there being no unforeseen circumstances, followed by perforation and testing in October.

Based on the Netherland, Sewell & Associates resource estimate, Frontera said the Gareji and the Oligocene formations of the Mtsare-Khevi gas complex were estimated to contain 8.3 TCF of Gas in Place, with 6.15 TCF considered to be recoverable.

This is a very exciting time for the Company to focus on Taribani operations, said Frontera president and CEO Zaza Mamulaishvili.

As a result of many years of advances along the learning curve of drilling, completion and stimulation, coupled with long-term production tests, the company is now hoping to substantially increase well productivity by utilizing multi-zone frac completions successfully used in US and worldwide.

Mamulashvili said that additionally, the company was very optimistic about testing gas-bearing intervals of the Udabno-2 well.

Successful testing will prove up the tremendous natural gas reserves estimated by Netherland, Sewell & Associates and will initiate transformational development for the Company and, in time, the country as well.
Frutarom Industries announced on Monday it had signed an agreement that would see them acquire 100% of Swiss company Muhlehof Gewurze .

The total of the $7m purchase was financed through bank debt.

Muhlehof is a company focussed on the production and development of food flavourings and have been in operation since 1979.

The two companies plan to build on one another's existing presence and know-how within the European market.

According to Muhlehof financial results for the year ended f30 June 2017, the company saw a sales turnover of approximately $3.4m.

As of 1600 BST, Frutarom shares had jumped up 1.85% to ILA 26,480.00.
Less than 24 hours after annual US and South Korean military drills began in South Korea, Pyongyang accused Donald Trump of being "unimaginably reckless" in his handling of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula.

In a commentary published on Tuesday by state run news agency KCNA, the North Korean regime said the drills could very easily be repurposed into a full-blown invasion of the Hermit Kingdom.

"No one can vouch that these huge forces concentrated in South Korea will not go over to an actual war action now that the military tensions have reached an extreme pitch," the statement said.

Despite warnings from South Korean president Moon Jae-in against provocation during the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian drills, Kim Jong-un's Workers' Party of Korea went on to make further threats against the United States, saying it would turn it into a "huge heaps of ashes" as the military exercises had worsened the standoff to the point where it could only be resolved by "absolute force."

US intelligence services believed Kim Jong-un to be "at least a year" away from possessing and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the US mainland, but have recently undertaken measures aimed at tightening the purse strings of the North by imposing several trade sanctions agreed upon by regional superpowers Russia and its neighbour, historical ally and closest trade partner, China.

On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department released the names of 10 Chinese and Russian businesses, as well as six individuals that had been added to its list of sanctions for alleged connections to North Korea's ICBM program.
It wasn't totality, but it was close.

Billings residents came out late Monday morning, craning their necks to see the most significant solar eclipse in the area in almost four decades.

At about 10:20 a.m., the moon began to creep in front of the sun. Hundreds showed up to the east lawn at Montana State University Billings, where the science department set up a telescope that allowed a closer view of the solar system's star, sunspots and all.

Others peered through specialized paper glasses, which the university handed out until there were none left.

James Barron, MSUB professor of evolutionary biological and physical sciences, answered questions and gave tips to eclipse watchers. For those without the glasses, he suggested using tree shadows as natural pinhole viewers.

"A tree will act like a million little pinhole cameras, projecting light onto the ground," he said.

Mostly he gave general information, like when the sun would be most covered (about 11:39 a.m.) and how long it would last (about two minutes).

Others had other information about the eclipse. Lynnette McDonald said that she heard the temperature drops 15 degrees and the roosters crow. She wasn't sure about those claims but came out to MSUB anyway. She said she waited an hour for a pair of viewing glasses.

The last total solar eclipse hit Montana in 1979. McDonald said she saw it from Lewistown, and while the eclipse was a brief affair, the gathering was its own attraction.

"It's so quick," she said. "The excitement really is all of the people."

The Rims along Billings were lined with open rear hatches and tailgates. People sat on hoods or in rows of seats. More than one group brought out welding helmets to look skyward. Hundreds of cars lined the sandstone cliffs overlooking the Magic City.

In a parking lot on the north side of East Airport Road sat the Stubbs family in the back of their F-150. Parents Laura and Milton Stubbs brought out their children Camila, 6; Milton, Jr., 5; and Mariely, 2, for the event.

"It hasn't happened in a long time," Milton Stubbs said. So they decided to bring out the family.

Laura Stubbs said they heard about the eclipse at an astronomy museum earlier this year. They'd already secured some viewing glasses, enough so that Laura Stubbs could share a pair with people outside another car.

Shortly after 11 a.m., Camila Stubbs peered up through the glasses and reported that the sun looked to be about half-covered.

By 11:30 a.m., it felt noticeably cooler outside. It wasn't 15 degrees cooler, like McDonald had heard. The National Weather Service in Billings recorded a two-degree drop from 10:53 a.m. to 11:53 a.m.

It was also a gathering event for the Pickens family of Billings. They started planning more than a month ago when Sarelle, 13, got eclipse glasses from a program at the Billings Public Library. The family converged atop the Rims at 11 a.m., right above Rocky Mountain College. In addition to their family dog, Bentley, they grabbed sandwiches from Jimmy John's. Bentley seemed more interested in the remnants of a sandwich and grabbed a few scraps as his family looked skyward.

Father Cory wore a "Sun" Records shirt.

A little farther down the Rims, groups gathered to look up.

Tyler Stephens, 20, of Billings tried ordering some eclipse glasses online, but couldn't get them delivered until Tuesday. Searching for ideas, he found the night lightbulbs from his lizard's cage. The dark UV glass worked as a perfect shield to the sun's still intense light.

"See, a life hack," Stephens said. "It's definitely the cheapest."

When the peak eclipse time arrived, it wasn't the total sun coverage found in the "path of totality," which brought die-hard viewers down to Wyoming.

Just a sliver of sunshine gave light to the Earth, as viewed from Billings. People honked their horns. Minutes later, they pulled out of the parking lot to get on with their Monday.
A campaigning group opposed to Rupert Murdochs takeover of Sky is threatening a legal challenge to the media regulators ruling that the broadcaster would remain fit and proper to hold a UK licence if it was snapped up by 21st Century Fox. Activist group Avaaz has hired lawyers and launched the first steps of a judicial review against the communications regulator following its report into the 11.7bn bid by Murdochs 21st Century Fox for the 61% of Sky it does not already own.  Guardian

Ford has announced a car and van scrappage scheme in a bid to get dirtier vehicles off the roads and boost its sales in the UKs flagging car market. While other manufacturers, including Vauxhall and BMW, have launched scrappage schemes this year, Fords is unusual in allowing customers to trade in and scrap any brand of older vehicle for at least 2,000.  Guardian

The Co-operative Group will slash its stake in Co-op Bank after shareholders approved a 700m rescue of the lender. Five US hedge funds bailed out the lender and will now largely own it after supplying vital funds to stave off the threat of it being wound up.  Telegraph

Brevan Howard's billionaire co-founder Alan Howard has returned to London after seven years in Geneva, resurfacing in the City just as it fights to retain its crown as Europe's financial centre post-Brexit. One of Britain's wealthiest fund managers, Mr Howard moved to Switzerland in 2010 - a time when many in the City were lured over by the low tax environment - and stayed there until this past weekend.  Telegraph

The former Treasury mandarin who oversaw the introduction of quantitative easing eight years ago has described money printing as heroin for policymakers and said it was time to move on. Lord Macpherson of Earls Court was permanent secretary to the Treasury when the Bank of England began QE in March 2009 to stave off depression and prevent deflation. Since then, what was an emergency tool has increasingly become standard practice.  The Times

The former chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group and one of his top lieutenants are suing the bailed-out lender for hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid bonuses in a move that risks sparking public outrage. Eric Daniels and Truett Tate, former head of the wholesale banking division, this month filed legal claims with the High Court against the bank.  The Times
By Andy Rowell

The decades-long struggle for social and environmental justice in the Niger Delta continues, largely unseen by the wider world.

On Aug. 11, hundreds of people from the Niger Delta stormed the Belema flow station gas plant owned by Shell in the Rivers State region of the Delta. The plant transports crude oil to the Bonny Light export terminal, from where it is shipped overseas.

Their list of demands could have been written by their parents and grandparents who fought the company before them. It is the same list of grievances for which the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa campaigned forand ultimately died forin the mid-nineties.

As Reuters reported earlier this month, the protesters said they were not benefiting from the regions oil wealth and wanted an end to the oil pollution that has ruined much of the land.

One of the protest leaders, Anthony Bouye, told Reuters, I am a graduate for about eight years without a job. Shell wont employ me despite us having so much wealth in our backyard.

In response, Shell spun its usual story of how its commitment to the welfare of host communities in the Niger Delta remains unshaken.

Some 11 days on and the protests are continuing with hundreds still occupying the plant, with Shell still not able to access the site.

And now Shell is beginning to put pressure on the protesters to leave, saying their safety could be at risk.

The illegal occupation of Belema Flow Station and Gas Plant in Rivers State has safety implications both for the people at the facilities and nearby communities, the companys Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company, said in a statement on Sunday.

Shell added the occupation exposes people at the plant to higher safety risks as anything could trigger a spill or fire with potentially serious consequences.

In response, the local community have vowed to stay until Shell hands over the operation of the plant to a locally-controlled company.

We want Shell to hand over the operations of the flow station to Belema Oil Company because it appreciates our challenges and needs, community leader Godson Egbelekro told AFP.

However, Shell is unlikely to cede ownership of a key asset. So for the people of the Niger Delta, nothing changes. The vortex of pollution, injustice and poverty continues.

Hopefully, Shell will not resort to violence and colluding with the military to clear the site. Otherwise, once again it will have blood on its hands.
By Thursday the Trump administrations project of dismantling the public domain will burst into full bloom when Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke announces a wholesale reversal of more than a century of public lands protection through presidential designation of national monuments under Antiquities Act of 1908.

No president since the act was passed under Theodore Roosevelt has tried to eliminate national monumentsthe original route through which more than half of our present parks, including Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Zion, Grand Teton and almost all of the protected parks in Alaska were first created. And most lawyers doubt the president has the power to repeal monument designation as President Trump has ordered Zinke to do. Regardless, Zinke will announce his recommendations on Aug. 24 for the potential elimination of more than two dozen monuments comprising more than 8.8 million acres of landplus hundreds of square miles of ocean preserves. (Stripping protection from these land monuments alone would be the landscape equivalent of opening up Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smokies, Mt. Rainier, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, the Everglades, Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks to mining, logging and commercial exploitation).

Likely candidates for elimination or drastic amputation are the Grand Staircase Escalante, Bears Ears, Mojave Trails and Giant Sequoia.

The nature of Zinkes process may best be illustrated by the fact that during a six month review process, he visited only 8 of 27 monumentsand while the process has been very opaque, the most important consideration being mentioned is whether local Republican politicians favored retaining or stripping protection from the areathe American people, who have filed millions of comments opposing this process, simply dont seem to be a factor in the deliberations. Interior Sec. Zinke is acting in spite of the fact that a new major playernative American tribesare weighing in strongly against opening these lands to mining and abuse because many of the areas at risk, like Bears Ears, were created to protect parts of their heritage, culture and religion.

Zinke was presented as a compromise candidate for Interior Secretary, one who would not want to give away or privatize the public domainbut as with many things in the Trump administration, the product turned out not to be what was advertised.

Given the huge array of controversies enveloping the Trump administration, it is not surprising that while the press has covered the assault on the public domain, of which eviscerating national monuments is only a small part, it has not paused to consider what this tells us about the Trump administration.

But its one of Trumps more revealing policy misadventures.

The president has been presented as lacking in consistency and convictionalternatively Democrat or Republican, pro- or anti-choice, both isolationist dove and interventionist hawk, populist and plutocrat. But in his view of the role of the President Trump has been starkly consistent and ferociously driven. Trump is modern Americas first patrimonial presidentmore Lord of the Manor than servant of the Republic. Patrimonialismwhere the ruler treats the government, and indeed the land itself, as an extension of his person and his family, handing out control over and profits from it to those related to him, or supportive of his rulewas a dominant form of pre-modern governmentthe antithesis of the Republic the founding fathers were creating.

Patrimonialism characterized most absolutist monarchiesthe world real in our phrase real estate is from the Spanish word for royal, real and reflects the reality that in the pre-modern world most land was owned by the kingand could be rewarded to his family and followersor taken back.

This attitude is at the heart of President Trumps staggering, but quite sincere claim that it is not possible for him to have a conflict of interestbecause he is entitled by election as ruler to profit from the public domain and the powers of the government, which rightfully belong to him. Patrimonial political authority was regarded as a species of private property which can be handed over to relatives or retainers as part of their patrimonyso corruption is impossible. Ruler and realm are one. There is, in this vision, no such concept as a public trust or public servicethere is no public, only subjects.

I said Trump was our first modern patrimonialist, because America did have, in an earlier era, a version of the philosophythe spoils system, in which the successful party in an election awarded jobs, patronage, public contracts and public lands to members of their winning political coalition. The system was formalized by President Andrew Jacksonand an affinity for such favoritism is one of the Trumps few genuine claims to be like Jackson. It faded with Civil Service reforms and the Progressive era at the dawn of the 20th century. Now its back, empowered not only by Trump, but by the Supreme Courts consistent watering down of anti-corruption and campaign finance protections.

But what Jackson, and his 19th century successors practiced was a weaker, successor to monarchist patrimonialism: clientalism. In clientalism the spoils of government were shared broadly with the winning electoral coalition, rather than being reserved for the rulers family and elite supporters. Trump, in that sense, is more medieval baron than patronage bosstheres very little broad sharing. His opening up public lands to ruthless mining and mineral extraction is lazily reported, for the most part, as being a fulfillment of his pledge to bring back jobs in extra active industries, particularly coal miningjob creation would be clientalism But in reality Trumps policy shifts to date have been anti-job. He has weakened health and safety requirements for mining companies on public lands, which in turn enables them to slash their work force. Hes restored subsidies to strip miners in Wyoming and Montanathereby increasing the unfair competitive advantage these companies already enjoy over deep shaft miners in Appalachia, where the jobs are being lost and whom Trump was allegedly pledged to help. Trump practices the monarchical form of patrimonialismwhich may explain why he does so badly in the polls. Only the very few are sharing any spoils.

Trump is very open about his attitude. When he had Interior Sec. Zinke call Alaskas Senators to say that if Lisa Murkowski didnt vote to strip health care from millions of Americans, Trump would shut down oil leasing in Alaska, the message was utterly clearSenators are my clients, and I expect them to follow orders. But it is not just Senators. All of the government belongs to Trumpas an estate he can use to reward his followersand of course his family.

In this vision, the very concept of national monuments is offensive, because they limit Trumps right to reward his clients and infringe on his control of his patrimony; so, indeed, is most environmental regulation, because it restricts what the president can and cant do with the public resources that the rest of think he holds in trust for our children, not his.

Under Trumps instructions, his cabinet has bountifully rewarded the patrons favorite clients with sparkling rewards: to an oil company with an almost unprecedentedly reckless record of oil spills, a new oil drilling lease in fragile Arctic waters; to chemical companies, the renewal of their license to expose farm-workers families to a nerve gas marketed as a pesticide; for oil companies suspension of requirements to capture and use natural gas that comes out of their wells, instead of flaring or venting huge portions into the skies.

Individually, many of these decisions seem incomprehensible except as acts of the most venial form of corruption. But corruption as a concept makes no sense applied to the Trump regime. Trump might easily paraphrase 19th century Robber Baron E.H. Harriman: Cant I do what I want with my own?

No Mr. President, you cant, because it isnt. But it appears the rest of us must remain vigilant to make certain we remain the citizens of a Republic, not serfs on a manor.
Volkswagen has teased a 21st-century reboot of the iconic Microbus for years, but the German automaker has finally announced its intention to put the I.D. Buzz concept vehicle into production. But don't head to your dealer just yet; this fully electric minivan isn't expected to hit showrooms until 2022.

The initial concept, introduced at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, revealed a futuristic design that referenced the past as much as it looked toward the future. On the outside, the parallels to the original Microbus are unmistakable, with a boxy, slab-sided body and gigantic window openings. LED exterior lighting and a driving position behind the front axle are obvious signs of modernity, but nobody will mistake this nostalgic people mover for anything else.

Inside, the I.D. Buzz is anything but retro. Some futuristic elements (such as the birchwood floors and swiveling front- and second-row seats) likely won't to make it to the final production model, but there are touches that hint at Volkswagen's hopes for how the I.D. Buzz will be used by consumers. A steering wheel that fully retreats into the dash (another unlikely addition) highlights promised Level 3 autonomy capabilities. In a nod to the original's camper-friendly reputation, the second- and third-row seats can be folded to form a flat surface, perfect for a quick nap or overnight comfort. The central touchscreen tablet and speakers can be removed from the vehicle for when you want to bring tunes to the fire pit.

No new details have been announced regarding the powertrain since the concept's debut in Detroit. Volkswagen initially estimated that the 111-kWh battery (located entirely under the passenger compartment to preserve cargo space) would develop 369 horsepower, allowing the I.D. Buzz to rocket from zero to 60 mph in about 5 seconds. Maximum range is claimed to be 270 miles.

The I.D. Buzz is expected to be the second vehicle in Volkswagen's planned lineup of all-electric cars, following a four-door compact vehicle.
Bridgewater looks to become a regional nightlife hub in western PA

Bridgewater bars offer patrons a nightlife experience that is unique from any other in western Pennsylvania
Once the US has given a message to Pakistan to take strong measures while attacking Pakistan. US President Donald Trump also gave assurances to help Afghanistan, along with strengthening relations with India. Due to the growing friendship between India and America, the problems of Pakistan and China have increased substantially. (Sheikh Hasina criticized the judge for comparing Bangladesh with Pak)

Recently, Trump has strongly condemned Pakistan and said Pakistan has become a safe haven for terrorists. While giving a strong message to Pakistan, Trump said, The people of Pakistan themselves are suffering from the problem of terrorism but on the other hand Pakistan remains a safe paradise for terrorists. Now the time has come that Pakistan should fulfill its commitment to fighting terrorism. 

Its time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to fight terror: Donald Trump  ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2017

Trump clarified his policy on Afghanistan and said, We will help India as much as possible. India and the United States have a business relationship with billions of dollars. Now we want them to help us in Afghanistan. 
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2017 -- "What's in your water?" has become an increasingly fraught question for many people in the U.S. and around the world. Getting the answer isn't always easy or cheap. Today, scientists are reporting that they are using the familiar "coffee-ring effect" to analyze multiple components in a single drop of water easily, quickly and cheaply. And someday, the public could use the method to test their own tap water.

The researchers are presenting their work today at the 254th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS, the world's largest scientific society, is holding the meeting here through Thursday. It features nearly 9,400 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

A brand-new video on the research is available at http://bit.ly/acscoffeering.

In a nutshell, the coffee-ring effect is the familiar phenomenon in which the particles in a droplet of water tend to concentrate around the edges of the droplet as the water evaporates. "But the patterns left by the coffee-ring effect for real-world tap water samples are more intricate and unique for each water source," says Rebecca Lahr, Ph.D. "There is a stunning amount of information there to analyze. The residue patterns for tap water are like fingerprints that can be used to identify what's in a sample."

Lahr points out that public health concerns only came to the fore in recent years in cities like Flint, Michigan; Washington, D.C.; Toledo, Ohio; and Charleston, West Virginia, after people consumed contaminated tap water. These experiences demonstrate the need for improved water-quality monitoring techniques, she says.

Lahr has been studying the coffee-ring effect since working on her Ph.D. thesis, originally using it to concentrate toxins in water for subsequent spectroscopic analysis. Now, she is applying it in her lab at Michigan State University to help the public learn more about the liquid coming from their taps. It turns out that the unique pattern left by a sample of water provides information on the content and properties of the water -- dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity and metal ions, for example. Determining each of these items in a sample traditionally required a different analytical method. The costs of those individual tests mount up. "If you are worried about your drinking water, it can be overwhelming to look at a water-testing fee schedule to decide which water tests to run," Lahr points out. "You have to know what you are looking for beforehand."

To conduct the coffee-ring analysis, Lahr, graduate student Xiaoyan Li, and undergraduates Selett Allen and Alyssa Sanderson dried droplets of various tap water samples on low-cost aluminum substrates. Then, they photographed the resulting coffee-ring effect with a cell phone through an inexpensive jeweler's loupe. After many experiments, they obtained reproducible residue patterns for tap waters from communities across southern Michigan. They also created synthetic tap water solutions to mimic community tap waters with varied amounts of hardness, alkalinity, sodium, chloride, sulfate, total dissolved solids, iron and copper.

The goal, Lahr says, "is to create a library of patterns produced by the coffee ring effects for known water samples that can be used to identify the patterns from unknown samples." She is also working on programs to automate comparison of unknown water samples to the library.

So, could the coffee-ring effect have been used to identify the problem of lead contamination of the Flint water supply? "It's too early to say," Lahr responds. "The idea here is to develop a faster and cheaper way to screen samples to raise red flags when there should be further analyses performed. This method won't have the sensitivity of standard analytical techniques, but it's much cheaper."

She notes that the coffee-ring effect can also be used in classrooms as a way to get students excited about environmental science. "I'm amazed by how powerful it is as an educational tool," she says. "Students bring in their own samples and quickly see the differences in the patterns left behind."

###

A press conference on this topic will be held Wednesday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m. Eastern time in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Reporters may check-in at the press center, Room 154A, or watch live on YouTube http://bit.ly/ACSLive_DC. To ask questions online, sign in with a Google account.

The American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

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Title

Low-cost tap water monitoring via the coffee-ring effect

Abstract

Detection of public health concerns occurred only after human consumption of toxic public tap water in Flint, Toledo, and Charleston in recent years. These events demonstrate a need for improvement of water quality monitoring frameworks. We are evaluating low-cost approaches to water analysis that harness the coffee-ring effect. The coffee-ring effect is the phenomenon by which water droplets leave distinguishable "fingerprint" residue patterns after water evaporates, reflecting the solubility and size of chemical constituents. Droplets of various tap water samples were dried on low-cost aluminum substrates and photographs of the residue patterns produced by the coffee ring effect were photographed with a cell phone camera through a $18 jeweler's loupe. Reproducible residue patterns were obtained for tap waters from communities across southern Michigan supplied by groundwater sources. Synthetic tap water solutions were created to mimic community tap waters with varied amounts of hardness, alkalinity, sodium, chloride, sulfate, total dissolved solids, iron, and copper. Features of the residue patterns that correlated to concentration were identified for each tap water component. The coffee-ring effect was also partnered with in-syringe solid-phase extraction to concentrate heavy metals before analysis. Methods were ultimately applied by three groups of minimally trained students to evaluate the data quality achieved by new users and the potential of the method for open-access water testing. Data suggests the coffee-ring effect will be a valuable tool for laboratory tap water analyses, citizen science programs, and hands on tap water education.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2017 -- Imagine you're on your way to Mars, and you lose a crucial tool during a spacewalk. Not to worry, you'll simply re-enter your spacecraft and use some microorganisms to convert your urine and exhaled carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into chemicals to make a new one. That's one of the ultimate goals of scientists who are developing ways to make long space trips feasible.

The researchers are presenting their results today at the 254th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS, the world's largest scientific society, is holding the meeting here through Thursday. It features nearly 9,400 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

A brand-new video on the research is available at http://bit.ly/acsmars.

Astronauts can't take a lot of spare parts into space because every extra ounce adds to the cost of fuel needed to escape Earth's gravity. "If astronauts are going to make journeys that span several years, we'll need to find a way to reuse and recycle everything they bring with them," Mark A. Blenner, Ph.D., says. "Atom economy will become really important."

The solution lies in part with the astronauts themselves, who will constantly generate waste from breathing, eating and using materials. Unlike their friends on Earth, Blenner says, these spacefarers won't want to throw any waste molecules away. So he and his team are studying how to repurpose these molecules and convert them into products the astronauts need, such as polyesters and nutrients.

Some essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, have a shelf life of just a couple of years, says Blenner, who is at Clemson University. They'll need to be made en route, beginning a few years after launch, or at the destination. "Having a biological system that astronauts can awaken from a dormant state to start producing what they need, when they need it, is the motivation for our project," he says.

Blenner's biological system includes a variety of strains of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. These organisms require both nitrogen and carbon to grow. Blenner's team discovered that the yeast can obtain their nitrogen from urea in untreated urine. Meanwhile, the yeast obtain their carbon from CO 2 , which could come from astronauts' exhaled breath, or from the Martian atmosphere. But to use CO 2 , the yeast require a middleman to "fix" the carbon into a form they can ingest. For this purpose, the yeast rely on photosynthetic cyanobacteria or algae provided by the researchers.

One of the yeast strains produces omega-3 fatty acids, which contribute to heart, eye and brain health. Another strain has been engineered to churn out monomers and link them to make polyester polymers. Those polymers could then be used in a 3-D printer to generate new plastic parts. Blenner's team is continuing to engineer this yeast strain to produce a variety of monomers that can be polymerized into different types of polyesters with a range of properties.

For now, the engineered yeast strains can produce only small amounts of polyesters or nutrients, but the scientists are working on boosting output. They're also looking into applications here on Earth, in fish farming and human nutrition. For example, fish raised via aquaculture need to be given omega-3 fatty acid supplements, which could be produced by Blenner's yeast strains.

Although other research groups are also putting yeast to work, they aren't taking the same approach. For example, a team from DuPont is already using yeast to make omega-3 fatty acids for aquaculture, but its yeast feed on refined sugar instead of waste products, Blenner says. Meanwhile, two other teams are engineering yeast to make polyesters. However, unlike Blenner's group, they aren't engineering the organisms to optimize the type of polyester produced, he says.

Whatever their approach, these researchers are all adding to the body of knowledge about Y. lipolytica, which has been studied much less than, say, the yeast used in beer production. "We're learning that Y. lipolytica is quite a bit different than other yeast in their genetics and biochemical nature," Blenner says. "Every new organism has some amount of quirkiness that you have to focus on and understand better."

###

A press conference on this topic will be held Tuesday, Aug. 22, at 2 p.m. Eastern time in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Reporters may check-in at the press center, Room 154A, or watch live on YouTube http://bit.ly/ACSLive_DC. To ask questions online, sign in with a Google account.

Blenner's work was supported by an Early Career Faculty grant from NASA's Space Technology Research Grants Program.

The American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook

Title

Biosynthesis of materials and nutraceuticals from astronaut waste: Towards closing the loop

Abstract

The journey to Mars will be longer than any mission before. Astronaut needs for materials, nutraceuticals, and life support systems will critical. However, future missions may benefit from flexible, programmable, low power, and sustainable manufacturing processes driven by resources available during the mission. These resources include in situ minerals and feedstocks, solar energy, and waste generated by crew and space shuttle operation. Microbiological systems are well suited for utilizing such ill-defined resources and reliably manufacturing both specific and complex molecules. Our work is focused on using synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to develop Y. lipolytica as a platform organism to produce omega-3 fatty acids and polyhydroxyalkonoates (PHAs) from autotrophic cell waste and human urine. Our work demonstrates that Y. lipolytica is not only capable of using urine as a nitrogen source but it also grows more efficiently and produces higher lipid concentrations. Benefits and challenges of using waste substrates will be discussed and compared to defined media. Together, our work moves us closer to biomanufacturing for astronaut needs.
DALLAS, August 22, 2017 -- The key to getting low-income patients to take their blood pressure medications as prescribed may be as simple as a conversation. Low-income patients with high blood pressure were less likely to take their medications as directed when their healthcare providers did not use a collaborative communication style or ask them about social issues such as employment, housing and partner relationships, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation: Quality and Outcomes.

Patients not taking high blood pressure medication as directed plays a major role in the continued problem of poorly controlled high blood pressure, a significant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Researchers found that patients were three times less likely to take their high blood pressure medications when their providers did not possess a collaborative communication style such as asking open-ended questions and checking their understanding of instructions. Patients were also six times less likely to take their medications as prescribed when a healthcare provider did not ask them about social issues such as employment, housing and partner relationships.

"When healthcare providers ask patients about life challenges or take the time to check their patient's understanding of instructions, it signals that their healthcare provider genuinely cares about them and provides the motivation and confidence to manage their health issues on their own," said Antoinette Schoenthaler, Ed.D., lead author for the study and an associate professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine in New York City.

The researchers audiotaped interactions between 92 patients and 27 providers over a three-month period from three practices that serve a multi-ethnic, low-income population in New York City. One office visit for each patient was audiotaped.

The majority of the patients were black, unemployed and reported some college education. Fifty-eight percent of patients were women and most were seeing the same provider for at least one year. The providers (56 percent white; 67 percent women) have been in practice for an average of 5.8 years. The researchers measured whether patients took their medications during the three-month study period through the use of an electronic monitoring device that recorded the time and date each time they opened the pill bottle.

The researchers found striking differences in medication adherence between the black and white patients. Overall, black patients were more likely to have poor adherence to their blood pressure medications compared to white patients. Moreover, compared to the overall patient population, non-adherence was more pronounced with black patients when social issues were not discussed (eight times less likely to take medication as prescribed compared to six).

"Healthcare providers should talk to patients about the things that get in the way of taking their medication, such as relationship status, employment and housing. Unemployment, for example, affects whether patients can afford medication, which is a primary risk factor for non-adherence. If these issues go undiscussed, healthcare providers may never figure out why patients are not taking their medications," said Schoenthaler.

She suggested healthcare providers work with community health workers, nurses or medical assistants, to help identify resources for patients who have difficulty taking their medications.

###

Co-authors are George J. Knafl, Ph.D., Kevin Fiscella, M.D. and Gbenga Ogedegbe, M.D.Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded the study.

Additional Resources:

Multimedia is available on the right column of the release link - http://newsroom.heart.org/news/low-income-patients-more-likely-to-take-blood-pressure-medication-when-doctor-involves-them-in-conversation?preview=c7486b7defaa9cbef946a60fd638c448

After August 22, view the manuscript and editorial online.

Medication Adherence - Taking Your Meds as Directed

Health Threats From High Blood Pressure

Follow AHA/ASA news on Twitter @HeartNews

For updates and new science from Circulation Quality and Outcomes, follow @CircOutcomes

Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations and health insurance providers are available at http://www.heart.org/corporatefunding.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke - the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
POLSON  Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson called for unity in a keynote address he gave Monday to members of the Native American Housing Association.

Its so important for the people of our nation to recognize that we the people are not each others enemies and we can not be led by the purveyors of hatred and division that have infested our lands, Carson said.

The association held its summer meeting at the KwaTaqNuk Resort in Polson.

The noted surgeon and former presidential candidate who was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead HUD told the crowd that he was in Montana to listen and learn about whats working on the local level. Carson will meet with members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on Tuesday.

In his short term as HUD secretary, Carson said hes seen some of the best solutions to challenges facing this country  including homelessness, hunger and affordable housing  built with local expertise and knowledge.

They were managed from the bottom up, Carson said.

Some of those stories have occurred as a result of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act, where goals have been met to achieve better housing for more than 20 years, he said.

Carson said its the new HUDs goal to do more than just provide basic shelter for people in need. It needs to work in a more holistic ways help people find value in their lives so they dont turn to drugs in despair.

People in this nation need to pull together to help make that happen, he said.

A house divided against itself can not stand, never has stood, never will stand," he said. "No nation with the level of discord that we are now experiencing has ever been successful. We are too powerful to be brought down by the outside. We can only destroy ourselves. We have to be smart enough to recognize that.

We all got here on different boats, but were in the same boat now," he continued. If you are on the Titanic, you can be the richest person in the world and you can go to the penthouse suite, but youre still going down when the boat starts to sink. We want to make sure that it doesnt sink for anybody.

HUD has a role in ensuring that doesnt happen and doing a better job in understanding the people it serves, Carson said.

We cant simply put a roof over peoples heads anymore and ignore their body and their minds, he said. Thats why its become so important to work across the silos with all the different government agencies taking a holistic approach to development of our people.

The new HUD is not all that concerned with just sticking someone in a shelter, Carson added. Every single person in our society is either a part of the load or a part of the engine. The more people we have being part of the engine, the faster the engine goes and the more capable we are of accomplishing what we need to accomplish.

In this country, there are 330 million people. While that may sound like a lot, Carson said thats a quarter of the people they have in India or China.

How are we going to compete in the future if we dont think of developing all of our people? he said. Its absolutely critical to the success of our nation.
Female teenagers living in neighbourhoods with wide salary gaps and a low-income household show changes to their brain maturation that could indicate a higher risk of developing mental illness in adulthood

Female teenagers living in neighbourhoods with wide salary gaps and a low-income household show changes to their brain maturation that could indicate a higher risk of developing mental illness in adulthood, suggests a recently published study by Canadian researchers.

The research, led by Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI), found that female adolescents in these living situations showed a greater thinning in the brain's cortical thickness (a measurement of the brain's maturation), which may reflect higher exposure to stress. These findings, which were recently published in the Nature journal, Scientific Reports, could help predict the risk of youth developing a mental illness and contributes to a growing body of evidence that living in poverty disturbs brain development.

"Our research illustrates how the social environment can influence brain development and why tackling public issues, such as income inequality, should be a priority," says Dr. Tomas Paus, RRI senior scientist and the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair and Professor of Population Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. "Wealth disparity and low family income may generate additional social stress on kids and this extra pressure could be changing the way their brain structure evolves."

Previous studies have demonstrated links between wage gaps and a person's physical and mental health, but this is the first study to explore its relationship with brain development.

"During adolescence, the brain is vulnerable to developing psychiatric disorders as it undergoes changes related to puberty, the social environment and academic demands," says Dr. Paus. "The brain may be particularly sensitive to the influence of income inequality at this time."

The research analyzed data from 804 adolescents (between the ages of 12 to 18) a part of the Saguenay Youth Study, a multi-generational survey measuring a variety of health indicators among parents and their children. Teenagers were split into different groups based on their sex, household income and income inequality in their neighbourhoods, which was made available through the Canadian Census. Software was used to analyze cortical thickness and compare it with the expression of stress and sex-hormone genes.

Researchers will continue to explore whether this relationship exists in countries known to have high and low gaps in wealth distribution, such as Brazil and Finland. Thanks to recent funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the team will also follow up with youth from the Saguenay study after ten years to see if they went on to develop mental illnesses.

###

This work was conducted with support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair in Population Neuroscience.

With additional funding, researchers could explore other external risks that lead to mental illnesses that could contribute to the creation of evidence-based, preventive interventions for those who are more likely to develop these conditions.

About Baycrest Health Sciences

Baycrest Health Sciences is a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest provides excellent care for older adults combined with an extensive clinical training program for the next generation of healthcare professionals and one of the world's top research institutes in cognitive neuroscience, the Rotman Research Institute. Baycrest is home to the federally and provincially-funded Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation, a solution accelerator focused on driving innovation in the aging and brain health sector, and is the developer of Cogniciti -- a free online memory assessment for Canadians 40+ who are concerned about their memory. Founded in 1918 as the Jewish Home for Aged, Baycrest continues to embrace the long-standing tradition of all great Jewish healthcare institutions to improve the well-being of people in their local communities and around the globe. For more information please visit: http://www.baycrest.org

About Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute

The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences is a premier international centre for the study of human brain function. Through generous support from private donors and funding agencies, the institute is helping to illuminate the causes of cognitive decline in seniors, identify promising approaches to treatment, and lifestyle practices that will protect brain health longer in the lifespan.

For media inquiries:

Jonathan MacIndoe

Baycrest Health Sciences

416-785-2500 ext. 6579

jmacindoe@baycrest.org
Clathrate (hydrate) gun hypothesis stirred quite the controversy when it was posed in 2003. It stated that methane hydrates -- frozen water cages containing methane gas found below the ocean floor - can melt due to increasing ocean temperatures.

According to the hypothesis this melt can happen in a time span of a human life, dissociating vast amounts of hydrate and releasing methane into the atmosphere. Consequently, this would lead to a runaway process, where the methane released would add to the global budget of greenhouse gases, and further accelerate the warming of the planet.

Limited impact at an Arctic site

This dramatic hypothesis inspired science fiction and scientists alike, spurring the latter to further investigate the sensitivity of hydrates. A new study in Nature Communications has thus found that the hydrate gun hypothesis seems increasingly unlikely, at least for a specific site in the Arctic Ocean that is highly susceptible to warming.

"Short term temperature warming has limited impact on the gas hydrate stability. We show that warming can significantly affect gas hydrates in the seabed only when ocean temperature is constantly rising for several centuries," says the lead author of the study Dr. Wei-Li Hong of CAGE and currently Geological Survey of Norway.

Hydrate mounds seeping methane for thousands of years

Hong and colleagues reported on an increase of methane flux beneath large mounds of hydrates in an area called Storfjordrenna, in the Barents Sea close to Svalbard. These gas hydrate pingos are all profusely seeping methane.

But according to Hong, even though the area is shallow, and potentially susceptible to temperature change, these seeps are not intensifying because of the momentary warming.

"The increase of methane flux started several hundreds to thousands of years ago, which is well before any onset of warming in the Arctic Ocean that others have speculated," says Hong.

The study was based on measurements of pore water chemistry in the sediments from the area. Pore water is water trapped in pores in soil, and can be analysed to reveal environmental changes in a given area through time. Scientists also analysed authigenic carbonate, a type of rock created through a chemical process in areas of methane release, as well as measured bottom water temperatures. Data from these analyses was then used in a model experiment.

Natural state of the system

For the past century, bottom water in the area fluctuated seasonally from 1,8 to 4,6 degrees Celsius. Even though these fluctuations occurred quite often, they only affected gas hydrates that were shallower than 1,6 meters below the sea floor.

The hydrates are fed by a methane flow from deeper reservoirs. As this area was glaciated during the last ice age, this gas compacted into a hydrate layer under the pressure and cold temperatures under the ice sheet. Hydrates can be stable in the first 60 meters of sediments.

"The results of our study indicate that the immense seeping found in this area is a result of natural state of the system. Understanding how methane interacts with other important geological, chemical and biological processes in the Earth system is essential and should be the emphasis of our scientific community," Hong states.

###
Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and the Fundacion Jimenez Diaz (FJD) and Salamanca University Hospitals have demonstrated that the response of the human heart to an infarction is very different to what was previously thought. The study, led by cardiologist Borja Ibanez and published in 2 independent articles in the leading journals Circulation and Circulation Research, overturns the established view that an infarction is followed by progressive repair of the myocardium.

For many years, scientists have assumed that a heart attack is followed immediately by an inflammatory response featuring increases in water content and cellular infiltration and that this response remains stable for at least 1 week and then progressively dissipates. Two years ago, the research team behind the new studies published a series of animal studies that challenged this view, but the most important challenge remained: to validate the new findings in human patients. The new studies used the most advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to demonstrate that the human heart produces 2 well-differentiated edematous reactions occurring at distinct times after an infarction. These results have immediate clinical implications for ongoing clinical trials and could form the basis of future studies focused on the specific modulation of each of these independent edematous phases.

The project came out of research started more than 10 years ago at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, directed by renowned cardiologist Valentin Fuster, who is an author on both of the new CNIC-led studies. Two years ago, the CNIC and the FJD University Hospital signed a collaboration agreement to coordinate their studies of cardiac muscle after an acute myocardial infarction. The collaboration is directed by Borja Ibanez, who is both Director of Clinical Research at the CNIC and a cardiologist at FJD University Hospital, and has led to a prolific scientific production. Rodrigo Fernandez-Jimenez, first author on both studies, explained that "surprisingly, we still know very little about how the myocardium reacts to an infarction, and it is only through the use of MRI, which allows noninvasive, millimeter-resolution mapping of tissue composition, that we are beginning to understand many of its mysteries."

The bimodal postinfarction inflammatory reaction was first demonstrated in animals in 2015, but this left the much more difficult challenge of demonstrating that the same phenomenon occurs in patients. Undertaking such a study required a special set up that would allow detailed MRI studies to be carried out immediately after the re-establishment of blood flow through the blocked coronary artery in heart attack patients. This requires highly complex technology and is therefore possible in only a handful of centers. One center with the technology and expertise to carry out this type of study is the university hospital in Salamanca. As chief cardiologist Pedro Luis Sanchez explained "we've been able to carry out this work thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of everyone in the service. Heart attacks can happen at any time of day or night or at weekends, and for this study we needed to do the first MRI scan within 3 hours of fitting a stent in the blocked artery to re-establish blood flow. Patients are particularly vulnerable during this period, so in addition to the expert MRI specialists, we also needed a full clinical support team on hand to provide continuous care during the examination period."

Pioneering study

The study is the first in the world to study heart attack patients by MRI so soon after the re-establishment of blood flow. In addition to studies in patients, the team have also extended their investigation of infarction in pigs, the experimental model most similar to humans. The unique translational research infrastructure at the CNIC includes identical imaging equipment for human and animal studies, allowing the team to demonstrate that treatments during an infarction can change the composition of the cardiac muscle during the first hours after reperfusion, resulting in a much more rapid recovery of the heart. In the words of Dr. Fernandez-Jimenez, "MRI provides an extraordinary ability to noninvasively visualize events occurring after an infarction in real time, including inflammation, tissue volume expansion, hemorrhage, and obstruction of the microcirculation."

According to Dr. Ibanez, who recently won the Fundacion Banco Sabadell Biomedical Research Prize, the discovery of the bimodal inflammatory response in the human heart "forces us to think about the best timing for MRI scans used in clinical trials to quantify irreversible injury and to monitor the effectiveness of interventions to reduce this injury. Until now this question was not considered important, and cardiac imaging studies have been conducted on any day in the postinfarction period. The new findings show that the optimal time for these scans is between postinfarction days 4 and 7, when the second inflammatory/edematous wave is prominent and affects the entire region that was shut off from the blood supply during the infarction."

This research project was possible thanks to the unique research infrastructure at the CNIC, which boasts imaging analysis equipment unrivalled anywhere in Europe, all at the service of leading international research groups. CNIC General Director Dr. Fuster commented "We invested in the best imaging technology in order to study biological and clinical processes from a totally new perspective." This unique technology is allowing translational researchers to address clinically relevant questions in a way that greatly accelerates the pace of research.

Another essential element of this research endeavor is the scientific collaboration between the CNIC and technology partner Philips Iberia. Physicist Javier Sanchez-Gonzalez, a Philips researcher embedded at the CNIC, leads the technological development of these cardiac imaging projects, and his input is essential for transferring the initial findings from the CNIC to collaborating hospitals, so that the new algorithms can be tested in a clinical environment. Recently, the consortium formed by the CNIC, the FJD and Salamanca university hospitals, and Philips was awarded funding under the Carlos III Institute of Health's technology development program for the development of new three-dimensional cardiac resonance sequences.

###

About the CNIC

The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), directed by Dr. Valentin Fuster, is dedicated to cardiovascular research and the translation of knowledge gained into real benefits for patients. The CNIC, recognized by the Spanish government as a Severo Ochoa center of excellence, is financed through a pioneering public-private partnership between the government (through the Carlos III Institute of Health) and the Pro-CNIC Foundation, which brings together 14 of the most important Spanish private companies.

IIS-FJD

The Fundacion Jimenez Diaz Health Research Institute (IIS-FJD in its Spanish initials) is a multidisciplinary and translational biomedical research platform that embraces basic and clinical research and epidemiology in the health service arena. The IIS-FJD includes the basic and clinical research groups at the FJD University Hospital, other groups from the Infanta Elena and Rey Juan Carlos university hospitals and Villabla general hospital, and research and teaching staff from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, the Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas, and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. The IIS-FJD's mission is to promote and drive research, scientific and technological knowledge, and teaching and training in hospitals. This approach creates synergies and supports the development of an integrated research program bringing leading biomedical researchers together in a way that avoids the barriers associated with traditional departmental assignations.

CIBERCV

The CIBERCV research network is formed by 40 research groups from 24 associated centers, selected on the basis of scientific excellence. The network is grouped into 6 research lines focused on the main challenges in cardiovascular health. Of these, 4 are thematic (myocardial injury, arterial disease, heart failure, and structural heart disease) and 2 are cross-disciplinary (biomarkers and platforms and epidemiology and cardiovascular prevention).
Vector is no longer confined to villages in the Amazon but is spreading to major cities throughout Brazil, researcher warns

After the Zika epidemic, which began in 2015, and the outbreak of yellow fever early in 2017, Brazil runs a serious risk of being afflicted by Oropouche, another virus that is widely distributed throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean.

Oropouche has adapted to urban environments and is moving ever closer to Brazil's major cities. An arbovirus transmitted by a mosquito (like Zika and yellow fever), Oropouche causes acute fever and may lead to meningitis and meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and meninges).

"Oropouche is a virus that could potentially emerge at any moment and cause a serious public health problem in Brazil," said Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo's Ribeirao Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP). Figueiredo is a researcher for a Thematic Project supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) focusing on emerging zoonotic viroses.

According to him, about 500,000 cases of Oropouche fever have been reported in Brazil in recent decades but that the number of cases will grow because the virus, transmitted by the midge Culicoides paraensis, is no longer found only in Amazonian villages and is spreading to the big cities.

"C. paraensis is distributed throughout the Americas, and Oropouche virus therefore has considerable emergence potential," he said. "The virus may well spread from the Amazon region and central plateau to the most densely populated regions of the country."

The incidence of Oropouche fever is also rising in urban areas of Peru and Caribbean countries. In Brazil, the virus has been isolated from birds in Rio Grande do Sul state and from a marmoset in Minas Gerais state. The presence of neutralizing antibodies (which bind to the virus, tell the immune system to destroy it, and prevent it from infecting the organism) has been detected in primates in the city of Goiania.

"We recently diagnosed a patient from Ilheus [city in the northeastern state of Bahia] with Oropouche fever, in partnership with Eurico Arruda [a professor in FMRP-USP's Department of Cellular Biology]. This shows the virus is circulating around Brazil," Figueiredo said.

In 2002, researchers at FMRP-USP diagnosed 128 people infected by Oropouche virus in Manaus, Amazonas state's capital city. They presented with typical symptoms of the infection, such as acute fever, joint pain, headache and pain behind the eyes. Three also developed a central nervous system infection. "The virus was found in these patients' cerebrospinal fluid," Figueiredo said.

The researchers were intrigued to find that one of these three patients had neurocysticercosis, an infection of the central nervous system caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium, and another had AIDS.

"This shows that some immunodepressive diseases can facilitate penetration of the central nervous system by the virus. Hardly anyone thinks of this when treating an arbovirus infection, but the possibility must be considered," Figueiredo said.

The 128 patients with Oropouche in Manaus had been clinically diagnosed with dengue fever. The Oropouche and dengue viruses produce similar symptoms.

For this reason, researchers at FMRP-USP and other institutions such as Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz have begun to warn that many suspected cases of dengue in Brazil may be cases of infection by Oropouche.

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About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known by the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. For more information: http://www.fapesp.br/en.
Researchers from Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, studied satellite photographs of Lake Catalina, an ice-dammed lake in East Greenland - and were truly amazed: Unnoticed by science as well as people living in the area, the lake has been the source of four major outburst floods over the last 50 years - each representing an astounding mass of energy, equaling up to 240 Hiroshima-bombs! "The next outburst is certainly building and may happen as soon as 2018-19", says Aslak Grinsted, head of the research team.

If a glacier keeping back an ice-dammed lake starts leaking, the end result may be emission of almost unfathomable quantities of water in the form of an outburst flood.

For the last 200 years science has recorded a considerable number of outburst floods from ice-dammed lakes in mountainous regions all over the globe from Norway to USA, Iceland, Kyrgyzstan, Canada, Austria and Switzerland.

In most cases it has been known in advance that an outburst was under way, prompting some state of alert in order to avoid loss of lives.

However, some of the biggest outburst floods ever recorded have remained unknown until recently.

These outbursts - a total of four taking place between 1966 and 2012 - originate from Lake Catalina, an ice-dammed lake on Renland, a 100 kilometer long island in Scoresbysund Fjord in East Greenland, located about 180 kilometer west of Scoresbysund settlement (Ittoqqortoormiit).

And each of these outbursts has released in the order of 2.6-3.4 cubic kilometer of fresh water!

3.4 cubic kilometer of water is somewhat more than a shower - it equals 3.400 billion liter. Which, according to scientific reports covering the period from 1818 till present, has catapulted Lake Catalina into the top-5 rankings on the all-time-great-chart of registered outburst floods coming from ice-dammed lakes; surpassed only by outbursts in Argentina and USA with a thumping one - 5.400 billion liter from Hubbard Glacier in Alaska in 1986 - as the undisputed record holder.

All details regarding the Greenlandic mega outbursts will 'go public' via an article appearing in the upcoming issue of Scientific Reports.

The article is written by Dorte Dahl-Jensen, Christine Hvidberg and Aslak Grinsted - the three researchers from Centre for Ice and Climate at Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) who made the discovery -and Nestor Campos of Complutense University, Madrid, Spain, who assisted the Danish team in describing the phenomenon.

"These colossal outbursts from Lake Catalina were detected by mere chance", admits assistant professor Aslak Grinsted, who led the study:

"We learned that a number of different satellites have taken photos of Lake Catalina over the last 50 years, from 1966-2016. These pictures are now freely accessible, and when we decided to take a look at them and soon after started to compare them systematically, they provided information about remarkable fluctuations in the water level of the lake".

"This was how we detected the four outburst floods from Lake Catalina that have all taken place during the winter season, typically from November to March", says Aslak Grinsted: "The first between 1966 and 1972, the second in 1988-89, the third in 2003-2004 - and the last in 2011-12".

By analyzing data from the photographs the scientists were able to construct a model which - with some certainty - can predict when the next outburst flood from the lake can be expected to take place, explains Aslak Grinsted: "It is certainly building right now, and according to the model it will happen at the latest in 2023. However, it may occur as soon as next year, in the winter of 2018-19".

The uncertainty surrounding the advent of the next mega outburst from Catalina Lake can be attributed to the rising temperatures experienced in Greenland and in the arctic regions these years due to global warming - increasing the melt down of glaciers and thereby making barriers keeping water 'inboard' in ice-dammed lakes leaking sooner than expected, explains Aslak Grinsted.

Water level falling - almost - freely

Seen from a distance, Renland's ice cap - towering some 2.500 meter above Scoresbysund Fjord - almost creates the illusion that the rocky and steep-sided island is wearing white winter headgear.

Lake Catalina - named after the legendary American built amphibious aircraft used to carry out aerial mapping of Greenland during the 1950s - is situated 600 meter above sea level in a valley. Two smaller lakes further up the mountain feed it with water melting off Renland's ice cap during the summer season - and feed it well, as Aslak Grinsted points out:

"It's no pond - Lake Catalina is about 10 kilometer long and on average two kilometer wide, and in some parts it may well be hundreds of meter deep. To the best of my knowledge, the depths have never been systematically charted - though a number of expeditions have visited the lake over the years, some have even sailed on it, with a French expedition in the summer of 2016 being the latest".

"The same lack of certainty seems to exist when we are talking about possible wild life in Lake Catalina - but the biological part is not something my colleagues from NBI and I will go into, we have our ha nds full trying to understand in more detail what dynamics lie behind the outburst floods".

As far as the depths of the lake are concerned, the NBI-scientist do, however, have some knowledge - thanks to the very satellite photograhs they analyzed, Aslak Grinsted explains:

"When you start examining these photographs - the oldest, those from 1966, were taken by Corona KH 4-A, a US spy-satellite active from 1963-69 - you suddenly realize that the water level in Lake Catalina can fluctuate so markedly that you almost get the impression it is in free-fall. It may fluctuate up to 150 meter - which is a lot of water considering that the lake's surface measures around 20 sq. kilometer. After having studied a couple of 'before-and-after' photographs of fluctuations of that magnitude, I started wondering: How did all of that water escape Lake Catalina over a very short period of time - and what are the dynamics behind these outbursts? And that was when we decided to take a closer look at the phenomenon". Lifting up the glacier

A glacier measuring 40 kilometer in length, named in honor of the British geologist Sir Edward Bailey (1881-1965), is the 'cork' which - most of the time - bars melt water originating from Renland's ice cap from streaming continously out of Lake Catalina. The glacier's lower end, it's tongue, almost meets Scoresbysund Fjord - which is where the enourmous amount of water is finally led out when Lake Catalina cannot hold back any longer, tells Aslak Grinsted:

"The dynamics behind these outburst floods seem to be connected with water pressure in Lake Catalina. What happens is probably that when the water level in the lake reaches a certain high due to sustained influx , the pressure on the glacier below will be so pronounced that it cannot any longer function effectively as a 'cork' - which in turn will cause water to start flowing under the glacier and thereby lifting it. Our model shows that following this, the water from the lake will - at some point - start melting its way through Edward Bailey Glacier - and thereby in reality 'drill' a tunnel which will function as a drainpipe".

This drainpipe will lead the water from Lake Catalina into Scoresbysund Fjord, says Aslak Grinsted: "And if you look at the mass of energy released in the entire process, we are really talking big numbers - because the energy behind an outburst flood releasing in the order of 3.4 cubic kilometer fresh water actually equals 240 atomic bombs of the type the Americans dropped over Hiroshima during World War II! And that is enough energy to 'drill' a 20 kilometer long tunnel with a diameter of 55 meter straight through the Edward Bailey Glacier".

Consequences unknown

What happens when so much water is lead out into Scoresbysund Fjord over just a few months?

"That is a so-called good question", says Aslak Grinsted:

"We asked people who live in Scoresbysund - in Ittoqqortoorniit - whether they remember noticing anything unusual during the four outburst floods we now know have taken place between 1966 and 2012, and everybody said "no" - which probably means that the floods did not, for instance, cause the water level in Scoresbysund Fjord to rise notably.

Whether these outburst floods can somehow influence ocean currents along East Greenland is another aspect - and it is open for speculation, because at this point we simply don't know the answer".

Aslak Grinsted and his colleagues from NBI want to examine the outburst floods from Lake Catalina further, and they have come up with a number of ideas to do just that, he says:

"Right now a new outburst is building in the lake - and based on our observations we can see that over the period from 1966 to 2012 the intervals between these outbursts from Lake Catalina have shortened concurrently with the rising temperatures in the arctic regions".

"However, this shortening of intervals between outburst floods is hardly specific for Lake Catalina. We are seeing a global increase in temperatures these years - and what we have documented in Scoresbysund Fjord therefore might indicate that ice-dammed lakes all over the world are in the process of becoming more unpredictable and potentially more dangerous because outbursts and flooding can occur at shorter notice than historically experienced. By following Lake Catalina closely one might hope to get information which can be utilized when monitoring ice-dammed lakes all over the world, and we will now try to secure funding for further research".

The scientists plan to attach a considerable number of GPS based instruments to the Edward Bailey Glacier - in order to monitor all movements in this 40 kilometer long mass of ice. Additionally they want to set up cameras in order to document the next outburst flood from Lake Catalina - and to chart in detail the depths of the lake. Since 1988 NBI has been conducting research on the northern end of Renland - where a number of ice core drillings have taken place. However, the scientists behind the new research have not yet visited

Lake Catalina, Aslak Grinsted says: "We only know the lake from the satellite photographs - so going there would be really exiting. Imagine actually sailing on it"!

###

Captions

(Illustration) Lake Catalina receives melt water from Renlands ice cap.

The top of the ice cap is 2.500 meter above sea level. The melting - and the filling up of Lake Catalina - takes place during the summer. When the water reaches a certain level in Lake Catalina, Edward Bailey

Glacier can no longer hold it back - and an outburst flood is a reality.

Illustration: Aslak Grinsted.

The spy satellite

The NBI-researchers relied on a number of different satellite photographs when describing the four gigantic outburst floods from Lake Catalina taking place between 1966 and 2012. The 1966-photographs were taken by the American spy-satellite Corona KH 4-A. This satellite-type - in operation from August of 1963-October of 1969 - was part of the Corona program, controlled by the CIA. The first Corona-satellite was launched in 1959, the last (KH 4-B) stopped taking pictures in 1972. The purpose of the Corona-program was to provide surveillance-photographs from in particular USSR and The People's Republic of China, but from certain other countries and regions as well. These photographs were de-classified in 1995 and have since been of great use in various fields of non-military research. The Corona-satellites orbited at altitudes between 120-160 kilometer above the surface of the Earth. The pictures were shot with custom made cameras using a 70 millimeter film from Kodak-Eastman.

Corona KH 4-A satellite. Image: Guiseppe De Chiara 1968. The image is reproduced under Creative Commons. When a mission was completed and it was time to retrieve the film, the so-called film bucket - a section of the satellite - was released. The film bucket, which had a heat protection shield, ejected a parachute when it reached a hight of approximately 18 kilometer above the surface of the Earth. Some film buckets were caught while still airborne by military planes equipped with a 'claw' - in other cases the film bucket landed in the ocean where a vessel from the US Marine would pick it up.
Alexandria, Va., USA - In 1926, William Gies published the seminal report "Dental Education in the United States and Canada," which has had a profound impact on dental education over the last 90 years providing a scientific basis for the profession. However, dental education is now challenged by a new set of issues. A national project, "Advancing Dental Education: Gies in the 21st Century" was created to address these complex modern issues and develop a broad strategic plan for the future of dental education. The project aims to critically assess the current state of oral health education and practice, identify trends that will shape future dental education, develop strategies for restructuring dental education to address long-range challenges and prepare a long-term strategic plan to implement the changes needed. This project is divided into three phases.

AADR's response to the completion of Phase One of the project, specifically the research section is published in the September issue of the Journal of Dental Research. In this perspective, members of AADR staff and leadership, including AADR President Raul Garcia and Immediate Past President Jack Ferracane, provide several specific recommendations for meeting the challenges of dental training and research over the next 25 years and enumerate AADR's role in supporting the dental research community in this endeavor.

AADR stresses the need for dental schools to participate in research and foster the integration of multi-disciplinary research teams. Cross-collaboration between dental schools and other departments on campus, or with a neighboring academic health center, medical school or other health science institute is strongly encouraged, underlining the need for dental researchers to see themselves as part of the larger research community and for the larger research community to recognize the contributions to dental researchers.

Dental schools must not only engage dental students in research but bring more Ph.D. students into the dental, oral and craniofacial research enterprise while leading efforts to improve quality of training for dual degree (i.e., D.D.S./D.M.D. + Ph.D.) students.

Dental schools should maintain flexible dental curricula to allow students to take advantage of research opportunities at both home and outside institutions. Finally, as the scarcity of financial resources continues to challenge the dental research community as well as the broader biomedical research enterprise, AADR urges schools to not only aggressively compete for funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research but to expand their portfolios to the other institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health, as well as other federal agencies (e.g., National Science Foundation, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, etc.) and private foundations and industry.

"Every dental school has a role to play," said AADR President Raul Garcia, "dental schools are the primary source for producing clinician scientists in dental, oral and craniofacial research. William Gies emphasized that dentistry is both a learned profession as well as a specialized area of medicine, and his insights remain relevant today. We are excited to see how this project builds on Gies' vision and validates the foundational role that research and scholarship play in the profession."

AADR aims to help achieve these goals by advocating for the inclusion of oral health in large research initiatives, facilitating the involvement of our members in these projects, and raising the profile of dental research in the larger research community. AADR will continue to provide networking and mentorship opportunities for trainees and early career scientists through meetings and programming.

AADR will also continue to advocate for adequate, sustainable and predictable federal funding for dental research and training. To help further meet the financial challenges of training and research, AADR award and fellowship programs offer students unique opportunities to pursue their research interests. To help foster a strong, talented and inclusive dental research workforce, the new AADR Committee on Diversity and Inclusion will continue to develop strategies to increase diversity in the dental, oral and craniofacial research community. Lastly, AADR calls for the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) research standard to be strengthened and given greater attention during site visits. AADR will continue to work with the American Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association to strengthen CODA Standard 6 on research.

The executive summaries and background supporting articles for the project are published in the August and September issues of the Journal of Dental Education.

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View the article "Research and Dental Education: An AADR Perspective on the "Advancing Dental Education: Gies in the 21st Century" Project" online or contact Elise Bender ebender@iadr.org to access to the article.

About the Journal of Dental Research

The IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge in all sciences relevant to dentistry and the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease. At 0.02225, the JDR holds the highest Eigenfactor Score of all dental journals publishing original research. The JDR ranks #1 in Article Influence and #2 in the Two-Year Journal Impact Factor rankings with a rating of 4.755 according to the 2016 Journal Citation Reports (Thomas Reuters, 2017).

About the International Association for Dental Research

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with over 10,000 individual members worldwide, dedicated to: (1) advancing research and increasing knowledge for the improvement of oral health worldwide, (2) supporting and representing the oral health research community, and (3) facilitating the communication and application of research findings. To learn more, visit http://www.iadr.org. The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is the largest Division of IADR, with more than 3,500 members in the United States. To learn more, visit http://www.iadr.org/AADR.
Scientists have discovered a new way of attacking oesophageal cancer cells that could make use of an existing drug in a new approach to treatment.

Their study discovered a genetic weakness or 'Achilles' heel' in oesophageal cancer cells that makes them particularly sensitive to a drug called ibrutinib which is already used to treat blood cancer.

A team at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, demonstrated that oesophageal cancer cells with a cancer-causing mutation in a gene called MYC become dependent upon or 'addicted' to a second gene, BTK.

By blocking the function of BTK using ibrutinib, the researchers were able to kill oesophageal cancer cells grown in the lab, leaving normal cells relatively unaffected.

Attacking 'addicted' cancer cells in this way, a concept known as synthetic lethality, could open up a whole new avenue of treatment for oesophageal cancer -- a disease which affects 9,000 people a year in the UK.

For many patients with oesophageal cancer, the success of existing treatments is limited. The new work is aimed at improving this situation.

The study is published today (Tuesday) in the journal Gut, and was funded by Cancer Research UK, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), Jansen Ltd., Pharmacyclics Pharmaceuticals, and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the ICR.

Researchers are now assessing whether ibrutinib will work in oesophageal cancer patients with MYC mutations, in a phase II clinical trial at The Royal Marsden.

By assessing whether patients with MYC-mutated oesophageal cancers respond to ibrutinib, the researchers hope to test whether the laboratory findings translate into an improved way of treating the disease.

To identify this deadly addiction, researchers used a systematic approach, assessing the sensitivity of a large number of oesophageal cancer cells to cancer drugs that are already used in the treatment of other forms of cancer.

In parallel, they also assessed, one by one, the effects of inactivating 720 key genes on cancer cells. By integrating these two approaches, the scientists found the link between BTK addiction and ibrutinib sensitivity in oesophageal cancer cells.

As well as using this information to design a new clinical trial, the researchers also made all of the data generated in the study publicly available, so that other researchers worldwide can use the information to design other approaches for treating this aggressive disease.

Professor Chris Lord, Professor of Cancer Genomics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said:

"The DNA of cancer cells tends to be extremely mutated - whilst these mutations cause cancer, they also often make cells addicted to genes normal cells are not.

"Finding which genes cancers are addicted to is an exciting approach for identifying new ways of attacking tumours. We can now systematically identify genes which cancer cells need but healthy cells can live without - offering up the potential of precision therapies that have fewer side-effects than conventional treatments.

"Oesophageal cancers are often very hard to control. Our laboratory work suggests that an existing drug, which we know is safe, could be used in MYC-mutated patients. Our hope is that these results are reproduced in clinical trials."

Dr Irene Chong, NIHR BRC Clinician Scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said:

"Survival rates for patients with oesophageal cancer remain very poor, especially once the disease has started spreading round the body. We urgently need new treatment options that attack the disease in novel ways.

"Our new study has identified a potential Achilles' heel in some forms of oesophageal cancer, which we believe could be exploited by new treatments. And because there is an existing drug for other forms of cancer which attacks this weakness, we can test out our new approach rapidly in clinical trials."

Professor Karen Vousden, Cancer Research UK's chief scientist, said:

"By scrutinising the genetics of oesophageal cancer cells in the lab, this research has identified an existing drug that could be effective against oesophageal cancers with a certain genetic makeup. If clinical trials show that this drug is effective, this work could lead to a new treatment for some oesophageal cancer patients, which is urgently needed for this hard-to-treat disease."

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For more information please contact Claire Hastings in the ICR press office on 020 7153 5380 or claire.hastings@icr.ac.uk. For enquiries out of hours, please call 07595 963 613.

Notes to editors

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is one of the world's most influential cancer research organisations.

Scientists and clinicians at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) are working every day to make a real impact on cancer patients' lives. Through its unique partnership with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and 'bench-to-bedside' approach, the ICR is able to create and deliver results in a way that other institutions cannot. Together the two organisations are rated in the top four centres for cancer research and treatment globally.

The ICR has an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years. It provided the first convincing evidence that DNA damage is the basic cause of cancer, laying the foundation for the now universally accepted idea that cancer is a genetic disease. Today it is a world leader at identifying cancer-related genes and discovering new targeted drugs for personalised cancer treatment.

A college of the University of London, the ICR is the UK's top-ranked academic institution for research quality, and provides postgraduate higher education of international distinction. It has charitable status and relies on support from partner organisations, charities and the general public.

The ICR's mission is to make the discoveries that defeat cancer. For more information visit http://www.icr.ac.uk
Researchers at ITMO University unveiled a new approach for printing luminescent structures based on nanoparticle ink. The unique optical properties of the ink were achieved by means of europium-doped zirconia. Particles of this material were proven to be useful for manufacturing glowing holographic coatings with a high degree of protection. Importantly, the developed approach enables the fabrication of custom holograms by means of a simple inkjet printer.

Inkjet printing with functional nanoparticles has been gaining a lot of traction in recent years. Due to a number of advantages -- lack of toxicity, high refraction index and high quantum yield -- luminescent nanoparticles are finding more applications in the fields of photonics, theranostics and bioimaging; they are used to produce biosensors, visualize cancer cells and in security printing technology. But to implement lab-made solutions on a bigger scale, a number of steps need to be undertaken to ensure proper functionality and stability during long-term storage of holograms.

The new ink developed by the scientists from ITMO University possesses characteristics that address precisely these issues. In a series of experiments the material was used for printing monolayers of luminescent-protected holograms and anti-counterfeiting objects with high stability and durability.

"Europium-doped zirconium dioxide is a material that has been studied and used by researchers all over the world for decades. However, our research is novel in that it uses the material to protect the surface of rainbow holograms. To this end, we had to achieve certain features in the material. In particular, the nanoparticles contained in the ink must be close to identical in size. Strict requirements are also imposed by rheological parameters that determine the viscosity of the material -- otherwise, the ink might not be suitable for inkjet printing. Our goal was to transform a material that was initially synthesized in a test tube into a stable colloid that could be printed and applied to any surface. Our study describes the exact process of creating such functional ink," -- comments Alexandr Vinogradov, co-author of the research and head of ITMO University's Biochemistry Cluster.

This is far from being the first research into inkjet printing of luminescent optical nanostructures that has been done at ITMO University. The study builds on previous work conducted as part of a bigger project funded by the Russian Science Foundation. Earlier, the scientists developed the world's first method of printing holographic images using an inkjet printer. Back then, the team used ink based on titanium dioxide. One of the most promising applications for the new ink is in the field of security printing -- such as polygraphic manufacture of bills, bonds and documents. Unlike existing technologies, the new method makes it possible to create varied individual holograms on industrial scale, for instance, a specific pattern or a number sequence on a document that requires protection.

The authors note that the product is ready for practical application. The ink is compatible with currently-existing printhead types and can be used with existing manufacturing capabilities.

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A sophisticated mechanism that allows plant roots to quickly respond to changes in soil conditions has been identified by an international research team.

Scientists from the John Innes Centre and Sapienza University, Rome, combined mathematical and computer modelling with molecular genetics to show how roots can regulate their growth via the interactions of two antagonistic hormones, auxin and cytokinin.

As the root grows and meristem cells at the tip continuously divide, they are left behind in relation to the moving root tip. When these cells reach a certain distance from the tip, called the transition position, they stop dividing and instead start elongating until reaching their maximum lengths.

But how do cells "know" when they have reached the transition position between division and elongation? What signal do they read out?

This, explains Dr Veronica Grieneisen of the John Innes Centre, is down to something called positional information, which is a common feature in all developing organisms:

"Cells, although initially all identical, need to change fate or behaviour according to where they are located in the embryo or organ. This is positional information."

To solve the puzzle the teams of Dr Grieneisen and Dr Stan Maree from the John Innes Centre needed to discover what "positional information" is available at the transition zone to enable cells to know they are at the right location to transit behaviour from dividing (meristem zone) to elongating (elongation zone), and how this information is established and positioned.

Other studies by Dr Grieneisen, Dr Maree and colleagues had shown that the hormone auxin was present at very high levels at the root tip to maintain certain cells as stem cells, and that this was the result of fast dynamics of auxin swirling around due to PINs (proteins that pump auxin through the root).

Their computational work had revealed how these currents of auxin allowed the auxin maximum and its associated gradient to move together with the growing root, providing part of the necessary positional information required to coordinate the meristem zone.

Further recent work, however, showed that auxin does not regulate the transition alone. Antagonistic cross-talk between auxin and another hormone, cytokinin, could both stabilise the size of the meristem zone, and even change it - thus, either stabilizing root growth, or changing its velocity.

Grieneisen and Sabatini joined forces, and together with the Maree lab developed a computerised root model in which the action of cytokinin on auxin transport and breakdown was examined.

They found that cytokinin's influence generated a very typical pattern of auxin concentrations in the root: as before, with an auxin maximum at the tip, but they noticed that a dip in auxin appeared right at the transition zone of this computational root. This was then confirmed experimentally.

Dr Grieneisen explains: "It's like a valley between two steep mountains. The cells in the root, as they move over the auxin landscape, transit from high auxin in the meristem into a region of low levels, and then rapidly again experience rises in auxin."

"By merely sensing relative changes in auxin, cells robustly notice that they have reached the auxin minimum and thus the point of transition, triggering their switch in behaviour."

Experiments using Arabidopsis roots demonstrated that a tug-of-war between cytokinin and auxin results in this auxin minimum being positioned either closer to the root tip (if cytokinin is "winning" the tug-of-war), or it being positioned further away from the tip (when auxin is "winning" the tug-of-war).

In nature this mechanism allows the root to respond to its environment, proliferating in favourable conditions while restricting growth in adversity.

The findings are published in the paper: An Auxin Minimum Triggers the Developmental Switch from Cell Division to Cell Differentiation in the Arabidopsis Root: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/08/17/1705833114.abstract

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A new paper published today in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association found that Accident and Emergency (A&E) attendance among people with dementia in their last year of life is common and is increasing.

In recent years, there has been a drop in the number of people with dementia dying in hospital, which has widely been seen as demonstrating better end of life care. However, the team of researchers from King's College London found that over three quarters of people with dementia were seen in A&E in their last year of life. This has also been increasing over time.

For people who are approaching the end of life, attending A&E can be distressing. It is also often unnecessary and can be prevented. Sometimes people with dementia do need to be admitted to hospital, but admissions can also lead to deterioration, with an increased risk of infections, bedsores and distress.

In the study, the researchers identified people who had dementia and who had died over a five year period (2008 - 2013).

The paper's main findings include:

Out of 4,867 people with dementia who had died, 78.6% had at least one A&E attendance during their last year of life.

These findings are similar to those from the USA and Australia, where 81% and 73% of people with dementia had an A&E attendance in their last year of life.

A&E attendance became more common the closer people were to death, with just under half (44.5%) having an A&E attendance in their last month of life, and a fifth of people with dementia attending A&E in their last week of life.

People living in a care home had fewer A&E attendances, which may be because plans were put in place to avoid this.

The likelihood of attending A&E increased over time: people who died in the most recent year studied were 1.6 times more likely to attend A&E then in the previous years.

Lead author, Dr Katherine Sleeman from the Cicely Saunders Institute at King's College London, said: "Recognition of the need to improve end of life for people with dementia has been increasing. This includes enabling them to be cared for in their home or a care home. However, our results show a worrying increase in the reliance on emergency care. In light of the current pressures on the health service, our ageing population and the associated increase in deaths from dementia, there is an urgent need to look at ways we can provide better support for care in the community."

"A strong policy focus on dying out of hospital as a marker of good end of life care may have contributed to the fall in hospital deaths in dementia in recent years. However, our results show that A&E attendance in the last year of life follows the opposite trend. Policy makers need to consider a broader range of indicators of the quality of end of life care alongside the place of death."

Co-author Professor Robert Stewart, CRIS Lead and Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist at King's College London said: "Most people with dementia have a number of other health problems as well as difficulties arising from the dementia itself. Sometimes people do need to be taken to A&E and sometimes time in hospital is needed; however, this is often distressing and disruptive and most people want to keep it to a minimum. A lot of hospital use could be avoided if there was a higher level of support in the community. This includes clearer plans in place for dealing with illnesses when they occur and when they don't necessarily need hospital services."

The team used the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) database linked to Hospital Episodes Statistics from NHS Digital to provide information on Emergency Department use among people with dementia in their last year of life. Dr Katherine Sleeman is also a NIHR Clinician Scientist.

###

Notes to Editors:

About King's College London

King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2016/17 QS World University Rankings) and among the oldest in England. King's has more than 29,600 students (of whom nearly 11,700 are graduate students) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 8,000 staff.

King's has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), eighty-four per cent of research at King's was deemed 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' (3* and 4*).

Since our foundation, King's students and staff have dedicated themselves in the service of society. King's will continue to focus on world-leading education, research and service, and will have an increasingly proactive role to play in a more interconnected, complex world. Visit our website to find out more about Vision 2029, King's strategic vision for the next 12 years to 2029, which will be the 200th anniversary of the founding of the university. For further information about King's, please visit the King's in Brief web pages.

About the Cicely Saunders Institute

The Cicely Saunders Institute is the world's first purpose built Institute for Palliative Care and Rehabilitation, named after Dame Cicely Saunders (1918-2005), recognised internationally as the founder of the modern hospice movement 50 years ago. The Institute is a partnership of Cicely Saunders International, King's College London and associated local clinical services to bring together clinical and academic teams to innovate, discover, evaluate and translate solutions to improve care, symptom control and quality of life for patients and families affected by serious and progressive illnesses.

About Cicely Saunders International

Cicely Saunders International (Registered Charity No. 1087195) is the world's leading charity promoting and supporting best practice and quality research in end of life and palliative care to improve the care and treatment of all those affected by progressive illness and to make high quality palliative care available to everyone who needs it.

About the National Institute for Health Research

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR): improving the health and wealth of the nation through research. Established by the Department of Health, the NIHR:

funds high quality research to improve health

trains and supports health researchers

provides world-class research facilities

works with the life sciences industry and charities to benefit all

involves patients and the public at every step

For further information, visit the NIHR website (http://www.nihr.ac.uk).
From the day Zach Ford walked into The Sports Exchange, he knew he wanted to own it, from the piles of hats and gloves, to the racks of skis a
Members of the Faculty of Geology of the Lomonosov Moscow State University together with their colleagues have studied the stages of rock deformation

Members of the Faculty of Geology of the Lomonosov Moscow State University together with their colleagues have studied the stages of rock deformation. They have revealed a criterion, with the help of which you could predict the critical stage of fracture when the rock destroys. The research results have been published in the Interpretation.

The scientists have established that the stages of the deformation process are essentially different in the character of defect accumulation inside rocks.

Dmitry Korost (Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, a Research Fellow both at the Department of Geology and Geochemistry of Fossil Fuels and joint UNESCO - Faculty of Geology of the Lomonosov Moscow State University Scientific Training Center), being one of the article authors shares: "At first defects are generated randomly and their size is determined by a typical structural element of a material (for instance, a grain in granite). Afterwards there is the turn for generation of such defects, whose sizes are not determined by the material structure. Interaction between these two defect types causes critical defects, capable of self-development. By all appearances, the loss of sample integrity occurs as a result of the evolution of a set of critical defects."

It has turned out that deformation stages could be distinguished by the type of energy distribution of acoustic emission signals. Acoustic emission is an inspection technique for material integrity, basing on recording elastic waves, emerging in the process of redevelopment of solid body structure under the influence of mechanical stimuli. A structural change (for instance, fracture emergence) provokes an elastic wave, registered by a sensor.

Energy distribution of acoustic emission signals is approximated by different types of functions. At the first stage, it's an exponential function while at the second one - a power-law function, predicting speedy destruction of a rock or material. The main finding is that alteration of the type of energy distribution of acoustic emission signals could be applied as a parameter of fracture transition to the critical stage.

The project involves studies of the destruction process of rocks with the help of acoustic emission and X-ray computer tomography. The authors from the Lomonosov Moscow State University provided 3D stereological models of emerging fractures.

At the end of the research, described in this article, the scientists have come to the following conclusion: "The revealed criterion could become useful in various situations: appraising the state of structures under load or the state of a rock massif at an operating mining venture. It's also applicable for earthquake forecasting. The criterion also allows to detect the space domain of an object, where localization of defect formation, leading to the object destruction, could occur."

The project has been done in cooperation with the specialists from the Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint Petersburg) and Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics of the Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Science, Perm.

###
Even as robots become increasingly common across different parts of our world, they remain incredibly difficult to make. From designing and modeling to fabricating and testing, the process is slow and costly: even one small change can mean days or weeks of rethinking and revising important hardware.

But what if there was a way to let non-experts craft different robotic designs -- in one sitting?

Researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) are getting closer to doing exactly that. In a new paper, they present a system called "Interactive Robogami" that lets you design a robot in minutes, and then 3D-print and assemble it in as little as four hours.

One of the key features of the system is that it allows designers to determine both the robot's movement ("gait") and shape ("geometry"), a capability that's often separated in design systems.

"Designing robots usually requires expertise that only mechanical engineers and roboticists have," says PhD student and co-lead author Adriana Schulz. "What's exciting here is that we've created a tool that allows a casual user to design their own robot by giving them this expert knowledge."

The paper, which is being published in the new issue of the International Journal of Robotics Research, was co-led by PhD graduate Cynthia Sung alongside MIT professors Wojciech Matusik and Daniela Rus.

The other co-authors include PhD student Andrew Spielberg, former master's student Wei Zhao, former undergraduate Robin Cheng, and Columbia University professor Eitan Grinspun. (Sung is now an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania.)

How it works

3D-printing has transformed the way that people can turn ideas into real objects, allowing users to move away from more traditional manufacturing. Despite these developments, current design tools still have space and motion limitations, and there's a steep learning curve to understanding the various nuances.

Interactive Robogami aims to be much more intuitive. It uses simulations and interactive feedback with algorithms for design composition, allowing users to focus on high-level conceptual design. Users can choose from a library of over 50 different bodies, wheels, legs and "peripherals," as well as a selection of different steps ("gaits").

Importantly, the system is able to guarantee that a design is actually possible, analyzing factors such as speed and stability to make suggestions and ensure that, for example, the user doesn't create a robot so top-heavy that it can't move without tipping over.

Once designed, the robot is then fabricated. The team's origami-inspired "3-D print and fold" technique involves printing the design as flat faces connected at joints, and then folding the design into the final shape, combining the most effective parts of 2D and 3D printing.

"3D printing lets you print complex, rigid structures, while 2D fabrication gives you lightweight but strong structures that can be produced quickly," Sung says. "By 3D-printing 2D patterns, we can leverage these advantages to develop strong, complex designs with lightweight materials."

Results

To test the system, the team used eight subjects who were given twenty minutes of training and asked to perform two tasks.

One task involved creating a mobile, stable car design in just ten minutes. In a second task, users were given a robot design and asked to create a trajectory to navigate the robot through an obstacle course in the least amount of travel time.

The team fabricated a total of six robots, each of which took 10 to 15 minutes to design, 3 to 7 hours to print and 30 to 90 minutes to assemble. The team found that their 3D print-and-fold method reduced printing time by 73 percent and the amount of material used by 70 percent. The robots also demonstrated a wide range of movement, like using single legs to walk, using different step sequences, and using legs and wheels simultaneously.

"You can quickly design a robot that you can print out, and that will help you do these tasks very quickly, easily, and cheaply," says Sung. "It's lowering the barrier to have everyone design and create their own robots."

Rus hopes people will be able to incorporate robots to help with everyday tasks, and that similar systems with rapid printing technologies will enable large-scale customization and production of robots.

"These tools enable new approaches to teaching computational thinking and creating," says Rus. "Students can not only learn by coding and making their own robots, but by bringing to life conceptual ideas about what their robots can actually do."

While the current version focuses on designs that can walk, the team hopes that in the future, the robots can take flight. Another goal is to have the user be able to go into the system and define the behavior of the robot in terms of tasks it can perform.

"This tool enables rapid exploration of dynamic robots at an early stage in the design process," says Moritz Bacher, a research scientist at Disney Research who was not involved in the research. "The expert defines the building blocks, with constraints and composition rules, and paves the way for non-experts to make complex robotic systems. This system will likely inspire follow-up work targeting the computational design of even more intricate robots."

###

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation's Expeditions in Computing program.
BROOKLYN, New York -- Every ATM or smartphone user can attest to the discomfort of having a stranger standing close enough to observe a financial transaction -- and potentially note a PIN or account number. Now researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have announced a first-of-its-kind application to combat such "shoulder-surfing," whether in person or via a building's video camera.

Nasir Memon, NYU Tandon professor of computer science and engineering, explained that the technology, called "IllusionPIN," deploys a hybrid-image keyboard that appears one way to the close-up user and differently to an observer at a distance of three feet or greater. The underlying technology blends one image of a keyboard configuration with high spatial frequency and a second, completely different, keyboard configuration with low spatial frequency. The visibility of each image is dependent on the distance from which it is viewed.

"The traditional configuration of numbers on a keypad is so familiar that it's possible for an observer to discern a PIN or access code after several viewings of surveillance video," said Memon. "On a device running IllusionPIN, the user -- who is closest to the device -- sees one configuration of numbers, but someone looking from a distance sees a completely different keypad."

IllusionPIN reconfigures the keypad for each authentication or login attempt.

The research team, which also includes NYU Tandon doctoral candidates Athanasios Papadopoulos, Toan Nguyen, and Emre Durmus, simulated a series of shoulder-surfing attacks on smartphone devices to test the effectiveness of IllusionPIN at various distances. In total, they performed 84 attempted shoulder-surfing attacks on 21 participants, none of which was successful. For contrast, they also mounted 21 shoulder-surfing attacks on unprotected phones using the same distance parameters; all 21 attacks were successful. The team also determined that IllusionPIN makes it nearly impossible to steal PIN or other authentication information using surveillance footage.

Awareness of the threat potential posed by shoulder surfing has increased significantly over the past decade, since the advent of the first smartphones. And while there are no reliable statistics on the prevalence of shoulder surfing attacks, a 2016 study conducted by Memon and Nguyen found that 73 percent of mobile device users surveyed reported that they had observed someone else's PIN (although not necessarily with malicious intent), and a 2017 study of shoulder surfing awareness presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems reported that 97 percent of those surveyed claimed awareness of a shoulder surfing incident in everyday life, and that in the majority of cases, victims were unaware that they were being observed.

"PIN authentication is popular for good reasons, namely that it is easy to use and to remember," said Memon. "Our goal was to increase the resilience of PIN authentication without straining the device or compromising user experience."

###

The research team plans to further refine IllusionPIN, with the goal of commercializing the technology. "IllusionPIN: Shoulder-Surfing Resistant Authentication Using Hybrid Images" was published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics & Security.

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, the country's largest private research university, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu.
Researcher identifies evidence of a calf whale from the Miocene of Hiroshima, Japan suggesting the earliest known site for baleen whale breeding in the northern hemisphere

Baleen whales are amongst the largest animals to have ever lived and yet very little is known about their breeding habits. One researcher's second look at previously found baleen whale fossils from Japan provides new evidence of a now long-gone breeding ground of the extinct baleen whale Parietobalaena yamaokai dating back over 15 million years.

The research published in the open-access journal PeerJ elaborates on the evidence of the presence of a very young individual of an extinct baleen whale, along with the occurrence of several fossil specimens of the same whale species. This study claims to have discovered a very uncommon case -- a breeding ground for a long extinct large whale.

Researcher Cheng-Hsiu Tsai noticed the open suture in the skull of one fossil specimen, which indicates the preservation of a very young whale -- under six months old, perhaps even close to a new-born calf. The fossil specimens investigated were originally found in the 20th century and are currently held at the Hiwa Museum for Natural History, Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan.

Identifying breeding grounds of living species of whales are incredibly rare, let alone for extinct Miocene species. For example, scientists are not certain where the endangered western gray whales reproduce, in turn leading to no concrete strategies to recover this critically endangered population of around 100 individuals.

The discovery of an ancient paleo-breeding site, which dates back to 15 million years ago, could provide new insights into the future of baleen whale survival. In a rapidly changing world, locating breeding sites and understanding why a breeding site disappeared may subsequently lead to information on how best to respond in order to conserve these living endangered populations.

###

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Citation to the article: Tsai (2017), A Miocene breeding ground of an extinct baleen whale (Cetacea: Mysticeti). PeerJ 5:e3711; DOI 10.7717/peerj.3711

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The link between a mother's body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy and the metabolic traits of her children is likely mediated by shared genetics and familial lifestyle rather than effects on the fetus during gestation, according to study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Debbie Lawlor of the University of Bristol, UK, and colleagues.

20 to 50 percent of women in Western populations now start pregnancy overweight or obese, and researchers have hypothesized that this may lead to metabolic disruptions in offspring. Lawlor's group used data on 5,337 mother-father-offspring trios collected in three European birth cohorts. Each dataset included maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, paternal BMI, offspring BMI, and information on 153 metabolic traits in the offspring, based on a blood sample taken at age 16, 17, or 31.

The researchers found associations between parental BMIs and offspring metabolic traits including VLDL-lipoproteins, VLDL-C, VLDL-triglycerides, VLDL-diameter, glycoprotein acetyls, triglycerides, HDL-lipoprotein, and HDL-C (all P<0.003). However, the association was not significantly stronger for maternal compared with paternal BMI, arguing against an intra-uterine mechanism. In addition, after taking offspring BMI into account, the data suggested that the apparent link between parental BMI and offspring metabolic traits could be largely explained by the association between parental BMI and offspring BMI. The study was limited by the fact that BMI was self-reported, as well as the fact that BMI may not fully capture the complexity of different body compositions.

"Our findings are more supportive of shared familial factors than an intrauterine developmental overnutrition mechanism for associations of maternal BMI with offspring metabolic traits," the authors say. "Interventions to reduce BMI in all family members may be more beneficial for cardio-metabolic health than focusing on reducing maternal pre-conception or pregnancy BMI.

###

Funding:

This study was funded by the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement (Grant number 669545; DevelopObese) and the US National Institute of Health (R01 DK10324). The UK Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust (Grant ref: 102215/2/13/2) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. DLSF, DAL, GDS, and MA-K, work in a Unit that receives funds from the University of Bristol and the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12013/1, MC_UU_12013/ 5), and DAL is a UK National Institute of Health Research Senior Investigator (NF-SI-0166-10196). MA-K was supported by the Sigrid Juselius Foundation and the Strategic Research Funding from the University of Oulu. DMW is funded by a European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program grant (agreement 634821). No funding bodies had any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests:

DAL has received support from Medtronic LTD, Roche Diagnostics, and Ferring Pharmaceuticals for biomarker research that is not related to the study presented in this paper. AJK and PS are shareholders and work for Nightingale Health Ltd. (formerly Brainshake Ltd.), a company offering NMR-based metabolite profiling. AJK is also a member of the board for Nightingale Health Ltd. MA-K has been a shareholder and a board member of Nightingale Health Ltd. during the last 5 years. GDS is a member of the Editorial Board of PLOS Medicine. The other authors report no conflicts.

Citation:

Santos Ferreira DL, Williams DM, Kangas AJ, Soininen P, Ala-Korpela M, Smith GD, et al. (2017) Association of pre-pregnancy body mass index with offspring metabolic profile: Analyses of 3 European prospective birth cohorts. PLoS Med 14(8): e1002376. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002376.

Author Affiliations:

MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, United Kingdom

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Department of Medical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm

Computational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

NMR Metabolomics Laboratory, School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

Center for Life-Course Health Research and Northern Finland Cohort Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

Unit of Primary Care, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland

IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER:

http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002376
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Aug. 22, 2017) - A study led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision Imaging LLC provides the scientific basis for using noninvasive eye imaging to detect the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's. The experimental technology, developed by Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision, scans the retina using techniques that can identify beta-amyloid protein deposits that mirror those in the brain.

Accumulations of neurotoxic beta-amyloid protein can be detected with positron emission tomography, or PET scans, and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, but these are invasive, inconvenient and costly, making them impractical for routine screening and follow-up evaluation.

"This is the first study demonstrating the potential to image and quantify retinal findings related to beta-amyloid plaques noninvasively in living patients using a retinal scan with high resolution. This clinical trial is reinforced by an in-depth exploration of the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the retina of Alzheimer's patients versus matched controls, and a comparison analysis between retina and brain pathologies. Findings from this study strongly suggest that retinal imaging can serve as a surrogate biomarker to investigate and monitor Alzheimer's disease," said Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, Ph.D., an associate professor of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Sciences and a research scientist at the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai, and a co-founder, inventor and scientist at NeuroVision. She is the senior leading author of an article in JCI Insight published online Aug. 17.

"As a developmental outgrowth of the central nervous system that shares many of the brain's characteristics, the retina may offer a unique opportunity for us to easily and conveniently detect and monitor Alzheimer's disease," said Keith L. Black, M.D., chairman of NeuroVision, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai. "We know that Alzheimer's begins as many as 10 or 20 years before cognitive decline becomes evident, and we believe that potential treatments may be more effective if they can be started early in the process. Therefore, screening and early detection may be crucial to our efforts to turn the tide against the growing threat of this devastating disease."

Steven Verdooner, NeuroVision CEO, said the imaging system leverages the company's expertise in autofluorescence imaging of the retina using a specialized ophthalmic camera and sophisticated image processing software. "It's exciting to see these studies demonstrating the power of the technology applied to the Alzheimer's field. Our goal is to develop a product that is easy to use, affordable and widely accessible. We look forward to the potential of retinal imaging playing a vital role in solving the problem of Alzheimer's, both in identifying and monitoring those who may be affected by the disease. Our next step is to continue with clinical trials, building upon the existing pharmaceutical company collaborations, to ensure our technology is ready for the medical community to help manage this disease."

The study's first author, Yosef Koronyo, a research associate at Cedars-Sinai and a scientist and inventor at NeuroVision, said the latest findings cap a decade of study that has produced several landmark discoveries. "In 2010, our research group published an article providing the first evidence for the existence of Alzheimer's-specific plaques in the human retina, and we demonstrated the ability to detect individual plaques in live mouse models using a modified ophthalmic device."

After adapting the technology for human application, the researchers initiated several ongoing clinical trials in the United States and Australia to determine the feasibility of detecting and quantifying beta-amyloid plaques in patients with the disease.

In the new article, the researchers report on a 16-patient clinical trial to demonstrate the feasibility of identifying beta-amyloid in the eye using autofluorescence imaging. They also provide detailed analyses and several new findings on Alzheimer's pathology in the retina, results of research with donated eyes and brains of 37 deceased patients, 23 with confirmed Alzheimer's disease and 14 controls.

Among key findings, the researchers report a 4.7-fold increase in retinal plaque burden in patients with Alzheimer's, compared to controls, and they provide observations regarding geometric distribution and layer location of amyloid pathology in the retina. With the imaging technology's ability to detect autofluorescence signal related to retinal beta-amyloid, these findings may lead to a practical approach for large-scale identification of the at-risk population and monitoring of Alzheimer's, the researchers say.

The article provides new insights into the disease's manifestations in the retina and information on the optical imaging system. Here are several highlights:

The first histologic quantitative analysis of retinal plaque clusters, or "hot spots," containing the most toxic forms of beta-amyloid with specific distribution patterns in superior peripheral regions that were previously unexplored.

A detailed analysis of beta-amyloid deposit types using electron microscopy.

The first report of certain Alzheimer's-related pathologies in the retina, including vascular amyloid pathology.

The demonstration of a significant correlation between retinal and brain plaques, and coexistence of neuronal loss.

The first feasibility study for noninvasively detecting presumed amyloid deposits in retinas of living patients.

The demonstration of a fully automated calculation quantifying retinal autofluorescence that showed a 2.1-fold increase in patients with Alzheimer's, compared with controls.

###

Researchers from NeuroVision, Cedars-Sinai, the Doheny Eye Institute, Retina Vitreous Associates Medical Group, Retinal Consultants Medical Group, Sutter Neuroscience Institute, UCLA, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, and the University of Southern California contributed to the research and article. Koronyo-Hamaoui, Verdooner, Koronyo and Black are founding members of NeuroVision.

Funding was provided by a National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIA) award (AG044897; Koronyo-Hamaoui, NVI), The Saban Family Foundation and The Marciano Family Foundation (Koronyo-Hamaoui).

About NeuroVision Imaging LLC

NeuroVision was formed in 2010 and is headquartered in Sacramento, California. Dr. Keith Black, the company's chairman and co-founder, is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon, researcher and thought leader in areas of brain and blood-brain barrier function, enhancing the therapeutic effects of treatments in the brain, and optical imaging of the brain. He is the chair of Cedars-Sinai's Department of Neurosurgery. Steven R. Verdooner, NVI's CEO as well as a company director, is an experienced medical technology industry veteran who has successfully developed, commercialized and marketed ophthalmological imaging and measurement systems for other diagnostic applications.

Clinical trials were approved by Quorum Review, Seattle, Washington, (IRB00003226) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (FWA00019841). Human tissues were obtained from the USC Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) Neuropathology Core, Los Angeles, CA (IRB protocol: HS-042071).

Animal studies were approved by the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the Division on Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM) at UCLA.
PRINCETON, N.J.--American children, no matter where they live or what school they attend, deserve to be guaranteed a quality education, much as we guarantee a safety net for seniors, argued Professor Marta Tienda of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Without a federal guarantee to restore the "educational social contract," she wrote, the United States will never close educational achievement gaps or restore its schools to their former international preeminence.

Writing in the August/September 2017 issue of Educational Researcher, Tienda recounted two trends in recent decades that are familiar to those who follow education policy. The first is the stubborn persistence of achievement gaps by income and by race/ethnicity. The second is the U.S. educational system's fall from worldwide leadership to a decidedly mediocre place among developed nations, as measured both by K-12 achievement scores and college attainment.

Reformers seeking to reverse these trends have focused on a combination of setting academic standards (such as the Common Core mathematics and English language arts standards developed by US states) and using high-stakes testing to make schools and teachers accountable for their students' progress. By themselves, Tienda wrote, these methods are bound to fail because they ignore the education funding disparities both within and between states that stem from the country's lack of a right to a quality education and its deeply ingrained tradition of local control.

"Notwithstanding popular assertions that an educated citizenry is the backbone of democracy, today millions of U.S. children are denied equal opportunities to learn and to obtain an adequate education," Tienda wrote. "In large measure, this is because the U.S. system of local control limits the hands of federal policy makers to guarantee an adequate, much less an excellent education."

In the nineteenth century, decentralization helped to strengthen the educational social contract, leading citizens to accept local taxation to fund schools and encouraging experimentation with teaching and curricula. But it also entrenched resistance to a federal role in education -- a legacy that persists today in the relative weakness of the Department of Education, compared to other Cabinet departments, Tienda said.

Local control has had other downsides, Tienda argued. In particular, spending on education varies widely from state to state. Historically, for example, states in the Deep South have spent much less per student than most other states. Although education funding disparities among states lessened by the mid-20th century, they began to grow again in the 1990s as some states slashed education funding to balance their budgets while others did not. The Great Recession only exacerbated state-by-state disparities.

Disparities among states exist side by side with a growing tolerance for educational inequality within states, Tienda wrote. Court rulings during the post-Civil Rights era dismantled laws that mandated racial segregation in schools. But in practice, de facto segregation has not only continued but has accelerated in recent years. Today, one child in six attends a highly segregated school that is poorly supplied with resources, staffed by less experienced teachers, and unlikely to offer advanced coursework. In essence, the quality of the education children receive depends on the neighborhood they live in. Unlike segregation that's written into law, such de facto segregation has proved largely impervious to legal challenges.

No amount of standards and high-stakes testing will reduce educational disparities among and within states, Tienda said. Instead, the federal government must step in, as it has several times in the past. She reviewed how, at favorable points in our nation's history, Washington has moved to play a larger role in education.

The Morrill Acts of the late 1800s contributed land and money for public colleges (though they also allowed the creation of a segregated higher education system). The National Defense Education Act of 1958, which came in response to the Soviet Union's lead in the space race, sent nearly one billion dollars to the states over four years to strengthen science and technology education. And the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, passed in 1965 under the umbrella of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty and renewed many times since, enlisted the federal government as a full partner with the states in the effort to eliminate achievement gaps.

But, Tienda stated, "the federal government has been complicit in aggravating educational inequality by not guaranteeing free, public education as a basic right" during such propitious political moments.

The United States could recognize education as fundamental right by passing a constitutional amendment. But that's unlikely, Tienda said. However, she argued, there's a way to approximate the same result. The federal government could amplify ESEA by guaranteeing a level of public education funding and academic quality below which no school may fall, regardless of the state in which it's located or the social background of its students.

Such a new entitlement program could be coupled with a powerful new youth-centered lobbying organization, Tienda said--"a functional equivalent of the American Association for Retired People (AARP)" that would "give youth a voice in matters that govern their future."

Two precedents exist for such a federal social safety net, Tienda noted: Social Security and Medicare. Neither required a constitutional amendment, and both have been highly effective in reducing or preventing poverty among seniors. Because they're grounded in the federal budget -- which can run a deficit, unlike state and local budgets -- they're protected against cost-cutting during fiscal downturns. Moreover, as a "powerful watchdog for seniors' rights," the AARP has effectively lobbied to protect these programs. Although in the legal sense these entitlements for seniors don't represent a constitutional right to a minimum income and basic medical care, in practice they've become much the same thing, for now.

In the face of formidable international competition, Tienda said, "The United States is overdue for major upgrades in the way it delivers public education." The biggest challenge, she said, will be "finding the political will to restore the educational social contract so that it truly broadens equal educational opportunity."

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"Public Education and the Social Contract: Restoring the Promise in an Age of Diversity and Division" by Marta Tienda appears in the August/September 2017 issue of Educational Researcher. It is based on the 12th annual Brown Lecture in Education Research, delivered October 20, 2016, in Washington, DC. The Brown Lecture series, sponsored by the American Educational Research Association, highlights "the important role of research in advancing understanding of equality and equity in education."
Washington, D.C. - Are you more likely to use words like "happy" and "family" in your social media posts? Or do you use emotional and cognitive words like "angry" and "thinking?" The words you use may be a clue to your religious affiliation. A study of 12,815 U.S. and U.K. Facebook users finds use of positive emotion and social words is associated with religious affiliation whereas use of negative emotion and cognitive processes is more common for those who are not religious than those who are religious.

The work replicates Ritter et al.'s 2013 results on religious and nonreligious language use on Twitter and appears in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. Researchers from the U.S., U.K., and Australia conducted the work.

Just as Ritter and colleagues discovered in 2013, "We also found that positive emotion and social words are associated with religious affiliation whereas negative emotion and cognitive processes are more associated with non-religious affiliation," says David Yaden (University of Pennsylvania), lead author of the study.

And they found some additional insight; "non-religious individuals make more frequent mention of the body and of death" than religious people, says Yaden.

The researchers collected data from the MyPersonality application, which asked Facebook users to report their religious affiliation (among other things), and asks them for consent to allow researchers to analyze their written online posts and other self-reported information (Kosinski, Stillwell, Graepel, 2013). They ran two analyses, to see what words each group (religious vs. non-religious) used more than the other group.

The team conducted both a "top-down" and a "bottom-up" analysis. The top down approach, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), uses groupings chosen by researchers, and is useful in making sense of the data in terms of theory. The "bottom-up," or Differential Language Analysis (DLA), approach allows an algorithm to group the words and can provide a more "transparent view" into the language.

Unsurprisingly, religious people used more religious words, like "devil," "blessing," and "praying" than do non-religious people. They also showed higher use of positive words like "love" and family and social words such as "mothers" and "we." The non-religious individuals used words from the anger category, like "hate" more than did religious people. They also showed a higher use of words associated with negative emotion and cognitive processes such as "reasons." Other areas where the nonreligious dominated: swear words (you can figure those out), bodies, including "heads" and "neck" and words related to death including "dead."

The Role of Religion

While secularism is increasing in the west, "over 80% of the world's population identifies with some type of religion - a trend that appears to be on the rise" write the authors. "Religion is associated with longer lives and well-being, but can also be associated with higher rates of obesity and racism." For the researchers, understanding language use is part of the bigger picture of understanding how religious affiliation relates to these life outcomes.

Yaden and his colleagues do not know if the different linguistic behaviors between religious and non-religious people reflect the psychological states of those in the group, or if the language use reflects the social norms of being part of that group, or some combination of the two. They hope further research will offer more insights.

Originally Yaden and colleagues hoped to "compare different religious affiliations with one another. That is, how do Buddhists differ from Hindus? Christians from Muslims? Atheists from Agnostics?," but they did not have enough specific data to conduct these analyses. "We hope to do so once a larger dataset becomes available to us," says Yaden.

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The security of the relationship infants establish with their mothers is important for children's development. Although most babies establish secure attachment relationships with their mothers, approximately 40% of infants establish insecure attachment relationships, with some developing insecure-avoidant attachments (minimizing expressing negative emotions and avoiding contact with their mothers when they're afraid or uncertain) and others developing insecure-resistant attachments (becoming emotionally overwhelmed and inconsolable by their mothers in these circumstances). These infants are at risk of problems later in life. A new study sought to identify factors that predict infants' avoidance and resistance, looking specifically at how mothers respond physiologically and emotionally to their infants' distress.

The study is by researchers at the University of Missouri, Columbia; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the University of North Carolina, Greensboro; and The Pennsylvania State University. It appears in the journal Child Development.

"Identifying factors that contribute to infants' avoidance and resistance is important for developing effective interventions that promote babies' attachment security, and in turn, positive child development," notes Ashley M. Groh, assistant professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia, who led the study.

The researchers looked at an ethnically and economically diverse group of 127 mothers and their infants. Half of the families were African American and half were European American. Half of the families lived below the 2002 federal poverty line (that is, annual income below $15,000 for a family of 3) and half lived above that line.

Researchers examined mothers' respiration sinus arrhythmia (RSA), or the variability in their heart rate over the breathing cycle, when they interacted with their distressed babies at 6 months of age. Decreases in RSA when confronted with a challenge, such as a crying baby, reflect better physiological regulation that supports actively coping with the challenge. Researchers also examined how mothers expressed emotion when they interacted with their distressed infants.

Six months later, when the babies were 12 months old, researchers assessed infants' attachments to their mothers using the Strange Situation procedure, in which infants go through a series of separations and subsequent reunions with their mothers; an infant's behavior when reunited with his or her mother tells us about the pattern of attachment. Upon being reunited with their mothers, insecure-avoidant infants ignore their mothers, while insecure-resistant infants become very distressed and simultaneously seek and resist their mothers.

Results from this study indicated that mothers who had smaller decreases in RSA - meaning, less physiological regulation - when they interacted with their distressed infants at 6 months were more likely to have avoidant infants at 12 months. Such physiological responding might undermine mothers' ability to cope with their infants' distress. Their babies might view them as less effective sources of comfort and ultimately be less likely to seek out their mothers when upset or uncertain. Mothers who were more emotionally neutral (versus positive) when their infants were distressed at 6 months were more likely to have resistant infants at 12 months. This suggests that an emotionally muted response from a mother when an infant was distressed might lead an infant to heighten his or her expressions of distress.

"This study provides evidence that we can better understand babies' and mothers' experiences in these important encounters when babies need reassurance and support if we consider both the mothers' emotional response and her physiological regulation in these challenging caregiving contexts," explains Martha Cox, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "The evidence can inform efforts aimed at promoting attachment security. Such efforts might target the specific challenges mothers face when confronted with their babies' distress."

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The research was supported by the North Carolina Child Development Research Collaborative, which is funded by the National Science Foundation through the Children's Research Initiative, and by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Summarized from Child Development, Mother's Physiological Regulation and Emotional Expression in Response to Infant Distress Predict Infant Attachment Quality to Mothers, by Groh, AM (University of Missouri, Columbia), Propper, C (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), Mille-Koonce, R (University of North Carolina, Greensboro), Moore, GA (The Pennsylvania State University), Calkins, S (University of North Carolina, Greensboro), and Cox, M (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill). Copyright 2017 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. All rights reserved.
Schools are failing to offer sufficient opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to engage in science-based learning outside of the classroom, and should be doing more to open up participation, according to new research published in the International Journal of Science Education.

Analyzing survey data from almost 6,000 UK secondary schoolchildren (aged 11-16) from communities with traditionally low science engagement, the authors investigated who participates in science learning outside of the classroom.

They discovered that students from less privileged backgrounds remain far less likely to participate in informal science learning experiences, such as school trips and museum visits. Over half of the surveyed students had never been on a science-related school trip, while nearly 70% had never had a visitor talk on science.

A focus on targeting higher attaining students, the high cost of providing school trips and the pressures of high-stakes testing were suggested obstacles restricting wider participation, contributing to inequality in STEM-based learning outside of the classroom.

Despite these obstacles, there were strong levels of interest in science among students, suggesting that school-led efforts to broaden engagement would be well received. The authors therefore argued that schools can play a leading role in encouraging interest in science among traditionally marginalized groups.

"We would encourage schools to ensure that science-related extra curricula activities, including school visits, are targeted to reach all students, not just those in the 'top' sets, to avoid reproducing existing inequalities", comments co-author Dr Jennifer DeWitt. "We would also urge places like science museums and science centres to broaden their offer, so that a wider range of individuals - not just those from privileged backgrounds - can feel welcomed and comfortable there."

Against the backdrop of widespread drives to increase and broaden science engagement among young people, the findings are especially significant. The authors urge for further investigation to fully understand the broader patterns of involvement shown by their study.

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HELENA  A judge has ordered Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte to be photographed and fingerprinted for assaulting a reporter, opening the possibility of political opponents using the congressman's mugshot next year when he is up for re-election.

Justice Court Judge Rick West ordered Gianforte, a Republican, to report by Sept. 15 to the jail in Bozeman to be booked for the assault charge.

"Greg remains focused on meeting with Montanans from all of the state's 56 counties and being a strong voice for Montana in Washington," Gianforte spokesman Travis Hall wrote in an emailed statement. "Attorneys are reviewing the order and considering options for appeal."

The judge issued the order last week, and it was first reported Monday by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Gianforte had argued he should not have to be photographed and fingerprinted because he was never formally arrested for attacking Ben Jacobs, a reporter for Britain's the Guardian newspaper. Jacobs was trying to ask Gianforte a question about health care legislation when the assault occurred on May 24, the eve of Gianforte's election.

Prosecutors countered that Gianforte, even though he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor without being arrested, was still subject to the formal booking process at the Gallatin County Detention Center.

Jacobs said Gianforte "body-slammed" him and broke his glasses. Audio recorded by Jacobs documented the sounds of a scuffle followed by Gianforte yelling, "Get the hell out of here!"

Gianforte's campaign initially characterized Jacobs as the aggressor, but Gianforte pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge in June and said in an apology letter that he alone was responsible for the attack.

The day after the assault, Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist in a special election to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as Montana's only congressman. Gianforte has already filed paperwork to run for re-election in 2018 and has one Democratic challenger so far, Billings attorney John Heenan.

Gianforte contested the judge's original order that he be booked, fingerprinted and photographed. His attorneys said the judge did not have authority to order a defendant to be photographed or fingerprinted and argued Gianforte was exempt from the requirements because he was charged with a misdemeanor, not a felony.

West said in his order, signed Thursday, that the court has the authority to order fingerprinting and photographing. If Gianforte doesn't comply by Sept. 15, he will be in contempt of court, West wrote.

It's virtually guaranteed that Democrats will use a Gianforte mug shot to try to persuade voters not to vote for him in the next campaign. Montana Democratic Party spokesman Roy Loewenstein said Monday the mug shot is part of Gianforte's story.

"We're intending to help explain to Montana voters who Gianforte is," Loewenstein said. "We're going to make sure they see the complete record."

Gianforte was fined $385 and ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of anger management counseling. He also apologized to Jacobs and gave $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Gianforte plans to work off his community-service sentence with a Bozeman organization that builds custom wheelchairs for children.
WASHINGTON - Quantum dots (QDs) have found so many applications in recent years, they can now be purchased with a variety of composite structures and configurations. Some are available suspended in a biologically friendly fluid, making them well poised to serve as biomarkers for single-molecule tagging and tracking. But suppose you wanted to trap and move one of these single nanoparticle tags the same way other biologists might grab tissue samples with a tweezer?

Harnessing the nano-tractor-beam like abilities of optical tweezers, researchers from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, developed an all-silicon nanoantenna to trap individual quantum dots suspended in a microfluidic chamber. The group will present their work at Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science APS/DLS (FIO + LS), held 17-21 September 2017 in Washington, DC.

"Conventional optical tweezers, based on laser beams tightly focused to small spots with microscope lenses, allow materials to be handled in a precise and non-contact manner," said Kenneth Crozier, a professor at the University of Melbourne and member of the research team. "The trapping of very small objects is rendered difficult, however, due to the fact that the trapping force varies approximately with the particle volume, and is small compared to the effect of random Brownian motion."

Trapping such small objects in a biologically useful construct is made even more difficult by the potentially destructive thermal effects of using metallic antennas to focus the trapping fields. "Here, we demonstrate the trapping of a very small object (namely a quantum dot) using an all-silicon nanoantenna," said Crozier. "We were literally able to see single quantum dots trapped by our nanoantenna, and capture movies showing their motion."

The new nanoantennas, which each consist of a silicon ring surrounding a pair of silicon cylinders, are made by electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching. The structure concentrates the infrared light used to trap the quantum dots into the small 50 nanometer gap between the cylinders.

Crozier and his group tested their antenna by attaching a microfluidic chamber, filled with CdSe/ZnS quantum dots suspended in a buffer solution, to the silicon chip. This was mounted in an optical microscope where incident green light stimulated the quantum dots signature fluorescence and a CCD camera captured the trapping in action.

"From the simulations we did before the experiments, we expected it to work, but we were not certain," Crozier said. "So it was very exciting to see the individual quantum dots being trapped when we actually did the experiments." With a frame rate of 30 frames per second, they were able to video the trapping of a single fluorescent quantum dot by a silicon antenna on their microfluidic coupled chip.

"We used low concentrations of particles because we wanted to make sure we were dealing with single quantum dots," said Zhe "Kelvin" Xu, a doctoral student at the University of Melbourne who performed the experiments. "That meant we generally had to wait a while for each quantum dot trapping event, on the order of one hour. And of course this means that we needed to be very attentive during experiments so as not to miss these trapping events."

In fact, the low concentrations of quantum dots that demanded such patience highlights a more general problem in biosensing their new trapping approach might be able to solve. According to Crozier, a classic problem with nanosensors that detect substances at low concentrations is that the small sensing area limits the rate at which molecules are delivered. Now with the power of the (optical) force, a potential use for the nanoantennas would be to increase the flux of molecules or other objects onto nanosensors.

"Being able to directly observe the trapping process via our microscope made us wonder about applying this to other nanomaterials," said Crozier. Looking to future applications, the world of nanosensing has much yet to be explored. "It would be very exciting to trap a single biological molecule with our antenna, and to directly observe this trapping process. This could also provide useful information that would help the nanosensor application."

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The work was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the Victorian Endowment of Science, Knowledge and Innovation (VESKI).

About the Presentation

The presentation entitled "Direct Observation of Optical Trapping of a Single Quantum Dot with an All-silicon Nanoantenna," by Zhe Xu, will take place from on Monday, 18 September at the International Ballroom East, Washington Hilton, Washington DC, USA.

Media Registration

A media room for credentialed media and analysts will be located on-site. Media interested in attending the event should register on the FiO + LS website media center: Media Center.

About FiO + LS

Frontiers in Optics is The Optical Society's (OSA) Annual Meeting and held together with Laser Science, a meeting sponsored by the American Physical Society's Division of Laser Science (DLS). The two meetings unite the OSA and APS communities for five days of quality, cutting-edge presentations, in-demand invited speakers and a variety of special events spanning a broad range of topics in optics and photonics--the science of light--across the disciplines of physics, biology and chemistry. The exhibit floor will feature leading optics companies, technology products and programs. More information at: FrontiersinOptics.org.

About The Optical Society

Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org.

Media Contacts:

Rebecca B. Andersen

The Optical Society

randersen@osa.org

+1 202.416.1443

Joshua Miller

The Optical Society

jmiller@osa.org

+1 202.416.1435
The University of California, Davis, will receive more than $1 million from the California Historical Society as part of the society's $5 million, state-funded contract to establish online teaching and learning resources for K-12 history-social science curriculum slated to be available in 2019.

The historical society will work with the California History-Social Science Project, or CHSSP, headquartered in the Department of History at UC Davis, to establish and implement what will be called Teaching California: an innovative, free, online resource of instructional materials to support the state's new History-Social Science Framework. The objective of the program is to ensure California's large historical and archival resources are readily accessible to all K-12 students to foster better understanding of the state's history, improve student literacy, and promote civic learning and engagement. The initiative creates a sustainable model for instructional material development in history-social science as well as other content areas.

The funding came through Assembly Bill 99, introduced by Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, chair of the assembly budget committee, and signed into law in late June.

Through Teaching California, CHS and CHSSP will develop dynamic, expansive online curriculum composed of primary and secondary source materials, drawing upon its vast archival resources and those of the libraries across the state and nation. These resources will be carefully curated and tailored to provide K-12 teachers and students with online resources they need to analyze and understand the past. Critically, these materials will embody an interpretation of history that places California at the center of the study of the past by offering local and state examples of national and worldwide histories, highlighting the rich, varied and impactful contributions of Californians.

"The California Historical Society is honored to help lead this program and work together with educators throughout the state to help implement California's new History-Social Science Framework," said Anthea Hartig, executive director and CEO of CHS. "Teaching California helps ensure that California teachers and students will have access to the rich, complex history that has made our state what it is today."

Teaching California helps implement California's new History-Social Science Framework, which was adopted by the state Board of Education in July 2016. The CHSSP served as the primary writers of the new framework, which outlines an instructional approach that promotes student-centered inquiry and encourages students to develop clear and persuasive arguments based on their own interpretations of the past, using relevant evidence. The framework also details how teachers can teach students history-social science, while at the same time develop their proficiency in English, as outlined in the Common Core and English Language Development Standards.

"At the heart of Teaching California is a one-of-a-kind partnership between a state historical society and a statewide network of history educators, working together to help California students understand and appreciate the contributions of Californians to our national history and our global past," said Nancy McTygue, executive director of the California History-Social Science Project. "Teaching California will offer schools, teachers, and students a free and classroom-ready collection of resources designed to engage children in exciting and inspiring investigations of the past. At the same time, the collection will offer teachers a research-based approach to improve student reading, writing and critical thinking."

The Teaching California funds will be administered by San Francisco Unified School District with CHS and CHSSP working together with school districts, teachers and students to build the program.

Kate Bowen, who leads teacher training programs for the CHSSP, said the new materials will give her fifth-graders at Patwin Elementary School in Davis a deeper understanding of history. "The partnership between the CHS and CHSSP will give educators around California a golden opportunity to engage students in history. Unlike a random search-engine search, the carefully selected sources would be ideal for teachers and students."

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A team of engineers has developed stretchable fuel cells that extract energy from sweat and are capable of powering electronics, such as LEDs and Bluetooth radios. The biofuel cells generate 10 times more power per surface area than any existing wearable biofuel cells. The devices could be used to power a range of wearable devices.

The epidermal biofuel cells are a major breakthrough in the field, which has been struggling with making the devices that are stretchable enough and powerful enough. Engineers from the University of California San Diego were able to achieve this breakthrough thanks to a combination of clever chemistry, advanced materials and electronic interfaces. This allowed them to build a stretchable electronic foundation by using lithography and by using screen-printing to make 3D carbon nanotube-based cathode and anode arrays.

The biofuel cells are equipped with an enzyme that oxidizes the lactic acid present in human sweat to generate current. This turns the sweat into a source of power.

Engineers report their results in the June issue of Energy & Environmental Science. In the paper, they describe how they connected the biofuel cells to a custom-made circuit board and demonstrated the device was able to power an LED while a person wearing it exercised on a stationary bike. Professor Joseph Wang, who directs the Center for Wearable Sensors at UC San Diego, led the research, in collaboration with electrical engineering professor and center co-director Patrick Mercier and nanoegnineering professor Sheng Xu, both also at the Jacobs School of Engineering UC San Diego.

Islands and bridges

To be compatible with wearable devices, the biofuel cell needs to be flexible and stretchable. So engineers decided to use what they call a "bridge and island" structure developed in Xu's research group. Essentially, the cell is made up of rows of dots that are each connected by spring-shaped structures. Half of the dots make up the cell's anode; the other half are the cathode. The spring-like structures can stretch and bend, making the cell flexible without deforming the anode and cathode.

The basis for the islands and bridges structure was manufactured via lithography and is made of gold. As a second step, researchers used screen printing to deposit layers of biofuel materials on top of the anode and cathode dots.

Increasing energy density

The researchers' biggest challenge was increasing the biofuel cell's energy density, meaning the amount of energy it can generate per surface area. Increasing energy density is key to increasing performance for the biofuel cells. The more energy the cells can generate, the more powerful they can be.

"We needed to figure out the best combination of materials to use and in what ratio to use them," said Amay Bandodkar, one of the paper's first authors, who was then a Ph.D. student in Wang's research group. He is now a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University.

To increase power density, engineers screen printed a 3D carbon nanotube structure on top the anodes and cathodes. The structure allows engineers to load each anodic dot with more of the enzyme that reacts to lactic acid and silver oxide at the cathode dots. In addition, the tubes allow easier electron transfer, which improves biofuel cell performance.

Testing applications

The biofuel cell was connected to a custom-made circuit board manufactured in Mercier's research group. The board is a DC/DC converter that evens out the power generated by the fuel cells, which fluctuates with the amount of sweat produced by a user, and turns it into constant power with a constant voltage.

Researchers equipped four subjects with the biofuel cell-board combination and had them exercise on a stationary bike. The subjects were able to power a blue LED for about four minutes.

Next steps

Future work is needed in two areas. First, the silver oxide used at the cathode is light sensitive and degrades over time. In the long run, researchers will need to find a more stable material.

Also, the concentration of lactic acid in a person's sweat gets diluted over time. That is why subjects were able to light up an LED for only four minutes while biking. The team is exploring a way to store the energy produced while the concentration of lactate is high enough and then release it gradually.

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Flickr photo gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsoe/albums/72157685223710464
As prescription drug spending continues to rise in the United States, along with prices for new and well-established drugs, insurers, employers and patients are searching for ways to cut costs. A new study led by UC Berkeley researchers found that a policy called reference pricing is effective at encouraging patients to spend significantly less on prescription drugs by choosing cheaper drugs over name brand options.

Under the reference pricing strategy, the insurer or employer establishes its maximum contribution towards the price of therapeutically similar drugs and then the patient must pay the remainder out of pocket. The insurer/employer contribution is based on the price of the lowest-priced drug in the therapeutic class, called the reference drug. In theory, this policy would encourage patients to save money by selecting cheaper drugs that work just as well as their name-brand counterparts.

Reference pricing has been implemented across the United States by self-insured employers such as CalPERS, the agency which manages the pension and health benefits accounts for California public employees. Yet little has been known about how the policy has influenced patient spending on drugs. The new study found that reference pricing was associated with significant changes in drug selection and spending for patients covered by employment-based insurance in the United States. In the first 18 months after implementation, employers' spending dropped $1.34 million and employees' cost sharing increased $120,000.

"With reference pricing, the employer or insurer will make a contribution towards paying for the prescription drug chosen by the patient, and the patient will pay the remainder," said lead author James C. Robinson, director of the Berkeley Center for Health Technology at the School of Public Health. "If the patient chooses a cheap or moderately priced option, the employer's contribution will cover most of the cost. However, if the patient insists on a particularly high-priced option, he or she will need to make a meaningful payment from personal resources."

The study was published in the August 17 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. Previous studies of reference pricing by the Berkeley center examined the strategy's impact on consumer choices and on employer spending on surgical procedures, hospital procedures and tests. The current study was funded by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Genentech Foundation.

The study analyzed changes in prescriptions and pricing for 1,302 drugs in 78 therapeutic classes in the United States, before and after an alliance of private employers began using reference pricing. The trends were compared to a cohort without reference pricing. The study's dataset included 1.1 million prescriptions reimbursed from 2010 to 2014.

Implementation of reference pricing was associated with a 7 percent increase in prescriptions filled for the low-price reference drug within its therapeutic class, a 14 percent decrease in average price paid, and a 5 percent increase in consumer cost sharing, the study found.

"Reference pricing changes are what we refer to as the 'choice architecture' of health care," Robinson said. "Patients will have access to health care, but will need to pay attention to the price. Consumer choices in health care will come to resemble consumer choices in other areas, where people will make decisions based on value, which includes both good quality and affordable price.?"

Future evaluations of reference pricing will need to assess health outcomes, especially if reference pricing is extended to complex specialty drug classes, the authors note.

The data suggest that reference pricing may be one instrument for influencing drug choices by patients and drug prices paid by employers and insurers. In the future, pharmaceutical firms that wish to charge premium prices may need to supply evidence of commensurately premium performance.

"There is huge and unjustified variation within and across geographic areas in the prices charged for almost every test and treatment, drug and device, office visit and hospitalization," Robinson said. "It's not a surprise when one considers that most patients are covered by health insurance and hence do not shop among competing providers on the basis of price. Some providers look at price-unconscious consumer demand and ask themselves, 'Why don't we raise our prices?'"

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To learn more about the impact of reference pricing, visit the Berkeley Center for Health Technology's new website, BCHT Stories, hosted on the LiveStories storytelling platform.
The microbiome seems ubiquitous: humans and many other species rely on billions of tiny organisms in their guts to aid in digestion, metabolism and other functions. Now, scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder are questioning the idea that the microbiome is universal among animals.

Caterpillars have far less bacteria and fungi inhabiting their gut than other animals and the microbes that are inside them seem to lack any identifiable role, aside from occasionally causing disease. The surprising findings show that this diverse group of insects might not need microbes, and could lead to new discoveries about the extent and role of resident microbial communities in animals.

The findings were published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"In the microbiome field, there's this prevailing assumption that all animals have a resident microbiome," said Tobin Hammer, a doctoral candidate in CU Boulder's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "When I started the project, I was not expecting it to turn out this way."

Hammer was curious about the role of microbes in caterpillars. The order Lepidoptera, with some 180,000 species of butterflies and moths, is well studied, but scientists weren't sure if caterpillars have any microbial partners. Such symbionts are common in herbivores. which often need help digesting tough, fibrous plants. Hammer thought that herbivorous caterpillars, too, might be hosts to a community of bacteria and fungi.

Hammer and his collaborators collected fecal samples from caterpillars in Colorado, Arizona, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Costa Rica. They extracted DNA from these droppings, and from a leaf from the plant that the caterpillar was munching on. The scientists also used other animals' feces for comparison, including samples found at field sites and in the lab.

Compared to the other animals, caterpillars had about 50,000 times fewer microbes. If human guts are like a rainforest in terms of microbial abundance, Hammer said, caterpillar guts are like a desert.

Most of the microbial DNA the scientists did find inside the caterpillars matched the microbes found on the plant leaf, suggesting that the microbes were mostly ingested from their surroundings. In contrast, other animals harbor microbial communities that are far more distinct from their environment.

To see if the sparse microbes in caterpillar guts served a role, the scientists conducted a second experiment. They raised caterpillars in plastic bags, and sprayed their food with antibiotics to kill anything living in their guts. The antibiotic-fed caterpillars grew and developed into adults without any hindrance, seemingly unimpeded by the lack of microbes. In other insects, similar experiments have caused stunted growth and death.

"Caterpillars operate fundamentally differently than a lot of other animals," said Hammer.

The research suggests that there may be trade-offs for hosting a microbiome. Microbes can leach nutrients from their host, and can move from being allies to disease-causers. They can also make their host vulnerable. For example, if caterpillars did rely on microbes, it might be possible to target gut symbionts in crop-decimating caterpillars with special pesticides. The caterpillar, with its simple lifestyle of continuous eating, might simply not benefit from any microbes.

While there is some evidence that butterflies have more microbes than caterpillars, the benefit to the butterfly is still unclear. Hammer plans to examine this relationship in the future and hopes the findings will lead to more discoveries of unique or absent microbiomes. He speculates that other researchers have found similar results in the past, but did not report them, thinking they were inaccurate.

More broadly, the research pushes scientists to consider the costs and benefits of a microbiome and why an organism might adopt a microbial community.

"I think it will encourage us to reconsider how diverse these animal-microbial associations really are," said Hammer.

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Quantum interference and metrology with molecules

Even though vitamins play a central role in biology, their gas phase physical properties are still less well studied. The potential of quantum-based methods in biomolecular studies, has now been explored at the University of Vienna. For that purpose, Lukas Mairhofer, Sandra Eibenberger and colleagues in the research group around Markus Arndt at the University of Vienna, prepared molecular beams of (pro) vitamins A, E und K1, that is -Carotin, -Tocopherol und Phylloquinon. These molecules fly then in high vacuum through an arrangement of three nanogratings. The first grating forces every molecule through one of about a thousand slits, each of them only 110 nanometers wide. According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, this constriction of the molecular position entails an indeterminacy of the molecular direction of flight -- the molecule is spatially "delocalized". This prepares the motional state of every single molecule such that it becomes impossible, even in principle, to follow the molecule's path through the experiment.

The second grating is realized with a green high-power laser beam that is retro-reflected at a mirror inside the vacuum. A standing light wave is formed, i.e. a periodic array of regions of high and low light intensity. When they arrive at this second grating every molecule is already delocalized such that their wave functions covers several bright and dark regions -- even though these are more than hundred times further separated than the size of each molecule. Within the bright and dark zones, the molecules are more or less accelerated. This modulates the extended quantum wave front. Since the molecules do not follow a well-defined path but rather a superposition of possible paths through the machine, an interference pattern emerges: this is a periodic distribution of probabilities to find a molecule at a given location. This pattern is then compared with the third grating, which is a copy of the first silicon nitride grating.

Quantum ruler for biomolecules

The ultra-fine structured interference pattern is used as a quantum ruler to read out nanometric deflections of the molecular beam, which are hard to measure by established methods. The modulation and position of the interference pattern then allows extracting information about the interaction of the biomolecules with external fields. This includes the interaction with the diffracting laser beam as well as with a controlled electric field that shifts the molecular density pattern. The researchers use this to determine electronic and optical properties of biologically relevant molecules, here the (pro)vitamins A, E und K1. Pro-vitamin A, for example, plays an important role in photosynthesis. Lukas Mairhofer, the lead author of this study, is happy: "We have a universal tool for improved measurements of biomolecular properties".

Comparison with molecular simulations

The experimental results were compared with simulations. For that purpose, classical molecular dynamics simulations describe the time evolution of the molecular structure and are combined with density functional theory to assess the electronic properties. This results in a good agreement between experiment and theory. The combination of molecule interferometry and quantum chemistry serves as an example for the successful collaboration at the interface between quantum optics and physical chemistry.

###

Original publication:

Lukas Mairhofer, Sandra Eibenberger, Joseph P. Cotter, Marion Romirer, Armin Shayeghi, Markus Arndt: "Quantum-assisted metrology of neutral vitamins in the gas-phase", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56 (2017); DOI: 10.1002/anie.201704916

This project was supported by

European Research Council FP 7 Ideas im Adv. Grant: PROBIOTIQUS, No 320694

FWF Doctoral Program 'Complex Quantum Systems', No W12-03-N25

Animated view of the experiment:

http://www.quantumnano.at/popular-science/

You can play with parts of the experiment in an online 3D version:

http://www.quantumnano.at/popular-science/quantum-games-training/
Monday, August 21, 2017

Everyone relies on standard ways of doing things. From getting kids out the door to school or making the next big grant, we all need processes and systems that help us remember whats next, whats to be expected, and how to move forward. But sometimes things change, and we need to be able to change as well to accommodate a new short-term situation or a new long-term reality.

Heres a personal example.

A few weeks ago I went to the hair salon for my standard cut and color (not that Im going gray or anything). My tight schedule meant I couldnt see my regular stylist. It was the morning of an international flight and my primary goal was speed and a hairstyle that would look presentable the next day despite an overnight flight. I wanted to arrive looking decent. I also didnt want to miss my flight.

I told this to the stylist, and asked her if she could rush through the blow drying, put in some tight curls and send me off quickly.

She frowned, gave my head a once over and told me it would take 25 minutes to blow my hair dry. Despite my obvious dismay, she then proceeded to use her standard approach, systematically carving out small sections of hair, brushing and smoothing each section, then drying each delicately and thoroughly. Twenty-five minutes later I dashed out the door in a panic to make it to the airport on time.

Granted, my hair looked sleek and fabulous  a heck of a lot better than it ever looks after I dry it. But my goal was not to be fabulous. It was to be presentable in a speedy fashion. She was not capable, nor interested, in changing her methods to respond to the circumstances I presented. She thought her process was best, and wasnt willing to adapt on the fly.

Funders also can assume their processes are best and fail to adapt quickly to needs presented by their grantees or communities. Instead, we should be ready to recognize and adapt when changes are warranted. Ask yourself:

How can you quickly get money out the door to help a grantee respond to a crisis situation, rather than requiring them to fill out a full proposal and wait for the next quarterly board meeting to approve a grant? Some foundations keep discretionary grant budgets or have expedited approval processes just for this purpose.

Are you looking under your own hood to identify what is not working, and quickly shedding it so that you can double down your resources on whats most impactful?

Can you continuously scan your community to identify emerging trends, and then adapt your grantmaking strategies accordingly? (FYI, Ill be giving talks on this at upcoming conferences for Exponent Philanthropy and the Iowa Council on Foundations).

Your immediate answer to these questions may be, Im not sure But that doesnt mean you dont have it in you to be more adaptive. Imagine a situation that would truly light a fire of adaptability under you. (For many funders, President Trumps election caused a rapid adaptation into a new world of funding policy advocacy and organizing.) What would you need to do to adapt to that reality? And what can you do now to bring that adaptability into your current work?

 2017 Kris Putnam-Walkerly. All rights reserved. Permission granted to excerpt or reprint with attribution.

______________________________________________________________________

Kris Putnam-Walkerly, MSW, has helped to transform the impact of top global philanthropies for over 18 years. A member of the Million Dollar Consultant Hall of Fame and named one of Americas Top 25 Philanthropy Speakers. Author of the award-winning book Confident Giving: Sage Advice for Funders, which was named one of The 10 Best Corporate Social Responsibility Books. For more ways to improve your giving, visit Putnam Consulting Group.

______________________________________________________________________

Trusted Philanthropic Advisor

Kris Putnam-Walkerly serves as a trusted advisor to foundation leaders and high-wealth donors across the globe. As an advisor, Kris transfers learning to leaders and their teams so they have the ability to build their own internal capacity to be successful in their work. Kriss clients report immediate and dramatic improvement in both personal performance and philanthropic impact.

Whether you are the CEO of a larger foundation, the sole staff member charged with decision-making, or a high-net worth donor, the questions Kris can address cover a broad spectrum of professional and personal issues. As an advising client, youll have unlimited access to Kris during regular business hours by phone, Skype, email and, when desired, face to face. With over 18 years of experience working with top global philanthropies, Kris understands how to build an impactful organization that integrates your philanthropic passions and the challenges that must be overcome to get there.

Learn more about this and other services offered or contact Kris today to begin a trusted advisor relationship.

Upcoming Speaking Events

Looking for a provocative yet practical speaker at your next event? Kris Putnam-Walkerly was named one of  Americas Top 25 Philanthropy Speakers in 2016 and 2017. Learn more or book Kris today for your next conference or event.

September 7, 2017  Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers

Racial Equity & Philanthropy: Achieving EquityHow Exactly?

September 14, 2017  Iowa Council of Foundations Connect Conference (Newton, IA)

Out of Your Bubble and Into Your Community (Keynote)

September 14, 2017  Iowa Council of Foundations Connect Conference (Newton, IA)

Avoiding Delusional Altruism: How to Create a Legacy of Impact, Respect, and Value

September 19, 2017  National Center for Family Philanthropy webinar

Part three of a three-part webinar series on how family foundations are embracing equity

September 27, 2017  Philanthropy West Virginia Annual Conference

Avoiding Delusional Altruism: How to Create a Legacy of Impact, Respect, and Value

October 16, 2017  CONNECT Conference, Exponent Philanthropy, Denver

Out of Your Bubble and Into Your Community

October 19, 2017  National Forum on Family Philanthropy

Achieving EquityHow Exactly?

October 19, 2017  National Forum on Family Philanthropy

Does Your Foundation Have a Poverty or Abundance Mentality?

November 14, 2017  Southeastern Council on Foundations Annual Conference, Trustees-Only Luncheon, Orlando, FL

How Will Trustees Lead Into the Future?

Book Kris for your next conference or event!
Over the last 20 years, monarch butterfly populations that overwinter in the mountains of central Mexico have fluctuated wildly. Some years the species survival has been in doubt.

The news this year, however, is good.

Dr. Chip Taylor, director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas, monitors the status of monarchs each year, and he just issued his status report for 2017.

Before getting to Taylors expectations for the fall southbound migration, its important to understand how he arrives at his predictions. He begins with the numbers of monarchs measured at the overwintering sites in Mexico.

Environmental conditions. Next, he analyzes winter survival. Then he monitors the environmental conditions that monarchs experience as they move north from Mexico into Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Kansas.

Then he assesses conditions during the breeding season that permit (or dont permit) first-generation monarchs to reach the northern breeding grounds.

Summer temperatures and rainfall also factor into Taylors predictions. Based upon this years conditions, Taylor predicts a great fall season for monarchs.

Though monarch populations are usually highest in the Midwest and plains states, Cape May, N.J. is also known for its impressive fall monarch migration. Taylor expects numbers there to be much greater than in recent years.

A September or October trip to Cape May to see monarchs should be worthwhile. Taylor also predicts a great fall season for the Upper Midwest from the Dakotas east to Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.

And Im expecting a good fall season here in northern West Virginia. Ive been seeing lots of monarchs since early June.

Given his positive forecast, Taylor expects this fall to be a great opportunity for citizen scientists to tag monarchs.

Much of what we know about monarch migration originates with the citizen science program called Monarch Watch. Participants can purchase self-adhesive tags (25/$15) to place on the hind wings of captured monarchs.

Recovering tags

During the winter, tags recovered in Mexico help biologists understand the complexities of monarch migration. For more information and to purchase tags, visit www.monarchwatch.org.

For monarchs to continue a strong comeback this year, a variety of factors must converge.

Weather along the migratory path must be favorable. An abundant crop of nectar-bearing flowers to fuel the migration is required. And toxic herbicides applied by farmers along the migratory path must not have exterminated wildflowers, particularly milkweed.

Monarchs that make it to the winter grounds in Mexico must then survive three to four months before beginning their return migration.

Under ideal conditions, thats not a problem, but cold temperatures and freezing rain in fir forests where monarchs winter can be catastrophic. Under adverse conditions, millions of monarchs can die.

So we cross our fingers and hope for the best. Until we have a sense of how many monarchs made it to the winter grounds, we must wait.

The more important number, however, is how many leave the winter grounds and head north in February. In the meantime, heres what we can do to help monarch butterflies.

1. Plant milkweed. Its the only host plant upon which monarchs lay eggs.

2. Plant more milkweed.

  

Solar Eclipse Alert: On Aug. 21, the U.S. will experience its first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse since 1776. From Oregon to South Carolina, the eclipse will follow a 67-mile wide path of totality.

In the zone of totality, the brightness of the sun will dim drastically, and the temperature could quickly and briefly drop as much as 20 degrees.

Animals will prepare for nightfall, and winds may pick up. Totality will last only a few minutes, but from start to finish the eclipse will take several hours. Outside the path of totality, the results will be far less dramatic.

Of course, all of this requires clear skies. Under a cloudy sky, the eclipse will occur almost unnoticed. Warning: Looking directly at the sun during a solar eclipse can cause severe damage to eyes and even blindness, so explain this to children and take proper precautions.

For tips on safely viewing the eclipse, visit www.nasa.gov.

Related Content
Ohio sportsmen and women need some good news once in a while and the following announcement looks like about the best news we could hope for.

Indeed, many of us were hoping on hope that the state would not let the opportunity to purchase a significant amount of available private property be overlooked.

Indeed, the surface mined, reclaimed, and quite wild American Electric Power (AEP) company lands, which so many of us have enjoyed the generous use of for several years, is now up for sale and for several months it appeared that this unique opportunity might slip away.

But fortunately, it appears that it may not.

ODNR has signed a memorandum of understanding with AEP to negotiate for the state to purchase a major portion of AEPs 60,000-acre ReCreation Land property in eastern Ohio.

According to the ODNR release, this is an important first step toward what could become the most significant expansion of public recreation opportunities in the states recent history.

ODNR Director James Zehringer emphasized that acquisitions would likely be made in separate parcels over a number of years, and much work remains to be done before the first purchase is negotiated and complete.

ODNR will work with AEP to finalize titling and obtain the necessary appraisals, but todays agreement is a positive step toward preserving this invaluable recreational resource, Zehringer said.

AEP ReCreation Land spans a total of 60,000 acres in Guernsey, Morgan, Muskingum and Noble counties.

  

A drawing will be held for Mosquito Creek Reservoir waterfowl blind locations Aug. 19. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. at the ODNR Division of Wildlifes Mosquito Creek Headquarters.

The drawing takes place at 9 a.m. and applicants must be present at the time of the drawing, must exhibit a 2017-2018 hunting license and a customer identification number when registering. Customer ID numbers are produced when licenses are purchased.

Call Wildlife District Three Headquarters in Akron at 330-644- 2293 with questions.
GREENVILLE, Pa.  The Pennsylvania dairy family that lost their herd of 120 Holstein dairy cattle in a barn fire Aug. 2 continues to recover, although the future of their milking operation is still being decided.

The Miklos family, of Mercer County, Pennsylvania, is still adding up the damage and trying to figure out what theyll do with the rest of this years hay harvest.

Tammy Miklos told Farm and Dairy Aug. 14 that they are still baling hay and planning to put as much as 4,000-5,000 bales in a second barn, located at a second farm. They lost between 14,000-16,000 square bales in the fire, along with their entire dairy herd of 120-plus Holstein cattle.

They also lost multiple pieces of farm equipment, including two tractors, a skid loader, an elevator, spreader, feed grinder and two silage wagons. She also said six of seven roofs at the main farm will need to be replaced because of damage from the fire or its heat.

The extent of the damage prompted some Farm and Dairy readers to ask about sending donations, and the address for those wishing to donate is 1163 Darien Road, Greenville, Pa. 16125. Checks should be made payable to Rick and Tammy Miklos, or to the farms name, Amazing Grace Dairy. Tammy Miklos said they are not actively seeking funding, but they appreciate peoples desire to help.

One of her horses, a Quarter Horse stallion, came down with bronchitis, but she expects him to be OK. Saddles and other tack were destroyed. About 22 head of steers in a separate barn were unharmed.

She said her insurance company determined the cause to be lightning-related. A storm passed through the area the same night as the fire, and there were signs of lightning damage, including some blackness behind one of the electrical boxes.

She was not sure if a bolt of lightning hit the barn directly, but there definitely appeared to be a power surge, followed by a power outage.

Assessing the damage

The total damage figure is still being calculated. She was told the cost to rebuild the original barn, a tie-stall setup that dates back to at least the 1960s, would be $800,000. The Miklos had renovated the barn various times and had a new electrical system installed, with temperature control and air ventilation.

Although tie-stall barns are less common today, the Miklos liked that setup because they said it resulted in gentler, cleaner cows that could be led around the barn as needed. Their herd was a past Dairy of Distinction recipient.

Tammy said she could have released 45-50 head of cows in one minute, or the whole herd in about three minutes, but on the night of the fire, the heat was so intense the family couldnt even enter the barn.

She again thanked the first responders, as well as the outpouring of neighbors, friends and family, and people who dont even know us. Its kept us going.

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HELENA  Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said Monday during a visit to Montana that his agency will propose changes to make it easier for rural areas to receive funding to build nursing homes for veterans.

Rural areas are often bypassed under the agency's existing guidelines for awarding grants for veterans' homes, Shulkin told reporters after touring VA facilities and meeting with veterans in Helena.

"If we don't change the rules to make sure that being in a rural area increases the likelihood of funding, we're not going to get to be able to help residents of Montana," Shulkin said.

Montana veterans and lawmakers have been seeking funding for about a decade to build a veterans' home for the southwestern part of the state. Veterans complain that VA nursing facilities in some parts of Montana are located hundreds of miles away from their homes and families.

This year, the proposed veterans' home for Butte ranked 57th on the agency's priority list, and the VA only funded the top 13, Shulkin said.

The VA now sets its priority list by looking at veteran demographics and the need for beds, making it difficult for some rural areas to compete, VA officials said.

The agency plans to propose regulation changes by year's end to ensure some of the money goes specifically to rural areas. Whatever proposal emerges must go through a public comment period, so it's unclear when any changes may take effect.

Shulkin was in Montana at the invitation of U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines.

The three appeared at a question-and-answer session attended by dozens of veterans, who complained about long wait times to see a doctor, lost or delayed paperwork that stalled treatment, poor customer service and retaliation against whistleblowers.

You just flat get ignored sometimes here in Helena, Everett King of Valier told the panel, regarding the Veterans Choice Program.

There was also some praise amid the complaints. Anna Chacko, who was in the Army for 25 years, said she now receives immediate callbacks from the medical center at Fort Harrison.

While King had issues with the Choice program, he credited the VA for saving his life as he battled post-traumatic stress disorder.

Shulkin said that fixing the VA is among the few issues in Washington that hasn't stalled.

"When it comes to veterans issues, there is true bipartisan support," he said.

Shulkin, Daines and Tester praised the passage of five pieces of legislation since President Donald Trump took office, including a VA accountability bill to make firing poor employees easier and another bill streamlining the appeals process.

Daines said he asked Shulkin what help from Congress looked like, and accountability was a major need.

There hasnt been a lot of legislation passed in Washington D.C., but when you look at the record on veteran legislation its quite positive, Daines said.

Shulkins visit to Montana was important in terms of demonstrating the differences in needs for urban versus rural veterans, Tester said.

The bottom line is this, in Washington D.C. in a bipartisan way weve worked with the VA, weve worked with the veteran service organizations and weve worked with one another, to try to move the ball forward for not only urban veterans, but in Steve's and my case, rural veterans making sure they have access to health care that theyve earned, Tester told reporters.
MANHATTAN, Kan.  U.S. pork producers are transitioning away from using individual gestation crates and instead housing gilts and sows in groups.

But the change poses challenges, including the ability to monitor feed consumption for each animal.

To remedy that, producers have started using electronic sow feeding systems (ESF) in their farms.

Even when sows or gilts are kept together in large groups, ESF systems allow animals to move into individual feeding stations one at a time.

Once a sow enters a station, the gate locks behind her and she is identified electronically by a transponder in her ear tag. The computer-controlled feeder dispenses the specific amount of feed allotted for that animal.

The sow may leave at any time, ending the dispensing of feed and unlocking the entrance for the next sow.

Training pigs

Kansas State University researchers along with K-State graduate students Lori Thomas and Carine Vier conducted studies at a cooperator swine operation using ESFs to look at feed efficiency by stage of gestation and to examine the importance of training gilts and sows to use such systems before they are bred and begin gestation.

The studies followed 300 gilts and 550 sows.

To our knowledge, no one has ever looked at gestation feed efficiency by stage of gestation, and we thought it would help with determining nutrient requirements and feeding recommendations, said K-State animal science professor Bob Goodband.

As the swine industry transitions to group housing, computerized feeding programs will offer opportunities to really fine tune gestation feeding programs for sows.

In one of the studies, gilts spent 10 weeks in pre-training, two weeks in training, then moved into post-training when the animals were bred and moved into gestation.

The cooperator farm had six ESF feeding stations per pen. The researchers were looking at patterns of feed intake and growth of animals.

Training the gilts to use this system is important to meet their nutritional needs after theyve been inseminated and go through gestation in the ESF pens, said Goodband, who is a nutrition specialist with K-State Research and Extension.

Feed efficiency

The cooperator farm had implemented a fairly simple feeding program for determining the amount of feed to provide gestating sows and it worked well, he added.

In the study, gilts received 4.4 pounds of feed per day and sows received 5 pounds. Once gilts and sows finished at a feeding station, they walked through an alley and over a scale where each animal was weighed.

One thing that surprised the researchers was that the sows and gilts did not eat their full feed allotment or gain much weight in the first 10 days in the pen.

After the first 10 days, each sow and gilt generally consumed her whole ration.

We found significant changes in average daily weight gain following the initial 10 days in the pen. Thereafter, females were consistently eating and gaining for the remainder of gestation, said Thomas, the graduate student in charge of the study.

Our results, I think, share a very important message that even with a good training program, gilts and sows appear to struggle within those first few days of introduction into the gestation pen. It doesnt take long before they become adjusted and are up to full feed but it is important for producers to be aware of this.

Nutrition

Thomas said, the main questions they hope to answer is, Will these changes in initial feed intake affect subsequent reproductive performance?'

The team plans to study nutrient requirements during gestation in the spring.

The ESF system provides a model to determine the rate at which a sow adds lean muscle and fat that can be tied back into a nutrition program, said Goodband.

There is a lot of excitement on the data that has been generated and will continue to be generated from this system and many other similar systems, he added.

Improving our knowledge of the pregnant sow and how to properly meet her nutrient requirements in gestation, have her enter into the farrowing house ready to farrow and successfully nurse a vigorous litter of piglets is a goal we hope to achieve.
Athens County teen honors best friend in the show ring, raising more than $76,000

ATHENS, Ohio  Remember me  the phrase still swirls in the minds of the Athens County community.

Noah Cox, a teen from Coolville, Ohio, died in a tractor accident May 31 of this year  remembered as a young man who lived life to the fullest.

The night before the accident, Jeff Cox and his son were artificially inseminating a cow and Noah had some older semen he was going to try.

The straw he pulled that night was from a bull named Remember Me.

  

The Athens County community did remember Noah last week, as his best friend, Austin Pullins, showed Noahs steer at the Athens County Fair.

They started the project together last August, said Pullins, and he intended to see it through. Shortly after the accident, Austin decided he would show Noahs steer this year at the state and county fairs.

This year, he [Noah] wanted more than ever to win at state fair. I felt like I should be the one to continue to work the steers and finish the project, said Pullins.

The steer placed in its class at the state fair and won grand champion at the county fair, continuing Noahs winning history  now with three grand champion and four reserve champion steers in Athens County.

The bond

Like brothers, the two teens worked together six to eight hours a day to prepare their steers for showing, said Jeff Cox. Noah and Austin, both only children, grew up just a couple miles from one another.

They started working cattle together, riding dirt bikes, going to truck pulls and spending most of their days side by side, Pullins said.

Noah, a 2016 Federal Hocking High graduate, also worked part-time for the family metal fabrication company.

Noah was the type of kid that did everything with his whole heart, said Calvin Jarvis, a family friend, fair board president and Noahs 4-H adviser. He was an excellent showman, but he didnt let that get to his head.

Noah had been in my 4-H club since he was 9 years old. He was dedicated and wanted to learn everything, Jarvis said. At around 14, he became a vital part of the club  teaching and mentoring. You couldnt ask for a better young man.

Final drive

Austin is the same type of kid, said Cox, always on the move and trying his best.

Noahs and Austins steers both made it to the final drive at this years Athens County Fair. Austin showed Noahs steer and another 4-H member showed Austins.

I knew if that happened [both steers making the final drive], I was going to take his in. He was used to me and I wanted to be the one to see it to the end, Austin said.

After the judge slapped Noahs steer, announcing it grand champion, Austin relieved the 4-H member showing his steer.

Then, Austins steer was slapped, honoring it as reserve champion.

I was an emotional wreck, I had no feelings, just emotional, Pullins said about his reaction after the final drive.

As the crowd cheered, Jarvis, the fair board president, leaned over to the judge and said, You probably realize something special is happening here.

Jarvis then shared the story of the two remarkable young men.

You could not have asked for a more perfect ending to the story, said Jarvis.

But the story wasnt over.

The purple shirt

Noah, who showed in the BEST Program through the Ohio Cattlemens Association, loved to show cattle. Jeff and Stephanie Cox took their son all over the state and to towns in Virginia and West Virginia to show. Noah always wore a purple or pink shirt to be noticed by the judge.

Purple also represents the champion banner showmen chase.

The evening of the Athens County Fair sale, the arena was filled with purple T-shirts with the phrase Remember me on the back to honor Noah.

Another phrase on the shirt was taken from Jarvis, who performed the memorial service for Noah. He told the crowd to give it their all in the show ring of life  and the shirt reads succeeding in the show ring of life.

The idea stuck. It hit home with a lot of kids there that day, Cox said. It reminds us all to live life, giving it all you got.

To date, more than 800 purple shirts remembering Noah have been sold, benefiting the Noah Cox Memorial Fund. (To make a donation, see the related box.)

Support

Before Noahs steer entered the sale ring, eight to 10 businesses got together and decided they were going to buy the steer, said Jarvis. The steer sold for $26,000. After the sale, more individuals and businesses kicked in donations, and the fund now exceeds $76,000 and continues to grow.

The money will be used to build a beef grooming facility next to the beef barn on the county fairgrounds in honor of Noah.

Words cannot explain the feeling of loss and unity the community feels, said Jarvis. This tragedy has changed the whole mood of the county.

Dedication

The night of the accident, I promised him Id finish the project, said Cox about his only child.

It is totally overwhelming. It has been that way since the accident, Cox said.

The auction was great, but ever since [the accident], the community has been supportive in so many different ways.

The fair board hopes to have the beef grooming facility built to honor Noah by the 2018 fair.

Donations can be mailed to: The Noah Cox Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 159, Tuppers Plains, OH 45783.
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The rise in summer homes are pushing house prices out of reach for rural families, a rural property specialist has explained.

A study published today has found that the number of people in Britain who own multiple properties rose by 1.6m between 2000 and 2014, bringing the total to 5.2m.

The National Housing Federation published statistics earlier this year indicating that the location of second homes are in predominantly rural communities, with villages in the likes of North Norfolk, West Somerset, South Devon and West Sussex seeing the highest numbers.

Rural housing specialists Hastoe argue that the rise in second home ownership is distorting the local housing market and pushing up house prices  making it nearly impossible for local people to buy a home in their own community and expensive for them to rent.

As a result, many villages are seeing a demographic shift where young people and families are forced out as incoming retired buyers, summer homes and holiday lets are pushing house prices further out of their reach.

'Disastrous impact'

Hastoe Group Chief Executive Sue Chalkley said: One of the many disappointing aspects of these new findings is that most second home owners are not landlords. Instead, 3.4m people have extra properties that they leave empty as an investment or use as holiday homes.

This is having a disastrous impact on rural housing markets and is leaving young families across the Chichester district with fewer housing options. As they move out of their communities to find somewhere more affordable, schools and other vital local facilities close and then families will never return  leading to our villages becoming seasonal ghost towns. Its a one way street which is changing rural England permanently.

Affordable housing quotas on developments of 10 homes or less had been helping to ensure a steady stream of homes are available to these families. But Governments decision to cancel this requirement has slashed the provision of new affordable homes in our rural communities.

Our homes are held for those with a genuine connection to the local community and are affordable in perpetuity, allowing residents to remain in the village where they live, work or have family ties and helping to ensure that the surrounding areas can continue to flourish.
The Northern Irish government has confirmed that non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) installation audits will commence this month, creating a backlash within the farming community.

The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) says that while it welcomes the confirmation, it is however 'extremely concerned' that the Department for Economy intends on seeking an extension to the current 2017 RHI Regulations.

Set up in November 2012, the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme was an attempt by the Northern Ireland Executive to help to increase consumption of heat from renewable sources.

It offered financial incentives to farms, businesses and other non-domestic consumers to use biomass boilers that mostly burned wood pellets, as well as solar thermal and heat pumps.

But flaws in setting the scheme's subsidy rate left it open to abuse as claimants could earn more cash the more fuel they burned, with one farmer having made 1m out of renting an empty shed.

The Northern Ireland Executive collapsed after deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness resigned in protest over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal.

And at the beginning of June, the UFU raised concerns about the delay to the RHI scheme audit process and had pressed senior officials within DfE to confirm when these audits would get underway.

The UFU said that the delay to the RHI scheme audit process is becoming 'farcical'.

'Wrongdoing'

Back in June we made clear of the need to prioritise the audits so that those using the scheme legitimately could be cleared of any wrongdoing, says UFU chief executive Wesley Aston.

We want to see the audits carried out in a quick and timely manner. The vast majority of people using the scheme have operated in line with RHI regulations and they want to see a fair solution found.

Mr Aston says the Departments latest announcement of their intention to extend temporary legislation beyond 31 March 2018 is concerning.

From the outset it was made clear that the temporary capping of tariffs was to allow for a longer term solution to be found and it is unfair to expect RHI legitimate recipients to suffer financially, warned Mr Aston.

These people have made investments in a long term programme backed by government and they should not have to carry the financial burden while we wait on Ministers to be appointed and the formation of an Executive.

The UFU has written to Dr Andrew McCormick, DfE Permanent Secretary, to seek clarity on the temporary legislation that is currently in place and to discuss further its plans of a public consultation on future RHI Legislation.
A Derbyshire vet will walk 330 miles along the Pennine Way to raise money for two farming charities: R.A.B.I and Vetlife.

Michael Colgan, a director and vet at the Buxton-based practise Overdale Vets, will set off during the August Bank Holiday weekend and expects the trip to take 3-4 weeks.

He said: The reason I want to do this is to raise awareness and money for two charities that help support the community I live in and work with.

Mr Colgan joined the Overdale practice in 1998 as a new graduate straight from Cambridge Vet School. He became a partner in 2006.

He has developed a keen interest in surgery, particularly orthopaedics, but has not forgotten his farming roots and still has a number of farm clients for whom he performs routine fertility and health visits.

He has set up a Virgin Money Giving page for the public to sponsor his walk.

'Hardships'

His walk will take in his familys Northumberland farm, en route to the finish at Holy Island.

He added: I have been lucky enough to be a vet, a job I love, in a beautiful part of the world for the last 19 years.

In that time I have seen the hardships that the farming community has had to face. A farmers life is a tough one, long hours, often working alone, and not without the risk of accident or injury.

The same is true of the vets that serve the farming community up and down the country and in the towns and cities too. Inevitably, this tough and often isolated life can lead to stress, depression and suicide. The stresses are often compounded by a lack of financial security.

A farmworker, for example, injured by livestock or machinery, may be the sole breadwinner for a family and could have no income for months.
The UK Governments has released a position paper on the continuity of the availability of goods for the EU and the UK post-Brexit.

The government has set out more proposals that it said would help "give businesses and consumers certainty and confidence" after Brexit materializes.

It has released two position papers - one on goods and the other on confidentiality.

The 'Goods on the Market' paper sets out principles that it wants in place once the UK has left the EU.

The paper states that any goods that were placed on the market prior to Brexit should continue to be sold in the UK and the EU without any extra restrictions.

It also states that where products have already been approved by the EU, it should not be necessary for them to be approved again after Brexit.

The paper says continued oversight of a product placed on the market before Brexit for the lifetime of that product is paramounth - so that the health and safety of patients and consumers remains paramount.

"These papers will help give businesses and consumers certainty and confidence in the UK's status as an economic powerhouse after we have left the EU," Brexit minister David Davis said in a statement.

"They also show that as we enter the third round of negotiations, it is clear that our separation from the EU and future relationship are inextricably linked ... and (we) are ready to begin a formal dialogue on this and other issues."

'Biggest export market'

Dairy UK said they are pleased to see the Government has recognised the importance of agri-foods in the position paper.

Dr Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK, said: We fully support the UK Governments stated aim of reaching agreement with the EU in order to secure frictionless trade in goods and services. We are also pleased to see the Government has recognised the importance of agri foods in todays position paper.

Businesses need certainty around the legalities associated with ensuring they can continue to trade in goods at the point of Brexit. The EU is our biggest export market and recognition of the need for stability is welcome.

Dairy is a hugely important industry to the UK and while many industries are seeking priority during complex Brexit negotiations we contend that dairy should be recognised as being fundamental to the countrys future interests given the role we play in providing safe and nutritious food to the nation.

We will offer the Government every possible assistance in securing arrangements that will minimise disruption to consumers and dairy businesses and will help the UK dairy industry take advantage of the opportunities that Brexit may yield.

'Free and frictionless'

Commenting on post-Brexit trade, National Farmers' Union (NFU) President Meurig Raymond said: The NFU, along with other farming organisations, has long called for a transitional deal that maintains as free and frictionless trade in agri-food products as possible and it is pleasing to see Government recognise the concerns of the sector.

In recent discussions with the Chancellor, the NFU reinforced the need for a transitional arrangement post-Brexit that sees the UK and EU continuing to trade within a customs union, and Im pleased to see the government appear to accept this as the best way forward.

Such an arrangement would provide farmers and growers with the stability and continuity needed to continue running competitive and profitable farming businesses.

It is crucial that swift progress is made on the current phase of Brexit negotiations so the crucial issue of the UKs future trading relationship with the EU, including the precise nature of both the interim and long-term customs agreements, can be discussed as soon as possible.
The National Sheep Association (NSA) has said this year's Love Lamb Week 2017 is about celebrating everything that is tasty about British lamb.

Now in its third year, the week-long initiative from 1st to 7th September will bring together a dedicated week of lamb promotional activity from farmers, butchers and retailers.

Farmers have recently said that 'time is ticking for lamb', who say fewer people have been regularly eating the meat over the past 15 years.

The NSA Next Generation Ambassadors, a group of young sheep farmers passionate about producing quality British lamb from all corners of the UK, will be one of those hoping to change that.

Richard Taylor, sheep farmer and NSA Next Generation Ambassador from Coresham, Wiltshire says: Selling lamb directly to the consumer means I experience enthusiasm for delicious British lamb every time I interact with the public, which is encouraging but Id like to see this on a larger scale. Love Lamb Week is a fantastic opportunity to promote our product to even more people.

Mr Taylor has recently set up a direct selling business, producing, processing and selling lamb at several functions and events in his local area.

Currently, he puts North County and Welsh Mules to Texel, Suffolk and Hampshire Down rams, but he has a growing interest in the Hampshires and is looking to add a pedigree flock.

'Everyone can get involved'

As well as encouraging farmers to get involved in the campaign, the NSA is working with AHDB Beef & Lamb and other industry bodies around Love Lamb Week to get consumers to cook lamb.

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says: NSA is pleased to be backing Love Lamb Week, and thrilled to be able to put forward the NSA Next Generation Ambassadors to lead the way in promoting activity from 1st to 7th September.

The beauty of the campaign is that everyone can get involved, as much or as little as theyre able to. If the week inspires consumers to try a lamb dish they wouldnt have otherwise, it has severed its purpose.

'Healthy food'

Nick White, Head of Beef and Lamb Marketing at AHDB, says: Shoppers are looking for easy ways to cook healthy food. To increase their love for lamb weve created simple recipes with lamb leg steaks, which can be cooked in no time at all  whether that be on the bbq, as part of a curry or even added to a salad.

A partnership with Mumsnet this year aims to take the worry out of cooking lamb, helping mums and dads to learn how to cook this versatile meat for their kids and develop Britains next generation of lamb lovers.

The sheep industry is encouraging people to share their lamb dinners on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtags #LoveLamb and #LoveLambWeek.
Producers see losses increase to 26-28 per pig, estimates show
Recently, the Montana Attorney Generals Office filed a legal argument with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission after deciding not to provide any expert witness testimony earlier this summer. The assistant attorney general who wrote for that testimony doesnt have expertise in utility law.

But according to Attorney General Tim Fox, his office is following a legal strategy that does not require utility expertise. The Gazette reported last month that state Republican lawmakers and several other interveners in the Puget Sound Electric rate case were shocked when Montana missed the deadline to file expert testimony  despite an $80,000 appropriation for the attorney general to represent the state.

The focus of the Montana filing last week was to ask the Washington regulatory commission to affirm that Montana will determine the remediation costs for Colstrip units 1 and 2, which are to be retired no later than 2022.

Asked why he didnt file any witness testimony  as the eight other interveners did  Fox said he didnt want to play our cards early.

Cost estimates for decommissioning and cleanup of Units 1 and 2 havent yet been calculated, Fox said last week in a phone interview with The Gazette. He said those estimates will be made in Montana according to state and federal law.

Montana will not be bound by any numbers that UTC decides to set aside, Fox said. It may be that PSE must go back to the WUTC to get more money from ratepayers.

We are not about to pigeon hole ourselves into a ceiling when we dont know the costs. It would have been strategically and technically a mistake to provide any expert testimony.

Were not looking to get any money in this proceeding. Were just looking to see that UTC doesnt have wool pulled over its eyes.

The use of production tax credits for decommissioning and remediation of 1 and 2 is the sole issue on that case. The case is not about 3 and 4, Fox said.

That is a puzzling claim. The case involves the rates charged for power at all Colstrip units, and at other generation facilities that supply PSE customers. The WUTC sets rates to cover operating costs and to cover the future inevitable expenses of retiring generating facilities  including the coal-fired plants at Colstrip.

The case before the WUTC is a general rate case covering electric and natural gas rates for an area of more than 4 million people. Importantly, rates approved by the WUTC include funding plant depreciation. Units 3 and 4 are on a schedule to be fully depreciated in 2045. But states buying some of that power have decided they want all their power generation to have lower carbon emissions by 2035. Thus, the plant depreciation would need to be accelerated now so theres money to cover decommissioning and cleanup.

While Montana has yet to estimate those costs, it is necessary to fund them. According to the Seattle Times, the WUTC staff recommends that the costs of shutting down Colstrip 1 and 2 should be recovered over a longer time than PSE proposed, and that a rate increase request should be rejected.

Will there be enough money for that cleanup? Nobody knows, but its better to start with some than to have a larger shortfall that forces the Montana attorney general to fight for higher utility rates in other states a few years from now.

On Aug. 29, the Washington commission is scheduled to hold hearings. Then Montanans will see how effectively Fox is representing our interests.
Ayushmann On Doing Two-Hero Film

Ayushmann says, "I've never done a two-hero film and its okay to do it. In Vicky Donor, Anu Kapoor, I thought, had a more author-backed role than me. But he wasn't my contemporary, Rajkummar is. But if the script is good, then why not. Once in a while, it's good to do a two hero film."

Ayushmann Reveals He Has Only Suggested Rao's Name For BKB

"I love him (Rajkummar) as a person and an actor. I was the one who suggested his name for the character. His role is more author-backed than mine. I knew he will get all the good reviews for acting in the film."

"I won't be surprised if they say he stole the show' because his role is like that, transition from a meek to an aggressive guy. I trigger that change but he is doing it," added the 32-year-old actor.

I Look Upto Rajkummar: Ayushmann

"We are similar in a way but the kind of films we've done are slightly different. He has done mostly alternate cinema, I've done a mix of both. My films are somewhere in between good commercial success and are also content-based. I've always looked up to Rajkummar because he is so versatile.

How Sweet Is That!

"He changes so much in every film, which isn't easy. He has brought this film (Bareilly Ki Barfi) to another level. Selfishly, I feel you should have great actors as eventually, if a film succeeds, everyone wins."
After a gap of over 4 months, Mammootty is all set to entertain the Malayalam film audiences, with his next big release, titled as Pullikkaran Staraa.

Directed by Syam Dhar, this Mammootty starrer is expected to be an entertainer that would cater to all sections of audiences alike. The film will make it to the theatres during the upcoming Onam season.

Now, here is an important update on this Mammootty starrer. According to the latest reports that have come in, censoring of Pullikkaran Staraa has been completed and the film has bagged a clean 'U' certificate from the censor board.

Syam Dhar, the director of the movie, took to Facebook to confirm the same and did send out a interesting post on Facebook to declare the completion of the censor formalities.

Take a look at the Facebook post of Syam Dhar..

Most recently, the team had released the video of the song 'Kavalam Painkili..', which has been ranked as one of the best melodies of recent times. The film has its songs set to tune by M Jayachandran.

There are certain reports doing the rounds that this Mammootty starrer will hit the theatres on September 1, 2017. The makers are yet to officially annouce the release date of the movie.
So far, in his time with us, James has proved that he can indeed make that difference, leading the technical side of the operation.

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost hailed Keys contract extension, saying: Formula 1 is a team sport, but one in which an individual can still make a difference.

Since then the highly-regarded Englishman has overseen the concept, design and manufacture of every Toro Rosso car, from the STR8 to this years STR12, with work now well underway on the 2018 STR13.

Key, 45, has been with the Faenza-based squad for the past five years, having joined from Sauber to lead their technical operations in September 2012.

Not only has he been adept at producing chassis-aero packages that are well regarded throughout the paddock, he has also shown the management skills necessary to get the most out of all the various departments that work together both here in Faenza and in Bicester.

I am therefore delighted that James will be with us for the foreseeable future to continue this fruitful process.

Key added that he was delighted to remain part of the Red Bull family.

This is a team which I have great respect for and have thoroughly enjoyed working with for the past 5 years, he said. Now I look forwards to continuing our project into the future.

STR is unique, facing the challenges of being spread over two countries and fulfilling the roles of both a team in its own right and an important part of the Red Bull driver programme: they are challenges that the team takes in its stride and, whilst doing so, continues to grow and improve year on year.

Most importantly, the people I have had the pleasure to work with at STR are second to none: professional, ambitious and focussed, they have all worked incredibly hard to improve the teams performance and will continue that hard work with the same dedication and optimism in the coming years too.

I would like to thank Franz Tost and Red Bull for their continued support and confidence. We have more work to do, and I look forwards to taking the next steps with Toro Rosso towards our goals.
Airtel to launch 4G Android smartphone with several benefits at Rs. 2,500 before Diwali News oi -Samden Sherpa To counter Jio, Airtel plans to launch bundled 4G Android smartphone at Rs 2,500 before Diwali.

India's popular telecom service provider Bharti Airtel is now in discussion with handset makers to introduce a 4G smartphone in the market. Reportedly, the company will be releasing the handsets during the time of Diwali for about Rs. 2,500.

Further, the company will be bundling in large amounts of data and voice minutes with the device in order to counter Reliance Jio and at the same time retain a share of the mass market.

The 4G device will be co-promoted by Airtel and the handset maker but not it will not be subsidized by Airtel. Further, as per ET, the Telco has hinted that the handset will be based on the popular Android operating system and that it will allow users to download all apps available on the Google Play Store. An industry insider has stated that the smartphone to be launched by Airtel in partnership with a handset maker might be based on Android Go.

"Airtel is talking to some handset manufacturers to bring in a smartphone around Rs. 2,500, which will have a bigger screen, better camera and better battery performance than what a feature phone could offer," a senior industry executive has stated. "Discussions are at a very advanced stage," the person added.

Interestingly, handset makers Lava and Karbonn seems to be also in separate talks with the telecom operator for a mass-market 4G smartphone. However, spokespersons at Karbonn and Lava have declined to comment.

Besides, it looks like Airtel is now coming up with a new strategy (a 4G smartphone with good specs at Rs. 2,500) that could potentially disrupt the market. Further, with bundled plans it could be that the smartphone along with data as well talk time benefits will successfully attract a consumer in the market.

Airtel would be able to generate additional sales without having to manage the end-to-end supply chain of making and selling smartphones.

Speaking on the matter, Navkendar Singh, senior analyst at International Data Corporation (IDC) India, cautioned that ensuring quality consumer experience on a 4G smartphone priced at Rs. 2,500 would remain a challenge.

On the other hand, the partnership with Airtel would be fruitful for smartphone brands as they will benefit from Airtel's large distribution and retail chain spread across the country.

All in all, the launch is expected to be around the end of September or in early October.

Best Mobiles in India
Years and years ago, when two or three residents would appear at community meetings related to Superfund, you could count on John Ray being among the few.

Today, several citizen groups are at work, on a variety of levels, on all things Superfund, among them the Citizens Technical Environmental Committee (CTEC), Restore Our Creek, and Citizens for Labor and Environmental Justice. A constant thread woven between 20 years ago and today is Ray, a long-time Butte environmental activist who devotes his free time to the Superfund cause.

One can often leave a Superfund-related meeting and overhear bystanders muttering under their breath about Rays straightforward  some would even say caustic or strident  approach. But meeting after meeting, there is Ray, most often in a tweed coat, giving a variety of officials and agency representatives hell for what he sees as remediation and restoration transgressions, great and small.

A member of the Montana Tech faculty, Ray often makes clear that his views are his own and unrelated to his work as a professor of political science, public policy, and communications.

But I think the subject matter Ray teaches must aid him as he fights the fight, reminding officials that Butte has much to lose in regard to Superfund, particularly as the Environmental Protection Agency deliberates a path paved with agency cuts and a slashing of environmental regulations.

Most lately, Ray has been on a specific path of his own, bent on environmental justice, particularly on how populations with low incomes and other risk factors are particularly affected by contaminants left in place in Butte by historic mining activities.

But Ray believes the entire city of Butte has been treated unjustly, and he believes that residents should know about the contaminants in our midst, contaminants that will remain, even after outstanding Superfund issues are settled.

While hopefully the Superfund cleanup in Butte will be effective in protecting human health and removing the toxic waste threat to the maximum feasible extent, even after Superfund is completed, the hazardous toxics that were left in Butte by past mining activity will never be completely removed, Ray emailed me recently. While not being alarmist, there are simple things that people can do to protect themselves and their family from the harms associated with exposure to the toxics of concern in Butte.

With this in mind, for the past several months, Ray has been at work on a brochure that details information about contaminants in Butte. Titled Be Contaminant Smart, the brochure works to educate residents about how to protect themselves from mining-related contaminants. Brochures are available at the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department and a variety of other locations.

Im not saying that Ray has softened over the past two decades, but given his academic background in communications, hes not so hardened that he doesnt recognize an opening when he sees one  Ray has railed in meetings against EPA officials, but he recently partnered with the EPA, specifically agency officials Robert Moler and Nikia Greene, to produce and distribute the brochure.

While not an EPA document, in cooperation (and) collaboration and with the input and assistance of EPA, I initiated and developed the brochure that explains what people can do to protect themselves from the toxic waste that remains in Butte, Ray emailed. While not a substitute for aggressive and comprehensive agency cleanup of Butte, these individual actions can complement the Superfund cleanup. People need to be aware and act accordingly. By taking simple precautions, Butte can be a safe place to live and have a business.

The brochure details the contaminants found in Butte  lead, arsenic, copper, aluminum, cadmium, iron, mercury, and zinc. It explains pathways to exposure, such as indoor dust, and the health impacts related to exposure. It also details protections in place for water and soil and steers readers to programs that can assist, such as the Residential Metals Abatement Program and the Health Departments WIC program, which screens children for blood-lead levels.

The objective of the brochure, emailed Ray, is to acquaint citizens with the steps we can take, as individuals and as families, to make living in Butte safer. It offers positive advice as how to live safely in our Superfund site and lists sources of assistance that are available. It is my belief that such information is important for citizens in Butte to possess.

In my view, Rays brochure is an excellent resource for residents searching for more information about contaminants in our community.

It is merely the latest contribution to Butte by a man, dressed in tweeds, fist in air, who cares very deeply about our collective future.
Butte residents experienced just 95 percent totality during Mondays solar eclipse, but that didnt stop the people of the Mining City from getting out of the house and taking part in the fun.

Around 10:30 a.m., people began filing out of offices and apartment buildings Uptown to get a look at the natural wonder.

Within minutes, the streets were dotted with groups of people, armed with eclipse-viewing glasses and computer disks and welding masks and homemade pinhole cameras who all took a moment to watch the moon partially obscure the sun.

Collen Foster, who works at the Venus Rising Espresso House and Butte-Silver Bow Arts Foundation on West Granite Street, said about 20 people came into the coffee shop Monday morning inquiring about where they could find eclipse-viewing glasses.

Feeling sorry for some of her customers, Foster led a few of them outside, where she lent them her own set of glasses.

Jody Wells was one of those customers.

Wells hails from Austria and says its not the first time shes seen an eclipse. About 15 to 20 years ago, Wells said, she had the opportunity to see a full eclipse in Italy.

You can feel it, said Wells, noting that the most memorable part of the experience was the temperature drop that occurred at the moment of totality.

Wells wasnt the only person from halfway around the world who took to the streets Monday for the big event.

The Montana Standard spoke with Montana Tech graduate student Akpofure Orube of Nigeria and his wife Keara Edwards and also caught up with Haydin Parada and Rhea Canino of Venezuela.

Parada and Canino said they saw a partial eclipse a few years ago in their home country.

On Monday, the two sat on the steps of the Covellite Theatre where they, their two young children, and about 400 other Butte residents gathered outside the Butte-Silver Bow Public Library on Broadway Street Uptown to take part in the an eclipse-viewing party put on by the public institution.

The family smiled as they readied themselves for the height of the eclipse, around 11:30 a.m., when the moon obscured 95 percent of the sun.

Programing librarian Shari Curtis was one among several staff members who helped put on the viewing party, which included chalk drawing for kids and an educational model of the sun, moon, and earth among other educational and art activities.

Curtis said that when she arrived at work at 7:30 a.m., people had already started lining up outside the library doors, hoping to snag a set of the few remaining eclipse-viewing glasses left in Butte. Monday the library handed out about 200 glasses, about 100 of which came from the Montana State Library.

Carly Peach and her daughter Adi Peach celebrated the event in a different way.

They did yoga poses on brightly colored mats outside the library.

Peach, a yoga instructor, said she advertised a last-minute popup yoga class on social media Sunday night.

Were doing sun salutations for the eclipse, said Peach, who described the salutations as an ancient spiritual practice.

No one saw her social-media post, Peach said, but she and her daughter were enjoying the moment just the same.

This is my first time, Adi said, noting that Monday was her first ever eclipse-viewing experience.

Six-year-old William Olds, meanwhile, didnt have much to say about the days event.

When asked what he thought about the moon passing in front of the sun, he simply put his viewing glasses over his face and smiled, perhaps indicating that the 2017 eclipse took his breath away.
GRAND JURY INDICTS STROUPE FOR MURDER

A Henderson County grand jury indicted Phillip Michael Stroupe II for first degree murder on Monday in the death of Thomas Andrew Bryson, 68, of Mills River on July 26, District Attorney Greg Newman announced.

Stroupe, 39, was also indicted on charges of robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and First Degree Kidnapping. His father, Phillip Michael Stroupe, Sr., was indicted on a charge of Accessory After the Fact to First Degree Murder and remains in the Henderson County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

Both men are scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Hendersonville on Monday, Oct. 9. They will be advised of these charges and their attorney status will also be discussed."

"This is the first step of a lengthy process," Newman said. "I met with Mrs. Bryson and one of her sons and explained to them that the legal process requires endurance and we have a considerable amount of work ahead of us just to get this case to trial. On the 9th of October, we hope to hold a conference with Judge Powell whereby I will announce the grounds that I believe exist to pursue the death penalty upon a conviction of the murder charge. We will also discuss the defendants legal representation. North Carolina law permits two court appointed lawyers in a case where a crime is punishable by death.

Mr. Newman added:  The investigation in this case is still being conducted. Though Stroupe II is charged, he is not yet convicted. There remains much to be done in bringing him to justice. Members of my office, in conjunction with numerous sheriffs departments and the NC State Bureau of Investigation, continue to diligently work to obtain evidence in these cases.

In addition to the newly indicted charges in Henderson County, Stroupe II faces multiple felony charges in Transylvania, Madison, Yancey and McDowell counties.
Timeline of manhunt for Michael Stroupe

Here is a timeline of the manhunt for Phillip Michael Stroupe II, the kidnapping and murder of Thomas A. Tommy Bryson, the capture of Stroupe and the investigation by law officers. Phillip Michael Stroupe II is referred to as Michael Stroupe, which is what family call him. His father is referred to as Phillip Stroupe.

 Saturday, July 22: After Henderson County sheriffs office issues a BOLO (be on the lookout) for a silver SUV driven by a wanted fugitive, Transylvania County Deputy Nathan Whitmire spots the vehicle in Pisgah National Forest initiates a traffic stop. Phillip Michael Stroupe II speeds away on Avery Creek Road until he spotted a man on a mountain bike. Stroupe jumps out of the SUV, steals a bike at gunpoint, throws the bike in the back of the SUV and drives off. The pursuit continues for several miles until Avery Creek Road narrows and turns to gravel. Stroupe slides the SUV sideways blocking the road  hops on the mountain bike and rides into the forest. Whitmire has to push the SUV out of the way before he can continue the pursuit. By then Stroupe has vanished into the woods. Multiple agencies organize a search that closes much of Pisgah National Forest.

 July 22: Henderson County SWAT team members spot a set of footprints and bicycle tire treads where Stroupe was last seen. The SWAT team members spot another set of shoeprints around a barn and determine theyre a match for the ones Stroupe left at the start of his escape on foot. Using K9s and visually identifying the shoeprints, they track him along the bank of the Mills River, losing the trail near Village Drive and South Mills River Road.

 July 22: A woman driving on Yellow Gap Road sees Stroupe, who is sitting on a rock with his hand behind his back. He signals her to stop. She keeps driving and calls law enforcement.

 8:15 a.m. Sunday, July 23: Stroupe comes across a man fishing at a stream near Wolf Den Campground. Stroupe asks him a cigarette. The fisherman tells Stroupe he knows who he is. Stroupe lifts his shirt to reveal a revolver and asks the fisherman to give him a ride out of the forest. Before they reach the mans campsite, Stroupe turns around and walks off.

 Monday, July 24: Stroupes aunt, Norma Stroupe Goforth, 62, of Leicester, is arrested inside the search perimeter and charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting, obstructing and delaying of a public officer. Deputies arrested her after disregarded a lawful order and multiple warnings to leave the search area.

 2 a.m. Tuesday, July 25, and 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, July 26: Law officers spot Stroupes father, 65-year-old Phillip Michael Stroupe, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. During the manhunt for Michael Stroupe, law officers observed the father flashing his headlights and honking his horn in an apparent effort to give his son a landmark to travel to and escape capture. It was evident  that Phillip had been actively searching for his son. The father was known by Buncombe County investigators to pick up Stroupe and harbor him when he was in trouble. On July 25 Michael Stroupe turned 39 years old.

 8:35 a.m. July 26: Thomas Bryson, 68, leaves his home at 146 Wolf Pack Trail to pick up his sister and take her to a medical appointment. When Bryson fails to show up, family members become concerned  knowing that not keeping an appointment would be extremely out of character for Bryson. They file a missing person report.

 8:41 a.m. Wednesday, July 26: Surveillance video from the Valley Ag store on N.C. 280 shows Brysons 2007 Honda Ridgeline making a left turn from South Mills River Road onto on N.C. 280 toward Asheville. Four minutes later, according to Verizon Wireless, Brysons cell phone is powered off. The last ping was traced to the Grace Community Church area on N.C. 280 at Cardinal Road.

 Wednesday, July 26: Superior Court Judge Jeff Hunt grants a request by the SBI to track the senior Stroupes cell phone.

 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 26: Armed with a court order allowing a GPS tracking device on the senior Stroupes 2010 Ford Focus, Henderson County Sheriffs Detective Michael Lolley calls Phillip Stroupe and asks to speak with him about the sightings and see if he may know any places where his son may try  to hide in that area. Stroupe agrees to meet at Starbucks at the Asheville Mall. After Lolley and two other deputies watch Stroupe park and walk in to the Starbucks, Lolley attaches the tracker to Stroupes vehicle. The deputies then walk into the coffee shop and meet with Stroupe, who denies having had any contact with his son.

 Wednesday, July 26: Stroupe drives west to Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and the Johnson City in East Tennessee. Three days later, investigators locate surveillance video from a Wal-Mart in Sevierville that shows Stroupe arriving at and leaving the store.

 July 26: A tipster calls the Buncombe County sheriffs office to say he was at Hawkins home that day and was 120 percent sure that Stroupe was there, as was the Honda Ridgeline. The other people there were later identified as Jennifer Hawkins, her boyfriend, Frederick Badgero and her nephew Larry Hawkins III. Stroupe kept asking (Hawkins III and Badgero) to follow him somewhere but he would not advise where they were going, the tipster said. The caller saw Stroupe drive off in the Ridgeline, followed by the Hawkins in a 2016 Toyota Camry. Buncombe deputies later charge Jennifer Hawkins, Larry Hawkins III and Badgero with harboring Stroupe. In a search warrant application, Detective Lolley says the paint on the grass is a possible match for the black paint on the Ridgeline.

 11:47 p.m. Wednesday, July 26: SBI agents conducting surveillance near the senior Stroupes home spot Michael Stroupe driving the Ridgeline, trailed by the Camry owned by Jennifer Hawkins. The SBI agents pursue Stroupe, who speeds away and eludes the officers until stop sticks disable the vehicle on U.S. 70 in Marion. Stroupe jumps and runs and officers chase him on foot. They catch him near a mobile home park and later recover Stroupes silver .38-caliber Smith & Wesson Special.

 Thursday, July 27: Interviewed by SBI agent Casey Drake and Buncombe County sheriffs Capt. John Elkins, Stroupe confesses to stealing Brysons vehicle when the victim was at his mailbox. He claims to have not seen him since.

 Thursday, July 27: Lolley and two other Buncombe detectives knock on the door of Jennifer Hawkins doublewide mobile home at 4 Rocky Lane, in Barnardsville. Her nephew, Larry Hawkins III, claims not to know who lives there and says he doesnt Michael Stroupe is. While that interview is going on, two detectives walking along the driveway spot black paint on the grass. When Lolley asks Larry Hawkins to look at the grass, Hawkins said he had no idea what was on the ground. I then asked him if he had ever seen black grass before, and he stated, no, he had not, and that be believed that the substance was in fact paint.

 Friday, July 28: Superior Court Judge Marvin Pope of Buncombe County grants a search warrant for the home of Jennifer Hawkins home.

 Saturday, July 29: In post-Miranda admissions to investigators in Marion, Stroupe tells interrogators that the murder of Bryson was not premeditated and demanded a deal with all the district attorneys.

 Saturday, July 29: Phillip Stroupe comes to the Marion County jail to visit his son. During a recorded telephone conversation between a glass partition, Stroupe asks his father to retrieve and hide Brysons body. Aware of the conversation and apparent attempt by Stroupe to enlist his father to hide the body, deputies search Stroupes cell for a map or notes he may have shown to his father. They find nothing. When the jail staff attempted to look at Phillip Michael Stroupes hands, he resisted and had to be restrained. They see that Stroupe had obliterated the writing on his hand. They can make out the word exit  on the side of his palm. They photograph his smeared word.

 Saturday, July 29: Phillip Stroupe makes numerous calls and sends text messages to others, including Michaels mother, Patricia Fender.

 Sunday, July 30: Henderson County Detective Aaron Lisenbee obtains a warrant charging Phillip Stroupe with accessory after the fact of first-degree kidnapping. Lisenbee and SBI agent Chuck Vines arrange to meet Phillip Stroupe at a picnic area near Stroupes house in Burnsville. Stroupe admits that his son was asking him to further conceal Thomas Brysons body and provided directions that were written on his hand and a small piece of paper. Stroupe claimed he couldnt read the writing even though he verbally acknowledged on the visitation recordings that he did. The officers arrest Stroupe on the accessory charge and seize his cell phone.

 Sunday night, July 30: Searchers find Brysons body in a cornfield off Glenbridge Road Southeast in Arden.

 Monday, July 31: Jennifer Hawkins, 40, Frederick Aurther Badgero Jr., 45, and Larry Jay Hawkins III, 23, all of 4 Rocky Lane, Barnardsville, are charged with harboring an escapee and accessory after the fact of first-degree murder. They remain jailed in Buncombe County under $200,000 bond. Phillip Stroupe is charged with accessory after the fact of first-degree murder.

 July 31: An autopsy shows Bryson died of a gunshot wound to the face and that a bullet remained in his skull. Phillip Michael Stroupe is charged with first-degree murder. He also faces charges in Henderson County, of first-degree kidnapping and motor vehicle theft; in Transylvania County, of possession of a firearm by a felon, driving on an unopened road, reckless driving to endanger the public, armed robbery and fleeing to elude arrest; and in McDowell County, for possession of methamphetamine, fleeing to elude arrest, failing to stop for flashing red lights, reckless driving to endanger the public, resisting a public officer and possession of a firearm by a felon.

 Aug. 1: During a first appearance, a judge appoints Henderson County Public Defender Paul Welch to represent Stroupe in the capital murder case.

 Aug. 3: Fire believed to be arson destroys the Barnardsville home of Jennifer Hawkins, her nephew and boyfriend  the three people charged with harboring Michael Stroupe. The fire is still under investigation.

 Aug. 21: Grand jury indicts Michael Stroupe for first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and armed robbery and indicts Phillip Stroupe for accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

Sources: Search warrant applications filed in Henderson County for permission to search Thomas Brysons vehicle and the home of Jennifer Hawkins and to obtain a DNA sample from Michael Stroupe; inventory of evidence listed in returned search warrants; arrest warrants; N.C. Department of Correction records, Henderson County court records, Henderson County sheriffs office news releases, interviews with law enforcement agencies.
Wednesday, Aug. 23

BAND CONCERT

The Butte Community Band will hold its last concert of the summer at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Butte Plaza Mall. Featured are Irish tunes, marches and light concert music. Admission is free so come in out of the smoke and enjoy an evening of music. a spokeswoman said.

COLD HARD CASH SHOW

The Cold Hard Cash Show will be at the Hamilton Ranch Round Barn near Twin Bridges. The concert benefits the Ruby Valley Healthcare Foundation. Tickets are $20 for the show which starts at 6:30 p.m., which includes a free wine and/or beer ticket. The meal and sponsorship tables are sold out.

IMMUNIZATION CLINIC

Put the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department on your back-to-school list and attend the Back-to-School Immunization Clinic from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department, 25 W Front St. No appointment necessary.

FILM FESTIVAL MEET-UP

People interested in volunteering to help with the Covellite International Film Festival Sept. 12-17 in Butte are invited to meet-up gatherings. All meet-ups start at 6 p.m. in the theater, 215 W. Broadway St. They are Wednesday, Aug. 23; Sunday, Aug. 27; Sunday, Sept. 3; and Sunday, Sept. 10. Needed are ushers, ticket takers, venue captains, runners, and people to help at various booths. Volunteers receive a VIP pass and get to meet filmmakers. Details: Don Andrews, don@covellitefilmfest.org.

CLUBS AND MEETINGS

BUTTE

Warped Weavers meet 6 to 8 p.m. 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.

Overeaters Anonymous meets at 6:15 p.m. at the Gold Hill Lutheran Church, 934 Placer St. Details: 406-533-5454.

Al-Anon meetings: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Gold Hill Lutheran Church; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Sharing and Caring, 2100 Farragut (rear entrance).
Adding depth to the hotels culinary team, Gunter Weber has been announced as the new Executive Chef. Classically trained in French cooking techniques, Weber went to culinary school in Switzerland and was selected for a three-year internship at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhoff, a 5-star boutique hotel. Weber honed his palate and passion for cooking while traveling the world working in Switzerland, Burma, and Washington, DC. Prior to joining Chase Park Plaza, Weber was the Chef de Cuisine at Hyatt Regency St. Louis. Recognized for his creative cooking and impressive skills, he served on the opening team for two Hyatt Regency hotels in California. As the Executive Chef at Chase Park Plaza, Weber will oversee the entire culinary and kitchen team.
London UK/Spokane WA  At Magnuson Worldwide, America's fastest growing hotel brand, we are proud to announce the branding of the Magnuson Hotel El Paso West, located near Franklin Mountains State Park.

Formerly the Travelodge El Paso West, the hotel will upgrade its market position to attract travelers via an affiliation with Magnuson Worldwide's international portfolio of over 1,000 hotels and state-of-the-art, global distribution platform.

Magnuson Hotel El Paso West Photo by Magnuson Hotels

Conveniently located on I-10 with easy access to Juarez, the property is also only 7 miles from the University of Texas El Paso, home of the SunBowl. The property boasts complimentary continental breakfast, free Wi-Fi access, parking and an outdoor pool.

Thomas Magnuson, CEO of Magnuson Worlwide says: "We are delighted to be welcoming Rustam Mistry and the full team at the Magnuson Hotel El Paso West, to the Magnuson family."

About Magnuson Hotels

Founded in 2003 as the world's first independent hotel chain, today hotel owners can affiliate with Magnuson as an independent or a franchised brand. With a footprint that includes North America and Europe, the company remains true to the original ethos; providing comprehensive personalised support and customised technology for hotel owners to succeed in their local markets without typical corporate franchise expense or requirements.

For more info: https://magnusonhotelsworldwide.com/.

Alysha Smith

VP of Operations & Development

8000148132

Magnuson Hotels
NAVIS is now part of Revinate, Inc.

---------

NAVIS, the No. 1 reservation sales and marketing technology provider for the hospitality industry, today announced that Jeff Schuett has joined the company as Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Technology. NAVIS has also promoted Brise Carpenter to Vice President of Client Success, and Jeff Robertson to Vice President of Marketing. The newly formed management roster is another key indicator of the company's momentum and record revenue in the company's recently completed the fiscal year 2017.

The consolidation in the travel industry, the dramatic increase in the convergence of hotel and vacation rentals and the market's receptiveness to their revenue-generating platform has prompted NAVIS to broaden its team. Company CEO Kyle Buehner explains, "These are all key appointments as we look to accelerate our growth, roll out new initiatives and streamline existing ones. Jeff Schuett is not only well-versed in technology infrastructure and informational systems - he has sharp insight into the rapidly changing environment of IT architectures and data management. He will play a crucial role in helping us execute on our strategy to be the primary revenue-generating solution for hospitality teams worldwide. Jeff Robertson and Brise Carpenter both have stellar records of accomplishment at NAVIS, and equally important is their passion for what we do. Their promotions reflect our dedication to high-performing team members and our philosophy of unleashing the potential of the people we serve."

Jeff Schuett

In his new role, Jeff will serve as the senior technology leader at NAVIS and provide the strategic management and vision for the company's software development, engineering and IT at NAVIS. Throughout his career, Jeff has been at the forefront of emerging trends and developing innovative technologies.

"NAVIS has a strong reputation as an experienced provider of technology-driven solutions that deliver outstanding results for its clients," said Schuett. "I'm excited to work with such a passionate team, contribute to the company's next-generation technology capabilities, and strengthen NAVIS' foothold as a visionary leader in hospitality."

With over 20 years' of experience in managing software engineering, technology strategy, and infrastructure groups, Jeff's success has spanned the globe with companies and partners in North America, South America, EMEA, India, and Asia-Pacific. Jeff has technology degrees from Washington State University and an MBA from St. Mary's College of California. Click here to learn more about Jeff and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Jeff Robertson

As the new VP of Marketing, Jeff will help craft company strategy, advocate marketplace needs, and accelerate revenue growth. He'll spearhead the company's brand strategy, demand generation, channel marketing, sales enablement, creative design, and client marketing efforts. Jeff has over two decades of marketing experience in emerging technologies, consumer products, and B2B SaaS, most recently as director of marketing at NAVIS.

''I'm incredibly proud to be part of the NAVIS family and to lead our outstanding marketing and communications group," said Robertson. "NAVIS helps our clients achieve such great things, and I'm thrilled to be trusted with telling our great story and getting others excited about what we do."

Jeff holds a BS in Management from Bentley University, an MBA in Marketing from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, and is Pragmatic Marketing Certified. Click here to learn more about Jeff and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Brise Carpenter

Since joining in 2011, Brise has made quite an impression at NAVIS. The love that the company's clients express is due in significant part to Brise and his crew. In his expanded role, Brise will head up the newly formed Client Success organization which consists of the company's highly respected Client Advocate, NAVIS University and Technical Support teams.

"It's an amazing time to be at NAVIS; I am excited to bring new ideas to life that help build on our foundation of client success," said Brise. "Our focus will continue to be on fulfilling the needs of our clients and delivering game-changing results to the market."

Brise holds a BA in Business Management and Organizational Leadership from George Fox University and an MBA from Concordia University. Click here to learn more about Brise and connect with him on LinkedIn.

About Revinate

Revinate takes hoteliers to new heights of performance through data-driven solutions that cultivate deeper relationships with guests. As the global leader in CDP-driven direct booking platforms, Revinate provides intelligent guest data management, omni-channel guest lifecycle communications, feedback, and commerce solutions for tens of thousands of the worlds leading hotels. Revinates software as a service (SaaS) solution is purpose-built for hoteliers with a focus on actionable data, intuitive UI, industry-specific applications, and measurable direct revenue results. For those reasons, Revinates solution has been chosen by hoteliers as the Top Rated CRM/Marketing Product in Hotel Tech Report in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. For more information, visit www.revinate.com.

Kelsie Skinner

Director of Marketing

541-330-3503
Alta Crystal Enumclaw WA

Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a member of Hotel Brokers International, announced the successful sale of the Alta Crystal Resort, Enumclaw, Washington. Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a licensed Washington broker, exclusively represented the Seller in the sale. Joseph P. Kennedy, President of CIP, worked closely with the Seller, Buyer and Buyers Broker as well as lenders and other professionals, to negotiate a mutually acceptable sale. The final sale price was confidential.

The upscale Washington select service resort on Mt. Rainier is in the heart of year-round recreation opportunities with excellent ski area proximity in the Cascade Range in Northwest Washington. An hour from SEA-TAC and Seattle Metro, the Alta Crystal resort enjoys a remarkable location that draws tourists year round.

Joseph Kennedy, President of Crystal Investment Property said, We enjoyed tremendous interest in this beautiful lodge resort with phenomenal location over the course of our term marketing it and were pleased to be able to put together a well-qualified and experienced Buyer who truly appreciates its special appeal and long term potential.

Crystal Investment Property, a premiere hospitality investment advisory and brokerage company located in the Pacific Northwest, maintains the most cutting-edge technological, online and social media presence as well as a full range of traditional and web-based marketing reaching local, regional, national and international clientele. The firms core services of hospitality asset acquisition/disposition are supported by innovative and creative solutions to maintain position as the most active and successful hotel broker in the region. Crystal Investment Property represents the full spectrum of hospitality real estate owners and their experience covers all hospitality assets types, including: full service hotels, boutique hotels, select service hotels, limited service hotels, as well as development projects, and leasehold transactions. Crystal Investment Property may be accessed online at www.crystalip.com.

Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales. HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated more than 10,000 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States. The organizations database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts site visitors from around the world. Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investors Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program. In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services. For more information about HBIs hotel listings or to become a broker or affiliate member, visit www.hbihotels.com.

For more information contact:

Joseph P. Kennedy, President

Crystal Investment Property, LLC

Portland, Oregon

503.530.1316

joe@crystalip.com

Glenda J. Webb, Managing Director

Hotel Brokers International

Kansas City, Missouri

816.505.4315

gwebb@hbihotels.com
FLORENCE  Most of the smoke rising from the Lolo Peak fire on Monday came from deliberate burnout operations between One Horse and Tie Chute creeks, a placid change compared to the drama leading into last weekend.

When it crossed the management line at the top of Mormon Creek (on Friday), we gave the evacuation order, fire spokesman Mike Cole said. We knew it could have been down to the valley floor in four hours.

The day before, the fire ran seven miles in seven hours east along Lolo Creek. Another cold front on Friday sent it rampaging south across the front of the Bitterroot Mountains above the Macintosh Manor subdivision. Firefighters had set a burnout on those mountainsides southwest of Lolo on Thursday, hoping to create a buffer with nothing to burn before the main flame front arrived.

Thats where we had slop-over from the burnout operation on the 17th when two houses got burned, Cole said. If wed had just a dozer line and a shaded fuel break there, there was a very high probability wed have had fire all the way down to Travelers Rest.

The Lolo Peak fire has already claimed one firefighters life and injured another. Sen. Steve Daines visited the fire camp on Saturday, followed by Sen. Jon Tester on Monday. Both members of the Montana congressional delegation called for better funding for forest management as well as firefighting.

Ive been in the Senate 10 years, and theres only been one year that hasnt been a really wild fire season, Tester said after his briefing in Florence. Moneys going out the door to the tune of $1.5 million a day, and thats just for Montana.

Whether that money will get reimbursed to the Forest Service and cooperating state and federal agencies when Congress resumes its budgetary work in September remains to be seen. Tester said he expected some extra funding would be put in this years spending authority, but was uncertain if a long-term fix to the problem of fire-borrowing from other non-fire projects like forest management would get attention.

Backed by hard-won lessons from 2014s Lolo Creek fire, this summers incident commanders braced for big problems soon after the Lolo Peak fire got started on July 15. Although only a few hundred acres were burning in a remote basin southwest of the actual Lolo Peak, the fire quickly had one of the nations top fire managers assigned.

We started putting together projections when it was just 200 acres, Cole said. If it comes out, where does it come out to? We were right on the money.

Several factors stacked up to make the backcountry fire a potential urban threat. It was burning between 5,000 and 7,500 feet elevation, right where a thermal belt in the atmosphere kept nighttime temperatures much warmer than the valley floors. The Lantern Ridge slopes below Lolo Peak were covered with thick timber with little access for firefighting ground crews or heavy equipment. And the Lolo Creek canyons were set up to blast winds due east toward the houses of the Bitterroot Valley. That put 903 homes in danger in the L-shaped zone of houses along the foothills of the mountains.

Cole said if the worst case scenario broke out, the Lolo Peak fire could hit 30,000 acres. On Monday, it measured 31,459.

More residents who had been evacuated from the fire's path were able to return to their homes Monday as additional orders to leave were downgraded to warnings, thanks to improved weather conditions.

Evacuation orders were lifted for residents on Sleeman Creek Road as of 11 a.m. Sunday, though the area is still on evacuation warning, according to InciWeb incident management system. Homes west of Sleeman Creek will remain evacuated.

Other areas were reduced to warning status at 10 a.m. Monday, allowing residents to return home: from the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 West and U.S. Highway 93 South, west to Lolo Creek Drive; from the intersection of Highway 12 West and Highway 93 South, south to Sun Valley Road.

***

In other western Montana fires, according to InciWeb, the national fire reporting service:

Fire behavior on the Sapphire Complex in the Rock Creek drainage increased Monday afternoon as fuels dried out under hotter and dryer weather conditions, with wind the main driver of the spreading fire. Fire intensities were high due to heavy dead and down fuels. The following fire activity was predicted: active fire perimeter spread to the east due to winds; running head fires spreading quickly through fine fuels when backed by winds; group torching in areas with heavier fuel concentrations, and wind-driven fire spread on exposed hillsides and ridge tops. Clear skies were expected overnight Monday, allowing strong inversions to develop with little humidity recovery. This will extend the active fire burn period.

Little Hogback had burned 29,023 acres as of Monday morning, accounting for the majority of the Sapphire Complexs 38,219 acres.

Fire crews, with air support, will reinforce lines along the Sunrise fire, focusing on blocking it from reaching the bottom of Trout Creek, and other suppression efforts along the east and southeast edges.

The blaze south of Trout Creek and west of Interstate 90 grew just about 100 acres Sunday to 24,968, although it could become more active as the weather becomes hotter and drier over the next few days.

Suppression efforts on the Rice Ridge fire, overshadowing Seeley Lake, were limited Sunday by weather and visibility conditions.

The fire grew a few hundred acres Sunday, mostly from increased activity in the western burn area that crews targeted by air with heavy buckets. Strategic burns will be conducted near Morrell Lookout if weather allows. Its estimated size is 15,497 acres.

As for air quality, expect "Groundhog Day, only with wildfire smoke and fewer groundhog," Sarah Coefield, the air quality specialist with the Missoula City-County Health Department, wrote in her Monday afternoon update.

"Look for smoke pooling near active fires overnight, with the most severe impacts in Seeley Lake, Lolo and Florence. Conditions at these locations will likely be Very Unhealthy or Hazardous by morning," she wrote.

When air quality is very unhealthy, people with heart or lung disease, smokers, children and the elderly should avoid heavy or prolonged exertion and stay indoors when possible, people with asthma should follow asthma management plan. People experiencing symptoms of heart or lung disease associated with smoke exposure should contact their health care provider. Everyone else should limit prolonged exertion and limit time spent outdoors.

When air quality is hazardous, all people should limit or avoid outdoor exertion and leave the area or stay indoors with filtered air when possible. Anyone experiencing symptoms of heart of lung disease associated with smoke exposure should contact their health care provider.
niu Rig Hotel Announced for Lbeck, Germany

The niu in the Hanseatic city of Lubeck will follow the first niu hotel, located in Essen. The niu Rig is currently under development by the Hamburg Hotel Group at the strategic, prime location 'Am Bahnhof 17-19' According to current planning, the 83-room hotel will open in April 2018.

All niu hotels are highly individualized, each with its own charm. From the name to the interior, food and drink, the niu Rig tells a story inspired by shorelines and seafaring adventures - very fitting for the maritime history of the location and the vigorous activity in the Hanseatic city.

The name Rig is the term for the system of ropes or chains employed to support a ship's masts. This makes sense because Lubeck has reigned over the Hanseatic League for over 500 years and today, as a gateway to the Baltic Sea, it is becoming an increasingly popular destination among tourists. Guests enjoy trendy furniture, accessories with a turquoise-white ambience and recurring maritime motives such as pirates, anchors, ropes, sailors and sails. In contrast to all expectations, the implementation is typically niu; quite casual yet lively. Pleasant armchairs, parquet flooring, exceptional art and more invite the modern globetrotter to experience a unique and instagrammable world.

In line with the niu philosophy, everything is shared at the niu Rig. "With our niu concept, we are throwing old conventions overboard and creating an open world of experience for both locals and travelers at attractive prices," explains David Etmenan, Chief Executive Officer & Owner of the NOVUM Hotel Group. From our Bistro to Living Lobby - everything fits seamlessly, is networked and is even a place where locals enjoy lingering. Not to forget our Nordic-fresh inspired culinary delights such as Schwarzbrot (dark rye bread), Rotspon (locally bottled red wine), mackerel, marzipan and more, and other delights such as inspiring background music and the latest technology. Guests will find ample electrical outlets, smart flat screens, USB ports and high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.

More than 30 original niu hotels will be built in Europe by 2019.
INNSIDE by Meli Zhengzhou Hotel Opens in China

INNSIDE by Melia, the upscale urban lifestyle brand of Melia Hotels International announced today the opening of INNSIDE by Melia Zhengzhou, a brand new hotel located in the Zhengdong New District of Zhengzhou, China. The property marks the official launch of the INNSIDE by Melia brand in China.

INNSIDE by Melia, the upscale urban lifestyle brand of Melia Hotels International announced today the opening of INNSIDE by Melia Zhengzhou, a brand new hotel located in the Zhengdong New District of Zhengzhou, China. The property marks the official launch of the INNSIDE by Melia brand in China, a milestone for the group, which recently celebrated 60 years in the hotel industry.

The new four-star hotel is the fourth Melia Hotels International property to open in China, following the success of Gran Melia Xian, Melia Jinan and Melia Shanghai Hongqiao. The newly built property, located a three-minute walk from the Zhengzhou East Railway Station, blends seamlessly into the urban landscape. Keeping in step with the modern aesthetic of the upscale INNSIDE by Melia brand, all 335 rooms are bathed in light by floor-to-ceiling windows and designed in a monochromatic palette.

"Opening INNSIDE by Melia Zhengzhou puts us in the very heart of a dynamic city and extends the momentum of Melia Hotels International in China," said Bernardo Cabot Estarellas, Senior Vice President of Melia Hotels International Asia Pacific. "We're very proud because INNSIDE by Melia Zhengzhou is the fruition of a longstanding partnership with Greenland, who have been instrumental to Melia's success and growth in China."

Designed to meet the demands of modern day business travelers, Mr. Cabot added, "Our vision is an exciting one: To create a more authentic experience for today's bleisure travelers, or Work Trippers. For them, they've broken away from the strictly utilitarian business travel of old, transitioning between business and leisure seamlessly; we're confident the INNSIDE by Melia brand in China will enrich the experience for next-gen business travelers."

An open-plan lobby design is complemented by Syndeo, the hotel's all-day dining restaurant. Meaning "connect" in Greek, Syndeo is ideal for work and relaxation, offering a wide variety of local specialties and exquisite international dishes. After work, Syndeo is transformed into a bar, where guests can savor signature cocktails while enjoying magnificent city views.

Guests will enjoy the standard offerings of complimentary Wi-Fi and a 24-hour fitness center, underscored by Melia's culture of passion for service. The city of Zhengzhou is fast becoming a key business hub in China. INNSIDE by Melia Zhengzhou's central location makes this the perfect locale for business and leisure travelers to the city, and promises to be an urban escape for savvy Work Trippers looking for unique and memorable experiences.

Melia Hotels International will maintain its robust momentum in Asia Pacific, launching six hotels per year in the region. There are 18 hotels currently in operation and the group is expected to have over 40 hotels by 2022.
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
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS):The fate of McDonald's chain of restaurants in northern and eastern India are in limbo with McDonaldas India Pvt. Ltd (MIPL), the Indian unit of the American company, severing ties with its local joint venture partner Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt Limited (CRPL), according to media reports on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Indian unit of McDonald's ended its agreement with CRPL.

According to the notice, CRPL will have to cease using the McDonalds system (which includes proprietary rights in McDonalds names, trademarks, designs, branding, operational and marketing practice and policies, and food recipes and specifications) and its associated intellectual property in relation to these restaurants within 15 days of the termination notice."

Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald's was operating through two business entities in India.

CRPL operated 169 outlets in the northern and eastern India.

There is no problem with Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Limited, which operates 261 McDonald's outlets in the western and southern parts of the country.

McDonald's said CRPL violated "certain essential obligations" of the agreement, including the payment of royalties, according to media reports.

Media quoted the American company as saying that the local partner "has failed to remedy the breaches, despite being provided with an opportunity to do so in accordance with the agreements."

About a couple of months ago, CPRL had shut 43 of the 55 McDonalds restaurants in Delhi following its failure to renew their licences, amid a legal battle between Vikram Bakshi, managing director of CPRL and McDonalds.

According to media reports, in 2013, McDonalds voted against the re-election of Bakshi as managing director of CPRL. Bakshi challenged his removal at the Company Law Board (now the National Company Law Tribunal, or NCLT), accusing McDonalds of mismanagement and oppression.

Later in 2013, McDonalds revoked the joint venture agreement and invoked arbitration. McDonalds has been pursuing arbitration against Bakshi in the London Court of International Arbitration.

However, the NCLT reinstated Bakshi as managing director of CPRL earlier in June, media reported.

While the employees of the units heading for closure are not sure about their future, Amit Jatia, vice-chairman of Westlife, which runs Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Limited, declined to comment on the possibility of it opting for McDonalds franchise for north and east India, according to media reports.

Image: McDonald's India/Twitter
Cuttack, Aug 22 (IBNS): Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Tuesday inaugurated Schneider Electric India Foundationas Solar Energy Training Center at Sri Sri University in Cuttack, Odisha.

The inauguration took place after a convocation ceremony at the Sri Sri University which was attended by Honorable Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar.

The Solar Energy Training Center has been set up by Schneider Electric India Foundation (SEIF)  the social commitment of Schneider Electric India - in partnership with Sri Sri Rural Development Programme (SSRDP) Trust. The centre will educate and empower the youth to propel the growth of renewable energy sector in India by providing pool of skilled resources.

With this, Schneider Electric now has six functional Renewable Energy Training Centres across India, others being at Vizag, New Delhi, Bhubaneswar and Bangalore. SEIF plans to set up three more Renewable Energy Training Centers in the next few months at Jaipur, Lucknow and Bangalore.

Overall, the company has set up 251 training centres across India - including both  Basic Electrician Center as well as Renewable Energy Center  and has trained nearly 77,000 unemployed youth since the beginning of its electrician training program in 2009. In the solar sector, the company has trained 600 youth so far and plans to train another 1500 technicians by March 2018. Globally, the company plans to train one million youth, 10,000 trainers and support 10,000 entrepreneurs by 2025.

Speaking on the occasion, Venkat Garimella, Vice President  Strategy & Alliance and CSR, Schneider Electric, stated, We are extremely excited at the commissioning of this centre in partnership with the SSRDP and extend our gratitude to Mr. Prakash Javadekar, the honble minister and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for being a part of this. We recognize the importance of training in the renewable energy sector, which is a sector with immense potential. Lack of trained resources with relevant skills to construct and operate solar plants is an existing gap and ongoing challenge within Indias workforce. This skill gap is increasingly recognized as a barrier to realize the countrys renewable energy targets. Through our partnership with Sri Sri Rural Development Programme (SSRDP) Trust, we are keen to address the skill gap in the renewable energy sector and support the governments efforts towards skill development.
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS): Two main petitioners, Zakia Soman and Shayara Bano, on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's declaration of instant Triple Talaq (oral divorce to Muslim women by their husbands) as "unconstitutional" by a 3:2 majority verdict.

Soman told journalists: "The fundamental right has been upheld by the Supreme Court order." Terming it a tyranny of the patriarchy, she said: "Muslim women in India have suffered for the last 70 years. It's a historic day for us, but it doesn't end here."

Other petitioner, Shayara Bano, a news channel: "Feeling good after hearing the news. It is a historic decision of Muslim women."

While the petitioner in the case from which the landmark verdict was awaited was 36-year-old Shayara Bano, spearheading the campaign to end triple talaq in the Muslim society is Zakia Soman, the 50 plus co-founder of Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA, the other founder of which is Noorjehan Safia Niaz).

In what is seen as a landmark victory for the Muslim women fighting to scrap the practice of triple talaq, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said the practice is unconstitutional and asked the government to legislate a law in Parliament.

In a 3:2 verdict of the five bench judges' panel, the apex court said Triple Talaq is unconstitutional and illegal which means it has been struck down.

The Supreme Court also put the ball in the court of the government to frame a law to ban it.

The Chief Justice of India JS Khehar gave his judgement while other judges pronounced their verdicts too. While triple talaq is thus effectively banned, the operative part of the judgement means it is an injunction for six months till a law is made.

Majority of the judges said the practice was violative of Indian constitution and retrograde.

However, contradicting with the SC's order, member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Kamal Faruqui, said: "Triple Talaq is obviously an inappropriate practice but it is there in Sharia. We are no one to disobey Sharia."

Union women and child development minister, Maneka Gandhi, welcomed the verdict of the apex court. She was quoted by CNN news 18: "It is a small step from Supreme Court, giant step for women."

Triple talaq, widely practised in India, is a form of unilateral oral divorce to Muslim women by their husbands by uttering the word "talaq" thrice.

The five member bench led by Chief Justice of India, Justice JS Khehar heard the case. The panel of five judges have representation different different faiths - Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

The five-judge bench comprises of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Abdul Nazeer.

The top court reserved its decision since the hearing concluded in May.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier said he would try to give justice to the Muslim women even though some Muslim bodies like the Muslim Law Board had opposed it.



Image: Zakia Soman Facebook
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS): In a landmark victory for the Muslim women in India, who were fighting to scrap the practice of instant triple talaq, the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday said the practice is unconstitutional and illegal, and asked the country's government to legislate a law in Parliament.

In a 3:2 majority verdict, the apex court said Triple Talaq is unconstitutional and illegal since it is in violation of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution guaranteeing equality before the law.

It has thus been struck down in effect.

The five-judge bench comprises of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Abdul Nazeer. The panel of five judges represent different faiths - Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

The Supreme Court also put the ball in the court of the Indian government to frame a law to ban it. The Chief Justice of India JS Khehar gave his judgement while other judges pronounced their verdicts too.

While Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer favoured suspension of the practice for six months by when the government should fame a law in this regard, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit held it as clearly unconstitutional and illegal.

While triple talaq is thus effectively banned, the operative part of the judgement means it is an injunction for six months till a law is made. The top court had reserved its decision since the hearing concluded in May this year.

Majority of the judges said the practice was violative of Indian constitution and it is retrograde.

Triple talaq, widely practised in India, is a form of unilateral oral divorce to Muslim women by their husbands by uttering the word "talaq" thrice.

A file photo of Zakia Soman and other women from her FB pageWhile the petitioner in the landmark case is 36-year-old Shayara Bano, the campaign to end triple talaq or polygamy in the Muslim society was spearheaded by Zakia Soman, the 50 plus co-founder of Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA, the other founder of which is Noorjehan Safia Niaz).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier said he would try to give justice to the Muslim women even though some Muslim bodies like the Muslim Law Board are opposing it.

Two main petitioners, Zakia Soman and Shayara Bano, on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's declaration of instant Triple Talaq (oral divorce to Muslim women by their husbands) as "unconstitutional" by a 3:2 majority verdict.

Soman told journalists: "The fundamental right has been upheld by the Supreme Court order." Terming it a tyranny of the patriarchy, she said: "We are happy. It is a historic day. We Muslim are entitled to justice from court as well as legislature. Constitution gives us equal rights.

"Muslim women in India have suffered for the last 70 years. It doesn't end here."

Other petitioner, Shayara Bano, a news channel: "Feeling good after hearing the news. It is a historic decision of Muslim women."

After the Supreme Court nullified the age-old Islamic practice of triple talaq, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Tuesday said its legal committee will study and advice the executive of the board.

"We have convened a meeting of the executive on 10 September at Bhopal to decide the future course of action," media report quoted the board as saying.

Later the Board said they would take necessary action and the government would be spared for making any legislation.

Contradicting with the SC's order, member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Kamal Faruqui, on a TV panel said: "Triple Talaq is obviously an inappropriate practice but it is there in Sharia. We are no one to disobey Sharia."

Union women and child development minister, Maneka Gandhi, welcomed the verdict of the apex court. She was quoted by CNN news 18: "It is a small step from Supreme Court, giant step for women."
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS) : Soon after the Supreme Court judgment on Triple Talaq, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as "historic" and called it a move that grants equality to Muslim women.

The prime minister tweeted in support of the historic verdict.

"Judgment of the Hon'ble SC on Triple Talaq is historic. It grants equality to Muslim women and is a powerful measure for women empowerment," he said.

Earlier, BJP Prsident Amit Shah hailed the SC verdict and called it the "dawn of a new era for Muslim women," while leaders from the opposition Congress also had the words of kudos for the historic judgement.

Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq heralds a new era of self-respect and equality for Muslim women," Shah said in a statement.

"It's a big win for gender justice and beginning of a new era. Muslim women have been given respect," he said.

Union minister Maneka Gandhi said : Its a good judgment and another step towards gender justice and gender equality

Congress leader Manish Tewari tweeted: Welcome 3.2 verdict of SC striking down #TripleTalaq. It is a constructive,progressive decision that must be welcomed by all right thinkers.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid: What we hoped to happen has now happened, it is a good decision. Yeh faisla sachchai, vastvikta aur sahi Islam ko ujaagar karta hai (This verdict highlights true Islam).

In what is seen as a landmark victory for the Muslim women fighting to scrap the practice of triple talaq, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said the practice is unconstitutional and asked the government to legislate a law in Parliament.

In a 3:2 verdict of the five bench judges' panel, the apex court said Triple Talaq is unconstitutional and illegal which means it has been struck down.

The Supreme Court also put the ball in the court of the government to frame a law to ban it.
Patna, Aug 22 (TheBiharPost/ IBNS ): The CBI on Tuesday filed chargesheet against former RJD MP from Siwan Mohammad Shahabuddin and six other accused in journalist Rajdeo Ranjan murder case.

The chargesheet has been filed under section 302, 120 (B) of the IPC and 27 Arms Act. The CBI says it has enough evidence against the accused persons.

The journalist was killed for writing news against Shahabuddin and the entire conspiracy was hatched in Siwan jail, CBIs special public prosecutor Deep Narayan was quoted as saying in Hindi daily Prabhat Khabar.

The journalist who worked for Hindi daily Hindustan was shot dead by motor-borne shooters in May last year while he was returning to his home from office in the evening.

Initially, the murder was probed by the special investigation team of the Bihar police but later the investigation was handed over to the CBI on request from the victims wife Asha Ranjan.



thebiharpost.com
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS): Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Nepal, accompanied by his spouse Dr. Arzu Deuba, will arrive in India on Wednesday for a state visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This is his first visit abroad after assuming the office of Prime Minister of Nepal in June 2017.

According to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs, the duration of the visit will be from August 23-27. A high-level delegation will accompany the Prime Minister of Nepal.

During the visit, Prime Minister of Nepal will call on President of India Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.

He will also hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The External Affairs Minister and other ministers will call on the Prime Minister of Nepal, according to the MEA release.

Apart from official engagements in New Delhi, the Prime Minister of Nepal will visit Hyderabad, Tirupati and Bodh Gaya, the MEA said.



Image: AIRNews/Twitter
Srinagar, Aug 22 (IBNS): A militant has been killed during an encounter that is underway in Handwara area of frontier district of Kupwara in north Kashmir on Tuesday.

According to official, after specific input about the presence of some militants, who were hiding in Hingnikoot Ramhal area of Handwara, special Operations Group (SOG) Handwara and Armys 6 RR cordoned off the area.

When forces were searching houses, the militants opened fire and one was killed in the firing that ensured.

Two to three militants are believed to be trapped inside the cordon, official added.

(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS): Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Nepal, accompanied by his spouse Arzu Deuba, will be on a State Visit to India from Aug 23-27 at the invitation of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

This is his first visit abroad after assuming the office of Prime Minister of Nepal in June 2017.

A high-level delegation will accompany the Prime Minister of Nepal, read a statement issued by the MEA.

"During the visit, Prime Minister of Nepal will call-on Rashtrapatiji and Vice President of India and will hold talks with Prime Minister of India. The External Affairs Minister and other Ministers will call on the Prime Minister of Nepal. Apart from official engagements in New Delhi, the Prime Minister of Nepal will visit Hyderabad, Tirupati and Bodh Gaya," the statement said.

In recent years, India-Nepal partnership has witnessed significant growth in all areas of cooperation.

The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity to both the sides for holding wide-ranging discussions on issues of mutual interest, and advancing age old, special ties of friendship between our two countries.
Washington/New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS): India has welcomed US President Donald Trump's speech where he spoke about his administration's new Afghanistan strategy and even attacked Pakistan for giving 'safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror'.

In a statement, appreciating Trump's remarks, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: "'We welcome President Trumps determination to enhance efforts to overcome the challenges facing Afghanistan and confronting issues of safe havens and other forms of cross-border support enjoyed by terrorists. India shares these concerns and objectives."

"We are committed to supporting the Government and the people of Afghanistan in their efforts to bring peace, security, stability and prosperity in their country. We have been steadfast in extending reconstruction and development assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with our traditional friendship with its people. We will continue these efforts, including in partnership with other countries," he said.

Trump sent out a strong message to Pakistan over the issue of terrorism and said the Asian country has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," Trump said.

He said: "in the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices."

"But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace," he said.



Following is the full text of Donald Trump on on the strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia

"Thank you very much. Thank you. Please be seated.

Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan. Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer and every member of the United States military at home and abroad.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search and recovery efforts.

I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the servicemembers here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home.

Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history.

American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their lives -- and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality.

By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under God. The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared sense of purpose.

They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together -- and sacrifice together -- in absolutely perfect cohesion. That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters. They're all part of the same family; it's called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.

The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together.

Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.

The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.

As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas -- and we will always win -- let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name that, when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.

Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th -- and nobody can ever forget that -- have not been repeated on our shores.

But we must also acknowledge the reality I am here to talk about tonight: that nearly 16 years after September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history -- 17 years.

I share the American peoples frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.

That is why, shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of Defense Mattis and my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia.

My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you're President of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy. I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about Americas core interests in Afghanistan.

First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need, and the trust they have earned, to fight and to win.

Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th.

And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.

Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense. Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world.

For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen.

No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But, one way or another, these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win.

We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now -- the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.

We need look no further than last weeks vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children. You saw it for yourself. Horrible.

As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology.

Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and predators, and -- that's right -- losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily.

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, Americas interests are clear: We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter.

But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history. As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways:

A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. Ive said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options. We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.

Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.

Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power -- diplomatic, economic, and military -- toward a successful outcome.

Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field.

Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.

The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.

In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices.

But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a countrys harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.

Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the worlds largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate Indias important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development. We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work quickly.

I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles. They are won in the field drawing upon the judgment and expertise of wartime commanders and frontline soldiers acting in real time, with real authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.

Thats why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and Americans arms. Retribution will be fast and powerful.

As we lift restrictions and expand authorities in the field, we are already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.

Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force.

Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.

We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will. Since taking office, I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense, and they have done so.

In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.

Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed.

But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward.

Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country. But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace.

America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open.

In abiding by the oath I took on January 20th, I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists take heed: America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat.

Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military. And this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense.

In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed. We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.

Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of Americas greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.

Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after September 11th, 2001. They volunteered for a simple reason: They loved America, and they were determined to protect her.

Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives. We must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad. We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid.

Our actions, and in the months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation. With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of peace.

We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you.

Thank you. May God bless our military. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you (Applause)."



END
Guwahati, Aug 22 (IBNS): Taking note of the ordeal faced by the passengers in the wake of disrupted rail link of North East Region with the rest of the country, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal requested Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu to restore train services.

Sonowal called Prabhu over phone on Tuesday morning and drew his attention towards the harrowing situation of rail passengers particularly from the North East following the snapped rail link in Katihar division and requested him to restore train services.

The Assam CM also apprised the Railways Minister of the impending development and that of shortfall of essential commodities in the region following prolonged disruption of rail traffic - both passenger and goods trains - and asked his intervention for early restoration of the damaged portion of the tracks washed away by the deluge.

Prabhu, however, assured Sonowal that the Railways with its men and materials are on the toes, day in and day out to repair the damaged rail tracks and restore train services at the earliest.



Sonowal also spoke to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to ensure smooth movement of goods laden trucks so that there is no scarcity of essential commodities in Assam and other parts of North East.

Gadkari assured the Chief Minister of all necessary measures in this regard.



Moreover, in view of the disrupted train services and following allegations that air tickets have undergone inordinate rise in fares, Sonowal also spoke to Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and requested him for his initiative in maintaining reasonable fare of flights connecting the North East part of the country.

Later talking to newsmen at his official residence in New Delhi, Sonowal said that the entire State Government machinery is focussed on providing relief and rehabilitation to the flood affected people of the State.

He also told the mediapersons that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting on Monday, asked the Chief Ministers to help the States affected by flood.

Expressing his deep gratitude to the Prime Minister for his love and affection towards the people of Assam, Sonowal said that, Narendra Modiji has been closely monitoring the flood situation and helping the state in all possible ways to mitigate the sufferings of the flood affected people.

The Assam CM also informed that under Prime Ministers directive, a high level committee would be constituted for finding a comprehensive and lasting solution to the flood and erosion problems plaguing the State.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Chennai, Aug 22 (IBNS): Pro-Sasikala legislators of Tamil Nadu's ruling AIADMK and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran are now demanding that state Chief Minister E Palaniswami should undertake a trust vote in the assembly.

Nineteen MLAs loyal to Sasikala met the state's Governor on Tuesday morning protesting the merger of two factions of AIADMK led by Chief Minister E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, which they called "illegal."

According to reports, these legislators told the Governor that they no longer had confidence in Palaniswami government.

Dinakaran, who was appointed by Sasikala as the AIADMK's number two, is not a legislator and he did not accompany the rebel MLAs.

The legislators reportedly alleged that Palaniswami did not consult Dhinakaran before merging his faction with that of Panneerselvam or OPS, which had voted against his Government in a trust vote six months ago.

After the merger, the AIADMK has 134 legislators in the 234-member assembly. With only 17 more legislators than the 117 needed for a majority, the revolt by these 19 could spell a trouble for Palaniswami if he has to face a no-confidence motion.
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS): Amnesty International India on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Courtas verdict declaring the practice of talaq-e-biddat (Triple Talaq) unconstitutional.

Responding to the same, Asmita Basu, Programmes Director at Amnesty International India said: We welcome the Supreme Court judgment. Triple talaq is a discriminatory practice that violates womens right to equality, and has devastated the lives of many Muslim women."

She said that the Supreme Courts bar on this "regressive" practice is a step forward for womens rights in India.

"We urge the government to repeal all religious family laws that violate womens right to equality, without exception, she said.

In a landmark victory for the Muslim women in India, who were fighting to scrap the practice of instant triple talaq, the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday said the practice is unconstitutional and illegal, and asked the country's government to legislate a law in Parliament.

In a 3:2 majority verdict, the apex court said Triple Talaq is unconstitutional and illegal since it is in violation of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution guaranteeing equality before the law.

It has thus been struck down in effect.

The five-judge bench comprises of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Kurian Joseph, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Abdul Nazeer. The panel of five judges represent different faiths - Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

The Supreme Court also put the ball in the court of the Indian government to frame a law to ban it. The Chief Justice of India JS Khehar gave his judgement while other judges pronounced their verdicts too.

The ruling was pronounced on a petition filed two years ago by Shayara Bano, a Muslim woman from Uttarakhand whose husband of 15 years sent her a letter with talaq written three times on it and left her. Similar petitions filed by four other women were heard with Shayara Banos petition.




New Delhi, Aug 22 (IBNS): Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that India and Uzbekistan should work for increasing trade between these two nations to the tune of 1 bn USD by March 2018.

He was interacting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov who called on him, here on Tuesday.

The Vice President said that India and Uzbekistan have close cultural and historical connections and "our peoples have similar developmental aspirations."

He further said that traders and travelers over centuries helped exchange of ideas between countries.

Naidu expressed his happiness over several cultural events which were held in Uzbekistan to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between these two nations.

The Uzbekistan Foreign Minister has expressed his happiness over visiting India which has strong cultural heritage.

He hoped that discussions during the visit will help in identifying new areas of cooperation and take relationship to a higher level.


Image: 1.bp.blogspot.com

Brisbane, Aug 22 (IBNS): Danish Crown Prince Frederik was denied entry to a bar in Australia's Brisbane because of lack of proper identification, local media reports said.

However, the 49-year-old Prince was later allowed entry with the help of diplomatic protection from police.

Queensland has strict rules for getting entry in areas which sells alcohol.

Entry seekers require to produce either their driving licence or passport as valid identification in order to enter such premises.

According to provincial government, the law was introduced in the month of July "to minimise the risk of alcohol-related harm".

The co-owner of the bar, Phil Hogan, told the Brisbane Courier Mail that the new rules were a nightmare.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg with the prince. It's happening all the time with normal people," he said.

The incident has been criticised by the paper, who termed the new rule as 'draconian'.

It said, that the "cringe inducing blunder resulting from the draconian lockout laws, which are regularly catching out backpackers, foreign tourists and business travellers".

It is notable that Prince Frederik had famously met his wife Mary in a pub in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics.



Image: 1.bp.blogspot.com


Barcelona, Aug 22 (IBNS): The prime suspect in Barcelona attack which claimed at least 13 lives and injured 100 others, has been shot dead by police, reports said.

Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22, is presumed to be the driver of the van which drove over pedestrians in Las Ramblas, either killing or injuring them.

He was shot dead 25 miles (40km) west of Barcelona, near a sewage treatment plant, following a tip-off.

Police said that the attacker was wearing a fake explosive belt and shouted Allahu Akbar, when police confronted him.

Following the strike, bomb disposal officers used a robot to detect the belt and found it out to be fake.

Local witnesses were quoted in the media as saying that some 20 police cars had headed to the area to take on Abouyaaqoub.

Earlier, police had shot dead five attackers and thwarted a second attack from taking place, in Cambrils.

The slain terrorists have been identified as Said Aallaa, 18, Moussa Oukabir, 18, Houssaine Abouyaaqoub, 19, Omar Hychami, 21 and Mohamed Hychami, 24.

Four others were also arrested.

They have been identified as Driss Oukabir, 28, Mohamed Houli Chemlal, Salah al-Karib, 34, and Mohammed Aallaa, 27.

Meanwhile, the imam who had come under scanner for allegedly radicalising the youth, has reportedly died in an accidental explosion near Alcanar.

Police added that the apartment where the explosion took place was used as a bomb making factory.



Image: Screengrab from BBC
New York, Aug 22(Just Earth News): Warning of harassment, revenge attacks and abuse of civilians displaced from the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, United Nations refugee and migration agencies on Tuesdaycalled for people trying to flee the city ahead of military operations to have safe passage.

We fear that Iraqi civilians are likely to be held as human shields again and that attempts to flee could result in executions/shootings, Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told journalists in Geneva about the ongoing operations to retake the city.

He also noted reports of people being denied access to safety and stopped along the way.

We call on all parties to the conflict to allow civilians to leave the conflict area and to access to safety, Mahecic said.

Thousands of civilians are believed to be in Tal Afar, which has been without aid since the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorist group took control of the surrounding communities in 2014.

Since April this year, more than 30,000 people fled Tal Afar district, many living in camps sheltering other displaced families mainly from Mosul, some 65 kilometres south-west.

Conditions in the district are believed to be very difficult, Mahecic said, noting a lack of food, water and electricity.

People are said to have been surviving on unclean water and bread for the past three to four months, he told journalists.

Those who fled have often had to walk in temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius for up to 20 hours at a time, amid shooting, and often leaving behind children, elderly and disabled who are too vulnerable for the trip.

Many talk of seeing dead bodies along the way, and there are reports that some were killed by extremist groups. Others appear to have died due to dehydration or illnesses, said Mahecic.

In the past four day, some 1,500 people arrived at nearby emergency sites managed by the UN International Migration Agency (IOM)

In conjunction with partners, IOM and UNHCR have been treating arrivals with food and water, transporting them to hospitals, if needed, and helping them settle in camps.

IOM is preparing additional aid for hundreds more arrivals expected in the coming days.

Photo: UN migration agency (IOM)

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Afghanistan, Aug 22 (IBNS) : At least 13 Taliban insurgents including two of their local leaders were killed or wounded during the US airstrikes in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Local Khaama Press quoted a statement of the provincial police commandment as saying that the airstrike was carried out by the US forces on Monday morning.

The statement further added that unmanned aerial vehicles targeted the Taliban insurgents in Marki Khel Tangi area of Shirzad district.

At least two Taliban leaders identified as Salahuddin and Abid were among the four militants killed and at least nine others were wounded, the statement said.

According to the local officials, the local residents and security personnel on the ground did not suffer any casualties in the airstrike.

The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.
Kabul, Aug 22 (IBNS): Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's new strategy towards his nation.

In his key speech, Trump on Monday clarified that a rapid exit of the US troops from the war-torn Asian nation was unacceptable and the new Afghanistan strategy would shift from a time-based approach to one which is based on conditions on the ground.

Ghani welcomed the statement tweeted :"On behalf of the Afghan govt and people, I welcome the decision made by Pre. @realDonaldTrump."

In his speech, Trump said: "America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open."

Speaking on terrorism problem in the nation, he said, "Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country. But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace."

Trump said he will want Afghanistan to succeed in their fight against terrorism.

"Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed," he said.
Image: www.commons.wikimedia.org

Islamabad, Aug 22 (IBNS): Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz has been diagnosed with cancer, media reports said.

Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been diagnosed with throat cancer, doctors in the United Kingdom told Geo News on Tuesday.

The doctors, who are treating her, has reportedly said she could be treated.

Kulsoom's treatment will begin in a few days, sources told Geo News.
Toronto, Aug 22 (IBNS): Panorama India celebrated 71st Indian Independence Day and Grand Parade 2017 on Sunday along with Canada 150 at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto.

The day also marked the celebration of 40th year of Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce.

Established in 1999, Panorama India, is a not-for-profit umbrella organization with support from Consulate General of India, Toronto Representatives from "All Stay United.org" were present at the event. They presented a message that One India is Strong India and urged all Indian constituents to stay united.

The highlights of the event were: Canada Parade led Indian actress and yoga proponen,t Shilpa Shetty Kundra, colourful Floats, Food and Vendors, Cultural Programs, Bollywood Singing Star and Celebrity and many more.

The celebrations started with a tribute to Baba Ram Dev and Sister Shivani by some religious chants followed by some yoga practices conducted by yoga teachers and participated by children, young and old who were taught the proper techniques of pranayam. Some of the cultural organizations who participated in the 71st Independence Day.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynn said: "Congratulations to everyone at Panorama India. Amazing community, amazing day!

"On behalf of the Government of OntarioI commend Panorama India for organizing todays paradecommend Indo-Canadian community for its many invaluable contributions to the social, cultural and economic life of the province Wynn added.

Parade Float included 18 colourful floats, a few of them being: Panorama India, Sant Nirankari Mission Toronto, Freedom Yoga, Uttar Pradeshis in Canada (UPICA), Punjabi Times Media Group and many more.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj and Suman Das)
Toronto, Aug 22 (IBNS): A partial but impressive solar eclipse occurred In Canada, with best viewing sites being in Victoria, B.C. where the moon blocked 90 percent of the sun, ain other areas of Western Canada the impact of the eclipse was between 86 to 77 percent.a

Approximately 4.4 million people watched its coverage on the television midway through the eclipse, the biggest live stream event in the space agency's history, reported National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Just half an hour before the occurrence of solar eclipse, NASA's acting administrator, enjoyed the moon's "first bites out of the sun" from a plane flying over the Oregon coast and declared it Robert Lightfoot "just an incredible view."

Alex Young, NASAs solar physicist, said last time that he had experienced such an amazing sight was during his first flight to the moon, on Apollo 8 in 1968.

The next total eclipse will reportedly be visible in parts of central Canada, the Maritimes and Newfoundland, Canada on April 8, 2024.

Astronomers reportedly consider a full solar eclipse the grandest of cosmic spectacles.

The Earth, moon and sun line up perfectly every one to three years, briefly turning day into night for a sliver of the planet. But these sights normally are in no man's land, like the vast Pacific or Earth's poles, official reports said.

In Vancouver, a large crowd gathered on the grass outside the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and were amazed when the eclipse reached its peak.

Hundreds of people gathered at Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) and waited in line for eclipse glasses as the moon began to creep ahead of the sun.

While figuring out the best ways to capture the eclipse, viewers also shared questions about the cosmos with friends and strangers.

At the peak of the eclipse, the sky dimmed slightly over the CNE. The maximum coverage in Toronto was 76 percent, but the remaining light still illuminated the lawn. By 3:49 p.m, it was over.

To those who gathered outside the centre, the big moment reportedly was worth waiting for.

To celebrate this celestial event the Ontario Science Centre (an agency of the Government of Ontario), in collaboration with the RASC hosted a free viewing party.

Planetary CEO Bill Nye issued the following statement yesterday from Homestead National Monument, Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S. to celebrate the Total Solar Eclipse:

While this total eclipse will pass right over the U.S., it really is an event for everyone on Earth. Whether in the path of totality or partial eclipse zones, millions of people across multiple continents will pause from our normal activities to look up at our Sun, Moon and sky.

Experiencing an eclipse changes the way we feel about space and how we are connected. I hope this moment reminds us all that we share a common origin among the stars, and that we are all citizens of the same planet.

I hope each of us takes a moment to consider the diligence of our ancestors, who came to understand our Solar Systems planets and moons, who measured the fantastic distances between them, and came to know their orbital motions. That we humble humans can understand all of this is remarkable. It fills me with optimism about our species and our future.

Today, in partnership with the U.S. National Park Service, The Planetary Society is expanding knowledge among new generations of eclipse explorers. As I often say: NASA is the best brand the United States has, and the National Park Service is the nations greatest outdoor classroom.

Lets celebrate together and marvel at humankinds ability to observe this phenomenon, and to understand the cosmos and our place within it.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Toronto, Aug 22 (IBNS): In order to combat the drug overdosed deaths in Toronto, specific injection centres have been opened in the city on Tuesday, media reports said.

Since last week of July, several deaths had occurred in the city due to drug overdose.

However, the temporary safe-injection sites which have been set up will be replaced by the permanent ones this fall.

The temporary injection centres will be open between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. from Monday to Saturday.

At a time three people can take the drug in the centres which have been set up near Victoria and Dundas Sts..

In the permanent centres, however, five people at a time can take the injection and also between 10 a.m. to 10 p.m..

Nine people are expected to use the injections per hour and will be under observation for fifteen minutes to detect any overdoses, report said.

The other centres will be built up at Queen West Central Toronto Community Health Centre on Bathurst St. and South Riverdale Community Health Centre near Carlaw Ave.

Torontos chief public health official, Dr. Eileen de Villa, was quoted by the Star as saying: "It provides a safe environment for people who are going to use drugs."

"We know both through research and lived experience its highest risk for overdose and deaths when people... use alone. We provide a safe environment, a supervised environment for people to use their drugs safely, so they minimize harm to themselves," she added.

Several drug overdosed deaths had occurred in recent times which prompted Toronto to take the decision of setting up three safe injectioncentres with an aim to curb the loss of lives.

In the last week of July, twenty people were reportedly overdosed with the drug intake while four others died in downtown Toronto.

Three more people lost their lives in the Durham region on August 12.



(Reporting by Suman Das)
Tensions between the state of New York and the Seneca Nation are rising amid a Class III gaming compact dispute.

"A source tells me the investigation has been going on for 'some time,'" Whalen added in another post.

An unnamed "official" from the Cuomo administration followed up on that development with a threat delivered through The Buffalo News. The state will authorize a non-Indian casino in Niagara Falls, where the tribe operates the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino , if the tribe doesn't resume revenue sharing payments, the official said.

If they dont fulfill their obligations to continue payments and to honor the compact, we are going to pursue putting an additional casino in Niagara Falls, the unnamed official said.

Erie County DA investigating allegations by the NYS Gaming Authority that itss employees were "eavesdropped" on by Seneca Gaming Authority.  Ryan Whalen (@RyanWhalenCT) August 21, 2017

The gaming compact at issue went into effect in 2002. Since then, the tribe has shared $1.2 billion with the state.

Gates announced an end to the payments in March, saying the terms of the compact did not authorize them past 14 years. The state hasn't said anything publicly about the matter until now.

Read More on the Story: Cuomo to Senecas: Continue payments or state will put a casino in Niagara Falls (The Buffalo News August 21, 2017) Erie County DA Investigating Allegations Seneca Nation Eavesdropped On State Gaming Officials (State of Politics August 21, 2017) A tale of two states: How tribal gaming affects Florida and New York (CalvinAyre.Com August 16, 2017) Dispute between Seneca Nation and state stops casino cash flow to local counties (WHEC August 15, 2017) State-Seneca Nation dispute could cost Livingston County $350,000 (The Livingston County News August 14, 2017) Municipalities upstate feel the pinch as Senecas end casino payments (The Buffalo News August 10, 2017)

An Opinion: John Kane: Governor ignores casino compact wording and hurts communities (The Buffalo News August 18, 2017)

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Phoenix leaders pledge to keep Trump rally safe

Some schools, businesses to close earlyBy Maddy Ryan and Paola GarciaCronkite News

PHOENIX  Local law enforcement leaders, school officials and businesses are bracing for President Donald Trumps visit to Arizona on Tuesday, with public officials saying they are calmly working to avoid violent clashes between supporters and counter-protesters expected to clog downtown Phoenix.

Nearby schools and more than a dozen local businesses are closing early Tuesday to avoid traffic or other problems, but a downtown group said most businesses were expected to handle it like any other day.

A phalanx of public officials, including Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and public safety leaders for Phoenix, Maricopa County and the state of Arizona, struck reassuring tones Monday about an event that is drawing international attention. A downtown Phoenix group estimated about 25,000 supporters and demonstrators are expected.

To those attending the rally and outside, we want to give you every opportunity to express your First Amendment rights, no matter what your opinion happens to be, Stanton said at a news conference. But people have to be civil, respectful and peaceful. That is the Phoenix way.

Stanton had urged Trump to delay his visit, coming soon after violence in Charlottesville, Virginia during a white nationalist march that left one protester dead and several others injured.

Rumors rumbling that Trump will consider pardoning former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio have fed fears the rally could erupt into violence. Trump was criticized for his response that both sides were responsible for the violence

Arpaio, a fervent Trump fan who was convicted of criminal contempt of court in July for violating a federal judges order to stop targeting Latinos in traffic stops, would welcome a pardon, his attorney Jack Wilenchik said by email.

Trump told Fox News last week he is considering pardoning Arpaio.

He has done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration. Hes a great American patriot and I hate to see what has happened to him, Trump said in the Fox News interview.

Cronkite News Video: Phoenix officials discuss safety measures for Trump rally

Such a move would draw the ire of immigration advocates and leading Democrats.

Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego, at another news conference Monday, said a pardon would insult justice.

This would be a very extraordinary pardon, Gallego said, adding that Arpaio hasnt been sentenced yet. Arpaio could receive up to six months in prison at his scheduled Oct. 5 sentencing.

I think a pardon for Joe Arpaio is a pardon for white supremacy, Jess OConnell, chief executive of the Democratic National Committee, said at the news conference.

The Phoenix Elementary School District is canceling after-school programs and Phoenix Union High School District is releasing students early from nearby schools, including Bioscience and Central high schools, to avoid traffic snarls or other problems as people show up for the 7 p.m. rally at the Phoenix Convention Center, school officials said.

We want to avoid safety issues should protests occur, said Sara Bresnahan, spokesperson for the Phoenix elementary school district. We dont know what to expect, but we know the Phoenix Police Department and Sheriff (Paul) Penzones team are working hard to insure everyones safety. If roads are closed for safety or by protesters, we want to be sure our families are already safe in their homes.

Executives for Arizona Public Service urged employees at its downtown Phoenix headquarters to leave work hours before the rally to avoid traffic congestion and because of uncertainty over whether the rally will be peaceful.

We are asking employees after midday to work from home, APS spokesperson Jim McDonald said.

This is what sign production late last night looked like ahead of AZ/Trump-Arpaio protests in Phoenix. Numerous groups joined up---> pic.twitter.com/WyPu3zX8yM  Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) August 22, 2017

Doors will open at 4 p.m., three hours before the rally starts. When Trump visited Arizona seven times before the November 2016 presidential election, supporters and opponents lined up hours before the scheduled start time. Tuesday marks Trumps first visit to Arizona as president.

Andre Bynum, downtown supervisor for Yellow Cab, said safety is on his mind. Hes alerted his supervisor about his action plan if trouble arrives.

I said to him, if it starts to get dirty and nasty with protesters, Im out of here, Im not waiting for permission to leave, Bynum said.

Im not scared or fearful. I think the police will keep it under control, Bynum said, saying hes not taking sides. But he notes people are legally allowed to openly carry guns in Arizona.

I think the thing that is more of a threat is that theyre allowed to carry arms, Bynum said. In other states, you dont see people strapped with arms like Ive seen on TV with the people here. And thats the only thing that gets me a little leery because who knows which one will snap.

Stanton did not outline how the city would handle the rally logistics other than saying some streets will be closed , but Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said the city has handled major events before, including the Super Bowl and a showdown at a Phoenix mosque between Second Amendment advocates and Muslim supporters that had the potential for violence but remained peaceful.

Williams said police presence will be at a maximum, reading from a statement she released last week. We do expect a lot of activity in the downtown area but we are prepared to minimize the impact to area businesses and residents.

An executive for Downtown Phoenix Inc. said the group feels reassured.

Theres been a steady decline of anxiety in downtown Phoenix, said R.J. Price, vice president of marketing and events. I think the city has promoted calm throughout this and I couldnt be prouder of the city.

Sgt. Daniel Macias of the Arizona State University Police Department also said there will be extra ASU police presence on the downtown Phoenix campus Tuesday to make sure students, faculty and staff are safe.

A spokesperson for the University of Arizonas medical school said neither the rally nor demonstrations are expected to affect the Phoenix campus but said traffic congestion could spur schedule changes.

Situations like this are typically very fluid and will continue to evolve right up until the time of the event and beyond, said Allison Otu of the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix.

Edward Maguire, an ASU professor who specializes in policing and violent crime, will be sending a team to observe the dynamics of the event  only as social scientists, not as participants.

From a policing perspective, these types of events are very complex and require a lot of advance planning, training, leadership, and sensitivity, Maguire, a professor at the school of criminology and justice, said in an email. Agencies that rely on the right mix of strategies and tactics can do a lot to prevent or minimize outbreaks of violence.

Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, the nation is clearly in a state of crisis right now, Maguire says. Protesters will show up with deeply felt viewpoints and many will express those viewpoints passionately. Lets just hope this turns out to be an event filled with lawful and peaceful First Amendment expression and that these emotions do not spill over into violence.

Reporters Jesse Stawnyczy and Shawna Truong contributed to this story.

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Created to honor the deaths of George and Jonathan Jacksonfreedom fighters who were killed by authorities in the early 70sBlack August holds a long tradition and legacy of resistance.

Solidarity in San Jose with Millions for Prisoners March in DC

[ Prisoner solidarity activists, including Troy, Nube, Raymond, Cole, Watani, Dorsey, and Julia, at the Millions for Prisoners march and rally in San Jose on August 19, 2017. These folks work everyday to amplify the voices of comrades trapped behind walls, to improve their living conditions, and to ultimately smash the cages. ]

Text used for this article was originally written by The Fire Inside collective. Photos and the first two paragraphs are by Bradley Allen, reporting on the march and rally in San Jose, California on August 19, 2017 in solidarity with the Millions for Prisoners March in Washington DC. The iamWe Prison Advocacy Network organized the mobilization in DC, and reports there were over a dozen solidarity demonstrations on August 19. All photos and text are published in solidarity with prisoners, however they do not necessarily represent the views of the rally organizers and its wide range of participants.

Activists from throughout the Bay Area gathered at Raymond Bernal Jr. Memorial Park at 7th and Mission Streets in San Jose. At the park, an audio statement was broadcast from political prisoner Joka Heshima Jinsai, founder of "Amend The 13th: Abolish Legal Slavery in Amerika Movement. From there, over one hundred people marched on the sidewalks through Northern California's largest city, and past a long row of bail bonds storefronts. The demonstration featured a rally at James P. McEntee Plaza, next to Santa Clara County's notorious Main Jail, with passionate speakers from San Jose and surrounding communities, including Watani Stiner, Dorsey Nunn, Laurie Valdez, Troy Williams, Raymond Aguilar, Sean Ramsey, Cole Dorsey, and more.

Last fall anarchists and anti-capitalist radicals turned out in force across the country to show solidarity with the September 9th nationally coordinated prisoner strikes. Protests, noise demos, graffiti campaigns, street blockades, and attacks on those who benefit from prison (whether it be politicians offices or profiteers) characterized the solidarity with the strikes.

This year, prisoners are again taking action and again calling for outside support. The call and the messaging around it are different, but the overarching purpose  linking outside support with prisoner resistance to erode the grip of white supremacy and capitalism  is the same.

Why August 19th? Why a March on Washington?

August 19th is a Saturday in the middle of Black August. Every year for decades Black radical prisoners and liberationists have identified August as a month for organized resistance and commemoration. Created to honor the deaths of George and Jonathan Jacksonfreedom fighters who were killed by authorities in the early 70sBlack August holds a long tradition and legacy of resistance. Since its inception, historians and radicals have linked the month to many examples of oppression and resistance: everything from the Move Bombing and the Watts Rebellion to the Haitian revolution and the first arrival of enslaved Afrikans in Jamestown, VA occurred in the month of August.

Last year prisoners and allies chose the 45th anniversary of the Attica Rebellion as the date to kick off the strike in part because September 9th is recognized and honored by all prisoners, Black, Brown and White. The goal was unified participation and speaking to issues that affect all prisoners. This year, the choice of August 19th foregrounds Black prisoner organizing and focuses the action more emphatically on prison as a white supremacist structure.

The Millions For Prisoners March on Washington also resonates with Black resistance traditions, starting with the historic 1963 March on Washington (which also occurred in August). Many anarchists and radicals see marches, and specifically marches on Washington as appeals to existing power structures, and reject them, preferring to create and expand their own power. For the organizers of August 19th, demands and marches on Washington are demonstrations of power and solidarity.

Last year the call to action focused on direct action resistance at the site of exploitation, the prisons, which was very inspiring to anarchists and outside supporters. Jailhouse Lawyers Speak heard about and joined the September 9th organizing effort late summer of last year, and yet they held down some of the longest work stoppage and resistance in the country. The Millions for Prisoners March is a project theyve been working toward for years, and the demonstrations of outside solidarity last September affirmed that this is the year for the March.

Report Backs from prisoners on September 9th that were compiled for The Fire Inside make it clear theres a powerful feedback loop between prisoners actions that inspire outside solidarity, which gains media attention, and in turn empowers prisoners to act, because they know they are not alone and that their resistance (and the inevitable repression that follows) will not go unseen. The August 19 Millions for Prisoners March puts the onus on outside demonstrations of support. A large turnout of solidarity on the outside helps to inspire direct action resistance on the inside.

Prisoners in Texas have already gone public with intentions to strike following August 19th, and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists have passed a resolution supporting the strike and prisoner organizing. Florida officials are using the Millions for Prisoners March as justification to indefinitely lock down all state facilities and to ramp up the domination by denying prisoners their scheduled visits and their educational, vocational, and ministry programming, along with their recreation. This enhanced repression of nearly 97,000 state prisoners illuminates the states fear of the power they try to cage and subdue, while compelling outside supporters to pressure the state to release its tyrannical grip.

Following the horrific display of white terror in Charlottesville that claimed a life and injured many more, anarchist resistance must continue its fight against white supremacy, including the push to abolish prison and carceral control. Antifascist and antiracist efforts take many forms, from confronting white nationalists in the streets to challenging the new slaveholders in the U.S. who operate and fund the worlds largest caging system.

https://bradleyallen.net/
Factiva Myanmar to Repair Earthquake-Hit Bagan by 2020

Tourists take pictures of a damaged pagoda after the earthquake in Bagan. / Reuters

YANGON  Myanmar aims to finish renovation work for quake-affected Bagan temples in the countrys central region by 2020, according to an official from the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library.

Thursday will mark one year since the powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Aug. 24, centered about 15 miles west of Chauk in Magwe Region.

Out of the 3,252 temples and pagodas across Baganlocated to the north of the epicenter389 were affected by the tremors and needed renovation, according to the departments inventory.

Operating under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, the Department of Archaeology works together with the construction ministry and a team of local and international technical experts from organizations such as Unesco, the Association of Myanmar Architects, the Myanmar Engineering Society and Myanmar Earthquake Committee, in renovating damaged temples.

Affected temples and pagodas are categorized into three levels of priority depending on the severity of damage and the heritage value.

Repairs of 224 least-prioritized structures with minor damage were completed by April this year, said U Aung Aung Kyaw, the director of Archaeological Departments Bagan branch.

Emergency restoration and detailed assessment for all the damaged temples was finished last year, he said, adding that the team hopes to renovate another 50 temples by the end of 2017.

It doesnt mean that renovation for these 50 temples will be fully completed by the end of this year. We might need to carry on the work for some temples in coming years as well if necessary, U Aung Aung Kyaw told The Irrawaddy.

We are doing repairs in line with the recommendations of both local and international technical experts and not rushing the work, he said.

For the renovation and restoration work, Myanmar has received a total of more than 5.7 billion kyats (nearly US$4.2 million) in local donations and US$1.1 million in international donations to restore damaged temples, the ministrys department of administration and finance told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

U Maw Lin, the vice president of the Association of Myanmar Architects and a member of the technical expert team said that 2020 could be the target to renovate the affected monuments that are vulnerable to further damage and need urgent restoration work.

We need to do so much delicate and detailed work in terms of preservation and conservation for the temples, U Maw Lin said, adding that there are many different factors that could cause further deterioration to the temples apart from natural disasters.

Conservation is something that needs to be done throughout Bagans existence, he emphasized.

He also stressed the importance of completing a zoning plan for the ancient heritage region, which involves setting up administrative boundaries for inhabitants, monuments, infrastructure and development.

The temples of Bagan, dating from between the 9th and 13th centurieswhen the Kingdom of Pagan ruled over much of lowland Burmaare considered Burmas biggest tourist draw.

The ancient capital has yet to be granted Unesco World Heritage Site status, allegedly on account of sub-standard, inauthentic restoration efforts under previous governments.
MUSCATINE  After Sept. 30, Muscatine County will stop offering its case management program, which assesses the needs of Medicaid members and connects clients with health care resources, such as at-home services, meal delivery and transportation.

Muscatine County has had a case management program since the late-1980s, and is one of the counties across the state facing cuts following the privatization of Medicaid. One of the three private insurers managing the state's Medicaid program, AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa, has been shifting services to in-house case managers.

Community Services Director Kathie Anderson-Noel said the program helps about 130 Muscatine County residents each year. Those clients will be reassigned to an AmeriHealth case manager or could seek out a new managed care organization.

The county has four case managers, who will be unemployed after Oct. 13. Anderson-Noel said the community services department does not have any open positions at this time.

On Monday, the Board of Supervisors approved Sept. 30 as the end-date for the case management program. Clinton County will close its program after Aug. 31 and other counties, such as Cedar and Jackson, are down to one case manager and are losing clients.

Anderson-Noel said only one Muscatine County client has officially shifted its account to AmeriHealth, and the department will spend the next month assisting residents with the transition.

"We hope that we are going to work diligently with AmeriHealth," she said. "We want this to go smoothly for our clients and families. We'll help wherever we can."

With the transition to managed care in Iowa, Anderson-Noel said, Muscatine County's community services have been in a state of flux for the past few years. In 2014, the state decided case management for people with chronic mental illness should be transitioned to integrated health home programs.

In Muscatine, those clients left the county program, and some started receiving services at Vera French Community Mental Health, the Robert Young Center or Family Resources in Muscatine.

In April 2016, three companies  AmeriHealth, UnitedHealthcare and Amerigroup  began managing Iowa's $4.2 billion Medicaid program. UnitedHealthcare and Amerigroup opted to use in-house case managers, while AmeriHealth maintained contracts with counties and other agencies.

Anderson-Noel said Muscatine County lost a few employees following the shift to managed care, as case workers knew the future of the program was uncertain.

In February, Anderson-Noel said, Muscatine was notified AmeriHealth would transition some cases to in-house management. Then, in April, it became clear all cases would be taken by the company.

"Case management is a field where there's always change, but I will say it's gotten much more documentation-driven," she said. "You have less face-time with individual people who you're working with, and spend much more time on documentation and assessing funding."

Having worked with many of the same clients for years, Anderson-Noel said it is difficult to watch the case management program come to a close.

"One of the changes is that case managers for all managed care organizations don't have a physical location that clients can stop [at]," she said. "Clients just stop into our office or drop things off. We are the people they know."

Anderson-Noel remains positive, as now Muscatine County's workers have more than one month to help clients transition to a new case management program.

"Rather than waiting until they take cases piece by piece, and then losing staff and that, this just seemed to be the better option for our clients," she said. "That way we can be involved and staff can help the transition go smoothly."
Burma Bring Focus Back to Amending Constitution, Say Ethnic Advocates

A military delegation meets with a group of representatives from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Myanmar. / CINCDS / Facebook

YANGON  Ethnic politicians and rights advocates called for constitutional amendments in response to recent comments from Myanmar Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing that demands for ethnic rights must be handled through legal means.

The army chief made the comments at his first ever meeting with Cardinal Charles Bo, the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Myanmar, on Monday. The pair discussed efforts made for peace, the countrys political transition, and the Tatmadaws position on the protection of citizens, including ethnic minorities.

All matters in connection with ethnic rights will only be through legal procedures. All people living in the country must raise the Myanmar spirit without any ethnocentrism, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing was quoted as saying in a state-run newspaper on Tuesday.

Politicians and advocates have argued that scrutiny of the military-drafted 2008 Constitution is key when examining existing laws and legal mechanisms.

Sai Kyaw Nyunt, spokesman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) said he feels their basic rights are not granted in full under the current laws.

In the Constitution, he said, there are no complete guarantees for ethnic rights.

We dont enjoy those rights in full, not even to some extent. The peace process is ongoing and through it we have been working for the amendment of the 2008 Constitution, he said.

Khon Ja, a coordinator of the Kachin Peace Network, shared the same view, saying there is a lack of protection for individuals, groups and ethnic rights.

If the ethnic rights must be sought through the current laws, which are dominated by the 2008 Constitution, I would say these are at zero, she said.

Sai Kyaw Nyunt added that it was difficult to have a Myanmar spirit, even though people were developing the spirit of living in a collective Union.

The name for the country, Myanmardesignated by the military junta in 1989has not been accepted by many ethnic nationalities.

The majority Burmans also need to reflect whether Myanmar really is symbolic of something that other ethnicities can accept, said Dr. Aye Maung, the chairman of Arakan National Party and a Lower House lawmaker from Rakhine States Ann Township.

He said non-Burmans biggest concern is losing their identity.

Today conflicts have raged as ethnic rights are not given under the term Myanmar, and are also not given under the Constitution, he added.

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said, as was posted on his commander-in-chiefs office Facebook page, that the present armed conflicts are not directed at ethnic minorities, but toward opposing those groups which in challenge the governments of the Union, regions and self-administrative zones. He noted the example of the army fighting the Burma Communist Party in the past, which was not solely an ethnic entity.

The armys statement said the Tatmadaw attacks those who harm life and property of the people and those who disturb administrative machinery.

Through the peace process, including the holding of the 21st Century Panglong peace conference sessions, the government and the military will create a Union peace accord, which specifies that the Constitution will be amended through the Parliament.

The approach to amending the 2008 charter is an alternative path than what National League for Democracy (NLD) representatives and rights advocates have campaigned for in recent years.

The now ruling NLD party advocated for the amendment of the Constitution while they were in opposition, and the movement has faded from the spotlight since the NLD took office one-and-a-half years ago.

Ethnic political advocates say the efforts toward the amendment of the 2008 Constitution must continue.

However, these efforts, according to Khon Ja, have not only stoppedit has even become dangerous for those who are outspoken about it.

Parties including the NLD need to fulfill their commitment to amending the Constitution, as they mobilized the public under this promise during their election campaign, echoed Sai Kyaw Nyunt.
Burma Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to Meet NMSP

New Mon State Party (NMSP) troops. / Hintharnee / The Irrawaddy

MAWLAMYINE, Mon State  Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has agreed to meet the New Mon State Party (NMSP) to discuss the ethnic armed groups stance on the peace process and federalism, according to an NMSP official.

The group also reached out to Myanmar Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who replied that he was unavailable for a meeting for the time being, and sent a delegation on his behalf, said Nai Win Hla, who is in charge of NMSPs internal affairs.

In a letter on August 10, the NMSP asked to meet both leaders before the end of this month in order to discuss the military situation on the ground and troop deployment in the area, as well as its involvement in the countrys efforts for peace and in developing its system of government.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi replied that she would meet us. But the date has not been fixed yet, said Nai Win Hla.

For the meetings, the NMSP formed a high-level delegation led by its vice chairman Nai Hong Sar, and including the groups secretary Nai Aung Min, Maj-Gen Layi Gakao, the chief of NMSPs armed wing the Mon National Liberation Army, Nai Win Hla, and Nai Aung Mange.

The delegation met commanders of the Myanmar Army regional commands instead of Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing in Mon States Ye Township on August 16.

The military delegation was led by Lt-Gen Min Naung, commander of the Bureau of Special Operations 4, and included the commander of South-Eastern Command Maj-Gen Myo Win.

We explained our involvement in the peace process and building a federal Union. They only asked us not to do a gun salute on Mon Revolution Day outside our headquarters. They said we can carry out military parades in our military outfit close to residential areas but without guns and gun salutes, said Nai Win Hla.

The NMSP carried out gun salutes on the 70th anniversary of Mon Revolution Day on August 7 outside its party headquarters against the order of the Myanmar Army.

In response, the Myanmar Army deployed about 200 troops in several villages near NMSPs Mawlamyine base, resulting in military tensions between the two groups.

Following the talks between the NMSP and military delegations, most of the troops have been withdrawn as of August 19, leaving about 30 troops stationed in Taung Pauk village.

The NMSP also asked to meet the Mon State government on August 17, but the state government has not replied, according to Nai Win Hla.

The NMSP signed state and Union level ceasefire agreements with the U Thein Sein government in 2012, but it is still in talks with the current government to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA).

Nai Win Hla told press in May the NMSPs central executive committee agreed to sign the NCA, but will only sign together with other ethnic armed groups in the United Nationalities Federal Council, the coalition of which it is a member.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Displaced Kachin Return Home

Displaced Kachin return home from Mogaung Townships Namti town. / Kachinwaves

YANGON  Around 1,000 displaced persons in Mogaung Townships Namti in Kachin State returned home on Tuesday after fleeing clashes between the Myanmar Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) since Aug. 11.

Displaced residents of Kasung and Zup Mai Yang villages sheltering in churches in the town of Namti returned home after negotiations led by preachers and members of local Peace-talk Creation Group (PCG), spokesperson Lamai Gum Ja told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Displaced persons asked us to help them return to their villages, and guarantee their safety, he said, adding that they had communicated with Battalion No. 11 of KIA Brigade No. 2 and the Kachin State government and urged them to cease operations.

The commander of [Mogaung Township] military operations command told us that Myanmar Army troops have withdrawn from the area  and KIA also said that they have left the villages, he said.

The Kachin State government also said that it would arrange vehicles for displaced persons to return home, according to PCG.

Minister La Ring of Namti Baptist Church said that over 600 villagers were taking refuge at his church: We provided food for them, and PCG arranged for them to return home, he told The Irrawaddy.

Around 60 vehicles were arranged for displaced persons, said Lamai Gum Ja. Weve also loaded them with the food donated during their stay at the churches, he said.

On August 18, KIA Battalion No. 11 released a notice stating that, due to military tension, they prohibit locals from cutting down trees, hunting, or fishing in certain areas, affecting livelihoods.

Battalion No. 11 seriously warns that it will not take responsibility for any consequences if you enter those places, read the notice.

Translated by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma NLD Reorganizes Information Committee

U Nyan Win will serve as the chair of the NLDs new information committee. / Chan Son / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party has reformed its central information committee with central executive committee (CEC) member U Nyan Win taking the helm.

According to party policy, each committee has to be led by a CEC member, so I will chair this committee, he told The Irrawaddy.

Monywa Aung Shin, editor of NLD mouthpiece the D-Wave Journal, will serve as secretary of the new committee with U Kyaw Aye Naing, U Kyi Toe, U Nyein Thit, U Tin Hla, U Nay Phone Latt, U Ye Min Oo, U Lwin Ko Latt, U Wai Phyo Han and U Than Zin Htun also joining the team.

Meanwhile, U Win Htein, who is considered one of party chairperson and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis closest confidantes, remains a separate NLD spokesperson.

U Win Htein has never been a member of this committee, but he speaks occasionally on behalf of the party, U Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy.

Our committee will take the central role in releasing information about the party in the future, he added.

U Win Htein, 75, has achieved notoriety as NLD spokesperson for his reckless and controversial remarks in answering the medias questions.

When asked about rumors on social media of President U Htin Kyaws resignation at a press conference in May, U Win Htein said: Its difficult to say [who is behind the rumor] as we are flooded with information. Its hard to guess if it was spread by the USDP [Union Solidarity and Development Party] or some military organizations, or some IT experts who hate us.

His remark provoked ire from the military and U Win Htein later said it was just a slip of tongue.
Burma Rakhine Advisory Commissions Kofi Annan Arrives in Yangon

Kofi Annan (front, left) is seen arriving in Yangon on Tuesday, Aug. 22. / Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Facebook

YANGON  Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the chair of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, arrived in Yangon on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Annan is scheduled to meet Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw in Naypyitaw tomorrow morning.

According to the advisory commissions official Facebook page, Mr. Annan will address questions from the media in the Sule Shangri-la Hotel on Thursday morning. The commissions final report will be published on the same day.

The report will include recommendations for the government on conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance, reconciliation between the regions Buddhist and Muslim communities, institution building, and development in conflict-torn Rakhine State.

According to commission member Al-Haj U Aye Lwin, Mr. Annan will not travel to Rakhine State during this triphis third visit to Myanmar.

The commission was established by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in August 2016 and is comprised of two Yangon-based Muslim representatives, and two Buddhist Arakanese representatives, two government officials and three international experts, including Mr. Annan.

A memorandum of understanding between the State Counselors Office and the Kofi Annan Foundation was signed last year but specific information pertaining to the agreement was not released to the public.
Commentary A Matter of Conscience

The detained journalists are seen outside Hsipaw Court for their fourth trial session on Friday. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  After rejecting bail for three detained journalists on Friday, Hsipaw Township Judge U Kyaw Thu Moe said there had been no intervention from the military pertaining to the case.

Lawi Weng of The Irrawaddy, and U Aye Naing and U Pyae Phone Aung from the Democratic Voice of Burma, have been in custody in northern Shan States Hsipaw Prison since they were arrested by the Myanmar Army on June 26, as they returned from covering a drug-burning ceremony hosted by the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The military accused them of unlawful association with the ethnic armed group, who they classified as an outlawed organization.

I have no pressure from [the military] at all, Judge U Kyaw Moe Thu told media representatives during his first meeting with the press, when asked if the military had intervened thus far in the legal proceedings.

I have had neither instructions nor verbal command from any level of the courts regarding this case, he added.

Given previous upstairs interventions concerning the courts in Myanmars past, people are prone to skepticism when presented with such assurances. However, if the judge was telling the truth, his statement reinforces the armys affirmation that it would not put pressure on the judiciary in the case of the three journalists.

The matter, then, would be one of individual conscience, and the fate of the journalists will depend completely on the judges ruling, as it should.

The trial has been ongoing for one month, and only three witnessestwo army officers and one civilianfrom the prosecutors side have testified. They have not presented evidence compelling enough to suggest that the journalists are guilty of what they are accused of: being associated with an illegal organization.

The first witness, adjutant Thet Naing Oo, who filed the case at Hsipaw Police Station, was not present when the reporters were detained. The second, a civilian, U Win Than, showed up at the police station as a witness when the army surrendered the journalists possessions as evidence, hours after the arrests. Maj. Myat Maw Aung, the third witness, had confiscated the reporters belongings. His involvement and insights beyond that remain unclear.

Make no mistake, the reporters repeatedly and publicly said that they were in the area to cover the TNLAs drug burning program, not to join their mission. With that in mind, the accusation that they were associates of the ethnic armed group in question simply does not make sense. It is hoped that the judge will take these circumstances under serious consideration when making his ruling.

On Friday, when Judge U Kyaw Thu Moe read out the verdict once again denying bail to the defendants, among his reasons was a continuing need to verifythat the case is factually all right to proceed legally.

With his revelation to the media that there had been no strong-arming from upstairs, the judge will need to handle this case with rationality and care, as it remains in the spotlight both at home and abroad. Any misstep will surely attract criticism of the countrys judicial system as a whole: rule of law and equality before the law have yet to prevail.
Guest Column India Closes its Doors on Rohingya

People belonging to Rohingya Muslim community sit outside their makeshift houses on the outskirts of Jammu, May 5, 2017 / Mukesh Gupta / Reuters

Whether in Rakhine State or any other part of the world, the Rohingya of Myanmar find themselves trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea.

More than 40,000 Rohingya are battling against possible deportation by the Indian government, the latest in a series of struggles for the community who the Myanmar government and the majority of the Burmese speaking population refer to as Bengalis, implying they are interlopers from Bangladesh.

In a statement earlier this month, the Indian home ministry said the Rohingya pose grave security challenges as they may be recruited by extremist groups.

Around the same time, Junior Interior Minister of India Kiren Rijiju told Reuters news agency that the Rohingya living in India were illegal immigrants and must be deported.

India is talking to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh on the issue, according to interior ministry spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia.

However, the decision to return refugees to Rakhine may not be as easy as the Indian government would like, especially given the recent wave of protests and criticism against the move.

Prominent among those that have questioned New Delhis decision is the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which on August 18 issued a notice to the home minister calling for a detailed report within four weeks, stating the refugees are no doubt foreign nationals, but they are human beings and before taking a big step, the government of India has to look into every aspect of the situation.

The notice follows an appeal by the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) to New Delhi over the move. In a statement signed by its members in exile in Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, ARNO said it was aware that India was not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.

However, it added, as a close neighbor and the worlds largest democracy, when Rohingya refugees are already on its soil the Indian government should not return them to Burma/Myanmar where their life would be in danger or deport them elsewhere where they might face persecution or their freedom would be threatened.

The ARNO then went a step further, invoking India as a member of the UN Security Council to exert its leverage on the Myanmar government for a peaceful resolution of the Rohingya problem so that the Rohingya people with their refugees could live peacefully and honorably with all human dignity and rights in Myanmar.

The position taken by the NHRC and the ARNO assumes great significance given the highly unstable situation in northwestern Rakhine, where hundreds of Myanmar Army troops were recently sent after a spate of killings, allegedly by a Muslim insurgent group calling itself Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), also known under its previous name Harakah al-Yaqin (Faith Movement).

Predominantly Muslim northern Rakhine has been reeling from periodic violence since the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman triggered communal clashes between Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims in June 2012, which left about 200 dead and displaced thousands.

The situation was elevated on Oct. 9 last year with an attack on three border security posts by Harakah al-Yaqin that killed nine police officers and sparked a brutal military crackdown. More than 70,000 people fled to neighboring Bangladesh, with many others killed, raped and brutalized.

The specter of violenceand the communalism embedded in itkeeps northern Rakhine on tenterhooks.

Even more disturbing is that the insurgency has added an altogether new dimension to the volatile, racial nature of the conflict. Now every act of violence is associated with the Muslim insurgency.

Perhaps lending credence to this assumption is the recent killings of seven members of a Buddhist ethnic minority in the Mayu mountain range near the town of Maungdaw. The discovery of their bodies, which were riddled with machete and gunshot wounds, prompted the Tatmadaw to send fresh reinforcements to the area.

As the Myanmar government grapples with the conflict and threat of militants in northern Rakhine, India has been fighting its own battles against insurgencies in Kashmir and parts of its northeastern region bordering Myanmar. It has had to be cautious on how it approaches the Rohingya issue. Reports of Rohingya who have found their way to Jammu and Kashmir have given some reasons for the establishment in New Delhi to sit up and think.

According to reports published in Indian media, most refugees from Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships in Rakhine who have come to India are spread across Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the Delhi region. Indias Deputy home affairs minister Rijiju quoted in parliament on Aug. 9 available data that showed more than 14,000 UNHCR-registered Rohingya are staying in the country. The figure is arguably much higher as a number of self-identifying Rohingya from Myanmar are said to be staying illegally in India.

The Indian government sounded an alarm, asking all its state governments to form district-level task forces to monitor the movement of foreign nationals and deport those found to have entered the country illegally. An influx of undocumented migrants from Bangladesh across the porous border running along as many as four states in Indias northeast has been a thorny issue; the cause for social unrest and insurgencies since the countrys independence.

Bordering Bangladesh for more than 850 kilometers, Assam has been the most affected by immigration. The Assam Movement (1979-1985), which set out to expel illegal immigrants, has left a trail of bloodshed and social unrest that continues to stir locals to this day.

This is perhaps why people of Assam and many other parts of the northeast are willing to support the Indian governments decision to deport illegal migrants from Rakhine.

Even the otherwise compassionate Patriotic Peoples Front of Assam (PPFA), which has suggested to the Assam government ways of solving the states refugee problem, is against illegal Rohingya migrants staying in India.

Why should they not be deported as they have come across illegally and are not refugees, and even if they are why should we invite more problems? asked professor Jagadindra Raychoudhury, a member of the PPFA, in response to a question on whether India should be more sympathetic.

India has, after all, previously accommodated the Tibetans, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Chin, and other Myanmar citizens.

The nation is said to be home to 300,000 odd refugees from 30 odd countries. PPFA general secretary Nava Thakuria during a conversation with the author in the northeastern Indian city of Guwahati argued, no more refugees and migrants from any countries should be accepted.

We have already paid the price in Assam and see where it is today, he said.

More than showing compassion in the worlds largest democracy, there is need for a rethink on Indias refugee policy and on what eventually impacts its internal security.

So far though, details of how the deportation would take place remain unclear. Neither the home nor the external affairs ministries have spelled out anything on the plan.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Myanmar during the first week of Septemberan opportunity for both countries to discuss the issue. India has taken a more pro-Myanmar government stand on the Rohingya, while the international community denounces alleged crimes against humanity in Rakhine.

India has strategic interests in Myanmar, especially in Rakhine, where it has invested hugely in the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP), which aims to connect the landlocked Indian state of Mizoram to the Bay of Bengal as well as provide new trading routes for the rest of northeast India.

India is also investing heavily in a new project to develop a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and a seaport in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhineprimarily to keep up with China, which is developing a deep seaport and SEZ in the states Kyaukphyu Township.

Given Indias perception of Myanmar as a gateway to the rest of Asiavia its Act East policyand its projects in the country, it would be in Indias interest to work toward stability in Rakhine.

Whether India will change its position on the Rohingya issue, however, is difficult to say. Both Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar Army chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing have refused the idea of a United Nations intervention in northern Rakhine. During a recent visit to India, Min Aung Hlaing reportedly told New Delhi that the Rohingya are Bengalis from Bangladesh and do not belong to Burma, according to a source in New Delhi.

Bidhayak Das is a veteran journalist who has also spent over a decade working on promoting democracy in Myanmar. He is currently working as an independent consultant on elections, media and communications.
Australian accounting software provider Reckon says it has revamped the login portal on Reckon One to create a more intuitive, accessible and cleaner system as part of a major upgrade of its flagship solution.

The ASX-listed Reckon on Tuesday unveiled a major update to Reckon One which it says is aimed at delivering a faster, smarter and simpler online accounting experience for small businesses.

According to Reckon (ASX:RKN), the latest redesign will accelerate workflows and efficiencies for customers by simplifying the overall user experience and enhancing usability.

The company says the move brings improved navigation and simplified access to frequently used functions, as well as better reach to third party advisers, and it has also added new features to billing, sharing and notifications that will make managing the solution even easier.

At Reckon, we are 100% committed to supporting small businesses as they look to sustain and further scale their operations in this increasingly competitive global economy, said Sam Allert, managing director for ANZ at Reckon. The continuous innovation and development of our products lie at the heart of this promise.

We know our customers want simple, intuitive and tailored experience across any application, and our latest redesign is very much driven by this fact. Were excited to release this major update, which we believe will provide a much better user experience for small businesses, by making it easier for them to manage their books, profile and settings.
Just as Samsung is preparing to launch its stylus-enabled Note 8 smartphone in hours' time, and has likely launched as you read this, the company has fortuitously launched Bixby globally outside of US and South Korea just in time.

If Samsung hadnt managed to get Bixby out on time for a global launch for the third major Samsung smartphone designed to run Bixby, it would have been a bad look.

That third unit is the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, following the Galaxy S8 and S8+ launched earlier this year.

Of course, it already was a bad look that such a hyped feature wasnt able to be rolled out at launch, and claims that more big data was needed (which it clearly was or the launch would have happened earlier), but we can now forget about the lack of Bixby, because Bixby is here at long last.

Available today in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, Samsung also says that in addition to South Korea and the United States, consumers in (all those) countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa will be able to utilise the intelligent interface to help them get things done faster and easier".

All you need to do is to press the dedicated Bixby voice key or swipe to Bixby Home to be offered the update prompts, which you need to follow.

Garry McGregor, Samsung Australias director of IT and Mobile, said: Bixby is an intelligent way of interacting with your Samsung smartphone.

With the introduction of Bixby voice, our Australian customers with a compatible smartphone will be able activate the power and functionality of the Bixby experience simply by speaking with their device."

And, in case you were wondering how well Bixby would interact with Aussie ocker voices and accents, well, youll have to find out for yourself, but Samsung says Bixby voice has been continually tested and optimised for Australian customers, and designed to complete a range of complex tasks when using a compatible Samsung smartphone".

An example of how Bixby brings enhanced smartphone productivity and personalisation is through Quick Commands, which Samsung says is a feature that allows you to easily create a custom voice command to use in place of a sequence of one or more commands".

One example given is to use the voice command good night as a shortcut for Turn on Do-not-disturb mode, set an alarm for 6:00 AM and turn on blue light filter".

And, as youd expect of a modern 21st century intelligent assistant, Samsung tells us that Bixby is designed to also understand the way you actually speak, ask questions and make requests".

Another example is when you take a photo, and then tell Bixby to send the picture just taken to Mum".

Samsung further explains that Bixby understands cross-application commands and should know which photo you are referring to and text it to your Mum".

We are told that this natural language understanding makes interacting with your smartphone easier and more intuitive, and naturally, Samsung promises that its iterative deep learning technology will see Bixby improve over time to recognise your personal preferences and ways of speaking".

Its also a clever way of further locking you in to Samsungs ecosystem, for if you have trained Bixby to better understand you, youll obviously lose all of that if you switch to an iPhone or other brand of Android  unless Samsung releases Bixby for Android and iOS in the future, of course.

Samsung also talks up Bixbys "uniqueness" in that it is an intelligent interface, rather than a standalone app".

You see, when an application becomes Bixby-enabled, Bixby should support almost every task that the application is capable of performing using voice, touch or text".

Its something Apple has worked to enable Siri to do, and presumably Google Assistant too, and youd assume Microsoft is also doing the same for Cortana, because it is simply the natural order of things with a digital assistant  its not too good if it cant interact with your apps, and can only set appointments, reminders, text messages, calls etc.

Samsung also boasts Bixbys deep integration is built into the smartphone settings so that you can change phone options  such as setting the screen timeout or showing all notifications  without interrupting what you are currently doing.

No doubt thats a feature to be quickly copied by other intelligent assistants, if not already available.

Samsungs executive vcice-president and head of R&D, Software and Services, Injong Rhee, echoed part of what McGregor said, and told us more or less what weve already read above, which is that: Now millions of customers worldwide have access to a new and intelligent way of interacting with their phone.

"The expansion of Bixbys voice capabilities is an initial step in the continued rollout of Bixby functionality. In the future, Bixby will have the learning power to offer more intelligent and personalised interactions and seamless connections across more devices.

Those devices will presumably be other Samsung consumer electronics, connected appliances and white goods in the future, with Samsung stating its plans to continue expanding Bixbys voice capabilities to additional countries, languages, devices, features and third-party applications. By further enhancing its mobile experience and solutions offerings, even more users can interact with their device and manage their apps and services more seamlessly and instinctively.

So, whether Bixby ever makes it to other Android devices, iPhones or iPads, in the way that Google Assistant and Cortana are more widely available, if you have a Galaxy S8 or S8+, and youve been patiently waiting for Bixby to finally go live in its entirety, then that wait, for most S8 and S8+ owners worldwide, now over.

You will have to speak either Korean or English, at least for now, with Samsung stating: Voice command recognises English (US) and Korean. Not all accents, dialects and expressions recognised. Service ability may vary by country or carrier. Natural language understanding allows Bixby to continuously improve its ability to interpret regional dialects. But, since Bixby learns more frequently used command terms more quickly, it will take more time for Bixby to fully understand regional dialects that are used less frequently.

More information on using Bixby, is at Samsung here.

Finally, to activate Bixby, hold down the dedicated button on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ phones, or simply say, Hi, Bixby, but presumably that will only work once youve set Bixby up.

Well know in a few hours whether the Galaxy Note 8 has a Bixby button, and if there are any other Bixby surprises yet to be announced.
Open source software provider Red Hat has announced that it will be deprecating the Btrfs filesystem and removing it in a future major release of its enterprise Linux operating system.

No technical reason has been given for the decision. Btrfs was originally developed at Oracle in 2007 by Chris Mason who is now at Facebook, having moved across in 2013.

"The Btrfs filesystem did receive numerous updates from the upstream in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.4 and will remain available in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 series. However, this is the last planned update to this feature," was all that the company said.

Btrfs is used by at least one commercial Linux, SUSE, as the default for the operating system partition; for all other use cases, SUSE uses the XFS filesystem.

Red Hat is by far the biggest open source software provider; last year the companythe US$2 billion revenue mark.

The decision to drop Btrfs appears to be based on the fact that Btrfs comes from Oracle originally; in the past the company has gone on the record stating that it wanted to make life difficult for two competitors  Oracle and Novell.

The latter is now a shell, operating as part of British mainframe company Micro Focus which acquired Novell and all its assets in 2014. Oracle, incidentally, uses Red Hat's Enterprise Linux after first removing the trademarks so as not to violate any licence; it is sold as Unbreakable Linux.

Asked what possible technical reason there could be for Red Hat deprecating Btrfs, senior Debian developer Russell Coker told iTWire:

"No idea. If they had done that a couple of years ago I might have suspected technical issues. But nowadays it's pretty reliable. I wouldn't recommend using Btrfs on a small device (say 10GB or less) but Ext4 works well for that sort of thing."

This is not the first time that Red Hat has acted in a way that is related to Oracle. Four years ago, the company released a language known as Ceylon to compete with Java.

Ceylon was first called a Java killer when news of its being planned was leaked via presentation slides but that description was quickly toned down. Oracle, as is well-known, acquired Sun Microsystems back in 2010 with Java being the crown jewels that it sought to own.

Ceylon has now been handed over to the Eclipse Foundation to be run as an open-source project.

The filesystem that is preferred by many technical types is ZFS, originally owned by Sun, and now by Oracle. Not many distributions use it as there have been hints of licensing issues.

But Canonical, which puts out the Ubuntu distribution, does so and even offers it as a supported feature. Asked about this, Russell said: "ZFS is a supported feature of Ubuntu. The licence is regarded as not being clear. But the fact that Ubuntu ships it means that the Canonical lawyers think it's ok and Oracle hasn't wanted to stop them.

"I have shipped packages of ZFS in the past and the fact that Oracle's lawyers didn't contact me might have been due to the fact that they just didn't notice what I'm doing. There is no possibility that Oracle hasn't noticed that Ubuntu is doing so they have obviously decided that it's ok."

He said that there were those who believed that Oracle could suddenly have their lawyers contact Canonical and demand that they stop shipping ZFS.

"If so that would be a big problem for Canonical but not a big problem for Ubuntu users in the short term, the software that is working now will keep working just as well in the future," he added.

Red Hat has shipped its distributions with the Ext4 filesystem as default in the past and it may now choose to do so with XFS.
MUSCATINE  Ashley Glasscock hopes her children will always remember the day the sun became a banana. Or a Pac-Man. Or if you crane your head just so, a smiley face. The Great American Eclipse was visible in Muscatine, reaching 90 percent totality. From their seats at Muscatine Community Colleges quad, Evan, 9, Kylie, 6, Bailey, 5, and Aubrey, 5 watched in awe, likening its shape to things they knew.

Each had their own eclipse-watching glasses, courtesy of the Musser Public Library. Glasscock, who knew she wanted the children to watch the eclipse, got four pairs two weeks ago. She was wise to do it early, as the free glasses were in high demand. Library staff ordered two shipments of 100 glasses each, and each shipment was gone in a matter of hours.

The Second Avenue Hy-Vee also ordered glasses and, by the weekend, all of them were gone.

Anytime I went out, they were always gone, Gloasscock said about her search for glasses. So I was getting them wherever I could.

Glasscock got a fifth pair for herself at MCC, where college staff had arranged for an eclipse-watching party, ordering 500 pairs for the occasion. MCC Bookstore attendants distributed the glasses. They had been giving glasses away since 9 a.m. Monday. By about 12:40 p.m., glasses had run out. Glasscock was the last one to get a pair.

Sitting on their lawn chairs (Glasscock always has them in her car), the children looked through their glasses along with dozens of other people at MCC quad. And though glasses had run out, people were generous with the pairs they had, sharing them with others who didnt have a pair.

As the moon shadow passed over the sun, the sun became a thin band of light. The sky darkened to an ominous gray, and the air grew cooler. It looked as though a storm was coming, but there was still light. Elsewhere in the United States, the moon covered the sun entirely and there was a moment of complete darkness. People who follow astronomy made reservations for these regions of totality more than a year ago.

But Glasscock was content with the 90 percent in Muscatine, especially since she didnt have to drive long hours with four children in tow to see the eclipse.

I think the kids would get more out of it than I would, Glasscock said, surveying her children who were wiggling and talking excitedly.

Almost the entire family was there, except for the childrens dad, who had to work. Evan wanted him to see the eclipse.

I was thinking of calling dad and then putting the eclipse glasses on (the phone), he told his mom.

That was very nice, but daddy is working, Glasscock said.

As befitting a 21st Century eclipse, many people put the glasses over their phone lens, attempting to capture the eclipse for posterity or for social media. It was the first eclipse in nearly 100 years, with a shadow crossing the United States from coast-to-coast.

Glasscock did just that, though on her phone, the glowing band of light looked more like a tiny dot. Ever mindful of the rules, Evan put his glasses on the phone to protect his eyes, while he peaked at the photo of the sun.

Then he put his glasses on, and looked at the real deal.

Come on, get there! he yelled at the sky.

Honey, you cant speed it up, Glasscock told him. Its not how it works.
A little more than a month after the head of the Drupal content management system project, Dries Buytaert, made his last official statement about the sacking of Larry Garfield, a senior and well-respected member of the community, the matter still sits uncomfortably with an open-source project.

Buytaert is in Australia this week to attend the conference of Acquia, a company of which he is chief technology officer. The conference is being held in Sydney. Whether some media person will raise the issue with him remains to be seen.

Garfield was asked to leave the project after it became known that he was one who practised a BDSM lifestyle. The matter only came to light when Garfield posted about it; prior to that, despite the avowed open-source nature of Drupal, Buytaert was silent.

The only role that Garfield is now permitted to play in Drupal is that of an individual contributor; he was stripped of all his leadership roles.

As open-source projects get commercialised and the money comes in, there tends to be less tolerance for behaviour that would have been otherwise overlooked when the project was purely a community project.

Whether this was the reason why Buytaert decided to sack Garfield is unknown.

But Drupal is now a big noise: it has been used to build some pretty big websites, including that of the White House. In Australia, the government has contracted Acquia to build 400 websites and a separate customised CMS based on Drupal, known as govCMS, is being developed.

Garfield's sex life should be his private business - unless he was involved in rape or paedophilia. Since this was not the case, it looks like he had to go for Buytaert to retain this sheen of "respectability".

Drupal, like many other open source projects, has a stated goal of welcoming and accepting all people, no matter their heritage, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity or other factors.

In this case, it looks like Garfield has been put out to pasture to satisfy other objectives.
Researchers at security firm Trend Micro say they have found a new cryptocurrency miner that operates as fileless malware, attacking Windows systems by using the EternalBlue exploit that powered the WannaCry ransomware in May.

In a blog post that detailed the characteristics of the malware and the way in which it gained access to a system, Trend Micro said it had been affecting the Asia Pacific region in July.

The major countries affected were Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and India; other countries in the region were only marginally affected.

Fileless malware exists only in the memory of an infected system making detection much more difficult.

Trend Micro said the malware uses Windows Management Instrumentation, a core component of Windows that is used for daily management tasks, as its filess persistence mechanism.

Distribution of the new malware infections from July to August 2017.

To enter a system, the EternalBlue vulnerability was used. This exploit was developed by the NSA but leaked on the Web by a group known as Shadow Brokers in April.

Apart from being used in WannaCry, it was also used in a mass ransomware outbreak  known variously as Petya (ransomware that already existed at the time), NotPetya, Nyetya, ExPetr and GoldenEye  that broke out in Europe in June and spread to other regions.

Trend Micro said the new malware was inserted as a backdoor on a Windows system which then installed various WMI scripts. These scripts then connected to the attacker's command and control servers to obtain instructions and download the cryptocurrency miner malware.

The infection flow of the new cryptocurrency miner malware.

The company advised systems admins to restrict and disable WMI as needed to prevent this malware from infecting a system.

"Not all machines require the WMI service. If a machine does not need access to WMI, disable it to eliminate the risk," Trend Micro said. "Microsoft provides a quick guide on how to stop WMI service completely. Microsoft also provides a tool that can trace WMI activity. SMBv1 can also be disabled to reduce the risk to users."

It also pointed out that the entry point for this malware was EternalBlue, for which a patch had been available since March 2017.

"However, there are still a lot of machines exposed to this vulnerability. Ensuring that the operating system, software, and other applications are updated with the latest patches deters threats from using security gaps as their doorways into systems and networks," Trend Micro said.

Graphics: courtesy Trend Micro
A security researcher claims that the AccuWeather app for iOS leaks information to a third-party site, with GPS co-ordinates and router information among the data leaked.

Researcher Will Strafach detailed his findings in a post after about 36 hours of testing. He said that the app asked for location access in order to provide alerts about severe weather, critical updates and quicker start times.

But, he said, when location access was granted, the app sent precise GPS co-ordinates (including speed and altitude), the name and BSSID of the Wi-Fi router to which the iOS device was connected, and whether the device had bluetooth turned on.

Strafach pointed out that knowledge of the router could be used for geolocation through a number of online services.

The information was sent to revealmobile.com, which he said was a data monetisation company. On its website, he found this: "We convert mobile location signals into high value audiences. You generate more mobile revenue, with or without ads."

The alert that appears when requesting access to GPS information on iOS.

Strafach said RevealMobile said it had the capability to gain insight into where a user lives, works, and his or her frequented locations.

He pointed to a case study where RevealMobile had provided this explanation:

"Our technology sits inside hundreds of apps across the United States. It turns the location data coming out of those apps into meaningful audience data. We listen for lat/long data and when a device 'bumps' into a Bluetooth beacon. The data shown on the following pages reflects 102,535 opted-in location sharing mobile devices that we saw at retail locations Friday, November 25th, 2016."

Strafach said similar leaking of data by another company, InMobi, had attracted the attention of the US Federal Trade Commission.

Graphics: courtesy Will Strafach
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By Mustafa Habib | (Niqash.org) |  

[N.B. The offensive against ISIL (Daesh) in Tal Afar began on Sunday.  JC]

Intensive air raids, secret political talks and military forces gathering on the outskirts of the city: Everything points to the battle of Tal Afar  almost the extremists last stand in Iraq . . .

Over the past two weeks, Iraqi army captain, Mohammed al-Saedi, a senior officer in the 92nd Brigade, and his men have been watching columns of smoke rising from the centre of Tal Afar. The northern Iraqi city is one of the very last strongholds of the extremist group known as the Islamic State in Iraq.

Preparations for the battle in Tal Afar are being completed and there are many battalions coming to the outskirts of the city, al-Saedi told NIQASH. This includes the Iraqi army, the federal police, counter terrorism forces and the Shiite Muslim militias.

The columns of smoke coming out of Tal Afar are caused by bombing by the international coalition fighting the Islamic State, or IS, group as well as Iraqi planes. They are bombing the city to weaken the IS groups defences there.

There are serious concerns that we will see destruction as bad as that which happened in western Mosul.

The fight for Tal Afar has started but so far land forces have not advanced and officials are reluctant to give away the exact timing as to when this will happen. However al-Saedi says he expects a relatively uncomplicated fight. More senior officers than al-Saedi, such as Najim al-Jibouri, the commander of the Ninawa theatre of operations, have also expressed this opinion even though some US commanders have differed.

The location of Tal Afar city is of strategic importance. It sits around 70 kilometres away from Mosul and is around 60 kilometres away from the Turkish and Syrian borders. There are three small towns in the Tal Afar district, with the towns of Rabia and Ayadiyah controlled by the IS group and Zamar under the control of Iraqi Kurdish troops.

Before the security crisis sparked by the IS group began, an estimated 300,000 people lived in Tal Afar, mostly Shiite and Sunni Muslims of the Turkmen ethnic group. There were also Arabs and Kurds there. After the IS group took over the area, all the Shiite Muslims left, as did the Iraqi military, fearing death or punishment. Several thousand of the Sunni Muslim population remained.

The main challenges facing pro-government forces in Tal Afar include the size of the district  it is double the area of Mosul city  and the fact that some neighbourhoods in Tal Afar city are similar to those on the western side of Mosul: That is, the houses are older and densely packed in small alleyways.

The centre of Tal Afar is full of narrow, overlapping neighbourhoods, with lots of old houses abandoned by residents, confirms Kamal al-Ajmali, one of the community leaders from Tal Afar. All those houses are bound to be booby trapped with explosives. There are serious concerns that we will see destruction as bad as that which happened in western Mosul.

The IS group has been preparing for this battle for a long time and Tal Afar is the extremists last stronghold, al-Ajmali added. They may well fight to the bitter end here. I believe the government should have started operations to push the IS group out of Tal Afar at the same time as they started fighting for Mosul. Because they did not, large numbers of IS extremists were allowed to escape from Mosul, together with their families, and to get to Tal Afar.

Tal Afar is now under siege. The Iraqi military is deployed to the east in the Badush area, Shiite Muslim militias are in the south and the west around Tal Abta and Sinjar city, and Iraqi Kurdish forces are in the north.

Another major problem for the pro-government forces though is the loss of fighters they have had to deal with over the past months fighting in and around Mosul, in the longest stretch of fighting against the IS group. In comparison, fighting in Fallujah took just three weeks and in Tikrit it was around four. In Mosul, it was nine months.

During this time, the crack counter-terrorism troops, lauded as heroes by many Iraqis, suffered many casualties. Yet Iraqi commanders have decided that these units will spearhead the attack in Tal Afar, just as they did at first in Mosul.

According to government sources, fighters participating in the fighting for Tal Afar will include a number of the counter-terrorism units, the 9th and the 6th armoured divisions, the 3rd brigade of the quick response troops, the federal police and four factions of the Shiite Muslim militias.

The last component is the one that is causing some problems between Turkey and Iran. During the fighting in Mosul, only one Shiite Muslim group took part, the Al Abbas brigade. Turkish officials have been warning against the participation of more Shiite Muslim militias for months, fearing illegal acts and revenge killings against the Sunni Muslims who remained in the area. Turkey cares about these because they are mostly of Turkmen ethnicity. Shiite Turkmen believe that their neighbours who stayed all support the IS group.

Turkish troops remain in Iraq, in a camp that is about 50 kilometres away from the battlefield. Despite the fact that their presence has ignited a diplomatic spat between Iraq and Turkey, the Turkish soldiers have remained there, to threaten Iran should Shiite Muslim militias get too close to the Turkmen of Tal Afar.

However Turkeys fears have apparently been eased recently, an Iraqi MP told NIQASH on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the press. Secret talks were held and Iraq made pledges that there would be no sectarian violence, the politician told NIQASH.

In order to ensure this, the Iraqi government had decided upon four Shiite Muslim militias to fight at Tal Afar. Three of them were militias that were known to be more loyal to the Iraqi government, associated directly with the senior cleric, Ali al-Sistani, as opposed to those militias that openly pledge loyalty to the neighbouring Iranian government. The fourth faction would be the group known as the Hussein Brigade; most of the fighters are Shiites originally from Tal Afar who will know the citys geography better than most.

Other Shiite Muslim militias, including those who have expressed loyalty to Iran  such as the Badr organization and the League of the Righteous  will secure the outskirts of the city, ensuring the extremists cannot escape, as well as take charge of security in Tal Afars smaller towns.

A final problem will be the waves of displaced locals that the authorities are expecting. As signs of an impending battle mount, locals from inside Tal Afar have already started trying to leave, says Ahmad al-Jibouri, an MP for Mosul. The number of displaced families isnt that high yet, al-Jibouri said. But it will increase when fighting starts. The government needs to take measures to shelter those people.

We estimate there will be around 35,000 people coming from the city, Husam al-Abbar, a member of the Ninawa provincial council, notes. But we are well prepared to receive them, he added, pointing out that there were 2,890 tents erected at Salamiyah camp and 3,600 more at the Bartala camp, both near Mosul. Additionally, there were also empty tents left by displaced people who had returned to Mosul.

Via Niqash.org



Related video added by Juan Cole:

France 24: Iraq: Army forces retake villages surrounding IS-held Tal Afar
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The 16-years-long Afghanistan War has bedeviled Washington decision-makers since the US invasion of fall, 2001, which came in response to the attacks of September 11.

In his speech on Monday night, Trump was primarily attempting to manipulate American domestic politics. He was trying to look presidential and play the patriotism card after he called Neo-Nazis and KKK members in Charlottesville very fine people. Almost nothing he said about Afghanistan and South Asia made any sense, and of course Trump does not know anything about any of those subjects. His military advisers only know these subjects through the lens of military action, which isnt very helpful if the problems are cultural.

It is a low-risk strategy. I dont find the American public interested in Afghanistan in the least. The US media does not much cover that war and announcements of US troop deaths are carried on page 17 of the newspapers. So Trump can shift the focus to foreign policy without risking a backlash.

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis once said it is fun to shoot Taliban. He is in for a lot of fun.

Trump depicted the radical groups in Afghanistan as dangerous to the United States. This assertion is probably incorrect. It is true that, as Trump said, the 9/11 attacks were planned out by Usama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and other al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan. But they were also planned out in Hamburg, where al-Qaeda had the good fortune to recruit some high-powered engineers. They were not planned out by the Taliban, whose leaders probably did not even know about the plans to attack the United States. In the aftermath Taliban angrily denounced Bin Laden as having provoked a foreign occupation of their country.

That al-Qaeda had training bases in Afghanistan was important to their movement, but those bases wouldnt have been much use if the American airlines did not have shoddy security precautions against hijackings. Jet planes are enormous bombs and it was only a matter of time before someone figured out how to use them as such. Likewise, mistrust between the CIA and the FBI caused two of the hijackers, who had been under surveillance at an al-Qaeda summit in Kuala Lumpur but then entered the US and settled in San Diego, to fall between the cracks.

And, of course, al-Qaeda would not have existed at all if Ronald Reagan had not encouraged a private army of Muslim fundamentalists and tribal forces to attack the Communist government of Afghanistan in the 1980s. And that government wouldnt have been there, in all likelihood, if Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union had not invaded and occupied the country, which began its long-term destabilization.

In short, the US probably does not need to stay in Afghanistan to ensure that America is not attacked from that country again. The obverse is that being in Afghanistan does not protect the US from attacks hatched elsewhere, including possibly in Europe itself. The main point is that the US needed better security at point of use in dangerous systems such as the airline industry.

Still, for ISIL or al-Qaeda to reestablish training camps in Afghanistan would be a highly negative development. Such camps would be difficult to discover and bomb from the air, if the US withdrew, since it would need to fly missions against them from aircraft carrier battle groups in the Gulf, and would need overflight permission from Pakistan or Iran.

As for why the Taliban in particular have made a comeback and may control a third of the country, there are some basic reasons for this, some of them explained by Sarah Chayes, who knows more about the real Afghanistan than the entire US government.

First, Afghanistan is desperately poor. It is one of the 25 poorest countries in the world. Despite the fake news sometimes put out from DC think tanks, it has virtually no natural resources of any value. Its population is still largely agricultural but much of the country is arid. This poverty contributes to a weak government that does not raise enough in taxes to mount a proper government. If it werent for foreign aid, Afghanistan could not afford to pay its tens of thousands of troops and police. Low salaries and salary arrears encourage corruption. Dire poverty does not necessarily turn a country into a failed state. Senegal does better than Afghanistan. But it is a strike against the country and hard to overcome.

Second, its high rates of population growth often outstrip economic growth, so that per capita income is actually declining.

Trumps determination not to do nation-building differs little from the actual US policy of the past 16 years, which is to put much more money into bombs than into the countrys economic development. Since lack of development is a big driver of the failed state and of guerrilla violence, giving it up wont be helpful.

Third, as noted above, its government is extremely corrupt. Officials prey on people, steal land and other resources from them, and generally act like a plague on the land. Warlord rule is common, i.e. rule by what are essentially violent mobsters. This extreme corruption drives some of the population into the arms of the Taliban, who are fanatical puritans and who do lay levies on people, but are for the most part not personally corrupt.

Fourth, Afghanistan has some deep ethnic divides. Some 40% of the population is Pushtun. They speak Pashto and practice a relatively strict form of Sunni Islam. They are the potential constituency for the Taliban. Another 22% or so is Hazara Shiites, who speak Dari Persian and have the same form of Islam as neighboring Iran. Ten percent are Uzbeks, who speak a Turkic language and practice Sunni Islam, though many of them are secular-minded as a result of the influence of neighboring Uzbekistan. Most of the rest are some form of Tajik, Sunni Muslims who speak Dari Persian. Tajiks are disproportionately urban and literate and often fill government offices, to the annoyance of the rural and tribal Pushtuns.

As Sarah Chayes has pointed out, deep ethnic divides and hatred exacerbate public reaction against corruption. If a Tajik governor of a province is stealing from Pushtuns, the latter may well turn to the Taliban for protection.

The Western Pushtuns have never bought into the US-established government in Kabul, which has all along had a strong element of the Northern Alliance (Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks) who had fought the Taliban in the 1990s. Last I knew, 2% of the army is from Helmand and Qandahar provinces, Pushtun strongholds.

Sixth, outside powers also play on the ethnic divides. Many Tajik politicians have strong relationships with India. Most Pushtun are pro-Pakistani. Pakistan is regularly accused of promoting the Taliban and Muslim fundamentalism as a way of asserting Pakistani influence and countering Indian inroads. Pakistani generals consider Afghanistan their strategic depth with regard to India. (I dont think they understand the concept properly; you want your strategic depth between you and the enemy, not behind you.) Hazaras have not been as close to Iran as you might imagine, but some of their leaders do have links to Tehran.

The ordinary troops of the army are reluctant to risk their lives fighting for a corrupt government. There are high desertion rates and high rates of drug use in the army. While in some battles some units have fought bravely, despite its training, size and equipment it is regularly successfully challenged by smaller bands of Taliban.

If Trump had pulled the US out of Afghanistan, as he threatened to during the campaign, my guess is that Kabul would have fallen to the Taliban within a year. The US no longer does much active war-fighting in this country, but special forces and US fighter jets can intervene to stop a Taliban offensive.

The country, in short, is in a stalemate, and the best the US can likely do is to be like the little boy who stuck his finger in the dike to stop a flood. You kind of have to keep your finger in the dike forever.

Trumps demand that India invest in Afghanistan was overly dramatic. India already invests in Afghanistan. But I dont know what he expects. It is a desperately poor country with few natural resources. Although the Indian middle class has greatly expanded, much of India is still mired in rural poverty and those villagers are a much bigger constituency for the BJP government than are the villagers of Afghanistan.

Trumps slam of Pakistan as giving safe haven to terrorists and extremists is the sort of thing it is better to say privately. You say it publicly, Pakistans urban elites are likely to tell Washington to jump in a lake. They consider Afghan fundamentalists as a vector of their soft power in a neighboring country. Already, Pakistan is being deeply embedded in Chinas economic expansion westward, and Islamabad could easily turn to Beijing as its major foreign patron. And, by the way, the Pakistani military has fought some hard campaigns against extremists inside the country, and lost many troops to these battles.

In the end, Trump just kicked the can down the road. The fawning over him by some tele-journalists for doing so (and seeming decisive and presidential) was truly disgusting. If Afghanistans curses are corruption, fanatical identity politics and a hatred of globalization, its more problematic organizations resemble most of all . . . Trumps base.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Donald Trump Takes Ownership Of Afghanistan War With New Announcement | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC
North Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 22, 2017) - Lion One Metals Limited (TSXV: LIO) (ASX: LLO) (OTCQX: LOMLF) (FSE: LY1) (the "Company") is pleased to announce drill results from a new zone of shallow mineralization identified at its 100% owned and fully permitted high grade underground Tuvatu Gold Project located near Nadi on the island of Viti Levu in the Republic of Fiji.

This new mineralized zone is adjacent, but separate, to mineralization previously outlined in the Tuvatu resource (see Figure 1). The grades intersected are significantly higher than other drill results in this immediate area and are located in the near-surface providing the possibility for early development. The current drill program is focused to the north of the east-west striking Core Shed Fault, a structure which bisects the northern end of the Tuvatu resource. Previous drilling to the north of the Core Shed Fault identified limited and generally lower grade mineralization. The recent drilling has tied together these previous results and extended the known mineralization further north and with higher-grade than that indicated by the previous work. This zone of mineralization is open to the northwest, southeast and at depth. Drilling will continue in an effort to determine the extent of mineralization in both directions along strike, and down-dip. All intersections to date are very shallow, but depth extensions will be targeted as the program continues.

The new drilling is characterized by fine quartz veins, pyrite rich, vuggy, bleached monzonite, with zones of intense, very coarse grained biotite and potassium feldspar alteration. The zone is characterized by intense fractures, breccia and minor faults.

To date, this new zone of mineralization is confined to the area north of the Core Shed Fault, and has already shown the potential to extend much farther north from the area previously drilled at Tuvatu.

Results from six diamond drill holes have recently been received (see Table 1), and are reported in this release. The details of each hole are included in Table 2. The drill program is continuing with results from a number of additional holes still outstanding. The location of these drill holes is outlined in Figure 2.

Table 1: Diamond Drill Results from Current Program

Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) TUDDH 442 42.59 46.25 3.66 1.74 49.20 51.97 2.77 85.42 57.13 59.70 2.57 3.66 62.55 65.77 3.22 6.83 TUDDH 448 8.60 9.40 0.80 8.27 13.43 14.20 0.77 4.08 20.80 21.23 0.43 6.48 24.95 30.22 5.27 2.54 41.70 42.30 0.60 2.32 50.80 53.37 2.57 2.69 TUDDH 449 15.10 18.60 3.50 6.00 33.64 34.45 0.81 2.26 TUDDH 450 70.54 72.00 1.46 1.41 TUDDH 458 80.20 82.70 2.50 1.39 89.70 90.9 1.20 10.17 TUDDH 461 58.90 62.30 3.40 23.24 68.60 69.28 0.68 2.10 78.97 80.30 1.33 4.37 82.20 82.85 0.65 2.72

Table 2: Drill hole details

Hole number northing easting depth RL dip azimuth TUDDH 442 3921026 1876471 71.70 211.5 -55 250 TUDDH 448 3921028 1876435 92.80 207.7 90 - TUDDH 449 3921028 1876433 62.70 207.7 -60 252 TUDDH 450 3921050 1876444 77.60 192.3 -50 260 TUDDH 458 3921033 1876485 125.70 207.3 60 235 TUDDH 461 3921012 1876481 98.60 219.5 -65 248

Previous results in this area have included diamond drill holes:

TUDDH004:



4.30m @ 2.55 g/t Au from 33.00 meter

3.80m @ 2.98 g/t Au from 61.20 meters TUDDH049: 1.55m @ 6.16 g/t Au from 55.45 meters

1.00m @ 10.34 g/t Au from 64.50 meters

1.35m @ 11.40 g/t Au from 71.65 meters

As well as the following previously completed reverse circulation drill holes which have returned significant results including:

TURC014



3.00m @ 8.25 g/t Au from 0 meters

3.00m @ 2.70 g/t Au from 4 meters TURC 015 7.00m @ 5.09 g/t Au from 0 meters TURC017 4.00m @ 1.46 g/t Au from 12 meters

Extensional Exploration at Tuvatu

The Tuvatu Gold Project consists of multiple high-grade structures drilled over a strike-length of approximately 900 meters. Several of the mineralized zones are open along-strike and down-dip and, as noted in this release, there are potential new target areas in the immediate vicinity of the known mineral resource. Tuvatu sits within an extensive mineralized district with gold occurrences and geochemistry anomalies extending over an area 6 kilometers by 3 kilometers with several district prospects yet to be adequately tested. The Company is developing an exploration strategy that focuses on new mineralization within the current mineralized envelope, immediate extensional targets and other targets in the district. The aim is to expand the resource base to continue to support long-term sustainable mining operations at Tuvatu.

About Tuvatu / Lion One / Fiji Gold

Lion One is aggressively advancing its 100% owned Tuvatu Gold Project as a world class discovery and near-term production opportunity in the southwest Pacific Ring of Fire. Tuvatu is modeled for exploration after regional giants in the low sulphidation family of high grade epithermal gold deposits such as Porgera and Lihir in PNG, and Vatukoula in Fiji. These spectacular discoveries have produced over 35 million ounces of gold in similar alkaline volcanic settings. Tuvatu has been fully permitted by the Government of Fiji for operations startup and has a dual-track strategy of production development and resource expansion inside its 385 hectare mining lease.

Tuvatu is located 17 km from the international airport in Nadi, on the west coast of Viti Levu in the Republic of Fiji. Lion One's CEO Walter Berukoff is leading an experienced team of mine builders, and has owned or operated over 20 mines in 7 countries. As the founder and former CEO of Miramar Mines, Northern Orion, and La Mancha Resources, Walter is credited with building over $3 billion of value for shareholders.

Tuvatu was advanced by previous owners through underground exploration and development from 1997 through to the completion of a feasibility study in 2000. Acquired by Lion One in 2011, the project has over 110,000 meters of drilling completed to date in addition to 1,430 meters of underground development.

In January 2016 the Hon. Prime Minister of Fiji, Mr. V. Bainimarama, formally presented the previously granted Tuvatu Mining Lease to Lion One. This concluded the permitting process for the development of an underground gold mine and processing plant at Tuvatu, demonstrating strong government support for Fiji's 85 year-old gold mining industry.

As per its independent June 1, 2015 NI 43-101 PEA Technical Report on the Tuvatu Gold Project, the Company envisages a low cost underground gold mining operation producing 352,931 ounces of gold at head grades of 11.30 g/t Au over an initial 7 year mine life. This includes production of 262,000 ounces at 15.30 g/t through to the end of year three. Estimated cash cost is US$567 per ounce with all-in sustaining cost of US$779 per ounce. Total capex of US$48.6 million includes a contingency of US$6.1 million with an 18 month preproduction schedule and 18 month payback on capital. At a US$1,200 gold price, the project generates net cash flow of US$112.66 million and an IRR of 52% (after tax). The Company is not basing its production decision on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability; as a result there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks associated with its production decision.

Mine engineering and underground development is progressing alongside final detailed engineering for the Tuvatu processing plant and site infrastructure. The Company has now dewatered the existing Tuvatu exploration decline to 560 meters from the portal down the decline. The decline was completed in the year 2000 by Emperor Gold Mines, comprising 1,430 meters of underground development including drives, cross cuts and raises. In conjunction with the dewatering, ventilation fans and lighting have been installed and are running 24 hours per day. The rehabilitation of the decline is ongoing as dewatering progresses, but in general the stability and ground conditions have been shown to be very good. The areas of rehabilitation and regularly reviewed and approved by Mine Inspectors from Fiji's Mineral Resource Department.

Stephen Mann, Managing Director, member of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, is the Qualified Person ("QP") responsible for the Tuvatu Mine exploration and delineation programs.

For more information on Lion One including technical reports please visit the Company's website at www.liononemetals.com or the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.
VANCOUVER, Aug. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - Amarc Resources Ltd. ("Amarc" or the "Company") (TSX-V: AHR; OTCBB: AXREF) is pleased to announce it has entered into another Mineral Property Farm-In Agreement (the "JOY Agreement") with Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("Hudbay") (TSX:HBM; NYSE: HBM).

The new Agreement with Hudbay, has a similar structure to the recently announced IKE Project Farm-In Agreement (see Amarc News Release dated July 6, 2017), and has been established to advance the Company's 72 km2, 100% owned, JOY porphyry copper-gold mineral property (the "JOY Project") which is located 25 km north of AuRico Metals Inc.'s Kemess South Mine and Kemess Underground Project site in north-central British Columbia ("BC"). Under the terms of the JOY Agreement, Hudbay may acquire through a staged investment process, up to a 60% ownership interest in the Project.

Robert Dickinson, Executive Chairman of Amarc: "The prospectivity of the Kemess District is well-known to Hunter Dickinson and the Amarc technical team, as we were the first to develop its porphyry potential  acquiring both the early-stage Kemess South and Kemess North prospects and advancing them into significant porphyry copper-gold deposits. We are excited to be combining our proven porphyry copper discovery track record with Hudbay's acknowledged capabilities as a first-class mine builder and operator. We believe it will be a potent partnership that allows us to advance the JOY Project in an expeditious way, and in a manner that balances technical, economic, environmental and social considerations."

Diane Nicolson, President of Amarc: "We are thrilled to welcome Hudbay as a partner at JOY, following our recent announcement of our agreement with them on the IKE Project. We believe that JOY has the potential to be a significant, new copper-gold camp in northern British Columbia, and an important extension to the Kemess District. Having secured the required permits, our crews have mobilized to the field to undertake a comprehensive exploration program, including drilling, to assess the substantive porphyry copper-gold deposit targets on the JOY property."

Agreement with Hudbay on JOY Project

Under the terms of the Agreement Hudbay can earn an initial 49% interest in the JOY Project under a Stage 1 Farm-in Right by funding $15 million1 of expenditures before December 31, 2020, of which $1.9 million is committed for 2017.

When its Stage 1 Farm-in Right is exercised, Hudbay can, pursuant to a Stage 2 Farm-in Right, earn an additional 1% ownership interest in the Project (for a total 50% ownership interest) by funding $5 million of expenditures (for a total of $20 million) also before December 31, 2020.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 Farm-in expenditures can be accelerated by Hudbay at its discretion. Amarc will be the operator during the Stage 1 and Stage 2 periods. A Joint Venture ("JV") will be formed when Hudbay has acquired a 49% interest in the Project.

1 All currency values are Canadian dollars.

Provided that Hudbay has exercised the Stage 2 Farm-in Right and acquired a 50% interest, it can then elect to go forward via one of two paths.

First, Hudbay can replace Amarc as operator of the JV after it funds all project expenditures and completes a Feasibility Study for the JOY Project by December 31, 2025. Having gained operatorship, Hudbay can then choose to either go forward with Amarc in a 50/50 participating JV or Hudbay can instead elect to continue with its Farm-in (the "Stage 3 Farm-in Right") to acquire an additional 10% interest in the JOY Project (for a total 60% ownership interest). To exercise its Stage 3 Farm-in Right, Hudbay must fund all expenditures required to submit a British Columbia environmental assessment ("EA") application for the JOY Project and, if applicable, a Canadian EA application, with the application(s) being accepted for review by December 31, 2026. In addition, Hudbay must also continue to fund all approved project expenditures until all necessary EA Certificates are received. Following receipt of the EA Certificate(s), all approved JOY Project expenditures going forward will be shared by Hudbay and Amarc on a pro rata basis (Hudbay 60%/Amarc 40%) under the JV.

As a second alternative path, after exercising its Stage 2 Farm-in Right Hudbay can elect to proceed directly to the Stage 3 Farm-in Right, so immediately becoming the operator, and acquire a further 10% interest (for a total 60% ownership interest) by, like above, submitting a British Columbia EA application and, if applicable, a Canadian EA application by December 31, 2026. Again, in this instance, Hudbay must also fund all project expenditures until receipt of the necessary EA Certificate(s). Following receipt of project approvals from government, all approved JOY Project expenditures going forward will be shared by Hudbay and Amarc on a pro rata basis (Hudbay 60%/Amarc 40%) under the JV.

Hudbay has a one-time right to defer either of its 2019 or 2020 expenditures in the Stage 1 or Stage 2 Farm-in periods, for a one-year period, subject to certain conditions. If this deferral occurs, Amarc will have a "co-expenditure right", whereby it can incur and fund approved additional expenditures on the JOY Project up to the amount of the deferred expenditures. Hudbay may elect to reimburse Amarc for these additional expenditures, thereby retaining its interest in the Project. Under either alternative path, if Hudbay does not submit the EA application(s) by December 31, 2026, then Amarc will become operator again.

About the JOY Project

Amarc's JOY property is located 310 km north of Mackenzie, BC, and 25 km north of the Kemess South Mine site where owner, AuRico Metals recently secured a BC EA Certificate for its nearby Kemess Underground Project.

Past operators conducted prospecting-style work on the JOY claims  collecting some 3,000 soil samples, 800 rock samples and 30 silt samples  but undertook no drilling. These surface surveys clearly indicate a number of substantial porphyry copper-gold and epithermal silver-gold deposit targets across the JOY property. The copper-gold deposit targets located at JOY are considered by Amarc to be a northern extension to the prolific Kemess porphyry copper-gold district. Most importantly, historical soil and rock sampling along with a recent soil survey, has revealed a regionally significant, 9 km2 copper, gold, molybdenum, silver and zinc geochemical anomaly, which potentially reflects a large and shallowly buried, copper-gold porphyry deposit.

Approved Project expenditures of $1.9 million will be directed towards core drilling to evaluate this outstanding copper-gold soil anomaly for its major deposit potential. Extensive surface exploration surveys, including Induced Polarization, geological mapping and talus fine sampling, will also be completed to firm up further porphyry copper-gold deposit targets for testing next year. Amarc has mobilized crews to the JOY site for the 2017 drilling season.

About Amarc Resources

Amarc is a mineral exploration and development company with an experienced and successful management team focused on developing a new generation of BC porphyry copper mines. By combining strong projects and funding with successful management, Amarc has created a solid platform to now commence value creation.

Amarc is advancing its 100% owned IKE, DUKE and JOY porphyry copper deposit districts, located in southern, central and northern BC, respectively, each with proximity to industrial infrastructure, power, rail and highways. These projects represent significant potential for the discovery of multiple, important-scale, porphyry copper-gold and copper-molybdenum deposits.

The 462 km2 IKE Project is located 33 km northwest of the historical mining community of Gold Bridge. Over the last three years, Amarc has made a significant new porphyry copper-molybdenum-silver discovery, completing over 12,000 metres of drilling in 21 wide-spaced core holes in the IKE deposit that indicate the potential for extensive resource volumes which remain open to expansion in all directions. Extensive regional surveys have also identified numerous porphyry copper (molydenumgoldsilver) deposit targets all within 10 km of IKE. Amarc believes the IKE Project has the potential to possess the grades and tonnages to develop into an important mining camp. Amarc has partnered with Hudbay to efficiently fund the advancement of the IKE Project (see news release July 6, 2017) and as operator, has mobilized crews to the IKE site for the 2017 drilling season.

Amarc's DUKE deposit and an adjacent 190 km2 porphyry copper district is located 80 km northeast of Smithers, BC and 30 km north of former copper-gold mines (Bell and Granisle) operated by Noranda Mines. The DUKE Project area is logging road accessible from Smithers or Fort St. James. Historically, DUKE has been explored with surface geochemical and geophysical surveys, as well as 30 shallow diamond drill holes. Many of the holes intersected significant lengths of porphyry copper-molybdenum-silver-gold mineralization which remains open both laterally and to depth. The surrounding district hosts multiple, second-order porphyry copper deposit targets. Plans are to drill the DUKE deposit target in fall 2017.

Amarc is associated with Hunter Dickinson Inc. ("HDI"), a diversified, global mining company with a 25+-year history of porphyry discovery and development success. Previous and current HDI porphyry projects include some of BC's and the world's most important mineral resources  such as Pebble, Mount Milligan, Kemess South, Kemess North, Gibraltar, Prosperity, Xietongmen, Newtongmen, Florence, Sisson, and Maggie. From its head office in Vancouver, Canada, HDI applies its unique strengths and capabilities to acquire, develop, operate and monetize mineral projects to provide superior returns to shareholders.

Amarc is committed to working collaboratively with governments and stakeholders to achieve responsible development of its projects, while contributing to sustainable development of the communities in which it works. All work programs are carefully planned to achieve high levels of environmental and social performance.

Qualified Person as Defined Under National Instrument 43-101

Mark Rebagliati, P. Eng., a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.
VANCOUVER, Aug. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - INCA ONE GOLD CORP. (TSXV: IO, Frankfurt: SU9.F, SSEV: IOCL) ("Inca One" or the "Company") is pleased to announce gold production in May and June 2017 reached 1,659 ounces, an increase of 109% year-over-year and an increase of 9% from February, March and April of 2017 ("Q4 2017").

During the two months, the Company achieved an average throughput of 60 tonnes per day ("TPD"), an increase of 109% from the comparable period in 2016, and an increase of 5% from Q4 2017. Over these two months, the Company processed approximately 3,681 tonnes of material, compared to 1,747 tonnes year-over-year, (an increase of 111%).

Inca One previously reported (June 2017 press release) that mining activity in Peru was disrupted this year by unusually harsh weather conditions including flooding. After the floods subsided, roadways re-opened and mineral deliveries picked up, allowing the Company to realize a substantial increase in supply of gold bearing material for processing. Mineral purchases from May and June of 2017 increased by an average of 124% year-over-year and 3% over Q4 2017.

"We are pleased with the triple digit improvements in the three main facets of the business: mineral deliveries, processing and gold production," stated Inca One President and CEO, Edward Kelly. "We are building a solid platform which we expect to improve on in the second half of this year."

Electrical Grid Update

Inca One's wholly owned Chala One milling facility is now connected to the electrical grid. The milling facility is currently receiving approximately two thirds of its power from the grid. Final upgrades to the grid proximal to the town of Chala are underway. Full powerline delivery is anticipated to be provided by SEAL, the regional power supplier, by the fall of 2017.

Changes to Board and Management

Inca One announces the resignation of Mr. Oliver Foeste from its Board of Directors and as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Foeste has served as a Director of the Company since 2010, during which time Inca One transitioned from an early stage exploration company into an operating gold processor with cumulative revenue in excess of US$30M since commercial operations began in 2015. The Company would like to thank Mr. Foeste for his dedication, diligence and positive contributions over the past 7 years and wishes him the very best as he focuses on his growing accounting and finance advisory practice.

Also resigning from the Inca One Board is Mr. Richard A. Mundie. The Company would like to thank Mr. Mundie for his guidance, and wish him well in all future endeavors.

The Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Kevin Hart as Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Hart is a Chartered Professional Accountant with over 20 years of international experience in finance, administration and governance for mining companies listed on the TSX and NYSE. Most recently, he was Corporate Controller for Asanko Gold Inc. During his tenure, Asanko transitioned into a mid-tier gold producer in Ghana, West Africa. Prior to Asanko, Mr. Hart held senior finance and management positions for several companies founded by the Hunter Dickinson ("HDI") group. Those companies included Farallon, which built the G9 Mine in Mexico and was sold to Nyrstar in 2011. Mr. Hart was also involved in the restart of Taseko's Gibraltar Copper Mine in Williams Lake, BC.

The Company is also pleased to announce the appointments of Mr. Rodney Stevens and Mr. Adrian Morger to its Board of Director's effective immediately.

Mr. Stevens is a CFA charter holder with over ten years experience in the capital markets, first as an Investment Analyst with Salman Partners Inc., then as a merchant and investment banker. While at Salman Partners, Mr. Stevens was recognized by Starmine in 2007, as a top-rated analyst for the metals and mining industry. Over the course of his career, Mr. Stevens has been instrumental in assisting in financings and M&A activity worth over $1 billion in transaction value.

Adrian Morger is a European based asset manager with over 20 years experience in the banking industry. After studying Business and Economics from 1998-2001 at the University of Applied Sciences in Chur, Switzerland, he worked as Fund Manager of Alternative Investments at Internationale Fonds Service AG, then as Head of Fund and Manager Selection for VP Bank AG in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. In March 2009, he founded Everest Wealth Management AG, followed in January 2015 by Falknis Wealth Management AG. His asset management businesses also provide direct loans to mining companies.

About Inca One

Inca One is a Canadian-based mineral processing company. The Company's activities consist of the production of gold and silver from the processing of purchased minerals located in Peru. Peru is the 6th largest producer of gold in the world and the Peruvian government estimates the small-scale mining sector accounts for a significant portion of all Peruvian gold production, estimated to be valued approximately US$3 billion annually. The Company purchases its minerals from government registered small-scale mining producers from various regions and processes it at its Chala One milling facility located in Chala, Southern Peru.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 22, 2017) - Denison Mines Corp. ("Denison" or the "Company") (TSX:DML)(NYSE MKT:DNN)(NYSE American:DNN) is pleased to report that drill hole WAT17-446A returned a mineralized interval of 3.7% eU 3 O 8 over 3.9 metres (from 305.7 to 309.6 metres), including 7.8% eU 3 O 8 over 1.8 metres (from 307.0 to 308.8 metres). Drill hole WAT17-446A was the fourth hole completed as part of the summer 2017 drilling program at the Waterbury Lake property and was drilled approximately 50 metres along strike to the west of WAT17-443, which intersected 1.1% eU 3 O 8 over 0.8 metres (see Denison's Press Release dated August 1st, 2017).

Today's news is highlighted by the following:

Results from drill hole WAT17-446A represent a significant increase in the thickness and grades of the previous high-grade uranium intersections reported from drill hole WAT17-443;

High-grade uranium mineralization has now been intersected 50 metres along strike to the west of the result previously reported in drill hole WAT17-443;

The east-west trend targeted by the Waterbury Lake summer drilling program remains open in all directions and follow-up drilling on an approximate 50 x 50 metre spacing is ongoing; and

In response to the results returned to date, the number of drill holes expected to be completed, as part of the summer 2017 drilling program, has been increased by 50% to 9 drill holes, from an original plan of 6 drill holes.

Dale Verran, Denison's Vice President of Exploration, commented, "The results from WAT17-446 represent a very promising intersection at quite an early stage of evaluating this exciting new discovery at Waterbury Lake. The high-grades, apparent continuity of mineralization, and the degree of structure and alteration over drill hole step-outs of 50 metres or more suggest we are dealing with a very worthwhile exploration target. With an expanded summer drill program, we are certainly looking forward to further results from our efforts to continue to explore this untested trend."

New high-grade basement hosted uranium discovery

The summer 2017 drilling program at Waterbury Lake was designed to test an east-west geological trend, which shares interpreted similarities with the east-west trend that hosts the J Zone and Roughrider deposits, which are located approximately one kilometer to the south. Follow-up drilling to the high-grade mineralization discovered in WAT17-443, the first hole of the program, is ongoing and has been designed to test the basement-hosted mineralized zone on an approximate 50 x 50 m spacing. The priority of the follow up drilling is to commence an evaluation of the scale of, and controls on mineralization, which is currently open in all directions.

The second and third follow-up drill holes of the program also intersected mineralization including 0.5% eU 3 O 8 over 0.6 metres (from 346.0 to 346.6 metres) in drill hole WAT17-444, located approximately 65 metres down-dip of drill hole WAT17-443, and 0.2% eU 3 O 8 over 0.6 metres (from 277.2 to 277.7 metres) in drill hole WAT17-445, located approximately 60 metres up-dip of drill hole WAT17-446A. The locations of the drill hole collars and the J Zone and Roughrider deposits are provided in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Location of summer 2017 drill collars on Denisons Waterbury Lake project.





Results are reported herein as preliminary radiometric equivalent grades ("eU 3 O 8 ") derived from a calibrated downhole total gamma probe. The Company subsequently reports definitive assay grades following sampling and chemical analysis of the mineralized drill core. The four drill holes completed are orientated steeply to the southeast with azimuths of 152to 157and dips of -73 to -75.5. The Athabasca Group sandstones are approximately 200 metres thick, unconformably overlying a moderately north dipping package of basement rocks dominated by pelitic to semi-pelitic gneisses. Mineralization in the four holes completed has been intersected at depths of 70 to 130 metres vertically below the unconformity in variably graphitic pelitic gneisses and associated with a wide envelope of strong hematite alteration, quartz flooding, bleaching and faulting - features typical of basement-hosted uranium mineralization within the Athabasca Basin. The true thickness of the mineralization is yet to be determined.

Waterbury summer drilling program to be increased by 50%

As a result of the successful follow-up results from drill hole WAT17-446A, which returned a significant increase in the thickness and grades from the initial results reported from drill hole WAT17-443, Denison has decided to increase the scope of the summer 2017 drilling program at Waterbury Lake from 6 holes (2,650 metres), as originally planned, to 9 holes (3,850 metres).

Waterbury Lake Property

The Waterbury Lake property consists of multiple claims covering 40,256 hectares, and is located in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region in northern Saskatchewan. The property is jointly owned by Denison (63.63%) and Korea Waterbury Uranium Limited Partnership ("KWULP") (36.37%) through the Waterbury Lake Uranium Limited Partnership ("WLULP"). KWULP consists of a consortium of investors in which Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power ("KHNP") holds a majority position. KWULP has elected not to fund the 2017 exploration program and, as a result, will incur dilution of its ownership interest in the WLULP. KHNP is also a significant shareholder in Denison, holding 58,284,000 common shares of Denison, which represents approximately 10.42% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares.

For more information on the J Zone deposit, please refer to the Technical Report on the Mineral Resource Estimate on the J Zone Uranium Deposit, Waterbury Lake Property dated September 6, 2013 by Allan Armitage, Ph. D., P. Geo, and Alan Sexton, M.Sc., P.Geo, of GeoVector Management Inc. available on Denison's website and under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). For further details on the Roughrider deposit, prior to acquisition by Rio Tinto in 2012, please refer to the Preliminary Economic Assessment Technical Report for the East and West Zones Roughrider Uranium Project, Saskatchewan dated September 2013, 2011 by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. available on SEDAR.

Qualified Persons and Data Quality

Dale Verran, MSc, P.Geo, Pr.Sci.Nat., Denison's Vice President, Exploration, who is a Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release. The Company currently reports preliminary radiometric equivalent grades ("eU 3 O 8 "), derived from a calibrated downhole total gamma probe, during its exploration programs and subsequently reports definitive assay grades following sampling and chemical analysis of the mineralized drill core. Radiometric equivalent probe results are subject to verification procedures by qualified persons employed by Denison prior to disclosure. For further details on the total gamma downhole probe methods employed by Denison, QAQC procedures and data verification procedures please see Denison's Annual Information Form dated March 23, 2017 filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR.

About Denison

Denison is a uranium exploration and development company with interests focused in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition to its 60% owned Wheeler River project, which hosts the high grade Phoenix and Gryphon uranium deposits, Denison's exploration portfolio consists of numerous projects covering approximately 359,000 hectares in the Athabasca Basin region, including 340,000 hectares in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin. Denison's interests in Saskatchewan also include a 22.5% ownership interest in the McClean Lake joint venture ("MLJV"), which includes several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill, which is currently processing ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement, plus a 25.17% interest in the Midwest deposit and a 63.63% interest in the J Zone deposit on the Waterbury Lake property. Both the Midwest and J Zone deposits are located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill.

Denison is also engaged in mine decommissioning and environmental services through its Denison Environmental Services division and is the manager of Uranium Participation Corp., a publicly traded company which invests in uranium oxide and uranium hexafluoride.
MUSCATINE  Jim Roberson had no interest in history as a child, nor was he a young adult who loved historical facts. So when his uncle, a historical artifact enthusiast, took him to Hershey Avenue around 1983 to look for treasures in the newly dug ground of what would become the bypass, he had no idea it would become a passion.

We went out, and the road was blocked, but the dirt has been moved around, Roberson said.

His first find that day was a stone arrowhead. Roberson didnt know what he was looking at when he picked it up, but his uncle explained it was a prehistoric arrowhead. Thousands of them were buried along rivers, but it was special to Roberson. He still has it at his Kindler Avenue home. Artifact enthusiasts, of which Muscatine has a few, would find them in places where the soil was turned -- in farmlands, shorelines of lakes or creeks or on construction sites, the way Roberson had.

Now, the Muscatine native has come full circle with the passion he developed decades ago. He helped publish Prehistoric Artifacts of Iowa with the Hawkeye State Archeological Society, of which he is a member. Society officials first began discussing the book in 2012. They convened a publishing committee and Roberson began working on the more-than-300-page book. It would take more than four years to find artifacts, photograph them and write captions to describe them.

John Doershuk, state archaeologist at University of Iowa, helped Roberson locate some of the artifacts in the book. Some came from museums, but a large part of them came from private collections. The book, Doershuk said, emphasizes unusual artifacts over run-of-the-mill arrowheads, which are buried seemingly everywhere in Iowa.

For Roberson, the book was an opportunity to catalogue and document artifacts from private collections all over the state. Many of them have never been photographed before. Collectors sent him photos, but other artifacts came from collector shows all over the state. One of his favorite artifacts in the book, he said, is a gray-green effigy pipe, shaped like a bear. It is less than 4-inch long, but its details captivated him.

Though it is several thousand years old, the pipe appears to have been carved with detail and precision  down to the nose and eyes  that most people wouldnt associate with prehistory.

The Hawkeye society printed 500 copies of the book, and Roberson said about a third of them were already sold.
By Kim Rahn

President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with Sen. Edward Markey at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday, during Markey and a group of U.S. lawmakers' visit to Seoul. / Yonhap

President Moon Jae-in is repeatedly signaling to the Donald Trump administration he opposes military action against North Korea.

While Trump and his key security aides have not ruled out the use of force as a solution to the North Korea nuclear crisis, Moon is asking Washington to make diplomatic efforts to defuse tension, while urging Pyongyang not to make further provocations.

During his meeting with a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, Monday, Moon stressed any military action against North Korea, however slight it may be, would result in catastrophic results on the Korean Peninsula.

His remarks come as some top U.S. policymakers keep saying all options, including military ones, are on the table for the North's nuclear and missile programs issue, especially after Pyongyang test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and threatened to strike the U.S. territory of Guam.

"I understand the U.S. saying all options are on the table to pressure the North to give up its nuclear ambition," presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun quoted Moon as saying. "However, any military option, whatever extent it has, will lead to an armed conflict between the two Koreas, and this will threaten the lives of not only South Koreans but also many foreigners and American soldiers stationed here."

The remark again showed the President's basic stance that the North Korea issue should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, and also signaled his disapproval of comments about military options by top U.S. policymakers, including President Trump, who has used bellicose rhetoric such as "fire and fury like the world has never seen" and "locked and loaded."

In a press conference to mark his 100th day in office last Thursday, Moon also said he would not allow a war on the peninsula ever again.

"Nobody can make a decision on military action on the peninsula without South Korea's consent," he said, dismissing concerns that Washington may take military action against Pyongyang without Seoul's agreement.

He said Seoul and Washington agreed to discuss any options with each other in advance before executing one. "I believe this is in the spirit of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," the President said.

Regarding Trump's bellicose rhetoric toward North Korea, Moon said it shows Trump's resolution to pressure the Kim Jong-un regime and does not necessarily indicate his intention to use military action.

During the meeting with the lawmakers, Moon also said that the sole purpose of the sanctions against Pyongyang is to resolve the issue peacefully, saying, "While intensifying the sanctions and pressure on the North, we also should keep sending messages that a bright future will be guaranteed if it returns to negotiations."

In a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, he also urged North Korea to stop provocations and accept the offers for dialogue. "If it makes a brave decision, the military tension surrounding the peninsula will be eased and we can keep peace here on our own, bringing a stable and prosperous future by cooperating with the international community," he said.
By Choi Ha-young



President Moon Jae-in will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during his first visit to Russia from Sept. 6 to 7, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun said Tuesday.



At the Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held in the easternmost city of Vladivostok, the President will deliver a keynote address. The annual forum will mainly deal with business opportunities in Russia's resource-rich Far East area and possible cooperation among the Asia-Pacific countries.



This will be Moon's second meeting with Putin following the one held on the sidelines of G20 in Germany last month.



Moon has floated the "New Korean Peninsula Economic Map" that features connecting the Korean Peninsula's east coast with Russia, which will involve trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Pyongyang and Moscow.



The administration has eyed the peninsula as a hub of the Northeast Asian economic community. President Moon has reaffirmed the goal when he unveiled the government's five-year policy roadmap last month.



To lay the foundation for the initiative, the government has launched the so-called "Northward Economic Cooperation Committee" under the presidential office. Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea will head the committee to orchestrate comprehensive economic cooperation projects with Russia and China.



In May right after taking office, Moon appointed Song as a special envoy to Russia. At a seminar in July, the four-term lawmaker called for the resumption of the three-way logistics project known as the Rajin-Khassan project.



Following his visit to Russia, Moon is to head to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, in mid-September. There, he will deliver another keynote speech at its General Assembly.



The President will have a series of diplomatic talks in Southeast Asian countries in November, the spokesman added.



From Nov. 10 to 11, Moon will head for Vietnam to attend Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits. Later, from Nov. 13 to 14, he is scheduled to visit the Philippines for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plus Three  South Korea, China and Japan  as well as the East Asia Summit (EAS).



Moon has sought to open multilateral channels beyond traditional diplomatic partners. In May, he appointed Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon as a special envoy to ASEAN, delivering a letter to the President of Vietnam, Tran Dai Quang.




By Ted Gover

While U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive "fire and fury" comments aimed at North Korea are headline grabbing, a cursory observation of American actions over the past month does not indicate an imminent war with the North.

Simply put, we have not seen measures by the U.S. military that would be necessary to prepare for war on the Korean peninsula. The 35,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, while a potent force, are meant to serve as what military planners refer to as a "tripwire," the first line of defense that, if engaged, would trigger the intervention of American forces from Japan, Guam, Hawaii and the continental United States.

At present, there has been no buildup of extra U.S. military assets in the region.

The USS Ronald Reagan, the only U.S. aircraft carrier in the Asia-Pacific, is currently at a port in Yokosuka, Japan. Currently, there are no other U.S. aircraft carriers in the area. Additional U.S. Marines, soldiers and squadrons have not been deployed to the Pacific in any significant way, nor has there been a wide call back of personnel on emergency leave.

Beyond these, American military families have not been evacuated from South Korea, Japan, Saipan or Guam, nor has the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning to American citizens living in Northeast Asian countries.

In short, from the perspective of military planning, there is nothing to indicate that a U.S. military operation is in the making.

Some argue that President Trump's recent bellicose statements about North Korea are vintage Trump and ought to be taken seriously but not literally. They assert that he intended to convey to China that its continued inaction may result in U.S. military operations against the North, disrupting the region's stability, upon which Beijing depends for its economic growth and security.

North Korea's response to President Trump's tough talk has been military threats to bomb the waters near Guam. It should be noted that while Guam is a U.S. territory of strategic value that hosts various U.S. military assets, North Korean carefully aimed its threats at it, not at cities on the U.S. mainland, perhaps to bluff and save face.

While President Trump rightly sees utility in some level of unpredictability stirred by his statements towards U.S. adversaries, it is important that this tactic not be overused, as U.S. allies in the Pacific and elsewhere will come to wonder whether or not Washington is serious with its strategic behavior, particularly if it does not follow through on its tough talk.

In the short term, however, President Trump's threats towards Pyongyang may just avert miscalculation and support deterrence by clearly restating U.S. policy towards the defense of its allies and interests.

Ted Gover, Ph.D., is a political science instructor at Central Texas College, USMC Base Camp Pendleton, California. Write to amberjack_shoal@yahoo.com.
This very thick and heavyweight hand tufted shaggy from the Montana range is the definition of luxury and quality. The 8cm pile is tufted at the highest possible density to create a super soft, thick and sumptuous rug.

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Some people may sprinkle on powder after showering and never think much of it. But recent court cases have shined a spotlight on the possible link between women's regular use of talcum powder on their genitals and an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Yesterday (Aug. 21), a jury in Los Angeles ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record $417 million to a woman who claims that the company's baby powder led to her ovarian cancer. The woman, Eva Echeverria, said in the lawsuit that she developed ovarian cancer as a "proximate result of the unreasonably dangerous and defective nature of talcum powder," according to the Associated Press. (Johnson & Johnson's baby powder is made from talcum powder or talc, which is a mineral made up of magnesium, silicon and oxygen.)

In a case that was settled in February, a jury determined that the family of a 62-year-old Alabama woman, who died from ovarian cancer in 2015 after decades of using talcum powder for feminine hygiene, was entitled to $72 million in damages from Johnson & Johnson. The company did not inform customers of the potential dangers of its powders despite being aware of the possible health risks, the jury ruled, according to The Washington Post.

In an earlier case against the same manufacturer, a jury in 2013 found Johnson & Johnson guilty of negligence for not warning women of the risk of ovarian cancer linked to the daily use of the company's talc-based powders. However, the jury in this case did not award the woman who developed the cancer any monetary damages.

Although these lawsuits have resulted in more publicity about a potential connection between women's use of talcum powder as a feminine hygiene product, the suggestion of a possible association has been raised in scientific circles for more than 30 years. (Such use means applying powders directly on women's' genitals, or on sanitary napkins, tampons, underwear or diaphragms.)

It's a controversial topic because manufacturers claim there is no causal connection between talc use and ovarian cancer, and researchhas demonstrated conflicting results. [5 Things Women Should Know About Ovarian Cancer]

The American Cancer Society has weighed in on the available science, and said that the "findings have been mixed." Some studies report a slightly increased risk of ovarian cancer among women who have regularly used talcum powder in their genital areas, while other studies have found no increased risk, the society said.

Based on limited evidence, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, has designated women's use of talc on their genitals as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."

Some, but not all powders, such as baby powders and body powders, contain talc, a mineral that may help prevent odor, moisture and chafing when applied to the skin. Before the 1970s, talc products may have contained asbestos, now a known carcinogen, but since then, talcum powders are required by law to be asbestos-free.

Cornstarch-based powders, which have no talc in them, are considered safe for women to use on the genital area and have no known link with any female cancers. And there's no evidence that sprinkling talc-based powders on other parts of a woman's body, such as on her feet or her back, influences ovarian cancer risk.

Arguing for strong evidence

Dr. Daniel Cramer, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and director of the OB/GYN Epidemiology Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, conducted one of the earliest studies to suggest a link between genital talc use in women and cancer of the ovaries. That research was published in 1982.

Since then, Cramer's studies have been among those finding a link between women's regular use of talc and an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

In his opinion, there is strong evidence from about two-dozen epidemiological studies for a significant association between genital talc use and ovarian cancer, Cramer told Live Science. These studies have found that regular talc use may increase a woman's overall risk of ovarian cancer by about 30 percent, Cramer said.

It has been only in more recent studies that a dose-response effect has been observed in premenopausal women, especially nonsmokers and women who are heavier, and in postmenopausal women who used hormone therapy, Cramer said. A dose-response means that a woman's risk for ovarian cancer appeared to increase the longer she used talc on her genitals or the more applications she had used over time, he explained.

One factor that has been hard for researchers to quantify is how much talc each woman uses in each application, and how much of it gets into the vagina, Cramer told Live Science. [5 Myths About Women's Bodies]

Talc is a potent inflammatory agent, and chronic inflammation may predispose a person to cancer, said Cramer, who served as an expert witness in one of the recent court cases and provided written testimony in another. He said that pathologists who have examined tissue from the ovaries of cancer patients under a microscope have found that there is talc in the tissue. The mineral has also been found in women who don't have ovarian cancer; talc can be found in tissue from lymph nodes in women who have used talcum powder on their genitals.

The exact mechanism by which talc may promote the development of ovarian cancer in women is not known. But Cramer said he suspects that when talc is applied to the genitals, the mineral's particles can get into the vagina and eventually make their way into the upper genital tract, where the ovaries are located. Once there, talc can induce a potent inflammatory response and probably disrupt the immune system, he said.

Hormones, such as estrogen, may also play a role in the development of ovarian cancer in some women who use talc, but more studies are needed to tease out this effect, Cramer said.

Focus on other risks

Not everyone who examines the research on talc and ovarian cancer draws a conclusion similar to Cramer's.

The scientific evidence for a link between women's use of talcum powder and ovarian cancer is not that strong, said Dr. Sarah Temkin, an associate professor of gynecological oncology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. Two newer prospective studies have failed to show any difference in ovarian cancer risk between women who used talc on their genitals and those who never did so, she said.

The older studies that suggested an increased risk tended to be case-control studies, which are open to more bias because they involve asking women to recall their use of powder after they have been diagnosed with cancer, Temkin said.

She said she does not think the evidence is strong enough to warrant forcing manufacturers to place a warning label on talcum powder to alert women to a possible health risk from using the product.

Ovarian cancer is a rare disease, and two well-established risk factors for it are a family history of ovarian cancer and a family history of breast cancer, Temkin told Live Science. Scientists have known about these two links for decades, and even so, health providers may miss the opportunity to inform women who have these risk factors about opportunities for genetic counseling, she said.

It's also known that women who have used birth control pills for at least five years may reduce their risk for developing ovarian cancer by about 50 percent compared with women who have never used such oral contraceptives, Temkin added. [7 Surprising Facts About the Pill]

She typically does not ask her ovarian cancer patients about their talc use when taking a medical history, Temkin said, and women don't usually ask her many questions about it. However, with news stories about recent court verdicts making headlines, two or three women have inquired about the use of talc, she said.

If an association between talc use and ovarian cancer risk exists, it is very small, Temkin said. "There are other risk factors for ovarian cancer that are better to focus on than talc," she said.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on Aug. 22, 2016, to include information about the recent lawsuit brought against Johnson & Johnson.

Originally published on Live Science.
Many watchers of today's solar eclipse may have glanced at the sun without proper eye protection, if only for a brief moment. This can be dangerous, as looking directly at the sun can cause eye damage. But how do you know if you've hurt your eyes?

The solar eclipse wowed viewers across the United States today (Aug. 21) as it passed from the West Coast to the East Coast. As millions tried to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon, many may have taken a peek without proper eye protection, either intentionally or by accident. Even President Donald Trump was photographed apparently looking sunward at the eclipse without eye protection.

Experts stress that you should not look directly at the sun without proper eye protection, which includes special eclipse glasses or solar viewers. That's because looking directly at the sun, even for a short period, can cause damage to the eyes' retina  a condition known as solar retinopathy. The damage occurs in the fovea, a spot in the retina that is responsible for sharp, central vision, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).

There's no amount of time that's considered "safe" to look at the sun without proper eye protection, said Dr. Neil Bressler, a professor of ophthalmology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Even looking for a few seconds could cause damage, and the longer you stare, the higher your chances of experiencing damage, Bressler said. [Photos: 2017 Great American Solar Eclipse]

These symptoms can include the following:

Blurry vision

A central blind spot in one or both eyes

Increased sensitivity to light

Distorted vision

Changes in the way you see color, known as "chromatopsia"

People who experience discomfort or vision problems after an eclipse should visit an eye doctor for an eye exam, according to the American Optometric Association.

Fortunately, many people with solar retinopathy recover from their symptoms, but some have lasting vision problems. For example, in a 2002 study (opens in new tab), 13 out of 15 patients in England with solar retinopathy resulting from viewing an eclipse in 1999 had normal vision in an eye exam eight to 12 months later. Still, even some patients with normal vision in an eye test had subtle eye symptoms, such as a small blind spot in their vision.

Original article on Live Science.
CARBONDALE, Ill.  The Great American Solar Eclipse thrilled millions on Monday, but another total solar eclipse is coming to the United States in 2024, and planning is already underway.

For this small college town of 30,000, the total solar eclipse of 2017  which crossed 14 states from Oregon to South Carolina on a path home to 12.2 million people  was sort of a dry run for 2024. Carbondale is at a crossroads between Monday's event and the next U.S. total solar eclipse, which will occur on April 8, 2024.

"This is an eclipse for all Americans and for the world," Lou Mayo, a planetary scientist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, told Space.com the Monday of the eclipse, the first to cross the U.S. coast to coast in 99 years. "For us, it's kind of like the Super Bowl of eclipses." [The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse in Amazing Photos]

The same may be true in 2024. On April 8, 2024 (another Monday), the moon's shadow will sweep across Mexico and North America. The path of totality begins in Mexico, passing through Texas as it moves northeast to Maine.

"It's going to go from Mexico to Texas, into the Ohio River Valley, upstate New York and New England, and it even crosses Carbondale," Alex Young, a solar astrophysicist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said during a live webcast from Charleston, South Carolina, Monday as the moon's shadow left the U.S. "Those that got to see one there can get to go see another one in less than 375 years." (It typically takes 375 years for a total solar eclipse to pass over the same place on Earth twice, NASA officials have said.) [Total Solar Eclipse of 2024: Maps for 'Path of Totality']

This map by cartographer Michael Zeiler shows the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse across the United States, as well as future solar eclipses in the years to come. (Image credit: Michael Zeiler, GreatAmericanEclipse.com)

On Monday, Carbondale saw 2 minutes and 38 seconds of totality, close to the greatest duration (2 minutes and 40 seconds, a few miles away). Planning for Monday's total solar eclipse began in 2014.

The local Southern Illinois University went big with a viewing show at its Saluki Stadium, as well as a carnival, craft fair, comic-con and science expo. The town also ran its own activities, including a Shadow Fest music festival and eclipse marketplace.

SIU teamed up with NASA, the National Solar Observatory, the Adler Planetarium and Lunt's SunLab to create both a science campaign to observe the eclipse and an outreach effort to share the cosmic event with eclipse chasers and first-time viewers at its self-styled Eclipse Crossroads of America. [In Photos: Awesome 2017 Solar Eclipse Signs & Celebrations]

"We just made, I don't know, a few hundred thousand more eclipse chasers in America," Bob Baer, co-chair of SIU's steering committee, told Space.com after Monday's eclipse, which saw high drama when a cloud floated in near totality time. (It thinned in time for some spectators to catch a glimpse of totality.)

Just as planning for the 2017 eclipse took years, Baer expects to spend the next few months debriefing scientists and organizers to see what went right and what can be improved for 2024. SIU's eclipse website has already begun counting down the more than 2,400 days left before April 8, 2024.

"It's really bizarre, the intersection of those center lines," Baer said of the two eclipses. "We are in a great location to see it, and that one has 4 minutes, just over 4 minutes, of totality."

The Southern Illinois University is already counting down to the next total solar eclipse visible from Carbondale, Illinois on April 8, 2024. (Image credit: Southern Illinois University)

To be clear, Earth will see total solar eclipses before 2024.

The next one will occur July 2, 2019, and will pass over South America, with totality visible from parts of the southern Pacific Ocean, Chile and Argentina. Others occur in 2020 over South America and in 2021 over Antarctica, according to maps by veteran eclipse scientist Fred Espenak.

But just as the Great American Solar Eclipse captured the awe of the country because its path was within a day's drive for most people in the U.S., the 2024 event is expected to do the same.

Damien Ann Siegle (left) and members of the Rebel Legion and 501st Star Wars fan groups stand on the field of Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois after the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. The group greeted spectators at the stadium during the eclipse. (Image credit: Tariq Malik/Space.com)

Damien Ann Siegle, 42, of Indianapolis, watched Monday's solar eclipse dressed as an X-wing pilot from "Star Wars." She was part of a Rebel Legion group (along with Stormtroopers from the 501st fan group) invited by SIU to greet eclipse chasers and snap photos.

Was the eclipse, cloudy though it was, all that she expected after driving in from Indiana?

"No, it was more," Siegle told Space.com "I mean, to hear the crowd in the stands, I'm getting goose bumps just talking about it. The cloud cover! Is it going to happen? Is it going to clear? Butthe Rebel Legion, we used our Jedi mind tricks, and we opened it up for you all."

"We enjoyed ourselves so much that we might come back down," she said. "So I'll see you in seven years!"

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
People watch the solar eclipse at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, on Aug. 21, 2017.

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Pesky clouds threatened to spoil the view for tens of thousands of people who journeyed from near and far to this southern Illinois college town to witness the Great American Solar Eclipse. But in the end, a few precious and unobscured seconds of totality were enough to wow the crowds here at Saluki Stadium.

"As it was happening, I couldn't help but tear up," said Anne Gundry, who traveled first from Long Beach, California, to Chicago before driving to Carbondale. "It just felt so amazing, so primal, because you're really aware of how small you are in the universe."

Tickets to watch the solar eclipse inside the 15,000-seat stadium were sold out, according to Southern Illinois University officials, and people of all ages sat for hours in the stifling heat and humidity to glimpse the rare celestial event. [See Amazing Photos from the 2017 Great American Solar Eclipse]

Carol Mader made the journey from Ann Arbor, Michigan, just to experience totality, she said. "It was absolutely amazing, awesome  almost a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she told Live Science.

Solar eclipses are relatively common occurrences worldwide, but the last time a solar eclipse cast a shadow across all of the contiguous United States was in 1918. This time around, Carbondale earned a coveted spot as an eclipse hub because of its location along the so-called path of totality, where people can see the moon completely block the sun's light. The college town was also unique because it was slated to experience one of the longest periods of darkness during totality in the entire country  that is, until a huge patch of puffy clouds rolled in.

As the seconds ticked by to totality, people in the stands stomped their feet, creating a rumble that rolled through the stadium. Chants of "move that cloud!" emerged and spread quickly throughout Saluki Stadium. And as tiny pockets of light emerged from the clouds, the stadium erupted in cheers.

"There was so much anxiety about not seeing it at all, so when the clouds parted and everybody was stomping their feet and cheering  that was so much fun," said Jill Barancik, who came to Carbondale from Chicago.

For many in the crowd, it was their first time seeing a total solar eclipse. Katie Oppenheim, who traveled with Mader from Michigan, said the experience far exceeded her expectations.

"I think the ring around it was more impressive than I thought it was going to be," Oppenheim told Live Science. "I saw pictures online, but it was extraordinarily impressive. Almost perfect."

David Hillinger traveled with his family, Gundry and Reigh Levinstein  the self-described "solar-migos"  to see the total solar eclipse, which he said has been on his "bucket list." [Crossroads of the Solar Eclipse: Best Photos from Carbondale 2017]

"It's a combination of both the ultimate thrill and the ultimate moment of peacefulness, because it's all of a sudden dark," Hillinger told Live Science. "It's a wonderful contradictory experience. Thrilling and yet calmness."

Officials estimated that 30,000 people descended on Carbondale for the solar eclipse, based on an analysis of traffic flow by state police, Mayor John "Mike" Henry told Live Science. He watched the solar eclipse with family and friends outside of his home, less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from downtown Carbondale.

"I thought it was phenomenal," Henry said. "My wife and I hugged and kissed during totality, and that was our celebration of it."

But the eclipse didn't just draw out-of-towners to Carbondale. Jasmine Bryant and Kamaria Coleman, both master's students in biological sciences at Southern Illinois University, were in the stands at Saluki Stadium for the celestial event.

"We're one of the few places in the country that had a total eclipse, so it doesn't make sense for me to stay at home when history is supposed to be happening here," Bryant said.

"My mom is a science teacher, and she was like, 'You better go watch the eclipse,'" Coleman told Live Science.

Coleman said she was disappointed when the clouds moved in. "I was just so sad. But I'm probably going to look back on this moment and be like, 'It was so cool.' At the concession stand, I met people from California, and from around the world. So just to be in the community and say I was there, it was a good thing."

Original article on Live Science.
Talk about an earache: When a man in China went to the hospital because of severe ear pain, doctors found a live gecko curled up in his ear canal, according to news reports.

The man woke up in the morning complaining of severe pain in his ear, as well as the feeling of something squirming around in there, according to the Deccan Chronicle, a South Indian newspaper. When doctors peered inside, they spotted a live lizard.

Initially, the doctors tried to remove the gecko with tweezers, but the lizard squirmed when it was touched, the Deccan Chronicle reported. [11 Weird Things People Have Swallowed]

But not all of the gecko was removed during the procedure: The Deccan Chronicle noted that the gecko appeared to be missing its tail, which the doctors could not find in the man's ear. It's possible that the lizard lost its tail before getting stuck in the man's ear canal. Some species of geckos can shed their tails as a means of self-defense, and a recently discovered species can even shed all of its scales to protect itself if a predator catches hold of it.

Geckos aren't the only unwanted visitors that have made their way into human ears; people have found spiders, fruit-fly larvae and flesh-eating worms residing in their ear canals.

Originally published on Live Science.
From flowers spontaneously shutting their petals to hundreds of thousands of salmon washing ashore, the eclipse yesterday (Aug. 21) had a downright spooky impact on nature, according scientists observing the effects.

Several experimental projects were aimed at recording the responses of animals to the eclipse, including the iNaturalist app, which encouraged people to record observations during and after totality, said Rebecca Johnson, citizen science research director at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Johnson, along with colleagues, helped spearhead the effort to gather these observations and sift through them, once the sun had returned.

It turned out that the solar eclipse didn't just make humans go crazy and indulge in odd behavior; it also had a wide range of effects on animals and plants throughout the natural world. From spooked horses to hungry fish, here are some of the most interesting impacts of the eclipse on nature. [Total Solar Eclipse 2017: Everything You Need to Know]

Pets

It's no surprise that animals are affected by the eclipse; after all, many have strong day-night behavior patterns that are tied to cycles of light and dark, as well as temperature. In the past, researchers have observed bizarre behavior in insects, chimpanzees and baboons in response to eclipses, Live Science previously reported.

But yesterday's eclipse was different, in that it occurred in such a widely populated area; hence, many different experiments were underway to gather citizen-science observations, Johnson said. So far, more than 500 people using the iNaturalist app have made about 2,100 observations involving about 350 different species, Johnson said. Of course, the animals that were most closely observed were the Fidos and Fifis that came along with people on their eclipse-viewing trips. Many of the reports coming into Johnson were of dogs that seemed to be reacting to the eclipse during totality, she said.

While reports came in about cats seeming to be upset as well, it's a little tougher to decipher their behavior, Johnson said. For instance, Sean Carroll, a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology, noted on Twitter that the celestial anomaly was "spooking" one of his cats, while the other remained its "chill" self. "Personality overrides astronomy," Carroll concluded. In general, figuring out why a domestic cat does anything is a little tougher, Johnson said.

"I would be really loath to try to figure out what my cat was actually doing," Johnson told Live Science. "But dogs, their behaviors are a little more transparent."

Farm animals

Domestic chickens also reacted to the sky-darkening effect, but they seemed more strongly impacted by the temperature, said Tim Reinbott, director of field operations at the College of Agriculture at the University of Missouri, where he helps run an agricultural research farm.

The day of the eclipse was hot, but as the sun was blocked, the temperature dropped considerably. The most notable effect on the chickens was that they came out from under their chicken coop, where they usually hide during the heat of the day. Then, at totality, they started grooming themselves, as they usually do in the evening. When the sun returned, they went back to hiding under their coops, Reinbott said.

Horses also seemed to be spooked by the eclipse.

"After the eclipse was over with, the foals just went crazy," Reinbott told Live Science. "They started whinnying, they started running, jumping. I guess they felt like it was evening."

Insects, birds and other creatures

Reinbott also noticed insects changing their tune.

"Right before the eclipse, the cicadas, the insects got really loud, and then when it got to the eclipse everything went silent," Reinbott said. "It was kind of eerie."

Citizen observers using the iNaturalist app also noted several reports of birds flying in huge formations, as well as birds (especially hummingbirds) changing up their song patterns, either getting very noisy or going quiet at odd times, Johnson said. [Images: Beautiful Hummingbirds of the World]

And Reinbott heard reports from friends who went fishing that the eclipse affected their catches.

"Right before totality, boom, the big fish started hitting!"

That's likely because big fish, like bass, tend to feed early in the morning and early in the evening, and the darkening skies confused them, Reinbott said.

Other impacts

Not every event in nature was due to strange animal behavior per se. For instance, in a truly bizarre occurrence, the exceptionally strong tides caused by the eclipse ripped a net penning salmon on a fish farm near Bellingham Bay in Washington. Up to 305,000 Atlantic salmon washed ashore in those waters, all thanks to the eclipse, The Seattle Times reported. (Officials in the area are urging people to catch as many of these loosed salmon as possible, as they pose an environmental hazard to the area and may threaten wild Pacific salmon that are native to the habitat, the Times reported.)

And plants, which obviously rely on light for photosynthesis, also showed interesting effects. For instance, many citizen observers snapped photos of flowers like morning glories or hibiscus, which typically close at night, doing the same as the totality approached, then opening again once the sun returned, Johnson said.

Originally published on Live Science.
by Ray Schultz , Columnist, August 21, 2017

If theres one thing that seems to be getting almost as much media coverage as todays eclipse, its the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Yeah, we know: what a gloomy subject -- no pun intended.

Well, here are five tidbits you may not know about the GDPR and related matters. These gleanings are from reports published over the past few days. Pass these on to your lawyers, even if youre not active overseas: You never know.

1. The EU Offers One-Stop Privacy Shipping The EU is funding an open-source service called PlusPrivacy, which allows consumers to manage their privacy settings in one place. Theres also a single-click privacy which automatically sets all your accounts to the most privacy-friendly values, writes The Next Web. But heres the tradeoff: Privacy-for-Benefit is still being developed, but the plan is to create new business models that will allow users to partially trade their private data for economic benefits  which could be the first step towards personal data as currency.

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2. Brexit Wont Affect UK GDPR Compliance  Many things will change when Brexit takes effect. But the impact of the GDPR isnt one of them. Oliver Pinson-Roxburgh, EMEA director at Alert Logic, cautions that GDPR will be assumed into UK law, according to Huffington Post.

3. Neither Will Swiss Law  Dont think you can evade GDPR by emailing in Switzerland. The Swiss Data Protection Act (FADP) states that personal data may not be transferred abroad if that might harm the data subject.

If theres no law where you are, you can transfer data only if there is a sufficient guarantee, like a contractual agreement, and with the express consent of the consumer, or if in performance of a contract where the data subject is a compelling public interest, like exercising legal rights, or to protect life, according to Lexology.

4. Theres More To Worry About Than GDPR  Companies are focusing so much on privacy that they are ignoring the Criminal Finances Act, which takes effect at the end of next month. According to an announcement by 6CATS International, organisations will become criminally liable if they facilitate, or fail to prevent, tax evasion by a member of staff or an external agent or supplier.

Michelle Reilly, CEO of 6CATS International, states that this should be the priority for all organisations, particularly in industries like recruitment, but weve seen relatively few put proper processes in place, which is highly concerning.

She adds: The potential punishments include an unlimited fine, reputational damage, the withdrawing of licenses by regulators and even prison sentences in the most extreme cases.

5. Nobodys Ready, Anyway  Granted, this contradicts the last finding at least slightly. Only 6% of the UKs FTSE 350 are completely prepared for GDPR compliance, Diginomica reports. The biggest problem? The ability to entirely delete an individuals personal data, Diginomica notes, sourcing the UK governments annual Cyber Governance Health Check Report. Despite that, there has been an upward trend in preparedness.

Heres one thing you probably already knew: The GDPR takes effect next May 25.
by Tanya Gazdik , August 22, 2017





Marketers are milking the solar eclipse for all it's worth with tie-ins continuing Monday.

Land Rover and photographer Alex Strohl captured one-of-a-kind photography of the eclipse in the all-new Land Rover Discovery. Strohl gained a unique vantage point as his shooting location was only reachable via the off-road capability of the Land Rover Discovery, according to the automaker.

Strohl departed from Salt Lake City, and took a three-day road trip in the new Discovery to Railroad Ridge (an off-road-only trail) in the heart of the Sawtooth National Forest to escape the crowds and located the best vantage point for the eclipse. Railroad Ridge rises from nearly 6,000 to 10,000 feet in elevation, offering some of the most picturesque, yet difficult to reach, vistas in the United States. Not only is the location remote and beautiful, but it was also directly on the path of totality.

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JetBlue hosted the No Blackout Non-Eclipse Non-Event Facebook Live event. As it turns out, there were a lot of non-believers  over 35,000 people RSVPd to the non-event. The airline enlisted actor Skylar Astin to prove that blackouts (when travel rewards, discounts, and promotions are unavailable) dont exist at the airline  not on the day of an eclipse, not ever, according to the company.

Astin answered questions about the eclipse (or non-eclipse) as well as what hes looking forward to seeing (or not seeing)  all while putting on some hilarious comic skits. As Americans from coast to coast awaited the coming total eclipse, it was meant to be a fun alternative place to watch (or not watch) the solar spectacle.

At JetBlue, we dont believe in blackout dates, said Elizabeth Windram, director, JetBlue, in a release. Which got us thinking: If Mondays eclipse is the biggest blackout date in recent history, then we dont believe in it either.

Another travel company to jump on the eclipse bandwagon was Hotwire, which simply held a one-day $15 sale for hotel rooms and rental cars. Facebook Messenger offered a special one-day mask which superimposed eclipse images over pictures and videos.

Jack in the Box via agency David&Goliath launched a promotion claiming it was trying to raise money to place a giant 2,000-mile-high and 1,000-foot-wide Jack in The Box hat on the moon during the eclipse.

The company said it was trying to raise $66 trillion for the endeavor and created a landing page and a 75-second video to promote it. Instead of going toward a hat, the money raised actually will be donated to No Kid Hungry.
by Sara Guaglione , August 22, 2017





The Village Voice is ending its weekly print product, which has been distributed for free in the New York City area since 1996.

Back then, Craigslist was in its infancy, Google and Facebook werent yet glimmers in the eyes of their founders, and alternative weekliesand newspapers everywherewere still packed with classified advertising, Village Voice owner Peter Barbey stated.

Clearly, a lot has changed. That business has moved onlineand so has the Voices audience, which expects us to do what we do ... every day, across a range of media, from words and pictures to podcasts, video, and even other forms of print publishing.

The alt-weekly paper, founded in 1955 and known for its coverage of New York Citys culture, social and political issues, as well as nightlife, will live online.

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The Village Voice brand will also introduce new events, products and editorial initiatives going forward. The decision is part of ongoing changes to overhaul the once-struggling Village Voice brand. Barbey purchased the paper in October 2015 from Voice Media Group.

This decision will allow us to move forward more freely in our pursuit of all of those avenues, so The Village Voice brand is not just once again viable, but vital, Barbey stated.

The paper has recently undergone a rotation of top editors.

In December, Stephen Mooallem, former executive editor of Harper's Bazaar, was hired as its editor-in-chief, its third since Barbey bought the paper.

When Barbey acquired the Voice three years ago, he eliminated its reliance on sex and escort advertising, moved the print edition to a higher quality paper stock and increased its distribution by more than 50% to 120,000, the Voices total circulation before it went free in 1996.

Barbey also added several hires to the business and editorial teams and debuted a fashion issue last September for New York Fashion Week. In May, the Voice unveiled a redesigned site. According to comScore, the brand had 1,318,000 multiplatform unique U.S. visitors in July.

The Voice has since been in talks with a number of potential partnership opportunities, Barbey stated, which he may announce in the coming months. He also said the brand is exploring new opportunities "related to its archives, which offer a veritable chronicle of America during the post-war period.

The Voice will continue to present the Obie Awards and Pride Awards.

The announcement of the The Village Voices print edition shuttering was met with cries of an end of an era by many on Twitter.

Barbey himself acknowledged the nostalgia (he first picked up The Village Voice when he was a student in the 1970s), but in a statement said it "runs counter to the spirit of The Village Voice, which at its best, was always looking ahead.

The most powerful thing about the Voice wasnt that it was printed on newsprint or that it came out every week. It was that The Village Voice was alive, and that it changed in step with and reflected the times and the ever-evolving world around it.

"I want The Village Voice brand to represent that for a new generation of peopleand for generations to come.
The Marlins have designated righty Javy Guerra for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot will go to southpaw Jarlin Garcia, who was activated from the DL.

Guerra has had some success in the majors, compiling a 3.10 lifetime ERA over 162 1/3 frames. Most of those came with the Dodgers in 2011 and 2012, and he also enjoyed a productive run in 2014 with the White Sox.

That said, the 31-year-old has seen only minimal MLB action over the past three seasons. This year, Guerra appeared in 5 2/3 innings for Miami, allowing four earned runs while both walking and striking out five opposing batters. He also struggled to a 4.99 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in his 48 2/3 frames at Triple-A New Orleans.
Diamondbacks outfielder Yasmany Tomas is slated to undergo surgery for a core injury, per a club announcement. Details were not given on the exact nature of the procedure or the anticipated timeline.

Tomas has been out since early June with successive groin injuries. Presumably, thats the malady that will be treated tomorrow. Tomas had been attempting to rehab through the problem but obviously was not able. Perhaps its not yet out of the question that Tomas will work back to become an option down the stretch or in the postseason, but the likelier scenario may be that he focuses on getting back to full health over the offseason.

The surgery seemingly makes it all the more likely that Tomas will remain with Arizona heading into camp next year. While Tomas is hardly an easy roster fit in the National League, the team does still have an open corner spot for 2018, and he could be part of the solution there. Plus, with this news capping a disappointing season for the slugger, its tough to imagine the team finding a taker for Tomass contract.

Tomas, whos still just 26, signed a six-year, $68.5MM pact to join the Arizona organization out of Cuba in December of 2014. The bulk of the obligations remain to be paid, including a $10MM salary for next season. After that, Tomas will have the option of heading to the open market or instead taking another $32.5MM over the 2019 and 2020 campaigns.

At present, all signs point to a no on that opt-out. While theres still plenty of time for things to change, its somewhat difficult to see a scenario where Tomas will anticipate bigger earnings elsewhere given his current trajectory.

Given his widely panned glovework in the corner outfield, Tomas needs to hit quite a bit to be a useful player. While he has shown plenty of power, he just hasnt reached base at a consistent enough clip thus far. Tomas had turned in a fairly promising 2016 season with the bat, slashing .272/.313/.508 and swatting 31 home runs. But he struggled to a mediocre .241/.294/.464 batting line through his first 180 trips to the plate in the current season before hitting the DL.
Gospel musician Anita Afriyie is on six months tour in the United States of America.

The gospel diva who arrived at United state yesterday thrilled fans with her inspirational and spirit-filled songs in several states including the Rhode Island.

Among the states she will be performing this week are Virginia, where she will be hosted by Bishop Adonteng Boateng of the Divine Word Ministries, Miami, New-York, Los-Angeles and other States where she has huge Ghanaian and diaspora fans.

Whilst in the States, Rev Anita Afriyie is expected to also visit most Ghanaian community churches and share the gospel of Christ through music.

In an interview with Ghanacreativearts.com, she acknowledged the warm reception she has enjoyed so far and how people are so familiar with the lyrics of her songs.


The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EIB Network, Nathan Kwabena Anokye Adisi, known in the creative industry as Bola Ray, has presented a copy of his yet-to-be released biography to President Akufo-Addo.

President Akufo-Addo was highly impressed with the honour as one of the first high profile showbiz personalities with good track record to have a sneak peek into the book titled 'It Is Possible, The Bola Ray Story'.

'It Is Possible, The Bola Ray Story' is an account of Bola's journey through the media. The 320-page book also details his business building journey over the last few years.

The celebrated Ghanaian broadcaster used the opportunity to invite Ghana's fifth president under the Fourth Republic to the launch of his biography, which comes off in a few weeks' time.

Bola Ray is also expected to present same to former Presidents J.J Rawlings, J.A Kufuor, John Mahama, former Governor of the Central Bank and Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor (Founder and Chairman of HODA), Dr Joyce Aryee, the Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, business magnate Dr Sam Jonah and other personalities before the official launch.

Two years in the making, the author affords the reader candid insight into how the EIB Network CEO rose to become a towering figure in the media scene in and beyond Ghana.

'It Is Possible, The Bola Ray Story' will be available for sale from September this year.

Following the launch, there will be 'The Possibility School Tour With Bola Ray' event, which will travel to all 10 regions of Ghana.

Bola Ray is a product of the Accra Academy , where he attained his secondary school education and went on to graduate from both the University of Ghana and the Central University College .

In 2015, he graduated with an MBA in Global Business and Sustainability from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan (ALTIS) and the Catholic Institute of Business and Technology (CIBT), to add to his bachelors degree from University of Ghana Business School .
Fire has gutted the live studio of Royal TV in Kumasi, destroying valuable equipment valued around a staggering GH300,000.

Among the items burnt into ashes in the early Thursday morning fire include cameras, tripod, televisions sets, monitors, among others.

The fire started around 5:30am, when the crew of the television station was preparing to air their daily morning show programme.

Luckily, no injury or death was recorded during the disaster, as there was no member of staff in the studio when the fire started.

Royal TVs studio was gutted by similar fire about three years ago due to power fluctuation. The cause of Thursdays fire is, however, not known.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royal TV, Amankwa Agyeman, told BEATWAVES that fire men were called to douse the blaze from spreading further on Thursday morning.

He said people at the scene just saw a thick smoke emanating from the studio, and it was followed by the fire.

Mr Amankwa added that Royal TV is still operating from other studios, and he appealed to individuals and authorities concerned to come to the stations aid.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr.,Kumasi
North Korea says its plan to fire four missiles near the US territory of Guam will soon be ready, as a war of words with Washington intensifies.

State media said Hwasong-12 rockets would pass over Japan and land in the sea about 30km (17 miles) from Guam, if the plan was approved by Kim Jong-un.

It denounced Donald Trumps warnings of fire and fury and said the US leader was bereft of reason.

The US has warned the North its actions could mean the end of its regime.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Pyongyang would be grossly overmatched in any war against the US and its allies.

The BBCs Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, who is in Guam, says there is a sense that the North Korean threat is rhetorical, as most people feel that if they really did strike with missiles it would be suicidal for the North Korean regime.

What is the North planning?

The North first announced on Wednesday that it had been drawing up plans for a missile strike against Guam, a Pacific island which is home to US military bases, strategic bombers and about 163,000 people.

A later statement carried by state media said the military would finally complete the plan by mid-August and send it to leader Kim Jong-un for his approval.

The Hwasong-12 rockets to be launched by the KPA [Korean Peoples Army] will cross the sky above Shimane, Hiroshima and Koichi [Kochi] Prefectures of Japan, state news agency KCNA said, quoting army chief General Kim Rak Gyom.

Reality Check: Are Trumps N Korea assumptions right?

Should you worry about war?

Read more about North Koreas missile programme

They will fly 3,356.7km for 1,065 seconds and hit the waters 30-40km away from Guam.

The Hwasong missiles are North Koreas domestically produced medium and long-range weapons.

What has been the reaction in the region?

The governor of Guam addressed the Norths new statement on Thursday, telling Reuters news agency that North Korea usually likes to be unpredictable and has fired surprise missiles in the past.

Theyre now telegraphing their punch, which means they dont want to have any misunderstandings. I think thats a position of fear, said Governor Eddie Calvo.

Meanwhile Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Pyongyangs actions were provocative to the region including Japan as well as to the security of the international community.

We can never tolerate this, he added.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told MPs Japan could legally intercept a North Korean missile headed for Guam because such a move would threaten Japans existence as a nation.

Recent legislation also allows Japan to defend the US and other allies from attack. Previously Japans position was only to shoot down missiles headed for its own territory.

South Koreas military said it was prepared for swift action.

If North Korea conducts provocation in defiance of our militarys grave warning, it will confront the strong and firm response of our military and the US-South Korea alliance, Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Roh Jae-cheon said.

What have the two sides been saying?

North Korean state media said President Trumps remarks on Tuesday that the North risked fire and fury for threatening the US were a load of nonsense.

Sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason and only absolute force can work on him, it added.

The North Korea crisis in 300 words

Residents of Guam feel caught in the crossfire

Amid escalating rhetoric, Mr Mattis issued a strongly worded statement on Wednesday calling on Pyongyang to halt its arms programme.

The DPRK [Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea] must choose to stop isolating itself and stand down its pursuit of nuclear weapons, he said.

What damage could N Korea do without nuclear weapons?

Pyongyang releases Canadian pastor

N Korea hides anti-US message in cartoon

While our state department is making every effort to resolve this global threat through diplomatic means, it must be noted that the combined allied militaries now possess the most precise, rehearsed and robust defensive and offensive capabilities on Earth.

Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before.

 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017

Mr Trump boasted about Americas atomic arsenal earlier on Wednesday.

Tweeting from New Jersey where he is on holiday, the president said the US nuclear stockpile was more powerful than ever before.

Should we be worried?

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has sought to reassure Americans that North Korea does not pose an imminent threat.

Speaking in Guam, where he was making a scheduled visit, he said he was hopeful a global pressure campaign involving Russia and China could lead to new dialogue with Pyongyang about a different future.

Mr Tillerson said the situation had not dramatically changed over the past few days, and that Americans should sleep well at night.

South Koreas military says it has not seen any unusual action in the North that might indicate a provocation.

China has urged calm, describing the situation as complex and sensitive.

Despite rounds of UN sanctions, Pyongyang carried out two nuclear tests last year and two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July.

Various reports recently have suggested the North has now achieved its goal of making a nuclear warhead small enough to fit inside its missiles.

But this remains unconfirmed, and most analysts doubt the country would launch a pre-emptive attack on the US.


The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Emmanuel Kofi Nti, has appealed to the government to ensure that its agenda to create a paperless transaction system at the countrys ports is fully implemented.

He has also called on all stakeholders and citizens to ensure that the migration to a paperless transaction system at the ports become reality.

According to him, a paperless clearing of goods and processing of documents at the Sekondi-Takoradi ports will help eliminate bureaucracy and fraud.

He said a paperless system will also reduce the incident of time wasting during clearance of goods from the countrys ports.

He made the comments on Monday during a media interaction aimed at informing journalists about the intended paperless migration program on September 1.

Emmanuel Kofi Nti said Ghana will enhance its image in the sight of the global community if it successfully introduces the paperless system.

Once it kicks off, the various trade facilitation institutions at the ports will be expected to operate from one unit while documents pertaining to the clearance of goods or exports at the Tema and Takoradi ports will no longer be done through paper.

Although a World Trade Organisation (WTO) requirement, Ghana has lagged behind in ensuring that electronic platforms replace paper at the ports.

In 2012, an attempt to go paperless was stalled as some of the stakeholders in the value chain were found to be unprepared.

He commended the Ghana Community Network Services (GCNet) and West Blue for working tirelessly to ensure that the country was now in a position to roll out the project.

He said the authority and its stakeholders also had the necessary political will as the government was solidly behind them.

We in Ghana have had attitudes, he said, referring to the resistance that normally greets change.

Although most people hardly initiate change, he said they are always quick to pull things down when they start and thus called for such habits to be stopped.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

with additional resources from Graphic Online.
A former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa believes the new quota system to be used in employing medical doctors and dentists in the country will serve its purpose as long as it is devoid of tampering.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, he lauded the Health Services move and urged that it be implemented to the letter.

It is important that at this stated, everybody who is trained is made available to this country. We have clearly indicated many years ago that every specialty must even have quotas that every hospital knows that it can employ one physician, it can employ a pediatrician, it can employ a surgeon, and with that goes with the extra number of doctors. That is what should happen so that, now, the facility advertises and they appoint.

Despite this policy being well-intentioned, Prof. Akosa indicated it could still be corrupted at the implementation stage.

One of our problems is that, all these things will be fine on paper but when it comes to implementation, it will be botched because, somebodys son or somebodys daughter, when they have got to apply somewhere, somebody goes in to go and fix things.

For once everybody should not be above the law but everybody should be within the law and let us see if that will work. I hope to God it works, He said.

The Director-General of the Service, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, is optimistic the quota system will help check the practice where young doctors posted to rural areas reject such appointments, which is known to happen.

He noted that most young medical officers and dentists are reluctant to accept postings to work in such needy areas after their housemanship, when he made the announcement at a graduation ceremony at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

President Nana Akufo-Addo himself has even had to urge young doctors not to see postings to rural areas as punishment but treat it as a way of contributing to the development of Ghana.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Being without money is one thing I wouldn't wish for even my enemy. The lack of money can make you lose your friends, family, marriage and also hinder your ability to perform well in every aspect of your life. The pressures of life can lead you to do the unthinkable just to have money in your pocket. If you have ever experienced hunger pangs, loss of job, terminal disease, you would appreciate the importance of money in the life of man. Money is a necessary evil but I believe it must be made the right way. Below are some of the easiest but dangerous ways to get rich:

POLITICS: Politics I believe is a way of solving problems of society. In our part of the world, it is a sure bet to enrich ourselves at the expense of the nation. Politicians will do anything and everything to win and stay in power just to plunder. Monies meant for developing the nation end up in the offshore accounts of politicians. Who do I blame? I blame the citizens who have made politicians demigods. We do not meticulously scrutinise politicians before giving them our mandate. It is the reason why we are still wallowing in poverty even with all the natural resources available to us.

JOINING THE CLERGY: I am increasingly getting worried about the rate at which churches are springing up. Ordinarily,I should be glad that people have become serious about their salvation but a critical assessment of some churches should tell you that its existence is purely for financial gain. Some preachers do not deserve to stand behind a pulpit when you listen to them. They are either pitching parents against their children or breaking marriages just to rake in some money. Being a "Man of God" is a profession which doesn't need a certificate to practice. This has given room for charlatans to explore this weakness to play on the intelligence of their followers. Anyway, who am I to judge?

DRUGS: This is one of quickest ways some people are exploiting to make money. Some people live a life of opulence as a result of their drug dealings. Sometimes, you wonder how they are able to transport their illegal drugs offshore. Do they do that in connivance with our security officials or our security is so porous that they sail through at will? People join the drug trade and within a twinkle of an eye, they start controlling millions of cedis. This has made it a very attractive venture and it is drugging the name of the country through the mud and eroding our moral values as a people. My worry is the youth who are being used to peddle this drugs. Our future is really blur!

CYBER CRIME: Popularly called "Sakawa" is really crippling the society. Again, my worry has to do with the youth involved. You enter an internet cafe, and you see kids behind computers trying hard to scam unknowing victims. What is the motivation? Young people want to get rich overnight without breaking a sweat. They want to drive the latest fast cars, own mansions and have all the beautiful girls. Who doesn't want to have all these? What is more noble than working so hard to achieve these wishes? Some have even resorted to rituals to achieve this audacious ambition. This country is really in a mess.

ARMED ROBBERY: On daily basis, the front pages of various newspapers are awashed with robbery cases. People are robbed at gunpoint and all their life savings are taken. Sometimes you wonder where we got it wrong. The desire to get rich quick is alarming and if care is not taken, our country will be a lawless country.

It is good to have money in order to solve our problems but have we pondered to ask ourselves whether our insatiable desire for it is leading us onto the right path. Some blame the system for our woes and I perfectly agree with them. But aren't we part of the system? If we all decide to work hard and eschew corrupt practices and attitudes, our dear country will thrive and truly be the gateway to Africa. You may be enjoying your illegally acquired wealth, but have you thought of being arrested or losing your life in the process of illegally making your money? Let us all strive to mould our country the way we want it for our future leaders to have a smooth take off.

By: Simon Aikins

[email protected]
22.08.2017 LISTEN

There are many kind, affable and good people in Ghana; but there are wicked and greedy public servants who could care less what your needs are or if your car gets into an automobile accident! Some evil ones would even rejoice! Public servants have taken for granted the very people whose taxes pay them! Their interest is what they can gain from government but not what they contribute.

Ghana Government after government has made the civil servant feel like Lord and master, and reports are that public servants never get terminated!They hardly ever get disciplined. Some have enriched themselves by their work in government, especially at the Ports and Harbors, at Passport office, at Lands Registry and Records offices.

So why would I visit a Minister's office? You visit a Minister when executive decisions about special projects are needed.

A $200 million Housing Project in Ghana, fully financed by a New York capital company needed a repatriation guarantee letter. In 2011, try as I may nobody in government cared and 40 page detailed Business Plan to help solve the Housing deficit problem could not convince the CEO of HFC Bank to even give me a reply of interest or rejection. It was for a small loan to build the roads and sewage for a 100 acre site.

Some friends know the 2011 effort; a friend on our forum has a Medical Doctor friend of the new Minister. He came here and convinced me not to give up but try the Akuffo Addo government. His friend wanted to see good projects!

Let me share with you what I encountered this afternoon!

It is hard to imagine how selfish and unconcerned about people these politicians are! And what is worse the arrogance!

Their secretaries make them feel like Gods and no new idea will be accepted!

I just got back home with my Exec. Secretary and the Ghanain Medical doctor from New York. It is about 9pm having waited over 3 hours (4:15 - 7:30pm) at the office of this Minister to see him! We left around home around 3pm to be there on the appointment time of 4:30pm.

And can you imagine not even folding chairs for people to sit down in the Hallway! And they are on the 4th floor,, a good walk for me but not others as I could see. And about 20-40 adult people were waiting for their issues.

Granted we give the Minister credit for staying late since he is also an MP and went to Parliament before coming to the office,

Who do these people think they are? They are Lords over everybody?

And the Secretary would not listen to my suggestions about some simple chairs, repeating that there is renovation taking place and a reception room is being done! Simple human decency and comfort! And they watch as tired fellow Ghanaians stand on concrete floors for three hours! And at least two of them looked sickly.

Absolutely no concern! And No system at all for managing visitors. Why can't visitors sit in the waiting room on the ground floor and when their names or number is called they go and see the Minister. Do these people we pay use their good brains to think for us? No!

And then enter the Minister's office and Gosh! It is a Luxury suite with about 20-30 fine leather chairs, fine enough for the King of England, or President of a Billion dollar private company to envy!

How many people go at a time to see a Minister!!?

And yet the people coming to see him have no place to sit for 3 hours in the hallway!!

My brothers! These people think the people are stupid and they are Kings and better than everybody else! It is not fair to tag every Minister but most are of the same culture!

- They pretend to care to win elections and soon change their phone numbers.

- They will steal public funds through legal or illegal channels!

- They can have Businesses on the side, buy vehicles and equipment at dirt cheap like the recent case being exposed at the EC office; and

- Many of them get licenses to set up petroleum distribution or gas/petrol stations or contracting businesses for family members.

- What is worse they never even get projects completed to specifications, but get paid!

- Some will use companies they are Board members of to bid on major government projects!

You may call it public thievery but none seem to care or respect Ghanaians as equal humans. Can you imagine a sick woman waiting with us for 3 hours with no place to sit!

How more inhumane can humans in power be! And as soon as you enter their offices their Air condition is on full blast all day! With my AC on even only about 10% of the time and Split of same size I am paying about Ghs 1,500 per month! And part of this of course goes to pay for the government executives comfort while they look down on us! The Ministries don't pay electricity bills! Why? ECG is for government!

I am sorry my temper could not be controlled when the Minister tried to give me another round-around stories and told me he had two minutes for my presentation. Nana Akuffo Addo may mean well but implementation of ideas involve others and consideration of others! His appointed Ministers must learn to respect people also! Open minded but so far the chest thumping confidence is yet to be seen into Action!

One politically savvy friend in Canada has suggested the problem in Ghana is not due to lack of knowledge but rather greed and selfishness!!

Maybe he is right! Not even a chair for adult mature Ghanaians to sit on for 3 hours! Do they care?

All the best to Diaspora Ghanaians seeking to invest their money in Ghana!

Dr. K. Danso, Aug.21, 2017
Once again, government officials, the diplomatic community, development partners, business executives, academia, the media and civil society groups would come together for the second annual Impact Africa Summit: Ghana to continue discussions on the implementation and realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana.

The Impact Africa Summit scheduled for Thursday, November 30 in Accra, has become Ghanas biggest platform for deliberations and discussions on the country's commitment to achieving the SDGs and also celebrate illustrious sons of the land contributing to the socio-economic development agenda of the country.

The summit further presents a unique opportunity for networking and updates on investment opportunities in Ghana while serving as a marketing avenue for businesses to build a top of mind brand awareness among government officials, diplomats, heads of local and foreign businesses, professionals from various fields, civil society groups, etc.

Following from the 2016 edition, where it was unanimously agreed that; the social progress and economic growth of Ghana and the African continent should be a shared responsibility built on PARTNERSHIPS, the 2017 Impact Africa Summits Keynote Address would be on the subject Building partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals  AFRICA.

The address would among others establish Partnerships as an underlining factor for success of the SDGs in Ghana and Africa, identify the various sectors and stakeholders in creating partnerships for the SDGs, suggest innovative approaches of partnerships in the implementation of the goals and also propose models of partnerships, accountability and stakeholder engagement.

A high level panel would also take their turn to explore how Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) can be channeled as a source of financing the SDGs in Ghana. The panel would focus their discussion on establishing a link between FDIs and the SDGs, identifying priority sectors and opportunities for foreign investments and also propose measures to be put in place to create an enabling environment for investors.

Five personalities would further be honored and celebrated for their contributions to the socio- economic and development agenda of the country in Education, Leadership and Governance, Health, Entrepreneurship and Media and Communication as the Impact Africa Summit: Ghana 2017 Laureates.

The Laureates for the 2016 Impact Africa Summit included Professor Kwesi Yankah, H.E. John Agyekum Kufuor, Togbe Afede XIV, Farida Bedwei, Ken Ashigbey and Professor Enyonam Yao Kwawukume. The 2017 Impact Africa Summit is being hosted by the International Perspective for Policy & Governance (IPPG) in partnership with the UNDP, the Sustainable Development Goals Centre for Africa and the Oxford Business Group.
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22.08.2017 LISTEN

Youd think theyd vacate the government bungalows after their tenure or end of service. But that isnt the case in my homeland Ghana as such bungalows are now accommodating ex- officials girlfriends, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, nephews and nieces, cousins and friends. Retired public servants and their cronies have been occupying governments residences months, some of them years after the completion of their services, according to Ministry of Works & Housing.

This isnt a new phenomenon, I can emphatically say. And Im even inclined to believe it possibly pervades across the continent.

Samuel Atta Akyea the sector minister who made this known said there are a number of retired public servants and other unauthorized persons occupying government bungalows. He seemed upset about the situation and has therefore warned the trespassers to vacate the residences as soon as practicable or face the full rigours of the law.

Mr. Atta Akyea has also cautioned public sector workers living legitimately in state properties but not paying rent to do so or face possible ejection as well. His deputy Freda Prempeh who also spoke on the issue said:

There are about five or six categories of people who have decided to do their own thing with government properties. One is people who have been on retirement for so many years  sometimes about five to six years  and are still living in government properties and are not paying anything to government. The other category, are those on retirement but have in turn given the apartment out to their nieces, their nephews, their friends and colleagues.

Some too have even left the apartment and abandoned it and nobody is even living there and there are some people living in government bungalows that we dont even have their data in the office. Those that we have their names on our data base, their data are not on that of the Controller and Accountant General so they dont pay anything to the government.

Indeed, we are who we are. And I guess the inescapable question is:

Would this eviction ever happen?

Mind you some of them as the deputy minister alluded to have lived in these state properties for a decade or more. Didnt the previous administrations notice them and how come they werent evicted? Wouldnt for example the MINISTER of POWER (MoP) as usual come and plead on their behalf?

Can the new cat chase the mouse out of the house?

It appears Mrs. Freda Prempeh has the touch of the Midas (with a happy ending though):

A week ago, I wrote letters to some of the occupants, and people trooped to the office and to the Bank of Ghana to pay their rent and I raised GHS85, 000 because I gave them 24hours that if you dont pay your rent, I will evict you.

According to her the exercise to evict the squatters isnt a nine day wonder. We are coming out with the police next week (referring to this week). If youve not paid your rent, if you are not authorised to live in a government bungalow make sure that you pack out.

I hope youre still with me. Now consider the resources that would go into this exercise i.e. the personnel or man power, the vehicles, the fuel, the logistics and many more. Why do we always have to let the beard grow to the knee?

We fancy comparisons. We like to compare our democracy to that of the US or the UK. And we do so in areas such as tourism, sports, and politics you name it. But have we for a sec considered the lifestyles of the following persons?

Former US vice president Joe Biden commuted from his home state Delaware to Washington DC via Amtrak throughout his senate career. Its understood he did that virtually every working day for35 years before he became the nations No.2 most prominent figure. But it was more than commuting to and fro, I learned. Mr. Biden also engaged the people on the train in conversations daily earning him the name Talkative Joe.

In March 2011, the Amtrak station in Wilmington, Del was named after him as a long time passenger and rail advocate.

Have we also considered emulating the shining example of Uruguay president, Jose Mojica?

The media says the 78-year-old man is the worlds poorest president. BUT is he? No I am not a poor person poor people are those who never always want more and morethose who never have enough of anything...those are the poor because theyre in a never ending cycle.

Mr. Mojicas immediate bodyguard Manuela is a three-legged dog. He opted to stay in his farm at backcountry of the nations capital. A dusty rural road leads to his tiny farm house. Yes, hes shunned the luxurious house provided by the state for its leaders and opted to stay in the farmhouse with his wife a senator.

I choose this austere life style. I choose not to have too much belongings so that I have time live how I want, he says. And did I mention hes also giving 90 per cent of his salary every month to charity? His assets I guess you want to know too: Two vehiclesa tractor and a WV Beatle 1978, small amount of property and his farm house. Cest fini!

Several months ago I saw two striking images: The first one was a man on a bike on his way going to work. As he rode through the citys main streets scores waved and he waved back. He was dressed up to the nines (suit and tie). That man was Mark Rutte Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Ironically, the image next to Mr. Ruttes was a convoy of cars supposedly taken an African president (name withheld) to go for a haircut. You may say thats a joke. Well, I get that!

BUT when did you see an African president on commercial transport say Tro-tro, Matatu, on a motor bike, or bicycle?

What did Mr. Cameron say?

David Cameron former UK Prime Minister is quoted as saying: If the amount of money stolen from Nigeria in the last 30 years was stolen the UK the UK would cease to exist.

Mr. Kwamina Miaful Dadzie posted this comment on WhatsApp:

Very sad that often those who loot our nations already have enough for themselves, but still covert after others possession, his comment followed my article titled: Mam-hunt For Mr. Greed. published on moderngahana.com and the social media on August 4 2017..

In 2011 Forbes an American business magazine published the name of some African leaders who had stolen billions from their people:

Africas Richest Dictators who were they?

First is former Nigerian military leader Sani Abacha. Upon his death in 1998 the Nigerian government uncovered over US$3 billion dollars linked to the dictator.. After a series of negotiations between the government and the Abacha family, Abachas first son Mohammed eventually returned U$1.2 billion to the Nigerian government in 2002.

Next is Mobutu Sese Seko the former president of the DR Congo. Over his 30 years reign as a ruler of the central African nation the dictator amassed wealth estimated between US$1 billion and US$ 5billion. Next is Nigerias former military leader Ibrahim Badamasi Babaginda, now 76 years old is believed to have laundered close to US$12 billion earned from an oil windfall during the 1992 Gulf War.

Elsewhere in east Africa, Kenyas former president Daniel Arap Moil who ruled the east-African nation from 1978 to 2002 also followed the footsteps of the lootees. During his 28 years rule Mr. Moi managed to loot nearly a billion dollars from his people. And was it not him again who sold the lions and the giraffes to the Muzungus for a token?

He stole lands and earned so many assets some of which are held by his childrens name in Australia according to Kroll Associates, a corporate investigation and risk consultancy company that uncovered the rot.

Next is Hosni Mubarak Egypts former president. He ruled the north-African nation for 30 good years. And guess what he too ridiculously looted an estimated US$ 70 billion. Forbes editors however think the figure is exaggerated. But the fact remains that he looted his people.

And how could I forget good old Equatorial Guineas President Teodom Obiang. In 2006 FORBES estimated his fortune at US$600 million. And there are many more you probably.

Thing is, not everyone would get the opportunity to serve his/her nations in capacities as public office holders. But its unquestionably an honour to be given such mandate to represent the people and serve them well. A leader must be selfless not selfish, a leader must be kind not mean a leader must be humble not arrogant. These qualities among others must be guiding principles. They shouldnt lord themselves over the people who elected them.

A leader must learn not to be smug, sniffy, snippy and snooty. A good leader must inspire, motivate his or her people to engage with the nations vision and not teach them how to loot, how to launder, and how to pilfer.
Kampala, August 22nd 2017. On Friday the 21st of August 2017, Jumia Travel Uganda officially announced its partnership with the Nyege Nyege Music Festival which is in its 3rd edition; during an event that hosted the press to a meet and greet cocktail party held at the Jumia Offices on Plot 47 Lumumba Avenue Nakasero. The party aimed at appreciating members of the press for the continued support they have provided the travel company thus far.

Strengthening our partnerships with key players such as the media is very important to us at Jumia Travel and we are very happy to finally put faces to the publishers, photographers and broadcasters that came, said Timothy Mugume, Country Manager Jumia Travel Uganda.

Chief organiser Derek Debru informed the public what to expect at the festival this year. With 4 stages and over 200 Artists, the Nyege Nyege Festival is anticipated to be the party of the year. Other Partners including Talent Africa represented by CEO Ali Alibhai, NBS TV and Modern Coast were also present at the Jumia Travel event. The Nyege Nyege Festival is one of the most highly ranked festivals around the world. It brings together several artists from all over Africa as well as some from outside Africa as well. The official Nyege Nyege Music Anthem composed by Ugandan rapper Nemesis was also unveiled.

Other highlight artists from Uganda include Latinum, Jackie Akello, Apio Moro, Byg Ben Sukuya and Truth among others. Jumia Travel is offering a special package that includes a Ticket to the show, transport and a tent. To book for this package just head to the site travel.jumia.com.

Presser 1

Presser 2
22.08.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Aug. 21, GNA - Mr Akilu Sayibu, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), has paid a courtesy call on Mr Haruna Iddrisu, a former Trade and Industry Minister, now the Minority Leader of Parliament.

The meeting, held at the Minority Leader's Office, was to enable the new Deputy CEO to draw on the rich experiences of the venerable lawmaker.

Mr Sayibu was recently appointed by President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo Addo to complement the strengths of the CEO, Gifty Kekeli Klenam, to champion the NPP Government's agenda of increasing the country's Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs).

Earnings from NTEs from Ghana currently hover around 2.4 billion dollars per annum and it is projected, through the GEPA, to increase to 10 billion dollars by 2021.

He has, therefore, started an exercise to reach out to critical and important players in the trade sector to learn, share knowledge and experiences that would capacitate him to contribute to increasing the country's NTE products, which have the tendency to provide jobs, improve livelihoods and stimulate growth and development.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu was instructive in the processes leading to the passing of the Exim Bank Bill 911, 2016 and the Ghana National Export Strategy (2013) for the NTE sector.

He shared his professional and personal experiences with the Deputy-CEO and emphasised the need for the top echelon of the Authority to work in harmony to pursue a common cause.

He wished the Deputy CEO well in his new position and urged him to support the efforts of the CEO to triumph.

Mr Akilu Sayibu, who was the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Tamale North in 2012, expressed gratitude to the Minority Leader for his openness and willingness to share ideas with him, even though they belonged to different political orientations.

He said what was paramount was the development of the country and promised to constantly draw on the rich experiences of all that mattered.

GNA
22.08.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Aug. 21, GNA - Christian Aid, an International non-governmental organisation, has presented office equipment to the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) in support of its Business Advisory Centres (BACs) in Greater Accra and Western Regions.

The equipment included two projectors, two desktop computers, two UPS, two flip chart stands and two display cabinets.

Mrs Gifty Dansoah Appiah, Country Manager, Christian Aid presenting the equipment said it formed part of efforts to revamp the two BACs in the two regions for the successful implementation of the Growing Economic Opportunities for Sustainable Development (GEOP) project.

The GEOP Project, which is jointly funded by the European Union and the Christian Aid, is a three-year project aimed at enhancing local economic development with the specific objective to foster strong civil society and local authority partnership to promote local job creation.

It is also to mobilise revenue and expand economic activities in an environmentally sustainable manner in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region, Ayawaso East and Ablekuma South sub-metros in the Accra Metropolitan Area by the end of 2019.

She said the NGO is a leading UK based organisation working in over 40 countries around the world to tackle the root causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all regardless of faith or nationality.

Mrs Appiah said in Ghana, the organisation focused on supporting its partners to play an effective role, while at the frontiers of development.

'We also work with our partners to significantly improve the lives of poor and marginalised men and women and bring about a just and fair society,' she added.

She expressed the hope that the equip would go a long way to ensure the success of this and other unique but important interventions aimed at enhancing local economic development.

She said over the next three years, the Christian Aid would look forward to a strong collaboration with the NBSSI and the BACs to train BAC staff on areas identified in needs assessment, link BAC staff with successful business and financial service operators for upgraded training on financial and business management to enable BACs to better support micro SME.

It will also work to support trainees and master craftsmen to register their business, formally open a bank account and prepare business plans and facilitate access to credit for trainees and master craftsmen.

Ms Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey, the Executive Director, NBSSI said the NBSSI and Christian Aid under the GEOP were collaborating to train target beneficiaries to be economically empowered.

She said NBSSI's component of the programme was designed among others to focus on creating and sustaining a minimum of 1,400 Jobs and to increase 40 per cent of net additional incomes for the youth.

Ms Kosi Yankey, said 'this programme is in line with the new direction of NBSSI where our BACs would become one stop shops for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and the youth'.

She said NBSSI would provide innovative technical resource support through its BACs.

She said the Christian Aid through this project would support NBSSI's Accra and Ellembelle BACs by providing them with additional office equipment and training tools to strengthen them to provide more assistance to entrepreneurs, the youth and unemployed of the districts in support of reducing poverty as mentioned.

NBSSI has 173 District offices throughout the ten (10) regions. NBSSI and Christian Aid's collaboration is in alignment with the current administration's initiatives and policies to grow the MSMEs sector, strengthen entrepreneurs and provide more opportunity for prosperity, income and employment.

NBSSI already provides a comprehensive package of non-financial and financial services which are implemented in the regions and districts through its BACs and Credit/ Project Units.

Some of NBSSI partners have been Mondelez, World Bank, European Union, JICA, GIZ, African Development Bank and IFAD.

Since January to date, NBSSI has trained and supported the growth and expansion of 33,780 entrepreneurs and their businesses of which 10,628 are males and 23,152 are females.

GNA

By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA
Accra, Aug. 21, GNA - The high unemployment rate among Ghanaian youth could be reduced if the younger generation is encouraged to take up job opportunities the cocoa industry offers.

Mr Fred Frimpong, the Programme Manager at Solidaridad, an International Civil Society Organisation, said the younger generation must be introduced to the cocoa crop at an early stage to help them develop interest and possibly take up employment in the industry.

'The cocoa crop has a myriad of opportunities for the youth to take up, so we believe that young people must be introduced to the crop at an early stage in their lives to help them develop that interest and possibly take up employment in the industry,' Mr Frimpong said in an interview with the GNA.

He was speaking after Solidaridad partnered a local travel and tour agency, TN Delfah, to take about 100 children from selected basic schools on a sponsored learning tour to cocoa farms and the Ghana Cocoa Research Institute to help them develop interest in the cocoa sector.

The pupils, from De Youngster's International and Jack and Jill basic schools in Accra, were taken on a sponsored tour dubbed 'Cocoa Learning Experience' to the famous Tetteh Quashie cocoa farm at Mampong and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) at Tafo in the Eastern Region.

They were taken through the different processes and varieties of products made from cocoa. Two other schools in the Ashanti Region would also benefit from the sponsored tour.

'All this is in the spirit of helping the youth to tap into the numerous job opportunities of Ghana's cocoa industry,' Mr Frimpong said.

The cocoa industry's value chain, from nursery through harvesting and the processing into chocolates, drinks and confectionaries, provide massive employment avenues for the youth who are seeking non-existent white colour jobs, he said.

Mrs Tina Amenyah, the Chief Executive of TN Delfah Travel and Tour, was full of praise of Solidaridad for supporting the initiative.

'I realised that the youth have limited appreciation of the real value and opportunities that the cocoa crop offers to them and the Ghanaian economy.

'So we decided to start this, as part of our local tourism drive, and also create an avenue for the younger generation to develop interest in cocoa, so some may become entrepreneurs in the cocoa value chain. Cocoa can offer them secure jobs,' she said.

Dr Mrs Mercy Asamoah, the Principal Research Scientist at CRIG, said studies showed that the average age for cocoa farmers was between 55 and 65 years, 'so we are happy that this initiative is introducing the children to the crop, some can grow to become researchers, cocoa scientists as well as main stream cocoa farmers'.

Ghana produced over one million metric tonnes of the beans in 2011 but output fell to an averaged of 850,000 tonnes annually since then, due to factors including pest invasion and unfavourable weather.

As a result, the Government and the Ghana Cocoa Board had put in place strategies to boost annual production and sustain it beyond the one million tonnes per year.

TN Delfah and Solidaridad's collaboration would help the younger generation to learn about cocoa and develop the interest in becoming agriculture entrepreneurs, besides whatever profession they may choose in life.

Cocoa is considered as the back bone of Ghana's economy as the commodity remains the country's main agricultural export.

The chocolate making ingredient fetches the state billions of dollars in annual revenue and creates hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in Ghana.

Ghana is the second largest cocoa exporter in the world, behind Ivory Coast and produces premium cocoa for the world's chocolate industry.

GNA
GNA Reporter

Accra, Aug. 21, GNA - Ethiopian Airlines Group, the largest airline in Africa, has marked commencement of a thrice weekly service to Bahrain at a reception ceremony held at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

A statement from the Airline said heralding the inaugural flight, Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, said; 'Bahrain is an important destination in the Middle East joining the ever emerging Ethiopian destinations to the Gulf.'

He said the airline was glad to have resumed their services following the growing trade, tourism and investment ties between Bahrain and Ethiopia and the continent of Africa at large.

'With more than 100 passenger and cargo destinations worldwide, our network is designed in such a way that connect Africa with the major trading partners in Asia, Middle East, South and North America and Europe,' he added.

He said the fact that the flight was full from its commencement flight designates the success and significance of their service to Bahrain.

Ethiopian currently flies to major cities in the Middle East; Beirut, Dammam, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait, Dubai, Madinah, Muscat, Riyadh, and Sharjah.

GNA
The government of Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Equatorial Guinea to receive Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from that country to supplement Ghana's energy needs.

This was made known by President Akufo-Addo while on a three-day visit to Equatorial Guinea.

Speaking at a State Dinner held in his honour by President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Akufo-Addo said my presence here is a consummation of this bilateral agreement, and represents a significant step towards matching Equatorial Guinea's excess gas supply to Ghana's ever growing demand.

It is my expectation that during this visit, we shall sign a government-to-government Heads of Agreement for the supply to Ghana of LNG from Equatorial Guinea, for a period of fifteen years, reviewable every five years. If cocoa was the first seed to nourish the relationship between our two countries, gas is going to be the second, he added.

The MoU will see Equatorial Guinea supply the equivalent of 150 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day to Ghana.

The MoU also provides for the building and operation of an LNG regasification terminal in Takoradi in the Western Region.

Ghana in time past had erratic power cuts which affected industries and businesses in the country.

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) however promised to put in place measures to ensure that Ghana becomes energy efficient.

President Akufo-Addo also at the dinner explained that his visit was also to strengthen the bilateral ties that exist between the two countries, as well as explore areas of co-operation to the mutual benefit of their respective peoples.

Akufo-Addo said the two countries have maintained strong relations for several decades, adding that he is following in the footsteps of three of his predecessors in the 4th Republic, who also paid official visits to Equatorial Guinea.

They have laid a solid foundation for the relations between our two countries, on which, with God's help, I am hoping to help build a bright future of co-operation, he said.

With the last meeting of the Permanent Joint Commission of Co-operation between the two countries held in Accra in 2010, President Akufo-Addo was also hopeful that his visit to Malabo will kick-start the re-commencement of formal sessions of the Commission, the last one of which was held in Accra.

The President was also keen to reviving the Air Services Agreement, and re-establish direct flights between Accra and Malabo.

His government, he added, has also committed itself to expanding the Tema Port into a trans-shipment hub, to improve sea trade within Africa.

Continental Integration

With Ghana and Equatorial Guinea being are two important members of the African Union (AU), President Akufo-Addo stressed that he is willing to do whatever he can to strengthen the AU.



By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
The World Bank has commended Ghana for promoting financial inclusion through innovation.

According to the organization, the introduction of mechanisms such as mobile money and other digital platforms will help the country to elevate its economic status.

Speaking on the issue, the Country Director of the World Bank in Ghana, Henry Kerali said the World Bank would continue to support Ghana in its efforts to grow the economy.

We commend the Bank of Ghana's leadership for the introduction of mobile money and other digital financial services, he said.

He added, We have significantly contributed to this and we will continue to do so. As we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary I would like to state the commitment of the World Bank group to the continued partnership of the World Bank with the BOG and with the government of Ghana.

Mr. Kerali said that Ghana could continue to count on the World Bank Group for support as it thrives to rope in more people into the banking sector.

We look forward to supporting efforts towards financial inclusion through increased information to borrowers, to strengthen financial frame works and to also boost financial literacy.



By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
22.08.2017 LISTEN

Nigerian President Buhari arrived on Sunday, 20.08.2017 back from UK, where he was treated for undisclosed illness having spent this year 100 days outside the country on sick leave - in Abuja. He was greeted by a vast number of Officials besides numerous Body Guards.

Ghanas President, Nana Akufo-Addo, left on Monday, 21.08.17 for Equatorial Guinea scheduled to return back to Ghana on Wednesday, 23. 08. 2017. The Vice-President, Ministers, Police and Military Officers were present at the Airport to see him off certainly having waited for his arrival and departure with the Republic of Ghana branded Jet for several hours. On his return, the same highly paid Officials will meet him at the Airport again to welcome him back, all at the Tax Payers expenses.

When Presidents outside of Africa leave their country, guess whatthere is nobody to see them off or welcome them home, as time is money and the staff around them need to perform at their various work places and not to showcase the power or beauty of a President, but the beauty of a Nation by dedicating their time and thoughts to good work to be done.

As President Nana Akufo-Addo leaves Ghana on a very frequent basis  Mr. President, your problems must be fixed in Ghana, not outside where your Ministers can handle MOUs and contracts on your behalf easily  certainly the costs of his unnecessary journeys and entourage at the Airport amounts into Millions of Dollars this year alone, while European Presidents are capable and matured enough to find their way to the Airport, enter the state jet and fly off, returning the same way without any reception by Governmental Officials.

The productivity lost and the money involved can easily pay for schools with leaking roof or hospitals pregnant women in the villages do not have to safely deliver their much desired babies.

And the White Man pays for all these nonsense and their Embassies keep their mouth shut smiling into the faces of all African Presidents shining in the harsh sunlight of the African continentbut with certainty not shining in the heart of the Almighty; keeping them in utter darkness for years to come as GOD is a GOD of justice and righteousness; he gives blessings to those only that truly deserve and know how best to make use of them. GOD knocks at each persons heart, once he sees clearly and unmistakenly that it is pure and honest, he enters into the mind, spirit and soul of a human to push him into the world of understanding and enlightment.

I wish the Government would come to our aid and GOD would do something about our plight, are to be heard on African streets all the time. GOD is always ready to assist and change lives, but when he is confronted with a stubborn, selfish heart that does not open up to him, only confesses with his mouth believe in him, he is not moved nor challenged to intervene, rather willing to abandon the stubborn heart and leave it to its own human ideas and misfortune.

Which sense does it make that an African President needs to be ushered to an Airplaneare they not matured but need to feel and see hearts and faces that pamper them on the Tax Payers expenses? Children should not lead any country.

P.S.: Restaurant Friday, Sakumono SSNIT Flat Estate, 21.07.2017, drain, 7 young workers, one cutting with cutler the bushes alongside the drain, 6 with shuffle throw soil from the basin of the drain to the banks upward for the next rain to wash it back into the basin to once again block the drain at heavy rain fallsmoney well wasted but people kept sweating busy building strong muscles and six packs. Ghana is solving a problem by creating a problem, endless cycle of busy poverty.

GOD, have mercy on your Africans!

Author: Dipl.-Pol. Karl-Heinz Heerde, Sakumono, Tema West, Ghana, phone +233(0)265078287, [email protected] , 21.08.2017
22.08.2017 LISTEN

The Ghanaian Times 22.08.2017

One of the major privileges of being a writer is the opportunity it gives one to meet and interact with people engaged in all types of activity.

Not all the people one encounters make a deep impression on one, however. Of those who are to be remembered, my favourites are those who say something to me that I can take to guide me and be treasured all of my life.

Example: I once met a renowned mathematician from Nigeria, the late Dr Chike Obi, (See Wikipedia; also Google: Madunagu+Chike+Obi) who by plain brainwork and without the use of modern technological aids such as computers, [gave] scientific proof to a 361-year old mathematical puzzle known as 'Fermat's Last Theorem.'

The Theorem, well known among mathematicians... was enunciated by one of the two leading mathematicians of the first half of the 17th Century, Pierre de Fermat, a Frenchman. . . Two Western researchers had, in 1994, solved the problem, using modern technological aids. But [Chike] Obi... used a method which "looks very much like the way Fermat must have proved his Theorem in the 17th Century." Obi's research, conducted at his Nanna Institute for Scientific Studies based in Onitsha, Anambra State [of Nigeria, was] published in the International Journal {Algebras, Groups and Geometries} Volume 15, Pages 289 to 299 (1998).

I had heard Chike Obi being mentioned in reverential tones by brilliant Nigerian exiles in Ghana in the early 1960s, such as the late Sam Ikoku and the late Chief Olu Adebanjo and was thrilled when I was introduced to him at that famous venue noted for unexpected encounters, the Continental Hotel in Accra (now Golden Tulip). The Continental Hotel terrace, now destroyed, was long and luminous and a person sitting at the very end of it could, with normal eyesight, spot a guest walking towards the residential area. Thus it was that one day, I spotted someone I knew who was walking with Chike Obi, and quickly made long strides to greet him.

Only a few minutes after meeting me, Chike Obi said something to me out of the blue which I have never forgotten. He said: When I look at the state of Africa today, I am driven to the conclusion that we once had the opportunity to create some of the greatest  if not the greatest  kingdoms on earth. But we wasted it. And now, we are being punished by providence for having wasted that opportunity.

What happened in Lome, Togo, this past weekend; the powder-keg on which Kenya is sitting, following the presidential election held earlier this month; the probably avoidable destruction that took place in Sierra Leone because people were allowed to erect dwellings on a site that could be over-run by a landside: when will Africa's woes end?

Chike Obi was talking to me around 1975. Since then, there have been horrific disasters in Africa, the worst of which, undoubtedly, was the genocide that took place in Rwanda in May 1994. Would anyone have foreseen that who lived in Egypt in 3,000BC? Or Mali, Songhai or Ghana in the Middle Ages? Wasted opportunities = Wanton obloquy. QED.

I have just had another wonderful experience of being told something completely unexpected by another man whom I was  again  only meeting for the first time. We'd been discussing mundane matters relating to today's Ghana when unexpectedly, he pulled a booklet out of his desk drawer and said to me: Listen to this.

The passage he read to me was as follows:

QUOTE: As a people, we have ceased to be a THINKING NATION.

Our fathers, with all their limitations, had occasion to originateideas

and to contrive in their own order. They sowed incorruptiblethought-seeds, and we are reaping a rich harvest today, though, for the most part, we are scarcely conscious of the debt we owe them. Western education or civilization  undiluted, unsifted  has more or less enervated our minds and made them passive and catholic. Our national life is semi-paralysed; our mental machinery dislocated, the inevitable consequence being (speaking generally) the resultant production of a Race of men and women who thinktoolittle and talk too much. But neither garrulity nor loquacity forms an indispensable element in the constitution of a state or nation. UNQUOTE

After reading the passage to me, my new friend asked me, Do you know when that was published?

No! I said.

It was published in 1911! he exclaimed.

WHAAAAAT? I queried? 1911? It sounds as if it was written yesterday, not ninety-six years ago. It fits our current situation like a glove! I mean, look at how we have waffled over galamsey till nearly all our

rivers have been destroyed!

My friend then gave me the booklet to look at.

Its title is The Gold Coast Nation And National Consciousness.

And the author? Who wrote about the state of our nation so brilliantly NINETY-SIX YEARS AGO that it reads as if it was only written yesterday?

The writer was The Rev. Samuel Richard Brew Attoh Ahuma (1863-1921) a greatly under-rated man who is often mentioned in the company of, but largely as an adjunct to, such great Ghanaian historical figures as John Mensah Sarbah (1864-1910), J E Casely Hayford (1866-1930), and J W De Graft Johnson (1860-1928) joint-founder of the Aborigines' Rights Protection Society (ARPS) and the first Vice-President of that organisation.

Attoh Ahuma was editor of TheGold CoastMethodist Times when the infamous Lands Bill by which the British colonialists wanted to seize all the lands of the Gold Coast, was mooted. Despite what must inevitably have been the opposition of some of the European missionaries then running the Gold Coast Methodist Church, Attoh Ahuma bravey used the paper to support the popular agitation against the Lands Bill of 1897. He later became editor of The Gold Coast Nation and then, Secretary of the ARPS.

As stated above the passage to which my friend drew my attention is from The God Coast Nation and National Consciousness, originally printed by D Marples & Co., Liverpool in 1911 and republished by Frank Cass and Co. in 1971. The Frank Cass edition [ISBN 0 7146 1742 3] forms part of the company's Africana Modern Library Series, which also includes EthiopiaUnbound and Gold Coast Native Institutions by J E Casey Hayford; WestAfrican Leadership by Magnus Sampson, and Letters On The Political Condition of the Gold Coast by James Africanus Beale Horton. (The address of Frank Cass & Co. is 67 Great Russell Street, London W1B 3BT.)

Attoh Ahuma's Ahuma's book is divided into 12 chapters, each of which dispenses a vast amount of wisdom meant to assist in building the new nation he foresaw as growing out of the Gold Coast, in the early 20th Century, including the following: (1)The Gold Coast And National Consciousness; (2) TheDifficult Artof ThinkingNationally; (3)WANTED - Help, Not Hindrance; (4) What Are You Going To Do For the Homeland? (5) I Am: I Can (had Barack Obama read this before adopting YES I CAN as his campaign slogan?) and (6) I ought: I will.

I shall summarise some of the great ideas of Attoh Ahuma in future articles.
Group picture of Heads of Immigration in West Africa with Nigerias Foreign Affairs Minister

Heads of Immigration in West Africa have resolved to set up a Migration Academy to train immigration officers and border security personnel within the sub-region.

The academy is envisaged to further facilitate the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on free movement of persons, goods and services, border management and the fight against irregular migration within the West African bloc.

The Academy which is set to commence within the shortest possible time is expected to strengthen collaboration between immigration officers and border security personnel within the sub region.

It is also expected to bring sub-region immigration officers at par with best practices and improve information and intelligence sharing among border security to prevent transnational crimes within the sub region.

It is also anticipated to improve service deliveries at the entry and exit points within the ECOWAS region by streamlining and enhancing the processing and documentation of persons, goods and services.

Apart from the Academy being part of efforts by the West African bloc to sustain the vision of fostering regional collaboration towards effective and efficient migration management of the sub-region, it is also intended to make the sub-region attractive, boost investor confidence and trade.

The decision was taken at a 2-day meeting of 14 ECOWAS Heads of Immigration held in Abuja, Nigeria recently.

It was attended by Heads of Immigration from Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, the Gambia, Guinea and Liberia. The rest are Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Nigeria and Togo.

The delegation from Ghana was led by the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi. He noted that Ghana is in full support of the Academy and is ready to partner other ECOWAS heads to make the dream a reality and an envy of all.

Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, in a speech delivered on behalf of the Acting President of Nigeria charged the ECOWAS Heads of Immigration to consider the possibilities of a seamless movement of ECOWAS citizens.

He bemoaned how migration has become connected to the negative phenomenon of cross-border crimes and other security challenges and called for stringent measures to enhance free movement of persons across the borders.

This high powered meeting comes on the back of a preliminary meeting in Abuja in 2015.

By Fred Duodu ([email protected])
Luanda (AFP) - For the past 20 years, Angola's most prominent human rights activist Rafael Marques de Morais has railed against outgoing President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos and his administration, exposing through his investigative work what he sees as the regime's unfettered corruption.

In an interview with AFP, the 45-year-old outspoken campaigner -- who was convicted of defaming military generals in 2015 and handed a six-months suspended sentence -- dismissed Wednesday's vote as rigged, but predicted that this is "the beginning of the end" for the regime.

In power since the country's 1975 independence from Portugal, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) is expected to remain the ruling party with candidate Joao Lourenco, currently defence minister.

Dos Santos, now aged 74 and reportedly in poor health, became president in 1979 but decided to step down after his nearly four-decades rule.

What do you expect from the elections?

These elections are essentially just a process because we already know what the results are. Most of the population also knows what the results are. The question is whether the MPLA will try to understand how unhappy the population is and give more space to the opposition.

Are you expecting massive fraud?

Socio-economic facts on Angola, which is to hold a presidential poll on Wednesday.

The MPLA won't try to rig the elections, the elections are pre-rigged. In distant parts of the country, the ballots have been left at the homes of the traditional authorities ... and there is no control of the police and the electoral commission.

You have many opposition members who have not been registered to monitor the elections as the law requires. There are many examples where people have been sent to vote tens of kilometres away to make sure they do not vote for the opposition.

What will be Dos Santos's legacy?

Dos Santos's legacy is corruption. It's in the structure of the social fabric of Angola where people believe that the only way to improve their lives is through corruption. It's not through hard work, it's not through education, it's not through contributing to the common welfare, but essentially as they say in French 'debrouillez-vous' -- each one on his own.

Do you expect any changes from his probable successor?

With this new president, what we expect is someone who will try to assert himself by the use of sheer force, not through diplomacy, not through changing what is wrong, but essentially by trying to be more arrogant. And that is what will get him into trouble very soon.

Do you think the regime's days are numbered?

I think this is the last election where people place their bet on the political parties. The next election will be about citizenry and people will themselves craft their own future. ... The youth of this country has hopes. There is a kind of awakening which is important to take into consideration and which will become prominent in the coming years.

"For the regime, this change of president is the beginning of the end. The MPLA won't last. It can finish this term but it will disappear into oblivion, if it continues to rely on corruption as its main policy," said Marques

For the regime, this change of president is the beginning of the end. The MPLA won't last. It can finish this term but it will disappear into oblivion, if it continues to rely on corruption as its main policy.

What does the future of the country look like?

We have 24 million people, we have many good people ... we have to create public spaces for debate for those who have different ideas, so those who have integrity and honesty can thrive and not only the crooks.

Who are you going to vote for?

I won't vote. That was my stance to remain outside the play and have the presence of mind to really see what is happening in the process. ... The ruling party doesn't abide by the law and it is my job as a citizen to continue to raise these issues until they abide by the law and end up in jail or out of power.
First Lady Rebecca Akufo Addo has bemoaned the fact that a large number of Ghanaian babies are deprived of the major nutritional, health and psychological benefits of breastfeeding.

According to her, only 52 percent of Ghanaian mothers exclusively breastfeed their children, adding, Though this is slight improvement, it still means that a large number of babies are being deprived of breastfeeding.

This trend also indicates that we still have a long way to go in making sure that all women in this country practise breastfeeding to provide their children with the benefits and protection needed, particularly in the early stages of life, she highlighted.

To this end, the first lady has called on employers and parliament to extend the period of maternity leave as specified under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Maternity Protection Convention.

Mrs Akufo-Addo stated this during the official launch of this year's World Breastfeeding Week Celebration held at the Takoradi Jubilee Park, last Friday.

It was on the theme: 'Sustaining Breastfeeding Together'.

She explained that breast milk is specifically designed to enhance baby's growth and development, stressing that research evidence on the value of breastfeeding for mothers and their babies is very compelling.

It is well known now that the health benefits of breastfeeding do not just last during infancy, but are sustained throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood as well, she stressed.

The first lady disclosed that Ghana has set a target that ensures that, at least, 80 percent of all babies born in the country are exclusively breastfed by the year 2021, reiterating that this requires strong and concerted action considering that the rate is only at 52 percent.

She mentioned that despite the compelling research in favour of breastfeeding, a report by Ghana Health Service indicates that only 52 percent of Ghanaian mothers exclusively breastfeed their children, and suggested that a large number of Ghanaian babies are deprived of the major nutritional, health and psychological benefits of breastfeeding.

The first lady stressed the need to improve the current support systems and create conducive environments for women to breastfeed in their work places, markets, churches and other social gatherings.

She also called for the development of breastfeeding promotional messages and communication campaigns in order to improve knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding and address negative perceptions about it.

A Deputy Minister of Health, Madam Tina Mensah, explained that the celebrating breastfeeding week is a global advocacy event that provides a unique opportunity to all public health stakeholders to address challenges that women face during breastfeeding.

The guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that babies should be breastfed for the first six months with no food or any liquid and that breastfeeding should continue for two years and beyond, she added.

The Country Representative of UNICEF, Rushnan Murtaza, called on all stakeholders to work together to invest and promote new ways and partnerships in support of breastfeeding.

Breast milk is, indeed, best. However, many mothers lack sustained support and they do not begin breastfeeding immediately after birth. They introduce formula, glucose and other fluids, she disclosed.

Madam Murtaza indicated that according to the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2014, while skilled delivery was at 74 percent, only 56 percent of mothers initiated breastfeeding within the first hour of birth.

When mothers are supported with good quality counselling, they breastfeed well and more children survive and thrive, she pointed out.

After the official launching of the event, the first lady visited the Kwesimitsim Hospital near Takoradi, where she presented assorted items to the health facility and interacted with some nursing mothers who were present.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
The Ghana Institute of Journalism has graduated the second batch of students despite the absence of a substantive governing council, which is yet to be constituted by government.

The ceremony, expected to have been held in February, this year, was delayed due to the expiration of the tenure of the governing council, which had the mandate to confirm the degrees to be conferred on the graduate students.

But after several months, a total of about 112 students graduated with Master of Arts degrees in journalism, public relations, media management and development communications last Saturday.

Professor Mohammed Salifu, Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Tertiary Education (NCTE) and stand-in chair of the GIJ Governing Council, which is yet to be fully constituted, who addressed the congregation, said government was in the process of constituting new governing councils for public tertiary education institutions.

It would not be long before the Ghana Institute of Journalism has its own full-fledged Governing Council in place, he said.

Prof Salifu commended the GIJ for finding a niche area in communications, but urged the academic staff to conduct research.

He said the graduate and research programmes provided a medium through which the university could create new knowledge and innovations to address societal problems and demonstrate its relevance to the national economy.

A national research fund is also in the offing to provide the resources for competitive research into key areas of national policy, he said.

Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in-charge of Tertiary Education, in his remarks, expressed concern over the rareness of research data for development planning in Ghana.

He urged the graduates to endeavour to add value to the nation's planning through their research.

Where planning in 20th Century Africa was fed on empty data, here we come with tools that can change the destiny of this country, the destiny of journalism and communications, he said.

Wilberforce Dzisah, Rector of the GIJ, commended the second batch of graduates for their patience and tolerance in enduring the 'pain and agony of waiting all this while to be graduated.'

He said the GIJ's graduate programmes have gained popularity and influence, with the number of applicants admitted increasing from 135 in 2015 when the programme started to 243 students.

The event was held under the theme, 'The role of communication in bridging the gap between academia and industry.'
Huddersfiled Town boss David Wangner has revealed that issues of finances is not the reason why a move for Ghanaian Andy Yaidom collapsed deal.

The Terriers came close to sealing a deal for the Ghana international who, as far, completed a medical in line with the proposed switch.

'To be honest, I don't like to talk details because Andy Yiadom is not our player," Wagner said, as reported by The Huddersfield Daily Examiner.

"But it wasn't a financial reason - not between ourselves and the player and not between Barnsley and ourselves.

'Everything else I think should be answered by Barnsley or the player as to why we were not able to come together, but it was not a financial reason.'

It is not unusual to hear rumours of a failed medical bandied around in the wake of collapsed deal after the routine.

Wagner, however, fails to be drawn into the topic.

'As I say, he is not our player, so this is something Barnsley has to answer,' said Wagner.

'Yes, [the deal is dead]. In this window, it will not happen."

Huddersfield wanted to bring in another right-back to provide cover for, or perhaps rival, captain Tommy Smith.

Yiadom joined Barnsley from Barnet in summer last year, having played for fellow lower division sides Braintree Town and Hayes &Yeading FC.
Former Trade and Industry Minister Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah has given the strongest indication that he will contest the flagbearership position of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2018.

According to his spokesperson, Kwaku Tawiah Ampah, reports saying he has abandoned his desire to lead the party in the 2020 elections, are false and must be disregarded.

Speaking to Citi News, Ampah said his boss will contest even if former president Mahama decides to make a comeback.

I can assure you that come 2018, Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah will run, he said.

Despite the assurance, Dr. Garbrah's spokespersons said the party will give former President John Mahama the opportunity to decide whether or not to run for the president slot in 2018.

Even if he decides to run he should know that he will be contested, that is what is stated. What it means is that we should give the former president a courtesy of either refusing or deciding to run as a respect for his presidency and the fact that he was the leader of the NDC But this doesn't mean that Dr. Spio Garbrah will not run, he added.

Ahead of election 2020

The is currently some seeming tension in the NDC on who will lead the party in the general elections in 2020.

Whereas some members argue that John Mahama under whose regime the party went to opposition should be given the chance to lead the NDC again, others think otherwise.

Meanwhile, there are rumours that a number of personalities including Professor Joshua Alabi, MP for Nadowli/Kaleo, Alban Bagbin are all lacing their boots to take up the challenge.



Godwin A. Allotey & Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
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A delegation from Citi FM on Tuesday visited the Sierra Leonean High Commission in Accra to express the grief of the station over the tragedy that struck Sierra Leone last week.

The Chief Executive Officer of Citi FM, Samuel Atta-Mensah signed the book of condolence at the and also informed the Commissioner that listeners of the station have contributed relief items to help survivors of the mudslide that claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed property worth millions of dollars.

Mr. Atta-Mensah signing the book of condolence

Citi FM last week started the Supporting Sierra Leone Initiative to gather for survivors.

The donations have far so been overwhelming and would be sent to Sierra Leone by close of week.

Mr. Atta-Mensah was accompanied by Citi FM's Human Resource Manager and head of Corporate Social Responsiblity, Jenifer Anane-Nsiah, Sales Manager, Omane Mensah Bonsu and Director of News Programming, Bernard Avle.

The rest are Priscilla Mensah, Executive Assitant and Fred Djabanor, producer of the award winning Citi Breakfast Show.

Sierra Leone is contending with a humanitarian crisis after Regent, a town near Freetown, was struck by a mudslide and flooding after torrential rain.

Over 400 people have been confirmed dead after the August 14 disaster and about 3,000 more have been displaced while over 600 more are said to be still missing.

The government of Ghana over the weekend donated relief items amounting to GHc1 million to Sierra Leone.



By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
Ghana striker Raphael Dwamena wants to emulate his compatriot and Leeds United legend Anthony Yeboah as his move to English side Brighton looms.

Brighton and Hove Albion have agreed terms with FC Zurich to sign striker Dwamena for an undisclosed fee.

Ghana forward Dwamena, 21, has agreed personal terms, with the move subject to a medical, a work permit and international clearance.

Brighton had an 8m bid for Dwamena rejected with reports saying FC Zurich wanted 15m euros (13.7m).

His form for both club and country looks to have forced Brighton to fork out the huge amount to sign him.

Dwamena already has two goals in three starts for Ghana, prompting suggestions he could become Ghana's next big name striker in Europe, following in the footsteps of former Leeds United striker Yeboah.

Dwamena said of the prospect: "Tony was a great player for Ghana and as a young player; you will definitely have someone to look up to.

"I cannot be like him because I have not reached his level yet. I can only hope to get anywhere closer to what he did."

The newly promoted Seagulls have lost both of their Premier League games and are yet to score a goal this season.

They will be counting on Dwamena to provide the goals if he is able to complete the move to England.
22.08.2017 LISTEN

Last week, there were reports of the death of five people in the Kpando Municipality of the Volta Region, who allegedly died after consuming a fish called puffer fish.

Twenty-six other persons were also reportedly admitted at the hospital after eating the 'poisonous' fish, known locally as gede.

Consequently, the Kpando Municipal Assembly has banned the sale of the puffer fish on the market, after the Kpando Municipal Public Health Emergency Committee established that the cases were associated with the consumption of the poisonous fish.

The Chronicle is stunned by the revelation, and the fact that the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) could not foresee that the consumption of the puffer fish could result in the deaths of sections of the Ghanaian public.

We are calling on the FDA to be proactive and ensure that they are able to see danger from miles away. This will go a long way to protect the good people of this country from falling prey to such occurrences in future.

Interestingly, even though the Kpando Municipal Assembly is aware that the fish is poisonous, the FDA, whose responsibility it is to protect Ghanaians from consuming unwholesome foods, had no inkling about the venomous nature of the puffer fish.

The Assembly was blunt when it issued a statement that; This fish is well known by the locals and the danger it poses when not handled properly before consumption. But they continue to catch and sell it to the public.

What The Chronicle cannot fathom is why the FDA always waits and allows unwholesome food to enter or flood the Ghanaian market before it jumps into action, by which time many people have either died or been admitted at hospital.

On February 25, this year, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), blew the whistle on the use of formalin to preserve food items, particularly Koobi (Salted Tilapia).

Prof Frimpong Boateng then appealed to traders to stop using formalin, a chemical which is usually used to embalm corpses, to preserve food items, since it was dangerous to human health.

It was after the Minister for MESTI had blown the whistle over the use of formalin that the FDA woke up from its slumber to go into the matter.

Furthermore, a couple of months ago, a video started making rounds on social media, which suggested that someone had used the label of Blue Jeans, an energy drink being sold on the Ghanaian market, to cover an existing product to deceive its customers.

The video in question showed that the product had been re-labelled as Blue Jeans Energy Drink, when, in actual fact, it was entirely a different product.

The FDA issued a statement saying; We acknowledge with deep concerns the potential safety issues this video raises and the apparent panic it has caused.

The statement continued: The FDA regrets that the consuming public has had to grapple with this challenge, and wishes to assure the public that it has taken immediate steps to address the concerns.

The Chronicle thinks that the time has come for the FDA to be up and doing to revive the confidence the Ghanaian populace has in it, as the situation now is one that leaves much to be desired.

The FDA must also bear in the mind that criminals of today operate in a very cunning and subtle manner, and, therefore, it must (FDA) try to be ahead of them, else, they will overtake the Authority.

Ghanaians want to have absolute self-assurance in the people who have been mandated to protect them from coming into contact with poisonous and unwholesome foods, which would affect their health.
22.08.2017 LISTEN

Ambassador Kojo Amoo-Gotfried, President of the Ghana China Friendship Association (GHACHIFA), says the strengthening of friendship between Ghana and China is of great essence.

Ghana stands to gain more, in terms of development, with respect to technology, attraction of capital, and the development of human resources, he said.

Ambassador Amoo-Gotfried said this in Accra on Friday, at the commemoration of the 56th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship between the Republic of Ghana and the Peoples Republic of China.

He said GHACHIFA realised that though significant gains had been made in gaining the support of corporate Chinese business executives, we are yet to involve the ordinary Chinese who can be found in our local markets and within the various communities in the country.

Ambassador Amoo-Gotfried said GHACHIFA intends to develop a two-year programme that would see the Chinese in Ghana participating fully in Ghanas programmes, to enable them understand the values of the country, whilst Ghanaians would also gain a better insight into Chinese values and culture.



He urged the government consider the numerous training programmes the Chinese government offered the citizenry, and ensure that the right people benefit from them.

The GHACHIFA President expressed appreciation to Madam Sun Baohong, Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to Ghana, for her assistance in the furnishing and equipping of the new GHACHIFA office in Dzorwulu.

He said GHACHIFA was also grateful to Ambassador Sun for her support in the provision of ICT centres in selected regions within the country.

GHACHIFA appeals to you all for your support towards our programmes, which are geared towards strengthening the ties of friendship that we have with the Chinese, the GHACHIFA President said.

Mr Tang Hong, Chairman of the Ghana Association of Chinese Associations, said the Chinese community was grateful to Ghana for the invaluable conducive atmosphere it has provided over the years.

He continued: We want to renew our pledge and commitment to contributing our quota towards the socio-economic development of Ghana.

Mr Tang said the Chinese saw themselves as partners in development, and were ready to cooperate with Ghanaians to create jobs for the youth.

I am confident that this anniversary would offer us greater opportunities for our countries to work even closer together to bring our relationship to a new pedestal in the coming years, he said.

Source: GNA
Geneva (AFP) - The United Nations voiced alarm Tuesday at Boko Haram jihadists' surging use of children, mainly girls, as human bombs in northeastern Nigeria, describing the practice as an "atrocity".

The Islamists have for several years been using children to attack crowded markets, mosques and camps for internally displaced people in northeast Nigeria and the broader Lake Chad region.

But the UN children's agency said Tuesday that there had been an appalling increase in the cruel and calculated use of children, especially girls, as so-called "human bombs".

Since the beginning of the year, 83 children have been used to carry out bomb attacks in northeast Nigeria -- four times as many attacks as in all of 2016, UNICEF said in a statement.

Fifty-five of the children used as bombers were girls, most of them under the age of 15, 27 were boys and one was a baby strapped to a girl, UN numbers show.

Since 2014, a total of 125 children have been used as bombers in northeast Nigeria, according to UNICEF.

Boko Haram had sometimes, but not always, claimed responsibility for the attacks, the agency added.

It stressed that the children used as "human bombs are, above all, victims, not perpetrators."

The agency pointed out that the use of children in such attacks had also created suspicion and fear of children who had been released, rescued of had escaped from Boko Haram.

"As a result, many children who have managed to get away from captivity face rejection when they try to reintegrate into their communities, compounding their suffering," it said.

Children in northeastern Nigeria are also struggling to survive a massive displacement and malnutrition crisis, triggered by Boko Haram's bloody insurgency.

The violence, which began in 2009, has killed at least 20,000 people and forced some 2.6 million others to flee their homes.

Nearly half a million children in the region are at risk of severe acute malnutrition this year alone, UNICEF said.
Freetown (AFP) - Ann-Marie Caulker scrolls through the images on her smartphone: the faces of young girls who were her some of her brightest students at school in Freetown until the landslide hit.

"This girl has died," she says through the tears. "This one also has died. She was very clever."

The death toll from last week's mudslide and flooding in Sierra Leone's capital city is approaching 500. Hundreds more are missing after one of the country's worst disasters.

Caulker, 48, founded the Royal Kings International school a decade ago to provide education to some of Freetown's most disadvantaged children.

Today, she says she lost as many as 50 pupils and at least two teachers in the tragedy.

"Our school was destroyed completely. Pupils, teachers and parents also died during the disaster," she tells AFP.

Dressed in a purple hat and sneakers, Caulker picks her way through the capital's Pentagon district, the red earth strewn with rocks and other debris scattered when the ground gave way.

Houses -- simple, corrugated structures -- used to cling to the hillside above dotted with mango and palm trees.

It was from there, after three days of rain, that the torrent came on the night of August 13-14, sweeping away everything in its path, slamming into ramshackle homes and trapping families while they slept.

"All these rocks were not here," she says, gesturing at the detritus.

"All the places that you're seeing, there were houses of two-storey buildings. Many people are dead."

The school was mainly divided between two buildings. One, at the foot of the valley, was washed away in the landslide. Another, higher up the hill, has since been hit by looters.

"We used to have chairs and benches," Caulker says. "They have taken all during this crisis."

Teacher Felix Mansary says the fate of many of his pupils and colleagues remains unknown.

"We are still trying to get information about other teachers, pupils and parents of the school," he says.

"This (tragedy) discourages us, because we groom these people for the future and then unfortunately, they die."

'Sorrow and pain'

The Sunday before last, hundreds of Pentagon residents crowded into the community church to celebrate mass.

A week later, after the devastation, barely 30 people made it to service.

After hymns sung to the beat of two drums, pastor Charles King addressed the congregation.

"This is a time of sorrow and pain as the church lost many members," he said.

For some in this deeply religious nation, prayer has been a powerful source of solace

He called on surviving church-goers to be kind to each other, an attempt at offering some sort of relief in this deeply pious nation.

But for Caulker, who is raising funds to rebuild her school even as bodies continue to be pulled from the mud, the pain will last a lifetime.

"Some of the women, right now they are homeless, people are sleeping in the rain," she says.

"I'm still scared and don't sleep at night when it starts raining."
If President Addo DankwaAkufo-Addo is really serious about putting a complete cessation to all illegal mining activities in the country, then he ought to put a moratorium, or a definitive freeze, on the issuance of any new mining registration certificates until the Galamsey menace has been brought to a screeching halt. And then he and his appointees can sit down and soberly resume the awarding of such concessions with the safety of our environment in the foreground of such decisions. The impasse currently raging between the Asante Regional Minister, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, and the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Mr. John Peter Amewu, does not augur well for the success of Galamsey cessation (See Produce Documents Before I Release Mining Equipment  Osei-Mensah to Peter Amewu Classfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 8/22/17).

In the latest impasse, we learn that a company by the name of Exton Cubic Group Limited was recently issued a mining permit by Forestry Commission Head, Mr. Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie  I am hereby assuming the latter to be the same as the man popularly known as Sir John, the former General-Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)  which was promptly approved and ratified by the Lands and Natural Resources Minister to mine bauxite at Nyinahin, in the Atwima-Mponua District of the Asante Region. Unfortunately, the documents authorizing Exton Cubic Group Limited to commence mining in the Atwima-Mponua District was not copied to the Asante Regional Minister. Neither were the same copied to the Atwima-Mponua District Chief Executive Officer. As was to be expected, Mr. Osei-Mensah, the Asante Regional Minister, swiftly intervened to stop Exton Cubic Group Limited from commencing with any mining activities in the area.

This is perfectly understandable, for in the words of Mr. Osei-Mensah, I have to protect myself against any future possibility of the accusation of wrongdoing. For me, here, though, what is most annoying is the alleged decision by the concessionaire to lease mining equipment from Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, proprietor of the infamous Engineers and Planners firm, who is also the younger brother of former President John Dramani Mahama. You would think that with all the EOCO-provided evidence linking Mr. Ibrahim Mahama to legion attempts at scamming the government and the Ghanaian taxpayer, with the express and explicit complicity of the former President, that Mr. Ibrahim Mahama would since long have been permanently banned from engaging in any mining activities in the country.

Now, I dont know the criteria for awarding mining concessions to companies in the country, but it well appears to me that if the applicant, namely, Exton Cubic Group Limited were that prepared to enter the mining business, they ought to have been expected to own their own mining equipment, rather than renting the same from a mean-spirited, greedy and a pathological scofflaw like Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, whose dastardly shenanigans, with the brazen complicity of former President Mahama, may very well have considerably contributed to the collapse of the UT and Capital banks, among a plethora of other Ghanaian-owned banks in the country recently. Indeed, for all that anybody cares or could imagine, the Exton Cubic Group Limited could well be fronting for Mr. Ibrahim Mahama. Does President Akufo-Addo want his government to be perceived as being criminally complicit in the cutthroat shenanigans of the Mahama Brothers?

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
22.08.2017 LISTEN

The District Chief Executive of Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region Hon.Kwame Asamoah Boateng has been accused of superintending over illegal mining in the area.

Chief Executive Officer of Save Ghana Foundation, Mr. Kofi Agyei , has alleged that despite the ban on illegal mining by the Lands and Natural Resources there are some unscrupulous people still engaging in the activity in the area but the DCE has decided to turn a blind eye.

My information has that some people are still engaging in illegal mining in the night at Numereso, he claimed on Kumasi-based Otec FM afternoon political talk show Dwabrem hosted by Agya Wusu Ansah.

I have seen that the DCE cannot lead the fight against illegal so therefore he must be removed for someone who can do the work to takeover, he observed.

I am going to petition President Akufo-Addo for his removal, he revealed Monday during panel discussion.

The president, Nana Akufo-Addo has put his presidency on the line with a commitment to end the illegal small scale mining popularly called galamsey in Ghana.

Ghanas future is in a limbo with a huge chunk of its environment under-siege from boisterous young men and women who are digging every inch of space in mineral rich areas of Ghana in search of gold, diamond among other natural resources.

The President has therefore urged everyone to help end the illegal mining across the country putting his presidency at stake.
Accra, Aug 22, GNA - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo is committed to making the Ghana Publishing Company Limited a powerhouse in publishing once more, Deputy Information Minister, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, said Monday.

'As such, the President has pledged his unwavering support in making this company achieve its mandate,' Nana Asiamah-Adjei told journalists and staff of the Company as part of her visit to get first-hand information about happenings there.

She visited various departments of the Company and later addressed workers during which she commended both Management and Staff for their hard work and dedication over the years in the heat of several challenges.

'My visit today is to interact with you and to have first-hand information of the challenges this great company is going through and find ways of retooling and revamping your operations,' she told the cheering crowd, who chanted and clapped their hands unceasingly.

'Let me reiterate my outmost commitment in seeing Ghana Publishing Company Limited turn into a formidable force to reckon with in the production industry,' she said.

'We are pledging to pull every muscle of strength to see this company succeed.

'I know the sky will be the limit when this company is fully resourced. Continue working hard and be moved by the can-do spirit and the spirit of patriotism,' she added.

Mr David Asante Boateng, the Managing Director of Ghana Publishing Company, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the entire publishing company needed a complete overhaul.

'Every single department and the agency section under this whole organisation need proper retooling and recapitalisation,' he said.

He said the Company had the right human resources, the capacity to deliver and the skilled men and women but what 'we lack is the equipment and proper machines.'

He expressed the hope that the Deputy Minister's concern and desire to revamp and retool the place would come into reality.

Mr Boateng noted that printing and publishing machines imported about 50 years back had become old and obsolete.

'All the structures we work with are so old, we need proper infrastructure uplift,' he said.

GNA

By D.I. Laary, GNA
Amasaman (GAR), Aug. 22, GNA - The Chiefs and people of Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region on Saturday, celebrated their annual Homowo festival amidst the sprinkling of 'Kpokpoi', the traditional food of the Gas, drumming and the firing of muskets.

The celebration was on the theme; ''Mobilizing the Strength in Our Diversity for National Development'.

Clad in red, the chiefs and some indigenes took turns to sprinkle the food and poured libation at sacred places and homes.

The festival which was celebrated peacefully, attracted a large number ofpeople.

Nii Amasa Oseiku II, Amasaman Mantse, called for a united front to accelerate the development of the community.

He asked them to use the occasion to forge ahead in unity by burying their differences in order to seek the development of the area.

Nii Oseiku urged the youth to guard against social vices and practice virtues that would shape their lives and help them to become responsible adults.

He appealed to the Ga Traditional Council to take a second look at the installation of chiefs to ensure peace at all times.

Nii Oseiku also appealed to the government to provide the community with good roads and drinking water to help improve the living standard of the people.

Nii Ayi Bonte II, Gbese Mantse, commended the chiefs and people of the area for celebrating the festival peacefully.

He said that the Traditional Council was putting in place mechanisms to help stop the transfer of chiefs.

Nii Okai Laryea, Member of Parliament for Amasaman, also commended t he people for a peaceful celebration and expressed the hope that he would work tirelessly to ensure the development of the area.

GNA